Flex alert here, guys. I shot Drew Brees recently, alongside a video crew in San Diego. Drew was a laid back, accommodating dude with a generally great attitude towards the whole crew. It was a high level day on my fun-o-meter.Enough about me. Today we set out to answer the question: Can we shoot video and photo simultaneously on the same day? Should we do that? After all, the talent is there, lighting is there, a hair and makeup artist,…
Ok, ok, this post should probably have been titled, "6 things I repeatedly F'd up over the past ten year period and sometimes still do, and regret" but that is a little wordy for our purposes. So read up and start learning from my past mistakes! Not Having a Contract Probably the top answer to any photography business dilemma is "put it in the contract next time." A contract for all jobs large and small can prevent almost all conflicts…
One of the first questions I ask a new potential client is "Do you have a shot list?" I'm happy to work with them either way but it helps me gauge how much they may have thought about the details and logistics of their shoot. Generally, when clients come to me with a list of shots, it means they've done some prep work, have a good idea of their brand identity (or brand identity they aspire to), and may already…
Recently I had an opportunity to shoot a portrait of one of my food photography clients. Bliss and Baker is a mother-daughter team in North County San Diego making some really delicious crispie treats that you can find at local retailers and restaurants around town. Just looking at the behind the scenes iPhone snap above of our setup, one can instantly recognize the challenge with shooting a portrait in a home kitchen. In most cases you'll be presented with multiple light…
Product photography, and especially beverage photography involving glass, is a true melding of technical geekery and artistic decision making. Although the challenges of photographing glassware and liquid can be at times frustrating, the rewards are high. It's the feeling of building an image, as if building a piece of furniture. You look at examples, lay out a design, start to assemble the parts, and then you invariably will stray from that design in actual practice which produces something unique. I…
It's no secret that the 'ol Book of Faces can be a great marketing tool for photographers as well as just a generally fun place to show off some family photos. Facebook, however, has a tendency to compress, convert, or otherwise mangle your photos if you don't do some image prep ahead of time to maximize their display quality. Here are some steps I'd recommend to optimize your images for Facebook display. I recommend using Photoshop but you could certainly…