The Unexpecting Photography Subject

In my last post I mentioned that Luxe Magazine had sent us to the mountains for two portrait shoots.  After photographing James Surls, we headed to Avon, Colorado to photograph Nancy Rehder, owner of The Linen Kist.  Nancy's store sells luxury linen and she even has her own designer line.

When we showed up for the shoot, Nancy had prepared a bed in the store with the bedding and linens that she wanted to show in the photo.  The only problem was that she had no idea she was the subject of the photo!  She quickly became nervous and even went and changed clothes.  I was able to use one of the greatest skills I have as a professional photographer.  Making my subject comfortable even if they don't want their picture taken.  Having the person you are photographing feel like they can trust your skill and that you are going to make them look their best is something I rely on shoot after shoot.

We were able to use the bed she had all ready for us and just include her in the photos.  It ended up being a great shoot.

Nancy Rehder in her store, The Linen Kist, for Luxe Magazine.  This is the photo Luxe selected to print.

One of my favorite photos from the shoot with Nancy Rehder.

Selecting a Photography Portfolio

I'm going through the process now of selecting images from the past year to update my portfolio with and it is not fun! 

One of the toughest things to do as a photographer is to select your own portfolio.  It is also one of the greatest skills you can have to market and promote your work. The impression that you give can make people want to see more or move on to the next web site, book or marketing piece.

For me it is one of the most stressful things I do, because I know it can make or break me.  I've seen many good photographers select bad images for their portfolio.  I've also seen the opposite where an overall weak photographer has a portfolio that is put together well and draws people in.

The first step is to decide what is worthy of making it. 

It should not have to be said that the photos should all be strong technically, but unfortunately I see a lot of photographer's work where this seemed to be ignored.  I don't care if you shoot architecture, fashion or product.  Your photos should always be technically "tight" for your area of photography.

You want photos that show off your skill, but also photos that the viewer reacts to.  The biggest challenge is to separate yourself from your work.  Sometimes you have a subject that you really connected with, or you put a lot of technical expertise into a shot or you just have great memories about that day and location.  We all tend to pick these pictures to show off, but they aren't always the best.  Sometimes that person you loved working with, just doesn't capture the viewer's imagination or that highly technical shot did the job for your client, but wasn't a very exciting subject.  Separating yourself is key.  If you are able to do that, which most photographers have a hard time doing, then you have taken a huge step in picking the best photos. 

Select the types of images you react to when looking at other people's work.  Take the time to go through other photographer's website and see what you like and don't like.  It will help a lot in narrowing down your own work.

A job that was a lot of fun to shoot for a big client that loved the photo, but is it really portfolio worthy? Probably not.

The next step is to look at getting rid of some pictures.  As you become more experienced and you have more imagery in your portfolio, it is naturally going to grow a little.  This should not be an excuse to keep those photos that just aren't as strong or are outdated stylistically.  It is tough to know which ones to keep in the portfolio and what is getting outdated, but you must do it.  Ask yourself...which pieces don't feel like my current work, either in quality or style.  If you have any hesitation about it not making the cut, it usually shouldn't.  This doesn't mean just because it is old that you should get rid of it.  One of my best photos in my portfolio is one I took over six years ago, but it still gets a reaction from everyone that sees it.

An image of a man on a bus in Kathmandu that will be in my portfolio for years to come.

The final step in showing off your portfolio is to decide in what order to present the images.  This can be as important as the photos that are selected and shouldn't be overlooked.  The biggest key is that you want your portfolio to flow.  It should tell the story of your work.  Put images together that don't contrast in such a way that it is shocking to the viewer.  If the person going through likes what they see, but then they click on an image that may be just as good but contrasts too sharply with the previous image, they will many times move on to the next photographer.  Gradually flow from one look to another.

The other key in the order is to make sure you don't "load" the front of your portfolio.  Many photographers put all their best work first and then as you get further down in the portfolio the quality goes down.  This isn't lost on the viewer, whether they are an art director or a bride.  Your weaker photos should be surrounded by stronger photos to help support them.  And lastly you always want your last impression to be a strong one.

Is this really the last impression you want a potential client to have?  (Actual final image from a portfolio. Photographer to remain unnamed.)

Lastly, get other people's opinions and listen to them!  Get anybody you can, whether it is a friend, family, other photographers or someone in the industry.  I have had photos that I loved that others shot down and even though it was painful, I listened and had a stronger portfolio because of it.

Which of these two photos is best?  They are too similar to both make the cut.  I used friends to help me decide (we went with the second one).

Now it is time to go to work on my portfolio!  I just need a photo rep to help! :-)

The Cover Shoot that Wasn't

I was recently hired by ColoradoBIZ magazine to shoot their cover for an upcoming issue.  It was of an architect that had won a competition and I was photographing him at a building he designed.  The day of the shoot it started snowing, so we had to shoot inside the building.  Unfortunately the building was an elementary school and their was only really one area (the atrium) that felt unique from all other recently built schools. 

The other key was that part of the award had to do with sustainable design.  So we had to do our best to show "green" in interior shot of a school.  It is a lot different than shooting outside with blue sky and grasses in the foreground.  So we had to make the best of it. 

Working with the architect and his associate was a pleasure and the art director for ColoradoBIZ was also great to work with.  Unfortunately the interior shot didn't make the cut for the cover and they ended up going with a rendering of an entirely different building.  They did end up using my photo for the table of contents.

Most of the time we have sunshine in Colorado, but every once in awhile it disappears for a few days.  Unfortunately this was one of those times...

Here is the final photo that was provided.  All the extra space is for the cover page text that it never got to see!

Having Your Photo Used

I can take pictures all day, but until someone uses them they aren't worth much.  One of my favorite things about being a photographer is seeing your photos used.  It is always rewarding when you get to see one of your images in print or on a website.

A photo of mine that was recently put into use in a simple manner was for Ethan Hutchinson, a furniture designer.  I originally photographed Ethan for Luxe Magazine and he contacted me after the shoot to see if he could use the photos.  The magazine always has exclusive use for a period of time, but after that expired we touched base again.  I let him use the photo in exchange for a model release allowing me to use the photos.  This was mutually beneficial because it gave me stock photography to use of a furniture designer in his workshop.  Not what I typically have in my stock library.

He used the photo on his new web site...

First Fashionable Four Makeover!

We completed our first Fashionable Four makeover this past week.  April was our first client and was great to work with.  She is a mom with two young kids and part-time nurse that runs marathons for fun.  She hates shopping for clothes and always comes home with nothing and felt like she lost the sense of style she had when she was younger.  Her husband gave her the gift of Milena's image consulting services and she volunteered to be our first makeover subject. 

The greatest thing about if for me was to see the incredible change in confidence and happiness you saw in her from the beginning to when we were done.  She came in for the before photos dressed like she does every day and was totally tranformed by the end.  You'll be amazed at the difference you see below!

Our kick-off event is in a week on Thursday, November 5th.  We will be offering makeover package discounts and much more!  Click here to view the full size event flyer.  Hope to see you there!