This is how I feel! This is actually my sister Rebecca at her wedding. Although I wasn’t the official photographer (I was in the wedding party), this is when the idea of being a wedding photographer began to take shape.

I am so excited!! I received my acceptance email from the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA). This is a huge professional accomplishment for me because not everyone’s application is accepted. I am honored to be welcomed into a community of such accomplished and talented photographers!

Quoted from the WPJA website:

“The Wedding Photojournalist Association is a highly screened, critical organization. Less than 5% of wedding photographers out there qualify for membership.”

“The Wedding Photojournalist Association grants membership to the most talented professional wedding photographers in the industry–photographers who focus solely on using their photography skills in documenting weddings.”

This weekend I was so excited to be able to attend a portion of the New Hampshire Professional Photographer’s Association Annual Conference held at the North Conway Grand Hotel in North Conway, NH. It’s about a 3 hour drive from Nashua to North Conway and I was able to drive through the White Mountain National Forest on the Kancamagus Scenic Byway and get some great pictures. I was so glad it was overcast because the waterfall pictures come out so much better in this type of light, plus I can really lower my shutter speed and get that smooth water look. The first two pictures above are Sabbaday Falls, a short hike off of the Kancamagus Highway. The third picture is taken just off the side of the road and the fourth is Mt. Washington from North Conway. I was suprised to see snow!

I learned so much at the conference in the short time I was there. Saturday evening started off with a presentation by Gary Thibeault on Capture to Delivery. This was an interesting seminar on digital workflow and I was glad to see that I was following a similar workflow. Having a good workflow is extremely important so you don’t waste time. One tip that I learned which I definitely am going to do is to save copies of images in different folders that I might use in the future for my website, advertising or competitions. This will be a real timesaver, so I don’t have to go back through thousands of images when it is time to update my advertising and website.

Sunday morning I attended another Photoshop seminar presented by Paul Charest. He presented a lot of Photoshop shortcuts to save time but I kept bouncing between his seminar and the print competition judging in the next room, which I found extremely interesting. I did not enter any prints because I really wanted to see how prints were presented as well as the judging process. The most interesting aspect of the judging was when there was a challenge and the judges talked about the pros and cons of a print and why they judged it the way they did.

After lunch Andie Goodman and Jane Lydick-Staid presented “Weddings and Perceived Value.” Some great ideas on how to market wedding photography and add value to your services. I wish I could have stayed for the next two days but I had previous commitments. I definitely would have like to have seen the final results of the print competition.

This past Easter Sunday I got to spend the day with the Murphy family. Margaret is just about to turn one year’s old and was a delight to photograph. This is one of my favorite from the day.

This year I am making some considerable investments in upgrading my camera lenses. Lenses are just as important as your camera, if not more so, especially for the fast pace and the low light conditions found often at weddings. Lenses need to be fast! I just purchased a Sigma 28-70 2.8 from Hunts Photo and Video. I had been considering the Sigma 24-70 2.8 lens but after testing the lenses at the store the 24-70 seemed to be slightly slower.

Of course when I came home, London became my model. This picture was taken indoors at ISO 800, 1/80 s, 2.8f, with no flash. I LOVE it! I was very impressed that their was very little “noise” at such a high ISO. The Nikon D70’s can create a lot of “noise” in images, especially above 1000. I am really looking forward to taking a lot of natural light images at weddings now!

My biggest investment will be when I purchase the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR lens. I tested this lens at my last wedding and WOW was I impressed. I knew after that wedding that I needed to buy it.

I recently met with a couple who is getting married next summer and one of the questions they asked me was how soon they should book the photographer. No matter who you choose, when you find a photographer that meets or exceeds all that you are looking for, book them right away. Photographers do not guarantee dates until the contract and retainer fee has been paid and it is never too early to book any vendor, including your photographer. It would be awful to have your hopes set on a photographer only to find that another couple had booked the date before you.

This weekend Brendan had a workshop in Maine, which gave me the opportunity to get out explore and take some pictures. Brendan’s worskhop was in Waterville so I decided to I spend the day in Hallowell which is a charming town just outside of Augusta situated on the shores of the Kennebec River. The day started out rainy, but cleared with sun shining brightly most of the morning. The main street is lined with old buildings filled with quaint little stores full of books, antiques, arts and crafts. I love these old buildings, they have details that you don’t find in buildings today. As I was wondering the streets, I came upon the library, which was in this building that looked like it was once a church…old stonework and beautiful stained glass windows. The interior was very warm and welcoming and they had wonderful chairs to curl up and read a good book. I also wandered into an antique store that was so packed with lighting fixtures and furniture that it was hard to move around. I could have spent hours in there taking pictures. There are also beautiful old homes and a Kennebec River Rail Trail to enjoy.