Thoughts On WPPI 2016

I just got back from WPPI in Las Vegas. It’s THE conference for wedding and portrait photographers and it was my first time at the convention. Reportedly, the attendance was around fifteen thousand people – huge by any standards.

For a few days, I attended lectures on marketing & branding, family photography, commercial filmmaking and lighting. In between classes, I walked the trade show floor with not one but two enormous ballrooms full of photography related stuff.

From a tech standpoint, the mirrorless cameras are on the offensive. Fuji is my favorite among the pack. Nikon and Canon have challenges ahead, but I was encouraged after seeing some the latest Nikon gear.

It was wonderful to see so much emphasis on print products – albums, frames, metal prints etc. Name a surface and someone figured out how to print on it. As a portrait photographer, it’s my responsibility to educate and remind the public about the power of a print. What good are the thousands of iPhone pictures if you don’t print one on occasion?

Remember the Polaroid? Check out the Fuji Instax camera – your creativity will thank you.

As a photographer, here are some thoughts on a couple of the deeper conference themes:

Branding

Personal branding is everywhere (not just in photography). As people like me leave the corporate world and hang out their own shingle, effective branding and marketing is essential for sucess. The way we entrepreneurs differentiate is through marketing ourselves – not necessarily the art we make or literal service we provide. Anyone can push a button, sell a house or sell you insurance. But it’s the story behind the individual and the experience that makes us want to buy.

Create Vulnerable Art

This is tough to cover in a few sentences, but I’ll try… As an artist (in any medium), we must be comfortable creating work that reflects our experiences. Sometimes we will offend. But by not sharing, we deprive others the right to connect with our work. Personally, this is a struggle for me, especially when weighing the branding issues above. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in building a finely tuned brand that we don’t show work that deserves to be seen because it might not fit in. So keep on eye on future posts for some different work...

Documenting Our Disney Vacation with a Fujifilm X100T

On my last family trip to Disney World, I took only my Fuji X100T, a couple memory cards and 3 batteries. I didn’t even bring a camera bag! Why, as a photographer, would I travel so light?

Two reasons. First, it’s a family trip. So the whole point is to be present with my family. I want to remember being there and living the trip, not simply the process of documenting it. Lugging around a bag full of lenses and cameras would’ve kept me from my family.

Second, I wanted to show that you can still make great images from the simplest of equipment. The Fuji X100T is an extremely capable little camera. But it is a fixed focal length lens and it can’t be changed. So of course, there were shots I missed. And that’s ok.

In a world of endless camera equipment possibilities, limiting the options is quite liberating. These limitations allow a certain focus to develop on a trip. You soon learn to tune out all the “if only I had this lens…”, and begin only to see the shots suited to the selected constraints.

For extra credit, I shot just about everything in a black in white square format (think made for Instagram). Okay, I really shot in RAW + JPG mode, meaning the camera saved a black and white JPG file and a RAW file with all the color data. But the fact is that black and white JPGs that come out of the Fuji cameras are simply amazing. They need very little post processing, if any. The decision to go black and white was harder than the decision to take one simple (and light camera). Vivid colors are everywhere at Mickey’s. But again, leaving out colors allowed me to see things a little differently.

The result? It was a great trip with lots of memories. Now a Chicago resident, we no longer have the luxury of making a quarterly visit to Orlando, but within my own constraints, I believe I’ve put together a better story of images than in any previous visit.

Images you see here are all from the JPGs, with maybe a bump or two of contrast or exposure adjustment.

So enjoy your next big family vacation, whether you’re a pro photographer or just the designated family photographer. Give yourself a little self assignment or specific constraint for the trip and don’t stress about capturing every last hug from Mickey (he’ll be there next time, looking exactly the same).

Day In The Life Photography in Lake Forest

As summer fades from Chicago, I wanted to recap a great summer session that was long overdue for a post. My day in the life family photography sessions are designed to let you simply enjoy the time with your family. If you’re stressed during a family portrait session, you’re doing it wrong. Laughter, tears, meltdowns, kisses and hugs, cookies, and even a bucket of water can be found in these sessions.

There’s no posing. Just pick out whatever activities you want to do that day. The Sweet family of Lake Forest had quite the brisk schedule!

When I arrived, the boys were already well into the first baseball game. An extra sticky round of street hockey followed, thanks to the super high humidity. With cookies in the oven, the whole family played an intense game of shinny (look it up).

Dad took a breather with the latest issue of GQ after a hard played hockey game. And then came some good old fashioned fun with a slip and slide, a hose, and a bucket.

To me, family photography is not about picking out the perfect subtly coordinated outfits, or finding just the right light in a random field. It’s about enjoying the authentic moments (with all the drama, good or bad) together as a family—doing whatever it is you like to do together.

Check out the video for the whole story!

Out of Chicago Debrief

The Out of Chicago Photography Conference was fantastic! It was a weekend full of seminars, photowalks, and time to connect with incredible people.

My agenda began with a little workshop on legal issues for photographers. Did you know that while humans automatically own the copyright on any photos they take, monkeys are out of luck?

I also learned a bit about time lapse photography. No, it’s not just for nature documentaries — think about the dramatic opening sequence of House of Cards.

And I picked up some great tips for photographing Chicago cityscapes from the conference founder, Chris Smith.

But my favorite sessions were about street photography. Some people dismiss street photography as just ‘pictures of random strangers in a city.’ But as you really look at these images, you begin to appreciate this discipline as the true art form it is.

The equipment list for great street photography is surprisingly simple. All you need is a small, quiet camera — an iPhone will do in a pinch. Less is more. The true skill comes in spotting a scene and waiting for the right person to enter that scene. Sometimes, as the photographer, you’ll be noticed (and get an odd stare), but often your presence will go undetected.

After the lectures, acclaimed street photographer Valerie Jardin led a street photowalk. Wow, this is hard work, even for a family photographer! It’s not uncommon to be out shooting for a couple of hours and come home with only a few keepers. But the good ones make it all worthwhile.

To learn more about next year’s conference, visit OutofChicago.com.

Out of Chicago Photography Conference

This weekend, I’ll be attending the Out of Chicago Photography Conference! Each year, I try to attend at least one photography workshop or conference. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and learn some new tricks. Thanks to an onslaught of online training options, it’s easy to talk yourself out of actually jumping in the car or catching a plane. But no webinar can truly replace the personal connections made at in person events.

One of the things I love about photography is that the learning never stops. And this particular conference is geared toward that fact. The schedule is full of speakers from a variety of disciplines - from architecture to street photography. Only a slice of the content deals with portraiture, my passion. And that’s one reason why I’m going. Learning about other photographic genres is a perfect way to put a new spin on old perspectives. For example, I’ll be sitting in a few lectures on street photography. Street photographers, by definition, strive to be invisible. The best images are usually made without the subject even realizing an image was captured, thus preserving a special authenticity. When shooting a Day in the Life session, I want to be discreet. Sure, my clients know I’m there, but anything I can do to blend in a little better is beneficial.

In addition to lectures, the conference will also have several photowalks. Yes, we’ll be out running around Chicago! Photowalks are great, because only a fellow photographer can appreciate the idea of spending hours shooting The Bean from every conceivable angle.

Stay tuned for a debrief next week! And I promise to pick just a couple images to show you.