Editor’s Notes Edition No. 02 (just for photographers!) is all about shooting details! If you haven’t read our first Editor’s Notes article about publication, you can do so here! Today’s post is all about the importance of shooting details and how to improve those images! All of the amazing examples are by one of my absolute favorite photographers (who subsequently rocks at detail shots) Lane Dittoe!

*All images by Lane Dittoe

If you’ve been anywhere near a wedding blog within the last few years, it’s likely you know how important “detail shots” are to editors. Knowing what details to shoot and how to shoot them can make a big difference between getting published (consistently) and wasting precious hours shopping around images that just aren’t cut out for publication. But why, you ask, are details so important? The honest-to-goodness, no-patty-cake-I’m-worried-about-your-feelings-answer is this:

Readers come to blogs for ideas first—not for your amazingly awesome photography.

Ideas, usually in the form of detail shots, run the gamut: fab flowers, DIY projects, color palette inspiration, et al. Readers obviously love gorgeous images of the bride and groom, and they obviously know your work is amazing! But mostly, blogs exist to supply ideas—to help brides and readers find the next big idea for their own wedding, home and life. We need you for those ideas. You are the vehicle. Editors rely on you for this content (as well as really inspired brides that keep coming up with great stuff you shoot) so I’m not saying you aren’t important. But recognizing what editors and readers want is the best way to improve your chances for publication. So if publication—read: free advertising—is an important part of your own personal marketing endeavors, then read on! Here is an honest list of editor’s suggestions to help you improve those detail shots, get yourself published, and ultimately, book those brides!

1. Zoom in Zoom Out

When you are shooting a particular detail or set up, remember to zoom in and zoom out! When scrolling through submissions, I often notice a really great detail that might be sitting on a table, but it’s surrounded by lots of other distracting items. Zooming in allows you to get us a full frame shot of the detail and see it close up. On the other hand, zooming out is important so we can see the context of the detail at hand…we want to know where it was placed, how it was hung up, and how the entire scene looked as a whole. Here’s a great example of this technique: Shoot the whole wedding cake (fill the frame). Zoom in to shoot the cake topper then zoom out to shoot the entire cake table. All three perspectives are important.

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2. Shot List

If you don’t already have a shot list, get one! Every wedding has a list of standard details that we (and our readers) want to see. You’d be surprised how often photographers pass on shooting close up details of a killer dress (read: not hung up on a hanger) or how often I wish I could have seen a clean shot of the bridesmaid bouquet or the boutonnieres. Brides always provide at least some details, and while not every wedding can get published, it definitely helps your chances if you go in with a shot list and make a habit of shooting the standard stuff! (For more on a specific shot list, stand by. We’ve got an article cooking with all the specifics!)

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3. Style It!

Hotel carpet is ugly! Hotel chairs usually are too. So when you are shooting bouquets, stationery, jewelry, shoes, etc do your best to find a clean background to shoot them on, rather than the ugly carpet or out-dated chairs in the bride’s dressing room. Also, salt-and-pepper shakers (and other types of distractions–ugly cake cutting utensils, tables crowded with dishware and butter plates, ugly ballroom carpet, et al) are my pet peeve. So many great details are lost because ugly stuff gets in the way! These distractions prevent viewers from being able to focus on the subject of your image. Don’t be afraid to “style” your shots. Direct the bride, move the details, find a cool chair–do what it takes to secure a clean shot!

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4. Right Angles

Weird camera angles are often times really distracting. Wonky perspectives also look gross when we’re pairing two vertical images (which bloggers do a lot!) So while I’m all about supporting your artsy ideas, make sure you give us straight on, clean shots to choose from. Also, vary your perspectives…some photographers are in the habit of shooting just horizontal, while others often send me just vertical. It’s nice to have a mix.

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5. Keep It Clean!

Editors are love photography that has minimal distractions – read: WHITE SPACE! Shooting details is really like still life photography so take that approach into consideration. One of the biggest differences between sought after photographers and the rest of the crowd is the ability to compose images that are clean, fresh and free from clutter.

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6. Coordinate!

If you don’t normally have time to shoot details, then see what you can do about scheduling it in ahead of time with the bride and/or coordinator. If it’s a priority to get published, then planning plenty of time to shoot details is very important! As a plus, the florist (and all the other creative vendors) will thank you for great shots of her work (you send her those images, right?).

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7. When in Doubt, Blow it Out!

Blowing out your background helps keep beautiful details in the foreground as a strong subject. This technique is underused, yet very much appreciated by editors! Get rid of those distractions!!!

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8. Think Big Picture

At the very beginning of the wedding, ask the bride her color scheme and/or theme for the wedding. Take note of this. The bride may not really have tons of awesome details, but that’s okay. Look for things throughout the day, whether or not it’s something provided by the bride, that incorporates those colors and use them.

The color is yellow. You’re walking by a lemon tree on the premises of the hotel? Shoot it. You’re walking by a wall that is yellow? Shoot the bride in front of it. One of the guests is wearing a yellow dress? Have that guest hold the guestbook. And shoot it. You get my drift right? Use what’s around you (especially if it works with the look and feel of the wedding) to add unplanned detail shots to help the wedding get published. Don’t forget to use the venue! If you can train yourself to think like a stylist (even a little bit) and consider the theme and color of the wedding, it’ll help when you are composing your shots. Take a step back and keep your eyes open for those detail opportunities!

****All images by Lane Dittoe

I’m so thrilled to announce the beginning of a new column that I’ve had in mind for several months now–Editor’s Notes! This column is strictly for the edification of photographers out there who are as much a part of our reader community as brides. With over 2 million weddings annually, 77% of couples are turning to the internet to help with wedding planning (while 67% turn to bridal magazines!). New media continues to grow as a source for brides, and blogs will further offer an ever-increasing influential platform for photographers. Getting your work noticed by editors, and your real weddings accepted for publication is an invaluable marketing resource. More than ever before, many photographers are anxious to know: How do I get my work published?

Here’s where Editor’s Notes comes in. For the last few years, I’ve spent hours and hours every day examining photographers’ work. My job is to edit through all those images to pick out photographs that not only feature great content, but that are also well-shot. I’ve often passed on a wedding, not because the content and details weren’t fabulous, but because the photographer didn’t shoot their details in a presentation that is suitable for publication. There are small simple fixes that can be done to improve the rate of publication, and I’m burning to share this knowledge with you! While I can’t tell you how to go about creating a great image, I can tell you how editors, like myself, identify great images. I can tell you what we’re looking for, what we like and what we don’t, and what you can do to improve your chances of publication.

But first, before we get down to the nitty gritty, for our first post, I wanted to bring in a photographer who has run the ropes of publication, and has some interesting insight to share about the value of getting your work featured. Michael Norwood utilized new media to his advantage, and quickly booked his first wedding season with the aid of online sources. His thoughts here give weight to the value of publication.

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When you started your photography business, how do you think brides began to discover you?

When I began my photography business wedding blogs weren’t really a “thing” yet.  At the time wedding forums (TheKnot, WeddingBee, Project Wedding…etc) were a huge source of referrals for me.  I’d shoot an engagement session or wedding and once it had been blogged on my site, brides would go to their forum of choice and post a link or repost the images.

Has publication on wedding blogs contributed to your business in any way? If so, how?

As artists we like to think that if our work is good, we’ll be successful.  As business owners, however, we have to face the fact that if no one sees our work it doesn’t really matter how good it is. Over the past few years as wedding blogs have gotten more popular I’ve noticed a distinct shift in the way clients find me.  In the past it was word of mouth, random internet searches or as I previously mentioned, a wedding forum. Now more and more traffic comes from being featured on wedding blogs and naturally a portion of this traffic turns into inquiries and eventually clients.  There’s no doubt in my mind that wedding blogs play a significant role in bringing new clients to my business.

How would you compare the difference between wedding blog publication and national magazine publication?

In the past I focused a lot of my attention on getting published in magazines.  I always thought that this was the way to get your work in front of the largest audience.  I submitted weddings, editorial, and shot events for publications all in an effort to be published and for the most part I succeeded.  I’ve been published in all kinds of national magazines and have even been included in a few coffee table books dealing with weddings.  What I discovered is that, while being published in a magazine is nice, it hasn’t directly benefitted my business.  I’ve met a few coordinators that upon meeting me have said they’d seen my work in such-and-such magazine but I’ve never had a client come to me specifically because of a feature in a magazine.

Do blogs lead to an increase in traffic or better yet, inquiries?

Over the past couple of years I’ve shifted my focus to submitting to blogs rather than magazines. One of the main reasons I prefer blogs over print publication is simply the ability to measure its effect.  If I have a wedding published in a magazine there’s no way to tell if the people visiting my site have come because of that feature or if they randomly stumbled upon my work.  On the other hand, the traffic a blog sends is easily tracked.  I can tell exactly how many people have linked to my site because of being featured on a blog. On days when I’m featured, I can see a marked increase in traffic and invariably the inquiries come as a result.

Are you particular about which blogs you allow to publish your work? If so, what’s your criteria?

I’m very particular about which blogs publish my work.  For the most part blogs want content no other blog or magazine has published so you’ve got one chance to capitalize on the exposure if you’ve got a wedding or shoot that you’re really proud of.  I think its extremely important to do your research.  Get to know the style of the blogs you’re thinking about submitting to and then only submit to blogs that match both the feel of the shoot/wedding you’re submitting AND typify the client you’re targeting.  If your ideal client has an over-the-top, big budget, grand ballroom wedding, a DIY focused wedding blog might not be the right blog to submit to… no matter how cool you think the blog is.

Do you submit your work to be published, or do bloggers come find you?

I can usually tell when I’m working on a wedding that it would be a good fit for a certain blog.  In those cases I’ll take the initiative and submit the wedding.  Other times I’ll just post the wedding on my own blog and see what comes of it.  More often than not, if its a good wedding someone will ask about it.  Once you have a good relationship with a few blogs they’ll keep tabs on what your doing and let you know if they see something they want.

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I’m so honored that Michael has been willing to offer up his knowledge about publication, and how it has been a significant part of exposure for him. Michael offers photography intensives, called Woodshop for photographers that want the nitty gritty on how you go about improving your business.

Next week, we’re going to get down and dirty. All bets are off–you’ll be getting the hard facts and tips about how to improve your work for the editors’ eye!

Lastly, as we’ve established the importance of new media for gaining clients and exposure, I’ve decided to create a special sponsored listing section just for photographers. We will be launching sometime next week, so if you are interested in more information, email us here.