John Burchell Photography

I went by the camera shop today to pick up a few things and I got to meet the local Nikon rep.  I got my hands on a D300 and took a couple of shots there in the store.  This is definitely one sweet camera!  This camera is the high end amateur/pro version and has a lot of the same features the Pro D3 has.  Some of the features worth mentioning:

• a New 12.3 Megapixel DX-Format CMOS Sensor
• 3.0-inch super density VGA color monitor for viewing with 170 degree wide angle viewing.
• Continuous shooting up to 6 frames per second and 8 frames per second with the battery pack.
• FAST 51 point autofocus with 3d Focus Tracking
• Nikon Exclusive Scene Recognition System for more intelligent auto exposure/white balance.
• Dynamic Integrated Dust Reduction System that is a self cleaning sensor unit

Plus a few more things.  I had a blast with the new 51 point autofocus tracking, continuous shooting and the 3 inch view monitor is a dream!  The camera shop had them on sale for around $1,400.00, which seems to be a really good deal.  I’m real tempted to upgrade, but I’m sticking to my plan and upgrade next year.  If you’re into Nikon Camera, or even if you’re not, thats one sweet camera.  It is hot!

It supports Wi-Fi, so you have the camera store the images you shoot straight to your computer!  I could go on, but Ken Rockwell has already outlined this camera quite well.  I’ve been eye-ing his post and it was a real pleasure to actually get my hands on one of these things.

If you’re in Midwest City, you should drive through Joe B. Barnes Park after dark. Enter from SE 15th Street, just west of Douglas Blvd. Turn north into the park and and see the Christmas Light Display they have there.

A very large Colorful Light Christmas Tree.

A Great looking Nativity Scene

Happy Birthday Jesus

Choosing a wedding photographer isn’t an easy thing to do, I know. As someone looking for a wedding photographer, the photographers are plentiful, their packages are even more daunting and then there is calculating the cost. On the itsjustmoney blog, they can really identify:

We decided that we would see 10 photographers. A lot, I know. But that’s just the type of people we are. As organized as we felt, we kept having a difficult time comparing the different photographers. We realized that the problem was that each had their own customized package”..

and after trying to figure out the exact package items, they go on to say:

“Ultimately, we found that quality sorted itself out. The mediocre photographers never really made out list. Personality was huge, but couldn’t overcome quality. We were turned off by photographers trying to be salespeople. Yes, it’s a business (and one heck of a business at that), but let your work speak volumes, and be cool.”

The most important part seems to be in finding the photographer you really want to work with. The one that creates the quality you’re looking for and the one who has the personality you can work with. Everything else in the “package” provides items you may or may not want. As a photographer, I know those choices can lead to more confusion, but a one-size fits all package just won’t work either. I would LOVE it if a a bride and groom were able to come to me as educated to know exactly what they wanted, that way I could give them a price based on that. That way, I’d know they were going to get everything they wanted. Nobody likes to be stuck with something they didn’t like! The difficulty in trying to please everyone with a single “Package” is that it will never please everyone.

I have looked at what other photographers are offering in their “packages” but what other photographers offer, doesn’t really give anyone the true picture of what most people want. After all, there are almost an infinite amount of options and products. I’ve been developing a new structure that doesn’t lock people into taking things they don’t want, or having to barter for things they do. I got some great ideas from Dawn Muncy, http://www.muncyphotography.com where she has everything priced individually. “The more you buy, the more you are rewarded - the more you save” is her motto. I really like it and I’m working on adapting the same type of pricing. If you’re anywhere near Enid, Oklahoma, and you need portraits, you should go see her, she’s an incredible photographer!  You should go see her anyway even if you don’t need portraits because they are really great people!

In choosing a photographer:

1. Make sure they can produce the quality of work you want.
2. Make sure you feel comfortable with them and that you can get along.
3. Make sure you can get what you want without a lot of hassle.

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer, I hope you’ll look at my gallery section to see the quality of my work. I’d love to talk with you anytime to see how well we get along!

Good Luck in making your choice.

This weekend, the first weekend after Thanksgiving, is going to be fun! I’m basically having a big party at the home studio. Several people have been invited and it should be a lot of fun. So far, 7 have committed to showing up, but there may be as many as 10 or 12! I have music, drinks and maybe even some finger food. ( I hope they like turkey!)

There are still some slots open because they are coming in groups. Contact me asap if you want to be added to the list.

Update I only have one slot left, from 3:00 to 4:00. I appreciate all the interest everyone has had and am excited about everyone coming to have their portraits made. It’s going to be a lot of fun, I can’t wait!

I’ve been trying out different templates for a couple of months, and this one seems to fit really well.  I enjoy the the ease and layout of it, but I’m missing the Calendar.  The template name is HemingwayEx and is actually still in beta, but I like it and I think I’ll try it out a while longer.

I’ve also put a Gallery page into the mix, so you’ll be able to see more of my work.  I’m about to be updating all of my Gallery Images soon, but for now, there are two Galleries:

1. The “Product Photography Examples” gallery, which is in transition. Meaning most of those images will stay, but they will need to be updated a bit.

2. The General Gallery of Photographic Examples has a lot of my older work and that gallery will probably go away.

Please comment on what you think about it and any content you might find here!

Here is a list of people that are in the business of making your special day perfect. I’ll be adding to the list over time, but here are a few things to get you started.

• Wedding Planners
• Wedding Gowns
• Cake Decorator

Google has some really wonderful tools. I discovered how to create a “customized search engine” and found this very helpful while studying and learning about taking better photos. Anyone can create their own search engine from here: http://www.google.com/coop/cse/, but if you’re looking for one that gives great results for tips on the internet for taking better photos, you can use the one I set up.

I’ve been using this for a while and I really get what I’m looking for quick, as long as I’m looking for tips and ideas to make my photos Better.

I’m not a huge fan of prepared lists because they can take away from my creativity. When I have to concentrate on a list of traditional photos I tend to lose a bit of creative sight. Most photographers will end up taking those photos anyway but making them an absolute requirement takes a lot away from the photojournalistic approach. But there are a list of “Must-Have” shots that I figure are automatic and go without saying, but here is the list of all the photographs to get.

Bride dressing for ceremony, dress on chair/bed, full-length solo, with parents, with mother/father seperately, with sisters/brothers, grandparents, flower girl. Bride with maid of honor, with attendants.

Groom Garter toss, getting dressed, full-length solo, with parents, mother/father seperately, with grandparents, sisters/brothers, with best man and groomsmen.

Ceremony Groom and Brides parents being seated, bridesmaids walking down the aisle, flower girl, ring bearer walking down aisle. Bride and father approahcing altar. Bride’s father giving her hand to the groom. Exchanging vows, unity candle, ring ceremony, the kiss, Mr. & Mrs. walking down the aisle.

Ring-Bearers/Flower Girls These jobs are very important and we must get these. I know I already mentioned them, but these wind up to be so much fun!

Recessional Formal bride and groom. Newlyweds together, with parents, with entire bridal party. Close-ups of bride and groom clasped hands with ring.

Reception Receiving line, guests and bridal party. Cake table, cutting the cake, feeding the cake. Best man toast. Newlyweds toasting each other. Cake and punch servers. Musicians. Newlyweds first dance, guests dancing, father daughter dance, bouquet toss, groom removing garter, tossing the garter. Newlyweds getting into limousine/carriage, newlyweds in limousine/carriage.

Last weekend, I assisted Larry Foster on another beautiful wedding that took place at the crystal bridge, Downtown Oklahoma City.  He managed to get several really awesome artful photos and I think the bride and the groom were happy.  I didn’t have the opportunity to take any photos this time, there just wasn’t really enough room for a second photographer during the ceremony.   Also, the area where the ceremony was held was very dark, almost no ambient light whatsoever.

There was beautiful food, an great looking unique cake design, dancing, laughing and a great time.  It was a fun wedding to be able to attend.  The bride and groom posed for the final shot, which was taken outside.  It was really great the weather wasn’t too cold for them to come out for that photograph, because that one turned out really well!

In my searchings on the internet, I came across a cake decorator named Erica in the Edmond, Ok area.  She had a simple ad posted and I contacted her.  She sent me some photos of her cakes and I was totally impressed!

Now, I’ve been to a few weddings and I’ve seen a few cakes and those are a couple of really creative designs.  Erica seems like a neat lady and I’m sure she’d love to hear from you if you’re going to be needing a cake for your wedding, engagement, baby shower or anniversary.  She is currently working on her own website, but I’ve got her contact info below.  She’s also studying to be a graphics designer, something that will probably help with her creativity in designing her cakes.  She also said she’s making a three-tiered cake this weekend for a 50th wedding anniversary. 

I’ll be looking forward to getting some photos of that for her before it’s all gone.

If you want to get in touch with Erica, here’s her contact info and a few more of her delicious looking cakes:

Erica
Reach her by email at: cravincake@cox.net
or reach her by phone at:  405-641-0676