8 Tips for Building Intimacy in a Session

When people pay money for a photography session, the expectations are high.  Excitement builds.  The session itself becomes an experience, and adventure.  It's easy to forget how much risk is involved for the client.  They're paying money to someone they don't really know, then putting themselves in a position where they could look "bad."  There's something inherently intimate about photography.  When I shoot weddings I'm deeply aware that I'm often seeing more of the wedding than the bride and groom, and capturing the most intimate parts of it.  And weddings aren't the only "life-changing" experiences that I've had the honor of photographing at Hurricane Images Inc.

So how do you build the trust and intimacy needed to make the client comfortable and the experience memorable?  Here are eight tips:

1. Be professional.  That means be on time, return emails and calls promptly, have a contract, and come prepared.  And don’t look like you just rolled out of bed.
2. Listen first.  Ask questions.  By the end of the session you should know what they’re using the photos for, what they do for a living, whether they have kids, what they’re doing after this, and maybe their hobbies.
3. Share something of yourself.  Unless they ask a specific question, I usually share something about the business of photography-- what I like about it, how long I’ve been doing it, a session that meant something or was funny.  Engage in a real conversation.
4. Develop of list of “supportive” words: that’s great, perfect, looks good, that’s awesome, just like that....  Use them constantly.
5. Show them the back of the camera.  If you like what you see, share it. It builds confidence and gets them excited.
6. Never cross the touch barrier.  Except, well, sometimes you can.  The best and safest rule is to never touch a client or model; instead, mirror how you want them to be physically.  This is a great way to build trust, because it requires a certain amount of silliness.  But it would be disingenuous to say I’ve never moved a client’s elbow or brushed an errant hair out of the way when they couldn’t physically do it for themselves. But you need to have established a lot of trust before that barrier gets broken, and you need to be able to read your client well.  There are some whom I’d never dream to touching beyond the handshake.
7. Don't rush.  I'll take a good hour to shoot a business headshot if the client isn't in a hurry.  Yes, I can do it in 15 minutes, but the only thing memorable about it will be how much those 900 seconds cost. 
8. Enjoy yourself.  They will, too.

Nailing Perfect Exposure in Lightroom

I'll be the first to admit that I have a problem nailing the perfect exposure for the final print, especially if that print is on paper.  Personally, I tend towards moodier images with more dark tones.  Computer monitors generate light, so images usually appear brighter on screen than when printed.  Combine my "mood" with physics of light and you can end up with seriously unhappy client.

Almost all non-professional printers (like those at Walgreens) auto adjust the exposure because of this.  So in many cases you're saved by technology.  But professional printers often don't (it's a mixed bag), and it's always better to be in control of your own exposure.

The rule of thumb I sometimes hear is to find the exposure you like, and then increase it between 1/4 and 1/2 stops when sending to the printer.  That's a good rule of thumb, but I think I've found a more precise way to ensure the skin tone in my portraits are properly exposed.  If we follow the Zone System, we know that skin tones should be between Zones 5 and 7 (depending on skin color).  I've always been annoyed that the histogram in Lightroom doesn't change when you zoom in, but it does change when you crop the image.  So to perfectly expose skin you simply need to crop in:

Then adjust your exposure watching the histogram.  The histogram is divided into four sections.  Perfect skin tones will reside between the mid point (Zone 5) and the third line (essentially Zone 7).

You can adjust the exposure while still in the Crop Mode, and then re-crop the images to taste.

Now for a quick tip:  while in the Develop Module, when you put your cursor over an area the histogram doesn't change, but the numbers below R, G, & B, will show their values.  You can quickly check the exposure by hovering your mouse over the area. 

How to market your Etsy shop using video

Over at Hurricane Images we've been doing some expanding.  Over the past year I've had an increasing number of clients ask for video.  So a couple of months back we launched a full service video production company.  One of the challenges to starting a new business is maintaining your focus.  I've enjoyed working with a wide range of clients-- but none more than the artisans and artists.  I'm reaching out specifically to boutique shops, artisans, non-profits, and start-ups.  People with exciting new ideas and vision.  So you'll be hearing more about video production, and how small businesses can use video to connect with customers, supporters, and fans.

One of the most exciting new developments on Etsy this year is the ability to upload video to your “About” page (profile?).  Video and Etsy are natural partners because both emphasize the personal.  Etsy customers want something unique, and they want to feel a connection to the creators.  It’s not simply a purchase, it’s about being part of a community. 

Five years ago I bought my wedding ring.  I visited dozens of local shops, but I bought my ring on Etsy.  I surprised even myself with that decision, because a wedding ring is something you really want to see on your finger.  It’s intensely personal, and it takes an enormous amount of trust to buy something like that based only on a picture.  In reality, I didn’t.  I bought it because I was able to email the maker and ask my questions.  The ring in the pictures was exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t know what would happen if it didn’t fit.  I didn’t know if the color would fade.  I didn’t know how I should take care of the metal.  If I hadn’t emailed him, I would never have bought the ring.  He couldn’t take the initiative and email me.

Your video is that email.  It’s an opportunity to reach out to your customers without them having to contact you first.  People who buy on Etsy want to know how it’s made, who you are, and why you make the art you do.  It’s the very essence of Etsy.

So how do you make the most of your Etsy video?  Here are 10 tips to create the best video possible and get it seen.

1. Focus on who you are, the process of creation, and what’s unique.  Video is a story-telling medium.  Let your pictures sell the your products; have the video sell what’s behind them. 
2. Match the tone of your video to the “tone” of video.  What music  describes your product?  Is it relaxing and elegant?  Punk? Heavy metal?  In video tone is conveyed not just in music, but it editing style and color tone.  Your video should reflect you. 
3. Keep it short.  The biggest mistake people make when they create their video is making it too long. We live in a fast-paced world.  Your video should be between 1 and 3 minutes in length.  Anything over 90 seconds needs to have “two acts.”  What does that look like? Well, Act One could be what made you decide to be an artist; Act Two would then be how you create your pieces.  Or Act One is how you create, and Act Two customer appreciation. If it thinking in terms of two acts is daunting, keep it under 90 seconds-- or find a writer friend or professional to help.
4. Don’t try to tell everything.  Clearly define 2-3 things you want to convey and keep your message focused.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything is equally interesting (it isn’t).  Or that people will pick and choose what’s of interest to them.  They don’t.  They switch channels.
5. Answer the questions that are asked the most.  For every customer who contacts you to ask a question there are probably 10 who didn’t because they were afraid of starting a conversation.  Weave the most common questions you’re asked into the narrative of your video.
6. Upload on multiple platforms.  One of the great things about video is it can be your “brand ambassador.” It can be out there working for you when you’re asleep or in your workshop.  Post the video on Youtube, Vimeo, and your website and blog.  Link to it on Facebook and Twitter. You can even post video on Google+ and Pinterest.  Good video isn’t just a way to communicate with customers who have found you.  It can reach out to potential customers who haven’t.  Remember that each post is also a backlink to your Etsy page, increasing your visibility on search engines.
7. Promote your video.  Just like it was your work.  Tout it on Facebook, and Twitter.  Email it to your friends and contacts with a simple note. 
8. Give them a deal.  Consider using the “unveiling” of your video to offer a 15% discount to people that mention it.  It’s not just an “about” video, it’s a marketing tool.
9. Keyword it.  Just like your images, you should keyword your video files.  But don’t over-keyword.  Keywords are treated equally, so too many of them that aren’t exactly what people are looking for can be harmful.
10. Work with a professional.  Realistically, professional quality video is difficult to make.  Poorly made video can discourage potential customers from making a purchase.  As TV and movie consumers, we’ve become accustomed to high quality work, and even bad movies have excellent production values.  Your video will promote your work for years to come, so make it an investment.  Choose your video production company wisely.  They should do more than just bring a bunch of fancy equipment and hit “record.”  A “canned” process will produced a canned video, and they often reek of inauthenticity.  Your production company should take an interest in your work, your aesthetic, and your goals.  They should see you in action before they bring out the gear.  They should be able to help with scriptwriting, music, and provide options for review.  And they should be able to show you a budget that makes sense.

It’s not impossible to make your own video.  What’s most important is that it is clear, authentic, and compelling.  For many Esty vendors, self-producing is the only reasonable option for their budgets.  But be conscious of the benefits of working with professionals, and the drawbacks involved in self-producing.  We see over 3,000 advertisements a day.  That’s a lot of noise.  Your Etsy video may be the best investment you make this year.

Pleasant Surprise with the Ice Light Alternative

I have no doubt the folks over at Wescott won't be pleased with me, but then I'm sure they saw this coming.  With any popular new "invention" in photography, it's inevitable that a Chinese knock-off version will appear (let's face it, most of the original versions are made in China anyhow).  Over the past few years, Chinese manufacturers have seen the benefits of making these knock-offs with quality in mind, and become savvy at avoiding copyright issues.  So how does the "Magic Tube Light"-- or MTL 900 II-- compare to its $450 progenitor?  First off, I bought mine for $115 shipped.

I'll start by admitting I've never handled Wescott's Ice Light, so a direct comparison is unfair.  But light has it's own baseline for comparison, and that is something we can examine.

Superficially, the Ice Light is considerably more handsome.  The MTL 900 II (marketed under various names) looks a little plastic-y, and it is.  But it has surprising heft in the hand and feels well-built. The 1/4 inch screw mount on the bottom is the one component that gave me pause.  I'd rate it a 7 out of 10 in terms of sturdiness.   I expect, though, with care it will hold up just fine.

The MTL 900 is approximately the same size as the Ice Light (IL).  It has 298 LEDs compared to the IL's 72.  Obviously, the LEDs are individually weaker, but together they produce 1600 lumens of daylight balanced light.  The original Ice produces 1200 lumens, and the updated version II produces 1600.  Both units are dimmable, with a 73 degree angle of light.  The angle and quality of light the MTL 900 produces is similar to a gridded 24" softbox: you have to keep it close to your subject, so the light is soft with a bit of directionality or bite.  Both brands will last about an hour at full brightness.

While the Wescott is clearly superior in terms of looks and finish, our Chinese friend has a couple of advantages over the Westcott.  The most important is the battery-- it uses a common rechargeable Sony battery that costs about $10 on ebay. You can buy a couple and have hours of working light.  The MTL also comes with a remote, which while handy you'll probably never use.

If all this sounds exciting, there's a very important caveat and it applies to both the $450 Ice Light and it's $120 Black Sheep: the amount of light and what that translates into in real life.  1600 lumens isn't a lot.  In real-world terms, with the MTL 3.5 feet from the subject, my camera settings are shutter 125, aperture f/5.6, and ISO is 500.  Obviously, you can open up your lens farther, but for single portraits the depth of field is already pretty shallow and for couples anything less than 5.6 is a hazard. It's also a continuous light, which means that balances room ambient and key light is difficult given how little power you have to work with.  Both the Ice Light and the MTL are best suited for indoor/studio and night time portraiture, and perhaps a little punch or fill outdoors during the day.

Limitations aside, I was pretty impressed with the MTL900 II-- enough that I immediately purchased a second unit and a pair of barn doors ($30 for the knock-off version versus $40 for the Wescott).  Indoors, the light is small, quick to set up, and can produce some lovely light.  The barn doors add great functionality, and the quality of light is interesting.

A couple of little quirks:  you can run the MTL on AC, but if the battery is low it won't go to full brightness until it recharges to some unspecified level.  The amber, 3200k filter is a nice additional, but it would have been so much smarter to have the piece half clear, half amber so that you simple rotate the filter rather than remove.

What's it look like in action?  Here's a portrait done with two MTLs (positioned above and below as you can see in the catch lights).  The lights are on stands with ballheads positioned for the horizontal.  It's a two minute set up and knowing the amount of light it produces (and thus my camera settings) the first shot was a keeper.

Day 85, Learning 85: Parabolic, Faux Parabolic and Plain Ole’ White Umbrellas

I’ve noticed that the marketing department has gotten a hold of the term “parabolic.”  Photographic umbrellas are popping up with that name rather generically attached to them, when they aren’t really parabolic at all.

True Parabolic

A parabolic umbrella is designed to reflect the light from a flash back in a focused beam.  They are always silver lined, and the intensity of light can be up to 16 times the light emitted from a softbox using the same flash.  The light itself is a unique blend: punchy, and at lower power will focus in a similar manner to a grid, with a gentle feathering into darkness.  For that reason, they tend to be pricey.  Parabolic reflectors have to be very precise to do this: a precise number of panels, precise depth in the umbrella, and precise placement of the flash to get the correct bounce.

Faux Parabolic

Well, really there are two types of faux parabolic.  One is a watered-down parabolic; the other just false advertising.  Umbrellas with a parabolic structure but lined with white interiors are of the watered-down variety.  The white interior spreads out and softens the beams; they’re only marginally more focused that plain ole’ umbrella.  

Sadly, some manufacturers are falsely labeling white umbrellas as “parabolic” for the sake of advertising.  White umbrellas do not focus the light, and therefore don't have parabolic qualities. White umbrellas with black backs do not focus the light or have parabolic qualities, they simply limit the "spill" that results from light passing through the umbrella.

Plain Ole’

If you compare your average white umbrella to a parabolic, it’s easy to forget they are great tools for shaping and softening light.  Don't disparage your plain ole white umbrella. For the greatest flexibility, get one with a removable black cover to better control the light.

What to Buy

There’s no reason not to buy a plain white umbrella.  They’re cheap.  They’re great.  For a destination wedding I actually bought a compact white rain umbrella.  It worked great and fit inside my carry-on.

If you’re going to buy a parabolic umbrella, my advice is don’t got half way.  You can get a white lined/black exterior non-parabolic umbrella pretty cheap, and they’ll perform much the same.  If you buy a parabolic, buy silver-lined and do your research.  Paul C. Buff’s PLM line are reportedly true parabolics, and they’re quite cheap.  Westcott is also known to be true, but pricey.  The tests I’ve seen on the Flashpoint silver umbrella looks promising, too.  There’s a quick test to see if it’s a true parabolic.  Set up your flash/umbrella and dial it down to its lowest output. Aim the umbrella at a blank wall.  Take a picture.  The illumination should feather smoothly into darkness.  Then take a picture of the inside of the umbrella (using your flash, of course).  The umbrella should be lit with distinct ribs-- not all white.

Day 79, Learning 79: Maximizing Sharpness and Detail

These days we probably place too much emphasis on sharpness and detail; the masters of old certainly weren’t as obsessed with it as we.  Even while I try to remind myself that sharpness isn’t everything, I find myself justifying my obsession by saying I can always unsharpen an image, but it’s harder to sharpen a blurry one.

True sharpness is a cross-platform endeavor

I’ve known the basics of how to achieve sharp images for years, decades; but as a professional I’ve learned the importance of maximizing sharpness in a very conscious way across “platforms.”  Sharpness isn’t dependent solely upon your equipment, your focus, your camera settings, or your editing skills-- it’s a combination of all four.  So today I’m covering them all.

Equipment / Lens.  Manufacturers tout the sharpness of their lenses, and it’s a vital player in the game.  Without a sharp lens you’ll never get truly sharp, detailed pictures.  In truth, though, most lenses are pretty sharp nowadays-- or at least pretty sharp at a specified focal length and/or aperture.  Inexpensive lenses can often be as sharp as expensive ones.  No matter what you buy, it’s worth researching what others have written about the “sweet spot” for sharpness.  Typically, though, lenses don’t perform at their best near the edges of their capacity.  They tend to be sharpest between f/5.6 and f/16, and if it’s a zoom at neither the widest or the narrowest.  A few test shots will probably tell you what you need to know.

Equipment / Lens Hood.  This five dollar accessory (I use this collapsible version) can make a world of difference, even when you’re not shooting with the sun pointing into the lens.  We see objects in the world because light is reflecting-- and refracting-- off of them.  We are literally walking in a world of refracted light.  Strong, directional light on a clear day causes the light to refract before it reaches your sensor, and blurs your image.

Focus.  There’s not too much to say about this.  Your camera’s auto-focus probably does a pretty stellar job.  Certain lens-camera combinations can require fine-tuning, an option available on high-end DSLRs.  Another factor to consider is the where to focus.  In portraits, the closest eye is the common target and for good reason.  If the eyes are sharp, then the image appears in “focus” even if the rest is blurry.  This dynamic comes into play when saving a slightly blurry image during image editing.

Settings / Aperture.  Only a few lenses are tack sharp wide open.  Strangely, these lenses aren’t necessarily the most expensive ones.  The Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 is very sharp wide open and costs $150 used.  Typically, however, you need to close your aperture two stops before you get close to maximum sharpness.  For most lenses, sharpness declines around f/18 due to diffraction.  “Diffracted light” is light that is reflected at an angle after striking a surface.  When you narrow the diameter of the aperture, you are essentially forcing the light through a narrow opening and a small portion of that light is bouncing.  A wave length that should fill one pixel of your sensor spills onto another, muddying the sharpness of your image.  Most lenses, therefore, are sharpest between f/5.6 and f/16.

Settings / Shutter.  This is a no-brainer.  A slow shutter speed allows the tremor in your hands-- or the movement of the subject-- to blur the image.  The common rule of thumb is your shutter setting should be equal or greater than the millimeter of your lens: 50mm lens, 50^th of a second.  This is (basically) true for a full-sized sensor, but the rule deteriorates quickly.  The higher the MP on your sensor, the higher the shutter speed needs to be (Nikon D800 owners discovered this in a hurry).  The real villain is pixel density-- not the number of pixels overall. The closer those pixels are to each other, the more they are affected by motion blur and diffraction.

Settings / ISO.  High ISO equals noise.  Noise competes with detail.  Yes you can reduce noise in post, but you’re also reducing the natural texture.  So if we want sharper images, shoot as close as possible to your camera’s base ISO (typically 100 or 200) and with proper shutter speed and aperture.

Editing.  There are a number of sharpening tools in a variety of software editing programs and they all adjust essentially the same thing.  What’s surprising is that they can be remarkably different in terms of effectiveness.  It’s important to understand that sharpening tools essentially increases the contrast on perceived “edges” in the image (any place there is a sharp change in color).  Lightroom’s sharpening tool works well with non-portrait images; I find it to be ugly on people.  Photoshop offers a quick sharpen tool (the triangle tool) for when the image is pretty sharp but I want to quickly hit the eyes or hair. 

I typically set the Strength between 15 and 25 to minimize noise.  More sophisticated options are the UnSharp Mask and Smart Sharpen filters.  These adjust the edge contrast and are best used with a Mask so you can paint the sharpness exactly where you want it.  The most powerful tool in my opinion, is the High Pass Filter located under “Other” in the Filter menu.  For portraits I recommend setting the Radius between 2.5 and 3.5 (though you may need to go higher based upon the image), and the Blend Mode for the layer to Overlay.  Then apply a black Mask (holding the Alt key while clicking on the mask icon) and paint in the areas of sharpness.  In my experience, the high pass filter can virtually adjust the plane of focus by as much as two millimeters if I’ve missed my focus. The eyes, as I mentioned earlier, define our sense of focus in a portrait.

Not every image needs to be in sharp focus; that’s a myth sold to us by camera and lens makers.  It’s reinforced by the fact we view images on our computers now.  What used to be a 4x6 inch image now starts at 5x7 with infinite zoom capabilities.  Most people, however, still print at 4x6.  When I pick up my camera, I’m aware that sharpness is an aesthetic variable just like depth of field and I plan accordingly.  Often I default to a “sharper is better” decision because I can always blur in post, but even then the degree to which I pursue sharpness varies.  The picture below was one of my client’s favorites (and mine, too).  I clearly missed my focus mark.  But that error adds an ethereal quality to the image, and an intimacy that wouldn’t exist if the eyelashes had been in focus.  

What’s your favorite “fuzzy” image?

Day 76, Learning 76: Optimizing Images for Search

Images are the life blood of every business.  This is true not just for the photographers than create them, but the individuals (profile pics) and businesses (websites) that put them into play.  For many individuals and business, the purpose is to both generate excitement about the product, and to increase their visibility.  The ability of images to appear in search results is key in the latter, and it's a ken that many photographers don't possess.

In short, you can make your images appear more readily on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Duckduckgo (my favorite), and other search engines.

As everything becomes more dependent on the internet and digital expression, our visual language becomes more and more important.  This is a good thing for photographers, by the way.  The advent of cheap, high-quality cameras may have made every Uncle Bob a photographer, but it's also increased the importance of truly professional work.  Your clients want their work seen.  They want their websites found.  This starts with the image file you give them.

Google/Yahoo/Bing/Duckduckco cannot "see" your images.  They have to read them from their properties information.  Here are some tips for "searchable" images:

Ever right-click your images and check out their properties?  Now is the time to do so.  To increase their visibility--

1.  Create an accurate, short descriptive title.  Search engines recognize these
2.  Give it appropriate tags.  These are also searchable.
3.  In the comments section, but your website address
4.  Reduce your image size to the smallest possible without sacrificing quality.  Search engines often take into account the time it takes to load an image/web page.  300KB is too big.

If you want key word ideas for your tags, go to Duckduckgo or Google and start typing the key words you've already chosen.  Both of those sites will "auto complete" your search for you, based upon the most popular searches in their system.  Type "wedding photography" and you might see "wedding photography tips" as the auto fill.  That's a great tag.  At Hurricane Images Inc. I use "Powerful Intimate Portraits."  Including your location can be helpful, but remember Google and others already tailor results to the searcher's location, so that only makes a difference if their from out of town.

The image in this post is from a recent shoot from a lovely (and would you believe it, grandma) client.  It's titled from my company with portraits included; it's tagged for San Francisco, and has my website in the comments section.  The session itself was great.  She was a new "empty-nester" with time and creativity on her hands.  We had a ton of fun in our session.  I set up three photographic areas and we moved through them in multiple outfits.  A great shoot.

Day 75, Learning 75: Light as Time Travel

"Wait a minute, Doc.  Are yo telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?" ~ Marty McFly, Back to the Future.

We think of light in many ways: sheer illumination, texture, drama, and artistry.  We first learn to light the subject, and later the environment.  Then we return to lighting the subject with greater nuance.  Today I'd like to think of light as time travel.  By that I mean  light can place a moment in any time of day (or night).

Our minds are so accustomed to interpreting light that it's completely unconscious now.  We see long, sideways shadows and immediately understand the time to be early morning or late afternoon.  Short shadows indicate noon time.

Even though we can't see these women's shadows on the ground, there's no question that the sun is either rising or setting in this image.  Which do you think it is?  If you guessed sunset, you'd be right.  But how did you know?

We can re-create that time of day using flashes or continuous lights.  The well-advised adage is "when the sun is high, place your subject in shade."  When that shade is too dark (say, beneath a large building) the resulting image can lack contrast.  Adding a flash can give your images vibrancy, depth, and also a place in time.

The image below looks natural, but there's a Nikon SB800 in a 24" soft box camera right to give it a little more oomph.  Notice the soft shadow under her chin and camera left.   For this portrait, I wasn't concerned with time (though from the bright spot on the wall immediately behind her we might guess that it's late afternoon).  I was focused on depth and texture.  Our minds, however, are seeing time in the picture.  The light is imitating mid day under a light shadow; only the rectangle of sunlight on the wall behind her head (camera right) says otherwise.

Time of day isn't just shadows, though.  Long shadows without the corresponding change in color temperature will look fake.  Mismatched light temperatures are an annoyingly common mistake when photographers combine flash portraits with sunsets.  The color temperature on the model is 5200K, while the sunset light is closer to 2000K (the solution: gel your flash-- you can correct this problem in post but it's a pain).

Once you've created your shadows, adjust your color temperature.  Flash is a daylight temperature of 5200K.  Warm it up to 3500K with an orange gel and see how much more natural your sunset portraits are. The difference in light temperature between sunset (roughly 2000K) and your gelled flash (3500K) will make your subject stand out without appearing unnatural.

Now that you're attuned to time-cues in images, browse Flickr, Instagram, or your favorite photographer's website and practice identifying the elements that create time of day, and the mood it evokes.  Check out mine, www.hurricaneimagesinc.com, and let me know what you find.