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There usually comes a point in every artists progression when the question of “originality” seems to be of great importance.

I think I ignorantly thought as a younger artist that “of course everything I create is original!” I wasn’t too concerned about it. As I continued to progress and develop my skills, I became more aware of the world around me and increasingly unsatisfied with the work that I created.

It didn’t seem original enough.

Surely, my images were not earth shattering enough for one to say that they had never seen anything similar before. That seemed to leave me with a sense that my work was nothing special.

I took a break from looking at other photographers work for awhile (especially those living in my area) and became determined to think and create on my own. I discovered some interesting things.

I still remember one particular occasion of triumph and disappointment.

As a portrait/lifestyle photographer I am constantly scouting new and interesting locations to photograph my subjects. A few weeks after moving to a new home I discovered the most amazing house a few streets away that had incredible landscaping mixed with vintage art. An old school bus, bikes, rustic wooden buildings, a chicken coup, and many more exciting treasures to be found around each corner. I resolved that I must shoot there and congratulated myself on such a unique find! Soon after, I knocked on the door to seek permission to use the owners yard for a shoot.

A beautiful woman with long silver hair answered the door and listened to my request with an almost knowing smile on her face. After I finished my elaborate compliment of her artistic yard, she nodded casually and granted permission.

“Of course you can photograph here!” She began. “We get photographers all the time who want to use our place and we’re delighted that other people can enjoy it!”.

Instead of feeling triumph in obtaining the right to shoot, I suddenly felt deflated inside. Other photographers had already discovered this place before?! I wasn’t the first one to come here?! My work would be just like all those other photographers who came here before I did?

I thanked her, and scheduled the shoot regardless.

This same type of experience has happened to me on a few other occassion’s. I think of a thrilling concept, I approach people for permission, only to discover with their gracious cooperation that others had been there before I had.

But is this really a reason to get down on myself for the quest of originality? Should I visit Grand Teton National Park and refrain from taking pictures, simply because Ansel Adams already photographed the Tetons?

I was beginning to see that chances were high that anything I wanted to create, had likely been done before in some form.

But thats the key. It was only a “form”. Sarah Ban Breathnach said, “There is no such thing as originality. Only authenticity.”

If I sought for truth, if I sought to be honest in my work, drawing from my own life experiences and perspective, my form and interpretation would be different and unique.

I began to discover that perhaps my naive young artist self hadn’t been so wrong after all. Everything I create is original in the end. Just as C.S. Lewis said,

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

In a recent interview with Tamara Lackey, photographer Scott Bourne shared this piece of advice, “Don’t worry about new, worry about you.”
The quest for new can be a misleading and disappointing road to follow, especially if that is our main intent in creating.

Seeking originality simply for the sake of originality produces work that lacks a deeper more communicative purpose.

I’ll never forget the day I sat in my graduate level music composition course listening to the new works of fellow composers. The quest for originality was more valued than authenticity among the faculty here, and as such, there were quite a few “interesting” works produced. Like the 20 minute musical work written for Clarinet and Vacuum Cleaner. Most certainly it was original! I had never in my entire life heard a piece that was written for the vacuum cleaner. Ever. And I really don’t care to hear another one. Ever.

Contrastingly, I have also heard another piece written by this same composer when he was less concerned about impressing a faculty with his originality and instead wanting to communicate something important to him.

Both pieces ended up to be original in the end. But the latter was far more profound and communicative.

I have since learned that the quest for authenticity is much more powerful and fulfilling than the quest for originality. And really, that’s what makes this whole photography experience as thrilling as it is… how can I share my perspective? How do I see the world differently than those around me? What is my story?

Trying to find our own authenticity among the abundant work that has already been created is not merely a matter of shooting something similar with a different lens, or taking a higher or lower vantage point. Its about finding the spirit of who we photograph and what we photograph. Its a moment that can sometimes be as fleeting as 1/100 of a second. But its yours. Its truth. And its original.

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Last month when I introduced the topic of visual branding for photography, I left things open-ended in and effort to encourage you to brainstorm ideas about visual branding as it applies to you. I asked a bunch of questions that inspired the start of a better understanding of the style and genre of photography (portraits, landscapes, weddings, etc.) that you naturally gravitate toward. In this installment I’m going to do my best to address some of the things I think you might have concluded since last time. Ready to go? Let’s get started!

There are a couple of elements of logo design that exist (color, spacing, shape) but for our purposes we are going to look at the actual typography only. Branding yourself with typography is the easiest way to visually brand yourself because it’s not something that you necessarily have to hire anyone to do. Most of us have desktop publishing and/or computer graphic software platforms that come standard on our computers or that we’ve gotten to help with our workflow in photography. Whether you are using Microsoft Office Publisher or Photoshop or Illustrator, any one of them will work for our purposes. If you don’t have any of those things? You can also draft something up in a word processing software like Microsoft Word. Our goal is to just have a venue where we can try out different types of fonts and typefaces in order to determine if they convey the best visual representation (in one shot!) to represent the whole body of our work. Remember: Your logo design needs to be something that’s all encompassing of you to include both the type of photography you like to do and your overall photography style.

Now comes one of the most challenging parts of this creative process – culling all of our ideas together and creating something tangible that is truly representative of it all. Indulge me a little in some pretending. We’re going to change hats and be Graphic Designers from here on out.  Graphic design is as much visual art as photography is so trying on this role shouldn’t be too hard for us.

As photographers, we are often asked by our clients or challenged by our peers to create visual representations that are infused with specific things, right? In any given frame, we might be aiming to create images that illustrate a feeling of timeless romance or overwhelming danger. We might also attempt to use (and manipulate) environmental elements like extremely open space or the subtle illumination that occurs from the lighting of stars in a night sky.  In so many ways, photographers have a similar job as graphic designers who are creating logos! We’ve sometimes only got one shot just like them when they are challenged to create a visual representation and illustration of a brand that is 1) universally recognizable, 2) uniquely shaped, and 3) easily understood.

Something that is a great advantage in designing visual brands with a basis in typefaces is to have a working knowledge of fonts. Now, to be fair, this isn’t something that most people have. In this day and age it’s not unusual for people to have a favorite go-to font that just feels right to them for any given purpose OR one that we can all agree is terrible for a number of reasons but going beyond that is pretty unusual for the average Joe. Lucky for you, I am one of those unusual types who falls into the category of geekery fandom of typeface design so it’s not hard for me to do things like recognize all manner of fonts AND know the name of them. (Seriously. My husband can verify this fact and also tell you how “old” it’s gotten to hear me complain about my disdain for  how often I see Papyrus font in use.) Now, despite the fact that I do have this weirdness going on about myself, my weirdness will definitely benefit you in this creative process. Allow me to walk you through the things I think about when trying to determine appropriate typefaces for some fictional visual branding clients.  Let’s pretend like we have a whole list of clients who are just begging for our expertise to help them create the best visual brand for themselves possible. Here we go!

The first client is an individual who is sharply dressed, fashion forward, and focuses their camera and body of work in a direction that can be nothing less than reminiscent of fashion photography.  They produce images with clean lines, modern silhouettes, and simply constructed color palettes. My conclusion of what they could go with? Here it is…

This font might be reminiscent of a popular brand that most of us might be all too familiar with despite the fact that it’s a company who aims their business at women. The font used above is not the exact font used by the company I noted and linked but it very much suggests (in a carefully subtle way) the market that someone might be going towards with their own photography stylings. Pretty neat, eh?  Let’s try another one in a whole different direction, shall we?

This fictional client would be one I would lean (stylistically) in this direction: film photography, a good cup of solid black coffee, paper mail correspondence, and perhaps rotary dial phones. If you feel like I’m calling out someone of the hipster stereotype, well… I guess I sort of am. (Except not in a negative way.) People who fall in this category might be those whose body or work focuses on black and white photography exclusively or even one who does wedding photography using post processes that are reminiscent of real instagram type photos or REAL dark room film development and printing that enables cross-process type color palettes. I would recommend a typewriter font for their visual brand because it is so naturally reminiscent of the analog times that they are so obviously more fond of to begin with.

How about a photographer who does work that is exclusively focused on families and children? A font that suggests that it is written by the hand of a child would be awesome for a client like that since it immediately evokes a feeling of playfulness and easy approachability.

Perhaps there is a client who is straight-forward, no nonsense and no fuss about themselves and their style and completely and totally bold in the statements that they make within their body of work. They like to focus their camera lens on subject matter that says what it means and means what it says. They don’t like to waste time beating around the bush with things. Someone like that might be best summed up with a typeface that is heavy in the weight of it’s lines and sans serif with it’s edges, points, and letter shaping.

How about if you are a photographer who as a style and body of work that is very signature to who you are. Your images are easily recognizable because you have a certain type of composition that you have nailed beautifully and are able to recreate time and time again without it getting old or boring. Perhaps you have a standard color palette that you never deviate from and that sets your work apart from everyone else in the market? Well, why not do something that is based in a handwritten font that reminds someone of an actual signature or autograph?

You can also combine handwritten/script typefaces with san serif fonts and despite the fact that mixing up the two different styles up, you can actual yield something that looks quite professional and legitimate as a well established and trusted presence in the business world.

Here is an interesting example for a client who might be the type of photographer who prefers to not call attention to themselves. The formation of the lettering comes largely from the shadows created by the three dimensions of each letter. Technically the letters are not drawn out and they are only suggested similar to the way optical illusion art works. Thus a a design like this would be completely appropriate.

Something else that is always worth trying is to use either all upper case letters or all lower case letters.

Then there are all of the typefaces that are stylized in nature. They don’t really fit into any one specific category other than the miscellaneous one that calls them completely unique in and of themselves.  For those clients that can’t easily be quantified and summed up in a clear and concise way that does justice to their body of work and overall style, a specifically stylized typeface is the only way to go because it so intentionally and obviously infuses the originality of the individual that is being illustrated in the first place.

I hope I’ve offered up some good ideas of how you can go about launching yourself into the direction of self-branding yourself. The point in this article was to further convince you the power and importance of having a visual brand that appropriately encompasses you and your body of photography work is a very essential and powerful thing. It can stand in the way of you legitimizing yourself not just as a serious entrepreneur or freelancer but as defining your artistic identity so that your unique creative voice can be heard (or rather seen) more clearly.

From here on out the best thing you can do for yourself is to start treating yourself more like the creative brand that you always have been from the get-go. Just what I did in all of the aforementioned is what you can do for yourself. Pull open some of your favorite programs that will allow you to do a little bit of typeface play and use what’s there in your font list. If you don’t like what is already installed in your font list? Check out our sister site Fuel Your Creativity and their amazingly comprehensive list of places you can find some awesome fonts that are all absolutely F-R-E-E!!! (Didn’t know we had a sister site? YEAH. Fuel Your Photography is a part of a league and wealth of knowledge that can do nothing short of launch you into serious greatness if you open yourself up to it all.) Something else you can do? How about we keep the conversation flowing in the comments section below. We’re all in this together and who better to help you navigate the waters of visual creativity better than your fellow artistic visionaries?

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Last month we spoke about the stages of finding your style, and specifically, learning how to discern between work that you admire (speaks to your mind) and work that you are attracted to (speaks to your heart). Find part 1 HERE.

Learning how to discern between these two is essential for finding your own voice as an artist. Some of you may already know immediately what you are attracted to, but for the rest of us who need help filtering, here are some great creative exercises to consider.

Look for themes

I offer you two creative exercises in helping to narrow the vision for what you are attracted to

1. Spend some time collecting images of others work. Only choose images that attract you (not just that you admire). Consider some of the following questions:

Does the image make you feel a certain emotion? What is that emotion? Is this the type of emotion that you hope to communicate in your work? Tag it.

I especially love this question, because it is truly helpful in judging the difference between admiration and attraction. There is so much work that I admire that communicates to me, but if I ask myself if that is the same type of message I want to communicate in my own work I usually can know immediately that it doesn’t fit my own personality and how I see the world. And thats okay! We can still admire, remember!

Does the image make you want to take action in any way? (create something, explore, try something new, etc.) Tag it.

If something moves us to action, its stirring in our souls the need to communicate. And if we are wanting to communicate something similar, we have found something our hearts resonates with. Pay attention to work that motivates you in any way!

2. Spend some time looking through your own portfolio. Pick out your favorite images with the following questions in mind:

Why is this a favorite image? What beyond the photographic qualities of light/processing/or exposure speaks to you? What does it say?

If you could boil your style down into three words, what three words would they be?

Do these three words fit your favorite images from your portfolio? Or do your three words represent more of the work that you would like to start creating?

What is style anyway?

A big focus of these questions boils down into the idea of communication. What message do you want to share with the world through your images?

Remember, that style is not merely the way a photo is edited. It is not necessarily the way your subjects are dressed. It isn’t something that can be bought, or derived through templates, actions, or textures.

Your style, is your message.

A consistent message that plays through the body of your work.

The benefits of knowing your style

1. When you understand your message you can be more intentional about the work that you create.

When we’re in the imitation stage of the journey to finding your style, we lack a bit of focus and intent in the work we create. We’re trying out different styles to see what fits us best. Some days we may wear one hat, and other days a new one.

When we finally find the style and message that we want to share consistently with the world, it gives a sharper clarity to the process of creating. You suddenly have goals that are associated with the intent of your work and you begin to create for your vision, not just creating under the expectations of a client.

2. The more clearly (and consistently) you communicate your message the more you will attract the type of people who resonate with your message and style.

There is nothing more awkward and frustrating as an artist or business owner than creating work that you don’t enjoy or creating work that a client doesn’t enjoy!

If you are clear about communicating what you do love by only showing this type of work on your website or blog, you are significantly more likely to only work with people who enjoy the same message and style as you do.

Several years ago, a frustrated photographer emailed me, panicked at a sticky situation with an unhappy client. The client was upset at the lack of formally posed images with everyone looking at the camera.

“But I’m a lifestyle photographer!” the photographer complained to me. “I don’t pose people. I just let them interact as a family and take pictures!”

I had a hunch that proved to be true. We took a quick look at her website and blog. Could you tell that she was the “lifestyle” photographer that she claimed to be? Not by the eclectic images she features that ranged from every type of session, every type of edit, and a lack of consistent style that mixed formal posing with snapshot images.

There is a major lack of communication here.

The photographer is not clear on what her message is, and as such, the client is not clear on what they are hiring. Its a recipe for dissatisfaction on both sides.

Style can change. Just like you can change.

If our style is our message then it should be no surprise that it can change along with our life. We each go through different stages of our life when what is important to us varies according to what season we’re in. We’re always learning new life lessons through all of life experiences and since we ourselves are a work in progress, our perspective of the world is constantly changing.

There was a season for me that I enjoyed shooting weddings. I was newly married myself and related to the style and message of the work that I was producing. As we started our own family, my perspective of the world changed and I found a new passion for photographing family centric work that focused on relationships and the imperfections of life–simply because that was something I was finding as a reoccurring theme of importance in my own personal life.

I’m not implying that our style or message is limited to what stage of life we are in, but I have become increasingly aware that my own life experiences influence my message. And it grows and changes along with me.

My style defined:

So, if I were to choose three words as my own personal message and representation of my style, what would they be?

Relationship. Truth. Story.

Each of these words represents something that I value in photography.

I value relationships. Not just on a pedigree level. But a unique level that is personal to each relationship I photograph. I want to find what makes that specific relationship so valuable to the subjects. And if I can show that in an image it is thrilling to me.

I value truth.   I have no interest in staging a set full of props that are trendy and have no meaning to the subjects. I have no interest in creating imagery that makes people look more glammed up than they ever look in real life. I have no interest in creating imagery that is meant to convey an emotion that people are acting instead of feeling. No judgement towards photographers who do any of those things, but my message is centered on the beauty of real life and its imperfections.

I value story. I am simply fascinated with the challenge of storytelling in photography. It largely influences my work, especially in regards to relationship and truth. Sometimes this means that I take a photojournalistic approach to a session, and other times it means that we set out to re-create story moments that are authentic to the subjects.

But that is my style. What is yours?!

In summary:

• Keep in mind that this is a journey that takes time. Finding your own authentic style doesn’t happen overnight and most often comes through the experience of trying on many different hats!
• Learn to judge between work that you admire and work that you are attracted to.
• Your style is akin to your message. What is it you are wanting to communicate through your work?
• The better you become at communicating your message, the more intentional your work is.
• The better you become at communicating your message the more like minded people will be attracted to you.
• Style can change, just like you can change! Its an evolution in progress and that is what makes it exciting! Enjoy the journey!

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As a writer’s note I should start by making sure everyone knows that this particular topic is more of an expertise of my wife, Brandy (@photog_princess on twitter), who does the majority of detail shots when her and I shoot weddings and engagements together.  The majority of photos I will be showing you are hers with a few of mine thrown in, but I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due and know that our wedding business would not be half as successful without her.

As a man and a photographer, when it came to our wedding I cared about a handful of things: 1. The photography 2. Her dress 3. Good food and 4. Avoiding a Capulet/Montague style family feud of any sorts.  What many of us men don’t understand is the amount of details that go into a wedding that the bride spent hours, days, and months trying to figure out.  Color, style, napkins, aisle runners, etc.; they tirelessly try to make every detail perfect.  When I decided to shoot weddings instead of just portraits, I never really considered those shots to be that important.  In my head I was more concentrating on the shots the bride and groom’s family would want to blow up and hang on their walls.  And why wouldn’t I?  That’s where the money is at right?

Well, what I came to realize very quickly was that there’s a whole story behind some of the little things that make up each wedding.  One of the things you should ask your brides is what their “new, old, borrowed, and blue” items are?  Maybe they aren’t doing it or maybe there’s a family heirloom wrapped around her bouquet that you might have missed or overlooked.  As a woman one of the first details Brandy wants to shoot while the bride is getting ready are her shoes and her ring, of course (boy does she loves shoes!).  You can create some of the most artistic shots with a good pair of shoes and brilliant ring.  This is one of the things that I think makes us shine as artists rather than photojournalists.  It’s one thing to see her shoes sitting on the dresser, snap a picture and move on; there’s another thing to take those shoes and meticulously balance that ring between the shoes to create a gallery worthy sculpture worth taking a picture.

When it comes to the reception site, Brandy and I try to get there before anyone else gets into the room (we love when the cocktail hour is outside the main reception room) so we can shoot the other important details.  Place settings, centerpieces, tables and linens, cake, place cards, favors, overall decorations, etc.  The bride put a lot of thought into picking these items and they deserve to be remembered.  That cake is going to get cut into and eaten.  The plates will get dirty.  The flowers will wilt.  The rental pieces will be returned.  Once this day is over your pictures are what they have to remember each item piece.  (This is also a good thing to bring up when your bride tells you they’re trying to save money by going cheap with their photography.)  Regardless, make sure you get everything.  One of the ways to do this, especially if you’re new to the wedding photog biz is to make yourself a checklist.  The easiest way is to keep a generic list on you.  I actually found an app on Android called “Photo Tools” that has a free and pro version.  In it there are numerous amounts of fun things to look through, but it has a few “checklists” including one of what to shoot at a wedding or what to pack in your bag.  So go check it out!  We personally send a questionnaire to our brides and ask those kind of questions.  We ask about an heirlooms being incorporated or anything specific they want to make sure we capture that might not be on our checklist, this makes it MUCH easier to ensure that you provide what your client is looking for.

There’s plenty of other reasons to take great detail shots besides just for the Bride’s album.  One of Brandy and my goals this year was to get our work published.  We still haven’t made it into Bride Magazine or the Washingtonian yet, but we have made it into some local e-magazines and Wedding Blogs.  The main thing that they are looking for is detail shots.  The Washingtonian specifically said when submitting work to them for review they want to see 70% of the work you send to be detail shots.  Why is this?  You have to think about it from the publishers view.  As the photographer I want to show off the amazing portrait I took, but from their perspective that isn’t what the readers want to see necessarily.  The readers of these publications are reading and perusing through the pictures to get ideas for their wedding.  So they don’t really want to see wonderful portraits, but they DO want to see that dress and the all the details of their wedding, so they can decide what they want for their own centerpiece or garter or shoes.  They want to know what’s trending right now in wedding décor.

Ok, ok, you want to know how we got our work published just like we wanted to know.  Well the easiest way was through a site we discovered on Twitter called Two Bright Lights.  The entire purpose of the site is to help you market and submit your work to publications and network with the vendors you’re featuring in those photos.  Always…always…always take the cards of each of the vendors at the site: The florist, the caterer, the dj/band, everyone!  When you’re in a local publication they want to also feature where the brides can find all the beautiful things in your photos and the more you feature those vendors the more those vendors are going to promote you to the brides that come to them because they want you to feature them again.  It’s win/win!

So what do you need to take a good detail shot?  Well, when it comes to the close shots of rings you need a macro lens.  Most regular lenses require you to be a certain distance away from your subject.  The macro lens allows you to be much closer to your subject and still be able to focus.  We’re are Nikon shooters so I know their lenses far more than I know Canon lenses.  For Nikon if you have a CMOS sensor you have two options you can use the 60mm f/2.8 which because it’s a full frame lens will be around 75mm equivalent or you can use the DX 85mm f/3.5 which is a tad bit cheaper.  If you have a full frame camera the 105mm f/2.8 is the best of the best when it comes to Nikon’s macro lenses.

Still not sure what to shoot or how to shoot it?  Look through the same blogs and publications you’re trying to publish in and see what they’re featuring and make your own checklists.  Already shooting that stuff?  Make sure you comment below with your favorite detail shot story or something you always try to shoot that someone might not think about!

Happy Shooting!

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“Failure is always the best way to learn,

Retracing your steps ’til you know.

Have no fear – your wounds will heal.”

– Kings of Convenience, “Failure”

Once upon a time, to earn a few extra bucks, I went out to set off on a different business venture – something that could help pad the income from my photography business. I acted nearly like the thing I hated: a door-to-door salesmen. Going to each restaurant, I recalled the time when I was a restaurant manager, and how much I hated having somebody interrupt my day, trying to sell something to me while I was trying to finish up all the countless projects assigned to me by my GM. Keeping that in mind, I tried my best not to be disruptive to their day and worked on my “elevator pitch” – trying to express what I was selling without taking up too much of their time. Majority of them avoided me, told me they already had someone handling that service, or flat-out said they weren’t interested. It’s a tough pill to swallow, and nobody likes being turned down, but it was hard to keep my spirits up after hearing “no”, “no”, “no”.

Rejection sucks, but it’s something we face a lot starting up a business and trying to get our name out there into the world. Sometimes, it may be that your idea or product just isn’t what they’re looking for or something people don’t really need. I’m not trying to brag, but I had a brilliant idea. I mean, it was good. To hear people express being uninterested was insulting and disappointing, but I had to move on. How does someone manage to let it roll off of their back and stay the course?

I started questioning myself and my concept. Bad. Bad, bad, bad. It made me lose confidence and pride in what I was selling and doing, but going on to the next place with that kind of attitude wouldn’t have been beneficial to my cause. I had to remind myself that sometimes the idea of trying to convince people they need something they didn’t know they needed is a tough sell and doesn’t work initially, but it may work on the next place, or someone else will see the value in what you’re doing. Keeping a positive attitude and putting the rejection behind you helps keep you motivated to accomplish your goals. If you continue to believe in what you are doing, it’s a lot easier to get someone else to believe in what you are doing.

When I hear “no, thank you”, it’s easy to become discouraged, but always bow out gracefully and with a smile. I always thanked them for their time and made sure they knew I was available in case they changed their mind. They may not, but if they have a positive interaction with you, the chances they might actually consider you for opportunities in the future only increase. If you immediately become defensive and abrasive, do you think they’re really going to reconsider?

A difficult aspect of managing rejection in times when it comes to your photography is trying not to take it personally. Considering a lot of the time, our work is essentially an extension of ourselves and an expression of who we are, it may be difficult not to take offense to being turned down, since the resulting work we turn in didn’t meet someone’s approval; it’s as if they’re rejecting us. The thing to remember is that they aren’t rejecting you as a person – hell, they may even have a few rounds at the pub with you after telling you your work wasn’t suitable for their business/publication/whatever. They may be taking a different creative direction with their project or what have you and your style doesn’t fit that. Different strokes for different folks, right? Don’t let it get you down, and if you truly believe in your work, keep hustling to make it happen. Edison didn’t invent the light bulb on his first try, after all.

The most important thing to bear in mind when gracefully handling rejection is that even though they may not need your services doesn’t mean they don’t know someone else who might. And that whole “word of mouth” thing is crucial in the photography business, where everybody is a photographer these days and hunting for jobs is extremely competitive. By accepting rejection and thanking the client for their time, you never know when one of their friends could be looking for a photographer and would tell them, “even though I didn’t use them, I know of someone you’d be interested in working with.” Because we’d all rather have them say that instead of, “I know of a photographer… but he/she was extremely rude when I turned them down. Never mind.” If you leave on a good, positive note, it’s only going to help your cause.

I always try to keep in mind that there will be instances that I’ll face rejection. It’s inevitable. It may also be that they just don’t need my services at this time, but it might be available to bring me on when their budget increases later down the road or when my creative approach better fits what they’re looking for. Sometimes, it ends up working out, where, had I been accepted by them, I would have missed out on a better paying gig, or one that presented a better opportunity to expand my business. It all sounds like a bunch of psychiatry nonsense, but if you saw how many times I’ve faced being turned down until I ultimately got accepted for a job, you’d see that after enough of those instances and trying out that “psychiatry nonsense” definitely helps your mental health and attitude. You never know what life has in store for you, so keep the faith and don’t ever give up.

Rejection isn’t pleasant, but unfortunately, it’s a part of life.  Have no fear – your wounds will heal.

Until next time,

- Patrick

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Photographer to photographer, visual artist to visual artist, would you mind if we took a break from snapping our shutters and talked about something else for a moment?  Allow me, if you will, to be introduced to the visual brand of your work  Oh… what’s that? You aren’t sure if you have one?  Wait… you’re pretty sure you DON’T have one?  OH…. you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about?  Hmmm. Well, then it’s a good thing I changed the subject.

We, as photographers (and thus visual artists), pride ourselves and work hard to to be known by our artistic voices and visual stylings as much as our actual body of work.  Nobody can argue this fact.  However, something that is arguable is whether or not your artistic identity is legitimate enough that you will be both recognized and remembered long after someone has had a few moments to gaze at the pictures you have taken.  If you are finding that you and your work have become easily forgettable or at least not memorable enough, perhaps you need to consider branding yourself visually.

When it comes to personal branding for photographers, it’s been debated whether or not it’s necessary or not.  Establishing a visual brand for yourself can be expensive – both financially as well as with your investment of time.  Also, how do you quantify and essentially create a tangible element to represent visual art talent and stylings as unique as your own?  THAT’S HARD!  Well, I have some advice for you: DO HARD THINGS,  Seriously!

Don’t shy away from something that is particularly challenging because it might be the very thing that could catapult you beyond the level you have been on that every other person who is NOT that legitimate of a photographer is on as well. You know which level that is?  I’ll give you a clue.  It’s the  same one that “Uncle Bob” and “Debbie Digital” and the “Mama-razzi” next door – all individuals who decided to be “professional” photographers during that last major retail holiday occurred when prosumer grade cameras were incredibly affordable – are on as well.

Even if you are just aiming for freelance work?  You still ought to visually brand yourself. We are living in a world where virtual homepages and .coms are essentially of the same importance as real homes, and avatars and tiny thumbnail views are the faces others see of us instead of the real McCoy.  If you want to be recognized and remembered the best way to do that is to just go ahead and brand yourself already.  Now if you’ll give me just a few more moments of your time, I’m going to teach you some very simple ways that you can do just that.

Having a visual brand/logo that communicates your artistic voice and style from the get-go goes along with that ol’ adage about the importance of making a good solid first impression.  All that being said?  Let’s start looking at and evaluating logo styles strictly on how they present themselves visually.

First off, let’s do a little experiment.  Let’s look at two words in their written form that communicate polar opposite ideas: war and peace.

Isn’t it amazing how rough and decayed peace looks when presented in a typeface that is so war torn and ravaged like this?  This style is SO much more appropriate for war since the visual presentation matches the word war better, no?  Let’s change things up a bit and give peace a chance this time.

Wow! What a difference calligraphy makes!  Amazing how war was softened and even beautified just by presenting it in a way that was fluid and elegant.  This style matches the idea of peace but definitely not war.  Rather, it presents the idea of war in a way that is so far from what the reality of war is. Maybe we are going about this wrong though. Maybe what needs to be done is more stylistic so that neither word is highlighted more than the other.

Hmmm?  This period-style font reminiscent of the 1930s is definitely not doing it even if it is fun to look at.  The stylistic visual qualities actually discount what the words say.  It actually makes both of the words look almost silly.  Picking something fun and different for the sake of being fun and different doesn’t hack it for visual enhancements at all.  However, now that we know how to disarm words and their actual meanings just by presenting them visually in a certain way, perhaps this is something we can bank for later use.  Let’s keep this in our bag of tricks, shall we?

Now, I suppose you COULD come up with a really cool graphic that would definitely be a great visually illustrative symbol of who you are and what you do (think of the recognizable Apple logo or the Nike swoosh) but who has the time and also the illustration software (and know-how!) to do that?  Photographers are a different kind of visual artists that illustrate life in a different way. Well, what if I told you we could do this in a different and completely approachable way.  Consider what we just did above.  See?  A message can become a visual representation just as much as it can communicate something specific. It CAN be DONE.  That being said?  Let’s establish the TYPE of photographer you are so then we can look at what type(face) you should be “wearing” for your visual brand.

In order for us to be even more focused, oblige me with some Q&A action and ask yourself the following.

• Are you the photographer that is into black and white images only OR are you a huge fan of gorgeous punchy color?
• Do you prefer shooting landscapes over people OR do you like your subjects to be more wild in nature like animals or insects?
• Do you prefer the tiniest variety of people like infants and children or are you a great fan folks who are in action in the way of sports or momentous occasions like weddings?
• Are you a big picture type who is all about the wide angles or can you just not get enough of the level of intimacy that your macro lens provides you?

These are all really important questions to ask yourself in order to establish and be able to visually explain your brand (read: personal STYLE of images).  The answers to these questions will definitely help to steer you in the right direction with regard to what (type) face you should end up “wearing” (Pun most definitely intended!).   As evidenced by the war and peace examples, the way something is visually presented can change things in dramatic ways. Incorrect typeface can make, break, or be confusing for your visual brand.

I’ve definitely offered up a lot to consider with regard to using typeface to brand yourself and I am going to pause so that you can think about some of the questions I’ve posed.  Part two of this posting will address more specific details about different types of typefaces as they might pertain to answers that may have come of your own thoughtful ponderings.  Part two will also provide actual examples of different stylings that might even apply with regard to where you are ultimately headed in your own journey of visual branding.  In the meantime, now would be a great time to start and propel the conversation of what your visual brand ought to look like.  My favorite thing in the world is to brainstorm and the comments below provide an awesome venue for just such a thing.  Comment below with your own understanding of visual branding and how it works with what you are doing for your own work.

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I don’t often go on a rant but this is my Molly Wood! A recent amazing display of lack of understanding for technical matters related to photography by a company whose business predicates on the medium brought me to the point of writing this article.

At some point, much to manufacturers delight, we have all been on the megapixel roller coaster. Why the “roller coaster” you ask? I use this term not because I’m being overly dramatic, but because it really is one. We’ve all been conditioned that the more megapixels, the better the image will be – that is the upside. Then we find out that this is not actually the case and that is the downside! This is one ride, thankfully, that I’m no longer on!

Recently a San Francisco based company that connects travelers with accommodations in local homes approached me because they were looking for interior/architecture photographers all over the Caribbean (Yes, that company). As part of their service, they offer professional photography for the homes listed on their site.

I’ll go through the requirements below briefly so you can see they were quite logical until they got to the megapixel issue. As they indicated, the selection of photographers is conducted by our global photography team based in their headquarters in San Francisco, USA.  Their decision is based on the following criteria:

The photographer is located in a city where we have demand for photos: it doesn’t make sense to ask our photographers to spend hours commuting for a job that should take around 30-45 minutes.  We select photographers located close to an area where we foresee enough demand for photos.

CHECK

The photographer can communicate in English: It doesn’t need to be a perfect English, but it must be good enough to allow a smooth communication between our photographers and our photography team based in the US.

CHECK

The photographer has a proven portfolio: It’s great if you already have experience with real estate or architectural photography, but this is not a requirement. We have had great experiences with talented photographers that are specialized in other kind of jobs such as weddings and products.

CHECK

The photographer has a professional-grade camera: You will be needing a 12.1MP DSLR camera (or higher) and a wide angle lens and a flash, depending on the location.

Uh oh, herein lies the problem, apparently they are still on the roller coaster!

The email exchange that ensued was as follows:

Reply from me:

Hi, I am interested but I currently shoot with a 10.1 MP Nikon D200, however I shouldn’t see this as a problem as I currently make fine art prints up to 20×30 inches with my files. By the way, I only shoot in RAW.

Let me know if I should proceed, thanks.

Reply from the San Francisco based company:

Hi Jeremy,

Unfortunately, we require all our photographers to use a 12.1 MP dSLR camera. This is for archiving reasons.

Thanks!

I did some research and found that the largest image shown on their site was 629-by-426 pixels and upon further research I found that my camera, a Nikon D200, which I’m extremely happy with and not yet ready to upgrade, captures images that are 3872-by-2592 pixels. Taking this information into account, I decided to look at displays and found that the Apple’s 27” Thunderbolt display’s resolution is 2560-by-1440 and even the huge 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display delivers a 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution.  Given that the image from my camera exceeds the resolution of today’s largest computer monitors, I was at a loss as to their reasoning.

I know all those figures are tough to get a handle on, so let me make a nice infographic for you. I have adjusted the graphic below so that relative sizes are constant. In the image below, the RED image is what originates from the camera, the YELLOW is the maximum the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display can show, the GREEN is the maximum an Apple’s 27” Thunderbolt display can show, and the BLACK is the size of the image that they actually use on their site:

My interest was certainly not the compensation offered, which they also outlined in their criteria:

We pay a standard fee per session. Each photo shoot pays $45 USD plus up to $10 USD for travel expenses ($.50 per mile traveled). This service is paid directly by ****** within 7 business days of the date you’ve uploaded the pictures into our system. The whole payment process is held online. You just have to register your bank account in our system and we will make a deposit directly into your account.

I was interested moreso in doing the architectural shoots purely for the purpose of stretching my legs and shooting something that I’ve shot before, but don’t normally shoot — every photographer wants to get out of the box sometimes.

Now don’t get me wrong, the company in question is within their rights to set guidelines as they see fit, but rules with no reasoning never sit well with me. This just sounds like another Netflix/Qwikster melee.  The company has made arbitrary decisions without a full understanding of the forum they ventured into. As photographers, we know that computer monitors display 72dpi and knowing this would mean that an image that is 3872-by-2592 pixels would need a monitor that is approximately 53-by-36 inches to be displayed in its entirety. The company in question has committed a cardinal sin akin to someone remarking “you must have a nice camera to get images like that.”

This begs the question, what exactly are their archiving criteria? While I can appreciate wanting larger files because I shoot RAW and keep all my RAW files, images shot with just about any modern dSLR can be blown up to fit on a billboard.  I cannot comprehend their rationale, but I can offer them this advice:

• A bad photograph is a bad photograph, regardless of the number of megapixels.
• Unless you are planning to make huge billboard images, 5 megapixels are more than enough.

What are some of the experiences you’ve had with people not fully understanding technology and photography? Share your experiences with us in the comment section below.

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When you search for “Photographers” on Google, you’ll see your side bar and search results light up with the sponsored ads of hundreds of photographers claiming to be “photojournalists”. (I suddenly have this feeling I’m going to be using a lot of quotation marks in this article). This is because asking for photojournalists has become the trendy thing for brides to do. That style of photography seems to be “in” these days. I can’t imagine there are many young brides today that want the same 70’s and 80’s style posed wedding photos their parents had. You know the ones I’m talking about; those prom-style poses where the groom stands behind the bride with his hands on her waist, that always seem to have a sepia tone or, heaven forbid, the dreaded (and I believe should be outlawed) white vignette. Who can blame them? Times have changed, photography has changed. But my question is: are these brides really meaning to ask for photojournalists? I understand that every bride wants to look beautiful without LOOKING posed. They want their love and romance to look completely natural, as it is and as it should. They want tons of candid shots at the reception, which again, every photographer should be doing anyway. That isn’t photojournalism, that’s a good photographer who KNOWS how to direct a shot. In my journey towards getting my college degree in photography I’ve taken both Documentary Photography and Photojournalism. Making someone look beautiful was never brought up. In fact, my Documentary Photography professor had to beat into my head to stop worrying about aesthetics all together when it comes to my projects. Documentary and Photojournalism is about one thing… Information! And not just about information; but unaltered, unbiased, and uninfluenced information. Those kinds of pictures tell facts. They tell the story as it is happening regardless of whether you want it to be told or not. Not every bride wants pictures of Aunt Ethel getting plastered and hitting on the best man, but a photojournalist would capture that because it is part of the story. Every photographer I know would love to have a wedding that is just full of endless magical moments to capture, and to always be in the perfect angle to capture those moments. They would always love to have a bride and groom that pose perfectly and embrace each other in ways that surpass what we could imagine when capturing shots of just them. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. We’ve all had a couple that isn’t comfortable in front of the camera, but our job as photographers is to help them be comfortable. Assist with the photo as much as is required. As a good photographer, you should know how to direct a bride to stand or lean or twist that makes her figure look flattering. Once you influence your shots are they still photojournalism?

I was shocked when I did some research and found the Wedding Photojournalist Association website. Their front page claims, “it is our goal to use photography to tell the story of your wedding day, not dictate it for you.” I actually took a little offense to this as an artist. I do not “dictate” the bride’s story to them. I may influence shots here and there but never do I “dictate”. A wise man once told me, “never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” As I continued to read, on it mentions they have “a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography.” This clearly goes against what I learned in my college courses about this type of photography. It’s not a photojournalist’s job to be artistic. It’s about presenting facts whether aesthetically pleasing facts or cold hard facts. As I flipped through their photos on the website I wondered how many of them had been influenced by the photographers or if they are completely honest in saying that it all was taken as it happened.

Allow me to share some examples with you one from me and one from a famous documentary photographer.

This is a photo that was taken at a recent wedding that Brandy and I shot. Weddings are obviously nonstop for the big couple. Some never actually get a chance to eat because they’re moving so much. Sometimes they have to sneak off just to get their very first moment alone. They both want to throw a great party and see all their family, but deep down they just want to be alone together. It was pretty lucky of me to be at the top of the stairs in time to catch the groom pull the bride into this dark corner to steal a kiss away from the eyes of the guests right? Photojournalism? Well, here’s the real story. Brandy and I like to arrive early and get a lay of the land. In this historic mansion we found this lovely staircase and I was instantly inspired to capture this very image I had in my head. During the cocktail hour while we traveled the venue with the bride and groom to take portrait shots, I went up the stairs tethered my flash so I could get a good spotlight effect and Brandy told them to sneak a loving embrace as I snapped a few shots off. Yes, this was completely set up even though it looks candid. So is this shot a posed traditional shot or is it photojournalism.

Well now let us look at a more famous documentary image.

This is probably one of, if not the most, famous documentary photographs in history. Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange. I’m going to spare you the Great Depression history lesson and just talk about the photograph. Lange visited a migrant worked camp and found this family including mother Florence Owens Thompson and captured this incredible shot. Rumor has it… it’s completely set up and posed. She asked the children to look away and told the mother how to hold her hand and her expression.  This photo change the way the world looked at the Great Depression.  It was completely posed and yet still tells the story.  Have I changed your opinion of posing yet?  Have I changed your opinion of photojournalism yet?

Brides, I’m talking to you now. There are a lot of photographers who claim to be photojournalists because of this trend. Let’s face it, if they haven’t had a photograph in a newspaper or magazine that they were assigned to shoot, they are NOT professional photojournalists. That same Documentary Photography professor told me of a photojournalist, whom she knew, that used to shoot for the Washington Post and then did weddings. As the bride, he told you that you have no say in what he shoots. He will shoot only candids (no formal portraits) and only what he deems is interesting enough to shoot. If he is standing around and not shooting, that means there is nothing interesting going on.

Oh yeah, did I mention he charged $10,000 for his services? Don’t get me wrong, he was probably an amazing photographer, but is this the kind of photojournalism brides and grooms want? I’m not telling you not to ask for a photojournalistic style photographer. What I’m saying is to know what you are asking for before you go looking for photographers. It is every wedding photographer’s job to catch the important moments in your wedding and reception, including the candid shots. There aren’t many wedding photographers out there who are going to tell you that they only do formal portraits. Don’t overlook a photographer for your wedding just because their website does not say “photojournalist” on it. If you want portraits and candid shots, you may want to ask for someone who specializes in natural posing or at least ask for what publication they’ve appeared in, if they don’t have any, they are not photojournalists. And if that is the case then you can only imagine what else they are not telling the truth about, or at least embellishing about. The digital age and the upgrade and cost lowering of the lower end DSLR camera has flooded the wedding photography world with people who think they can go out and make a quick buck by gambling with your memories. Be careful, ask for reviews from previous clients, and make sure they are credible.

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“Haha… You lose!” my 4 year-old son taunted. He had seen the characters of his favorite TV show playing games of ping pong, and created his own version using my wooden spoon and a play golf ball.

The funny thing is, he has no clue how to play ping pong.

No matter if I missed it or hit it, if I knocked it between his feet, under the couch and to the opposite wall… his response was still: “You lose.”

When it comes to photography, how many of us are in that situation—we get the message “you lose” from all around us.  We aren’t booking enough, we don’t have enough Facebook fans, we’re not attaining a high enough sales average, we’re charging too much, we’re charging too little.

We even hear those words from within our own head.  Maybe we didn’t nail that one shot the client wanted, maybe we’re not confident enough, or believe our pricing is right, or don’t have the gear/props/equipment we think we need.  The most poisonous accusations of all are the ones that can come from within.

The question is: Whose game are you trying to play? Are we letting the ever-changing tide of others’ opinions dictate our happiness or productivity? Are you constantly swinging at who-knows-what, and only coming up feeling empty and discouraged?  The taunts of my 4 year old may not seem intimidating, but the voices (or the silence) of others can leave us paralyzed, and our creativity extinguished.

So what can I do? First of all, decide that it’s okay.  It’s okay not to keep up a frantic race to nowhere.  It’s okay to be on a slower path to “success” than some shooting star.  You can find fulfillment and satisfaction now—you don’t have to wait for some magic ticket.

Next—start changing some habits.  Here’s a brief list to get you started.

• Watch yourself. Pay attention to how you feel on different blogs/sites—if it helps you want to be a better person, and happy to be a photographer, it’s good.  Nourish your creative self there.  If you feel jealous/comparing, envious/belittling/critical… leave it alone (for now).
• Take a week off of social media. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get accomplished when you’re not obsessively checking and wasting time.  Maybe there’s cool things to find out, but are they really that important?  You can even try checking your email just ONCE a day.  Novel idea, I know.
• No looking at other photogs prices. I know you do it.  You first see what they charge, and see how often they’re shooting.  You think, I should be able to charge that amount, or they’re not that good to be charging that much.  Or you go restructure your pricing. For the next week, don’t do it.
• Go DO something. Fill your time/schedule/mind with volume of creating good things, and opportunity will come.  You will be amazed at how everything begins to fall into place once you’re prepared and happy for it.
• Learn something new. There’s something exciting about struggling a new hobby/activity and having those experiences of breakthrough that are so exciting.  You will remember when you felt that way about photography.
• Have real conversations with real people. Don’t just talk about photography, but about their lives and hopes and dreams.  You will be amazed how refreshed you can be and perspective you can regain when you can remember the world holds a lot more in it besides f-stops and 8×10s.
• Do something nice for no reason. Tie a candy bar to a friend’s doorknob with a post-it.  A giving heart sees people in a different way, and people will begin to recognize it.  They won’t know exactly why, but they will want to be around you.  And that’s when your clients become friends—a natural outgrowth of you just happy being you.
• Self-Check. Periodically ask yourself: Why are you doing this?  Are you in it for money?  For artistic outlet?  To meet people?  To write a book?  Your motives will most likely change over the years.  When you’re honest with yourself and your intentions, you’ll find everything is clearer to find your current definition of success.

Be kind to yourself.  As you change the very way you think, you’ll be happier and more satisfied with your life NOW.  The voices you let into your head from what you read/see/hear/think has an effect on you every minute.  Habits are hard to change. It’s not an overnight process either.  It takes time to attune yourself with your positive voice inside you.  Choose one item from the above list, and I promise you you’ll be on the road to feeling happier.

I chuckled as I realized the ultimate irony of the game I was playing with my son.  While he was running frantically around, swayed by every which way the ball went, I was the winner.

He was the one running to the far side of the room.  He was making random shots that hit the side walls, never reaching me.  He would be the one to retrieve the ball when it landed dead between us.  Not only did I enjoy every hit I managed to make—and some were truly awesome—but the swings I didn’t make contact with the ball didn’t matter. I just enjoyed where I was and was ready when the next opportunity came.

And when it did, I hit it across the room.

Choose the rules of YOUR game, and then go play it.  Just as Steve Jobs redefined an industry by setting his own rules, you can find your own game to play.  As he said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Decide what your definition of success is, and hopefully it will bring you genuine happiness.  Choose your steady course towards that, and let go of the voices which steer you away.  You will replace those voices with ones cheering you on, inspiring you.  As you begin to clear the noise and choose your game, everything will feel clearer, and you’ll feel the strength of others excited for you.

You choose the voices you listen to—you determine your destiny. Play YOUR game.

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When I graduated from The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts one of the very next steps was getting my headshots done.  As it is with all actors, it’s a bit of an involved process.  You spend several hours going blind on Google looking for a photographers work that you like, and who are in your price range, then comes setting up the consultation and meeting the photographer to make sure you are comfortable and click with them.  Personality and comfort is a big thing when it comes to headshots, or portraits, or anything else for that matter.

Headshots are the storefront of the actor’s business.  It’s their calling card, and can mean the difference between getting seen by casting directors or not.  Actors often bring a bit of pressure on themselves to get great shots so making them feel at ease is paramount. Headshots for Broadway and film are essentially the same nowadays so you don’t have to worry about specifics.

So before I get into the technicalities of headshots lets look a bit at how they are used and what the industry is looking for.  First off there is a subtle difference between NYC headshots and LA headshots.  LA tends to have just a hint more “fashion flare”, but the overall objectives are the same.   For this I’ll be focusing on NYC headshots, as that’s what I shoot the most.

There are generally 2 people that see headshots first besides the client (ex producer, director etc).

~Agents, are the people who are in contract with an actor to find them auditions, and are responsible for getting them to auditions that are “right” for the actors type.

~Casting Directors are the people who see all the actors’ auditions for the particular job they are casting for.  They often see tons of people a day, and often look for different things in a headshot than an agent.

Headshots in general are used as a way for agents and casting directors to meet the actors through their picture and get a sense of them and how to cast them. There are essentially two types of Headshots:

The Legit Shot: This shot is usually more serious in nature and is often composed of just below the shoulders to the top of the head, framed horizontally, it’s ok to cut of some of the head as well, they want to see the hair but it’s not about the hair.  In headshots coaching becomes of key component of the shoot. Headshots are about eyes and lips, the eyes could be spot on but if there is awkward tension in the lips it will throw off the shot as well. LA likes to do a light open mouth here and there, I say unless you’re going laugh keep your mouth closed…it’s up to you though

The Commercial Shot: This shot tends to be a 3/4 shot framed from the mid-waist or lower to the top of the head; shot vertically. It can ALSO be

framed the same as a Legit shot. I tend to shoot 95% horizontal than vertical, as it looks more like a film still, and commercial shots are usually happier, smiling shots. Just make sure those smiles are genuine, which usually involves massive amounts of wittiness

I try and get a look of great desire with a very very slight smile, sometimes no smile at all. Let’s be honest…sex sells and that tends to be the trick, getting the eyes to deliver that look of desire without going over the top. It takes a lot of work on the subject’s part as well as the photographer.  Some technical ways to achieve this is to make sure the subject is breathing into the camera, and lowering the chin slightly. When someone breathes in it automatically adds oxygen to the eyes giving them some life, and the subject should then have something going on in their mind.  This is where the subject play’s a crucial role; THEY need to be working just as hard as you.

The MOST important thing to remember in any portrait photography work, but especially in headshots…is that the camera PHOTOGRAPHS THOUGHT.  If they aren’t engaging the camera their eyes will be dead or boring…not the best way to get a job.

A few technical things:

You want to make sure you are showing them in authentic way, so no crazy makeup, not a lot of under eye eye-liner for girls (makes them look a bit older), etc.

Solid neutral colors for clothes tend to work best, and for women cami’s, and tank tops work well as it shows the neck, shoulders, and clavicle well, and these are all ways to tell a woman’s body type which helps out casting directors.

The longer focal length you use the more it removes distortion and flattens the image, which will represent your subject in the most accurate way to the human eye.  I’d say a minimum of 105mm is required and if you can go longer I would.  Almost all my headshots are taken around 200mm at f/2.8-f/3.5. This creates nice subject separation and bokeh.  It also gives the sense of the subject being in an environment, and also gives it a bit of a “film” look.

The camera likes angles, and the rule of thirds gets used a lot in headshots.  You don’t want to do a ton of posing but you can work a model into positions that work well in a tight frame and also help get that comfortable look.  Often times leaning forward, holding shoulders back a bit, placing hands on legs all this sets the body up in an “I’m engaging you” way which helps the actor mentally have those thoughts coincide with the pose.  Often achieving this isn’t as complicated as it sounds, and will happen fairly naturally with just some tweaks along the way.

Lighting

Obviously the most important thing when it comes to photography, and when it comes to people its paramount.  You can use natural light or flash or a mix of both.

I tend to like shooting outside as much as possible as it sets the actor in an environment and has the look of something you would see on film.  However, shooting outside presents it’s own challenges.  The weather has to be right, which is always the biggest issue.  Headshots have to be pretty well lit so shooting outside with no lighting tends to render pretty flat lighting with backgrounds that aren’t as dynamic as they could be, depending of course on the lighting conditions that day, sometimes it works great and sometimes all natural light is just dull.

To cope with this issue, most of my headshots now are shot using a combination of a reflector, and one SB-900 Speedlight shot through a softbox.  Occasionally I bring out a second Speedlight to splash some light on backgrounds to add a bit of punch to it.  This essentially lets you get control of the background and bring in the light on your subject, and the results are fantastic.  It also allows you to blend the ambient light with the Speedlights to create a very natural look.  You can also do some fun stuff for a bit more of a dramatic feel, which can be good for an actor to have handy.  Though more dramatically lit shots are not good as “everyday” shots for the actor, they can be useful in the sense that the actor can submit very contrasting images.

I typically shoot with a cloudy white balance and a ¼ cut CTO (color temperature orange) gel on my Speedlights.  The cloudy white balance tends to render skin tones in a subtle warm way, giving the skin a color and richness that is very natural and pleasing.  Using the ¼ CTO gel is also very important as the Speedlights I use have a very cool light temperature, so this warms the light up giving it a very natural, almost sun quality look and feel.  Under bright conditions the Speedlight is there just to add fill light and put some great catch-light into the eyes.  As the light fails is when I do a bit of the dramatic stuff.  You can also shoot with a very fast shutter speed to bring everything way down then light the subject and this alone can create some drama as well.

These little Speedlights are really fantastic for most all the portrait work I do, very portable, very powerful, and with endless attachments to soften and work with the light.  Strobist.com has some excellent articles about working with them, as does Joe McNally.  I learned a lot about using them well with these two resources and once you get the feel you learn more and more about different ways to bring Speedlights to life in a new way.

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[ We're very fortunate to have Majd Elias guest write for us today! Mr. Elias is a part of a Los Angeles-based advertising agency and lends his expertise to writing for FYP by tapping into his experience with Fortune 500 companies and sharing them with us. I hope you find this post extremely useful and enjoyable! ]

Outdoor Advertising mainly known as Out-Of-Home advertising (OOH) is made up of more than 100 different formats. In 2010 OOH was estimated to be a 6+ billion dollar industry in the United States alone. Outdoor advertising is essentially any type of advertising that reaches the consumer while he or she is outside the home. This is in contrast with broadcast, print, and Internet advertising. Out of home advertising, therefore, is focused on marketing to consumers when they are “on the go” in public places, in transit, waiting (such as in a medical office), and/or in specific commercial locations (such as in a retail venue). Outdoor advertising, (which has been in existence since the days of the Pharaohs where it was employed on stone obelisk to publicize laws, treaties, major state and national events) fall into four main categories: billboard, street furniture, transit, and alternative. OOH is utilized worldwide and consequently, every municipality, has its own applicable regulations.

There are a variety of common OOH mediums in most markets such as mass transit which mainly includes Buses and Commuter Rail.

 

Another common medium is the street furniture which mainly includes Bus Shelters  and Bus Benches  as well as Mall Panels

As for alternative OOH that covers lots of grounds, from the Aerial banners to Taxi Tops  to the Double Decker Buses  and much more in between such as mobile trucks, digital projection on a side of a building, Airport Carousels, commercial parking lots, etc.

But when it comes to Billboards they represent the core of Outdoor Advertising. They are the signs seen on the side of the streets or along the highways (image) as well as on building rooftops (image). Billboards are a part of American life, advertising for hundreds of thousands of small businesses dating back to 1835 when Posters were printed and posted on the streets to advertise a circus in New York. However, today much advertising space, especially in cities, is given to multinational consumer brands.

The most common size for a billboard is 14’h x 48’w also known as a standard bulletin . The second-most common size is a 10’6”h x 36’w also known as a junior bulletin.  The 3^rd most popular size is 12’ x 24’ also known as Poster Panel or Premier Panel. In recent years, Wallscapes also known as Supergraphics have become a very popular medium to advertise due to the sheer size of the advertising space plus the convenience of having an existing structure (commercial buildings in most cases) to advertise on vs. building a new one from scratch.

 

For the photographer this provides both challenges and opportunities. One of the challenges is that images must be taken to the maximum technical perfection given the size they will be enlarged to in post processing therefore lighting, camera vibration, and all other technical aspect need to be controlled. But the opportunity to have your images shown on such a large scale is very rewarding. Given the scope of the clients that traditionally use this medium it will be necessary to network with advertising agencies that handle high end clients that use OOH, a good tip is to see who traditionally uses these mediums in your market and then see who the media houses responsible for the creation of the OOH is! One of the important things to remember it the size and orientation of the canvases you will be working with. Firstly you have a TON of space to work with, for the most part images in portrait orientation are absolutely useless for OOH (except in a few limited circumstances), secondly, we are all aware of magazine layouts but in OOH you need to cast all this out the window, while in print you article needs to be tight and controlled due to size limitations in OOH you have a HUGE canvas, your image must be captivating yet simple enough that it can be captured on the move.  A portion of your shoot should be designed exclusively for the landscape layout from the outset as adding elements to an image originally created for portrait orientation is ineffective. Given the cost of mounting a shoot of this nature shots should be allocated to both landscape and portrait orientation images to cover all forms of OOH, keep in mind, however, that the predominant format is landscape.

From an advertising effectiveness stand point, Outdoor advertising has great advantages in comparison to print or TV. A magazine subscriber may read certain pages of the magazine, the whole magazine cover to cover or simply use the magazine as a drink coaster or recycle it without even looking at it. So the odds of an ad to be seen in a magazine are very sketchy. TV ads have been facing similar results uncertainty ever since TiVo came into play where viewers fast forward through the commercials so they can get back to their recorded content. Only Live events have higher results in reaching viewers since the commercials cannot be forwarded and the viewers are forced to watch them.

As for outdoor advertising, it is almost impossible to drive by a billboard without seeing it, unless you are driving with your eyes closed, of course. It is in your face, you cannot turn it off, and you cannot turn the page, change the channel or fast forward it. From the photographer’s standpoint, while a large number of people will see your work you will not become a household name though OOH, you will, however, become in high demand by agencies if you excel in this field.

Outdoor advertising reaches nearly every American, yet outdoor does not get a proportionate share of ad revenue.

Outdoor advertising is there 24/7 and reaches highly mobile American consumers with effective advertising messages. The current economic downturn and resulting change in consumer behavior will have a negligible effect on the reach and frequency of outdoor advertising messages. In fact, during an economy in recession, outdoor advertising, with its high cost effectiveness, may be the best option for companies looking to increase brand awareness and maintain their competitive advantage during tough economic times.

Just like any other advertising medium, outdoor advertising has its own challenges as well. Many of the popular markets are saturated with OOH making it more difficult to notice one billboard vs. another. This is a problem that photographers come to its rescue very often with their creative eye and feel for the final look of the images. Many savvy photographers execute their photo-shoots specifically for OOH. They use a totally different look and set ups than the ones they used for Print ads, TV or online, just to capture that extra essence that’s going to separate their billboards from the rest.

Whether it’s the lighting, the lens, the positioning of the product or the model(s), the accessories added to dress the set, the background just to create the correct perfect environment for that perfect shot that’s going to get blown up to the size of an 8 story building and create the glamor needed to catch the attention of the motorists and/or pedestrians

It’s critical for the photographer to be embedded with the marketing team of the brand being advertised on billboards in order to get the best results in the photo-shoots. It is by far easier for the photographer to create a concept for a billboard campaign when he/she understands the vision and direction of the brand

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[ Editor's Note: You haven't had enough of new writers, have you? Good! Because here's another one! Dylan Patrick is a photographer who hails from NYC and has maintained his own business since graduating in 2006. He's shot everything from headshots to landscapes and has a unique perspective on the business. I hope you enjoy! ]

A couple years ago a good friend of mine asked if I would be able to shoot some cocktails for the Empire Hotel here in New York City.  Little did I know what I was in for.  Of course I said yes, agreed to a fairly cheap, but decent rate as there was only 10 cocktails or so and I didn’t have to do much – just shoot away.  Having a bartending background as well, I thought it would be a fun opportunity to explore the world of hospitality photography, and perhaps get a market going for myself to compliment my other area’s of focus like my headshot, portrait, and landscape business.  I have to tell you it was the best decision I’ve made.

Now I knew absolutely nothing about shooting cocktails much less shooting hotels or anything else of that nature, but I dove in headfirst and came out smiling.   I’ve spent years behind a bar and have a very good appreciation for what photography brings to the service industry.  Hospitality is constantly in need of great photography of just about everything.  They want details, cocktails, hotel rooms, lobbies, meeting rooms, specialty events, bars, clubs, kitchens, food, and the list goes on.

Growing up I always had a appreciation for architecture, spaces, and symmetry (still some of my favorite things to photograph) and this played a crucial role in bringing composition, symmetry and details into one frame, in addition to giving that frame the emotion that draws customers in.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a master of this.  I’m constantly learning, making mistakes, learning from them, and figuring out better ways to do things.  I never want to feel like I have mastered photography in any way.

So, back to the Empire job.  These cocktails were made for Fashion Week, and the Empire Hotel sits right across the street from Lincoln Center where they hold Fashion Week twice a year.  The hotel, I learned a bit later, is owned by a large hospitality company that owns about 8 other hotels…lucky me.  So when the images went to corporate, they loved them, the PR firm they use loved them, and that right there got me “in”.  The next thing I know the PR company is calling me to shoot holiday cocktails for the Empire, and the hospitality company wants me to shoot one of their other hotels.

The first hotel I shot was a bit of a daunting experience.  There is a lot to shoot, and a bit of a compulsive attention to detail is a must.  Now before I go much further, most hospitality photography is pretty heavily processed in post-production, but it is still essential to get a lot right when you are there or you will pay for it later when your eyes pop out of your head from staring at a computer screen while spending what feels like days retouching.

So lets start with the rooms, easily the part that takes the most time.  Basically I walk into a room and look at everything very carefully, and then I prop the camera up (tripod is a must for most things) and start to find the pleasing compositions the room has to offer.  Then once I’ve found an angle or two, or three, depending on the room, I start looking for things that you don’t want to see.  I walk around fluff pillows and then straighten them as much as I can to avoid wrinkles, same with the beds.  This can be just as easy as rubbing your hands over it.  On some shoots the hotel will put staff members with you to be constantly ironing and starching things, but either way you will still have wrinkles to deal with in post.  I will often bracket exposures as well because you do NOT want to have to go back.  Hotels usually take rooms out of inventory for the shoot, so you want to make sure you get everything right first time!

Some technical stuff here.  Part of the reason I bracket is the same reason HDR is such a big craze.  People want to see as much as possible, so that means you have a couple options.  If you have a room that has a great view and you want to capture that, as well as what the room looks like, you can do a few things:

1. You can wait for the perfect time of day and try to get it in one shot, and do a little post work on it later (this is a good option for some rooms, and not for others it really depends on which way the room is facing, how much light comes in etc…)
2. You can bracket exposures to get the full dynamic range, then grab the ones you want and blend the exposures in Photoshop using layer masks.

Note: I probably do this the most as it provides greater flexibility, however it’s a bit more post work. Also notice that I DIDN’T say use an auto HDR program – this is just personal taste. I find when it comes to hotel rooms automated HDR programs loose some clarity and oversaturate things that shouldn’t be, they also have the potential to make things look kind of dirty.  Exposure blending (dodging/burning) in the film days is pretty much equivalent to what the concept of HDR is now.  Using Photoshop and doing it manually provides the best results for any HDR in my mind, but that’s just me and I’ll have to save that for another article J

3.  You can light the room with strobes or continuous lights so that you can shoot at a faster shutter speed (I do this as well with strobes from time to time, but it can require gelling lights so you aren’t mixing drastically different light sources and color.)

The lobbies, terraces and outdoor spaces tend to be a bit easier to capture.  Along with capturing nice wide (but not too wide – you don’t want to bend walls) shots you also want to capture intimate details and design elements, this gives the hotel things to use on brochures, websites etc.  It’s also very important to get vertical shots as well as horizontal, often verticals work well for sidebars, on websites, and pamphlets, etc.  Also look up other photographers and see what they are doing and incorporate elements to your own unique style and vision.

Now I see some of you out their raising your hands saying “That’s great Dylan, but I don’t live in NYC, where there are tons of beautiful hotels to solicit!”  I come from a very small town in Idaho, but they have some nice bars, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, spa’s, even those tourist rental places where you go to rent canoes, or jet ski’s, or any number of other things.  These are all service oriented places, that chances are, could use some good photography.  Sometimes the best way is to check places out, see which ones have websites, and then check out how their websites look.  I’ve also done a couple jobs for little to no pay, just to get in the door with one place.  Often times they will use you again and again, as well as tell others within their given industry – restaurants, and bars especially.

I may have to make this part one of a two part series, as there is a lot that can be talked about, but hopefully it has given you some things to think about.  If this area is something you have never done before, like it was with me, don’t let that stop you from trying because you just never know what could happen from it. The more you know how to do, and do well, the more marketable you are.  While we are all constantly learning and growing as photographers, find those weaknesses and make them strengths, learn from mistakes and you would be surprised at the pictures you can make.  Thanks for reading, more to come!

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A business plan is the most important part of any photography (or other business) aside from drive and desire of the owner(s).

A properly executed business plan with due diligence exercised beforehand will avoid your entering an enterprise that is doomed to failure. Planning encourages one to think carefully about your venture before you have the task of actually running it and makes running the venture easier by directing you to take an unemotional, objective and critical look at your business process without being under pressure from things going wrong while actually trying to run the business.

The business plan is a tool that is used in the pre, during and post operative phases of any business. It allows you to manage the business properly by knowing expense levels and what sales targets in order to be profitable. It is not just enough to make sales but you must have a targeted sustainable level of sales to meet current and future expenses and provide a return on your investment(ROI). If you are obtaining a loan for your business it is likely a requirement for the lending institution unless you are going to finance your enterprise with personal credit; even then it is prudent to do a complete business plan.

A complete business plan includes:

1. · An Executive Summary
2. · A General Company Description
3. · Details of Products and Services
4. · An Operational Plan
5. · Details of Management and Organizational Structure
6. · Details of Startup Expenses and Capitalization
7. · A Financial Plan
8. · Appendices

The Executive Summary which is a succinct description of your business plan is the primary synopsis read by investors and loan institutions; this summary should be concise yet give a broad overview of your intended operations.  The Executive Summary should include your existing (if any) and intended customer base, what your products are and who the operations management will be and a précis of all the items mentioned above.  The Executive Summary is always upbeat and gives a positive prognosis (of course backed by by the financials).  As this is the primary part of the document read by lenders.  It should state how much capital you will need to launch and sustain operations till you are profitable and how such funds will be used.  Lenders should be able to determine profitably and a repayment schedule.  The Executive Summary should also contain an outlook on your particular business and the industry (or segment thereof) in which you are engaged.

Company Description

The Company Description should completely describe the operation you intend to launch.  It should of course include what business you are undertaking and your role in the business.  Here you will want to expound on the goals for your enterprise and in doing so set some milestones along the way, kind of like stepping stones over a body of water.  An example of milestones is to set sales targets based on the financials that show a healthy growth and ability to be profitable.  These milestones help in product pricing and set the appropriate level of revenue that you will need to obtain to achieve them.  Here you should state the dynamics of  your industry for instance; a few years back there was a move to digital which lowered the cost of film/chemicals etc.  It also meant that images already being digital were deliverable worldwide through the use of the internet.  You should identify these dynamics and how you will use them to your benefit, in addition to the state of the industry overall.  You will want to describe your strengths and how the company will be profitable.  Indentify your background and the experience you bring to the operation and other skills you possess.  You should also state the form of organization you wish to take whether it be sole proprietor, partnership or incorporation and your reason for selecting the same.

In your products and services section you should identify your products and services.  If possible include samples of your product.  Typically these are provided in the appendix but as we are gearing this towards photography it would be an ideal place to include some photographs here;  the old adage applies:- A picture is worth a thousand words!  You should provide detains on another important aspect of this section which is what gives you the competitive advantage.  In this section you must also state your disadvantages (I.E.  servicing a customer who only wants analog output/film).  Using your financials you’ll derive a pricing for your product that is both competitive and will lead to a sustainable business.

This leads me to talk about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat analysis (SWOT) will help you determine many critical elements of your business plan.  The SWOT is not for the faint of heart or the optimist only, if you are going to do this properly you must be candid (in some cases gently brutal) and a pessimistic views. The SWOT is best performed on a large piece of paper or a whiteboard divided into a four sections so that any other section may be analyzed at the time of performing it, you will find that you will jump back and forth between the sections because you will also identify corresponding weaknesses with strengths and threats with opportunities.  Seek people who are engaged in business to assist you and some who don’t even have an understanding of a photography business such as a professional facilitator.  This will bring up ideas that may be overlooked by those of us in the know and will keep you on your toes to make sure all elements are well represented in your business plan.

Marketing/Operations

No business is an island and no business can survive without customers regardless of it’s size.  You must identify how you will make people aware of your product…. Photography trade journals however, are not ideal as you are targeting the end user and whereas photography trade journals are not read by the average end user other trade journals maybe ideal candidates to promote your products and services.  Identify your market segment and set a clear method and cost to reach your intended customers.  You have your traditional means such as print, TV and other periodicals but you should not underestimate the Internet and best of all word of mouth both of which are low in cost, happy existing customers are your best sales people.  Use of the last last promotional resources will lower your overall marketing budget.

In making determinations about your operation you will want to have facts about your industry,  and the socioeconomics demographics of your target market, the desire for your product (don’t sell ice to Eskimos), industry trends, client demographics (some clients/countries have more disposable income than others.  Changes in technology and customer taste or even the advent of stock photos sites, Legal issues surrounding photography You will want to identify your competition both in the immediate area and also from outside your immediate area… In the jet age it is easy to be mobile to virtually any location of the world. If you are planning to have a studio you should outline your proposed location and the benefits of it, otherwise explain the benefits of existing solely as a virtual storefront.

Other items you have to address are:

• Products and techniques, quality control and customer service.
• Insurance, legal and licensing/permit cost.
• Staffing:  Number of employees, labor laws, level of skill of staff and training, remuneration, job descriptions, employee manuals.
• Inventory:  Levels of stock required and lead time to delivery on ordering.
• Equipment:  Servicing and replacement of faulty equipment.
• Customer Credit Policy:  Firstly is it necessary? if yes, you must address checking credit worthiness, credit terms and limits and policies for slow paying customers.
• Management, Operation and Professional Team:  Identify Managers and what their functions are along with support staff.  You’ll want to also identify your professional advisory team of lawyers, accountants etc.

Finally, you’ll want to detail your start up expenses and capitalization requirements and include a factor for contingences, the accepted level is 20%.   Your Financial Plan should also include a 12 month profit/loss projection, 3 or 4 year profit projection, projected cash flow, opening day balance sheet, and a break even analysis. if you find these to be daunting despite the many resources available to you on the internet it is wise to seek the services of an accountant.

All this may seem like tons of work to do just to start taking your love of photography into viable enterprise but the most prudent thing you can do is do this even before your doors are open as it will outline a clear path for you and also identify milestones so you know how things are going at all times.  Venturing into business is not easy as more than half of all new business fail within the first ten years.  The major reason for this is not having a business plan to guide the you.

Sample business plans are freely available on the Internet, search DuckDuckGo, pick one that suits your taste and covers at minimum, the above elements.  Good luck!

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Make no mistake about it photography is a business. The question is: which end of the stick are you holding? You are either on the end of the stick where photography is an outlay of funds or you have found a way to monetize (in your favor) this dichotomy of art and business that we call photography.

Not many of us need help in spending money on gear, that comes naturally. However, what we do need help with is monetizing our art form. In this posting I will discuss interaction with one recent client and the different aspects of photography that one must be able to bring to the table in order to successfully close a deal.

One of the important aspects of our business is presentation skill in the respect that you should not only be able to talk about your work but how it can bring value to your clients project. Selling work to clients is a cross between a standard sales call and a job interview because you are selling both your product and your ability. Your presentation should exude the ability to be able to complete the task competently without being cocky and certainly not discount any other photographer’s work; you should be able to talk positively about your work without speaking negatively about another. Every photographer has a specialist skill set but at the same time you must be able to creditably represent yourself in many other photographic skill sets in addition to displaying an adroit business sense. If you are not comfortable with other aspects of photography them find a fellow photographer who you don’t traditionally compete with and arrange some cross tutelage. Learning new techniques with a colleague of your caliber is a good way to gain knowledge in new areas and refresh your knowledge in others. Alternatively, I suggest joining a local photographic club, while the members are likely to not all be professionals the talent and enthusiasm in such organizations is virtually boundless; I’ve found this as a member of the Barbados Photographic Society. Failing that there are many excellent photography podcast online that will definitely provide food for thought in addition to inspiration; a few of my favorites are: Tips from the Top Floor with Chris Marquardt, The Martin Baily Photography Podcast with his regular assignments, last but by no means least the eloquent publisher of Lensworks podcast – Brooks Jensen.

Foul Bay – Barbados

I recently got a new client in a roundabout way. An old friend and I reconnected on Facebook and a few weeks later he came to Barbados on business. On completion of the days business with his clients he called and asked me if I could pick him up; at the time I was on the beach relaxing. I immediately rushed home and did a Clark Kent – Superman transition; shaved and got into some more suitable attire. As you know, the best introduction is a personal introduction. I met the clients we got to chatting and I told them what I do and we exchanged cards. Over the next couple months, we met to discuss possible projects that I could contribute to. Recently the company, Albion Insurance Company Limited, wanted to upgrade their presence on the web, naturally they needed to have some photography of key personnel done. Here was my opportunity to sell my product and services. For the layman a photograph is a photograph as professionals we know that certain standards have to be met; especially when you are presenting these images as your ‘face’ to the world. As a photographer who also has an extensive background in aviation, management and IT of some 25 years it was time to roll out the cavalry.

The primary purpose of any web presence is to inform and create interest in the product or service that is offered by the organization that the web presence represents. To this end the important things are not only to get people to your site and have content interesting enough to keep them engaged, but also to have a method to keep your name in front of them and also to keep them coming back to the site with a degree of frequency. Some sites have this ‘built in’ by their very nature, I.E. grocery store sites, retailers, social media sites; however, other sites need to create this through a variety of methods.

After discussions with Albion on methods of achieving the objective of keeping their name in front of people we decided to offer photographic desktop wallpapers of various scenes in Barbados available for free download. Why wallpapers you ask? For the simple reason that regardless what icons you have on your desktop your wallpaper is always there, the instant you minimize your programs and each time you boot your computer, voila! In addition to this users have to self opt to install their own wallpaper. It is not the undesirable situation where you are have to blanket the internet with offers to achieve your purpose. Since the advent of SPAM by two immigration attorneys in April 1994, Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) has buried many well intentioned companies and should be avoided like the plague. Use of the internet for marketing should by no means use UCE but instead should utilize a form of viral marketing, for Albion we choose a low key viral campaign. How is it viral you ask? Face it, the majority of people surfing the internet are deskbound either in an office or at home and enjoy an inspiring/fantasy picture that they can glance at from time to time. Providing attractive free tropical landscapes meets their needs and encourages browsers to add them as wallpaper , beaches and sunsets are big draws, as is cricket for Commonwealth countries.

Using viral marketing in this method is a distant cousin of product placement. If you don’t know this technique you haven’t visited a supermarket or watched a movie recently. Product placement is that art of subtly keeping your name/product in the mind of your customer so when they have a desire for products in the arena that you operate within, your product is the first that comes to mind.

As a photographer you must represent the value that your work can bring to your client and seek opportunities that you can place your work. To do this you must think outside the box, If you don’t someone else will! Inasmuch as this article is about my interaction and representation of my work with a client it is as much an article that we should read and look within our own operation to see how we can keep our name on the tip of potential clients tongues. The truth be told photography is as much about business as it is art. The question we need to ask ourselves is: “Is our art somebody’s business, or is our business somebody’s art?”. When you seek to make your work revenue positive You may find yourself gravitating towards photographing more saleable images and less artistic unless you have an established Fine Art clientele even then you may still focus on sales. We must remind ourselves through all this to look for new and unusual images and on occasion to go out there and indulge in our passion without a care about the business end of our profession!

Feel free to download the images for your own desktop wallpapers!

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From 2006 until 2009 Apple began a series of commercials they called the “get a Mac” campaign. You’re probably very familiar with it. It features an attractive smooth talking individual who represents the Mac, and an older fatter, less attractive, man who represents the PC. See some examples on YouTube.

In my opinion this was the most successful campaign I have ever seen. It alone loosened a foothold that Microsoft had planted on the personal computer marked many years before. Now, Mac is a dominating force that threatens to overcome the market share that Microsoft once had.

What happened? Why was Microsoft’s campaign not nearly as successful? (See a poorly planned Windows 7 commercial here). I think it all comes down to what Mac was trying to sell: an identity, not a product. Apple convinced the world that becoming a Mac user was not just about the product, but by purchasing the products you became part of a prestigious club of Mac users with a poignant style and identity. Identity, not product.

So how does all this relate to your website? When I browse some photo websites, I can’t help but be reminded of the picture below. Why? Because from the beginning of my visit until the end, I am bombarded with a sales pitch. Every page is filled to the brim with reasons why my life would be ruined if I did not choose so and so.

However, as Dane Sanders says, what you ought to be selling is not your product, but you. When you try to sell your photos, you will inevitably have a lot of competition. However, when you sell you, there is no competition. There is only one you.

So how do you establish an identity and sell you? Here are some simple things you can do to change your website from a product-selling site, to a You-selling site.

Write to people, not to robots.

We have all likely encountered the SEO site, even if you didn’t know it. For those you who are unaware of SEO, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s a series of techniques that people use to increase their presence in the search results in Google. One of the techniques is filling your website with key words:

“Los Angeles wedding photographer John Joe, is based out of Los Angeles doing wedding photography. His Los Angeles wedding photography is so Los Angeles awesome, that even people not from Los Angeles will fly his Los Angeles hide out to a place that is not Los Angeles for their non-Los Angeles wedding photography pictures and wedding images and wedding photos and wedding portraits and wedding bridles.”

Sound familiar? This is SEO garbage. What has John Joe said? Nothing.  Often, in an attempt to attract the Google robots, people turn away the people that they are most interested in.

I am not against SEO. In fact, my own website has some SEO garbage in it (Yes…I do need to update it). However, it should be tastefully done. You should never write love letters to the Google robots while spewing nonsense to the people who will actually pay you the money.

Anecdotes are always good.

Back when we first started out, we had a testimonial page because that’s what everyone else did. However, I was so sick of reading the testimonials that sounded like they came from an infomercial. So, we decided to do testimonials a little bit differently. Rather than request a testimonial, we merely asked a client if we could “quote them.” We were already receiving testimonials via e-mails, handwritten notes, phone calls, or other spoken complements from our clients. In such cases, these compliments were sincere, genuine, and often involved some sort of anecdotal experience. Why not turn those into a valuable marketing tool? Here one of our testimonials that we once had on our website:

“I cannot begin to tell you how powerful of an impact Amber’s pictures had on me and my family. Shortly before my dad died, she took his portraits. Not long after her photo shoot, his cancer forced him to be bedridden. I was emotionally numb-neither happy nor sad. While he was on his deathbed, she sent us a complimentary picture of my dad. As soon as I opened the picture I wept. I wept because it captured so perfectly my dad’s personality-his impish grin, that ‘I got you again,’ look. Suddenly I could feel sorrow about my dad’s impending death, but I also felt joy at having known him and loved him. My siblings also wept when they saw the picture. It was requested by many and was put in his obituary, on his funeral program, and now hangs on the wall of all my brothers and sisters’ homes. His hospice nurse is even making a quilt with that picture on it. I’m so grateful she was my photographer. I will never have any other.”

This sort of story will stay with your visitors much longer and more poignantly than something like,

“Our entire wedding photography needs were taken care of in one very affordable package by Joe’s Photography, including our engagements, bridal portraits, and wedding day pictures. It was great!”

Rather than asking people to write testimonials for you, just ask your clients for permission to publish the praise they’re already giving you. Then, you can guarantee it doesn’t sound trite.

Make your bio about YOU, not your craft.

Your bio is not a sales pitch about your photography. Your portfolio should sell your photography, not your bio. I’ve heard so many bios that sound like this:

“Jim’s photography style is candid and genuine … My style is classy, elegant and artistic… Claire is passionate about recording every precious moment. With an artistic flare, her work stands out among her peers…Jack can capture every detail of your special day, including your genuine smile …”

If you need to tell people what your style is in your bio, then your portfolio sucks. What should Bio be about then? It should be about you. It should show your personality. You are introducing you as a person. They don’t need to know what kind of a photographer you are. Half the time they don’t even know the difference between artsy, photojournalistic, traditional, fashion, candid, or emo. And half the time, they can’t even tell the difference between good photography and bad photography! But they can tell when someone is being real.

I have always enjoyed browsing Matt Christensen’s website. His slogan is,

“Not your average grumpy photographer.”

I love that. It’s immersed in personality. I think his by bio is worth mentioning:

“got to be honest… never really wanted a bio. I’m fine living my life behind the lens… yes, I like to have fun and tend to shoot very relaxed. I wear flip-flops and shorts to all non-formal events (e.g. engagements and bridles)…. I love to invite clients to a round of golf, barbecue, or just hang out after all is said and done some of my best friends started as clients.”

Doesn’t that sound like a guy you would love to get to know? I’ve never met the guy, but I am sold on his personality. But not only should your bio represent your personality, it should also be about you the person! Introduce your family, tell them your hobbies, if you have a side job, tell them about it. Let them know there’s a person behind the lens.

For our bio, we wanted to introduce potential clients to our family. After spending a few paragraphs introducing me and my wife, I introduced my oldest son:

“Corban McKay (born April 2007) began his career as a model in the hospital in Orem Utah. He mastered and patented various dashing expressions including ‘Blue Steel,’ ‘Magnum,’ and ‘That’s my Toy, Give it Back.’ As a child prodigy, he mastered his runway walk at the age of only 13 months. It has been said of him that he is ‘…arguably the most sought after and photographed child of this millennium.’ When asked what he tributes his success to, with humble conviction and with chocolate smeared on his face, he unequivocally states, ‘Momma! Daddies! High Chair!’”

I have had more comments on my bio, than on any of my pictures. Let your personality come out and you let yourself come out.

Frequently asked questions should be frequently asked questions.

I recently read a photographer’s frequently asked questions page and laughed out loud. I don’t remember who the photographer was, nor the FAQs that he showed, but it was obvious he was trying to promote himself. Every question seemed to be a question that was fashioned in such a way that would make him look good (and only him):

“Frequently asked questions….”

“are you a certified member of APA, PPA, IPA, ICRPA, MKAKJHGIC DOA, and IOU…PA?”

“Have you ever entered and won 7 print competitions within the last 6 months?”

“Do you shoot with a full frame camera that can withstand an atomic bomb in case something happens during our wedding day?”

These types of questions make you look egotistical. No bride goes to your FAQs page because they want to be pitched. They go to find out information. Make your FAQs page informative.

So think of the questions people tend to ask you, and put the answers to them there. As you find more that you are constantly answering, include those as well. Leave the sales pitch at home. It’s that simple.

As you are genuine, sincere and honest in your website, you will reach more people than any string of keywords and egotism can muster. Be comfortable being you, and let that come out in every aspect of your website.