Fantastic Elopement and Wedding Photos Every Time

[00:00:00] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: ​ Today I'm chatting with Martina and if you want to learn more about Martina and see their work, you can go to the show notes for this episode and you'll have a whole big introduction to Martina and also a link to their website there. [00:00:37] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So definitely check that out now. Hello Martina. How are you? [00:00:42] Martina Lanotte: Hello. Thank you for having me. I'm great. How are you doing? [00:00:46] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I am, I am doing great. I'm doing great. as we were just discussing, I'm a year older and a year wiser and uh,so it's a very, very exciting. I had a real, very nice birthday. My family, lets me pick [00:01:00] where I want to go for meals and I went to my favorite breakfast place. Thank you. I went to my favorite breakfast place and I went to my favorite pizza place. [00:01:10] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: For dinner. I try not to eat pizza too much, but it's my favorite in the area and I mean, it's just so good. So, [00:01:18] Martina Lanotte: I know. I mean, I'm Italian. Don't tell me about it. [00:01:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: yeah. okay. So let's get right into the nitty gritty for this workflows discussion. what is one thing you do. Behind the camera. You haven't even started taking pictures yet, or maybe you just started, but you're not, the session's not over the, the wedding's not done. [00:01:43] What is one thing that you do for the photographic process that has saved you time? --- [00:01:43] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: What is one thing you do for the photographic process that saves you time? [00:01:49] Martina Lanotte: I think, and this has been a process throughout my career, I think it's using less gear compared to when, you know, when I started. I mean, my [00:02:00] setting is two cameras, two lenses. That's it. I don't have anything else. And when I started, I guess like many other photographers, I thought that in order to be a good photographer, I needed all the gear, you know, all the cameras, all the lenses, all the lights, everything. [00:02:17] Martina Lanotte: And it's many bags to carry at the end of the day, and it makes you heavier. And slower because it takes time to set things up. And, you know, this is the opposite of the way I like to work, because I want to be fast during a photo shoot. I, I work, I walk a lot, I move a lot. I'm everywhere. And I need to be able to move quickly. [00:02:40] Martina Lanotte: I want to stay invisible as well. So, you know, I don't want to interfere too much with, what's happening. And, and you know, I'm an introvert and I think like an introvert. I think that the day of our wedding, we are already on edge.we are doing probably something we've never done. we are [00:03:00] in a place probably we've never been. [00:03:02] Martina Lanotte: We are wearing clothes that we don't usually wear. We are the center of attention. And then there is this stranger taking photos of you all the time. You know, it can be intimidating and that's why I don't want to, to have big gear, big lights. Because I think that for many people, having an invisible photographer is essential to to, to let go, you know, to, to beat themselves. [00:03:29] Martina Lanotte: And also this, I think, is crucial with, with what I do. I work a lot with LGBTQ plus couples and, you know, people coming from all over the world to Denmark, to Oke to get married, and many of them aren't even used to hold hands in the street. Because where they live, they might face discrimination, violence and all of that crap. [00:03:52] Martina Lanotte: So when they arrive to Denmark and it's the wedding day, and you know, they're walking around, all [00:04:00] dressed up, obviously they are a wedding couple, they are already out of their comfort zone, way out of their comfort zone. So I think that we don't need to add another layer of discomfort with, you know, the photographer being. [00:04:15] Martina Lanotte: In the face all the time, making noise flashing and, and all of that. So I think that is, it saves me a lot of energy for sure. [00:04:24] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So two, so two questions about that. One, does that mean that you are 100% of of the time a natural or or available light photographer? You don't use any artificial lights. [00:04:36] Martina Lanotte: I'd say 98% of the time because when it's needed is needed, a little flush. But as long as I can avoid it, I will, because I don't want to disturb whatever is happening. And, [00:04:49] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So your, [00:04:50] Martina Lanotte: yep, [00:04:51] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: so your, your flash is on, is it, is it on camera? Just you're bouncing or like, how, what's [00:04:56] Martina Lanotte: I don't have it on camera.I just use it [00:05:00] when I know that the light is really, really low. [00:05:04] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. [00:05:05] Martina Lanotte: But on the other hand, I love to work with I, as, ISO low shut speed, you know, that type of thing. Until the limit, when that is not enough, then I have to go with the flash. Of course. Yeah. [00:05:16] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. and then you also mentioned simple two, you know, the cameras, two lenses. What are, what does that look like right now? What do you, what do you, what are your, [00:05:26] Martina Lanotte: I use Sony cameras and the lenses are 35 and 35. That's it? [00:05:31] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Those are my two favorite. Love it. [00:05:35] Martina Lanotte: Yeah, yeah. [00:05:38] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: that's, that's fantastic. you were gonna say something and I I I cut you off. I apologize. you were, you were gonna say something before I cut you off. [00:05:45] Martina Lanotte: No, no need to apologize, but now I forgot. [00:05:48] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: All good. All good. If it comes back to you, just, just, just cut me off. It's all good. so let's talk about business for a little bit. [00:05:56] What is one thing that you do for the business that saves you time or money? --- [00:05:56] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Now, what is one thing you do for the business [00:06:00] that either saves you time or money? [00:06:04] Martina Lanotte: hmm. I think having things ready, like templates, PDF, price guides, all of that, these things save me a lot of time and, of course it takes time to prepare them because. you know, I, I don't just get a template and smash my prices on it and send it. I designed my own PDF guide and yeah, you have to prepare a layout, choose photos, write text, but once it's done, it's there. [00:06:30] Martina Lanotte: And it's incredible the the amount of time that you can save because you don't have to type a reply every time you get an inquiry. So that is like pro tips. [00:06:42] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Do you, I'm curious, as somebody who, is extremely inclusive in for all of your clients, right? do you, have you, do you or have you considered selling your templates for the photographers who are trying to adjust their, their, their [00:07:00] designs and, and everything to make their, their guides, more inclusive and have like. [00:07:07] Martina Lanotte: I don't sell templates. But I do consultations for photographers that want to have a more inclusive website. I even brought a book about the topic to, to help people having a more inclusive website, like for real, genuine, website. And we go through, during the consultations, we go through all the texts, all the blog posts, everything. [00:07:31] Martina Lanotte: And we mark all the words that can be, you know, exclusive, like, I dunno, bridal party for example. If you use it for a specific wedding where there is an actual bride party, it makes sense. But if you use it as a general thing, maybe consider wedding party instead. You know, it's more neutral. Yeah. [00:07:52] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. I love that. I love that. I love that you're, that you're, you're doing that to, to help out the photographers who are trying to [00:08:00] put in the work to, to improve their businesses in that way, in that part of their business. So it's fantastic that you're, that you're doing that. so for, for listeners, if you are in that situation where you are trying to, to improve that, definitely definitely reach out to Martina. [00:08:15] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: okay, let's. Not talk about Imagen yet. However, [00:08:20] What is one thing that you do for editing that has saved you time? --- [00:08:20] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: what is one thing you do for the editing that has saved you time? [00:08:27] Martina Lanotte: before ai? Hmm.I think it is. Um.and maybe the fact that I don't take too many photos, so it's pretty fast for me to, to get things ready to go, ready to be delivered. I think it was Chris Denner that was talking about the same thing. What's the word he used? I think he said he was being economical in this way of shooting or something like that, in the sense that it doesn't take too many photos. [00:08:53] Martina Lanotte: and it comes from film photography, so it makes sense that he is. Wired that way, and for me it's the [00:09:00] same. I also started with film cameras because I was too broke when I was a student and, couldn't afford a digital camera. So, you know, I had a film, 36, 36 photos and that was it. But now, many years later and many, many photo shoots later, I still bring that experience with me and think that every shot matters. [00:09:24] Martina Lanotte: And I know that taking the photos that I know I will not deliver, you know, doesn't make any sense to me. I prefer to use that time talking to my couple, getting to know them instead of just, you know, shooting for the sake of it. And another thing, I should, hundreds of weddings and development like I've done. [00:09:45] Martina Lanotte: I, I think per year I do like 80, 90 [00:09:48] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Wow. [00:09:49] Martina Lanotte: And, [00:09:49] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: yourself. [00:09:51] Martina Lanotte: Yes, but it's elopement. So small things, you know, it's [00:09:54] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Still that's, it's still a lot. It's still a lot. [00:09:58] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. But you know, that [00:10:00] taught me how weddings work. I know what's gonna happen. I know what the couple is about to do, where they're going to stand, where they're going to walk to from where the action is coming. [00:10:12] Martina Lanotte: And this helps a lot because I can be at the right place at the right time when something is about to happen and I don't need to shoot. Because I'm afraid I will miss the shot, if that makes sense. [00:10:24] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely, definitely. are, are the elopements that you do, so they're, they're, what percentage would you say they're in the same location versus a different one? Or is it like the same Common locations, like multiple, but on regularly. Always in these five or these 10 [00:10:45] Martina Lanotte: hmm. Well, I work in Denmark. I'm based in Copenhagen and I think roughly like seven out of 10 are at Copenhagen City Hall. And, so we have the same walk afterwards in the city center. [00:11:00] I know the city like the, the, the back of my pocket. and it can be limiting at some point because, you know, it's always the same thing, but then I can do them to perfection in a way. [00:11:13] Martina Lanotte: And, also it makes me focus on other things, knowing where, where are we going to walk, what are we gonna do? You know, I can focus on all the tasks, like maybe getting to know the people I'm, I'm working with, or, putting them at ease, you know, these, these type of things. [00:11:30] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, I would, I, I would imagine that. Seven outta 10 are in this one location and you know it, you know exactly what's gonna happen and when, there's gotta be moments where you know, Hey, I'm gonna have 15 minutes where I can experiment with something that I've never tried before. Or like, that's gotta be pretty, pretty cool to be able to, to experiment knowing, hey, if I get it wrong, I didn't mess anything up because I knew I [00:12:00] had 15 minutes to play, [00:12:01] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. [00:12:02] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: or something like [00:12:02] Martina Lanotte: it's amazing. And you know, I, I know people at City Hall, I call them by their names. We are friends. I joke, you know, I say that that is my office. [00:12:12] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Uhhuh. [00:12:13] Martina Lanotte: And, yeah, I, I love it honestly. [00:12:16] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: That's so good. so what is, what, what might be one thing that you experimented with that failed during one of these times? One of these moments. And what is one thing that was the success? That has happened. If you can think, sorry, I'm putting you on the spot with that one. [00:12:33] Martina Lanotte: Oh, that's fine. well, one time I had, there was this official at City Hall and she was bothered by the click on my camera. And she told me like. Maybe you should silence your, your camera because, you know, people get distracted and you know, I've been there hundreds of times already at this point, and I ask the couple, is this distracting to you? [00:12:57] Martina Lanotte: And they say, no, no, we cool. Okay, cool. Then, you know, [00:13:00] whatever. It's your problem. I do my job. You do your job. but then afterwards I wanted to talk to that person, so you know. Setting things, because we have to work together all the time. So I think that was both a failure because I, I didn't want to argue in that moment, honestly, it's not cool. [00:13:18] Martina Lanotte: It's, it's not the right place. But then also it was a success because I wanted to set things straight and say, Hey, I'm sorry. And, but you know, we have 30 seconds at that point. And. [00:13:29] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. [00:13:30] Martina Lanotte: I can't just change settings on the go right now and you know, all of that. So I think it was, it was a good experience. [00:13:37] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. We say hi now when we meet. [00:13:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So, so at this point, have you done elopements and weddings where you do have your camera on silent mode and is it weird [00:13:51] Martina Lanotte: I have, and it's weird. And also I don't like it. And I think most of my clients, because I've [00:14:00] asked, they don't like it either, because, they want to know when a photo is being taken so they, you know, otherwise they feel like, okay, well when is she going to take a photo of [00:14:10] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. [00:14:11] Martina Lanotte: So, [00:14:12] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Especially, especially if you're, if you've got no flash at that point in time happening, there's no indicator at all [00:14:18] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. [00:14:19] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: you got the photo. I mean, in, in, in some cases, even you as the photographer, you don't even realize it took it because it's, [00:14:26] Martina Lanotte: Yes, [00:14:28] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: it's, it's a little scary. It's a little scary. [00:14:30] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I'm [00:14:30] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. And I have to look at the screen, you know? [00:14:33] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it definitely changed the game for, for like photographers who want a, who are on a film set, for example, where you need silence. It's a game changer. You no, you no longer need a, what they call it a blimp. You no longer need that. but in this case it's like, it's only a little click. [00:14:49] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I mean, come on. So, okay. So, after the session, [00:14:54] What is one thing that you do after a session that has increased business? --- [00:14:54] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: what is one thing you do now after a, a wedding? after an an elopement [00:15:00] that has increased the business for you? [00:15:04] Martina Lanotte: Well, I dunno if this has increased business. But one thing I do for sure is making sure that everything is backed up on multiple devices because I'm so paranoid about it and, you know, I feel like storing wedding photos is my responsibility, not my clients. [00:15:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. [00:15:24] Martina Lanotte: You know, I'm not saying that this is the right thing to do, so don't take me as an example, but this is just how I feel. [00:15:30] Martina Lanotte: You do you if you want to do otherwise, but I've saved every single raw fast that I've taken. In my life, you know, and it's safely stored it here and in Italy because every time I go to visit my family, I make a makeup. [00:15:46] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Nice. Yeah. [00:15:48] Martina Lanotte: So, you know, I just want to sleep at night and, and know that everything is secured. [00:15:51] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. [00:15:52] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Exactly. Yeah. For, for listeners, who don't know, Imagen also offers cloud backup. So when [00:16:00] you're sending to Imagen for culling and or editing, Imagen can actually be part of your disaster recovery solution. And you have the option of using the free low resolution backups that every Imagener has included, or, up upgrading to a high resolution backup. [00:16:17] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: And you've got two versions, a optimize, which is like a compressed d and g and a full uncompressed, raw backup. And if you edit with, Imagen your edit data is also stored alongside your original raws in high resolution. So in a true disaster scenario, if you recover your raws, your edits are recovered with it. [00:16:37] Martina Lanotte: So, amazing. It's incredible because if it's good for your mental health, to go back to your question, then it's good for business. So win-win. Yeah. [00:16:48] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, a hundred percent. If you have that, that security in the back of your mind, you know you're gonna perform better and stress less. you know, the last thing you wanna do is lose your client photos. You know, a lot of us have been there [00:17:00] and you make that mistake once, you'll never make it again. [00:17:03] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So, yeah. okay. This is my absolute favorite part of the show. [00:17:11] Martina Lanotte: Okay. [00:17:11] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: a color. [00:17:13] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. So it's either green or orange. Yep. [00:17:16] Martina Lanotte: green. [00:17:17] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Green. Nice. So when Chris picked, I think he picked orange and he said, he goes, I think magic pick green. So I'm going with orange.so green, I'm gonna thumb through the deck. Tell me when to stop. [00:17:33] Martina Lanotte: Okay. Stop. [00:17:37] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: All right. Your next question is. Which actor or actress would play you in a documentary? [00:17:50] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I'm so bad with names. This is the worst question ever. Who would play me? I, I think, I think I know. [00:17:59] Martina Lanotte: You [00:17:59] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: [00:18:00] think I know, and I think I just have to remember what her name is as well. Oh, shoot. [00:18:07] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. [00:18:08] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Oh. I know exactly who it is and I, I don't know why. Okay. I don't know if you're gonna like this answer or not, but I'm going with it anyway because she's a fantastic actress. Ann Hathaway, here's [00:18:20] Martina Lanotte: yeah. I'll take that. Okay. [00:18:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: she can do accents. [00:18:24] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. Fantastic actress. And if you saw her in Les Mis. [00:18:30] Martina Lanotte: mm-Hmm. [00:18:31] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: guys have a similar look with the, with when she cut her hair short. [00:18:34] Martina Lanotte: I mean, I'll take that as a compliment, so I'll take it any day. Thank you. [00:18:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: so that's what I think you, do you have any, do you have any that you think would be a good, [00:18:44] Martina Lanotte: Honestly, no, I don't even watch TV that much or, you know, [00:18:48] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: okay. [00:18:49] Martina Lanotte: no, you, you call me off guard there. Yeah. [00:18:52] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: All right. All right. Well, that's, that's the whole point. That's the whole point of those decks. okay. now I, I, I'm gonna ask you to dig deep. This is [00:19:00] a, this is a one that every time I ask this question, it pulls out things that most photographers don't even think about on a regular basis. So this is why I love this one. Looking at your business from a 30,000 foot view down or meters, [00:19:16] Martina Lanotte: mm-Hmm. [00:19:16] Can you share an outlined breakdown of your workflow from lead to delivery? --- [00:19:16] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: can you share an outline, breakdown of your workflow from lead to delivery? [00:19:22] Martina Lanotte: Okay.it's actually pretty simple, because I hate paperwork. I hate wasting time on emails, writing back and forth and all of that. And I think that as wedding photographers, we should make life easier for our clients. Not more complicated. So when I receive an inquiry, I immediately provide all the info they need and a link to book a consultation with me so we can get to know each other, you know, as soon as we can see if we are a match and all of that. [00:19:54] Martina Lanotte: And and that's it. Then they just meet me on the wedding date. That is it. I don't have [00:20:00] contracts. I don't take a deposit. I don't think there is any need for that for me, [00:20:04] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: No, no contract. Not even a, a [00:20:07] Martina Lanotte: nothing. [00:20:08] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Wow. Okay. [00:20:10] Martina Lanotte: But keep in mind that I do elopements small weddings. So a few hours and goodbye. And, so, you know, it, it's easy for me to work this way and then after the wedding, I let Imagen this job, check that everything is the way I wanted. [00:20:26] Martina Lanotte: And, boom. Done, finished. Oh no, there is one more thing that I do. before I deliver photos, I plant a tree for each customer that I have. Because you know, my clients, they elope to Denmark, so they fly to Denmark most of the times, and I plant trees to both reduce the, their carbon footprint and also to help local communities around the world. [00:20:49] Martina Lanotte: I think it's the least we could do for our planet to give something back. [00:20:54] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So just, just to, I'm gonna guess, and I, maybe I'm wrong. Are you using a service to do that? [00:21:00] You're not going out there and planting it [00:21:01] Martina Lanotte: No, no, no. I wish I had the, the skills to do that, but all my plants die, so I let someone else do that. [00:21:09] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. All right. Yeah, yeah. do you, can you, okay. A couple things. can you share the name do, if you know it off the top of the head, the service, in case other photographers want to try to do [00:21:17] Martina Lanotte: it's called, if you gimme one second, I'm just gonna open it and it's called three nation.com. Yes. [00:21:26] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: it out. If you're interested in doing that, I think that's a fantastic, beautiful thing that you're doing. now, elopements. [00:21:33] Martina Lanotte: Mm [00:21:33] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Are you offering albums, photo books, or is it purely here's your gallery order prints what you want? 'cause you, you're doing 80 plus a year yourself. [00:21:43] Martina Lanotte: I do offer albums and prints. yes. But of course, because people live somewhere else, it's very difficult for them to even understand how we can make this work. And, many people, they prefer to do it themselves. That is my experience. But I do offer, these [00:22:00] services. Yes. And, you know, I deliver to their door without asking for additional expenses. [00:22:05] Martina Lanotte: Like if they live in Hong Kong, it's just gonna take a month for them to get them. But, you know, it's okay to, to send them over. Yeah. [00:22:14] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: And what, what are you using to deliver the digitals to your clients? Which gallery [00:22:18] Martina Lanotte: I use pixie set. [00:22:20] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Pixie set. Okay. Nice. Do they have a, Do they have an album or book creator built in for your clients to build their own? Or do you have to build the [00:22:30] Martina Lanotte: I think they do, but I have chosen to have, the option of clients letting me know that they want an album and, you know, the number of pages and how much they, they, how, how big they want it, and all of that. So I take care of it on my own and then send it to them. [00:22:50] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Nice. Nice. yeah, I love, I I I, I like that. So I, I do a lot of surprise proposals. We're in a very similar situation where like, it's a very [00:23:00] quick session, both of which are very high pressure still, you know, you still wanna get it right. I don't offer. Albums or books, for those, I do a la carte prints and stuff like that. [00:23:14] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I include some with the, with the, with the session and stuff. But, I think if I was to, I could probably put together an album, but I feel like if I was to try to do that for a, a proposal, I probably wouldn't sell 'em. So, but yeah, so, it's a. I never really thought about how [00:23:33] Martina Lanotte: Surprise proposal because I think I, I've done some of those and, of course they're all Northern Americans because Europeans, you know, we are more, our proposals are less romantic and most of the times we are just like, should we get married for tax purposes? You know, we sip in coffee and, and all of that. [00:23:51] Martina Lanotte: But I love surprise proposals. [00:23:54] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. They're so much fun and it gets your heart racing and [00:24:00] you like, you feel like you're really a part of that magical moment in a really special, unique way. And,they're very, they're difficult. Like you might think, you know, those who have never done it, might think, oh, that's easy, but it's, it's difficult and if you get it wrong, it's a problem. [00:24:16] Martina Lanotte: Do you hide in the bushes or you pretend to be a tourist? [00:24:19] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I have done, you name it, I've done it. My first one, my first one ever was literally hiding in a bush next to a public restroom. It was just very [00:24:28] Martina Lanotte: God. [00:24:29] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. So it was a New Jersey. So I'm in New Jersey in the us we're known for our beach towns. Each of which you have to pay to get on the beach with, which I think is the dumbest thing. [00:24:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: But, you know, New Jersey, it is what it is. Speaking of taxes,and, yeah, it was a, my first one ever was at a beach town, and it was a public restroom that was on the boardwalk for the beach. And, the, there, the hiding spot that I planned w through Google Maps and everything was not there. But I, I, I'm a, [00:25:00] I'm a. [00:25:00] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Prepper. So I was, I was there an hour and a half early, found my spot, planted myself. I did video end still, so I had a video on a tripod also hidden in the same tree. A little bit offset for me. And it was, I was good to go, but I was, I was a mess afterwards, so, [00:25:18] Martina Lanotte: I hope you showered afterwards. [00:25:20] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: oh. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. so yeah, I, you name, I've, I've pretended I was with o other tourists that I was just like, Hey, I'm doing a proposal. Can I just pretend I'm with you? And they're like, yeah. So, of course then, then they, then they hang out and watch and they get all like mushy. 'cause they watch a proposal. It's always fun. Always fun. So,let's talk AI right now, the day that we're recording this, we're recording this on June 10th. it and it's days after Adobe has, has announced, or updated their terms of service with. Things that a lot of photographers are not very happy with. Right. and [00:26:00] I get it, it makes sense, right? That you don't want, a, a company saying, you know, we're gonna see every photo you take, you know, or, or we own the, the, the content you create with it or whatever. They've, they have a then sort of rebuttal, right? [00:26:15] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: What they put out there. So, but there's always this, this, sort of chaos in the AI world, whether it's in photography or not, there's always this chaos of and concern about ai. So my question to you is, [00:26:29] What does the future of AI in photography look like to you? --- [00:26:29] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: what does the future of AI in photography look like to you? [00:26:34] Martina Lanotte: You know, this is so funny because believe it or not, AI is a massive topic in my relationship. [00:26:43] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. [00:26:43] Martina Lanotte: sounds bad, but, my partner and I, we speak about it a lot because she's an AI specialist in her field. She's a computational designer working in architecture, and, I'm super enthusiastic about tech. [00:26:57] Martina Lanotte: I love tech. I mean, what's not love about it. [00:27:00] It makes our life easier and it unlocks possibilities that we didn't even know existed. [00:27:05] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Mm-Hmm. [00:27:06] Martina Lanotte: And yeah, I understand that. People can be afraid of change. I think it was Vanessa Joy that was speaking about this in another episode about the fact that maybe we should see AI as a door opener rather than a limitation. [00:27:22] Martina Lanotte: And for example, the new feature of Adobe Light Rooms, the generative field, that's pretty new thing. Before ai, we had to be careful about the background of our photos. And you know, if there was a car, there were people street signs. I mean, you surprise proposal photographer of all people should know that. [00:27:45] Martina Lanotte: And now. Yeah. [00:27:47] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: coming right through. [00:27:49] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. And now, I mean, I'm not saying that we shouldn't pay attention to the background, but it doesn't matter as much. And we have more freedom to create [00:28:00] images wherever we want. I mean, isn't that great? And so, you know, I'm very optimistic about the future. I don't think that AI will replace humans. [00:28:10] Martina Lanotte: but I do believe that people that know how to use AI will replace people that don't. So, yeah. [00:28:18] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I, I, well put, well put, regarding background. [00:28:23] Martina Lanotte: Mm-hmm. [00:28:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: be that, I mean, it's, for some people still is, but historically it's, it's using, use a neutral density filter, knock out all the people, right? But then you gotta make sure that your subjects are still enough, use, strobe, all that kind of stuff, right? [00:28:36] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So it's, it's a complex way, but it's doable. Or take the, take the photo with nobody in it whatsoever, and then take the photo with your subject, and then if there are people in the background or something, you can mask it all away. Also doable. Easier than the other method. But again, time consuming com, you know, a little complex and now it's just selecting where did, where'd [00:29:00] it all go? [00:29:00] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So, I, I, I, I love the simplicity. I mean, I can't stand spending too much time in Photoshop, so, personally I'd much rather just spend my time in Lightroom and, and now that I can do that in Lightroom, it's, it's amazing. [00:29:16] Martina Lanotte: I mean, we can't stop the revolution, so we might as well embrace it. [00:29:20] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. Yep.okay. You have been using Imagen for quite some time, like Chris Denner, you were probably at the way up north that I was at in Copenhagen. and we probably met, and I probably don't remember because I was very stressed for only working for Imagen for two weeks when I was there. Yes. [00:29:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I was definitely on my introverted side when I was there, 'cause again, only two weeks in. [00:29:45] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: so I, I wish, I wish that I, I wish I remember, you know, meeting everybody who I met [00:29:52] Martina Lanotte: You have to remember lots of faces. You know. It is fine. Don't worry about it. [00:29:56] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Oh yeah. but, so you've been usingImagene for quite some time [00:30:00] and I do. I do know that. And so I'm wondering [00:30:03] How did Imagen impact your life? --- [00:30:03] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: how did Imagen impact your life? [00:30:08] Martina Lanotte: Oh, so much, so, so much. I'll be forever grateful to Imagen. And, you know, I don't take too many photos because as we said, I, I know when the action happens and, and all of that. But on the other hand, I deliver lots of images. I think like 25, 30% of what I take. And that's because I don't have a fixed number of images to deliver to my clients. [00:30:34] Martina Lanotte: I, I don't say for example, I dunno random number. I'm gonna give you 200 photos because what if I have 205 photos that are really good? I mean, I don't wanna choose those, those five images that are going to be deleted forever. It's your photos you should choose. So, you know, I just. Deliver everything that I have, all the good photos that I have. [00:30:57] Martina Lanotte: And so editing used to [00:31:00] take time. Yes. Before Imagen.you know, funny thing, I, I used to think that I loved editing days, long editing days because I was picturing this amazing lazy day at home. cup of coffee, some snacks, my computer, Netflix in the background. And that when I started using Imagen. [00:31:21] Martina Lanotte: I realize that I don't like it that much. I'd rather spend my time elsewhere, you know? [00:31:28] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. lazy days. yeah, definitely more possible now. Then long editing days when you think you're gonna be lazy, but then you're just staring at a screen [00:31:39] Martina Lanotte: yeah. [00:31:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: and, it's, that's, it's so funny. yeah, I, I The fact that the fact that we're able to help you to, get it all done with, with how busy you are, with how many, you know, enga, Enlo elopements you're doing. [00:31:56] Martina Lanotte: Yeah. [00:31:57] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: To get it all done. 'cause that even though it's, you're not shooting that [00:32:00] much, you're shooting a lot, [00:32:02] Martina Lanotte: Yes. [00:32:02] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: it's, you know, per, per couple, you may not be shooting much, but when you add it all up, it's a lot. So, you know, I'm so happy that we're able to, to help you, to do that. Are, are you, have you adopted the, culling studio yet to help get rid of. [00:32:20] Martina Lanotte: I have. [00:32:21] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: The others. Okay, cool. Cool. And how do you, how do you like [00:32:23] Martina Lanotte: Thank you. [00:32:24] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Nice. [00:32:26] Martina Lanotte: Thank you. [00:32:27] Martina Lanotte: Thank you. [00:32:27] Martina Lanotte: Thank you. [00:32:28] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. so great to hear, so great to hear. okay. It's been, it's been fantastic. I love, I love hearing, about how you work and, and, how efficient you are with everything. I, I love the fact that, that you do. Simplify as much as possible because I feel like when you have a, a very busy calendar of jobs, you have to do, simplifying is extremely important in whether it's, whether it's [00:33:00] automating with your, with your emails and the templates like you've talked about, or whether it's, you know, with the editing and calling or, or whatever, or just shooting less. [00:33:08] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: It's so important to simplify. There was something I wanted to ask you last second. I totally forgot what it was, so it must not have been important. oh, that's what it was. how many, before we close out this, this discussion, if you had to balance how many, elopements you do versus full day weddings, what would you say that looks like for you? [00:33:30] Martina Lanotte: 90% elopements, [00:33:32] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Wow. Okay. [00:33:33] Martina Lanotte: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I don't shoot long day weddings anymore. You know, I'm getting old I prefer to work from Monday to Friday, you know, daytime, couple of hours, and then I'm home working. so I prefer that. Yes. [00:33:49] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: And when you do the full days, do you, have you, do you at that point hire second shooters and assistants, or are [00:33:54] Martina Lanotte: No, no. It's still just me. Yes. [00:33:56] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Just you. Okay. All right. Nice.well [00:34:00] thank you so much again. where can listeners learn more about you, connect with you and of course, see your incredible photography. [00:34:09] Martina Lanotte: my website, of course, marlanph.com. It is M-A-R-L-A-N-P-H, sorry, bad, spelling, or Instagram weddings, Marlon pH. So yeah. [00:34:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Perfect. Thank you so much [00:34:25] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: again. [00:34:25] Martina Lanotte: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to talk to you, Scott. [00:34:29] ​