Category: education

LDP Episode #54: Striking a Balance

Jason28 Comments

The latest and greatest episode of the LDP Podcast is now live and available for download!  This week not one but two guests…special guest Jason Cate from the listening audience, and an established photographer in his own right, and Nicole Young returns to the show.  Here’s the show notes (and show for download)!  Enjoy the show, and thanks to everyone for their continued support and interest:

1.  Personal Work versus Client Work – What brings clients in is your own creative vision yet at the same time you also have to be able to recognize the client vision too…striking a balance there can be demanding and challenging.  There are several strategies to cope:

2.  Shooting versus Promotion/Marketing – We have to produce work to survive, but by the same token if we don’t tell others about the work we are producing, how can one even begin to survive without some measure of success.  Balancing the creative and business ends of photography is equally demanding and can take a pretty heavy toll if you’re not careful.  There are several approaches to take here as well:

3.  Capturing and creating photos and projects versus down time – With the internet, Twitter, Facebook cell phones, email, and everything assaulting us literally 24/7 – there has to be a way to balance personal time with work time.  In this case personal time means actually putting the camera down and spending time with family, friends, colleagues, and otherwise “unplugging” from the digital photography world.  Can we even afford to take these periods of downtime anymore?  Is it worth the risk of fading?  Things to consider when balancing personal and professional growth and development, and strategies to cope:

4.  Listener Q&A

  1. What’s the best way to deal with noise in photos?  I’ve heard several options out there ranging from using plugins in Lightroom, to layer masks in photoshop, while others just avoid high ISO at all costs. – Karen in New York
  2. Just getting started in photography and wondering if I can build a business in this market.  What are the pitfalls I should be wary of?  On that same note, would it be better to begin solo and keep things small to avoid getting in over my head or should I work with other photogs to defray costs while making larger projects available to the business? – Phil in Las Vegas
  3. Everyone always talks a good game about lenses, but it’s tough to be taken seriously when people have better camera bodies than I do that have 1/10th the experience or knowledge. How do you deal with clients who have better gear than you? – Katherine in Milwaukee

Co-Hosts:

And, for those of you that listened, and are paying attention, you’ll know that Nicole has generously donated a copy of one of her latest books “Snapshots to Great Shots” for some lucky commenter.  So, leave your comments, thoughts, and/or feedback on the show here, and you’ll be automatically entered to win either her 60D or 7D book!  (We’ll know for sure which book it is hopefully later today – Monday)…

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What I’m Reading

Jason3 Comments

Reading material is a gold mine, not only for inspiration, but for education.  The field of photography is one where you can never know everything there is to know, and there will always be people who see things differently that you can learn from and gain insights and inspiration.  For that reason, I am always reading something.  Here’s a portion of my reading list lately in the hopes that you can find some insights and inspirations too!

Books

  • Captured – Lessons from Behind the Lens of a Legendary Wildlife Photographer, Moose Peterson

Captured - by Moose Peterson

  • Photo Trade Secrets, Volume 2, Zeke Kamm (forthcoming)

Photo Trade Secrets, Volume 2 - by Zeke Kamm

Magazines

  • National Geographic – December 2010 Issue
  • Shutterbug – February 2011
  • Consumer Reports – February 2011
  • Bits and Pieces
  • Arizona Highways – January 2011

I guess my nose is always in a book or something!  Got any suggested reading items?  Share your own reading lists in the comments or with me via email.  Happy shooting (and reading)!

Pictures in the Park and other sundry stuff

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One of the ways in which I make sure to stay active is to volunteer in local photography groups.  One such group is organized through Meetup.com and we affectionately call ourselves the Denver Photowalk Group.  (Pretty original eh?)

Our fearless leader has taken some pretty impressive initiative to organize several walks over the course of the next 12 months.  He’s asked us to also throw out any ideas as we move into 2011, and a few are percolating for me.  Here’s what I’ve come up with thus far:

Pictures in the Park

I forget where I saw this before but the idea is kind of fun.  Here’s whatcha do:

Step #1:  Get a bucket full of cheap candy.  Spend maybe $5-$10 at the dollar store and get some variety.

Step #2:  Create a poster or something that advertises your outing with a catchy or pithy slogan.  Something like “FREE CANDY!”  or “CLICKS FOR CANDY!”.  You get the idea, and be creative.  You want to attract people.

Step #3:  Assemble your groupies and start snapping each other.  If you want to push things a little, have some strobes around on portable light stands (that catches eyes too!).  When people approach, just say something along the lines of “We’re practicing photography, and would love to take your picture!  We’re giving away free candy for just a few minutes to practice posing and lighting.”  If you want, you can set up a download place on your website (or Flickr if you are working on the cheap) for people to visit afterward and get copies for themselves.

Step #4: Have fun!  Learn from one another and share techniques.  Collaboration and free exchange of ideas are key.  In sharing what you know, you may also learn from others.  The end result:

  • People have fun pics for free
  • You get to practice posing and lighting
  • The event may encourage others to join the group and have some fun

Other Sundry Stuff

Frequency

As you may have sensed by now, I have decided to take a step back from blogging every single day this year.  The looming deadlines of writing intensely every day for a number of years has taken its toll, and I must admit, the quality is not what I am used to producing.  Instead, I will be blogging and writing less often.

Journals

That being said, I do enjoy writing.  I really do.  And evidence indicates that people enjoy reading what I write when I take my time and produce good quality material.  So, I will be putting out one journal article each and every month.  The blog version will be an abbreviated version (think Reader’s Digest), and a longer version will be available on a subscription basis.  While I’ve not decided exactly how that portion will work, it’s something I’d like to give the dedicated readers, listeners, and supporters on a premium level.  So, look for some announcement on that soon

Podcasts

The toughest part of starting something is knowing when to say when and stop.  The podcast is a tough call, because while I love putting them together, it takes a huge chunk of time to schedule guests, record a discussion, post production, upload and host.  They will likely not disappear entirely because I think everyone enjoys them when they do happen.  But at the same time, I don’t want the quality to suffer there either.  So, when time permits, yes, these will continue.  It always helps here to have reader input – if there’s someone you’d like me to chat with, or a topic you’d like me to address, let me know in the comments or via email!  I am always open to suggestions and ideas.

Webinars

This is perhaps the most exciting thing that is forthcoming…a major sponsor and supporter of the blog is Nations Photo Lab and they have given myself and Kerry Garrison of CameraDojo.com an opportunity to publish live webinars once a month for free to share with the community.  These webinars will cover a wide range of topics, we’ll likely have guests, and basically be another venue to give back to the community that has been so generous to us.  There are several spots left, and we are assembling a waiting list as we can accommodate 100 people in the event.  To register, stop over at http://livelearninglab.eventbrite.com to register for the first Live Learning Lab sponsored by Nations Photo Lab and hosted by myself and Kerry Garrison.  It’s gonna be fun, you’ll get a great inside scoop on some of the nitty gritty on Lightroom 3, and best of all – it’s free!

Well fellow photogs, bloggers, and readers, that’s about it for today.  Let me know your thoughts on the new “agenda” for 2011.  What kinds of groups do you participate in?  Got any event ideas?  What about the podcast and journal topic ideas?  Share those as well, as moving forward, a lot of the content will hopefully be encouraged or at least initiated by you! Happy shooting and have a great weekend!  With that parting thought, here’s my parting “shot” of the week – a nice assembly of lines and shapes while waiting in Denver Airport:

Airport Shapes
Airport Shapes

 

Did You Know…

Jason2 Comments

Over the weekend I was down in Tucson, spending some time with the in-laws, and during the getaway, had a chance to catch up on some overdue reading in my monthly magazine stack (it has been growing steadily lately as other stuff has gotten in the way. I emerged from my readings with several “Eureka!’s” and “What a great idea!” so, figured to pass on the new-found or re-kindled knowledge here on the blog. (In the spirit of giving and all that…) So, without further ado, here’s a new feature on the blog:

Did You Know…?

1.  Fog is about 1 stop brighter than what cameras detect as 18% gray?  To compensate for shots taken in foggy conditions, adjust your exposure settings up by about 1/2 – 1 1/2 stops to compensate, otherwise you’ll get underexposed shots.

2.  Cameras are designed for right-handed people…the ergonomics are made to grip and adjust controls with your right hand.  Left-handed shooters have it twice as hard as the rest of us so double kudos to you!

3.  Pentax was actually the first camera vendor slated to release a full-frame DSLR camera, not Canon or Nikon!

4.  As you move light away from your subject, the output drops off by a factor of almost 2 to 1?  (It’s actually technically “double the distance, 3/4ths the output…)  Which means if you move your subject away, you need twice as much light at double the distance to equal the same output…

5.   To shoot a picture of the moon, use the Moony 11 Rule, just like the Sunny 16, but use f/11 and match the ISO to shutter speed

And since I was in Tucson this past weekend, here’s a couple holiday photos to tickle your funny bone…Christmas Tucson-Style:

Santa Turtle
Santa Turtle
Cactus Cap
Cactus Cap

Got your own DYK tips or photo nuggets?  Share ’em here on the blog.  I’ll likely start doing this as a monthly feature and would love to hear the ideas, tips and tricks that others have to share as well.  In the meantime, keep on shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Meeting Your Goals…with help!

Jason1 Comment

Did you meet your goals in 2010 photographically speaking?  It’s an interesting question, especially for me because as I started to move in toward the holidays, with a new job ramping up, had felt as though work in the photography arena had stagnated for me to a degree.  It really was not the case actually – and the back story here is what is important.  None of us are an island – we all need help to both keep ourselves motivated, and to keep the fires and energies burning.  Sometimes we recharge from a break other times it’s from a good kick in the…well, you get the idea!

The Back Story

Colleagues, mentors, tutors, and others in the field can be a hugely helpful influence, and one sage such associate recently told me to shoot more and talk less.  The whole idea of “shut up and shoot” had come back to haunt me!  This is advice I give to others when they approach me – how dare he suggest that.  But then I considered…and in all honesty, the last month or so of photo production had not been as productive as I had wished.  I had excuses of the new job, sure…but the bottom line was that my colleague was right!  I needed to get out and shoot more! So I did just that.  In doing so, I got a few good decent photos together, including one for the desktop download series…

Then, another industry association (although I use that term lightly), is none other than Mr. David DuChemin.  You may recall he paid a visit to the podcast a while back, and occasionally we have had a few exchanges on Twitter, but it’s definitely a one-sided relationship where I learn from him and not vice-versa! 🙂  (There I go again with the self-deprecation – someone needs to shock me so I stop doing that!)  Anyway, he reminded me that the whole point of our craft is to share our vision and work with others.  It came through a Twitter exchange when I was giving a compliment to his work by also using my well-known tactic of self-deprecation.  It stuck with me so much, that I’d rather just share his exact words:

Sage Advice from David DuChemin
Sage Advice from David DuChemin

– and that is exactly what I had not been doing photographically.  Oh sure, test shots from lens reviews, a few sample photos here and there…but nothing really from the inner core that had apparently been needing some voice.  So, with that I decided to go ahead full force – not only with capturing more images, but completing the last of the Desktop Downloads for the year!

The 2010 Desktop Downloads

What’s that?  You don’t know about the Desktop Downloads?  Of course not, because I had been neglecting to share the information with everyone on the regular monthly basis that a new photo for inspiration and enjoyment had been uploaded.  For many months of the year, I was capturing photos and  content to share, and not sharing it!  The legwork behind it was lost in the business.  So, I owe the audience an apology and 12 downloads for the year!  No worries though – you know why?  Because I met my goal for the year!  In going back through each month for the image I had selected, I realized that this was also tied to a “project” I gave myself for 2010 – to shoot more often, and take on more projects.  The goal was one a month, and I did it!  With my personal success finally realized, it’s high time to share that success with everyone else.  For the monthly desktop image for December, you can get click the appropriate link and download for your own inspiration and enjoyment!

Colorado Sunset
Colorado Sunset

1280×1024 px

1024×768 px

To get the rest, simply hit the Downloads page and save for your own desktop wallpaper or screen saver as you prefer… As an aside, there are a couple months I had done the download as a calendar, thinking it would be more functional (May and June), but after toying with the idea for 2 months, decided it detracted too much from the image for my tastes (all due respect to Jeffrey Friedl and his PS plugin that helped produce those months though.).  Nevertheless, with the year far from over (most of December is left for us), I can officially say I met my goal for the year with 12 photo projects.  Already, I’ve shot nearly 20% more than I did last year, because of directed projects and diligence.  Have you met yours?  There’s still time, so get out there and shoot!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…

Editor Note: (Who am I kidding, that’s still me…)  I know the Monthly Newsletter is still not out as promised and I expect that to be out tomorrow as well, so if you’d like to still sign up for that, there’s still time!

Close to Home – from Craft and Vision

Jason1 Comment

I was on the verge of taking a day off on account of tired – my new shift at work goes from 6:30am to 3:30, and the adjustment on my internal body clock has been a challenging one to accommodate.  However, I remembered a quick post I wanted to make to share with everyone a great eBook I had the pleasure of previewing from the crew working with David DuChemin.  So, now is as good a time as any! Continue reading “Close to Home – from Craft and Vision” →

The Vetting Process

Jason6 Comments

It seems that the more I shoot in various capacities, the fewer shots I take in any given scenario, primarily because I am thinking “yeah, the light’s not right”, or “I don’t have the right lens”, or some other obstacle is preventing me from getting the shot I really want. Whether it’s me being more selective in the shots I take, or something else, is entirely open…case in point, at a recent sports event, I captured less than 500 photos. Of those 500, only 24 got pulled for client delivery, and of those 24, I was really only particularly happy with 2-3 of those shots. Is that being too picky?

The Whole Schmear
The Whole Schmear
The Choices
The Choices
The Selects
The Selects
The Hero
The Hero

So, (and I know this will be specific to the type of photography), the question comes to mind for me: What is a good pull rate? Should I be keeping half my shots? 25%? 10? What percentage should I be pulling from a shoot to deliver to a client?

Clearly, many of the images are thrown in the digital dumpster, but I am wondering whether I should be keeping more for delivery, or for “recovery” at a later date when software improves even further? Is it even worth keeping those? What are the odds I’ll come back in five years saying “If only I had a shot of a hockey player in a white-and-blue jersey center-framed against a white and yellow wall”? My guess is slim to none, so why bother keeping those shots?

Hence the question – what is the average pull rate for photography work? Only client pulls? Client pulls + 10%? +25%? Would really be interested in hearing what others deem to be “acceptable” pull percentages, so please – sound off in the comments and let me know your thoughts…

In the meantime, keep on shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Copyright Isn't Just for Photographers….

Jason6 Comments

The web makes for an interesting place, and often I get emails from folks asking for suggestions and recommendations on how to best protect their images from being used without their permission (and let’s not mince words here – nobody wants to have their work stolen).  Often my response is a bit of this and that, suggesting to make images “web-safe” (i.e. low resolution so they can’t really be re-printed), and to limit the images you publish.  (The more you put out there, the more you have to monitor.) Continue reading “Copyright Isn't Just for Photographers….” →

Free advertising from me today…

Jason3 Comments

Being in Colorado, I am always one of the first to read the latest blogs for the day because East Coasters usually set their publish time to somewhere between midnight and 2am, which means between 10pm and midnight my time, I can catch up on all the news that is going to hit in the morning.  (California folks got me beat by an hour…)

So, when Scott Kelby’s blog went live a while ago, he was encouraging people to join the Kelby Training website with a video teaser compiled by his chief video guru, Jason Scrivner.  It’s a pretty funny video teaser, but did pique my interest enough to stop over and see how much time was involved in the new video.

Continue reading “Free advertising from me today…” →

A simple question is never simple…

Jason3 Comments

I am putting together a DIY project that requires a tool which is rather pricey (roughly $50).  So in the interests of keeping costs down, I’ve been contacting local glass cutting shops (although that might be telling too much) to see if they have the tool needed for the job.  Specifically, the shop needs to have a 3  and1/8″ diamond tipped hole saw for this project.  The first words out of my mouth are always:

“Hi, my name is Jason and I am trying to find a local shop that can cut a piece of glass for me, but it must be done with a 3 and 1/8″ diamond tipped hole saw bit.  Do you have that specific size?”

Continue reading “A simple question is never simple…” →