So its confirmed, another Austrailian client conirmed. This time its a national destination shoot in PUCON. Truely a spectacular place for wedding photoraphy in Chile. Here's the deal !...2nd Dec 2009...Drive to santiago airport, park car, fly to Valdivia, bus to Pucon. 3rd Dec...Shooting. 4th Dec...bus pucon to Valdivia..fly to Santiago..Drive home to Vina..5th Dec..Wedding shoot Vina del mar. My question is...how Coffee will I have to drink?
I am hoping all the flights and connections run smooth, this being chile we never know right!
in the last few weddings I've encountered some unbelievable delays, for example, a full coach (bus) of 58 guests 45 mins late for a wedding as the driver decided to take a detour on route to get his particular brand of cigarettes in a specific store while on route to the wedding, this not only nearly caused the groom to have a stroke but lost ultimately 1 hour of available shooting light for me and my team. ONLY IN CHILE...well mabe PERU also..
Contacto
Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056-9) 9-992 9508
Facebook “Gardner WeddingPhotographer Hamilton”
Fotografo boda santiago chile fotografo matrimonio santiago chile fotografo casamiento santiago chile
Fotografo boda vina del mar chile fotografo matrimonio vina del mar chile fotografo casamiento vina del mar chile servicio fotografia Gardner Hamilton weddingphotochile wedding photographer santiago chile wedding photographer vin del mar chile destination wedding photographer chile fotografo britanico photography services www.fotografobritanico.com
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Friday, 30 October 2009
Who is actually taking your wedding photos?
After speaking with a potential client for Dec 5th 2009 which I already have a booking for I offered to look at some other options for her to assist looking for an alternative wedding photographer in Chile.
I did some research and sent her in the direction of a couple of photographers I already was familiar with and a couple of others I researched onine.
Three of the five had the date availible but none of them actually attend and take the wedding photographs. They would be sending other photographers that they work with. In many cases it seems that although the photographer advertises under there name fronting themselves as the photographer with their name as the website etc but on your big day you may not get the main person....so....after this discovery I strongly suggest you clarify...Who is actually taking your wedding photos? Many so called or self proclaimed wedding photographers in Chile are in fact filling gaps in their income only by doing wedding photography at weekends. With little experience and no formal qualification take care who holds the responsibillity for recording your most special day.
I did some research and sent her in the direction of a couple of photographers I already was familiar with and a couple of others I researched onine.
Three of the five had the date availible but none of them actually attend and take the wedding photographs. They would be sending other photographers that they work with. In many cases it seems that although the photographer advertises under there name fronting themselves as the photographer with their name as the website etc but on your big day you may not get the main person....so....after this discovery I strongly suggest you clarify...Who is actually taking your wedding photos? Many so called or self proclaimed wedding photographers in Chile are in fact filling gaps in their income only by doing wedding photography at weekends. With little experience and no formal qualification take care who holds the responsibillity for recording your most special day.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Wedding Forum
For all things wedding and Marrage visit this FORUM
http://weddingphotochile.freeforums.org
Leave and take information to and from others for all things wedding
http://weddingphotochile.freeforums.org
Leave and take information to and from others for all things wedding
Monday, 20 July 2009
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
FREE COUPLES PORTRAITS
This week I have decided to start the free monthly portraits for couples who are getting married. How does it work? ok...all the clients who book with me each month...their names are put into a monthly draw and one couple wins the chance to do a free photosession for couples portraits consisting of around 3 hours of phototime from which they will recieve a CD containing minimum 10 images all full size files, without copyright and ready to print and send. The final images will be fully edited in Photoshop and of full pro quality.
On average I get 8 to 10 weddings per month booked so theres a good chance of winning...Good luck and look forward to hearing from you.
Saludos
Gardner
www.weddingphotochile..com
www.fotografobritanico.com
www.gardnerhamilton.com
On average I get 8 to 10 weddings per month booked so theres a good chance of winning...Good luck and look forward to hearing from you.
Saludos
Gardner
www.weddingphotochile..com
www.fotografobritanico.com
www.gardnerhamilton.com
Monday, 6 July 2009
Pro or Hobby Photographer....whats the difference?
I remember when I first started out in photography, what seems like 2 lifetimes ago..and I remember asking a seasoned Pro " what's the difference between a pro and a hobbiest photographer? " he looked DOWN at me and replied in almost a whisper, as if it were top sectret " a pro will keep less than 10% of what he shoots, a hobbiest keeps them all."
At the time i was 17 years old I did not realise the significance of this statement but over the years it has became more and more prevelent and has always almost haunted me. Do I count my total shoot images to ensure I keep less than 10%..NO..but after I do my first cut, second cut, edit then final cut...im always testing myself to see what % I do keep.. While not to satisfy the old man watching over me from somewhere today, but more as a guide as to how accurate I am performing when I pull the trigger. I like to assess myself in this matter.
The reason for my assesment is in my understanding there are two Schools of Photographers, one school of photographers know what they want, create and capture...the other school is the school of shoot and hope...the gaurdians of post production!!!.. While both can create fantastic images there are two very different mind sets..one of pre creative vision and one of post creativity..to have both is the key. So...back to my assessing of me...I assess my keep image volume because if i shoot for example a wedding and with 600 frames i keep 100 then for 500 frames I have not been thinking...while during moving events like dancing etc I may run a sequence of frames at high speed this maybe accounts of another 100 of the 600 said possible shots...so now I say for 400 frames was i guesing and hoping...the very thing I despise?...NO longer the case because after the first 3 weddings I ever photographed I realised that the point and shoot at everything and hope to catch is what the untrained, unqualified, and non pro photographers do....spending many many hours in post production. By putting the thinking head on I can reduce my shoot and strike rate to a 35%-40% keep rate.
Now, what does this mean for the client...in reality..nothing...this saves me time and makes my work more profitable....The only possible gain for the client is they get there images faster and the image contant is less random and more composed. Where possible, taking 2 seconds to think before shooting can save hours of trawling through hundreds of images containing silly errors and can save hours of photoshop time.
So other than the fact of a pro photographer making a living from photography and hopefully being qualified to some level or having a natural abillity I think the difference between a pro and hobby photographer is how your mind is thinking before you press the button or, not thinking. When filling your refridgerator counts on pressing the button at the right time it changes the thought pattern..if it doesn't then enjoy your hobby!!!
At the time i was 17 years old I did not realise the significance of this statement but over the years it has became more and more prevelent and has always almost haunted me. Do I count my total shoot images to ensure I keep less than 10%..NO..but after I do my first cut, second cut, edit then final cut...im always testing myself to see what % I do keep.. While not to satisfy the old man watching over me from somewhere today, but more as a guide as to how accurate I am performing when I pull the trigger. I like to assess myself in this matter.
The reason for my assesment is in my understanding there are two Schools of Photographers, one school of photographers know what they want, create and capture...the other school is the school of shoot and hope...the gaurdians of post production!!!.. While both can create fantastic images there are two very different mind sets..one of pre creative vision and one of post creativity..to have both is the key. So...back to my assessing of me...I assess my keep image volume because if i shoot for example a wedding and with 600 frames i keep 100 then for 500 frames I have not been thinking...while during moving events like dancing etc I may run a sequence of frames at high speed this maybe accounts of another 100 of the 600 said possible shots...so now I say for 400 frames was i guesing and hoping...the very thing I despise?...NO longer the case because after the first 3 weddings I ever photographed I realised that the point and shoot at everything and hope to catch is what the untrained, unqualified, and non pro photographers do....spending many many hours in post production. By putting the thinking head on I can reduce my shoot and strike rate to a 35%-40% keep rate.
Now, what does this mean for the client...in reality..nothing...this saves me time and makes my work more profitable....The only possible gain for the client is they get there images faster and the image contant is less random and more composed. Where possible, taking 2 seconds to think before shooting can save hours of trawling through hundreds of images containing silly errors and can save hours of photoshop time.
So other than the fact of a pro photographer making a living from photography and hopefully being qualified to some level or having a natural abillity I think the difference between a pro and hobby photographer is how your mind is thinking before you press the button or, not thinking. When filling your refridgerator counts on pressing the button at the right time it changes the thought pattern..if it doesn't then enjoy your hobby!!!
Fotografo Matrimonio Boda Santiago Vina del Mar
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/
Welcome to the Blog of Gardner Hamilton (http://www.gardnerhamilton.com/) and Wedding Photography for Vina del mar and Santiago, Chile. (http://www.weddingphotochile.com/)
This blog is to share experiences and ideas, concepts and problems with wedding photography in Chile.
In my experience, Chile has some very capible photographers but they lack innovation in composition and a deep enough knowledge of post production (eg - Photoshop) to produce the high quality Fine Art style photography required for wedding clients.
In nearly all of the weddings I have photographed in Vina del Mar and in Santiago, local clients always require an album containing printed photographs. This is obviously the tradition in many countries but, after working in several northern hemisphere countries such as United States, Canada, Japan and many locaions in Europe I notice a trend change where 90 percent of clients now only request images on a digital format (DVD / CD).
The freedom of the digital image gives clients the availibility to email and print at their own control. The problem then begins with Watermarks!!! As a pro photographer for many years I realise the importance of a photographer protecting his copyright and his work. In my opinion this is for the commercial side of photography. Many of the photographers I have encountered in Chile do not even own their own copyright yet cover there images with a bold watermark stating protection. This as in other countries is a way to ensure clients have to return and pay for more images.
In my mind and looking to the future, I see this as the rope with which they hang themselves. I prefer to give the client disks of full size, copyright free images for them to do with as they please. This means I do not make resale on the images but for a wedding, seriously...how many clients come back year after year for prints....come on photographers.....cut your clients free...
My next BIG ISSUE with images in Chile is print quality. Chile has one pro lab and to be honest it has failed me twice already. While they have state of the art equipment...they pay no attention to paper humidity levels and ink tempratures so all their fancy gadgets become useless. The turn out the same quality upto 20"x16" as the regular Kodak store in the street. For high quality large prints I still use the USA.
What struck me the most when arriving to Chile 18 months ago was the huge demand for informal wedding photography, the opposite of the northern Americas where the formal pose and fine art portrait is a key element of the event. Just last week i was shooting for a couple from Santiago who had a fantastic wedding event at Sporting Club Valparaiso http://www.sporting.cl/ A bueatiful Venue and a great event hosted by http://www.casaeventos.cl/ . This particular client wanted only informal photos, which turned out to be great as they were all party animals and were dancing crazy all night. A far change from the very rigid and formal events timed to the second in other parts of the world. Using some super wide angle lenses (10mm) my assistant, Mauricio, and I captured some very different images using monopods to shoot from different perspectives and give alternative views of the event..A SUCCESS !
Next week I am working with a Canadain couple who tie the knot on a roof top at midnight in Santiago...i will let you know how that goes.
Contacto
Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056-9) 9-992 9508
Facebook “Gardner WeddingPhotographer Hamilton”
Fotografo boda santiago chile fotografo matrimonio santiago chile fotografo casamiento santiago chile
Fotografo boda vina del mar chile fotografo matrimonio vina del mar chile fotografo casamiento vina del mar chile servicio fotografia Gardner Hamilton weddingphotochile wedding photographer santiago chile wedding photographer vin del mar chile destination wedding photographer chile fotografo britanico photography services www.fotografobritanico.com
ENGLISH BELOW
Bienvenido al Blog de Gardner Hamilton (www.gardnerhamilton.com) y la fotografía de boda de Viña del Mar y Santiago de Chile.
(www.weddingphotochile.com) Este blog es para compartir experiencias e ideas, conceptos y problemas con la fotografía de bodas en Chile.
ENGLISH
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/Welcome to the Blog of Gardner Hamilton (http://www.gardnerhamilton.com/) and Wedding Photography for Vina del mar and Santiago, Chile. (http://www.weddingphotochile.com/)
This blog is to share experiences and ideas, concepts and problems with wedding photography in Chile.
In my experience, Chile has some very capible photographers but they lack innovation in composition and a deep enough knowledge of post production (eg - Photoshop) to produce the high quality Fine Art style photography required for wedding clients.
In nearly all of the weddings I have photographed in Vina del Mar and in Santiago, local clients always require an album containing printed photographs. This is obviously the tradition in many countries but, after working in several northern hemisphere countries such as United States, Canada, Japan and many locaions in Europe I notice a trend change where 90 percent of clients now only request images on a digital format (DVD / CD).
The freedom of the digital image gives clients the availibility to email and print at their own control. The problem then begins with Watermarks!!! As a pro photographer for many years I realise the importance of a photographer protecting his copyright and his work. In my opinion this is for the commercial side of photography. Many of the photographers I have encountered in Chile do not even own their own copyright yet cover there images with a bold watermark stating protection. This as in other countries is a way to ensure clients have to return and pay for more images.
In my mind and looking to the future, I see this as the rope with which they hang themselves. I prefer to give the client disks of full size, copyright free images for them to do with as they please. This means I do not make resale on the images but for a wedding, seriously...how many clients come back year after year for prints....come on photographers.....cut your clients free...
My next BIG ISSUE with images in Chile is print quality. Chile has one pro lab and to be honest it has failed me twice already. While they have state of the art equipment...they pay no attention to paper humidity levels and ink tempratures so all their fancy gadgets become useless. The turn out the same quality upto 20"x16" as the regular Kodak store in the street. For high quality large prints I still use the USA.
What struck me the most when arriving to Chile 18 months ago was the huge demand for informal wedding photography, the opposite of the northern Americas where the formal pose and fine art portrait is a key element of the event. Just last week i was shooting for a couple from Santiago who had a fantastic wedding event at Sporting Club Valparaiso http://www.sporting.cl/ A bueatiful Venue and a great event hosted by http://www.casaeventos.cl/ . This particular client wanted only informal photos, which turned out to be great as they were all party animals and were dancing crazy all night. A far change from the very rigid and formal events timed to the second in other parts of the world. Using some super wide angle lenses (10mm) my assistant, Mauricio, and I captured some very different images using monopods to shoot from different perspectives and give alternative views of the event..A SUCCESS !
Next week I am working with a Canadain couple who tie the knot on a roof top at midnight in Santiago...i will let you know how that goes.
Contacto
Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056-9) 9-992 9508
Facebook “Gardner WeddingPhotographer Hamilton”
Fotografo boda santiago chile fotografo matrimonio santiago chile fotografo casamiento santiago chile
Fotografo boda vina del mar chile fotografo matrimonio vina del mar chile fotografo casamiento vina del mar chile servicio fotografia Gardner Hamilton weddingphotochile wedding photographer santiago chile wedding photographer vin del mar chile destination wedding photographer chile fotografo britanico photography services www.fotografobritanico.com
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