Rangefinder Magazine
March 2005

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Profile: Cal Landau by Linda L. May
Staying Ahead of The Pack

For 30 years, Cal Landau of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, was a winning Pro Rally racecar driver, who enjoyed photography as a hobby. He wrote articles, illustrated with his photographs, for leading auto racing magazines, while also restoring old cars. He never dreamed of becoming a professional wedding photographer. However, in 1995 fate stepped in when one of his pit crew asked Cal to shoot his wedding. Reluctant at first because he knew nothing about wedding photography, Cal finally agreed, and found his true calling! This East Coast photographer also does portraiture, commercial and décor work.

Growing up, Cal was surrounded by artistic talent. His mother, Mary Jane, was a painter, and his father, Cal, was a serious amateur photographer with a darkroom in their basement. At the time, Cal was not much interested in photography. Occasionally, Cal did help his father in the darkroom, and he enjoyed shooting pictures for pleasure with his Nikkormat, but he planned to be a painter, like his mother. However, after studying art history for a while at Kent State in Ohio, Cal realized he was not blessed with the same artistic talent for oil painting that his mother possessed. That was when he quit college and became a racecar driver and a photographer on the side.

In 1995, after shooting that first wedding, Cal worked for Moods Image Photography in Crafton, Pennsylvania, learning the wedding photography ropes. In 2000 Cal took the entrepreneurial plunge full time and opened his studio in Coraopolis, just 15 miles from Pittsburgh.

Because he shoots on location, he works out of his in-home studio, using his living room as the reception area. This ambitious entrepreneur does all the work himself, plus the shooting. Recently, his daughter Nicole started working part time by helping with production duties, which takes some of the workload off him. Cal displays only albums and décor enlargements on the walls for clients to view as they enter his premises. He does not exhibit wall portraits nor wedding images. Whatever awards he has won through the years are also not shown to the public. Cal does all his own digital printing in-studio on an Epson 7600, 24-inch inkjet printer through his HP computers. Only exhibition prints and proof magazines are sent to the lab these days.

For the past three years, Cal has captured everything digitally using Canon D30 and Canon 10D cameras. By the way, he was one of the first photographers in the Pittsburgh area to shoot digital weddings. This is just one example of Cal using his car racing savvy to stay ahead of the competition in the photography field.

So proficient is Cal at printing his own work that PDIA (Professional Digital Imaging Association) used him as a case study for wedding and portrait printing in 2003. He uses ACDSee software to rotate, number and enhance the images, then completes the manipulations in Photoshop. Learning to print on his own work was quite a challenge because he never attended a Photoshop class. But Cal mastered it by long hours of experimenting and studying. However, he admits there are holes in his education and someday plans to take beginner and advanced Photoshop courses.

“I believe printing your own work is far more efficient,” Cal says. “I have total control over my images from capture to finishing. Printing your own work eliminates the mistakes caused from lack of communication between the photographer and the lab. Digital printing can be done on any kind of paper, such as watercolor, LexJet 10-mil Satin, LexJet Archival Matte, or any number of art papers from Crane and Hahnemühle, which gives clients a greater selection of products.

“When I first went digital, I sent my work to the labs, but they kept raising their prices. The labs didn’t really care about me and my individual needs, so I got fed up and decided I’d learn to do my own printing. At the time, I was spending between $500 and $1000 a week on lab fees. For that kind of money, I could do it myself, or even hire someone else to do it. So, I bought my Epson 7600 printer and started my education. I didn’t need to hire anyone, nor use a lab anymore. All I have to do is push a button.”

From his decades as a racecar driver, Cal learned to win by keeping an edge over the competition and always being innovative and ahead of the pack. He carries this same philosophy into his wedding photography and business operations, and it is effective in this industry too.

“I go out of my way for my clients, and I never tell them ‘no.’ Most of my clients are more like friends now because I do get personal with them. Even though I shoot 45 weddings annually, I can still remember each couple. That familiarity helps me get better pictures too. I don’t really pose people; I just try to make them look happy. As long as they are having a good time, I’m satisfied. We can always find a way to please them, if we are flexible and compromise. How much extra money does it cost to make clients happy? The great word-of-mouth advertising is worth every dollar,” Cal says, smiling.

In October 2004, Cal photographed his first destination wedding in Barbados, a country located on the easternmost island of the West Indies, and he had a blast. In the future, Cal hopes to book more destination nuptials, which are growing in popularity. Over 150,000 destination weddings took place in 2004, according to experts in the wedding industry.

“This couple decided to spend the same amount they’d usually pay for a big traditional wedding to take 20 of their closest friends and family members to Barbados for a fun-filled week, instead of just one day,” Cal says. “In the middle of the week, they held the ceremony. I also photographed two snorkeling trips, several parties, and scenics. During that week, I shot 2700 pictures, covering everything they wanted. They received 2000 in two-proof magazines from which to choose the final prints. There were no tuxes and no fancy gowns. The couple got married barefoot on the beach wearing casual clothes, but it was still beautiful. Destination weddings seem to be a growing trend.”

Normally, Cal presents 800 to 1500 previews in 10x13-inch proof magazines, with nine images per page, for each wedding. These magazines are either mailed to clients, or the clients stop by and pick them up. For those who do come into the studio, Cal sits down with them, and they review the images together. Couples get to keep these proof magazines as part of his wedding coverage packages. He also gives a second set of plain paper proofs and asks couples to choose their final 100 images from those, by gluing them into a notebook in the order they desire. The final White Glove or Renaissance album is designed by Cal, but to the clients’ specifications, of course.

Continuing his philosophy of being different and staying out in front, this past year, Cal began offering another new product that is really catching on at his studio. Instead of displaying large engagement portraits at the reception for guests to sign, Cal offers brides and grooms another choice.

“I’m also breaking into the do-it-yourself-type albums sold by Albums Inc. and ArtZ for the engagement portrait session,” Cal explains. “Instead of doing the big portrait of the couple for the reception, I offer 10x10-inch albums, holding 10 to 15 5x8-inch prints, and guests sign the borders around the images.

Often, it’s hard for couples to narrow down their choice to just one image, so the album gives them greater variety.” These albums come as part of some of his wedding packages, but are also sold separately for $500.

Not only do Cal’s clients praise his unique images, but he has also won numerous awards through the years for his work. In 2004 Cal won first place in WPPI’s 16x20 Print Competition in the Bride and Groom Alone category for his humorous image titled, “Just Another Sunny Day In Pittsburgh.” This image also took the Grand Award in the Wedding category and depicts a bridal couple walking under an umbrella in the pouring rain.

“There’s a lot of old railroad stuff around here, and industrial sites where I love shooting. In fact, the picture that won the WPPI awards was shot near an old railroad overpass. Just as we pulled up in the antique car, rain began pouring down hard. The bride and groom were in such good spirits, they agreed to get out and stroll in the rain. They took an umbrella, but still got really soaked. They went on to the reception all wet, which was brave of them. I shot 54 images during that brief stop,“ Cal explains.

For the past two years, 2003–04, Cal has also won the Triangle Photographer’s Annual Bill Stockwell Wedding Album Award for his unique, artistic album designs.

Keeping ahead of the pack is Cal’s overall goal for the future. Running true to course, his latest innovative goal is to expand his wedding album line, to include artistic albums printed like hardbound books.

After the Florida economy recovers more from the rash of hurricanes that battered the state in 2004, Cal plans to expand his operations to include the Fort Lauderdale area, where his father resides. Recently, Cal placed his first ad in The Knot magazine for that region of the country. Since he frequently visits his father there anyway, and the scenery is perfect for photography, he figures, why not take advantage of the situation?

“Before every wedding, I meditate to relax and get focused on the upcoming job. Meditation and business work well together. I make no plans before arriving at the wedding, I just go with the flow of the event. And, I always remember who pays my bills, the clients. After I’ve shot their wedding, I’m forever part of that family’s history, so it’s important to do your best work at each wedding!” Cal concludes.

Readers may contact Cal Landau via email at: clandau3@com cast.net; or view his web site at: www.callandauphotog.com.

Linda L. May is a freelance writer/photographer based in the Midwest.