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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.

————–

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

 

 

The Sad Truth about Vendor-Client Relationships

by Dan Bailey on October 20, 2011 · 19 comments

Go ahead, all you photographers, freelancers and self employed creative types: watch this video and laugh. Then, you have my permission to cry.

It’s great that someone actually took the time to make this video. I applaud them, although I have no idea how the any of the actors kept a straight face while making it. It’s totally over the top and yet it rings so true. It’s also a bit cathartic to watch because it reminds us that we’re not alone. We hear this stuff from our clients and customers all the time. Unfortunately, there’s an element of artistic and creative work that will always be treated this way by some people in the business world.

Will we ever be able to completely change this perception and get treated with the respect that we deserve? I doubt it. However, though continued education, carefully worded contracts, effective negotiation before a job, and through the advice, advocacy and information that is provided by organizations like ASMP, we can at least arm ourselves with the right counter arguments to these kinds of statements.

Of course, not every client is like this. Some gladly pay for services rendered and don’t grumble, haggle or try to split hairs or nickel and dime their way through the entire negotiating process. If you have clients like that, reward them. Work extra hard for them. Shower them with affection and presents and consider writing them into your will, because those are the clients that you never want to lose. They’re worth more than gold. No, platinum.

For help dealing with the not-so-easy clients, make sure you read our posts on pricing photography that I and some of the other contributors write about here on The Photoletariat.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of the “best’ ones” that you’ve heard. Post them in the comment section below. It will be like therapy.

————–

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

 

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Should You Buy A New Camera?

by Dan Bailey on October 7, 2010 · 9 comments

Although it's the operator, not the machine that counts, a good machine will take you farther with your craft.

Ok, you’ve sat there with your hand raised patiently for some time now, so go ahead and ask your question.

“Should I buy a better camera?”

Do you want the quick answer answer or the more practical answer? Both? Ok, here goes.

Quick answer: Yes, because buying stuff is fun, it will help stimulate the economy, and it will make you a better photographer.

Now for the practical answer: Yes, but not if you think it will make you a better photographer.

“But wait,” you say, ” I thought it was the photographer, not the camera, that makes the difference?” [click to continue…]

How to Sabotage Your Photography Career in 10 Easy Steps!

by Dan Bailey on October 5, 2010 · 32 comments

Are you ready to sabotage your freelance photography career and ruin your business? You know, the one that you’ve worked so hard to build up all these years?

Well, you’re in luck, because it’s very easy to do. Just follow these simple steps and before you know it, you’ll be selling off all your gear, moving out of your studio space and struggling to pay off all the debt that you’ve accumulated.

1. Answer “No” to as many requests as possible: Make sure that everyone who asks you for a specific type of image knows that it can’t be done the way they want it. What do your clients know anyway? They’re not photographers, they have no ideas how hard it is to create dynamic, original imagery! If you say it can’t be done, then it can’t be done. Work hard to convince them of this fact.

2. Don’t worry about “Relationships”: You work alone and don’t need to tangle yourself with lots of business relationships. Be a recluse. Keep to yourself as much as possible. No one ever sunk a career by being personable or by actually being friendly with the people that hired them. [click to continue…]

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8 Ways to Spot the Pro Photographer

by Dan Bailey on September 21, 2010 · 239 comments

In the old days, it was easy to pick out the pro photographer in a crowd. They were the one with the biggest lens. These days, with photography so popular and accessible to the masses, it’s getting much more difficult to tell a pro from an enthusiast. We’re no longer the ones with the big glass; have you been to the National Parks and seen the gear that the retired doctors and laywers carry?

Have no fear, I’ve come up with a little game called “8 ways to spot the pro photographer.” I know that it’s by no means a complete list, so feel free to play along.

1. Duct tape on their expensive lens. Let’s face it, we beat our gear up. We use it in less than ideal conditions, and out in the field, a broken lens hood can easily be duct taped back on. And if it works, why change it? You’ll never see an amateur with duct tape on his thousand dollar lens.

2. Slouches from carrying heavy camera bag. Two bodies, six lenses, flashes, filters, tripod, memory card cases, maybe a laptop and hard drives as well? Tools of the trade and it goes with us everywhere. Unfortunately, carrying all that gear has a very heavy price.

[click to continue…]

21 Photography Clichés That Should Just Go Away

by Reuel Golden on September 20, 2010 · 62 comments

We’ve all seen photography subjects or techniques get recycled, repurposed and endlessly reappear like an uninvited houseguest. We asked some of the photo industry’s greatest, a collection of famous shooters, photo editors and creative directors, what photography clichés, subjects, styles and techniques, they really don’t want to see anymore.

This is what they said in no particular order and very anonymously:

1. Faux Polaroid looking images. Bring back the real Polaroids!

2. Photographing little [uninteresting] towns that nobody’s ever heard of. [click to continue…]

LEGO® Photo app for iPhone and iPad: The Ultimate Portfolio Solution

by Dan Bailey on August 24, 2010 · 9 comments

LEGO® Photo for iPhone and iPad. The ultimate creative way to show off your portfolio

As we read last week in Reuel Golden’s post about portfolio dos and don’ts, nothing beats the impact of showing your work in person to a prospective new client. However, coming up with a presentation that will wow art directors and photo buyers is a real challenge that all photographers face. You not only have to include your very best imagery, you have to display it with a method that has strong visual impact and, ideally, a sense of originality.

With so many portfolio options these days, it’s hard to choose the medium that has the right look, as well as a workable cost basis that fits your marketing budget. Do you go traditional and show your work as tear sheets in a cool black binder, or do you go iPad and show them digital reproductions of your work? There are obvious benefits and visual strategies to both, but what about something entirely different?

Enter LEGO® Photo for iPhone and iPad. It’s different. Way different. It’s also cool and totally retro, and something that just about any creative type can relate to. I mean, c’mon, who didn’t grow up playing with LEGOs®? Um,  no one that I know.

Once you download the app, which by the way is free, you simply take a photo, or upload a shot from your camera roll and wait a few seconds for the app to process your photo. Then you tap the screen and watch as your image is rendered as a virtual mosaic of colored LEGO® bricks. [click to continue…]

5 Stupid Photography Gadgets

by Dan Bailey on July 21, 2010 · 14 comments

Get ready kids, it’s time for a new installment, called “Stupid Photography Gadgets!”

Every once in awhile, someone decides to invent a piece of gear that should have never made it past the design stage, or at least the boardroom where a colleague might have pointed out how silly, useless or downright ridiculous the item is. You know, like the Sandwich in a can, the Ford Edsel, the gasoline powered pogo stick and the fur sink. Ok, so that one got stopped.

Photography is certainly not immune to stupid inventions, and here are just a few things that we probably don’t need.

Sigma APO 200-500 f2.8 lens

[click to continue…]

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