UNITYMIKE.COM WEDDING PHOTO

Worcester & Boston based wedding photographer Michael Hendrickson. Shooting weddings, traveling and having amazing adventures. Follow what i'm up to on here or my other social media accounts.

[manshootswedding]

2017 total solar eclipse. Shot in Madisonville in Monroe County, Tennessee. Canon 5D MKIV w Tamron 150-600mm. Photo by Mike Hendrickson of www.unitymike.com #Canon #Tamron #madisonville #tennessee #eclipse2017 #eclipse #sun #moon #eclipseporn #eclipsed #monroecounty #wanderlust #totalsolareclipse #ring #diamond #diamondring (at Madisonville, Tennessee)

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My bride yesterday had some @pvdonuts delivered to her by the groomsmen. This also made me pretty damn happy as the photographer to have one of my favorite donut places in hand. www.unitymike.com #wedding #UniqueWeddings #WorcesterWeddingPhotographer #BostonWeddingPhotographer #PVDONUTS #donuts #doughnuts #foodporn #foodie #bride #traditions #providence #bestofrhodeisland #weddings #bestofprovidence

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This photo was more difficult to take than you know. Mosquitoes take away your attention while you climb, pose and operate a remote camera. #pockwockamusrock #pockwockamus #friends #at #appalachiantrail #thruhike #wanderlust #baxterstatepark #baxter #katahdin #mtkatahdin #mountkatahdin #roaringbrookcampground #keepmainebeautiful #rock #yourock #millinocket (at Millinocket, Maine)

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The girls hanging out after getting dolled up. Karen & Mike. Married at Divine Mercy in Three Rivers (Palmer), Massachusetts. Reception at Publick House in Sturbridge, MA. #wedding #weddings #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #worcesterma #boston #worcester #worcesterweddings #unitymike #mikehendrickson #michaelhendrickson #altamodasalon #sturbridgema #bridesmaids (at Altamoda)

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I don't regularly photoshop images but decided to tinker a bit today. Here's Katy & Dose In Boston. #justmarried #worcesterma #boston #wedding #weddings #bostonwedding #bostonweddingphotography #bostonweddingphotographer #worcester #worcesterweddingphotography #marriage #massachusetts #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #quincymarket (at Faneuil Hall Marketplace)

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Engagement shoot with Karen & Mike in Boston. Little bit of photography and a little bit of getting to know each other. www.unitymike.com #engagementshoot #engagement #boston #wedding #weddings #bostonweddingphotographer #bostonweddingphotography #worcesterma #worcesterweddingphotography #unitymike #mikehendrickson #michaelhendrickson #canon5dmkIV (at Boston, Massachusetts)

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Engagement shoot with Karen & Mike in Boston. Little bit of photography and a little bit of getting to know each other. www.unitymike.com #engagementshoot #engagement #boston #wedding #weddings #bostonweddingphotographer #bostonweddingphotography #worcesterma #worcesterweddingphotography #unitymike #mikehendrickson #michaelhendrickson #canon5dmkIV (at Boston Marriott Long Wharf)

[manshootswedding]

Do I have too much gear?took this photo for an upcoming blog post about what's in my bag. I do want to preface this with I also have cameras on my building and in my building in case you decide you needed a down payment on a house. #canon @canonusa #canon600exrt #canon200 #canon70200 #canon90mmtse #canon815 #canon📷 #canon1635 #canon35mm #canon50mm #canon85mm #canon100mm #canon135mm #canon70200 #canoneosm3 #eosm3 #whatsinmybag #gear #gearlust #yongnuo #gearaholics #ihaveaproblem #boston #nyc

[manshootswedding]

We visited Dangerously Delicious pies by Chinatown in Washington DC. Amazing. We had the mobtown Brown, blueberry pie and sweet potato pie. #DangerousPiesDC #DangerouslyDelicious #WashingtonDC #Washington #FoodPorn #Foodie #PiePorn #Chinatown #BestEats #BestOfWashington #BestOfDC #BlueberryPie #SweetPotatoPie #MobTown #Dangerouslydeliciouspies @dangerouspiesdc (at Dangerously Delicious Pies)

[manshootswedding]

Business cards and why mine is the best.

Here's a few business cards i've put together.  You can see the evolution of my design.

Brace yourself for a long winded rant about my business cards. You kinda asked for it... those were a lot of Facebook comments. 

      So Zazzle who I typically use for my business card had a little bit of a trimming mishap when producing my cards. This means I get new cards, in fact I get a credit and can actually adjust them. The thickness or weight of the card was so thick that during the cutting process the sheets shifted slightly. I had text very close to the edge and it showed any slight deviation. I only noticed it while dropping off a set of business cards.

     So I've put this out to my friends on Facebook. I was mostly looking for feedback on my red hat that I want to include. I've spent a lot of time designing my card to stand apart from everyone else. Typically everyone does the same exact thing. Name, Phone, E-mail, logo and maybe a slogan. Think about how many business cards look exactly the same. 

     The design of my business card has been the same with minor adjustments over the past five years. One side is always a large image of my logo, large enough to read if it's on the ground or a table. I've chosen the chubby size cards instead of the standard for two reasons, it stands out and doesn't fit behind other cards nicely. The second reason is it's different, it's usually been a tear-proof material which is always an interesting challenge to my clients to tear it up. 

     So I appreciate everyones input for the cards. Some of the advice I totally understand. Use a beautiful image you've shot, use this font, why is the phone number so big. This is not a card which I've put together quickly. It's been made to stand out from the pack.  A thousand cards will probably last me most of the year. Brides and grooms who typically end up with my card end up with it because they are in my office. Most people are finding me on Google, Facebook, Instagram or a random phone call. If these were being used for a wedding expo I would probably have something a bit different. 

     One of the biggest things with photographer is everyone happens to use a camera aperture for a logo (myself included, guilty). So I changed my logo a year or two back to something a littler bit more reflective of who and what. It now includes the words wedding which is my focus. I also have the dot come in the logo as well so now I don't have to do any additional dot come references elsewhere in the card. The main goal of my card is for it to stand apart from everyones no matter what business's card it's next to. My business name was believe it or not an AIM handle back in 1996 which was unity1818. Unity is an Operation Ivy song, not a Queen Latifah jam. It ended up as a placeholder for my website because I eventually needed one. Unity happens to work as a name for a business name but unity photography is actually taken by another photographer named Ken who I've actually met in real life. Anyways the reason I mention this is logos are hard and also very much essential to pull together a website, business card and any branding you may want to do. I didn't get to do anything cute like Two cranes photography or jumping cat photo. I based mine off a teenage Aol Instant Messenger name. 

     The giant phone number is something that takes people a second to grasp sometimes. I've had lots of people pick it up and say what is this and then it clicks. Then I have a few different sentences fit above, in-between and below the giant phone number. So whoever has already picked up my card because they don't understand the giant numbers at first and now they're reading all these sentences i've put on my card which is done is a very small font.  So they've spent anywhere from fifteen seconds to twenty seconds reading this side of my business card. I just times myself doing it from picking it up and skimming through everything. 

TEXT LISTED CURRENTLY ON MY BUSINESS CARD

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and Facebook. Visit my website to find all my social media links.

Wow, this is a very impressive business card. Thank you, I agree. If you find this impressive then wait until you see my photos.

The number on this card is my phone number. Please visit my website to send me a more formal message.

Don't lose this card. Int has your future wedding photographer's contact info on it.

There is a rhyme to my reason.... is that even a saying?

     So think about how long it takes for you to usually comprehend information on anyones business card. You look at a logo, an address maybe, hours possibly, phone and e-mail. I've already gotten almost twenty seconds of someones time. I've told them where they can find my social media links. I've directed them to my website to send me a message. I personally don't like a random e-mail from someone with a simple sentence "HOW MUCH" "WHAT ARE YOUR PACKAGES". So I love to direct people to my website where I have a proper contact form and more importantly all the information.  I've also included a little bit of my humor by saying how impressive the business card is. If you didn't get what the numbers were or skipped over the numbers in favor for a full sentence then it's explained here with the above text. I've also told them how important the card is and not to lose it, it has your future wedding photographers info on it. Okay, that last sentence is a little cocky but it's cool, I know I rock.

    So if you found this card and and saw all this information you would be able to get a quick snippet of who I am, personality wise possibly. As a wedding photographer i'm the person you'll have the most contact with during a wedding day. I'm literally with a bride all day long give or take some distance. The big thing I try to convey when I meet a bride and groom is the attitude of easy going. I'm very easy going, in fact most of my meetings i'm wearing that red hat and a hoodie. More meetings happen in the winter time. I'm also friending all of my brides and grooms on Facebook at some point. Since i'm spending the entire day with someone it totally benefits me to keep them in a good, relaxed and happy mood. Some of that comes from the informality of most of my approaches. I have brides contact me at eleven at night with a simple question or on Facebook on a Sunday afternoon. I'm very accessible and I make sure the bridal couple knows this. My goal is to have it feel like a friend is shooting your wedding. 

     With my current design i've chosen to remove some of the text to focus more on branding myself with my favorite object, a red hat. Affectionally worn for the past six years solid or so. I'm regularly recognized everywhere for this hat. Currently it's a red winter hat from American Eagle but i've also had many other variations of this red hat. I can't really wear baseball caps when I shoot outdoors and fedoras or these winter caps have always hung around me. I've actually gotten to meet a lot of my Facebook friends in public because they spot me somewhere in Worcester, Boston, NYC. It's a very bold color and my attire doesn't really have to match the hat. What i'm doing by including the red hat with my business cards are training anyone who ends up with this card to eventually be able to spot that exact red hat. Think about it. You have this random card with a red hat, phone, name, wedding photographer and you see a random photographer with the same exact hat. Chances are you are going to come up and say hi and tell me about how you ended up with the card. 

I'm going to meander a bit, follow along.

     So beyond wedding photography I actually do a number of things. One of those things being web design. When I meet someone who asks for photos or video the first thing I ask is what it's being used for. They tell me they want to put it on their website or Facebook. The next question I ask is to see their website and from there I see their website is angelfire or geocities hosted (antiquated reference, totally worth googling). So from there I talk to them about web design in addition to photos. So I can put togethers someone website pretty easily with a few photos and rearranging information. Here's the other thing I do, consulting work. 

     What is consulting work as it applies to you? Okay, thats a question being asked to me if that didn't make sense there. What I do is interview a business owner and pull out content to add to their website. Often times while explaining things it leads to other questions which inadvenrtuly conclude with a change in their own business's infrastructure. One of the best questions you can ask someone is "What would this look like if it were easy". It's a question you can ask any business owner. It helps them identify a problem area and provide the easiest solution and then we can work on the actual route to getting there. I also will call out an weak areas in their dealings and suggestions I may have to changing routine. 

     So I deal with many different businesses and these owners all happen to be around Worcester and Boston and every once and awhile I get recognized in a Starbucks or while on the job shooting somewhere. I'm training everyone as well as brides, grooms to recognize and associate the red hat with Michael Hendrickson, wedding photographer. 

I have time.

So hopefully everyone will understand my reasoning a little bit better now. It's not simply a harsh design choice. I've slowly evolved it from the very simple to the more complex. My goal with my cards are to stand apart from everyone and I fear being similar to everyone else will make me blend a little too much. I've spent a few minutes to design some of what everyone's asked for in a business card just to appease some.

I've made a few quick mock-ups of what some think would make a good business card. I've also reverted the size back to a standard business card size. This is not a dig on anyone. This is suggestions i've gotten on the initial thread on Facebook as well as in private messages. 

[manshootswedding]

I am up for best wedding photographer. I am a Worcester native and have been shooting weddings for over ten years now. I would love your vote. Mike Hendrickson of unitymike.com http://www.worcestermag.com/bow #wmbow #worcesterma #worcester #wedding #weddings #boston #bestof #bestofworcester #bestweddingphotographer #unitymike #mikehendrickson #michaelhendrickson #gerardositalianbakery (at Worcester, Massachusetts)

[manshootswedding]

What a photographer's day is like.

Wow, you take photos for a living, that's soo cool. It must be awesome traveling and making your own schedule. Did you get to eat that after you took the photos! Wow did they pay you to fly there and take photos of that? That's an awesome camera, it must have cost a lot. You have that many lenses. 

So I get a lot of the same things repeated to me time and time over. People remark at how amazing and fun it must be to do what I do. But the fact is, it is. But... taking the photos is really only ten percent of what I do. Marketing, post processing, phone calls, e-mails, spending money on things that are and aren't tangible as well as hoping clients make their way to you if you're doing everything the correct way.  I'm going to run through some of the basics of what I do and dive into some of it and gloss over the other parts. 

I do get to make my own schedule. I wake up whenever I want, in fact I don't even set an alarm anymore. I just happen to wake up as soon as the sun comes up and my brain automatically activates and goes back to whatever I should be working on or left off on. When I wake up it's a shower, slide on my stylish clothes and Apple Watch and off to Starbucks to have a Venti Cafe Mocha. I wear the same red hat everywhere I go so that i'm easy to find, recognize and meet. I also wear a unitymike.com t-shirt on the off chance that someone wants to talk to me about hiring me. On my way down to Starbucks i'll call my photographer friends and we bitch to each other about the business. We all run into the same problems, clients who don't want to pay, clients that we're still waiting for them to pay and the clients that say they can pay less somewhere else. This topic is rehashed every few weeks or months as time dictates. This photographer friend and I will talk sometimes several times a day. We run numbers by each other and situations to get another perspective. We also share a lot of information such as negotiation tactics and we talk a lot of gear. 

Once at Starbucks I sit down and play on Facebook. I have my noise canceling headphones on which are absolutely necessary to focus on tasks.  So, when I say play on Facebook I really mean sort through my business page's messages or posts and find people who have tried to contact me. Clients contact me through, text message, phone calls, Instagram, Google+, my personal Facebook page, a Facebook thread or my Facebook business page. While on Facebook I'll also post a link to my website which I really need people to visit. I'm also taking a nice selfie photo or photo of my drink. I need likes, I need people to follow me and be remembered when they or their friends get engaged. Some of my marketing strategy is to go exciting places, eat amazing food, have fun experiences and share these. Facebook's algorithm will note if someone hovers over a photo a bit or clicks on something you posted and adjust it so you show more often in their newsfeed. This means when I post things people are seeing it. I write out a blog or two to put on my website because it actually boosts me up in Google, makes my SEO a little bit better. I also schedule a post or two for my Facebook's business page. I sort through my photos on my computer and pull out a few photos and send them to my phone so that I can post on Instagram a little bit later. The Instagram photos will have to include a nice description, location and some relevant hashtags. 

I send a few e-mails, responding back to anyone who has asked me anything. I'm very prompt with this. If I have an e-mail from a potential bride and I don't answer with in short few hours they will move on to the photographer who does answer.  My futuristic tech that I wear around my wrist is not so much to show off a toy as it is used to get e-mail notifications and text messages. I hate staring at my phone for any length of time.

I have to swing by my office to drop off some flyers that came in. I straighten out my office which comes at a nice discount. Other people have been in my office to use my giant tv. I clean up desk, arrange everything for new clients coming in. My forms are getting a little low in stock and I have to sit down and revise and reprint a new stack. I keep adding more to my forms to help me. While at my office I also have to visit with my landlord of sorts to go over his projects and what he needs done. I help out where I can. 

I have to take a drive to a clients house now because they need a family portrait.  Everything is loaded into my car, lights, camera, action. I head to the clients house where I set up, pose, photograph and repeat half a dozen time with various locations on their property. We have a good time, i'm paid and now everything needs to be packed up and brought back home and deconstructed back into it's case.  On my way back home i'm calling a client of mine who I help out at their office. I do everything from ordering supplies to photo and video and web design and consulting work. I check and see if they need anything or if theres anything upcoming that I need to get ready for. Nothing to do there, so no problem. 

I'm having clients in my car later in the week which means that my car which is also used to transport gear from Maine to Florida is nice and clean. Also, earlier I got a good deal of dirt in my car because the clients driveway was muddy. So wiping the seats down, vacuuming, sorting the contents of my trunk space as well as topping off fluids are on my to do list either today or another. 

During lunch I may eat at my dream place, Coney Island Hot Dogs or go down to The Fix. I'm going to pig out and enjoy it. I've earned it. I've been up since seven working on things.  During lunch i'm browsing on Amazon looking for little things that I've been putting off ordering and finally plunge into my wallet to accommodate myself. I also take any phone calls during my lunch time throughout the week. My phone rings about a dozen times a day with clients and also telemarketers. I can't tell the difference between a safe number and unsafe number because local numbers have been bought up to get a better hit rate.  The reason I mention this is I get to go to my favorite places to eat but a majority of the time my food gets cold. I don't let calls go to voicemail when possible because no one wants to wait and I also depend on clients coming in regularly.  I still manage to take photos of my food which more often than not leads to my food losing it's ideal temperature. 

After lunch I'm beat, worn out and ready to quit. I usually take a nice two hour nap or more. This is interrupted by the occasional phone call and I also wake up at some point and roll over and check my phone for reciprocated e-mails from clients. If I get a call from a bride or e-mail from a bride my goal is to set up a meeting asap, that means later in the day or early the next day or whenever they want. Once I'm awake I recharge again with coffee and a snack. I'm editing photos now for a gig I shot the night prior. I've spent a little part of the day making sure I have everything backed up, previews loaded and basic adjustments made across the board. I get a phone call from a print shop saying the custom frames I ordered are in, i'm still waiting to be paid for them by the client. I have to head over and pick them up and then notify my client they are in and softly nudge them to be ready to have their wallet ready. In case of any questions I have to go back to my computer and dig up the original invoice I sent them. I have several invoices out in fact totaling enough to pay my incoming bills, rent, subscriptions, insurance. 

I'm also waiting on my insurance agent to find me a more affordable insurance for my gear which I pay almost two hundred dollars a month for. I pace around my apartment, straightening things out, organizing my equipment and staring at my giant three by four foot white board. I regularly fill this board up with upcoming tasks, notes, reminders and dates. Anything that i've taken a note for has to be put into my phone and computer for redundancy, thats on my to-do list. I put on my nice Bose noise canceling headphones and pace around my apartment conquering small and mundane tasks to the bigger ones. I have a phone call to make and I spend thirty minutes circling my couch talking to a bride and narrowing down a meeting time. I have to cross check my calendar with a list of weddings to make sure I have time to meet later this week and have her wedding date free.  She can meet today in fact which is wonderful. This was a good phone call. About seven or eight times a year I get a phone call from a bride who loves my photos and she's very excited to meet with me and then tells me her wedding date. I cross check her wedding date and i'm already booked. I have a couple go-to photographers which I send brides that I cannot take. I'm careful who I send brides to because it will fall back on me if anything goes wrong. I send most of my brides to a photographer friend out in Boston. 

I head to my office for the second time today, I'm early. I turn on my tv, my apple tv, bluetooth speaker, set Spotify to modern wedding playlist, set up my Macbook to connect with the TV and get the form out and write out all the information I have at the moment. She should be here any minute, okay ten minutes ago, thirty minutes ago, text, phone call, nothing. I get a text message letting me know she'll be late. I've now been here for an hour and it's dark out by now. She arrives, we hit it off and I go through my entire pitch, I feel good about it. I head home and after dinner I sit and write up a contract and send a follow up e-mail regarding our meeting and everything we talked about. I don't know if she's going to go with me or not. I don't typically do follow up messages because it can easily put someone in that awkward position of saying they're going with someone else but thanks for... you get the idea. 

I'm now uploading photos from the gig I shot the day prior. There's a lot of photos going up so It throttles by data which means Netflix and Hulu won't work on my TV. So shower and head back to my TV to be reminded of this. I end up sitting at my computer browsing through Facebook's newsfeed and get lost in Instant Karma videos on Youtube. I'm also kicking myself to be productive still at eleven at night. I'm making a circuit between my workstation where my Macbook and main computer are to my white board looking for more tasks to finish. I write a few more things on my board that need to get finished. There's a lot of things that just require sitting and writing or following up with people about projects. The rest of my time is spent sitting on my couch with my cats swiping through Bumble to meet someone. It's hard to meet someone when you're schedule is composed of the entire day and night. Basically this app leads into a huge time suck of non productivity which re-guilts me into a productive whirlwind.  

Sleep either can be wonderful because i've accomplished so much or terrible because I still have so much to accomplish. I've disallowed any news on Trump before bed because that makes my sleep even worse. The best part of my day though is having my cats follow me onto my bed and lay next to me. They have no idea what I've done today or the day prior no matter how many times i've tried to explain it to them. That's a very calming thing, two little cats who's day tomorrow is packed with sleeping and eating. Maybe i'm in the wrong profession. 

So this is exactly how any day goes for the most part. The details may change, some days are less and some days are more. The tasks are different but each day I get thrown a puzzle and have to put it together. If I ever clear my white board of things that I should be doing that I feel uneasy and anxious because there is something I can be doing and I have to figure that out asap. There is no rest. But the best part of any of this is whenever I want I can take the day off. I can shut down and do nothing. But most every single day goes from seven in the morning to past midnight. It means I can take a vacation wherever I want on a moments notice but I also better keep a watch on social media and e-mail during that.  

[manshootswedding]

6 hour wedding photography sucks, here's why.

When you're a kid, somewhere in the back of your mind you know you're getting married someday. That's a pretty big deal, think of other things that you've know for certain that would happen someday; theres few and far moments that you can say for certain will happen. You know that you want to get married, maybe kids, you want a house or condo, maybe you've thought about a career; everything else is minor details. This is a big something that you've known for a long time coming and you're going to want to remember that day, through photos and maybe video.  Do you think that six hour is really enough to tell the story?

     I'm writing this to tell you that you can just book six hours of wedding photography and you can save a few hundred dollars but is it really worth it? 

     First thing to consider when you book your six hours of wedding photography, when is the photographer or photographers showing up? Do you want them to get photos of you getting ready. Your family hanging out, the guys horsing around, the ladies drinking mimosas getting their hair and makeup done. You could have them show up before the ceremony and capture that and then leave half way through the reception or near the end, best case scenario. 

     Most weddings that I have shot are eight to ten hours of coverage. That sounds like a lot but here's why that makes sense. Full day's coverage is you and your bridesmaids getting ready, hair and makeup. The guys getting ready and the dressing being put on and some photos in the backyard are standard fare with full day coverage. The coverage of course covers the ceremony, formals and reception. But here's the best part, at no point do you have a photographer coming up to you and asking you for more money on your wedding day. There is no conversation stating that "I'll be leaving soon, unless....... I get paid for more time". Most weddings are a few thousand dollars for a photographer, if you're nickel and diming a bridal couple on their wedding day I consider that bad form. I know there's polite ways to ask for more money on a wedding day, but really. 

     A bride and groom have no idea what coverage they will want on their wedding day. The same goes for if I called a plumber or electrician and told them what I wanted, I have no idea what goes into it. A responsible photographer should walk you through all of this and hopefully recommend full day's coverage for your wedding. The day speeds by and there is so much going on that you will miss some of it.   Part of being a wedding photographer is an unspoken act of guidance throughout the day. The photographer is with you throughout the day and is able to tell you if you're on schedule or what's next and how you're doing, essentially a personal cheerleader.

     Think of the time that's actually not covered when you book. You may book for six hours but it's not broken up for when they're shooting. Time booked is typically when the photographer shows up until the time they leave. 

[manshootswedding]

Is this a sign?

So first off, here's the ad.   But really i'll take $450 for it. I have another toy in mind for this winter. 

My craigslist ad.

I've had this lens for sale for maybe three months. No real bites on it, not even the scammers. It's kind of disappointing. 

     I bought this lens with money from a wedding several years ago. I shot a wedding ceremony on a hill in Worcester and I only worked for two hours to buy this lens.  I have taken it to thirteen different countries and found it to be pretty amazing.

     So this lens is a super telephoto lens, meaning a really big zoom. The best part about this lens is capturing different framing of subjects,  I also love capturing sunsets, buildings and generally far away subjects. So here is the best part of this lens... capturing photos of people in their natural environment. The Sigma 150-500 will keep the distance away where people are just unaware of you. 

     I became a pro at stalking people in Europe, following them around in various cities. It sounds creepier than it really is. Here's how it goes, you find an interesting looking person or situation and basically subtly put yourself in an amazing position to capture a truly candid photo. Most of what I do though is walking a bit slower than the average person. Blending in and slowly stopping and focusing on something with a similar distance while keeping a loose eye on what i'll really be shooting is the next objective. Doorways, alleyways and sometimes just leaning up against a tree all work. 

     So what i'm trying to figure out now is if I should really sell this lens. I have had it on craigslist and offerup for three months now, no bites. I'm wondering if this is the universe saying just keep it. The natural upgrade for this lens for me would be the Canon 200-400 f4, go ahead and look it up. It's crazy money but that's just an investment for me. I'm thinking in the next three years I would like to own that lens. 

     So maybe this blog is the tipping point for the lens, maybe not. Here's a few photos i've taken with it.

[manshootswedding]

Building an amazing wedding portfolio

 Building a wedding portfolio.

I’ve been working on my new wedding portfolio, it’s tough. My natural instincts tell me to just include the cream of the crop, the best of the best, top one percent. That looks great right? 

      I think that by only including the best of the best that can be deceiving. We all like Starbucks right, but sometimes not every Cafe Mocha is created equally; the same with photos. Some are going to be amazing, epic, one of a kind and others are of uncles and aunts or flowers and you and a friend who you haven’t seen in years. So that’s why I keep my portfolio varied as much as it is. I’m totally confident in my photography skills and more than happy to show everything. Sometimes when you see amazing photos with a beautiful location and gowns flowing and three or four lights used for the photo, that’s either because they have a team of people putting this together during a wedding or it’s not an actual wedding photo, it’s a couple dressed up as a wedding couple for a shoot. 

      Some of my portfolio is what I know looks good. These are the photos that I would eagerly show other photographers to get their approval. But there are parts of it though that I know the average person who is not a photographer will see and love. Do you know those photos where everything is black and white and the rose petals are the only thing in color, yeah… we hate that. Huge white vignetting on a photo, that’s another gross thing that we hate.

      So I want to reiterate that this is just my opinion. This is what has worked for me. I also have enough photos in my portfolio that by the end of a presentation there is not question about my skill or devotement.

       Here’s a summarization of what I include in my portfolio. By the way, I currently have close to eight hundred photos in my wedding portfolio. I’ve been working for a long time to bring it down but I really do love all the photos and memories that are attached to each and every one of them.  Okay, here it is….

 Messy room photos. It’s going to be a chaotic day, no lies. I want to show that the reality of a picture perfect wedding doesn’t always happen behind the scenes. 

Getting hair and makeup done. There’s a path to your beauty, this is how that looks.  Before and after is great and is really just for the bride and groom and rarely makes it on social media.

Table shots. Photos of the guests at their table. This is something I capture at the wedding, So I like to show it off here. This is also a great way to connect with each guest and maybe even meet a couple who’s thinking of getting married. 

Kids. If someone is hiring me to shoot a wedding and they have kids then I want them to know that they are not excluded from the wedding. Plus the best way to work a room is to play to the kids. Parents, friends and family notice when their shy little kid is all of a sudden enamored with you and your camera and come out of their shell. I also usually will sit on the ground with most kids and let them fire off a few photos.

Parents. I want to include everyone thats present. This is a big day for the bride and groom but sometime bigger for the parents watching their kids grow up. Additionally, who doesn’t mind getting their photo taken, right?

Details. Couples spend a lot of time working on their wedding details and It really makes the wedding look amazing. This is to showcase that but also gives my new couples ideas. 

Funny and ugly. Sometimes people make funny faces or horrible ones. These are moments for the bridal couple to look back on and laugh or just have blackmail material for later. These are also the best throwback Thursday photos for future posts.

Cake smashing. It happens and it makes the wedding reception soo much better. It shows that the bride and groom can take a joke and also provides some entertainment and tension at that moment.

Locations / venue. Sometimes I might have a staircase from a certain venue in my portfolio twice. That’s because the bride and groom hiring me may have selected that venue. Seeing how different arrangements on the stairs and also the fact that i’ve been there a few times may make me more appealing to hire.

Group photos. Throughout the wedding day I capture tons of group photos. I want the bride and groom to know that family, friends can get whatever they want for photos on the day of their wedding. I’ve done many family photos at weddings because everyones there together. :)

Rings. You spent a lot of money on this symbol of your love. Let’s show it off and brag a little. I’m also showcasing my skill in macro photography and creativity with these photos.

Table decorations. Someone took the time to put this altogether and somewhere, sometime they might be bragging about it. What phrase would be better heard than “the photography took an amazing photo of it” when referring to the table setups.

Creative lighting. Every wedding I try and do new things with lights. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, sometimes it does. But the average person sees this and knows this isn’t something they can do by going to Target or best buy and getting a few things, it’s special. So I include anything that’s out of the ordinary in this department.

[manshootswedding]

Tyron & Michelle. Married in Worcester, Celebrated in Sterling. Unitymike.com wedding photo. #sterlingnationalcountryclub #sterling #worcesterma #photographer #wedding #weddings #uniquewedding #married #californiaweddingphotographer #bostonwedding #unitymike #engagement #justmarried #webberwedding #canon #canon200mm #destinationweddingphotographer (at Sterling National Country Club)

[manshootswedding]

It's expensive but worth every cent. The most tender, flavorful pastrami with mustard that you could ever hope for. Don't forget to take home salami. #katzdeli #katzdelicatessen #bestofnyc #foodporn #cutter #deli #nycdeli #pastrami #bestpastrami #explore #wanderlust #eats #foodie #canon @katzsdeli (at Katz's Delicatessen)