Related Posts

• 
  Getting your photography clients to Google+

  So everyone is talking about the AMAZING photography community on Google+.  They are absolutely correct.  It is amazing.  Petty drama and bickering are non-existent.  People are reaching out and helping each other to get established and excited.  It's a pretty cool and hopeful feeling.

  The chances for education are endless.  There are groups and images everywhere.  (If you're interested, stop by our constructive criticism forum where we have a lot of lively, but polite, conversation going on.  We're even working towards CPP certification.  Indeed.)

  And of course, the hot topic of the moment, the SEO opportunities.  Working with Google+ and getting your website linked and going will mean that all of your posts and +1s and follows will be pushing you up the organic Google search scale.  In fact, at this point, NOT being on Google+ is probably hurting you more than you know.

  But if the general public is only JUST starting to see that Facebook is no longer meeting their needs and starting to realize that Google+ is a very viable alternative, how is it going to help you with customers?

  Well, this is my plan, and it is genius, if I do say so myself.  ;)

  Our plan with Pure has always been to do multiple sneak peeks for clients, so they stay excited about their images.  But one of THE most exciting sneaks for clients is the one that happens a day or so after the shoot.  Our new plan is to direct the clients to Google+ to see their new sneak peeks.  We will also do a little contest where if they can get a certain number of friends and family members to add us to a circle and follow us and comment on the image (so we know they came from the client!), then we will throw in a free product.

  Ok, so they came ONCE.  How does that help?

  Well.  Did you know that your site will come up VERY highly in organic Google searches if someone has you in a circle?  So now not only does your client have you circled, but so do people very much like your client.  Probably local people too.  You'll be on their Google maps.  You'll be in their search results.  Google will be all about hooking you guys up.

  Besides, images look a MILLION times better on Google+.  Which is awesome too.

  So, until the rest of the world catches up to the wave that we're right in front of, this is how we plan to use Google+ to easily drive organic business to us.

• 
  Gray Cards For Exposure and White Balance

  Everyone loves shortcuts, right?  Of course they do!  What kind of question is that?

  This is a quick tip that can help beginners get their feet under them and established photographers shave time off their workflow.

  A gray card.

  A lot of people have not even heard of a gray card, but it is a small investment that can save a lot of hassle.

  For the beginner, getting a gray card can teach how to see proper exposure and tones.  A bigger gray card tends to be best for this.  Kodak has an 8x10 gray card that is about $7.  Or there is the Lastolite fold up EZ-Balance gray card that is about $24.  The Kodak gray card works great for exposure, but won't be as useful when we talk about setting critical white balance later, so that is part of the reason to get the Lastolite.  

  

  This is the Lastolite EZ-Balance.

  So, what do you do to get your exposure with a gray card?  This will work best if you have your camera's metering mode set to SPOT metering.  Setting spot metering is different for each camera, but for most Canon camera's, you can select it from the top of your camera.  

  (Image by DPInterface.)

  

  The spot metering mode is just the circle.  No brackets around it.  Once you are in spot metering mode, put your gray card in the same light as your subject.  Now fill your frame with the gray card.  Once you are there, balance your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO until your in-camera meter reads 0.  

  What is happening here is that your camera is programmed to see middle gray (the same color as the gray card!) as 0.  So you are using exact middle gray to set your exposure.  Once you set your exposure from this gray card, you'll be set with perfect exposure, as long as the light stays the same.  If the light changes, you need to remeter from your card again.

  The great things about learning exposure this way is that you can see what a good exposure looks like.  You also know what OTHER tones look like when your camera is metered right.  Say WHAT?  Yeah, let's think about this for a second.  If you have set your camera to be locked into a perfect exposure with middle gray as zero, then you can point your camera at other tones and see what the camera would meter those at.  The dirt?  Maybe it is -2, the subject's skin?  Maybe it is +1.  Maybe the sidewalk is also zero.  Getting familiar with where other tones fall in relation to middle gray is very important for helping you grow beyond relying on the gray card and finding good exposures.  You'll also get a good idea of what kinds of light will meter at.  After a while, you'll be able to set your exposure pretty quickly based on the conditions of light that you have set so often before.

  Ok, so what about using a gray card for white balance?  How does that work?

  This is so slick. Getting good clean skin tones can take time.  When skin tones are off, you can spend a lot of time in post trying to get them right.  But if you use a gray card ahead of time, you can save a lot of time.

  There are two ways to set your white balance off of a gray card.  The first is by setting a CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE.  

  Again, this is different for different cameras, so please consult your camera manual for your camera.  All of them involve filling your frame (again, like above) with the neutral gray card.  You then use this image as your custom white balance (choosing this shot from the menu or taking the shot while holding a button) and the camera will do the rest.  Again, this white balance stays the same as long as you are in the same lighting.  If you move from sun to shade or from indoors to outdoors, etc., your white balance will change and you will need to reset your white balance.

  The beauty of this is that it will save you a ton of time in post.  One disclaimer, sadly we find the 5D Mark III doesn't set the custom white balance quite right.  It goes too orange.  So we don't use this as much as we used to, and we MISS it terribly.  It is our only regret about the Mark III.

  But we can use a gray card in post.

  This is pretty easy.

  

  Above is the SOOC.  I will click the eyedropper on the gray card of this shot.

  

  Notice how much more neutral the neutrals are?  Much warmer too.

  Now, to get this edit from Lightroom to work with ALL of your images shot in the same light, you will click on this image in your filmstrip and then hold down your shift key and click on the LAST image in the same lighting in your filmstrip.  Then choose the SYNC button on the bottom right (when you have multiple images chosen the Previous button will become SYNC.)  Choose the White Balance tick box and choose SYNC and it will apply this White Balance to your entire series of images from the same light.  Easy peasy!

  This also works in Bridge and ACR.

  Give a gray card a try.  It is a minimal investment for a lot of time-savings.

• 
  The Magic of Working as a Team

   

  Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Chocolate and Vanilla. Laurel and Hardy. Mickey and Donald. Thelma and Louise. Mario and Luigi.

  We all know good things come in pairs, and working as a photographer is no exception to that rule.

  One of the things we get quizzed about most often in relation to Pure is the fact that Crystal and I (Rachel) work together as a team. We shoot a vast amount of our sessions together, and work at the business end together too. It's a mysterious and inviting concept to many. And people are always curious how it works for us and if it could work for them too. Since I am not a legal expert, this won't be an extensive legal how-to on the workings of business partnerships. Rather it will be an overview of how it's worked out for Crystal

  Crystal and I met in 2008 on a ParentsPlace message board for expecting moms. We both had a love of photography and were dabbling in part time photography businesses. We were still learning a lot of the business part and were both at a point where we were trying to decide what to do with our businesses.

  We finally got the chance to shoot together at a bridal session and something clicked. We realized we shot a lot better together. We had more fun, we felt more relaxed and that translated into more relaxed clients and better images too. So one shoot together, turned into a wedding we shot together, which turned into more and more things we shot together. Eventually, we stopped formally inviting the other to shoots and started to call and see if the other was booked before scheduling a client.

  Slowly our businesses melded into one and Pure was born. (Ok, ok, so we went through a few name changes before we landed on Pure, but you get what we mean.)

  So, what do we get out of team shooting?

  We're mainly wedding and family photographers, and the parlance in the wedding industry is often centered on "second shooters." That's not actually how we roll. When we shoot, we both are main shooters. No one is THE shooter and no one is secondary and relegated to an eternity of table shots.

  So what does that mean? It means that we are able to divide and conquer. While one person is doing all the pre-wedding detail shots, the other is with the bride and her dad doing dad seeing his little girl in her wedding dress for the first time, or groom with his daughter or niece or bride and her mom. While one is doing ring shots and reception details, the other is getting formal groups. All important details, but we can give each one more attention and focus.

  
  
  

   

   

   

  The above images were captured at roughly the same time in the wedding day. Using all that good light as efficiently as possible!

  But if the situation arises and there is a very large group or a lot of small children, then having someone shoot large group shots and someone getting everyone's attention, posing quickly, and making sure everyone in the shot looks there best is wonderful. A group's attention for group shots is not very long, so having two people getting things done is perfect.

  In those situations where we are shooting together at weddings, or in regular client sessions where we shoot together, how does it help? We generally have at least 3 cameras on us at all times. Sometimes 4. Rachel shoots 2 cameras most of the time. So we try to have multiple focal lengths, and then we simply choose different angles, different focal lengths, and different light to tell the same story. So our clients get so many more choices to choose from (and eventually buy) with team shooting.

  Below are a few examples of nearly the same moment, but wildly different images resulting. So much choice for clients!

  
   

   
  These shots are also at almost the same moment, but give the client vastly different experiences they can relate to.  You will notice how we are shooting with different lenses and focal lengths. 

   

  

   

   

  This can be invaluable for shooting things like first looks for brides.  Again, almost the same moment, but a completely different perspective.

  We've found that being able to offer such rich and varied galleries to clients has helped us to sell more album pages, ask a higher price for sessions, and sell more images.  Our word-of-mouth is pretty good too, because we underpromise, but really overdeliver.

  Ok, ok, so you can get a lot of shots with two shooters.  Good good, but you could probably get a second for some of that.  (Though I would argue that you would have a hard time getting such reliability in that situation.)  What ELSE does it help with?

  Crystal and Rachel have fairly different, but compatible personalities.  Crystal is creative and enthusiastic.  She embraces the fact she is loud!  She's funny and very friendly and loves to make raucous jokes.  Rachel is a little more cerebral.  She's the technical nut and tends to like a little more dry humor.  What works amazingly in this situation is that clients come in all shapes, sizes, and personality types too.  So while one couple or client might warm right to Crystal, another feels very at home with Rachel, and so that tends to be how we choose who will lead in the situations where someone in obviously in charge as we shoot.  The team member that the clients feels most comfortable with is the one who typically leads out.  It helps us easily and naturally tailor the client's experience with us.

  Another amazing benefit we will tout constantly when people ask us about team shooting is how much we can grow in a short amount of time.  Working with someone gives you instant feedback.  We brainstorm together, we troubleshoot together, we critique each other and we provide ideas.  We can come to the shoot with ideas and if something is not working the way we think it should, we can quickly troubleshoot problematic things.  I think half of the reason that we have been able to continue refining our signature lighting styles is because there are two of us.  In the beginning, when something was not going as planned, one would be able to keep shooting and keep all the balls in the air, while the other stayed back and tweaked the lights until they worked.  It was not a situation where we would have to junk an idea just because some little thing popped up.

   

   

   

  Above is a situation where the flashes were not quite working, so we got a safe shot and Rachel kept shooting the getting ready while Crystal tinkered with the flashes and got them working just right so we could give our images that perfect polish we want to be known for.

  One of my favorite stories of the benefits of team shooting and troubleshooting happened when we were shooting a small wedding at a beautiful outdoor enclosed pavilion.  The front was a very large floor to ceiling window and Crystal went out to get a shot of the party from outside of the window to give the album a sense of place and document the venue better.  There was a small step down out the door that was almost imperceptible and tripped up quite a few guests that night.  As Crystal was walking out looking at her camera and changing settings for the outdoor shot, she lost her footing and fell face first (and CAMERA first!) to the pavement.  She got up, very shaken.  She tried to take a shot and her camera would not focus.  She came back into the reception quite upset by the fall.  She showed Rachel the camera and Rachel quickly realized, in her non-shaken by a surprise fall mind, that the switch that turned off the auto focus on the lens had been switched to manual in the fall and that switching it back fixed the situation.  It seems simple but having that second pair of eyes and second mind is often invaluable.

  Another amazing benefit is that there is simply less overall pressure.  Less pressure to get a million epic shots per wedding.  (Yep, I only have to get HALF a million, right?)  Less pressure to edit a million images.  Sure we both edit and deliver a ton, but to give a very impressive representation, it takes a lot less stress from both of us.  We can focus on the story as we see it and edit our favorite shots.  Even if one of us feels a session or wedding was a little more ho-hum, the fact we both were looking for creative angles, lighting, focal lengths, poses, framing and whatnot to tell the story means that there is usually a pretty cool story there.

  And finally we have found that creativity begets creativity.  Sounds basic, I know.  But when we start brainstorming, it is amazing to see how one idea from one person starts another idea from the other, which gets spun in a completely different direction by the original person, and on and on.  Sometimes the trouble we have is not that there are too MANY of us in the team, it is that we need more manpower to help fuel all of our original and awesome ideas that come out of different creative minds working together.

  These are just a few of our whys.  Next time I will start writing about the hows of our partnership.   How do we divide work, who edits, etc.  Would there be interest in a follow up like that?

   

   

• 
  5 Things to Avoid When Editing Photos

  * means that the link is an affiliate link.  At no additional cost to you, if you purchase something from that link, we get a small commission.  We ONLY recommend products we use and love.  NONE of these companies have asked us to write about the or post about their products.  In fact, I am sure most of them don't even know who we are.  ;)  We are only posting about them, because we use and love their producuts!

  Editing photos is magical.  It takes an image that already has your fingerprints all over it, from lens choice, to angles, to lighting, and it gives it that final dusting of you.  It can be absolutely enchanting to watch your vision come alive as you edit, but sometimes as we first start out (and even as we have been doing this awhile), the photo can pass the magically perfect stage and start to veer into over-edited, fake-looking, or just plain wrong.  Let's look at a few things you can avoid to help you keep your editing expressing YOU.

  1)  Selective Color--I know.  I did it as a beginner.  Crystal did it as a beginner.  It's a rite of passage.  But the problem is that it usually brings you right out of the image and shifts the focus away from the image to something that is only part of the image.  The bright blue shirt takes away from the beautiful gaze.  The colorful beach ball takes away from the beachy fun happening on vacation.  Even the piercing blue eyes can overwhelm an image.  Usually the hours of masking don't turn out to really give MORE to the image.  Usually the story told is either strong enough to stand on it's own, or it's not worth the hours of selective coloring.  

  2)  Overcontrasting--A little contrast to an image is like music.  It makes everything in the image richer and more alive.  But once to much is applied the image begins to look overbaked.  The whites lose their texture, the shadows turn into solid black mush and everything looks like it was taken by a cheap Brownie camera.    So, watch the contrast and use it with a gentle hand.  If you need to, walk away in the middle and come back and look with fresh eyes to see if they image is too contrasty.

  3)  Oversharpening-- With the earlier iterations of the digital cameras and digital cameras paired with lenses developed for film cameras there was a LOT of digital haze surrounding images (there still can be to an extent) and it meant that a light unsharp mask layer was often applied.  And of course, with social media, images get web-sised and sharpened abundantly.  And in general, this is a great thing.  It wipes out that mushiness that Facebook can add to an image, and it lifts an image from a slight digital haze.  But like all good things, there can be such thing as too much.  It becomes readily seen when an image is oversharpened, because the sharpening starts to leave artifacts and hair and fibers can start to look really "crunchy" and straw-like.  Also, eyes can get a strangely alien look when they are over sharpened.  So a little sharpening can go a long way.  Be sparing and watchful.  In today's time of increasingly sharp camera bodies and lenses made specifically for the digital medium, images often are very sharp to begin with and don't need a lot of sharpening if the are in focus to begin with.  If an image is out of focus, over sharpening won't help.  

  4)  Over Softening--Just like with sharpening, skin softening can be a fantastic tool.  Sometimes lenses are so sharp that every pore and skin blemish can appear magnified on camera.  So a gentle, judicious skin smoothing and retouching can be fantastic for making a client feel comfortable with their images.  But if you over smooth an image, it can quickly go from lovely to plastic.  A skin without an texture and no lines looks like a doll and really unrealistic.  So watch for that line and dial it back when you smooth skin.  We feel like our totally unique Pure Retouch technique and set is a perfect answer for getting enough smoothing to make a client feel fabulous, but not lose that lovely texture to the skin that gives the subject charm, realism, and vitality.

  5) Adding too much saturation--Vibrant, beautiful images are the goal of many photographers.  A lot of times, especially when shooting RAW, the colorful scenes we see while shooting come back feeling a little flat.  Often that is a combination of needing some contrast and boosting the blacks, but when we first start out, we think we need to crank up the saturation slider.  I'll tell you a secret (lol, just you and me and the rest of the internet now...), even though Pure is know for it's vibrant color, we very very very rarely touch the saturation slider.  It quickly pushes colors out of gamut (what a screen can read and render correctly), and it messes with the reality of the color.  Skin turns red, leaves are blue, shadows turn purple.  The saturation slider should always be approached with caution.

  BONUS: Working on an uncalibrated monitor-- If you are going to edit your images, you need to know what colors your screen is actually showing.  Most screens arrive from the manufacturer with color issues.  In general, most are a lot cooler (more blue/cyan) than they should be.  Macs tend to be closer, but most are not spot on either.  So if you start manipulating the colors and the exposure of your images and then want to print or view them on a different device, a lot of times the colors will surprise you if you are not calibrated.  What you thought was just warming up a cool image, suddenly becomes a vibrantly orange image, because you were correcting the overly cool monitor color.  So, getting a calibration device can really help you to know what your images really look like.  These calibrators also work off an international color standard, so a professional, dedicated print company will use the same profiles, which means you are making sure that your images will print just the way you see them on your screen.  When I send my photos off to Millers I know I will be getting back exactly what I saw on my screen when I sent it in.  While it does cost money to buy a calibrator, a few messed up print orders will quickly eat up any savings you get from not calibrating your monitor.  I personally use ColorMunki by X-Rite*, and Crystal likes Eye-One Display Pro from Xrite*  (Both are fabulous.)  (Another fabulous and cheaper version is the ColorMunki Smile)*. Many of our colleagues also really like the Spyder products* for their calibration needs.  When you have the calibration software you can also run it every few weeks to a month to make sure that as your monitor is used and ages, the calibration does not slip and change.  So, having a calibrator is a fantastic and important investment in photography.                                                                           

  PS!!  Don't forget that our entire store is on sale for 50% off!  You can also purchase our entire store for only $99!  HURRY!  Ends this week!! 
• 
  A cool tool to get Proper White Balance

   

  Getting those white dresses neutral can be tricky.... but not anymore!

  Use the Color Sample Tool in Camera Raw and then edit that image to get a proper RGB edit.  It is so easy!  

   

   

  
  Sav
• 
  How to photograph your Christmas Tree

  The holidays are coming and with them come a lot of photo ops. Want to take them up a notch? How about getting a little star burst on your Christmas tree lights or Menorah candles? This is a fun little trick that will give your holiday photos a little extra sparkle.

  It is important that you have a tripod for this, as we will be working with longer exposures. You will also need a camera where you can control the exposure, like a DSLR or a bridge point and shoot.

  Now, in a semi-dim room with candles or Christmas lights lit, position the tripod where you would like it. Now we fiddle with the exposure. My usual starting place is f/16, ISO 200, shutter speed 15 seconds--see why we need the tripod? I also will put my camera on a 2 second delay, so when I hit the shutter, it isn't affected by any movement of the camera when i push the button.

  (If you do not own a tripod, you can also set your camera on a table or s chair or the arm of a couch. Just make sure that wherever you place it, it will remain 100% still, and is also 100% safe!)

  The critical part here is the f/16. (Go higher if you want or can! Mine were shot at F22) You need to be able to close your aperture as tightly as it will go or very close. (Some lenses can close up to f/32, some only go to f/16. The point is to close it up tight.) Fiddle with your shutter speed and ISO to get the right balance of light, but keep your aperture closed. Depending on your camera, you may have to have a longer shutter speed, if your camera can not handle higher ISO's well. It is the high aperture that gets you the star burst, so this is pretty much non-negotiable.

  Another key point is to use the self-timer. Even if you have your camera on a tripod, when you hit the shutter button, there will be just a tiny bit of shake or movement. If you use the 2 second self timer, that allows you to press the shutter and move your hand away from the camera, so nothing is touching it while the camera is taking the picture.

  

  Below is a pull back shot of the tree lights, with the up close shot being above. (In this small size, the full shot won't have the same punch with the lights as it would in a larger image.)

  

  

  

  My settings for the image above. :)

  Using the technique above here are pictures from last Christmas