Brides Blog

Moving Time

2010-03-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

I like our little blog, but I would love to actually be able to respond to comments, especially those with questions, so we're moving to wordpress - http://blog.davidshirkphotography.com

As always you can find me through the website - www.davidshirkphotography.com

Thanks!!

Hay!

2010-03-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

Fun times with my sister! Beware if Lori ever comes at you with a handful of hay:)

Biltmore

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

I helped my friend Carrie with an awesome wedding in Atlanta last weekend. It's going to be a GREAT year!!!

Homemade albums

2010-02-19T07:55:00.001-08:00

Straight from my own oven. . .literally! To make the book block, you cut the pictures, mounting board, and dry mount, put them in a press, and bake them in the oven so they adhere!

Rachel, I can't see your blogger profile to respond, but here's the link to how I learned. The materials are from Talas and DickBlick, but it's a very involved process!

Diana & Michael

2010-01-29T06:35:00.001-08:00

May Queen

2010-01-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

This picture of Arianna's father and aunts is one of my all-time favorite images. It's a "formal" picture in the great sense - you can see the personality of all the children, and there is so much story happening within the frame. I have stayed at Char & Art's house several times before weddings, and looking at this picture really puts into perspective the importance of moments I will witness and document.

Rachel & Matt

2010-01-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

Imaging USA

2010-01-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

picture by www.appearphotography.com

I just came back from Imaging USA - the big conference that Professional Photographers of America puts on every year. It was awesome to meet some of my heroes - Jose Villa, Becker, the McLellans, the Bebbs. . .and to hang out with friends Kevant and Lori.

It's fun going to these events now because I'm fairly happy with my identity and style as a photographer. I no longer feel overwhelmed or unworthy like I did when I was just starting out in the business. I did learn a few things, pick up some ideas, but most of all I got to talk with amazing people face to face and say thank you to the photographers who taught me so much through their websites and blogs. . .and to say thanks to the awesome vendors who make it possible for me to be in business!!

My advice for anyone attending these shows. . .hang around after class! Basically we're sitting in a two-hour lecture with 2,000 people. Then the lecture ends, 1990 of the people leave, and I'm able to talk with the photographer in a small group of ten-fifteen people. That's when the actual learning and connections happen.

My favorite take-away moment from the conference. I stayed after class to speak with Jose Villa. This is his first conference, and apparently he didn't get the memo that he is supposed to sell DVD's and other "junk" to profit from his lecture. Instead, we're standing around and a newly-engaged couple asks him to photograph their wedding! That's way more impressive to me than a great photographer selling a DVD on how to be a great photographer.

Cara's Bridal

2010-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Cara & Andrew

2010-01-06T12:59:00.001-08:00

The top picture is just cool, and the bottom is with my fuji instax - the new, slightly cheaper version of polaroid.

The Fridge

2010-01-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

My favorite place this time of year is the side of the fridge!

adavidsighting

2009-12-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

yep, this blurry footage and new postings to the proofing site are the only evidence that I do actually exist:)

Sloss

2009-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

I'm proud of this one:)

RadReflection

2009-11-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

Taking a time out from editing - this is definitely blog-worthy! The reflection is in the glass on top of the limo. The red lights are on the ceiling and the green are streetlights several blocks away.

What is the ultimate groomsmen gift?

2009-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

A sword, no doubt. It's actually a double-edged present; in addition to being man-pleasin' and generally awesome, swords also represent the original purpose of groomsmen - to defend the groom and prevent villains from stealing the bride.

**Brief conversation before the wedding:
Bride: "Where are the guys right now?"
"Out back killing a dinosaur."

Outrun!

2009-11-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

This may be one of my all-time favorite wedding moments. We were taking pictures at Gabrella Manor, and Jennifer was walking out to meet Ryan for the first time before the wedding. I took some pictures as all the girls were walking through the courtyard, and then I was going to run down to the other side of Ryan, so I could see his face as Jennifer walked out to him. Only she didn't walk, she picked up her dress and ran! I don't have a picture to show for it, but I'm so glad that I got to witness such an awesome expression of love.

The image above is Arianna's angle of the moment:)

Textures

2009-10-05T12:42:00.001-07:00

Trying new things - I'm not going to do this to every picture, nor am I going to delete the more straightforward version of the shots, but sometimes textures really are awesome.

D&M Wedding

2009-09-17T08:28:00.001-07:00

Sydney

2009-09-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Slosstastic

2009-09-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

What a cool place for pictures. . .I really could post all of them, but these are a few favorites.

Prepare

2009-08-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

I love symmetry, balance, and stillness of this moment. . .

Shadows

2009-08-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I think the reason (aside from sheer busyness) that I neglect my blog is that the pictures I actually take are dim shadows of what I want to create. But every step is a step closer. . .

Remy

2009-08-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

M&D Engagement

2009-06-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

A&E Wedding

2009-06-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

A couple cool pictures from Aurora - the complete wedding is up on the proofing site.

A&M Engagement

2009-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

For lack of a better pun, this shoot rocked!

Baby Pics

2009-06-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sullivans Island

2009-06-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

On the road again. . .this time it's a very pretty road, though:)

Where's David

2009-06-03T15:32:00.001-07:00

I can only edit pictures so many hours in a row before I get the itch to take a break. This time I took a somewhat-on-task-break!

Phone Issues

2009-06-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

AT&T is officially lame. Something is wrong with our phone line and we've been waiting on the repair for over a week. So in the meantime I'm going to plan B, which should eventually be permanent - a magicJack and Disney princess phone. Yep, dead serious. The magicJack gets unlimited long-distance calling and voicemail that I can access from anywhere for $40 this year. And the princess phone was originally to test my phone line and give to Madeline. But it works well and rings quietly (good for sleeping babies in the next room). So call me - 552-5109.

T&C

2009-05-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Tamara and Corlandos were married in Florence on May 16th.

Kiddos

2009-05-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

Apparently it's kids month - I've taken LOTS of pictures of little ones in the past few weeks!

Sara & Pete

2009-05-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Several a kajillion fun pictures from a wedding I just finished working on. Click here to see their site.

Hoodies

2009-05-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Spring

2009-04-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back of the Bus

2009-04-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sara's Bridal Pictures

2009-04-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back and totally wiped after our turnaround trip to NC this week. It was awesome to see family and friends and I'm so grateful that I have the weekend to recover and catch up on work! The are a few pictures from a great afternoon several weeks ago - I heart bridal shoots!

The process

2009-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm editing pictures today (just like every day lately!) and thinking about why I do what I do. Being a self-taught product of the digital age, I take a lot of pictures, knowing that they will not all be great. For portrait shoots and weddings, usually 1 out of every 4 pictures are what I would consider a keeper. The great thing about digital is that it doesn't cost me anything to take a bad picture. . .in fact, the opposite - it could literally cost me if I quit shooting before I get the GREAT picture.

The term for what I do is "sketching" with the camera - trying different angles and light and vantage points and determining afterwards, upon reviewing the pictures, what looks best. Hence my portrait/engagment/bridal shoots are fairly lengthy - an hour or two. . .or sometimes more if we're having tons of fun.

The wedding day is a bit different in that I don't have the same liberty to take my time with pictures because things are happening so fast. But the same concept of sketching still applies - I shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot - and depending who is helping me, I may take 40-50 gigabytes of pictures - good grief! But that is my key to making sure there are great ones.

I suppose the reason I'm sharing this is to shape expectations of me and how a shoot will go. I with I were a photographic genius and were only able to take perfect pictures, but unfortunately that's not the case. So that's why I won't take 20 pictures and call it a day! I want your pictures to be awesome and unique, and I'm committed to taking the time to create great work.

Allrighty then, back to work!!

Sky

2009-04-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Windows and Kisses

2009-04-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

Matthew & Abby

2009-04-10T12:39:00.001-07:00

The coolest office ever

2009-04-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's funny how I can go a week or two without any good blog ideas and then three pop up in one day! I've been busy I suppose! I helped Chrissie hang canvas prints of her son today, and they look SO cool. Her office looks over the city, and it was awesome to start with, but now it looks even better! The picture above is a mock-up of what it looks like, but they're even better in real life.

Downtown

2009-04-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Katie & Shayne

2009-04-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

We just finished up our first wedding for the year! Click here to see so more pictures.

New Toy

2009-03-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

I bought a new lens last week, which is the first time in a REALLY long time that I've attempted (through equipment) to add a new style to my pictures. It's an ultrawide angle, which means that it's great for dramatic pictures like the top picture, and storytelling pictures like the second picture. It's also great for cool compositions - I'll share one of those in the next couple of days.

Kids pics

2009-03-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

The wedding season will officially begin for me next weekend, but for the past bit I've been busy with shoots for little ones.

Protection

2009-03-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

After we get our formal albums in, I head to the basement for a few hours to put a protective coating on all of the pages. It's one the non-glamorous details to my work, but I think it's so important to ensure the album will be safe from water & fingerprints for a lifetime!

Cards

2009-02-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

The neverending quest for the perfect business card continues! These are fun because there's so many different pictures to choose from!

Twins

2009-02-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

No this picture isn't wedding-related, but it is so special to get the chance to photograph twins, and they're CUTE!!

Albums

2009-02-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

Album design season is here! Here is one that we just finished up: www.davidshirkphotography.com/#/bwalbum/

Good Advice Part 2

2009-02-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

I think the most helpful thing during my wedding planning was having vendors that I knew and could trust...our cake was done by someone I work with and our flowers were all taken care of by a family friend...and during the ceremony we had a lot of help and participation from family and friends. So, I could rest at ease because I knew at least the food, flowers, cake, and photography would be great! I did not stress too much about those plans because I knew they were in good hands.

And, a piece of advice to newly engaged couples...take one day at a time! It's an overwhelming process and a big event to plan...but keep in mind that it's only one day and it's more about the journey and your life together...so, don't get caught up in the little details and don't take your stress out on each other :) Have fun and enjoy it...because it's over in a flash!

Good Advice

2009-02-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

1. Most helpful resource: Google (ha! but ain't it the truth?)Also I loved weddingbee.com
2. What advice would you give to a friend who was recently engaged?

The same advice a friend gave us on his wedding day. We were all on a bus leaving the wedding/reception for a night on the town, having a blast, and he says "NOTHING went right today. We planned and planned and planned, and virtually nothing happened the way we had envisioned... and it's still the best day of my life!"

They were great words of wisdom. Because of that, I had mentally prepared myself that on our wedding day, things would "go wrong"... and they did... (my grandparents suddenly couldn't come, hair catastrophe, bridesmaid was 30 minutes late to take us to the church, florist made the wrong wedding bouquet, our ringbearer chickened out, I cut my hand after the rehearsal dinner... still have a scar in fact haha, got no sleep and had to sleep on my couch the night before because my MOH was a snoring machine, the band disappeared from the reception for 30 minutes, the father/daughter dance music stopped playing, wedding cake wasn't what we asked for...)

I told myself that nothing was going to keep me from enjoying my wedding day. And nothing did!

So I have to add several of my memories. The band mysteriously disappeared during the Alabama-Florida game. . .hmmm, I wonder where they were? The flowers, once they were fixed, looked great! And even though the pre-wedding pictures got started a little late, we still had plenty of time. . .seriously, their pictures were crazy-good!!

Dresses, Rings, & Things

2009-02-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

Katie & Shane

2009-02-04T07:28:00.001-08:00

One of the all-time great photographers was a guy named Henri Cartier-Breeson, who would walk around with a camera and take completely amazing candid pictures. I love the one above, because it has a bit of that feel - as if I was walking down the street and happened across this great moment.

Thanks Katie & Shane! What a fun afternoon!!

Excited

2009-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

A never-ending process for us is figuring out how to portray who I am as a person and photographer. This is the preview for a sample album we're going to print, and I'm totally excited about it!

Planning Part 1

2009-01-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

I asked all my former brides what was helpful to them as they planned for their weddings. Here is one response:

Resources:

Honestly, I really enjoyed looking at theknot.com (cheesy, I know) for ideas and I especially liked looking through their "real wedding" pictures. It gave me some GREAT ideas.

Etsy.com is a GREAT website to find hostess/bridesmaids/etc gifts on. They're all handmade and reasonably priced.

Advice:

I wrote down all the elements that are in a traditional wedding and ranked them on a scale of importance to me. I budgeted and made plans for my top items first (eg- for me it was pictures, music, and venue) and then adjusted for the things that were lower on the list (eg- reused flowers from rehearsal dinner for reception, put together home made welcome bags for guests, etc). That way, my top picks were sure to be incorporated :)

Also, do your research and be creative! There are lots of good deals out there if you're willing to look.

Incorporate elements that are unique to your relationship into the details. I can't tell you how many people complimented us on doing that and it makes your love for each other shine!

Don't register at Target....they have a ridiculous return policy....even for registry holders. I was given this advice and it was one of the best pieces I received!

Real Simple Weddings

2009-01-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

I've never researched this, but my impression is that the first thing a bride-to-be does after being engaged is pick up a wedding magazine. . .or two. . .or three! And then they're twenty times more confused than they were before they started reading the magazine. The point of the big national magazines isn't to help brides plan a wedding, it's to present as many advertisements as possible!

This is the HUGE exception - the Real Simple wedding issue. I haven't read it yet, but if it's anything like last year's, it will be the only magazine you ever should read! Here's a link where you can order it online or it should be in stores in February. Simple is good:)

**Update** I picked up a copy at Target the other day. I'm sure it's available at bookstores as well.

Pages

2009-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

The coolest part of the new site, and the real reason we decided to change is the ability to make as many pages as we want, and make them look however we want. I'm totally stoked about the potential for these mini-sites, and what we can do for our couples using them! Below are a couple of screen grabs from the new pages.

New Site

2009-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Wahoo! The new site is finally "done." Done is in quotation marks because part of the reason we started the new site is the ability to change layout and design at any time. I'm sure we'll be tinkering around with it forever!

One neat possibility is to make save-the-date sites for our couples. So after the engagement shoot, we'll put up a slideshow of the pictures along with wedding details and information. I hope to design them to fit the couple's style and story. Super-cool!!

Another thing that I love is the "about" page. We made a slideshow with a bunch of our favorite travel pictures from the past years, and I love having all my favorite pictures in one place where I can look at them anytime I want:)

A final detail that is so cool it almost makes my head explode - in the top right corner of the main wedding page is a button with arrows on it that enlarges the site full-screen. Visually Yummy!

So check it out - www.davidshirkphotography.com - hopefully in the next couple of days the old url - www.unpluggedweddings.com will redirect to the new site.

Just Thinking

2009-01-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

If I do my job, a total stranger will think your wedding pictures are amazing.

Cakes

2009-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Yum, yum! It's very rare that I'm not too busy to stop and eat cake at a wedding - but they look delicious:)

I've been shot!

2009-01-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

I got together with my friend Kevin to do some headshots yesterday. It's good for me to be in front of the camera every now and then to remind me how it feels - the sensation of awkwardness, trying to smile without looking like you're trying to smile, the waiting between pictures and instructions, and especially yesterday - trying not to look cold!!

Flowers

2009-01-13T07:42:00.001-08:00

I've been going through old pictures as we been putting things together for the website, and this is one of several collages I put together from pictures taken over the past few years. Double click the picture to pull up a larger version.

Amanda & Matt

2009-01-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

Here's the first of what will hopefully be many "favorites" posts. The picture above is Amanda's favorite from the shoot, and I'm glad it is, because we took about 50 pictures trying to get the reflection right!!

I don't know if I have a favorite, but I really, really like this image because of the simplicity and stillness of it. Also, I love that the angle of their arms makes their silhouettes match the trees - wish I could claim that was intentional:)

Retouch Me!

2009-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

after

before

Right now I'm doing what I do most. . .retouching. And I am thinking, if I charged for this, like a standard rate of $15 per $15 minutes, I'd be rich. But I also think it would be unethical. My job is to provide beautiful memories, and my personal goal is that my brides and grooms would never see an unflattering picture of themselves. So right now I'm darkening carpets and blurring out lego boxes. . .hooray for the glamourous life of a photographer!!

btw, I handed off the camera and made a guest appearance in this picture:) Look at that nice, dark carpet. . .it was quite a few shades lighter before and was a bit distracting from the family picture!

Time

2009-01-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here's my thought process behind having a two-week turnaround time for images. If I shoot a wedding on Saturday, I'll download the pictures when I get home. Then that night or Sunday afternoon I'll look through them to make sure everything is there, and back up all the RAW files to DVD's (usually this takes several hours and is done amidst watching football and playing with the family).

Then I don't look at the pictures again for at least 3 days or ideally until the following weekend. It helps me tremendously to see the images with fresh eyes, to look at the pictures as they actually appear, not how I wanted them to look while I'm taking them.

Next I make global adjustments to all the pictures - choosing the initial keepers, color-correcting, changing light levels, and doing basic changes, which takes a day or two.

Then we photoshop everything - making the B&W highlight reel, fixing everything that needs fixing, this takes a day or two also.

Last, and the most painful is the organizing stage - putting the pictures in order & weeding out the not-quite-great, redundant, or unflattering pictures. I always think it will take 2 or 3 hours, but I start in the morning up working on it until 2 a.m. Then I back up the renumbered pictures to another hard drive and to DVD again. . .and send the bride the happy news that the pictures are finished!

So all told, I spend about 40 hours of computer work on a typical wedding. . .all the while to bouncing Annabelle on my knees and watching Madeline make a creative mess of our living room:)

Prayer

2008-12-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Poetry in Motion

2008-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

I traveled to Illinois to take pictures for my first in-family wedding this weekend. . .the pictures were great, and one of the aunts or uncles said "watching David take pictures is like watching poetry in motion." That was very kind, but definitely made me laugh. Apparently they didn't see me trip over a chair or stick my camera into a ceiling fan!

I think I had arrived as a "professional" photographer when my family started to believe in me! They were always supportive of me taking pictures, and many of them are hanging on their walls, but it has been in last year or so that I no longer answer questions about when I'll stop taking pictures and go back to school. Now Arianna's parents have our promo brochures to hand out to their friends, and my mom loves looking at our sample albums. And it's a super-big deal that Mom suggested I photograph her nephew's wedding. How cool to be believed in!!

The other reason the comment cracked me up was it reminded me of this GREAT song:
(the video is incredible odd and lame, but the song rocks!)

Organic

2008-12-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

Cool Canvas

2008-12-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of canvas art prints - you can order them gallery wrapped (where the image wraps around the side of the frame) or in a frame, and either way they look beyond incredible. Below are several that we printed this year:

The picture above was a regular print, but I'm still very proud of it as a photoshop victory. There was a lot of detail in the background and two bridesmaids on either sides of the four sisters. I painted out the background and gave it a vintage treatment, and I think it turned out really well!

Top Shelf

2008-12-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

I love doing pictures for creative people! Julie was in a photography class with me at Samford a while back and had me come do pictures for her little one. . .and she came up with this awesome idea!

Veils Rock

2008-12-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

Veils are such a big part of making a bride look bridalicious, and I love 'em. I also love it when the bride keeps them on for the reception. . .the pictures below would not be nearly as cool without the veil. I'm sure it has to be uncomfortable having this long thing attached to your head as your dancing and eating and hugging on hundreds of people. . .but it looks sweet!

And on occasion I'll have a bride with a long veil use a shorter second one for the reception. . .that's cool too:)

Be Undeniably Good

2008-12-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

I struggle sometimes with my self-image as a photographer, especially after I meet with brides who don't hire me. Ultimately I know it is better for both me and them, that they hire a photographer who is the best fit. But I can't help but think it is because I am lacking in charisma in the initial meeting. It does hurt my feelings, but I remind myself that the cornerstone of my business is not a vivacious personality - I am kind, good-natured, honest, thoughtful, and hard-working, but these are qualities that the couple does not fully notice until the wedding day and the months afterwards as we continue to stay in touch designing albums and filling print order!

Rather than building on a salesman's personality, my business is built on taking great pictures.

Steve Martin said about how to be successful: "Be undeniably good. When people ask me how do you make it in show business or whatever, what I always tell them and nobody ever takes note of it 'cuz it's not the answer they wanted to hear -- what they want to hear is here's how you get an agent, here's how you write a script, here's how you do this -- but I always say, "Be so good they can't ignore you." If somebody's thinking, "How can I be really good?", people are going to come to you. It's much easier doing it that way than going to cocktail parties.

So in that vein, I was told about two prints lately, "that is the best picture I've ever seen." Both came after people saw the large prints, and both were unsolicited comments - the best kind:) So hopefully the cornerstone of Unplugged, undeniably great picture, is growing more secure every day!

Welcome

2008-12-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

I am a wedding photographer in Birmingham Alabama, and I have all of these ideas bouncing around in my head after weddings and shoots, and I think it's time to share what I'm learning about photography and life! So here goes!!

Picture by Lisa Marie