Hi everyone-
Sorry I have been a little absent! I got hit with a nasty flu bug! But I am back at it now. So here is a great little article I came across that I think has some solid ideas for all you freelancers out there. Some of these ideas are pretty innovative I have to say! Enjoy! PS- if you make it good with any of these be sure and let me know OK? I LOVE hearing about your success!!
http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Ways-to-Earn-Extra-Money-as-a-Photographer
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Photography Tip of the day
When you first start out in photography, you will have two ways to earn money- basically two business models. The first is selling photos. The second is selling your service as a photographer.
If you are going to sell photos, this means that you will speculate on what might sell and go out and take pictures of it. Then you take those pictures to your market and try and sell them.
If you sell your service as a photographer, this means that you will be given an assignment to take specific photos of something (either personal such as a wedding, or commercial such as product shots). These photos will usually have limited value to the client who has hired you (who else would want a photo of Erin and John's wedding?)
Either way you go- the number one key to being successful in photography is to know about marketing, pricing, negotiations, and having good interpersonal relationship skills. These are the keys to any good business. Without these, you may be an awesome photographer, but if you don't understand business, you will probably never make it full time.
If you are going to sell photos, this means that you will speculate on what might sell and go out and take pictures of it. Then you take those pictures to your market and try and sell them.
If you sell your service as a photographer, this means that you will be given an assignment to take specific photos of something (either personal such as a wedding, or commercial such as product shots). These photos will usually have limited value to the client who has hired you (who else would want a photo of Erin and John's wedding?)
Either way you go- the number one key to being successful in photography is to know about marketing, pricing, negotiations, and having good interpersonal relationship skills. These are the keys to any good business. Without these, you may be an awesome photographer, but if you don't understand business, you will probably never make it full time.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Freelance Tip
When you first start out in photography it can be harder to get work if you don't have any references. One of the best ways to build references is to work for free.
Let me explain- Let's say your friend is going getting engaged and they want some memorable pictures of the engagement party (or some other kind of event). You offer to show up for free and shoot photos,you make the agreement ahead of time that the only cost to them would be purchasing any of the photos they might like. Before you know it, you probably have earned $100 or more from picture sales. Not only do you get paid, you get experience, and you get a referral! Total win-win!
What are some of the creative things you have done to earn money with photography?
Let me explain- Let's say your friend is going getting engaged and they want some memorable pictures of the engagement party (or some other kind of event). You offer to show up for free and shoot photos,you make the agreement ahead of time that the only cost to them would be purchasing any of the photos they might like. Before you know it, you probably have earned $100 or more from picture sales. Not only do you get paid, you get experience, and you get a referral! Total win-win!
What are some of the creative things you have done to earn money with photography?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Art Book for Sale
TextBook- "The Art of Seeing" by Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher $75. ( Originally $125)- includes the cost of mailing to US addresses only
Good condition
If interested email: photogirl920@yahoo.com
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Hey- have you ever wanted to know what kinds of jobs you can get doing freelance work? Check out this new site that shows a list of freelance jobs updated daily with cool new stuff!
Artists-freelance-job-board.com
Artists-freelance-job-board.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Setting up Your Studio
As photographers, one of the keys to our success is the right equipment. When we say the word "studio" this means the equipment you need...not necessarily a location. So lets look at some of the items you will need to set up a working studio-
July 25th
Part 2- Backdrops-
The Green Screen
When I first started taking photos, I didn't have a full grasp on how important the background scenery was. I have a good knowledge of Photo Shop, so I thought, "why worry, if there is something there I don't like, I can just take care of it in post production".
While this is theoretically true, it is very time consuming and often not exact, especially when you are dealing with subjects such as fur or hair. It is much easier to control the background in the first place.
For instance, say you would like to take a picture of your dog and make it look like he is on the top of a mountain. We all know that you can do that in Photo Shop without much effort. However, what if the original picture of your dog has him standing on the couch in your living room? Now you have to get rid of all that scenery! It will take some skill and time to extract the image of your dog.
If you start with a clean shot of your dog with a green screen as a background, you can easily place him on the mountaintop picture. This process opens an entire new world for creative post production work.
How this works:
The subject is photographed against a background consisting of a single color or a relatively narrow range of colors, (usually green) because these colors are considered to be the furthest away from skin tone. If you are shooting other subjects, choose a different color, staying with this same theory.
The portions of the photograph which match the preselected color are replaced by the alternate background photo. This process is commonly known as "keying", "keying out" or simply a "key" ".
Having a green screen in your studio kit will be one of the pieces of equipment that will allow you to have creative fun. Next time, in part 3, we will continue to talk about background equipment and different choices of screens.
Part 1- the camera
You will eventually want to have a primary camera that is a professional model, and at least one secondary camera body that is compatible with your lenses. The secondary camera can be used for several things.
Our next post on STUDIO- we will discuss backdrop equipment.
July 25th
Part 2- Backdrops-
The Green Screen
When I first started taking photos, I didn't have a full grasp on how important the background scenery was. I have a good knowledge of Photo Shop, so I thought, "why worry, if there is something there I don't like, I can just take care of it in post production".
While this is theoretically true, it is very time consuming and often not exact, especially when you are dealing with subjects such as fur or hair. It is much easier to control the background in the first place.
For instance, say you would like to take a picture of your dog and make it look like he is on the top of a mountain. We all know that you can do that in Photo Shop without much effort. However, what if the original picture of your dog has him standing on the couch in your living room? Now you have to get rid of all that scenery! It will take some skill and time to extract the image of your dog.
If you start with a clean shot of your dog with a green screen as a background, you can easily place him on the mountaintop picture. This process opens an entire new world for creative post production work.
How this works:
The subject is photographed against a background consisting of a single color or a relatively narrow range of colors, (usually green) because these colors are considered to be the furthest away from skin tone. If you are shooting other subjects, choose a different color, staying with this same theory.
The portions of the photograph which match the preselected color are replaced by the alternate background photo. This process is commonly known as "keying", "keying out" or simply a "key" ".
Having a green screen in your studio kit will be one of the pieces of equipment that will allow you to have creative fun. Next time, in part 3, we will continue to talk about background equipment and different choices of screens.
Part 1- the camera
You will eventually want to have a primary camera that is a professional model, and at least one secondary camera body that is compatible with your lenses. The secondary camera can be used for several things.
- It can be used as a back-up in case there is a malfunction with your primary camera.
- It can also be used as a quick grab- lets say for instance you are shooting telephoto with your primary. All of the sudden, there is an opportunity to shoot something unexpected close up. If you have your macro lens mounted to your secondary camera you would be ready. This is especially true in nature. We will often have our camera attached to a tripod as we shoot scenery, and all of the sudden a butterfly lands on a leaf...the lighting is beautiful...but by the time we take the camera off the tripod...put the macro lens on...the moment has passed.
- Another benefit of having a secondary camera- it's a good tool for interns or assistants. If you are beginning to work pro, you may want to bring on an assistant or intern. Often in the beginning of a young photographers career, having pro equipment isn't in the budget. Therefore, having a secondary camera that your assistant or intern can use is a great way to get them started in the business. Interns are doing the work for experience only, but your assistant would expect a salary. Throwing in the benefit of equipment may sweeten the deal.
Our next post on STUDIO- we will discuss backdrop equipment.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
International Photo Contest for Kids Sponsored by National Geographic
Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are between the ages of 6 and 14 on November 2, 2009.
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Photos
All Entries must be postmarked by November 2, 2009, and received by November 9, 2009.
Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are between the ages of 6 and 14 on November 2, 2009.
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Photos
All Entries must be postmarked by November 2, 2009, and received by November 9, 2009.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
International Teen Fashion Photo Competition
This competition is open to amateur and professional photographers of all nationalities and is designed to identify and nurture talented photographers and to encourage them to follow their dreams and fulfill their talent and potential.
Deadline: October 1, 2009
For details:
email
photographyfaq@yahoo.com
Attn: M. Jamam
For All my Flckr Teen Friends
Want to put your friends on the cover of a national magazine? Got some great photos of your friends at home, at school or just hanging out? Send us your snapshots now!
http://www.teenink.com/Contests/CoverPhotoC.php
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Top 3 truths-
About earning money selling photos
1. Photography is a Business-
If you want to become a full-time professional photographer, you will need to implement the same business practices as any other business (we will have an article coming soon on how to set up your photography business).
2. I need to practice my craft-
When I was young, I took piano lessons for 6 months. I gave up because I grew tired of just playing scales...I wanted to play songs! Little did I know that you can't play a song without first learning some scales! Photography is the same way. It is an art that requires practice and skill to become a high-paying, top photographer ( we will publish a post soon on the best way to practice your craft with tips from seasoned professionals).
3. You can make money taking pictures (even if you don't intend to follow rule one or two)-
They say in life that there are exceptions to the "rule". It is very true that you really can earn an income without going into photography full time. Let's face it, not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur! It takes a lot of risk to go full time into any independent endeavor. Not everyone will be the next Ansel Adams either!
Most people, however, think to themselves, "wouldn't it be great if I could earn a little extra doing what I love doing...taking pictures"? You can! There are many ways to do this. granted you won't pay the mortgage with the income, but you may pay for a nice vacation with the money you earn in a year... or afford to buy a car! You can earn money as a part-time freelance photographer!.
Come back soon for part 2 where we continue our discussion on the truth of freelance photography!
About earning money selling photos
1. Photography is a Business-
If you want to become a full-time professional photographer, you will need to implement the same business practices as any other business (we will have an article coming soon on how to set up your photography business).
2. I need to practice my craft-
When I was young, I took piano lessons for 6 months. I gave up because I grew tired of just playing scales...I wanted to play songs! Little did I know that you can't play a song without first learning some scales! Photography is the same way. It is an art that requires practice and skill to become a high-paying, top photographer ( we will publish a post soon on the best way to practice your craft with tips from seasoned professionals).
3. You can make money taking pictures (even if you don't intend to follow rule one or two)-
They say in life that there are exceptions to the "rule". It is very true that you really can earn an income without going into photography full time. Let's face it, not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur! It takes a lot of risk to go full time into any independent endeavor. Not everyone will be the next Ansel Adams either!
Most people, however, think to themselves, "wouldn't it be great if I could earn a little extra doing what I love doing...taking pictures"? You can! There are many ways to do this. granted you won't pay the mortgage with the income, but you may pay for a nice vacation with the money you earn in a year... or afford to buy a car! You can earn money as a part-time freelance photographer!.
Come back soon for part 2 where we continue our discussion on the truth of freelance photography!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Postings of Photographers Available for Work
List your name and contact info here. Please don't forget to include your specialties, a website URL if you have one, and any other info that will allow readers to contact you. Include your area of coverage. You must be 18 or older to post your information here (for safety reasons).
Under 18? If you want to introduce the world to your art and have a link to your Flickr site- post that here without personal info OK? We love to showcase up and coming talent!!
Under 18? If you want to introduce the world to your art and have a link to your Flickr site- post that here without personal info OK? We love to showcase up and coming talent!!
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