mikecat

Good summary Dennis. One small correction, though. WL's have a 250W quartz modeling light, while the AB's come with a 100W modeling light (std household bulb). However, the AB's are rated by the manufacturer to go up to 150W - Philips makes a quartz bulb on a standard household base that screws in. I've had three AB's (two B1600's and one B800) for a couple of years now and I'm very happy with them. Both are a good value for the money. Paul Buff customer service is excellent.

 

The AB's are a good way to get into studio lighting without spending an excessive amount and will probably serve you well for a good long time while you establish a business. If you wind up turning this into a full time career, then you can always re-evaluate your lighting needs in the future. If you wind up upgrading to or adding either WL monolights or Balcar pack and head units, all your AB accessories will fit without change. If you change away from any of these products, then you can still sell your AB's and get a decent value for them.

 

Before buying anything, you should evaluate what type of shooting you will be doing mostly and what lighting requirements you will have independent of any brand that you have heard of. For example, if most of your shooting will be portraiture in your studio, or on location in other people's homes, then a moderate set of monolights like the AB's or WL's would be good. If you plan on doing a lot of event or wedding photography, then you are probably going to want to look more seriously at a battery powered system such as those from Lumedyne, Quantum or Norman.

 

If you are located near a good pro store, I would also recommend getting a good "cookbook" style lighting book and then renting a few monolights over a weekend to try them out and get a feel for what you like / don't like. Most places that rent will also be willing to get you started with some instructions and tips if you tell them what you are up to. If you rent over the weekend, or even better over a long holiday weekend, most rental places will only charge you the day rate for the rental - it's a good way to stretch the rental a bit further. You'll probably spend $100 to do this with 3 lights, stands, umbrellas and maybe a softbox. But, think of it as an investment.

Looks like she's using available light in open shade for that particular photo. --Mike

With this meter there is no PC synch cord connection. Even many flash meters that do have a sync cord socket also have a "non-cord" metering mode. In this case, you set the meter to take a measurement, but it does not take the measurement at the instant you push the button (unlike in ambient or corded flash mode). It goes into a "ready and waiting" state. The meter is not connected to the flash, so you trigger the flash manually by hitting the test button. When the meter sees the flash of light, it then takes a measurement.

In my day job as a marketing manager, I'm usually on the receiving end of the photography that I have done for our products. The photographer that I do the most business with usually provides us with two things.

 

a) Low res JPEGs of his "top few" picks. Resolution that's good enough for us to pass around on email without grinding it to a halt and look at on a monitor or LCD projector ... maybe (600 to 800) x (900 to 1200) or thereabouts.

 

b) An electronic "proof book" of a larger selection of the shots he took. The proof book is a PDF document with about 6 shots on each page (think large thumbnail-sized) and the photo ID next to each photo.

 

Item "a" is common practice, item "b" is a nice touch. I wouldn't recommend sending your work-in-progress PSD files at all, and don't deliver your high res JPEG's until they've made the final selection. If you are going to deliver them on CD, go the extra step and print a nice label for it ... presentation matters.

 

--Mike

>> "I can't afford much in terms of compensation but I certainly would credit the photographer."

 

That's the great thing about business, you can work out the arrangements that are best for both of you. If you found a photo that you wanted to use from another photographer, but can't afford to pay a licensing fee up front, then you should try to work out a royalty arrangement. Basically, you both agree on a royalty rate as a percentage of the initial selling price. Then you would pay the photographer that percentage once you sold the painting to the first buyer - subsequent buyers/sellers would not be obligated to pay the royalty. Of course, you will probably have to give them some idea of a what your paintings have been sellign for before they agree to a percentage.

Can you provide a bit more info regarding the industry, company size, what type and size of brochure (ie. 2, 4, 8, 12 page)? Is it product photography of their specific product, or a stock image that they would like to use? I would say 2,500 is actually a pretty small run, regardless of where it's distributed.

Here's my suggestion (I'm a marketing manager by day so my advice will be coming from the customer's point of view - I contract with photographers to have product shots done for brochures, ads, mailers, magazine articles, trade show booths, etc.).<br><br>

 

As a customer I would like to know how much it will cost to <i>do MY job.</i> So establish your day rate, but don't tell me what it is - just use that as your internal pricing guide to help you come up with your quote. Then spend a good deal of time talking with me (and visit my site) to really understand what I expect out of the job.<br><br>

 

Approach it from a variety of viewpoints to collect a LOT of info from me.<br><br>

 

<ul>

<li>How many shots do I want to end up with? </li>

<li>What specific shots do I already know you want and MUST have? What other shots would I like to have? Ask me to walk you around and show you? Do I have a predetermined shot list and "style guide" that I want you to follow? How much freedom do I want to give you to deviate from my list?

<li>What effect or image am I trying to portray about the subjects? </li>

<li>What will the photos be used for? Is there a specific project (i.e. annual report) or are these for my image "library"?</li>

<li>How long do I expect to use them for? (i.e. building shots I may want to use "forever" ... those Ivy covered walls look the same now as they did 100 years ago, but "campus life" shots I may only want to use for a couple of years so they seem current.)</li>

<li>What's my budget? How long would I expect you to spend working on this project? What's my time frame to start shooting? When do I need the finished photos delivered? (use these questions to help calibrate how realistic my initial expectations are. If things seem way out of whack - i.e. I want 50 photos and expect to pay you $500 and it should only take you about 3 hours to do. You can decide at that moment to a) run like the wind or b) help me realign their expectations by explaining what's involved in delivering what I've asked for.)</li>

</ul><br>

And on and on...<br><br>

 

At the end of all this you can leave and send me a quote tomorrow for the job. I usually think in terms of what the "job" will cost me compared to what I expect to get out of it. I'm going to be telling each photographer the same thing. Even when I'm quoted day rates and per copy image fees, I wind up doing the math and translate it into a job cost anyway, since I have a decent idea of how long it will take from my experience. Plus, that's how I budget for it. I don't budget "$1500/day x I don't know", I budget "$X for about 10 high-res shots of the new ABC product (with establishing, medium and detail shots) and it's options, plus 2-3 'concept' shots for backgrounds, color splash, abstracts, etc." If your client (me) is not used to doing this, then day rates might be a bit scary, because they seem open ended. If you quote what you are willing to deliver to me for a set price, then both of us will be happy. If what you quote doesn't quite match up with what I want, then you can adjust what you are going to deliver in order to "sync up" your package with my cost expectations. BTW, I understand that if I want to pay less, I might get less.<br><br>

If you want to really set yourself apart, you can think about what else might be important to me (now that you have so much information about me) and try to anticipate some additonal goodies that you can use to your advantage. For example, those ivy covered walls look awesome in the fall, maybe you could include a follow up session of 1/2 day to be scheduled some time in the fall that delivers me one additional photo of my "key" building all dressed up in fall colors. Even though you've "given" this to me (actually you've at least covered your cost for this in the quote), when the time comes to schedule my "free shot", I will probably wind up thinking of some other great fall shots I could use and you'll wind up with another money making session. This tells me that a) you were listening to me and b) you really understand MY business and MY needs, therefore I'm going to be more comfortable with choosing you. In the end you wind up selling me your value as a professional photographer, not your day rate or image management fee.<br><br>

In the end, you are already most likely doing something similar for your wedding photography. Think of it as offering a "package" - it includes a certain amount of photography and I wind up with a certain number of images, you will just be delivering them on CD instead of an Art Leather ablum.<br><br>The photographers that I've worked with (for commercial products) are in the $800 to $2000/day range an usually include about 10-12 hig-res images per day of shooting, with additional high-res images in the $50 to $100 per image range (this includes basic PS work - sizing, sharpening, artifact cleanup).<br><br>

Good luck,<br>--Mike

What's you budget?<br><br>

Two good contact managers that can help you manage your customers, vendors and activities are ACT! and Goldmine. These are battle-tested sales contact managers that have been around for a long time. Many, many individuals and companies use them to manange their sales opportunities. What your describe above is exactly what these applications do. The reason I ask about your budget? They are both around $200.<br><br>

I don't know what your rates are, but I imagine that you couldn't create an application with Filemaker Pro that's as sophisticated and comprehensive in $200 worth of your time. And in the grand scheme of things, how many incremental sales would it take to pay for one of these programs ... one, maybe two, three on the outside?<br><br>

If you have Microsoft Office, you may also have Microsoft Outlook, and that can also be used. It's fine for managing contacts, tasks and calendars, however it'll take a little extra work to use as a sales management tool. If you buy it on it's own, it's a little cheaper than ACt! or Goldmine - about $100.<br><br>

ACT! Website: <a href="http://www.act.com">http://www.act.com<a><br>

Goldmine Website: <a href="http://www.frontrange.com/goldmine/">http://www.frontrange.com/goldmine/<a>

Olympus Pen EE - half frame 35mm. It was a gift from my father. Great little camera. Although at the time what I liked most about it was getting 72!! shots out of a roll of Tri-X. I still have it. About a year ago I dug it out of a box where it had been sitting for the last 20 years ... and it had a roll of Tri-X in it! I had it developed, just for fun, but unfortunately time had taken it's toll on the roll and there as nothing to see.

I contributed an answer (actually two) to a very similar question last year. Here's the link:<br><br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0082pO">http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0082pO</a>

<br><br>

It's a bit wordy, but I hope it helps.<br>

--Mike

Ross, I've been thinking about this for a few days. I don't think that I can supply you with the magic bullet - ie. "you should charge $X and 37 cents per photo!". I don't know what the going rate is for exactly the situation you described (and nobody else has offered any direct help either). So, the best suggestion that I could give is as follows (it's vague, but simple) - try to figure out the following:

 

a) At what price you would feel satisfied that you've been reasonably compensated for your work, given the "unlimited" use option that's been discussed above.

b) At what price would you walk away from the job.

 

If you can negotiate something around the "a" price, then who cares what others charge, you've done right by yourself. And if the negotiations start veering towards the "b" price you can bail with a cool head, and not feel like you've been stuck with a loser job after the fact. I bet a lot of people go into discussions without really knowing where their personal "bottom line" is and wind up taking jobs that they are sorry they took after the fact.

 

The nice thing about this approach is that it's flexible. You're basically going to them and saying, Price "a" gets you these features and list them out (exclusive use for X years for a) secondary web pages on the national chain's site, b) brochures (up to X,000 copies), c) ads in local/state newspapers and magazines, etc.). If they balk at the price at this early point, you are basically talking to them about reducing features to reduce the price. It works pretty well, because it's a basic concept that everyone can understand "Everything costs something, if I want it to cost less, I get less." For example, you might start out with your list of features that includes use of the photos for these purposes "forever" and "for whatever they want", then the next step may be to suggest that the limit is something more reasonable like 3 to 5 years - how often do they remodel, they'll probably want new pictures then, right? Wouldn't be bad if they called you back to do the next pictures. Talk to them about exactly what they MIGHT use them for, then suggest a smaller package of rights that covers the 80%-90% of the things that they REALLY want to use them for.

 

In the end you'll learn a lot about the client, you'll get paid about what you want, the customer will have photos that they can use for what they need. Birds will be singing, the sun will be shining and all will be good throughout the land. Good Luck! --Mike

Retouching plays a big part. Check this out:<br><br>

<a href="http://www.nyphotographics.com/">www.nyphotographics.com</a>

<br><br>

Click on "Retouching" on the left menu and then click on any of before/after phtos pairs to see an overlayed before/after image that switches when you doa mouse-over.

Ross, It would be helpful if you could provide a bit more information about the client, images and intended usage of the images.

 

Without more info, I can just give you some perspective from the buyer's side. In my marketing role I contract with photographers for product and concept images for use in advertising (in industry journals) and point-of-sale literature (brochures, etc.), trade show graphics and internal documentation. The industry I work in is high-tech (serving the pharmaceutical/biotech industries), with business-to-business sales and medium sized (a couple of billion $/year market size). The products photographed range from the size of a coffee cup to the size of truck. I'm usually seeing day rates in the range of $1000 to $2000 which include (pretty much) exclusive, unlimited usage a some number of images (something like 5-10 images per day contracted) with fees of $50 to $150 per additional image, plus any extra Photoshop/prep time at $75 to $150/hour.

 

This is just one example. It could (should) be different for different industries, different audiences (ie. consumer vs. BTB), different usage (national ad campaign in mainstream magazines/bilboards/etc vs. industry journals), among other factors.

 

For your own protection, I would not use vague terms with the client like "buy out". Be specific. You can grant your client very, very broad usage without giving up ownership of the work. No need to get hung up on terminology, but it should be described clearly in the agreement. You have the ability to control the usage rights granted over time (one time/for defined period of time/unlimited), location/region (local/national/worlwide), intended use (web/ad/editorial/company literature/unlimited) and exclusivity (exclusive/limited exclusivity/non-exclusive). You will probably want to make sure that you retain the right for you to use the images to promote yourself and your business. Of course I have to add the standard disclaimer that I am not a lawyer and you should consult with one in your area for advice and proper drafting of a business agreement/contract, preferably one that has experience with copyright/licensing issues.

 

Hope this helps. --Mike

The term "EVF" (Electronic View Finder) seems to me emerging in some of the photo magazines to describe these sorts of cameras - in between a point & shoot and a DSLR. I don't know if it'll catch on.

Just to add a little weight to the other side. I've also put 300+ rolls through my F80 in about 3 years. No problems. The only time it didn't feed film was when I misloaded it. There will always be products that have problems when anything is mass produced in large quantities. That's why companies have warranties - it's impossible to guarantee that 100% of everything will be perfectly made, but they can guarantee that they'll fix or replace the duds that do make their way out.

 

Be an agressive consumer. You've spent your hard earned money on the camera. It's only four months old. Don't wait until it's too late to take advantage of the warranty that you've already paid for. Nikon owes you a working camera, keep the pressure on them to give that to you (either by definitively repairing this one or giving you a new one). The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

Side note: It's a little unfair to compare the N80 to the F100. Of course the F100 should be more reliable and durable, it was designed to be that way to stand up to the use of working professionals who put 24 rolls of film through it each day, every day - not for the rest of us who put 24 rolls of film through it every four months. Let's put it in perspective: you could buy, use, break and throw away THREE or FOUR N80's for the same price as an F100. You have to guage how much durability and reliability you really need for your type of use and shooting ... assuming you're not starting with a defective article.

 

Good luck.

I have a very similar setup to what you are considering. I only got the monolights from Alien Bees two B1600's and one B800, and I got the 13' Impact air cushioned black stands from B&H. The stands are first rate. Very sturdy and work well, and they were cheaper than the similar AB stands. I would recommend them. One other thing that is a good deal from AB are the grids, especially if you buy them in the kit of four.

 

For light modifiers, I went a litle too cheap and got the Bosh Eclipse-copy umbrellas from B&H. They aren't bad, but they have a screw-top that goes over the end of the shaft. It's just inconvenient to have to screw and unscrew this little knob to pull the black cover on and off to go from bounce to shoot through. I've worked with the Photogenic umbrellas before and the cover just stretches over the end - it goes on and off fairly quickly. Soon, I'll get a softbox or two to replace these.

Even by Seth Resnick's standards, what the magazine is offering is reasonable.

If you go to another part of his website, he has his editorial rates posted

and you can see that the rates range from $235 (1/4 pg.) to $525 (full pg.)

for an inside placement in a magazine with a circulation 100,000 to 500,000.<br>

<br>

<a href="http://www.d-65.com/photographersonly/consumerpricing.html">http://www.d-65.com/photographersonly/consumerpricing.html</a><br>

<br>

Congratulations!<br>

<br>

The crop is fine, but the lighting is coming from a low angle, hitting his face straight on and a little low, hinting at "ghoul" lighting, but not that extreme. I think this lighting angle could work, though, if you warmed it up a bit to suggest "Santa by the fire light's glow".

I use one of those inexpensive point & shoot pouches (I think mine is a Tamrac). My FG + 15/1.8 has plenty of room, plus a small pocket for about 4-5 rolls of film. It has a belt loop and a neck strap, depending on how you want to carry it.

Don't compare cameras, compare photos.

I signed up in early 2003 and every one of the books had a revised copyright date of 2002 or 2003. That being said, many had original copyright dates going back 10 or 20+ years, and many of the pictures seemed like the originals. However, that does not take away anything from thier usefullness in illustrating the course material.

 

Onr thing I forgot to mention was that there was also three extra books and 3 audio CD's dedicated to digital photography (cameras, scanning & printing). Plus a book on getting into freelance photography, a book on starting your own studio and a book on videography.

to answer the second part of your question. If you have your lens "wide open" - f/3.3 in this case - you will get LESS depth of field (DOF), not more (ie. less of your phot will be in focus). If you want more DOF (more of your photo in focus), then you need to stop your lens down to f/11, f/16 or f/22. <br><br>

 

Smaller number = Smaller DOF, Bigger number = Bigger DOF<br><br>

 

If you could post a scan of one of your photos, it would make it easier to help you daignose the problem. But it could be any one or combination of the following:<br><br>

 

- Out of Focus because the camera focused on another point (which was not your subject). This can happen when the focus selector is pointing at something other than the subject. You may have accidentally switch the focus selector to something other than the one you throught you were using.<br>

- Out of Focus (sort of) because your DOF was smaller than you wanted.<br>

- Blurry from camera shake (actually your hands shaking) if you used a slower shutter speed without a tripod (something slower than 1/30-1/60 sec with that lens)<br>

- Blurry because your subject moved slightly with a slower shutter speed.<br>

On the newer Nikon cameras such as the F55/65/75/80, you MUST control the aperture with the camera body. Most of the "D" series AF lenses have a small switch that locks the aperture ring in at its smallest setting (usually f/22, but sometimes f/32 or f/16) so it can't move. If you try to use the aperture ring on these cameras you get an error message on the LCD display (a flashing "fEE").

I enrolled in it last year just as a way to get a little more structured education and improve my photography. So far I'm about 1/3 of the way through with my photo projects. However, I've received all the material and been through all of it. You get quite a bit. There are around 20+ books (one for each lesson) of about 20-ish pages each, 6 videos and about 15 cassette tapes. The first half of the course is covers the basics of composition, lighting, film, equipment, etc. and the second half covers the different types of photography (portrait, wedding, photojournalism, advertising, architecture, etc.)

 

When you send your photo projects in, an instructor comments on them and sends back a cassette tape with their observations and suggestions - everthing is pretty positive and encouraging. You have an advisor assigned to you that you can email or talk to with questions. The administrative staff is helpful and very responsive. I have to say that so far I'm very happy with the course.

My guess is that, since there is no agreed upon standard for wired remote controls, this will not be compatible. There's no incentive for the manufacturer's to make their stuff cross-compatible and it's not worth the time and effort to reverse engineer it. However, a 2 minute phone call to Photogenic will probably get you the real, correct answer without all of our silly assumptions.