Destination Wedding Photography Tips you can survive with!

Update:  See our wedding featured on Asian Inspired Weddings

Click here for the feature!

I am NOT one that likes to brag, but it would be insane if I did not "share" our experience and just one of the many happy outcomes from a recent Destination Wedding shot in Hawaii.

Being in business since 2007 I still consider ourselves "babies" in the industry.  However, Wayne has been shooting for many years as I have.   After our own wedding we decided to add Photography Services to our already existing business venture of Wedding Consultation & Planning.  I still remember the very first wedding Ceremony I officiated, in 1997 and my love for weddings has never ceased...in fact I think it's an even larger love now and  just one of the many obsessions I have!

So, what can I share with you  to help you on your next destination wedding?  Well hang on to your seats as there are so many things that if one plans ahead, things can go relatively smoother.  These are just some of the things that I can suggest...so get your notepads!

Here's just a few ways to make the entire process just a tad bit smoother.....

1. If your clients live out of town or out of state, it is very difficult to meet up, so make sure you are on the ball with emails and phone calls.  There is nothing more exciting for me than to call a client who is right in the middle of planning her exciting BIG DAY!  If you are paralyzed with fear, get over it ...QUICK!
2. Don't be shy, your client wants to hear your excitement, this will put her at ease, don't worry that she will not like you, she already LOVES your work, she wants to know who you are, so LET GO, so she can!
3. Keep in touch with your clients on a regular basis, have them help you complete your info sheets
4. Join them on Facebook!  I cannot stress the importance of social media, but in destination weddings it is CRUCIAL!  THIS is how I got to know the family, friends, and wedding party months before the wedding.  The excitement was contagious and FB and Twitter was just what we needed to find out about all of the little details etc.
5. Contact the vendors.  In this case, Hawaii, I know everyone is really on HAWAIIAN time, so I made sure to contact the venue and vendors prior, and with ample time. I introduced myself about a month prior to the wedding day and got even more details and info from the Wedding Coordinators from the venue.  (This not only helps you as the photographer, but it also helps to start a great business relationship with vendors for possible future interactions).  Offer to give the vendors photographs on a CD after the event, and make sure you watermark each image.  Include all vendors, designers, etc., on your blogs and do not forget to link to them as well as label them.  SEO baby!
6. Talk or email at least ONCE with the brides mother or father, trust me on this one, it really helps to have interaction and a connection.....
7. I know we all LOVE LOVE LOVE getting those creative and imaginative shots but remember, the traditional shots are really what sells, and are the ones that usually end up on the mantle or on the office desks.  Think parents, grandparents and business associates.  Trust me, many times, the amazing creative shots you got down on the ground to capture, are not purchased by the elders, but they are great for the bride and groom and it will not hurt your portfolio either :O) But, parents and grandparents = sales
8. When traveling for a Destination Wedding call the airlines and find out about carry on luggage as well as check in luggage, remember, camera equipment is heavy, and we overlooked the fact that they weigh carry on as well at Hawaiian Airlines....argh! Thank God we managed and did not have to pay extra!
9. Travel as light as possible, and try to make a connection with a local photographer if you can, trust me there are still some good people out there who can help you with finding spots, or even lend you their studio or equipment.  We were blessed to have met an amazing man and photographer, Eddy Fong of Renai Photography.  We ran into him at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on the night of the Wedding Rehearsal, and he was more than helpful, plus, we LOVE LOVE LOVE his work, see for yourself!
10. Make sure you have all dates and details of ALL events of the wedding (i.e., rehearsals, dinners, outings, etc.), make yourself available to make arrangements to come along, the more interaction you have with the families and your clients, the better!  Forget about whether you charged for it or not, you are there, in a different place, make it beautiful!
11. PLAN and make arrangements to take the couple out for an hour or two to capture shots of them in this distant land, yes I know they are busy, but we stressed the importance to our clients, and in turn they needed the little getaway anyways, and POW we got an amazing Sunset Session in Makua Beach the eve of the wedding!  See the video slide herein.
12. And finally take some time for YOU and your team, we took our assistants out to an island  beach tour where we traveled the entire island and swam, boogie boarded and dived at almost all of the beaches, they LOVED it !  Oh and of course we had some ONO KAU KAU (means delicious food).  And on the day of the wedding they worked hard!  Thanks Nunus and my son Angelo for being such GREAT assistants!

Ok so I can go on and on but you get the idea right!?  Think about capturing the essence of where this wedding is, take shots everywhere that the couple can incorporate into their wedding memories, imagine, believe and create!


Happy Travels & Happy Shooting!!!!!!!!

Images here taken during the actual wedding rehearsal, mahalo to Mr.and Mrs. Aaron Yen, you guys are simply A M A Z I N G !!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sunny 16 Rule - A VALUABLE Wedding Day Photography Tip

If many of you "cringe" at the thought of having to shoot the formals at a wedding, trust me honey, you are NOT alone! I remember when I first started shooting weddings how paralyzing this was, and although it's still a pain in the neck, time and practice as well as constant practicing has helped me a lot. Although being a photographer, one has to realize, we will NEVER know it all, but having that "can do" attitude sure makes it look like we do, and THIS is essential for putting your clients and the wedding party at ease! I cannot express the importance of the following some very important steps to ensure that this process goes as smoothly and as briefly as possible.

1. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Scout out your location prior to the wedding day, Preferably, do this near the time of your actual shoot. For example if the ceremony ends at 3:00 p.m., you will most likely be shooting formals and portraits from 3:15 - 4:00 or so. Visit and scout out the location near the same "shooting time."
2. LOOK for shadows, shade, dabbled light, etc.
3. When meeting with your clients one of the crucial questions on your info sheet should be: SIZE of the entire wedding party including Bride & Groom
4. PLAN on at lease ONE assistant, trust me, you can NOT do this alone unless you are seasoned
5. Prepare of LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT! The SUNNY 16 RULE: Even in harsh sunny light, you will need to play a lighting war game with the sun. For example, look at this photo...See how many people? The posing, they are in the OPEN sunlight at or around 12:00 p.m. Now I could have easily placed them under the shade (as they begged), but I politely refused and tried to explain the shadows would be a nightmare. Specs on this shot 200 ss, 200 iso, and f14, with on camera Canon Speedlite 580 EXII. Keep in mind, Sunny 16 rule is usually 250 ss, 250 iso and f16, but on my Canon I feel that is a bit dark for my taste, adjust according to your taste but make sure you have the light as even as possible over each subject. My assistant is holding an off camera strobe Canon 430 XII just to the right of the camera angled diagonally at the group. I asked the group to close their eyes to avoid blinks and squints due to direct sun, and on the count of 1-2-3, they opened their eyes, I took the shot! We repeated this 3 times, and nailed this right out of the camera in LESS than 5 minutes! It did not help that they had the open bar going so they all wanted to go get a beer, and so we have to think quick folks!
6. With this taken care of..let the party go have their fun and snatch the bride and groom for their mantle and portrait shots. It's so much easier...you can go with your clients and your assistant can stay close to the wedding party and capture other essentials such as reception room prior to having anyone enter, etc.

I am NOT trying to pretend I know it all, in this business, you simply cannot as there is so much to learn! But what I DO know, is I want to share my experience, so many pros like Scott Kelby, Dave Ziser and Joe McNally, Jerry Ghionis, Bambi Cantrell, and others have taught me so much, I want to be part of a community such as this!

Please feel free to comment and to ask away OR even better.....if YOU have a tip or two you would like to share with your fellow photographers, please send me a note, I would love to feature you and your tutorial!

Ok folks that's it for today! See some other examples here where the sunny 16 rule can help overpower sun and window glare!

The glare here with natural light was drowning out the gorgeous blue sky and palms in the background. This was the brides suite's actual window view of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, and I did NOT want to jeopardize it in the shot. Sunny 16 rule used here.....Again, my goal here was to make this look like a painting, truly the view from this room was amazing!!! These are the bridesmaids bouquets!






(Here is a sample of the same rule, using an off camera video light), my hubby's favorite shot!)



Cheers everybody!

Get ready for the Getting Ready Photos!

Planning a wedding is NO easy task, in fact after the wedding is over, many brides admit, if they hadn't hired a planner, they wish they had!  Unless you have done it yourself, it is hard to fathom exactly what all is involved.  There are so many emotions during what is supposed to be an amazing and beautiful memory, it still can be, consider "getting ready" photos for your wedding day!

You may be asking yourself, what on earth do I want with a bunch of photos of me looking   not so great, hair in curlers, no makeup, what am I going to do with these photos?  Think for one moment, during this time usually mom, dad and the rest of your loved ones are nearby.  You would be amazed on  how important these moments leading up to the very minute you see your fiance for the first time and walking down the aisle.  Plus it is a beautiful capture of you in your space, all giddy, and ready to go, at this point in the wedding planning, there is "nothing" more you can do.  The venue is set, as is your photographer, your cake, dress, everything is ready and all you have to do is "show up!"

As a wedding photographer myself, I know all too well the "value" of the getting ready photos, the emotions are priceless, but so is the opportunity to get to know my clients as well as their mothers, fathers, and family.  It allows for that extra special time we need to bond, laugh, cry and prepare for one of the most important days of their lives!  I could not dream of anything better......an engagement shoot is also highly recommended as many of you know, I always include these sessions for my couple because again, it is about them!

Remember folks, your parents are here once in a  lifetime, when they are gone, only the memories remain.  Make them count, see the beauty everywhere and consider "Getting Ready" photos on your wedding day!

Seen here: Hair Style and Makeup Artist :  Teresa Reynolds  and the bride Giselle with  her lovely mother "Fortune" of Newark, CA.  Congrats to the happy couple!

Wedding Venue:  Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CA
Getting Ready Photos here:  YStudio Photography
Official Wedding Photographer:  I-Motion, Los Gatos, CA (Simon)

Day After Bridal Portraits..and why you should consider them

Nowadays, brides are starting to do the "unconventional" when it comes to their own weddings.  Often she will tailor her big day with an array of personal details, places and people that will help mark this day as "hers!"  As should be!

Thank goodness for this type of thinking, as a photographer it really helps me and this is why  I love to  talk to my clients about booking an Engagement Session.  The engagement session is in no way shape or form for me, truthfully it is for her!  These type of sessions do benefit me however as it allows me to spend more time with the happy couple.  I love learning more about how they met, how they became engaged and it is a great way for us all to get to know each other before their wedding day.

Another thing to mention about these sessions, it allows for the bride and her fiance to see themselves from the photographer's perspective.  It can be as beautiful and creative as you'd like, but if it's not personal, those images no matter how gorgeous will say nothing to the couple and worse, will say nothing "about" the couple.

Other ideas for brides to consider are "Day After" or Trash the Dress Sessions.  This is something many contemporary brides are doing.  If you are asking why, why not? It's FUN!  And it's hassle-free, just think of it, no guests waiting at a reception, no worries whatsoever!  THIS alone allows for relaxed and natural portraits.  Remember, among your first heirlooms,  these portraits are designed to be framed and displayed in your home as  well as becoming part of  beautiful photo albums or coffee table books for all to see.

And finally, on the day of your wedding, you should be enjoying your day, your guests and the memories it will provide for future generations.  As a photographer, I know that my clients choose me because they love the way our images depict the day.  Don't get me wrong, portraits and formals should always be done on the wedding day, however depending on how organized your day is sometimes the schedule simply won't allow for those dreamy portraits, that's why you should consider a Day After Bridal Portrait session OR Trash that Dress with your new hubby.....these shoots are designed with one thing in mind....YOU!

"BOY OH BOY!" Finally a BOY shoot!

Many of you are probably thinking, do they EVER photograph men!? Well, yes actually we do and here is proof!  Meet Nhigel Anderson.  I met Nhigel through a buddy of mine who mentioned that his nephew was interested in modeling.  I took a look at some of the photos he had on his Facebook, and concluded that YES....Nhigel needed a shoot!

I  came up with three looks for Nhigel, a Tommy Bahama look, an Urban look, and a CK look.  From the very beginning I visualized a more edgy type of approach with lighting and I will show you here what was done differently to achieve it.  Trust me it is ALOT easier than you think!

For instance looky here at the difference between each shot.  mind you, we were shooting in the middle of the HOT bright sun and usually this creates flare ups and over blasted skies, which I don't always hate, but on this shoot as mentioned, I was going for EDGY.....so here we go.

Notice photo 1 (natural light) shot in manual on my Canon 5D Mark II at 1/400 f7.1 ISO 100 on my Canon 24-70 f 2.8L lens   

Now....notice another photo taken at 1/200 f 11 at ISO 100...you are probably saying what's different?  Well, lighting is what is different. 


Here's how I did it.....and mind you this is only because I only had one lighting assistant and one light stick.  Val, my lovely lighting assistant (and if you believe this you are even funnier than me!)  Val stands for Voice Activated Lightstand...LOL!  Anyhow, my assistant is standing to the right of the camera, the light is roughly about 4 feet away from Nhigel, and after 1-2 tries I nailed the shot I wanted.

See the blue sky peeking through the palm trees?  THIS is what I wanted instead of that white sky as you see in photo 1.  Doesn't lighting just change the entire feel?  It gives it that edge and keeping this in mind, you can shoot all day long in that nasty hot blasting sunlight, challenge yourself.  It's ideal to shoot during photographer's twilight time, but why not use the ole brain cells, and make it happen no matter at what time of day you are shooting.

Here are a few of my favorite photos using more or less the same concepts.  ENJOY!  And do ask questions if you have them! 

THUNDER VOLLEYBALL CLUB's FREE Bonus Gift!

Ok girls the HEAT is ON!!!!!!!!!!

And here is the BONUS GIFT! I know I said I would keep it a surprise, but I just couldn't hold it any longer!  It's a cool photo key chain like the one seen here!  Now remember, you have to complete ALL THREE STEPS in order to receive your gift.  This key chain is valued at 9.99 so come on!!

Here's HOW to get your gift:

1. Become a member of our Facebook YStudio Photography Fan Club (see the link on the right)
2. Visit our blog and "Leave a Comment"
3.  Place your order your Thunder Volleyball Photos ($29.99 minimum order)

Don't forget you will need your password once you enter the Client section at www.ystudiophotography.com in order to  view and purchase your photo packages.  If you forgot the password, send us an email or ask Vickey.......

Alrighty girls, have fun, and I hope you ALL get a key chain, they are pretty neat!

Guest Blog with Skip Cohen

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that early on in our efforts with YStudio Photography we would have the fortune of bumping so closely into Skip Cohen.

I have been following Skip and Bambi Cantrell and have been excited about all of their publications, blogs, and of course contribution to the photography industry.  Skip posted something on his Twitter and I simply made a comment, Skip replied and he also took a peek at our site.  He loved the work, and just like that he asked me to be a guest!  So without further....here is the blog, he wrote a great intro and I did have a blast writing for the blog.

I also want to thank my FABULOUS husband who helped me with my grammar, Lord knows I could not have done it without him!

And here is the blog everyone, enjoy!  And do leave comments!

Copy and paste into your browser...

http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2010/03/guest-post-chaos-vs-creativity-by-barbara-yasuhara/

YStudio is proud to announce that we are embracing and welcoming HDR!

Ok ok , it takes us older folks a bit longer to get on board with the technology I know, but seriously, we have been busy!  Between juggling our 40 hour work weeks, and shooting weddings and portraits in between, it's no wonder it took us THIS long!  AND finally, as many photographers are saying goodbye to the stone age and HELLO to HDR, is a GREAT move for us all...but mostly for our clients! 

Aside from not be able to contain myself with all of this creativity and opportunity to provide this service to our clients, I am equally excited about "launching" our campaigns.  We haven't had too much luck with it lately with mail outs so we decided to post it here on our blog!  We are constantly looking to upgrade and we are striving to work hard this Spring to re-vamp our photo studio.  In the meantime, we keep shooting, shooting and shooting with our clients in mind.  And photographers.....yes, we know what we love, but do we really know what our clients love and NEED  from us?  We hope that this will encourage all photographers to think out of the box and get that new gear or gadget that will take your business to the next level, it's like going to the gym, a pain to get there, but once you are there, you do not want to leave!

Like my husband says "this life is all about improvements", and we hope you will join us for the ride, there is so much to do and see out there, and as far as photography goes, don't let the years pass you by without preserving them for your loved ones, whether you are a photographer or not, make the memories count, and make the memories with YStudio Photography.

 

 

We are also proud to announce we are offering 20% off of prints with your Trash the Dress (we don't really trash them), High School Seniors and Portrait sittings.  Call for your consultation TODAY!  This is going to be FUN!  (Thanks to LaNisa, Lynn and Angelo for letting us share these images with you)  And a special heartfelt thanks to our team for this session.....Makeup Artist: Nechelle Turner and Hair Stylist and niece, Ariana Lara...On location in Pt. Richmond, California.

Our Grammy Experience!

We may not have gotten the WHOLE enchilada, but we sure did get a lot of tacos! The Los Angeles 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, totally exceeded our expectations! As a nominee some words of advice if you get an opportunity to go one day...."leave your wallet at home!" Honestly, the Recording Academy takes care of YOU and of it ALL! Stay tuned for more of our story and more photos. For now, I just could NOT wait to share my Grammy medal with you all! Although taken with my Blackberry, it is one of my favorite parts of this journey! Be back soon with more!