Outdoor TIP

Small tip for all you crazy London photographers out there:

ALWAYS double check if you are allowed to shoot in a location. For example, certain cemeteries charge even if you work on a school project around 90 quid/hour for a crew of 5 people.

Ridiculous, but double check locations and always have a backup plan.

Tips for beginners

There isn't a day when I wake up and think to myself: "no one would pay for this". Creativity and being an artist always comes with ups and downs, mostly because we don't know where to start. I know for sure I wasn't born a sales person. I couldn't sell something I don't like. It's like going to a store and buying a dress you hate. That can't be comfortable for you wearing it or for your pocket.

Going back on a regular basis and thinking what could I have changed when starting my career as a photographer, I kind of made a list (and I hate lists!) of tiny things which should help out. Being a beginner isn't an excuse not to be a professional. You don't need marketing or sales experience or to be a Photoshop savvy to do the following things:

1. ALWAYS, always, always be humble and respectful.
   I dislike cocky people. A lot. You might be younger or richer or prettier, but you need to remember this is not the 5th grade. No bragging unless payment is involved. And since you're just starting out, I am assuming I am the bigger fish here and you are asking for my help. Not vice versa.
   
   Whether you are following a photographer you like, whether you just met a person with more success than you or you are just trying to network, your plan is to extract information from that person, which means you have to make it all about that person, not about you.
   e.g. "I admire your work a lot. I am really curious what determined you to follow that path. When did it click/start working for you? What did you do?"
    
2. YOUR EMAIL:
   Can't stress enough how such tiny details can become crucial when interacting online. How so?
   
   Example 1: sweetcherrybomb87@affjeirr.com sent you an email
   WHO? Spam. Definitely.
   Now you are trying your best to live out of your art. Me too! My email looks professional. Don't have a website yet with an email attached to it? That's not a problem. Use your name. Simple as that. I want to know I am talking to a real person, not some computer generated advertising id. And this is one safe way that your email won't end up in the spam folder automatically.
   e.g. sam.smith@hotmail/live/gmail.com
   
   Example 2: bla bla bla CHEERS!
   This is all about manners. Always end your email with KIND REGARDS, *YOUR NAME*.We are not mates. That recruiter is not your friend. The employer who you've just sent an email asking for an internship opportunity - not your friend either. Be respectful.
   
   Example 3: U no man id luv it u wud let meh asist ye.
   My eyes are bleeding right now. That tiny voice inside your head who reads this is screaming right now! English is an easy language and there's always auto-correct if you miss a letter or two. But the example I've just showed is awful and just shows that you and school don't have much in common, therefore you hate learning things, therefore I can't teach you much.
   
   Example 3: Cheers, Jo!
   Who? Who did just send me this? Are we friends? How do I get in touch with this person?
   Think about this: You apply for a job. The job application goes to a recruiter. If the recruiter likes it and finds it relevant, the recruiter will send it to the employer. So you need to make it super easy for the recruiter to reach the information needed.
   So in your footer of your email you MUST add the following:
   
   Kind Regards,
   Sam Smith
   
   Freelance Photographer/Retoucher/Singer/Painter/Model/Makeup Artist
   03757 5969 358
   www.samsmith.com
   www.instagram.com/samsmith
   www.twitter.com/samsmith
   www.linkedin.com/samsmith
   www/facebook.com/pages/samsmith
   

   
   I can relate sooooo much with this example! I contact models or make-up artists and I basically have to get the information with a fork out of some people. First the email, than the number. Love, I am not trying to pick you up! Want to work with me? Well how do I know with who I am talking? Give me your number, show me options to see your work and to connect with you! The first thing you need to do when contacting someone on Purpleport or ModelMayhem or whatever you use is to give your contact details. Each first messages should have that. Maybe I don't check my message often or maybe I like calling better than emails.
   95% of the time I am on my iPhone checking my mail. It's so much easier for me to click on a link than to download your CV and find your number in a maze.
   
   
3. SOCIAL MEDIA
   I've always loved people who enjoy learning new things. But don't think for one second that if you've finished any form of education, your study days are over. Keep updated with technology, with trends, with colours and patterns, and SOCIAL MEDIA.
   
   Example 1:
   a. Ah, you know, I don't have an Instagram account.
   b. Well then like my Facebook page so that you can see my updated work.
   a. Yeah, well, I don't use Facebook that much. And I don't know what to tweet about.
   WHAT?! What year is it?! Look, I get it. My nana is old, 85 this year bless her, and she can't really understand how Twitter works. But you have no excuse. None. You are a creative person, whatever that means (photographer, model, make-up artist etc.). You can't get work through traditional means. Well, you can, but not as fast as the free publicity you get online. Which gets me to example no.2:
   
   Example 2: facebook.com/prettypics4ever
   twitter.com/smithphoto
   instagram.com/poshkitty93
   samsmith.com
   This to me sounds like someone has multiple personality disorder. Now that you've made the big step to be a freelancer or self-employed or you just want a job in the field of your art, you are a brand. And you need to sell yourself as a brand. Choose a name people can remember and create an account on each platform so that the name is taken now.
   You don't need to use all of them. For example, I can't tweet much as I like talking and writing a lot (doh!), but I do it every now and then. You need to find a medium which suits you best and create your fan base there.
   I am sharing another secret here: I like Googling people I choose to work with. If you have so many names online and I can't find you, I assume you don't exist. You are not a professional, you are not a creative and I don't want to be associated with you.

I wish you good luck and I hope you've improved a bit after reading this.

DIY Light Box

I am a bit behind with my chores and I need to apologise for this. Have been up and down to London looking for a garden flat and so far this has been the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. EVER.

So a couple of weeks ago I've had in mind to do some product photography. Need to be really honest, never tried it and it becomes more and more popular. But how to start when all my equipment was always set for what I love most - fashion photography? Not even the basic stuff, like a small studio? Well I bet someone already thought of it, of how to do the cheaper DIY, and a simple search proved me right.

Here we go, step by step, images taken with my iPhone and added a bit of a touch with PS Express.

Tools needed:

1. one small(ish) to medium box. I got mine from Poundland, just asked a lovely sales assistant if she's throwing away the piles of cardboard in which the products come. She said yes, and then she said I can take one for my creative purposes. So thank you!
   
   
   
2. now you need some tissues, preferably with no pattern on them, scissors, tape and a ruler.
   
    
   
   And some laminating sheets from Poundland. Now you need to remember I've done this on a budget, trying to see how cheap it can be for a DIY light tent.
   
   
   
3. you need to measure the size of the sides of the box so that gaps will be equal, and then you need to cut into 3 sides of it to start adding the tissues.

The final cut box should look something like this:

4. My favourite bit now was to stick the tissues to the box. Had to be careful not to make waaaay to many wrinkles, but in the end it look pretty decent:

5. Add a normal sheet of paper just to make sure you have a solid background and then add the laminating sheet if you feel the need for a reflection:



6. Final image of my setup:



How easy was this, right? And it all was with less than a tenner. Final image?

• Strobist
• Atable
• Flickr example
• DIY.org
• Digital Camera World - getting more creative 
• Digital Photography School

Model and MUA needed

I have a very challenging task and I am looking for some Midlands based people:

• one female model with long fingers
• one make-up artist interested in adding new stuff to their portfolios.

Please leave a comment if you are interested in working with me. The photoshoot will take place on one of the following dates: 2 or 3 September 2013.

xx

Freebie

I've missed writing posts!

Reaching 500 fans of my Facebook page, I decided to start answering some of the questions I usually receive in my inbox. One of the most often ones is about the process of retouching my images and colour correction when shooting on location.

I love shooting with natural light! But I've always feared the sun and the harsh mid-day light. So the best thing to do when you want to give your images a summer vibe with loads of yellow/red light is to shoot close to the sunset. The light gets softer and you can still achieve a glowing effect.

During my trip to Romania I really wanted to do a photo shoot by the seaside. The images turned out to be great, loved my team, got in the water, enjoyed the session. Was so excited when I got home, couldn't wait to download the images, but the result made me a bit scared again. Not because I thought they've turned out overexposed, but the colours were really intense and not doing any justice to the great tan the model had.

So I've created an action which you can alter and change to suit your image. To use this action you should have already done the basic retouching the photo needed (including skin, hair and highlights). If you have any questions, please comment below.

The action will be available for download for the next 7 days. After that it will be deleted and available on request.

DOWNLOAD ACTION