Taking (not making) great pictures

More and more I'm going to be posting images from my weddings and shoots that contain the before and after shots to give a better understanding on some of my photo techniques and to show that you must "take" great photographs, you can't "make" great photographs.

I always say that you can't make a good photograph great, you can only make a great photograph a little better. We're not talking about full on graphic design where you bring in fake skies, different backgrounds, etc...because that's not photography, that's just graphic design. Many times I'm asked where I get my backgrounds. I NEVER use backgrounds in my imagery, truthfully I take a lot of time to make the NATURAL background look great and shoot it properly. For that reason I'm sharing this image from a wedding I shot in Maui, HI in January 2011.

In order to make this image the way I wanted it I had to make sure to shoot it at the right time of day, use the sun the naturally light the bride, and remove any debris from around the bride. I hate spending extra time in PS cloning out things I naturally should have taken care of BEFORE I took the shot. Do I use photoshop to fix acne for example on a brides face that will be the cover of the album? Of course I do. But that's something that's unavoidable. My biggest point in writing this is that photoshop needs to be saved for the unavoidable things, and that any thing a photographer can do before taking the shot is their responsibility to get right.

Any questions please let me know!

Photography Workshop in Shreveport, Louisiana

I am pleased to announce that we have scheduled another "Learn to Take Better Pictures" workshop in Shreveport Louisiana on April 9, 2011. Photography workshops are such an important part to learning photography as they present an opportunity to learn inside and outside of the classroom. I have tried to fashion my workshops from what I think will be of greatest benefit to my students. I base the itinerary, topics, and the way I present the information from the many workshops I have attended, trying to take out all the things that I didn't find very helpful, and amping up the things that I found to be awesome.

One thing is for sure. My workshops are fun, I allow lots of questions, and I focus on making it very real and tangible. I don't give out information that I don't think will be very helpful. I also don't have a problem sharing what I know because I believe that there are so many clients out there, and so many weddings to shoot that there is no reason to be guarded with what I know.

Perhaps the best thing about the workshop is the fact that we do a hands-on photoshoot. Many times I've been on workshops where there is a model and you kind of stand there and just watch what the instructor is doing. During my workshops I go to great lengths to explain what I am doing. I give opportunities to those that want it to practice on the models and I give tips that will help that photographer to improve their technique.

Come to have fun, come with a lot of questions, and learn to improve your skills! If you're interested in a workshop in your area please email me at jason@jlpros.com and we can come to your area next!!