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August 2009 archive view all recent posts |
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Aug. 30, 2009 - What's Happening |
| Hey there class,
As you all know, it's a mission of mine to help photographer become more successful, make more money, become better photographers, better business people and help continue to change this industry and they way photographers work with each other. Of course I am big on the whole "networking with other photographers thing", but I am also a huge supporter of continuing education no matter what level you're at with your business. I am a fan of the old saying about "give a man a fish, and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime". Constantly trying to improve and better yourself is a key to success. If you can pick up little nuggets of knowledge along the way, more power to you. If you find a goldmine, well... even better. I'd like to tell you about a goldmine of a workshop that is coming up soon here in Orange County. It's super expensive. You probably can't afford it. Especially if you are starting out. Also, it's coming up soon. I'ts next week. It's on Monday, September 7th, Labor Day and you might have plans to BBQ with your friends and family. I know I do. Good thing I already went to the workshop a couple month ago! ;-) But despite all of the reasons you shouldn't go, I am telling you... out of all of the workshops I've ever been to, been a part of, or even heard about... this one can just about all but guarantee results and a return on investment many times over. They say when a man is buying and engagement ring for his lady friend, he should consider spending about 2 months salary. Obviously propaganda started by the diamond industry, right? Well I am starting some propaganda that this workshop is worth about 2 YEARS of your advertising budget. Because once you are armed with the info that Lawrence is going to share, you won't need to ever advertise again. Don't spend another dime on a magazine ad, don't pay to be listed on wedding website with hundreds of other local competitors, don't pay for keywords and search terms. Learn to build up your Google rankings organically and quickly. So let me tell you about my experience. Back in June, I was invited to the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel along with a bunch of my closest photo friends for a VIP presentation of this workshop. In the interest of full disclosure*, none of us paid for the workshop. Lawrence wanted to thank each of us for the help and inspiration that we had given to him over the years, by sharing info about the stuff that he is an expert at. It was a very eye opening day. I have a popular blog, and I thought I was doing good with SEO. I had listened to all of the tips that people shared via blogs, forums and other social media and I even paid a few different consultants to help me with my rankings (btw, i paid way more than the cost of this workshop for those services and didn't get anywhere near the result). Lawrence actually called me out in the workshop and picked on me a little bit, using me as an example. I was bit embarrassed, but thankful that he has me on the right path now. And here's the thing about workshops in general, but especially this one. If you are going to pay someone for information, it better not only be good information, but be something that can be applied to your business, and get measurable results. Plus, how do you really know the speaker is credible? The great thing about Lawrence, is that he can prove what he preaches. He demonstrates his results. He shows you his inbox and the plethora of inquiries that he gets on a daily basis. He also shows you, step by step, what he does, why he does it, how it works and how you can do it too. THAT'S JUST THE THING... YOU CAN DO IT TOO! I've been applying the things I learned that day and it's so cool to see the results. My traffic is up, inquiries are up. I am so grateful that he "taught me to fish". We all know word of mouth advertising is the best, but after that, it seems like people turn to the web before they crack open the Yellow Pages (who still does that?). And obviously, Google is the first stop for most people when searching on the web, why not do what you can to organically improve your ranking? I am using my word of mouth to tell you that this is well worth your time and money. Feel free to thank me later by sending me some of your overflow referrals. Change your Labor Day plans, sell a kidney, a lens, bust out the plastic, whatever, just do whatever it takes get to this workshop. Meet Lawrence, then click the photo below to get more information. |
| Oh, and while this workshop is certainly tailored for photographers... it would be great for anyone in the wedding business or any small business looking to get their fill of Google juice.
*More disclosure: I don't receive a dime if you sign up for this workshop. Lawrence does not pay to advertise on the [ b ] School, he didn't even ask me to do this. I am doing it because I am so grateful for the knowledge he dropped on me and I think y'all could really benefit by attending this SEO workshop. |
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Aug. 17, 2009 - Featured Members |
Host Your Videos on SmugMug Name: Matthew Saville Website Blog [ b ] School profile Follow David Facebook Cathy Location: Irvine, CA How long have you been in business?: Part-time for 5 years, and then full-time for almost 2 years. How did you get into to photography? Had to take a (film) photo class in high school, so I took random (boring) photos of my friends on their BMX bikes, doing tricks, stuff like that. One day I decided to combine photography with my love of the outdoors, and I started shooting landscape photography seriously. Even though that had NOTHING to do with wedding photography, I was eventually known as "that guy with a camera" so friends started calling. After a few weddings at a few hundred bucks and thinking "WOW this is NOT easy, and counting the back-end work I'm barely making minimum wage!" ...I raised my prices to a level that I thought would discourage anyone from calling me, since I didn't really think wedding photography was the right career for me. That didn't work; people kept booking, and eventually I found a style that I actually enjoy shooting... Tell us how networking with other photographers has affected your business: First of all, YES I have actually booked jobs directly because of connections I made with both pro and amateur photographers. But on the deeper level, I have to thank "networking" for almost everything else, too. You see, the only thing I self-learned to do well is operate a camera; all the other stuff does NOT come naturally to me, and so I have had immense help with things like branding / marketing, contracts and pricing, effective communication, etc. etc. What is your favorite part about shooting weddings? Finding beautiful light in the outdoors, composing a dramatic image, and timing a moment perfectly. There is nothing like that rush you feel after clicking the shutter and knowing you just captured a memorable moment. What's your favorite piece of equipment these days? As much as I'm an OCD camera geek, my setup is oldschool crop-sensor and I don't really "favor" any of my gear. But to answer the question as best I can, I get all of my best candid shots with a D200 or D300, and the Sigma 50-150 2.8 or the Nikon 85 1.4. My wider, landscape-y portraits are with a Nikon 17-55 2.8. And a good number of the images in my main portfolio were shot using a D70 and a kit zoom. ;-) What is your favorite iPhone App? I love the Pandora.com app. But plain 'ol Google Maps, Twitteriffic and Facebook are probably my most-used... I also use various apps to check local tides / surf, full moon dates / moonrise / sunrise etc, and weather, for my hobby of landscape photography. Please tell us something personal about you so we can get to know you better: I don't care much about cars or sports or alcohol. I DO like camping / backpacking, rock climbing, bike riding / jumping... I listen to Moby, U2, and I watch 80's TV shows. Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5 years: I think we are on the brink of, in fact already plunging into, something incredible. The digital era has removed so many barriers and allowed anyone with an artistic eye to just pick up a camera and quickly master this beautiful craft at a highly accelerated pace. The good news is, someone with a passion for photography doesn't need to spend 20 years in the darkroom to become a master. Wedding photography as a whole has an amazingly high standard now; we're seeing truly breathtaking images, and yet even hobbyists are rising to that bar. I think that's awesome! In the next five years, I think we'll see amazing new things in the industry, both in the quality of images delivered to brides, and in the communities created by like-minded photographers who want to help others succeed, not keeping everything secret and shunning newcomers... The bad news is, brides are "accidently" hiring terrible photographers left and right. This is something I really hope we can change in the next 5 years. We all know the spiel about "good wedding photography isn't cheap", and how in 20 years only the photos will matter. By now everybody should be mentioning that fact when weddings or photography are discussed... But on a higher level, I hope that in the next 5 years we see brides using a little more discretion, and only hiring via referrals or after seeing ENTIRE galleries of a pros work. Ten or twenty mediocre images in a Craigslist ad is not nearly enough grounds for you to make a decision, trust me! I also hope that the amateurs and uncle bobs out there will act more responsibly- before you say yes to that very first wedding, have a game plan. In this day and age, with communities like the [b] school, you have NO excuse for delivering bad photos as the primary photographer. Maybe you need to 2nd shoot at 10 weddings, or for 10 months, before going solo. Maybe ask around and see if someone else with a little more experience will tag along with you on your very first... Even if you're learning as fast as you can but you're still not solid with your confidence, even if you know for a fact the bride can't afford a single dime for photography, you can still figure something out. You don't have to go in alone! We are now saying goodbye to the previous years when the industry was all cold-shoulders, and all the online communities were war-zone forums... Who's your favorite vendor in the industry?: Right now the products / services I am totally thrilled with are Showit Sites, then the [b] school and SmugMug. I know they aren't the true "vendor" type, (florists, venues, wedding planners) ...but those are the industry products I highly recommend to other photographers. But in general- networking with vendors in the industry, UM,YES? DO IT! It's all about taking care of the local vendors you enjoy working with and would like to work with again. How important is your blog? Currently, not as important as Facebooking and Twittering, but my blog still serves as a platform for the larger announcements and articles that I need to post. By blogging semi-reglularly, I'm at least keeping my search-able content up to date, and I can reference potential brides to it when they want to see more of my latest work. So even though it doesn't play the same role as it did for photographers 2-4 years ago, I still think a regularly updated blog is an important business communication tool. I like the blogsite concept, but personally I don't think it's the right thing for me just yet. How has Facebook and/or Twitter impacted your business? I mostly use Twitter as a "note to self" kinda space, just to goof off really. I quickly un-follow anybody who incessantly plugs their business, I honestly just wanna read about what my friends are doing during the day, and look at random goofy photos from GTG's... Yes, I'll plug / talk business once every now and then, but only when business happens to be randomly on my mind... Facebook however is turning out to be a great too for networking and generating business, because of tagging. I don't even need to explain how that business model works, it's so idiot-proof! (Although there was a GREAT tip *inside* the [b] school the other day!) Favorite thing about [ b ] School? I don't think I have one favorite thing, or if there is just one thing it is that the ENTIRE atmosphere inside the [b] school is so relaxed and friendly. Quite simply, nobody pays a monthly fee to waste their time picking fights or to be stingy with their knowledge. EVERYONE is serious about business, and there is something for everyone. Are there any workshops or upcoming GTGs that you'd like to plug? Hanssie Trainor and I started a Facebook group that has gotten big enough to be assimilated by the nationwide Photog Shootout group on Facebook. We're having another shootout on August 29th in Irvine. There will be a few models and snacks provided, but feel free to B.Y.O.M. as well... We just shoot casually and talk about whatever comes to mind- "good light", posing, flash, diffusion etc... Here's the group. I'm also hosting a "WORKFLOWSHOP" on August 30th, and yes it will be about workflow. I'll share everything I do, from trying to get killer images SOOC to being efficient with download, backup, sorting, editing, uploading, proofing, etc. etc. Basically the workshop is for anyone (pro or hobbyist) who takes THOUSANDS of photos and is feeling burnt out because of the hours and hours they end up "editing"... And we won't discriminate between RAW or JPG, nor will it make much of a difference if people use Bridge, Lightroom, or Apeture etc. Here's the link; people can still sign up for August 30th! Tell us what you like about the attached favorite photographs: |
| This is what I think represents my style, or what I look for in a portrait- Dramatic and/or soft light, scenery, and a semi-candid moment...
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| ...Same comment as the above? To me, light and setting is (almost) everything.
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| This is one of those candid moments that represents the type of images that gives me that "rush"- nice quiet moments that you just don't experience anywhere except a wedding...
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| Lastly, of course I have to plug Rachel Amara who has been one of the amazing models behind the local Facebook group "Photog Shootout". Shooting regularly with Rachel has really helped me test new things and give shape to my style... |
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Aug. 13, 2009 - What's Happening |
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Aug. 10, 2009 - Featured Members |
| photo by: Dale Benfield
Name: Cathy and David Bock --- "Cathy and David Photographers" Location: Bloomington, Indiana (South of Indianapolis) Website Blog [ b ] School profile Follow David Follow Cathy Facebook Cathy, Facebook David How long have you been in business?: Almost 2 years. How did you get into photography?: When we met, we were actually both getting our degrees in graphic design, and although we both loved photography quite a bit, we never really considered it professionally. That is, until we started making plans for our wedding and stumbled across two amazing photographers, Bobbi and Mike (in Indianapolis). That's when everything changed for us. We became fascinated by wedding photography. Actually, obsessed would be a better word. We began blog-stalking anyone whose work we found inspiring and learning everything we could while still maintaining our day jobs as designers. We upgraded our film SLR's to digital SLRs and practiced as much as we could, shooting sessions for free as well as a free wedding, until we finally launched our blog in December of 2007, followed by our website in January of 2008. And we haven't looked back since. As of this year, we have been so blessed with success that we are able to both be full-time! And we are so excited to to see what the future has for us! :) Tell us how networking with other photographers has affected your business: We wouldn't be where we are without it! I can't emphasize that enough. Half of our weddings in our first year were referrals from other photographers, vendors, etc. It's because of people like Becker that we were able to learn so much about our industry. Our business is now evolving to be focused on nationwide coverage, and because of that focus, having a great network of photographers to share referrals with us has been essential for us in being able to get our feet wet in new cities. We never think of other photographers as competition, just another place to gain and share knowledge! :) What is your favorite part about shooting weddings? David: I don't know if it's weddings themselves that are my favorite part, but rather the reaction of friends and family when they see the slideshow at the reception, or when they see the photos from their wedding day. Our biggest compliment is when a friend who wasn't there tells us how perfectly we captured the couple's personalities or when friends and family members come up to us on the wedding day and tell us how hard we've worked and how much they appreciate us being there. I think it's being able to be a part of someone's most important day and being able to tell that story for them that's so awesome. :) Cathy: I would have to say that my favorite thing about shooting weddings is the challenge. It's the chance to do better than last time and improve on what I do. Sometimes I succeed, and other times I don't. But I think it's the challenge of it that gets me going and gets me excited. :) What's your favorite piece of equipment these days? David: I'd have to say my favorite piece of equipment would be the 35 1.4L. I think we use it for 50%+ of our shots. Its field of view, bokeh, everything about that lens, is all perfect. :) Cathy: Agreed! That lens is so sexy and dramatic. I can't get enough of it! ;) What is your favorite iPhone App? David: Twitterfon of course, but I really love the App called 'Darkness' it tells us when sunset is going to happen. Since we do our engagement sessions and hour before sunset this can be very handy, especially in new locations. :) Cathy: I guess I'm more utilitarian. I love that I can check and answer our email on the road! Please tell us something personal about you so we can get to know you better: David: I really love teaching and helping other new photographers get started. When we were first getting started we got a phone call from Gene Higa who gave us some tips for our business that we still use to this day and that have been pivotal in the success of our business. I asked what I could do in return for all the help and he simply told me to 'pay it forward'. I've made it my career mission to help photographers and to make a positive impact on new photographers' lives. :) Beyond photography, I love film, writing, design and food (we LOVE going restaurant hopping. :-D). Eventually I'd love to either write a screenplay, novel, or even direct a movie. I'm always working on writing when I'm not taking pictures and editing so maybe someday I'll have enough time to write something. Perhaps in the off-season? :) Did I mention we like food? Cathy: I am extremely shy! I don't really mean to be, I just get nervous around other people. So while David is in the foreground jazzing people up, getting them comfortable and making them laugh, I'm taking a step back and catching the shots. Also, I love pancakes. Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5 years: David: I think we'll be seeing less extreme over-processing with tons of textures and harsh color treatments. Just like in the printing industry when digital presses allowed for multiple colors at low cost, they saw a huge influx of designers using wild color combinations just because they could. Today, however, we see a much more appropriate and well thought-out use of color. I think it will be the same with post-processing techniques. Cathy: In the short time that we have been in business, I have seen the perceived value of wedding photography in our area rise dramatically. Great photography is more and more important to today's couples. And I don't see this changing anytime soon. I think that as this continues, quality photography will be the last thing sacrificed in a low-budget wedding rather than one of the first. Who's your favorite vendor in the industry?: For us it has to be ShootQ. No more 3-ring binders stuffed full of information on leads, contracts, etc! Yay! :) ShootQ provides automatic invoices, questionnaires, correspondence emails, custom package proposals, star-ratings for leads, digital contracts, online payments, etc. etc. ShootQ has allowed us to be excited about getting a huge influx of leads and bookings in a week rather than being overwhelmed and freaked out. I seriously have no idea what I would do right now if we didn't have it. ShootQ has allowed us to be able to enjoy success and has helped us build upon that success. How important is your blog? It's everything to us. We think we're awesome photographers but honestly there are a lot of awesome photographers out there. Our blog allows us to show people more than just our great photos. It gives us a chance to show who we are and to show the relationships that we build with our couples. We have so many brides & grooms tell us that they booked us because of what they've read on our blog and because of how much they enjoy reading it and just want to be a part of it too. How has Facebook and/or Twitter impacted your business?: Twitter & Facebook are a huge part of our business. They allow us to quickly trade referrals with our network of photogs and also help our clients get to know us more personally. Facebook also raises awareness of our business through the tagging of images and sharing of links. We've had so many clients who first learned about us by seeing the pictures we took of their friend show up in their newsfeed. It's an awesome way to spread the word without much effort. Favorite thing about [ b ] School? We've loved the [b] school ever since our question was featured on the blog way back when on (I think the first??) edition of 'Ask Professor [b]'. We seriously jumped up and down like little kids when Becker called us out. And now it's come full circle with us being a featured photographer. We can't tell you how excited we are to be here. :-D We think our favorite part is the student union, and the boards. We LOVE asking questions, getting feedback and answering them. It's such a great place to be able to share ideas without fear of 'Grumpies'. We've just never found any networks or forums that come close to what the [b] school offers. And the videos that people put up to help other photographers are amazing. For us though, the biggest impact was joining as a private schooler and getting Becker's Price Check video, which revolutionized our price list. Are there any workshops or upcoming GTGs that you'd like to plug? We're the "Indy Bosses" for Photog Shootout and we'll be having our first GTG on August 12th in Indianapolis (This Wednesday!). We'll be having photogs coming from Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky as well, and we'd love to have you join us! Email us for details, or join our group, "Indy Photog Shootout" on Facebook. We're so excited to be able to help other photographers network so that we can learn from each other and just have fun! :) Tell us what you like about the attached favorite photographs: |
| This is something we look for in our favorite photos. Not only is the couple overjoyed but their friends and family are too. We love the action of this shot captured in the frame, the flowers floating in the air, the light through the trees, the glow in the bride's hair. Everything about this shot says exactly what we strive for in our photography. :)
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| Quite possibly one of our favorite photos. We make it a point to never pose any of our candids. The scene here was perfect for Cathy to be able to capture the moment of the bride getting ready, her bridesmaid helping her, the wallpaper of the hotel room, her moment framed in the mirror. LOVE.
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| If you can't tell, we love mirrors. We don't know why but we find that reflections help to pull the viewer back from the scene, to sometimes see more than was there, to capture not only what was going on behind this bride, but the look on her face as well.
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| I (David) love this photo.. I love that you can tell how happy the bride is by the posture of her shoulders, how all of her friends and family are so excited to see them. The natural light coming in through the big floor to ceiling windows, the people in the shots that defined this bride & groom's friends and family. Even though we always try and get an awesome composition, photos like this show what we really go for: emotion, mood, and moments.
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| This photo was taken on the balcony of the couple's hotel room. We'd never taken shots there before but jumped at the opportunity. The flash we used for this was done with a snoot bounced off the white plaster wall next to them. We like to get the 'just before they kiss' shot simply because it adds tension and intimacy to the photo that a full on kiss might lose. |
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Aug. 5, 2009 - What's Happening |
| I am stoked to be teaming up with my good friends Kenny Kim & Ray Santana for the Portfolio + Workshop in Miami, Florida on October 14th. It's a 1 day workshop to help new and intermediate photographers build their portfolio as well as get some solid advice for building their business. They have great models lined up at a killer location, and lunch and dinner will be provided. Sign up now as there are only 20 slots open for this awesome opportunity.
Save the date for other upcoming workshops with [ b ]: Sept 17th in Arkansas, October 1st in Omaha, and October 29th in NYC or Connecticut. Details to follow. |
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Aug. 3, 2009 - Featured Members |
| photo by Nate Kaiser at Park City Mammoth Men party
Name: Will Duris (AKA Sir William) Main Website Our Photo Blog Killer Resize Photoshop Actions Twitter @willduris Location: Utah. How long have you been in business? Officially since 2007 as a wedding photographer. How did you get into to photography? I actually went to college for video production, but later moved more towards photography since everyone I knew wanted me to photograph their wedding. I still love filmmaking but all my investment went to photo gear so I tend to spend more time taking photos. My dad was in love with photography during my childhood. We are blessed as a family to have so many wonderful photographs. When I was young my dad trusted me with his photo gear so he played a large role in teaching me photography. So thanks to him I can help so many wonderful couples have record of their most memorable moments. Tell us how networking with other photographers has affected your business I was actually impress how much networking was going around among photographers in California so I decided to follow [B] ecker’s idea of joining the [B] School and network with such a wonderful community of happy people. It is great to be able to share ideas on something you are passionate about and the [B] School allows just that. You get so much out of networking with other folks that is hard to hide in a room and not share. Networking with others has allowed me to find my style and evolve as a wedding photographer. What is your favorite part about shooting weddings? I like the ability to do what I want at weddings, by bringing my artistic style in almost every event. Yes getting the safe shots is a must, but after I my-to-do list I move to some crazy artsy stuff and take my imagination to a different level. What's your favorite piece of equipment these days? I love my prime lenses, 50mm or my 85mm. I don’t like carrying much with me so small primes are wonderful. I also use a light meter which I love also. I’m all digital. What is your favorite iPhone App? TED app (ted.com) or iFighter. Please tell us something personal about you so we can get to know you better: I was born in Argentina and moved to Utah in 94. Love the mountains here. Neither my Spanish or English are any good these days. Let’s not talk about grammar. My lovely wife and I shoot weddings together so we critique our work heavily. Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5 years: Not sure, I think that if you do this for a living you better embrace technology or you better be one of the best photographers in the world. Who's your favorite vendor in the industry? ProDPI, and Adobe. I think I wouldn’t be here without Photoshop. My interest in photography started while working in Photoshop. How important is your blog? Very, fresh stuff is always good. How has Facebook and/or Twitter impacted your business? I use Facebook more like a phone book full of people I know and care about. Search Will Duris you’ll find me on Facebook. Twitter adds some additional freshness to the blog. Favorite thing about [ b ] School? Folks are very respectful of your imperfections, I like it. The only stupid question is the one not asked. Are there any workshops or upcoming GTGs that you'd like to plug? I love the look of film and looking forward to this workshop in Park City: Film is Not Dead We also put together some useful resize actions that many folks love over at www.willduris.com/actions Here are 5 of my recent favorite photos: |
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