KEH Camera Blog

Being a Camera Operator for TV

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Today we have a guest post from Samuel McQueen sharing his story about his journey to become a camera operator...

I'm currently a work for hire director/cameraman in Chicago, Illinois, working under my production company Forward Thought Media. I've been in the Television Industry since 1988, where I first worked professionally with Black Entertainment Television as a production assistant. Not completely knowing if television was for me, I quit after a year and decided to go back to school.

Not able to rid myself of that urge to look through a viewfinder, I bought a Canon AE-1 35mm camera and a Canon 814 Super 8mm camera. I began shooting whatever I could with both cameras and became interested in film.

Possessing the tenacity to make looking through a viewfinder my career, I started producing music videos after transferring to film school at Columbia College in Chicago. My lighting professor at the time, who was a working Director of Photography, took me under his wing and we started working professionally together shortly thereafter. He became my mentor. We were producing real jobs while also shooting student projects. We went from shooting 16mm film with a Bolex to shooting Super 16 with an Arri SRIII 16mm and 35mm film with an Arri BL, PANAVISED ARRI III, and Arriflex 535. The goal was to shoot the best looking footage with a low budget. I shot a lot of low budget music videos using these cameras, shooting 16mm and 35mm film shorts, stealing locations and completing post-production at post-houses after hours.

In 1994, I started producing music videos and commercials, but in 95' I decided to go back into television. I worked for Harpo Productions where I became a Tech Assist after many years of being an Audience Producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show. Although I loved being an audience producer, I was still in love with making images. Since I had worked extensively in the industry, I was given the opportunity to shoot local stories for my production team. Once the producers realized I could shoot, I was asked to shoot more projects. I shot lots of behind-the-scenes and pretty much became one of the technical go-to guys on the show.

Shooting the Oprah show

In 2004, the Oprah show began to adopt a new look. We adopted the Cinéma vérité style, which was right up my alley after shooting so many low-budget projects, hand-held to give them a real-life feel. Up to this point, I had never really used a video camera, only film cameras. The shows new look became a hit with the producers and the audience reaction was also great. I believe this look shaped the way daytime television talk shows are shot today, and I was proud to be involved in that process.

During this time, I also shot video for many different outside companies such as Time Magazine, Extra, and Access Hollywood. While all of this was great, working on a documentary piece in Africa is what really changed me. The story profiled an American who traveled to Uganda as a missionary and witnessed homeless, HIV infected children dying on the streets of Kampala Uganda. Haunted by these images, he decided to start an orphanage. We shot 10 days in a challenging environment and created a very powerful piece (you can view the video here). This side project was the project that gave me the confidence to know I could become a Director of Photography.

Since then, I finished up the Oprah Show through the final season, started shooting video work on D-SLR's, and shot some more commercials and other behind the scenes and documentary projects.

The industry is constantly changing, as is the equipment that we use, and while I started out shooting 8 and 16mm, I now shoot mainly on D-SLR’s or large sensor cameras. A few cameras that I have shot with recently include the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D, Red One, Sony FS-100, and the Sony NEX-5n.

My advice to anyone wanting to become a camera operator or filmmaker is to be passionate and shoot, shoot, shoot. I know it may sound cliché, but it really is about learning. Study movies or TV shows that you like. Figure out how it works. Educate yourself. Shoot like there’s no tomorrow. You should learn something new each time, that’s how you get better. Learn from each experience and keep that passionate fire in your belly and drive to get better each time you look thorough the viewfinder. Remember that it’s better to fail at something you love then to succeed at something you hate. My life is devoted to looking through the lens, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

To see some of Samuel McQueen's videos for Forward Thought Media, check out his Vimeo channel.

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Vintage "Linda Lens" Comic

* Did you Know: Sepia Toning is Named After the Common Cuttlefish

* Architectural Photography: Just Like Playing Tetris... Right?

* (Off-Camera Flash) Working with Remotes

* How I Got That Shot: On Assignment with National Geographic

* What Happens to Your Online Photos When You Die?

* Don't Be Hanging Babies From Trees- A Newborn Photography Safety Lesson

* Zack Arias: Why I Moved to Medium Format

* Say Cheese T-Shirt

* DIY Joby Skates

* Keeping the tabs: The best account management applications for photographers

* Animate Your Parties with a 3D Photobooth

* Use Strobes to Combat Cluttered Backgrounds in Portraits

* Tips to Starting a (art) Collection

* 8 Goal Setting Obstacles for Photographers and How To Overcome Them

* Tax Advice: How Photographers Can Get The Right Look From The I.R.S.

* Photographer MEME: What people really think I do (funny)

* Barbie gets a camera implant

* Visual Pinterest Hack

* When Creativity Is All You Have

KEH Updates and News

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

There's a few things I wanted to address real quick since we have been getting a lot of questions and having recent discussions about the following topics...

As-Is Equipment- Yes, we recently posted a blog article (which has seen been temporarily pulled) that talked about the As-Is, or AI category at KEH. It happened to be ironic and bad timing , but a few days after the article was published the category needed to be suddenly (and temporarily) taken off the web. For now, the AI inventory is not available for sale. We are having an internal evaluation of the entire category and in the process of determining the future of it. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will let you know when it's back up and available to shop in again.

Increased Buy Prices- We have RAISED our buy-prices on tons of digital camera bodies, lenses, and accessories, which means we are paying the highest market prices in order to increase our digital product inventory. So if you have been thinking about selling or trading some of your digital equipment, now is the time! You can either call one of our professional buyers at 770-333-4220 or 1-800-342-5534 for a quote, or use our online quote engine- Just click HERE to access.

Nikon Repairs- You may have already heard (we posted links on the Facebook and Twitter pages last week), but a hot industry topic right now is that Nikon has announced that they will stop selling replacement parts to independent repair shops. How does this affect you and us? Well, Nikon won't let a company be both an authorized dealer (seller) and an authorized repair shop, so we have chosen to be a Nikon authorized dealer. This means that even though our repair technicians are fully trained, and we offer exceptional repair services, you may no longer be able to get your Nikon gear repaired at KEH, which in turn will also lead to longer repair times by having to go directly through Nikon Repair. For more information and to sign the official Change.org petition, click here.

The Catalog- People have been wondering why they have not received one of our printed catalogs since last fall. Well, we have (temporarily) discontinued it. We didn't think people were still reading them, especially since by the time they received them, they were typically already out of date because our inventory moves so fast. But the demand has been great for it, so we will be bringing it back. So why the delay? We are reinventing it! It will still have a lot of the same great qualities, but have an updated design with some new features added. We don't have an exact launch date on this yet, but we are expecting the first issue later this year, possibly this summer. We have some really exciting things in store for it, so the wait will totally be worth it!

And since we haven't had a recent catalog, some people have requested this little form that is usually in it. It's not necessary, but if you would like, you can save the image below, print, and send it in with your equipment.

Photo Preservation Guide Part 2: Handling, Exhibiting, and Storing

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

This is the second part of a three part series on preservation; the first served as the introduction to proactively create preservationally sound prints. This part will focus on handling, exhibition, storage, and environment. The final part will explain the invasive conservation treatment of these prints.

Whereas it is extremely important to process a print archivally, the handling, exhibiting, storing, and environment play an equally important role in its permanence. Below is a number of steps to take to ensure the longevity of a print, whether it's a print you produced yourself, a print purchased for a collection, or even an antique family photo.

Handling: Hands are dirty. Even after washing them, all sorts of natural oils exist that can cause harm to photographs and negatives alike. To ensure that no potential oil or dirt gets onto the print or negative, always wear gloves when handling these materials. Some manual dexterity is lost when wearing gloves though, so use extra care and caution when handling with gloves. Typically, I use powder-free nitrile gloves when handling negatives [latex gloves are also fine to use, however, many people have allergies to latex and nitrile are latex-free], and white cotton gloves when handling prints. Even when wearing gloves, avoid touching the image of the print and handle the print by its sides and corners.

Handle photographic prints with gloves, and never touch the image

Exhibiting: Whether displaying prints in a private home or exhibiting in a gallery, matting and framing should serve to protect and promote easy handling, as well as present a visually stunning support for the work. There are many ways to mount the photograph: dry mounting to a board, corner tab mounting to a board, window mats, and direct matting to name a few. Whichever method is chosen, the most important advice is to use the best materials possible. For all paper products used, select materials that are acid-free, lignin-free, cotton rag, archival, and/or unbuffered. These terms are used in various ways, so don’t feel shy to ask which is the most archivally sound or safe material to use. Another consideration is that the mounting and framing is reversible. The photograph should always be able to be safely removed from its frame and stored appropriately after its display. I have seen some atrocities which probably seemed like an interesting idea at the time, such as gluing a photograph to a piece of wood, but after a few years the thing had nearly decomposed because the adhesive from the glue combined with the chemical decomposition of the wood, combined and formed a deadly attack on the photograph. So before getting too creative, think about longevity and long-term access.

Corner-mounted print on a 4-ply archival mount board

Storing: When preparing for storage, it is important to remember that a photographic print is a whole bunch of chemistry sitting atop paper. Enclosures and sleeves help protect photographs from pollution, accidental damage through inappropriate handling, and random gashes. There are many options to protect prints, the most common is to interleave with paper and stack prints in an archival box, or store prints in sleeves and then place in a box. When interleaving with paper, it is imperative to use acid-free, archival, unbuffered paper. The paper serves as a buffer between the prints so the chemistry does not migrate to the next print, as well, it makes it easier to handle the print by using the paper as a carrier support to lift it in and out of the box. If using plastic sleeves instead of paper dividers, by sure to use archival quality sleeves that do not contain PVC. Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is commonly used but its chemical make-up is not stable for long-term storage. It will eventually deteriorate and release plasticizers and other chemicals into the photograph that will degrade the print over time. Safe plastics to use are polyester, most commonly called mylar or melinex. It is fine to insert prints into these sleeves, and then store in an archival box.

Environment: Stability is key. It is imperative to have a non-fluctuating temperature and relative humidity. That said, it is ideal to have a cool temperature and a relative humidity of less than 50%, however, keeping a stable environment is the most important. The beauty of black and white film, for me, is multifaceted, but one aspect is the longevity. Unlike a chromogenic print, a digital image, or resin-coated paper, black and white film is a survivor. When processed appropriately and stored properly, the negatives and prints will last hundreds of years. However, if squirreled away in a scorching attic, damp basement, or in direct sunlight, you will out live both the negatives and prints. So, when deciding where to store the boxes of prints and negatives, avoid the darkroom, basement, and attic; if storing in your home, a closet can be quite safe, as well as drawers in an unused dresser. Flux, unless referring to the art movement, is terrible for any artwork. A drawer or closet can provide a small micro-environment within the larger, slightly more fluctuating temperature throughout a home.

Shrunken, irreparable negative due to extreme heat conditions

An example of what heat can do to a negative is shown in the above image. I came across this negative in an archive of a famous photographer. Massive shrinkage occurred due to heat. Sadly, this cannot be reversed and the negative cannot be saved.

Stay tuned for the third (and final) part of this preservation series, which will address conservation treatment- what to do when disasters strike, how to salvage materials yourself, and when to seek professional conservation help.

Read on in this mini series on Photo Preservation-
Part 1: In the Darkroom

Part 3: coming soon

Bio:
Kate Contakos is Head of the Preservation Department at Stanford University, and was a founding member of Shutterclank !Leica, Mamiya, and Nikon, and spends lots of time in her custom built darkroom in her loft in San Francisco. She is currently addicted to Ilford’s MG Art cotton rag paper.

Find her here-
Twitter: @contakos
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/contakos/
Shutterclank!: http://www.shutterclank.com/

Further Reading and Resources

Books:
Adams, Ansel. The Print. Little, Brown and Company: Boston, 1983.

Issues in the Conservation of Photographs. Ed. Debra Hess Norris and Jennifer Jae Gutierrez. The Getty Conservation Institute: Los Angeles, 2010.

Lavedrine, Bertrand. A Guide to the Preventive Conservation of Photograph Collections. The Getty Conservation Institute: Los Angeles, 2003.

Rempel, Siegfried. The Care of Photographs. Nick Lyons Books: New York, 1987.

Web:
American Institute for Conservation Photographic Materials Group:
http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/pmg/index.html

Gawain Weaver’s Care and Identification of Photographs Workshops:
http://gawainweaver.com/

Image Permanence Institute:
https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/

George Eastman House:
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/

Photos of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

My dog, the sock puppet, by: Little Pink Weeble

Jack, by: Sequouia Creative

Luis, by: RV Henretty-Jornales

L52007, by: danbairdmiller

What is where?, by: Mathew Brown

Tomates, by: domyzio

Untitled (Jumpin'), by: Rolf Schmolling

Alaina_2_4, by: d_perlmutter

Untitled (wetplate), by: berntln

Landscapes of Tawang, by: Angad Singh

Connected Multiverse, by: Silly Totoro

* All photos submitted to the KEH Flickr Group

In-House Buying Event February 23rd-25th at KEH Camera!

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

We are hosting an in-house buying event on February 23^rd,24^th, and 25^th at our Smyrna, GA location. You can bring your unwanted, used photographic gear to either sell or trade. You can choose to get a check on the spot, or receive a 10% trade-in bonus and receive your trade-in order while waiting, or choose a gift certificate to shop at a later date.

We are currently paying top dollar for digital photography equipment including bodies, lenses, and major accessories (we're sorry, but we are not currently purchasing lighting, darkroom equipment, or point and shoot film cameras at this time).

KEH Camera does not have a retail showroom and does not typically have same-day trade-in options. This is a special event where you will receive quick turn around on selling or trading services. During the 3-day event, we are also offering on-the-spot sensor cleanings from our repair department for $20 (regularly $45). Be sure to bring a valid I.D., and preview the inventory of available stock online if you wish to make a trade- www.keh.com

Event Hours: Thursday, February 23rd- Saturday 25th, 10 AM – 4 PM

Location: 4900 Highlands Parkway SE Smyrna, GA 30082

Hope to see you there!

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Hasselblad, by: LostNClueless. Submitted to the KEH Flickr group.

* What is a Lith Print?

* 8 Tips for Perfect Prints

* Minolta SRT201 Camera Review

* Ed Burns on Making an Indie with the 5D Mark II

* Repurposing a Broken Polaroid Automatic Land Camera into a Pinhole Camera

* Why Your Photography Business Should Have an Exit Strategy

* Buy120Film.com- Your guide to 120 film for medium format cameras

* Instant Photo Pendant Necklace

* Why Film and Digital Are The Same

* Snow Biking Action Photography (The setup behind the shot)

* Things I Learned About Self-Publishing

* Interview with William Morel, Photo Editor at Country Living Magazine

* DIY photo craft project- transfer your photos onto plates

* Amateur Astronomer Captures Beautiful Photos of Space from His Front Yard

* Kodak Trying To Get Its Name Removed From Kodak Theatre

* The Impact of Conservation Photography

* Nikon Might End Independent Repairs, But You Can Help

* Kodak phases out digital businesses, keeps film alive

Giveaway Winner + Survey Result Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Survey Result Highlights:
The results of the blog reader survey were varied, with answers covering all ends of the spectrum. But here are some of the results that dominated...

Most of the people answering (not all regular blog readers as an email went out to all KEH customers) are male, and over 35. Intermediate - Advanced level, and primarily hobbyist/ semi-pro photographers. We also had a bunch of photo educators which was great to see.

Most of you do not have any professional photography training, although there were still a large number of you that did. The preferred mediums were- Digital SLR's in at #1, 35mm at #2, and Medium Format at #3.

The vast majority of our readers are in fact KEH customers, and would like to see content posted either once a day or a few times a week (great, this is exactly the frequency we've been at!).

For favorite types of posts, "Tips" took the #1 spot. Other favorites are (not in any order): Film, equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, Items for sale, behind the scenes, guides, cameras, lenses, lighting, DIY and crafts, digital, and Photos of the month/ featured photographers.

Facebook still seems to be the winner for the #1 social media site that you are both on, and follow us on.

Now, lets get down to some of the nitty gritty. Many of the responses were either really helpful or wonderful to read. We have such a variety of customers and readers that of course all of the content can't suit every single individual all of the time. That's why we try to have a variety, so that there is often something for everyone, no matter what system you prefer, what skill level you are at, or what type of photography you are passionate about.

Topics. We had so many great topic suggestions, so thank you all for that! I will start looking into some of these very soon. I would like for you to keep something in mind though... sometimes someone suggests a topic, which is usually a great topic idea, but the reason we may not follow up and post about it is because we don't have someone to write it. We try really hard to post content that comes from a knowledgeable source. We want to make sure that the writer knows what they are talking about, is a decent writer, can communicate the information effectively, and of course has the time (and agrees) to write it. This is often a difficult combination to find, and if it's a topic that we are not 100% confident that we know enough about to share, then we don't want to write about it just to write about it, because that really doesn't end up benefiting anyone. As an example of this, someone suggested topics on astrophotograhy. That sounds great, but I personally know nothing about that, and I don't know of anyone else here that is well versed in it either. So in order to cover this topic appropriately, we would need to find an outside contributor. Then, make sure that their craft is up to par, they have an interesting topic to share, and that they actually have decent writing skills. If this describes you, then please let us know, but until then, you probably won't see much on this topic here- sorry.

I was a little surprised to see so many of you wanting more film topics! We can definitely do this, so do stay tuned for more on film in the future.

There were a lot of suggestions for topics or features that we have already covered or have available. "Invite reader contributions"- we do! Check out the "Contribute" tab at the top of the page for more information. There are also a few ways to go back and find these topics easily... you can look under the "Article Index" tab at the top of the page, search by label (or topic) under the "Topic Quick Links" on the right of the page, or enter keywords into the "Search this blog" box on the right also.

To finish this all up, I want to say that I read each and every comment and that we really do value your opinion. Thank you to everyone who participated and we hope you'll keep coming back!

Giveaway Winner:
Now that many of you have been waiting for, the winner of our recent blogiversary and blog reader survey giveaway is... Brett Hammond! Congrats Brett! Please email us at kehcamerablog(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize.

Photo Preservation Guide Part 1: In the Darkroom

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

To understand preserving gelatin silver prints, one must understand the make-up of these materials. I will briefly explain the physical nature of paper and the chemistry used in creating these prints, and then explain the best practices in creating long-term archival prints. This is the first part of a three part series on preservation, this serving as the introduction to proactively create preservationally sound prints. Part two will focus on handling, exhibition, and environment. Part 3 of the series will explain the invasive conservation treatment of these prints.

Paper: Gelatin silver developing out paper has been around since prior to the last century, and has not changed dramatically. The fiber-based paper has a three-layer structure, with the paper being the support, a baryta layer made up of gelatin and barium sulfate to gloss over the paper fibers, and the final layer, which is a silver-halide emulsion. This is the layer where all the magic happens. This paper comes in all sorts of tones ranging from warm to cool, purplish, sepia, and neutral, as well as variations in surfaces and textures. Regardless of these choices, the main thing to remember is that the paper serves as the support for the silver that the image is created on. Resin-coated papers are also an option, but I do not recommend them for use in any sort of archival or long-lasting print. The polyethylene coating on both sides breaks down over time and eventually causes redux spots and other visibly damaging affects. Whereas there have been improvements in RC paper over the years, stick with fiber-based papers for longer lasting prints of high archival quality.

Chemistry: Photography is all about silver. However, the very noble silver alone is inactive, as it must form a bond with a halogen to be light sensitive. Silver bonds with either chlorine, bromine, or iodine to become silver halide, which is what creates the image. Curiously, the size of the silver halides determines the color so the different sizes of silver halides matter, a lot. Smaller, finer grains create a warm tone image, whereas a cool toned image has larger grains of silver halides. In early photographic images (think salted paper prints such as albumen and collodions), all have a reddish-brown hue because the silver halides were tiny. Today, of course, myriad choices of chemical combinations exist. This is just one little factor in the big game of photography fun. I continuously experiment with different films and developers, finding the perfect combinations for particular situations. Regardless of the size of the halides or what silver bonds with, for preservation purposes, proper water and fixing is most crucial.

A print with high silver content in the emulsion

Water: It may seem a bit jejune, but I think water is not talked about enough in photography. As a film photographer, there are so many choices to make - the type of camera to shoot with, what subject matter to shoot, what film, paper, and chemicals to use - but it can all be ruined if using impure water. Tap water can have all sorts of minerals and old pipes can leak rust; the best chemicals and most skillful methods of processing will not impact the finished product if the water is not pure. Beginning with developing the film to printing the image, distilled water is the best stuff to use. To achieve distilled water, regular untreated water is heated to the point of vaporizing, and since the boiling point of water is so low compared to the minerals it needs to be separated from, the water escapes leaving behind the sediment.

Use this water...

... not just any water you can find

So, to avoid deposits of impurities on the negatives and prints over time, all of which will eventually erode and attack what you thought was a well processed, long-lasting negative or print, please consider using distilled water. It will help achieve archival quality negatives and prints, which will outlast you and provide the world something stimulating to look at for decades and perhaps centuries to come.

Fixing: I don’t think fixing twice is so much an opposing argument as much as it is simply disregarded. In the early days of DOP’s (developing out papers), sending prints through two fixing solutions was common practice. The fixer washes out all of the non-developed silver halides, but if not done properly, over time, you will be able to watch your prints break down and die before you do. To properly fix and make an archival print, use the first fixer to wash out most of the undeveloped silver halides, agitating continuously, and the second to wash out what remains from the first fix. The reason is that while the first fix washes the print, it also creates contaminants, so a second fixer is needed to get the print squeaky clean. After a printing session, I always notice my first fixer has a darker, dirtier hue, whereas the second fix looks crystal clean. If the print is not fixed twice, the contaminants eventually penetrate the paper fibers and form mega-strong bonds that can never be washed out, and once oxidized will eventually break down the fibers of the print. So, if you want your prints to last longer than you do – fix twice, question its longevity and long-term preservation later.

Fix twice, hypo, and then put into the print washer for an hour

Toning: The black and white gelatin silver print, processed properly and stored appropriately, should last a few hundred years. However, many factors affect image permanence and for the most part, one does not make a print to store it away in a cool, dark environment never to be handled or displayed again. So after processing appropriately using distilled water and fixing twice, for another added layer of permanence and increased image stability, toning is a very good last step. A common toner to use that does not alter the image to much discernible degree is selenium. After properly fixing, the print should run through a hypo bath to clear the fixer off, and then a full washing. After washing, tone with a selenium toner that will then convert the silver to silver selenide which is a more stable compound than silver alone, and will be more resistant to atmospheric pollutants and oxidation. If the desired effect is to have no tonal change, the selenium should be diluted mildly and will yield strictly archival results. Ansel Adams was a big proponent of selenium toning and his prints today are a testament to time as they are still in excellent condition and probably will be for hundreds of years to come.

Read on in this mini series on Photo Preservation-
Part 2: Handling, Exhibiting, and Storing
Part 3: coming soon

Bio:
Kate Contakos is Head of the Preservation Department at Stanford University, and was a founding member of Shutterclank ! (film photography magazine). She shoots black and white film on her Leica, Mamiya, and Nikon, and spends lots of time in her custom built darkroom in her loft in San Francisco. She is currently addicted to Ilford’s MG Art cotton rag paper.

Find her here-
Twitter: @contakos
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/contakos/
Shutterclank!: http://www.shutterclank.com/

Further Reading and Resources

Books:
Adams, Ansel. The Print. Little, Brown and Company: Boston, 1983.

Issues in the Conservation of Photographs. Ed. Debra Hess Norris and Jennifer Jae Gutierrez. The Getty Conservation Institute: Los Angeles, 2010.

Lavedrine, Bertrand. A Guide to the Preventive Conservation of Photograph Collections. The Getty Conservation Institute: Los Angeles, 2003.

Rempel, Siegfried. The Care of Photographs. Nick Lyons Books: New York, 1987.

Web:
American Institute for Conservation Photographic Materials Group:
http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/pmg/index.html

Gawain Weaver’s Care and Identification of Photographs Workshops:
http://gawainweaver.com/

Image Permanence Institute:
https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/

George Eastman House:
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/

Fantastic Plastic

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A look at some of the used LOMO and plastic cameras and accessories that we have in stock...

LOMO LC-A Camera

Holga Wide Pinhole Camera

Sunpet (Diana type) Camera

38mm super wide angle lens with viewfinder for Diana+

Holga Pinhole Lens- Canon mount

Holga Color Filter Set

Mick-A-Matic

Find more (on KEH.com):
Novelty items (includes LOMO)
Holga items
Lensbabies
Bakelite

+ Related Articles:
Bakelite in Photography
Redesigning Plastic Cameras

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Siblings, by: berntln. From the KEH Flickr group.

* Camera Heads

* A creative way to use a ringflash

* Gamma and White Point Explained: How to Calibrate Your Monitor

* Does That Little Flip Up Diffuser (on your flash) Actually Help?

* No, but I can learn. Photography's most important skill

* Dealing with Glare from Dark Wood Backgrounds

* The Best Free and Pay Music Websites for Video Editors

* Sweetheart Photographer of the Rodeo

* HOW Promotion Design Awards- Deadline: March 1st. (Photographer specific category)

* Blame Photoshop, Not Diabetes, for This Amputation

* How are UK's Largest Museums Investing in Photography?

* The Most Artistic City in America

* Photography and Trust

* Weegee Was His Name; Murder Was His Game

* How To: Light an Outdoor Scene with Classical Lighting

* Stereogranimator- historical stereographs into 3D web formats

* Upcoming Event in Atlanta: Photographer Zack Arias hosts a live critique night 2/18

* The Image, Deconstructed: Spotlight on Josh Trujillo (the Occupy Protest image)

Filter Frames

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A quick, easy, and creative way to reuse old lens filters is to turn them into mini photo frames! Simply trim your photo to fit inside one filter, and screw another one on top to protect your picture. You can use any size or type of filter, but the clearer the better.

You can use a small filter or a rear lens cap (shown) as a base. You can even glue a magnet to the back to stick on a refrigerator or other metal surface, or use industrial strength Velcro to attach to other surfaces.

This is a great way to reuse old filters that aren't being used anymore, or may even have scratches on the glass (best for using on the rear side of the frame). And the best part is, it doesn't even have to damage the filter which can be used again in the future for it's original purpose.

Don't have any old filters that you would want to use? Find some on keh.com (P.S.- Find variety stacks of uncleaned filters under "Odds and Ends" on the site).

- Kim Anchors

A Photographers Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A few great cards that are perfect for or from a photographer this Valentines Day (or any day)...

I Leica You (a lot) Card, from Green House Paper

Fun fact: The Leica in the photo was actually purchased from KEH!

I Love You More Than My Camera Paper-cut Greeting Card, from Storeyshop

Canon L Series Love You More Than Greeting Card, from Everlee Designs

(seller also has a Nikon version card available)

Film Heart 4x5 Card, from xoazuree

We Just Click Card, from dudeandchick

(yes, we've featured this card before but had to include it in this post also)

Or, find a cute vintage valentine... (they can often be found at local antique stores or online on sites like eBay).

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I (still) heart film pinback button badge, from artlife on Etsy

* A 35-Foot Long Film Camera with 6-ft. Negatives

* How To Crop to Fixed Ratio in Photoshop

* 5 Ways to Tame Your Compact Camera

* A Guide to Russian and Soviet/ Former Soviet Cameras

* Crowdfunding is not a cash cow + The Etiquette of Crowdfundunding: A Recipient's View

* The Danger of Comparing Yourself to Other Photographers

* The Disease that Affects 7 in 10 Photographers- And How To Cure It

* Big Prints From 4/3-Format Sensors: How Big Can You Go?

* Look At The Camera- A new Tumblr page posting images from movies from the moments when the actor looks directly at the camera

* The Invisible Mother

* Living in: Blow-up (the movie)

* Altered cabinet cards

* Photo strip hearts - A fun Valentines project

* Rant: I Love Photography

Roundups

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Updates and News:

* We now have a Career Opportunities section on the website where you can upload your resume to send to us if you want to work for KEH Camera and are located in the greater Atlanta area.

* Don't forget to take our 2012 Blog Reader Survey and enter our current giveaway!

* New International PayPal option on KEH.com- We are now accepting payments by PayPal from anywhere in the world! (Previously only from the U.S., UK and Canada)

Best Posts of January:
* Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Photo Gear
* Recent Markdowns and Deals
* Photo Equipment Quirks
* Scanning Film: Outsource or Do It Yourself?
* 5 Reasons You're Not Booking Photography Sessions

February Post Preview: Valentines for photographers, guest posts on being a camera operator for TV and being a forensic photographer, photo preservation, and lots more!

Annual Blog Reader Survey and Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

It's that time of year again... we're running our annual blog reader survey and celebrating our "blogiversary" with a giveaway! We want this blog to be posting the content that YOU are interested in reading about, so we put out a little survey every year to gather some information about what you like about it and what you don't. The survey is completely anonymous, most of the answers are multiple choice, and it should only take a few minutes of your time to complete.

As a thank you for your time and responses, we're also doing a corresponding giveaway...

The winner will receive:
* A 2TB External Hard Drive: Western Digital My Book Essential
* A copy of the new book Fearless Photographer: Film In The Digital Era
* And a 2012 KEH Photo Calendar

To enter:
Just complete the survey and then come back to this post and leave us a comment letting us know that you completed it. (If you don't want to enter the giveaway, we would still appreciate your survey responses).

For an extra entry, "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and leave a separate comment below letting us know that you did.

When leaving a comment below, if you do not have an account on one of the selected profiles, choose the "Name/URL" option and fill in your name (and website if you have one).

Rules:
Survey and giveaway run 1/30 through Sunday, February 12th.

A winner will be chosen at random and announced on the blog (as well as on Facebook) on Tuesday, 2/14. Winner must respond within one week to claim the prize. Winners will not be contacted directly unless an email address or website with a listed email address is left on their comment.

More info. about the prizes:

2TB External Hard Drive by Western Digital- This sleek external hard drive features a dual USB 3.0/2.0 interface for wide-ranging compatibility and fast transfer speeds. Automatic, continuous backup keeps your data safe. Provides ample storage space for your photos, music, movies, and other files. Comes with password protection and hardware encryption to secure your data. Compatible with PC with Mac computers. Portable, black, and software included. System Requirements- PC: Windows XP, Vista, 7; Mac: OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard.

Fearless Photographer: Film In The Digital Era- A photography reference book by Joseph Prezioso and Ingrid Nelson. Released 2012, 207 pages. Chapters on: Film cameras, why to choose film, camera maintenance, film stocks, the hybrid workflow, developing film, pushing film, movie films for still, prints, weddings on film, assignments, and resources.

2012 KEH Photography Calendar- 8.5x11" wall calendar. 15 different photographs.

Ready?

* Take Survey Here *

Thanks and good luck!

Photo Equipment Quirks

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Even though we always suggest getting a users manual with your newly acquired photographic gear, many people do not. This often leads to returns for items that are "broken", when really the item is in fine working order. Many cameras have quirks or tricks to them that you may only know about if someone shows you hands-on, or by reading the instruction book. While we still suggest getting an instruction book or users manual, here are a few of the top offenders for having photographic equipment quirks...

Pentax 6x7- If tripped without a battery, or with a dead battery, the mirror will hang up in mid travel. To reset, press the Safety Device Release Button (located below the left strap lug) with a pointed object, and press the shutter button for one blank exposure. Insert a new battery after the mirror has been reset.

Pentax 6x7 TTL Prism- The meter prism must be attached to the camera body before the lens is attached to ensure proper meter coupling. Motor will appear to be inoperative if not done in proper sequence.

Mamiya RZ- The dots around the shutter release button are for the following: Red = release lock, orange = manual/emergency 1/125^th sec., white = regular/on.

Mamiya M645- If this camera is fired without a battery and locks up, hit the battery check button to release the mirror.

Bronica- This camera likes silver oxide batteries best (rather than alkaline) for the most reliable functionality.

Lenses with push/pull focus ring- This lens has a push-pull focus selector. Simply push or pull the entire focus ring to switch between auto focus and manual focus. (For more info. on this topic, see "the locking collar" on this post)

Nikon (FM, FM2(N), FE, FE2)- The advance lever must be in the “stand out” position to expose the red dot on the top plate of the camera body in order to function. If using the camera with a motor drive however, the advance lever must be in “flush position” (against the camera body) to work correctly.

Leica R (R3 and up)- Leica R cameras (models R3 and up) require a 3 cam or 3^rd cam (R-only cam) lens for proper meter function. 1 or 2 cam lenses are for the standard and SL series cameras respectively, and will give inaccurate meter readings on the later R cameras. 3^rd cam (R only) will not mount on early (non-R) Leicaflexes.

Rollei S and T series cameras- The shutter must be cocked before collapsing the lens. Attempting to collapse the lens before cocking can cause damage.

Rollei Twin Lens Cameras (later models)- In order the activate the film counter and engage the camera, the film must be placed under the sensing roller (the silver roller at the bottom of the camera closest to the film spool) before being put into the take-up (empty) spool at the top.

Mamiya 6 and 7- To fire the camera you must advance the shutter, attach the lens, and then pull the textured button on the bottom of the camera down to open the curtain. In order to remove the lens from the body, you must first cock the shutter, then close the curtain by turning the crank on the bottom of the camera counter-clockwise. Then you can push the lens release button.

Fuji GS645- To close the camera, you must set the lens on infinity, advance the shutter, and then push the “closing” bar. (This is also true for many other folding cameras)

Pentax K2- To change the film speed, first set the exposure factor control dial at “1x”. While depressing the ASA ring lever, turn the ASA ring until the ASA number of your film is opposite the orange index mark.

Nikon AF 35mm Cameras- If you see an “FEE” error code flash on the camera's LCD screen, you must set the aperture ring all the way to the minimum aperture (the number on the aperture dial that is red or orange) in order for the camera to read the minimum aperture on the lens. (For more info. on this topic, read "The Top 2 Camera Error Codes")

Alpha Elk: Getting the Shot

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

My younger brother and I met up for a west coast road trip and along the way I planned a few hikes to get out, camp, and take photographs. One evening my brother and I were collecting wood for a bonfire in the forests of Northern California. Just before sparking a match to some kindling, I happened to look up to the view of 30 elk, mostly female. They were visibly nervous, and the only way for them to move up stream was past us. My brother and I tucked ourselves into the forest and allowed them to pass.

Elk are one of the largest deer species in the world. They are rivaled by moose and brown bear when considering the largest land mammal in North America. Males will test dominance with the violent act of antler wrestling. Dominant bulls usually follow groups of cows during the rut, but at the time of this encounter, we didn’t know that.

We exited the woods after the group had passed just in time to see the bull approach. With a snort and stomp from the alpha elk, we found ourselves back in the forest, camera in one brother’s hand, gun in the others.

I ended up taking many photos of the herd of elk, but only three shots of the alpha for fear of annoying it. The alpha appeared much more agitated by our company then the rest, so we were cautious to stay on its good side. Luckily, it was magic hour lighting and the sun was slightly diffused by a low cloud line. My post production was kept simple with a bit of added contrast and desaturation.

Contributor Bio: Brandon Hauser was born in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he received his first camera. This became his favorite hiking companion and eventually brought him to California to pursue an education in photography. After graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography, Brandon was offered a job in Alaska where he now resides. His work has become a part of the Juneau, AK city museum and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Southeast Alaska has pushed him and his photography to new heights and his love for the land becomes stronger every year as does the itch to never stop making photographs.

Website: www.BrandonHauser.com

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Contax IIa: A New Old Friend, by: 12th Street David. Submitted to the KEH Flickr group.

* Wide Angle Lenses and the Art of Inclusion

* Scanning Cross-Processed Film

* The Economist: Kodak vs. Fujifilm

* Cleaning the Internal Glass of an Epson Scanner

* Get Outta That Funk

* How to Keep Your Home Office Professional and Productive

* 2012- Success or Die Trying

* Artist or Thief?

* On marrying a photographer

* Sensitometry and the Plotter/Matcher

* The UI (user interface) Toolkit

* Sproket Holes: 135 Film in a 120 roll

* Return of the Staff Photographer

* Firecracker- online platform supporting European women photographers

* International Center of Photography has some great exhibitions right now- Magnum Contact Sheets and Weegee: Murder Is My Business

* Information about Kodak's Reorganization

Scanning Film: Outsource It or Do It Yourself?

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

You may have been in the situation where you had a photo shoot and your film is ready to be developed, but you don’t just want prints and negatives. You want to be able to edit your photos on your computer, share them online, and be able to print them on your inkjet printer whenever you want. For all of these things, you will need digital scans.

When it comes to scanning your film, you have a few options. Each has their own price point and set of pro’s and cons.

scanning at home with a flat bed scanner

For at-home scanning:

You can just have your negatives developed (by yourself or by a lab) and then scan them at home. You can use a flatbed scanner with a negative light (usually LED) that will allow you to scan strips of negatives in usually any size from 8mm to 8x10”. Most flatbed scanners have low dynamic range (the amount of shades of gray from white to black). The higher the dynamic range, the more information or detail your scanner will be able to pull out of the shadows in your negative. The other flaw of most flatbeds is sharpness. Negatives must be held flat for the image to be scanned sharply and most of the film holders that come with flatbeds are flimsy and won’t hold a negative perfectly flat. There are third party film holders you can purchase that will make this a little better however. Flatbeds are usually the most inexpensive way to scan your film. Tip: It will also be handy to have a dust blower on hand, as you'll want your flatbed as clean as can be. Any dust on the negative or glass will show up on your scans.

Pictured: Nikon Super COOLSCAN 5000 ED (35mm film & slide scanner)

Your next at-home option is to get a dedicated film scanner like a Nikon Coolscan (I recommend the Nikon Coolscan 4000- I love this scanner for 35mm), a Minolta Dimage, or an Imacon. These scanners are your best option for high quality at-home scans. These machines are set up for film-only and not for documents or prints like a flatbed is. Some film scanners just scan 35mm, but the higher-end models can also scan medium format (and sometimes large format) film sizes. Dedicated film scanners can scan entire rolls of film, a single slide, or a film strip. The better models include digital ICE to remove any dust and even multi-pass scans. In multi-pass scans, the negative is scanned several times, each time for a different highlight or shadow level so that you get a file that has all of the highlight and shadow detail in it. This feature increases scan time but creates the best scans. Depending on your DPI setting and multi-pass setting, a roll can be scanned anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour (multi-pass increases the scan time greatly).

At-home scanning takes time and effort. You will have to color correct and watch out for dust. If you are only shooting a few rolls of film here and there, or just want the ability to scan right away when you develop your rolls, then this option is great. If you're shooting a lot of work on film where a good chunk of it needs to be scanned in (such as a wedding photographer) however, then I would recommend considering outsourcing your scanning to a lab, or even have the lab develop and scan your film at the same time. If you are like me and have over 30 rolls a job to develop and scan, then this is a great time saver.

scanning process options, computer screen

For photo lab scans:

Having your lab scan your film is definitely time saving, but more costly than doing it yourself. With labs, you don’t have as many options as you would with doing it yourself, but you do still have options.

Most labs scan on one of two kinds of commercial scanners, a Fuji Frontier or a Noritsu. Both scanners are awesome but both have different ways of reading color and rendering sharpness. Some photographers prefer the Fuji for color and the Noritsu for black and white. Your best bet if you're planning on outsourcing a lot of scanning it is to send the same roll of film to a few different labs and then compare the results before you choose which lab as your go-to lab.

scanning at a pro photo lab

I have found that the machine the lab uses is not as important as the person doing the scanning however. The lab employe that is doing the scanning has more control over how your image will look then anyone else. A good lab will talk to you about how you want your film to be scanned, how much contrast you like, your color tone, etc. For example, do you want your images to look cool or warm? These are options a good lab will offer you.

Watch for labs that don’t color correct or watch for dust on your film. The scans you get back should be clean and free of dust. One dot of dust here and there is fine, but if you are getting dust all over your scans, find a new lab. The scans you get back should be good enough to blog or print. (This is of course when we are talking about professional photographic labs and not the scans you can get at your local drug store photo lab.) Having a good lab do your work will create a relationship and consistent end product for you and your clients.

Most labs offer two different sizes of film scans- 6 megapixels and 11 megapixels. Average cost at a good lab for the 6 megapixel range is $15 for a develop and scan at the same time. An 11 megapixel scan will cost more since it takes the lab’s machine longer to render the images.

Labs I personally recommend: Richard Photo Lab, North Coast Photo Lab, and The Finer Image Photo Lab (I use all three of these labs and get great work from them).

While labs may cost you more out of pocket, it can save you time and energy. And on the flip side, if you like to experiment with your film or have complete control, then purchasing your own scanner and doing it yourself is a great option. Which ever way you decide to go, the scanning features that you need to especially pay attention to (or ask about) are the scan size (file size), dynamic range (image shadow detail), and digital ICE (dust detection and removal).

* Find scanners for at-home scanning on KEH.com: Nikon Scanners and Minolta Scanners

* Click here for more places to buy and develop film

Contributor Bio: Joseph Prezioso is a professional photographer who has been shooting for over twelve years and went from shooting film, to 100% digital, and then back to film again. He says, "By trade I am a wedding photographer, I shoot over 30 weddings a year and this year they were all on film. My career started as a newspaper photographer though. I was 16 and like Jimmy Olsen. I learned on the streets shooting next to veteran photographers for the AP and Boston Globe (I worked for some weeklies but I got to cover a lot of cool events that the big news guys covered too!). Film is something I have fallen in love with, its the medium I learned on. Film will always be something special to me. It feels more versatile and creative in my hands then when I am using digital."

Prezioso's most recent book Fearless Photographer: Film in the Digital Era was released earlier this month. Check it out and stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway to win a copy!

Recent Markdowns and Deals

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I know how much everyone loves deals, so we've compiled a little list of some of the items we have recently marked down and are available at great deals!

PHOTOBOT Zero Click Photo Correction Software: $1.49 (New)

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Digital Point and Shoot (12.1 m/p), Black, Gold, or Red: $133- $139

Leica X1 Digital Point and Shoot (12.2 m/p): $1,539- $1,599

Sunpak Pro 423PX Tripod with 3-Way Head: $99 (New)

Benro MP-63M8 Monopod: $29 (New)

Sunpak PZ 4000 AF Shoe Mount Flash (for Nikon): $21- $44.95
[+ PZ 5000 (for Nikon): $59.95 (New)]

Nikon SC17 TTL Cord: $16- $33

Tamron Adaptall 28-200 F3.8-5.6 Lens (35mm Manual focus): $69 (New)

[Requires adaptall mount]

Tamron Adaptall 70-210 F4-5.6 Macro Lens (35mm Manual focus): $17.95 (New)
[Requires adaptall mount]

Photos of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Rafael, by: Lance King

Untitled, by: Girish Sharma

Faces of Van, by: rob704

Unedited beauty, by: xazzz

At the end of my rope, by: Lori C.

The Perfect Tree, by: dsfdawg

Tree, by: Nora Vrublevska

Around Kendall, by: Dan Squires

Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Window Large Format Photo Shoot, by: Shawn Hoke

Analog, by: abe.o

Urban renewal, by: Chris/ sprite_pixie

Just a Day..., by: Lindsey/ snaperture

Pine Flat Peace, by: Sequoia Creative

Peeking/ Asomandose, by: Eduardo Romero

Mists of Avalon, by: John Cothron

* All photos submitted to the KEH Camera Flickr Group.

Links this week

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Sekonic L-308B, by: Herb G. (via the KEH Flickr group)

* Understanding How Soft Boxes Work

* The Importance of Showing clients What You Want to Sell

* The Worst Way To Start Your Presentations

* A Visual Lesson in Marketing to the Right Audience

* Before and After: A Photo Studio Makeover

* Fog: An Element of Intrigue

* A Quick-Start Guide to Teaching Yourself Creative Software

* Two Takes: One Picture, Two Photographers

* Developing The Concept Portrait

* Turn Your Photos Into Glass Etchings

* The Creativity Cycle + 10 Ways to Break Out of a Creative Slump

* Nine Factors to Consider When Determining Your Price

* Bit Depth Explained In-Depth

* The New Revolution In Beauty: Fotoshop by Adobé (funny video)

* Quick Tip: Understanding 'Flash Falloff'

* And because it's SOPA and PIPA internet blackout day, and because you obviously like getting your links to other great things on the internet, and because there's a chance we would have to stop providing them for you... Google's "take action" notice, Wikipedia goes dark, The Oatmeal explains it in humorous terms, AND Flickr lets your "darken your photos" today.

Identifying Wood Types for Large Format Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

One of the unique features of some large format cameras is that they are beautifully crafted out of a variety of woods. For someone who isn't very familiar with the different types, this guide will help you in identifying the different wood options. (Keep in mind that colors, shades/tints, and wood grain can all vary within one wood type, but this is a pretty good general representation of the woods.)

Cherry: A slightly yellowish wood, sometimes with pink tones. Color becomes darkened by sun or time. Used in both 4x5 Wista Field and Zone VI Classic cameras.

Mahogany: A reddish brown. Used in Zone VI Classic cameras.

Rosewood: A rich reddish brown. Often confused with Mahogany but will have black or white rings in the wood grain. Usually richer, redder, and darker than most mahogany samples. Used in 4x5 Wista Filed cameras.

Walnut: A traditional brown. Used in Zone VI Classic cameras.

Ebony: A darker brown, often smoky or blackish. Used in 4x5 Zone VI cameras.

---

5 Reasons You're Not Booking Photography Sessions

noreply@blogger.com (KEH Camera) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

If your calendar is looking bare and your phone is mysteriously silent, there may be more than just the slow economy to blame. It may be time to take a hard look at your business to see what needs to change to get paying customers walking through the door. Here are some of the roadblocks that we have personally run into with our business or that I've seen other photographers hit in the past.

copyright Erik Reis/ iStockphoto

Who's That?
If you've just started your photography business and you're expecting a rush of anxious customers at your ribbon cutting ceremony, you're probably going to be disappointed. The steady stream of customers will instead likely start off looking like a slow drip. In the beginning, people don't know you're there and don't recognize that you do quality work so why would they book you? Even veteran photographers face this challenge when they move their studio to another city. Either way, you've got to establish a solid customer base as fast as you can.

Quality To Price Mismatch
We probably all dream of clients who spend like price doesn't matter. That's more fairytale than reality though. Clients do care about how much they spend. Even the higher end clients who have the money to spend are not going to just hand it over to you if your images are not up to par with their expectations. I can't tell you how many times I've heard veteran photographers tell a group of start-up photographers that they should set their prices wherever they want to and just look for the clients that will pay them the price they randomly decided on. If you had a couple thousand dollars to spend on portraits, would you choose the kid next door or the one who has mastered his craft across town? I'd choose the master, and I think you would too. Try to price appropriately for your skill level, and you'll have a much better chance booking clients.

Bad Reputation
Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster. That principle holds true for what people are saying about your business. While you may do a hundred things right when dealing with a customer, the one thing you do wrong will be the first mention your business gets when your customer starts talking to friends. Your reputation is even more on-display now than ever before with Google reviews, Yelp, Facebook, and other websites built to collect customer reviews. If your customers are complaining about the same issue frequently, it's probably a process that needs fixed. If you're consistently delivering albums 6 months late, either farm them out or start staying up late to get them done. Apologize where you've let a customer down, and work toward re-building your good reputation.

Weak Portfolio
Having a great portfolio is about more than just collecting your best "wow" images. Having 100 amazing close-ups of flowers isn't going to impress a client wanting you to take portraits of their family. Not only does a strong portfolio need good images, it needs the type of images that you're wanting people to pay for. I'm pretty sure you're not going to get your next paid gig shooting a field of flowers. If your flower images look better than your wedding images, put some serious time, energy, and money into developing the skills you need to take better wedding images.

Broken Booking Process
The booking process should be a no-brainer. If a client is ready to book a session, you've done your job and it's time to collect on all your hard work. There are times when this step can break up the entire deal though. Did you forget to include a phone number or email on the website? You'd be surprised how many times I come across photographers' websites that literally have no way to contact the photographer. There are more subtle ways the booking process could be broken too. I've seen cases where a customer is faced with having to fill out a complicated contact us form and decides to skip all the effort. If you're taking days to respond to voicemails or emails, customers often move on to find someone else. We've even forgotten to record an "on vacation" voicemail greeting and lost frustrated customers.

Change Is Good
If you see yourself in one of the scenarios I just described, fix it now! If you're not sure what your problem is, you may need to do a little research. Ask your friends. Ask previous customers. Change things up, and try something new in your business. Bottom line: stop blaming and start fixing!

Contributor Bio:
TJ and Larissa are passionate about the business of photography, and they have recently made it their goal to be named one of the top 10 wedding photographer teams in the world. They are located in Southern Illinois. Read their other guest post 5 Ways Photographers Are Wasting Money On Marketing.

Website: http://www.larissaphotography.com/
+ Their photography education blog: http://www.larissaphotography.com/blog/