Are Digital Photographers Afraid of the Darkroom?
Posted on 18 June 2010 | 10 responses
Some professional photographers who have migrated to digital from film, somehow think that Photoshop modifications are “cheating” or make things “too easy.” These are the same people who really don’t have a big problem with shooters who spent a lot of time in the old chemical darkrooms. For the record, Ansel Adams spent quite a lot of time in the darkroom as a big part of his craft and nobody seems to balk.
Honestly, Photoshop (and Lightroom) are today’s new darkroom, and there’s nothing wrong with taking an image into Photoshop to improve it. There are only a few reasons people wouldn’t “Photoshop” their images…
- They’re intimidated by Photoshop (and/or Lightroom).
- They have strict guidelines about editing that limit their use of Photoshop (photo journalists, CSI techs, etc. following policies).
- They have some distorted sense of reality in which Photoshop is somehow cheating. They think that 100% of all image manipulation is done before or when the shutter clicks and anything after that is cheating.
Ironically, digital cameras do all kinds of image manipulation, and using lights, light modifiers, zooming in, changing your own position, choosing an aperture to control depth of field and motion, choosing a shutter speed to control ambient light and action, etc. are all elements of manipulation. Those just happen before or during the shutter click.
Sure, you can add people to an image who weren’t there originally. You can take people out of an image if you want. You can change a boring, cloudless sky to something interesting by combining two exposures. You can enhance colors. You can apply effects. You can blur parts of your image for artistic effects. And everything I’ve just mentioned can be done in a traditional darkroom. It’s just that the new technology of Photoshop makes these things much more available to many more people than traditional darkroom techniques did.
If Photoshop is cheating, there’s a whole lot of cheating going on
I guess that, to traditional typesetters and layout graphic artists, desktop publishing is cheating. To a quick print shop, a color laser printer or inkjet is cheating. Heck, to photo labs, your inkjet is cheating. Here’s a fun one: to an oil and canvas portrait artist, using a camera is cheating. To the paper map companies, a GPS is cheating. To the newspaper companies, news web sites are cheating. To a horse rider, a car is cheating.
Truth is, Photoshop is the continuation of photography technology. Most will embrace it to one degree or another and the rest will go the way of the horse and buggy.
By the way, one of the reasons I LOVE working at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) is because we focus on teaching people how to use Photoshop and our trainers try to keep people on the leading edge. Photoshop and photo manipulation are now in the hands of the masses and the best we can do is keep people up to speed about how to do all that they want to do with their images.
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Let’s Talk About Fair
Posted on 15 June 2010 | 2 responses
“It’s Not Fair” is not an excuse
Back in Kindergarten we were taught that we should strive to be fair to others and that others should be fair to us. Our laws are structured to try to make things fair. We take things to court to try to balance things out when we have been treated unfairly. And people with a conscience give charitably of their time and dollars when they see something that seems unfair and which they might help improve by a donation. Being fair to customers, friends, employees, and people in general will win you their loyalty and besides, it’s the right thing to do. Fairness is a good goal. But fairness is never guaranteed and in spite of our well-meaning leaders in government, true fairness, a totally level playing field, will never happen!
The point I’m hoping to make today is that fairness is a good thought and an admirable goal when it comes to things you can control, but using a lack of fairness as an excuse for your own lack of success (that’s my polite way of saying ‘failure’) is a lame waste of time that won’t resolve anything. If you’re only focused on what is fair, you’ll see disparity everywhere. But if you focus instead, on what is possible, you’ll be able to accomplish far more.
Stop worrying about things being fair and start plowing ahead toward your goals in spite of the fact that you aren’t as ‘lucky’ as the guy who has already reached the goal you’re striving for.
A favorite quote:
Life’s not fair. Get a helmet. — Dennis Leary
[NOTE: This is another in my series of blog posts I need to pay attention to myself.]
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DTownTV Cheap Shots — Speedlight Gels
Posted on 10 June 2010 | 2 responses
DTownTV is a really cool, weekly TV show style podcast about photography, produced where I work at Kelby Media Group. Each week Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski teach and demonstrate cool stuff with, about, and for DSLR cameras from Nikon, Canon, and others. It’s lots of fun and it has a ton of followers. As a regular viewer myself, I stuck my head in Scott’s office last year and said, “How about I do a 1-2 minute segment on inexpensive photography solutions that you can drop into the show now and then. It can be those DIY projects and money saving photography tips and we’ll call it Cheap Shots.” Scott liked the idea and I did a bunch last year and I’m doing more this season.
One of the segments I did (in this week’s show) mentioned how to print your own colored gels for speedlights using a color laser printer and laser transparencies. (Since inkjet transparency material isn’t designed for the heat of a laser printer, it probably wouldn’t hold up very well at all with the heat of a strobe flashing repeatedly, so I don’t recommend inkjet gels). Anyway, I created a template for the gels I printed for the show, and saved it as a layered Photoshop file, then resaved it as a .zip file. That file is available here for downloading.
A couple of notes: The template I created will probably need to be color adjusted for your laser printer. See the note within the template itself for details. While the shapes I designed are intended for use with an SB 600 and other flashes will require other shapes, you might just consider printing a square of gel and use Velcro to attach it to your flash. Another cool thing to try might be to print some bright blue or bright pink, red, etc. gels and do some of the cool mood lighting like our friend Joe McNally does so successfully. Very cool stuff!!
Finally, yeah, I know gels are cheap to buy and I know laser printers are relatively expensive. This tip is NOT for everyone. On the other hand, if you have access to a color laser printer and some laser transparencies, it’s fairly easy to do. And once you make the template, you can print tons of the little suckers. And the real bonus is if you want to invent creative gels. Give that a try too. Have fun with it.
Enjoy!
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My Newest Speedlight (isn’t a speedlight)
Posted on 8 June 2010 | 9 responses
Anybody who knows me knows that I have 3 SB600s and I can’t bring myself to spend the bigger dollars on an SB900, so deciding to step into the studio lighting realm was no small decision. It wasn’t just about getting a brighter light. I started out looking at the Alien Bees lights on price alone, but I was really impressed with the promise of all the cool stuff the new Paul C. Buff Einstein light promised, so I got on the preorder list back in January at ImagingUSA. I think they were promising a mid to late February delivery and, due to all kinds of manufacturing parts shortages, I got my email confirmation 2 weeks ago and received my light last week. I have to say that the light is simply amazing! It’s really bright (640WS) and is adjustable in 1/10 stop increments over a 9 f/stop range, down to 2.5WS.
Since I’m no expert reviewer, I’ll leave all that stuff to the pros. I just thought I’d give you my impressions of my first studio strobe and a little of the logic behind the purchase. At $439.95, this studio flash is far more powerful, yet still cheaper than Nikon’s SB900. The controls on the back are simply amazing and the fact that the modeling light tracks the flash power and that the unit can handle speedring mounted softboxes, is another plus. Of course the unit is intended to be fired remotely from a Paul C. Buff radio trigger or some other brand of radio trigger, but it comes with a sync cord (12 feet long I think) and it also can be triggered by its optical slave. All of the stuff on the back panel is easily understood and just as easily adjusted. Just a glance at the manual is all it took to master the unit. Now all I have to do is make sure I’m shooting near an AC outlet because I didn’t buy a portable battery pack.
I haven’t used it a whole lot, but so far, I’m really happy and impressed. I can do so much more with light than my speedlights ever allowed me to do.
But it’s not all sweetness and light (yet)
Now the sad side of the story. I also bought the Cyber Commander. This is Paul C. Buff’s amazing radio controller that’s also a complete command center for up to 16 strobes. (Every single review is positive and raves about all it can do, so at this point I feel like the dumb kid in the class.) While its capabilities are amazing, so is the learning curve (so far). I spent an hour trying to understand it and I made a little progress, but I’m gonna need a lot more time or help or both. I’m hoping it’s like Algebra class. It looks super complicated but then, once something clicks with you and you get it, it’s easy. I’ll let you know in a future post.
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Just Say “No”
Posted on 3 June 2010 | 4 responses
One of the things that frustrates freelancers and small business people, is clients who are a hassle or who pay late or who ask for some super special deal and promise to “make it up to you on the next job.” When you’re hungry you look for jobs and will do just about anything for very little money. This concept is amazingly foreign to lots of folks (it’s hard for me sometimes) but when you weigh the real benefits of doing a job, not just the possible benefits, if the real value to you is small or questionable, turn down the work. No need to be rude. Just apologize and let the person know that you’re really busy currently and you just can’t afford to take on that particular project.
You might just be surprised at what happens next. It will do great things for your confidence. It will keep you from wasting your time on jobs that devour your time and energy. It will keep you from working on projects that put you in a bad mood because the whole time you’re thinking, ‘this just isn’t worth it!’ And they might even come back to you with a counter offer to make it worth your while. Either way, sometimes a simple “no” is the best course of action.
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I Blogged At Scott’s Blog Today
Posted on 2 June 2010 | 2 responses
Last week Scott Kelby’s assistant, Brad Moore, stopped by my office to ask if I’d guest blog today. Of course I said yes. Here’s the link. (I’ll be back here tomorrow.) 
My Personal Heroes
Posted on 31 May 2010 | 2 responses
Some people are fascinated by celebrities. There are fans of professional sports figures. Some people think politicians are celebrities to be admired. My view of all politicians is pretty darn low these days. To a degree, I am somewhat of a fan of some (a very few) Hollywood celebrities, there are a few folks in sports who I like. I’m impressed by small business leaders as much as anyone in any profession and I’m a fan of small business people and love hearing how they powered through various challenges. But if you ask me who I think real heroes and role models are, I would say it’s the people who have given years of their lives, and some who have made the ultimate sacrifice and died in the service to our country. My heroes are America’s soldiers. I’m happy to honor them and celebrate their lives and the memory of fallen soldiers on this Memorial Day.
Thank you all for the freedom and lifestyle I enjoy!
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Like A Pro [Volume II - The Gear]
Posted on 24 May 2010 | 8 responses
This is another in a series on looking like a pro. Today’s focus is on the gear you use, especially in front of clients and applies to both photographers and designers.
You’ve heard lots of pros suggest that ‘it’s not the gear that makes a great photographer (or designer), it’s the vision and the skills.’ That is absolutely true. However, if you want to increase your rates and lower the resistance of your customers to paying those rates, they need to believe you are an accomplished pro and that you are worth the rates you charge. That’s where looking the part comes in. In the first Like A Pro article, I covered wearing the right stuff. Today I want to talk about the gear you use when you’re with a client.
With some potential clients, the most important thing to them is the lowest price. If your only goal is to be the cheapest photographer or designer and you just set your rates by being less expensive than anybody in your market, this article is not for you. — By the way, please allow me a brief aside here about getting clients by being the cheapest. It’s fine if you know what you’re getting into and if that’s the choice you’ve made for how you want to enter the market, then that’s fine. The problem is, too many novices think they can ‘just get jobs… do anything to get jobs’ and they go in cheap and think that somehow they’ll magically be able to raise their rates later by securing client loyalty or just getting people to see how great their work is. While that may happen on rare occasions, it’s not only uncommon, it almost never happens unless you have a strategic, detailed plan for raising your rates without losing clients. The problem is the mindset of somebody who wants to hire you in the first place, just because you’re cheap. If their personality is one that seeks the cheapest and you think you can change their personality into somebody who is more loyal than they are cheap, you’re playing a losing game. Cheap people almost always remain cheap. Low price leaders who sell on price alone will always find it hard to raise rates or compete on anything but price. – Okay, back to our story…
If, on the other hand, you have the desire to occasionally (regularly) increase your prices so you can continue earning more without working harder and harder, and if you think you should be paid a bit more for your experience and crafted skills, then this article is just for you.
You’ll hear me say that, ‘waiting until you have all the gear you think you need as a photographer or designer means that you’ll never get started.’ If you have the bare bones setup to get started, go ahead. Start. But once you’ve cleared that hurdle Read more
I Love My New Lens (and now we have an assignment)
Posted on 14 May 2010 | 6 responses
I just picked up a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens and I love it! I love it because it has a wide f/1.8 aperture. I love it because it autofocuses quickly and accurately. I love it because Nikon makes an $18 rubber lens hood for it. And I love it because it was only $124!
Prime Time
I’ll spare you all the details about what the lens can do and all the lab-quality testing you can read at lots of other sites, and simply share a few observations about this lens and about myself. First of all, this is my first prime (non-zoom) lens I’ve bought since I stopped shooting film years ago. I recently found myself shooting a head-to-toe shot of a friend indoors and my 18-200 VR 4.5-5.6 lens did okay, but I really wanted a lens with a wider aperture. My 70-200VR 2.8 lens would have been fast enough glass, but I couldn’t back up far enough. I just needed some fast glass in the 50mm range. I also want it because of all the cool things I’ve seen it do for portrait shooters. The shallow depth of field is just what you need in lots of elegant portrait situations. And on top of that, I liked the thought of having a “normal” range lens that’s small, lightweight, and perfect for indoor photography. (These are all things I told myself in order to justify spending money on a lens, when I already had that particular focal length covered with my 18-200 zoom lens. Feel free to use these excuses yourself as necessaary.)
So I was talking with my buddy Mike Kubeisy (the guy who shoots stills for CSI, NCIS, Chuck, and tons of other TV shows) and it came up that I was just loving my new 50mm prime lens. As any good friend does, he shared in my joy for a little while. Then he told me something cool he did back in his college photography class days. He said his teacher made the students go shoot an entire role of film (36 shots) on a single object. Every shot had to be different. He said that he shot a baseball nested in a baseball glove, laying on the grass. (It needs to be a relatively simple, inanimate object to really bring out your creativity. And you’re not allowed to move the item, just yourself, your camera, and camera settings.) He said, “At first it was easy. You just walk around the glove and snap shots. Then you go lower and walk around doing the same thing. But after 20 or 25 shots, you have to start getting creative.” What a cool idea!
The Assignment
So I have an assignment for myself (and any readers that want to join in). This weekend I’m going to do the same assignment with a few different objects, and I’m gonna shoot 40 images instead of 36. I may do a car, but because cars are so big and have so many different parts/angles to them, I would imagine they would be easier than a simple ball and glove in the grass. Easy isn’t the goal. Creativity is the goal. Are you in?
I’m looking forward to the weekend. Hope you have a great one too!
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Does Your Messaging Make Happy Customers and Mine for Gold? —or are you begging clients to unsubscribe?
Posted on 12 May 2010 | 2 responses
One of the best places to look for new customers is in your current client list. You already know this because it’s such a standard practice in business. There are countless articles about how much less it costs to get business from existing customers vs. prospecting for new clients. And you can tap your existing clients for more business from them or by asking them to help you find more clients.
So if you already know this, are you doing all you can to maximize the relationship you have with your current customers? Here are a few rhetorical questions you can use to analyze your relationship with current customers:
- Do you provide an over-the-top customer service experience?
- Do you stay in touch regularly with customers via mail, email, on the phone, or in person?
- Do you regularly add new product or service offerings AND make sure to tell current clients about the new offerings?
- Do you offer special “loyalty” discounts or benefits?
- Do you make sure that your contacts with your customers are at least monthly but no more than biweekly?
(You need to stay in touch without being a pain. Obviously this is an arbitrary time frame but when I personally consider the emails I appreciate, they come every 2 to 4 weeks. The ones that motivate me to go the extra mile and unsubscribe are the ones that are annoying and seem to hit my inbox every other day. Ironically this may be the most important thing in today’s post and it’s in parenthesis. Well, I guess only the sharpest readers will pick up on this message today.)
And when it comes to getting new clients, here are a few things to consider as you develop your messaging:
- Do you at least ask your current clients for referrals?
- Do you have some kind of referral program that rewards clients for referrals?
- Do you make sure your messaging isn’t cold and self-serving sounding? (For example, don’t simply ask current clients, “Do you know anyone else who needs a designer (or photographer)?” That’s lame! Ask instead, “Hey Mike, you know those new giant canvas prints I just started offering? I’ve worked out a promotion where I can get one of those to you for free if you get any new client to try us out. I know you’re already telling people about us, so why not get a free canvas for being one of my best customers?” It needs to be a win-win rather than a sales pitch.)
So take a few minutes and consider your communications with current clients. Are they having a great experience? Are you getting all the business you can from them?
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