Working for FREE, a budding pro's perspective.

This morning I woke up to find a few of my favorite photographers posting comments on their blogs about working for FREE! The conversation started with David Hobby over at the Strobist blog and then continued with comments from one of my favorites Chase Jarvis. Well, I want to put my two cents in here for those of you interested in this discussion.

First thing this discussion needs is a little background for reference since not many of you know me... yet :) I have been working for the past 2 years, on the side of my design business, to break into the professional photography market. I have been involved with photography for about 16 years and I have been a graphic designer for over 11 years now. I love my career but there is a little something that twinges in my heart when I take a picture that just doesn't happen for me when I work on a design.

As an aspiring photographer there are some core problems I have identified that I must solve before becoming successful as a full time photographer.

First and foremost of course is technical competence. As a designer I feel I have the creative aspects pretty well covered, composition has always been a focus in my design work. If I am going to excel in all aspects of photography I have to have a sound base in understanding the basics and how they effect the overall results of the image. This has been one of my primary focuses. My resources for study include courses, books, workshops, blogs, magazines and of course lots of practice. I try and learn something new every day and I work to incorporate something I've learned in practice on every shoot.

The next for me is business. If I am going to run a successful business I need to understand contracts, pricing, scheduling, production, fees, resources etc. I will admit that this is the part I am having the most trouble with since the business of photography is so variable but it makes sense for any right brain thinker to have issues with such things. :)

Third is promotion. Portfolio, networking, marketing, advertising, PR all of those things have a part in the success of a business but to get to this point I have realized I need to identify who I am as a photographer and what you want to shoot. This is also a difficult part for me since I enjoy most aspects of this work but I understand the importance of focus, showing a group of work that is all over the board leaves people wondering what you shoot or what you could shoot for them. For me the part that is most hard is just making a choice about such things and then sticking with it and putting your all into it.

Now when it comes to promotion you need a body of work to promote, this is where the FREE comes in. The conversation that was started today I feel is, excuse the pun, right on the money. I struggled for a while with the idea of free work because I didn't know if it meant that I just wasn't good enough yet to charge for my work or if it would open me up to being taken advantage of or probably the biggest for me was being taken seriously as a photographer. I know know that when gone about it in the right way it can be the best way to get to where you want to go.

Now I don't think I'm going to be hanging a sign outside the front of my office that says FREE PHOTOGRAPHY any time soon and that's not what I got from these posts. If you are going to do serious work you need serious people to work with and I agree that taking money out of the equation can open a lot of doors and a lot of ears.

Up until this point I have been doing work for friends and family, from weddings to maternity, portrait sessions and some light advertising work I have gotten a ton of experience without the stress of meeting the expectations that a paid project always brings. Here are a few of my favorites from the past few months...


Now that I have had a chance to build my skill set and hone my technical abilities it's time to start working on that portfolio. This is the time to get out there and do the projects that will make a difference for me as a photographer looking for paid work. For someone in my position FREE just makes good sense, especially since I have my design business to pay the bills. FREE allows me to avoid one of the biggest obstacles in this business and opens a lot of doors that may otherwise not have budged.

The business of photography is different from most and as such it needs to be approached differently. It may not be for everybody but the benefits certainly outweigh the cost if it's done right. The information that David Hobby and Chase Jarvis provide may be hard to swallow for some people but take a moment to read through all of the information and look objectively at what you are doing, try the ideas on and see if any fit before just shrugging it off because you DON'T WORK FOR FREE!

I also want to throw one other idea in there, there was a section in the post about doing something for the community, offering your skill to help an organization or benefit a family, whatever it may be I ask you to think carefully about the things you could do to make an impact, turn your practice time into doing something for the greater good. Reach out wherever you can and don't hide behind thinking you can't make a difference or not having the time. Everyone at every level can have an impact and there are more people out there who need or want help than you probably know. For the longest time I thought about it and did nothing because I was worried about so many things that I know a lot of us as people let get in the way, from time to expectation and beyond there were loads of reasons not too but I finally broke through that because of one simple reason... I can. So far the work i have done in the community has made a small impact on the lives of others but also a big impact on me and I am looking forward to the work I know I will do in my community in the future.

As for me I'm looking forward to my next project, FREE or PAID! A big thanks to David Hobby for starting this conversation, it's really great to see the community that I am growing to be a part of is so active with people who really truly care about the community and their industry. I am passionate about someday making my mark on this industry and I only hope to be able to do it to the extent of the ones I admire and respect. And Chase, you'd better believe that a million and one ideas are swirling through my head right now to send over to you regarding your offer!

Talk to you all soon!

Finding a Direction

Photography has always been a love and a passion, more now than ever before. I have been working hard these past 2 years to figure out where I stand as a photographer, to grow in my technical ability, to hone my creative view and to find my voice as a photographer. I have always been the guy who can do most anything when it came to a field. I was never good at just being one thing in one industry. Having been a graphic design for the past 11 years I have worked with video, audio, packaging, promotional, outdoor, web, kiosk, etc, etc, etc... Someone asks me if I can do it and I say yes and then figure it out and once I do it becomes the thing that everyone wants me to do until that next thing comes around. So, knowing that should give you a bit of an idea as to why finding a focus right now is difficult. I didn't always do all of those things just because I was asked, I was always excited to tackle something new and to accomplish it. In the past that has taken me through many different fields within my industry and now with photography I am trying to figure out how to keep it new and keep it fresh like I like to while finding my true voice as a photographer and growing in one discipline until it has been mastered.

I keep playing with the idea of just offering a wide range of photographic services but my research points to the successful commercial photographers as being consistent with their vision. I can understand why this would be important since the person who is hiring you must know if you are going to deliver what they want and if they see multiple styles in one book they don't really know who they are getting for the assignment.

So that leads us to the next question. How can I differentiate myself in this market, what can I do that is not being done and how can I take the risk of whether people will like what I do or not when I have a family to provide for. In these touch economic times starting a new business is probably not the best decision but I cannot ignore this passion. Photography has lit a fire in me and right now it is raging so fiercely that I am having a hard time focusing it. I am slowly learning how to harness and control this energy but it is a tough road. To have so much love for something and just have no idea how to move forward. I feel stuck at the starting line revving the engine waiting for that light to turn green.

I have identified my two largest obstacles at this point, first is creativity, I need to make a decision about who I am going to be as a photographer and how I am going to market myself. I need to create a look and stlye that is my own and that is unique enough to help me stand out in a crowd. The second is a lack of understanding for the business side of things. That has been clearing up slowly, I am reading everything I can and I have to say a big thanks to my digital mentors (blogs) Chase Jarvis, Tim Tadder, Joe McNally and Vincent Laforet as well as all of the great books and publications out there.

Ohhh, but where to go from here... that is the question that is haunting me lately. I recently completed a series of photos from a studio shoot that I abslutly loved. They are still not completely there but I think I am starting to get a feel for where I am going.







I have always believed that the IDEA is the most important piece of the puzzle in anything I have done and it is no different in photography. The things that have always spoken loudest to me are the pieces that have the great conceptual idea behind them. Once you have the idea it's all about executing that idea and, that, I think gives variety while maintaing a certain style or direction. I think as I move forward my next pieces will need to all be idea generated, pieces that convey the idea effectivly through photography instead of words. Using my knowledge of graphic design, composition, marketing, advertising and the tools such as photoshop to give me the edge I need to be competitive in this marketplace.

I think commercial portraiture is where I want to be, moving forward. This is the kind of stuff that really get's my attention.

This image is from Tim Tadder's Blog and is Copyright Tim Tadder

I'm still not sure if that includes brides and kids and food and products or if it is more specific. I don't yet know if it's all just studio or if it's location based or both but I do know that I want to figure it out fast and start working because it kills me everyday that I read a blog post about someone else's cool assignment. I want to be the one working them and writing them and pushing the envelope every day to create the work that gets noticed.

I will get there, it's not a question of if...

Stay tuned!

Today was a good day!

Lately I have been doing a lot of soul searching trying to figure out what photography means to me. Why do I love it? Why do I do it? How will I continue on with photography and what place in my life will it hold in my future?

On another front I have been watching and learning more and more about our current economic and social state of affairs. I see more schools that do not carry arts programs, I see gas prices rising and my grocery and energy bills are ever growing. I wonder a lot these days what my future will look like and there are times when I wish I had more. More money, more time, more passion, more of the things that I think most people think about, especially in these times.

I have always been a very optimistic person and there is not a lot that can get me down, I always believe in the better times ahead and I always look at the good in a situation. This may be why I am somewhat blind to the way the world around me is and can often be. I try not to watch the news because I believe it is usually sensationalized and hyped for other reasons, I gain access to my information from online sources where I can decide if a story is worth my time and energy. I know I live a good life, I have family and love, I have a house and a car. I have art and a career. A worry for me is when I can't get the next new gadget or when my house isn't clean. I live a good life but I am seldom reminded of it outside of my little world and so sometimes the mundane and downright stupid can affect my day for the worse.

I recently had an opportunity to be called upon by some family and friends to provide photography for a family in need. I have always been interested in using my art and passion to help out others and this was a wonderful experience. I was asked to photograph a young man who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and who had only a short time left with his family and loved ones. I knew that this would be a difficult assignment mentally since it was a first for me and because I am a fairly emotional person. I don't know how photojournalists deal with the things they see and face regularly. I wasn't sure what to expect but when I got there I was introduced to someone who was so full of life that you'd have a hard time believing he was in the process of saying goodbye. It is very difficult for me to imagine being in his place and I could only hope to be as brave as he is. Even now my natural response is to shut out the experience for if I do not know of it I could never have to live it. I've been fighting that battle, I can't just push the experience and feelings it produced aside because of my fears but I also cannot let it consume my every thought. I have been trying hard to learn from it, to open myself up to the idea that every day is a gift, i've always thought that way but like most I rarely live it. He will forever be a part of my experiences and a part of my life through the moments I captured of he and his family. The experience has opened my mind to how i may be able to contribute to others and to life in general through my passion and art.

I was reading a blog post by a photographer I follow named Vincent Laforet and it was about this years TED prize, a grant to help a media journalist tell a story, awarded to an accomplished photojournalist named James Nachtwey. From a photography standpoint his work was inspirational and I got a lot from looking at his photos but by listening to his story, the one being spoken as well as the one being told through his pictures, I had a look at a side of life that I think most of us naturally shield ourselves from.

I watch the video presentation and view the images and I think, how can we ever be upset when our to-go order is wrong or when our bosses or clients get upset with us. How can we ever have a single bad thought about the things that happen in our Starbucks/Target driven lives. Each and every day that I go on living I am thankful to reside in a society where there is the possibility of creating art, expressing opinion, going to see a movie, eating out with friends, enjoying time with family. We have so many opportunities afforded us and we let our days be driven by the guy who had the nerve to get in front of us on the highway.

The older I get and the faster life moves by the less time I devote to thinking about the simple pleasures we all have access to day in and day out. The more I have the less it is enough. Even sitting here writing this I am thinking about whether this will stay with me or if the stories of my week and the to do list of next will crowd it out and it will fizzle out of my head forever forgotten. I know this gets heard all the time and maybe it is because we see it everyday in the world around us that we are numb to what it truly means but man do we have it good! For anyone who is wondering if life can get any harder, for all of you out there who have an ounce of dissapointment about their lives, for anybody else who lives in their own little world most of the time and for everyone who cares even a little bit about anything please watch this clip in it entirety. Set aside 30min, if not now then schedule it in and do yourself a favor and see what this man has to say. It will be worth every second of your time.

http://www.tedprize.org/nachtwey/

I will no doubt need to watch this over and over until it is burned into my memory. I know that the experiences of this week have opened my mind to some new possibilities and I write this to pass along the message that when you think you've got it rough take a second, look around and realize the obviousness of the truth. I can only hope that out of these powerful messages I can at the very least get to the end of EVERY day and without a doubt say...

Today was a good day!

The new Canon 5D Mark II

To everyone it may concern,

I wanted to send a little note about the new Canon 5d Mark II that was just released a few days ago, this may be old news for some but I had to make sure it got out into the community as this is one of those pieces of technology that is sure to change the industry forever.

The photographic capabilities of this new camera are astounding with a 21.1MP sensor and an expanded iso rating between 50-25600! But that's not all, this camera shoots full HD quality 1080p video. The ability to combine multiple lenses, control focus & depth of field and shoot in near natural light will open up so many possibilities. Priced at $2700 Canon has made technology that has been out of reach of so many talented artist available to the masses and it is sure to open up so many new artistic avenues.

A Canon Explorer of Light got his hands on a prototype and just yesterday released a short film made with the camera with a small crew and only 48hrs to produce. It has been posted to Canon's website at http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086

Also a making of video is available at SmugMug at http://vincentlaforet.smugmug.com/gallery/6021407_xEg87/1/#378479692_MRytZ-A-LB

According to the blog of the person responsible for the shoot it looks like SmugMug may be opening up a contest for a video production with the new 5D, you can read about that here http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/

If you are interested in more of the technical details you can visit the Canon website for the new 5D Mark II at http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/eos5dm2/index.html

Now pick your jaw up off the floor and let me know what you think about the possibilities this opens for you and the community, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Rashel Maternity Shoot

Rashel, a long time friend of the family is pregnant with her first baby boy (ooh, how exciting!!) and I had the pleasure of doing the first in what will be a series of maternity photography for her. In this shoot we wanted to keep it light and fun with the use of lot's of props and bright cheery backgrounds. The photos from this shoot will also be used to create her baby shower announcement. I had a blast working with Rashel to create these images, it's great to have good models around that don't mind spending hours in the studio for a couple of pictures... Be sure to check back over the next few months to view the other shoots as well as their newest addition in January. Congratulations Sean & Rashel, you're going to make great parents!

What I Saw: Photoshop World '08

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There are events in your life that open your mind to thoughts, ideas and possibilities you may have never had before. It is usually a defining moment and offers a change of perspective. My 4 days at the Photoshop World conference did that for me. The education I received was not on a program or a camera instead it was on the art of photography. I never would have thought I'd find it at a Photoshop seminar but the instructors brought more than tips and tricks they brought perspective, ideas and passion that I soaked up! The following is a timeline of imagery captured over the four days and a visual progression of my perspective. This is "What I Saw"

Note: All of the photos used in this video montage are available for viewing online on my Flickr page here.

Jeff & Amy Engagement Photo Shoot

Just got done putting the finishing touches on the photo shoot for Jeff & Amy's Engagement. First of all I'd like to extend a warm congratulations on their engagement and best wishes for the future. Spending time with them both on this day long shoot I got to see why they will do well together, they compliment each other so well and I was really happy with just how well that came through in the photos. The photos I have posted here are my favorites from the shoot but if you'd like to see the entire set just click here.

We started the day out eating a light Sunday brunch on Park Ave, a favorite... very relaxing and a nice way to start out the morning. After brunch we hit some locations in the area and then moved over to the Rollins College. One of the things I like most about doing these shoots is getting to learn about some real nice tucked away spots. The area was beautiful and made for some wonderful photos. After Rollins we made a stop for an outfit change and Jeff & Amy broke out the motorcycles! What fun! It was great to incorporate the bikes into the shoot especially since it says so much about who they are. The collection came out great and I am looking forward to delivering them to the happy couple.

For this shoot I used a Canon 20D with a Canon 17-40 f/4 lens and two Canon Speedlights. This was a first for me experimenting with using an off camera strobe on location. The strobes weren't used on every shot but where I did use it I was happy with the outcome. I think my largest challenge on this shoot was not having an assistant, I am slowly realizing that part of being a professional photographer is having the tools needed to enable you to get the best shots possible. It is really hard to steady a camera with one hand while holding a strobe out on a pole with the other hand. I think next time I will have an assistant!

Don't forget to view the shoot in its entirety by clicking this link and hopefully I will have a chance to put up a few outtake shots as well.

Photoshop World - Conference Wrap Up

This conference was a defining moment in my life, I know that sounds cliche and can you really believe that a conference on Photoshop could do more than teach you how to make a picture postcard.

The answer is YES!

You see up to this point in my life I have always strived to be better than I am today and my process for that has always been to learn more subjects instead of focusing on mastering one that I love. Over the past six months I have had the opportunity to step back and look at my life from a different perspective and I have seen that what I want is more creative focus and direction. I spent months thinking about what I really want and what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Enter the Photoshop World conference. When I saw that it was in Orlando I was immediately drawn to it and not to learn some new trick about Photoshop but to be around a group of people with the same interests to discuss and learn and grow from the people around me as well as to get some of those burning questions answered. The conference delivered just that! Not only did I get to interact with other people in my industry, I got to sit and discuss passion and direction with some of the best teachers in the country. The professionals that I had the opportunity to speak with and who took a moment to talk to me about what was next helped me to gain focus and direction on what I want to do creatively. Up to this point I believe that design and photography have been little more than a way to earn money doing something I enjoyed and my proclivity to learn and grow has been more about being better than the next guy and gaining acceptance than a simple passion for what I do.

The thing that makes this a milestone is now I will be moving forward in my creative career from a place of pure passion for what I do and my work has already begun to show that transformation. This is a portrait I took of my wife Alison just after the conference. In this portrait I used techniques that I learned at the conference and on my first attempt I captured probably one of my best portraits to date. You wouldn't know it by looking at it but this was taken on my back porch with one hot light, a neutral colored background and a piece of white foam core for bouncing light. No strobe, it's not outdoors and it's actually at night.

From this week I was able to make a decision in my own mind and for myself that photography is where I will be for the rest of my life and my design will continue to offer me a way to have a unique voice in the industry. Today I start doing for me and not for everyone else and I know I am going to have so much fun doing it. Keep an eye out for some really fun and interesting photo studies that I've already begun working on.

Always remember you have the ability to be whatever you want to be and that the world is at your fingertips to help get you there, all you need to do is ask for what you want and it will find it's way into your life.

Thank you to everyone that took the time to interact with me throughout the conference. You made more of an impact than you probably thought.

Photoshop World - Day Four

Up at 5:30am, if you've been following the posts that means I am damn tired at this point and hope I can make it through the day. Classes were great again and again they kept me awake. Some of these classes they do are full on real world experience type classes like the one from the morning, The Art of Photographing Women. In this class they had a photographer and a model from California and they did a full on model shoot from start to finish, light setup, posing, everything that would go on in a live shoot which was so great. From there they took 3 of the best photos from the shoot and did a class on retouching later in the day. These classes were just another thing that made the event more than worthwhile, you just can't get this kind of broad based intense training anywhere else.

Today I had an opportunity to sit with Joe McNally and review my portfolio. It is just so great that a guy like this will take the time to sit with any one of over 3000 attendees and give his thoughts on my work and where to go with it. I can't say enough to thank him for that, I can only take everything he said and apply it to what I do in the future and you can believe that those few minutes will make a world of difference in where I go from here with my work.

I don't think I can say anything else about the influence this conference has had on me but I can't wait to get started on the future! Keep an eye out for future photography posts as I have a bunch of assignments and studies I will be doing as the next step in my photography career.

Photoshop World - Day Three

Talk about a long day. Up at 3:30am to get to the convention center by 5:30am to get in line for Midnight Madness tickets. It was way too early but we all had a good time and kept each other awake during the two hour wait. Once the day got started I was afraid that I might be sleeping through some of the lessons but the classes were so great that I soon forgot that I was tired. As I said before this was my first time at Photoshop World and what a conference. This was amazing, the level of expertise at this conference was unbelievable.

One of my classes taught by a great wedding photographer, David Ziser, who was just awesome. Some of my portfolio reviewers have been saying that I break a lot of rules with my photography but that it works a lot of the time. In this class he teaches 60 rules in 60 minutes and from what I understand once I know the rules I'm allowed to break them. I also had an opportunity to have David Ziser review my portfolio and I have to say thank you for taking the time out of your day and sharing your thoughts with me. Each one of these reviews is playing a very important part in my finding my voice as a photographer and it has been just a wonderful experience.

The classes taught were not even the end of it. Today we had a special event called The Art of Photography and there are not words to describe the impact this event had on me. This was the most amazing event of the entire conference. A panel of 8 of the most talented photographers including the likes of Joe McNally, Moose Peterson and Jay Maisel were all there to show off the photos that make them love their work and their art. The impact this had on me as a photographer will forever influence my work. If you were to pay for and go to this conference for only this one thing it was money well spent. That being said take 4 days of hands on instruction from some of the top people in the design and photography industries plus a tech expo showcasing the latest technologies and wow!

To top off the day remember that line I was sitting in at 5:30am, well those tickets were for Midnight Madness which was that night! Yeah I know, I did the math too and yes it was a loooong day! The event was a lot of fun and on the way back to my car I took some time to see what I could capture if I put some of the techniques and concepts from the days teachings into action. Needless to say I didn't get back home until 2:30am.

Photoshop World - Day Two

The second day of the conference was absolutely spectacular! The classes were great and the expo showed off some great products and techniques. I'm so excited to get in and start working with all the new techniques and tools. That being said there is just way too much to say to update tonight and I am getting up at 3:30 in the morning to make it down to the convention center early enough to be one of the 200 people in line for Midnight Madness tickets. Tomorrow will be a very long day and so I will update the blog with all the rest of the show experiences over the weekend as well as some of my best shots from the week so be sure to check back.

I do want to be sure to say a very special thanks to Judy Host (www.judyhost.com), Eddie Tapp (www.eddietapp.com) and Jack Reznicki (www.reznicki.com) for taking the time to review my portfolio and give me some of the most important feedback I could get at this point in my photography career. I will definitely be taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from the direction of these very talented artists and I sincerely thank you all for your time.

Photoshop World - Day One

Today was the first official day of Photoshop World, the pre conference workshops. My workshop was the Canon Live Studio instructed by Eddie Tapp and Jack Reznicki who were absolutely wonderful and shared some great lessons, tips and tricks. Jack Reznicki was exceptional and took a process that I believed to be complicated and involved and did a great job at simplifing the basic ideas. I thought we'd be looking at 6 hours of diagrams for different light setups and the technical aspects of a studio setup and instead we learned to "See the Light" to really understand how light works and how to apply that knowledge in the studio. I had the pleasure of being picked to model for an example and had a portrait taken by Jack Reznicki that I was privileged to take with me in a large format print from a new Canon inkjet they were demonstrating. Yeah Me!



Eddie Tapp is a very proficient instructor in Photoshop and I love taking a class like this because even though I have been using these programs for 10+years I still learn new things, or even better I see a new way of doing something I've been doing for 10 years.

I also had an opportunity to meet a few new people and it's really great to sit and talk shop with other photographers. Gina, Brian and Fred were all Photoshop World regulars and helped to give me a warm welcome at my first time out so thanks for the very welcome conversation and it was great to meet you all.

If this first day is any indication of the things to come then I am in for a great week of learning and networking. I look forward to writing tomorrow nights entry and sharing my day with the world.

Until then...

Photoshop World

Less than a week to go until Photoshop World! I am so excited and still have so much to do. I've got my mini moo cards ordered and I'm praying daily that they make it here on time since they are in the UK and of course I waited until the last possible moment to order them. My printed portfolio is getting filled up and the website is just about finished so we are on track to have a great week at the conference. My first day is a pre conference workshop on Tuesday called Canon Live Studio where I will be learning all the in's and out's of a professional photoshoot. They will be teaching lighting, posing and even post processing right there to a small class. Since I am getting more and more into the studio shooting I know this will really help take my studio photography to the next level. Wednesday thru Friday are 3 full days of classes on everything from design to photography using Photoshop and Lightroom. It's been a while since I have been to a conference and I'm really looking forward to learning on a larger scale and getting a refresher. This should really punch up not only my usability but my creativity as well and give me the push I need to really hit one out of the park on my upcoming self promotion pieces. Be sure to keep an eye out here over the next few weeks for all the updates from the conference as I will be adding posts as time and energy allows.