PixelatedImage Blog

It’s a light blogging day here, sorry. I’ve got shoots and meetings all day

One of today’s shoots is another for redcollar.ca - I’ll post a couple tomorrow.

Over at Lightroom Killer Tips, Matt has posted a video on backing up Lightroom - worth a watch. Link HERE

While on the subject of Lightroom, it seems that’s one of the hiccups if you’re a Mac user wanting to adopt OSX Leopard early. The Lightroom Print module doesn’t seem to work. More info on the new release and its compatibility with Adobe products and others can be found at Terry White’s Tech Blog. Link HERE

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I’m pleased to finally be able to let you all know where my next assignments are. A number of you have been waiting with baited breath for me to have details; now I do.

World Vision - El Salvador - Nov 25-30
World Vision - Malawi - Nov 30 - December 8
World Vision - Uganda - December 8-15

Portfolio Assignment - Tunisia - January 7-22

There’s talk of an assignment in Asia as well, but no details yet.

Just over a week ago I wrote a post about my hunt for the perfect carry-on bag. A number of you chimed in on the topic and it pushed me to do a little more looking and thinking.

In the end I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m on the right track. Given the needs of frequent travellers who use a variety of airlines, reputable and otherwise, to fly to destinations from Toronto to Timbuktu, I am certain that it’s time to abandon traditional camera bags as carry-on luggage. Their weight, inflexibilty, and configurations just don’t make sense. To hike with, to work out of, yes. But to fly with, no.

One of the features I overlooked in my initial search was backpack straps, which for me are a necessity. I have back problems and need to carry my load without killing myself. I can’t believe I was willing to overlook that.

My search lead me to a few bags -

1. MEI Voyager - link HERE -

Specs: 22×14x9, 3.5lbs, $139.00

This seems like a great bag. A little no-frills. And pushing the limits of the conventional carry-on size. I wanted a bag that was a little smaller than one a little bigger, if only for the peace of mind that it does indeed conform (and LOOKS like it conforms) to the “standard” size (which is not at all standard, hence the problem) It also looks like it’s a little hard to get hastily - the website makes it pretty clear that you might be waiting a while. *From the looks of things the backpack straps on the Voyageur are the best of the lot. If you plan to do more backpacking than just walking through airports, etc - this might be the one to get. Very robust.

2. Patagonia MLC - link HERE

Specs: 22×13x9.5, 3 lbs, 4 ounces, $148.00

Same as above. Looked ok, if not a little mass-produced. But I wanted a slightly smaller bag, couldn’t find one of these to look at, and wasn’t sure how good the backpack straps were. But it looks nice, and I’m generally a fan of Patagonia.

3. Rick Steves’ Convertible Carry-On - link HERE

Specs:
21×9x14, weighs “less than 3lbs.” - $99.95 (Amazon.com had it for $89)

This is about the same size as the others, though getting closer to the size I want. But at under 3lbs, I’m a little worried about the quality. I’m sure it would be great for a weekend trip to Paris. But not three weeks of rougher travel through Africa. The price is right too, but I believe you get what you pay for and worry when something is dramatically cheaper than similar products.

4. Red Oxx Air Boss - link HERE
Specs: 21×13x8, 4lbs, $225.00.

This is the one I thought I wanted. The reviews for this bag, and all Red Oxx products, are consistently top-shelf. In short, this is the bomb-proof quality I want. But the lack of backpack straps eventually disqualified it and pushed me to it’s cousin, the Sky Train.

5. Red Oxx Sky Train - link HERE
Specs: 20×13x9, 4lbs, $255.00

This one is the winner (though I got mine in black - the yellow’s a little harsh for me.) I’ll review it when it arrives and I’ve travelled with it. Probably when I go to El Salvador for my next assignment next month. In the end the slightly smaller size appealled to me. It won’t be light when I pack it full, but I want it to look as small as possible. The quality is right and while it’s the most expensive of the lot, it’s still cheaper than the ThinkTankPhoto Airport Addicted.

6. Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted - link HERE
Specs: 22×14x9, 8lbs, $389.00.

This is the one I am retiring from travelling and will use as a location bag for work here in Vancouver. For those of you who just don’t buy into my philosophy (the one that holds as its basic tenet that heavily padded bags suck for international travel) or those who just don’t have the same travel needs - this is an excellent bag. Brilliantly designed and very well made.

If every airline in the world said I could carry 50lbs of carry on in a 22×14x9 bag, I’d keep using this one until Jesus comes back. Its smaller cousins - the Airport Antidote, and the Airport Accelerated, are equally well designed and made, but they still don’t meet my criteria.

If it seems like I’m paranoid and trying to plan for every contingency, I am. I don’t want a repeat of my efforts in Varanasi or Kashmir trying to deal with one-bag only restrictions. My ideal is the lightest, most bomb-proof, flexible bag I can get, to pack my gear in David Honl gear wraps, add a change of clothes, and hope they don’t weight it. Because I won’t be able to get around that one, short of checking my gear.

Feel free to weigh in. Thanks to all who did, who added their two-cents worth, and pointed me to some great bags.

I’m in the middle of writing a couple articles on storytelling within a photograph, one of my favourite theoretical hobbyhorses. I’ll have them up when they’re eventually finished.

I wanted to toss this out there and ask a favour of you. I get about 500 readers a day and I don’t ask this often, but I’d like some feedback from y’all.

Discuss:

What does it mean, for you, to tell a story in a photograph?
What makes a good storytelling photograph for you?
As a photographer do you think it’s important to tell a story in an image?
How do you do that?
Do you have any questions about story and photography?

I’ve got pages of thinking on this, but I’d love to hear from you. Consider your feedback the small price you pay for me putting my heart and soul into this site. Lines are open…go!

Laura writes:

When you have a chance, it’d be great to hear how, early in your career, you became more efficent and comfortable approaching strangers and photographing them. How’d you build up the courage? What are some “never do this…” hints? Do you think there’s a difference approach for women than men, both as the photographer and the subject?

I keep reading that people find it hard to approach and photograph strangers, perhaps that difficulty and fear has faded with time for me. It’s still there to some degree, but it’s become less debilitating and more part of the thrill and excitement.

I might have an advantage, having spent 12 years as a comedian I’ve learned to take a breath, put on my armour and step out. In some ways it’s an act – I’m not a confident, extroverted photographer, I just play one on TV. That’s not to say I’m faking it or being insincere, I’m just being confident in the face of my fears. In short, just take a breath and do it.

Having said that there are ways to ensure you have more success than failure, and over time that cumulative success will give you the confidence you need. I’ve written about these issues before - particularily cultural issues, so I’ll keep this one short and refer you to other articles at the end of this post.

Giving, Not (Just) Taking
Many good people with a conscience find taking pictures of strangers very difficult. In part this may be due to the feeling that they’re taking and not giving back. So make each exchange, where possible, an act of giving FIRST. If your photography feels predatory, it probably is. But you can intentionally imbalance the scales in favour of an experience that is one of giving.

Give them your time.
Give them your name, and ask for theirs.
Give them your respect and kindness.
Give them your smile.
Give them the chance to say no.
Give them the chance to see their image.

You need to know right up front that I am an idealist, and I’m OK with that. I don’t do this stuff because it works, but because it’s right. But it also “works”. From a strictly pragmatic approach it gives you a chance to create portraits of people that are more intimate and vulnerable than if you were sneaking around corners with your big lens.

Of course there are times when you’ll want a candid photograph – but you’re usually not right in their face in those scenarios. Still, don’t hide, don’t lurk. Just shoot the images you want, but then approach your subject, show them the images, introduce yourself, and ask if you could take some portraits. Give them your business card, spend some time, shake some hands, then move along.

Making your photography an act of giving, a relational exchange, will make you and your subjects more comfortable and will result in better images.

Find more in these articles:
Indecent Exposures (Link HERE),
Photographing People and Culture (Link HERE)

After a while the advice I give to new photographers begins to sound similar. Here’s my top ten list for photographers who are just getting their feet wet.

1. Study the Masters.
There’s no quicker way to skip a couple rungs on the ladder than to seriously study the work of photographers who’ve had a lifetime of shooting. Classic photographers like Henri Cartier Bresson, Yosef Karsh, or Ansel Adams. Recent photographers like Freeman Patterson, Steve McCurry, Phil Borges, Jill Greenburg, Ami Vitale. These lists are embarassingly short and lean heavily in favour of the stuff I like; find stuff you love and study it. Why does it work? What sets it apart?

2.Histogram!!
Get an understanding of exposure. In the old days it was grappling with the nuances of Ansel Adams’ Zone System, now the digital age is on us and you’d do really well to learn everything you can about histograms and what they tell you about your exposure. Photography is about light and learning how your camera sees and captures light is crucial.

3. Big Lenses Are Not Just For Shooting Small Things.
Learn to use one lens at a time. Go out shooting with one lens, and only one lens. Learn it’s characteristics. How does it compress elements within a frame (or expand them). How do different aperture settings affect depth of field and what does that look like with this one lens? Start with a 50mm, then play with a wide angle lens, then a telephoto. If you’ve got a zoom lens, stick it on one focal length and leave it there. No cheating. Shoot for a week, or a month, with one lens.

4. Compose Yourself.
Study and understand composition. Start with the rule of thirds, by all means, but if that’s as far as you get in understanding composition you’ll be cheating yourself out of knowing WHY elements work well or don’t work well within a frame, and you’ll lose out on knowing how to control elements within the frame to tell the most compelling story you can. You must know how the eye moves through the frame and why if you hope to lead a viewers eye through the frame.

5. You are Not Your Camera.
Learn the gear so well it becomes intuitive, then forget it. The sooner you abandon the stupidity of the Canon vs. Nikon argument and the obsession with pouring over gear catalogues, the sooner you’ll rise above the masses of mediocre hobbyists and learn to make great photographs. Cameras and gear are really important, I get that. But put more time and money into actual photography, not gear-lust.

6. Shoot Everything.
And lots of everything. I believe it was Cartier-Bresson who said rightly that your first 10,000 images will be your worst. So get them out of the way. Shoot the stuff every beginner shoots. Imitate the masters. Shoot ducks. Shoot sunsets. Shoot people. Shoot crappy artsy experimental stuff. Just shoot lots and lots of frames. And be thankful you’re living in the digital age, because I spent every penny I earned from 14 year old on film and processing.

7. Get Closer.
Robert Capa said that if your photographs aren’t good enough you aren’t close enough. Get in there, get close. Use the whole frame. No painter uses just the middle spot on the canvas - they go edge to edge. Fill it.

8.Be Fully Aware of the Frame.
Now that you’re filling the frame, make sure every single element matters. Shoot intentionally. Be aware of every element within the frame and how it relates in two dimensions to the other elements. Be very conscious of the frame before you press the shutter.

9. Tell Me Something, Make Me Care.
Make me care. Bring something new to the table. Shoot bubbles for all I care. Or flowers. Or lines. But do it compellingly - show me something new - or something old in a new way. But make me care. Please.

10. Get Comfortable in the Darkroom.
There are three images that merge to become the final print; the image you envision before you raise the camera, the image you shoot, and the image you refine in the digital darkroom. Each of these should be a refinement on the previous. The more comfortable and capable you are in the digital darkroom, the more successfully you will be able to create a print that matches your original vision. Vincent Versace says Photoshop should be an emery board, not a jack hammer. Photoshop doesn’t make a crappy image great, but it can make an already good image much better in the same way that custom lab can great an exceptional print with a negtive that a one-hour place would only make a good print from. You are your own lab, so learn the craft.

Bonus

11. Shorten The Curve
The learning curve is only as steep or as long as you allow it to be. There are some phenomenal books, seminars, associations, and teachers out there. Loosen up the gear addiction and put some of your money into learning. Get a mentor, read a few of Scott Kelby’s books, join the NAPP, get a video tutorial, attend Photoshop World or a lecture by a visiting photographer. The internet is great, and there are lots of good blogs out there - but none of them are a substitute for really focussed learning from people who really know their stuff and how to teach it.

Dave Shaw asked me about finding focus. This is a bit of an ethereal topic, and frankly if we could succinctly teach people how to find their “eye” or creative vision, we could make a mint.

I have  discussed the creative process elsewhere on this blog, so I’ll leave you to read those articles on that subject. (Follow THIS LINK to the archives on Thought and Theory stuff) Instead I’m going to reduce this to absurdly simple terms.

Shoot what you love.
When I was younger that was primarily the natural world – it was a world I spent much time in and was comfortable relating to. As I’ve grown and drift away from my Freeman Patterson/Ansel Adams roots, I’ve drifted towards the human world. I care deeply about the human race and the comic/tragic elements of our daily life. I’m fascinated and heartbroken by our tendancy to self-destruct, I’m in love with the laughter and spontaneous connections with passing strangers, friends and lovers, and and I’m constantly curious about the things for which we hunger – particularily our search for meaning and a connection with God. So that’s what I most love photographing. It has become what I am best at photographing. And as I know what I love shooting and why, I now have keys to what my vision might be.

Tell the stories you care about.
Let’ go back to the notion of photography as a visual language – you know what you love telling stories about – now figure out what stories you want to tell. What great themes can you tap into – love, forgiveness, hope, despair, conflict, reconciliation, search, hunger, lust and greed, kindness and hospitality, the resiliance of the human spirit and our fragility in the face of AIDS and other catastrophies.

Of course that list would be different if you shoot wildlife, but only so much. Vision is not only about what you see – or choose to see – but also in HOW we see it, and in photography that translates then to what and how we tell those stories in this particular medium.

What stories would you spend your whole life telling if you were given the chance? What’s the story you care so much about that they could never silence you? It might be about truth and justice, as a photojournalist or reportage photographer, or it might be about beauty and harmony as a naturalist photographer. Or about love as a wedding shooter.  Whatever it is, do it with passion – that’s where vision is born. If you don’t care deeply about it, why shoot it?

I promised to answer some marketing questions based on the feedback I got from my recent Self Promotion series. Here’s the first. Todd Nordquist wrote:

My question is on identifying markets. How do you know if a particular specialty is lucrative? My specialty is nature and wildlife, but the market seems so saturated. I’d like to branch out, but don’t really know where to begin.

Let me suggest a few approaches. Remember, this is shooting from the hip kind of stuff, not an encyclopeadic reply.

TIGHTEN YOUR FOCUS – STRENGTHEN YOUR BRAND
You said your passion is nature and wildlife but you’re struggling against the saturation. Perhaps branching into another field/market is worthwhile, but maye it’s not. Generally the more we dilute ourselves, the less specialized we become, and the less our appeal to our markets. Instead of going broader why not go tighter? You might instead consider pursuing a niche within the nature and wildlife market. Why not find a tight niche in which there are few shooters and raise your prices? Better to be the absolute best in a small market, than mediocre in a large one. Better to sell 10 images at $10,000 each than to sell 100 images at $1,000 each. Less work, more money = more time to shoot what you love, spend time with family, etc.

DO YOUR RESEARCH
There is simply no substitute for doing your research. And in the age of The Google, it’ll take less time and leg work than it once did. A few hours online and you should get a pretty clear idea of who is doing what and where.

GO WHERE THEY AIN’T
In your research keep one eye open for the gaps. What is NOT being shot? Make a list of the things you love to shoot and are good at shooting. Make a companion list of the potential markets that are accessible to you. Now look for the holes. Make your own market and you set the rules.

ADOPT OR ADAPT
So you stumble across a gal in Toronto shooting pictures of little babies dressed as cowboys and riding the family pet, and you think to yourself (against all logic) – Hey, Self, this would really fly in Texas (cause, baby, if it’s gonna fly at all I’m betting Texas is the place). Why not do something similar?  You can adopt the idea and do a similar thing, or you can adapt the idea – take it a step further or a step to the right. If you’re a creative person you know it’ll just come to you in the shower. But the chances are better the more you do your research.

FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
Normally people love what they are really truly good at. And more often than not, when you combine what you love and what you’re good at, with some business acumen and some savvy marketing, you will be just fine. I don’t know much about becoming rich, my only goal is to do what I love as long and as well as I can., and to stay debt free. Life is too short to only chase the buck.

Todd, I am an unabashed idealist so you’re forgiven if you think this last one is a little pie in the sky. The caveat is you must ALSO do your marketing well, and bust your but doing the leg work. 

A NOTE ON SATURATION
One final comment – more a thought than a firm theory. People do talk in terms of market saturation, but I think if a market is saturated it’s just begging to have fresh new talent infused into it, or to have the market itself completely re-imagined. Let me re-phrase this – if you are not getting work because your market is saturated then it means your market sees you as one generic shooter in a field of generic shooters and you are not distinguishing yourself as unique in either your photography or your marketing. The only ways to work within a saturated market are to be way better than other photographers, or more visible than other photographers, or to offer more benefits than other photographers. Or all three.

Just my two cents worth, much of it based on pure opinion.

Self-Promotion for Photographers Series, 7

WORD-OF-MOUTH

We’ve all heard it said the Word-Of-Mouth advertising is the best. But have we made it an intentional part of our marketing plan - a consistent action point that we’ve built into our client-care?

The ideas in this article flow naturally from the previous article. If you’re doing your job right and living up to the hype of your own PR, then you know already know what it means to “wow” the client so much that they talk about you long after the session is over and the contract is done.

This “wow” factor needs to be a proactive, intentional effort. Even if you’re good at it now, you can always be better. The more “wow” they leave with, the more they’ll be inclined to pass on your name. But can you increase the chances of this happening? You betcha.

MAKE IT EASY
Make it easy for your clients to get the word out – give them materials, business cards, etc.  You’re already planning on sending a thank you card of some sort, right? Why not include some busines cards and ask your client to pass them out like candy?  If you give them the materials, they’re much more likely to speak highly of you and pass out your cards.

MAKE IT BENEFICIAL
Make it beneficial to them. They already have a reason to recommend you, but they might need a reminder once in a while – a little extra push to get out there and proactively promote you. If you get a referal, send them a gift certificate and a thank you card. Or movie passes, or a framed print you know will look great in their office and generate converations. Or a nice coffee table book.

You could also offer an incentive/referral plan. A referral gets existing clients $X discounted from their next shoot. Or it gets them a $50 gift certificate from Starbucks. Be creative, but be sure to go above-and-beyond. After-all how much does it cost to acquire one new client? 

The idea of making it beneficial is to take a client who might otherwise recommend you passively, into a client who will be a little more intentional about it.

MAKE IT LAST
Ask clients who have had a particularily good experience with you to put it in writing. It’s one thing to write glowing copy on your website, it’s another thing to use someone else’s words. Getting it in writing extends the shelf-life and reach of word-of-mouth marketing.

Word-Of-Mouth marketing is based on a simple facet of human nature – we trust our friends before we trust a stranger. The claims a client makes about you carry more weight than any claims you can make about yourself – for good or for bad. So wow them. Knock their socks off. Give them way, way more than they expected. And then make it easy for them to spread the good news, make it beneficial, and make it last.

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This is your last chance to get in on the final installment of the Self Promotion series. If you have questions, ask them. If you have a website or self-promotional effort you want to show off, tell us about it. If you have a brief story to tell or a blog to tell us about – now’s the time. Just make sure it relates to the subject at hand. Blogs about your cat will not make the list. Unless your cat has questions about promoting her photography business.

My friend and colleague, Matt Brandon, has alot of camera bags. So many, he says, that his Philipino wife calls him the Imelda Marcos of camera bags. I’m catching up. I have hard shells and softshells, backpacks, rollers, modulars, and shoulder bags. My problem, fetish issues aside, is that no one bag works for every situation. I have a couple bags I absolutely love. I use a Think Tank Airport Addicted to hold most of my gear at home and for local assignment work. I use a LowePro Specialist 85AW for international field work as my working bag, with a Topload Zoom 65 on it for my second camera. So I’m covered for working bags.

What I do not have is a perfect travel/flight bag. As carry-on luggage restriction get tighter and less consistent across the board, and as the varieties of planes on which I travel gets broader, my need for something new has come to a head. Here are my problems with the usual suspects

So Much Foam = HEAVY
Many of the bags I’ve been looking at lately weigh 8 lbs or more. Just the bag. Empty. They’re filled with foam and plastic - it makes a bag that weighs 5 pounds more than similar bags without foam. And 5 pounds, when you’re already pushing the limits, is a big deal.

Too Rigid
A rigid bag is a bag I am not going to be able to cram into a small overhead bin - no matter how I try. It will always be the same size empty or full. Not helpful to me.

Remember the Foam?
A bag filled with foam dividers is a bag that is too full for me to bring an extra set of clothes and some powerbars. I don’t need foam! I need a light, spacious bag that allows me as many options as possible. i don’t know what you folks do with your gear but I have never, ever put my carry-on luggage through trials that would bring it to the point of needing that much padding to protect it. In fact my gear takes more bashing when it’s on the field, out of the bag, and in my hands.

Here’s What I Need.
I need to be able to carry two pro-sized bodies, four lenses, a MacBook, three small harddrives, assorted chargers, cables, and adaptors, digital film, a change of clothes, some toiletries, a couple books, a dozen powerbars, travel documents, and my essential medications - enough stuff to do my job unhindered if/when I land in Rwanda and my checked luggage goes to Rochester. I don’t need padding, I wrap my bodies and lenses in David Honl’s GearWraps. I don’t need a bag I can work out of - I have that in my checked luggage and if that goes AWOL I can do without. What I need is to be able to get it all into ONE bag easily, one that’s light,
bomb-proof, soft-shelled, and guaranteed to fit into any overhead bin I
can throw at it.

Here’s My Pending Solution. Maybe.
My solution is not a camera bag at all. I’ve looked at Moose
Peterson’s bags and I think he comes close to my needs. But I want a
bag I can throw my laptop into and not be forced to strap it to the
side. Or at least I want the option to do either. The bag that I think comes closest is a Red Oxx Air Boss. The Air Boss, some GearWraps, and a thin sleeve for my laptop will protect my gear against bumps and save me 5+ pounds. And it’ll fit into bins.

RED OXX seems to make some of the most bomb-proof travel kit out there. On a side note, be careful with the words “bomb-proof” when travelling. An airport security officer recently remarked on my Stormcase as I threw it on the belt. He said it looked tough. I said it was “bomb-proof.” He suggested I not say that again. Momentary lapse in judgement - it had been a long, long day.

Here’s Your Chance
I’d love to hear how some of you are dealing with the tightening airline measures and the need to carry it all in one bag and do it lighter and tighter than ever before. Anyone with experience with Red Oxx gear? I know we’re beating a dead horse here with this carry-on issue, but I like my dead horse well-flogged, so feel free to chime in on this one (about the luggage issue, not the horse joke.)

Update - March 26 2008

Well, the best-laid plans of mice and men, right? I used the Sky Train bag and love it, I just don’t love it for my purposes and am now back to flying with my ThinkTank Photo Airport Addicted and have an Airport Security on the way. I’ve pulled as many of the dividers out as possible, and carry my gear in Modular pouches or Honl Gear Wraps. In the end what tipped the scales was ease of use. It’s just easier to work with the Think Tank bags. I’ll still use my Red Oxx for other things, casual travel etc.., but for all my clever re-thinking on this, I’m back to tried and true.

Ever been in a situation where you’ve accidentaly left your digital film at home? Ever run out in the middle of a shoot that went longer than planned? If you’re a Canon shooter, the battery pack for all the recent DLSRs has a secret hiding place. Until now you’ve needed to know the secret handshake and had to join a club, but those days are no longer.

If you’re comfortable putting the spare door somewhere else, this spot on the Canon battery grips is an ideal place for an extra CF card.