2011: Come Out Swinging!

It's been a while since I last posted on here (I had the busiest fall of my career to date). I want to start off this year's first post, summarizing my journey over the past 13 months.

Over the last 13 months, I...

• Shot my first, second, and third solo weddings
• Landed my first commercial shoot
• Dedicated myself to learning off-camera lighting
• Committed to developing and creating my personal photographic style
• Started this blog, in an attempt to give back to the photography community
• Began to take Facebook seriously so I could connect with more of you
• Started a Twitter account, again to further connect with the Photography community
• Traveled over 5,000 miles shooting various events for one client
• Had work published in several newspapers from Washington state to North Carolina
• Had some of my work incorporated into a television show on the Outdoor Channel
• Started a new company called Restored Film (more on that as the year continues)
• And added over 30 new images to my portfolio on my Website

Welcome Back, Kotter...

For those of you who have no idea what the title is all about, click HERE or HERE (and realize how old I am). But I digress...

Its been a while, so I thought I rev up with a post showing a small portion of what I've been up to since last time. Below are some shots I've taken the time to resize and post on the blog. I've also been working completely revamping my website, which I'll be launching soon. Next week I'll be critiquing a photo from Keith. After that, I hope to get back to posting much more consistently than the last couple of months. So stay tuned, and as always, if you have any questions about the world of photography, please contact me. If you're new to the blog, feel free to take a look around and make yourself at home. My sole purpose in maintaining this blog is to offer what little I have to better the photography community as a whole. If you're interested in where I'm coming from, read THIS POST.

Here's some recent work, starting with a few more from Laura & Joel's engagement session (who's wedding I'm stoked to be shooting next month!), then a few from the Tusla Air and Space Museum:

Now, go out and shoot something!

Your Questions Answered...

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, it’ll come as no surprise that I really want to help other photographers improve. As much as my schedule allows, I’ve tried to pass on as much help/info as I can. For this week's post, I’ve been asked a number of questions that can be lumped into the same pile. I’ve gotten a barrage of “What blogs are you following?” “Who do you learn from?” “Who do you gain inspiration from?” etc. In other words, I’ve been asked “what do you do to keep up with the photography industry and sharpen your skills?” Well, here’s the skinny on this part of my photoggin’ leranin'.

Let me start off by saying, I put the greatest amount of effort on my family life. I strive to be the man, husband, and father that my family needs. If it were to ever come down to choosing between photography and my family, I’d leave photography in the dust and never look back. I carefully and consciously strive to daily guard my family life. Keep this in mind as you read this post. It can sound like I spend every waking moment reading, studying, and shooting. But I strive to keep a balance between what I do, and who I am to my family - and I tend to lean towards the family side of this balance. Having said that, here’s what I am currently putting into the learning side of my photography.

First of all, I read and ingest as much as humanly possible concerning our craft. I read and study constantly. The internet is a beautiful thing. There is so much good it does. And the proliferation of knowledge is some of it. Land a commercial job photographing custom leather baby shoes, and not know how to light it? Google it, and you’re overloaded with multiple lighting scenarios that’ll help. Get to shoot a model’s portfolio and need some pointers on how to use the only light you have? Search it on Youtube and you’re inundated with videos showing various ways to accomplish a fashion shoot with one light. I recently shot for a new restaurant that opened here in Tulsa. Having never photographed food, I first called a commercial photog friend of mine for pointers. I then quickly hit the web. After a short serf around the net and I was able to walk into the shoot with confidence and accomplished it with peace of mind. The client was ecstatic with the results. So the internet is an invaluable tool in my photographic arsenal. But what about all the other time, when I don’t have a “special” shoot coming up? There are several things I do to continue to learn.

There are several blogs I follow. I have chosen them because of 1) they offer so much in the way of learning, and B) they offer a great deal of inspiration to me. So what ones do I follow? Here’s a few who have made my RSS feed:

zarias.com ~ You’ve probably heard me talk about this dude before. Even though I went through a two year photography school, what I have learned from Zack has revolutionized my photography. School was great for the basics, but what Zack has given away on his blog allowed me to take what I knew and catapult me to another level. He’s one of the present-day lighting gurus. But the biggest thing he offers me is not technique, its inspiration. I’ll not retype his story here, but in short, early on he lost everything, and found himself working at a Kinkos, having to sell all his gear just to pay rent. But it was from there the dude pulled himself up, headed out with a borrowed camera and speedlight, and built a hugely successful career, all without going into debt. Just knowing there’s a regular guy out there who has successfully built a career doing what he loves, is able to provide for his family, and give back to the photography community, gives me a great deal of inspiration to keep going. So, I always read what he has to say.

pixelatedimage.com ~ David is another photographer that has a spot on my RSS feed. Talk about inspiration. First of all, the guy is doing exactly what I aspire to do: travel the world using his camera to work for non-profit organizations. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Indiana Jones when I grew up. I wanted to travel the world in grand adventures, fighting off bad guys. Now that I’m grown, not much has changed. Now I just want to have a camera in my hand. I would love to work with/for organizations like “For the Silent,” “Compassion International,” or “Voice of the Martyrs.” I want to create images that help them further their respective causes. And this type of thing is exactly what David is doing. He’s traveling the world shooting for some great causes. And his blog is constantly updated with very worthwhile posts, offering very sound food for thought on our craft. He has also written several books that I HIGHLY recommend. The most recent one I’ve read is “Visionmongers” ~ An absolute must read for every photographer trying to make a buck IMHO. If you haven’t already, check out his blog, its worth it.

jeremycowart.com ~ Relatively new to my RSS feed is this dude Jeremy. I don’t know much of his background, but he’s another that is very inspirational to me. Last year he is responsible for creating the Help-Portrait movement. This was a grass roots movement of photogs all over, volunteering their time and talents to take family portraits for families who otherwise couldn’t have any made. Around Christmas-time, there were something like 40,000 families around the world who received family portraits for free from photographers around the world. More recently, Jeremy traveled to Haiti to create his Voices of Haiti Project. While there, he created portraits of earthquake survivors. He is now selling these images and all proceeds are going directly towards Haiti disaster relief. It’s a VERY powerful collection of photographs. Plus, the dude is simply an awesome photographer. I love to look at his work.

noireblanc.com ~ I follow Beki’s blog for a couple of reasons. A) she’s an incredibly talented young photographer. By young, I mean, she’s only 17 years old. But, regardless of her age, Beki creates some of the more beautiful nature/macro photography I’ve come across. She’s also quickly become a Queen of Black and White. I have a lot to learn from her concerning BW photography. And 2) Beki is a friend of mine. Though I’m a little biased because she’s my friend, she really is an inspiration. At only 17, she is quite accomplished in her photography skills, is a very creative designer, and maintains a blog that is loaded with stunning images, photography techniques and design ideas. She is one to keep a close eye on. Her career is just starting to blossom. (did you catch the macro pun? Close eye... blossom... um, okay, moving on...)

scottkelby.com ~ Scott is the world’s foremost expert on everything photoshop. I could write forever on what he brings to the table. His blog is updated daily, loaded with tons of industry news, photography techniques, and of course, photoshop stuff. Scott has also written a plethora of books on photography and photoshop. He has another site called kelbytraining.com where members have access to a sea of online photoshop classes. He even has his own online "tv" station at kelbytv.com that airs webisodes teaching photoshop and technical camera stuff. If you’re not familiar with him, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with what he does. He's like the Michelangelo of modern photography - he's everywhere creating impossible amounts of photography realted stuff.

Here’s a few more on my RSS, since you asked =)…

strobist.com ~ Everything you ever need to know about using hotshoe flashes.

joemcnally.com/blog ~ Joe is the Kung Fu Master when it comes to lighting.

digitalprotalk.blogspot.com ~ This one I just found out about… I haven’t spent a lot of time on David’s blog, but so far, it seems to be loaded with tons of great information, largely aimed at wedding photographers. If you’re into weddings, you may want to check into this one.

One other site I want to bring your attention to is creativelive.com. I’m just starting to learn about it, but I believe this will completely revolutionize the photography industry as we know it. Simply go to the site. Sign up for free. And then, you are able to “attend” live workshops FOR FREE. And there are some amazing workshops being offered. For instance, Zack Arias is conducting a three-day workshop in June. All you have to do is log on and participate. Catch that? Everyone who is “attending” the workshop is able to ask questions to the instructors, as they are conducted LIVE. Not available for the workshop you want to attend? No sweat. Once a workshop is over, you can purchase the workshop and watch it at any time. This is how they offset the cost of the website. In short, watch all the live workshops you want for free. Then, if you miss one and its worth it to you, you can pay for it. Its that simple. This is an amazing concept brought to us by the genius known as Chase Jarvis. I am pumped about it!

So there you go. There’s a short list of where I draw photographic inspiration and knowledge. Check ‘em out. Maybe they can give you something that will help you along on your journey. That’s it from me for this week. Have a good weekend everyone.

Oh, one more thing I want to add. Even though I spend a great deal of time studying, it doesn’t do any good if I don’t get off my backside and get out and shoot. There’s a deliberate reason I end every post telling you to go shoot. As much as I want you to learn something here, my goal is to get you out there and shoot. Do all the “book” learnin’ you want, but there’s no substitute for experience. Soooo...

Now, go out and shoot something!

I'll sell you the Mona Lisa for $1

So you've decided to make some money with your camera. To do that, you have to take pictures for people, and you have to charge a price for it. So where do you start? How do you determine what to ask for the work you do? When it comes to the business side of photography, this is the number one question I've been asked. It's a hard one to answer. There are just so many variables involved, its nearly impossible to answer. Everyone of us has a different style that appeals to a different market. We live in various places serving very different demographics. Different markets will tolerate different rates. To an extent, each one of us will have to figure out what we will charge for our photography. Being relatively new to the industry, and having to have figured this out for myself, I do have a few thoughts on the subject. I could go on and on about it, but hopefully I can at least get you thinking.

When starting out, it is easy to think that price alone give you the edge over your competition. "If I can just undercut Frank's Fabulous Fotos, then I'll get some of his clients." Its natural to think this way. So much of our materialistic culture is based around this ideal. Think of it this way. Say there's a small-town hardware store that sales a particular power drill for $200. But down at Wal-Mart you can get the exact same power drill for $150. The same exact drill, made by the same exact manufacturer, but at 3/4 the cost. That's a no brainer. But photographers aren't in this game. The photography you offer is not, and never will be, the same as anyone else's. You view the world in a particular way, possess a particular shooting style, and produce a unique photograph. To think that what we produce is exactly the same as what everyone else produces is ignorant. We aren't manufacturing a widget. We are creating art. And since we are not producing the exact same thing as Frank down the street, we shouldn't be competing on price alone.

If we ever get into a price war with photographers around us, it won't be long before all of us are out of business. I work part time at a retail camera store. We sell some of the exact same items found at other stores. Competing on price alone, we can lower the price on these items to barely above cost, or even below cost, in order get customers in the door. The hope is we can then sell other items that have much higher profit margins. We may loose a couple bucks on one thing, but profit fifty on another. The reason you can't do this as a photographer is simple. There is only one of you. You only have one thing to sell. If it we compete on price alone, we would have to lower our prices over and over until we are charging less than what it costs us to be in business. Game Over when this happens. And there are so many photographers in the industry who are doing this very thing. And many more who have gone under because of it.

Have you ever walked by the portrait studio at a Wal-Mart and seen how much they charge for a portrait package? Here its something like 30 prints for $9.95. Ever done the math on that? The prints lone would cost me much more than that. And that's not considering my time to photograph the family, edit the images, the wear on my equipment etc. At $9.95, that's massive loss for someone who can't also sell the family a flat screen TV for a large profit. It may be different where you are, but I can't pay my bills with a negative cash flow. So how do we compete with Wal-Mart? Simple: you don't. Nor should you. What you produce should have so much more value than what Wal-Mart has. I know that people can get 30 prints for $9.95 there. But I also know that they can come to me and receive much more value for their money. "Say what? Your sitting fee alone is nearly 13 times Wal-Mart's entire package price. How in the world is that more value?!?"
David duChemin wrote, "Value is not determined by price. Value is about what the client gets for the price paid. If I pay $100 and get nothing, that's not value. It's cheap. If I pay $1,000 and get much more than I expected, that's not expensive; it's value. And when you consider this way of thinking, it's easy to see how competing on price can lead a client to look at your pricing and ask the question, 'what's wrong with their service? Why are they so inexpensive?' Repeat after me: 'I can't compete on price alone.' Is pricing important? Yes. Will clients consider the price? Yes. But if you need to lower your prices until you are bankrupt, then these are not clients you want and you should find a new market... the clients who are worth keeping want value."

Instead of worrying about what others are charging for their work, we should be building value into our own. Put simply, charge cheap rates, and you're perceived as cheap. Add to what your clients receive for the money, and you're seen as valuable. Think about it. Say you have a newborn daughter. You want portraits taken of your beautiful little girl. Money is no object. Do you go down to Wal-Mart for the $9.95 package, or do you higher Anne Geddes and pay her whatever she charges? Somehow, having your child photographed by Anne Geddes seems so much more valuable than being able to pick up some milk and a new shirt on the way out of the studio.

Get where I'm comin' from? The value of your work is perceived. Many of us are very good at creating the images we do. However, way too many of us charge way too little for it. Granted, some simply don't have it, and need to move on to something else. I tried to play the guitar for years, and finally gave into the fact I simply didn't have it. Bt for the rest of you, those who are shooting good, solid photography, need to recognize the value of your work. Charge $9.95 and your work won't be perceived nearly valuable as if you were charging $1500. Also, you will attract certain clients based on your perceived value. A $9.95 photographer will attract $9.95 clients. A $1500 photographer will attract $1500 clients. This all should play into your thinking as you determine what to charge for your photography.

One more thought before signing off. If you have decided your photography is unique, has value, and are charging a good amount for it, then what you create better back up your prices. These two things, the work you produce and the amount you charge, go hand in hand. Anyone would gladly pay $9.95 to have their newborn photographed by Anne Geddes. That would be an incredible value. But no one in their right mind would pay Wal-Mart what Anne Geddes charges. That would be a rip off.

If you say you can give something of high value for really cheap, people will question its value. If I were to tell you I'd sell you the Mona Lisa for $1, all kinds of red flags would go up. "Is it the real Mona Lisa, the one that is worth so much more than a dollar? What's wrong with this deal?" But if I were to tell you I'd sell you a great painting for $1000, and gave you the Mona Lisa, you'd think you got a great value for your money. Work on your craft, charge what its worth, produce great images, and add value where you can. You are an artist, not a peddler of power drills. You cannot and should not compete on price alone.

So there you go, 1348 words about pricing your work. This is a massive subject, one I am still learning. I could never do the topic justice in a blog post. But hopefully I've given you something to think about. Whatever you do, don't undervalue your work. It is worth so much more than you think it is. Do your research, think it through, and charge accordingly.

Now, go out and shoot something!

Longsuffering...

There are days, no, weeks when I think this career thing of mine is a dead end. It seems that too much time passes without income. Sure, I keep shooting, sharpening my skills and honing my craft. But I've decided something different. I want more out of my camera than simply creating images. I want my camera to completely replace the need for a job. And that's what I'm pursuing. But at times, for far too long, the means to this end eludes me. Every time I seem to gain a little bit of traction, start making a little money, I somehow get stuck, and a monetary dry spell ensues. As the time passes, the bills continue to come. It doesn't take very long before discouragement sets in. Discouraged over the fact that my craft, the very thing that makes me most alive, is doing very little to put food on the table. This is when I begin to think, "maybe I should just give it up and go get a 'real' job." At least that way I could shoot for the pure enjoyment of it - without the added pressure to make a living at it. Just about the time I open up and update my resume', something happens that changes everything...

A few months back, I was about to put my camera down. It had been a long time since I generated any consistent income with it. Things were getting tight, my wallet gathering too many cobwebs. This dry spell nearly lasted too long. I began to think "well, its been a good ride, but it looks like its coming to an end. Time to hang it up and start sendin' out the old resume'. But I sure don't want to." And no sooner does this thought race through my mind, the phone rings...

"Yes, I am free that weekend. Okay great! I'll send you the packages I offer. Thank you so much for considering me." Soon, the wedding was booked. Finally, something to keep me going.

Then the phone rings again...

"I do happen to have that Saturday free. I'd love to cover that for you! I'll send you all the info and we'll be set. Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with you." Not long after, the prom was scheduled. Now were talking!

The phone rings again...

"Sure, I can shoot tomorrow. It just so happens I'm free. Absolutely, I'd love to. What time is good for you? Great! I'll see you at 8:30am at the stadium." Senior session on the books. On a roll!

Again the phone rings...

"I would love to do the product shots for your restaurant! You can just pay me with a couple of free meals, and pass my name around to your business associates. Lets plan on next Friday. Awesome, see you then." Commercial shoot in the bag. Pickin' up steam now!!

Then I get an e-mail...

"I would be honored to photograph your wedding! I'd be more than happy to send you my pricing. I look forward to the opportunity to working for you. If you have any questions, please let me know." Another wedding?!! Are you kidding?!! This is starting to cut into my time to update my blog.

And on and on its been going. Things are picking up. I love getting to do what I love doing!! And its even better to be paying the bills while doing it! And this is great, since I didn't really feel like looking for my resume' anyway. =)

More than anything, I want to make this photography thing work. I don't want to settle. Even when there seems to be no hope, and its time to hang up my camera, I muster everything I can to stand my ground, and keep fighting. I hope against hope that something will change, and I can move ever closer to being finished with my day-job. And once again things have changed. The tide has turned. This time more so than any other year. And I am so glad it has.

So why am I telling you this? Simple. Above all, I want to tell you to hang in there. Clich‚? Sure. But I really want us all to make it. Perhaps you're in the same boat I was in a few months ago. Don't give up. Pick up your camera and get out there and shoot. If you don't have any clients to shoot for, use the opportunity to sharpen your skills. Shoot as though you are practicing for the assignments you will have when things pick up. If you stay at it, and keep hustling for work, things will take a turn for the better. And if you've been "practicing," you'll be all the more prepared to deliver the level of photography you clients want. Use the time you have wisely. If you keep shooting, it won't be in vain.

Maybe you're not trying to make a living as a photographer, but in a creative rut. Hang in there. Keep at it. Things will change. You will break through that creative funk, and your photography will reach the next level. If you love it, do everything you can to push on to better things. If you give up, you will surely never improve.

Delivering images to a recent client...
"Here's your high resolution disc. Its been an honor to work with you...Yes, I would absolutely be interested in working with you on that later this year. I am more than willing to fly to those destinations to cover those events for you. I would love the opportunity to work with you on that!... I really look forward to talking with you more about it." I Did not see this one coming. So glad I never put down my camera! I am currently in negotiations with a company to photograph five, weeklong events this year. These five events would completely replace the income I make in an entire year at my part-time day job. And this could potentially be a yearly gig.

You just never know what's around the corner. Just a few months ago, I was seriously tempted to put my camera down, and giving up. But something in me refused. And now I have some great opportunities on the horizon. Sometimes we must hope against hope, keeping at it until something happens. This opportunity may not pan out. But, hey, it's a heck of a lot more exciting than leaving my camera on the shelf. And even if it doesn't work out, one day, one way or another, my entire income will be made with my camera. I'm fighting for those days. I vow, Lord willing, to never put down my camera.

Now, go out and shoot something!

A Little This & That...

Well, its Springtime. The weather is finally warming up, the trees are beginning to bud, and I've started mowing my yard. It's a welcomed change from the doldrums of winter. Along with the new season comes another welcomed change for a photographer: business begins to pick up again. And such is the case for me. This weekend I shot a prom and senior session, have a commercial shoot lined up for this week, a GOYA shoot of sorts set for Sunday afternoon, and a wedding in the works. I love being busy doing what I love. It makes me feel alive.

The reason I'm bringing all this up is I have a bit of a conundrum. With all that's been going on, my time is beginning to be eaten up. So, in an attempt to properly balance my business time with family time, Beginning next week, I will be changing my posting schedule. Instead of Mon-Wed-Fri, I'll be posting Image Critiques on Tuesdays, and combining technique with answering your questions on Thursdays. I'll still be posting my First Friday Photos the first Friday of every month. We'll see how things go. Of course, It'll be my prerogative to post more often whenever possible, which I hope will be more often than not. I've loved doing this blog, and judging by the feedback, many of you have enjoyed it as well.

Now, on to some other things. First of all, has everyone heard that the season finale' of the T.V. show "HOUSE" has been shot entirely with the Canon 5D Mrk II? You can read about it HERE. This is very intriguing to me, and I am going to do my best to watch it. Its amazing to me the advances in technologies in our craft. The ability to shoot HD video with a still-frame camera has changed, and continues to change our industry forever. It also speaks to the desire of people to be creative. Though I am to the core a creator of still images, I love that so many others have been given the opportunity to expand their creativity from stills to motion. One day, I'm sure I'll dabble in the art of video. But I don't see that happening in the near future. I'm having too much fun making photographs. Plus, I don't know how so many are finding the time to learn this new medium. I do well just to keep moving forward and improving my photoggin' skills. But to those who are making the jump, more power to you! Keep on creating! Anyway, "HOUSE" should prove to be a very interesting. I'll be tuning in for sure.

One last thing I want to mention. This coming Sunday at 4:00, me, Beki Tillotson, and several other local photographers will be meeting in downtown Tulsa for an informal "GOYA" shoot. If you live in the Tulsa area (or want to drive to the Tulsa area), and are free, come on down and join us! Its going to be a totally informal "lets-all-get-together-and-shoot" shoot. Also, bring someone with you who is willing to be a model. Its always better if there are plenty of models to go around. Oh, so what does "GOYA" mean? It stands for "Get Off Your Arse And" shoot. Sometimes we need a little kick in the backside to get us going. That's what a GOYA shoot is intended to do. So, this Sunday, 4:00pm, downtown Tulsa at 1209 S. Frankfort Suite 400 . See you there! And until then...

Go out and shoot something!

Film vs. Digital

In this corner... As many of you know, I work part time at a pro camera shop in Tulsa. Since digital took over the photographic industry a few years ago, many people have crossed over kicking and screaming. Most of the apprehension towards digital is because of the idea that "film is better." Years ago, I agreed that digital would never come close to matching the quality of film. But, a few years ago its like they flipped a switch and **BAM** down goes film. The quality of a digital image became better than film, and has continued to improve since then. But telling this to the die hard film shooters is like telling Chicken Little the sky ISN'T falling. Am I saying people shouldn't shoot film? Absolutely not. I'm saying the image quality is better. But, if your vision in photography is best achieved shooting film, then digital would be a poor choice. What I am saying is digital is no longer a poor photographic medium. And to be shooting film because "film is better," is a misguided decision. Film is as good as it ever was. AND digital is even better, and continuing to improve. So, for the short time we still have film at our disposal, shoot whichever one fulfills your vision.

Years ago, I loved shooting film. But my first "professional" camera I bought during school was digital, and haven't shot any film since (about 4 years). Well, this past weekend I decided to shoot both film and digital. It was nothing official, just family snapshots over Easter weekend. I had a D200 set at ISO400, and a N6006 w/ 400 speed film. I didn't set out to compare the two. Rather, I simply wanted to shoot both mediums. I shot both available light and flash. After the weekend, here's a few thoughts about the two mediums.

First of all, digital is so much faster. Each day I was able to take my mem card, plug it into my mac, drag some sliders in lightroom, upload them to Facebook for the family to see, and done. I had to wait until Monday to have the film processed, scanned to cd, then into the computer, and here it is Wednesday and I still haven't had a chance to post them on Facebook.

One nice thing about film is it forced me to slow down. Getting in a hurry is my downfall. But having only 3 rolls of film for the entire weekend made me think about each shot, being sure every shot counted. And that was nice. With my D200, I cranked off too many poor shots.

But in the end, it all came down to the image quality. And for my style of shooting, its digital all the way. The dynamic range, detail, contrast, handling of noise (grain), and color were all far superior from my D200 than my N6006. After all these years, with many fond thoughts of shooting film, I gave it a go once again. But I discovered that my memories of film were somewhat fluffed up, romanticized. To give you an idea of how things came out, here's a couple of examples from the weekend.


This one is available light on film


And a similar one in the same available light with digital


This shot is with an sb-800 light to balance the sky on film


And this is the exact same light and camera settings with digital

These images are not state fair ribbon winning photographs. But they were a couple of the best examples I had to show the difference between film and digital, in my experience. Over the weekend my aim was not to compare the two. But once I saw the difference, I had to share them. Perhaps one day I'll do a more "scientific" testing.

Film still has its place in the industry. There are many photogs out there making some pretty amazing images on film. And some are making serious bank doing so. So if that's you, awesome. Keep rippin' those rolls. If you're like me and shooting digital, awesome. Keep heating up those mem cards. But in either case, stop the debate over which is better. Both allow for amazing work and stellar images. So pick one and get out there and capture your vision.

Now, go out and shoot something!

Completely Concerning Copyrights

Lately I’ve been increasingly interested in copyrights; what it is, what its for, who’s it for, and why I should care. I run into a lot of my fellow photogs who don’t care about copyright, are willing to give it away for free, or look down on anyone who does care about copyrights. This ought not be the case. If you’re a photographer, especially if you are making a living at it, you need to understand copyrights. We ought to understand our right, and hold that right in high regard.

First of all, a copyright is your right. Anytime you create a photograph, it yours for 75 years after your death. After that, it belongs to the public (at that point, anyone can do anything they please with what you create). This means, if I create an image at age 30, live ‘til I’m 80, then that image is owned by me or my linage for125 years! This gives me a great deal of incentive to keep shooting. Why? Because of all that I invest into an image, once I create it, I own it. My work is protected. Does this mean it will never be stolen? Hardly. But, if they do, I can take legal action, reclaiming any revenue I may be owed.

Copyright not a new concept. According to John Harrington in his book "Best Business Practices for Photgraphers," he points out that "copyrights are included by our founding fathers, spelled out in the US Constitution." To those of you out there who think copyrights aren’t all that important, chew on this: "In Section 8, the Constitution stipulates that congress shall 'promote the Progress of Science and useful arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.' This is found within the first 1,600 words of our Constitution that, without amendments, is approx. 4,500 words in length. This exclusive right explanation comes before a discussion of who can be the president and how, before the rules and obligations of the states, and before the Bill of Rights, and all the other amendments such as ending slavery, right to bear arms, and women’s rights." This was the basis for copyright. Not even on the amendments, but on the body of the Constitution itself. It is a big deal, and has been throughout modern history.

Here’s a personal reason I care about copyright laws.

A few years back, my Dad retired from the Tulsa Fire Department. As a gift, I photographed his bunker gear on the ladder truck he drove throughout his career (this is the image at the top of this post). We then matted the photograph with a large matte, framed it, and had firefighters from all over the Tulsa area who’d worked with Dad over the years sign the matte board. The gift was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. I soon began to have firefighters from Dad’s station begin to ask me to create them a similar image of their bunker gear. They insisted they’d pay me for my work. So, one afternoon, I arrived at my Dad’s old station and spent several hours capturing the different images. I then spent a great deal of time creating the final images in PS. After that, I returned to the station and presented 5x7 proofs to each of them, along with a list of prices for prints.

That’s the last I ever heard from them. Now, I have no way of knowing for sure if my images have been illegally reproduced and thus my copyright infringed. But, based on the amount of enthusiasm of my “clients”, and then the utter lack of communication since, I have a sinking feeling there are several 8x10s and 11x14s of my work hanging some walls somewhere. And I have nothing to show for it. I am NOT saying these guys are outright crooks. To the contrary, they truly are Tulsa’s finest, many of whom are my Dad’s lifelong friends. If my copyright has been infringed, it is likely due to ignorance of the law, rather than outright malice.

But either way, I did a lot of work, created several unique images, and received no compensation. I did, however, learn a TON from that endeavor. Like the importance of copyrights, educating clients about copyrights, charging a “creative” fee up front, using a contract, not giving large hard copies for proofs, following up with phone calls/emails afterwards – something, anything but the way I handled things.

So why not take action and get what I’m owed for these images? A couple of reasons. 1) like I said, I'm not even sure they have been reproduced. I’d have to go into these guys’ houses and seen it for myself. Then I’d have to prove it in a court of law. And I’m not willing to do that for reason 2) these men are my Father’s friends. They each are responsible for keeping one another safe (alive) fighting countless dangerous fires over the years. If they did infringe on my copyright, I’m okay with that. They helped my dad make it to retirement free of major injury. If I had it to do over again, due to the unique situation, I would have insisted on doing it for free and given high resolution images on discs. Instead, because of the way I handled it, it created an awkward situation.

For more information on the subject, I would suggest reading “Best Business Practices for Photographers” by John Harrington; “The Law, in Plain English, for Photographers” by Leonard D. Duboff; “Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images” by Bert P. Kranges; and “Copyright in Historical Perspective” by Lyman Ray Patterson.

So there. A lot of words about copyrights. Your work is protected. You should be compensated for your created work. You have a right to take action for stolen work. You should respect the copyrights of others.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on everyone out there who is pirating (stealing) copies of Photoshop, Lightroom, and the like. These too are protected under Federal Copyright Laws. How, in good conscience, can anyone expect their copyright to be respected when the photographs have been created on stolen (copyright infringed) software? That is a massive double standard at the vary least, and outright criminal if caught. Just as we have the right to take legal action against those who steal our images, so too the software companies have the right to take legal action against those who steal their software. But that’s a whole other post. One which I will likely write in the near future. =)

Now, go out and shoot something!

First Friday Photos (on the 2nd Saturday)

So its finally First Friday Photos!! Though, its actually the second Saturday. Its been crazy around here for me, a roller coaster of sorts. Along with everything else, I've got a confession to make. You know the term "starving artist"? I find myself identifying with that label more time than not. You see, I'm in the beginning of this career called Photography. I don't have it all together. I'm not rolling in dough. I have to hustle for every dollar I can get, just to make ends meet. And that's fine with me. And more importantly, its okay with my beautiful and loving wife. She is more than supportive. As for my confession. Well, I don't have internet connection at home. That's right, I'm in the dark ages. Why? Simply put, times are tough. So how do I do all of this internetting, with the blog posts, online client proofing, website maintaining, and online socializing? Fortunately we live in an age where there are free WiFi hotspots everywhere. I do my work at home, then head to the Library or McDonalds for blogificating or internetting. I told my wife just the other day "one of these days, we'll be past all this. We'll look back and say 'remember having to go to Panera for WiFi?'" A dear friend and mentor always says "you do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do." This is so true. By opting out of WiFi at home, I'm freeing up that money for other things, like food on the table. Its the same reason I'm operating CS2, drive a paid off '94 vehicle, and don't have an iphone. Some things in life are mere luxuries that we don't need. Fun? Yes. Like to have them? Yes. Necessary for my life? No. Is this difficult and frustrating? At times, you better believe it is. But for us, for now, it makes sense.

Why am I telling you this? I want you to know, if you are in the same boat, struggling with some of the small things pertaining to our craft, you are not alone. I'm there with you. But my passion for what we do is too great for me to travel easy street. I'll never put down my camera. And I refuse to go into debt for the craft. I am willing to travel a hard road for a time. For how long? I'm not sure. But I am determined to make it. I will pursue this until I make it, and then keep pursuing it. I have no choice. This is what makes me alive.

Now on to my images. I've only a few - last month was slow. Some are of my daughter. And a couple of them are from even further back but never shared. Let me know what you think. Feel free to critique any or all of them. I welcome your thoughts on my work. Like many of you, I need the input of others to improve. You know, iron sharpens iron, no one is an island, and all that. Have a great weekend everyone!

Now, go out and shoot something!

Your Questions Answered...

The other day I was talking with a couple of photog friends of mine. One of them said, “hey, you should explain lighting ratios on your blog.” As we dove into the topic, I quickly realized how far removed I have become from text book, school-learnin’ photography. One of them is currently in photo school, and the other is fresh out of photo school. Topics like lighting ratios are fresh in their minds. Not so much in mine. They sort of ate my lunch on the topic.

Understanding lighting ratios can be very useful. They tell us how deep the shadows will be in a photograph. Different ratios communicate differently. Its a tough subject to both explain and to grasp. But I thought its a great topic for a post. So, I whipped out the ‘ol light meter, oiled the cogs in my brain, and went to work. You may have to read this post a couple of times to get it. But I’ll do my best to ‘slpain it to you.

For this post, I’m assuming you already understand f-stops and exposure, and how to use a light meter. I won’t go into all of that. But if you have any questions, feel free to leave a question in the comment section of this post, and you are always welcome to email me at todd@toddwalkerphotography.com.

To explain how to calculate lighting ratios, we’ll be using a basic two-light portrait set up – main light positioned camera right and fill light positioned behind the camera. It looks like this:

Let’s start by setting the Fill Light to f/5.6. By itself it would look like this:

This will give a reading of f/5.6 across the subject’s face. This would be a 1:1 ratio – both sides of the face will have the same amount of light. If we shot a picture with this one light, we’d set our camera’s aperture to f/5.6, take the shot and be done. Our lighting would be okay, but fairly flat since its coming directly from the camera. But we want more a more interesting image. We need to add some dimension to the subject. For that, we’re going to add a brighter light to the right, which will better shape the subject’s face. Soooo…

Let’s set the main light to f/8, which is one stop brighter than the fill. Using both lights together would look like this:

It is paramount to understand that each time the amount of light doubles, we’ve gained one stop of light. In other words, light increased by one stop is twice as bright. Two stops would be 4x brighter; three stops would be 8x brighter; four stops would be 16x brighter, and so on. This is key to understanding how to calculate lighting ratios. Our main light is coming from the right side, and not hitting the left side of the face. This ratio would read _:2 (2x brighter than the fill). The right side of the subject’s face already has light hitting it at f/5.6 from the fill light. And since our fill light has a ratio of 1:1, adding a second light that is twice as bright would give us a 1:3 ratio. Got that? 1+0=1 and 1+2=3, thus a 1:3 ratio. Feel free to go over that again =).

There’s a lot of misinformation out there on this subject. A lot of people call this a 1:2 ratio; thinking that since the main light is twice as bright, it simply gives us a 2 on the right side of the ratio. The confusion comes from not accounting for what the fill light will contribute to the right side of the subject. One way to get a 1:2 ratio would be to move the fill light to the left of the camera, so none of its light would hit the right side of the subject. Then, since no light would be contributing to the right side, it would be a simple 1:2 ratio. Another way to get a 1:2 ratio would be to leave the lights where they are, but set the main light to f/5.6, same as the fill. This would increase the amount of light on the right side by one stop (twice as bright). Then it would be a 1:2 ratio. Make sense? Feel free to read that paragraph through a few times as well =).

Back to our 1:3 ratio. . .

Now that we have our lights set up, lets set our camera. In this scenario we would set our aperture for the main light side of the face. Remember, we have to account for BOTH the main light AND the fill light. So, f/8 plus f/5.6 would give us a reading of f/9.5. Say what? Why not set our camera to f/11? Remember, a one stop increase is twice as bright. The main light is f/8. Then we are adding half as much light (f/5.6) to that, thus we get f/9.5. That’s half a stop between f/8 and f/11. Only if both lights were set at f/8 would the brightness be doubled and equal f/11. Since we are adding f/5.6 to f/8, we get f/9.5. So we set our camera to f/9.5. Yes, you can go over that paragraph a few more times as well. Equal sign right parenthesis.

Out on the street, I have developed a tried and true way for getting the proper ratio. I set up the first light and adjust it to the desired f-stop I want to shoot. Then, if the shadows are too dark, I might simply use a reflector to bounce light back into the shadow side of the subject. If that doesn’t do it, I’ll add a second light and adjust it until the shadows are at a level I want. That’s it. I very rarely even think about lighting ratios. I use the LCD and my E-Y-E. The only time I think about them is for cookie-cutter shots (proms, school photos, church directories, etc.). I remember from my schoolin’ days that a 1:1 ratio is flat. 1:3 is safe, suitable for cookie-cutter shots. A 1:5 ratio means drama. And 1:9 is the edge of darkness. For those jobs that require safe, traditional lighting, out comes the ol’ light meter. I set my lights one stop apart. Then bang away on the shutter button.

For example, I recently had a church directory shoot. I threw up a muslin background and a bsic two-light setup, like the one we've been using here. I set my main light to f/8. Then I set my fill light to f/5.6. Thats one stop difference, a 1:3 ratio. I set my aperture to f/9.5 and started to shoot. Setting up took me all of 15 minutes. (would've been 5 minutes had my softbox been more agreeable). Here's a look at the setup ::

(The room was so tight, I had to move the fill light over to the left so I could back up enough to take this shot. But I did move it back up and behind the camera).

And here's the boring, but safe and suitable result:

Is this the most amazing photo you’ve ever seen? Of course not. I don’t know any photographer who aspires to making church directory images. But they help pay the bills. As artists, we do everything we can to pay the bills. Even the less exciting, less creative assignments. We do what we HAVE to do, so we can do what we WANT to do.

So there you go. Everything you will ever need to know about lighting ratios. Okay, well, maybe not. But it’s a start. It all may seem like an overload. But it isn’t exactly rocket surgery we’re talking about here. And it sure as heck isn’t brain science. It may be difficult to understand, but we aren’t trying to cure heart disease. At the end of the day, we’re just taking pictures. If you’re new to this lighting stuff, don’t be afraid of it. Its just light. It won’t bite. And light that won’t bite is just right =P. We have an incredible amount of creative control when we control our lighting. Understanding lighting ratios is a good thing. But if all this stuff flies over your head, don’t worry. Your camera won’t blow up. Lighting ratios can be a useful tool, but being constrained by them will kill our creativity.

As I said earlier, if you have any questions about this, or anything photography related, please post them in the comment section below. Or feel free to e-mail me at: todd@toddwalkerphotography.com

Now, go out and shoot something!