michaelmowery

So how did it go? I want to see some of the pictures you took.

i am a pro and I use strobes as do the rest of the pros I know. We also use some form of an LED light but for limited creative shots. We would never shoot a job solely with a continuous light.

One thing I can say is if its that windy why would you be doing a shoot then? A little breeze here and there is another story. That said I wouldn't be too concerned about what modifier you use although I would say umbrellas should not be on your list. Most issues concern light stands falling over but you have that under control with an assistant.

generally it is my subject or the challenge that get my creativeness going. From there I choose the equipment that will produce the results. I know its probably not the answer your looking for but for me it is backwards to choose the equipment first then look for the subject.

It really doesn't matter what camera one starts off with as long as he or she knows how to use it. Event photography is more than just knowing the technical or having equipment. Experience is what makes you good. The more you just go out and do it and practice the better you become. The equipment is secondary. That said you buy what you can afford and when you make money you may choose to upgrade. But to answer your question directly, I started off with film cameras both Hasselblad and canon. Today, like everyone else I have converted to digital. I buy what I can afford but I can do just as good a job with a cheaper camera. Having experience brings confidence and allows you to trouble shoot in stressful situations. Experience means you are facing a situation that you faced before and made a mistake the first time and hopefully you learned by it.

<p>Most everyone has been taking pictures all there life. That seems to be quite a long Prerequisite to your next step. What type of photography have you been crafting your skills at over those years? You do not need a reputation in order to charge money. You need skills both in photography and in business. Why do you feel a need to start a business in photography? Since you did not state the type of photography your doing I will assume you do portrait. That said, how many portraits have you done? How have your subjects responded to your work? If all has been good then yes, you should take the next step and charge for your time. You can not just pull a number out of a hat and you can't ask others on a forum. You need to look at the photographers that are in your geographic location. You should price in the ball park of other local photographers. Once you decide on a number the next step is see if anyone will pay you. If all goes well your all set. If not then you need to adjust your pricing. Good luck!</p>

<p>There is no special lens for Boudoir photography. Basic portrait photography lenses applies. 35mm 50mm 85mm. The more important factor is to make your subject look flattering and in good taste with the posing of the body. If you make them look good it really doesn't matter which lens you used. <br> The lighting comes second to the posing and is very important. Two lights is good three is better. Soft lighting with some highlights look great. Available light looks great too if it works. Last is the choice of lens. Basic knowledge and experience of lens focal length and lens characteristics will dictate your choice. Remember you can have the best lenses and all the lighting but if your subject is posed bad what difference does it make?</p>

<p>Excellent advice given above. I am from the school of Manual exposure settings. That said I will flip the advice. There is no reason not to use the auto settings with todays cameras. The only people who will think less of you are other photographers. Who cares! Your clients are the ones who matter and as long as you get the shots and you have the right exposure, no one is going to care how you got it. That being said, Learn to take pictures in manual settings first both for available light and using the flash in manual. So what am I saying? I look at it this way, auto settings are really advance settings that you need to fully understand in order to use them correctly. More people mess up jobs in auto settings because of the lack of knowledge of photography exposure. The last advice is use the custom settings on the camera. You have 3 custom settings. Think of 3 entirely different scenarios that you often run across on a job and program them in so you can quickly switch between settings during fast pace scenarios. Weddings can be a fast paced job and the lighting can change quickly so use the auto settings, custom settings and manual exposure to your advantage. Know when to use them and yes, practice, practice, practice. Good luck.</p>

<p>any word?</p>

<p>Adding to the already suggestions, I would say change the about page. You really don't say anything that relates to why I should hire you for photography. It sounds more like a dating profile. If I want martial arts lessons I know who to call.</p>

<p>Next time do what most pros do and get the full payment of your balance a month before the shoot. There is no reason not to get paid in advance. Head aches will be gone.</p>

<p>Its a little hard to suggest what you should charge. For one I have no idea what will be involved or how long you will need in your shoot of 15 outfits. Only you know what you need to charge to stay in business. If this is not your livelihood then charge a fee that you will be happy with. Hourly rates are not the best route in general, a per shot would be best. $100, $200? </p>

<p>Aside from having them sign a paper, it is always good practice to keep them informed throughout the night that there are pictures that have not been taken. You can't get an attitude or shrug them off when they don't want to do it when you ask. Just keep reminding them as the clock ticks. Then if they still don't do it by the end of the night you pull out the paper.</p>

<p>It doesn't matter how many years you have photographed weddings. You can say whatever you want to defend your actions but the point of the matter is you put yourself in this problem. Your the pro. These are all lessons to be learned for next time. If you cannot take charge and get it done as Bob has suggested then you need to have them sign a paper to the effect of saying you are released of any responsibility and liability of missing group shots because they refused to do it when asked. I have shot weddings for over 22 years and I run into these problems now and then but I get it done if its the last pictures I take before I leave. </p>

<p>LOL, I hear ya Bob. I was not going to go there, I was playing it safe and Just answering the question.</p>

<p>As a NYC photographer who is active in corporate photography let me say your lucky to get them to pay you $150 per person and forget about adding a licensing fee on top of that. The old timer corporate guys are willing to pay more but not the new guys out of college. Again, please tell me the outcome of your venture. I hope you got what you wanted.</p>

<p>I was just revisiting this post and I also want to comment that there is not any magic or special software involved but rather it was the natural color palate of each image that makes the visual impact. </p>

Regan please let us know the outcome of your final quote.

<p>I think you are in the ball park. The days of 5 digit corporate shoots ended when digital came on the scene.</p>

<p>Part of your contract should state what size files the client shall receive. Some people give full resolution and others give every other size other than full, while others don't give any files. Its your business and that is something you need to sort out beforehand. All though I do find it strange that you are taking jobs yet don't know how to handle the files. I guess now is the best time to learn.</p>

<p>Shift tilt lense for some of the shots</p>

<p>It would help to see your images I have no clue what your talking about and I can't help you improve upon what I can't see. As for the images from the link from another photographer, they are just well lit images, nothing special. Either one large light source to light whole body or two smaller lights to light upper body and the other to light lower body.</p>

<p>Well, Jaydann may have not answered your question but he did make some true points. The old small fish in a big pond scenario. Anyways, I won't go down that path. <br /> How many weddings have you shot here in NYC since you moved here? <br /> Connecting with venues is not the best thing for a new photographer on the block to do. They simply don't care about you. Your best bet is to seek out the party coordinators. They might not give you the time of day either. Everyone care's about there own good name and reputation. They will choose the tried and true photographers. If you are a talented photographer you should do fine. It may take some time but keep at it!<br> You also need a good website. I see a couple people with the same studio name as yours. Not sure if one of them is you or not. You will also need to charge a higher price.</p>

<p>What does high speed sync have to do with your shot?</p>

<p>This among other things is something you can not learn by reading or asking on a forum. You need to just go out and practice and make mistakes. Thats how you learn. It took me 20 years to get where I am at today. Experience is something you can not buy or learn. You have to earn it. Yes, learning photography for which you charge money requires attaining experience more so than learning from a book or head knowledge.</p>