They’ve also written a piece about Phototerra, “Phototerra: Significance and Beauty” – you’ll have to pick up a copy to read the article!
About PhotoEd:

PhotoEd is about Photography Education; both traditional and New Media. It is a useful resource for students, teachers and anyone desiring an education in photography. It is about motivation, inspiration and passion in photography. The magazine will showcase the work of emerging and established Canadian artists and be a vehicle for showing and sharing the great talent in Canada.

Until next time,

Michael

I’ve been featured in Photo Life Magazine’s March issue. Only 5 Photographers from Canada were featured in the “Wedding Photography at its Best” written by Veronica Gill.

I’m so happy to announce that my photo has been featured in The Best of Wedding Photojournalism, 2nd edition writen by Bill Hurter. The book isn’t available in Canadian stores, but we did find it on Amazon.ca. So pick up a copy and be inspired by all the great photos by the amazing photographers in this book!

“Contains over 175 stunning sample images from over 35 top professional photographers.” —Petersen’s Photographic

“Will assist you in exploring this fascinating style of photography and easily apply[ing] it to your own work.” —Shutterbug

About the Book:
In contrast to a traditional wedding photographer, a wedding photojournalist works unobtrusively to capture the “real life” flavor of the special event as it unfolds, and this guidebook addresses the unique challenges and specific preparations required to excel in this field. Calling upon the best and brightest photojournalists to share their images and insights, this updated edition reveals the secrets for capturing all the breathtaking exchanges between the personalities, so that the photographs tell a story rich in detail. Many topics are also covered, such as how to meet and mingle with the main players at a wedding, what to expect in terms of a timeline, what shots cannot be missed, and how to minimize the distractions of flashes, bulky equipment, and verbal requests. Before, during, and after the ceremony—indoors and out—this volume is brimming with advice for every aspect of the shoot, including selecting equipment and lighting, working with an assistant, properly archiving digital files, and selecting a beautiful heirloom-quality album design.

Hello!

This is my wife. She is an alien. I love her. How to make this image happen you need:

1. One moon unit

2. SB 900 wrilessly connected to your camera and difuser. 

3. HonlPhoto flag

This is Top light that is is bouncing back on her face. I will recreate this shot and will add couple more lights to add some spice. Please visit this page later.

For now, try it yourself. It is very easy.

Thanks for stopping by.

For those who aren’t aware of what Mystic is all about, it’s an event for networking with fellow photographers and for all to share ideas that help build a community of wedding photographers.

If you’re new to the photography industry, or a seasoned pro, it’s a great place to share best practices and ideas.

I really hope to see you there!

-Michael

The winning image was a Jewish family portrait. The studio rented livestock for the shoot, including a sheep and a chicken. It was very original and surely caught the attention of many! In 2008, Michael won 1^st place in the Photo Journalism (PJ) category of a Jewish man praying. This year’s winning family portrait was the same man’s family! He’s the studio’s lucky charm!

Michael wasn’t the only winner at this year’s WPPI. The studio’s Daria Marchenko also won 3^rd place worldwide for the Bride Alone category. In 2009, Phototerra took home a variety of awards at the WPPI!

The 2010 WPPI has been an exceptional year for the Studio! We are extremely thrilled for Michael and Daria’s success! We worked so hard this past year, and recognition from the WPPI of this caliber really makes it all worth it!

On behalf of the entire studio, thank you for your kind words and support! We really appreciate everyone who has supported the studio! In Toronto and Montreal, the studio is growing everyday and we are extremely thrilled to be working with local vendors and bride and grooms! 2010 will be a great year!

Listen to the WPPI Radio interview with Michael Greenberg.  While preparing for WPPI in Vegas, Michael spoke with Scott Sheppard about the 3D Lighting Master Class that he will be teaching and he also spoke to his invitation to be a judge at this year’s WPPI in Las Vegas!  The WPPI is the place for wedding photographers from all over the world.  It’s Award winning photography at it’s best!

WPPI Radio – Interview with Michael Greenberg of Phototerra click here to listen. (Interview #20)

One of the most important aspects in wedding photography is nonetheless the traditional, formal photography.
With all the different photography styles out there these days, most of us sometimes forget about the importance of these posed family and posed bride and groom pictures were everyone is looking into the camera and saying “cheese”.
Just to give you an example, one of our clients, that only hired us for cinematography part of the wedding, later came to me asking to find a video still of them looking into the camera and possibly printing the traditional bride and groom photo of that still.
Why is that?
Here is what I think, traditional photography has been done by many for so many years. This is what wedding photography was all about. Today, every photographer wants to be different; developing their own unique style and artistic vision. There is nothing wrong with that. But we must not forget were we came from and what makes our clients and their families happy in the long run.
Even if our clients are easy going, young and hip and want nothing traditional in their wedding, I bet you their families are expecting that one specific bride and groom formal shot. Ironically, the same client, if put in a situation where they had to choose one picture out of three; a close up of a shoe, a shadow of them kissing or a formal shot of the bride with her family, they would choose the latter.
This is coming from experience and I just what to make sure you don’t make a mistake getting carried away with the art of wedding photography while forgetting about the basics.
On a wedding day, I always devote a good 30min and sometimes more for a formal photo session. Make it fun, and you won’t feel like you are doing a chore you wish you never did. At the end, this will go a long way, and make your hip clients happy as well as their parents. The word of mouth is a powerful thing and comes from all directions, not only from the bride and groom themselves, but also from their family and friends, but this is another topic and I’ll gladly share with you some interesting stories of “word of mouth” at another time.

Today I’ll talk a bit about the difference between copyright and image rights.

Now I’m not a lawyer and I’m not going to get into details. I just want to advise you the young photographer about this topic.

All I’ll be saying about is mostly relative to Canada however I’m sure the laws are more or less similar to our big neighbor the US. Don’t forget as well that the same law is slightly different in other provinces.

Case study #1

I have learned about one photographer that got sued by a couple because she advertized with their wedding images from the wedding she shot 2 or 3 years ago. They signed a contract with her where the copyright belonged to the photographer. So, why she got sued?

There is a big difference between copyright and IMAGE rights. The image rights belong to the couple since they have paid for their pictures. The photographer cannot advertize publicly with the images unless there is a written permission from the couple. So, do not advertize until you have spoken to the couple or you have a specific clause in your contract that allows you to do that.

Case study #2

This example is from a real life situation and is happening as we speak to one photographer I know. He signed a contract with a couple however he gave the images to another company (one of his relatives) for advertizing purposes. Again, the photographer has the copyright for the images but not the image rights. He will probably lose the case.

Case study #3

You work for a photographer as a second shooter and you have a contract according to which the photographer paid you for your services. Now, you are on your own and want to advertize with the images you personally shot. The problem is that you cannot do that unless you have written permission from the photographer. The photographer that you work for will be able to sue you.  Don’t forget the photographer himself could be sued by the couple since they didn’t give their permission to advertize. Again you might own the copyright (if the contract says so ) but you don’t have the rights. The image right belongs to the photographer.

I would like to repeat that I’m not an IP lawyer and they will be more specific on all the cases mentioned here.  I’m writing this to you just to make you aware of the complexities you might encounter down the road. You might be on very good terms with your client but if you print an image that they don’t like of themselves then they have the rights to ask you to remove it.