Potential leads may not book you for many reasons. Maybe you are out of budget completely for them, maybe your style is not on par with what they wanted, or perhaps it was just not the right time for them. Knowing how to work with your leads can help create a solid stream of clients to book you solid throughout the year.
Many of us don’t consider the harm we do with our photos. Our actions might be innocent, but there's a dark side to most genres that we don't ever consider.
On the verge of a massive career retrospective that would see most sit back and bask in success and maybe take a foot off the gas, Michel Haddi is dedicated to continuing to develop his world-famous style and technique. How'd Haddi get to this level of success? What pushes him on to the next?
While the idea of having the best available studio and equipment remains, well, an idea or dream for many of us, creating great images in the comfort of your own home does not have to be.
During the last few weeks, Instagram has teased in your news feeds that they were removing and deactivating spam accounts. Their message mentioned it would ultimately result in a loss in the follower count on your profiles, as shown above. This had many people running for the hills, imagining their tens of thousands of followers would turn to dust, and the loss of that clout they have built over the years will be all but nothing. The results have been widespread, but here are a few accounts to check in on as I give my thoughts on the whole thing.
Sexual harassment is headlining news stories across the country in industries where harassers can be held responsible for their actions. Whether by human resources departments or by the court of public opinion, harassers in these circumstances have consequences to deal with. But what do creative freelance professionals, like photographers, do about sexual harassment on the job when they have no HR department to turn to?
Getting to grips with the fundamentals of photography, such as camera and exposure control, composition, and relating a story, is essential. Sadly, there are other factors that get in that cause you to fail. Here’s why it is important to break free of those and become a successful photographer.
Olga Tenyanin is a boudoir photographer based out of Vancouver, Washington, but she’s also been a social media manager for years, and she’s got a few tips to help photographers tame the social media monster.
How do you achieve long term success? Whether you want to grow a huge photography or video business, or just improve your skills, it would pay to look at the dramatic failures of others rather than just the “success stories”. Why? Because long term success is the result of resilience and determination in the face of constant failure and almost insurmountable odds, and if we understand - and embrace - this philosophy, we can overcome almost anything.
If you’re reading this, the likelihood is that you’re looking for better software to treat your images. The quest to find the best photo editing software is not necessarily an easy one, but it is a necessary one. While you may change camera bodies, lenses, lights, locations, and styles, the one constant that touches all your images is the software used to develop them.
Whenever you see one, you’ll point at it, kids love to draw them, and some believe that there is a pot of gold hidden at their end. To me, photographing a rainbow is enough of a gift. Here, you’ll get to know how to increase the chance of seeing a rainbow and how to photograph and edit one.
Go to any live music event and if the crowd is big enough, there will be photographers snapping away for the first three songs. Concert photography is a blast, but does that blast produce bucks?
Some years ago, I got started in photography and started looking to find clients that would pay me for my work. I showed up to client meetings, polite, cordial, and generic - hoping that my portfolio would "wow" them. I was sure that keeping a personal life and business life separate was the way to go, boy was I wrong.
Fujifilm's X and GFX cameras and lenses are on sale at B&H. With dozens of items receiving some sort of special pricing, it's a great time to check out the product lines. Want to know my picks for the best deals?
With the popularity of film photography getting traction, it’s time you get caught up. Let’s talk about your film options.
The saying goes that you need to practice 10,000 hours before you master something. I think this is a bunch of rubbish.
The shock news landed this morning that Olympus has sold their camera division to Japan Industrial Partners Inc. (JIP), and while they have confirmed to Olympus that both OM-D and Zuiko will be utilized, fears are growing that the camera division will be metaphorically melted down for parts.
When it comes to studio product photography, we use a lot of tools in the studio. Sure, there’s the obvious: cameras, lenses, and lights. But today I want to talk about one of those little indispensable tools that can really make all the difference on set. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years of working in a studio environment, it’s that you can never have enough clamps! There’s always something that you need to hold in place, or simply rig.
DNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, PSB, and more: photographers have more options than ever for saving their files, but not every option is a good choice. Do you know the benefits of each file type and when you should use them?
When you need a quick tutorial for Photoshop, I can bet my old Fuji that you will end up searching for it on YouTube. Am I right? But, is it actually that good of a learning tool?
Blogging has always been a sore spot for photographers. After all, we didn’t become photographers to write, but instead, we became photographers to take photos. So why, then, is blogging necessary for a successful photography business?
Whether you want to speed up your computer, or simply keep your photo archive safe and secure, check to see if you're making any crucial mistakes that you may come to regret further down the road.
What happens when a visual artist overhears his uncles discussing how women "are better off cooking, taking care of the kitchen, and fulfilling their 'womanly duties?'" Eli Rezkallah, who's a photographer and a visual artist currently residing in Beirut, came up with the idea of creating a controversial set of photographs that reverse the traditional gender roles, that had been so strongly embedded within our society through advertisement during the twentieth century.
One of the main reasons why I love photographing dogs outdoors is the challenge of creating beautiful backdrops from the natural surroundings. One of my favorite ways to photograph dogs on location is to use a wide-angle lens to allow the sky to be the dominant background feature. When photographing dogs during the golden hour, incorporating a single speedlight or strobe in your outdoor dog portraits will allow you to effectively use the sun as a backlight and create eye-catching compositions at sunset.
Adobe and Panasonic are quickly gaining a reputation as the Simon and Garfunkel of the video industry. They need each other, but they just don’t get on. The latest release of Premiere Pro 2017.1.2 was announced with much fanfare of file handling for the problematic Panasonic GH5 10-bit 4:2:2 video files. Good news right? Think again.
One of the things I love most about photography is the challenge of creating something new and refreshing. In today's behind the scenes video, I thought it would be fun to try to capture some family photos with a split view above and under the water.
There was a time when this question would have been laughable. Now, if you laugh it off, you're either in a a specific niche that dodges renders or computer generated imagery (CGI), or you don't understand the problem.
Remember when Apple used to charge money to update your iPhone? While we’ve gotten rather used to free mobile updates over the past couple years, the trend is as strong as ever with our cameras. Should this still be the case?
A dramatically cascading waterfall is one of the most iconic scenes that can be captured by a nature photographer — by any photographer. Here are some tips to get the most out of such a scene, no matter the scale of your subject.
It seems like every time you open Instagram, someone is complaining about their post exposure or the algorithm on their profiles. Whether algorithm changes or some other inexplicable event have dropped their engagement, the reason they don't have a following yet is because Instagram is always holding them back. What we fail to realize is that this free platform that promotes our work really doesn’t owe us anything.
Photographers understand that marketing is essential to attracting new clients and growing their business. However, marketing strategies are constantly evolving, so what worked in the past isn’t always going to work in the present or future. In this article, we will share three photography marketing tricks and hacks that actually work based on our 12-plus years of experience operating a successful multi-shooter studio!
If you've been a photographer for any length of time, chances are you've experienced the dreaded slump; Your muse has run off with someone else, inspiration goes down the toilet, everything you create looks like crap, and even the desire to pick up your camera deserts you. If you are struggling through this season right now, there's hope. The slump can become the catalyst for your biggest season of artistic growth. Here are five steps I've found not only to make it through the slump, but to make it work for you.
A drone is a remarkable piece of equipment, enabling you to capture film and photographs from perspectives that were once believed impossible. Using a drone for photography differs significantly from filming with a drone. Let’s share some ideas.
Stock photography has been a main or side income for many photographers throughout the years. Contrary to general belief, stock photography is not dead, but rather stronger than ever due to the rise of the digital media. Rapid movement in social media urges companies to create new content on daily or even hourly basis, and the need of new imagery is unavoidable. This is just one of the reasons why stock photography still matters.
In the age of Instagram, if you can rock a floppy sun hat and big Hollywood sunglasses and have at least 3,000 followers, then you have a voice big enough to represent any number of companies, but being a brand ambassador isn’t all beach-side sangrias and posing with vibrant murals: scam artists have found Instagram, and the perpetrators are plentiful.
By its (fabricated) definition, “Great Light” is soft, of an orange tinge, preferably at an oblique vertical angle and coming from a direction that shapes the subject enough without causing harsh shadows. So we’re essentially talking about sunsets and sunrises. But must we only whip out the camera at golden hour? Or are there more photographic opportunities to be had?
You might have heard people talk about using leading lines to really improve your composition, but how exactly do you use them, and how do you find them? Let me show you five different examples here so you'll know what to look for next time you're shooting.
I’m probably not going to be winning any friends by sticking up for the undercutters, but I just don’t think that they’re hurting you as much as you think they are. In fact, I think they might actually be helping you.
While the Perseid Meteor Shower was putting on a show earlier this week, I was fast asleep. Luckily for all of us, a lot of talented photographers planned ahead and captured some great photos.
What happens when a non-vlogger takes a spin with Nikon’s new social media-focused Z 30 compact camera?
If you've been into photography for a while, whether you're frugal or easy going with your money, you will have likely bought and sold equipment. Well, which piece of equipment do you wish you hadn't sold?
Traveling to create new photography can get expensive fast, but whether it's for personal work, stock, or your portfolio, it is often a necessary part of advancing your work. There are lots of ways to monetize these images and tricks to shoulder the upfront costs involved in creating them. This is the approach and tips I use to get the most out of my travel photography.
I might have been in Tokyo to watch the GFX 100 be ushered into the public eye, but I had been armed with a GFX 50R, and I intended to bleed every last moment out of it.
My background was in design and web development before I was a photographer. So in my eyes, it's easy to see a connection between design and photography, and how that should translate to a photography website, however I am still surprised at how many photographers’ websites are very much behind the times. Mostly because most photographers are not designers or programmers. I see them using flash, or splash (intro) pages, saying “click here to enter website.” I want to talk about some basic practice that is absolutely essential in today’s world of websites.
Your work is greater than a Graham cracker sized cell phone screen and you know it. When it comes time to select which paper you print on, you've got a lot of options. Let's take a closer look at a few things to consider when making your choice and examine one example up close.
One of the most rewarding yet mysterious elements of landscape photography is seeing the results of a long exposure. A few weeks ago, I had the chance to check out a new set of filters that mount using magnets, and the resulting photo is pretty interesting.
All this week at the PRO EDU studio in St. Louis, Michael Woloszynowicz has been hard at work showing off his techniques for an upcoming tutorial series on creating fashion and editorial photography. Today at 11am CST, myself along with the rest of the video crew will be streaming his model test look demonstrations live from the studio.
How many times have you heard the saying "if you want it done right you've got to do it yourself"? Well, that is not always the best mindset. This business we are in is all about collaboration, and the sooner you embrace what others have to offer, the sooner you will put out work that is competitive. Collaboration has many benefits that can take your work to the next level.
The WHO says approximately 450 million people currently suffer from mental health and neurological disorders. That’s over three-and-a-half times the number that have ever had COVID-19. Within the photographic industry, the rates of mental illness are far worse than in society as a whole.
How do you commemorate the opening of the third tallest building in the United States and the tallest residential building in the world? With an epic photo shoot, of course. Model and Dancer VikTory took to the sky to pose for this amazing set of photos that duly capture the scope of the building.
