Ginny Corbett Photography

A couple of months ago, I met Jennifer and Jonathan at Starbucks to chat about their upcoming wedding.  There was an immediate connection there.  They are the cutest couple!  Jennifer giggles all the time, and Jonathan sits back relaxed…what a cool combo!  In exactly 6 months and 1 day, Jennifer and Jonathan will get married.  I simply can’t wait!

Here’s a few of my favorites from their engagement session…

Your comments make me happy!  Thanks for taking the time to connect

Last month, I went to San Francisco to photograph Nicole and Joel’s wedding.  One of my bfs, Shari Henson, is Nicole’s sister in-law.  She kept telling me that I would be in LOVE with Nicole’s family.  She said that their family was just like mine, and to be honest, I think my family is pretty rad.  Well, let me just tell you, Shari wasn’t lying.  From the moment I laid eyes on those Hensons, I was in love.  It was like we should be running towards each other through a field of white daisy in slow motion with a 4 piece string quartet serenading us in the background………wait……….too much?  Ok, well…I love these guys.  I’m so thankful that they flew this little North Carolinian photographer all the way to California to photograph their wedding.  It was such a special weekend.

Here’s a few pictures leading up to the big day….

Below: As I was hanging out with the bridesmaids, I heard the fellas singing “Rocky Racoon” in the other room.  If you know me, you know I love the Beatles!  I decided to steal one of the guitars and have a little fun with the guys for a while.  This was one of my favorite memories.  (These pics were taking by Shari Henson, and incredible children photographer outside of Dallas.)

Below…can you believe Nicole and her bridesmaids made all of the flower arrangements!  They were beautiful!

Below: In October of last year, I went to NYC to attend Dane Sanders’ workshop.  I made so many invaluable friends there.  Neezar Samara was one of them.  He lives in San Francisco and picked me up on Friday to show me the area.  We had lunch in downtown Palo Alto and then he took me over to Stanford University.  We had a blast!

Below:  Here a few pictures I took of Shari and Dane.  They just had their beautiful baby boy last week.  She is one hot pregnant chick!

Below;  Yes, that’s a dinosaur skeleton in the background!  (This was at the rehearsal)

If you think these were fun, then go ahead and get excited about the actual wedding day blog post.  AMAZING!

Hey there!

Last Tuesday, I kicked off my “Tips for Photographers” posts.  For those of you who are new here, I am a wedding photographer in North Carolina.  I have had the honor to travel all over the United States photographing weddings, and I plan an amazing workshop called For the Love.  But before I was a photographer, I was an elementary school teacher, who was shooting free photo shoots with my little Canon xTi and my 18-55mm lens.

I’m not going to put up a front and make you believe that I know EVERYTHING about photography.  That is certainly not the case!  I only know what I’ve discovered on my own and learned from others.  I’m constantly learning new things every single day.  I know what it is like to start at the very bottom and work my way up.  Believe me, I know exactly what it’s like to start from scratch.

Today, I’m going to cover one of the topics that was posted on my blog last week…What’s the best starter equipment?

First and foremost, you are going to be tempted to get into debt as you begin building your business.  As you look at other amazing photographer’s work,  you are going to be absolutely convinced that “if I only had a Canon 5D Mark II then I would get amazing images”.  Am I right?!  But, here’s the deal…debt is contagious and you don’t want to go down that path.  Here’s what I did:

In November of 2007, I saved up and purchased a Canon xTi with an 18-55mm lens.  At the time I was a daycare teacher.  I began to offer free photo shoots for the children in my class.  I had no idea what I was doing…all I knew was that I had a dream of becoming a photographer.  So, on Saturdays I began to have photo shoots.  I designed business cards, built authentic relationships with my clients, and sold small print packages that profited around $30-50.  I worked hard for a little amount of money.  I put ALL of my profit into a business account.  The first 2 things I bought was a 430 ex flash and a Tamron 18-200mm lens.  (I thought I was Da Bomb!) <—-yeah, I totally just said “da bomb!”

The more I photographed, the better I got.  The better I got, the more clients I had calling me.  The more clients I had calling me, the more money I had to buy more equipment.  Plain and simple…..that’s how you start filling up your camera bag.

After about a year of hard work, I had enough money to buy a Canon 5D w/ 24-105mm lens.  That camera changed my life.  Because I learned how to master my xTi, I was prepared for my 5D.  If I would’ve jumped right to the 5D, I wouldn’t have appreciated it.  Now that I had my 5D, I began to market myself for weddings.  I started out cheap, and continued to invest all of my profit into more equipment.  My next lens was a 50mm f/1.4.  That lens changed my life nearly as much as my 5D.  All of the sudden, my images started to look more professional, and less amateur.  I continued booking weddings, and with that money I purchased the 70-200mm f/2.8L lens.  At the time, I was still photographing a lot of children, so the 70-200mm lens was perfect for that line of work.  Only recently did I sell one of my 5Ds to upgrade to a refurbished Mark II.  I also invested in the 50mm f/1.2L lens.  It has been several months since I have had a big purchase, and it feels like invisible money is burning in my pocket.  I want the 24mm f/1.2L lens, an ipad, 35mm f/1.4L….it’s ADDICTING.  But, instead of being foolish and racking up $5,000 in debt, why don’t I wait….master what I already have, and purchase my next items with cash.  Can you imagine how much easier I would sleep at night?

So here’s a recap….if you’re anything like me you don’t like reading through paragraphs of info.  All you want is the facts….. I would purchase these exact things in order.

• Basic DSLR (I would skip the kit lens)
• 50mm f/1.4
• off camera flash
• Nicer DSLR (in my case, Canon 5D)
• versatile wide angle lens (24-105mm f/4L or 24-70mm f/2.8)
• 70-200mm f/2.8L
• Nicer lenses (ex. 35mm f/1.4L; 85mm f/1.2L; 135mm f/2L

Please note:  as you get better cameras, you are going to need better computers and hard drives to handle all of that data.  My Mac computer is by far one of the best investments I’ve ever made.  My poor Dell wanted to cry every time I tried to download photos onto it.  My IBM Thinkpad tried to hang in there until I got my 5D….it also bit the dust.  I know that Macs are more expensive, but believe me….they are MUCH better at handling the large files.  So, you might want to add that to the list as well .

Thanks for tuning in.  I LOVE that you guys have been faithfully posting comments.  It makes me feel so much better about myself when I read your sweet comments….I know, I’m a dork like that!  Alright…you know the deal, leave me some questions for next week.  (By the way, I am still going to address last weeks comments as well).

Are you Needing Help Taking Better Pictures?

Believe me, I know how it is….you have big dreams in photography, but don’t know how to get started.  Or, maybe you have already gotten started, but you’re not satisfied with the images you are capturing.  If you are anything like me, you don’t have time to read your camera manual, read Photoshop books, and log into discussion forums.  You just want someone to tell you how to do it so that you can get on the road to making money.

Well, you’re lucky!  On May 8th at 10:00, I am having an Aspiration meeting at my house. I’m willing to dish out some of my favorite secrets to help you get to where you are dreaming to go.

What Am I Going to Learn?

The main idea of this class is 1.  Shooting Outdoors and 2. Getting the Most Out of my Clients.

We are going to start off discussing the basics:

*  What should I set my camera on?

*  What should I look for when scouting out locations for my clients?

*   How do I get my clients to have a good time (or look like they’re having a good time)?

* How do I make sure my images are sharp?

Then, we are going to head outdoors to photograph a couple of beautiful models.  You will have a chance to see how I relate to my clients.  After that, it’s your turn.  I will step back as you interact with clients, and I will give you tips on your composition, exposure, and client interaction.  Believe me, this is a no judgement zone…so you don’t have to worry about being embarrassed, uncomfortable, or judged in a negative way.  It’s all about having a good time!

Details?

Date:  May 8th, 2010
Time: 10a-12:00p
Location: Greenville, NC (I will send you my address when you register)
Cost:  $100

How do I register?
Send me an email, and I will email you the link.  ginny@ginnycorbettphotography.com

I’ve mentioned in the past how much Chunk, one of our kitties, loves coffee.  She is seriously addicted!  Beware, she will sneak a taste of your coffee if you leave it unattended.  Today was the first time I was able catch her in the act!  She was SO busted!

Do you have an animal that likes to do crazy things?

Hey Photographers!

I’m going to start back hosting periodical mini-classes here in Greenville, NC.  The classes are called “Aspiration”…it’s for beginning-intermediate photographers.  I’m working on the plans for the next one, which will be on May 8th.  These mini-classes are super affordable and hosted at my house.  Fill out the form below if you would like to be on the email list.  I will be sending out an update tomorrow.

Aspiration E-mail Sign Up List

I have 2 beautiful cats….Chunk and Jasmine.  We’ve had them for 5 years now.  (I can’t believe that!).  A few minutes ago, I glanced over at Jasmine and she looked so cute.  I snapped a quick picture and I wanted to show you.

I am reaching the end of my big travel season.  Since January, I have been to Tennessee twice, West Virginia, Texas, Vegas, California, and Oregon.  It has been tough staying on top of editing and orders.  I have one more week before I head to Colorado to shoot a wedding.  After that, I will be home for a while…planting flowers, working on my tan, and of course editing and posting all the fun photos from my adventures.  So, I will be chipping away at my To Do list between now and then.  Here’s a few photos from some of my most recent shoots.  I can’t wait to share with you the entire blog posts.

Nicole and Joel’s California wedding

Jennifer and Jonathan’s engagement session.

Jessica and Adam’s engagement session

Ashley and Chad’s Wilson, NC wedding

For more information about scheduling a photo shoot or wedding photography, please visit: www.ginnycorbettphotography.com

When I was a student, I was not the brightest child in the class.  I would often find myself bored, doodling in my notebook.  I wish I had a dollar for every flower, palm tree, or heart I drew in my notebooks.  (Seriously…I would be rich).  I always knew I was going to be a photographer, but my mom made me promise her that I would get a real college degree…”just in case”.  I grew up teaching my teddy bears, but as I got older, I thought about becoming a physical therapist or a business major.  I tried for a short time to run away from my natural talent, but eventually I stopped fighting and decided that teaching was the best match for me.  I knew that I had the power to change a child’s life.  I believed that EVERYONE was smart, it was just a matter of capturing their attention in a fun, creative way.  I knew that you couldn’t expect a 9 year old to sit in a chair for 8 hrs, and you especially couldn’t expect them to be interested in the 3 branches of government!  So, as a school teacher, you would often find me teaching with my guitar….standing on my desk….talking in a British accent (which Shane swears is actually a Spanish accent)…or just plain having the kids stand up and dance for 30 seconds to get their “wiggles” out.

Why am I telling you this?

I kind of miss teaching.  I miss seeing the “light bulb” go off when my students really understood a new concept.  Most of all, I miss learning through my own teaching.  So, today I had an idea to start posting photography tips on my blog.

Today, I wanted to start with something super simple, but probably the most important….being happy.

Why is being happy so important as a photographer.  Well, it’s simple….it makes others happy.  It makes your clients feel warm and comfortable around you.  It makes your clients rave about how amazing you are.  It makes you succeed faster than any new lens or awesome camera.  It’s the grassroots way to grow your business.

Sure, I understand how stressful your situation is.  Some of you might be working a full-time job, editing all evening, and shooting all weekend.  (Believe me…I’ve been there).  Or,  you might be a full-time photographer, but you are up to your ears in editing RAW files and designing albums.  (I’ve been there too).  Maybe you’re even a full-time photographer who is simply trying to make ends meet….your calendar might be empty, and your basically scared that your dream is going to come crashing down.  Here’s my advice to you…remember why you became a photographer.  Remember the raw joy of your passion.  Try to get back to that place.  Take a walk outside….take your camera with you.  Think about how fortunate you are.  Refuse to get down in the dumps.  Make an effort to decide not to be unhappy.  Every time an unhappy thought comes into your mind, chase it away with a thought about something your thankful for.  For me, I can’t do that without Jesus.  I personally can’t seem to find deep down, authentic joy without my Savior….but that’s a conversation for another day.

Here’s your assignment:  Leave a comment telling me some topics you would like for me to teach you.  I can’t promise that I will get to all of them, but I will certainly make an effort.  As always, thank you for visiting my blog…my website…retweeting my tweets…and connecting on facebook.  I seriously love new friends.

She taught me how to dream.  She allowed me to be myself (even when I wanted to wear my Mickey Mouse tie-dyed t-shirt to picture day).  She taught me  how to throw a football.  She demonstrated what it’s like to have a real relationship with God; not just religion.  She taught me how to pray, worship, and love people.   She taught me how to make awesome silly-faces.  She taught me how to shag (even though I’m terrible at it).  She taught me how put family first.  She always made me feel like I was the most important person in the room.  She somehow made it to all of our soccer, volleyball, baseball, and football games, even though she was a single parent.  If I could be half as amazing as my mom, then I will die a happy woman.

Happy Birthday, Mom.  There’s no one on this planet like you.  I’m so incredibly blessed to have you in my life!

We even make the same silly face…

I love you, Mom!