Why Guilds are Good
Guild members,
I want to pass on to you an experience I had over this past weekend that really made me proud to be part of a professional guild. When we started the Semi-pro Photographers’ Guild, the founders envisioned a supportive, growing, vibrant group of like-minded photographers who could help support each others’ photographic interests. We didn’t start the guild to be a money-making venture, in and of itself, but rather our hope was that by supporting one another, we could extend our skills, expand our markets, and express our art beyond our current capabilities. In doing so, we could all benefit.
And that’s just what happened this weekend. An opportunity for a nice contracted shoot came up. A public relations and strategic communications company out of Austin needed a photographer to cover a press conference for one of its clients in San Antonio. A Guild member found out about the gig from a family member and spread the word to other Guild members who he thought could cover the event and win the bid for the job. After several photographers bid on the job, my studio, Strictly Art Photography, landed the contract. Score! The Guild relationship worked… but it didn’t stop there. Not only did my studio get the contract, but the other Guild members who knew of the gig showed up to help with set up and stayed to watch, help, learn (and even shoot).
After the press conference, my partner and I had to bolt to our next gig where yet another Guild member was already set up and waiting for us to arrive to shoot an all-weekend convention. Having the Guild member there was invaluable because we simply could not have been in two places at once.
As the convention moved into full swing on Saturday, my shooters and assistants were getting overwhelmed with photo requests, when out of nowhere, another Guild member stopped by to say hello. When he saw how busy we were, he graciously volunteered to jump in to shoot with us. We were able to keep a three- to four-shooter rotation going while maintaining our presence on the convention floor and our print operation running.
Had it not been for the Guild members jumping in to help out, we wouldn’t have been successful. Yeah, we might have survived, but we simply would not have been able to produce the kind of work we got without the help of the Guild.
I just want to say thanks to the four members who graciously gave of their time and talents to help a fellow Guild member succeed. That, my friends, is what being in a Guild is all about.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Just because you say you are a pro...
Doesn't make it so.
There is more to being a professional photographer than snapping pictures and taking money. Certainly, one definition of a "professional" is that of someone who is paid for his or her services. If that's all it took, though, the ubiquitous teens snapping photos of tourists at every theme park in the country could call themselves "professional" photographers. You know the ones I'm talking about... the kids at the entrance of everything theme park you've ever been to who snap your photo upon entry and hawk them for $29.95 with a souvenir, commemorative photo frame? Sure, that's probably what goes on the kid's resume, but by no stretch of the imagination would any serious photographer consider that type of work "professional" photography.
Although a bit of an extreme example, that's what happens when anyone can buy a decent camera and has access to the internet. What was once attainable by only a few has now become commonplace; that is, good equipment and an accessible means to produce a product. In the old days (and, yes, I'm old enough to say that now) before digital cameras, it was expensive, time consuming and technically challenging to produce a "pro-quality" photograph. Now, anyone with a DSLR and a decent printer can produce a passable print and sell it.
Still, producing a passable print that someone is willing to pay for does not make you a professional.
A professional, like a doctor, or lawyer or architect, studies his or her craft for years before being able to practice. A doctor can't simply hang up a sign (or start his own website) and practice medicine. Similarly, a photographer doesn't simply open his new DSLR out of the box and become a professional. It's the same concept I wrote about when I relayed the story of shooting on the set at a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop. A mechanic, after enviously watching me shoot gorgeous bikini models, said to me, "I should buy one of those nice cameras so I can be a photographer." I replied, "Yeah, and I should buy one of those shiny toolboxes, so I can be a Harley mechanic." He understood my sarcasm immediately.
Professionals have standards. Our craft has certain rules that apply in order for a product to be called "professional" quality. Exposure, lighting, composition, and style can vary from photographer to photographer (because, after all, we are still artists, right?), but there are certain basics that are agreed upon as essential elements of a professional photograph. Color balance, correct exposure, focal points, impact... all are elements that can be debated in a photograph, but all are essential to a good photograph and must be understood to be used (or not) properly. Professionals know this.
Professionals have associations to which they belong and which govern their actions. Although, as photographers, we're not tightly regulated like doctors or architects (photographs, although potentially powerful don't directly impact anyone's life like a botched apendectomy or a defective bridge design), we still have professional licensing, credentialling and governing bodies. Anyone who calls himself a professional should be willing to submit to the rules, guidelines and standards of the profession's regulators. Business and tax lisences are also a requirement if you are doing business as a professional.
Training, standardization and regulation are fundamental aspects of being a professional, but they are not the only criteria.
Besides training, standardization and regulation, a "professional" anything also has certain characteristics or qualities that should be upheld to claim the title of "professional." This is where how you present yourself or your product matters. A professional upholds ethical standards. A professional is on time and honors his commitments. A professional presents a professional product in a professional manner to his clients. A professional conducts himself like a gentleman on a set. These characteristics separate a pro from amateurs just as surely as training or credentialling do. Even a highly-trained, credentialed photographer can act in a less-than-professional manner. I recently won a contract for a shoot over an equally-skilled photographer because I was on time for the shoot, and he was late. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you can't "be a professional," you're still not going to go far in this business.
Train for your craft, know the rules, abide by the standards, and conduct yourself ethically. Call yourself a professional. But if you do, be willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the label.
There is more to being a professional photographer than snapping pictures and taking money. Certainly, one definition of a "professional" is that of someone who is paid for his or her services. If that's all it took, though, the ubiquitous teens snapping photos of tourists at every theme park in the country could call themselves "professional" photographers. You know the ones I'm talking about... the kids at the entrance of everything theme park you've ever been to who snap your photo upon entry and hawk them for $29.95 with a souvenir, commemorative photo frame? Sure, that's probably what goes on the kid's resume, but by no stretch of the imagination would any serious photographer consider that type of work "professional" photography.
Although a bit of an extreme example, that's what happens when anyone can buy a decent camera and has access to the internet. What was once attainable by only a few has now become commonplace; that is, good equipment and an accessible means to produce a product. In the old days (and, yes, I'm old enough to say that now) before digital cameras, it was expensive, time consuming and technically challenging to produce a "pro-quality" photograph. Now, anyone with a DSLR and a decent printer can produce a passable print and sell it.
Still, producing a passable print that someone is willing to pay for does not make you a professional.
A professional, like a doctor, or lawyer or architect, studies his or her craft for years before being able to practice. A doctor can't simply hang up a sign (or start his own website) and practice medicine. Similarly, a photographer doesn't simply open his new DSLR out of the box and become a professional. It's the same concept I wrote about when I relayed the story of shooting on the set at a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop. A mechanic, after enviously watching me shoot gorgeous bikini models, said to me, "I should buy one of those nice cameras so I can be a photographer." I replied, "Yeah, and I should buy one of those shiny toolboxes, so I can be a Harley mechanic." He understood my sarcasm immediately.
Professionals have standards. Our craft has certain rules that apply in order for a product to be called "professional" quality. Exposure, lighting, composition, and style can vary from photographer to photographer (because, after all, we are still artists, right?), but there are certain basics that are agreed upon as essential elements of a professional photograph. Color balance, correct exposure, focal points, impact... all are elements that can be debated in a photograph, but all are essential to a good photograph and must be understood to be used (or not) properly. Professionals know this.
Professionals have associations to which they belong and which govern their actions. Although, as photographers, we're not tightly regulated like doctors or architects (photographs, although potentially powerful don't directly impact anyone's life like a botched apendectomy or a defective bridge design), we still have professional licensing, credentialling and governing bodies. Anyone who calls himself a professional should be willing to submit to the rules, guidelines and standards of the profession's regulators. Business and tax lisences are also a requirement if you are doing business as a professional.
Training, standardization and regulation are fundamental aspects of being a professional, but they are not the only criteria.
Besides training, standardization and regulation, a "professional" anything also has certain characteristics or qualities that should be upheld to claim the title of "professional." This is where how you present yourself or your product matters. A professional upholds ethical standards. A professional is on time and honors his commitments. A professional presents a professional product in a professional manner to his clients. A professional conducts himself like a gentleman on a set. These characteristics separate a pro from amateurs just as surely as training or credentialling do. Even a highly-trained, credentialed photographer can act in a less-than-professional manner. I recently won a contract for a shoot over an equally-skilled photographer because I was on time for the shoot, and he was late. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you can't "be a professional," you're still not going to go far in this business.
Train for your craft, know the rules, abide by the standards, and conduct yourself ethically. Call yourself a professional. But if you do, be willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the label.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What's old is new, in the digital age.
I thought about titling this blog something like "Old dogs, new tricks," but that's not really an accurate description of where I'm headed with today's thought. There are a lot of us old dogs still snapping photos like we've done for years, but the digital age has changed what comes next. Before, we would have taken our film rolls to the darkroom to try out different methods to expose our vision; today, we take our electrons to the digital darkroom to create our artwork. The tricks aren't new... there's just a new way of implementing them.
From the very beginning of photography, artists have used different techniques after the shutter snapped to achieve the desired results for their photographs. In what we call post-production (or PP) today, photogs would spend hours in the darkroom with chemicals, emulsions and solutions bathing their negatives under different lights for varying lengths of time to produce different visual effects. Frenchman, Armand Sabattier, developed what is known today as "solarization" (more accurately, the technique is called the Sabattier effect) in 1862 . Legendary photographer, Man Ray, took the technique to new heights in the 1920's and 1930's.
By the 1960's, many photographic artists were experimenting with darkroom processing techniques, including cross-processing (that is, processing one type of film in chemicals intended for a different type of film) to achieve creative results with their photography. Dodging (reducing the light hitting specific parts of an image) and burning (increasing the light) techniques were commonplace.
Though commonplace by the modern era of film, these techniques were still very time consuming and labor intensive. The techniques for achieving artistic results had improved, but still, the results were often hit or miss. The outcome depended on the input. One image might work perfectly processed one way, while another image may not work at all with a particular technique, aesthetically speaking.
Then came the digital age. Fast forward through the early iterations of digital imagery to today, and you now have the tools that photographic artists toiled over for years right at the tips of your fingers. Using your computer and imaging software, you can create the same photographic effects in minutes, or even seconds, that once took days. The same solarization effects, dodging, burning, and cross-processing techniques have been captured by mathematicians and programmers and turned into the image editing software we can all access today.
Film purists (and there are still some among us) might contend that the old techniques should stay in the darkroom, but I believe, as an artist, that taking advantage of the new virtual darkroom is the way to go. I can produce similar results in seconds; my results are repeatable; and I don't have to expose myself (yeah, I said it) to hazardous, smelly chemicals that most probably shortened the life span of some of our photographic forefathers.
So go ahead and post-produce your digital images, and do so without guilt. Do you think we'd remember Man Ray today for the photographs he produced right out of the camera? No. His post-production techniques are what made him a memorable artist. The pioneers of photography paved the way for us, but it's up to us to press forward with a new vision of the future in the digital age.
From the very beginning of photography, artists have used different techniques after the shutter snapped to achieve the desired results for their photographs. In what we call post-production (or PP) today, photogs would spend hours in the darkroom with chemicals, emulsions and solutions bathing their negatives under different lights for varying lengths of time to produce different visual effects. Frenchman, Armand Sabattier, developed what is known today as "solarization" (more accurately, the technique is called the Sabattier effect) in 1862 . Legendary photographer, Man Ray, took the technique to new heights in the 1920's and 1930's.
By the 1960's, many photographic artists were experimenting with darkroom processing techniques, including cross-processing (that is, processing one type of film in chemicals intended for a different type of film) to achieve creative results with their photography. Dodging (reducing the light hitting specific parts of an image) and burning (increasing the light) techniques were commonplace.
Though commonplace by the modern era of film, these techniques were still very time consuming and labor intensive. The techniques for achieving artistic results had improved, but still, the results were often hit or miss. The outcome depended on the input. One image might work perfectly processed one way, while another image may not work at all with a particular technique, aesthetically speaking.
Then came the digital age. Fast forward through the early iterations of digital imagery to today, and you now have the tools that photographic artists toiled over for years right at the tips of your fingers. Using your computer and imaging software, you can create the same photographic effects in minutes, or even seconds, that once took days. The same solarization effects, dodging, burning, and cross-processing techniques have been captured by mathematicians and programmers and turned into the image editing software we can all access today.
Film purists (and there are still some among us) might contend that the old techniques should stay in the darkroom, but I believe, as an artist, that taking advantage of the new virtual darkroom is the way to go. I can produce similar results in seconds; my results are repeatable; and I don't have to expose myself (yeah, I said it) to hazardous, smelly chemicals that most probably shortened the life span of some of our photographic forefathers.
So go ahead and post-produce your digital images, and do so without guilt. Do you think we'd remember Man Ray today for the photographs he produced right out of the camera? No. His post-production techniques are what made him a memorable artist. The pioneers of photography paved the way for us, but it's up to us to press forward with a new vision of the future in the digital age.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
My clients; my friends
Certain responsibilities come with calling oneself a "professional." There comes certain rules, norms and standards with every professional occupation. Doctors have their Hippocratic oath; attorneys must adhere to the rules of the Bar; counselors must be certified by boards within their specialities... and the list goes on. One of the basic tenets of being a professional is maintaining a "professional" relationship with one's clients. Medicine, law, counseling, and many other professional fields demand their practitioners steer clear of developing personal relationships with their clients, for obvious reasons. Doctors, lawyers, and counselors must remain objective and maintain distance between their clients in order to give the best, objective advice they can. The relationship between a professional photographer and his or her clients, however, is different.
In order for me as a professional photographer to get the very best result for my client, I must get to know my client on a personal level. I have to know my client, not as a subject, but as a person, and often, as a friend. The relationship that a wedding photographer develops with his client is special. The photographer is allowed in the inner circle of family and friends on one of the most intimate and special days of people's lives. Remaining distant and objective is no longer an option. There must be a trust relationship between the photographer and the bride and the groom in order to capture the emotion of the day. An outsider would never be able to shoot with the intimacy and empathy required to truly memorialize the moment.
The brides and grooms and families I've shot over the years have remained my friends long after the ceremony or event I was hired to cover. That is because I take the time to get to know the family. I remember names, events, important details - just like you would in any friendship. That's how my clients become my friends.
I have to admit, even though I'm a professional, I still get choked up when I watch a bride dance with her father at the reception; when I see the mother of the groom watch as her son has his first dance with his bride; or when I watch the myriad of other intimate moments that happen when my clients, my friends, share their special day. One could argue that the tear that rolls down my cheek makes me less professional - I would argue it makes me a better photographer.
Here's to my friends who started out as clients...many happy returns on your special day.
In order for me as a professional photographer to get the very best result for my client, I must get to know my client on a personal level. I have to know my client, not as a subject, but as a person, and often, as a friend. The relationship that a wedding photographer develops with his client is special. The photographer is allowed in the inner circle of family and friends on one of the most intimate and special days of people's lives. Remaining distant and objective is no longer an option. There must be a trust relationship between the photographer and the bride and the groom in order to capture the emotion of the day. An outsider would never be able to shoot with the intimacy and empathy required to truly memorialize the moment.
The brides and grooms and families I've shot over the years have remained my friends long after the ceremony or event I was hired to cover. That is because I take the time to get to know the family. I remember names, events, important details - just like you would in any friendship. That's how my clients become my friends.
I have to admit, even though I'm a professional, I still get choked up when I watch a bride dance with her father at the reception; when I see the mother of the groom watch as her son has his first dance with his bride; or when I watch the myriad of other intimate moments that happen when my clients, my friends, share their special day. One could argue that the tear that rolls down my cheek makes me less professional - I would argue it makes me a better photographer.
Here's to my friends who started out as clients...many happy returns on your special day.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
As promised... more.
What does it mean to be a "semi-pro" photographer? It's an unusual moniker, but it fits a small niche of photographers who earn money with their photography but do not do it full time. I describe a semi-pro photog as a photog who shoots pro but hasn't quit his day job.
Maybe it's easier to describe what a semi-pro photog is not. A semi-pro photog is not an amateur who wants to be a pro. For those of us who take the title of semi-pro photog seriously, we're no less a professional photographer than those who do it full time.
Our images are not "semi-pro." For serious semi-pro photogs, our images are every bit as good as our counterparts who shoot full time. For many of us, we have trained for years to perfect our craft. We have gone to the same schools as the full-time pros, shot the same circuits as the full-time pros. We use the same gear and the same print labs. Nothing in our products identify us as semi-pro vice full-time pro.
The semi-pro photog struggles sometimes, though, to find his or her place in the photographic community. Some of this is our own fault because doubt creeps in. Is my work good enough? Am I less of a photographer because I don't do it full time? We wrestle with all these nagging questions that keep us up at night.
Some of the struggles are brought on by the ease of getting into the photo game these days. Anyone with a grand to spare can get into good pro-quality gear now, which leaves us with guys running around with cameras (GWCs, as they're known in the modeling world) who call themselves pro photogs. Just like buying a tool box doesn't make you a mechanic, buying a pro-quality camera doesn't make you a photographer. GWCs hurt the community and cause problems for semi-pro's because they create a credibility issue. It's hard to separate GWC's from semi-pros, pros for that matter, by how they're dressed. The proof is in the product.
A third way semi-pro's struggle in the community is with our relationship with the full-time pro's. This is understandable to a point, because in some ways, the semi-pro is in direct competition with the full-time pro for market share. I've encountered full-time pros who appear to be threatened by the semi-pro and tend to ostracize the semi-pro from the community. My thought on this is that if you're good enough, there's no reason to feel threatened. There's enough work out there for all of us, and if there is a demand for your product, you'll prevail. One could argue that semi-pro's are at an advantage in the market because we don't have the overhead costs that a full-time pro has, but if you've bought camera equipment or lighting gear or paid for advertising or booth space at expos you'll quickly find that vendors don't give a "semi-pro" discount. In many ways, we have the same costs as the full-time pro's. I'd argue that full-time pros have the advantage because they can focus all their energies into their photo business, where the semi-pro still has the rigours of maintaining his day job.
Whether it's our own self doubt, GWCs spoiling it for everybody, or contention with full-time pro's, the semi-pro photog has challenges to overcome. In my experience, the best approach is to hone your craft, be a professional in all aspects of your work, and don't worry about what others think of you.
Pro's, whether full-time or part-time, will find a way to make it work.
More on "making it work" next time.
Maybe it's easier to describe what a semi-pro photog is not. A semi-pro photog is not an amateur who wants to be a pro. For those of us who take the title of semi-pro photog seriously, we're no less a professional photographer than those who do it full time.
Our images are not "semi-pro." For serious semi-pro photogs, our images are every bit as good as our counterparts who shoot full time. For many of us, we have trained for years to perfect our craft. We have gone to the same schools as the full-time pros, shot the same circuits as the full-time pros. We use the same gear and the same print labs. Nothing in our products identify us as semi-pro vice full-time pro.
The semi-pro photog struggles sometimes, though, to find his or her place in the photographic community. Some of this is our own fault because doubt creeps in. Is my work good enough? Am I less of a photographer because I don't do it full time? We wrestle with all these nagging questions that keep us up at night.
Some of the struggles are brought on by the ease of getting into the photo game these days. Anyone with a grand to spare can get into good pro-quality gear now, which leaves us with guys running around with cameras (GWCs, as they're known in the modeling world) who call themselves pro photogs. Just like buying a tool box doesn't make you a mechanic, buying a pro-quality camera doesn't make you a photographer. GWCs hurt the community and cause problems for semi-pro's because they create a credibility issue. It's hard to separate GWC's from semi-pros, pros for that matter, by how they're dressed. The proof is in the product.
A third way semi-pro's struggle in the community is with our relationship with the full-time pro's. This is understandable to a point, because in some ways, the semi-pro is in direct competition with the full-time pro for market share. I've encountered full-time pros who appear to be threatened by the semi-pro and tend to ostracize the semi-pro from the community. My thought on this is that if you're good enough, there's no reason to feel threatened. There's enough work out there for all of us, and if there is a demand for your product, you'll prevail. One could argue that semi-pro's are at an advantage in the market because we don't have the overhead costs that a full-time pro has, but if you've bought camera equipment or lighting gear or paid for advertising or booth space at expos you'll quickly find that vendors don't give a "semi-pro" discount. In many ways, we have the same costs as the full-time pro's. I'd argue that full-time pros have the advantage because they can focus all their energies into their photo business, where the semi-pro still has the rigours of maintaining his day job.
Whether it's our own self doubt, GWCs spoiling it for everybody, or contention with full-time pro's, the semi-pro photog has challenges to overcome. In my experience, the best approach is to hone your craft, be a professional in all aspects of your work, and don't worry about what others think of you.
Pro's, whether full-time or part-time, will find a way to make it work.
More on "making it work" next time.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Welcome to the Semi-pro Photographers' Blog
This is the first official post to the Semi-pro Photog Blog.
Much more coming soon.
Much more coming soon.
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