Things your photographer can't say but wish they could...

Being a professional photographer can be a lot of fun. Generally you’re around when fun stuff is happening and you’re celebrating with people and you’re taking pictures of people when they’re happy. They're chasing their own dream. They’re an artist and they’re making a living at being an artist.

But there are some things that get on their nerves. Most of these are things they won’t say, at least not to their clients, but they are things that can make a difference and so it is worthwhile for their clients to know.

With that slightly confusing preamble out of the way. Here are some things they won’t tell you.

Weddings:

Timing

Generally speaking your photographer isn’t going to be dictating what you do when on your wedding day. They spend most of the time in the background. However, there are some things you want them to capture and they want to capture and the more predictable the timing is the more likely they are to be there to capture these things.

As an example, if you want to take some portraits before the wedding make sure you’ve left enough time for makeup, prep, transportation and (if applicable) real and emotional breakdowns so you arrive at the location(s) in time for your portraits. If you plan for an hour and get there 55 minutes late you’re not going to get as many images as you saw in their portfolio. Calling to let them know where you are is a good idea too.

Uncle Bob

Photographers have a name for your family members and friends with big black cameras. They call them Uncle Bobs. (It’s a funny term in that it can be applied to your friend Nancy too - as in, “Then Nancy, this wedding’s resident Uncle Bob, started doing her own poses with the group and our timeline was completely out the window!”)

Most great photographers are willing to be more than patient with Uncle Bobs. They don’t worry that Uncle Bob will put images on Facebook. They don’t worry that Uncle Bob will make prints for you, etc. I know a few who will even lend Uncle Bob equipment. (but never ask for that because even those folks would wonder about you). What drives them crazy is when Uncle Bob gets in the way.

Ever look at a group picture and realize that half the people don’t seem interested enough to be looking back at you looking at the picture? Know where they’re looking? Uncle Bob. He’s standing next to the photographer with his/her big black camera shouting “look here.” What else are people going to do? Did you notice that there is no great shot of the kiss? That’s because when the photographer went to capture it, framed oh so perfectly down the aisle, Uncle Bob jumped out of his seat in the way and the only picture the photographer got is of the back of Uncle Bob’s head. If you know you have an Uncle Bob in the family, do the photographer a favor and just drop them a line ahead of time to say that you’ll love to see their pictures, but you’re so excited about your photographer too and could they please just be sure they let the photographer work?

(Important safety tip. At my friend’s weddings - usually my friend’s kids weddings these days - I am the volunteer thug. In this role I control Uncle Bobs, drunk guests, unruly vendors etc. I also feed photographers. But this takes me to my next point).

Food, Drink, Rest

Your photographer is likely to be chasing you around for about 7 hours on your special day. I’ve been to a few weddings since I got this job and I also had the sort of strange but also special responsibility of shooting one (by accident but it worked out ok for everyone) and I can tell you that during this day they are likely to walk, run, climb and crawl at least 10 miles.

If you’re like most people you hired your photographer for two reasons. You like their images and you like them. Try not to forget about them on your special day. It doesn’t take much, a few minutes of planning in the middle of the hours and hours of planning for these days, but you’d be amazed at the horror stories I hear of sitting out back by the garbage cans eating stale bread from the kitchen.

I know. They’re paid to be there and they are paid well. But they are also paid to be at your beck and call all day. They need a few breaks and some food and water (or other non-alcoholic liquid sustenance!) Give most of them a table in the corner to themselves and access to some hot food while everyone else (including you) is also eating and they will be prepared to kill themselves for the rest of the evening and never miss a beat!

Hey Miss Photographer? Can you take a picture of?

“Yes. No problem." It’s what they’re there for. Just know that they may be changing batteries, a memory card, checking flashes, going to the bathroom (I know - horrors!), setting up another shot, etc. They’ll be right there. A few minutes warning about when you’re going to cut the cake, first dance, etc. is all they generally need to be ready.

Frankly, they like it when you tell them what you would like pictures of -and even what you don’t. Photographers can be amazingly discreet. Whisper in their ear that Heidi would love a few pictures without Swen and he’ll never know it’s happening. Tell them you’d love some pictures of Aunt Millie and Uncle Joe together and you’ll get a beautiful set. Tell them your mom favors her right side and they’ll make sure she’s always on their left. They’re incredibly good at this. Just don’t come afterwards and say, “I wish you’d gotten a picture of ...” They can’t make time go backwards.

When you get drunk you’re going to look drunk.

Make sure all of your keeper event pictures are taken before this happens. There is not a “remove drunkness” action in PhotoShop. (though I’m quite certain Kevin Kubota or some other PhotoShop genius just sprang into action to create one).

If pictures are important to you, make sure you think about that ahead of time.

There are a lot of things you can do to make your pictures better. Think about just a few of these ahead of time and you’re paving a path to success.

Make sure the halls have just a little light. Modern professional cameras need surprisingly little. But contrary to popular belief they can’t actually see in the dark. Making sure there is just a little light saves them from having to use strobes a lot.

Check with the church. Different churches have different rules. You don’t want to be surprised when the pastor won’t let you take pictures during the ceremony. It isn’t your photographers job to know this (though many will) and it isn’t their fault when they can’t. If this is the church’s policy and you want pictures of the ceremony you may need to move it to a different church. You get my point. It’s just better to know.

These dresses are really tight. Perfect. They’re going to look great on everyone? If not, perhaps a slightly less form fitting dress, or a dress that has shoulders or straps would be a good idea. (or a wrap). No amount of photoshop can make the uncomfortable slightly heavier bridesmaid look like the size two next to her.

If you’re chewing gum we’re going to see it. By all means, make sure your breath is fresh. Have a mint. Chew gum for a minute or two. When it’s time to take pictures we’re going to see it tucked down in your between you cheek and your teeth. (Trust me, it’s green, we’ll see it).

Leave your cigarettes in your purse. The square bulge under your left breast in the bodice of your beautiful white gown isn’t flattering. Come to think of it neither is the wad of cash.

As you can see there are a bunch of things you can do to help your photographer make you look great. Most of these may seem like common sense, but I’ll tell you right now that I have seen pictures and heard stories of ALL of these things happening on numerous occasions. You can make the difference between something great and something average. Give your photographer just a little help and the work they’ll do will thrill you. I know. I see it too!

(as with all of these posts, this is free for photographers to use however you see fit. If there is a topic you’d like me to address, just drop me a line at jim@pictage.com and I’ll get right on it).

Thoughts for New Photographers - a Big Boy Pants Post - Read with Caution.

So you’ve decided to enter the world of professional photography! Congratulations. It’s exciting isn’t it? And a little scary too. Especially with all of these seasoned photographers talking about how tough things are. I think there are a few things you should know, so I’m writing this just for you. With this said though, I always warn people that my posts can be pretty blunt. To keep that light I’ll ask if you have your big-boy pants on (Big girl pants work too). Here’s why. If you don’t then some of what I’m going to write will be insulting. You won’t be able to see through that and you’ll get mad. If that’s going to be you then stop reading now. We’ll be friends anyway. But if you think you’re ready, keep going.

The first thing you need to know is this. As with most businesses, the fun stuff is only about 25% of the time you’ll spend. The rest of it is actual work. There is nothing easy about succeeding as a photographer. (That is, unless you have a rich uncle who is underwriting all of your costs). Building a business that lets you charge enough to make a profit after all of your expenses are paid is the hardest part. Learning to take great pictures is also tough. You need to do both. So get ready to spend some time being humbled, getting better, being humbled again, getting better again, etc. And be ready for a lifetime of that.

There are those who have jumped in because you take good pictures. I think the thing you need to understand is that’s a good start, but you have to dedicate yourself to becoming a master of your craft. Here’s why. People aren’t hiring you for good pictures, they’re hiring you for great pictures. These days they can get good pictures for free. Taking great pictures is one part luck and nine parts skill. The settings are rarely perfect. The light is flat. The people are NOT always attractive. The dresses clash with the paint on the walls. The church won’t let you shoot with a flash or work downstairs. The bride gets drunk. (If you’re a bride and you’re reading this somehow please don’t get drunk. It makes it REALLY hard to take good pictures of you.). The groom’s mom is 100 lbs overweight, is wearing a sleeveless white dress and has said she wants some really nice pictures for her husband. If you’re the master of your craft then none of these situations present an insurmountable challenge. If you’re not, your pictures will suck, your clients will not be pleased and you will fail. (And - you also discredit the industry as people will assume that all professional photographers are just amateurs who charge).

There are those of you who’ve jumped in because the day job just wasn’t working out. Congratulations! You have a day job again. Working professional photographers spend most of their time doing actual work. Between editing events, having sales meetings with prospective clients, bookkeeping, rewriting marketing materials, working with vendors, etc., there is a lot of “slog” that has to happen between the “fun times” taking pictures. You’re your own boss now and there’s definitely an upside to that, but in that capacity you have to discipline yourself to actually doing these things. Otherwise when the tax bill comes at the end of the year you’re going to get an awful shock. (and the health insurance and the ... you get my point).

The biggest mistake most of you will make is undercharging. This is a tough topic to understand and I don’t have enough time or room to really explain it but suffice it to say that if you’re going to work an 8 hour wedding or a 3 hour location portrait shoot you need to charge enough to cover the time, plus a portion of your costs as a photographer and then have enough left over to help you pay the bills. I know you’re charging a low price to help you build a portfolio and a referral base (your life blood as a photographer) but you need to understand that if you’re charging too little, that referral base will simply refer other people who only want to pay that price. You have to be disciplined about continuously creeping up your pricing or you will quickly get pigeonholed as a cheap photographer.

Photographers who are successful over the long haul understand that more than half of their profit is going to come from post-shoot sales. For this reason, they are protective of their images. The images you shoot belong to you - not your clients. When they hire you to take their pictures they’re paying for your time, not for your images. You can include a disk of images with your packages, but you need to understand that when you do that you significantly diminish the chances that you will succeed. At the bare minimum, recommend to them that they buy any “enlargements” from you. They can go to Wallmart and get all the 4X6’s they want, but if they want an 11X14 or a 16X20 they want that to look great on their wall and the way to ensure that is by working with you. Your monitor is calibrated. You have access to professional quality labs that print on archival paper. You or your lab can properly mount the print. And most importantly, you can make money on it.

Here’s the thing. I’m certainly not trying to discourage you. I want you to succeed. There are a lot of things Pictage and others can do to help, but you have to understand that a lot of your success will be determined by your willingness to do the hard work I’ve touched on here. There are a lot of great resources and a lot of folks who can help and one of the most critical pieces of advice I’d give is to listen to what they have to say. (Especially on "closed" forums where they can be completely candid).

Onward...

JC