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!

Trying to dig out of that horrible rut

I have noticed over the last few weeks that I have lost myself. I have not created a fun image in months, and I am honestly struggling to figure out my next move. It has been enough to make me wonder from time to time if I am just stuck temporarily or is this going to be something I can never get out of. I love my photography and I love to see the excitement from my clients, or even my own family when I create images.However I have not had the chance to feel that enjoyment lately. I seem to struggle with making something that I am happy with and proud enough to show my family. With this in mind I realize that I must do something because I am stuck in a rut, which I am not happy about.

I am a big fan of the Improved Photography LLC. This group of photographers spend a number of hours creating podcasts, articles and training material for us to use at either a very low cost or no cost at all. With this thought in mind this was my first stop. I went to the Improved Photography website and went through the articles that are available and ran across one in particular that is entitled "In a Photography Rut? Project Workshop!"  The article is written by Rowland Jones and is part of a series of articles that have been written. However at this point this is the only one that I have read. This article covers the basic history of portrait photography and how time consuming it was in the beginning stages. It also talked about how photographers began to change how things were done by creating new and different portraits that showed the emotion of the person that they were photographing versus just a stony face and a very stiff postured subject. The suggestion is made at the end of the article to create and schedule a formal portrait session. This includes finding a model, doing some research on a location and preparing for the shoot. There were also some suggestions about putting your subject at ease and discussion about post processing. If you would like to read this particular article in full here is the link:
http://improvephotography.com/30488/photography-rut-project-workshop/

After reading the article this has given me some perspective and to some extent has gotten the juices flowing about what I could do with a session. However this is something that I want to be personal and from my heart. I also want my personal project to tell a story through the photos that I take. This is something of a challenge because I have no idea how to tell this story. I have learned that unlike dancing, which can tall a story though movement, photography is something completely different. I have attempted this idea and failed several times. Each time I feel as though the photo needs an explanation or a thought bubble so that the viewer of the photo understands the story that I am trying to portray.

So as I sit here I am trying to figure out several things.

1. What is the topic, or title of my project?
2. What is the story that I want to portray?
3. Is this something that I am only doing for myself or is this something that I want to release to the public eventually?
4. What type of project can I do that is something that I can complete, and not become discouraged and quit?

I found an article about some of this at The digital Photography School. In the article it talked about why a personal project is important. There are actually several other reasons, besides getting yourself out of a rut. Personal projects can help to expand your portfolio, get you to step out of your comfort zone and get you out into your community. Which I believe these are all great ideas that may be very helpful.

If you would like to read the full article for further explanation here is the link.

http://digital-photography-school.com/importance-personal-projects-professional-photographers/

As I continued my research I found another article on the Fstoppers site that helped to define things a bit more. It talked about not letting your projects die and how to stay motivated which is something that I NEEDED more than I realized. This really brought things into prospective for me. This article broke down how to come up with ideas, and how to keep track of them and to expand on them to make the project specific and not quite so over whelming at the very beginning. As I said this is something that I needed to see as I believe that being over whelmed from the very beginning is a very huge issue for me as a photographer. I also found it reassuring to know that I am not the only one that struggles with the actual execution of the project, which in my case is the reason why it dies, and the ideas that were given to prevent this is great. I have come to realize that I need a time line for the project and it is not something that has to be a year. It can be as short as a few days to as long as I want it to be. However there need to be end dates and there need to be bench marks with dates in order to keep myself on track. Also one of the biggest take always from the article for me is that it is ok to fail. You can always go back and re-shoot. Which brings a lot of weight off of my shoulders.

If you would like to read this article as well please follow the link.
https://fstoppers.com/business/how-not-let-your-personal-photography-project-ideas-be-forgotten-83648

What are your thoughts? Do you have any suggestions for me? Would you like to see the project as I work through it?

I would love to know what you think and if this is something of interest to you. Please leave your feed back in the comments and give me an idea of what you are interested in.

As always thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts and give feedback. I hope that it is helping you as much as it helps me as we grow with our photography.

Advertisement, the struggle is real

As I have stated in a previous post this is a topic that I have struggled with since going full time as a photographer. It seems like there is a trick, or maybe it is an art to advertising yourself. This is something that I struggle with.

The first reason that I struggle with this so much is because it is hard to promote myself. It is easy for me to promote others and how great they are but when it comes to promoting myself I become self conscious about the situation. To an extent I feel like I am bragging about myself and throwing myself out there to get the attention of everyone around and it is just something that I am not comfortable with at all. I am not one that likes to brag or boast about myself. I have spent my entire life allowing my work and my work performance speak for itself. I never had the need to boast or promote myself in a manner to attract attention because my work ethic and values did that for me. However I am learning that is not the case with photography and it has been a fight for me to put myself out there and say "Look at me! You know you want to work with me!" It is very odd, and in a number of ways it is very unsettling for me.

When I first started out I was only doing this full time, and honestly it was more for fun, and for my kids than anything else. Due to one picture that a friend saw word of mouth took off and I was able to shoot my first event, a family reunion. It went well and I was able to get repeat clients from this particular event. The family enjoyed working with me, and they loved the product that I was able to give them. Which was great for me. It was quite easy for me to get sessions and I really did not have to work that hard to get them.

Everything changed a few years ago when I had to move. This meant that I had to start over with my client base. I went back to my old ways, photos just for fun, my kids and just enjoying taking photos. There has been a few that have put out there that I am a photographer and I have had a few sessions, however nothing like before. Now that I am full time I realize that I need to up my game.

I have watched other photographers and read a number of articles on line, and even dabbled with Thumbtack and there has just not been the success that I enjoyed before. I wonder if I am putting to much stress on myself or if I am to reliant on word of mouth. I have discovered that sites like Thumbtack are just not worth it to me, as I am having to pay to bid on clients, and most of the time I do not get the session and this is very disheartening and expensive.

I know that there are many ways to advertise, however, finding the most effective way has been a struggle. Like many photographers I have a Facebook page, and my website. This is just not enough.

I know that there are things that I currently need to do, for example build my SEO with Google. However beyond flyers I am just at a true loss for how to market.

What are some things that you do to market yourself in your local areas? Do you hold local events or participate in various small business events? What has been the most effective marketing strategy that you have been able to find or develop?

Please share your thoughts and comments to help us all learn and grow our individual businesses! You are all are great!

Mini Sessions, Are they really worth it?

Over the last year or so I have watched countless photographers advertise mini sessions. I am not always sure of the response or if they actually end up doing these mini sessions. With some I am positive that they do because I see the photos that they post on Facebook and they are constantly updating their clients until the day of the event and even after so that everyone knows when they are going to be getting their pictures. But every time I see it I wonder, is a minis session really worth it to the client.

For example I see some photographers who charge $275 for a 20 minute session and the client gets 5 digital images, and may or may not get the option to buy prints or at least print rights for an additional charge. However these same photographers charge $325 for a full one hour session and have multiple options for packages that are either prints or digital downloads or both. The difference in price and product in my opinion is just not enough. Let me explain.

Lets say this photographer is going to do a total of 8 hours for mini sessions. So that equals 24 sessions in the allotted time. Based upon the sitting fee alone that means that the photographer is going to make a total of $6,600 for that 8 hours. Now lets say a second photographer books 8 one hour sessions during the same time frame and at regular price of $325. Just in sitting fees alone this photographer is going to make $2600. Admittedly not near as much in sitting fees as a mini session. However this photographer processes their clients photos and holds an in person sales session with each client. The average for each session spent on product now jumps to $500. So for 8 sessions the photographer has now grossed $6,600. 

In both cases the photographer ends up making the same amount of income. However the first photographer has only 20 minutes to work with each client versus a full hour, and they end up working with a total of 24 clients. Where as the second photographer only works with 8 clients, and produces the same amount of income in the same amount of time. 

So where is the benefit of a mini session? The reason that I ask is because I am honestly not sure. From what I have noticed from other photographers is they put in the same amount of time editing the 5 images that they give the client of a mini as they would a normal session client. The only real difference that I have come across is that with a mini session there is less of a chance of an in person sale meeting. This seems to be negated because the client is only receiving 5 images and typically they are digital and it seems that once the digitals are delivered there is no longer contact with the client. 

In essence what I see is a loss of personal touch between the photographer and the client with a mini session. Please understand this is what I see from the outside, so if this is not the case I would love to hear some input. I know there are a number of people that use mini sessions with in their business models and I am sure that they work, but I just do not understand how. Are these sessions used to draw in new clients? Are they meant as a promotional action? Are they to keep clients coming back? What is the true purpose of a mini session? And the even bigger question is, are they really worth it to the photographer and to the client? 

I cannot wait to hear or see your answers about this particular topic! This is a very interesting and important topic for me. 

How to spend your free time?

As I have said in previous posts I have recently gone through some huge life changes. To say the least it is not something that has been easy. I thought that when this transition happened that I would be OK. Why? Well I have my camera, I have a client base and I held the belief that between my family, marketing, editing, and actual sessions that I would be one busy lady. Oh how wrong I was. 

First off I realized that over the years my family has learned how to function without me being there all the time. My children have grown up with the understanding that I have military obligations, and due to those obligations there are a lot of times that I will not be able to be there, and there is so much that I have missed. They grasped the concept and understood that I was doing that I had to do in order to take care of them and they in turn grew up much faster than I realized and now they function with, or without my presence, unless of course they need a ride somewhere. 

Thankfully my camera has not gone anywhere. It has stayed ready in my bag with a charged battery and ready to jump at the chance to shoot a sporting event, prom, graduation photos or just personal project photos when ever I am ready to grab it. These various events have given me the chance to work on my editing work flow which has cut my time down significantly. 

I have had sessions, however, not the number that I projected that I was going to have. Which has been disheartening. Some of this I attribute to the fact that the weather has been out of control this year and bouncing from one extreme to another, but I think that my biggest issue has been advertising/marketing. Prior to career changes I was not worried about the number of sessions that I did, and was more focused on personal projects in order to improve my skill as a photographer. However, the story has now changed.

Marketing/advertising has been a huge challenge for me. I have gone the traditional route and purchased business cards, and developed a web page, and I even created a Facebook business page. I also have started working through word of mouth for recommendations and even dabbled with bidding on the occasional session via Thumbtack.I have trolled Facebook, and watched how others have worked their marketing skills, which led to the addition of this very blog, and yet it all seems so ineffective. 

As I sit here typing this I wonder how the rest of you spend your free time. As I have pointed out marketing is my weakness at this current point and I am sure that I as I continue to study and learn that eventually this will change, however I still struggle with my free time. In my previous line of work there was never a moment to sit down and breath. I rarely took a lunch break, and I was lucky if I had the chance to even take a restroom break during a twelve hour shift. Now there is all of this free time. Something that I am not use too, and I feel as though I am wasting time that I could be using for something more important, rather than sitting in front of my computer or reading another article. 

What do you do with your free time? How do you continue to feel productive with your business even when you are currently not as productive as you need to be? 

You are a Photographer, make me look amazing!

There are a number of people in the world that are very insecure. These insecurities range from looks, to what they eat, to the amount they exercise, to being insecure about what the person next to them might be thinking about them at that very moment. I personally believe that these are all very normal things to be insecure about, and be able to live with them. However with the change from film to digital photography I believe there has been change in peoples expectations of their own photos now. 

"Don't you have an editing program to fix that?"

I am sure that there are a number of photographers out there that have heard this very phrase. You deliver what you feel are amazing realistic photos to your client, and than you get this very response. People have grown to such a point that they all believe that they should be super models, and even though they are not that a photo can be edited to make them into a super model. I will admit that this is something that can be accomplished. Photoshop and Lightroom are very valuable tools and are quite amazing at editing photos. These programs are able to not only give us our personal "dark room" but also give us the ability to manipulate a photo and make it or our subject look however we choose. However it is something that we have to choose to do. 

This is a very touchy subject for me and it is hard to properly express what needs to be said. Photos are meant to be memories, and to give you a glimpse into the past. To remind you of a moment long forgotten and to bring it back to the forefront at a moments notice. However, if the photo is a lie, than how is that memory going to special? How is there any meaning to it? How can you tell someone the amazing story that goes with the photo, when what is depicted is not accurate? Sounds strange to think about, but it is something that is worth thinking about. If per say a photographer was to take a person and "magically shed" all those pounds for them and make them look like Cindy Crawford what does that do for the client? Nothing. Truth be told the client is paying the photographer to lie. And than what is going to happen to that picture and all the hours of editing? It will be stuffed away into the dark recesses of computer storage or a desk top drawer. Never to see the light of day. Why? Because in reality who can the client show that photo too? If they show it to anyone it is going to be a lie, it is not who they are. It is not their own personal natural beauty. It is a fake, hopeful rendition of what the client one day hopes/day dreams to be. However it is not realistic. 

YOU ARE A PHOTOGRAPHER! MAKE ME LOOK AMAZING!

You are right, I am a photographer, I am also a super hero to some. I have the amazing ability to take the person that I have before me, and pull out the most beautiful things about them and capture it in a photo. As a photographer I will promise you that I will use my super hero powers to help you look amazing, but you are the one that has to do the real work. You have to smile, show your personality, and above all show that you love and accept yourself as you are. That is really all you need to do, and I will handle the rest. I will make sure that the pose is right, I will make sure the colors are correct. I will help you pose and I will do whatever I need to make you smile and laugh. But I must remind you every super hero does not act alone. Super Man has Lois Lane, Batman has Robin. Each helps the other. So this means that you have to do your part, love yourself, accept yourself, and show who you really are, and I promise you I will use my super powers to show it to you!

What keeps you going?

Have you ever stopped and thought about why you picked up a camera for the first time? Have you ever thought about why?

I remember having a camera at a very young age. I was able to document and remember things via pictures with my little 110mm camera. It was nothing special, and I honestly have no idea where I got it. I remember having to be so careful and picky about what I shot, because my parents would not spend a lot of money on film and I had to make due with what I had. As I got older and had the chance to earn money the number of photos increased. Not by a lot, but they increased. I also changed cameras and upgraded to a simple 35mm camera. This camera went everywhere with me. But the one thing that I have noticed in all the photos that I have taken revolved around to central subjects, my friends and animals. As I was growing up I never thought twice about it, I guess that I assumed that it was normal, however now that I have grown and I have learned there is more out there and this pointed out to me that these were my chosen subjects. They are where I draw my inspiration from, and what I find to be the most beautiful.

Animals are amazing creatures. They are inquisitive, protective, and quick studies in a given situation. Not to mention they put no work into maintaining their body composition and they are able maintain an air of beauty and prowess, unless of course they are a spoiled pet in which case they are still beautiful, just a bit chunky. I love the look in the eye of any animal, domestic or wild. You can see the story there. The story of what the animal has been through. This is something that can range from showing strength and perseverance to an older animal where you can see that they have seen a lot, done a lot and now they are tired, they are ready to let go and move on to the next world. It is striking how much can be portrayed with an animal who cannot really communicate to us at all. What an animal can do with one look is what I want to be able to do with each of my photos. I want to portray the story, what ever it may be at the time. In essence I want to take a thousand moments, and have them all ring through in one photo at one time. The same way that you can see the story of an animal just by taking a look in their eye. I truly believe when someone says that the eye is a window to the soul, especially with animals.

As I said before my friends and family are my other inspiration in photography. My family and friends have encouraged me from the moment that I picked up a camera. I never thought much of it until I took a picture of a dog we had adopted from a local shelter. She was laying on the floor and the light was streaming in from the sliding glass door and she was looking toward me. She sat still for a long time and so I was able to take multiple shots. I was able to make this shot look angelic with a slower shutter speed and a few minor adjustments in Light Room. A friend saw the shot and asked for me to take photos of her newborn. This gave me a huge leap in confidence. Why? Because at that point I was only playing with the camera. Beyond photos of my pets I took pictures of my children during sporting events. I was the typical mom that tried to document everything, however I did not realize that I was better than what I gave myself credit for. Once this realization hit I began to move forward. I have a cousin and we critique each others work, and use each other to challenge ourselves to get better, my children are good sports and let me use them as models, and even their friends get in on it from time to time. My husband is so supportive that he goes to shoots with me and carries my gear while I photograph. I can go on and on. The fact that my family and friends are willing to support and encourage me gives me inspiration and makes me want to continue to pick up my camera and photograph the world around me even when I have lost faith in myself.

I know this is not what you thought I was going to say about inspiration and the good idea fairy. But it is all true. This is where my inspiration comes from. Where do you get your inspiration or drive for photography from? On a down day what keeps you going back and picking up your camera? After a bad experience from a client what inspires you to move forward? I would love to hear your thoughts!