For beginner photographers

I know it's been a while. Just so busy but I wanted to post something really quick. This time, though, it's for my colleagues instead of my clients.
I receive many requests from other photographers, asking for advice. I really feel honored that other people would reach to me to ask for advice.
When I was looking for advice, years ago, only one great gentleman offered any. The rest shut their door to me.  He took time from his busy schedule to invite me in his studio. Back then, when you asked for advice, you actually went to a studio and talked to the photographer, showed your portfolio and shook his/ her hand with your sweaty and nervous hand.
Yes, time have changed a lot.
But the essence it's the same. Even though now a days almost everything is done via email and electronic communications, the idea is to present yourself in the best light possible.

So, based on many requests I received in past years, I will state some key points.

When you first contact a photographer, be aware that they have a busy agenda. Any minute a professional takes from his/ her day, means lost revenue.
So sending an email asking to Google your portfolio, or find you on Facebook is just disrespectful.
Be prepared! provide a link, straight to your portfolio. Select the best images and be consistent.
If you reach out to me, ask me about my field, this is boudoir. Don't ask me about baby images.

Check your grammar! (I know I'm bad at this myself) but at least try to use proper language and not slang.

Ask real questions. Writing an email stating that you want to know how to start into photography is as vague and useless as it can be. I need to know about you. I need to see your work. I need to see what knowledge you have and what you lack. More over, I don't have time to tell you the story of my life, but if you ask concrete and direct questions, I'd be delighted to answer them.
So, ask me to critique your work. Or to help you figure out your prices. Or what's my best marketing strategy. Even ask me how I did such and such picture. Or how to deal with legal stuff.
But an umbrella question is a big no-no.

Be thankful. Nothing makes me want to delete an email more than not having a single 'please' or 'thank you' in such email. I know, it's old school. But think about it. I can help you learn the business. But if you lack people skills and basic manners, your customers won't follow you. And that's pretty much the end of your non-yet-started business.

Recently, I received an email from a young lady who wanted to know how to get started in the business. She told me to find her on Facebook by such and such name and to tell her how to get into business. She didn't even say which business.

When I replied to her that I would need much more information to help her, I also sent her a list of questions. Her second reply was even shorter than the original email. And none of my questions was answered. Not paying attention to my very lengthy email told me so many things about her. The most important was, she wasn't paying attention so my time was been wasted.

So, be respectful of a professional's time. Be concise. Be thankful. Pay attention, take your time. Put your portfolio together. A bunch of selfies on Facebook with cheap filter effects is NOT a portfolio.

The reward?
You could actually  get a professional to share the knowledge he or she has acquired in many years of hard work, many times based on mistakes that you don't have to make.

I did get valuable information once. Most of it was related on how to present my work. How to select my best images and how to improve my technique. The best feedback I got was the one that actually pointed out my weaknesses.

And that's what I treasure. It was raw, but was honest and well intentioned.
Cheers!

Why photographers need exclusivity. The Cousin saga.

A couple weeks ago, I shot a destination wedding. The place was amazing. A castle by a lake!!
I had quite an interesting experience there.  It's always so uncomfortable to have to ask somebody to please stop shooting over your shoulder, or just to move out of the scene.
Have you heard those horror stories, where the most important image from the shoot is lost?
Well, that didn't happen, but quite close!
See what happens when a cousin believes he's a pro-photographer...
Let's see who can figure out who is our dear Primo!

 Groom is ready to take his place down the isle, nice arch, stone and...Primo!

 We have father of the bride, Groom, Pastor, Bride, somehow DJ was also there and then...Primo!

 Primo is busy checking his images.

 What a lovely scenery in the background.

 Flower girl and Ring bearer, plus photo- relative.

 Some nice jacket and elbow.

 Primo didn't want to miss the shot.

 I bet his image looks awesome with me in it too :)

Primo also doubled as entertainer!

Al joking aside, these are some examples of why is important to keep things under control. Many Brides are now opting for electronic-free weddings due to this very reason. The number of images where all the guests are staring into their little electronic screens instead of looking at the newly weds is just breath taking. When your professional photographer has to continuously ask other members of the ceremony and guests to please move so he can get the shot, is just uncomfortable for everybody.
Our goal is to get you the best images, so help us and make sure somebody keeps an eye on all the uncles, cousins and friends who have a really nice camera and are so eager to become the next family pro.
Certainly, we can take charge and just ask the other people to stop. But then again, why ruin the most important day for a  relative if all could've been avoided?
Just my 2 cents :)

Interview: Tiffany Buckley

A- How long have you been a photographer?
T- I started using a camera about a little over three years and I’ve been a professional for about a year and a half, or two.

A- How did you start?
T- I knew someone who hooked me up to clean a photography studio and soon after that, a couple of people that worked there got fired or quit so I pretty much told the owner that I could do whatever they did and do it better and I did, so here I am. Sounds cocky, but it is true.

A- Are you talking about a job as a re-toucher or as a photographer?
T- I did little things like putting together proof books, and then I did some editing and then someone gave me a camera.
 

A- I find this interesting: You worked there, but you had never done the job. You just faced the owner and said “I can do this editing”. How did you figure out that you could do it, if you’ve never done it?
T- I took a Photoshop class in high school and I liked it, so I had the basics.

A- What photographers do you admire and or emulate?
T- I don’t necessarily emulate anyone. I don’t have the lighting means to do so, but I do admire a handful of photographers here in Kansas City. The first one that got me into it, Mike Freeland, I admire his wedding photography. He’s the one who taught me how to use the camera so I feel like I have a little bit of his style going on in my work, a lot to do with available light. A couple of photographers I worked with here in Kansas City; Ken Claypool for Bare Light Photography. He’s pretty phenomenal in the studio.
You, Adrian Vega. You have a dark, edgy style at the studio. Your lighting is different. I like it. It reminds me of Tim Burton. I like Steven Melvin; he’s available light as well. He shot me and we worked together a couple of times. I like his edginess and his “I don’t take crap attitude” and his willingness to push the model to get some great stuff. That’s my handful.

A- What’s your specialty?
T- I am a professional wedding photographer. I have shot 100 weddings even so far and I have 30 to 40 booked for this year.

A- How do you define your style?
T- I stumble upon it. I just keep shooting. I get some models who want to hang out, grab some clothes and stumble upon great things. Out on location, driving around and just jump out of the car.
 

A- If you were describing your portfolio to me, how would you describe the feeling, the mood, of the images?
T- I’ve heard people describe it as ‘stealing the soul of a person’ through the eyes. Maybe eventually I’ll be able to describe it, but right now I’m winging it.

A- Who do you market to?
T- So far, my page shows women between 18 and 30, but I try to make images that everyone likes. I don’t have a particular style, per se. Might be the available light factor, because I haven’t come up with a theme. It’s all jumbled and spotty. I’m experimenting with filters and angles and compositions and what not.

A- Do you have a marketing strategy?
T- I don’t. I’m not a business person. Maybe when I’m legit.

A- Are you not legit now?
T- I’m a contract worker. I’m a hired gun.

A- What do you want to be as an artist?
T-I want to be somebody that people appreciate. I want to photograph everything and anything. I want to travel, shoot for different markets, and maybe one day I’ll find out what I want to do. But so far, I haven’t experimented with everything yet.

A- Where do you think photography in the Midwest is going?
T- I think is going to follow the trends of the east and west coast, just like everything else. I think it’s going to be edgy, I think we’re finally bringing some fashion aspects to the Midwest, such as KC fashion. But as far as photography goes, we’re pretty big in wedding photography here; it’s one of the best ways to make money. And I feel like money starts trends. It’s either hate it or love it, and those who hate it, there’s a lot more. But those who love it make a good amount of money. Jason Domingues, Mike Freeland, Isaac Alongi, those are all big names in KC.

A- Can you name your five all time favorite photographers, dead or alive?
T- I don’t really embark on defining which photographers I like, names don’t stick with me. I’m not going to say Ansell Adams, or anybody. I just don’t know yet.

A- What are the top five items on your wish list?
T-A 5DMark II, a couple L series lenses, some lighting, a studio, merchandise like mugs and pens. I want to make a brand.

A- Can you describe your work flow?
T- Clients book and get a consultation. Can be months or years in advance. The day of the wedding, I usually shoot 8 hrs. It can be 2 or can be 14. It varies. From the time of the make up to after the bouquet gets tossed or when people are drunk on their asses on the dance floor. We don’t want to take pictures of that. You guys have your own cameras for that. Then I get home, dump your photos, organize them, get rid of the worse images, Photoshop a little bit, like get rid of sweat if it was too hot or cold noses if it was too cold. I don’t like to make things too over done. I think retouching a photo and still making it look normal is important. Then we put it online and they order stuff. If I’m doing my own wedding, I tend to spend more time on each image.

A- What’s your latest project?
T- For the last couple of years I’ve been doing this project called ‘girl of the month’. I just look for girls on my Facebook page (rawemotionbytiffanybuckley)/ I judge based on their profile picture and how I feel that day, we go out and shoot, find some cool locations, then I edit some pictures. It’s been pretty good. I have no complaints on my productivity or the models or the location. So that’s my constant project.

A- How did it start?
T- I didn’t want to go into Model Mayhem and find some questionable people. I wanted to build a market on Facebook. It’s a lot easier than other websites and shows my work with everyone.

A- What is the worst mistake that photographers make?
T- All sorts of things. Forget memory cards, forget batteries, break equipment. Assuming that someone wants something or not following up. One time I dropped my camera and I broke my lens. Cost $400 to fix it. It happens.

A- You know a lot of people in the industry. I’m sure you see people make mistakes.
T- One thing I don’t appreciate is when a photographer comes into the business brand new and charges
the normal average price, when they haven’t even done the work before. That makes me upset more than anything. I know it’s kind of bad to charge less than what you’re worth, but I find it to be a game of honesty. So if you come here, haven’t shot a wedding before and go out charging $2000 or $3000 for it, go home. I don’t like financially raping people. I don’t think that’s honest business. Just go home.

A- Now these are my questions for you as a model. I admire your work as a model as much as I admire you as a photographer. What drives you to Model?
T- It’s a hobby. I’ve only been paid once for it, out of 40 or 50 times. It’s fun. It’s like, going out golfing. I just want to go modeling.

A- How did you start modeling?
T- When I was 13 or 14, maybe 15, when the first America’s Next Top Model came out, one of my parents made me watch it and told me that she wanted me to try out for it. I was like, you’re crazy. I’m not pretty enough, confident enough or popular enough to do anything like that. I’ll never travel with that crowd. But it got me thinking later on, after knowing all these photographers, sometimes they need people to shoot and being a young female photographer, we’re not the majority, so when you understand one side of the lens, and somebody wants to be on the other, it makes it easier, and it helps you understand the other side a lot more, when you’re on the other side, when you are shooting a model. I feel like it is almost research. I get some cool photos and it's a confidence booster. You’ve never done it before?

A- No! Do you have a concept or certain things you’d like to try as a model?
T- I really want to try high fashion, in legitimate designer clothing. That’s pretty much all I really want to do now. I’ve done a nice wide array of things modeling wise, but nothing too specific for a certain reason.

A- Do you think that there’s a good modeling market here in KC?
T- For paid modeling? No. If you want to do that, just go home.

A- Where do you draw your inspiration for modeling?
T- I don’t know. I just think the female body is gorgeous. Every female body and every male body is gorgeous. You just have to find the little angle and things that make it gorgeous. And sometimes, more than others, it's not fair. I understand that. I don’t look like Gisele Bundchen. But I think it is great to capture the human body, the soul of the person. My inspiration is all of you and my own body.

A- Do you have any favorite model?
T- I like Lily Allen. Of course, I’m in love with all the Victoria’s Secret models. I think that’s everybody.

A-We’re done then..Thanks!

Raw at the VooDoo!

 From the Voo Doo lounge at Harras,we had a great time. Met some great artists and some very interesting characters. 

This was our booth. We had to get creative to get our pictures up.

An here's my lovely wifey, who insisted that I talked to all people who visited the booth, instead of  letting them be, which was my first choice. I guess I am more of the introverted type.

Interview: Tom Foley- removed

Removed by Tom's request.

Interview: Emily Steele

This is the first of a series of interviews I plan to have. They'll be focused on photography-related people that I find unique, interesting or plain genius. Photographers, artists, models, designers. However, this is based mostly on local talent. I met Emily not too long ago and found her a very interesting artist. I found her in a very interesting place so I asked her for an interview. She kindly accepted and I learned a lot. So here it is. I give you Emily Steele. Please check out her work at http://www.esteelephotos.com/  (Under construction right now)

Adrian: How long you've been a photographer?
Emily: For about eight years.

Adrian: Why did you get into photography?
Emily: I was the yearbook editor in high school. That’s how it got started. Ever since I was a kid, I always had a camera in my hand, the crayola film cameras. Art is something I always enjoyed.

Adrian: How did you get to where you're at?
Emily: I have a full time job, Monday to Friday. Photography is for the most part on the weekends. It’s changed a bit for weddings, since I need somebody to shoot with me, so one of my colleagues is now shooting with me. It’s so much nicer now, to have an extra set of eyes. She sees thing I don’t normally see.

Adrian: Would you say you have a specialty in photography?
Emily: Working with Kids. I’ll do anything, but that’s what I enjoy the most.

Adrian: How would you define your style?
Emily: Growing. I don’t think it has a true definition, so it’s changing, evolving to be more me. It was more inside the box, but now it's not anymore.

Adrian: So if you were to describe your images to me, how would you describe them?
Emily: Full of energy. Happy energy. It’s the laughing, the teasing, the joking, things like that.

Adrian: What is your business model?
Emily: As simple as possible. I don’t like people to have to ask a hundred questions. I like them to have all the answers right up front. I release copy rights, it’s simpler at the end for me.

Adrian: Who's your market?

Emily: Female, Moms, Wives. I rarely get calls from males, and even then, I mostly deal with their wives or girlfriends. It’s mostly 20’s and young 30’s, with younger kids.

Adrian: What's your marketing strategy?

Emily: It’s all networking. My sister has a cupcake business and she has 1500 friends, so when I put a picture of her and my niece on her page, the reach was over 1800 people and it added ten likes to my page. The goal is to push Facebook to my website.

Adrian: Are you where you want to be?

Emily: No. Artistically, I still have a lot of growth, I think. An artist should always be growing, which is good. I’d like to get out of the traditional way, the Mom shots.

Adrian: What’s a Mom shot?

Emily: A traditional- head on shot, either sitting perfectly posed with a great smile on their face, which they’re going to put in an 8x10 picture frame and sit in their house. Business wise, I want to get bigger. I want to get my studio.

Adrian: Where's photography going, as an industry, especially here in the Midwest?

Emily: I think people are becoming pickier on the prices, since anybody can buy a DSLR and think they’re a professional photographer. I talk to a lot of people who had recently been married and I can count four who actually hired a professional photographer. Everybody else had either a friend or relative do it.

Adrian: How does that affect your business?
Emily: It makes it a lot harder.

Adrian: So what’s your strategy to deal with that?
Emily:  I will work with people. I will cut them deals. Although it’s tough because they get used to expect a deal every time.

Adrian: Who are your favorite photographers?

Emily: There’s a group in Louisiana called Three Nails Photography. Their lighting I absolutely adore. There’s another one in Lawrence Kansas, called Mojica Photography.

They do a lot of Indian Weddings. Their lighting is the total opposite than Three Nails. It’s a little bit harsher. I really, really like their style.

Adrian: What's your goal for five years from now?

Emily: I would get out of wedding photography for a few years. I will re-grow the company and start over. I don’t want to worry about the money. I want to do photography because I love it. I want to figure out some techniques.

Adrian: What are the next 5 items on your list of stuff to buy?
Emily: I want the SB-910 speedlight. A Nikon 3200 as a back up camera. Also want the Nikon D2x. I want a 12-120 lens. With a 1.8 aperture. And lastly, I want studio lights. I don’t know what brand, just a studio set.

Adrian: Please describe your work flow.

Emily: We’ll schedule the session, do the session, go home and download to my computer, I shoot RAW. I then group them by similarities, and edit each group. Hue, vibrancy, saturation, etc. Then I open them individually and flip through them to find the money shot. Fix things on the background, details on wardrobe. Then move to the next group. Burn a CD and ship them to the client.

Adrian: What's your most recent project?

Emily: I don’t have one. Just trying to get through my last shoot. I have over 500 photos from a kids session. We had a glitter war and cupcake war. I also had a trash the dress shoot.

Adrian: What's the most common mistake photographers make?

Emily: Beginners : lighting. Usually of rough on the edges, but that’s normal, a learning thing. Experienced photographers: Cockiness. They tend to believe their work is better than everybody else’s.

Adrian: Do you think part of it is because there used to be some sort of ‘initiation’ to start as a photographer? We used to start as assistants, learn the ropes, then move up the ladder and now you just buy a $300 camera and proclaim yourself a pro. So these old school pros, with a brick and mortar shop and tons of gear feel like is harder on them?

Emily: I think a lot of them don’t connect with people anymore. They’re not friendly and they don’t look like they enjoy what they’re doing. A situation comes to mind, where this professional was hired for six hours on a wedding. The six hours ran up the second the couple walks in the reception, so they are being announced and he stops them and tells them he needs $200 more to walk through the door with them, since their time was up. Rather than building some good PR and waiting for later. That’s pretty gutsy.

Adrian: Some advice for beginner photographers?

Emily: Figure out why they like it so much and don’t forget that. Because it happens quite often.

 

What to look for, when searching for a boudoir photographer.

It almost sounds unfair. A photographer giving advise on how to choose a photographer. The truth is,
There are many options out there. And it's in all photographers interest to educate our clients.
A client who's highly critical will push a photographer to improve his or her craft. Also, will be appreciative or the effort it takes to be a photo artist.

So when I see the hundreds of options out there and the many lost consumers, I want to give some advise. It's honest. It's insightful. I hope it helps.

• Do your homework.  Many clients show up at a studio, not having checked the photographer's work in advance. This creates not only confusion, but can be very frustrating. A photographer takes pride in developing a style. It takes time, effort. And a customer who didn't check the work in advance, can either be disappointed by the images produced or have requests for the photographer, that can be just undo-able. I had many clients come and bring prints, laptops, tablets with my colleagues work and asked me to do the same images. Well, this is not only hard, but unfair. If they like photographer X's style, they should hire X. If they see me, I'll give them the images I produce. Original Adrian Vega's.
• Have a critical eye.  When checking a photographers work, it's easy to not see some important details. Does the artist portfolio reflect various different skills? Does it seem to be carefully crafted and put together or does it look like it was a weekend project? Is it technically skilled? Does it seem to have a message, trend, or is just a melange of random images with no defined intention? Do the images tell you something? Are they original or have you seen the stuff before?
• Value experience. Let's face it. All photographers start with no experience and that's just the nature of the business. However, we should be upfront and charge accordingly. Labeling ourselves as 'experienced' when all the images in my website are of the same person, is just suspicious. It's OK to ask how long a photographer has been in business. Usually, a more experienced photographer will charge more, because his overhead is higher. This means also that the end images will be more consistent, it means usually better and more efficient work flow, more gear, better settings and pride for the craft. Don't get me wrong, many new photographers are awesome, and not all older ones are good. But it's reasonable to expect that the older one will deliver the same level of quality all the time, (good or bad) and the less experienced one will vary based on the situation. Photographers with years of experience have learned the ropes and are more prepared to deal with unexpected situations. They also will back their work, if something goes south.
• Talk to your artist!  I believe in instinct. Take a minute or two and dial your artists number. Get a better feeling of who he or she is. There's a lot to be said about chemistry. Some people just don't click and some just work together flawlessly. If you just get this weird vibe from talking to the artist, run. On the other hand, you may find out that your photographer is an amazing person, and that will work in your and his/her benefit as well.
• Check the value of the products you get offered. There are so many variables when determining the price to pay for photography, that people easily get confused. First of all, figure out what you need. Do you need a couple of amazing prints or do you need 400 unedited images on a CD?  Do you really need prints? How big?  Are the images going to be used afterwards?  How? I've seen photographers try to sell their product by adding bath sets!  if I wanted a bath set, I'll go to bed bath and beyond! Ask exactly what you get. Is the $50 package for a session just the hook, to then charge you another $200 for the images on a CD?  Make a list of what you really need, and ask the final cost of getting it, whether is included in the package or is an add on. If something is cheap, there's a good reason for it. It's business. To cut your price, you have to cut corners.
• Be fair. Your artist will work hard, in a very competitive industry, where everybody wants to get a lot for close to nothing. Clients who ask for extra stuff, try to cut or negotiate the prices or have unreasonable expectations can put an artist out of business. If you like your photographer's work, pay for it. Asking your photographer to match Mr. Newbiegotacamera's price is not only insulting, but unfair. Mr. Newbie's lives in his parent's basement, has no insurance, pays no taxes, has little gear and works out of a laptop with bootleg software. Your favorite artist pays rent, insurance, taxes, advertising, art fairs, buys gear constantly, pays license fees for software and constantly educates him/herself to improve.  Now, if you like newbie's images better, go have fun! if not, be aware of the effort and cost that photography generates.
• Be open. I find out that everybody wants awesome images, but just a few are actually willing to put the effort to get them. Showing up unprepared, tired, late, or  with the wrong attire just doesn't help. Been open, flexible and willing to have fun just makes your session more pleasant. Consider that when hiring. Are the images all outdoors on a summer day at 99 degrees? you'll be miserable. Are they indoors? your own house or a real studio. Nothing wrong with any of those scenarios. Just be aware of the difference. Outdoors are buggy, windy, there's unexpected situations, walking, sweating, mud. If you're adventurous, this might just be perfect. Are you the owner of a huge, clean and uncluttered mansion, congrats! a location shooter will use it to create great pictures. Are you just average Jane who doesn't want a lot of effort or needs some pampering? a shooter with a studio will have a comfy place, refreshments, privacy, candles and music. All the things needed, ready. Your call.
• Addendum: I couldn't believe first, but apparently it's a new 'business' model. Looks like some people who take boudoir pictures, have it in their packages that their clients are responsible for booking a hotel room where the session will take place. Beware, hotels don't see it with good eyes when commercial photography in their property. You risk getting kicked out. I know, we all have done it. That's how we start, right? However, there's a difference on taking a model or a friend who's adventurous and fearless, renting a room and doing the guerrilla shoot. This works to build a portfolio, but using it as your business model is risky. Just my 2 cents.

The perfect day

I love my work, it allows me to express my admiration for women, for their strength and their beauty.
But sometimes, magic just happens. What does it take? who knows. It's a mixture of trust, chemistry, creativity and luck.
This is a clear example. Jenny, the Quixotic aerialist.
Jenny got in touch with me, because she had a special idea, more of a request. We talked it over, she came to the studio and we just clicked.
Months after that day, her session came. This is what we created together.

I don't think that this kind of art is possible without trust, great communication and to put it plain and simple: willingness to be open, to create, to think outside the box and go to places we haven't before.
Hanging upside down wasn't new for her. What was new for her was to be at the studio, trust me and put herself in my hands.
Me? well, I've done crazy things before,  but pictures of ladies hanging upside down wasn't one of them. They had always been hanging the 'normal' way :)

Thank you Jenny!
Adrian

PS
These are other crazy things I've done:

 A single good picture like this made my whole trip. Yep. Crazy.
So Creatives, artists, adrenaline-seekers, extreme crowd...Unite. Come create art.

What a trip!

It’s been quite a trip. Back in February 2011, we moved from a home-based business to a brand new (to us at least) 1400 square feet studio at the West Bottoms. Thinking back, it’s been quite a trip. Aside from all the stories and very interesting people we’ve met, our whole life has changed and is way richer than before.

I wanted to recap all the things that have changed, starting from the sets. Back then, we had about 4 different sets that we provided to our clients. Now, at the very least, we have 16 readily available sets, which we can use in a blink. We’re also working on new and fun sets, announcing them as we get them ready, to be tested by our brave boudoirettes (Yes, I made that word up). We have added classy seamless paper, black and white, custom made textured ones, played with water (and got in a lot of trouble with that!) and have also got rid of the least popular ones, such as the giant sand box (which is a bummer to my wife!).

We added two custom- made computers to our work flow, totaling three and improving the editing process, both in time and quality. We also added custom made furniture by local artist Ian Peters.

We have added in house printing with our spanking new Epson Dye based ink printer R2000, which allows us to improve the presentation of our CD’s with customized images printed directly on them and ad-hoc paper prints, all with calibrated equipment and a controlled source of fine art papers.

We expanded our network of friends, joined business networks, worked with four different make up and hair artists and learned how challenging it can be to try to merge two businesses together, which at the moment, we’re still working on.

We tried having two different apprentices, who helped us greatly and went on their own way, pursuing their dreams.

We have improved our client experience, in many different aspects, from the temperature during the session, which was a challenge when we started, due to the old building we’re located in, to the improved changing area, which is now more comfortable, has more room for outfits, better light and a cozier feeling. We also now offer refreshments to all customers during the session, making the experience more fun and relaxed.

We drastically improved the number of sample books available on site, having books for boudoir, pin ups, couples images, very edgy images, as well as more traditional books for weddings, portraits and children photography. Now you can get a full feeling of the many options, sizes and styles you can get when ordering a book.

We improved our workflow, now adding more and better editing to all our images.
Including new gadgets, interfaces, and even adopting technologies from other fields, to be able to keep up with the huge volume of work we have.

We learned how hard is to build a name for your brand, how it’s a real challenge to work with the big companies to improve your business. We have been trying to work with Google for months about their maps been inaccurate. We’ve been repeatedly ignored by Yelp about their rankings for our business, which we believe are biased since they hide all positive feedback provided by clients.

We ran specials with many companies, bringing our innovative product to many clients who otherwise would’ve never had a chance to fulfill a long time wish.

Groupon, Living Social, Deal Saver, Google Deals.  We did them all.
We heard our clients suggestions, now having easier to see proofing galleries, adding extra steps to our post-process to make the viewing easier for you!

We have learned so much about expectations and how important is to be clear about all processes and time frames. We have served over 371 clients and have about 150 more already booked, having a long waiting list that keeps us busy and very energized.
We have improved our pre-session communication process, having very detailed information sent to clients so they can prepare and squeeze the last drop of enjoyment out of their sessions.

When we look back, we see lots of changes, improvements and great times. When we look forward, we see a thriving future, with lots of opportunities and great friendships to be made.

We see new and exciting concepts, maybe some new partnerships, new lines of business and different models to make our product even more accessible, all while supporting our growth.

We are excited to be able to make a change in people’s lives, by showing them how beautiful they are, and the things they’re capable of doing. Empowering, inspirational, thrilling, life-changing are words we repeatedly hear from our very satisfied customers, many of whom return over and over for second and third sessions, or just stop by for a cup of coffee and a nice chat.
And this is just the beginning.

We definitely look forward to it.

Thank you.

Adrian and Michelle

Boudoir interesting facts

It's so interesting to learn and observe people in my profession. Why? Many feel vulnerable. Most people feel exposed so they act different. Most of the time, they behave so differently than the way they do when in a regular setting, that the transformation is short of amazing.
But today I wanted to just make some notes on things I've observed:

• About 30% of my clientele are teachers.
• About 30% are nurses or in the medical field.
• Men are WAAAAY shyer than ladies. (mostly)
• Mature ladies tend to be more confident and usually edgier and more relaxed.
• Most people are extremely nervous when they arrive, but get relaxed by their second set/ outfit.
• No two people have the same thing in mind when they say the want sexy pictures. So I really don't have a clue what they mean if they ask me to do 'sexy' pictures for them.
• Almost every client asks me how does my wife handles my job. (I'd like to know that myself! I guess she's just awesome!)
• Nobody really believes it, but I'm really shy. I blush quite frequently.
• Bringing your own music playlist usually make a world of difference.
• I've used three make up artists since I started working at my new studio. One left me and I miss her so much (You know it Katia) The other two... oh well,  just vanished.
• About 65% of my clients seem to ignore the information I send them. This usually makes the session slower.so PLEASE read it. It makes your session so much better!
• I purposely avoid checking other local photographer's work. I'm the most isolated photographer. I like knowing that any idea I have, it's my own.
• There are about six other photographers in my building. I know two of them.
• About 50% of my clients order a book to present their pictures to their significant other.
• Although seems like nobody does, apparently a lot of people check my blog. (I'm sorry for the typos. I'm the artist, the wife is the words lady ) If you do find something interesting, It'll be nice to hear from you.
• About 80% of my clients wish they had done a couple of risque pictures, but didn't ask for them.
• The oldest client I had so far was 71 years old.
• I never intended to become a boudoir photographer. I was a wedding photographer, but somebody liked some model images I had lost in my website. The rest is history.
• Most Make up artists (in words of one of them) think they're divas. They certainly make more money than the photographer. Plus they get tips.
• I've done specials with Groupon, Dealsaver, Google deals and Living Social. 
• In the last 16 months, I've done 350 sessions.
• Apparently in Kansas City there's a HUGE community of bondage, swingers, hard core people and all sorts of fun things. Nobody likes to talk about that though. Weird, I thought Kansas City was more conservative. Luckily, is not.
• Almost every photographer I know does boudoir... Under the table :)
• Photographers have a weird sense of humor.
• My average schedule on a work day is 6am to 10pm. I work Monday to Sunday. I take two days off every month.
• An average boudoir session takes 90 minutes. Editing 25 images takes me anywhere from another 90 to 180 minutes. The time I spend reading and answering each customer's emails averages another 30 minutes. So it's fair to say that each client gets about 4 hours of my time.
• Last year I took about 150,000 pictures. 
• Yes, I have pictures of my wife on my site. Guess who she is and win a free 60 minute session!
• I'll keep writing things as I remember them.
• If anybody is there, reading, be nice and drop me a line. Seriously. Gets kind of lonely here!

To edit or not to edit....(the photoshop dilemma)

So, you want a photograph...

Well, the more I think about it, the more I think people now a days are confused, in great part because media, photographers, TV, etc.

Used to be that a photograph was an accurate (enough) representation of a subject. So that would mean that a photograph in it's essence should be used straight out of the camera.

Since the old days, this wasn't always the case. Dodging, burning, masking, where all techniques used by old school photographers in the dark room, to enhance a photograph.

Why? because after all, photography is an art, so the artist plays with the medium, tweaking it, exploring it's possibilities.

This was usually accepted as a normal practice, because it didn't really change the image's essence. just enhanced it. Nowadays, with the use of all the tools at hand, we daily go beyond the old dodging and burning. We stretch, clone, liquify, mask, filter, smooth, add grain, reduce grain, over impose images, cut and paste.

I'm not going to judge if this is ethical. It's the way it is and most photographers do it, at different levels.

So what's right and what's not?

I think is more about honesty. If a photographer does it, discloses it and is honest about it, wouldn't that be just like an 'upgrade' of the old tools?

maybe.

Let's just get to the issue I want to discuss. As a boudoir photographer, I get a lot of questions and requests. Some clients expect lots of editing. Some don't want much. So I though the best way to explain what I do as my regular work flow is to show it, since we're talking about images.

Let's get to it!

On this image of a back, my normal work flow would be remove marks in the skin. that's it. Some clients like the porcelain look of filters, usually they ask me to 'smooth' the skin, like in the far right back.

 Legs often concern my clients. Digital cameras show way much detail, that produces skin with lots of texture. My normal work flow would be the middle image. For many clients, this would be a somehow honest depiction of the subject. For many, it's just not acceptable. So I offer the more extreme editing on the far right image.

 Then we get into many issues at the same time: Skin texture and a couple of extra curves that my client wasn't too proud off. Again, my client wanted to look at her best. My job? to please her. Some liquify and surface filter/layers where applied to achieve the image on the right.

 On this image, not only the skin and curves required some editing. I also had to add parts of fabric that were not in the original image. Without that, the image just didn't look right.

Faces are the most important part of the image. I think these images talk by themselves. It's worth noting that this kind of editing on the face is not part of my normal editing. This was a request by a client. Looks great, doesn't it?

So, at the end it's a matter of taste. To me, it's just a matter of time. The editing on the images at the right usually takes 2-3 times of the normal editing. Is it worth it? absolutely!

I hope this helps give a better idea of what you as a client can expect, and what option you have if you would like some extra photoshop love.

Best,

Adrian

The Boudoir pie

Years ago, when I started trying to get money out of what I loved doing, the big thing was doing weddings. It seemed like the logical choice. As in many other fields, we managed to blow it. Every new graduate from art college wanted to get in, so they came up with very interesting pricing, just to get their foot on the door. The problem? We got too many feet! When the new photographer tried to get some business, since there was no experience, the hook to attract clients was a very low price, thinking that once the experience came, the price would go up accordingly. In some months, with some weddings under the belt, newbie raised the prices. By then, another ten new guys had fancy websites and ultra low prices, trying to get their own slice of the pie. Now, I've seen photographers offer to pay, to do a wedding, just to get 'their names out'. As we saturated the market with entry level DSLR's, flash based websites and home-based studios, we now move to boudoir! It's just a normal thing. We move to another new trend, once the last one is depleted or shrinking. As the photographer on the side of the brick and mortar studios, now it's my turn to deal with the newbies. But my advise is not for photographers today, but for consumers. I saw many very talented professionals quit their passion, due to the inability of the consumer to find the value on a true artistic approach. Now I see the consumer live the groupon era, where the only thing that matters is the rock bottom price. Having dealt with the groupon people myself, I can see what we are doing to the industry. We're creating a price war, where we are sacrificing quality for quantity. (groupon wanted me to do a special for about 1/5 th of my normal price, due to another photographer based on an apartment, shooting for that amount) Well, thankfully I decided to do it for twice the other photographers fee. As consumers, we must care for the very things we value. We must support our favorite vendors, get educated, interact. Most people rather ignore that their loved groupon deal is really causing their favorite vendor a loss. That's fine, since it was the vendors decision. but that vendor was banking on patrons who would come back, and pay regular price later, instead of lurking groupon for the next newbie doing a special for close to nothing. Support true artistry. Support quality and do the math. How long can your favorite vendor offer you that awesome product or service making less than working at the fast food joint? So, my 2 cents of boudoir shopping advise: (and it's free) Talk to the people. Clients love to text and email. But they never really get a good feeling of who they're hiring. To me, specially boudoir needs lots of trust. I tend to get a very good idea about somebody, when I talk to them. If you don't know what you want... At least know what you don't want. Browse the web, see images and find out what's hot, what's old, what's appealing to you. Love yourself. If you don't like how you look, nobody can make you look good. Many, however, will be happy to make you look fake though! Find your match. Each artist has a different style. Find a style that you can see yourself in. Don't go to walmart studio and ask for trendy. They just don't talk your language. If you like a photographers work, go for it, but don't ask him/ her to do something they don't. (I have people come to me for kids portraits. Or for long sleeves girlie pictures...seriously?) Be prepared. I can't stress it enough. Boudoir is mostly a once in a lifetime experience, unless you get addicted to it. So why would you show up to your session late,with two outfits (one of them on) and one pair of shoes? It's about beauty, empowerment, confidence, freedom, and yes, naughtiness. So invest in yourself. Get some nice outfits, get hair and make up done. Bring a good friend, have a great time! Be nice. Nothing is weirder than a rude lady in underwear. Your photographer is actually trying his best to make you look amazing. It's a hard work. Also, really doesn't pay much. So manners are ALWAYS appreciated. Before, during and after the session. I've met many amazing people as a photographer. And many nasty ones too. Please, don't be the second. Adrian

the iPhone office

A couple years ago, I wouldn't have guessed it. I probably would've actually said that it's just plain wrong. Nothing beats a good old phone call...or does it?  I've been trying to understand it, and truth to be told, about 85% of the contact with my clients is now through my amazing iPhone. Either we text back and forth or we email. I check my calendar, I make the appointment right in the phone, send price lists, email appointment confirmations, enter clients contact information, track orders and sessions.

Isn't technology scary?

So no, I barely call them and looks like that works best for them too...

Wonder what would be next.

Adrian

Should I be flattered?

I received an email today, it was really nice. One of those emails that make you feel special and good at what you do. Here it is:

"First, I just want to say that your work is stunning! I am a news photojournalist who is looking to develop my boudoir photography in to an art form. I definitely do not want to copy your work, but I would like to learn more about how you light, stage, pose, etc. Do you have any workshops coming up or any tutorials online?







Thanks for your time!


XXXX
"
Of course, I answered politely. What makes me feel weird is the fact that this photographer already has a website offering boudoir, and I have to say is way pricier than mine! Her prices go all the way to $1295. My priciest at the moment doesn't go over half of that!
Such is life.
Adrian

Why creativity costs

As an artists who spends plenty of time planning concepts, modifying the studio, buying gear, insurance, back up hard drives, consumables, props, clothes for models and customers, refreshments for the shoots, paying rent for a big and comfortable space, editing images, uploading images, printing, cleaning, driving to and from shoots, networking, etc. it amazes me how little value many people assign to our efforts as creative people.

Never fails the model wannabe who solicits your services and then wants YOU to pay her. Or the customer who paid for two hours of service and keeps asking for 'just a picture like the one in the magazine'. How about the customer who comes with a laundry list of 'small requests' to change things to their images?

I've never been good at people like that. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But as I become more aware of the responsibilities, legalities and little details that can make or break my business, it's just hard to keep pleasing everybody. specially the people who want to harvest the fruit of our job as creative and also who want it for free.

How many doctors, mechanics, contractors or other professionals do you know who will work for free?
How many people will provide a service without pay? Do you ask your mechanic to also replace the brake pads, since he's already into it, without expecting to pay for it?

As consumers, we've become used to the bargain, the special, the freebie. We're killing the livelihood of those who love their art and provide us with a number of satisfaction, services, art.

Let's re-learn to appreciate the time and effort  a professional puts into the goods we purchased with 70% discount at groupon and at least thank them, recommend them, why not, even tip them.
That professional may not be there next time you want him/ her.
Sorry for the rant.
Adrian

I love my job..

 What's not to love?
I get to thinker with my gear, create new sets, build, design... But most of all, I get to help amazing people to look best, to feel sexy and seductive.
I get plenty of inquiries, about if there are limits on age to do boudoir sessions. The answer? Absolutely not! Last week I met two amazing ladies, who gave themselves a boudoir session as their birthday gift. I think I never laughed so much in my life! They were mid 40's and still looking amazing.

 And to my amazing customers who allow me to use some of their images, thank you so much! means the world to me to be able to share my work, and to be able to show what we can do for other people.
Interesting enough, I'm getting lots of questions about couple's sessions.
Yes, I do those.
No, I can't post those. They tend to be more...outside of the box and really nice and artistic, but certainly not for the shy.

Stay tuned, I have new sets and scenes in the works.

Adrian

It's new, it's bigger, it's badder, it's simply awesome!

 

So it's official: Adrian Vega  Photography and GoodGirlBadGirlBoudoir move to the West Bottoms in February...

This is the white canvas, where the magic will only get bigger. More room, more scenes, sets and all the natural light we can hope for.

Thank you to all of my amazing customers. This is for you.

Right now it's full of plans. The furniture and gear are on their way. Stay tuned. It's just the beginning.

Sometimes the best strategy is to stand still

The internet is the main avenue I use to get business. How do you go from averaging 30 visits a day to getting 4,651 visitors just one day?
That's the beauty of the net. Sometimes, you just have to wait.
It pays to be ready. As an entrepreneur, you got to be willing to think differently and take a big risk.
So one day, shortly after the featured interview in Photoshelter, I receive a call from a very nice lady. I could tell it was a sales pitch. I get them all the time. How to boost your placement in google, yellow pages, a new card, you name it. This lady was talking about some Groupon thing. Poor thing had to spend about twenty minutes explaining what Groupon was. I was that clueless. Then the pitch: They wanted a radical discount.
Not to go into details. I ended up  giving her a VERY generous deal.
We agreed, emailed and the date was set. Jan 27, my Groupon add went live.
I could barely sleep the days before. What if nobody bought it? What if it was a bad decision?
I had a feeling, though. You can't expect to get different results if you continue doing things as you have. So I risked it.
That day, I answered calls from 7:00 am to about 8:30 pm. Answered emails non stop, posted comments on the Groupon board and best of all, booked the next three months of my calendar. Solid. Even weekends.
I went to bed so excited and absolutely exhausted. Determined to sleep in the next day. Fat chance. My wife texted me about 8 am, waking me up. "It's still going on" I got to my computer. I had a nice email from Groupon: They were so excited that the special did so good, that they extended it. So it happened all over again. I now have sessions scheduled in 2012.

What did I do different though?
Well, besides risking it (Really you are risking all your reputation if you don't please all these new customers). I changed my work flow. I streamlined my operation. I put myself out there. And at the end, I loved it!
I talked to very nice ladies, sold sessions for guys, got and invite for pizza and had a ball realizing how loving these ladies are, getting out of their confort zone to please their husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends.
I got asked and had to answer, "Can you make me beautiful?"
It's a tough question! makes you search within your soul.
Many will come out of town. Many will get up really early, or stay up really late. Many saw this as their last chance to do it, before life just didn't offer the opportunity anymore. Many just did it because they love who they are.
It really made me rediscover why I do what I do. Because it's quite an honor to have somebody's trust to show their inner beauty.
For that, I'm extremely happy.
Thank you
Adrian.

The art of waiting: a rant

Beware: this is just a rant. Seems like there has been an increase on the amount of people who think it's perfectly fine to waste somebody's time and money. And even worse, not even feeling the least amount of remorse. Two days ago, I spent an hour waiting, since I had an appointment with a potential customer. Not that I didn't enjoy good reading while I waited, but the gas I used to get there and back, the time I spent getting materials ready, putting pricelists, samples, albums together, the time and even more important, I left my family on a weekend, to accommodate her schedule. You would think she would have called. or emailed. Well, I'm still waiting to hear from her, two days after the date. Just a couple days before her, when I actually spend money building a set for a boudoir photo shoot, hauling raw materials into my studio, getting plants from the lake freezing temperatures, kept in touch and timely followed up with her, She cancels, five minutes AFTER the time of the shoot.

Is it asking too much to respect people's time and effort towards work?

Connecting with customers

I received an email, from a good friend of mine asking me to do some family portraits.
Truth to be told, family portraits hasn't been my forte, and I'm still trying to decide why, since usually they end up being so much fun.
The day of the session, I arrived extra early, I mean 2 hours. I scouted the place, took notes and waited. For some odd reason, I was really nervous. I guess I wanted my friend to get something really special for her family.
When they arrived, within five minutes all came back to normal. Her family was so much fun, accommodating and even helped me carry my gear! (I carry way too much stuff to my shoots, but that'll be a different post)
How many times you get to know that your customers met in elementary school and married nine years after? and how many times you get to know your customers business, their story, why they moved and how they interact with their kids?
The more I think about it, the more I wonder why I don't do more of these portraits.
anyway, just wanted to share how a day that worries you so much, can turn out to be such a great experience.
Adrian