professional photographer 201403

Linda Hawkins

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PROFESSIONAL PRINTS

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PROFESSIONAL

Senior EditorJOAN [email protected]

Associate EditorAMANDA [email protected]

Editor-at-LargeJEFF KENT

[email protected]

Art Director/Production ManagerDEBBIE TODD

[email protected]

Creative Services Manager/Publications & SSACHERYL [email protected]

Creative Services CoordinatorVALENCIA [email protected]

Eastern Region Ad ManagerTARA TRUITT

404-522-8600, X230, [email protected]

Central Region Ad ManagerMARINA ANDERSON

937-902-8217, [email protected]

Western Region Ad ManagerMELISSA RYBAK

404-522-8600, X279, [email protected]

Publications Sales StaffDirector of Sales & Strategic Alliances

WAYNE JONES404-522-8600, x248, [email protected]

EDITORIAL

Director of PublicationsJANE GABOURY

[email protected]

Love springs eternalA TIME TO BLOSSOM

Every year the earth shrugs off winters quiet mantle and gathers the

energy to throw on a dazzling cape of color. All these years of

watching spring burst forth, and still it enters my conscious as a

delightful surprise. (Look at that: daffodils!) Im thankful thats the

case. It reminds me what a rich life this is to enjoy. Astonishing

transformations paired with rock-solid certitudes.

Longer days, warmer evenings, and the

burst of tender blooms. If spring hasnt found

your corner of the world just yet, itll be there

soon. What better way to celebrate vernal

renewal than to revel in young love? Not for

youth alone, young love is a period of abun-

dant joy. A time when the heart beats with

the excitement of having found its true

complement. When we cant bear to be sepa -

rated from our beloved for even a day. When

all our waking thoughts are spoken for. Its

a fleeting experience that poets, artists, and

writers have tried to capture and convey for

millennia. Because who wouldnt want to be

able to uncork a bottle of that effervescent bliss every now and then?

With the entrance of spring, betrothals are on our minds. This

month, were sharing the lovely engagement portraiture of Linda

Hawkins (Keeping it Real, p. 56). Hawkins has witnessed the

transformation in this business from simple portraiture that was

considered an add-on to the big-day wedding planning to whats

become an event in its own right for many couples. Just because

snapshots are ubiquitous doesnt mean that many people arent

looking for the photography experiencenot just the photograph

that only a professional can give them.

March also marks the start of a new PPA Board of Directors, with

Susan Michal, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI, taking the helm as president.

She shares thoughts about what that means, and we introduce the

new Board in PPA Today (p. 97). Theres no professional association

with more dedicated, cohesive, and forward-thinking leadership

than PPA. This diverse group of longtime members has been there,

seen that, and photographed it. Theyve weathered the storms

typically encountered by entrepreneurs, and they have experience

aplenty to share. Never pass up an opportunity to speak with one of

them when you get the opportunity.

Editorial OfficesProfessional Photographer

229 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303-1608 U.S.A.404-522-8600, fax: 404-614-6406

Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly Subscriptions

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fax 847-291-4816; [email protected]; www.ppmag.comMember Services

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Advertising materials contact: Debbie Todd, [email protected] rates/information: U.S. Print: $27, one year; $45, two years; $66,

three years. U.S. Print and Digital Combo: $37, one year; $65, two years; $96, threeyears. Canadian Print: $43, one year; $73, two years; $108, three years. Canadian

Print and Digital Combo: $53, one year; $93, two years; $138, three years. International: $19.95 one year digital subscription.

Back issue/Single copies: $10 U.S.; $15 Canada; $20 International.PPA membership includes: Domestic $17.50, Non-Domestic $42 annual subscription. Subscription orders/changes: Send to Professional Photographer, Attn: Circulation

Dept., P.O. Box 3606, Northbrook, IL 60065-3606; 800-742-7468; FAX 847-291-4816; email: [email protected]; Web site: www.ppmag.com.

Periodicals postage paid in Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Professional Photographer magazine,

P.O. Box 3606, Northbrook, IL 60065-3606Copyright 2014, PPA Publications & Events, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

Professional Photographer (ISSN 1528-5286) is published monthly for $27 per year by PPAPublica tions and Events, Inc., 229 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 2200, International Tower, Atlanta,GA 30303-1608. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga., and additional mailing offices.

Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the publisher. Opinionsexpressed by Professional Photographer or any of its authors do not necessarily reflectpositions of Professional Pho tog raphers of America, Inc. Professional Photographer, officialjournal of the Professional Photog raphers of America, Inc., is the oldest exclusively professionalphotographic publication in the Western Hemisphere (founded 1907 by Charles Abel,Hon.M.Photog.), incorporating Abels Photo graphic Weekly, St. Louis & CanadianPhotographer, The Commercial Pho tog rapher, The National Photographer,Professional Photographer, and Pro fes sional Photographer Storytellers.Circulation audited and verified by BPA Worldwide.

Contributing EditorsDON CHICK & ELLIS VENER

JANE GABOURY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS

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successware

KEEPING IT REALLinda Hawkins finds a groove increative engagement sessions by Jeff Kent

BEHIND THE MASK John David Pittman seeks an inner truthin commercial and editorial portraitureby Jeff Kent

COMMERCIAL: CAKE WALK

Joe Glyda makes commercial work look like a picnicby Pete Wright

EDITORIAL: COOL CUSTOMER

Layne Kennedy treks the world with amateur photographers in towby Robert Kiener

ENGAGEMENTS: WILD AND WONDERFUL

Tracey Buyce captures some of her best engagement work in the company of animalsby Stephanie Boozer

IMAGE BY TRACEY BUYCE

84

76

90

56

66

Features

CONTENTSMARCH 2014

DEPARTMENTS16 Folio

97 PPA today

106 Good works

C O N TA C T S H E E T22 Making the most of Burning Man

24 Processing raw files in Lightroom

24 Giveaway of the month

26 Picturesque travels

PROFIT CENTER29 What I think:

Joe Glyda

30 Ask the experts

34 Start at Square Oneby Bridget Jackson

36 Give to getby Angela Pointon

38 Playing it upby Michael Barton

42 An education of merit by Kristin Hartman

THE GOODS45 What I like: John David Pittman

46 Pro review: Epson ExhibitionWatercolor Paper Texturedby Andrew Darlow

48 Roundup: Baby set pieces by Joan Sherwood

50 Technique: 7 tips for rocking the wedding rings shot by Steven Jamroz

52 Pro review: Zoom H6 and Capsule Mics by Ron Dawson

ONLINEppmag.com/tryeduVideo: Processing raw filesin Lightroomby Prem Mukherjee

ppmag.com/winEnter to win this months giveaway

ppmag.com/profit-center25 ideas: Giveaways that entice clientsby Angela Pointon

8 www.ppmag.com

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER | MARCH 2014 | WWW.PPMAG.COM

CONTENTS76

IMAGE BY JOE GLYDA PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

ON THE COVERLinda Hawkins created the merited image Things WeLove in the fall of 2012. It was made during a 1940sstyled engagement session, photographed in natural lightin the late afternoon. She captured it with a Canon EOS 5D camera using a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, exposedfor 1/500 second at f/3.5, ISO 160. The bride helpedselect the location and props involved in the shoot. Wewent all out shooting at a farm located in Milford,Mass., complete with barns, a grist mill, antique cars,antique typewriters, vintage Coke machine, chickens, andeven an old bull who was trying to get into the shoot,says Hawkins. There were so many vintage propsavailable to us that we could have spent days there!

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Professional Photographers of America

229 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 2200Atlanta, GA 30303-1608404-522-8600, 800-786-6277www.ppa.com

2014-2015 PPA boardPresident*SUSAN MICHALM.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

Vice President*MICHAEL E. TIMMONSM.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

Treasurer*LORI [email protected]

Chairman of the Board*RALPH ROMAGUERA SR.M.Photog.Hon.M.Photog.Cr.,CPP, API, [email protected]

DirectorsROB BEHM, M.Photog.Cr, [email protected]

STEPHEN THETFORDM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

AUDREY L. WANCKETM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

MIKE [email protected]

GREG DANIELM.Photog.Cr., CPP, [email protected]

MARY FISK-TAYLORM.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI, [email protected]

BARBARA [email protected]

STEVE KOZAKM.Photog.Cr., [email protected]

Industry AdvisorLOU [email protected]

PPA StaffDAVID TRUST, CAE Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

SCOTT KURKIAN, CAEChief Financial OfficerChief Operating [email protected]

JULIA BOYDSenior Manager [email protected]

JANE GABOURYDirector of [email protected]

KRISTEN HARTMAN Director of [email protected]

FIONA HENDRICKSDirector of [email protected]

WAYNE JONESDirector of Sales & Strategic [email protected]

ANGELA KURKIAN,M.Photog.Cr. Director of [email protected]

SCOTT MORGAN Director of [email protected]

WILDA OKEN Director of [email protected]

CARLA PLOUIN Director of Marketingand [email protected]

SANDRA LANGExecutive [email protected]

*Executive Committeeof the Board

Discover more online at XXXCMBDLSJWFSJNBHJOHDPNt

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designs. Images are flush to the edge of the album, and the lay-flat

binding makes panoramas appear seamless.

Photos courtesy of Elise Ellis, Melissa DeWitt and Kelly Broyles.

Finish strong.

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Exhibition-quality prints from 13 to 17 wide Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta, used by the worlds leading

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16 www.ppmag.com

folio| Showcasing images selected from the files of the PPA Loan Collection, Folio is a monthly sample ofaward-winning photography from the most recent International Photographic Competition (IPC), which is open to all professional photographers. The current Loan Collection is a select group of morethan 600 photographs chosen for distinction by the IPC jurors. ppa.com/IPC

SIMBASimba is the work of Kelly Willis of Modello Fine Portraits in Deer Park, Texas.I had the wonderful experience of going behind the scenes with these wildcats/kittens but only had a point-and-shoot camera, notes Willis. I wantedto document life for big cats when they arent allowed to be in their naturalhabitat. Willis specializes in conceptual and pet portraiture, nature andwildlife photography, and infrared photography. modellofineportraits.com

CAMERA: Canon PowerShot camera with built-in lensEXPOSURE: f/2.7, 1/100 second, ISO 80LIGHTING: Available lightPOST-CAPTURE: In Photoshop, the image was prepped and abackground was added. It was then painted in Corel Painter 12.

Kelly Willis

Michael R. Anderson

WIND POWERMichael R. Anderson of West Linn, Ore., was driving through the Columbia RiverGorge when the lighting drew his attention. I couldnt resist the temptation andpulled off the freeway, he says. He drove several miles on frontage roads tocapture Wind Power, photographing across the Columbia River from Oregoninto Washington. Andersons studio, Artistic Photo Expression, specializes infine-art, landscape, travel, and infrared photography. artisticphotoexpression.com

CAMERA & LENS: Nikon D700, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II lensEXPOSURE: f/11, 1/200 second, ISO 400 LIGHTING: Natural Light POST-CAPTURE: The image was captured in one file and processed withPhotomatix Pro using the Detail Enhancer feature. The resulting file wasprocessed and enhanced using Nikon Capture NX2 and Nik Color Efex Profilters. Borders, cropping, and digital matting were done with Photoshop CS5.

THE PRAYER NOOKThe subject of The Prayer Nook caught the eye of Nancy

Bailey-Pratt, M.Photog.Cr., while she was traveling in India.Bailey-Pratt does portrait work as well as travel photography

through Nancys Photography in Anderson, Ind. She simplyasked the subject to step back into the door opening to

eliminate the harsh sunlight that was bouncing all over theplace, she says. nancysphotography.com

CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens

EXPOSURE: f/4, 1/50 second, ISO 400LIGHTING: Natural light. The cement below the

subject reflected light onto his face.POST-CAPTURE: All processing was done in Adobe Bridge

and Photoshop. The image was cropped and parts of thedoorframe were copied and pasted on either side of the whiteentryway to keep the viewers eye on the subject rather than

following the light edges out of the image.

18 www.ppmag.com

Nancy Bailey-Pratt

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CONTACT SHEETWhats New, Cool Events, Interesting People, Great Ideas, Etc.

In a remote desert

location 100 miles

north of Reno, Nev.,

68,000 people gather

for a week-long art

festival like no other.

Burning Man enables

a unique culture of

friendship, acceptance, giving, and creativ-

ity. As a photographer, it was an adventure

beyond my wildest dreams. I spent eight

days in the desert with a camera in my hand

for most of it, and I captured only a small

amount of the dramatic art created for

the event and the unique people who make

it. Spanning about 3 square miles, the festi-

val presents images worth capturing at

every turn.

Photographing at Burning Man comes

with very strict rules, particularly with regard

to who and what you photograph and how

the images are used. If you plan to attend for

that purpose, do your research prior to going,

and register with event organizers.

Everyone at Burning Man is there to have

fun and express themselves. For photogra-

phers, this means exceptional opportunities.

Just honor the rules, and you will be

rewarded with incredible images.

Ask permission and obtain a model

release from anyone you would like to photo-

graph. I found it handy to carry books of 3x5-

inch cards with a model release printed on

them. Include the frame number on each

model release, along with a space for the per-

sons email address. This helps you figure out

whos who and allows you to share the images

with your subjects.

Dust is a constant. Dont take the lens off

your camera except in a clean, covered space,

like an RV or car, and then only after youve

completely cleaned the camera and lens.

The festival is huge. I got around on a

bicycle and carried my camera in a small case

to protect it from the elements.

Much of Burning Man takes place at

night. Bring a sturdy, lightweight tripod for

those limited-light situations. I also carried

my Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight with a Gary

Fong diffuser for use at night or as a daytime

fill flash.

See more from David Bever at dblaphoto.com.All images David Bever

Burning ManMaking the most of

BY DAVID BEVER, CPP

22 www.ppmag.com

March 2014 Professional Photographer 23

You'll be amazedby the art atBurning Man aswell as theexpressiveness of festival goers.Keep an openmind. You'll berewarded withunique and dramatic images.

CONTACT SHEET

Processing raw les in LightroomAdobe Photoshop Lightroom users have so

many options at their fingertips

that its easy to become over-

whelmed. In the video tuto-

rial Processing Raw Files in

Lightroom, Prem

Mukherjee breaks the

process down into bite-size,

step-by-step pieces. Mukherjee

approaches Lightroom based on the types

of images youre working with, demonstrat-

ing tools and tricks as he discusses wed-

dings, portraits, and landscapes. He also

shows how to manage and back up files.

Some of Mukherjees top tips:

Make a new catalog for every job and

place it in the clients folder. By doing this

you can back up the catalog along with the

job, keeping everything together and mak-

ing it easier to find later.

When using multiple cameras, such as

at a wedding, go to the metadata and change

one of the fields to each cameras serial num-

ber. Then you can sort images by camera.

Looking at your images in sets that are similar

allows you to make adjustments more quickly.

Using the adjustment brush, make selec-

tive adjustments on images. You can use your

favorite presets and paint the effect on or off.

Create presets. Using your favorite

actions as presets will help you work

quickly and define your style.

Got a color balance issue? In the HSL

tab, grab the target tool, click on the color

youd like to diminish (think blue window

light), and change the color saturation. Its a

quick way to remove unwanted color tints.

Watch the video for free during the month

of March: ppmag.com/tryedu.

24 www.ppmag.com

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Giveaway of the month

Praise from Pros

Featured in our November 2013 issue (A

Photographer Abroad), Jim Chamberlain,

M.Photog.MEI.Cr., API, is a photographic

artist who specializes in old world-style

landscapes. His works fetch top dollar as art

pieces for home and commercial dcor, and

theyve been licensed for media use around

the world. Creating the images is a process:

one that begins with an extended trip to

Europe. While abroad, Chamberlain

explores, photographs, and teaches work-

shops in Tuscany and Provence. To help his

students and others interested in journeying

abroad for photography, Chamberlain

shares these pointers:

BEFORE THE TRIPResearch. Dig deep into the places you want

to go. What are the typical weather patterns

and the light at that time of year?

Understand how sunrise, sunset, and the

daily pattern of life will affect your images.

Plan. Sort out accommodations and other

details ahead of time. Set a loose itinerary

and be open to serendipitous opportunities.

Gear up. Travel light with a short list of

essential gear. My travel bag includes two

Nikon D800 bodies and three Nikon lenses:

14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm f/2.8

lenses, plus a 1.7X teleconverter. I use two

cameras when photographing on dusty

roads with a 2470mm zoom on one camera

and a 70-200 zoom on the other. This pre-

vents dirt from getting into the camera by

not having to switch lenses.

Pack light and tight. Secure your gear as

if youre checking bags even if you plan to

carry them on. I use a Pelican hard shell

rolling case and bring a collapsible Domke

F-2 for a day bag.

DURING THE TRIPStandardize your exposures. Once on loca-

tion, youll want to focus on the scenes

around you, not the camera settings. I shoot

90 percent of my travel and landscape work

with a shutter speed between 1/250 and

1/500 second, and an ISO between 400 and

800, though I may go up to ISO 1600 when

I use long lenses and a faster shutter speed

and for sunrise photography. This allows my

aperture to stay between f/8 to f/16 for

sharper images and great depth of field.

Most lenses are at peak performance for

sharpness in this range.

Turn around. In my classes, we often

walk through a scene for three or four blocks,

then stop, turn around, and retrace our steps.

Its amazing to see how the light and the

scene change from the different perspective.

Shoot all day. Many old villages are best

photographed when the high, mid-day sun

can get down to the street level between the

tall, tightly packed buildings. By 3 p.m.,

everything in an old village is in shadow. So

I do my village shooting at mid-day, saving

the mornings and evenings for landscapes.

Delay the download. I dont download

any camera files during a trip. I dont bring a

laptop or any external drives. Instead, I

bring about 250GB of solid-state media

cards, and I leave everything on them until I

get home. My files are safer on the solid-

state cards, which wont break if I drop

them. Also, at the end of a long day of shoot-

ing, the last thing I want to do is spend a

couple of hours downloading images.

To see more from Jim Chamberlain, go tochamberlainphoto.com.

26 www.ppmag.com

CONTACT SHEET

Picturesque travelsJim Chamberlains lessons for staging the ideal photography journey

All im

ages Jim

Chamberlain

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Celebration of Smiles is a nationwide fundraiser for Operation Smile, presented by PPA Charities in cooperation with Marathon Press. Participating photographers host an event where clients donate a minimum of $24 for a portrait mini

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Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Business, Marketing, and Sales Strategies

What I thinkThe food looks great to Joe Glyda

Whats the biggest challenge your busi-

ness has faced in recent years? When I

moved from Chicago to Tulsa, Okla., I

needed to introduce myself to an area

not needing as much commercial pho-

tography, especially in my area of ex-

pertisefood. Once youre committed

to changing your business location and

environment, you need to have pa-

tience in re-establishing your name.

Greet everyone you meet with a firm

handshake and a smile, anticipating

that they could be your next client.

What is the most tedious business task

you do? The toughest is the expense

reports. Getting them done in a timely

fashion and organizing my receipts

has always been a daunting task. Since

much of my work is on location, ex-

pense reports are needed to recoup

travel costs.

Do you have any employees? I depend

on assistants and food stylists when

needed. Not using the proper freelancers

can result in re-shooting and doubling

the cost of doing the job. Having the

right people on the photography team

will produce exceptional results.

IMAGE BY JOE GLYDA PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

JGLYDA.COM

Q. Three new hotels are being built in thetown where my studio is located. I wouldlove to get some tips from you about howto get my work on the walls of these busi-nesses. Any suggestions would be greatlyappreciated. A. This is a great question given there aremany benefits that would come from havingyour work so visibly displayed. In looking to

see what type of work you do (as this wouldaffect my answer), I found that you workmostly with kids, families, and high schoolseniors. I imagine you are hoping to havesome of your favorite sessions framed as artfor the hotel.

There are many factors to consider in thisscenario. For instance, are these boutique orchain hotels? If they are boutique hotels,

youll have a much greater chance of devel-oping a relationship with someone who hasdecision-making authority, and your workcould really add to the boutique feel. If theyare chain hotels, youll have a lot more redtape to work through. Most chain hotelshave strict guidelines they must adhere to inorder to keep the corporate brand consistentacross all locations. They typically work withan art buying company that makes purchasesin bulk, so this would be a much more diffi-cult deal to strike.

Either way, there are questions you needto consider. Are you planning on footing thebill for the artwork or are you hoping to bereimbursed for some or all of it? How is thisrelationship going to be a win-win for thehotel and you? What are you going to offerto incentivize them to show your artwork?

Given that the work you do is very per-sonal, you need to imagine ways to involvethe hotel in this relationship beyond simplydisplaying your images. A few suggestions:You could use their grounds for portraits orphotograph some of their key personnel. Ifthey have a kids club, you could create aprogram to photograph children (for a fee)while theyre there. Another idea would be toease into the relationship and see if the hotelwould allow you to give their guests a cardwhen they arrive. It could, for example, wel-come them to the hotel and offer a discounton a session with you while theyre in town.This could be promoted as a thank-you giftfrom the hotel to the guest, which makes thehotel look good.

To get the ball rolling, find the decisionmaker at each hotel. Think everythingthrough so you have a clear plan to present.Whatever the deal is, it has to help make thehotel shine brighter in order to be attractiveto the decision maker. You just might landyourself a sweet deal. Good luck!

Kimberly Wylie, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

PPA Studio Management Services helps photog-raphers build more profitable businesses. Emailquestions to Jane Gaboury, [email protected],to get answers from SMS mentors.

STUDIO MANAGEMENT SERVICESPROFIT CENTER

30 www.ppmag.com

Ask the expertsOpening up hotel deals

MENTORS FROM PPA STUDIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES ANSWER YOUR BUSINESS,MARKETING, AND SALES QUESTIONS. FOR INFO ON WORKSHOPS, GO TO PPA.COM.

Veer

To get the ball rolling, find the decision maker at each hotel. Think everything through so you have

a clear plan to present. Whatever the deal is, it has to help make the hotel shine brighter in order

to be attractive to the decision maker.

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Ive reiterated Stephen Coveys advice many

times: To be successful, you must begin with

the end in mind. That holds true regardless

of your definition of success. Photography

business owners are as diverse as the images

they create. But the most successful studios

have at least one thing in commona clear

vision of where they want to go.

But beginning with the end in mind

demands that you define some parameters

before setting goals. In the case of photogra-

phy studio success, you need to know your

target net income, sales goals, average sale

per session, and the number of sessions you

want to photograph.

If this sounds a bit intimidating, fear not.

PPA has just introduced a tool to aid members

in reaching their goals. Its called Square One.

The tool provides studio owners with infor-

mation, and it will also generate more ques -

tions. Dont worry, thats part of the process.

To help you understand Square One, Ill

give you an example. I met with a PPA mem-

ber today who has several goals: work less,

earn more per session, and relocate from a

home-based to a retail studio. I directed her

to Square One to start the process. This tool

would help her see what her business could

look like in terms of sessions, sales averages,

and overall expenses to reach those goals.

First, she determined how much she

needed to make this year (net income before

owners compensation). Second, she counted

how many sessions shed photographed in

each product line over the past two years.

Third, she determined her sales averages

for each product line for the past two years.

With the collected data, we followed the

link on ppa.com/squareone.

To get started with the calculation on

Square One, she entered four variables: net

income goal, the product lines she wants to

offer, whether shes planning for a home-based

or retail studio, and whether she wanted to

enter her session count goal or sales average

goal. Since she was trying to figure out how

moving to a retail space would affect her ses-

sion and sales averages, she chose retail studio.

After reviewing her session history and know-

ing she wanted to cut back on the number,

she decided to see what reducing her sessions

by 20 percent would look like. She knew it

would change her required sales average and

wanted to see what that number would be.

The first aha moment came when she

saw that shed have to increase her sales

average from $800 to $1,200 to achieve her

goals of reducing the number of sessions she

photo graphed, earning a net income of

$42,000, and moving into a retail studio.

More revelations followed.

With some concrete information in front

of her, we were able to start creating a plan,

concentrating on her marketing strategy and

sales plan in particular since the main require-

ment for reaching her goal is to increase her

sales average from $800 to $1,200 per session.

After reviewing her price list and discussing

her overall sales strategy, we determined that

increasing prices was not the answer. Given her

market, modifying her collection offerings

and implementing a sales plan to achieve the

increase in sales was a more logical strategy.

Visit Square One (ppa.com/squareone)

and play with it. Get comfortable using the

tool, and then revisit it occasionally to track

your progress. You can achieve your goals if

you prepare for success.

Bridget Jackson is manager of PPA StudioManagement Services, which helps photog-raphers make their business profitable.Reach her at [email protected].

Start at Square OneArm yourself with a powerful new tool

34 www.ppmag.com

PROFIT CENTER: MAKING MONEY

BY BRIDGET JACKSON

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Continuing on the topic of new marketing

techniques, Im now going to convince you

to give something away for free.

No, not free photography. Im referring

to creating a piece of educational digital

content that future clients will find valuable.

The majority of your marketing is probably

done to an audience you dont own. If you

primarily promote offers through marketing

vehicles such as Facebook, print ads, and

partnerships with other vendors, you dont

own those contact names, addresses, or

emails. The party youre marketing with

does, and those contacts can be taken away

from you at any time.

By creating free content and requesting

website visitors contact information in

exchange for it, you can build your own con-

tact database.

FREE CONTENT WORKSA person who does an online search for

the type of photography you offer will typi-

cally visit a number of websites before

theyre ready to buy. This means that when

they visit your website, theyre likely to

exit the browser or continue researching

other photographers.

This doesnt mean your website was bad;

it might just mean the person isnt quite

ready to hire you (or another photographer).

If a website visitor exits the browser or

continues his research, theres no way for

you to keep in contact with him. And thats

where a piece of free content comes in.

Offering free content in exchange for a

users contact information is your ticket to

staying in touch with prospective clients.

Without that simple exchange of giving

valuable tidbits of helpful information in

return for contact information, your busi-

ness misses out on potential opportunities.

TOOLSMost email marketing software platforms let

you create Web forms for your website. Build-

ing it inside the email platform benefits you

because any time a user completes a form on

your site, that contact information is auto-

matically entered into your email software.

GetResponse is one such tool, and Profes-

sional Photographer magazine readers may sign

up for a free 30-day trial to see how it works

(getresponse.com/create_free_account.html).

Not only can you build a web form that inte-

grates with your email database, but autore-

sponders allow you set up the system to

email the contact whatever educational con-

tent they requested from you.

If you already own studio management or

email marketing software, check to see if what

you use offers similar functionality before

investing time or money in something new.

WHAT TO GIVE

Mike Allebach of Allebach Photography

specializes in weddings for tattooed brides

and grooms. He offers website visitors a

free PDF for tattooed brides titled Six

Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your

Wedding, geared to brides who will appre-

ciate his offbeat advice.

Wondering what kind of information

you should give for free? Download my

list of 25 ideas, grouped by different

types of photography disciplines, at

ppmag.com/profit-center.

Angela Pointon advises photographersthrough Steel Toe Images. Visit steeltoeimages.com and click to add her on Google+, Facebook, and Pinterest.

36 www.ppmag.com

Give to getLet potential clients take helpful tips from your website

PROFIT CENTER: MASTERING MARKETING

BY ANGELA POINTON

Courtesy Mike A

llebach

Photographer Mike Allebach offers a free PDF to visitors on his tattooedwedding.com website.

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Like many of you, I didnt start out in pho-

tography. I began playing musical instru-

ments at the age of four and earned a

masters degree in music from the University

of North Texas. Then I became a full-time

working musician. Somewhere along the way,

my photography hobby turned into a big

challenge. Although I was only in my mid-

20s when my career as a professional photog-

rapher began, it was clear that a long road

stretched ahead of me. Its tough to think

about starting a new discipline, a new career

path, from scratch. Fortunately, as it turns

out, we dont.

The study of music offers a multitude of

parallels to the study of photography. It

seems absurd to imagine a musician who

doesnt practice, for example. Early on, stu-

dents are taught scales and exercises to help

them refine the fundamentals and build a

strong foundation of technique. The conse-

quence of poor practice habits is poor per-

formance ability.

THE MUSICAL PARADIGMAs a musician will be limited by poor technique,

so will a photographer. Let me offer a solution

that is not only productive but also fun. Its

something photographers at all levels can learn

from and one that brings us together: play.

Play is fun. Who doesnt like to play?

Imagine a job where you are not only

allowed to play, but you are rewarded for it.

Good news: You have that job!

None of us got into photography

because we thought it was a great business

venture. Many of us, perhaps most of us,

got hooked on it as an art and could no

longer think of doing anything else with

our lives. Photography seeped into our

bloodstream. This is a romantic vision, one

that sounds a lot like falling in love. And

truth be told, it is a type of falling in love.

Musicians thrive on trying new ideas and

working on new concepts. Many musicians

study a wide range of styles. Knowledge of

other genres is not only essential for great

musicianship, but its also a blast. The more

we understand, the more depth we are able

to express. Musicians are literally rewarded

for exploration and joy. Its even in the job

description: playing music.

BY MICHAEL BARTON, M.PHOTOG.MEI,CR., CPP, EA-ASP, F-ASPPROFIT CENTER: MASTER CLASS

Playing it upPhotography is work, but playtime is also essential

All im

ages M

ichael Barton

HOLDERS OF THE PPA MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEGREE SHARE ESSAYS AND IDEAS IN SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRY

Photo by: Ann Naugher, M. Photog., CPP previous Sunset Award winner, Southeast PPA District

Recognized!GetThe Sunset Print AwardAwarded at select PPA events and other competitions with a national recipient chosen from among the winners.

Learn more at: sunsetprint.com

PEAK PERFORMANCETo me, photography is performance art. As

long as Ive had a camera in my hands Ive

been playing, practicing, refining, and work-

ing out ideas. Its an approach similar to my

music process. With that in mind, these are

some techniques I use to help stay sharp.

Self-assignments. If you want to rekindle

passion for your art, pick a new muse and

get lost in it. Select one day each week to

block out some time and shoot for the sheer

enjoyment of it. If your images arent differ-

ent from year to year, your odds of success

drop off dramatically. Make time for these

exercises because you cant afford not to.

Discomfort. The more constraints one

imposes, the more one frees ones self. And

the arbitrariness of the constraint serves only

to obtain precision of execution, said composer

Igor Stravinsky. To paraphrase: Photograph

things you know little about and learn how

to make it work. Youll make mistakes. Youll

also find beautiful images in places you could

never imagine. Henri Cartier-Bresson photo -

graphed using a 35mm camera and a fixed

50mm lens. He would frequently print images

with the edge of the film showing to display

that they werent croppeda self-imposed

restriction that changed the world.

Competition. Through PPA and other

organizations, there are many opportunities

to put your work out there. Competitions

enforce deadlines. They make you learn to

refine and present work with precision. They

offer an opportunity to try new things. The

rules and protocol of competition can serve

as your constraints and help you be freer in

your work. As an added bonus, competitions

let you celebrate your ideas and creativity

through accolades and awards. Competition

can be a great aid in growing your business.

Range. Clients enjoy seeing your range of

work and your interests. By displaying your

self-assignments, you give them an opportu-

nity to appreciate your unique vision. Never

underestimate the value of the time you set

aside for yourself.

New avenues. There are times we find a

hobby or career in unexpected places. Every-

thing we love today was once a first. There

are first times waiting for you out there. Go

find them. There will be more mistakes than

victories and more dead ends than beginnings.

I have made a career out of playing

around and wouldnt trade it for anything.

Care to join me?

Michael Barton is the 2013 recipient of thePPA Grand Imaging Award for his albumThe Curious World of Cone Flowers. Hewas awarded the ASP Bronze medallion forthe same work and was named a 2012 PPADiamond Photographer of the Year. michaelbartonart.com

40 www.ppmag.com

M.Photog. Cr. M.Artist. Youve seen the alpha-

bet soup that follows many a PPA members

name. Maybe youve wondered about these

acronyms. The designations are credentials

earned in PPAs degree program, the longest-

running professional degree program for pho-

tographers in the United States. Since 1937,

PPA has recognized professional photogra-

phers for sharing their knowledge, excelling

in photo graphic competitions, and volun-

teering their expertise to educate others

while elevating their own skills.

PPA offers three degrees representing

three types of expertise. Each degree is earned

by accumulating merits, which are like points.

Merits are received for accomplishments

that include succeeding in photographic

competition, attending workshops or semi-

nars, and sharing knowl edge as an instruc-

tor. Each degree is attained after amassing

a specific set of 25 merits. Photographers

must be PPA members to earn degrees.

Photographic Craftsman (Cr.Photog.)

The Photographic Craftsman degree is awarded

for service as an orator, author, or mentor.

This degree signifies that the recipient has

gone beyond the creation of images by dedi-

cating time to move the industry forward and

encourage the education of other professionals.

Requirements:

13 speaking merits

12 additional merits

Master of Photography (M.Photog.)

The M.Photog. is awarded for superior

photographic skills demonstrated through

the PPA International Photographic Com-

petition, advanced education, and service to

the industry.

Requirements:

13 exhibition merits


Master Artist (M.Artist)

The Master Artist recognizes superior photo-

graphic skills demonstrated through the Artist

Exhibition category of the PPA Interna-

tional Photographic Competition (with

images evaluated for computer-applied

techniques and proficiency), advanced edu-

cation, and service to the industry.

Requirements:

13 artist exhibition merits


In the coming months, well explore each

degree in greater detail.

EARNING MERITSMerits are awarded for completing various

activities. Speaking merits are granted to

instructors who contribute to the PPA and

PPA Affiliate photographic community.

PPA Affiliates are a rich training ground

for photographers who aspire to speak at a

national level. And because affiliates have a

recurring need for talented speakers in

their geographic area for conventions, sem-

inars, and workshops, the opportunities are

plentiful. Many PPA members begin earn-

ing merits toward their Craftsman degree

by taking advantage of these local opportu-

nities. Working as an instructor at the

Affiliate level sets the stage for photogra-

phers who would eventually like to be

speakers and educators at a national level,

perhaps to be invited as an Imaging USA

presenter or a PPAedu instructor.

Exhibition merits are earned by success-

fully competing in PPAs International

Photographic Competition. Images can

merit at the district level by earning a Seal

of Approval or at the international level by

ranking highly at the International Photo-

graphic Competition. As many as eight

exhibition merits can be earned each year.

BY KRISTIN HARTMANPROFIT CENTER: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

An education of meritProfessional degrees acknowledge skill and service

42 www.ppmag.com

(Next month, look for a complete explana-

tion of PPAs International Photographic

Competition.)

Artist exhibition merits are similar to

exhibition merits and are awarded to pho-

tographers who successfully compete in the

Master Artist competition category. Like

exhibition merits, artist exhibition merits

can be earned at both district and interna-

tional levels.

Service merits are granted by PPA and

PPA Affiliates. They are awarded for volun-

teering time to the organization by serving

on a committee, attending a workshop, or

taking a leadership role.

A complete list of opportunities to earn

merits can be found at ppa.com/degrees.

CREATIVE & BUSINESS BONUSDegrees are a way for professional photog-

raphers to improve their creative and pro-

fessional skills, and theyre also an aid in

promoting your business. Savvy profession-

als make the most of their degrees by edu-

cating potential clients about how their

commitment to the profession and their

continued education improves their skills.

Many degree holders report that theyre

able to more easily market their services

and show confidence in their prices because

theyve given clients a context they can

relate to for understanding professional

skill and commitment.

Pursuing my degrees has improved

my photography, says Mary Bortz,

M.Photog., CPP, of Fusion Edge Photogra-

phy in Robins, Iowa. You learn so much by

participating in print competitions. Ask the

judges for feedback on your prints no mat-

ter what the score was. It will push you to

be a better photographer. Your customers

will appreciate it, too.

Earning a degree isnt easy, but its never

too early or too late to start. In fact, you

could already have merits to your name by

virtue of maintaining your PPA member-

ship. Find out by logging in at ppa.com and

clicking My PPA.

Kristen Hartman is director of membervalue and experience at PPA.


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Professional Photographer P R E S E N T S Products, Technology, and Services

What I likeJohn David Pittman loves his nifty 50

Whats the best equipment investment youve ever made?

Probably my Nikon D800. Im not a gear nerd at all, and I be-

lieve you can make great images regardless of the camera you

are using, but I do love the details Im able to capture in my

portraits with that camera.

Any new gear youve got your eye on? I am experiencing a little

bit of gear lust over the new Nikon Df. Im intrigued by it.

I couldnt get through the week without Talking to my

mom. She gets me.

Little thing, big difference White and black foam core from

my local art supply store. I have stacks of this stuff in all sizes.

So many uses.

Whats your go-to lens? I absolutely love my nifty 50. My Nikkor

50mm f/1.8D is my all-time favorite, and with a $150 price tag,

it cant be beat. I had a colleague laugh at my use of this lens

until I convinced him to try it. Now he uses it all the time.

Aside from Photoshop, whats your fave creative imaging soft-

ware? I recently began using Alien Skin Exposure 5,and I am

really enjoying it.

IMAGE BY JOHN DAVID PITTMAN

JOHNDAVIDPITTMAN.COM

Watercolor papers have been manufactured

and used by artists for more than 500 years.

Photographers have embraced printing on

specially coated watercolor papers because

they can transform a digital image into a long-

lasting work of art with the crispness and

hyper-realism that photography can provide.

Sometime in the 1990s, Epson introduced

a product called Textured Fine Art by Crane

that I loved. I used it for many projects, includ-

ing a series of brightly colored floral prints.

It was later discontinued, but in February

2009, Epson announced a line of fine-art

coated watercolor papers under the Signature

Worthy brand. The papers are still available,

and they include Hot Press Bright (smooth),

Cold Press Bright (textured), Hot Press Natural

(smooth), and Cold Press Natural (textured).

Ive found all of them to be outstanding

papers and very distinct from one another.

Epson Exhibition Watercolor Paper Tex-

tured is the latest addition to the Signature

Worthy line and differs from the other

papers in a few ways. Apart from its texture,

which is considerably stronger than Epsons

Cold Press offerings (thanks in part to a

mold-made process), its base color is more

neutral in tone than Epson Hot Press Natural

and Epson Cold Press Natural. Like Epson

Hot Press Natural and Epson Cold Press

Natural, Exhibition Watercolor Paper Textured

is OBA-free (that is, it contains no optical

brightening agents). Thats an important

feature for many artists who prefer non-

brightened papers. The more neutral tone

means that colors will generally be a bit

brighter than prints made on a warmer paper,

and black-and-white images will have fewer

warm tones in the highlights and non-printed

areas than warmer OBA-free fine-art papers.

The papers feel reminds me of ultra-fine

sandpaper, with a visible, random texture.

The surface stands out visually from virtually

all other papers in its class, both in the printed

and non-printed areas of the sheet. Its weight

is substantial but not so heavy that it wont

fit through the standard feed tray of many

desktop printers. It moved easily through the

standard feed of an Epson Stylus Pro 3880

and an Epson Stylus Photo R3000. (The rear

manual feed is another option on these and

other printers.) The paper was also extremely

flat right out of the box, which is another big

plus because that helps to avoid small or large

head strikes, which can result in ink splatter

on the sides or other areas of a sheet.

I printed from both Photoshop CC and

Lightroom 5 using Epsons ICC profile from

epson.com. I started with a standard cali-

bration image and then printed a few other

types of both color and black-and-white

photographs, including flowers, pet por-

traits, and people. The color saturation,

sharpness, and black density with the sup-

plied profile were exceptional in all the color

prints. For the black-and-white prints, the

overall look and feel was fantastic, with deep

shadows, excellent sharpness, and notably

smooth transitions. The comparatively

cooler base helped keep the image looking

close to neutral from highlight to shadow

with no adjustments to the images.

Pet portraits looked great overall, but

portraits of people showed too much tex-

ture in the skin for my taste. If youd like to

use a textured paper for images that

THE GOODS: PRO REVIEW

Epsons Signature Worthy watercolor paper brings a distinct new look to the line

BY ANDREW DARLOW

Distinguished exhibitionEPSON EXHIBITION WATERCOLOR PAPER TEXTURED

A 13x19-inch print on Exhibition Watercolor Paper Textured in the output tray of an Epson Stylus Pro3880 after being printed via the top-loading feeder.

All im

ages A

ndrew D

arlow

46 www.ppmag.com

include peoples faces, consider the two

Epson Cold Press papers instead.

When I brushed my finger across the

printed paper, there was no flaking off of the

coating. This is a huge plus. Some other tex-

tured papers on the market suffer from this

issue, which can manifest as tiny spots. This

is especially an issue for papers that will be

bound in books or used in portfolios that will

be handled a lot. Still, do not stack multiple

prints of this paper or any matte watercolor

paper and travel with them in a portfolio box.

Use an interleaving paper between them

instead. Something smooth, lightweight,

and acid-free like Acid-Free Permalife

Buffered Paper (Watermarked) from uni-

versityproducts.com will work well.

One side of the paper is indicated for print-

ing, but I was happy to find that the non-print

side also reproduced images beautifully. In

fact, the other side shows a bit less texture,

so you essentially have two papers in one

(see Get the Most from Textured Paper).

Smaller prints may benefit from this more

subtle texture, which you can clearly see if

you compare the darkest areas of a print.

Also, be aware that an online search for the

words Epson watercolor paper will probably

bring up results for a different paper called

Epson Watercolor Paper Radiant White.

Epson has hit a home run with its Exhi-

bition Watercolor Paper Textured. It is not for

every type of image, but when paired with

the right photographs, it will definitely stand

out in a crowded field. The MSRP for a 25-

sheet box of 13x19-inch paper is $129. Mul-

tiple sizes and rolls are available.

Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author,and consultant based in the New York Cityarea. imagingbuffet.com

1. Brush the paper before printing. Allwatercolor papers are susceptible to lint-ing or dusting, which means that pieces oflint or dust can shed off the paper before,during, or after printing. To help reducethis potential problem, lightly brush thesurface of each sheet with an artist brush(aka dusting brush). Ive had success with apopular soft horsehair brush called theAlvin Draftsman Duster. Look for one withtufts that are about 2 to 3 inches long andwith a 7- to 12-inch-wide brushing area.

2. Adjust the platen gap (paper thick-ness adjustment). Many printers have asetting that allows you to raise the heightbetween the print head and the paper toaccommodate thick papers. It not onlyreduces the chance of head strikes, but italso helps optimize sharpness. On the3880, I used the top-loading feeder (themain paper feed), then selectedAdvanced Media Control and typed 5 inthe Paper Thickness box because thethickness of the paper is 22 mil. A Googlesearch for 22 mil in mm returned an

answer of .558 mm, which means that 5or 6 would both be fine to use.

3. Test multiple print resolutions. Eventhough a print driver may have a Superresolution option such as 5,760 dpi, itsbest to do a few tests of a small image atmultiple resolution settings because alower print resolution such as 1,440 willoften produce results indistinguishablefrom prints made at higher resolutionswhen viewed with the naked eye. You candownload a sample image for free atandrewdarlow.com/calib.html.

4. Try printing on the other side ofthe paper. Even though Epson ExhibitionWatercolor Paper Textured is not mar-keted as a two-sided paper, I found thatboth sides can reproduce imagesextremely well. When youre testing thenon-printable side of a paper, printonly on a small area initially, just in casethe ink runs (very possible with someglossy or semi-gloss papers). There area number of advantages to having apaper that can be printed on both sides,

including more surface area for printtesting as well as double-sided printingfor books, art cards, etc.


This image shows the differences in paper tex-tures among Exhibition Watercolor Paper Tex-tured (Top), Epson Cold Press Natural (Middle),and Epson Hot Press Bright (Bottom). For scale,the height of the white margin of the top paper isslightly broader than a nickel.

The Advanced Media Control section of theEpson driver (Mac OSX, in this case) allows youto adjust a number of parameters. I set the paperthickness to 5 because I found it best to selectUltra Premium Presentation Paper Matte as themedia type, which is a thinner paper (there is noWatercolor Paper Textured media type). By set-ting this number properly based on paper thick-ness, sharpness will be optimized and head strikescan almost always be avoided (see Tip #2).

GET THE MOST FROM TEXTURED PAPER (AND SIMILAR FINE-ART PAPERS)

THE GOODS: ROUNDUP

Adorable infant embellishments

BY JOAN SHERWOOD

Take a look at some irresistible elements for

your newborn and baby settings. We found

all of them at Imaging USA 2014.

COM-FUR-TABLEThis soft, custom-made Faux Fur line was

named The Baby Whisperer by Custom

Photo Props clients. It comes in multiple

colors and sizes and is machine washable.

Its perfect for newborn photo shoots and

looks spectacular in layers. Priced by size

from $13.75 to $80. customphotoprops.com

HEY SAILORThis adorable Hudson anchor hat is just one

of the fabulous creative clothing designs at

The Blueberry Hill. Its hand knit in soft

navy 100 percent Icelandic acrylic yarn with

an embroidered white anchor. Sizes range

from extra-small for newborns to medium.

$28. theblueberryhill.com

GET SETThe Spring Harper Set from Intuition Back-

grounds is the perfect little scene for spring.

The versatile backdrop can be used for any

gender or age. The handmade stump is

crafted from aspen. Plus you get a flokati

rug, ivory wrap, and headband. Prices vary

with backdrop size, starting at $384.

www.intuitionbackgrounds.com

1

2

3

Spring sweetness BABY SET PIECES1

3

48 www.ppmag.com

2

Shannon Bower Photography

UrbanAlli Photography

Jennifer Nace

Profoto US | 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 | PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

THE PROFOTO B1 WITH TTLWITHOUT CORDS The new Profoto B1 makes it easier than ever to use your ash off camera.

TTL achieves your light in an instant. With battery-power/without cords and up to 10 times more power than a Speedlight, the B1 goes wherever you go. Combining performance and the legendary Profoto light shaping system the B1 makes great light easy.

To learn more go to www.profoto.com/us

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When it comes to photographing rings on

the wedding day, I enjoy the opportunity to

be creative and make an image that stands

out. Lighting ring photographs with either

flash or hot lights gives them greater impact.

Yes, available light is quick and easy, but

images will be more dynamic with some

simple preparation and an understanding of

off-camera lighting techniques. Here are a

few gear, lighting, and background tips to

take your ring photographs to the next level.

1. Use a macro lens. While many lenses

are suitable for photographing rings, I pre-

fer a 100mm f/2.8 macro. It enables me to

get in close, capture fine detail in the stones

and settings, and fill more of the frame

with my subject, which creates visual impact.

2. Stop down. Its difficult to get a tack-

sharp macro image when handholding the

camera, and you increase the challenge when

you try to use a large, wide-open aperture in

an attempt to achieve a shallow depth-of-

field with selective focus. In practice, a tighter

aperture like f/5.6 or f/8 generally yields

better results. Proper exposure will require a

higher ISO settinggenerally 1600with a

slower shutter speed around 1/125 second. If

you use a lens with image stabilizing tech-

nology, you can stop down even further for

greater sharpness while still making crisp

images with a slow shutter speed.

3. Make it shine. Lets face it, every bride

loves showing off her new ring. To make sure

I capture the shine, I carry a small set of lighting

tools in my camera bag that I use specifically

for ring shots. This includes a small, variable-

powered LED light, two small flashlights, and

a 12-inch white/silver reflector. For nearly

every ring shot, I use a combination of these

tools to achieve the depth that makes rings

look more three-dimensional and stunning.

4. Light from the side, rear, top, or bottom.

To give ring photographs greater punch, avoid

lighting from the front. Instead, light rings

from the rear or side with one or multiple con-

stant lights. You can also aim light from over-

head or underneath if you have a glass surface.

When I position the main light behind the

rings, I typically use the small reflector to

provide a subtle amount of fill to open the

shadows slightly and make the rings sparkle.

5. Dark is OK. There is an axiom in pho-

tography that if you want to make an image

more interesting, dont light all of it. This

principle guides my ring photographs, and I

rarely try to create an evenly lit image. High

contrast between bright shiny metal and a

dark background can help focus attention

right where you want iton the gemstones.

6. Watch the background. In addition to

the lighting style, the background surface you

select for the ring photograph plays a signifi-

cant factor in the success of the shot. When

scouting out a location to place the rings,

look for dark, natural surfaces like wood or

granite. Glass always offers additional creative

lighting opportunities that can be dramatic.

7. Go low. For maximum impact, posi-

THE GOODS: TECHNIQUE

Make the bling sing by using the right lens, lighting, and skills

BY STEVEN JAMROZ, CPP

7 Tips: Rock the ring

Strong backlight from a window makes this wooden surface more interesting. I used books as gobos (offcamera right) to create the black streaks that add contrast and impact. I placed an LED light at cameraleft to fill in the shadows and create dimension.

All images Steven Jamroz

50 www.ppmag.com

tion the camera at a very low angle to the

rings. This will create a heroic look. A low

camera angle enhances the reflection of the

rings on a glass surface, adding interest to

the image. Bringing the camera directly over

the top of the rings can also create an inter-

esting perspective, so dont automatically

assume that the best angle will be straight on

from the front. Experiment and give yourself

several choices to ensure that you deliver the

best possible result to the client. n

Steven Jamroz, CPP, of Bluewave Photo is awedding and engagement photographer inRaleigh, N.C.

Reflective surfaces such as glass and granite offer opportunities for creative ring photos. To maximizethe reflection, shoot from a very low camera position and light from the sides instead of the front. Thiscan be done with flashlights, an LED, or a speedlight triggered with a radio device.

PROFOTO RFi SOFTBOXES. ITS MORE THAN A SOFTBOX. ITS A LIGHT SHAPING TOOL.Photography is all about light about controlling and shaping light. Therefore, a photographers tools should be designed to do just that. This is where Profotos RFi softboxes enter the picture.

RFi softboxes come in all sizes and shapes, and are compatible with all major ash brands. To ensure full control for the photographer, they have a deeper shape, a recessed front, double-layered diffusers and a highly reective silver interior. Optional accessories are available for even more precise light shaping.

In short, an RFi softbox is more than just a softbox

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Profoto US220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

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An essential component of DSLR filmmaking

is high-grade audio capture. In addition to a

quality microphone, you need a digital audio

recorder. One of the most popular recorders

among DSLR filmmakers is the Zoom H4N

because of its compact body, relative ease of

use, flexibility, and comparatively affordable

cost. Zoom recently released the H6, and its

a huge improvement over its predecessor.

SIX INPUTS. Whereas the H4N allowed

for up to four channels, the H6 delivers (you

guessed it) six. Zoom advertises it as the worlds

first six-track portable recorder. You get four

XLR/TRS inputs on the side and a stereo

mic input at the top. The X/Y mic that comes

with the unit adds a 1/8-inch stereo line-in

input to the mix. The TRS combo allows you to

use 1/4-inch connectors for line level input.

Each of the inputs comes with its own

gain control, which is a physical knob. This

is one improvement on the H6 that I really

love. The H4N has a digital gain control that

uses buttons, which requires that you push

the button of the mic you want to adjust and

then use the side gain control button to

increase or decrease the audio. The knobs

make life so much easier.

Its also worth pointing out that each of

the four H6 inputs comes with a -20db pad.

This allows you to reduce that audio level

significantly if youre plugged into a system

with a really loud signal, which can often be

the case at weddings and events where you

have no control over the signal coming from

the DJs mixing board.

MODULARITY. While the H4N had a

built-in X/Y mic, the H6 has a modular capsule

system that lets you switch the kinds of mics

you attach. Just press the two small buttons

on either side to attach or remove the mic.

The main unit comes with an XYH-6

X/Y capsule mic, which feels sturdier than

the H4Ns built-in X/Y mic, and a mid-side

(MS) capsule.

The X/Y capsule is a unidirectional mic that

gives you the ability to record a cardioid polar

pattern at either a 90-degree or 120-degree

angle. Essentially that means the mic is less

sensitive to audio coming from the sides;

instead, its focused on audio directly

in front of it at either of the two angles.

This mic is great when you want to cap-

ture audio from a group of people directly

in front of you. I used it on a shoot where I

was recording audio during a discussion

between people sitting in a circle. It pre-

dominantly recorded whomever I aimed it

at and the one or two people who were also

in the line of sight.

The MSH-6 MS capsule mic, on the other

hand, captures audio directly in front of and

to the sides of the mic. There are two mics


The new Zoom H6 brings a volume of desirable features and improvements

BY RON DAWSON

Clear gains inaudio captureZOOM H6 AND CAPSULE MICS

The X/Y capsule mic features two matched high-quality unidirectional microphones that can be set at 90or 120 degrees. This covers a wide area but captures the sound sources in the center with clarity and definition.

52 www.ppmag.com

built into the unit: one unidirectional mid

mic capturing the audio in front, and a side

mic. So when I used the MS mic in the circle

discussion setting, it picked up more ambient

sound from the other people in the circle.

For the purposes of this review, I also

tried the SGH-6 Shotgun capsule (sold sepa-

rately). I love this shotgun mic. I used it on

an in-studio shoot along with a separate

shotgun mic on a boom pole and windscreen

(the Sennheiser MKH 416) connected to

one of the four XLR inputs and the modular

H6 shotgun. Using the 1/4-20 hole on the

bottom of the H6, I attached the mic to a

small tripod I could set directly beneath the

people speaking. I was able to position the

H6 Shotgun in such a way that the audio

from that H6 mic was more clear and

recorded less ambient sound than the shot-

gun mic on the boom.

The H6 shotgun mic is best used when

you can hold it in your hand or place it on a

tripod, as I did. Youre not going to put it

on a boom. It would be a great mic for wed-

dings and bar mitzvahs.

But lets say youre recording a small

band and you need more XLR connections.

Theres also an optional XLR/TRS capsule

for two additional XLR connections. Like

the other capsules, it too has the gain control

knobs and the -20b pad.

PROFOTO UMBRELLAS 12 MODELS. 2 SHAPES. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.Available in 12 unique models and made with high-quality fabrics and surface-treated metallic elements, Profoto Umbrellas will provide a superior light for years to come.

Available in a deeper shape for photo-graphers who want a broader range of possibilities, and in shallower shape for those who value portability and ease-to-use.

For further information go to www.profoto.com/us/umbrellas

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Though it looks like a single mic, the mid-side (MS) capsule mic contains two elements: one unidirec-tional mic and one bi-directional. Because the bi-directional element is separate, you can adjust thewidth of the stereo image after it has been recorded, giving you variable room sound.

The Shotgun capsule mic, sold separately, givesyou a hyper-directional microphone, useful whenyou cannot position a microphone directly infront of your sound source.

POWER. If youve used the H4N, youre

going to love how the H6 handles power,

especially the improvement in how long it

takes to power on. One of the most frustrat-

ing aspects of the H4N is how long it takes

to power on completely. Ive never timed it,

but I would conservatively guess it takes 15

to 20 seconds, which seems like forever

when time is of the essence. The H6 powers

on in roughly 4 seconds.

The H6 does take four AA batteries com-

pared to the H4Ns two, but you can get up

to 20 hours of recording time. I found it odd

that the H6 does not come with an AC

adapter while the H4N did, but it can be

purchased separately with the accessory

pack. Given the battery life of the H6, you

may never need an adapter, but be prepared.

If your batteries die or you lose power in the

middle of a recording, you lose that audio

file. So if youre not using an AC adapter,

make sure you have plenty of battery power

left before recording a long presentation.

Last, if you connect mics that require power,

you can supply +12, +24 or +48v of phan-

tom power to selected inputs on all of them.

RECORDING. Heres another H6 fea-

ture that H4N users will love. When you hit

record, it starts recording. On the H4N,

when you hit record, it goes into standby

mode. You have to hit record again to start

recording. But because you can hear the

audio in standby mode, its easy to forget to

hit it again to start recording. I know many

a videographer (myself included) who has

missed recording audio because he or she

forgot to hit record that second time.

Both units can record to SD cards, and the

Zoom H6 can also record to the newer SDHC

or SDXC cards. Another odd aspect of the H6

is that it ships with a micro-SD card and SD

adapter. My guess is that this was done so

you could use the H6 interchangeably with

the companys H1, a smaller two-channel

mini-recorder that takes only microSD cards.

DISPLAY. The H6 has a full-color LCD

display that can be read in low light and

even dark environments. During playback,

the light above the respective track displays

green. When recording, the respective track

lights show red, making it easy to monitor.

USB CONNECTION. The H6 has a

USB output, allowing you to offload clips

directly from the unit to a computer. The

last menu is the USB menu. Select SD Card

Reader, then plug it into your computer. It

will mount as if you were attaching a card

reader. Make sure you eject the device before

you exit the SD card reader mode.

Using the USB connection, you can also

use the H6 to record directly to your computer.

In the USB menu, select Audio Interface

instead of SD Card Reader. Then select

PC/Mac, as opposed to PC/Mac using bat-

tery power. This will conserve your batteries

by powering the unit with the computer.

When I tested this feature using WireTap

Studio and Skype, it was recognized as one

of the microphone options.

54 www.ppmag.com


The H6 with X/Y capsule mounted and (left to right) the XLR/TRS, MS, and Shotgun capsules

Skype preferences window

Once youve connected the H6, be sure to

hit the button of the mic youre using (the

L/R button if youre using one of the cap-

sules or one of the four buttons if youre

using another attached mic).

FILE STRUCTURE. The last thing I

want to address is the file structure. This is

one aspect of the H6 I did not like.

Like the H4N, you can select one of 10

different folders to which you record your files.

On the H4N, each folder on the card contains

only the audio files. On the H6, however,

each audio file itself has a separate folder.

Within each of those folders is both the

audio file and a corresponding metadata file.

I dont know why they did this. When the

files are copied to your computer, you now

have to navigate through all those subfolders.

This can be a pain if you want to batch rename

the files or if youre in an editing program

and want to import the audio files. Its an

annoying feature of the H6. Im hoping they

get rid of it in a future firmware upgrade.

SO MUCH MORE. As was the case

when I reviewed the Zoom H4N a few years

ago (http://ppm.ag/r), there are far more

features than I can discuss here. For instance,

you can record in all the popular audio for-

mats (44.1k to 48k, 16-bit to 24-bit, mp3 or

WAV); you can also add compressors or lim-

iters while recording (to cut out a low-level

noise such as a refrigerator, for example).

What I love most about the H6 is the

fidelity and clarity of the sound (particularly

when I got a feed from a sound board), the

new display, the gain control knobs, and the

modularity. The shotgun mic is a strong rec-

ommendation if youre doing any kind of

event or electronic news gathering work.

The retail price is $399 (the H4N is

$299), and its well worth the investment.

Search for other Zoom H6 reviews and youll

find a plethora of filmmakers as ecstatic over

this recorder as I am.

Ron Dawson is producer and creative director at Dare Dreamer Media, daredreamer.net.

My one disappointment with the H6 is its file structure. The recorder pairs each audio file into its own folderalong with a metadata file within one of up to 10 parent folders. As you can see, these are all in Folder 02.

SHAPE SUNLIGHT WITH PROFOTOSCOLLAPSIBLE REFLECTORSThe latest addition to our assortment of Light Shaping Tools is a powerful and cordless continuous light source the sun.

Shape its light with one of ten collapsible reectors, each equipped with two ergonomically shaped handles, to make them easy to hold and fold. Available in two sizes and six surfaces for any lighting challenge.

For more information go to www.profoto.com/us

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Keeping it realLinda Hawkins finds a groove

in creative engagement sessions

BY JEFF KENT

All images Linda Hawkins

ngagement photography

has changed dramatically.

Once a basic add-on used for

announcements, engagement

portraits have evolved into

a significant part of the wedding experience.

In some cases, they take on a life of their own.

Linda Hawkins initiation into profes-

sional photography came at a time when

these changes were starting to take place.

About 10 years ago, her longtime photogra-

phy hobby became something more. People

started to notice her work and asked her to

make portraits or photograph their wed-

dings. As she picked up more jobs,

Hawkins got serious about photography.

She went back to school at the Rhode

Island School of Design to study photogra-

phy and hone her skills. Within a couple

years, she was ready to launch a photo stu-

dio in Greenville, R.I., though she would

keep her day job for several more years to

ease the financial transition.

With a focus on wedding photography,

E

engagement sessions were a natural adjunct.

Since that type of work was evolving at the

same time Hawkins was initiating her busi-

ness, she needed to evolve as well, keeping

pace with the demands of her clients and the

most recent trends in the field. The end

result, a decade later, is an approach that

treats the engagement sitting as a distinct

production, a full session that is related to

the wedding but often quite different in

theme and style. It is an opportunity to cre-

ate unique images without the pressures of

the wedding day bearing down on everyone.

It affords a chance to have fun, to craft

something that is as creative and

professional photographer 201403

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