Related Posts

• 
  Diffusion Panels--Saving the Day

  When we set up sessions, there is one thing that Crystal and I are adamant about.  To get the "Pure Look" for portraits, we do evening sessions.  We like backlight and directional light to give our sessions clean, beautiful, directional light, usually with some hair light or rim light.  We are pretty firm about it.  But what about weddings?  With those, we just have to roll with the punches there.  In fact, more often than not, in Utah, our wedding couples are emerging from their temple wedding at about noon.  Oh no big deal.  Ha.  Just overhead, bright sun, no directional light, raccoon eyes, deep shadows, blown spots...Yeah.

  What do we do?

  Well for the majority of portraits--both the group pics and formal pics--we try to find areas of open shade first.  We still try to avoid deep shade, but we'll even do that, if we have to.  And that works often.  There is usually at least a little shade to give us the portraits we need.  But what about important location shots that are in full sun?  Our couples want image in front of the temple they have chosen to be married at, but often, those are in areas of full sun.  Or receptions are set up outside without thought to the placement of key items in good light.

  Well, one handy little trick that can ensure you get some good shots is the diffusion panel.

  What is a diffusion panel?  You can buy one separately if you want, or if you already have a 5-in-1 reflector, it is INSIDE the cover.  The 5-in-1 has a cover that has black and gold on one side of it, and if you turn it inside out, there is white and silver.  BUT inside of that, there is the frame and it has a translucent white material stretched over the collapsable frame.  THAT is the diffusion panel.  We have the Fotodiox 5-in-1 and love it.  You can get it here.

  

  Image from Amazon.com.  This is our diffuser.

  What is the outcome of using the diffuser?  

  

  Above was literally noon.  The sun was blaring down almost right overhead.  The wind was crazy.  It was cold.  But the couple was hoping for some shots that reflected the venue.  With the diffusion panel, we were able to get some with much better light.  Ha, one thing to note:  The diffusion panels will catch the wind like mad.  

  

  Of course, you'll get REAL smiles from your clients!

  Here's another example of the power of the diffuser.

  

  Taken in the same spot, same light, moments apart.  The diffusion panel softened and diffused the light beautifully, allowing all of the color and detail of the reception decor to shine through, rather than the hotspots and deep shadows of the noon sun.

  Consider adding a diffusion panel to your bag of tricks!

   

   

• 
  At Home With Pure--Rachel's Chickens pt. 1

  Part of our triumphant return to blogging is that we wanted to blog a little about us.  About things we liked to do, when we were not being Photoshop ninjas or out doing photo sessions.  It gives us a chance to share who we are and what makes us tick.

  Usually when I write this blog, I write it as both Crystal and Rachel, but for the At Home portions, we'll just be posting as ourselves.  So in the case of today, Hi, I'm Rachel and I'll be your blogger today.

  I am not quite sure how all of this started.  I think the more kids I've had (and I have 7), the more I have gotten interested in ways to be a little more natural.  I've gotten more and more mindful of what we're eating or buying or wearing, etc.  I got into cloth diapers for real (I'd dabbled off and on) a little over a year ago.  We love to grow our own garden and have fruit trees.  But gradually, the desire to have backyard chickens has been sneaking up on me.  Yes, I admit I love animals, so the idea of so pretty chickens wandering in the yard appealed to me.  And then the lure of multi colored eggs?  Yes, please.  But the real drive came from the idea that I could know exactly what I was feeding my chickens and I could know that our eggs were nutrient-rich, and also free from lots of junk.  Studies have shown that chickens that are able to free-range produce eggs of VASTLY greater nutritional content than those who are not allowed that.

  So, about a month ago, we took the leap.  I will probably do a few blogs detailing the journey, but this is how we got started and what we have learned (and what others could learn from our mistakes.)

  I had been researching chickens for awhile before we went out and got our chicks.  I had a vague idea about what needed to be done, but I really just didn't know how it would all play out.  But one thing I did know, with so many little kids in our house, I needed to have chickens with good, docile temperaments.  There are quite a few that are really sweet, but we walked into IFA that Friday afternoon, determined that we would be leaving with some Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks and at least one Ameracuna.  Well, it didn't turn out quite like that.  The Amerecuna's were sold out.  So we went back the following Monday and picked one up.  (Actually...that's not quite true, we discovered that many feed stores sell "Amerecunas" that are really sweet mutt chickens called Easter Eggers.  No big deal to me, but good to know!)  Why did we want these specific birds?  Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rocks are well-known as very sweet chickens that behave almost like pets.  And the Amerecuna is also known to get along well with humans AND it lays blue eggs.  Yeah, pretty tempting.

  So, I got home from the feed store with my chicks, their starter feed, some probiotics and electrolytes for their water, and a heat lamp for their brooder. I got everything set up and stuck the chicks under the heat and gave them their food.  They were pretty peppy and ate and drank right away.  I did check all of the chicks immediately for what is called "pasting up."  Chickens have one way for things to leave their bodies.  They lay egg and do...other things...through their vent.  As chicks, this can get caked over with droppings and the chick can quickly die if this is not attended to.  Two of our chicks had mild pasting up.  So I had to clean them up gently with warm water.   Chicks have to stay warm.  Since they have no feathers, only down, they can chill quickly.  So I worked gently and carefully, but quickly and cleaned them up and then blow dried them.  I was worried how they would react, but on medium heat and low air, the chicks LOVED the blow drier.  They fell asleep immediately.  It was great.

  

  Here were the chicks on their first night home.  (Minus my Easter Egger, since she didn't get home until a few days later.)  I learned quickly that newspaper should NOT be used in the chicks' brooder.  It can cause splay leg, so that was changed out for old towels quickly.  They seemed much happier with that too.  

  

  Here's Lucy, the day she joined us.  She's established herself as the head of the pecking order, if you can't tell from her cheeky look here.

  Baby chicks brooders (our brooder is just a plastic rubbermaid container) need to stay at 95-100 degrees for the first week.  After the first week, you can start slowly dropping the temp by 5 degrees a week.  They will need to stay under a heat lamp (especially if it is not warm outside) for about 6 weeks, which is when they will be fully-feathered.  It seems amazing, but in just a few weeks, these tiny little balls of fluff were more like teenage chickens.  They grow so quickly.  We've made sure they have fresh food and water available at all times and they are eating machines.  

  The kids all got to picks a name.  Actually they all suggested many, and I picked my favorites.  So we have (starting from the top and going clockwise):  Goldie (a Buff Orpington), Lucy (and Easter Egger), Juliet (the Barred Rock on the bottom),  Stella (the Barred Rock on the top) and Caramelina (the Buff Orpington looking the wrong way!)

  

  And a final image to make you laugh.  The girls think I am their momma hen.

  

• 
  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?

   

   

• 
  Google+ Tip: Influencers

  
  

   

  This is not exactly a FAQ, since no one is asking about it.  BUT THEY SHOULD BE.

  Google+ loves Influencers.  It likes to see people creating and sharing useful content.  It likes to see people interacting.  It likes to see people interacting with Influencers.  Google wants to send people to information that is created by people that are generally found influential and interesting.

  Ok, cool.  So how can you track that a little?  If you create content that is getting shared on G+ that is a great way for Google (and you) to track your influence.  In fact, if you share content that you have NOT created, but it gets shared, that is an even MORE interesting way to track your influence.

  I shared a post yesterday about the fact G+ has overtaken Twitter as a social media outlet and is sitting at #3 (just behind the Google-owned YouTube.)  I did not create the content and it had been shared often.  So it was out there in the wilds of G+ from a lot of different sources.  So, how did Pure rank as an INFLUENCER?  I've been hearing a lot about Influencers, Google+, and SEO.  So how to track that?

  Ripples.

  Do you know where to find your sharing Ripples?

  
  

   

  It is in the dropdown along the side of your post.  Click the bottom option.

  It will bring up an interesting graph.

  
  

   

  It shows how a particular piece of content has spread on G+.  The bigger circles have higher influence, and can be seen as an influencer, even of they did not personally create the content.  Being a part of a chain of influence can also be helpful in being seen as someone of influence and having influential relationships.

  
  

   

  What I really like about this measure is it is a pretty hard number to game.  It registers what people are truly sharing and making viral and interesting.  Helpful, beautiful, emotive, insightful, and funny things gain traction.  Taking time to craft something people want to associate their name with is rewarded.  (I believe this is a huge part of the mature and helpful tone of G+.  Good content is rewarded within G+ and outside of it in the broader Google, rather than petty dramatic or controversial squabbles.)

  Also. noticing influencers and what they are doing can help.  Find your own niche, but do similar things.  And I am finding not to ignore the power of interacting with influencers and getting noticed by them.  I have seen people's circles boom with mentions and interaction on influencers posts.  (I've been watching some amazing SEO gurus and how just a word here or there can shine a light on previously undiscovered gems.  I's been very interesting.)

  Some of our most influential posts that were shared were personal and heart-felt posts, cool images, helpful tips about photography, life, G+, and beyond.  People emotionally connect with so many things.  What is it about you that speaks to your audience?  What are you an expert on?  What sets you apart?  Create content based on that, with your end user in mind and see if you can get more "influence."  Also, don't forget the easier step too of noticing amazing content and sharing it for others to find.

• 
  Law 101: Protecting Your Art--by Rachel Brenke

  We are so so pleased to have photography law and business guru, Rachel Brenke as a guest blogger. Her knowledge is so very valuable and we are grateful to have her sharing her insights on how to run a safe business and how to protect the art you create.

  Law 101: Protecting Your Art
  Rachel Brenke, Esq

   

  With the onslaught of social media and digital files/products comes the true reality that ethics and law are not always followed. In fact, while ignorance is no excuse, often the masses are misinformed as to what is allowed in the digital age. The most prominent issues photographers face include the illegal downloading (or screen capture) of unpurchased photographs for print, sharing of digital items, stealing of photographs to pad portfolio and posting of another’s work as an example to clients.

  What if I want to share someone else’s picture for inspiration?

  There has been a recent trend where photographers have taken to sharing photographs of photographers that inspire them to demonstrate to the clients their vision for an upcoming session. This has been done through sharing on social media sites including pinning on Pinterest. There is a grey area of danger in this sharing as it is misleading to the client, often done without permission of photographer, and many times the proper credit is not attributed. When in doubt, don’t share it. When in doubt, don’t pin it.
  All photographers should look to others that provide inspiration, but if you’d like to collect an inspiration board of other photographers ensure it is specifically labeled as separate from your own work and/or create another profile.

  What can I do to protect myself?

  Stealing is such a nasty word but that is what it is. Whenever clients download files from the website without permission it is stealing. Whenever a photographer claims another’s work as their own it is stealing. There are a few different ways to protect yourself. Sometimes it is simply a grey area of sharing a photograph, even with appropriate credit, or another photographer using the same business name or tag line. There are several options for protecting yourself and your business.

  One option is that of a trademark or copyright. Trademarking is the act of identifying and distinguishing the source of goods of one party from that of another (i.e. words, phrases, designs, symbols, etc.). Copyright is the protection an artist has over “original works of authorship”. Both of these are tools to protect yourself, however, must be distinguished to understand whether you are protected or need to take action. Ownership of copyright for a photograph is created at the time the photograph is created. Trademarking is not acquired until submitted formally through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Link to Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/
  Copyright is typically done for photographs (although no formal process required) while trademarking is typically done to reserve your company name, logo, catch phrase or slogan.

  The second option is to embed copyright in your photograph/product. This can be done in the processing program of choice. The following pictures are how to embed copyright/ownership information into the photograph. This will sometimes work to prevent labs from printing these files outside the guidelines embedded in the photograph’s data.

  #1 Open Picture
  #2 File > File Info
  #3 Enter Info
  #4 Click OK

   

  
  

  
  

  The third option is to watermark your photographs. Simply placing a watermark on the photograph may deter some individuals. This option, by itself, does not fully protect you nor keep others from stealing. Just as social media is in every house, editing programs are increasingly common, making the tools to remove a watermark readily accessible.

  The fourth option is to include your information and copyright information on picture captions whenever uploaded to the Internet. This, again, isn’t full protection but may deter or remind individuals of the copyright laws.

  The final option, which is primarily for clients, is to provide a Copyright Informational Card with their order as a gentle reminder of copyright laws and your reproduction guidelines.

  What if they continue to violate my copyright?

  The most simple answer, ask them to stop. Many times clients are unaware their actions violate your policies and copyright, despite being outlined in the signed photography agreement. Citing the appropriate copyright law and policies in a politely written communication will often encourage someone to cease their actions, especially if they were “unaware” that what they are doing is wrong. If this communication fails to achieve this a formal writing of a Cease and Desist letter may be required. These can be written informally by simply citing the actions, citing the appropriate copyright laws, demanding they quit these actions, providing consequences for failure to comply, and institute a deadline. An alternative is to utilize an attorney drafted Cease and Desist form and/or hire an attorney.

  Cease and Desist
  

  No matter the method of protection you choose, be true to yourself and your business. Inform others, inform yourself. This does you, others and the photography industry a great service.

   

  Rachel Brenke

   

  
  

  Rachel Brenke is a photographer, lawyer, business consultant and social media marketing strategist based out of El Paso, Texas.  She has helped over a thousand photographers start up, market and maintain their businesses through online eWorkshops, 1:1 consulting and the free resources on her blog. She also has contracts for photographers that were designed for photographers by a photographer and attorney!

  Snag your free copy her free Legal Lens eBook by Rachel Brenke.

  Note: These legal tips are based on United States legal principles. Please seek out advice for your country.