photography business Archives - Page 9 of 12

Inflatable Photo Studio Space

Massiera Industries has come up with a clever idea for people who need studio space but can’t afford a rental studio. The company is offering several varieties of inflatable studio that come with a different set of features.

Ranging in size from 15 to 30 feet wide, these inflatable studios are easy to transport, and take only a few minutes to set up. When the shooting day is done, the packing up doesn’t take much longer than folding up a tent.

The concept allows photographers to have studio space anywhere they have a flat space and electricity. The smaller units pack up to box roughly two feet square and weigh less than 50 pounds and come pre-fitted with tie-downs for anchoring them against wind gusts. In some situations having the extra indoor space could be a life saver.

With a portable generator it would be possible to stage a studio shoot in the middle of nowhere. Not entirely certain why you’d want to do that, but if the weather kicked up on a location shoot it might be handy to have in the truck.

At least one model has a diffused natural light roof the others are made to keep the natural light outside.

The units use an external fan for inflation, much like the bouncy house you rent for your kid’s birthday party. The fans and air flow are hardly noticeable inside, potentially making them useful for location video besides photography. The entry door is wide enough to accommodate most equipment.

My only concern would be how well they regulate temperature in a hot climate, but that problem would seem to be easily resolved with either interior fans or a small cooling unit.

Massiera is currently in negotiations with one of the better known New York photo/video stores for exclusive North American distribution rights. Pricing hasn’t been finalized yet but is expected to be in the $1,800 to $2,000 range for one of the smaller units.

Beginning Strobes On a Budget

Using external flash in an umbrella — Starting out with an external flash in an umbrella is okay - by Wesley Oostvogels

To put together a decent strobe lighting setup it is not necessary to spend a huge amount of money. You can, if you have the cash, but it’s not necessary to get good results.

There are three basic types of strobes: Monolights, Pack & Head systems, and external flashes.

Monolights, which have the plug and all the circuitry built in to the flash unit. Monolights have the disadvantage of needing to be plugged in all the time and are primarily for indoor use.

Pack and Head sets are lights that come with a separate battery pack and can be used outside. They’re not conveniently portable, but they’ll move.

The other option are external flashes, which run on batteries. If you’re just starting out, external flashes are okay. You can mount them in a softbox or umbrella and get good results, though you may be limited at the distances you can use them. You’ll burn through more batteries, but they’re a lot easier to pack around and very versatile. The only downside to external flashes are the lack of a built-in modeling light. You have to take a picture to pre-view the results. Less of a problem in these days of digital cameras.

What you’re giving up with low end equipment is build quality, recycle times, and fine tuning. High end studio flash units can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and are color balanced to incredibly fine tolerances. In these days of RAW image management and the available fine tuning and batch processing available in post-processing, I’m not sure how important that is anymore.

There are mid-range professional lights like Paul C Buff’s AlienBees that are more than adequate for most professional applications these days.

AlienBees B400 in an umbrella — AlienBees B400 studio flash in an umbrella - by Paul C. Buff

If you’re new and piecing together an external flash setup on a budget, you can pull it all together for around $300. This is all equipment I’ve tested personally.

YN-467 $70

Can be used on camera for with compatible TTL with Canon cameras and is a surprisingly good flash unit. My only niggle with the design is the battery door feels a little flimsy. Power can be an issue with external flash units, but the YN-467 would light up the night in my testing.

YN-460 $45

Has a setting to operate as an optical slave, easy to change power settings. These make fine slave units.

Light stand w/ umbrella $39 x2 = $78

I’ve found ring lights and umbrellas to be my preferred way to light portraits over the years.

Background paper $20

I’d start with white and decide if you need a pattern later.

Reflector $13

Clamp it to a light stand if you don’t have an extra set of hands to hold it.

Flash trigger $34

You’ll want to upgrade this eventually, but all you need starting out is to trigger the key light and the slave will trigger the fill.

A highlight light, which can be any kind of spotlight or an extra flash on a snoot.

Or you can buy a low end introductory studio kit for about the same money. The disadvantage is you can’t move those outside without running extension cords all over. This is not equipment you’d want to build your business on, but it will get you through the learning stage without breaking your budget.

Beyond the introductory kits, then you’re into piecing together your studio lighting from higher end suppliers. I would recommend starting with a lower-cost system to gain experience before going out and dropping a bundle on equipment that you’ll want to keep for years.

The next investment I’d make after the flash units is a digital light meter. I’ll talk more about that and how to use it in another blog.

Five Tips For Longer Camera Battery Life

Nikon power pack because you can never have too much power - by Derek Ramsey

Most pros I know do more than carry a spare battery, they carry three or four spares, besides the full size battery pack most already have attached to their camera. Camera power is like money, there’s no such thing as too much.

Perhaps you’re not shooting at a pro level or don’t want to carry three or four spare batteries. There are several tricks for making the batteries you carry last longer.

Don’t Drop Them

This was more critical back in the NIMH days, but very few batteries are improved by repeated impacts with a hard surface. I try to take a knee to change batteries, if I can do so safely. That way if I drop it, it doesn’t have so far to fall.

That also means making sure you hear the locking click of the battery holder and battery door before going back to the shoot.

Keep them in a padded pocket in your vest or camera bag.

Minimize LCD Screen Use

That means cutting down on the image pre-view after the shot and resisting the temptation to scroll through your images every few minutes.

Live view, image viewing, the LCD screen is a big draw on the battery. I review my pictures before leaving a shoot and check the pre-view as I go, but that’s about it. I don’t scroll through each series as I shoot it.

Turn Off The Flash When You Don’t Need It

The problem with automatic shooting settings is the camera doesn’t know when it’s going to need the flash, so in auto modes the camera has to charge the flash capacitors just in case. That charging and flash prep happens every time you turn the camera on and off.

Don’t Push The Shutter Button Half-Way For No Reason

Pushing the shutter button for the heck of it kicks off a whole raft of power-sucking processes inside your camera. It has to run the autofocus motors, fires up the camera’s internal computer and display and, if the flash is on, top off the flash capacitors.

Easy On The Video

Video mode is a huge power vacuum, particularly in cameras like the Canon 5D MKII. The LCD is in live mode continuously and the camera is generating quite a lot of heat.

Cut down on the amount of time you’re in video mode and your batteries will last a lot longer.

Working With Models

Jennifer - One of our local models building her portfolio

Working with models and talent is one of the hardest facets of photography, outside of strictly technical aspects, and one of the most necessary for being successful in the business. You not only have to be skilled at navigating the technical aspects of photography like framing, lighting, and exposure, you have to be able to connect with another person to bring out real emotion rather than simply poses.

Basic Posing

That’s a huge topic for a single article. The best way is to get as many different fashion magazines as you can lay your hands on and analyze the photos, don’t just look at them. Figure out the lighting and body positioning in detail. Study books like Doug Box’s Guide to Posing for Portrait Photographers and 500 Poses for Photographing Women by Michelle Perkins.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The only way to get good at it is experience. Fortunately, when models are starting out, they too need the practice and need to build their portfolio. Sometimes you can work out a deal based on mutual need. Those are called “TFP” shoots or Time For Prints: Their time, your photos. It’s a great way to build a portfolio when you’re starting out.

That’s how I met the girl pictured above, at a TFP shoot sponsored by a local gallery. Keep building those relationships and you’ll be successful.

Collective Action

Another thing you’ll discover getting involved in the business is that professional photographers practice even when they’re not working. Remember this article on Do You Have What It Takes? Pro photographers are working at their craft constantly.

Frequently groups of local photographers will partner up for a TFP shoot or pool together to hire paid talent. If you’re new to the business, absolutely get involved. You’ll learn a lot about posing just working around other photographers.

While you’re at it, get a box of business cards and get your name out there. Maybe you can pick up some work as a second photographer at weddings or event coverage while you’re gaining experience and models remember the photographers who make them look good and some have the clout to recommend photographers.

Branch Out

Everyone likes working with pretty girls and that’s where the biggest money in the modeling industry can be found, but don’t ignore men and more mature models. As our population ages there are a lot of jobs out there for older subjects. Not focusing exclusively on glamour shots for younger women is one of the ways you can set your work apart from others.

So remember, you can get a Canon 5D or a Nikon D700 and the best glass and studio flash units on the planet, but if you don’t know how to work with your subjects to get the best look possible, you’ll never grow in the craft.

Rumors Swirl About Nikon Pricing Policy

nikon announces new pricing policy — Nikon announces Unilateral Pricing Policy aka Get Set To Pay More

According to NikonRumors and now other sources as well, it appears Nikon is gearing up to implement a new uniform pricing policy on all DSLR gear among retailers. It’s a move that will surely annoy larger retailers, like B&H and Adorama, and cheer local brick and mortar stores that will no longer have to compete against the greater pricing power of big box retail stores and online stores like Amazon.

According to company communiques obtained by NikonRumors, the pricing is being put into effect so consumers won’t be tempted to shop around for a better deal. What it may do instead is give Canon a competitive edge on pricing.

Any company caught selling cameras below the nationally advertised prices may find themselves unable to buy certain products from Nikon. The Unilateral Pricing Policy, as it’s being called, will take effect on October 16th.

There’s another word in some circles for this kind of behavior, it’s called “price fixing”. How Nikon is getting around the law in the U.S. appears to be a loophole that differentiates between forcing a retailer to sell at a specific price and not selling to them if they do not adhere to pricing guidelines. The end result is the same and the difference seems largely semantic.

The bottom line for photographers in the U.S. it means that it soon won’t matter where you shop for Nikon gear as there won’t be any real price competition. It will be interesting to see whether this move works for Nikon, or drives more customers into the arms of Canon.