J Thomas Photography

New Website

2009-09-26T19:41:00.002-06:00

I've been waiting for the summer wedding season to come to a close so I could finish editing all the pictures and get them to my fantastic clients. Once that was done I was gearing up for a remake of my website. I'd toyed around with a few new ideas over the summer, but never had the time to finish them off, and they just weren't doing it for me.

Thursday this week I came across a nice simple, non-flash (so no 'Loading....'!!) slideshow that I thought would be a nice touch to my website. Two days later the new site was finished (record time for me!) and it's up and live. Feel free to take a look - .

Show me what you look like!

2009-05-03T16:25:00.002-06:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been taking classes from International Master Photographer Kenneth Linge. Aside from a LOT of learning and inspiration from him, I've really been able to look at my photography through a more-trained eye, as well as others work. I like to google random wedding photography sites and see how they're doing; basically take a look at my competition.

I just breezed over a wedding photographer who had a pretty fancy site with nice quality pictures. But guess what was missing from his gallery? The people! Not literally, but it wasn't until the 29th image in his Engagement gallery where the couple was actually looking at the camera. His opening image was basically a pretty landscape of the Golden Gate Bridge with two miniscule people kissing in the bottom left.

Now, I'm not saying that all your pictures need to be you two looking and smiling; those candid shots are very entertaining and can be very emotional. But please, don't forget that YOU are the highlight of the event. It seems as though the new trend in photography is cool angles, fun poses, neat landscapes and bright colors. But as the the genre heads this direction it seems as though it's leaving behind the core of wedding photography - YOU. The people. The ones that are in love. Don't let your wedding photographer get too carried away on the cool shots that they forget to show YOU off. Your smile, your eyes, you.

With my recent completion of the Photographing People series, I've learned a lot about showcasing faces, what's important in portraits and how to seek the light in all my photographs. As your wedding photographer, I promise to make sure that YOU are still the center of my photography - not the location or the 'cool factor'.

Photographing People

2009-04-26T21:36:00.003-06:00

Over the past several weeks I've been taking classes taught at the International School of Photography in Orem, Utah. The teacher is Master Photographer Kenneth Linge and he is incredible. So far I've completed classes 1 and 2 which are basically a full Saturday of instruction and practice. I've learned so much about lighting, seeing the light, using the light, light layers and more. Can you tell what the main theme of the class is?

The eyes and face are the single most important part of a portrait - but are generally the worst lit. This makes obvious sense, but it was never brought to my attention until now. I'm excited to apply what I've learned in my classes to my upcoming shoots and projects. I know I'll have very noticeable results.

I have several weddings booked for the summer, including a trip to Washington DC in May for Nate and Emilee. I'm very very excited to go! I also noticed I haven't updated my blog since November, but it's not because I've been gone. I redid my website again a little while ago and was busy with that. Now I'm focusing on my portfolio more, refining some of my favorite shots over the years. I'm excited for what 2009 has is store for me, so far it's off to a great start.

Textures

2008-10-23T11:48:00.004-06:00

So I'm diving into a new style of photography for myself, hopefully to one day set myself apart from others. I've been greatly inspired by Jesh DeRox of Canada, his photography is beautiful and the site is terrific. Has such a involving mood about it.

Anyways, I'd like to dive into 'texturing' my photos more, but I'll need to get up quite a nice collection of textures before I really go at it. Here are some that I've worked on. You'll want to click on the image to see it larger, and with the texture.

Getting ready for Winter

2008-10-21T14:05:00.003-06:00

December must be coming soon, and weddings must be around the corner! I've had several engagement shoots recently, a wedding and some announcement design work. You can always check out my most recent photoshoots by linking over to my proofs page. I even did some family pictures for my friend Stephanie and her two cute little girls. It was a lot of fun.

As I mentioned, I also designed a wedding announcement for Andrea and Danny, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

They are getting 300 copies plus envelopes of a 5x7 for just $170. Not a bad deal! And congratulations to them both.

Sam and Megan

2008-09-27T13:18:00.002-06:00

This morning I met with Sam and Megan at Center Street in Provo for a fun engagement shoot. We started off behind Guru's and then worked our way over to the County Courthouse at Center and University. They were a lot of fun and did a fantastic job! They'll be getting married on December 30 in Idaho Falls; that will be one cold day!

Click the image to see larger.

Managing Your Time on Your Wedding Day

2008-09-17T16:11:00.007-06:00

Your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life, making it as stress free as possible however is an entirely different story. Having attended and assisted in many weddings, one thing that rarely ever happens is proper time planning. Since the vast majority of the weddings I photograph are LDS Temple Marriages, I'm going to focus my advice that way.

A Temple Sealing generally takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes start to finish. Usually your Ceremony guests start exiting the temple about 45 minutes to an hour after your sealing began. You, however, will take longer. On average the Bride and Groom come walking triumphantly out of the Temple Doors about 90 minutes after the sealing begins. So, if your sealing was scheduled for 1pm, chances are you'll not be out and ready for your pictures until 2:30. On busy days, the exit could be even later!

At this point, you're on cloud nine and your head isn't totally in the game; now it's time to shift directive power to your photographer. Previous to the wedding, it's a wise idea to get a list of group shots that you want with your family and friends. Once you're out of the Temple, the photographer should have that list ready to go, and they should be ready to direct the groups and get those shots taken care of as quickly as possible. Having that list only expedites the task.

Even the best organized group shots can still take about 30 minutes to complete, so be sure that everyone there can plan accordingly with the tasks that they might have in helping with your luncheon, reception etc. After that, it's down to you, your new spouse, and your photographer. Allocate as much time as possible for those photos; they're generally the ones that you'll be hanging up around your house.

I'd even go so far as to suggest taking these pictures before your wedding day, on a weekday. First, you won't feel a crunch for time, and secondly, weekdays are a lot slower on the Temple Grounds; you won't be waiting for the various must-have shot locations. Something else for your photographer to take into consideration is the lighting, you'll be able to take those pictures with the best possible outdoor lighting. However, don't leave all the preparation to the photographer. Do the best you can to spend a few, romantic hours with your fiance to put your stresses behind you and put your love right on your faces. Even the best poses in the best circumstances are ruined by the wrong emotions that are expressed in your eyes.

After your post-wedding photographs are done you'll run off to your luncheon. I've never found these to be very good photographic opportunities; so it's entirely up to you on whether you'd like your photographer there or not. If I may add though, take into consideration inviting the photographer to join you at the luncheon; remember, they're spending almost as much time invested in your wedding day as you are. Photographers get hungry too.

Finally the time of the Reception arrives. Most wedding parties plan on taking a 2nd set of Family photographs here, when everyone is dressed up. If taking these pictures is something you'd like to do, keep this in mind: No one will be on time. If you tell everyone to arrive one hour prior to the start of the reception, don't count on having everybody there until 30 minutes, and even though don't count on everyone being ready. Tell your family and everyone else you'd like in the pictures to arrive 90 minutes in advance, this gives them a 30 minute late cushion that I promise will be used.

I hope these time tips help you out in your wedding planning; there is a lot to take care of in just one day. It's also not a bad idea to talk to other friends that have been married recently, everyone will have their advice on how to make that day go as smooth as possible.

What to look for in a Utah Wedding Photographer

2008-09-16T17:20:00.001-06:00

As Brides may know when it comes to planning a wedding, there is a lot more to organize than grooms could possibly understand. Catering, locations, announcements, dresses, colors, what to eat, what to feed, who to invite, the list goes on and on. Most of those choices though are one-time decisions, and once the celebration is over they generally bear no lasting consequence.

Enter Wedding Photography. Besides choosing who you're going to marry (and subsequently the in-laws that come with), your Wedding Photographer might be the most important decision you'll have to make regarding your special day. Living in Utah and doing wedding photography, I constantly ask myself why so many couples take a gamble on their photographer and let Uncle Leo handle the pictures because he just bought one of those fancy big cameras. Sometimes you might not want to risk hurting family feelings, so you let Uncle Leo do it despite your wishes to hire someone more professional.

As a bit of wedding planning advice; offend who you need to, including mothers (they'll get over it). It's YOUR wedding, do it as YOU want to. If you don't like the pictures Uncle Leo took at the Family Reunion, chances are you're not going to like what he's going to deliver after your wedding has come and gone, and the moments have passed forever. Every photographer needs to start somewhere, but Wedding Photography isn't it.

So what should you look for as you google away to find the best photographer? Here are 5 things to keep in mind when choosing your Wedding Photogapher.

1. Define your style: Some photographers are very traditional, others are very urban or trendy. Some may excel in black and white, others may have incredible post-processing techniques. Find out what style you enjoy the most and seek out a photographer that not only says he can shoot that way, but has a portfolio to prove it. And this goes without saying, make sure they have a portfolio! If they're a rookie wedding photographer, make sure they have other photographs to show you that include people. Anyone can shoot landscapes, people take practice.

2. "Click" with your Photographer: If at all possible, meet with your wedding photographer ahead of time and see if your personalities click well. Your photographer will need to understand your personality so they can best pose you in a way to fit who you are, they'll also understand you in those candid moments and capture that memory when you weren't even looking. Hiring your photographer for your Engagement and Bridal shoots is a fantastic way to get comfortable with each other, so come your wedding day they know how you work, and you know how they work.

3. Find poses you like in magazines: Your photographer has directed many different styles of photos, but it doesn't hurt to show them what you're looking for. Browse some magazines and other websites and make a little photo collection of poses and styles that you love. As a wedding photographer, I'm not offended if someone shows me work from other photographers and ask me to mimic it; the more poses I have at my disposal the better! Don't be afraid to show your photographer what you'd like, and using a picture is the best way.

4. Find out if you get the Digital Copies: Printing is cheap and easy, find out if your photographer is willing to give you all the pictures digitally for you to print later. Even if it's a file big enough for just a 5x7, it's important that you have access to your pictures when you want them. Most photographers will be hard-pressed to give you copies of the original files and that's understandable, but make sure you get some smaller copies. With how fun it is to e-mail, put on your blog or print off a slew of 4x6's to pin to the wall, make sure you have that freedom.

5. Set a timeline: After your honeymoon, life becomes hectic for awhile. It's not uncommon for me to not hear back from a couple until 3 weeks or more after their wedding. So, before you run away to your exotic location, be sure to let the photographer know when you'll be back, and setup a time to talk and even meet to review the pictures. Chances are, they'll wait to print your final copies until you let them know which photographs you want.

Good luck and Congratulations!

My New Utah Wedding Photography Website

2008-09-15T18:40:00.001-06:00

Choosing to do Wedding Photography in Utah can be quite a daunting task. Do a simple search on Google and you'll find hundreds of websites (and therefore hundreds of photographers!) to choose from. So how does one stand out? Obviously, the quality and skill of your photography should be your main selling force, but I also believe a solid, clean and attractive website should compliment those photos.

With that said, I went out to redesign my Wedding Photography website from the ground up. I'd made a few revisions here and there on my previous design, and it was a good looking website, but it was time for something new. Over the last 18 months my business has started small with a few calls, had a few busy months, and provided me with the opportunity to meet lots of great couples and to photograph some weddings. I've loved every minute of it.

This winter season I've decided to up my product, not only in the quality of the photography taken by shooting with only professional lenses, but also by offering more than just files on a CD and a few prints. With each Wedding Photography or Bridal Photography Photoshoot I'm also offering a $100 credit towards a professional framing of an 11x14 print. The real beauty of wedding photography is in the prints and I hope to deliver that beauty in a professional bound photo album as well that I'll now be offering.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my work, I hope you liked what you saw. I hope you liked it enough to give me a call!

Katie Boren Bridals

2008-06-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

Today I headed out to the American Fork Amphitheater to take Bridals for Katie Boren. She looked fantastic and did a wonderful job while I took the pictures. We had a great time, and the photographs turned out great!