Archive for Tips & Techniques
A Photographer’s Diary, A New Location
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You know that feeling you get that just washes over you; that feeling of love and joy when you find a beautiful new location that has everything; well I found one this week. It’s actually somewhere that I’ve known about for years yet dismissed as I honestly thought that there was nothing there, and then a couple of weeks ago, I saw a picture at a craft fair that a photographer had taken, and it showed a lighthouse on the beach, and I wanted to go instantly as I love lighthouses.
You know that feeling of love, when there’s a real connection between you and the place you’ve just discovered, and even though there are other people there, you feel like you’re the only one that’s discovered this beautiful place that has so much and just really does it for you.
I’ve come across about three places like this, where my breath has just been taken away by what I see and feel. One is Capri in Italy, when I walked down a road that’s not often used by tourists. I walked down a road and got an unusual view of the Faraglioni rocks, as the limestone rocks rise out of the sea, and I instantly fell in love. The other is a beautiful little village not far from me that I’m going to be using for my Healing with Photography courses.
That too, the first time that I came across it there was an instant connection and it just took my breath away. Not only that, like this location that I found this week, it has everything that can take you through the seasons with lots of interest and locations within the village. Read More→
Diary of a Photographer, The Discomfort of Networking
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These last few weeks have seen a mixture of things going on in my life, mainly new and uncomfortable things, though my business coach keeps telling me that being in discomfort is where you have to be to keep going forward. Hmm! He’s probably right, and it’s reassuring to know that it’s ok to feel uncomfortable at times.
So the first dabble into the unknown came at a networking meeting, and I would be really interested to hear your comments on organised network meetings, not just for me but for other people who are starting to dip their toe in or are trying to work out whether to have a go and if it would help them. It would be good to know if you’ve found them useful, if they have brought you in any extra business or if contacts that you’ve made there have helped you to go forward in your work. So please do leave your thoughts below.
My experiences so far with just one under my belt and another coming up next week; have been good. I have to confess to not being over keen to go when the afternoon came around, just a wee bit of nerves of having to work a room. However, this meeting was lovely and informal and within a minute of walking in I had found a person who is a virtual P.A. meaning that now when I take a few days off I have someone that I can get to check my emails twice a day and respond to any queries. Now I can have a proper holiday and switch off knowing my correspondence is in good hands. Read More→
A Photographer’s Diary, A Guilty Pleasure!
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Monday found me doing something that I never thought I would do, that I have quietly frowned on others who do it, yet after trying it I was converted and wondered why I hadn’t tried it sooner. Though as soon as I had finished I felt guilty and I’m only just starting to think of it something that is ok to do.
What am I talking about? I put an image into Lightroom that I had taken the day before and, (if you could just look over your shoulder to make sure no-one else is reading this); I played around with the colours and shadows. I did something that I never thought I would do; I manipulated a photo to give me a better image than I shot and I loved it! The results were amazing; it took an ordinary looking sky and reflection and made it look stunning.
Prior to work
A Photographer’s Diary, Business All Day
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Last week saw me attending my very first business conference which I really enjoyed. I still do find myself walking around either taking photographs on weekdays or at an event like this and realising that this is what I do now for work and it’s really exciting.
So what did I learn? Well firstly, if I’d gone on the first day there had been a free bar, which considering I’d gone by train would have been ok with me. I turned up early expecting the venue to be heaving yet strangely it was very quiet all day and there were hardly any trade stands there, and of those that were there, very few that had any relevance to me, though I suppose with Healing with Photography I have quite a niche market. Read More→
Photographic Philosophies: Batman vs. MacGyver: by Andrew Wagle
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The current photographic community has two basic philosophies that are best personified by a couple of pop culture character heroes: “Batman” and “MacGyver”. Neither approach is inherently better but do carry with them their own sets of pros and cons. Please keep in mind that these characters simply represent the ideal polar extremes of a spectrum; most photographers will likely relate at a bit to both but more so to one than the other. It really doesn’t matter which hero you “like” more or if you like either one at all, they both have something to teach us about what it means to be a photographer.
Think about both characters for just a moment. Batman would make an awesome photographer. Batman wears all black, has an awesome computer with equally awesome screens, has a great understanding of gobos (bat signal), and has a high-tech fancy gadget for everything. MacGyver would make an equally great photographer even though he’s the complete opposite of that. MacGyver always gets the job done by improvising and working with his surroundings; it isn’t always “pretty and neat” but so long as he has his trusty pocket knife (sub a camera in our case) he got spectacular results. Read More→
A Pricing Strategy That Actually Works: by Chris Horner
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Pricing has to be one of the most volatile topics – next to Nikon vs Canon – that photographers discuss. There are numerous schools of thought on this subject. A scan through any photography forum will show heated debate from every side imaginable. Even seasoned photographers can grapple with this question.
On the subject of pricing, I’m only passionate about one thing – if you truly produce quality work then you should be properly compensated. Period. Stop giving away your talent for free. That’s not going to help anyone, least of all yourself. So just stop it.
As I was going through various pricing scenarios, I read a piece by Rosh Sillars. He argued to sell photography to clients on a per image price. Think of it like working on straight commission. Your client only pays for the images that they want from your shoot. It was an intriguing thought. And it’s a thought that made a lot of sense.
Think of it from a clients point of view. What are they worried about? They’re worried about you not performing, having to pay for something they’re not happy with, and then having to explain to their boss/client why they chose you and all they now have is subpar work coupled with a lot of wasted time and money. Do that too many times and you’ll find yourself unemployable. Often too they may balk at many ‘fees’ that can get tacked on – sitting fees, setup fees, fees for showing up, fees for breathing etc. The fees can begin to look like a bank brochure. The end result is an unpleasant conversation where feelings get hurt.
Per image pricing removes all of that. Read More→
A Photographer’s Diary, Double Take
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The last few weeks I have been freeing myself from the office and heading off out with my camera to take the many spring scenes outside; though I am still waiting on some lively lamb photos. Though now I have a chair with me in the boot of the car, yet more equipment to add to my list, I know I can just pull up beside a field full of lambs and sit and wait.
Original
One image I wanted to capture is a replica of one I took last year; there wasn’t anything wrong with it I just wanted to take it with my new camera and have it as a RAW image. I waited patiently for the weather to be right, for the daffodils to come out and then suddenly our mid-March summer caught me out. I’d been out to check the scene a week or so earlier and the daffodils were tightly in bud and needed at least three weeks. Out came the sun, at a time when I was busy and couldn’t get away from my desk, and very nearly took my scene away from me by the time I got there.
Re-take
As I was knelt down on the ground, moving around to get me into the right position as close as possible to last year’s shot, I realised that actually, my original shot was far better and not just because I had left it almost too late to get there this time around.
It was the same thing when I was in Italy last October. For over five years I have wanted to go back and re-take some photos of the Faraglioni rocks on the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Again, purely to have it on a higher quality recording format. I had thought many times about going back and waiting for the perfect weather, sitting as long as I needed to get what I needed. I even took a paper copy of the image with me to help me line up as best I could.
When I got there I completely forgot exactly which path led down to the shoot position, I ended up walking to a harbour before realising the road was never going to wind around to get me into the same position as the photo I was carrying. When I eventually found the right path, I had completely forgotten that it was down many, many steps, and at the end of long day of walking and visiting old haunts it wasn’t quite what I wanted to find. Read More→
A Photographer’s Diary, Divided Loyalties
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How was your weekend? Mine sent me the strangest of messages of how I can help others with Healing with Photography, yet it came with a twist. As the realisation dawned that I could help a specific group of people to achieve their ambitions in future years, instead of, as is currently happening, letting their head drops, so dropped the other shoe; it would be helping a sports team who are one of the main rivals of the team that I support.
Though as I saw the men, at the end of the game they’d just lost, looking dejected and in the mental zone of feeling that their season is over when there are still several games to go, my heart went out to them. As I was making dinner late that night, I heard a voice say you could help them and stop them ever getting into that place again of not believing in their abilities. That was when the division inside me started! When I see someone in pain I want to help as I presume we all do, yet helping them could be to the detriment of the team I have followed since I was a teenager.
I even went to bed thinking about what to do about this dilemma. I realised though as I dropped off to sleep that it doesn’t matter what my personal ego problems are, these are people that I know without a doubt that I can help, stopping them feeling worthless, powerless or defeated. And I know those feelings as my sports team have lost many things over the years; I understand that pain of a supporter and see all too palpably the pain of the player. Read More→
A Photographer’s Diary, Overcoming Fears and Anxieties
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This week saw a step further in my integrating Healing with Photography into the local community. I was invited to an open day at a group called Smile; a support organisation for people suffering from postnatal depression, and set up and run by mothers who suffered from it themselves.
For me personally, that I attended, represented a big marker and flag waving moment in how far I’d come in my recovery from depression and low self-esteem. A year or more ago the thought of a room full of strangers who might all want to talk to me would have made me refuse the invitation with a host of excuses as to why I couldn’t attend. That I quite happily drove over and even though I had difficulty find the centre and car parking, it was a real turning point that I didn’t take that as a sign that I wasn’t meant to go. A year ago I’d have turned tail and headed for home full of relief that I didn’t have to speak to lots of people.
As I walked into the room filled without about 25 people many heads swivelled in my direction to greet me with warm smiles. I saw the number of people and hesitated, just long enough to give the lady, strategically placed by the door, selling raffle tickets time to pounce. Lightened of some money it was time to move in and meet some of people with those friendly smiles.
By the end of the meet and greet and refreshments, did I mention lunch was included? Well you know me by now, I do enjoy some sustenance. I had spoken to everyone in the room and left giving myself a big pat on the back. Read More→
Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Email Triggers
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Firstly I’m hoping that you use database management software to organise all of your lovely clients. If not put it at the very top of your shopping list as it will make you more money than any lens, Photoshop action or whatever else has caught your eye at a trade show.
You might only have one client and think its not the right time to invest in software that you’ll not really be using that much for a while. In fact it’s the perfect time as you don’t have to waste hours inputting old data from a spreadsheet and you’ll have time to develop your system and processes.
If you can’t afford much then you can’t go far wrong than the free version of Studio Cloud to start you off. Although the email triggers are a paid upgrade ($30 per month) to the free service but it’s done as a monthly subscription which will certainly make things more affordable.
Marketing your business can be a tiresome affair so it’s a delightful relief when
- Things are automated
- You don’t have to look for new clients because you already have a database full of them.
One of the best things about photography is that it’s not a one off event. Weddings are arguably one offs but they’ll probably have kids and want pictures of them at some stage. The point is that just because you sold a £1000 wall art to someone last year doesn’t mean they’re not going to want another one this year.
