Behind the Scenes Archives - Page 9 of 21

In The Digital Age Prints Still Rule

Your prints may not appear in an art gallery, but you still want them to look good - by Spiritia

Even in the digital age there is a lot of demand for prints. As far as digital picture frames have come in form and function, there’s something uniquely personal and appealing about a quality print. Probably one of the reasons you won’t find many galleries using digital displays.

The good news is you have a bewildering array of really chic display options on a variety of new papers and print materials. The same care you put into taking pictures should be put into the printing and display, after all that’s how the world will see your work. Most of these suggestions are offered by more than one lab, so shop competitively.

Floating Gallery Blocks

These come in a bewildering number of options and arrangements. I’d spend some time comparing the possible design and layout options.

I also count Splits and Clusters in this group, which gives you even more options and price points. You can get everything from desk size splits up to full-size room hangings. They can be made from a single print or multiple photos.

Press Printed Books

Few things can highlight your work like a well-designed press printed book. Select both the pictures and background with custom colors and binding options.

Again, a product that is going to take a bit of research when it comes to selecting the photos, paper, and binding options. I’d suggest springing the extra money for the lay-flat page binding.

Textured Prints

You can choose from textured paper, canvas, linen hand-tinted canvas, and a world of different types of paper finishes.

This category also includes the new metallic papers, which can make your colors pop. Really good prints on metallic paper can look like they’re back lit.

Metal Prints

These are really popular right now. Choose from printing on standard aluminum sheets, or get the type that are shaped to stand on their own.

The advantage to metal prints is, under the right conditions, they’ll last a lifetime. Beyond that it’s just neat, a photo print on a piece of metal. Seriously, how cool is it they can do that?

Glass Prints

For something different you might want to try printing on glass. I stumbled upon this company a few weeks back, there process really makes the pictures come to life.

You can also have your own pictures printed on almost anything you can imagine: Calendars, coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets, greeting cards, just about anything.

Six Special Effects You Can Borrow From The Video Guys

Just because your pictures don’t fly by at 25 progressive frames per second doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a trick or two from the film guys for dressing up your sets and studio shots. Here are a few I picked up from my friends in the video business that can not only help your photography, but might also be handy with Halloween coming up.

special effects paint — Special effects paint can trash anything in a few seconds, then clean it up with soap and water

Washable Paint Effects

Originally developed for film and TV, these paints offer a variety spray on effects and textures that can be washed off again with soap and water. Designed specifically for scene and set painters, you can get some really interesting effects with names like MP-DIRT and MP-ROT.

Gaffer Tape

Real gaffer tape, not a low price substitute like painter’s tape, is indispensable on a location or studio shoot. Anywhere you might need to tape something down or make a temporary repair and not leave tape residue behind.

Do not try to use duct tape instead of gaffer tape! Duct tape will leave a glue residue behind that takes an incredible amount of effort to clean off.

Mini Fogger

These are great for creating a spooky or surreal fog that’s safe to use indoors. It doesn’t have the floor cling and thick, puffy consistency of C02 fog, but it won’t kill you in a confined room, either.

Theatrical fog is usually made with a fog juice composed primarily of ethylene glycol. If you’re going to use CO2 fog, I would suggest outdoor use only.

Lighting Gels

Instead of filter gels that go on the end of your camera lens and color everything, you can get sheets of gel material in a variety of colors and gel just the things you want to be colored, like background lighting.

Flash heads can be wrapped in single sheet gels and used to color the background, leaving your subject clear of the effect.

Two Stop Silk

Really handy for covering practicals and open windows with precise control instead of throwing up some screen and hoping for the best. Preserves the quality of the light while giving you a smooth, predictable reduction.

Smoke Drops

Different than the fog machine, mix a couple drops of the binary liquid and you can make anything smoke. A much more realistic effect than you can get in post without spending a lot of time working at it.

Don’t get it on your skin or use on aluminum, but let me warn you that this stuff is addicting to play with. Hey, why should the video guys have all the fun?

When Do I Need a Model Release?

One question I get frequently is, “When do I need a model release?” First, This is not intended to be legal advice, that’s what your lawyer gets paid to dispense. This is my understanding of when you need a release.

Also understand that the answer will sometimes vary depending on who you’re asking. If you’re asking a stock photo agency that you want to list your images, then the answer is what they tell you. Every company is different and some require that you use their forms. Be sure and understand the agency-specific requirements before you start shooting for stock photography.

You Do Not Need a Release To Take Someones Picture

A common myth in some circles is that you need a release to take a picture of someone you don’t know. You do not need a release or even permission to photograph someone, provided that person is in a public place and not anywhere they might have a reasonable expectation of privacy (i.e. the bathroom, a changing room, etc.).

You Do Not Need a Release For Artistic or Journalistic Expression

You generally do not need a release to use your own photos in a gallery display or other artistic expression, even though those activities might also involve you selling your pictures.

In addition, you can still sell those photos to newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and educational publications. Few of the newspaper photographers I know ever bother with releases, unless they think the shot might be used for something other than news reporting.

If this were not the case, paparazzi and sports photographers would be out of business overnight. This is also referred to as “editorial use” in some circles.

You Positively Will Need a Release For Any Type of Commercial Use

Any image of identifiable subjects that might imply commercial use or endorsement, such as commercial web sites, brochures, print advertisements, billboards and magazine ads (different than images used in a story), will require a model release.

This is how the whole concept of celebrity endorsement works. You can take a picture of Lindsay Lohan ducking into a nightclub and sell it to the tabloids, but the club owner cannot use the image in an ad that implies endorsement without Ms. Lohan’s signature on a release.

Since stock photo agencies are in business specifically to sell images for web sites, brochures, billboards and other commercial uses, you will need a signed model release for any photo containing identifiable people.

Minors

Minors cannot legally enter into a valid contract, period. Anyone under 18 will need a release signed by their parent or guardian.

Property Releases

Property releases apply to pets and identifiable property and buildings. In most cases, you will need a signed property release to sell images of a particular building or animals.

Public buildings and landmarks are exempt, though you can get into trouble photographing government buildings these days due to security concerns. There are also some exemptions for skylines, where a particular building is part of the landscape. Those exceptions are not always clear.

Some Gray Areas

Even though the rules are fairly simple, there are some gray areas that I’ll mention in passing.

Political Endorsements – This is one of those areas that can go either way, depending on the circumstances. Just to be on the safe side, I try to get a release for anything that might imply endorsement of a particular candidate or position.

Events – Most venues have language on the ticket stubs that if you’re there, you consent to be photographed for the purposes of endorsement. This is kind of a gray area, so it’s one of those times you actually might need to talk to your lawyer.

No matter how careful you are, you can still get sued. You’re going to be better protected in cases when you have a signed model release.

Needless to say, save those releases forever.

Book Reference: A Digital Photographers Guide To Model Releases by Dan Heller

Video: Ignore the hammy dialog until the lawyer talks.

Model Releases Sample
Getty Images

BetterPhoto.com

Photography Contract Basics

There are two types of people in photography: Those who get a signed contract before they set foot on a customer site, and those who are going to get burned because they don’t.

Every small business owner should understand contracts and how they work and that’s especially true in photography. You don’t have to be a legal expert, that’s why your lawyer gets the big bucks, but you need to understand them well enough to know when you need one and the basics of what goes into it.

It’s really a bigger topic than can be covered in a single article. The best advice I can give you is to go to your local community college, where almost every one will offer an evening course on contracts for small business owners. Or, at a minimum, get yourself a book on the subject and spend some time familiarizing yourself with the basics and put together some basic boilerplates.

A good contract doesn’t have to be War & Peace, delving into every conceivable aspect of human behavior, just cover the high points. One of those high points should be a section that says if you have to sue to collect payment that you can also collect attorney fees.

Contract law varies between countries and even from region to region within countries, so make sure you understand the peculiar issues specific to your area. At a minimum, most contracts have to have the following:

The act being contracted for must be a legal activity. The biggest myth I run into is people who think you can mitigate criminal liability by pointing to a contract if you get caught. BZZZT! Wrong. If the contracted activity is illegal, your contract is void and you can be held responsible.

Two or more parties empowered and legally able to enter into a contract. Minors cannot enter into contracts and, if someone is signing for a business, they have to be authorized by the company to obligate the company in contracts. Getting the janitor to sign your contract is probably not going to be valid.

Some consideration. Something of value has to change hands. That can be money, an exchange of services, or almost anything that can be assigned a value.

When you need a contract is almost any time you’re going to be accepting an assignment as a photographer. Sometimes your liability insurance will require you to be under contract before they pay. So, when you watch your Canon 5D MKII or Nikon D7000 tumbling in slow motion horror from the balcony ledge, the insurance company is going to want to know if you were there working or just taking pictures on your own time.

Photography Contract Specifics

Photography contracts have issues that are unique to the business and need to be spelled out in advance. Probably the biggest issue today is who owns the copyright to the photos? In the old days when there was a film lab and later a print lab, it wasn’t unusual for photographers to hold the copyright to images indefinitely. Today that’s becoming more rare. In the digital age customers expect to take their images with them on disk and be able to do what they want with them. Photography is increasingly “work for hire” meaning the customer owns the copyright to whatever you produce while under contract.

Make sure you have that understanding in writing up front. You might be able to trap an unwary customer with limited use rights, but if they later get mad about it, that’s the last you’ll ever see of them. You won’t build a thriving business on misunderstandings.

Model Releases

If you want to use the likeness of an identifiable person in a commercial advertisement, whether they’re are a professional model or not, you’ll need a signed model release.

This is a different situation than merely taking their picture which, technically, you don’t need permission to do if they’re in a public space. Taking their photo and using it for commercial purposes are two different animals.

When in doubt, it’s always better to get a release. When the subject is a minor, you’ll need a release signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Other types of contracts in photography include:

– Independent contractor agreements
– Portrait contract
– Sport Action contract

If you search around on the web, you can find examples of the type of contract you need and there’s also software available for your smart phone and computer tablet that produces releases and contracts right on the spot.

Location Scouting

authorized — Don't expect location scouting to be this easy - by Richard Webb

On a recent TFP shoot with a dozen other photographers and selection of models, I received an important lesson about location scouting: Don’t over-think it.

We were all milling around with the models and I walked down the block to start getting an idea of what kind of locations we had to pick from. I was only away for a couple minutes. When I got back everyone else was already out shooting. They had ducked down a back alley behind some remodeled apartments and found a perfect location: Public access, a mix of sun and shade, bold colors, interesting shapes, and a eclectic mix of old and new architecture.

Those are all good qualities to keep in mind when scouting locations, but not the only ones.

Public Access

Like many things in photography, there is more than one school of thought on this subject. There’s the “get permission” crowd and, on the other side of the coin, the “seek forgiveness” types.

For most streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, and other public places, you don’t usually need permission, provided you’re not hauling a ton of gear or blocking sidewalks or building access. If it’s just you, your subject, and a flash on a bracket, I’ve never had a problem. I can usually get my shots and move on to the next location before anyone even bothers to notice. If you’re constantly changing locations, there’s rarely a problem.

If you’re hauling a lot of gear, need to set up lights and need a power supply, you might want to look into whether you need a permit. Most photographers don’t do this, but if you’re doing a big shoot, it’s worth asking. Start setting up floor lights and a generator on a sidewalk or in a park and you’re going to attract a lot of attention.

Private Property

This is where it gets sticky. Some of the best locations are abandoned buildings, rail yards, junk yards, and other semi-industrial areas. For abandoned buildings it’s frequently difficult to find the owners or the original company may be out of business.

The get permission types will find a the perfect location and seek permission to shoot there from the owners or owner’s representatives. I’ve been pretty successful getting permission. The usual point of contact will be a realtor and I’ve been able to work out using industrial buildings and luxury rental properties in exchange for pictures and video. I’ve also had success working with nightclubs during off hours, yacht rental companies, resort companies and others in constant need of promotional pictures.

If the shots are for use in a commercial context or microstock images and the building is at all identifiable, you’ll need a signed property release anyway. It also helps if you can show the property owners you carry your own liability insurance and offer them a liability waiver.

The seek forgiveness types will sneak in, shoot like crazy, and hope they don’t get caught. Apologetic ignorance is their shield and, to be fair, the vast majority of the time pleading ignorance, apologizing profusely, while offering to immediately pack up and leave works. The cops really don’t want to write trespassing citations, especially if the area is not well marked with signage. Most of the time they just want to make sure you’re not tagging the property or wrecking anything and if you’re polite and right on your way, they’re content to let it go.

Sometimes you can’t really tell and, in those cases, I’m with the seek forgiveness crowd.

Keeping Track of Locations

The best time to scout locations is as you’re about other business. Use your cell phone camera to make notes about locations you happen across. I also carry a bound notebook in my car all the time for making notes.

A spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of your location finds because you can add notes, pictures, contact information, and owner information in one place and keep it all organized.