USA Print Store

    Being based in the UK I of course favour a UK based printer - Loxley Colour. They are one of Smugmugs printing partners so they are an obvious choice. Trouble is that half my audience is in the lovely U S of A and shipping costs from the UK are a little steep ! Now if Smugmug allowed me to have more than one print supplier and used the customers location to guide them to the appropriate one, that would be awesome; but no for some reason this is not possible !

Fear not -

    Step forward Fotomoto. Recently aquired by BayPhoto (another Smugmug partner) their plugin allows me to set up a print gallery page on my blog. So now the USA and close neighbours can order prints without having to pay over the odds for shipping !

 Here is the link -

PRINTS USA

UK & Europe -

PRINTS UK

                                                                                              

                                                                                             More t.k...

New Business Start Up Package

    Introducing a fixed price photographic package for people who are starting up new businesses in and around Manchester UK.
If your new business is the kind that needs professional photographs for your products and marketing and if you are receiving assistant from an agency or a new business start up scheme, such as the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) or similar you can benefit from my 'Startup' package -

This includes; consultation and preproduction,
                        a full day shoot,
                        edit & retouch of final images,
                        image licensing / usage rights.

Normally all these things are priced and billed separately but by offering a fixed price package I hope to help new businesses successfully launch themselves into the market place and hopefully cultivate some long term clients.

    For more information visit my website and contact me with information about your business needs.

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New Year New Deals

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Now that that's out of the way lets get back to work. Start as we mean to go on because before you know it the Christmas ads will be back on and you'll be wondering where the year went and why your 'To Do' list is still two pages long !

    So to kick things off I have put together some packages for my photography business. This achieves two things -

It helps me define my own Brand Identity and it position me within the market place. 

This is something that I have been thinking about over Christmas. I asked myself - 

                                                    What kind of photographer am I ?

                                                    What is my style?

                                                    How much do I need to make to cover expenses ?

                                                    What does the local market charge ?

    

    A lot of people make the mistake of undercutting the competition and so becoming known as the 'Cheap Guy' who most probably is not making his fortune just yet. In fact he will probably go out of business because to pay the bills he will have to get a day job which will then prevent him from committing any time to his photography.

    When you do your research in to your local competition look at how long they have been in business and whether they work from home or have a separate business address. Then look at what they charge for specific services.

    If someone charges £180.00 to £220.00 for a days shoot it is because that is what they need to charge to keep themselves in business ! More importantly they have clients willing to pay that amount !

    Look for at least five local competitors and look at their rates. Most of them will be fairly close to each other, with at least one exception who will either be way out of your league or too cheap to be doing this full time.

    

    The simple maths of it are that the average of these rival rates is what your local market currently supports. So why would you price yourself out of it ? Too cheap and people will ignore you (waste of their money) Too expensive and people will still ignore you (You're not competitive enough or just plain egotistical).  

    You need to get into the game so price yourself accordingly. Position yourself - 

within the marketplace

not outside of it !

Immediately you are making yourself comparable to the successful photographers in your area the difference of course will be what makes you stand out. Your Unique Selling Point. 

This is where you have to sell yourself and what you have to offer. This is the reason that clients will come to you and not the competition. Not how cheap you are but how good the services are that you offer !

    So start the new year off right and reassess your place in the market place and reposition yourself in a more realistic position and then work damned hard at justifying it !

More t.k.

Grow Your Network

We all need to put ourselves out there if we want to be noticed. To build our on-line presence and connect with fellow creatives and clients. So when I was invited to join a new networking site called *Modeling Stage* I was happy give it a try. The site is currently open to photographers, models & actors. It just takes a couple of minutes to set up a profile and, because the site is in beta, you get to be in at the beginning and help shape the network as you build your following and audience.
    Here is the link - modelingstage.com

Black Friday !

Black Friday 50% Print sale ! - runs all weekend till Cyber Monday 1st Dec - Christmas starts here ! 

Here's the LINK

Ying & Yang or The Need for Personal Vision

So back when I shot the  A Distant Shore Series with Jodie Winyan there was a second series, Tempest

Tempest was shot on the same day in my living room with the same Bowens Gemini light & 1.2 mtr Octobox. Oh, and 10 metres of white, sheer, material.

Now whilst I had had plenty of time to prepare for this shoot most of my energy had been focused on the 'Distant Shore' theme. This second theme was always about two distinct images and how to achieve them. The first theme had a story to guide it. Give it a direction to develop in as we shot.

Whilst having two distinct images in mind for the second 'look' may have proven enough for, say a fashion shoot or advert, I was in full on story mode and keen to shoot as much as possible. I already knew the first series was going to yield some great shots so I was determined to make the most of this new setup.

After twenty minutes of trying every possible pose we decided to stop and so avoid repetition. All that was left was for me to pick out the best shots and edit them. No so easy when your vision only went as far as two key images. Coming off of the success of the first series my expectations were high but without I a clear story in my head I was struggling to build a sequence that was of any merit. Not to mention the editing and post processing was just a series of experiments as I looked for something that would work.

All the while this is going on I also have real life to contend with. Which means these images were taking longer than usual to complete. Then one morning I turn on my PC load up Lightroom and hate what I see ! There was too much Photoshop, too many layers and manipulation. The focus of the pictures was lost because the 'over editing' was destroying them. I needed to start again, strip back, simplify. Only now I had a better idea of what to do.

An important part of any story is the journey and that includes the creation. This set of photographs was being difficult. I was not making it easy for me to see past the surface. So I made that part of the story. I made our 'Tempestuous' relationship the thread that linked the images in the series and informed the style of edit.

What could have been a disaster was saved by using the experience of creation as a key part in the presentation and style of the work.

'Every project is personal'

I've always believed that. Now more than ever !

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We Tripped the Light Fandango...

Or so the song goes.

    Anyway, a few weeks ago I finally got to do a photo shoot with Jodie Winyan and give my 1,2 mtr octobox a real workout. Think 'The French Lieutenants Woman' & 'Wuthering Heights' for the concept. A solitary woman lost in her thoughts about a lover who may or may not be returning. 

Oh the drama !

    Anyway it was shot in my living room next to the TV and fireplace. No, seriously. I pulled the sofa out into the dining room put up a collapsible backdrop in front of the living room window. Bowens Gemini 250 watt studio light (about 1/3 power) with my 1.2 mtr octobox, on a light stand, up against the wall to the left. An optional reflector, against the bookcase, to the right. Then the backdrop was a black bed sheet with a length of 1.5 mtr wide black fine netting. Importantly the creases were left in for texture.

    A black dress fro Ebay, some artificial lilies and red ribbon for symbolism, then throw in an electric fan to create movement (only for it to die after 5 mins).

    Note, the main light is aimed passed the subject, not at her, this way the light can wrap around her more easily. This makes the reflector optional.

    The numbers:

                           ISO - 100

                           Focal length - 80 mil

                           Aperture - 3.5

                           @ 1/90 sec.

    All that was left was to go into Photoshop do a little retouch and post processing with a couple of custom filters and actions. Then release into an unsuspecting world.

Full picture set here

                        

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