Published by Wiley Publishing Inc in 2009, Rick Sammon’s Digital Wedding Photography Secrets is almost certainly one of the better known 'How To' books out there today on the subject of wedding photography and how to come up with truly outstanding images. This is especially a ‘must read’ paperback for the newbie Photog with a developing itch for this photography genre.
Digital Wedding Photography Secrets is well written in plain English and anyone with at least a high school education can easily follow through on the hundreds of tips in this 200 plus pages gem. But, if you don’t have a genuine interest in wedding photography then, quite frankly, it won't mean squat to you.
Not knocking it, but a workshop on wedding photography is a great idea if you can afford it and have the time and stamina to spend. Further, and if you’re lucky to get an instructor whose more into the skill of wedding photography than on regurgitating all the technical 'mumbo-jumbo' that go with it, then your workshop experience might make a difference when you are alone in the field. But, for just under $35 and with a little patience and know-how at following through on tips and illustrations, Sammon’s book is quite a ball breaker and a bargain indeed.
Digital Wedding Photography Secrets is not only about Rick Sammon, the photographer. In fact, he declares right at the beginning in the introduction:
“This book was a ton of fun for me to put together, even though I do not specialize as a wedding photographer.”
And that’s what I really like about this book. Although the subject matter is about wedding photography, in Rick’s own words:
“I specialize in beautiful photography.”
Digital Wedding Photography Secrets, therefore, is all about beautiful photography which happens to be of the wedding photography genre. I have attended several wedding photography workshops over the years and, quite frankly, only about two or three of them were really worth the money.
Another noteworthy thing Sammon did when producing this book: He incorporated the images and views of 'working' wedding photographers (along with their websites as reference) as an added value to a specific topic of this genre such as the comment, for example, on page 99 focusing on Indoor Fill-Flash.
You can read more about this and similar examples in Part 5 (Pros Share Their Shooting Secrets) beginning on pages 107 – 124. For me, however, it was all about Rick’s Recipe in Part 1. If you master this non-technical section alone, I honestly think you’re well on your way to making your wedding clients very happy when you present them with the final product.
In my photography career, I’ve shot well under twenty weddings as my primary interests have never been with this genre. However, after I bought Rick's book and applied his (and others) tips and suggestions, there is a remarkable difference between the images of weddings pics taken before and after I read Rick’s Digital Wedding Photography Secrets. The slide show which accompanies this article can certainly attest to this … at least to my satisfaction.
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