ni_gentry

I'd like to hear how other people charge for additional post production on

images (particularly wedding/portrait clients).

<p>

I run all images through a post-processing workflow before delivering to the

client. Everything gets exposure/color/contrast adjustments and maybe some

extra selective retouching if I like the image enough. Everything is pretty

close to "final" as I would have it... but of course I don't go through each

and every image to remove zits, wrinkles, stray hairs in the face, etc.

Those "imperfections" don't usually show up on 4x6" size prints anyway.

<p>

When someone orders a larger print (8x10 or bigger) then I will do a little

more to clean up those and that time/effort is factored into my print

pricing. I have been mostly telling people who inquire about additional

retouching to just purchase the print for those images. But would be

interested to hear how other people deal with and charge for additional

retouching... per image? by the hour? minimum charges? other?<p>

I've never had a card failure yet (knock on wood), but want to be prepared

just in case.<p>

I have a version of Rescue Pro that came with Sandisk memory cards I bought a

while ago. Will this work with all cards or just Sandisk cards? Does the

card reader make a difference?

<p>

Also would be interested in any other suggestions for CF card recovery

software. I'm on a Mac.

quote <i>"It would be fun if she got sued for some really stupid advice!"</i><p>

If that were the case, they could sue more than half of the people who post on photo.net :-)

<p>

Bad advice is in adundance all over the internet.

quote " About the light and compostition of photos on other websites, I don't see a

problem with mine just the same as some and a different style than other."<p>

I wouls say that this is why you need to take a photography class (or series of classes) or

attend workshops. Something where you can get honest and professional critique and

education. You can only learn so much on the internet...<p>

For example... Do you understand the common guidelines for shooting outdoor portraits

in harsh, direct sunlight? Are you familiare with terms like exposure lattitude,

characteristic curves, push/pull processing, color theory, color temperature, fill-flash,

etc... And do you know how to apply those in any given situation like they are second

nature to you? I'm guessing you shoot with the camera in some Program Auto mode. That

will only get you so far<p>

The reason so many people have mentioned templates is because professional

photography websites (and web design in general) has advanced way beyond the simple

html based style of site that you have. Your website is probably your biggest calling

card... it's where most people will go to look and check out your work to see if you are

worth hiring and trusting to take their photos. It needs to look professional, well laid out,

and present your images in a clean, clear, easy/quick to browse fashion. Most people

won't give a squat what your religious background is. Note that I didn't even mention that

the first time I commented... but now I feel as though maybe my feedback would have

been more well received had I mentioned that I am a Christian ;-) <p>

A lot of time can be save by using a professional template. Most of us are photographers

and don't have time to design websites. It's much more practical to use an already

complete and well-made design that will ultimately present your work better and be more

attractive to clients.....<p>

That said, I really think you need to work on improving your photography skills before

thinking about creating a better website. Again, take a class or something and go out and

shoot a lot more before updating your website.

Allan,

You already know the answer (I hope)... just ask the couple!

<p>

Some couples will want you to. Some won't. It doesn't matter what photo.net people tell you

if the couple who pay you have a different opinion. You also need to talk with the officiant or

people running the ceremony site or church.

I don't want to be harsh... really. But I gotta be honest. The site looks very beginner and

amateurish. I could list a few things...

<p>

- The script font is kind of cheesy but more importantly, it is also very difficult to read.

<p>

- The big white keyline borders are also kind of old-fashioned and amateurish looking.

<p>

- The high-key image of the baby on the first page is beyond high-key. It's blown out.

<p>

- The image on your

homepage should be representative of the main type of photography that you do...

<p>

- What type of photography do you do? Everything it seems... landscape, portraits, babies,

wildlife, events, flowers... To really succeed, you need focus, which comes from

experience and a

mature style...

<p>

- Your photographs do not exhibit a mature style. They honestly look like snapshots of

your kids and vacation photos.

<p>

- The "special effects" are not special at all.

<p>

- If you want people in your area to contact you, you need to tell them what city you are

located in.<p>

- You "About Me" page could use some work. What is unique about you and your work?

There's no real point in a photographer telling people that they love photography and that

they enjoy all types of photography. What about just a sentence or two about your

experience/training, professional background, your specialty, or your inspiration. <p>

Sorry. Just being honest. I think I would recommend taking some photography classes.

On a 1.6x sensor camera...

<p>

16-35mm or 17-40mm

<p>

24mm /1.4<br>

50mm /1.4<br>

85mm /1.8

<p>

The above with what you already have is all you ( or rather, I ) may ever need. Except

maybe if you want some "specialty lenses" like a fisheye or a macro for detail shots.

I figured you probably already knew that :-)<p>

I think the "branding" comes from many aspects. I think marketing materials need to be

updated frequently. There will always be those "old favorites" or what we consider our

signature images, but if a "working" photographer out there shooting will always be

producing new, exciting work that he/she wants to show off. It's good to stay fresh and

keep your promo materials up to date. I know personally, my style has evolved a lot over

even just the past year. That evolution may level off a little, but not entirely.<p>

Branding (in my opinion) takes into account your overall signature "style" rather than any

single image or series of images. Are you a Yervant? a Buissink? a Becker? an Ascough?

It's also good to have a consistent presentation of your images... a Logo, signature colors,

... similar presentation whether it's on your website, an advertisement, business card,

postcard, price sheet, etc...

<p>

Maybe to answer your question more directly.... This is just my opinion/experience, but I

think many couples say/think they want mostly (or all) candid and "photo-journalistic"

shots, so that is what I think appeals to "most" people... at least the people I try to attract.

But in the end, everyone gets some posed portraits and formals (even if they are not

"traditional" in style).

The answer to this heavily depends on what the main camera is (which is not mentioned).

<p>

But given the little info, I'd pick the 20D. Same battery and similar controls to what I would

use as a main camera. Also better build quality and larger viewfinder.

quote: "To be honest, if you were on your company's time while shooting for them, then

they will likely own the rights (or expect to own the rights) to all the images."<p>

Alec has it right. If you are an employee of this company, then probably whatever work

you do for them is governed under your normal terms of employment. So if this was

regular company time, then you basically get your regular pay and that's it. If it was

beyond normal hours, then maybe you'd be entitled to overtime (that's if you are on hourly

wages and not salaried). <p>

Also, either way, you are still working for "the company" so they own the images along

with all the rights.<p>

Part of being professional is knowing or researching all this BEFORE the event and getting

solid written or verbal contracts in place.

Advertise to the type of bride you want as your client. There are all types of people with all

different kinds of taste and preference. It partially depends on your area, but there's usually

someone for everyone in most markets. <p>

Use an image that you feel represents your style and that will appeal to the type of couple

who you want to work with... young/hip/edgy/fashion-ista... classic/B&W/photo-

journalistic... traditional/posed/formal... etc. They will all attract good clients as long as the

rest of your work can back it up.

There are one or two guys that hang out and advertise their services on this forum. I'm sure

they'll chime in or email you directly soon :-)

A diffusor is really just going to cut your flash output and not do much to soften the light.

For that you need to make the light source much larger. For outdoor fill, the key is really just

getting the right balance of sunlight & flash, which depends on the direction of the sun

relative to the subject and your personal taste.

There have been a few very good threads recently about advertising.<p>

The main points (in my opinion and experience) are...<p>

1. Direct marketing/promotions and personal contact/referrals are the most fruitful in

gaining clients and spreading word about your business. Network with local businesses

(wedding related or not). Spread the word with your friends and family and any other

personal contacts you have. Keep in touch with all your former clients (even if you might

THINK your prices have gotten too high for them, they may know other people with larger

budgets, etc.) <p>

2. You have to know WHO you are targetting and what is important to THEM... price,

albums, style, etc...<p>

3. You have to know WHAT is your strength and what makes YOU unique and different

among the dozens (or hundreds) of other photographers in your area. Use that to your

advantage.<p>

4. You have to know WHERE your target market is and WHERE those potential clients will

most likely find out about you... magazines, internet, bridal fairs, other wedding vendors,

etc... Bridal fairs can be great, but you probably need to raise your prices.<p>

5. The Knot is a waste of money for 'most' photographers.

<p>

You don't mention where you are (an important factor). In many markets, $1500 is still

kind of on the low end and still in that craigslist market I think (but maybe pushing it). It's

a tough price range, because it is on the border between the low end and the middle/

average (which I put at somewhere around $2500). Being in between like that may be

pushing you out of the low end, but still leaving the "perception" that your experience/

quality is not high enough to warrant being in a higher bracket... I say that strictly from a

marketing point-of-view and without seeing any of your work or knowing any details of

what's in your packages.<p>

Advertising/marketing are very unique to each person's individual business, their goals,

their area, and their target market. So it's not really possible to give any specific "best

ways or places to advertise". You just have to do some research based on YOUR

needs.<p>

Also, how many weddings are you doing now and how many do you want to be doing? Are

you full time or part time? I'm assuming part-time, because at $1500 you'd need to be

doing a ton of weddings before you even break even (especially with the cost of

advertising on the knot added to your overhead). If you figure out your expenses, income,

profit margins, and all your other finances, that will give you a clearer idea of what might

make sense to spend on advertising.<p>

Personally, I don't do any paid mass advertising.

1. Whatever you get, get the fastest CPU and most ram you can afford. <p>

2. You will want at least a couple LARGE external hard drives for storage and backup.<p>

3. Your MONITOR is your main working area. You'll be staring at it and processing your

images

on it all day long so it's important to have a nice one (for the sake of your images and your

eyes). I'd give up a little on the computer itself, if it meant having a better

monitor. A nice big good quality monitor is worth it and can last through a couple or more

generations of computer upgrades.

Something like Yervant's Page Gallery might work. If you use another program other than

Photoshop, make sure you set the page size, output format, etc. correct so that it matches

Asuka's templates and will pass their File Checker. <p>

Photoshop is not too difficult once you get the hang of it. Once you do, it can be pretty fast

and more flexible than anything else. And once you do a couple books, you can start

accumulating your own templates to work with to drop images into. I think most wedding

photographers just use Photoshop for most album designs.<p>

Indesign is another option but it's more for graphic designers. There's pros and cons for

both photoshop and indesign.

I agree, the photo is not amazing, but it's a good shot of a nice moment. The tilt in the

original is a bit extreme, but I like Marc's version. Here's another just 'cause I'm bored...<div></div>

Steve, <p>

You can Batch remove dust spots in Lightroom (probably other programs also). <p>

In Lightroom 1.0, there's a spot/clone tool that you can use to remove the dust spots from

one image, and then assuming the dust spot(s) will be in the same location for every frame,

you can just "copy" those "develop" settings to all the other images that need it.<p>

Just one more great feature of Lightroom.

Almost everyone has dust on their sensor, but in most shots it doesn't really show up.

Mostly in areas like skies or if it happens to land on someone's face, and also if you are

shooting at smaller apertures it's more obvious. <p>

Whether or not to clean your sensor depends on how bothersome it is in your shots and

how technically inclined you are.<p>

The blower thing didn't work for me at all. It just blew the dust to other spots and

sometimes made it worse. <p>

I've used the Arctic Butterfly from Visible Dust, which is a little expensive for just a staticly

charged brush, but it works well when you need it. Of course, I've only felt the need to

clean each of my camera sensors once or twice in the last year.

<p>

C'mon..... do you really have to ask?

<p>

Give them a break. Don't go broke, but give them the images for free. How much is it really worth to you? How would you feel if a photographer charged you for photos of your dead child?

My opinion is that someone who says:<p>

" I am just interested in doing some wedding photography on the side, nothing too

serious, ... " <p>

probably should not just jump into shooting weddings. Although maybe not the most

technically challenging form of photography, there are a lot of challenges that you would

face and many things to learn. The biggest thing is that you'd be photographing people's

personal memories... meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime events that cannot be recaptured. If

you do not know what you're doing or are not "too serious" about it, then you really have

no business doing it. <p>

If you want to "try your hand" at it, then hook up with another photographer and see if you

can second shoot and/or assist on a few to see if it's for you or not.