Continuing Education in Photography: A Luxury or Necessity?

Before I answer, let me ask you this. Would you go to a surgeon who hasn't had any form of continuing education since he graduated in 1958? What about a pilot? No way.

Of course, our profession isn't nearly as dangerous as performing surgery or flying a plane, but it's sometimes just as important. Our customers value our work. No, strike that. They cherish our work, and your next bride doesn't want her images to look like they were taken in 1981.

Listen, continuing education is a necessity, especially for photographers.

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Assistants by James Hodgins

Where would we be without assistants? Not just in the photographic field, but any situation you can think of for that matter. Wouldn't an extra pair of hands, one more suggestion, another pair of eyes be of greater value to you? Of course it would.

Assisting, having an assistant, teaching an assistant, in my opinion, is a very powerful learning technique. Learning? How can you learn from an assistant? YOU'RE teaching them! Well, here's my take on it.

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Getting Lab Prints by Bill Guy

Most labs will do a pretty good job in making prints, but if you want really good prints here are some questions to ask them. Sometimes it might mean finding the manager as the person at the counter may have transferred over from Hardware the week before. Keep in mind that most good labs want you as a customer so they are going to be happy to answer all these questions since it will make your work look better and less work for them.

What do need from ME? What DPI or PPI settings and Bit Size (8 or 16 bits) will work best? The normal settings can be 240, 250, or 300 ppi. PPI means Pixels per inch. Some people may still say DPI (Dots per inch) but both mean the same thing.

Sizes of the images, 8x10 or true size? For some labs they take the 8x10 and crop and for others they like you to do the cropping so there is no guessing. At some counters you will see a computer where you just upload the images yourself. The 8x10 seems to work best for these setup when you want to crop.

What color space, sRGB or Adobe RGB? Yes, I know we go round and round about this in the forums but you still need to ask. Many non-commercial labs can only use sRGB so the debate is ended at that point.

Do you offer a reference print from my work? One of the best ways to see what a lab can do is to have them make a print from one of your images. Some labs will even do this print for free since it is in their interest to make you happy.

Can you turn off any color software you run for my prints? (Print AS IS). Some print machines have a software running in the background to color correct images before printing. However, if you spend hours getting everything just right in Photoshop this extra step will always change something in your image. It could be color, or contrast or sometimes both. Just have them turn it off and let the print come out just like it would from your computer. This is also a good way to check your color setup at home.

When the color changes on your prints (you will notice I didn't say if but when) go back and ask the same questions again.

In The News With NoBS

NoBS member michelle hosted the 1st Annual NoBS BBQ at her studio on December 9, 2007. Click here to see the group photo.

Congrats and Happy 10th Anniversary to She (Sheila) on her pregnancy. Most people have a child and THEN pick up photography, but you're doing it the other way around. We're all looking forward to another NoBS baby, and, of course, photos!

Rob just recently uploaded the latest Monthly Success Interview. To hear his interview with Steve Harrington, click this link.

Congrats to NoBS member, vistapoint (aka Jeff Chen Kuochih), who was the grand prize winner of the BetterPhoto.com contest. See his winning image here.

New Creation Photo Supply is running a few specials for September. See them here.

Have you signed up for the Inferno yet? Don't wait, it's almost sold out! But remember, the Inferno is for NoBS Members only.

Juggling Motherhood and Career

Here's your checklist: feed the kids, take them to school and/or their activities, do laundry, cook dinner, clean the house, market your photography studio, book portrait sessions and schedule them around when someone is available to watch the kids. We've left out a few other details, but you get the idea. It's a delicate balance which must be struck in order to maintain a semblance of organization and sanity. Welcome to the world of the modern female photographer juggling family and career.

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The Pressures of Starting Out In Photography

Ok, here's the skinny on starting a career in photography. It's NOT easy. That's all you need to know. The sky is the limit once you come to grips with the fact that progress cannot be made on your timetable. Progress comes as a result of the sheer will to get past failures big and small. Progress comes at the will of good timing and, for many of us, comes as a result of trial by fire. As a wise person once said, success is a journey not a goal. In the end, we make or break ourselves and we are at the mercy of our ability to stay focused and positive in the face of frequent bouts of self doubt.

Even for the most successful among us, the demons that plague us every once in a while seem to rear their ugly heads just as a reminder that it takes constant work to be successful. Back in May, an article entitled Finding Your Way In The Garden of Eden We Call Photography came in response to a thread from a confused newbie. She was overwhelmed and uncertain of where to start. This month, we had a another thread from another newbie voicing despair. Is this a sign that the sky is falling? Absolutely not! We must endure these rollercoaster rides of producing work that is out of this world and at times producing work we are less than pleased with. It's all part of the process. We should all take comfort in the fact that it is because we care so much about the work we produce that we constantly question our progress and the quality. Our clients are VERY lucky.

Anyway, this latest despairing photograper received excellent advice from NoBS members and so it seems absurd to rehash here what was said. So, we will offer another source of guidance. An excellent resource for photographers starting out, in addition to NoBS' countless downloads and tutorials which provide solid guidance on lighting, posing, and workflow, is a book called "Starting Your Career As A Freelance Photographer" by Tad Crawford. It's a step-by-step guide that lays out a roadmap for aspiring and new photographers to follow. It offers advice about how to select what area to specialize in, the skills needed, and the business and legal aspects.

Continuing education is also a must. This does not necessarily mean going out to a seminar you can't afford. There are many ways to learn until you can afford to go to a seminar. Chief among them, is to study the work of others. Find a photographer who inspires you. Try copying poses you like. As Rob once said in one of his dangerous downloads, poses are not copyright protected. This will allow your own style to evolve and develop.

Finally, have a plan and a set of goals to help you stay focused. Be realistic in your goal setting and push that bar further up as you achieve each goal. Remember, it's not a race. We are in a career unlike any other. Photography can be done at ANY age and most if not all of us get involved in it because we LOVE it.