In the photo world’s blogosphere and Twitter feeds, there’s a steady stream of posts with titles like “30 stunning images of [fill in the blank].” You know the type: big collections of images that all fit a theme like “Water,” “Surfing shots,” “Action photos,” or “Panorama Landscapes.”
While none of us has the time to actually browse every single one of these posts, most of them are indeed filled with gorgeous and inspiring imagery, so I cruised around the web for a while today and selected a few that I’d like to share with you. [click to continue…]
Feeling like you’re in a rut? Like your photography business needs a little pick-me-up? We’ve got lots of great tips and inspirational material tucked deep in the archives here at the Photoletariat, so why not let it help you get things back on track?
Here are five posts that will hopefully motivate you to jump-start your photography or your marketing plan. [click to continue…]
2011 is here and there are many reasons why we as photographers can be psyched about the coming year. Advertising budgets are finally on the rise as the economy improves and new technologies are emerging with new trends taking hold. Cameras are getting more advanced and great new accessories keep getting invented. Social networking and blogging continue to drive creativity to new heights as people collaborate and inspire each other.
I keep saying this; it’s a great time to be a photographer. [click to continue…]
As a professional photographer, self-confidence goes a long way. However, so does humility.
There are times when you need to clearly demonstrate the mastery of your skills, your enthusiasm for using said skills, and your immense creativity to get the job done. However, there are also times when you need to suck it up and admit that you screwed up.
To err is human. Of course, few of us actually use the word err in common conversation, so I’ll put it another way. Completely blowing the exposure is human. So is using the wrong shutter speed, forgetting to set the proper ISO, putting the lights in the wrong place, screwing up the focus (although that’s the camera’s fault!) grabbing the wrong lens, forgetting to format the memory card or using the wrong sync speed with the flash or missing the shot because you were distracted or because you were trying to set that custom function on your LCD panel.
And that’s just the goof ups that I made in the past week! [click to continue…]
Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters Guide to Shooting from the Heart
Woman with cameras. Lots of them. Imagine the creative possibilities. Imagine the feelings, the moods and the sheer beauty.
If you’ve ever visited the Shutter Sisters website and blog, then you already know that they’re practically brimming with captivating, sensual, introspective creativity that stirs your soul with unbridled inspiration.
Committed to honoring, encouraging and fostering the beauty that women behind cameras can capture, the Shutter Sisters site is filled with images, words, passion, technique, vision, and above all, great photography.
The site features thirteen women photographers who all come from a variety of different image making and cultural backgrounds who all contribute their shots and thoughts in order to share and build a community of support, encouragement and inspiration.
And, this month, the Shutter Sisters just released their first book, Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters Guide to Shooting Images from the Heart. [click to continue…]
A few weeks ago I posted 10 photography sites that you should be following on Twitter. Well, we all know that there are WAY too many cool sites out there to follow than can be included in one short list, so here are 10 more.
Maybe we’ll make this a regular feature, since we keep finding great new photographers, media and tip sites and loads of other interesting content out there in the tweetland that we think you should know about.
And as always, don’t forget to follow The Photoletariat @photoletariats.
1. Lightstalking: One of the most popular photo related Twitter sites around, with over 130,000 followers to date. Put simply, Lightstalking is all about sharing great photography and helping you make it.
2. Craftandvision: Champions of the amateur photographer, they tweet all kinds of great creative and technical tips, introspective and inspirational insight and news about their fantastic eBooks that are written by top photographers like David DuChemin and Mitchell Kanshkevich.
3. BHPhotoVideo: The largest source of photo equipment in the entire galaxy tweets links to articles, gear reviews, sales, new products, and other great ways to explore photography, save money and stay motivated. [click to continue…]
Chase Jarvis is one of the most successful photographers in the world. He has been able to bridge the gap between still and motion photography with ease. His ability to connect with his viewers and share information has become the model for many people in the industry. I got the chance to hit him up with a few questions at the launch party for his new book Seattle 100 at The Ace Hotel in New York in the days leading up to the PhotoPlus Expo.
Chase only had a few minutes to give me for this interview so we had to take what we could get. The audio is not the greatest, however the information is there and I hope you get a little bit of his magic from this video. He is very passionate about photography and art expression. His “Best Camera” App and Best Camera Website is based on the premise that whichever camera you happen to have with you at the time is the best camera for you at that moment. Simply put, get off your ass and shoot something. He has also done a killer job of branding and marketing his entire crew – a selfless act that many people in the industry ignore. Filmmaking is a collaborative effort.
Chase is one of the few people out there willing to share his process. His willingness to take the time to break down a shoot presents a great way to learn about the process of both still and motion photography. There are no longer any secrets to this movie magic. This new way to share information is the future of content creation. We no longer live in a world that does not move.
The other day, Beate Chelette posted a video on her Black Star Rising “Ask The Photo Business Coach” titled “Should I Stay in the Business or Get Out.” She basically says, “Quit your complaining or get out…”
If you haven’t seen it yet, have a look and then pass it on- it’s something that we all need to hear, especially in this day and age.
Sometimes we get so focused on the negative aspects of the photo industry that it’s hard to see the light. It’s not hard with all the challenges that we’ve faced during the past few years, with massive stock agency and media consolidation, the continuing devaluation of imagery, declining licensing rates, stagnant (if not shrinking) editorial rates, and a worldwide economy that has battered and beat down nearly everyone.
Yeah, we’ve heard it all. Photography is a tough business, it’s highly competitive, it’s tough to make a living with your camera, blah blah blah… The truth is that it always has been hard, we just don’t see that because we’re caught up right in the middle of it.
With all the negativity, we just can’t seem to see that it’s actually a great time to be a working photographer. [click to continue…]
