Olympus om-d EM-1

Sent my back up camera, Olympus OM D E-M1 off to repairs for a broken strap eye. So much for Olympus's full magnesium alloy body construction.  Back using my old trustworthy  Canon 7D

7 reasons to choose photography as a carrer

This is a post written by Rachel Stinson,

Work when you want to may be possible if you do only studio work, but it is far from my case, as I often get to work on a lot of Saturday's and. Sunday's. Choosing photography as a career won't be easy, but with a lot of passion it is possible,



7 REASONS TO CHOOSE PHOTOGRAPHY AS A CAREER

Photography is a career option that is selected by many people. It is an art that is followed by people, and they can develop and define it into their career. Photography is a hobby for many, but when a hobby takes the shape of a career; It becomes pleasant to the person. A career in photography can be very encouraging for people who are inspired to follow their dreams. Here are seven reasons to choose photography as a career:

Work When You Want - You are your boss! Do you want some time off? Do you need to spend more time with your family? Of course, go ahead. Who’s going to tell you otherwise? How great is that? You have complete control of your time.

Photography Will Take You To Places - Whether you are a destination photographer or a landscape photographer, photography will take you places you've never been to. It brings business traveling to a new level. Instead of corporate meetings, you’ll be photographing moments.

You Get To Go To Photography Conferences - Unlike corporate conferences; photography conferences are full of fun! No matter where you are in the world, you will be able to find one that interests you the most. What's great about photography conference is that you do not only learn from your colleagues but also create a network with other photographers. You never know when you will need someone to cover for you, or when they’ll need someone covering them.

Clients Will Buy Into Your Vision - Your clients will be more than happy to allow you express your personality with hidden nanny cam. The reason they chose you over your competition is to share your sense of style and vision. Don’t change who you are and be faithful to yourself. This leads you to the next point.

You Get To Keep Learning - Like any industry, photography continues to evolve. There is always new gear coming out, new lighting techniques to learn, more editing tricks for you to learn – this can go on and on. Learning something new keeps you interested in what you are doing. You don’t have stay in one place.

Every Day Is Different – No two days are alike in photography. One day you will be able to drink champagne with the bride and groom, and the next day you will be editing. Even if you have two weddings in one weekend, those two events will not be the same. You get to be at different places, see different faces and experience something different every time.

Money – This is placed last because it’s not the reason photographers go into photography, no one wants to starve. While some photographers may not agree, most others will tell you that there is money to be made in the industry. You get to set the price and handle all your bookings.
People who have great success in the field of photography are trendsetters. Keep a record of the successful professional photographers so you can get inspiration from their lives. Some successful photographers have earned a lot of respect and money in this field. So, people with a creative mind and love to capture the images behind the lenses can pursue photography as a career. What else do you want? The time is now to pick up your pen camera and make some money!  Photography is excellent.

Travel photohrapher

What Travel + Leisure magazine looks for in photographers.

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec city.

An article of interest for those interested in travel photography

Photo editor Alex Arnold says of the photographers Travel + Leisure sends on assignment, “They have to be good travelers.” That sounds obvious, he admits, but he and photo director Scott Hall often look at photographers’ personal work to evaluate how well they can find the best angles and stories on location.

posing pitfalls

A completely free downloadable checklist that covers 5 Things that Ruin a Pose & How to Fix Them. Referring to this list has helped me avoid these common mistakes with quick and actionable ways to fix them.

Free guide

Spring photography

Many of the scenes I capture are only accessible by foot. It may be April 13, but I still need my snowshoes to head out to the lake to get some fresh photos of the newly arrived Canada Geese.

Strobist blog

Strobist is the world's most popular resource for photographers who want how to learn to use their flashes like a pro. 

 http://www.strobist.blogspot.ca/

Image Brief

Too many photos sitting idle on your hard drive?  It's not easy finding the right stock agency to market your images, this is where ImageBrief can come in handy. Image Brief allows you to connect with ad agencies and brands looking for specific photos that you may have on hand.

Image Brief 

Check out their what's selling section for further photo ideas.

Property release form

Property release form what and when?

Property release

This is a property release form used by the National Geographic Society. A property release form is used to record the owner's permission to take photos of their building, car, pets, art work,  just about anything except people.  If you plan on selling a picture commercially, many clients will ask for a property release form, many times the owner will be more than happy to sign a release form in exchange for a copy of the photo you plan to make.

Stock sales

As photographers, most of us dream of waking up in the morning, spending our day shooting photos, ship our best shots to a photo agency and then living off our royalty payments from our chosen agency. But reality is a very different situation.

Stock sales with  agencies aren't what they used to be. For example, I have photos placed with Corbis. In the mid-2000s  their gross revenue was around $225 million, today they have a gross revenue in the $100 million. Unlike their collections of images, that continue to grow, sales are on a downward spiral. Their situation isn't very different from any other stock agency. 

Don't expect to make a full time living by  submitting your images to an agency. Corbis does get my photos in front of buyers that I would not normally have access to, and for me in this business, every sale counts.

Shooting travel photos

People are surprised to find out that I don't travel to the far corners of the world to shoot travel photos.  I have more that enough material in my region to cover.  The Eiffel tower and the leaning tower of Pisa have been been overdone and have no appeal to publishers. Find something different and unique, usually in your own backyard.  Be original and creative look around your area, and I'm sure you will find something that hasn't already been covered 100 times. 

There is an interesting blog where you can benefit from some free marketing and travel writing information by Roy Stevenson which is worth a look.   Roy Stevenson blog

Homemade flash snoot

My homemade flash snoot for my Canon  Speedlite 430EX. I neede to illumunate the interior of this hole made in the snow by a weasel.  I picked up a can of Pringles chips that where on special at the supermarket.

After eating the chips, I cut the bottom off the can and  wiped the interior of the can with a paper towel. You will need to shoot several shots to properly align the light source in the hole but it does work well at a fraction of the cost of a commercially made model.

Shooting wildlife photos

Shooting wildlife photos takes patience, waiting hours to get the shot you want.  That is why I love these little 3 foot stools. Compact, lightweight, and cheap, under $10.  I bring one with me on all my wetland shoots, along with my camera gear and monopod.

Photography in winter

My studio is the great outdoors, so I spend as much time shooting outside in the frigid winter months as the more hospitable summer season.

A tripod isn't an expense, it's an investment. You will earn your money back from the quality of the shots done with a good quality tripod., but to do so you will need to bring it along with you, and in the colder weather the metal legs get very cold, so I put some hockey tape on one of my tripod legs to held keep my hands from freezing while carrying my tripod.

Some people prefer extra insolation and use a piece of cooper pipe insulation available at most any hardware store, which is also very effective in preventing your hands from "frostbite".  Either way there is no need to elave your tripod behind because of the cold weather.

News photography

One of my photos covering spot news events.