My first day of classes at WPPI started with me getting up at 6 am and heading to the cardio room for a run, (I’d made sure I packed my running shoes) Because I’d been out all day at the workshop Sunday, I had to make sure I arrived at the convention center early to pick up my Conference Pass, we had been advised to get to our Pre-registered Platform classes 15 minutes early to ensure we got good seats.
I had pre-booked 5 platform classes way back in December and the first one today was at 8.30am. Titled “Weddings, What you Really Need To Know” by photographer Cliff Mautner, one of American Photo’s top ten in the world and 2012 WPPI Photographer of the year.
I had my fingers crossed that this would be a good class.
Cliff started off by opening with a shot of a bride on her wedding day and it was evident in the next minute as he introduced himself that this would be a no holds barred class.
Asking questions about what WE thought was important about shooting weddings he rewarded right answers by throwing out Lowepro camera bags and other goodies, I was shocked, I guess in my research in preparing for WPPI, I hadn’t read about the thousands of dollar worth of prizes that speakers would be giving out!!! Wow! Question – Answer – Prize!!!
Not one for me though, I was still a little shy:)
I’m going to share a little of my notes from the class here.
Cliff talked about lens selection- Achieving the right look for the right situation,
About knowing your gear! Aperture Priorty is great for when the exposure in a scene is changing.
He talked about making a bride look beautiful: Find window light.
Shallow DOF for selective focus.
Move, bob, weave and find your best angle! Put yourself in her shoes.
Choose a proper lens NOT A 50!!! 85m 1:4
Running for the open shade- Put your subject between you and the sun.
Move around, adjust your angle
Remember, It’s not the Mona Lisa:))))
As I sat their furiously scribbling, I thought to myself Thank GOD I came, This was exactly the type of knowledge I was hoping to gain by attending, I couldnt write fast enough.
With each point Cliff made, there was a stunning image on the projector .. Then he says:
Happy clients are the mortar for your bricks! (AMEN!)
How does 90 minutes fly by so quickly? I don’t know but I was fully absorbed in his talk, and then this happens.
Cliff states “Moments Make a Wedding” and he proceeds to present, one by one, the most beautiful, most touching captures that every bride would wish to have in her album & Every photographer should aspire to make: Grandparents married for 60 years lovingly touching each other, mothers hugging their daughters as they prepare to exit hotel rooms, sons paying respect to the grandparents that raised them at their gravestones.
Moments… moments. I looked around and found solace in the fact that I was not the only person wiping tears from their eyes.
This is Why we do what we do.
Take a look a stunning imagery that Cliff makes here Cliff Mautner Photography
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| Cliff Mautner & Me:) |
My second class for the day was a Master class, these are smaller classes that are targeted to a particular subject and there is a fee $50 (if you book early) for these.
