Wondering how you will manage your photo business while pregnant? I recently researched this topic and unearthed many great resources. If you are a pregnant photographer or trying to figure out how to photograph weddings during your pregnancy, here you'll find a great collection of tips, stories, advice and shared experiences. This might just be the most comprehensive collection of pregnant photographer stories anywhere! These honest and open mommas share experiences on everything from morning sickness
Shooting a Wedding
A guest post by Vivian Chen.
I have been working for other photographers for over the past five years. Within that time, I have been able to connect and work with a lot of other photographers in the Bay Area. I have worked both in the studio doing post-production editing and album design as well as second shooting for other photographers. The obvious end result of this is that I have seen and edited a lot of wedding photos. I would guess the total would be in the millions at this point. And while that number might make you dizzy to think, all those photos I've seen and edited are a valuable resource as a photographer.
Today I'd like to introduce Vivian Chen, who will be guest posting on PhotoMint from time to time. Vivian is a long-time studio assistant for several well known San Francisco photographers. Her roles include second shooting, editing and color correcting, album design, customer service and studio operations. Because she is familiar with the inner workings of some of the best studios in town, she knows how to streamline day to day operations to keep everything working smoothly. In her free time, she works at building her own photo business. PhotoMint readers, please give Vivian a warm welcome by sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
As a second shooter, your job is to be back up to the main photographer. An effective 2nd shooter is one who can balance understanding what the main photographer is expecting while also having enough initiative to capture moments on your own.
One of our PhotoMint readers recently asked for some advice on how to shoot while pregnant, so I talked to a number of photographers who have been there and done that, so I can report back. If you're thinking about a pregnancy now or in the near future, there are probably a million questions running through your mind:
What do I tell my clients? How to make it work financially? How long can I shoot for? How long after the birth before I should plan to shoot again? How do I nurse at weddings? We'll get to all those questions and more.
Click for full size image for printing
We've got a big wedding coming up this weekend, and that means we have some preparation to do in order to be ready for the weekend. We go through this routine every Friday afternoon, or the day prior to the wedding. It's critical to have a routine that you follow each time. That way you know you're covered. Follow our wedding photography checklist and you will be well prepared on your upcoming wedding shoot.
Wedding Photography Checklist:
1. Clean the Gear -Geoff goes through each piece of equipment, cleans dust out of the lenses, checks the camera body, makes sure everything is in good working order. Every lens gets cleaned. You don't want some pesky dust spot on every image.
2. Charge the Batteries-We always carry extra flash batteries, you never know if you'll need it or end up with a dead battery.
