Joe Hendricks 11/14/14 Joe Hendricks 11/14/14

Vanderbilt Engagement

One of my favorite things to do, is have my couple pick a location I know nothing about and I go and make something happen there! Seriously, you can pick just about any location and I can make it look good for you... all it takes, is a little creativity and a great couple ;) When the couple picks a location, it's usually something that are familiar with, thus it allows them to be more comfortable right off the bat! Dani and Shane picked Vanderbilt University as their location, because they both work there! I loved it and here are some of the pics we got! BTW, I used the new D750 for this shoot, just to try it out.... I'll write about that camera in another post.

It was a fun engagement session and my eyes lit up, every time we turned a corner! Creative Photographers shooting in a new location is like a kid in a candy store!

Joe Hendricks 11/13/14 Joe Hendricks 11/13/14

Bi-Centennial Mall Engagement Session, Nashville TN

I seem to have been shooting a lot of engagement sessions lately! That's a good thing, because it's one of my favorite things to take pictures of. If I have to shoot at a location over and over, Bi-Centennial Mall would probably be one of my favorites, only because there is so much variety there. Here are some pics from Sean and Mandy's engagement session.

Joe Hendricks 11/11/14 Joe Hendricks 11/11/14

Making the Shot Better

There's a moment during every engagement session, where both the couple and I get into a zone and an amazing shot presents itself! Sometimes, you can make that amazing shot even better!

I decided to place Tom and Aimee in between some trees and do a fun silhouette. Here is the shot I came up with.

Normally, that would be enough, but I thought I would like to try something a little different, so I had them scoop up some leaves (since it's fall) and throw them up in the air while kissing! It's a subtle change, but I think it made all the difference!

Sometimes, it's the little things that really make a shot. Never hesitate to try something a little different with your couple.. you never know what you're going to get ;)

Joe Hendricks 11/6/14 Joe Hendricks 11/6/14

New Domain Name Extensions Like .photography

What do you think of the new domain name extensions? I'm talking about the .photography, .photo, .photos, .camera, .reviews, .guru, .(fill in the blank). There are A LOT of brand new extensions! It's pretty overwhelming... right now. Some day it won't be.

I don't have any kind of special degree that makes me an expert on this topic. All I have is common sense and here's what I think.

Right now, Google and everyone else is saying that these new extensions aren't going to effect the way we browse the Internet. A lot of people are saying that the companies who sell domains like GoDaddy and others are just trying to make a lot more money... you're right, they are.

But underneath all of these new extensions being sold by the name registrant's, lies a nice smooth river of solution that is going to solve the problem of the Internet growing way to big. Lets me ask you a question. Who's buying .photography right now? Probably Photographers... I bought mine ;) Here's another question. Why would anyone else, but Photographers, spend the money to buy .photography? There really is no reason, except if you're business smart and got the jump on domains like wedding.photography or something easy like that, which will probably sell for a lot of money in the future.

Professional Photographers are probably the only ones who are going to spend the time, money and effort to register the .photography extension. So, a couple years from now, when Google starts asking the question (hopefully they've already started) on how to categorize professional photographers in their search algorithms, don't you think that anyone with a .photography extension is going to have a leg up? Seriously, .com can only last so long in a world that is trying to go completely online. If things don't change, think of the alternative. New Photographers are going to have to use something other than their name to get a .com for their business.

It took me forever to get joehendricks.com, but most people aren't going to be as fortunate as me. When the .photography extension came out, I jumped on it! If you're a Photographer, you should jump on it too, if only to preserve your name before someone else gets it! Seriously though, my name with a .com on the end doesn't really explain what I do. I could be anyone with that domain name. In fact, there are a lot of people name Joe Hendricks! There's Joe Hendricks, who's a professional bike rider, an awesome fitness trainer named Joe Hendricks and a senator named Joe Hendricks. So how do we differentiate all of these people with the same names? Now you can buy joehendricks.bike, joehendricks.training, joehendricks.fitness and they will probably come out with joehendricks.senator ;) The point is, everyone can have their own name in the business they run now!

Here's another example for you. When you do an "incognito" search in Chrome for "Nashville Wedding Photographer", 2 of the first page results aren't photographers at all. They are Wedding Wire and The Knot, who display photographers that pay to be a part of their service on their front page. These 2 services are supposed to be helping you find the "right photographers" for your wedding. This is another reason why I believe these new extensions are going to change the game of search! What should be showing up on the front page of Google are the best professionals photographers in the Nashville area that are actually shooting weddings for a living. The .photography extension can help to make that happen.

I've used the .photography extension as an example, but the same applies to any business that you are in. You can be a florist, trainer, chef, .... the list goes on. We now have a way categorize businesses by profession and it's going to take off like a rocket once people get use to the simple task of typing something other than .com ;)

Here is the best point that I can possibly make to you right now. I could be completely wrong, there's no doubt about it! But, if you decide to take a chance on buying your specialized extension and it doesn't work out, then you've only lost $20-$90 depending on the extension you buy. But, If I'm right, and you decided not to get your specialized extension, well then.... you might be paying someone else thousands of dollars down the road who snatched it up before you. Seriously, get your .photography right now if you're a professional photographer.

Joe Hendricks 11/5/14 Joe Hendricks 11/5/14

Being creative while shooting in the woods

One of the hardest places for a Photographer to be creative, is in the woods. Why? Because everything looks the same! When everything looks the same, you have to be creative with your couple and find little things that stand out. I'm going to walk through Daniel and Kerry's engagement session that I shot last week, to let you see how I try to think different in this situation.

My first thought when taking pictures around a bunch of trees is "get some separation between my couple and the background". I pull out my 70-200 VRII lens (my favorite) and ask them to get close to each other and talk. Usually, people ask "what do we talk about?" I tell them to talk about how awkward this moment feels to them right now ;) That usually makes them laugh a little. Then I duck behind some leaves and use them to add some depth to my shot. I frame my shot pretty quickly and wait for that little moment where they react to what they're talking about and get this shot below.

Almost in the same spot, I see an opening in the woods and, because the sun is behind them, I decide to do a silhouette. I can't get low enough to separate them from the ground, so I ask if they would like to jump in the air. They love the idea and we get this next shot!

I don't normally get that creative so fast, but the opportunity was there, so I took the shot.

A very easy way to get your couple comfortable is to have them walking while holding hands. I normally tell them to walk away from me and stop when you get to a certain tree. Then walk back and talk with each other. This is where I actually have another little trick I do, but you will have to take my upcoming class to find out what it is ;) Anyway! Here is the result of them walking together.

As they were walking, I had a simple idea to have her place her hand in his back pocket. I use the log lying on the ground to be a leading line to them.

This next one is pretty random... As I'm talking to them, I'm looking around (you have to be a great multi-tasker with your couples!) and I notice a ray of light shining on a bench about 100 feet away. I point it out to them and ask if they can sit on it and look at each other and smile. It's absolutely beautiful light and I place my camera in manual mode to make sure I get a good exposure on them, instead of the camera exposing for the woods. FYI, I shoot 50%-75% of my engagement sessions in Aperture priority.

The next one, I just want them to have fun, so I ask them to throw a bunch of leaves at me. Simple, but fun.

Every once in a while, you need to try something different. I wanted to see what it would be like to show half their face on each side of the tree. Not my favorite shot, but I'm trying to get the creative juices going ;) It also allows me to see if they are willing to indulge me.

When you need something different, shoot through things! Here's a couple examples of my camera being on the other side of something that I have to shoot through.

It's so easy to feel like you're shooting the same thing over and over when your surrounded by trees. You really have to look for things that stand out to you. There was a tree stump that looked like it was "sitting height", so I asked Kerry to sit on it. Daniel just naturally went up and gave her a kiss. I left the shot of her smiling in color and the more precious one in black and white.

wanted to make this one a little more dramatic with b&w

We had a great shoot, but I wanted to end with a more dramatic sunset picture. I asked them to stand on a rock wall that allowed me to see their entire bodies in silhouette. Since I could see their feet, I asked her to drag her foot a little, while she got close to him.

I know it's the time of year when we are all shooting around the leaves right now, so I thought it would be cool to inspire you to think a little different during your next session!

If this has helped you out at all, share it with your friends! Let me know what it is that you want me to blog about. I would LOVE to hear from you. You can ask for camera reviews, inspiration, my thoughts on somethings.... whatever it is you want, please don't be afraid to ask! My blog is specifically aimed at helping photographers get better and stay inspired, so if you're a photographer, reach out to me.

Thanks

Joe Hendricks 11/3/14 Joe Hendricks 11/3/14

Finding the Right Clients

At EVERY consultation, with a potential Bride and Groom, the last thing I say to them is "It doesn't matter how much you like my photography.... if you don't 100% think we get along, don't hire me for your wedding, because you're going to spend all day with me and it's so important that you like me and the photography I do." I shake hands with them and go our separate ways.

Having the right client is EVERYTHING when shooting a wedding! If your client doesn't understand how you work and the kinds of pictures you end up with, then you're going to have a miserable time taking pictures of them, because they won't believe in you and you'll end up shooting a list if pictures they already have in mind.

Fortunately, it's a 2 way street and the Photographer needs to be responsible enough to know when they need to walk away from a client. Not to long ago, I met with a Bride who was super nice at the beginning, but at the end of the consultation, she started showing me all the pictures she wanted on her Pinterest board (which is no big deal), but she was very insistent that she had to get ALL of the shots and that I was not to miss any of them! If you know me, that's not the way I work. First, I don't like people who push other people around. Second, I'm a very "spur of the moment, make something out of nothing photographer". This was a huge red flag for me.

When I got home that night, I talked it over with my wife and decided I didn't want to shoot her wedding. I sent a very polite email explaining she would be much happier booking someone else to shoot her wedding. Is it hard to do that? YES!!! It took me an hour to write that email, because I wanted to make sure the Bride wasn't offended by me not wanting to shoot her wedding. For all I know, she felt the same way, but I wasn't going to wait to find out.

Is it hard to turn down $4000? ABSOLUTELY!!! But. I've been through this before. I know how someone can make you feel when they take complete control over your creative process! It sucks!!! I've had clients make me want to quit photography for the rest of my life! I totally remember thinking, "there is no way I can do this every day" after shooting one particular client. I once took a 6 month break from photography (before I was full-time) because a client made me feel like I was the worst person on earth. When someone does that to you, it's depressing, because this is your way of expressing yourself. Photography is something you're hoping to do for the rest of your life and here is someone who says you suck at it. For some reason, when you hear that, you forget about all the thousands of people who said you're good at it.

That's why you see so much stress placed upon finding the right clients. I honestly feel that you will never completely understand what I'm talking about until you go through it yourself. 5 years ago, I would have never turned down $4000, let alone $1500! Today, it's no problem at all, because I've been through all the crap that the wrong client can put you through. It's made me stronger and smarter. It's made me focus on being a better photographer and person. It's made me want to go out of my way for the clients that understand how I work!

I LOVE working with the right clients!!! Now that we got all that negative stuff out of the way, I want to let you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! After you go through a bad experience like mine, you start to treat everyone differently. You have more respect for the right client, because you know they understand you! What you need to do is find out what your "right client" is. For me, it's someone that loves my photography, wants to take a chance on something different, is excited about the photo session to come and doesn't mind doing whatever it takes to get a cool new shot! When I sense that in my clients, I go all out for them! The right client lets you do your thing, because they have complete trust in you. It's an amazing feeling!

Finding the right client doesn't happen over night. It takes years of figuring out who you are as a Photographer and what you like to shoot. Your "right client" today, may be completely different next year! Sometimes you have an amazing experience shooting one thing and decide that you're going to be a baby photographer for the rest of your life, only to find out, that baby was the most perfect baby ever and no other baby in the world could ever be as awesome to take pictures of as that last one was! HAHA, I've been there ;)

It take time... you need to be patient.

Look for the the things you love shooting and ask yourself, why do you love shooting it so much? Is it because it's easy? Or is it because it challenges your skill? Do you like it because you're in a studio and you're geeking out over all the lights? Or do you like interacting with your subject? There are thousands of questions to ask yourself and that's why it takes so long.

I hope more than anything, this blog helps you to find out what it is that you love shooting! I hope it gives you the courage to go out and find the right clients and treat them great! Over deliver to the ones that you fall in love with, because that will make them want to talk about you more! Chances are, they're friends with more of the "right clients" for you ;)

If you have any questions or comments, leave below or email me at joe@joehendricks.com

I would love to hear from you.

Joe Hendricks 10/30/14 Joe Hendricks 10/30/14

Fearless Photographers - Wedding Photography Contest

I think every wedding photographer should be pushing themselves to be better at the weddings they shoot! That's why I'm a huge fan of wedding photography contests! When you're looking for motivation to be better at taking pictures, there really is no better place to turn to! It's easy to compare yourself to your friends and peers in your local network, but if you want to really be pushed, you need to see what everyone else in the world is doing!

FearlessPhotographers.com - I love the photographs that come out of this contest! I can go through almost 200 photos every contest and 90% of them just blow me away! Sometimes winning photos are chosen because they are just extraordinary moments and not necessarily the most well-composed pictures. of course, that's not the case for every photo though. Fearless Photographers definitely have the best photographers in the industry submitting every single time and if you need any inspiration at all, this is your place to go! Here is my profile on the Fearless website:

I've had one photo chosen as "Fearless" since I've been a member for about a year.

I would suggest that you look through some of the winning galleries of Fearless and see if the images move you.... if they do, think about joining and start pushing yourself to be more creative at your weddings ;)

Joe Hendricks 10/27/14 Joe Hendricks 10/27/14

Vision and Taking Chances

Photography is a wonderful way to express yourself. When you're taking pictures of other people, then it's about expressing them with a little bit of you twisted in there ;)

That's where your "vision" comes in. It's easy to come up with an idea... it's a complete other thing to execute that idea with a couple looking comfortable in front of your camera.

Today I want to talk to you about my engagement sessions and how I execute on my vision for the couple. First off, I have NO vision for my shoot in the beginning. I have a starting place and that's it. The starting place for Jeremy and Summer happened to be San Francisco, but I let them choose the places they loved most and I would make something out of it.

As soon as I arrived in San Francisco, we headed to the boardwalk and the very first shot I take is just a simple "lean on this fence and look at each other" shot ;) This is it below.

It's very simple and fast... I spend about 5-10 seconds on it. I'm in aperture priority to see how my camera is handling the sun today and I don't even worry about the lens flare.... off to the next shot!

I have them sit in a couple different places, using leading lines, walking towards me, hanging off of a trolley and standing around some flowers. Then we come up to this next shot... they are standing on some huge steps in the middle of downtown, because they wanted a shot like this one below. It's cute and I really like it :)

After I take this shot, I tell them to stay there and I walk over to them. As I walk up to them, I notice that the huge space of sky between all the buildings right where they are standing! I know right away that it's going to be a silhouette and that the buildings will frame them perfectly. With a suggestion of "get as close as you can without touching", I get this shot below!

It was one of those shots you can't plan, but I just happened to walk upon! There's no way in the world I would have ever saw it if I hadn't already taken so many silhouette in my life! This is why you should always be taking chances at every shoot you do, so you know what is possible!

Lets fast forward to the next day. We went to the Golden Gate Bridge and it was swamped with tourist! I don't have a vision going into it.... I'm just paying attention to where we're going and looking at the bridge as we go. While we're driving, I see this amazing opportunity for a shot! I think iI even yelled out loud "Whoa! that's awesome!!" But we have to go all the way up the hill first and then back down. My "vision" was an awesome silhouette of them under the enormous Golden Gate Bridge! I told my couple about it and they were in!

Here's the thing... to make this shot even remotely be possible, they have to drop me off at a higher point on the hill, drive down and wait 10 minutes for parking, then walk about 300 yards to a place that is undetermined yet, because I can't see the path they are walking! We both have our phones on speaker as I guide them to where I want them to be. I would guess they are about 1000 yards away from me? Anyway, I tell them over the phone... "see that concrete thing there? Can you guys get on that?". HAHA, I had no idea they were going to have to climb a railing to get on it, but they were game ;) I walk to my left until I get them positioned where I want them and take this next shot!

I instantly loved it! But I knew there could be more, so I started running down the hill I'm on, because I'm thinking they are going to get kicked off of whatever they are on :)

The closer I get to them, the larger the bridge looked around them! Here was another shot on my way down the hill!

I loved each and every shot I took on the way down that hill, but it wasn't until I got all the way down to where they actually parked, that I saw THE SHOT! It was actually the original shot I had scene on the way up the hill and as I was walking down, there it was presenting itself to me! All I had to do, was make sure wires weren't coming out of their head and it would be great! Here's how it turned out!

I had goosebumps while taking it! The fog was rolling back in and all I had to do was click the shutter! Now, it was a little busier from this angle, so I did have to photoshop a couple people out of the shot and to make it a little more moody, I added some orange/red color to it through Lightroom.

I love how it turned out!!! But it only came to be, because on the way up the hill I saw the shot and executed on it! It definitely helped to have a couple who believed in my vision and trusted me to take a chance on it. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be on the other end of my camera! They had to be wondering... "he's so far away from us!", but I'm so thankful they let me do my thing.

I think the hardest part about executing on your "vision" is that you might have to tell your couple it didn't work out. That definitely happens sometime, but you don't know unless you try. There have been many times where I hope the couple I'm taking pictures of, just forgets that I even attempted a certain shot. But there have been just as many times, where I'm blown away at the results.

The more you shoot, the more calculated your risks become and you start to realize before you even take the shot, whether or not you have a chance to make it work, but that only comes with taking a lot of chances that don't work ;)

So, go on your next shoot and look for "that shot". When you see it, take a chance on it and see what happens! I would love to see what it is that you try! email me at joe@joehendricks.com with your attempt! If it doesn't work out, let me know why it didn't work and what you were hoping to come up with! Maybe I can help you look at it differently ;)

Joe

Joe Hendricks 10/24/14 Joe Hendricks 10/24/14

Destination Engagement Photography in San Francisco

Today I want to share the engagement session I shot in San Francisco last weekend! I've never taken so many pictures and had so much fun on an engagement session before! It was an amazing 2 days of getting to know Jeremy and Summer! We took so many pictures that I found it hard to narrow down my favorites, but here are the ones I liked the most.

having fun in San Francisco — having fun in San Francisco

Bay Bridge, San Francisco — Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Art in San Francisco at sunset — Art in San Francisco at sunset

sculpture, San Francisco — sculpture, San Francisco

Light Painting, downtown San Francisco — Light Painting, downtown San Francisco

view of San Francisco — view of San Francisco

Summer, Jeremy, Joe Hendricks (photographer)

Couple holding hands at Golden Gate Bridge

between the leaves, San Francisco — between the leaves, San Francisco

sitting in the gazebo at Golden Gate Park

blue garages, San Francisco — blue garages, San Francisco

Eating Smitten Ice Cream, San Francisco — Eating Smitten Ice Cream, San Francisco

Such a great way to end the engagement session in San Francisco! — Such a great way to end the engagement session in San Francisco!

The Painted Ladies at night in Alamo Square

It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had taking picture! I normally spend about an hour on engagement sessions in Nashville, so to be able to spend two days getting to know Jeremy and Summer and taking our time with these pictures allowed be to hit a level of creativity I've never been able to experience before! In December I get to shoot their wedding in Belize! I can only imagine what pictures await us there!

You can see even more pictures here: Jeremy and Summer Engagement Session

Joe Hendricks 10/21/14 Joe Hendricks 10/21/14

How to Shoot Amazing Silhouettes at Sunset

I absolutely LOVE shooting silhouettes at sunset everywhere I go! This last weekend I was in San Francisco and I swear it sets the scene for some of the most amazing sunset pictures ever!

The best thing about sunset silhouette pictures, is that they can be done anywhere and at almost anytime. You don't need the sun setting behind your couple in order to get one of these amazing shots! You just need a low enough angle, which usually involves lying on the ground and the sun somewhat behind your subject, to get one of these cool shots!

Here are some examples of the sunset silhouette pictures that I take.... if at the end, you want to know how I get these kind of shots, read on and I'll tell you!

A beautiful handmade wedding veil looks great at sunset!

San Francisco Golden Gate Bride at Sunset - engagement photo

A fun couple jumping in the air at Sunset!

Did I mention that clouds make awesome sunset pictures?

As you can see, I love taking these kinds of pictures! It's honestly taken me years to figure out how to get this kind of shot at almost every session I do!

The first thing you need is for the sun to be behind your subject ;) Then you need to get low.... real low! Here's a picture of what I normally look like when I take one of these pictures.

Sometimes, you have to lie down in dirt, weeds or on rocks, but the end result is usually worth it!

The reason you want to get such a low angle, is you want your subject to stand out and the only way that is going to happen is if there is nothing but sky behind them. Look around at your next shoot, find a little hill (it doesn't have to be big), lie on the ground and see what it looks like ;)

The next step is usually placing your camera in aperture priority (not sure what Canon calls it). When your in aperture priority, your camera will normally expose for the sky in the background. If you find it's not working right, increase your shutter speed until you get the proper exposure.

The last thing you need to do, is make sure you can see your subjects outline clearly. I normally tell my couples to "almost kiss" or if they are holding hands, I want them to look at each other so I can see the outline of their face. If you get them to close to each other, they will look like a big blob with two faces kissing... getting separation is key! You can always take it further by having them jumping or dancing!

That's all there is to it! Now you need to spend some time in Lightroom, playing with the color, gradient filters and your shadows. You will definitely have to lower your shadows a lot, if not all the way. Tinker with it for a little while and when you come up with something great, save your action, so that you can apply it anytime in the future when you try this shot again!

I've told you how I go about getting my angles and the camera settings I use. It's up to you to figure out your composition and Lightroom actions. Composition is going to be what really sets your picture apart! So when you get the chance to try this shot, move your camera around... position your subject at the bottom, top, left and right and see what you like the best in post. It hardly takes any time and always makes for a beautiful shot!

I would love to see what you come up with! email me your pics to me at joe@joehendricks.com or tag me on Facebook! Would love to see if my blog has any effect on you getting cool sunset photos!

As I've stated before, we have to encourage each other to get better. If you share what you know with others, you in turn will be pushed yo take your photography to the next level, so don't be afraid to share with others how you go about taking pictures!

Joe Hendricks 10/17/14 Joe Hendricks 10/17/14

Zoom vs Prime Lenses at Weddings - Part 1

I'm a zoom guy. I love my zooms at weddings, but I've gotten the itch to drop some weight from my camera bag and try a prime lens. That's why this blog is called "part 1". I currently shoot with a Nikon D4. My lenses at every wedding are the 14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8, and 70-200 2.8 VRII. I also use a 105 macro (prime) for ring shots. I walk around with a lens bag on my shoulder all day and I change lenses all the time.

Here's why I love my zooms! I can get 2-3 shots immediately by standing in one place. With a prime, you have to be a human zoom. Trust me, there's no one else that can be more of a human zoom than me, but I'm already running so much, that it's nice to stay in one place and get a few shots. Here's a couple examples from a recent wedding with the lens distance in the caption.

The first shot is when the Bride and Groom first saw each other. This is always an amazing moment to watch and I try to stay out of the way as much as possible. My 70-200 2.8 VRII allows me to get close enough to show some emotion in the picture.

Staying in the same place, I was able to zoom out, do some cool composition with the top of the trees and get a great shot of them together!

If I was shooting a prime, I would have had to walk way back quite a ways to get that same shot. Next, I went back in to get that close up again. It's kind of similar to the first shot, just showing a little more interaction between them.

So here I am, making the decision to be close on them, just to capture the emotion of the scene, when all of the sudden, the Groom decides to spin his Bride. It happened so fast and all I had to do to capture it, was zoom out. Here's the shot I got.

It's nothing to write home about, but it's beautiful scene of him twirling her. If I had a prime, once again I would have been way to close to get this shot. If I tried to change lenses, it would have been over by then.

Photographers, ask me how I'm able to capture the emotion I do in my pictures and I tell them that I work really fast. I know exactly where I want to be before I take a shot and if I'm off by a few yards, I just zoom in or out. Zooms give you so much flexibility and if you are someone who composes your shots in camera, then zooms are your best friend! 95% of the time... the shot you see from me was exactly how I composed it in my camera. When bridesmaids are walking down the aisle, I compose them to the right of my camera so they have room to walk into. With my 70-200 2.8 VRII, I slightly zoom out as they walk, to make sure my composition stays the same.

Here's an example of me zooming out as someone walks down the aisle.

200mm - at the back of the aisle, completely zoomed in

140mm - The same couple, half way up the aisle.

As you can see, I'm slowly zooming out so that my composition stay the same. Both of those shots were only adjusted for my "natural tilt".

I love this last example! The Bride and Groom decided to skip on their way out! It was a little unexpected, but because I was shooting with a zoom lens, I was able to follow them out the entire way. These are all composed in camera with my focus point on the bride all the way out.

If you're wondering about my focus point on the Bride, I actually move it as I'm shooting. Nikons are really good at doing this!

Zooms are my best friend. You really have to know what you want with a zoom, because sometimes they can give you to many options. There are times where an amazing shot is unfolding in front of me and I am zooming in and out, left and right, up and down trying to find the right shot, because sometimes you don't see it until it presents itself to you in camera.

I'm definitely not bashing primes, I've used them for years in the past and love them. I've never used them at a wedding and that's what I'm curious to find out about now. All I can tell you is my experiences with what I use. Maybe it helps you to see zoom lenses in a different light.

This weekend, I am traveling to San Francisco for an engagement session and I'm taking a 35mm with me instead of my 24-70 zoom. I can't wait to see how it challenges me to think differently when I've been zooming for so long! I completely understand how creativity is spawned when you embrace your limitations. I look forward to writing another post next week on how the 35mm prime changed my thinking.

What did you think? Are you a prime of a zoom shooter at wedding? Have you ever thought about switching? Let me know in the comments below.

Joe

Joe Hendricks 10/15/14 Joe Hendricks 10/15/14

Encouraging Each Other To Be Better

When you first go through bootcamp in the NAVY, you have to run 1.5 miles as fast as you can. I started out running it in 15 minutes.... pretty slow. In fact, I was at the end of the first couple of races we ran. There was another guy struggling along with me and we decided early on to become buddies and practice running together. He pushed me to work harder every race and I did the same for him. For 5 weeks we ran side by side, pushing each other to get faster. By the end of bootcamp, we were 2 of the fastest runners in bootcamp running our 1.5 miles at an average time of 7:55.

I tell this story, because you have to start somewhere in whatever you do. Photography is an amazing job where you can be as creative as you dream. The sky is the limits when you first pick up that camera and start shooting the things you love, but you have to be able to push yourself further or you're gonna end up shooting the same things over and over. There are some people out there that can push themselves, but most of us need someone to help us along whatever journey we are on.

That's why I believe in creative competition so much. If you've ever heard me speak before, it's one of the things I'm most passionate about! I believe in it, because I've seen it work, but you have to have a good attitude about what you're doing in order for it to be effective. Competition amongst Photographers can get a little bitter sometimes, but it doesn't have to be that way. If you see someone posting an image or a thought that you don't agree with, don't tear it apart. Instead, try to look for the good in it! On the flip side, if you see an image you love, don't shoot the exact same thing. Put your own little twist on it and make it your own!

Here's an example to hopefully explain what I'm talking about. My friend Jeremy Cowart does some amazing Pinterest boards that I'll check out from time to time. A couple days before a wedding last year, I came across this picture that he had pinned.

I thought to myself, if I could ever get a Bride to do something like that, it would be awesome! A few weeks later I shot a wedding with a willing Bride and Groom! Here is the picture I ended up capturing.

Creative shot of Bride and Groom running away

I don't know if I ever would have thought about this shot on my own. You can clearly see how it's similar, but it's also completely different at the same time.

Creative competition should push you to be better at whatever it is you're doing! It usually works best when two or three people are intentional at pushing the limits of what's possible, but if you're willing to push yourself, you can find your inspiration in everything around you.

If you love what you're doing, but you're just not growing at your craft, try to find someone to enjoy the ride with! You may be in last place right now, but when you have someone running next to you, you're going to get faster and better at whatever it is you love doing!

Just make sure you're growing in the right direction, because the more you grow, the deeper and stronger your roots get, making it harder every day to go in the direction you're meant to go ;)

Joe Hendricks 10/14/14 Joe Hendricks 10/14/14

The Same Day Edit at Weddings

What is a Same Day Edit?

It's when a Photographer downloads pictures from their camera to their computer, at the wedding, edits them and then displays it for people to see.

I remember the first time I ever tried a same day edit... it was the scariest thing ever!!! I thought, there's no way in the world I would have enough time to do it! I hid myself around a corner while people were eating, found 5 pictures to display, put them in Lightroom, did a quick edit and I was done. I hustled back into the reception, found a place to plug in the laptop and displayed it for everyone to see. Of course, no one looked at it for about 30 minutes, because they were all eating ;) I was so surprised how fast and easy it was! I've done a same day edit ever since then for almost every wedding.

Here's a recent wedding with everyone looking at the same day edit.

Here's how I do it

1. Download and edit while people are eating. No one wants you to take pictures while they're eating and since you have about 30 minutes to an hour of eating time, do your same day edit! 90% of the time it works and no one is going to miss you while they're eating.

2. Find a place that doesn't draw attention to you. Being on your computer at a wedding can give the wrong impression, so find a place out of site, but that also allows you to see the Bride and groom just in case a surprise toast happens ;)

3. Use Photo Mechanic to go through your images directly from the card... it's super fast! Scrolling through, I tag (push the "T" key) about 8-12 images. When I'm done, I have photo mechanic only display the "tagged" images. I drag and drop them into a folder on my desktop that's already labeled with the wedding name. I pop my card back into my camera and it's ready to go for more shooting!

4. Use Lightroom to edit. This does take a little time, because your images have to render, but you'll be ok. It helps if you have presets already established in LR for the kind of shooting you normally do. Don't get hung up on color correction... no one cares, but makes sure everything looks awesome, because it is representing you as a Photographer.

5. Use Lightroom for your slideshow. After you're done editing, click the "slideshow" tab in LR and start the slideshow..... it's that easy! The slideshow will keep revolving all night long (as long as your battery lasts) and leave the laptop up until the wedding is over. It helps if you already have a slideshow template created before you go to a wedding ;)

6. Finding a place to put it. This is actually one of the harder things for me, because a same day edit is not about you as a Photographer... it's about instilling confidence to the Bride and Groom that you got some awesome pictures at their wedding. I always try to find a place that's not crowded, but allows people to walk by and see it. I set up the computer and start shooting again.

Here are the pictures I displayed at the Seifert wedding a couple weeks ago: The above picture shows them looking at all these below.

You as the Photographer know what you took throughout the day, so finding pictures to put in the slideshow shouldn't be hard... I mean, you just took them a couple hours ago.

I personally, don't put business cards out with my same day edit. I think it looks cheesy, but I can see it being a good way for photographers to get the word out about themselves.... it's just not my style.

I hope that helps you to have confidence in doing your same day edit! My buddy Micah Robinson was encouraging people to do a same day edit on a local photography forum this morning and that's why I've gone into full detail about what I do and how!

Like I've said many times, we need to push each other to be better in our wedding photography business! The same day edit is scary the first time you do it, but I guarantee you that it will instill confidence in you the first time you do it. Who knows what you might try next? But, if you take one chance at a time at every wedding, then eventually you will be at a level you never dreamed of ;)

Good luck!

Joe Hendricks 10/13/14 Joe Hendricks 10/13/14

App of the Week - Namechk

I'm a creative person. It's in my heart and soul to try to find a different way to do things. Photography is my love and the way I make a living for my family, but I day dream all the time about other ideas and what it would take to make them a reality.

When I come up with a great idea, the first thing I want to do is come up with a great name for it! So what do I do when I come up with that name? First, I check to see if the .com name is available, then the facebook name, then twitter, youtube, google, Pinterest, tumblr, flickr, ebay, reddit, myspace....... the list goes on and on. It takes a long time to go through all of these websites and check to see if the name is available across every platform..... enter Namechk!

Namechk is every creative persons best friend! All you have to do is type in the name you want to check and it automatically looks up every single active social media site out there to see if the name is available on it's site! Here's what it looks like below.

I entered my name as an example of how the website works and looks.

Green colors are available and red are not

If you see your name is available on a site, all you have to do is click it and it takes you to the website to register your name! It's that easy!!

They also have an app in the itunes app store for all you creatives on the go ;)

I'll be doing an "app of the week" every week to share with you the tools that help me run my business and express myself creatively!

Have a good week!

Joe Hendricks 10/9/14 Joe Hendricks 10/9/14

Natural light vs flash at reception

I've always used a flash at receptions. It's funny, because I hate using flash during ceremony's unless I absolutely have to... I would rather pump my ISO to 12,800 while the Bride is walking down the aisle, because I know it will turn out, so why am I so hesitant to use natural light at receptions?

I think in the back of my head, I'm worried about not capturing a moment. I'm one of those guys that, "if it's not in focus and sharp - it's not a good picture", but I'm slowly changing my ways. The last wedding I shot, was great for shooting natural light at the reception, because they had stringed lighting that provided a ton of light on the dance floor! I'm always telling you to take a chance, well here I am taking another chance myself ;)

This first shot is a normal off-camera flash. It's what I normally do at weddings with an assistant off to the side holding a monopod and a speedlight.

It's nice, but I felt it was lacking the ambience of the scene.

This next shot was a few seconds later, pumping my ISO to 6400 and shooting at something like 1/100th of a second. I didn't have to worry about lighting placement and concentrated on the moment at hand.

The natural light gives this pictures so much more presence. You can see exactly how it was while they were dancing.

The next shot was at the end of the reception and I once again, was not feeling my flash and decided to try some more natural light. The first is the flash on camera (which is what I normally do to capture the dancing).

Here is the same thing, but without a flash.

It's amazing the difference in the last two pictures! You can also see that they were really dancing and I was at ISO 8000 and 1/125th of a second and it caught the action great! I shot almost the rest of the dancing with natural light.

One of my favorite things about digital, is I can take chances in the moment and correct it. Normally, I would not have tried to shoot so much natural light, but when I took a chance and saw it was working, it was game on!

If you have a camera capable of these amazing ISO levels, I will challenge you to try it out at your next reception. It's not going to always work and there are many times that flash looks better than natural light, but it's good to know what is possible, so you can change it up to capture the real ambience of a moment.

If you find this information useful, pass it on to your friends... I'll keep posting as long as people are listening.

Joe Hendricks 10/7/14 Joe Hendricks 10/7/14

Composition in your pictures

When you hear a great song, you automatically know it's great. You may not know how to write a song, but you can definitely recognize that it's awesome. The same goes with pictures. You can love a picture with all your heart and not necessarily know what makes it a great picture.

One thing that makes a great picture is good composition!

When I review a Photographers portfolio, the first thing I look for is how they compose their images. If a Photographer can natural compose an image the right way, they are way ahead of the competition! The dictionary has it's own definition, but I've always seen composition as what makes an image pleasant and allows it to tell a story.

Here's an example from a recent wedding. The Bride and Groom were having their first dance and I noticed the Mom getting emotional, so I focused on her to capture the reaction she had to her daughter dancing with her new husband. Does this shot work? Unfortunately it does not, because no one would ever know that 1. this is the Brides Mom and 2. who is she looking at? It's a good picture with some obvious emotion in it, but it doesn't tell a story at all.

Here's the exact same image, but with the original capture. Now this picture tells a story! You can easily tell it's a wedding and someone important is in the background getting emotional. Without the Bride and Groom, the picture doesn't work. The Photographer has to compose them into the image. It's not easy, because they're dancing and spinning, but you have to make the effort if you want to tell a story with your image.

Mom getting emotional while bride dances with husband

Here's another image from an engagement session a couple weeks ago. This first image I'm showing you is another example of composition that could be improved upon ;) This is one of those pictures that, when you look at it, you know somethings wrong, but you don't know just what it is. It's uncomfortable and it's a little too busy. You get the point of what I'm trying to show, which is the date, but his head is cropped off and there's a lot of wood lying around. It's not bad composition, but it could be better!

The previous shot was decent, but what it needed to be a good shot was a little breathing room. The image below is a lot more relaxing to look at. Sometimes, giving a little head room and cropping in all the wood at the bottom makes all the difference. It's now a beautiful picture at sunset with them kissing in the background. I'm always looking for clean breaks in my pictures. If the piece of wood on the bottom left would have been longer, I probably would have gone wider, or gotten further away and zoomed in more.

I feel like composition is a gut feeling more than anything. It's also the reason I love my zoom lenses vs primes because I can compose so much faster while staying in one place.

When you're out on your next shoot and something doesn't feel right with the image you are about to take, look at the composition first and ask yourself, what can you do to make this image tell a better story or how can you give it some breathing room so it feels more relaxing to look at.

As always, I appreciate you reading my blog. I hope you're getting something out of it. If we're all growing, then we are all pushing the limits of what is possible in our craft. Let's all get better together :)

Please share this if you feel others can benefit from it.

Joe Hendricks 10/6/14 Joe Hendricks 10/6/14

Doing Personal Work

I think all Photographers have different definitions of what "Personal Work" entails. For me, my personal work has to be something I enjoy shooting and allows me to push myself. Most of the time, I push myself with creative composition and using one lens all day, but this time I wanted to take pictures of some fun kids, running around like crazy with some studio lights ;)

Around this time last year, I had an idea to take some awesome pictures of kids dressed up like super hero's! I mean, what kid doesn't feel awesome dressed up like a super hero? I also wanted to test out some studio lights and find out how easy or hard it is to take pictures of kids running around while using studio lights.

Superman, Wolverine and Batman were kind enough to stop saving the world and do a photo shoot for me!

I had the Dark Knight pose for me on top of a bench in front of a cloudy sky! It wasn't exactly Gotham, but after a little editing, it turned out cool. This shot also helped me to fine tune my editing of silhouettes, which has become a huge hit with my wedding couples!

Wolverine was in full beast-mode through out the shoot! Here are a couple live action shots of him!

I never knew Wolverine could jump so hi!!

This last shot was at the end of our shoot. Wolverine could have probably shot more action pictures, but I was getting worn out, so we settled down and I told him to "signal me to come here" and he nailed it!

So personal projects can be just about anything, but I hope whatever you choose to do, they push you learn new things and take more chances. I'm a wedding photographer, but it doesn't mean I shoot only weddings. Personally, I feel like wedding photographers can handle anything! We are a spontaneous bunch always looking for the next creative thing to take pictures of! Doing this shoot, helped me to lay out a plan (which is very foreign to me), but it was good to experience it. It also helped me to refocus on using my studio lights outside, which is always great to get a refresher on!

I would love to see some of your personal work! If you have any you would like to share, send me a link through the comments below. If you don't want the world to see it, send it to only me at joe@joehendricks.com

Have a good week!

Joe

Joe Hendricks 10/2/14 Joe Hendricks 10/2/14

How I Think During an Engagement Session

First, I want to thank you for reading my blog... If you get anything at all from this post, leave me a comment, because I have no idea if you're liking it or not ;) Thanks!

I recently did a shoot with Mark and Tina in Nashville. They wanted to take pictures at the place they first met, Music City Tippler, and so that is where we start today!

The first couple shots I take are just to see how my lighting is and how my couple acts in front of the camera. You can learn a lot in the first few shots, like are they comfortable, happy, nervous, ok with PDA? It's also an introduction for you as a Photographer, so they can see how you handle things. If the first couple shots suck, don't say anything, don't show anything.... just keep going with it, because if you're comfortable, they are comfortable. Their first two shots were great ;)

Fortunately, Mark and Tina are gems and super easy to like and take pictures of! Here are the first couple of shots we took.

getting to a kiss... they were perfectly fine with it ;)

If I am perfectly honest with you, I have a little bit of an idea what I'm going to shoot before they get there, but I forget it all immediately as the shoot starts! :) I guess the creative juices start flowing and my mind starts going into overdrive!

We walked up stairs, I saw a cool couch and told them to have a conversation about how they feel right now. That always makes everyone laugh a little... I pulled out an off-camera speedlight and put my lens next to the coffee table for a cool reflection.

TTL off camera flash... I'll talk about that another time.

I love flash, but I also really love how things look in natural light. Sometimes I just take a chance, switch my camera into aperture priority (nikon) and see what things look like. It literally take's 3 seconds... if the shot's not there, I move on, but in this case it worked well for the next few shots!

cranked my ISO to about 4000 for this one

plenty of sunlight was coming through the window for this shot

I don't mess with a good thing, so when natural light is looking awesome in my photos, I stick with it. It's so much faster than setting up a speedlight all the time!

We continued through the place as I constantly looked for my next shot, while learning more about them at the same time. If there is anything that is truly an art with photographing couples, it's that balance of listening to them and looking for your shot. Sometimes, I just have to stop and listen and turn off my creative brain for a second. Then it's game on again! The next couple shots are just me having them sit and pose in different locations of the bar.

There's always a moment when I realize I need to stop talking and let the couple do their thing! I had no idea how playful Mark and Tina would be, but they were so awesome together!! Mark just randomly started spinning her around and I swear, it was the cutest thing!

I was feeling good after that shot, because I could clearly see they were super comfortable with me :) So, walking up the stairs, I noticed a light shining down and asked them to stop in the middle of the stairs and hug. I thought it was a random place to have them stop, but I could already see the shot before I took it. I ran down to the other side of the bar, got out a long lens and literally laid on the ground to snap this next shot. It was a better than I thought it would be.

a beautiful moment in what would normally be a weird location to shoot

I decided to do the rest of the shoot outside. I personally like a lot of room to run around and get creative with and when I don't have to worry about lighting in a dimly lit bar, it allows me to focus on them as a couple and capture their true self. First thing I do when switching locations? CHECK MY ISO!! Always remember that.

The next few shots, I pretty much told them to talk, play, dance, be in love.... sometimes I don't know what I'm saying and I literally start mumbling, because my focus is on the shot.... hahaha! Again, these are the times I need to step back, stop talking and let the magic happen.

Then, of course, I start shooting through things... because I love to find that different angle!

shooting through leaves adds some depth and color

You can almost always feel the end of a shoot, because you can see the couple getting tired, but Mark and Tina could have probably gone for another hour! They were amazing ;) We were all done, when at the last second, I noticed the clouds! You know how I love doing silhouettes! I got low and had them get close, put my camera in aperture priority and this is what we came up with! My main focus was to get them in between those 2 large clusters of clouds and I feel it turned out great!

a beautiful silhouette to end the session

Mark and Tina were an amazing couple to take pictures of. Their personalities were larger than life and I knew these two were madly in love the second I met them!

As a Photographer, that helps a lot when taking pictures, but it's not everything. You still have to know what your camera is capable of. You also need to know what you are capable of and that only comes with taking chances and trying something different. On your next shoot, get your safe shots, the ones you would normally take, and then go and try something new! If it doesn't work out, don't show your couple ;) At least take it into post and see what you could possibly do with it there.... maybe something cool will happen.

I hope you liked this post! Comment below if you did... I would love to hear from you :)

Joe Hendricks 10/1/14 Joe Hendricks 10/1/14

The First Look - Photographers Perspective

For those of you that don't know, a "first Look" is when the Bride and Groom see each other before the ceremony.

Every couple wants to know if it's better to do a first look or see each other for the first time at the ceremony. I always tell my couples that it doesn't matter to me, because I'm a fast photographer and I'll get you good images either way.... but that's more of a comforting statement to my clients. Secretly, I wish they would all do a first look!

My main reasoning behind doing a first look is, it allows me to photograph you at a slower pace, which in turn allows me to be a lot more creative with your wedding photos! The most interesting thing I have found is that it doesn't effect your reaction at the ceremony at all! Walking down the aisle is a completely different feeling than seeing each other before hand.

Here's a few examples of how emotional a first look can be.

They allow for beautiful pictures before your ceremony

Every Bride loves this reaction from their Groom ;)

First looks also allow you to be alone with your Bride to relax and talk with each other. You can guarantee that this will be your ONLY alone time for the rest of the day. So enjoy it and take it slow.

After the first look, they read bible versus to each other

Before their first look, they read cards from each other

And of course, if you still want to remain traditional, there are always tricks to allow you to see each other before hand without actually seeing each other ;)

I wasn't really sure what to show for examples for this post, because I honestly get good pictures either way. I can just tell you that photographers have to run their butt off after the ceremony to get you great shots before everyone gets bored at the cocktail hour. Doing the first look allows everyone to relax and you will usually get 2-3 times the amount of awesome pictures just from seeing each other before hand.

Today's post was my wife's idea ;) Next time I'll dig back into some cool photography stuff!

Joe Hendricks 9/29/14 Joe Hendricks 9/29/14

How to be creative with iPhones at your wedding

It's 2014 and everyone seems to have an iPhone or some kind of smart phone, so it's no surprise at all to see them popping up at weddings. Being a Professional Photographer, that shoots weddings for a living, I see them all the time. I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with iphones being at weddings! In fact I actually like to use them in my pictures to get some creative shots like this one below.

You have to be quick to get this shot ;)

The problem I've been having lately is hearing all my Photographer friends complain about iPhones at their weddings. So, today I am hoping to give a different perspective that will push you, as a Photographer, to stop complaining about these devices being in all your pictures and start using them to your advantage ;)

First off, have you ever tried to take a picture of someone else taking a picture with an iPhone at a wedding? It's not easy! You have to be really fast! For me, it's a challenge to see if I can refocus, expose, and recompose my shot properly before they put down their phone! Here are some instances at previous weddings where I've done this.

This is probably the most common iphone pic I will capture at a wedding

The iPhone selfie is also pretty tough ;)

None of these pictures were staged. I see someone taking a picture and I get my camera their fast to capture the shot!

Second, unless you have an "Unplugged Wedding" you're going to have to deal with iPhones, so please stop complaining about it. Have fun and get creative with them! The following examples aren't the best shots in the world, but hopefully they give you a good idea of where I'm coming from.

I had the Bridesmaids at this wedding all take a selfie of themselves, since everyone of them had an iPhone, and I had them turn their phone's to my camera to get a shot of all of them together. It was fun and didn't turn out exactly the way I thought it would, but I took a chance at it and tried to be creative with it.

The group shot of the Bride and Bridesmaids together with their iPhones.

I love this next shot.... it was at Scarritt Bennett and I had some time on my hands, so I decided to place their iPhone up against the stain glass window! As you can see, it's on the camera app, so what you see on the iPhone is exactly what's going on outside and that's my favorite thing about it! It really helped to have a talented Groom that could hold the iPhone up and kiss his Bride at the same time ;)

The bride and groom kissing while holding up the iPhone.

My whole point is that we, as Photographers, should stop complaining about the things that are in our way while taking pictures and start using them to our advantage. I know a lot of people might disagree with me, but I would like to think that the whole reason you got into photography in the first place, was to be creative. Here's your chance ;)

I love the technology that we get to play with and I think it's such an amazing time to be a Photographer! I hope this post helps you to bend your thinking a little and do something creative at your next wedding! If you come up with something completely awesome, let me see it! Let's all push each other to be better at what we do. joe@joehendricks.com