Get Suited Up! Equip Yourself for Starting Your Own Photography Business. a ChrisCrashCourse Disclaimer The author and publisher of this eBook and the accompanying materials have used their best efforts in preparing this eBook. The author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this eBook. The information contained in this eBook is strictly for educational purposes.
Table of Contents Introduction. First, FOUR Major Resources The (Digital) Camera Studio Equipment On-Location Equipment Specialty Equipment Business Equipment Marketing Materials Associates Additional Resources Conclusion © 2013 ChrisCrashCourse.
Introduction Anyone can be a photographer. Anyone can sell their photos and make money from their photos. This is not to say that everyone will have equal talent at photography, nor will everyone have equal success at making money from photography, if this is the goal. Anyone can be a hobbyist photographer. But that’s another eBook. ;) In this eBook, you’ll get a crash course in how to equip yourself with the right tools for starting your photography business and career.
Four Major Resources Before we begin any discussion about photography equipment, I want to tell you two of the most useful, informative, and brainless resources I reference prior to purchasing ANYTHING of technological nature… 1 – CNET.com – an ultimate resource for reviews by both customers and CNET’s own staff editors, CNET is an excellent first-stop for researching equipment, software, or any technology you are interested in. 2 – eBay.
Additionally, with your Prime membership, not only do you get Free Two Day Shipping on hundreds of items (normally, Two-Day shipping could cost anywhere from $10-30 extra) and access to tons of Free Online Movies & TV shows to stream via Amazon’s movie player, BUT you ALSO are able to invite up to FIVE family members (or close friends) to SHARE your Two-Day Shipping perks! This can save a lot of money for all SIX of you.
settings have to be configured in the display menu. However, the Fuji S3 Pro is now out of date in terms of model and megapixels, and Fujifilm has a model called the X-Pro 1 which shoots at 16MP. When buying a camera, you can either buy it piecemeal or “a la carte”, in other words, each piece separately, but it’ll probably save you a lot of time and money to buy a ready-packaged kit from a credible brand and then later add-on new gear to your photography kit.
“mm” - The larger the number next to “mm”, the longer the lens is. For example, a 300mm lens is definitely a LONG lens meant to shoot subjects from a distance, whereas a 50mm lens is more likely meant for close subjects OR to get the “whole picture” from one spot. In other words, you will be able to capture the entire baseball field but you will not be able to zoom-in on the ball with a 50mm, as you would with a 200 or 300mm lens. “f” – or “f-stop” lets you know how wide the “eye” of the lens can open.
your subject and still be in focus. The shorter the number, the closer you can get. It also describes how much more of the background you can get into the frame. One example of a great use for a wide-angle lens would be if you were shooting a large group photo of a wedding party.
photojournalistic style photos, which is just a fancy way for saying they want cool-looking candid photos that look like a paparazzi took them. “Catch me when I’m not looking! When I don’t know you’re there!” is what they want from their wedding photographer. (Post-production editing into B&W or sepia is another thing they want, but that’s another section!) A fish eye lens is a fun, easy, and can be relatively affordable way to add a little fun to some photos.
3.6MB=8100 MB or 8.1GB. So, still we would have approximately half of our 16GB card left and 100 items is A LOT to shoot in a day. Another type of high-volume photo shoot is event photography, such as a wedding or a sporting event. Events are by nature limited in time and have little to no “do-overs”, unlike fashion, portrait, product, or and just about any type of in-studio shooting where you can accommodate for models who don’t show up or weather delays, etc.
ordering online and eventually, I found high-powered 15-minute rechargeable’s that could handle most of my shoots. But, still, those would only last 30-40 minutes of shooting because the camera was a power guzzler. Conversely, with my Nikon D3100, I could charge my ONE battery (the one that came with the camera – no extra purchase required), have it be fully charged for shooting in 1-hour, and last for up to 2 hours of active shooting without dying out on me.
the floor. It’s lightweight, despite all of its features and compartments, and has comfortable straps for easy carrying without overloading one shoulder or your back. When you are working with larger scale shoots and equipment, for example, if you need to carry your lighting kit as well and have assistants to help, then you may want to look into hard cases with wheels. These hard cases offer maximum protection and can store multiple cameras, lens, accessories, etc.
In lieu of a gray card, a photographer might use a plain white paper or object instead to target the custom white balance. This can be perfectly OK, when working without a gray card, however, remember that the white object or paper is probably an off-white color and may have a blue or yellow tint to it. A gray card can be less than $10 and is highly recommended for your photography kit.
You might need supplemental light reflector stands to help hold your stands up, whether you have multiple discs or if you do not have anyone to assist you with holding them such as a make-up artist or photo assistant. Studio Equipment So, you’re shooting inside! Well, you’ll probably want to fashion your indoor digs with some extra equipment. When shooting indoors during the daytime, it’s great if you have access to some natural light either by opening the windows or if you have windowed doors.
But, these cords can be fragile and/or develop breaks in connection from bending or over time with use, so it’s good to have an extra sync cord as well. You should also have a sync cord in case your remote trigger fails or runs out of batteries. ** Tip: In a pinch, your on-camera built-in hot shoe flash will trigger your strobe light. However, you’ll also get the flash from the hot shoe as well. You should re-direct or diffuse the hot shoe flash if using it as a trigger.
One special line of flash diffusers was created by a photographer name Gary Wong. His diffusers are specially designed to soften on-camera flash in beautiful ways, have won all kinds of awards, and you can find them either on his website, on Amazon, or even on eBay. I recommend watching his videos and looking at the sample images on Gary’s own website to see if this is a purchase for you. Gaffer’s Tape It’s an “on-set” thing to have gaffer’s tape and to SAY gaffer’s tape, but usually ANY tape will do.
Specialty Equipment Changing Tent A changing tent is a useful accessory when you’re working with models and shooting on-location or somewhere where access to a bathroom or changing room isn’t readily available. I used a pop-out changing tent to shoot headshots on the streets of NYC for a few years. It was a great, easy alternative to stopping in the nearest fast food or coffee shop for an outfit change. It was also a fun conversation starter with my clients and onlookers.
You will download, review, store, edit, print or send to print, and share your photos. You will build your website, join forums, create online profiles on photography sites, upload your photos to social networks, and enter photography contests to win free equipment. You will apply for photography gigs, post advertisements of your service, sell your photographs or prints of your photographs, and create promotional pieces of your work.
There are various types of photo paper with different weight (thickness), finish (gloss or matte), and brightness. There are some great photo papers by Ilford which are top quality, though most inkjet printers nowadays can produce high-quality prints on any mainstream or generic brand of photo paper. PayPal Paypal is a well-known, widely used and respectable service for accepting payments from customers and clients.
You can design your flyers yourself or hire a designer. Then, you can choose from any of the local or online postcard printing services, but make sure you look over the design specifications for the printer you choose prior to submitting your files, so that they will print correctly. Many printing companies offer help and/or easy to use online design programs on their website to help you craft your promotional pieces if you are not comfortable designing from scratch.
Get a domain name: GoDaddy, 1&1, Hostgator, Powweb, or any number of other places. While you’re there, sign-up for a hosting package. Then, go to Wordpress.org, download and learn to install (or use the easy installer provided by your hosting service, if applicable) Wordpress on your domain name. Choose a Wordpress theme, customize it, and you’re ready to go.
but tell you next to nothing about! (Go look for yourself, or check out my Internet marketing eBook when I write one!) Facebook – Create a page for your Photography business. Invite all your friends on your personal profile to “Like!” your page. Add a link or an icon containing your link to your Facebook page’s direct url on all mediums, including your website and promotional mailings. Flickr – Sign up, add photos, join groups, and submit photos to relevant groups to encourage comments, ratings, etc.
Model Agencies It is a good idea to send mailings and establish working relationships with agents and agencies local to you, as you can then often ask (or be asked to) peruse the agencies’ database of talent for your paid and test shoot projects. Other Photographers Your fellow photographers can help you in fine tuning your skills, in constructively critiquing your work, and can provide troubleshooting support. Photographers also share advice and opinions on equipment, software, and techniques.
The Photographer’s Market – This is an annual directory book which has tons of listings for publications, advertising agencies, newsletters, trade publications, book publishers, and other businesses that buy stock photos. The Moment It Clicks – Really cool book with great photos and the explanations behind each photo, including what tricks and/or elements were used to create the image.
Conclusion Thank you for downloading this ChrisCrashCourse on “Getting Suited Up” for your photography business! If you want to learn more about making money from your photography, we haven’t even touched upon being a photographer as a profession… which will be fully detailed in my online photography course “How to Become a Professional (Paid) Photographer.” Any comments, questions, suggestions, or accolades can be sent to me directly at: info@chriscrashcourse.
