Monthly Archives: June 2012
I spend a lot of my time engrossed in the online world of photography, design and social media. It comes with the territory of being an aspiring professional photographer. Sometimes it feels like I eat, drink and breath inspiration, ideas and advice.
But for every inspiring, informative and genuinely useful article I read, there is another article full of negativity and dissolution at the state of the creative industry.
From the smallest independent blogs, to the most established magazines and journals, you can’t go a day without reading something about the demise of professional photography, the curse of the Internet or the increasing accessibility of technology making the professional artist an endangered species.
Youtube is killing musicians. Instagram is killing photographers. Facebook and Pinterest are destroying the very idea of copyright and ownership. Cheap equipment now means anyone can do it, and they will do it, all for free.
If you believe all of this, then you might as well stop taking photos, stop making music. There is no point. Give up. The industry is dead and you are with it.
Pshhh. Please.
Technology is a gift. We are able to spread our work across the world, to thousands, perhaps millions of people in seconds. Free services like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are bringing photography to everyone like never before. Photography and music have never been more important to the average person, more integral to everyday life, because it has never been so accessible.
More people are capturing memories. More people are capturing the awesome photography bug. And that’s fantastic. I view that as being only a positive thing. The potential market for people selling and buying photography has never been broader.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean that everyone has the talent, the vision, the knowledge and sheer determination to actually be great at it.…
When the Fuji X100 was first announced, I was seriously interested. Here was a camera, with the sensibilities, controls and gorgeous looks of a 35mm film rangefinder (like the Contax G2) but with a large, APS-C sized sensor with all the latest digital mod-cons like great high ISO and HD video recording. The Fuji X100 was the most hyped camera in years. It seemed like the perfect companion camera for photographers who wanted something smaller and lighter than a DSLR but didn’t want to sacrifice…anything, really.
Unfortunately a couple of things put me off when the Fuji X100 hit the shelves.
First, it was a unique, one a kind, first generation product. And I avoid buying anything that’s on it’s first run, because you know there will always be issues. Which there were.
Buggy software, slow autofocus and a fatal issue known as SAB (Sticky Aperture Blades) were common complaints from the first bunch of guinea pigs, err I mean lucky users.
Secondly, Fuji were asking for over £1000 for the X100, and the very, very short initial supply meant the street price was a lot higher and verging on ridiculous.
On the other hand, there is so much to like!
A unique first of its kind hybrid viewfinder combining a high tech electric screen with an old school glass optical viewfinder. Fully manual controls, with great to use clickty-clackty dials and switches. A full metal body with a dedicated Fujinon 23mm f2.0 lens. It was a camera made for those photographers who loved film cameras, shooting with primes and street photography. It was a very, very hard camera for me to resist buying.
Until now.
After months of umming and ahhhing, and keeping up to date with the improvements made in several successive firmware updates, together with the more reasonable, reduced price of around £600, I decided it was time to join the X100 club.…
1. Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.
You don’t just turn up and wedding and start shooting. No matter how much talent you have, if you don’t know what is going to happen, and when, then you will miss a lot of important moments of the story. I asked my Bride and Groom so many questions, everything from the schedule of the day, to VIP guest’s names and who the suppliers were. Then I took the time to memorise it all.
With all that information stored in my head, I could direct members of the bridal party by name, and advise guests on what bit was happening next when they asked me. I was like a walking wedding encyclopaedia on the day. And that meant I was in the right place, at the right time to capture the images I wanted.
2. Pack Your Bags
As well as the obvious stuff like cameras and lenses, you’ve got to make sure you over pack with batteries and memory cards. Better to have too many, than not enough. Also remember the other things that you need to keep going. Bottles of water, energy bars and mints etc are little things that will make a big difference on how you feel on the day. And the better you feel, the better you will shoot.
3. Don’t Stop Shooting
Don’t stop to look at what you’ve just taken, or fiddle with camera settings. Don’t put your camera down, or start changing lenses. Spend as little time as possible away from the action. And for capturing the key shots, like the first kiss, don’t hold back, take as many photos as you can, to make sure you have it covered. There’s no way to do it again if you miss it.
4. Expect The Unexpected
The best moments are the ones that you don’t expect, so you need to be ready to capture them at any time.…
A few weeks ago, I was a bit of an idiot, and had an incident involving one of my fingers and kitchen knife. It was entirely my own fault, so I don’t deserve an ounce of sympathy!
Apart from being in pain, having my right hand bandaged up, and generally feeling sorry for myself, it has also meant I have been physically unable to even pick up my Nikon D700. (Something I wont be doing for for at least 6 weeks. Boo. )
But I’m not the sort of person to let a little thing like this stop me shooting, oh no.
Instead, I have been shooting with just my iPhone 4, and editing with only the amazing VSCO Cam App.
Shooting and editing with the iPhone requires a completely different approach to photography, which has been refreshing and inspiring.
Sometimes it can be a great idea to leave the fancy equipment at home and simplify. Of course, I had little choice now being temporarily one handed, but anyone can do it.
It’s great way to keep you on your toes and break the routine of big cameras, photoshop and off camera flash.
I had a surprising amount of fun just shooting away on streets of Gloucester in my short lunch breaks, or on my walk to and from work.
All of the shots below we’re taken in the last 7 days, and processed entirely on the iPhone 4, using VSCO Cam. (with one hand!)
Hope you like them.
If you want to see more of my iPhone snapshots, why not follow me on Twitter or Facebook.
More Chris Scuffins On:
Twitter | Facebook | Flickr | 500px
…
A Gloucestershire Wedding | St Marks Church, Cheltenham and The Park Hotel, Tewkesbury
On Saturday 2nd of June, I had the wonderful honour of photographing Natalie and Andrew’s wedding day. It was only a few weeks ago that we met up for a Pre-Wedding Portrait session.
The whole day was so much fun, from the bridal preparations in the morning, the wonderful ceremony at St Marks Church in Cheltenham, through to the lively reception at the Park Hotel, Tewkesbury. I loved being there to capture everything that happened, giving Natalie and Andrew a great way to relive the emotions of the day for years to come.
Although this was my very first time photographing a wedding, it was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, that made the most of my talent and knowledge as a photographer.
As I continue to add more weddings to my portfolio, I will be offering greatly reduced rates for Wedding Photography, including Pre-Wedding Shoots. If you are local to the Gloucestershire area, please contact me to find out more.
—
Follow Me On: Twitter | Facebook | Flickr | 500px
…
Last weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of photographing my very first wedding at the Tewkesbury Park Hotel in Gloucestershire. It was a blast. I don’t think I have ever had so much fun with a camera in my hand.
For months, I had been preparing, researching and getting things in order; to help make the day run as smoothly as possible. The key to successful wedding photography is good planning.
In all of research I did, I only came across a handful of photographers who only use prime lenses in wedding photography.
So I figured I couldn’t hurt to share some of my preparations here on the blog, for people who are interested in how I shot my first solo wedding. Including the slightly unique (mad?) decision to shoot an entire wedding with just two fixed prime lenses.
Camera Gear I Take
ThinkTank Retrospective 30 Shoulder Bag (The Bag I Carry)
- My Own Nikon D700 with Nikkor AF-S 34mm f1.4 G
- A Hired Nikon D700 with Nikkor AF-S 85mm f1.4 G
- 2 x SB900 Speedlights
- 1 x Set Kenko Autofocus Extension Tubes
- 4 x Spare Batteries For D700’s
- 4 x sets of 4 AA Eneloops
- 4 x 16GB SanDisk Extreme Compact Flash Cards
- Full Set Of Flash Gels
- Itinerary For The Day, including emergency phone numbers for the bridal party.
- Business Cards
- Mints
- Pocket Mirror
- Tissues
- Paracetamol
ThinkTank Retrospective 10 Shoulder Bag (in the car / or close by)
- Nikon D3100 with AF-S 35mm f1.8
- Bottled Water
- Granola Bars / Energy Bars
- Change Of Clothes
- SatNav (with all addresses already entered)
In The Tripod Bag (in the car)
- 2 x Calumet Full Height Light Stands
- 2 x Reversible 30” Umbrellas
- 1 x Westcott Apollo 40” Soft box
How The Gear Is Set Up
Both Nikon D700’s are set up identically, with one little exception.…
ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the blog of Chris Scuffins, a hardworking, creative photographer from Gloucestershire.
With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, his focus now lies on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as a fun, relaxed approach to photojournalistic wedding photography.
FEATURED POSTS
- What To Look For In Your Wedding Photographer
Choosing your wedding photographer can be an extremely...
- Fine Art Wedding Albums By Folio Albums
I figured it was about time I did a feature on the...
- Wedding | James & Arjia | Milton Keynes
Way, way back on the 18th of August 2012, I had the...
- Wedding | Natalie And Andrew | Tewkesbury Park Hotel
A Gloucestershire Wedding | St Marks Church, Cheltenham...
POPULAR POSTS
- The 35mm And 85mm
Just a few short months after making the decision to...
- 30 Day Self Portrait Project Finished!
WooHoo! Today I have finished my 30 day self portrait...
- Wedding | Natalie And Andrew | Tewkesbury Park Hotel
A Gloucestershire Wedding | St Marks Church, Cheltenham...
- Why I Switched From Nikon to Canon
I’ll start of by being completely and utterly hypocritical....
ON FACEBOOK
BLOG CATEGORIES
- Camera Equipment (34)
- Engagement Portraiture (1)
- Everyday Photography (11)
- Inspiration (35)
- Photo Tips (17)
- Portraiture (4)
- Shooting Film (3)
- Weddings (5)
FOLLOW CHRIS:
- 500PX
- FLICKR
- PURPLE PORT
- YOUTUBE