m2weekly.com » Photography

Advertising Shoot

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:30:41 +0000

Client’s Brief:
Promotion for Nail Stickers carrying the name of a liquor brand.
Picture should show the product very well, in the manicured hands of a female model. Photography should visualize a happy person celebrating since the promotion is during new year celebrations.

Preparation:
The Advertising Agency casted a model with perfect hands for this job. They brought her to my studio on the day of the shoot. Together with a branded glass cup. Since the Agency briefed me few days back about this shoot, I organized plastic ice cubes. Knowing that natural ice cubes will not sustain the duration of the shoot.
The glass cup needed a lot of cleaning and polishing because studio light can easily reveal all sorts of glass stains.
The model got her make up and hair done.

Execution:
We had to show the tiny stickers on the nails of the model boldly. That meant zooming in unto the hands and focusing on them. To get the feel of a happy person in celebration mode, I decided to just show the smiling face of the model blurred in the background. To achieve this I used a Zoom lens and photographed with 135mm. The long focal length made the face to blur out in the background while I laid my focus point on the fingers.
The lights I used were very soft (2 Soft boxes), because I wanted to avoid harsh reflections on the glass. Also the nails needed a soft, even lighting. Any reflection would have disrupted the tiny letters on the nail stickers.

Challenges:
Arranging 10 long Fingers around a small glass cup without smearing it and still looking natural is a major challenge for the model and the photographer. We had to remove and clean the glass several times. So whenever you have this kind of shoot don’t forget to tell your client to bring more than 3 or 4 glasses that you would have cleaned and prepared.

Na dann, gut Licht!

Your Yetunde

yetundeform2@yahoo.com
www.camara-studios.com

How to Pose your Subject Effortlessly

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:09:35 +0000

In portrait photography the most difficult part besides lighting is posing your subject. The pose says everything about the person you are portraying. And because the average person you photograph finds it difficult to express him or herself naturally in front of your camera, directing them is another task you have to contend with.
Hands, for instance, are very difficult to arrange. Your subject most of the times does not know what to do with them. They can instantly add great depth to your image, or crush it with awkwardness. Hands reveal so much attributes in a character ranging from age, confidence level, vanity and poise.
If your subject’s face is well covered in make up, don’t forget to put make up on their hands too so both parts are the same color tone.
You can also give your subject something they can hold on to. A wall, back of a chair, a table to rest their hands on etc. Putting the hands in the hips should always be the last way out. It works sometimes really well, but it’s better to try and get away from it.
Sometimes we work so hard to create the exact pose we want, we just forget to step back and let a pose happen.
If you are still feeling a little stumped, take 30 seconds and try moving your subject’s hands in as many positions as you can. Make a little game out of it and see if you can beat them at different hand gestures. Pay attention though and watch for any pose that catches your attention. Have them stop, redo the gesture and work from there.
If your subject is still a difficult one, start being really silly. Once you can get the first smile out of him or her, build up on it. Tell your subject how beautiful he or she just looked and keep up that direction. They all need constant encouragement.
While you are watching them through your lens, they are watching you and using you as a mirror. Once you do not look so happy because you are not getting what you want, they will frown too.
I recommend picking up a catalog from any local department store and study arm and hand poses. Watch how they’re turned, where they rest in peoples’ laps, if they are grasping or open, etc. Try replicating some of these poses.

Na dann, gut Licht!

Your Yetunde

Copyright

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:48:23 +0000

This is one of the most discussed topics in photography. Though the basic law says: “Photographers own all rights, ownership and copyright to the photos they shoot, unless and until they sign those rights away” it still needs clarification in different situations.
That is why a contract between the photographer and client is so crucial.
If you, for example, as the photographer are hired by a photography company, and you are doing the job for the company, all copyright to the images will belong to the company.
As a freelance photographer the copyright of your work belongs of course to you. But be careful, many clients would not know because they just don’t think about it. The normal lay person thinks, “I’ll hire a photographer to shoot this thing I need, and he’ll give me the pictures.” And that’s where the troubling part starts.
The best thing to do is determine what a client’s real needs are with photos. Usually, clients don’t need to own the actual copyrights; they just want to use the pictures you take, perhaps even unrestricted use.
Once they understand the terminology and the ramifications of having certain rights, then you can discuss the financial implications associated with each choice. It’s in their best interests to determine precisely what they want because that will keep expenses low.
But what if the client wants to own the full copyright? Well, that is very possible, but you have to negotiate it. First you have to find out what value the images you take for the client can have for you after the job. Can you still sell them?
Many advertising photographers who photograph shoes for catalogues or for cosmetic and fashion lines don’t have any use for the images later. So they charge much higher and gladly give the client the copyright to the images. So you simply have to do your own math and evaluation for every single job.
So do me a favor and don’t try to fight for rights you already have. Don’t come up with a contract that states in 50 clauses what kind of rights you have to your images. That will just complicate and confuse. And by stipulating exactly what your rights are to your own images, you can’t possibly cover every single right. It is much smarter to offer your client a spectrum of variants on how he can use or license your images for a particular fee.

Na dann, gut Licht.

Your Yetunde

What A Standard Contract Should Entail

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:01:54 +0000

We creative people should not shy away from paper work. Though it is sometimes tiring, a contract between us and our clients will help us structure and specify our relationship.
A standard contract or agreement is structured in a way that you can use it for all type of clients. It covers the basic issues that have to be agreed on, before commencing a working relationship.
1. Mode of payment
Let your client know that you always need a 50%-60% down payment before commencing a job. Apart from just having some money in your account, this will also help you find out about the seriousness of your client and will avoid shifting of shooting dates. The balance should be paid latest on delivery of the job.
2. Reservation of Rights
If not otherwise discussed or specified in writing, the copyright of the images always remains with the photographer.
3. Cancellation
In the event of cancellation you should still be paid in full, unless notice was given at least 2 or 3 days in advance. Even then you should still keep part of the up-front payment.
4. Re-shoot
In case of re-shoots which are not your fault, the client has to pay your full fee again unless the re-shoot is due to acts of God or due to an error by a third party. But even then the client should pay additional fees that may be incurred for the re-shoot. And you have to insist that the re-shoot has to be done by you.
Tip: If you do a job for an advertising agency, let the creative director or director of the shoot sign off your work right after the shoot. So if the agency’s client rejects the images for any reason whatsoever, you are covered.
5. Overtime
In order not to end up shooting 12 hours though you gave your client a
full days fee, you have to specify what a day shoot means to you. A working day is 8 hours. Specify how much percent you want to charge for any hour that exceeds the agreed time frame.
There are still many more clauses you as a photographer have to think of. You can always find some sample contracts on the internet that are tailored for different areas of photography. But these ones here should be the most important you need to get it right in Nigeria. You can put these ones on the back of your invoices, as a general agreement.

Na dann, gut Licht.

Your Yetunde

Paper Work in Photography

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:26:42 +0000

The written agreement that exists between you and your client can serve many everyday purposes, from defining your services and the expected deliverables, to clarifying the ground rules and limits for the use of your images after they have been turned over to the client. However, a good contract should also protect you from liabilities that may stem from unanticipated events and circumstances.
Your work for a client can usually be considered from two perspectives: what you have promised to provide for them, including your services and deliverables, and what rights both you and the client then have in using your images. It therefore makes sense to structure your client agreement in the same way, with a discrete section addressing each of those categories.
Use a two-part agreement. The first section will be a comprehensive document spelling out the photographer’s fee and exactly what the client is purchasing: what services and packages, as well as the specific details of the job, including the date, the time, the place and how many hours you are going to shoot.
Contracts should be as specific as possible on the photographer’s obligations. It protects the client because you have everything they are entitled to clearly written, with no verbal promises beyond the document. It also protects the photographer from having clients come back after the fact and claiming that they were supposed to have gotten something that they didn’t get.
However, a contract is something very necessary in photography. It is paper work that has to be taken much more seriously by us photographers. By starting a job don’t shy away to present it to your client. You will be surprised, that he will also appreciate this sort of clarification.
A standard agreement can be also printed on the back of your invoices. How that one can look like, we will discuss next week.

Na dann, gut Licht
Your Yetunde

How to Photograph Celebrities

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:31:13 +0000

Photographing celebrities is really not easy. The most challenging part is to get into that circle. And the “Catch-22” is: in order to get hired by them; you already have to have some celebrities in your portfolio. So how do you get started?
If you search hard enough, you will definitely find some famous people who are a bit more accessible. Offer them a free photo shoot and do a very good job. If they like your work, eye, and style, they will surely recommend you to the right people.
Once you get to the top shots in the industry you will face serious challenges. But you should gratefully embrace them because these people just look good in your portfolio.
One of the challenges is timing. Celebrities I happen to meet here in Nigeria who flew in from abroad, have a really tight schedule. Their days are all planned out by their managers, PAS and agents, and you as the photographer are granted like about 10 to 30 minutes for a complete photo shoot. (The famous Any Leibovitz flew down to England from the US to photograph the Queen of England about 3 or 4 situations – she had exactly 30 minutes. 5 minutes were already lost when the zip of one of her gowns got hooked).
This means that for you, you have to be ready and fully prepared for the shoot. Have your lights already set up and do your light testing with a dummy (maybe your assistant). So once the personality comes in you don’t have to bother about light anymore. Just focus on your subject and his expressions.
You will also find out that some celebrities who have been in the industry for a long time know exactly how they want to be portrayed. This is sad because you still want to somehow put your own handwriting into the image. You can always carefully try, but once you get the “No”, you have to step back. Remember, you just have 30 minutes.
This portrait of the actor Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, I took for Elan/234Next Newspaper. I had also 30 minutes to do the shoot. Luckily for me, AAA is also a professional model who also understands the need of a photographer to get a good picture. And he was highly cooperative. It was done in his hotel room and I just had to make the best out of the small space and short time I had.

Thank you very much.

Na dann, gut Licht.

Your Yetunde

The Importance of Eye Contact

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:37:54 +0000

They say that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. This means for us as portrait photographers, the eyes are the most important thing to look out for when we want to capture a person’s character in a picture. As the photographer you should build up eye contact with your subject because without eye contact, the whole mood of the image changes the camera is now simply an ‘observer’ and this will show your subject in a different way.

However, it all depends on what message you want to get across with the image. It simply alters the mood and style of your shot. Eye contact can create real intimacy with the viewer of your picture while lack of it can give an image a sense of watching someone without being seen by them.

In advertising for instance, you see that most of the times the model does not look straight into the camera. Why? The attention the viewer will give to the eyes is simply not welcome and will detract from the product advertised. (e.g. check advertising shots of jewelry, hair and make-up products and fashion)

Meanwhile, I would always go for eye contact on magazine covers, especially when strong personalities are being portrayed. It will help to build up a connection between the cover and the viewer almost instantly.

In my sample pictures this week you see the model for a make up shoot looking straight into the camera in one shot and glancing to the side in the other one. I did a small survey and everybody found the one with eye contact far more appealing. But the make up itself shows better when the model looked away.

So it is up to you as the photographer to decide when what is needed. You just have to ask yourself before every shoot “What do I want to achieve today?” and “How do I go about it?” The rest will surely follow.

Na dann, gut Licht

Your Yetunde

Working with Window Light

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:27:08 +0000

When you are starting to learn photography, I would advise you not to go through all the photo equipment catalogues professional photographers use. The price tags on them will just discourage you and you will think that you will never be able to afford these things.
It is better you focus on what you have and what you can make use of around you. It will improve your skills and imagination. And strengthen your ability to work under the toughest situations.
Today I want to talk about how to work with window light. One window, a good camera with a tripod and a sensitive lens can be enough to create the most stunning images.
Diffused window light, not direct beams of sunlight, can create a real sense of calm mood to an image.
When you position your model right beside the window, measure the light hitting the side of his face/body. You can use a light meter or the TTL (Through The Lens) measuring of your camera. Just make sure you don’t overexpose the lit side of your model. The side of your model that is not facing the window will now be very dark. It is up to you, if you want it that way, or if you would rather lighten it up with a reflector to reduce the contrast.
In my picture here, I decided against lightening up the shadow parts on my subject. I wanted the light flooding in through the window to shape the body of my model. I told my model to bend, so her muscle and bone structures on the back were very well defined.
The beauty about this picture is that one has to look twice to recognize what the picture is about since no head or face is showing.
So have fun experimenting with your windows in your house. It will be a good training for you to learn how to see light.

Na dann, gut Licht

Your Yetunde

How To Charge As A Photographer

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:08:08 +0000

The big question that has to be answered by every photographer is how much should I charge for my services as a photographer? The answer to that question actually depends on several factors.
1. How good are you?
2. What does the competition charge?
3. What do your contemporaries that are as good as you charge?
If you are the best, you can charge whatever you want. However, all things being equal, here is a method to determine how much you should charge as a photographer:
The calculation takes into account all of a photographer’s expected expenditure including:
Office or Studio, Photo Equipment, Photography Supplies, Repairs, Phone (Cell, Office & Fax), Subscriptions & dues, Computers (Hardware & Software), Internet (Broadband, Web site & email), Advertising & Promotion, Vehicle Expenses (Lease, Insurance & Maintenance), Legal & Accounting Services, Office Assistance (Payroll), Office Supplies, Postage & Shipping, Professional Development, Travel, Entertainment (meals with clients), Utilities, Business Insurance, Health Insurance, Taxes & Licenses (Business, Property & Self-employment)…
These are a lot of expenses that apply to a studio like mine. But as a photographer who is just starting off, you can do a calculation like this one based on your own scope.
Let us imagine a wedding/portrait photographer without a studio. We are talking about somebody who is already well known in the industry and is booked quite frequently. He/she is single without family. We calculate all his/her expenses together and divide by the number of days he/she wants to be shooting.
Expected Salary        N 7, 000, 000
Equipment        N 660, 000
Laptop            N 150, 000
Fuel:            N 288, 000
Car maintenance:        N 150, 000
Cell Phone:        N 144 000
Assistant:        N 240 000
N 8, 632, 000 : 144 =   N 59, 945

So now we know that this photographer, with very minimal expenses, who is shooting three times a week, should not make less than N 60, 000 per Shooting Day. (Expenses like CDs, Prints and Frames are excluded).
After you have done your own calculation and you know what minimum income you need, you can now figure out how to charge for different situations. Of course photography fees vary depending on which area of photography you are practicing. A wedding photographer charges differently from an advertising photographer. But that is also because (and you will figure this out after doing these calculation) a wedding photographer might have a lot less expenses than an advertising photographer.
But these are topics we will still discuss in the weeks to come.

Na dann, gut Licht.
Your Yetunde

Showing A Bit Of Body

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:53:46 +0000

Not too long ago a lady contacted me who wanted the lingerie that she was selling photographed. She wanted it in a very sensual way, with female models and interesting lighting. She needed pictures that she could use for advert placement and banners in front of her shop. Of course, I was very thrilled to do this kind of job because it is very challenging and different from the normal fashion shoot.
Finding a model for this kind of project with a good body shape and the right attitude was easier than I thought. As long as the face of the model won’t show and the pay is right you will find out that ambitious models actually like to have pictures taken of their bodies semi nude or even nude and indeed, why not?
I know that nude photography has always generated controversy. Some feel it could easily slip into pornography but people have always been fascinated by the human body. It takes special skill, though, to take a good nude photograph.
First of all the model has to fully trust you as the photographer (But even better than trust is a written agreement signed by both parties). Meet with the model as often as possible before the shoot and talk about preparations for the shoot. If you are a male photographer, you have to get a female assistant to be present or tell the model to bring her girlfriend along.
Back to the lingerie shoot. After shooting various different underwears for catalog and website publication, we now started taking conceptual images for her banners. My client wanted images that look sensual, seductive and could potentially attract women as well as men.
I opted for the boudoir kind of feel with the beaded curtain and chose a red background that looked like drapes. The lights were focused on the model’s curves to highlight the interesting parts of the lingerie – like panties and net stockings.
We had a lot of fun during that shoot and as a female photographer surrounded by a female client, assistant and model, we knew exactly what to do and how far we could go to make this image exciting yet tasteful.

Na dann, gut Licht!

Your Yetunde