Second Shooting

When I first decided to take the plunge and start my photography business, I swore up and down and around in circles that I would never, ever, EVER shoot a wedding.  I was a bride once, and I remember how important those pictures were to me.  I remember that I didn't meet my wedding photographer until the day before the wedding, and Drew told me not to worry because "he shoots for Sports Illustrated and National Geographic".  I remember the panic that I had because those aren't even remotely close to wedding at all.  However, my fears were ridiculous and Brad did an even better job than I could have ever imagined.

But, I still know how important those images are.  I remember walking up the next morning and realizing that I could hardly remember the day before.  I wanted to see my pictures so badly so that I could try to arouse some of my memory of that day.  We received our pictures a few weeks later and I loved being able to walk through that day as I scrolled through the images.

I always said that I never wanted to be a wedding photographer.  A wedding photographer gets one chance to nail the shot.  The first kiss as husband and wife?  That only happens once!  The moment when they are announced as husband and wife and they beam with love and joy?  That only happens once!

What if I were their photographer and someone walked in front of me during one of those big moments?  What if I didn't meter correctly and my image was blown out or too dark?  What if my focus was off?  What if my camera suddenly decided it hated me and died?  What if I missed their big moment and they had no image to look back on and smile in joy and remembrance?

I just couldn't take that pressure!

So, I swore that I would never photograph weddings.  And I stand by that.

But then, I was talking to Kristen, the photographer who has done all of our photos since my maternity photos.  She asked me if I would ever be interested in second shooting with her.  I told her that I would entertain the idea, as long as I was not responsible for all the important images.  We discussed it a little bit and she asked me to second shoot with her at a wedding in the beginning of October.  I've been a little terrified thinking of it, but knew that it was still a ways off.

Then, she messaged me earlier this week.  She asked me if I was available to second shoot with her this weekend.  My heart leaped into my throat and I panicked.  I didn't have hardly any time to prepare, but she reassured me that she would take care of the hard stuff and that I was there for all the peripherals.  So, I agreed.

And that's how I second shot my first wedding yesterday.  I was so terrified as I drove there.  Of course, once I took out my camera and started shooting, all the anxiety started to melt away.  I know how to use my camera.  (The flash is a different story!)  I just relied on what I knew and gave my best effort.

I quickly skimmed through my images before I sent them over to Kristen and they weren't awful.  There were a bunch of pretty good ones.  There were also a bunch of pretty crappy ones, but hey, it was my first time shooting in that situation!  I definitely learned a lot and will need to work on improving.  I had such a great time second shooting and I actually really, really want to do many more. Of course, it was awesome to get out of the house for a while!

Now today, I have the biggest blisters on my feet from wearing brand new shoes and being on my feet more than I have in a long time.  Next time, I definitely won't be wearing new shoes!

All Grown Up

On Friday, I took my younger brother and sister's senior pictures.  I can't believe that they're all grown up and graduating high school.  Where does the time go?

(I probably won't blog a lot about my photography business here, but since it's family, I'm going to blog about this session.)

Friday, late afternoon, we went to a park close to my house.  I knew that Rachel would enjoy getting her photos done, but I didn't think Greg would.  Surprisingly, he seemed to really enjoy himself.  And I got some great images from him.

I am really proud of these images.  I got so many winners.

Since I am apparently an idiot, I told my mom that I would have the pictures ready for her today.  That's right, 2 days after I shot them.  Big mistake.  I'm not a big fan of the editing process and I didn't get to take nearly as many breaks as I like to.  Bummer!  Needless to say, I won't be making a promise like that again!

Surprisingly, I didn't shed a tear while shooting their session.  I'm not making any promises about their graduation day though!

Open For Business

I have finally launched my website and have opened up for business!  Yay!!!

My website is Tania Beth Photography.  You can also find me on Facebook by searching for Tania Beth Photography.  Stop by, say Hi, and Like me!

I am so excited to see where this takes me!!

Catching Up

I've been quite the blog slacker lately, but for very good reason.  I have finally decided to take the plunge and open my own photography business.  I have been hard at work researching so many different things, setting up the blog that I'm going to launch, working on pricing details, and did I mention researching?

Drew has been hard at work on the basement.  I promise that I will take some pictures tomorrow or the next day and post some progress.  It's grown bigger than we originally planned.  Don't projects always work that way?  The other Drew is coming into town mid April, so Drew is shooting to have it done by then.

I'm planning on going tomorrow to get my business license.  I'm so excited!  I've really been trying hard to get all of my ducks in a row before opening things up to clients.  I'm just about ready and I'm so nervous and anxious and excited about it.

New Glass

I just purchased a new lens!  SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!  Drew gave me his blessing and encouraged me to purchase some new glass and even pushed me to purchase a better one than I originally had my eye on.

You see, I was going to purchase a 50mm f/1.4.  I hesitated though.  I know that a good quality prime will be amazing to shoot with, but I just didn't know if I would miss the ability to zoom.  I love being able to zoom on my kit lenses.  So, I bought the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Isn't that a thing of beauty?  It is scheduled to arrive here on Thursday.  I ended up ordering from B&H, which is extremely reputable.  The best part?  Free shipping and no tax!

Who wants to do a session?

Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun

My birthday is next Sunday, February 6th.  I know, I am sooooo lucky to have my birthday be on the same day as the Superbowl.  NOT!!  Anyways, Drew can't keep a secret to save his life.  In fact, our first Christmas together, he gave me my gift three days early because he couldn't wait.  So, I really shouldn't be surprised about this.

After we got done with dinner, Drew sat down on the couch.

"When do you want your birthday present?"  he asked.

"On my birthday."

"No, I can't wait that long!  I want to give it to you now."

"It's not my birthday.  Let's do it on Thursday, since you have the day off."

"No, I really want to give it to you now.  I can't wait that long."

At this point, he commences to beg me to let him give it to me now.  I finally gave in and he scampered off like an excited child at Christmas.

He returned to the living room, and after making me close my eyes and hold out my hands, he put a box in my hand containing this:

A Speedlight!  SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!  He also gave me an off-camera remote cord.

I'm stoked.  Just stoked.  The even better news is that the local camera store is offering a Speedlight class at the end of March.  Guess who's going to sign up tomorrow?  This girl right here!

Rachel's Senior Homecoming 2010

I can't believe that my "baby" brother and sister are seniors this year. My sister was especially excited for Homecoming this year because she had a date. Not just a date, but her boyfriend. And this just so happened to be the first dance that her boyfriend has been too. If that doesn't scream precious, I don't know what does.

I gave my sister an extremely hard time when she went to Prom last year because she didn't let anybody come to take pictures of her. Yeah, not cool. I basically insisted that I come take Homecoming pictures of her. Thankfully, she didn't fight at all. And I got some great pictures!

I'm a little disappointed with this picture. The goal, or at least my goal, with photography is to take a great picture SOOC (straight out of the camera) and not have to do any editing to it. I love this picture and haven't touched it all. The only bad part, to me, is that their faces are blown out. Bummer! But it's still a decent picture, in my eyes.

This is my favorite picture that I took. I love everything about it. I love Adam's position and the look on his face. I love how my sister is leaning on him and how she looks so fierce with her hip popped. I love the background. I give myself MAJOR points for this one! Major points!!