Elizabeth Halford Photography {the blog} » photography {in real.plain.english}

Do you know the difference between a Facebook profile, page and group? Which one is right for your business? And once you have one, what do you do next? How do you make sure you get a good amount of interaction on your page and that you actually show up in your clients’ news feeds? Watch this video brought to you by Rock the Shot for answers to your burning Facebook questions.

Includes an interview with Jamie Swanson of The Modern Tog.

This is the first webisode in a series of four produced especially for Rock the Shot. The next three episodes will be about:

1. Friends + Business
2. Portfolio Building
3. Maintaining client expectations

…and those will be available exclusively on Rock the Shot.

I’ve never blogged an on-location education session because I only just now got the bright idea that my assistant should be doubled up as a behind-the-scenes photographer. Duh! So this is my session last week where I spent about 6 hours shooting & editing with my student, Janie. I arranged two wonderful little models for us and these are the pull-backs and details of the two shoots with Emily & Daniel.

{Gear}

• Canon 5D {main camera}
• Canon 7D {pullbacks}
• 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS {main lens}
• 50mm f/1.2 {pullbacks}
• Lenshood – yes
• White reflector

{Settings}

• All shot in AV mode between f/2.8 and f/3.5
• WB – Auto
• Format – RAW

{Editing}

• Images culled in Lightroom
• All colors edited in Lightroom {no Photoshop! Doesn’t happen often, but I set myself a challenge}. B&Ws edited in Photoshop 4.
• Processing started with One Willow Presets Timeless Collection {‘Lyric’} and then tweaked for each shot, including dodging/burning on all images. Black & whites in Photoshop with Florabella’s ‘B&W Film’ from the Luxe II collection of actions. That little ditty always makes my heart sing!
• Poses inspired by Skye Hardwick’s posing guides

{Pullbacks}

Janie asking to see how mine were looking. A really useful part of shooting together - comparing composition.

Shooting with Janie - due to speckling from the sunlight and the trees, we were waiting until the moments she walked into the clean shade before hitting the trigger.

Posing with Emily - love the look on her face :)

I love these little shacks in the playground. This wasn't in shade, but it was so overcast that there were no problems. The catchlights are from the sky while the reflector kept her face evenly lit. This is ideal for me. I'd rather still have natural catchlights when using a reflector.

There are all these little lean-tos in the forest and I knew they'd be a good place to shoot. Gave us more options than just static posing and Emily had somewhere to place her hands and arms.

Daniel showed up shortly after we started shooting Emily. So here we are photographing him where he decided to plunk down on the path. I like to keep the parents behind me because when the interract, it keeps them looking in my direction.

Pretty straightforward portrait.

{Before & Afters}

LOVED the look on her face and chose this shot out of many because of it. When I was at her house helping to choose wardrobe the day before, I instantly pictured this shot when I saw that adorable hat. It frames her face so well and her little whisp of hair in the front is adorable. I wanted it to be one of the few B&Ws of the session because it's all about her eyes & soul here!

This was shot in full-on sunshine with no shade. Was just a perfect moment, really. Edited with lots of dodging & burning to make her stand out from the background as much as possible.

Slightly straightened and then edited with the One Willow presets mentioned above. The one I used for the whole session was 'Lyric'. This is my favourite shot of the whole session. Mostly, though, because of the 3 layers. The foreground in the doorway, the window behind her and then trees with juicy bokeh behind that. Makes it very interesting to me.

This is my second favourite image from the session. I love the jewel tones.

Daniel's images were processed with a different preset from the same collecion but I wanted his session to appear warmer. I did my best to remove the pole behind him, although I must admit I did lose patience for the whole idea. I should've been more mindful of what was in the background.

This little area of woods is amazing and the shots needed very little retouching. Although I minimised his red cheeks in some of the shots, I liked them here because he was smiling so big.

This is probably my favourite from Daniel's session. Straightened and recomposed, but still kept the dead-center composition because I think it says "this is me" and I use it at least a couple times in every session. As nice as a 1/3 or off-center composition feels to look at, a centered composition feels bold and rebellious for me at times and I love it here.

Q. “I read a lot about “portfolio building” and while I am in the process of shooting different people/children other than my own, what other details does this entail?”

A. Excellent question! Portfolio building is one of those elusive things that JSO (just starting out) photographers get stuck in and sometimes can’t find their way out.

Portfolio building IS:

• Collecting the types of images you want to take professionally so you have something to show prospective clients
• Creating a body of work to show what you do
• A great time to practice without great amounts of client expectations/pressure
• Creating visual content for your website

Portfolio building ISN’T:

• Working until you think you’re ‘good enough’ to be a ‘professional’
• to be used as a bait-and-switch marketing tactic
• Meant to last years

The purpose of the ‘portfolio building stage’ of your business is simply to give you a portfolio. And what is a portfolio? Well these days, it’s a website. All you need to get you going are a few amazing images on your website to show what you are capable of doing and the style of photography a prospective client can expect to get from you. And you don’t need many! I like to say that all you need in your portfolio is ONE PHOTO. Realistically, you want more, but the concept is this: it really only takes one photo to show people that you know what you’re doing. So don’t get stuck in this phase for too long.

Some websites or marketing strategies might suggest that you use things like “you’ve been spotted” cards or “free session” marketing materials to bait prospective clients into booking a session with you on the pretense that you’re building a portfolio. Not a good move. Downright sleazy, in fact. By all means -use those cards- but not to pretend that they’re doing you a favor only to slam them with surprise prices in the end. If you’re offering them a free session with not-free prints, then just say that upfront and be clear about it. But portfolio building isn’t about building a client base or making money. It’s about building your body of work. Period.

On that note, don’t expect your portfolio building clients to become paying clients. After receiving what you are offering for free, they aren’t likely to ever pay you later on. Psychologically speaking, once you have shown someone that you can work for free, they will forever be locked into the idea that you should work for free. And this goes for their friends. If they know that you worked for free once, there will likely be a knock-on effect of lowered expectations. So by all means, expect to get some Facebook likes and exposure out of shooting sessions for free during your portfolio building stage, but don’t expect to receive a solid paying client base from those endeavors.

So if these sessions aren’t about gaining clients or making money -but rather- building your experience and body of work, then why not pleasantly surprise the people who have lent you their faces with a gift to say thank you? I’m not talking a whopping huge canvas. I just mean some web files or an 8×12 print.

Now, I’m not saying that you can’t make money while you’re in this phase of your business. Once you have a small portfolio of work, you can continue building that portfolio with portfolio-building-sessions at the same time as accepting paying sessions. More on that below.

This is what I recommend:

• Make a Facebook page and get a website going, even if it’s just on a blog platform like WordPress. This is like a soft opening of a store. The grand opening comes later.
• Set your pricing structure. Think that’s for later? No, it’s for now! I waited too long to purchase and devour the wealth of knowledge in the Easy as Pie Pricing Guide. Consider it part of your start-up costs and eat.it.up.
• Be confident. Don’t say you’re looking for ‘practice’ or offering ‘free shoots’, but rather say “I am currently building my portfolio”.
• Plan the photos you want to take and release a ‘casting call for models’ of a certain age and you can even be particular about their disposition. Exe: “Casting call for model needed. Age 3, girl, long hair. Must enjoy having her photo taken.”
• You can offer the session for free but be clear if prints are to be purchased or offer one free print (something small-ish). This can also be the perfect time to start practicing your in-home viewing sessions if that’s how you plan to sell your products once you open for business. But don’t use these opportunities as bait-and-switch opportunities.
• On your website, you may decide to post your status as ‘currently building portfolio’ and that discounted sessions are only available for those who fit the casting call requirements. Don’t allow this to look like a desperate free-for-all. Be calculated about who you shoot and make sure it serves your business, too. Not just the people you’re shooting.
• Place a date at which your portfolio building will end and state your future prices. You may want to expand your pricing slowly as explained in Easy as Pie. But always let them know what to expect in the future.
• When you’re ready to start trading, update your Facebook page and website to reflect that you’re open for business and “now accepting portrait commissions” or similar wording. Since your website & Facebook page have already been up and running since you first started building your portfolio, you will open for business with a few eyes on you and it. This will have built the excitement and anticipation for your grand opening so that when you start trading, people will be ready.
• Only choose ONE photo from each of your sessions to include in your portfolio. The absolute best of the best of the BEST. This will show that you didn’t just post a bunch of pics from one session, but rather that you’ve done many sessions with many different locations and types of people. By all means continue to release shots on your Facebook wall. But reserve your website and gallery for only the best.
• Only show the type of work in your portfolio that you intend on doing as a part of your business. If you are trading as a children’s portrait photographer, don’t just throw in a random dog picture just because you think it’s the best one you ever took.
• I can’t believe I need to say this, but…don’t put pictures in your portfolio you took with your camera phone. I’ve seen it done. Seriously. Just don’t.

Put on your business brain and make every decision based on your future goals. If your goal is to someday charge $500 for a session, work your way up to that but don’t take too much time. People really don’t need to see much to know that you know what you’re doing.

{further reading}

The FREE pdf “Beginner Bliss” from Easy as Pie author Alicia Caine is a massive help in this department.

ENTRY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER IS BLAIRE RING!

Before I ended up with a camera that doesn’t even have a pop-up flash, my Lightscoop was always attached. This little gizmo is an amazing solution to the ugly pop-up flash problems you’re experiencing indoor and getting ‘pro-like results’ inside.

I’m excited that Lightscoop have given me one lovely Lightscoop to give away to one lucky Elizabeth Halford reader! Entry for this giveaway are pretty straightforward:

1. Head over here and enter your details to be in the drawing
2. For an extra entry, Tweet this: “check it out: @ehphotograph is giving away a free @lightscoop here bit.ly/w39jWD” and then come leave a comment here to let me know about it.
3. For another entry, go ‘like’ my Facebook page and the Lightscoop page. Then come and leave another comment here
4. For another entry, go kiss a stranger then come tell me about it…no…wait…scrap that one

This Lightscoop is the standard color {non-warming}, universal fit variety which fits on just about every camera except Sony. They make another one for Sony cameras. More information about Lightscoops can be found here.

Ready? Steady? GO!

Terms: entering your details in the abovelinked webform to enter this giveaway means you will be included on the email database for both Lightscoop and Elizabeth Halford Photography. You may unsubscribe later if you desire. Winner will be chosen at random on Feb. 6th. Lightscoop will be sent to you, free of charge, anywhere in the world.

An entry level dslr with "big boy" 70-200mm lens and 580exII Speedlite. {photo courtesy of 4honor.blogspot.com}

This is a question I get often: “should I invest the money I’ve saved into a camera or a lens?” I think the answer is simple. Most dSLRS operate with {nearly} the same sensor, unless we’re talking the jump from crop frame to full frame sensor. Camera upgrades are merely bells & whistles. The lens has far more to do with the overall quality of an image than does the camera. Even the highest end camera is only as good as the glass attached to the front. Some other things to consider:

1. Lenses never decrease in value. Cameras do – so while a lens is a true investment, a camera is not.
2. You will still be using the same lenses a decade from now. Can’t say that for your camera.
3. Excellent low-light photography is made more possible by faster lenses than by better cameras.
4. When you look through your viewfinder, you’re looking through the lens, not the camera. The camera is a little darkroom in a box – the pictures come through the lens.
5. Don’t let camera companies deceive you: why do you think they throw so much more into marketing their new cameras than their timeless lenses?

In short? If you have some money to invest in your photography and can only afford the lens or the camera, go for the lens.

“Advice from friends is like the weather. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad.” -Anonymous

I get emails from folks saying things like “my friends say I’m really good – what do you think?” and I’m really not sure what they’re asking or how much criticism they’re able to take. Seems to me that if they’re already quoting their friends, they’ve bought into the delusion already. The delusion that any one person can look at a photograph and categorically say that it is either good or bad. Sometimes, I have consults with photographers who are second guessing their business/pricing/abilities because they don’t think they’re very good and I’m like “what?! You’re amazing!”

I remember seeing something once about how a photography forum user posted an image from the great street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. He asked for criticism and people jumped down his throat about how the composition, the light, the focus was all wrong and he was an idiot. Little did they know, it was a piece of work that sold for more money than some people make in a year and was a part of a collection of one of the most highly regarded photographers of all time. So what were they even talking about? Where were they in their understanding of good photography vs bad photography?

What does ‘good’ even mean? It’s all relative anyway. We live our lives on this grid of understanding. Everyone is in a different square on the grid. And depending on where you are, you will see things differently. So just like I can’t look at anyone’s photo and say “that’s bad”, no one can really look at it and say “that’s good”. We make these judgements based on our understanding of good and bad and a year or two down the line, that understanding will have changed as you bounce around on the grid.

In that same vein, don’t just take my word for it either. My judgement of what’s good and bad has come from my influences, my experience, my own preference and bias. I can look at an image and say “the highlights are blown”. That’s a fact. But I can’t say “…and because of that, this image is bad.” Just because something is technically bad doesn’t mean that it’s artistically bad.

I think its so important that we qualify the statements that we make about other people’s work and make it more clear that we’re speaking from our own opinions and understanding of what is good and what is bad. What do YOU think?

When I posted recently to share the link to my Chic Critique, I got one response: “that scares me”. I agree. It scares me, too!

I get emails quite a lot showing me photos and asking me what I think. I don’t usually answer them because I never know where the person is coming from, what criticism they’ve had in the past or what they are really asking when they say “what do you think?”. Critiquing another photographer’s work isn’t easy. There’s a method to offering constructive criticism and I don’t take it lightly.

That said, participating in forums like Chic Critique {which is totally new to me} is a safe way to receive constructive criticism of your work from photographers who, not only know what they’re talking about, but know how to, not only look at an image, but see an image.

When critiquing an image, I come from all different angles. I talk about the composition, the settings used, the editing, etc. I also talk about what I love about the image. And I give tips for things to try in the future. Sometimes, I even edit the photo during the critique. I don’t rip an image apart and leave it for dead.

So what now? There are 10 slots available for active participants in

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