Month: December 2011

Know the Purpose for Success

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A, enjoys playing in the Moo Cow Band at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.  This is one sure way to be sure those in attendance were awake.  They are really good band and got everyone alert for the program. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/125, 28-300mm)

If you don’t know the purpose of an event for an organization, then your photos will not communicate what took place effectively. Why are they putting on the event and what do they hope to accomplish is what you should be asking yourself if not the client.

This is an event I covered this week and let me walk you through what they did and the purpose of the event.

Putting on a breakfast during the middle of the Chick-fil-A Bowl week is a daunting task. Each year the organizers work to create an event that will make each of the teams and the schools involved want to come, because it isn’t a required event.

There is an art to event planning and those who put this event together each year plan throughout the year trying to find the right keynote speakers and other parts of the program so that the variety of the parts creates an overall enjoyable and memorable event.

Keynote speaker RV Brown takes the stage in a sports jacket.  He looks like a typical evangelist dressed like this. RV knows his audience and knows he has a very short time to get their attention. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/400, 28-300mm)

We have seen the entertainers through the years that dress up to draw more attention.  Elton John had those wild glasses, KISS the rock band painted their faces and wore platform boots, David Bowie even wore makeup to get our attention.

All of those musicians also made it on the Radio long before MTV came about and emphasized even more the importance of the visual part of the performance to sell records. Later the ability to put together a total package of the audio and visual is so important that singers like Justin Bieber would launch their careers on YouTube.

RV Brown removed his jacket and revealed his guns. These were not gotten with steroids he said, they were done with weights, black-eye peas and cornbread. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/400, 28-300mm)

RV knew that the room was filled with Auburn and Virginia football teams. They are all expected to eat healthy, lift weights and to get into the best possible physical shape to play the game. RV wanted to establish he too had not only been down their road, but continued to take care of himself.  He didn’t say it but this helped him to overcome how some people right someone off as a “has been.”

RV mixed humor with some life lessons that had the people laughing and crying by the end of his message.

RV Brown, Chelle (my daughter) and Charlie Ward. Chelle wanted a picture with the main speakers, which I enjoyed taking. Later on the ride home Chelle was talking about what each of them talked about. She knew which scriptures they used and was excited about their messages. (Nikon COOLPIX P7000, ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/30, Slow Curtain Flash)

I knew later after the event how well RV had done when my daughter is talking about the scripture references that he and Charlie Ward used in their talks.

Master of Ceremonies Ernie Johnson, Jr., Turner Sports inc., interviews Featured Guest Charlie Ward, 1993 Heisman Trophy Winner, Florida State at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/500, 28-300mm)

Charlie Ward is a quite person who commands attention more from his actions than from his talk. To mix up the program they had Ernie Johnson from Turner Sports interview Charlie and together they helped tell Charlie’s story and how God plays a role in his life.

Dorie Griggs, Chelle, Regina and Mike London enjoying catching up. (Nikon D3, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/60, 14-24mm)

We were excited about this year’s teams. University of Virginia’s head football coach is a close friend of my wife Dorie. When they were at University of Richmond together they met each other through FCA.

Dorie Griggs, Mike London and Jimmy Lyles when they were students at University of Richmond

Having Chick-fil-A sponsor the breakfast really helps the FCA. What is a nice surprise each year is that Truett Cathy makes it a point to be there for the event.

Truett Cathy stands up when they said he was here.  Everyone applauded for him as well. I think people like Truett as much as they like his food. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/40, 28-300mm)

Don Perry and Truett Cathy (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/30, 28-300mm)

Ernie Johnson Jr. always closes the event with the presentation of the Gospel. This year was a very touching time for him. He lost his father who was his best friend. Later he almost lost his son.  He spent most of October in the hospital with his son who has muscle dystrophy and was suffering with pneumonia. He received a phone call while on the road working with the doctor asking permission to put a tube down Michael’s throat. A matter of life or death.

Master of Ceremonies Ernie Johnson, Jr. closes the breakfast with presentation of the Gospel. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/640, 28-300mm)

Johnson became a Christian late in life.  He remembers the date of December 10, 1997.  He says this is the date where he found a direction in his life. A year later his wife had a gift for him of a compass. It is to remind him of his decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Ernie Johnson Jr. shares how the decision to follow Christ was very much like having a compass for his life. (Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/400, 28-300mm)

If you have read this far and seen all the photos I hope you understand that the reason I put this here in my blog was two fold. First of all the most important thing in my life is my faith in Jesus.  Second I believe to be able to tell stories and capture those moments that show how much people with a faith in Christ are purpose driven you have to have walked with Jesus in your own life.

No matter the story you must be totally immersed within the story to engage the audience.

I will tell you the number one secret I have discovered in photographing people. My faith is in a God who loved us so much that he died for each one of us. He also taught us how to live. What I have learned through my walking with Jesus is that everyone is important.

If he was willing to die for all of us then each of us is worth getting to know. I spend my time listening and getting to know people and what I have discovered is for the most part I am truly blessed by each person I meet.

I hope my photos not only introduce you to the people I meet and their stories.  I believe I honor God by treating everyone with honor, dignity and respect.

Photos used by permission of Chick-fil-A

My Digital Workflow

by Stanley LearyDigital Workflow
Step 1 Ingest

Step 1 – I ingest the images from my Compact Flash Card or SD Cards. My settings for the camera are RAW and I normally use the ExpoDisc to get custom white balance. I shoot in ADOBE RGB color space as well. All the settings give me images that are the best possible for editing. Color is almost perfect because of the custom white balance and can be modified easily since they are in RAW format.

Step 2 Use PhotoMechnic for ingesting software

Step 2 – Ingest using the software PhotoMechanic.  I select the card and then I select the destination for all the images. I use + RAW

Step 3 – the destination is an external hard drive

Step 3 – External Hard Drive is chosen so that the wear and tear is not so great on my main hard drive of the computer.  If you shoot as many images as I do you will burn out a hard drive quickly if you use it all the time.

Step 4 – IPTC Information added

Step 4 – Add IPTC information that will go onto every photo from the photo shoot.  Adding the bulk metadata to the caption and keywords as well as embedding credit, copyright and contact information.  I also add information about the location of where the photos were taken.

Step 4 The IPTC information I have saved and tend to load one of the templates saved so I do not have to put in the basic information each and every time for a client.  I have templates for clients like Associated Press, and my personal use as well.  I just load the template and make minor changes.
Step 5 I cull the images down

Step 5 – Culling the images so that I am only keeping the best images or usable images.

Step 5 I check the select button for those I want to keep
Step 6 – select the Untagged Images

Step 6 I go to View and then select seeing only the untagged images and then delete all of them.  Just keeping the tagged images.

Step 7 Open Lightroom and import from the folder of selected images I created using PhotoMechanic

Step 7 Open Lightroom and import the selected images from Photomechanic.  I am just adding these to Lightroom and not copying them.

Step 8 – Select all images and in Develop Module I then enable Profile Corrections

Step 8 Enable Profile Corrections for lenses.  This will correct all the aberrations and imperfections known for each lens that I own and therefore giving me the best quality possible.

Step 9 – I sometimes will add a vignette to the images. 

Step 9 I like to darken the edges ever so slightly and heavy depending on the situation.  I will select all images and add a PC Vignette 1 for slight or PC Vignette 2 for a heavy use like for a formal portrait.  These are found in the Library Module under Custom.

Step 10 – Adjust image

Step 10 – I adjust the image or images.  I will select a group if they are all similar and this way save on time in the editing.  This has a few parts to this:

  1. Hold down “Option Key” while sliding the exposure.  You will see the highlights.  I try and have no white areas on faces for example.  Play with this to get your desired result.
  2. Hold down the “Option Key” and slide the Blacks.  Only if there are black areas do I try and be sure there is a black
  3. Adjust then the Fill Light to open up the shadows.  
  4. I will sometimes use the Recovery to bring in some highlights that might not be recovered when I did the main exposure.  Again play with this for desired result
  5. I then usually add some saturation by using the Vibrance slider. Usually no more than 35. It will affect everything but people.  That to me is really cool, because I don’t like to make the people red for example.
  6. I may do other fine tuning beyond, but these 5 steps are pretty much used every time.
Step 11 Exporting

 Step 11 Exporting. Go to the Library module and in the lower left click export.

Step 12 Exporting choices

Step 12 Select a folder to export. I use + JPEGs. I select sRGB as a standard since it is more usable for more situations. I set quality to 80.

Step 12 I keep images all the same size

Very important not to check the “minimize Embedded Metadata” because this will remove all the camera data which many database software programs use to help narrow down the search by date and time that a photo was taken.

Step 13 Making of DVD/CD.  I will drag the folders from here to the Disco Software.

Step 13 Making of a DVD I use the software Disco for the Mac to burn my DVDs and CDs.  The reason is this will let me take very large shoots that need multiple DVDs and spread the project for me over a number of discs.

I name the Disc by year, month, day and time that I burn the disc

Step 14 Print on the Disc using Disc Cover 3

This helps with branding and looking professional for the client.

Step 15 Print using the Epson Photo Stylus R280 Printer

 
Printing on the DVD with Epson Photo Stylus R280

Step 16 Ingesting into Cumulus

Ingesting into Cumulus from DVD

Cumulus lets me search all the images. I am searching all that text I put into the metadata earlier.  I can search and narrow down my search using Boolean searching technique. 

Cumulus helps me later find images using the text search. Once it finds images I can see the thumbnail and it tells me which DVD it is stored.

Disc is put into a binder in chronological order.

Binder is put onto the shelf

Summary

I now have a way to find all the images and have it in two places minimally.  On the hard drive and on a DVD.  I normally also upload these and/or give a Disc to the client.  This makes for the third copy.  Later I will copy the files from the hard drive to another hard drive giving me in essence 4 copies.

I hope this helps you see my digital workflow.

How to become a humanitarian or missions photographer

by Stanley LearyPhotography
New church and well being built in Becanchen, Yucatan, Mexico. [Nikon D3, ISO 200, f/8, 1/100, 24-120mm]

“I feel God calling me into missions photography …” or “I want to be a humanitarian photographer and would like to meet you,” are two things I am hearing almost weekly now. 

To make this dream a reality is to engage your head and your heart in this journey.

Reasons not to become a humanitarian/missions photographer

1. The field is overcrowded. If you live in a major city like Atlanta you are very much aware of traffic jams.  Another great comparison is going to Universal Studios or Disney World.  You are going to stand in a very long line because this is a very popular job. This field is not just crowded, every day more and more people are wanting and trying to become photographers.

Fernanda washes clothes and makes hammocks for a living in Akil.  Her son Roberto Carlos has finished school and wants to go to college. They live in the Yucatan in Mexico. [Nikon D3, ISO 200, f/5, 1/8, 24-120mm]
2. Most photographers do it for free.  Translation–it is very difficult to make a living. How will you compete against others who will not only do it for free, but pay their way to cover a cause around the world?
Mayan family at their home in the Yucatan, Mexico. [Nikon D3, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250, 24-120mm]
3. It requires a large financial investment.  You need cameras, lenses, flashes, memory cards, computers, software, and training to use all this.  Did you notice the list was multiples? Everything requires a backup because equipment will fail and you must still deliver.

4. It is a business. Since the 1970’s staff jobs are actually dwindling.  More and more photographers are freelancers who must pay higher taxes and higher healthcare insurance than their staff counterparts.  Don’t forget you need camera insurance and liability. You must first be a business person and then a photographer.

 
David Woods stopped on our drive to BoBo from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for our lunch. You need to be able to eat a variety of food when you travel. [Nikon D2X, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320, 24-120mm]

5. You have to be outstanding and not average. If you watched American Idol then you have a good comparison to this industry, but the numbers are greater.  Everyone owns a camera and many think they can make great photos. American Idol auditions hundreds of thousands to get it down to 25. If you go back to past seasons not all of those 25 finalists are making a living at it. The odds are similar in photography. There are many great photographers, but they didn’t have the complete package to make it.

6. Everyone owns a camera and can make a photo. Think about this for a while. Why pay you to photograph something when they can take it themselves?

7. 95% of your time you are not making pictures. Even the most successful National Geographic Magazine photographers spend only a fraction of their time shooting. Most of the time you are researching a topic or an organization trying to find ways you can help them achieve their goals.

 

Diane Zuma plays with water at well in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. There are two types of wells in this area: one which is open and not safe to drink from and this one which is deep and is covered and much safer to drink. (Photo By: Stanley Leary) [NIKON D2X, AF Zoom 18-50mm ƒ/2.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/320]

8. It’s not about you. If you want to take pictures because you have an interest in something, well unless an audience is willing to pay you to see your work there is no career for you. The most successful photographers today are not focused on telling a story with their camera–they are focused on connecting the subject with the audience to achieve a goal.

There is no AAA roadside assistance in Burkina Faso. My host David Woods repairs the truck that just lost a belt on the side of the road. [Nikon D2X, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/2000, 24-120mm]

Here are some questions you need to answer

1) Why do you want to be a photographer? If your answer is I like to take pictures and meet people, then keep on doing this as a hobby.  If you want to tell the stories of some people you have met, you still need to keep this a hobby.

Humanitarian and missions photographers are goal focused. When I am photographing an orphan I am wanting to help them find a parent. Some who will see my photos may give money to cover their housing and food until they find a parent and this good, but my goal is to move people’s hearts to take this child in.

My goal is not to tell the orphan’s story. Do you see the difference?

Surgeon Danny Crawley is in theatre doing a hernia operation and Comfort Bawa, theatre assistant helps him at the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu, Ghana. (Photo by: Stanley Leary) [NIKON D2X, AF Zoom 18-50mm ƒ/2.8G, ISO 400, ƒ/2.8, 1/160]

2) Why should you be the photographer? If the goal is to do something, why are you the best selection and not a professional photographer who has given their life to not just taking pictures, but to the cause? If the goal is to get an orphan adopted why would anyone want to have a photographer shoot it that has never helped anyone get adopted verses the photographer that does. Think about it why not hire William Albert Allard who made the famous photos of the little shepherd boy who lost his heard to a reckless driver in Peru? Allard’s photos moved the readers of National Geographic Magazine to replace his herd and then some.

A mass of people wait for medical treatment at the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu, Ghana. They are all waiting for Dr. George Faile to see them that day.  [Nikon D2X, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/25, 18-50mm]

3) What are you doing to be the very best photographer? Organizations that want to achieve their goals are not going to let just anyone photograph for them.  Actually they want to keep most photographers away from their projects.  Many photographers will do more harm than good.  Too many photographers are just trying to build a portfolio rather than help.

I am called to be a photographer
Just like a professional musician you will need to study the craft and find a teacher/mentor.  Even in Star Wars Luke had to find Yoda to help teach him the skills to become a Jedi Knight. My suggestions:
Take classes in the following:

a. Business and marketing – You need to understand how to price your work, how to negotiate with a client and most importantly how to find a client.
b. Psychology – You need to be able to work with a variety of people from all walks of life. You need to be able to get to know people in the most intimate way possible in the shortest time possible, because you will be telling their story as an expert on their life.
c. Photography – You need to know how to make your camera do what will work in any situation. You need to be able to not just capture something, but help capture it in a way that sets the mood as well as captures the moments. To do this you will need to master: Aperture; Shutter Speed; Hot Shoe Flashes; Studio Strobes; Available Light; Composition and much more.

We ate in a coffee growers home in El Aguilia, Mexico. [Nikon D3S, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/60, 14-24mm]
2. Study the masters – You will need to become a master.  Remember the organization will hire the person they think is best suited to help them achieve their goal. You need to become the expert they want on their team. The best way to do this is to study all the great photojournalists that have gone before you. You need to know why their work was so successful.

3. Study with a master – Take a workshop with someone who is known for storytelling that also is known to help organizations meet their goals.  I will be teaching you how to photograph in another culture, how to tell the story and reach your audience with the message.

4. Go to seminars and workshops to get inspiration.  You will be able to hear successful photographers talk about their work. The room is often filled with current masters of humanitarian and missions photography.

5. Get critiqued to learn – Don’t show your work to just get pats on the back. Show you work to people who can point out the basic things you are missing early in your career and as you grow can teach you about the nuances. If your purpose is only to show your work and have everyone applaud only – well then you need to keep this as a hobby, because even the masters of the craft look for ways to get even better.

Where do my photos go?

by Stanley LearyDigital Workflow
Where do my photos go? You can own the greatest camera and if you haven’t established a workflow for your images you can loose all of them before you ever see them.

For the majority of my photo shoots I can capture all the images on 1 – 16GB card per camera. However, there are some photo shoots and especially when I travel overseas where I will not only fill the 2 cards in the camera I will need to download them and continue to shoot.

Nikon D3s with 2 – 16GB CF cards in the slots

 

I am using SanDisk Ultra 16GB CF cards in my cameras

When I am having to download the images and reuse the cards or use more CF cards I ingest them on site with my ColorSpace Hyperdrive memory card backup system.

For some photo shoots I will use one of the Hyperdrives through a day and then pass this along to someone to handle the post processing one day while I am shooting and putting more images onto another drive. At the end of that day I will trade out the drive with the one I first gave to the person for processing.

This lets me not only continue to shoot, but if there are problems with the images I can get a call from the person and if there is dust on a chip for example I would stop shooting and clean the sensor.

The advantage of the Hyperdrives is that I can turn one on and down load my images very quickly and then continue to shoot.

I have two ColorSpace Hyperdrives.  The older model which isn’t UDMA and the newer UDMA model.  I have a 120GB drive in the older model and a 160GB in the newer UDMA model.

For those wanting to travel light, the Hyperdrive with a tablet will let you see your images and have backup of all the images with very minimal computer equipment.

There are two major times where the speed of your cards will become very noticable.

1) When you shoot a lot of images quickly your card will come to a stopping point until the images can be written to the cards. This is when the cheapest, which is usually not the fastest cards, will affect your ability to continue to work.

2) When you are ingesting your cards to either your computer or the ColorSpace Hyperdrives the speed of the cards will determine how long it takes for the transfer.

For the most part unless these are critical to you, you can shoot a slower card that costs much less.

One last suggestion: Always format your cards in your camera and not on you computer. The cameras format in a different way and will give you better performance.

You Might Be A Photographer if …

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Your friends are giving you Christmas ornaments each year.

Twas the night before Christmas and I was sitting in my recliner by the tree. I looked over to enjoy the season when it hit me I am a photographer because I have so many ornaments to remind me.

Somewhere on your Christmas tree you have Santa with a camera.

I was enjoying my coffee in my Nikon mug and it tastes so much better when I have logos around me. Not just any logos will do for it is always Nikon and can never be a Canon. 

You have a picture of Santa in a slide mount.

There are also ornaments to remind me just how long I have been in this career. I have a slide of Santa from another Christmas eve.

You have a What The Duck Christmas ornament

Today I have a cartoon character that helps me laugh and laugh really loud. What the Duck has given me much glee this year, helping me make light of the moments which use to get me all up tight.

You don’t just have Christmas ornaments but coffee mugs with cameras or camera manufacturer logos.
Nikon 24-79mm f/2.8 Coffee Mug.  If you have one of these you have it pretty bad.

Merry Christmas!

Who is the master of color photojournalism?

by Stanley Learyphotojournalism
Some of the books by William Albert Allard that I own.
What is right? Simply put, it is any assignment in which the photographer has a significant spiritual stake…spiritually driven work constitutes the core of a photographer’s contribution to culture. – William Albert Allard – on the right photo assignment., Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series)

If you need some inspiration and want to learn from one of the all time best photojournalists, then you need to discover William Albert Allard.

Be sure and visit his website http://www.williamalbertallard.com/

Very few photojournalists have the ability to gain the access as Allard has done throughout his career. He started in 1964 by talking his way into the Amish community and capturing some of the most intimate photos ever taken of a culture that shuns photography.

I first discovered his work when I would open my families subscription to National Geographic Magazine. His imagery captured my attention and later I would study his work so much that I slowly discovered how his style worked.

First of all the best thing about the books and especially his latest book William Albert Allard: Five Decades is his honesty.  When I first met him he was more distant than when I encountered him later in his career. After you read the books you start to understand that he made some mistakes that he regretted, but learned from.

Allard has published 6 books.  Here is a link to them for you.

What is special about Allard is he is probably the only photographer I know that his entire career was spent working with color and being published in color.

What amazed me through all the years was how Allard would shave an exposure by small amounts to change the colors and therefore affect the mood of the photograph. By just underexposing or overexposing an image you can change the mood.  I learned this from all those years of being so absorbed by his work.

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges. ~William Albert Allard

Allard really makes you feel like you are peeking in on some really intimate moments. So intimate are these moments that you start to wonder how did he gain the trust of the people to let him even in the room.

I have heard William Allard speak numerous times and have watched every piece of video with him in it that I can get my hands on. I can tell you he could tell you every secret of his and still no one could do what Allard does.

I think the main reason his photos are so powerful is his access. How he gets that access is all about something so innate that I doubt even he can articulate. He takes for granted how he doesn’t work his way into someone’s life as much as Allard is invited into their lives.

After you meet him there is something that makes you want to know more about him.

If a subject has a delicate surface to it, you do not want to go charging in there. You need to establish some kind of presence and understanding. I will say, ‘Try to forget I’m here. I won’t ask you to pose, I won’t ask you to do anything.’ It’s important that I just be allowed to be around, to be present. Photographing people requires a willingness to be rejected. So, I think the best approach is to be honest and direct. Very often, I tell them, “You don’t know me. There’s no reason why you should trust me…the only thing I can promise is that I’ll try to do the most honest work I can. Ultimately, it comes down to somehow being able to instill confidence. I don’t think you can bullshit your way into that, because a lot of these people can see through walls. If you want to photograph people, you’d better know something about them. [Allard often credits “Serendipity” for the success of his pictures.] I like to explore, to be sensitive to the rhythms of the moment. Exploration means seeking out what I think is there, and yet often finding something finer, something closer to the center, that no amount of research could have led me to. I tend to react more than direct. You have to be receptive [to your subject]. You have to care. You can’t do good work if you don’t care. That’s not necessarily a strength, but it gives you strength. – William Albert Allard, Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

Allard has made a living studying people and capturing them with his camera. Another way Allard uses these skills is in community theater as an actor. Allard is able to not just observe but take these observations and become a character.

If you don’t own William Allard’s books and you are wanting to photograph people you are missing the best possible photojournalist of our times.

4 Mistakes I Avoid Today

by Stanley LearyPhotography
I like to arrive early and scout possible camera angles to use later. Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm, ISO 6400, f/4, 1/200

This is the time of year for Christmas parties and New Year events.  Through the years I have screwed up and here are some things I now avoid.

1) Arrive on time

If a client asks you to arrive at a certain time, it may be right at the time of the event, giving you no time to scout the location. Always arrive early to give yourself some time to look around and know where some good camera angles might exist later in the event.

While I found a good angle, I later tried it and it wasn’t as spectacular as I thought it would be. I did however shoot from this angle with a different lens later. Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm, ISO 6400, f/4, 1/100

2) Don’t get caught off guard

If I can I always bring more than I will need, because I have been burned more times than I can count.  Over the years I have bought a lens or two that I don’t use a lot, but the costs of renting them over and over verses the time I do use them made sense to buy them.  Having a backup flash helped me this year when my SB900 got over heated and later needed repair. I am glad I had the SB800 there to continue to get the photos.

Some things that I recommend in that list of items to have:

  1. Backup camera
  2. Backup lens or two. 
  3. Backup Flash
  4. Extra Fresh batteries
  5. Tripod
While I had to go to bed early so Santa would come when I was young, now I had to be ready at a moments notice to get the photo of Santa coming down the elevator.  I could of been up five floors when this happened or just under the elevator, but no matter where I was that night, until he came down I had to be in position with a lens to get the shot. Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-120mm, ISO 12,800, f/5.3, 1/80

 3) Relying on available light

I started shooting years ago and prided myself on shooting in almost any situation without a flash.  As it says in the Bible pride comes before the fall.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”


Using a flash to be sure you see your subjects face is important at times. I now use the flash to be sure I am not cursing myself as I am trying to fix it in post.

Where the pianist was sitting and how the light was on his face before I added the flash made him more to be a silhouette than anything else. My trusty “Voice Activated Light Stands” (my daughter or wife usually) pointed my Nikon Speedlight SB900 with the Radio Poppers PX radio system helping relay my Nikon Speedlight SU800 signal to the flash for TTL off camera flash. I balanced it to the room light.  Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-120mm, ISO 2000, f/5.3, 1/60.



4) I’ll Fix it later in Post

If you look closely you will notice I used two of my “Voice Activated Light Stands” for this photo. I had no idea if there was going to be one or more folks with Santa getting an award. I had my wife and daughter holding the Nikon Speedlights off to the camera on either side pointed at the subjects. By the way to not look light just a lot of light I had one light turned up a stop more than the other to give some shape to the faces. The cool thing is with the Nikon Speedlight SU800 I was doing this from my camera and never had to go over to the “VALS” and change the power on the flashes themselves. Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-120mm, ISO 12800, f/5.6, 1/400.

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat at my computer and wish I had done something with the lighting in the camera. You cannot fix everything in post. You have got to do everything possible to get the best possible image in the camera. Your goal should be that you have nothing to do to the RAW image other than convert it to a JPEG for the client. Anything more than this is compensating for a reason that you were unable to get it in the camera.

I used two of my “Voice Activated Light Stands” for this photo. Nikon D3S, Nikkor 24-120mm, ISO 10000, f/4.8, 1/320.

What’s a good camera for me this Christmas?

by Stanley LearyPhotography
I have updated this from a 2008 blog post with today’s latest cameras. 

Canon PowerShot G12 Digital Camera $379.95

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Digital Camera $369.95

Fujifilm X10 Digital Camera $599.95

Nikon COOLPIX P7100 Digital Camera $499.95
When I speak to groups, someone usually asks me what camera I use. Next, someone else will ask, “Would I take better pictures if I had a better camera… maybe one like you use?”

The best answer I’ve ever heard to “The Camera Question” came from Joanna Pinneo, a former colleague of mine. Joanna is an outstanding photographer who has worked for Newsweek and National Geographic. Joanna had just shown an audience some of her photographs when a little old lady asked, “If I had a camera like yours would I take better pictures?”

“Probably not,” Joanna said, “you will take the best photos with a camera that is easy for you to use. When you see something you want to photograph, the less you think about the camera, the better your picture will be.”

Joanna pointed out that professional photographers are so familiar with their cameras that using them is second nature, like driving a car. She told the little lady that unless she planned to study photography, she should find a simple camera and then concentrate on the subject of the photograph she wanted to take.

She was right, of course. Most of your best photographs are taken to capture a moment. You’ll miss the moment if you are switching lenses, fidgeting with a flash, or trying to remember how your camera works. By the time everything is set just right, the shot is gone, and the moment has passed.

On the other hand, if you have a point-and-shoot camera, you can just (pardon this) you can just point-and-shoot and capture the moment. You’ll take a better picture precisely because you did NOT have a “better” camera.

Not long ago, I was photographing the keynote speaker at an event in Atlanta. Beside me was Ambassador Andrew Young with his point-and-shoot camera. He was photographing the speaker as well. Later, he showed me his shot, and it was pretty good.

This was not the only time I’d seen him taking pictures. I’ve worked with him on several occasions, once I asked him about his photography. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small point-and-shoot camera. He said he always carried it with him and loved to take pictures and share them with his friends.

Then Ambassador Young laughed. He told me he even pulled it out of his pocket at his daughter’s wedding. He was officiating the wedding, but he still took a photo during the ceremony at the altar.
 

Point-and-shoot cameras are not just for amateurs.

My good friend Dave Black, who shoots for Sports Illustrated, used one for a job. One of the most outstanding qualities of these point-and-shoots is they make no noise. They are so entire that manufacturers have put a speaker in them and created a clicking noise you can turn on or off to let you know when the shutter fires.

PGA rules will not allow a picture to be taken of a professional golfer during their backswing since the noise might distract the golfer. However, Tiger Woods’s caddy Steve Williams had thrown a few cameras into lakes when people fired away during Tiger’s backswing.

When Dave Black showed the editor from Sports Illustrated at the event the photos of Phil Mickelson in his backswing, you can understand why the editor started to quiver and gasp for air. Dave pulled out the little camera and made a picture or two of the editor. When the editor found that he couldn’t even hear the little quiet camera, he began to breathe normally again.

No one had any photos of golfers in their backswing before Dave, so Sports Illustrated ran the photos big made with a bit of point-and-shoot.

Today’s cameras are so much better than before. Take, for example, the point-and-shoot Nikon P7100. 

 
While the hallmark of a pocket camera is the ability to shoot entirely automatically, Nikon knows you want to do more than that with the P7100. That’s why they gave the camera versatile manual controls. There’s even a front command dial, so you’re fully in charge of operating the camera. Other features, such as an ISO of 3200, bracketing options, and even a virtual horizon, ensure you’ll get the shot you want. Of course, choosing four classic exposure modes (P/S/A/M) is essential to this type of shooting. Add those, as mentioned earlier, in-camera special effects and other features like macro capture and HDR setting, and you’ve got one great little camera that puts the joy back into point-and-shoot photography.

Another camera similar to the Nikon P7100 is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. It is equipped with a Leica lens and is similarly priced to the Nikon P7100. Canon G12 and the Fuji X10 are similar as well. All of these cameras shoot JPEGs and RAW.  They also all have missing controls for many of the other point-and-shoot cameras.

Joanna Pinneo said it so well when she said, “You will take the best photos with a camera that is easy for you to use.”

Guess the adage is true after all. I’ll paraphrase: It would be Stupid, not just to Keep It Simple.

Its not what you know but how you perform

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Same photo but different color balances, cropping and exposure.

Which photo above would you use? Now unless you see them side by side you might not be as quick to make changes to the photo before sending it to the client. However, if you are meticulous you will give the client the best possible photo.

While the client may not have four identical photos like this to choose the photographer they would hire again, I know from what I have seen photographers put on their blogs, websites and even given to clients are all these and more.

Losing Teams vs Winning Teams

I think we have all heard the loosing coach after a team looses saying we just didn’t execute very well. I don’t think I have ever heard the coach say we just didn’t have a game plan.

The golfer who wins the tournament is normally the golfer who performed consistently each day. Rarely do you see a golfer with poor scores one day and the great scores the next win the tournament.

Just the other day I asked my friend Mark Miller and the author of The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do and the book The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do, how a company remains competitive as more and more people are copying their formula.

Miller said it is the execution of their formula that makes the difference. He went on to use the metaphor of the West Coast Football. Who hasn’t seen it by now? The thing is who can execute it well?

More than the photo

I think one of the largest mistakes I am seeing over and over is photographers often think it is all about the photograph.

While there are many photographers making the mistake of the 4 photos above, Many may have gotten the perfect photo, but a great deal of the execution was in your attitude and words you used with the client.

I will admit it that many in my industry of creatives are strange people. I sometimes think many in society tolerate our kind. We are not trying to fit in as much as stand out and in the process get kicked out.

The president of the college I went to for my masters gave a talk one day saying that the one course they needed to add to the curriculum was on common sense.

You can’t please everyone

When it comes to customer relations your ability to pay your bills relies heavily on you having customers.  There should be enough incentive for you to go that extra mile and be hospitable and courteous.  Will they be kind to you in return–not always, but as they say you have to take the high road and know you did everything possible to make it work.

X-Factor for Success Photography Business

There are two things that when are executed at the highest levels simultaneously together create a whole new product.
  1. Quality – The quality of the photographs for the photographer is something that when executed at the highest levels will separate you from the pack. This is what you provide the customer.
  2. Service – From the first phone call or email till the delivery and beyond of the product is an experience. The attitude of your performance can go a long way with a client. This is the how you do you work.

Do you have the X-Factor in your business model? You may need to benchmark yourself to others to find out if from the customers perspective you are at the top of the industry in both quality and service.

Remember it isn’t what you know that makes a difference in this game it is executive of what you know that matters.

Ever hear of Referrals and Testimonials?

by Stanley Learytestimonials
YWAM School of Photography 1 2011 in Kona, Hawaii

I get Jeffrey Gitomer’s newsletters every week. This week’s topic, The 100-year path to a sale, is over: Road Closed. It will help if you read it. I have finally taken his advice about using referrals.

I took his advice mainly because Brian Hirschy asked me for referrals for the workshop we are putting on in Tibet.

Since the workshop is geared toward teaching, I contacted Dennis Fahringer, Mark Johnson, and Jim Loring, who have had me talk to their classes regularly. I figured they wouldn’t invite me back unless I were worth their time.

I also contacted Ken Touchton, who has been in this field longer than I and is a mentor to me. He has encouraged me, and I have listened to his advice.

Gitomer says

REALITY: The days of selling the old way are not only gone, they’re annoying! Not to me. They’re annoying to your customer and your potential customer.

Ever hear of referrals?
Ever hear of testimonials?
Ever hear of networking?
Ever thought about speaking at civic organizations?
Ever thought about writing a column for the local business weekly or your industry trade publication?

If you spent the same amount of time earning referrals as you do making cold calls, your numbers would increase, you’d close more sales, your aggravation factor would drop to zero, you’d make more money, you’d be infinitely happier on the job, and your job happiness would skyrocket … read more

Testimonials

“Stanley Leary’s been a guest teacher for me every year since 2006 in the School of Photography 1, which I lead at the University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii. Stanley’s able to combine decades’ worth of experience in photojournalism and commercial photography with an acute sensitivity to the needs of my photo students. He teaches here in an efficient hands-on way on lighting as well as business practices. Those are just a small fraction of his expertise. It’s a joy each time we invite him back to teach.”

 
Dennis Fahringer-  Kona, Hawaii;  School of Photography

“Stanley has been a regular guest in my photojournalism classes here at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Officially, I bring him in to talk about business practices. But unofficially, I bring him in because the way he talks about business practices demonstrates so many of the skills I want my journalism students to have.

His level of preparation is staggering – his presentation is detailed and well researched, and his examples are meticulously culled from his experiences. He talks about the way that supports the what – why developing relationships with clients leads to what they will hire you for. His presentation style engages the audience, asks them to participate at a high level, and then adjusts his presentation to the level the students are at. (I must admit that my students are nowhere near as prepared for his visits as he is, something I now know how to fix based on his last presentation.)

Outside of his formal presentations, Stanley has become an excellent resource for me. Our conversations run the gamut from the technical minutia of photography to the overarching reasons why visuals communicate so well in some situations and not so well in others. His real-world experiences help me shape what I teach every semester; his blog entries help me fine-tune individual lessons; his friendship helps keep me sane and grounded at work and home.

So, why does Stanley come out to talk to my classes? Of course, there’s an easy and correct (if limited) answer: if everyone’s business practices get better, everyone in the industry will do better. But I think he does this because Stanley, at his core, is a sharer – he is programmed to share, help others, guide, and teach.

Exploring a new culture with Stanley, who sees it differently than I do, is enticing. I think the 10 participants who get to wander the backroads and villages of Tibet with him are in for an educational experience that will go far beyond lenses and light. They’re going to see the world in front of them very differently.”

Mark E. Johnson-  University of Georgia; Journalism & Mass Communication

“Sensitive and insightful photography can always inspire others and cut through to the heart of the issue. With a deep understanding of photography’s unique storytelling capacity, Stanley brings insight and depth as he shares from over 30 years of experience.”

Jim Loring – North Georgia Technical College

“Dedicated storyteller and visual communicator, Stanley Leary exhibits his enthusiasm and passion for photography with the large diversity of images he produces. His depth of skill, technique, and photographic knowledge is the foundation of his strategy to engage people at all levels and create dramatic images that demand dialogue. His methods and personal drive keep him on the cutting edge of the constant equipment, software, and computer upgrades, which increases his performance and production for his diverse clientele. Learning with Stanley allows you to increase your craftsmanship, expertise, and artistry as you develop an intense knowledge of your equipment. Then, when you engage that dramatic moment of light and artistry, your methods and strategy will deliver the performance you gained from spending time with Stanley.”

Ken Touchton – Freelancer in Washington DC

2012 VISUAL STORYTELLING WORKSHOP IN TIBET:

by Stanley LearyPhotography
I wanted to invite you to go with me to Tibet next summer. So many people continue to ask me to help them with visual storytelling I decided to put together a hands on workshop. Partnering with Brian Hirschy and Plateau Photo Tours, our goal is to help participants engage new cultures photographically, respectfully, and effectively as photographers.

We are excited to be able to offer this hands-on workshop in historic Tibet. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of how to engage a culture and effectively tell compelling and complete stories through their photography. All this while having the chance of a lifetime to engage, understand, and photograph the unique culture of eastern Tibet.

Contact me if you are interested and I will answer your questions.

click here to get more info

How I photograph a family and dogs

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Getting all the expressions in one photo can be a challenge. Nikon D3S, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/60, Alienbees 1600 at 1/32 power triggered by CyberSync radio remote.
The sun is lighting all the scene well, but the Alienbees 1600 firing at 1/32 power is giving just a kick for fill-flash helping with a catch light in everyone’s eyes. another benefit of the flash is it helps with the color temperature and giving good skin tones.

Don’t attempt this alone as I did, unless the person you are photographing can really trust you. I was lucky, I was able to photograph my good friend Yaniv with his bride to be Shannon and her son Aidan.

I worked at getting everyone in place creating some nice triangles for composition. I prefer not to have everyone’s head in a straight line. 

Yaniv, Shannon and Aidan had great smiles and needed very little help giving great expressions. It was like working with professional models.

The hardest part of the entire photo shoot is getting the dogs to have great expressions to compliment them. 

I am holding the camera making squeaking noises, whistling and doing all I can to get the dogs to perk their ears up and look attentive.  Honestly, unless these are dogs trained to work for modeling and TV you are not going to have lots of moments.

What I recommend is a team for these photos.

  • Animal person – someone off camera who’s sole responsibility is to get the animals to look their best.
  • Wrangler for the small children – you need someone other than the mother holding a baby getting the attention of the child. Usually this person is playing with kids before the shooting begins. They are building a relationship and finding what will work for them in the photo.
  • Photographer or one more person – to get the expressions of the adults. 
  • Stylist – can be great to have help. They are paying attention to wardrobe malfunctions, hair and makeup. 
  • Photo Assistant – this person is being sure the flashes are firing, moving them and help changing the power on the flashes to help the photographer.

 The key is planning and everyone understanding their rolls. Shoot lots of photos and then you will have trouble picking one image when everyone does their best.