Winter togging (low light training)

AliB

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Ok so for some of us, it's a luxury, that's a given.

Some of us manage quite nicely on what we learn here (heck I've learned shedloads!)

But I do tend to value good quality training. I've been on a couple of pro run seminars. One by Mark Cleghorn on studio photography and I still use what I learned that day and it was over two years ago.

So I dug deep last week and went on a training day with Brett Harkness. It was on winter weddings and I booked it on the basis that I do actually have a wedding to shoot on the 28th Dec and it's a week away from the shortest day. Hence I'm figuring the light might be a bit pants! Time for some pro training!

I learned just what I needed! How to utilise 2nd curtain synch with flash and shutter speeds down to 1/20 sec. That will do nicely. How to light with off camera flash outdoors and how to look at a location with a measured eye.

This one was shot on a 70-200mm f2.8 with just window light. Now if I can get something like it on the day? It will have been worth every penny.

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Sometimes it is the best investment we can make, to make leaps in the way you capture images, I know it certainly helps me to look at image making in different ways and that is never bad. :)
 
I am waiting on a decision from my mortgage company, if it is yes then I am spending alot on training - I have the deposit so one way or another I am doing it anyway, good quality training/teaching/coaching is worth paying for, I have had a sample, I like what I sampled and look forward to what the future may hole !
 
Edited because I didn't link the image properly Doh!
 
That's a bargain Sporty!

This was £330 for a day! Gulp!
 
Great shot Ali, just make sure you get your bride in December to a window before 3.30pm !

I've been a bit slack on training this year, but agree that's it's always a worthwhile investment, I'm quite happy to come away with just three or four key points from a day.

I'm off to Dallas at the end of Jan for a 4 day photojournalism workshop, $2500, I'm just glad I paid the balance before the recent currency shenanigans :eek:
 
Thats a lovely image. Hope you don't mind me asking, do you intend to do more wedding shoots or is this a one off?

I'm hoping that once my children start school i can get started in wedding and portraits - so i'm trying to get as prepared as i can in the next 12-18 months. Aside from getting loads of practise in i'd like to do a couple of courses. I'd also really like to do some assisting but from what i can gather its not always easy to find a position.

Anna
 
Thanks Duncan, I fully intend to get my bride near as many windows as I can and well before 3.30! The ceremony is a 2pm so it will have to be the bridal preparation shots that I do with available light. Post ceremony? Three flashguns, some softboxes a lightsphere and a heap of batteries later....... The group shots should be interesting! I have 17 group shots to do and I'm hoping that the weather might be kind but if not I have a plan B. One room at the location that I have asked to be kept free for plan B. It's white with a glass wall and is on two different levels so I should be able to make something interesting there.

Anna, if you have children of that age, you have the perfect material to work with right there. There is a very good market in photographing families and children of that age. Have a look at Annabel Williams and Brett Harkness and you will find loads of those. Weddings are kind of hard to learn to do right. I had the same problem as you in that few wedding togs are willing to allow an amateur along to assist. (I was very lucky to find one and I owe him!)

The other things you need to be doing is looking at it as a business. Register as a sole trader with HMRC, get your business plan in order, cost up your marketing, look at the service you will want to provide and get your suppliers lined up.............. There are lots of things to do. Get it going sooner rather than later because it can take 2-3 years to actually build it into a going concern.
 
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