Tampa Wedding Photography

Tampa Photography in Ybor

2012-01-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

This week I was in Ybor City for a session with some old friends.

Jesse and Jen were married a couple of years ago and I was their wedding photographer. They cam back to me this year because they wanted to update their pictures and get some wall art for their home. I just love being able to catch up with past clients. I don't think that people realize how invested you can become with clients when you are their wedding photographer. You spend a lot of time with them before the wedding and then you are right there on this very special day, documenting everything. It's always great to be able to keep in touch as the years pass. Facebook is great for that but nothing beats the chance to photograph a couple years later.

Here are a few of my favorites from the session. Click on any one to launch the slideshow:

Booray Perry is an award-winning wedding photographer in Tampa Florida.Getting married on the beach? Here's how to have the perfect florida beach wedding!
Nothing makes a party more fun than The Vogue Booth. Tampa's Best Photobooth!

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa Bay..

Tampa Weddings Are Better With a Photo Booth

2012-01-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Today marked a "first" for our Tampa Photo Booth Rental: We booked the photo booth for a wedding and I'm not the wedding photographer!

Originally, we designed the photo booth as an extra feature that we could offer to our wedding clients. I had shot a wedding and the bride and groom wanted me to add pictures from their photo booth to their wedding album. I was happy to do it but I wasn't very impressed with the images I received. The background was all black, there wasn't much room for people to get in the pictures. Turns out that the client wasn't very happy with the image either.

So, I designed my own photo booth with better lighting, more room and an actual photographer taking the pictures. Then I bought the best hi-speed printer on the market so I could print big 4x6 prints as fast as possible.

I didn't foresee just how popular the photo booth would become. Not only is it being booked by most of my wedding and bar Mitzvah clients, but I've started getting bookings for parties and events that don't use an event photographer!

People love it and it's a hit at every event! Plus, since it's something we created to add value to our business, we can charge less than the companies that our "photobooth only."

I just finished two wedding albums that devoted several pages to their photo booth images:

Click the images to enlarge...

To book a Tampa Photo Booth, call (813) 728-7110 or email booray@boorayperry.com

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Booray's Better Picture Class!!

2012-01-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Are You Still Taking Pictures on "AUTO?"

You need Booray's Better Pictures Class!

So many of my clients tell me that they have a nice, expensive camera (like the Canon Rebel) but they just don't understand how to use it. They want to take better pictures but the vast array of buttons and dials is so confusing!

Sign up for my class and when you're done you will be taking better pictures than you ever thought possible. I start at the beginning and teach you about composition and what makes a good picture, then move on to understanding your camera and making it work for you. Among the things you'll learn:

How to freeze motion when taking pictures at your child's sporting events.
How to take a portrait of someone where the background is all soft and blurry.
Good composition and how to take great pictures of your children.
How to take pictures in low-light
Your camera's "metering modes," what they mean, when to use them.
"Selective Focus" ... how to make the camera focus on what you want it to focus on..
... and a whole lot more!

Owning a nice car doesn't do much good if you don't know how to drive it... the same applies to cameras. The most important thing you will learn from my class is how photography works. Once you understand that, you'll be confident any time you pick up a camera and that means great pictures!

This class makes a great gift for someone who received a nice camera over the holidays.

The course will take place on three Sundays. (1/29, 2/5, 2/12) Class is from 1:00-3:00 P.M. Cost is $50 per class. Space is limited.

Contact me today at booray@boorayperry.com to sign up. Or call me at (813) 728-7110. Visit my website at www.boorayperry.com

Save $50 on Headshots in January!

2012-01-02T07:32:00.001-08:00

Get a great start on the new year with a new, vibrant headshot for your website, business cards and social media!

January is Headshot Month so we're discounting headshot sesions by $50!

Your cost is just $100 an hour ( normally $150) for the session and we can photograph as many as 4 people per hour! Hand retouched, Hi-Res digital files are just $100 each and can be used for all your business and social media needs.

The best part is that we come to you! Just schedule a time and we will come to your office to do the session. No outside appointments or travel involved at all. It's quick and easy and (especially this month..) very affordable!

Example: Headshots for 4 people with each person getting a hand-retouched digital image of their choice would cost just $125 per person and you never have to leave your office!

If you need a lot of people photographed you'll save even more... 12 people would save $150 off our usual session price, etc..

Email me at booray@boorayperry.com

Call me at 813-728-7110

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

St. Paul's and Rusty Pelican Wedding - Lauren and Scott

2011-12-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

I recently had the priveledge of photographing Lauren and Scott's wedding. The wedding was held at St. Paul Catholic Church on Dale Mabry in Tampa nd the reception was at The Rusty Pelican. Below are some of my favorite images from the wedding:

Click on any of the images below to see full-size!

The theme for the wedding was "Vintage." We created a special photo Guest Book for the couple that included pictures from their ancestor's weddings. This is the cover.

Since the wedding had a vintage theme, Lauren asked if we could print the Photo Booth pictures in sepia-tone. Of course!

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Why Do Digital Files Cost So Much?

2011-12-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just got off the phone with a client who wanted a photo shoot at the beach and all the images on disc, full-size and hi-rez, with a release of copyright so she could print them or post them online.

She was surprised at the cost.

So, I thought this might be a good time to explain how digital files are priced. Let the questions begin!

Why are digital images so expensive?
Actually, they're not. They just seem expensive because you are buying so many of them. First, let's talk about how photographers make their money;

Most photographers charge very little for a photo session. Their goal is to take such amazing pictures of you and your family that you will want to buy a lot of prints, wall art, or digital files. It's a gamble every time. We don't know how much money we will make from a client until they come see their images.

We like to offer a lot of different product so that we can make our clients happy (and make more money, of course). But here's the problem; Most of these products can now be purchased online or at a local store. So, when a client buys a digital image, it's very rare that they will buy anything else. For example, we used to sell a ton of wallets but now most people don't send them to family anymore. They just put the picture on Facebook.

What are digital images so expensive? Because you are buying the whole cow. I had a client who wanted to buy her digital images so she could make a guest book. Well, I sell guest books. So you can bet that I'm going to charge you at least as much as I would for a guest book, especially when you consider that you can use the images for so much more (prints, slide show, post online, "Thank You" cards, etc.)

Imagine going to McDonalds and asking for all the ingredients to make 30 cheeseburgers, already cooked, because you wanted to put the cheeseburgers together yourself. Would you expect to pay less than the normal cheeseburger price? Now, imagine they gave you the ingredients to make 30 cheeseburgers as well as hundreds of other types of burgers. Less than the cost of 30 cheeseburgers, or more?

I started by saying that digital images aren't actually that expensive for what you get so let me put that into perspective. If you were to buy 35 4x6 prints from me it would cost more than buying 35 digital images. With the digital images you can do anything you want. That's a great deal.

But I know a guy who will shoot a portrait session and give me a disc of images for X amount. Why don't you do that?
The real question is: Why don't you use that guy for your portraits? I think we both know the answer.

You can buy a Kia or a Ford or a Lexus or a Mercedes. Only you can decide which is right for you but don't expect the Mercedes to cost the same as the Kia. (By the way, I'm not the Mercedes. I know photographers who charge a lot more than me for their digital images and some who refuse to sell them at all.)

Well, I hope that I have shed a little light on why digital images cost what they do. Just remember: When you get everything on disc you are getting everything. It's going to cost more than a few prints.

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Wedding at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg

2011-12-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be nice to start posting "Idea Boards" from some of my weddings. Just a collection of some of the style elements from an event so brides can get ideas.

This wedding was held at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg:

Click the image to see it full size.

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Trevor and Jillian at Hyatt Clearwater Beach

2011-11-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

I just finished a wedding album for Trevor and Jillian who were married at The Hyatt, Clearwater Beach. They decided not to do some of the traditional things at their wedding (garter toss, bouquet toss) which meant there was more room in the album. So they filled it with their favorite pictures from The Vogue Booth ( Tampa's best Photobooth )!

It was a great wedding and a real privilege to be a part!

For more Clearwater Beach Wedding Photography, visit my website...

Wedding Pictures and Retouching

2011-10-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

One of the things that can be confusing when you start searching for a wedding photographer here in Tampa Bay is the level of "retouching" that will be done to your images.

The problem is that "retouching" can mean different things to different people. It's hard to know exactly what a person means when they say that they "retouch" your images. It's a little like someone saying that they are going to paint a room. Are they going to paint it all one color with a spray can? Are they going to faux-paint with sponges and special applicators? Will they being doing something in between those two extremes?

I can't speak for every photographer in town but I can tell you what I do and what I call it... so that you will at least understand what to expect from me.

But first, some technical mumbo-jumbo that will help you understand the process:

Professional photographers shoot in a format called RAW. Your pocket sized, point-and-shoot camera shoots in a format called .JPG. So does your phone.

What's the difference?

Well, in layman's terms it's this: The camera records a whole bunch of information into memory about the image. Then, it takes that information and converts it to a digital file that we can view and print. That is a .JPG.

A RAW file is basically all the information before it's converted to a .JPG. It's a huge file (literrally, 25 meg for one image) and it can only be viewed by special software (like Photoshop Bridge or Lightroom). Once we've downloaded all the RAW files, we then have to convert them all to .JPG files.

So, why do we shoot in RAW if it takes up so much space and requires a time consuming step to covert the files into something we can actually see and print? Because, RAW files contain all the raw data that make up the image, before it's converted. That means, with special software (like Photoshop Bridge or Lightroom) we can manipulate and change that data. We can adjust dozens of settings from exposure to color balance... levels to fill light... and the results will be better than if we were working on a .JPG file. So, we import the file in RAW format, make changes to it in Photoshop Bridge or Lightroom, and then convert it to a .JPG.

That is retouching.

Let's look at an image from a recent wedding:

Click on any of these images to make them larger.

This is what the image looks like in RAW. It would look the same if I had shot it in .JPG. But, since I shot it in RAW, I can now retouch it and get a better image. So, I look at the image and make some adjustments in RAW (using Bridge or Lightroom)... this is mostly done with a series of sliders and the mouse. Now I have this:

I've increased the exposure a little bit because the original was too dark. I also de-saturated the color a touch because I thought it was a little too rich... I wanted a more vintage look. Finally, I used a graduated filter to make the bottom of the image (the cement) a little less exposed. The cement doesn't look any different in the two images but remember, I made the whole image brighter, including the cement. It doesn't look brighter because I then darkened it back to the original setting.

The image above is what was burned to disc and given to the client along with the rest of their wedding pictures. I call this sort of retouching "bulk retouching." This is because I can often make changes to several images at once. If I have several images that were all shot at the same time and place with the same light, I can select them all and adjust their settings together. I would still have to do the cement individually but the color balance and exposure could be done to several at once, as long as they all had the same characteristics.

How long does it take to import, sort, bulk retouch and convert wedding images to .JPG? About one hour for every hour spent shooting. So, if I spend 7 hours photographing your wedding, I still have an entire day of work ahead of me just to get to the point where I have suitable images.

However, there is one more step that gets applied to select images: Hand-retouching.

Hand-retouching involves importing the image into Photoshop and working on it some more. I use an electronic paint brush tool to further retouch the image. Skin is smoothed, blemishes are erased, people and objects that affect the image in a negative way might be removed. I go over the image like it's a painting until it looks as good as I can make it look. Here's our image after it has been hand-retouched:

This image has had about 8 different changes. The most noticable one is that the car on the right side is gone now. There are plenty more that I won't detail here but it's this last step that prepares an image for printing.

The obvious question is: If hand-retouching is so great, why don't you do it to all the images that are on the disc?

Because if I did that. I would have to charge more money or give my clients fewer wedding pictures.

I prefer to bulk retouch the images, (which only takes an entire day!) and give my clients a lot of pictures. Then, when they pick the images they want in their album or for wall portraits, I hand-retouch them for printing. If I hand-retouched everything on the disc it would take days and I would have to charge more money for that extra work. Or, if I wanted to do all the hand-retouching in one day, I could probably do it if I only gave my clients 100 pictures (instead of 400-500). But I don't want to do that.

There are some photographers who might disagree with me. They would argue that it's my privilege as an artist to decide what image is the best and only deliver that image. The problem is that I have had clients pick images that were their favorites that I would never pick! It happens all the time. I think that people like choices (I know I do) and I have discovered that, although I am fantastic at picking the best image, I can't always pick the image that is best for you.

So, I give my clients more images and only hand-retouch the ones they print. That way, they get to make the final decision on what's "album worthy."

I do want to point out that not every image gets hand-retouched for printing. Some images are perfect after the bulk-retouch, especially pictures of objects, etc. It's the portraits that require the most work and the closer the portrait, the more facial retouching is done. Here's an image from the same wedding that was bulk retouched and is ready to print without any extra work:

Hopefully this post has made the retouching mystery a little clearer. There are three types of photographers: Those who don't retouch at all (avoid, avoid, avoid..), those who bulk-retouch (the majority of your images won't require anything else...) and those who bulk-retouch everything and hand-retouch the images (especially portraits) that are printed or included in an album.

Booray Perry is an award-winning wedding photographer in Tampa Florida.Getting married on the beach? Here's how to have the perfect florida beach wedding!
Nothing makes a party more fun than The Vogue Booth. Tampa's Best Photobooth!

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Bridal Show Booth

2011-09-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

We just finished our first Bridal Show. It was the Tampa Bridal Showcase at A La Carte Pavilion.

You might be asking yourself, "I wonder why Booray has never done a bridal show before?" (you probably aren't but for the purposes of this blog post, let's pretend that you are.).

The truth is that it takes a lot of work to build a booth. You don't have to build a booth... they provide a table and chairs... but I'm of the opinion that you should "go large or go home" so I always knew that I would only do a show if I could build a nice booth.

So, that's what we did.

It took about a week to plan it out and put it together. Most of that time was the painting and I have my fantastic wife to thank for that part. I used un-finished doors for the walls and furniture from my house to fill it out. My goal was to have a booth that didn't have anything that was a "trade show" item. No big table, white tablecloth, event chairs, etc. When we were all done, it was pretty nice!

After the show I imediatly made changes to the booth. Less furniture and more table space for album viewing. Watching everyone else break-down their space in 10 minutes was a little depressing.

The show seemed fairly busy... not a crush of people but a constant stream. There were a lot of photographers. Someone told me they counted nine of us in all.

Two former brides, Jessica and Tabitha, came and worked the booth with me. In my wildest dreams I could not have asked for better help. They were fantastic to the point that I was embarassed to be standing there whenever I could hear them talking about me.

Will it get me business? I have no idea. With nine photographers in the hall, I imagine that there was a wide range of prices and styles for the brides to consider. I'm not a high-end price but I'm not discount either. The real test of this show, for me, will be learning what kind of brides go to these shows. If it's bargain shoppers than I won't get much from it. There is always someone who is willing to shoot for less. I like to believe that I offer the best value of price/quality.

I did get a few emails right after the show but they were all of the, "Send me a price list," variety. If you see your wedding photographer as just another person on your check-list that needs to be hired than I'm not the guy for you. My brides tend to ask direct questions about lighting and style because they have thought about what they want and it's important to them.

So, we'll see! If I get a client or two from the show then I'll be happy. If I get five I'll be ecstatic.

Tampa Bay Wedding Photographer Booray Perry's website is here.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

2011-09-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last night was the monthly meeting of TAPPA (Tampa Area Professional Photographers Association) and I entered three prints in the monthly competition.

This image won 2nd place in the "Un-categorized" category:

This image won 1st place in the "Weddings and Events" category:

... and this image won 2nd place in the same category:

What's funny is that I thought that the couple kissing was my best shot at first place. I included the image of the shoes because I really like it and was hoping it might get third. Instead, the members of the guild decided that they like the shoe image best of all! I didn't even vote for that image (you only cast one vote.)!

I'm not saying that the shoe image isn't good. I love that image. I wrote an entire blog post about that image. I just didn't think that anyone else would love it as much as I do. :)

I've been entering images into the monthly contests for a few months now and I still have no idea what the other members will pick. It's actually kind of cool because every month is a surprise.

Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa bay..

Panel Discussion at T.A.P.P.A.

2011-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

At last month's meeting of T.A.P.P.A., we dispensed with the usual format of having a speaker and instead conducted a panel discussion. A panel discussion is when several people take the stage and answer questions from the audience.

Imagine my surprise when I was asked to be on the panel.

First of all, I haven't been a member of TAPPA for that long, less than a year I think. Several members of the panel were past presidents and one member pretty much founded the whole guild. The second reason I was surprised to be asked is that I have never asked to be a part of anything like that in the past. They asked me to participate and field any questions about social media that came along but I ended up talking about everything under the sun because I'm the type of person who wants to say something about everything!

There were a lot of different questions from the new photographers in attendance. The biggest one was probably the, "Do you sell digital files" question. Always a hot topic, it was interesting to hear how the rest of the panel handled this subject with their clients (all sell digital files).

I used the opportunity to ask a question myself and got a surprising answer. My question was, "What do you consider to be the minimum number of lights necessary for a studio portrait session?" The answers ranged from 1-5. Further proof that there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to photography.

As it happenned, one of the other photographers on the panel wore the exact same shirt as me that night. We had to sit at opposite ends of the panel. We looked like bookends.

On another note, I managed to place a two prints in the print competition. 1st place in Events and 2nd place in Portraits. I wrote about that here.

I really enjoy talking to fellow photographers. It's a little one-sided sometimes as I am a very outgoing personality and many photographers are more introverted. Also, everyone has an opinion and we don't always agree (as it is with all art forms) but I always look to learn something from everyone. I've found that if you approach each person as a learning opportunity you will almost always discover something, even a small thing, that you can use to improve your work. Sometimes it's just the satisfaction of discovering that someone else does things the same way that you do.

Booray Perry is a Tampa Bay Portrait Photographer.

Living with the hams...

2011-08-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I was training a new intern on how to set-up the Vogue Booth (www.tampa-photobooth.com ). Naturally, it works better if you have someone to photograph so I grabbed my girls (like I always do) and made them stand for us.

They proceeded to put on hats and glasses, etc, and have a good time when Mackie suddenly ran to her room.

When she returned, she grabbed two props from the table and jumped in front of the camera for a quick shot:

I crack up everytime I see this picture. I understand going and getting the doll from her room but actually going to the trouble of getting a moustache for the doll? Pure comic genius!

Sam (who's older) is an old master at posing for the booth and has no problem hamming-it-up for the camera:

I love my girls!

Feedback Needed Please!

2011-08-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

I'm an idea man. I got ideas coming at me all day... I couldn't even fight 'em off if I wanted. (that's a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time...)

I was thinking the other day that I would like to do an event where I could meet people and possibly have some beer and pizza at the same time. Who doesn't like beer, pizza and meeting people?

So, I'm going to run this idea by my ever faithful Facebook fans and see what they think because if there's one thing I've learned it's that my fans will speak up when asked.

What if I hosted a "Facebook Foto Night?"

I put the word out on Facebook that I will be taking great, professional headshots for your profile picture at a local watering hole (lights, backdrop, the whole deal). No charge. Just show up, get your picture taken and maybe have a beer and socialize a bit. A few days later I post the images on Facebook and everyone can grab them for their profile picture.

Do you think that my fans would show up for a free picture? Would they bring a friend? Are people willing to get off the couch for a great headshot and some beer?

That's my question to the faithful. If I get enough people saying, "Yea, I'd show up!" Then I'll set the whole thing up. If everyone thinks it's a stupid idea then I'll pretend it was someone else's. I have ideas like this all the time but never know if they're any good.

What do you think? Feel free to post a comment on Facebook or here on the blog....

Thanks!

Headshots by Booray Perry Photography

Siesta Key Wedding Beach Photography

2011-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last week we did something very rare here at Booray Perry Photography: We went on vacation. Our business is the sort that doesn't allow for much vacation time. People get married all the time and so we usually only manage a day or two off every now and then.

Last week we took a whole week off and went to the beach with the girls. It wasn't a complete vacation because I did manage to sneak one small wedding in on Thursday in Siesta Key.

Siesta Key is known for some of the best beaches in the world. I didn't get a chance to see too many of them as I was only there for a couple of hours but what I did see was great. Where we were there was a sea wall which I fell in love with. We were also blessed with the best sunset of the entire week!

Angie and Lee came down for a few days to get married and have a small honeymoon before the school year begins (Angie is a teacher). The wedding was short and simple with just the two of them, the officiante and me. After, I had them for over an hour, all to myself and we got fantastic beach wedding pictures.

Siesta Key is beautiful and I would love to go back soon to work or play!

See more Siesta Key Beach Wedding photography at Boorayperry.com

Tampa Headshots and Professional Portraits

2011-07-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to launch a new website this week: http://www.headshottampa.com/. It's just a one page site but it's dedicated to professional headshots.

I don't do that many headshots, to be honest, and I have no interest in going after the actor/model market. So why launch a new website just for headshots? Because I have a theory...

I personally believe that your headshot... the image that you use to represent yourself professionally.. is one of the most important business tools you have. I also think that people don't take it seriously enough. Too many people still view their professional portrait as just some stuffy picture that they have done for the "company."

It's so much more.

It's your first impression. It's who you are to hundreds of people on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, your company website, business cards, etc... and yet so many people have old, stodgy, boring headshots. I know, I see them everyday online.

It doesn't have to be that way. You can have a great picture, a portrait, that represents you exactly the way you see yourself. If you think that the initial image that people see when looking you up on facebook or Google isn't important, consider that the typical magazine spends 8-10 hours of work to get one picture for the cover. One. That's how important that first impression is..

I started thinking about it this week after doing a few headshot portraits. My wife, Bobbi needed one for her website (Perfect Florida Beach Wedding) and my friend Eileen over at Diva with a Fork needed one too (it's for her new website so it's not online yet). They were both very happy with the results and I think it's because I come from a wedding/portrait background so I tend to want to use outdoor locations and great lighting to get portraits that are relaxed but still "portraits," (if that makes sense).

To be honest, I don't know that it will attract any business at all since I have no plans to really market it. But it makes me feel good to know that it's out there. My own little line in the sand that says, "Don't settle for the ordinary!" I'm funny that way. :)

Once again, I'm proved wrong...

2011-07-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

At last month's TAPPA meeting (Tampa Area Professional Photographers Association) I decided to test a theory of mine regarding the print competition.

You see, it's my belief that I'm just not the sort of photographer who wins contests. Not that my work isn't good, it's just that I don't feel that my style is what the typical contest is looking for. It seems like contest winners are always perfect composition, perfect light, etc (as they should be, I guess) and I've always believed that some of the best images can be candid and unique.

So, I grabbed the image of mine that more people mention than any other image I have ever shot:

... and I entered it in the monthly competition. My point being: Everyone loves this picture but that doesn't mean it can win. It's too much like a snapshot, it's not artistic enough... "fancy"...

Well, you probably guessed where this is going. It won 1st place in the "Event" category.

Now, I don't know what to think. I'm still not convinced that it could be a merited print. Merited prints are picked by certified judges and those guys are tough. I'm going to make it a point to ask some of the other photographers what they think. I love this image and I think that it's a fine example of my work but that doesn't mean that it fits into the "mold" of a merited print.

I also entered a print in the "portrait" category and won 2nd place:

I'm a little more leery of "Portrait" than "Event" because there are always more entries in that category. Plus, you are competing against photographers who shoot primarily portraits and often in-studio. Portraits are what they do best so they produce some incredible work. I was very happy to place in the category.

I guess this all goes to show that despite what I think, anything can happen. :)

Booray is a photographer in Tampa Bay Florida

Taking pictures of fireworks

2011-07-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

In my classes, I always get a big reaction when I show a picture of fireworks. To a new photographer, it seems like an incredible feat to take a picture that freezes the action like that but by the end of my class they know that it's really quite easy. All you need is a tripod and a slow shutter speed.

This year I decided to take an updated version of my fireworks shot. I didn't want to really "stage" it because I didn't want to distract my kids from enjoying the show. I also didn't want to use much equipment because we were going to be at a friend's house and I didn't want to carry it (Nor did I want to set it all up in the middle of a party.) So, the task became, "How do I get a cool shot with a minimal amount of equipment?"

I brought three things: Camera, flash and tripod.

First, I set up the tripod behind the chair that my daughter was sitting in and extended the legs out so that I could get the camera low. I moved around a bit until I felt I had a good composition for getting Mackenzie and the fireworks both in the frame.

Next, I set the ISO at 800, the aperture at f10 and the shutter speed at 2 seconds.

Why these settings?

I knew that I would be using manual flash and I usually shoot at ISO 800 when I use manual flash. I'm just used to it, is all.

The aperture is at 10 because I want a good depth of field. Why? Because I had to focus manually since it was too dark for the camera to do it. I wanted room for error.

Finally, the shutter speed was just trial and error. By this time the fireworks have started and I am trying different speeds. Two seconds seemed about right.

So, now I have my camera set and ready to go and I start taking pictures, trying to time it so I get a good spread of fireworks.

The last time I did this shot there was a streetlight illuminating my subjects. This time it's pitch black. So, I take the flash in my hand and set it to manual. I set the exposure to -8. For off-camera flash work, I usually start at ISO 800, f5.6 and -8 with a shoot-thru umbrella. I'm shooting at f10 but I'm not using an umbrella (which takes about one stop off the light). So, it's about right. :)

Now the tricky part. I press the shutter and during the 2 second exposure I run over to the side and pop the flash on Mackenzie.

The other guests are looking at me like I'm nuts but I know what I'm doing. Two seconds is plenty of time to take a few steps and pop the flash. I do that about 10 times total.

When it's all done I end up with two good pictures. One has a great sky full of fireworks but Mackenzie is dark because my flash had powered off. The other has a great shot of Mackenzie but a poor fireworks display. All that's left is to combine the two in Photoshop and another fireworks picture is ready to go!

Booray Perry is a wedding and portrait photographer in Tampa Bay Florida

What is the proper etiquette when posting wedding pictures on Facebook?

2011-06-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Let's say you go to a friend's wedding and you take some pictures with your camera or phone. Do you post them on Facebook the next day? Should you?

First, a little history..

As a professional wedding photographer, I see a ton of wedding pictures online. Every wedding that I shoot will be well documented on Facebook by friends and family long before I ever post an image myself. As a rule, I don't post any images online until the couple have been to their viewing. I think that the couple should have the honor of seeing everything in my viewing room before they go out to the world. I don't want my client to come home from their honeymoon and discover that everyone has seen their wedding images except them.

That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of pictures on Facebook the day after the wedding because everyone has a camera and everyone posts on Facebook.

That's okay, it doesn't bother me. Well.... that's not completely true. I'll admit that I 'sigh' a little when someone posts a dark, fuzzy picture of the wedding and I know that I have much better images waiting in the wings. A little part of me is sad that Facebook friends will see the wedding through the eyes of a civilian with a camera phone before seeing the professional images that the couple will post after their viewing.

But, that's life. You can't have everything. People are excited after a wedding so of course they are going to post pictures. It's one of those, "In a perfect world.." kind of things, like sugar-free Oreo cookies.

So, I was surprised to discover that Emily Post, the etiquette people, actually address this very issue when discussing wedding "do's and don'ts."

According to Emily Post, you should not post images on social media of a wedding before the bride does. Here's the quote:

"While the barrage of day-after wedding photo postings are inevitable, Post explains that brides are very sensitive about their image. It’s best to wait until either the bride or the groom have publicly posted pictures before you post your own. Otherwise, said Post, "You’re kind of Facebook scooping them … on their own big day."

What do you think? Is this an idea that's time has come? If you were a bride, would you want people to wait until you posted your images before posting theirs so that you don't get "Facebook Scooped?" As a guest, do you think it's unrealistic to ask that of you? Again, I can't imagine the idea ever catching on in our instant/24-hour digital world but I am curious what other people think about it...

Booray Perry is a Tampa Bay Wedding and Portrait Photographer

The infamous "P" mode on a Canon camera.

2011-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

A former student of mine wrote me last week about a conversation she had with the photographer at a wedding:

"She said she had no idea how to use settings and they all only use the Program mode, same thing I was told at the rehearsal the day before. So I thought...hum....thought Booray said not to use P mode and I think I even remember a comment about why do they put it on the camera...."

This is clearly an invitation for me to use my vast knowledge and razor sharp wit to wax philosophically about the infamous "P" mode.

( Lately I've been trying to work on my self-control. I'm using self-control to eat fewer sweets. I'm using self-control to not honk at people in the pick-up line at my daughter's school. And, right now, I'm using tremendous self-control to refrain from commenting on the fact that my student met a wedding photographer who doesn't know how to use the settings on her camera...)

First, let's start with the "Auto" mode on a Canon camera. The "Auto" mode is the one with the little green rectangle on the dial. When you set your camera in "Auto" mode, you give all control to the camera. It determines the exposure, pops up your flash if you need it, sets the ISO for you and re-balances the funds in your 401K.

Never use the "Auto" mode.

I know, it sounds cool but it's not. Basically, you have bought an expensive camera that is capable of doing amazing things and you are letting it take your pictures like a point-and-shoot. You need to be able to change the settings on your camera, otherwise you're wasting a lot of strength carrying that big thing around.

The "P" mode is different. Once again, the camera will determine the exposure for you. The difference between "P" and "Auto" is that you can make some changes to things like ISO and file type. You can even adjust the exposure up to two stops in either direction using the wheel on the back of the camera (If you have a Rebel you don't have a wheel but you can still do it with button clicks). You can change the aperture and shutter speed by using the front controller wheel. Turn that wheel and the numbers will change, always maintaining the correct exposure.

Sounds pretty great, right?

Here's where it screws you up:

It doesn't remember your settings from the front wheel. So, lets say you are shooting and you decide that you want a shallow depth of field. So, you turn the front wheel until you get an f-stop of 2.8. The camera selects the proper shutter speed and you take the shot. Then, you go to take a second shot and suddenly the camera is giving you an f-stop of 8.0. That's because the camera starts from scratch every time you depress the trigger half-way. So, if you are wanting to shoot a series of pictures at f2.8, you will have to make that adjustment every time.

Let's say you are shooting sports. The camera selects a shutter speed of 1/250 but you want something faster so you turn the front dial until you get to 1/1000. A few minutes later you whip your camera up to take a picture and the shutter speed is at 1/250 again.

Compare that with Av mode where you can set the camera to f2.8 and it won't move from the setting. Or Tv mode where you can set the camera to 1/1000 and it won't move from that setting. Even if you turn the camera off.

When you turn on the flash it does the same thing, automatically changing to it's preferred "flash" settings. The truly awesome thing about E-TTL flash is that it will adapt to whatever settings you use in the camera. Letting the camera set default settings like f8 and 1/60 strips you of all the incredible images you could be taking by manually setting your camera to bring in more light or less depth of field or whatever and using the incredibly intelligent flash to compensate for the lack of light in the scene.

It's true that I did tell my class that I can't figure out why the 'P" setting even exists. I've looked around online and seen a few people who say that it's great when you must get the shot because you don't have to worry about the settings but Av and Tv mode do the same thing with the added benefit that you can set one of your settings and the camera won't change it. With manual you can set them both!

As a bounce flash photographer, I am always looking to push my camera to it's limits so that I can get something unique. Manual mode, Tv and Av give me all the tools I need.

Booray Pery is a wedding photographer in Tampa Bay Florida

Why is wedding photography so expensive?

2011-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's harder now to find the right wedding photographer than any time in the past. The "digital revolution" has led to hundreds of new photographers. Camera's are cheaper, there's no film or developing cost... it's never been easier to buy a camera and market yourself as a wedding photographer.

So, why do some photographers cost $500 and some cost $5000?

In this post, I'm going to let you in on some of the secrets behind modern wedding photography and how you can find the right photographer for your budget.

Let's start by looking at a broad number: 35%. According to the Professional Photographers Association of America, that's the target profit margin for a wedding photographer. The target. Many make less. So, for every $1000 that a photographer charges, figure he's probably taking home $200-$350 after expenses. Of all the vendors you hire for your wedding, your photographer will have the greatest overhead. I carry $10,000 worth of equipment to a wedding... equipment that gets broken and must be repaired or upgraded. I have a website, marketing materials, studio management software, graphic design software, insurance, advertising, etc. That's where 65%-75% of your money goes.

Still, let's say a photographer charges $2000 to photograph your wedding. With the above formula, that means he makes, say...$600. You might be thinking, "$600 for one day's work is pretty good!"

But it's not one day's work. It's a week of work. Unlike the other vendors at your wedding, when the wedding is over your photographer is just getting started. First, let's not forget the 2-3 hours he has spent meeting with you before the wedding. Add another 5-6 hours if you had an engagement session. Then there's the 7-10 hours of work on the wedding day. Finally, there can be as much as 20 hours of post-production work on a typical wedding.

So, that $600 is now a week's salary, not a day.

Okay, we've established that photographers don't get to keep much of their money. The next question is, "If they make so little, how can any photographer afford to shoot for $500-$1000?"

They can't.

Anyone shooting at that price is not making a living as a photographer. They are a student, or they have another job. Sometimes they are building a portfolio towards being a full-time photographer.

The thing you have to look out for with these photographers is that they have to cut corners in order to be so cheap. Note - I started out shooting fairly cheap but I was lucky enough to have some money already. That enabled me to purchase all the necessary gear and backups from the start.

I can't speak for all photographers but I can use myself as an example that might shed a little light on the differences between high-end and low-end photographers.

Let's start with the cost of business. A high-end photographer will have a business license, studio management software, liability insurance, a good website, and other marketing tools... all of which cost money.

Equipment: Here's where the costs really start to pile on. A high-end photographer will be using pro-level gear. What does that mean? It means better picture quality and better enlargements, for starters but the biggest impact is in the area of low-light photography. Basically, high-end camera's and lenses have the ability to shoot in dark places (like churches and reception halls) much more effectively than cheap gear. This is why, when you look at the website of a low-end photographer, you see so many pictures that were taken outdoors. Their indoor pictures don't look good because they don't have the right gear. Add to all this the fact that I carry two of everything and you can see where the costs start to mount up. The cost of this level of expert equipment is passed along to the client. So, just because a photographer charges more doesn't mean he makes more.

Skill and talent: Believe it or not, it takes money to have talent. Hi-end photographers are constantly training, taking classes, reading books, etc in order to improve their craft.

Assistants - many high-end photographers have an assistant or second-shooter who must be paid.

The bottom line when trying to decide how much money to spend on your photography is to remember that your wedding pictures will be the only thing that is left after the big day. They will last forever and be passed down to future generations. Do you really want to cut corners on your memories? Don't be the person who looks back in 20 years and says, "I should have hired a better photographer." I meet those people all the time. Usually it's the mother of the bride who has brought her daughter to me because she doesn't want her to make the same mistake she did.

Booray Perry is a wedding photographer in Tampa Bay Florida

NEW! Gallery Blocks!

2011-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

We have a brand new product at Booray Perry Photography and it is really something special!

Gallery Blocks are a new take on the classic gallery canvas look. Unlike a canvas wrap, where the canvas is stretched over a frame, your images are bonded to a solid-wood construction. This allows for lots of variety in design and a unique three-dimensional shape. It's also solid and heavy because it's solid wood!

The background image can be whatever you choose. For the gallery block above I used a picture of the beach to compliment the beach portraits.

Refraining from using the phrase "small world"

2011-04-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

As you probably already know, my wife owns a beach wedding business called Perfect Florida Beach Wedding. She stages small beach weddings in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Peterburg.

Today she got a call from a woman who is looking for some work. She is a minister and wedding officiant.

"I'm thinking of moving to St. Petersburg," she said, "and I don't know that I want to start my business up all over again. It might be better to just work for someone else for a while."

Bobbi chatted with her for a bit and as she was talking, she went to her website online. The woman looked familiar.

"You live in St. Thomas" Bobbi asked?

"Yes"

"You marry people at Meghan's Bay?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, you won't have to audition if you work for us," Bobbi said.

"Why not," she asked?

"Because you married us" Bobbi answered.

Does this mean I can call myself "Award Winning"

2011-04-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of the Tampa Area Professional Photographers Association. I joined last year, mainly because I felt that I didn't know enough of my fellow photographers in Tampa. It's been a great experience so far, everyone is very nice and welcoming.

One of the things that they take very seriously in The Professional Photographers of America is competition. It's called a "Salon" and it's very cool to watch. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There are three judges and your score is the average of their three scores. The judges are free to challenge any score and argue with the other judges. It was fascinating to watch the whole process.

I should point out that the biggest reason that I enjoyed it so much is that there seems to be great care taken to reach a fair decision. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am argumentative by nature. If there's a contest, I'm the first person to point out any potential flaw in the judging, etc. The PPA system of judging is very impressive. (I won't go into it here, I'm sure it's online somewhere.)

I should also point out that the judging is as fair as it can be, given that art is subjective. While it's true that there are certain "rules" to photography, there's still a lot of personal feelings that go into judging. For example, one time when the judges were debating a print, one of them said, "You know how much I love black and white." So, does that mean I stand a better chance of a high score if I convert to black and white? (Let me be perfectly clear that I am, in no way, saying that judge is biased. Rather, I'm saying that it's impossible for anyone to be completely un-biased when judging art. Emotion is part of the process. Without emotion, you have no art.)

In addition to the big Salon that is only once a year, they also have a monthly competition at the meetings. In the monthly competition, the members all judge and there is a simple scoring system. Everyone just writes down their favorite image in each category and then they tally the scores. You can't really take it too seriously for several reasons:

First of all, there are several members who have spouses or assistants who are also members, etc, so they are going to get some instant votes (I mean, who wouldn't vote for their wife? I know I would..).

Secondly, there are very few categories (portrait, event, electronic imaging, books and albums, commercial, un-categorized... maybe one or two more I'm forgetting). You have to have at least three entries in a category for it to be voted on so you can't have twenty categories. Still, it's tough to pick between an album of portraits and a wedding album since they represent two very different skill sets.

Finally, each photographer gets to select what category they compete in. This leads to a dozen different interpretations of category. For example:

This is a portrait of a bride at her wedding. Does it go in the "wedding and event" category or the "portrait" category? It was shot at the wedding so it's a wedding image I guess. But what if we had shot it the day before the wedding? Does that make it a portrait?

"Portrait?" "Un-categorized?"

I see a lot of images that, to me, are clearly in the wrong category but many more that are just on the fence. For example, last night there was an image in the "un-categorized" category of a girl hitting a soccer ball with her head. Since there is no "sports" category, thet seems the logical place for it. However, if that shot was set up (as opposed to being shot during a game) then isn't it a portrait? Who's to say?

By the way, the above images were entered in "wedding/event" and "un-categorized."

So, the overall point that I am trying to make is that you can't take the monthly competition too seriously. Best to use it as a great opportunity to compare your images to others and hopefully get some knowledge and ideas. Don't worry about whether or not you win.

That being said, I won bitches!!

That's right! The Boo-man managed to win 2nd and 3rd with the two images you see above! Go Booray, Go Booray, It's Your Birthday!!

Let's be fair. The wedding dress shot won 2nd out of three total entries. So, I could have entered a picture of my big toe and won 3rd. Unless it was a truly awesome picture of my big toe, then maybe 2nd. I'm not saying it didn't deserve 2nd, just that I wish It could have competed against more images.

The "feet" shot won third out of maybe 8-9 images. "Placing" in the "uncategorized" category is a mixed bag. There are always a couple of images in there that could be argued don't belong and others that are just hard to compare (this shot competed against a picture of a prairie dog, for example.)

Personally, I think that most images fall under "portrait" but then, is it fair to compare a portrait done with natural light on location against one shot in the studio with five lights and a make-up artist? You see why there's no perfect answer...

I was surprised that it placed. I love the image and I get comments on it all the time but I love it because I know the feet. It's a couple who's wedding I shot. He's a fireman and she's a dancer. I wonder what people think when they see it... do they just like the juxtaposition of the two types of footwear?

Who really cares.... I got a ribbon.

You can see more of Booray Perry's award winning photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/

Fastest Photo Booth in Tampa Bay?

2011-04-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, I was all set for the Father/Daughter Dance at McKitrick Elementary. I was going to set up a portrait station with professional lighting (just like last year), only this year we would be printing every picture on site so that everyone would have a keepsake to take home to Mom.

The week before the dance I get an email from the school. The demand for tickets was a little more than expected (oops!) and they were expecting over 500 people for the two-and-a-half hour dance.

Well, I like to think that I can work fast but I can't work THAT fast!

So, we converted to The Vogue Booth. There are several key differences between a portrait station and The Vogue Booth. With a portrait station you bring posing stools and big lights. With The Vogue Booth there are no chairs and I use a ring flash. Vogue Booth prints look more like a photo booth print (but better because of the ring flash). No posing stool means we can shoot faster.

Technical note - "Ring Flash" is a flash that is shaped like a donut. The camera lenses sticks right through the middle. The effect is that you get direct flash on your subject but no shadow because the light is on the same plane as the lens. It's frequently used for fashion photography. "Esquire" magazine shoots almost all their fashion spreads with ring flash.

So the idea was that, instead of taking formal portraits, we would just be running The Vogue Booth. The girls could come have pictures taken with their friends or whoever.

Of course, it didn't work exactly as planned.

Since we had a portrait station last year, everyone was trained to go straight to the photographer when they arrived. We had a big line. Luckily, thanks to the speed of The Vogue Booth and the lovely Bobbi bagging my prints, we were able to photograph all the Dads and Daughters and still have time for lots of fun, photo booth pictures.

There were several military Dads there in full-dress uniforms which I thought was very cool. Then, about halfway through the night a little girl stepped up to get a picture with her dad, only her dad wasn't there. I didn't get the details but I can only assume that he's stationed overseas because his daughter had brought a big, blow-up picture of him. She wasn't going to let a little thing like thousands of miles stop her from getting a picture with her daddy at the dance. We had to shoot it twice to get it right but it turned out great. At a glance it looks like he is really there.

When the night was done, we had set a new record (the old record was set last year). 380 prints in less than 3 hours!

It was great fun and hopefully we will be back again next year.

Booray Perry is a wedding and portrait photographer in Tampa FL.

It's "Mr. Mean" to you pal...

2011-04-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today, Bobbi walked into the living room and said, "Someone is using one of our pictures on their website."

Bobbi is designing a new arbor for Perfect Florida Beach Wedding and was looking for inspiration. She came across a website that rents arbors in another state and was quite surprised to discover a picture from http://www.perfectfloridabeachwedding.com/ .

It's a picture of a rose petal heart in the sand. Bobbi built it, I photographed it. It has her company logo stamped in the bottom right-hand corner.

The one that was on the other website was enlarged and had the logo photoshopped out. They kept the nice custom black border and drop shadow that I created, however.

Needless to say, Bobbi was shocked. "What should I do?" she asked.

"Write them an email and tell them to take it down or you will contact a copyright attorney," I said.

She sent off the email and a reply came back quickly. The website owner apologized for using the picture and said she will remove it. She asked if we would consider letting her keep it on the site if she gave us credit. Then she said that there wasn't a logo on it so she didn't know it was ours (and didn't know where she got it) and finally (this is the best part) she said that she is no threat to our business and that we "didn't have to be so mean."

Mean?

MEAN?!?!

Here's the problem: People have no concept of what a copyright is or why it exists. Or, they understand a little about copyright law but think that it's mostly for books.

It's not just for books. It's for photographs too, plus a whole bunch of other stuff.

So, let me get this off my chest because it drives me crazy. It's hard to know where to start so I apologize if I start to ramble a little bit.

Every time the shutter clicks, I have created a new piece of original artwork. I own it. It's mine. You can not use it or reproduce it in print form or digitally online without my permission. It's illegal to copy a book and sell it (or put it online)... or a song... or a picture. (There are exceptions, see Wikipedia's article on fair use)

It doesn't matter if it has a logo on it (that was established in 1989). All that matters is that you didn't make it.

It's frustrating because people take for granted the work that professional photographers do. When you look at that picture you see a heart in the sand. What you don't see is:

The money we paid for the rose petals
The money we paid for the babysitter so we could go to the beach
The money we paid for the equipment used to take the picture (about $5000, in case you are curious)
The four hours it took to drive to the beach, set up the heart, take the picture and drive back.
Parking.
The gas
The money that has been spent in years of training to be able to take a decent picture.
The time spent downloading the file and retouching the file to make it presentable for the website.
The cost of the computer and software used to do the retouching.
The time and money spent learning how to retouch a washed out beach photograph so that it looks decent
... you get the idea..

It's especially frustrating because there are places you can go (http://www.istock.com/) and buy images for your website. Cheap images. Incredible, cheap images. A click away. And, you get the warm satisfaction of knowing that the photographer who produced that image is being paid for his time and expertise.

Or, better yet, take the picture yourself. That's what we did.

As I mentioned earlier, there are exceptions. It's called 'Fair Use" and it enables use of copyrighted work without permission in certain instances. For example, if a newspaper or book wants to print Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, they have to pay for it (true!). But a teacher can copy it for class or read it out loud without permission.

One of the things that determines "Fair Use" is whether the use impacts the business of the copyright holder. This is where things can get subjective. So, to be clear, let me explain why it hurts Bobbi's business to use her images without her permission.

Perfect Florida Beach Wedding is built around the photography. Every picture that you see on the website was produced by us. What you see is what you get. Now imagine you are a bride looking for a beach wedding company and you visit Bobbi's website. Then, as you continue to surf for ideas, you start seeing the same pictures that are on Bobbi's website all over the Internet. Suddenly, you have to wonder where those pictures came from. Maybe Perfect Florida Beach Wedding's pictures aren't their actual pictures. Maybe they just copied them from someone else's website. Now, the integrity of the business is in question. This is why I stamp my website on every picture I put online. If someone sees one of my pictures somewhere else I want it clear that it came from me, not the other way around.

But all that is really just secondary to the true point: If you didn't create it, don't use it.

I would love to be able to say that photographers, who have to fight to protect their work constantly, are always respectful of other people's copyrights but it would be a lie. Photographers steal all the time and it drives me nuts. Have you ever visited a photographer's website and there was music playing that you recognize? Do you think that the photographer asked the artist for permission to use their song?

No.

Do you think they would sue if the artist decided to use one of the photographer's pictures on their album cover without paying for it?

Mmmm... yes. (I'll take, "The most hypocritical thing that photographers do" for $500, Alex)

You can't use an artist's work without permission. Using a song by Train on your website is no different than if Pepsi decided to use it in a commercial.

Remember The Talking Heads? I read an interview with David Byrne a while back and he said that his principal source of income is licensing old Talking Heads songs for TV and movies. If you are watching a TV show and "Burning Down the House" is playing in the background, David is getting a check.

(There are websites where you can buy music too. I paid $60 for the right to use the song that plays on my wedding pages. I sleep like a baby.)

So, now that I have ranted about protecting my work, let me say one more thing.

I let people use my pictures on their websites all the time.

I make it a point to seek out every vendor who works an event with me and tell them to let me know if they need any of my pictures for their website. I have been offered payment, I turn it down. All I ask is for a photo credit and a link. I love it when people want to use my pictures on their websites and my Google ranking loves it too. But that doesn't mean that I don't deserve to be asked first.

I guess the thing that bothered me the most about the whole thing was that she said we were "mean." I guess it's hard for people who don't create things to understand the body blow a person feels when someone takes your work and uses it without so much as a "how do you do." When that happens, you can't just respectfully ask them to give it back. You have to say, "Stop or I will get an attorney." Not only does it get their attention, but it also makes it clear that what they are doing goes beyond discourteous. It's illegal.

The people who really get hit hard are the ones who get reported to Google. Google has a very simple process for reporting a website that is using copyrighted material without permission. (http://www.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=ts.cs&ts=1114905). If they decide that you are stealing, they remove you from Google search. They might as well drop an a-bomb on your web traffic. As far as Google is concerned, you don't exist.

Don't steal.

Tampa Photo Booth

2011-03-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our unique take on the Tampa photo booth called "The Vogue Booth" continues to grow and evolve. We have always offered professional lighting and photography with beautiful 4x6 prints delivered in less than 30 seconds but now we are offering something new.

Mr. Mustache.

What's Mr. Mustache? Well, I'm glad you asked!

We took our normal photo booth setup and streamlined it even further. With the addition of a fashion photographer's light we can now remove the bigger portrait lights and take up less room at the event. The whole thing fits into a space abot 5x7 feet but still has much more room to pose than a traditional booth. The fashion light gives us those cool, Vogue shots with no shadow. We can use this setup for any of the Vogue Booth setups (Mardi Gras, Portrait, Mr. Mustache..) but we designed it with Mr. Mustache in mind.

It was Bobbi's idea and it's a great one. Everyone who has a photobooth does boa's and sunglasses so we want to offer something different. The mustaches make for great pictures! (Of course, we have the boa's and sunglasses too..)

We recently had a beach wedding with a really fun couple so we brought along the mustaches for fun!

As is the case with all our photo booths, we can custom design a border for the prints that is perfect for your event.

Booray Perry is an award-winning wedding photographer in Tampa Florida.Getting married on the beach? Here's how to have the perfect Florida beach wedding!
Nothing makes a party more fun than The Vogue Booth. Tampa's Best Photobooth!
Don't settle for a bad headshot on your website or social media pages. Get the best professional headshot in Tampa Bay..

Wedding Photographer comment spam

2011-03-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's the thing: we all do it. This insane system that Google has devised for deciding who gets to be on the front page for a particular search term has made everyone into "link" thieves. We are constantly looking for someplace to put a link back to our website so that we mught improve our search ranking.

One of the most popular ways to get links is to comment on other photographer's blogs. It's easy: you find a blog that talks about wedding photography and you leave a comment on one of the posts. How can you tell when it's another photographer who is trying to ride your content for a link? Easy... everyone else signs their name "Booray Perry"..... the link farmer signs his name "Wedding Photographer Tampa." You see, blogger let's you sign whatever you want as your name and they let you make it a link! So, "Wedding Photographer Tampa" becomes a link to the photographer's website, which helps with Google.

Everyone does it. I get it. I've done it too and I always feel a little dirty afterward. But here's the difference between me and everyone else who does it to my blog: I leave a real comment. I read the post, I think of something creative to say or a question to ask. I know that the other photographer will know what I am doing but if the comment is nice enough (or engaging enough) he might let it stay.

No one does this when the spam my blog.

Do you really think that you can post a comment that contains "Detroit Wedding Photographer" as a name and "Wedding Photographer" in the body three times and I won't delete it? REALLY?!

Here's the other thing that gets me: The photographers who comment spam me don't have blogs themselves. Before I delete an obvious spammer, I check to see if they have a blog. If they do, I might consider leaving their obvious link-building comment on my blog in return for putting one of my own on theirs. They never have a blog! Quid Pro Quo my brother!

So, if you are reading this and thinking of commenting, know that I will delete you if you leave an obvious link spam, If you leave a comment that looks like you actually read the post, and you have a blog of your own that I can link from, that's a different story.

Good luck!

Two people, one light

2011-03-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I recently had the privilege of photographing Michael and Danielle's engagement session in Safety Harbor. They booked me in 2010 for their wedding in 2012... this is a couple who is prepared!

I always encourage my clients to be creative at their engagement photo session. Bring a change of clothes, props, anything that you think might be fun. I tend to adhere to the, "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" philosophy. My sessions are about 50% planned and about 50% on-the-spot inspiration.

Michael and Danielle did not disappoint. They told me that one of the funny things about their relationship was that they had a bit of "role-reversal" compared to typical couples. Michael does most of the cooking and cleaning, Danielle fixes things.

They came prepared to illustrate their respective roles with cookware and tools. The question was: How do I photograph them in a creative way?

Superheroes.

I decided that it would be cool to put them back-to-back, looking into the sky in a classic "super-hero" pose. Unfortunately, lighting them would be a problem since they would be facing opposite directions. I typically work with just one off-camera light so that I can move around easier. The shot I had in mind would require two lights because I wanted them each to be lit by a high spot, shining right down into their faces. I have two lights, that's not a problem... what I didn't have was two lighting tripods and assistants (or sand bags) to hold them on the side of a windy hill!

Luckily, I did have my trusty Manfroto tripod in the truck.

First, I set up the shot with Michael and had Danielle hold the tripod. (I used to be self conscious about asking my subjects to lend a hand but not anymore. I think that people like being a part of the shoot.) I dialed in my exposure for the background and let the PW Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 do the rest with a Lumaquest Softbox III mounted on a Canon 580EXII.

Then, I put the camera on my tripod and zoomed in for the proper framing. I was careful to try and avoid overlap between the two subjects to save myself a Photoshop headache later.

Next it was Danielle's turn. Remember, whatever you do, don't move the tripod!

Once I got home, I combined the two images in Photoshop, cropped to a 4/5 ratio and did some light photoshop effects to make it a little more dynamic:

...and that's how you take a picture of two people with one light! Michael and Danielle were very happy and insisted on this picture for their "Save the Date" cards.

Best of 2010 - Part 8

2011-02-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here we go with part 8 of the best of 2010! Let's start off with:

Best baby:

Just try to not smile when you look at this picture. I dare you.

Best Bridal Portrait:

Technically not a bride but a model for a bridal gown company. However, I had all of 10 minutes to take this shot so it was just like a busy wedding day as far as having to think fast and work quickly.

However, if you want to be picky about it, I would have to pick this as my favorite actual bride portrait. I know it's not full-length. I know she's standing in a hall and not a church. I know it's not in front of a beautiful sunset. But she just looks so happy and vibrant.

Best Garter Toss:

You would think it was a foul ball at The World Series...

Best Specialty Shot:

This category is for shots that require props or special clothes. This is my favorite and one of the most complimented images from the year.

However, this was a very close second...

Best First Kiss:

This couple got married in front of a huge white curtain. Not my first choice of backgrounds but it does make it possible to do something like this.

Best Shot of Booray with Bride:

I try to get someone to take my picture with every bride I photograph. I never know how the shot will turn out but this one came out great!

Well, that's it! I left out a lot of great pictures but this list was starting to feel like it would never end.!

Best of 2010 - Part 7

2011-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

"Mama always said you could tell a lot about a person by looking at their shoes," - Forrest Gump

Way back in the dark Ages when I decided to become a Tampa wedding photographer, I gad no idea that I would spend so much time taking pictures of shoes. I'm not really a shoe guy. I don't notice shoes on women very often. But, when it comes to weddings, shoes are important and I've really enjoyed coming up with new ways to photograph them.

Best Weddding Shoe Pictures:

This shot got a blog post of it's own this year so that I could explain how much work goes into a shot that should really be simple. Still a favorite of mine and my best "pure" shoe picture of the year.

Technically not a wedding shoe picture but rather an engagement shoe picture. Simple and sexy.

The bridesmaids and bride all changed into sneakers for the reception. I love the contrast in this shot.

New Wall Art for 2011

2011-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

We are introducing a new piece of wall art for 2011! This is a custom design by Booray Perry Photography that isn't available with any other studio!

It's a four piece collection on canvas. Available in several sizes, the one you see here features 20x20 blocks for a total coverage area of 33x33.

Each piece features a custom image from your session with distressed border design. Then, each is overlayed with a different font. They can be arranged in a square or a row, whichever fits your space.

This particular piece opens a lot of possibilities for other configurations. You could spell someone's name, or use a word like "family" or "happy." :)

To kick off this beautiful new piece, we are offering a free session with pre-order. Pre-order this piece and your session is FREE!

booray@boorayperry.com

813-728-7110

Best of 2010 - Part 6

2011-02-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Continuing our series of the best shots of 2010 we come to:

Best Wedding Rings Photograph

Another tough category but I eventually went with this shot which features a special prop that is used by Perfect Florida Beach Weddings. I'm a big fan of beach weddings but since there is sand everywhere it can be tougher to find places to take pictures like this one. That's why we have a few cool props. :)

Best Family Photograph

Family portraits have come a long way over the years and this is a perfect example of how things have changed. No longer satisfied with the standard, posed, studio type portrait... famlies are looking for something more creative that will serve as a portrait and art. This particular shot is becoming a bit of a trademark for me as I use it at weddings as well.

Best Bar Mitzvah Guest Book Photograph

Whenever i see this photograph I'm reminded of being 13 years old and just beginning to sense that life is going to be a whole lot more complicated than I had imagined.

Best Senior Photograph - Female

"What is she thinking?" I don't know but I wonder everytime I look at this picture.

Stay tuned for Part 7!

Best of 2010 - part 4

2011-01-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

Best Engagement Picture

Tough category again but I have to go with this shot taken in dowtown Tampa. First runner up goes to the shot below:

Best wedding picture during the ceremony:

This shot of a Christmas wedding got a lot of attention this year. Second place goes to a Clearwater Beach wedding that I photographed for Perfect Florida Beach Wedding

Best of 2010 - Part 3

2011-01-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

Best Bride and Groom:

Wow.... tough category. I really have a hard time picking a favorite. So many pictires fall into this category and I personally think it is where I do my best work. I narrowed it down to three images but trying to elevate one above the others is impossible, so.... it's a three-way tie.

Best "First Dance"

This shot stands out for me because of the lighting. The off-camera light is perfect and illuminates the brides face and dress just right. It's easy to "blow out" the dress when you are a wedding photographer so that the folds and flow of the dress can't be seen. Getting a great, candid shot while preserving all the detail in the dress is a big thrill. (You're probably thinking, "Wow, you thrill easily. :)

Best Wedding Dress Picture

The last wedding of the year produced some incredible images. I shot this on Dec. 31st. :)

Best of 2010 - Part 2

2011-01-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

Are year-end breakdown of the best of 2010 continues with:

Best Groomsmen Picture

We are starting to get into categories now where it's almost a toss-up because I have so many pictures that I love. However, I have to give the award to this shot, taken in a hallway at Sand Pearl Resort in Clearwater. The sunglasses and the great "Rat-Pack" vibe of this shot make it a favorite.

Best Bridesmaids Picture

I have plenty of stunning shots of gorgeous girls in their bridesmaids dresses but for pure fun nothing beats these beautiful girls posing in the bride and groom's bed! However, I have to show the close second place winner:

Best Cake Picture

The best cake picture isn't of a cake at all. It's cupcakes! The tiered stand for the cupcakes was made by the bride. I may be a little partial to this picture because it was published.. :)

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Best of 2010 - Part 1

2011-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

By original intention was to do a "Top 10" for 2010 but I soon realized that it would be imposable to do. Since I take on such a large variety of gigs from weddings to Bar Mitzvah's and beyond, it's not really realistic to make those images compete against each other. I mean, a really great picture of shoes is a really great picture but it can't compete agains a baby or a bride. Still, it deserved recognition. I may spend most of my time as a wedding photographer but that doesn't mean that's all I do.

So, instead of a "Top 10," I've decided to simply pick the best images by category. Some of the categories will be serious, some not so much. :)

So, without further adieu, here's the first category:

Best Bar/Bat Mitzvah Temple picture

This image was taken at Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg FL. It's a beautiful temple and it's the only one I have ever worked in where I felt there was room to take a shot like this with the subjects sitting on the steps.

Best Dance Picture

I love everything about this image. The pose is perfect and the background light was reflecting off the white vinyl just enough to give me a little kicker light on the model's face.

Best Special Assignment Picture

A "special assignment" is something outside of the norm. Like when I get asked to shoot a company or in the case of this photograph, a school play.

This image is from Carrollwood Day School's production of "Beauty and the Beast." I actually shot this from the back of the stage so that I could get the dark background of the hall. This isolated the actors better.
I'll post "part 2" soon and we'll start looking at wedding images. Stay tuned!

Booray's Better Pictures Class!

2010-12-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'll be starting a new session of my beginner photography classes in January!

The class will be three weeks, every Sunday starting 1/9 (1/9, 1/16, 1/23). Cost is $50 per class.

As usual I will cover all the basics of photography from composition to exposure. When we are done you will be a photographer! At the very least you will finally be able to understand that expensive DSLR that you have been carrying around and using on "auto."

Contact me right away because space is limited. booray@boorayperry.com

Santa pictures at Hyde Park Village

2010-12-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'm spending a week taking pictures of Santa Claus at Hyde Park Village and it's really a wonderful experience.

First, a little inside scoop on photographers. Most photographers specialize in one sort of photography. Some are wedding photographers and some are baby photographers. Some shoot sports and Little League and some shoot school portraits. Which field you specialize in is based on what you like, what you're good at and what makes money, not necessarily in that order. There's also some ego stuff involved sometimes... fashion photographers would never lower themselves to shooting a wedding, wedding photographers would never stoop to shooting Little league. That sort of thing.

My problem is that I like to work. If someone asks me to do a job and I'm not already booked, there's a good chance I'll do it. I have a family to support and there's pride to be had in working but the main reason is that I enjoy being a photographer. Any kind of photographer. There's joy to be had in the work, the people you meet and the pride of doing a good job. That's why it's not unusual to see me photographing a high-end wedding one day and a High School prom the next. I've turned down jobs before for various reasons but I don't know many photographers who work in as wide a variety of fields as I do.

This is the first time that I've ever signed on for such a long session (6 days total). I'm two days in and I can't tell you how much I'm loving it.

First of all, the proceeds are going to The Humane Society, which is nice because the clients are contributing to a charity and getting a nice photo as opposed to paying me directly. It removes the business side from the equation so that everyone is just trying to have a good time and get fun pictures.

Second, we have a great Santa. This is his 14th year.

I didn't know what to expect going in but I soon came to understand that the picture is not the important part of the experience. I'm used to people focusing on me and trying to keep the line moving in these sort of shoot-and-print situations. That's not what it's about with Santa.

It's about Santa.

These families come in with children who have been coming to see Santa, this Santa, since they were born. They sit, they talk, they laugh. Eventually I take a picture. You never saw so much love and warmth in your life. He's a part of the family for these people and I feel really privileged to be able to be a small part of it. I have two small children of my own so I still get mushy watching a 4-year-old talk to Santa for the first time.

Because it's sponsored by The Humane Society, pets are welcome. One of the things that I think is hilarious is watching the pet owner's reaction when they see their picture. Oh sure, parents with children are appreciative and there's plenty of "awwwws," but the pet owners? They go nuts! "That's my baby! AWWWW!!" :)

Plus, I'm a dog guy so I have no problem with animals. I love seeing all the pets.

I guess the point of this post is that I'm pretty lucky to have this job. I'm constantly being surprised by where it takes me, the people I meet and the experiences I have. Everyone should take pictures of Santa at least once.

Booray Perry is a wedding photographer in Tampa Bay Florida

St. Petersburg Beach Wedding

2010-12-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

I recently had the privilege of shooting another wedding for Perfect Florida Beach Wedding. I say "privilege" because I don't really get paid for it since my wife, Bobbi, owns the company. It's more like:

"Are you working on this date?

"No.

"Good, your photographing my wedding."

It's good to be the king. :)

This particular beach wedding was different than most because they booked a lot of extra time with me. Usually, beach weddings run about an hour, although sometimes the client will book an extra hour of photography. Rebecca and Ben booked me for 6 hours so it was almost like a normal wedding for me in which Bobbi just happenned to be providing all the trappings.

It was a beautiful day, not too windy, and everything went smoothly. Ben and Rebecca were very happy and everyone seemed to have a great time. The wedding was earlier than most but since I was staying for the reception it was easy to steal the Bride and groom away at sunset for some more pictures.

Bobbi has posted quite a few pictures from the wedding in the St. Petersburg Beach Wedding section at PerfectFloridaBeachWedding.com so I'll just put a few here. If you want to see more, click the link above and you can see them at Bobbi's website.

Tampa Wedding Photography at Renaissance International Hotel in Tampa

2010-11-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Tampa wedding photographers busiest day?
This year's big wedding date was Oct. 10th. Why October 10th? Well, if you were married on Oct. 10th of this year than your wedding date was 10/10/10 and that's a cool wedding date to have! I'll bet there wasn't a single wedding photographer in Tampa Bay that wasn't working on that day. I personally had at least three couples meet with me about getting married on that day but the ones that got me were Jeff and Jessica.

I love a client who loves good wedding photography.
Not everyone is as concerned about their wedding photography as they should be. Jeff and Jessica are the kind of clients that I love because they not only felt that their photography was the most important thing but they had ideas. You might remember them from the engagement session that we did in the Ybor section of Tampa. They showed up dressed up and ready to rock. We got incredible images. I even entered a couple of them into photography competition this year.

The courtyard at The Renaissance Hotel, Tampa

Getting married at The Renaissance Hotel in Tampa.
The Renaissance is a great place for a wedding. I've photographed several weddings there as well as a few special events. The banquet room is great, very stylish and I love the courtyard area with it's fountain. There's also the benefit of being attached to the International Mall which can make for some fun pictures if you have time to go to the outside promenade area called "Bay Street."

I love Bridesmaids with a sense of humor..

Wedding photography: The preparation
What a great group of people at this wedding! The bridesmaids were awesome girls... fun and willing to do just about anything I could think of. We were on our way to the Bridal Suite when I had an idea for a picture.
"Would you guys like to take a really fun picture?" I asked.
"You bet," they replied.
That's how I ended up photographing all the bridesmaids in bed. As a Tampa wedding photographer, I spend more time photographing beach weddings than I do fancy hotels so this was a rare picture for me. Plus, you have to have a group of girls who don't blink when you say, "Okay, everyone get undressed and get in the bed." :)

One dress, two pairs of shoes...

These girls were so in tune with Jessica's love of photography that they started moving furniture around. At one point they dragged a couch into the elevator!

The wedding ceremony
The ceremony was lovely (aren't they all?). There was a white curtain set up behind the couple. The thing about a white curtain is that it doesn't make for a very good background for wedding photography. White dress, white background... not the best situation. However, it does make it very easy to "blow out" the background and focus solely on the couple. I really like the first kiss picture from this wedding because it's not the sort of picture you can take in a colorful church setting.

White backgrounds can make for special shots..

Tampa wedding photography and the first dance
Jeff and Jessica didn't disappoint their friends and family when it was time for their first dance together as man-and-wife. They had practiced a whole number and it was wonderful to see. I've written before about my love of wide-angle lenses and I was glad I had one on-board during the first dance. This shot is a favorite for the great lighting on Jessica's face and gown. Notice how you can see the detail and fold of the dress?

One last picture
Finally, here's another big favorite of mine from the wedding. A friend of mine said that he thought it was, "too passionate" for a wedding picture. I take that as a compliment. Weddings should have passion. The wedding couple can be so busy with the details of the day that they forget to take a minute to relax and drink in the feelings. Sometimes, posing for pictures like this one is the only "break" they get where they can just be together.

All images copyright by Tampa Bay Wedding Photographer Booray Perry

Wedding lighting with off-camera light

2010-10-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

I recently posted this picture on Facebook and I know that some of my photographer friends might be interested in the lighting so here's complete breakdown of the shot:

First, the settings
f2.8 - 1/160 - iso1600

This was the first wedding where I used the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5. I've already talked about the advantages of having TTL control with off-camera lighting but this is the first time that I've also used zone control.

I set up my off-camera strobe (Canon 580EX) at the corner of the dance floor. In this shot, it's to my left. I pointed it at the ceiling with about a 45 degree angle.

On-camera is my 580EXII pointed straight up with a bounce card pointed forward.

Now, this is where the TTL part can add some extra control. I have the flashes set to zone control. This is set up the same way that you would set up the flashes if you were using Canon's built in IR remote system. With two flashes, you can set the ratio of light from the back of the on-camera light. So, for this shot I set the flash to 1/2. Both flashes will fire to get the correct exposure but the off-camera light will always be twice as bright as the on-camera flash. This is a standard portrait ratio for main light and fill except now I am doing it on the fly... basically creating a studio lighting pattern.

Looking at the picture you can see that the off-camera light is brighter... and the on-camera light is providing fill. The off-camera light also bounces to the far wall and lights the background for me.

The great thing about this system is the ability to change the ratio as I move around the floor. When the father/daughter dance was taking place, I pointed the off-camera flash straight at the center of the floor and moved to the opposite side. Then I changed the ratio to 1/4 so that the back light was two stops brighter than the fill from my camera. I wanted the shot to be backlit but still have some definition in the face. My bad luck that the photobooth flash in the back of the room fired at the same time as my shutter. That's the big white spot you see at the top of the frame.

Like many, I had some firing issues with the PW MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 because of interference from the electronics in the Canon 580EX flash. However, since I started using the "sock" that PW provides I haven't had a single mis-fire.

Tampa Bay wedding photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/
Planning a Clearwater beach wedding? Let Perfect Florida Beach Wedding take care of all your planning!

The Ritz, Ybor and a Canon 5d mkII

2010-10-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at The Ritz in Ybor for an open house. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was invited. Is it a bridal show? A showcase for the venue? It's actually a little of both. They put bands on-stage in three rooms doing 20 minute sets all night. If you're looking for a band, it's a great chance to audition a bunch of different people in one night. They also invite some vendors, and that's where I came in.

A couple of months ago I met Okie at a luncheon. He works for The Ritz and I told him that I was shooting a Bat Mitzvah there in February. I also mentioned the new portrait stations that we were doing and he asked me to come set one up at the open house. Everybody that came by our table got a free 4x6 printed right there. It was quite popular and we met a lot of really nice people.

My friend Vicky from Anglo Couture was there and she had a model dressed in one of her gowns. Crystal was very sweet and so I asked if I could take her out to the street for a few shots at the end of the night. Although I never let an opportunity to photograph a beautiful woman pass me by, I had even more motivation last night. Just before I packed up to go to the event, my new Canon 5d Mk II arrived.

I was anxious to start using it so I walked the venue a few times and did some action shots to test the high ISO capabilities of the camera. I gotta say that everything I have read is true: the noise reduction is just outstanding. The shot below was done at ISO 6400. For a guy who spends most of his life at 1600, suddenly having 2 full stops to play with is a thrill.

Anyway, back to the beautiful Crystal. We went out in front of The Ritz with my new camera and an off-camera light. I shot for about 15 minutes and got some really nice images. Of course, it's not too difficult when you have a model in a wedding gown at a location like Ybor. :)

It was a good time. I met some really nice people and heard some really good bands.

Tampa wedding photography by Booray Perry at http://www.boorayperry.com/

PocketWizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 review part 3

2010-10-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

These reviews are getting to be a habit!

Tomorrow I have a shoot at the International Mall in Tampa. The Janie and Jack store gives away a free 8x10 to customers once a year and this year I'm the guy taking the pictures.

As I always do whenever I'm taking my studio gear on location, I first set everything up in my living room. I have a studio in my house but I'm so paranoid that I move my gear to my living room and set up. Then, I take pictures of my kids. Finally, after everything checks out the way I want it to, I break the equipment down and stack it by the front door. It's a little obsessive/compulsive I know... but it guarantee's that I have everything I need with me since it's unlikely that I will leave something behind in the middle of the living room (something I could easily do in my cluttered studio.)

Tonight I had a revelation (a little late but a revelation just the same). Why take my studio lights at all? I have the power and equipment in my event case to take the pictures at Janie and Jack. It's close-ups of children... two lights and a 5x7 backdrop... why carry the big strobes and softbox at all?

So, I set everything up again and just used my event gear. Since I was testing it all out anyway, I decided to try it with my new PocketWizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5. I was curious to see what the ETTL would do in a studio setting.

My main light was on the PW Flex TT5 with a shoot-thru umbrella. My background light was an optical slave.

I decided to shoot a series at various f-stops to see how the remotes handle the changes. Immediatly I was disappointed.

(Disclaimer: these pictures are un-retouched, straight from the camera. They aren't supposed to be dazzling. :)

This is at 1/250 and f11

This is at 1/250 and f8.0

As you can see, the ETTL didn't seem to pick up the change in aperture. In fact, it looks like it was shot with manual strobes. Needless to say I was a little miffed at this. It was consistently acting like a manual flash trigger. Everytime I changed the aperture, the image changed. Then, after about 20 pictures, I had a revelation:

The backlight.

I was shooting very close with white vinyl behind the subject and a white umbrella in front of her. The ETTL can modify the main light but has no control over the backlight. What if the backlight is bouncing off the vinyl... then off the umbrella....putting a constant light source on my subjects face which is affected by the aperture? (with me so far?)

Only one way to find out: Turn off the backlight.

1/250 at 5.6

1/250 at f11

Then, just for giggles and grins I changed the shutter speed and the aperture both for the last shot:

1/100 at f6.3

So, what did I learn from this little experiment? Background flash is not ambient light (obvious, I know). When shooting with these remotes and ETTL, the camera reads and adapts to changing ambient light but when using a background flash, the camera has no way of factoring that light into the equation. Not only does this mean that you have to be on your toes with the manual settings on the backlight, it also means that bounced light can throw a monkey wrench into your entire shoot.

I don't know that I will use the ETTL settings tomorrow. Studio settings are custom made for manual flash. Set it once and forget it. Still, it was nice setting up without a light meter or any adjustment to the flash power at all.

I'm a wedding photographer in Tampa Bay. See my work at http://www.boorayperry.com/.

Pocketwizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 review part 2

2010-09-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to try the new Pocketwizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 at a wedding yet but I have used them for a couple of Senior Sessions and an Engagement Session.

I've encountered a couple of problems.

First, the special "interference" hotshoe that comes with the transmitter doesn't seem to work. I contacted PW about it and they said they would send me another one. That was two weeks ago. I sent them an email last week to ask about it and haven't heard back yet. I was impressed with how quick they were to respond and promise a replacement but now I'm wondering if I got lost in the shuffle. Luckily, I don't seem to have a need for it but if I did I would be pretty upset at having sat on these remotes for two weeks without being able to use them.

Second, almost every time that I set up the remote they failed to fire the first time. Typically, I have to take my flash off of the receiver, put it back on and tighten it down again before I get a clean connection. I'm going to test this further before I contact Pocketwizard and ask for a replacement.

There's no doubt that these new remotes enabled me to work faster than the old manual remotes. This picture is a very good example of just how quickly you can setup an off-camera light. The light coming from camera left is sun light and the light coming from camera right is my flash. This shot took, at most, two set-up shots before I got it right. It was the first shot that I took at this location and I was able to do it in a matter of seconds. Had I been using a manual flash it would have taken me a few tries to dial in the correct amount of flash power. Now, to be sure, I am definitely riding the flash exposure compensation at +1 or +2 for the shot. but that is still easier than starting from scratch and having to figure out exactly what your off camera flash settings should be.

This shot seems a little overexposed. I didn't set out to make it that way but after the first shot I decided that I liked it. I thought it would be appropriate for my couple to be a little bit " light blasted" to match the sun that is clearly visible in the shot. Still, I think that the TTL was working against me a little bit with this shot. This is a good example of a shot that required more tinkering on my part despite having the camera do most of the work for me.

This is a shot that I have in my bag all the time. What I mean to say is that I can set the shot up with manual flash in about 10 seconds. Still, I was impressed with the ability of the off camera flash to set the exposure right almost immediately.

I shot a NACE event at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa last week and used it as an opportunity to try out some new things with the new remotes. For this shot I put my off-camera flash in the back of the room and used a narrow focal length so that the light would hit the speaker and not the crowd. I then moved down the left side so that I could frame him with a 45° light. It worked fairly well, maybe a little hot for my taste. Where the problem popped up was when the next speaker stepped up and she was wearing all black. Naturally the TTL in the camera adjusted for the darkness and increased the flash power, resulting in an overexposed picture. At first I thought this was a major drawback to using these remotes but then I realized it's no different than when I'm shooting with my flash on my camera. I simply have to anticipate these situations and make the proper adjustments. The great thing about these remotes is it enables me to make the adjustments in the camera and have it change the power of the flash that is on the other side of the room.

As I continue to work with these remotes and become more comfortable with them I'm starting to believe that my days of using manual flash are coming to an end. Although I consider myself to be a good photographer when it comes to manual flash, I think that I'm even better when it comes to bounce flash using TTL. Basically, when using these remotes, my off camera flash becomes a TTL flash. So, if I can just adjust my thinking so that I think of the off-camera flash the same way I would think of the flash on my camera I should be able to work very quickly and efficiently.

Are they worth the money? The verdict is still out as I have yet to do anything with them that I couldn't do with the old manual remotes. But then, I know how to use manual off-camera light. If I was just starting out I can see where these remotes would save me time since I wouldn't have to learn how to light manually. I'm not sure that's a good thing as a working knowledge of light can be very helpful as a photographer, even if these new remotes no longer require it.

Booray Perry is a Tampa Bay Wedding Photographer. You can see his work at www.boorayperry.com.

What's in Booray's bag?

2010-09-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's taken about a dozen attemptsto finally make this video but at long last it is finished. It wasn't hard to do, I just seemed to run into obstacle after obstacle when trying to get the thing uploaded to You Tube.

There are two video's (because I carry so much crap).

If you've ever wondered what I carry in my bag, here's the complete break-down:

Part 1

Part 2

As always, you can see all my Tampa bay Wedding Photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/

Senior Portraits Tampa

2010-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

I've been photographing a lot of Tampa Bay Seniors lately for my Senior Model Program. Each model was photographed in a different location and using slightly different styles. Let's start off with Justine:

Justine is from Northeast High School. We chose downtown St. Petersburg for her session because she thinks of herself as both a city girl and a country girl. Downtown St. Pete offers a little of both!

I started off in a favorite alley. All photographers love a good alley! It's always funny the way people will look at you when you are in some dirty back alley taking pictures. I used off-camera lighting the entire day (I'm addicted to off-camera light). This particular image was de-saturated a bit and curves-adjusted to maximize the contrast. Justine really looks older in this one.

As much as I love a well-dressed model, the truth is that my personal taste runs more toward the ripped-jeans look. Justine was perfect with ripped jeans and a simple white tank.

I love hats. It's no coincedence that my own head shot has me wearing a hat. Justine brought along a beat-up old cowboy hat which was the perfect accent for her session.

Of course, it's nice to dress up too!

She was a real treat to photograph, very outgoing and fun. We really got some great pictures that day!

I create a custom collage for each senior that I photograph. This makes it easier to give 8x10's as gifts to the family while still showcasing several images from your session.

For more information on becoming a Senior Model, check out the Tampa Bay Senior Portraits website.

To see all my portrait work, head over to http://www.boorayperry.com/

Mommy Card Day is Oct. 9th!

2010-09-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

Mommy Cards are like business cards only a little smaller. The front contains a great picture of your child and the back contains Mom's contact information. These cards are unique, beautiful and so much more personal than handing someone a regular business card. Think of all the parents you meet at school functions, dance, soccer, little league, cheerleading, etc. Wouldn't it be great to have a card with their child's picture and contact info? Want to arrange a playdate? Just hand them your Mommy Card!
Give one to the babysitter

Give one to your child's teacher

Give one to the parents of your children's friends and classmates

Put them in Holiday cards, birthday cards, "thank you" cards...

With two girls in school, we meet so many kids.... it would be so nice if we had an easy way of contacting parents. The Mommy Card makes it easy because the child's picture is right on the card! It's so easy now, when we meet other parents, to just hand them a Mommy Card. People love them!

Mommy Card sessions are 15 minutes long. Later, you'll come in to view your images and pick out the card design (several to choose from) and picture you want (you are welcome to purchase prints, etc... of course!). The session price includes 100 cards and a tin case. More cards can be ordered as needed.

All for just $99!

More than one child? No problem! Each extra child is $49 and you can split the cards up between them (My wife carries a card for each of my daughters). Each child get's a full session.

Email us at the address below and we will send you an electronic invoice and your session time. All times will be after 1PM on Saturday, Oct. 9th. Feel free to request a specific time.

booray@boorayperry.com

Review: PocketWizard Flex TT5 and Mini TT1

2010-09-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to use my new PocketWizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 remotes last week and I wanted to write down some first impressions.

First, let me detail the pro's and con's of why I bought these remotes:

Pro's

1. Off-camera ETTL: This is a no-brainer and the main reason that anyone buys these remotes. Dumb-fire remotes can be had for a fraction of the cost (I have Paul Buff Cybersyncs and they have never let me down.) The line-of-sight restrictions with Canon's built-in infrared system are too confining.

2. Hotshoe mounts: I really like the idea that I can do away with the cord-attached remotes that I have now. I've never liked having to attach the transmitter with a synch cord, especially when I shoot with two cameras and often move my flash between them.

3. Hypersync: The new PocketWizards claim to allow shooting at very fast shutter speeds. For someone who shoots in Florida sun all the time, the idea of being able to shoot with flash at 1/1000 is very attractive.

Con's

1. PRICE, PRICE, PRICE.

2. Although PW's will fire any other PW receiver, they won't fire my Cybersyncs. That means if I want to fire two strobes remotely I must go back to the Cybersyncs or buy another PW receiver. Or, if I really want to get tricky I guess I could use both at the same time since the PW is hotshoe mount and the Cybersync is sync cord.

3. ETTL variables: There can be a drawback to E-TTL in that you might not get consistent flash over a series of shots. With manual flash, the flash power remains constant.

Okay, let's look at some shots with the new remotes:

Let's start off with something tricky right off the bat! This is from a Senior Portrait session last week. For this shot I had the flash at camera right. The sun is at camera left. I was using center-weighted averaging mode on my meter. As you can see, the E-TTL did a good job of picking up the bright sun and trying to match it. I was very impressed with this shot because I didn't have to do any math to figure out how to set the manual flash. Instead, I just let the E-TTL do it for me and then made adjustments after I saw the first shot. With manual flash I work pretty much the same way but there is almost no chance that I will get it right on the first shot. (more about taking pictures in bright sun with off-camera flash here...)

The most impressive part? The shutter speed is at 1/800 of a sec!

In the first version of this shot, I metered for the scene and it's much brighter (and flatter). I increased my shutter speed to 1/250 to bring down the ambient and the flash remained constant from camera right. I didn't take notes but I suspect I might have adjusted the flash to +1 to get a little sun "blowout" on the face. Flash is at camera right.

The next day I was shooting a corporate assignment and used the remotes for some location head shots. I set up a shoot-thru umbrella and started firing. It was perfect every time. For this shot I was in another room with a 70-200mm zoom lens. I couldn't see the flash at all as it was around the corner. The greatest thing about these remotes is that it allows me to shoot with off-camera flash almost as quickly as I shoot with on-camera bounce flash.

I mentioned that there might be some consistency issues. There were a couple of times when I would get inconsistent light, most notably when switching from a close-up to full length. Some of this might be blamed on the metering. With center-weight-averaging, a close-up meters the face and a full-length meters the body. I suspect spot meter or evaluative might have fixed that problem. Even if there is some inconsistency it's nothing that can't be tweaked in RAW and it's a small price to pay for being able to manipulate the ambient light with shutter speed and aperture without re-adjusting the flash power.

Conclusion: So far, so good. PocketWizard offers a 30-day money back guarantee so I still have more tests before I render a final verdict. If I had to decide today, however, these remotes would stay. I also want to point out that the interference attachment that came with the receiver appears to be broken. I wrote PW and they replied next day with the promise of a new one in the mail. I have yet to have any signal problems shooting at 20-30ft with a Canon 580EXII despite what I've read about problems with this flash.

More Tampa Bay wedding photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/

Family Portrait Day 2010

2010-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been asking about this so I had better get the ball rolling!

Family Beach Portrait Day 2010 will be Sunday, Oct. 3rd, 2010.

Cost is $99 and includes 25 holiday cards with your choice of picture. This is a savings of $160 over our regular price for a beach session! It's without a doubt the cheapest way to get that great family beach portrait you've always wanted!

Space is limited as we only have a few hours where the light is perfect. It's first-come-first-serve so sign-up as soon as possible to reserve your spot. Email booray@boorayperry.com to register!

How to justify buying Mini TTL

2010-08-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Flash being held by the subject's Dad who
graciously helped out after the flash foot
snapped off...

I've been thinking about buying the new PocketWizard TTL remotes for my flashes. Every other week I will go online and read the reviews again, eventually deciding to wait because they're a little pricey and I have perfectly good Cybersync remotes. Then something happened yesterday to force my hand (at least that's what I keep telling myself.)

I was shooting a Bar Mitzvah boy on Clearwater Beach. Normally, my assistant Jodi is along on these sessions but she had a pile of homework so I went solo. Instead of using a shoot-thru umbrella, I decided to use a Lumiquest III mini-softbox. The umbrella would just be too dangerous on a semi-windy beach without Jodi there to hold it. The softbox wouldn't be a problem.

I was wrong about that.

About half way through the session my tripod fell over and snapped the foot off my Canon 580EX flash. The base of that flash has been replaced with one that has a built in socket for my radio receiver. It costs $45. So, now I'm looking at a $45 fix for my flash.

Cheers to my subject's Dad, who stepped in and held my flash for me the rest of the session!

However, I still have the original base for that flash. I can put that one back on and save $45... but then I won't have a way to connect my radio receiver....unless, perhaps, I don't need to connect the receiver because I am using a Mini TTL which is a hotshoe mount and requires no cord! AH-HA! Now I have the justification I need to buy the Mini TTL! I'm saving $45! (This is how my mind works.)

Add to this the fact that Pocket Wizard is offering a $25 rebate on each unit (I need two, transmitter and receiver) and the fact that Amazon has started selling them at a discount... plus, I'm an Amazon Prime Member which means I get next-day-air shipping for $3.95. Why, I'm practically MAKING money! Woo-hoo!!

So, I put my old base back on my flash and ordered the remotes. I have a Senior Model shoot tomorrow and they should be here in time to test them out.

There was one other thing that pushed me to finally make the switch. After the flash broke, I switched to Canon's infrared system. I rarely use this system because of the sight-line restrictions but yesterday I worked around it. It was so much faster to not have to manually adjust my off-camera flash. I thought, "Wow, it would be great to shoot this fast all the time." Of course, with the Mini TTL I will be able to do just that.

I'll write a review once I've tested them out.

Booray Perry is a Tampa Bay Wedding Photographer. See his work at http://www.boorayperry.com/

Clearwater beach wedding album - Shephard's

2010-08-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Christa and Mike's wedding album is at the printers. The wedding was at Shephard's Resort on Clearwater Beach. It was a great wedding, really fun group of people from Boston and New York. I remarked several times that I would prefer it if I could just pack away the gear and party!

There were some challenges. This being Florida in the summer it was very hot of course so by the time I was shooting formals everyone was covered in a shiny layer of perspiration. There were a lot of distractions in the background but nothing that a little photoshop couldn't fix. Everyone was a great sport and it was an awesome party (complete with a rowsing rendition of "Sweet Caroline".... BAH, BAH, BAAAHHH!)

There were so many great images from the day. I particularly like the "shoe shot" on page two that I blogged about earlier. Every time I look at the images, I stop on the close-up of Christa in the hallway. She just looks so beautiful and happy. I really love that shot.

Here's the entire album:

See more Clearwater Wedding Photography on my website or at http://www.clearwaterweddingphotographer.com/

Planning a beach wedding in Clearwater or St. Petersburg? Let Perfect Florida Beach Wedding take care of all the details. Everything you need from Chairs to Clergy, Flowers to Photography!

New Photography Class

2010-08-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

The next series of Booray's Better Pictures Class starts on Sunday, August 29th at 1PM. There are four classes in all and they will be held every Sunday at the same time for four weeks. Cost is $35 per class.

The only requirement is a DSLR camera.

Classes will cover composition, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and "tricks of the trade." Classes are geared toward people who have nice cameras but little knowledge of the fundamentals of photography. Special emphasis is placed on photographing children.

From a former student:

I have taken many beginner photography courses over the years at USF, St Pete College, and Dunedin Fine Arts Center, to name a few. It was not until I took Booray's Beginner Class that it all clicked! He has such a "real" way of teaching that is so easy to understand!! I have recommended his classes to many people I know as it was some of the best money I've ever spent! I wait with anticipation for more Booray knowledge!!

Class size is limited to just six students so register soon! Contact booray@boorayperry.com.

Shutter speed and motion explained

2010-08-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow photographer William Porter in Dallas recently wrote a great post about shutter speed and motion. In my classes I teach beginners about "freezing motion" with shutter speed and how blur can actually be beneficial in some cases. William does a great job of explaining just how many different things you can achieve by using the right shutter speed to convey motion. It's worth a read (http://blog.william-porter.net/2010/08/18/horses-in-motion/)

Image copyright William Porter

Clearwater Beach Wedding - Bonnie and Chuck

2010-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished sending Bonnie and Chuck's wedding album to the printer. Fantastic wedding and great images for the album. We had a hard time deciding on which "beach" images to put in the album because we got so mant great candidates that day.

Bonnie was very involved in the album creation despite being in the middle of a move. I tried a few new things on this album that really turned out nice: the blurred background, full page shot of the couple at the altar and the sepia toned backgrounds on some of the party pages.

One of the way's that I measure the quality of an album design (besides customer satisfaction) is whether or not I would want a copy for myself, to show prospective clients as an example of my work. So far, every album I've done this year has been a candidate for "sample status." I want another sample to add to the two I show now but I'm having a hard time deciding which one to print!

Click "Read more" to see the entire album. (Clearwater Beach Wedding Photography pictures at http://www.boorayperry.com/)

Clearwater Beach wedding planner Perfect Florida Beach Wedding can handle all the details for your Florida beach wedding. Gazebo's, chairs, officiante, photography... everything you need for the perfect wedding

New Phone Photo Back!

2010-08-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

We added a new product to our line this week. It's a photo skin that's custom made to fit your phone.

This example is actually my personal phone, the new HTC 4G (the geek in me is still drooling...). This skin covers the back but if I had a phone with room on the front, there would be a skin there too.

http://www.boorayperry.com/

Photoshop CS5 HDR Wedding Image

2010-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I started taking HDR (High Dynamic Range) images about a year ago. At first it was just because I thought it looked cool but then it became more of a tool for taking pictures that otherwise would be impossible. There are times when you just can't get the look you want with flash or natural light (and times when you're not allowed to use flash) and having HDR at your disposal can really make the difference. Here in Tampa Bay we are so often faced with incredibly bright sunlight that having HDR can really save an image.

I made the switch to Photoshop CS5 a couple of months ago and I've been impressed overall. One of the things they did was to make the HDR a little better, although I'm comparing it to CS3 so it may be the same as it was before for you CS4 users.

In the past I have used a program called Photomatix to process my HDR images. Here's an example of an HDR image from a recent wedding rendered by Photomatix:

And here's the same image with Photoshop CS5

To be fair, it's impossible to do an accurate comparison of the two programs since there is considerable tone-mapping involved on both and those settings are really left up to the user. With each I tried to render to a state where I got good exposure and contrast through the entire image without getting two "artificial" in look.

Photomatix seems to handle light smoothing better but that's not always what I want. For this image, I really wanted it to look more natural. I didn't want it to look too "processed." My intent when I took the shot was to capture a natural image, not a surreal one. Photomatix always seems to make the images look a little too "dreamy" (for lack of a better word). Photoshop seems more grounded, more rough with the contrast and color.

Photomatix is great if you are going for the traditional "hyper-real" look that most people associate with HDR because of the extensive tone-mapping tools that it comes with. Look at the sky in this example:

I finally decided on using the Photoshop CS5 version. Still, I thought that the couple were a little dark so I used the lighter of the three images I had used to make the HDR image to create a mask. Then I blended in the couple too lighten them up. I also cropped it closer and did a few more things that I do to most images that I print:

If you're wondering why I felt the need to shoot HDR at all, it's because of the time of day that we were shooting. I think it was almost noon when we finally got to shoot these formals outside the Mormon Temple in Orlando. With the light so bright and harsh, it was impossible to expose for the temple without the couple being dark. I considered putting a strobe on them but I knew that it would be at full power if it had any hope of competing with the sun. So, I grabbed my tripod and shot for HDR instead.

You can see more of my wedding photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/.

Need a Clearwater Beach Wedding Planner? Check out http://www.perfectfloridabeachwedding.com/!

Tampa Bay Senior Portraits

2010-08-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!

School's about to start and it's time for Senior Pictures. Not only is it time for the Seniors to get their sessions booked, it's also time for the Juniors to sign on and become Senior Models for Booray Perry Photography. (Click here for more details)

The Senior Model Program is open to incoming Juniors, male and female. We accept applicants from all schools. If you are accepted into the program you receive a free session and 100 "411" cards with your pictures and our studio info. Then all you have to do is pass them out to your friends! Every card that comes back with a session earns you $50 credit toward your own senior pictures and products.

The sooner you sign up the better your chances of being selected since we limit the number of models per school.

Wedding Album from Sand Pearl Resort, Clearwater

2010-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Chelsea and Ofir's wedding album arrived today. I would love to take all the credit for the album but Chelsea was very involved in the design. We worked well together!

This wedding was one of the few that I have photographed where the bride and groom agreed to see each other before the ceremony. This extra time without all the distractions of friends and family allowed us to really produce a lot of stunning images. We ended up adding three extra pages to the album!

I've been asked to feature this wedding in a magazine. I don't want to jinx it so I'll wait to release the details... :)

Planning a beach wedding in Clearwater or St. Petersburg? Let Perfect Florida Beach Wedding take care of all the details so you can enjoy your special day!

See more of my Tampa Bay wedding photography on my website..http://www.boorayperry.com/

Photographer Spotlight: Hampton Roads wedding photographer John Cachero

2010-08-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

If you happen to know anyone getting married in Hampton Roads, Va., be sure and meet with wedding photographer John Cachero. Hampton Roads is Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. I was born there. :)

John's a great photographer, very natural in his look and feel. One of the things that I like about his work is that he seems to be able to move seemlessly between different styles, which can be tricky. There are a lot of photographers who stick to just one style and I always admire the ones who can move from off-camera flash to bounce to natural light smoothly. I think it opens up a lot more options for you when you are trying to create something special. I've often said that the word that best describes my style is "improvisational" and I think that John is a kindred spirit.

So, if you're planning a wedding in the greater Hampton Roads area of Virginia (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, etc.), you should contact John Cachero Photography.

Here's a few samples of his work:

Tampa Dance Recital Pictures

2010-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

I recently received an amusing request.

I recently took dance recital pictures for Karl & DiMarco Dance Studio. They are using two of my images for their fall advertising campaign. There was a group of four dancers in a Bob Fosse style costume at the last shoot and they are using two of them for their ads.

This week they asked me if they could get images of the other two dancers for ads as well. I have two daughters myself and I can almost guarantee that I know exactly what happened when the ads came out featuring two of the four girls. :)

Here's their website with the ads...

I've been saying this for years...

2010-07-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Via: Term Life Insurance

Tampa Bay wedding photographer gets published

2010-07-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

I made it into the latest issue of Tampa Bay Weddings magazine. Booray Perry Photography has an image featured on pages 16 & 18.

Here's a link to the online magazine.

I'm expecting to get a featured wedding into another magazine this month. Wish me luck!

Clearwater Beach Wedding Planner

2010-07-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

I've just made some changes to Perfect Florida Beach Weddings website. My wife started the company a short while back to provide one-stop shopping for amyone looking for a wedding planner on Clearwater Beach or in St. Petersburg.

I'm happy with how the site looks, although it's been a while since I did any web design. I added some larger pictures of my wedding photography that really make it pop!

No, you can't email me...

2010-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

I'm a little annoyed today by some of my fellow photographers. It's nothing serious, mind you, just a small thing that is annoying.

I've been sending emails out to a few photographers in other markets to pitch this idea that I have. It's no big deal... no money or anything... but I think it's a good idea and I think it could become a great idea over time.

The problem is that I keep running into websites that won't allow me to email the owner. What they will have is a "Contact Form" that has a few boxes for your name, email, etc but has no box for you to type in any extra information. Also, I keep running across blogs with no email link.

That just seems crazy to me! I have a contact form on my website (http://www.boorayperry.com/) and I have my email address on this blog. I don't understand why a photographer would want to limit the information that a potential client can send.

It just seems odd...

Wedding at Shephard's, Clearwater Beach

2010-07-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

I recently photographed a wedding at Shephard's in Clearwater and it was a blast! I have since discovered that I am the only person in Tampa Bay who hasn't been to Shephard's at some point. It's an institution in this town!

Michael and Christa were merging family from Boston and New York From the minute I showed up I knew that it was going to be a fun day. "Bahstun" and "New Yoik" accents everywhere and lots of energy and joking were the theme for the day!

Here's a few of my favorite shots:

Everyone knows that I am a huge softie when it comes to kids. I have two young daughters and so I have a lot of experience photographing children. I was lucky to catch the flower girl as she peeked in on the bride getting ready.

The table center-pieces were tall glasses filled with decorative glass. Very unique.

Shephard's is a beach resort so there isn't much to work with inside as far as portraits go... they don't need it when they have the beach and the sunset available! Still, you can't take the bride out to the beach before the wedding (nor would you want to because it's hot!). I shot this in the hallway outside her room and I think it turned out great. Great leading lines and Christa looks incredible!

Beach weddings can be tricky, especially in the middle of the day when the sun is so bright. I knew that it would be impossible to preserve the background without using a ton of flash, which would look unnatural. So, I went the other way and blew out the background for a more pure effect.

Shepherd's only has a little bit of beach to work with and there was another wedding right after mine. When the sun started to set, me and the other photographer were working around each other for the sunset pictures. I wish I had gotten his card because he was very considerate of my sight lines. All these images were taken with off-camera lighting.

This is a great example of how you sometimes take one picture and end up with another. This is actually a pretty extreme crop of a much larger picture that shows the entire floor. When I saw it I immediately noticed the hands and the garter in mid-air and decided that was the best part.

Boston vs. New York. What a great Groom's Cake!

One of the few times I was able to get the couple away from the crowd for a few minutes...

You can always see more Tampa Bay wedding photography on my website...

Photographer Spotlight: Dallas Wedding Photographer William Porter

2010-07-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

William Porter is a wedding photographer in Dallas, TX (my old stomping grounds..). He's a great guy, very personable, who spent years in the academic world and it really shows on his website and blog. I'm a big fan of information, I read constantly, and so I love a wedding photographer who writes a lot. I also love a photographer who tests his equipment and writes about it, saving me the trouble! William's perspective is unique and I'm especially jealous of his recent trip to Yellowstone since my biggest wildlife experience of the last five years has been fishing in the golf course pond behind my house!

If you are planning a wedding in Dallas, you should give check out William's website...

Wedding photography and shoes

2010-07-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Planning a beach wedding in Clearwater? Go to Perfect Florida Beach Wedding for all your needs...

What's the hardest picture to take at a wedding? Is it the first kiss? The formals? The bouquet toss?

No.

It's the shoes.

That's right... the bride's shoes can sometimes be the most challenging shot I take all day. You would think that it would be easy to take a picture of these little inanimate objects but it can be very challenging at times. Things that don't move on their own require a lot of attention to posing (shoes, newborns, Kirstie Alley...) It's easy to fall into a rut and shoot the shoes the same way at every wedding so I'm always looking for anything I can do that might be a little different from the norm.

Also, here in Tampa Bay I see a lot of flats and sandals at my weddings. Taking a majestic picture of a pair of sandals is a challenge, believe me.

In an attempt to show you just how much work can go into what appears to be a quick and easy shot, here's a series of images from a recent wedding that show my thought process. I'm sure that there are many photographers who will laugh at the time and energy I spend on these shots sometimes but that's me.

Christa and Mike were married at Shephard's Resort in Clearwater. Looking around their room I didn't see anything that jumped out at me as a great place to place the shoes so I moved to the small balcony. I liked the brick floor so I set down the shoes and took a quick shot to get a feel for the light and texture:

Then I added flash:

I didn't like the angle so I got as low as I could in the small space:

I just didn't like the railing in the shot and decided to trash the entire idea. This happens all the time when taking a picture of shoes and jewelry... it's very much trial and error. Looking at these images I can see ways I could have made it work but at the time I just decided to scrap it.

So, I moved inside the room and tried a different location. What if I put the shoes on a chair and back lit them with the door to the balcony:

Keep in mind that it can take several minutes just to get the shoes to stand up correctly. Looking at this I liked the reflection on the chair. I also liked the contrast between the black chair and silver shoes. So, I tried it again. This time I exposed for the window and added bounce flash to light the shoes:

The shoes were still too dark so I increased my flash power:

It was at this point that I decided two things: First, I didn't like the properly exposed window and second, I really liked the way the shoes looked when they were "blown-out" by the flash. So, I dropped my shutter speed to overexpose the window but kept my flash hot. I also added the garter for a burst of color:

Now I'm starting to see things I like. I grabbed the jewelry (which was also silver) and started to drape it on the shoes:

Now I'm seeing things I love. The reflection on the chair... the way the garter bursts with color against the blown-out window.. This is the shot. I re-positioned correctly and shot one more frame. In Photoshop I did a little tweaking and removed all trace of the railing outside the door to get my final image:

In all I probably shot 10-20 frames of these shoes before I got the one I wanted. That's a lot of pictures of something that most people don't give a second thought, but sometimes that what it takes to find what you're looking for!

See more of my Tampa Bay wedding photography on my website..

Wedding photography at the Sand Pearl, Clearwater Beach

2010-07-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting a long time to post these images.

Chelsea and Ofir were married at the Sand Pearl Resort on Clearwater Beach over a month ago. Immediately after the wedding they took off for a one month vacation in Europe and so I have been sitting on these pictures while I waited for them to return. I don't post images to my blog before the client has come in and seen them in the viewing room on the big screen. I don't like the idea of someone seeing their wedding images for the first time on an I-phone while sitting in traffic.

Chelsea and Ofir were a wonderful couple to work with. Warm and funny, obviously in love, and determined to get good pictures on their wedding day. The biggest thing you can do to help your wedding photographer get great pictures is to agree to see each other before the ceremony. The extra time before the hectic day begins allows me to really set up some beautiful shots.

Click Read More.....

Chelsea was suggesting ideas all day. Clients are sometimes reluctant to speak up but I always tell them to say whatever pops into their mind. I'll let you know if I think it's a bad idea. I still get surprised by poses and setups that people will suggest while I'm still adjusting my camera or placing a light. The first shot on this page is a perfect example. There was a window between the bathroom and the bedroom in their suite and Chelsea suggested they all pose in it. All I really had to do was position the girls and light it correctly. It's a fantastic shot, very original and unique for a bridesmaids picture.

The wedding was supposed to take place outside but was rained out at the last minute. We moved into the reception hall in a flash and everything went fine. Luckily for us, it stopped raining long enough to go outside for some quick formals and I was able to get a beautiful shot of the wedding party. At least one member of the wedding party has experience as a model. Can you guess which one? Here's a hint: it's all in the way you stand.

I used this picture as an example in my Advanced Flash Class. I wanted to show that proper exposure doesn't always mean that everything is perfect. For this shot I wanted the window to become a huge ball of light because of the effect it would have on the room and my subjects. This shot wasn't posed at all, Chelsea bent down to talk to her flower girl and I managed to catch it just right. Contrast the window light in the above shot with the shot below at the same window and you get a good idea of how much creativity your Tampa Bay wedding photographer has when it comes to shaping the light.

There were so many great shots that day because we had so much time to move around and shoot. I'll just post a few more of my favorites below:

Just a fantastic day and a real pleasure to shoot!

The entire gallery is online at my website, www.boorayperry.com. Here's the direct link but it will only be up for a month or so...

No man is an island..

2010-07-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

My long national nightmare is almost over.

It all started when I decided it was time to replace my antiquated computer with something more capable of running the barrel of graphics programs that I require to be the world's greatest photographer.

I ordered a new computer with all the bells and whistles. My previous computer was hand built by yours truly and I have a bit of a "thing" for fast rigs. Yes, I'm a geek, I've never tried to deny it.

My new computer arrived and I inspected it only to discover that the hard drives had completely collapsed inside the hard drive enclosure. They were now a stack of drives resembling a game of Jenga made from 1 terabyte drives.

So, I sent it back for repair.

Then, the same day, my old computer finally gave up the ghost.

So, for the last two weeks I have had only the small computer that I keep in the studio to keep me connected to the outside world. I transferred my email to it and was able to conduct business but I didn't even attempt to install all the heavy-duty graphics programs that I use on a daily basis.

Finally, after two weeks of agony, my new computer returned. I opened the case and discovered yet another game of hard drive Jenga. So, I boxed it and sent it back for a refund. Fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice and I want my money back a-hole.

(Note: Hard Drive Jenga would be a great name for a band...)

Today I went to CompUSA and bought a new computer off the rack, something I haven't done in well over a decade. I had to get up and running fast because, as luck would have it, I have a lot of orders.

I'm still one program short of being able to fully resume retouching (it's Noise Ninja which won't accept my key code because I now need the 64-bit version of the software). I have a letter in to customer support and as soon as I get that fixed I will be designing wedding albums for the next two weeks.

I also have quite a bit of blogging to do. I want to show off some weddings I have shot this summer and I also plan to do a step-by-step breakdown of a shoe shot. I'm going to show each shot I took and what I was thinking that led me to the final image of a bride's shoes. You'll be surprised to discover how much work this seemingly simple shot can take.

Watch this space.... more on the way I promise.

Booray is a wedding photographer in Tampa Bay

Wedding album from Sacred Heart Church in St. Petersburg

2010-06-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

People are funny when it comes to their wedding albums.

I've had clients who approved my first draft and clients who went through 10 drafts. I've had brides who censored any image that didn't show them in a flattering light and others who requested I include the goofiest, scariest pictures of them I had taken. Like the proverbial box of choclates, you never know what you're gonna get.

I just finished uploading an album to the printer for Cheryl and Matt. Cheryl holds the Booray Perry Photography record for most revisions (certificate in the mail). The way I see it, while it may be true that I spent more time on her album than expected, it's also true that anyone who is as intense about their wedding album as Cheryl is someone who will cherish and display the album proudly for years to come. As an artist, that's the best thing you can hope for. Plus, Cheryl is about the sweetest person on the planet (and a teacher!)

A sure sign that someone is serious about their album is when they agree to pose for pictures before the ceremony. They know that after the ceremony there isn't always enough time to get everything they want because of family and friends and the demands of the day. Posing before the ceremony with no distractions is always preferred by photographers.

One of the things that we worked on quite a bit with her album was the backgrounds. Typically, I like to use backgrounds that are images taken at the reception. In Cheryl's case, the reception was in a room that was very white. White walls, white ceiling, white floor... white. This led to white backgrounds which didn't do enough to bring out the colors in the pictures. So, I used vintage paper patterns on some of the pages to add some color to the backgrounds.

One thing that does remain constant when designing these albums is the party pictures. We photographers love to express our artistic vision with incredible bridal portraits (and the brides do love them) but it's the party pictures that are always the most worried over in the album. People love the formals and the ceremony, etc, but it's the fun pictures of family and friends celebrating the union that typically take up the most real estate in the album and get the most revisions. I typically start my designs with minimal pictures and a more artistic design but more often than not, the client will keep adding images until the album becomes packed. I think it's an interesting contradiction. If you look at the albums that most photographers feature on their website or enter into competition, they are much more "trendy" than mine tend to be. I think it's easy to be stylish and minimal when you don't involve the client in the process but when you do.... they want more pictures! :)

There's also the fact that my most popular album is 12x12 which leaves a lot of room for images without sacrificing too much in size.

As a side note let me just say that the priest who performed the ceremony was the coolest clergy I've ever encountered. At the rehearsal I asked him if there were any lighting restrictions.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When can I use my flash and when do you want me to turn it off?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't care about that stuff," he said, "My only rule is: If you see steps, don't go up them." In other words, don't climb the altar. Very cool guy.

Here's the album in it's entirety:

See more Tampa Bay wedding photography at http://www.boorayperry.com/

Complete Florida Beach wedding planning at http://www.perfectfloridabeachwedding.com/.

Beach wedding prop pays off....

2010-06-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

You would be surprised at how many little things you have to take pictures of at a wedding. There's the rings, the invitations, the seating cards, the table center-pieces, the flowers and so on and so on. I'm always on the lookout for a new way to shoot one of these shots. There are a lot of "standard" shots that most every photographer uses and it's always nice if you can come up with something that's a little more unique.

While we are on that subject, there are a few shots I won't do simply because everyone else does them. Most notably is the "Bride and Groom's hand overlapping and resting on the bouquet" shot (the BAGHOROTB.) I'll shoot it if I'm asked to... I'm not snotty about it or anything... I just don't shoot it of my own free will. I don't like it and it's just an old shot. Of course, if you like it, that's cool with me. Everyone has their own opinion. (is that enough backpedaling?)

Anyway, back to the point of this post...

Bobbi has started a new company. She's basically become a complete beach wedding planner for Clearwater, St. Pete, Treasure Island, Sand Key and so on. She has bought a few props that she thinks are great and wants me to use them when photographing her weddings. Bobbi is all about distressed country and the props reflect her style. I may be a great photographer (I may not be... you decide) but Bobbi has great design sense.

Also, she is responsible for all frog removal on the property because I refuse to touch a frog. (I handle the snakes).

A couple of weeks ago I took some of her props to a wedding I was shooting at Hunter's Green Country Club. Skylar and Heath are a great couple and I knew that the setting would work great for the new props. I was very pleased with the "Mr. and Mrs." sign and Skylar and Heath loved it to. What I was surprised by was how much I loved the ring plaque.

Basically, it's just a small board with "Love" painted on it and a distressed style. I took it just to get a shot for Bobbi but ended up loving the shot more than the other two ring shots I took that day (although the shot of the rings on a pool table with the wedding date spelled out on pool balls was creative, thanks to my assistant, Jodi..)

Now I'm thinking about packing it along on a few more weddings. Of course, I'll use it for all of Bobbi's beach weddings.

See all my Tampa wedding photography at www.boorayperry.com.

The Perfect Florida Beach Wedding in Clearwater, St. Petersburg etc..

2010-06-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

Perfect Florida Beach Wedding is live!

Florida beach weddings on Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Sand Key Park and Indian Rocks Shores are about to get an upgrade!

Bobbi has been working for months on her new company and as of today we are officially open for business. Looking around the Tampa/St. Petersburg area we noticed that there aren't many options when it comes to having a beach wedding. Most any catering company will do a beach wedding but that can get expensive. So, Bobbi started Perfect Florida Beach Wedding to service all those brides who want a beach wedding without all the hassle.

It's a one-stop-shop for everything beach. From chairs to arbors... flowers to music (and photography!). Our goal is to provide start to finish service for Florida beach weddings along with the sort of photography you would expect to see at a $50,000 affair!

Packages start at just $500 for a simple ceremony for two (perfect for the couple who are eloping).

Spread the word to anyone you know that is thinking of having a beach (or lake, park, etc...) wedding in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Treasure Island or any of the gulf beaches that Perfect Florida Beach Wedding will take care of everything and provide stunning photographs!

New product that I love!

2010-06-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

I mentioned on facebook about a week ago that I have been working on a new product. I finally got my sample in last week and it's gorgeous!

It's a 30x30 canvas wrap that features 49 images from a wedding (one big one surrounded by 48 smalls).

I got the idea from an ad I saw for a photo lab that offers something similar. They have templates for their clients but I don't need them because I can design it myself. In the past I have always thought of canvas wraps as a "one big print" kind of thing but now I am re-thinking the entire form.

It's really something special hanging on the wall and I think my brides are going to love it!

See more of my wedding photography at www.boorayperry.com.

Booray's Flash Class is starting soon!!

2010-05-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is the class that a lot of people have been asking for. When I teach my beginning photography course, I always make it clear that owning a dedicated flash and knowing how to use it opens a whole other world of incredible images. This class will teach you how to use your flash the way that the professional photographers do.

There will be three classes in the series. I'm scheduling two different sets of classes because I have many students who can't make the Sunday class. The class schedule is:

Sundays - 6/6, 6/13, 6/27 at 1:00pm

Mondays - 6/14, 6/21, 6/28 at 6:00pm

Cost is $50 per class ($150 for the series) To register, contact me at booray@boorayperry.com or call me at (813) 728-7110

You must have a DSLR and a dedicated, hotshoe flash with a swivel head to take this class.

I will be teaching how to use flash properly inside and outside. All the tricks that I use when photographing weddings and events as well as my own family portraits. The improvement you will see in your own photography after these classes will be incredible. In addition to technique I'll also talk about equipment and tools that will make for better photography. Bring a notebook because there's a lot to learn!

Space is limited so contact me right away to reserve your spot!

www.boorayperry.com

Dance pictures at Karl & DiMarco

2010-05-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a little busy the last few weeks at Casa de Booray to say the least. Two weekends of dance recital pictures for Karl & DiMarco along with back-to-back weddings have left little time for folly. And I'm a big fan of folly.

This is my second here shooting at Carlin DiMarco. Last year I shot the North studio, this year I'm shooting North and South.

Taking pictures of dancers is different than taking pictures of "ordinary" people. There's not much difference with small children but there's a huge difference with the dancers that are 11 and 12 years old. These are girls who have been in dance for six or seven years and it shows. When they are told to hit a pose they do it perfect just about every time. It's fun to watch and a real joy to photograph.

I shoot dance recital pictures against a white background. I've never been much for elaborate props or painted muslin backgrounds when I'm doing portrait work. I think that too many props take away from the subject and painted backgrounds can be a risk because they will date your photographs. No matter how "cool" the painted background is that you're using for your photographs you can bet that in 5 to 10 years it will be considered antiquated. By shooting against pure white I guarantee that my pictures will never truly be out of style. Another nice side effect is that after a few years of taking pictures in one location I can offer collages to my clients where I combine three or four years worth of images into one print. Imagine how awful this would look if each year I used a different background.

Another advantage of shooting against pure white is that if you hit it with a hot enough light you can get enough reflection back to create a rim light on your subject. If you're shooting with a low ceiling that has white ceiling tiles you can even get a makeshift hair-light. It's a dynamic style of portrait but it works well with dancers who are dynamic by default. :)

I don't know anyone who has the same system that we do when it comes to payment and delivery of this sort of image. Without a doubt, the biggest complaint that I have heard from friends and family who had their pictures taken by other photographers at dance school, Little League, etc... is that the pictures take so long to be delivered. Bobbi and I worked out a system so that we can deliver in two weeks.

We have everyone pay for a package when they come to have their photograph taken. Typically, people just pay for the smallest package which is $35. They then receive a gift code number which they can use on our website when they go online to pick out their prints. If they want, they can just pick out the poses that they want for the package they ordered, or they can put together an entirely new order and just use their gift code to subtract the price of the package from their final total (like a gift certificate). We only put the images online for one week. Then we process all of the orders and deliver a week later. It's really worked out well because the parents who want to go online and do their own package and pick out there prints can do so and the parents who don't want to be bothered just get the package that they pre-ordered (we pick out what we think is the best image). The first time we tried our system there were a few parents who seemed a little uneasy about paying in advance because they had some bad experiences in the past with photographers. When we delivered their prints two weeks later they became believers.

See more of my work at www.boorayperry.com