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If you like what you see, head on over to the website and pick 'em up. Just $99.
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wow! just looking at all the splash screens brought back memories.. i started with version 2
(02.09.10 @ 06:21 AM)Below, she reviews Jose Villa's seminar. If you don't know Jose Villa, a quick course:
1.) He shoots all film.
2.) That little magazine response card that I sent in to renew my PDN subscription -- it had Jose's PDN cover on it.
3.) He shot Jessica Claire's wedding earlier this year, making blog stalkers all over the world go crazy.
4.) Again, he shoots all film. Score one for simplicity.
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I, like many other people, have fallen in love with the work of Jose Villa. The intrigue of film, simplicity of composition, softness of color, and beauty of the light in each picture have not only gained him popularity, but they have rightfully create a niche market for him as a photographer. It is this specific style that Villa has down to a science, and it didn't happen by accident. Seeing himself as an art director and impacting the decisions that go in to the wedding allow Villa to photograph in a specific style and capture the images he is known for. In the hour and a half that Villa presented at Imaging USA he gave us a inside look at how he evolved his business into what it is today.
Villa explained that he got his start in weddings the way most photographers do - shooting for a friend. From there, the rest was history as he explained - something most photographers couldn't relate with but could envy. He came back down to everyone's level as he referenced shooting in early days, photographing a wedding because he needed the job only to become completely bored of the hours of flash photography he was to endure during the reception. His solution now is to end after the cake cutting, unless contracted otherwise. This was just one of the insights he shared as he explained that his style of photography is based on shooting not only what he enjoys, but what he is good at.
What he is good at are the airy open landscapes, soft light and muted tones that compose his simple and romantic images. These are the images that he shares with everyone, and the images that bring clients to him. Yet we all know that where people see the images are just as important as what they look like. Starting out, Villa paid for advertising in magazines, yet his response was people calling to see who did the flowers or who made the shoes. The tables have turned and he now submits regularly to blogs and magazines where he is often paid to have his work featured. He took everyone through his process of submitting images (on a disc, with a contact sheet), outlining some of the publications he is often featured in and encouraging everyone to get their work out there as well. To the unpublished, getting images published can be daunting but more attainable than you think... at least in Villa's opinion, and that's an opinion I'll listen to.
So how does one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world approach day to day business? It was clear that simplicity is the backbone of Villa's world. Working with film dictates his work flow, and allows him to dedicate time to shooting and not editing. Second to simplicity is consistency, as he has developed a style that he applies to each situation, although he doesn't leave situations up to chance. If you are cleaning up dressing rooms and moving around furniture to compose the shot that you want, you're not alone. Villa has done what other Imaging USA speakers preached, and has created a brand of photography that is unique to him.
I came in wanting to be Villa and I left wanting to be myself.
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Thanks so much for sharing with us, Mary! Oh, and if you want to be the first to know when ye olde Lightroom Presets hit, use the form below to get on the LR mailing list!
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I've missed imaging USA and unfortunately I'll probably miss WPPI this year, but it is a goal of mine to meet and hear Jose speak/teach... and what a better place to do it then at one of his workshops. According to his recent interview on Inside Analogue Photo, he's only doing one workshop this year and it'll be in his favourite place - Mexico. Its a goal of mine to get/be there.
I've been following Jose for quite sometime now and he is a true inspiration to the simplicity of fine art editorial wedding photography. I do shoot medium format and 35mm film, but still at the moment rely on my digital bodies too much - but film is a leap I'm making this year because I too truly love and appreciate the simplicity of the workflow and sitting behind the computer for 20-40+ hours after a wedding is just not for me. I'd rather be behind the camera doing what I love and creating images for people that will last for generations to come.
Great recap Mary!
(01.21.10 @ 11:30 PM)Jose is the bomb! So humble & hilarious. I'm sure his presentation was overwhelmingly inspiring!
(01.21.10 @ 05:59 PM)Thank you! Great advice of course from Jose, lovely article :)
(01.21.10 @ 12:21 PM)I expected some bullets or brief quotes, but I found this post to be quite articulate {good job Mary!}. I only see where Villa's business is at today {and how amazing everything is he shoots}, so I enjoyed hearing how he evolved. Especially about "enduring" receptions. Thanks for the tip, I've wondered what to do about that aspect that I don't particularly enjoy. I've also questioned the "candid" approach versus some staging. It's nice to know that even he has to "make" things happen at times. Thanks so much for sharing.
(01.21.10 @ 11:32 AM)Jose is amazing! Thanks so much for posting this summary!! It's always exciting to peer into the mind of a true artist like Jose!
(01.21.10 @ 11:16 AM)We loved every minute of it as well, sandwiched happily in the 2nd row. Hearing his speech inspired me to actually get giant stack of Holga film developed!
(01.21.10 @ 10:52 AM)My friends and I were front row center (crazy black-haired girls)! Loved Jose's presentation and quirkiness. Makes me want to get married all over again just to have him capture it. I'd say he's able to create fairy tales, but that is too vivid. His work is more like a perfect dream of a fairy tale.
(01.21.10 @ 10:30 AM)I WAS right there on the front row and it was great! (I met Jose at the ShootQ bowling thing and he said he was worried only 5 people would show up so I told him I'd sit in front) :) I especially loved his honesty, even on a few funny things like getting into Mexico to work. His work is definitely redefining the way wedding photography looks and it's nice to know that someone is still sticking with the basics of film. I however, am impatient and love the instant gratification of digital so I'll be staying there. Thanks Jose for the inspiration!
(01.21.10 @ 10:30 AM)WOW... that was a beautifully written piece, Mary! I didn't attend the conference but just reading this makes me feel as though I was right there in the front row... THANKS!
(01.20.10 @ 03:22 PM)I went home, and we made some tweaks to our website (MANY more are on the way). It took a while, but try a Google search for Photoshop Actions. We'll be flirting with page 1 of the results you get (if not pretty high on page 2). That's not voodoo magic, per se, but after understanding how search engines digest a site, and determine what it's about, we were able to make some tweaks to the content to help Google understand what we're about. And the best part? We've only been able to do about 20% of what we should, since we're working on some larger structural changes to the site.
The most important thing about the whole process is to start thinking like someone who is searching for you would think. People getting married in Dallas are going to search for "Dallas Wedding Photographer". So you want to make sure that those words, in that order, are appearing frequently enough for search engines to know that you're a good match for that search. Where those words appear in your site is important, too (hint - the title is SUPER important). The same goes for blogs. Search engines treat each blog post as a mini web page, so each blog post is an opportunity for people to find you. Don't waste it.
SEO is a bigger topic than would comfortably fit in a blog post, but there are great articles to be found all over the web. Most of them assume you're pretty technically proficient, and are aimed at webmasters and such. If you want the cliff notes, though, just go see Lawrence. You'll be glad you did.
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From the 'Yoda' of Action sets this is a pretty big endorsement! I lack the means to buy his new DVDs just yet but its on my shopping list. Congrats on the up ranking - you were 2nd place on page 2 when I checked for photoshop actions - hopefully you'll be in the top spot soon, coz that's where google would want the top vendors to be!
(01.22.10 @ 11:50 AM)I found Lawrence a few months ago just as I was starting to put my new site together. Since I'm in Australia, I can't get to one of his workshops, but even from the free snapshots he posts on his blog, I've been able to make my 3 week old site rank higher than my 15 month old blogger blog. He's incredible!! It works :)
(01.12.10 @ 09:04 PM)I search and recently came across your blog and have been reading along. It was wonderful blog. I will give free hit of your site with your article.
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(01.09.10 @ 05:34 AM)A great endorsement! I have been hearing so much about Tofurious... Thanks for the tips!
(01.08.10 @ 09:33 AM)
saw you and your beautiful wife walking in the main building on sunday. wanted to say hey, hi i love your products but was so shy! been at wppi all day today, monday and going again tomorrow. its great fun and i was glad to see you there--though i was hoping to see a TRA booth. hope you are having a really great stay in vegas and enjoying your time roaming. thanks for your actions and especially your videos on tips and how to use the actions etc. those are invaluable for those of us learning. also i have appreciated your excellent customer service! now i feel i have a better handle on what i am doing in post processing and your tips and actions have helped streamline my workflow tons! enjoy the week! cheers, lesli
(03.08.10 @ 09:10 PM)I'll keep my eyes open for you guys. It's been since 2008 WPPI since I met you both and was introduced to TRA. Benn hooked ever since...like a crack head! LOL
(03.02.10 @ 08:44 AM)Just take me with you and there won't be a problem. I want to vote for more than one! Keep us up on everything you possibly can! :-)
(03.02.10 @ 08:27 AM)