For anyone who came to the door can attest the location didn’t have the best curb appeal. Often clients of mine would have to walk past smelly garbage bins and people doing drugs or sleeping near the door. After entering the space people would often see a messy entrance, dirty kitchen, and the business downstairs using the shared space as storage. There were also electrical problems with the breaker often switching off because of the poor wiring in the building. The space was also very cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Inside the studio, there were other issues such as a leak in the roof I was constantly arguing with the property manager to fix. He would occasionally get someone on the roof to patch it, but the patch usually wouldn’t last long and the leak would begin again, leaving the carpet in the studio soaking wet. Not the best place for kids to be crawling around. This lead to the main reason I decided not to renew the lease. I subleased from Banaman the business downstairs and we would constantly be at odds because of the lack of maintenance on the building.

My new space on Malpas is smaller but still provides a good space for headshots. For larger families and groups I will use a few of the other photography studios in Dublin City center thanks to the great network of photographers within the city.

To my clients, the important thing is that you will continue to receive the same high-quality service and photography you have become accustomed, which has resulted in D Studios Photography is one of the top photography studios serving Dublin for over 10 years.

The post Why I Decided Not To Renew The Lease at 18 Montague Lane appeared first on D Studios Photography.

During the session we talked camera drones (he has the one I want), we discussed life in the city and towards the end of the session, as he was leaving we talked about travel to Cuba. This leads to him pulling out a lovely Cuban cigar to show me. I don’t recall which one of us suggested it, but we couldn’t let an opportunity to snap a couple of pictures with this fantastic bit of flair go past. And literally, that is what we did. I set him down, set the lights, and snapped two pictures with this being one of the two.

Thanks for letting me post this picture and hope you enjoyed your visit to the park on that oddly nice day to sample that fine tobacco. Another joy of living in Europe is that they don’t have the ban on Cuban cigars that the US has.

The post The Man and the Cigar appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Experience

Experience isn’t everything but it is very important. Ask the photographer where they studied. Not all photographers went to school for it, and photography is one of the few professions that doesn’t require professional study. But many have gone to school for photography and it is worth asking where they studied. Also find out who they worked for in the past, did they apprentice with a professional wedding photographer and how many weddings they have shot. People will often buy a fancy camera and manage to snap a few good pictures at a friend’s wedding with it, so they think they are a professional. But there is more to photographing a wedding than just having a camera. This comes through experience in photographing multiple weddings and working with other photographers.

See Some Work

It is easy to fake a few good pictures, and these days a person can even go to a website and screen grab a few images. So how do you see if the photographer is any good? I suggest asking them to view the full set pictures from a wedding. This would be the same gallery of images that they give to a client. If they have actually photographed weddings then they would have a full gallery from a wedding they have done. Don’t ask to see the RAW files. A true photographer won’t show you that, but they should have a client facing proof gallery they can show you.

This is also a good opportunity for you as a client to be made aware of what you are going to get. We see bridal magazines nowadays with a beautiful image on the front and think that every picture from the wedding day should be like that. The reality is far from it. The reality is that this was a single image out of many, most likely processed more than usual and made to look perfect for that cover. It doesn’t accurately represent the full set of images from a day.

Photographic Style

As with everything in life we go through trends and fads. Is the photographer doing the same? I’m not saying trends are bad, but look at the style of photography they use and if it is following a current trend. If it is, is it a trend that you will appreciate twenty years from now? Trends are fun and cool looking but they often don’t stand the test of time.

At D Studios, we aim for a contemporary look with style and generally avoid filters and other Photoshop effects. But that might not be style you want, so make sure the look of the images is what you want and will enjoy later in life.

Most photographers are going to do a combination of “candid” and “formal” pictures. And it’s important to have both. Are the formal shots posed in a way that you will be happy with? Do the candids look natural and memorable? The style of the photographer should match the mood of what you imagine for your wedding memories. When sitting down with our clients we want to identify what you are looking for so that we can incorporate your lifestyle in your wedding day.

Accept the Reality of Photography

What do I mean by this? Let’s say you hire a single photographer instead of a team of two or more. Is that one photographer going to be able to get everything from your wedding day? Possibly not. Maybe they were in the process of moving from one location to another during the ceremony and missed the kiss. Sometimes the bride and groom are nervous and they kiss so quickly it can be easy to miss even with a photographer at the ready. Or maybe the bride and groom were getting ready at two locations and the photographer could only manage to get to one. Maybe your family is wild and crazy during the formal portraits portion of the day and missed that picture of you with your favorite aunt. Not to mention large groups where someone is looking in the wrong direction. This all can happen as a photographer is only human. Don’t get mad about it or ask for money back. Accept that as long as you can tell the photographer worked to the best of his or her ability, and that what they gave you matches within the expectations they set during the initial consultation, the reality is not everything is perfect.

When Will the Pictures Arrive

It will take few weeks before the photographer has your photographs ready for you. Processing that many images from a single day takes a lot of time. And try not to forget you are not the photographer’s only client. So besides processing your pictures, they are also processing others, and still taking pictures for new clients. I know people are often excited to see the pictures after the wedding but would you rather have the photographer rush them to you and give you something that might not be the best? During the consultation, a photographer should go through the time it will take to get you the images. If they don’t, be sure to ask.

Who Are They

A professional photographer needs to know manual camera settings, composition, off camera flash lighting and natural lighting, lenses, and most importantly how to work with people and how to pose people. They need to have the personality that makes them a good photographer. And that comes with experience and time.

A professional photographer is more than having a fancy camera. A fancy camera is just a single tool in an arsenal of tools that they use on a wedding day. The band you hired has good equipment but it’s not that equipment that makes them a great band. It’s practice, knowledge, and experience that make them good at playing their instruments, and at reading the crowd for the right song. The same skills make a good wedding photographer, too.

Personality

The wedding photographer will most likely be around the bride and groom more than almost any other person on the wedding day. It is important that the photographer has a personality that you enjoy being around.

Some photographers are casual and laid back about everything while others are a little more controlling at running the show. The casual laid back photographer is most likely not going to get in the way much, and is going to capture the candid shots that everyone loves. The more controlling photographer is going to be able to get people where they need to be and set up some perfect shots for the fireplace mantle. Most photographers probably fall somewhere in-between the two. It’s all up to the bride and groom to decide who they want to spend the day with, and which pictures are the most important for them.

A photographer is someone that arrives before the wedding begins, spends the day interacting with just about everyone who attends, and will usually stay until the end of the night. It is important that that person be professional, courteous, and blends in properly with the guests. If the photographer is disorganized or has a bad attitude, they should probably be avoided.

Price

It’s important to set a realistic budget for a photographer. Once that budget has been set, make sure to understand what is being provided by the photographer for that price, including the cost of any extras. Examples of extras include: extra time, additional prints or flash drive, albums, and more.

Photographers don’t just charge for a product, they charge for time, and that needs to be taken into consideration. Processing pictures and creating albums are all time put in after the wedding day and we have to take this into consideration when creating our prices. Weddings are enjoyable to shoot but wedding photographers have to earn a living as well. Generally, anyone who is a professional will price accordingly. Someone who is just looking to expand their portfolio or has a full-time job might charge less.

References

Personally, I don’t put much stock into references (although a lot of bridal magazines and sites recommend to get them). The reason for this is they can be faked easily. It’s easy to get a friend to pretend to be a client, answer the phone and talk about how great the photographer is. Instead of references I would recommend checking their online profiles. Check their Facebook page for reviews, yelp, google reviews, and others. These are generally more likely to be actual clients leaving a review. Keep in mind they might be new to the business, so the sampling might be a small number. This is where you will need to go more with your interactions with them and sample work.

You can also ask a friend. I’m sure we all know a few people who are currently married. Ask them who they hired as a photographer and if they liked that person. Referrals are a great source of business for photographers, which is one reason the good photographers are able to stay around so long.

Number of pictures

With digital technology, the number of photographs taken at a wedding are too numerous to use. What is really important is the quality of the photographs received. A photographer can take a thousand images at a wedding, but if only 10 of them are any good, it’s kind of a waste. Yes, ask what you get from them and make sure any images provided are fully processed if being provided digitally. But don’t think that more is better.

To Summarize

With so many wedding photographers to choose from there is no reason to settle on a photographer that isn’t going to be exactly what you want. Sometimes personalities match and sometimes they don’t, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging it.

Take your time and meet different ones if needed. Good photographers don’t really take offense at not being selected to photograph a wedding, in the same way you should be willing to accept that the photographer might not want to work with you. A photographer might ask why you didn’t select them and if so, be honest. We like feedback and it often isn’t in an attempt to resell you, it is to see if there is something we can improve on for the next customer. Or maybe we will agree and say, “yes, that makes sense.”

The post Advice When Having a Consultation with a Wedding Photographer appeared first on D Studios Photography.

What I loved about this photography session was how her eyes were brought out with the makeup and the look she had on her face. Always with an intense expression that works perfectly for the poses and lighting.

You will always be our Rose- the D Studios Rose!

The post She’s Our Rose of Dublin appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Professionalism

The wedding photographer will most likely be around the bride and groom more than any other person on the wedding day. It is important that the photographer has a personality that they enjoy being around.

Some photographers are casual and laid back about everything while some are a little more controlling at running the show. The casual laid back photographer is most likely not going to get in the way much and is going to capture the candid shots that everyone loves. The more controlling photographer is going to be able to get people where they need to be and set up some perfect shots for the fireplace mantle.

Most photographers probably fall somewhere in-between the two. There are also other personality types such as the overly friendly person vs. the quiet person. No one personality is better than another: it’s all up to the bride and groom to decide who they want to spend the day with. Also some studios will hire other photographers to work for them. When having the consultation with the studio, identify if that person will be photographing the wedding or someone else, and ask to meet the person who will be there on the wedding day.

Albums

If buying the optional book or album, check the quality ahead of time. Will people be able to flip through it years later? Will it hold together? Does the photographer do a good job of using the album to tell a story of the wedding day? These are all things one should consider before making a purchase.

If photographic prints are provided, what type of paper and inks are used? Does the photographer do the prints or do they send them to a quality lab? If a disk or flash drive is provided, what is on the disk or flash drive? For example, do they provide high-resolution JPG files that the clients can use to make prints later? Or are they low resolution, which will only work on websites but won’t create a quality print?

There is nothing wrong with the photographer limiting what is in the initial package and charging more for extras like a full resolution disk or additional prints. Just make sure to ask questions, understand the order, and that everything is documented in the contract.

Sample Work

Photographers are only going to show people their best work. Since most photographers do online galleries, ask to get a link to a couple of other client galleries. Look through and see what the overall portfolio looks like. This has an additional benefit of setting your expectations as well. Realistically, not all photographs taken will look like they belong on the cover of a bride magazine.

Style

Most photographers to do a combination of “candid” and “formal” pictures. Are the formal shots posed in a way that you will be happy with? Do the candids look natural and memorable? The style of the photographer should match the mood of what you imagine for your wedding memories.

Thanks to Photoshop and ever-changing technology, will the pictures be cool-looking now, but dated later? Think glam shots from the 80’s. Or perhaps the current trend of over-sharpening peoples eyes.

Price

It’s important to set a realistic budget for a photographer. Once that budget has been set, make sure to understand what is being provided by the photographer for that price, including the cost of any extras. Examples of extras include: extra time, additional prints or disks/flash drive, albums, and more.

Photographers don’t just charge for a product, they charge for time, and that needs to be taken into consideration by you when hiring a professional. Processing pictures and creating albums are all time put in after the wedding day.

References

Popular wedding sites will often tell people to get references but, for the most part, I don’t see the value in them. Photographers aren’t going to provide a reference to someone who is dissatisfied with their service. There is no way to verify who the person providing the reference is and how true it is, so why bother wasting time?

Number of pictures

With digital technology the number of photographs taken at a wedding are too numerous to use. What is really important is the quality of the photographs received. A photographer can take a thousand images at a wedding, but if only 10 of them are any good, it’s kind of a waste.

No Experience

Try to avoid finding someone who just bought a digital camera and is looking to make a little money on the side. Yes, this will cut down on the overall budget of the wedding, but the quality of the product and quality of the service will most likely reflect as such. Everyone has to start somewhere and gain experience. But for photographers, this can be done via classes and as an assistant for other photographers. It doesn’t have to be at your wedding. There is a lot of stress on a wedding day for everyone involved, and it is important to have someone taking the pictures who has worked with other photographers and knows how to deal with situations as they arise. By having an experienced photographer, there is one less thing for the bride and groom to worry about.

Now, having said that, a person doesn’t get good without practice, so if you decide to take a shot with a new photographer looking to get some work for their profile, just be sure to pay them appropriately, which in some cases might not be at all. However, also be aware of what you might get in return. So, if they are not the most beautiful wedding pictures ever, you got what you paid for.

To Summarize

There is a reason a professional photographer’s album looks better than one an average person might create using an at-home template. There is also a reason a professional’s picture looks better than an amateur with a newly purchased digital camera. Even so, it is important to balance quality with the cost of service because, at the end of the day, the cake will be eaten, the flowers will rot, and the memories will fade, but the photographs will last a lifetime.

With so many wedding photographers to choose from, there is no reason to settle on a photographer that isn’t going to be exactly what is wanted. Sometimes personalities match, and sometimes they don’t: there is nothing wrong with acknowledging it. A photographer shouldn’t take it offensively if a client chooses not to book them. But they might ask why. If they do, be honest and be polite. If they are any good, they will take that feedback and use it as an opportunity for improvement.

The post What Are Some Tips For Choosing a Wedding Photographer? appeared first on D Studios Photography.

So when it came to taking her out of it all, I thought she would get mad at her parents but she actually was very good. She went along with a quick change of outfits outfits for us. She also woke up for a while and pleasantly played along with us posing for this boxing picture a lovely picture with mom.

What I really like about this picture is that it wasn’t the one I was going after. I wanted a picture of the mother looking at her daughter. But when they went face to face her brought her in to touch heads, creating a beautiful moment. I did get the picture I was after as well, but it is moments like this that make me love being a photographer.

She did eventually get cranky with us so I almost didn’t try this last shot. I prepped the stage fully expecting her to let us know she didn’t like the pose, but what was great about it, as soon as we put her in the container she instantly fell asleep. She even gave us a bit of a smile for one of the pictures as she dozed into a pleasant dream. We didn’t have the heart to wake her for any of the pictures preferring to get a few lovely pictures of little sleeping Sophie.

Now that I’m done writing this I feel like I could use a nap as well.

Sleep tight

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She arrived with her hair done in this classic look and a great selection of outfits. For the look I usually don’t do a lot of post processing but for these I felt they should have a bit of a vintage feel to them, so I did a bit of sepia toning.

The post Classic Style with Aline appeared first on D Studios Photography.

In this case as I was processing the clients images and there were a lot of lovely ones as their daughter was a perfect little poser. For the selected favorite, however, we all agreed that this one was perfect. The expression on her face and those big baby show us how sweet babies can be. Mix that with her playing with the ribbon on her shirt and this is just a perfect picture. A perfect picture that I love just as much as her parents love.

This Welcome Baby Portrait session gave mom the chance to get a bit of a makeover with our makeup artist, while dad and I snapped a few pictures of their daughter. All of which she posed excellently for.

All the best to you little Isabelle!

The post Which One for Selection? appeared first on D Studios Photography.

When asked for additional photo editing I usually reply with, “Technically yes, I can do it, but I think you look beautiful just the way you are.” I believe in natural photography, I believe that a photograph should be a relatively accurate representation of a person’s looks. It doesn’t matter if that photo was taken on a film camera or a digital camera. I consider myself a photographer, not a digital artist. Digital artists are great in what they do; it is just a different form of creative expression in my opinion. My job as a photographer involves making you look beautiful while you are in front of me – using the right light, the right angle, but mostly helping you to feel relaxed and at your best.

When people ask me for extra Photoshop work, yes, I can do it, and for me it’s not a bad deal because I will usually charge more money for the extra time I spend doing the work. But the reality is, it’s not about the money. I believe in truth in photography and just because we have the tools to alter images doesn’t mean we should always use them. I believe we should be proud of who we are and our looks and it should not matter if we are two years old, twenty, or eighty.

At D Studios, we will always go through the images from a session and remove any blemishes. Pimples appear and disappear so it makes sense to remove those from an image. Babies and children get scratches and bruises, so it makes sense to remove those as well. When it comes to the natural signs of aging however, our faces are our faces and we should be proud of how we look. Yes, many of us are not in our twenties anymore, and that’s fine.

I have a few wrinkles and a couple of age spots on my face. I don’t like them and yes, I could Photoshop them out of any pictures I’m in, but why? If I want to see a picture of myself without wrinkles and age spots I can look at one that was taken when my face didn’t have any. Now my face has them, and when a picture is taken of me, I want it to be an accurate representation of my appearance, not a digital painting of what I want to look like.

So please, if you come to D Studios Photography, know that we think you are lovely just the way you are. What makes us a great studio isn’t creating an image on a computer, what makes us great is our relaxed environment that brings out your natural beauty.

“All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am.”

Brandi Carlile – The Story.

The post Will You Photoshop My Wrinkles? appeared first on D Studios Photography.

It doesn’t hurt that they are a lovely couple and were really fun to work with during the session as well.

And gorgeous eyes!

The post New Love appeared first on D Studios Photography.