Shoot with Beckstead

I just spent 3 amazing days with the infamous David Beckstead who has been named one of the top ten wedding photographers. David is known for his strong compositional elements and style. 13 of us listened to him talk about how he got started and learned more about him and where he came from. I just have to say that he is one of the most humble people I've ever met. He's so down to earth, a true country boy at heart and he is himself no matter what.

On the 2nd day together, we went out with a real bride and groom and David showed everyone how he uses lines and light in his compositions. It was interesting and informative. Everyone took turns taking pictures of things the way David saw them and when I had my turn, I'd wander off to the sidelines and start looking for other things, keeping his basic concepts in mind. I looked for my own lines, shapes and compositional elements within the same scene. I wanted to make sure I was shooting for myself, for my style and my brand which involves angles and color and telling a story with my imagery. So, I tried really hard to combine his amazing knowledge of composition with my style.

EDIT: A couple of people have emailed me and asked if I would recommend this workshop for beginners. Out of 13 of us that took the workshop, only 4 or 5 people shoot weddings full time. Some of the newbies got some good stuff, some better than others in my opinion. I'd suggest that you be comfortable with your camera settings, that you know how to select an Auto Focus point in your camera and that you understand ISO and how it relates to your shutter speed and your aperture.

I didn't need to ask about the technical stuff because I already understood the technical stuff. I really strayed from the group a lot because I didn't want to fight for the same image that everyone else was getting. My favorite shots from the day are the ones where I separated myself from the pack but again, I kept the basic concepts of using lines and light to add to the overall compositional effect of the photographs. Interesting compositions and angles has always been something I've loved doing anyway. I'd say this simply helped me to enhance my imagery which was the reason I took the workshop.

I hope that helps those of you who have emailed me.

Here are some of my favorites that I've been able to edit thus far. I hope you enjoy!



































Until next time...