You have got to love the kids that come in to the studio and want to just go go go. That was definitely Jack. Once I mentioned doing a photo sicking his tongue out he was hooked on it, along with many other versions of his own made up funny faces. He loved having me take one and then running back to check it out on the camera. So here is Jack and a few of his funny faces.

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 9:30 PM | Permalink

On Sunday, Ashley and I got out for a chilly but fun engagement session with Jennifer and Justin. We did all we could to have a good time despite the cold temps. They said they were up for anything, which they probably quickly regretted as it lead to a snow fight and climbing through the snow to a bench in the middle of nowhere. Below are a few of our favorite shots.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:28 PM | Permalink

Ashley and I were asked to take part in Juice Magazine's photo issue on newsstands today. We listed out our top 5 locations to take wedding and engagement photos. You can see our list below and check out the article on Juice's website here. We had a fun time putting the list together and taking part. Thanks to Juice for letting us help out.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 8:30 AM | Permalink

Ashley and I follow a lot of photography blogs. We follow the blogs of MANY local photographers from Des Moines, Ames, Omaha, Iowa City, Dubuque, Kansas City, Minneapolis and many other Midwest cities. We also follow the blogs of photographers from all around the United States and across the world. As photographers we are always striving to learn and grow. A good photographer gets better by looking at other's photos, thoughts, and wisdom as well as a LOT of trial and error on our own time with our own kids. They make excellent photo props.

As we follow all these blogs we have noticed a repeating and persistent topic as of late. A lot of photographers are concerned with effect of so called "Craig's List Photographers." Also known as $500 photographers or fly by their seat photographers, etc. We've heard them called many things. As photographers we also have an opinion on these "types" of photographers....beware that this post may contain many quotation marks. Feel free to do the air quotes along as you read.

So what have we seen most photographers saying? I am not directly quoting anyone but what I keep hearing and seeing is a constant push to keep these photographers down and degrade them in many different ways. A funny catch phrase is "We fix $500 weddings." Kind of like the commercial with the haircut place that fixes $6 haircuts. The effect on the high end photographers should remain minimal. Why some of them are threatened by $500 wedding photographers when they costs start at $3500 is beyond me. What bride and groom actually have a photographer budget between $500 and $3500?

While photographers operate at many different levels each tends to cater to a certain budget of bride and groom. Price ranges do not tend to be in such wide ranges that they are effected by changes in this area. If someone is looking for a $500 wedding photographer on Craig's List, the $3500 wedding photographer was never in the equation.

So what does it mean for you? The bride and groom searching for their wedding photographer. Should they avoid "Craig's List" photographers? No. Should you do your homework and a little research before making a decision? Yes. (As you should anyway) Photographers on Craig's List are typically just starting out. That is why their price is in the low range. Don't shy away from them just because they are on Craig's List as many photographers are now using Craig's List as a viable advertising solution. It's free isn't it. And who doesn't look at Craig's List these days.

So what can you do to help verify that the $500 photographer is worth a chance?

#1. See their photos. See as many of their photos as you can. Even someone shooting weddings on their own for the first time should have shot weddings as a second shooter for a more seasoned photographer. Things to look for with the photos:

• Do any subjects look out of focus?
• Do the people in the photos look bright compared to everything around them (they should not be very much brighter than their background)?
• Do they stand out from the background (the photos should have a little "3D" effect to them), backgrounds should be soft?
• Do they subjects have shadows behind them like someone has put them in a spotlight. This tends to happen when photographers use direct flash and shoot the flash right at the subject. Most photographers should be using some sort of diffuser or bouncing their flashes off of the ceiling to soften the light.

#2. Check references if available. Not have any references should tell you that they have a very limited work experience with weddings. Talk to at least 3 references and make sure you are not just getting close friends or family.

#3. Asks some questions about their cameras. Photographers demand a lot from their cameras. Knowing the tools and how to use them is vital. If a photographer puts the camera in Auto, the Canon green box, they are probably not getting the most from their camera and certainly not giving you the most with your photos.

#4. Have them tell you about a wedding they once shot. What challenges did they face? This shows growth. A $500 wedding photographer should be learning and growing. If they can identify challenges they have faced, they will learn from them and do better in the future. If they can not identify challenges, they probably are not working towards expanding their knowledge and growth.

#5. Ask them the rundown of ten questions from About.com's wedding planning section. You can find it here. There are many lists out there and all of them have good legitimate questions. Ask them in person and watch their reaction to each question to see how they respond. Do they look worried? Nervous?

So as a photographer I am not discouraging the use of $500 Craig's List photographers. I am simply saying do your homework. Everyone has to start somewhere. You have to get the first big opportunity and the advertising avenue that Craig's List provides is great.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 1:03 PM | Permalink

Ashley has photographed little Caleb several times now. Each time he gets more and more comfortable with the whole photo shoot idea. This time he really came out of his shell and had a great time. You can check out the photos below.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 6:32 PM | Permalink

Teagan just hit the one-year milestone and her big brother CJ just turned 6 years old. These two are great to photograph. Happy belated birthdays Teagan and and CJ.

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 2:09 PM | Permalink

Have you ever heard of formspring? It's a really interesting website where individuals can setup an account and be asked questions, any question you'd like. I came across the website via photographer Tony Hoffer from Philadelphia, PA. We've followed his blog for some time now and he's mentioned this site, if you don't follow Tony's blog....start. I think it's a great opportunity for us to answer any questions you may have. The best part.....you can ask anonymously. Ask whatever you'd like. Questions about photo shoots, pricing, gear, photography, how we took a specific picture....anything. Ask away.

Ask here: Nuzum Photo Formspring

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:10 AM | Permalink

This week I had the GREAT opportunity to photograph little Oliver. Barely a week old now and such a handsome little guy. Oliver is the son of Shea and Denny with whom we have worked with a couple times since their wedding last year. You can check out those blog post here and here. Below are some of my favorite shots from the shoot.

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 3:45 PM | Permalink

Earlier this week I photographed little Greta and boy is she on the move. She is your typical 9 month old, crawling away as soon as you set her lose. Below are a few of my favorites.

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 8:12 AM | Permalink

Thinking about having family photos taken soon? Or even later? Trying to decide whether or not to go outdoors or have them taken it he studio. What some advice? Already made up your mind? Just curious as to our thoughts...? We get asked all the time whether we recommend indoor or outdoor shoots. Let us dive into this question and our answer.

There are many things that we can take complete control over in the studio. Lighting, background, props, etc. Outdoors we are at the mercy of our environment. The weather plays a very important role outdoors. Bright sun, overcast, rain, or snow. Certainly the time of year that you are wanting to have your photos taken will dictate some of your decision making. However, don't be afraid to venture outdoors even when the weather is a little frightful. We have and will take photos in pretty much any weather condition. Snow? No problem. Rain? Sounds like fun. A lot of times our photo shoots in bad weather take on a life of their own and become some of the best photos we do. You have to let go and have fun. Relaxed, laid back and easy going fit our style perfectly.

Having said that, the age of your children will play a big role in that as well. If the kids are old enough to walk outdoors will be great. If the kids are unable to walk, but it is nice out, still a great idea. It is when the weather turns bad and the child can't walk that things get messy. There are times when studio is always preferred over outdoors...but very rarely. For all other photo shoots we would prefer to shoot outdoors. When we are on a walk during a photo shoot we have the ability to search and find new and unique photos. In the studio we are limited by what is on hand. Outdoors we have no limit. Creativity outside of the studio is always much higher than in a studio.

Don't be afraid to take a chance and do a photo shoot in the snow, rain, or outdoors anywhere. Be conscious of the age of the kids and make good choices based on the subject.

Our preference, outdoors....in any weather. The reality, outdoors is not always an option.

Here is a great example of heading outside and getting a little bit of everything....This was a family photo session that Ashley shot back in October.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 3:25 PM | Permalink

On February 6th, Ashley and I photographed Lisa and Jeremy's wedding at St. Ambrose in downtown Des Moines. It was a cool day, but not terribly cold...thankfully this wasn't a wedding that I had to wear gloves at. Lisa and Jeremy were great to work with. They were fun and open to whatever we had in mind all while being incredibly laid back and relaxed on their big day. That always makes it great for photos. We had some awesome opportunities to take photos in between ceremony and reception. After a brief break, where Ashley and I hit Jimmy John's and Starbucks...great break, we met at the Hotel Ft. Des Moines. The hotel was very quite and we were able to get a lot of shots around the hotel including the infamous "jump picture" in a small ballroom adjacent to the reception location, classic shots in the elevators, and some fun ones in the phone booths on the main floor. All in all the day was an awesome success. Working with Lisa, Jeremy, families, and friends was a great time. Check out some of the photos below!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Ashley and I are excited about this latest contest. We are going to be putting something new together. We are working on adding Engagement Story videos to our wedding packages. They aren't there yet, but to get us started we are going to be giving away two free ones! These videos will be like "behind the ring" for your engagement. We will sit you down talk to you about meeting and getting engaged. Shoot some photos and video and then mix it all together into a quick video that tells your story....sound fun? We think so too. So how to win one?

Step 1: Take an awesome self portrait of you and your fiance like these below.
Step 2: Send an email with that photo attached plus your name and phone number to Contest@myfrozenmoment.com
Step 3: We will select one couple based on the skill and creativity displayed in the self portrait and one random winner from all the rest. TWO winners!

So who's eligible. This contest is open to any engaged couple who will not be married before June 30, 2010. You may already be booked with us, still eligible. You may have already had your engagement photos taken, still eligible.

The Simple Rules:
1. Must be engaged and not getting married before June 30, 2010.
2. Must send photo and contact info before March 31, 2010. Winner will be notified on April 14, 2010.
3. Must schedule and complete the video shoot before June 30, 2010.
4. Your self portrait and final video will be posted to our blog sometime after the shoot.

Get shooting and sending those emails...talk to you soon!




This would be Ashley and I hanging out before a shoot!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 10:10 PM | Permalink

 

 

 
 

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 2:50 PM | Permalink

So everyone searches the Internet and finds a list of questions to ask their potential photographers.  There are so many important aspects of photographing a wedding and trying to pick the best match for you from a list of questions can be very tough.  Today's top photographers are producing images that are very similar.  There is then a big drop off to the next tier of photographers and they are all producing similar images.  The rapid development of new equipment and the cost of the equipment dropping has allowed the market to open up and allow many start-up photographers in.

What this means to you is that once you find a group of photographers with styles you like, you need to meet with them and make sure the chemistry is there.  The most important part of hiring your photographer is knowing that you can spend the day with them.  Personalities have to match up or you may find conflict with your photographer on the wedding day. To help your meeting be more about personalities and details than about asking these questions we have taken the photographer question list from weddings.about.com and given you our answers below.  

1. What’s your primary style? Posed and formal, relaxed, photojournalistic, creative, artistic, candid, traditional? While Ashley and I encompass many different styles during a wedding shoot, we are most likely to be shooting in a relaxed and photo-journalistic style.  The idea is to capture the story of your wedding day without being a part of your wedding day.  We should act as guests all the while not compromising the quality or creativity of your photos.
   
   
2. Do you shoot in color or black and white? Or both? Do you shoot in a digital format that can create both color and b/w versions of the same picture? Ashley and I shoot everything digital...people still use film?  I joke.  Film still has it's place.  With everything being shot digital we can do pretty much endless editing afterwards with the ability to convert any photo to black and white or sepia or etc...  The reality is though that some photos just make better b&w versions than others.  As Ashley edits the photos she makes the determinations and creates the versions as she goes.
   
   
3. What kind of input can we have on the direction of the shots? Can we give you a shot list to work from? This is a great question.  The answer is ALWAYS a ton and YES.  While you have hired us to be there and shoot your wedding you have also given us the creative freedom to put our personal touch on your wedding photos.  This does not mean that we dictate every photo taken.  We know what we normally get (during formals) but are always wanting to know exactly what you want.
   
   
4. Are you the wedding photographer who will actually take our pictures? If not, can we meet the person who will be? One of my favorite questions to answer.  Ashley and I ARE Nuzum Photo.  So yes.  While sometimes one of us may not be able to make a wedding you will always have one of us at your wedding.  Because we always shoot with two photographers we then bring along a second photographer.  In 2009 we both shot every wedding.  36 total.
   
   
5. Can we meet any assistants who will also be taking pictures? As mentioned in the above question, Ashley and I shoot the majority of weddings.  The only occasions where she would miss are unforeseen events.  So the likely hood of being able to meet that second photographer so close to your wedding would be unlikely.  We'd like to think that you'd trust our judgment in who we bring along.
   
   
6. How many times have you worked specifically as a wedding photographer? How many were similar to the size and formality of our wedding? To answer part one...as of today, 02.04.10, Ashley and I have shot 70 weddings (nice round number, 71 as of this Saturday...early congratulations Lisa and Jeremy!) The second part is a wedding by wedding answer.  But to give you an idea we have shot weddings with as many as 28 in the wedding party and some with just the bride and groom.
   
   
7. How many other events will you also photograph that weekend? Another of my favorite questions to answer.  We only book one wedding or event on a day.  That allows us to focus on one couple and give them our full attention.  How can anyone focus on you and your big day if they are thinking about the wedding they have to go to later or were at earlier?  With Ashley and I it's all about you.
   
   
8. What kind of equipment will you bring with you? How intrusive will lighting, tripods, other equipment or assistants be? For the equipment we use see this blog post. As mentioned Ashley and I want to be as invisible as possible, but we do bring lighting with us.  We rarely use tripods and only use off camera lighting during the formal photos.  We typically have one big chest that carries our light stands and lights and two backpacks with camera gear.  The light stands and the chest they come in disappear after we finish formal photos.
   
   
9. Do you develop your own film? No (were all digital), but Ashley does all of the editing of the photos. 
   
   
10. Can we buy the negatives from you? The best answer to give yet...All of our wedding packages come with ALL of the full-resolution digital negatives.  How great is that?
    

 

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 8:51 AM | Permalink

This article is for the fellow photographers out there. Non-photographer?  Read on anyway. 

From time to time we get emails asking what camera or lens we used on a shot or what we prefer to use.  My answer is usually the same.  "Regardless of gear, here is how I took the shot."  The reality is no matter what gear you use every photo starts with seeing an image and making a photo.  You have to be able to visualize the moment and capture it in the most unique and intriguing way.  The gear is just the tool you use to do it.  Some gear makes capturing photos easier or provides a wider range of flexibility in your work.  Either way, an images starts long before you get to what gear is being used.

 

 

 

Ashley and I use all Canon camera gear.  All of our cameras, lenses, and flashes are Canon.  No particular reason why.  It was just what we decided we liked best.  We used to have an old Minolta but that thing is a dinosaur now and can't even come close to the range of the Canon gear we use today. Using all Canon makes it easier to switch between one camera and the next.  Don't have to worry about which lenses are compatible with which cameras or flashes or anything else.  Everything is the Canon EOS system and can be used interchangeably.  

So what about Nikon.  The debate grows stronger as to whether or not Canon is better than Nikon or Nikon better than Canon.  Does it really matter?  Some argue that Canon is better for sports and Nikon better for portraits.  Does it really matter?  As I said before, the equipment is the last step before the image is captured.  Making the image and the photo starts early.  We don't know exactly how we started using Canon, but it was the decision we made. 

Here is a quick rundown of the gear we use:

Cameras:

Canon 7d

Canon 50d

Canon 30d

Canon 350d

4 x 2-Battery Grip (Model Varies by Camera)

Lenses:

Canon 15mm Fisheye

Canon 50mm f/1.8

Canon 85mm f/1.2

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8

Flashes:

4 x Canon 580ex II

Use All Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries

Memory Cards:

4 x SanDisk 32GB Extreme

4 x SanDisk 16GB Extreme

Studio Equipment:

4 x Standard SL150 Strobes

4 x PocketWizard II

4 x 36" Shoot Thru Umbrellas

2 x 20"x30" Softboxes

1 x 46" Photek Softliter

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 1:42 AM | Permalink

Ashley and I are in NO way wedding planners.  But we've certainly seen our fair share of weddings.  Starting today we have a new page up at nuzumphoto.com just for wedding planning.  This page will grow and change as time goes on.  We just wanted to give anyone a place where they can access wedding planning ideas and communities.  We are not affiliated with any of the information displayed or linked to from our site.  The page is designed to get you started or help get you motivated to power through the planning.  A lot of planning is done up front and then most people take a big break in the middle before finishing up the planning as the day gets closer.  Hopefully our page will send you to relevant and useful websites!  Let us know if you have any thoughts on how we can help improve the page for current and future brides. 

 

As of today, the page is just a Twitter feed of relevant Twitter accounts.  More is on the way...promise.

 

Visit the page at nuzumphoto.com/weddingplanning.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:42 AM | Permalink

Yes!  Harness the power of the Internet.  Here is a widget that we will be adding to the website VERY soon.  Check out some wedding planning related tweets below!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 4:12 PM | Permalink