Let me say it again; make sure you register! If you’re a michigan resident the last day to vote is Sunday at midnight.

Jay-z has been in the news here in Detroit michigan because hes coming to michigan to throw a free concert to register voters.

My summer was fantastic!

• I shot 16 weddings this summer. I shot 19 or so last year.
• I went to Philadelphia
• Shot a bikini Fashion shoot
• Which led to heading to sarnia to shoot a full bikini catalog. That was really some hard work. I was so drained afterwards.
• This is  the summer I moved out to Ferndale. I really love the Royal Oak/Ferndale area.
• After this summer my company might be finally out of debt.

With the bars really close i spend a lot of time there.

If you guys want to stalk me i’m on twitter: twitter.com/chrisjlee

I’m looking forward to slowing down and working on more side projects.

Good news.

I’m shooting my 50th wedding tomorrow (Friday). The couple is Kelly & Matt B. It should be a beautiful wedding. It’ll be somewhere near the East side of Detroit (shhh I can’t tell you!).

I’m excited. After that I have one last wedding to shoot for this year. Unless something shotguns. Which happened last year. Once in a while a December wedding comes up. I will be posting all my wedding updates starting next month. Keep posted!

Ford salutes GM’s centennial by lighting up the lights at Ford’s Headquarter.

Photo Provided by Ford Motor Company.
Related Links:

Detroit Free Press: GM Centennial

Detroit Free Press: GM Centennial Presentation Coverage

Here are some results of the pictures that i’d like to share with you.

I’m in the process of building a commercial portfolio as well. I’m going to name my commercial work as Bureau Photography Group. This body of work will focus on commercial clients only: work that ranges from event, annual reports and headshot photography. Please give me a call if you’re interested in working on a project with me. I can provide you a free custom quote with a phone call: 734.330.2378.

Remember all the following are not suggested to be used as legal advice. If you have a serious problem or question about intellectual property rights please contact a lawyer specializing in intellectual property rights law.

The Detroit Institute of Arts are starting a contest through the Flickr Pool. Anyone can participate. If you’re not a member of Flickr, of the largest  photosharing communties owned by Yahoo!, you can signup so you can participate in the contest. They are looking for people to submit their photography that is related to Detroit. The subject can be anything related to Detroit.

Here are some rules from the official DIA Contest Blog:

• Photographers are allowed to submit one photograph that captures “Detroit’s Sacred Places.” An artist statement is required as part of the submission. The statement (maximum 100 words) should describe how the submitted image pertains to the contest’s theme, “Detroit’s Sacred Places.” Please include any photography technique(s) you would like to highlight. The artist statement should be included in the description portion of your upload.

• Submitted images must be in .jpg format and no larger than 20MB (3000 x 3000 pixels and 300 dpi) opened. Please make sure your image has a file extension of .jpg prior to uploading.

• Images should be unmodified. Please do not submit photomontages, double exposures, or photos with alterations, such as borders, watermarks, or added text.

• Please submit images that are true photography. Photos of paintings, screenshots, and illustrations will not be accepted.

• Photographs must be submitted electronically via Flickr and tagged with “Detroit’s Sacred Places”.

• Submissions are due September 3, 2008

• By submitting an image to “Detroit’s Sacred Places” contest, you affirm you are the creator and rightful owner of this image. In addition, you agree to allow the DIA to use the image in museum and/or promotional materials.

What do you win?

The prize is a signed copy of Izu’s work, Kenro Izu: Light over Sacred Places of Asia, and 2 front row seats to his lecture September 14th, 2008.

Questions provided by fiance2wife.com. Many of these are specific to our practices. I just wanted to respond to these questions because they’re commonly asked throughout the internet and you never know who is searching for these answers on the internet.

How long have you been photographing weddings?
3 years. I started in May of 2005. My first wedding was in milford, Michigan and my second wedding was in east liverpool, Pa. Day after day too.

Are you insured for Professional Indemnity and Public Liability ?

Yes

How many pictures do you take on average ?

About 500-1000 an hour.  Certain parts of the wedding are at a faster pace. Like dinner I do not take photos because people don’t look attractive while eating.

How long do you stay at the wedding ?

Our packages typically cover a full day (8 hours of work). We always courteously check with the bride and groom before leaving. We don’t leave your wedding in the middle of an important event: a dance, cutting the cake, etc.

Do you charge extra for coming to the brides house or staying at the reception ?

No. As long as it is covered within the 8 hours of coverage they’ve planned. I usually consult with the bride in a meeting beforehand to optimize and advice how to spend their time most wisely and find the most best-fit photography package for their unique wedding situation. I’m all for setting up a win-win situation: bride and myself will benefit from beautiful wedding photography.

Do we meet up at the venue to discuss final arrangements nearer the time of the wedding ? It is solely up to the bride and groom. I always would like at least one face to face meeting with the bride and groom before theirwedding

What happens if you are ill on the day of the wedding?

This rarely happens, but we always have a backup plan. I always have backup photographers that i know who are on par of skill and quality with my photography style. I will obviously notify the bride if something happens and then decide where to go from there.

Are your prices fully inclusive of everything we agree ?

This question is a bit more difficult to understand. Most professional wedding photographers (in the US) have a contract with all the specifics and expectations that we will both discuss up front so rarely any disputes or disagreements arise. I do my best to encourage my clients to read over the contract many times before signing and ensure that they are aware of all the specifics that are contained in our agreement.  If your photographer doesn’t have a contract. I would make sure you ask to put something in writing or find another photographer.

How long afterwards is it before I see my pictures ?

This is a good question. Our photography company guarantees photos will be sent and viewed by the client within 7-8 weeks. Most the time we are able to push it even faster. The average turnaround time for photos is 4-6 weeks.

How long does it take after I choose my album prints before the album is ready ?

Album design can go as fast as however the bride and groom choose to move. We go through a round of revisions. Frequently, the bride and groom will go through a round or two of revisions. All in all most albums will take 4-6 weeks to print, and another 4-6 weeks for the design and revisions.

How do relatives and guests order prints and how much are your reprints ?

Reprints are posted on our client site. Every wedding comes with a free online gallery for friends and family to view. By default we upload them to that website and password protect the website up to 2-6 months (depending upon the request of the bride and groom). After that we publicly show them to the general public. You can always ask to keep the gallery private.

How long do you keep the digital files or negatives ?

We guarantee your digital files for up to 3 years. After that we can only provide limited liability of your digital files. We always though try to back them up and store them for life

Can we have colour shots in black and white?

Yes. If you request them. Typically the photographer picks whether shots are in black and white.

Can we view all your online galleries?

Only after a face to face meeting will i grant viewing of most of my online galleries. Some are still in the process of being submitted to the government copyright office.

Are digital files kept in more than one place?

Yes. We back them up onto dvds and store a hard copy (the location I cannot disclose ), then they  are also backed up online and finally backed up on a external hard drive. So there are three copies of your file usually.

Here Bridget is dancing with John.

I absolutely love this photo. Bridget’s ladies were amazing on the dancefloor. They’re so full of energy  and fun! They were ubiquitous on the dancefloor.

This photo is definately a Kodak moment. There’s so much emotion going around toasts. Here maiden of honor gives a speech right after bridget.

This is Bridget and john walking down eastern market. We were lucky that the rain had stopped that day and we’re lucky to find our way to eastern market with enough time at the end. It was not the most sunniest day but it made for beautiful dramatic wedding photography. As a photographer you have to make good use of unplanned tangents that life throws at you. Another reason why i love my job!

Here they  caught a moment of playing a game that i’ve instructed them to do. They’re pretty good at it. No posing at all! This is actually all natural light shot in front of a metal panel in eastern market. Eastern market is such a great stop for photography. It’s like a playground.

Here Bridget is laughing at some instruction i’ve gave her. I can’t remember what it was. She knows i’m funny. Shes such a fun bride. Here we were shooting under the awning of the Fox Theater to take cover over the rain that day.

Brides and grooms for some reason love photographing jump shots. I don’t blame them they’re fun watching them jump up and down. it’s their wedding day they have lots of reasons to jump up and down. Here John and his crew is doing the same as I instructed Bridget: To jump up as high as they can. This is a great thing to do to build rapport with your client actually. It is all about subject management: which i thank Craig Tanner for teaching me.

Here we see Bridget the bride in Angelo’s (i think her step father’s) Corvette. It’s a beautiful ivory colored corvette. I’m not a car buff so I wouldn’t know what year it is. We decided to have her hop in and take a photo right before she was leaving her mother’s house in Fraser, Michigan.

Here we see Bridget posed right in front of her favorite tree at her mother’s house.

I love Detroit as well. It is an underrated city in this world. I love the D. We have the best sports team of the world. I’ve lived here all my life. I couldn’t be more proud of anywhere I could call home.