Assistance please: DSLR photography study guides

[MediaMagic]

Well, in the last 24 hours my photography life has drastically changed. I have been placed in a sea of pressure.

My wife was complaining over the amount of capital I've laid out for my "hobby" as of late and I made the offhanded comment, "Well, if you can find someone to pay me for these sorry ass photos, then I'll be more than happy to start a new venture..." something along those lines. Well.....

My wife has indeed "sold" my services. Now to most, this would seem a good thing. And it is, I suppose, in the sense that I will undoubtedly improve and expand from this experience, however, it has placed an enormous pressure on me to take my skills with digital photography/10D to a higher level rapidly. I must turn out customer pleasing portraits immediately.

So I need assistance in locating professional/advanced level reference books containing:

1) lighting techniques for portraiture: continuous, flash, and combinations, using reflectors, etc. Especially as it relates to digital capturing.

2) background selection, how to choose the best background color(s) to make the shot really blend and pop (I'll initially be taking about 400 shots of kids in blue/yellow football/cheerleader uniforms so I want to use background colors that not only will look nice but will also make the uniform colors stand out), changing BG color using gel combinations, and even digital backgrounds.

3) portable studio tips and tricks: All of the "clients" my wife has lined up are not at my location. I'll need to set up at a variety of locations, e.g., residences, banquet rooms, etc., and the subjects are families, couples, individuals, and pets. I'm not talking about photos for a model who needs a professional portfolio to sell herself, I just need to produce very nice portraits to make your average family or couple at a dance happy. But if I am going to do this, I want to treat every photo as if it *were* the million dollar shot.

4) how to structure fees. I'm not trying to make a living with this, so in that sense, I'm not trying to turn 'pro', but I do want to devise a reasonable fee structure that provides both a value to a client (considering my amateur status) and also makes it worth my while to travel to a location. With a large group, the photos will cover expenses due to the volume, but, what about a family portrait at a residence? Is a sitting fee in order based on some formula? or should I just include the cost of setup/travel time in the price of portrait packages? The initial clients were sold very inexpensively ($50.00 plus whatever they buy), but she has gotten a couple more calls from parents in the football league (which is where all of this business originated) wanting to hire for family portraits so I really need to nail down a standard. One local pro who does location portraits charges $350.00 to just to setup at a residence plus the cost of prints, framing, etc. Is this about average? Is so, I'm thinking maybe half that would be fair for my level of experience.

5) digital darkroom. I have PS7 and C1LE, and I've ordered a book entitled "Adobe
Photoshop 7 Studio Techniques" by Ben Willmore, but I'm certainly open to any other suggestions as well.

I know I can produce results right now that are better than your average amateur, but I need/want to study the tehnical aspects in depth and become a guru of light and capturing it. I realize that it's the tiny nuances that turn what would have been a nice shot into an exceptional one. I'll learn alot as I go, but I don't want to appear to the clients as a bumbling idiot in the process either. I have all the equipment I need to get started (save for multiple backdrops, but selecting those presently).

I approached two local professionals in an attempt to hire them to accompany me and oversee the first couple of sessions (with me doing all the work and using only my equipment, just using their presense and expertise to keep from making critical mistakes) but neither were interested and seemingly viewed me as either competition or beyond hope. Haven't figured out which but it looks as if I'm on my own. I kinda figured they'd have thought of this gig as easy money. I havent given up on the idea of professional assistance, but if the first two are any indication, that prospect doesn't seem likely.

So any suggestions of books/reference materials, technical sources, photography "business" plans/calculating fees, etc. is greatly appreciated. I've been doing searches all day and have found some interesting guides, but I'd love to get some input from others who have already taken this step here as well. What are your most influential reference materials?

Thanks,
David

[Rob Larsen]

David, as another amateur, I don't have any suggestions to offer on professional services/technique.

But, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS on taking your first step towards turning a hobby into income! I'm pondering the best way to make that leap also. Please keep us informed as to how it's going and any lessons learned.

Good luck!

[robertwgross]

David, never mind about you and your photo skills. Can we hire your wife as an agent?

---Bob Gross---

[fotog]

You might me jumping into this a bit early. Practice A LOT. You have a big advantage shooting digital. White Lightnings are great location strobes. You will need a flash meter. There must me 100 books on studio lighting set-ups.
My best advice is not to work for $ untill you are sure you can pull it off. You do not want to burn bridges early on. Set up your lights and background in the living room and sit your wife down and practice.
Think about having back up equipment. Nothing like something breaking in a middle of a shoot. I must have taken a dozen collage courses in photography. Just getting people to be relaxed in front of a camera is an art. Remember angles are good.
As for the $, well that reflects not only equipment but the time it took to learn your craft. In my neck of the woods a good shooter starts at about $100/hr. plus profit on prints. (3x mark-up). Advertising is another ball game.
Normally in life you don't make good $ doing something anyone can do. Would you advertise yourself as a car mechanic because you have done a few tune-ups?
Its knowing how to do things right and what to do when things go wrong. Practice...... Tip: The guys/gals that work in a good photo lab are a source for assistants. You might ask them who might help you out.

[deztoys]

One book that seems to be pretty decent about covering our hobby area is the "Digital photographers Handbook". it by Tom Ang. I picked up a copy on a recent business trip and am really liking it.

Has anyone else seen this book/referrence?

Scott

Oh ya, when does your wife start accepting clients on this new business adventure she is starting (agent)?

[MediaMagic]

fotog wrote:
You might me jumping into this a bit early. Practice A LOT. You have a big advantage shooting digital. White Lightnings are great location strobes. You will need a flash meter. There must me 100 books on studio lighting set-ups.
My best advice is not to work for $ untill you are sure you can pull it off. You do not want to burn bridges early on. Set up your lights and background in the living room and sit your wife down and practice.
Think about having back up equipment. Nothing like something breaking in a middle of a shoot. I must have taken a dozen collage courses in photography. Just getting people to be relaxed in front of a camera is an art. Remember angles are good.
As for the $, well that reflects not only equipment but the time it took to learn your craft. In my neck of the woods a good shooter starts at about $100/hr. plus profit on prints. (3x mark-up). Advertising is another ball game.
Normally in life you don't make good $ doing something anyone can do. Would you advertise yourself as a car mechanic because you have done a few tune-ups?
Its knowing how to do things right and what to do when things go wrong. Practice...... Tip: The guys/gals that work in a good photo lab are a source for assistants. You might ask them who might help you out.

Thanks for the tips. I never thought to look to the lab as a source for help. Fantastic idea. I agree that practice is the cornerstone. I also agree with you that it is entirely possible that I'm jumping in a bit early. This wasn't something I had planned, it just was thrown in my lap so to speak by an overzealous nut. My first reaction was that of sheer panic. But, now that the ball is rolling, it's more along the lines of climbing a bit of a hill. I have made it clear to those who are scheduled that I am an amateur photographer and if they are not happy with the product, there is no charge or obligation to buy and all it would have cost me was some time and the price of a good proof sheet and a couple of example prints. That's cheap for the value of the experience. I'm certainly not advertising myself as a pro. But if they are pleased, there's no reason to do it for free. This *is* experience and practice if I can make enough to cover expenses, I'll be happy, and if I don't, I'll be happy with the experience.

That being said... I have no doubt that I can pull this off, that is, creating portraits that make people happy. For me, it's just a matter of getting back into the swing of things after a 17 year hiatus, and learning how to achieve the same results with SLR's and digital that I achieved with my old manual canons, Ricoflex, and Yashica, and learning to do the digital processing myself. I apprenticed for couple of years for an excellent family portrait photographer back in the dark ages (read - errand boy, pack animal, and most importantly, observer) but never took a course. I did learn a significant amount and turned out high quality stuff on my own by mimicking his techniques. This certainly doesn't give me any illusions of grandeur or delusions of being a pro. However, I've seen many 'professoinal' prints for which people have paid top dollar that were no better and possibly inferior to quality I turned out (and sold) years ago, and I've seen many that are superior to mine. This tells me that the quality of my portraits are worth something, and there is no reason not to capitalize and earn a little on my strengths while paying some dues to shore up my weaknesses.

My deal now is a struggle with the SLR. But that's more with panning action shots, shots in varying light, etc. In a controlled lighting environment, I don't have the problems. I guess my point is that I didn't just run out and buy a digital camera and say "Hey, I'm gonna be a professional photographer". This whole new development wasn't my idea but since I have an opportunity, there's no sense in letting it pass me by either. I do have experience and a decent level of knowledge that I want to take to a higher level of proficiency. I think the primary difference from my old stuff and now is obvious... I knew my old cameras/lenses inside and out. I knew what they'd capture under different conditions and what they wouldn't and how to get the best performance from them. I am not to that level with an SLR. As you say, practice.. ALOT.

Yes, there are hundreds of books on the subject of lighting. That was the reason for my initial post, to find out which references you found to be superior as opposed to just your run of the mill basic lighting technique introductions with the same info as most of the rest. I do understand basic portrait lighting, but I am wanting to take it to the level of creative lighting, advanced techniques. As for a meter, I use a sekonic L-358 with and without the 1 degree spot attachment (because I'm using hot lights, I take readings from both camera and subject position and then bracket exposures). The 10D metering system usually overexposes slightly (and this is probably my own fault for not fully understanding the built in metering system). The sekonic has been dead on accurate so far.

I found alot of info at the library. Nothing much on lighting as it pertains to nuances of digital, there actually doesn't appear to be much difference, but I did find some cool ideas to explore and I didn't waste money on books having information I already knew.

deztoys: Thanks for the title, I'll check it out.

and as for my wife, she's a definate tenacious pit bull of a seller, with people skills that are unbelievable. She'd make a fantastic agent for any career field. But, if I sell her service as an agent here, that would make me her agent, selling her services as an agent. Sounds like it could become one of those soap opera plots.

David

[MediaMagic]

Rob Larsen wrote:
David, as another amateur, I don't have any suggestions to offer on professional services/technique.

But, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS on taking your first step towards turning a hobby into income! I'm pondering the best way to make that leap also. Please keep us informed as to how it's going and any lessons learned.

Good luck!

Thanks!

What I did that started this whole thing was to take game shots of little league football (I've taken about 1200 shots so far). With the first set of shots, I printed out (had them printed at the local photo shop) 10 really good prints and at the next game, I gave them to the kids in the photos before the games began. By the end of the day, I had parents galore asking if I had more. So, I made up some proof sheets of everything I had that was decent for the next game. I sold 42 prints that day for $10.00 each. Are they as good as the shots in Sports Illustrated? Actually, yes, maybe three of them are! heh, but do they make the kids and parents gleam with excitement and anxious to buy them? absolutely!

I do this every week. I talk and joke with parents, show people my equipment, talk about what I'm doing, etc., and just made myself recognizable as a fixture with the league so they let me wander around everywhere, snapping shots without asking "who the hell are you?". The action shots sell like ice water in the Sahara. In 5 weeks, I've sold almost 300 shots (4 weeks left to go) in the form of prints, keychains, a couple of mouse pads, a clock for god's sake, and several coffee mugs. Not because they are the greatest shots in the world, but because they are better than what the parents can do with their automatic cameras and, well, they are available.

I take out the money for my cost and donate the profit to the league as a sholarship fund for underpriviledged kids whose parents can't afford the registration fees or the cost of a uniform. I never intended it to go beyond that, the portrait thing just kinda happened. I've also been asked to take some shots at some high school sporting events because one of the parents happens to the assistant coach, so now I can wander around the sidelines at that game. Who knows? maybe some of those will sell too. I've also been asked to shoot a gymnastic event for girls 12 and under which doesn't allow flash. That will be a hit or miss, but I was invited just the same. One thing seems to lead to something else beginning with showing up with my camera at the local little league field to practice my panning technique.

I guess the moral of this story is, being out there, doing it, getting involved in something can open doors you didn't expect.

Take care,
David

[robertwgross]

deztoys wrote:
One book that seems to be pretty decent about covering our hobby area is the "Digital photographers Handbook". it by Tom Ang. I picked up a copy on a recent business trip and am really liking it.

Has anyone else seen this book/referrence?


I read it last winter and thought that it was pretty good at explaining things.

---Bob Gross---

[MediaMagic]

robertwgross wrote:
David, never mind about you and your photo skills. Can we hire your wife as an agent?

---Bob Gross---

Please do! that'll take her mind off the cash I've burned through lately.. :)

[Rob Larsen]

MediaMagic wrote:

I guess the moral of this story is, being out there, doing it, getting involved in something can open doors you didn't expect.

Take care,
David


David, it sounds like you are off to an enjoyable start. In college I did something similar to earn beer money (not quite as noble of a cause you are pursuing -- but still satisfying :D ). I'd go to my college baseball games and set the tripod up behind first base and get a picture of everyone on the team fielding the ball. That was very simple since you know where the ball is going during warmup as the catcher throws to each player. Kind of cheating a bit, but still made for good pictures that were popular with the players. I'd just bring a contact sheet, lupe, and price list to the dug out later in the week and start taking orders. I'd make a $100 to $200 off a game. In essence I was just transferring beer money from the baseball team to the swim team. ;)

The angle you are working with the jr sports is a very easy sell and you are doing it for a noble cause. My hat's off to you!

Your advice of just getting out there and just doing it is very wise. I just read an article about what it takes to be a "pro" and it had a similar theme to your advice. It can be found at http://www.naturephotographers.net/bs0802-1.html

Good luck in your new venture!

[billfranklin]

Hi Mediamagic,

In response to your original questions:
1. one of the best web sites for information on professional photography techniques is http://www.zuga.net/
2. The best photoshop book I have found is "The Photoshop book for digital Photograplhers" by Scott Kelby. If you don't have this book, you need it. I use it every time I go into photoshop.
3. If there is a professional photographers guild in your area, you need to join as an aspiring photographer. Most guild members are more than willing to help new photographers get started and they usually have very helpful meetings and seminars.

Good luck on your venture.

Bill F.

[fotog]

One important item that will make your wife happy is, now that your going to earn $ with your camera is .....you can write off every bit of camera equipment! You don't even have to make a profit, at least for three years minimun. Though that would be nice. But what the hell TAKE THE TAX BREAK! Show some photo imcome and have a better April 15th. Keep shooting.
Bill