So You Want to Enter the Photography Business?
The photographic industry is one of the most challenging, difficult, and competitive for start up businesses. The statistics prove it. Take this 3 year study discovered by Dane Sanders in his book Fast Track Photographer: In the 1st year, 60% of photographers give up their business. Of that remaining 40%, another 25% will fail within the 2nd year. The ones that make it are the remaining 15% who endure through the 3rd year.
That’s a staggering 85% turnover rate.
Obviously, something is wrong with the way most photographers enter into this business.
So, you want to enter this business? Do your research. In reality, the photographic industry is not about photography. Photography is the end product, yes, but it is only a small percentage of what the industry is about. The rest is about business; Real-to-life business application.
What is the greatest challenge to photographic business? Understanding that many standard business principles apply to this industry, but to a degree, business principles take on a customized spin to photography business.
It’s obvious that photographers need guidance and direction for the specific tasking involved with the photographic business.
The following list is a dream business essentials kit of resources to help you survive the 1st, 2nd, 3rd years and beyond. Remember, foundations are everything. You may need to enter the industry at a slower pace, but have the perspective that you are building your business to last.
Whether you are a naturally business savvy individual, or clueless about business practicalities, this list will assist you to not only survive the photographic industry, but to find the beauty of thriving.
1. Vision Mongers by David DuChemin
Everyone’s path to success is different, because everyone’s definition of success is different. In this book, DuChemin highlights the journeys of nine photographers who have passionately devoted themselves to their craft and their business. You will be challenged, inspired, and encouraged by their stories – and find out if this is an industry you really want to be a part of.
2. Business and Legal Forms for Photographers by Carolyn E Wright
Even a photography business is subject to the law – and those laws may surprise you. Written by a photographer, this book will de-mystify the area of photographic legalities, and give understandable and concise information for you to run your business.
3. The [b] School
Created by the successful “Becker”, the [b] school is a subscription only resource for professional photographers – or aspiring professionals. You must have a business name in use, a web presence, and a desire to get involved with industry leaders. Building relationships with others in the industry will be invaluable to you as you build your business – after all, no one else can help an aspiring professional photographer as well as a professional photographer.
4. Photographic Mentoring
Several professional photographers offer one-on-one mentor programs that will help you dig deep to discover the motivations and foundations for setting up your business. Sometimes you need more clarity than you can give yourself. Dane Sanders, Bride Inspired, Sarah Barlow, Sarah Petty and others will help you build slowly and surely toward your goals.
5. The Photographers Guide to Making Money: 150 Ideas for Cutting Costs and Boosting Profits by Karen Dorame
The opportunities to spend money on photography equipment, supplies, and investments are endless. Don’t spend unnecessarily. Be savvy enough to discern which products and services you should choose to maximize your profits – and which you should do without.
6. News fire / Google reader
If you become like your friends, then it may be safe to say that you will become like the photographers you follow. Take the time to follow and subscribe to photographers whose work inspires you. Study their work, their branding, their business practices; you will be able to consistently glean profitable information – without spending a cent.
7. Café Joy
Sarah’ Petty, a professional photographer for over 10 years has developed the program that she wished she had as a starting photographic professional. Offering both paid and free resources, Sarah’s passion and business sense will help guide aspiring pro photographers to legitimate business depth and practice. Moreover, she guarantees that her resources will indeed help you – or money back.
8. DPBestFlow.org
Developing workflow systems can be a great challenge to photographers because it requires fluid organization and clarity – outside the creative zone. DPBestFlow offers advice and guides on what it means to develop professional workflow to save time and money in your business.
If you slowly incorporate these resources into your research and tasking, you will be set on a more than solid track to any photographic business.
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
So You Want to Enter the Photography Business?
Shooting for Stock Photography Sites
Love them or hate them image libraries are a great way of generating an extra revenue stream, and because the websites don’t discriminate against people who aren’t classed as ‘professional photographers’, advanced enthusiasts and amateurs have just as much chance of selling as the pros. But as with all areas of photography the market is competitive and what you may want to supply could become lost in an ocean of clone like frames or may not contain enough of the correct keywords to get noticed. So here are a few ideas that may help you get started.
Start with some solid research to discover what is and isn’t popular. Log on to stock sites (for example: Crestock, Fololia, 123rf or Shutter Stock) and sort the frames using the popularity filter. This will display the most sought after images, allowing you to gauge the level of talent you are up against. Locate the genre you are particularly interested and see how images are received. If the download rate is poor or there is a vast quantity of similar frames then it is probably not worthwhile submitting large quantities to this area. Some libraries display lists of required and non required images with the submission guidelines. Categories such as landscapes, pets, flowers and sunsets are generally oversubscribed and as such only exceptional frames are accepted. Don’t be deterred though, take a creative approach to shooting these genres and you could find your images are chosen because they fill a gap in the website’s collection.
Currently undersubscribed areas include; travel photography of extreme places and nature, people in various situations and convincing lifestyle shots. Lifestyle portraits that include uniforms or props are big sellers and those featuring retro props are superb for conveying a message. For example an old fashioned telephone visually illustrates communication regardless time or place. Motion-blur and creative effect images are also in demand but be sure to always keep intention and composition priority.
There are many sites to choose from so to help narrow down the search for ones that suit you read the small print in the terms and conditions thoroughly. Make a point of establishing the answer to questions like: is it possible to contribute to other libraries? How much commission does the site take? What are the terms of cancellation? What are the minimum requirements for image size/resolution? How many uploads are allowed per week? Furthermore decide whether you want to sell your images on a royalty free basis (anyone can use the file for whatever purpose as many times as they like) or on an issue managed/exclusive license basis (sold for a specific use, time and territory). Create a database to help keep track of the images you have submitted to which sites and under what terms and conditions.
Don’t kid yourself that this is going to be a get rich quick scheme. Shooting, editing and uploading files is a time-consuming chore. Most veteran stock site suppliers say it can take up to five years to become established and earn a decent amount from the libraries. To increase your sales you should upload regularly, shoot a variety of genres and think like a customer. The design community is one of the largest demographics buying from these sites, so ask yourself what a designer would want from an image. Frames that contain isolated objects are ideal for designers as it offers flexibility in placing copy, so experiment with spacious compositions and keep the entire subject visible. Shoot against white backgrounds as this will make it easier for designers to manually remove the background. You don’t need an expensive white back drop for this, just use a simple white bed sheet, table cloth or piece of card. Where possible include clipping paths, keep edges clean and smooth, be aware of shadows caused by flash and avoid excessive feathering or jagged edges.
Images have to be executed to perfection to pass the rigorous acceptance process, so pay close attention to the histogram when capturing and view every image at 100% to spot dust marks or imperfections. Save yourself time and effort cloning during the editing phase by correcting problems during the shoot, for example sweep away flyaway hairs from the model’s face or change clothes showing unwanted logos or text. Images revealing high levels of noise or colour distortion are likely to be rejected too, so use a program like Neat Image or Noise Ninja to correct problem areas without affecting the overall quality.
Search engines obviously don’t see the picture only the keywording that goes with it, so give your photography the best chance to be seen and hopefully increase sales by attaching plenty of relevant words to describe it. Be sure not to add irrelevant words as some sites penalize photographers and some will only accept keywords matching their own vocabulary.
Further Reading on Stock Photography
- Microstock for Digital Photography Students – Make Money From Your Photography
- Microstock Update – How the Market has Changed and What That Means For Digital Photography Students
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
Shooting for Stock Photography Sites
Warning: 10 Deadly Post Processing Sins
First of all, I have to thank Darren, and this wonderful DPS community for supporting our family through the illness and death of our son. We are deeply and profoundly grateful to each of you. THANK YOU. Not really a way to segue from that. I won’t try. 
This post is all in the name of good fun. These are over the top SNL esque examples. Please don’t be offended.
1. Don’t buy photoshop right out of the gate.
Nothing concerns me more than “photographers” who delve into photoshop around the same time they delve into photography. These are what we call “photoshopographers.” I’m certain I didn’t invent the term. It floats around the industry like crazy. For example, “How’s her work?” Response: “She a photoshopographer.”
If you jump into photoshop (or any other editing software for that matter) too soon, you run the risk of not mastering your technique as a photographer. You’ll quickly form the habit of masking otherwise poor work with excessive editing and that will hold you back from learning the proper technique to begin with. As I once heard photographer extraordinairre Zack Arias say, “If you find yourself out shooting a client and you’re sayin’ in your head ‘oh I’ll just fix that later in photoshop’ stop what you’re doing and slap yourself as hard as you can.’”
I didn’t purchase photoshop until after 2 solid years of paid work as a photographer, and I still don’t know how to use it. Truth be told, it’s literally embarrassing how very little I know.
2. Processing fads rhyme with “stay away for the love of all that is holy.”
One of my main qualms with post processing is the color fads. These could be tonal, selective color (more on him later) or any et cetera. Anything that will likely not be popular in 5 or 10 (likely 1 or 2 in reality) years should be avoided. My goal for my work is timelessness. If an image is processed in a way that says: “wow! that was shot in 2009!” I’ve got a problem.’
Some of these things MIGHT be appropriate in moderation (not selective color. ever).
If wild tones are your selling points to clients and you’re booking well and getting paid bucketloads. . . then there’s obviously no reason to rethink your strategy! But as a general rule, if you’re going to do anything with tone: LOW OPACITY is the rule of thumb.
3. Radioactive eyes are so last season/
4. Skin should not look like it was grafted from Barbie, Ken, or Skipper.
I’m all for giving eyes a little pop-o-la! But let’s try to keep it real. No one’s eyes are PERFECTLY white, nor do they emit a glow in a dark room.
Quite frankly, pictures with eyes that are over worked: creep.me.out.
I’m happy to touch up people’s blemishes, but there are certain features of someone’s face that are permanent. Part of who they are.
For regular portraiture (I recognize that fashion work is a different animal entirely), I would never completely remove someone’s wrinkles (unless they asked specifically that I do). Soften them? Probably. But remove them completely? No. It’s their face. It’s what they look like. Moles? Same story. Scars? Same, same. You know, you could actually offend someone by removing a “blemish” like a scar or a mole from their body. Unless they ASK (and trust me, if they want it gone, they will), I don’t go there.
In my work I’m going for real and genuine, and plastic skin? Well, it’s neither.
5. A heavy vignette does not a professional photograph make.
A heavy vignette does not make a photograph look more professional. (Tail between my legs) I used to think so too.
The opposite is in fact true. Ask any TRUE professional photographer and they will tell you, a heavy vignette is a sure fire sign of an amateur trying to go pro.
6. Just say “NO” to over saturation.
No image necessary. . . Just.say.no.
7. Selective coloring died circa 1990.
I know I mentioned it above, but it definitely necessitates its own category. The picture says it all.
PS. Tell me you’ve read Twilight?
8. Don’t make your clients look dead.
It’s disgusting.
9. Fake Sunflare . . . looks fake. and stupid.
I’m not going to lie, I’ve enhanced sunflare before (many moons ago) when IT WAS ALREADY PRESENT IN THE PHOTOGRAPH to begin with. But don’t take a picture WITHOUT it and try to ADD it in. It makes you look like a ding dong.
10. Textures? I’ve only ever seen a hand full of photographers who can really pull them off.
I am hesitant to include this last one because I am a huge fan of several photographers who create lovely work with textures. Textures can be cool, BUT an image should never be blatantly SLAMMED with texture. Bleh.
Disclaimer: Don’t hate me. These are obviously EXTREME examples. Everything has it’s place in moderation. This post is truly just a satire. Me poking fun at and industry to which I belong, and that I love.
I recognize that post processing is incredibly individual. For a lot of people, what happens in post is an extension of their art. Hold on to what makes sense to you artistically! By all means. I would NEVER want to discourage someone from creating their art! Really, these are simply things I personally WISH I would have thought of going in. I’m guilty of many of them myself. A lot of my older work is embarrassing to me because I broke some of these very rules early on.
Don’t be ashamed if you’re doing some of the stuff listed above! ANY true pro you love and respect was likely guilty of much of the same early in their careers! And again and again and again: if it truly floats your boat?! Who the heck am I to stand in your way!!!!??? Selective color on my friend selective color on!
Happy Shooting! . . . and processing!
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
Warning: 10 Deadly Post Processing Sins
How to Take Photos of a TV Without the Squigglies
If you’ve ever taken a photo with a TV in it, you might notice just how hard it can be. The picture can seem squiggly or, as in this photo, not even visible. You don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to replace the screen in post production. The answer is in shutter speed.
The screen on a TV is rolled down one pixel at a time at lightening speed. Use a speed of 1/30 or slower to catch the fully ‘rolled out’ screen of pixels.
If your camera doesn’t allow you to set a shutter speed, take a look at the automatic modes. For example, ’sports’ mode wouldn’t be any good because the shutter is too fast.
Today’s new television technologies don’t present this problem because they no longer work with a scanning electron beam like older televisions. But as you can see from my photo, some us still have the old types
Other factors that present themselves when setting such a low shutter in an indoor environment are camera shake and motion blur from your subjects. A tripod or resting your camera on an object can help with camera shake as can IS (image stabilisation) lenses. As for your subjects – well – tell them to freeze! And if they’re kids and there’s a TV in the room you probably won’t have to tell them
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
How to Take Photos of a TV Without the Squigglies
Know Your Rights – A follow-up & a very disturbing video
Are you a photographer hell-bent on striking terror into your community?
One of my very first posts here on DPS was called “I’m a Photographer Not a Terrorist – How to Shoot in Public With Confidence“. Since the induction of Section 44 The Anti-Terrorism Act, photographers allover Britain have been treated like criminals by PCSOs and Police Officers.
There are loads of alarmist videos and blogs on the internet and I don’t get worked up about them all. But then this morning, there was this video from The Guardian of a man who filmed his own arrest under suspicion of anti-social behaviour. You can hear the officer claim that it was ‘the way in which he was holding his camera’ that caused the public and the officers to question his motives. When asked for his details, he denied them as a matter of principle and was then arrested.
This video has really shaken me up. It could happen to any of us. And did you see the little point and shoot he was using? Nothing close to the size of my 7D with 200mm lens! I don’t even own a point-and-shoot so I would certainly be questioned under this same suspicion. I was followed by three officers in Winchester last year while taking this photo of rhubarb. I doubt the fruits were feeling particularly terrified by my suspicious activity.
Please get in on this conversation and tell us: have your rights as a photographer ever been contravened?
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
Know Your Rights – A follow-up & a very disturbing video
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds Prematurely Available
It was bound to happen–digital cameras would be redesigned as digital devices, rather than optical devices with digital components press-ganged into service. The new Micro Four Thirds standard, created by Olympus and Kodak does just that for digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR), not only blurring the feature line between point-and-shoots and DSLRs, but also allowing for interchangeable ‘smart’ lenses. Pretty neat.
And Olympus’s new PEN E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera, promised for March, is now available to eager adopters. The PEN E-PL1 has a 12.3 megapixel high speed MOS sensor, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and the TruePic V Image processor. It saves images in JPEG and RAW (12-bit lossless compression) formats, in images up to 4032 x 3024 pixels. It can record video in 1280 x 720 HD, and 640 x 480 SD (with file size limited to 2GB). Images are stored to an SD or SDHC card.
Other features include high speed auto focus, image stabilization, shutter speeds from 2 to 1/2000 second (and a bulb option). The LCD is 2.7-inches and 230,000 pixels. (No optical viewfinder.) Flash is built-in. There’s also a full complement of auto features, and for the serious amateur manual control.
Amazon says it has the slate blue and champagne gold versions in stock. If you want the black it looks like you’ll have to wait. Price is $599.99, which includes a 14-42mm f/3.5-4.6 Zuiko digital zoom lens.
Image Credit: Engadget
Bracketing – What Is It and What to do with the Images?
{What is Bracketing?}
Mark Upfield - www.MUphotographic.com
In short, bracketing is taking the same photo more than once using different settings for different exposures. Why would you do this? Say you’re photographing a mountain landscape. The grass would require one setting to be properly exposed, the mountains would require another and the sky yet another. But you can only choose one setting for one photo. Shoot! Now what? Try bracketing!
If you know about exposure, you’ll know the different ways to adjust your camera settings to manipulate your exposure. One is to change the aperture, another is the shutter speed and the third is ISO.
What I’ve just suggested poses a problem. How are you going to take three different photos exactly the same if you’re moving your camera to change your settings? A tripod? Yea, but what if it’s your kids on the beach and you want to bracket to get your kids, the sand, the sea and the sky all exposed properly? Your DSLR has the answer!
{AEB}
Automatic Exposure Bracketing is a function most DSLRs have to take three photos with only one click of the shutter, each in different exposures. The result will be one photo a bit too bright, one just right (depending on which part you’re looking to expose properly) and one a bit darker.
You will have to consult your camera’s manual (or just Google it exe: “AEB Canon 7D”) to discover how to access this function.
{Now What?}
So now you have three of the same photo. What do you do with it? Well, you may just discover that one of them was just right even though it wasn’t the settings you would have normally used and you’re thankful that you used AEB to help you out. Another way is to do something like in this tutorial for PS where the author shows you how to combine more than one photo to use the best bits from each one to create a perfectly exposed shot. Btw – for us PSE users, a little tweaking of the method will be required since we don’t have layer masks but that’s really not a problem here.
Another method for using bracketed images is called ‘exposure fusing‘ . It’s really unfortunate that this is such a new technique that there isn’t yet a very easy way of doing it but keep your eye out because I think it’s going to be big news very soon.
A very popular method for blending bracketed photos is called HDR and it’s all the rage. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and it’s purpose is to take an image where there are extreme lights and extreme darks and properly blend the two together to create an image with a…well…high dynamic range! But HDR doesn’t come without a bit of controversy. There’s a bigger battle over whether HDR is good or bad than the argument over Canon vs. Nikon. Why the controversy? Well, mostly (and simply) because many people who practise HDR overdo it to create images which are quickly identifiable as HDR images and many photographers judge that this is a cheap trick.
Sure, lots of HDR is ‘overdone’ and bizarre, but if that’s the photographer’s vision and goal, then it doesn’t matter. I feel very strongly that photography can only be liked or disliked but cannot be judged in the ways people try to judge it.
The most popular way to combine three or more bracketed images in the HDR style is a cheap program called Photomatix and this tutorial will show you more about how to do it.
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
Bracketing – What Is It and What to do with the Images?
25 Oustanding Landscape Photos of Various Types on Imagekind
Landscape photography can provide some of the most awe-inspiring photos out there. But doing it well is the key. Anyone can take a snapshot on their vacation, but it takes a talented photographer (a true artist!) to capture the scene. Lighting, angle, crop, lens, and post processing all play a part in the final image. Combining the various elements together is what makes these 25 landscape photos truly outstanding.
Winter Dusk and Angel's Landing Zion National Park by James Crotty
Sunflower Moon 1 by Jim Crotty
Change of Direction by James Neeley
Break in the Storm by James Neeley
Mount Gould in Morning Light by James Neeley
Rainier Alpenglow by Mike Dawson
Rise against the storm by Michael Vincent Manalo
The Tree by Terry Shuck
North Gateway Rock by Marcus Panek
::HDR-Vertorama:: Shine On You!!! by Leonardo Riano
Evening Shore by Barbara Brown
Night At Owachomo Bridge by John Foster
The Advance of Light by James Neeley
Mobius Arch #6 by Inge Johnsson
La Salinas - Isle De Margarita by Rob Diffenderfer
Battery Point Lighthouse by Ken Dietz
The Forest Is Dreaming by Janel Kaufman
Take You There by Janel Kaufman
Toco Rock by Gregory Scott
Toco Sunrise by Gregory Scott
Last purple sky ~HDRI~ by RATEL JULIEN
Summer sunset ~HDRI~ by RATEL JULIEN
Zen Tree by Ben Ryan
The Last Best Place by Janel Kaufman
Home On The Range by Janel Kaufman
Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.
25 Oustanding Landscape Photos of Various Types on Imagekind
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5: Sony splashes out
Sony has taken a long run up and dive-bombed into the waterproof compact camera pool, earning a stern rebuke from a pimply lifeguard
Sony Plans to Produce 3D Cameras for the Average Joe
It’s little more than talk, but interesting talk to be sure. According to Digital Photography Review, Sony is hot on the idea of 3D digital cameras.
Word of this comes straight from Masashi ‘Tiger’ Imamura, the president of Sony’s Personal Imaging and Sound Business Group. He says that Sony is indeed interested in 3D imaging, following Hollywood’s recent push for 3D movies, and Fujifilm’s new 3D still camera, the FinePix Real 3D W1.
There’s little other information about Sony’s plans, other than their 3D efforts will be aimed at the consumer end of the market. No idea on when such a camera will appear, or how much it will cost.
Image Credit: Engadget