Blue Planet Photography

We photographers, and there are many, rarely get the opportunity to sit down with our favorite photographer and have an in-depth (or even casual) conversation about the art, the inspiration, the creativity, frustrations, beginnings, ends, philosophies, etc. these individuals have learned, experienced, and devised over the years. Sometimes, we come across interviews by accident on television or radio and perhaps on YouTube or other website.

If you’ve never seen or heard a favorite photographer of yours, you might check out these sites:

Pixchannel.com: interviews with Eddie Adams, Ruth Bernhard, Eliot Erwitt, David Hume Kennerly, Mary Ellen Mark, Graham Nash, Jerry Uelsmann and others

Charlierose.com: interviews with Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz, Gordon Parks, Sally Mann, Henri Cartier-Bresson and others (use “photography” as a keyword search)

npr.org: various topics regarding photography as well as interviews with photographers. Search both photography and photographer.

If you upload images to Flickr and have gone through the trouble to add your contact, ownership, and copyright information to your photos, it was all for naught. Flickr strips the IPTC and EXIF information from all photos to save space and increase viewing speed.

There is a discussion now at Flickr regarding this issue. I encourage Flickr contributors add their say to the discussion for Flickr to not strip this information from your images.

Further, I encourage you not to subscribe to the Pro account, not renew when it comes due, remove your images from your account, and/or place large copyright watermarks on your images (I suggest putting a copyright notice on your images anyway) until this policy has been changed.

Flickr may be in violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and liable for any misuse as a result of stripping ownership and copyright information from images (making them Orphan Works when in fact they are not).

Photographers have to stand up for themselves because nobody else is at the moment. Make your voice heard. Save yourself.

Go Here for my photos of the workshop.

Scott Goodson writes in his blog a thoughtful and “stinky” response to a Friday (6/13) NY Times OpEd piece by Paul Krugman - you have to register (free) to see the article that describes how creatives (musicians, artists, writers, etc.) in this digital age will need to give their work away free and make their money from ancillary projects, such as merchandising, lectures, concert tours, etc.

As Scott says, though, it’s hard to be creative (write and record new songs, paint new pictures, take new photos, write new books and poems, etc.) when you’re spending all your time on the road giving lectures, concerts, readings.

How does this affect photography? Do we now, or soon in the future, need to give our services and products away in hopes of making money from t-shirt sales, calendars, music CD covers,……hey, wait…..isn’t that how we make our money now? What about giving workshops and lecturing at business conventions about the value of creativity in the workplace? Many pros already do that. You see the “old guard” moving from active work in the commercial/editorial realm to setting up workshops, giving lectures, and promoting photography-related products. Paid retirement?

I’m sure this works out for a few, but it won’t pay the bills for most. There is already a strong push toward lower fees, nearly free in many cases.

How does creativity survive such a commercialization?

It’s nice when family and friends, even people you don’t know, say you should be a professional photographer. Whether it’s just to make you feel good or an honest assessment of your perceived talent, the praise feels good. More than likely those people, however, are not really qualified to judge the worthiness of your work for the professional marketplace (unless they are a media buyer). The standards to which stock photography are held are daunting. Preparation, staging, hair, clothing, make up, lighting, props, location, all this and more go into a well-thought-out and planned photo shoot created for a specific purpose. It’s not just a bunch of friends out for a good time and a few snaps.

Photoshelter (http://www.photoshelter.com/) has put on their website an overview of the stock photography industry, a School of Stock. You’ll find the link on the right hand column under the heading “Photography Business”.

If you’re wondering about getting into stock photography, or have been dabbling in it, it would be worth your time to read through the section called Production Values: How to shoot commercial quality images.

The article is divided into sections: Casting, Styling, Location, Lighting, and Framing. Each section has a description and photo examples of bad and “great”.

The amount of time and preparation that goes into a photo shoot is all behind the scenes (also not counting the post-processing afterwards; editing, image process, cropping, sizing, captioning, keywording, archiving, etc.). Most people only see the best images from what could be an all day or multi-day photo session involving not just the photographer but hair stylists, make-up artists, clothing stylists, prop stylist, food stylists, location scouts, photographer’s assistants, clients, art directors, local law enforcement or provate security (if an area needs crowd control to keep non-released people from being in the shot or away from areas that could be dangerous to them and/or equipment).

I think it’s great that stock distributors like Photoshelter are putting this information online and available for interested people to read. It provides guidelines to aspiring professionals, lets those with a passing interest know what they’re getting into, and informs potential image buyers/licensees what they should expect from stock photography.

The more people know, the easier it is. All the way around.

The last couple posts have been, more or less, rants about photo buyers/licensees wanting to get photographs for free. There are times when giving it away is good. But, how do you decide when and to whom? Pro bono work could mean photographing an event/fundraiser, providing a fine art print for an auction, photographing products, staff portraits, etc.

Not all non-profits are charities. Many are actually businesses and provide payments to executive directors, staff, vendors, web designers, print designers, printers, advertisers, etc. They pay rent, utilities, purchase vehicles and gasoline, So, when they come to you for a handout, be ready to ask some questions of yourself and the potential client. Remember, you as a photographer are operating a business. It’s recommended to leave the ego at the door.

John Hornstein, over at 1prophoto.com has penned an essay breaking down the ONE question into several reasonable questions you should ask yourself and the potential client before giving away the farm, tips for helping ensure a pleasant working relationship and reducing confusion, getting it in writing, Using pro bono work as a marketing tool, and alternatives to cash.

The basic questions (more detail in the essay) are:

Are you passionate about the cause?

Will the images from the assignment be candidates for your portfolio?

Is everyone getting paid but you?

Worth the read.

Some benefits of pro bono work:

1. exposure: (I dislike the over-use of this word, but choosing wisely could in create notice in a market you previously had no name recognition in)

2. networking: most charities derive their fundraising from a diverse set of donors. If you are photographing a fundraising event, it provides opportunity to meet some of these donors. You may receive recommendations by the non-profit to others needing your photographic services.

3. jump start a career: See #1

4. add to a stock photo pool

Another good essay (PDF) titled “When and Why to Shoot Pro Bono” is by Jennifer Sauer. One thing she does is try to do at least a week’s worth of pro bono work every year for a cause she believes in.

Other recommendations by Jennifer:

1. your pro bono shoot should be handled the same way a paid professional shoot would be

2. get model and property releases (if appropriate)

3. create a proposal for the client to educate them about your actual fees and services, then indicate a waiver fo these fees (or discount) labeled as “waived”, “pro bono”, or “discount” [my last]

4. never shoot a pro bono job for a client that can afford to hire a professional photographer. Never.

Pro Bono work should be a win-win. If you choose the right organizations to donate your time and talent it will make you feel better (not ripped off), provide a needed service, help a worthy cause, and possibly give your career a leg up.

So, don’t write off pro bono work, just be as cautious accepting it as you do a paying gig.

I have a couple workshops coming up, a 1/2 day workshop tomorrow (6/14) at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge and a 3-day workshop at Silver City Idaho (6/27 - 29). I’m also doing a special request 2-day workshop in early July for some folks coming out to Idaho from Virginia on what appears to be an adventure holiday of rafting, rock climbing and otherwise checking out the sites of our beautiful state.

Getting ready for workshops is fun. I don’t have a canned program, so each one is a bit different. The content is driven by the purpose of the workshop, but also by the participants. What do they want to learn? Are they really interested to participate, asking questions, trying new things, challenge themselves, or content to just listen and try on their own later? I like to go to places that are challenging, visually and logistically, the areas not overly photographed. I think it helps hone your vision since you’re not looking for the obvious canyon, waterfall, arch, geyser, etc. you’ve seen a hundred times before. An unfamiliar place makes you look, makes you slow down to get to know it. If you speed through, you’ll be disappointed in the results. This teaches you to be slower in the obvious places, too. Teaches you to look beyond the cliche image to the soul of the place. When you do that, sometimes you start to notice the line of photographers begins to form behind you rather than at the usual tripod holes.

The technology of photography, especially now with digital, can seem to be overwhelming. And, initially, it is. There’s a lot to know, but for the most part we already have that knowledge, it just takes someone to identify it and put it in its proper context. Once you can identify the basics and begin to apply them, it’s more or less a matter of practice to improve your skill and understanding. The workshop format is perfect for that.

I always learn something with every class and workshop I give. During my preparation, I find new ways to present information, a new technique, a handy tip, more in-depth technical data I can interpret into less-technical terms. During the workshop, I learn new things from my students, techniques, ways of seeing, equipment tips, all sorts of things. It’s not a one-way street. I don’t think you can truly be a teacher unless you allow yourself to learn from your students. Nobody knows it all. Especially with the proliferation of digital cameras in the marketplace now.

I used to try and keep up with the various features and capabilities of the newer models, but not anymore. Between brands and models within brands the controls can be so different - buttons here, menu selections there - that it takes up too much room in my head. That’s what owner’s manuals are for. Albert Einstein once said “Why memorize something you can look up in a book?” Wise words (but when I was in graduate school we tried to use that as an argument with our statistics professor - he didn’t buy it).

I encourage my students to attend classes and workshops given by different people. Photography is an art and no two photographers approach the same subject in the same way. The basics are the same (light focused into a black box onto light sensitive material), but the application is where the meat is. You learn something new from everyone you have contact with, even the ones who say they have all the answers. It only makes you better.

Well, that was a bit of a rambling. But, I don’t write often enough about my workshops and perhaps I should; my philosophies, summaries of workshops, etc.  Stay tuned.

Despite the hardships and complaining, I still have hope. This was taken 2 days ago in my neighborhood.

I received a request earlier today (sent globally to a group I belong to, not specifically to me) for a photograph of a local landscape feature to be presented as an award by the city to a donor of land which will help expand and preserve open space. At the end of the request was this statement

“Presumably, the City will pay for t[h]is, but don’t get greedy  Remember, it’s taxpayer dollars.”

I had to read it twice (and I still have to re-read it to make sure I’m getting it right). Don’t get greedy. I don’t think I’ve ever met a photographer, or seen an estimate for work, that could be considered “greedy”. Greedy photographers are, for one thing, probably not pleasant to work with (I imagine, I’ve never worked with one, so that’s just my opinion). I extrapolate this opinion from all those greedy companies that keep calling wanting free stuff from me.  For another thing, greedy photographers aren’t likely in business very long. Word gets around, you see.

I replied with the following response:

I appreciate your request, and unfortunately, probably don’t have the image you’re looking for. But, I have to take offense to your “don’t get greedy” comment.

Professional photographers, like me, are more than willing to “donate” photographs to causes we believe in and it’s up to the individual photographer to determine the pricing of their work. A professional photographer, making their living from their skill and talent, rarely gets the opportunity to “get greedy” when pricing their work for sale or license. Those photographers who understand what it takes to be (and stay) in business price their work and the fees for their skill and talent accordingly and to the market in which they sell their work, regardless whether the buyer is a multi-national corporation, a local non-profit, or “taxpayers” through local, county, or national government. If photographers “got greedy” they would not make it very far in the business.

I’ve sold many prints of my work to city governments for display in their offices and never have I been asked to not “get greedy”. I think it’s an insult intimating that photographers take advantage when the truth, in my long experience, is the other way around.

It’s also a fact that you will likely find someone willing to provide the image you request for nothing, or nearly so. I would encourage you to not take advantage of this and perhaps offer some payment in return, regardless, as a thank you and a gesture that you understand what an image is worth.

Photographers, particularly fine art photographers, are constantly asked by perfectly legitimate causes to donate works for fundraising auctions or their skills to document an event. Honestly, if I could make a living giving my work away I would do it. I think many photographers would feel the same way. I would still be a wildlife biologist if the work was available and I could survive on $10/hour.

But, life requires money and we can’t work for free. I don’t think people working for an employer realize how different it is paying 100% for health insurance and not getting bi-weekly deposits into the old bank account. But, that’s for another time.

I love doing what I do, most of us do. We hate being taken advantage of or having our work minimalized by those who think a snapshot is the same thing as a fine art print and/or both are as easy to create.

I’ve been trying for 3 years to get a shot of the area in the request (and similar locations). I live 25 miles away from that location. When the lighting conditions are right, you have to be there and that can be problematic if you don’t live right there. If it’s just a snapshot they want, then there are plenty of those available. If it’s something special, then I’m afraid they’ll have to pay (reasonably) for it.

So this is for both the potential client out there and the wanna-be (or subsisting) photographer. For the client, stop taking advantage of (or demanding) free. That’s all that should need to be said about that.

For the photographer, learn the business and charge a reasonable fee so you can continue doing what you enjoy. A simple start is to calculate your Cost of Doing Business, what it takes to maintain your business at break even every day. This is especially important for those of you currently living on full-time or part-time jobs. If you aspire to be a full-time “Pro”, I think you’ll be surprised what it’s going to take to maintain your current lifestyle and stay in business once you lose that security. Price your skills and talent and your work right now as if you’re dependant upon it. It’ll make the transition that much easier.

For those of you without aspirations to be full-time professionals, calculate your Cost of Doing Business anyway. Why give your work away for nothing? If someone asks for it, it has value to them, shouldn’t you receive something for that? Giving it away sends a powerful message that you don’t value your own work. If you can get paid for it, you can use it to purchase that new lens you’ve been salivating over. Otherwise, you’ve got to spend your valuable time trying to convince your spouse why it’s better to buy the lens from your regular salary. I hope they are supportive of your “hobby”.

Review Santa Fe is one of the premier events to put your images in front of the industry; publishers, editors, galleries, etc. There’s a rigorous and competitive selection process, but, traditionally, once the photographers are selected the only thing to do is wait until next year.

Not so in 2008. Review Santa Fe has put the list of selected photographers and samples of their work (as well as links to their respective websites) online here. If you’ve ever wondered, now is your chance to find out. I hope this is a trend.

photo by Steffanie Halley (http://www.steffaniehalley.com/)

Also check out the Singular Image winners