What To Wear

When going out to do a photo shoot it is not very likely that there is going to be a makeup artist, or wardrobe person on site unless you are paying the big bucks! So what does that mean for you?

Well if you have a sense of style and color then it’s not so bad. If you are working outside it is best to wear bright colors like blue, red or yellow. Sometimes your photographer will tell you what color to wear, for instance if he/she is going for a “high key” look they might ask you to wear white.

When doing a photo shoot in a studio there is a lot more control over what is in the background so it is important to know weather or not you get to chose what the background will be. Some portrait studios will have a variety of colorful and imaginative backdrops but others will only have a select few usually in black,white, browns and grays. You will need to find out what your options are before choosing appropriate clothing.

Accessories are best to kept to a minimum unless the theme of the shoot allows for lots of glitter. The reason you do not want to wear a lot of jewelery or over the top accessories is because it distracts from your face and will some time cause a reflection or shine from the flashes. Hats and sun glasses cause shadows which gives most people a sunken eye look, unless your photographer has a reflector to push light up into the shadow.

The most important thing to remember when deciding what to wear on your photo shoot is that your comfortable in the cloths. Ask yourself; Do I feel good about myself in these cloths? Are they appropriate for the season? Are they clean? If you can answer yes to these questions that you will be dressed up with some place to go!

Jenn is a dedicated photographer who lives in Vancouver British Columbia. She specializes if family portraits where is has a talent for bringing out the finest qualities in each family member. Visit Jenn’s website today!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/what-to-wear-1081714.html

We’re Here Now What?

After you and your family decide to get professional photos done, you have set up the date and time but now what?

When you come to a photo shoot (and you find your photographer) you can expect to do a little meet and greet, the photographer will take a little time to get to know everyone by name and ask a little about their interests and what sort of photos they would like to see of themselves.

Then the photographer may tell everyone some of the ideas that he/she has for everyone so that if your not sure what you want you may like some of the creative input. Next the photographer will gather all their gear if they have not already and everyone will head off to the first location. Sometimes the entire shoot will be in one place but other times the photographer will move everything to get a different background or look for the photos.

The most important points to remember when working with a pro photographer are 1. Relax- the photos will look contrived and stiff if all you do is pose and look at the camera. The photographer will give everyone instruction as to when is best to look right at the camera, but for the most part just stay in range of the lights and interact with the people around you.

The term “candid photography” does not necessarily mean a person is going around taking pictures of random people, it means that the model was in a posed position but the photographer was able to catch a natural unexpected look.

The best thing to do is constantly talk to your photographer.

Jenn is a dedicated photographer who lives in Vancouver British Columbia. She specializes if family portraits where is has a talent for bringing out the finest qualities in each family member. Visit Jenn’s website today!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/were-here-now-what-1081721.html

Tips on Taking Beautiful Pictures of Your Family

With proper camera handling and a little enthusiasm, you can turn an ordinary family outing into a handsome photograph,ideal for a holiday greeting card or an album, wall, or desk-top display.

Take Advantage of the Outdoor Seasons.

Spice up your photo album with images of everyone enjoying the snow, the sunshine, the spring and autumn color-whatever it is about the day that sends children and parents alike bursting into the great out-of-doors.

Just maintain a positive attitude, show a touch of imagination,and take advantage of the multitude of natural props available to you at the moment. You don’t have to live in a National Park or on a tropical island to take great environmental family portraits.

A foreground frame can often provide the picture with a new dimension, making your photo worth more than a second glance. Springtime is a good time to capture on film the fun of family activities as they blend with the bright and cheerful colors of the season.

Let’s explore a few ways in which you can make your own child and family pictures more interesting and effective. Some of your most treasured pictures of children show them involved in activities with other family members. Deeply entrenched in the age of discovery, a child can provide a nearly constant parade of excellent picture-taking situations for you.

Most likely your subject will be indoors for that great and unexpected picture -taking event, have extra batteries on hand. Check the camera instruction manual for maintenance procedures. Children usually have far more important (to them) things to do than hold still for a picture. Know where to find your camera! Your best picture opportunities occur when you’re least expecting them.

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HI I am Tommy Madison, I have been working in this business, I have been in this company for last 7 years. So, you can see our website http://www.loansblog.info

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/tips-on-taking-beautiful-pictures-of-your-family-1062273.html

Guide to Free Marketing for Photographers

Every business will say that your friends and family are the first step to infamy, and this is no different. Everyone knows someone, and that someone may know a friend or colleague that needs a photographer. It’s called networking. We would all like to have a friend who knows a plumber, especially when your radiators spring a leak. It’s just the same when someone gets engaged, or when they have a baby, or any occasion where they need a photographer. They first ask their friends… “Do you know a photographer?”.

Free Advertising

Recommendation is the best form of free advertising (and flattery), but you must first have lots of people who know you as a photographer. You have to start the networking ball rolling by telling everyone you know that you are a photographer, and that you are available for hire. Talk is cheap, so be chatty.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Telling people you are a photographer is one thing, but they won’t be convinced until they see your work, which is fine if they live on the next street, or nearby. You can take them your portfolio  and show them. However, it is much better (and more convenient) if you can simply tell them to look at your website. This instantly gives you added credibility, and a means of providing all the information your potential customers will need. Only serious photographers have a website, so if you have one then you must be serious about your work. This is the impression that a good website will give to your potential customers, so get your portfolio exhibited on a good quality website.

Getting your Portfolio On-Line

Getting a website is easy, but getting a good one is the primary key. You need a website that is inexpensive but comprehensive, so it can grow with your business. You don’t want a cheap website that has limited capacity, limited pages or limited features. This will only stunt the growth of your business as you build it up, forcing you to start all over again when you have ‘outgrown’ your website.

The website system supplied by Click-IT at www.photographers-portfolio.co.uk will give you a professional website with all the facilities you will ever need for as little as £49 per year, or with unlimited web space (and features) for only £149 per year.

Remember, your website is your ‘shop-window’ and your ‘exhibition gallery’. A cheap or shabby looking website will suggest a cheap and shabby photographer, and win you few friends and fewer customers. Remember, the three most important considerations when choosing and creating your website are, presentation, presentation and presentation!

Expand your Horizons

Once you have exhausted your friends and family contacts, you need to expand your horizons to attract more business. Marketing is all about quantity. The more people that see your work, the more chance you will have of getting regular new business. Since television advertising is out of the question, we need to look at alternative (and much cheaper, ie: free) forms of advertising.

SEO – Web Marketing

It goes without saying that if you have a website, then you have the potential to generate free advertising by getting it registered on page one of the major search engines. If you don’t know someone who is a photographer then your first step will often be to search for one on Google (they have over 80% of the search engine market, so Google is the king).

You could do this yourself if you know how to optimise your website, or if your web agency will do this for you. This is such a specialised subject that many web agencies will charge you good money to optimise your website, and it is rarely included in the standard web hosting fee. Click-IT are the exception, and they will help you optimise your website to get the very best chance of being listed on page one of Google, all included in the annual web hosting fee. That is worth much more than their hosting fee alone, so consider this a massive bonus.

Negotiate & Appreciate

Once you have acquired good search results on Google you should soon start to generate enquiries from your visitors, so make sure you follow them up promptly, and be prepared to negotiate on your prices and rates. Everyone likes to get a good deal, especially more so these days. Many retailers would never sell a sausage unless they have a sale. Can you imagine anyone buying a sofa at full price from certain establishments advertised on TV?

It is always a good idea to offer a discount if they spend over a certain amount on print orders. This encourages them to collect more orders from family and friends to make sure they qualify for your discount. If you just offer them a free 10×8 print with every order, then that’s exactly what you will get. A basic low value order with a request for that free print.

A Low Sitting Position

There are many well known portrait studios that offer very cheap sittings (circa £25) to attract new business, and then charge fantastic prices for the prints and use credit payment options (and hard sell) to get them to buy the most expensive print options available. The logic is sound common sense. If you charge an expensive sitting fee then there is always a perceived risk that the photos may not be as good as the client was expecting, and they will not be too pleased after spending so much and getting a poor result. But, if they only have to pay £25 for the sitting then it’s no big loss if they are not happy with the shots. There are never any guarantees with photography, so people can be nervous if you charge an expensive sitting fee.

Snob Appeal

If you are a well known photographer with a very big national reputation, then the opposite is often true. They can charge phenomenal prices and still get the work. This is because high value is always associated with high price, and some people would even be put off if their rates were reduced. Weird, but true.

If Aston Martin ever reduced their car prices to the price of an average family car, no celebrity (or footballer) would buy them any more. It’s a nice position to be in, but if you are a relatively unknown photographer, then you have to be prepared to negotiate on price.

Building your Relationships

Remember when I said at the beginning ‘..its all about networking’? Well now is the time to do some more networking with other businesses that have a ‘related’ service to yours. Everyone in business is doing the same as you, looking for more business. So, if you can help them, they will be glad to help you.

For example, when a couple decide to get married they will approach many different services and suppliers (in addition to you as the photographer)…

• Wedding Dress hire
• Hotels & Restaurants for the reception
• Limousine hire
• Wedding Cake specialists
• Caterers
• Stationers for invitation cards
• Flower shops for bouquets
• Videographers
• Hair dressers
• Beauticians
• Etc etc

If you have a portfolio of wedding photographs (in your book as well as on your website) then contact all your local suppliers and services that deal with weddings and arrange to visit them to show them your work.

The deal that you offer to them is double sided. You say that you will pass their contact details to your clients in return for them passing your contact details on to their clients. They will, of course, want to be confident that your work is of a sufficient high quality before they will offer to recommend you.

Ask for Back Links

Before you visit them check if they have a website, and if they have included any links to other suppliers. If they do then remember to ask them if they will add a link to your website. This is called a ‘back link’, and it is very valuable for you in building your ‘page rank’ on Google. This is the level of importance your site achieves based on the number of other websites (of a related service) that link to you. If they are prepared to do this, even if nothing else, then it will be well worth the visit.

Reciprocating

They may ask you to reciprocate and add a link to their website on yours. This is called a ‘reciprocal link’ (a two way link). These are not as valuable as back links, but do accept their offer and make sure you do add a link to their website (honour the agreement).

Once you have established a relationship with these suppliers make sure that you actually pass their details to anyone who may be interested, and then (very important) send the supplier an email with the contact’s details. This establishes that it was you that made the referral in case the client forgets to mention your name. It also gives the supplier a qualified lead that they can follow up. They will soon thank you for it by making sure they pass your details on to their clients.

‘Take One’ Leaflets

If you can afford to have some 100 x 210mm double sided leaflets printed, then these are an essential low cost tool that can help you spread the word through your newly established trade relationships. Just add a couple of your stunning photos to the front, and your contact details and sample rates on the back. Then get a few cheap Perspex ‘take-one’ boxes (available from any shop fitters) and set them up on the counters and in the waiting rooms of the suppliers. Their visitors can then ‘take one’ home to show their partner. This method generates better results than sending junk mail because only people who show an interest will ‘take one’.

Relationships Revisited

This works on two levels. It gives their customers something to take away with them with all your details, plus it gives you an excuse to return to the supplier on a regular basis to ‘refill’ the boxes, which keeps you fresh in their memory. Otherwise they may forget about you and subsequently forget to recommend your services. Don’t expect (or ask) them to refill the boxes for you. This is something you must do yourself so that you can ensure the boxes are correctly and prominently displayed. Leave it to them and you can guarantee that the boxes will end up under the counter or tossed in the back.

This is called ‘merchandising’. All of the chocolate manufacturers do it this way when they visit the retailers regularly to make sure their chocolate displays are topped up and tidy.

Special Offers vs. Vouchers

Everyone loves a special offer, and photography is no different. However, you have to be careful not to make yourself look too desperate, which can suggest that your business is not doing too well. Make your offer genuine and creative, rather than offer a blanket 50% off print prices etc.

Vouchers

A voucher is like printing money. It has a value that can be used to purchase your services, but only if you possess the voucher. This gives the owner a sense of privilege. If you were to advertise that you are currently offering portrait sittings for only £10 (when they were normally £25) then you may generate some business. However, if you were to give a few people a special limited edition voucher that entitled them to a photo session for only £10, and it had an expiry date, then they are more likely to take you up on the offer, or even pass it to a friend.

The advert is seen once and soon forgotten, but a voucher is more personal and direct. Few people will throw away a voucher that has a value, and if they can’t use it they will pass it on to someone who will. How many times have you received a money off voucher for something that you would not normally buy, and then gone out and bought it?

People just can’t bear to think of wasting a voucher. It’s just like throwing money away.

Distribution

So, how do you go about distributing your vouchers? Do you drop them in every door in your village or hand them out in the street? No, because that will only devalue the voucher. If you make the voucher readily available to everyone, then they will see no privilege in having it. You reduce its worth, the same as advertising it in the newspaper.

Limited Distribution

Consider the following example as a starting point. Contact your local hair dresser or beautician,  and show them your portfolio (this establishes your credibility and experience as a photographer). Then show them a sample of your proposed printed voucher (which you can easily create on your home computer at 100 x 210mm). The voucher will entitle their customers to a special portrait photo session for only £10 (or whatever price you decide to offer). It should clearly display the value of the voucher, and what it includes, plus the name of the vendor (which makes it even more exclusive), and don’t forget an expiry date. Make it attractive, and add a couple of your best photos. If the voucher is of high quality, then it adds even more value and prestige.

As an added bonus (ie: incentive) for the vendor, you can offer to give them 10% of any subsequent print sales from the photo session. This makes the offer a collaborative effort, rather than just you begging for more work.

You could take this to an extra level by creating an A4 or A3 poster announcing the special offer which is only available from this vendor. This should then be displayed in the shop window to attract passing trade. This generates new business for the vendor as well as you, which will be much appreciated by the owner.

Surrogate Shop Windows

If you don’t have a main street photo studio with the advantage of constant ‘passing trade’ then you will be one of the vast majority of photographers that work from home or in a studio on a trading estate. You may have the advantage of lower overheads, but also the distinct disadvantage of zero passing trade. This means that you need to use some lateral thinking to get your photos seen by the buying public.

Creating a special offer like the voucher and poster scheme mentioned above gives you a means of getting your work exhibited in a public place for free. This is free advertising. Let me repeat that… FREE ADVERTISING.

Once you have established your first ‘special deal’ with a vendor, then go and repeat the process with another… and another. As long as the vendor is also seeing a benefit then you can’t fail. If that vendor is on the main street in town, or if they have a high footfall (a high number of people passing through their doors), then you will have established not just one but multiple shop windows, all selling your work for FREE. Just make sure you revisit each vendor regularly to discuss any feedback and restock your ‘take one’ boxes.

Photo Exhibitions

People always like to see before they buy, so no one is going to hire you as a photographer unless they have seen (and liked) your work. Getting a website is the first objective, which allows web visitors to see your work, but what about all the people who may never search the web for a photographer?

We have already seen how you can get your work seen in certain vendors shop windows, and this is a very valuable form of free exhibition. But where else can you get your work exhibited for free?

Ooops, did I just leave that behind?

I remember once when I worked briefly as a distributor for a well known health food company, some of the more creative sales people were proud to explain how they had attracted some of their new business by ‘carelessly’ leaving behind one of their calling cards in the strangest of places.

In the frozen food compartment in a supermarket, on the chair of every café and restaurant they stopped in, inside every magazine or book they ready while in the newsagents, on the doctors and dentist waiting room table, in reception rooms, trains and buses… etc, etc.

I am not advocating that you should drop your calling cards like confetti at every opportunity, but just to say that it can work if you choose the locations carefully, and don’t keep repeating the ‘accident’ in the same venue. Otherwise you could get a few calls from angry managers asking you to stop it. However, the concept was original and amusing enough to be worth mentioning.

Freebies can be Worth a Fortune

Sometimes it’s worth being very generous in order to gain free exhibition space. Consider any venue in your local town that enjoys a high footfall (or passing trade). Here are a few examples just to get you started…

• Sports centres
• Health clubs
• Cafes and restaurants
• Banks and Building Societies
• Supermarkets
• Shopping centres
• Garden centres
• Business Receptions

Asking any of these venues if you could hang a few of your photos on their walls for free will guarantee a laugh at best. Unless you are a famous photographer you might as well forget it. However, there is a way to turn them around.

Everyone likes something for nothing, even big companies and corporations. It’s in everyone’s nature not to turn away a freebie. If you approach the managers of any of these venues with an offer to provide them with free photographic services in return for free exhibition space, then you will be guaranteed to get a better response. They will at least ask you to visit them to show them your work. Once in their domain you can then discuss terms.

Every company and organisation needs photographs for publicity, promotion and internal use; and every company likes to get a discount on everything they buy, so if you approach them and offer your services for free, guess what? They will like you… very much!

At best, the deal you negotiate will be for an unlimited exhibition (for as long as you want it), or it could be for an agreed period, say 3 months. Any exhibition is better than no exhibition, so be prepared to compromise. If your work is of a high standard then it will be worth more to them.
Be Social & Commercial
If your portfolio only consists of portraits, then you can still offer to photograph portraits of their staff for publicity and promotion shots. You may even be given the opportunity to do some interior, press or product shots, which will open up an extra market for you, and give you valuable experience that is worth thousands to your business. Whatever your speciality, it can still be of value to the business, organisation or even their staff.

Guarantee Quality Assurance

Offering your services for free is a great way to get free exhibition space, but if your work is sub-standard then even free is too expensive. This is obvious but it has to be said. You would not want someone messing with your central heating boiler if they are not an experienced plumber, even if they offered their services for free. Make sure that your portfolio contains a high standard of work before approaching any venue with a freebie, otherwise they will not want you taking photographs for them at any price.

Position, Position, Position.

Once you have negotiated a deal, and you get your free exhibition space (and not forgetting the all important space for ‘take one’ boxes) then make sure that the space you are being given is the best possible space that will get your work noticed. There is no point having free exhibition space if the wall is in the back where only the staff will see it. If there is no suitable wall space available then consider buying or making a simple 3 panel exhibition stand that can be sited in a public area.

Dress to Impress

What should you choose to exhibit in your free exhibition space? Do you cram in as many pictures as possible? Do you frame them or just paste a few prints on the wall? This is your exhibition space, your shop window. How you exhibit your work will speak volumes about you the photographer.

Take a look at any shop window of any of the major high street brands and compare them to some of the cheaper independents offering cheap goods at knock off prices. Which window displays do you think will be the most impressive? Exactly. So, do you want to give the impression that what you have to offer is cheap and tacky? Of course not. So make sure your exhibition (your shop window) is presented with the highest quality.

Frame your photos and secure them to the wall with screws or fittings that guarantee that they can’t be knocked out of alignment. Nothing looks worse that a display of framed pictures that are askew. They look untidy, and it also suggests that the artists does not care about presentation.

If you are going to add any titles or captions to your photos, then print them neatly on your printer and encapsulate them to prevent staining. It is this attention to detail that will add value to your services.

Don’t try to display too many photos. It is often much more impressive to see one large impressive framed photo than a dozen small and random pictures. Be selective and make a big impression, and leave your audience wanting to see more. They will then be more inclined to take one of your leaflets and checkout your website to see more of your work.

Manage your Exhibition

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Revisit your exhibition space regularly to ensure that the ‘take one’ boxes are refilled. The venue will not do this for you. Use this time to re-establish contact with the venue manager and discuss any feedback, and potential new business.

Remember, every new contact you make in your growing network of associates will eventually generate new contacts and opportunities. This is the numbers game. The more people who know you and the work that you do, the more work you will do… Simples!

Photo Galleries

It’s worth a mention about specialist photo galleries that exhibit selected photographers. This may be worth considering once you have built a solid reputation, and preferably an agent as well. It can be a useful spring-board into the elite ranks of published photographers, but expect to be snubbed if you don’t have any ‘letters’ after your name.

This can be disheartening for those genuine talented photographers with no hope of being exhibited simply because they have not ‘bothered’ to become a member of some national organisation. It is understandable from the private gallery point of view. There are thousands of talented photographers out there, and very limited wall space to exhibit them, so they have to use some form of filtering to establish a rank and file of ‘worthy’ artists.

Be consoled by the fact that all of your regular profitable work will come via the trade associations and networks that you have established. These are the real exhibitions that are seen by people who actually pay for your photographs, rather than just write about them in some journal or blog.

Summary

I hope that I have encouraged you to look at the ‘bigger picture’ when considering how to market your photography. There are so many opportunities that can give you free advertising and exhibition space if you just spread your wings of influence around your immediate neighbourhood.

Networking is the oldest sales technique in existence. In its most basic form it simply involves speaking to people who then tell other people about you. It starts with your friends and family and expands to your local business associates. Before long, everyone in your area will know your name and the work that you do.

Some businesses will spend a fortune on advertising and junk mail to try and spread their name and services, like so many of their competition. But you will beat them all to the customer’s door because you are the only photographer that was recommended by a friend of a fried who saw your photograph on the wall in a shop in the local shopping mall…

Having 30 years experience in the photography business, starting well before the digital age, you can view my work at www.TrevorHirstPhotography.co.uk

I also provide specialist websites for photographers via my business website www.photographers-portfolio.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/guide-to-free-marketing-for-photographers-1063606.html

Hello To All From Photographer Ute Ville Of Studioute.Com

Author: UteVille

Article Source: MiNeeds.com, where consumers get competitive bids from Photographers. Read reviews, compare offers & save. It’s free!

Article Link: http://www.mineeds.com/LA/Photography-1/Articles/Hello-to-all-from-Photographer-Ute-Ville-of-studioutecom

Tags: Pet Photographer / Photography , Portrait Photographers , Senior Portrait Photographer , Maternity Photographer / Pregnancy Photography , Glamour Photographer , Stock Photographer , Baby Photography / Child Photographer , Commercial Photographers , Event Photographer , Digital Photographers , Female Photographers / Women Photography , Fashion Photographer , Food Photographer , Freelance Photographer , Nude Photographer , Passport Photographer , Model Photographer / Photography , Jewelry Photographers , Wedding Photographers / Photography

I am John Broyles, a freelance writer currently conducting random interviews with Hollywood Artist’s whom display a unique staying power in a business so fickle during this economic down turn. I recently came across just that sort of a person.

During a photo shoot on location in West Hollywood, CA. one finds an Artist focusing in on her subject. Aiming her camera, Ute Ville’s right eye captures a familiar face and digitizes the image. The lens bends to her will.

As accustom for being the subject of the lens’ desire (Ute Ville developed an eye for Photography early on while enjoying a career as a European Model) as well as being the Artist behind the camera, Ute Ville has been a Professional Photographer for nearly twenty years. While Ute’s client prepares for the next look, I ask her how she has managed all of her successes. She turns to me. Her blue eyes immediately tune in and size up my ruddy round face profile. Presumably, discerning instantly my best (or worst) angle.

Ute Ville:

“I have always been a go getter. But when you have to raise a boy on your own it toughens you up. You have a priority and so you just don’t allow for time to be weak. You reach a standard that you refuse to live under and the rest is just traveling money.”

John Broyles:

“What advice would you give any up and coming actors regarding getting an agent and getting the “call back”?”

Ute Ville:

“I would tell them to invest well in their head shots (hire both hair and make up Artist’s) and build a resume with notable acting schools such as Stella Adler or Arthur Mendoza’s The Actor’s Circle Theater . It does two things by equipping you with knowledge of the craft and advertising your dedication to your chosen profession. Getting the audition may come down to that initial impression. So you want to start out with the best to give yourself the best shot possible.”

This is John Broyles @ writeonnowjohn@gmail

I would like to thank Ute Ville for her time in sharing tips on Photography with us. Please check out her web site at: studioute.com

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Hello To All From Photographer Ute Ville Of Studioute.Com

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By simply posting your service request, professionals will come to you with offers. Don’t waste time calling around and negotiating. Instead, have professionals come to you with proposals. You can sit back and relax while comparing offers and reading reviews. It’s free!


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So You Want A Photography Career

Author: Bret VanOstram

Article Source: MiNeeds.com, where consumers get competitive bids from Photographers. Read reviews, compare offers & save. It’s free!

Article Link: http://www.mineeds.com/Greenwater/Van-Ostrom-Photography/Articles/So-You-Want-A-Photography-Career

Tags: Family Portrait Photographer , Candid Photographer , Baby Photography / Child Photographer , Advertising Photographer , Photo Retouching & Restoration , Digital Photographers , Female Photographers / Women Photography , Fashion Photographer , Event Photographer , Model Photographer / Photography , Commercial Photographers , Travel Photographer , Wildlife Photographer, Wedding Photographers / Photography , Sports Photographers / Photography , Senior Portrait Photographer , Landscape Photographer , Portrait Photographers , Outdoor Photographer , Nature Photographer / Photography

Becoming a professional photographer is an exciting and prestigious sounding career. If you’re going to make it happen, you need to put in a lot of hard work and thousands of hours. I am the owner of Van Ostrom Photography, specializing in portraiture including family, senior, children, weddings, and events. I had a in-home-studio that had been landscaped with ponds and waterfalls for outdoor portraiture as well as a regular camera room. Eleven years ago I relocated to a in-home office and now do everything on location. I’ve been in business since 1985 and have been photographing full time for the past 16 or 17 years. I got started in photography when I was about 12. In junior high I took a B&W darkroom course that was offered and fell in love with the whole process. In high school, I photographed for the year book and developed some great experience doing that.

I’ve been involved in several professional photographic associations such as

Professional Photographers of America,

Wedding and Portrait Photographers International,

Professional Photographers of Washington, and

Pierce County Professional Photographers of Washington.

These are some of the best educational opportunities available for professional and aspiring professional photographers and scholarships are available from PPW. Some colleges have some great programs, but with these organizations you are sitting with working photographers who have gone through all that are about too and you can talk with them at breaks and often times find out more about what you need to know from them rather than the official speaker. The fees to join these associations range from $40 – $250 a year.

Photographers are making anywhere from nothing to well over a $200,000 a year. The difference being: experience, quality of work, and quality of service offered. A lot of photographers get caught up in buying more equipment than they are making in profit. Whenever I go to buy equipment I always ask myself “How will this make me more money and how long will it take to pay for itself?” I lean towards higher quality work so I use medium format & digital cameras exclusively. I do not own a 35mm (though I did start with one). I now own about a dozen lights, but getting started you can get by with two.

One of the things necessary in becoming an business owner, no matter what the business, is that you have to love what you’re going to be doing…………all of it. The books, the advertising, the dealing with all sorts of different people, everything. Because you’re going to be doing it a lot. Before I was doing this full time, I was putting in 50 – 60 hours a week between my two jobs. When I quit the other job, I thought I could cut that back to 40 hours a week easily. Wrong. Now it’s more like 70-80 hours a week and 6 sometimes 7 days a week.

Once you’ve decided that you do indeed want to go into business you need to decide on what aspect of the business your best at and create your niche. When I started my business I would do anything that came my way. I found that unless you stick with what you’re good at you can lose credibility very quickly. I think it’s better to pass a job on to someone else and stick with what you’re good at than to try to fake it and do a less than quality job.

My niche is high quality, storytelling, wall decor. Rather than go for high volume – low quality photography. I’ve chosen to spend more time with my clients. Get to know them and their likes and dislikes. To use higher quality materials and personnel than some studios may make do with.

A great way for one who is interested in a photography career to get started, would be to work as an apprentice for another studio. Even if you have to do it for free. The experience cannot be taught in a classroom.

Bret van Ostrom, AP, CPP

Van Ostrom Photography

www.vanostrom.com

360.663.2246

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Be a Baby Photographer and Capture the Finest Moments

For parents, baby portraits are a treasured memento that they preserve for the rest of their life. However, seeking out the right baby photographers can certainly be a challenging task, but online availability of directories of professional baby photographers has made everything easy and simple. Nowadays, documenting a newborn baby’s or one year old child’s stages, growth and development have become even more popular through baby photography.

Every stage of a baby’s life is a series of special moments and photography is a way to capture those moments at the right time. As the child’s activities from naughtiness to the total innocence are very precious, parents want to keep them preserved and professional baby photographers capture them in a good way. These child photographers know very well, how to capture the right moment at the right time. It doesn’t matter, you want black & white or color photographs; they offer you unique and beautiful photos of your babies with the help of modern cameras.

Sweet memories of your newborn baby are the moments that can never be captured again. A baby photographer exactly knows to make all the stages and beautiful moments of life memorable and beautiful. If talking about the job of a photographer, then the way of becoming a baby photographer is not a very simple one. It requires attitude towards the profession and sufficient knowledge on photography as well as months and years of practice. Now, latest technology and the digital revolution has brought remarkable flexibility and aptitude to control various factors during whole process of capturing the pictures and baby photographers also get benefit from this ability to manipulate pixels.

During the photo session, professional and experienced photographers spend enough time and use every tactic to make your baby laugh so that they can get good shots that they endeavor to attain. Moreover, a baby photographer has enough patience and presence of mind to capture the right moments at the right time. Above all, baby photographers make every effort to capture your newborn baby’s enthusiasm and character in a timeless portrait. Some people think that baby photography is very simple. In reality, the job of a baby photographer is not an easy one. The person, who enjoy working with children and love the challenge of capturing the perfect smile, perfect expression, or staging the perfect memory, can be a perfect photographer.

The National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) offers parents a directory of Baby Photographers who specialize in child photography and portraits. NAPCP’s mission is to provide parents and clients a comprehensive directory of professional Newborn Baby Photographers who will fit their needs.

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Recapture your memories with Photo Sharing

Memories play a vital role and they never gets faded away from our lives. Moreover, they play a confusing role in everybody’s life. Old and sweet memories bring tears, laugh, smiles, joy and much more emotions. A picture as we all know, is worth thousand words. It is proved true in most of the cases. Being a good digital camera owner, one can diligently record all the important events of once lives. There may have been several photos and videos taken on a special occasion. Until few years back, it was not possible for the users to share on a massive scale with friends and family members living at a distant place. But now the digital era is already in, so one can share all the photos and videos with the click of a mouse how ever large it may be. Online photo sharing services helps the people connected with each other, which helps in becoming the sole part of their lives.

Those were really the bad days to wait for a longer period of time to see the photos of loved persons staying away. The technology has given us great advancement and enables free photo sharing with which photos can be sent across the globe in a matter of seconds and that too free. Most companies offers the users to take print copies which can be ordered online. Users just need to go to the nearby shop to collect the printed copies. How cool and comfortable is this service? Photos speak volume about the past and the good thing is that the persons may change in the photograph but not the photo. It actually stands for truth and originality.

Photos clicked by us can be our wallpapers even, this can easily be tried on our cell phones even. Like free wallpapers can be downloaded, free photo sharing can also be operated through some of the good sites.

Aradhana Gupta is an expert author. She has written many articles on Art Picture and Stupid Images.

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Photography tips

There are various forms of photography; they include fine art photography, food photography, fashion, nude, forensic, travel, sports etc, among many others. The various controls in a camera include focus, aperture, white balance, shutter speed, metering, ISO speed, and auto-focus point. Camera controls are inter-related. The total amount of light reaching the film plane changes with the duration of exposure, aperture of the lens, and, and the effective focal length of the lens. Changing any of these controls can alter the exposure. Many cameras may be set to adjust most or all of these controls automatically. This automatic functionality is useful for occasional photographers in many situations.

Image capture is only part of the image forming process. Regardless of material, some process must be employed to render the latent image captured by the camera into the final photographic work. This process consists of two steps, development and printing. During the printing process, modifications can be made to the print by several controls. Many of these controls are similar to controls during image capture, while some are exclusive to the printing process. Most controls have equivalent digital concepts, but some create different effects.

All photography was originally monochrome; most of these photographs were black and white. Even after color film was readily available, black-and-white photography continued to dominate for decades, due to its lower cost and its “classic” photographic look. It is important to note that some monochromatic pictures are not always pure blacks and whites, but also contain other hues depending on the process. The red-eye effect in photography is the common appearance of red pupils in color photographs of eyes. It occurs when using a photographic flash very close to the camera lens in ambient low light. The red-eye effect is a photographic effect, not seen in nature.
Microstock photography is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. A number of microstock sites also sell vector art, and some sell Flash animations and video, as well as images. iStockphoto and stockxchange are examples of Microstock.

There are many photography blogs on the internet which offer photography tricks and tips for aspiring photographers. Apart from this, there are many video tutorials which guide amateur photographers. Even expert photographers host websites put videos and some of their best photographs. There are a few key points to be noted before taking a photograph. It is possible that more pictures are ruined by camera shake than any other reason. When a point-and-shoot picture is taken, the shutter stays open long enough to make a good exposure. Camera shake occurs while the shutter is open and exposing the film. If there is any movement, it will show up as motion lines and ghost images. This often happens in low light, with longer shutter speeds needed to expose the image. The more you zoom in, the more the camera will shake. So getting a sharp picture with a zoom requires a much higher shutter speed than if you were using a wide-angle lens.

A photographer is a person who takes a photograph using a camera. A professional photographer uses photography to make a living whilst an amateur photographer does not earn a living and typically takes photographs for pleasure and to record an event, place or person for future enjoyment. Some of the world’s best photographers are Helmut Newton, Baron Wolman, Dorothea Longue, and Stephen Avarez. Other famous photographers include Rolf Aamot, AnSel Adams, Cris Alexander etc.

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Child Photographers Make Child Memories Preserved Forever

Gone are the days when a few photos were the only memories of your children you had. Professional children’s photographers now can shot the beautiful pictures of your children with a special ability to capture all the activities of your children. These child photographers know very well, how to capture the right moment at the right time. If you want black & white or color photographs, they offer unique and beautiful photographs of your children with the help of modern cameras. However, child photography is considered as more challenging job if compared to wedding, reception and other types of photography, but it is very profitable and enjoyable if you have presence of mind and enough patience to capture the right moment.

Children’s stages during the first year of life are monumental that can never be captured again and a professional photographer knows how to make these stages memorable and beautiful. As above mentioned, the way to being professional child photographers is not a very simple one as it takes months and sometimes years of practice, attitude towards the profession and sufficient knowledge on photography. Another important thing that child photographers must keep in mind is to keep updated with the current scenario.

Experienced and professional children’s photographers want to capture those timeless expressions that keep you happy. Above all, children’s photographers must not lose their patience with the children whose photographs are being taken. Professional children’s photographers can make the children laugh because when the child laughs he/she is looking at the photographer and this method provides ample opportunity in getting those great shots that they strive to obtain. Moreover, children’s photographers also keep the parents informed of what is going on or what will be occurring. The people around the globe are now searching the best child photographers who have enough expertise and proficiency in clicking the baby’s pictures and capturing the memorable moments for the lifetime.

When it comes to find professional child photographers who create black and white as well as color child photography that is artistic and heartwarming, then search over the internet and you will find directories of professional child photographers. You can select one as per your requirements and budget. These professional child photographers capture the right moment at the right time. Put simply, child photographers make every effort to capture your child’s enthusiasm and character in a timeless portrait.

The National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) offers parents a directory of professional photographers who specialize in child photography. NAPCP’s mission is to provide parents and clients a comprehensive directory of professional Child Photographers who will fit their needs.

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