Wedding at David Bickley

Jason and Jennifer – Wedding

January 13, 2009

Jason and Jennifer’s wedding…what a blast. You may remember them from the engagement photos I posted on here a while back. Maybe not, who knows.

The day started around 2:30pm with photographs of the preparation mayhem.

New Years and some self dicipline.

January 5, 2009

So how much of a blog slacker am I?

Wow.

Sorry peeps.

2008 is over, I won’t say anything like “thank God” because while the year kinda sucked (deaths, lack o’ jobs, common struggles) I am more than blessed in the quality of the life I lead. I have a strong family and a steady paycheck. All is well.

I’m still entering ‘09 with some trepedation though. “Times is ‘ard” and I have some big plans that I need to get moving on. Given that a lot of people read this thing, as usual I have to stay tight lipped for now. The biggest of my plans will happen in the next 3 months though.

So let’s go over my obligatory ‘09 resolutions:

1.) Reach Shodan in Go. (an ancient game that I have an intense love for) And finally buy a nice goban no matter how much it conflicts with my environmental beliefs.

2.) Move.

3.) Double my business from 2008.

4.) Save 30% of my income.

5.) Commit at least one hour a day to each of my endeavors.

I think the last will be the hardest by far, because it includes the blog. I obviously struggle with this one pretty consistently.

Within the next couple of days I will be posting about a wedding I shot on the 3rd so keep your eyes out. For now, I have to run and continue to play catch-up from my week long retreat from working.

Adios.

What a week!

November 20, 2008

I was doing so well on updating consistently. Then as per usual, I get busy and the blog is the victim.

So here’s what been up this week, and in a way I suppose this can be an outline for what posts will be coming soon. Innovation!

Jason and Jennifer – Engagement Session

October 25, 2008

What a cool couple. Let me just start there. After some unsavory weather on our first session the skies cleared up and gave us a beautiful day to capture these two.

Reagan and Dan

May 10, 2008

I have never met a more laid back couple in my life.

Reagan and Dan have been the ideal bridal client every step of the way. They searched for a photographer that matched what they liked (glad it was me) and let me do what I do best…run around like a madman and take thousands of images.

Reagan Wynn and daughter prepare for the wedding day in Columbia, Missouri

At the beginning of the day I split up my photo-squad and sent my assistant Hector over to take shots of Dan while he was getting ready.

What I Get Asked Most

February 15, 2008

1. What gear do you use?
My primary camera is a Canon 1Ds, I also have a Canon 1D Mark II, and Canon 20D that I keep on-site as a backup, As far as lenses, I have a lot but my favorites are the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L, and the Canon 85mm f/1.2L. I use Canon 580 EX II flashes for journalistic work (like weddings and other events) for studio work, I use an army of Alien Bees, a fantastic, near indestructible little strobe made by Paul C. Bluff.

2. Do you have a photography degree or any formal training?

None whatsoever, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever even read a book on photographic technique. I read the manual of my first camera and somehow got to where I am now.

Weird.

3. What is your workflow?

It varies depending on the shoot, every assignment calls for a new dynamic strategy. My digital workflow after a shoot is a little easier to explain though. When I pull the images onto the computer, I immediately make a backup copy of the negatives on DVD. Then I spend no more than 20 minutes racing through the images. I flag every photo that jumps out at me (with no consideration for why it did). That is my first pass, with the first images picked (they usually end up being my favorites) I make another pass through every image again, taking anywhere from 1-3 hours to browse and select from the entire collection.

After the favorite images are selected I check each for consistent color, retouching requirements, and overall exposure accuracy.

Then, if retouching is required (a hair in someone’s face, blemished, etc…) I make those adjustments. That is often the longest part of the process, but also where I get to have the most fun.

After all of the images have been processed I make another backup of the edited results.

Then I make a sandwich.

4. How do you light your shots?

I try to use natural light whenever possible. It is attractive, produces beautiful color and contrast, and is a bit easier to cart around than studio equipment. In studio, my setups are generally very simple. I try to use the smallest number of strobes that can get the job done. Minimalism drives everything I do.

5. Do you shoot RAW or JPEG?

I shoot in RAW with jpg backups written to a separate card.

6. Do you use any automated processes or actions?

I do not use actions, that fact makes things take a bit longer but, I prefer to have my hands in every image rather than automate any function that should be done by an artists eye.

Program-wise, I use Photoshop, and Lightroom.

Truth be told, you don’t need anything else.

7. Which are you, a fashion photographer or a wedding photographer?

That is a bit difficult to answer. I began my photographic career with fashion, commercial and advertising photography. But I got into this industry through graphic design. I shoot weddings because I love being able to document that special day in people’s lives. I have a great amount of experience in both so I suppose in short, I am both, and I make a living from both. I believe that is what makes my photography unique. I can photograph a wedding with the same feel and precision of a high-end fashion production, and I can photograph high-end fashion with the journalistic eye of a wedding photographer. Generally that is not something that is easy to find in your standard photographer.

8. So wait, you’re a designer too?

Yes, I have been involved in graphic design for as long as I can remember. Even longer than I have been a photographer.

9. What design software do you use?

I design every album myself in Adobe InDesign. I refuse to use a template-based program, your album should reflect you. As a designer, I feel that I can communicate your day better than a packaged template program.

10. Do you need any assistants or interns?

Not currently, when I need an assistant I pull from an extremely talented pool of people that I trust to reflect and support my own style and vision. Most of them I have trained myself.

11. I have a question that isn’t listed, what do I do?

Ask away, I am an open book. Use the contact form in the upper right corner of this site and shoot me an email. I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

Unprecedented

January 18, 2008

After I started talking about things I would do in the new year. I started thinking “I’m going to do something this year, that I haven’t done in many years”, and as a result I’ve decided to hand out a bunch of free shoots.

So, here’s what I’m doing:

10 free full-day modeling shoots ( 5 random people, 5 of my choosing )

1 free wedding.

“So how do I get this deal David?”

I’ll tell you. In the upper right corner of this website is a button that says “contact me”. You click that and fill out the contact form with the subject line “free photos”, in the message box…tell me a story. Tell me who you are and why you want to shoot with me (yes “because it’s free” is acceptable, I suppose)

I’m going to give this until the end of February. Then I will choose the winners and post them here.

- David Bickley, Professional Photographer

Adam & Casey

November 7, 2007

Adam came to me a while back and asked me if I would help him recreate his wedding day for his wife on their first anniversary. He told me about what had happened with their original wedding photographer, and how they didn’t want those images to be all they had to remember the day by.

We talked about what disappointed them with the original shots, and some places they might like to revisit. He had already decided they wanted me to shoot, so we set the date immediately.

Casey Voight in her Bridal veil, photographed by David Bickley in Columbia, Missouri.