In this episode, we announce the Flash Masters Photographer of the Year 2023, as well as congratulating all the photographers who made up the top 20 positions on our worldwide leaderboard.
We're rolling out the red carpet and setting the stage for the new year with three brand-new leaderboards, designed to honor specialized photography talents. And someone cue a drumroll for Nelson Santos, whose record-breaking nine awards in a single round have left us all in awe. It's not just about the competition, though—it's a celebration of our whole community and what we have achieved in 2023.
With an eye on the future, we tease the arrival of a new Flash Masters Ambassador who promises to bring a fresh educational zest to our photography journeys.
We also chat about our New Year's Eve weddings and the challenges that come with photographing a wedding in the middle of winter.
Join us in the Flash Masters community:
Website: https://flashmasters.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashmasters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flash-masters
Flash Masters is hosted by:
Helen Williams: https://www.instagram.com/helenwilliamsphotography/
Neil Redfern: https://www.instagram.com/neilredfern/
In this episode, we announce the Flash Masters Photographer of the Year 2023, as well as congratulating all the photographers who made up the top 20 positions on our worldwide leaderboard.
We're rolling out the red carpet and setting the stage for the new year with three brand-new leaderboards, designed to honor specialized photography talents. And someone cue a drumroll for Nelson Santos, whose record-breaking nine awards in a single round have left us all in awe. It's not just about the competition, though—it's a celebration of our whole community and what we have achieved in 2023.
With an eye on the future, we tease the arrival of a new Flash Masters Ambassador who promises to bring a fresh educational zest to our photography journeys.
We also chat about our New Year's Eve weddings and the challenges that come with photographing a wedding in the middle of winter.
Join us in the Flash Masters community:
Website: https://flashmasters.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashmasters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flash-masters
Flash Masters is hosted by:
Helen Williams: https://www.instagram.com/helenwilliamsphotography/
Neil Redfern: https://www.instagram.com/neilredfern/
Welcome to the Flash Masters podcast. Flash ∓ap;aMmp;ap;gtasMters recognizes and celebrates the best flash photography in the world through education, awards and community. To find out more and to join the Flash masters community, visit flashmastersco. Here are your hosts, Helen Williams and Neil Redfern.
Helen Williams:Hello there and welcome to episode 60 of the Flash masters podcast with me, Helen Williams and me, Neil Redfern. And, before we go any further, happy new year. Happy new year everyone. We made it through another one.
Neil Redfern:Yes, we hope you all have an amazing Christmas and new year.
Helen Williams:We really, really do. Did you enjoy it, Neil?
Neil Redfern:I did, I did. It was quite a busy one, wasn't it it was. We saw lots of family, but it was really lovely and I enjoyed it. We then both had a wedding to shoot on New Year's Eve. Yes, separately. Not the same wedding, two separate weddings New Year's Eve.
Helen Williams:Yes, it has been a very busy festive period for us both. But I think, whereas last year I think I started it like ah, I feel really exhausted from it, I feel enlightened.
Neil Redfern:Good, good. Well, last year at this time last year, we were in a bit of a funny situation, weren't we? I was just being told that I need to have my gallbladder removed. Yes, which never actually happened, no, and through the miracle of natural remedies, it's gone away.
Helen Williams:Thank, you to Beet Root and the YouTube rabbit hole.
Neil Redfern:Exactly, yes, well, yeah, I'm not one of those weirdos, but I did go down the rabbit hole and I'm now fine, bizarrely and cancelled the operation, anyway, and at the same time you couldn't walk.
Helen Williams:No, yes. So yeah, you had gallbladder that needed to be removed and I slipped a disc in my pelvis. And now, this year, you can now eat things that isn't labelled as rabbit food, and I can walk.
Neil Redfern:And you can walk. Boom, it's already a better year it is.
Helen Williams:I'm looking forward to it.
Neil Redfern:Smashing it. It's also been a very, very exciting time for us at Flashmasters, hasn't it? So shall we get straight into that.
Helen Williams:Yes, let's start with some Flashmasters news.
Neil Redfern:What is the biggest news of all Helen?
Helen Williams:It has to be our new Flashmasters. Photographer of the year. Announcement which has gone to the one and only Mr Tim Campanon.
Neil Redfern:Oh yes, congratulations, Tim, very, very well deserved. It could not have been closer between Tim Campanon in the first place and second place, so so close Jeff Tisman, both of them insanely talented photographers. So whoever won, we knew we were going to come away with like an amazing, amazing photographer, but whoa, it was so close. Just put it into relative terms, in the way that we score Flashmasters points for the leaderboard, it was the lowest or the smallest possible gap between the two, which was one silver award. It couldn't have been closer. If it was any closer it would have gone down to a tie.
Helen Williams:Yeah, it was crazy close.
Helen Williams:It was bonkers and I'll show behind the curtain, as you like to use that sort of analogy. But we were away whilst the judging had come back and I was sat there sort of going through what the judges had awarded and obviously, when we send them to the judges, there's no names of photographers, there's no metadata. So I then get you know the results back and the selected images. I then need to go back into the system, allocate and find out who was the photographer for each of the images. And I will say there was a half an hour where I thought, my goodness, jeff has stolen it because Tim had been leading Jeff's not going to want to hear this, by the way.
Helen Williams:Sorry, jeff, here's what you could have won. Yeah, there was about half an hour I was like he's done it, he's got three goals. There's no way Like that's 60 points.
Neil Redfern:Because, going into that final round, I think Tim was still in the lead, wasn't he?
Helen Williams:Yes.
Neil Redfern:But with a bigger gap than he eventually won with, I think 20 points.
Helen Williams:Yeah, yeah, I saw three goals from Jeff and I was like surely on the last round.
Neil Redfern:That's a hell of a haul.
Helen Williams:It's pipped and then, as I was going further through, I was like that's Tim, and then Tim Silver's were like totting up as well. And I will admit that I thought I was so scared on the day of releasing the winners, because not the people need to know too much about this, but on the back end of the website. When I then get the images, I obviously watermark them, I upload them to the back end and then I individually then have to tell the system who took which photo and whether it's a gold or a silver award, so that the points could be allocated. We can't see the leaderboard.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, the leaderboard is not updated at that point.
Helen Williams:No.
Neil Redfern:Until you click, I don't know what you click. You click a button and then it does all the clever math and then it updates, but it updates when it's live.
Helen Williams:Yes, literally when I click I can't remember what it is announced or announced awards or something and then the email goes out and the world knows that the awards are there. But it's not until that action is done that the leaderboard updates. And I'm awful at maths, I'm super clumsy, I'm not a very lot methodical person.
Helen Williams:So, actually clicking that button was terrifying and I spent the first and he usually takes a couple of minutes for the calculations to be done before the leaderboard updates and for the first one minute or two minutes after clicking I was just refresh, refresh refresh, yeah, because we didn't want to put out the announcements on social media.
Neil Redfern:We didn't want to congratulate Tim before we knew for absolute certain, because that would have been quite embarrassing oh my God, yeah, I can't be trusted.
Helen Williams:I've gone through it so many times and I'd done the maths but I was like, if I had made one error on the back end and had not, you know, I'd put up a photo and I said Tim took it, but then I forgot to click gold or silver, then the points wouldn't be there. So, yeah, we purposefully delayed announcing Tim until I knew for like a hundred percent certain that he had won. It was that close that one tiny error or one slip up by me in terms of my maths and it could have completely gone the other way. So, yeah, it was very exciting, very nerve wracking, but yeah, we're so thrilled to have Tim as off Tog for the year and it's so well deserved.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, congratulations Tim again. And some exciting news Tim is actually joining us on next week's podcast, so that'll be really good. We can find out a little bit more about how Tim's brain works.
Helen Williams:I think I'd like to know how he maintains such a lustrous curl on the end of his mustache.
Neil Redfern:He does. He has the best mustache in the game.
Neil Redfern:He does, he does, we'll make sure we pick his brains on that. But, yeah, congratulations again, tim, and I was gonna say commiserations, jeff, not commiserations, because, jeff, you did so so well and your work is unbelievable. We could not be bigger fans of Jess Tisman's work. It's incredible and, as I say, we were in a very lucky position of thinking whoever wins including the other people who were going to read out in a second whoever wins, they are so crazy talented and we're very honored to have them as high as they are in the leaderboard.
Helen Williams:We really, really are. So yeah, well done Jeff as well, very well deserved.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, because it's actually funny. I'm looking at the leaderboard now. Jess actually got more lifetime goals than anybody else. It's just that Tim's got all the silvers, so yeah, and Tim's got nine himself. It was so close and both of them would have been extremely well deserving. So what we'll do is actually read out the top well, I was gonna say the top 10. Some of them are actually equal, but they, you know, forget it. Let's read out the top 20 photographers in the flashmasses leaderboard for 2023. So, in first place, we said congratulations to Mr Massache himself all the way from Grand Rapids.
Neil Redfern:Tim Campanon, number two, jeff Tisman, nelson Santos, stefan Pachel, alexander, martin, jesse and Darlene Jackson, andre Caselis, madison Pitcher, which is Nick, and Paul Christoforos Mecanidis apologies for the mispronunciation, I can't even say the word mispronunciation. Christoforos, we love your work. Sandra Miltenburger, kevin Schumake, andy Bolin from Burlap and Oak James Island, kimberly Hill, Martin Hovey, devon Kay, drew Dodd, jennifer Garza, chris Wallace and Jeff and Alicia with Well, well done to everyone. We are honored to have you all in the community. We are so proud of the members that we have and the names we've read out there. That is a ridiculous amount of talent that we have and we could not be prouder.
Helen Williams:Oh, I've now realized as you started reading those hours. I should have made you actually go in reverse order and then get the other Americans listed. That probably won't understand. When you used to listen to the radio and on the Sunday doing the top 40, and they used to say top 20, and then they had the music underneath and you went like in yeah, top 27,. So like a countdown, okay, never mind, all right.
Neil Redfern:No, we're really. We congratulate all of you honestly and I will say, as Helen said, we were away when the the deadline closed and Helen was looking at sorry, when you got back the judges selections and I was looking I said this in the last podcast, but I was looking over your shoulder and I was assuming that we were looking at the winning set of images, but you weren't. We were looking at the images that did not win and, honestly, the quality and the standard of the award winning images is just getting better and better and we're just honoured to be a part of this community, so and it's really not a night.
Helen Williams:The evil side this is an amazing collection. I was like no, these haven't even won yeah. I was just yeah, I was going back through and assigning and checking that I was, I was giving the right photographer the award. But yeah it was incredibly. Yeah, we've got a lot of talent in this group.
Neil Redfern:And obviously what this means, with Tim winning and the competition closing for 2023, is that now the competition reopens, everyone has a clean slate. Everyone's starting again on zero, so there's never been a better time to enter the award. So if you're a member listening, please, please, do enter. Obviously, we know that we're going to win, but I think the process can be really helpful. I would just say there's nothing to lose by entering and if you're not a member, there's never been a better time to join. Yes, because we have just reset the clock, as it were.
Neil Redfern:Plus, we have some really big announcements coming up in flashmasses as well. So we can now announce that, in readiness for the first round closing of 2024, which will be collection 12, I believe, we will have three new leaderboards on the flashmasses website. So we have our overall leaderboard as it exists at the moment, plus individual leaderboards for three separate categories weddings, environmental and studio. So if you're a studio photographer, you're now not just being thrown into the main leaderboard without anybody else. You will have your own leaderboard, likewise for environmental and for weddings as well. So that'll be really nice that we can now have four winners in effect three individual category winners and an overall photographer of the year. So it's going to be really really exciting. Even more exciting, dare I say, in 2024.
Helen Williams:Yes, I would definitely agree, and I've realized there is something and someone that I need to shout very loudly about, because I can't. My mind was absolutely blown.
Neil Redfern:Oh, this is not in the show notes. Oh it is.
Helen Williams:I know it's not, and my arms are flying around going how did I forget this? But a huge, massive congratulations to Nelson Santos. And you might be wondering why. Why are we picking up Nelson?
Neil Redfern:I love Nelson's work.
Helen Williams:We love his work completely. Oh, I know what it is this is what Nelson achieved is redonkulous. I've been chatting to Nelson since we announced the awards and I was like I cannot believe that you did this, but in the last round of the year, Nelson won four gold awards and five silver. That's nine out of 10 images.
Neil Redfern:That's crazy.
Helen Williams:We've never had that before, so he has had the highest seven points. Well done, nelson, we've ever had in a flash masses round with 130 points.
Neil Redfern:That takes some skill to do that. Absolute legend Nine out of 10 images picked up. Awards yeah, but he's good I like said.
Helen Williams:I have spoken to him previously to congratulate him on that and he said oh well, I wanted to finish in the top three and I wanted to finish the year.
Neil Redfern:And he did.
Helen Williams:And he said I just went through a back catalog and threw all my strong ones in and I was like but Nelson, we start again in January, so now you're going to have to, like, get yourself back out there and replicating all the games. He's always best ammo, he's always best ammo in the last round of the year. But yeah, congratulations. We've never, ever had anyone win nine awards in one around. So congratulations, Nelson. That was an incredible achievement.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, and again also, we mentioned all the top 20 award winners there, but a huge thank you just in more in general to every member of the flash masses community for helping to make this community what it is. We're still so new, we've only been going for 16 months, but yet what we've achieved in that time and built together this is a big group effort is really amazing. We could not be proud of to just be a part of it. So huge thank you, not just to the award winners but to every single member, because you have played your part in making flash masses what it is and it's only going to get better as well, because we have these, these big changes coming this year which we'll touch upon saying in this stream. We've got the leaderboards coming, we've got more updates being done.
Neil Redfern:We literally were speaking to the agency today. The website agency was with some more updates and improvements to the website which will be coming soon, which will update you on soon. So it's always evolving, always improving, and we can do that because of you, our members. So thank you.
Helen Williams:Yes, that leads very well back to flashbusters news and what else we've got coming up in the very near future. So, nils, we've covered the leaderboard. We've talked about Tim Campanin winning, which is incredible, but we also have another announcement of another incredible photographer in our midst.
Neil Redfern:We're not going to do the announcement on this. No, well, there is this rumors that we have a new ambassador. Yes, we do. We can't wait to unveil this person, this photographer, but we're not going to do so yet. We maybe we should do actually, yeah, we might just tease in the Facebook group, I think, and maybe invite guesses. Oh, I'm very, very well, obviously I always am, but like, particularly excited because I think this person will surprise people. They are crazy, crazy talented. Let's just say they're an amazing educator as well, and we know they're going to bring a lot to the flashmusters table. So they are going on to a live stream, aren't they?
Helen Williams:Yes, that kind of leads on to the next bit. It's almost like we've planned this bit, Neil.
Neil Redfern:A little bit. There are notes.
Helen Williams:There is a bullet point. But yes, our new ambassador will be coming on for a live stream in the Facebook group in February, so that's really, really exciting. So obviously we'll let you know ahead of time who that new ambassador is. And also, we have two other live streams coming up in January as well, with Rav Scarlet and Ben Connolly. So yes, we've got three live streams already sort of ready to announce. They're there on the website and actually I'm sure last night look at me double checking I added on a fourth which will be with Chris Garback, the incredible founder of Studio Ninja.
Neil Redfern:Yes, excellent that's going to be. That's four streams already in the pipeline for for 2024. And there's going to be many, many more added. So those live streams, we will push them out there on our social media, but you can also check the homepage of the website as well, where we'll be updating that that timetable regularly.
Helen Williams:So, yes, lots coming up in terms of education for our photography and flash in particular, but lots of other things that will be coming up to help us with our businesses too.
Neil Redfern:Very exciting indeed. So, with this being the first podcast of 2024, Helen, do you have any resolutions? What we should have done is gone back to last year's podcast, listen to those resolutions and see if we achieve them. I'm guessing we did not. Likely. I'm guessing that mine would have been to be able to eat food again and also to probably get a better balance. That didn't happen in 2023. So I'm going to keep the same one anyway. If that's what I said I suspect it was then my target for 2023 is to get balanced again, Because obviously I have fingers in different pies, so I'd like to shoot fewer weddings, just be able to devote more time to each of the different pies that I bake in my Business. Often I'm a diggers explanation. What are your resolutions or your plan for 24?
Helen Williams:For 24,. I'm very excited that I will be launching in the next week my mentoring stream. Yeah, you will.
Neil Redfern:Woo-hoo, this is big, this is really big Queer from the person that only a few months ago, was talking about their imposter syndrome. You're now looking to do offer mentoring, and I know that you've had lots of people ask you about this, probably talking you into it, yeah, but I know that you'll love it.
Helen Williams:Yes, as much as it brings fear, because I'm obviously someone who's a perfectionist and someone who will naturally think bad things about myself.
Helen Williams:You know, this is something that I've done previously. I did education right up until COVID and then that hit, and then I've not had time. On the other side, plus, you know, whilst I was a high school teacher, my job was to educate and within that I was mentoring a lot of student teachers who were coming through the school as well. So in terms of mentoring, it's not something new for me or something I've no experience in. It's just something I haven't done for a little while or within the photography community. So, yeah, I'm really excited to get my teeth into that and yeah, it's really nice. I've got a very keen waiting list, and certain people were like please make sure I know first. See, I do promise that in the next week I'm gonna get sort of more information out and start opening signups for that, and then I'm hoping a little bit further down the line, probably only a month or two after that, to be able to start offering one-to-one bespoke shooting days as well.
Neil Redfern:Very exciting, very exciting.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I just think well, it's really nice to have someone to hold you accountable. When I first started my business had a business mentor. And someone who's able to you know, make sure and check in every month and help you sort of plan and review what you're doing is really important.
Helen Williams:Oh, definitely At the same time, I think it would be super beneficial to have one-to-one shooting days where you can, you know, go through and be solely focused on one photographer and what they want to learn how to shoot and improve on and really tailor it to that person. See, yeah, I'm really really looking forward to doing that.
Neil Redfern:I know that's one of the reasons you can do this is because you're now finally. I'm so pleased for you. Well, not quite there yet, but almost almost up to date.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I'm not quite. I haven't got the party poppers out yet.
Neil Redfern:No, but you're closer than you've ever been, I would say, in two years.
Helen Williams:Two and a half years. Yeah, I haven't really been up to date in two and a half years. So, yeah, there's a few more weddings to edit in the pile, but it is small and I just need to get my head down.
Neil Redfern:It's manageable.
Helen Williams:And get those out now, and all of my couples have been fantastic and no one's chasing me or going where's my photos? So? But yeah, I'm really excited to have that weight that has literally sat on my shoulders for the last two and a half years.
Neil Redfern:Oh yeah, I mean it's really difficult and everyone will listen to this. So I assume part of the Vast with Joy's people listening will be photographers. Probably wedding photographers Will understand that, even if your couples aren't chasing you, knowing that you have work in your editing queue that is due or needs to be delivered, it's really hard and it can really weigh on you and when you've had that for such a long time it becomes very stressful and you'll also forget what it's like to not feel stressed about work and trying to make sure that everyone's getting out of the door on time.
Helen Williams:So for you not to have that weight.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, I think it'll be strange for you, but I think you'll also revel in it, and it's only when you have that freedom I think you can really start to build elsewhere, like you say, with your mentoring, because you can't do that when you're constantly looking at this editing queue. It's building all the time. So, yeah, it's really good that you can finally now start to do all the things within your business that I think you're gonna get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I'm wondering if last year I said that I wanted to go back to having my own business mentor or going back to my business and seeing what I wanted to do. Oh, I think you did, and I didn't have that time last year.
Neil Redfern:Yeah.
Helen Williams:But I would like to this year and I think have a mentor for you to have a mentor? Yeah, I think that's great. I would like to have a mentor.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, we all need to have, I think, or have, a way of being accountable. Yeah, you know that's really important because you know I mean you know so well that left our own devices. We just sort of do everything last minute and there's not as much planning involved in our work and our businesses as there should be. And I think that would be different If we did have someone overlooking, overseeing what we were doing. I think we would have more plans in place. So it's a great thing for everybody I'm including me in this definitely to have someone who is just saying okay, where are you up to with this, or what are you up to with that? Because if you don't, then it didn't just slide.
Helen Williams:Yeah, and I know you know you'd be a great mentor yourself, or if you try to mentor me, I'd just be telling you to be boss.
Neil Redfern:Oh no, we could not do it for each other. No, no, no.
Helen Williams:So I would like to as well as start mentoring other photographers, I would I genuinely want to get a mentor for this year Go back to the drawing board and really assess my business, because it's just been a heck of a long time working in it, but I haven't taken that time to step back out and reassess where I want to go when you're on the hamster wheel and you're constantly working.
Neil Redfern:You don't have any headspace to step back and then actually plan and decide if you want to go in a different direction, whatever it is you want to do, because you've got no, you can't. It's just like work, work, work, work. So you need to have that freedom, as it were, to plan. And you've got that. Oh, you will have it very, very soon anyway.
Helen Williams:Yeah.
Neil Redfern:Within the next month, you will be up to date.
Helen Williams:Yeah, and I think it's very important for all photographers and business owners. When you have these down times or if anyone like me and I'm sure there's lots of other people who'd be feeling this who are down on bookings this year, there's a lot of panic that can come around that. However, the time that we have we have to make the most of, and even if we can't fill our diaries for this year, then this gives us a wonderful opportunity to really reassess life, what we want from it, and really start to assess where we are with our business, where we want to take it, and really start putting plans in place. So, yeah, I'm sure there'll be lots of people like myself who are possibly worried about bookings or where business is going to go, because the industry does seem to be taking a little bit of a downward motion at the moment.
Neil Redfern:Well, from what I've spoken to and obviously within the flashback community, my Patreon, just talking to friends that there is a real downturn for 24, there's no doubt about it. So if you are, dare I say, struggling for bookings, not where you want to be at the moment, please don't think it's you. It's not. It's just that we are in a difficult situation at the moment when it comes to wedding photography anyway, and the weddings just aren't all there as much as we would all like to be at the moment. Well, that does not mean you do anything wrong. It just means you need to just sit tight, carry on marketing yourself and things will pick up. But yeah, don't just think that you're doing anything wrong. You're almost probably not doing anything wrong. It's just the way that it is for everyone right now.
Helen Williams:Yeah, it's just trying to find how we can use this time or how to refocus ourselves to make sure that, when weddings come back or there's more buoyancy in the sort of financial market and people feel like they can spend money again, that you've got everything rearing to go and just try to use the time as best you can to improve yourself and your business.
Neil Redfern:I'd also say, though, which, because I agree with what you're saying, but I also think it's also important for people, oh Jill, yeah, genuinely. Yeah, relax guys I think we've just come off two of the busiest years many of us especially those that have been shooting for a long time will have probably ever had. So it is important that you also just take that little bit of time just to breathe.
Helen Williams:You know, I need nothing wrong with that, I don't even know, how to do that no.
Neil Redfern:But if you don't, then you just get back on the hamster wheel again like it causes more issues than it's worth in the future. So I think there is nothing wrong with also Doing nothing. Yeah, relaxing, taking time out, breathing, you know, doing whatever it takes just to mentally just unwind.
Helen Williams:Yeah, we have been through, obviously, some very, very difficult years, and I'll even say that this isn't even on our list of things to talk about today. But we went to see my accountant this morning and even she said you know, we've been through a lot as human beings, we've been through a lot as business owners and for businesses who are still standing now, regardless of how scary times might be. We've been through a wild few years and if we're still standing right now, we should be absolutely thrilled and overjoyed that we've made it.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, be proud, yeah.
Helen Williams:And also to give yourself time to really just come to terms with it and deal with everything that we've been through. You know we went through times where we couldn't work at all and then we had way too much work and we've done nothing but work since. We've come back, and giving ourselves a little bit of time to rest, recuperate and celebrate that we've survived this far is also quite important too.
Neil Redfern:Yep, totally could not agree more. Also, just a completely different tangent. We did have some other Flashmasters news. Oh, we did. This could sound very strange. Oh, what are you wearing?
Helen Williams:Oh, is it my class.
Neil Redfern:For any of the audio With your all audio listeners. That's very strange. What the hell is currently sporting? A very fetching, dare I say it, Flashbastard's hoodie. But unless my eyes you see me, it is not blue.
Helen Williams:No, we have some pink goodies and we have beanie hats.
Neil Redfern:Yes, what more could you ask for?
Helen Williams:Exactly. So we have been sending out or I have in the last day I have been sorting out. I feel like I am like a one woman factory or production line.
Neil Redfern:Yeah you have been doing really well.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I have quite enjoyed it, which I think also really says how like burnt out I am, and anything new is now exciting. Thank you to everyone who has placed orders for their gorgeous new flashbastard's hoodies and beanie hats. They will be making their way to you very, very soon and, while stocks last, anyone who purchases a flashbastard's hoodie is going to get a beanie hat completely free.
Neil Redfern:Oh, amazing. Now we should just say that if you want to purchase anything, there is a link on the website where you can do that. There is not a link to include the beanie hat, but Helen's got to throw it in for the next couple of weeks.
Helen Williams:Yeah, any hooded this order. I'm just going to throw you in a beanie hat too, and they're very nice, very comfortable.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, they are perfect for winter weather. They really are Right. So, helen, at the beginning of the podcast, we mentioned that we both shot a wedding on New Year's Eve. So how was yours? It feels different to shoot a wedding on New Year's Eve, I always feel, because obviously there is the expectation of what's going to happen at midnight and the bill throughout the day. It's weird. I must say this. We've obviously already spoke about it, but, helen, how was your wedding on New Year's Eve?
Helen Williams:It was stupendous Something you told me. I did.
Neil Redfern:I had the best time.
Helen Williams:And, funnily enough, the night before I was terrified, I posted in your Patreon group and I was like there's not actually a point to this post, but I'm feeling really anxious about it.
Neil Redfern:Yeah well, I was similar about mine to a degree that I don't normally feel.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I don't really know why. Is it the extra pressure of just I don't know because it's New Year's Eve? I don't know, but I felt strangely more anxious than normal the day before and, thankfully, everyone in your Patreon are just absolute, like superstar angels. And they're so supportive. They're just the greatest team of cheerleaders. But honestly, as soon as I arrived there, as it happens, I think the more people get to know me I do worry a lot about things, and then, as soon as I get there, I'm absolutely fine.
Neil Redfern:I think it's just due to the fact that anybody who's you know shooting a wedding on New Year's Eve, the likelihood is and hopefully this is the case for everyone that you've just had a week or so of not thinking about photography not thinking about work, completely turning off, spending hopefully again time with your family, with the people that you love, like you say, eating a lot, drinking a lot, staying up, partying all that good stuff and enjoying yourselves.
Neil Redfern:Your mindset completely goes away from how to use a camera. And then when you think, right, oh, you know the next day, because it's also at the time of year, no one knows what day of the week is. It's almost like when is New Year's Eve again Tomorrow? I don't even know. But you then have to snap back really quickly from feeling real relaxed and chilled and fun to work game time, and I think it's that and it's hard to go from one to the other, Whereas if you know, if it's in the middle of the year, where you know it may be a summer wedding, and just on a roll, whereas when you're out of it and then you go, I have to go back in again. It's strange, and I felt the same. I spent ages like charging everything up, making sure that my bags were ready to a degree that I don't normally do. So I totally get where you're coming from.
Helen Williams:Yeah, but as soon as I got there I went straight up to the bridal prep room. There was music on. Mother of the bride was already getting a jig and a dancing on. It was a big Irish wedding, which I absolutely love. And as soon as I walked in the door there was a glass of champagne presented to me and just totally just welcomed with open arms. And I know that I'm very lucky with my couples, that they are very much like me and, because of my marketing and the way that I sell myself, they know what to expect and that I'm going to be me. But yeah, there's just certain times when you really walk into a space and you just feel that everyone in that room is. It's almost like a hug as you walk in and you're kind of part of the team, just from the bride's mom to her sisters and the flower girls.
Helen Williams:Everyone was just on top form, and I said even first thing in the morning, even though I think they were at party the night before as well. They were just on it and having the best time and there's nothing else you could really ask for as a wedding photographer than people having really good fun on a wedding morning, because they're not all like that, let's be honest.
Neil Redfern:No, how was it using the A93 for the first time?
Helen Williams:Oh, I wish.
Neil Redfern:I thought you asked for it, for Father Chris was in you. I was listening back to the last podcast. I mean I'd gone to the toilet when you asked for it. Oh God, I believe Santa said he was going to try and get you an E93, but only if you'd been a good girl. Oh so, but you didn't get one.
Helen Williams:I'd obviously been naughty.
Neil Redfern:Oh, awkward.
Helen Williams:Yeah, I'm on the naughty list.
Neil Redfern:Oh.
Helen Williams:Instead he got me a bike.
Neil Redfern:Yes, yes, he did, but still not been out the box yet.
Helen Williams:No, we were at some point still too busy Now. I didn't use the E93. I was still on my SOTY A9. And one other thing that I'll say, so that you can have a chin rag about yours as well, was that I had someone with me who was there as a lighting assistant. Now I did Thank you Shout out to Andy Fisher as well. Flashmasters.
Neil Redfern:Thank you, Andy.
Helen Williams:Yeah, he was brilliant. I did say the day before, if you want to bring some cameras, because, let's be honest, I've never had someone as a dedicated lighting assistant. I'm not someone who likes delegating, I like control, I like to do everything. Someone trying to help me. My instincts kind of like to punch them, if I'm honest. So I said I want you as my lighting assistant. I'm not sure how good I'm going to be at getting you to do that at all times, so bring some cameras. So then, when you're not doing that, just feel free to second shoot and I'll give you a bit more money.
Helen Williams:Ka-ching, ka-ching indeed, because actually I did use Andy quite a bit as my lighting assistant and I will say one thing that I really enjoyed using, because obviously it went dark super early.
Neil Redfern:I've got to say let's not forget that New Year's Eve in the UK is the middle of winter and it gets dark at about 4pm. Yes, so we don't have much natural light.
Helen Williams:No, and that's like proper dark.
Neil Redfern:Not just a little bit of dark Proper, dark, proper dark, proper dark.
Helen Williams:Proper dark. So when we went out for portraits it was not long before they sat down. We should have been at four o'clock, so we didn't head out until about 20 to four. It kind of almost felt blue-ourish when we started the portraits. But yeah, obviously Andy helped me with that. He was fantastic. We used the mag box as well, which if I didn't have a lighting assistant I wouldn't always use, or I might just think, oh, I'll take a mag sphere and grid, possibly because that's going to be quicker and easier to manoeuvre. But as we went further through the wedding day, so after the wedding breakfast they had a brilliant musician, a musician magician, sam Fitton, good friend, and Sam was there doing magic.
Neil Redfern:And instead of just trying?
Helen Williams:to. I'd usually just put an off-camera flash in the corner, maybe with a sphere or bouncing off the ceiling. I had Andy with a V863 in a mag box.
Neil Redfern:Very cool. So you're shooting documentary with a mag box.
Helen Williams:I shot documentary with a mag box and it was beautiful, but obviously you can tell the difference.
Neil Redfern:How was Andy's arms afterwards?
Helen Williams:Well, I did keep checking, Are you okay, andy? And I'll say I did put the light. I didn't put him with an AD200 in there, he used a speed light as well, and then whenever I could, it's like, have a break, and I did keep checking in, but yeah, it was. The light quality, as we know from a mag box, is amazing, but that's the first time that I've tried to use it for Candid's as well and it was beautiful. So, yeah, I think.
Helen Williams:I am now becoming as I thought that I should, and we both say that we should more inclined to bring lighting assistants to weddings now, oh, without a doubt, especially for winter weddings. Yeah.
Neil Redfern:Yeah, without a doubt, and I had a very similar story at mine. So it was quite stressful for times at mine, not due to anything other than the timings, because, whereas your wedding, I believe, is all in the same place, which can be such a bonus.
Helen Williams:I was so lucky. I was scurrying my flashes away before I went to see the bride, I had it all under control and unfortunately it didn't happen to me my wedding.
Neil Redfern:I started off with bridal prep but the bride was getting ready. Big shout out to Alex and Kyle. They were brilliant and I love their wedding. So Alex got married. You know the venue it's Coy Park in Wales, actually. Just yes, I think you can spit to England from there but even so.
Helen Williams:That's the funny thing. I was in Manchester, I was in your hometown and you were in Wales. There you go. What's all that?
Neil Redfern:about Weird, yeah, so Alex was getting ready. They have like a little cottage. It's literally only a five minute drive from the venue, but it is a drive. So started there, then drove to the main venue, stayed there for a while as then Alex joined me. She put a dress on there, shot the groom as well, but then we went to church. Then we had to leave the church, go straight back to the venue.
Neil Redfern:It was raining on and off and when you have limited light, I thought it was going to be more stressful than it was, because Alex had said to me before oh, I'm going to try and be ready. About half an hour before leaving I thought, yeah, brides say that, don't they? But it rarely happens. It did happen without. She was brilliant, she was really on it and I did say to her like I didn't have to think you'd be able to do this, but you did, and that really, really helped. But in anticipation of how stressful it was going to be, I also asked one of our flashbastards members. So huge thank you to John Hesketh, who was amazing on the day, such a help to me, and I literally couldn't have got the images that I did, were it not for John, because, like you, with Andy, I was very lucky John was amazing during a lot I mean all the day, but especially during the portraits.
Neil Redfern:He lit virtually all my portraits by the same technique, holding a mag box, and it made life so much easier. And I'll be honest, I don't know how I can shoot a wedding on my own now, certainly a winter wedding and do it the same justice, because you can't. You would need longer, everything would be that little bit slower. And the problem is when you know what you can achieve with a lighting assistant or a second shooter who is able to assist you with the lighting. For that time you feel like you're on your couple's disservice, because I think I'm right saying for both of our weddings our couples had not booked a second shooter. We just thought we need somebody there in order to do the best job that we can. Yeah, yeah, and I can't thank Johnny enough. Also, just having somebody there on the day it's a long day just having somebody to chat to, to bounce ideas off, to have banter with it makes it such a difference.
Helen Williams:I'm like you banter on a wedding day. It was constant, you could be such a stress head we were crying, john was cracking up laughing.
Neil Redfern:I'm sure he was my mega bamps. He was like Neil, I didn't know you were this funny. And I was like, oh, john, and then he'd be cracking up again. At one point I thought he was crying because the day was emotional. He said, no, it's your jokes. How good they were.
Neil Redfern:What can I say? Oh, it's all true, it's all true, but no, it was really really good. The whole day was excellent. The dancing was brilliant. I thought it would be being New Year's Eve. There was a lot of dancing and it got better and better as the night went on. Big shout out to the band who I can't remember the name of, but they organized dance-offs and they were. You can imagine people getting more and more drunk. The dance-offs were so, so good. To shoot Use the buckling method, obviously, and I'm really pleased, what I also did for the very first time, a group composite with Flash.
Helen Williams:Oh yes, Welcome to 2023. Slash four yeah, exactly.
Neil Redfern:That's the Flashmasters influence yes, your influence Jeff Chismans, jesse Morrill of the plant, tim Cant, all those people. I look at these images thinking I really want to try that. Again, big thank you to John, because he was brilliant at helping us to pose this, because I was thinking, oh, they're not easy to pose these group composites, are they no? And I'd already got all the basic groups. This was just a bonus shot that we did after the speeches and I said, oh, I'd really like to try something. It's going to be really vogue. And again, I think it was because it's a New Year's Eve wedding. You know that you're going to be there for a long time, so it's almost like it doesn't really matter if we do spend 20 minutes doing this. And it was a bit of an experience for them. I think that we had the whole bridal party up on their own in the library area of Iscoid and, yeah, they're all having a good laugh doing it. But John was really good because I posed them in a quite a basic way and then John was saying, oh, what if you sit like somebody here backwards? Have this person lean this way, and he really made you look cool. So again, thank you, john for all your help.
Neil Redfern:It was a late finish. I think I finished shooting at 1am and, I must say, from start at 10am, finishing at 1am with literally the only time I stopped. The first time I stopped on that day was saying bye to John, and that was about nine half nine, something like that, and I sat in the car for half an hour because I knew that there was no. You know, I didn't need three hours of dancing and the dancing was only going to get better as the night went on. But that was the first time I'd actually stopped and the next day, what you saw, I was a zombie.
Neil Redfern:I was only awake for probably three or four hours of the next day. I need to get a fitter. But yeah, it really wiped me out, but it was a brilliant day and I'm looking forward to editing that one.
Helen Williams:I was so tempted to start going. Zombie, zombie, zombie.
Neil Redfern:Oh, what's that?
Helen Williams:It's just, it's the song zombie. I know I'm having flashbacks because me, my sister and my niece on Christmas day it came on Spotify whilst you were taking your parents home and we had a proper like. The three of us really like belted that out.
Neil Redfern:Anyway, that's a random story. Well, the cranberries, cranberry sauce, oh, yes, that way it was.
Helen Williams:on. Apologies for that random outburst of song.
Neil Redfern:No, no, I enjoyed it, but, yeah, no, I really enjoyed it. Winter weddings are, as they will be listening will know, very, very challenging and again, I know I'm preaching to the converted, I imagine, with the people listening to the podcast, how do you shoot those without flash, without or not even flash, without off-camera lighting? I don't know. No, I've no clue. Because some of the situations I was in and it was no fault of the venues where anyone's put like it, would have been a nightmare.
Helen Williams:And I know that for myself. I shot flash all day. You did yeah.
Neil Redfern:I couldn't use, certainly during the ceremony, because I was in a church and I don't think that's right. But you obviously would have a civil ceremony, so I assume I already know you used flash during the ceremony.
Helen Williams:I did. The only time I didn't use flash was there was a window in bridal prep. Quite often, though, the window was behind them, so I used I set up two flashes either side of the room to fill it in, so it just wasn't just a big highlight behind them, but I was able to shoot using the window light for short portions of bridal prep, but apart from that, the entire day I used flash. So yeah, I don't know how people do in natural light. I'm very pleased that I learned flash.
Neil Redfern:Yep, exactly. So I think we'll draw a line there. So I'd like to say again, on behalf of both of us, huge congratulations to Tim, to Jeff, to Nelson, to all the winners of the Flash Masters Awards for 2023. We are so proud and honoured again to have you in the community and we can't wait to see what you all achieve in 2024. It's going to be really exciting.
Helen Williams:Yes, and if you haven't yet joined us in the Flash Masters community and you're thinking about it, Now is the best time it really is.
Helen Williams:And I will say and we don't tend to push this very much you just go if you want to join us. But seriously, if you don't know much about flash, there is so much education. We are so much more than awards. The awards are just like the little, the cherry on top of the cake, and there's so much more that we do at Flash Masters and including. We have a six hour live stream, or a six hour stream which is an introduction to off camera flash, done by the wonderful Mr Neil Redfern, where he literally goes from the very basics of turning on your flashes, settings to use and how you can use flash within a wedding day, and how he does. There is hours and hours of content. So for those of you who are thinking, oh, do I join, do I not? I'm not very good at flash, yet we have everything that you need to help you improve your flash photography skills.
Neil Redfern:Correct and the important thing and very thank you for saying that and the important thing to remember as well if we don't have something that you think you need, just ask. Yes, we have an amazing Facebook group where you can ask questions and you're getting the advice out of some of the best photographers in the world. So there is no better resource if you are looking to start using off camera flash for the first time. And there's also a reason that we always say community, education, awards, awards is always the last thing that we mentioned when we say those three words, because, as Helen says, awards is not the main thing that we do. It's community and it's education.
Neil Redfern:Please do not look at these incredible images that we've been, you know, and we've been bigging everybody up who's won awards, obviously in this podcast but don't look at them and think that, oh, I can't achieve what they've achieved. So this is all part of me joining Flashmasters. Please use those images as inspiration and know that if you do join Flashmasters, the tools are there for you to also learn and improve and educate yourself so that you, too, can take these incredible images that will wow your clients and grow your business. And if we don't have the content there that you want. Just ask and we'll make it. There is now I don't even know 40, 50 hours of exclusive content and, as we said at the beginning of the podcast, we're adding to that all the time.
Neil Redfern:This month is Ralph Stegale joining us, incredible photographer Ben Connolly, one of the best photographers in Australia, joining us, all to help you improve, and we're only adding more live streams all the time. So, yeah, there's no better time to join, and especially if you do want to enter the awards, as we said, but everyone's now at zero.
Helen Williams:Yes, oh, I can't wait to see who enters this round and sort of where the year takes us. It's really exciting to sort of clear the slate and go right. Let's go.
Neil Redfern:It is. It really is. So remember to keep an eye out for next week's podcast because, again, we will be joined by Flashmasters photographer of the year for 2023, Tim Campanon. So, yeah, if you do want to join us in the Flashmasters community, you can do so at flashmastersco. Thank you so much for listening. Happy new year Again. We wish you all the very, very best for 2024. And we will see you next time.
Helen Williams:Don't forget to keep flashing. Happy new year, everyone. Happy new year.