Finally pulled the plug!

In 1975 I started photographing weddings.

I was 29 at the time.

My Dad, Glen Thompson, who was my first trainer and Inspiration in photography. The safari suit was my standard wedding photography uniform in the 1970's. This was in the Dandenongs in Victoria.

Now this last weekend I assisted a young friend in a wedding shoot and at the end of the day and into the night I suffered some terrible cramps.
(See Summer's facebook photography site below.)

https://www.facebook.com/AquaSummerPhotography/photos/pcb.1017802151595843/1017797588262966/?type=3&theater

I decided that now almost 70 it is time to declare my innings closed on officially shooting weddings.

I have been averaging about one a year over the last five years.

I have been thoroughly enjoying over the last 10 years the transition from film photography to digital and marvel at the cameras now being produced at a rapid rate.
I will probably in future still take some shots at weddings where I am a guest but apart from that maybe only when I am Uncle Geoff.
It has been a fantastic journey and I have made many wonderful friends in the photography industry and also been able to mentor and train some young photographers along the way.
On this blog and my other blogs I have posted some of my training in wedding photography tips from my course I developed some years ago.
If you are an aspiring Wedding Photographer you may find a lot of help there.
See my other blogs on photography.
 A lot of this training is also posted on this blog.

http://geoffthompsonphotographics.blogspot.com.au/

http://geoffthompsonsphotographytraining.blogspot.com.au/

Thanks to all who have helped me along the way.
Especially my lovely wife.

From last weekend. A beautiful wedding.

Below is a link to an earlier post anticipating this day.

http://geoffthompsonsblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/too-old-to-be-wedding-photographer.html

Ps. Since posting this have now been asked to photograph guys getting ready only at 2 consecutive weddings. This is something I can handle. Probably the "easiest" part of wedding photography.

PPS. Now in October 2016 I am recovering from heart surgery. It's a good thing I pulled the plug when I did.
I could have died on a wedding shoot!
Seriously as you get older listen to those telling you you need to lose weight and have a healthy diet.
Have regular checkups although in my case usual medical check ups did not reveal seriously blocked arteries.
Don't wait to get older but do the right things early on.

Make your own app for a time table for photographing a wedding-on a Mac.

There are apps for everything these days but I could not find one for exactly what I wanted.
As a mainly retired wedding photographer I still like to keep active in learning new stuff and also encouraging and teaching new photographers.

Some time ago in my post on how to use a timetable for wedding photography I shared a copy of my wedding day timetable.
I have taught this to many over the years.
Below is a link to that post.

http://geoffthompsonsblog.blogspot.com.au/search/label/wedding%20timetable

I thought there should be an app to do this but a quick search did not turn up what I had in mine.
Then I realised that with a Macbook or an iPad and an iPhone and gmail, I already had what I needed.

On the mac there is this app called notes.
It is also on the iphone.
There is also gmail I can access from my laptop and/or iphone.

Presto!  The solution.

Steps.

1. Load a proforma of my typical wedding timetable into notes on my laptop.

2. Meet with couple and create a proposed timetable on the laptop, or even a piece of paper to be typed on the laptop after.

3. Copy or create from scratch the timetable in notes.

4. From notes you can share directly to email.

5. When the couple are happy with the timetable you have worked out you can email it to them on the spot.

6. This is then available for them to print on their home printer.

7. I usually give out paper copies of the timetable to those who need to know how the day will unfold on the day. We are all on the same page so to speak.

8. As a bonus even if I lose the piece of paper on the day of the wedding I still have the schedule or timetable on my phone and so does anyone who they have forwarded it to.
Notes on the iphone and laptop and I presume ipad(I don't have one) all sync with each other.

As at 8/12/15 in 4 days this post has had 162 views. It must be a subject of interest for new wedding photographers.
I am more than happy to discuss wedding photography with people starting out. I have trained many people in wedding photography over several years starting in 1975. It was all film,manual exposure and manual focus back then. A great grounding for the digital world that was to come.
Phone: 0417867476 (Australian mobile)
email. geoff.g.thompson@gmail.com