Photo Biz by Sean

How to create a slide show that doesn't bore your audience

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Photographers who market online tend to do one of two things when showing their work.

They either 1. stack image upon image in one blog post with a smidgeon of copy as their way of showing work or 2. the build a slide show.

I've never been a fan of posting dozens of images in one blog entry. So early on I opted to do a slide show.

I've found it to be a powerful way to present photographs. I've also found it can be dangerous. Inherent in the form are some major pitfalls and consequently (if poorly done) will shoot down your chances with prospective clients investigating you online.

Here are ten things you can do to make dynamic slide shows that don't bore your audience, inspire prospective clients to pick up the phone and call and keep your business humming:

1. Limit the number of images. One of the things that ruins a slide show is watching it go on and on and on. Attention spans are limited. Don't think a three-minute slide show will keep people's attention. Unless the photography is fast-paced and incredibly compelling, it won't. My rule of thumb for a wedding is 50 images or less.

2. Use compelling theme-based music. Instrumentals are best! I have terrible taste in music and it took me a long time to find pieces that would work and build over the course of a slide show. Don't pick music because it's the latest song. Don't even pick music because you listen to it all of the time. Pick music based on the theme of your slide show and find music that doesn't date itself. Instrumentals, I've found, are the best pieces because they don't jar the viewer and there's nothing being said that conflicts with the pictures being shown.*

*Buy a music license. BMI and ASCAP both offer web licenses that will help free you from some liability. (NOT ALL, JUST SOME) To avoid liability altogether, purchase royalty free music. Triple Scoop seems to be popular.

3. Edit your pictures. It's sounds silly, but I think the mistake I see most often by photographers creating slide shows is a poor edit. That means the pictures should not say the same thing over and over. Rather, they should tell a story.

4. Every slide show you create should have a beginning, middle and end. Your story has to start somewhere, it has to say what happened and it must have a clearly defined ending. Another way to think of it is to create a slideshow that is a lot like a magazine or newspaper story. Does your slide show answer Who, What, Where, When and Why? If it does, then odds are good people won't be confused or bored.

5. Main characters carry the day. Does your slide show clearly identify your main characters and does it chronicle the events that happen to them over the course of the day?

6. Main characters must be put into context. Does your slide show have contextual images that involve the place the rest of the cast or both? I'm thinking about good reaction pictures here.

7. A plot is a must. There should always be a plot. Pictures can be used to create one. Usually my slide shows involve the actual wedding ceremony. As much as it is a ritual, it is also the key plot device. The before pictures set up the ceremony and the pictures after the ceremony tend to be an emotional release.

8. Stay away from gimicky presentation. I used to add borders, zoom in and out, change the timing etc... Resist the urge! It takes away from the images and from the story. As a visual communicator, photographers must realize that gimmicks are exactly that. Be simple and be straightforward. You will be able to communicate with your audience better.

9. This leads me to the next point. Timing is everything. I often think about my mother and grandmother when timing my slide shows. Would they catch what the story is about in the time that I show it? Three seconds seems to be an ideal time for me to display an image. I don't mind going a little longer if I have to, but I don't want to go shorter. Unless you're from the MTV generation it's practically impossible to identify and react to an image that isn't displayed for three seconds or more.

10. Make yourself cry. If I have the right portfolio (one with real feeling) and I build the slide show correctly I will start to feel it in my throat. If that happens, then odds are good that my audience will feel it too.

Hope this helps! — Sean

One view of the future

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:27:00 +0000

Nikon just announced an SLR camera that can do HD video. Guess where we're headed:)

Over the next months and years, video montages with still images and moving pictures will be a necessary product for photographers. You just won't be able to avoid it, unless you go old school and settle on film as a specialty medium.

For those of us who don't wish to return to TRI-X, we will be expected to produce these types of multi-media pieces.

So, where does that leave the still photographer?

Is it between a rock and hard place? Or is this just another incredible opportunity to be embraced?

Why aren't you shooting video already? And what is the real difference between videographers and still photographers? Are we one and the same?

If I can pull a still photograph from a video that looks good or better than a digital image or film image captured in the camera, then why not just shoot video?

It gets even more complicated. Read about the still photographer's quandry on Laforet's blog here. — Sean

Build your marketing into the workflow

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:26:00 +0000

I've gone around and around with photographers who can't understand why their businesses are suffering. Many times it's because they just haven't paid enough attention to their marketing.

They might buy an expensive ad in a magazine. Or see what they can do about meeting wedding planners or location managers. They might even have a nifty looking web site.

That's just not enough. In this day and age, marketing has a shelf-life of zero seconds, minutes or days.

You have to market in real time to potential customers. It must be now. Not later, not in a week, not in the next issue of whatever bridal magazine.

Now means today this second, this very minute!

So here's a thought to all of those frustrated photographers who can't understand why (even though their work is ten times better than their competitions) they don't have enough business.

Build your marketing into the workflow. Make sure that your process for getting weddings, portraits, events online ALWAYS includes a marketing component.

Gary Fong is right about one thing. When you get work in front of potential customers, planners and locations managers on a regular basis you get work! His thing was printing a set of 8x10's with pictures from the event and distributing them within a week of the event.

That's old school.

Slide shows on the day of the event is a must. And blogging is an INCREDIBLE tool for photographers.

If you're not updating your blog regularly (I mean daily) then it's time to think about changing your workflow to accommodate for daily blog updates.

Hell... some photographers don't think that's enough. Twittering is the next big thing. (I'm not there yet, and frankly not sure if I will ever be.)

Nevertheless, showing your potential clients your abilities and your latest on a daily basis should be built in and not seen as something else you have to do today. — Sean

Olympic photography coverage on balance

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:17:00 +0000

If you've been keeping a close eye on the Olympic coverage, then you might have seen two distinctly different views of the Olympics.

There were a few photographer blogs that I've been watching with interest.

First there was Vincent Laforet's blog that also combined with the Newsweek blog. Laforet was sent by Newsweek to cover the Olympics. But he wasn't responsible for reporting on the Olympics.

Instead, Simon Barnett, Newsweek Director of Photography sent Laforet and two other photographers on a cruise for features:

"Go make great photographs first, worry less about recording every medal." — Simon Barnett. Read more about Laforet's assignment in an interview with Barnett here.

Laforet filed regular updates to his own blog as well as Newsweek's blog. It was a fun read. Laforet's photographic coverage was excellent. But absent from his thoughts about the games and his job was some of the reality of the games.

That's where photographer Kevin German's photo blog comes in. He didn't have any tickets or access to the Olympic Games. Instead, he roomed with a couple of great sports shooters from the US and focused his lens on the world outside the tape.

German's blog was a nice contrast to Laforet. German's photographs offered another take and one that was fresh and convincing. I felt like German really made an effort to show us the China you would never see on TV or in the magazines:

Landing in between the two was David Burnett's blog. He had several posts that expressed a view of the games that involved the nightmares of trying to photograph it. Burnett was exceedingly polite and good natured, but after reading some of his posts I could feel his frustration.

I know from my own experiences that photographing something that is this tightly monitored and controlled sucks. It is my least preferable way of working. Burnett posted a very funny video here (and also below) of himself finally making it to China after leaving the grounds at the games and heading into the city.

Increasingly news consumers will do what I did. They will check in with a variety of sources. Some of them may be major news outlets. But, I think consumers will value personal insight and a personal vision over event photography that is heavily controlled.

There is no more one-sided story today. "Gee whiz, that's neat" will be always be accompanied by the "Can you believe that?"

My experience watching these photographers and their blogs is a telling clue, to me, of the direction of journalism and how it will be consumed in the future. — Sean

There is no substitute for simplicity

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:34:00 +0000

It must be aesthetic week around here. I can't stop thinking about pictures and what defines them.

Simplicity has to be at the top of the list. Photographers forget that, often.

Simple is better than unsimple (I know that's not a word) pictures that don't convey what it is you're trying to get at. I mean, I see a lot of pictures online that I don't understand. I want to understand them. But most times I'm lost.

I'm convinced that when it comes to looking at images made by professionals that are not straightforwardly simple then I'm ALWAYS the guy who doesn't get it.

And if it's a stretch for me, imagine what it must be like for someone who doesn't view thousands of images a day 5 days a week?

Trust me. Most of your clients just won't get it either. Here's the worst part. If they don't get it, it doesn't matter how much you try to explain.

A litmus test: the minute you feel the need to explain a picture to the viewer is the minute you need to take it out of your edit. — Sean

Can editorial photographers make a living? Of course they can

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:26:00 +0000

My response to APE's question didn't appear so I'm posting my response here:

I don't know if this is the right question to ask.

The answer is most certainly, yes, editorial photographers can make a living. And to me that's really not a question that needs to be answered anymore.

The better question is will the editorial world as you know and understand it survive? And it seems the answer is no it won't.

Better to look at the possibilities than to curse the darkness.

Stephen Alvarez is a wonderful example. He's got a compelling blog. I'm absolutely hooked on his series about Don Beni. (Stephen you need to post another one, I'm dying to hear what happens next!)

Certainly, his appeal is to a very definite kind of reader. And I would imagine, if he chose, he could find a willing group of advertisers focused specifically on his audience. (Cavers, photographers and adventurers)

See what I'm getting at?

The idea of the editorial world as an industry is crumbling fast. The de-evolution of this kind of business model is the same one that is effecting a lot of other 'industries' and it seems to be inevitable.

What about those dedicated content creators willing to work hard?

Writers, photographers, and artists of all kinds have just discovered the long tail

or, to put in another way, the phenomenon of 1,000 True Fans

Hear, hear. — Sean

Honesty by default

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:49:00 +0000

I have always used honesty as THE measure to judge a photograph.

I can remember when I was first captured by photographs. I was viewing a gallery exhibit of Danny Lyon's photographs of prison life in Texas, his days as a member of the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle club and his work with Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

The pictures were honest observation and they cut deep. That was how I began my journey as a photographer.

Now as a wedding photographer, I have begun to place a premium on honesty. Honest pictures are so much more than simple caricatures (which is what most wedding photographers practice today.)

I readily admit I've gone down that road. Making people look bigger than life, colors look hi-def and compositions that look well, perfectly composed. Once you find yourself traveling down that path, it's hard to reroute your journey. But it can be done.

If you do this (weddings or any other event photography) for a living, then you know intimately of the problem David Burnett describes so well in his post China On My Mind:

"But in the end, the change needs to take place in your own head, your own creative center. Trying to understand and see something for the umpteeth time, and make it look new and exciting, is the ultimate challenge all photographers face, and even more so in the two weeks of the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, it’s more than easy to just slip into some kind of modified version of “I did this 4 years ago already.. what am I doing here?” — David Burnett

How to find my creative center after literally hundreds of weddings? I turn to honesty by default.

Trying to be honest in my work, for me, makes it a lot more meaningful and satisfying than if I were to bend people and moments to my will. — Sean

David Burnett in China

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:16:00 +0000

But in the end, the change needs to take place in your own head, your own creative center. Trying to understand and see something for the umpteeth time, and make it look new and exciting, is the ultimate challenge all photographers face, and even more so in the two weeks of the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, it’s more than easy to just slip into some kind of modified version of “I did this 4 years ago already.. what am I doing here?” — David Burnett

Click here to find out just what he's doing there and why. — Sean

Holy perception Batman!

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:37:00 +0000

Just a follow up to yesterday's post on why I don't subscribe to PDN.

I included a correction to my post after seeing that PDN had changed its policy. A subscription now includes access to all of its online content.

I remember years ago when that wasn't the case and how I decided not take the magazine.

After thinking about it, there's a real lesson here. My perception and my memory of how I felt about PDN informed me about the company and its product.

Never mind that PDN had changed its policy. Years later I still held to my experience and it effected my perception of PDN as both a publication and a company.

Imagine how your pricing, policies, rules and any other interactions effect your clients? Are there things you may have changed that would change the perception your clients have of you and your company? Have you advertised those changes effectively?

Can you think of interactions with your clients that inform their perception of you?

And if it was a bad interaction, what have you done not only to address it but to make sure everyone of your clients knows about it? It also strikes me that the same thing holds true with good interactions.

How you advertise changes (hopefully for the better) makes all of the difference in your client's lasting perception of your business. — Sean

But wait there's more! or why I stopped subscribing to PDN

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:50:00 +0000

When I first got into the business of photography, one my first mentors advised me to get a subscription to PDN.

I took the magazine for several years and looked forward to reading it.

Then they started an additional subscription service for articles that were not in the publication but were on the web. I thought that was rather cheap of them.

Really, articles written for and helpful to photographers were being withheld for additional payment?

So I stopped my subscription. Now I occasionally see the magazine, but I've gotten used to not seeing it. And so I've dismissed it.

My thinking here is this: if I subscribe to a publication it should be one price and it should allow me to access all of the information that's published in the magazine and on the web.

But PDN really isn't a publication. It's a media corporation dependent on camera manufacturers and their users. In the past several years, the property known as PDN has expanded exponentially.

And it's interests encompass much more than being a publication. Rather, it wants to be THE community for serious professionals.

I'm sorry, but I can't take PDN seriously enough. Or rather, I can't pay again and again for content over and above the subscription price.

One has to wonder do the writers see an additional check for the all of folks who pay more to read articles like these?

I seriously doubt it. — Sean

CORRECTION: Wow, it's been so long I never realized that PDN has changed its policy. Perhaps I will subscribe to the magazine again.

When the going gets tough, the tough get to marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:17:00 +0000

It surpises me that photographers don't concentrate on marketing more.

Photography consultant Leslie Burns has a great post today about marketing and it's exactly the right thing at the right time.

"There are several studies out that show that, all other things being equal, those people who keep food diaries lose about twice as much weight as those who don’t...

You can use this same technique to be better with your marketing. In a food diary, maybe your goal every day is 1800 calories. In your marketing diary, it could be to accomplish at least three marketing-related tasks every (work) day. Call up some targets to try and get meetings, that’s one; research a few new potential targets, that’s two; update your blog, that’s three."

Click here to read the entire post.

I would go one step further. Don't worry about three things. Instead, just worry about one:

Show your work regularly to the people you want to work for.

Pretty simple, no? — Sean

What to do about your competition

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:20:00 +0000

In a recent post called trading down, I got a couple of good comments. Both came from an opposite direction; one from a photographer who earns 20k+ on every wedding he shoots and insists the market dynamics of hi-end weddings are remaining relatively unchanged even in this economic downturn; the other from a friend who wrote directly to me:

...just tonight I stumbled upon a web site of a photographer in my area shooting weddings starting at $400 and offering hi-res CDs of said weddings for $250. I won't tell you how ridiculous her print prices are. Not that I want that clientele, but if you're premise is true, about consumers trading down, how am I suppose to compete with that? I might as well mothball my gear and not work than to work for less than a "day job" would pay. And I know what that pay is because I have a day job! How do you compete against, or survive the crush of, photographers who aren't pricing themselves to run a successful business and as a result are undercutting the market.

I wanted to address both photographer's points.

It's always a guessing game to try and forecast the impacts of an economic downturn (read: recession) but I liked what the Nightly Business Report had to say and how it appeared to me as a photographer who is closely watching incoming inquiries.

In response to the hi-end photographer that said the economic downturn isn't effecting his hi-end client or their budget, I believe him.

I also think most working photographers are not taking these types of bookings. (Although, there's always the promise of doing so, which helps sell hundreds of wedding photography workshops.)

So, while I imagined clients who might spend this amount would look for better value in an economic downturn, that's not the case.

I still might argue that photographers trying to capture this market segment that are not well-positioned (I will write another post about positioning in the future) will have trouble doing so in a recession. But who knows? I haven't heard from that photographer.

Now onto my friend who also made an important point. What to do about competition undercutting your business in an economic downturn?

My quick answer to his thought is don't worry about it. And by that I mean the only competition you really have is yourself.

Every day I take stock of my business and reevaluate what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. You might think of it as my stock price and it fluctuates wildly. However, looking back over time it trends steadily up and to the right.

Whatever setbacks you may think you are seeing or experiencing are almost always temporary. Especially if you address them and lean into it!

Those setbacks are also NOT created by your competition. They are created by you. I really believe this. If I didn't, and I spent all of my time worrying about what others are doing, I would never get anywhere.

So take stock of your business every day. Determine what it is you need to do to make it better. Know that whatever stumbling blocks you are experiencing are temporary and be persistent. Without persistence, you won't succeed.

I think we all know when we wake up in the morning exactly what's wrong and what's right about our business.

But focusing on your competition means your spending energy on something other than making your own business better. — Sean

Trafficking in happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Who ever said that wedding photographers sell photographs?

It's never been about the pictures. It's always been about the emotions.

What are we really selling?

Happiness. — Sean

A big no-no

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:52:00 +0000

When you interview a photographer for your company blog that's supposed to represent the possibilities your company offers photographers and the photographer doesn't have a blog to back it up.

That doesn't say a lot about your company. — Sean

Trading Down

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:14:00 +0000

The Nightly Business Report talked tonight about a consumer phenomenon they termed 'Trading Down.'

Basically it means consumers are opting for less expensive items. For instance, they interviewed a liquor store owner who said that expensive wines were not selling, but wines that were on sale were flying off the shelves.

The idea here is that consumers are deciding not to forgo a product or service because of the economic downturn. Instead, they are deciding to buy cheaper.

What does that mean for wedding photographers?

I think it means that prices for hi-end weddings (think 20k+) won't hold up. The consumer is deciding to replace the hi-end wedding photographer with an equal, but less expensive option.

That's not to say hi-end weddings aren't in abundance, just that competition for those jobs has increased and some folks shooting for that market will need to either re-adjust their price point or lose work.

This economic environment offers an incredible opportunity for photographers who have a lower price point and don't mind the higher volume.

Those who are positioned well will be able to add market share and grow. Perhaps even double-digit growth!

If wine is still flying off the shelves, then good photography at a great price will be too. — Sean

Wedding photography's dirty little secret

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:40:00 +0000

Psssst... I'll let you in on a secret.

A lot of good wedding photographers aren't focused on photographing weddings or even finding couples to photograph.

Look for instance at the wording of this offer for advertising space on a wedding photographer's blog:

...want to get your service, widget, or product in front of over 7000+ photographers daily?

Why isn't the audience 7000+ brides and grooms?

Who's your audience and what are you selling?

If I were to advertise on your blog would it be to advertise to other photographers or to couples who need a wedding photographer? — Sean

Note to young photographers: Strip it down

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Saw this on Strobist. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders has a wonderful approach to photography. He strips the photograph to its barest essentials. If there's one thing wrong with young photographers today, they don't spend enough time stripping pictures down to the bone. I wish I had learned to appreciate this earlier in my career. Documents always carry more weight than a photographer's preconceived notions about what a good picture really is.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite passages from 'On Writing Well' by William Zinsser:

"The point is that you have to strip down your writing before you can build it back up. You must know what the essential tools are and what job they were designed to do. If I may labor the metaphor of carpentry, it is first necessary to be able to saw wood neatly and to drive nails. Later you can bevel the edges or add elegant finials, if that is your taste. But you can never forget that you are practicing a craft that is based on certain principles. If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart." — William Zinsser

Who ever said photography and writing aren't related? — Sean

From the Job Dept.

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Just catching up on a bit of reading online and this post at PDN caught my attention. Here's an excerpt:

"Do I still want to be a photographer? I’d like to do some more shooting. But I’m at a place right now where it’s not my number one priority as it was when I was a student. You could say I’ve shelved it for now."

Click here to read the entire piece. The PDN title includes the words Career Opportunities. That's what it really is.

I can say confidently that the industry (PDN prefers the term industry over profession) needs people... badly. PDN sounds like one of THOSE high school counselors... or maybe the guy in the graduate?

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Just how do you mean that, sir?

What about photography as a profession? No career opportunities needed, really. Only passionate people. — Sean

Five Six ways to be more profitable

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:59:00 +0000

Sorry for no posts. I've been away from a computer, e-mail and a blogger account for an incredibly enjoyable two weeks. If you haven't made an effort to stay away from a computer (that includes your iphone) I encourage you to try. It's wonderful.

OK, so I got to thinking about this post while I was away. Economic news is bad. That means that expendable income on things like weddings should be bad too.

Here's ~~five~~ six things you can do now to be more profitable and ensure your survival in what I expect to be a rocky road over the next few months.

1. Reduce your expenses (Added)

Don't buy equipment you don't need. It always surprises me to see photographers buying the latest and greatest equipment. But if you can still work with your Canon 10D and get the job done, you're ahead of the game. Camera companies want you to get the best, but the reality is you need to make purchases that will last long-term. If you must purchase something, stay just this side of prosumer. A $7,000 camera is a big money loser and you don't get paid any more for using it.

2. Limit your products

Product costs eat your margins for lunch. Reevaluate ways to save. Don't be afraid to limit your offerings to a customer base that may not mind limits. Proofing products is a great example. Do you really need them if you're goal is to upsell your couple on an album, thereby making them a better source of referrals?

3. Increase your markup

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received. Make absolutely sure that your markups are marked up! I know a photographer who marks up albums %5 over whole sale price. I still don't know how he can pull that off. A general rule of thumb: Mark up every product your sell by a factor of five.

4. Evaluate your advertising

Magazine advertisements are one of the worst money losers. You gain nothing in return for a two-year $4k contract to advertise in a glossy magazine. There are much better ways get a return on your advertising. Think locally. The more specific the market niche the better.

5. Team-up

Photographers have been doing this for a long time. Partner with another photographer to attack a specific market, share in advertising expenses, even rebrand themselves under one roof. By teaming up you can take on more work and your cost of doing business is automatically reduced.

6. In-source

Crazy idea, I admit. But have you looked recently at the statement you received from your the web site or lab or album designer you've outsourced work too? My bet is your margin is significantly effected by outsourcing. Not only that, the quality of your products is also effected. Reconsider insourcing. It's not for everyone (like people who don't want to get dirty with the details). Bottomline, if you can install efficient systems for albums, print orders or both, you're going to make more.

Hope these ideas help! — Sean

The Knottie Drama - here we go again

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:20:00 +0000

I wrote about a contract put out by the Knot magazine that is damaging to photographers. Here, here and here.

The first time around, I submitted images to the editors before I received the contract. After seeing it I was so concerned I asked them to renegotiate the terms of use of the images I gave them. In the contract I essentially granted them all rights to the images and indemnified the magazine if a lawsuit came along!

Never heard back. Magazine went to press. Never had to sign anything.

It's the same cast of characters this time around. Rebecca Crumley e-mailed and selected a wedding from our blog. Carly Jackson e-mailed me a contract. And I asked to renegotiate the terms.

No answer. Just another request from Carly that goes like this:

Cayton Photography

I just wanted to touch base with you about Shannon + Peter’s images!
Please let me know as soon as you can if you would like to participate.

Thanks!
Carly

I cordially declined to participate and oh how glad I am that Conde Naste also contacted me again and will be running one of our weddings without any of this silliness. — Sean

Photography and literature

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:06:00 +0000

It always surprises me to read about photographers who poo-poo the idea of photographing weddings.

It seems to me that photography is a lot like literature. Some literature is less respected than others. A graphic novel is seen in a different light from a book of poetry, for instance.

Like literature, photography has many forms. Wedding photography is one. The form (or the story of wedding) remains the same.

Despite its lack of respect, it's comforting to know that no one will ever dispute the idea that to master any form of literature or photography it takes practice and hard work. — Sean

This is just too good

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:38:00 +0000

An interactive web site with video interviews of some of the finest photographers of the 20th century. I'm editing today and plan on listening to several of the interviews. The Eddie Adams piece is fantastic. Click here to visit. Thanks to APE for the link. — Sean

E-mail of the day - what would say?

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:20:00 +0000

"We have decided to go with a local photographer here in Texas who best fits our budget needs! I wanted to ask, could you recommend any spots for scenic shots around the Springs? I would be so appreciative! With your knowledge and experience, I know you could probably conjure a list off the top of your head! The Texas photographer will probably arrive the day before, but we have no idea where we should go! We're just not familiar with the area."

Ok, I'm ready to hear your response. What would you say to this? — Sean

If you're pictures aren't good enough,...

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:19:00 +0000

you're not close enough. — Robert Capa

I sometimes forget this rule and then I remember it when I look at photographs by our associates.

What's not understood nearly as well is that you have to be close enough at the right times. And you have to make photographs that convey the mood and feeling of the event not awkwardly, but naturally.

Stay with your viewfinder. One moment longer. Learn to stare at your subject. And take as long as you need!

That's another one. Few photographers take enough time to truly stare and explore their subject with their eyes and their hearts.

Make sue you've looked long enough until what once was uncomfortable is immediately comforting. — Sean

Items of interest today online

noreply@blogger.com (Sean Cayton) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Item #1 Today's worst headline for a blog post:

Rob & Lauren (Photographers - I shot!)

Items #2 Surprise! Wedding photographers are on the front lines of the culture wars. Is it really time to lawyer up?

"We wanted to make sure that everything we photographed — everything we used our artistic ability for, everything we told a story for or conveyed a message of — would be in line with our values and our beliefs," he said. — NPR's Morning edition

Click here to read the entire piece.

Thought: Will it hurt your business to photograph same-sex weddings? Keep an eye on California photographers' blogs - specially Orange County photographers! - to see what approach works for them.

Item #3 Marketing Tips on Pictage's Blog.

Great thoughts about marketing and selling online at the Pictage Blog. Interestingly, you don't have to be a member of Pictage to execute these ideas. Click here to visit the blog. Click more or advance to listen to and hear about more marketing ideas. — Sean