For the last several weeks I have really been struggling with myself. When it comes to photography and even writing this blog I still feel like I am a newbie and that I am not really accomplishing anything or learning anything for that matter. With my photography I have been finding it very hard to convince myself to pick up my camera and do anything with it. I know that I need to practice or I am not going to get any better, but I just can't seem to do it. I am guessing that it is a lack of motivation on my part, however I am not exactly sure what it is. When it comes to the things that I write here I am honestly writing because I like too, and in some cases it gives me a sense of purpose. When I scroll through different groups and I see things that they struggle with I try to find the answer and see if there is something that I can do or explain to help, and on the same token apply it to myself. Once I am able to do that I share it here so that everyone who takes the time to read my blog will learn as well. I thought that if I shared my short comings and my accomplishments and things that I learned on each shoot in order to improve for the next that it would not only help reinforce it in my head, and potentially at the same time benefit someone else. However over the last few weeks I have felt like I am failing with that as well. I have felt that I am just doing it all wrong, or maybe I just wasn't smart enough to do all of it. This thought process has really weighed me down as a result.
This was all washed away today.
A few weeks ago my daughter had her senior pictures taken by the assigned photography company. Now I am going to leave their name out of it as a professional courtesy. We just received the proofs today, and I was horrified. They took 20 shots of my daughter and 19 of them are completely unacceptable. The background is horrible, the shadowing (that the photographer created on purpose is horrific) they have her tilted and leaning in weird directions. Not to mention, the posing. It was not flattering at all. I just couldn't believe that these were suppose to be the photos that she was to purchase to represent her senior year. When I saw them I wanted to cry. I know that when she sees them that she is going to hate them as well, and I have nothing that I can say that will make it better. I am planning to call the school and see if I can take her yearbook photo and submit it, but I am almost certain that this will be shot down because it will not be done by the contracted photographer which I can respect. I just feel sick for my daughter.
In an effort to not be to biased about the situation I did show the photos to a close family friend and my husband to see what their thoughts were. I did not say a word as they looked at the photos. They were horrified as well. They both told me that in knowing my daughter as well as they do that she is going to hate them and not want any of them. At that point both of them looked at me and told me that I should take her photos as they will be a million times better than what was originally produced. I reassured both of them that this was the plan and that my daughter had already asked that I do her photos for her. (Which was a confidence boost as well.)
Just for further investigation we decided to look and see how much the photos were going to cost. I could hear my wallet tuck its tail between its legs and scream when I saw the prices. The most expensive all you could get package was almost $600 and this is with out "premium retouching" (Whatever that is) and the killer was the lowest package. This package really had nothing to it, but as a professional courtesy I will not go into detail about the specifics. Needless to say, for virtually nothing they wanted $160. I sat for a very long time in disbelief and the expectation that this company had.
I charge no where near what this company charges and in a side by side comparison my work is much better. Which is not something that I take lightly in saying. It is horrible that my low self esteem about what I am attempting to do with my camera was washed away at the expense of my daughter's senior pictures, but it does make me realize that I can offer so much more to a client than what was offered to my daughter.
Sometimes I think we all just need a reminder that we are not as bad at something as we feel. Or I guess a shorter way to say it is that sometimes we just need a reality check. It is something I needed to remind me that I take great pride in my work and the products that I produce in order to have happy clients with beautiful work.
Just remember, you can only go forward from here. Going backwards is not an option. If this is your dream, as I am sure it is... Take it and run with it. Work hard and continue to improve. Never stop improving. If you stop... that is when you fail.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Things to work on
Recently I was lucky enough to work with a beautiful young lady and produce her senior photos. As I have been slowly working through her photos and editing I realized there are some things that I need to work on.
1. Posing- I realized that I am very weak in this area. I have been under the impression that teenagers know how to pose, I mean, seriously they are in front of the camera all the time. They are always taking selfies for snapchat, and Instagram, and Facebook. With this in mind I really did not think that I needed to instruct her on posing. I realized in the first 10 minutes I was wrong. I am not sure if it was because mom was there or if was because she was not in control of the camera, but posing was not her thing. So I was having to give her guidance, and of course I was not prepared so I was flying on a wing and a prayer that it would look good. I must admit that God came through though and gave me amazing weather, not to mention a light breeze that assisted with a beautiful hair blown look with almost every single shot. I could not have been more pleased with the looks I got, even though I was not always pleased with the posing. Which is my fault as I had failed to be prepared for this particular issue.
2. Preparing my client- I realized when I got to my shoot that what I thought was going to happen in my head was not going to manifest into an actual photo on my camera. I had ideas of very specific shots, and with specific attitudes or well I am not really sure how to describe it. However I failed to prep my client and her mother. I also failed to be prepared for the visions of my client and her mother. This was a failure of communication. This makes me realize that prior to booking I really need to sit down with each client in person or on the phone and discuss my thoughts as well as there so that both sides are prepared and all expectations are out in the open.
3. Understanding rules and policies of the location or having a point of contact- This one sounds scary I know, but it is not as bad as it sounds. I didn't get into any trouble, however there was just a lot of stress. Our location was a botanical garden/zoo. Due to the fact that I knew we had to pay an entrance fee, I also assumed that there would be some sort of media rules. Of course there was. However I did not quite understand where I fell within the media policies. My biggest question was am I considered commercial or non commercial? There was no specific definition within their policy in order to differentiate, and there was only an outlier of rules for bridal shoots which left me to wonder if I may fall into that outlier. Of course with this in mind there was a potential of extra charges and such. However there was no way to determine by policy where I fell. I emailed the one point of contact, and of course I got no response. It finally came down to a phone call and finding a specific point of contact and speaking to a live person to get clarification. From all of this I learned it is much easier to have a point of contact and a person to speak with versus having to play the guessing game, or functioning on a hope and a prayer that I am not going to get in trouble. A liaison is the best way to go! This helps relieve your stress and that of your client.
3. Scope out where you are going- Yes I failed this one. I allowed myself to get cocky and think that I did not have to look at the location prior to the shoot. I figured that a botanical garden was a great place and there was nothing to worry about. Which it was not a worry. However had I looked at the location I think I would have planned out my shoot 100 times better! This place was beautiful, and full of nooks and crannies that were just amazing for such a tiny garden. It was overwhelming to look at and running from spot to spot, and now I wonder if there was a chance that I may have missed some amazing shots.
4. Being early is amazing!- We opted to do this shoot in the morning as soon as the garden opened. This was the best decision we could have made! We were the first ones in and we were over half way through our session before people really started to show up and becoming a problem with the shoot. It was amazing to not have to work around other people and worry about shots being inadvertently ruined by other guests. Not to mention the lighting was amazing for a 9AM shoot!
5. Editing- I noticed after the fact while I was editing that even though for most shots that I had great skies and I was super excited, however there were several shots that the sky failed me. It was flat, gray and just plain boring. This called for a sky replacement in Photoshop once I realized there was nothing that I could do in Lightroom to save the sky. I thought that I understood enough to be able to do this. However I realized several things. The first is that I am not great when it comes to more technical things in Photoshop, and two that I did not have the files to do what I wanted. I initially tried to use the sky from another portrait in the same shoot, but I just could not for the life of me make it realistic. Due to time constraints and the need to get these photos processed I did not feel that I had the time to do the research to teach myself how to do the replacement, and I did not have the extra money to purchase sky replacement files. So this left me at a loss. Sadly some of these portraits were amazing, but had I been able to replace the sky this would have made it perfect! So I have learned not only do I need to spend time behind the camera, but I need to invest more time learning to work with and learn Photoshop and Lightroom. I have the basics, but there are times that the basics, or a preset is just not enough.
With every shoot there is something new to learn and something new for me to share. I hope that in sharing where I have failed and the things that I need to work on that this will help you avoid my downfalls, and also help everyone to realize that no one is perfect. Mistakes happen, and as long as you learn from them there is not much more anyone could ask for.
5. Editing- I noticed after the fact while I was editing that even though for most shots that I had great skies and I was super excited, however there were several shots that the sky failed me. It was flat, gray and just plain boring. This called for a sky replacement in Photoshop once I realized there was nothing that I could do in Lightroom to save the sky. I thought that I understood enough to be able to do this. However I realized several things. The first is that I am not great when it comes to more technical things in Photoshop, and two that I did not have the files to do what I wanted. I initially tried to use the sky from another portrait in the same shoot, but I just could not for the life of me make it realistic. Due to time constraints and the need to get these photos processed I did not feel that I had the time to do the research to teach myself how to do the replacement, and I did not have the extra money to purchase sky replacement files. So this left me at a loss. Sadly some of these portraits were amazing, but had I been able to replace the sky this would have made it perfect! So I have learned not only do I need to spend time behind the camera, but I need to invest more time learning to work with and learn Photoshop and Lightroom. I have the basics, but there are times that the basics, or a preset is just not enough.
With every shoot there is something new to learn and something new for me to share. I hope that in sharing where I have failed and the things that I need to work on that this will help you avoid my downfalls, and also help everyone to realize that no one is perfect. Mistakes happen, and as long as you learn from them there is not much more anyone could ask for.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Are we as photographers considered commercial or non commercial?
Lately I have had a number of eye opening experiences, and I have just had another one. I love to learn, however it has been rather complicated as of late. Let me explain.
I had a returning client contact me about a session. They wanted to do this session at our local zoo/botanical gardens. This made me slightly nervous. I have never shot at a place where I have had to pay an entrance fee and not to mention I have been ridiculed by other photographers for posting photos from the Zoo on my business page due to their beliefs about the zoo's media rules. With this in mind I went to the zoo's website to see what the exact policy was. This is where the confusion came in.
Per the zoo policy if the shoot is a commercial shoot there would be a $1,000 a day fee, plus extra fees if you needed to have a zoo Representative or not and than there were additional charges for other things based upon the number of hours that you were there and the equipment you may or may not need. There was also the charges per photo depending on if you were going to use them for textbooks, or other items. It was a lot overall. However there was also a clause about non commercial shooting. Which basically as long as you did not interfere with the flow of the visitors to the park and did not sell your photos you were in the clear. However if you were shooting bridal photos those had an extra charge and could only be shot after hours in the park. As I said it was all confusing.
After reading the policy the first thing I needed to do was figure out if I was going to be considered commercial, non commercial or potentially fall into the same classification as a bride with this particular shoot. I did some research and asked in several Facebook groups and came up with the same problem. It was a fifty fifty choice. Some stated that I would be commercial because I am being paid to shoot, and others stated non commercial because this is a senior photo session, it is not an advertisement shoot which is what made sense to be. However no one could really answer if I would fall into the bridal category or not as sometimes portraits in general can be lumped together like that.
In an effort to figure out where I fell I began some research on line. I was directed to this article from F-Stoppers https://fstoppers.com/other/fstoppers-answers-what-commercial-photography-2963 where various well known photographers described what they thought the difference between commercial and non commercial shooting was. Needless to say they seemed to come across as though they were not sure. I tried to find a state law or some guidance and there was just nothing that I could find, even with the help of Google that could answer my question. Which honestly I was surprised. Google usually never fails me. The last step that I could think of was to see what other photographers in the area had done. I noted that there were a large number of them that had shot at this location, and I noted that they had even linked back to the zoo itself. So this caused me to really stop and think. My thought process than became, "If the photographer linked back to the zoo they must have signed a contract stating that they had too." Which this led to the thought that this session would be considered a commercial session. At the same time I tried to contact a few photographers in the area, and sadly they had no information for me. Some chose not to answer when I called or when I asked they had never shot there and were unaware of the procedure.
I know that a number of you are probably wondering why I didn't start with just talking to someone at the zoo. To be honest I had started to get in contact with them. The minute that I was asked to do the session at the zoo I looked up a point of contact at the zoo and sent off an email. I let 48 hours go by with no response, and since this was a last minute shoot I needed to have my ducks in a row or I needed to find another location. I personally did not want to have to find another location because this zoo with its gardens are amazing. So I was holding out hope that it would all work out in our favor. After no contact was made from the point of contact I tried calling the zoo, and the first phone call was a complete failure. They wanted a message and they would get back to me at a later time. So I waited, until the next morning. I can almost bet I was the first call of the day. I called as soon as I knew the gates were open and I was praying someone would actually want to talk to me. As luck would have it there was someone who wanted to talk to me, and they even had the answers that I was looking for. Per the interpretation of the policy I would be shooting as a non commercial entity. Which seems odd because I am still selling the photos. Here is the catch. I am selling them to an end user. I am not creating them for marketing and they will not be used to advertise for a specific business. That is where the difference lies. This session also did not fall into the bridal category because there was not going to be all the extra things like hair and makeup and a huge dress that was going to be in the way. In their eyes this was nothing more than a family trip to the zoo.
So what I have learned that there is not a defining answer that goes across the board to determine if we are all considered commercial or non commercial. Even though we are getting paid for a service and a product it may not mean we are commercial. This is something that is determined by the location that we are shooting at, and what we are planning to use the photos for once they are completed. Which now that I know this is either going to be a blessing or a curse, as this now leads me to question every time that I shoot at a new location where am I going to fall, and I feel that I need to find a way to understand the policies as I read them a bit better in order to reduce the stress of trying to figure out what I am or am not based upon the project that I am working on. I feel like I have said all this to simply say, no matter what you do as a photographer when it comes to determining if you are commercial or non commercial it is left to the discretion of others whether you like it or not.
What are your opinions about this particular topic? I would love to hear them!
I had a returning client contact me about a session. They wanted to do this session at our local zoo/botanical gardens. This made me slightly nervous. I have never shot at a place where I have had to pay an entrance fee and not to mention I have been ridiculed by other photographers for posting photos from the Zoo on my business page due to their beliefs about the zoo's media rules. With this in mind I went to the zoo's website to see what the exact policy was. This is where the confusion came in.
Per the zoo policy if the shoot is a commercial shoot there would be a $1,000 a day fee, plus extra fees if you needed to have a zoo Representative or not and than there were additional charges for other things based upon the number of hours that you were there and the equipment you may or may not need. There was also the charges per photo depending on if you were going to use them for textbooks, or other items. It was a lot overall. However there was also a clause about non commercial shooting. Which basically as long as you did not interfere with the flow of the visitors to the park and did not sell your photos you were in the clear. However if you were shooting bridal photos those had an extra charge and could only be shot after hours in the park. As I said it was all confusing.
After reading the policy the first thing I needed to do was figure out if I was going to be considered commercial, non commercial or potentially fall into the same classification as a bride with this particular shoot. I did some research and asked in several Facebook groups and came up with the same problem. It was a fifty fifty choice. Some stated that I would be commercial because I am being paid to shoot, and others stated non commercial because this is a senior photo session, it is not an advertisement shoot which is what made sense to be. However no one could really answer if I would fall into the bridal category or not as sometimes portraits in general can be lumped together like that.
In an effort to figure out where I fell I began some research on line. I was directed to this article from F-Stoppers https://fstoppers.com/other/fstoppers-answers-what-commercial-photography-2963 where various well known photographers described what they thought the difference between commercial and non commercial shooting was. Needless to say they seemed to come across as though they were not sure. I tried to find a state law or some guidance and there was just nothing that I could find, even with the help of Google that could answer my question. Which honestly I was surprised. Google usually never fails me. The last step that I could think of was to see what other photographers in the area had done. I noted that there were a large number of them that had shot at this location, and I noted that they had even linked back to the zoo itself. So this caused me to really stop and think. My thought process than became, "If the photographer linked back to the zoo they must have signed a contract stating that they had too." Which this led to the thought that this session would be considered a commercial session. At the same time I tried to contact a few photographers in the area, and sadly they had no information for me. Some chose not to answer when I called or when I asked they had never shot there and were unaware of the procedure.
I know that a number of you are probably wondering why I didn't start with just talking to someone at the zoo. To be honest I had started to get in contact with them. The minute that I was asked to do the session at the zoo I looked up a point of contact at the zoo and sent off an email. I let 48 hours go by with no response, and since this was a last minute shoot I needed to have my ducks in a row or I needed to find another location. I personally did not want to have to find another location because this zoo with its gardens are amazing. So I was holding out hope that it would all work out in our favor. After no contact was made from the point of contact I tried calling the zoo, and the first phone call was a complete failure. They wanted a message and they would get back to me at a later time. So I waited, until the next morning. I can almost bet I was the first call of the day. I called as soon as I knew the gates were open and I was praying someone would actually want to talk to me. As luck would have it there was someone who wanted to talk to me, and they even had the answers that I was looking for. Per the interpretation of the policy I would be shooting as a non commercial entity. Which seems odd because I am still selling the photos. Here is the catch. I am selling them to an end user. I am not creating them for marketing and they will not be used to advertise for a specific business. That is where the difference lies. This session also did not fall into the bridal category because there was not going to be all the extra things like hair and makeup and a huge dress that was going to be in the way. In their eyes this was nothing more than a family trip to the zoo.
So what I have learned that there is not a defining answer that goes across the board to determine if we are all considered commercial or non commercial. Even though we are getting paid for a service and a product it may not mean we are commercial. This is something that is determined by the location that we are shooting at, and what we are planning to use the photos for once they are completed. Which now that I know this is either going to be a blessing or a curse, as this now leads me to question every time that I shoot at a new location where am I going to fall, and I feel that I need to find a way to understand the policies as I read them a bit better in order to reduce the stress of trying to figure out what I am or am not based upon the project that I am working on. I feel like I have said all this to simply say, no matter what you do as a photographer when it comes to determining if you are commercial or non commercial it is left to the discretion of others whether you like it or not.
What are your opinions about this particular topic? I would love to hear them!
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