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!

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.

Do you really want a lady tell you what's sexy?

It always makes me think. Some of my clients even have told me they where a little worried about having a male photographer. My answer? Well, most of my clients come to see me because, plainly put, want to knock their husbands/ boyfriend/lover's socks off.. Then, who can know better what the man in their life's wants? The girlie photographer? Nope, Me!
Generalizing a bit, a good female photographer will make them look gorgeous, pretty, classy. If this is all you aspire, you're in the right track.
Me? I make them look irresistible, sexy, sassy. I make them look like the woman their husbands want them to look like.I make them laugh. I make them think. I make them be themselves, just wilder. It's just logical. A guy knows another guys brain.
It's easy to understand their apprehension though. But this is not a guys garage. This is professional studio. I'm not new at this. I serve hundreds of customers a year. I don't do boudoir under the table, like is a bad thing. This is what I do..
Bring a friend, get some insights of the male brain, rediscover the inner goddess.
Don't settle for cliche. Don't settle for what you've seen everywhere. Boudoir is truly an empowering experience. Shouldn't you trust it to the photographer who knows what your loved one feels, thinks and dreams of?
Just saying.

At the end, go with your instincts. But don't discriminate based on old cliches.
I love what I do, with passion. Talk to me and make your decision.
Adrian

Model photoshoot at the West bottoms

This is what photographers do when they are bored. They hang out with other photographers, and shoot models, if they show up. This is a clip of today's photo shoot at the West bottoms in KC.
Check out how there's groups, each one getting ready for a shoot, in different settings.

Here are some of the images of the session.

Yes, it was a pain to get that chair inflated, and yes, most other photographers thought I was crazy, hauling my box of props. Somebody even asked me where I left my sink! Nonetheless, I think adding an out-of-the-norm element to this setting worked really well.
Some models are just naturals. They understand the language of a photographer.
Of course, I had to try something for my next wedding!

As I was getting this picture set up, I couldn't help it but think of a good explanation in case the police showed up.

That's it. The West Bottoms is such a cool place to explore later, with more time. I'll be going back soon, to try other ideas. Thanks to my fellow photographers.

Back to my website: http://www.earthue.com/