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No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk
Today's Guest: Thomas O'Meara of Thomas O'Meara Photography in Orange Park, Florida
Today's Host: John Bentley

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ANNOUNCER: Welcome to No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk brought to you by NO BS Photo Success Photography Forum. Dedicated to the portrait and wedding photographer who has the passion and desire to grow. Now here's your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: Today on the No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk, we are with Orange Park, Florida, photographer, Thomas O'Meara, of Thomas O'Meara Photography, joining us on the program. Hello, Tom, how you doing today?

TOM: We're doing fine.

JOHN: Alright. Well welcome to the program. We're here to talk about photography and let's talk about your photography business. Tell me a little bit about what you're doing down there in Florida.

TOM: Well as we spoke earlier I'm a wedding photographer primarily. We operate all over the south east, but based in the Jacksonville metro area. We serve Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and the thrust of our business is weddings. We do some family on location portraiture, but my job description is wedding photographer.

JOHN: When you do a wedding, Tom, are you taking it from a journalistic approach, or are you more a traditional photographer?

TOM: We, you know, photo journalism is...the 'PJ' or photo journalistic approach is kind of over used. We prefer just to be called documentary, but yeah, I guess if you had to pin a style on us it would be photo journalistic. But, of course, being located here in the south, brides want some of the traditional stuff too. Family group shots and things like that are very important to southern brides and a lot of those pictures end up in the album. We have to be kind of a jack of all trades, able to pose groups as well as do some individual stuff with the brides and grooms and have fun with the bridal party.

JOHN: Now, Tom, when you do a wedding, are you taking an assistant with you? Do you have multiple cameras going on? How do you approach a wedding?

TOM: Yeah, for the last few years, and it was amazing to me how large a difference it does make to have assistants on the job. For the last couple of years, I've had two, and it's just made a tremendous difference in the amount of and quality of the coverage we can offer. I don't think I would shoot weddings without an assistant or second shooter any more.

JOHN: What kind of equipment are you using, Tom?

TOM: We're Canon. Canon all the way. I shot Nikon film gear for 32 years, but when digital came along we made the switch to Canon just for file quality. The ergonomics of Nikon gear, as a matter of fact, have always seemed to be a little bit better, but when we started shooting digital, it was with the Canon 10D, and even way back then the file quality just beat what Nikon had to offer. So we changed over to Canon and haven't looked back. Right now we're shooting the Canon 5D. It's a full frame camera. It gives us excellent file quality, and we just couldn't be happier.

JOHN: Now when you do a wedding, Tom, it's kind of a one shot only type thing isn't it?

TOM: Yeah, you can't call everybody back for a re-do tomorrow.

JOHN: So you kind of have to be in the right place at the right time and capture that moment don't you?

TOM: Yeah. Each wedding is, of course, different, and we tell our brides that their wedding is going to be special and different, but also the choreography is almost like a play. And it's a play with a set theme that repeats itself. So yeah, there are moments that are going to recur. There's always going to be a ring exchange at least all the weddings that I've shot there have been a ring exchange, and I'm sure somebody will come down the pipe one of these days and exchange, you know, baseball caps, I don't know. But there are points in the wedding where things happen that you just get to know what to cover.

JOHN: You kind of anticipate the shot and put yourself in the right position, don't you.

TOM: Preparation, anticipation, and watching for that moment that you know is going to happen is what catches the good shots.

JOHN: Now do you do a pre-screen with the wedding couple? Are you also doing engagement photos beforehand?

TOM: Yeah, all of my packages, we call our packages collections, but all of our collections contain complimentary engagement sessions. The reason why I do that is it gives me a chance to have the couple in front of a camera, have some sort of alone time with the couple just me and them. Our sessions usually last a maximum of about 2 hours and it's in a place where the couple is comfortable. I let them chose where they would like to have their sessions shot, and I tell them to pick something that's fund for you guys. What do you normally do when you guys go out and have fun? And we'll go do that. We've done sessions on boats, done horseback riding, we've done beach sessions, done urban stuff, walking around in downtown Jacksonville and downtown St. Augustine, but it loosens up the couple, and they get to know me; I get to know them. We joke and have a good time.

JOHN: Anything to do to get the customer relaxed, isn't that the case?

TOM: Yeah.

JOHN: Ok, we're going to take a break right now, but before we do that, Tom, will you give your website address quickly.

TOM: It's my name. It's www.thomasO'Meara.com and it's a good Irish name.

JOHN: Excellent. We are in the studio with Thomas O'Meara, and you're listening to the No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk. We'll be right back after these important messages.

ANNOUNCER: This program is sponsored by NO BS Photo Success Photography Forum. Visit them on the web at www.nobsphotosuccess.com. NO BS Photo Success dedicated to the portrait and wedding photographer who has the passion and desire to grow.

ANNOUNCER: VTalk Radio.

ANNOUNCER: www.morephotos.com helps professional photographers manage their digital images online in over 20 countries. They can help you with domain names, websites, shopping carts, and online proofing solutions. Please visit them at www.morephotos.com. Mmorephotos.com the online sales solution for professional photographers worldwide. We now return you to the NO BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk show with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: We are back in the studio with Thomas O'Meara, of Thomas O'Meara Photography, and you're listening to the No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk. Welcome back to the program, Tom.

TOM: Hey, glad to be here.

JOHN: Now Thomas' business is down in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, and he is primarily a wedding and engagement photographer. Now you also do a little commercial work too, right Tom?

TOM: Yeah, just a very small amount now days.

JOHN: And then your primarily an on location photographer?

TOM: That's correct.

JOHN: Alright. Let's talk a little bit about a unique part of your photography business. I see a number of photographers are kind of jumping on this bandwagon and it seems like a lot of fun. It seems a little scary too when you put all that money into the wedding dress to do something like this, but to each his own. Certainly the bride has a choice to do what they want. It's called trash the dress, and tell us a little bit about trash the dress.

TOM: Well trash the dress kind of came around from, as a matter of fact, I believe the term was originated by a photographer named John Michael Cooper, a really nice guy, and a very, very talented photographer. He shoots under the name AltF, but the guy is really exceptional and full of ideas. So he came up with this idea of shooting bridal portraits, I guess you could call them, or situational portraits. The bride is in her wedding gown ,but yet she's in a place where you would never expect to see a bride in a wedding gown. So the sort visual conflict there is very interesting. It makes for some great art and not only that, but we also have a ball shooting them. I've got a trash the dress session on my web page, and we had a great time shooting that. That was at a beach here in the local area called the Boneyard Beach where there were huge trees that have washed ashore and everything else. Also while we were shooting happened to notice in the background...I didn't notice this until after I was processing the prints, but there was a school of fish just right off the beach there, and I caught a shark fin in the background. He was in there having dinner while we were shooting the bride and groom in the surf.

JOHN: Alright. Hey life goes on no matter what you're doing. Awesome. Thomas how long h ave you been in the photography business?

TOM: Oh gosh, I started years ago. I'm a ex-Navy. I'm retired from the Navy and went back to my first love which was photography, but gosh, I got my start in photography back in the mid 60s running the dark room for the Auburn University helping pay my way through school, and I've loved it ever since.

JOHN: Now there's a large learning curve, especially with the new digital age coming upon us. Tell us a little bit about the No BS Photo Success, first of all, how did you run across that site, and then how has that site helped you as a photographer?

TOM: I ran across the site because I had met James on another forum, you know, James Hodgins, and he was on the digital wedding forum; probably still is...I think he's still a member...but that's how I ran across James and his work, and he mentioned that he and I think Rob Provencher had started a forum and to drop by. So I did, and it's a different forum. It has a different...all forums sort of take on their own personality. And the digital wedding forum which is a great, great asset for pro-wedding photographers has its personality. The No BS forum has its personalities. As a matter of fact, it's more intimate and just kind of a well it's hard to put your finger on it. I guess friendlier might be the term; although, my handle on there is resident comudgeon. I guess I give everybody as much grief as anybody else though.

JOHN: What have you learned from the site that has helped you as a professional photographer?

TOM: Well I like to see what's going down on there. There are a lot of very talented photographers on there as well from beginners. It has a much wider spectrum than digital wedding forum which is it's only open to pro wedding photographers anyway. But No BS is sort of all colors. Come on in and jump in. It's look at your work. Let's see what's there and what can be improved upon and the title, of course, is No BS and that's what you get there. So if you put a photo up for critique, you're going to get some critiques. You get suggestions all of which you don't have to implement, but everybody gets together and has kind of a brain session and we get good feedback there.

JOHN: Well certainly wishto thank you taking time out of your busy schedule to join us on the No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk today, Tom.

TOM: That's alright. Glad I could help.

JOHN: Tom, before we let you go though, give your website address again, ok?

TOM: Yeah. It's www.thomasO'Meara.com.

JOHN: Great. We've been in the studio via telephone with Thomas O'Meara of Thomas O'Meara Photography, and you've listening to the No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk. I am your host, John Bentley. Thank you for joining us today. H ave a great afternoon.

ANNOUNCER: No BS Photo Success Digital Photography Shop Talk is powered by www.vtalkradio.com. Radio for the 21st Century.



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