Weekly Photography Tips

Something new in rechargeable batteries...

2009-11-09T13:29:00.004-05:00

It was after watching the "Strobist Lighting Seminar" DVD's that I made the jump to rechargeable batteries for my flashes. Why, because only an idiot would listen to advice from David Hobby and then ignore it. If I had to pick one thing I have not liked since making the move to rechargeables (and there only is one thing) it would be the fact they they drain rather quickly (and completely) when doing nothing other than sitting in your bag. Since reading a couple of reviews this past week I am...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Today is a big day...

2009-11-07T07:55:00.002-05:00

It is my wife's birthday today, one of those "milestone" birthdays. Won't say which one because that would not be considered "good manners", but I can say that she was 49 yesterday. ;) In our house birthdays are considered sacred, if it's "your day", about the only thing you do for yourself is bathe. And by no means is it drudgery, it's fun for everyone, even those who are doing the serving - I think because you get to act like the person you wish you were everyday. Despite the fact that...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Ladies and gentlemen... Kirk Voclain...

2009-11-06T06:51:00.011-05:00

When it comes to senior photography (or any other field of photography) there are some photographers who are at the top of the food chain, Kirk Voclain is sitting at the big table. There are several ways to measure success, not the least of which is your average sales per session, for Kirk it is just over $2,000 per senior. Now if he were based in Hollywood $2,000 would not be all that impressive but he's not, his studio is in Houma Louisiana, a town of just over 30,000 people (it is neither...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Learning from others...

2009-11-05T06:36:00.007-05:00

If you are interested in senior portraiture, either improving what you are already doing or adding it as an option in your studio, chances are pretty good that there is another photographer out their that you can learn from. Laura Daniels is one such person. Her website, Senior17, is crisp, clean, and extremely easy to navigate. It contains great senior portraits, instructional information / FAQ's for her seniors on hair, clothing, and makeup that serves two purposes - it will keep her from...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Man am I tired...

2009-11-04T07:57:00.002-05:00

It is very unusual for me not to post for consecutive days... and I missed you guys! ;) A friend of mine has a small internet company and late Sunday night his mail server crashed so I spent 36 hours (from late Sunday night to Tuesday morning) building a new server, restoring backups, blah, blah, blah. Bet you didn't know in my previous life I was a geek (pocket protector and all). Of course the process was regularly interrupted with phone calls from ill mannered people with self important...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

2009-10-30T05:53:00.006-04:00

The newly released "Learn & Explore" iPhone/Touch app from Nikon gives you access to information that was previously only available on the Nikon USA website. You can read an article on getting the most from travel photography while you’re on vacation, adjusting depth of field or selecting the right shutter speed when taking photos at a sporting event, or advice on the right aperture for indoor photography. Photography information at your fingertips and on the go. In addition to articles...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Senior portrait resources from RangeFinder...

2009-10-29T08:13:00.005-04:00

Get ready for some serious reading. Below is a list of articles from nationally recognized photographers that specialize in senior portraiture Each article is a printable PDF and when selected will open in a new window. Kurt Brewer - Kurt Brewer Has a Way With Seniors Dan Brouillette - From Science to Senior Portraits Beth Forester - Tattoo Your Seniors Beth Forester - What's the Buzz all About? Chris Nelson - Location, Location, Location—Redefined! Cabel Noteboom - Back to Nature John...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Back in the saddle...

2009-10-28T07:25:00.002-04:00

I was hoping to post more while at the "Studio Success, from K to V" seminar held in beautiful Sugarbush Vermont, but days were long and the information was abundant (over filling my head). You can expect several posts about the seminar, the things I learned, and the goodies I brought home from it in the near future. Tomorrow I will get back to the topic of senior portraits. See ya then.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Give Lightroom 3 a free try...

2009-10-26T08:02:00.003-04:00

Adobe has announced the public beta of Photoshop Lightroom 3. You can check out several videos on what's new here, NAPP has already put together a Lightroom 3 Learning Center, and check out what Terry White has to say in his "first look". Well, it's off to day one of my workshop in Vermont, I'll post a run down of the days activities this evening. I hope you have a great day.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Something you will want to watch...

2009-10-23T06:53:00.004-04:00

I'm interrupting our series on senior photography to share this 3 minute movie with you. As usual, subscribers will need to return to the blog to view this as videos are not pushed through. Turn on your speakers and hit play...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Senior Portrait Artists DVD Review...

2009-10-22T07:57:00.005-04:00

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the 3 DVD set from the Senior Portrait Artists 2009 convention and it has transformed my thinking (and practice) about senior portraiture. There is no doubt moving forward my senior business will be done differently (and better). Translation = more bookings + more print sales = more revenue. The added bonus is that many of the marketing ideas and practices will improve my overall photography business. "SPA at the Rock 2009" is three DVD's packed with 4...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Reader question on Senior Portraits...

2009-10-20T09:10:00.019-04:00

A reader asked for details regarding the images I used in yesterdays post. So let me give you some general rules I use for all of my senior shoots. Keep in mind there are two types of senior shots, the image they will use for their yearbook, and the image that the parents will hang on the wall of their house, the latter being a much more "staged" artistic photograph. So the details I am about to share are for the those that are intended for the yearbook. 1. I have never had a senior as...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Senior Photography...

2009-10-19T08:31:00.005-04:00

This week we are going to focus on senior photography, I will share some of my work from this "senior season" but more importantly I will share with you some really informative and useful resources that are specific to shooting seniors, but can be applied to any type of photography. These images are of Andrew, the first set are your "standard" senior shots, in the second set the sun had almost completely set and I asked Andrew if he felt like "having some fun", we broke out the flashes,...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

One week from today...

2009-10-18T08:17:00.004-04:00

Next week on this very day I will be hitting the road for Warren Vermont to attend the workshop "Studio Success, from K to V". It is 2 (full) days of Kevin Kubota and Vicki & Jed Taufer teaching, branding, positioning, creating a buzz for your studio, photography techniques for weddings and portraits, live photo shoots: portraits with Vicki, Weddings with Kevin, selling without selling, and promotions that really work. I have long been a fan of Kevin Kubota and just saw the Taufers at...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Maximizing your photography sales...

2009-10-16T08:12:00.012-04:00

I was thinking of labeling this post with a really outrageous title like "Sex, Sex, Sex!" because I wanted to make sure that every photographer who sells (or hopes to sell) prints to their clients reads this post. "How to Sell" from Joyce Smith will help you do it (the sell part, not the sex part). But before I tell you what the guide contains, let me tell you how it made me feel. It starts out with a story fraught with obstacles and hint of desperation. Joyce had just moved from New York...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

It's horn tootin' time...

2009-10-15T07:22:00.001-04:00

Guess who was number one on OnlineClasses.org list of "100 Best Blogs for Photography Students"? Nope, wasn't Weekly Photo Tips.... but we were number twenty five! Thank you to Online Classes for listing us, and thanks to our readers for making Weekly Photo Tips what it is. The only problem, if my mother reads this post I will be getting a cuff in the back of the head for "tooting my own horn".

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Our R-Strap YouTube Video...

2009-10-14T07:20:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks back we reviewed the R-Strap from BlackRapid and have produced a YouTube video addressing a concern we read on the forums that (just) a few people had about connecting a camera strap to the tripod mount of their camera. This video addresses that concern. If you are a subscriber to Weekly Photo Tips the video does not get "pushed" through to you, so you will need to come back to the blog, or check us out on YouTube to watch the video.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Maternity Portraiture...

2009-10-13T05:54:00.004-04:00

Here are a few shots from a session this past weekend. The two images above were taken with window light only, and not bright/direct sunlight, but a northwest facing window. Below are three shots taken with a (my) standard three light setup (SB-800's fired by Pocket Wizards). Click on any image to view larger and in a new window.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

A great shooting opportunity this weekend...

2009-10-12T07:48:00.003-04:00

If you live here in the northeast you may want to consider spending this coming Saturday (October 17th) in Keene New Hampshire. Saturday is the annual Keene Pumpkin Festival, where they have been setting world records since 1992 for the most carved pumpkins lit at one time. Bring a pumpkin, bring your camera, but most importantly, bring your inner child.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Healthcare in America...

2009-10-11T07:47:00.007-04:00

Another weekend, another off topic blog entry. But my fear is I am about to commit blogging suicide by touching the "third rail" of politics, but the importance is bigger, much bigger than me. If I could ask one thing of my readers, it would be to take the five minutes and watch this video. Should you be moved by it, share it with your friends, if not email me and tell me I suck. Thank you. The entire show "Profits Before Patients" is about 45 minutes long and can be viewed by following...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Stand by me… part II...

2009-10-10T06:41:00.002-04:00

I had no intention of posting this weekend, holiday weekend, scheduled shoots, blah, blah, blah... Made my coffee, sat down at 5:30am to check email, but just one came through (which kinda surprised me, I usually get more, not because I'm popular but the spammers do love me). I won't betray their confidence with the details, but it was a thank you note, explaining that a post I had made six months ago had helped them through a extremely difficult time. Driving home the point that we never...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Doing business AND doing good...

2009-10-09T06:27:00.004-04:00

It's one thing to wear something pink in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer (much like the NFL players did this past weekend wearing pink cleats, gloves, and wrist bands), but it's a "whole 'nother thing" to reach into your pocket and pull out hard earned cash in support of a cure. CoffeCup software is doing that and more, they are raising awareness of the fight against breast cancer, they are donating money to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, AND they are putting a little bit...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Finding & photographing fall foliage...

2009-10-08T08:07:00.006-04:00

If you are interested in photographing (or just taking a nice ride to view) fall foliage, we have put together a bunch of links that will help you in that endeavor. First, the links on shooting fall foliage: 1. Here are tips and answers to questions about shooring foliage from About.com 2. Quick Tips on photographing fall foliage from Canon 3. The state of Vermont has put together a page on fall foliage shooting tips 4. You can learn what Filters will enhance your Nature Photography...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Google releases Picasa 3.5...

2009-10-07T06:55:00.001-04:00

Picasa 3.5 is not your parents photo album, it now has name tags (which performs more like facial recognition), you can perform geo-tagging with Google Maps, they have an improved import room, and much, much more. As if facial detection/recognition wasn't enough, after you've tagged an image with a name it will search your Google contacts and match the two together. You can download Picasa 3.5 here, find out what's new in Picasa 3.5 here and get help with Picasa and Picasa Web Albums Help...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Ten Photography Tips from Rick Sammon...

2009-10-06T07:17:00.001-04:00

Here is a quick 5 minute video from Rick Sammon giving us 10 general "rules" to think about when we head out to shoot on location. You can see other videos from Rick here. And you can get more of Rick at his website and at his blog.

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]