Clients, enjoy the photos- sorry if you don’t understand/care about the text

I officially started shooting weddings in the summer of 2005. I was interning at a studio in Hollywood and met the person who would teach me almost everything I know about weddings today, Laura Grier. I was still in school, California State Long Beach, studying away to get my degree in Fine Art Photography, and was looking for a fun, creative way to make some money on the side of my other almost full time job at A&I Photographic….

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people recently about how/when I started…. I can’t tell you that it hit me one day that I was supposed to do this, or that I’ve always wanted to shoot weddings, or even that weddings are what I’ll be shooting 10 years down the road. I can tell you this though, it was years of trial and error, experience, and about 5 photo jobs down the line…..To give you an idea of my timeline, I started shooting for Laura in 2005 and didn’t start my own photo business until 2007. I 2nd shot for 3 years while still going to college for photography, worked at a pro-photo lab called A&I for 3+ years, interned at a some pro photographers-studios, and worked for the art department of a CondeNast Magazine all before deciding to do this full time.

The industry needs to start being honest. Businesses don’t grow over night and photography is a learned skill. The most important thing about your work is the happiness of your clients. Let’s all start focusing on our own work, shall we? In order to dive back into how I felt about weddings when I first started shooting I recently dug out a bunch of prints from the first wedding I ever photographed. I don’t have many of the images because they were on film and the negatives were not mine to keep since I was 2nd shooting but I was able to snag a few prints for my portfolio at the time and I’m so glad I kept ‘em.

I’ve learned a lot since then- pretty sure most of these were shot at around F8 but I don’t think I did so bad?

Shannon over at The Maternal Lens posted my answers to some questions and highlighted my work today! If you care what my answer to this questions was, go check it out- and bookmark their blog, they showcase some really great photographers and share lots of great photo info!

Low Down Throw Down with Meg Perotti

Question: What is your greatest post processing tip that you are willing to share?

Thanks to Heather for that profile pic

I’ve been going to SF a lot. Like, a LOT. It’s quite funny really- I think I’ve been there more times in the past 3 months than all the trips from growing up here combined. Although, I am not complaining for a few reasons…..

1. It takes 45 minutes to get there from our house. Not on a good day, not on a bad day, just 45 minutes. I don’t have to leave 3 hours early just in case the 5 is jammed, or a truck accidentally dropped orange cones all over the 10… it’s stress free driving up here compared to Los Angeles and boy is it grand! A little known fact about me- I get road rage. Seriously…. its not good for my blood pressure.

2. I get to be a tourist! My clients keep suggesting these spots that I know I am supposed to have seen. So I kind of do that thing you do when you’re trying to sound informed, “Oh yeah! I totally know where that is.. its that one street.. up by… totally you can see the Golden Gate? No? Oh well.. yeah I totally know where it is!” And then I revel at the fact that I get to cross off one more famous landmark on my “experience” list.

3. I get to catch up on my This American Life episodes. Ira Glass’s (swoon!) adorable voice lasts almost exactly 45 minutes .. if you are a TAL fan you know what I mean when I say that sometimes I’m laughing all the way up there, sometimes I’m crying.

4. …. I love my job!

Carolyn and Andrew live in the city so the city was the most natural spot for them to choose for their engagement images. We tossed around a bunch of locations but inevitably we ended up at Fort Mason. I could shoot there another 5 times and not use the same spot twice- seriously. Now, I was a little bit nervous because Andrew had sent me some pdfs of some truly amazing photographs (think Annie, Helmut, Demarchelier) and I really wanted to impress! He had me and Carolyn in stitches the entire shoot with his quick wit and the day turned out to be nothing to be nervous about. (Shocking!) Can’t wait for your wedding in July, guys!

Onward!

Me and the crew for my new reality show, Meg’s a Dork, coming to a dorky network near you. Wouldn’t that be cool? My brides are so much cooler than me because they are actually ON reality shows. Thanks to Regis for capturing 8,324,384 images of me with these two men shooting over my shoulder documenting Dana and Scott’s big day for a TLC wedding show. Maybe I’ll finally make my debut!

My dad said something to me Saturday afternoon as I sat in my parents backyard waiting for Uncle Tim to grill up dinner and I’ve spent the last two days letting it settle in. The sun was shining on the lawn, Mom was bent over her pots planting some new spring flowers, the wind had kicked up just enough to send the leaves rustling through the cherry trees, and my dad looked up at me and said, “It’s days like this that make life worth living.”

I know I’ve talked about this before, but my dad is right. Until the moment he let those words out of his mouth, I didn’t know where I got my ability to always look on the bright side of life. I’ve always found it very easy to keep a smile on my face through just about anything and will credit many of my successes to that fact. People want to be surrounded by positivity, laughter, brightness. Life isn’t about grand gestures or huge successes- it’s about little things. Simple pleasures… the wind in your hair, the sunbeams on your porch, the sound of rain on the roof.  I encourage you all to take a quick look at life today. Just a quick, simple look. Making someone feel beautiful for a day, photographing two people in love, documenting a newborns first week of life- my job is about these simple pleasures and I hope that when you have a chance to work with me- I remind you of this. Thanks for reminding me, Daddy.

As I drove over highway 17, headed towards Wilder Ranch, to photograph Alicia and Vlad I tried to take a imaginary picture of my clarity. The air was crisp and the sky clear, – it wasn’t raining, we weren’t going to have to reschedule, and I couldn’t wait to spend my afternoon documenting love! These two are just ridiculously cute and I can’t wait to photograph their wedding day later this year at Holly Farm!