I have been writing this blog since 2015 and it is my hope that I have shared some valuable experiences with you all that has helped you in some way or another, even if it is just to let you know that you are not the only one that is struggling with something in photography. Which has been my ultimate goal.
Last month I decided to make a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish over the next year. I broke it up into several areas, personal, photography, and blogging. In each area I picked things I wanted to improve upon in order to grow and become a better person. So over the course of the last month I have been working on these items and trying to find avenues to improve. One of the areas that I try to get ideas from to help me move forward is podcasts. I recently listened to a podcast from Darren Rowse from ProBlogger and I realized that there may be more that I should be doing for my readers. In the podcast titled An Alternate Resolution to Transform your Blogging in 2017 Darren made the suggestion that bloggers at times are more worried about what their blog is doing for them, making an income, being a basis of content, being an outlet for the blogger to express themselves etc, however what is it really doing for their reader? This made me stop and think. I have spent the last few years trying to be a consistent blogger and sharing my experiences with you, good and bad, with the idea of being educational. But has it even been helpful? I do not have a huge reader base so the question becomes am I not doing enough for my readers?
I have decided that this is something that I need to focus more on this year. I want to interact more with my readers, and I want my content to be driven more by what the readers would like to see. With that thought in mind here it is....
What would you like to see more of in regards to content?
What do you think I should cover more of in 2017?
What would you like to learn more about this year?
What would it take for me to get you to join my email list and become an active participant with the blog?
Please leave your answers in the comments or email them to me personally. I want nothing more then to improve over the coming year and I need your help in order to do that. I am looking forward to all of the responses that I am able to get in order to shape this blog!
Friday, February 17, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
How should a photographer do a model call?
In my previous post, Model Calls, Do I need them to build a Portfolio? I discussed my feelings about model calls and if they are really worth all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into them. There are a number of photographers out there that believe that they are worth it, so with this thought in mind I decided it might be helpful to put a post together with ideas that I have found across the internet and in groups that I am involved in to help you have the best experience with a model call.
The information that I am about to provide is going to come from responses that I got via Facebook when I asked,
"Has anyone here done a model call before? Any tips or tricks to make it run smooth? Any guidance you would give to someone that is considering doing one for the first time?" I am also going to provide some information that I have found from scouring the internet with the idea of being a photographer considering to model call for the first time.
During my Google search the first article I encountered was an article written my Rachel Brenke 5 Tips to Successful Portfolio Building. It seemed odd at first that this was the first article until I actually opened it up and read it. The article is based around building a portfolio, however it does give pointers on what to do regarding model calls. Some of the biggest points that she made was that you need to make sure you have a model contract, model release, and print release. Also make sure that you have covered all the questions regarding what the model is going to get. Be as prepared as possible and more or less you are trying to make this to where the model cannot back out after they get their prints or digitals or whatever you are giving them and then not allow you to publish your work.
As I continued my Google search I noticed a trending theme, use modeling agencies. I thought that this was kind of absurd to be honest. What modeling agency would want to work with someone like me? Here is what I discovered. Models need to have their own portfolios as well and those that are starting out typically do not have one. The smaller agencies do not have their own photographers and in most cases do not have the funds to create the portfolios for the models, so what they do is they send their girls to photographers who cold call or cold email them if they appear to be a good fit and it becomes a win win situation all the way around. The model gets the portfolio that she needs and the photographer gets the images they need to update their portfolio. There are some guidelines you may have to follow if you decide to use these photos for advertising (on billboards and such) or if you sell them, but that is as simple as contacting the agency to determine what the best course of action is.
Here are some of the Facebook responses that I got. I spent about a week collecting these answers from various groups with only posing the phrase that I mentioned above.
"Some have facebook groups that trade work, photographers, models and makeup artists(mua or ma) theres usually a trade for pics agreement (tfp). Might check your area. If you do use models, make sure to have them sign a release and make sure to list what the trade off is in the relase, like said number of digital photos for their modeling services."
"Make sure you have solid contracts AND model releases. Be 100% clear about what is included with your call and what is NOT included. Know exactly what you want to shoot, and why you want to shoot it and don't just take the first person who volunteers (unless they're exactly what you're looking for).you'll want to call them somehitng like "discounted portfolio building sessions" so you can still charge for them, but grow as well. I wouldn't offer to do them for free. Still make sure you have a good contract and release"
"Have a contract in place. Mine specifies thst if they rescind their permission to use the photos they owe me whatever the cost of that particular session is at the time they change their mind. I give digitals, so they only get 3 digital images, and they have to do an in person viewing to select them, no gallery is given. They can select more if they want. I also try to put the word out what I'm looking for by word of mouth rather than posting on fb"
"Prepare a list of criteria so you know who your ideal client would be. Create an online application for ppl to complete if they are interested and state that you will only contact those selected and who meet the criteria. This will save you tons of time and ensure that you get the most out of your casting call."
" Make sure to describe your ideal candidate. If you want a fashionable senior - ask them to send a picture that shows off their personal style! Or, if you're looking for an adventurous, in love couple, ask them to send a photo of them doing something they love. It tells you A LOT about them and you can choose accordingly!"
"Collect a retainer fee that is refundable when they attend the model call, to ensure attendance. Otherwise you may end up with no-shows."
"I have the best success with model calls when I plan the style I want, along with location etc. So they are images that showcase my style well for my website. I communicate lots with them a couple days before and then send a good morning text the day of and have had no problems with no shows"
" I do 5 digitals and I make the selections. They have the ability to select more if they like. Mine actually does go out via Facebook, on my biz page, you can look through if you like. But I may refrain from doing that in the future and offer it as a complimentary shoot to my friends/their friends and try to imply value/awesome gift for them more so than portfolio building/etc."
"I require models to give model release or if defeats the purpose. And I pay my models rather than giving them images, it seems to work better to deter flaky people. They can purchase images if they choose to but they're not included in the deal at all"
After getting all of these responses I thought it was great. I felt like this is something that I could do, and it was even better that I was able to get some advice from people that had done them before and learn from their mistakes or the things that worked best for them. All of these answers that I received made sense to me, and for someone who has never done a model call gives a guideline of what I need to be preparing myself for.
1. Pre planning the shoot and what I want so that I can be up front with models with what my expectations of the shoot and of them are and I can also put it in writing.
2. MODEL RELEASES AND CONTRACTS! This is something that I would have never considered before considering the fact that this is a "we are working together" situation. I would have never thought to have a contract that was specific about what the model was going to get and also making sure that I had the model release, considering the fact that this is a model shoot it is something that in my head is implied. So much for being a trusting person.
3. Be picky about your models. This is something else I would have never considered. My thought initially would have been if they applied then they meet the criteria, but to stop and evaluate them as a whole and make sure that they are going to represent me as a photographer and my brand. That is something that to consider.
4. Require a retainer fee. This was a new one. Who doesn't love having free photos done? So if you know they are free why wouldn't you show up? I found out that this is actually a thing. Models opt to not show up. That just blows my mind. IT IS FREE!!! So in realizing that not all models are serious a refundable retainer fee now makes a lot of sense to me.
How do you feel about model calls? Are they worth it to you? Let me know in the comments! Or you can always add your email to our email list and join in on discussions, make suggestions for up coming posts, or even be a guest poster! I look forward to hearing from you all!
The information that I am about to provide is going to come from responses that I got via Facebook when I asked,
"Has anyone here done a model call before? Any tips or tricks to make it run smooth? Any guidance you would give to someone that is considering doing one for the first time?" I am also going to provide some information that I have found from scouring the internet with the idea of being a photographer considering to model call for the first time.
During my Google search the first article I encountered was an article written my Rachel Brenke 5 Tips to Successful Portfolio Building. It seemed odd at first that this was the first article until I actually opened it up and read it. The article is based around building a portfolio, however it does give pointers on what to do regarding model calls. Some of the biggest points that she made was that you need to make sure you have a model contract, model release, and print release. Also make sure that you have covered all the questions regarding what the model is going to get. Be as prepared as possible and more or less you are trying to make this to where the model cannot back out after they get their prints or digitals or whatever you are giving them and then not allow you to publish your work.
As I continued my Google search I noticed a trending theme, use modeling agencies. I thought that this was kind of absurd to be honest. What modeling agency would want to work with someone like me? Here is what I discovered. Models need to have their own portfolios as well and those that are starting out typically do not have one. The smaller agencies do not have their own photographers and in most cases do not have the funds to create the portfolios for the models, so what they do is they send their girls to photographers who cold call or cold email them if they appear to be a good fit and it becomes a win win situation all the way around. The model gets the portfolio that she needs and the photographer gets the images they need to update their portfolio. There are some guidelines you may have to follow if you decide to use these photos for advertising (on billboards and such) or if you sell them, but that is as simple as contacting the agency to determine what the best course of action is.
Here are some of the Facebook responses that I got. I spent about a week collecting these answers from various groups with only posing the phrase that I mentioned above.
"Some have facebook groups that trade work, photographers, models and makeup artists(mua or ma) theres usually a trade for pics agreement (tfp). Might check your area. If you do use models, make sure to have them sign a release and make sure to list what the trade off is in the relase, like said number of digital photos for their modeling services."
"Make sure you have solid contracts AND model releases. Be 100% clear about what is included with your call and what is NOT included. Know exactly what you want to shoot, and why you want to shoot it and don't just take the first person who volunteers (unless they're exactly what you're looking for).you'll want to call them somehitng like "discounted portfolio building sessions" so you can still charge for them, but grow as well. I wouldn't offer to do them for free. Still make sure you have a good contract and release"
"Have a contract in place. Mine specifies thst if they rescind their permission to use the photos they owe me whatever the cost of that particular session is at the time they change their mind. I give digitals, so they only get 3 digital images, and they have to do an in person viewing to select them, no gallery is given. They can select more if they want. I also try to put the word out what I'm looking for by word of mouth rather than posting on fb"
"Prepare a list of criteria so you know who your ideal client would be. Create an online application for ppl to complete if they are interested and state that you will only contact those selected and who meet the criteria. This will save you tons of time and ensure that you get the most out of your casting call."
" Make sure to describe your ideal candidate. If you want a fashionable senior - ask them to send a picture that shows off their personal style! Or, if you're looking for an adventurous, in love couple, ask them to send a photo of them doing something they love. It tells you A LOT about them and you can choose accordingly!"
"Collect a retainer fee that is refundable when they attend the model call, to ensure attendance. Otherwise you may end up with no-shows."
"I have the best success with model calls when I plan the style I want, along with location etc. So they are images that showcase my style well for my website. I communicate lots with them a couple days before and then send a good morning text the day of and have had no problems with no shows"
" I do 5 digitals and I make the selections. They have the ability to select more if they like. Mine actually does go out via Facebook, on my biz page, you can look through if you like. But I may refrain from doing that in the future and offer it as a complimentary shoot to my friends/their friends and try to imply value/awesome gift for them more so than portfolio building/etc."
"I require models to give model release or if defeats the purpose. And I pay my models rather than giving them images, it seems to work better to deter flaky people. They can purchase images if they choose to but they're not included in the deal at all"
After getting all of these responses I thought it was great. I felt like this is something that I could do, and it was even better that I was able to get some advice from people that had done them before and learn from their mistakes or the things that worked best for them. All of these answers that I received made sense to me, and for someone who has never done a model call gives a guideline of what I need to be preparing myself for.
1. Pre planning the shoot and what I want so that I can be up front with models with what my expectations of the shoot and of them are and I can also put it in writing.
2. MODEL RELEASES AND CONTRACTS! This is something that I would have never considered before considering the fact that this is a "we are working together" situation. I would have never thought to have a contract that was specific about what the model was going to get and also making sure that I had the model release, considering the fact that this is a model shoot it is something that in my head is implied. So much for being a trusting person.
3. Be picky about your models. This is something else I would have never considered. My thought initially would have been if they applied then they meet the criteria, but to stop and evaluate them as a whole and make sure that they are going to represent me as a photographer and my brand. That is something that to consider.
4. Require a retainer fee. This was a new one. Who doesn't love having free photos done? So if you know they are free why wouldn't you show up? I found out that this is actually a thing. Models opt to not show up. That just blows my mind. IT IS FREE!!! So in realizing that not all models are serious a refundable retainer fee now makes a lot of sense to me.
How do you feel about model calls? Are they worth it to you? Let me know in the comments! Or you can always add your email to our email list and join in on discussions, make suggestions for up coming posts, or even be a guest poster! I look forward to hearing from you all!
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Model Calls, Do I need them to build a portfolio?
Over the last few weeks I have been looking through the many groups that I am in on social media and I have started to notice a theme as of late. I guess it is that time of year and everyone is wanting to update their portfolios so a lot of the discussions in the various groups have turned to how to do a model call and/or do I need to do a model call.
I will admit that this is something that I have thought about for a while. Is a model call something that I need to do? Is it something that I want to do? Is it something that is going to help me and my business? If so how is it going to help? I will admit there are several areas that I am not so sure that it will help, but I am sure that over all there are some benefits.
So the first thing to address is do I really need to do a model call? I think that this is a by photographer basis only. It depends on how much work you have been putting out in the previous year, and it depends on where you plan to take yourself this year. For example if you are strictly a family photographer but now you want to branch out to newborn photography I believe that a newborn model call is in order. One it helps you get clients in the door, and it gives you time to practice while there is little to no expectation from the client. This also gives you the chance to figure out several things about newborn photography. First, is this even something that you like? Lets be serious for a moment, why would you want to start offering services for something that you realize is just not "your thing"? It is not going to benefit you, your brand, and most of all it is not going to benefit your client. Second it gives you a chance to figure out your niche within that particular type of photography. For example do you prefer stylized newborn photography or do you prefer lifestyle newborn photography? These are all things that you have a chance to figure out just with a model call.
The second purpose to a model call is to build your portfolio in that particular genre. In order to get clients you have to look like you are already doing work in that area. No one paying money ever wants to be a guinea pig for a photographer. Your clients typically are going to pick you based upon previous work that they have seen of yours. However, if there is no previous work for them to look at, they are unable to believe that they are going to get a product that they love. They are also unable to determine your style, or concept without having previous sessions to view. Previous work can be crucial for getting the next client, and if you don't have it you are more than likely going to have less bookings then the photographer that has a portfolio with something to show.
Model calls are great for other reasons as well. For example maybe it is a slow month for you and you decide that it is time to tackle a project that you have been working on for months. You put together your model call, get a few willing participants and you are now able to complete the dream project that you have not had time to do, or did not have willing subjects to shoot for in months. Model calls are also great for just practice. Again, there may be some down time for you. You decide you want to work with your off camera flash and get better at that skill. You get a few models through a model call and practice. Not only are you getting the chance to practice a skill but you are also getting the chance to potentially create photos for your portfolio.
Now in the beginning I eluded to the fact that there are some times that I feel model calls are not worth it. First, they are not worth it if the model or the models parents are not going to let you publish your work. The whole purpose is to be able to publish your work and if you are unable to do so, you have just wasted your time and energy for almost nothing. I also do not feel model calls are needed every year just to update the current portfolio. For example, you as the photographer had a great year the previous year, and it is time to update the work that you show to new clients before they book. There is no reason to have a model call to create more photos when you have previous real clients that you can show off. Believe it or not I have actually seen where some have gotten a better reception from potential clients when they see that their friends or family are in the portfolio of the photographer. It gave that photographer the extra edge I believe in order to gain the trust of the client before the session even began. One last area that I am not keen about model calls is brides. I believe that the coordination for this in of itself would be horrendous first of all. People who are modeling as brides are not stressed, they are just models and they are doing it for fun. This is a far cry from the actual bride who is stressed, has a mother and a mother in law breathing down her neck over every little detail of the wedding, or is just the dreaded bridezilla that happens from time to time. The dynamic is completely changed in this area if you are using a model call. Not to mention if you use a model call for brides you will not have a wedding portfolio to show the end result... the wedding... to a client, and this can potentially be a discredit to you and your business.
Here are some other issues that I can also see with model calls. Typically for the model the shoot is free and it includes hair and makeup. How many of us can really do hair and makeup? I know I can't, I am a tomboy at heart so my answer to everything is a little bit of lip gloss and a ponytail. That is not going to work for a model call. So who is going to pay for the hair and makeup stylist, well, my friend that is going to be you. Unless of course there is some sort of crazy deal that you can work with them as well where maybe they use your photos in their portfolio, but that is a whole different ball of wax that I am not going to get into. So you are going to be out of pocket for this portion. Another issue you run into is the lack of listening on the end of the model. You may be going for a styled look, and you express this to the model, they agree yet on the day of the shoot they show up with sweats and a t-shirt and expect you to make them look amazing. Realize still that you are out of pocket for a makeup and hairstylist, and everything else is free.
My last big issue is the application process. I saved this one for last because I am not a fan of confrontation and I believe that there will be a huge amount here. When you put out on your social media sites that you are going to do a model call you are going to get potentially a large number of responses. Now you have to go through each application and pick and choose which models you are going to use. This is going to leave some models complaining and whining and wanting to know why they were not good enough to be picked by you. This is something that I am just not good at dealing with, and therefore causes me to shy away from model calls all together.
So do you need model calls to build your portfolio? Maybe. It is going to be a case by case basis. Are model calls really worth it? I think that this is something that is also a case by cases basis. There are huge number of pros and cons that are associated with this, and well, it really boils down to personal choice.
Are there other subjects that you would like to see discussed here? Please leave suggestions in the comments below. Do you use model calls? What have been your experiences? I would love to hear your perspective on the topic, lets talk about it in the comments, or send me an email!
If you would like to help guide the topics of the blog, or give suggestions or even guest post, please add or email to the email list using the "Contact us" block in the side bar.
I will admit that this is something that I have thought about for a while. Is a model call something that I need to do? Is it something that I want to do? Is it something that is going to help me and my business? If so how is it going to help? I will admit there are several areas that I am not so sure that it will help, but I am sure that over all there are some benefits.
So the first thing to address is do I really need to do a model call? I think that this is a by photographer basis only. It depends on how much work you have been putting out in the previous year, and it depends on where you plan to take yourself this year. For example if you are strictly a family photographer but now you want to branch out to newborn photography I believe that a newborn model call is in order. One it helps you get clients in the door, and it gives you time to practice while there is little to no expectation from the client. This also gives you the chance to figure out several things about newborn photography. First, is this even something that you like? Lets be serious for a moment, why would you want to start offering services for something that you realize is just not "your thing"? It is not going to benefit you, your brand, and most of all it is not going to benefit your client. Second it gives you a chance to figure out your niche within that particular type of photography. For example do you prefer stylized newborn photography or do you prefer lifestyle newborn photography? These are all things that you have a chance to figure out just with a model call.
The second purpose to a model call is to build your portfolio in that particular genre. In order to get clients you have to look like you are already doing work in that area. No one paying money ever wants to be a guinea pig for a photographer. Your clients typically are going to pick you based upon previous work that they have seen of yours. However, if there is no previous work for them to look at, they are unable to believe that they are going to get a product that they love. They are also unable to determine your style, or concept without having previous sessions to view. Previous work can be crucial for getting the next client, and if you don't have it you are more than likely going to have less bookings then the photographer that has a portfolio with something to show.
Model calls are great for other reasons as well. For example maybe it is a slow month for you and you decide that it is time to tackle a project that you have been working on for months. You put together your model call, get a few willing participants and you are now able to complete the dream project that you have not had time to do, or did not have willing subjects to shoot for in months. Model calls are also great for just practice. Again, there may be some down time for you. You decide you want to work with your off camera flash and get better at that skill. You get a few models through a model call and practice. Not only are you getting the chance to practice a skill but you are also getting the chance to potentially create photos for your portfolio.
Now in the beginning I eluded to the fact that there are some times that I feel model calls are not worth it. First, they are not worth it if the model or the models parents are not going to let you publish your work. The whole purpose is to be able to publish your work and if you are unable to do so, you have just wasted your time and energy for almost nothing. I also do not feel model calls are needed every year just to update the current portfolio. For example, you as the photographer had a great year the previous year, and it is time to update the work that you show to new clients before they book. There is no reason to have a model call to create more photos when you have previous real clients that you can show off. Believe it or not I have actually seen where some have gotten a better reception from potential clients when they see that their friends or family are in the portfolio of the photographer. It gave that photographer the extra edge I believe in order to gain the trust of the client before the session even began. One last area that I am not keen about model calls is brides. I believe that the coordination for this in of itself would be horrendous first of all. People who are modeling as brides are not stressed, they are just models and they are doing it for fun. This is a far cry from the actual bride who is stressed, has a mother and a mother in law breathing down her neck over every little detail of the wedding, or is just the dreaded bridezilla that happens from time to time. The dynamic is completely changed in this area if you are using a model call. Not to mention if you use a model call for brides you will not have a wedding portfolio to show the end result... the wedding... to a client, and this can potentially be a discredit to you and your business.
Here are some other issues that I can also see with model calls. Typically for the model the shoot is free and it includes hair and makeup. How many of us can really do hair and makeup? I know I can't, I am a tomboy at heart so my answer to everything is a little bit of lip gloss and a ponytail. That is not going to work for a model call. So who is going to pay for the hair and makeup stylist, well, my friend that is going to be you. Unless of course there is some sort of crazy deal that you can work with them as well where maybe they use your photos in their portfolio, but that is a whole different ball of wax that I am not going to get into. So you are going to be out of pocket for this portion. Another issue you run into is the lack of listening on the end of the model. You may be going for a styled look, and you express this to the model, they agree yet on the day of the shoot they show up with sweats and a t-shirt and expect you to make them look amazing. Realize still that you are out of pocket for a makeup and hairstylist, and everything else is free.
My last big issue is the application process. I saved this one for last because I am not a fan of confrontation and I believe that there will be a huge amount here. When you put out on your social media sites that you are going to do a model call you are going to get potentially a large number of responses. Now you have to go through each application and pick and choose which models you are going to use. This is going to leave some models complaining and whining and wanting to know why they were not good enough to be picked by you. This is something that I am just not good at dealing with, and therefore causes me to shy away from model calls all together.
So do you need model calls to build your portfolio? Maybe. It is going to be a case by case basis. Are model calls really worth it? I think that this is something that is also a case by cases basis. There are huge number of pros and cons that are associated with this, and well, it really boils down to personal choice.
Are there other subjects that you would like to see discussed here? Please leave suggestions in the comments below. Do you use model calls? What have been your experiences? I would love to hear your perspective on the topic, lets talk about it in the comments, or send me an email!
If you would like to help guide the topics of the blog, or give suggestions or even guest post, please add or email to the email list using the "Contact us" block in the side bar.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
It's rough, but you are going to survive.
It has been a rough week for me... I am sure there are a number of people out there that has said that this week. I really try not to think this way, but to come right out and say it, this week has sucked.
I am not one to complain, or say anything about what is going on with me at all. I am a Soldier, a Nurse, Photographer, Wife, and Mother, and with all of these professions you are placing the needs of someone else first. Let me tell you... this week that has been rough. I am not saying this to say that I am a selfish person, I am saying it because I am struggling.
As a Soldier for the many years that I have done it I have never thought about myself. I have only thought about the people to my right and to my left, and what is going on with them. I have put myself in harms way for others, I have dropped my own problems to walk another Soldier thru their problems, I have put my life on hold in order to put someone else first. Am I complaining? No. In fact I am proud to say that this is what I have done as a Soldier and as a leader. As a Soldier I am also a Nurse, and let me tell you I have gone for hours sitting at a bedside holding a patients hand to let them know that they are not alone. I have given a family member a hug, and stood by their side as they watched their family member slip away. I have been there to celebrate the joys of birth and the relief when a patient realizes that they have survived something that they did not think was possible. I have come in early, worked late and put my heart into my job with my patients and I have loved every moment of it. As a photographer I pride myself on capturing a moment in time that someone is not going to want to forget. Catching a feeling, an expression, an emotion and seeing my client's face when they see this moment is captured forever and being able to hold onto it for a lifetime. As a wife I have held my husband's hand as he recovered from surgery. Held onto him and comforted him as his heart hurts from things in his past and above all I have loved him with all that I have. As a mother I struggle daily with my three beautiful blessings. I have gone from cuddling them, and kissing away their pain from a scrape to watching them struggle and grow and know that there is nothing that I can do to protect them. My heart is full of love and joy for them as I watch them make amazing choices and continue to show that they have learned the difference from right and wrong and have been able to start identifying who they are and how amazing they are going to be.
So after staying all that I am sure you are asking how I see myself as struggling. As I said in the above paragraph everyone in my life, friends, family, clients, Soldiers are all put in front of my needs and my wants. I have never put myself first. However now I am struggling. I struggle because I am unable at the moment to do these things. You see I have recently had surgery... again. In the past 6 months I have had three surgeries on my feet and the most recent was rather serious as I had to get a bone graft and replace half a bone in my foot. This latest surgery has put me on crutches for 8 weeks and has crippled my ability to do much more then sit on the couch and play on my computer or the playstation. I am unable to do much of anything and now I am very reliant on my amazing husband to do the most basic of tasks and it is hard. I t is very hard to be the one that everyone has been reliant on and become the person that needs someone to help them.
However I must admit that this has helped me in a number of ways.
1. I am currently working thru an online photography class and learning so many new techniques and getting new ideas and building my skill behind my lens.
2. My husband and I have grown closer and each of us is taking more of an interest in the other's passions and favorite pass times.
3. I have become more of a sounding board for my children and they are opening up and sharing things with me that I do not believe they would have taken the time to do so if I wasn't trapped on the couch.
4. I have the time to build my business, blog, and learn more in regards to the finer art of using the editing programs that I have.
5. I have come to realize that what I do is not because I have too, it is truly because I love it
The number one thing that I have learned is that even though it is rough being out of commission and feeling useless, that I am not useless. There are things that I can still accomplish and I can still be who I am. Above all it may be rough, but I know that I am going to survive. No matter the situation, it is going to be rough but I am going to survive. I hope that is something that you remember the next time that you are having a rough time. Just hold on tight to the realization that you are going to survive, and you will be better for it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
As a Photographer am I only allowed to shoot one genre?
When you take a look at yourself, a deep look at yourself, how do you identify yourself? Are you just a mother, or lawyer, or fast food worker? I doubt it. I am sure that there are a number of us that look at ourselves and identify as a number of different things or genres. For example, I am a mother, wife, step-mother, daughter-in-law, daughter, sister to some, friend, Veteran, nurse, and hobby photographer. So if I can identify my personal self in these different ways why should I limit my photography to just one type of photography?
The other day I listened to Nick Page on the Portrait Sessions podcast that is part of the Improved Photography Network and he took questions from the Facebook group to answer during that particular podcast. There were a number of questions that were asked, but the one that stood out the most to me was when someone asked him what his favorite type of photography was. Before I go any further let me give you a bit of background on Nick Page so that you can understand his answer. Nick Page is an amazing photographer from the Walla Walla, Washington. He does landscapes, senior portraits, weddings, well pretty much you name it he does it. So with this in mind here was his answer to the question. He said that he loves landscapes and that is by far his favorite, however landscape photography does not pay the bills. He also gets bored quickly and when that happens he starts to nit pick about the lighting and will only go out at certain times, and makes life very difficult for himself. However by opening up and shooting many different areas of photography he does not give himself the chance to get bored and from what I understood he uses the landscape photography as his "me time". I love this about Nick and the other photographers that are out there are using multiple out lets of photography but are finding ways to blend them together and making incredible images.
As a photographer I think that it is important to shoot more then one particular genre. Some would disagree but let's think about this for a moment. If you are a portrait photographer what would you be bringing to the table making a small leap to lets say sports photography? Yes there is a learning curve. There are more things to think about and there are things that are out of your control, such as lighting and posing, however what is that going to force you to do? It is going to force you to think outside of the box. Are you going to nail every single shot, no. However it is going to help you learn new skills. With these new skills that you have learned you can now take them back and potentially apply them in some way to your portrait work. Or maybe the other way around. Here is an example. This is a shot from one of my senior sessions.
The other day I listened to Nick Page on the Portrait Sessions podcast that is part of the Improved Photography Network and he took questions from the Facebook group to answer during that particular podcast. There were a number of questions that were asked, but the one that stood out the most to me was when someone asked him what his favorite type of photography was. Before I go any further let me give you a bit of background on Nick Page so that you can understand his answer. Nick Page is an amazing photographer from the Walla Walla, Washington. He does landscapes, senior portraits, weddings, well pretty much you name it he does it. So with this in mind here was his answer to the question. He said that he loves landscapes and that is by far his favorite, however landscape photography does not pay the bills. He also gets bored quickly and when that happens he starts to nit pick about the lighting and will only go out at certain times, and makes life very difficult for himself. However by opening up and shooting many different areas of photography he does not give himself the chance to get bored and from what I understood he uses the landscape photography as his "me time". I love this about Nick and the other photographers that are out there are using multiple out lets of photography but are finding ways to blend them together and making incredible images.
As a photographer I think that it is important to shoot more then one particular genre. Some would disagree but let's think about this for a moment. If you are a portrait photographer what would you be bringing to the table making a small leap to lets say sports photography? Yes there is a learning curve. There are more things to think about and there are things that are out of your control, such as lighting and posing, however what is that going to force you to do? It is going to force you to think outside of the box. Are you going to nail every single shot, no. However it is going to help you learn new skills. With these new skills that you have learned you can now take them back and potentially apply them in some way to your portrait work. Or maybe the other way around. Here is an example. This is a shot from one of my senior sessions.
This is a beautiful young lady in a perfect environment. I really only had to do minor things with this to make it work. However there are places that this one session took me. I showed several of these photos to some of the parents on a wrestling team. The wrestling team at the local high school does not always get the recognition or the things they need. For the most part they are very under supported. So I was asked by the booster club to shoot the team photos and individual photos of the wrestlers. Which then led to photos like this,
The parents love the photos. Are they perfect? In my opinion no. However I learned a lot. For example The background that is used for this particular photo I built in Photoshop! If you would like to read that article How to Create your own background in photoshop. In the article I explain how I slowly built three different backgrounds because I was not happy with what I had to work with.
Now I will admit that I would have never shown the photo had my son not been on the wrestling team, so as you know there is always more to the story. I have also done more for the team since doing their team photos. We have taken some action shots for the senior banner for senior night, and we have also taken some photos to create some keepsakes for the seniors as this is their last season as wrestlers before they head off to college or the military.
I have loved bouncing from pet photography to seniors to family to team to sports photography. It has kept me on my toes and it is forcing me every day to learn. The same as it does for any other photographer that does the same. It also helps you develop a style I believe. As I have looked at more photographers work that do the same thing there is a running theme. It does not seem to matter if they are shooting landscape or sports they are finding ways to edit in the same way. Which is leaving their mark so to speak. It is a way of knowing that is there photo because there is no one else out there that edits exactly like thy do. I will admit that I am still working to find that in my work as some of mine is dark and moody while other shots are very bright and happy. However that could all just be me too.
I do not believe that it is wise to limit yourself to being just a newborn photographer, or just a wedding photographer. Branch out, try new things, and learn from them. It will improve your photography overall in my humble opinion. I know that it is helping me learn a number of things that I do not think I would have ever taken the time to learn if I was not shooting in different genres.
How do you feel about shooting in different genres of photography? Is it helpful, or doe it hurt the photographer? Please leave your opinion in the comments below.
If you would like to be a part of the email group and submit ideas for topics please sign up! The sign up is located on the side bar.
Also if you are interested in viewing more of Nick Page's work click here.
Looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you!
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Why do Photographers charge so much money?
I am sure that there are a number of you, clients and photographers alike that are in different groups on Facebook or forums and are constantly reading about people complaining about the price of a photographer. For one reason or another the individual does not understand why the quote is so high "just to push a button". I must admit that there was a time that I wondered this too, but now, I understand.
First of all let me point out that no matter where you are that your price point is going to vary. It is going to vary due to the economical status in your area and it is going to fluctuate based upon how much you value your time, effort and work. However I want to give a break down of the nuts and bolts of what a potential photographer is looking at.
So I will use myself as an example. Here are my base costs.
I use Smugmug to display and deliver my work to my clients =$250 per year=$21 per month
I typically shoot within a 50 mile radius of my home. Gas is $2.00 a gallon and I drive a truck that gets about 21mpg. So Round trip I am looking at spending at least $6-$7 on fuel. I use Creative cloud in order to keep up to date with Lightroom and Photoshop=$10 per month. Then I have to have electricity to run my computer and the programs so that is at least another $20 just for that. So this means that even if I do not have a session in a month I still have $31 in expenditures that I will have to be able to cover as soon as I can get a session booked.
So lets say that I do have a session booked and it is 20 miles away. Right off the top I have $31 for the Smugmug website and creative cloud suite that I pay for every month. I also now have $4 in fuel to consider. This brings the expense to $35 total to cover only the cost of the business. But how about the work that I must but into the session? How much is that worth? This is one area where the cost becomes the most variable. At a minimum I believe that you should be paying yourself at least minimum wage for your area and for me I believe that is $7.25 an hour. So the session is an hour long. This means that the session should only cost $42.25 right? Wrong!!
There is more that occurs after the session and there are other factors to consider as well. First of all lets think about the editing of the session. Let's say that was a 3 hour process. The labor alone for that at the minimum wage rate is a total of $21.75. Plus there is the cost of electricity to run the computer that is used to run creative cloud. So lets add another $4 just for electricity.
So just for the bare minimums, and I am sure I probably missed something the minimum charge to the client should be $68. Of course this does not include prints, or other gifts or anything else that the photographer may offer. This is the bare bones cost of what the client should be paying. However I sure there are a number of people who are shaking their heads and screaming at me as they read this saying that I am under valuing them and that I am not taking into account a number of other costs. You are absolutely right, I am under valuing you and I am not taking into account all of the costs for your specific business.
When I began this post I did not talk about the cost of start up, purely because it is not something that many think about. This is something that comes out of pocket, and hopefully is repaid through the revenue from the business as it grows. But there are still a number of things that we have not discussed.
For example, there is the insurance. How many people know that a photographer maintains insurance? It is not just for their gear, but it covers their business as a whole. This can cost anywhere from $10-$100 a month give or take depending on the insurance company. There is also the wear and tear on the vehicle that the photographer is driving which is averaged out to 57.5 cents per mile when it is broken down on the taxes each year. There is also insurance for that vehicle which will depend on the company but we will round it out to $100 per month. A photographer also has to be able to advertise and promote themselves through various means so we will say that this is budgeted on the low end at $150 a month. If the photographer decides to rent a studio in my area the starting price is $500 a month and goes up from there. This rent typically includes the electrical and other amenities from what I have been able to find.
So lets but all these numbers together for each session
Session with 3 hours to post process at minimum wage $68
Business insurance $ 3
Wear and tear on the vehicle $23.20
Vehicle Insurance $10
Studio Rental $50 (If the photographer can get 10 sessions in one month)
Internet $90 per month needed for Creative Cloud to operate
These numbers total up too a grand total of $163.20 (based upon 10 clients a month)
$163.20 from one session to cover the bills... yet the photographer has to make 10 sessions in order to cover everything and they are only really paying themselves for a total of 4 hours of work.
I will make a disclaimer that this is not an exact number, and that it not hard fact for every single photographer out there. This is a very base line number, and this is assuming that a photographer is going to get 10 clients in one month. Something that can be very feasible, however at $163.20 there is no way the photographer is going to make a living. Yes the business is paying their bills, but is the photographer putting food on the table? Are they paying the mortgage for their home? Are their children getting what they need? Considering this is based on 10 clients a month and we only paid the photographer $7.25 an hour for a total of $290, and this is before taxes I am going to say no, this is not happening. Not at the rate that we are currently set at.
$290 in a month is not going to pay the bills for that photographer. In most cases that doesn't even cover the cost of groceries for a month. So this is just simply unacceptable. So what can be done? Well the photographer could stay at the same rate and increase their session numbers. I can agree with this however there are still some things to consider. Will it make their creativity suffer? Will they begin to rush because they are over booked and not give the customer service that clients are looking for? If that is the case what will happen? The photographer loses business, and still cannot pay the bills. So is there another way?
Of course, there is always a different way to handle a situation. A photographer can increase their prices to a point that pays them for what they are worth, and also covers the business bills as well as what their family needs. Am I saying to increase your fees to such a point that you only need one session a month? NO! That would kill the idea of having a business all together. However increasing your prices to where the bills are paid and family is taken care of is more then reasonable.
The next time that a client asks why your prices are so high explain to them that they are not high, you are trying to provide for your family, and feel free to refer them to this post.
As I said before the numbers are not exact, and things are going to change on a case by case basis, however this can give you an idea of where to start, or an idea of how to explain why your prices are the way that they are. Remember it is not as simple as clicking a button on a camera. There is so much more to being a photographer.
I would love to hear what you would like to add to this post or what could be improved upon. Please join my email list, you can do this from the side bar. Also I would love to hear what you would like to know more about. Please feel free to email your suggestions or leave them in the comments below. Looking forward to continuing to grow with each and every single one of you.
First of all let me point out that no matter where you are that your price point is going to vary. It is going to vary due to the economical status in your area and it is going to fluctuate based upon how much you value your time, effort and work. However I want to give a break down of the nuts and bolts of what a potential photographer is looking at.
So I will use myself as an example. Here are my base costs.
I use Smugmug to display and deliver my work to my clients =$250 per year=$21 per month
I typically shoot within a 50 mile radius of my home. Gas is $2.00 a gallon and I drive a truck that gets about 21mpg. So Round trip I am looking at spending at least $6-$7 on fuel. I use Creative cloud in order to keep up to date with Lightroom and Photoshop=$10 per month. Then I have to have electricity to run my computer and the programs so that is at least another $20 just for that. So this means that even if I do not have a session in a month I still have $31 in expenditures that I will have to be able to cover as soon as I can get a session booked.
So lets say that I do have a session booked and it is 20 miles away. Right off the top I have $31 for the Smugmug website and creative cloud suite that I pay for every month. I also now have $4 in fuel to consider. This brings the expense to $35 total to cover only the cost of the business. But how about the work that I must but into the session? How much is that worth? This is one area where the cost becomes the most variable. At a minimum I believe that you should be paying yourself at least minimum wage for your area and for me I believe that is $7.25 an hour. So the session is an hour long. This means that the session should only cost $42.25 right? Wrong!!
There is more that occurs after the session and there are other factors to consider as well. First of all lets think about the editing of the session. Let's say that was a 3 hour process. The labor alone for that at the minimum wage rate is a total of $21.75. Plus there is the cost of electricity to run the computer that is used to run creative cloud. So lets add another $4 just for electricity.
So just for the bare minimums, and I am sure I probably missed something the minimum charge to the client should be $68. Of course this does not include prints, or other gifts or anything else that the photographer may offer. This is the bare bones cost of what the client should be paying. However I sure there are a number of people who are shaking their heads and screaming at me as they read this saying that I am under valuing them and that I am not taking into account a number of other costs. You are absolutely right, I am under valuing you and I am not taking into account all of the costs for your specific business.
When I began this post I did not talk about the cost of start up, purely because it is not something that many think about. This is something that comes out of pocket, and hopefully is repaid through the revenue from the business as it grows. But there are still a number of things that we have not discussed.
For example, there is the insurance. How many people know that a photographer maintains insurance? It is not just for their gear, but it covers their business as a whole. This can cost anywhere from $10-$100 a month give or take depending on the insurance company. There is also the wear and tear on the vehicle that the photographer is driving which is averaged out to 57.5 cents per mile when it is broken down on the taxes each year. There is also insurance for that vehicle which will depend on the company but we will round it out to $100 per month. A photographer also has to be able to advertise and promote themselves through various means so we will say that this is budgeted on the low end at $150 a month. If the photographer decides to rent a studio in my area the starting price is $500 a month and goes up from there. This rent typically includes the electrical and other amenities from what I have been able to find.
So lets but all these numbers together for each session
Session with 3 hours to post process at minimum wage $68
Business insurance $ 3
Wear and tear on the vehicle $23.20
Vehicle Insurance $10
Studio Rental $50 (If the photographer can get 10 sessions in one month)
Internet $90 per month needed for Creative Cloud to operate
These numbers total up too a grand total of $163.20 (based upon 10 clients a month)
$163.20 from one session to cover the bills... yet the photographer has to make 10 sessions in order to cover everything and they are only really paying themselves for a total of 4 hours of work.
I will make a disclaimer that this is not an exact number, and that it not hard fact for every single photographer out there. This is a very base line number, and this is assuming that a photographer is going to get 10 clients in one month. Something that can be very feasible, however at $163.20 there is no way the photographer is going to make a living. Yes the business is paying their bills, but is the photographer putting food on the table? Are they paying the mortgage for their home? Are their children getting what they need? Considering this is based on 10 clients a month and we only paid the photographer $7.25 an hour for a total of $290, and this is before taxes I am going to say no, this is not happening. Not at the rate that we are currently set at.
$290 in a month is not going to pay the bills for that photographer. In most cases that doesn't even cover the cost of groceries for a month. So this is just simply unacceptable. So what can be done? Well the photographer could stay at the same rate and increase their session numbers. I can agree with this however there are still some things to consider. Will it make their creativity suffer? Will they begin to rush because they are over booked and not give the customer service that clients are looking for? If that is the case what will happen? The photographer loses business, and still cannot pay the bills. So is there another way?
Of course, there is always a different way to handle a situation. A photographer can increase their prices to a point that pays them for what they are worth, and also covers the business bills as well as what their family needs. Am I saying to increase your fees to such a point that you only need one session a month? NO! That would kill the idea of having a business all together. However increasing your prices to where the bills are paid and family is taken care of is more then reasonable.
The next time that a client asks why your prices are so high explain to them that they are not high, you are trying to provide for your family, and feel free to refer them to this post.
As I said before the numbers are not exact, and things are going to change on a case by case basis, however this can give you an idea of where to start, or an idea of how to explain why your prices are the way that they are. Remember it is not as simple as clicking a button on a camera. There is so much more to being a photographer.
I would love to hear what you would like to add to this post or what could be improved upon. Please join my email list, you can do this from the side bar. Also I would love to hear what you would like to know more about. Please feel free to email your suggestions or leave them in the comments below. Looking forward to continuing to grow with each and every single one of you.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
How to create your own background in photoshop
How many times have you gone out and done a session, gotten home and realized just how horrible the background of the session was? This was honestly not something that I had ever encountered until recently. In previous posts I have been discussing the session that I did with my son's wrestling team. We were unable to shoot their session in the school gym that has a beautiful floor and great lighting, and were forced to shoot in the wrestling room. A room that has ten different types of light bulbs that do not all work, and lets be real, it looked and smelled like a sweaty man cave. There were no real places for me to shoot, so I had to make do with what I had and that was not much. At first I was not super concerned, and then the parents started to talk. They told me how grateful they were that I was doing this, and that I was taking my time out for the boys when the school half the time forgot to send the normal photographer, and that there were years that the whole team was left out of the yearbook. I was appalled. I couldn't believe that the school treated these kids like red headed step children. It didn't make sense to me that the school failed to take care of a team that is ranked number two in the region, and has five or six members ranked at the state level. So this changed the game for me. I wanted to give them something special and something that they could be proud of. Something that they could showcase and show that they were wrestlers and that was something to be proud of, not that they were the red headed step children of the school. So I had a lot of work ahead of me.
Knowing that I had literally nothing to work with, I thought that I could make some adjustments in Lightroom and everything would be OK, but in just in case I took a background shot before I started with the team.
This is what I had to work with. On either side there are cement columns and just no real room to move around and work. The parents told me that when they occasionally do get a photographer that is where the kids stand and they take their photos. I was in shock. I knew that I had to do something. So when got home I went to work. I actually ended up building three different backgrounds.
The first background:
As you can tell there is not a huge change. I increased the vibrance of the yellow, and dropped the warmth of the over all photo and made several adjustments to the white balance, and than I added a vignette to the photo in hopes of making the cement columns on either side of the V disappear.
The second background:
This was built off of the first. In the first background I did not like the bricks and the columns that stood out. Also there are areas that are damaged that I could not hide, so I thought that it would be best to go a bit darker in hopes to try and hide the deformities that I could not remove from the background. So what I did was took the photo into Photoshop and added an exposure layer to blacken out the bricks, but removed it and also enhanced the V a bit, and tried to enhance the reflection of the V on the mat underneath the V, one to give the background depth, and two to give it a different look from other photos that I had seen. I will admit that I was not a huge fan of how dark this is, but there was no way that I could clone stamp or heal, or even content aware fill all that was wrong in the background. I will admit that I wish that I could have made the floor a bit lighter, however I could not for the life of me get Photoshop to cooperate on this and make it happen. And as I am still learning masking and overlays and layers as a whole, it was a struggle to get this far.
After creating the second background I realized that there was still imperfections that I still had not eliminated from the background. There was damaged wall under the V and I was not sure that I could fix that or hide it. I tried on multiple attempts, yet failed. So my next idea was to create one more background.
The third background:
With this background I decided that the only way to get this right was to take everything out but the floor. So I took the exposure layer and extended it down to the floor line to hide the last of the imperfections that I could see in the photo. I then went to the school website and downloaded the school logo. This logo was on a white background. So i uploaded it into Photoshop and removed the V from the white background using the quick selection tool. Once I had selected everything I needed I used the drag tool and moved it to my background and positioned it in the corner of the photo. I then took the clone stamp tool and "copied the reflection from the original V to match under the new one that I had created. Once that was done, I darkened the exposure on the original reflection with a brush and desaturated it. I also used the healing brush to blend the change into the mat and make it look as though nothing was there. Once that was complete I was able to flatten my image and begin the process of moving players into the various backgrounds.
The placement of the wrestlers into the backgrounds was not that difficult. All it really required was the use of the quick selection tool and the move tool. There of course was some resizing of each wrestler to make everything look balanced. But over all a very workable, but time consuming process.
Now that you have seen what I did I would love to know how you would do this! I am still learning how to edit every day and any tricks and tips to making editing in Photoshop and Lightroom easier is always great! Please leave your tips and tricks in the comments. I look forward to talking to all of you.
Knowing that I had literally nothing to work with, I thought that I could make some adjustments in Lightroom and everything would be OK, but in just in case I took a background shot before I started with the team.
The first background:
The second background:
After creating the second background I realized that there was still imperfections that I still had not eliminated from the background. There was damaged wall under the V and I was not sure that I could fix that or hide it. I tried on multiple attempts, yet failed. So my next idea was to create one more background.
The third background:
The placement of the wrestlers into the backgrounds was not that difficult. All it really required was the use of the quick selection tool and the move tool. There of course was some resizing of each wrestler to make everything look balanced. But over all a very workable, but time consuming process.
Now that you have seen what I did I would love to know how you would do this! I am still learning how to edit every day and any tricks and tips to making editing in Photoshop and Lightroom easier is always great! Please leave your tips and tricks in the comments. I look forward to talking to all of you.
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