Q&A for David Jay

Well I thought since we know have David Jay joining us on the forums maybe we could do a little Q & A with him. I have no idea if David will answer buy hey worth a shot If so maybe we can get a good thread to sticky here in the ol' wedding section

Q1 - Flash or no flash? Do you use slaves and strobes?

Q2 - On average how many photos do you take at a wedding?

Q3 - From the shots taken at the wedding how many of these shots are selected?

Q4 - How much time do you spend doing post production on your selected photos?

Q5 - Proof delivery, is this done by printed proofs or digitally?

These are just 5 questions off the top of my head. Thanks in advance David. Cheers.

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Well I thought since we know have David Jay joining us on the forums maybe we could do a little Q & A with him. I have no idea if David will answer buy hey worth a shot If so maybe we can get a good thread to sticky here in the ol' wedding section

Wow! I'm flattered and excited. Thank you!

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Q1 - Flash or no flash? Do you use slaves and strobes?

I shoot some of each. Mostly natural light up through the ceremony with a little bit of fill flash for formals and the fun ones with the bride and groom. Then I do use Pocket Wizards for a lot of the reception lighting during the 1st dance and other main events and then I do shutter dragging for all the open dancing.

I actually just got some cool new triggers that allow me to fire a remote camera with a second trigger on my camera. This weekend will be the first time trying it out so I'll be sure to post up some pictures!

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Q2 - On average how many photos do you take at a wedding?

I've been shooting less than I did in my first two years. I used to shoot 2000-3000 and now I actually tamed my Mark II a bit and shoot it on "single shot" mode because I found if I concentrate more on each shot I end up getting the shot I wanted and having less to edit through later. There are lots of different approaches and I'm definitely not saying this is the only way. I've just found that I like it more.

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Q3 - From the shots taken at the wedding how many of these shots are selected?

This depends a little bit on how big the wedding was and how many days I shot but typically 800 for the wedding day and then another 300 or so per additional day.

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Q4 - How much time do you spend doing post production on your selected photos?

The post workflow that I do is very automated and I've gotten it down to under three hours of "attended" time and everything can be done including the exporting and uploading (both unattended) in under 24 hrs. This past year I used Adobe Bridge but I'll probably be moving towards Lightroom. They both have a great ability to do batch corrections as well as setup preset settings for quick application on groups of photos.

kampphoto wrote in post #2454246
Q5 - Proof delivery, is this done by printed proofs or digitally?

Almost always digitally. I've only had 4 clients that I've given physical proofs to. I think digital viewing will be the trend as well as delivering digital products which is great for everyone.

Great questions and what a treat to get to share with all of you.

I'll probably be a bit awol over the next couple of days because I have a really fun wedding on New Years Eve but I'll be back around next week to catchup with more questions and share some of the photos.

Many blessings and safe celebrating!
DJ

awesome! Thanks David! Have fun.

HEY! it's david jay!!! glad you could join us here on the forum. i have been admiring your work for some time now. great thread to start picking his brain! haha, i don't have any questions yet, but i'm sure i can come up with a long list soon.

Thanks for answering questions David. Personally I'm curious how you got into wedding photography.

And have a great New Year's Eve!

Another 11 Questions -

Q1 - How long have you been involved in photography, at what age did you start taking pictures and what was your first camera?

Q2 - What kind of computer do you use for post processing?

Q3 - Did you have 3000 requests to shoot a wedding on (July 7th, 2007) 07/07/07?

Q4 - Would you, or have you ever shot with Nikon? If so, are there better aspects to Nikon gear?

Q5 - You have the choice to shoot a wedding close to home or a wedding in Fiji on the same day, which do you choose?

Q6 - Did you shoot as a second shooter for weddings in the past, or did you jump in feet first?

Q7 - What is your most memorable moment from your weddings in the past?

Q8 - If you could give any advice to someone just starting in the wedding photography, what would it be?

Q9 - Do you carry back-up gear?

Q10 - Can you ever see yourself getting bored with wedding photography in the future?

Q11 - How many weddings do you book in any given year?

not to steal any thunder away from this thread, as I think its really great way to learn and DJ is a great guy, photographer and resource, but a lot of these questions are answered elsewhere. If you get a basis from where he's coming from, you might be able to narrow down some questions and get really good specific answers. OSP, Pictage, DWF, his blog, website, showitfast.com all have a lot of great info From DJ and others.

We son't want to scare him off so soon

Give the guy a break! Geez

coreypolis wrote in post #2456361
not to steal any thunder away from this thread, as I think its really great way to learn and DJ is a great guy, photographer and resource, but a lot of these questions are answered elsewhere. If you get a basis from where he's coming from, you might be able to narrow down some questions and get really good specific answers. OSP, Pictage, DWF, his blog, website, showitfast.com all have a lot of great info From DJ and others.

We son't want to scare him off so soon

Or in other words and slightly more blunt, kampphoto go read his website at least and or a few other sources and then delete questions 1, 2, 9 and 11 and sorry but 2 and 9 and just duh and duh. .... Q7 and Q10 I really like though.. good questions.

Sorry guys I was just trying to make a thread for people just entering the biz to get some decent insight from a photographer that a lot see as inspiration. I have read David's website and I realize a lot of questions are answered there. This thread leans towards Tim's FAQ it's for new photographers that don't search for previous threads.

If he doesn't want to answer he doesn't have to, I'm just putting it out there, if you don't happen to appreciate it then that's your option, I'm attempting to create a thread that can be here for a while. And in regards to question 2 and 9 - we often see the "is Mac or PC better for post processing?" and "I have one camera should I start shooting weddings?" and I think that if someone of David's place in the wedding biz answers these people will tend to go with the right opinion.... the opinion that obviously Mac's are better, and you definatly need backup gear.

Well that's my opinion.

Oh cool, I had no idea you had joined us. Awesome to have a well known pro among us. Hope you enjoy the board...

Thanks for your willingness to share, DJ!

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Another 11 Questions -

Q1 - How long have you been involved in photography, at what age did you start taking pictures and what was your first camera?

I started in photography when I was a senior in high school. I kind of got forced into it actually. That was exactly 10 years ago and I've been doing this as a business for the past 4 years. It's been a rush! My first camera was my dad's old Yashica and the first camera I used to shoot weddings was a Canon Elan 2e

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q2 - What kind of computer do you use for post processing?

I have a Mac setup but I'm not diehard on either side. I had PC's for the first couple of years and really the reason I switched to all Mac was because it was easier to network my laptop with a Mac desktop. Honestly, don't stress about what computer you use. Both can work great.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q3 - Did you have 3000 requests to shoot a wedding on (July 7th, 2007) 07/07/07?

I actually haven't had any requests http://www.opensourcep​hoto.net …s/fun_emoticons​/tears.gif I have 10 booked for next year so I'm gonna raise my rates again to slow the booking down. I'd like to keep it under 15 and keep December totally free.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q4 - Would you, or have you ever shot with Nikon? If so, are there better aspects to Nikon gear?

I had the chance to hang with Mike Colon in Brazil earlier this year with Thirst Relief Intl and I did pick up his Nikon for a few shots but I've never thought their cameras were even close to Canon's in what they offered in features, stability, and quality. Canon is a very big company and I don't think there is any question that they'll continue to lead the photography industry.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q5 - You have the choice to shoot a wedding close to home or a wedding in Fiji on the same day, which do you choose?

Fiji...but then again I'm a bachelor so I'm not leaving anybody behind when I take off. If I had a family that would be my priority and it'd be much more difficult to take jobs that require travel.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q6 - Did you shoot as a second shooter for weddings in the past, or did you jump in feet first?

I just jumped in....actually got thrown in. My friends started asking me to shoot their weddings and I couldn't say no to them so I had to figure it out fast! I spent so many Friday nights sitting in Borders looking through wedding books and magazines (quite possibly the reason I'm still single) and then I just learned everything as I went...I still have lots to learn and that's the reason I love these forums so much. Everybody can learn and be inspired by everybody.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q7 - What is your most memorable moment from your weddings in the past?

In my second year I had a very scary moment when a plane flight got cancelled and I was shooting a wedding in Tennessee on Saturday and then another one in San Luis Obispo on Sunday. I had to rent a car in Vegas and drive 110mph all night long to get to the wedding in time. Click here to read the whole story.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q8 - If you could give any advice to someone just starting in the wedding photography, what would it be?

Focus on your network. People and the relationships we nurture and develop are the most important thing in business and in life...and read books. Start with Tim Sanders book Love is the Killer App.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q9 - Do you carry back-up gear?

You bet! This is super important.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q10 - Can you ever see yourself getting bored with wedding photography in the future?

I don't know if I'll ever get bored of it because the technology and everything changes so fast but I do have many other interests that pull me in different directions. It's all great and I do my best to balance my work as a photographer with the other stuff that I do. Business in general is exciting to me so no matter what industry I'm in I think I'll be excited to be there.

I heard a saying once, "Only boring people get bored." so if I do get bored I'll take the blame for it.

kampphoto wrote in post #2456335
Q11 - How many weddings do you book in any given year?

My first year I shot 30, second year I shot 40, third year I shot 35, last year I shot 21, and next year I'll shoot 12-15. I have 10 booked and I don't want to let it get much above that. You know what they say about all work and no play...

Thanks again for the chance to share and no worries about repetitive stuff. I know it's nice to keep it tidy so everyone doesn't have to search around for the info.

I'm off for a whirlwind of a shoot and I just bought tons of new toys to play with so I'll be back next week.

Blessings,
DJ

Cheers, thanks David.

David - thanks for joining up and answering some questions!

Since this is a Canon forum, a lot of talk here revolves around gear. One of the things I'm wanting to work my way towards is shooting a whole wedding with primes. (The first camera I used was my Dad's old Topcon RE super.) Have you done a wedding with fixed focal length lenses or have any thoughts on it?

(BTW...the image on your site with about a dozen guys in cowboy hats on a hill is awesome!...getting men to cooperate with the posing is still a big hurdle I'm trying to get over and shooting that image with such an uncoventional arrangement must have been interesting)

thanks again! - Jason