Photography Workshop: Turning Passion into a Profession

Do you have what it takes “go pro?" I’m constantly asked by aspiring photographers about the “business side” of my world. The photography business is a very personal, emotional and immersive world… but it’s still a business. That means you need to possess not only the creative spark and energy to create great work, but also bring with you the strong business fundamentals that put you on the path to success.

Because there is a lot of interest in this, I decided earlier this year to create a “Workshop Series” that allows those thinking about actually starting a photo business to learn the process, and network with other like-minded folks. The workshop covers the following areas:

• MY JOURNEY
• SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS
• THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
• CREATING & MARKETING YOUR BRAND
• SUSTAINING YOUR BUSINESS

The goal at the end of the day is for participants to be able to better decide if this life is for them, and if so, to consider making an initial investment in yourself and your business.

MY JOURNEY

I’ll walk you through the “business” of photography, discuss how to push yourself and your art, and help you to understand the need for a work-life balance. I’ll outline for you what it takes to “go pro,” what is costs, and most importantly, I’ll help guide you in deciding if the photography business is really the direction you want to head. You’ll learn tips, techniques, how to choose the right gear, and what it costs to produce a shoot. Prepare to be inspired and have your questions answered!

SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS

When I got started I thought that if I had great photography skills, I’d have a successful business. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re starting and running your own business, you need to wear a “baker’s dozen” of hats. You are a photographer/customer service expert/bookkeeper/marketing director/social media whiz/branding dude/website creation person/secretary/treasurer/CEO/CFO and pretty much any other title you can think of.

From marketing to accounting to negotiating, there may be some days that you never touch a camera. It may seem like unfamiliar territory, but spending time honing your business skills will pay off in the long run. Photographers need business skill know-how just as much as any business. There are many aspects of the business of photography that should be considered before starting up your own photography business.

THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

First off, I understand how researching, testing and learning about new photo equipment can be sexy and exciting, but in reality, it’s really about how you, as a fledgling photography business, figure out how to create art with what you already have… and to stop yourself from chasing the next big innovation. That said, let’s take a look at some of the necessary stuff that you’ll need in order to be successful.

CREATING & MARKETING YOUR BRAND

As a new business, you can choose to market yourself with big, loud tactics… there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that strategy. But I’ve chosen a slower approach with my marketing; I’ll call it “white noise marketing.” The secret for me has been to continue to produce high quality images and then quietly remind people about them. To do this, I like to send people anywhere from five to eight postcards a year and usually write something funny and personalized on the back. I’d hate to be thought of as the photographer's version of a "used car salesman" with loud gimmicks and cheap suits. That’s not the association I want people to make when they think about my work.

SUSTAINING YOUR BUSINESS

At this point in the workshop, we’ve covered the necessary “building blocks” to work with as you consider starting your photography business… Then you can take it to the next level. So once you’ve started your business as a professional photographer, how do you keep the ball rolling? What steps must you take to keep a steady flow of business? The ability to “take a great picture” is but ONE part of having a successful professional photography business. A commercial photographer who runs their own business needs to be a great salesperson who also happens to possess the ability to take amazing photos. As a photographer, YOU are your business.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

To learn more and see the schedule of upcoming workshops, visit our “Events Page”. If you’d like to start out by reading my eBook on this topic, you can download it here.

Creative Self-Assignments: A Glimpse Inside The Process

Why I Continue To Create Art Outside Of The Studio...

Every year for the past 25 years, I've taken on a major creative "self-assignment" for the purpose of generating the creative energy that I use throughout the year to provide my clients with "my best work". While that may sound a bit altruistic, I'll admit it goes beyond that... it goes to the core of my lifelong creative journey.

As anyone in the creative field knows, there are many different way that artists find inspiration, motivation and drive. For me, it's always been to explore "assignments" beyond the typical parameters of a studio photographer. In the case of my most recent "self assignment", I explored the activities, lives and energies of a group of dedicated men who devote their free time to an exploration of the Civil War. 

In addition to civil war battle reenactment, these authentic westerners also had a complete encampment that allowed for great interaction, including conversations and story-telling. The event took place in Virginia City, Nevada, in a very rustic, mountainous environment that required energy, endurance and heart.  is where these guys came from

I was fortunate enough to be invited into an "immersion" with these men, giving me the ability to spend time around their encampment of old, white canvas tents and capture their images as they interacted with the townspeople and one another. I spent much time getting to know each of them before diving into the portraiture that you see at the top of this blog post. It's through that quality time, where I examine a subject, get to fully understand all of the dynamics, that then allows me to pick up my camera and capture something meaningful, rather than "just another photo".

It’s all a part of my ongoing education, and my diving into the passion I still feel for this business. It also reinforces in me that it's "the content that sells the story" and it's knowing your subject intimately that allows your full creativity to shine through!

Watch my blog for future posts about my "creative self-assignments" and feel free to contact me if you'd like to learn more about this Civil War project!

Tips For Capturing Great Fireworks Photos

If you are one of those people that always has their camera along, ready to get that spontaneous, cool image, then this post is for you! For this upcoming holiday weekend I thought I’d share some cool tips that will help you capture the best possible images of those great 4th of July fireworks displays.

THE BASICS

First things first… remember, fireworks go up, create their explosive magic, and then descend, so keep that cycle in mind as you think about how to capture your shot. Here are 5 basic tips to keep in mind:

1st Step - Arrive at your location in plenty of time to stake out a great position that will allow you to take obstruction-free photos.

2nd Step - Keep it steady! That’s right, “shake” is the enemy of great fireworks images, so make sure you have a rock-solid tripod with you.

3rd Step - To eliminate vibrations and shake, try using a wireless shutter release so you’re actually not handling the camera. If you don’t have one of these, set a delay of a couple of seconds for after you press the shutter release.

4th Step - Since it’s likely you’ll want to do some creative things in Photoshop with your images, make sure to shoot in RAW mode. This gives you a lot more data to work with.

5th Step - Noise reduction settings on a camera can create more problems than you can imagine, so for fireworks shots, turn it off. It’s best to clean up any residual noise in Photoshop.

GET THE RIGHT SETTINGS

Option 1 - Use a Preset Mode

Many of today’s cameras, especially newer DSLRs, have actual preset modes for “fireworks”, or “night images”, so if you’re unsure about manually changing your settings, go ahead and try one of these presets and see what kind of results they can deliver!

Option 2 - Go Manual

Simply leaving your camera set to a “Full Auto” mode will generate poor results, so if your equipment does not have a specific preset geared towards “fireworks”, with a few simple steps you can manually adjust your camera to capture great-looking images.

• Set your camera to “Manual” mode
• Set a low ISO, starting at 200 in order to prevent a lot of “noise” in your image
• Set your shutter speed for 5 seconds
• For the aperture, try f5.6 or even f8
• Next, you’ll want to turn your auto-focus “off”, and then set to “infinity”, or scenery mode

So once you have these baseline setting ready, go ahead and try some shots. If the images appear too bright, reduce the shutter speed by 1-2 seconds, and also lower your ISO. If they are too dark, then you’ll need to increase your shutter speed, and also raise the ISO.

I wish you the best for a joyous and relaxing holiday weekend… and should you capture an amazing image of fireworks, feel free to tweet it to me @CurtisNewborn and we’ll share it across our networks!

Photo Tech Series: A Look At The New Hasselblad X1D

As a commercial photographer and passionate creative, a big part of "staying current" in this field is following a myriad of technology blogs and news sites. Technology has become a cornerstone in some respects in the commercial photo space, and because it sometimes seems things advance at the speed of light, it can be difficult at times to separate the real "game changers" from simply the latest "gimmick".

This week, I'm giving a synopsis of the details I've read and researched around Hasselblad's latest introduction, the X1D. At less than half the weight of a conventional digital medium format camera, the mirrorless X1D is being called a game changer by many pundits in the world of photography.

ICONIC DESIGN

Inspired by Hasselblad's iconic design heritage, the camera itself is ergonomic and compact, offering a very unique handling experience. This new camera is hand-assembled in Sweden, and combines their legendary sensibility with beautiful performance. Small enough to take anywhere, it's packed with features that make it powerful enough to capture just about anything. It's smaller than the typical DSLR and about as big as the larger Micro Four Thirds camera bodies... and this is a revolutionary advancement for a medium format camera.

STELLAR TECH SPECS

What really grabbed my attention when reading the detailed reviews available was that it has a 50-million-pixel CMOS sensor. It's the same 43.8x32.9mm sensor that is used in the 50c backs for the H6D. Hasselblad reports that nothing has been physically done to the sensor, but that internal processing has now allowed the top ISO setting to be increased to 25,600.

Users of other Hasselblad cameras will find familiarity with the menu screens and customization capabilities. Drop-down menus give you options on the touchscreen as well as the ability to change setting with physical dials located on the camera body.

WANT TO KNOW MORE, INCLUDING HOW TO GET A DEMO?

Hasselblad has some great images and detailed information about this amazing new camera on their website, plus an option to request a demo... you can find that here.

Thanks for reading, and watch for more tech talk next month on my blog and Twitter feed @CurtisNewborn

Summer Travel Photography: Part 3

Travel & Photography: Capturing the Essence of a Place

Have you ever seen a photograph that instantly transports you to another place and time? Photos have the power to make us feel as if we’re there. They show us how a place looks, and if we’re lucky, how a place feels. How can you create images that will move your audience and convey the essence of a place you’ve been?

What is the “Essence” of a Place?

By definition, “essence” is the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character. The essence of a location is what it is at its very core, and how you perceive it.  If we want our travel photographs to last and continually remind us of our experience, they need to capture the feeling of a place in addition to the way it looks at face value.

Why Did You Come Here?

Before you can capture the essence of a place, you have to understand that essence in depth. It’s often abstract, but a good starting point on the journey towards discovery is asking yourself why you chose this place to travel to, over every other place in the world. What is it about this city, town, country, forest, mountain, or museum that called to you?

In fact, the reason you came here may be that you wanted to photograph something in particular. Maybe you’d like to capture the huge sequoias in California or the Colosseum in Rome. Yet, there may be much more than meets the eye, so it’s important to do your research as well. Read travel brochures and books, watch documentaries, and talk to locals to find out the best kept secrets of your destination.

For example, I was drawn to Phnom Penh because, to me, it is old and mysterious. I don’t quite understand it as a place, and this ignorance intrigued me to walk the streets, enter the temples during sunset prayers, and talk with monks who are willing to speak to their connection to their home. It is a shy city, with many secrets, unwilling to share because it’s been so hurt in the past, and I sought to capture that through my photographs.

The First Impression is the Truth

One of the best times to get a glimpse into the essence of a place is the first time you step out of the airport or off of the bus. First impressions are a personal experience, and they’re usually intensely accurate to how you’ll come to feel about a place. 

Pause to take it all in - the sights, smells, sounds, and feel of a new place. Have a notebook with you to jot some notes about it in case the moment passes before you can get your camera out. The way the light hits the cobblestone streets or the ambience of live music by street musicians can be incredibly inspiring when you’re trying to capture the core of a place. 

What Will You Long to Remember?

When you’re sitting at a sidewalk cafe or lounging by the sea, think about the things you’ll long to remember years down the road. What has moved you in this place and how can you bring that to those who will view your photographs?

It could be anything, concrete or abstract; perhaps a patch of flowers, a boat on a river, or ancient architecture reflected in the puddle from an afternoon rain shower. Photographs are just memories on paper, so capture what sticks out in your mind the most.

Walk Early, Walk Late, Walk Often.

Getting out and walking on the street is the best way to learn the rhythm of a place and to discover how the locals live their lives. When you walk early in the morning or later in the evening, you’ll escape the influx of tourists on walking (or heaven forbid - Segway) tours. 

Walking also gives you a constant panorama of everything around you. You can miss all kinds of treasures on a bus or in a car.

There is a coffee shop called La Casa Del Caffe Tazza D’oro near the Pantheon in Rome. Early in the morning, it’s packed with locals drinking their daily cappuccinos with a single sugar packet each. Down the road, the Pantheon is quiet, like the temple that it was meant to be. There is no line outside, and the birds play in the fountain out front. This is the real Rome, before the tourists are out, and it’s so worth walking for a while to capture.

Spontaneity is Key

Knowing what you want to capture when you travel to a place is essential. However, some of the best photographs come from completely unanticipated, spontaneous adventures. Don’t be afraid to go with the flow of a place. Carry your camera with you always and keep your eyes open for that perfect moment with the perfect light.