Pete Casabonne recently joined PPR to head up PPRpix, a new online photo printing service. Pete brings over 30 years of experience in the professional photo processing industry. Whether film or digital, Pete’s depth of knowledge will help you get the best possible results.
Pete Casabonne shows one of many 40″ x 60″ prints made for Atlanta Falcons.
He is excited to show some of his new book designs. I have been to their lab and the equipment he is using gives him options he has never had before in his 30 years until now.
Many photographers struggle with getting good skin tones and colors in their prints. Listen to the video to Pete what he recommends you do to get the best color.
PPRpix offers two ways to submit your files: 1) What you submit is what you get or 2) They will color correct your image to the best color they see fit.
Beside offering a range of photographic prints, finishes and mounting, PPRpix has a digital press that will print front and back things like business cards, post cards and posters. They also offer custom book publishing as well.
Pete will be at the Atlanta Christians in Photojournalism meeting September 22nd at Roswell Presbyterian Church. Click here for more details.
Let me start with the client’s email to me the morning after the event. Yes I deliver quickly.
The pictures are great. I really love the clarity; especially those that are up close. Please send me an invoice so I can submit payment.
thanks again!!
When I cover a party I have a shot list in my head. As I work through the list I notice that I become more and more relaxed as I tick things off the list.
I have learned over time to cover an event in phases that allows me to be sure I have the “safe” shots and then slowly I can add the photos that add to the package.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2800, ƒ/4, 1/100
Phase One
Arrive early and start taking photos of the location. Most likely the hosts have spent a little money on the food and the caterer has done their best within the budget to show their best.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 5600, ƒ/4.8, 1/100
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 5600, ƒ/5, 1/100
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 4500, ƒ/5.3, 1/100
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/100
By arriving early you can have more space to work as well. No one is really there and this gives you the ability to backup, move close, and change your angle to get what you like for representing the food.
All the food shots I did with available light. I am not trying to do the cover of Southern Living Cookbook so I am not shooting the photos at the lowest ISO and lighting the food to make it look it’s very best. My purpose is to show the food as it looked for the event.
I try to use available light as much as feasible. All the food shots were done with available light.
Phase Two
I work the room trying to get photos of the people interacting. During this time I might use some flash to fill in the shadows. I want to be sure the photos are solid and not me pushing the limits of the situation, which might not work.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
As you can see this is where I might have the guest pose for a photo. I am encouraging them to get closer to one another. Now if they do not want to get too close I just capture them with a little space or when they want to show a true friendship you might see them holding on to each other.
I try and shoot these just a little loose for two reasons. First if you shoot too tight and they want an 8×10 print then they may not have enough excess to crop the photo from long side. The same can be true for a 5×7 except this is where they don’t have enough from the short side to crop. Keeping it loose allows for different dimension prints.
Second, I like to show the environment. I think this is one of the largest mistakes made by amateurs. They come in so close the pictures no longer have any context. Whose party are they attending anyway?
Why Flash?
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 900, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 500, ƒ/5.6, 1/80 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome. They are outside on a porch with an overhang that has a white ceiling.
During the second phase I am occasionally shooting available and then quickly adding a flash. The reason is the flash will help fill in the shadows. With darker skins their is a tendency to loose the face details if you are not careful. Notice the difference in the skin tones of the face of this lady and you will see how the lower photograph is technically nicer. I prefer the expression of the first photo and wish I had the flash on for that photo and then it would be perfect for my taste.
As one who is always advocating getting the flash off the camera, unless the budget would have allowed for a photo assistant to walk around with my flash the guests would most likely bump into a light stand and maybe get hurt and/or damage my gear. So I stayed with on camera flash for this event. However, I did bounce it and never shot with it directly pointed at the subjects.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/60 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/3.5, 1/500 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 400, ƒ/4.8, 1/80 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/4, 1/250 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 1/125 and Nikon SB-900 bouncing on the ceiling with no diffusion dome.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 1000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 3600, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/200 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/125 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Notice in these two photos I have switched to an ultra wide-angle lens the Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8. I love shooting with these lens to help give context and put the viewer as if they are standing right their on the porch and part of the conversation.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 1000, ƒ/5.6, 1/200 and no flash
Notice in this photo below I went just a little wider than the photo above. The one above is shot at 24mm and the one below at 19mm. I love seeing the three women in the back in three different conversations. You can just tell everyone is enjoying themselves and having moments of their own.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/200 and no flash
Using the 28-300mm lens I can zoom in as I have done below with the photo of the guy listening to another person. This was zoomed to 300mm and let me look across the room just like you would if you are there to catch glimpses of others enjoy conversations.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/250 and no flash
You need some overall shots to capture how many people came to an event. This is everyone gathering for a few comments at the cocktail party. I shot it with the Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm to capture as much of the room as possible. I am holding the camera as high as I can above my head and angling it down to show the room almost like a security camera would do in the corner of a room.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 2200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and Nikon SB-900 bounced with no diffuser.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/5.6, 1/200 and Nikon SB-900 bounced without the diffuser
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/125 and no flash
Phase Three
Usually there is a point that I have photographed most everyone in the room a few times. I have the event covered if I were to stop working. This is where I am now freed up to start looking around for more interesting photos.
Now in Phase Two I did some of these photos, but this is where now I just look for moments and may push the limits of the situation. A good example is shooting with the Nikon 28-300mm zoomed to 300mm shooting available light. Even at ISO 12800 inside you might be hand holding at really slow shutter speeds.
I did this and had to toss a lot of the photos because of camera movement or the subject moved. It would be common for the subject to start laughing and toss their head back in the process and I get a blur and nothing is sharp. This is why I often wait to do these shots in Phase Three, but I might mix a few in Phase Two.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 11400, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/160 and Nikon SB-900 bounced with no diffusion
Since I have pretty much everything the client needs, when the chef asked for a photo for himself it was easier to meet this request towards the end. I could have done this in Phase One, but he was very busy then.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 4500, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
With the photo of the man in the center and the people around the table I moved a little back and forth until I used him to block the light behind him. This is the president of Georgia Tech talking to the new tenured professors.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 11400, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
In this photo below you can see the dining room from above. Hopefully this gives you the reason why you arrive early to take photos of the food. Where do you stand to get those photos now?
Nikon D4,14-24mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
In the following two photos notice the slow shutter speeds and high ISO settings. The top photo was shot at 250mm and the lower one at 210mm. Either of these would normally be shot at a minimum of 1/250 shutter speeds to be sure there is no camera movement. In the lower photo I am shooting at 1/40 shutter speed. While I can do everything as perfect to capture this moment all it takes is for the lady to move slightly and it is a blur. This is why I shoot this type of photo without a flash and ISO 12800 in Phase Three. I am taking larger risks. If I did this in Phase Two the number of photos I would be giving the customer would shrink drastically.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 8000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100 and no flash
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/40 and no flash
The Seasoned Pro
It takes years to really know how to shoot in this way. Besides dividing up types of photos I am also pushing the limits of the flash and available light.
Shooting the way I did for this event is very complex, but the results I think speak for themselves. I think I captured real moments with very little intrusion. This is why clients hire me, not because they just need a photographer. They need a photographer who will come in and not come to them complaining about not enough light and basically creating problems.
Before my client even saw these photos they were excited to invite me back. They liked how I work was their comment to me as I left. If it is that evident they see a difference in how I work as compared to other photographers and they haven’t even seen the results, then I know it is my years of experience showing in how I carry myself.
This is a taste of what it is like to be on the sidelines of a football game.
As you can see in the photo above all the photographers are there getting the shot right in front of them. Hopefully you are noticing my shot of the action is not so good. I am all the way on the other side of the field shooting with a 300mm ƒ/2.8 lens.
As you can see it isn’t that I missed the moment, I was not in the best position for the play. This is why most major outlets like Sports Illustrated, Associated Press and some major newspapers will have more than one photographer at a game. They can position on opposite sides of the field to improve the odds of having the play covered.
Here you can see the same play and moment, but this was captured by another photographer who was in a better position than me. This is why having more than one photographer covering an event is important. (photo by: Greg Thompson)
Photo Assistants
Daniel Shirey has a photo assistant working with him during the game.
The photo assistant during the football game is an extra set of eyes and ears for the photographer. They also help carry the gear and give it to the photographer as they need it.
They will also know the shot list of the photographer and help them point out when certain things are just about to come up or are now happening. They watch also for players just about to run over the photographer to help them get out of the way.
I have noticed that most of the time the videographers are standing while a good number of the photographers are on their knees. If you look closely you will see knee pads on many of the photographers. This help protect the knees and help the photographers stay on them longer due to the cushions.
Standing vs Kneeling
Nikon D4, 500mm, ISO 12,800, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000
This photo of the NC State player shows a shot from standing. As you can see there is a slightly downward look towards the field.
Nikon D4, 150mm, ISO 8000, ƒ/5, 1/2000
If you look closely you will notice the camera is below eye level of the players. I am shooting more up and towards the players. The advantage here is you make the players bigger and more heroic than when you shoot from standing up.
Pay attention to your backgrounds and try to keep them clean. Shoot low to the ground as often as you can and keep that shutter speed really fast. I am using 1/2000 for the shutter speed to not only stop the action, but it improves the sharpness of the players.
Atlanta Journal & Constitution’s photographer Johnny Crawford talks with a younger photographer about how he likes to work from the end zone.
“Look to your left, look to your right–when you graduate, only one of you will be there” was what incoming freshmen used to hear at Georgia Tech. The numbers showed that was true.
If everyone who was to be a photographer was required to have a college degree the speaker on that first day might say in this incoming freshman class of 100 only 10 of you will graduate.
As I look around at other photographers work, I am blown away at their talent. What is really scary is seeing new faces with so little experience that are talented as well.
“déjà vu all over again!” — Yogi Berra
This weekend I will be on the sidelines of two Chick-fil-A Kickoff games. On the sidelines of these games will be close to a hundred photographers. You can hear the clicks of many of those around you shooting as if they are all in sync with one another.
While you might say I am having a midlife crisis at the age of fifty, actually I have lived with this fear most of my career. After tonight’s game many of these photographers will pick up newspapers, magazines and surf the web for not just their photos, but to look at their competition.
We will all grade our work along the side of the other photographers. At a certain point in your career you start to see that most everyone has the “big play” of the game. This is when you realize it was certain amount of luck that some people were in the right place at the right time.
The funny thing is that some of my friends are always lucky. Over time I realized they were not lucky they just understood the game better than I did and knew how to position themselves to get the best angle on the play of the game.
You can easily get very depressed in this profession. It is very difficult to rise above the competition. The day you arrive at the top is followed by the next day of another photographer finding something new and better to help make their photo stand out from the rest.
We desire something truly revolutionary, but that really never happens.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
This bible verse is what helped inspire Ernest Hemingway to write the Sun Also Rises in 1926. Life can be boring if we let it be. With almost unlimited TV stations and radio stations many of us still will flip through the channels and say there is nothing on we want to hear or see.
If we are not careful we can be doomed to a life of dulness.
Can you ever get enough? We want more. In the American culture materialism consumes many of us.
Whatever seems to be new “has been already in the ages before us.” So how do we handle this?
I have two suggestions:
Shoot for yourself
Years ago my photographer friend Ken Touchton was talking about a story he was wanting to do. Another friend looked at him and said that has been done before, to which Ken said, but I haven’t done it.
One of the best reasons to push forward is for yourself. You need to have these experiences and live life to its fullest. Tonight I will enjoy myself because I am trying to get the photos and do my very best.
After the game the world will most likely benefit from all the photographers on those sidelines. They will benefit also by the different sports writers, because each of them have a slightly different perspective and this is what the audience looks for.
Turn to God
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13
For me it is my faith that helps me to endure this world. Ever since man was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, life has been weary and boring. However by living in relationship with God then all this life can have new meaning.
Cameras are not created equal. When you pick up your basic Kodak Brownie Box Camera, there is nothing to adjust. You had no controls. Kodak made the ultimate simple camera and used the slogan, “You push the button, we do the rest.”
There were several versions of the Brownie made by Kodak through the years. The first one had no flash, and later they would incorporate the flash bulb to help you take photos indoors.
Photo by Capt Kodak
Over time people learned how to get good photos because they often had pictures that didn’t come out or were very poor. They learned to keep the sun in the subject’s face versus having them backlighted by the sun.
To overcome those limitations, camera manufacturers started to give control to the photographer.
They put three controls on the cameras: 1) Focus, 2) Aperture, and 3) Shutter Speed.
The film manufacturers then created various films we could put into the camera. The film’s sensitivity allowed you to take photos from outside in bright sunlight to inside without a flash. You would buy Black and White movies with ASA ratings of 12 to 3,200.
You could buy daylight and tungsten film in various ASAs when the color film came out. Later the ASA, which stood for American Standards Association, now ISO, which stands for International Standards Organization.
Before explaining how we got more camera modes, we must first understand the Manual Mode. Manual mode controls Aperture and Shutter Speed.
Aperture
The Aperture is identical to the function of the iris of our eyes. It controls how much light comes through the lens to the sensor.
If you have ever taken a magnifying glass and tried to burn a leaf, you know how to get a bright point by putting the glass between the sun and the leaf and moving it back and forth. Moving it back and forth is precisely how the focus works on the camera.
You will notice this larger light circle when you reach that fine point. If you cut a small hole in a piece of cardboard, you can hold it between the magnifying glass and the leaf and eliminate that from the circle.
If instead of burning a leaf, you were doing this with a camera and taking a photo, the more you eliminate that outer circle, things in front of the subject and behind it that you focused on will become more in focus. This is what we call depth-of-field (DOF). The bigger the opening, the less DOF you have; the background and foreground become fuzzy.
Shutter Speed
While the Aperture controls how much light comes through the lens, the Shutter Speed controls how long the light is on the sensor.
We can stop a bullet if we shorten the time to 1/280,000 of a second. Edgerton did this with a flash to freeze the bullet after going through an apple. Here is a link to that photo.
The longer you keep the shutter open, long enough you can blur things. In this photo from the Civil War times of a street, if you look closely, you will see the blur of people walking and moving. This is how many of those empty streets were photographed back then. The people were there, but not long enough to be recorded.
During the Civil War Times
Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO Combined
When you mix the controls, you must find the right amount of light coming through the lens and staying on the sensor, which has been set to a specific sensitivity (ISO) for good exposure.
Camera Modes
There are four main camera modes on many of today’s DSLR cameras.
Aperture Priority – In this mode, the photographer picks the Aperture they want to work with when photographing a subject. They may want a shallow DOF or everything in focus. Sometimes the photographer wants something else in between. They use the DOF preview button to see what they will get. I wrote an earlier blog on using that here. While the photographer controls the Aperture, the camera picks the shutter speed that correctly exposes the photo for the ISO preferred.
Shutter Priority (Tv Mode on Canon) – This is where the photographer picks the shutter speed to either freeze a subject or blur some of the photographs.
Manual Mode – This is where the photographer is in total control and picks the shutter speed and the Aperture. To be sure the photo is exposed correctly, they will use the camera meter to get the best exposure for the ISO they also picked.
Program Mode – With today’s most modern cameras, the camera has sensors built into the lenses to talk to the camera. This lets the camera know which lens is on the camera and pick the best average setting for aperture and shutter speed to expose the scene correctly.
Scene Modes
Some of the many scene modes are: scene auto selector, portrait, landscape, sports, night portrait, party/indoor, beach, snow, sunset, dusk/dawn, night landscape, close-up, food, museum, fireworks show, copy, backlighting, panorama assist, candlelight, pet portrait, blossom, autumn colors, silhouette, high key, and low key.
These scene modes are like cheat sheets. The photographer does not need to know how to set the camera but pick the scene that best matches what they are photographing.
Snow example
Record breaking snow for 2011
[NIKON D3S, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 5600, 1/8000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 170)]
If you have ever photographed in snow, no matter which of the four modes you choose, A, S, M, or P, they will all be too dark. The camera sees all that snow as it is too bright. It doesn’t know that it is snow.
Experience photographers will open up the exposure by 1.3 or 1.5 stops. For the person not knowing what to do, they pick the snow setting, and the camera will now open up the essential exposure by 1.3 to 1.5 stops to get a good exposure.
Portrait Example
Emily Holihan
Senior Portrait
For portraits, you want a shallow Depth-of-Field. You want the background out of focus and the foreground, as I have done in this photo. Not sure how to do that; just set your camera to portrait scene mode.
Sports Example
Oct 11, 2008; Charleston, SC, USA; Citadel Bulldogs running back Terrell Dallas (23) gains three yards before being tackled by Elon Phoenix defensive end Jordan Daniel (46) in the second half at Johnson Hagood Stadium—final Citadel Bulldogs 23 and Elon Phoenix 27.
When shooting sports, the photographer generally uses a very high speed to freeze the action and a relatively shallow depth of field to make the subject pop out from the background. Figuring this out as the player runs in and out of the sunlight takes some skill, or you can select the sports scene mode on your camera.
Silhouette Example
Baobob Tree in the town of Tenekodogo, Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Maybe you like photographing sunsets and sunrises but want the ground silhouetted. In general, you will need to underexpose the photo about two stops. Again, not sure what to do to get that silhouette, then put your camera on the silhouette scene mode.
You make the choice
It would be best to think before you push the shutter button to get all these different looks. What type of photo am I making? If you do not know and just like pointing the camera and pressing the button, you need to put the camera in “Program Mode.” This will get you closest to a usable photograph.
If you have been shooting in “Program Mode” for a while and are not satisfied with your results, then you need to be able to categorize your photo, at least that you are trying to make, by using the scene mode categories.
After shooting with these scene modes, you may discover you still want even more control. Maybe you want to control the DOF more, so you can now choose “Aperture Mode.”
Maybe you discovered you need to pick the shutter speed, and you can use the “Shutter Mode” to have more control.
You may have situations you need complete control, and you can now choose “Manual Mode.”
Having a camera with all these modes can be overwhelming or help you get what you want.
Once you decide you want more control and understand how to use your camera’s functionality, you will finally pick up the manual you never opened when you bought the camera.
The camera manual explains all the modes and even has examples. Now take that lens cap off and go and shoot some photos.
Kiplinger just “…analyzed the jobless rates and salaries for graduates with the 100 most popular majors to come up with our list of the ten worst values in college majors.”
The research they did was on undergraduate degrees. Number three on their list was “Film and Photography.”
I posted this to my FaceBook page and got a lot of responses. One of my friends, Clark Hill, said:
Lots of times I’ve been out shooting video and a younger person will say “I’d like to get into video, what do you recommend?” I always tell them college prices are a complete waste to learn a craft. My suggestion is to read books on the subject, learn lighting and PRACTICE. Get a reasonably priced liberal arts degree and READ NOVELS, good ones. Learn to tell stories with words and pictures, the skills work together in your brain. Learn about people first and practice the craft.
Sadly the liberal arts degree was number seven on the list.
Faith
People of faith believe that God calls one to a line of work. The word vocation is rooted in the church. It means to be called, and when first used, it referred to being called to the priesthood.
The Jesuits outline the seven stages of discerning a call to the priesthood, which I believe is advisable for whatever career you choose, especially photography.
Seven Stages of Vocation Discernment
Attraction or Interest in serving God
Inquiry taking the initiative
Information Gathering being proactive
Discernment understanding the experience
Confirmation of moving toward a decision
Application Process submitting the application
Entrance, if accepted, becoming a Jesuit Novice
There are two parts to a call for the ministry: 1) the personal and 2) the corporate call. While one may feel they are called, the place they will serve must also feel the call to offer them a job.
It makes no logical sense to pursue the call to ministry. Most churches require an M. Div. This degree takes three to five years to earn after a four-year undergraduate degree. For many people, this is a second career, and often they are taking a pay cut even with a higher degree.
Photography
A photographer’s robust portfolio of work is essential for getting jobs. A degree is not necessary to do this as a profession. However, a college degree may be highly advisable, depending on the type of photography you plan to do.
When Tom Kennedy was the director of photography at National Geographic, I wrote to him and met with him. He had a form letter that would go to most inquirers about his recommendations.
He pointed out that most of the photographers working for National Geographic had college degrees in specialized areas. For example, it was pretty standard for someone to have a marine biology degree if they were working on stories in this genre. While the degrees varied, almost all were in the subject they covered and not in photography.
It will help if you become an expert in the subject because you will be covering the topic with experts, and the more you know, the better your coverage will be for the magazine.
You do need to know how to make and take photos. Learning these skills can be done in many ways. I think going to photographic workshops is one of the best ways to learn. These are usually taught by professional photographers doing what they are teaching.
Working as an apprentice to a photographer is another excellent way to learn. I am sure some people would pay to spend time with Warren Buffett. Imagine being there when he decides to buy stock in a company. I think I would be rushing out to follow suit. Why not learn about the stock market from the expert rather than in a classroom if you could get the chance?
Leap of Faith
Søren Kierkegaard, theologian, and the first existentialist philosopher, is credited with the concept of the Leap of Faith. Kierkegaard believed that the paradoxes within Christianity required a leap to accept the faith.
In Indiana Jones, the Last Crusade is a great clip showing the concept of the leap of faith.
I believe pursuing photography as a “vocation” is a significant leap. Even if you feel this is your calling and those around you affirm your gifts, making it a career is still a significant jump.
Learn from the ministry
While those who respond to a call to ministry will earn a degree, they never stop studying the scriptures. They spend incredible amounts of time each week preparing for the sermon.
Besides committing their lives to study, they also commit themselves to obedience. The commitment applies to the photographer as well. The ministers practice their faith, and we, too, must practice our craft daily to remain sharp and competitive.
Keep the bar high for quality. Ministers focus on God to do his will. They are not looking to other ministers to compare and measure their success. We, too, need to look to pursuing creativity at the highest standard we can achieve.
Conclusion
Kiplinger reports, “The new-grad unemployment rate for film and photography majors is only narrowly better than the rate for high school dropouts.”
The film industry is a very tough field to remain competitive in. If you are pursuing this because it seems fun to take pictures, then the odds of you working in retail are high. If this is a calling, the fire within will help you stand up to the tests coming your way.
Use some discernment to see if this is the vocation for you.
Making a statement by wearing your team colors and even painting your body is what a Raving Fan does for their sports team. However, at most venues derogatory or profane signs, banners, clothing items and language are prohibited along with signs attached to sticks.
Why can’t you just wear what you want to wear at a public event? You might be thinking I paid for the event and I am not hurting anyone.
It is a violation of federal law to air obscene programming at any time. It is also a violation of federal law to air indecent programming or profane language during certain hours. Congress has given the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the responsibility for administratively enforcing these laws.
Bottom line: Obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution and cannot be broadcast at any time.
Due to this law having any fan at a venue can jeopardize a broadcast of a game.
Connecting the dots
What surprises me on a regular basis is how crude many people are in work situations. They like telling off color jokes that adolescents would do in boys locker rooms.
First of all how something is deemed offensive is different from person to person. Often those around you will say nothing even if they are offended. You need to know that the minute you use profanity in the work place you are running the risk of being offensive to someone.
Second many see the use of profanity when someone is frustrated or disappointed as lacking character or being crude.
Lastly, profanity taken to the extreme a person can be fired or even worse sued.
Counterculture
In the rebellious counterculture you will see a lot of profanity worn on clothing and used in speaking. Even in this environment the improper use of profanity can cost you.
One great example I just experienced last week was a pop-punk band playing in a local dive. We took our daughter to the event and were talking with the dad of one of band players. He is a clean cut guy just trying to support the kids. They are promoting themselves and hoping to book bigger venues.
The problem one of the band members created was wearing a shirt with profanity. Many of the big venues want to promote their venue and if they see photos of the band wearing profanity it might cost them bookings in the future.
Paying your bills and having a career
Once you start realizing how much things cost you learn very quickly to fit into the work culture. You buy a new wardrobe than what you wore in school. You are on your best behavior while you are at work.
Today with social media what you do in your off time is no longer off limits for your employer. How you conduct yourself out of work can get you fired from your job.
If you want to have a family and provide for them you soon realize you need a way to continue to get promotions and climb the success ladder so you can afford to feed those extra mouths and maybe even provide more things that you want them to have.
So, if you wonder why you haven’t been getting jobs or have lost some jobs in the past can you rule out your use of profanity in your life as a culprit? Is it really worth the cost to speak your mind?
When you are on staff and you are asked to do more then you just have to do it. However, there are a few things you can do if you are on staff and the requests are unreasonable.
If there are reasons you cannot accomplish all that is on your plate then you need to ask them what you need to take off. I would enjoy helping you, however I have these other projects. Which of these projects can I let go of or can we send these to an outside freelancer?
Sometimes the requests requires something that you do not know how to do or you may need more resources. This is when you explain you could do this but without these resources I am unable to accomplish your request. You articulate as necessary why you need it and let them determine if they want to help make it happen.
You do not want to be known as the staff person who is always saying no. You want to be viewed as the staff person willing to make adjustments to make things happen.
Yes …, However …
I had a eureka moment when I was explaining a situation to my friend Tony Messano. Tony is a creative director and helped me to know how to be positive.
“You need to let the client say no,” said Tony. No matter the request you can handle almost any request with yes I would love to help you, however to make that happen this is what I need from you.
Scenarios
While you are here, can you photograph this?
Can we just stop by here on our way?
Your camera can do video right? Can you just get me a quick shot of this?
Can you put these up on the web in a gallery for us?
Can you make a few extra DVDs?
I am sure you can think of numerous other scenarios to add to this list. The key is these requests land outside the contract and agreement that you have with the client.
Contract
If you do not have a contract you are already screwed. You need something that you and the client can look at which lists what the client will receive.
I recommend writing a contract based on a project rather than an hourly wage. If you base it on an hourly wage then whatever they ask you to do in the time you have given to them is fair game. You have become a day laborer or just like the staff position.
When you do a project contract there are a few things I recommend you cover. This is specific details of the work, price, and rights.
Work to be performed
What you will photograph
The style that it will be photographed
How many images will they receive and the format they will receive them
Time of delivery of the images
Price
How much for the work
Expenses
Time of payment for the work
How they can use the images (rights)
You should get even more specific in the terms and conditions which ASMP has a recommended contract for this here.
Carry the contract with you to the job. When the client asks for any changes outside the realm of what the contract covers, be ready to pull it out and say we can make the necessary changes here to the contract so we can get what you want done. This is when they ask for more you give the additional price for the work.
Tip: Ken Touchton a freelancer friend of mine recommended even writing into the contract a fee for any additional photography. He usually adds this as any additional projects the price is a certain amount. The idea is that you are quoting on similar projects that you are already doing that day. An example is adding one more portrait.
Magic words
Yes I can make that happen for you, however to do that then this must happen …. What would you like to do?
But Stanley …
What if I don’t want to do the work? If there is an ethical or legal reason to say no to a request be sure and price it to make it worth it if they approve your price. This is similar to my jerk price, where I charge enough for those difficult clients that I can work with them for the day.
Too often I have said no when I should have taken my own advice in the past. Two things would have happened. First of all I would have maybe made more money and second I would have kept more clients because of my positive attitude.
One of the most challenging things to understand is who the decision maker who hired you is, who you are working for, and not the company.
If John Smith of a project team hires you to photograph a project and John Smith works for Coke, you need to know that Coke didn’t hire you, but John Smith, who works for Coke, hired you.
Steve Potter showcases groundbreaking work on neural interfaces, holding a computer connected to a petri dish containing a rat brain. The Hybrot experiment aims to develop a neural interface between neurons and robots to exhibit approach and avoidance behaviors, ensuring a robot can approach a target without collision while maintaining a desired distance. This research could pave the way for robots to perform precise tasks efficiently by achieving repeatable neural reactions.
I worked for Georgia Tech a few years ago, and the problem of who paid for the photography came to my attention in a very messy situation.
The Research Institute, a separate part of the Georgia Institute for Technology, had asked our department to photograph a project. Since I was the only photographer on staff, they hired me to shoot a research project.
The research was done at the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. It would be best if you noticed this is a different department. The Research Institute had built an incredible reputation for getting work published in major popular news and science magazines like Popular Mechanics, Business Week, and other publications.
The Research Institute’s writer contacted me, and they paid for the photography.
Unknown to me then, the College of Engineering had contacted my department to help promote the project. When I had been to the researcher and shot the project, the writer in our department went to our files, pulled the images, and sent them out with his story.
This was when we had a very messy situation. The writer who had his department pay for the photography didn’t get to use the photos first, and the other writer not only scooped the story and got a feather in his cap but also used photos that another department had paid to produce.
Revolutionizing paint quality control: Georgia Tech Research Institute researchers partner with PPG to simulate and solve paint challenges using lasers.
New Policy
After that fiasco, we put a new policy in place. Whichever department paid or initiated a project could use the photos first, and anyone wanting to use them had to have permission from that department.
Since this was all with tax dollars, it technically belonged to the state and not a department. However, we realized we needed to address this or have another solution. The problem was that if a department was using its budget to create something and another department didn’t spend any money; it would be creating ill will.
My Policy
No matter who requests photos, I always tell them I am more than willing to help and want to help them. However, I told them it was not my call and encouraged them to contact my client. I am more than willing to help once my client has approved the use.
The Politics
The more you know about the company and the organizational structure, the easier it is to handle these requests.
When you know that the client’s boss is making a request, I can handle this much differently when it is just another department.
Handling a request
Take the request: When someone comes up to you while you are working and requests something, I usually hand them a business card and ask them to contact me by email and put their request in writing. I explained that I would love to help them, but I am currently shooting.
Often, the request disappears because they do not follow up with you. This is a great way to handle most photography requests. Usually, someone asks for a favor for free rather than wanting to compensate you for the work.
This will buy you time to respond to them by email properly or by giving them a phone call. I find having time to think through something without having to be actively engaged in listening is the smartest thing you can do for any request.
Let the client know of the request: Before responding, let your client know of the request. Ask them if they would prefer to handle the request themselves or if they would like you to handle it.
Usage Rights: When creating a contract with the client, you need to address image rights. Are you giving them one-time, exclusive, or unlimited rights, for example? It would be best if you addressed the time limit for these rights. I cannot think of a situation where a client has hired you that you will not need to wait until they use an image before you start selling it on the open market.
Christine Messano and Andrew Bennett’s wedding
Wedding Photography
If the bride’s parents are paying for the photography, this is important regarding their requests. The dynamics change significantly when the bride and groom pay, and then the bride’s mother asks for memorable photos outside your agreement with the bride.
In summary, you need to know that just because a person at a large company hired you to shoot something for them and even if you have given them unlimited usage, this does not mean that if another person from the company asks for the photos, that you give them to that person.
You will gain this client’s trust as long as you honor the client relationship. How you handle the requests from the other people in the company can help them see you as a professional with ethics and solid business practices.
A couple of years ago a friend of mine introduced me to Portillo’s in Chicago. It is an experience for sure. You come in stand in a line to order. My friend encouraged me to order the the Italian Beef sandwich with everything in it. I also ordered a side order of crinkle fries and a chocolate malt shake.
I enjoyed it more because of all the experience around the food. I am in Chicago and for my last meal I decided to stop by the Portillo’s in Schaumburg.
Before you even go in the door the view from the parking lot is not like other restaurants. Look at all the flowers and the manicured landscaping around the building.
Nikon P7000, ISO 1087, ƒ/2.8, 1/350
Once you walk through the door you are transported back to the 1960’s when the restaurant started. Extremely clean and colorful. Unlike Cracker Barrel restaurant where everything on the walls is from the past, but looking rusted and worn out, here at Portillo’s everything looks brand new.
For those of us who remember living during the 1960’s this looks even cleaner than my memories, but there is enough memorabilia to take me back to those years.
Nikon P7000, ISO 320, ƒ/2.8, 1/110
The staff is dressed in white shirts with Portillo’s in script on the back, ties, black aprons and newsboy style hats definitely creates an atmosphere all it’s own. Checker board floor and on the kitchen walls definitely creates a flash back to year’s ago.
Neon signs were created in 1910 and very popular between 1920’s and 60’s. Today designer’s use these to create a feel for a business and often create flashback’s for their customer’s pasts of years gone by.
What about you?
Now when people experience your brand do you transport your customers to another time and place? Does your brand create an atmosphere?
You have a brand whether you know it or not. It might not be so distinctive as Portillo’s, but it may be so bland that you are just know as one of the many providers of services in a market.
Photographer’s have been known to wear certain types of clothing. Often the world travelers are seen in Khaki’s whereas the news photographers are known to be in jeans like the famous news photographer animal on the Lou Grant Show. If you are too young to know what I am talking about here is a link to a photo of animal.
There is even the super hero Spiderman was a photographer known as Peter Parker. Here you can see his photo. I like him because Stan Lee created him. Hopefully you see the humor here.
Our you the hero to your clients helping them out of binds and saving the day? Are you the persnickety Felix Unger that customers like the attention to detail, but find some of your personality strange?
Maybe you see yourself like National Geographic Magazine fictional photographer Robert Kincaid as depicted in the book Bridges of Madison County. You may like Clint Eastwood’s betrayal of Kincaid in the movie version of the book. Kincaid had a way to awaken the soul of a small town woman living on a farm. Do you create excitement with your clients? Maybe not like Kincaid, but in other ways you may create a bit of mystery with your presence.
Ask your friends and maybe some clients to help you know how they think of you now. Then see if there are things you can do to make yourself more memorable and distinctive. Maybe you need a new wardrobe. Maybe you need to take some dance classes to develop better posture.
Know you brand and control your brand. Be intentional and you too can create a following just like Portillo’s does for it’s customers.
A few days I posted a blog about camera insurance. It was inspired by what happened to some of my friends covering the Olympics in London.
A few days later I realized there is a group out there where they are the most vulnerable. These are college students.
First
Before you go off to college you need to have a conversation with your parents about their homeowner insurance. Do not talk to your friends and listen to what their insurance covers and assume it is the same for you. Every single insurance company does things differently and even the same company has many different variables to write a variety of policies.
You want to know about the fine print in your policy, so talk the the agent about some possible scenarios to be sure you are covered.
Possible Scenarios
The amount of gear you have, is it covered or do you need more coverage
If you work for the college newspaper will this affect you being considered a student or professional.
Some college papers pay their staff and this could affect your insurance
Renting of equipment. Can you rent something and still be covered.
You live in a dorm verses at home.
You live in an apartment off campus
Since these are all possibilities don’t hold back. Ask them to give you ways you are not covered. Your idea is to know now before anything happens. You would hate to have all your stuff destroyed in fire, stolen or while shooting a football game it gets damaged and find out it isn’t covered.
Renters’ insurance
It may be the best thing for your family for you to have a separate policy. The odds of you being robbed on campus may be hirer than home. Once you file a claim it may make it more difficult for your parents to find a insurance carrier.
The renters’ insurance is similar to a homeowners’ policy but only covers the contents and not the structure of the apartment. Some insurance companies may let you while you are a student have this policy and just add your camera gear to this.
Professional Organizations
As I mentioned in the first article on camera insurance you may be better off buying camera insurance. As a student you can join the professional organizations at a lower rate than pros and still get access to some of the benefits like insurance.
What to insure
It is recommended you take pictures of all your gear, have copies of all the receipts to show purchase price and write down the serial number. I would recommend making a spreadsheet to show:
the name of the gear
the price of the gear (either paid or replacement cost)
the serial number
date purchased
Most policies that specialize for the photographer will include your computer gear as well. For your computer gear list things like:
Computer
External hard drives
Software
Adobe Lightroom
PhotoMechanic
Microsoft Office
ftp software
Adobe PhotoShop
Final Cut Pro
Monitor Calibrator
Card Readers
Think of your computer as a digital workstation and list everything you bought to work on it. If it is stolen you need to replace all that software and hardware.
Worst Situation
The absolutely worse situation to be in is having all your gear stolen and you don’t know what is covered. Call today and find out what is covered, you may need to buy a separate policy.
Last night at my church we had a party to say goodbye to our youth leader for the past few years. He has enrolled at Fuller Seminary this fall and plans to work on his M.Div.
I took some photos as a way to thank him for his time at our church. I thought I would share here a few of my photos and explain why I shot some of these photos.
First of all most folks would like a few photos of themselves with their friends. They will often make prints of these groups to put into a frame on their desk, on a wall or on a table in their home.
One of the first photos I took was of Stephen with his mother and sister who came to help celebrate with him.
Another photo I took was an overall photo of the room. I took several and here is one that I like the most. The reason I like it is in the foreground are some of the youth that Stephen worked with at the church. The other thing it does is show that a lot of people showed up for this potluck dinner for him.
Some of the youth volunteers had gifts to give to Stephen. Knowing that he was going to live in one of the most expensive places in the country and be a student once again, they gave him money in the shape of a tie. Now I shot a moment when this happened. Later posed shots were taken, but the moment was when he opened up the package. It also captured one of the youth volunteer leaders he worked with through the years.
Detail shots are also helpful. Here we see the book that people signed and wrote special messages to Stephen.
I needed a photo that showed it was a potluck dinner. Now I could have just done a photo of the table, which I did do, but this is better. It also captured how no matter where Stephen turned youth were lining up to have a special moment with him.
I love this shot that shows how enthusiastic Stephen is with youth. We also see how much the mother and the sister also are impacted by his personality. We also see another family waiting to have their moment and in a way you can tell it will be similar.
My wife let me know that some of the youth there were brought to the church by Stephen. This is a special photo because this has some of the people who Stephen helped bring into the church.
The last photo is of my daughter telling Stephen how much she appreciated him. This is my favorite. My daughter has been impacted by Stephen and the other youth leaders. For now she is thinking she wants to be a youth leader one day.
Now besides shooting the photos, I created an online gallery where Stephen and the church can go and download the images, order prints, maybe even put a photo on a coffee mug or a t-shirt. Here is that link.
I have found that the gift of photos to someone can be one of the most appreciated gifts. Remember to mix it up so they will have photos that capture moments and ones they would just like to frame of their friends.
PPRpix offers two ways to submit your files: 1) What you submit is what you get or 2) They will color correct your image to the best color they see fit.
