Mark Hayes Photographer of the Month
Category: Uncategorized
Who Are you?
Mark Hayes, owner of self named Mark Hayes Photography
Did you go to school to study photography?
Never went to school purely for photography. Had some photography access in high school – I think the darkroom was a science credit. Took a few art classes in college. After college I took a mail order photography course (this was pre-web days) through New York Institute of Photography.
How long have you been a wedding photographer?
This is my 3rd season focusing on weddings, although I’ve done some here and there since the late 90′s.
How would you describe your style?
Photojournalistic Portraiture. Capturing moments of real emotion often result in my favorite images from a wedding, and the ones I think will be the most cherished decades down the road, but if I see a setup that is going to make a wonderful posed shot I’m not afraid to take a little control and gently guide my clients.
How many weddings do you average per year?
With only a few seasons it’s hard to figure and average. I did about 24 this year (of will have by the time 2010 closes out) and that’s about double last years number.
Where is your favorite Colorado location to take pictures?
For personal stuff I love some of the rustic little mountain towns like Silver Plume. Great texture on those buildings. For wedding venues I’d have to say my favorites are Dunafon Castle, Glen Eyrie and Phipps Mansion (well at least when it was still a venue). I think it’s the colors and textures I like most about those places and the sense of grandeur I always get there.
What sort of equipment and software do you use?
Canon camera gear. Hit most weddings with 5dmkii, 5d and 7d bodies and lost of glass with little red stripes on them. I’m developing a love for fast primes.
What lighting equipment do you take on a shoot?
A Canon dedicated flash for each body, usually using bounce light or some bizarre looking Gary Fong creation. 2-3 generic slave flashes I can use of my pocket wizards. An Alien Bee 1600 and battery pack with umbrella and softbox just in case I really need to ramp up the light (typically for the formals).
What is your most used Photoshop tool, plug-in or action set?
I’ve been an action whore the first few seasons. Bought everything most everything I can get my hands on. Sallee, Pfister, V Gallery, de Rox, Totally Rad, etc. I’d say I’ve gotten the most mileage out of the Totally Rad Actions – lots of great stuff and I love how they setup layers so everything can be dialed back to taste.
What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing imagery?
The internet if such an amazing tool for looking at and drawing inspiration from a wide variety of artists. To get in the right mindset though I look a little closer to home. I have a photo album given to me by my uncle before he passed away and it’s filled with photos and notes from the late 1890′s through the 1960′s and of a side of my family I never got to know well. I love to look at these old photos and reconnect with my family and it inspires me to make sure my work will do the same for some other person someday.
If you could shoot a wedding with someone who would it be and why?
Well Joe Buissink is to easy an answer since I love his work and style, so I’d got with something different, Yervant, or maybe Jerry Ghionis. They both have a strong fashion vibe to their work, I think I’d be able to learn more and push me outside my box a bit more shooting with someone so different than my own style rather than someone of a very similar style.
How many images do you average per wedding and how many do you usually present to your clients?
Between me and my assistant I usually shoot 2000-3000 images for an average wedding and will try to present the client with about 1200 of those.
Have you ever had anything go wrong at a wedding and if so, how did you handle it?
I’ve had equipment failure before, but I carry so much backup gear that it’s no impact on the day. I’ve had rainy days where I convinced the bride not to fret and her images would be amazing and unique.
I did have an engagement session once where my steering wheel came off in route. For that one I took pictures of the steering wheel sitting on my dash and sent them to the couple on my phone since I knew they’d never believe the story otherwise and rescheduled.
What do you feel is the most challenging thing about photographing weddings?
Remembering that it my be my 20th wedding of the season and maybe not at my favorite venue, but to my clients it’s one of the most precious days of their lives. I think some wedding photographers can fall into a rut and start thinking “well it’s just another simple wedding, no biggie” which I don’t think is fair to the clients.
I also think wedding photography is just immensely challenging on the skill set required. When shooting commercial stuff I could spend an hour setting up a shot and do as many test shots as I wanted. In weddings you have to know your gear and how it will respond in a variety of situations, not how to handle endless lighting setups, and have some pretty decent people skills to match.
Do you advertise? If so, Where?
I’ve got a couple of free listings on various wedding blogs and such and pay to be part of Bridalize which is mostly advertising along with a great meeting facility, but I don’t really go for the big expensive listings that makes me one of 200 or so listed photographers.
What advice do you have for somebody who wants to pursue wedding photography?
That many years after I’m dead, buried and forgotten, someone will be looking at their family heirloom pictures and be thankful that there used to be a photographer named Mark Hayes to capture those moments.
Which five words would your friends use to describe you?Funny (maybe sarcastic), dependable, determined, empathic, caring
And the last question, if you had one wish…
That many years after I’m dead, buried and forgotten, someone will be looking at their family heirloom pictures and be thankful that there used to be a photographer named Mark Hayes to capture those moments.
Some Fun Personal Photography:
February 6th, 2011 at 1:20 am
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