"Don't Stop Believin'!"

Saturday's wedding was a lot of fun! I can't get the song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey - out of my head! (If you don't know the song, check out this YouTube.com video of Journey performing the song... Click Here)

The groom is the lead singer in an 80's tribute band and so we had a LOT of musicians in attendance. For those of you who know me, besides photography, music is right up there as my favorite thing! Well, we had a lot of that on Saturday. If you ever get a chance to watch me take photos during a wedding reception, you'll often see me singing along with the band while I shoot! Nobody hears me of course since the band just drowns me out. :)

If you count the bands who played at Saturday's wedding reception, I'd say we had at least four or five different band changes that evening! While the "hired" band took a break, the groom and his various guests jumped up to entertain the other guests! If you know 80's music, it would be easy to recognize the tunes these guys were playing! And I'm not talking average quality playing either... these were top notch performances! "Don't Stop Believin'" was one of the songs played that evening and wow... can the groom sing! Terrific! And the band was just as good! The only musician there who didn't play a guitar that evening was me! But I had a job to do...

Several times, I had to stop to think if I was photographing a wedding or a music concert! Guests lined up around the band to watch them play. We even had someone pull out a lighter to ask for an encore! That was great!

Besides the fun of the music performances, an interesting moment came when the groom was presented with a terrific looking "Star Wars" guitar as a gift! Darth Vader's image is on the body with the words "Star Wars" on the neck! Totally unique! And the case had the words "Star Wars" molded into it too. I wonder what kind of music you can play when you've got "The Force" behind you...

Taking a break from the music on the dance floor, we found a piano in the lounge, so the groom played a little tune on it while his beautiful bride jumped up and listened while on top of the piano. Classic!

This was one wedding that I won't easily forget. Neither will their guests! Rock On!

Studio work... on location

I'm excited to say that I'm all set up now for taking the "studio experience" on location!

While most of my clients know me as a "wedding photographer," many do not know that I also have several years of studio experience as well. That's right... while I love taking photos in the field using just the ambient light or perhaps at best a flash on the camera, I also get excited when I see images that only multiple studio lights can create. Setting up lighting ratios, making sure the backdrops or sets are done right, it's not as easy as you might think. Add in the variable of shooting this on location and you can imagine it's going to be tough!

Well, that's part of the fun!

Years ago, I photographed many health club instructors in the San Diego area. And, I even did glamour shots working in conjunction with a local beauty salon. The "before" and then "after" photos are amazing! While the photos were good, the artistry that a good hair and makeup person can do is equally amazing!

So, if you need a good studio portrait... give me a call. Let's see what we can create together!

One of the first (if not the first) to put the studio lights through its paces will be one of my past wedding clients! I shot their wedding just last year and they are expecting their first child at the end of November! So they contacted me via my facebook site and we are going to see if we can do a pregnancy session together!

This is so exciting! I'm so happy for them and also honored at the same time that they would think of me to document this stage of their life together. I just hope they will remember me when it is time to take photos of the baby too!

So spread the word. I'm doing studio work on location now along with my regular wedding duties! What kind of special images can we create together? Studio images will be posted as I build up this new portfolio.

The Only Original Photography Equipment I'm Still Currently Using

Since I started shooting professionally in 1990, I've retired most of my older camera gear.

With new technology coming out every day (especially since digital), I find that I turn over camera gear quite fast. But the one item that I am still using today is my trusty Minolta Auto Meter IIIF light meter!

However recently, I found that my meter was not working! It was stuck with one reading only (showing an error) and I couldn't figure it out! I thought perhaps it was a low battery, so I went out and bought another 6 Volt battery to fix it (it's a special size.) It still registered wrong.

Disheartened, I started to look around for a replacement.

I was really upset... the cost of a new meter was over $250 but it was not that I could not afford a new one... I was not happy that my trusty old meter had died. So I decided I'd fix it the way I used to fix things at the San Diego District Attorney's Office (where I had worked in the past)... I "whacked it" on the palm of my hand! Whenever someone came to me to ask me to fix some piece of equipment at the DA's office, my standard answer was, "Whack it!" Often, it worked! So I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised when the Minolta meter came back to life after "whacking it!" Perhaps I jarred something inside or perhaps it unstuck the "measure lock" button or something, but it works again!

This meter is super accurate and I just could not let it go without giving it one last try. I'm glad I did and I'm glad it works again!

I use this meter for incident light readings and also to measure the output of my studio flashes. While it's 18 years old, it's as accurate as any of the current models out there. And, it's the only piece of camera gear I still use today since day one of shooting professionally.

The only other items I still use today since the early days are my studio backdrop stands and my light stands and one of my studio tripods. They are still around as well. But they are not as old as this meter!

Round Table Discussions - Number Four

I've scheduled another Round Table Discussions to be held at my office on December 9, 2008.

Up to nine other photographers and I will be discussing various topics which concern the wedding and photography industry. This will be the fourth session that I've hosted and moderated.

While we have social get togethers several times a year, these Round Table Discussions focus strictly on business. Open only to professional photographers who have been working in the industry for at least two years, we'll be doing some in-depth discussions on the future of professional photography.

If you are a professional wedding photographer and would like to join in this discussion group, please contact me at 847-840-4082 or at photos@russlowe.com. Only nine photographers besides myself will be admitted on a first reserved, first served basis.

Bowling at Pinstripes

Tonight several fellow wedding photographers and I went to Pinstripes in South Barrington for a little bowling.

Several times a year, we try to get together to unwind and share stories of the various weddings we've shot during the year to learn from one another. It's always interesting to find out that you are not the only one out there dealing with similar issues in business.

We always have a great time! Thanks to Jay C for organizing this event!

Location Photography

Lately, I've been gearing up for doing location "Studio" work...

As the economy becomes more and more difficult for everyone, photographers are finding that besides their main businesses, they have to diversify as well. I'm no exception.

I have been getting requests from people who find me via the internet or by word of mouth asking if I could do some location portrait work for them. Well, in the past I have turned many of these requests down... but today, I can't afford to do that. So, I'm "gearing" up for the challenge of doing location work again but using studio lights and backdrops.

Now I'm not a big fan of doing this during weddings... it takes time to set up all those studio lights and backdrops... not to mention that it takes me away from shooting the wedding reception itself! But a high-quality studio shot done outside of a wedding is ok with me! Headshots, 3/4 shots, full-length shots, I've done them all and am very good at it too, by the way.

New studio lights are being acquired now and so are new backdrops. So if you would like me to do a nice "studio" shot for you or your business... let me know! I can be very creative in the studio and I can even shoot these images on location at your place of business or your home! Of course, natural "environmental" portraits are always available too. But you should see my "studio" work! :)

Doyle Dykes at Cascio's Interstate Music - New Berlin, WI

Doyle Dykes and his daughter Haley Dykes performed at Cascio's Interstate Music today in New Berlin, WI. I surprised them by showing up in Wisconsin!

While I try to attend every Doyle Dykes' concert in the Chicago area, I've never ventured out of the state to see him play. But New Berlin is only about 1-1/2 hours away from my home, so driving up to Wisconsin wasn't too bad.

After the show, Doyle and Haley took my wife and me to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. We had a great time catching up. The last time I saw the two of them was in Chattanooga Tennessee last year when I went there to photograph Doyle's daughter Holli's wedding. OK... I guess I have ventured out of the state to hear Doyle play since he played at his daughter's wedding!

If you've never heard Doyle play or Haley sing, I'd encourage you to go out and see them! Doyle's got a new album coming out next month and I got a sneak preview of a couple of the tracks after lunch. It was great! He's got Phil Keaggy and Eric Johnson and also his son Caleb Dykes all playing on this album with him! While you can tell this was a "Doyle CD," it had many new elements to the sound because of the other players helping out! This is one special CD from Doyle, so don't miss it!

Fender Jazz Bass - 5 String

I've posted many of the guitars I've purchased (and sold) over the years, but I've never posted about my bass... so here it is... a Fender 5-string Jazz Bass.

Both the Jazz Bass and the Fender Precision Bass are the most recognized basses in the world. While I had owned a four-string Fender Precision Bass in the past, when I decided to get another bass, the 5-string Jazz Bass was my first choice. The five strings give a few extra low notes to play when you've run out on a 4-string bass. Plus, I like the sculpted shape of the Jazz Bass because it's a lot easier on the body. The two pickups make tone shaping a lot nicer too.

A 4-string Jazz Bass is definitely easier to play though. The neck is not as wide. But you get used to a 5-string. It's not as hard to play as some people think.

It seems the only time I ever get to play the bass is when the Chicago-area members of The Acoustic Guitar Forum get together for our semi-annual jam. I prefer to play bass while everyone else plays their acoustic guitars because it really helps round out the sound. With so many guitars, the low-end is neglected. But not when I take out the bass to play! Plus, I play guitar in church all the time, so it's a real treat for me to play the bass.

My daughter taught herself how to play my bass when she was in eighth grade! She's a violinist with no experience on the guitar or the bass... but when her jazz band said they needed a bassist, she volunteered! She actually did really well too! I was amazed that she could teach herself how to play, but also that should could hold that heavy bass on her shoulder during their performances! She claims that she can't remember how to play any longer now that she's in high school, but I'm sure if she tried, she'd remember.

Playing the bass is relatively easy though. It's one note at a time, most of the time. But to play well, you do need to have a knack for it. I love listening to jazz players play the bass. They really can make it sing! For me, I play the bass strictly "by ear" so I play what I hear in my mind when listening to a song. Works for me! Others who have heard me play says it works for them too... so I'll stick with this method!

Tripod Heads

After messing around with ball heads for my tripod for the past couple of years, I've decided to go back to the tried and true 3-way head.

This is the Manfrotto 229 which replaces the old 3039 head. I had a 3039 head before moving to the ball heads but thought I'd like the quick settings of a ball head instead. But what I found was that it was harder to keep the ball heads from creeping when set in a vertical orientation. So to do a proper job, you need a ball head that can handle a lot more than you think... and those are rather expensive!

The 229 head will handle a load of 26.46 lbs. whereas my last ball head could only handle 11 lbs. With the Nikon D3 and a large lens, you need all the load capability you can get! So it's back to the tried and true.

US Mint - State Quarters

Images borrowed from the US Mint Website

Since their introduction in 1999, I've been trying to collect at least one of each of the State Quarters for a collector's map for my daughter.

This is the final year for the quarters and I realized that I was missing one quarter from 2007 and all of the quarters from 2008!

So today, I reached into my pocket and found my first 2008 quarter... ARIZONA! But I was still missing the others. So I reached out to my friends at the Acoustic Guitar Forum for help and

have now found all of the coins! Hawaii is not minted yet, so that's the only coin missing at this point.

Thanks to all my friends for searching for me! Within one hour of asking for help, the coins have been located! Yes, I have friends all over the USA helping out!

Goodbye Hasselblad

The last Hasselblad film camera that I own has been sold...

This Hasselblad (I had three) was one that I thought I'd keep just for "old time's sake" but the more I thought about it, it was just wasting away sitting in a camera bag. So I decided to sell it along with an extra lens and additional film backs. I'm glad it's going to a photography student who plans to use it in his study of photography though! At least I'll know it's being utilized and that perhaps one day, this other photographer can say he benefited from the purchase of it and it furthered his interest in photography.

Hasselblads at one time were considered the top-of-the-line cameras to own for wedding and commercial photography. Today, digital has taken over. So long old faithful medium format camera!

John Hersey High School - Homecoming Game

John Hersey High School's "Huskies" had their homecoming game on Friday against Elk Grove High School's "Grens." Hersey won 37 to 14! Like last year, I was way up at the top of the bleachers so that I could stand up and take these images. Click on each image to see a larger version.

Photography At Night

From last Saturday's wedding... Which do you prefer? Click on each image to get a closer look.

The first image was taken the way most people would do... shot with a flash outside. The second image was taken with a flash as well... but why is the background so much brighter? Well, it takes a little "know-how" to create the quality of the second image. (Like I always tell my clients, "That's what you pay me for!")

The lighter background wasn't "faked" in Photoshop. It was done with the camera at the time the image was taken. Which image would you consider the "pro" shot? By the way, the real light outside was really about a cross between the two images. With a standard flash technique, you can expect the results you see in the first image. But with a little camera manipulation, the second image was made possible. The bride and groom was still exposed the same though! Cool, huh?

A Good Reason To Get Photos Done BEFORE The Ceremony

"You have until 3:30 PM to get your photos done before we kick you out of the church. It's now 3:20 PM."

You wouldn't believe how often I've heard this from various ministers and priests over the years.

Even with the best laid plans, sometimes wedding ceremonies start late and finish late as well. What does that mean to your formal photos? Well, it means you may not get them done, at least not at the church.

Ten minutes is not enough time to do formal photos of the bride, the groom, the wedding party and of the family members. But that's exactly the amount of time I had to work with this past Saturday. The church had a service right after the wedding and they had allowed only 1/2 hour for the formals before people were scheduled to come in for Mass. One half hour should be enough time, right? Maybe. But when the ceremony starts late and the ceremony runs past the estimated time... plus having the traditional limo ride around the block... time can easily run out.

This is why some brides decide to get some of the formal photos done BEFORE the ceremony instead. Taking as many photos without family members before the ceremony really does ease the potential problems. But many brides want to follow the tradition of not having the groom see her before the ceremony... or at least not having him see her with the wedding dress!

Who made up this "tradition" anyway? Perhaps it was made up BEFORE the invention of photography!

My advice for those who want the absolute best photography and also do not want to be rushed during their wedding is to get the formal photos of the bride, groom and bridal party done before the ceremony. While this is not a popular thing for a wedding photographer to write on his blog, I want to at least let you all know that this really does make a huge difference.

Another thing that you may not know is that many churches and ministers really don't like photographers! While many photographers follow the rules set forth by the church regarding photography (like no flash during the ceremony, or shooting only allowed from the back of the church) some photographers don't follow the rules and so they have set a bad impression with the church and the ministers and priests. So all photographers suffer admonishments going forward at that church. Rules are laid out in advance and sometimes a document is forced upon the photographer to sign stating that he will follow the rules or risk being kicked out of the church during the wedding ceremony! Hard as that is to believe, it happens!

The point is, working around the time restraints given by the church sometimes is the best way to avoid potential problems with running out of time. So I'd like to urge brides to at least consider getting some photos done before the ceremony. If your photography is important to you, check with your photographer and your church before following the tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony.

Oh, in case you are wondering... I did finish the vast majority of the formal photos for my clients in ten minutes! That has to be some kind of record. But when everyone realized we had only ten minutes to do it, it was amazing to see how cooperative everyone was! And yes, I was giving a countdown as we approached the final minutes!

Wicked - The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz

Go see Wicked before you lose the opportunity!

Wicked has been playing in Chicago for a long time, but it closes soon. I FINALLY went to see this amazing production last night and I was really impressed! I won't give away any details about the show other than to say that if you loved the original "Wizard of Oz," you'll love Wicked.

The Chicago production was superb. The acting, the singing, the band, the sets... everything about the show was terrific. I can't believe I waited this long to see the show. But at least I can say I finally saw it.

Don't wait until it's too late! Rumor has it that they close sometime in January 2009, but don't quote me on that. Check it out yourself. And for those who want a "sneak preview" of what to expect when you go to this show, check out this youtube.com video featuring Idina Menzel (Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West) and Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda, The Good Witch) from the original New York cast of Wicked performing the song, "Defying Gravity." Click Here.

"All-In-One" Lenses - Is It Worth It?

AF-S DX VR Zoom- NIKKOR
18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

Pictured above is Nikon's latest camera lens which covers a focal length zoom range from 18mm to 200mm. It is designed for DX-cropped digital cameras like the Nikon D60, D90, D300, etc. With such a huge range covered within a single lens, why would anyone want to buy multiple lenses to cover the entire focal range?

For instance, you can buy a 17-55mm lens and a 70-200mm lens to cover the range. But these two lenses will cost you a lot more than the single lens. And, these lenses are a lot bulkier and heavier. So why do it?

The all-in-one lens' attraction is:

1. Lower cost than buying two lenses to cover the entire focal length

2. Smaller lens

3. Less weight

4. Carry one lens instead of two

5. VR (Vibration Reduction) Lens - stabilizes camera shake

The pitfalls of the lens?

1. Slow speed (doesn't have very large apertures)

2. Cannot perform low depth of field images as well as other lenses

3. Variable aperture at different focal lengths (not a constant aperture)

At the widest focal length of 18mm on the all-in-one lens, the largest aperture is f 3.5. And as you zoom towards the telephoto range of 200mm, the aperture becomes f 5.6. On the other lenses, regardless of the focal length, the largest aperture is f 2.8. What does this mean? Well, it means that the all-in-one lens is 1/2 stop slower at 18mm and 2 stops slower at 200mm than the other lenses. Because of this, to get the same amount of light to the camera's image sensor, you would have to shoot at higher ISO settings (sensitivity of the image sensor.) While this does not appear to be a big deal for outside photos where the sunlight is bright, it does become a factor in low light situations like shooting with ambient light in a dark church. For instance a shot that would normally require ISO 1600 would now require ISO 6400 at 200mm on the all-in-one lens. At ISO 6400, there is going to be a certain amount of digital "noise" that will be noticable in the image. Not good.

Also while a focal length of 200mm will have a lower depth of field, it won't be as low at f 5.6 compared to f2.8. So trying to get "creative" images that totally blur out the background and foreground in a photograph will not be as easy to do on the all-in-one lens.

Will the VR function of the lens help? It only helps stabilize the shot from camera shake. It does not help in getting you a lower depth of field. Plus to get a similar exposure of the f 2.8 lenses, the shutter speed will have to be 2 times slower than when using an f 2.8 lens at 200mm. For instance if it takes 1/125 second to take a good exposure for one image, that shutter speed would have to be reduced to 1/30 second to get the same exposure at 200mm at f 5.6. Now while VR will help stabilize the camera shake of handholding a lens at 200mm at 1/30 sec, if people move while you are taking the photo, the VR will do nothing to help that. The people will blur. But for the fast f2.8 lens, people could move around if they want because the camera will be shooting at 1/125 second and that's plenty fast of a shutter speed to stop most (if not all) of the small movement of the people. Of course if the people are running and you are taking the photo, they will blur! But in general, with small movement of people, that image is still going to look SHARP, not blurred. VR only helps with your own movement while taking the photo. While it's claimed that with this version of VR, the "system minimizes image blur caused by camera shake, and offers the equivalent of shooting at a shutter speed 4 stops faster," that is only true for shake caused by you when holding the camera. It does nothing for movement blur caused by your subject. But Nikon does not make this clear as it minimizes the potential for sales when presenting the VR function.

So is it worth buying the all-in-one lens? Maybe. If you plan to shoot a lot of images outside where there is plenty of light, and you don't want to keep changing lenses to cover a wide range of focal lengths, and you don't want to carry a lot of heavy lenses, the all-in-one solution is perfect. Often, these lenses are considered "vacation lenses" because it's a LOT EASIER to carry one lightweight lens than two or three heavier lens.

While I would never consider using a lens like the 18-200mm lens for a wedding, I would think twice when it comes to having a single lens for the convenience on vacation. Who wants to travel with all that weight and bulk while on vacation? The 18-200mm is a better choice for its compact size and low weight. It's a compromise...

How Competitive Is YOUR Job?

Recently, I attended a family wedding in which I was not the official photographer. I was a guest. It felt good to be at a wedding and not have to work it. I didn't even bring my huge Nikon camera with me. A small "point and shoot" camera is all that accompanied me that day.

While I was there, several people came up to me to ask why I wasn't photographing the wedding. "I wasn't asked to," was my answer. Plain and simple... I wasn't asked, so I didn't shoot.

There were three photographers who were there in an official capacity, however. With about 700 people in attendance at the wedding, it was a HUGE wedding. Not surprisingly, people kept asking me what I thought about the other photographers. What was I supposed to say in response to that? Everyone does things differently. So all I could say was, "It's different than how I would approach it." Good or bad, it was just different.

Interestingly, while speaking with one of my friends at the wedding, he mentioned that his son was considering a possible career as a wedding photographer. So I asked my friend, "What do you think of that?" He replied, "I don't know. Can you make a living at it?" I thought that was an interesting response, so I said, "Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Really, what he meant was that wedding photography is SO COMPETITIVE that it has got to be a difficult thing to try to make a living as a wedding photographer. He's right on that one. If you go to any wedding website and look at how many photographers are listed in the Chicago area, you'd be amazed. There are literally hundreds of people who consider themselves a wedding photographer. And they are all separate companies too! It's not like some industries where hundreds of people work in the same company. We're talking individual entrepreneurs... all of them!

Granted, most of these people are part-time photographers. Many don't book more than perhaps a couple of weddings a year. Some are lucky to get one a year. Still, they are listed as a professional wedding photographer. It seems everyone who buys a new digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) is listing themselves as a professional wedding photographer or at least thinking of becoming one.

My friend said, "There's got to be more to making it in photography than just photography." He's right. To make it in this business, you need to know about marketing, sales, advertising and everything else that other businesses need to know in order to succeed. Just believing you can take a good photograph doesn't make you a successful wedding photographer. Oh, and "people skills" are super important in this business too. You'd better be a "people-person" if you want to be a wedding photographer. Nobody wants a "grouch" at their wedding!

So is wedding photography competitive? You better believe it! Only the best survive. Many people come and go in this industry. For me, I started shooting weddings since 1990. I've been a professional photographer for a long time. It's been tough, but it's also been rewarding. Not many people can truly say they like the industry they are in. But I can say that about weddings and photography... even when I'm not shooting it!

Biker Chick

I don't see many women riding motorcycles, do you?

I was driving down the road and saw this "biker chick" and had to take a shot. Although the best I could get was a photo of her from behind (my vehicle wasn't positioned well enough to get anything better) I still thought it was worth taking a picture. Ride on!

Interesting Piercing

At one of my weddings, I couldn't help but notice this gentleman. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

My immediate thought was, "Wow, that HAD to hurt!" Then my next thought was, "Why would anyone want to do that?!" Which was then followed by, "I wonder if this guy is dangerous?"

Turns out, he was a really nice guy! We had a great time at the wedding. Goes to show you that you can't judge a guy by his choice of piercings!

Free Open Forum: What To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera

Similar to the "Roundtable Discussions" I've held for professional photographers, I have added a free open discussion forum for the general public:

"What To Look For When Buying A Digital Camera"

This open forum is for anyone looking to purchase a new digital camera. We'll discuss what to consider when purchasing a new Point & Shoot Camera or Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex).

Pros and Cons will be discussed. Be prepared to participate in an open discussion. Bring your questions. Bring your cameras too! Looking to upgrade your current camera? Great time to talk to other buyers to see what they think!

This is a single session, 2 hour discussion to be held on Thursday, October 9 from 7 PM to 9 PM at my Schaumburg office. We will start promptly at 7 PM (late-comers will NOT be admitted!)

Cost: FREE!!

Call 847-840-4082 to sign up! Limited to 9 participants. First 9 people to sign up gets in!

Know someone looking to buy a new camera? Tell them about this free opportunity!