The Pro Photo Business Forum

Reach for the Summit as Never Before

Recently I was reading a post from a fellow photographer stating that she was now becoming a weekend warrior. That times were tough and she needed to take a day job to make ends meet. She stated that she had worked to hard to lower her prices and adjust to the current economic climate. She didn’t want to compete with the people who were under cutting her. As a single mom she needed to have more security for her kids. A tough decision for sure, but we are living in the worst economy since the great depression and at times like this you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. But should you just give up and go back to the 9 to 5?

This got me to thinking. Why is it that some photographers are flourishing while others are struggling and still others are holding steady? I don’t think that there is an easy, one line, black and white answer to that question, but perhaps there is an under lying principle that we can learn from. A while back I wrote an article entitled “The Size of the Rat.” Therein I addressed the reasons why one mountain climber would reach the summit and the other would fail, even though they were of equal ability. And while determination seemed logical enough, is it still true today?

A change in the weather or economy can sometimes move in and cloud the summit before us. When you lose sight of your goals you may lose the determination necessary to accomplish them. You start to look down at base camp and think, “I could be down in less then an hour drinking hot coffee and eating warm stew.” Then you look back up and the summit is shrouded in clouds. You become unsure of yourself and begin to question your reasons for climbing in the first place. You’re cold and tired, your fingers and toes are numb, and honestly like that stew, a 9 to 5 is sounding really good right now.

You are at a critical junction in you’re life and the decision you make will ultimately lead to your goal or lead to failure. If you’ve lost sight of the finish line, how can you see yourself crossing it? And remember, those who are continually looking back while climbing will eventually slip.

Even in this economy you can succeed. You simply need to keep your goals before you, each and every day. Work towards them, seek out ways to attain them and be ready to make the sacrifices that will no doubt be demanded of you. We’ve all heard the saying, “No pain no gain.” If it were easy everyone would be doing it. Now is the time to refocus on what your goals are and find ways to attain them. Now’s the time to remember what the summit looked like before the clouds set in, now’s the time to reach for the summit and succeed. And remember, if you can succeed in this economy just imagine the rewards you’ll have when the weather moves out and you reach the summit.

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer | Scott Villalobos

The Photographer’s Tool Box (also known as a Pelican case)

In my last post I mentioned a recent addition to my camera bag or box – the Control TL system from Pocket Wizard. The system is made up of two separate components – the Mini TT1 and the Flex TT5. The TT1 is a transmitter only, and sells for about $200.00 while the Flex TT5 is a transceiver and sells for $220.00 give or take a couple bucks depending on where you buy. This wireless triggering system has a distinct advantage over the traditional forerunners – the Pocket Wizard Plus II and the PW Multi Max. These puppies are ETTL capable, meaning that it’s like their sitting on your hot shoe.

Currently available only for Canon, I’m told that the Nikon units are due out soon. The technology behind these little buggers is also quiet impressive, but I must admit that these are not as simple to use as plug and play USB devices we are accustomed to, or as some might have you believe. In fact it has been my experience that unless you take the time to get to know them you could end up quiet frustrated, and this is especially true if you’re shooting with a new camera model like the 7D. The biggest problem that I’ve run in to is understanding the little things that cause the units to malfunction or not function at all, things like your 580EX II won’t fire if it’s set to Master mode while atop the TT5. So if for some reason your strobes won’t fire, check that they’re NOT set to Master or Slave.

Another problem that I’ve run into is flash sync, however if you go into the PW software you can configure your units not to switch to rear curtain sync. An easy fix to be sure, but if you’re on a shoot and don’t have your laptop handy you’re out of luck. Any and all changes must be made using a computer via the PW software.

I have to take my hat off to Pocket Wizard for their customer service department though, every time I called a human answered the phone and I was transferred to a tech rep that would walk me through the problem or tell me how to work around it. Try doing that with your bank…  Anyways, it seems to me that these guys are intensely interested in this product working for their customers and they’re more then happy to give you the time of day when you’re up against a wall or just need a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Not only that, but I was contacted by another rep who was also shooting with the 7D and he assured me there would be a firmware update out soon that addressed the issues I was having.

On the upside, the possibilities are endless. Wear I was limited to a range of approximately 35ft. using Canon’s infrared system – when set up correctly using the AC5 RF Shield in conjunction with the instructions found on PW’s website – I was able to get consistent results at 200ft., and the line of sight issues inherent in the infrared system have evaporated. I’m now free to set my lights where ever I want, and this means greater creativity. You can also use the ST-E2 transmitter atop the TT1 or TT5 for greater creative freedom. By doing so you can set your lights up in groups and adjust the lighting ratios with out touching the strobes themselves – a EUREKA! moment for sure.

Pocket Wizard is so sure that you’re going to love these little gems that they currently come with a 30-day money back guarantee. I’m really excited to press the boundaries of my new radio triggers and you can bet I’ll be posting more info on these as I break them into my toolbox.

To learn more or see some videos of this product in action visit www.pocketwizard.com

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer | Scott Villalobos

Breaking the Boundaries

Written by Scott Villalobos

Friday night I had an engagement session with Seth and Christina. Christina had seen some images from a previous session and wanted to do some from the same location for her engagement session. Of course I said, no problem, and therein lye the problem. Shooting in the same location with the same conditions. I had talked briefly about this in my earlier post, “Spaghetti Anyone?” But now I was faced with more spaghetti from a paying customer, how could I spice it up?

Recently I had purchased some Pocket Wizard TT5’s, from the Houston Camera Exchange, which enabled me to be more effective with my off camera strobe then I could be with the infrared/line of sight based Canon system currently available using 580EX II’s and the ST-E2 wireless transmitter. In the past I’ve tried lighting from behind using this system but the line of sight limitation made it impossible, now with the Pocket Wizard’s in my Pelican case the boundaries of infrared were no longer an issue.

I’ve photographed this arch many times in the last year, but this time I really wanted to do something different. By backlighting my couple and lighting the interior of the arch I think I put a new twist on an old favorite, thereby making something old into something new and exciting. I really look forward to working with these new tools, which will expand photographic possibilities, which were technically impossible for me in the past.

I will be writing more about these little wonders in the near future so stay tuned for that!

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos | RSVP Studios

Cool Must Have Products

When Canon announced the release of the “5D Mark II” I was thrilled, when they announced the “1D Mark IV” I was ecstatic, and when they recently announce the release of the new “70-200 2.8L IS II” I almost fainted. Honestly I’m a huge fan of great products such as the aforementioned, but in reality I rarely get excited over new gadgets, doohickeys, gizmos or attachments. Lord knows the market is flooded with every kind of contraption imaginable. Some of which are quite useful and some of which are not so much. But it seems to me that the majority of these thing-a-ma-bobs inevitably end up in a box headed for ebay. Take the Fong dome for instance. A great idea, both bounced and diffused directional lighting out of your attached camera strobe. Great that is until you start using the darn thing. It seems to have a real problem staying fixed atop that 580 EX II under real world circumstances, and the last thing you need is that puppy slapping down on a marble floor during a ceremony. Sure a little Velcro, a little black tape and it’s as good as welded on, but really who has the time and patience for that? It just seems that those miracle products just don’t work as well as they say they do.

Now if you’ve ever shot with two cameras at the same time you will know that trotting around with a camera hanging off each shoulder isn’t exactly a smooth operation. Oh you can try, but one is always falling off your shoulder at the most inopportune time. And if you have a 70-200 or longer telephoto, no doubt it bares the scares of smacking the ground for those times when you knelt down for low angel shots. You could crisscross the straps and end up strangling yourself in the process, but wouldn’t it be nice if there were a better way?

A few weeks ago I came across a gizmo that caught my eye, something that seemed revolutionary, something that not only worked but worked well. I was surfing the net as I so often do when I saw a video were a photographer was shooting with two cameras; one hanging from each of his shoulders. What caught my eye was that his camera straps were a part of something that resembled a backpack harness. (the light bulb goes on over my head) As I sat there watching with one eyebrow raised higher then could be considered attractive I thought, “This I’ve got to have! Who makes it, what’s it called, where can I get one?” So I did a web search and came up with the RS DR-1 by Black Rapid. It’s a revolutionary new type of camera strap that not only solves the problem of slippery camera straps, but also distributes the cameras weight and balance far better then any other product I’ve ever used or seen for that matter. Another impressive feature of this product is that when you raise the camera to your eye the strap stays stationary. The camera slides up and down the strap via a mechanism that attaches to your camera where you tripod plate would normally connect. It even has adjustable stops that will prevent the camera from moving to far back or forward.

While this thing is just plain cool, it’s also surprisingly fast. You can literally switch between cameras in less then a second, no fumbling; no rope burn, a really cool feature when you need to switch between a camera with a long telephoto to one with a wide-angle attached. I must warn you though, this isn’t for the faint of heart; expect to spend between $130 to $135 plus tax or shipping or both depending on where you shop. I bought mine at the Houston Camera Exchange and they had several different models in stock. You can also purchase the RS-4, which is a single camera strap, and they make various attachments for memory cards, cell phones and the like. Your world on your shoulders, these guys thought of everything. Seems to me they might actually be photographers.

In conclusion, of all the gizmos I’ve purchased over the years, this is a product that I can really get behind and one that will have a permanent place in my Pelican case.

To learn more and see it in action click here: http://www.blackrapid.com/

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos/RSVPStudios.com

The Importance of the Engagement Session

Written by: Scott Villalobos

The engagement session is a great way to increase revenue to the bottom line of your wedding photography business. It seems more and more photographers are adding complementary sessions into their existing packages. While not a new idea, it is a good one to not only beef up the bottom line, but for several other reasons as well.

Think about it, how much would you charge for a two to three hour photo session? Four, five, even six hundred dollars? And yet many photographers are just throwing them into their existing packages. Why?

The e-session offers a great way to earn income that you might otherwise miss out on. Depending on your market you can add a couple hundred to several hundred dollars to your bottom line. E-sessions are usually done on weekdays or days when you don’t have a wedding or other event. They don’t take too much time and the resulting sales can be stellar. I know of a few photographers who regularly sell over a thousand dollars in additional product that without the complementary e-session would be non-existent. I’ve had couples call me the week of the wedding wanting 20×30 inch gallery wraps in time for the wedding. These are big-ticket items they might not purchase from the wedding itself, especially once the hype and excitement cools down.

I’ve found the e-session to also be a great marketing tool. When you have several hundred e-session images to work with you can create some incredible marketing tools that will bump up your after wedding sales and bring in new clientele. There are a few things I do regularly to take advantage of this avenue for marketing my photography.

1.) The Thank You card. I generally make 100 thank you cards, at not charge, for my clients to place on the tables of the reception. On the front of the card is a picture from the engagement session with a personal message or Thank You from the bride and groom. On the back of the card is another picture with my studio info and invitation to view all the wedding pictures. This not only boosts my sales, but more importantly increases traffic and awareness of my business. Everybody usually gets one and I notice huge increases in traffic to my site after the wedding. The more traffic I get, the better my chances of increasing sales that would otherwise not happen.

2.) The guest book. Every wedding has them and over the last three years or so they have really gained popularity. Instead of just a plain old book with lined paper that the bride and groom would purchase from a stationary store, I make a guest book that includes many of the favorite images form the e-session. It’s always a hit and I’m usually approached by several guests per wedding inquiring about my services based on what they saw in the guest book.

3.) Large prints. Most brides and grooms want at least one large print to display at the reception from the engagement session. These prints can be a great source of additional income and really get your work noticed. It also sets the tone for after wedding day sales. If they bought a large print before the wedding, they will most likely want some from the wedding day as well.

4.) Aside from the monetary reasons for doing the e-session, there is what I think to be an even better reason. When you do an e-session you really get the chance to bond with and get to know your clients in a way that you wouldn’t if you only showed up on the big day. You get the chance to work with the couple and they get the chance to be in front of the lens and used to having their picture taken. This really is huge, especially if you’re trying to shoot in a more photojournalistic way. I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I’m trying to capture a moment – naturally – and when the bride sees the camera pointed in her direction she starts posing. The e-session helps the couple to understand what your about and what your trying to capture. It helps them to feel comfortable having you around and just being themselves the day of which makes your job that much easier.

No matter how you look at it, the e-session is a win-win for both the photographer and the bride and groom. It’s a great marketing tool that will ultimately increase your bottom line and give your bride and groom the chance to have something they otherwise wouldn’t. 

Lets face it – wedding photography is a lot like your favorite meal, you love every bite and usually end up stuffing yourself. Before you know it that meal is on the weekly menu. It’s not long before you find that you don’t enjoy it as much as you used to and pretty soon your favorite meal is in the grip of the culinary doldrums. If you’re not careful, the same can be true of your wedding photography.

The problem? Simple, the more events you shoot the more you get into a groove, a comfort zone so to speak. You know what you’re going to shoot and how you’re going to shoot it before you ever arrive. You know the type of light you like and where to look for it. You know how you like your cake framed, the rings placed and what lenses you’re going to use. The brutal truth is you’ve gotten comfortable and for crying out loud why would you ever leave your comfort zone. After all it’s comfortable, it’s safe, it’s what your clients have seen and expect out of you so go ahead and give it to them. But honestly, how many times can you eat spaghetti in one week and still look forward to dinner? Okay, you really like spaghetti – I get that – but do you really want to eat it every day of the week?

Recently I was looking at a series of post on my blog and I noticed that I was really digging the spaghetti, and then I realized. “Hey, all I’m dishing out is spaghetti here.” Suddenly the spaghetti wasn’t sounding so good; in fact it was starting to look pretty boring. The longer I looked at my photos I began to see that I was getting into a rut; that something was missing and it seemed as though I was whirling my spaghetti on the end of my fork. Clearly it was time for a change. As I continued looking at the photographs I remembered that when I was taking them I wasn’t excited or motivated, hence the whirling on the end of my fork. Subconsciously I was thinking, “Didn’t I just have spaghetti last night? Yawn!!”

It’s times like this that I go on the hunt for inspiration. So I search the blogs of the photographers I admire. I study their work and seek to find ways in which to adjust my view of the world in front of my lens. Recently I came across a post that included a pose of the groom and groomsmen in the all too typical “flying V” stance. A spaghetti pose to be sure, but this spaghetti was different, this spaghetti had some Italian sausage thrown in it. Now I’m sure that most of you reading this blog have been to or heard of Strobist.com. If not you need to check it out. Anyways, even though the setup of the shot was all too generic, the lighting was exceptional. This photographer had learned to put something new in his spaghetti and it tasted good, really good…

So the point that I’m trying to make is this, you don’t always have to eat spaghetti, but if you do have to eat spaghetti throw in a little sausage instead of hamburger once in a while. You will find that you can put a new twist on an old favorite and your favorite meal will taste that much better.

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer: Scott Villalobos

The Business of Marketing your Business

Written By: Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos

It’s a short yet not so simple statement, infact it’s probably the most complicated aspect of any business and it is especially true of photography. Fact of the matter is it’s probably the first thing that came to mind after I decided to become a professional photographer. How in the world would I make any money with my photography and who would buy it? There is no shortage of information on this topic, to be sure, but with good reason.  If you’ve found yourself struggling in the current economic climate or worse are just starting out in the current economic climate you will benefit by reading the rest of this article.

Identifying the problem – this is easy. You either need to bring in clientele or you need to bring in MORE clientele. Simple right? Not so much. You need to make sales to those clients. Before I go any further I need to give credit where credit is due, many of the ideas I’m about to expound upon are merely the arthritic echoes of those who have come before me.

There is an old proverb which holds true for every aspect of life, and for the sake of this article I’m going to apply it to the business of wedding photography. “There is salvation in the multitude of counselors.“ – Proverbs 11:14. That being said, in my meanderings across the information super highway I have encountered some profoundly interesting personages with much to say on the subject of marketing and success. Rick Brewer is one and his website, getmorebrides.com, is dedicated to the marketing aspects of wedding photography. Another would be Keith Lee of American Retail Supply, Denis Reggie of, well, Denis Reggie, and finally Mark Victor Hansen – coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Now that I’ve mentioned the above I can say the following with unobstructed clarity – FOCUS PEOPLE! Over the top, maybe, but keep reading you’ll get the point in a minute. Focus is essential to becoming successful. I like this statement because we are, after all, photographers and we understand how important focus is to our images. However we’re not talking about taking pictures here, we’re talking about bringing business through our doors. So lets focus our imaginary cameras on the inevitable fact that you must become your biggest cheerleader, the star quarterback, the great American hero within.

If you were asked what business you’re in how would you answer? Your first response might be something wild like; oh I don’t know – wedding photography… And this is where you’d be wrong. The correct answer if you want your business to be successful would be the business of “marketing” your photography business”. This is why you must be you’re your biggest cheerleader. Who else cares as much about your business as you do? Who else is going to put in the blood sweat and tears that you do? Who else besides you is willing to sink all that cold hard cash into your baby while its still in diapers? Nada…

So this is where focus really comes into play. All the talent in the world doesn’t mean squat if you can’t make a sale, and you can’t make a sale unless you can attract customers. It’s a lot like fishing; you won’t ever catch fish in a lake where there are no fish. So move to a lake that not only has fish, but also the type of fish you want to attract.

One way to attract the right clientele is by getting people to advertise for you. I recently shot a wedding at an amazing venue, a venue that attracts the type of clientele that I wish to work for. I was invited to send them an album from the shoot and they in turn would show that album to their potential clients. Two great things are happening here. 1.) I’m getting great referrals from an amazing venue to people that can afford me. And 2.) I’m not competing with the 509 other wedding photographers that show up in the Google search for Houston Wedding Photographers. These are qualified leads that are interested not just in wedding photography, but in me personally.

Here’s a well-kept secret that you should already know but that bears saying for those of you who are unaware of it. If you’re not on page one in the web search engine you might as well not exist. Potential customers rarely go past page one when searching for a product or service.  (This is a whole other topic so let’s not go there for now.)

Save yourself allot of frustration and money and make sure that you market to a targeted, qualified audience. Set clearly defined, realistic, short and long term goals for yourself and have them written down somewhere you will see them every day. Think about those goals every day and figure out how to achieve them progressively. You might even write them down on the back of a business card and put them in your wallet to look at during the day. Meet with and befriend people who can help you achieve your goals, weather they be with venues or organizations that cater to the clientele you wish to attract.

Remember Newton’s third law of physics. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This law applies to the business of marketing your business. If you’re not exerting force or action there can be no reaction. Force yourself into action. However resistant you are to the idea of marketing, learn to embrace it and it will embrace you. But remember marketing is a process not an event, it doesn’t happen overnight, it may be months before you see results. Think of it as planting seeds, sooner or later something’s bound to grow. Plan now to succeed in the future.

Avoid negative people and negative thinking at all cost. There are no positive side effects to negativity. Instead direct that thinking into creativity. Seek out positive, creative, successful people and allow your thinking to imitate there’s. Be like Thomas Edison when a young reporter who boldly asked if he felt like a failure interviewed him and if he thought he should just give up. Perplexed, Edison replied, “Young man, why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up? I now know definitively over 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp.” And shortly after that Edison invented the light bulb. He did not allow negative people to prevent him from attaining his goal and neither should we.

You are 100% responsible for your results. Evaluate yourself from a third person standpoint. Imagine that you’re evaluating a paid employee. Would you be happy with your results? Do you show up for work on time? Do you go the extra mile and are you creative and innovative? Are you bringing in sales or are you unknowingly pushing them away. Take a good hard look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. If you were working for someone else would your job be in jeopardy?

Brides are a lot like Gazelle. If you’ve ever watched animal planet you’ve seen Cheetah stalking Gazelle. Oh occasionally you will see a Gazelle wondering about the tall grass paying no attention to the Cheetah hiding in the tall grass only a few feet away, that never works out well for the Gazelle, but for the most part Gazelle are somewhat paranoid because they know that there are Cheetah near by and they know that Cheetah eat Gazelle. So they tip toe around looking for grass to eat, but they never take their eyes off the tall grass and they are always ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

Brides are much the same, they are ready to bolt at the first sign of danger, but what are the signs of danger to a bride? There are many, but one of the biggest is when a photographer won’t let them speak. It may be totally unintentional, the photographer may just be really excited to be selling to a bride and telling her all about his new gear or his – dare I say it – photojournalistic approach.  And really there’s nothing wrong with that, nothing that is unless the bride wants to say something and you don’t give her the chance. This is like spots moving among the tall grass to the potential bride. She could care less about your dual digic IV processor or the difference between L series and consumer grade glass. All she’s hearing is that you don’t care about what she has to say. You may not even notice it, but her eye’s have glassed over, she’s checking her watch and is wondering about the studio she passed on the way to see you.

Learn when to speak and when to keep silent and listen. Really pay attention to what your bride is saying and respond positively. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Learn to put out the right message, and learn how to shorten the process by understanding the process in which brides buy. If at all possible never ever say no to a bride. Saying no to a bride is like saying no to opportunity. You never know what good things might happen by saying yes.  Don’t believe me, go out and rent “Yesman” staring Jim Carrey. Although the movie may be an over dramatized example the principle still applies.

Ultimately you want to dig your well before the drought comes, plant your seeds before the harvest has arrived. By doing the marketing you will ensure your continued success. And when the inevitable disappointments come look at them like Thomas Edison. Not as failures but as learning experiences of how not to market your business. In the end you will become what you think about becoming if, and only if, you put those thoughts into actions.

You’re probably wondering what that heck is “The Size of the Rat” and how does it have anything to do with photography? Don’t worry I’ll explain later. But I came across something on the Internet earlier today and it really got my literary juices flowing to the point where I sat down and pecked away at this keyboard for an hour or so. Somehow what I had started out to write morphed into something completely incomprehensible and tragically different from what I had intended, although I thought it entertaining. Then after a review from a trusted friend it was decided that the best place for it would be  deep within the bowls of the round file, and yet there remained a single paragraph that somehow transcended the obscurity of the abundant ramblings and found it’s way back on to my monitor and morphed into this current incarnation. So if any of this sounds remotely interesting to you – Read On! 

I recently read a blog article entitled “The Fame Game” by Jeff Ascough. In it he talks about a certain mentality among many photographers seeking to become famous for fames sake and giving seminars around the world while not really learning their craft. It’s a hot button topic to be sure and one that I think I’ll pass commentary on, but it did get me to thinking. What is it that makes a successful photographer, weather it’s landscape, commercial, portrait, or yes, even wedding photography.

One definition of the word success is “The achievement of something desired.” You insert the thing desired then figure out how to achieve it. No doubt we all have desires and different ideas on how to achieve them but that in itself doesn’t make us successful. So we add hard work to the recipe in the hopes that it will be the vehicle that moves us from where we are to where we want to be. Unfortunately there’s no guarantee our vehicle has enough gas to get us from point A to point B. Now what?

Well for some, riding in the wake of others who seemly have attained the success we desire appears to be the answer. While there can be many benefits to learning by proxy, you want to be careful in choosing your mentors especially when your cold hard cash is involved. A good way to judge who is worth the money is the same way discerning brides choose their wedding photographers – good references. In photo communities you will find many photographers who have been to seminars and be able to recommend those that are worth while as well as, and perhaps more importantly, those who are not.

These seminars can be a great experience or a great disappointment. Something to think about when choosing a venue is what are your expectations, what are you hoping to get out of it, and how much are you willing to pay for it? If you want to get hands on then be careful to make sure that the class size is limited. In this way you will be able to get the one on one attention you need if your not quite getting it or have questions. But remember these limited availability classes will inevitably cost you more then the larger classes. Larger classes may not be able to give you the individualized instruction you want, but you will have a great opportunity to meet new people and network.

I once read a book three times; it was titled “The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography”, written by the late adventure/landscape photographer Galen Rowell. Even though landscape photography is as far from wedding photography as the north pole is from the south, he talked about something that transcends not only every aspect of photography but life in general. “The Size of the Rat”.

What in the world does “The Size of the Rat” have to do with photography? If any of you are mountain climbers you may have heard the phrase around campfires at the base of towering granite cliffs as you considered the task that lay before you the next morning. But for the rest of us the idiom is probably as alien as a blobfish.

Simply put, “The Size of the Rat” is what makes one mountain climber succeed where another climber of equal ability and physical condition fails. Yes “The Size of the Rat” refers to the inner person. How bad does he or she want it, and what are they willing to sacrifice to attain it.

Like mountain climbing, building a successful photography business takes time, energy, dedication, and hard work. To this there are no short cuts and no magic bullets.  If the size of your rat isn’t large enough to sustain you in the building stages of your photography business then you will ultimately fail. On the other hand if your rat is large enough there will be no mountain to large for you to summit.

If the size of your rat isn’t large enough now don’t worry, if you feed it it will grow. There’s an old saying we’ve all heard that will help in this regard, “Birds of a feather flock together”. If you hang out with people who are in the business and are successful, some of that might just rub off on you and in turn feed your inner rat. And remember a fat rat is a happy rat and happiness is what being successful is all about.

Doing what you love is essential to having a fat and happy rat. If you’re not in love with being a wedding photographer you will have limited success. But if you are in love with wedding photography you will keep at it and learn everything you can. In the movie National Treasure Nicolas Cage asks Riley this profound question – “one step short of crazy, what do you get?”  Riley responds – “Obsessed.” Cage shakes his head and says definitively – “Passionate.”

Passion is an absolutely essential ingredient to being a successful photographer. It’s the driving force behind what we do. It’s what makes us leave the security of a well paying day job for the uncertainty of being self-employed. It’s what gets us out of bed at 3am to photograph daybreak at Death Valley two hundred miles from home. If there ever was one, passion is the magic bullet, it’s the fire that burns, it’s the rat dwells within us. 

So the next time you’re wondering what it is that makes some photographers successful where others fail don’t be surprised if in the back of your mind you hear – “The Size of the Rat”!

Posted by: Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos – www.rsvpstudios.com

Is there anything more memorable then an amazing portrait of a bride and groom on their wedding day? When I look at wedding albums usually the first thing I see is great shot of the newly weds gracing page one. It sets the tone for the rest of the album and builds anticipation for what lies inside. Instantly the memories of the day will flood the minds of the viewer and chances are the bride and groom will never look this good in a photograph again. It’s a huge responsibility to be sure, but one I always look forward to and strive to improve on with each and every wedding I shoot. 

With that in mind we as photographers can’t afford to take such images for granted, we couldn’t allow ourselves to just show up and hope for the best. What to do? If you’re like me you spend countless hours searching the websites of other photographers, or maybe you’ve subscribed to a few wedding photographers blogs via RSS. Or, maybe your regularly thumb through the pages of Grace Ormond, The Knot, or some other wedding magazines. It’s a great way to get ideas and see developing trends from people in the business. It’s called cognitive stimulation, and there are many hidden benefits to this activity.

Stimulating your cognitive senses is like visual Viagra for the photographer and when put to good use can be just as satisfying in an artistic sense. Several things happen when you feed on a well balanced diet of visual input. First you are making constant deposits in the bank account of your sensory perception – basically your feeding the artist within. Images you like stay with you and are there to withdraw when you need them. As an example, many times I have found myself walking through a venue looking for visual cues for dramatic photographs, an archway, a chandelier, a row of columns, whatever. Unfortunately not every venue has such architectural characteristics and this can leave you feeling somewhat disheartened. However, there may be things that you may not have thought of before, ways of shooting that may not have crossed your mind, or you simply have not used. However, when you have a large amount of images stored away in your cognitive bank account you may remember seeing a similar setting that when lit correctly looked amazing. Believe it or not, those images will pop back into your mind when you need them.

I had recently viewed a blog post by Jasmine Star, wherein she blogged about inspiration. She had posted a photograph of the wall behind her desk that was littered with images, some wedding, some fashion. Were they images of her best work staring her in the face every day as a constant reminder of how good she had become? Nope. Were they their for her clients to see how many magazines she had been published in? Nope, nope… The images on her wall were the works of other photographers she admired and wanted to emulate, the direction she wanted her imagery to head in. Each day that she sees those images the more likely they will be locked away in her mind for future reference. A cognitive billboard on the roadway of her creative process.

Now if you’re thinking that you need to develop your own style or be true to yourself, an original photographer who works are solely your own, don’t give up on this idea. Why not? I’ll tell you a brief story and then you decide if this is for you or not. Way back in 1993-94 when I had decided to renew my love affair with photography I enrolled in a couple of photography classes at the local college. My instructor encouraged us to show him our best work, so I took him up on the offer and brought in an album of what I considered to be my best work. He flipped through the pages of the album much like Jack Nicholson when he was portraying the Joker in the movie Batman. As he thumbed through Vicki Veils portfolio all you could hear him say was crap! While Lee didn’t verbalize that particular term, his saying, “All I’m seeing a bunch of family pictures and a few dime a dozen-landscape shots” was just his polite way of saying crap! He didn’t have much else to say but he did take us to the library and dropped a bunch of photography books on the table. “Look through these.” he said. “This is art.” There were allot of books, far more then you could look through in the hour or so that we had to do it. So I made it a point to visit the library before every class and spend an hour really devouring the imagery of such great photographers. One day I came across a book that included landscape photography and it got me to thinking. “What if I tried to take pictures like these guys?”

Not long after, I subscribed to a few landscape photography magazines to feed the starving cognitive child that had been borne within the confines of the right side of my brain. I began to cut out the pictures I liked and paste them in a folder that I would take with me when I went out to shoot. When I saw a scene that looked like the ones in the folder I would try to shoot it in the same way that those images had been done. Before long I was able to recognize the visual cues in the landscape and how to arrange them in a way that was artistically pleasing. This process went on until I no longer needed to rely on other photographs. Before I knew it I was relying on previous experience and the ability to pre-visualize the image in my head.

A few years later I had entered an image I had taken at Canyonlands National Park called “Days End – Candlestick Tower Overlook”, (google it, it’s all over the net) in the local art museums annual art show. To my surprise the image won the LMAC Award. It’s like winning an Oscar in the photo community of the Antelope Valley. My photo teacher was the only other photographer that had ever won that award. Now here was the student beating out the teacher, and for me the circle was complete.

Interestingly my photo teacher had once said to me that you will need to shoot 100,000 images before you will develop your own style. This is so because no one is a natural born photographer. Think about it, have you ever heard of a child photography protégé? I never have.  This is because photography is a learned medium that takes time to develop. This isn’t to say that you can’t be born with a pre-disposition to be a great photographer, but there are so many technical and aesthetical properties involved that the ability to create amazing images with a camera is a learned skill. Learning by proxy is one way to get on the fast track to developing your own unique vision of the world and allowing your style to emerge.

The other aspect of photography that you are going to have to learn before your style will be allowed to blossom is the nuts and bolts behind every image. You need to learn your gear, and acquire the tools to make it happen. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get by without them, but they sure make the job easier and nine times out of ten better.

The first image is a perfect example of having the right tools. After the ceremony and formal shots were done the bride and groom wanted to get some shots alone on the beach. No problem right? Wrong… The sun had set and it was getting dark. I needed a few things to be able to get a usable image for my clients. First I needed to introduce an artificial light source to illuminate my subjects. Second I needed a way to trigger that light source. And third I needed an assistant to make adjustments and hold the light source. Take away any of these tools and no image, no usable image anyways.

The process of this image had begun long before the day of the shoot. Having and knowing how to use those tools is essential, after all do you really want to be learning how to use your wireless flash setup on paying customers? From previous experience I know that the camera manufacturer’s IR triggering system wouldn’t work at this distance, so I used a set of radio slaves. Having an assistant who knows how to adjust your strobe is definitely a lifesaver. A little training and practice ahead of time is all that’s required.

When I had booked this event the bride had informed we before hand that she definitely wanted images taken by the ocean. Being new to the area I had never been to Galveston before so this required a little homework on my part. Simple stuff like how far was the beach from the venue, what time of day, how much time would I need to schedule in between the days events.

Although I had never been to the Galvez, the other two images were the products of pre-visualization. As I walked into the lobby of the hotel I instantly recognized several areas that I could use to create some dramatic portraits with the right lighting. This was a direct result of the cognitive bank account I mentioned earlier. Once I saw them I could see other images that I had locked away of similar settings and I could see how to use those setting to achieve a similar result but in my own unique style.

So if creating dramatic, romantic, wedding day imagery is your goal, remember to feed the artist within a steady diet of the work of those you admire and get familiar with the tools you have at your disposal. 

Houston Wedding Photographer Scott Villalobos

Oh how I admire the life of the amateur photographer, carefree and skipping about through vast fields of wildflowers (quite literally myself four years ago) looking for the most magical light on the most magical poppy on the most magical day. You know what I’m talking about, the good old days when the only thing you had to worry about was in which order you would frame your favorite prints and hang them down the hall so that you could listen to your friends sing your accolades and ask in wonderment how you ever captured such a moment with your new 300 mega pixel, state of the art, “yeah I spent my whole tax return on it and part of my kids college money too”, digital camera. 

Oh for the good old days of not so long ago. But then something happened, something both wonderful and yet terrifying in the same breath. Those accolades from your friends seeped deep down into your being and you decided to scratch the itch and turn pro. What’s worse, you decided you would turn your passion into your business. Oh don’t worry, your not alone, infact you’re in very good company. Yet for the many who have come before you, being in business for themselves is like being on an alien planet with out oxygen. You’re totally excited to be there but you have no idea how you’re going to survive once you finish holding your breath.

The first step in learning to survive in the business of photography, whether it is portrait, wedding, stock, whatever, is to learn how to be in business period. You have to learn how to breath a different kind of air, and by the way, all that passion you have for creating amazing imagery won’t help you here. You’ll have to change your mindset from photographer to business owner and gain an understanding of all the facets that are involved. You know, those warm fuzzy little things like accounting, marketing, advertising, being an employer, customer service, financial planning, etc, etc…

Did I lose you? Don’t go back to your day job yet. There are resources out there to help you succeed, and the best part is you can tap into many of these for free. We’ll maybe not free, but on the cheap anyways. For example, I photograph competition cheerleaders and sell them various packages with different products. To deliver these products I needed to purchase packaging. This I did through a company called American Retail Supply. Even though I didn’t solicit it, I started receiving emails from the company owner about running a successful business. He would share many insights of his own and of his customers. Many times there were tidbits of info that I found useful for starting and running my business.

Another resource I came across was joining the PPA. While the membership isn’t free, it did come with a one-year subscription to “Professional Photographer” magazine. Now I’m not one to read a lot of magazines but I do find myself reading 75% of it’s content, also I find myself reading it more then once. Joining the PPA doesn’t only provide you with a magazine subscription though; it provides many services to its members to help them succeed in the business of photography. I was strongly urged by a friend to join (I won’t mention any names but Krista you know who you are) and I strongly urge you to join as well. You won’t regret it, and if money is a problem, they will take monthly payments to ease your financial pain and that’s a relief when you’ve quit your day job for your dream job.

And since were speaking of our dream job, if it starts turning into a nightmare the PPA offers a service known as SMS. Studio Management Services (SMS) is a unique PPA program where each studio is teamed with an experienced business mentor and a PPA staff accountant. Together, they will evaluate your business, work closely with you to develop your plan, and provide valuable financial and marketing support. Support service options range from a one-time consultation to ongoing quarterly or monthly plans and hourly bookkeeping services.

There really are too many benifits to list in this short space so I’m just gonna post a link to the benifits page on the PPA website so make sure you check it out here: http://www.ppa.com/benefits/details-nonmembers.php

Other venues for gaining info on being in the business are on forums such as this one where for a small monthly fee you will be exposed and able to access people in the business. You are encouraged to ask questions, I’ve never met a photographer who didn’t like to talk about his business. (Be careful what you wish for though, some of them won’t shut up. I’m not pointing fingers at anybody, I’m just saying.)  

Next, for those of you who like to read there is a seemingly unending supply of books about how to be in the business of photography available at your local bookstore. Many will be specific to your genre of photography while others will be more generalized. Whatever you’re looking for I guarantee you somebody has or is in the process of writting a book about it. One book that I found helpful was “Business & Legal Forms for Photographers” by Tad Crawford. If you’re just starting out this may be just the thing you need as it contains all kinds of forms from image licensing to wedding photography contracts and more. It even comes with a CD of the forms in Word format so you can simply add your info to the form without having to retype the whole thing.

Something Keith Lee, the owner of American Retail Supply, really makes clear in his emails is that to be successful you need to think of yourself not as someone in the business of whatever your business is, but as someone in the business of marketing the business your in. What does that translate to? I use myself as an example. I’m a professional wedding and portrait photographer, but I’m in the business of marketing my wedding and portrait photography. There is a whole lot more that needs to be said about this topic so stay tuned.

PS, for those of you who care to know about the portrait above. This was taken on the wedding day about twenty minutes before the ceremony. If you look at the picture hanging on the wall behind Lauren you will notice that it’s a woman in a beautiful dress much like a wedding dress. I saw this and the lights went on in my head so I thought this would be a perfect chance for life to imitate art. This really was a no brainer, no special lighting other then the table lamp and a little creative dodging and burning in Lightroom and Photoshop. I’ll be posting the wedding highlights on my blog this week if your interested. Just click on the picture to get there.

Next time: “The Business of Marketing Your Business”

Houston Wedding Photographer – Scott Villalobos –  RSVP Studios