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

Do you find yourself overwhelmed with ideas and thoughts about how to market, promote, organize, run, or otherwise manage your business?  Have you struggled to find a way to keep track of your thoughts or creative ideas because you forget about them?  If so, you may be a lot like me, and I’d like to share how I handle my overactive stream of consciousness thinking.

Several years ago, I was walking through an office store and I noticed that whiteboards were on sale.  At the time, I was a full-time student and saw the value of having my own whiteboard to work on while during homework and such.

So, fast forward a few years.  We move into our new studio last year and in December I decided to bring out the ‘ol whiteboard.  I cannot say enough about how much that little action of hanging a whiteboard has provided for us.

Here’s how I work it:
So, I’ll be sitting in my office working on something when I get an idea. Or, let’s say I’ve got something business related troubling me.  Or, I’m looking for a new idea for this years bridal shows.   I start by writing the subject of the exploration at the top of the whiteboard: whether it be a topic, or a question.  I then proceed to dump everything in my head onto that board.  I pace. I talk to myself. I write stuff on the board.  I have a 36″ x 48″ whiteboard to fill… so what do I do when it fills? Well, I take a picture of it.

One important note on the way my system works:  I never erase anything from the whiteboard until its been photographed. Including ideas that have been discounted.  I’ll indicate with an “x” or a strikethrough that its not a good idea. But, when I go back to review what we have discussed I want to be able to see the good ideas & the bad ones.  I have a visual memory of our discussion.

On my computer, I have a folder labeled “whiteboard” where I keep the pictures of our whiteboard sessions organized by date and subject. I have pulled them up and reviewed them several times, whenever a topic or discussion was rehashed.  Or, if I needed to simply reference something we had explored.

In the photograph I’ve included, the topic was: “What to we have & how are we using it?”  In other words, I wanted to explore how we were promoting our business,  where we could do better, and what was missing.  You can see that it is very stream of consciousness writing.  I scribble as I think.  Some of the things we use regularly, some we deemed to be ineffective.

All in all, the best thing about having a whiteboard is being able to explore concepts and new ideas from beginning to end and having a way to document them.  I call it “Whiteboard Marketing” because some of our greatest and most successful marketing ideas have been products of whiteboard thought sessions. It has saved us thousands in costly marketing errors and created thousands in the ability to see an idea all the way through.  I would encourage everyone to go forth and scribble!

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

Wedding Day Game Plan
by: Bryan Lindsey
Visit us on the web: Houston Wedding Photographer
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Some brides are super organized and come up with an itinerary for their wedding day. We like those brides. Those brides show up on time. They don’t leave early. They know who is going to be where, and when. Some brides have a wedding planner who has an itinerary – even better.

But what about those brides who don’t seem as organized? What about the ones who don’t have a plan? What about the ones unconcerned about when things have to start and end? It is a very good idea to establish a few things before the wedding day. Of course our contract stipulates our start and end times, but we also want to know (1) When will the bride arrive? (2) When will the groom arrive? (3) Will there be opportunity to shoot groups before the wedding, either formal or informal? (4) How much time is there to shoot formals after the ceremony, and can formals reasonably be completed in that time frame? (5) How long does it take to get from the ceremony to the reception? (6) What is the game plan for the reception? Eat first? Dance first? (7) Are there any special events or “surprises” planned? When? Bouquet, garter, and cake-cut don’t need to be planned to the minute, but (8) will there be a big send-off, and does it look like it will happen before our contracted stop-time?

Hopefully the bride has designated someone to help run the show and we can ask THAT person these questions if there is a need for clarity. I’ve never been a bride myself, but I imagine that I would not be too happy with a photographer who asked me all 8 questions above, regardless of the circumstances.

If we know “the plan,” we can make sure that we fit perfectly into that plan and we can tactfully speak up if we see any time constraints that we will be unable to work with. Of course, the time for this is BEFORE the wedding, not during. It may help to contact the bride a week before the wedding (I do this anyway to triple-check the time/place) and include some of these questions. Not all brides will appreciate the need for this type of planning, so we may need to take it upon ourselves to bring up the subject. Believe me, it will be a lot easier on us if we do.

Bryan Lindsey: Houston Wedding Photographer

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Format all of your compact flash cards before you leave your studio for a wedding.  Imagine you are photographing a wedding and it is late in the evening. You realize that the card you are shooting on is now full and needs to be switched out with another card. So you reach into your camera bag and pull out another Compact Flash card. You check to see if there are any images on the card, only to find the card is filled with images that you shot yesterday during a family portrait session. You know you have downloaded the family portraits already, and it is safe to erase them. You erase the card to make room for the images you are about to shoot.

It turns out, that you actually used that card for both the family portrait session AND earlier in the evening during the ceremony. Because you didn’t look through all the images on the card, you didn’t see the images you took earlier that evening. You just erased hundreds of images from your client’s wedding!

Make sure all of the memory cards you take to a wedding have been formatted before you leave for your wedding.

Add it to your checklist. Never erase a memory card at a wedding.

By Aric C. Hoek, owner and creator of Ten Houston Wedding Photographers