So you have your camera, possibly still with a kit lens but you are on fire! Photography! It’s the career you always wanted, or maybe something you only thought about very recently, but it took your heart by storm and you are addicted. You think, live and breathe photography, but sometimes simple things stop you on your tracks and you are not quite sure where to find the answers. There are many forums, there is google, but how do I ask without looking silly? How do I even phrase it for google search.
Here are a few very basic things you may not know but will never ask. Views as always are my own, and will vary from photographer to photographer.
- What’s the best lens for newborns? 24-70mm. It gives you variety, all in one. You don’t have to be 7ft tall to shoot wreath from above, but it has a range that will help you reduce distortion.
- What is distortion and why can’t I see it?! For the first year I could not see distortion for shit. I even have a sample canvas in my studio that is distorted and I still struggle to see it (mainly because I love this image and in my eyes it’s epic). Distortion is what happens when you get so close to your subject you can feel their breath on your lens and it starts to steam up. Yeah, that close. Don’t do it. Especially if you fell for the 35mm for newborn photography. It will reshape your model’s face beyond recognition. Does this mean 35mm is a total no-go for newborns? No, as long as you keep in mind the distance between you and your subject.
- Is Gary Hill single? No.
- I want to be a newborn photographer, so I need more props to make more money, don’t I? No. Look up Bethney Backhaus and Suzi Mitchell.
- Why are my subjects not sharp when I shoot families and groups? You either shoot too wide, you put them all too close to the backdrop or you are an alcoholic with an unsteady hand.
- What does it mean to shoot wide open? You know all those photos you pin on Pinterest, where the backdrop is blurred and milky, and the sole focus is in one small area of the image? Or when you see an outdoor image with super blurry background? This happens when you shoot wide open, so at f-stop 1.2 to f2.8. In this case things at relatively different planes will be out of focus. This is done deliberately to bring your attention to a certain aspect of the image. Also, currently it’s in fashion and looks goddamn fancy. I personally like it a lot although I rarely shoot wide open in the studio due to a higher instance of images being out of focus.
- What is feathering? When instead of whacking all the light directly at your subject, you use an edge of your modifier to get a softer light.
- What is frequency separation? It’s an editing technique where you can separate colour and texture in an image and work on both separately. More on the subject here.
- Do I really need Portraiture in my life? Yes, unless you only photograph dogs and hairy men.
- I cannot afford 1-2-1 training yet, but I want to learn more about light. What can I do now? Watch Lindsay Adler on Creative Live. It’s a fraction of the price of 1-2-1 training sessions, she passes a lot of knowledge and you can listen to her in your PJs whilst eating ice cream.
- I want to learn more about editing, what’s the best way without breaking the bank? Phlearn on YouTube and Zoe Bond via Skype or in Person.
- What is the difference between loop and Rembrandt light? You can find many examples on line but in brief: both are portrait lighting methods serving your light from a side, where the shadow under subject nose falls under their cheek. In loop light however, the shadow creates a shadow loop under your subject’s nose and in Rembrandt lighting this loop shadow is connected with the shadow from your subjects cheek, forming a triangle on the cheek on the opposite side to where the light is placed.
- I am really cheap but people still don’t book, should I lower my prices? No, people don’t book because most likely your website, if you have one, sucks balls and doesn’t rank. You most likely never blogged in your life or only wrote one blog post on “why photographs are important” and then never wrote a word again. You don’t exist on line, people don’t know about you so it’s irrelevant if you charge £50 or £500. If you were 5x better than you are it would still be irrelevant if you don’t exist online. On the other side of the scale, there are many really average photographers who make a killing because they are visible, their SEO is good, they update their website, post interesting photos on their Facebook business pages. Having 90% off your packages is not the road to happiness. Having a website that ranks above your local competition and an engaged Facebook community is.
- Am I too expensive? If you get 30 enquiries and no bookings, you probably are.
- Do I need a calibrator? If you are on Mac, you do. If you are on PC, you really, really do need one. Otherwise you are editing in the dark and what you think is peach is probably magenta.
- I want to give up photography. Everyone around me is so amazing. Remember that all those people only post their best work. Some of them only photograph models. Somewhere on their HD there are images with chopped limbs and magenta faces. This is everyone. No one just picks up a camera and turns into Ben Sasso overnight.
- Do I need a light meter? Contrary to popular belief, you don’t “need” it. There are many togs that live without it, however it’s very helpful if you would like to step up your game and don’t trust your eyes and your histogram 100%.
- I saw some photographers take a photo of a grey card at the beginning of a shoot. Why do they do that? Grey card represents the “perfect grey” midtone. By taking the photo of the grey card and setting your white balance in camera to “custom” based on the colour of this card in the lighting conditions you have, you are telling your camera how to judge colours properly.
- Everyone uses d-lites. Are those the best lights? No. D-lites are the best lights a limited budget will get you. If you happen to have a few more pennies, you can get Broncolor for example, which are far more fancy. Why are they more fancy? Let’s say you shoot a sitter who just runs around and you can barely nail your focus, without worrying about lights. Then they sit down finally and you press the shutter. A split second later they smile, so you press the shutter again but your lights don’t fire. This is because the recycling time of mid range lights is longer than the recycling time of the fancy lights. Another difference: colour temperature. You grey card, you shoot your newborn in position, then they move their head, so you either move your lights, or move your baby’s head back in to place to have proper exposure. Sometimes you may have an idea to adjust your lights output instead, so you click your trigger a few times and boom! Everything is brighter and life is good again, except with your mid range lights, the light temperature has most likely changed now, so you should really grey card again. With the fancy lights, the light temperature is constant. There are many more benefits of the fancy lights, like being able to trigger them via your iphone for example, but the price reflects all that, so it’s all depending on your budget and the level and volume of photography you offer.
- What’s the difference between crop and full frame camera? The most visible difference is the field of view. With full frame, you will see more in your frame. There are however many other benefits, but the rest of the stuff is pretty boring. If you have time, you can check those differences here.
- Why some trainers have a 50mile radius for their training? I cannot be bothered to travel far! Imagine you are married, and you have this lovely hunk you made yours and are loved up. It would break your heart if he’d left. Then you fly on your holidays and the plane crashes on an island full of hot women. You may not feel at ease knowing he may be tempted to go elsewhere. The same thing happens when photographers start training their neighbouring competitors. Training fee they will get as a one off is not worth them bringing another hot woman to the island for their clients to stray. They would rather be in the area not filled with temptation. If he knows all the hot women are on an island far far away, he may still build a boat and travel, but the chances are slimmer than picking someone who is only next door. Your business can potentially suffer if you yourself keep shipping hot chicks to the island. So understand people who don’t want to do it.
- There are tons of cheap photographers in my area. Have I got a chance to survive in such a competitive environment? Yes, stop competing on price and start competing on the quality of service from start to finish. Price wars are a race to the bottom.
- I am just starting out and want to get a few baby outfits. I saw some on ebay, are those any good? No, unless you want your images to look cheap. Avoid cheap baby outfits, avoid crochet stuff from China. Avoid Wish maternity dresses. You need to be pretty epic to make this shit look good.
- Why would I pay £300+ for an octobox if I can get one on eBay for £40? Because just like with everything in life, you will get what you paid for. The main difference between a cheap modifier and a branded, fancy gear: the fabric. The fabric on a cheap one will be very thin and see through. The fancy modifier will have a thicker fabric. Why is this important? Your light will be softer and highlights on your model’s noses less prominent. This is less of an issue if you master feathering of light. until then, get a good modifier and if you already have a cheap one, get an additional fabric cover on top or make your own. It does make a difference.
- How can I make digital backdrop look realistic? Analyse the light direction in the digital backdrop you are about to use and shoot with that direction in mind. If the shadows are barely visible in your digital backdrop, use a reflector when shooting your baby for the purpose of inserting them in one. Match the light. It’s important. Another thing: shoot at high f-stop, so 5.6 for example. This will help avoid blurred toes and stuff when you are trying to match your baby with the backdrop. Last but not least: try using the same stuffer you have in the digital backdrop: similar texture and ideally similar colour. it will make your editing life sooo much easier.
- Who trained Kasia Drewnicka? Contrary to popular belief and some people claiming they did it, no one. She is a self starter and learned everything herself from youtube tutorials and reading stuff on line. She is a smart cookie, so don’t beat yourself up.
- Who is going to be teaching at the Newborn Show 2018? I cannot tell you this but all I am going to say is it’s such an epic team I keep molesting Tracy Willis to send her the deposit in order not to miss out. It’s going to be seriously amazing. Seriously. Amazing.
- How do I make white backdrops white? Large diffuser (as in epic proportions) or two lights, one directed at the backdrop. It can be done. When it cannot be done: when you have 1 x 90cm softbox and you are shooting a family. Then you will be using curves like they are going out of fashion.
- I am thinking of advertising in a printed magazine. Would I get a return for my money? Most likely not, as people don’t read these days.
- How can I make more money from my current clients? They rarely come back. Email list, then Mail chimp. Keep in touch (but never spam). Follow their kids’ growth stages with 17hats projects and email them around month 6 with a sitter offer of some sorts and to touch base. Tie your packages with the next shoot (I offer £50 off sitter session when my clients buy the top newborn package. This way I am 3x more likely to see them before the cake smash).
If you have any other questions that sound crazy silly, do ask. We will add them here x
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