How to choose a professional photographer

This last week I made the mistake of offering my photography services to a family that was asking me a lot of questions and seemed interested. The second the words "when do you want to schedule an appointment?" came out of my mouth (note I don't ask this question randomly) she defensively answered "Oh no, I have a photographer, she's a friend of a friend I go to church with. My friend says she's wonderful." I honestly do not get offended normally when someone tells me they happen to have another photographer. I'm well aware of how saturated the market is and I'm not threatened by the fact that everyone and their dog all own digital cameras now. What threw me off is the fact that she wasn't even willing to review my work despite the fact that she has yet to see the work of her chosen photographer!

I will be the first one to say there is room in my industry for all kinds. I don't take it personal when someone isn't in love with my work. My self worth isn't based on the opinions of others so I'm pretty hard to annoy.

Truth is: my biggest pet peeve is ignorance and since the collision of digital photography and the 10% unemployment rate, stupidity has become contagious! There are so many photographers now that consumers are now being hunted like injured gazelle on the Serengeti. Informed customers are the best kind. They get what they want at fair market value. The problem isn't too many photographers, it's not enough buyers have taken the time to understand what they are getting. Thus a large number of photographers creating sub par images are providing work at bargain basement prices. It's the Walmart business model applied to a skilled art and it spells trouble.

So consumers listen up! Here's the things you should look for when choosing a photographer.

1. Don't ask what equipment they have. It doesn't matter. What matters is how they use it. I own a toothbrush and whitening strips but that doesn't make me a dentist. The years of experience, a quality portfolio that shows my results, and an education in the use of all kinds of lighting, subject matters, and business practices is what makes me a professional.

2. Do ask to talk to past customers. The referral should provide you with information about the photographers personal demeanor, skill set, and customer service style (or lack their of). Photography is a art but portraiture is a business, so make sure you photographer knows how to act like a professional as well as shoot like one.

3. Visit their studio or have an in home consultation before the shoot. If you are not comfortable with chatting with your photographer then, how easy will it be to work with them? Not every photographer is right for every person. Shop around until you find one that understands you and your family.

4.Visit their website and compare portfolios first. The fatal mistake many people make is they go directly to the pricing page and never even click farther then that. Price is an important factor but it isn't the right way to select the person who will capture timeless memories for you. Think in terms of quality to help you establish value. Then if you have something different in mind then the specific packages offered on a website, ask about custom packages. I am in no way suggesting you haggle for a better deal. Just inquire about all of your options.

5. Do not ask a photographer to copy an image you saw on someone else's website. Not only is this copyright infringement, but it's in bad taste. You should hire a photographer for their skill and creativity. If you really love an image and want something similar for your own portrait, go to the photographer who created it in the first place! You'll be happier with the quality long term.

6. Never forget that the things we want to photograph in our lives are always life changing events. A birth, marriage, graduation, or a new phase in a child's development. The person you ask to capture these moments should be someone you trust and who knows how the world looks through your eyes. Nothing less should be substituted.

Notes

Originally when I started this blog I wanted to post an image a day, Over the last three months I've done my best to keep up with the daily grind but I'm finding it harder and harder to live at a break-neck pace. Alex is three months old this week and demanding non stop feedings. Business is growing (always a mixed blessing) and my pregnancy weight is shrinking thanks to many hours spent in front of our Wii.  Something's gotta give.

So I'm going to reinvent my blog to a weekly installment. I hope you won't be too disappointed! Additionally I'm going to focus on post quality and not quantity, so hopefully it will be an improvement.

But if for some reason you live any die for my daily posts may I suggest you fill your time in with visiting my friend Heidi's blog! She just opened her own photography business (though I still think she should come work for me). Please check it out!

Multiple Flashes With a Little Physics on the Side

This was fun. Courtney is a photography student and when she came to the studio for her portraits I wanted to do something that would blow her mind. So we left the nice part of my studio and set up a few speed-lights in the long dark hall that leads to the rear exit. We are still in the process or remodeling so this hall is what some might call "industrial".

The camera was placed on a tripod and the aperture set to the maximum for my lens so I could get the most depth of field. The shutter was set to 30 seconds. Then came the hard part. Courtney and I had to work in the complete dark. My job was to fire the strobe with the test button from different angles while keeping it out of the frame so I didn't' show up in the image and she had to navigate around the room in the dark. The 30 second exposure felt like for ever.

It took several tries to get the result but here's the final product. No photoshop necessary. This is all done within one frame. This technique can work for still or moving objects as long as the flash is your only light source, it must be completely dark.

In college we did this same technique to get greater depth of field in the studio for product shots. For example, say I was shooting a photo of a large product, like an SUV in studio (never-mind the logistics of getting it in the studio) If I didn't have enough power to get the maximum aperture with one flash, I could increase the number of flashes to increase the exposure.

Now you could do this as a guess and check but there is also an easy equation that will save you time.
E=l/d is the mathematical representation of the way light works according to the inverse square law.  (The link has a good explanation of this.) In simple terms this expresses the relationship between the distance (d) from the light source and the required intensity (l) for correct exposure (e).

To increase depth of field by adding additional flashes we solve for "l" to know the correct number of times the flash most go off for proper exposure at our chosen aperture. The law says that an object 2x the distance from a light source will receive a 1/4 of the illumination. By moving your subject from 4 feet away to 8 feet away, you will need four times the amount of light for the same exposure.

For example: If Courtney is four feet away from the speedlight at full power and I want to shoot at F22 but my current meter reading is saying I have enough power for F8 I'll need to use the flash four times in the same shot to get the correct exposure and make up the two stop difference.

What you may not realize is that this law is in action no matter the light source you're using. Have you ever thought to yourself, "oh my subject just moved farther away from me, I need to open up to a larger aperture?" Then you've just used the inverse square law without even thinking about it. Pretty cool yes?

Chris and Murisia's Wedding

I don't often go into the details of my customers personal life, but I wanted to share the story of Cris and Murisia. They are such amazing people who are very close to my heart. I met Cris several years ago when he painted our home's interior. He did such a good job that we hired him again to paint our kitchen cabinets and then this last year he painted our home's exterior. During those years they experienced all the challenges that life can offer. Job loss, law suits, family illness, and many more. All along the way they stuck together. This last year was especially difficult as they tried to plan their wedding admits all of these problems.
Here are a few photos from their wedding.

 

  

  

The ceremony was small and very sweet. A few family and friends gathered to witness their marriage. What impressed me most was the feeling of thankfulness that seemed to emanate from the couple. Despite not knowing what was in store for them in the coming months, if they would find work, or where they would end up living, they were glad to be together and that's all that mattered.

I am happy to say that this story has a happy ending. Cris found a job, just a few days ago.

To Cris and Murisia; may God bless you with the strength to continue on, the love that only a family can give, and happy memories from this day forward!

Website Update complete!

Caleb pulled a few all nighters but it's done! Our website's update for 2010 is complete. New packages, portfolios, and a more interactive layout have been added. I'd love to know what you think. And please, let me know if find typos or have any issues with navigation. Your comments will help us improve our client's experience. Thanks for checking it out!

http://www.ijphoto.net

Profile Photos

It's official. Everyone in America and possibly most developed countries is now living two lives, one real and the other virtual. Between facebook, myspace, twitter, and a ton of different photo sharing sites (flikr, shutterfly, photobucket). All of these sites encourage profile photos, and photo galleries. Most of which we have done ourselves and let's be honest, not so flattering. As a professional I've made it my personal mission to reduce the amount of ugly online by including free profile photos with each session. As part of your session fee 5 images will be posted on facebook and any other site you prefer to use for your profile or any other way to see fit. Prints must still be purchased (and don't even think about scanning them, 'cuz I'll know...)

Why? We live in a new age where copyright laws are, well, let's just say, being reinvented everyday. I firmly stand on the side of other creative types and feel that intilectual property holds a value for which one should be compensated. But I think it crazy to fight against the proliferation of ideas and content for the sake of controlling it. I simply believe that yet again a social revolution has created an opportunity. Offer digital rights and receive approperate compensation, or let someone steal it from you and go completely unpunished. I prefer to keep my clients on the right side of the law. (Mom this means you!)

Plus with this feature I've found greater appeal. Just ask any client who has recently had a sneak peek of their wedding photos thanks to facebook or today's model, Patsy, who when hearing digital rights were included in the session booked instantly.

For me this is no brainer. More exposure, free word of mouth advertising, and instant feedback from clients and their friends. I know what images my clients like, what they are staying about them and I have created an opportunity to keep in touch with them and increase return patronage. All for doing something besides playing Farmville.

This same feature has also been invaluable when working with High School Seniors. I don't know how many times I've added a new client simply because a current client shared their images on facebook.

Tomorrow: More on Filters and White Balance.

Website update nearly complete

I had anticipated my websites overhaul to be completed yesterday but no such luck. Hopefully today will be the day. Just a few details left, cross browser compliance, final spelling check, etc. When I realized the website wouldn't be up yesterday and that would mean nothing to blog about, I tried my hand at an HDR landscape of the view from my back yard. Funny thing is, I didn't realized how ugly our view is until I saw the photos! All the trees are dead, the black berry vines are dried and withering, and the retention pond is filled with random things (some garbage) that the neighbor kids have thrown in over the fence. I didn't see all of this because I have photo tunnel vision. This is a condition I often get when shooting. I see some detail I like (for example the nice sunset) and miss all the ugly in front of it.

So I scrapped the HDR and I'm thinking about what kind of landscape I can work on. I want to get better at this genre but I don't quite know where to start. Any suggestions?

Here are some blogs I found about landscape photography.


http://digital-photography-school.com/11-surefire-tips-for-improving-your-landscape-photography

http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/77

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/landscape-photography-tips/