Learning that you just have to let go and FEEL the shot

I’m going to go ahead and admit it: I was very sad about Michael Jackson’s early departure from this realm. No, I didn’t own any of his albums nor did I go to any of his concerts. I lean more towards rock n’ roll, baby. But I grew up with Michael, in a sense. We are roughly the same age and I grew up listening to the Jackson 5. And I witnessed the Motown 25 year Anniversary special on TV the night Michael did his legendary moonwalk and the music industry changed, over night! I remember that night clearly, in 1983. Michael took the world by storm! He became a legend!

Read More »

(5 stars, 15 ratings)

 Loading ...

29 Comments

Third and Final Part in the Series on The Business Side of Fashion Photography

Image by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

So we went through Part One and Part Two in the last two weeks on the Business of Fashion Photography. Hopefully you have learned by now that fashion photography is like any other business: it takes a lot of work and is as competitive as any other lucrative and high profile gig out there. You have to have your arsenal of self promotional tools looking their best and ready to blast them  out and let the world know you exist. Now we’re going to talk about what to do once you get your foot in that door of that magazine or ad agency you’ve been working so hard to get into.

Read More »

(4.88 stars, 17 ratings)

 Loading ...

23 Comments

Part Two in the Three Part Series on
The Business of Fashion Photography

Image by Vincent Peters

Last week we talked about the reality of the business and how to prepare yourself for the serious world that it truly is. I spoke of establishing your identity and your style. I wrote about how agents and clients take work in their best interest and so should you. And how believing in the value and worth of your work is tantamount to your success in the business. Today I’m going to address your portfolios and marketing yourself. In today’s age, the internet is a heavily relied on source for marketing. What does that mean? You not only have to have a physical presence with your work, you must have a web presence as well. Which means, you need a website. If you are sending your potential clients to a site that holds your body of work, like Flickr, you will not be taken seriously. Not to bash Flickr entirely, it’s a good platform to start on, but you don’t want to market yourself from there. Flickr is not recognized by agencies and clients as a reliable source for talented and dependable photographers. It’s deemed “amateur” and thus you will be perceived as one, even if your work is outstanding. The sad part about that, is what I said in the previous post: The Level you go into an agency is the level you will stay at. And what did I say about perception? Right. So listen, you don’t have to take my word as the absolute truth…I’ve just been in the business for a long time and these tips are tried and true.

Read More »

(5 stars, 14 ratings)

 Loading ...

27 Comments

Do You Have What it Takes to Make it to the Top?

I get a lot of emails from my readers with questions about the business side of photography. And believe me, it’s a whole education in and of itself. If you want to make it in this business you not only  have to be a great shooter and a highly inspired image maker, you also have to know the in’s and out’s on how to survive the business side of your career. That’s when I thought it would be a great idea to create a 3 part series on how to get ahead in the fashion photography business!

I’m going to give you some advice that not only took me years to learn, but I sometimes had to learn it the hard way. Even though I went to a great college, the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and I had several business classes towards the end of my schooling, it still didn’t totally prepare me for the Big, Bad, and REAL World of running a successful photography business. This 3 part series is going to be broken down into the following categories: Positioning, Portfolios and Marketing, and finally Negotiating and Estimating for Jobs. I’m going to keep this intro short and dive right into it. No better time than NOW to get your business head together and not only SURVIVE the industry but THRIVE in it!

Read More »

(4.7 stars, 10 ratings)

 Loading ...

22 Comments

A couple of my favorite websites and
why I watch them religiously.

I’m back in the middle of pre-production again this week, prepping two editorials for Fall Fashion issues for two different magazines. Stay tuned for details. The more I find out, the more I’ll let you in on the shoots!  But in the meantime,  I really want to share with you some amazing websites that are chocked full of very useful information. These are websites that I either follow every day, that I’m subscribed to or that I visit frequently. The people that run these sites aren’t friends of mine, I don’t know them, most sites I’m not linked to so this isn’t some shameless promotional post with all my “blog buddies” getting a shout out. These are websites that I use to help my own photography career. So let’s get started, shall we? I’ve listed the link and why I favor it so much. And do me and your other fellow readers a favor: list your favorite link or two in the comment section. I think it’s very important to share knowledge and information. Thanks!

Read More »

(5 stars, 13 ratings)

 Loading ...

28 Comments