Simple Household Subjects

Following on from my Expand Your Horizons post, I’ve been prowling the house looking for more subject material.

‘Fred the fish’ here, is a souvenir of our recent trip to Newfoundland. When I look for interesting subjects, I look for backgrounds that are very simple or plain: supporting colours are also important for the composition. ‘Fred’ makes a great high-key subject, so using the available light and a white base and background and a small reflector to brighten his face, I’ve got a good macro subject.

Look for shapes that stand on their own: ignore the colours, tune out the backgrounds and get down close.

Expand Your Horizons

There are a lot of artists that I find inspiring. You can find many of them on the right side in the ‘blogroll’. I try to explore the photography, art and design  of others on a regular basis. Not only do they provide opportunities to see the world differently, or suggest new compositions to try, but they also can be absolutely mind blowing.

Recently I found the art of David Trautrimas. A Canadian located in Toronto, David’s recent imagery is made up of common items found in the kitchen. With this inspiration in mind, I went looking for some of my own ‘kitchen scenes’.

Black & White Prints Falling Short?

Creating a Black & White image that excites me has been very hard to date: I feel I have not yet gotten the hang of seeing in ‘tones’. Darwin Wiggett recently interviewed Cole Thompson on his B&W imagery. Cole’s images absolutely floored me. I have subsequently signed up to Cole’s blog and while reading through his recent posts, came across this one that talks about pitfalls in getting to a B&W print compared to what we see on a computer or camera screen. Visit his site for stunning photography and the post for the complete text. The messages I’m taking away are:

1. Your camera screen and computer monitor are backlit while a print is reflected light.

2. Contrasts within the photo are the life blood of B&W

3. Whether it be in-camera or post production, always watch your luminance histogram for a good spread across the whole range

4.  Getting the contrast you see on screen to the printer will require more blacks, whites and contrasts. and

5. Experience and experimentation as always so shoot shoot shoot.

Gaining experience is as simple as shooting more. It sounds pedantic and you probably feel the same way I did when I first heard it: “what the heck are they talking about” was my thought. Well, the more images I take, the more I learn what I like, what the scene looked like when I took that shot and which ones worked and didn’t work. For B&W, I’ve learned (several times), to convert a bunch of photos into B&W and see how they look. After a while you get an idea what tonal values are hidden in the colours, and you’ll start to train your eye to see contrasts. Also, keep your eye out for people like Cole Thompson or Younes Bounhar who you can learn from: either via workshops or through their imagery. From there, the step to B&W prints that meet your expectation is another short hop requiring more practice.

I have a long road to travel and am excited about the journey itself. See you out there.

Silver M3 Photoshoot

Dave and I spent a few hours on the weekend shooting his ride. Dave takes a lot of pride in his ride and so he should: he’s built it up to maximize the performance and style of his car. To me, Dave’s M3 presents menace, power, capability and thrill without being ‘over the top’ or the derogatory ‘ricer’.

We started with an abandoned road works gravel “shed”, then moved on to Fitzroy Harbour and their fire station. Thank you to the fire hall for the use of their space.

The day was overcast so didn’t need to worry about harsh light, however the clouds did create a lot of reflection in the windshield. Most of the time the polarizer worked well. Other times I was positioned with the sun in line with the shot. Taking more time to wait for the sun to move (I couldn’t rearrange the walls and other compositional aspects) would create an even better image. The lesson is that the location of the sun is just as important as the type of sky> Ideally, dawn or dusk and the 45 minutes before and after is the best light for just about anything photography related.

Have you got a ride you are passionate about? Immortalize it.

Finding Inspiration in Newfoundland – Viking Trail

We spent the previous week touring up the west coast of Newfoundland. While the main purpose of the trip was to sight see and explore with my wife and mother, I managed to squeeze some ‘photography time’. Since I had lugged 40 lbs of camera gear, I was determined to spend it photographing the sights, people and sounds of Newfoundland.

One of my dilemmas was whether I should bring my tripod or not. For landscape, especially sunset shooting, a tripod is an essential tool. So I knew I needed one. My dilemma comes from the fact that I have an old Manfrotto 055. It’s a monster of a tripod and is too long to fit into my luggage. I didn’t want it getting damaged either. My compromise? I left it behind, and went straight to a store when we arrived. As luck would have it, I had messed up the rental car booking and we had to get to Corner Brook to rent a car. So a trip to Walmart and a $30 tripod later, we are on our way and I’m happy: a tripod I can loose, wreck and generally not care about. That lack of worry came in handy when I was knee deep in salt water and waves during the long exposure shooting at The Arches. The funny thing was it cost me $20 in shipping to send it home.

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do. For more, you are invited to visit my facebook page

Anchors Aweigh

Anchors Aweigh is by far, my fondest memory of our trip to Newfoundland. At the heart of it, they are entertainers who just happen to play Newfoundland music. Their show lasted for over three hours, and truly made the audience feel at home and a part of the event. They also took a chance and played a song with my wife. She played the Irish whistle and led the group to fantastic approval by the audience.

The ‘house band’ at the Ocean View Hotel, Anchors Aweigh play three nights a week over the summer. The shows sell out several days in advance, and I highly recommend you spend a evening with them.

Shooting a live band is very challenging: very low light (most of the images here are at ISO1600), tough locations and angles, bright spots and coloured light. I used automatic white balance during the shoot and then used ’spot colour’ to designate a true white in one image. I then stamped the white balance adjustment across the other images.

Experimenting with Art

While at the BMW Car Club of Ottawa’s Advanced Driving School last week, I was inspired to create some art based around the images I was capturing. The event was held at Calabogie Motorsport Park (CMP) and is an annual affair that I’ve been involved in since the track opened in 2003. I’ve logged a lot of miles on this track as both an instructor and a driver. However this past school was the first time I was a spectator with the explicit goal of automotive photography.

With all the exotics, high horsepower sports cars, nimble little 2 seaters and family cars, I started to relate to the vehicles in simple, single word concepts: power, speed, fun, control, traction, roar, and many others. Associating those cars with the experience of owning and driving them, the concept for the series leapt into my eye almost fully formed.

These are the first two images in the ‘Power Word Series’. They are my initial foray into the art beyond the plain image and I’m pretty excited with the results. I hope you find them intriguing enough to comment and make suggestions for future ideas.

Adding a Human Touch To Your Photos

One way to help draw your viewer into an otherwise “plain” image, is to add a human touch. A plain garden shot will be empty of live and of little interest to anyone except the gardener. Add a prop and you suggest there is a story element. In this garden photo, the chairs in the foreground, anchor the image, but it is just a record of the scene.

An un-engaging photo

If a glass of cool drink were on the table, it could suggest that someone has just stepped away. Our viewer would be intrigued and wonder who was there or where did they go?  If you are like me and recognize this after you have visited a place, go back and do it again. The light may be different, you can add touches of life and you can get a completely different image. For the sake of this blog, I’ve added the bottle in post-production. When I have returned to the scene, I’ll take another image with glasses and a jug and perhaps other “props”.

A composite "test" image

Next time, when you are composing an image, look for objects that need to be removed (the lamp I removed in the lower left), also think about what could be added to strengthen a scene.

Adding Impact to Your Image

A challenge with any photo is bringing a sense of impact to the composition; whether it’s a gorgeous palette of colours (as Younes Bounhar has shown here) or emphasizing a particular aspect of a subject (as shown by Richard Thompson here), a simple image with a strong subject, is always more powerful.

Of course, as photographers, that is our main challenge. Practice and study are the two main ways to build your “eye”. With that in mind, I’ve been out building my portfolio and practicing.

Coming Storm

With this photo I wanted to emphasis the power of the monster motor in the Dodge Viper. I think the overcast day and a very low perspective impart that sense of menace.

Spaces of Wonder

While celebrating our 11th anniversary, I stumbled across an amazing space. It has been almost a decade since I visited the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. As a result, I had no idea this space existed: The Royal Canadian Air Force memorial, located inside the main hall of the museum. Originally at the museum for a biplane tour of the Gatineau Hills, Laura and I had just finished wandering around viewing the exhibits that caught our eye, when I noticed a curved wall ending with a glimpse into a silver walled space.

As very few people seemed to know about the space, I was able to spend a mostly interruption free half-hour soaking up the peaceful space. The memorial also has meaning for me as my dad had served in the RCAF until he passed away. I’ve only encountered two other places (so far), that had the same feeling of serenity: early morning at Pulguksa (or Bulguska) Temple in South Korea and a drizzly spring afternoon on Parker Ridge in Banff National Park. I’ve been in wilderness and lots of places, and while they can be empty, peaceful, remote, quite, contemplative and more, they often lack simplicity.

I had taken along my ultra wide angle lens which fit the space perfectly as you can see in these images.

I would recommend a visit to see and feel this space and craft some memorable abstracts and architecture imagery. While there, you can discover much of Canada’s aviation history for free: the only fees are for tours of the displays. Go for the biplane ride: flying in the 70 year old craft, you’ll get a sense of adventure from a long gone era in aviation.

This Photography Passion

For those like myself who hope to, are or struggling to make a living with this passion of ours, the world of low cost competition has arrived. Whether it be the hobbyist with no other ambition to make a few bucks on the side, or customers who cannot perceive the value of “you”, the photography business is under pressure again.

Here are my thoughts and response to a post by ANDREA JOKI on her blog Ajaton Joki. Visit her site: her photography is stunning.

This is a critical issue for those of us photographers making, trying and hoping to make a living in photography. It’s a question of perceived value. The average person will always choose price. That’s why the majority of the stuff we buy is made in China. What do we do about it?

First, we recognize that this trend will never change. Digital has brought this trend to photography. It’s already doomed the small mom & pop stores (box chains sell cheaper and have it all in one spot).

Second, we accept that the people who cannot see the value we provide in our product or service, will never be convinced otherwise. And this is especially true if they feel, or even can imagine they can do it themselves.

And thirdly we accept that there will be hobbyists who will sell their stuff for less than market value. I disagree with Andrea here: these people will never go out of business: they are not in a business to go out of. It’s a hobby, extra cash in the pocket and the thrill of selling something. Many of them are very good.

So what do we do? Examine our services, products, branding and markets. Are we in the right spot? Is there a market consisting of people who see our value? Is our value a significant differentiator? Are we maintaining a relationship with our clients?

All these factors need to be examined with a critical eye and adjusted accordingly. It is hard and will require a great deal of work. In the tech business, there is a phrase: innovate or die.

We need to innovate or evolve our product, value and markets. We need to stay on top of the “care and feeding” of our clients, new and old.

And since we can’t have a post with some imagery, here is a recent image capturing one of my favourite themes: colour.

Car Dealership Photos?

Do you have photos of your car or bike that look like they came from an auto dealer: flat, blah “walk-up” pictures? You can add some spice by changing up the perspective, adding motion or emphasizing an attribute that represents your ride. Adding context can also go a long way to adding emotion into an image. I believe a great image inspires emotion in the viewer: feelings of pride and passion, memories or events. I’m always on the lookout for settings that will emphasis the car or bike: a long winding grass-lined driveway through trees would  suit a gorgeous candy apple red Corvette. Or picture a Dodge Viper surrounded by massive earth movers: both powerhouses of torque capable of shredding the earth; a Bentley down by the docks of a sailing club; a Chevy Silverado at a construction site or in a field of mud. Of course, you’ll not have access to many of the places, but sometimes a polite request will get you a long way. If not, it’s always possible to ask forgiveness and promise not to do it again.

You can also make your images and photos standout by exaggerating some aspect of the image: exposure, colour or special effects like sepia or duo-tone to name a few.

Play, experiment and try new things: as long as you get away from those stereo typical “seen that a million times” car photo and create a “wow” picture.

Getting To Print

Many times, we’re wrapped up in achieving the perfect image: composition, colours, lines, subject, background and more. Printing has just as much complexity: monitor and printer colour spaces, print profiles for media, calibration, coatings, viewing distances and more. I’m currently working my way towards a journeyman’s understanding to maximize the quality of my prints.

I’ve chosen this photo as one of my baseline prints because it has an incredible transition from yellow through orange, blue and purple. The photo was taken from Constance Bay, looking towards the city of Ottawa. Time was about 9:30pm in early April. Returning from a sunset shoot that petered out, I noticed the city lights reflecting off low cloud. I could barely see the umbrella, and could not see the blues and purples at all. A 3 minute exposure brought out the rich colours and lightened up the sandy beach nicely.

I particularly love the juxtaposition of the umbrella and beach chair. We would normally associate this idyllic scene with a beach in the Florida Keys or a Caribbean island. Instead we find it on a river, looking not towards a gorgeous tropical sunset, but towards light pollution.

Hazeldean Cruise Night

Car and bike enthusiasts of all types gather every Tuesday evening at the Hazeldean Mall in Kanata, Ontario. Running all through the summer, a good, warm and clear day will see over 150 cars, bikes and trucks. Most of those taking part have been coming for years, however they are still very approachable. I got to chatting with several of the owners as well as Eddie, who was manning the vehicle entrance to the lot.

Barley Shaker Gig

The Barley Shakers recently performed at the Almonte Old Town Hall in aid of the Danny O’Connell Memorial Fund.

The Barley Shakers, specializing in Irish and Scottish music, have been playing gigs and concerts across West Carleton, Lanark County and extended Ottawa city for the past 5 years. Organized as pool of musicians, any event may see a wide-ranging line-up, since the musicians attend concerts as their schedules permit. You can find more information on the Barley Shakers and news on their concert schedule on their web site.

Crumbs of Value

Marketing isn’t always the straight forward tempt/bully/selling of/to a potential demographic. Sometimes it’s better to leave little “crumbs” behind that then intrigue people to call. And if it is always in their sight or they come across it at appropriate times…an association with you or your services/product can be established. Robin Andrews of Unposed first put the idea into my head.

It can be as simple as a business card left behind or on a bulletin board or as complex as a photo book left at a company that their customers may see and browse. I’ve chosen several initial ways that add value to the potential customer:

Fridge magnet calendars. I’ve included high resolution images for you to download: click on the image and a new window will open.  Click here for more free stuff

I’ll may also leave/selling packets of 5 cards with envelopes at senior’s residences and local gardening stores, and photo books at nurseries. For the car clubs, I’ll be creating “hero cards”: cards of their marque that show off a car and have details on the reverse side.

Pastels

Spring is itching to burst onto us. I just know it. My gardens are peeking out with only a few hardy tulips blooming…. Until then, I’ll continue to exercise my passion

Pastel Tulips

Working with the cut flowers also gave me the opportunity to try out some techniques for controlling stray flowers and petals. Some ideas worked – small bendable wires. Some ideas didn’t – string.

What is in a Name?

While preparing my canvases for the 11 April 2010 Naked In The House show, an epiphany occurred to me: should a photograph have a title? If a photograph is intended to generate an emotion or just document an event, should that message not be clear and unambiguous and generated by the interaction of viewer and photograph? That certainly is the position of the purist camp.

Backing up a bit, what exactly can a title bring to the viewer? A title can expand on the message within the photo. It can illuminate or focus the viewer on an initial focal point. A title can also provide an insight into what the photographer was thinking and feeling while experiencing the moment captured. And isn’t that the main goal of the photograph?

Ultimately, naming or titling an image is another tool a photographer can use to support their vision. It is up to the photographer to decide what a title will bring to a viewer’s experience and if it will hinder or support that experience.

Does this image stand on it’s own? I feel it is best left untitled: the image leaves the viewer to pursue their own thoughts and emotions while a title would constrain to viewer.

Without a title, this next image is interesting but quickly looses the viewer as it has no real or implied subject. I’ve entitled it Raku as I feel that sets the viewer’s frame of reference. The viewer now has a starting point and can marvel at the detail of the paint and the mystery of what thoughts guided the potter. If the viewer is unfamiliar with Raku pottery, perhaps they are enticed to investigate, further involving them in the image.

Raku

Thanks to Alan Mirabelli for the opportunity to experience to grow as a photographer and artist.

For me, it will come down to the crafting of each image on this photographic journey of mine.

First Crocus of Spring

The favourably warm temperatures have not only gotten us out walking without jackets again, it has also brought the early flowers to bloom. The start of my photography season is here.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon on my belly in the mulch. At one point I was digging holes into the garden to make sure I could get the camera as low as I needed.

The Inner Image

In my last post I mentioned “seeing through to the image”. This example was taken during the same architecture workshop as the previous posts. It started as a non-representational photo of the side of a sculpture from fairly close. The curves caught my eye as they flow into each other and suggested a mouth; albeit with several extra lips. The upper curves are from the eye lid of the sculpture which is just off the top centre of the image. The bottom portion blends very smoothly as there are no sharp angles: the hard edges serving as a counterpoint to the smooth blended edges. I knew there was an image there and I had an inkling of what it looked like. By focusing in tight, two competing images come to mind: a face and dunes. After some adjustments I found my reached “through to the image”. I’ll let you decide if it’s a face or sand dunes.

In the future, this image will be in the back of my mind as I explore the world looking through for my next opportunity.

Architecture as a Path to Landscape

One of the major take-aways that I got from working with Younes Bounhar was that architecture photography is a fantastic path to developing your eye for composition. Artificial structures provide an opportunity to strip away what can be extraneous, and focus right down to bare essentials in a way that a landscape may not allow. This might result in only a few components remaining or all the way to an abstract image. This act of focusing down to the essentials is applicable to any type of photography: a leading line is a leading line. When you start out trying to photograph a landscape, seeing those leading lines may be difficult: the forest for the trees.

Simplifying an image may be as simple as removing colour or boosting exposure, or using a telephoto lens to compress depth of field into a perceived single layer or focusing in on a smaller area.

or motion bluring a forest to hide the leaves leaving the tree trunks.

So look beyond what your eye sees and look through to your image. Look for the leading lines, curves and shapes. Play with settings on-site and in post-processing. Take those resulting images and try to visualize them during your next outing.

Good shooting!

Architecture with Younes Bounhar

I’m halfway through a 2 day workshop with Younes Bounhar. Focused on patterns in architecture, there are many opportunities for amazing imagery in the shapes, patterns, textures and contrasts in the buildings we pass on a daily basis: if we take the time to train our eyes to see them. Younes has been doing just that: sharing his eye for detail, pattern and inspiration. I must admit that there is as much amazement and wonder in the fine details in an edifice as there is in a flower. Turning your camera towards man-made artifices has a direct benefit to your “eye” for landscapes and other types of photography: choosing a subject, composition and pattern all relate to any type of photography.

Many photography greats recommend getting outside of your comfort zone or preferred subject. I’d suggest architecture if you hadn’t thought of it before.

Some preparation may be required though: some places may require permissions (many times as asking for permission), some places do not allow tripods inside (especially in high traffic areas, and familiarity with local laws (given the more stringent security) and rights (check into Canadian, US and UK). If stopped, be polite and realize that not all officers may be familiar with your rights.

Oh, I highly recommend Younes’ workshops. He tailors them to your needs and desires, is very approachable, very knowledgeable and has an eye for stunning imagery.

Happy shooting!

Fog and Low Clouds

Always be open to see the unexpected. While visiting the Biodome in Montreal, the snow and cloud wreathed Olympic Stadium caught my eye. Both during the day and night, the tower had many different moods. We trudged all the way around it looking for perspectives (as well as the Insectarium and Botanical Gardens). Be prepared not only to see with an open mind, but prepared for the weather. While the snow and rain were no problem, the steam and humidity of the rain forest portion of the Biodome required 30 minutes of patient waiting for the the camera and lens to defog. If you can’t wait, Nik Software’s Colour Efex Pro plug-in has a module called Pro Contrast that cuts through fog with the click of a button.

Winterlude

Ottawa and Hull have a fantastic Winterlude spread over 3 weekends in February. Not only is the longest skating rink available, but many other attractions including ice and snow sculptures, ice slides, and many more. But there is a lot of opportunity for a photographer. This particular trip out was with France Rivet, another photographer from Harry Nowell’s ProProgram.

We had a great couple of hours wandering around Jacques Cartier park in Gatineau. Lighting was a challenge: while it was a bright day, it was very overcast and everything was either all white or very contrasty. To deal with the flat light I set up a custom white balance using a snow bank. Worked out perfectly as the final photos required little to no editing.

For more info on the unicyclist, his web page is at vjongleur.com

Insight into Yourself is insight into your Art

I have to share a recent post that Younes Bounhar guest blogged for Art Wolfe. It renewed my faith for finding a vision of my own. Having recently decided to give photography a serious direction, I alternate between excitement at seeing, creating and capturing something I really enjoy and being bewildered by the amount of “stuff” all ready out there.

So back to shooting what I enjoy (pretty much everything) and refining what really inspires me: colour, contrast, shapes and life.

I highly recommend watching Younes.

Valentine Bouquet

Flowers inspire me on many levels: colour, shape, scent and life. They also happen to host another realm that I enjoy: “the world of the tiny”. I treated myself (okay us) to a bouquet of flowers again this year and found more inspiration in there miraculous forms.

Colours and Shapes

What drives me the most is a fascination with colours and shapes. Probably the simplest concepts and the ones we learn the earliest in our lives, colours, shapes and contrasts never become tired or boring. While I love the complexity of life and the stories they capture, I think I’ll always be drawn to the richness of simple subjects.

In the Spirit of Winter

Well, the main theme of this winter has been variable weather. I used to like winter. Once you got set at a temperature, you could get used to it. Now with global warming (and I’m not getting into whether it’s man made or not), the weather patterns are just too changeable to get used to anything. So in the spirit of winters past, I shot some “chilling” frost during the most recent deep freeze.

Ice Pines

In photography, lighting is king

Getting your light right is the key to adding snap into your images. Practice obviously helps and so does renting a studio where you have some control over all the aspects of lighting. Lou and I worked with Harry Nowell at Le Studio Huit Dalpé a great little studio in Hull, Quebec. Harry had arranged for some friends and friends of friends to be models. We had a lot of fun and the time to experiment with different lighting.

Many thanks to our patient models and Alex for the use of his studio.

Photography practice

I spent some time today at Carleton Growers photographing their winter stock. With the brilliant sunshine and the controlled atmosphere in the green houses it was a very pleasant way to practice. The green house paneling and piping has a tendency to be in the background from almost every perspective and you don’t have a lot of room between the boxed beds to manoeuvre. As a result I found myself in some contorted positions while using the shutter timer, live view and a hand held flash. A tripod with a swing post would be an asset trying to reach out into the centre of a flower bed. I hope to go back regularly and build a portfolio as their season comes on line.

National Art gallery and Natural Light

On Saturday, I had a lot of fun learning with a small group of like-minded students of photography. We were at the National Art Gallery of Canada as part of the Harry Nowell workshop that I mentioned in my last post. The goal of the workshop was to learn how to deal with and control natural lighting. This included flash as well as exposure. Harry had also arranged for volunteer models. For me, working with models is a personal stretch: some people and environments I’m okay, others I need to pour a lot of energy into. I’ve included some examples of the types of lighting and subjects we had.

Exclusion

Composition is critical in all types of photography. Deciding what to exclude is just as important as what to include: a simple image is more likely to generate a strong message.

After a challenging and very fun workshop at the National Art Gallery with Harry Nowell, I stepped away from the camera until the next day. Also recommended by Peter Cox, this separation allows you to review your images with a fresh eye. You may see elements in a photo you may have discarded during a hectic shoot: a busy photo may pair down to a single subject.

It may be as simple as cropping the image or removing the colour.

Or it may involve removing distracting elements such as a branch or stump.

Either way, exclusion is a powerful tool in the crafting of an image.

Thanks to Sandra Finnes for modelling for the above images. And thanks to all those who participated and shared in the Natural Light workshop.

Arrive Early

Arriving early not only allows you to scope the location, adjust for obstructions and find the best vantage point, it also gives you the flexibility to capture the unplanned shot. Especially when the planned shot never appears due to weather or another factor outside our control.

While scoping different vantage points around the lighthouse, I noticed that the sun’s path would be eclipsed by the lighthouse. I then had to hunt for the best place to shoot from. To capture the first photo below, I was perched on the top of a rock and a trash can borrowed for the purpose.

In the end, after another 30 minutes, the sunset never happened thanks to clouds that rolled in. Arriving early, I left with a great shot and did not leave empty handed.

Planning Planning Planning

In addition to location location location, planning is a vital component in crafting an image or sustaining a business. Being prepared allows you the ability to react successfully when an image opportunity flashes by. You may only have a few seconds to get “the” shot. I’ve detailed my shoot preparation “checklist”. While it may seem cumbersome on something that is a creative endeavour, it helps ensure you arrive ready for that moment, contingency or that client. And with practice comes speed.

site scoping and evaluation part 1
proposal prep time
proposal investigation (client interviews, client expectations)
contract negotiations
draft contract
contract sign-off and expectation management
shoot design plan
equipment and lighting plan

Shoot phase

set-up, lighting, evaluation part 2 (changes, details, further shot ideas, composition checks)
interview model(s)
shoot
adjustments to plan
manage client expectations

Asset/File management phase

download
copy/backup
meta data
sorting/naming
selection/trimming

Image management phase

selection of product
adjustment of images
update meta data

backup

prepare any portfolio material
review contract (manage expectations) with client
review portfolio/product with client
reach agreement/acceptance of product/job/service
follow up on satisfaction and suggested improvements
ask if they would pursue opportunities with you in the future (and if not, why not – if they are willing to discuss)

Overhead phase

training (you keeping up with an evolving market as well as techniques, tools etc)
future product development/market watch/analysis/opportunity identification
marketing (web presence, blogging, monitoring metrics: to see if you are on track for your goals – you did set goals for your accomplishments right?)
networking (a variety of social internet tools as well as face to face, phone calls, email)
business administration, goal setting and planning
equipment & computer investigation/identification/depreciation/replacement

Personal phase

personal time (vacation/exercise/downtime) – forgetting to take care of yourself is always a bad idea: a personal weakness

The Difference Between a “Shot” and an “Image”

Ian Plant said: “See beyond the literal”. Ansel Adams said: “To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity”.

A typical photograph taken while on holiday or of the kids as they play is a record of an action, an event, a place or a memory. They usually invoke emotion or a memory only in the people related to the photographer or the subject(s). An image that is crafted tries to instil an emotion, memory or response in any viewer.

There are many sources of guidance/learning/opinion on the internet. The one I return to more than any others is the Luminous Landscape. One such essay on LL is Learning To See

A lifetime’s Journey

Learning is a never ending journey. If you close your mind, you stop learning and you stop growing as a person and member of society. Like anything in life, the learning involved in photography can never end. No one ever learns it all: a master will learn from the novice who questions “the way we’ve always done it”.

I’m not at the start of my journey through photography, nor through life. In fact, I’m closer to the start than I am the finish. I hope that you will join me on my journeys and I promise to learn something from everyone.