Throughout any given year I shoot thousands of photos, so when I was recently asked which one was my personal favorite of 2011, I had a difficult time answering. However, when thinking about it over a couple of days, the one above kept jumping out at me.

On 11-11-11 I documented Jason Webley‘s concert at The Moore in Seattle. That was where I caught this moment in time. Webley is talking about the virtues of love, while Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer sit together behind him, listening.

There is a love story there, and it starts with a look of genuine happiness on Jason Webley’s face, as he looks up into the light, sharing his joy with (and for) the audience. Amanda Palmer represents that audience to me, relaxed, attentive and having a good time, and Neil Gaiman ties the story together, looking down at his wife with complete adoration and a smile that says simply: “I Love You.”

There is enough intimacy in this photo, that I felt a little like a peeping tom as I put it through post processing, like I was crashing a private party. I actually had to remind myself that it was taken at a public event. That is why this is my favorite photo of 2011. It makes me feel like giving my wife a kiss, putting on some good music and take pleasure in the little things in life.

Click on the photo above to view a larger version.

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Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I would like to share something I am thankful for. Recently I had the pleasure of photographing two very awesome and different shows, two weekends in a row. It was the first real work since Kelly had surgery. She is recovering nicely, but has since started follow-up treatment which comes with its own unpleasantires. Her prognosis is good and she is a trooper, and so the time was right for me to get back to work. I was nervous. I felt rusty, still shaken after a run-in with some paranoid private investigators who happened to be at a client’s place of business that I was photographing. Long story short, it had been a rough few months and I was in need of a break.

Jason Webley’s Night of Elevens

The first concert I shot was Jason Webley‘s 11-11-11 concert at The Moore theater. It came about through a question in a short e-mail: would I like to cover the concert, which was the culmination of a year of massive touring and over 200 gigs? Webley had invited a host of friends, performers and fellow musicians to drop in and add some flavor to the show. And what a fantastic show it was. So riveting at times that I had to put my camera down and just watch. Other times I caught myself doing just that, when I really ought to have been taking more photos.

I shot a few hundred frames that night, and for a moment forgot everything else in the world. There was just the work and the music. These are the kind of experiences I live for as a photographer, when you’re in the zone and the camera almost becomes an extension of your body. Also, it was great meeting one of my favorite authors – Neil Gaiman – with whom I also share a connection to…

A W00tstock Surprise!

Comedians Paul and Storm are half of the master minds behind the traveling geek fest that is w00tstock, and also the subject of my second photo shoot. Having photographed them twice before, returning to the Triple Door to shoot the Wil Wheaton vs. Paul and Storm show was something I had been looking forward to for a while. It was – as all w00tstock productions – a show with many friends involved as well, in this case they were co-hosting with Wil Wheaton (Star Trek the Next Generation), and were backed up by drummer Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America), Molly Lewis and John Roderick (The Long Winters). Oh, and apparently – me!

This is something I have definitely never done before as a photographer: early in the show, I was called out and introduced to the audience as the guy who’d be walking around on stage, taking pictures of the performers in action. Not in front of the stage, but on it! This was of course just as awesome and amazing as it sounds, but also a bit of a challenge. Not so much the stage part – I’m fine with making a fool of myself in front of hundreds of people – but I quickly realized how ingrained it is in me not to be in people’s way while covering an event. Stepping out between performer and audience just felt wrong! So I stuck mostly to the sidelines. Mostly.

These experiences were wonderful and just what I needed to revitalize. I am super thankful for being invited in and being able tell kind of stories my camera loves, to follow the process and even become part of the show. That is pretty cool, inspiring and motivating – and definitely something to be thankful for.

Here is a slide show from each of the events.

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When I sold my apartment in Copenhagen it left me in a position to make some investments for the future of my business. Which, in case you were wondering, is the business of telling stories. I chose to invest in video.

I have been wanting to do video on a more serious level for a long time, but I didn’t have the setup to recreate the visuals in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in the whole it’s-not-the-gear-but-how-you-use-it thing, but if you have specific ideas that your current setup just can’t do, it might be time to upgrade. So, I’m moving from iMovie to Final Cut Studio, from camcorder to DSLR and from built-in mics to a wireless system.

Up until now, I have just fooled around with video. Over the next few months I will dive into the more technical bits and study, practice and practice some more. But it doesn’t start with editing, special effects or even filming. Software and hardware does not a great film make. So I have gone back to the beginning.

In my mind filmmaking of any kind starts with good writing. That is where I have begun. I am reading about scriptwriting of all kinds, from documentary and music videos to feature films. And I am experimenting and doing exercises in writing for visuals as I go. Warming up before a few bigger test-projects involving other people and actual filming.

It’s a huge investment in terms of both time and money. Am I nervous about it? Absolutely! I think any important decision should make you a little nervous, just so you’ll take it seriously. But mostly I am excited to learn and dive deeper into something that has always interested and attracted me, but that I have only ever scratched the surface of.

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Magtens Korridorer is a Danish band I've photographed for years. It's been fun following their path to success. The free beer was cool too!

The people I photograph for free are almost always artists of some sort. I grew up around painters, musicians, architects and what-have-you, and almost all of these talented people could have used a good picture or three for marketing themselves and their work, and for the same reasons they would need a photo, they also couldn’t afford to hire a professional to shoot a series for them.

There are thousands of struggling artists in the world, but naturally I can’t afford to give away my photos all the time.

I extend the offer to people I really like. The people behind the work are more important than the work itself. I am a storyteller, and those always have their root in people. It ties into combining Kindness and Hard Work as well. The people I help are genuinely grateful, and they tend to remember me later. In the past this has led to referrals, more work (some of it still for free), friendships and collaborations. And with each and every shoot comes inspiration and learning, and that’s the real pay-off.

A couple of people I have photographed have later gone on to have some success, which hasn’t made me rich (nor would I dream of taking credit for their success, which had everything to do with their own hard work) but it’s gotten me lots of really cool, fun experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Giving away my work also gives me a sense of applying my talent where it matters. That’s a very direct and fulfilling thing. I’ve met naysayers who claim one of two things: it’s undermining “the industry”, and you’re killing yourself for nothing. To those I say, you don’t get it. I’m not doing this for business – not directly anyway. I’m doing it because it’s who I am, how I was raised and it’s what I love doing.

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PixMuse is an iPhone / iPod touch app I put together for all you stock and microstock photographers out there.

PixMuse generates a random photo shoot idea by presenting you with a theme, a subject and a mood. The three elements represent the overall concept, the central element and feel of the suggested photo. Simply hit the button or shake your device to generate a new photo concept.

PixMuse is made for inspiration and fun. There is no guarantee that the photo concepts generated by PixMuse will have any commercial value, though all the elements included were picked specifically because they rank among the most popular and widely used genres and concepts in stock photography. So even though it’s random and silly, there is a useful side to PixMuse as well.

Use PixMuse as a tool for brainstorming. Some of the combinations will fit any portfolio, and you will see elements combined in ways you hadn’t thought of before, which might just spark your imagination. And did I mention it’s free?

Link: Download PixMuse from the iTunes App Store – FREE!

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This is inspired by a post on Black Star Rising, about two recent job-posting for photographers. The short version: one job offered no compensation other than credit (this posted by a PR-firm on behalf of a “high-profile” client). After having written three paragraphs for a comment, I decided instead to post my thoughts here.

It is of course preposterous for a company to “hire” any type of creative talent for credit only. If you’re small fry and have no budget but can do some trade, that’s one thing. That happens all the time, especially among small businesses, and it can be mutually beneficial. I’m talking about clients that until some time in the last decade, would never have thought twice about paying full price, but who now expect your work for little to no compensation.

Say no to clients like that. Refer them to microstock, where they will have a better time finding photos that fit that kind of budget. Don’t slave for clients. If you’re going to slave for anyone, do it for yourself – build your own stock photography portfolio, or whatever tickles your creative fancy. As long as you do it well.

It’s about confidence, professionalism and having the know-how to back it all up.

There IS a market for photographers with the skills listed above, a niche and the ability to tell a good client from a bad one. But, you still have to be willing to work hard – at times for nothing – to get to the point where you can afford to be picky. It’s like that in all creative industries from acting and writing to graphic design and photography. With the increased availability of inexpensive technology, amateurs flood the market with mediocre products, driving down the price on low to mid-range projects. The freelancers and small studios are the first to feel this crunch, as their clients start using amateur prices as bargaining points.

This is where, if you consider yourself a professional, you have to show the client that you are worth paying for. Show them what the difference is between you and the amateur. It’s like the web designer who must convince her small business client to pick her over the client’s nephew, who – using a downloaded copy of Dreamweaver – will “do the same work for a fraction of the price”. But it’s not the same work, and the designer has to be able to show that or lose the bid. Photographers have to show, that their work is not the same as that of someone’s uncle who happens to have an expensive DSLR with a big lens.

There will always be people willing to work for free and clients who won’t pay what the work is worth. It’s pointless to complain about. Instead it should motivate you to get focused and set yourself apart. Adapt or be destroyed, that’s how it is in any business. For decades, photographers had it good, but now that the mystery of “creating a photograph” is all but gone, the nature of the industry has changed.

You have to specialize and build a reputation in just a couple of areas (eg. weddings and seniors, architecture and landscapes, fashion and glamour). Pick the one you love the most, because you’ll be competing against others who love it too, and that will show in the work. If you half-ass it, that’s what you will end up as. Some niches are harder to compete in than others, so research is required. I’m not telling you to give up on your dreams if they happen to be in a field that is highly competitive. Just be realistic about it and plan accordingly.

As I see it, the value is not so much in the work itself, as in the ideas and personality behind it. Anyone can take a photo, but only you can make it look like one of your photos. So, make your clients want you. If they want you, they will pay. If they just want some schmuck with a camera, tell them to go to hell. Work for free if it’s for a cause you want to support, but never work purely for the promise of future opportunity. Getting paid is so much more fun.

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Want to sell fewer images? Want your work to look like everyone else’s? Here are some subjects that might help. I typically see these from dabblers or newcomers to the microstock scene, and people who fail to realize that stock photography is commercial photography. Meaning that the photos are used to market and sell other things.

I’ve put together a top 10 list of subjects to avoid uploading. At least if you want your portfolio to stand out and be original. With any of these it should go without saying that if you do it right, as in different from 90% of the photos that are already out there, you might still produce an awesome top-selling shot. I am suggesting, however, that trying something different might be the better way to go.

Though I call this list a top 10, the subjects are not listed in any particular order.

1. Bugs on Flowers

Congratulations on your macro lens. At least I hope you used a macro lens, so you could get somewhat close. Bugs on flowers is my personal pet peeve subject. Sure, flowers are pretty and bugs are interesting creatures, but as a photo it just doesn’t do it for me. Most of the time, it comes out looking like you were just practicing and like the gazillion existing images just like it.

2. Sunsets

There’s nothing like watching a beautiful sunset. In real life. In a photo, it has to be all kinds of spectacular – or risk looking like a badly lit snapshot. And let’s face it, the magic of watching a sunset just doesn’t translate well into pictures. It’s one of those you-had-to-be-there things. Also, there’s often tons of noise in these shots, because of all the gradients and dark areas.

3. Brick Walls

Yawn. This has got to be the most photographed texture out there. It’s bricks. There’s symmetry. We get it. Move on.

4. Seagulls, Ducks and Swans

Birds that swim are easy targets. They sit relatively still, they’re abundant and, well, that’s pretty much it. Many people like to take pictures of these feathery swimmers. That’s also the reason your photo has to be radically different to work. The harsh light and murky water is not going to help you. For the record, seagulls hovering in the air is just as bad.

5. Vacation Photos

So you went to Greece this summer, huh? Good for you, but please keep the Santorini photos to yourself. I’ve seen that blue dome from every possible angle, and I’ve never even been to Greece. If you’re looking at a landmark or tourist attraction from where all the other tourists are looking too, don’t think that the snapshots you took will sell well. After all, every other tourist has the exact same shots!

6. Tree Branches

Here’s one I just don’t get. What compels people to point their lens towards a random branch and click? And then think that some leaves will make a great stock photo. Again, it’s about originality. There are trees everywhere, which means that anyone can point a camera at one and press the button. Why should they pay money for your snapshot?

7. Graffiti

I consider Graffiti an art form like any other. That said, taking pictures of it and uploading them as stock doesn’t make a lot of sense. First of all, it’s not very photogenic. Secondly, you’re just riding the coat tails of whomever made the original – and if they did so legally, you might have copyright issues too.

8. Computers

Laptops, desktop keyboards, mice. How about getting out of the office for a while? Have you even bothered searching for similar images before shooting your own? If so, how are yours different? There are only so many angles you can shoot these things from, and they’ve all been covered. And covered. And covered some more.

9. Abstracts

Occasionally, I’ll see abstracts that blow my mind or are just really well done. In most cases however, abstract starts sounding a lot like “Hey, I took a random photo while playing with my camera, and now I want to charge money for it.” Never mind that it’s all out of focus or a disjointed mess of colors. Well, I do mind. The Dude minds, man.

10. Erotica

Like to shoot sexy people? Get you going, does it? I’m not here to judge you, but I will tell you this: you might want to read through the license agreement and/or model release of your preferred microstock agency. I bet there is something in there about how the photos can’t be used for porn-like things. Even if your images are classy and make the model look gorgeous, it’s just not good stock imagery.

If I have offended you with this list, it’s probably because I just listed off a bunch of photos from your portfolio. Sorry about that. I didn’t write it to offend anyone in particular. I wrote it to make you think about what you upload. It’s not like I haven’t uploaded any of these myself. We all make mistakes, what matters is whether we learn from them or not.

Photo credit, I’m ashamed to admit: Me.

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One of the most inspiring things to me, is to connect to other creative people. It doesn’t matter which kind of creativity, really. It’s about the need to make things, tell stories and doing what you love. Another Passion is my latest ongoing project. It’s a collection of mostly interviews with diversely talented people who are each following their own passion. The blog officially launched in January 2010 with an interview with Tracy Record, who runs a very successful hyperlocal news site.

My plan is to use Another Passion as a muse and motivator, as well as a way of networking locally.

Each interview I write for Another Passion is accompanied by a few portraits. I have made it a rule for myself that all the featured photography must be shot specifically for the content. As much as I love to write, I am also a photographer after all and showcasing my work is important. Also, to take photos I have to meet people face to face, in an age where it would be easier to do the entire interview through e-mail or IM.

The offline aspect adds much more than just the photos, of course. A real handshake and being able to read facial expressions and body language takes it to another level, both in terms of the interview and the networking value. I am much more likely to keep up with people I have had a face-to-face conversation with, next to someone I only know through the web.

Has it generated direct photography business for me? No, not yet. But the blog is still new and I’m confident that it will lead to the occasional client referral down the road. I’ll be happy to settle for the inspiration and satisfaction of simply running Another Passion though, and I don’t use the interviews to pitch my photography services. That has to come organically.

I hope you’ll enjoy Another Passion and find some inspiration through the stories of other creatives. There is also a separate Twitter account for this project. Follow @anotherpassion.

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There are many talented photographers and cool photo-related service providers on Twitter, and it would be an impossible task for me to list all the ones I enjoy following.

But I did want to share at least some, and so I’ve chosen 10 that are great resources in more ways than one. By resource, I mean that these are tweople who understand the medium. They not only share useful, interesting and relevant links and blogposts, but they are usually willing to answer questions and communicate directly. So if you’re looking to learn something, these are some twitter people you should follow.

As a side note, I recommend using the hashtag #togs when talking about photography stuff on twitter. It’s short for photographers, of course. The guy who popularized this tag is number one on the list below…

• Jack Hollingsworth – @photojack – Stock photography guru and all round nice guy.
• Bruce DeBoer - @brucedeboer – Not just a photographer but an inspiration to creatives everywhere.
• LookStat – @lookstat – These guys rock for understanding the microstock market.
• Rob Davies – @bobbigmac – The brain behind PicNiche. ‘Nuff said.
• Rob Sylvan – @lightroomers – An iStockphoto veteran and Adobe Lightroom Master.
• Ellen Boughn – @ellenboughn – Fellow microstock mentor and author.
• Sam Bloomberg-Rissman – @sambr – Great blog, great photography, great tweets.
• Microstockgroup – @microstockgroup – Keep up with what people are talking about on this agency-independent forum.
• Lee Torrens – @microstock – A microstock blog pioneer who is both smart and handsome.
• Kelly Cline – @kcline – She’s not just a microstock success story and an amazing cook. She’s my wife!

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The headshot event was a success. That’s the most important thing, I have to say about it, so I’ll say it first. In one day, I happily serviced about 50 people, taking their portrait, so they could use it on LinkedIn, Facebook, with their acting agent or where ever a headshot might come in handy. It took me a while to write this final post about it, simply because I wanted to finish it first. Which I have. All the photos have been retouched and e-mailed out to the participants.

I originally offered 100 free headshots and later raised that number to 120, but I was happy to see that on the day of, there were no enormous lines, no chaos and thus, no catastrophes. Instead, there was a small initial rush of people who had been waiting around, followed by a slow trickle. Much more along the lines of what I had originally imagined, rather than the craziness I had feared, after news of the event had been on television.

I brought two assistants with me, Kelly handled sign-up, answered people’s questions and was my representative, while I was busy shooting. Justin took care of herding people, ran communication between me and Kelly, and stood by to jump in where ever needed. Once the initial rush was over, I could have probably done it with one helper, but again, I had no idea how many would come, and I was happy to be covered.

I set up two monolights and a fold-out muslin background on a tiny stage at the coffee shop. Behind the muslin were two windows, which we covered in paper, and to shield the shooting station from prying eyes, we also set up a roll of seamless paper as a wall along the side. By positioning the key light opposite of the white paper wall, that also doubled as a reflector.

I decided to handle the process of the photos like this: Each subject got 5-10 frames. I did not give people the option to pick their own photo, simply because the logistics of that would be overwhelming, and I would end up spending way too much time on the project. So, I picked what I deemed the best shot in each case. Photoshopping began with a rough RAW-processing, which I copied from one image to all of them. Then came the painstaking task of finalizing each image.

After tweaking the copy/pasted RAW adjustments, I then softened lines and deep wrinkles, particularly on the women, several of whom told me straight up, that they were worried about this. I also boosted the contrast using a pulled-back overlay layer, tweaked colors further to match the individual skin tones, and removed blemishes, zits and skin flakes. What I did not do, was to drastically alter the look of the person in front of the camera. If the hair was all over the place, I did not try to fix it. If there was a mole on the cheek, I did not remove it (though I did make sure it cast no harsh shadows). In other words, I cleaned up without changing anything. It took me two full days to process all the photos.

All in all, the charity headshot event cost me about a week’s worth of work and a few hundred bucks. Money was primarily spent on the muslin background and various signs, prints and accessories. Kelly deserves huge credit here, taking care of all the signage, including a customized ticket system with a print release on the back, and everything needed to keep the event organized.

I want to make it painfully clear, that I did not do this to get media attention. In fact, I never sent out a single press release. The only media I contacted directly was West Seattle Blog, who helped me pinpoint the venue for the event. However, my reasons for doing the headshots were not entirely selfless.

Part of it was to promote the 12 Seattleites project, which I have picked up again, now that the headshots are done. I needed to get the word out about this project to attract more volunteer subjects, and though I have yet to determine the degree of success with that, it did attract a few new names to my pool of potentials. And if the headshot event ends up attracting me a few paying clients too, I’m certainly not going to turn them away.

As a sidenote, it was kind of funny that three networks showed up to cover the event. Total overkill, considering its smallness, but if the news-reports can inspire others to give a little back as well, then it will have been worth it (see the report from Q13 Fox below). And on a related note, check out the Help Portrait project, launched right after I finished the headshots. The two are not related, except in spirit.

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