Paulo Jordao Photography - BLOG

Here are some more images from the Pregnancy Photo Shoot yesterday. Steve and Nicole did a great job with their session and made my job a lot easier.

I am glad to have clients coming from Miami, Ft Lauderdale and West Palm beach to have their Pregnancy Session with me.

For me it is an honor when people trust me with their memories and special projects.

Here is few samples from the Photo Shoot yesterday.

Today, we had another gorgeous day in Miami to go outside and have some beautiful Pregnancy Photo Shoot.

Nicole is already in her 9th month and is expecting to deliver the baby very soon, but she looks so beautiful and so natural on her Photo Shoot that when you look at her pictures, you might even forget that she is 9 months Pregnant.

I’m still editing her images, but I wanted to post these two samples so you could see what a great Pregnancy Photo Shoot I had today.

If you need a Professional Photographer in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach area, I would be honored to be your Photographer

Paulo Jordao

954-270-0751

Here is a video of our 2009 Worldwide Photowalk - Fort lauderdale

Dany (a very good friend of mine) was responsabile for shooting and editing this video - Thanks Danny!!! 

I hope you enjoy it:

http://www.paulopics.com/

Here is a Flickr group, so everybody can check and upload images from our 2nd Workdwide Photowalk (whole world):

http://www.flickr.com/groups/skphoto/

and our Flickr group from Fort Lauderdale:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1180664@N23/

Here are some graduation pictures from my son’s school.

if you need a Photographer for your School or any other Personal Project, please call me

Paulo Jordao Photography and Video

http://www.paulopics.com

954-270-0751

I want to thank Scott Kelby for trusting me again to lead the 2009 Fort Lauderdale Worldwide Photowalk.

We had a great group with a lot of new faces.

Our group start the Photowalk on Las Olas Blvd., in front of Starbucks (2 blocks east of Las Olas Riverfront) and walked east for the total length of 1 mile.

At the end we stopped by Mangos to some drinks and lunch.

If you were part of our group, here is the link (flickr)so you can download your pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1180664@N23/

You need to sign-up and upload your images to your own account, and after that you just send them to the group.

If you have any problem, or need any help, leave a comment and I can try to help you.

Trough the years of your childhood up to the present day you might have felt once or twice that life gave you some second chances. But there are times and occasions when something goes wrong, and no matter what, not even life itself can help you. You can say that Wedding Photography is one of these occasions.

You have waited and dreamed about this magical day for your whole life. The day that you were finally getting married to the man of your dreams, your price charming. You have made so many special plans so you would have the perfect ceremony and reception, the most beautiful dress, flowers, etc, etc and etc.

Now it is time to choose your Wedding Photographer. Note that it didn’t say to you to choose just a regular photographer, neither someone like your friend or uncle just because he or she has a camera. Wedding Photography is a very detailed specialty inside the photography business and if you really care about the only memory that you are going to have from that day and that you can show to generations to come, here are some tips:

1- A Good Plan

You need to start planning ahead before you go checking websites for samples, prices and etc. You need to put together all the information that you already have, like; wedding location, date and time, details of flowers, dress, etc.

2- Style

Once you go through some wedding pictures that you’ve found in few different websites and magazines, you will need to start selecting what kind of pictures you would like to have of your special day. Don’t just say that you want a Photojournalistic or Traditional Style, because this is an old way to define Wedding Photography. Today’s Top Wedding Photographers go beyond old styles incorporating some artistic, modern and creative style to their collections creating the most beautiful piece of art.

3- Finding a Wedding Photographer

Do a simple Google, Yahoo or MSN search: “Wedding Photographer in ____________ (name of the city)”. This will bring hundreds, if not thousands of different sites that you can start doing your research. Start filtering all that information avoiding sites that don’t say the name of the photographer on its description. You want to connect with a Top Wedding Photographer, not just another search engine channel or some photography studio trying to get you into their studio without saying the name of the photographer. If the Photographer is good, his name is going to be there.

4- Samples and Testimonials

Once you’ve found few different Websites with pictures that match the style that you are looking for, go ahead and write down the name of the photographer and the phone number. It would be better if the samples that the photographer is showing in his or her website came from at least few different weddings and different areas. The Photographer might not post any negative testimonial in his or her own Website, but it is always good to check what other clients had said about that specific Photographer and how good was the connection between the photographer and the previous clients.

5- The Budget

This is one question that most of the brides get it wrong and most of the Photographers are terrified to explain it to them. There is a simple rule for that; you should spend between 15% and 20% of the total wedding costs. This a general figure that works very well in most of the cases, but once a while you can go a little lower or a little higher. The investment for the Photography Packages of a very basic and simple wedding will be totally different from the investment for the Photography Packages of a wedding were you are investing a huge amount of money, time and expectations. You can expect spend between $3,000 to $30,000 on your wedding pictures, depending on the wedding Photographer that you are hiring, the photography package and/or extras.

6- Contacting your Photographer

Once you check the website samples and prices, it is time to call the Photographer to check if he/she still has the date available and to set up an appointment. It is recommended that you meet the photographer in question as soon as possible, so you can be sure that he/she would still have the date available for your wedding.

7- Signing the Contract

Since you already saw the Photographer’s Webpage, the samples, the testimonials and the prices, the only logical thing to do now is to meet the photographer and be sure that there is a good connection between you and him or her. You also might want to check some more of his/her work, ask few last questions and if everything seems fine, just sign the contract. Remember that Wedding Photography is not a Department Store and that you are not going to find another Photographer like that one. You already did your homework, you know that you came to visit this Photographer because his work, prices, style are exactly what you were looking for. There is no reason to not close the deal.

8- Final Product

Imagine if few years ago, when digital cameras didn’t exist, would it be ok if after you spent a huge amount of your time and money to create the most romantic and perfect day of your entire life, the photographer just gave you the negatives and you would have to develop the pictures yourself? I don’t think so! As we live now in a digital era, most of the Photographers have digital cameras, and most of the cheap photographers will try to make a good deal and give you just a CD with all the pictures from your wedding on it.

Is that what you want?

If you forget everything else from this article, I hope you remember at least this one…

Don’t treat your wedding photographs like the pictures that you took on your last vacation. The ones that you didn’t even had time to print or the ones that you printed in a cheap department store.

The beauty of Wedding Photography is when the Photographer makes the transformation to the pictures and memories that were once captured through his lens, to create the most beautiful and elegant Costume Designed Story Telling Album that you and all your family and friends will cherish for the rest of your lives.

At http://www.paulopics.com, you can check some Photography and Video samples and packages of Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, sweet Sixteen, etc. But here is a very important article about Engagement Photography:

It is very common to visit few different photographers’ Website to check some of their wedding photography samples and package prices before you select the one that will be your Wedding Photographer. When you are checking their Websites, you might also find pictures and some minor information about Engagement Photography.

The truth is that a lot of brides still don’t know what Engagement Photography is, and most of them don’t know why to have a special Engagement Photography session done is so important.

Here is everything that you need to know about Engagement Photography, and why this session is a must for who is getting married.

What- Engagement Photography is a special photography session dedicated to couples that are soon getting married.

Why- There are few different reasons for having your Engagement Photography done, but two of the best reasons are;

a) Know your photographer better (quality, talent, personality, etc)

b) Have a nice picture of you and your loved one displayed at your Wedding Reception

Where- You can have your Engagement Picture taken at the photographer’s studio, a nice park, or at the beach. You should select the location that reflects the best of your personality. I personally recommend some beautiful open areas with a lot of plants, flowers and etc, or a beautiful beach with clear send, beautiful palm trees and etc.

When- This session have to be done no latter than two or three weeks before your wedding date, so you would have time to select the best picture to be printed and find a nice frame to display the picture at your Wedding Reception. If your intention is to use this session to know better your photographer or just to try a photographer before you sign any contract, I would recommend you to schedule this session at least three to six months before your wedding date (or before sign any contract).

How- Once you selected the location and the date, you and your loved one have to decide about what clothes to wear, makeup, hair, props and etc. Your photographer might be able to help you with some personal suggestions.

There is no reason to you don’t have your Engagement Photography done, other than if your Photographer does not offer that on his or her packages. If this is the case, talk to your photographer about your needs or find another photographer that will work the way that you want.

Paulo Jordao http://www.paulopics.com has been taking Wedding pictures for almost 10 years, and has noticed huge the changes of equipment and styles from when he started.

Wedding Photography is one the hardest areas of photography, if not the hardest of all. If you are already a photographer, understand about composition, light, Photoshop, and you own enough equipment to start adventuring into shooting Weddings, here are some tips to how you could start your own Wedding Photography Business.

1- The Right Equipment

First, let’s check a list of equipment that you need for the job;

- Digital SLR Camera
- Zoom Lens
- Memory Card
- Shoe Mount Flash
- Battery for the Camera
- Battery for the Flash
- Tripod
- Computer
- Photoshop

All these equipment are very basic and you should consider having a backup for each one of them. It is very common, in digital photography, when something goes wrong with the equipment. You could also invest in some little more advanced equipment like; Top of the line cameras, lenses, strobes, Radio Slave Transmitters, Radio Slave Receivers and etc.

2- The Right Start

You probably want to go out and start shooting weddings and make a lot of money as soon as possible. Most of the beginners want to do that, but first you will need to learn the basics of this specific business.

Wedding Photography could be a good way to make some money, but as everything else, you should be a Wedding Photographer because you love to help people to preserve the memory of the most important day of their lives, and not just because you want their money.

As I mentioned before in one of my other articles, Wedding Photography is not just to have your camera and start shooting the wedding. Wedding Photography is an art and you should learn this art from someone that can teach and inspire you to be a better photographer.

Here are some places to start;

- Wedding Photography Conventions
- Wedding Photography Seminars
- Wedding Photography Workshops
- Wedding Photography Coaches
- Photography Associations

One of the best places to start with your Wedding Photography Business is offering yourself to help some experienced Wedding Photographer as his/her assistant. This would give you the experience that you need, and you wouldn’t have the responsibility or the stress of shooting the wedding by yourself. This is so important that I would recommend you to go out and find a Photographer that you like his/her style and offer yourself to be his/her assistant, even if there is no money involved.

After a while helping few different photographers, you would be shooting few weddings as the photographer’s “Second Shooter”. When you get confidence and experience enough you would be ready to start your own Wedding Photography Business, and who knows, somebody else would be asking you to be your assistant.

If you are a Photographer and you just started shooting weddings, you might consider start offering an Engagement Session to your clients, as part of your packages.

An Engagement Session is a Photography Session scheduled to happen few weeks or few months before the wedding date, where you (Photographer) take the couple (your clients) to some nice or unique place to have their portrait done. This Photo Session is the best way to show the beauty of the couple in a more artistic way.

Because you have planned ahead the location, time, props and etc, you must know about how much equipment you really need to bring with you.

Here is a list of what you might consider bringing with you for your next Engagement Session;

1) Camera
I know that you knew this one, but better be safe than sorry. You might also want to bring your backup camera. I generally leave my backup camera in my car, so I don’t have to carry any more extra weight.

2) Lenses
There are photographers that can not go to a photo session without taking his or her whole lenses collection. Remember that this session is very casual, and you would be just fine with a single zoom lens; like a 15mm - 55mm. Depending on your style or the location of your photo session, you might consider bringing also your 70mm - 200mm lens as an option.

3) Flash
Most of the time you might not need to use your flash, but is always good to have it there with you just in case you need it as a fill light.

4) Memory Card and Battery
Bring some extra memory cards and batteries. You never know when you are going to need them.

5) Tripod
Some photographers feel more comfortable shooting with a tripod. I normally just bring my tripod if I know that I am going to be shooting late in the evening, but you can also bring your and leave it in your car.

6) Props
A lot of photographers don’t bring any props to their Engagement Photo Session. I can not stress enough the importance of this subject. If you really want your photographs to look something special and unique, this is a must. You can bring some extra fabric, roses, or anything else that you think that would make your pictures look special.

Remember that the Engagement Session is the best moment to you to connect with your clients and show them what a great professional you are. Go ahead and have some fun, they will love you!

Tomorrow - April 10, 2009 - Passion Night Club @ Hard Rock - Hollywood, FL, will be hosting one of the biggest parties of the year.

The theme for this party is Celebrity x Paparazzi, and they are expecting to have the house sold out for the event.

The interesting thing about this party is that they are celebrating a local Photographer’s Birthday (Paulo Jordao) that, together with one of Passion’s VIP Event Planer (Erin Mia Milchman - www.backtothepussycat.com), came with the idea of inviting not only the most beautiful people of Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beaches, but they also invited a bunch of professional photographers to make this party a truly “Celebrity X Paparazzi” Party.

For sure, this event will be one of that events that people will be talking about for long and long time to come.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Style Photo Shoot - Last weekend I was shooting a model that came from Washington, DC to have a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Style Photo Shoot.

I chose the location - Hawlover Beach - to have the swimsuit photo session done.

It was a perfect day and the model (Carolina) was perfect.

Here are some images of our session:

Most of people know me as a Wedding and Event Photographer, but I also like to work with commercial, models and pets.

Not to long ago, I started getting some unusual requests to go to people events as a PERSONAL PAPARAZZI. You got it right… They pay me to go to their event and make they look like some big Hollywood Star. Not just that, but they want to have fun while a professional photographer follow them on their special event.

Tonight I was invited to go to UNCOMMON GALLERY (commercial blvd.) for a Book Signing Event (Book- The Empty Cup Runneth Over). Cindy Papale (Author and Breast Cancer Survivor) is a Facebook Friend of mine, so I thought that would be fun go there a “la Paparazzi Style”.

I didn’t bring any Paparazzi Backdrop or Red Carpet (as I usually do to some of my events), but it was fun to help her with some promotional shots.

Here are some pictures from her event:

I would like to post a special thanks to:

- Cindy Papale (author)

- Michael Colanero (gallery owner)

- Emily Cook (miss university of Miami)

This weekend I was shooting some gorgeous images with few other photographers at TYE (Fort Lauderdale).

Here are some of the images.

South Florida Photowalk on Facebook 

South Florida Photowalk is a group on Facebook for Photographers and anyone interested in using social media to promote Photography in general, Models, Stylists and Everything else related to Photography. It is also a space to share Photography Experiences, future Workshops and future Photowalks.

No matter if you are an amateur or an advanced photographer, this group was created to connect us trough our unique way to tell a story trough our lenses.

Feel free to link to any blogs, websites or pictures that you think that is interesting, and also to connect with other photographers, models, stylists and enthusiasts.

As my Facebook Friend, I would like to invite you to be part of our South Florida Photowalk Group. Even if you are not a photographer or you don’t live here in South Florida, it would be an honor to have you in our group. Thanks!!!

Whe in Facebook Page, search for: SOUTH FLORIDA PHOTOWALK and check if you have a coming event in your area.

Paulo Jordao (http://www.paulopics.com/)