For Calgary photographers and photographers worldwide, 2020 proved to be a challenging year as much of the world shut down. Like many other wedding photographers, we were suddenly facing cancellations and postponements on a scale we never could have imagined.

With the exception of only one full wedding and one small intimate ceremony, all of our wedding photography bookings were postponed or canceled!! These two weddings also were different in ways we never would have imagined. Guests all sitting a minimum of six feet apart, faces covered in masks, hand sanitizer where signing books used to be…it was surreal.

Amazing Calgary Weddings

What did remain the same though, was the love that our couples had for each other. Large gatherings became small intimate weddings, mothers of the bride still shed a tear, and the look of pride in the eye of the fathers was still obvious. In some ways, the weddings became more special as they became more about the love of the couple than it was about the pizazz of the wedding day. As a wedding photographer and a Calgary photographer in general, it was beautiful to see.

We were still able to do some engagement sessions, and these were made extra special by the new locations we found.

As with any business, adapting to change is critical in keeping a business alive. We certainly were not going to be able to maintain a business photographing one wedding a year. So, we took this opportunity to branch out in some directions we had been thinking about for some time.

Calgary Sports Photography

First, we opened our composite sports photography division. This was a niche we had been considering for some time. We begin by photographing the client on a green screen in several poses and from various angles. Utilizing special software we extract the photo of the client from the green background.

This is where the post-processing magic begins. We utilize several different pieces of software to begin layering in all the various elements to create our photo. Stadium seating, smoke, lightning, and smoke are only some of the elements we can add in. From there we begin adjusting the lighting, colors, and shadows on every element so that they fit together seamlessly.

These composite photographs however are not just for student athletes. Imagine being transported into your favorite book or video game. If you have an idea, let us know and we can see what we can do to make it happen for you. While we refer to it as Calgary Sports Photography, we will take any interest you may have and turn it into an eye-catching photograph specially created just for you

Calgary Product Photographer

Another field we had been thinking about is Product Photography. This specialized photography field is extremely broad, to say the least. From photographing small intricate pieces of jewelry to large industrial equipment. As a Calgary photographer, it is an interesting field as you get to deal with a wide variety of products and industries.

We have started offering photography services that include photographing products specifically for Amazon products. These are photographed in a specialized light box to provide a pure white background. They are then touched up to remove any dust spots and to ensure that every detail is perfect. Infographics and text can also be overlaid onto the photograph to highlight any special features that the product may have.

We also began offering composite advertising product photography where several images are layered together to create a specific image. We will photography the product itself and then layer in various elements to create a specific look. Layering in paint splashes, light smoke, or other other elements help create the look that our clients are after. We then adjust colors, lighting, and shadows on all the elements so that they all come together into one seamless image.

Kindergarten Graduation Photographer

Finally, we began doing preschool and kindergarten graduation photography. These short sessions were an absolute hit as we gifted each ‘graduate’ with a proper graduation cap and customized diploma. The 15-minute outdoor sessions included poses standing, sitting, with signage, and even throwing the graduation hat into the air.

We have expanded our sessions this year to include online bookings through our website, full cap, and gown purchase, and indoor and outdoor options. These sessions were a ton of fun and we got to meet so many amazing families as they celebrated their child’s graduation.

All New Website and Hosting Service

We moved to an all new hosting service which resulted in us creating an all new website. While the initial reason to move was a drastic escalation in costs, our new service is full of great new features we are sure you will love.

Whether it is working as a wedding photographer, doing product photography, or delivering one-of-a-kind sports photography, we have to be able to get our photos to our clients. Our new website allows us to fully customize any page or section that we like. We are now able to create a customized online booking, online quote requests and provide tons of information about us and our photography services.

Our client galleries have also been moved to a new vendor which allow us to create far more beautiful galleries as well as provide all our clients with complimentary mobile apps. These mobile apps install on your mobile device, such as phone or tablet, and allowing viewing of your gallery. The benefit of these is that you can send the app to your friends and family to allow them to view your photos with the the protection of them not being able to download the photos from the app.

Best of all, these new galleries and apps are available to all our family photography, wedding photography, product photography, and sports photography clients at no extra cost.

New Lighting Equipment

As we use a significant number of lights and lighting modifiers to achieve our style, we are constantly upgrading equipment. This past year was no exception as said good-bye to some old equipment and replaced it with newer and more modern lighting equipment. Although many Calgary wedding photographers pride themselves on being natural light photographers, meaning they don’t use any flash, we are the opposite.

The using of flash equipment opens up many doors on opportunities you can not achieve otherwise. You have ability to adjust your lighting to simply fill in shadows, or to literally turn daytime into nighttime.

With our sports photography and product photography divisions, quality professional lighting is an absolute must. Without it, we could not even begin to offer quality services in these specialized niches.

New Wedding Vendors

We were also introduced to three new wedding vendors this past year. All three are truly amazing and we feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work with them.

Ethereal Events – Calgary wedding and event planning

In This Moment – Calgary wedding and event planning

Willow Flower Co. – Canmore Florist

As you can see, even though 2020 brought some new challenges with it, we also made some incredible advancements. The long awaited opening of our sports photography and product photography divisions, new equipment, new vendors, and new clients helped bring joy to this year.

We wish everyone love and happiness as spring starts here in Calgary. We hope that we get to meet many more new people on one of our many adventures. As a Calgary photographer, we want to be able to provide professional service to all our clients regardless of their photographic requirements. Call us anytime to discuss any project you may need photographic assistance with.

Calgary Photographer

Calgary Wedding Photographer

Calgary Product Photographer

Calgary Sports Photographer

Patton Photography is a professional photography studio based out of Calgary, Alberta. Our signature style offers a clean and modern look to your photographs while maintaining a look that is romantic and whimsical. Contact us anytime to sit down over coffee for a stress-free conversation.