SmugMug Development Lab

Event photography seems simple enough: Your job is to take photos of a special occasion. Where it gets tricky is in reflecting the actual experience from the participant’s perspective, whether it’s a professional conference for business owners, a product launch cocktail hour, or a wedding’s late-night dance party. Of course, the basic lighting techniques still apply for every event—adjusting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for correct exposure—but utilizing the advanced lighting techniques listed below can take your event photography from pretty good to print-worthy.

First things first: Do your research.

As part of your pre-shoot preparation, think about the vibe and location of the event itself, as well as who the participants are, then plan some shots accordingly. For example, formal events (trade shows, conferences, business meetings, speaking events) might require crisp, clean images that reflect the scene as accurately as possible, while more personal events (weddings, family reunions, cocktail parties) might allow for an artistic approach and more experimentation. Communicate with your client about their expectations, and how your photographic style and vision for the event will fit.

Identify potential ambient light sources.

The sun, windows, streetlights, tabletop candles, colorful strobes, a stage spotlight, lamps, sparklers, neon signs, and overhead lights can all be used on their own to create interesting exposures. Look up images of the venue and talk to the client about what ambient light sources there will be, and have an idea of how you might utilize each of them. 

One important advanced lighting technique is knowing how to balance artificial lighting with the ambient lighting of any given scene. For a sunset cocktail hour, you might use a soft flash to highlight people having a good time while preserving the rich colors of the sky in the background. A live concert might require direct flash on the lead singer to freeze her jumping in mid-air, but with a slow enough shutter speed to include stage lighting that highlights her bandmates.

Choose the right external flash—and know how to use it. 

There are countless options when it comes to supplemental lighting for event photography, but what’s most important is thinking through what the pace and location of the event will be, then picking out appropriate equipment for the event. Will you have an assistant to operate an off-camera flash, or are you on your own? Is the event fast-paced with unmissable moments, or is it a bit slower with more time to set shots up and play with lighting? 

In addition to those factors, make sure you have full mastery over whatever lighting equipment you’re using. Event photography is all about real people (not models!) experiencing one-of-a-kind moments, so you’ve gotta be ready and have all your settings dialed for those split-second opportunities.

Pro-tip: Once you have the external flashes, practice photographing friends in a space similar to the event so you are ready for the big day.

One advanced lighting technique for event photography is to utilize multiple external flashes to provide a key light and fill lights for specific exposures. Knowing how your flashes can work together to layer the light in a frame will take your imagery to the next level. Here are a few things to consider with artificial lighting:

• On-camera flash: No, we’re not talking about the built-in flash that comes permanently attached to your camera (which is practically useless). Instead, we’re talking about a speedlight that mounts to the hot shoe on top of your camera and has adjustable settings. These are portable and inexpensive, and they provide endless versatility for whatever lighting conditions you might encounter. If you’re trying to isolate a subject or create close-up images that make the viewer feel like they’re part of the scene, tilt the light down toward the subject for hard, direct light. To add a touch of fill light, point the flash in a higher direction for a softer look, keeping in mind that the light will bounce off whatever is nearby, like the ceiling, wall, or a mirror.
• Off-camera flash: These are speedlights, strobes, ring lights, or other artificial lighting equipment that are remotely triggered. If the event photography job includes head shots or professional portraits, consider setting up a small photobooth with a nice backdrop and pre-arranged lighting so you can grab subjects when they have a spare moment. This will ensure continuity and quality for the images, as well as peace of mind for you as the photographer. One advanced lighting idea for events that have a party-like atmosphere would be to set up a strobe to backlight a dance floor and capture interesting silhouettes of high-energy dance moves. (Think feet jumping, hair waving, and clothes swinging!)
• Flash modifiers: DIffusers, soft boxes, bounce cards, honeycombs, and color filters/gels add another layer of versatility to any lighting equipment you already have. Diffused light will provide a softer look that’s great for nostalgic, intimate, and romantic moments, while direct or hard light can provide a more dramatic look with bold shadows and enhanced texture. Adding a color gel to your flash can create warm or cool tones, depending on what type of mood you’re going for.

Be creative and think outside the box.

With event photography, you have the benefit of being present for a special time in a person’s life—after all, it’s an event that stands out so much from daily life it warrants hiring a photographer! You’re there to document the people, the place, and the moments in a cohesive way that reflects the feeling, meaning, and importance of it all, beyond simply taking photos. Event photography is a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Great event photography captures the essence of the experience, not just the facts.

Here are a few last ideas to try: silhouetting people against a bright background (look for interesting body positions), using a slow shutter speed for motion blur in the background with a flash to freeze the action of the subject, and painting with light (slow shutter speed + moving light source) to highlight a place setting or write something meaningful (like a wedding date + the couple’s initials). Be creative and think outside the box for how you can use advanced lighting techniques, and you’ll create images your event photography clients will cherish for years to come.

Tim Miller's journey into the world of wedding and dance photography began with a high-school class. Little did he know that class would set him on a path to becoming one of the premier photographers in the eastern Pennsylvania region and one of the highest-selling pros on SmugMug. But like many success stories, his journey was far from linear. 

We had a chance to chat with him about what makes his photography business so successful, and how SmugMug helps contribute to that success.

1. Branding matters. 

In the early 1990s, Tim noticed a lack of creativity and spontaneity in wedding photography. Determined to change the game, he and his wife, Liz, began experimenting with a new approach: focusing on the candid moments that truly reflected the emotions of each wedding day.

This "Your Day, Your Way" concept resonated with couples seeking a personalized and authentic wedding experience. Soon, Tim and Liz were booked solid, photographing weddings all over the region. But Tim didn't stop there. 

After sparking up a conversation with a wedding DJ who also worked in a dance studio, he ventured into dance photography. "I created a separate site and named it ArtOfDance.Photo after a big dance studio in Easton told me they would've hired me three years earlier if I had dance photos on my original site," Tim said. 

Using SmugMug’s variety of customization options made it easy to brand each site separately, making them unique enough to avoid confusion among his clients.

His journey from Tim Miller Photography to ArtofDance.Photo underscores the importance of strategic branding. Learn from his experience and make sure your brand reflects the specific niche or audience you serve.

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2. Know your audience. 

"My advice is do your own thing and solve problems for your clients," Tim said. And his approach has paid dividends, with his business flourishing even amid the pandemic.

His decision to split his photography ventures based on client preferences also highlights the significance of understanding your audience. Whether it's weddings or dance photography, catering to the distinct needs of your clients can set you apart in a competitive market.

"Brides don't want to see dancers, and dancers don't need to see brides," he said. But it wasn't just about differentiation; it was also about scalability and brand longevity. 

3. Plan for growth. 

"You don't want to name your business after yourself," Tim recalled, echoing the advice of a fellow photographer. If the business grows enough that you can sell it, people will always wonder who and where the named photographer is. Tim’s friend later lamented he would’ve been able to sell his own studio for more profit if he had known this tip himself.

Once you’ve chosen your name, think about getting a custom domain and logo to fully brand your business. Also monitor your growth easily with SmugMug stats and sales reports as well as third-party analytics.

4. Timing is key. 

Tim's knack for identifying and addressing industry frustrations didn't stop with weddings. He saw an opportunity to revolutionize the timing of dance-company photoshoots, shifting them from the bustling spring season to quieter winter months. This not only alleviated financial strain on parents but also ensured a steady stream of income for Tim during the offseason. 

Tim’s strategic shift in photoshoot scheduling demonstrates the importance of timing in maximizing sales while easing the financial burden on clients.

5. Problem-solving = success. 

He also changed how studios could approach their photo days to make them less disruptive and more customer-friendly. During his pivotal conversation with the wedding DJ/dance studio assistant, she explained why picture day was difficult: time had to be set aside to pose all the kids and to collect prepayments for packages—which might include photos the parents didn’t even want. 

After listening to her woes, Tim had an idea: “What if we took photos during class instead of on a separate day? And instead of making parents prepay for photos, what if I posted the photos online for them to choose from?" And so began a new chapter.

Tim's entrepreneurial ethos centers around solving problems for his clients. Embrace this mind-set and offer innovative solutions to problems in your industry that satisfy your customers and give your business a boost at the same time.

6. Leverage technology. 

Also central to Tim's success was his partnership with SmugMug—the “answer to everything," he said, emphasizing its indispensable role in streamlining his workflow and facilitating seamless transactions. The platform's robust features, coupled with exemplary customer service, have been instrumental in his ability to deliver exceptional experiences to his clients. “The superfast delivery of digital images is a strong selling point for me,” Tim said.

Partnering with platforms like SmugMug can simplify your workflow and enhance your customers’ experience. 

7. Customer relationships are key. 

Tim's dedication to excellence extends beyond business transactions; it's ingrained in every interaction he has with his clients. "I love what I do, and I don’t take myself seriously," he remarked. His success is rooted in the bonds he's built with his clients over the years. “People remember how you make them feel.”

Cultivate genuine connections with your clients by prioritizing their needs and delivering exceptional experiences. 

8. Stay approachable. 

A lighthearted approach can go a long way in building rapport. "I just love to have fun with my clients," Tim said. His down-to-earth demeanor and humorous anecdotes create a welcoming environment that fosters trust and loyalty.

9. Continue learning. 

A couple years into his dance-photography journey, a studio owner challenged Tim by asking, "Why do we take the same boring pictures? Why don't we capture leaps or something?" Instead of shying away from this knowledge gap, he approached the question with one of his own: “How would I do that?" The studio owner responded by borrowing his camera, giving the dancer a countdown, and snapping the photo with one shot. 

From there he discovered his studio strobes couldn't stop action, so he invested in better lighting. And he continued to learn the timing of leaps. “That's what changed me as a photographer, and when sales started going through the roof,” Tim said.

Embrace a growth mind-set and remain open to learning from both successes and failures. Tim's willingness to adapt and evolve has been instrumental in his journey as a photography entrepreneur.

10. Efficiency is essential. 

On the day of a photo shoot, Tim hands out letters to parents that explain how SmugMug works and hangs QR codes around the studio. These codes, generated on SmugMug, take parents directly to the photos’ online gallery when scanned. “I’ve already seen an increase in early sales with the QR codes,” he said.

“Also key to what I do is fast turnaround,” Tim said. “I use only three things for post-production: ACDsee for viewing and numbering the photos, Lightroom to edit the photos, and SmugMug to display and sell the images.” This allows him to edit and upload 12,000 studio images in three hours or less. 

Tim's efficient approach to post-production and client communication allows him to handle high volume with ease while maintaining quality. Streamline your workflow and optimize your processes to maximize productivity. 

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By incorporating these insights into your photography business, you can carve out your own niche in the industry. Remember, it's not just about taking photos—it's about building relationships, solving problems, and delivering outstanding experiences that keep clients coming back for more.

Ever found yourself scrolling through social media, seeing one too many selfies? We've all been there. But have you ever thought of turning everyday selfies into creative self-portraits? A rainy day or a lull between shoots can become an opportunity to refine your photography skills, and perhaps discover a new form of creative expression. Who better to be your subject than the most cooperative model you know—yourself? To help kick-start your journey, we’ve put together ten tips.

1. Choose the right background.

When starting your self-portrait journey, keep it simple. Opt for a blank wall in your home or a simple textured background outdoors, like a brick wall. This allows you to be the focal point of your composition, emphasizing your personality and style.

2. Practice lighting.

Sticking to simplicity, start with natural light so you can focus on composition, posing, focus, and everything else. Try standing near a window during golden hour or finding some open shade outdoors for easy and flattering portrait lighting. These both create soft shadows and bright catchlights in the eyes while avoiding dark under-eye circles: instant beauty filters.

As you advance, try experimenting with advanced lighting setups and techniques such as two-point lighting or a background separation light. Try playing with homemade grids, gels and white balance settings, short and broad lighting, and anything else you’re curious about. See if you can reverse engineer the lights in portraits you admire!

3. Nail the focus.

While autofocus is a handy assistant, you might not want to shoot at a higher aperture like f/8 to ensure it nails focus on your eyes. If you want to create a dreamy effect with a shallow depth of field, how do you keep the focus from landing on your ear by accident?

1. Try setting up your camera and tripod to frame your shot in advance and adjust your camera's focal point to where you think your eyes will fall in the frame. 
2. Take your camera, leaving the tripod in place, and step into the frame. 
3. Point your camera back at the tripod and use your previously set focal point to focus on the tripod head. 
4. Once your camera focuses, carefully switch it to manual focus and place it back on the tripod. 
5. Take a few test shots with yourself in the frame and adjust until you’re happy with the focus.

4. Master your gear.

No remote trigger? No problem! Use your phone or camera's built-in self-timer as a convenient alternative. Start with 30 seconds so you don’t feel rushed running from camera into frame, and you’ll have plenty of time to set your pose. If you get tired of the extra cardio, consider the array of remote triggers available in the market—even for smartphones!

If you don’t have a tripod, use a table, a counter, a stack of books—anything that’s stable and level.

5. Select the right lens.

Choosing the right lens is crucial for achieving your desired composition. Wide-angle lenses help in confined spaces while shorter focal lengths, like 50mm or 85mm, work wonders for close-up portraits. If you have the space, longer telephoto lenses can help separate you from your background 

6. Plan and pose.

Visualize the outcome, research and experiment with poses, and let your self-portraits tell your story. Capture natural, relaxed expressions with the help of music, memories, and a few tricks of the trade. Try jutting your chin forward a bit without moving your neck for a more flattering jawline. If you have a habit of clenching your jaw, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to relax it.

7. Shoot and review.

Instead of immediately checking a shot after each click, resist the temptation and go for comprehensive reviews after a series of shots. Adjust your posing based on the collective story told by your images and on what you like or dislike. Checking each shot can get in the way of the kind of spontaneity that makes portraiture great.

8. Introduce creativity.

Go beyond the basics by introducing costumes, props, smoke bombs, and diverse environments into your self-portraits. Tell compelling stories through your images, injecting a dose of creativity into each frame.

9. Embrace editing.

Don't shy away from the editing room. This is a chance to try those filters and actions that look amazing but might not work for your clients. Explore the art of compositing to enhance your portraits further, seamlessly blending elements to craft the story you want to tell. If you shot outside during a sunny day, for example, but wanted a moody portrait, try replacing the sky with a darker one filled with storm clouds. Or if you’re missing that perfect prop to tie everything together, find a stock photo of it online and edit into your image to complete the story.

10. Learn from the best.

Hungry for more? Dive into self-portraiture with insights from SmugMug pros and Ambassadors, and exclusive SmugMug perks (make sure you’re logged in to your account for perks). Explore the nature of self-portrait art with Lizzy Gadd, learn compositing from Renee Robyn, and unlock discounts on resources to fuel your creative journey.

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Remember, the art of self-portraiture is where you tell your story—unique, personal, and undeniably you. We hope these tips help you capture the essence of your one-of-a-kind self. Happy shooting!

This month, we had the pleasure to catch up with Heidi Anderson of Legacy Livestock Imaging. Heidi is a long-time SmugMug customer and an incredible photographer. She and her husband, Charles, have grown their business and now employs a staff of professional photographers ready to capture and tell the agricultural story. Read on for our conversation with Heidi.

SmugMug: Hi Heidi! Thanks for talking with us today. We would love it if you could tell our readers more about you.

Heidi Anderson: I’m a professional photographer specializing in agriculture and rural America. We work hand in hand with producers of beef cattle, specifically for advertising and marketing purposes. We also shoot a variety of livestock shows, seniors, weddings, and families throughout the country.

SM: Wow — that’s so interesting! Please tell us, what first interested you in photography?

HA: I’ve always had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. I started my career as a portrait photographer and I also photographed a number of professional ballet companies. Then, I married a rancher and our business took a shift in that direction. I found a niche in the Agricultural industry.

SM: That is definitely a niche market, but you’ve been incredibly successful! What camera gear do you use now?

HA: We use all Nikon cameras and lenses. We currently run with the Nikon 850 and z7. The dynamic range extraordinary and honestly I have had a Nikon in my hand since I got my first 35mm film camera in junior high.

SM: Tell us more about what type of photography you shoot and why you decided to gravitate towards this genre.

HA: I shoot senior portraits, family sessions, corporate agriculture, and livestock shows. You should always photograph what you love and where your passion is. Communicating the realities of life in rural America is my passion — the people are amazing.

SM: We love the stories that you tell and can see that coming through in your photos. How long have you been using SmugMug and what got you started?

HA: I’ve been using SmugMug since 2009. I was venturing into digital storage and delivery and have been thrilled ever since.

SM: Do you have any tips or advice for a new SmugMug user?

HA: Follow your “why”. As long as you communicate through your lens the heart and soul of what you do your art will reflect that. And the success of your business will follow.

SM: Most definitely! Thank you for sharing your words and thoughts with us today!

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Follow Heidi Anderson at Legacy Livestock Imaging and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Originally published at https://www.smugmug.com.

Richard Burley is an educator, photographer, and the founder of Epic Action Imagery. He travels the world photographing sporting events from football and hockey to obstacle races like Tough Mudder and Spartan. We caught a moment of his time to talk about luck, sofas, and velociraptors, among other fun details.

SmugMug: Hi Richard. To start with, tell us about yourself!

Richard Burley: I’m a sports and action photographer based in the UK. Prior to taking up photography as my full-time job, I worked in education. Initially as a college teacher progressing up the career ladder to management roles. In 2014, just as my photo business was starting to grow, a conversation about volunteers for redundancy saw my hand shoot up. A few weeks later I packed up my desk and headed out of my office and on to what became a huge adventure. I do still teach a few hours and enjoy that side of my life too, but I fell in love with action photography early.

SM: How’d you get into photography?

RB: I’ve had an interest in photography since I was a child watching my dad in his home darkroom developing photos. It wasn’t until much later that I started to think more seriously about taking photos professionally, but my interest in capturing sport, action, and movement was growing.

I bought my first DSLR with the royalties from a text book I co-authored and started to learn lessons by trial and error. I prefer to learn by experimenting and finding out what works and what doesn’t rather than reading or watching others. The only qualification I’ve actually got is a badge from Cub Scouts. I’m very much self-taught.

SM: Tell us about starting and growing a photography company?

RB: The real start of it was in January of 2010. I’d stopped coaching football and decided I wanted to get into photography, and was shooting semi-pro matches for a friend. But I just wasn’t getting the shots I wanted, because I was convinced I didn’t have the right lens.

So I go to the camera shop, just to look at a new 70–200mm lens…and 30 seconds later I’m walking out with the box. [laughs] And I’m thinking “I’ve just spent the sofa deposit on a new camera lens, this is gonna take some explaining.”

So I told my wife I spent the money we’d saved for a sofa on a camera lens, and she responded “Well you’re gonna have to take that lens and make that money again.” Which I took very literally! I said okay, I’ll start a business.

SM: The right equipment can make all the difference! What happened next?

RB: A couple of months later, I’m shooting the occasional sporting event, making a little bit of money, but still employed full-time with the college, when on a trip to Cambridge with the family I spot a billboard. On this billboard is a picture of someone jumping over burning straw bales, and I thought “that looks like fun, why don’t I see if they’ve got a photographer?”

There’s a concept people in business will often refer to called “luck.” I think I’ve benefited from an enormous amount of luck. This was a billboard for Spartan Race. They’d just started — one event in the US, no events anywhere else, this was their first event in the UK — and they said “you know, we hadn’t thought about course photography, of course you can come!”

That first moment at a Spartan Race really told me what it was gonna be like: I’m set up along the course, waiting for people to come from the right, and suddenly they appear to my left like velociraptors. And that was it. That said to me “don’t ever expect everything. You know that thing where you like things to be predictable? You’re gonna have to part with that.”

SM: What a lesson to learn on the first day. How’d you grow that into the Epic Action Imagery we see today?

RB: Well, one thing led to another and soon Spartan was asking me to shoot their international events. Then other events start asking me to shoot, because they’re pulling from Spartan’s pool of course photographers, and suddenly I’m doing this full time and building teams. I’d call it an accidental business, really. An experiment that got entirely out of hand.

I think I was fairly lucky, again, because I was an educator and a manager in my full-time work before this. I was used to recruitment, I was used to building teams, passing on information, delegating, and allowing people to grow. Everything I did was very developmental.

The whole purpose of education is to help people grow to become better than yourself — and not be intimidated by that, which is a great fit for photography. It’s really something I look for while building a team of photographers: work that makes me stop and go “whoa. I’ve gotta know how you got that.” I’ve had the privilege of working with other photographers that inspire and enthuse me to work hard and to keep learning.

SM: What is it about action photography that calls to you?

RB: I enjoy the challenge of capturing movement at the right time. Facial expressions in sport really tell a story too. Emotions are often amplified in a sporting environment and seeking to tell the story is a challenge that I enjoy. Participants on a Tough Mudder course emerging from ice filled pools or getting zapped by electricity really brings out a range of expressions. And I’ve done a couple of the events myself so I have an inkling of what they’re experiencing.

I enjoy the people too. Sports events have an energy and a vibe that I find motivating. Capturing people overcoming fears or beating their personal bests is a responsibility I take seriously and I work hard to ensure that moment is captured for them to share with their friends and family. There’s been several moments where I’ve captured people who’ve overcome significant changes in their life to achieve a sporting goal. Often I find there’s a bit of dust in my eye when seeing such a victory.

A big motivation for me to make amateur sports people look like pros, giving them an image in which they look truly epic. From my personal perspective I always try to take a picture that makes a person look and feel like Usain Bolt. When they’ve had a bad day and they’re reaching for that beer in the fridge, they can see a picture on the fridge door of themselves leaping over flaming hay bales and think “I am awesome! I am epic!”

SM: Last business question: what’s the biggest challenge in shooting action photography?

RB: The vagaries of the weather, absolutely. I’ve worked in 42 degree heat (108° F) in Bahrain, and I’ve worked in -20 cold (-4° F) in Canada. Thigh-deep snow, I’ve been swatting flies off, days where it feels like someone’s hitting me with a firehose, but I love that. I love being outdoors. To reframe that: I don’t think there’s a challenge apart from loving what you do, really.

Even when you’re shooting the same thing — someone jumping over flames or crawling through mud — how do you tap into the journey they took to get there, to be fit enough to run five miles and leap over these flames? The biggest challenge, and the biggest joy, really, is tapping into the energy and euphoria of these participants each and every time.

SM: What gear do you use to capture those moments?

RB: Canon 1DXs (3 x mk1 and 1 x mk2) with a range of lenses from 16mm to 400mm. I started with Canon in 2006 and have yet to be tempted to try anything else. I am curious to try a few mirrorless options and listen to the experiences of other photographers when considering my kit choices, but the 1DX is a versatile workhorse and has coped very well with the range of conditions that I find myself working in and the image quality means that I can get the images I want.

The lenses I favor for events are the 16–35mm and the 70–200mm. My kit gets a fair amount of scuffing on rocks and hard ground so I use an EasyCover to try to keep my kit protected.

For football, I’ll have the 400mm and 70–200mm as a main set up and the 16mm on a remote camera positioned behind the goal using a PocketWizard set up. The 400mm is my favourite lens. It’s an old-school mark 1 IS 2.8, but so crisp and ideal for capturing the action that unfolds at the other end of the pitch. It’s a little heavy and if the teams change ends before kick off, it’s quite a challenge to run round the pitch perimeter with all the gear. I hear the mkIII may be a little more mobile and I may make the switch in the future.

SM: Speaking of gear, what got you started with SmugMug?

RB: I started with SmugMug in 2013. I met a representative at the PhotoShow and at the time was looking for a platform to host event images in a cost-effective, reliable, high quality, and simple to use manner. I was also in search of something that would let me search my photos by keywords and bib numbers so I could easily sort participant photos. We had to be able to deal with the kind of peak demand that these events generate. Fortunately, SmugMug met all these criteria and I signed up that evening. 4.7 million photos later we’re still going — if I posted one photo every minute, it would take me 7 ½ years to get through them all. We love it.

SM: What’s your most-used or favorite SmugMug feature?

RB: I actually just redesigned the site last week. Part of our post-COVID recovery has been taking the time to think about what we do and why we do it, and engaging with my local business community. I met with a local marketer who told me “your photos are amazing, but man your website’s old fashioned.”

So I tried a landing page, liked the look, and three hours later I’ve got the whole site looking brand new. It was that easy.

In terms of what I use a lot, it’s image library management. SmugMug works as part of our client relationships, so Spartan or whoever can go in and retrieve images easily, and we manage their photo library as part of the business relationship. They tell us what details they want for the photo — keywords, metadata, factoids, you name it — and we’ll get those set up for them.

Photo sharing is a big part of it, too, and obviously sales, which we like because they’re all seamless. It’s also visibility. I can see what photos people are buying, track stats, keep up with what’s popular. Sometimes you get excited about an image as a photographer because all of the elements came together, and you get to see people excited about those same things enough to buy and share them, too.

SM: Lastly, any tips for a new SmugMug user?

RB: Learn. Keep learning. See what others do, interrogate the style, and let that style influence you as you capture your images and organize your site. There’s so many wonderfully talented photographers showcasing their work on SmugMug, it’s a great way to find inspiration and to showcase your own work.

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Follow Richard Burley on Instagram and Facebook. Also, visit his website at https://www.epicactionimagery.com.

And, tell us what you think of this interview! Start a conversation on SmugMug’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

A newborn baby is one of life’s most precious additions and the source of many joyful moments. But how to capture those moments, fleeting as they are? Enter LA-based photographer Erika Seress, founder of The Pod Photography, a modern portrait studio specializing in helping make parents and their little ones look their very best. We sat down with Erika to talk to her about the work she does, why she does it, and what advice she can offer anyone new to SmugMug.

SmugMug: Hi Erika, thanks so much for chatting with us! Your work shows off such wonderful passion. Please, tell our readers more about you.

Erika Seress: Hi! So nice to chat with you today, and thank you! I’m Erika Seress, and I founded The Pod Photography in 2008. I had a vision of creating a modern portrait studio for today’s sophisticated clientele, and I love photographing people—especially tiny ones! I specialize in documenting baby’s first-year milestones. I’ve also authored The Parent’s Pocket Guide: Taking Kids’ and Family Photos, am a photography workshop teacher, and appeared on Lifetime, Hollywood Access Live, and various celebrity reality shows. I’ve also been published in Cosmopolitan magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

SM: That’s incredible! You’re one busy and successful photographer. Our readers always love to hear this part, so please tell us how you got started in photography.

ES: I started taking pictures to document my travels while living abroad in Thailand and Germany. I loved capturing the culture, people, and my daily life so I could look back on them. When I moved home to Los Angeles, I got a degree in photography on top of my business degree and then started my portrait studio in 2008.

SM: Amazing. Thailand and Germany are two incredibly stunning areas of the world. Another insight that our readers like to know is what equipment do you use and why?

ES: I am a Nikon shooter. I love how intuitive the gear is as well as the sharpness of their lenses. I shoot 90% of my photography with a Nikon 70–200mm f/2.8 lens since it is perfect for really flattering portraits of people, plus I can zoom in and out to take both full lengths and close-ups of a child without moving my body. You've got to be quick when it comes to kids!

SM: It’s so true! They definitely change and move in a blink of an eye, but It sounds like you enjoy the challenge and have mastered it. Your photos definitely reflect how good you are at capturing that moment. Could you tell us more about the type of photography you shoot and why?

ES: Sure! As mentioned, I am a portrait photographer specializing in newborn, maternity, babies, kids, and family photos. I have always loved photographing people, and at the beginning of my career I did mainly fashion and commercial work. I came to realize that I felt much more fulfilled by working with private clients and creating art for their families, so I have shifted my business toward that focus. 

Today, my company, The Pod Photography, has really flourished in Los Angeles where we focus on a mix of modern natural-light portraiture and elaborate set design. I love the art of creating custom sets that reflect a family’s or child's hobbies or personality or just bring some whimsy to the portraits. I was recently commissioned to create intricate sets recreating a Starbucks store, the Oval Office, Star Wars, as well as design elegant tea-party sets for my newborn and first-birthday clients. We have a lot of fun at my studio!

SM: What brought you to using SmugMug for your photos?

ES: I've been using SmugMug since I created my very first website in 2008. I love SmugMug because of its integration with sales, and how I can seamlessly sell digital and printed products through my website. I'm also a big fan of the unlimited storage!

SM: That’s awesome! OK, one last question: Do you have any advice for someone who’s just starting to use SmugMug themselves?

ES: Get creative designing your website! Start with a template but don't be afraid to customize it so your website stands out from the rest. SmugMug makes it so easy to have a unique website.

SM: What a wonderful tip! Thanks so much for sitting down with us today and for sharing your story with our readers—we really appreciate it!

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For more about Erika Seress of The Pod Photography, visit her website at https://www.thepodphoto.com/ or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Bella Kotak’s fascination for capturing moments began while she was young. Influenced by her father who brought a camera with him everywhere, she inherited the habit and became known for it among her friends. This obsession for capturing moments eventually led to creating her own—and she found herself shaping worlds, stories, and characters around the moments to help evoke the moods she wanted her images to convey.

SmugMug had a chance to peek behind the veil of Bella’s fantasy worlds and learn a bit about the magic she creates in front of the lens. Discover more of what captures her imagination in our latest SmugMug Film below, and read on for a few of her tips about creating a little magic of your own.

Tip #1: Try everything once to learn what you like—and what you don’t.‍

Whenever you’re starting out with something, give everything about it a shot. That was my own approach with photography. I was vaguely interested in it, so I tried photographing families, portraits, pets, weddings, and a bunch of other things. Unless you try it, you won’t know if you like it or not. The more I tried, the more I could rule out what didn’t bring me joy or the sense of fulfillment I was chasing. Eventually, my interest narrowed to storytelling and escapism. But I got there by first trying many things and narrowing them down to my core interests—and then seeing what I could do in that world.

Tip #2: When you find a focus, begin with what’s familiar.‍

If you want to get started with photographing portraits but don’t want to start with photographing your family or friends, start with yourself. I started taking self-portraits to build up my confidence to begin shooting with friends. And I used Flickr to share those images, which helped me connect with like-minded people and get feedback to improve my work and continue building my confidence. Then I started to shoot with my friends and the people I would meet through Flickr. Just start building your portfolio from there and see where it goes.

Tip #3: Be crafty; be thrifty; and be social.‍

I recommend to anybody who’s starting out with this type of photography to place a lot of their effort into creating their portfolio. By that I mean whatever you can do on your own, do it. For example, I didn’t have access to stylists or designers when I first started out, so I would visit thrift shops for clothes and I would reach out to designers online on the off chance they might lend something to me. Initially, I placed my effort into capturing images I knew I could execute beautifully; once I had a decent portfolio, I used that to reach out to designers and other creatives within the industry. This approach gives them a chance to see what you’re capable of.

I’d also recommend participating in online social groups. I created a Facebook group called Fairytales and Fantasies Photography (with Bella Kotak). It’s a bunch of us who are interested in this type of photography and share images, but it also includes people who design things. It gives us a way to collaborate and help each other. Don’t be afraid to reach out to creators you find inspiring on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. That way you start to create a relationship that can then, in the future, lead to working together.

If you like making things at all, don’t be afraid to craft things on your own, either. I make props whenever intuition strikes. For one of the shoots we did for the SmugMug Film, I had loads of newspapers and the brown packing paper that you get from Amazon, and I thought, “Let me see what happens if I make something from this.” I started rolling the papers up and using masking tape to hold them together, and suddenly a butterfly emerged. I decided to use that butterfly as a headpiece, and it became the starting place for the whole look of that shoot. That image didn’t exist until I created something from scratch.

Tip #4: Fashion helps tell the story.‍

Fashion is just as important as every other story element in your image. It sets the scene for the character we are playing with for that shoot. For example, one of my favorite shoots is a girl wearing a simple linen dress, because that evokes a sense of freedom and child-like innocence, and then we set her up in an elaborate scene. There’s a really nice juxtaposition of the stories and elements. Then there are other shoots I’ve done where the background is plain and I use fashion as a way to create a dominant character. Perhaps she’d wear something akin to armor and have an elaborate headpiece, and then we’ll style her wig so it’s fierce. Suddenly, a very soft-looking model can turn into quite a dominant character. And all that can be achieved through fashion choices.

Tip #5: Don’t get stuck chasing the vision.‍

When creating fairytales, you can have these fantastic visions in your head of what the final image should be. Sometimes you can get a bit overwhelmed by what you want to create and then feel underwhelmed by what you end up actually creating. It can feel like you didn’t do the vision justice, or you didn’t have the right skill set or the right tools. That’s something I know I struggle with.

I get around it by giving myself a break. It’s okay if I don’t realize the full vision; it’s important to have a rough idea. And I treat that as a starting point. If I’m chasing the initial vision while I’m shooting, and I’m not getting the right feeling when I look at the back of the camera, I switch it up. I know when I feel a particular way on a shoot that whatever comes from it is going to be a good thing, so I always end up chasing that feeling instead of the original vision. It’s okay if it doesn’t match, because ultimately that feeling leads me to a better idea.

Tip #6: Make the goal to please yourself—no one else.‍

Many of my favorite shots have happened on days where the initial vision had to be scrapped because conditions didn’t allow for it. For example, our goal was a dark, moody shot and the weather was bright and sunny that day. However, all that meant is I had to look elsewhere and figure something out. Then something beautiful resulted that wasn’t planned, but it’s more special because of that. Because what I’m always looking for is mood—an emotion. Something that speaks to me as I work on it. If I love a particular shot I captured, then I know it’s probably going to move somebody else viewing it. Sometimes images say more about us as a photographer than they do about the subject itself. Trust in yourself, and you can surprise yourself. I look to be moved by my own images, and that’s why they’re all so special to me. Because I cannot control what other people think of them, but I can control what I think of them.

Tip #7: Don’t fix it in post.‍

I originally started my career in architecture, so I was comfortable using computer-graphics software. When I first started shooting artistically, because I was so used to Photoshop, I was really relaxed with lighting, hair, and makeup, thinking, “Oh, I’ll fix it in post.” Then I learned more about what I could and couldn’t do in Photoshop, and I began to demand more control from myself when it came to planning and working through issues during the shoot.

For example, if there are any distractions in the background, I’ll clean them up during the pre-shoot because that’s one less thing to do in Photoshop. And if the hair doesn’t look quite right, I’ll make sure it’s corrected on set instead of taking it into Photoshop. Knowing my limitations in post-production has helped me tighten my creative eye when I’m shooting.

I look to be moved by my own images, and that’s why they’re all so special to me. Because I cannot control what other people think of them, but I can control what I think of them.

Tip #8: Be vocal.‍

This relates to trying to do less in post. In order to evoke the right mood, I have to communicate with the model. I try to be really direct — I think it’s just part of my personality. And if I’m looking for something in particular, I will say it as clearly as possible: “Can you look that way? Can you gaze this way? What about if you close your eyes and tilt your head back?” Whenever I’m on a shoot, I’m consciously looking at what the body’s doing, what the head is doing, the facial expressions, are the hands right. I’m looking at all the pieces and how they flow together. The model cannot see what I see, so my voice and my words are the only guide. We are working together to capture something.

Tip #9: The right mind-set matters after the shoot, too.‍

When it comes to editing on the go, I struggle. Usually when I’m traveling, I’m very present at that moment in time. And I find that when I’m editing, I need to be at a desk, sitting properly, with my things around me: a cup of tea, a candle, some music. The stage needs to be set for the magic to happen. It’s important.

Post-processing takes me around an hour—hour and a half—per image. Lately I’ve been placing pressure on myself to have it take less time. One of the things that really has helped me is creating actions of my color-toning processes. A lot of the time I spend looking at the computer wondering which color direction the image should go because there’s 500 options, and color is just as important as everything else in that image. If you come into it with cool blues and greens, it’ll give you a totally different atmosphere than if you color-graded with warm yellows and soft oranges. By using my actions I can cut down the time I spend editing by 70%.

That also helps when I’m traveling. I have a main hard drive I work from, a second hard drive as my backup, and then all my final images go onto SmugMug so there’s a safe place online all the finished images live. That also helps whenever I’m on the go doing interviews, or if I need to send a client an image, because I don’t need to grab my hard drive for images. I just go to my SmugMug account, locate my image, and send a link to it.

Tip #10: Never be afraid to play.‍

Move around, shoot from the side, shoot with things in front of you. Get some props and make little challenges for yourself. Shoot through things like a jar, a prism, or a bush. I find that when I’m working with a client, they will often have a strict idea of what they’re looking for. But usually the best images are created when they give me 15 minutes to play and I change it up: change the poses, change the location, change the angle I’m shooting at. I had a shoot recently where I set up people on these steps and it was great, but it wasn’t until I moved behind a bush and shot through a gap in the bush that we got the shot. That was really fun. Be playful when you’re shooting because you never know what you’re going to capture. Sometimes the camera sees very differently to the human eye.

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Find Bella online:
Portfolio
Flickr
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

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Subscribe to the SmugMug Films channel to see future installments as soon as we set them free.

Like many creatives who found themselves behind a camera, Jay Ford grew up around a family who loved photography. Where his dad began by filming home videos, Jay continued by filming anything his friends and family would allow: parties, football games, sorority videos, and more. He used his camera as a way to express his voice and, through it, amplify the voices of others. We had a chance to speak with Jay and get a bit more insight into his work. Watch our latest SmugMug Film with him below, and read on to learn more about him in his own words.

How would you describe what you do?‍

I feel I’m a visual creator more than a photographer or videographer. I use my camera to create something that resonates with me first and then, hopefully, other people like it from that. I look for life and the emotion that creates that life—whether it’s the trees moving or the culture I’m in—and I try to capture the raw emotion that comes out of it.

What wakes me up every day is challenging myself to do something different than normal. Every night I look through other people’s photos and videos, then use that to curate what I want and challenge myself to do something new.

When looking at other’s work for inspiration, are you trying to pick apart techniques or are you drawing from their creativity?‍

A little bit of everything. I try to see how they achieved what they did, looking at the cameras they used, the scenes they got, the why behind their choices, the type of story they’re trying to tell. And I watch things repeatedly to get those answers.

For example, the show Euphoria is good, but the cinematography was amazing. Whoever the cinematographer was is the most creative genius I’ve ever experienced. The use of colors, imagery, and everything was crazy to see. And that’s something I want to implement in my work to be more creative.

At first people asked me, “Why do you have a camera?” After I started posting the photos, they started asking me, “Oh, where’s your camera?”

How did your photography interest evolve into a focus on portraits and filmmaking?‍

When I went to college, I had only raw abilities. But I always had a camera with me and would take it to parties. I used to record people at the parties as well as other stuff in college, such as basketball games and football games. When I started posting those images online, I began gaining momentum. At first people asked me, “Why do you have a camera?” After I started posting the photos, they started asking me, “Oh, where’s your camera?”

Once I started getting that momentum, I kept going with it. It not only made me happy, it made other people happy, too. And that’s what I love about photography: you get to make people happy and make them feel more beautiful than they thought they were.

What photography project has been the most meaningful to you so far and why?‍

The Black Lives Matter movement has probably been the most meaningful thing I’ve gone through so far. Because I didn’t go out there to make money. I didn’t go to the protest to chase clout. I went there because I felt it was my true calling to document history in the making. With everything going on in the world, I felt if that movement didn’t happen, much change wouldn’t have come. For me to document that whole process was part of the history: to take pictures of the emotion — the reactions of people dealing with these injustices.

I feel it’s my duty to show it in a positive light because the news and certain media only show the negative. People are dealing with this emotionally. They’re upset, and I wanted to show that in a beautiful way. That meant a lot to me. And I want to do more.

During the protest, how did you remain focused on capturing the moments and not losing yourself in them?‍

At first I definitely got lost in them. I couldn’t focus. There was so much going on: people around me, damage that was happening, the police shooting rubber bullets and tear gas, and my friends getting hurt. It was tough. But as we kept going, we were able to show the emotions of the crowd and how it kept swaying. That’s when I started to lock in and adjust to what was going on.

Obviously, you want to be with the crowd, but you’re here to show what’s going on. Once I refocused myself, I was able to capture that. A lot of people love the images I got because it showed a different side of what the media was showing. I knew people had to see what I was capturing because I didn’t see it on the news — what I was seeing then, in the moment.

…as long as you have a camera and you’re ready, you can have a shot.

You mentioned tear gas and rubber bullets. What precautions did you take to keep yourself and your gear safe so these images could be seen afterward?‍

A little bit of street smarts. I wanted to be on the front line, but I didn’t want to be stupid. When there’s violence going on, you learn to take a step back. You can’t dive into it as much as you want because you don’t know what will happen. But I took precautions for the tear gas: wore heavier clothes, put a bandana around my nose, wore glasses. I also had a good lens that allowed me to get close enough without going too deep. I was worried about a rubber bullet hitting my lens and cracking it, so when the rubber bullets were happening, I was running. That was my precaution there.

Were you able to share any of the images with folks amid all that chaos?‍

Yeah. A lot of people saw I was taking pictures and they got my Instagram. When I shared a video of the protest later, it went viral. Once it got shared, a lot of people reached out to say, “Hey, that was me. Can you send me that video?” So they were able to find me and then the images I’d taken from that day. That was powerful.

Do you shoot everything manually?‍

I usually do. But at the protest, I didn’t. A lot of the time then, I shot auto because you never know what situation you’re going to be in. There was so much running going on, it was also tough to try to nail the perfect shot. That was a big thing I learned: you don’t always have to have the perfect shot to get the best shot. The photo could be a little blurry. It could be a little overexposed or underexposed. But as long as you have a camera and you’re ready, you can have a shot.

What have you learned from your experience that you’ve carried forward to other shoots?‍

In order to grow, you’re going to need help. Whether you’re a landscape photographer, a commercial photographer, a family photographer, or anything else, you’re going to need help getting your photos out to the world. You’re going to need to help doing big production shoots. You’re going to need help running the business. As much as you want to do everything yourself, it doesn’t make sense. I was being selfish in the beginning by not wanting help. But now I’m growing as a person, and as a business owner, and help is what’s needed—help is what’s welcomed.

Once you’re at your shoot, what are you looking for in terms of light and framing your shots?‍

I always like to shoot at the same time of day outdoors: blue hour and golden hour. When it comes to framing, there’s really no plan. It kind of comes to me naturally depending on what the background is and where the sun is. Do you want it backlit? Do you want to get a close-up shot? Do you want to get details and emotion? I don’t like people posing or looking at the camera much, so I like movement. I like the actual smiles and not posed smiles. It comes to me as I go.

How do you go about keeping your photos safe?‍

I have seven hard drives because I shoot so much. I have a passion-project hard drive, a business hard drive, and a personal hard drive. Then I have three backups for each one of those. So when I do a shoot, I immediately back it up to my big hard drives.

When I first started out, I didn’t have a process. I used to shoot, put everything on my computer, and edit from there. Then, the first wedding I ever did, I ended up losing all the photos for it because I put everything on the computer and it wasn’t ready for all that. The computer crashed, and I lost all the files. I lost everything. Once I saw the bride’s reaction, I told myself, this can never happen again. That led to me being a bit overkill about my hard drives and storage.

Do you have any advice for those looking to pursue a similar path?‍

Just go out there and do it. Don’t listen to anybody who has no clue what your dream is. If you really want to pursue something, find those individuals who have done it before and reach out to them to figure out how they did it. Because if they did it, you can do it.

What about advice for capturing the image?‍

Go with your heart. Don’t go off trends. Don’t go off what other people like. Go off what you like. The best part about going off what you like is that it tells a story. Your story.

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Find Jay online:
Portfolio
Flickr
Twitter
Instagram

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Subscribe to the SmugMug Films channel to see future installments as soon as they are released.

An artist at heart from a young age, Lizzy Gadd found her way to photography when her father brought home a small digital camera when she was twelve years old. From there, she discovered Flickr communities and dove into a world of exploration and experimentation through her lens. The journey has led her to far-flung lands and hidden oases buried in the back country, where she seeks new stories to be told with herself as the main character. Watch more about Lizzy’s journey below in our newest SmugMug Film, and read on for some of her tips about the magic of storytelling through photography.

Tip #1: Focus on feeling.‍

I’m quite particular about the mood in my work. My favorite photos involve moody weather, mist, sunrises, or sunsets. Weather plays such a huge role in conveying mood. As do locations. Seeking out and hiking to these beautiful, epic locations is all so I can capture the right feeling in my photos. Trying to get the timing right so the weather aligns with the location I want is always the biggest challenge in my work.

Tip #2: Be in the moment.‍

Self-portraits are a bit of a challenge, but they’re also a therapeutic process. I time-lapse my photos, so I set up the tripod, manually focus my composition, and program the timer to take a photo every few seconds. Then I walk out in front of the camera. I might stand out there for up to 100 photos, thinking I look epic or graceful, then I come back and find that maybe one photo out of a hundred looks the way I imagined it. Often it’ll take me several tries, going back and forth.

More often than not, I won’t take photos. I tend to enjoy being in the moment and connecting with nature. That’s always been my first love. I like to soak in the surroundings. Then, if I feel inspired, I’ll try to capture the mood I’m feeling. But I have to feel it first. Be in the moment. That’s most important. Once I feel that connection, that’s when I’ll try placing myself in the photo to see if I can capture the feeling through photography.

Tip #3: Let the light enhance the mood.‍

I love soft light. My favorite time to photograph is usually first thing in the morning around sunrise, especially in the fall when there’s fog. Once the sun comes up and shines through the fog, it creates a beautiful, gold, misty moodiness. I love warmth in photos, but I also love cold, dramatic tones. There’s a different kind of mist that comes from rainy days. As long as it isn’t clear, blue skies and contrasty, I’m happy.

Tip #4: Find an anchor for the scene.‍

When taking in a location, I like to find a place where there’s an object — whether it’s a tree or a rock — that stands out within a scene. I’ll instantly envision myself interacting with that object somehow, standing next to it or sitting on it, and can see the photograph in my head. Even if there’s nothing there except a beautiful backdrop, I can become the point of interest by incorporating myself within the photo. It gives a focus for the emotion I’m feeling. A frame for what I’m seeing.

Tip #5: Don’t be afraid to break the rules.‍

I very rarely follow the rule of thirds. I’m often centered in my photographs. And even though I always bring my tripod out with me, I rarely use it. Often I’ll shoot with my camera very low to the ground so there’s a soft foreground of grass or rocks that creates a dreamy effect. The out-of-focus foreground gradually leads to the center of the photo, where I’ll be in focus with the background behind me. I always try to find a way to frame the photo so I’m not lost among the landscape but also don’t stand out in a way that fights against the nature I’m trying to capture.

Tip #6: Find a community.‍

When I was 12 years old, my dad bought a point-and-shoot digital camera, which I picked up and started shooting with. A year later, I joined Flickr and started getting inspired by the people posting there. Photography became my biggest passion; I was shooting landscapes and animals every day. Then I started seeing some of my new friends on Flickr do these 365 projects, where they would take a self-portrait every day for a year. So I decided I would attempt one myself in 2010. I shot self-portraits every day, and it was a year of experimenting. I grew the most that year out of any year from the constant practice and feedback.

I didn’t have a style during that year; every self-portrait was totally different. But on the last day of my project, I went out to this mountain range and lake on New Year’s Eve. It was freezing — like –10º — and I took what I thought was going to be my last self-portrait because I didn’t necessarily like them. But on that last day when I was out there in the mountains, connected to nature, standing in the lake and freezing cold, it clicked. I loved that moment so much. That’s what brought me to where I am today.

Tip #7: Share feedback; get feedback.‍

In that Flickr community, we would all share feedback on each other’s work. Even if we didn’t give specific feedback on how we could improve, the constant support helped us build each other up. I think that’s what brought us all to where we are today. Many of us started meeting up in person as well, doing little photo meetups. The community I found there, they are like my family today. That has had a huge amount to do with my growth as a photographer — knowing I have a family of photographers that’s standing behind me no matter what I do with my work.

Tip #8: Choose the gear that fits your vision.‍

I switched to Sony three and a half years ago. The main reason for that is they’re a lot lighter. I do a lot of backpacking for my photoshoots, often going into the back country for a few days, and I was beginning to think lighter gear would help considerably with the weight I carried. The upgrade in quality was also considerable for me — from my original Canon 60D, which I think was 18 megapixels, to the Sony a7rIII, which is 42 megapixels. Seeing that huge jump in image quality was overwhelming and awesome, because I suddenly had so much more detail to work with.

Tip #9: Don’t be afraid to not take the photo.‍

When you feel pressured and don’t know what to capture, put down the camera, step back, and enjoy the scene. Don’t worry about it. Often, that’s when inspiration will come back to you. When you’re focusing so hard to see the scene through the lens, you forget to look at it through your own eyes and enjoy it that way. I find inspiration comes to me more when I put my camera down and simply enjoy being there. That’s when the ideas start coming to me.

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Find Lizzy online:
Portfolio
Instagram
Flickr

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Subscribe to the SmugMug Films channel to see future installments as soon as we set them free.

Do you know Lee Morris, pro photographer, video producer, and educator? He's a seasoned commercial, advertising, fashion, and wedding photographer, plus he's co-founder of the website Fstoppers.com. He took a moment to reflect on the wedding business, why it's so hard, how it's changing, and how pros like you can make the most of it by staying true to your heart.

‍The role of sentimentality in business.

When it comes to managing a business as intimate as wedding photography, it’s easy to let your emotions take over. I try my best to approach my photography business as I would any other business. I need to manage my time, keep my current clients happy, consistently book new clients, and make money. Many photographers fail to meet at least one of these goals. Maybe you’re really good at making your current clients happy, but you work too much and you don’t enjoy your job or have time to enjoy your life. Maybe you book a ton of work, but you don’t charge enough and you’re constantly struggling financially. 

During the digital revolution, many photographers who didn’t change their pricing structure were incapable of making their current clients happy. Maybe their pictures were great, but as digital started to take over, couples felt like they were getting nickeled and dimed after the event. If you can’t make your current clients happy, you’re going to struggle to find new clients.

When I started my business years ago, I learned early on that I hated making prints and albums. I could shoot a wedding in a few hours and make a few thousand dollars, but it would take me a full day to retouch a few pictures, print them myself, or take the files to a lab, package them up, take them to the post office, and I would only make a few dollars’ profit. In many cases my clients would have to wait weeks to actually get their prints because I was out of the state shooting another job. I decided I was going to start giving away the digital files with each of my weddings. Maybe I would lose a few dollars on the back end, but I was also gaining a ton of free time; and my clients were happier because they could print their pictures how they wanted, when they wanted.

As a single guy in my twenties, money was important to me, but free time was far more valuable. Once I had booked my 20 or 30 weddings for the year, I knew I had plenty of income to support myself and had the security to start working on other things. With the extra time I had gained, I created the photography website Fstoppers.com. If I had focused on custom prints and albums like other photographers do, I have no doubt I would have made a bit more money, but Fstoppers has been far more rewarding. Creating videos for our website like Bon Jovi’s photographer behind the scenes, Peter Hurley’s: The Art Behind The Headshot, or How To Become A Wedding Photographer has been the most exciting experiences of my life.

My point is that you may love your photography career (I sure do), but if you can give yourself some extra time, who knows what you’ll be able to create.

SmugMug = time = money.

When I found SmugMug, I realized it filled three major needs in my business:

1. High-resolution backups are included with the subscription.
2. It allowed me to promote my photography by giving guests and family members a place to go to see my work.
3. Bay Photo integration meant I gave my clients high-quality prints without actually having to do any work.

By simplifying my business, I was meeting all four goals above; I had more free time, my clients were happier, I was marketing to new potential clients, and I was making money from print sales each month.

It’s easy to think we know what’s best for our clients. We may know that if they don’t book an album now, they will probably never get one made. But the sad truth is that many of our clients would rather put their pictures on Facebook than deal with an album. It’s important to remember that we are hired by these couples to do a service for them; if they don’t want prints, we should figure out what they do want and charge them accordingly for that. 

If you’ve ever bought a car before, you know how obnoxious it can be when the salesman tries to sell you on something you don’t want. There are so many other ways to make money with wedding photography that may not involve expensive prints. I make far more money than I ever did selling prints by selling engagement and bridal sessions, setting up a photobooth at receptions, selling video slideshows of the event, and offering a video service. Many photographers also don’t know that SmugMug makes it incredibly easy to sell digital copies of files. If you don’t want to give away your files like I do, you’re able to set the size and price for each individual picture.

I want to make clear that I love high-quality prints and that many wedding photographers make a lot of money selling prints, even today. I love seeing my work printed huge, professionally framed, and hanging on a wall. My point is simply that times are changing and the current generation of brides probably do not want the same things that their mothers wanted. To stay ahead of the pack, you need to deliver exactly what your clients are looking for, not what you think they will appreciate one day.

If I could sum up this article into a single point it would be this: Listen to your clients, and give them what they want. A happy bride will tell her friends how wonderful you are, and you will never have to worry about a shortage of work. In some cases, especially this one, it can make your life a lot simpler, and you might even make more money.

All photos by RL Morris Weddings.

What's "sportraiture?” Simply put, it’s unique portraits of fervent athletes showing themselves doing what they do best. Pro photographer and SmugMug educator Levi Sim has a place in his heart for the passion and thrill of this type of portraiture, and today he's sharing three key tips on how to make it work for you.

When I started photography four years ago, a local photojournalist, Eli Lucero, opened my eyes to sports photography. He said, "You know when you make a great portrait that shows emotion and it's awesome? Athletes are finally performing what they've been practicing, and powerful emotions show on their faces all day. It's great to be a sports photographer."

Ever since then, I take every opportunity I can find to shoot sports.

Still, I'm a portraitist at heart, and I can't help making portraits of people everywhere I go. Here are three tips that let me maximize every opportunity I get to shoot great sports portraits.

1. Know your game.

Athletes spend many hours every day for many years learning to perform flawlessly. They have worked incredibly hard to have the body and the skills to do what they do. It is disrespectful to put them in front of your lens and then mess around with your camera, trying to figure out the best settings. You owe it to them to be proficient at what you're doing because you're photographing other passionate people.

I'm not saying you have to be a pro who knows everything before you photograph someone. I'm saying that you do your practicing before you shoot the athlete. At the very least, grab a kid from the sidelines and practice your stup right before you invite the athlete over. Then you can be confident that you'll get a good image from that same setup.

I'd also recommend quitting while you're ahead. If you've just taken a good picture with a test setup, don't say, "Let's try this other thing," unless you've also practiced the other thing, too. They'll think you're the best photog in the world if you fire off two frames and have a great picture; if you mess around with the unknown, they'll be frustrated and disappointed.

Practice your setup, take a good picture, and say thank you.

2. Seek passionate subjects.

I'm not likely to get the opportunity to spend a few minutes photographing a famous athlete, like John Elway or Danica Patrick. But, if I go to the open track day at the local race track, I'll definitely be able to photograph some very passionate people, and they are likely to let me spend more than a few minutes taking pictures of them.

This is my pal, Jeremy. He's the one who told me about the open track days, so he invited our photography group down to make pictures. The track is crawling with guys and gals who are so passionate about racing motorcycles that they travel across the country to race on a world-class track.

These people spend their lives working to earn money so they can blow it on a few tanks of fuel and a few sets of tires in a single weekend. They aren't the kind who ride because it's cool. They ride because they can't not. These are the kind of people you really want in front of your lens, and they are the kind of people who will be pleased to help make a picture.

3. Use technique, timing, lighting—anything it takes to create a memorable shot.

It's interesting that when talking to athletes, they can describe the winning goal of a game they played ten years ago. Passionate athletes remember the intricate details of a split second for their entire lives. And if you think about it, that's exactly what we do as photographers, too.

When you make a picture after a game, that picture will be part of their memory and an important piece of the experience. I recommend that you prepare a few techniques that will allow you to create a memorable image—something your subjects will be happy to show off to future generations.

In these motorcycle portraits, the guys just got off the track where they broke speed records passing others around the turn, one knee dragging on the ground and sending sparks flying. They have the courage to get back on their bikes after tipping over and sliding through gravel for a hundred yards. I'm just taking it for granted that you have the courage to approach them and ask to take their picture.

After chatting for a sec about the bike, or the game (or whatever), I usually say, "There's some really good light right over here, and I wonder if you'd let me take a picture of your bike—yeah, with you in it!"

I've never been turned down.

Now, put on your widest lens and get in close. No, closer! These portraits were made within inches of the subject, almost touching their bikes with my lens. I used the incredible Nikkor 14–24mm f/2.8. When you get in close with a wide lens, you make a picture that is distorted and absolutely not normal. And not normal makes it memorable.

The key to these pictures is the lighting. These are all made within a half hour of noon, so the sun is straight overhead, and there is no light in their eyes to fill the raccoon shadows on their faces from their eyebrows and ball caps. My solution is to use a speedlight to pound some hard light back into their faces and the shadows on their bikes. These are hard-looking guys with sunlight casting hard shadows all around, so using a bare-bulb speedlight really fits the scene.

Remember: the speedlight is not mounted to the camera; that would be obvious in the picture and ruin the look. The flash is off to the side, and high, as if it's a little more sunlight from a slightly different direction. Whether you use your camera's proprietary speedlights controlled by the camera, a radio trigger, or an extension cord, you've got to get the flash off the camera to control the direction of the shadows. When using a very wide lens (shorter than 35mm), you can even handhold the flash to the side and it will be enough. I prefer to have my buddy or my subject's buddy hold the flash.

‍One more thing...

For best results in sportraiture, bring a friend. Or two. The more the merrier! You'll have more people there to help make your vision happen, and more visions to make things happen. You help each other hold stuff, ask each other questions, make the rest of the town jealous by talking about "that great time you spent at the track," which then gets more people to join in next time. Photography is always better with friends.

The newest edition of One Day One Artist follows content creator Alex Qian as he returns to his old stomping grounds — Chicago, the Windy City — in search of favorite spots and unexpected shots. Watch the film and read on to learn more about Alex and his tips for incredible photography.

Alex Qian is a bit of a mashup: part photographer, part content creator, part educator, part business owner. Depending on the day, you might catch him on a commercial shoot, or running a photography workshop, or crafting content for his dedicated social media following — or, if you’re as lucky as we were, just wandering the city looking for the perfect shot.

In our latest One Day One Artist film, the Chicago-born and LA-based creative takes us on a tour of his old stomping grounds. Watch the film below, and keep reading for a few of his tips on mastering the multifaceted hustle that is professional photography.

Tip #1: Learn to collaborate, and draw inspiration from everywhere.

I like to describe my work as a mashup of creativity through exploring and learning pieces of each of the different fields of expression that I have touched. Though my artwork is primarily land/cityscape and adventure lifestyle focused, I continue to strive to stay open-minded in this crazy and fast-progressing world to look for ways to improve my work in both photography and video. I am a Millennial growing up in the internet-age, so I learned a lot of what I know now through social media, Google, Youtube, and lots of trial and error.

That said, as I progressed I learned that in order to really grow as a creative I had to let go of control and learn how to collaborate with other creatives that are incredible at the things I’m unable to do. When I figured that out, it became easier to focus on execution, especially in an age where we have incredible cameras and rapidly progressing technology to convey our visions through. I truly believe that we live in an age that provides the most opportunity and has removed many of the barriers that may have previously stopped people from pursuing creative arts.

Tip #2: Never be afraid to change direction.

My personal journey took me from a passionless, non-creative individual to someone that decided one day that I was going to live a life I wanted to be able to look back on without regret. That journey and the incredible feeling of finally finding something that I was 110% passionate about gave me immense purpose in helping others try to uncover their version of that success for themselves. What most didn’t see was the intense ups and downs of that journey, and I always try to work in a sense of those feelings in my current work. I just feel like a lot of people go through life doing what they’re supposed to do, and if I can inspire even one person to attempt to look outside those boundaries, I’ve succeeded.

My first career was in Financial Services, where I went straight to work out of Undergraduate studies. As a first-generation Asian American to immigrant parents, I was encouraged to do things that no 12 year old should have to care about…like Calculus and Mandarin Chinese. (laughs) I was never really great in school compared to all of my peers, but I somehow managed to stumble out of school and into a couple well-respected corporate companies that gained my family and friends’ approval but basically required sacrificing my happiness for. It was through that time that I learned my greatest skill was actually thinking outside the box and getting creative with my processes at work (much to my boss’ dismay). Through a gradual journey of discovering more of my innate passions, I picked up photography, started traveling and learning more about the world and myself, and that was that.

Tip #3: Find your community—online, in person, wherever you can.

Community is really important to me because I went through life feeling disenchanted and excluded because I was so different from everyone that seemed to have no problem navigating through life all the way through young-adulthood. Now that I know myself, have found my creative identity, and am confident in what value I can contribute to the world, I want to try to encourage anyone that was in that mindset that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Basically be that guiding hand I could have used when I was still stumbling through those times. The amazing thing is that the community has given so much back to me in the form of opportunity, support, and a living which I am super-grateful for.

Part of the benefit to community building is that you also get to spend a lot of time networking with other people from all walks of life. A lot of my first big commercial gigs with Microsoft Xbox, Adobe, and Panasonic Lumix to name a few came about because I met the right people that liked my work enough to collaborate together. The other big piece was curating and getting my portfolio to a place that made it easy to show that I could be trusted with more responsibility on big projects. The beautiful thing is that the cycle continues to feed itself as my projects continue to increase in scope over time! Nowadays I try to work in this new age of social media broadcasting in tandem with my quality of work (and even my friend’s work) which my clients seem to love.

Networking, getting my work seen by way more eyes that I could traditionally (and for free), staying on top of creative trends, inspiring my community, and finding talent to collaborate and grow with are the main reasons why I enjoy using social media so much. It has worked out for me as I am a very social person and really enjoy sharing what I’m up to as well as my peer’s work, so I believe that with the right mindset it is an incredible tool for creatives to utilize!

Tip #4: Explore.

I get a lot of inspiration from social media and web-based platforms like Flickr. I know that platforms can be overwhelming sometimes but I always make time to scroll and try to find new inspiration from artists I look up to in all sorts of genres. As long as you remain objective about what you are consuming, I’ve found that it is a literal treasure trove of inspiration! I also spend a lot of time exploring my surroundings wherever I am, so that has served me well if I am tasked with finding a location to fit a vision. Exploring especially comes in handy if I am unfamiliar with the spot, since I tend to look at it differently than someone that is super familiar would. When all that fails, I’ll lean on friends that I know have hundreds of location pins in their maps!

Tip #5: …but try to have a backup plan.

I would say [my biggest advice is] to build a financial safety net so that you can make mistakes comfortably. You are starting a business and that can be a huge learning curve on top of trying to stay creative, so it helps if you can lean on friends, family, or savings if things don’t work out right away (and they never do). In hindsight, I was lucky I had a career beforehand that allowed me to build a foundation to launch from.

Tip #6: Know yourself.

Learn what opinions you should be actually taking as objective advice if you’re sharing your work on the internet. There will be tons of voices and you’re going to need to build confidence in yourself and your work in order to stand apart and progress as a creative. You know what’s best for yourself and the story you have to tell will stand out if you have found that balance in your work. Lastly, take things at your own pace and try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone shares their highlight reels and it can be easy to feel like you aren’t good enough. Rushing your own process can be one of the worst things you can do, so take your time.

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Find Alex Qian online:
Website: https://www.wayfaringprofessional.com/
Social media: Instagram | YouTube | Flickr | Twitter

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