P#11 Q6: How Do You Get All of That Energy into Your Wedding, Fashion and Portrait Photographs?

The Not-So-Secret Secret

Bruce Smith: How I get the energy in my wedding, fashion and portrait photographs isn't really a secret. People see how I do it whenever I'm working.

I keep myself very positive on the day of my shoot. I make sure all my planning and my production is set out and my team is all briefed well.

If you're shooting in a studio, get your background and your lighting set up the day before. This way, on the day of the shoot, the only thing I have to think about is taking the actual pictures.

Preparation is very, very important when it comes to wedding, fashion and portrait photographs. You have to know what you're doing beforehand, so on the day you're actually shooting you're not thinking about anything else other than the pictures themselves.

If you're shooting at a wedding where there are lots of different locations to shoot at during different times of the day, make sure you're aware of them all. Make sure that you can get to these places easily and that you know what to expect when you get there.

Be confident in your equipment. Make sure all of the equipment is actually working perfectly. If you're using any flash or flash fill in, make sure you've got plenty of spare batteries and that all of your batteries are charged.

The planning and preparation, I think, are the most important. It's not really a secret. It's common sense. When the planning is taken care of, you can focus on what's important.

The Focus Factor

Free your mind of anything else other than the pictures that you're actually taking. Keep yourself in a positive mood. Don't let things get to you. You have to be in charge.

Everybody that is working with you and everybody that is being photographed by you has to respect you. They have to believe that their images are going to be fantastic.

If you portray positivity throughout the situation, you're going to get positivity back. It all comes down to enthusiasm.

In Closing

How do you get energy into the wedding, fashion and portrait photographs you take? You have to put it there. This means proper planning so you can focus on what's important during the actual shoot.

With proper planning you can focus on putting own energy and enthusiasm into your wedding, fashion and portrait photographs.