Two of the sessions were for high school seniors and because of their work schedules and sports, the only time they were available was in the middle of the day. Photographers typically schedule sessions for morning or late afternoon to avoid full sun. Rich, the girls and I were at a mini family reunion type of event at a golf course a couple of weeks before the senior shoots and because it was in the middle of the day and full sun, I had the children pose for me so I could practice my full sun skills. Number one tip with that - find shade. Of course, the day for the senior photo shoots started off partly cloudy and then got really dark. We had picked a park with a ton of shade and it was a bit too dark overall with all the cloud cover but I made it work and everyone loved the photos.
Allie's faux senior photo
When I was a senior in high school, our photos for the yearbook were taken by the photography company who took photos of all the students for the yearbook. You wore whatever you would normally wear for school photos and it was business as usual. It's so interesting how that has now changed with photographers offering lifestyle sessions for high school seniors and students submitting those photos to the yearbook. A local photographer, who picks up a fair amount of the high school senior market here, offers 10 minute sessions for $80. That $80 gets you ONE photo. Wait until the girls are seniors. I've already told all their friends' parents that I'll take photos for them.
Every photographer has an opinion on when one is ready to accept paid client photo shoots. I've relaxed a bit on this over the years, especially after reading a compelling article by a much younger, self-made photographer who pointed out that as long as you're charging your worth, there's a need for photographers at all skill levels. And this is a good point. I still believe you should know how to shoot in manual mode though. You should have mastered the concepts of ISO, aperture and shutter speed and how they all work together. You should aim for perfection straight out of the camera and not rely on editing to "fix" a whole bunch of mistakes. That being said, you should also know how to edit photos. (I'm not even going to get into contracts, legal issues or taxes.)
This is straight out of the camera - no edits.
I keep up with local photographers - pricing, popularity, offerings. Social media is huge. I'm on two local FB groups and members are constantly asking for recommendations. Being recommended goes a long way and that leads me to social media pages for photography businesses, which I spend a lot of time perusing.
Even though I don't have a professional photography business, I like to talk photography so here's my mentoring advice for those starting out:
* Keep your business social media accounts focused on business. Current and potential clients are following you for photography services. They don't want or need to know that you're excited for Taco Tuesday or that you're happy the Yankees lost. Some personal posting is okay, but I'd keep the attention on photography. For example, some photos (not from your iPhone) of your vacation are obviously personal but will highlight your photography skills.
* Please don't post bad iPhone photos while apologizing for posting bad iPhone photos.
* A personal pet peeve of mine is when there is a lack of pricing information. For example, advertising 30 minute sessions with a "text me for more information!" Where I live, one of the top factors in choosing a photographer is cost. If I can't easily see what a photographer is charging, I'm likely moving on.
* As photographers, we are constantly learning but, in my opinion, there are some skills that should be known before opening yourself up as a professional. For the love of God, please do not post things such as "thanks to youtube, I just learned how to change the ISO on my camera!"
Alright, that's all from me today. Happy Monday!
1 comment:
Your photos are beautiful and so are your daughters! They are growing up so fast. As a mother of three daughters and now a grandmother to six, I often remind my exhausted daughters of that old saying - "The days are long, but the years are short." Glad you are home and enjoying your time with them, they will be off to college before you know it.
Post a Comment