Photography by Fritz Meitzen

     Wedding Photography can be some of the most terrifying yet rewarding work there is. Equipment malfunctions are very very rare but it is always important to keep a healthy fear of something going wrong. I carry backups of all my equipment and almost always shoot with an assistant because catching every moment can be very difficult. Outdoor weddings with good natural light are probably the easiest to get good results with venues requiring heavy flash use on the more difficult side of the spectrum. Weddings are also some of the most variable events I shoot with times both starting and stopping not always as planned and often times requiring a change of plans in the moment. You have to be ready for anything! The added stress of getting the right shots, the importance of the event, the ever changing variables, and the added post processing work make weddings a much more intensive and time consuming activity.

     Bridal Photography, i.e. Portrait Photography, can be challenging depending on lighting in different settings. In some shots I'm trying to capture something of interest in the background, not just the lovely bride. In other shots I want to get a nice Bokeh (background blurring) to really set the bride off from her surroundings. Sometimes, lighting, wardrobe, and bride all come together for that perfect shot and other times a mediocre shot requires a fair amount of post processing to make it a great shot. I tend to shoot on the overcautious side experimenting with different lighting, angles, focal lengths, etc.; changing many aspects of the shot and comparing later when back in the office. Ultimately it comes down to how the bride feels about a particular photo. I do my best to always deliver high quality product and always work to obtain the exact photo(s) she wants to share with the world.

     A poorly taken photo can cause people to dismiss a potential property. In Real Estate Photography, I work hard to make a house or property inviting. In every shot, I'm working towards getting the viewer to not just see a house but envision themselves in the space. It is critically important to get lighting correct and in most cases I won't touch my flash. Using a flash gives a space that "staged" feel and not the warm comforting feel I'm trying to achieve. Use of natural light and the actual lights within the house will make the scene much more appealing. This all equates to close quarters timed exposure tripod work. I'm not trying to showcase, I am trying to inspire the viewer. Just like in relationships, there needs to be a spark based on attraction. If I can invoke this spark of attraction with a warm inviting shot, then people are naturally more interested in seeing more, i.e. visiting in person.

     What's that? That looks great. Most people can easily be influenced to try a particular restaurant dish merely because of how it looks on the server's tray or in front of that other lucky person one table over. Food Photography can be an incredibly useful tool. Small restaurants greatly benefit by showing actual dishes on the menu. Typically if you don't plan to show the entire menu, it is best to show your House Specialties or maybe the dishes with the best margin. Larger restaurant can benefit by having photos available online for social media users, bloggers, and traditional media. Would you rather someone come into your restaurant and snap a photo with a phone and then post online or would you rather make available high quality images that can be used? People are of course always going to take their own photos, but search engines such as Google and Yahoo will give your photos priority over others should someone search photos of your offerings. I can help with the photos but also with online placement and tagging to make sure they are picked up accordingly.

     Fashion Photography, with all its fast paced glitz and catwalk glamour, can be really intense. There isn't a lot of down time for photographer or equipment as the show dictates a constant stream of gussied up girls and gents. If I'm in close, using a flash can yield descent results. To get a better look though, I prefer to be out just a bit and using a longer focal length in the 100-135mm range. This gives the model a nice look while flattening the shot a bit. This distance, however, will usually prevent the use of a flash or the use of a flash effectively rather. This means, with indoor lighting and moving subjects, I shoot in higher ISO settings resulting in greater post production work, but I really like the results better and the photos look a bit more natural.

     Football, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Lacrosse, Polo, any sport, from peewees to professionals; Sports Photography is all about reacting quickly to an ever changing environment and striving to capture the essence of play. You can see drive and determination on even the youngest of players and getting that to come through in a photo is absolutely critical. Sometimes it's important to up the ISO to shoot a faster shutter speed. Having a good telephoto and a fast camera can make you feel like you're in the middle of it all.

     I love planes; always have since I was little kid. I've had the opportunity to shoot a few air races and been able to get some great close up shots by borrowing a 700mm Telephoto from another photographer friend. In an air race, the planes are moving fast and getting a good shot in a turn means hand holding for faster response time. That can get really tiring with a 20 pound lens! I also like to get shots of planes on the ground. Sometimes I get just the right shot of somebody's rig and it ends up printed out and hanging in their living room. These aren't just vehicles; they are someone's passion and more times than not represent thousands of hours of research and work into getting the plane just perfectly configured. If I can capture one tenth of that passion in a good pic, then I consider myself lucky.