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Photographers, Branch Out Your Learning Material

by Dan Bailey on November 30, 2011 · 5 comments

Practicing with the SB-900s. Learning.

Face it, being a better photographer means being a more diverse and well-rounded photographer. You knew that, though didn’t you. That’s one of the reasons you come here, right? You’re always seeking to improve your craft, learn new tips, techniques and methods, and expand the boundaries of what you’re ultimately capable and comfortable shooting.

As someone who used to shoot only adventure and extreme sport-type subjects and who seriously shied away from inside photography jobs, I’ve certainly diversified my style of photography. Not only has this allowed me to get a wider variety of assignment work and increased income from stock, it’s also contributed to my own personal fulfillment in photography.

Whereas I rarely used to shoot people, except in the context of the sport in which they were currently engaged, now I find myself quite driven by the challenge of shooting environmental and location portraits and focusing on lighting, framing, and expression instead of just action.

To develop this part of my craft, I’ve used the regular learning methods that most of us tend to use: books, instructional videos, workshops, etc… However, I’ve also turned to methods that I wouldn’t have previously thought of. Sometimes I get books to review, and they’re not always titles that I think are relevant to my style of photography. That said, after taking a look at some of them, namely Light and Shoot: 50 Fashion Photos by Chris Gatcum, it occurred to me that there is something to learn from just about every resource, even if you don’t think there is.

For the record, I’m not a fashion shooter. Never will be. That said, fashion shooters use some of the most creative and experimental lighting techniques and styles known to man and I realized that I might be able to learn a few things from this book that I might not have thought of. In fact, I took it with me on the plane while traveling to a recent location assignment where I knew I’d be shooting people, just to browse through and get ideas.

I can’t say that I used any of the exact techniques that were in the book, but by exploring and expanding my scope of learning material, I know that I’ll slowly push my creative boundaries over time. Try it. Get some books you wouldn’t normally get and see what you can learn from them. I promise, you’ll learning something and at least find some new creative inspiration. And remember, you can always write them off.

Happy (diverse) learning.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

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Highlights from the 2011 PhotoPlus Expo

by Dan Bailey on November 4, 2011 · 9 comments

Ken Kaminesky and me at PhotoPlus Expo. Photo by John Shafer: AKA @Photo_John

Well, another PhotoPlus Expo has come and gone and wow, what a show it was! I got to see so much cool gear that I’ve already filled out my Christmas list. (I live in Alaska, so I’ll just hand deliver the list when I get back.)

I finally met a handful of my Twitter friends in person, like @photojack, @Photo_John, @PicSeshu and @KenKaminesky. (I need to talk to him about changing his Twitter handle—maybe something catchy like @Photo_Ken.)

And I learned so much in some of the awesome seminars, that I now know how to fix everything that I’m doing wrong in my photography business.

If you never been to a big photo trade show, let me tell you, you’re missing out big time! To let you relive some of the magic I experienced during the past few days, here’s what a typical day looked like for me. Of course, this is in addition to my regular coverage of posting show tidbits on Facebook and Twitter for The Photoletariat.

7:30 AM Wake up bleary-eyed from staying up late watching bad hotel TV.

8:45AM Dodge raindrops and taxi cabs on my way over to the Javits Center and catch another seminar on photography and social media.

10:38 Head to the Nikon booth to see what it’s like to look through a $12,000 lens.

11:22AM Pass a guy in the hall who looks like he’s probably Zack Arias.

12:16PM Stop Joe McNally and do a 48-second video interview with him for The Photoletariat. Then after he’s gone, realize I messed up and accidentally double-tapped the record button. Decide that a one-second clip of him holding a cup of coffee probably won’t make for a very good blog post.

12:45PM Hand out coupons for my new off-camera flash eBook, “Going Fast With Light,” and inform people that everyone who buys it in the next two weeks is automatically entered to win a $500 gift card from B&H Photo. (This is still going on. Download your copy here and get in on the contest!)

1:02PM Suddenly remember that I forgot to eat breakfast, woof down a Clif Bar, get really busy again and then forget to eat anything else for the rest of the afternoon.

1:35PM Walk past the Midwest Photo Exchange booth and get caught up in a crowd of 750 Strobist readers who are all blocking the aisle, probably hoping to catch a glimpse of David Hobby.

2:11PM Approach a camera equipment manufacturer, introduce myself as the Senior Contributor to The Photoletariat, and ask for free gear to try out and review.

2:15PM Approach another camera equipment manufacturer, introduce myself as pro Alaska adventure photographer and blogger Dan Bailey and ask for free gear to try out and review.

3:18PM Stuff another product catalog into my bag that’s already so full that it’s starting to hurt my back.

3:30PM Run into someone else that I follow on Twitter.

3:46PM Walk past the room where Superstar Dane Sanders just finished his Fast Track coaching seminar and suddenly find myself surrounded by 475 of his wedding photographer groupies.

4:05PM Pass a guy in the hall who’s I think is probably the real Zack Arias.

4:47PM Head back to the Gitzo booth for the third time, in the hopes that someone will give me a free tripod.

6:00PM Go out to dinner and grumble with fellow shooters about how tough it is to be a photographer in this economy. Drink a few more beers and revel in the fact that we’re all living the dream.

8:45PM Stroll through Times Square and see hundreds of tourists taking pictures with their telephones.

10:16PM Arrive back at the hotel. Write and upload Photoletariat blog posts on my iPad so that they can go live first thing in the morning. Then stay up way too late watching bad hotel TV.

Thanks for following along with all of this year’s PhotoPlus Expo coverage, and as always, thanks for reading and retweeting The Photoletariat.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

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New from Manfrotto: Pocket Series Ultra Mini Tripod

by Dan Bailey on November 3, 2011 · 6 comments

See this thing above that looks like some kind of little mini, futuristic nano robot bug? It’s called the Pocket Series Camera Support and it’s the world’s smallest tripod.

Maybe it’s not the smallest, but it’s certainly the coolest, most functional, and most rugged. Manfrotto unveiled the new design of the Pocket Series line at PhotoPlus Expo last week.

Basically, it’s a solid metal baseplate for your camera that happens to have retractable legs. Stick it in, fold up the legs and go. Pretend it’s just a slightly large quick release plate and forget about it.

Then, when you need to brace your camera somewhere with no hands, like for a landscape, a self portrait, an HDR series, or a time lapse, simply unfold the legs, adjust them accordingly, based on the surface or terrain, and voila! You have instant camera support. Since the legs operate independently of each other, it gives you a wide variety of view angles and options.

The new Pocket Modos come in two sizes: one for DSLRs and one for compact cameras and point and shoots. Also come in black or gray. I see it being a pretty useful gadget. Sure, it adds a bit of weight to your camera, but if you go sans tripod, you’re already saving that much more weight. It’s built like a little nano tank and is sure to come in handy in a variety of photography situations.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

10 Tips On How to Build Your Photography Empire

by Dan Bailey on November 2, 2011 · 32 comments

With so much to see and hear at PhotoPlus Expo, it’s a real challenge to balance looking at new gear, networking, and making time for the seminars. It’s impossible to see every one, but I did manage to catch the seminar on Building Multiple Revenue Streams by Derrick Story.

You might recognize the name, Derrick is the social media face of @LowePro. He’s also a working photographer and writer, and he gave a great talk about how widening your net of photography-related income is key to succeeding in the business these days. Visit Derrick’s blog The Digital Story.

Here are 10 tips on how to build your photo empire in the new economy…

[click to continue…]

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The New Fujifilm X10 Compact Camera

by Dan Bailey on November 2, 2011 · 8 comments

The age of true high-end point and shoot cameras has finally arrived.

If you’re like me, you keep waiting for the next level of compact cameras that don’t cost a fortune, that produce great imagery, and that don’t have horrible shutter lag. You keep waiting, all the while just keep shooting with your iPhone.

This year at PhotoPlus Expo, we saw a new generation of compact cameras from every manufacturer, including the new Fujifilm X10. I only got a brief look at the very end of the day, but I really liked what I saw.

First of all, this camera looks and feels awesome in your hands. It reminds me of a small, classic rangefinder. All the dials and controls are laid-out in a really obvious and ergonomic way. You turn it on by rotating the zoom barrel on the lens, and adjust things like shutter speed and aperture with a small thumb dial on the back.

Image quality is pretty standard for what we’re seeing lately: 12MP, with a 4x zoom and a lens that effectively covers a range of 28-112mm. It shoots Jpeg, RAW and H.264 video with stereo sound. And it has impressive macro capabilities, focusing down to about 1cm away from your subject.

And the best part; virtually no shutter lag, which means you won’t miss the moment. Oh, and just to make sure you don’t miss it, the X10 will fire at continuous high speed mode ar 10 fps (M and S file size) and 7 fps at full resolution. That’s faster than my D700!

This is what we’ve all been waiting for, right?

The Fujifilm X10 costs $600, and in my quick look, I’d say it’s worth every penny. For $1,200, you can pick up its big brother, the new X100, which has many of the same specs, all packed into a beautiful, rugged chrome chassis that will make you think you’re carrying a fifty year old classic.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

Profile: Kevin Kubota Photography and Kubota Image Tools

by Dan Bailey on November 1, 2011 · 6 comments

Successful photographers understand the need to “recession-proof” their businesses so they don’t crash hard when then economy dips.

Of course, there’s no stock way to do to this, and it’s always interesting to see how different people build and adapt their specific business models and find success. Today, I present a case study with a profile of Kubota Photography and Kubota Image Tools. I sat down with them at PhotoPlus Expo to find out how they’ve found success in a vey dynamic industry.

20 years ago, Kevin And Clare Kubota started their wedding photography business in Bend, Oregon. When the industry began moving towards digital, Kevin embraced the new format, became highly proficient with Photoshop and began selling custom retouching action sets to other photographers.

A few years later, Kevin expanded the teaching side by launching his Digital Photography Bootcamp workshops and other software preset packages. Today, he’s recognized as a leading Photoshop expert.

About six years ago, a Japanese company approached the couple about distributing a line of photo books in the US. This deal turned into their AsukaBook line, which offers gorgeous, high-end photo presentation solutions to other wedding and portrait photographers.

In order to further serve their book customers, Clare and Kevin formed Red Boot Design. This sector of their business offers graphic design that helps photographers create presentation albums, books, and cards. Although Red Boot offers templates and custom options that are geared around their AsukaBooks, they’ll do design for other projects as well.

By building a line of separate companies that all relate to each other and revolve around Kevin’s mastery of image making and processing, Kevin and Clare have developed a solid business model. While many photography-based businesses suffered greatly during the recent downturn, the Kubotas rode through the crisis with relatively smooth sailing.

Their business keeps expanding into the new decade with photo workshop tours in Italy and a recent book, Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook, published by Wiley Press. His Dashboard photo action series and software tool sets continue to rate highly with other photographers.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

Interview with Photographer Career Coach Dane Sanders

by Dan Bailey on October 28, 2011 · 13 comments

Although Dane Sanders is a wedding photographer, his introspective Fast Track Photographer coaching method is applicable to just about any style of shooter. I’m an adventure guy, and I found it to be an incredibly useful and inspiring resource for coming up with new business ideas. (Read my personal analysis here.)

I caught Dane after his PhotoPlus Expo business and career seminar and asked him what brief bit of advice he’d give to working photographers. Here’s his answer above.

New From Lowepro: Lens Exchange 200 Lens Case

by Dan Bailey on October 28, 2011 · 11 comments

In many ways, PhotoPlus Expo is all about the gear. We all want to see the coolest new toys from the manufacturers: gear that inspires us or solves problems. Or that makes us feel really cool.

Here’s one from Lowepro: the brand new, innovative Lens Exchange 200 lens case. It addresses the problem of… well, let’s just put it this way — How many times have you almost dropped a lens while changing them? Yeah, me too.

I could try to explain how it works, but why don’t you just watch this video and see for yourself.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

 

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