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Learn how Tec Petaja grew to become a successful destination wedding photographer and started shooting for brands like Kinfolk, Airbnb, and Afar Magazine.
Learn How Tec Works With These Brands:
In this introduction Tec will regale you with the “unimpressive tales” of his early days and share what it took for him to progress from where he was to where he is now. As Tec says, “there’s no magic secret to making it”. We’ll let him tell you his story.
It took years of grunt work and hustle for Tec to make it as a wedding photography. Even now, he’s still pushing the limits and learning lessons; lessons he wants to share with you. In this chapter we’ll give the the roadmap for what’s to come in this course. It will be like you’re sitting on Tec’s front porch, listening to him tell you stories of his experiences in photography. Before we dive into shooting, you’ll watch a short video to learn what’s inside Tec’s camera bag.
In this chapter, we’ll talk about the fun stuff—camera gear and what makes an image beautiful. Tec says knowing how best to use his gear is what allows him to create beautiful imagery in the first place; the technical and artistic aspects of shooting film rely on one another. We’ll outline everything that’s in Tec’s camera bag and when he uses each piece, and hear him describe what he’s looking for to create a compelling visual story.
We’ll cover how Tec captures engagement sessions and more specifically, how he shoots people. We’ll talk about location scouting, styling, encouraging natural interaction and movement between a couple, and most importantly storytelling. Tec also shares his thoughts on how to use engagement sessions as opportunities for growing your portfolio. At the end, you’ll watch a video of Tec shooting a real couple’s session in Mexico, followed by the final layout and full Pixieset gallery.
In this chapter, Tec goes over how he approaches a wedding from the time it’s booked to the moment the “just married” getaway car drives off into the night. We’ll explore things like his booking process and how he prepares for an event, location scouting, and the details of how he shoots the different parts of a wedding day such as getting ready shots, details, first look and couple portraits, family portraits, the ceremony, and finally—the reception. At the end you’ll watch a video of Tec shooting these various scenes, and see the final layout and full Pixieset gallery.
Hear Tec describe his editing process and how he’s learnt to save hours of time in post-production. You’ll then hear from Richard Photo Lab. They’ll share what they do at the lab, how light and color work in an image, what a Color PAC is, the ins and outs of rating and metering, how a photographer can go about building a relationship with a lab, and the importance of refining your craft. You’ll hear them describe the techniques behind what makes Tec’s images stand out the way they do.
Running a business isn’t easy! Tec has learnt a lot along the way, and he bares all with you in this chapter. He’ll tell you what’s worked for him in his business, how he shaped his brand and attracted his ideal clients, tips for building relationships with other vendors, how he structures his packages and when he knew it was time to start raising his prices.
There are a lot of strategies out there—steps to grow your business, methods to broaden your reach. There are creative tips for days, and trends that come and go. But what sticks around through all of it is you. Instead of rattling off his “top ten tips for success” Tec will give you a chance to tell your story. To give you a place to start, he’ll outline some questions to consider before encouraging you to develop your own action plan.
In 2 comprehensive guides, Studio Mondine shares all their favorite resources and seasonal flowers! Everything from how to source flowers from their favorite wholesalers and farmers, ribbons, vases, and tools. No need to spend hours searching on Google - they’ve already done all that work for you and the best of best are included in this guide.
New to film or looking to brush up on your film knowledge? This cheat sheet has you covered. We’ll give you a quick rundown on all the film terminology you might come across in this course, including metering, rating, film stock, pushing, pulling, exposure, color PACs and more.
We’ll give you the roadmap for what’s to come in this course, hitting on the major commercial projects to be discussed in the coming chapters. It will be like you’re sitting on Tec’s front porch, listening to him tell you stories of his experiences in photography.
Tec shares his experience of being on the job at a commercial shoot; what it feels like, how the day is usually run, what gear Tec has with him, and all the other details and lessons he’s learnt along the way. Once we’ve discussed the ins and outs of what it’s like to be on the job at a commercial shoot, you’ll watch a video tutorial of Tec explaining his set-up and what it’s like in real-time.
Read the story of how Tec got started working with Kinfolk—one of the few commercial clients he shoots in film for. We’ll go behind the scenes of the projects he’s done with them in Copenhagen and London, and hear some of the important learning points Tec’s gained along the way.
Far from the laid-back vibe of Kinfolk, see what it’s like to work on a large-scale commercial shoot with high production and high expectations. From booking the gig to pulling it off, working with Joules has been an intensive yet rewarding process for Tec. He’ll walk you through that process one step at a time to give you a picture of what working with a big name commercial client might look like.
Tec answers the big question: Can you make money as a travel photographer? Hear about the work he has done for clients such as Airbnb and Afar Magazine, as well as for humanitarian projects. Hear why Tec says travel photography has afforded him the greatest inspiration of all the genres of his craft. Finally, Tec will share a behind-the-scenes video of a test shoot he did in Mexico with a couple at a pretty incredible resort.
Tec’s photography is often described as “effortless”. He’s known for the way he makes every image feel easy, comfortable and natural for all involved. So how does he do it and how did this become his signature? In this chapter Tec shares his insights on developing your own voice, being consistent with your brand, and staying inspired as a photographer.
So far we’ve learnt from Tec’s experiences in the commercial world, but we also want you to learn how the industry works from the inside out, so we spoke with an established commercial agent in New York City. With 10+ years experience, he gave us the inside scoop on what it takes to get picked up by an agent, the challenges you could face, and how to give yourself the best chance of success.
A 500+ page tell-all from Tec Petaja about his experiences in wedding and commercial photography. Learn how he grew to become a successful destination wedding photographer and started shooting for brands like Kinfolk, Airbnb, and Afar Magazine.
Tec’s journey has uniquely shaped how he approaches his craft. His experiences, opportunities, and perspectives are true to who he is, and he’s a pretty one-of-a-kind guy. While there will be some similar ground covered in his wedding course, Tec takes a deep-dive into how he got started, what happened along the way, and how he thinks about his business and work as an artist, which is very different from Erich’s experience. Tec also has a wealth of insight into commercial photography, which is especially new content that he shares in great detail in The Commercial Course.
The experiences and lessons which have shaped Tec’s career can apply to anyone, whether you shoot film or digital, you’re someone just starting out or an established shooter looking to challenge yourself creatively, or a photographer wanting to move beyond the world of weddings and break into the commercial market. This course was written with a range of experience levels in mind. For a detailed breakdown of the topics covered in The Wedding Course and The Commercial Course, visit the What You’ll Learn page.
Definitely! Tec’s courses, The Wedding Course and The Commercial Course, share his years of experience in both the wedding and commercial photography industries. The combination of PDF chapters and behind-the-scenes videos give you an up-close and personal look at how he approaches all aspects of his craft. The added bonus is that you can work through the content at your own pace and pause and rewind as necessary. You will also have the opportunity to gain insight into the world of commercial photography; something typically not covered in Tec’s in-person workshops.
For those new to film, we’ve included a Quick Guide to Film in The Wedding Course to catch you up on any of the lingo that might seem foreign. Then there’s the videos and written content where Tec shares all about his camera equipment and the film he works with, and finally you’ll love the detailed interview with Richard Photo Lab where you’ll hear answers to everything you’ve ever wondered about working with a lab.
Absolutely! This course is filled with practical knowledge that will help you improve your photography skills, regardless of your level of experience. Tec also shares his photography journey in great detail from when he was first starting out, so you’ll also be able to learn a lot from his experiences. There’s also plenty of practical tips about camera equipment, learning to work with film, composition, techniques for creating great images and more.