Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride Paperback – March 29, 2011

I fell in love with Jose's work when I was planning my own wedding. There was just something so undeniably gorgeous about his work that just didn't compare to anyone else's. It was dreamy, romantic, and timeless. The colors to. die. for. We ended up booking him for our wedding and couldn't be happier with our wedding collection.I started off in the wedding photography industry shooting digital. It wasn't until a year ago that I had a bit of an epiphany. All of my favorite photographers shoot film, so why was I shooting digital? Truth be told, I was scared. I was really used to checking my LCD for the exposure. There were so many unknowns and what ifs with shooting film, but the best advice I received was to just do it. I bought myself a Contax outfit and started shooting personal stuff only in film. And was I hooked!! I made plenty of mistakes back then and wish I had this book as a guide to help me out. But I still have so much to learn about shooting film in different lighting situations and this book is filling in those spots and giving me the information I need so I can try them out. With Jose's book I feel less blind and much more confident.I'm now shooting film at most of my sessions, but have yet to shoot an entire wedding 100% film. What I love about this book is that it takes a lot of the fear away from shooting film. Where before, I was making educated guesses and trying things out, I now have a guide on how it's done by someone whose work I've admired for years. I found the section on his gear very useful as well as the information he gives on shooting low light with flash. That's something I have yet to try because I just wasn't sure how to do it, but now I have a good starting point and am really excited to try it out. I also like the sections telling us how he works his typical wedding. What's loaded in which camera, what he uses each camera for, what's being done when another camera is being loaded with film, etc. It's little things like that that I know will help me become a confident film shooter at actual events.All in all I highly recommend this book. It's filled with gorgeous pictures and tons of useful information. It's easy to read (trust me, when books get to technical for me, I tune out) and will be helpful to anyone regardless of whether you shoot film or digital. But if you are wanting to shoot film, you should get yourself this book! Quell some of that fear and go for it.

STOP! Don't read this book! What I want you to do is go beyond just reading and study this book. Use it as a guide. Put its words into practice.When someone with a resume and portfolio like Jose's decides to invite readers into his life, do yourself a favor and listen. Anyone who has worked with or even seen the images of Jose Villa knows that they're seeing something different. Almost exactly like Monet and his impressionist school set out to change traditional painting from standard, stiff portraiture to an art form that was extremely creative and emphasized specific artistic elements, Jose is doing the very same thing with wedding and portrait photography. Take this description of impressionism for example. Without knowing the source, it would be difficult to differentiate whether it describes impressionist painting or Jose's "new school" fine art photography:"...visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on the accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles."In Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride, Jose discusses his individualized approach to every element of his business. He exposes his business to reveal the specifics behind each beautiful image highlighted and how a systematic approach allowed him to achieve his signature look. Jose even describes oversights and mistakes he's made in the past and how others can learn from them.This book is not a comprehensive guide to wedding photography. At 160 pages, however, it does an excellent job of explaining in detail exactly how Jose has differentiated himself from tens of thousands of wedding photographers working today. If you're a professional, amateur, or just a fan, do yourself a favor and learn Jose's take on lighting, composition, flash photography, raising prices, and keeping clients as customers beyond their wedding date.

Jose Villa is one of, or if not the best wedding photographer of today's generation. It is common for photographers of Villa's skill and talent level to keep the secrets to their success to themselves, but with this book, Villa does the complete opposite. He freely shares with the reader everything he has learned, and provides step-by-step instructions on how to replicate his trendsetting look.This is no book of rhetoric or theory. It is a book of application whereby Villa provides stunning fine-art imagery of weddings/engagements he has documented in the past with examples explaining his method (s). Classic and timeless, these breathtakingly beautiful captured moments of tranquility effectively show the reader what can be achieved by following the books instructions effectively.Villa has produced a must read for beginning or professional wedding photographers alike who aspire to produce high-quality fine art wedding images with film. It is simply written and full of useful advice that photographers of all genres can use as a source of inspiration and education to satisfy today's generation of brides.It is for the aforementioned reasons the I am thrilled to recommend, "Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride", by Jose Villa for film photographers interested in learning his craft as based on his experiences.Respectfully,Jamusu.