Once you start adding up all of the fees, cost of prints, cost of matting, and cost of shipping, entering photography competitions can start feeling a bit expensive. This is why learning where you can cut corners without compromising your work is important.
Artists struggle with many emotions throughout their day. One of the most typical emotions is a sense of inadequacy, both in business and creativity. How many times has budget, fear, and challenge stopped you from getting things done? Whatever your excuse is, it’s just that: an excuse. Here are three thoughts that are holding you back as a photographer and how to overcome them.
“Who am I to tell people what they ought to do?” I taunted myself as I wrote my first article for Fstoppers. I wanted to convey how much of an impact that asking for what I wanted had had on me. Nevertheless, I was acutely aware of being condescending as I don’t consider myself old enough, wise enough, or successful enough to warrant people’s ear. As the post went up, I read and reread my work, even though I had proofread it several times before it was published. I tried to assume different characters to gain new perspectives and understand ways in which people might react badly to my advice.
If you are active in a Facebook Group, you most likely have wished at some point in time that you could stream what you are doing live to them. The connection with a tight-knit community makes you want to share with them often. Until today, you would have to invite people to come view you somewhere else: Periscope, Facebook Live on your personal page, or any number of other options. It was unreliable, as people often don't want to have to access things through another app, especially if it involves a download for them of something they have never used before. Now, you can stream directly to a Facebook Group using the Facebook Live feature.
As a studio owner I am privileged to see many different photographers working in my studio space. I have a chance to observe their individual working styles and to see what results in success. Over the past couple years I have noticed some rather interesting trends. Let me give you some insider tips after observing how some of the top photographers work.
Having your images stolen at one point or another is virtually a formality when it comes to being a photographer. It’s frustrating, not least when it happens through one of your customers. One new website claims to have the solution to make sure you never get ripped off again.
As a photographer, you’re in the business of making people look and feel their best. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make every single client happy. You’re inevitably going to encounter an angry client at some point in your career. Learning how to either defuse or compromise in that situation can mean the difference between losing and keeping a client or even avoiding a lawsuit. Here are three steps every photographer should use in those situations.
It’s easy to feel that we have great ideas for our images, but that we simply don’t have the budget to execute them to the standard we’re picturing in our minds. You should always try to find ways to be creative on a budget, so here’s how and why you don't have to spend a fortune to produce good results.
A lot of photographers are afraid to put their work out into the public eye for fear that its not perfect. A lot of work goes unseen because the photographer wasn't comfortable enough to show what they created. Chase Jarvis interviews Austin Kleon, the author of the book Show Your Work!: 10 Ways To Share Your Creativity And Get Discovered, and delves in 3 reasons not showing your work is a bad idea.
One of my favorite little quips to drop on my workshop attendees is "Did you know that models are, as it turns out, human?", which usually just yields a few chuckles. But the truth is, that is just my lead in and my way of sarcastically reminding model photographers that fashion and glamour models have opinions, preferences, and emotions as much as anyone else. Which is sadly something that seems to be overlooked in the often callus industries of fashion and glamour. To that end, I invited some Texas based pro models to sit down with Staci and I discuss the industry.
If you have ever tried to create an album from an event that you have photographed, you know the difficulties that can come along with the creation process. If you have experience using Adobe InDesign, you are off to a good start and most definitely have full control of your album. However, InDesign is a complex program that takes time to learn and even more time to become timely and proficient with. A ways back while listening to a podcast I heard about Fundy Designer. Fundy is an all-in-one design suite that can be used to design, sell, proof, and print with ease. The application goes beyond album design and covers many aspects of your photo business, helping you focus on providing your clients with beautiful, timeless prints, along with a variety of other options to help your brand grow.
There is such a lot of talk going around about branding. But what exactly is your brand, and how do you use it to help you reach a wider audience and market your photography? Your brand is the core of your marketing, the central theme around your photography. Your brand is not your logo or your company name, unless of course you are Apple or Nike.
Ever since Facebook changed to curated news feeds, there has been endless grumbling in the photography community about diminished reach and post engagement. That shouldn’t stop you from trying to beat their algorithms. You can still have a ton of success with Facebook posts. You just need to know how to work the system.
As someone who makes a full time living working as a photographer I am often asked for advice on how to get started and how to make it in this career. Despite the seemingly impossible odds, it is in fact quite possible to make a fantastic living in this industry. Former assistant to Mario Testino, Alexi Lubomirski, has created one of the best videos I've seen describing the persistence and tenacity required to succeed. If you are looking for a dose of motivation I highly recommend giving this a watch.
Lately, I’ve noticed a huge surge in the number of emails I’ve received inquiring about my interest in partnering up with a website or app that claims to be shaping the next generation of holiday photo. One email even introduced its company’s services with a tagline of “the app that’s replacing selfie sticks.”
