Wedding photography gets a bad rap.

Some photographers like to kick it around. Others pat it on the head, like that little brother they tolerate. It’s treated like the low rung on the ladder of photography.

I think that’s messed up.

Look, I like a ton of different types of photography.

Candid portraits. Artsy portraits. Photo journalism. Still lifes. Macro. Event photography.

All of it appeals to me.

And a typical wedding day has all of that and more. So that right there is cool.

Add in people dressed in awesome clothes, brides with professional hair and make-up, and people generally having one of the best days of their lives.

Oh, and there’s cake. Can’t forget the cake.

Ok, ok. It’s work, too. Lots of work. By the end of the day I’m pretty wiped. And then there’s all the stuff I have to do before and after, too. I have a lot of late nights of photo work.

So it’s not just all a party.

But it’s never boring. And so far, never not fun.

You know what else? I have awesome clients. Every one of them. Maybe they won’t all become my best buds, but I can genuinely say that every one of them have been awesome people that were fun to get to know.

Also, I’m the guy that’s never satisfied. I always want to do better. Weddings are perfect for that. Unpredictable things happen from wedding to wedding, but the basic format stays the same. So it’s up to me to push myself. To try new things. To force myself to get better.

And I feel like every wedding I shoot is better than the last.

Every wedding is an opportunity to make myself a better photographer. To better relate to my clients. To do things a better way.

So for the haters that gotta hate, I’m just gonna keep doing my thing. Keep growing as a photographer. Keep meeting cool people.

And loving every minute of it.

It’s weird, you know.  How things work out, that is.

I really wanted to do an engagement session on a farm. Then all of the sudden I got one.

But fate wasn’t done because not long after that, along comes Carla and Chad.

Turns out Carla’s parents own a farm in Burchard, Nebraska, about an hour or so away from Lincoln.  Would I be willing to drive out there for their engagement session?

To shoot on another farm?

Heck yes!

So we meet up in early September. It’s not too hot. Not too humid. This time, instead of mosquitoes the size of Buicks, we just had an actual old Buick.

Carla and Chad, despite professing nervousness in front of the camera, act like old pros.

I lose a lens cap. And then randomly find it in the grass later.

All in all, it was a good day.

Still with me?

Ok.

So you know those post-credit scenes that are mandatory for every comic book movie now? Yeah. This is kind of like that.

What happened was I finished for the day. Driving home and starving. Sun is going down. The sky has that “look.” If you live in Nebraska, you know what I’m talking about.

It’s gonna be one of those sunsets.

To paraphrase The Cars, should I stop or should I go?

Come on. If you know me, you know I stop.  My empty stomach can wait. There are photos to be taken!

Kind of wish you guys could have seen me. Pulled over to the side of the road. Standing on TOP of my truck, with the tripod. Snapping away like I don’t care. Because I don’t.

Here you go…

It’s that time of year again, folks.

Ok, look. I know that some of you out there probably are all cynical about Valentine’s Day. Even if you’re ridiculously in love, you maybe hate the commercialization.

Me too. Love isn’t about a one-day-a-year-get-out-of-the-dog-house-free card. You get it. I get it.

You know who else gets it? Porridge Papers. Every year they host Love on the Run. This is year number 5. So what makes Love on the Run different? Well, for one thing, it’s free.

Yes. Free.

Volunteers, sponsors, donations, and the hard work of the employees of Porridge Papers make this event happen. And it’s pretty cool.

You come in and type a note on an antique typewriter. Put it in a bottle, then into a bag. Oh, and you can stick an awesome little instant photo in with your note, too, courtesy of The Leekers Photography. Then come Valentine’s Day, Porridge Papers Volunteers — excuse me, valenteers — will hand deliver your note.

It’s a cool way to say something meaningful to someone you love.

Oh, and before we get to the preview photos, like I said above: this thing is FREE! Want to help keep it free? Check out the Love on the Run site and find out how you can donate.

That’s it. On with the photos. No shop kittens were harmed during this photo shoot (despite attempts to eat the decorations)…

The ad in question has been taken down. Here’s what it said:

———————————
WHY is finding an amazing wedding photographer so difficult? :/

I am a Bride who is getting married this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly talented, fun photographer.

WHY because the word “WEDDING” is involved photographers think they can change you $ 3,000.00 for wedding photos? Oh, because no bride is going to go without so they are going to pay it, because they HAVE to. They are ripping people off for all they have! Why when you want to get married it costs you AT LEAST 15 grand after all is said-and-done? Its such CRAP!! I love all you $ 3,000.00 photographers out there but i think your prices are WACK. All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them.. and thats owrth 3 GRAND!!! You’re making so much money its crazy. I just wish people would be more realistic. I mean the “average” persons salary for 1 freaking month is somewhere around 3 grand. (Thats making 19$ an hour) So you’re going to take someones WHOLE MONTH paycheck for one flippen day of photos? Just because you CAN!!?????? So that maybe they will not be able to feed themselves or pay any other bills they have, right? It makes me SICK!

I know im speaking for more than just myself right now. Alot of brides out there think the same thing. & I bet all you fancy photographers wont even read this. oh-well.
Maybe there are cheaper photographers that will read this and LOVE to take my photos
———————————

To start, I sympathize. I really do. Weddings are expensive. Always have been. Likely always will be.

(Quick point: be thankful the practices of the dowry, dower, or brideprice are no longer common!)

But the above contains a whole load of misconceptions. Let’s tackle some. Not necessarily in order.

1. “All your [sic] doing is hanging out at a wedding and taking tons of photos and editing them.”

Sounds easy, right? Just hanging out? It’s like a vacation and a party all at once!  WOOHOO!

My wedding coverage ranges from 8 hours to all day. Regardless, my day starts early and ends late.

At the wedding, I’m on my feet almost the whole time. More than that, I’m working. Organizing people, posing people, figuring out shots, staying out of the way, rushing to where I need to be, setting up equipment, taking down equipment, lugging equipment around, and so on. If I’m lucky, I get a minute to sit down and inhale some food.

By the end of even a short wedding, I need a shower. Bad.

Think about it. Your wedding photographer sticks with you the entire day. Make up artist? Pre-wedding. DJ? Reception. Baker? Not even there after delivering the cake. Florist? Sets up and leaves. Limo driver? Now that’s a guy that spends a lot of time hanging out.  Sure, most of these people have prep work before the wedding, but we’re talking about the “just hanging out all day” notion.

I love this work, but no lies: it’s exhausting.

And then editing and retouching the photos. Sounds simple.

When I go on vacation or shoot for fun, maybe I take a few dozen or even a few hundred photos. I’ll pick a handful, do something with them, and maybe post ‘em to Flickr or Facebook. Easy peezy. That’s the frame of reference most people have.

A wedding is a different animal. A WAAAY different animal.

I take a lot of photos. No, you don’t understand. A LOT of photos.

From those, I cull out the bad stuff. You know: eyes closed, extremely unflattering expressions, or where some guest’s flash blew out my shot, or any other technical problems.

What remains is still a lot. I put my “touch” on those. Every one of them. I have my trade secret shortcuts, but it still takes time. And unlike personal photos, I can’t do them whenever I feel like it. Maybe get to them in a year, or maybe not at all. My clients are excited and want their wedding photos NOW. I don’t want them waiting any longer than absolutely necessary.

And don’t forget the engagement session, the meetings and all that other stuff. Which brings us to the second point…

2. “You’re making so much money its[sic] crazy. I just wish people would be more realistic. I mean the “average” persons[sic] salary for 1 freaking month is somewhere around 3 grand. (Thats making 19$ an hour) So you’re going to take someones[sic] WHOLE MONTH paycheck for one flippen[sic] day of photos?”

I get where this one comes from. It does seem like a lot of money.

Thing is, we aren’t just talking about “one day” of photos. Not even close.

Let’s break down a typical wedding:

• Initial e-mail contact. I respond and set up a meeting.
• Meet with the bride and groom.
• More e-mails or phone calls to set up engagement session (included in all packages).
• Engagement shoot.
• Editing, retouching, and delivering disc of engagement photos.
• Pre-wedding meeting to go over final details.
• Wedding day.
• Editing, retouching, and delivering a disc of wedding photos.
• Most of my packages include an album and prints, so there’s set-up/design work there.

I’m not listing the exact hours. It varies anyway. But it’s safe to say that it’s a bit more than a day’s worth of work.

3. “I am a Bride who is getting married this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly talented, fun photographer.”

It’s hard to address this one without sounding like a jerk.

It’s the qualifiers here that trip it up. The bride wants premium work – “exceptional” and “amazingly talented.” But she doesn’t feel those qualities should cost much.

That’s kind of like saying you want the quality and prestige of a Rolls Royce, but at the cost of a Kia.

A Rolls is hand made to exacting standards. A Kia is mass produced on an assembly line by machines. You’re not going to get the quality of one at the price of the other.

Not everyone can afford thousands for their wedding photography. That’s cool. But it’s not fair to get pissed at the photog charging $3000, especially if you agree that the photos fit your criteria of exceptional and amazingly talented. Nor should someone expect an established photographer to match the prices of someone trying to break into the business by portfolio building.

Some responses I’ve seen to this try to break down all of the photographer’s expenses to every last dollar. This is ridiculous. My expenses are different from the guy down the street. Whether our prices are wildly different or virtually the same, what’s the point in justifying that? Clients don’t care about business expenses. They don’t care about how much I work.

And they shouldn’t.

They should care about the photos.

And this is the part where I have to be careful to not sound like a jerk. People who don’t see the value in photography aren’t my customers. I’m not interested in people like this Craigslist person, who thinks wedding photography is a rip off. I want couples who come to me because of the work.

When it comes right down to it, nothing said about what it costs to run a business is going to sway someone who views wedding photography the way this Craigslist ad does.

It’s not every day that I book a wedding without ever meeting the couple.

But these things happen. Especially when the couple in question live in Texas.

The tricky thing about couples that don’t live around here is that they don’t live around here. So how do you work out an engagement session? It’s pretty simple when the couple are football fans.

Megan and Charles flew into town to catch a Husker game and squeeze in a little photography. No sleeping in for us as we arrive at UNL campus first thing in the morning to catch a few shots before a billion and 10 red and white fanatics invade the land.

And then we’re off to wander downtown.  All the while, Megan and Charles question my sanity as I ask them to do increasingly strange things, promising them that the photos will be amazing.

Oh, and while Megan and Charles were off changing outfits, I got into a fight.

Before we get to the pics, a shout out to Elayne Woods for tagging along and lending a hand.

So here it is. A “year in review” post. It had to happen.

2011 was an interesting year, photographically speaking. Not counting client work, I probably took fewer photos than I have in years. And yet, I experimented more. That means not everything worked. Believe me! Not everything worked.

But I had a lot of fun. And learned some things.

Enough rambling. Well, a little more rambling. There’s that whole ground rules thing.

Last year I chose 10 photos and put up 10 posts. That’s too much work. This year I just picked. No set number. There are photos that jumped out at me. Photos I think are good. Photos I just wanted to say something about.

The only “rule” I followed: No Client Work!

I could fill post after post with photos from every client I photographed in 2011, and I’d still leave out great shots. Besides, most of the posts here are about and for my clients. This one is about me.

Ok. Now I’m done rambling. On with the photos. Here they are, more or less chronologically, photo first and then a few words…

Sam’s Henna.

My girlfriend, Sam, does henna. That’s nothing new. But I feel like this year she really blossomed. She figured out what kind of a henna business she wanted to run. She did henna parties, bridal henna, pregnant belly henna, event henna.

This was from one of her first henna parties of the year and still one of my favorite henna photos.

Snow.

Unlike this winter (so far), last winter was all about the snow.

The top image was all about bravery. The bottom, all about luck.

The night I took the top image, it was 10 degrees out. Zero wind. Giant snowflakes had been falling all day and there was a good 8 inches of it on the deck table. Because I am insane, I hauled my giant flash out and set it up under the (glass) table, shooting up. Then I proceeded to freeze to death while taking macro shots of snowflakes.

The second image was a frosted over window. I had about 5 minutes to set up and get a shot before it all melted off.

Double Sam.

Weird accidents are the best. There we are sitting in the cigar lounge. Me and my friend Ben are smoking, while Sam and Ben’s wife Liz are doing henna. I reach over for something and see the image above. I wonder if it’s possible to actually capture it. Out comes the macro and a little bit of playing later…

Love on the Run.

For two years in a row (and again this year), Studio Orange has donated photography services to Porridge Paper’s Love on the Run Valentine’s Day event. This was one of my favorite images.

Winston.

The neighbor dog. Sweet, but very lonely. As I feel this image shows.

Train.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of HDR. But I like to push the images a little more. This is one of the last shots I managed to get of this area before it was all torn up for the new arena.

The Party.

Sam and I both had birthdays in 2011. I know, right? Both of us having birthdays in the SAME year? Almost too coincidental to believe. This year we decided to have one party for both of us.

A steampunk/gypsy party.

So, here’s the problem: How do you get 70+ people to show up for a party at the end of April and all dress in costume?

Simple. You just have to be us.

The left image is a self portrait showcasing my costume for the party. The right image is Ben and Liz.

Strawberries.

One of the things Sam has to put up with is being in front of the camera. We spent an afternoon playing with flashes and strawberries.

On the road.

Pop quiz: What do you do when you’re riding in a car between Pueblo, Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico? If you’re me, you hang out the window of the car going 75mph with your $3000 camera and snap photos. Are these technically great photos? Not for me to decide. But they were fun to take.

Morgan.

A friend of mine said she was putting on a burlesque show. She asked if I wanted to take photos. Because I am not an idiot, I did not refuse the opportunity to photograph some beautiful ladies…

The Song that Made Sam Cry…

Sam and I went up to Omaha to see Blind Pilot. This was one of the last songs they performed, off the stage, in the middle of the crowd. Sam cried.

The Garage.

I called this “The Garage.” It’s really my living room. I’m tricky like that.

Obligatory New Gear Shot.

All new gear gets tested on my pets. I don’t know why. That’s just how it is. Pixel was the victim in this case. The new gear in question is the Canon 35mm f/1.4L.

First (and only) real snow this winter.

My dogs love snow. No. They are ridiculous for snow. So when we got a decent snow fall (and so far the only one) at the beginning of December, I took them out to the park.

First stop was the lake. It wasn’t quite frozen and the slushy mess had this weird green tint.

Next up was letting the dogs be dogs. And documenting it as much as possible.

And finally, a white-out shot.

And that’s that. Thanks for joining me on a trip back through 2011.

When last we left our intrepid couple, they were stuck in the mud and playing with chickens.

Now it’s the big day. And with the mud cleaned up and the chickens put away, it’s up to me and my assistant, Elayne, to rock it.

How do I describe this one? Refreshingly unconventional. That’ll do. And that pretty well describes Will and Jessica, too.

They didn’t have bridesmaids and or a best man. They didn’t even make The Big Entrance to the reception, preferring to sort of sneak into the party. Aside from their ceremony, the day was more like a picnic in the park.

Except the girl playing badminton is wearing a wedding dress.

No big deal.

I think it’s important.

I can’t always control what’s going on around me, but I can c

ontrol how I react to it. This is especially true when you encounter rudeness or when a situation is just entirely out of line.

Ignore it and move on.  Generally the best policy.

I’m not hired by my clients to settle scores, or be macho, or try to out-tough some jerk.  I’m hired to take photos.

But sometimes…

Sometimes… you just can’t walk away.  There’s that jerk that gets under your skin. It gnaws at you. Eats away. You just HAVE to do something.

I knew when we walked by the first time that there was going to be trouble. I mean, really?  Picking a fight with me when I’m obviously with clients? Come ON!

I brushed it off and did my best to ignore it. Took a few more shots with the clients.  Good shots. I didn’t let the incident influence the job I had to do. But then it was time for the clients to step out for a few minutes to change outfits.  And I just couldn’t let this go.  With the clients gone, it was time for the gloves to come off.

I went back around the corner and of course he was still there.  Still mouthing off.

It’s on, pal!  On like Donkey Kong!

And of course, I photographed it…

I’m pretty sure it was my flash that really made him mad. So he decided to just attack it directly…

Mud?

Photos?

We can totes play in the mud.  Fo’ sho!

But first, Will and Jessica.  The stars of the show.

I first met Jessica when she worked as a barista at my home away from home.  To this day, she remains one of the few and the proud who knows how to make my caramel and irish cream latte properly (hint: it should taste more like coffee than sugar).

Will works at an organic grocery store that my girlfriend and I have been known to haunt.

Both are tall.  I mean really tall.  At 6′ 1″ I feel like I’m barely keeping up with these two.

At first, they weren’t sure they wanted an engagement session.  Even though it was included in the package, they flip-flopped a bit about maybe crediting the session to products or other services.

In the end, they decided on the session.

Then they asked if we could shoot it at a farm their friend owns.

Who am I to say no to that?

There’s only one problem when you want to shoot on a farm in Nebraska in June.  There’s still a good chance you’re getting a lot of rain.  We hadn’t just gotten a lot of rain.  We had been getting rain like someone turned on the spigot and then left for vacation.

We got to the farm and it didn’t seem like it was going to be too bad.  A little humid, to be sure.  Mosquitoes the size of attack helicopters. You know, typical Nebraska stuff. Manageable.

Then we decided to walk across the field to get some shots on top of a hill.

Ever detasseled? Then you knows the recipe: a well-watered field, a lot of rain.  Let’s just say, if your shoes aren’t stapled and duct taped to your feet, there’s a good chance you’re losing them.

Jessica did the smart thing and took hers off.  She only sank half way up her shins in the mud.  Will had sandals that didn’t seem like they were going anywhere.  I hoped the lacing job I did on my Merrills was up to the task.

In the end, we slogged through the mud, braved the heat and humidity, did battle with a few ticks, annoyed some chickens, survived an impromptu thumb war, and got some great, fun shots.

It was a pretty awesome day.  Playing in the mud. And no shoes were lost.

Engagement sessions have an amazing dichotomy of always being a little bit the same and a

little bit different.

You always begin with a couple a whole lot in love and a little bit camera shy. The camera shy part is understandable. I’d be a bit nervous in their shoes, too.  And I know what to expect. It’s ok, though. Couples always loosen up and have fun. (And you will, too. Trust me).

But that’s usually where the similarities end.  Sometimes you get couples willing to play dress-up. Sometimes you get lost in the woods.

And then sometimes you wind up going a little bit of everywhere.

When Ryan and Ann joined me for their engagement session, I don’t think any of us really expected to hit almost every photogenic spot in Lincoln.  It just kind of happened.  And it was a ton of fun. From the Sunken Gardens, to the Capitol Building, to Downtown and the Haymarket, and finally Pioneers Park, I think we got this city covered.

Oh sure.  There are a couple of places we didn’t hit.  Maybe we’ll save those for the formals.