Retouching Academy

http://retouchingacademy.com


This website is a networking and marketing site designed to help with the technical aspects of retouching and the business side of the industry. They are run by a selection of the top working professionals who offer advice and feedback into works and share articles published online from the industry (this is done by their Facebook page).

Also available on the website are workshops, add ons for photoshop that make retouching easier as these include presets and e-books featuring tutorials. Although these are mainly catering to portraiture there is also a food workshop.

Under the open education section there are many different articles available for non members to access, these include tutorials and business advice also inspirational topics such as photoshop fails and interviews with artists.

Career advice from natalia tafarel

https://fstoppers.com/post-production/news-career-advice-professional-retoucher-5997


This is an article by Natalia Tafarel giving advice to newcomers about how to become successful in the industry, she says that we need to passionate about what we do and that instead of blaming others for our problems we must accept that it is our problem and we must make the changes needed.

She also points out that many retouchers get themselves stuck in a circle of doing low quality work because they aren't getting paid very much so they don't want to go above and beyond because they don't feel as though it is worth it. However this has an effect on your portfolio because then only low quality work gets produced and seen, this leads people to believe that you can only produce low quality work and only those with a low budget will hire you as those with a higher budget will look for another will higher quality work. She also says that working for free is not a bad thing, it helps network you to modelling agencies who need work doing and gives you a stronger portfolio.

Another helpful tip is to learn anatomy as some retouchers do not understand this and make bodies look unnatural or moving in an impossible way and these are mistakes that get fully noticed and your reputation will decrease.

Running a Business (Marketing)

I must research my potential clients so that I can offer what they are wanting.

I will need to create an identity so that my presence becomes more established and easily recognised and people can instantly associate me with the work.

Create an action plan and look through the toolkits available online because these will help

Paul Herman is a member of Red Eye and the advice he offers is to "be different" "have a good work ethic" and "build and keep strong relationships" these relationships include people within the industry and clients, sending christmas cards is a gentle friendly reminder to people to check out your latest work. Also important is being committed to the work and knowing about the whole of the photographic industry not just the specific genre/s that you are interested in.

7 important 'P's

- Product
- Price
-Place
-Promotion
- Process
- Psychical Evidence
- People

Researching the market

I should :

-Look for opportunities constantly
- See where my clients are based
- analyse what I find and see if i need to make changes
- understand my place in the market


Creating an Identity

I should ;

- website should reflect me, domain names are important
- become a brand
- be consistent
- be person behind the brand


Toolkit / Action Plan

online presence is required
optimise my SEO
update my portfolio regularly
Networking is better when done in person
Send printed mail (flyers, postcards)
Business cards
Get listed (AOP, Yellow pages)
Direct Mail, a specific targeted audience
Blog and keep up to date
Be social, on social media sites
Trade shows are excellent opportunities
Exhibit when can, go view often
Advertise
Create a book, better than screen prints
Enter competitions
Get press attention
Network
Talk to people, potential clients, industry workers
Send gifts, such as christmas cards
SHOOT!


It is also a good idea to sign up to some websites as using these in my brand identity helps represent me as an established photographer and at a higher quality.
- Royal Photographic Society (RPS)
- British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP)
- Society of Weddings / Portraits (SWPP)
- Master Photographers Association
- British Press
- Bureau of Freelance Photographers
- National Union of Journalists
- Redeye
- NE photographers network

ShutterHub

Shutterhub is a website set up for photographers to :

- Curate Exhibitions
- Sharing Opportunities such as jobs, competitions and exhibitions
- Hold meet ups for networking, portfolio reviews, workshops and events
- Portfolio building opportunities
- Special offers


The visitor Karen Harvey also gave us some advice :

"Measure success by Happiness"

start now! for looking at jobs and after graduation opportunities
Take up volunteering work for works experience
Try starting out by assisting
Give your clients 'something extra' others won't


Joining the website also gives me a valuable marketing tool as the website helps with building portfolios and when I am googled it will create a hit on my name.

Dove

http://digiday.com/brands/dove-tricks-photo-retouchers/


Dove's marketing campaign is about real women's real beauty and this publicity stunt highlights just this; they have created an action in Photoshop with is named and advertised that it applies a "skin glow" to images, saving retouchers the time of doing it themselves.

However the action was designed to be a trojan horse and undid all the modifications that had been applied and instead applied Dove's logo and the text:

"Don’t manipulate our perceptions of real beauty.” 

The work can be reapplied with the click of the undo button however the purpose of this was to make the retouchers and art directors opinions of beauty change and get them to reconsider sending out the retouching.

Running a Business (Pricing and Costing)

This week in lecture we looked at how we should work out pricing our photographs and the costing of things that we need to factor into this price.

We were told that once we worked out the costing that the service would be that we should sell our service for higher than this cost and then anything over the initial cost would cover unexpected issues and the remaining would become our profit.

We would need to work out the value that we think our service is worth this is done by combining our photography research with our quality of work and our distinctiveness and also our level of experience. Other factors include my geographical location and the price that other photographers are offering for the same service.

I do not have to be the cheapest photographer on the market however I must make my service good value for money.

Costs to factor into the price:

Travelling
Hours shooting
Hours in post production
Getting prints
Insurance
Equipment
Software
Assistants
Office / Studio space
Promotional outputs
Daily Life
Computer hire
Props
Stylists
Models

Overheads = general to all jobs
Direct = dependant on the specific job

How much do I want to earn?
How many days do I want to work?

Overheads + Desired profit
Divided by                                 = Day Rate
Number of days working

Losing Money?
- Change clients
- Present work differently
- Second Job
- Cut out unessentials



Some helpful tools from online:

a-n     The Artists Fees Toolkit
NUJ   Freelance Fees Guide



How to Price a Print

Cost to produce x4 = base sale
But keep in mind the client

Editioning Prints
- rarity = worth more as it is collectible
galleries tend to ask for editioned prints

Running a business (Copyright)

Using Photographs in my blog


Copyright information from gov.uk :

"Researchers and students were previously allowed to copy limited extracts of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works for non-commercial research and private study. They are now able to copy a limited amount of a sound recording, film or broadcast."  Here (gov.uk)

1. “Artistic works” are defined by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as including a graphic work, photograph, sculpture or collage, with "graphic work" further defined to include paintings, drawings, diagrams, maps, charts, plans, engravings, etchings, lithographs, woodcuts or similar." Here (DeMontfort University Library)

I will also need to give acknowledgements to authors or artists, and state the name or description of the work. 

Similarly I could also password protect my blog so that only my tutors have access, this would mean my blog is an educational and private research blog, however I do not want to do this because I want my work getting viewed, no point being a photographer if nobody knows I am one. From my understanding of the term my blog is a "non-commercial research or private study" blog (but I am going to need some more classification on this) so the first quote will apply to my work, which I think gives me allowance to use photographs in my blog.



Taking Photographs

Copyright automatically belongs to me, it is automatically in place, this applies to both commercial and personal works.
It lasts for 70 years after my death
Can copyright photographs and work done however cannot copyright an idea


Exemptions

My employer will own my commercial photographs
critics and other reviewers can use the images
private study and research blogs can use images



I can License out my images which is the equivalent to 'renting' my photographs out (see previous post on 'License to Use' or below)
I can also Assign copyright which is 'giving away' the copyright.
False Attribution is when another persons work gets published under my name.
Privacy right is my right to stop the publication of my work.


Licensing

Exclusive
- one licensed client can use at a time
- I need permission for my portfolio use
- client can sue for infringement

Non Exclusive
- Any clients can use
- free to use in my portfolio
- clients can sue for infringement with written permission from photographer


Design and Artists Copyright Society
- this is a company who will work legally to get the copyright back to you

Running a Business (Contracts and Forms)

Self Employed vs Employed

Self

• decide on the course of the business
• decide own hours
• more than one client
• invoice: receive a fee for it
• no contract of employment
• no holiday or sick pay
• unsatisfactory work is my own fault
• must provide own equipment

Employed

• responsibility falls on the manager if unsatisfactory
• regular hours
• one company
• steady income plus overtime payments
• holiday and sick pay
• contract of employment

On the AOP website are many forms available to download, these include terms and conditions, model release forms for both adult and children and location permission forms.

Common Forms:

License to Use (contract of permission given to use images)

Media Use - Where they can use them

Territory - Where in the world they can use them

Period of Use - How long for

Exclusivity - How long until I can sell the photographs to others

Right to a credit - My names gets published with the photographs

Terms and Conditions 

Definitions - of photographs and clients

Copyright - remains mine, always

Exclusivity - sole theirs for a limited amount of time

Client Confidentiality - information about them wont be published

Indemnity - my insurance part (goes wrong, I'll pay)

Payment - I can sue if the client doesnt pay

Expenses

Rejection - no right to reject on style 

Liability - your business fails, it's not my fault

Model Release

(If working on a commercial shoot these forms are requirements)

Where the images are going

Fees

How long the images will be used for

Property Release

For locations

Insurance

For myself / Photography Gear / Assistants / Theft

Anon Retouch

http://www.anonymousretouch.com


Another retouching studio that offers service for beauty and fashion photographs. I think the name also has good connotations because clients and companies do not want to admit to their photographs being retouched and 'anonymous' has connotations that it would be kept hidden.

The studio produces works that are very minimalistic, clean and crisp. The entire focus becomes about the subject as they have successfully removed all distractions.

One thing I have noticed with studio websites is that they all include a list of past clients, this raises there status and connotes that they are an excellent studio as they have worked for such established clients.

Being a Success

We looked at the WPO's photographic conversations on student photography and I took away some great advice and motivation. Here are the important parts of the presentation that I found helpful:

Why am I doing what I am doing?
How does this reflect the world?
Change subjects to show a new or unseen viewpoint
I need to care about my subjects
Research into the people I am photographing and showing work too, how would they expect it?
How will it be presented? does this compliment or contrast with the subject?
Do I know why I am networking and marketing?
Use each and every tool available to me
Photography is not always behind a camera
Break down the walls I build around myself
I will develop my own personal style



How to be a Success

There are many articles, videos and books available trying to uncover the secrets of being successful, however I feel these are useless as success must come from within and no matter how much you read about being successful it is redundant unless it is put into practice. But here are some tips from the presentation we given in this weeks lecture:

Move past fear
Failure is part of it
Find a drive
What you put in, you get back out
Be nice to people
Network is key
No debts, try keep on top of everything
Market yourself
JUST DO IT
Theres no age limit
Do I deserve it ?
RELAX!
Whats your personal style?

Creative Live

https://www.creativelive.com/catalog/all?qd=retouching&sort=1&upcoming=0

This website holds a range of classes available for retouching in a variety of subjects:

All classes are available to purchase for a range of prices depending on the subject and the amount of content included. Although I have not yet purchased any classes I am going to look into the different classes and see which will offer me the most personal benefit as their are courses designed specifically for retouching (see below)


Aaron Nace

food retouching
step-by-step workflow to speed up the process


Lindsay Adler

portraits
creative techniques
advanced techniques
beauty shots
skin


Julia Kuzmenko McKim

commercial beauty
basic portrait techniques

Pratik Naik (retoucher)

https://www.creativelive.com/courses/art-business-high-end-retouching-pratik-naik



This link is a website which hosts online classes available to purchase, this class that is linked is a step by step of a photography shoot he is working on and shows us how his high end images are created and retouched. He also talks about the business side which is important to know so that profit can be made effectively and insurance is in place incase of unexpected problems arising. In the class he has uploaded a range of documents which include; his photoshop files, his actions that he uses within photoshop and discount codes.

He is the owner of Solstice Retouch which is a studio offering services for all genres of photography and he also offers seminars and workshops through his website. He aims to make the photographs appear natural yet perfect, which is what photographs for commercial purposes should be.

Becky Van Ommen

http://www.beckyvanommen.com/about/

She is a photographer and retoucher who works commercially to create works for commercial, conceptual, fashion and beauty images, she has worked with very established clients. Her website shows only the final versions of her works and the originals and the process are not visible, I personally would like to see the process that she takes to create her photographs as I feel I could leaner from it and gain more of an insight and appreciation for the work she has done.

Joel Pares - Retouching

http://www.joelpares.com/retouching/

A photographer and retoucher in one he combines his retouching skills to enhance and create his projects. I think that retouching is a great skill to learn for photographers because it means that the expense of paying for a retoucher to fox overlooked mistakes does not need to happen and any retouching done on personal work remains personal as the photographer knows the exact vision that they have for the final outcome.

His website also shows the step by step process he has taken for some of his photographs, and although I feel that some of the work did not need the extreme retouching that it has received it also makes me think that I can not trust any photograph that I see because the photographs could be digitally created like his are.

NAPP and Photoshop User

http://kelbyone.com/magazine/

Photoshop User

This is a monthly magazine which includes many tutorials and articles, signing up for a membership gives the member access to 10 magazine issues a year.

The October issue features 100 tips for using Photoshop and other tips and tricks, it also has some halloween themed tutorials to help with upcoming seasonal holiday. There is also some reviews on books written about photoshop.

http://members.photoshopuser.com/

NAPP

The NAPP stands for National Association of Photoshop Professionals, this website hosts many different tutorials and online classes, it also offers a range of discounts on Apple photo imaging products to photography book making to website hosting sites. This website is also associated with Kelby One as the NAPP website links through to the Kelby One.

Retoucher

Retouching is the post production work that happens to photographs and videos after being shot. There are many studios available that offer retouching services these include Happy Finish, Pro Image Experts and Studio Invisible.

Happy Finish

Offers services in both photographic and video retouching. Undertakes work for a multitude of photographic genres across a wide variety of countries. Worked with very well established companies to produce adverts for cars, fashion and product. So their retouchers are all well versed with many skills needed for each genre.


Pro Image Experts

Another worldwide company they also provide service for a wide range of genres within photography, they also offer services for individual technical problems that may photographer may have had. They also offer video editing services.

Studio Invisible

This studio offers services to a few couple specific genres; fashion and advertising. This means that their retouchers will have set skills that have been learned specifically for those genres and will be more able to find and fix problems because of their experience working within the same genre means they can spot mistakes that would be typical in these genres. The studio is a London based company which puts the emphasis of the company on the client not just the services they offer.

The Photographic Industry (Career Paths)

We had another quick view at some more competitions today in lecture

AOP and Nat Geo are both well established competitions and they have a "pay per single entry" fee however I do not think I will be entering these because of the reputation and standing of these is quite off putting as I do not feel my work is up to the same standard as featured works. 

We were introduced to the terms and conditions of some competition; reading these is important as it states who is eligible to enter and the requirements for the photographs that get entered. Different contests require different file sizes and if this is not explicitly followed then it will lead to your photographs being disqualified. Some websites even have specific requirements for naming files that are entered.

We were also shown a presentation about different careers in the photographic industry that were not photographing specific. These include:

Curator (gathers / organises work for exhibits)

Editor (selects the 'best' photographs to show)

Researcher (archives works, writes photographic theorys / academic books)

Teacher

Retoucher (post production work)

Arts Organiser (organises events, council members)

Critic (reviews others works/exhibition)

Assistant (helps for novice photographers/builds portfolio)

Printer

Sales (selling works/frames/photography gear)

Royal Photographic Society

2015 Members Biennial

http://www.rps-biennial.org/

touring exhibition of 100 entries
free submission to members
16th of August - 20th of October
submit uptoo 4 images


Monthly Competition

http://www.rps.org/exhibitions-and-competitions/competitions/monthly-competition

five images can be uploaded each month
has to relate to the given theme
other members "pick" their favourites
staff members also "pick" two
receive print of the work by Metro print
featured in the journal

Lens Culture

https://www.lensculture.com/visual-storytelling-awards-2014



Deadline :

19th October 2014

Brief :

" Show us your story "

Perks :

the five winners recieve cash prize and to work with Edition One on publishing their work
online promo
catalog sent to "Lens Culture insiders"

Past Winners

their success stories are on the website



 Copyright :

Sony World Photography

http://worldphoto.org/about-the-sony-world-photography-awards/

Different competitions :

open, youth, professional, student focus


Deadline :

Student -6th December 2014
youth - 5th January 2015

Prizes:

Travelling Exhibition :

Competition held:
yearly

Student Focus Competition brief:

Youth Category :

these are the three sub categories for the youth comp

Aperture

http://www.aperture.org/portfolio-prize/



Deadline :

Tuesday December 2nd 2014


Past Winners :

Winner and runner ups work all available to view, also says some details about how what has happened to them after the comp

What happens after the comp :

magazines, travelling exhibition,

Exhibitr

Criteria :

full or part time education
over 16

Brief :

"an eye for a shot"

Deadline :

8th January 2015

Prizes / Perks :

Canon 70D for the winner
IXUS 155 for 3 runner ups
Premium account with Exhibitr for 30 runner ups

Competitions and Awards Introduction

Things to look at beforehand :

check guidelines for eligibility
who is hosting the competition ?
 - look for high profile ones
who will be seeing the comp/work ?
 - networking, collaborations, online viewing, exhibits, published in magazines
what will i win?
is there a theme?
what fees is there ?
do i get to keep the rights to the photograph ?
 - copyright
look at the feedback from previous years winners
what happens after the comp finishes
 - events, website, perks from entering, Cv line
deadlines



Competitions I should look at :

Aperture
Daylight Photo
Lens Culture
Sony World Photography
World Press Photo

Using Blogs / Research Skills

Today in lecture we looked at examples of how present their work online through a range of different media's such blogger, website servers and Tumblr. I think I am going to stay on blogger as then all my work across all the subjects can remain together and organised and I won't forget to update regularly.


As we are studying a visual degree blogs are expected to be a visual archive of our progress and developments and blogs are a multi functional tool able to effortlessy combine images and texts.

Some of the websites were laid out so the viewer had to scroll left to right to view more images; I did not like this layout as though we read from left to right on a computer screen it is typical to scroll up and down and this layout is expected and when viewing this site the rest of the images were almost missed because it was not clear how to navigate the website.

Professional Studies Module Introduction

Module Introduction

Over the course of this module I will be looking into an aspect of the photographic industry that interests me and I would like to continue looking into possibly for the future prospects after I leave Uni. I will also be looking into the competitions that are running over the year and what benefits I can get from entering them and getting the exposure though them.

I think it is a good stage for me to be entering the competitions because it will help improve my confidence and give me networking opportunities through the exposure I will be getting if I can get high up in the competition.

Also at this stage I will be creating a skills based CV based on my photographic skills, this is also good for me because I was not taught anything about these in school or college and the internet is not a very good source at all.

The brief we have been given also states that we need to create a digital archive of our work, for this I think I am going to create a new page for my blog and showcase my works off in separate posts as then I can keep my blogs updated and together in one place. I may also look into creating a website that I can keep updated (I had started one in college yet I never finished uploading and editing) plus I also keep a Facebook page running with more of my works on their (CBurns Photography).


Cornelia Parker

In this introduction lesson we also watched What Do Artists Do All Day? featuring Cornelia Parker a installation sculpture artist.

She has a very positive working attitude and she plans ahead for the future so her time is planned and not being wasted.

Advertising Photography: A Straightforward guide to a complex industry

Advertising Photography : A straightforward guide to a complex history

Lou Lesko with Bobbi Lane

(2008)
Thompson Course Technology PTR
USA

Getting Started

" There are three absolutes to always remember as you break into this industry:

• Where you are now is no different than the place every other successful photographer was when he or she started out.
• There is more advice about becoming successful than there is water in the ocean. It's okay to disregard most of it, especially if it conflicts with your instincts.
• Noone will hire you unless they know you exsist. " (page one)

Where to work until you're really working

Working as a Photographer

model testing
event photography
wedding photographer
head shots

Working in a Rental House

This helps you learn about what gear is out there and gives you access to possibly use them for a shoot and to build up your portfolio. Furthermore you will be connected in future for any rentals you may need later.

Working in a Lab

Knowing the post production process work is a marketable skill to have as many photographers send off for their work to be produced for them.

Assisting

" The more complicated a shoot your assisting with, the more you're going to learn about running your own business. " (page 6)

Getting Noticed

"I learned that if you're a good person who works hard and has some talent, you're going to get booked; if your a jerk and exceptionally talented, you'll probably still get booked, but people will talk about you; and if your nice and exceptionally talented, you'll get invited to the agency Christmas parties. "

I'm No Picasso, But Do You Like It?

Art buyers and art directors receive many promos a day, many images don't make the cut and are thrown aside yet the one that make it go to a file waiting for when they are needed.

"So what makes a really great promo? The universal response is: great work." (page 9)

There is no specific design that is the best and the key to getting work, but try to create some familiarity in the promos that you send.

Promos can use a single image or a set, multiple images are a great way of showing that you can work in a full advert shoot and that you can be consistent.

I Am a Very Fabulous Photographer

Avoid using magazine covers on your promos, sometimes the director will not like the layout of the magazine this creates negative connotations surrounding your photograph.

In the industry no one will be impressed that you have done advertising before, they expect that so keep the promo about yourself.

That Sure Is a Nice Sized ...

Be careful when sizing the work because if your image is good enough then it is going to end up in a file folder.

Don't make the work too big as people can't store it or show it to anybody very easily, but don't make the work too small as prints tend to get lost or misplaced.

Emailing promos is ok however many directors have a busy schedule and prefer to look through prints than sitting on a computer opening emails, however emailing and sending prints can be a good thing because if your print is noticed then the director may want to look through your website. Many prefer prints as well because emails often gets deleted when the inbox is full and if the director leaves the company the online work will be left behind but the prints will be taken.

Remember Me?

" Art directors love to meet up-and-coming talent. If a low-budget, low-maintenance assignment comes across their desk, theres a strong possibility you'll get the job. " (page 10)

however when you are assisting mind your manners and send promos later on in your own time with a note reminding the director where you met.

Start Me Up

Having a website or some form of online portfolio is just as important as a printed portfolio.

Keep the design simple and easy to navigate. Many directors and buyers are looking through 100's of websites and do not have time to wait for the page to load and will often close the site without looking.

Apple iWeb
Realmac Software's RapidWeaver

Get somebody to test your website and see if they can navigate it easily.

" Don't forget the primary purpose of your Web presence is to get your work infront of the eyes of those who can pay you money. The site should be a major showplace for your work and only a minor extension of your personality. " (p.p. 11-12)

LiveBooks

Chapter Three

The Structure of a Bid

Usage Licenses

" It is absolutely critical to associate each image that you release to anyone for whatever reason with a usage license. This is a paragraph that defines, exactly, the allowed use of the image or images. Controlling the rights of your work is at the heart of maintaining the longevity of your business. " (page 48)

The book continues on to describe many forms and documents such as location permits, insurance, bidding and estimates, terms and conditions and model release forms.

It also explains different professions that photographers will network with and the process of being hired.

Areas of Photography

So we looked at some photography websites such as The AOP and Photography Now which are great websites for finding photographers and assistants and ones I may use for inspirational research in my photography.

I looked into different genres of photography that I enjoy and could possibly write my report on.

• Forensic Photography
• Advertising Photography
• Studio/Family Portraits

REPORT

Title Page

What is advertising photography?

Cara Burns
Introductory Professional Studies
Level Four Photography


Acknowledgements

With thanks to the photographers who took the time to reply to my emails, the library staff who have helped me find books relating to my subject and my tutor.


Contents



Summary



Introduction




Method




Results



Discussion



Conclusion



References



Appendices

Impact - Photography for Advertising

William A. Reedy
Eastman Kodak Company
(1973)

In this book there is advice for taking photographs and how they would be used to advertise, it also explains about lighting and colour techniques.

This book covers many helpful topics for advertising photographers however for my report I am covering topics that relate to the business side of the profession rather than photographing.

The Photography Trade show

On Monday I visited the The Photography Trade Show 2014 in Birmingham, it was a very beneficial day as it showed me just a small percentage of the photographers who are in the industry, gave me links to companies who sell equipment and camera's and information about new equipment and the latest trends in photography.

I collected many useful leaflets and handouts from the stalls that were there, I have kept them so that I can look back through them when I am wanting to buy equipment. The leaflets are about backgrounds, lens attachments, cameras, studio equipment.

I am looking forward to visiting this trade show again next year as I will know what to expect and will be able to create contacts using business cards and I will have more specific ideas about what leaflets and handouts I need rather than collecting all of them.

Contacting Advertising Photographers

Draft Email

Dear

My name is Cara Burns, I am studying a photography degree at Cleveland College of Art and Design and I am writing a report about advertising photography for my university studies and I was wondering if you could help me by taking some time to help me with my inquiries.

How did you become an advertising photographer?
How long have you worked in advertising?
What qualifications are required?
What skills would you say are required for the job?
What has been the most interesting client to work for?
How competitive is the industry?
What equipment do you use?
Do you have any advice for newcomers?

Thank you for taking the time to read my email, I am looking forward to hearing back from you.

Yours Sincerely,
Cara Burns
caraburns.photographer@gmail.com

Report Ideas

Should photographers upgrade their equipment whenever an update is available?

What does being an advertising photographer mean ?

Becoming a Forensic Photographer?

Studio Portraits?




how to become a certain genre photographer
what does it mean
what skills required
forms and documents that need to be understood
equipment used commonly

Pecha Kucha

http://www.pechakucha.org/

A Pecha Kucha is a presentation which uses 20 slides which show for 20 seconds while somebody talks over the top. The aim is to keep them simple and easy to follow because this will keep the audience interested.

Pecha Kucha started in Japan but has since spread world wide and many cities organise nights where a certain amount of speakers are invited to present their own Pecha Kucha.

For the Narrative Project we were introduced to this because in our brief it says that we must present our work. We are not limited to this way only though.

Print Labs

Digitalab

As I am sending my prints larger than A3 I will need to send them as tiff files with a 305 dpi. There are not many options with the choice of paper either glossy or matt, and then either with a border or without, personally I would prefer more options to be available as there are many more paper types to choose from.

Print Space

I find this website is more user friendly as the options are easily seen across the top of the site plus the print and the delivery price is easily available before ordering anything.

Print Space price calculator (one print)

Delivery pricing

As my payment method would not be accepted on this website I ordered my prints through a friend while she was ordering hers, this meant that she was ordering 6 prints at once which gave us a discounted price (which comes in handy when surviving on a student budget.)

After looking at different professional printing labs websites such as Print Space and Digitalab I have decided to go with Print Space as they give me a price straight away before ordering and their delivery time is quicker than other sites.

In lesson we also got shown a sample pack of all the different types of paper available from Print Space, this helped influence my decision to use this site because I had already seen the quality was good.

Competitions overlook

Why should we enter competitions?

• Networking
• Experience
• Occasionally receive feedback on work
• Receive funding for future projects
• Invited along to events
• Marketing
• Able to have "award winning photographer" with your name

bestshots.co.uk

A high profile competition that had ten categories and ten winners in each who won £1000 each.


Categories:

• Landscape
• Portraiture
• Still Life
• Food and Drink
• Sport
• Photo Art
• Travel
• Animal Life
• Phone Photos
• Young Snappers

National Portrait Gallery

Taylor Wessing Photographic sponsors this event.

The winners get their work exhibited in the NPG and they also receive a cash prize.

I have signed up for the newsletter emails so that I can enter next year as I had missed the deadline.

Fugi Film Student Award

The Deadline for this is the 31st of March, there is an open brief so any strong image can be entered.

In previous years the brief has been to create a cover for a book, this means understanding the book and understanding photography enough to be able to compose the image so it has negative space for the title and authors name.

The only rule is that the images must be taken using fugi film.

" In addition to being named Fujifilm Student Photographer of the Year 2014 the winner will also be presented with £200 worth of film from Fujifilm, a professionally produced folio of prints and a one-to-one printing/consultancy session with one of Metroprint's top printers. The winner will also be able to select books with a value of £100 from our co-sponsor, Focal Press. " (taken from http://www.fujifilmstudentawards.co.uk/ )

Urban Photographer of the Year

This competition fits with the street photography project and the landscape project that I have done / am doing.

The deadline for this competition is 8th of August.

There is a student section

www.cbeupoty.com

There are specific measurements for submitting work and all work must be submitted online.

National Geographic

Although this is not a competition as it was mentioned in the lesson I thought I would include it as it provides a great addition to anybody's CV.

Networking Links and Useful Organisations

In this lesson we were given a useful handout about networking and websites that will be helpful for finding photographers and I can use the publications listed to keep up too date with trends and latest developments in the photography industry.

The handout includes festivals, publications, gallery websites and photographic agencies.

Many of these websites are very useful and I have signed up to follow newsletters for many of them.

Communication and Networking

What is Communication?

Communication is to share information with another person/s.

What types of communication are there?

Tone, Words, Body


I was described an image from a screen I couldn't see and I had to draw what I thought was being described, this is what happened:

Active/Passive Listening

Passive listening is to listen but not react or show any signs that what the speaker is saying has been understood or even heard.

Active listening is showing the speaker with non-verbal communication that what is being said has been heard and understood.

Barriers in Communication

• Perceptual
• Emotional
• Fear
• Mistrust
• Language
• Jargon
• Physical
• Culture

Networking

Networking is an important part of running any business, the manager (photographer) will need to network with potential clients, assistants, models, photography companies such as equipment rentals or event producers.

A Range of Photographers

This week we were shown a range of different photographers websites and it made me start thinking about setting up my own website so I can advertise and network more.

Some of these websites are from past students of the university I am currently studying at:

Richy Leeson

Fashion Photography

Christopher Allen

Landscapes and Nature Photography

Boo George

Editorial, Portraiture and Advertising Photography

Jason Hynes

Fine Art Photography

Bob Mitchell

Documentary Photography

Lucinda Grange

Travel and Adventure Photography



I was also shown websites that I can use in the future such as:

Graduate Photography Online

This is for graduates to upload a maximum of five images to help them network and advertise.

AOP Awards

There are two different categories in this award, one for professionals and the second category where professionals and amateurs can compete together.

British Journal of Photography

This website shows thirty new and upcoming photographers that have been nominated and selected to be featured in the magazine.

Whats in my Kit ?

Today in lesson we were shown what our tutor has in her camera bag and what she uses when working, we also discussed other equipment that could be used and taken with us

• Tripod
• Various Lenses
• Flash Gun
• Prism Lens (for film cameras)
• Digital Camera (that shoots RAW files)
• Light Meter
• Reflector
• Lights
• Ring Flash

Other useful items to carry are:

• Masking Tape
• Bulldog Clips
• Coloured cloths
• Hairpins
• Card
• Spare batteries and a charger
• Hand Grip
• Hot Shoe
• Coloured Gels
• Wireless Sync
• Lens Cleaner

After this lesson I am going to look online at some of the equipment and see about buying some to experiment techniques with.

The Photo-Imagery Industry `

I have been given a quick tour through some websites that will be very useful for researching.

www.skillset.org

This site contains information about working in different genres of photography and information on training and jobs.

www.worldphoto.org

The World Photography Organisation is a news website as well as a magazine, it follows the Sony World Photography Award competition, interviews with different photographers and has a collection of the winning images from various competitions.

www.iamcreative.org.uk

On this website is the opportunity to upload your own images to live briefs that have been sent in by companies.

www.redeye.org.uk

This website helps photographers network, provides information about events, photography exhibits and will soon provide advice and information.

The Photo-Imagery Industry - Forensic Photography

On the creative skillset website I looked into different photography genres and the information the website offered.

The Photo-Imagery Industry - Fashion Photographer

On the creative skillset website I looked into different photography genres and the information the website offered.

What is a fashion photographer?

Fashion photographer can mean a range of different things such as Magazine Fashion, High Fashion or Catalogue Photography. These photographers work in teams with people including but not limited too; art director, model, stylists, makeup artists, retouchers.
A basic knowledge in Fashion would be a great help and for Magazine photographer the latest trends and fashions would need to be followed so that the photographs will be current and fresh.

What does the job mean?

Working as a Fashion Photographer means the photographer needs to have a great interest in fashion, the history, and be interested in both fashion and art photography.

Many contacts will be needed such as location finders, stylists, makeup artists, retouchers and many magazine editors. These contacts will need to have a good working relationship built up and maintained.

Photographs will need to be constantly being taken with the style of the photographs being updated so that the magazine looks fresh rather than outdated.

The photographer needs to not only capture the clothing but understand the clients image, taking into account locations, seasons, props, the style of clothing, and the target audience.


Essential skills needed

• Time Management
• Organisation skills
• Networking (Contact Building)
• Interest in Fashion
• Range of Technical Skills
• Creative eye (able to refresh style weekly)
• Reliability
• Communication Skills
• Quick and Hard working

The Photo-Imagery Industry - Advertising Photographer

On the creative skillset website I looked into different photography genres and the information the website offered.