All of my fellow self employed friends will get a kick out of this little cartoon. After you’re finished watching it, make sure you get your stuff done!
Are you this guy? We all need breaks in the day, but it’s funny how quickly one thing and lead to another, and before you know it your entire workday is shot. Where did it go? I dunno. I’m still trying to figure out what happened to the month of August.
This photo was shot at night. I kid you not… at 11:54 pm to be exact. So riddle me this… how is this possible?
Let’s see who gets it first 
Do you ever feel like your work is never good enough? Do you get praise from others about your creations, but deep down inside you don’t feel the same way? Maybe you feel like you just served up a pile of trash. To be honest, I feel this way about my own work a lot. I recently did a few photoshoots and nothing I shot really wow-ed me. This type of thing happens other creatives I have spoken to, as well.
I Am My Own Worst Critic
I’m definitely my own worst enemy when it comes to criticism. I see the flaws in my work. Even if they are minor, almost untraceable to others, I still manage to find them. Am I just being over critical? Am I bored with what I’m doing? Is it just because I’m being overly anal? What’s wrong with me? I want to be happy with what I’m doing. I am definitely enjoying it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be 100% proud of where I’m at creatively. I think we all want to have our own “style” but this is easier said than done. I’m still trying to figure out what it is, and probably will continue to do so for a very long time.
Transform
Last year Atlanta Georgia based editorial photographer Zack Arias made a video like no other. It described a personal struggle that a creative has and lives through. I don’t care if you’re a graphic designer, a hairdresser, a chef, a contractor, a sculptor, or even a basket weaver… if you create on a daily basis, watch this video. It’s a must see, and I am pretty sure you will be able to highly relate to it. Any creative professional should see this.
Getting In and Out of Creative Rutts
We all get in the same creative patterns sometimes, and many times we might not even notice it. As a designer I would find myself using a lot of the same typefaces, or laying thing out with the same compositions all the time. In photography, I might find myself framing a lot of headshots in the same way. Or, I might continue shooting the same themes and subjects with different models. What do you do when you realize you’re in a rutt? You do whatever you can to get the heck out of it. Don’t wait around for someone else to tell you what to do. Mess around and get crazy the next time you get to work. Change things up surprisingly. Look elsewhere for inspiration, if you need some. Try something new (maybe a different subject, theme, or style) that you might have passed up before. I personally find that when I get out of my comfort zone and try something new, I get a lot more satisfaction out of my successes. You will also realize whether or not your new experiments are for you or not, and just might step back into your comfort zone. Even still, you’re going to be a lot more well rounded of a creative than before.
It’s Okay…
Being your own worst creative enemy is not necessarily a bad thing… be worried when the opposite is true. Then, you might have a problem. Heck, maybe it’s healthy. It’s nice to have a constant semi-dissatisfaction with your work, in a way, so that you can use that to drive you onward to the next level. I talked to my mom about this topic recently (she’s a hairdresser that’s been in the business for over 30 years). We agreed that sometimes you just have to keep doing what you know you have to to please your clients and pay the bills. Feeling completely satisfied with where you are as an artist or craftsman might be a lifelong quest… just try not to beat yourself up so much along the way.
Don’t let bad photography cause you to lose precious sales commissions.
Let’s face it. Realtors and Real Estate Agents are extremely busy people. They sacrifice a lot of their lives away from their families just to be in the business. With the blackberry or iphone constantly ringing off the hook, emails, house showings, and client meetings, a career in real estate is a pretty hectic job. So what about one of the most important features of showcasing the “product”? Does the quality of real estate photography often get neglected? From what I’ve personally seen on a local level, I think it does. I’ve searched hundreds and thousands of real estate listings over the past several years, and the majority look pretty scary. Sure, these are tiny thumbnails sized images most of the time, but even those have drastic room for improvement. The majority of home buyers are browsing these online websites first, so you need to make sure you make a good impression.
Here are some quick tips you might be able to use as a realtor in order to improve the quality of your photos in your online listings (no matter what camera you have).
1. Don’t shoot the exterior mid-day when the sun is highest in the sky. Early morning or later in the afternoon is much more visually pleasing. Save mid-day for shooting the interior, so that the light is more even.
2. Keep the sun to your back. Yeah, we’ve all heard this one… it’s a rule that is meant to be broken. But when it comes to shooting houses it’s a pretty good one to stick by. The sun rises in the East, and sets in the West, so figure out which direction the front of the home is facing before you plan your shoot.
3. Take a look up at the sky. Is it overcast? Unless you’re a photoshop whiz you might want to wait until the weather gives you a nice blue sky, even if it is partly cloudy. Anything is better than looking at a hideous blown out white or “doom and gloom” dark sky. A bright overcast day is excellent if you’re taking features of the building where the sky isn’t showing. It will give you shadows that are less harsh, and a nice diffused style of light.
4. Stop down your lens and place your camera on a tripod. If you have some sort of manual control like Av mode, set your f-stop (aperture) to the highest number possible. Make sure you use a tripod, otherwise the shutter speed will be way too slow, causing blur from camera shake. There are full height basic tripods at the local department stores priced as low as $10. If you have one – landscape mode might also allow your camera to get the smallest aperture possible, allowing for the largest depth of field while shooting handheld. This will ensure that you get the most of the home and property in focus (not just one or the other).
5. Try to remove distracting elements beforehand. Does the homeowner have their kids toys laying all over the front yard? This is just common sense.
6. Keep your listings updated! We’ve established that you’re busy, but if you have a listing that still has snow in the yard when it’s June… I mean come on, do I really need to even explain?
7. Make sure you show enough images, but not too many. You want to leave a little to the imagination while featuring the property’s best features or highlights. 8-12 images is a good number. It’s enough to give a nice overview, but not enough to cause the potential buyer to neglect wanting to check it out in person.
8. Don’t forget to capture the home along with part of its surroundings. Step back… possibly even further than you normally would. Capture the home from across the street, or even further if you think it would help a potential buyer envision its situation or property size. This just may help your property stand out from the crowd in the sea of listings.
All of the above tips will work for commercial or industrial properties as well. With lots of practice and learning your camera, you’re going to figure out what works the best for you. If it’s not working out as well for you, maybe photography just isn’t your cup of tea. You can always consider getting some help from a professional. Higher end listings might be worth the extra cost of hiring a professional, while most mid-range priced houses won’t. Maybe you just don’t feel like being a “jack of all trades” type, because you’re focused enough on selling real estate. It really is a lot of work. To any realtors with listings in the Connecticut area that would like to have me help them out, contact me at the link at the top of the page. I would be willing to work on a free trade basis as long as it is a property with a nice curb appeal and the owner signs a release form. No blown out white skies or crummy lighting, just clean images of the beautiful property you are showcasing so that you can get the maximum return for all of your efforts. Contact me for more details.
Finding the right camera bag is a pain – some of us don’t want to spend $100-150 on a simple backpack to carry our stuff. If you spend too little, it seems that the thing cheaply falls apart in a short period of time (been there, broke that).
The problem with most camera backpacks is they either give away to the world that it’s a camera backpack, either due to the logo on the outside like TAMRAC or LOWEPRO or even CANON (hmm, I wonder what that dude’s got in that bag? Maybe 5 grand worth of camera gear – let’s go mug him) or the FUGLINESS factor.
I recognized the name Dakine because I have a winter snowboarding hat made by them that I bought at Eastern Mountain Sports. I was interested in the Dakine Camera Block due to the fact that you can shove it in any other bag, as long as it is the right dimensions. That way it’s kind of like getting a custom setup for your DSLR, glass, and photo gear. I’ve seen it online as low as $30 USD. What’s the main thing we need in a camera bag, anyway? Isn’t it the stupid little velcro-rigged, padded dividers that keep our lenses and camera bodies separately safely and securely? That, and obviously comfort, durability, and water resistance while outdoors.
There is also the Dakine Mission, which is a lot nicer looking than most bags. This bag is sold along with the Dakine Camera Block as an optional accessory. It comes in a variety of cool colors and textures, from plaid to other print designs. I haven’t picked one up just yet, but it’s next on my list. If anyone has any experience with the Dakine Mission or Dakine Camera Block, feel free to add your comments below. Another Dakine bag available is the Sequence, which looks to be a little bit deeper (which is always useful if you shoot with a 1D series or gripped body, like myself). The Sequence has a weatherproof rain cover that pops out in case you get caught in a storm.
Here is a recent photo edit I did on a photo of my dog, using the clone stamp and patch tools in Adobe Photoshop. This video illustrates a pretty simple yet effective way of removing some unwanted elements from the image – all in under 4 minutes. These are the types of edits I do on a daily basis to each and every one of my photos, when it comes to removing logos, flaws, zits, etc. Once you master these tools there’s very little you can’t fix. Be sure to click full screen and watch the video in HD.
Just a friendly reminder to those living in the US (not sure about the other states)… be sure to mail or efile your tax return before midnight tonight!
Click here for more tax related stock photos.
Wow… 3 blog posts on the same day. What’s wrong with me? It must have been all the coffee I sucked down today.
This last fall my wife and I ventured up to Vermont to peep some colorful fall foliage. We aren’t huge travelers, but everyone needs to break away from the same old same old every once in a while just to get away and to break up the monotony of life in general. We didn’t even have an exact plan where we were going, but we had the trusty little TomTom GPS, a full tank of gas, and our cameras ready for action. The day was a little bit overcast, but sometimes that can be a good thing when it comes to creating softer shadows that aren’t as harsh. Skies can always be replaced easier afterwards, in Photoshop, anyway (tutorial here). Here are some of the stock images we captured that day.
Scenes like these are everywhere in Vermont. Gorgeous and untouched mountains, rivers, countryside and forests.
We stumbled upon Hogback Mountain and I captured these panoramic shots.
One more thing you can expect to find in VT is incredible beer! There are tons of microbrewers including Magic Hat, Long Trail, Otter Creek, Harpoon, and McNeill’s. Be sure to stock up on the brands not available in your area, before you head back home.
These portraits of us were taken at the river just underneath the Dummerston covered bridge.
I just found out that Mount Snow, Vermont is using this shot of the historic Dummerston covered bridge on their postcard to suggest things to do and see in the area during the “off season” for skiing.
Check out MountSnow.com for all sorts of affordable activities and local area attractions. They are so much more than just skiing!
The lighting in these indoor rinks is dim, so you’re going to want to use your fastest glass and up your iso. I had to shoot through the glass, because shooting from the upper stands meant shooting through a net (to guard spectators from getaway hockey pucks).
I got a couple handfuls of shots from the box/bench area where there is no glass, but I didn’t want to keep getting in the way of the players. Thankfully I didn’t get nailed by any stray pucks
I was monopodding it, with the Canon 70-200 f4 L lens trying to not go any higher than ISO 400 or 800. Seeing that I was shooting with a 20D, I can’t really push it much further without the quality suffering. My goal was also to nail a couple of panning style shots, which was still pretty challenging. Later in the day, I switched to my nifty fifty and shot f1.8 ISO 200 handheld, with some decent results. If you’re going to shoot hockey games like this without strobes, I can see needing really fast primes, and preferably with some reach. 50 mm isn’t going to really cut it.
Overall, I shot probably 500-600 frames, culled and deleted at least 200 right off the bat due to technical problems, or just because I was bursting so much (like you have to do with sports photography) and only have about 20 or so “keepers” that I like. Half the time I didn’t realize I didn’t have my autofocus set to servo, not that the 20D has too great of a servo mode, anyway. What a mess. That’s a big fail, for me – but you can’t win them all I guess I sure did catch a lot of “abstract blurs” – haha.
Ever take a nice outdoor photo or landscape and wonder, “Gee what happened to that nice blue sky there was on that day?” Well, a lot of time depending on the direction of the light and your exposure, the sky will become blown out. You might lose a lot of cloud detail, and a lot of the deep blue color you remembered from that day. Check out this quick and easy Photoshop technique using simple selections and an addition sky images, for “digital Photoshoptic surgery”.
Blown out skies ruin a lot of good photos – don’t worry, they’re very easy to fix in Photoshop in under 5 minutes.
hfng
Matt Antonino
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Gracey
Bob Davies
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Eric Cote
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