When we think of video, we think of television or cinema. What makes a great TV show funny to watch is interaction with the viewer. There is lots of ways to connect with the viewer, indirect ways, like on movies, or direct ways, like documentaries.

Wedding cinematography is usually  presented through the indirect contact with the viewer. What would happen if you actually turn things around and create a direct interaction between the hosts (bride and groom) and the viewers?

Kurt’s new wedding video

Like he quotes on the description of the video:  ” I set about making their lives and their love story into a series pilot.”

A series pilot!!!! Now that’s what I call entertaining. As someone that doesn’t know the couple, I was actually able to appreciate their wedding day and watch the 45 minutes of video, simply because it’s no longer a linear story but a documentary of their love story.

Check the video out guys.

Also Kurt created a slideshow and a clip about the proposal day to complement their main wedding presentation.

If you need a wedding cinematographer, don’t hesitate in contacting Kurt at (201)805.1206

I guarantee you wont regret.

Many many blessings to you all.

~PB

Any way, I’ve been away for a while. There is a lot going on. Between weddings, parents visiting, new directions in my life and everything else, the blog stayed behind a little. Never forgotten thou people. I will get back to it as soon as I clear the queue table. Give me another 2 weeks.

Here is the album I just finished editing. From Michelle and Tim wedding. What a great family and couple. This was a gift for then and my way to give back good karma. Been blessed with great friends, great news, lots of work and a healthy life. How can we not give back?

Check out this album.

All my best to the Bellomo and Bilotti families.

Paulo.

I, Paulo Basseto, always help fellow photographers in the area. We created a group of photographers where we recommend each other when a date on our agenda is taken already. So that said, there is images in my portfolio that I shot on their jobs. How do we deal with that?

First you have to understand the point of view of a studio owner. How would he feel if his bride gets in his second shooter website and  see her images in there? There is a huge risk here she would like the second shooter images more and recommend him instead of the main photographer on her wedding. Well, from my point of view the fault is from the main photographer.

Most photographers when bringing someone that is a good photographer along, introduces them as assistants with cameras. Or just as a mere second shooter. When you do that, you create an idea into the bride’s mind that your images has to be better then his. But creativity can’t be compared, and there is times when your second shooter will have a better idea then you. How to break that risk? – You introduce him as a photographer just as good as you! And that the two of you make a wonderful team! Note this word: TEAM! By doing so, the bride will feel more secure because now she knows she got a good deal and you will feel more secure, because on team work, no one outshine any one.

From that perspective its OK that the second photographer uses the images he took in his portfolio, whoever sees those images (bride, friends of the bride, parents), they will recommend the TEAM! not the photographer. (And the team leader is you, main shooter!)

Most important is, by introducing your staff as a team you are expanding your product marketing. Now you have you, and him offering a   perspective on that particular job.

Let me get you an example: Right underneath there is a  posting about Pictage Modern Book. As soon as I posted that, I got in touch with Pictage to mention that I reviewed one of their products and if there was any infringements they should let me know so I could remove the post. Instead, Logan Holliday, Pictage Customer Experience Lead called me to thank me for the review. Him being a business man understands that feedback on their products from different sources helps then to deliver more and more quality products. And then having not just Pictage marketing, but also other entities talking about their products opens their targets exponentially.

In the other hand, as I mentioned on that post, there is 6 weddings in that album design. Being that 1 of then was shot by me on someone else’s job. The portrait session was shot at one of Joao Castellano’s weddings. And all that he asked is that I put the right credit. – And here it is! -

So how we deal with the copyrights problem?

Main photographers (usually the studio owner) – Learn to introduce you staff as a Team! You will be doing a great favor for yourself.  Also by doing this you are helping someone else and “taking care of you people” as I always like to say. Trust me, your shooters will go that extra mile for you when they realize you also want to help then out and you will also be making the market a favor by bringing the standards higher. This way we can all charge more for our craft and eliminate the temptation of those great photographers that shoots a wedding for $800,00 just because they are trying to build a portfolio.

Second photographers – Understand that although you are photographing, it is still not your gig, and for that you have the responsibility to give the right credits to the right people. (a simple “image taken by me for studio name” will do it). And professionalism: If you ever gets a guest from that wedding you displayed calling you regarding photography, first make sure they would consider the main studio style before yours and from there on is a matter of your judgment. I will repeat for you the same thing: Always take care of your people, and remember that he brought you along his jobs so you could make some money and evolve as a photographer. By doing so, he exposed his secrets as a photographer to you and he deserves the respect.

And in the end for both parts, It all comes down to, treat people nice and with respect. If you are humble to ask to use the images or to remove the images or to give the right credits, I doubt someone will say no for that.

I hope this helps some of you out.

All my best!

Paulo Basseto.

The photographers group I mentioned already have a strong friendship, so whatever images we use from each others job we know there is no need to place a note "picture taken by me for studio name" - We assure 100% that all images in our websites were taken by ourselves - unfortunately there is no Santa Claus and we all studied hard for someone else to use our images.  

Pictage offers the “Modern Book”, which is exactly what I was looking for, and they offered for their members a free design free print album so we could try it. Free album and they will design it for free? Why not? let’s give it a try. Just got it and I would like to share with you guys a review about this amazing product they just delivered.

I took the time and put 50 images together from 6 different weddings to fit in this book. The images follows the chronological time of a wedding – preparation, ceremony, portraits, decoration and party time – but from different brides and grooms. I was trying to test their designer capabilities to realize my idea and see if they could put it together without any major changes.

It was amazing that in less then 24 hours they sent me a design. A clean and spot on one. The designers really caught the idea and put together an amazing work.

When I opened the box first thing I noticed was the quality of the prints. Pictage uses a Luster paper and have a great color spectrum, great feel (like a plastic coating on top of it, but not glossy, luster) and thick pages. Like a Catalog. It comes with a dust cover which is printed in the same quality of the paper used in the album. Usually when a dust cover comes with an album that means that the album cover itself is not printed. That’s not the case here. Pictage has the front and back cover printed just like the Dust cover, giving the user the option to remove this extra protection.

Another thing that I liked is that the only propaganda you get on the album is your logo in the back (both in the dust cover and in the album itself). In my case it’s my signature, and I really liked that. It looks very professional.

The album has a spine, I am not sure how you call this feature, but it always lays flat on the table, and the hinge in the middle is very small, so it doesn’t disrupt the felling of full spread images.

The turn around time was a little over 4 weeks including delivery. It’s a very good delivery time for the quality of the product.

Overall this is a 10 and it really covered my necessity. Now I have an album to offer as a parent album, which  is not expensive, not heavy and will follow the standards that we have at Paulo Basseto Photography.

Here is the album so you guys can check the design.

Lot’s of love!

Paulo.

They approached me because me being Brazilian they need a photographer who speaks Portuguese. Anyway I send then my price and I will be waiting for the answer.

It caught my eye, because I’ve done this to friends of mine. Everybody that comes to NYC that I know and stays at my apartment I go with then and shoot pictures at the statue of liberty, Rockefeller center and so.

I am reading this book called Blue Ocean Strategy – How to make the competition irrelevant and it talks about how you should not compete directly against your competitors but how can you change your curve of values and what you offer for the price you charge so you don’t become a competition but rather a different choice to the client. Its a great way to focus on niches and control the type of clientèle you will be working with. Great book you should all read.

Then here is a company, who offer tourist services and have changed their value curve by sub-contracting professional photographers to be with their clients. It’s a very smart way to bring business along. I got impressed by it.

And then it comes to my title. You have to love New York. The amount of different perspectives and creativity and business you see in this city is just amazing! Every day I network with someone new, I see something different. This is all normal in a big city, but they all somehow is different but the same, people copy something, change a bit and make it theirs. New York City is different, here from lots of places I’ve been in this world, and for lots of business man and people I met from this world, this city is the only one where people can do something completely different and sometimes crazy ans still success with it.

I love this city.

Going out for a photo shoot today.
Wish you all a great week and lots of blessings.

Love,

Paulo Basseto