I am a professional photographer... ask me anything

[Bmuzyka]

Hobbyist here, Canon shooter. I have found myself drifting back and forth between preferred styles. When I first started out, and even now still, I have always leaned towards Photo-journalistic, I think mostly due to my interest in Wildlife, and I have always found Wildlife photography and Photo-journalistic to be very similar. But I am slowly getting into Portrait (I even bought a continuous lighting setup last year), and Landscape and still life. I have discovered a passion for HDR.

Is there one style or method you prefer over the others?

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by T@T

Just got to play around with a professional model nikon, It was fun to play with the different exposures..etc,awesome rig, not sure the model but the body cost somewhere around 10k alone.

My question is. how on earth can you make a good living nowdays? There was a day when my family did some sort of portraits at least once a year with a pro but nowdays it's just too easy to use your phone. hell my S3 phone takes better pics than my Sony SLR.

A solid wedding photographer can make really good money. Consider that one wedding can go for 3-6k usually, and a photographer can do 2 in a weekend if he's up for it. Multiply that by 5-6 months a year, and that's pretty good living. Wedding photography is looked down upon by some in the industry, but it's a really good way to make a living.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Is there actually a point to putting a huge copyright/watermark at the bottom of the pic if it's posted online.

I get the professional watermarks (massive ones in the middle of proofs), but not the copyrights notice for people that don't actually have a business.

Ugh, personal pet peeve of mine too when people over do the watermarks. Half the time it's some ugly ass font that just completely ruins the photo.

I was an Art Director in the magazine industry for a few years so a good chunk of my circle of friends are professional photographers. I haven't seen one of them ever use a watermark.

[rd_aaron]

What are your favorite locations in Calgary for photoshoots? What's the best location for a skyline shot?

As a side note, when we were looking for a wedding photographer, we looked through your galleries and loved your style. We looked through so many that most just blurred together, but I specifically remembers yours. Unfortunately, we are getting married out of province, so we ended up deciding on a photographer not from Calgary.

[Flamenspiel]

Do you use Epson printers? Can you recommend a tool for getting the heads unclogged?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Bmuzyka

I have discovered a passion for HDR.

Undiscover that please.

[icarus]

Any tips as to what to look for/avoid in a wedding photographer, and negotiation of fees?

We're looking at getting married in Europe otherwise I'd be knocking on your door Neeper.

[Bmuzyka]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Undiscover that please.

I am trying to do it properly, not completely obvious. HDR can be great if done right, but if the wrong settings are used, its tacky as hell.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I was an Art Director in the magazine industry for a few years so a good chunk of my circle of friends are professional photographers. I haven't seen one of them ever use a watermark.

This is because they are professional and shoot for clients and gigs.
They typically aren't posting images on photo sharing sites, like 500PX, Flickr, StumbleUpon, etc...

They will submit their finished work to a client who will then credit them in the magazine or whatever media they are being used in.

Yes, it's easy to remove water marks. Though, if a thief has to choose between two images (one has & one doesn't), they'll take the road of less effort.

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by Table 5

A solid wedding photographer can make really good money. Consider that one wedding can go for 3-6k usually, and a photographer can do 2 in a weekend if he's up for it. Multiply that by 5-6 months a year, and that's pretty good living. Wedding photography is looked down upon by some in the industry, but it's a really good way to make a living.

While I somewhat agree with you it sounds great when you simplify the math, the unfortunate reality is that photographers have expenses.

I tend not to get overly involved in my wifes business, but to grossly simplify (I am sure Neeper could expand if he wanted to)...

My wife walks around with 30-40k in equipment, of which most seems to have a 3-5 year life cycle. I will leave office equipment like computers out of this as this is a expense most businesses have, though most photographers [should] use IPS monitors which cost much more than a standard monitor.

Albums and prints can really add up as well, we are talking 3-400 dollars just for an album (cost).

Then you have assistants, websites, ads, and I am sure dozens of additional costs I am not thinking of.

I think some people tend to look at the up-front cost of weddings and think WOW you guys must be making a LOT, but factoring the costs and the 40+ hours of post processing work for each wedding, I think most would be equally WOWed by just how little that works out to per hour.

At the end of the day, you do it because you love it, not because you make a ton of money off it.

[Hans Landa]

I don't mind HDR so long as it's presented as an HDR [B]image/B].

I don't consider HDR Photography, photography at all. It's taking the results of photography, and creating an image with those results.

Of course I could also argue that it is photography.

If we compare it to music... standard, non-hdr, photography would be equivalent to a live performance.
HDR would be equivalent to a song produced in a studio, where each element of the composition was recorded separately. It's still music though, right?

I've seen HDR images that I like, though I've never tried it myself.

[sketchyt]

I've shot a few weddings. Photos turned out well but it's a tough gig and something I'd prefer not to shoot.

You've got crazy in-laws who try everything to take your attention away from the actual wedding, bride/groom requests, weather considerations, locations you've hopefully visited before the wedding, the uncle who brought his point and click camera looking to shoot EVERYTHING and always standing in front of you at the worst possible moment, and then when you're all done you've got a bajillion photos to sift through with the clients wanting the photos NOW.

A good wedding photographer will be a good shooter with a portfolio (obviously) but in my opinion, also love being in the chaos of weddings. It's rare to find both and that's how wedding photographers keep making good coin.

Good wedding photographers like Neeper can make all of that work and do it with a smile and patience that would make the Dalai Lama jealous (I've never seen him shoot, but with >100 weddings and zero people murdered I assume he's still smiling). Most people would do it with a murderous rage enough to power a thousand suns.

[Hans Landa]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

...30-40k in equipment, of which most seems to have a 3-5 year life cycle.

Like what?

The only thing I can think of that would need replacing after 3-5 years is the camera Body and the speedlights.

Pro lenses hold their value very well and if they aren't damaged, they would never need replacing.
Tripods, Heads, Light Stands, Soft Boxes, etc etc... all those things should hold up for a very very long time. Especially in a studio environment.

It's definitely not cheap though, and with the digital age and the internet, it's easy enough to teach yourself photography right up to a level where the only thing separating you, from a Professional, is natural creative talent (something I certainly don't have).
Since it doesn't take much to impress most people, it must be hard for some photographers to compete with the wannabees (like me) who own a DSLR and will shoot things, for their friends, for free.

If I am hiring a professional, I am hiring, hopefully, a creative genius with an elevated understanding of blending ambient and artificial light to record light in a way that goes beyond the rules of composition.

[J Diddy]

I find my SLR too large that it doesn't get used as much as my iPhone camera.

What are your thoughts on the compact mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras? Are they a fad or the next big thing?

[Rathji]

Just how ridiculous is something like this?

[Regulator75]

Very.

[Manhattanboy]

Hi there, I am in the market for a new camera. What are your thoughts on the Olympus OM-D and other "mini" SLRS? I too am concerned that if I buy a larger Nikon or Canon that it will be too big for travel. On the other hand I am concerned about the feel of a smaller camera. Many thanks!

[Regulator75]

I think this thread is becoming quite similar to the Photo thread and DSLR PR0N thread.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

I think this thread is becoming quite similar to the Photo thread and DSLR PR0N thread.

I guess the internet is running out of space so new threads should not get created.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Just how ridiculous is something like this?

On par with this: