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Category Archives: FAQs

FAQ’s #2: wedding day change-ups

Wed. June 24, 2009 Posted in FAQs * Personal

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It’s been a while since my last FAQ post, so here we go again. This time I’m only answering one question though – as it’s a good one!

Jennifer asked:
“Now that you’re in the wedding industry, what would you have done differently about your wedding? Any tips for us who haven’t tied the knot yet?”
You know, Lindsay and I don’t regret a single thing about our wedding day. We were young, dumb, and crazy in love :) Now, having said that… here’s a few things we’d likely do differently if we knew then what we knew now…

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1. Should you see your bride before the ceremony?
We were sort of surprised/forced into not seeing each other the night before the wedding and the day of – until Lindsay walked down the aisle. My people grabbed me and her people grabbed her and everyone insisted that it would be SOOO much better if we waited. We were young and sort of assumed we had to follow suit. We ended up thinking that that was a really, really dumb tradition (for us).

My opinion on this is that it totally depends on the couple. For some, waiting and seeing each other at that last moment before becoming man and wife (when she walks down the aisle) is the pinnacle moment of the wedding day. But I’ve since seen a bunch of couples see each other before the wedding and I can see it’s JUST as special to them. One couple, in particular, got ready together. One of my favorite weddings ever. It wasn’t a very traditional thing to do, but for them I could see it was just as special as anyone else’s wedding day. I think if we got married knowing what we know now, I could see us spending the entire day together.

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2. The Dress I
We wouldn’t be so strict on making sure I NEVER saw the dress. I remember Lindsay was TERRIFIED that I wouldn’t like her dress. Little did she know, I couldn’t have cared less if she came down the aisle in pajamas! But we think it could be a ton of fun to go out dress shopping together. Maybe narrow it down to our favorite three and she surprises me? But this is probably more unique to our situation as I actually find more than half of Lindsay’s clothes :) Ever since we started dating, I became in love with shopping. Not shopping for me, but it’s so fun going out and finding clothes that look beautiful on Lindsay :)

So yeah, we’d do the dress thing differently.

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3. The Dress II
Lindsay very well could have ended up in a white dress, but I think she should have been able to choose whatever color dress she wanted. Not every girl feels pretty in white, so I think we’d start from scratch, try to find the dress she felt most pretty/hot/beautiful/sexy in, and gone with that. If it was white, great! If it was some other color, great too!

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4. Tips/Advice
It might sound like we’re anti-traditionalists – but we’re TOTALLY not! We had a ton of traditional aspects to our wedding :) But I’m all for conserving traditions that mean something to you and literally EVERYWHERE else doing whatever you like! If it’s getting ready together, wearing a non-white dress, having off number bridal party (4 groomsmen and 7 bridesmaids, for example), dress shopping with your fiance… plan your wedding as if you didn’t know about these outside rules! Honestly, how many people would insist on having a cake there if you weren’t supposed to???

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So on our way back from Sydney yesterday, we got bumped to business class :) I’ve had a business class flight to Beijing and almost couldn’t enjoy it because Lindsay wasn’t experiencing it with me. Well we recently got premiere status with United and since this was our first official trip with the new status, we were hoping it would happen… and it did! Couldn’t be a better flight for it to happen on…


These go ALL the way back and turn into incredible beds! Not to mention filet mignon was on the menu :D

—————————————-

Any of you already get married and have something you’d change up? Getting married and doing something different?

Bobby

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by Bobby Earle

17 comments

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Ash - Fort Wayne area Wedding Photographer - Now that looks nice, Ive never been flying but the photos I have seen they usually look pretty cramped. I don't think we would have had such a traditional wedding if we did it again... :D

Have a great day!
AshJune 25, 2009 - 3:49 am

Lisa B - I think as wedding photographers we've seen so many things that our opinions are good ones as to what to do and what not. But I agree, every couple is unique and different and all should be allowed to freely choice the design of their day!
Thanks for sharing :-)June 25, 2009 - 4:29 am

Faye - i would've gotten better photographers (sorry bobby, i found you after we had already booked ours...*sad face*). they were so bent on posed photos that we didn't get to spend ANY time mingling with the guests.

other than that, i wouldn't change a thing! :)June 25, 2009 - 6:27 am

Katherine Bowman - YES, there are a few things that i would have done differently for our wedding...
1. I would have seen Jerod before the wedding rather than waiting to walk down the isle... it would have left a lot more time for photos before the wedding and more time to visit with guests during the reception
2. Paid the money for a good photographer! We were a bit stubborn and didn't want to ask our parents for help financially. (Jerod - because it was his second marriage and me because my dad passed away 6 mo. earlier and didn't want to put that one my mom) I ended up having a friend do pictures, some of the outdoor ones turned out beautiful but all indoor shots have a bad yellow tint to them. I have one really good one of us here on my desk, but the rest are on CD's still. To "fix" this, i would like to have our photos taken by a professional on our anniversary, in my dress, similar to a day after shoot.
3. Get married at dusk... reception was outdoors and well above 100 degrees!
4. Not have Jerod or groomsmen wear tuxes.... because of #3!

But when it all comes down to it, Jerod and I are married and that's all that matters! :)

I really like the idea of having your to be husband pick out the dress with you, narrowing it down to 3... great idea! And GREAT seats by the way! Also, do you mind sharing a wedding pic of you and Lindsey?June 25, 2009 - 6:27 am

Ava Grace Photography - My husband (Philip) and I are still in the newly wed stage, our one year anniversary is in August. We had a fabulous time at our wedding. We chose to see each other before the wedding and it was one of the best desicions we could ever make. We got ready and had a private moment with just the two of us and We spent the entire day together and I enjoyed every moment of it. I am so much more relaxed when I have Philip by my side; i was able to fully enjoy every aspect of the day since we were together.

One thing i would change is our reception. We had a tight budget and we went for a very casual and quick reception. I feel like I hardly got to see friends and family. We had life time friends come in from out of town and I am pretty sure I saw them for a bout 30 seconds. We ended up cutting the reception short because I blackout, lack of air from a too tight dress, so it was even shorter then planned. I would love to have that group back together and enjoy an entire evening with them. (also would make sure I could breathe in my dress for a full day)June 25, 2009 - 7:27 am

Char Baiz - thats so awesome about your flight! Looks comfy :)

and about when Joel and I got married... Well the biggest thing is I wished we would have had a photographer. We don't really have that many photos from that day.June 25, 2009 - 7:33 am

Laura - Bobby, did you guys have a wedding photographer? If so, can we see? pretty please?! If not, is that something you would change? L xJune 25, 2009 - 7:39 am

jasmine* - LOVE your advice!
In other news...business class?!? Holllllla! We need to travel together...you get all the hook ups! ;)June 25, 2009 - 9:57 am

David - If I could do my wedding over again, I'd get a better haircut.June 25, 2009 - 10:55 am

Michael Nease - Nice, gotta love business class! BTW, does your ticket say YWAMER (YWMR) after your name? Is that on purpose?June 25, 2009 - 3:13 pm

Katie Foster - For our wedding we are having an off number of attendents. Anthony has one groomsman and I have three bridesmaids. We stressed about it for a while but in the end we each wanted who we wanted up there with us and we didn't care if our numbers didn't match. Plus our photographer isn't the matchy-matchy cutesy type anyway so the number difference isn't going to at all affect our photos :) Right Bobby?June 25, 2009 - 3:45 pm

dani marie - I'd have you as my photographer...and not some guy in the phone book. I think so many people don't take the time to REAL pick out a photographer they can relate to.June 25, 2009 - 5:08 pm

julie harmsen - Loved the idea regarding fiance dress shopping, and for me, it will be non traditional. I'm going to store that one for when the time comes! :)June 25, 2009 - 8:51 pm

kajgod - hmmm... my wife'd never go with it, but that's what i wanted in the first place, and i'd want it even more AFTER the experience: i would tell the photographer to take whatever photos he wants, but to act as a paparazzi: hide somewhere and take pictures without being noticed much. why? well, someone already posted it: both the photographer and the camera-person were intrusive and bugged us and everybody else that matters for poses and to do some "required stunts" that everybody else is, for some reason, supposed to do at their weddings. so you get so little time to be yourself, and converse with other people you care about.June 25, 2009 - 10:19 pm

alex.kruk photography - If I could do something different on my wedding definitely I would love to have a professional photographer to capture that special day. We don't have many pictures and they are in very poor quality. Second thing would be my hairdo ( horrible hairdresser ) I shouldn't believe everybody sweet lays that it looked good - I should put my hair down. Great post !June 25, 2009 - 10:56 pm

Marissa Rodriguez - First of all, I love how you like to go shopping to find stuff for Lindsay how sweet!!! mmmm....and knowing what I know now...I would have had a much smaller reception with just close friends and famliy. I would have also scheduled more time for photos of course :) Great post and advice!June 25, 2009 - 11:22 pm

jenny smith: - hey bobby and lindsay, i showed my dress to my now husband beforehand cuz i was terrified, too! made me feel way better. going shopping together. good suggestion.July 7, 2009 - 9:18 am

Q and A’s + before and after photos :)

Thu. January 15, 2009 Posted in Before and After Wednesdays * FAQs * Personal

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So over the last year, my email inbox has been growing a bit. I LOVE that some photographers email me asking questions or looking for advice – and used to be able to keep up fairly well – but I’m afraid I’m starting to fall behind these days :) In an attempt to keep blogging AND answer some questions, I’m going to start answering questions that I receive on a normal basis here! Feel free to email me questions at info@bobbyearle.com :)

And am I a total nerd for shortening the emails (so this post isn’t HUGE) but still posting the nice stuff you guys say about me? Hope not :P

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Lindsay Sealey asked:
“Hi Bobby! I started using Photobucket but I don’t like that if you click on the pic from the blog your taken to photobucket. And whats in your bag as for lenses? Is there a good wide angle you like for capturing the whole scene? And whats your go to lens??? Any info you want to drop my way would be soooooo appreciated! Warmly, Your Photog Admirer, Linz”

Thanks for the email and the kind words, Linz :) Well, the way to stop photobucket linking is simple. All you need to use in the whole link they provide is this…

<img src=”http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/bnlearle/047-IMG_7678.jpg”>

When you do that you get this…

As far as my bag of lenses goes, here’s what I’m working with these days… (All Canon) 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, 16-35mm f/2.8L, 24mm f/1.4L, 50mm f/1.2L, 135mm f/2L, and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.

I have a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L for all my wide angle stuff. And my go to lens? It’s DEFINITELY my 50mm f/1.2. I use that lens soooo much more than any other. If I had to shoot a wedding with only this lens or all my other lenses except the 50mm f/1.2? I’d choose shooting with only the 50mm f/1.2. Yeah, that’s how much I love it!

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Hi Bobby, I’m a 32 year old aussie Italian bloke from Sydney, Australia. I came across your web site and loved it… your work stood out to me and was heaps inspiring. What software u generally use to enhance ur images. I. Higher contrast, warm tones, black edged around corners of images… Do u just use Photoshop or a raw editor etc? Just wanted to ask this and say g’day. Pauly.

Hey Pauly! Thanks for writing from down under :) I generally use Adobe Lightroom for my post-processing. I’ll pull my edited images at that point in the Photoshop and use the Totally Rad Actions just to really make them the way I want them :) But generally contrast, warmer tones, and vignetting (black edges) is all from my presets I’ve created in Lightroom. I LOVE that program!

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Hows it going Bobby, I’ve been following your blog for a couple months now and have been impressed and inspired every step along the way. I was hoping you can give me some insight into how you got into wedding photography. I would really appreciate any advice you may have. I look forward to more of your blog posts, keep up the fantastic work. Thanks and Happy New Year, Dexter

Thanks Dexter! Wedding photography truly is one of the most rewarding jobs out there and I’m so glad I fell into it. I just had some friends getting married with little to no money, I had a camera (little Canon film rebel), and they asked me if I’d shoot. I did that twice and was hooked! Next wedding I charged and it went from there!

The biggest tip is to SHOOT! Shoot like CRAZY! Shoot for friends, family… anyone! After that? Start charging. Early on, I charged what I felt I would be worth if I messed up – not if everything went perfect. My first paying wedding was $500. My second was $600. Then I jumped to $1300. But I’ll never forget that my start was shooting some friends’ weddings for free and building my confidence :)

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Hey bobby, I’ve been super inspired by your work. I was just wondering what camera you shoot most with. And what you think about the comparison of Cannon to Nikon. I just bought a Nikon D90, but love your work some much that now i’m thinking maybe Canon is the way to go. Thanks for the wisdom.(And) maybe sometime you can show me a before and after edit? So I can see the lighting and all that jazz of a true pro. haha. Thanks, Trey

Hey Trey! This last year, I shot with (all Canon) a couple 5D’s, a 40D, and a 1D Mark IIN. The vast majority of my shooting was on the 5D. I’ve since upgraded to all 5D Mark II’s (once I get on track with time, all my old camera gear will be on sale here – hopefully next week) and LOVE the camera.

Having said that, Nikon vs. Canon has NEVER made sense to me. Your D90 is an AWESOME camera – you’ll do just fine with it ;)

As far as sharing a before and after shot? Absolutely! Shot this is Nashville a few months ago…

First thing you’ll notice is the grate on the floor taken out. Patch tool in PS. Next up, I used the TRA called “Old School” (desaturation off). Then I blurred the lower half to give it that tilt-shift effect.

A good example of a sort of blah image turning into a better image. This is one of my favorite photos of Lindsay (her first day back in Beijing after 8 years). TRA’s Grandma’s Tap Shoes (at about 60%) plus TRA’s grainstorm. I love, love, LOVE this photo :)

Here’s just about the only image I did very little to. This is as good as it gets for me when it comes to “straight out of camera” :) I used TRA’s Derelicte at about 30%.

This one has TRA’s old school (only the vignette and blur used) and pool party at about 50%.

Now serious over-processing is rarely a good thing. But taking a photo that didn’t look nearly as good when it was unprocessed and making it look great??? Well, that isn’t less legitimate photography, in my opinion. Post-processing is an incredible thing where each photographer can add his or her own personal flare too their images. Sort of a final signature :) I absolutely LOVE post-processing! I’m sure I over-process at times — but the end result is all that matters. If it ends up good, I don’t really care how that happened.

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I’m curious if this is interesting or helpful to anyone – hope it’s something along those lines (I might have made this post a bit too big, however :) Either way, I love the fact that I can (attempt to) help people where I can. Thanks again to everyone for stopping by!

Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby

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by Bobby Earle

24 comments

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Katie Slater Photography - Thanks Bobby! That was a fun read! :)January 15, 2009 - 6:07 pm

Mamacita Chilena - I enjoyed the post, love when photogs do Q&A's, definitely helpful!

My question is not how did you get into weddings, but how did you get into destination weddings specifically and how do you decide what to charge on them?

~Kyle
(posting from personal blog account, but photog blog is www.kyleheppphotography.com)January 15, 2009 - 6:28 pm

Shannon - I have been meaning to email you about your awesomeness with image processing. GREAT post!!!! :-)January 15, 2009 - 7:06 pm

Bobby Earle - Thanks Katie!

Man, that might be an article on it's own, Kyle! I should get around to talking about that sometime :)

Really appreciate it, Shannon! Post-processing is so much fun, isn't it?

BobbyJanuary 15, 2009 - 7:13 pm

erica sergio - this was awesome bobby ... thanks so much for sharing!!January 15, 2009 - 8:49 pm

Kristin - Thanks for taking the time to post this. I love hearing how you get to the final image as your post processing is always fantastic...it's even pushed me to explore new things myself since I used to be more of a very basics girl (now I'm just basics!) LOL ;)January 16, 2009 - 7:00 am

random - umm, this was...GREAT. thanks for posting, this inspires and helps so much of us!January 16, 2009 - 8:33 am

random - My name is Sheila Lory by the way, I don't know why it says random.January 16, 2009 - 8:35 am

LisaB - Totally awesome! thanks for the great information blog....January 16, 2009 - 9:28 am

Anonymous - I love this information..especially how you got started. What/who do you use for your printing? I'm finding that my images look great on the computer screen, but getting it to look just as great on print has me intimidated. If I can get the two to correlate, I think I can skyrocket. Any advice?
Thanks Bobby!
JenniferJanuary 16, 2009 - 9:39 am

sophia - This is so great of you! I live vicariously through your blog. :) I have a question on the TRA Old School: how do you turn desaturation off? Or what did you mean by that?January 16, 2009 - 9:50 am

My Sacred Corazon - Very interesting and helpful-thanks for sharing the knowledge. Keep it coming.January 16, 2009 - 10:40 am

Matt Dorroh - Great post man!January 16, 2009 - 11:35 am

Cujo - I sent you an email with one question but another has come up as well. Do you know how to drive and or hijack a helicopter? Sounds weird right but message me back and I'll fill you in.

No no people we aren't up to no good.January 16, 2009 - 12:31 pm

Danielle - Seriously, this was a great post! I was thinking about purchasing the Totally Rad Actions and I think I HAVE to now. :) I'm still learning my PSCS3 and am amazed at the photo's I would have normally tossed out becoming some of my favorites of all times! I look forward to more posts like this one. :)January 17, 2009 - 2:47 am

mark - Bobby

A while back before you got a ton of these sort of emails I was lucky enough to get an email back from you. Lisa and I have been trying to follow the advise you gave us and it's seeming to work.

I've got 5 weddings scheduled for 2009 with 2 more almost confirmed. The great part is one of the five weddings is in the Dominican Republic! It's all very exciting for me being that this my first year as a wedding photographer.

So thank you for your advise. I think your career is just starting and I'm excited to see where it goes!

I do have a couple questions for you.

Do you shoot formals?

How often do you use a flash such as the 580ex?

We are currently using the 20D and 30D. I'm thinking of buying a used 5d Mk1. I wish I could buy the Mk11 but can justify it right now. How Is the 5d Mk1 in relation to the iso noise?

Thanks,
MarkJanuary 17, 2009 - 5:55 am

Josh Jones - Thanks for posting! Very useful!January 17, 2009 - 6:58 am

andrew arthur - This blog's alright...if you want some real entertainment come check out this site
www.andrewarthurphotography.blogspot.com
PEOPLE...PLEASE COMMENT :)January 18, 2009 - 7:21 pm

Janie - Great post, thank you!January 19, 2009 - 8:08 am

Anonymous - Stumbled onto your site through POTN and your pics have truly inspired me to shoot more.

Thanks for sharing your before and after shots..it's great to find a pro willing to share their knowledge.

Best-
H.January 19, 2009 - 11:23 am

Dexter - Hey Bobby
thanks so much for answering my question, I was beginning to lose hope from not hearing from you :[ jk haha. Again, I appreciate the advise, and keep up the great work.January 19, 2009 - 10:38 pm

Bobbie - I loved this post! Thanks for your insight...January 21, 2009 - 5:29 pm

Gary Ruddell - Tell you what Bobby, it's rare that you get a guy so open and honest as you. Keep it up. People will absolutely love you for it!January 22, 2009 - 4:19 pm

Trey Dillon - I was looking through the blog. And found a e-mail I sent you. Kinda surprising, but very cool. Thanks for answering it. Very inspiring and insightful. Your a cool guy.

From your Ywam friend,
Trey Dillon PontiusJanuary 28, 2009 - 8:35 pm