Messages

1

Large Wall Portraits / Re: Selling Large Wall Portraits

« on: March 10, 2010, 03:49:03 PM »

Just a quick response to you Audrey-

I do sell wall portraits. But I'm much more interested in giving the client what THEY want. I have no small prints up in my office. I show them how good LWP's look in the wall. I project them on their wall if I meet with them in their home. I have gifted LWP's to clients because the photo was so great. I have ran a "buy x amount of prints, get a free LWP" just so people can have one to put on their wall.

And there is very little enthusiasm on their part to do anything with them.  I know the LWP guys will say it's me, but most other photog colleagues don't sell many either- and I have talked to them about it.

The clients I gifted a 20x30 print still haven't hung it; it's still in their closet.

So while lots of people can and do very in the LWP game, it doesn't really work here, at least not yet. I certainly offer them, and I certainly make every effort to steer clients towards them, but LWP's for me are no magic bullet.

The idea of a small wall portrait is interesting, not sure how I feel about that. Will give it some thought.   

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Gear, Media & Equipment. / Re: Best general purpose Canon lens advice?

« on: March 02, 2010, 02:53:44 PM »

At my b&m here the 24-70 is $2449aud and the 28-105 is $1699, so price is a bigger deal here. And I just like the look of the images with the 28-105 better, so that's what I use.

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Gear, Media & Equipment. / Re: Best general purpose Canon lens advice?

« on: March 01, 2010, 06:37:01 PM »

Oh you're right Gavin, it is 77mm filter diameter. Sigma's version is 82mm. At any rate, it is exactly 10oz (300grams) heavier than the 28-105 F/4. Is 10 oz a big deal? Depends. I have a bad shoulder, so lens weight is a big deal for me. How often do you use f/2.8? At least where I live, the 24-70 is almost $800 more expensive than the 28-105 f/4, so it's a budgetary decision as much as anything. 

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Gear, Media & Equipment. / Re: Best general purpose Canon lens advice?

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:50:01 PM »

I have a rebel xti and the following lenses:

Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS L (Had to splurge for a trip to Africa)
Canon 28-135 IS
Canon 50 f1.8

I want to upgrade from the 28-135 (and sell it) and get something faster and wider that is good quality. The difference between my L lens and the 28-135 is night and day. I just had my first baby so I imagine there will be a lot of available light indoor shots. I want to leave the option for upgrading my body so i'm not sure the efs lenses are right for me (maybe they are - I might never get a ff camera). Quality and speed are most important - IS is a bonus but I think my subject will be moving more than the camera and IS can't still a wiggling baby.

The lenses I'm considering are:

Canon 24-70 f2.8L (I'm not sure it is wide enough and a bit pricey)
Canon 17-40 f4 L (I'm not sure it is long enough)
Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS (A bit pricey for an EF-S non L lens, is the quality there?)
Sigma 18-50 f2.8 (Worried about non Canon lenses and future compatibility/quality)

Any input would be extremely appreciated.

Well, I own, have owned, or have borrowed all these lenses at one point in time.

The Canon 24-70 is a fantastic lens- optics are top notch from wide to long. The problem? It's really, really heavy, and really bulky. Its an 82mm filter diameter, so filters are very expensive It's not cheap either, as you know.

The 17-40 I don't like on a crop sensor. It's wide, but not long enough.

The Canon 17-55 2.8 is fabulous. It is a bit spendy, you can't use it on a full frame body (if you do decide to go ff later) but if you plan on crop it's fabulous.

I wouldn't be too worried about compatibility issues with Sigma lenses. That was an issue a few years ago, but it's not a huge issue now. The problem with Sigma lenses is the focus can be spotty.

Have you considered the 28-105 f/4 L? It's one of my favorite lenses.

5

Business Stuff / Re: Portrait viewing _ what do you Show?

« on: February 25, 2010, 05:34:49 PM »

Part of it may be that I always give the high rez disc, so they don't have to order specific photos from me, unless they want an enlargement or the occasional wall portrait.

I also predesign the album, and show that as well. Even if they haven't said they wanted one, I can usually upsell an album at the same time.

6

Business Stuff / Re: Portrait viewing _ what do you Show?

« on: February 24, 2010, 11:11:07 PM »

So Gavin, are you saying that every photograph you take is unacceptable to show a client without applying some kind of digital wizardry?  Wow...if that's true, you have some serious issues.

I don't show clients photos that aren't finished. Why would I? I'm like Gavin- when they walk in to see their photos, I want them to wowed, right then and there, and in a big way. I think it shows a lack of effort and care in the photographer/studio to say to the client "here are your photos, I just couldn't be bothered taking the time to adjust the levels or sharpen it." If i'm paying that much money for a luxury item, it better look good when I see it.

Jaguar, BMW, basically every car dealer wash the car before you drive it off the lot, though i'm sure the car looks great with a thin layer of dust and road grime on it. 

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Gear, Media & Equipment. / Re: Canon 24-70/f2.8 L or Canon 24-105/f4 IS L

« on: February 22, 2010, 11:28:51 PM »

It also depends a lot on your shooting style. I like shooting a bit tighter, so the 105 focal length is good for me. The 28-105 is one of my favorite lenses...It balances nicely, pics are sharp, colors are great. But as a few have said, the f/4 is a bit limiting, especially indoors in a dark church, for example. But if you have some primes, you may be able to overcome that problem.

The 24-70 is a great lens- The optics are superb. I had it, but for me personally it was too heavy and bulky.

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Pro Photo Show & Beyond / Re: Pro Photo Show #66 - Future Feelings

« on: February 22, 2010, 11:25:15 PM »

I just listened to it in its entirety, and it was one of the better shows I can remember lately. I had never heard of David Ziser before the show, so thanks Gavin for introducing me to his work; there's a lot to learn from him!

It was interesting for me to hear him put it as simply as "future feelings." We all know that it's really a brides (and grooms, to a certain extent) connection to the photographer that gets us the job- and by having her think about how she will FEEL in 5, 10, 20 years is almost a no-brainer.

The Wedding season in the Southern Hemisphere is coming to a close, and like most wedding photogs now is the time I start thinking about where I want to go before next season, and how i want to get there. This last show made me think, and now is a good time to start think about things like that.

Oh, and i'm glad the Apple/iPad geek out segment was saved for the end

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Workflow & Software / Re: Totally Rad Actions for Photoshop

« on: February 21, 2010, 07:50:15 PM »

I did buy them a year or two ago, but i haven't really used them much. They don't really fit my style, but there is a vignette action that i like a lot.

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The Gear Trader / Re: FS: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DG DF for Canon

« on: February 21, 2010, 07:44:56 PM »

This is an almost new lens, I rarely used it and it is in excellent shape. It's a Canon EF mount $300.

Ron
rklutts@mac.com

Is this the version with the Ultrasonic (or whatever Sigma calls it) motor?

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Gear, Media & Equipment. / Re: This or That: 50mm or 85mm

« on: February 13, 2010, 04:51:12 AM »

I disagree with Gavin somewhat- the 50 1.8 I think is actually a nice little lens. I have the 1.8 and the 1.4- and for portrait work, the 1.8 I prefer most of the time. It's not a particularly sharp lens, but it's softness works great for skin. I wouldn't use it for say, landscapes or architecture, but for portraits, it's a good one.

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Business Stuff / Re: Giving a Bride and Groom a Wedding Gift?

« on: January 20, 2010, 10:21:25 PM »

That's a good point gavin. I send all my wedding clients a small bunch of flowers and a card for their anniversary. Their first, I like to send a gift certificate for a dinner somewhere.

I like giving a non photo gift, because that shows them you had to put some thought into THEM as people, not as an afterthought when their photos are done.

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Business Stuff / Re: Giving a Bride and Groom a Wedding Gift?

« on: January 20, 2010, 08:17:54 PM »

I always try and give them a little something, no matter how much they wind up spending with me  I prefer to give them something personal and thoughtful, NOT photography related.

The last wedding the couple had the reception in an essential oil distillery, so I got a decorative bottle of oil- and the bride LOVED it. I have also got a bride and groom who got married in a garden at a brewery (only in Australia, I think) a carton of his favorite beer brewed on the day and signed by the brewmaster.

You don't have to spend a lot to give them a thoughtful gift.

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Show Your Images / Re: First Senior Shoot

« on: November 20, 2009, 02:45:11 PM »

I agree with Gavin on this one. If they didn't want creativity, they could have paid a lot less to get cookie cutter portraits done at a chain studio. They didnt- they hired you and your style and creativity.

There are a few that don't quite work, but I think you captured him very well. Any of them would not be a hard sell. 

15

Show Your Images / Re: Nov 18 Trash the Dress

« on: November 20, 2009, 02:38:13 PM »

4967 is great! Nice job.