Boneyard Aircraft

I am currently working on a new exhibition called “Aluminum Bones”.  There are many photos on my website.  They are located in:  Fine Art>Aluminum Bones.  Once I have 20 images complete the limited edition prints will be available for purchase.  They will be printed on a semi-matte, matte fiber based paper with over 200 years archivability.  I may offer two different sizes.  Please visit the site:  www.pamelareedphotography.com. 

The Bayou

Being new to Louisiana and New Orleans the first thing I had to see and shoot was a bayou.  I am planning a new exhibition series mostly in black and white depicting scenes from a newcomer’s eye.  There is a mystery and unexplained draw to the bayou for me.  The secrets floating along the swamps amidst the trees and wildlife remain a curiosity to me.  This is the beginning of a new journey to the darker side of life.  The road less traveled.  Check out my website to view additional images under Fine Art.  www.pamelareedphotography.com

Great News!

I am relocating to the New Orleans area.  I am honored to join award-winning wedding photographer Marc Pagani as an associate wedding photographer.  Please contact Marc for any bookings.  Check out his website below, his work is phenomenal!

Contact Info:

www.paganiphoto.com

phototravel@mac.com

504.343.5364

1216 N. Galvez Street

New Orleans, LA 70119

NEW VIETNAM BOOK BY ONE OF MY DAYS GONE BY SUBJECTS

Robin Marsett is one of my subjects from my project documenting pilots and crew of the military.  Below are links to more information and where to purchase it.  www.robertmarsett.com

http://www.amazon.com/dont-mean-nothin-soldier-Cambodia

Wedding Photography Hint #1 for Brides

While planning your wedding it is so very important that you allocate enough time for the posed and fine art photographs.  Especially with large families and attendants.  If at all possible always give yourself at least 2 hours between the end of the ceremony and the reception.  Be sure to add in any driving time if the reception is in a different location than where you will be having your photos taken.  No matter how much you plan for the family shots it invariably takes longer.  Everyone is excited and gathering them all together for the different group shots with you both takes more time.  And for what I call the fine art shots you need privacy and a non-rushed atmosphere.

Sam + Beth Get Married

I think I will let the photographs speak for themselves.  Thank you Beth and Sam for letting me photograph your wonderful family!

MILITARY AIRCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BONEYARD

I am currently working on a new exhibition of military aircraft photographs.   Some are posted on my website www.pamelareedphotography.com under “aluminum bones”.  These are a fine art approach showing the beauty of these old aircraft residing in the boneyard here.  I also will be releasing some aircraft images with lightning from the boneyard.  Look for those here on my blog.  As I get this exhibition together I will be offering limited edition fine art prints.  Please contact me if you are interested.  Below are two examples.

All images are copyright protected.  No image may be used for ANY purpose without expressed written consent by (c) 2006-2009 Pamela L. Reed

All Lined Up in a Row at Sunset

Stormy Skies Ahead

Fine Art Portraits

Non-Traditonal Wedding Photograph

Who says you can’t have some fun after the wedding and honeymoon?!  LaRisha and Justin decided Chicago on Valentine’s Day was a bit too nippy to do their Trash The Dress session so they asked me to have some fun one early Sunday morning.  We hauled some props down to the Rillito and just cut loose.  Since LaRisha is a fellow pro photographer we decided to put our creative minds together and just have fun.  We tried infrared, romantic, fun and some edgy stuff nestled in the wild bamboo growing along the river.  What a good time!  BTW, she does some great infant and baby photography.  Check our her website:  http://collectivemomentsphoto.com

If you are thinking of doing a fun photo session expressing your inner bad girl and boy or just want something different to remember your recent wedding we should get together and shoot some fun stuff on the streets and rivers of Tucson!

Trash The Dress

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WEDDING and ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY

Being creative is absolutely essential in being a GOOD professional photographer.  Being technically proficient is also extremely important.  Even if you can honestly say you are both of the above there is one more vital component that makes someone a good WEDDING photographer.  Actually it is more a multi-faceted component.

FLEXIBILITY!!!  You have to be able to shoot on the fly.  You don’t want to shoot a wedding and make the naive mistake of actually planning the shoot. As a fine art exhibition and documentary/portrait photographer I think my shoots over and over in my head.  I envision something in my head and switch gears and start bringing it to life.  I guess you could say I “compose” it.  You can’t compose a wedding.

Okay you say so what is the difference?  The difference is no matter how good you are technically or creatively you have to always be prepared to be surprised.  You have to be able to flow with the events as they unfold.  You have to think fast on your feet.  It may look like “point and shoot” but it is not.  The years of practice (and don’t let any pro tell you they don’t still practice.  If they don’t the curve has already passed them by), hours of lab time, thousands of dollars and the constant reminder that nothing ever goes according to plan.  A professional wedding photographer knows this.  They know that they absolutely must have good working backup gear.  They have to be comfortable enough with their equipment, how it functions and to be flexible enough to make changes on the fly.  One moment you may be shooting in bright sun with a low ISO and no flash, then suddenly it clouds up.  Heavy, dark clouds.  You are only partway through all the family formals.  There is little time between now and the couple racing to the reception location.  You must know how with proper technique to make the necessary adjustments at literally a second’s notice.  The bride hires you because she knows the day she has been planning for a year is going to rush by in the blink of an eye.  She knows there will be a lot she is going to miss.  You are there to make sure she doesn’t miss it.   The photographer has to be confident and proficient enough to move along with the crazy pace that is a wedding.

I would never change my decision to become a professional wedding photographer.  I am able to stretch my creative ideas far past what I thought they would encompass.  I have the rare opportunity to capture true love with the press of the shutter.  It is then all worth it!!!

Days Gone By “The Aircraft of the Boneyard & the Pilots Who Flew Them

For the past 3 years I have been working on a documentary/portrait project.  I have been matching retired and active military pilots with their aircraft located here in Tucson at the “boneyard”.  A small portion of the project was leased by the USAF for touring with their 60th Anniversary.  The last stop was in Las Vegas, first the Wynn Resort and then the base.  I was able to attend and see it in person.  It was amazing!  They had created these huge 4′x6′ panels with all my photos and the originals framed hanging on the panels.  Each pilot’s bio and general career record was included.  Right now those images are residing on the walls at the 309 AMARG waiting to be exhibited.  They are scheduled to be displayed in full at the next airshow at Davis-Monthan AFB in March 2010.  Once I have a specific date I will post it.  Here is a photo from the project.  Many more can be seen on my website under Fine Art/Days Gone By.  Website:  www.pamelareedphotography.com

Another Pup

This Wavy Gravy who never stops! 

4 Legged Creatures

While taking our extremely social pup for a walk down in the Rillito River we found there are a plethora of pups walking their pets.  It is a  morning social hour.  Great people and great pets.  Not sure if the people are the pets and the pets are people!  Our dog, Sybil, definitely owns us.  Anyway, I decided that I needed to start working on a new fine art body of work for exhibition.  The title of the new project is “the Rillito”.  The project is more of a broad scope which includes inanimate objects which become animated once the river flows in the summer.  So I am documenting the ever changing landscape of the Rillito.  A part of this are the pups I have met along the way.   I will be adding monthly as I capture more of these wild and rowdy 4 legged creatures.

Photojournalism Wedding Photography

This term has been battered quite a bit lately.  No it is not point and shoot and neither is it an excuse for inexperienced photographers to get by.  It came about several years ago when print journalists starting shooting weddings in the style of their experience.  They documented the events.  Photojournalists have very specific parameters they work within.  Most importantly they CANNOT heavily edit the images.  A little dodging and burning is about it.  Cropping is even pretty much frowned upon.  They choose their lenses very carefully to match the situation.  They do use flash but when possible prefer to shoot with a higher ISO.

So how does this style co-mingle with weddings?  It takes months sometimes years to plan a wedding but the actual event is nothing but a blur to most brides and grooms.  So many people, so much excitement.  They want to see everything and meet everyone but alas that is impossible.  A photojournalist documents the moments.  Many of their images will be in black and white.  A true photojournalist will not manipulate the images in post-processing.  Today there is a new version of photojournalistic weddings, the portrait photojournalist.  Knowing that there is no way the photographer can eliminate the traditional family photos these photographers now co-mingle the two styles.  However, the really good ones add an artist touch to the portraits.  Not just perfectly lit, perfect little photos but beautiful images capturing moments with an artist’s eye.  These images can be manipulated during the post-processing.

Normally the ceremony and reception are shot in traditional photojournalistic style while the portraits and family shots are the posed images.  A really good portrait photojournalism photographer will still work very hard to capture a more photojournalistic approach to the usually standard family shots.

So there you have it.  This is what we do.  This is why you hire us.  You want a permanent record of your special day in OUR style.  Folks we all understand that everyone has a budget, however, you have to make the decision…will you remember the just okay meal you had on your wedding night?  Probably not, at least not in a good way.  But when your daughter announces that she is getting married you want to pull out that wedding album or slide-show and let her see all those beautiful moments from your special day.

What Really is the Difference Between Paying a Professional and Having a Friend Shoot your Wedding?

There are many talented photographers out there.  Some are full time pros, others part time trying to move to full time and then there are what I like to call enthusiasts or hobbyists.  What separates them?  For one thing, experience.  Another is creativity and finally technical ability.

Here are some basics to get started in comparing.

1.  Lighting

If you are having your wedding ceremony and/or reception outside during the day time there is the issue of contrast, at night low light and combination lighting such as those beautiful warm colored lights used to light the reception.  Combination lighting is very tough to work with even while using flash.  One must be able to ascertain in an instant the type of light and readjust their color balance on a moments notice.  Contrast constitutes a background that is very bright, especially in Arizona, while the subjects (Bride and Groom) are most likely in the shade and much darker than the background.  Lets say the officiant does not allow flash which is pretty common.  How does a pro deal with this lighting situation to be sure that you both are visible and not too dark?  First of all a pro will have professional cameras that are capable of capturing images in these situations.  These cameras start at over $2500.  Their cameras will have high ISO ranges (this is to enable them to shoot fast in low light) and lenses which have small aperatures.  Without going into technical details a pro will know what combination of these functions to use in order to obtain the best photograph.

So many times I have seen photographs of weddings done by enthusiasts and friends where the background looks lovely but the bride and groom are in silhouette.  Which is fine for an occasional artsy shot or two but it is rather disappointing when you get your photos and can’t even see the expressions on your faces as you say your vows.

2.  Equipment and Technical Ability

There is a reason that a Canon 50D is considerably less costly than a 5D.  Certain features, which I won’t go into, are very necessary to give the pro “on the fly” options and flexibility.  Lenses are also very important.  It doesn’t really matter whether the pros use a prime lenses such as 50mm or a zoom such as a 70-200mm.  What makes the difference is the glass that the lens is comprised of.  The higher priced the better the glass.  Why does this matter?  An example would be a detail shot of your elaborate wedding cake that you worked so hard with the cake designer to make sure every detail was included.  If the lens is not high end quality you will lose a lot of detail and have a fuzzy/soft image.

Technical ability can be a double-edged sword.  Some folks, even pros think that by knowing every single technical aspect with regards to equipment will make them a better photographer.  Yes and no.  Yes in that without some rudimentary technical knowledge a really good photographer can miss the moment while messing around with the controls of the camera or worse yet not knowing what those controls can do in combination with each other.  No in that technical ability does not constitute a great photographer.  A great photographer also has to have an eye for the best angles as an example.  If the bride is self-conscious about a facial expression, body part, whatever as a wedding photographer you better darn well know how to shoot to downplay these things. There is nothing worse than a bride who hates her photographs of herself!

3.  Creativity

We have all seen the typical first timer’s shots which are closeups of the rings on a flower.  But what separates the pro from the enthusiast is knowing how to ramp that shot up a notch.  How to take it from the standard shot to a work of art.  As much as magazines, colleges, seminars and such want to teach creativity they usually aren’t very successful at it.  Yes you can look at a million wedding photography sites and try to “copy” the cool photos but that does not constitute creativity.  Creativity is not easy to define by words but very easy to see by comparing photographs.  Go to any forum on photography for layperson then go to sites where the pros chat.  There you will start to see the difference.

To sum it up the difference is experience, knowledge, perserverence, equipment and most importantly a creative eye.  Right now your wedding is the most important day of your life.  Do you just want to cross your fingers and pray your “free” or really low priced photographer got the shot?  Or do you want to rest assured that indeed all the important moments of your day will be captured for you do revisit time and again.

4.  Experience

Weddings are fast paced high pressure environments no doubt about it.  A pro must be able to remain calm through all the confusion and excitement he/she knows where to be and when.  It is not just about standing you, the bride, next to a window with diffused light.  It is more about walking into a small, crowded dressing room for the first time that maybe is also used as a storage area (I experienced this just recently in Phoenix while photographing a wedding) and finding a way to capture those moments in preparation for your vows.  By looking around me, observing the light types such as combination daylight and tungsten, knowing what to do to get the best color balance so you don’t look green (unless that is an effect I am purposing looking for) and figuring out how I am going to photograph you and your wedding party getting ready without that pile of boxes and junk everywhere being a part of your photograph.  Experience is knowing that a bride is nervous and knowing how to help her relax and enjoy these moments which will pass by in the blink of an eye.  There are so many different scenarios that occur which when approached by an inexperienced photographer will be too complex for them to work around.  Don’t kid yourself the reason many pros charge what they do is the years upon years of work, education and time they have spent learning how to capture that moment beautifully.  It ain’t easy.  No one just points and shoots who is a pro.  It may look that way to the everyday observor that the pro is doing just that only because they are so comfortable with the camera, they have assessed in a few seconds the issues they have to deal with and trust me they are constantly rolling those dials on the top and back of their camera as they click the shutter.  Adjusting to accommodate for changing light, movement and many other issues such as bokeh.

This is not meant to be a lecture but more a way to explain how important your wedding photographer is.  After the lights are turned off, the plates have been cleared away and you are 10 years into your marriage, when you open that album or watch that slideshow you will then understand how terribly important the choice was in who photographed your special day.

How To Afford a Wedding Photographer on a Tight Budget

We all know by now that many of you have to cut back on wedding expenses due to current times.  Cutting out your professional photographer seems like a good way to save some money because we all have “friends” who take great pictures.

I have a suggestion that might help those of you looking to save a few dollars.  Why not hire the professional to photograph you both between your ceremony and reception?  The cost will be considerably less but you still will be guaranteed to have great professional photos of the two of you for the future.

I am not advocating that friends can do the job of a pro.  However, it is my experience that sometimes brides to be find friends and family saying “oh I can do your photography, I am great at taking pictures”.  But trust me usually this isn’t the case.  Well meaning as they may be, a lack of true professional equipment, technical and creative skills are usually the case.  As we have experienced more than once light conditions both inside and out change by the minute.  Exposure issues and low light conditions are best handled by an experienced pro with the right equipment.  These often common problems can really trip up the budding photographer.  Knowing how to handle all the different curveballs sent during any wedding is what the pros know best.

So if you are tight on funds and thinking about just having a friend take your photos then at least consider options such as hiring a pro for a couple of hours to at the very least capture the most important moments.  Even if just the ceremony and some couple shots afterwards are taken your money will be well spent and you will never regret it like you will if you let a friend take that responsibility.

Have a wonderful day!

Yvonne and Jon

Bliss

Yvonne and Jon were married on May 8th, 2009.  It was an intimate affair with close friends and family.  And of course their 3 sons.  While photographing them the one thing I couldn’t get over was this geniune love and sincerity that came across in each photograph.  There is this dynamic going on between all of them that is both refreshing and calming.

Their love for each other is really so beautiful.

LaRisha and Justin

Trash The Dress

Just recently I had the opportunity to do a Trash The Dress session with Justin & LaRisha.  And added bonus is that LaRisha is a fellow Pro Photographer who specializes in Baby and Maternity.  When we first met we totally clicked.  We started bouncing ideas off one another about locations and setups.  Had we even attempted all of the ideas we would still be out in the desert somewhere today!

We chose to shoot down in the Rillito River.  She was so cute crawling down the side of the rocky bank in that long gown with the flowing train.  We certainly “trashed” the dress a bit.  They are such a beautiful couple and she is so full of optimism and life.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the studio and process the images.

If you find you are looking for someone to photograph your newborn drop me a line and I will give you her contact information.

Thanks Justin & LaRisha for giving me the opportunity to cut loose down in the River!

Alice in Wonderland

Its your 25th anniversary.  You decide to sit down with your wedding album and revisit moments that had disappeared into your sub-conscience.  As you open the book and flip to the first page what do you see?  Now that you are a bit older and definitely wiser do you see a “pretty” posed portrait of you and your loving spouse or do you see something that is a clue to who you both will be become and where you might be 25 years after that fateful night?

You were younger then.  Full of dreams and ambitions.  Maybe as the clock has ticked by and the years have flown past you may have forgotten who you were 25 years ago.

What sets me apart from others is my willingness and inane gift to see through to your soul.  Capture a brief glimpse into your future.  Who you are and who you will be.  When we are young we sometimes take for granted our youth.  Time rushes by without a backward glance.  We are rushing toward the future not knowing how much we will miss the past.

Weddings can do the same thing.  The night that you planned for a over a year, maybe since childhood can flash past you in a total blur.  And it should be that way.  It is an exciting moment in your life.  To think you actually found each other.  A match of not only heart and soul but a deep connection, a private closeness, an unbreakable bond.  It is the two of you against the world.  Ready to experience a new adventure full of laughs, tears, quiet moments and long journeys shared just between the two of you.

There is an  absolute value of hiring a photographer who is more than just a “picture taker” but who is an “image maker”.  Someone who has the gift to see into your eyes and feel your moment with you.  And then have the gift to capture those unique moments in a medium that allows you to revisit that fateful night 25 years ago when you first met and then married your soul mate.