I love to drive. Cars and motorcycles and trucks… I love to get behind the wheel and just go.

This weekend I drove to San Diego for the workshop there. And, BTW… it was a very fun and exciting workshop with a lot of talented photographers, some wonderful models, and fascinating conversations. I love to talk nearly as much as I love to drive. (Those of you who know me, are shaking your heads right now… just not sure which way… heh.)

I left pretty late in the day on Friday, having to clear some things before being out-of-pocket for a couple of days. The light was dreary and gray, but I am always on the hunt for something. All in all, fairly uneventful drive… and that let’s me think.

Think about photography and design and marketing and light and challenges ahead… that sort of stuff wanders in and out of my brain while wizzing along at 75+ MPH. I thought a lot about where my work is going and what I am doing this year. Thoughts of traveling to new and exciting places (because they are new) always gets me thinking about photographs. Light and texture and imagined images of places yet unseen… sort of a mind game with myself and the imaginary cameras.

I have never been to Santa Cruz or New Orleans… both workshops coming up soon. I am so excited to see both places and do a little shooting there. But it is the images I am seeing that are changed so radically from where I used to be image wise. I see light and texture and personal imagery more than the beauty / lifestyle stuff I have done for a longass time. Longass means more than a couple of decades.

And don’t get me wrong, lovely women in gorgeous wardrobe is still something I love to shoot. But I am more interested in jazz trumpet players, retired heart surgeons, the guys who cleaned up the stadium after the Superbowl, single moms who work three jobs… People. All kinds.

And places. I started as a landscape shooter and find myself returning to photographing a lot of still life and environments… not wilderness in my work, but environments touched by man… or with the visible influence of us humans on the environment. Not sure why… I just love shooting it.

There probably is no market for the personal work I do… and I LOVE that. I don’t have to worry about portfolios and culling through the images to find the very best of the shots… I just have to make the shots and enjoy them. Me… looking at moments in my life where I snapped an image of something that caught my eye.

Garry Winogrand said: “I photograph something to see what it looks like photographed.” I love that quote. I think about it a lot. It is becoming sort of my inner mantra… “shoot it so we can see what it looks like after you shot it” the inner voice says. So I do. As often as possible.

And sometimes the images make me smile and sometimes they challenge me to keep shooting till I get one that works. But more and more, the images are driving more images. I think that’s a good thing.

Restless is the heart these days. I love teaching the workshops so much that I miss it on down weekends. I have plenty to do with more and more client work coming up (and the design side is also getting busy), but the interaction with the students is so creatively invigorating. Whether they are newbies or seasoned professionals, I love to chat about photographs and lighting and the business. Seems that everyone brings something kinda fresh and unique to the table. We learn every hour of our lives… or at least we should.

But the restlessness comes from a desire to step my work up to a new level. One that I can see clearly in my head, and now struggle to get into the camera. Shoot, refine, shoot, refine, eat tacos, continue shooting and refining… that is a perfect day for me. How I envy some younger shooters who can shoot 4-5 days a week. And how I remember those heady days. I would love to shoot every day, but business is more than shooting for me, so I get in about 3 days a week.

I want more. More. More. More.

The thing about photography is that it wants to be made and made and made over and over again. Subtly changing from one thing to the next… moving and shooting and measuring and challenging and defining… quickly and with great deliberateness. Oxymorons for sure, but isn’t most photography oxymoronical in execution? (Yeah, I made that one up… sue me.)

We work temporally while seeking to freeze a moment in time to revisit throughout our own ever-changing time line. A still image that remains constant as time moves on. Like flowers that never wilt. Love that never dies. Skies that never darken. A representation of a point in time where everything was perfect – or at least perfectly presented – that we want to save.

I have always marvelled at the amazing ego of photographers. We have giant egos that need to be expressed. That isn’t a bad thing. That is actually what makes photography one of the great art forms… most anyone can do it, but only a small group can do it well. Those with huge photographic egos that scream for recognition.

I am not talking about arrogance. Arrogance is ego with no base or credibility… just an over-inflated sense of self that manifests itself in boorish behavior. Arrogance without passion and product is laughably entertaining. And, unfortunately, on display in way too many important places these days.

I am referring to the ego that we photographers have that lets us proclaim… “Yeah, I know you have seen the Grand Canyon 23 times… but look at this moment I caught a few years ago… 1/250th of a second during a week long trip. It caught my eye and I knew I had to share this miniscule sliver of a moment with you so you would see what I saw. My view of the Grand Canyon. My choice of the best 1/250th of a second the canyon has ever seen.”

Ego.

Thank God for it. Weston and Adams had it. Avedon, Penn and Winogrand had it. Winters, DeMarchelier, Elgort, Eggleston and many more have it. The beautiful ego driven desire to share with us the way they see tiny, minuscule moments of their lives and their vision. And what grand moments they become. And those grand moments live on.

A still image of a moment in time that is shared through the times of the ages. That’s pretty cool.

I have that ego thing. I have the desire… and the passion to make images that I love to share with folks. And sometimes I make images that were not taken to share. They were taken for me… to be seen by me. To make me remember. To make me smile.

But time takes us along on its journey regardless of our desire to hang out and catch the next ride. Each day passes with no regard to yesterday and no promise of tomorrow. Time simply is. And was. And will be. And where do I go from here is the question that seems to invade my thoughts lately. Not grandiose moves… little tweaks. Like moving the camera over a few inches to make a more classical composition.

Space and time and photography and Mexican Food and workshops and books are all so wonderfully intertwined in my life. And I wonder if the images are enough? I want more. I want so much more. I wonder if the days are getting too short… or maybe I am growing too slowly. Or simply too long for the ever-shortening moments that make up our personal journeys. It’s that damn timeline thing.

Like when someone moved your cheese. Or even wondering if the cheese was ever really there to begin with. Maybe they didn’t move your cheese… you were simply too stupid, or lazy, or busy, or self-absorbed to find it and it was eaten by the neighbors cat. Ya know…

Or maybe the cheese thing isn’t really what we are looking for anyway. It would really suck to find the cheese and then discover you were allergic to cheese. I know, too cheesy… I’m just sayin’.

This morning I drove out of San Diego in the dark. Sunrise began just before I got to the desert floor near Plaster City. The sun rose just a little before Yuma. It wasn’t a spectacular sunrise… just a gradual dark to light transition with momentary blinding peeps directly into the drivers window.

I made no photographs. Maybe I should have.

I do call myself a photographer. And that is what we do, we “photographers”. Make photographs. So what was I this morning? A driver? A passenger on the timeline of my own life? A violator of posted speed limits? A casual observer of a once in a lifetime occurrence with no interest in any saving of said once in a lifetime occurrence? A now-and-then photographer… then, but not now?

I know I am pissed that I didn’t stop the damn car and get a shot of some trailers that had a lighted courtyard with the early morning pre-dawn light. Or that tractor in the distance with the dusty trail behind his morning plow. Possibly the sheen of the sunrise over the misty Colorado River would have made a nice little 6×9 print… sepia with some texture. That shopkeeper in Yuma putting up a new sign… yeah… that would have been nice.

Not this time. Maybe next time? And… back to time again.

This fern caught my eye as we were heading back to meet another group at the Sunday shoot portion of the workshop. I loved the way the soft, cloudy light seemed to make the leaves shine. I also noted that the color of the leaves edges were the same as the model’s eye makeup. Instantly I knew a vertical shot with the leaf would be something I wanted to see. I took about 7 frames or so. This is the one I like the best.

This stand of trees against the wall just jumped out at me as we were walking by. It looks like a painting to me. The subtlety of the color, the formal composition and the geometry seem like modern art. A quick snap – adjust composition – snap – one more adjust. There… I got this:

My friend Christina now lives in San Diego and she joined the group for the Sunday shoot. We were leaving an area behind the Space Museum at Balboa Park when I saw this as a possible composition. Moving her into the light and keeping her framed to not allow the blown out sky to effect the top of her head was the challenge. I simply loved the juxtaposition of the tall tree and Christina in a red coat. Not a “big” picture. A quiet little portrait of my friend in her new home of San Diego.

I found these roof lines interesting. I shot them from a classical center-up stance and knew they would be used as a tryptich like this. I may do some different post on down the road, but for now I present them as a three photo image.

Hey… thanks for viewing Lighting Essentials. I am backlogged on getting stuff up here… bad internet in Seattle last weekend and nearly no internet at all at the La Jolla Hotel in La Jolla, CA where they advertise Hi-Speed WiFi but actually the La Jolla Hotel in La Jolla, California had no WiFi at all… at least any that would connect and stay connected. Hint… 1 bar ain’t hi-speed… nope.

So be watching this week. And as always, follow along at Twitter, and visit my workshop page for information on the workshops.

See you next time.

Ummm… this is a Rant, so be warned.

I stated in the last post that I would tell you why I would prefer beginning photographers shoot for free rather than dirt cheap. And I mean that totally. I am not saying you should shoot for free, I am saying to cut out the low-ball quotes that drive the industry down. Yeah, I would prefer you do it for free than to have you quote $40 for a half day industrial shoot… got it? When you quote ridiculously low pricing, you are giving the impression that it is worth what you quoted. And that impression hurts everyone… even you.

I see lots of posts and questions in different forums that go something like this: I am not a professional, but my friend’s boss asked me to do some pictures of his family. I was thinking of charging $35 because I am just starting out and don’t feel comfortable charging too much.”

OK… and the sentiment is not terribly wrong. If you aren’t yet a professional, and feel you work is not up to par, then charging a professional rate isn’t a good idea.

But let’s look at what you are saying about your work, the work of others, the professional photography business in general… and how you fit into all of this.

First the snarkiness:
“Hi, I just finished reading ‘Corporate Tax Filings for Dummies’ and I would love to do your corporate taxes for you. Of course, I am not a professional tax preparer, so I will charge you only a few sheckles.”

You going for that? Jail ain’t that bad if you can save a couple of hundred on your tax preparation, right?

“Hello, I am a brand new heart surgeon, and I understand that your operation is very tricky… no problem. I don’t charge full rate!”

“There is no way I can charge you full rate for this plumbing job Mr. Jones, I am just a beginner. Just got my tools last week. Let’s just say… $20 bucks?”

Yeah, I know… we aren’t plumbers or doctors or tax preparers. We are photographers. And you know what? We have value too! We really do!

I get asked all the time what is a good beginning rate. I say… there is no such thing. There is lower professional rate, professional rate, and wow-I’d-love-to-get-some-of-those-gigs rate. There are discounts. There are coupons and specials and look-kid-I-like-you-so-I’m-gonna-make-you-a-heck-of-a-deal rates.

I think that you are either a professional or you are not. Not a big fan of that ‘gray’ area in between. Find out what the rates are for the shooters in your area. If you want to be a ‘little lower’ than the going rate, that is fine. Competitive pricing is NOT “low-balling” in my mind. But know where the line is between competitive and stupid-low. And if you can’t figure that out… well, maybe being self-employed is not a good plan.

I tell my students, that there is no way that you can be competitive at some of these crazy prices I see quoted. $35 for a family portrait. $125 for a catalog shoot with 30 images. 4×6 prints for $1.25… are you crazy?

Here’s the thing… if someone wants you to shoot a catalog for $125, maybe you should simply do it for free and not worry about the money. Tell them that you are a beginning shooter and you want to shoot the catalog, but that a shoot like that should run $xxxx.xx, and you couldn’t do it for that money. But since you are new, you’ll do it for free. Cause you need a catalog of little black rubber gaskets really really bad since you want to be a fashion photographer someday.

(Sorry.) More after the jump.

Two things happen. The client understands that there is a value to the work that you do. And you have established a rate that makes it easy for you to do a good job, come back next time and do it for the rate you want. Or the next photographer won’t seem too out of place quoting the rate it should be.

You have set a rate for yourself… and you may not get it when starting out, but damn it… you have to set a rate that makes sense.

There are other considerations as well. I have heard them all, I think.

“If I am too high, they won’t hire me.”
OK… let me get this right. You want to do work for people who won’t pay you what you are worth, so you low-ball it to get the job that won’t pay you what it is worth so you have the opportunity to do even more jobs at a rate that won’t pay you what it is worth. Do I have that right?

Is that really what you want to do?

“I am a brand new photographer, so I don’t feel that my rate should be more than a slim slice over crap.”
Will that ad that they are placing in the magazine then not work as well? Will the magazine discount the ad rate? Will people looking at the ad say to themselves, “Well, that photo looks like someone who was new and didn’t charge so much so I should run over right away and buy something from this company so they can hire a real photographer?”

Ummm… no. They will receive whatever they receive and be done with it.

And what if you do a really, really kick ass job for them? And the ad pulls like crazy? And you shot it for $32.68… You think when they call you and breathlessly tell you that the ad rocked and you did such a great job and they want to do it again and you say “Cool! My rate is $750…”

Client on phone: “… … …”
“But I thought it was $32.68 again?”

(There are times when shooting for cheap or free makes no sense at all… ya know.)

Go ahead and tell them how you did cut rate work two months ago but now you are a real pro and need to charge real rates. Go ahead. Tape it and send it to me… seriously. I wanna hear this.

But if you had said: “Look, I really want to shoot this stuff.” And they say “we really want you to shoot it. How much?” And you say… $750 is my rate. And they say that is too high, we only budgeted $147.57… then you have to negotiate.

Do you simply give it away, or stand there and tell them that the price you quoted wasn’t really a, you know, price… It was something you just… well, made up. So you are happy to do it for any price they are willing to pay.

Insane! (And don’t you DARE shoot it for $150… that is bone dead stupid. Clients don’t tell US what our images are worth, we tell THEM… and then do whatever we want in the form of discounting. (And don’t tell me about how so-and-so says “ALWAYS walk away”… simply bullshit. I have been around too long and KNOW what happens in the real world. There are times you do and times you don’t. If someone wanted me to photograph Mohammed Ali, I would pay whatever they wanted… heh )

Back to the ad client… hey are running a freakin’ ad! Placement? Film? Contracts? Helloooo?

Ads aren’t shot for free or for peanuts. I don’t care what you do it for, but it better be close to rate. Or do it for nothin… At least you are not driving the ability for someone else to shoot it at a rate that makes sense. You are screwing yourself on a shoot like that, but you are at least leaving the door open for yourself and other professional photographers.

Photographs have a value. (And no, iStock, it is not $6… thanks.) They do have value that is intrinsic. I believe that to my core.

Now to address you emerging folks with some plain talk about building your book. Every shooter I know had to get a book put together. Testing with models and MUA’s, buying food to shoot, still-lives and other props added up. It is the name of the game. And many of them did a free shoot now and then… now and then. Got it. Not every job… and not when the client was simply playing them… don’t get played. If they can afford the rate for a 6 time insert, they can sure as hell afford you. Be competitive. If the rate for the established guys are about $1000 for that kind of shoot and rights transfer, then come in at $900, $800 even. But not $175. Seriously. Do it for free before you drive the RATE down in the dumps… someday you may need to get the rate that is standard, ya know. Doing it for free at least keeps the rate alive.

Now again, do understand that I am NOT saying that you SHOULD do it for free. Not at all… I am saying I am less bothered by free than by the grinding slide of rates going into the toilet… that hurts us all.

Even you.

Shoot for your book. Shoot what you need for your book. I don’t care how you get the stuff for your book. (Note: a 12 page catalog shot of round rubber gaskets will NOT be in your book… are we on the same page with that? Just cause it is a ‘tear-sheet’ doesn’t mean anyone wants to see it. OK… stop it. Go ahead and show it IF you are asked if you can shoot round black rubber gaskets.)

AND HERE’S THE DEAL. IF you do one for free, while QUOTING the real price… you do it once. One time. Get your gasket catalog, or your fashion shot and add it to your tear sheets… and charge the rate next time. That is fine… That won’t tear the rates down. But if you do it a second time, then you are not a professional, not even a pre-professional. You become a sucker for people who use your work and think nothing of you. Believe me… that is not what you want to do in this, or any business, that depends on your personal brand. I would never want my brand to be “cheap and free sucker guy.” Would you?

And when your book is complete… it is ready for you to step up to the world of professionalism. It really is, folks. Be competitive, be industrious, be aggressive… ’sall good. Just don’t tear the pricing down because YOU think YOU are not ready.

And if you aren’t ready, don’t do the gig.

Next rant will be on why I don’t necessarily believe that Cost of Doing Business is the right way to find what to charge for photographers.

Hey… thanks for joining me on this little rant. Follow me on Twitter, see my 365 project here, and if you are considering taking a workshop this year, my Lighting Essentials Workshops rock… they really do.

See you next time.

A day or two ago a firestorm of sorts broke out on the interwebs on pricing. It got heady and angry and although I initially made a post on one of the players in this dramas posts here, I subsequently found that I had stumbled on to something that was just getting going.

You can see how it unfolded here. Be sure to read the comments, as that is all part of the context of the argument. Mr. Bourne’s post is linked here.

This issue on price, undercutting, ‘ruining’ the business all gets so dicey and tricky in the crazy light of the real world, I thought I would throw out some of my opinions… and I do have some opinions. (And if you disagree, I will be totally fine with it, not call you names or deride you in any way. I am not the end all of photographic knowledge, just a guy with an opinion.)

So here are a few subjects that keep coming up on forums and blogs all over the net.

1. Undercutting is wrecking the business.
Let me be clear. I think that undercutting is a problem. It demeans the business, it demeans the photographer doing the undercutting, and it demeans the client. There is no win. What professional photographers do is valuable. It demands years of work to do well, and it provides a unique and very special product. But the term ‘undercutting’ means we have to be apples-to-apples. And that is where I think a lot of these arguments come off the rails.

Let’s look at the $500 wedding scenario with a bit more of a realistic set of parameters. I think that there some situations where a set of variables must be known, compared and weighed. A $500 wedding in my little area of Phoenix is laughably inexpensive for most of the folks living and working here. Upper middle class area, lots of Saabs and Volvos and Tahoes. Nice folks and quite diverse. Average wedding shooter in this area: $3000 – $5000. Average. So where would a $500 shooter fit into this wedding market? And do you really think that a bride in this demo wants a $500 shooter for her wedding?

A little area north of me is a community with a demographic that puts $1200 weddings at the upper echelon of wedding photography. I have no desire for the people in that neighborhood to get bad wedding photography, or worse… get no photographs of their wedding at all. They are hard working people at the lower end of the scale and they don’t have that much discretionary income. They don’t drive Hummers and Mercedes, nor do they do open-bar weddings with $4K cakes at the Phoenician. A wedding with a budget of $3000 could be a place where a $500 wedding shoot makes sense. Not for a wedding shooter who has a different demographic for a clientele, but I don’t have any problem with people of modest means getting their weddings photographed. Do you?

12 miles north of that little area, $8000 wedding photography shoots are norm. And there a $500 wedding shooter would be terribly stupid. The market can bear, and work with pricing at that higher level. If someone in that demo wants to hire a photographer at the $500 rate, they are either playing the photographer, have no concern about what the images look like (or what their friends say – and believe me that is a big concern for a lot of brides in that demo) or have some other agenda. None of those clients are ones I want to work with, how about you?

I think that making a well researched investigation into the venue, expenditures and budget of the couple is easily handled int the pre-wedding meeting. If they are spending a lot of money, you would be a fool to do the photography for a cut rate. If they are spending money of other stuff, they can afford to pay for great photography. However, there are times and clients who fall below the budgets we would like to see. Here is my take on it. If the bride and groom have rented a big, fancy hotel, spent a couple of hundred on a cake, got themselves a DJ, open bar and some rubber chicken dinners, then they can take that $500 fee and stuff it. If you are a $500 wedding shooter and that is your market, you are still crazy to take a gig where you are making 3 times less than the DJ, ya know. Pride in your work and your value counts for something.

And while I am saying that there may be a place for lower end wedding work ($500 is way, way lower end) I am sure as hell NOT advocating anyone do cut rate work. I don’t think anyone in this business should do any less than excellent work. I am simply saying that there are issues beyond simply the black and white issue of undercutting. Apples to oranges in many cases… and we end up yelling PAST each other. And if you are a photographer who is doing really great work, and shooting far under what YOU are worth, then that sucks for you, and your clients. If you are a moderate priced shooter and are being killed by the lower end shooters, you need to look within. What are you doing or not doing that your clients cannot see the difference between your work and someone who has far less value identification?

Commercial photographers are a little different. There are a lot of challenges to world of commercial shooters… ad budgets are down, magazines are folding, micro-friggin-shit-stock is evident in some regional and even national magazines. But I don’t believe the Conde Naste folks are pouring over Flickr and Craigslist looking for a shooter for the next issue of Vogue… and neither are their advertisers and their ad agencies. They aren’t. Really, they aren’t.

And the same thing with the better ad agencies and design studios and corporate communications clients out there. In my town and your town. There are plenty of artistic, creative people who are looking for quality, creative, professional shooters who know all the ins and outs of producing the kind of work that they need. Quality work. Work with vision.

2. “Craigslist photographers” are killing the business.
Here I have to disagree. Not my business. I don’t work for people who look for cheap photography. Do you? And if you do, then you are working in the client area you work in.
(more after the jump)

Clients looking for design and photography of the kind I do are not looking in Craigslist. They simply aren’t. Annual report shooters are not found on Craigslist by corporations who spent $50K on photography last year and suddenly decided they could get someone off CL for a couple of hundred bucks. Brides looking for that special photographer that can make her special day… special, aren’t looking there either.

Craigslist photographers are there for the clients who want to pay as little as possible. It is a filter. It is a way of pre-qualifying your clients. If they are looking on Craigslist and you are a higher end shooter, they aren’t your clients. They are probably gonna choke when you make your quote. And, again, if you are competing with CL photographers, there better be a real big self awareness meeting coming up for you. Differentiate or die.

And if you are working in that lo-end space, good luck to you on that. I am serious. Not into having anyone fail. If you are putting food on your families table and keeping your little home warm on those lesser paying jobs, that is great. I am not worried that you are ‘taking’ my clients. And you should not worry about me taking yours. I cannot work at those margins. And I wont.

Look, Ferrari salesmen don’t hand out their business cards to fast food clerks. They have a built in pre-qualification filter. Kia salesmen don’t usually try to crack into the high finance guys with a great deal on the newest $8K sedans. Same filter, different settings.

You make a decision on whether you are a “Ferrari Salesman” or a “Kia Salesman” when you start out. At least you set that goal. That is your choice and your road to travel. And I bet those Ferrari sales guys don’t lie awake at night freakin’ out about the Kia guys. If you are getting killed by the undercutters, maybe you are playing in the wrong arena and need to redefine your strategy. Maybe it’s time for some serious self evaluation, a seminar or a workshop. A new portfolio… something to change it up. Vitally important to make sure you are NOT on par with the lowest level shooters if you want to make more money.

And some areas have been pretty well decimated by the weekend warriors. Model composite work is more rare now than it has been in the past. I know a guy who does real-estate photography for $15 a shot… and he is getting heat from below. And I also know a architectural guy who charges tens of thousands for shooting a few images. Guess which one is the most busy. (Hint… the one who is driving the way better car.) Oh, I also know a shooter in Miami doing very well shooting model composite work for the agencies there. Very well.

Are there some challenges for us to meet? Absolutely. Can we meet them and move forward, sure. Does it do our industry any good to drive the prices down in a market that already has challenges with keeping the prices where they need to be? Absolutely not.

But I haven’t met an ‘undercutter’ shooter who could do what I, and a lot of professionals do? Coordinate a crew, manage a set, prepare for all contingencies, light it, direct it, shoot it, process it and deliver it. On time and on budget. To do that, one would have to be able to manage a budget that would be beyond the weekend warrior practice and experience. You don’t go from shooting ‘models’ with speed lights on Saturday afternoons to shooting CEO’s for Annual Reports in a week.

I am focusing on the clients and budgets that make sense to me. I am not interested in clients who only want to pay a few bucks. I will not do web design for $60 a page. I won’t shoot for rates that will not allow me to make the studio rent, drive a nice auto, pay for health insurance for my family and a profit. I am not a hobbyist. Experience counts. It is valuable.

I want photographers to measure what the value is of their images. To educate themselves as to usage and fees and structures and the intrinsic value of an image. And, in the day of $3 images with unlimited rights (MS) that can take some strong personal fortitude. Find your voice and sing really loud. Take a stand. BE a photographer with pride in your work and your industry.

But if we are gonna beat each other silly, call names and insist on our positions as golden, and all photography must be treated the same, then we have some more discussion to do. And we will.

Here’s another opinion: I would rather a new photographer shoot for free than to charge a pittance for their work. It is far less damaging to the industry.

We’ll talk about that next time.

Interested in taking a workshop this year? See Learn to Light for our schedule. Follow me on Twitter, and my 365 Project is here.

Today’s Rant is really a Rave… sorta. it is about the fun and joy of photography… beyond the craft and business of photography.

I don’t know what happens to us as photographers when we get to the point where the cameras stay in the vault until someone pays us to shoot. That was never me, it couldn’t be. I love to play… takes the mind away from the work. Folks who aren’t photographers play you know. Snowmobiles, horses, football with the gang, tailgate parties, dog shows… whatever. We all know the list of things we can do for entertainment is endless.

I do a few things myself. Last night before going to comaville (I really hate sleeping… such a waste) I sat at the piano and improvised on a melody for about 20 minutes. No recording exists (thank God) but it was a relaxing way for me to unwind. I also play the drums I have in the garage (just not at 11:30PM). I love to read and write as well.

And I make pictures. Photographs. Images. Whatever.

I am most at home with a pair of drumsticks or a camera in my hands. When I am asked why I make photographs, my answer has always been because I have to. I have to make images. And music.

But I like to play too… hence improvising a melody for an extended time. And after warming up, I generally play from my un-vast repertoire: Green Dolphin Street, Rainy Day, Over the Rainbow, I Remember Clifford, Phantom stuff… Not to think that I am gonna lead a trio someday, but just for me.

I photograph the same way. There are serious days of craft-heavy, intense photography where a lot is at stake and the endorphins are burning and we walk that glorious edge between confidence and sheer panic. I love those days. In this profession, a home run at every outing is the demand. No one hires you for singles and triples… the best effort means nothing if the images aren’t what the client needed. Or what they expected.

I love that pressure… God, I love it so.

But when it comes to play… well, I love that freedom, non-pressure and sheer fun that it produces. And it took awhile to get to the place where playing could be accepted by me. Where I gave myself permission to play, so to speak.

When I first started photography, it was all fun. I would take pictures of things just to see what a picture of them looked like. That was all the reason I needed to make an image. Then the thing that was a sorta hobby began being more of a sorta passion. The passion led to the business and then, it seems almost suddenly, everything was about the portfolio. Shoot for the portfolio. Edit the shot before you took it. “Is it portfolio worthy?” Second guessing it all… every shot. It had to be the best. It had to “MEAN something” before the shutter clicked. A sunset? Naww… been done. That great shadow on a wall? Naww… the folks at Kramer don’t want to see that stuff.

The images had to be difficult… still lives with shiny stuff and colors that would pop. Grab the newest copy of the Blackbook or the Workbook and measure your worth. Sometimes you measured up well and other times… well, off to get another power pack and a couple of heads and – hell, gotta have a ‘Blad.

And, you know, that wasn’t really fun. Oh, hey… it is pretty cool coming in with 5 or 6 Nikkor boxes and the smell of new cameras and lenses… well, yeah! But Fun? With a capitol F Fun? I dunno… I fear it wasn’t as much fun as we thought it was at the time.

I stopped self-censoring about the time I realized that I had gone a week without shooting because I hadn’t been able to connect a model and schedules and MUA and stuff just wasn’t meant to be that week. I took the Nikons and headed up toward Wickenburg. No ideas other than I wasn’t coming back till I shot something I wanted to shoot.

But you know… Wickenburg just wasn’t the right place for a guy who shot fashion and still life in his studio most of the time… you know… to get those “portfolio” shots? I wandered around for a while, lamenting the lack of anything worth shooting. (If there’s one thing we got to purge from ourselves it’s self-pity!)

But the light on one of the walls caught my eye and it brought me back to that time when all I had was an F2 and three lenses… and no friggin idea about the business of photography. Pulled the camera out, chose a lens and made a snap. Then another one. And another.

Gone was any idea of what I was supposed to be shooting… just the fun of making images that I liked. Me. My own pictures. I wasn’t even planning on showing them to anybody, cause I still had that self-censor thing going that said: (with booming God Like reverb…) “If it isn’t commercial, it isn’t worth shooting… ing…. ing…”

Except it was worth shooting. I shot 6 rolls of film that day. In the end I made 14 16×20’s of the images and they were some of the most talked about images at my studio for quite awhile.

But the most important thing that day gave me was a return to the idea of having fun with my photography. I never stopped from that point on. Cameras go everywhere with me… and I take pictures of things that most people don’t even see. Sometimes I share and sometimes I don’t… Doesn’t matter really. I had fun.

These days the iPhone has been my constant companion. And I don’t even have it hooked up as a phone… I already have a phone I like. I just use the iPhone (an old 2G) for the camera, wifi and storage for about 200 songs I like to have with me. Oh yeah… it also has my portfolios on it.

But the camera is total fun. Point and shoot cameras are great, and some of them like the G10 and G11 from Canon will rival top of the line DSLR’s. And don’t forget film cameras… they can be had for a song, and they still take – seriously now… get ready for it… photographs! I think there are a lot of photographers grabbing up some film cameras these days and adding to their arsenal of digital gear.

Here are some ideas for having fun with the photography.

1. Don’t self censor. Don’t not shoot something because you think it cliche, or silly, or not ‘portfolio worthy’… just have fun with the image itself.
2. Create a body of personal work that is simply your love of imagery… whatever it is. Keep it to yourself or share it with everyone.
3. You know those 365 projects where you either take and post or at least post and image every day? You do know… ‘K – ’nuff said.
4. Go out with minimal gear and make photographs of things that catch your eye. Limit yourself to making a photograph that goes with every song you hear on the radio for an hour. Do it a couple of times… see the imagery grow.
5. Rent a camera. Something you don’t usually shoot with. Say a medium format or larger format camera. Just for a weekend or a week. Make some pictures with it.
6. Rent a lens (like from BorrowLenses.com) that you don’t have. A Tilt-Shift or long tele.
7. Take two flashes and make pictures of people you meet on the street. Have fun with it!
8. You know those times when you say “Aww, dang. That was pretty cool. But I am in the wrong lane, or going too fast or late for somethig…” those shots? Turn around and take them. Seriously. It feels great.
9. Think of something you would never do… like for me, go to a circus. I am not fascinated by circuses. But whatever it is for you… take a camera and get to know it from behind a lens. Go to your ‘circus’ and document the entire trip.
10. Find the thing you love most about photography and do more of it. It may not be what is selling now, or even something that is a genre you are shooting… but you love it. Shoot and create images of that passion.

Having fun with photography doesn’t mean that you won’t get some good photographs. You could and most probably will. I do. And I have found a new respect for things and places I never would have thought of as being photogenic. I removed the expectations of what was ‘photogenic’ and just made images.

I don’t mean to say make bad images, or not to try hard to make them good. Of course you do that. We all do that every time we pick up our cameras. I am simply saying to break out and make some stuff for you.

Hey… workshop this weekend in Seattle (1 opening left) and the following weekend in San Diego (2 openings there). Check Learn to Light for our complete workshop schedule and thanks for following along. You can follow what I am doing and thinking about at Twitter and visit my 365 Project page for some of the whimsical images we are talking about above.

If comments do not appear below, go here to leave them. Thanks for visiting Lighting Essentials.

Recently there was a discussion on whether natural light shooters would be able to compete with the strobe-heavy photographers and those deep into the Photoshop illustrative techniques. And before we begin it must be stressed that I love all kinds of photography. This is not ‘against’ any style that you may enjoy, it is only a look at some simple, and entirely wonderful ways of shooting.

Photography embraces all types of imagery. From the heavily illustrated work of Dave Hill and Tim Tadder, to the Photojournalist with a camera in a war zone, to a wedding shooter with a speedlight – and more. We love it all. I hope that when you look at a photograph you don’t measure it by whether it was ‘hard to do’ but whether it speaks to you and makes its way into your inner vision. The image is what is important.

The discussion was at Heather Morton’s excellent blog. Jaimie said:

“The other post I wanted to mention was the ‘To Gear or Not To Gear’ article where there was a discussion about exactly that. I think this was actually the first compliment I think I’ve received from someone in the industry in regards to my natural light stuff. I guess I’m curious to know why it’s seen as such a bad thing. I completely understand that in the advertising world it’s all about control and customization as well as being a little over the top in many cases. What I don’t understand is why working with natural light seems to be frowned upon and/or viewed as being amateur and simplistic, or something that wasn’t thought out. Seriously, I don’t think either Grant or I or any other shooter that uses a lot of available light (Chris Wahl anybody?) are just taking our cameras outside and hoping for the best when we shoot.”

I think that is something that a lot of people who first get interested in photography through the internets think. Unfortunately. And of course the marketers abound with gear gear gear to a point where some would wonder if were even possible to create images without a ton of lights. And of course it is. And shooters like Frank Hoedle use a lot of gear to achieve a look that seems more natural than not. And this is NOT a gear discussion…

This is a possibilities discussion. I have no dog in the hunt as they say. I could care less what anyone shoots with or without… just show me the pictures. Do they move me? Good.

My post today is on simplistic shooting… just a camera and a subject. The images above were taken 25 years ago. (Natural light, Nikon F3, 180MM f2.8 Nikkor @ 2.8, on Tri-X at ISO200 and pushed 15% in D76.) They were taken in Scottsdale, AZ on a bright, sunny day. There are no fill cards or any other lighting gear used. I think they work.

Why? Because it doesn’t matter to the image. The subject connects with you instantly. The light is subtle and soft and inviting. Was it ‘easy’? I don’t remember most anything being ‘easy’. The location has to work, and then there are considerations to be made. Will the light ‘work’ or will it just be exposure light? Can I sculpt the subject a bit and separate her and emphasize the line and shape and flow? What exposure compensations may I have to make to create on the film or capture, the look I see in my head? The only thing that is easy is that I only had to carry my bag to the shoot.

In the shot on the right we were in a closed in patio with a large window facing south. The light coming in that window was shaded from direct sun by an overhang, so the light was soft and wide. Placing the subject into that light and then making sure the walls were lit enough to provide the soft edge lighting was the goal. We had to move some furniture to get it right, but we did. Same location for the shot in the middle, and as the sun went behind a mountain and left us in shade, we did the shot on the little gravel driveway.

I shoot to the right and process to the left. What that means is I would more likely over expose the image and process to the shadows than I would underexpose. I like brighter skin tones and I like a neg or capture that has some contrast to it. Digital is so flat compared to film. So I shot the film to the regular ISO200 that I usually did (Tri-X was rated at ISO 400… yeah, and I am the king of prussia) and pushed the film (over developed it) to get a bit more contrast. Digital to follow after the jump.

This kind of shooting was my style back then. Natural or slightly modified light. Natural looking subjects in natural settings. I still love that look and shoot it. An older post on shooting with nothing but available light, Minimalist Shooting, is here and features my friend Christina.

BTW… if you would like one of those hand-filed negative borders, here you go. Just put the image in a layer below the border. This is one of my own filed negative holders, so enjoy. Only available here, and may not be available forever.

The shot below was made in Houston at a workshop. I noticed the light coming in from the window and knew it would be a nice light for a portrait. Moving the subject into the light, I made an exposure reading for his cheek and stopped down one stop from the reading. I wanted a darker side to me, and if I had exposed to the meter, the cheek would be one stop brighter, and the highlight of the face blown to nothing. I like the feeling of the light in shots like this… almost feel the warmth.

I could have brought a fill card in to lighten the shadows even more, but I liked the overall look of this shot so I left it out.

The next shot was taken in Seattle, also at a workshop. Behind me is a large white building which is adding some huge, soft light to the subject. I love the natural catch lights in the eyes when shooting natural light. This shot was taken with a Canon, 70-200MML f2.8 @ 2.8, ISO 100. Zoomed almost all the way out, the limited DOF is just delicious. There is no additional lighting modifications added to this shot.

The subject is under an awning, and the light is bouncing all around from a bright, sunny day around the structure. Keeping her in line with the brighter background helped her stay “open”, with a feeling of surrounding light that envelops her. Note that the brighter background objects out of frame are presenting as rim and hair light. Subtle, but then subtle is pretty cool to me.

For exposure: I metered the shot with an incident meter (Minolta IV) and it gave me a reading of 2.8 @ 1/320. And that would have been fine. But I chose to over-expose the image (1/200) to make sure I got the skin tones up and captured all the shadow detail I wanted. At post I can take it down if needed, but in this case the image was fine in post. Only a slight modification was needed to enhance the contrast.

What I would like you all to do, is just experiment a little with some minimal gear. Try making shots with only a subject and a lens. Find locations that have some amazing light falling all around and use it to create images that seem to have more light sources.

Here are some photographers that may inspire you to try some natural light, or minimalist shooting.

Nick Onken
Kate Orne (Women section – may be NSFW)
Jaimie Hogge
Grant Harder
Dave Hill (yes, THAT Dave Hill)
Jeff Petry
Mark Tucker
Nadav Kander (Dig around in the work a bit)
Peggy Sirota
Arthur Elgort (Especially Fashion: Check the ballet shots as well)
Chris Wahl

Of course all of the photographers mentioned above know their way around a strobe kit, and they all do work with lighting. There are images in their portfolio that use lighting… some use LOTS of lighting. The point I am making is that they also create compelling images with minimal equipment.

And that means that compelling photographs are available to the shooters who flex their lighting muscles and create with what they have. MAKE the shot happen. Take a subject out and take your cameras. MAKE the shot happen. Just for a while, focus on what you have on hand… what the light is doing, what you can do with it, where it is advantageous light, and where your image can be what you see in your head.

MAKE the shot happen. No excuses. Treat it as an assignment. You MUST make a compelling image.

I am thinking about doing some posts on the Medium Format film cameras. That way when you rent one, and you should, you will have the info here to get started right away. Your comments?

Thanks for taking this little rant about minimal shooting with me. Follow me and get all kinds of photographic links at Twitter. See you next time.

Well, we present 30 images from the pool today. Images that are soft and wild and quiet and loud… but all of them compelling in their own way. As always, the images link to the photographer’s Flickr pages so please click and visit. Leaving them a comment always brightens their day.

Before we get going with that, some fun stuff to share.

From the web:
Heather Morton has a post on breaking out and adding to your genre.
Kirk Tuck shares some insights from a nice ad job he did.
Mathieu Young grabbed a big strobe and walked all over LA making photographs of every one he met.
Mike Sheil gives us his take on working as a photographer for over 30 years.
And here are Ten NO’s for all of us freelancers.

On the Lighting Essentials site, we have just completed a three part interview with Selina Maitreya. Her insights into what is working now and what to do to get out there are really indispensable.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

The new Rants and Raves section is getting quite a bit of play. And we added some testimonials to the Learn to Light site. If you are considering a workshop, take a few minutes and check out ours. I want to make it the best workshop experience you have ever had.

Upcoming dates for the workshops:
Jan 30, 31 : Seattle
Feb 6, 7 : San Diego
Feb 27, 28 : Houston
March 13, 14 : Santa Cruz
March 27, 28 : New Orleans
April 17, 18 : Philadelphia
April 24, 25 : Omaha

Please let me know if you have some questions that you would like me to explore. I am preparing a few posts n shooting film, medium format and large format, as well as some on-the-scene coverage of some working pros. Your input is always welcome.

BTW… if you haven’t started a 365 Project yet… it is never too late. Just start today and run it for a year. Let us know about it and we will compile a list of LE folks with their 365 projects.

OK… let’s go look at some images from the forum. I think you are going to like these.

As always on these posts, please click the image and leave a comment on the photographer’s Flickr page. It means a lot to them to hear from you.

I love the gesture here. The “Jazz Hands” and the impossible position give the photograph so much dynamic motion.

The light, smoke and position of the subject make the shot seem formal. The subject offsets the formality of the composition by the gentle twist of the head and the informal hands.

This image just pulls me into it. Such a nice composition, and the tonalities make it inviting. I love that little bottle dead center. The casual effect of the subject looking off camera is powerful.

Careful focus and wonderful soft, wrapping light make this portrait stand out. The attention of the subject on his hand lends a feeling of reality to the image.

This subtle black and white landscape shot has such a nice composition. Love the texture versus smooth foreground. Those clouds bring the eye right back to the land, don’t they?

This dramatic shot looks fabulous as a thumbnail. The big shot doesn’t disappoint. Nice use of flare to help make the statement.

Sublime texture and line in this classically composed environment. Black and white works so well.

Careful attention to casting, props and wardrobe make this image stand out. The light is complex without being distracting. Ahhhh… texture.

Wow. Lighting and mood. Props and color as well as the DOF control make this little guy pop without being blown out. Clean light and beautiful baby.

This crew should love the photo. Very complex lighting, but the result is a well done commercial image.

The softness of the natural light, with the flare and wrap make this image a perfect match for what the photographer was going for… a dreamy state of mind.

The offset composition, shallow DOF, gesture of the model and very nice, dramatic sidelight give this image some real punch. Hard not to notice it… and then it draws you in.

Color, gesture, angle and the model’s pose all together present a moment perhaps to be remembered.

Sometimes the portrait is so dramatic and the concept so pure, it cannot helped but be seen. The gesture brings you in and you leave with more questions than answers. Nice light too!

Sometimes the light is so nice, it can enhance an otherwise already nice image. Composition is classic, subject is gorgeous and the light sets her off very well.

Clean, solid light, limited DOF and a smile that is infectious. A nicely done headshot for sure.

I like how he seems to be emerging from the light. Nice effect. And really nice pose.

Dontcha just love images that are like little short stories? Mini novellas? Light, gesture, pose, composition… so much going on here.

Dramatic composition and effective use of two lights present this subject in a classic, yet a bit modern image. Limited DOF and the pose of the subject make the image stand out.

Hmmm… that looks like it may be a Corona. That works for me!

Yeah… sometimes it’s just like that. Lighting works to present an illustrative portrait with a lot of appeal.

What could be a cliche ends up bringing us in. Nice use of a color pallet and gesture.

Sensual color and light. The composition sets our eyes moving into the mist to see what is there, but ultimately we are drawn back to the windmill.

Alright… this just looks like a hell of a lot of fun.

Such a classic composition. Quiet and understated and so very interesting. Great detail to offset the whimsical pose.

Oh man, this shot works on so many levels. Such energy from the subjects. Placing the rider to one side in the composition makes it even more dynamic.

Rich color and dramatic DOF make this image pop.

A beautiful, natural light portrait of a lovely subject. What else could you ask.

A feeling of ‘paparazzi’ created by the lighting and the subjects attention elsewhere. Seems almost a grabshot, and that makes it immediate.

Light, color pallet, gesture, styling and makeup artistrty combine with subtle and effective lighting to present an ‘other worldly’ portrait.

Hey, thanks everyone for taking a look at some of these amazing images from the Lighting Essentials Flickr Pool. Come on and join us there for images and discussions on a wide ranging set of topics.

Follow me on Twitter, and visit my workshop site at Learn to Light.

We present a three part look at the current business of commercial and editorial photography through the ‘lens’ of Selina Maitreya, photographers coach and consultant. Selina’s 30+ years experience working with photographers all over the globe has given her a unique and deep understanding of what it takes to compete in a crowded market.

First things first: Selina’s website is 1PortAuthority.com, and it is there you can read about what she does for photographers. You can also download a free chapter of her amazing audio series “The View From Here” and purchase her newest book “How To Succeed In Commercial Photography: Insights From A Leading Consultant.” If you do purchase the audio series, be sure to enter the code FOSLE to get $100 off (50%) the purchase price.

Now on to the 4 ToDo’s for Photographers.

I asked Selina if she had only four things to tell photographers to do – now – what would they be?

1. Shoot Photographs that are compelling and represent your vision.

“It is interesting that photographers will sometimes go to market without understanding what buyers needs are or with a full product to sell..A product ready to sell is a defined vision that is showcased via a full, deep body of work.

Taking the time energy and effort to develop a visual product before going to market is key. Ask yourself what do I shoot and what is my visual approach to my subject?

Am I shooting architecture or portraiture? Do I have an affinity toward shooting people in environments or is the comfort of a studio where I will find my muse?

What are the components that make up my visual style?

How do I use light ? Composition? Angles? Where do subjects fit in? Are they props in my shots or is the connect through the camera important? How important is the location, and what part does it play? Is it informational, or an element of design? Is post a style element that ties your work together? Once you have that vision and style across the type of photography that you want to shoot…

2. Edit the images down to a set of photographs that create a Body Of Work that will b shown on both your website and in a print portfolio.

“With the vision and style and preferred subject matter decided, Look at the images you currently have in your portfolio and on your web site. In addition look at your files and see if any images there match your vision, and create a core body of work. Look at them all together as a whole group… do they say what you do? If you are an architecture photographer who likes shooting intimate spaces with natural light… does your portfolio represent that? Would someone looking at your book KNOW from looking at it that you are an intimate spaces architectural photographer who favors natural light? If so do you need any additional image s to complete the collection.

It is important that you know where your body of work is and that you finish the job of building your client offering before attempting to market or sell. Clients are not interested in a partial representation or being asked to know that if you can shoot his type of work of course you can shoot another type. They have many photographers offering them complete portfolios. And you need to make sure that yours is ready to go before you begin to sell.”

3. Determine who that work should be shown to… choose the markets that you would be consistent with.

“There are many different industries that may be interested in your work. Advertising Magazines, editorial, graphic designers, corporate, educational non-profit. Discover at least four or five markets for your work and begin to develop a data ba e of contacts.

Let’s say you are an architectural photographer. There are architectural magazines, architects, construction firms who build the architects vision, and interior designers that bring the building to life, product manufacturers (think flooring, windows, kitchen cabinetry, appliances )That’s five markets right there.

Find those markets, those industries that will be a possible client for your work. Get access to those people with lists. There are a lot of good database services out there who can help you define who to get your message in front of those buyers. Do your research and develop a list that makes sense for you. Unless you live in New York City, it will be necessary for you to market regionally and or nationally”

4. Get Your work in front of the people who will be interested in hiring you to make images for them.

“Make sure your message and vision is consistent across all of your sales and marketing materials. Your website, your direct mail pieces, visual email, postcards, blog, portals and print portfolio. Build your campaign with the list you have created. Of course budget must be considered, but that is really up to you. There are costs involved from emailing programs that will send your emails for you to postage for direct mail. These must be taken into account as you begin. Use sales visits, on line social networking visual email, direct mail, web portals, and your web site to deliver a constant and consistent message over time that will drive home your style, and help the clients to think of you when considering hiring a photographer.

The idea is to send the message to as many people as you can consistently throughout the year. Plan on committing to your plan ,observing short term results and making changes every 6 months as needed for 2-4 years before you will see your investments paying off handsomely. This timeline and the work involved may seem a bit daunting but taken step by step it is very doable and what is needed! If you were building a house and had to think of all the steps that you would need to put into place from establishing credit, to choosing land, to hiring an architect, to finding an builder, your head would spin.But when you take large projects one step at at ime each step reveals the next.

If you are ready to service clients thoroughly and completely, handling your process as a professional, take inventory. Where are you in the process I have outlined? Start at your beginning point and begin to build a business that will serve you and the needs of your clients!”

Thanks Selina.
Part One of this interview.
Part Two of this interview.

These are of course highlights and a very general overview, but there is a lot to take in here. (Again, I recommend the audio program that Selina has created… with the FOSLE code at checkout it is only $99… and with 12 hours of solid info, that is an amazing deal.)

As photographers we are daily being bombarded with new technology, new software and hardware to purchase, new markets replacing old markets… and a lot of young fresh faced competitors (many of which are reading these pages right now).

And we constantly hear about the challenges and the shooters who are closing studios and having a rough time. That saddens me. But there are also new shooters stepping up and there are stories of shooters having great years… great success. And the market be damned, there is good news out there in the world of commercial photography.

And the overwhelming consistent thing across all of the success is shooting a lot of images. Shooting a lot of images. And making those images striking, powerful and representative of your vision.

Have you checked out the Learn to Light site for information on my workshop coming to your town? We are heading out to Seattle in a few weeks, then San Diego. We have Houston on the schedule… New Orleans… how cool will that be? Santa Cruz is looking great!

If you enjoyed this article, tell your friends. You can follow me on twitter and see more of my work at my personal site.

See you next time with a kinda quirky little article… well, you’ll see.

We present the second of a three part look at the current business of commercial and editorial photography through the ‘lens’ of Selina Maitreya, photographers coach and consultant.

First things first: Selina’s website is 1PortAuthority.com, and it is there you can read about what she does for photographers. You can also download a free chapter of her amazing audio series “The View From Here” and purchase her newest book “How To Succeed In Commercial Photography: Insights From A Leading Consultant.” If you do purchase the audio series, be sure to enter the code FOSLE to get $100 off (50%) the purchase price.

I asked Selina about what was trending now:

“Well… (laugh) I don’t really look at trends. Great work is the best trend.

But there are some great things going on with Post Pro color pallets that help photographers create a consistent color ‘look’ for ones work. This creates a cohesive look to the body of work, and seems to be a growing trend for a lot of photographers.”

Yes. That seems to be something a lot of shooters are looking into. I know that when I look at a photographer’s port, it can really be noticeable when the images are taken as a whole.

“Another thing I am noticing is how many photographers are returning to film. A lot of film is being shot out there. Not as a change from digital, but in addition. That is really interesting. Some are older film shooters who remember and love film and some are younger shooters for whom film is a new medium.

Film gives a photographer a hands on feel. And it can be quite challenging.”

I think I have shot more film since last summer than in the past few years for sure. Just purchased a new film camera and looking forward to shooting some large format this week. Any other ‘trending’ things that are out there.

“More photographers are once again adding one on one visits into their sales programs. Print books have always been important to buyers. It was photographers who felt that clients no longer saw shooters. They were convinced that their websites alone were enough. Big Mistake. I kept hammering this home and finally the message is getting heard. No more and more prose are realizing how important it is for them to see clients and they need to show their work via a print book – not on a computer. The print book NEVER left the mix.

The website creates a place for people to see your work and decide if they want to see more from you, or initiate a meeting. The book is your front end sell and is what your clients will reference when looking at assigning work in the final pitch stage. Having one that is ready to go and represents your vision is still very important. Maybe more important now than ever.”

I think the ‘book’ forces a photographer to really define and refine their work to a small group of images. Just going through the process is so enlightening.

“And that is so true. When you start to look at your work as a group, you can start to see where the holes are, and where the vision is working.”

Where should the photographer be marketing now?

“It is so important that photographers know and understand their audience. Who are you shooting for and what is their interest in the work? It isn’t enough to just make pictures, you have to get them in front of the right people… and you have to show the right images for them. That is why having your own vision… and “bringing it” every time you shoot is so important.

If you are a lifestyle photographer does the “feel, the visual approach” you take to your topic appeal to mainstream clients or hip cutting edge products and services? Once you know what you are shooting and what the “feel” of your imagery is, research potential target markets. Choose 3-5 markets to service.

Maybe you will be aiming to service advertising, design firms, editorial and corporate direct with your visual product. There’s 4 markets right there. Funnel down and search the contacts in each area that hire photography. Determine your geographic parameters, there’s your database right there!

Show up. Show up with the talent and the passion and the drive. Show up with your work and be ready. Make the calls, introduce yourself. Show up when it comes to the business of photography. That is something I tell every photographer… show up. Understand what that means and do it at every level, Every time.

Social networking is important but so is face time.

The internet can become an echo chamber. We are all talking to each other (Twitter) and that is fine, but photographers have to find a way to get out of that echo chamber of photographer to photographer and find the ways to reach the buyers.

You know, it is competitive out there, but being a photographer is still an amazing business to be in. I love being around photographers, they really are some of the most interesting people I know.”

Who do you follow on Social Media?

“I love Heather Morton’s blog. And I follow Chase Jarvis and Rob at APhotoEditor, with whom I
did an interview recently. I did an interview with SESHU (@PicSeshu) and with Craig Ferguson in Taiwan, I love @Photojack @zarias, Rodney Washington,and YOU! (We also have an audio interview here at Lighting Essentials as well.)

So many people have asked me to create a Blog. But Creating a Blog is not in my immediate future, though I am trying to think of a new way to approach that. Right now however TVFH is really taking off. I’ve received emails from photographers from 7 different countries around the world who have purchased the program, love it and took the time to write with ideas on future topics and requests to build a community around TVFH.

Currently I am working on creating a forum for people who have purchased the audio program that will let them talk to me and among themselves.Its all very exciting!”

Thanks, Selina.

BTW… I carry Selina’s Audio Book with me all the time. It is the only thing I have on a little iPod shuffle (pretty much takes the whole thing to load it) and whenever I have the time I just clip the little shuffle and hit play. The parts are easy to listen to without necessarily being in order.

I just wish I had heard this about 30 years ago. Heh.

Tomorrow: 4 Important “To-Do” Items for Photographers.

Portals for portfolios:
CarbonMade
Photoshelter
FormatPixel
Photoserve
That’s a short list.

Here is a good article on portals by ASMP.

Part One of this Interview is here.
Part Three of the Interview is here

See you tomorrow.

Follow me on Twitter, and visit my workshop site at Learn to Light.

We present a three part look at the current business of commercial and editorial photography through the ‘lens’ of Selina Maitreya, photographers coach and consultant. Selina’s 30+ years experience working with photographers all over the globe has given her a unique and deep understanding of what it takes to compete in a crowded market.

First things first: Selina’s website is 1PortAuthority.com, and it is there you can read about what she does for photographers. You can also download a free chapter of her amazing audio series “The View From Here” and purchase her newest book “How To Succeed In Commercial Photography: Insights From A Leading Consultant.” If you do purchase the audio series, be sure to enter the code FOSLE to get $100 off (50%) the purchase price.

We began the interview with the question that so many photographers are asking:

What’s Working Now:

“Vison. Style… and great photography of course. The ability to create a solid body of work and get that body of work into the website, portfolio and portals that are so necessary for getting in front of the people who are buying the work. It isn’t enough to just have great pictures, they have to relate to each other through the personal vision of the photographer.

It has to be what I call a “body of work”, not just good pictures assembled in a portfolio, They have to be connected by the vision, the style, the eye of the photographer. Tell a story through a single image or multiple images… images that can tell a story are very powerful.

Finding that vision is the hardest part, but so is putting it together in a cohesive presentation. The basics haven’t changed… you must create wonderful pictures. That will never change, but that isn’t enough. The pictures must show something more… a vision that is unique, or at least unique enough to interest a buyer into calling your book in.

Passion.

What are you passionate about? That passion should be so much a part of what you do. Get passionate about what you want to do and your vision and your work. Develop that personal vision to get the photography you feel best depicts what you do and who you are.”

This is somewhat a more difficult thing to do for photographers in smaller markets. Creating a magnificent portfolio with few to show it is making some photographers think about making huge, career shifting decisions.

“I have always believed that photographers should market regionally. Take two hours from your home town and draw a circle. That’s your target now. You must market to that region and not just focus on your own backyard. Narrow your scope to the buyers that make sense to what you do and get in front of as many people as you can.

Even smaller 2nd and 3rd tier cities are being marketed to by European and other foreign shooters these days. Getting your work in front of people in cities within a couple hours of you is one way to make your reach wider. This is especially true for advertising photographers where there is a lot of challenges now.”

I live in Phoenix, so two hours north, east, west all have nothing, and south of me is Tucson… a much smaller market than Phoenix is. I can only imagine what shooters in Vegas are thinking at this moment…

“Then widen the circle to at least a couple of cities as close to you as possible. And find the people who are interested in your work.

Identifying who would be a possible client is sometimes hard, but find at least four channels that make sense for the kind of work that you do. Industrial, design, lifestyle and portrait for instance… then find the clients who use that kind of work and get your work in front of them. The same basics that have always worked are working today… but there are other forms of marketing today… websites, email and portfolio showings are all important. Finding the buyers who are looking for photographers with vision and style is more important than ever.”

Marketing nationally is as important. Don’t let the geography get in your way. Local, regional and nationally it is important to get the website into as many channels of presentation as possible. You want buyers to find you by reading your blog post, then seeing your portfolio, then a personal phone call. Get your site listed on portals where buyers visit and attract them that way. Interacting on social media can mean a potential client sees your FaceBook Fan page, and checks your blog and then heads over to your web site. Mix it up and make as many entry points as possible.”

What do you think is happening with social media these days? Is it something that photographers should spend time with?

“Oh yes. It may not be what we all want it to be at all times, but it is here to stay. Getting involved now means not catching up later. I have a twitter account, but the blog thing has to wait. I am terribly busy right now and taking that on is not happening right now. You have to be committed, you know.”

I think that commitment is so important to the entire life of a photographer as well. I don’t think you can compete unless you are totally committed to it.

“It is really like having a child, you know. Total maintenance. You have to want it and love it and be so totally committed to your photography that nothing else can replace it. Photography is a wonderful business, you know, and I have known so many talented, committed and successful photographers. Even the struggling photographers keep on… they have to. It is in their blood.

I asked my first husband why he kept struggling at music (you think photography is a hard business… music is so hard and full of heartbreak). He said “I can’t not do it.” That is what I mean be commitment… you can’t not do this thing you love.”

Wrap up for part One:

• Create a portfolio (body of work) of images that shows a vision and a style. (More coming on this)
• Market regionally
• Find markets close to yours and identify clients that would be interested in your work
• Identify at least four types of buyers who would use your work
• Create multiple channels for the clients to find your work and you
• Be committed and passionate about your work

Thanks, Selina.
Part Two is here.
Part Three is here.

Follow me on Twitter, and visit my workshop site at Learn to Light.

This is kind of a personal post for me. There are challenges that I face as an artist and writer. And photographer. And sometimes those challenges can take its toll on me, and us. Creativity, for me, takes nurturing and constant practice.

I have always felt that photography, was more than what I could do. It was a big part of what makes me. In my DNA so to speak. It partly defines me more than any other endeavor that I involve myself in.

I came to photography the usual way. My dad was a photographer / writer and his enthusiasm was contagious. I would go into the field with him and he would photograph fishing ‘flies’ and how to sight in a rifle and such. I would be his note taker, and he would talk to me as he was working and I would write down the distances or the exposures. He wrote and illustrated magazine articles for outdoor magazines. I miss my dad.

When I was a kid I would wait every Wednesday by our little mailbox to get the issues of Life and Saturday Evening Post. Cover to cover by nightfall. I cut out images and stuck them in a little box. Names like Eisentaedt and Margaret Bourke White started to become recognizable.

The images were so beautiful, and sparked such interest… I would go back again and again to look at the photographs. Moments in time caught forever in a frozen tableaux… to be shared and remembered. Film (movies) doesn’t do that for me. I rarely want to sit and watch a movie again and again. But I can pick up my copy of Ansel Adams Monographs, a Minor White collection, or my old dog eared Cheyco Liedmann book and enjoy a few quite moments.

There has also been some stuff online recently that lets me know that other photographers are talking about and thinking about this stuff as well. Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias, Scott Bourne, Jack Hollingsworth, Kirk Tuck, and others have posted on creativity.

I have been feeling the burn of captivity lately. Seems like I am tied to a desk as I am working on two books, redoing the curriculum for the workshops and editing/post processing images for clients.

So I wanted to go out and do something that spoke to how I was feeling. I generally don’t try to make ‘pretty’ pictures, others do that very well. I like environments that show themselves to be involved in life. From decay to renew, old contrasted with new, and the mark of man on the environment.

Since I am feeling a little isolated and in need of a recharge, I decided to take an afternoon and do something photographically that made sense to me. At this moment… where I am and what I am feeling now.

More after the jump below. I just wanted to remind you that our new feature “Rants and Raves” are shorter form articles that are just that… rants and raves. I have the first few months of the schedule up at Learn to Light, so if you are considering a workshop this year, check the schedule out. I think my workshop is one that will change your lighting and photography for the better.

This is the road that I chose. It is fairly close to where I live and goes through some rather flat and mundane farming land.

View Larger Map

It isn’t a long drive, and it offers no typical ‘beautiful’ scenery. I had a nice slightly overcast sky and it seemed right for my project. I wanted to capture in my images what I was feeling and this light, environment and somewhat desolate landscape was exactly what was called for.

Abandoned migrant worker facilities.

I find that just getting off your ass and doing something, anything, can get the juices going and create situations that allow vision to be explored. I had nothing in mind as far as photography and gear, I just wanted to make images that would help me understand what I am feeling.

My gear was simple: Canon, 20-35 L, 80-200 L, 4 speedlights, several stands and modifiers, a small boom, and a kit of Mamiya 6×7 film cameras. Tripod, extra batteries and my “lighting’ kit was also along. At the end of the day, nothing but the Canon and the 20-35 was used.

The lines caught my eye and the clouds added some beautiful texture to the sky.

I guess that was fitting looking back. I am looking for simplicity in the images and the gear seemed to follow. I like the way the wide angle lens adds so much to the field of the image… letting the subject be more isolated within the environment.

Simplicity is the thing for me right now. I want to narrow my acquisition of things and increase my understanding of the ways creativity are manifested in the soul. Too much time spent chasing the material world can create havoc in the creative world. At least it does for me.

The simple, or minimalistic, aesthetic is one that appeals greatly to me. It runs through my photography and design, and it needs to be brought into my self as well. I wanted the images that I do to speak to the minimalist in me.

I didn’t leave the house with the intention of shooting only one lens, or to do ‘that shot’ I have been wanting to do. I tried to clear my mind of all that stuff and just think about the emotion of the world in front of me… and how to get that into a photograph. Without expectations, I am open to serendipity and that allows the world to present itself.

Remove the filters of self-imposed arbitrary limitations.

The trees made me stop and turn around. I knew there was a shot there and I wanted to find it

I drove right by the trees. I was listening to some music I had brought along and thinking about something I had just seen. The trees just wizzed by my passenger door with only a glimpse. I kept on driving for a mile and realized… that was part of what I need to do. Stop going so damn fast and missing the moments that can be created.

I turned around and went back to the three trees. Closing the car door it looked kinda hopeless. Access was denied due to the fencing and there was a fairly soggy ditch between me and the trees.

The more I didn’t see a shot, the more I wanted a shot. I needed to make that image. I didn’t know what image, but there was one here. I refrained from making images that I knew would not cut it. I worked the camera like it held precious film… not taking the shot till I knew I had something.

That was important to me. I wanted to come back with as few images total as possible, with the maximum amount of images I like. I finally found the image I was looking for, and made a few exposures.

I was feeling less melancholy at this point. I knew I had a few images that would make the day worth it, so I got in the car and headed further south with the feeling that I was making some images.

I have always been drawn to the frame within the frame. It says something metaphorical to me.

This is the power of the personal project. Some projects are large in scope and some are small – like this one. It doesn’t matter which you are on at any one time, but having projects to focus intent on makes a big difference when you are shooting.

Some projects are driven by external elements, a desire to do something to help or elevate or bring attention to a cause or an interest. And some are driven by internal elements… like this one.

Projects help open the mind to opportunities, it let’s the images that may not be seen get through. Awareness of parameters and goals helps refine the creative self to find the answers and solutions.

Finding emotional meaning in images is so important. The image as metaphor, the image as a reflection of one’s soul. The image as an iconic touchstone for people to refer to in thought and action. A great image can transcend the reality of the object. A piece of paper with some ink or emulsion on it is NOT what a photograph is. We bring so much TO that little piece of paper from our own perceptions, emotions, community and culture. The fact that images can provide that for people of diverse situations is a testament to the power of the still image.

When I got to the ‘destination’, actually the turnaround spot for me, I found that the “Burnt Buns Cafe” had been taken under new management and was no longer.

No problem. I made my photograph anyway. I didn’t dwell on the loss of an old friend, I instead made an image that showed the distance between. The loss that I felt, instead of the cafe itself. I hope you can see that in my images, but if you can’t, that is fine as well. I cannot guarantee that my images will do what I want them to do. And I don’t make images that scream the message or are so totally flagrant in the metaphor. At least… I try not to.

In the end, the trip was well worth it. I got these 6 images and 7 more that I really like. And I got off my ass. And I took my cameras and gear and set out to do something. Anything.

But I also left with a plan… to make images for ME about the way I am feeling and hopefully to share those images with people who will enjoy them…even IF they don’t know what I am trying to say.

Other projects: I have a 365 iPhone project here, and I am working on a few books and new site for art photographers. In March I will start a photograph/article per day project that will culminate in a book.

I hope that you found the article interesting, and have started a personal project for yourself. It doesn’t have to be a big project, it can be as little as a few hours on a lonely county road.

Post processing was on my mind from the first image. I wanted to mute the colors and increase the contrast from the very flat light. I used overlay layers (soft light), highlight painting, luminance masks and localized sharpening on the images. I then desaturated the image and added a tone of warmth to all the images.

Follow me on Twitter, and visit my website for more of my work.