Creativelive Live: Tamara Lackey Day 2 & 3
So, I’ve had a week to recuperate from my “3 day stuck to a chair, not leave the house Tamara Lackey experience” weekend. In between Christmas parties, and Birthday parties, and just generally working, I’ve managed to finish putting together my notes on Day 2 and 3. If you missed Day 1, here is a link.
Day 2 was all about the business side of photography. How to set up a business, a budget challenge to set up a studio, and work/life balance. It was amazing all the things that we got through, but Tamara easily could have filled up another week just in the business side of things!
Thank you thank you again! To Creative Live and team… and Tamara, for sharing your experience, and not hoarding your knowledge. So many up and coming, and professional photographers appreciate it! :)
DAY 2
Links and Companies to check out:
check out proselect
check out photofocus
kubota actions - http://www.kubotaimagetools.com/
lens rentals - http://www.borrowlenses.com/
animoto slidshows - http://animoto.com/
ALBUMS:
http://asukabook.com/index.html
http://www.modernalbumdesigns.com/
BLOGS . FORUMS:
tina wilson – tennesse photographer - http://www.tinawilsonphotoblog.com/
Little Blog of Big Ideas – http://lbobi.com/
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
On youtube, check out the Chase Jarvis workflow video
Read the book: Duct Tape Marketing
PHOTO-BUSINESS SOFTWARE
Succesware
ShootQ: subscription
web-based quickbooks
studio cloud: free
Rescuetime
direct email blasts: http://myemma.com/, http://madmimi.com/
pick pic - you can have a giftregestry- online site where family can log in and order pics
pictage – registry
Tamara’s favorite lenses:
24-70
85 1.2
35 1.4
Notes
- f stop should be similar to the amount of people
- family is not always mom dad kids, family is what you make it.
- when seating families. have different heights. different variences keep it interesting. if you sit everyone at the exact same height, its boring
- when shooting wide angle… the edges distort. Make sure to keep your subjects in the middle. Otherwise they will stretch at the edges
- You are the artist, you make the call on color, or black and white
- on lighting – you want a main light, fill light, hair light, and you’ll have some sort of ambient light
- if client has glasses, tilt head slightly down, have lights at angles
- switch up your compositions to get variation. tight crop. vertical, horizontal
- on mood – You only need micro seconds to capture a micro expression.
- they don’t need to be happy the entire time, we just need 1 expression
- there’s no such thing as a bad photographer, we just don’t all have the experience yet.
- 1 of the most natural pictures you can have, is at the childs level.
- infants and newborns… shoot around their sleep schedule
- photoshop edit free transform select the area that you want be longer and pull it out.
SETTING UP A STUDIO FOR UNDER $250
- At a home depot store: insulation boards – paint for a cool backdrop
- foam core- backdrop large reflector fiy do not paint. will warp
- on getting a studio- get one when it becomes very apparent that you need one. When not having one, is holding you back.
DAY 3
- on clients clothing – Wear timeless clothes so pics last. No logos or brands
- Only raise your pricing 1 a year, otherwise it get’s confusing for you and your clients
- Have some sort of disaster recovery, have a safe. Upload your pics to a cloud
- Backup 3x before you delete from your card
- Track your expenses
- on having a store front – I would rather put all my money into my online brand. More people will view your online site.
- Have a portfolio to show clients
- on taxes, and legalities – GET EVERYTHIGN IN WRITING
- model releases – clients understand that images are the photogs. and the artist can do whatever they want with them. advertisers, blog etc
- You’re not being fair to you as an artists, if you copying everyone else. You’re not giving yourself a chance to grow and develop as an artist
- on edits b/w or color etc – Decision making is one of the most anxiety ridden things for humans. The more choices you make for your clients, the happier they will be
- on enlargements – You have more grace with a canvas than a print, because of the bleed
- There’s a confusion between people critiquing your work, and people critiquing who you are. Do not let it get to you.
- you could be climbing up to the top rung of the ladder.. but is your ladder leaning up against the right wall? - regarding personal vs business life
- Make the best world for yourself, so you can have the best world for others
- Don’t check your email until 10 AM! It will only stress you out, and suck you in.
- Know what your good at, and outsource the rest!
- Think of the 80/20 rule, 20% of the people you work with, are paying your bills! Why are you wasting your time with the other 80? The 80% are the most complicated, and want to most.
- Everyone fails, I’m afraid not to try!
- Narrow the gap between what really matters to you, and how you are actually living your life.
- The expectation is for women to bring home the bacon, and fry it to. – on work/life balance
- There’s a lot of behind the scenes when it comes to a photography business. It’s not just about taking pictures. Shooting, Saving, Editing, Selling, Delivery, Marketing, Gathering inquiries, Branding, Developing pricing, Updating pricing and products the list goes on and on.
Quotes:
- “You’re not paying for the day… you’re paying for the knowledge of the last 30 years to get me to today. – Scott Mackey – on pricing
- “You are the average of the 5 ppl you hang out with. Look at them and decide if that’s where you want to be.”
- “You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are” – Anna Quindlen
- “Instead of photographing a pose I want to photograph a moment. I want to shoot with more empathy.” Jerry Ghionis
Creativelive Live: Tamara Lackey
I’m currently 2 day’s into my 3 day CreativeLive experience. And… just like last the last time, my butt.. is getting sore hehe.
But.. it’s completely worth it!!
CreativeLive is an online community for artists. They provide free education via an online streaming feed. You can then purchase an edited version for a very reasonable cost afterwards. They offer anything from Photography, Painting, How to’s on Photoshop or Lightroom etc etc. I’ve watched 2 now, Jasmine Star’s teach back in August, and this one by Tamara Lackey.
This time around, the CreativeLive team brought in the ever talented child photographer Tamara Lackey. Tamara has been shooting for 8 years now.. and definitely knows her stuff! She’s even had the pleasure of shooting the current US President Barack Obama! ( You know you’re legit when…)
Either way.. just like the last creative live teach.. I plopped my butt in front of the computer and took copious amounts of notes. Here are my notes for Day 1 :
- New Photographers think ” I have a camera, I can shoot anything.” Instead of finding your emotional value, and finding a specialty
- Shoot until you get the shot. Some shoots take a long time, but until you’re happy, you should stay.
- Be more concerned about getting better photographs, instead of getting more clients
- Read your manual, three times. and do everything. It will click. it’s all written there
- 3 top things to study at the beginning :
- master your technical settings
- post-processing
- slow down and think about the intereactions youhave with clients. have fun, don’t tell them what to do
- workflow is incredibly important. its all about time management
- Have an active blog, keeping it up to date goes a long way to having people coming back.
- In terms of personal information: ”Your website is like your street address. Your blog is where you live. And Twitter is your bathroom. People tweet things that are much more revealing.”
- You want everything to be driven to 1 central location. You want all your fan comments in 1 place so future clients can think “wow she’s popular”. Consider just posting pics to your blog, and linking facebook instead of posting pics to both. you are splitting the amounts of places people leave you messages
- Websites always take 20 times longer than you think
- Only show images that you love on your website. Your website defines you. and your style.
- Different children respond ( to the exact same situation) DIFFERENTLY. What works for 1 child 1 day, might not work the same the next day.
- While doing a consult - get the basics from parents. name birthday etc.. what does your child get excited about? Are they dreamy? Spacey? Do they get excited easily? Are they snuggly? Do they need their space? What do they think is funny? or stupid?
- Mood is a big big deal! the mood is more important than location, clothing, etc.
- You need to open up to children, in order for them to open up to you.
- You only need to very much know them for their next hour or two. Look for a non-verbal hint on how they feel. Children can’t talk yet, so they are still very non-verbal. Body language is everything. If they are smiling or laughing, they are comfortable and are inviting you in.
- Practice empathetic listening. repeat back to them how they are feeling. Children are really good at recognizing if you are fake. They will classify you as phony, and not connect with you
- It’s not just about taking pictures, but about capturing the connection
- Crouch down to the child’s level, make them feel “seen” and heard
- Hand out “sneak peaks” of pictures as treats. as a reward so children will stay engaged.
- If they are shy, show them how awesome their pics are. They will feel more comfortable. If they are always asking. Set a limit. ” you only get 10 shots, are you sure you want to waste it on this one”
- Regardless of the type of expression you want. mimic the child’s emotions. If they are quiet, you should be too.
- Adjust your personality to the child, if they are quiet and reserved, you should not be loud and frantic.
- Try taking pictures with the camera off to the side. This means you do not break eye contact and kids are more comfy.
- If a child is shy, do not put the camera to your face and take a picture at the first sign of a smile. The child will get frightened and revert back to being uncomfortable. Be confident that this won’t be the only smile you see during the day.
- Kids are conditioned to smile when a camera comes out. They give you a CHEESE smile. It is your job to make them less lens aware.
CHILD PERSONALITY TYPES:
- the super star: performer, up for anything, show you everything ” did you see that? how did I look?” they always want to see the pictures. You will have to work to pull out the quiet thoughtful side
-the shy one: reserved, very standoffish. shy children are used to being left alone, and its not always their choice. You need time to pull out the happy outgoing parts. Pictures are best done in their house where they feel comfortable. Shoot with a long lens so your not in their face
- the interactive one: they are very pliable as long as you continue to talk to them and keep them engaged. They will do almost anything you ask.
- the one who just needs to warm up: just give it time!! Most kids are in this category
- to cool for school: they are self conscious, they are coming into a new awareness of themselves.”this is embarrassing, or i’m not into this”. Let them know that you understand they got forced into this. Empathize!!! I know how you feel! 40 minutes and were done! Your this much closer to freedom!
- spirited one: emotional! cry 1 min, laugh the next
- sick, tired and just having a tantrum:
- I allott 2 hours for a shoot, but i give 4 hours in case they take time to warm up
- We are not raising moral human beings, we’re just doing a photo shoot. You can lead them on, to get what you want. and then say JUST KIDDING!
- Direct your subject towards the light source
- Your lightsource rules the way you pose your subject
- Watch for your lightsource. Know where it is at all times
- Beware of distracting elements in the picture. (trees growing out of the head)
- Instead of having a floppy newborn… have parents hold the baby, and then crop in really close. This way it’s not a flat lying down shot. ( look into a baby poser. ie bean bag)
- On an indoor photoshoot – have kids warm up by letting them jump on the bed. They will relax and realize you’re not all bad.
- Let the subjects eyes flow into the picture. They should not look out of the shot
- When shooting newborns: the earlier the better. They sleep more, and they are more move-able.
- Milestones to cover: newborn, 6 weeks, sitting up, and crawling
- Take the time to get to know the kids. They will not be naturally comfortable. Don’t take pictures right away, give them time to warm up.
- Talk to your subject… ALL THE TIME!
- Wide angle lenses give you more focus grace, telephoto or zooms have a greater drop off point.
- MOM’S LOVE EYELASHES
- Don’t rapidly move locations and expect to start shooting, kids need to feel comfortable in their environment. Give them a few minutes to look around
- Moms are good to have around. Children are comfortable with their parents, this translates to being comfortable around you.
- It’s ok to take a break, if the kids are starting to have a tough time.
- Let the child take the lead, choose the pose, have a toy etc
- Get away from the “cheese” face. Make them laugh. Tell a joke. Show them what you want
Inspirational Quotes
- “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”- Elbert Hubbard
- “There isn’t a single one of us who has overcome the human condition of self doubt” – Leo Babauta
- “Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.” – David Augsburger
- “I believe everyone in the world loves me, they just don’t know it yet” – unknown
“Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel
You are unique
In all the years that have passed
there has never been another child like you”
Pablo Cosals
Phew, that’s it for me tonight, more to come later on this week :)
Geoff & Ashley : Maternity
Geoff and Ashley hired me off my blog… They were the first couple to do this. Everyone else that I’ve shot so far, I’ve known in one capacity or another…. old school friends, work buddies etc.
But Geoff and Ashley…. I had no idea who they were! They had no idea who I was! I was so excited to hear that they wanted to book ME! For my photography work, not just because I’m an old friend. It means that they actually like my photography!! It meant a lot.. and I was incredibly nervous, but I think I held it together and Geoff and Ash thought I was at least semi-professional.
So thank you you two! Thank you for believing in me!
The couple lives in Lumby, so we decided to meet halfway, at Coldstream Cenntennial Park. ( Which was another reason I was nervous, new people.. new location..) But, I should have trusted Ashley more, when she said the park is beautiful, it was an understatement. This place is a sprawling estate, with cabins, volleyball courts, fields, and a wildlife sancuary. I came an hour early, just to check out the grounds ( and get rid of some of my butterlflies). During our shoot, we saw a racoon, multiple deer, a pheasant I could go on and on.
The park was gorgeous, and I could immediately see why Ashley and Geoff decided to get married here, and why they’d chosen to get maternity shots done at the same location.
Ashley is having a Christmas baby, she is due in the middle of Dec, and her and Geoff can’t wait. They’ve bought most of the necessity’s except for the car seat. ( Don’t forget to buy one before the big day you two, otherwise they won’t let you leave the hospital.) They’ve chosen to wait until the big day to find out if their having a boy or a girl, and haven’t even thought of baby names yet.
But I’m not too worried, I’m sure once you lay eyes on your little one, you’ll know. :)
Gotta love those fall colors!
You two are going to have beautiful children!!
Geoff and Ashley are true Canadians, they LOVE their Hockey! They even braved the millions of people and the cold to go to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics, so you know their little one is going to be a die hard too! :)
And to finish it off, here’s a little of that wildlife I was telling you about!
Mark and Kelsey: Trash the Dress
Kelsey and Mark celebrated their love for each other on Sep 4. If you want to check out their wedding, you can click here.
The couple decided to Trash the Dress. Which I was ecstatic about. It’s the first real trash the dress shoot that I’ve done, and yet again (as always) the wonderful Jen Sander allowed me to follow along. I’ve learned so much from that woman, and she definitely took me under her wing this wedding season. So thank you Jen!
Either way, back to the couple! hehe
Kelsey decided that they wanted to go to the beach. The sun was dying down, but we made the most of the last few rays of sunlight and got some wicked shots! The couple were such good sports, the water definitely wasn’t the warmest. I think Mark was a little shocked when he took his first few steps into the water. But, they made the best of it, and we had a great time.
Kelsey and Mark, Thank you, seriously! Thank you! You two made this year for me. My first year of photography was filled with nothing but highs, and being able to end it with a kickass “Trash the Dress” shoot, with an amazing couple, made it that much better!
I wish the two of you nothing but best.
This one below is my favorite! : )
