Tag Archives: photography

Stories in Portrait Photography

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I am writing a new photography book, my first since The Microstock Photographer’s Guide (2007). Since that book I have shifted focus to portrait photography, in particular shots of artists and creative people doing their thing. I consider myself a storyteller, and a good portrait does just that – it tells a story.

After lots of encouragement from friends and readers, I started doing research for the new book. I knew it was going to be about portraiture, but I wanted to find an angle that was both helpful to many, and could be applied without making massive investments in lighting rigs, studio space and software. It had to be about taking interesting photos more than technically superior ones, yet still contain enough concrete tips for the pro audience.

To begin, I started with a simple survey asking 5 questions about photography. I’m still collecting data, so if you have a minute, your input would be greatly appreciated. Already after the first few responses, it became clear that focus was going to be on telling stories.

“Stories in Portrait Photography” (working title) will talk about communication between photographer and subject, about emphasizing or downplaying specific character traits and “reading people”, but it will also contain tips and things to try out for every topic presented. Whether through the use of light, angles, location or direction, there are plenty of ways to strengthen the story of a portrait — without making it overly staged.

The survey has an optional field where you can put your email address, if you want to stay updated on the progress of the book. Unlike last time, I will not be posting the individual chapters as blog posts ahead of publishing. Take the survey here.

Quick update on my other current projects:

  • The Final Prophecy – currently being distributed to/read by select beta-readers for feedback.
  • Fantasy Gaming Campaign – related to The Final Prophecy. We’re about to play our 3rd session.
  • Nebula Rescue – my upcoming iPhone game. I thought I was 90% done, but then my brother tested it and gave me a ton of ideas. Now it’s about 70% done.

Two Weekends of Live Performance Photography

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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.

10 Subjects to Water Down Any Portfolio

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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.