Perth, WA
Here's another family Roger caught up with in Perth last week.
Enjoy!
K x
Monday, 12 October 2009
Friday, 9 October 2009
ENVY Portraits
Many of our Perth clients find the fact that our studio is right at the gateway to the Margaret River wine region a fantastic excuse to get away for a break and have their portraits shot while they're in relaxed holiday mode. And now that there's a new highway it's only 1 hour 50 minutes drive from the Canning Bridge to our door (without speeding!).
We understand however that not everyone can easily escape the city, and so Roger and I travel to Perth a couple of times a month to shoot portraits for those who can't get away. Here are some images of a gorgeous family Roger visited earlier this week.
Enjoy!
Kx
Many of our Perth clients find the fact that our studio is right at the gateway to the Margaret River wine region a fantastic excuse to get away for a break and have their portraits shot while they're in relaxed holiday mode. And now that there's a new highway it's only 1 hour 50 minutes drive from the Canning Bridge to our door (without speeding!).
We understand however that not everyone can easily escape the city, and so Roger and I travel to Perth a couple of times a month to shoot portraits for those who can't get away. Here are some images of a gorgeous family Roger visited earlier this week.
Enjoy!
Kx
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Photographers vs Fauxtographers
Our local newspaper recently featured an article which I found very interesting, and a little sad. It was titled "Wedding photos not up to scratch" and the aim of the article was to warn couples that "WA Consumer Protection has had four complaints about wedding photographers in the South West in the last six months, primarily about the quality of the photos".
This is not news to us.
Roger and I often receive frantic calls from brides whose wedding photographers have handed over images or files which are poorly exposed, out of focus, or just plain awful, and they want to know if there's any way we can "fix" them.
It's always hard to tell them - No.
It doesn't matter how much photoshop you throw at a bad image, you can never turn it into a good one.
The article goes on to give tips on choosing a wedding photographer - get recommendations, get a written quote, ask to see a portfolio... all good ideas. Here are a few of my own tips on how to tell a photographer from a fauxtographer (I'm going to use the term he to make it easier, but I mean he or she!):
1. "He has a website and a big camera - he must be a good photographer"
Not necessarily! Type "photographers website templates" into Google and you'll see how easy it is to make yourself look like a great photographer on the web. What you really want to see is that he is able to take consistently good photos at a wedding from start to finish. The only way to do that is to look at complete wedding albums. It's easy to fake it with a handful of OK images from a wedding...but if a photographer isn't willing to display entire wedding albums, something's not right.
2. Experience vs Work experience
Make sure that your photographer is experienced! You will spend so much time, effort and expense planning your wedding - don't let a fauxtographer use you for "work experience"! One of the most important things a photographer needs to know is how to deal with different lighting situations. Outdoor Southwest weddings require particular skill as the lighting can vary from harsh sunlight, to dappled light, to low light. If he doesn't understand light, and doesn't have the experience under his belt to deal with it appropriately, it will show in his images.
3. Membership of the Austrailian Institute of Professional Photography.
Perhaps I should have put this as number one because it's fairly important. These days, cameras are so good that alot of the "skill" has gone out of photography - just take a thousand photos and you're sure to end up with at least one good one! Anyone can buy themselves an expensive camera, make a groovy website, hang up a sign and call themselves a photographer. It's easy...and scary. For a photographer to become a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography they must meet a set of criteria - have been working full time as a photographer for at least two years, have their images and finished albums appraised and approved by two accredited members of the AIPP, and they must agree to adhere to a professional code of conduct. It is possible to be a brilliant photographer and not be a member of the AIPP - I'm just advising that couples do their homework. If your photographer isn't an AIPP member, ask him why.
4. Awards. Everyone's got em!
Almost every photographer advertises themselves as an "award winning photographer" so these days awards don't really mean much...unless you educate yourself on how the awards are judged and by whom...and really, who has the time to do that?
Here's my explanation of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards system (but if you really want to understand it fully take a look here):
Each state holds an annual print competition with various categories (wedding, portrait, commercial, landscape, illustrative) to which entrants can submit a portfoilio. Winners of each category earn a title such as "2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year" (hey, that's me!). State competitions do not award silvers or golds (although some photographers misleadingly promote themselves as having won silvers at state awards) - images are judged as they would be at national level, giving the photographer an indication of how their image may have scored nationally.
At the national level photographers submit just four images per year to win points (silvers and golds) which accumulate to earn honours (Associate [that's me], Master of Photography [that's Roger, with 3 gold bars, which means he has earned Master of Photography status 4 times], Grand Master). Some photographers earn one silver and call themselves "award winning photographers"...which is true...BUT...the real skill is to achieve consistently high standards every year - not just let one silver award be your claim to fame.
AIPP awards are not easy to win.
If your photographer is an "award winning" photographer ask him - what awards have you won?
5. Lastly, a piece of advice from my Dad...
Never trust a man with dirty shoes.
Hopefully that helps someone out there to stay away from those Southwest photographers that people are complaining about.
K x
P.S. Just to reward you for reading this far, a photo of our 6 year olds enjoying their new swing
Enjoy!
K x
Our local newspaper recently featured an article which I found very interesting, and a little sad. It was titled "Wedding photos not up to scratch" and the aim of the article was to warn couples that "WA Consumer Protection has had four complaints about wedding photographers in the South West in the last six months, primarily about the quality of the photos".
This is not news to us.
Roger and I often receive frantic calls from brides whose wedding photographers have handed over images or files which are poorly exposed, out of focus, or just plain awful, and they want to know if there's any way we can "fix" them.
It's always hard to tell them - No.
It doesn't matter how much photoshop you throw at a bad image, you can never turn it into a good one.
The article goes on to give tips on choosing a wedding photographer - get recommendations, get a written quote, ask to see a portfolio... all good ideas. Here are a few of my own tips on how to tell a photographer from a fauxtographer (I'm going to use the term he to make it easier, but I mean he or she!):
1. "He has a website and a big camera - he must be a good photographer"
Not necessarily! Type "photographers website templates" into Google and you'll see how easy it is to make yourself look like a great photographer on the web. What you really want to see is that he is able to take consistently good photos at a wedding from start to finish. The only way to do that is to look at complete wedding albums. It's easy to fake it with a handful of OK images from a wedding...but if a photographer isn't willing to display entire wedding albums, something's not right.
2. Experience vs Work experience
Make sure that your photographer is experienced! You will spend so much time, effort and expense planning your wedding - don't let a fauxtographer use you for "work experience"! One of the most important things a photographer needs to know is how to deal with different lighting situations. Outdoor Southwest weddings require particular skill as the lighting can vary from harsh sunlight, to dappled light, to low light. If he doesn't understand light, and doesn't have the experience under his belt to deal with it appropriately, it will show in his images.
3. Membership of the Austrailian Institute of Professional Photography.
Perhaps I should have put this as number one because it's fairly important. These days, cameras are so good that alot of the "skill" has gone out of photography - just take a thousand photos and you're sure to end up with at least one good one! Anyone can buy themselves an expensive camera, make a groovy website, hang up a sign and call themselves a photographer. It's easy...and scary. For a photographer to become a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography they must meet a set of criteria - have been working full time as a photographer for at least two years, have their images and finished albums appraised and approved by two accredited members of the AIPP, and they must agree to adhere to a professional code of conduct. It is possible to be a brilliant photographer and not be a member of the AIPP - I'm just advising that couples do their homework. If your photographer isn't an AIPP member, ask him why.
4. Awards. Everyone's got em!
Almost every photographer advertises themselves as an "award winning photographer" so these days awards don't really mean much...unless you educate yourself on how the awards are judged and by whom...and really, who has the time to do that?
Here's my explanation of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards system (but if you really want to understand it fully take a look here):
Each state holds an annual print competition with various categories (wedding, portrait, commercial, landscape, illustrative) to which entrants can submit a portfoilio. Winners of each category earn a title such as "2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year" (hey, that's me!). State competitions do not award silvers or golds (although some photographers misleadingly promote themselves as having won silvers at state awards) - images are judged as they would be at national level, giving the photographer an indication of how their image may have scored nationally.
At the national level photographers submit just four images per year to win points (silvers and golds) which accumulate to earn honours (Associate [that's me], Master of Photography [that's Roger, with 3 gold bars, which means he has earned Master of Photography status 4 times], Grand Master). Some photographers earn one silver and call themselves "award winning photographers"...which is true...BUT...the real skill is to achieve consistently high standards every year - not just let one silver award be your claim to fame.
AIPP awards are not easy to win.
If your photographer is an "award winning" photographer ask him - what awards have you won?
5. Lastly, a piece of advice from my Dad...
Never trust a man with dirty shoes.
Hopefully that helps someone out there to stay away from those Southwest photographers that people are complaining about.
K x
P.S. Just to reward you for reading this far, a photo of our 6 year olds enjoying their new swing
Enjoy!
K x
Thursday, 17 September 2009
100 days to Christmas!
Is it just me, or is that crazy? Didn't we just have Xmas a couple of months ago?
Our Xmas card mini sessions were so popular last year that we are once again going to be shooting them, at our studio and on location in the southwest and Perth, so that you can have your own gorgeous personalised Xmas cards to send out to family and friends...just like the one below.
I'll keep you posted on when the sessions will be schelduled, but if you just can't wait please email me and we'll arrange a "special" mini session just for you.
K x
Is it just me, or is that crazy? Didn't we just have Xmas a couple of months ago?
Our Xmas card mini sessions were so popular last year that we are once again going to be shooting them, at our studio and on location in the southwest and Perth, so that you can have your own gorgeous personalised Xmas cards to send out to family and friends...just like the one below.
I'll keep you posted on when the sessions will be schelduled, but if you just can't wait please email me and we'll arrange a "special" mini session just for you.
K x
Thursday, 10 September 2009
10/9/2009 Back to work
I've had a grin on my face for almost a week now. It was such a thrill to have my name read out as the 2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year. Here's my 3 second grammy award speech:
Thankyou Roger for being my teacher, critic, husband and for printing my images so beautifully. Any photographic skills I have are because of you...and even though I now have a huge ego I will still carry your bags.
Thankyou also to the gorgeous brides who appear in the winning portfolio .
OK...back to work.
Click on the pics below to see what we've been up to lately - I'm not sure which is more cute - the babies or the puppies!
Enjoy!
K x
Monday, 7 September 2009
Wedding Photographer of the Year - and the winner is...
Perth, Western Australia
Blog Post from Roger:
Perth, Western Australia
Blog Post from Roger:
Normally I don't do the blog...that's left to Kirsty. But last Friday night she received a very special honour, and being the quiet, bashful little thing that she is I thought I'd let you all know about it...
Kirsty was crowned the 2009 Epson WA AIPP Professional Wedding Photographer of the Year at a gala event at the Duxton Hotel in Perth. She was up against WA's best wedding photographers. This is an award that I have yet to win (I've twice been runner-up to the wonderful Ric Syme who, in my view is one of the best wedding photographers this state has ever seen).
Kirsty was also runner up for the coveted John Whitfield-King Award - a perpetual trophy for the "best people Pic". John Whitfield-King is regarded as the most naturally gifted and visually literate photographer of his generation who sadly passed away in 1990 of motor neurone disease at the age of 50.
She was also runner up for the Best Individual Wedding Print Award.
So well done and congratulations to Kirsty!!!
But what does this mean to you, our clients?
You're lucky! You now have the 2007 WA Portrait Photographer of the Year AND the 2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year shooting your wedding.
Few studios in Australia can claim two such accomplished and awarded photographers both shooting together at the same wedding.
For years I have reigned on the throne here at ENVY. Now Kirsty is wearing the crown (for now...) I'm wondering though...will she still carry my bags??..surely??..
Congratulations Kirsty - no one has worked harder or deserves this more than you.
Your loving husband,
Roger
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