Photography

Without a doubt one of the best photo editing software programs available is Adobe Photoshop. In the past Photoshop would be available for around $699 to $799 depending on the version. It was a quite expensive tool. You could possibly get it for “free” by stealing it through a bit torrent, but that’s not very ethical and doesn’t support the software company (so it wasn’t recommended).

A free alternative to Photoshop (almost as powerful) is an open source software called GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). This program gave you some of the complex editing tools of Photoshop such as layers, dodging and burning, and color manipulation. However some of the disadvantages would include a steep learning curve (and at times it could be buggy) – caveat here – I haven’t used GIMP in years so some of the bugs and glitches may have been fixed. Also if you were shooting exclusively in RAW format, some of the newer camera RAW formats were not supported by GIMP.

Luckily Adobe released a SAAS (Software as a Service) plan called the Photography Plan. This includes both Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. CC just stands for Creative Cloud, meaning you can access some of your resources – image files and such online. If you didn’t know, Lightroom is an image organization processor that also has some editing capabilities such as cropping, white balance, color manipulation, resizing, and lens correction. You could use Lightroom stand alone editing tool as well (if you don’t have the time to learn Photoshop). The best part of the photography  plan is that it’s only $9.99 a month and it includes ongoing updates. I used to hate SAAS plans where you pay a monthly fee, because when buying a piece of software I wanted to fully own it. However if you do the math you’ll see you are only paying about a $120 a year (a fraction of what it would cost for both programs) and you continually get updates – that make the software better and faster. If you compare it to just buying Photoshop outright, you maybe could have the same type of value in about 5 – 6 years and not having any updates at all.

I’m not sponsored by Adobe or anything, but their software is great and fast for photo editing. There are also a ton of resources online for free (youtube) that can teach you how to leverage this software to create stunning images. I love using both Lightroom and Photoshop and when I found out about the photography plan I immediately signed up and if you want to get serious about photography, I suggest that you do as well!

Thanks,

So if you’ve never hired a photographer to take your photos, here are some things you should do to make the best of the photo shoot.

Research Photographers

The first thing you should do before even hiring a photographer is to look up photographers in your area. See the different styles of photography out there. Some photographers shoot photos with more contrast, others shoot photos that are brightly lit. You want to take into account what style you’re after and look for photographers that match that style.

Questions to Ask your Photographer

Once you find a photographer here are some questions to ask. Ask the photographer how long they’ve been shooting. What packages and pricing they offer. Some photographers will only sell you prints, others will sell you digital copies of your photos. Every photographer runs their business in their own unique way, so you’ll want to be very clear with what you are paying for.

Ask the photographer about availability, some photographers (believe it or not) only schedule photo sessions Monday through Friday. You want to take into account their schedule as much as your own and try to find the best match. You will also want to find out two or three locations that the photographer recommends. You may also want to see examples of shots in those locations.

Discuss what you are looking for in the photographs. I know this sounds hard (and I have experienced many clients who weren’t quite sure what they wanted), but the clearer idea of what you want, the better the experience will be for both you and the photographer. That’s not to say the photographer shouldn’t have suggestions or advice, a good photographer should ask great questions to reveal what you ideally want.

Let the photographer know what you are going to wear, and if there are any color pallets they suggest. Some scenery may clash with clothing color, so it’s good for the photographer to know ahead of time what you and/or your family are wearing.

Pinterest Is Your Friend

If you are still not sure the style or the type of photography you like, I suggest that you browse Pinterest. Use simple key words such as “Family Photo Session”, “Engagement Session”, etc… to find ideas and pin your favorites. If you want to take it once step further, send your Pinterest board to your photographer and discuss with them the shots you really love and you would like to emulate in some sort of way. The photographer will let you know if the photos match their style or if they could take elements or the “feeling” of the photographs during your shoot.

Don’t expect the photographer to match the Pinterest photos exactly, they aren’t photo copiers – pun intended. However, they can and may get inspired by the types of photos you send them. They may even put their own creative spin on the photos.

So there you have it, some tips on preparing for your next photo session. If you have any questions let me know!

Thank you,

 

 

Know what you’re worth, and I don’t mean in a self-esteem / confidence way, but rather in a business sense. I recently had a personal experience where there was a disconnect between a client (now a former client I suppose) and myself about pricing for my photography services. This recent experience made me realize that I wasn’t listening to my own advice about knowing what I’m worth and charging for it.

The Mistake

I met this client years ago when I was just starting off in photography. I had wanted to start things off right with a business contract. However the client insisted a contract wasn’t necessary – BIG mistake, especially if you are doing portrait photography for a group. So, without a contract, I blindly agreed to shoot the event which included head-shots. Well, because I was naive and didn’t have much experience I just took the job. Well the first year was a success, and consequentially I went out to photograph the same job for the past 3 years or so. However I was getting a bit low balled, I knew it, the client knew it, but I didn’t speak up. Or if the client didn’t know it, it was my fault for not letting them be aware of the price. I should have charged 3 or 4 times the amount that was given, but I continued, because I thought I was doing this client a favor, and I wanted to do a good job.

It’s A Business

What I should have done was nailed down a contract with the client and nailed down an agreed upon price. I had done contract work before for product photography clients, and those sometimes resulted in negotiation, but I was satisfied with the agreed upon price. Those jobs were great, I provided what the client needed and I received what I thought the work was worth. Don’t ever be afraid of charging what you think is necessary for you to get the job done. The best way to do this in a contract is to see what others are charging within the market. If you’re just starting off, you may want to start on the low end, if you have more experience then charge more, but I wouldn’t veer off from the average too much. People are typically savvy about photography and will price shop and unless you are really confident and have a track record to prove it, you don’t really want to be the most expensive one around. In fact, the best thing you can do is seek out your competition and see what they are charging and even bring that information to your client.

Don’t Take It Personal

If your client doesn’t want to agree with the contract, then walk away. If you think the client does not want to pay what you are charging, they are more than free to go somewhere else. If you let every Tom, Dick, and Sally try to unreasonably low ball you, you’ll receive a reputation about the cheapest service around and you’ll start resenting doing your work. Be confident in what you can do, and also be confident in what you can’t do. Be open and honest with the client, you’re both trying to accomplish something together. If the client doesn’t want to pay, then walk away. If they get upset, don’t take it personally. Imagine how they’ll treat you when something goes sideways or if they don’t end up liking your work. It’s just bad news.

So take it from me, don’t make this mistake. It just ends up messy and people get upset and angry – it’s typically a lose-lose situation. I recently had a music school reach out to me to do portrait sessions for their students. We went back and forth and finally when I provided them the pricing – which I thought was very reasonable, they balked at the contract. Well I politely parted ways, and I noticed months later – they still didn’t over portraits for their students… I guess they realized the division between the real value of what they wanted, and what they were willing to pay. There was definitely a disconnect there and sometimes, just educating the client is the right thing to do.

Anyways, bottom line is – Know what you’re worth, and when you know what you’re worth, don’t compromise, ever.

Thanks,

 

Every aspiring photographer reaches the point where they truly want to excel at their craft. When you get to this point in the photographic journey you start taking it seriously. This is where pure talent is honed with skill and sharpened with technique. Here are 5 tips that will help you get started in a perpetual cycle of learning and improving your photography.

1. Learn to See What Others See

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but really imitation is the best form of learning. If you really think about it, just about everything and anything you learn starts with some sort of imitation, whether it’s walking, or talking, or writing, etc… Photography is no different. Most people think that they don’t want to study other’s arts as it may influence them and steer them away from their own style. Quite the opposite is true, the more you study other photographers, the better you will get at shooting photography. Studying other photographers will help you discern what style and elements you like and don’t like. While looking at other photographs ask yourself, what do I like about this image, what works or doesn’t work, what techniques did the photographers use? Learn to see what others see.

2. Perfect Practice Makes Nearly Perfect

I can’t say this enough, there’s a reason why the 10,000 hour rule is called the 10,000 hour rule. You will need to put time into your craft. It’s really the only way you can get better at photography. When you shoot, plan what you want to shoot, even if you are into the more fly by the pants street photography. Have a plan and goal of what you want to shoot, and try to execute it. You won’t get a perfect shot every time, but you may get one or two great ones in a sea of mediocre ones. What I mean by nearly perfect is that perfection is a pursuit, just like the pursuit of happiness. You will need to pursue perfection, but know in the back of your head that human perfection is a myth… only God is perfect.

3. Analyze After the Shot

After your done shooting from your hours of practicing, analyze your shot. What could you have done to make the shot better (even if you think it’s the greatest photo in the world). Take a long hard look at your photograph. Were there certain camera settings you could have changed, was the composition the best it could be? Self analysis is very important for growth in your photographic journey.

4. Ask for Feedback

Seek out a photography forum in the type of photography you want to shoot. In moste  photography forums there’s a critique/review section where you can submit images to get feedback on. You’re going to have to grow a thick skin. Not everyone is going to love all of your images. But everyone has a say on how to improve images. Be mindful of “trolls” who just provide negative feedback, seek feedback from those who want to help others improve. What also helps is to read photo critiques of other photographers. One of the forums I first started following is the shutter stock critique forum. This is place where some seemingly harsh, yet helpful critique is given. You’ll find that you will learn what others say about photographs will help you on your photographic journey. Shutterstock is a stock image site that will only take good quality images. The critique area of the forum is for those who want to get their images approved (their approval process is pretty strict).

5. Learn the Rules, Break Them, and Learn Them Again

Learning the basic principles of art and photography will help you immensely improve your craft. Learn about the “rules” of photography such as the rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines, light and shadow, the golden ratio etc… Experiment with them, and then deliberately break the rules. Then learn the rules again by recognizing what rule you broke in the first place. Hopefully you’re eyes aren’t crossed, but you get what I’m saying… at least I hope. Learn the rules, break the rules, and then learn the rules again.

So there you have it! 5 tips that will take your photography to the next level. Let me know if you have any other tips!

Thanks a lot for reading,

 

As a semi-professional photographer, I get this question asked all the time. If you read my last post you may be wondering where I’m going with all of this. Well I did mention in a round about way that a great photographer can use any camera to make great art. However, what I didn’t say is that a great camera can help a photographer create better photos faster. Just as quality paint brushes will help a painter and quality knives help chefs with their cooking. So before I answer the question “What type of camera should I buy?”, I’m going to ask a few questions.

What are you going to be using it for?

Ask yourself what are you going to use the camera for. Are you primarily going to use it for family outings and vacations? How about capturing your child’s sports events? Will you be using it to try to earn some extra income? Is taking video important to you? Do you want to be the next great Ansel Adams? You need to think about the answers to these questions, because the answers should definitely point you in the right direction.

What’s your budget?

If you had an unlimited amount of money and wanted the very best I’d say go for this Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel beast, but not everyone has an extra $50,000 to spend on a camera. If you’re just starting out and want to “try” the whole photography experience, I’d say set aside anywhere from $300 to $600 and buy a entry level DSLR – that’s only if you want to lug around a camera body and lenses. There are plenty of compact options as well out on the market that nearly meet the quality of these DSLRs. For example, I’ve had great experience using the Sony RX 100, M3. The feature image was captured with my RX100.

Camera Specs?

If you’re just starting out you want to look for certain camera specs. For point and shoot cameras, what’st the lowest F-stop the camera can handle? How does the camera handle noise? Is printing out photos important to you. Many beginning photographers get caught up in the megapixels race. Let me tell you the TRUTH about megapixels… They don’t matter as much as you think! Take a look at this printing chart, unless you are looking to make some massive printouts, you only really need something 8 megapixels or higher. The more recent smartphones have 12 megapixels or higher and cameras usually start off with at least 12 megapixels. The amount of megapixels you have doesn’t make your image that much better if you are just going to be displaying your photo on Facebook or a typical 8 x 10 print. You want to look for reviews on the quality of megapixels for cameras. Quality of megapixels will have more bearing than quantity.

How do I know a camera is a good fit for me?

One of the easiest ways to checkout camera reviews and kind of get a feel for a big ticket item purchase as to see reviews of the camera on youtube. Don’t just watch one reviewer, but watch multiple so you can get different perspectives. Also checkout reviews online. After reading the reviews and checking out videos, I recommend taking the next step. Find your nearest camera shop and physically hold and checkout the camera. If you can’t do that the next best thing I recommend is to rent the camera. Did you know you can rent cameras online for a reasonable price? Checkout borrowlenses or aperturent, both places offer a wide selection and I’ve personally used both services. They are great way to test a cameras or lenses you aren’t 100 percent committed to buying, but just want to test out.

Where should I buy cameras?

Well if you have a local shop, I’d say go there, but camera stores have all but gone extinct. You can checkout the two big online retailers – B&H photo or Adorma are trusted stores. They even have a great used gear section – which I’m a proponent of. A lot of my gear is used gear. I also recommend KEH camera for used gear as well. You can snag some great deals at any of these sites. And if you’re wondering – no I’m not sponsored by them… I’d be open to it! So if you are from those companies let me know! – I know shameless promotion!

So what now?

Well if you took the time to read this blog you should now have some of the tools to search for the camera of your dreams. I can’t really answer what camera you should buy. You are the best qualified to make that decision. Want more posts like this? Let me know? I’m thinking about doing actual camera reviews. Anyways thanks for reading!

Thanks,

I’m feeling a bit ornery today so I thought I would write about the absolutely worst compliment you could give to a photographer. It’s like a slap in the face, yet people don’t realize they’re doing. In fact most non-photographers, while still having great intentions, fail to realize how rude this compliment actually is. You’re probably wondering what the compliment is, maybe you have even given it at one time.

The compliment comes in many forms, but the basic gist is this. “Your camera takes really great pictures or that’s a great picture, you must have a very expensive and nice camera.” I guess if you are genuinely admiring the camera, it may be OK to say this, but if you’re talking about photo or an image that was meticulously edited, composed, and crafted, well it’s like saying to a painter – “that’s great painting, you must have nice brushes”. How ridiculous is that to say? Yet when it comes to photography people think the camera does all of the work and the photographer just got lucky and took a photo at the right time.

While I admit that luck does have a role in the most exquisite of images, there’s a lot of planning, composition, editing, and work to making great images. For the image below, I had done my research well before taking the photo. The cabin I stayed at during my family vacation was about 2 hours away from this spot and I had to wake up at about 3 in the morning when the entire family was still sleeping to make the trek. The roads were winding and the incline was steep, but I made it to the spot (Wayah Bald, North Carolina) in the dark. I set up my camera (knowing which way the sun was going to rise through researching online). Then I waited for the sun to show itself and composed this (among hundreds of other images). I had to figure out what F-stop I wanted to use and shutter speed (photography speak for manual controls) and was able to create the image. And when I got home I had to put it in lightroom and photoshop to touch the photo up and to make it my vision. Now it isn’t the OMG best image in the world, but I think it’s nice and was done using a basic prosumer camera and lens – Canon 70D and a Tokina 11-16mm lens. There are options much much more expensive.

 

Even one of the most famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams stated “If we had very heavy cameras we simply didn’t go so far or take so many pictures. Knowing what I know now, any photographer worth his salt could make some beautiful things with pinhole cameras.” You have to remember photography is an art… and it’s not the tool that should get credit for creating the art. You don’t go up to a sculptor and say “that’s a great statue – you  must have great chisels”, or a potter who’s thrown a beautiful piece of potter and say “you must have a great pottery wheel”, or a chef and say “I love your food so much, those knives you use must be the best in the world!”. I could go on and on forever!

So next time you see a photo you like and know the photographer, say “Great shot, love the composition, love the colors, it’s pretty…” whatever, but don’t say something like “you must have a great camera, it takes great photos”. The camera can’t take photos without the photographer… and the photographer is the one that makes the art beautiful.

Thanks,