Photography Business Success Course Introduction Lesson 2...
The equipment you'll need to get your business started
Finally, you say, “we’re getting to the ‘real stuff’ like what kind of camera I need!”
Well, here’s Pam’s shocking discovery...
You don’t need a bunch of expensive equipment, and you don’t need to know 90% of what the “tech heads” say you need to know...
Dear Pam & Jeff, Recently I was observing another professional photographer while he photographed some young children. He was trying to get the children in position, and they were being a little uncooperative. Meanwhile, instead of working with the children and being ready, the photographer was spending a great deal of time fiddling around with his camera. At one point, when he was adjusting his camera, the children were laughing and having fun while playing with his props and the photographer completely missed a golden opportunity to photograph the children at their best. — comment from a Not Your Normal School of Photography Student
Yes, you need to be able produce technically competent photographs, and — of course — it’s nice to have nice equipment. I’ll even admit it — I’m a little bit of a “tech head” and a “gadget freak” myself.
But please realize that your equipment and your “technical mastery” of it will have little to do with your success in this business.
If you think that having a nice camera and knowing a bunch of Photoshop tricks has much, if anything, to do with being successful in this business, think again. People with nice cameras and advanced technical skills are the proverbial “dime a dozen.” And with today’s technology, even people with no skills and cheap cameras can take a decent picture — at least technically. In fact, getting hung up on equipment to the detriment of what really matters — the posing, the way you conduct yourself in a photo session, and the system you build to acquire and maintain an ongoing relationship with your clients — is probably the biggest reason for failure in this business.
I’m constantly talking to photographers who have spent many thousands of dollars on equipment, and spent many hours learning all about how to use every little feature, who can’t get their business going because they spent nearly zero time and money on getting the information and skills they really need.
You see, in this business, you don’t have to be a technical master. In fact, you don’t even need to be technically “good.” You just need to be good enough...
Now, I know a lot of people reading this will now be cringing and saying, “No, no, that can’t be true. Jeff, you’re nuts; you’re way off-base on this one.”
Well, I’m not, and here’s why...
Your clients don’t look at your work the same way you do. As photographers, we’re often looking at the technical details like whether the lighting was perfect, the focus was sharp, and the composition was “right.”
Your clients, however, are looking at something entirely different.
They’re looking to see whether you captured “the look,” the emotion, and the connectivity in the family — all intangible qualities that have little to do with technical matters. In fact, technical matters can get in the way of capturing those intangibles.
Which is why Pam and I like to make the technical part of photographing in the studio easy. A virtual “no-brainer” so you don’t have to think about it. So you can concentrate on what’s important — like making your clients feel comfortable and relaxed, getting the posing right, and not missing the shot or boring your clients into a coma because you’re goofing around with your camera and lights!
That’s why Pam’s “set it and forget” lighting techniques are so powerful.
And that’s how we were able to teach a 10-year-old to do full-blown photo sessions for pay, and do a very credible job at it.
Special note — we used Pam’s Swipe Files to visually teach her the all important “intangibles” of photographing... how to interact with the clients, how to set up the shot, and when to push the button. And then we let the “set it and forget it” technology, which we set up for her before the session began, take care of the rest! It worked out great because we took the technical considerations out of the process so she could concentrate on working with the clients and getting the shot.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way. Pam’s lighting set-ups yield excellent results and you certainly want your technical skills to be as good as possible.
You just don’t want them interfering with the photographic process, because getting the shot trumps getting the lighting right.
Here’s a bit of an extreme (but 100% true) example of this, just to reinforce the point...
A few years ago, Pam was photographing a child who was crawling towards her lights. She took the shot, but because the child was so close to the lights — well — let’s just say the lighting was significantly less than ideal and to the point where Pam wasn’t going to show the image to the client — but — at the last minute she decided to just throw it in the package anyway.
Turns out that photo had captured a certain “look,” and the mother loved the photo. She ordered a ton of reprints, and I don’t think she ever noticed that the shot looked like Pam was using red-hot glowing nuclear fuel rods to light the scene!
Again, I’m not advocating sloppy work or saying you shouldn’t pursue technical excellence. I’m just saying that if you want to be successful in this business, you need to understand what the clients really respond to, and what actions on your part will give them the results they want. And which ones won't.
Keeping your “edge”
Another thing to keep in mind is that, over time, technology will take away any technological advantage you may acquire.
Here is what I mean by that...
If you base your business on having a technological “advantage,” you will be on very shaky and vulnerable ground.
For example, not too long ago, setting up a digital imaging system — camera, computer, and printer — required substantial skill and money. Now, it’s cheap and easy, and just about anyone can assemble a system that yields great results.
Same way with many Photoshop techniques that used to be complicated but are now handled at the push of a button via actions, plug ins, or other types of software.
Cameras, too. In the past, having the money and knowledge to acquire and operate a “good” camera could make you a “pro,” but today, cameras are cheap, easy to use, give great results, and as consequence, just about anyone can make a technically correct image.
So, any technical advantages you've had in the past — from being able to remove zits to making archival quality prints — are, or will be gone.
And what’s left, is what was always there — unchanged.
And that is...
- Your ability to bring out the best in people by making them feel comfortable and relaxed
- Your knowledge of how to set up a shot so everyone looks their best ~ and ~
- Your sense of timing — knowing when to “push the button” at just the right time
These are the things that keep people coming back to Pam despite the fact that most of her clients have nice digital cameras, computers, and printers, and these are the skills that will keep your clients coming back to you!
This “secret knowledge” of what it really takes to make a compelling photograph, along with your abilities to gather prospects, convert them to customers, and make them happy so they refer others to you, is what gives you a business advantage.
And all of that has little to do with what kind of camera you use or how you make your prints.
Always keep in mind that photographers have been making great images since the beginning of this art form. And in doing so, they’ve used every kind of equipment imaginable, from the simple to the complex. To get the results you want, it’s not the tools you use, but how you train your eye and your brain.
OK, I hope it’s clear where we stand on that issue!
But, again, don’t get me wrong on this, Pam and I are both very much into getting the best technical quality we possibly can. And we have spent a lot of time and money perfecting our techniques — way past “good enough” — and the simple reason is this...
There’s a personal pride and satisfaction aspect to this business that’s important, too. On a business level, as long as your work is “good enough” to make your clients happy, you’re fine — now, and into the foreseeable future.
But on a personal level, you’ll always need to be “pushing the envelope,” learning and improving.
Always.
Because the day you stop striving to be a little bit better will be the day this ceases to be fun and it will become just a business.
OK, here goes with the “stuff”...
Camera — You can get great shots even with a low-end point and shoot camera, but for serious pro work, especially in the studio, you’ll at least want a camera with a zoom lens (more on lenses in a moment) that can hook up to studio flash. Many cameras have hot shoes, or a PC sync terminal, which will work fine for this purpose.
Note that some cameras do not have the ability to directly trigger studio flash, so if you are planning to do studio style work, this is something to check into before buying a new camera. This requirement eliminates most of the low end cameras and point and shoots. So let's take it up a notch...
At the mid-range of the camera world, you'll find compact cameras with built-in zooms. Many of these will connect to studio flash and they offer an inexpensive way to get started. We’ve had plenty of our students use them for professional work, but they do have their limitations and are not our top recommendation.
Most photographers will find a Digital SLR to be the ideal choice and it is the recommended choice. And the good news on the DSLR front is that they are all fine for what we do in the studio. Your actual choice of camera will depend on what else you want to do with it. For example, if you like to shoot outside in low light, there are cameras that are best for that. If you like to shoot fast action sports, there are cameras optimized for that. In the studio, they all work fine.
For studio work, you do not need a lot of fancy features. You will find that setting up your camera for studio work is extremely easy once you know how (more on that in just a bit).
You also do not need a high end "medium format" camera for the type of work we do. You can certainly use one if you like and can afford it, but it is definitely overkill for the type of work we do.
Oh, and a word about "megapixels." Sure, the more the merrier, if the increased pixel count doesn't degrade other aspects of image quality like noise and dynamic range or put the cost out of sight. Just be aware that Pam and I used a Fuji S2 for many years, which is basically a 6MP camera, and we regularly made prints at 2x3 feet that looked great. Yes, we had some help from software that "upsized" the images, but that's the whole point... megapixels are only small part of the image making story!
Lenses — Pam uses zoom lenses in the studio. This allows you to get an entire group in the image and then quickly zoom in for closeups. This way you can get a variety of shots without taking time to change lenses or cameras and disrupting the "flow" of the session.
For a long time, Pam used a 70-210mm for most shots and a 35-80mm for shots of larger groups when necessary. Now she uses a 28-200mm which covers the entire range she needs.
Although a zoom in the ~ approximately ~ 28-200 range is ideal, it's not critical. If you have a shorter lens you will just need move closer to your subject and if you have fixed lens you will will be moving around more or cropping in post session in an image editor. The point is, use what you have, if you can't — or don't want to — go for the "ideal" set up, and this applies for all of the "stuff" you need!
A special note about lens "quality" — You don’t need a super-fast, expensive lens for studio work. In the studio, you’ll be setting your f-stop at 5.6 or greater, so you don’t need a lens that opens up to f2.8. And since we don’t use a tripod, having the smaller and lighter “slower” lenses is actually an advantage in the studio.
Personally, I really like my 70-200 f2.8 “super lens” for outdoor work, but Pam won’t use it in the studio because it weighs a ton.
And for you “sharp freaks” (I know you’re out there lurking around with all those crazy resolution charts!) — you don’t need, or necessarily want, the sharpest lens on the planet.
People pictures generally look best, and the people being photographed prefer, a little bit of softness. To get this effect when Pam was using film, she actually used a very subtle soft filter on her lens.
These days, with digital, we handle getting the “look” we want by using software and by not sharpening our digital studio people images as much as we would with other subjects.
Bottom line on this when it comes to lenses — you do not need the most expensive super-sharp lens to do good work in the studio. That said, a nice lens won't be a detriment if you can handle the size and weight and there are other image quality considerations that make bottom line lenses undesirable, but for most purposes in the studio, a decent mid-range priced lens will do.
Lights — You really don’t need any lights to get started (we have some students who only work outside and don’t use studio lights at all!), but assuming you’re going to do studio work, you will need some studio lights. And here are some tips about that...
First of all, Pam and I don’t recommend using any type of continuous lighting, "hot" or "cold." Putting your clients under hot and/or bright always-on lights isn’t the best way to make them feel relaxed and comfortable!
Also, when dealing with moving children and pets, you’ll want to freeze the action, which the quick flash (it’s about 1/10,000 of a second!) from studio strobes will do, but “always on” lights might not.
You also tend tend to get more light from studio strobes allowing you more flexibility to shoot in larger areas and with smaller f-stops.
The advantage of continuous lights is the ability to accurately see how the light will look on the subject. That makes them a great learning tool and good for creative lighting experiments on tolerant subjects, product photography, and more. We do use them, but for most people and pet photography, we "set it and forget it," and for that purpose, we recommend using studio “strobes” or “flash.”
Studio strobes work a little differently than continuous lights. Continuous lights work like a regular light bulb — you turn on the switch, and power causes the light to "glow." With studio strobes, power doesn't immediately flow to the flash tube. It gets stored in a capacitor. When the flash is triggered, power is released to the flash tube and it produces a momentary bright light. It is like the difference between spraying someone continuously with a hose and filling a bucket with a hose and then dumping it on them all at once. With method #2, you can get a lot more usable light from a small flash head than you can with a small continuous light.
Studio flash come in two varieties — “monolights,” which are self-contained units that have the flash tube and the capacitor (power storage unit) built in...
and systems that have a separate power box with the flash heads cabled to it....
Power Box System
For many years, Pam used a power box system she bought in the 1980s, but she has now switched to monolights (which have improved greatly over the years), and that’s what we recommend for you.
How many lights you need will depend on your set up.
For black backdrops (as you may recall, Pam only uses white or black backdrops), you’ll need one main light with an umbrella or softbox. Here is a diagram of the set up. Very simple, and if you can only afford one light, a great way to get started...
An additional light in between the subject and the backdrop is also nice to help separate dark clothes and/or hair from bleeding into the backdrop, but not absolutely required.
For white backdrops, you’ll need one main light with an umbrella or softbox, and 2–3 smaller “slave” lights to light up the backdrop. Here is how that set up looks...
There are a lot of other ways to set up your lights, but this is basically the one Pam uses. It has worked for her and made her clients happy for over 20 years. While there are some useful variations and “tweaks” to the setup shown above, you just don’t need to know 50 ways to set up your lights! One will work just fine.
Important note — the market is flooded with a wide variety of lighting systems. Some are very expensive, but you do not need to spend a ton of money on lights to make high-quality photos of people and pets! For lighting kits, and many of the other items described below, see the NYN Photo Store at www.NYNphotostore.com. The NYN Store was created at the request of our students who wanted a simple, reliable, and direct source for equipment and supplies compatible with the methods we teach.
Connecting your camera to your lights — In order for your lights to flash when you “press the button,” you’ll need to connect your camera to your main light.
Special note — If you’re using multiple lights, you only need to connect your camera to the main light. Since the other lights are equipped with “slave sensors,” they will automatically sense when your main light flashes and will flash in sync with it.
The cheap and easy way to connect you camera to your main light is to use a “sync cord”...
which physically runs from your camera’s PC terminal...
or hot shoe if you don’t have a PC terminal (you’ll need a very inexpensive adapter for the hot shoe)...
The better way, and still relatively inexpensive, is to use a wireless system. This frees up your camera from having wires connected to it, and it prevents people from tripping over the wire, pulling your camera to the ground, and destroying a lens like I did a few years back!
Backdrops — as you probably know already, Pam only uses white and black backdrops. We’ll talk more about why in Lesson 4 of this course, but for now, we’re simply talking about “what.”
And what you’ll need is an inexpensive portable background stand — or — you can just mount a pole to your ceiling, which Pam and I have done a couple of times.
Pam mostly uses white seamless backdrop paper for her white background shots...
For quick set ups, and portable use, Pam uses a reusable fabric-based backdrop — read more about the portable white background.
Most of the time Pam uses the white. When she wants to switch to the black, she simply sets up the black backdrop in front of her white backdrop using light stands and a pole — quick and easy so it won’t bog down your “session flow!”...
Flashmeter (and how to set up your camera for studio flash) — In the studio, you will put your camera on manual exposure and set your f-stop and shutter speed manually. Here's how...
Set your shutter speed to the sync speed of your camera (consult your camera manual for that).
Now you just need to set your f-stop. Since the light meters built into cameras are not designed to read studio flash, you will need a flashmeter to determine your f-stop. This is a very easy procedure (just follow instructions for your particular flash meter), and basic flash meters are very inexpensive.
Special note — there are light meters that can be very expensive. Light meters have capabilities beyond what you need for measuring studio flash. For setting your f-stop and adjusting your lights output in the studio, you only need a basic flash meter which is very inexpensive.
What you (probably) don’t need — a tripod. Allowing movement in the studio — both on your part and the clients, helps get natural, spontaneous-looking shots and your studio flash system will freeze action and prevent blur.
So ditch the tripod. You don't need it, unless you have mobility or other problems. In that case, a tripod can make the difference between being able to photograph or not and “able” always wins over “not!”
Printing Your Work — until fairly recently, you had no choice but to send your images out to a lab for printing. These days, we are blessed (some may say cursed!) by a wide variety of choices when it comes to printing.
When you look at the situation through pure business “spectacles” you may find that sending you work out is still the best way to go — printing “in house” takes time, an investment in equipment, and there can be a learning curve to getting the results you want.
With that said, controlling the whole process all the way through to the final print, has some quality and convenience benefits — as well as the opportunity to create some unique products — and each photographer needs to weigh those benefits against the time and cost commitments of doing your own printing.
Pam and I choose to do our own printing. Having been through quite a few printers and extensive “print media” testing I could go on all day about digital printing (I cover printing extensively in the full course). But let me just say this — if you have the time, inclination, and the money to set everything up, the quality and control we have over our images these days is unprecedented in the history of photography.
Just keep an eye on your costs and understand that the real cost is in the ink and the media you use, not the printer. If you have the volume, pro printers will save you quite a bit of money. For example, when we moved from the Epson 2200 to the 7600, which has much lower “operating costs,” we paid for the new printer with ink savings in about 3 weeks (we were running 5–10,000 prints a month at the time!)...
We now print on an Epson 7800.
A place to photograph — of course you’ll need a place to use all this fun stuff, but you really don’t need much.
Pam’s first “studio,” for example, was in our basement which had a 7-foot ceiling and a big pole in the center of the room which she had to shoot around.
Not an ideal set up, but workable.
Her next studio was a dinky room she rented in an old house where she had to shoot through the door from the hallway outside (
learn more and see a video).
When the owners sold the building, we lost our lease, so Pam went on to photograph “on-location” and the list of “weird places” she photographed in during this period is rather long. In some cases, we booked sessions first, and then scrambled to find a place to do them! (We told the clients we would let them know where to show up when we figured it out!)
These days, she shoots in our dinning room here at The Farrm (and still though a doorway!)...
Bottom line... you really can make this work almost anywhere with a minimal amount of "stuff"
And now, here’s how to get all your equipment at an outrageous discount... It’s been said that having a business is the last great tax shelter.
For sure, turning your hobby into a business can substantially lower your costs and provide you with some hefty tax deductions.
You’ll need to talk to a competent professional for the details on this, or do your own research, but arranging your life so that the government and your clients effectively pay for your “toys,” is a nice benefit worth checking into!
OK, you now have a solid overview of the equipment you need to get started and the basics of how to set it up. In Lesson 3 we’ll talk about building your photographic “style!”
Photographically yours,
Jeff Farr
co-founder, Not Your Normal School of Photography
