**I know it’s Saturday … and FAQ Friday should be on Friday. Can you forgive me?**
We’re gearing up for a big weekend here in Indianapolis. Our city hosts the Indianapolis 500 race every May, and it’s always a good excuse to get together with friends and family … and have a great time in the warm sun! I’ll be away from the computer all weekend … I’ve earned it this week.
Today, I’m continuing my FAQ Friday post from last week. I covered the first 3 tips (of 10) for starting a photography business. I thought I would share the other 7 tips today.
#4) Learn Your Camera: I know this may seem like a given, but there are many ‘photographers’ out there who don’t know their cameras. It’s so important to understand the relationship between aperture, ISO and shutter speed. You need to know how to work your camera forward and backwards. Do you know what settings to use in a dimly lit room … Do you know what settings to use when you’re photographing a couple with a super-bright sun backlighting them? Sure, you could turn your camera on ‘Auto’, but your camera doesn’t have a brain … It doesn’t always know what you’re looking for in an image. Personally, I shoot on manual, spot metering. I use a single focus point and move it around to be sure the focus is always on the subject’s eye. I use the meter in the camera to set my shutter speed, and then I change my settings according to the image. I know what to do if the image is too dark (open the aperture … lower the shutter speed … crank up the ISO (last resort)). When I first started making photos, I would set my camera on aperture priority, which worked most of the time, but it still didn’t give me the control to create the images as I saw them in my mind. You know that big book that comes with your camera?? Read it! The manuals that come with your camera are full of great information … I think I’ve read mine about 3 times, and it’s taught me so much about my camera. Also, Google can be your friend. If there’s something you don’t understand … I can promise that you can find it online.
#5) Invest in Learning: I know that most people start a business to make money … but sometimes, you need to spend a little money in order to be successful in the long run. One the best investments I’ve made in my business (besides my equipment) was the Spread the Love Workshop with Justin & Mary Marantz. I attended the workshop at the beginning of 2010, and it totally got me inspired and pumped up for the year. It was an opportunity to spend a day with several other photographers that were working towards the same goal as myself. We shared and listened as Justin & Mary talked about their amazing journey. Workshops can be pretty expensive, but the information you’ll walk away with is invaluable. When looking for a traditional photography workshop, be sure the host will cover topics related to shooting and equipment … but more importantly, be sure they are sharing information about business infrastructure. After all, most photographers that offer workshops have successful business models, and when you’re first getting started, that information can be vital to your own business growing.
#6) Start a Blog: With the huge influx of photographers these days, it may seem like you’ll never be able to stand out and be successful. Why not try selling yourself … instead of just your photos? If you have a fun, funky personality, you should be advertising that. A blog is a wonderful platform you can use to promote your business and your personality. Your clients can stop by to see your most recent work, but if there is more than just photos, chances are they will stick around to learn more about you. My first blog was a free WordPress blog … and it was super-easy to use. At first, visits were minimal, but as I posted more, more people came to check it out. I could copy the link onto Facebook and Twitter, and it was a form of free advertising. The days of my free WordPress blog are over and now I have this blog you’re looking at. The images are large, and all aspects of the blog reflect my business (colors, logo, etc.). If you’re just starting, and you think a free template is too boring, you could try ProPhoto Blogs. They are pretty inexpensive, and they give you the control to be as creative as you’d like to be with your blog. Basically, your photos might be nice, but unless you stand out, why would anyone choose to work with you? There are always going to be other photographers, but there’s no one that can be you!
#7) Build Your Brand: Building a brand is much more than finding a name for your business and creating a logo. You brand is your business. It’s the service you provide to your clients, it’s the quality of images you deliver, it’s your style of shooting, it’s the feeling people get when they see your work. Of course, your style might change a bit as you get further into your business, but I would imagine that you want your customers experience to be a positive one, every time. Now that I’ve told you having a logo isn’t the most important part of your brand … you should still have one. Whether your business is basically your name (like mine), or a different name, you should have a logo that reflects your image. Of course, you can create this yourself, but if you’re better at creating photos, then it might be best to work with a graphic designer that can bring your image to reality. Think of your favorite colors, shapes you like, do you like simple?, what feelings do you want people to experience when they see your logo? All of these aspects will help a designer create a logo that will reflect you and your brand. Once you have a logo, this visual element should be throughout your marketing materials (business cards, price sheets, blog, etc.). Having your logo or your colors be a part of your business will give clients the assurance that you are a professional. Think of it this way: From the first business card you hand to a potential client, to the packaging in which you deliver their final images, everything should be quality. Basically, from beginning to end, you don’t want the clients to have anything from you that doesn’t remind them who shot their photos. Maybe next year, when they are going through their desk drawer, they will see your business card. They’ll remember the great service and professionalism that you exhibited … It could get you more business from them, and I bet they will refer business to you. Just a little plug, I do graphic design as well as photography, and if you’re looking for someone to help you with your logo/branding … I would love to help you!
#8) Be Organized: I feel like I’m the pot calling the kettle black right now. Being organized is definitely not overrated when running you’re own business, but I know first-hand that it’s easy to put things off and then forget about them. Organization is so important. Without it, every day business tasks can become chaotic, and that’s another way of getting burnt out on your business. I’ve definitely gotten better (rushing around the day before our tax guy was coming over was not fun, and I am pretty sure I still didn’t find all of my receipts for my expenses. Moral of the story … If I was more organized last year, I could have gotten a larger tax return, just saying!). There are the obvious places to be organized: Your camera case, your desk, files, etc. What about your workflow. Every session I shoot goes through the exact same steps from start to finish. I never start editing a session until I’m done with the previous, and I always know where to locate the files once they’ve been saved and edited. I’ll post more on my workflow on a later FAQ post. I keep signed contracts, receipts, and other important paperwork in a file cabinet so that everything is easy to find. All of my files are saved and backed up on two different external hard drives. All sessions are loaded onto online galleries for my clients to review. All important emails are saved and placed in folders … again, so I can find them easily. I have running spreadsheets that I record my expenses for the year, as well as spreadsheets that I can use to show what I’ve made during the year. This helps for tax time. I have a separate bank account for my business … and I only use it for business. All of these things help keep me organized. When you’re first starting out, you might not think it’s that important, but what about when you have 6 sessions to edit at once? Will you know where you are with each session? If so, you and your clients will benefit.
#9) Get Legal: This tip is pretty straight forward. If you’re going to have your business, then you should be recording all of your income … and you should be paying taxes. You should register your business name with your secretary of state’s office. This will ensure that no one else can operate under your business name, but it will also give you the option of opening a bank account for your business. Most photo vendors (prints, albums, etc.) will not work with you unless you’re official. Don’t try to fly under the radar … If you get caught, it’ll be a lot worse than just paying your taxes each year.
#10) Be a Part of a Photography Community: Since there are so many photographers out there, use it to your advantage. Meet other photographers in your area. Not only will you have new friends … but you’ll also have people to share and learn with. What happens when a client contacts you about shooting their wedding on a date you’re already booked? You really like this couple, and you don’t just want to turn them away entirely … Well, you can refer them to another photographer in your area. Not only have you helped this couple find an awesome photographer, you’ve also helped out your friend. On the other hand, you could be closed in and snobby. Believe me … there is plenty of room for these photographers and you’ll definitely encounter them, but wouldn’t you rather have a good reputation among your clients and fellow photographers. Not only is it beneficial to get to know photographers and vendors in your area … but there are so many online communities and forums you can join. I’m a member of the [b] school, and I love it. Whenever I have a question … I go there, and I have hundreds of photographers who can share with me and give me their advice. I learn about 2nd shooting opportunities and get togethers in my area. It’s great to be a part of a group of like-minded people! It’s inspiring … and of course, I love other photo nerds like myself!
Just to leave you with an image … Here are the newest additions to our family. My in-laws adopted these two little ones last week. Princess & Billy are so stinking cute … I’ll post a few more later, but for now:
FAQ:: Why RAW?
By Ravyn StadickIt’s been over a month since my last FAQ post! Yep, sorry about that one. I have a few posts planned, and I didn’t want to wait until Friday for this one. I will try harder to do 2+ FAQ posts a month. If you have any questions: workflow, equipment, camera settings, client interaction, etc., just let me know!
I know I’ve mentioned RAW on my blog before. I’ve mentioned that I shoot almost everything in RAW. I’ve also had several questions about what RAW is … and why I use it. I thought I’d use this FAQ post to explain.
When I bought my first camera, the Nikon D90, I started using it on full auto (don’t judge me, please!). I quickly changed to aperture priority and eventually onto full manual mode. My first few sessions were shot with JPEG format. I was shooting the maximum size JPEG image, because that’s what I always did on my point and shoot (again, don’t judge). One day, I put my CF card into the computer to download the images, and there was nothing there. All I saw were a bunch of files ending in ‘.nef’. I put the card back into the camera and saw that some how my camera got set to RAW format. What was RAW? I checked my book and then Google and found out that RAW would quickly become my best friend when it came to my images.
All digital cameras shoot and store information … they don’t store a photo right away. When you click your shutter, all of the information (image, lighting, settings, etc.) are stored on your camera in a little file. If your camera is set on JPEG, the camera does the conversion for you and you can download these image straight to your computer, leaving you less room for correction if needed. On the other hand, you could shoot RAW, and download the information to your computer, leaving you the ability to do that conversion yourself, which results in the image exactly as you saw it in your mind when you were making the photo.
Some people are convinced that shooting RAW is a way for less than stellar photographers to present themselves in a better light. I think that’s the furthest from the truth. When I’m working with an amazing couple during their wedding day, the last thing I want to worry about is the white balance of the image … “Oh, this image is too blue. Please just stand there for a few seconds while I make the changes! Oh, but don’t move, because this would be the perfect shot!” … Those words won’t ever come out of my mouth. I am shooting for composition, lighting/exposure, and emotion. I would much rather download the RAW files once I’m home and adjust those tiny little white balance issues instead of missing the first kiss shot because I was adjusting my camera. I think RAW speeds up my workflow on so many levels. Even from shooting the session. I shoot full manual, unless you want to consider auto white balance, which are the recommended settings I would encourage others to try. Now that I shoot my Nikon D700, I only use JPEG format when I’m shooting for my personal photos. It actually does a pretty great job with color saturation and white balance while in RAW mode, that I don’t have too much to adjust on the computer. *Hopping off of my soap box now!*
Before you start shooting RAW, there are a few things you should know:
So now that you know the basics, I can show you why shooting RAW works for me.
Remember Mike & Sarah’s beautiful wedding in St. Joe, Michigan? Here’s one of my favorite images of Mike from the day. First, this is exactly what I see when I open a RAW file for the first time. It opens in Camera RAW for Photoshop CS4.
The image above shows the file exactly how it was shot. The main things I’m concerned with (before I open the image in Photoshop) are the Temperature, the Tint and the Exposure of the image. The three controls are on the right side of the screen.
Once I opened this image, I realized that it’s a little too cool for my liking. I think skin tones should be as close to natural as possible. People aren’t blue (well, none that I’ve seen anyway), so this image needs warmed up a bit. I do that by bumping the temperature control up just a bit (towards the yellow). I adjust the exposure a bit as well.
Original:
After adjusting temperature:
As you can see … the changes aren’t huge. It’s still important to try to nail exposure in the camera as much as possible. I always run a couple actions after the basic edit to put my own touch on the photos (not shown here).
Here’s one more example of when RAW was amazing. I recently did a session with Ashley, Addy and David. The day was BRIGHT and so we took some shaded shelter under the big oak trees at the park. When you’re under foliage in the bright sun, the light can tend to get a bit green. The following photo was one of the first shots from the day. I was adjusting my settings, and I got this shot before I found the sweet spot on my exposure. When I came home, and downloaded the images, I almost deleted this one. I had other shots that worked, but I LOVED this shot of them.
As you can see, it’s WAY to dark … and too green. I was able to bump up the exposure without the image getting WAY saturated or bright. Also, I bumped the tint control to the right to add a little more magenta to the image. The image went from unusable to great in a matter of 10 seconds.
I hope this makes sense. If you have any questions related to this post, feel free to ask. I’d LOVE to answer more questions too, so ask away!!