Wedding photography blog

Sunny St. Thomas sailing

gary — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:08:18 +0000

Just so you know. I’m not just a wedding photographer. Even though I enjoy shooting weddings, it’s a small part of my photography business. Just to prove this to you please visit my site where I cover sailing photography. Here are photographs of boats, yachts and oceanic scenics.
Enjoy!

The J class yacht Valsheda

Value of a second photographer

gary — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:20:32 +0000

Also known as a second shooter or assistant photographer. On small one hour beach weddings a second shooter is not critcal. But on larger weddings the coverage is much better with a second shooter.

Lets face it, I can’t be every where at once. The main reasons for a second shooter are:

Getting that shot from a different angle that works better. I may be out of position because of my primary concerns of other photos.
More photos of your guests. This usually happens when I am shooting the portraits of the bride and groom.
Equipment malfunction. Even though I carry backup gear, what happens if the camera jams right at the first kiss? A second shooter would be getting those shots also.

Here is an example. My second shooter was in position to capture this shot perfectly. I was on the other side for the main ceremony. BINGO! a great shot. This photo was taken by Carrie Kidder, a long time assistant of mine and the photographer who shot my wedding. Thanks Carrie!

How to select a photographer

gary — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:04:15 +0000

Basics on selecting a photographer:

1) A camera does not make a photographer. Just like a typewriter does not make a writer. Here in the Virgin Islands we have many people who charge money to use their cameras that are not “photographers”. You would be better served buying a camera for Uncle Bob and have him shoot your wedding. Seriously, at least Uncle Bob would get a nice camera out of it.

2) look at background and training. Are they a member of a professional organization? Are they certified? At present there are only 4 certified professionals in the islands.

3) Portfolios are a great way to view the photographers best work and to judge if their style fits you. But be aware that even an amateur can have a good portfolio. But can they reproduce what you see on a regular basis? In most cases not, as what you see happened by accident. This is something only a well-trained pro can do. A good check is to view complete weddings that have been posted online for their brides, or wedding albums they have designed. This way you can more accurately gauge how consistent they are. There are only a few pro’s here that allow you to see this. Why? Because they have nothing to hide.

4) As in anything, you get what you pay for. Be leery of included photography in packages without being able to see samples/portfolios from the photographer the planners are using. Many times they hire a photographer for $200 and charge the bride $800. So you are not getting an $800 photographer, just a $200 one. Good professional photography is not cheap. With the cost of pro grade equipment and the hours spent after the wedding editing and retouching the photographs, designing albums etcetera a pro will put in another 40 hours of work on an 8 hour wedding shoot.

5) If you have never purchased truly professional photography before, you will be WOWED with the results and have something special for generations after the ceremony.

Selecting a photographer and being comfortable with that decision is not easy, but a very important step. It will be one of your largest investments. But a little homework and some looking around will net you photographs that you and your family can truly enjoy for a long time to come.

Cheers,

Gary

Our new blog

gary — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:50:53 +0000

Studio18.3 Photography is located on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands (yes, 18.3 is our latitude). I will be posting photographs that we shoot with commentary and maybe even a couple of jokes. We do crack ourselves up sometimes. You will be seeing pictures from weddings, commercial shoots and the occasional one “just for fun”.
Just so you can get to know us better we will also share our special experiences with you. Including almost live coverage of hurricanes. Sailing trips and even first hand reports on photography conventions we attend.

This is a newer version of our blog after our web site got hacked!! Getting hacked is a real PITA. But hopefully our regular viewers will appreciate the new look and functionality.

A St. John villa wedding

gary — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:14:46 +0000

Do you want to go in style? You may want to think about a villa wedding on St. Thomas or St. John in the Virgin Islands.

Although the day was a little cloudy, the view was to die for. This “little” villa is a bit pricey I’ll grant you. At 16K Sq. Ft. it rents for north of $4K a day. But boy you get your moneys worth. The are a very large number of villas available on both St. Thomas and St. John

Here is a shot of the bride at the entrance to the villa. Paula and Jeff were a great couple to photograph, and very gracious. Thanks folks … it was fun! Oh ya, and the food was pretty good too.

Cloudy days

gary — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:03:22 +0000

Even cloudy days can yield some good photographs here in the Virgin Islands. This shot was from a one hour beach wedding. the couple and there two friends gathered at Sapphire Beach here on St. Thomas. The location also has a small rocky point that sticks out into the Atlantic. Just goes to show how that you don’t need to be “centered” and you don’t need to be facing the camera for a good photograph. I have entitled this shot “Paradise in Paradise”.

Right now I am building a 20 page album for Luisa and Herman. This will be the last page of the album.

Cheers,

Gary

We are here to help

gary — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:10:18 +0000

Okay ladies, a little lecture. Please read the info here on our site. Most photographers sites do not contain all the information we have collected here for you. Even if you do not engage us to photograph your wedding, please take advantage of us. We have spent many hours putting together information to help you get the BEST photography for your wedding.

Here is one of our tips you will read here:

Wear your hair up. It can be very windy here due to the trade winds.