"Ut oh, CAR"

Yesterday we played in the road a little bit. We've never been to this spot for photos before, but I stumbled upon it last night and couldn't pass it up. I love the colors & the scenery! There's something spunky about spontaneous pictures like these where you only have 20 seconds to snag a shot before one of us yells, "CAR" and we have to scurry out of the way. Don't judge me because I take seniors out in the road - cuz look at these photos.... it's worth it!! :)

Then we also have some non-road shots that turned out pretty stellar.

 ^^^ Tavis, demonstrating a pose idea^^^^^

Loved her cute cowboy boots for this session!

We are booked for the month of October but still have a few sessions available in early November. Contact Amy to schedule your senior or family session! info@memorymp.com, 509.969.6369

Tuesday Tip for Photographers: LEAD the session

Hitting the shutter is only a fraction of what it takes to have an awesome session.... you really have to LEAD the session by giving suggestions and helping them with how to pose and what to do. Your subjects have no idea what looks good or what they look like, so they are trusting in you to give them ideas and make them look their best. Here is an example of me leading a bride+groom session:

My 4 main ingredients for a great wedding or portrait session:

1. preparation: knowing what my clients like, planning ahead, bringing props, etc.
2. camera knowledge: because of my experience and practice with my equipment, I can take photos without having to think too much about camera settings. This allows me to interact more with my subjects!
3. confidence & leadership: I come to sessions with lots of ideas so that we can jump from one thing to the next. Unless my clients are photographers or professional models, they probably have no idea how to sit, stand or act for photos unless I give them specific instructions.
4. post processing: you can certainly get awesome images SOOC but a few tweaks in the post processing can really bring everything together and make the whole session uniform.

 camera settings: f/2.5, exposure 1/160 sec., ISO-250

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Our Tuesday tips are free weekly advice and HOW TOs for photographers. Be sure and stop by our blog on Tuesdays & please share this resource with your photography friends as well!

Behind the scenes of a wedding: downtown Yakima wedding photography

 ooooooooooooh yea, look at that! dynamic & all natural light. :)

 here I'm shooting with the 16-35mm, f/3.2, exposure 1/200, ISO - 125

Here I am like 4 feet away from them, but the fisheye is 15mm.... very WIDE! f/3.2, exposure 1/200, ISO-100

 I snatched this photo from the side with the telephoto & then showed them on my screen and they liked it :)

@ the reception with Sarah Nelson of Couture Events! She is amazing!!

Wedding Photography:: behind the scenes

These photos of us were taken by our awesome intern Mica at last weekend's wedding at Ritter Farm. Here's a behind the scenes look at what Tavis & I do as wedding photographers!

taken by Amy \\ Lens: 70-200mm \\ F-stop: f/3.2  \\  exposure: 1/200 sec. \\  ISO: 500

taken by Tavis \\ Lens: 50mm \\ F-stop: f/2.2  \\  exposure: 1/160 sec. \\  ISO:100

taken by Amy \\ Lens: 100mm \\ F-stop: f/3.2  \\  exposure: 1/200 sec. \\  ISO:320

taken by Tavis \\ Lens: 16-35mm \\ F-stop: f/3.2  \\  exposure: 1/125 sec. \\  ISO:250 {+ off camera flash}

Look at my awesome backpack. (ha)

test shot of Amy!

actual shot of couple :)

engagement photographers behind the scenes

Here we are in action at the Apple Tree Golf Course on September 5, 2011.

Photo 1: taken by Amy

Time: 5:05 pm

Lens: 70-200mm 

F-stop: f/3.2

exposure: 1/160 sec.

ISO: 320

Photo 2: taken by Amy

Time: 5:42 pm

Lens: 50mm 1.2

F-stop: f/1.8

exposure: 1/200 sec.

ISO: 125

Photo 3: taken by Tavis

Time: 5:58 pm

Lens: 50mm 1.2

F-stop: f/2.2

exposure: 1/160 sec.

ISO: 100

Photo 4: I get to take the cute picture

& Tavis cleans up for us :)

A glimpse into our job as wedding photgraphers: yesterday's adventure at the Pine River Ranch in Leavenworth!

You can view more of our Leavenworth Wedding Photography on our portfolio site
 

Behind the Lens:: Part 1

When I was first getting going as a photographer I was always so curious about how other photographers chose their lenses for different shoots, how they determined their camera settings for varying circumstances, and how they achieved a certain "look" that they had envisioned. After much practice, experience, and exploration I have realized that there are many ways to capture a shot, there is no perfect lens, and there is no perfect formula. ALTHOUGH, we have found a system that works well for us, and I'm happy to share some tidbits of information with you to feed the curiosity that you may have :)

To other photographers and future brides wondering about wedding photography: here's a look into what's going on for 30 seconds on a wedding day.

Who: Bryan and Melissa's Wedding
What: posed individual bridal party shots
When: August 2010, 2 hours before the ceremony
Where: Camp Ghormley, Forrest setting
Weather: comfortable temp, overcast, about to rain
More Info: We took 1 hour to do photos of the whole bridal party, just the guys, just the girls, and all the individual photos. We spent about 25 minutes wandering around to different locations with the whole bridal party, and then finished up doing just guys/girls and individuals in two nearby spots.
Why: We like to do a close up shot, a full body formal shot, and a silly shot for each person in the bridal party so that they have a few to choose from. Since there are two photographers, we can use two different lenses, utilize both natural light and flashes, and quickly work well together to get a lot of shots in a short amount of time.
Post Processing: Edited in lightroom for color and exposure adjustments

Photo #1: taken by Amy, Canon 5D mk ii, 70-200mm lens, natural light

Manual camera settings: f/3.2, 1/160 sec., ISO-100, auto WB, Focal length 123mm, center focus

 

Photo #2/3: taken by Tavis, Canon 5D mk ii, 16-35mm lens, pocket wizard flash system

Manual camera settings: f/4, 1/160 sec., ISO-125, Focal length 35mm, center focus

This behind the lens post simply contains my own thoughts, ideas, and insights. Each photographer is different, and everyone goes about wedding photography differently. This blog's content is copyright of Memory Montage Photography. Please do not copy or republish this text without written permission to do so. If you would like to share this post, please include a link directly to our blog's URL. Thank you!}

You can view more of our Wedding Photos on our portfolio site.