My First "Photo shoot"

I had the great opportunity to photograph Alicia Crane and Craig Downey's engagement photos this weekend and let me start by saying that a photo shoot for a couples engagement is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I never understood what goes into photographing people and telling them how to stand, where to stand, how to smile, etc. Initially I felt very awkward cause I didn't want to upset them or have them do something that wouldn't look good in a photo. I was under pressure to get the perfect shot. Alicia and Craig were nice enough to allow me to work on my photography skills and in the end building up my confidence to maybe do it again someday. One of the first things I did was apoligize to Alicia and Craig and remind them that I'm not a professional and have never done a real photo shoot like this. Should I have apologized? I'm not sure but I felt that I had to put that caveat out there in case none of my pictures turned out very good.

As I am directing Alicia and Craig on where to stand or where to look I'm still having to think about getting the proper exposure and making sure I'm using the right settings in the camera. There is a lot more pressure to get it right because these people are relying on you to provide them with a high quality product. How many people do you know looked at wedding or engagement pictures and said, "those are pretty good, I guess they'll have to do?" I would have been even more nervous if I hadn't know the couple but luckily it was for some good friends.

As I got more comfortable through the shoot with them and after I came home and looked at the photos I knew I had no reason to apologize for not knowing exactly what I was doing. I was very happy with how the photos turned out for my first shoot and I know that I learned so much in the process. Although the photos did turn out well I do have a lot to learn and I'm anxious to do this again.

I'd like thank Alicia and Craig for allowing me to be a part of this special occasion! I had a blast and I hope these will be pictures they look back on and remember the fun day with the nervous photographer behind the camera.

Thanks for reading my blog and feel free to comment on this or any past posts! Or check out my photos on flickr.

feekner

Here is one of my favorites from the shoot: