Prague Event Photography: Year of the Panda

There’s probably not a Year of the Panda in the Chinese calendar, but maybe there should be.  A panda is much more lovable than a rat or a snake.  Plus, a rat passing out toys and Chinese gifts on the streets of Prague would probably have a tough day of it to say the least.

On a warm day last summer in Prague, a promotional organization from China held a gala event to promote tourism and business travel between Czech Republic and China.  I covered the photography for the outdoor event while my partner-in-photography (and lovely wife) covered the convention setup over in Žofín Palace.

The day began with some costumed actors passing out Chinese gifts to passersby in the Prague Old Town Square.  While you might see hordes of tourists standing about gawping at the Astrological Clock or touts peddling their weary wares, a 6 foot tall panda and an elegant woman in traditional Chinese dance theater costume might seem a bit out of place.  But the international crowd warmed to them and was happy to enjoy their exotic show.

Eventually, the hot and tired actor shed his panda costume while the Chinese dancer handed him her fan to cool off. We then packed up to head over to catch the main event at Palác Žofín.

In addition to the usual event speeches and presentations, there were various cultural exhibits from China, including calligraphy and paper cutting.

A lot goes into creating a commercial event in Prague or Berlin, so when you need a professional photographer to capture it all in images, be sure to contact me for a quote for your next commercial event. Whether you need one or two photographers, we've got you covered.  We look forward to working with you!

Craig Robinson has over 20 years of professional photography experience in Prague, Czech Republic, Berlin, Germany and beyond.  Please feel free to contact the photographer  for a quote today.

A Romantic Proposal in Prague

Karen had a big surprise planned for Ashley in Prague.  Karen had contacted me to take her and Ashley on a 'photo tour' of Prague's most beautiful sites.  I am already the perfect Prague tour guide, since I have photographed hundreds of happy people on the streets of Prague.

The planning went on via email for months before the Big Day.  We wanted everything to be perfect.  Even the big Prague flood waters of the week before had subsided just in time, just for us.

The same torrential rains which had caused the Prague flood were threatening to rain on our parade.  I assured them that in more than 10 years of doing photography in Prague, I have never had it rain on me and my clients.  As the rain clouds moved in and a few drops started to test my boast, I began staring at the sky and busting those clouds with my mind.  Y'know, cloud busting.  Like Clooney in that movie.

It seemed to work; the rain was held at bay. Contrary to popular belief, bright sun is NOT the best lighting  for portraits, as you get squinty eyes, hard shadows and washed out backdrops.

We began our 'photo tour' at Vrtbovska Zahrada (Vrtba Gardens) in Mala Strana, the Castle quarter of Prague.  These hidden gardens are a must see for anyone wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Prague tourist season--almost nobody knows about these beautiful gardens.  You can literally walk right by the small stone archway which enters the park.
 

Inside the terraced gardens, we climbed the steps to experience one of the most incredible views of Prague.  Often the best kept secrets of Prague are just off the beaten path.


John Lennon holds special meaning to Karen and Ashley; so much so that they had applied a piece of poster art to the John Lennon Wall in the middle of the night.  The next day as we strolled by for photos, we noticed that it had become the centerpiece of the wall and a big attraction for tourists.  They were lining up for photos.

Next we took some photos around the Charles Bridge.  Rather than spending too much time walking on the crowded bridge, we took some fun and playful shots on the steps and along the river front.

 

As we were taking our photos, a string quartet  began playing beneath the bridge  and it was time for the Big Surprise: Karen popped the question. On bended knee with a beautiful musical backdrop, Karen proposed to Ashley.

It was simply the most romantic moment I have ever witnessed.

Top Gun Part Dva

Air Show Photography in the Czech Republic

That song ‘Highway to the Danger Zone’ from the movie ‘Top Gun’ MIGHT have been running through my mind as I approached Časlav Air Base, an hour by train from Prague.  But I hate that song, so it wasn’t.

My mission (I chose to accept it):  travel from Berlin to Prague to Časlav to take detail photographs of one of their more popular jet fighters and send them back to the States for analysis and study.

The plane in question was fenced off—as is customary at these open day, public air shows on military bases.  This is part of my photography mission that proves most interesting:  convincing military personnel that it is okay for me to take hundreds of detail shots of one of their most expensive pieces of military hardware.  Naturally, the soldier at the fence asked me ‘why?’

Fortunately, I had the mission brief with me.  It clearly showed my employer, a model airplane builder in the States, his unfinished model of the jetfighter, and a shot list.  Once I went through the list with the soldier and convinced him I was not a spy on a secret mission to steal precious Czech Air Force secrets, he lifted the gate and let me in.

I proceeded to take my shots; hundreds of detail shots were needed for authenticity in the highly competitive model airplane show circuit.   None of the jetfighter detail shots are pictured here, as they are of no particular artistic merit.  Plus the Czech government might get nervous.

As a professional commercial photographer who covers Germany and the Czech Republic, I often take on jobs other than my usual event/portrait/wedding mainstays. Often I take technical photos of factories, buildings and industrial processes.  Some jobs are more artistic than others.  I don’t mind.  I love what I do and that I get to travel to do it.  And the variety of jobs I’m hired to do is nice as well.

As a portrait photographer I spend most of my time capturing images of people, couples, lifestyle and environmental portraits for many purposes.  So naturally I couldn’t refuse the urge to take a few shots of the people at the air show. A soldier handing a rocket launcher to a small child is something you don’t see every day (in Europe at least).  A plane flipping through the air with loops of smoke standing out against an approaching rain cloud is something else I don’t get to photograph every day.

A Garden Wedding in Prague

S and C recently got married in the garden of Kempinsky Hotel, Prague.  Since they live in Prague, they decided to avoid the crowded tourist monuments in favor of a more intimate setting.  The garden of the hotel is a huge, lush, green wide open courtyard space behind the hotel and it was the perfect setting for their wedding.

Small children are also a big part of a wedding:  the cute little suits and hats they wear, their patience and best behavior put on just for the day.  I capture the big and small moments of a wedding to show the emotions and overall mood of the day.  A blog doesn't have the space for every wedding photo, but you can get a good idea of my casual, relaxed wedding portrait style as well as my wedding documentary photography in Prague and beyond on my website.



Thanks for taking the time to view my photography.  I hope you enjoyed viewing my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.  And please feel free to leave a comment!

- Craig Robinson

Good Golly, Miss Brolly!

Being from California, I probably have no business using the British slang term for umbrella; and the Texan couple I photographed in Prague last weekend probably wouldn’t know a brolly from a jolly rancher—but hey, I like rhymes.  Or Little Richard.  One of those.

Many couples have hired me for their pre-wedding and engagement portraits in Prague, but few have brought their own umbrellas to the photo shoot.  An umbrella makes a good prop because it is classy, elegant and has nice lines and shapes.  It adds a wide, round shape to the square photo frame, its colors compliment clothing and it is also translucent—which lets the light play.  In addition to capturing emotions and moods, we photographers are playing with light.

It was a very bright, sunny and warm June morning in Prague when Jennifer, Brandon and I set off on foot from their hotel, the Hotel Hoffmeister, situated just below Prague Castle near Malostranska Metro.  From there, we were free to walk through Mala Strana (Little Quarter), or the Castle side of the Charles Bridge.  Many couples like to have their engagement or wedding photos near Charles Bridge, and I have the perfect locations in mind to get the best scenes for a romantic portrait shoot in Prague.  At 10 am the tourist throng was already thickening, but I know the perfect spots to avoid the worst of the crowds—yet still get some amazing shots of most of Prague’s most beautiful sites.

 

From the banks of the River Vltava, the Charles Bridge spans the river and makes a perfect backdrop.  I also took the couple through Prague Castle and one of the Castle gardens which has yet to be overly visited by tourists.  In the summer time, knowing the best places to work with minimal disturbance is a key to getting natural, relaxed portraits outdoors.

I generally avoid the Old Town Square in the heart of the summer due to the mass of people who are either clamoring to get a glimpse of the Astronomical Clock or dining in one of the many seats outside the Square’s bars and restaurants.  However, I still know a few tricks to eliminate people from appearing in the background of the photos.  One of my tricks is to get a low angle by sitting on the ground and shooting upward toward the subjects; this cuts the tourists out of the scene while leaving the breathtaking rooftops of the Prague architecture.  Add a blue sky and, well, Bob’s your uncle.

To book your pre-wedding/engagement portraits in Prague, contact me here.  I look forward to working with you!

New Year, New Website

Winter is the time I'm normally catching up on my website work.  Traditionally this has been a time to add the hottest new photos of the past year, and remove some of the photos wherein the people are wearing bell bottoms and Elvis sideburns.  This time around, I'm pleased to announce my entirely new website and domain, a two-in-one jobby which combines praguephotographer.net and berlinphotographer.net into one elegant-yet-simple place:  crphotographer.com.  This time around I am fully designing the site from scratch--no more templates.  I have been learning so much about web design these past years, that I have even designed a site or two as side projects.

I am still based in Berlin and commuting to Prague for winter weddings, portraits and events.  But rather than work on two websites individually, I've decided on one main site where you can see the best work I've done in Europe over the past few years in easy-to-view slideshows.  I've put a lot of time and effort into this new site, so if you happen to find this blog, please check out my new site and let me know what you think.  I am adding to it daily now, so it should be out of beta and into alpha (or is it charlie?) in no time.

As usual, I am available for event photography, weddings, and portraits anywhere in Europe.  Contact me for a quote for your photography project today.  And happy new year!

Prague Photo Tours

I would like to formally announce my Prague Photography Lesson Tours.

These 6 hour tours of Prague will take place in the most beautiful locations in Prague.  During your tour, you will receive personal guidance in the use of your camera by Craig Robinson, a freelance photographer with over 15 years of professional experience in the U.S. and Europe.


If you would like a professional photographer to guide your tour of Prague with hands-on assistance and guidance to improve your photography skills, please contact me through my website today!
I offer group discounts as well:  the first person is 3000 CZK, each additional person is only 1500 CZK!


MORE INFORMATION

Ultimate Laziness, Theft and Snakery In The Grass

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to posting on this blog.  I'll admit it, I'm one of those photographers whose real joy ends after I capture the images and present them to my happy clients.  After that, all this bloggery, web mastery, and cyber-tom-foolery is just a menial waste of my time.  I hate the very non-creative chores required to market and get my message out.  Let's just say I'm 80% creative, 20% businessman.  That's why you've never heard of me.  ;)  I have several blogs to maintain and a few websites to boot.  I've been shooting a low-to-average amount in Berlin and Prague recently.  One day I'll post more of my shoots.

But when I find out that someone has been stealing my old blog posts and posting them on THEIR photography website, well, that there is the ultimate laziness.  I know, nobody can write a photo blog as good as me and everyone wants a piece of my juicy words (heh), but REALLY?  Stealing my words?

Shame on you, George Troup Photography, you snake in the grass you.  Give me satisfaction, or money, you plagiarist fiend!

Here's my original post, plus a comment with a link to this sad sack o' dookie:

http://praguephotographer.blogspot.com/2009/08/keep-uncle-bob-away-from-your-wedding.html

Another Winter Wedding

Igor and Elena came from Israel to Prague for their winter wedding because they wanted something a little different.  After a brief ceremony in a small town outside of Prague, we had the rest of the day to take advantage of some fresh snow which had just fallen overnight.

With winter weddings, it's always best to spend an equal amount of time indoors and outdoors--especially when temperatures are below freezing!  With the cooperation of the friendly staff at the Hotel Savoy, we made full use of their lovely facilities for the indoor portrait session.  Afterward, we headed out into the sparkling snow for some bright white wedding pictures. The trees were frosty and the open spaces of Vyšehrad were the perfect setting for some winter magic.

Of course whenever I photograph a wedding in winter, I take care to keep the couple warm and happy with occasional tea and coffee breaks.  Fortunately, Vyšehrad has a charming little restaurant on the grounds for us to have a warm up break.

We had fun walking around the non-touristy side of Prague.  Vyšehrad is one of my favorite spots year round for the perfect portrait shoot:  it is the original fortress settlement of Prague, and ruins from the last millennium dot the site, as well as buildings added over the centuries.  Heroic statues loom large over a massive expanse of park lanes and trees, all overlooked by the impressive Neo-Gothic church of St. Peter and St. Paul.

To book your winter wedding photo session (wedding or pre-wedding engagement photography) in Prague, please contact me.

My Working Method: Fun!

The way a photographer works with you is as important as the quality of the photographs themselves.  I strive to make your photo shoot fun!  I am easy-going, flexible and professional.  I do not pose you in awkward, uncomfortable poses for hours.  Instead, I arrange scenes of beauty and harmony which allow you to relax and enjoy your photography.  I use a light touch when suggesting the best poses for portraits and I’m open to any suggestions you have.  Did you see a great shot in a magazine and you want to duplicate that?  No problem.  Are you new in town and have absolutely no idea where to get the best shots?  You can trust me to take you to the best locations and give you the best results you can imagine.

There are many things in my camera bag besides the gear.   Sensitivity:  a photographer needs to be sensitive to the client’s needs and wishes.  Humor:  a good sense of humor is a must; how else do you get natural smiles?  Experience:  the newest camera in town cannot beat a good eye and seasoned professional training.  I don’t buy a new camera every six months because it is a waste of money.  Camera technology is leveling off and more mega pixels won’t give you a better shot.  It’s the eye behind the camera itself.  But you can rest assured that I have all the tools necessary to get the job done and I upgrade my gear yearly.

On your wedding day I am unobtrusive and capture each moment of your special day with out getting in your way.  During your portrait shoot you will have fun and the time will fly faster than you can imagine.  I strive to make the best pictures you have ever seen and I want you to enjoy the process.  During the shoot I always ask if my clients are having fun.

And the answer is always an enthusiastic “YES!!!”

Please contact me to schedule your portrait session today!

Family Portraits in Prague

It was a lovely day in Prague when I photographed the Mycroft family in Kralovsky Letohradek last Saturday.  Taking natural, relaxed portraits in beautiful surroundings is one of my specialties and I was more than happy to work with this lovely family.  The children were quite young, but that didn't stop them from having fun playing and laughing with Mom and Dad.  Keeping the attention of small children is no easy task, but I am lucky that I have a way with children.  This makes the job that much more fun for everyone involved.  I'll just let the family's own words tell the rest of the story:

"Craig recently did a photo session with my family (me, husband and our 11month old twins). He was great, really friendly and personable. He kept our twins entertained for the whole 3 hours. He is professional and reliable. He got the photos to us the same day. What can I say about the photographs....amazing! He took over 200 and there are just too many to choose from. He captured our twins personalities perfectly - they are truly wonderful. I couldn't be happier. I will be using him again when our twins are older and I will be passing his name onto any friends who want photos taken of their children."

More reviews of Craig Robinson Photography on expats.cz.


For more information on family portraits in Prague, please contact me.

Discounts on All Wedding and Portrait Packages !!!

I understand the budget concerns of the average couple these days.  And in response to several requests from my clients to lower my prices, I am announcing my permanent discounts on wedding and pre-wedding portraits in Prague!  You can now enjoy the same discounts offered in my off season--up to 20% off regular low prices--all year round!

Advance booking is required.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or to reserve your booking for a certain date.

Off Season Photography Discount Extended!

For couples who wish to get married in Prague or have their pre-wedding portraits taken in Prague, I have great news!! My Off-Season Discount has been extended until the end of May! Previously my low season discount ran from October 1 through April 30 of the following year. Now it will run permanently from October 1 through May 31 every year!

Several clients have expressed their budget concerns due to the higher costs of having their wedding or portraits taken in Prague. While the rest of the world seems to still be adversely effected by the global economic situation, Prague seems to live inside a bubble of prosperity: tourists flock to Prague in droves, investors throw the dice and keep winning, and the Czech currency is one of the strongest in Europe. But this doesn’t mean you have to cancel your dream wedding in Prague!

From now until the end of May, simply book my services for any of my wedding and wedding portrait packages in Prague and receive a discount of up to 20% off my regular low prices!

For details and prices of my wedding photography packages, please contact me today.

Choosing a Wedding Coordinator in Prague

I have worked with many wedding coordinators in Prague and I feel confident in recommending Thelma and Monika of Prague Wedding Planners. They are the most professional, courteous, friendly and fun wedding coordinators I have worked with over the past 10 years in Prague.  They have a genuine passion for what they do and they will go well beyond the call of duty to ensure you have a perfect wedding day.

When you are planning your wedding in Prague, many factors need to be considered.

Where to get married?

Do you have a dream of getting married in a lavish Gothic castle in the Czech countryside?  The famous Czech castle Karlstejn is the perfect fairy tale dream castle wedding, and as such, is very popular and quite difficult to arrange for weddings.  But Prague Wedding Planners can hook you up.  They organize many weddings in Karlstejn and other beautiful Czech castles and they know what they are doing.  They are also the best choice for the most popular Prague wedding sites like the Old Town Hall.

Karlstejn Castle

A Civil Service or a Church wedding?

As a foreigner getting married in Prague, there is often a lot of red tape and bureaucracy for you to work through.  Prague Wedding Planners take on all of this for you and they deal with the mundane details of forms and paperwork so you can concentrate on the most important part of your wedding day:  having fun!

Wedding Photography

Well, as a wedding photographer, obviously I'm a little biased on this point.  These days it is common to choose a wedding coordinator and a wedding photographer separately.  Most of my clients have told me that wedding photography is one of the most important parts of the wedding day.  And so they wanted to see a full website of photography from the best Prague photographers.  It is quite acceptable to hire a quality wedding coordinator to help you plan the most important day of your life and then choose your own photographer. I feel confident in recommending Thelma and Monika to plan your dream wedding in the Czech Republic. They are tops!

P.S. Tell them Craig Robinson sent you!

A Winter Wedding in Prague

In early February I had the pleasure of photographing Natalie and Levi’s Winter Wedding in Prague. Prague is amazingly beautiful year round, but when the fresh snow sits on the cobbled streets of Old Town Prague and dots the red rooftops of the Castle Quarter, you have the recipe for a picture perfect fairy tale wedding.

Prague can be very cold in winter and so whenever I photograph outdoors we always take precautions to keep us warm. This means wearing overcoats over the wedding clothes (which are taken off briefly for portraits and then quickly donned again) and frequent Cappuccino breaks. Fortunately for us there are cafes everywhere in Prague happy to pour steaming hot coffee and tea into us to keep our cheeks rosy and the smiles from cracking our faces.

Normally when I photograph winter weddings the couple doesn’t want to stray too far from the reception venue, but Natalie and Levi were real troopers and didn’t mind strolling for hours in the snow. Levi is in the military and Natalie is Canadian, so they weren’t afraid of a little snow. They wanted a full day of portraits between their ceremony in Old Town’s Tyn Church and their reception. And in true winter spirit, they BOTH wore all white wedding clothes! The sheer vivid brightness of the Prague snow and the happy couple’s white clothing may require you to wear shades while viewing!

We covered the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and Vyšehrad, Prague’s forgotten castle. Vyšehrad is one of my favorite locations in Prague because it is off the beaten path and has very few tourists. It also has fantastic sprawling gardens and statues, an old cathedral and a stunning view of Prague. I am happy to share my love of Vyšehrad with my more adventurous couples; and they love the photo results as well.

For more information on Prague winter wedding photography including my current winter wedding discounts, please visit my website.

A Little Fun

"PIMP MY BRIDE"

A parody on the MTV series 'Pimp My Ride' about radical car customization.

While I'm a serious wedding photographer who displays the utmost professionalism and respect while working, I still think the following video is funny (and you may as well):

Keep Uncle Bob Away from Your Wedding Photography!!!!!

I realize we are all under pressure from The Global Crisis, Inc. (hereafter referred to as ‘the Global Thingy’) and that we all must cut corners. I also recognize that a lot of my work falls under the category of ‘luxury services’, i.e. ‘not bread and butter necessities.’ However, people will continue to get married and they will continue to want photographs of their wedding.

But if I read one more email from a client who got cold feet and decided to have a family member take their wedding photos—I’m gonna give up my 15 year career as a photographer and become a florist or a baker. At least THOSE craftspeople are still doing a brisk trade at weddings—and people respect their work. Yes, Uncle Bob got a fancy shmancy new Canon digital recently. Yes, he took some photos of his trip to Thailand and most of them were in focus. But UNCLE BOB MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT PHOTOS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EVEN OF YOUR LIFE.

‘Why not?’ Well, probably for the same reason that if I suddenly got a Baker’s Super Duper French Oven, I most certainly will not be able to give you a five-tiered wedding cake with all the flowers and icing and cute little skating bride-n-groom figurines. I’m pretty sure you’d get a soggy cupcake. The same goes if I were to get a stack of flowers and chop ‘em and mix ‘em and stick ‘em in a bucket for you. Et voila, le fleurs du wedding. Right.

This post is not a plea for your wedding photo dollars in a tough Global Thingy world. I get by alright. This is a plea for respect for the Arts. The first thing on the chopping block in every recession is the Arts. It is also an urgent request for you to respect your wedding day. The cake will be consumed in 4.5 – 20.5 minutes, depending on the size of the cake and the crowd. The flowers will wilt in 12 – 24 hours, depending on the amount of lacquer applied to the petals.

But the wedding photos are forever, baby. If you let a drunken Uncle with a new camera trample through your wedding, you may regret it for the rest of your life. Especially if you value the fine art of photography and the wonderful magic it can provide you. But if you are one of the growing number of victims of the Global Thingy who regard photography as something anyone with an expensive camera can do, then I am saddened. Of course, I should get used to the idea that those people may be right. If so, I’d better get myself a fancy shmancy French bakery oven and get some blueprints for the five-tiered wedding cake. I mean, how hard can it be? Flour, water, sugar and a hot oven, right?