With a photojournalistic style that is nothing short of genius, Apertura gives their entire attention to telling each subject’s story. They afford the viewer a unique perspective that conveys timeless, emotionally charged chapters in the life of each blissful couple–and their clients couldn’t be happier with the results. Looking through their portfolio you truly get a glimpse into the lives of those they photograph. Storytelling is their specialty, and while they don’t use words to spin their tales, their methods are just as effective as any celebrated author. Truly, if a picture is worth a thousand words, Ray and Erwin have written some amazing novels.

Here, Apertura share sage advice to help you keep your sanity and please your clients on busy wedding days:

• Understand your equipment like the back of your hand and know the technical basics to produce the images you want. Understanding lighting is crucial. Know what kind of exposure you need when a certain lighting condition exists in your shot.

• “Gaffer’s tape is one of the greatest inventions ever made.” Keep a roll of the stuff on hand. It’s invaluable in a variety of situations. Since it doesn’t leave a residue behind, it makes securing that flash to the wall–just where you want it–a breeze.

• Be aware of your surroundings. Ray once had the misfortune of breaking a giant vase full of water during the father/daughter dance.

• Shoot from the heart but compose with your mind.

• Never stop learning. When you shoot and are thinking you have a particular style, keep in mind that it may need to mature.

• Find your inner voice and shoot that way. When you do find your style, be true to it, but stay open to new ideas.

• When you stop learning and become protective of your work,that’s when you become stagnant – at that point you can no longer grow and improve.

• Finally? Be original, say the duo. “Don’t copy something because it’s trendy. Be true to what you really believe in and it will pay off in spades. Trends come and go, but solid photography lasts forever.”

To see more of Apertura’s work visit aperturaphoto.com.

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*Special thanks to Pink Fly Photography for providing us with the lovely image

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All around you there are undiscovered opportunities to implement into your portraiture. You just need to learn to train your eye to find them!

Design Aglow contributor Andrea Joki believes “Locations can be a supporting player in your images; bringing depth, interest, creativity and versatility to your portfolio. When the puzzle pieces [variables] come together, the result is an asset that can be used to turn a simple portrait into a distinct story about a person and the place they call home.”

So, what makes for a good location?

As most on-location photographers learn, what looks like the most perfect place can be problematic when actually conducting the session.

You may find the most beautiful lake in the most perfect season, yet the portrait session is scheduled in the middle of the day when the sun is strong and the light appears harsh across your clients face resulting in undesirable shadows in your photographs. Or it has a private and lush bank that may be accessible for your client to get to in a boat, but you’ll need to wear the proper gear to stand in the high grass or in the water to get that perfect shot.

Or, you may find a wide open space with rolling hills in the early fall, but when you go out to shoot a portrait session in the late summer, the hills appear to look dry and parched due to the recent drought.

It is important to understand the key elements to what makes a beautiful location work.

Here, Andrea highlights each variable to consider when scouting a location for an upcoming photo shoot.

1. Light.
“Every location will look very different depending on the time of day for your shoot. Few locations look good midday and some may need either full sun or overcast conditions to really make the most use of their features.  It is best to set aside times during optimal hours; early in the morning or later in the day.  Be ready to explore angles – backlighting and front lighting, golden bokeh of a low sun through trees or high up on a hillside.  Every location has hidden gems waiting for your lens to uncover them.”

2. Right Season.
“Most locations are prone to seasonal change. Often they will be full and rich in spring/summer and then barren and colorless in winter.  Others can be glorious with spring flowers or dead and lifeless by autumn.  It helps to photograph one location during all the seasons.  You may just be surprised at what you find in spring as opposed to autumn.”

3. Scale.
“This can surprise a lot of photographers.  Buildings and trees are typically 10 or more feet high.  If you aren’t careful, you end up getting only a clipped part of a building or a lot of boring dress trunks with little foliage in your composition-and no feel of the the location.  Or you make the person so small in the frame that the background completely overwhelms them.  Wide angle lenses are a must in locations where scale is problematic, but some locations are simply too big in scale to really be usable for portraiture. Chopped off tree trunks rarely add anything to an image.”

4. Versatility.
“Locations should have more than just one shot to their repertoire.  Try to find a location with different areas in which to shoot, since it will be a boring session if all the images are taken in the same spot.  Texture, depth, richness, color-all these and more are things to be looking for within your location.”

5. Accessibility.
“Make sure your location is easily accessible to clients and yourself.  Parking should be fairly close and the walk short.  Nothing frays tempers and spoils moods like the frustration of not finding close parking, having to pay hefty parking or park entrance fees or forced long marches on a hot summer day.”

6. Suitability
“Different locations will lend themselves to different types of subjects: meadows and fields for children, grungy urban for seniors, hip city centers for couples.  If you primarily shoot children, for example, you probably don’t need to go exploring in old, rundown downtown areas.”

7. Legality
“If you are using private property, you do have to obtain permission first.  Be aware that not all parks are public property; many are private and require shooting permissions. Some permits can be quite difficult and laborious to obtain but will earn the time spent through the location’s rich attributes.  Most permits and private location shoots will require a liability agreement-it is only natural that the property owner would want to have protection against lawsuits.”

8. Safety
“This cannot be emphasized enough.  Make sure your subject is allergy-free (meadows), that the location is not prone to broken glass or other dangerous objects on the ground and it is free from natural dangers (ticks, snakes, wolves etc, in deeper forested areas or deserts.)  Hidden dangers can be as simple as ice on a winter stairway or slippery rocks at a seaside.  There is absolutely no reason to ever put your subject in danger just for an image.”

All in all, you must use the freedom to choose locations for your portrait sessions to your advantage, thus, thoroughly researching the location prior to the session.  This will confirm whether the location is best suited for that particular client at that particular time of year.  Even more, whether the location is legal and if you have the permission to use the grounds.

Learn more from Andrea in Issue No. 11 of the Design Aglow Magazine.

Specialty & Location: Senior/Family/Children photographer from Texas

DA: Tell us a little bit about yourself…
SM: I am a wife and momma of four (3 boys and then the girl…Lord help her). I am an artist…like the kind that is not good a math or spelling, but I can color! I am a self taught photographer that has learned the biggest mistake I have made is over-thinking the small things. After four years I am still learning how to juggle running a business and a family! I love simplicity, being real and making friends. I am me, I am just a girl named Spanki!

DA: What has been your most memorable image and why?
SM: One of my most memorable images was of my sweet sweet seniors, Griffin, a few years back in a pond at sunset. This image isn’t the “most unique”, nor did it push my creativity to its limits, but for me it was so different than my normal shooting style I just adored it. I am normally shooting in urban areas with tons of textures and colors, so this image stood out to me just because of the simplicity in its beauty.

DA: If you could tell photographers that are just starting out one thing you wish you had known before starting a business, what would it be and why?
SM: If I could tell new photographers that are just starting out one thing it would be to educate yourself. There aren’t many real jobs you can get hired for without education. Even if that job doesn’t require a college degree, they most likely will require some form of education of the business… this is no different. If you want others to take you seriously as a business owner, you have to first take yourself and your business seriously! I still believe in taking one workshop a year to make sure I stay current, continue to push myself and to simply make contacts in the industry!

DA: Where do you find inspiration?
SM: I am constantly looking around. I find inspiration everywhere but what I love best is seeing old buildings and abandoned locations to shoot…that is when my mind really starts going!

DA: How do you enjoy your images (what physical products do you make for your own home)?
SM: I am a canvas girl. I love canvas of my kiddos. However, I will say one of my most favorite displays in my home is of my Instagram images from a trip my husband and I took to Chicago printed on wood.

DA: What is the craziest job you’ve ever had?
SM: Before I was a photographer I was a painter. The craziest thing I did was get in a tiny cage (called a man lift), go up 2 and a half stories to an art niche, climb out of the cage to stand on a 2 ft ledge and paint above my head for 2 days. Did I mention I am afraid of heights?

DA: Did you go to school to study photography?
SM: Ha. I sooo wish I would have gone to school to study photography, but I had no clue I could. I started as a business major…what tha?? Anyone who knows me knows that is so not me! (in hindsight maybe I should have stuck that one out, it might would make the running of my business a little easier!)

To see more of Spanki’s work visit her at spankimills.com and learn some of her styling tips from the Design Aglow Style Guides for Seniors, Families & Engagements.

The numbers behind your business might not be pretty, whimsical, or full of joy… but they are important! One of the primary causes for failure in small businesses is not the quality of work produced, but the inability to get a handle on finances, costs, and profits.

Understanding the true cost considerations of your business allows you to determine how to price to cover your costs, then to price for your brand – two very different, but equally important, concepts.

Design Aglow has created another exceptional educational tool that will cover the groundwork of basic business finance and budgets, provide you with Best Practices thinking to set up budgets for cost recovery, calculating your time and paycheck and pricing to support your brand strategy. In addition, we have provided you with three ready-to-use price lists that you can put into place today to immediately achieve profitable sales. Finally, of course, we have our industry experts weigh in with their thoughts and experiences to place everything into a perspective you will understand.

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Photography may be an exciting and unique sector of business, but it remains a business indeed. And like any