Earlier this week I offered a shooting workshop at Pictage Partner Conference – an annual conference held in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Wedding and portrait photographers come from all over to learn, share, give, and grow. This was my second year in attendance, but my first year speaking. I felt so proud of myself for checking this goal off my list of 101 photo goals in 1,001 days. Being chosen by your peers to speak and accepted in such a passionate community brings me great joy. I shared a few of my favorites from my shooting workshop here.
I didn’t take many photos inside the conference, but I did record about 10 hours of Flip videos, about 50 pages notes which will serve as a solid fountain of inspiration for the coming year. As with anything in life, you get out what you put in. In a workshop experience, there’s no such thing as asking too many questions and knowing specifically what you want after the conference is over. Want to know how to get the best out of a shooting workshop? My 2c on the topic here.
There are so many wonderful leaders in this industry willing to share. I felt blessed to spend time with friends, both new and old. Katie Humphreys, Jared Platt, Jules Bianchi, Melissa Jill, Joe Buissink made my experience fell like a mini-family reunion. Meshed minds about art with Carlos Baez until 4am. Jared Platt’s Lightroom Workshop changed my “workflow” life. He taught us how to use Adobe Lightroom to work smart, not hard (and he didn’t charge, which totally justified financially the whole workshop… thanks Adobe!). Justin & Mary fired up a packed house, encouraging them to think and answer those soul-searching “why” questions. I saw so much of MacGuyver in Jay Goldman, who helped shared his experiences of stepping outside of the comfort zone.
Perhaps my single greatest shooting opportunity in New Orleans was the killer styled night shoots with David Beckstead, topped off with a graveyard shoot followed by 4:45 am IHOP omelet.
The entire room was black when I created this 30 second exposure: 
I keep going back looking at this next image, which captured the moments in between the moments, telling a behind-the-scenes story I’ll never forget.
Papa-paparazzi.
Classic glam.
While I love creating my portraits, there’s a big part of me (thanks, National Geographic!), that still keeps an eye out for the unexpected photojournalistic moment.
Some direct on-camera flash retro goodness: 
Of course, had to pour on the kern-photo special sauce. Loved it up so much, had go back for seconds.
Posted by R. J. on November 13, 2010
As a photographer, timing is everything: 1/250 flash sync, 1/8000 shutter, ‘F/8 and be there.’
In the age of the digital display, time appears on our iPhones, microwaves, and rental cars. A watch is not longer the essential tool, like a sun dial telling the seasons. The mechanical watch IS retro. But time is precious, and cherishing each second will never go out of style.
And as a guy, watches express our signature style. We don’t have purses or fancy heels. Our timepiece says it all.
From puberty to when I was old enough to drink (21, folks), my Ironman watch suited me perfectly. Under $30, water proof, and a stop watch for running was all I needed. But I always wanted a bit more, not over the top, just something that says, ‘this is me.’ Since 1994, the TAG Heuer brand caught my eye, but was ruined thanks to Tiger Woods. Then came Movado, but I never followed professional football, let alone Tom Brady. Finding my perfect watch required an acquired taste. I just needed some inspiration.
My Perfect Watch
Black, white, and red. Those are my perfect colors. Add a little polished aluminum and perhaps carbon fiber and I’m set.
My perfect timepiece shouldn’t cost an heirloom $9,000, be tested at 100,000 feet, or rated at − 40° C. Forget those fancy dials. I spoke with a pilot friend recently and he said most aviator watches are never used. Dive watches much the same.
Classic handsome styling in a functional and sporty package: that’s me.
For $595 at Costco, I’m wearing my perfect watch, a Raymond Weil.
Posted by R. J. on November 12, 2010
Mark Twain once said, “Never let school interfere with your education.”
Probably my favorite quote.
Don’t get me wrong. I take education very seriously. As does Sean Low, with his a law degree from an Ivy League school. He’s also schooled creative wedding greats like world-renown event planner Marcy Blum, NY destination photographer Christian Oath, and my favorite story, 83-year-old cake maker Sylvia Weinstock.
Low schooled about a dozen colorado wedding professionals last week. I was stoked to be apart of it, however that $500 entrance fee can make anyone wheezy for a few hours of inspiration creative-ass-kicking-buisness-brain-dump.
Picasso Did It
Picasso sat on a beach one day. A man approached him, noticing who Picasso was, and asked if he could draw something for him. He handed Picasso paper and pencil. Picasso sketched for 30 seconds, then handed it back to the man. The man asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“$600,” Picasso replied.
“But it took you only 30 seconds to create,” the man said.
“Yes, but it took me 30 years to get to this point.”
… Or so the story goes.
Sean emphasized the importance as an artist to ‘value’ your creative talents more than just a simple commodity of your time. Your ‘creative fee’ is your happy price to do what you love at a sustainable rate.
Two notable quotes that really got me thinking (and a few of us laughing):
Some favorite lessons learned:
1. Sell me. Sell my work. But never talk money.
As an entrepreneur, talking money may boost testosterone, as the power of negotiation can make, or break us. With the artist, however, once we talk money, we immediately become objectified…. as in something to be owned, with the right amount of money. There’s the rub.
For wedding clients, I realize money doesn’t grown on trees. It’s a means to get not what you need, but what you want. Getting there and being paid in “your worth” becomes the delicate dance to gold.
2. Craft the Creative Business Plan
Writing a business plan in the traditional sense doesn’t ‘work’ for creative businesses, according to Low. Create a “Look Book” instead, sans mentioning ‘package pricing.’ In the coming weeks, I plan on creating my own Look Book showcasing me, my style & inspiration, and a case study of a ‘perfect’ client.
3. Don’t be the cash register.
As I write this I sit in the same seat I sat 6 years ago after I had my first photographic show at Clear Creek cellars, a gallery wine shop in Evergreen, CO. The show sold out (yikes!), and I hung about 10 small landscape photographs, taken with my very first digital camera, a 3.2 megapixel Pentax Optio waterproof point and shoot, circa 1994, edited in Photoshop 7, and framed in Ikea goodness.
There was something about: 1) Showing my work in a gallery 2) Selling my work 3) Selling enough work to break even 4) Selling my work to actually make money.
It smacked me in the face why this model really worked: I wasn’t a cash register. And Sean Low forced us to think about how NOT to be the cash register in our creative business. Coming up with that “gallery representation” acts as a filter to avoid going weak at the knees and giving our art away for free.
Two Thumbs Up
In sum, the experience was worth the price of admission. Sean Low knows told us not necessarily the information we want to know about how to run a creative business. He told us what we NEED to know. I’m a big fan of the latter. Very few effective workshop leaders can pull this off without making too many people cry. My only criticisms about the workshop: 1) more time with Sean not in ‘lecture’ mode, but on the topics which generally start like “don’t get me started…” 2) more case studies directly applicable to the working wedding photographer.
The quality of the take-home material and it’s effective potential elevated the day-long symposium into practical a two-week workshop of self-discovery.
Special thanks to Sean Low for making us answer those harder questions… making our heads just a little sharper and hearts more open to create the work we love:
Posted by R. J. on November 4, 2010
When it is all said an done, your wedding album is the final presentation of the art and story we document on your wedding day; it is the lasting toke of your special day that will be passed down from generation to generation.
My contemporary flush-mount albums flood your photos from edge to edge for a truly stunning visual effect. This process allows for dramatic full page bleeds and double page spreads, as well as a thinner and more streamlined album size due to the lack of bulk from mats used in traditional albums. All of my albums are custom designed from scratch in our fresh and modern style, showcasing your images at their very best.
I offer two options for shapes (square or rectangle) and two options for sizes (medium or large). I like to keep things simple with a clean design averaging 2-3 images per spread (one spread is 2 pages). Most clients opt for the optional metallic paper upgrade, which adds an iridescent sheen to the images, adding depth and impact. You have to see it to fully appreciate it .
All my albums are hand crafted in Italy and feature an international patent binding that does not crease the spine.I like simple, clean designs to fully emphasize the photography, in not a high-school-yearbook kinda way.
Gone are the days of your grandmother’s matted wedding albums, as they are very fragile. You don’t want to have to wear white linen gloves every time you look at these album, which is why I laminate the pages so if there is a spill, it cleans easily. Whew.
Once you decide on your final primary design, clone albums for parents make for great keepsakes and brag books, available in a variety of sizes, including the super cute 2” x 2” sized album.
Posted by R. J. on November 1, 2010
The fantastic 
Almost got arrested twice in the creation of my work. Time. of. my. life.
Four brothers and best friends: 
The hands of four brothers and best friends: 
I dig this shot, grain, perspective, pose, bokeh, wind, snow, and all: 
