One of the more mundane aspects of giving a photographic workshop is scheduling what days it’ll be given. Usually several considerations, both logistical and artistic play into the decision, and the workshop I’m currently giving in the Bandon, Oregon area is no exception.
Most of the posts here so far have been done as articles, in other words one sided lectures as opposed to discussions. I’d like this to be more of an open ended discussion, please share your experiences and ideas for making social networking work. (more…)
(This is the first of a series of posts I’ll be making from the road during a workshop I’m giving along the Southern Oregon coast. It’s my hope that this series will be of interest both to photographers looking to take workshops in the future, as well as photographers giving workshops.)
For me, one of the most important parts of giving a photo workshop is the scouting, spending (depending on the workshop) one or more days scouting. (more…)
Photography from the clients’ point of view.
by Jen Buchanan, Design Partner of Buchanan Studios, Inc.
I’m not a photographer, but I do work with them. I’m a Graphic Designer and I occasionally get the chance to hire photographers. It doesn’t happen very often, usually due to budgets. In my time as a designer I’ve learned several things about creative professionals and how they work. I’ve got a few tips for photographers on how to make the whole process run more smoothly and help ensure repeat business. True, I’ve dealt mostly with commercial photographers, but I think these tips will work for most anyone. (more…)
I’ve just returned from Kerala, India where I’ve been leading a 2 weeks photo-expedition, and I’m already suffering from acute withdrawal symptoms. No matter how many times I travel to photograph in South and South-East Asia, I still feel such symptoms when I return home, and I realize that the intensity of my photography, whether during festivals and rituals or just plain-vanilla street photography, is drug-like. (more…)
Well a sleepless night, coupled with a pounding headache (due to the altitude adjustment) had me worried that my first full day of the workshop would be a tough one, I was wrong. Luckily the course was structured in such a way that we spent our first day in studio, which was fine with me. Joe gave a lighting demonstration that solidified my opinion of why he is a lighting master.
I’ll admit that “truth in advertising” is a bit of a contradiction in terms. But one of the great advantages, as well as responsiblities, of photography is that most people view photos as representations of reality. Or at least they do on a subconscious level. Those of us in the industry, and certainly anyone who’s spent 7 hours making a shrimp cocktail look just right, know that reality is flexible. Deciding how flexible is where you can get into trouble. (more…)
If you’re new to the wedding game you’ll soon discover that there is someone in charge at every wedding. You may think you know who that person is, they signed a contract, they paid you money, they are picking out the products… but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are in charge. No, the person that you’re working for is, to quote the movie “Swingers” the guy, behind the guy, behind the guy. 99% of the time it’s the mother of the bride. (more…)
If anybody asks you what you do, and you say, “I’m a salesman” (or saleswoman) – is there a teeny, tiny bit of shame, embarrassment, or even shyness that creeps into your voice?
I know that a lot of people have very negative attitudes about selling. The fact of the matter is, nobody gets paid until something gets sold. So, if you’re addicted to getting paid, somebody has to get good at selling. (more…)
Last year, my boss tells me that there is money in the budget for training, would I be interested in taking advantage of it? Let’s see, it took about 1/1000 of a second for me to answer – YES! So I immediately logged onto the Santa Fe Workshop web site to see when the next Joe McNally class was being held, the last week of February, perfect, I found my training! I’d like to start off by saying, it’s amazing that you can shoot professionally for almost thirty years and think you know it all, (more…)