Monday, August 30, 2010
Makin' My Monday! (Canon 1D Mark IV Review)
U
nless you're a photographer this post might sound too geeky and I'm sorry! Come back tomorrow and Wednesday for more images! But if you are a photographer, I think my take on the latest Canon bodies might be interesting.
In September 2008 I ordered the highly anticipated Canon 5D Mark II. I was using the 1D Mark II at the time, the Mark III had already been released (with poor reviews), and most of my friends in the photography business, if they were shooting Canon, were using the original 5D. With the release of the 5D Mark II, it seemed everyone was getting one - and so I did too. It wasn't just peer pressure though, it was the desire to have the best possible tools I could get my hands on so that I could do my thing with the best possible results.
Unfortunately, while the 5D Mark II takes some AMAZING images, it also takes a lot of out of focus images. A LOT. You see, the Canon 5D Mark II has 9 'selectable AF points' with 6 'assist points'. It also has a 'High-precision center Cross-type AF' point. One of them. And my experience with this camera was that all of these focus points were weak and slow (read, virtually unusable) and only the center, high-precision focus point was any good. This meant I had to do the 'focus and recompose' technique which isn't my preferred way of taking photos, not to mention that when you're using super fast prime lenses whatever you focus on will go out of focus fast the moment you even think about recomposing!
Not to blast away too much on the 5Dmkii - it does take gorgeous photos when it works, and the ability to go up to 3200 ISO with no problems (vs. the 800 ISO that I never wanted to go over on my previous camera) rocks!
But as a pro, I don't want to settle. I hate being limited by my gear. When I have something in mind I want to be able to accomplish it, and I found the 5DmkII limiting. SO...
Three months ago I sold my 5D Mark II (on TWITTER of all places!) and purchased the all new 1D Mark IV! Same great ISO performance, and now I have not just 9, but 45 selectable auto focus point options, and not just one 'high-precision' point dead center, but 39 cross-type, high-precision AF points! Now I can compose first and then find my focus point! This makes me so, so happy. And I've never counted, but my guess is that I get 2-3 TIMES as many in focus images from my sessions and weddings! Meaning I have WAY more images to choose from when I'm picking out the best images to give to my clients. Big win!
Admittedly, this camera has a 1.3x 'crop factor' and sure, I do miss the full frame glory of an in-focus 5D shot. But having more in focus shots and a camera that responds to my wants is more important to me. Yeah, you can have the best of both (sometime soon) and it will be called the 1Ds Mark IV. Oh my! We can only dream...
Thanks Canon for 'Makin' My Monday' with the killer AF system on the 1D Mark IV!
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
LAUNCHED! All new 'Jared Wilson Photography'!
H
ouston, we have liftoff! These are exciting times at Jared Wilson Photography! And this sparkly-shiny-pretty-green website has a lot to do with it! WELCOME to the brand new home for all of my photo art! And a big THANK YOU to Dave and Brock at Infinet Design for all of your work in making this site so wonderful!
There are a few new features I'm excited to offer and I hope you will all make good use of them. First, you can vote for your favorite images and they'll show up in the 'Voter Favorites' gallery. My hope is that this will turn into a fun gallery featuring lots of awesome photos. And not because I said so, but because you said so!
You can also give a thumbs up Facebook 'like' to your favorite posts and let your friends know, over there on Facebook, that you've found something great and worth checking out. Send the link to your favorite post to Facebook or Twitter or Digg - let the whole world know!
There's even more to explore - so have a look around! And come back soon - I've been saving up some goodies to show off here, surrounded by White and Green!
And just because blog posts are more fun with a photo or two - here ya' go! How dorky am I taking photos of myself? Go ahead. I dare you to vote this as one of your favorites!
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Published in The Knot Colorado Magazine
I
t's always fun to see my Brides and Grooms featured in print. And it's REALLY FUN to see Alissa and Matt on the pages of the latest edition of The Knot Colorado.
Their wedding at the Hyatt Regency in Denver was breathtaking and it was a delight and an honor to be a part of it all!
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Congrats Alissa and Matt!
Pick up your copy on newsstands today!
Pick up your copy on newsstands today!
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Friday, June 4, 2010
Photography Mentoring Sessions Now Available!
O
ver the last few years I've had the great pleasure to help a few photographers along their path to being a better photographer and building their business. What I've discovered along the way is that I get a ton of fulfillment and satisfaction in helping others accomplish their goals and encouraging them to push themselves to the next level. It's proven to be one of my favorite things I do!
The feedback I've received from the photographers I've helped already has been fantastic and it got me thinking... "If I love it, and they love it, I bet others would love it too!"
And so, now, I'm excited to announce that beginning in July I will be offering 1-hour mentoring sessions over Skype where you are free to set the agenda and ask me any questions you want. Along with this 1-hour session I will provide a pdf containing an inside look into: The principles behind my business, my workflow from start to finish, the tools I use (including the whys and hows), my recommended list of vendors, my pricelist (and the strategies behind creating it), and more.
Photography Mentoring Sessions will be $150 for out-of-state photographers and $125 for Colorado Wedding Photographers. Colorado Photographers will not receive my pricelist, but will receive the strategies for creating your own.
As I mentioned before, I've already had the opportunity to help a few other photographers and the experience has been wonderful. One photographer sat beside me for an entire day as I worked away on the computer editing a wedding. They saw me work in Lightroom, Photoshop, my filing and management system, plus a few other things as well. Initially I couldn't believe that someone would want to sit and watch me do this business stuff that I do day in and day out. But they took pages and pages of notes, asked a billion questions, and went home and implemented tons of changes so that their business could be more efficient and successful.
If this sounds great to you, I am also now offering day-long, sit-beside-me, watch-over-my-shoulder, ask-a-billion-questions sessions, beginning in July, for $500 a day. You will also receive the same pdf mentioned above.
And finally, for another great mentoring opportunity, if you want to join me on a senior session, an engagement session, or a wedding - those opportunities are also available on a very limited basis.
If you would like to schedule a 1-hour skype session, or would like to spend a day with me to learn even more, or if you would like to come along with me on a shoot - please email me at: jaredATjaredwilsonphotographyDOTcom
I can't tell you how excited I am to share with you everything I know!
And just because blog posts are more fun with photos, here's a recent one of me and my son Philip. My friend Jake, who was visiting from Ohio over Memorial Day weekend, snapped this one of the two of us as we played 'Chuck-O' (perhaps better known as 'Cornhole'). Good Times!
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Monday, May 3, 2010
Designer Wedding Gowns and Luxurious Tablescapes
H
alfway between Orange County and New York you'll find that Colorado is a hotbed of creative talent among wedding industry professionals. And recently I got together with a group of them for a stunning photo shoot at the Oxford Hotel in Denver.
It's a blast when you get a bunch of creative minds together intent on crafting and capturing beauty. And at this photo shoot it all began with Alisa Benay, Colorado's premiere wedding gown designer. The shoot started out with Alisa needing some images of the four new members of her collection: Daphne, Iris, Bianca, and Stella. Apart from recognizing great work when I see it, I'm not much of a fashion know-it-all kinda guy so I'll let the good people at The Perfect Bound Blog describe them to you:
These pretty ladies are all designed with the Victorian era in mind, combining corsets, ruffles and bustles with the sensibility of a 21st Century bride in mind. As a fashion designer, Alisa combs through racks of vintage clothing and pages of Renaissance novels all in the name of inspiration. The result is a collection filled with flirty and romantic details like flounce hems and ribbon corsets.
Couldn't have said it any better myself. :)
Here's Daphne.
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And Iris.
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Stella.
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And finally, Bianca.
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As you can tell from some of the backgrounds, the Oxford is rich with character. And dressing it up, you can see the creative vision of Julie Gambrell with Classic Creations - one of the very best Wedding Designers and Planners in Colorado.
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The florals are courtesy of Alicia with Bella Fiori, also here in Colorado.
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Did you hear that turquoise is the 'color of the year' for weddings? If you're anything like me, you just said 'TURQUOISE!?!?' But, yes, it's true. And I had NO idea how beautiful it could be until I saw this display.
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The menu's and place holder's are all done by Julie Sandusky, Colorado paper genius.
Who would've ever thought 'Peacocks'? Brilliant, I tell you. And so very beautiful...
Who would've ever thought 'Peacocks'? Brilliant, I tell you. And so very beautiful...
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Natosha Cooke, of Aphrodite Affairs, did the hair and makeup, and Khala Merg was our wonderful model.
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Every day I'm blessed to be surrounded by creative individuals who, in areas big and small, use their talents to create fabulous fairy tale weddings that are just gorgeous beyond compare. I'll tell you, it's FUN to photograph!
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Monday, April 12, 2010
Makin' My Monday! (The Inspiration Edition)
O
nce upon a time I was a blogaholic. I mean I'd read tons of blogs out there, mostly wedding photography related, and it consumed quite a bit of my time. Now, I'm finding I simply don't have the time to keep up with it all.
What's even more significant is that I feel I've come to a point where I don't want to read all of those blogs because I don't want to find myself engulfed in a 'sea of sameness' - that's just not where I want to be. And so the more I pull away, the more I find myself finding my own voice and exploring my own style - and enjoying the exploration of the creative art of photography vs. trying to duplicate or reproduce...
I still follow a few photographers out there - a couple who inspire me, but mostly those who I have some sort of connection with. Perhaps they're local, and/or they're friends, or something along those lines.
Now - all of that being said - I DO find myself, time and time again, turning to a new source of inspiration. It shows up in my mailbox every month, and over and over again I am blown away by what I see. It speaks to me. Not in a profound way. But like it's speaking my language. I understand it. And if it had a brain, it would understand me. And (sticking with the language metaphor here) sometimes it teaches me new words. And I find myself gratefully inspired.
I'm talking, of course, about the Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters catalogs!
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The thing is - it all starts with the photographers whose work graces these pages. And sometimes, if I see a particularly creative shoot appear in the catalog I'll dig a little deeper and go visit the site of the photographer who created it. Often I'm inspired even more when I peruse their work. I'm sure there are designers who help conceptualize things, and sometimes there's probably a whole crew helping to pull it off... And other times there are shoots that are so simple and beautiful and quiet...
What I love is that I'm inspired not to duplicate or 'be the same as' - but I find myself saying 'yeah, that's so ME!' and I find confirmation that I'm not the only one who thinks such things, or enjoys such forms of expression. Often I'm amazed at the rules I see 'broken' in the work and I'm encouraged to deconstruct what I've been taught and follow the path of my heart when it comes to creating art. Not to 'be like them'... but because they are like me... and they're speaking to me through their images, saying 'It's ok to be this way!'
Someday I'll do a photoshoot for anthropologie or urban outfitters. I think it would be a perfect fit.
If you would like a monthly double dose of inspiration you can follow these links to order the anthropologie catalog and the urban outfitter catalog.
Thank you anthropologie and urban outfitters for Makin' My Monday (or, whichever day you decide to show up in my mailbox!)
What I love is that I'm inspired not to duplicate or 'be the same as' - but I find myself saying 'yeah, that's so ME!' and I find confirmation that I'm not the only one who thinks such things, or enjoys such forms of expression. Often I'm amazed at the rules I see 'broken' in the work and I'm encouraged to deconstruct what I've been taught and follow the path of my heart when it comes to creating art. Not to 'be like them'... but because they are like me... and they're speaking to me through their images, saying 'It's ok to be this way!'
Someday I'll do a photoshoot for anthropologie or urban outfitters. I think it would be a perfect fit.
If you would like a monthly double dose of inspiration you can follow these links to order the anthropologie catalog and the urban outfitter catalog.
Thank you anthropologie and urban outfitters for Makin' My Monday (or, whichever day you decide to show up in my mailbox!)
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Flushmount Wedding Album Design
W
ow! I've been finalizing a lot of wedding albums here recently. And it's so fun!
Reliving these moments and seeing it all come together in true storybook fashion....
I thought I'd share one with you today just so you can see what Flushmount Wedding Albums look like here at Jared Wilson Photography.
Reagan and Chris finalized their album of their wedding at the Four Seasons in Punta Mita, Mexico just the other day and I'm dying to get it in my hands and see it in real life!
If you'd like to see their finalized design, start the show!
And if you're interested in the music, follow this link to 
to download 'Happy As The Sun' by Tyrone Wells.
to download 'Happy As The Sun' by Tyrone Wells.
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