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Lifetime Achievement Award
Incredible Honor
I've been making a living with my camera for a very long time. During the 2014 Wedding and Portrait Photographer's international convention in Las Vegas NV, I received the Lifetime Achievement award. This award, given annually to one individual from WPPI, is an honor bestowed upon those who have succeeded at the highest level of the craft. The award represents artists who have been leaders within the industry, and have been exemplary role models with regard to artistry, ethics, and educational contributions to the world of photography. Their influence to wedding and portrait photography has been profound, and it is recognized with this award.
At first, the words "lifetime achievement" award sounded a bit ominous. I sarcastically asked if the award came with a geriatric walker and some Depends. However, after some self reflection and some reinforcement from my wife and my friends, I'm quite proud that this incredible honor was bestowed upon me. After all, when you start at age 19, perhaps I can receive another lifetime achievement award in another 30 years. Who knows…. I shoot 50 weddings per year, and I will do so for many years to come. My work has never been better, and I'm still incredibly motivated to capture moments for my incredible clients.
For those interested, and for those who might even care where I started, my beginnings were quite humble, to say the least. While in college in my sophomore year, like most college kids, I was broke. I was searching for a part time job just so I could earn some some pizza and party money. I replied to an ad in the newspaper that said "award winning newspaper seeks photographer". So, with very little experience, a great attitude, and a pulse, I interviewed and was hired. Obviously, they were desperate! For $75.00 per week, I was assigned to shoot community assignments on weekends, process and print those assignments, process and print the film the reporters shot during the week(some really crappy negatives), and place everything on the editors desk by Monday morning. I also had a part time job working 3 evenings per week at a large supermarket chain's photo processing plant until 3am. Oh, yeah, I also coached gymnastics and attended college full time. Fun stuff….However, I must admit that I wasn't very good at the time. I always had a pretty good eye, but I didn't have anyone to mentor me. I learned on the job… School of hard knocks, as they say.
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Weddings
In the midst of one of the busier times of the wedding season, I felt the need to give some insight into how I’ve been using my Nikon SB-5000 with my D5 and the WR-R10/WR-A10 wireless remote system. First, I need to point out that I’ve been hearing SO much mis-information about this Speedlite. Some have said it only works with a D5 or D500. While it’s true that the RF is only compatible with the D5 and D500, it still a spectacular flash that replaces the SB-910, which is a killer speedlite. The SB-5000 works great on a hotshoe, with CLS, as a slave, and has other applications as well. Plus, the recycle time is nothing short of stellar. The heat reduction system is also a great piece of technology, and this flash is a true workhorse for me.
By now, you’re either asleep, or your saying “no kidding, Cliff, tell me something I don’t know” OK. Here it is. I was driving home after a wedding one night and simply wondered if I could apply the same “flash exposure compensation” method that I use when the flash is on the hotshoe. In case you’re not aware…. When a flash is in TTL or A, and is attached to a hotshoe, and the camera is in manual mode, the flash output can be changed when pushing the exposure comp button and adjusting the command dial to increase or decrease output. This applies to just about every DSLR Nikon makes. It allows me to fine tune flash exposures quickly, and I don’t need to adjust the output ON THE FLASH. You can change it in 1/2, or 1/3 stop increments.
THIS IS THE GREAT PART…. The output of a single group on the SB-5000, when triggered by the WR-R10/WR-A10, can also be controlled by the exposure comp button + command dial in 1/3 stop increments when the system is in TTL mode. There isn’t even a need to go into ANY menu on the back of the camera when controlling one group. Let me elaborate. The TTL built into this entire system is so damn accurate, I no longer worry about nailing exposure, and I used to use manual flash mode when using OCF. I fine tune them a bit with the comp button and control dial. It’s so incredible simple, fast, accurate, and I rarely even go into the menu anymore unless I want to change the group to manual flash output mode.
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Engagements
Many people know that I have a tendency to shy away from heavily photoshopped, over processed images. This is completely true. I’m not a fan of going beyond what the image actually looked like. Sure, we’ll tweak it here and there, retouch a few things, and even add a vignette to an image to bring the eye to the subject. Every once in a while, my studio manager, or I, will take a bit of creative license and enhance a portrait when it makes sense to do so.
We’ve been using Alien Skin’s Exposure 6 software for a while now, and we find it to be a tremendous complement to our workflow. It doesn’t promise to “save” an image. I’ve been quoted as saying “there is no un-suck filter in photoshop”. The same holds true or Alien Skin’s exposure 6. It will empower you with the ability to creatively tweak an already good photograph by implementing your customized enhancement through a simple to use- STAND ALONE- interface. It’s also one of the very best pieces of software for Black and White conversions as well.
Through midnight on Halloween, you can receive 30% off on ANY of Alien Skin’s products. Just click on the Alient Skin Software Link use promotion code CMP1410 to apply the discount.up top, you’ll see an image I created a few weeks ago. It was a rather rainy day, and for a few moments, the sun broke through. Streaks of light gave the image a dreamy feel, and I was really pleased with what we were able to produce in such weather. With Exposure 6, we bumped up the contrast, and enhanced the streaks of light- but not in a way that looks un-natural.
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About
As a wedding photographer serving both Philadelphia and New York, I'm perhaps best known for my authentic, dramatic, and timeless photography. Light, texture, dimension, mood, composition, anticipation, passion, emotion, energy, romance, and relationships are the elements that I'll use to create your inspiring and timeless wedding photos. In terms of approach, I'll focus on chronicling your day organically. In other words, I'll photograph you, your family, and your friends in a way that reflects the natural nuances and uniqueness that is your wedding. You might find it interesting that I spent the first fifteen years of my professional career as aphotojournalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I traveled the world photographing disadvantaged youth in faraway lands, climbed into dangerous caves deep under the earth, covered the life and politics of Governors and U.S. Presidents, covered breaking regional news, and worked tirelessly to create interesting images from ordinary happenings. In fact, during those early years as a professional photojournalist, I covered over 6,000 photo assignments and created over 1,000,000 photographs.
I left the newspaper trade in 1998 but those experiences as a photojournalist provided me with unparalleled insight into how to tell a story—your wedding story. And as part of that tale I'll create unique and visually inspiring images where you and your fiancé will always look your best. I'll be there to photograph and anticipate both planned and unplanned moments—from the obvious to the inconspicuous. Diligence and vigilance will be my bywords as I create photographs that will make you laugh, sigh, and cry—photographs that you'll cherish for decades to come. This is my promise. Over the last fifteen years I've had the privilege of photographing more than 850 weddings, creating moving photographs of brides, grooms, families, and friends through honest wedding stories—and I'd love to photograph your event. If your event is in Philadelphia or New York or anywhere in the world, and you're looking for a wedding photographer committed to capturing your real story, I hope that you'll consider me. I'd love nothing more than to photograph your wedding and I hope to meet you both soon.
Awards and Accolades Over the years I've been honored by the photography industry receiving recognition from the most prestigious organizations in the world. In addition to being named one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine, I was named International Photographer of the Year by Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). I've also received the International Photographic Council Leadership Award at the United Nations and I'm a Nikon Ambassador (National Spokesperson). I was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from WPPI in 2014.
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