Wedding Storyteller, Volume 1: Elevating the Approach to Photographing Wedding Stories

504 Pages·2017·53.88 MB·English

by  Roberto Valenzuela

ROBERTO VALENZUELA
WEDDING
STORYTELLER
V 1
OLUME
E A P W S
LEVATING THE PPROACH TO HOTOGRAPHING EDDING TORIES
WEDDING STORYTELLER
Volume 1: Elevating the Approach to Photographing Wedding Stories
Roberto Valenzuela
www.robertovalenzuela.com
Editors: Christina Borchers Leung and Ted Waitt Project manager: Lisa Brazieal
Marketing coordinator: Mercedes Murray Interior design, layout, and type: WolfsonDesign Cover
design: Rebecca Cowlin
Cover photograph: Roberto Valenzuela Cover photo editor: Rocco Ancora
Author photograph (back cover flap and About the Author page): Frances Lacuzzi Indexer: James
Minkin
ISBN: 978-1-68198-186-4
1st Edition (1st printing, August 2017) © 2017 Roberto Valenzuela
All images © Roberto Valenzuela unless otherwise noted Rocky Nook Inc.
1010 B Street, Suite 350
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA
www.rockynook.com
Distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services Distributed in the UK and Europe by
Publishers Group UK
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016941043
All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.
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with this book.
While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Printed in Canada
To my precious wife and partner in life, Kim.
I will always hold dear to my heart all the long walks holding hands we
went on every night together to discuss and brainstorm each chapter of
this book. Our “short” walks unexpectedly turned into five or more miles.
But I enjoyed every step because we were together. I love you so much!
To my son, Lucas.
As I write this dedication, you are only 24 weeks in the womb. Every day
that goes by, your mom and I talk to you in the womb and tell you how
excited we are to meet you! I’m also playing classical guitar for you
because your ears have just developed. I hope you can hear me!
To Mutti.
Mom, I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You will always motivate me
to do great things because I just want to make you proud. I love you Mom!

In Memoriam
To my best friend, Dustin Jones. Dustin had the single largest impact on my
life growing up when he introduced me to classical guitar during high
school. After that, my life was changed forever. Music got me through the
roughest times in my life, and it allowed me to pay for college by teaching
guitar lessons. Dustin always shared how proud he was of me. Those
words meant a lot to me. Dustin was and always will be the purest form of
friendship I will ever have. Dustin passed away during the writing of this
book. I lost my best friend, and the world lost a beautiful soul.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to begin by thanking the great people who made this book
happen. Thank you to Scott Cowlin and Ted Waitt! Our working
relationship and friendship keeps growing stronger and stronger. You both
inspire me to push myself harder and come up with new, innovative ideas.
Couldn’t ask for a better team! I consider you both great friends.
A heartfelt thank you to my family for their love and support. My mom, my
big brother Antonio, my sister Blanca, my little sister Susana, and my new
awesome brother-in-law Daniel Yu. I would also like to thank my brother-
in-law Kent (Pastor of the Bridge Church in Gilbert, Arizona) for always
being a great listener and advisor in personal and business matters, and
for being the best pastor anywhere! I thank my awesome nephew Ethan
who has exceeded all expectations this year! I’m so proud of you, Ethan,
for your amazing grades, your discipline in cross country and track, your
guitar and drum playing, and most of all, for being a good person! To my
little nephew Caleb, you are growing so fast! And to my amazing and
super intelligent ballerina niece Ellie. I will always say, you are a soldier in
a tutu.
To my mother-in-law Christina: You did it again Christina! I know this
book was especially tough, but your dedication and love for the English
language has made this book a true pleasure to read. I can’t thank you
enough for spending countless hours meticulously editing every chapter of
this book. I love how this book project is as important to you as it is to
me. I also want to thank my father-in-law Peter for always being there for
me. Peter actually provided me with my very first copy of Photoshop as a
gift, and it ignited my passion for photography. I am lucky to have you as
my in-laws! To Amy, Sarah, and her husband Neal, who were among the
very first subjects I photographed. They patiently allowed me to do many
practice photo shoots with them to help me improve my skills as a new
photographer. Thanks to my cute little niece Alexandra. I love you so
much! You are so fun and full of life! To Wendy Wong, for always being so
supportive of my career and all my endeavors. I also thank you for your
honorable interest in my books even though you are not a photographer.
You read every book I write, and I can’t tell you how amazing that feels.
Thank you!
To Arlene Evans: Arlene, just like Bill Hurter you believed in my career
and in me. Thank you for being my Jewish mother! I am grateful to you
every time I stand in front of a podium to teach a class anywhere in the
world.
To Dan Willens: I will always be thankful for how supportive you are of my
family and career! I will never forget how excited you were over the phone
when you first heard the news about my son Lucas. I look up to you, Dan,
because you are a true gentleman and treat everyone with the upmost
respect. I hope to follow in your business footsteps soon.
To all my wonderful friends in the photography industry around the world.
You keep me motivated and encouraged every year. I would like to
especially thank the following people, listed in alphabetical order: Rocco
Ancora, Jimmy Arroyo, Roy Aschen, Ado Bader, Jared Bauman, Michele
Celentano, Joe Cogliandro, Skip Cohen, Blair DeLaubenfels, Dina Douglas,
Andreina Duven, Marian Duven, Luke Edmonson, David Edmonson, Amy
Feldman, Andrew Funderburg, Dave Gallegher, Jerry Ghionis, Melissa
Ghionis, Rob Greer, Cami Grudzinski, Eric Joseph, Scott Kelby, Colin
King, Gary Kordan, Paul Neal, Maureen Neises, Vicky Papas-Vergara,
Collin Pierson, Andre Plummer, Ryan Schembri, Sara Todd, Justine
Ungaro, Christy Webber, Lauren Wendle, Tanya Wilson.
To my good friends at Canon USA: Len Musmeci, Dan Neri, Mike Larson.
You guys have been a real pleasure to work with. Being a Canon Explorer
of Light is and will always be a great honor to me. Thank you for all that
you do for the betterment of this wonderful industry. Dan, special thanks
for your always encouraging words before I go on the Canon Main Stage!
You sure know how to inspire someone through your eloquent pep talks.
Love you man!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer based in Beverly Hills, California.
He has been honored by Canon USA as one of the few chosen
photographers to be part of their prestigious Canon Explorers of Light
program.
Roberto developed his unique teaching style by following the same
practice regimen he developed as a professional concert classical guitarist
and educator before becoming a photographer. Roberto believes that it is
not talent but deliberate practice that is at the core of skill and
achievement. He has traveled to every corner of the world motivating
photographers to practice and break down the various elements of
photography in order to master them through goal-setting, self-training,
and constant dedication.
Roberto serves as a chair and judge for some of the largest photographic
print competitions in Europe, Mexico, South America, and the most
celebrated international photography competitions held in the United
States through Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI)
in Las Vegas, NV.
Roberto teaches private workshops, seminars, and platform classes for the
largest photography conventions in the world. He has been an
international first-place winner three times and has been nominated by
his peers as one of the ten most influential photographers and educators
in the world. His first book, Picture Perfect Practice, quickly became the
#1 bestseller in the wedding photography book category. His second and
third books, Picture Perfect Posing and Picture Perfect Lighting, have also
joined the ranks of their predecessor as international bestsellers.
Roberto’s books have been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish,
Indonesian, and German, to name just a few, and they are sold in
bookstores worldwide.
Aside from the world of photography, Roberto enjoys piloting high-
performance remote-control helicopters. He is a (not so good anymore)
classical guitarist and a table tennis fanatic, always on the lookout for a
good challenge.