by Jim Rode

Living Your Job
I read today about how the celebrated writer Charles Dickens wrote 150 years ago. He
wrote from 11-4 daily “walking the carpet, counting flower after flower after flower” as
he organized his thoughts. Then he’d invest five hours, “walking street after street after
street”. He did after all, get inspiration from the people of the streets.

My point? Those dedicated photographers out there already know it – you need to live
with your camera at your side (with your other arm around your husband or wife of
course).

Too many wedding photographers are only picking up their cameras on the wedding
day. Once, twice, three times a month they are picking up the camera and expecting
intuitively to be creative.

Getting it Right
A wedding is a fast paced – get it right – no second chance – event that requires instant
adjustment, composition, direction, all under changing light. Plus, at the same time,
good photographers always have their eye open for stunning moments of emotion. This
is the greatest day of their life, and not the time to be calculating the right f-stop/shutter
speed/flash power.

You don’t get better if you are devoted to another job. You don’t get better if you are
only picking up the camera once a month…twice a month. You only are getting better
when you spend your days Monday through Friday thinking photography. Sure, we
need good teachers, salesmen, bus drivers – whatever you do, but to be a great
photographer you must eventually move your loyalty to photography seven days a
week.

Spray-and-Pray
No one gets better with spray-and-pray. Spray-and-pray by the way, is the amateur
fallback of simply holding down the shutter button, out of frustration, shooting thousands
of shots hoping to pull out a few great shots by default. Spay-and-pray relies on luck.
If this is how you shoot, you haven’t noticed the love in his eyes when she walks the
aisle or that subtle gasp of her breath in the first dance when he leans in three inches to
whisper “I’m so happy”. You must be watching for the decisive moment. Spray-and-pray
means you have settled on hoping to find these moments in the coming weeks at your
computer.

Practice
The greatest shotmaker in golf was Ben Hogan. A young pro golfer once came to Ft.
Worth to catch him at breakfast at his club hangout. (the retired Hogan didn’t like to
be disturbed) He sat down and asked him the secret to his success. Hogan simply
said, “It’s in the dirt,” before abruptly leaving. The young man didn’t get it for months.
Then one cold, drizzly morning, not wanting to practice, he forced himself to get out to
the range and hit shot after shot – for hours. Frequently shaking the moist dirt off his
club, the light bulb went on – he got it. Practice. “It’s in the dirt.”

If you are a photographer, start walking street, after street, after street -like Dickens did.
Photograph friends, strangers, the next party your friends throw. Get your practice in.
Learn to adjust to the light without even looking at the camera. At your next wedding,
you won’t have time to think things out step-by-step during that first dance that lasts just
3 minutes! It all moves to fast to study the camera. You should study the people, study
the moment.

If you are a bride searching for a photographer, ask who you interview if they are
married to another job. You will not get artistic, fun shots at your wedding from the
insurance lady who magically transforms into a “wedding photographer” twice a month.
Find a man or woman who loves photography and loves working the camera like a pro.

Jim Rode is a Fort Worth, Grapevine, & Dallas Wedding Photographer.
Find out more at www.JimRode.com