We have been on holiday... sheesh, after about 90 or so jobs already this year, I'm totally done. Not really, we still have 40 or more left to do in these next remaining months!
Have you noticed less posts on FF? I have, no doubt. Why? Well, honestly Ive been seeing LARGE numbers of copycats out there, which is to be expected I guess if you give away your shoot concepts, lighting setups and locations. Where is the originality folks?
Lets face it, we shoot in some seriously exotic spots. If you dig back in history, you will find very few (if any) other photographers prior to 2006 who were commercially shooting and publishing material found in the same spots (specifically cenotes) in the Riviera Maya other than del Sol Photographers. I'll be honest. NOBODY inspired me to take a bride into one of these locations, It came right out of my original box of tricks. While I can't blame others for exploiting these awesome spots, I can blame myself when their work mimics mine...ouchy.
While we can obviously not claim ownership of the idea to shoot in a cenote, we can ask for photographers out there to try and PUSH the limits on their work. I follow lots of forums and see LOTSA posts by brides and other photographers with "hey look at my centoe shots" and just about every one of them looks like a del Sol shoot (off camera flash, multiple flashes, red gel, bride in water, etc)... I guess I had it coming. Anyway, copycats are inevitable and I'm sure just about all of us can identify as somewhere or somehow, you have likely felt another photographer steal or swipe your idea...This is just the way the things go.
So how do we curb this copycat syndrome?
Write a check, of course! (Just kidding, this is what happened to us after our recent brainstorm on changing it up) For many of us, gear acquisition seems to be a disease. We buy stuff for the sake of buying it. Will that new double rotary table and custom engineered portable track and dolly system earn back the near $2500 spent? Probably not. But will anybody else have products like this in the region where we are working? Nah.
You will start to see underwater off camera flash (lots of underwater flash and creative lighting) and HD video coming from the underwater arena. We have purchased underwater breathing systems that are lightweight and allow for better dexterity than the traditional SCUBA system (yes we are SCUBA certified). Aquatica 5d II housings, multiple flashes and underwater studio equip, cables and just about everything we could think of to STEP IT UP. Holy cow, underwater strobes (controllable ones) ain't cheap ($900 each)... especially if you need 3 or 4 of them... Housings, OMG...costs more than my camera. and I need arms, cables (they are pricey too!)do-dads, switches, brackets, weights, bla bla bla... All in all, we are investing 5 figures into this system.
We just want our work to be unique... hopefully, we can change the face of the TTD work we have been doing with this new gear list! Stop by our new blog: www.delsolphotography.com/blog to see recent work!
Here is a photo of the new underwater breathing system:
Photo courtesy of Aquatica's Website
Aquatica has been very helpful so far helping me design the perfect system. Jean Bruneau, Aquatica's Technical Advisor has given me LOTS of advice and also asked me and any others interesetd to submit an email requesting the development team at Aquatica to BUILD A UNDERWATER HOUSING for the pocket wizard. Crazy idea eh? I'd love to play with this, although radio doesnt work super well underwater, I have had some success using this system in a makeshift housing triggering from above water.
In addition, Ikelite has also been very helpful with answering questions!
Expect some fresh new stuff from del Sol this upcoming year, count on it!
Saludos
Mateo
I’ve always been inspired by your cenotes shoots and your work is always amazing. Still don’t like the idea of someone just ripping it off. Seems to happen around us quite a bit too - a few weeks or months after featuring a shot on our blog we’ll start seeing the same shots start popping up around us. We try to be flattered, but it’s really hard to keep a grin on sometimes.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with the PW’s underwater. I recently picked up an SPL housing with an additional flash housing that I’ve been dying to try with a PW stuck in there. I don’t have much hope they will work at any real distance underwater though.
Keep up the great work and congrats on the sexy new housing!
FYI, SPL makes housings w/PW attachments. :)
http://www.splwaterhousings.com/pocket-wizard-housing.html
top 5 influential… wow, thats quite a bold statement. We are humbled by your nice comments Juan.
Everybody, thanks for chiming in here. I’ve been disgruntled for quite some time watching our ideas being duplicated...even this morning, I’ve found another knock off of literally a duplicate session. Whats tough is that these other photographers coming into the market, duplicating content and whats worse, brides are bragging about them being “cheap”. Literally using those words. I’d just like other photographers out there to keep the “Value” to what is being done out there and take pride in their work. Work hard so clients won’t call you “cheap”.... please do it for the home team!
There are a lot of other photographers that have started to replicate your work and at a much cheaper rate. There are those clients who opt to use them and then there are those people (me included) that have been drooling over your work for 2 years now and are saving up every penny to have the pioneer duo take my photos. Its easy to imitate your ideas but from what I seen the execution is NOT the same. You have developed the genre (TTD) down to a science producing perfection. These other cheaper imitators produce ‘cheap’ knock off versions where you can see the lack of quality. You perhaps produce 10 useable images to their 1. . And in all fairness i dont think people are paying for the ‘idea’ anymore but are paying because you guys are the best.. on my wedding day i want someone who i KNOW will take GREAT images.. not someone who MAY get a couple of amazing shots. . so dont worry about the imitators, people who know you’re work can recognize it anywhere. . . Plus you’ve inspired many new photographers ... should I even go as far as saying that if a book was made of “the most influential wedding photographers to shape the industry” you would be top 5… thats like a nobel prize.
:)
Hey, I could swear (though I may be incorrect) I was the first photographer to publish the now seen everywhere “bride-peek-over-the-bouquet” shot in New York Magazine circa 1990. I even recall taking the image and how it came about (completely by random when the bride happened to pass her bouquet in front of her face), and as I said, it got published and ever since, I’ve seen it high and low by anyone and everyone. So here’s what I came up with: not to suggest others push the limits, but rather, to make ourselves to push our own; stay one step ahead of yesterday’s news. We’re only as good as our next shot.
Hi Matt
I understand your copy cat frustration. Del Sol constantly inspires me as a young self taught photographer you guys are a giant impact to wedding world and should be pleased with your achievements. Yes, I am guilty and tried the cave setup . You can’t only blame photographers though, it was my wedding client that showed me your work and said this is what we would like. I live on a small island in the caribbean no where insight can i attend a workshop without flying to the USA or Europe and so i learn from the web. It’s not easy being original in Antigua before other photographers use your location or idea and monopolize on it. So i understand your frustration.
With that said, go crazy underwater! You will WOW the world. Can’t wait to see.
Lol, I hear ya I think Matt. You are like a pioneer and you surely create interest in others wanting to follow—flattering is it? Or frustrating? I appreciate your style and think it is awesome, but I think you have made it your own and really only you have that ring to it, you know. But that isn’t to say only you can do it or have a patent on it—take the macs for “rough” example; now there are hackentosh’s popping up everywhere. People know a good thing when they see it, and you my friend have a great thing. Keep it up and let’s see more!
Took a while to comment but wanted to try and understand a little more about what your are saying. I could be totally off on this but I can see your passion and drive in you work and that I think is what I see in the post. Yes you have some new great gear, all of which are awesome, but really it is the finger behind the gear that makes it all come together in the end.
So, how far am I, really?!
Take care, drop me a line, I saw what you meant about the colouring (I am canadian!) of the 5dmk2—sticking to raw lol but still love it to the Sony.
Take care and keep it coming.
Nick
Hey there, I’m sure you guys are going to have a great time, coming up with ways to try that new equipment.
When it comes to sharing of knowledge, I would say, that even though there might be people out there copying your stuff, that just means you are setting the bar,which I would think is more of a compliment.
Del Sol is a very talented group, you can’t teach talent, and I’m sure the copy cats are aware of that.
Also, I’m sure the sharing of info in your blog, gets Del Sol people interested leading to exposure, which I would think is a plus for business.
I’m not a wedding photographer nor I’m interested on being one, but I enjoy reading about your assignments, purely cause I believe the results are very artistic and creative.
Keep up the cool work!
http://freddyoropeza.com/blog/
Congrats on the new gear! Off-camera flash underwater = hot!
Matt
I use a bags and you can use a pocket wizard with this: http://www.adorama.com/EWUFX.html
I take some picture in Isla Mujeres but no more than 50m
Maybe no is a perfet option but works!
Yes, I purchased a TON of optical slaves, manual controller, long cables, etc.
You miss the point that I’m talking about taking BRIDES into these locations and lighting them. Mostly, I’ve been studying my competition and seeing what others are doing out there. Underwater fashion photography (with B&G;) isnt something you see often.
that is my motivation for originality… especially in shooting bride & groom in wedding dress?
Nowhere do I mention that I’m going “diving” either. My underwater setup is intended on shallow >2 meter locations… Basically, i need to be in quick access for surface ascent in case of trouble. This system is just to concentrate in one location underwater. I will be standing up and speaking to my subjects too…
PS… we are taking this into other places, not just caves amigo!
Lots of underwater photographers use slave flashes in cave conditions. But the only system that works somewhat reliable is optical slaves (of use a long wire, which you do not want in environments like the beautiful caves and cenotes in Mexico.
Usually one of the models has the optical eye on one of the hands and the flash is mounted on the back of the diver to light the cave behind them. This will add greath depth to the photo.
So using off-camera flash combined with cavediving is not very original either, but I look forward to your creative ideas “;-)