Enticing the Light

by Peter Zack

  

A cautionary tale in case you get one of these emails.

From: What the Duck

Scams, if you have an email address (if you’re here you do, of course), you get the emails all the time. If you are like me, with a dedicated web site and a visible email address, you get dozens daily. Spam filters do a good job but just to make sure that something legit isn’t missed, I still check the spam daily for a real client who might be filtered.

I don’t need anything enlarged, I like my job and am not looking for a new one.  I’m happy that my wife arranges all my dates. I have enough credit cards and suspect there’s no free money anywhere. I hate survey’s and loved Seinfeld’s solution to that.

So recently I got one I knew was a scam. It sounded similar to many of the rest.  I decided I wanted to see how this was going to ‘play out’ and how much they might want to take me for.  Really it was a waste of time but possibly worth sharing with others in case you think you are going to land the “big deal”. Plus I kind of liked the idea of getting them all excited, wasting some of their time, that they might have a sucker on the hook to rob from.

In total, there were 12 emails back and forth . First I’m not a full time wedding planner, even if I do help brides with many of the arrangements. So there’s his first mistake, not knowing what I do.

So here’s how it works:

The wording changes from email to email but the common theme is a “logistics manager” or “agent” the scammer will mention in most at some point.

The very first email:
From: Williams Egobia <williamsegobia@live.com>
To: xxxxxxx@yahoo.com
Sent: Sat, January 30, 2010 1:37:09 AM
Subject: I need an experienced wedding planner

However,because of security reasons and confidentiality reposed on you and because they do not have credit card facility,we have decided that only you will have to handle the credit card information.

He couldn’t trust the “Logistics Agent” with the credit card info, only me! I feel so privileged!

Now when you think about this, the logistics agent is arranging travel visas and transportation for all the guests. So you trust him to get you safely into a country, get everyone to the same place on time etc. But you can’t trust him to see your Visa card? He has all your personal info for a travel visa but not the credit info.

Yeah sure. I’m some internet stranger that you don’t know, that you trust with thousands of dollars. Foolishness.

So at the end, I told him the deal was off and that I would no longer waste any more time with this. He threatens the FBI on me. Humm, since I don’t live in the USA, I guess I don’t have to worry about them much.

Finally I get these 2 emails, the last of which showed up in my spam folder, how ironic.

by Miserere

  

The subject of overly retouched models in fashion and lifestyle magazines has been a hot topic in recent months. For his latest exhibition, photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders decided to make straight-up portraits of supermodels from the 70’s and 80’s, without any help from the retouch brush in Photoshop. That doesn’t mean the models didn’t use make-up in trying to look their best, but I don’t believe anybody is complaining about that. Yet.

Straight-up portraiture is nothing new, but I do find it sad that it needs to be hyped as something special when promoting an exhibition, or that it needs to be mentioned at all. Timothy photographed 10 models: Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Beverly Johnson, Carol Alt, Dayle Haddon, Esme, Karen Bjornson, Kim Alexis, Lisa Taylor and Nancy Donahue. In my opinion, they all look beautiful; but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.

You can read what Timothy himself has to say about these photos here.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is an award-winning photographer, film maker and writer, whose photographs are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, The Whitney Museum and The National Portrait Gallery among others. He also won a Grammy in 1998 for his documentary Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart.

by Miserere

  

Friday morning, January 29^th 2010, I was having breakfast while perusing the usual suspects of Photography blogs, when I hit Photo Induced, curated by the tireless Damon (he’s been writing his blog since November 2005!). I was a bit behind on his latest news, because the first article that came up was talking about OnceMany.com, a 365 site with a twist.

Shane Rich sat down one day on a large rock in the Colorado Rockies and thought, I should start a 365…with a twist. That’s how I imagine it, anyway. The twist? He’s creating each daily photo for a different client, because he’s selling each one of them. And the price? Depends on the date you choose. On January 1^st it’s $1, on the 2^nd it’s $2, on the 3^rd it’s $3… I think you get the idea. And yes, on December 31^st the price will be $365. Not only will Shane come up with an idea for a photograph and shoot it, he’ll also send you a print.

Back to Friday morning. I thought I’d buy my wife’s birthday but it was taken. Not to be deterred, because I always like supporting good ideas, I decided to get a date for EtL. Seeing January 31^st was free, and wanting to help Shane with empty days, I booked it. Shane e-mailed me quickly to ask about any ideas I might have and I unloaded my request: Shane, you have 48 hours to come up with a single photo describing EtL. And believe me, Shane delivered.

If you want to see what he came up with, check out January 31^st on OnceMany.com. Make sure you see his other days too; and while you’re at it, consider buying a day for your business, your spouse, or even yourself! C’mon, don’t make him eat that camera…

by Miserere

  

Starring Bob Krist and Joe McNally.

Enjoy!

by Miserere

  

Thanks to all of you that voted for EtL, we won a Golden Retrevo award in the Photo & Video category. Woohoo!

What we win is fame, glory…and World Wide Web exposure. Let’s hope the server can handle it.

To all our readers who voted every day: A big fat thank you. To all of our readers who voted every other day: A standard size thank you.

    –Miserere and Peter

by Miserere

  

Featured Blog of the Month: Street Vision

  

For some, Photography is a way of expressing artistic urges, for others it is a way of making pretty pictures, but for my friend Javier, Photography is an end in and of itself.

He wanders the streets in and around Los Angeles photographing the people, the buildings…a slice of Life.

He also uses Photography as a way to break down barriers between classes. Where other street photographers stay on the other side of the wall that is their camera, Javier climbs this wall and becomes a part of his subjects. It couldn’t be any other way for him, his generosity and big heart wouldn’t allow it.

But Javier also has a softer side, which he’s not afraid to show when the chance presents itself.

All photos: ©Javier Gutierre.

by Miserere

  

My friend Doug alerted me to this amusing graph describing the evolution of a photographer’s “life”. As with all good humour, it’s funny because there is some truth in there. Click for full size view.

Found on DataViz.

Do you know what stage you are at? I’m definitely near Death…ha ha ha

PS: If anyone knows who it was that came up with this graph, please let me know.

by Miserere

  

Haje Jan Kamps from PhotoCritic was July 2009’s F-BoM. We put on our clogs, buy a dozen tulips, and head off to enjoy some gouda with Haje while getting a few answers to our questions.

Thanks for agreeing to chat with us, Haje! Why don’t we start off finding out how you ended up in the U.K., passing through Norway, after starting off in Holland (where you were born)? (But first, tell us how to pronounce your name!)

My name is pronounced like “Higher” but without the last R. Or perhaps like “Hiya”, the greeting commonly used in Liverpool, much to my confusion when I lived there. My globetrotting ways are entirely unglamorous, actually – I was born in the Netherlands, but was dragged off to Norway when I was 5 years old or so. My dad’s a petroleum engineer, so he goes where the oil lives – my parents have done a lot of moving about, including stints in India and Trinidad. Without us, sadly, but it’s great for going on holiday, of course!

I ended up in England by accident, actually. At the time about 10 years ago, I was working part-time in a petrol station, with aspirations of being a writer. Petrol station work is intensely boring, but that meant I had a lot of time to spend in my own head, coming up with characters, plots, etc. I genuinely planned to just continue doing that: Writing the Next Great Novel, and working at a petrol station. My parents – but my mum especially – wasn’t particularly enthralled by that idea, and proposed I’d go to University.

I was going to Folkehøgskole at the time, and met someone who became a good friend, who was from the UK. Around the same time as the discussions with my parents about uni were taking place, he was filling in his uni forms, and that gave me an idea. I went to my parents and said “Ok, then, I’ll go to uni… But only if I can go to the UK”. I had expected them to turn it down, but they were rather enthusiastic about it, actually (quite obvious, in retrospect, with their globetrotting ways), and so I applied, got accepted, moved to Liverpool… and now I’m still in the UK!

How many photos do you take with your iPhone each day, and how long will it take you to start a blog about it?

At least 5 on average, I think, but I doubt I’ll be blogging about it specifically. I have done a couple of posts about the iPhone’s photography capabilities, of course, one with 100 great examples of iPhone photos, and an interview with the fantastic Sion Fullana, about how he manages to get such great results. Ultimately, however, the iPhone has a pretty rubbish camera, and while you can do pretty cool stuff with it, it’s never going to be a huge part of my photographic aspirations. It’s great for always having a camera in your pocket, however, and I do use my iPhone to show off my portfolio of photos to potential clients.

Tell us about your stint making money as a photographer. Would you go back to that?

Never. In my more inebriated moments, I liken it to prostitution. Sex, like photography, is amazing and great, but only when you’re in the mood – as soon as people start paying you for it, there are demands for quality, and you have to take photos to a deadline, not when you feel an irrepressible urge to go take pictures. To be honest, I hated it with a passion.

The problem is that when I’m working at my most creative, only one out of a thousand photos comes out well: I’m experimenting, playing, having fun, and learning all at once. Some times, I can spend hours shooting and never walk away with a single shot that I’m happy with. It’s still worth it, because I’ll have a deeper understanding of photography and why some things work and others don’t, but I challenge you to have that conversation with the bride… “Yeah, I know I took 6,000 photos at your wedding, but none of them were any good, so you can’t have any pictures”. It just wouldn’t work.

In a commercial setting, as a commercial photographer, 0.1% hit rate is completely unacceptable. You need closer to 10% – or better. Much better. As a result, you drop your creativity, and use the techniques and tricks that you know are effective. The problem is that you’re falling into cliches, and just doing the same old thing again and again. It’s dreadfully boring, but what’s worse is that you end up not taking pictures for fun anymore.

I have a lot of respect for commercial photographers, they deliver amazing work… It’s just not what I’m cut out to do

I feel the same way; once you’re paid to do something, and have to do it on somebody else’s terms, I just cannot imagine it being fun anymore. And speaking of jobs, you recently quit yours. How do you pay the rent?

I’m a writer! Currently, I’m working on several exciting books about photography—a ghost-writing project, and another book which will be published in my own name. I can’t go into details about either book, but I’ll announce the latter in due course, of course In addition to book writing, I take on other writing tasks for various agencies, and I do the occasional job from Elance.com.

How cool! Maybe you’ll send a copy over to EtL HQ so I can review it (ahem, ahem)…

In my F-BoM post I highlighted my amazement at the amount of time you seem to have on your hands. Are you the most organised person in the World? How do you do it? I’ve been thinking of getting a divorce so I can free up some time for the blog…

Well, considering it has taken me 6 months to get back to you on this interview, I guess that answers your own question I think my thing is just that I’m like a heat-seeking missile: I find something that excites me, and I go after it like a blood hound until it is completed. When I’m in ‘Ooh! Excited!’ mode, I can go for 20 hours a day without sleeping and with a minimum of food and drink, fuelled by excitement and adrenaline. That’s generally how Things Get Done in Haje-world

Is there a particular style of photography you like? Looking at your Flickr page I see a bit of everything. You seem like a jack of all trades.

I like photography on two levels: On one side, photography is a fantastic technical achievement: If you stop to think how incredible it is that we can use electronics, pieces of metal and chunks of glass to capture light… It sounds like science fiction! But I also really enjoy the artistic side of photography. It’s doable, to be documentary and very literal in your photography (“this is a picture of a bench”, “This is a picture of a goose”), but it’s also possible to go beyond that, and create or capture scenes which have an inherent artistic quality.

My photographic style is whimsical at best, but I do enjoy a challenge, I think that’s why my Flickr stream comes across as rather ADD Having said that, my two favourite photo styles are concert photography and street photography.

That would explain your latest book, Put Another Dime in the Jukebox, a how-to on photographing live music.

What is the goal you set yourself when you started your blog, and how has that goal evolved?

My very first post on the blog was about how to create a macro extension tube out of a pringles can. That post went insane, got me on Slashdot, Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit, got me commissions from Make Magazine, and eventually was the reason that my first book was commissioned, too.

The blog started off being about DIY things to do with photography, but I eventually realised that I wanted to cast my net wider. It’s my blog, after all, and I can write about whatever I want. These days, the strapline to the blog is ‘Doing cool stuff with photography’, which is a pretty decent description. I write about fun techniques, photography ideas, things that inspire me, and all that. I try to avoid writing about equipment, because those posts are so quickly ‘old news’, and I don’t want Photocritic to be a news-driven site at all. That’s partially why the articles aren’t dated (you can find a date when something was published, but you’ll have to search around a little). That’s not a coincidence; basically, I’m hoping to write in such a way that an article written today is valid next week, next month, and next year, too. That way, I’m building up a reasonably big portfolio of articles that are worth reading whenever you fancy exploring and learning new things about photography.

The idea of a timeless article is how I tackle my Philosophical Ramblings, but sometimes I do get excited about photo news and just have to share it. Or give people my opinion, which they never ask for. Maybe you are a better human being, Haje

How do you find themes to write about?

The themes tend to find me, I think—an idea that pops into my head, a question in a comment on one of my posts, or a statement someone makes on Facebook of Twitter that makes me think… And if I feel I have something to contribute, I’ll write about it.

Do you think there’s anything new to discuss in Photography? People fixate on the equipment, but the principles driving Photography as Art are still the same they were a century ago. Is there anything new to say?

I really don’t care about equipment, it’s the least important aspect of photography… I still think that people are doing a lot of amazing things with photos, though, and I like the idea of collaboration, inspiration, and learning that the Internet offers people. I understand your question, and no, I doubt there has been much ‘new’ that hasn’t been done before. But just because there isn’t much new to say, there are always different ways of saying them, and I’d love to think that I have a way of explaining things that people can understand.

Now you need to live up to your blog’s title: What makes a good photo?

I did a post a while ago titled how to win a photography contest, which explains a lot of the things I feel strongly about. Basically, a good photo has vision, passion, and tells a story. It doesn’t have to be technically perfect, but if it isn’t, there has to be a damn good reason for it. A great photo does something unusual, makes you think, and challenges the way you look at the world. A truly great photo does all of these things and makes it seem as if time slows down. What you are looking at echoes something that speaks to you strongly. I’m sad to say I’ve never yet taken a truly great photo

Great photos are overrated—I take about one a day, and look where I am. I know it’s hard to choose, but show me a photograph you took that you’re very proud of.

I’m proud of a lot of my concert photos, and I think there are some gems among my street photography work as well. If I had to pick one, however, it would have to be a street-photo style photo I took in Vietnam last year (see below). I brought a Canon EOS 450D and a 50mm f/1.4 with me—and nothing else—for 3 weeks, and the resulting limitations were a challenge… But it also means that you eventually know your equipment extremely well. You don’t have to fuss about with changing lenses (I didn’t bring any others), lighting equipment (I didn’t bring any), Tripods (again… Didn’t have one) etc. It becomes a very pure experience, and when you occasionally get a good shot, boy does it feel amazing.

I have to agree, that is a winning portrait…even if it’s not B&W

After touring Scandinavia, where will you go next with your yellow motorbike? Let me know if you make a stop in Boston!

I would love to, but my yellow motorbike has gone to pastures new, I’m afraid. I wrote it off in a roundabout a couple of months ago, by parking it unceremoniously into the side of a peoplecarrier (what Americans would call a minivan, I believe). There’s nothing left of the bike, and I escaped with a slightly squashed knee, luckily! I’m waiting for my insurance money, and hopefully I’ll be able to buy another bike for new adventures!

Oh no! That’s so sad, although I’m glad you’re OK.

Has anyone told you that with a beard you look a bit like Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Haha, no that’s a first, thank you

What inspires you to pick up a camera and shoot?

You know, I honestly have absolutely no idea. Sometimes months go by without touching my camera, other times I just can’t put it down. It varies a lot, but it depends on what I am doing, I suppose. I was working on a book in the Netherlands over Christmas, and had left my camera at home – I got the urge to take photos, and it was hideous to not have my camera in arm’s reach…

Thanks, Haje! We wish you the best of luck in your freelance future. And please keep your blog running with Dutch efficiency

Thank you!

  

  

All photos: ©Haje Jan Kamps.

by Miserere

  

Dear Readers,

We’re moving the blog to its own host and domain name. This will allow us to customise the blog to our needs, and hopefully make posting easier for us. From now on all new content will be published on EnticingTheLight.com.

Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds. Anyone clicking through to any articles in the (now officially) old blog, will be redirected automatically to the new site. In fact, if you’re reading this, you already are on the new site. Did you even notice?

Keep coming back for more articles, humour, and general Photography talk. If you don’t, we’ll miss you.

Cheers,

  

    –Miserere and Peter

  

  

by Peter Zack

  

Shooting weddings can be a challenging and rewarding aspect of photography. I hope from these articles, you get some inspiration and tips that will help you develop your own style and business. The funny thing with a blog publishing setup, the articles are posted by date and you may be seeing the most recent first. If so, go to Shooting Weddings Part 1 and then you can follow each section in the series.
If you have a question or idea for this or other articles, contact us here.

So you’re looking at the title of Part 3 and saying, he’s mixed it up. The client chooses me to be the photographer. Nope that’s completely wrong for a number of reasons. I mentioned this in an earlier article and didn’t elaborate. This is in my opinion, as important as anything else you will do with your business. You must make every effort to meet the clients a couple of times to discuss what they want and your style of shooting. I said earlier that, we have to be open to different shooting styles and what the client wants. As photographers, like painters, we are better at some things than others. You might be a great street shooter and can nail that candid type of photograph better than anyone in your market. I might be a great landscape shooter and have the ability to visualize and capture a great landscape with the couple. Sometimes it’s very tough to meet the couple because we live in the internet world. They may be in a distant city and trying to book you online. In that case you should send them a large sample of your work via an FTP transfer site or something similar. Then call them to discuss what they want and and what you do. Make sure everyone is clear on what you offer and can produce.

So if you meet the couple, bring a big sample of you work. A completed wedding album would also be good. Don’t just show them your best stuff. Let them see what a package will look like. There should be no surprises for the couple when it’s delivered. Remember that it’s 2-6 weeks + for delivery and they have been waiting for the most important memento of that great day. Meeting them offers you some very big hints as to whether you will work with them. One of the biggest mistakes for both you and the couple is taking every job you get because you know you can do it and you want the income. It’s not fair to the couple and a mistake for your business.

I like shooting a romantic and fun couple that really like to try different things. A bride that doesn’t mind ‘kicking up her heels’ and getting the dress dirty. The more adventurous she is, the better the photos will work. You need to assess the couple at the first meeting. I look for a few cues. Do they touch each other a lot when you meet? Are they comfortable in front of a stranger? Do they disagree on aspects of the wedding? Is he involved in the planning with a genuine interest or just can’t wait for all this to be over? Does he have ideas about certain photos? Do they hold hands? Can you sense that they are not only in love but also best friends? Do they get each other and you?

If the answers to these questions are an overwhelming yes, then I want these people as my clients. I say this from experience. I’ve taken the wedding because I wanted the work and didn’t think these were important issues. Generally the work turned out fine and the customers were happy. But it was the most exhausting wedding work I’ve ever done and seemed like a mental battle to make each shot work the way I’d like. Why? We didn’t connect.

One good example is a couple I booked a few years ago. It was early in the season and bookings were slow. I had just moved to a new city and wanted to get established. At the meeting, I had noticed that she was doing all the talking. It felt like they were planning a funeral, not a wedding. There wasn’t much joy in the process. They sat in seperate chairs. I have 2 comfy chairs and a sofa in my office. I invite couple to come in and see where they choose to sit. There’s a table in front of the sofa and the chairs at one end. So if they go to the sofa, it’s a good start. If they sit apart in the chairs, I’m now looking at how close these 2 are. So this couple sit in the chairs. They never held hands or touched each other the whole time. I booked them anyway. Through all our discussions (they didn’t want engagement shots), they didn’t mention their comfort or lack of comfort with PDA (Public Displays of Affection). The entire wedding day was a workout for me. All the shots I had in my head were useless and I had to create a whole shot list based on very stiff and uncomfortable clients who wouldn’t kiss and didn’t like touching each other. If you were a street shooter as described above, you’d produce a better package for this customer than I would. They liked the finished product, but if all my customers were like this, I’d get a job flipping burgers and just take pictures of flowers.

Consider this. It’s not wrong to be this way. Some people are very shy and prefer their intimate moments at home. Others are not. It’s not for any of us to judge. The flamboyant clients may not last and the shy ones might celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My point is, that you have to be able to work with them and get what they want. If you can’t, don’t take the job. It’s not fair to them and too hard on you.
I’ve said before that you need to be adaptable to their wishes and shoot in a style they like. But that doesn’t mean every wedding job is right for you or that you are right for them. Or that you have the skills and natural ability to shot the style they want. Consider your shooting style carefully and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. You might be a great candid shooter and can do a nice PJ style album. You might not feel comfortable creating and capturing good “classic” wedding shots. Those posed shots that you think look stiff and unnatural. We all excel at different styles.

Book the weddings that are appropriate to your comfort and skill levels. It does not mean that you can’t learn and practice other styles. How? Study other peoples work, study other portrait art forms and photography. Also when there is time, with the weddings you have booked, try a new idea for a few minutes. Go to a wedding every time with a new idea. Make each one a learning experience with a fresh approach to the work. Some couples want those close up shots that are really intimate. Maybe you’ve never tried this. So take some time with them and set up an idea. I’ve told couples that I’ve never done [this or that] and would like to try something different. If you have a good connection with the couple, they will agree and you might get a great series to give them and at the least, you have started to learn how to apply the lessons for the next time.

The other thing you can do is work with another pro on an off day. Volunteer your time to work with a respected pro once in awhile and watch his/her style. In fact work with someone of the opposite gender. If you are male, a female photographer is great to work with. They have a different and often more “romantic” eye. My assistant is female and I love the different look she can bring to a photo. But please do not book a couple that wants PJ style and you can’t do it. Taking the job for the money is a mistake. It could even land you in a courtroom. Reputations take years to build and seconds to wreck, never to be recovered.

This could ruffle some readers feathers but I hope more photographers would be in a courtroom when they can’t deliver what they promise.  Pushed out of the business  because they are incompetent. I don’t wish any photographer ill will but there are too many Cowboy shooters looking for a quick buck and not taking into consideration how important this day is to the couple and their family. They pass off a CD full of snap shots that your 10 year old could do.   I welcome competition in my market when the other shooters are all considerate and hard working pros. It makes me work harder and study the craft with more intensity. There’s a big difference between a shooter who studies and works this job every day, full time and those that take rent money every couple of Saturdays’ .

Consider this scenario. I have a photo of a grandmother that was a candid portrait at a wedding. I knew that she was the oldest member of the family and everything revolved around her. She was mentioned many times at meetings before the wedding day. I must have tried 40 times to get a nice shot of her not staring at the lens. Finally one series worked.  She loved the shot and so did the family. She said she hated having her photo taken (and it showed) and had never seen a good one till this.  Unfortunately, she’s no longer with us. The couple and members of her family wanted so many copies of the shot, I sold them the image and rights to it, to do as many reprints as they wanted.  If you are there just to make money and don’t care about the couple’s needs, then you deserve to be in front of a judge. Your work is far more important than you may ever know. If you mess it up, there’s no turning back the clock and a refund just doesn’t cut it.

Back to the article title,  you take your experience and use that to assess whether you will choose that couple to work with. If it’s doesn’t seem or feel right, or you can’t shoot it the way they want, be gracious and turn them down, recommend another photographer. Have a well reasoned explanation as to why you will not be able to take the job and hopefully you can get that from this article.  There’s nothing wrong with telling a customer that your style of work will not suit what they have told you they want in the album.

One further thought. Know your competition. How they shoot and how they work. Meet with them and look at their stuff. Have a relationship with them. I’ll discuss the reasons why in the next article.

So the title is correct, you choose your customers, not the other way around.

Cheers and good shooting –Peter Zack

Pei Wedding Photography