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Marc and Phoebe Aviles:
Two is Company
By Margaret Lane
Marc Aviles is inspired by beautiful sceneries, landscapes, rock formations, skies and clouds.
He's always looking for interesting places, odd walls, colorful doorways and abandoned houses
to photograph. He considers the landscape and environmental surroundings when shooting portrait
and wedding photography. Phoebe Aviles shoots side by side with her husband and derives
inspiration from his work, adding some good-natured competition from time to time.
"We are somewhat competitive, but that's just for fun and it's good for business," says
Phoebe, co-owner of Memory Station Studio, a new wedding and portrait business based in San Jose,
CA. She and Marc have been shooting since their school days, Marc learning through a high school
course and Phoebe snapping class photos for the yearbook and school paper with a Yashica SLR.
The couple met in 2004 after Phoebe purchased a Nikon D70 from Marc. Both artists have
received numerous industry awards and recognition. Marc has been bestowed with several honors;
he was Popular Photography's 2007 Photographer of the Year and a 2005 finalist in
the National Geographic Channel/Sony In-Focus international photography competition. Among
other accolades, Phoebe was a 2006 winner of the National Geographic Channel/Nikon Best
Storytelling award and recently received an Accolade of Excellence for a print in the
Engagement category of the 2008 WPPI 16x20 Print Competition.
Life and Work Side by Side
This husband-and-wife team began their business last year, in a small apartment minus the
living room--just kitchen, bathroom and a neat, empty area. "Clients would visit us in the
morning and the space would serve as a studio for a consultation or shoot," says Phoebe.
"Once the client left, the rooms turned into our workspace, complete with backdrops, studio
lights and computer workstation. At night we inflated our Aerobed and pushed the studio
lights aside to uncover the telly."
The Aviles now have a larger space, so when clients visit they are entertained in a more
formal setting. They are able to view full presentations on a plasma widescreen with surround
sound and have elbow room to look over images and sample albums. "Our red couch is comfy and
the atmosphere is homey," says Phoebe.
There is a mutual respect present as well as few guidelines to follow when working side by
side--especially in such tight quarters. "We treat each other as business partners during
brainstorming, planning and checking the quality of output. Our workstations are adjacent
so it's easy to get another opinion when needed," says Phoebe.
Marc continues, "Work really kicks in when editing and retouching, so close proximity is
a benefit. And once we start it's hard to stop until everything is all done. We think of
fresh ideas to interpret our RAW photos and we'll experiment. It's addictive. It's like we
don't know what the next photo will bring." The team is meticulous with quality, color and
detail, and strives to get the images out as soon as possible. "We shoot in RAW format and
bring about 20-plus gigabytes of CF cards to an event. We back up cards to a portable
CompactDrive storage device while still on-site, but when we get home we burn to DVDs,"
says Marc. "We'll generally share the job of transferring files into our iMac computers,
and then the additional step of one more backup to an external hard drive."
Outside the studio, a life/work/romance balance persists. "We like to play at work. It's
tricky for us to mark the line between job and personal life because taking photos is part
of a family activity," adds Marc. "We enjoy photo shoots with clients, we enjoy weddings.
But when not booked for a client and after we've finished deliverables and are feeling
current with marketing, we go out for a drive, watch a movie or shoot for fun."
Thoughts on Marketing
Still new to the wedding game, Marc and Phoebe are testing marketing tactics to find a best
fit. For now, their best results have come from word of mouth and Google AdWords. "We also
partner with a few wedding vendors. Being new to this business, we have a lot to learn," shares
Phoebe. "Marc has had success in submitting images to several magazines. His photos have appeared
in Epson's EPix coffee-table book, the Philippine airlines in-flight magazine Mabuhay,
Popular Photography and Digital Photographer. Adds Phoebe, "One of my fine
art photos appeared in AfterCapture as a finalist in the digital imaging competition
sponsored by Adobe for photoworkshop.com. It's a portrait of a lady sitting on a window. I
titled it 'Waiting.'"
Perhaps the biggest component of their marketing is a personalized website. "Our site is
vibrant, nostalgic and different than most," says Marc. "We bought the website template
from Template Monster. I customized it and used the built-in music to flow with the images.
The site represents a wide range of our work and it's emotional and touches the heart. There's
a tactile feel in that looking through the images is like flipping through an old album."
Their most personal marketing happens when meeting with clients. "We are very down to earth.
We listen to their needs and suggest ideas and solutions," says Marc. "We don't pressure them.
They will decide if we are the right photographers or not, but we always follow-up through
email about a week later."
Gear to Go
"Weddings are a challenge; you can't repeat the moments happening before your eyes," says
Marc. "You cannot ask the couple or guests to hold on for a while--you must always be ready,
attentive, observing and anticipating. Taking necessary prep steps is something we always
labor over."
Each reviews a detailed checklist before the wedding day. "We visit the venue ahead of
time to see the lighting conditions, the space, logistic consideration and so on. On the
day of, I verify all equipment and make sure batteries are in place. Do I have appropriate
lenses and gear? Are my backup cameras in place?" says Marc. A recent readiness acquisition
was a Canon CP-e4 battery pack to keep his flash recycle time that much faster. Both use
digital. Marc aims with the Canon 5D, 24-105mm, 17-40mm, fisheye, 70-200mm, and 580EX
Speedlite. Phoebe uses the Canon Rebel XTi and 10-22mm, 50mm, 17-55mm and 580EX Speedlite.
And they shoot together. When Marc uses a long lens, Phoebe uses a wide-angle. Marc shoots
at a different perspective and Phoebe has a different vantage point. At the end of the day,
the photos offer different angles and the client benefits from the varied perspectives.
"We shoot as natural as possible--emotions and spontaneous reactions. We look for solid
elements in the background and catchy sceneries. We focus on the eyes of our subjects. Eyes
contribute significantly to the emotion of a photo, so we'll take effort in enhancing
highlights here during digital postproduction," says Marc.
For indoor photos of the couple and guests, Marc most often grabs a Canon 24-105mm, an
all-around lens perfect for portraits and landscapes. "It's handy and very convenient when
I don't have the luxury of time to change between lenses. We both use Gary Fong's Lightsphere
for flash," he says.
Phoebe shares, "Constant communication with our subjects helps a lot. We compliment them;
we give feedback and encouragement. Bringing out extra emotion or expression can make a
big difference in the pictures. To coax great candids, we inject a little humor. Then
sometimes we're quiet. For example, when posing the bridal party we may let them be relaxed
and enjoy the time with very minor direction. Or we may line up and position the group
accordingly for more formal shots. It really depends on the situation."
For close-ups that home in on the couple outdoors, a 5D with 85mm is Marc's preference
because of the sharpness and clean image produced. He also gravitates to the Canon 17-40mm.
This lens allows him to easily switch focus from face to environment. Phoebe loves using a
50mm f/1.4 for portraits that yield crisp, sharp, vibrant images.
"Our signature look is to incorporate landscape or scenery along with the couple and let
the colors shout. Marc is a great landscape and nature photographer who has a knack for
making the most of these outdoor settings and putting couples at ease," she says.
Marc even shared about a new look they're dabbling in, calling it "an investment in
infrared photography." He elaborates, "Using a Canon 20D, which we converted to an
infrared, we take the shot even further to produce surreal or ethereal moods. We added
this look after falling in love with the eeriness and mysterious feel of the infrared
shots. The trees and leaves become reflected in the sunlight differently and give a
different impression, the skin becomes flawless, the brown eyes become blue and it's
atmospheric. Infrared almost defies some basic rules of photography."
Phoebe points out that, "It's best to shoot this way at noon when the sun is high or
when shooting in low light. Clients love the infrared shots. They say the images look
like they were taken from another dimension. It's something new to them."
Whether shooting with the latest gadgets or aiming for a classic portrait, the Aviles
have learned to be fun and lighthearted around clients, allowing them to enjoy the
experience of being photographed.
Square One
"Memory Station Studio strives to capture real and relaxed emotions through images that
are natural and can be felt by the heart," says Marc. "Once we've captured those emotions,
we add a hint of vibrant color, enhanced texture and a bit of depth by playing with
shadows, highlights and contrast. We want our photos to have spark. We want our photos
to be vibrant, ethereal, natural and artsy."
The Aviles admit they're newbies, learning the ropes of wedding photography with a studio
just over a year old. "We're in the process of formalizing a business plan for our wedding
imagery," they say. "We have a combined vision for our photography with the objective to
capture clients' treasured moments through artistic imagery."
Phoebe still pulls in long hours each day, working in the information technology industry
to keep a steady income. She helps Marc with the business during the week by retouching
photos at night. They both shoot on weekends.
"With our family and friends' encouragement we were inspired to start this business,"
comments Phoebe. "But that's not to say we didn't have some hurdles! While we had a
substantial portfolio with glamour, engagement, portrait, landscape, event, documentary,
product shot and fine art photography, we lacked a true wedding portfolio. So we highlighted
appropriate images and displayed a handful of wedding images to prospective clients."
Instead of focusing on their limitations, the Aviles accepted this temporary weakness in
their portfolio and chose to play up the strengths--creativity, a fresh style, commitment
and passion. "We showed potential clients our documentary experience, portraiture, glamour
and landscape art. Each of these subjects represents an element of a wedding, so overall
we had the breadth and expertise to bring new perspective to a wedding," says Marc.
Rules to Live By When Starting a New Studio
"Believe in yourself, love your work and keep the passion burning--although we are
starting small we are thinking big for the future. Figure out what marketing works and
what does not. Stick to your price list," says Marc.
He adds that starting a studio has been difficult financially. Cash flow can be erratic
and what comes in is rapidly spent on new equipment, software and so on. "But despite the
difficulties, we still take heart to go on because we have our eye on goals," says Marc.
"If others can start a studio, so can we."
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