Gray Photography: Wedding Shots & WorkshopsBy Brian Hill
“It’s great to shoot everything at 1.2, but what if the bride’s walking down the isle and the shot is not just of her, but also of her mother five feet away tearing up? If you shoot at 1.2, then you’re going to miss the whole story.”
-Zach Gray of Gray Photography, on catching that perfect wedding photo.
Just because you’re married and happen to be professional photographers it doesn’t mean that you’re going to want to shoot wedding photography for a living, but for Zach and Jody Gray of Gray Photography, that’s exactly what they wanted to do. But not only is the duo one of the most popular wedding photography companies to come out of Nashville, TN, having been voted one of the top three wedding photographers in the area in 2009, they also host a myriad of photographer workshops and mentoring sessions throughout the country.
Gray Photography’s 2007 inception came about just one year after rings were exchanged. And within their first year in business, the couple went from making $1,500 a shoot to six figures a year. “Initially we got into wedding photography because we thought we might be able to make a living this way,” says Zach Gray, “but then we realized that we really cared about our clients and their marriages and wanted to take what we do a step further by investing in them as people and making what we do really personable. This has become very important to us.” The Grays want to produce a great experience for their clients and are dedicated to making it their most memorable and most remarkable day possible.
Wedding photography is an art of consistency spanning across a variety of different styles and settings. Every type of photography has its own style and way of shooting, and wedding photography is no different, but what makes wedding photography so interesting and captivating is that every shot is unique depending on ever-changing scenarios. “It’s great to shoot every shot at f/1.2, but what if the bride’s walking down the isle and the shot is not just of her, but of her mother five feet away tearing up? If you shoot at f/1.2, then you’re going to miss the whole story,” says Zach. In wedding photography, there are a variety of difficult shots and scenes taking place, including stylized portraiture, architecture and product shots (such as macro photos of wedding rings). “You have to know how to light it, what lens to use, when to use it and you only get one shot at it...and the bride and groom expect 100s of images that will all look amazing!”
And apparently people are paying attention. Gray Photography recently shot the Celebrity wedding of Jenny Gill, the daughter of country recording artist Vince Gill and step-daughter to Amy Grant, and Josh VanValkenburg (pictured below), which later became a four-page spread in the Country Special of People Magazine. Zach and Jody will also be shooting the union between a pro hockey player who play’s for the Colorado Avalanche and his bride at the beautiful Miami Beach Resort Palm Hotel & Spa. The couple will be hosting a Master Class on Lighting in February at WPPI 2011 and will be featured in various segments beginning this fall for Ed Pierce’s Photo Vision, a company that markets educational photography DVDs. Photo Vision will follow the couple through an entire wedding, interview the Grays about their business and give an inside look at what they do day in and day out. In addition to their feature in People Magazine and their award for being one of the top three wedding photographers in Nashville in 2009, the couple share success in a variety of additional publications and blogs, including (but not limited to) Southern Bride and Enchanted Brides Magazine. Gray Photography is a Top Endorsed Photographer by Westcott and received a top 15 placement in PPA’s Photo Cover Contest last year. This, however, is but a taste of their accolades to date. So, how did Zach and Jody amass such an immense amount of attention within just three quick years? Hard work to say the least! At 27, Zach landed a daytime job shooting school portraits for a yearbook company simply because it was the only job that he could get. “Although the photography that I was doing for my day job was boring, I began to think that photography itself was very interesting, and after a bit of studying, I thought that Jody and I might have the potential to make some actual money in this business.” In the beginning, the couple shot several weddings that were listed on Craigslist for free to tune their skills, then shot their first paid wedding gig for their friends in June of 2007. They booked 19 weddings within their first few months charging $1,500 a shoot. The couple soon realized they needed to book about 50 weddings a year just to make an average income. “What was missing in our business was the business!” says Jody. After that, they both studied business texts and chatted with successful photographers about their businesses. After revamping their pricing structure and coming out with a new and improved business model, the couple met (and exceeded) their five-year plan in around a year’s time. “Where you are in five years is dependent on two things,” says Zach. “The books you read and the people you meet; we don’t pay for any advertising because knowledge, networking and relationships are what drive our business.” The couple’s business has since developed from a mere (albeit large and profitable) photography business to a business offering a host of workshops and private lessons, which are available for photographers both in and out of Nashville’s proximity. The mentoring sessions focus on individual photographers and are geared heavily towards business. “We actually look through their marketing materials, give them our perception of their online presence and dig right into their business,” says Jody.
The team’s IN-CAMERA workshops, with the description of “Killer images without the assistance of additional aid, such as Photoshop”, came about to meet the demanding needs of beginning wedding photographers. Zach and Jody were constantly bombarded with colossal amounts of email and boisterous conversations about shooting techniques, so they decided they could do a much better job by showing photographers first hand.
They've hosted workshops in Nashville and all over the country, including California, Connecticut, Florida and Michigan. The classes are directed towards shooting images exactly the way you want them to look the first time without having to spend additional hours behind the computer tweaking color balance and exposure issues. “We don’t want our customers to open their album in five years and laugh at our editing style, but instead, to laugh at their hairstyle that went out of style!” says Zach. Their workshops are geared toward any photographer who wants to take their shooting to the next level. The workshops include a mix of class instruction, Q&A, hands-on shooting, post-processing and workflow. There are currently three classes offered in spring and fall.
Shooting & Post is a one-day intensive workshop geared towards the beginning and intermediate photographer where they will learn how to shoot images correctly in-camera from shutter click to print. Light is another one-day workshop for any shooter that wants to add serious off-camera prowess to their on-location portrait style; it’s for photographers that want to learn how to shoot in any lighting condition and to create fantastic light instead of looking for it. The third class, Business, is a five-hour session where Zach and Jody teach everything they know about the business-end of photography. “This all-encompassing workshop dives into the most important areas that we’ve put into place of running a modern day, cutting edge photography studio that will continue to thrive regardless of the economy,” says Jody. The couple is organizing another run of workshops in Nashville this coming fall as well as a few other locations that haven’t been divulged yet. In September, they will be making a stop on the Westcott 2010 Top Pro Tour, a country-wide tour spanning over a three-month period, featuring some of the best photographers in the industry. In November, the acclaimed duo will take part in a multiple-day event called “For the Love”, a workshop geared towards Christian photographers that will take place in the mountains of Oregon. Perhaps one of the most exciting events coming up, however, is a yet-to-be-announced workshop in January that will be hosted at a real wedding in Ohio. “This two-day workshop will be available to a limited number of attendees; more details and specifics will be released within the coming months!” says Zach. Zach and Jody’s unique style and notoriety have made them a house-hold name amongst brides that have wedding photography at the top of their list. “We figured out early on that the only thing you have as a photographer that’s truly unique is yourself; make sure that your business is about YOU because no one wants a ‘business’ to shoot their most intimate and meaningful day--they want someONE to shoot it,” says Jody. “Once you start to market that then you will naturally attract clients that like what you like, and when that happens, all of your wedding shoots will be a blast.” For more information on Gray Photography’s availability for wedding shoots and for their workshops, please visit www.grayphotograph.com. For more information on the workshop in January in Ohio or for other general questions, please email Zach and Jody at info@grayphotograph.com. Gray Photography’s Wedding Gear: Besides using ExpoImaging’s ExpoDisc for all of their in-camera color needs, Zach and Jody both have Canon setups, namely the 5D and 5D Mark II bodies and 580EX flashes. They utilize an array of different lenses, including the 16-35L 2.8, 24-70L 2.8, 85L 1.2, 50L 1.4, 100mm 2.8 Macro and the 70-200L 2.8. They use Photogenic’s Powerlights for big off-camera flash, Vagabond 2s from Alien Bees for power, the Lowel ID Video Light with barn door setup and Westcott’s Spiderlite TT3s and TT5s for constant lighting and Pocket Wizard 2s for triggering. “We use all of this equipment to enhance our tastes for a very clean style that’s very modern,” says Zach. “We are always looking for great light and great moments, or creating great light and great moments--if you have great light, magic will happen!”    |
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