1. Identify your ‘Fans’ and create ‘Evangelists’.
Do you have anyone who is a super fan, those who love your work? Make a list of them. And then figure out how you can make them true evangelists for your photography. How can we turn fans into ‘raving fans’? Find out what they like about your work. Note what you can do to make more raving fans instead of ex-clients. It is so much easier to keep a client than to get a new one.2. Take 5 of your images and do a critique of them.
Do it online if you want to be really brave. And remember that a critique is not simply what is wrong, it is also what is right. Do a thorough investigation of each of the images. What makes them work? What are their flaws? What could you have done to make it better if you had to do it again. Don’t do this in your head… write it down. In the process of writing or typing it becomes more important in your mind.
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Lighting Essentials - a Place for Photographers. Learn Lighting, Photography, Fashion and Editorial Portraiture on Location and In Studio. Portable Strobes, Studio Flash and Natural Light Photography
Lighting Essentials - a Place for Photographers. Learn Lighting, Photography, Fashion and Editorial Portraiture on Location and In Studio. Portable Strobes, Studio Flash and Natural Light Photography
1. Identify your ‘Fans’ and create ‘Evangelists’.
Do you have anyone who is a super fan, those who love your work? Make a list of them. And then figure out how you can make them true evangelists for your photography. How can we turn fans into ‘raving fans’? Find out what they like about your work. Note what you can do to make more raving fans instead of ex-clients. It is so much easier to keep a client than to get a new one.2. Take 5 of your images and do a critique of them.
Do it online if you want to be really brave. And remember that a critique is not simply what is wrong, it is also what is right. Do a thorough investigation of each of the images. What makes them work? What are their flaws? What could you have done to make it better if you had to do it again. Don’t do this in your head… write it down. In the process of writing or typing it becomes more important in your mind.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Portrait from Chicago Workshop
I used a shower curtain to camera right and a fill reflector to camera right. Shower curtain was lit with a speedlight, and there is a speedlight behind her aiming at the wall about 18" from the wall.
This one with the damn picture... sheesh.Don Giannatti: Designer / Photographer / Writer
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
PDNPulse: Another Big Get For Demotix: Henry Louis Gates Arrest Photo
So it isn't microstock. And it isn't a photoservice. More like a gateway between citizen journalists and the MSM? This is really interesting.
Forget the comments. Those folks are far too friggin' stupid to be believed.
Demotix is here.
PDNPulse: Another Big Get For Demotix: Henry Louis Gates Arrest Photo:Check out the Update there. Photographer has earned $2K so far.
"We were skeptical when Demotix launched last December. Trying to profit from citizen journalism seemed like a lost cause. Most amateur shooters lucky enough to get a hot news photo were more interested in sharing it as broadly as possible than licensing it, and turned to services like Flickr and Twitpic. Getty Images' citizen photojournalism service Scoopt shut down two months after Demotix launched."
Forget the comments. Those folks are far too friggin' stupid to be believed.
Demotix is here.
LE Pick of the Day: 7:30:09
Gregory Heisler
http://www.gregoryheisler.com/
I have been such a fan of Greg's work for years. His miner shots were one of the most memorable set of images I have ever seen.
Take a look at Heisler's work and see how he creates more than a portrait, more than a picture. From lighting to composition, Heisler's images are sublime.
Don Giannatti: Designer / Photographer / Writer
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Polaroid Photographers Plead Their Case - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
Heh... NYT doesn't want me to blog this, but I think it is pretty cool.
Polaroid Photographers Plead Their Case - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
Pick of the Day: 7:29:09
Thomas Spiessens
http://www.opcd.net/
Fresh and fun.
This capture I would love to hang on my wall.Visit his site and see some great stuff.
Don Giannatti: Designer / Photographer / Writer
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Lots of people talking about MicroStock these days...
... and some are thinking that MS and its payout of pennies and dollars will somehow play itself into some kind of income, I offer this. Selling your own work to buyers is the best way go. Back to one-to-one marketing.
NOTE:
In the comments there are red-herring cautions about 'spending hours a day on SEO". Sorry. That is a red herring for sure. It doesn't take hours a day to do it. Takes minutes, if that, An hour a week would be fine for a photographer. To create a giant monster (SEO) in one's mind, then run from it as a potential problem is definitely not going to help anyone.
NOTE:
In the comments there are red-herring cautions about 'spending hours a day on SEO". Sorry. That is a red herring for sure. It doesn't take hours a day to do it. Takes minutes, if that, An hour a week would be fine for a photographer. To create a giant monster (SEO) in one's mind, then run from it as a potential problem is definitely not going to help anyone.
A Photo Editor - Selling Stock Independently:
"The big hurdle of course is figuring out how to get your material in front of buyers if you’re not 3 of the most famous wildlife photographers in the world. PS has a Q&A with photographer Randy Santos, who now makes a living independently licensing his images as stock (here). He uses SEO and direct marketing to reach potential buyers. Here’s his tips from the piece on how to sell stock independently:"
Monday, July 27, 2009
A Photoshop Tutorial on Creating an Antique Look for Digital Images
I have a full tutorial at the LE site on how to create an Antique Look for your images.
There are many ways to do it. This way is mine. Every layer can be tweaked for additional changes to the final image.
http://www.lighting-essentials.com/create-an-antique-camera-look-for-your-images-photoshop-tutorial/
I hope you enjoy the Tutorial.
Image was taken in Mexico last April during an LE workshop.
Don Giannatti: Designer / Photographer / Writer
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
Pic of the Day
http://www.kallegustafsson.com/
This is very fresh work. The lighting runs from subtle to strong, but the vision is organized and exciting.
This shot has so many great things in it. The reflection on the glass, the gestures of the models, the natural feel of the light as it plays on hair and faces.
Each girl seems to be in her own world, and yet they are totally in sync with each other.
Nicely done.
Lighting Essentials is a place to learn photography and lighting.
We choose an image each day for fun.
Don Giannatti: Designer / Photographer / Writer
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
www.dongiannatti.com / www.lighting-essentials.com / www.learntolight.com / 602 434 1765
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
New Lighting Setup on Lighting-Essentials
I have just finished putting up the newest Lighting tutorial page at Lighting-Essentials. It is a glamour post using one light sources - one soft and one hard.
There is also information on using a speedlight instead of 'pro' strobe units and this lighting lends itself very well to that kind of shot. Check it out and please let me know what you think.
Cheers
There is also information on using a speedlight instead of 'pro' strobe units and this lighting lends itself very well to that kind of shot. Check it out and please let me know what you think.
Cheers
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Sunday Workshop: Fun with Lighting!
Workshop Notes:
(There is more information at www.dongiannatti.com/workshops)
Important Note: all images on this post were taken by attendees at the workshop.
Sunday's workshop was a lot of fun, and I finally recuperated last night just before 24 came on. Workshops are always exciting, and talking, waiving my arms around, working with multiple photographers, and creating lighting situations over and over again can really take its toll. (NOTE to self; drink some water while you are teaching. Man, I get really dehydrated.)
We started with the basics of lighting but quickly discovered that this group had a strong understanding of the fundamentals, so we moved to more advanced techniques. From softbox to umbrella to modified hard light, we looked at the uses of each, and how to finesse the light instead of just having light.
Our first models of the day were Michaila and Victoria. We alternated headshot lighting with the girls, and the attendees wanted to work with the simple tools and leave the big studio strobes packed. That is fine with me, as I am using the smaller stuff more and more these days. Last week I did a ob with two small hot lights. I love the simplicity of hot light - easy and fast to deploy.
First shoot was Victoria with a single umbrella and a hot light (Lowell). We covered custom white balance, correct exposure and basic posing techniques. We also worked with placing the umbrella at optimum positions and working with the fill cards to produce the best, most flattering lighting. I really like using hot lights to show how the umbrellas can flatter the face, as well as showing how important placement can be. A few inches up or down can make a big difference.
Michaila was used for a demonstration on how to use a couple of fill cards and two Home Depot lights to make a gorgeous beauty shot. This is one of the techniques that is covered on my DVD, and we wanted to show them how fast and simply the lighting can be created.
Next up was creating a double headshot with a single umbrella, fill cards and secondary light on background. We used a Canon 550 for the main umbrella and a Canon 430 for the background. Placing a stand or tripod in front of the backlight gave a shadow shape on the background. Careful placement of the main light gave us very flattering light.
We took Victoria outside for a setup of single umbrella flash in the shade. Victoria was cold, but she did a great job and worked hard for the guys. Using an umbrella with small strobe can give a very flattering light for outside portraiture, and if you control the ratio of the strobe to the ambient, you can create a sense of drama.
As the morning was winding its way toward lunch, we decided to take Michaila outside for a simple technique I call "Instant Studio." It is a technique I used a lot when shooting editorial fashion in Chicago and LA. Simple and fast, I have always used this when I have little time to do a lot of images, and the client wants a natural look to the lighting. We looked at the difference between a gold and a white fill board, and I added a mirror for a variation. Take great care that the model does not get blasted in the face with the mirror light. It can be very dangerous.
Lunch: discussions and some great insights from Scott Condray of Visualville. Scott usually comes down to the workshops to meet the students and talk about stock photography, computers and photoshop techniques.
After lunch Christina came in and we packed up and headed downtown (10 minutes away). Downtown on a Sunday is usually quite empty, and even though there was a game going on, we still had the streets pretty much to ourselves.
Location lighting we covered was: natural fill, backlight, filtering sunlight through a small scrim, small strobe headshot, full sun and using shadow/light for defining the model. Finding a location like this block in downtown is fantastic. There are so many places to shoot, so many ways of using light, and so many colors and textures there that it is a photographers dream.
Christina brought a couple of outfits so the photographers got to experience how the models wardrobe can lend itself to the location, and how to use contrast in the location to enhance the model or clothes. One of her selections was a mini dress that she had purchased in Hawaii over the Christmas break. It was 40 degrees in the shade. Christina never complains, she just gets in there and does the job. When we took her out of the shade she had goosebumps on her goosebumps. What a trooper.
We headed back to the studio to look at some of the captures and work with them in Photoshop. Careful attention to exposure and color meant that the images were pretty solid right off the cards. We used some actions (included in the workshop CD) to modify the images and show how post processing can add even more interest to the images.
We packed out around 5:45, exhausted but excited. Thanks to all the attendees, Victoria, Michaila and Christina for being there and working so hard. Thanks to my buddy David who came down and took some stills of us working and also for helping out whenever he can. Thanks, Scott, for being a great friend and for bringing some wonderful stories and insights to the workshop.
There is a little video over at my site. It is a quick, fun glimpse into the workshop location shoot.
(There is more information at www.dongiannatti.com/workshops)
Important Note: all images on this post were taken by attendees at the workshop.
Sunday's workshop was a lot of fun, and I finally recuperated last night just before 24 came on. Workshops are always exciting, and talking, waiving my arms around, working with multiple photographers, and creating lighting situations over and over again can really take its toll. (NOTE to self; drink some water while you are teaching. Man, I get really dehydrated.)
We started with the basics of lighting but quickly discovered that this group had a strong understanding of the fundamentals, so we moved to more advanced techniques. From softbox to umbrella to modified hard light, we looked at the uses of each, and how to finesse the light instead of just having light.Our first models of the day were Michaila and Victoria. We alternated headshot lighting with the girls, and the attendees wanted to work with the simple tools and leave the big studio strobes packed. That is fine with me, as I am using the smaller stuff more and more these days. Last week I did a ob with two small hot lights. I love the simplicity of hot light - easy and fast to deploy.
First shoot was Victoria with a single umbrella and a hot light (Lowell). We covered custom white balance, correct exposure and basic posing techniques. We also worked with placing the umbrella at optimum positions and working with the fill cards to produce the best, most flattering lighting. I really like using hot lights to show how the umbrellas can flatter the face, as well as showing how important placement can be. A few inches up or down can make a big difference.
Michaila was used for a demonstration on how to use a couple of fill cards and two Home Depot lights to make a gorgeous beauty shot. This is one of the techniques that is covered on my DVD, and we wanted to show them how fast and simply the lighting can be created.
Next up was creating a double headshot with a single umbrella, fill cards and secondary light on background. We used a Canon 550 for the main umbrella and a Canon 430 for the background. Placing a stand or tripod in front of the backlight gave a shadow shape on the background. Careful placement of the main light gave us very flattering light.
We took Victoria outside for a setup of single umbrella flash in the shade. Victoria was cold, but she did a great job and worked hard for the guys. Using an umbrella with small strobe can give a very flattering light for outside portraiture, and if you control the ratio of the strobe to the ambient, you can create a sense of drama.
As the morning was winding its way toward lunch, we decided to take Michaila outside for a simple technique I call "Instant Studio." It is a technique I used a lot when shooting editorial fashion in Chicago and LA. Simple and fast, I have always used this when I have little time to do a lot of images, and the client wants a natural look to the lighting. We looked at the difference between a gold and a white fill board, and I added a mirror for a variation. Take great care that the model does not get blasted in the face with the mirror light. It can be very dangerous.Lunch: discussions and some great insights from Scott Condray of Visualville. Scott usually comes down to the workshops to meet the students and talk about stock photography, computers and photoshop techniques.
After lunch Christina came in and we packed up and headed downtown (10 minutes away). Downtown on a Sunday is usually quite empty, and even though there was a game going on, we still had the streets pretty much to ourselves.Location lighting we covered was: natural fill, backlight, filtering sunlight through a small scrim, small strobe headshot, full sun and using shadow/light for defining the model. Finding a location like this block in downtown is fantastic. There are so many places to shoot, so many ways of using light, and so many colors and textures there that it is a photographers dream.
Christina brought a couple of outfits so the photographers got to experience how the models wardrobe can lend itself to the location, and how to use contrast in the location to enhance the model or clothes. One of her selections was a mini dress that she had purchased in Hawaii over the Christmas break. It was 40 degrees in the shade. Christina never complains, she just gets in there and does the job. When we took her out of the shade she had goosebumps on her goosebumps. What a trooper.
We headed back to the studio to look at some of the captures and work with them in Photoshop. Careful attention to exposure and color meant that the images were pretty solid right off the cards. We used some actions (included in the workshop CD) to modify the images and show how post processing can add even more interest to the images.
We packed out around 5:45, exhausted but excited. Thanks to all the attendees, Victoria, Michaila and Christina for being there and working so hard. Thanks to my buddy David who came down and took some stills of us working and also for helping out whenever he can. Thanks, Scott, for being a great friend and for bringing some wonderful stories and insights to the workshop.There is a little video over at my site. It is a quick, fun glimpse into the workshop location shoot.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Nice story about a photographer
Not fancy, just a nice little story about a photographer in a small town getting honored. And that makes it cool. My favorite quote when asked what the downside was of shooting in Frederick; "Too many wires and too many signs." Yeah, Harriet, same here.FREDERICK -- Harriet Wise has seen many developments in her three decades as a photographer. While she clearly embraces new trends in the profession, she also respects its more traditional aspects.Ms. Wise is one of 125 photographers whose work was recently selected by Women in Photography International for its 25th anniversary exhibit entitled "Turning Silver." Ms. Wise's winning entry is a black and white photo shot in 1987, entitled "Pond Divers."
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