I own a lot of modifiers. My studio contains Broncolor Hazylights, old fresnels that are as rare as hens' teeth, and softboxes of pretty much every size from under a meter to so big I can stand inside them, but this latest addition is the one that has helped me.
The internet, as well as being a great resource for photographers, is also a black hole for our collective wallet. It seems that almost daily a new camera, lens, computer, or must-have bit of software is launched. So let's look at the biggest gear mistakes we make as beginners.
There are lots of gear rumors and predictions that come out at the start of a year, so I thought I would chip in with my predictions for the industry as a working photographer and give my predictions as to how 2022 will likely pan out.
Price-cutting and cheap photographers tend to really get under the skin of many of us, but I am pretty sure that you have been approaching it all wrong. Hopefully, this helps.
The photography profession at times can be somewhat outdated in its approach, standards, and business practices. Over the years, I continually hear certain bits of bad advice, so let's look a bit deeper into these.
Back in 2017, my commercial work was struggling to make any impact. I got the odd big job, but mostly out of convenience rather than style — that was, until I purchased this lens.
Knowing what equipment you should take on a job is always difficult, so I thought I would share with you what I ended up taking on a 10-day ad campaign, and more importantly, why.
Professional photography has never been more affordable to get into as a profession as it is today. Digital is now old hat, so your money goes a lot farther than it did 10 years ago. But how cheap can you really go as a commercial pro?
Why do we keep seeing photographers make the same photography marketing mistakes? In this video, I take a look at the mistakes I see photographers making time and time again and look at how to avoid such pitfalls.
Buying a new camera when photography is your hobby is a pretty straightforward decision. If you want it and you can afford it, go and buy it. However, once it becomes your profession, it can be a tad more complicated.
Art is subjective, but the professional world of commercial photography is far less so. With this in mind, how do you work out if your work is good enough to make it as a professional photographer or one day will be?
From very dated soft lighters and Broncolor Hazylights on big stands through to modern octaboxes and reflectors, in this video, I look at them all in relation to my favorite genre of photography.
If like me, you have always wanted to be a commercial photographer, then having a good agent is a really important part of this. However, there are far more photographers than there are agents, so how do you get one?
I have always been a bit of a lighting snob. Camera-wise, I'm happy to go 35mm instead of medium format. For lenses, I'd use a Canon instead of a Zeiss with no concern, but when it came to lights and modifiers, I'd only use Broncolor. So I was happy to review this new (ish) light.
Image theft is both morally wrong and also incredibly frustrating. As a photographer, my images have been stolen so many times that it now no longer upsets nor surprises me. Until recently there wasn't a great deal I would do about it, but now I have a great system.
Professional photography can be a really secretive world. Finding out what your competitors charge, who they are shooting for and how they got the contacts, and the way they managed to light that epic image can be a real challenge.
The internet has a wealth of information available for free, but there are some questions that photographers seem to dodge as a question. Especially the more British of those. Let's try to answer a few of these.
Photography is as much about sitting at your desk as it is about sitting behind the camera, especially for us studio folk. I probably spend twice as much time sitting as I spend with a camera in my hand, so I have made sure my setup is spot on.
It has never been an easy task to make a profession out of something that is fun, and to keep that thing fun, and in 2021 photography is certainly no exception, but are our expectations wrong?
As a long-term pro, it has been a while since I have looked into beginner studio lighting, and boy, has it changed since I purchased my first units! In this video, I look at a great first-time studio light.
The SLR camera is a great and versatile tool for pretty much every photographer, but sometimes the systems don't offer enough control. Which set me about the task of building the ultimate camera for my work.
Photography, as a hobby and profession, comes with a lot of gear. There are the obvious cameras, lenses, and lights that we all own, but then we start to delve into the oddities of the art form. Throw in a bunch of eccentric professionals, and you can expect to find all sorts of stuff in their studios.
As a working professional commercial photographer, the return on investment (ROI) of your equipment is very important. Or at least it should be. In this video, I look at what actually makes me money.
As a professional commercial photographer, most of my purchases are made as investments. Sadly, not all of them have been, but the general ethos is that I have to invest in my photography to stay relevant in my career choice.
I am sure you have all seen the many different charging walls that you can build. I had one myself, but having my chargers in a static location no longer worked for me, so I built a charging station on a trolley.
For many of us photographers in the commercial world, the key to getting good jobs for exciting campaigns is having the right agent by your side. However, finding the right agent and with space on their books for you can be incredibly hard to do.
With the recent trends in mirrorless cameras, and the price of medium format coming down to a point where they are actually financially viable for most of us, does the 35mm camera still reign over digital cameras for the best bang for the buck, and if so, which one wins the race?
One of the greatest things to happen in recent years for photography is the huge increase in incredibly well-designed budget lighting systems. Although most of them come from the same factories as the premium brands, offer similar specs on paper, and often have alarmingly similar looks, what is the real difference?
Until 10 years ago, I didn’t know that being a professional food photographer was even a thing. I don’t come from a creative background, so if you had asked me what I thought they did, I would have been very far from the truth. Hopefully, I can shed some light.
When I started out in photography, I didn't even know that ad agencies were a thing. To be honest, I didn't know a lot at all. However, over the years I have picked up a few tricks that will hopefully help you.
If like me, you were told to work out your overheads, how many days a year you plan to work, and calculate your fees from this, you have also been pricing your photography work incorrectly.
In the past, location has been everything for commercial photographers. However, times are changing, and it isn't an option for all of us to up sticks and move to NY. So what do we do if we find ourselves living in a small city?
It can seem like a game of who you know and chance as to if you are the photographer chosen for a job. If you find yourself frustrated that photographers more expensive than you and not as good as you are getting the gig, this could help.
This is far from a "why you should do this" video, more a "why I do this." I want to talk about how I accidentally ended up shooting my whole portfolio with a single lens, even though commercially, I use many.
Photography is expensive, and often, you get what you pay for. However, there are some great modifiers for your lights to be had for under $100.
