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5 Things to Consider Before Deciding to Specialize or Not in Your Photography

25 Jan

There comes a point in every photographer’s career where they ask themselves the proverbial question, “Should I specialize in a specific genre of photography? Or should I just keep photographing anything and everything that comes my way?” There are several schools of thought on this dilemma, depending on who you ask, and what you read. Ultimately the answer is very personal, and specific to each photographer. The point of this article is not to convince you, the reader, of one way verses the other. The objective here is to simply state my personal reasons for how I would answer that question, and leave the final decision making up to you.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article on Specializing in your photography

#1 Jack of all trades, master of none

I really believe in this age-old motto. I find that when you focus on multiple genres of photography, your photographic style and creative voice takes that much longer to develop. Different genres of photography require different strategies. What works well for family portraits, may not work well for still life. What works great for food photography, may not work for pet photos. Yes, the basic concepts of lighting rules, composition techniques, and technical camera knowledge, are mostly similar, but the style of photography varies depending on the subject. When you focus on multiple genres, there tends to be a mishmash of imagery in your portfolio, which may not be what you want in the long run.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article Specializing in your photography Wedding Images 01

I love capturing weddings and bridal portraits, some of my favorite genres of photography!

#2 Attracting your ideal client

In my mind, an ideal client is one who loves your work, and is willing to pay the right value for your services, no questions asked! Clients always demand and expect the best value for their money. When a client inquires for a particular job, they expect to find someone who is the best at what they are looking for.

For example, a family looking for beautiful, timeless, annual family photos, will expect the photographer they hire to know what he or she is doing, not just from a photography standpoint but also in terms of posing, lighting, post-processing, and delivery. So, when they inquire about family photos, they are expecting to hire someone who has enough experience under their belt so as to make the client’s experience an enjoyable one. Imagine for a moment, they hire a photographer who has limited experience photographing families, but is great with still life or product photography. Now suddenly, halfway through the shoot, the kids decide enough is enough and start acting up. Will the still life photographer, who does not expect his subject to simply get up and walk away, really know how to handle the situation? It’s more than likely that photographer is going to panic, making the client extremely upset, and they will expect to be offered a full refund, no matter how the final images turn out. Remember a positive client experience is the number one priority of any professional photographer!

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article Specializing in your photography Family Portraiture Images 02

This family session was a highlight of 2014 that got me several clients who wanted extended family photoshoots!

Another family that loved the images from past sessions and moved schedules to accommodate me! – It felt awesome to be appreciated.

#3 Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses

I feel like this one is not just relevant for photographers, but for everyone in general. When I get asked what I like to photograph, I immediately know what to say. I love photographing people and travel (preferable with people in the images). I specialize in portraiture because I feel one of my key strengths lies in interacting with people, and getting natural emotions and expressions through my imagery. As an extension to this genre, I love photographing weddings, because it is such an emotional day for all concerned. Being able to document a couple’s special day, surrounded by family and friends, has been a wonderful experience for me.

Now, if you ask me what I don’t like photographing, I have an even faster response ready! Traditional newborn photography is something I absolutely run away from. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but there’s just something about hanging baskets, swaddled blankets, and twisted limbs that freaks me out. The only two newborn photo sessions I have done in my five year career, have been newborn lifestyle photoshoot which may not have been exactly what my clients wanted.

My only attempts at newborn photography.

I love the emotions captured here and it is one of my favorite genres of photography!

#4 Paying the bills verses having a career

Now you may question this one. Are they not the same? On the surface these two may be the same thing for most people, and I have to admit for a while this was true for me as well. When I was just starting off, while family portraiture was what I gravitated towards, I did take jobs like real estate photography and birthday events because they helped pay my bills. But over time, I realized that the time and effort that I was putting into these so called “bill paying jobs” was not really worth it. The time to get to the event, hire a baby sitter, rent or borrow event specific equipment like light stands and extra flashes, as well image processing time, all added up and when I factored in time-to-money ratio. It just was not bringing in the money I thought it was. Often times we don’t realize that time is more money than money itself.

#5 Doing what you love

This one falls in line with point #3 above. Most of us get into photography because we love taking photos. It is a field where creativity and motivation run high, when we do the things that we really enjoy. However, the moment photography becomes a chore, it looses its charm. We start to feel burdened, and lack motivation and creativity. We all know that photography is a field where a mediocre job is very apparent in the images we produce. Bad lighting, loose composition, and bad editing, very quickly become very apparent to all. But when we photograph things that we really enjoy, we tend to produce stellar imagery that we love.

A blogpost about Film and feeling vulnerable as a photographer when using a film camera got me two wedding inquiries because the brides appreciated my honesty and loved the emotional appeal of the images!!

A blogpost about shooting film, and feeling vulnerable as a photographer when using a film camera, got me two wedding inquiries because the brides appreciated my honesty and loved the emotional appeal of the images!!

With all this being said, I don’t mean to imply that you should say no to jobs that are outside your expertise, especially if you are just starting out in this field. But don’t promote yourself as being the person who says “yes” to everything.

Specializing also doesn’t mean you have to give up photographing all those other things out there. Go ahead and photograph those apples sitting on the counter with the warm mid-day sun streaming through your window, or get the action shot of your kids playing soccer, but those should not make their way to your portfolio. Don’t suddenly start marketing yourself as a sports photographer. It might just repeal that client who is looking for a fashion photographer, which is exactly how you want to be known.

So, what is your speciality?

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The post 5 Things to Consider Before Deciding to Specialize or Not in Your Photography by Karthika Gupta appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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6 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Professional Photographer

15 Apr

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So, you’ve got a nice camera, you really love photography, and you’ve been thinking that maybe it would be nice to make a little bit of money from this passion you’ve discovered. Before you decide to make that leap, read on. You may be convinced to throw that idea out the window, or you may find that you truly are ready, and it’s time to try your hand at photography as a career.

Before we go any further, I have to clarify something about the photos in this article. First of all, I had to include photos, because every article is better with pictures, right? Secondly, this session was inspiring, fun, and an example of every reason that I LOVE being a photographer. This client does not exemplify any of the cons of the business. Also, for this article “professional photographer” is defined as someone who gets paid to take photos, particularly portrait photographers.

1. You’re not good enough…yet

Maybe you love photography, and maybe you get a lot of compliments on your photos, but you may not be a good enough photographer to actually take money from people yet. Do you sometimes take a bunch of photos where the majority of them are garbage? Do you often say to yourself, “I’ll fix that later in Photoshop?” If your photos aren’t consistently in focus, exposed correctly, and great IN CAMERA, before you get to Photoshop, you’re not ready.

If you look at other professional photographers’ work and wonder how on earth they got their photos to look like that, you are not ready. I don’t mean that you have to be able to produce photos exactly like the photographers that you admire. I’m saying that you should have an understanding of how they achieve the look they get. You should know how light, depth of field, angles, etc., contribute to the photo. You should have an idea of how much of the photo is a result of post-processing.

Having a nice camera does not qualify you to be a professional photographer.

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2. You don’t have enough experience

This goes along with not being good enough, but experience is important. You have to be consistent every time. You have to know that every single session you do will result in good photos, and that you can roll with the punches if conditions aren’t ideal. You have to know your camera settings inside and out, because when you’re chasing a naughty toddler around, you don’t have time to try to figure out what your shutter speed should be.

I’ll admit that I didn’t have enough experience when I started. I did some sessions for friends and family, then requests started coming in. I didn’t really have the goal of making money with my photography, but when people started asking me, I thought, “Hey, why not?” Some of my early sessions are dear to my heart, but some of them I look at and cringe. I feel bad that people paid money for me to experiment and find out who I was as a photographer.

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3. You don’t want to lose the love of photography

Once you turn a passion into a job or career, you have a very real possibility of it turning into something you do because you have to, and not because you want to. I’m not saying this happens to everyone, but I’ve seen enough professional photographers burn out and quit, that I know it’s a very real thing. You may think that it will be fantastic to make money doing something you love, but are you ready for the possibility of not loving that thing anymore?

True confession here: I rarely get my camera out anymore for anything except a paid session. When I’m on vacation, sometimes the last thing I want to do is “work” while I’m there, and I certainly don’t want to drag my camera around when I’m supposed to be having fun. Then, if I do take some photos just for the heck of it, they sit there on my computer forever, because I don’t really feel like sorting and editing yet another batch of photos. This doesn’t happen to every pro photographer, but I’m being real here. Sometimes I wish that I could just take photos because I love it, but the truth is, I’m often too tired after my paid sessions for the week to get my camera out again. I still love photography, but it’s more that I love my job; I love the photos and what I can create, I love working with people, but I don’t love photography just for photography’s sake anymore.

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4. You don’t want to deal with business stuff

Taxes, business licenses, contracts, equipment upkeep, scheduling, email, phone calls – it’s all a very real part of running a photography business, and it takes far more time and effort than you’d like to believe. Being a professional photographer is not just happily snapping some photos, collecting money, and then spending all of that money on anything you’d like. There are expenses, lots and lots of expenses. There are boring, repetitive tasks. There are hours spent doing behind the scenes stuff.

No matter how great of a photographer you are, if you aren’t good at the business side of things, you are going to struggle as a photographer. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Some days horrible things happen, like The Cloud losing your entire photography calendar (yes, speaking from experience). Sometimes you have to ask people for money, and that’s not easy for everyone. You have to be able and willing to run a pretty tight ship with scheduling, collecting money, and sticking to your policies. You have to decide your policies, and your fees, and how you are going to do business beforehand, because believe me, people will ask you to change all of it for them, and you have to be ready for it.

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5. You don’t like to deal with difficult people

Luckily for me, I actually really love working with people, but even then, sometimes some people are hard to deal with. When people are paying you money to photograph them, sometimes they expect you to do anything and everything they want, and sometimes, even when you’ve done your best, they aren’t happy with you. If you are sensitive, like I am, that kind of criticism can be very hard to take.

Most of the people you will take photos for are fantastic, wonderful people, who love your work, and love you, which is why they hired you. That doesn’t happen every time though. Sometimes you have to spend lots of time on the phone talking to a worried client (what about the weather? what about junior’s bad haircut? what about clothes they’ll wear? what if they smile awkwardly?). Or someone who has lots of ideas they saw on Pinterest, and wants to discuss every one of them with you, in depth, even if they aren’t even remotely your style of photography. Sometimes you’ll show them their gallery and they’ll say they love it, except can you photoshop every single wrinkle off of their face? Questions are great, and most people don’t have unreasonable demands. But, you have to know that sometimes people are just not on the same page as you are, and you have to be able to work with them, and do your best to keep them happy.

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6. It isn’t the fairytale job you think it is

I hear from people all the time about how much fun it must be to be a photographer, and how much they wish they could be a photographer too. Many people who jump into the photography business, without doing a lot of research and self-evaluation, get a harsh slap to the face when they realize that it’s work. A lot of work. Many people pop in the “professional photographer” scene on a whim, and pop right back out of it within a year or two, and sometimes don’t even last a few months. It’s work to get clients. It’s work to keep clients. They don’t just fall in your lap, waving hundred dollar bills and smiling their pearly whites for your camera.

You’re going to have competition, and sometimes criticism from others. Sometimes the world of photographers can get pretty nasty. You will find wonderful people to collaborate with, and those who encourage you, but you will also find some that will tear you down if they get the chance.

There are many benefits of running your own business, but it’s also hard. You have to know what you are doing, and if something goes wrong, it’s all on your shoulders. Being a professional photographer is much more than loving to take pictures. When you realize all of the work it’s going to be, you might decide that taking photos for the love of it, and because you’re an artist, may be much more fulfilling in the end.

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Do I sound a little bitter? I know that I might, but I want to be realistic here. I think being a photographer is such a romanticized notion, that there are oodles of people just itching to jump into photography as a business, without really knowing what they’re getting into. I’ve learned so much over the years, and sometimes I wonder if I would have even started had I really understood all of the cons.

Then, remember why I do this. Yes, it’s a job, and it’s hard. Yes, I hate the business side of things sometimes. Yes, some days I want to go hide in a hole and bury my camera there. But most of the time I feel blessed beyond measure to be a photographer. I love the people I get to work with. I love creating beautiful photos, and capturing real personalities. I love happy clients, and I love that I can create memories for them that will last forever. Right now I wouldn’t trade this job for any other, because now, that I’ve learned and lived through the hard parts of my job, I know that it’s all worth it, for me.

Now you get to decide: will it be worth it for you?

The post 6 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Professional Photographer by Melinda Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community

13 Feb

There is so much power in photography, as the old adage goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine if you did more than just create a photograph? Imagine if you taught a generation of people how to tell a story with a camera? Would you?

I have, and find it terribly rewarding! Well perhaps not an entire generation, but I have worked with some awesome teenagers in the Seattle area. Let me just say, it’s truly wonderful to see what can happen when you work with young curious minds.

I have mentored with a Seattle area non-profit, Youth In Focus whose mission is to empower urban youth, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and to make positive choices for their lives.

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Youth In Focus offers film and digital photography classes at different levels; this includes a full darkroom and a digital lab. It’s a kind of after-school program, providing a lot of these kids an opportunity to have a creative outlet that may not be available to them through their schools. Students are issued a camera, film/media and receive assignments weekly. There are also field trips to local museums and even photowalks.

One of our outings was at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Some of the kids in the group hadn’t been to the market before, this made for a great opportunity to see the market as well for them to have access to us while taking photographs, real time. The bonus was that we teachers and mentors take photos too.

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During my time with Youth in Focus, I worked with three different groups of students. Each group was amazing and entertaining too! The best moments are a round table discussion of each student’s images. Every week they select, edit, and print their favourite image from the previous week’s assignment. They may ask for guidance in selecting that image, especially in the beginning of the classes, as they’re just learning. You’ll find the best way to help them is to ask questions about the story they’re trying to tell or how they believe the composition could be better, etc. The goal is to get them talking about it, get them involved.

Connecting with the students via the art they’re creating is so powerful; seeing their improvement each week makes you proud. You’re excited for what’s to come and where they’re going to take it. It’s an experience not yet matched by any work I’ve done in my professional life. Perhaps if I were a full-time teacher I’d feel that, every day. I imagine you’ll get as much, if not more out of the experience if you try it.

At the end of each quarter the kids select their best one or two images to display as a part of an open house show. There’s a potluck dinner, and a gallery of images to view from each class. It’s so impressive to see what these kids create.

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Now you’re thinking, “Wow! I want to do that, I want to help kids and teach photography!” but then you think, “I don’t have the time” or perhaps, “I’m not a teacher”. That’s okay, you don’t have to be a teacher, you just need to have a desire to share the knowledge you already possess. As for time, if you really want to do it, you can you can make it happen. I did, and will again.

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Other challenges may be that there’s not a program like this in your city. Do a little research to see if you can find one, or reach out to a local high school and see if you could collaborate with them to put one together. I’d be willing to bet you can find other photographers in your area that would help you make it happen. If you’re in New York City, check out NYC Salt, which offers a similar mission for youth there.

If for some reason you can’t find the time to invest in such an opportunity, but you still want to be involved, you might consider making some sort of donation; old cameras, photo equipment, or of course good old hard cash. These kinds of groups are always in need of cameras, film, memory cards, rechargeable batteries and the like. Youth In Focus uses eBay to sell equipment that is donated but can’t be used in the classroom, then puts that money back into the classrooms.

Working with a non-profit like Youth In Focus or NYC Salt are not the only options. There are projects like Help Portrait, founded by Jeremy Cowart and Kyle Chowning, or The Giving Lens founded by Colby Brown. Those are just a couple, there are so many opportunities available, you just have to seek them out.

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There is great joy in giving back to your community, it’s challenging, educational, and it fills up your heart.

Are you ready?! Get out there and make it happen!

The post Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community by Kate Hailey appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Gear Envy: Five Things to Consider Before Buying Your First Camera

07 Jan

GearEnvy 1

1. The Ol’ Gear versus Photographer Chestnut

What’s the best camera and lens you can buy when you’re starting out?

Anything by Nikon
Anything by Canon
Nikon and Canon are overrated; Pentax is what all the cool kids are using
Do the best you can with what you can afford right now

A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said “I love your pictures – they’re wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.” He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: “That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.” – Sam Haskins

Believing a great camera will make you a great photographer is like thinking Roger Federer’s tennis racquet will make you a world champion tennis player. Um, it won’t – I’ve tried. I’ve also worn the same jeans as Gisele Bundchen and they didn’t make me a supermodel. Cooking with Wolfgang Puck’s saucepans didn’t make me a master chef either.

Great gear won’t make you a great photographer. Great lenses, however, can improve the sharpness of your images, and great lights and accessories can improve their quality. But all of that can be undone with poorly executed or sloppily composed images.

Just because something’s technically perfect doesn’t necessarily make it great or even good. A good photo should inspire an emotional reaction, and no camera or lens available today can achieve that for you.

I’m blown away daily by evocative photos on Instagram, 500px, and Flickr. Eighty percent or more of these images are taken with smart phones or entry-level cameras with kit lenses. When I share my images online, I get just as big a response from images taken with my iPhone as I do from images taken with pro gear. Because of the Internet, there’s never been a greater time in history to have your work seen and loved, or to inspire a reaction.

The best first camera you can buy is the one you can afford right now.

2. What are you shooting?

GearEnvy 2

Next, you should ask yourself what your your gear is for? Where will you use it and how often?

I only take my camera to church on Sundays.
I’m going to document my trek to the summit of Mount Everest, rodeo rides and my next Tough Mudder event.
I photograph sixty weddings a year.
I’m still learning, but I love to take photographs every opportunity I get.

Are you planning on taking your camera to rugged subzero locations? Will you be shooting thousands of images a day or only taking photos on special occasions? This is the first question to consider before purchasing any new gear – what will you use it for?

If your answer is #2 or similar, you may want to consider a heavy duty pro body that’s built to take rough and tumble handling and extreme weather conditions; a cheaper lightweight camera may not withstand the wear and tear or hold up to the elements.

If you plan on taking thousands of frames daily or weekly, it may be more cost effective to invest in a mid-range camera that’s built to shoot more frames. The shutter on a cheap camera usually rolls over and dies after about 100,000 frames, so spending a few hundred extra may give you more longevity.

The subject matter you’ll be shooting will also influence your choice of lens. For example, if you’re planning on shooting a lot of portraits and head shots, many fashion and portrait photographers use long fixed focal lenses or zoom lenses. If you’ll be doing a lot of weddings, professionals stock their kits with wide and long lenses and lenses that are somewhere in-between. If you’ll be shooting a lot of scenery, landscape photographers get more use out of wider lenses. And lastly, if you plan on shooting a lot of food or products, you may want to consider adding a macro lens to your kit.

3. Brand loyalty. Which brand should you buy and why?

With cameras there’s no definitive answer to this question. Nikon appears to have a slight edge over all the other SLR brands, but there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

I spent the first 15 years of my career shooting with Nikon because both my brother and my first mentor used them. I loved my Nikon and never dreamt of swapping over. I initially invested in secondhand bodies and prime lenses and after I had saved enough coin to buy new, I stayed loyal to Nikon. Later when I switched over to digital, I continued my Nikon love affair.

The decision to convert to Canon was made for me by the lack of decent Nikon upgrades on the market in 2004-2005 and by the fact that Canon’s 1DS MKII blew anything Nikon made that year out of the water. I switched to Canon and invested in two new camera bodies, new lenses, speedlights and accessories.

Fast forward 10 years and you could argue that Nikon now makes better bodies than Canon, and that Canon makes slightly better lenses. For better or worse, I’ve made a commitment to Canon, and I’m sticking to that – for now. I still suffer the occasional bout of gear envy, but hey, I’m only human.

My advice is to test out each camera on offer in your price range. You’ll find that some cameras are more comfortable to use than others. Also factor in the warranty, general after-sales service, and how easy it is to have the brand you’re looking at serviced or repaired in your area. Another good indication of quality is the camera’s resale value. If your potential camera is flooding the low-end of the secondhand market, it may be a good indication you’re about to buy a lemon. Finally, check out camera reviews and look up discussions about the model you want to buy on forums. The photography community is incredibly thorough and generous with information.

4. Holy crop! Does size matter?

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I bought my first digital Nikon 13 years ago and paid $ 17,000 AUD (approx. $ 14,000 USD) just for the body. It took 256 MB memory cards and produced raw image files that were around 6 MB. I used that camera to shoot hundreds of covers, poster shots, magazine spreads and advertising campaigns, and nobody ever questioned the file size.

Today my iPhone takes 8 MB photos. So, does that mean my iPhone camera is better? Umm – no. It’s not the quantity of the megapixels that count; it’s the quality of the megapixels and the size of the sensor. Cramming lots of megapixels onto a tiny sensor decreases image quality, making grainier looking files.

So how big are the sensors in the various cameras on the market today? A camera phone sensor is the size of a tic tac, a compact camera sensor is the size of an M&M, an entry-level SLR sensor is the size of postage stamp, and a pro level camera sensor is the size of a 35mm film frame.

So how many megapixels are enough and what’s the best size sensor for you? Well again, the answer comes down to what the output is going to be.

If you plan on shooting images that are going to end up on billboards or really large wall prints, then a full frame sensor that produces raw image files that are larger than 20 MB is ideal. An entry-level camera can produce large enough files to create billboard size images; they just won’t look anywhere near as good.

If you plan on printing midsize images — A4 (8.5×11″) or smaller — then an entry-level to mid-range camera will achieve really good results.

Finally, if you’re mostly going to share your images online, you can get away with a smart phone or compact camera, but any of the above will do the job, as well.

5. Physical size and weight

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Does this camera make my bum look big?

This factor is often overlooked until you get home and pull your new camera out of the box and use it a few times. You may think you want the biggest, heaviest camera and the longest lens, but four hours into an eight-hour mountain hike, you may change your mind.

I currently use two different bodies: the 1DS MKIII and the 5D MKIII. My 1DSIII weighs twice as much as my 5D and produces better quality images, but I’m prepared to take a hit in quality when I’m travelling because I know I’ll shoot more if I’m carrying a lighter camera. Having to schlepp a heavy camera around makes me think twice about bringing it out in the first place.

A good camera should feel comfortable and be like a natural extension of your body. Test out how easy it is to change settings with one hand; believe me, this will get frustrating if it’s a difficult process.

Have I missed anything you feel is worth considering? Do you have anything to add to the discussion or have any questions? I’d love to hear from you.

The post Gear Envy: Five Things to Consider Before Buying Your First Camera by Gina Milicia appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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10 Things Google Should Consider in Launching a Standalone Photo Sharing Service

02 Aug

Google used to have a standalone photo sharing service. It was called Picasa. I never really liked it. It wasn’t a very social site. I thought Flickr was a lot better.

Today’s news out of Bloomberg is that Google is looking to spin off Google Photos from Google+. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. You never know. The timing of Friday afternoon stories and leaks always makes you wonder. Usually when companies want to push something they release it more like Tuesday mornings or make a big deal about it at I/O or something.

Whatever the case, photos has been one of the highlight use cases for G+. Many photographers have flocked to the site and I think it’s done a pretty good job with photos overall.

*If* Google is going to launch a standalone photo service though, they should really go all out. I worry that they’ll launch something less than fully baked — it will generate a bit of initial excitement and then lack stickiness.

With that in mind, here are 10 suggestions that I’d give Google in launching a standalone photo sharing service.

1. Flickr has raised the bar by giving everyone a full terabyte of high res photos. Flickr made one big mistake with this offering though. *Private* high res photos are of very little value to a photo social network. Public photos are *very* valuable to a photo social network. Public photos are worth more to a social network than the cost to store the photos. Flickr just gave everyone a terabyte without distinguishing the visibility of the photos. Google should offer at the launch either unlimited or 2TB of high res public photo storage with every account. This will get great press and attention.

Go big or go home I say. Nobody can maintain cheaper enterprise storage than Google, and it’s only going to get cheaper in the future. Don’t be blinded by the open-ended liability of high storage limits. Public photos on the web are only going to get more valuable in the future and storage is only going to get cheaper.

2. Partner with photographers to sell their photos. Flickr just leaked something like this earlier this week. Partnering with photographers to sell photos is not just about stock photos as revenue (although the stock photography market is in fact a multi-billion dollar market ripe for disruption). This is about attracting the sorts of high quality photographers to your network because they will be *paid* for participating through photo sales. By providing photographers an avenue to sell their stuff and make real money, you endear them to your network. Tie the visibility of their work, in part, to their level of activity on the network — not directly, but just float that out there so that photographers feel like the more active they are on the network, the more $ $ $ they may make.

3. Create a super light weight mobile client like Instagram. Make it so simple. Tap/tap to +1, like, fave, whatever. Really dumb it down. Just something to follow your friends’ stuff and favorite it without all the other clutter of G+/Facebook getting in the way.

4. Build an intelligent way to organize albums by keywords. Manual album management sucks big time. Let me build albums by keywords (this will also encourage more keywording which is valuable organizational metadata for Google to have). Study what Jeremy Brooks has done with SuprSetr and build something like that but even more intuitive and easy to understand and use.

5. Build intelligent groups for photographers to hang out in on the photo network. Unfortunately Google got one thing very wrong with communities in G+, which is why communities never took off. They refused to bump threads based on new comments. This ensures that all threads die quickly. It’s the longevity of conversations that fuel community interaction. Refusing to bump threads based on comments makes large groups completely chaotic and unusable. Why invest in a conversation that will be completely buried and dead in 24 hours and that I’ll never be able to find again? Let me mark conversations as favorites and feed all my favorite conversations to me in a feed ordered by recent comments/activity.

6. Go mosaic big time. On the web, give users a huge wall of photos with infinite scroll to just scroll through and +1. Code the site so that if you are hovering over any photo and press the “f” key it +1s it. Lubricate social activity on the web. Social activity begets social activity. The more you make it easy for people to like/fave/+1 stuff and the faster you make it, the more you get. The more people get, the better they feel about the network.

7. Spend some serious money the first year on community management / evangelism. Hire a whole bunch of photo community managers and partner with influencers all over the world. Require community managers to host at least 2 photowalks a month in their geographic region. Require them to spend 10 hours a week inside of social groups interacting with photographers on the new site. Bombard your users with interaction from Google Community Managers. Make sure Googlers are using the site to share their photos, especially visible senior management. Keep track of how many +1s, comments and other interactions Googlers have with photos on the network and make sure Googlers know that this matters.

8. Open some fine art physical galleries. These can be used to host meetups and gallery shows for G+ photographers. You can also sell physical prints and DVDs of photo series from these galleries. Social photographers love doing shows with their work. Digital displays make doing temporal shows easier than ever. The ego boost a photographer gets when they are showing their work in a group show is substantial. Capitalize on this to draw the finest photographers in the world to your network.

9. The Nik Software stuff from Google is really good. Snapseed is the best mobile photo editing software out there. Analog Efex Pro 2 really is some of the best photo processing software I’ve used in years. Google could create something as good as Lightroom, maybe even better. Build this into the site for processing but also give people the ability to download the software to their computers for when they don’t want to work in the cloud and want to work locally. Sell this software for $ 99 with a six week free trial. Users who upload at least 5 photos on different days to the new photo network for six weeks should be given a promotion code to get the software for free.

10. Prioritize Google Photos photographs in Google Image Search. Create a button that photo buyers can click in Google Image Search to show photos available for licensing. Leverage the power of Google Image Search to both drive traffic back to photos in the social network and sales through the social network.

That’s all for now.

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

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5 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Photography Business

29 Jan

Starting a photography business is extremely easy with the accessibility and affordability of digital cameras and processing programs. Often the lure of entrepreneurship, with these low barriers to entry, leads to many photography business owners of all business experiences. Experience levels range from lack of business competence, to the need for growth in photography skills to a mixture of skills with varying weaknesses and strengths. Before entering into business it is important to evaluate whether you are technically proficient, ready to deal with business legalities, have a good grasp of business operating costs, engaging in market research and client management.

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#1 – Are you technically proficient?

The first step is to determine if technical proficiency is at a level to provide a quality, consistent product to each client that comes through the door. The importance of delivering consistently rests in word of mouth marketing and preventing disappointment when a client’s expectations are not met.

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#2 – Are you ready to deal with business legalities?

After technical proficiency comes the battle of business legalities including (but certainly not limited to: business formation, filing appropriate tax documents, acquiring required permits and licenses and using quality contractual documents. These legalities can be acquired through outsourcing to lawyers and certified public accountants, but a good, knowledgeable grasp of business legalities and the requirements placed on business owners is paramount to the success of your business.

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#3 – Do you know your business operating costs?

Following the previous two business necessities comes the costs of running the business. Having arms around the operating costs will assist you in setting appropriate pricing, and in making future investment decisions. Business operating costs are expenses that are directly related to the operation of the photography business. This is calculated by ascertaining costs of resources used to maintain the existence of the business. Operating costs include: rent, utilities, licenses, fees, insurance, maintenance of equipment, office supplies, income taxes, and wages.

Note: It is a good idea to also include a “rainy day savings” into the operating costs for you to have to fall-back on in times of need.

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#4 – Have you done your research?

An ever-required and demanding aspect of business is the initial and constant research on market influences, demands and overall factors that impact how the business will be maintained and marketed. Engaging in research is an organized effort to obtain information about the local market and potential clients. In order to effectively create and implement a successful business strategy, research must be done. Research should include identifying marketing information, trends, and the SWOT (SWOT = Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats to the business) analysis of competitors. The strategies decided upon from out of this research are a key factor to maintaining a competitive edge over competitors and a higher probability for engaging clients.

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#5 – Do you know how to manage clients?

Juggling all of the previous “business things” can get even more complicated when adding on managing of clients. Having a solid business workflow filled with automation, organization and constant revision is necessity to keep the business moving forward when it becomes easy to be distracted with client management and production of the products and services.

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Having the right answers to these considerations does not guarantee a successful business but will increase probability for success, higher level of client satisfaction and less frustration along the way.

The post 5 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Photography Business by Rachel Brenke appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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5 Pieces of Photography Gear to Consider as Your First Upgrade

26 Nov

Neil Creek is the author of our newest ebook Photo Nuts and Gear. In this post he offers some advice to the beginning photographer about the first upgrade they should buy for their camera.

So you’ve been getting into this photography thing pretty seriously ever since you bought that “good” camera you wanted. It turns out that you really enjoy photography, and you think you’ll be doing it for a while. You want to know what cool camera gear is out there, and you know there’s a lot, but what should you get first?

Where to start on the photography gear upgrade trail

When you’re just starting your photography journey, it’s intimidating how much gear there is and how much it costs. It’s obvious that some photos are impossible without certain gear, and sometimes it’s not obvious when gear has helped a photo.

I’ve been shooting and helping new photographers to get the most out of their gear for years, so I have a few suggestions for great first investments in photography to suit your varying interests and budget.

A 5-in-1 reflector

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Light is everything in photography, but sometimes you can’t quite get the right kind of light where you need it. A great example is outdoor portraits. With the light predominantly coming from overhead, there are often dark circles under the eyebrows. A reflector can be used to reflect some light back up into the face of your subject to fill these shadows.

A 5-in-1 reflector is cheap and very versatile. Built around a collapsible steel ring spanned by diffusion material, it has a reversible cover with four different surfaces. The diffusion material inside is great for turning full sun into bright shade, for small and macro subjects as well as head and shoulder portraits. I’ve even used it as a flash diffuser in a pinch. The cover has three reflective surfaces: white for gentle fill, silver for strong fill, gold for a warm strong fill, and a black surface for eliminating light to bring shade back to a scene which is too evenly lit.

This is an incredibly versatile tool at a very affordable price, and it neatly fits into the “laptop pouch” in camera bags which have one. This item should be in every portrait photographer’s kit.

Who is this for: photographers on a budget who shoot in natural light
Approximate cost: $ 20-50 depending on size

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The Nifty 50 lens

Lenses are a critical part of the optical system that creates the photographic image. Unfortunately almost every lens choice is a compromise between price, speed, image quality and more. Plus, lenses are expensive!

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There is one lens however that is possibly the best of all worlds: the 50mm prime, also known as the “Nifty 50″. Several lens makers have their own or similar versions of this lens, but the most famous is probably the Canon 50mm f/1.8. This lens is small, fast (thanks to its wide f/1.8 aperture), tack sharp and extremely affordable. If you are looking for an excellent portrait lens that will take well exposed photos in low light, it’s hard to go past the Nifty 50 especially if you are on a budget.

These lenses aren’t without their weaknesses of course: cheap plastic body construction keeps the price and weight down, but negatively affects the durability; weather sealing is also thus not an option; it is notoriously slow to focus in low light; there’s no image stabilization; andthe focus ring is very small. Despite all this, it is hard to resist the appeal of professional level image quality, at a hobbyist price.

Who is this for? Anyone looking for a high image quality, fast, small lens on a budget
Approximate cost: $ 100-200 depending on brand

A good solid tripod

Photographers are always limited by the amount of light, and without adequate amount, you are forced to make compromises with your settings. When you have to use a slower shutter speed you risk getting blurry photos from camera shake. A tripod fixes that. By providing a stable platform you can almost eliminate camera movement from short, to incredibly long shutter speeds.

Not only does a tripod fix the problem of a shaky camera, it opens up whole new photographic and creative opportunities. Seven of the eleven special effects photography techniques discussed in my ebook Photo Magic use a tripod. A Tripod is possibly the most versatile piece of photography equipment you can buy. You will be able to try photos and techniques otherwise impossible.

Buying a tripod can be like walking through a minefield however. There are so many options from the very bad to the very expensive so it pays to do your research. For a first time tripod for a small DSLR user, I recommend one of the base end models from the big name tripod makers. I go into a lot of detail in Photo Nuts and Gear on choosing the right tripod for you. One tip – avoid department store tripods!

Who is this for? Photographers shooting in low light, with macro subjects, landscapes, and creative low light photography such as light painting.
Approximate cost: $ 100-200 for a first tripod

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An external hot-shoe flash or speedlight (speedlite)

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A flash unit or speedlight is often one of the first big purchases camera owners make, and unfortunately it’s very easy to pay more than necessary. The flagship units from Canon and Nikon are very expensive and packed with features, many of which a new photographer won’t need. I personally recommend buying a cheaper, manual power, third party flash first. The ETTL, or auto exposure, feature of the expensive flashes is handy, but I find that manual power control is pretty easy to master, and it will save you a lot of money: enough to buy one or two more flashes for the price of a flagship model. Manual flashes are also compatible with the more affordable radio triggers that let you fire your flash off the camera and enter the amazing world of Strobist photography.

Flashes adds a good deal of versatility when shooting in low light, but their real power comes when you get them off camera. A couple of flashes, triggers, light stands and simple modifiers can utterly transform your photography, and add creative options that match those offered by a tripod. A little research and careful spending can put all of these within reach for the about same price as a top of the line flash from Nikon or Canon.

Who is this for? Photographers shooting indoors in low light, Strobist wannabes

Approximate cost: $ 100-200

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Walk-around lens

Like most people, you likely bought your camera with a kit lens. These lenses are often good enough for most photographers, but unless you buy a top end DSLR (which come with higher quality lenses as standard), they’re not going to be the best you can find. Most kit lenses are a bit slow, a bit soft, a bit “plastic-y”. If you’re getting serious about being a photographer, you’ll probably want something better. A walk-around lens is one you leave on your camera by default, and use all of the time you don’t have a specific need for another lens. As such, most of your photos will be taken with it, and you’ll probably want to upgrade it once you can afford to grow your lens collection.

There are a lot of options available, so you need to think a bit about how you use your camera, and what features are important to you. You will want to consider:

how heavy is the lens
how often you shoot in low light
what frustrates you most about your current lens
whether you’re always wanting to fit more in your shots or if you want to bring distant things closer

All of these issues will affect the best choice of walk-around lens for you. Be prepared to possibly spend a lot of money. Lenses are expensive, especially high quality ones. Since there are so many options and factors to consider it’s hard to offer much practical advice in a blog post, but I go into a lot more detail in Photo Nuts and Gear. In short however, be prepared to do a lot of research to understand your options and how to choose between them. A good walk-around lens will get a lot of use over many years, and the quality of your images will be impacted by the choice you make.

Who is this for? Someone who is taking the first big step into turning photography from a pastime into a serious hobby
Approximate cost: $ 300-1800

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

5 Pieces of Photography Gear to Consider as Your First Upgrade

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Eric Kim: What to consider when buying a camera for street photography

24 Jul

Eric Kim is one of the most prolific street photographers around, but he’s also a keen blogger. In this article, originally posted on his site back in spring, he offers some advice on how to buy a new camera for street photography. Rather than a simple buyers’ guide, though, Kim delves into the psychology of purchase decisions, citing research by psychologist Barry Schwartz which divides us into two categories – ‘maximizers’ and ‘satisficers’. Click through for a link to the full article.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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10 Best Photography Books for Beginners + 20 More to Consider

20 Dec

Searching for a good photography book can be a quite difficult task that may simply waste your time and efforts. So I decided to help you in this pursuit. I have been browsing the web and reading customers reviews for two days in order to find the best photography books for beginners. Here I have collected 10 photography books recommended Continue Reading

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Why You Might Want To Consider A Full Frame Fisheye Lens Even If You Have A Crop Sensor Camera

13 Nov

There are few things better in life than having something go wrong that leads to the discovery of something even better.

Such is the case with my plan to test out a Canon 8-15mm fisheye lens courtesy of BorrowLenses.com. My intent with the lens was to take it with me to the wilds of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah for some crazy, circular images. The problem is I lack a full frame Canon camera, but would be traveling with Michael Riffle, who owns a Canon 5D Mark III. He accepted the challenge to test the lens, being familiar with fisheyes himself.

One thing led to another and we never got around to testing the lens on his camera. Instead, I often found myself using the lens on my Canon 7D, a crop sensor camera. The Canon 8-15mm is intended to fit a full frame sensor and produce, at 8mm, a fully circular image, much like this example from a Sigma 4.5mm on a crop sensor camera.

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What happened instead was a cross between this full circle and a more traditional 15mm on a crop sensor. The 8-15mm lens will show edges of the circle when below 10mm but will otherwise fully cover the sensor from 10mm-15mm. A major difference from a non-fisheye lens, though, is the curving in the image.

For instance, here are two shots, both taken at 10mm. The difference: the first lens is a non-fisheye Canon EF 10-22mm lens and the second is the Canon 8-15mm fisheye.

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Both shots are taken from nearly the same perspective (the fisheye is taken from the position of the Nikon D800E in the first image) but the fisheye gives a different feel. I only made slight clarity and level adjustments in the photos and did not crop them, so this is what you can expect at 10mm.

Below 10mm the black edge of the area outside the fisheye is seen. How bad is it? It depends.

At first it annoyed me to have the incomplete image. Neither full fisheye nor filled frame. Like this:

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But then I started finding instances where it worked well. The arches found in these parks lent themselves naturally to the form factor. The more I experimented, the more I enjoyed the effect.

I realize not everyone will like this look. By the time you read this, there might be a dozen notes in the comment section below stating how horrible it is. But this is photography and it is art, so it doesn’t really matter what I like or the commenters like. It matters what you like.

Below are more examples from my short trip. If they intrigue you to give the lens a try, all the better. Some have the corners blacked out and some are zoomed in slightly. Experiment, play, have fun.

(Click on an image for a 1000px version)

The first set of images are from Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP at sunrise which was packed with 20 or more photographers. The second set is from Delicate Arch in Arches NP at sunrise with absolutely no one else around.

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