$200 off Fstoppers' Wedding Photography Tutorial and $30 off Photography 101

Fstoppers is starting our Black Friday sale early with some of the biggest discounts we've ever offered, and they're lasting all week. Check out today's spotlight of $200 off "How to Become a Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer" and $30 off "Photography 101: How to Use Your Digital Camera and Edit Photos in Photoshop." See the discount details below. 

If you've been hoping to start your wedding photography business or want to take it to another level, Lee Morris and Patrick Hall have created a full tutorial on everything weddings. Learn how to shoot engagements, cover every aspect of the wedding day, and tackle the business skills you'll need to succeed in the market. You can save $100 off the regular price by using code BF200 at checkout. 

If you're not quite ready to tackle photography professionally, Fstoppers wants to get you there with our "Photography 101" course. This tutorial teaches all the ins and outs of your camera, how to control its settings, and the foundational elements of lighting your subject. Whether you simply want to improve your hobby or speed up the journey to shooting at a professional level, these lessons will help give you the groundwork you need to get there. Save $30 on this tutorial by using code BF30 with your purchase. 

These deals will only last through Cyber Monday, so be sure to act now. You can also check out the full selection of Black Friday deals in our store.

Source: $200 off Fstoppers' Wedding Photography Tutorial and $30 off Photography 101

Calling All Equine Photographers: Horses In Need Photo Project Seeking Applicants

Each year, the Equine Photographers Network hosts a contest for Horses in Need, which is open to all professional and amateur photographers, reports Horse Channel.

Those wishing to participate simply need to choose a horse, an individual or an organization that embodies the theme "horses in need." Possible topics include adoptable Mustangs, horse rescue organizations, ex-racehorses awaiting new careers, equine sanctuaries and more.

The goal of the photography project is to highlight  equine rescues and similar programs, and the individuals and organizations that are working to help the horses.Finished projects will showcase four to eight images in a story format, with text where necessary. Photographers are encouraged to find local stories.

The deadline to submit images is January 15, 2018.

Click here for more information.

New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.Copyright © 2017 Paulick Report.

Source: Calling All Equine Photographers: Horses In Need Photo Project Seeking Applicants

Three Bridgewater Photographers Named Winners in County Contest

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The works of three photographers from Bridgewater were selected as winners in the Third Annual "Show Us Somerset County Through Your Camera Lens" contest, sponsored by the Board of Somerset County Chosen Freeholders, in cooperation with the Somerset County Business Partnership.

"We want to thank everyone who entered this year's contest," said Freeholder Director Peter S. Palmer.  "The Freeholder Board enjoys seeing the beauty of Somerset County through the eyes of residents and employees, and we are honored to post these amazing photos on our website."

The overall winning entry for the 2017 "Show us Somerset County Through Your Camera Lens" Photo Contest was submitted by Jessica Batley of Manville.

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Winning entries submitted by professional and amateur photographers were selected in five categories: Architecture & Urban Design, Arts & Culture, Community, Natural Environment and Transportation.

Architecture and Urban Design

Professional - First place was awarded to Corrine Evans Prochazka of Franklin

Amateur Classification - First place was awarded to Therese Hatch of Bridgewater for her photo of Division Street in Somerville. Ruth Ann Seyffart of South Bound Brook placed second for her photo of the former Pillar of Fire temple on the rotary in Bound Brook.

Arts & Culture

Professional: Gary Wiesner of Hillsborough placed first for his image of a carnival ride and Ann Wazeter of Bernardsville placed second for her "Misty Morning at Wallace House."

Amateur:  David Hatch of Bridgewater placed first and Banu Dogan of Hillsborough was awarded second place in this category.

Community

Professional: Ann Wazeter of Bernardsville was awarded first place for her entry.

Amateur:  Therese Hatch placed first and Lucia Mostello of Somerville was awarded second place.

Natural Environment

Professional: The first and second place were awarded to Stephanie Napholtz of Gillette.

Amateur: First place was awarded to Julia Heilberg of Warren and second place was awarded to Jiey Zhou of Somerville.

Transportation

Professional: The first place winner was Stephanie Napholtz.

Amateur: Thom Horvath of Bridgewater placed first and Lucia Mostello was awarded second place.

Winning entries will be posted on the Somerset County's home page at www.co.somerset.nj.us and athttp://bit.ly/PhotoContestWinners17. Photos also may appear in the Somerset County Business Partnership's 2018-2019 Somerset County Destination Guide.

Source: Three Bridgewater Photographers Named Winners in County Contest

Are Black Female Photographers Being Ignored? | COLE Magazine Shines A Spotlight On Hidden Talent And Industry Issues

It's no secret that women have been at the forefront of discussion in our industry as of late and are sparking a much needed change by bringing awareness to social injustices. There are large strides being made in the right direction and it is the hope of many to close the gender gap where there is underrepresentation in the various genres.

[REWIND: GRAZIA MAGAZINE'S PHOTOSHOP BLUNDER | THE BURDEN OF CREATIVITY AND CLUTIVATING CULTURAL AWARENESS]

Fashion in particular is largely comprised of male photographers and there have been numerous articles over the past few months outlining the fact. Dana Cole, Editor-in-Chief at COLE Magazine, took her research a bit further and found that black female fashion and beauty photographers flew even lower under the radar.

It posed an interesting question: do fewer black female fashion photographers truly exist or are they in fact grossly underrepresented at large? This question is similar to the uproar that was created when Nikon named their 32 men to their fellowship in the Middle East, Asia and Australia because surely there are strong female photographers in that demographic. It was also apparent that a community and network was lacking for these women.

With this in mind, COLE Magazine released a list of 19 black female fashion and beauty photographers with incredible portfolios out into the world with the hope of shining a floodlight on the immense that is out there.

Having personally experienced resistance in the industry simply for being a woman and watching this lingering question manifest into a mission, it became apparent that adding other parameters into the mix might make this journey that much more difficult. With piqued curiosity, I had a few questions for COLE Magazine's Editor in Chief.

Have you had any experiences or issues as a photographer where your skin color and /or gender has played a part?

I have personally had known issues where my race played a part in me not getting specific jobs. It sucked but I was also happy I found out who those people were before actually working for them.

Were you surprised by any hurdles or discoveries when compiling this list?

Well, it took me about 3-4 months of searching for a good amount of Black Women who are fashion and beauty photographers, and I am sure I have still missed a few. I was very happy with each new photographer I found.

Do you think the fashion industry and the current cultural blocks we are seeing highlighted play any role on why there appear to be fewer black female fashion photographers?

In a way yes, however, there is a shift happening. Look at the new Editor in Chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful; he is the first black editor of a major fashion magazine. He is paving a way for all of us. Putting more black models in the spotlight that haven't been given much attention is providing a spotloght to more POC. It all ties in together. Hopefully this shift continues to where there is a more diverse playing field.

What is your biggest goal for this list?

I want to show the photographic community and the world that we exist. Black women are here and we can shoot fashion and beauty with the best of them. I want to show other black women and girls that they too can do these genres and do them well . Aim high!

After checking out the featured women's Instagram accounts ranging from 1k to over 44k followers, it is frightening that these images hadn't shown up in various web searches or Instagram feeds.

[Rewind: THE UGLY SIDE OF FASHION & THE ROAD FORWARD | SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BODY SHAMING & NON-PAYMENT]

The work in their portfolios is on par with, and in some cases better than, many of the brand ambassadors getting the global attention in today's market. The argument could be made that those with the smaller social following are the reason that the work is not being recognized. What about those with an Instagram following of over 10k?

It is alarming that the names of these women have not been brought up in conversation throughout the industry because they definitely have the force of social influence behind them and the work to back it up. Be sure to check out the fashion and beauty portfolios on this list and you will embark on some inspiring work; it definitely speaks for itself.

Here are some of our favorites.

This list hopes to serve as a database for anyone looking for new talent as well as building a community to be a part of. Please feel free to reach out to Dana if you have any recommendations or would like to be added.

Source: Are Black Female Photographers Being Ignored? | COLE Magazine Shines A Spotlight On Hidden Talent And Industry Issues

The Best Wedding Photography in Sydney - Lightheartwedding.com.au

Petersham, New South Wales -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/16/2017 -- Natural looking pictures and videos for their wedding - Light Heart Films & Photography. It is an entity based in Sydney and their services include photography, wedding movies and videography that cover all the major occasions of a wedding. They claim to create beautiful memories of the special day with the help of their professional photographers.

Weddings are special occasions which require memories that can be held and cherished for a long time. This can be accomplished with the help of videos and pictures. However, not every bride and/or groom is accustomed to be clicked and shot on camera. It is important to find someone who is patient and understands the importance of the occasion. Light Heart Wedding is one such entity that claims to have expert photographers and videographers who are able to capture all the moments beautifully.

When it comes to a Sydney wedding photographer, it is important to choose s omeone who is reliable. The said website provides a number of packages which are relevant to such occasions and each of these are distinctive. Depending on the customers' requirements, they are able to provide customized solutions for best wedding movies. Theirs is a convenient and secure online portal that is ideal for pictures and videography and their portfolio is quite versatile too.

The website says, "We understand that weddings are special and are full of warmth and love. If you wish for these feelings to be captured in the perfect manner, our pictures and videos are able to achieve the same. We have a number of professional photographers who are able to bring the best out of any venues and decors. All of them are trained and can provide a customized results as well. Our Sydney Wedding Photography has gained a lot of interest among people."

To obtain more information about the services, visit http://lightheartwedding.com.au/.

The website claims that there are many blogs that can be perused by interested people to know more about wedding photography. The reviews of customers along with several portfolios have been included in the platform in order to help users in knowing more about their services. Their pricing structure has been described as being competitive by most users.

About http://lightheartwedding.com.au/Light Heart Films & Photography, http://lightheartwedding.com.au/ based at Sydney, Australia is a professional studio that offers Sydney wedding photography and wedding videography services.

Media Contact:Address: 79 New Canterbury Road Petersham NSW 2049Phone Number: 02 9568 4385URL: http://lightheartwedding.com.au/

Source: The Best Wedding Photography in Sydney - Lightheartwedding.com.au

From Wedding Photography, How We Started a Documentary Filmmaking Brand

What we do in our free time is often connected to our innate passion. Such one random act of passion led us to launch a social documentary filmmaking brand. A lot of us, especially wedding photographers, have this bandwidth of free time where we are not shooting any weddings. In this off-season, do the things we do sum up to make a difference? This post is about how we chose to make short social documentary films and how transforming the experience was on the whole.

The Art of Questioning

After being in wedding photography for seven years, the biggest earning for us is the team that I built over the time. With all the collective skills acquired, "What good can we give back to this society?" was the question we always asked ourselves constantly. This act of questioning is very important for all of us in the journey that we take. In our own ways we do contribute to making this world better and interesting, but what more can we do? As a team, this question was always there and we stayed with an open mind to embrace the chances we got. That's where it all started.  

The Act of an Opportunity Knocking at the Door  

Like I said, during the off-season when we were not shooting any weddings, we were looking to do something interesting. It was then we got this random email about a short documentary film contest for a social change. The challenging part of it was that we would be mailed a topic on the contest day and we were supposed to craft a short three-minute documentary within the next 100 hours. We were excited and took up the challenge. Our topic was the "random act of kindness."  We went ahead and made a film. There were 500,000 entries for the contest. Eventually, our film went on to win a national level award in the contest. Watch that three-minute film below.

The Transforming Experience

So this film was about a camera mechanic who had the habit of feeding parrots on his terrace. Fewer than 10 parrots kept frequenting. What started as a hobby soon turned out to be his passion. For 17 years in a row, he kept feeding parrots, every day morning and evening. Then, something phenomenal happened. Today, around 3,000 to 4,000 parrots visit his terrace and it is quite a feat of kindness that his action exhibits. When we shot this film, more than storytellers, as fellow human beings our approach towards life changed. A small part of us stood changed at the end of the 100-hour-challenge. Also, the person on whom we shot the film went on to win national-level laurels and cash awards. This was a real change happening.

Passion Partnered with Purpose

We wanted to make more of these films and bring the extraordinary unsung heroes around us to the limelight. Thus, Big Short Films was born, a social short filmmaking brand aimed to document and spread positivity. What started as a random act of passion soon turned out to be our obsession. We went on to make 17 short social documentary  films in one year and are still going strong. We don't have a corporate back up for these films and there are no monetary motives we hold, but yes, the fulfilling feel that we get when we see the change that each of these films makes is profound. That keeps us going. Each of these films we make is around 180 seconds and there is a reason why we keep it short. We'll talk about it in a separate post how they have the power to transform lives tangibly.

Looking back at how the dots connected, one can summarize the journey to these points below.

Make the best use of the free time in hand. Yes, this might sound trivial but trust me, in the long run, it is always these little things we do, the extra mile we stretch and the efforts we put in unconditionally that adds up to something bigger than the parts of it.  

Find what you are passionate about or what your team is passionate about, align your activities around it. It is always finding that one thing and everything else will fall in place. To us it was visual storytelling, and we fell in love with short social documentary filmmaking.  

Stay with an open mind to try out new things when an opportunity beckons. There are always silent chances that come and go in our lives but we might be too busy to notice them or might take it lightly. There is a world of possibility hidden in every chance that knocks the door and it is in our hands to rise to the occasion and make the most of it. In our case, it was that short film competition that changed everything else and here we are steering a documentary filmmaking brand with dedication.   

Capitalize on the results of passion and see how you can tie an angle of purpose to it. Once you get hold of something passionate apart from your work, invest time and mind in it and see what best you can pull out of it. This will serve as a necessary distraction on which you can focus on when you are not working your usual routine. In a way, this helps you to stay inspired big time and perform well in the personal and professional aspects of your life.  

Thanks to my amazing team who shared the vision of making films for a better cause. It worked for us. It might work for you too depending on the area that you are interested in. Especially wedding photographers who have the luxury of staying put for a season of the year, such interesting pet projects can shoot up to something bigger down the line. You can watch the short films we have made in our Big Short Films YouTube channel. They are all quick three-minute films. Give it a watch and let us know what you think. Comment your thoughts on how we can make this project bigger, so we can spread more positivity. 
Source: From Wedding Photography, How We Started a Documentary Filmmaking Brand

Here's why wedding photography can absolutely be transcendent art

Photo by Twisted Aisle Weddings

I've been editing real weddings for going on seven years and one thing is always a given: I am continually surprised and delighted by the photography. It almost never feels stale or boring. That said, we've talked to a lot of photographers who love to stretch their artistic muscles and push boundaries in their art. There's skill in finding those shots that have the Golden Ratio or that channel the Fibonacci Sequence. The photo that transcends into art due to a interesting composition, magical color combinations, or, let's face it, mad skills in Photoshop.

We reached out to our stellar vendor community to see what kinds of wedding photography as art we could showcase. They did NOT disappoint. Obviously documenting the wedding day with amazing moments is key, but once in a while, you'll see a photo that just makes you want to look twice.

Here are a few of our favorite artistic wedding photos…

Photo by Lovesick Photo by Dustin Cantrell Photo by Parenthesis Photography| Hair: Melissa Scrofani | Makeup: J. Kinford Beauty Group | Models: Clay Westman and Helen Laser Photo by JamieY Photography Photo by Carole Cohen Photography Photo by Sarah Barthlow Photography Photo by J onas Seaman Photo by Wild About You Photography Photo by Twisted Aisle Weddings Photo by Devon Rowland Photography Photo by Jonas Seaman Photo by Wild About You Photography Photo by Jess Leigh Artist Photo by Matt Stallone Photography | Venue: FEAST at Round Hill Photo by Pink Light Images Photo by Lume Photography Photo by Ryan Learoyd, Shutter Go Click Photography Photo by Colin Coleman Photography

Take a peek at our Offbeat Vendor Guide for even more inspiration!

This post features Offbeat Vendors! Check out their vendor listing to see how they cater to Offbeat Brides:

Source: Here's why wedding photography can absolutely be transcendent art