The Pro Photo Business Forum

Technology vs. Skills
by Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

One of the first basic principles to learn about photography is its two parts – art and science. It is the mix of these two elements that draws so many of us towards photography. Artistic elements include composition and lighting. “Scientific” elements include metering and exposure. And of course, there is a great deal of overlap between the two. Technology has made these scientific elements much easier to deal with, which in turn makes it easier to take a “good” photo. This is the main reason for the proliferation of “professional” photographers these days.

The trap that many fall into though, is putting technology ahead of skills. While it is true that a better tool will do a better job, it is incumbent upon the user of the tool to know when and how to use the tool most effectively. Similarly, anyone can start out with thousands of dollars worth of cameras, lenses, and lights, but without the skills and experience that come with knowing and using those tools, they will have limited value. And we can go a step further and say that if sales and marketing skills are lacking, no amount of equipment will make a photographer into a salesman. But we’ll focus on just one limit for now – equipment.

Someone once told me not to upgrade equipment until I was limited by it. All of us are limited by something – equipment, skills, time, marketing/sales ability, etc. We may fall into the trap of thinking “if only I had the XXX body,” or “if only I had the XXX lens.” Well, are we maximizing the equipment we have now? I’m not a photographic giant like some others here, but I can offer this experience: I began with a Nikon D80 and almost immediately thought about upgrading. It was at this time that I received the advice not to upgrade equipment until I was limited by it. I learned that D80 inside and out. I finally felt that I was limited by the camera body and upgraded to a D300. Now I am no longer limited by the camera body, I am limited by my knowledge of that tool. When I master it, I will upgrade again.

In conclusion, we are all limited by something. If you want to move forward, find out what is holding you back, and start working on it.

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PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT A COMMODITY
by Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

A commodity is something that can be obtained from several sources, and as a result, no single seller can control the price. The quality of products is either similar or identical from seller to seller.

It used to be that there were limited products that could be sold as commodities. Groceries, gasoline, anything in town where there was more than one seller of the product (and where there was little variation between the quality of the products from different sellers). The Internet has changed that. Now, via ebay, Amazon, Nextag, and hundreds of other sites, we can compare prices around the world for the exact same product in different locations. The Internet has made products like digital cameras, designer clothing, and automobiles into commodities – we can easily compare similar/identical products from multiple sellers.

Photography is not a commodity. The ‘quality’ of photography varies from person to person, and this makes it difficult to compare photographers and make a decision on who to hire. A person may choose to take the commodity approach to photography – solicit quotes from multiple photographers and then choose the lowest one. This person has every right to do that, it is their choice to make, and sometimes budgets are very tight. Just realize that in the photography business, you get what you pay for. Bargain hunting is not clear cut and limited to price, a photography ‘bargain’ involves getting RELATIVELY high quality at a RELATIVELY low price. If you can help the potential client to understand this, you may have a better shot at closing the sale.

So in conclusion, it would be great if we were able to compare apples to apples when comparing photographers. The decision is a little more complicated when we consider that photography is not a commodity.

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By Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

Everyone seems to be describing their wedding style as ‘photojournalistic.’ What does that mean? Wikipedia’s (condensed) definition of photojournalism is: “The collecting, editing, and presenting of material for publication that creates images in order to tell a story.” So what does that mean in the context of a wedding ceremony and reception? That’s the thing – a ‘photojournalistic style’ of wedding photography is open to interpretation.

I like to contrast a photojournalistic style with a formal style. If you look at wedding albums from 20 or 30 years ago, you’ll find that they are very similar – shots of the ceremony like the bride walking down the aisle, vows, rings, kiss, etc. Then formal shots of the bride and groom with their families, wedding party, etc. And finally some reception events like the first dance, cutting the cake, etc. Very predictable, very standard – that’s a formal style.

Photojournalism (or more specifically, GOOD photojournalism) requires more creativity and experience than the formal style. I believe that it means capturing real emotions and moments as opposed to “look at the camera and smile.” It means visualizing great images and getting into a position to capture a great image without interfering with the scene. When someone sits down and looks at the resulting album, they should feel like they are being led through the wedding day – that the images are telling them a story, not just recording events. This may be a good time to note why many professional photojournalist photographers feel superior to professional wedding photographers – “formal” wedding photography is not that hard if the wedding photographer is only going for a handful of “must-get” shots.

I also feel that the term ‘photojournalistic’ is overused. For instance, a photo of the bride putting on makeup can be extremely artistic, or it can look like it was taken by a 10-year old – either way, it can accurately be described as “photojournalistic.” The same applies with the common image of a pair of shoes on a chair/coffee table. Some are great, some are not so great. Either way, photojournalistic. So it’s not a magic word that automatically implies high quality.

What is MY style? It’s a mix of formal and photojournalistic. Those scripted shots of the ceremony, family, and reception are important – a lot of work has gone into making things just right, and these moments deserve to be captured and treasured. But these images alone do not tell the whole story – they don’t communicate the bride’s preparation (which is an event in itself!), the full emotions of the parents, the joy felt by all at the reception. That’s where photojournalism kicks in and the magic happens.

www.bclphotography.com

Do I really need a contract before I shoot a wedding?
by Bryan Lindsey
BCL Photography

Well, what is the purpose of a contract? On a principled level, it spells out the expectations between two parties – party A agrees to do THIS if party B agrees to do THAT. It avoids confusion and misguided expectations. On a legal level, it is the basis for lawsuits, arbitration, and all sorts of stuff that lawyers get big bucks to dispute. Will YOU ever need a contract on the legal level? As a photographer, will you ever need to produce a document in court as part of a legal dispute with one of your customers? Probably not (hopefully not!). So the benefits of a contract are really in principle – the contract preempts future disputes by spelling out what services the photographer will provide and what price the customer will pay. Personally, if a customer is not able to easily sign and return a contract or if I book something at the last minute, I often require just an email stating that they have read and agree to my standard contract. I want agreement in principle, not necessarily a legally binding document. Some other photographers will contend that point, but again, I value the clarity and principled agreement that the contract provides over its legal value.

What should be included in the contract? At the VERY least the contract should include the agreed upon date and time that shooting will commence, the duration of shooting, and the price to be paid. Also to be included are the deliverables – the number of prints, an album, a DVD of images, etc. There should be no confusion as to when the contract is fulfilled. It is when payment is made, and the deliverables are delivered. Residual sales items (prints, albums, etc.) will often not be part of the contract (since the customer wants to see what you shoot before they commit, which is understandable), although it doesn’t hurt to have your price list and lead times for these items included in your contract. This will help prevent future confusion/discussion/negotiation for those items.

What else? A complete contract also includes language that limits your liability. Is there a retainer required? What if the wedding is cancelled? What if things are running late? What if you are told to go left by one person and then told to go right by another person? What if your camera spontaneously combusts? What if, what if, what if?!? The more scenarios that you can cover in your contract, the better off you’ll be IF those scenarios arise. I often tell the customer that the reason these items are covered is because they have come up before, perhaps not with ME, but they have caused a problem for someone in the past and have resulted in a dispute. The contract is for the protection of both parties, and the customer should welcome the fact that these things are down in writing. If they don’t value the contract or try to put it off or wiggle out of signing, WATCH OUT. Many photographers will not book a date without a signed contract and paid retainer – there are logical reasons for this. If you are looking for ideas for contracts, just Google “photographer contract” and several templates come up in the search results ranging from simple to complex contract templates. Use protection – protect yourself and your business. Save yourself a bunch of hassle. You really need a contract before shooting a wedding.

www.bclphotography.com