Tools for growing a photography business
Of all the businesses ideas that many dream of starting, a small, cozy coffee shop is one of the most popular.
I admit, I dream this dream too. Especially lately, after getting beat up and drained from this whole lock down thing. (more on that later)
[Read more…]A few days ago Abbas from Album Epoca hosted a gathering of photographers to talk about their lock down strategies and plans for coming out of the lockdown. Good watch.
My wife creates hand made jewellery. Two years now. We started selling her one-of-a-kind creations at local craft shows both in our city and down in Costa Rica when there this winter.
Sales were brisk to say the least. We may be onto something. Even Sheldon, the creator of the weekly Thursday night market, where we had a table for six weeks in a row, stated her stuff was going to sell.
[Read more…]It was sometime last fall. I was waiting for a family to show up for a photo shoot.
(I love photographing families. My favorite of all shoots.)
I suffer for my craft. Mostly self imposed I must confess.
[Read more…]
I’m not gonna lie. This is not easy.
(Isn’t it strange hearing that- “I’m not gonna lie”? As if lying was a credible option?…)
[Read more…]One of my favorite all time best seminars I personally experienced, first hand, like watching a master of masters in action, was way back when I organized a speaking gig with Al Gilbert.
Al did a live demo on how he shoots, poses, lights and controls a session.
He somehow he had contacted our city mayor to come out on a Sunday so he could demo his portrait strategies, on location, at our city hall.
It was amazing. All I can say. Amazing.
Al knew his stuff. His confidence, assuredness and the way he communicated to us and the subject at hand, was and is to this day one of the most important lessons I have ever learned.
One lighting strategy that Al used is called “subtractive lighting”, where he strategically placed light blockers to prevent certain ambient lighting from polluting the subject.
His exposure was such that the flash and the ambient all played a key role in the final image, which was stunning. But the light needed to be controlled. And control it he did.
This reminded me of Fuzzy Duenkel’s lighting strategies. Fuzzy is primarily a senior portrait artist and in my oh so humble yet accurate opinion the very best there is today.
Why? Well, first off, the results speak for themselves. And lighting control plays a huge part in all of this. Al, and Fuzzy are both masters of controlling light for a certain look and outcome.
You can see it in their work. I can spot it when it’s missing. I can see lack of lighting control a mile away.
Sadly, it’s pervasive in todays day and age of “everyone is a photographer.”
I never met Fuzzy, not in person anywho. But I did rope him in a few years ago to run a four part series online.
Even though I had the fortune of hosting and working with Al Gilbert 18 years ago, and he remains to this day my all time favorite event, I can honestly say my favorite ONLINE event, bar none, was the “Transcend the ordinary” with Fuzzy Duenkel.
Check it out:
Lighting is everything. Learn to see, control and master it.
Robert N. Provencher – Your Master Coach Marketer
“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”
I like these lights. They feel well made and rugged. Like me.
And I don’t need to get a mortgage or sell my soul. Hopefully they’ll last too. Like me. (not my hair)
I bought the Goddox AB600BM, which is 100% manual, and softbox, to use on families, weddings and shoots like the one I’m showing you in this post.
It’s an amazing system. All radio signal controlled from the camera. Even though the 600 is not the TTL version, I prefer dialing in my output and figuring out exposure from the camera. It’s a fast, easy and versatile system.
One thing I do wish it had was the ability to switch to optical slave when needed. Why? If the radio thingie quits, I could manually fire these using an old school on camera flash or similar. I acquired a second “back up” transmitter…just in case.
The 200 I purchased back in May. Sorta my foray into this flash system.
*************************************************************
Back in April during the Lighting Mastermind we talked about the Goddox system, specifically the 200. For members HERE
Last week I dug deeper into using the newly acquired 600BM and showed you many examples from real paying gigs using real paying clients….families, executive…mostly families. That replay is HERE
Here’s a summary of the executive shoot. The set up…
The results:
Before shooting I had my assistant, Brent, aka the grunt, check on the reflection while firing the main.
These were shot outside, sorta in open shade. High speed synch with a very wide aperture around 2.8. Using the 85mm 1.8 Batis lens created a smooth and much desired background. Shutter speed? Who knows. It was plenty fast to let me hand hold and I simply “dialed in” the best speed for ambient light exposure. All possible with the high speed synch feature.
I love this system, plain and simple.
A few more from this shoot and a few other family shoots that I dug into during the July Lighting Mastermind presentation.
More to come…stay tuned.
Robert N. Provencher – Your Master Coach Marketer
“If you want to be a profitable and successful photographer, then study profitable and successful photographers.”
Join us…Content, Coaching & Community
My reply:
“Bob yea, I know….and I struggle with this.
Me, the first guy to nag others when they get “weasly”….which I come close to being when I do this….:):)
I am sending out an email on Monday, and going to quote you (if you’re ok with me doing so that is)…and, the link, with replay, added….
Rob”
There you go…..AGAIN, click here
***************************************************
NOTE: This is happening in TWO days:
Special Presentation- Secrets to building, creating, selling and promoting Enchanted Fairy, Ice Fairy & Medieval Themed Sessions