Here in this photo is the setup I am using to demonstrate the manual focus of the Fuji X-E2.
When you switch the focus mode selector to M (manual), you can turn the focus on the lens.
The switch is on the front of the camera, as you see. It would be excellent for you to override the Auto Focus and grab the focus, but that isn’t possible now with the camera. Overriding autofocus is something I would love for Fujifilm to add as a feature in the next firmware update.
When you look through the finder or on the back with the LCD screen, the view will look like this before you touch the focus or push the shutter release halfway down.
When you start focusing, the camera will zoom in if you have the MF Assist turned on. I highly recommend using it because it is better than the traditional DSLR because you cannot zoom in and see the details to focus on this critically.
By pressing and holding the center of the command dial, you display the MF Assist menu. You get to choose between two options: Focus Peak Highlight or Digital Split Image.
The Focus Peak Highlight–highlights the high-contrast outlines. Rotate the focus ring until the subject is highlighted. Focus Peaking works for me the best or most of the time. For example, I used it to get the image below here.
Digital Split Image: Displays a split, black-and-white image in the center frame. Frame the subject in the split-image area and rotate the focus ring until the three parts of the split image are correctly aligned.
Here you can see the Digital Split Image. The clue that you know which one you are using is the Digital Split Image assist in B&W.
Press the center of the command dial to zoom in on the active focus area during shooting, which also works in AF Mode. It will show you the focus point where ever it is in AF Mode. Just press again to return to full frame. Focus zoom is unavailable in focus mode C or when PRE-AF is on.
The Fuji kit looks like what is becoming my go-to system. Unfortunately, I am missing the new 10-24mm ƒ/4, which will not be out until March.
If they made a 28-300mm equivalent to the Nikon system, I would use this and maybe just a super wide zoom like the 10-24mm slotted for March. Right now, the X-E2 with the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm will have to suffice. They do a great job right now.
I see replacing the 18-55mm with the newer 16-55mm ƒ/2.8. I can also see replacing the 55-200mm with the 50-140mm ƒ/2.8. I think that the faster ƒ-stop will improve the camera focusing in low light and give me a shallower depth-of-field.
I am very interested in learning more about their flash system. Imagine if they could develop a plan with a radio remote built into the flashes and cameras in the future. Of course, I am dreaming but I also hope Fujifilm is paying attention to the pro’s desires. I think they are close to taking a chunk of the business away from Nikon and Canon.
The one thing I hope they continue to do, leading to them ultimately dominating the camera market, is updating firmware on cameras. They are doing a better job updating older cameras with newer software capabilities.
The XF lens lineup that Fujifilm has planned for the Fujifilm X series through the end of 2014. Zeiss is making two lenses right now for the system.
A few days ago, Dave “Mullet” Martin, Associated Press photographer based in Montgomery, Ala., died after collapsing on the Georgia Dome field after the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Tuesday night.
Dave Martin is on the left wearing the blue shirt in this photo of photographers covering the Chick-fil-A Kickoff earlier this year.
In the days following Dave’s loss, people are telling stories of “Mullet” and “Vern.” Of course, he called just about most other photographers Vern.
Sean Bush commented on the Facebook Tribute page:
“Hey Vern, one of my members so an so is sending you this can you get it turned around for so an so’s deadline. Oh and by the way Vern yer still ugly.” I had a great admiration for Mullet not only as a photographer but as a person. Dave had a drive like no other, a love for what he did, and the ability it teach by example and kindness.
Mark Lent said:
I have many things to thank Dave for… He encouraged me and always treated my abilities as a photographer as equal to his own, even though they were not.
There were many stories about Dave, and the theme I continued to hear was how hard Dave worked and competed against everyone. You also heard how much he mentored so many. What was also special is how he often gave others shooting for him a better angle but always came away with great shots from wherever he was shooting.
He loved to joke and give everyone a hard time, but he also respected others in the profession. He was not putting you down to elevate himself. What he was giving to all the photographers that knew him were respect and acknowledgment.
Tami Chappel, Reuter’s photographer, posted on the Dave Martin Tribute page that a gathering at Manuel’s Tavern occurred this past Saturday night. As she said, Dave had a restaurant in every town he loved to go to, and Manuel’s was that place in Atlanta.
Tami printed some pictures of Dave that we put on the tables as we gathered to tell our stories with Dave.
We all stood up together and toasted our friend and colleague who brought us all together in his honor in his death.
Here is a photo of Michael Schwarz showing a new camera to David Murray and David Tullis. Sharing is typical of Dave’s friends. We love to share what we are learning and know that while we all compete, we are also close because we have so much in common.
You can see the joy on everyone’s faces as they share experiences. We enjoy not just telling our stories but listening to one another.
I can almost hear Dave giving John Bazemore hell for the photo on John’s computer in the image above. “Why did you shoot that photo?” I could listen to him say.
Then I guess Dave went back to editing, thinking I didn’t get that photo that Bazemore got. Later I can hear him complaining that pictures of John’s ran everywhere. Sometimes he was joking, and other times, he was trying to figure out why that photo worked with more editors. He would then beat us all the next few times.
While John Bazemore was shooting with every other photographer at the end of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, competing for the space to get the shot, he noticed it wasn’t as tricky, and that is when he saw Dave was not there.
Every year, we notice that it is easier to get that photo. I hope we all realize it is because Dave is gone and remembers a class act.
I am sure Dave “Mullet” Martin would tell me, “Just Shut Up and Make A Picture!”
I bought the Large High-Resolution Test Chart for Camera Lens off eBay for $27. Here is a link if you choose to do something similar.
Here is the setup where I had two soft boxes at 45º. I did a custom white balance using ExpoDisc.
Put the chart on a music stand and then moved the camera back as I zoomed in.
I made all the photos at ƒ/8, 1/180 @ ISO 200. I also used a tripod to be sure I didn’t introduce any camera shake into the pictures.
Below each photo is a link where you can download the high-resolution JPEG as the camera captured it. The color space is ADOBE RGB, and I chose the standard color setting comparable to the Provia color space.
My conclusion is that both of the lenses are sharp. Now, this is at ƒ/8, and later I will test the lens at all the apertures, but this is to give you a glimpse into how nice the lens performs.
I am not entirely comfortable enough to shoot an assignment with the camera alone. The reason is nut the camera’s capabilities but my knowledge of how to use it. Shooting with the Nikon D4 is second nature.
I must get to this point with the camera where I am not hunting for the control to change something on the camera.
[Fujifilm X E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/105]
I set the camera to shoot on Auto ISO RAW. So the lowest ISO would be 200, and the highest is 6400. I also set the shutter speed to 1/60 and would change that to 1/250 and 1/1000, depending on the situation.
[Fujifilm X E2, 18-55mm, ISO 640, ƒ/4.5, 1/220]
For every camera I have owned, the autofocus has so many options that if you choose the proper setup for a situation, you get incredible results. Autofocus issues are why most pros ask other pros if they are having trouble with a similar camera. Then if they are not, they ask them what settings they are using for a situation.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/4.8, 1/500]
Mostly, all these photos were custom white balanced using the ExpoDisc.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.2, 1/500]
I like the skin tones with the Fuji X E2. I also think their lenses are super sharp and have great dynamic range and color.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/500]
All the images I processed using Adobe Lightroom 5.3.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.8, 1/500]
I had just bought the new Fuji 55-200mm, my first time using it.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/3.6, 1/500]
I loved how the lens felt in my hands. It was well balanced and well built.
[Fujifilm X E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/500]
Shooting the coin up close with the 55-200mm and shooting from the press box were two extremes where the image stabilization showed how good it worked. In addition, I was pleased with the results of handheld photos in both of those situations.
The reason I am so excited about the Fuji is its weight. My wife took a photo of me in the press box shooting.
Photo by Dorie Griggs
I was carrying all this on me using the backpack, and the ThinkTank modular belt system from 1:00 pm to 1:30 am.
2 – Nikon D4 cameras
Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8
Nikon 28-300mm ƒ/3.5-5.6
Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8
Sigma 1.4 converter
Shure Wireless lavalier microphone system
Nikon SB900 with spare batteries
2 – Spare batteries for the Nikon D4
10 – CF, XQR, and SD cards
Fujifilm X E2
Fujifilm XF 18-55mm
Fujifilm XF 55-200mm
Manfrotto MonoPod
I could cut this down to 20% of what I was carrying if I just added one more Fuji X E2 and let go of all the Nikon gear.
I will keep my Nikon system until I can comfortably shoot sports and videos with the Fuji system as I can now with the Nikon D4. There is a chance that some of this is just my ability to use the Fuji X system.
I can tell you I will be shooting a lot more with the Fuji system.
These tourists are enjoying Hawaii Volcanoes, National Park. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 160, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000]
What a year it has been. I have had a great year of moments and feel incredibly blessed.
Lili’uokalani Park, Hilo, Hawaii. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 250, ƒ/7.1, 1/60]
Each year starts with me in the Georgia Dome covering the Chick-fil-A Bowl. This year will be no different. In addition, my wife Dorie will be celebrating her 20th year working the press box.
Tom Butler, Kona Coffee Grower [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/10, 1/200]
I am returning to Kona, Hawaii, to teach lighting and business practices to Youth With A Mission Photography School 1. I love meeting these students every year that are from all over the world. I learn from them, if not more than I probably teach them.
Anacleto Rapping is on the far left, and Joanna Pinneo is on the far right and is reviewing a student’s portfolio at the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/30]
This year I am also working with the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference in Fort Worth, TX. Southwestern Photojournalism Conference takes place the first weekend in March.
Bill Bangham, Eugene Richards, and Stanley Leary at the SWPJC. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/60]
Dave Black looks at a person’s portfolio at the SWPJC. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/50]
We took our daughter Chelle to Los Angeles during Spring break for her first visit. We visited all of her uncle’s friends.
Pam Goldsmith is a world-renowned violist who was Richard Zvonar’s partner for more than 20 years. Richard is our daughter’s uncle. Pam took time to help Chelle, who had also taken up the viola. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/9, 1/60]
Chelle visits Richard Bugg, who works with Meyer Sound. Their sound system is what was in the Beijing Olympics and other major productions throughout the world. Richard Bug is another one of Richard Zvonar’s business associates. Together, they built this sound design system. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 400, ƒ2.8, 1/6]
Dorie and Chelle are standing in front of Chick-fil-A in Hollywood, CA. We stopped here for lunch while seeing the sights of Hollywood one day. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/3.5, 1/800]
Dorie, Stanley, and Chelle Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/200]
Another friend of Richard Zvonar is Ronan Chris Murphy, who has a recording studio in Santa Monica, where we visited him. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/6.3, 1/25]
Chelle and Dorie are standing in front of the Hollywood sign. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 280, ƒ/29, 1/60]
Now you don’t have to go to Hollywood to meet the stars. Many live near us in Roswell, GA.
Chelle met Pip, an American singer who participated in season 2 of The Voice as part of Team Adam Levine while she was a model in the show with Pure Fashion. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/125]
I get to live out much of my life through my kids. So her school had Mark Wood come and do a workshop with the orchestra Wood was one of the violinists and an original member of the symphonic rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which he left in 2009. He has also played with Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Steve Vai, Westworld, and Lenny Kravitz. As a solo performer, he has released seven CDs featuring his versions of popular rock songs. On these CDs, he is accompanied by “The Mark Wood Band,” consisting of one member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, several other musicians, and his wife, Laura Kaye.
Chelle even got to sing with him on stage.
Mark Wood is leading the workshop. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100]
Chelle is performing on her Viola with Mark Wood. [Nikon D4, 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sigma, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/320]
Chelle is singing with Mark Wood. [Nikon D4, 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sigma, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/320]
As you can see, photography is helping me remember and share my moments with you and the world.
1st Lt. Nelson Lalli returned this past summer after serving our country in Afghanistan for nine months. We were so thankful he returned home. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/8, 1/60]
While many other moments were unique, I will close out this past year with my coverage in Mexico. I was thrilled to cover a coffee cooperative that is turning not just the farmer’s lives around but their communities.
David Cifuentes Velazquez, the coffee grower and member of the Just Coffee Cooperative enjoys sharing with a visiting group how coffee has grown. The joy on his face and family captured the restoration of their family because of the coffee cooperative. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5, 1/80]
Remember, everyone has a story, and I would love to help tell your account. So give me a call if you need any help.
Check out my latest package I translated into English from my coverage of coffee cooperative in Mexico below.
Can the Fuji X E-2 16M sensor do the job for a working pro?
As you can see in the photo above, the quality is there for available light shooting full frame, but when people ask if the 16M sensor is good enough, they want to see the photo at 100%.
100% view of the image above
Here is a low light situation: how many street photographers and photojournalists would capture their images? Of course, if you are shooting a commercial job, you would likely be shooting with a low ISO.
Fuji X E-2, ISO 200, ƒ/18, 1/180
Here is a portrait of my daughter shot with the Fuji X E-2. Again the question is, what about at 100%?
100% view of the photo above.
From my perspective, it would be a rare moment that any of my clients would ever need anything with more megapixels than this camera gives me.
Now, my lab is telling me that if your camera is a 6M size sensor and they can make any size print from this file size, then it would appear that 16M is more than sufficient.
So I wasn’t surprised to hear that Hiroshi Kawahara, Fujifilm’s Operations Manager, also said that 16M was enough.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGsoBUIFrM]
If the other camera manufacturers do not learn from what Fuji is doing, Fuji will crush them. What is essential to listen to in the interview is how even while they think 16M is enough, they still listen to the customer and are researching to improve the megapixels.
One coolest thing about Fujifilm is its firmware upgrades for all its cameras. They continue to upgrade their cameras because they are listening to the customer. The firmware upgrades for the cameras make them even better. For the most part, if you want the latest camera design from other manufacturers, you must buy the latest one. While you might think this could hurt sales, it is doing just the opposite for Fuji.
Conclusion: The Fuji X E-2 exceeds the needs of my clients right now. It is a camera I am shooting now for corporate jobs.
Most of us think you will succeed when you do everything right. The problem is the best companies make mistakes and are not perfect, so how do they rise from the ashes?
Take a moment and see what you can learn from a coffee cooperative in Mexico. See if there is something for you to take away from their story that can make your business brand more robust and more profitable.
Last month I traveled to Mexico and Guatemala, covering Coffee Farmers of the coffee cooperative Just Coffee. You may not realize it, but coffee is the number 2 commodity traded globally, right behind oil.
Commodity
The problem the farmers were having problems before they formed in 2000 was the price of the coffee. So you see, the buyers were exploiting the small farmer. Most coffee farmers around the world have a two-acre farm.
What had happened in Mexico and much of the world was the exploitation of the farmers was putting them out of business—avoiding exploitation why some of the coffee growers like Edmundo Ballinas Domínguez crossed the US border illegally. He worked on the golf courses here where I live in Atlanta.
As you hear in the video, due to the cooperative’s changes, he is sending his two daughters to nursing school to get healthcare for his family. Before the cooperative, his daughters would not have gone off to school, and he would be in debt to save his family due to a lack of healthcare insurance.
Migrant Workers
A migrant worker is someone who pursues work. They are not people that look for entitlements without work.
Many people around the world migrate to survive. But unfortunately, many people are forced from their land due to their race, becoming illegal immigrants.
Fair Wage
What I realize more and more is that many people who buy services do not care about the people they are purchasing. Instead, they want the lowest price. As a result, people were missing honor, dignity, and respect.
I also have discovered treating people fairly; I will work harder and even go that second mile.
Listen to Carmina Sanchez talk about how not just being paid a fair wage but being flexible so she can be a good mother is important to her.
Everyone has a story.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HHFAHnJkBc]
Listen to how Adrián González talks about not just how Just Coffee is blessing him but he is excited to be a part of something that cares for others.
The Key Ingredient
Robert McKee, the world’s best-known and most respected screenwriting lecturer, believes that executives can engage listeners on a whole new level if they toss their PowerPoint slides and learn to tell good stories instead.
What is a story? It tells why and how a person’s life has been changed. Here are some key things you must have in a report for it to grasp the audience.
First, you need to have a crisis of some sort. Blake SnydeSnyder’s Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’lYou’ll Need talks about how you need something to overcome in the story. Then you help your subject overcome the crisis.
What makes you like your protagonist is how believable they are. I often see how screenwriters will have a crisis that the actors are to overcome, and then they have thrown into the mix a flaw in their character. To overcome their problem, they must also overcome their weakness.
Some of the best storytelling I have read is in the Bible. King David is an excellent example of a lovable character with many flaws.
What is critical to the great Bible stories is GRACE. Grace is where a character gets a second chance. This second chance is crucial because they genuinely don’t deserve it.
What is THE essential ingredient to a successful business–GRACE. When you are known as being gracious, you know that you are working from being humble and appreciative. You don’t take people for granted.
Listen to what touched Joshua Ediger in the stories of the coffee growers that he is now telling their story. His comments are what they call word-of-mouth advertising.
Regularly I am asked for advice on how to become a photographer. I average doing this about three to four times a month. So I decided I needed to write a blog to help people with some advice I provide everyone. Much of my comments come from my Christian perspective.
First, I need to try and talk you out of being a photographer, but I wrote on this earlier HERE. So be sure and read it as well.
What do you like to photograph?
I am surprised how often, when I ask this question, people pause and have to think about this question. If you are unsure, this is a great indication you love the process of photography and have no clue that photography is about a subject, not the gear.
Subjects people like to photograph [there are more than here] • People • Animals • Still life • Nature • Sports
Who buys these kinds of photographs?
Again I am surprised that many folks do not know who buys photos. Photography is a business, and it provides a service to some markets. How will your photographs help this marketplace? Why do people need your photos?
What kind of lifestyle do you want?
You would be surprised how many people want to be a war photographer and have a family. I think of my friend Tom Kennedy, former director of National Geographic’s photography, who constantly talked with his photographers as they went through divorces.
Even the Apostle Paul talked about lifestyle choices.
1 Corinthians 7:8 (NIV) Now to the unmarried and the widows, I say: It is suitable for them to stay unmarried, as I do.
Match your subject to your lifestyle choice
Take the time to explore all the kinds of photography you could do, and then look for ways this can dovetail with your lifestyle desires. It is easier to have narrowed this to something realistic than to continue to dream without some reality.
Not always logical
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
One would be surprised to hear that I have Asperger’s Syndrome. The characteristics of Asperger’s are significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication. I bring this up because spending a lifetime struggling with Asperger’s syndrome has sensitized me and made me a better communicator. I had to think about situations and try and understand them more than most to communicate what I needed.
This weakness became my strength. People with Asperger syndrome often display intense interests, as I have in photography.
I played to my strengths to help overcome many of my weaknesses. I was learning that I did something better than many others because of my wiring.
I believe every person has strengths and weaknesses. How this applies to your profession, like photography, is to look at what it takes to be successful in that profession.
Like most folks, you will notice you have some weaknesses required to succeed. However, you will also discover you have some natural talents that help you excel. Learn to play to your strengths. Please don’t ignore your weaknesses; acknowledge them and find people to help you.
Maybe you will outsource marketing to someone, so you can concentrate on what you do best. However, to be successful, you still must market yourself. You don’t have to do all this yourself. That is the key to success. Know your weaknesses and strengths. Know what you need to do in your chosen field to succeed, and be sure you excel, even if that means getting help.
Dr Linda Henkel, conducted a study at Fairfield University in Connecticut where they led a group of students around a museum and asked them to either photograph or try to remember certain works of art and historical exhibits. She said: “People so often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly.”
What many writers are taking away from this is “photographs STOPS our brains remembering what happened.” Just Google “photography doesn’t help you remember” and you will see the articles all quoting research.
I think the research got it right and even Dr. Henkel clarified her comments, but what do writers want you to hear? I think they are tired of hearing “a photograph is worth 1,000 words.”
Photos that are worth the category of a 1,000 word story are not where the photographer just pulls out their camera and snaps a quick photo. I think if we look at how Norman Rockwell used photography to come up with a great illustrations. Rockwell would have many different photos for him to pull from to create his masterpiece.
When a photo is going to not just help you remember, but tell a story to those who were not there with the photographers then the perspective the photographer chooses and the moment can help capture a story.
Too many people just pull out their phones today and because it is with them they are even more careless than when they had to think to remember to bring a camera. Since it is with them all the time and they are not having to buy film and pay for each shot–they cheapen the moment by mindlessly just clicking the photo.
“Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and reminiscing about them,” said Dr. Henkel.
Photographs that tell stories require the photographer to think before pressing the shutter release. What should they be thinking about to have photos that will later tell the story?
Why am I taking this photo?
What is the story?
What do I want those who see the photo to do after they see it?
How do I feel about this story?
What can I do to help convey my emotions about the story in the photograph?
What must be “Within The Frame” of the photograph?
What will be left out of the frame of the photograph?
Where do I want everyone to look first?
How can I compose this photo so that the secondary is secondary, but still relevant.
In the photo above of the gift of a viola to a young man you can see the lady, who is his mother, looking on and conveying pleasure. The son is thrilled not just for himself, but for his mother.
The story is that this single mother works several jobs to put food on the table and roof over her family. They do not really have the money for her son to be playing a viola, but the viola may just be his ticket to college and a career.
I wanted to capture this moment of telling the story of why this gift was such a big deal. I don’t think you will think I just pulled out my phone and took this photo. You can tell it is more than a memory jogger. Because I thought about it not only will I remember the moment–my photo will help others who were not there to know the story.
My stepson went to The Citadel in Charleston, SC. We were very proud of him for making the elite Summerall Guards rifle team. Here is a description from The Citadel:
The Summerall Guards, a silent precision drill platoon from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, demonstrate The Citadel ideals of honor, integrity, loyalty, leadership, self-discipline and patriotism.
Consisting of 61 members, the Summerall Guards are first-class (senior) cadets who go through a rigorous physical training and initiation process and are chosen for their physical stamina and drill proficiency.
Membership is considered a high honor at the military college.
The team’s precision is fantastic; if just one person is slightly different, the unit looks terrible.
This understanding of the standards makes it difficult for parents to find their son or daughter.
The rear Guide helps to lead the movements.
The leaders stand out at The Citadel. They have mastered the role all must play, but then have something special that separates them from leadership.
We enjoyed watching the Front Guide and Rear Guide for the Summerall Guards. You see what appears to be a solo dance, but the two are acting just like drum majors helping the unit keep time and step.
The same type of standards exists in photography. When you are not up to par, you stand out from the crowd as one making the mistakes. However, when you master the standards, you may be the one that is leading the field.
How to Charge the Best Rates
It comes down to how well you know your client. The better you know them, the chances are you have a good idea of what they really can afford. Unfortunately, today it is tough to obtain this information because vendors realize they are often a commodity and cannot afford to level the playing field.
Your work must be pretty high caliber to compete, but today you can be pretty awesome and still compete with many other vendors. Like the Summerall Guards are a group of elite students at The Citadel, there are still 61 of them. But, in that group, there are leaders.
Anytime you get a job based on your price, it is almost impossible to raise that rate. You also may get a job based on some pretty incredible work, but if the job you do for them doesn’t come up to the same standard as what your promotional material displayed, then you will not only lose future work, they will talk about you not in a good way. These comments will hurt your reputation with other clients.
The Summerall Guard not only will let themselves down by someone being out of step, but they also let down the whole school. The consistency of the performance has fans staying during halftime to see them perform.
The second thing you want to address is the overall experience with you. The experience includes your personality, your service, and those things that are hard to put into words but impact the client. Either you were disappointed, came in as professional, or exceeded expectations. Naturally, when you exceed expectations, they desire to have that experience again.
The third thing that will help you is your ability to be strategic. Strategic thinking is where you are thinking ahead of the client and able to anticipate their needs. You become like Steve Jobs. People don’t even know they need a tablet, but Steve Jobs saw how this could improve their lives.
If you can deliver on being strategic, and if you do it often enough, you too will have people lined up at your door whenever you come out with something new, like Apple.
As you can see, having pretty pictures will not cut it today without some business acumen.
You must know your market, your clients, and your client’s needs to command high or even reasonable rates today. If you see this content and understand photography, you will have confidence that customers will respond by treating you as the expert to help them.
The cadets at The Citadel learn to stand out for the right reasons. The top cadets are not the ones with the brass shined, just perfect and spit-shined shoes. They are well groomed, but when you encounter the leaders, how they carry themselves separates them from the others.
Can you look to your left and right and know you are in line with the profession? Do you know how to stand out that have your peers admiring you?
Remember, the Summerall Guard is 61 of the 2,250 cadets at The Citadel. They are only 2.7% of the student body. I would say that among professional photographers, 2.7% get reasonable rates.
Nelson Lalli, my stepson, is in the middle with his other friends from the Summerall Guards. On the left is Matt Spyzinsky and on the right is James Harrell.
