Jess & Rob - Brittland Manor Wedding

Jess and Rob's wedding at the gorgeous Brittland Estates could not have been more perfect. And I mean that seriously. Well.... okay, I take it back. Rob nicked his neck while shaving and bled on his white shirt, but otherwise, perfect! :) I loved hanging out with Jess and Rob during their awesome Baltimore aquarium engagement session and I loved hanging out with them again at the wedding. Jess' infectious smile and Rob's easy-going nature made my job so enjoyable it was hard to believe I was getting paid to have this much fun. One of my most favorite deejays, Steve of Steve Moody's Entertainment Connection, kept the crowd on their feet the entire night and I was able to snag several really fun dance photos. And speaking of dancing, Jess and Rob's first dance was awesome! I'm a sucker for hilarious, choreographed dances, and theirs did not disappoint!

 

Why I Shoot JPEG

For this post, I want to talk a little about my process as a photographer, instead of just showing you more pretty pictures. (I have plenty of those saved for later in the week!) :)

I get a lot of funny looks when I tell fellow photographers that I never shoot RAW, only JPEG. The common response seems to be an incredulous Really?!?

Really.

And here's why.

1.) It makes me a better photographer. And that's first and foremost. I know myself, and I know that I would get super lazy if I shot RAW. Shooting JPEG means I have to get things right in the camera because I don't have the flexibility of RAW to fall back on. It changes my mindset. I can't think, "Oh, I'll just fix that later - it's good enough." I have to think, "What can I do to make this perfect now?"

2.) I save space. Like loads and loads of space. Jpegs come out right around 6 MB, roughly one-fourth the size they would be in RAW. I don't care who you are, 25 MB files are (in my humble opinion) stupid and unnecessary. I'm not sacrificing any size by shooting JPEG - my images out of the camera are still 52x78 inches at 72 dpi. Plenty big.

3.) I save time. Time archiving my photos, transferring my photos, burning my photos, uploading my photos. You get the picture. (pun intended.)

4.) I can use my in-camera presets. If I know I'm already going to be adding some contrast and a punch of color in my post-processing, why not do it in camera? Like everyone else out there, I don't want to edit more than I have to. I actually bump up the color and contrast in my camera, so my images already have a jump start in looking the way I want them to.

Now, don't get me wrong. I realize the limitations to shooting purely JPEG, and if RAW is the way to go for you, I'm certainly not saying I'm right and you're wrong. I'm merely trying to explain what works best for me and why. I know there are valid arguments from both sides. By the way, if you want to learn more about RAW format or JPEG format, check out this helpful article.

Breaking News...

I think I'll start blogging more.

Turns out people (other than my mother) actually read this thing! Who knew?!?

Rachel & Brian - Westin Annapolis Wedding Photography

I've been looking forward to Rachel and Brian's wedding for a long time. Their engagement photos in downtown Annapolis are (to this day) some of my all-time favorites.

Rachel and Brian are some of the most selfless and kind people I know. For example, the first thing Rachel did when she saw me was to congratulate me on my engagement. On her wedding day! As the day progressed, it became very clear to me exactly how much Rachel and Brian are loved. Not only are they good at developing friendships and relationships, they are really good at maintaining them. Their huge guest list was a testimony to that.

Special thanks to Alison of Freckle Photography for being my second shooter. Her easy-going personality and quick smile were the perfect additions to Rachel and Brian's awesome Westin Annapolis wedding!

 

The First Look: