Houser Photography

Miss Kelsea Campbell (who currently holds the title of Miss New Hampshire Teen USA 2013) was down from New Hampshire over the weekend to meet with her acting director (who also happens to be my girlfriend) and do some photo shoots with both of us. Only one problem – Mother Nature never got the message. Gray skies, rain, drizzle, fog? Check. We’ve both learned by now that Spring in Pennsylvania means you have to roll with the punches and be ready to change up your shoot when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Sunday proved to be the worst day. Just a miserable, persistent drizzle that soaked everything and never really let up (I’d love to have those guys from the weather channel in an interrogation room for 15 minutes). However, I had an idea that would work perfectly! We strapped a 12′ ladder to the top of my poor CRV and drove 11 miles to the ChesLen preserve and I convinced Kelsea that I could support her weight on a free-standing ladder and that ticks didn’t like wet grass. (To be honest, I have no idea.)

Here is the finished image we created from that outing:

And here are the four images that went into the creation of the final. You can see that there is a base or plate image, one of Kelsea on the ladder, one we selected for motion in the hair, and one we received for motion in her skirt. I also moved the distant tree closer to her and added some stock I had of birds flying in order to create a circular composition within the square crop.

It was a fun shoot, the ladder didn’t ruin my car, and none of us had any ticks on us. I call that a success. We shot another composite-based image as well, and I will get to editing and sharing that image soon.

Today I attended the Philadelphia Bridal Expo. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my material together fast enough to get into the show as a vendor this year, but I wanted to get in there, see what the area had to offer, and meet some other vendors. I also had two brides that were looking for videographers, so I was on the hunt to find some of those. I was very cautious not to take up tons of vendors’ time (they were there for the brides not me) and not to solicit any brides (that’s what the vendors who paid for the booth space… erm… paid for).

I was a little curious at the line-up of vendors. I never get the realtors that set-up shop there. I mean, I get it, but it seems a bit predatorial when brides are lining up things for their wedding day, but maybe that’s just me. There was also a dildo vendor, which I thought was a) poor taste in mixed company and b) isn’t that something that you use – typically – when you’re not planning on “getting some”? But I digress.

Overall, there were a few of everything, but not a lot of anything. I think I was expecting a bigger venue with more vendors. One of the prevailing vendor markets out there were photo booths. This reception novelty seems to be hitting the mainstream and businesses are stepping up to cash in. For my own two cents (biased, of course, as I offer photo booths as an add-on and in one of my collections), most photographers worth their salt are adding them into their offering and they can often do so at a competitive price, compared to a stand-alone outfit that has to maximise their profit from that one entry-point into your wedding. There are some novel ideas in the photo booth industry, but just shop around and see what your photographer can offer you.

For videographers, I really only found one vendor that specialized in videography. I did find one that did video and photography, but he didn’t seem too keen to pursue videography without being hired for the photography as well (sour grapes, maybe?). However, that’s okay, because the one vendor I did find does amazing video. They are Be Films, and I got to speak with both Anthony and Colleen and they were both genuinely nice people. Couple that with having great talent and amazing video. If you are getting married in the Philly area and are looking for exceptional video, please give these guys a look. They produce the kind of quality video I want to recommend to my brides.

You can also find them on Facebook: Be Films Now

This is a follow-up post from last week’s post with two of the models from the AP Bikini Team. I shot with both Allie V and Stephanie Manescu, which I posted teaser images of. In the last post, I shared the images of Allie, and now Stephanie Manescu’s images are ready to be shared.

Stephanie had a much different look and feel to her shoot, by intention. I often times try to read the model and figure out a little bit about their personality and work that into the shoot. As the weather had already changed my plans and I was free-styling it, that led to a little sexier, more implied nude shoot for Stephanie. Allie V had actually brought along some deer antlers which we put to impromptu use and since Jacqueline did such a great job on her make-up, I decided to nearly ruin it by getting Stephanie misty and wet in the bamboo garden for a tropical kind of feel (on a cold, gray day).

Stephanie’s shoot was towards the end of the day and we were rushing to use any available light left. As a result it was a very short and hurried shoot. That just means you’ll be seeing more of her and soon as she comes back for a second shoot! Stay tuned.

For more information on Philadelphia Fashion Photography.

For more information on the AP Bikini Team.

Hair and Make-up provided by J’Adore Face.

Tess and I were host to Miss Connecticut USA 2013 Erin Brady this weekend. Erin holds the current title of Miss Connecticut USA 2013 and is competing in June for the title of Miss USA in Las Vegas Nevada. Between Tess and I, we used up most of today running Erin all around the West Chester area.

Spring is still yet elusive, and Erin is as poised and cool as she is beautiful. Despite chilly temperatures, shorts & dresses, and obviously being cold, Erin never complained and delivered one beautiful image after another. It was a great day and of course there are many more images to come of Erin, but for tonight, here are a few images to preview what’s to come. I’ll definitely be keeping my fingers crossed for Erin Brady as she competes for the title of Miss USA.

For more information on Philadelphia Fashion Photography, click here.

On Thursday afternoon I had a photo shoot with two of the models from the AP Bikini Team. I shot with both Allie V and Stephanie Manescu, which I posted teaser images of yesterday. This post will feature the images of Allie, and I’ll share Stephanie’s images soon.

I’ll be perfectly honest, I had completely different ideas going into the shoot than what the weather had in store for us. Despite a forecast of mixed clouds and sun from two days prior, as has been typical thus far in Pennsylvania, the weather decided to be fickle and changed it’s mind the day of the shoot. What started out as a gloomy gray day with 10% chance of rain around noon turned into a soaking rain from mid-morning through the early afternoon. So much for late day warm sun and dappled light. But I just rolled with the punches and Allie was up for anything, not afraid of the wet grass, mud, etc.

Here are the images we shot in a relatively short session. I hope you like them, and you can be assured that you will be seeing more from Allie soon.

For more information on Philadelphia Fashion Photography.

For more information on the AP Bikini Team.

Hair and Make-up provided by J’Adore Face.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of working with the AP Bikini Team and two of their models – Allie V and Stephanie Manescu, fresh back from San Diego for a bit. The day started out a bit gray and overcast and turned to downpours and rain that didn’t let up until the crew arrived. It completely changed what I may have had planned for the shoot, but both Allie V and Stephanie Manescu both performed like champs and we were able to pull a number of different looks for each of the girls.

These are just the first two images from last night’s edits. The shoot ran until sundown, eeking out every single ray we could find. I’m realy happy with what we came up with though and there will be many more images I will be sharing soon. I’m looking forward to working more regularly the girls from the AP Bikini Team in the future. Do stay tuned.

Allie V.

Stephanie Manescu

For more information on Philadelphia Fashion Photography, click here.
For more information on the AP Bikini Team, click here.

I know my friends in Maine probably can’t even think about it after receiving more snow today (it’s insufferable, really), but Spring is coming! I promise – I can see trees budding out my window here in West Chester. What better way to start thinking about spring than to plan for that engagement photo session you have been wanting to do since he gave you that ring? Well, I can tell you one way to make it better – I’ll do it for free*!!

Yup… you heard me right, free*. If you book me for your wedding before or after your photo session, I will give you a refund for the cost of your engagement photo session. That’s a $299 value! Now, all my wedding collections include a free engagement photo session, so think about it this way – when you book me for your wedding, you will not only get a free engagement photo session, but you will also get a discount on your wedding collection price. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Now I only have limited spots available. This offer starts today, March 19th, and extends to engagement photo sessions booked to occur BEFORE June 1st, so please get in touch soon to book your photo session. I’m really looking forward to meeting you and creating magic for your engagement photo session.

And as always, you can check out more of my work and keep up to date with me on my Facebook page.

*Engagement session fee is $299. Fee waived with deposit for a wedding collection. Fee deducted from any wedding collection purchased after the engagement session. All fees are non-refundable.

It seems like forever since I updated my blog. To be honest, winter is not the wedding season and my work leads me in other directions during the colder months (fashion, beauty, pageants, etc). But I’ve also been busy – very busy – preparing for my move to West Chester, Pennsylvania. I’m happy to say that after an arduous weekend, we are now moved in to West Chester and the property we are leasing is already feeling like home.

The property is unique and sits on an amazing 6 acres of land in what can only be described as very high value real estate. After having a commercial studio, it’s going to be odd to move the business back into the home, but the property is plenty large enough to accomodate separate home and work spaces. Plus, the Chester County area is chock full of location options it would be absurd not to make use of. A 2000 square foot studio was nice, but after a while it felt too clinical and creatively inhibiting. I’m looking forward to getting out on location and shooting more variety in my work.

Of course, the biggest challenge is re-branding, or marketing. In Maine, we had name recognition and word of mouth as our primary source of new business. Down here in West Chester, we are relatively unknowns. I do have some bookings this month, but they are not engagement or weddings. I’m going to be working very hard over the next several months to try to get out there and make myself known to the area brides and grooms. All it takes is one to start the ball rolling.

So far, we are in love with this area. There are plenty of differences from Maine, but we’re adjusting quickly. I hope that I can share with you all soon new images from engagement shoots and weddings from this truly spectacular area of Pennsylvania.

How are you handling wedding pricing requests? As wedding photographers, the most frequent inquiry we get is “What are your prices?”. And we need to understand this is a valid question from our brides and grooms. We want people to want us for our work at any price, but reality is that our brides and grooms have finite budgets for their wedding day.

If you are shooting weddings because you love it – you love creating magic for your bride and groom and giving them photos you wish you had for yourself! – then you should not be publishing your prices online or emailing them to your clients upon request. Why is that? Isn’t that just frustrating for brides and grooms trying to budget their wedding? Yes, a little. But let’s talk about the two scenarios of how you should be handling wedding pricing requests.

The first scenario is where you are publishing your prices online or supplying them via email (pdf, etc) upon request – which is the same thing as having them online, you’re just throwing up a roadblock. Some photographers do this to prevent other photographers in their market from seeing their prices and undercutting them. Or they will do it to get the contact info of a prospective bride/groom so that they can follow-up (chase them down, etc.). What this approach does is leave you with the brides and grooms that can afford you. Of course we all want to be affordable and yet make enough money to support ourselves, but brides and grooms selecting you on price are not the same people who select you because of your work. You only have a finite number of weddings each year. You need to make sure that you are spending those with the brides and grooms that are going to love your work.

I love wedding photography. And, it’s fair to say, I love my brides and grooms. I may be out on a branch here, but I think my brides and grooms love me too! At my last wedding the bride and groom switched their photographer one week prior to their wedding. The bride had to have me photograph her wedding. That’s my bride and groom. I have a wedding tomorrow and the bride and groom have rearranged their timeline at my suggestions – including shifting their ceremony time – in order to get magical light for their photos. That’s my bride and groom.

The first scenario may work for the weekend warrior or the photographer that looks at weddings as a way to make money. It even works for the bride and groom that don’t really care about their wedding images and are willing to spend a thousand or two for average or worse images of their day. I’m not judging – there are people out there like that. But in any market there are hundreds of weddings each year, and a photographer can only book a tiny fraction of those. Unless you are consulting with your bride and groom, there is very little difference between publishing your prices online or emailing them. People are only going to hire you based on an arbitrary number

The second scenario in which you can convey your prices to your bride and groom is by a face to face meeting. This is how I work with my brides and grooms and, to date, I book every bride and groom I have met with. If someone is only looking for a drive-by price request, that’s fine – they are not my bride and groom. I’m going to a big part of their wedding day. If they don’t want to meet with me, guess what… not my bride and groom. My clients – and your clients – should be booking you because your work is so good they have to have you photograph their wedding. Heck, they need you to photograph their wedding, and no other photography will do. This is their day – their one perfect, magical day and if they are going to spend money on photography, they are going to get amazing images.

Let’s get real for a second. Do you know of any woman – any bride you can imagine working with – that would walk into a shoe store and say “give me the $50 pair of shoes.” No way! Not going to happen, right? Because we don’t spend money on what we need, we spend money on what we want! So why do our brides and grooms book us based upon a price sheet? That’s bad behavior, and if you are giving out your prices without meeting with your bride and groom, you’re encouraging this bad behavior. There are brides and grooms out there that book that way, but those are not my bride and groom. You can’t tell a client over the phone how your albums look and feel. You can’t show them your metallic and acrylic prints and have them understand the value unless they actually hold it. And they can’t like, trust, and need you to be part of their wedding day, unless they meet you.

And let me be clear. The drive-by requests? They are not bad people. They are practical people. Heck, they are probably the way you and I would shop too. But they are people that have been taught by the bad behavior in the industry that this is how you shop for wedding photographer pricing. That’s our fault. It’s up to us to reach out to them and try and change their shopping pattern. Those drive-by requesters are playing roulette when it comes to their wedding photography. And they deserve to have amazing images of their wedding day, just like every other bride and groom.

I can tell you a car costs ten thousand dollars or fifty thousand dollars, but unless you understand the quality, construction, and take it for a test drive, it’s just a price point – there is no context. Meeting with your bride and groom takes a bit more time – for you and them. But it allows you to communicate to them why your pricing is not an arbitrary number. What is it about your wedding day experience that is like no one else? It also helps you understand what they have planned for their wedding day and which service is going to be best for them.

Not everyone is going to change their approach to handling wedding pricing requests, but I guarantee you if you do you will find the right brides and grooms and you will have more time to spend focusing on their weddings.

Be well :)

Photographers have a weakness. Well, many of us do. I certainly do. I love gear. I always find a way to fit a piece of gear into a shot I’d want to do. But when I saw the Ice Light, I knew it was a piece of gear I needed, not simply wanted. With a wedding coming up on the 12th of January, I took the plunge, ordered in an Ice Light, and set up some tests to ensure I’d know how to use it before it really counted.

The Ice Light was designed by acclaimed wedding photographer Jerry Ghihonis and manufactured by Westcott. It is, in essence, a hand-held LED light. But it’s really much more than just that. The Ice Light offers the ability to shoot and light in tandem without the need of heavy light stands or additional mounting systems. It is self powered by an internal litium ion battery with a run-time over over an hour at full power and charge time of just over 2. It can also be used with the provided AC power cord that will enable you to run and charge the light simultaneously. It weighs roughly 1.3 pounds and is 22-inches long. It can be hand-held, mounted to a light-stand, Bogen magic arm, or anything else via a standard 1/4″ mounting hole on either end. Heck, you could even get multiple untis and connect them at the ends to create endless lighting.

Despite reading lots (and lots) of groups and boards micro-evaluating the light output and berating the product based mostly on the price, I decided as a professional wedding photographer that the benefits were worth the investment. And I’m happy I did!

The product is expensive, at $500. Especially considering other options on the market. I have some cheap – and I mean that in every interpretation of the word – 160 LED panels. They work, but their build quality is commensurate with what I paid for. I also have a couple 500 LED light panels in the studio. Very bright, and their cost is less than half the price of the Ice Light. So why take the plunge?

For me, the price of anything is factored into my business forecast – can I defer the cost of investment into the quality of your images and the increased business I can offer my clients? For me, this was a yes; no hesitation. This tool will allow me to create distinctive images with a very easy flow to my working style. I have studio lighting and battery packs. I have small flash strobes. I even have a variety of cheap LED lights (160 LED) units. None give me the portability and ease of set-up as this. Clients typically don’t like cords to trip over and especially at a wedding, you have to have a small footprint and be able to move quickly. The Ice Light does just that. And there are other “hardware store” options out there, but they sometimes require power and are never professional enough looking for client use. Nail in that coffin.

Here’s an example shot from a recent client shoot I did with Renata. For the technically inquiring, I had a Paul C. Buff Einstein with just the modeling lamp on (tungsten color temp) camera right, and the Ice Light at about half power and held vertically camera left. It was daytime when this was shot, but I blocked Renata in with black v-flats to eliminate as much ambient light as possible. This is a pretty stock standard trick of mixing tungsten with window light in order to create dynamic color in a photo, but in this case, the Ice Light is the window light. Look how spot on that daylight temperature balance is, for a natural, pretty look to Renata’s face, and an interesting warm color from the tungsten light in her hair. This was the first shot from the attempt. Not too bad out of the gate.

Based on the items I read about the light, questions, gripes, etc., here is my first-hand experience and thoughts on the Ice Light.

Brightness
The unit is bright. Very bright. I can’t tell you how many lumens or lux, but it was much brighter than I expected it to be. As Jerry Ghihonis (designer of the light) said, you’re never going to beat God, so these would be useless during the sunlight (try a reflector), but they will add kick on overcast days, failing light, or as is often the case, a dark, cavernous church or reception hall. I’ve read some people complaining about having to increase ISO to get an exposure. Imagine how much you would have to increase your ISO without it. And again, I’m in the professional game. If you are complaining about your ISO, it may be time to consider an updated camera body.

Build quality
I expected the unit to feel a bit “cheap”, figuring the manufacturers would have cut corners to increase profitability. I was wrong. Everything about the unit feels great. There is a little “play” between the black handle front and back (probably where the battery compartment would be serviced by a tech) but that’s a minor gripe. The buttons, the frosted light shield, the threaded coupling plates, all of it feels sturdy, well-built and durable.

Color
I have some 500 LED video lights (very popular and sold under a number of different names) which produce a very green shifted image. Even my 160′s have a shift. The constant color on these is unlike any other light I’ve used. They are dead on daylight without any color cast. I’m guessing the higher quality LEDs and color temp control are part of the cost of these – and they are worth it. Imagine trying to color correct a number of images in post with a unit without color temp control. (+3 magenta, +6 magenta, +5 magenta, …)

Battery life
At full power, I got about 70 minutes out of the light. Just as reported and expected. I had heard that the battery didn’t hold a charge for more than 48 hours. I just checked now and the light came on and the indicator showed full after more than a week since charging. Perhaps that claim came from an early production run or was defective. I would always check my gear the night prior to an event, but it appears to hold a charge.

Cool
Sorry. I realize that this sounds slightly like gear-fanning and less than objective, but I assure you it’s not. There is a coolness factor to hauling out this light. Clients are used to our strobes at a wedding, but how often do you see someone pulling out a light saber? There is definitely something to be said about having a non-corded, well designed and built piece of lighting on location that allows you to move here and there without picking up a light stand, or moving cords. If you have ever asked one of the bridal party to hold a reflector for you and seen their face go dull with what seems like a boring task, imagine how many of them are going to jump up to assist you when you are lighting with this. The square LED panels and Home Depot lighting options just aren’t this cool. And sometimes that cool factor is going to make your clients trust you with an idea for a shot. When it comes to getting great shots for a wedding album, I’ll take whatever advantage I can get.

Shortcomings
I do wish there was a field serviceable battery, as we all do, but I work within the constraints as presented. Perhaps in the next version. There is supposed to be a battery add-on accessory coming. I only wonder how that will connect, the size of it, and whether it will make the product more cumbersome. Light, maneuverable, and portability are the main reasons I bought the Ice Light. There also is no indicator on the unit to show you the output level of the light, so reproducing a specific light set-up is a bit challenging.

So is it worth it? Should you buy one? I think so. Heck, I’m buying a second one soon. The advantages of the light far outweigh it’s shortcomings. And there is nothing quite like it on the market which will enable me to get the kind of shots the light will afford without additional, significant drawbacks.

You can learn more about the Ice Light at the product’s website: http://www.theicelight.com/

You can also find it online at the following retailers:
B & H Photo and Video
Adorama
Amazon.com