This week we were given another brief in which we are to create 10 images for an online stock library. Looking at the brief I was at first a little overwhelmed as there was no direction or constraints on the type of images we needed to produce.
I decided to have a look at the type of images that websites such as shutter stock and istock already have. In doing this, I stumbled upon the do's and don't page. This proved to be insightful as it explained what images they were currently looking for and the type of images that they had a surplus of.
Examples of what they do not need:
Flowers
Flags
Close ups of eyes
Sunsets and clouds
immediate environment
Examples of what they do need:
Corporate shots
Groups and teams
Sports
Food and beverages - preferably with someone holding them
The websites also have strict rules about format and sizing of images along with a standard of quality. These are all things that I need to take into account when looking at what I am going to shoot for this brief. I have decided that as they have stipulated certain areas where they require images, I would use this to my advantage and produce a series of shots within these groups.
I plan to sit down within the next few days to narrow down what intend to shoot and plan how I am going to produce my shots. I am likely to need models especially if I am going to shoot a sport or corporate events. This I will have to factor into my time plan as the people I will need may have a tight schedule and only be available at certain times. This is something that I am now more knowledgeable of after completing the dancers shoot in the first semester. I also want to plan in at least one week where I will be able to retouch and finalise my image selection as I usually feel I do not leave enough time for this.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Genre photography plan
After having a look at many different genres I have finally decided that I am going to look at documentary photography in greater detail. I have many influences from photographers from Bill Brandt and Martin Parr to Brassai, Sebastiao Salgado and Dorethea Lange.
This specific genre of photography has a wide scope almost anything can be documented. I have decided to document Doncaster's market as it is local to me and also used to be a place thriving with activity. Ten to fifteen years ago people would travel from neighbouring towns just to visit the market and it is one of the things Doncaster is famous for. With the current economic climate and an increase in supermarkets, the trade is becoming harder to survive in.
I am hoping to capture this in some of my images and also get some candied shots of the everyday people that work on the stalls.
I have specifically purchased a Diana F+camera and several rolls of xp2 400 film. I have not shot using film for about 6 years and have only shot using 35mm. I have never used xp2 film before, so thought that this would be a good challenge and ideal opportunity to test a different format. I have also purchased a fisheye lens for and hope that I will be able to create some interesting shots.
As I mentioned before I am shooting at the marketplace. I want to give the impression that these shots were taken sometime ago, giving them a retro feel like that from the 60's era. I am hoping that when the film is developed it will produce some imperfections in the colour, as this sometimes happens when using C41 chemicals to process black and white film. Again this will help to ensure that the images look dated.
This specific genre of photography has a wide scope almost anything can be documented. I have decided to document Doncaster's market as it is local to me and also used to be a place thriving with activity. Ten to fifteen years ago people would travel from neighbouring towns just to visit the market and it is one of the things Doncaster is famous for. With the current economic climate and an increase in supermarkets, the trade is becoming harder to survive in.
I am hoping to capture this in some of my images and also get some candied shots of the everyday people that work on the stalls.
I have specifically purchased a Diana F+camera and several rolls of xp2 400 film. I have not shot using film for about 6 years and have only shot using 35mm. I have never used xp2 film before, so thought that this would be a good challenge and ideal opportunity to test a different format. I have also purchased a fisheye lens for and hope that I will be able to create some interesting shots.
As I mentioned before I am shooting at the marketplace. I want to give the impression that these shots were taken sometime ago, giving them a retro feel like that from the 60's era. I am hoping that when the film is developed it will produce some imperfections in the colour, as this sometimes happens when using C41 chemicals to process black and white film. Again this will help to ensure that the images look dated.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Pricing of jobs - how is it done?
In this afternoons session we had a look at how to price a job for a client both for studio and location based photography.
Quality of the work required- technical ability
- Quality of the work produced
- Quality of product wanting to sell
- Expectation of the client with regard to quality
Volume of work required
- Client will expect a discount especially if used on a regular basis
- Economies of scale with briefs where there are repetition of shots
Photography time
- Add 10% as a safety blanket
- If regular work e.g. weekly, it is even more important
- Set up and dismantling time of set
- Invoicing, Meetings, discussions, phone calls may be built in to the invoice
- Travel
- Collection and delivery of product
Ability to pay
- Terms of payment - End of month, deposit etc
- Make sure you are paid
- Prior to costing work how quickly client will settle invoice - T and C's
- For payments over 30 days add interest
- How secure is the client - is their business doing well? Are they stable?
- Consistent work flow (also gives stability and confidence of payments)
Competition
- Quality and prices of competitors work
- Need to know if quoting against a supplier
Price with consideration
- Want to ensure that this is accurate
- Do not give this out over the phone.
- Take information and think and get back to the client
Materials and costs
- Model fees
-Set building
-People used to assist (stylists, home economists etc)
Add on services
- Format of the images
-Retouching
-Post production work, supply prints
Has to be worth it
Charge a figure you are comfortable with and feel is accurate
Have to make enough on it - margin
Although I was aware of how to charge for my own personal time for actually taking pictures, there were some factors that I did not consider which were bought to light in this session.
After breaking down the different areas, it gave me a better understanding of how to price future jobs in order to both make money and also ensure a fair price for the client. This can help to secure further work as they would be more likely to consider using me as a resource for further briefs.
Quality of the work required- technical ability
- Quality of the work produced
- Quality of product wanting to sell
- Expectation of the client with regard to quality
Volume of work required
- Client will expect a discount especially if used on a regular basis
- Economies of scale with briefs where there are repetition of shots
Photography time
- Add 10% as a safety blanket
- If regular work e.g. weekly, it is even more important
- Set up and dismantling time of set
- Invoicing, Meetings, discussions, phone calls may be built in to the invoice
- Travel
- Collection and delivery of product
Ability to pay
- Terms of payment - End of month, deposit etc
- Make sure you are paid
- Prior to costing work how quickly client will settle invoice - T and C's
- For payments over 30 days add interest
- How secure is the client - is their business doing well? Are they stable?
- Consistent work flow (also gives stability and confidence of payments)
Competition
- Quality and prices of competitors work
- Need to know if quoting against a supplier
Price with consideration
- Want to ensure that this is accurate
- Do not give this out over the phone.
- Take information and think and get back to the client
Materials and costs
- Model fees
-Set building
-People used to assist (stylists, home economists etc)
Add on services
- Format of the images
-Retouching
-Post production work, supply prints
Has to be worth it
Charge a figure you are comfortable with and feel is accurate
Have to make enough on it - margin
Although I was aware of how to charge for my own personal time for actually taking pictures, there were some factors that I did not consider which were bought to light in this session.
After breaking down the different areas, it gave me a better understanding of how to price future jobs in order to both make money and also ensure a fair price for the client. This can help to secure further work as they would be more likely to consider using me as a resource for further briefs.
Role play between client and photographer
Today we sat down in a group and were given the task to engage in a role play situation. This involved me and another member of the group to act out an initial first meeting with a new potential client.
I have already had first hand experience with a couple of clients from personal recommendations to take some portraiture shots. Furthermore, I have also had the benefit of being able to engage with clients from all different companies at my current workplace on a fairly regular basis. Because of this, I felt that I had a good background to work from for this task.
I have prepared this type of exercise before in my last degree and felt that I gained valuable experience from this practice as it has already helped in many situations in everyday life and even job interviews.
Communication and the way the you are perceived by clients is extremely important and providing them with the answers they need is integral in helping to secure work.
I found the exercise both beneficial and helpful as after watching a couple of other groups I was able to pick up on and use some of the techniques that others had included in their sketch.
I have already had first hand experience with a couple of clients from personal recommendations to take some portraiture shots. Furthermore, I have also had the benefit of being able to engage with clients from all different companies at my current workplace on a fairly regular basis. Because of this, I felt that I had a good background to work from for this task.
I have prepared this type of exercise before in my last degree and felt that I gained valuable experience from this practice as it has already helped in many situations in everyday life and even job interviews.
Communication and the way the you are perceived by clients is extremely important and providing them with the answers they need is integral in helping to secure work.
I found the exercise both beneficial and helpful as after watching a couple of other groups I was able to pick up on and use some of the techniques that others had included in their sketch.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Working with others and communication skills
My first location shoot was at a retail park at a coffee house called Esquires. Even though the shoot does not have and people within the photograph it was necessary to for me to communicate with several people in order to use the location that I wanted.
Esquires coffee houses are a current client at the studio where I currently work and so I already had some links with the company. However, the coffee house that I wanted to use is a franchise and so it was necessary to speak to the owner directly. About a week before I popped in to ask if it would be OK to use the coffee house to shoot some photography. I also suggested that in order for this to be the most successful it would need to be and least disruptive to the business that it would be easier to shoot either before or after opening hours. In addition what I also found helpful was that he was willing to provide me with a number of drinks that I was able to use in my photographs.
With being involved in the industry before enrolling on this course, I have had a substantial advantage in that I am in an environment where I meet clients and also see how other photographers handle their clients and see how the process works.
Having good relations with both clients, the general public and work colleagues is very important and good communication can go a long way within the creative industry. It is at times like this when I realise how important this is. Communicating with other people is something that I feel very comfortable with and will try to maintain this.
Esquires coffee houses are a current client at the studio where I currently work and so I already had some links with the company. However, the coffee house that I wanted to use is a franchise and so it was necessary to speak to the owner directly. About a week before I popped in to ask if it would be OK to use the coffee house to shoot some photography. I also suggested that in order for this to be the most successful it would need to be and least disruptive to the business that it would be easier to shoot either before or after opening hours. In addition what I also found helpful was that he was willing to provide me with a number of drinks that I was able to use in my photographs.
With being involved in the industry before enrolling on this course, I have had a substantial advantage in that I am in an environment where I meet clients and also see how other photographers handle their clients and see how the process works.
Having good relations with both clients, the general public and work colleagues is very important and good communication can go a long way within the creative industry. It is at times like this when I realise how important this is. Communicating with other people is something that I feel very comfortable with and will try to maintain this.
Time management skills
According to the self assessment questionnaire that I filled in, my time management skills a very high recording a score of 24 out of 25 points. However, towards the end of the first semester, I found that although I had planned in time throughout the week to complete college work, I did not always stick to my time plan. This is something that I wanted to improve on in the second semester, and have therefore set myself a more rigid time plan of what I want to achieve within a specific time period.
I made the decision to use my next project to both try and improve on and meet this target. One of the modules called skills for meeting client briefs involved the Huhtamaki brief. As mentioned previously in my blog entries this was to shoot a series of images of coffee cups both on location and in studio.
In order to get the best result from this experience, I decided I would need to sit down and plan each of the studio shots individually, write a list of props needed before the shoot and have a rough idea of how I wanted to light the image in order to ensure that I used my shooting time wisely. Although this took more time initially at the planning stage, I found that after doing two out of four studio shoots it has saved me time in the long run as I knew the more about what I wanted to achieve.
This is a technique that I plan to use in the rest of the course and for also for the other modules.
I made the decision to use my next project to both try and improve on and meet this target. One of the modules called skills for meeting client briefs involved the Huhtamaki brief. As mentioned previously in my blog entries this was to shoot a series of images of coffee cups both on location and in studio.
In order to get the best result from this experience, I decided I would need to sit down and plan each of the studio shots individually, write a list of props needed before the shoot and have a rough idea of how I wanted to light the image in order to ensure that I used my shooting time wisely. Although this took more time initially at the planning stage, I found that after doing two out of four studio shoots it has saved me time in the long run as I knew the more about what I wanted to achieve.
This is a technique that I plan to use in the rest of the course and for also for the other modules.
Shooting on perspex...
Today I spent another day in studio and wanted to try and push myself. I use mirror a lot when in studio and wanted to experiment with using different backgrounds and lighting that I was not overly familiar with.
Perspex, especially dark colours for example blue and black are not the easiest of backgrounds to shoot on, as it is highly reflective. It is not something that I have had a lot of practice and it took me a while to get the lighting just right. I also had to use a set of background poles with a role of Colorama at the back and hang it over the top of the set so that the ceiling and lights would not be reflected into both the product and the perspex. This can be seen in my illustration below of how the rig was set up.
I have kept the minimal yet dramatic lighting in order to enhance the product within the image. The capture was shot at 1/125 and at F20 on a Nikon D300 using Elinchrom lighting with the pack at 3.6. I have only used one key light from the right hand back corner of the shot. I tried several different configurations and some examples can be seen below.
ADD IMAGES HERE
Upon reflection of this process, I feel like I have increased both my knowledge and skill level of how to shoot on perspex and it is something which I think I will be using again within the near future.
Perspex, especially dark colours for example blue and black are not the easiest of backgrounds to shoot on, as it is highly reflective. It is not something that I have had a lot of practice and it took me a while to get the lighting just right. I also had to use a set of background poles with a role of Colorama at the back and hang it over the top of the set so that the ceiling and lights would not be reflected into both the product and the perspex. This can be seen in my illustration below of how the rig was set up.
I have kept the minimal yet dramatic lighting in order to enhance the product within the image. The capture was shot at 1/125 and at F20 on a Nikon D300 using Elinchrom lighting with the pack at 3.6. I have only used one key light from the right hand back corner of the shot. I tried several different configurations and some examples can be seen below.
ADD IMAGES HERE
Upon reflection of this process, I feel like I have increased both my knowledge and skill level of how to shoot on perspex and it is something which I think I will be using again within the near future.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Photoshop extravaganza
After shooting a set of images ofcoffee cups for my skills for client brief module, I made my selection and started to work on them using photoshop.
Photoshop is a great tool that a lot of people within the creative industry use to enhance their images, however I have not had any training on it. I have noted this as one of my weaknesses and want to improve on this throughout the course.
On a scale of 1-5, I would probably rate my current skill level as a 1-2. I have set myself a target to increase my skill level to 3-4 and hopefully become a little more comfortable with the software.
Although there is no specific sessions of how to use Photoshop in my modules, I think that with practice and perseverance I will be able to increase my knowledge and use it effectively.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a book on how to do the basics within the software and decided to have a go to see what I could produce. I have learnt how to change curves, levels, add layers and mask selected areas of an image.
I have also been watching videos from youtube to aid my learning as there are many workshops and helpful hints from what people have posted.
I have set aside two hours a week to practice these skills. In addition to this I also work with someone who is very proficient at using photoshop and am hoping that he will be able to show me some of the tricks of the trade.
Photoshop is a great tool that a lot of people within the creative industry use to enhance their images, however I have not had any training on it. I have noted this as one of my weaknesses and want to improve on this throughout the course.
On a scale of 1-5, I would probably rate my current skill level as a 1-2. I have set myself a target to increase my skill level to 3-4 and hopefully become a little more comfortable with the software.
Although there is no specific sessions of how to use Photoshop in my modules, I think that with practice and perseverance I will be able to increase my knowledge and use it effectively.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a book on how to do the basics within the software and decided to have a go to see what I could produce. I have learnt how to change curves, levels, add layers and mask selected areas of an image.
I have also been watching videos from youtube to aid my learning as there are many workshops and helpful hints from what people have posted.
I have set aside two hours a week to practice these skills. In addition to this I also work with someone who is very proficient at using photoshop and am hoping that he will be able to show me some of the tricks of the trade.
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