That I stumbled upon, from youtube. It’s a little bit bizarre with the animation but it’s less than 3 minutes long, and is entertaining for sure…..rated PG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oqHrPQ9ULM

Now that you’ve watched it…..it was never intended to insult new photographers. It’s to encourage people to take time to properly learn the craft and how the business works before going out there and putting yourself in the shoes of a pro…..that should be common sense but not always so much with lots of today’s “insta-tographers” I know it’s a cartoon but it has real life meaning…..The girl in the video has no respect for the professionals who are paving the way for her, nor does she have any interest in learning. Which is why she deserved the bashing she got. There are people like her who should talk less and listen more and actually have some pride in what they do…..the tools are out there to learn.

It’s a question many are asking themselves when selecting a DSLR….the entry level DSLR bodies have a 1.6 crop sensor.  Whereas the 1D series from Canon uses a 1.3 crop sensor, and various high end Nikons and Canons like the 1DS series, use full frame, which is the same as the 35mm SLR’s, default 24×36 frame. It all depends on what you use your camera for, and in what setting. The full frame sensor has an advantage with people shooting architecture or those who frequently use wide angle lenses. Also you get more megapixels and often cleaner high ISO performance, yes the sensor is a factor there.

Let me use an example. Say you are using a 50mm prime lens. On a full frame or 35 mm, you are using an actual 50mm focal length. With a 1.3 sensor, multiply the focal length by 1.3, you get 65mm. With a 1.6 crop sensor, you now have 80mm focal length out of a 50mm lens. With that said, many people who enjoy telephoto lenses whether shooting nature or sports etc. enjoy the 1.6 sensors because they gain on the telephoto end……but wide angle shooters really need the full frame. Shooters who use telephoto with a full frame will need to spend more money on a good fast telephoto which is good to have anyway. Shooting in tight quarters or a small studio the full frame body would be convenient. 1.6 personally feels weird to me, I like my 1D with 1.3 because I can still shoot wide just fine, and I get a little extra focal length on the telephoto end. I’d be happy with 1.3 or full frame personally, but it varies based on each user’s needs. I found another good article online I thought I would share, after giving my spin on it. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/full-frame-sensor-vs-crop-sensor-which-is-right-for-you

Good question. Most photographers prefer not to post pricing on their sites…..I can’t speak for them, but I will tell you why I choose not to. Really it’s quite simple. Every job is different, and I want to keep my site clean and free from big menus….the website is to sell people on my work and get some basic information, but when quoting a photoshoot,  I want the opportunity to speak to my audience and potential clients directly and find out specific details of their project, so I can accurately give them a quote and understand their specific needs. And also this way I can explain to them what they get with their photoshoot. It just seems shrinkwrapped and impersonal to let my website be my salesperson and quote prices, when people buy from you because of you.  For a service, as opposed to a good, I feel this is important. Also if I can speak to them directly, they are less likely to have a pre conceived notion of the value of my work based on the prices given (or balk when they see prices without knowing what they really get). Potential business can slip through the cracks that way.

Prices are based on 2 factors…..time and usage. If a commercial project for advertising use, or publishing, the rate changes based on that usage. Posting rates boxes you in, as far as that goes. Unless it’s something as simple as a headshot or something, I ask the customer a few questions before being able to price the job they want, whether a wedding or portrait session, etc. and then I go over with them what they receive, and make sure that suits their needs. This creates more serious and better business relationships in my opinion, and I get less price shoppers, because usually they are the less serious clientele if they aren’t coming to you because you do the best work for them, but rather price point as the deciding factor. Better communication means better business.Knowing what you are pricing before you price it eliminates bad feelings and confusion, and I have found my customers appreciate the personalized service and attention to detail. In a time of bait and switch marketing and pricing with many things, it’s best to be clear about what I am expected to provide, and the final bottom line figure, clearly understood.

I understand the bride is the customer, and the boss of her wedding. It’s up to her and the vendors to make sure how they do things fits the other. However, some things can affect the final outcome of the job we as photographers are hired to do and that is where we need to choose our battles wisely. I am speaking of the brides who want their sister or other friend or relative to be the backup or second photographer. Many feel it’s their wedding and they are entitled to that. Maybe so. We as photographers are also free to turn a job down if it’s a liability for us, though no one likes to do that. Many also do not understand why most professional photographers would avoid such a situation. Understandable….let me elaborate. Of course it’s always best to try to resolve things and come to an understanding if possible.

Wedding photography is high liability as it is, and very demanding. I know when I am shooting one, I am very careful to have things planned out, and have the hired help I need in an assistant, and we know exactly what we are both to do, and when….like whitewater rafting, things happen fast and we have to be a solid team and know how to work together under pressure, yet remain cordial and entertaining to guests. As the primary photographer, it is up to me to hire a second shooter if needed, and set a course for them so that we don’t double shoot the same thing or get in each others’ way. This way I can oversee things and make known what I need them to do. A stranger will likely get in the way, and get similar shots I am getting, as well as distract the subjects when they are supposed to be getting photographed by me, and people know them already which puts me on the visiting team. It seems redundant to hire a pro and have an amateur going behind them. Anyone else hired to shoot works under the primary photographer, or else there is chaos and disorder. The hired photographer is the one contractually obligated to deliver, not the amateur. Therefore, any other shooting should be done under him or her.

In short, you don’t hire a plumber and start helping him, or go behind the caterers and add spices to the food. Let your guests be the guests they are asked to be, and leave the work to the vendors…..if you don’t feel they can get the job done, hire a different one. It’s not about egos or photographers trying to control someone else’s wedding…..but it IS about maintaining control of the job you are hired to do, and responsible for.

It’s not uncommon to deliver high resolution files to a commercial client, sometimes retouched, sometimes not. Art directors and publishers handle the technical aspects as trained professionals. And these days, many actors and models need high resolution digital files for headshots if they are with agencies, as they need to make copies in bulk for themselves and the agency to pass along to casting directors for a project. They’d go broke if they had to buy 50 prints at a time from me, so I size it for their portfolio and charge them for the session see as well as file preparation and retouching, archiving and delivery, and they have what they need turn key. Note I did not say shoot and burn to disc. Also many wedding clients like having digital files so they can make their own albums and prints as needed…..which is fine, I often do that, with the proper steps being taken. It makes sense if they cannot afford a photographer album and to be honest, most of us cannot, that’s understandable! Plus there are online mediums of sharing which we did not have in the film days. Plus most I have talked to that have been my clients do not want to have to look through a tiny proof gallery, and I can’t blame them there either. BUT placing digital files in the hands of an untrained person is not responsible business. I will explain why. Education and training is needed so the client can make use of them.

By default most modern digital cameras have a 2/3 frame ratio. Like 8×12, follow me? Hence the rectangular shape of the photos. When I shoot weddings, I try whenever possible to allow enough negative space for cropping / printing. Sometimes also cropping can help make an image compositionally strong. So with that being said,  4×6 print fits the 2/3 ratio, so no cropping is needed to print a 4×6. A 5×7 minor cropping is needed. An 8×10, 2 inches will need to be cropped off the long side which is substantial. You get the idea, sizes get larger from there but do the math with the frame ratio and that will tell you how much needs to be cropped off. That is done in Photoshop or other photo editing program. Not everyone is equipped to do that, so this is part of the problems people face by asking for a medium they don’t know how to work with. Say a customer goes to print a file in 8×10. By default, if not manually cropped to print that size, an inch will be cropped off the top AND bottom, as opposed to manually selecting crop point locations…..sometimes that works with negative space provided in the photo, other times you’ll have a pissed off customer because peoples’ heads are lopped off, etc. That’s why educating the customer is important so they know what they’re up against and don’t waste their time and money.  I will use 8×10 as an example picture below….. This puts a different spin on how wonderful and convenient digital files are eh? lol. They are with proper handling.

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The one on the bottom is if the customer went to have the image printed in 8×10 size without being cropped…….could be worse but the photo seems off balance that way, and the top of her head is cropped off in an accidental manner. The middle is being manually cropped to fit that size…..and the top one is uncropped. I am fine with providing digital files to wedding clients but I make sure they understand this, and often later they have me do their prints, and they don’t get mad at me when printing doesn’t work out for them because I didn’t teach them this. Win win

Yup, times are a changing…..digital is here, which does not mean the demand for professionals is gone, it just means it’s easier for everyone to do. Many clients want digital media as their final delivered product which is fine, but there are some factors many do not understand or think about, maybe I can help here. Delivering high resolution files are the equivalent of giving negatives, which eliminates further need for you. To make a feasible living, a photographer must get paid for usage as well as time, or rely on print sales. You can’t cut a step out of it and expect us to be there later when you need us, it’s just simple economics. Many think, well it doesn’t cost you anything to give everything to us…..bull hockey. It depends on what you pay for LOL!! File preparation, retouching, archiving etc. all take time. Photographers retain copyright and ownership of all files, but in some cases when rights are shared, such as for advertisement use, usage fees are paid for that. It’s not an entitlement when being paid for a photoshoot. For commercially used photos, the client uses those photos to advertise and make money from as the main goal…..that comes with a price that’s well worth paying for. So now you know why digital files aren’t “free” unless they do not contain the photo I shot LOL!

For weddings, I generally do provide digital files per customers’ request. But my rate reflects that, and it’s an event where many photos are needed…..I find it’s easier to do it that way rather than making them look through a crappy proof gallery. I still usually get some print sales here and there especially for oddball sizes. Here is where the value isn’t so great for the $300 Craigslist wedding photographer (term used loosely lol) They shoot and burn a disc, swat the customer on the butt and say here you go. Not to mention there’s a good chance the photos will look like crap, there are many other factors about making prints from those files, and using for web that most people do not know. The responsibility doesn’t end after shooting…..educating your customer saves them aggravation and wasted time and money, as well as increases your value for the service you provided them……next post is going to be about the technical aspects of file preparation and printing, etc. and how I educate my own customers in this process if digital media is the method of media they have. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Date : Friday October 15

Time: 7:00 PM- approx 9:00 PM

Place: Otter’s Chicken Tenders, at 5th and Main – 507 Main St. Nashville TN. 37216. Street and side lot and garage parking available.

What to bring: Print books and / or laptops / Ipad or other media displaying electronic portfolio. Oh yea and a few bucks for chicken tenders. LOL

What this is about: We want to form a small group of dedicated people to discuss the business and industry, technical photography and lighting discussion, image and branding, image review and critique, workflow and post production, and other misc. information.

Who this if for : Photographers of ANY experience level…..must be serious about their craft and doing business responsibly, and have the desire to learn properly and responsibly. We are fine with the group being small, it’s about how good of a unit we are, not how many people can fog a mirror. This is geared towards people who currently, or hope to in the future make a sole or supplemental income from photography and uphold the integrity of the business of photography. This is not for the entitled beings who think this is a fast track to getting paid just because they bought their first SLR recently. Or the ones who have no interest in learning fundamentals but just want to shoot blindly, and try to correct their mistakes with bad Photoshop. You get the idea LOL.

What we hope to accomplish with this: As far as how often we meet, we’ll play by ear…..maybe every month or two, but for now we’ll focus on our goal. I believe we can all learn from each other, no matter the experience level…..there are plenty of people who don’t even own a camera who know what makes a good image. We all keep an open mind. We use one another as resources if we have any questions on our subject matter, or need help critiquing / narrowing down image selection, mainly a second eye as needed. This can be done in between meet-ups and we should be available for each other. Even doing the information sharing, you learn more in the process. And no one is ever done learning and growing! For lack of a better term, we are filtering out the garbage and want a dedicated group.

I shot an outdoor wedding a couple weeks ago, and we shot the group portraits and bride and groom portraits at the golden hour, maybe 45 minutes to an hour before dusk….it’s a good time to do natural light, and often will! It depends on whether or not we are in a shaded setting and the backlighting plays a factor in this decision. Also the depth of field you want to use or specific shutter speed range. In harsher lighting conditions, I will almost always use flash guns or strobes on location especially if a group of people. Reflectors work well but eyes get squinty, and is a more risky proposition for groups as some may not expose equally unless there are multiple reflectors in use. I usually pick that option for an individual subject for that reason.

In this particular setting, there was some shade in the shooting area…..we went through preparation to scout the location that was the most accessible, yet had the best view of the lake, with the lack of unsightly brush in the background, or mucky or barren land in the foreground. I could have exposed the subjects fine without the use of strobes, but the backlighting in the background would be more washed out, and in this case we wanted to capture the background as well as the subjects to create a certain mood with these photos…..all in a limited time frame LOL!! So I used a 2 light setup with beauty dishes….I wanted contrast and vibrancy. Using the zone system setting the key light at full power and the fill light at half power created the contrast and with the tilt of the fill strobe, it managed unwanted shadows that would indeed be light spill, no good in this case. I was able to shoot between f8 and f11 and have the punch I wanted in the subject area, and still keep the detail in the blacks and midtones in the background. I am all for a simple travel light setup but every situation varies……you have to ask yourself, how do I want this shot, how do I want the lighting and mood…..it all works together. It’s more efficient to think of this before shooting, rather than clean up a mess in Photoshop later.

I’ve met several people who either asked how to shoe their way into the photography business, or know someone who’s trying but struggling. Some of which have been through college for it, but granted, they don’t always teach the business end of things. Legitimate questions, because many people find photography enjoyable! But loving it and doing it as any sort of career are two entirely different things. Like every industry these days, it’s competitive and getting saturated……many are crying armageddon for our business but I’d like to believe everything comes around full circle….people said the same thing when 35 mm camera lenses had auto focus come out, and the beginning of the digital age, etc. So we are in a recession now and people are doing what they can to save money…..can’t blame them. BUT advertisers are cutting corners hiring rookies and therefore less impact on their final product….I believe when they figure out it’s costing them to save money, hiring someone qualified sounds better again.

I think of it like this…..it’s like an American Idol show…..many contestants but few finalists will finish. I am in full support of someone new pursuing their passion, if they go about it the right way and don’t expect it to be handed to them or expect shortcuts to work. But many will fall by the wayside when they figure out how expensive it is, how much work it is to market and how time consuming it is to process images, network etc. Good. Cream rises. Those who are smart about it and are willing to put the work and time in, can still make it and I wish them success!

Now then…..here are the steps, though everyone’s different, this is pretty universal. Find yourself as a photographer, develop a specific genre and style, know what clients you are going after and how to find them……network, network, and network. Get the gear you need but don’t overspend what you can’t afford. It could be a while before you make your first dollar…..remember no one cares how much you spent……are you worth hiring is the question, no one owes you anything. Become proficient at your craft and KNOW HOW TO MARKET…..that is perhaps more important than how well you work your craft. Networking and advertising are how you get your name and work out there…..having a recognizable style and consistent brand are important, as well as the right personality for what you do. Knowing how the bidding works and value of your craft is also key. The worst mistake you can make is to be super cheap to build a name……well because then CHEAP is your business model. Duhhhhh….It’s better to be at the level to charge modestly but not super lowball before developing a paying client base….or else you’ll have coupon customers who aren’t coming to you because you are the best person for the job or they love your work. So yes, it’s a tough time, but this business is not dead as some cry havok about…..cream rises…..and those who aren’t determined enough will not make it long enough to be colleagues. Time always sorts things out……I hope if this helps someone, they play it smart and succeed, and are willing to put the work into it.

After recently completing the last branding exercise with the company logo, the business cards are to follow….this gives people a way they can become familiar with the company image and recognize it when seen again. This way my web and print mediums are consistent with that branding, good thinking eh? LOL….I think soon we will go after tshirts with the company logo, website and phone number, and dress shirts with the logo on the front. My designer showed me several mockups for card design, and selecting it was equally difficult as the logo itself, not only design, but printing options. I felt this design after a couple revisions were made, fits the image I want people to see best……and it’s professional, clean, fun, and functional, without being flashy.

I know I have discussed business cards here, though I eat some of my past words about images on cards….now that I have a logo I want it to stand on it’s own, and the card to have enough presentation value to fascinate the audience enough to view my website. This way clients see my work in it’s proper context instead of on a 2″ x 3 1/2″ business card……I know there is no one size fits all solution for everyone, but my designer and I agreed it was time to take a different approach to fit the branding. Your business card is your salesman when you aren’t around…..getting cheap ones with a poor design, all you are doing is killing trees LOL! We decided to have the logo stand on it’s own on the front of the card, and the back is a little more punchy, yet fun. The front would have more commercial appeal and the back would be fun for them, as well as wedding clients. We wanted a good blend of functionality and sleekness, and fun design as well. The cards will be matte, 16 pt. card stock, silk laminated, with uv spotting on the front logo, and on the back, the background initial will be spot uv coated. Here they are, I hope you like!