The Wedding Photographer Blues
One of the hats I wear at Graff Creative is certainly not a one size fits all kind of hat. I have a client that I offer wedding photo editing services to. It’s hard. The work itself isn’t. In fact, the work itself is maybe one of the easiest jobs in the world. It’s basically a balance of using your photographer’s eye, your computer software expert’s hands, and your human intuition. The intuition part comes to play in having a feel for what was happening at an event in which you were not in attendance, and having compassion for strangers so that you’re sure to cut photos of funny faces and half opened eyes. Nobody wants those, and it’s pretty human to want to look your best across the board. Editing and post processing is really quite simple when it comes down to it.
The hard part for me though, is the emotion in the photos. Look at the photo I posted above. This is one I took at a wedding in 2010. You just can’t pose that kind of emotion. It’s awesome. The photo itself is fine…in a perfect world the background would have been 2-3 stops darker and the foreground about a half stop brighter. Who cares though? Look at them. This is one of the happiest moments of their lives and it’s absolutely beautiful. As a person who captures it, it’s fun, heart-warming, and in the case of editing these kinds of photos week after week: sometimes exhausting.
I only photograph one – maybe two weddings per year max on my own. I still second shoot on occasion. I’ll admit that I get absolutely worn out by editing a wedding. Ask my wife. She gets home and I’m in a horrible mood. Why? Other than having been terrorized by kittens all day, I am what one might call a hopeless romantic. I’ve discussed it with therapists actually. For years, my expectations of love on a daily basis and the reality of love on a daily basis has left me slightly disappointed at times. Mostly my problem, not the problem of my wife or past significant others (not to say that “SO”s can’t do anything to help, but it’s mostly my expectations vs. reality problem).
I’m pretty sure that a big reason I no longer seek weddings on my own, or seek more editing clients than I currently have is because when a person spends their day sorting through the most exhilarating emotional moments of others’ lives it’s exhausting. The love, excitement and pain is almost palpable in so many of these photos from the girls laughing together to the toasts to the memories of the friends and families that cannot be at the wedding. Imagine watching really powerfully dramatic movies day after day and not feeling absolutely emotionally drained. At some point you need to watch Dumb and Dumber or something to just have a break. Then imagine that those movies are reality.
Here I am looking at a couple vowing their love and commitment to each other – tears sliding down their cheeks with the Charleston skyline silhouetted against the sun as their backdrop; and I’m supposed to be content with shutting down Lightroom, turning on the lights and cleaning the cat litter? Not a chance. It makes me want to vacation to beautiful places every day. Drop my responsibilities and live off of love. Really…if I were better looking I could have been cast in Ewan McGregor’s role in Moulin Rouge. Well – better looking and an actor.
The photobooth is my photographic Dumb and Dumber. One or two weddings a year is a privilege.
-JG
2012 Resolutions
As you probably figured out on your own, I’m talking about resolutions for the year 2012 – not the number of resolutions I have. So we’re all squared away on that. Moving right along.
- No more working on Sundays.
If you’re a client that already has a Sunday in 2012 booked with us, don’t worry – we’re still on. I’m just not going to book anything else on Sundays this year. There are a few reasons for this. One being that I’m a Christian and would like to follow along with the day of rest and would also like to make it to more of our church events this year. However, I think we all know that what “rest” means can be open for debate. I think having one day of the week that I know is opened will not only give me a better chance of spending more time devoted to God, but also to my family, friends and personal health. Being that Saturdays are the most popular for weddings, I’ll probably still miss a fair amount of church, but it will be nice to know that Sundays are spoken for. - I will surf at least 5 times this year.
I know that’s not a lot, but compared with last year’s one trip it is. - Discounts and promotions will be aplenty, but their terms will be a little tighter than in the past.
You probably know I am a people lover, and I like to make people happy. It’s part of why I do what I do. However, the truth is, a business cannot sustain with a push-over at the helm. I will still offer great customer service, great deals and plenty of reasons to want a discount or special. I just need to make sure that I get to have a little more nutrition in 2012. i mean I like ramen and bologna, but I’m only 31 and my body acts like it’s 72. The Graffs are going to eat in 2012! Jessica and I would also like to have a baby one of these days, so I’ll need a little extra flow for diapers at some point in the next several decades. :) - I will try much harder to put my money where my mouth is. :$
I recently left Wells Fargo bank and when asked why I was leaving, I told the banker that it’s not quite right to ask people to come to me instead of Wal-Mart when I was banking with the Wal-Mart of banks. My $0.25 is now sitting in a local bank. Some things are unavoidable on a budget, but you can find lots of great stuff for not that much more if you shop locally. If you’re beating the drum of needing more jobs in our country and economy, don’t shop at mega-stores when possible. If the local restaurant isn’t so great, try reviewing them with helpful info on sites like Yelp! and Google Places. Give them a chance to respond to the public and then try them again. If they still stink, then go to the chain, but local places can’t improve without useful feedback from the community. Useful meaning specific and helpful not just a simple “this place sucks”.
So that’s not too many resolutions, but I want to be sure I can meet them. Not to mention there are already a lot of goals I am working on behind the scenes. Have a happy 2012, and come visit the new studio sometime soon. The doors should open in a week or so, and I’ll be sure to post all the details.
-JG
Fuquay-Varina Family Portraits | Galvanek
Paxton contacted me recently about getting some portraits made of his family as a gift for his wife. Not only was I happy to oblige smart thinking like that (hint hint), but what can I say?…this is a good looking bunch. Look at the eyes on those kids of theirs! They wanted to stay away from backdrops and too much posing, so we hit a historic park here in Fuquay-Varina. Well it’s more than a park, it was once a pretty big tourist attraction before there was blacktop connecting the dots of Raleigh and the beaches.
It was certainly a pleasure to photograph the Galvaneks here in Fuquay. It’s nice to have the support of other local business owners (they have Strafe Gaming Lounge and Jump & Laugh to name a couple) and even better to be behind the camera instead of the computer screen! Remember portraits are a great family activity any time of the year. Having portraits made can literally be a walk in the park and a nice breath of fresh air.
-JG
Hilltop Christian Senior Portraits | Kristen
What can I say? Kristen was one of the most laid back subjects I’ve ever had the pleasure to photograph. While most teens seem want to look older, upon telling her that these photos were really looking more like photos of a woman than a kid she lamented that she wanted to stay young. I can’t say that I blame her. Thanks Kristen (and Jeanine) for being so fun to work with.
Enjoy your youth, no matter your age!
-JG
R.I.P. Alberta
We lost one of our newest pet family members today. She brought 4 little new kittens to our door about a month ago. We found out Monday that she had a bad infection. We got her some medication, but it didn’t help her and she got worse. Today she had to be put to sleep. Her kittens are doing well and we’ll be looking for homes for them very soon.
Alberta was a very sweet cat. She trusted us with her kittens and was full of purrs and ankle rubs up until the past couple of days. We’ll miss having her around.
Hug your pets for us, for you and hug `em twice for them.
-JG
Raleigh Family Portraits | Shearin
All I can say, is “what a beautiful, warm family”. These folks were referred to me by another client, and they were so nice and welcoming. Jessica and I really had a great time photographing them in and outside of their home. They epitomized the old saying that “home is where the heart is”. I think it shows in the pictures, but we were both impressed with what a nice big brother the oldest of the boys was. It sure is nice to kick off the holiday season with a family portrait session like this. Thanks Shearin Family!
-JG
Raleigh Photobooth | Carolina Kick-Off For A Cure
We sponsored the photobooth for the third annual Carolina Kick-Off For A Cure last night at Columbia South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium; home of the Gamecocks! While the Gamecocks didn’t beat Arkansas, spirits were high and hearts were in the right place as this was a fundraising event held by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As you can see, Cocky (the Gamecocks Mascot) made a visit before flying the coop to get to the game in Arkansas.
If you attended, these are just some previews. The rest of the photos from the photobooth will be posted in the gallery printed on the cards you picked up within the next 48 hours. We’ll have one of our famous time lapse montages of all the shots posted as well. We’re working on getting permission to use some music for this, so it’s a little delayed. Hang tight.
Sweet Beverly Ann | Launched
I’m happy to announce that our new brand, Sweet Beverly Ann, has launched. Jessica is the baking and decorating whiz of the brand, and I take the photos and handle the web stuff. Oh…and I get to be the sampler/test kitchen. Not a bad gig.
From the website:
My hope is to spread infectious smiles with my homemade treats; inspired by Mom, handmade by me, and loved by you.
-Jessica Graff
Go check out the new site, and be sure to give us a thumbs up on Facebook.
