Making Couples Comfortable Tips from a Top Wedding Photographer with Igor Demba

[00:00:00] Igor Demba: Work with oil paintings and canvases and, and different, different types of mediums really, and, and really, really honing it down. And yeah, I think is one of the things that really lacks within the photography industry.

[00:00:13] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Workflows, is a podcast about saving you time and money in your photography business as a photographer.

[00:00:19] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: And content Creator who struggles with dyslexia, colorblindness, introversion, and anxiety stemming from years of being bullied as a. Workflows have been my rock. I have workflows for every aspect of my life, and that's why I am so happy to bring you workflows, a podcast Presented by Imagen as a company dedicated to saving you time and money in your photography business, it makes sense to enhance and expand the conversation to all things.

[00:00:49] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Tune in and subscribe to hear stories, strategies, and tools that could be your rock. Hear from people just like you. Put the camera down for little, Connect the headphones and get to work with workflows. Get in on the conversation by joining the Imagend community today. Imagen the possibilities.

[00:01:11] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Igor Deba has been in business for over 10 years and truly believes he has the. Job in the world. He was born in Portugal and after living and traveling all over the world, he picked up bits and pieces of each culture and that inspires him to keep pushing his work creatively. Recently, he has been named top white photographer in the world by Harper's Bizarre, which really excited his mom,

[00:01:37] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: He's currently based in Peterborough, England. He's married to the wonderful Zion and they have two beautiful daughter. Without further ado, let's get to my conversation with Igor. Well, hello Igor. How's

[00:01:51] Igor Demba: it going? Very good, Very good. Scott, how are you? Good. I'm

[00:01:55] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: glad we're, able to connect and do this.

[00:01:57] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: We're on very different parts of the earth and that's very exciting. .

[00:02:00] Igor Demba: Yes, indeed. Yes indeed. You, us you are in the US,

[00:02:04] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: aren't you? Yes, I am on. I am in the us. We're not too far from each other. Yeah. but, but still

[00:02:10] Igor Demba: it's fun. It's fun. Yes, indeed. So US means uk and here we are. .

[00:02:15] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Now I have to ask, is your plant real?

[00:02:17] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Because the plants that I have in my office are not real .

[00:02:22] Igor Demba: I've been asked this before. This one specifically. No. , right? Nice. No, it's not. all the ones I have all over the house, Yes they are. But there's one specifically, no. literally to have plants. And, and surviving. It's quite hard. , especially with the light and having to control the light and everything else.

[00:02:42] Igor Demba: So Yeah. But whereas in the rest of the house, yes. Nice.

[00:02:47] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: I have a, have a boni. I've got a boni. I don't even know where, where is it right now? Is Oh, it's up, it's up top. It's actually, yeah, I can see it. Yeah, right there. .

[00:02:57] Igor Demba: Yeah. Yeah, I can see with the bouquet.

[00:02:59] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. So, that is totally fake. if I was in my Dun.

[00:03:03] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Recording and I had a real bond value would not survive. So

[00:03:07] Igor Demba: No, No. But cactuses cactuses are absolutely brilliant for that to be fair's and we've got that's massive practices and absolutely love them. I love my plants, but yeah, to have them in this office, no, but cactuses, we, we've got 'em. All over the house and they're, Yeah, they're

[00:03:24] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: beautiful.

[00:03:25] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yes. Yes. I, I would not trust my four year old around a cactus, though. I know that he'd be going to grab it every two seconds. So,

okay. So my first question I have for you is one that I ask every guest, and that is mm-hmm. , what is one thing that you do for the photographic process? That has saved you time. The, the, the part behind the camera. Mm-hmm. . What is one thing that you do during that process that has saved you time?

[00:03:50] Igor Demba: Wow.

[00:03:51] Igor Demba: Great question. I'll probably say really know my gear. I really, really know my gear. I'm quite proud of that. I'm able to, to very much blindly work my way around it and, and really know it. So it means, I am really fast when it comes to shooting and quite intuitive, so, and most of the times, I shoot with natural light and that's constantly changing so.

[00:04:14] Igor Demba: So, yes. really knowing your gear, it's, it's a massive one. having, having a specific style and aesthetic and choosing it and going down that path really, really helps because, you're very much able to have your blinders on and yeah, just keeping, keeping true to yourself, keeping true to your style and, and, and the things that you gravitate towards.

if, if you, if you feel like you should be shooting, In your gut, just go for it. Cause so many times as as photographers, we see something and, and you very much, especially as wedding photo. you very much think, Oh, I've got time to shoot that later when the lights perhaps is better and actually going for it and shooting it straight away.

[00:04:54] Igor Demba: Yeah. the amount of times that sometimes, when I started my career, I've missed shot because of that. So, so yeah, that's, that's one of the big things of the process. But the other one, I would say is it's just being ruthless. Ruthless with your editing . Literally don't mess around with it. Yeah.

[00:05:11] Igor Demba: Don't be. So pressures about it, which well, so

[00:05:16] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: we're gonna get to editing. We're gonna get to editing for sure. we're gonna go through a whole bunch of different, I'm different. I'm jumping. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, let's, let's step back to, the, the, the know your, your gear, right? So, are you the type of photographer that customizes, like the buttons, right?

[00:05:30] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So you, a lot of them that makes sense. Newer cameras, they've got all these different buttons you can customize. So yes, being able to control. What, what, what one single button does can actually change how you work completely.

[00:05:43] Igor Demba: It really does. It really, really does.

[00:05:45] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So can you tell me about like one, what's one button that you change on your camera and like, where is it in like, like as top?

[00:05:53] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Is it behind? Is it in front and Yes. What does it do for

[00:05:56] Igor Demba: you? Yes. so I'd probably say the formats really because, especially throughout the pandemic, I've been, I've been shooting a lot more video. It's just, Photography, Really? Mm-hmm. , just having those video settings literally nailed down, literally.

the C1 would be for photography, C2 would be for video at, just 4k. And C2 would be perhaps a c3, sorry, would be perhaps, for, a slower shut, a slower. Frame rate really. So one 20 fps, which just means that everything's just nice and smooth and slow and and quite dreamy. And so those three, just, just them by themselves, their lifestyles really, because you're able to quick, quickly shoot your shots that you need to shoot.

[00:06:44] Igor Demba: And then if you feel like, Yeah, I've got a bit more time here, change it to c3. This is quite dreamy. Yeah, shoot it that way. And then as. Having a certain thing, settings fall back. But in focus I tend to do that. Yeah. And yeah, that's, there's different ways of doing it now, especially, I'm a Cannon shooter and, and Cannon has been a bit slow really in terms of, getting this, getting this down.

[00:07:09] Igor Demba: But I think it's the new R six two really now has got a toggle just literally. photo and video, and that's like, that's been seen as a game changer within the industry. But , I'm sure that Sony and Fuji probably done it already. Yep,

[00:07:26] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: yep. Yeah, Freea from my, my, Nik, I saw he's a Nikon Z seven, Z seven two, C7 two, and, and, and the, so, and the Nikon Z 76, which is what I'm recording right now with the, the podcast.

[00:07:37] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Mm-hmm. And, and they both have a quick toggle. It actually is around, it's on the, it's a toggle that goes around the, the back foot, the back, auto focus button, so, Oh, so it's really close. Yeah, it's really close. Super easy to flip between the

[00:07:52] Igor Demba: two. Yeah. Yeah. You don't even need to take the viewfinder off, off of your face or anything like that.

[00:07:56] Igor Demba: Right. And yeah, discuss, right? Yeah. .

[00:07:59] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, it is, it is cool, like once you, once you start learning your cameras, the, like, the back of your hand, how much it really just changes. Your process

[00:08:08] Igor Demba: and just makes things Yes, it really does. Smooth. Yeah. And that only comes with practice, practice, practice, shooting, shooting, shooting.

[00:08:16] Igor Demba: Yeah. Doing a lot of personal work besides, the professional work that people do, so, Yeah. Yeah. And you learn what you like. And when you learn what you don't like, really that's, that's the beauty of it.

[00:08:27] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: yeah. So moving on to the business side of things, what is one thing that you do for your business that has saved you either time or money?

[00:08:36] Igor Demba: That's a good one. I guess, yeah, especially being a wedding photographer. Mm-hmm. , And I guess within any business really streamlining things, having automated, let's say templates for emails and stuff like that. Just streamlining things. Just finding ways of actually shortening whatever needs to be done.

it's, it's massive really, because it. It's repeat, it's repeat tasks that you're constantly doing. So to, to be able to streamline those and just simply one click of a button, you are able to literally have, a whole automated chain that a client would receive rather than actually having type every single thing.

[00:09:16] Igor Demba: And then, yeah, the same go for invoices and, having, having those automated. Things within your business. They're crucial. Really, because it's time that you could be, doing something else, like shooting or spending time with your family, whatever else it is really. So, yeah. So yeah. But at the same time, I would say as well, that's, which has been a massive game changer.

[00:09:39] Igor Demba: Mm-hmm. for me over the past, sort of like six months hiring people, hiring people for. for, let's say social media. not my photography of a business, but another business that I'm running with a great partner. so just hiring someone to do social media, like our business wouldn't have been as, as good as it is today or as fast growing as it is today if we hadn't hired.

[00:10:02] Igor Demba: That person. so shout out to Mela because she's amazing. and doing marketing stuff and, not just social media, but marketing stuff as well. Yeah, that's, that's incredible to me. Yeah. Yeah. Just, and just

[00:10:13] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: because you might know what to do on social media or might know what to do with emails or with other marketing, doesn't mean you should do it.

[00:10:21] Igor Demba: Exactly.

[00:10:22] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Right. Exactly. you could be focusing on things that are more in your sweet. You know, more, more thing and and, and even more important things that you love doing the most instead of doing the other stuff.

[00:10:33] Igor Demba: Yeah, it's true's so true and it's so hard to let go as well, especially when, when you do know those things and you, you might think, Oh, that's certain.

[00:10:43] Igor Demba: Someone, they might know how to do things better than me. but they perhaps will, will not translate my voice as I will want to or. Or perhaps, they're not as good as me and me having to sacrifice that extra 20% or 10% that I would be able to create without post. Yeah. It's really, it's very much learning how to let go.

[00:11:05] Igor Demba: I found it, but yeah. Yeah. It's, it's a massive thing that it's a game changer. Yeah,

[00:11:10] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: definitely. Definitely. Cool. All right, so you brought this up a little earlier ago. let's talk about, and it, again, it doesn't have to. This doesn't have to be Imagend cuz we're gonna get to Imagen, cuz you are an Imagen user as well.

[00:11:23] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: But what is one thing that you do for editing that has saved you time?

[00:11:29] Igor Demba: Hmm. I think yes. very much studying. Edits around around our industry. I think that has been massive really, because I like to consider myself quite well rounded in terms of my edit. Yes, I've got very specific style, but I would be able to sort of like see an image or see a specific edit and sort of like think, yeah, I could get to that if I needed to, to get to it, if that makes sense.

[00:11:57] Igor Demba: Say It just gives you a good a. A good idea or a strong visual language really because you learn what you like and you learn very much what you don't like. So to be able to very much break down and study at people's Imageners, I think it's massive. photographers, they don't do it enough and we see sort of like renascent artists and everything else.

very much being, studying and studying themselves, how to become great artists and how to work. Oil paintings and canvases and, and different, different types of mediums really, and, and really, really honing it down. And yeah, I think it's one of the things that really lacks within the photography industry, being able to really study other artists, other photographers, and sort of like, just break it down, what happened here?

[00:12:44] Igor Demba: What happened to the shadows here? Why is this tint here? And how can I get that say, Yeah, that's, that's, that's really, I.

[00:12:52] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: What is one photographer who's editing? obviously this could be somebody who's long past, you know, what's one photographer that has really impacted you as a photographer, with their aesthetics of their edits or their final photos?

[00:13:05] Igor Demba: yes, there's, there's. There's massive ones. Rodney, Rodney Smith, just simply because of his aesthetic, it's, it's incredible. he, he sees things in such a beautiful way and organizes them within the image in such a beautiful way. it, it feels, sometimes it feels dreamy, but at the same time, it feels balanced.

[00:13:23] Igor Demba: It doesn't feel forced. So I really like his style. Sebastian Salgado, he's absolutely incredible. He's a Brazilian nature photographer and that, his work is just incredible. If you don't know him, just. Go and Google him because, particularly his black and whites, they're really, really incredible. And there's a lot of depth and and richness to that, which in some ways I try to emulate in my work.

[00:13:45] Igor Demba: And then if we go into sort of like the wedding photography industry, I could, I could spend here all day really talking about , a certain, certain photographers, but obviously I'll go for the obvious. And because it makes sense really. But fair fairity, he's incredible and he's got a very specific style. you see his Imageners or you see his image a mile away and you know, it's his work.

[00:14:12] Igor Demba: And again, you know, it's funny,

[00:14:13] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: funny timing about that. so as, as you might be aware, fur is one of our Talent AI Profile. today the tell you, so obviously this episode is not going out until December 1st, however. Mm-hmm. today we're recording this on November 14th. Today we are actually publishing a video on our YouTube channel where fur specifically talks about his editing style for, That's it, five minutes and 32 seconds to be exact

[00:14:37] Igor Demba: that is very precise

[00:14:40] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: So, when once we hop off, I actually have to get that published. So, Yeah. Check it out later. .

[00:14:46] Igor Demba: Yes, I will. I definitely will. I definitely will because he's, he's someone that I very much admire from afar, um mm-hmm. at the beginning stages of my career, and then ended up being, meeting him and becoming really good friends and, yeah.

His work is incredible. And when you know the human as well behind it, it's, it's even easier to fall, fall in love with his work. But , yeah, I, I think that, he, he has very much stayed true to himself, through the different stages that he of his career. And you can see the evolution of his work and his Imageners, but at the same time, it's.

[00:15:21] Igor Demba: He, he has very much kept on his lane, if that makes sense. And, and I think that's what I was trying to say beforehand in terms of like knowing your, your editing style and very much sticking to it, knowing your aesthetics and very much running with it. And people will very much, the more you do it, the stronger you'll get it.

[00:15:41] Igor Demba: And, and people will be very much start associating those specific Imageners with you and your work. Really. Yeah. Awesome.

so I have one more question for you before we go into this fun thing that you don't even know what's about to come, because after So . Yeah. Let's, so my next question is, what is one thing you do after a session that has increased

[00:16:04] Igor Demba: business?

[00:16:05] Igor Demba: Ooh, that's really good.

[00:16:11] Igor Demba: Okay. I think that, Okay, let's not include just a session, but a wedding, if that's okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's, that's perfectly fine. And, and I think that, yeah, this goes to, to anyone really, even if it, it is a session really. once, once I sent out a preview, I just don't simply send it to, to the couple or, or to whoever is involved.

[00:16:37] Igor Demba: But I send it to literally everybody that's involved within the shootAnd this is obviously with the permission of the, the couple or, or the client. And yeah, I find that this one thing has changed, not just simply the business, but in same in some ways, how much I earn in terms of like downloads and prints and.

[00:16:57] Igor Demba: Just people sharing my work in general, online. I find that, that as photographers we can be very much precious about our images but at the same time, especially when it comes to wedding, you've got multitude of people, working on this wedding, working on, for this client and really. All of us trying to create this dream, for our client, really.

[00:17:18] Igor Demba: And yeah, without them , I wouldn't have those images really. So I very much make it,a point to, as soon as the, the, the wedding or the session is finished to really send out that, not just a client, but to everyone involved really.

[00:17:32] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: so, so if it's a wedding, you're talking like the bridal party, for example, the, the parents of the.

[00:17:39] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yes. Anybody, but,

[00:17:41] Igor Demba: but also the, the suppliers, the, the wedding planner, the florist, Right.

And

[00:17:47] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: yes, that's where I was going next. I was wondering like the band, the dj, Yes. Hundred percent. That's a lot of, Yeah, that's a lot of, potential. Reach. If they wind up saying, Ooh, I want this for my website, you know, then they can buy it from you for that

[00:18:01] Igor Demba: and so on.

[00:18:01] Igor Demba: That's it. And, and I make sure I speak to literally everybody on, on, on a wedding day, really. because yes, I'm there to capture, but at the same time, I'm there to grow my business. Yeah. And yeah, I'll have on my notes, literally everybody's emails, everybody's handles as the day goes on. Typing and collecting all that from people and, and people remember you for that.

[00:18:23] Igor Demba: Really, People appreciate that sort of like effort and, and see it really, I think, just approaching things from a, not just a business level, but from a human level, of, of the fact that sharing is caring really. So . Yeah. it really, it really goes a long way.

[00:18:39] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Awesome. I love that. I love that answer.

[00:18:41] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: That's so good. If you were at the park while your kids are playing, take a moment to think about your next business task. Is it something you can do While Imagen edits your photos? Let us know by sharing in the Imagen Community. We're gonna go to something fun that I've never done before on this podcast.

[00:19:02] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Before we dive into what's a very deep question. we're gonna, we're gonna lighten things up with something fun before we get into something that's gonna make you really think, . So, if you are listening to this podcast, I am currently holding up two decks of cards. they are blurry right now, but that's

[00:19:20] Igor Demba: okay.

[00:19:20] Igor Demba: It's okay. Pick a color. One's green. One's green. One's orange. I'll go for orange. Orange.

[00:19:28] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay.

[00:19:30] Igor Demba: All right.

[00:19:33] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. I have the deck of orange cards. Okay. Yeah. Tell me when to stop.

[00:19:42] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay. Okay. Okay. These decks of cards have random questions on them. Are you ready for a completely random question that you just picks?

Hit me, hit me. I'm ready. Right, right.

[00:19:57] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: The question is, what is something you don't mind paying more

[00:20:02] Igor Demba: money for? Oh, that's a very good question. what is something that I don't mind paying more money for?

[00:20:13] Igor Demba: Mm-hmm. . A really good meal. Yeah, a hundred percent. I'm a foodie. I'm right there with you. I'm a foodie to, to a tea, really. And yeah. and when it comes to food, I'd rather much have an experience than. Than just literally sitting down, eating it and walking away, if that makes sense. So, Definitely. So, yeah.

[00:20:36] Igor Demba: Even, even, even in here. Yeah. You make me think now, cuz even here in the house, I'm the cook in the house really. And I'm very much like, I'd rather cook a really good meal, sit down and enjoy it rather than make something quick. So, so, Yeah, the same would apply for money really. I'd rather much spend , spend a good amount of money on something that would be really nice and experience.

so yeah, I don't mind paying, spending more money for, for good, good meal. Yeah. So, So on

[00:21:08] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: that note, what is your favorite meal to eat and. Because it could

[00:21:13] Igor Demba: be the same. . This is really hard. It's like picking a favorite child. I know, right?

[00:21:20] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: to me. I, I just, so, I always say, I always come back to tacos because that kind of covers like.

[00:21:26] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Could be any type of taco. Like yes,

[00:21:30] Igor Demba: Tacos is a good choice. It is a good choice. It is. I won't choose a specific meal, but I'll choose a specific cuisine, which usually tends to be Chinese and Thai. they're both, yeah, they're both very different. Thai time's more romantic. Chinese can be quite, let's say sweet and hot really, but, Chinese and Thai, really Asia Foods, they, they always get me, always get me.

[00:21:55] Igor Demba: And they're always so fun to cook. And it takes a long time. A really long time. There's a lot, there's a lot of a process to it. And so, so yeah, I love that. Really. But Awesome. That's why, that's why I love cooking in some ways as well, because. It's there's, it gets that one part of my brain that I really, in some ways don't have to think about.

[00:22:16] Igor Demba: I'm using my hands. I don't really have to think about what I'm seeing. And yeah, it's quite intuitive for me, so, yeah.

[00:22:22] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, you also get to experiment. yes, a lot. Which is, which is fun. My wife doesn't like when I experiment, but I like to experiment.

[00:22:32] Igor Demba: likewise here. Likewise, .

[00:22:36] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Okay, so we got past this fun question because now I'm about to ask you a question. Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. I'm gonna ask you if you can look at your business from a 30,000 foot view. If you can share an outlined breakdown of your workflow from lead to

[00:22:54] Igor Demba: delivery. Wow.

[00:22:57] Igor Demba: Wow. Yep. , how long have you got ?

[00:23:04] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: You don't have to go to too much detail. Just an overview. It's just everybody like, Yeah. It's the fun part. It, it, it, it, you know, I've asked, I've asked you these specific questions and now you're about to tell me something that's probably going. trigger. Other thoughts about those previous questions that you didn't originally

[00:23:20] Igor Demba: think about?

[00:23:21] Igor Demba: Yes, very much so. Very much so. and it is happening already, as I'm thinking about it. But, yeah, I guess from, from an inquiry,I try to keep things quite personal, really, and let, let the numbers and the professionalism of like my brochure that is very much online rather than a pdf. I find that just being interactive and, clients being able to, you're just able to convey a lot more really.

[00:23:47] Igor Demba: Besides a PDF really, because I'm able to include videos and people can see my life, my family, it's got my portfolio in a, in a slideshow that very much in a short amount of time, bam, bam, bam really hits people in the face of my work and they really get to know it. so, so yeah, from, from there, Usually we get talking about, what their priorities are and hopefully they book, If they don't book, I usually tend to ask why they didn't book, in the sense of usually tends to be budget.

[00:24:19] Igor Demba: And if that's the case, I tend to send them, I still find it that there's, there's, there's good potential there. There's, there's still good. what word could I say? There's, there's still. Juice from the lemon to be squeezed. Really, there's still some drops there of, of good things that you, that you can cultivate in terms of relationships.

[00:24:39] Igor Demba: So I tend to send it to other photographers that perhaps, may be a specific budget. So I always ask them for the budget because that, that way I know exactly where I'm dealing with and, and when I send that off to, to a good friend or someone. Maybe a, a lower budget. the couple really very much feel served and at the same time, whoever I'm referring to feels served as well.

[00:25:02] Igor Demba: And yeah, those, those referrals come back as well. Say, whilst, whilst it's a, it's a client that, I'm not gonna shoot and it might be down the line,A wedding that I will get back from that referred photographer, really. So yeah, I find that that one, has, has really, really helped my business over the years.

you, you just build a good network, really. You just build a good network with people. And yes, just because, it's a no for, for me, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's, it can't be a yes to someone within my circle. from then, Meet the couple, always online these days. It, it tends to never happen in person really because, I tend to shoot a lot of destination weddings and yeah, it location just simply doesn't allow it really.

so, so yeah, literally 90%, of, of that would be, with through Zoom or or wherever else it is. And yeah, I find that that really connect with couples that way. Asking questions, being quite nosy in the sense of what they do, what they love about the idea of their wedding, what they don't like, and how they're finding this whole idea of organizing the wedding.

[00:26:06] Igor Demba: And yeah, just get to the nitty gritties of it really. And then, the streamlined process sort of like begins really in terms of like, everything else from there tends to be automated in terms of like emails keeping in touch. It gets to the wedding day. and, we very much know, know where we stand.

[00:26:23] Igor Demba: The expectations have been set. and yeah, I feel like, sometimes photographers very much shoot themselves in the foot in terms of, having couples that, that necessarily know how. , how's it gonna be with, Eagle photographing me and what do I do with my hands and everything else? But by, by the time it gets to the wedding, couples already know that my approach is very relaxed.

[00:26:45] Igor Demba: I've sent, I've sent some tips already, like if I'm not saying anything whilst we're shooting, that means that I'm really getting what I want from you guys, so do not worry. And yes, it comes with encouragement and everything else. Things like that would just really help, the couple or the client know that, they and safe fans, cuz most of the times, people feeling awkward about having a a camera in front of them usually comes from not knowing what to expect, really not knowing how to act say that's has already been established way, way past, so, so, yeah.

Most of the times. I do ask and, and that's the, the answer, but I do describe it very much as having me at your wedding is very much like having a good friend photograph your wedding that simply happens to be badass with his camera and Imageners. So, so, yeah. then it comes to delivery. So literally, couple of days, if not a, The day after, I will send a preview and Imagen has very much changed that.

[00:27:48] Igor Demba: So, but we'll go into that afterwards. Yep. And, and yeah, sometimes it used to take. A lot longer, especially for destination weddings that are sort of like three, four days, not just one. And, and usually with, with the previous, I, I try to incorporate a good sense of the whole day and not just couple portraits that they can send to family, but yes, a good idea of the whole day and, and not just for the couple.

[00:28:19] Igor Demba: It goes back to that idea of literally sending things to the suppliers. Just think, think. Who's gonna be viewing this gallery and try to cover things in a rounded way as possible really. So they'll probably be around a hundred ImagenAI's for the preview, which is quite a lot. But, again, it just shows a good idea of what they can expect really.

[00:28:40] Igor Demba: And yes. Then usually it tends to be, I usually, I tend to cite to couples that they'll receive their, their image. Two to three months after the wedding really. And sometimes I hang, I like to, I like to edit as soon as I can, but sometimes I just tend to wait. because it just creates that anticipation really for the couple, of receiving the Imageners.

[00:29:02] Igor Demba: And, and I very much drip feed it. And again, that comes, it's, it's all automated. I used. the apps that I use in terms of the galleries in it, everything else, they, they do an amazing job. I just kind of like drip feeding, the, the ImagenAI's to the couple and yeah, when it comes to delivery, because it's been such a sort of like, Continuous momentum of, of, of, of expectation rising all the way through from the beginning to end by the time they receive their Imageners and galleries.

[00:29:30] Igor Demba: It's, it's happy days really. So, so, yeah. And then you get a scripts, scripted emails that come through afterwards with that. but I think, yes, it's, it's the beginning for me, The beginning for me, it's, it's the hard, it's when the hard work really starts. That's when I'm, I'm mostly involved and after, afterwards it becomes a bit more scripted in terms of the emails and everything else that that happens.

[00:29:52] Igor Demba: But yeah, that's, that's why you gotta have, the automation within your business really. Cuz today after many mistakes and many lessons learned, you just learn that, having things effective and quick just, just really helps. Speed really, really helps. So, yeah, that's,

[00:30:10] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Well done. it's, you know, it's, it's hard to look at your business from like the out that, that, that perspective and really like, Yeah.

[00:30:17] Igor Demba: And I'm sure I missed things . Oh, of

[00:30:19] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: course, of course. Yeah, but the cool part is now, like everybody who's listening to this, gets to know your, your reasons behind things. They get to know you deeper. even though it's all about workflow, like yeah, it gets to know what, what goes on in your.

which is really, it's really fun. It's really fun. Yes, Yes. okay, so, ai, right? Imagen is an ai, software company and, you are using Imagen, which is fantastic and we love the fact that you're utilizing it in your business. But what does the future of AI in photography look like

[00:30:53] Igor Demba: to you? Such a good question.

I, I have a, have a podcast with a really good friend and literally our last guest was a software developer and we are. We asked them that question and , I went down the root of Skynet

[00:31:17] Igor Demba: Obviously, eventually we'll be taken over by machines, and humans won't be needed. But that is very, very much I do believe that. But that is very much way, way, way, way, way back into the future, or forward, let's say. But no, I think that, ai, it. It's a way forward. It very much is a way forward for, for photography and for the creative artists really, because it's, it's allowing, especially the artists that are very much plugged in, to what's happening in the industry.

[00:31:50] Igor Demba: It's allowing time for them to, to very much be creative and perhaps other parts that they wouldn't normally. And I think. that is, that, that's a win. If you, if you're gaining back time, that's, that's a complete win really. At the same time I think that there's, there is a massive danger of someone perhaps coming into the industry and not knowing much about.

[00:32:14] Igor Demba: And cuz I'm a, I'm a , as I said before, I'm a very much a stickly stickler for, knowing your craft and, and knowing, knowing how to edit and edit well and, Yeah, refining things and having your own individual style and, and I think that the danger that that can. Can be. On the flip side of the coin of the benefits of it is, is the fact that someone can come into the industry not knowing much about it and, and just going straight away into, into a software and sort of like then, and they have something, something that, that perhaps is not something that they've worked and developed themselves and developed that visual eye, if that makes sense.

so I think. yeah, it has its dangers, but at the same time it's, it's absolutely incredible for, for what it's offering for, for the people that are using it Well, if that makes sense. Yeah. So, so yeah. and, and I think that that what excites me about it, and I joke about Skynet, but what excites me about it is, is the simple fact that the.

[00:33:24] Igor Demba: The the options are endless. The options are really endless to, to what, can become automated to what can actually be, become easier and streamlined within your business really. So you can focus on other things like your family or focus on other things within your business that are perhaps artistic and you are not able to do focus on personal projects that you, that you really, really are itching.

[00:33:51] Igor Demba: To, to get forward and, and those sort of personal projects usually tend to very much inform, at least for me, those personal projects tend to inform very much my, my business and my style and, and it just grows really because of that. So, so yes. I find it very exciting and. I think that, AI is here to stay very much so.

[00:34:15] Igor Demba: Mm-hmm. and Yeah. And only grow more and more. Yeah.

[00:34:18] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: While you were, while you were talking, I was thinking about these, new, I mean, I guess they're not too new anymore, but the text to, to image generators that exist in the, in the AI space now. Right.

[00:34:29] Igor Demba: It's like,

[00:34:30] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: there, there's a lot of people who are concerned of, okay, these are, they're getting so realistic, they're gonna start replacing photographers soon.

[00:34:36] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Right. . It's not, it's not there yet. But, , I don't think, I don't think it will ever replace a person that's actually, you know, taken the pictures and stuff, but, but I do think those tools could be helpful for photographers. Mm-hmm. , let's say you, you are a, A, a fashion photographer, right? You, you photograph models in different sets for magazine covers or whatever.

[00:34:59] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. And you're presented with an idea and, with a, with a subject matter and you, you're having this sort of writer's block type of thing. You can't figure out what to do. You can take that description, throw it into a text AI generator, see what it gives you, and. Maybe that's going to spark your creativity to then make your own set and make your own.

[00:35:20] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah,

[00:35:20] Igor Demba: very much saying, Very much so. and yeah, something, something that I've loved seeing is, I can't remember which AI program it was, but it was one, one of definitely the most popular ones. And, and the screenwriter just literally inputted loads of different words and not, not created just one image, but created very much a story.

Probably around 30, 30 Imageners. And it just becomes beautiful really, when you're able to very much tell a story that way. And again, it's, it's, it's a great different way of, bringing creativity to, to someone's business and being able to perhaps a, a wedding planner, having a a, a couple that is very much, Creatively forward and, and want something really, really wacky for the, for the wedding, for example.

[00:36:10] Igor Demba: And to be able to input those words and actually see what happens. Yeah. I, I reckon it's very inspirational and being, be, being able to sort of like bring mood boards to, to your clients with that sort of, visualization. I think it's, yeah. It's, it's incredible. It is incredible. Really. So, so, yeah.

[00:36:29] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah, I, I'm excited to see where it goes, for sure.

so, okay, so you have touched on this next question in various ways throughout this episode. so now I'm just gonna ask you straight up, How did Imagen impact your life? ?

I like the way you put it, your life as well, because it it could be your business or anything like that. Right. It's very much my life.

[00:36:51] Igor Demba: A hundred percent. Mm-hmm. . it just gave me so many hours, so, so many hours, int being able to, edit my Imageners and still stay true to my style, but, Being able to actually get back Imageners so quickly, rather than going into Lightroom and sort of like command all everything and see what, see what happens and, and then you.

[00:37:16] Igor Demba: you would have to very much sift fruit for your Imageners. a lot more, in order to, to very much, get the results that I want. I, I find it, I find incredible and initially I was actually a bit skeptical of it. I'm like, Hmm, surely not, surely I can't. Replicates and edit as well as me . But the reality of it is that it gets pretty damn close.

[00:37:40] Igor Demba: It really does. And, and most of the times I only have to adjust certain little things, and if it is an image that I really have to focus a bit more. Yes. That, that still happen of course, but it's so much faster. It's so much quicker and yeah. if, if it, if it gives you, Hours within your business in order to be able to, to do other things or other parts of your business that, that you need to, to sort out why not, It just simply makes sense.

[00:38:13] Igor Demba: It makes perfect sense for me. So, so, yeah. it's incredible. Absolutely incredible. And yeah, I can't wait to see what. What more you guys bring forward in terms of the development of, of right, of the app really, because it, it's incredible. And, and at the same time, it's, it's only bound to get better and better and better really.

[00:38:34] Igor Demba: And that's what I love about it. The fact that it's, it is AI and it lands, it learns your decisions a lot more. You're able to fine tune things after you've. Edited the whole set, so, so you can correct it and, and so say, actually no, I would want shadows more like this rather than this. And yeah, I love that aspect of it.

[00:38:57] Igor Demba: Yeah. Awesome.

[00:38:59] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Awesome. Thank you so much. so where can listeners learn more about you, connect with you and of course, see your incredible photography?

it's quite easy, ego. under all channels, literally on that. So yeah, I G O R D E M B A, and you can finally, literally anywhere that has,online pulse really.

[00:39:22] Igor Demba: So . Yeah. Yeah, , especially on Instagram. So yeah, . Awesome.

[00:39:28] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Thank you so much for, for the conversation. Thanks for, for working with me on this fun .

[00:39:35] Igor Demba: I love it. This fun idea. I love it. What, what sort of, what sort of type of are questions? Am I in there? Is it, is this sort of like, is it really random or, Oh, it's

[00:39:45] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: some of them here.

[00:39:45] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Let's, let's go for one from green. Okay. I'll pick a random one right now outta the green. Okay, so we're gonna wrap it up with this question. Oh, what upcoming life event are you excited about?

[00:39:56] Igor Demba: Whew. . I wouldn't call it a life event , but yes. I'm about to launch an an editing course and in fact, Part, part of it.

[00:40:09] Igor Demba: Within, within that I've got an Imagend section That Nice. yeah, that, that is quite crucial to it, that, that setup, that question was just like, set up magically, perfectly

[00:40:25] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: perfect.

[00:40:26] Igor Demba: So, yeah. So yeah, I've got a course coming out very, very soon. Within the next month. And yeah, it's called the Great Edit. It's very much on, on editing as I've been chatting here. You could, you could hopefully see that, I'm, I'm very, very much passionate about editing and great aesthetics and people really finding their, their individual style really.

[00:40:51] Igor Demba: So it very much speaks on that, but at the same time, finding editing that's effective really, and again, Imagen has been crucial for that really. So, So thank you. Thank you. And the rest of your team really. That's, that's what I should say, .

[00:41:05] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Awesome. Thanks again for the chat and hopefully we'll talk again.

[00:41:10] Igor Demba: Hopefully, so thank you very much.

[00:41:12] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Thank you so much, Igor, for that fantastic conversation for working with me on this new experiment that I just did in the show and for sharing such. Valuable information for photographers listening to walk away with and, truly enhance their businesses. You have been listening to workflows Presented by Imagen.

[00:41:32] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: To hear more from workflows and to find a link to our guest, please go to imagen-ai.com/podcast. Be a part of the conversation by joining the Imagen Community at imagen-ai.com/community and be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[00:41:55] Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Thank you for tuning in. Until next time.