I'm constantly amazed at what lightroom can do. If you haven't used it (I hadn't until just a few months ago) and you're a photographer, then you really need to get it and use it. I had read that it speeds up your work flow, and it does. But it does so much more. It has brought back to life many of my old, faded, color shifted photos which were shot with film (negative and positive films). And it is helping me reorganize my thousands of photos, so I will be able to find what I am looking for.
OK - Summer has nothing to do with Lightroom - just more daylight! Today is the longest day of the year and the first full day of Summer. In Los Angeles, along the coast, aside from the length of the day and rain, Summer isn't that much different than Winter - Winter days can be in the 80's and Summer can be in the 60's on any given day. It is extremely rare to get any rain from mid-May to late September. This makes it great for outdoor photography and lots of other activities.
Today, on CreativeLIVE, the subject is table top photography. It isn't something I had thought about doing, but it looks interesting. Who knows, maybe I will start experimenting with that, and have some fun photos to share. Until then, have a great day and stay healthy. More about health in an upcoming post.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Customer Ratings and Lightroom
I was reading "Worth Every Penny" by Sarah Petty and Erin Verbeck and they were talking about economist Vilfredo Pareto's 80-20 rule which says 80% of effects comes from 20% of the causes. In other words, 20% of your customers will give you 80% of your business. The authors go on to say that if you treat those top 20% of clients better, your business will increase or expand with less effort than if you had spent all your time equally with everyone. How do you keep track of those people? Well, you would need some kind of database. Because I am a photographer, I've been recently learning and studying the uses of Lightroom 3, and realized that this would be the perfect way to rate clients. Each photo can be rated from 1 to 5 stars, and can also be rated by assigning them 5 colors, or both, although either should be enough. But you could break things down even more by using both. You can also use keywords and metadata, including address, notes, etc. for each person. And perhaps best of all, you'll have a photo to go with their name, and pictures of their family should you need that. So how do you set this all up? What I will be doing is creating a separate "Clients Rating" folder, so as not to confuse the star ratings there with the star ratings of best photos, and putting one copy of their best photo in that folder. And then make a keyword that would just apply to my best clients, next best, and so on. I'm sure that as I am doing this, I will refine things more, but this gives a rough outline of the steps.
The following would be a top 20 client, shot with film and scanned.
The following would be a top 20 client, shot with film and scanned.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Eliminate the Variables
There are lots and lots of variables in life, in health, in photography, etc. The more variables that can be eliminated, the better the chance for success in all of the above.
One variable, related to health, concerns whether you would like to know if the food you are eating has been genetically modified (aka GMO). Currently, in most or all of the U.S., food does not have to be labeled GMO, so you have no way of knowing what you're eating. There will be an initiative on the ballot this fall, that if passed, will require GMO foods to be labeled as such. If we know what we're eating, that is one less variable. More info about GMO labeling - if you want to know if your food is genetically modified or not, and want to avoid eating GMO food, please read and share this link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/14/organizations-on-anti-gmo-labeling.aspx?e_cid=20120614_DNL_art_1
My photography professor at college was the one who told us to eliminate the variables. What are some of the variables that can and do affect whether you get a snapshot or a work of art? Lighting, exposure, posing, focus, depth of field, clothing, post processing, your health and the photographers health, whether you're well rested, relaxed, etc., for the session. How do you eliminate these variables? For the photographer, through never ending study and practice of each of the variables. Each variable along the way will add to all the other variables, so for example, if the light is not just right, the focus is a little off, you weren't feeling well, exposure is off, etc., you probably will not be too happy with your photos. Get all the variables right, and your image should stop someone in their tracks! But more than that, you can look back at it in the future, and share it with your family, and they will not only see your beauty, but also your personality, who you were at the moment the portrait was taken. It will be a work of art. Snapshots have their place for your day to day activities, but works of art are priceless. Thankfully my family had both.
Snapshots of my mother and father, taken at Jones Beach, NY.
And a family snapshot of my brother (playing music?), my father, and me - Christmas morning, many years ago.
And one of my younger brother, done professionally. As always, thanks for stopping by and hope you've enjoyed your visit.
One variable, related to health, concerns whether you would like to know if the food you are eating has been genetically modified (aka GMO). Currently, in most or all of the U.S., food does not have to be labeled GMO, so you have no way of knowing what you're eating. There will be an initiative on the ballot this fall, that if passed, will require GMO foods to be labeled as such. If we know what we're eating, that is one less variable. More info about GMO labeling - if you want to know if your food is genetically modified or not, and want to avoid eating GMO food, please read and share this link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/14/organizations-on-anti-gmo-labeling.aspx?e_cid=20120614_DNL_art_1
My photography professor at college was the one who told us to eliminate the variables. What are some of the variables that can and do affect whether you get a snapshot or a work of art? Lighting, exposure, posing, focus, depth of field, clothing, post processing, your health and the photographers health, whether you're well rested, relaxed, etc., for the session. How do you eliminate these variables? For the photographer, through never ending study and practice of each of the variables. Each variable along the way will add to all the other variables, so for example, if the light is not just right, the focus is a little off, you weren't feeling well, exposure is off, etc., you probably will not be too happy with your photos. Get all the variables right, and your image should stop someone in their tracks! But more than that, you can look back at it in the future, and share it with your family, and they will not only see your beauty, but also your personality, who you were at the moment the portrait was taken. It will be a work of art. Snapshots have their place for your day to day activities, but works of art are priceless. Thankfully my family had both.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Health and News Reports
In addition to over 25 years experience, I have over 20 years experience studying and being involved with vitamins and supplements. During this time, I have talked with and gotten feedback from over 10,000 customers at various places where I have worked. So when I hear news stories on radio and TV that present one side of a story, it bothers me, and it should bother you, too, as it is your health that may be affected.
For example, say there are 8,000 studies done on a particular vitamin or supplement, and 7,900 showed positive results and benefits, and 100 were negative - well, those 100 are what the news might report. And the result would be to deter you from something that might be extremely beneficial to you. Also, what you are not told is that the negative studies were sponsored by a company with competing interests, that they used synthetic instead of natural ingredients, nor will they tell you that any positive results were discarded. Or perhaps, like the study that was mentioned on TV a few days ago, a supplement is studied in isolation, but really needed to be taken with supporting nutrients to keep those nutrients in balance, allowing the nutrient to be better absorbed, as nature intended. The news report was about calcium supplementation. If you saw that report (or not), here is a link you should definitely read:
http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Flawed-Analysis-Misleads-Public-About-Calcium-Heart-Attack-Risk.htm
In short, studies can have many flaws in order to show a particular outcome, and which no one would ever follow in real life.
So, what can you do? Research online, and there are many sites with good information. Below are some of the best of them:
http://www.anh-usa.org/
http://orthomolecular.org/nutrients/fats.shtml
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/
http://www.lef.org/
I hope you will find this information helpful. To enjoy life to the maximum, you really need good health. With proper diet (what to eat as well as what to avoid), exercise, positivity, and the right supplements, most people will enjoy good health, and thus enjoy everything else a bit more. And to tie this back to photography, your photo session will look better, too, because you will.
For example, say there are 8,000 studies done on a particular vitamin or supplement, and 7,900 showed positive results and benefits, and 100 were negative - well, those 100 are what the news might report. And the result would be to deter you from something that might be extremely beneficial to you. Also, what you are not told is that the negative studies were sponsored by a company with competing interests, that they used synthetic instead of natural ingredients, nor will they tell you that any positive results were discarded. Or perhaps, like the study that was mentioned on TV a few days ago, a supplement is studied in isolation, but really needed to be taken with supporting nutrients to keep those nutrients in balance, allowing the nutrient to be better absorbed, as nature intended. The news report was about calcium supplementation. If you saw that report (or not), here is a link you should definitely read:
http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Flawed-Analysis-Misleads-Public-About-Calcium-Heart-Attack-Risk.htm
In short, studies can have many flaws in order to show a particular outcome, and which no one would ever follow in real life.
So, what can you do? Research online, and there are many sites with good information. Below are some of the best of them:
http://www.anh-usa.org/
http://orthomolecular.org/nutrients/fats.shtml
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/
http://www.lef.org/
I hope you will find this information helpful. To enjoy life to the maximum, you really need good health. With proper diet (what to eat as well as what to avoid), exercise, positivity, and the right supplements, most people will enjoy good health, and thus enjoy everything else a bit more. And to tie this back to photography, your photo session will look better, too, because you will.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Luck, or is it Preparation
The following proof sheet of the Lunar Eclipse, taken at Venice Beach, California - were the images a result of luck, or planning?
In this case, a little of both. I had planned exactly where I wanted to be for the eclipse - I wanted to frame it with the palm trees. I knew the time when it would reach its maximum. What I couldn't plan, and what was luck, were the coastal clouds that the beach if famous for this time of year. Any more clouds, and there would have been no view of the eclipse. Any less, and it would have been too bright to photograph without the possibility of burning out the sensor in the camera. And it would not have been quite the same without the added drama the clouds added. At times, it was hidden from view, and at times it was not obscured at all, so was too bright. But with patience, preparation, and some luck, was able to get some excellent shots, which were then post processed in LightRoom 3.
To make a bit of a generalization, life is often a combination of luck, planning, and skill, to different degrees. The lotto is about as pure luck as you can get (unless your totally psychic). Photography, on the other hand, is pretty much pure planning and experience, occasionally some luck is involved. When Ansel Adams shot "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico," he was lucky to come upon the scene at the exact time that he did, but because of his experience and understanding of lighting and exposure, and because he always carried his equipment with him, he was prepared for that lucky moment.
If Uncle Joe shoots your portrait, or wedding, and gets a beautiful result, it is probably more luck. When a professional, someone with knowledge about lighting, posing, depth of field, composition, etc., and who has many years experience gets beautiful results - it's not luck. But if you add a little luck, too, then you will end up with a once in a life time image. And it will be Priceless.
One last thought - although people seem to like specialists (such as portrait photographer, wedding photographer, sports photographer, landscape photographer, war photographer, etc.), the photographers with extensive knowledge and experience (Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Richard Avedon, and so many others) will always get superior results in anything they photograph.
Have a great day, and a healthy one!
In this case, a little of both. I had planned exactly where I wanted to be for the eclipse - I wanted to frame it with the palm trees. I knew the time when it would reach its maximum. What I couldn't plan, and what was luck, were the coastal clouds that the beach if famous for this time of year. Any more clouds, and there would have been no view of the eclipse. Any less, and it would have been too bright to photograph without the possibility of burning out the sensor in the camera. And it would not have been quite the same without the added drama the clouds added. At times, it was hidden from view, and at times it was not obscured at all, so was too bright. But with patience, preparation, and some luck, was able to get some excellent shots, which were then post processed in LightRoom 3.
To make a bit of a generalization, life is often a combination of luck, planning, and skill, to different degrees. The lotto is about as pure luck as you can get (unless your totally psychic). Photography, on the other hand, is pretty much pure planning and experience, occasionally some luck is involved. When Ansel Adams shot "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico," he was lucky to come upon the scene at the exact time that he did, but because of his experience and understanding of lighting and exposure, and because he always carried his equipment with him, he was prepared for that lucky moment.
If Uncle Joe shoots your portrait, or wedding, and gets a beautiful result, it is probably more luck. When a professional, someone with knowledge about lighting, posing, depth of field, composition, etc., and who has many years experience gets beautiful results - it's not luck. But if you add a little luck, too, then you will end up with a once in a life time image. And it will be Priceless.
One last thought - although people seem to like specialists (such as portrait photographer, wedding photographer, sports photographer, landscape photographer, war photographer, etc.), the photographers with extensive knowledge and experience (Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Richard Avedon, and so many others) will always get superior results in anything they photograph.
Have a great day, and a healthy one!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Photography and Certification
Happy Friday, everyone. Today I read an article about photography and certification. The author thought that if you want to have good portraits done, you would need a photographer who is certified. He made the comparison to doctors, nurses, and accountants, and basically said that if the photographer wasn't certified, then the photographer couldn't be trusted to give you the results you wanted. However, there is a problem with this thought. Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso, etc., were not certified (and no, I'm not comparing myself with them, LOL). But I think you see where I'm going with this. You don't have to be certified to make great art, or great images.
They were artists, and I think we can agree that photography is also an art. Certification might mean you can produce something that is technically perfect, assuming you would want that (sometimes breaking the rules may give the best results). Do you want someone who will make a perfect image of you, but not capture your emotions, your personality, that special something that makes you who you are? Or do you want a work of art that does capture all those things? Being certified is not what will determine that. When you see your images, you will make that determination. I try to create images that are at least what you want (hopefully better), and you are the critic, the final judge of the results. If you don't absolutely love the results, you don't pay a penny for them. I give that guarantee because with over 25 years experience, and having studied lighting, posing, fashion, etc., I'm pretty certain you will be extremely happy with your images. I will do my best, too, to make sure you have an enjoyable experience during the photo session. I want you to have fun and be relaxed so we can capture some great images.
I am not saying certification is worthless, only that it is not needed, because a photographer's images speak for themselves. A 100% guarantee, to me, negates any need to worry about whether a photographer is certified. Certified or not, make sure whoever your use as your photographer, that they give you a total money back guarantee, not just a re-shoot guarantee, as many do (who can say you'd be any happier with the re-shot images). I hope this helps you when your are choosing a photographer.
On an upcoming post I will go over what to expect during the session, prior to the session, and after the session, as well as what my prices include.
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They were artists, and I think we can agree that photography is also an art. Certification might mean you can produce something that is technically perfect, assuming you would want that (sometimes breaking the rules may give the best results). Do you want someone who will make a perfect image of you, but not capture your emotions, your personality, that special something that makes you who you are? Or do you want a work of art that does capture all those things? Being certified is not what will determine that. When you see your images, you will make that determination. I try to create images that are at least what you want (hopefully better), and you are the critic, the final judge of the results. If you don't absolutely love the results, you don't pay a penny for them. I give that guarantee because with over 25 years experience, and having studied lighting, posing, fashion, etc., I'm pretty certain you will be extremely happy with your images. I will do my best, too, to make sure you have an enjoyable experience during the photo session. I want you to have fun and be relaxed so we can capture some great images.
I am not saying certification is worthless, only that it is not needed, because a photographer's images speak for themselves. A 100% guarantee, to me, negates any need to worry about whether a photographer is certified. Certified or not, make sure whoever your use as your photographer, that they give you a total money back guarantee, not just a re-shoot guarantee, as many do (who can say you'd be any happier with the re-shot images). I hope this helps you when your are choosing a photographer.
On an upcoming post I will go over what to expect during the session, prior to the session, and after the session, as well as what my prices include.
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Great Websites for New and Experienced Photographers
Over the past year, I have come across several websites that I have found to be extremely useful, from learning how to promote your business, to lighting, posing, editing software, and much more. One of the best ones has been creativeLIVE . Other good resources you might find
helpful: photoshelter.com/mkt/research/ . They have lots of
free informative guides - they do promote their web hosting somewhere
in the guide, but no obligations. And this one, too, has been good:
http://www.photographyschoolhouse.com/webinars.aspx , http://www.profitablestudio.com/success-articles/ and
finally this one http://www.thejoyofmarketing.com/ - she
does try to sell you on her things, but still gives a lot of good
info. After a while, you have to pick and choose, or you'll go
on overload, LOL.
These sites have given me some great ideas, filled in some gaps, or given me new ways to look at things. I have been doing photography as a hobby and profession for over 30 years, have seen many changes, the biggest being the switch to digital. With all my experience and courses I have taken, the above sites still give me a lot of great new information. Perhaps the biggest area for me has been on marketing and branding. And some "Aha" moments when watching webinars on PhotoShop and Lightroom.
The following photo of the eclipse, taken at Venice Beach, was adjusted in Lightroom to look a bit more dramatic. It was a jpg photo taken with a Panasonic FZ30, hand held.
The images were reduced in size for this blog. Before
adjusting in Lightroom, the low clouds were a very light gray. Even
at 85% obscured, the sun would have been too bright to shoot with my
camera - and might have burned out the sensor had I tried. Not
only did the clouds allow me to shoot the eclipse, but added so much
more to the image.
Although I usually photograph people, I also will photograph anything that is beautiful (a rainbow, an eclipse, a flower, a sunset, etc.). (On a side note - celestial events - today Venus moves across the face of the Sun, which won't happen again until 2117 - but I don't think I'll be able to see it or get pictures of it as it doesn't cover enough of the sun, although maybe if I get a sunset picture, it might show).
This concludes this post - hope you all have a great week, and a healthy one.
These sites have given me some great ideas, filled in some gaps, or given me new ways to look at things. I have been doing photography as a hobby and profession for over 30 years, have seen many changes, the biggest being the switch to digital. With all my experience and courses I have taken, the above sites still give me a lot of great new information. Perhaps the biggest area for me has been on marketing and branding. And some "Aha" moments when watching webinars on PhotoShop and Lightroom.
The following photo of the eclipse, taken at Venice Beach, was adjusted in Lightroom to look a bit more dramatic. It was a jpg photo taken with a Panasonic FZ30, hand held.
Although I usually photograph people, I also will photograph anything that is beautiful (a rainbow, an eclipse, a flower, a sunset, etc.). (On a side note - celestial events - today Venus moves across the face of the Sun, which won't happen again until 2117 - but I don't think I'll be able to see it or get pictures of it as it doesn't cover enough of the sun, although maybe if I get a sunset picture, it might show).
This concludes this post - hope you all have a great week, and a healthy one.
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