When I first began in photography the square format was intriguing. My Nikon FE used 35mm film (a 3:2 ratio) but many of the admired professionals were shooting with Hasselblads and Rolleiflexes, capturing square images (1:1 ratio) on 120 film. Eventually I worked up to a Yashicamat 124G, a twin lens Japanese cousin of the Rolleiflex. The big negatives would yield beautifully smooth tonal gradations and greater detail than my little 35mm negs. Plus I really liked shooting with the square format, looking at the world in a different way.

Over the years I’ve used different camera systems that have captured at 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 4:5 and 6:7 aspect ratios. Many of these cameras have been used for commercial work and the native aspect ratio hasn’t mattered much since cropping for a layout is almost always inevitable. For personal work, though, I generally prefer to shoot tight, without cropping. For that reason I like to see through the viewfinder just what will appear in the final image. That’s been one of the deciding factors in how I would choose a camera system. Many prophotolife readers have commented that they feel the same way, preferring to not crop their images.

Well, I’ve wanted to gear up for shooting more personal work and the thought of the square format has been calling. I can think of a few ways to accomplish capturing a square image digitally. Purchasing a nice new medium format back to carry around for personal work is one thought. That solution is too expensive and cumbersome for my needs, though. Canon makes a focusing screen for the 5D with the square format marked on it. That’s a cool option. And Nikon’s point and shoot P6000 apparently has a 1:1 ratio choice built in (good on ya, Nikon!). The point and shoot option sounds appealing.

I could also use something like my current little Panasonic DMC-TZ3 and, since it doesn‘t have a viewfinder, tape off the sides of the LCD screen to form a square for framing. No, it doesn’t have a 1:1 choice built-in but it does offer 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 (widescreen movie format) as user selectable settings. That means the square crop would have to be created in post-production, something I’d admittedly prefer not to do, if possible, preferring to capture in the final format. I decided to grab the TZ3 and shoot some square images just to see what it would be like.

Family members had just finished fixing up an older house to sell and I stopped by to shoot photos just for fun, for both them and myself. The plan was to spend about an hour shooting square images with the point and shoot. The plan lasted about five minutes before it went off the rails.

I found something out: when the subject and camera offer so many options it was hard for me not to use them. Before long I was seeing things as not only 1:1 but also as 3:2, 4:3 and 16:9. The original plan was abandoned and, instead, I decided to exercise all of the camera’s options, in addition to the square.

Trying something new always involves this “discovery process”. It’s great to go into a situation with a good plan. It’s also valuable to realize when it’s time to be flexible. I just wasn’t ready to commit to one format, instead deciding to shoot freely, instinctively, and then making decisions after viewing the photos. But I did want to come out of the day with a clearer picture of an aspect ratio to pursue in future work.

It can easily be argued that most any image can be cropped a number of ways. And that leads us right into the fact that this is all subjective. It has to do with the individual taking the photographs and, certainly, different subjects can lend themselves to different formats. So what did I feel after seeing the photos?

	1:1 - imagine this, it didn’t have the intended effect at all. While it worked well it wasn’t something I felt as strongly about after pursuing it. You just never know till you try.
	3:2 - this is the standard DSLR format and I’ve been shooting it off and on for 20+ years. It’s just time to do something a little different.
	16:9 - this is a cool ratio, the widescreen movie format. It’s what we’re shooting all of our studio video work at so part of my week is spent working in 16:9 already. It feels a little extreme for this personal photography, though.
	4:3 - I wouldn’t have guessed it but this format appealed to me as soon as the images were reviewed. I did say this is all subjective, right? Such a conservative ratio and what I would consider the least distinctive of all.

Giving it a minute of thought, maybe it’s because 4:3 is close to 5:4, a ratio associated with large format view cameras. Maybe this subject lends itself well to a kind of methodical “view camera” approach and that’s why it appeals. Thinking further, that’s kind of how I like to shoot.

So, after all the playing around, 4:3 has gained my favor as a result of this experiment. The Panasonic is now set to 4:3 to stay for awhile. Interestingly enough, that’s what makes maximum use of the sensor area on the camera with no cropping, unlike 3:2 or 16:9. That’s a bonus. The only time I’ve really shot 4:3 before was when using a 120 roll film back on my 4” x 5” camera that shot 6 cm x 8 cm images. I shot hundreds of rolls of transparency film through that back.

That was a long time ago but I’ve always looked back at that time fondly. It just goes to show you that what goes around comes around.

The new studio is "box city".

It was easy to find links for this week’s around the ‘net, there’s a lot of great posting going on. Here are my favorite six for this week, ranging from pretty photos to the business of photography to some info for the tech junkies. Hopefully something for everyone:

National Geographic Photo Contest

Looking for inspiration? The results from National Geographic’s 2008 International Photography Contest have been posted. The winners and honorable mentions appear, most with judges comments below them. If you haven’t been to National Geographic’s online photography section you’ll also find sections of photo tips and other info of interest to photographers.

Analysis of a Wedding Shoot

If you’re considering shooting weddings…or if you’re already a wedding photographer and want to compare notes…David Ziser has started a comprehensive series of posts titled The Analysis of a Wedding Shoot (part 1 here). This is an extremely helpful guide showing how he and his team go through the wedding photography process with a client. The posts are full of the valuable insights and attention to detail that have made David a leader in the profession. Part 2 was posted this week with more to follow.

Food Photography Tips

Professional tips for better food photography is an informative piece posted on Ask the Photographer. It lists background on Lou Manna, the featured photographer, and a host of tips from food prep to lighting. I just recently stumbled across the site and there’s some really nice content well worth a look. Plus I admit to being partial to the site design (it might look a little familiar to prophotolife readers).

Wireless Remote Comparison

This next link is an answer to a number of reader questions regarding wireless remote triggers for strobes. I have a hard time keeping up with all of the options out there but, thankfully, DIYPhotography.net has posted a huge product comparison in Exploring Small Strobes: Going Wireless. Listed are five of the top selling options, complete with pros, cons and price comparisons. If you’re trying to make sense of it all this is a great place to start.

Shooting Tethered in Lightroom

Lightroom expert Matt Kloskowski has listed some options for shooting tethered into Lightroom. Also check the comments below the post for some reader solutions for specific camera models.

Creating Custom Color Profiles

Here’s one for the extremely technically savvy: Creating DNG Profiles for Adobe ACR Processing. If you understand what that means then I’ll bet your interested. If it makes no sense then this one might not be for you. This Northlight Images article shows a method for creating your own custom color management profiles when using DNG files and Adobe Camera Raw (the RAW processor in Photoshop and Lightroom). I haven’t had time to really dig into the article but plan to when time allows. Let me know if anyone gives it a go, it looks pretty interesting.

That’s it for this week. If you head out shopping for Black Friday, good luck. I’ll be eating leftover turkey and surfing the net between naps, a real day of relaxation. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you next week…

- Jim T.

While I would enjoy seeing a brand new DSLR in the hands of every prophotolife reader this season that seems pretty unlikely. Just for the sake of discussion, I set a photo gift target of $50 or less and thought about what I would value most at that price point. Here’s what I came up with:

Sensor Swab Digital Survival Kit ($18).  I’ve tried the blowers and brushes but nothing has worked as well as a wet cleaning method like this. I carry extra swabs and always take the sensor cleaning kit on location with me. Don’t get me wrong, I check the sensor before every important shoot and make sure it looks good before ever leaving the studio. But if something turns up on location, we’re ready.

A Tiffen Circular Polarizer Filter ($20-50). The Tiffen filters don’t have the multi-coatings of the more expensive B+W and Hoya filters but they’re still quality products at a bargain price that meet the needs of most photographers.

A lot of photographers know the value of a polarizer, especially for darkening blue skies and saturating colors. Ahhh, you say, that can all be done in Photoshop now. Yes, this is true…to some extent. One thing the polarizer does that’s special is it can eliminate glare and reflections on surfaces like glass, water and metal. That’s something that can only be done at the time of exposure and only with the help of a polarizer.

Holga 120N Medium Format Camera ($33). Yes, it’s a sentimental favorite. It does take 120 film that requires processing, which adds to the cost. But the experience and the look of the images is worth it for multitudes of art photographers and photo students worldwide. A simple plastic camera, film and no LCD screen: it’s a different way of thinking.

Set of 3 QP Cards for white / black / grey balance ($13). If you want accurate color balance in your images it helps to have a quality gray card to balance to. These QP cards are small, durable and come as a set that will last long time with just a little bit of care. Shoot one frame with the card in the shot, balance the gray to neutral in your processing software and then apply that to all similar exposures for more accurate white balance.

Shoe Mount Multiclamp ($17) and Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.5-Foot Light Stand ($30). Want to get your speedlight off of the camera? This combination of clamp and stand totals less than $50 and opens up a world of new possiblilities. Adding an umbrella doesn’t push us over the target price by very much, either.

Let me know if you have any other “under $50″ ideas you’d recommend. Hey wait a minute! I just remembered a couple of budget items that should have made the list. Don’t forget the clamp light and the stick in a can.

And if you do have the budget for a new DSLR or that dream lens, congratulations, it’s always fun to add a new addition. I’m sure site sponsor Calumet Photo would appreciate your consideration when you’re looking for a place to buy, so check out the Huge Holiday Sale at Calumet Photographic! 11.26.08 thru 12.01.08. They offer discount prices and professional service, a rarity these days.

It’s been awhile in the making but we’re getting there. The production work is caught up (pretty much), the boxes are packed and heaps and heaps of items are getting downsized. Daylight Photo is getting ready for our next incarnation, instituting changes we’ve long thought about. Monday and Tuesday we’re moving the boxes and the following week we’ll be up and running at the new address.

It’s a dramatically different photo studio layout and design, going from a 4,000 square foot facility down to 1,000 square feet. We won’t have all of the same capabilities and the location won’t be as convenient for a few of our customers. Yet it’s something I‘ve been looking forward to for some time. There are a number of reasons for the move and, along with photos posted here, I’ll recap why it‘s simply time for a change.

A little background:

Our new studio is in a building called Essex Studios, a massive former textile factory. It’s also the place we started Daylight Photo some six or so years ago. The reason we called ourselves Daylight Photo is because of the massive windows we had there. Essex Studios is filled with art studios and is “Artsy with a capitol A”. Five times a year there are two-day art walks that draw a large local crowd. It also houses the American Sign Museum.

After Daylight Photo was a year old we had an opportunity to move from Essex to Blue Ash, our current studio, the one you’ve seen in the prophotolife videos. A friend in Blue Ash needed someone to share his studio and I had actually shared that space before, so it was like “coming home” in a way. While it lacked the character and vibe of Essex it was in a great location for industrial work. It also increased our capability for producing larger catalog and room set jobs, something we were interested in pursuing.

Now, five years later, we’re downsizing and going back to where we started out, back to Essex. The reasons?

1. The industry has changed. Building large room sets seems to be becoming a thing of the past and much of our work is done on location now. We just don’t fill all of that space the way we used to and computers are replacing set builders and prop masters.

2. The commute will be much friendlier. A one way trip to the studio will be cut from 24 miles down to 9 miles for me, a welcome change. No more 50 mile roundtrips every time I forget something on a weekend!

3. Our overhead will be cut quite a bit. I have to be honest, we had a really good deal on our big, 4,000 square foot space. But this downsize will cut the lease, utility and travel expenses by more than half. That’s money we’d rather put in our pocket.

4. I missed windows…daylight!

5. The location is closer to downtown and we’ll be surrounded by creative people every day.

It’s easy to see there will be a considerable savings in time and money as a result of the move. But what are the potential downsides? Well, we may lose a client or two because of the smaller studio or because of location. Is that a problem? We don’t consider it to be.

The biggest advantage of the time and space savings, though, will be freedom. Just because you have a large studio and sometimes do large jobs doesn’t mean they are necessarily fun and highly profitable. I think that’s a common misconception. Sometimes the headaches grow beyond the budget and, at the end of the day, it can seem like a beast that needs feeding. And it just seems like this is the right time to reconnect with our roots, the reasons we got involved with photography, and to lessen the business pressures.

Now we’ll be leaner, more agile and closer to the Cincinnati creative community. With less overhead we want to shift more of our energy to producing our own projects (both photo and video), rather than doing just client work. Hopefully now there will be time to grow prophotolife in some of the ways I‘d like to, also.

And, most of all, getting rid of some of the excess should help us to simplify and spend less time on the business of photography and more time on the fun and creativity that is photography. That should pay off in dividends that can’t be measured by time or money!

Though we all enjoy discussing photography, I admit there’s something I do like better: actually taking photographs. That’s why I’m pleased to be a part of DIYPhotography.net’s latest project titled “Something New - A Photography Project“.

Udi at DIYPhotography.net is always sharing great DIY tips and ideas to bring photographers together and he has a wonderful concept here. There are many aspects to the project and they all have to do with sharing and learning, both photo equipment and ideas. Photographers worldwide are encouraged to pair up with another local photographer to share a piece of photo equipment (which can be anything…a dslr, lens, strobe, tripod, you name it). Then the photographers will join each other on a shoot and write a review on what they’ve had an opportunity to try. And, of course, we want to see the photos!

Complete details are available at DIYPhotography.net, including info on the prizes offered. The sponsor of the project, BorrowLenses.com, will be providing three prizes in the form of free two-week rentals on camera bodies and lenses of the winners choice. It’s a great opportunity to handle some nice photo equipment you might be interested in trying out. Udi and I will be joined by Brian Auer from Epic Edits Weblog to do the judging.

In response to recent photo biz questions I’d like to point out some really informative links. These are for everyone interested in photography as a business:

The ASMP has a wealth of free information in their business articles section, starting with Business Tips for the Freelance Photographer through Crafting a Marketing Strategy to Delivering Great Customer Service. If you check out any of those articles you’ll find links to even more info on the website. I have to say I’m proud to be a part of the organization and the fact that they freely give away this knowledge in order to elevate the standards of all photographers. Good stuff.

In direct response to a question on model releases and what they should read, I’ll mention that our studio uses the adult, minor and property releases provided by the ASMP. Again, this particular info is accessible by anyone. Members do get additional access to even more detailed info but there’s heaps there for anyone to browse.

And, lastly in the business category, one of our former photo assistants has started their own business and we were talking about taxes today. I recently discovered that the IRS has an extensive collection of educational videos for small business startups and owners. Where better to get the information than straight from the source? I especially liked the title of “how to set up and run your business so paying taxes isn’t a hassle”. Many prophotolife readers may find “what you need to know when you run your business out of your home” helpful. I’ll note that clicking on the video titles didn’t get them to play for me, I had to use the “download” option and then all was well.

We’re moving Daylight Photo to our new location over the next few days, the boxes are packed and strewn all about. Throw in seven hours of video tape that needs edited, a few days out of town for Thanksgiving and it’s safe to say I’m not likely to get bored any time soon! Before long I’ll be able to show you the new place, something I’m looking forward to.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a good weekend and I’ll see you on Monday…

- Jim T.

My studio has a wonderful client that imports printing presses and we’ve worked together many times on various projects. Last year we flew to another Midwestern city to do a large advertising project for them at a brand new facility, a brightly lit shop with state of the art equipment. After two days we came away with beautiful photographs that everyone was proud of…a job well done.

Shortly after that, the art director called and said they had another facility that needed photographed. This job would be different, though, the photos were for editorial use and he asked that I fly solo to Chicago to photograph a particular press for half a day. The photos were “hot” and would have to be sent to a waiting magazine the following day.

“No problem”, I said, and asked for the details.

“It’s just a couple of shots”, he replied, “of a brand new machine in a brand new facility, we’ll email you a few sample shots so you can see what we’re after”.

To date I’d done these shoots with at least one photo assistant, a full lighting setup and shooting tethered to the computer for approvals. Since this was editorial in nature and both the facility and machine were new it would be more of a “run and gun” thing. I envisioned the new, brightly lit facility we’d just worked in and felt my camera bag, tripod, a couple of battery powered strobes and light stands would do the job. The plan was to use available light and pop just a little bit of fill light in with the two small flash units. Just in case, I asked for scouting photos from the facility, to figure a few angles in advance.

The emails started coming in with shot ideas. Very creative ideas, I might add: shooting above the machine looking into the brightly colored inks and dramatic angles shot from the floor. The shot list began to grow in length and complexity. I had to remind everyone that this was an editorial shoot with a simple setup and now we’re getting into much more complex shots. They understood but, as sometimes happens, they hoped that conditions would be perfect and there would be extra time on my hands. I’d do my best but could only promise to cover the original bases. And where were the scouting shots?

The scouting shots of the facility never arrived but the shop owner assured that the new building and press would be in order. No problem, sometimes you just have to roll with it and time was flying by. Before I knew it I was on a plane and in a rent-a-car, ready to spend all of half a day in Chicago before flying back home.

My map to the shop led me to an older industrial area. Where was the new shop? Was this the wrong road? An older building had the correct address but surely this wasn’t the place. I went inside and asked for the owner.

This was indeed the place and the owner greeted me with a smile and a handshake. And then he asked me, in all seriousness, “hey, can you come back and shoot this next week?”.

Uh-oh, I sensed a communication breakdown. I assured him that the photos were needed the following day by the magazine and had to be shot asap. He cautioned that there might be a little problem with that.

We walked back toward the dimly lit press room. The building was far from new, at least fifty years of printing had been done there. Two small light bulbs hung over the press. It turns out this wasn’t a new facility, but it was new to this particular owner. Communication breakdown #1.

As we turned the corner I recognized the machine I’d traveled all of this way to shoot. Imagine my surprise to see that it was in a hundred pieces, scattered all about. At least five workers were around the press, working feverishly. Communication breakdown #2.

But wait, it gets better. Were they putting the machine together? Fixing it? Neither, they were visibly modifying it with new features so that it no longer appeared stock, the way the client expected it to be photographed. They had been working around the clock to get the modifications done in time for a big upcoming print job. Communication breakdown #3.

Now I was faced with a dimly lit older facility, a machine in pieces and, even if it were put back together, it wouldn’t appear exactly as it should. And under my arm was a folder full of beautiful advertising photos and angles the client was hoping to achieve with this quick editorial shoot.

Those kinds of days don’t happen often. Communication is key and somehow, somewhere, it broke completely down. But I still had photos to shoot.

I began negotiations with the owner and the crew in order to salvage something from the trip. They agreed to stop their work and reassemble the machine to look as close to stock as possible. This would take them about two hours and then they’d give me one hour for photography but, at that point, they needed to tear it back down to resume their modifications. They were on a completely different deadline than I was.

I had two choices: either roll with things this way or have the client intervene, complicating things but buying more time for photography. Sometimes I’d choose the latter but in this case, it didn’t seem worth it. More time wouldn’t fix the age of the facility or the dimly lit room. I made phone calls, made everyone aware of what greeted me but resigned myself to making it work in a short amount of time.

All told, I ended up with about 45 minutes for photography before heading to the airport. A series of the machine was shot with the two small flash units and a series with a press operator was taken. Needless to say, there wasn’t time for the “if you have extra time” shots.

No, the photos from that day won’t make the portfolio but the client was very happy in the end, especially given the conditions. The bottom line is that, on any given assignment, a professional photographer has to at least cover the bases, even when everything goes against them.

Like the times we’ve had to shoot in the rain and the client wants a “sunny” look…but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Food photography: how to think like a food photographer part 1 - part 2 - part 3
People photography: one actor, one weekend, seventeen characters
Motorsports photography: my story, magazine / editorial photography

Sometimes I do feel like the old saying: “a Jack of all trades and master of none”. To be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. A natural curiousity about different subjects has allowed me to make a living as a professional but still enjoy photography like an amateur. In the end, photography itself has always been my interest, not a particular subject.

There’s definitely been one thing missing from my photographic checklist and that’s the conscious pursuit of nature photography. My perception of a real nature photographer has always involved big glass, macro lenses, ring lights and weeks spent in the wild. Stories from wildlife experts like Moose Peterson can give a glimpse into that lifestyle but, never having made a concerted effort to photograph in the wild, I’ve wondered what my vision as a nature photographer might be like. Just this weekend, after revisiting some personal photos, I caught a glimpse.

On Saturday and Sunday I loaded thousands of my personal images into Adobe Lightroom 2 to give the program a really good test drive. The first task was to edit family photos shot for a friend and I was extremely impressed and pleased with the speed and quality. So much so that I decided to load in my personal images and do a bit of sorting. Yep, I’m moving beyond the trial and finally(!) plunking down my $299 US for the full version of the software (if you’re interested in the 30 day trial, you can Use it today. Download Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 directly. Available only at Adobe.com.).

I began tagging various outdoor photos, many of which never particularly stood out on their own. A number of them were shot in my studio parking lot while walking in or out of the front door (talk about close to home). The images were simple, most shot just as textures and backgrounds. But an obvious style did emerge…and that made me feel good. It’s a start.

Though I may never engage in a fully serious pursuit of nature photography, it’s nice to see that the interest has already emerged in ways that I hadn’t recognized before. I’ve seen this with other professionals, also: the food photographer who shoots landscapes that are never seen by others, for example.

It also makes me realize that, while specializing can play an important role in a photographic career, I’m pleased that it hasn’t limited how, when, or why I pick up a camera. Even if the subject has been shot a million times, even if the light isn’t perfect, even if the idea isn’t completely original. Continuing to shoot anything and everything, whether it’s for fun or profit, is the reason I became a photographer in the first place and the reason I’m still in it today, still trying to learn and grow.

- Jim T.

Every so often I come across an online video that is truly exceptional. This TED presentation by David Griffin called “Photography connects us with the world” is one those videos. Griffin is the director of National Geographic magazine and, as such, he’s extremely qualified to discuss the storytelling power of photographs. It’s definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in photo stories.

The next vid is also from TED, this one from well-known nature photographer Frans Lanting (National Geographic, Audobon, Time). He takes nature photo stories one step further by telling the tale of our planet’s evolution through photographs. Starting at the beginning of time through to the present, Lanting tackles a monumental subject in a creative way: telling the story of life itself. The photographer devoted five years to the project and it has me thinking of photo story subjects in a very different way.

The Big Photo List

The attached photo is from our every-other-month ASMP pints ‘n’ pixels meeting. Daylight Photo hosted this month’s meeting once again, the last such hurrah in our current studio. In a couple of weeks we’ll be in our new space and a new chapter will begin. The reason I wanted to share this group photo is because it shows something great about organizations like ASMP. There in the back row you’ll find the national ASMP President, Todd Joyce, standing alongside first-time attendee (and faithful prophotolife reader) Noah Hutson. Everyone is there to learn from each other and keep the fun spirit of photography alive: photographers helping photographers.

You may not have professional aspirations but would still like to share your photo passion with others. You say there’s no camera club in your area? Maybe there is…have you checked out the worldwide Big Photo Club and Photo Organization Listing? The website look is definitely old school but the amount of collected information is staggering. Big props to the volunteers putting it all together.

Time to wrap up and turn my attention back to packing the studio for the move. The new, smaller space means simplification and shedding excess, something we’re looking forward to. And, hey, we’re downsizing from 9 computers to 5! I know, I know, it probably sounds ridiculous…but it’s a start. Have good weekend and I’ll see you on Monday…

- Jim T.

I’ve been receiving a number of questions lately about pricing photography. Pricing photography is a difficult and confusing process and, I’ll be honest, it’s getting more difficult all the time. There are novice portrait and wedding photographers with great websites, experienced photographers with outdated websites, moms with a camera that aren’t preoccupied with profitability and established professionals offering the complete package. After looking around I understand why many of you are overwhelmed when it comes to establishing price value for portraits and weddings…at the moment I am, too. What will the coming year bring? More photographers seeking part-time income? Or a reduction in the pursuit of hobby-generated photo income?

I’m much more comfortable with pricing for advertising photography but it’s not particularly simple. My studio uses a system based on the complexity of the job and calculating and our cost of doing business, a formula learned years ago from the book Pricing Photography: The Complete Guide to Assignment & Stock Prices.  While it’s not easy to figure or explain, it’s accurate and has served me well. In addition, the usage by the client is also figured in on a per job basis. This is where my local professional photo organization comes in, too. As peers we all understand our market and have the same concerns about preserving the value of photography. Nationally, we all refer to the ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography, 7th Edition for guidelines.

I thought you might be interested in hearing what other photo jobs in my area are currently paying:

Catalog photographers shoot for a negotiated day rate, creating images for catalogs. They shoot for lower daily rates but are guaranteed a certain amount of work. A project for them may last from one week to several months. These photographers usually supply their own photo equipment and may work on location or in the client’s in-house studio. Prices can range from $300 a day for simple studio shots on white to $1000+ a day for more sophisticated photography.

Pricing for other types of photography may be easier to discover, especially if it’s a non-negotiable “take it or leave it” situation. You may be surprised to find that a major news service pays less than $200 to freelance photographers for covering an entire NFL or MLB game, the last time I checked. Plus the wire service claims all rights to the photos. So, for four hours of work, providing their own photo equipment and giving away all future earnings, the photographer walks away with $200. Rates for news and editorial uses haven’t kept pace with inflation and are still around early ‘90’s levels…plus the photographers rights have eroded.

Compare that to rates paid to photo assistants here in the Cincinnati area. Good commercial photo assistants are generally paid $150 a day (up to 10 hours). That rate hasn’t gone up in a number of years and it really is long overdue. In nearby Columbus, OH, I hear the rate is more like $200 a day. So, let’s do some math. If there are 260 working (week) days a year and a good assistant gets booked 3 days a week (that‘s a good year), that’s 156 days a year x $200 = $30,400 a year. Being self-employed, they’ll pay their own taxes, health care and expenses out of that.

Good regional magazines usually pay around $75-150 for one photo used in the front of the issue. A feature photo package seems to pay from $450 - $1500, depending on complexity. There may be additional budget for a makeup or set stylist on important packages. Small magazines may want to pay with coupons from advertisers. Seriously.

Public relations and event photography is often charged for by the hour. Locally, $125 an hour seems to be a reasonable shooting rate (with a 2 hour minimum charge). That’s just the photographer’s rate and CDs, prints and other forms of image delivery are charged for in addition.

As you can see, prices really are all over the board. Many years ago the ASMP tried to publish a recommended price list for their photographers but the Federal Trade Commission ruled it was Restraint of Trade. As a result, we’ve always been on our own. Dan Heller’s Photography Business Blog has an insightful post, Data Analysis and the Pro Photo Industry, that tells the whole story.

I sometimes wonder what the industy would look like if that standardized price list would have been published. Would pricing be viewed differently today? Would photographers work together more cooperatively? Or would the independent nature of creativity still lead us to fend for ourselves?

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Here’s something a little different for prophotolife, an eight minute video on basic photo montage technique. As you may know, I like to do most of my work during exposure and usually don’t spend a whole lot of time in post-production. Just a little knowledge can go a long way, though, when experimenting and having fun putting together simple compositions like the one in this video. Luckily, my business partner, Bob, is a Photoshop wizard and enjoys spending his days creating the really complex photo composites for our studio.

I’ll mention that our studio owns a copy of every version of Photoshop from PS 4 through to our current CS3 Production Premium Suite for our Mac computers (that’s a lot of money spent with Adobe over the years). But for this video I used the entry-level Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows because that’s what’s loaded on my blogging laptop and I always think it’s interesting to see what can be done with simple equipment. There was a hack done to the software (as mentioned) since PS Elements doesn’t normally include layer masks, an important feature for photo editing. Here’s the link to the Free Layer Mask Tool for Photoshop Elements, in case you’re interested. And if you’re interested in trying out any of the Adobe products, from Elements to CS4 to Lightroom 2, they’re all available as free trial downloads at the International Adobe Store. It’s nice to try before you buy.

Below is a closer look at the result the model photo and layer mask produce when paired together. You can see that on the mask “white reveals and black conceals”. Extrapolate a bit and you’ll see that various shades of gray reveal proportionate amounts of the underlying image.

And here are all of the elements that were paired together for the final image: the wall, the model and the “burned edges”, created with the black paintbrush.

Amazon.com has a variety of learning materials available for more information on Photoshop Elements and the creative possibilities.