Christrian & Becky: Beautiful

I sometimes forget to interact with my couples as I shoot them loL! Being around a couple who are really in love and don't mind me being around, I just get so caught up in just letting them do their own thing, being the cute couple they are, and capturing that moment (being as quiet as possible to keep that intimacy) that I forget that they are looking at me for direction as to how to pose or what to do next loL....

Meet Chris & Becky! A couple with a lot of history and a story quite similar to mine with my boyfriend. I met Chris about a year ago when I used to go out dancing; I found out he is a GREAT DJ who has been spinning and mixing for years - I've dubbed him to be my dj for any event loL for real, if you love a little bit of Hip Hop, Merengue, and Salsa he's your man. Check him out. It wasn't until the photo shoot that I met Becky, but from everything I'd heard (and we talked a little bit on facebook) I knew she was going to be a cool girl...

The first thing she said to me was, "I'm really shy," from that point I was preparing myself to make her feel as comfortable as possible. Maybe ten minutes went by before she was jumping off benches and posing like Americas Next Top Model! loL either she felt comfortable around me and my camera a lot quicker than I thought possible or she just had me fooled ;-) loL

A Corner of England

A Corner of England it is! I love St. Pete - there is a little bit of everything here! My mom, aunt and I went to this tea room a few weeks ago and not only was the tea delicious, but so was their food, and the customer service was amazing! All 3 lovely ladies who own the restaurant introduced themselves to us and kept us laughing for our entire stay (well, maybe part of that had to do with my aunt knowing the owners loL - but I think the other part of that is, they are just really nice and funny people!). I would definitely suggest giving them a try :) Although we didn't dress up, you certainly could have. They provide "High Tea" quality everything! Including some gorgeous hats ;-) best of all, they are affordable. A Corner of England should be on your list of places to eat when you visit St.Pete.

Do what you love because it makes YOU happy...

I love when I'm reminded of why I do what I do, in every aspect of my life - big and small. Why I chose the major I did, why I wear the clothes I do, why I wear my hair this way, why I decided to take on the task of shooting my first wedding with an entry level camera and kit lens, why I am dating who I think is the most wonderful person...why I do any and everything!

Becoming involved in photography (and I would assume this applies to most industries) I have come across quite a few "experienced" professionals who have looked down upon me because, well I don't really know why, but I'm guessing it's because I may have gotten hired for a job they feel they deserved to get. Or maybe they think I don't have enough "experience" to say I am a photographer. These are just my assumptions, all I know for sure is that they looked down on me. For a long time I was really intimidated by "these people" because 1) most of them are a lot older than I am 2) have way more gear than I do and 3) because they have been in the industry longer than I have. But you know what? I didn't get into photography because of them! I'm in because I love art. Point, blank, period.

I feel myself conforming to the "rules of the industry" so to speak when it comes to what equipment you are suppose to have,  how much experience you should have, what photographers you should be inspired by, etc., etc. As I conform I feel myself loosing the passion I had with photography. Little by little that is. I will always love it, but I know what I am doing now is because I'm trying to be like every other photographer in the industry! Ughh!! I'm not "every other photographer" I'm Nina Grace Barron! And I'll do what I please for my business. When a "celebrity" photographer gives advice or a recommendation a lot of people hear and think that's it! I have to do it just like them because that's what they said and they are famous and I want to be just like them. I'm done with that! I'll take a recommendation for just that, a recommendation.

Okay a lot of this is geared toward myself as a reminder for me. However, if you are reading this and don't like it, that's fine. You feel the way you feel just like I do. If you don't like my work that's cool too. If you do like my work that's great and I appreciate all of you who are constantly reading my blog, who have befriended (or liked) me on facebook, and have supported my business! Thank you :) For those of you who are upset because you feel like I am idk...too young, don't have the right gear, don't have enough experience, or whatever! I have a question for you, why are you reading my blog? Apparently I am upsetting you in some way and I don't want to do that, so maybe it would be in your best interest to just go ahead and stop following my posts. Hey! before you go I just want to say I truly wish you the best for your business :)

So with all that said, I am DONE being a follower. I am done trying to empress people (photographers) I don't even know and I am done! not being truly happy in an industry that has partly molded my life! I choose photography to be apart of my life because it made me happy. It's time to get back to that. It's time to get back to Nina. Here's to a new beginning!

Dependent vs. Independent

I am not yet the person I want to be. I would love to have strong relationships with many people but I have yet to make them. Why? It's not because I'm "diva" and think well they should make a move to build a relationship with me, it's not even because of a bad or negative "child hood experience" my childhood was great! Dang! What is it that makes me so afraid to talk to people? The only answer I can come up with is.....(oooh I don't want to say this)....my confidence. What?! No. No! I don't have low self esteem. I don't. Okay I am shy. Well why am I shy? Neither one of my parents are shy or softspoken. Why am I? 

It's not that I can't talk to people and build a relationship with them, I am very capable of doing that. My concern is that I don't take the inneciative to build STRONG relationships with people (and I don't mean just any old body, I'm talking even people in my family!) sad I know. I'm sad about it as I continue to think about it. My aunt had surgery this week and I have not gone to visit her. Wow I feel so guilty. Is this just me being selfish? Is this the era we now live in that people are so disconnected from one another because of the lack of personal communication?! We have texting (you no longer have to talk on the phone) and facebook (you no longer have to visit someone in their home). How dare I or anyone think of these alternatives as okay. How could you ever build a real relationship with a person strictly online or through a text message? Granted all of these advancements in technology are convenient, but not a substitute. I had to get this out. I had to write down what I am feeling at this very moment so that WHEN I change my attitude I can see my improvement.

I don't quite know what it is that makes me this way, but I do know I can choose to change my attitude. Becoming an independent person begins with me! I have to "break the mold" I have currently conformed to. As I think about it I think that is it. I'm so used to doing things a particular way (that is very dependent) that becoming independent and doing things by myself makes me a little nervous. At least when it comes to relationship building with others. (sigh) okay. Like I said I just needed to get this all out. I'm done now lol

Closer look: siesta key

I love Sarasota, FL - a few weeks ago I enjoyed laying out on the beach with some friends at Siesta Key beach. Everything is so colorful and vibrant. If you ever visit FL you should definitely check out Sarasota (after you visit St. Pete ;-))

Your Wedding Photography (a MUST read!)

To: All soon to be bride and grooms

This is a definite must read for all brides and grooms who plan to hire a photographer - which you all should! This is advice for couples who are budgeting for a wedding photographer...

If you are considering setting aside 30%+ of your wedding budget on professional photography (and I hope that you are!) then you definitely want to make sure that you are making the absolute best use of your photographer!  It is without a doubt a big investment and there are a few important things that you can do, that from the prospective of a professional photographer, can be the difference between an “ok” experience and final product and an incredible experience and final product!  It is all about making the most of your investment!

Here are my top 6 ways to get the most out of your wedding photographer!

1) If at all possible, meet in person for your consultation. Even better, bring the groom!  Not only does meeting face to face with your photographer tell you WAY more then their website alone can, but it also gives your photographer the chance to see you two together in person before the wedding day.  Everything from what you wear to your consultation to the way that you and your groom interact helps the photographer to get a feel for your personalty and style as a couple.  All of this means that your photographer is even more prepared to capture what represents “you” most on your wedding day.

2) Schedule an engagement session.  If it is at all possible to work into your wedding budget, schedule an engagement session with the photographer that you are considering hiring for your wedding day.  This can even be done before actually booking the photographer for your wedding.  Think of it as taking your photographer for a test drive before making the big investment of hiring them for your big day.  You will get to see how they work with you during the shoot, their turn around time on delivery of the images, and most importantly, you will get to see the quality of the finished product firsthand.  If for some reason you are not satisfied, then it is better that you figure that out before hiring them for the wedding day!

3) Shift your coverage earlier in the day. If the number of hours in the wedding package that meets your budget do not cover the entire span of the wedding itinerary my advice to clients is alway this; opt to use your hours beginning earlier in the day as opposed to trying to get the entire reception covered. Trust me on this…you will not regret missing out on the extra 100-200 pictures of your friends dancing at your reception that will never make it on your wall or in your wedding album.  What you will regret is never getting any detail shots of your dress or capturing that special moment when your mom walks in and sees you in your dress and veil for the first time.  Ideally, start your wedding coverage 2-3 hours before the ceremony start time. Coverage will still likely take you through the ceremony, through the “important” parts of the reception and will still leave time for plenty of fun dancing shots!

4) Do a “first glance” and your bride groom session prior to the ceremony. Hear me out on this one…tradition (and grandma) have told us that seeing the bride before she walks down the aisle is somehow not as “special” and will take away from the big moment during your ceremony.  In reality, what is more special then getting to see your love for the first time on your wedding day in a beautiful, quiet and private moment instead of under the gawking eyes of all of your camera wielding guests!  You will be surrounded by family and friends for the rest of your wedding day – your bride & groom session is likely the only time you will have to stop and take the moment in. Sadly this inevitably gets squished into the remaining 10 minutes between the ceremony and reception after the craziness of family portraits and when you are already exhausted from the sheer adrenalin rush of the ceremony!

5) Prioritize your Bride and Groom session! If seeing each other before the ceremony just isn’t your thing – and I completely understand, then prioritize these shots by allowing a decent amount of time after the ceremony for your bride groom session. Think about it – what are the wedding images that will end up on your walls?  Not the getting ready shots. Not the cake cutting. Not the picture of uncle Bobby dancing with his tie on his forehead.  When you look back on your wedding images it is the dramatic and romantic shots of you and your groom that become the most iconic.  These are the images that you remember.  These are the ones that get framed.  These are the ones the truly encapsulate this incredible time in your lives and inevitably, however… these are the ones that get prioritized LAST in the sheer busy-ness of the wedding day.  In 10 years you will NOT be disappointed if you missed the cocktail hour, you WILL be disapointed if you paid all of that money for your awesome arsty photographer and don’t have any incredible jaw dropping images on your wall to show for it because there was no time left to really create those images.   Consider setting aside 30-45 minutes just for your bride groom session on the wedding day.  As long as your guests are being fed at a cocktail hour they will not complain!  Again, it is about making the most of your investment in your awesome photographer by making that session a prioritized part of your wedding day experience instead of an afterthought.

6) Finally, and probably most importantly, find a way to work a wedding album into your budget. Think about it, at some point in your life you sat down to look at your parent’s wedding album, maybe even your grandparents wedding album.  How incredible was it to be able to hold that little piece of history?  To smell the old leather as you turned the pages.  It is like looking through a window into the past.  The style of the clothes, those hideous bridesmaid dresses, your dad at such a young age. Digital photography has changed everything and as a result, “shoot and burn” wedding packages have become very popular.  Of course you want to have digital negatives to put up on Facebook and share online but 10-15 years from now are you going to crack open your laptop and pull up Facebook to show your children your wedding day?  Are you and your husband going to sit down on your 20th wedding anniversary and go through all 700 wedding images on iPhoto to relive the start of your life together?  The album is almost equally as important as getting the event captured because it is what adds tangible value to your investment which only increases with time. It is worth it and you will walk away feeling like you got more for your money than if you are simply shipped a disk of images.

All information was provided by Shay Cochrance