5DMKIII Wedding Video and photos

Rather unexpectedly I got to help out the awesome Perspectives Photography team last night. Even more unexpectedly they turned out to be shooting with a Canon 5D MKIII. They produced some excellent results in low light (with wet weather sprinkles to boot) and also took the time to create some great photographs.

You can read more about what they thought of the camera over here:
http://www.perspectives.co.nz/blog/canon-5dmk3-dancing-in-the-rain/

Review - Peter Hurley - Art of the Headshot

Is Peter Hurley's Art of the Headshot worth the $300 pricetag?

To summarise what follows, probably. In fact if you're in a studio environment with more than one photographer shooting anything related to faces the answer is almost certainly yes.

Peter Hurley's art of the Headshot is 4 1/2 hours that you can spend with a top New York Photographer explaining his craft any time you like. While you might expect him to get bogged down in camera and lighting details or even stick to basic procedures he goes well beyond this. Instead he explains his complete approach and the trajectory of his career. From how he started out on his own as a natural light photographer to how he operates today charging $1100 per headshot shoot while working with a team including retouch and make-up artists.

Perhaps unexpectedly equipment and lighting set-ups end up taking a back seat to client-photographer interactions. In fact Peter makes the point that the reason he is a successful headshot photographer is that he is 10% photographer and 90% therapist. Rather than worrying about keeping his camera happy he focuses on making his clients comfortable.

While comfort is a key part of the therapy component of the shoot his therapy extends beyond this. Peter shares tips with his clients (and you the viewer) about how to create excellent photographs. For Peter this element of teaching is perhaps the most important aspect of his photographic therapy session.

Conveniently you are not required to take his word for this. As part of the DVD you are supplied with 6+ recorded headshot sessions. In these sessions you will see clients coached from average photos through to stunning photos as a result of the environment and education that Peter provides. Critically these sessions are not all performed with people who simply 'get' what Peter wants or how he wants them to behave. At times he encounters resistance and you the viewer get to see how he gets through that to reach the goals that he needs to achieve.

While this DVD has been marketed at photographers it could easily be marketed, perhaps in a condensed form, to models as well. The tips that Peter provides are the sort of things that models will be able to apply in most, if not all, of their photoshoots throughout their career. Check out the video at the bottom of this page for an example of one of the lessons.

However it's not all good news. Those who are taken aback by the pricetag might ask, isn't this the sort of information that I can get elsewhere for less than $300 or, in this modern age, for free? The answer to the question is yes... but. What Peter Hurley's DVD does is collect and assemble the information, that you will be able to find in pieces, in a way that not only works but has been shown to work. It's the difference between being able to find all the pieces necessary to make a car and having a fully functional vehicle. What is that difference worth to you?

While that point might be considered good news (in that you are getting some kind of value for your money if you do proceed with the purchase) the next point is cause for some concern. When Peter talks about equipment he stresses the importance of a pro-level dSLR as a minimum requirement. This is nonsense and probably stems from the fact that he is out of touch with the dSLR market (he admits to this but it is surprising that nobody on the F-stoppers team thought to question this point during the production of the video). Consumer level dSLRs would now be perfectly capable of performing the functions required for a headshot shoot and would be a much better investment for someone just starting out in photography than the pro-level equipment that will be outgunned by lower level cameras by the time the beginner has generated enough income to recoup the cost of their initial camera. As a reference point Peter shoots at a low shutter speed and at low ISO. Almost any decent consumer dSLR will perform well at these levels. If anything invest in a quality lens and a body that is good enough to get the job done.

Beyond this it is important to recognise that this DVD is about headshots. This means the techniques that you will learn will be useful for photographing people. Typically people on their own. Typically people from the shoulders up only. In fact the advice that Peter gives out during the DVD is all about the face and how to make it look its best. Now, don't get me wrong, faces are very important and these tips are extremely valuable but if you are expecting something more than this you won't get it. in this sense the DVD does what it says on the box - it tells you how to take a great headshot. While you can take some of the photographic lessons and apply them to other settings the headshot is where the focus stays. If you try some of the body positions Peter suggests in a full length shot you will end up with some very odd results.

Ultimately then whether or not you should buy Peter Hurley's art of the headshot depends on what you expect  to be able to take away from it. If you are happy to take away photo related tips that focus on enhancing the faces of your subjects with little focus on any other body parts then this DVD is a no brainer. If you want to know how Peter Hurley runs his business, built his business, lights his studio, sets up his camera, selects clothes, guides make-up artists, or runs an individual session then this is well worth the money. But if you are looking for anything beyond this, such as how to take a great group portrait, and do not have the imagination or ability to take lessons learned in one area and apply them to another keep you money in your pocket. This is a DVD about taking great photos of individual faces that show a connection with the subject. While the rules can be applied to multiple subject shoots that application is left to you.

How to have a great career

Competence is no longer enough.
Laziness and procrastination are the enemy.
Madness is not a necessity.
Hard work is not enough.
Passion is important. It should be followed.
Passion is not the same as something you find interesting.
Passion is a great and consuming love.
Relationships have become a modern excuse. It is possible to be successful and be a good person.

Things people say to photographers

These were compiled by Joshua J Blake in video form. I have typed them out below to help people find them using google or to have an audio free giggle :)

You're a photographer, really?
Do you do photos?
Do you edit them too, like with airbrushing? Do you know what that is? Oh you do?
You know my cousin does photography, are you as good as she is?
I was checking out your photography portfolio online, you're really good. You should do this as your job, like professionally.
Wow you've got a really nice camera, is that yours?
That's a junky camera, where'd you get that? The thrift store?
Do you do headshots?
Do you Shoot Children? I mean like photos?
Do you shoot parties? Pets? Seniors? Weddings?
I would pay so much for you to do a photo shoot for me, how much do you charge? How much?
Oh, I thought because we were friends I wouldn't have to pay.
You're going to make me look good right?
Can you make me look younger?
I don't wanna look fat.
Do you do tfp?
Do you do time for friends?
Yeah time for friends, it's like when a model poses for a photographer to get free headshots, oh you've heard of it?
Hey can you do me a huge favour? You're like a photographer right? Cause I need headshots like, for free.
What's an f stop?
I saw this picture of this model once. She was like gorgeous, she had perfect hair, perfect teeth. her dress was all fitted and she was all skinny and thin... can you make me look like that?
Can you teach me like everything you know? I mean like everything. Oh don't worry I'm a really good listener... wait what?
I bet you could even make me look good.
Do you do graphic design as well or are you just a photographer?
I;'ve always wanted to model, can you make me a model? Do you have connections?
So what should I wear?
Do you use photoshop?
Is it too late to shoot that sunset photo we talked about? I know its set already but... you can't photoshop that in?
I'm sorry I'm late, I was still in bed.
I was stuck in traffic.
I was doing my hair.
I was tweeting.
I'm not very photogenic
Just so you know, I don't photograph well.
Am I going to get copies of all these?
I am relaxed.
My complexion is really bad do you fix acne?
Wait is there something in my teeth?
Cheeeeeese-Wait, hold on. Ok - Cheeeeese!
Oh can I look at that one? I don't want to look stupid.
I don't want to smile I don't even want to be here. My mothers making me do this.
Hold it right there or I'll shoot ya! Get it? Oh, you've heard that one before? I thought I made that up.
Ok I want a shot from this side, from this side, from this side, and maybe from the top and maybe from the bottom but only if its flattering.
I am smiling
Do you have any hairspray?
I wanna do this shot like, like one time I saw this model and she was kinda like...
I am posing naturally

One Day Photography Deal

Whether you spot a wedding photography deal on GrabOne, Treatme, Yazoom, or one of the other daily deal sites my advice is to avoid them.

Why?


Unless price is the only factor in your decision these sort of deals probably aren't a good thing to look at. The limited availability of the offer will throw undue pressure on your decision.

Look at it this way. If you hadn't heard about the deal would you book your photographer (or any other service) in less than 1 day without meeting with them?

If the answer is yes then go for it. If the answer is no think long and hard about whether the deal is right for you. 

While price is a fairly common talking point when discussing wedding photography so are stories about people booking a photographer who offered a good deal before later switching to another photographer whose photographic style was more in line with what they actually wanted. In these cases the savings made in the initial deal instantly become losses when they lose their deposit with the first photographer.

Call with Steph and Jeff - Book More Brides

This is a summary of a conference call covering the Wedding Business Blueprint Package from Book More Brides.

The full conversation can be downloaded by following this link.

Who are these people?
http://www.thedjsolution.com/
http://www.bookmmorebrides.com


Question:
How is the wedding business Blueprint different?
- Maximising lead generation
- Partnering
- Developing your niche
- Chossing a profitable market
- Designing your price and packages
- Marketting
- Money Back Guarantee

Story about a NZ photographer Raefa/Rayfa
-School Portraits
Added scarcity by adding a limited offer, a timeframe where something ends. This appeals to loss aversion.
Tried a couple of variations
- 7 day limit with a free gift
- Archival fees (don't buy in this time and you will have to pay an archival fee)
7 day limit with free gift was most effective
From this Steph and Jeff Recommend a 3 day booking incentive

How can I start creating more VALUE in my business?
- Whatever the Bride and Groom find valuable
- What can't they find elsewhere? Ask around
- Can you become a resource that goes beyond your traditional role? Can you help them plan other elements of their wedding?


Use your web presence to make a personal connection with your clients
- Blogging
- E-mail
- Skype
- Aided by proper targetting of your niche
- Targets the correct leads
- They are setup to want to book you

Cheap and Free ways to generate interest/leads

DJ Story Raul
- Helped him target his market by using a message that makes him stand out from the competition
- Not about explaining why you cost what you do
- Self definition moves from Wedding DJ -> Latin Wedding DJ -> Latin-but-bot-too-Latin Wedding DJ (where clients want all the guests to dance, not just Latin guests)
- Ask why your clients booked you, they will help to find your uniqueness

Postcards
- Send out thank you postcards to clients and other wedding vendors

Happiness and the importance of outliers

Skip to 9:00 for the most practical/applicable part of the video.

If you know everything about a person's external environment you can only predict 10% of their happiness
The absence of disease is not health
Happiness doesn't come from success, success can come from happiness.
When you are happy all business outcomes improve.

A rational Discussion on the New Nikon D4

Dom Bower's photography videos are often worth a watch and this one is no exception. Here he outlines what many of us already know about Nikon's new flagship camera, the Nikon D4 - Essentially it will be a great camera but it is not for everyone. While there are plenty of people talking about most of them don't need it and can't afford it. While it can be fun to get caught up in the rumours and excitement surrounding a new camera's release it's also important to focus on keeping your feet on the ground.

From a practical standpoint the D4 looks to be a bit of a tank. It will be big and robust making it ideal for sports photographers (particularly those travelling to the 2012 Olympics) and event photographers but less convenient for wedding photographers (due to their large size).

Trash the Dress - Champagne explosion

Last night I did a Trash the Dress shoot, my first one ever. Towards the end of the night we set up shop near a beached boat and fired off some champagne. Here is my favourite resulting image:

Denis Reggie Seminar - Reflections

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a wedding photography workshop run by Denis Reggie and organised by Queensbury. Denis Reggie is an American Wedding Photojournalist catering to the very upper end of the wedding market. His lesson was broken into 2 parts. The first focussed on business and the market while the second part focussed on how he achieves the look of his photos. Below is a video showing how he achieves his look for group photos. Be warned, it is part of an ad for pocket wizard.

Of the two parts of his talk the most enlightening part was the first part, the part that focussed on the market. Here he suggested that the market can be split into two main groups of couples (each with two subgroups)  and two groups of photographers. To put it simply, adn to pull from the video above, couples either want to be themselves and have their photographer capture things as they actually happen or they want the photographer to tell them what to do. Similarly photographers either shoot things as they happen or try to control and orchestrate events.

Denis suggests that those who want the photographer to capture things as they happen are better clients as they are more likely to be high spend clients. While this is almost certainly true in his experience it is worth noting that his experience is skewed in two important ways:
1) He is a high end photographer with a high end price tag
As such he attracts high end, big spend clients.
2) He is a photojournalist
As such he attracts clients who want  their day captured as it occurs without direction from the photographer.

Notice that I have separated these two things. What Denis Reggie seems to suggest is that these two things go hand in hand. While this is true for his clients we must remember that his clients come from a specific subset of the population. Essentially his viewpoint, with or without his knowledge of it, is effected by sampling error.

Don't believe me? In order for Denis Reggie's assertion to be true high end wedding photographers would ALL need to be photojournalists as photojournalists would be the only ones who could survive at this end of the scale. This is not true. There are plenty of high end wedding photographers who are not photojournalists and they are doing just fine.

What then is the take home message? The take home message is, perhaps, that there is a market for high-end wedding photojournalism.

Side notes, the students

The people attending the seminar seemed to struggle with Denis Reggie's ideas and approach in the first section of the course. The main difficulty seemed to stem from treating the ideas as a presentation of how Denis sees the world rather than a presentation detailing how the world is. Those who got stuck in this second version, thinking his words were describing how the world is, had difficulty reconciling their experience of the world with the description he was given. What they missed was that here we are describing two completely different world views, as such they are never going to align themselves with each other as they are fundamentally different.
Here's how they differ:
Geographic Region
Denis' client base is world wide. For may of us our client base is restricted to the area that we live in. With a world wide client base you maximise the number of potential clients. Most importantly you maximise the number of potential big spend clients. As long as you're covering your travel costs you're away laughing.
Target Market 
Denis targets people who fit his way of photographing weddings. Consciously or not we also target clients who fit out way of shooting weddings as clients come to us because they like what we do. If we are shooting in fundamentally different ways to Denis then the clients we attract will also be fundamentally different. Many of the students felt that because they had never encountered the sorts of clients that Denis was talking about it was impossible for these clients to exist at all. Once again sampling bias is shaping opinions. As an illustration the fact that I have never met a US Senator does not mean that US Senators do not exist.

More Choice = Less Sales

It is fairly common for photographers to offer clients a few packages to choose from. Some photographers offer more choice, some less. Which is best?

Despite what you may initially think less choice is usually better than more choice. Fewer choices mean that fewer decisions must be made while more choices means more decisions must be made. More decisions = more fatigure = less enthusiasm = less sales.

Getting a Photography Website to Page 1 of Google

If you found this web page chances are you found it using google.
Furthermore you probably clicked on it because it was ranked high enough on google for you to see it.

How can you get a similarly high google ranking for your photography site? If you have done a bit of reading about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and how it can help in improving your google ranking you've probably found that most people suggest that the basics of SEO are fairly simple. You increase the number of inbound links to your website and optimise your site for google. While both of these things are entirely correct the challenge in optimising a photography site lies in understanding that what we have been taught about images doesn't hold when we talk about google; rather than an image being worth a thousand words most images on the web aren't even worth one.

How then can you take your photography website and increase its google ranking? The tricks lie in transorming your images from mere coloured pixels to information rich, quality content.

1. Image Titles


2. Alt Tags


3. User Comments


4. Captions


5. On page Information

6. Off page inbound links

Beyond these standard points you should also consider what you're trying to get to page one for. If you're just starting out you're not going to get to the number one spot for any highly competitive search term. For example chasing after the search term Wedding Photographer will be a spirit crushingly impossible mission. Instead try to focus on something specific, preferably something that makes you unique. This could be the geographical area in which you operate, the way you shoot, or even the way you write. Once you develop one foothold it will be easier to create others.

Perspectives Photo + Cinema - An Outsider's View

Separately Perspectives Photography and Jared Brandon Productions have produced reliably stunning work. With a clear passion for creating beautiful wedding photos and stunning wedding videos these two teams of wedding creatives have been a source of inspiration; they know their equipment back to front and know exactly how and where to push it to create beautiful results. Now, in a mind bogglingly awesome move, they have joined forces to create combined wedding photography and video packages to completely capture you and your day. For those prepared to pay the premium that experience and talent come with at the upper end of the wedding market these guys will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.

Photography Style - an outside photographer's perspective

Isaac, Amber, and their helpers consistently produce stunning images from all parts of the day. Common features of their work appear to be the appropriate use of high powered flash and ambient light in their photo shoots. Critically the decision to roll with a shot dominated by flash or ambient light is a function of the setting/conditions and vision of the photographer rather than the blind application of a preferred technique. Indeed the subtle use of remote flash is also frequently employed to enhance an otherwise flash free image. All in all the Perspectives team know what they're doing and, if you like what they do, are well worth the money.

Video Style - an outside film-maker's perspective

Jared Brandon seems to be something of a pioneer in the New Zealand wedding video market. Drawing inspiration from established professionals outside of New Zealand he appears to take a more cinematic approach to wedding videography than what most people think of when they hear the phrase wedding videography. While the use of dSLRs is part of this - helping to achieve the cinematic look through their ability to produce images with shallow depth of field - the key aspect is in the departure from recording a wedding day. Instead Jared appears to focus on recording the story of a wedding day. By focussing on recording the story rather than simply recording the events his videos seem to invite you in - you feel like you are part of the day instead of just a spectator. You feel the emotion rather than witness it. You cry as they cry.

The Joint Venture - a prediction

This joint venture will be successful. However, given that they would each be successful alone the notion of a successful partnership may seem to be something of an obvious statement. Here though is the key. This venture will be successful because of the speed at which they will help their clients find what they are looking for. People who care about great images should care about great photography and great videography. While people often ask photographers to recommend videographers and vice verca this new venture does that immediately and demonstrates the added value that the other side can bring.

Check them out yourself here:
http://www.perspectives.co.nz/

Natural reflectors - a quick example from Jasmine Star