Out of the Box {Photography}

Since starting my photography journey, I've played it safe.  I've been diligent about exposure and composition.  I try to get the coveted catch lights in my subject's eyes.  I obsess about perfection.  I want my images to stand out.  I am not one for abstract art, although I do admire the work of others abstract photography.  I always tell myself that I'm not that kind of artist.  But, I'm going to be honest.  I have been dying to do something a little different.  I want to challenge myself in different, unconventional ways.  I've been dying to take a nude workshop here in town.  I so want to dabble in fine arts.  Do something outside my comfy little box.  

I am a part of a 10 on 10 photography circle and the photography theme for this month was "shooting through glass".  At first, I envisioned shooting my kids through the front windows as they played.  I envisioned reflections in the windows (there is one below:) and I envisioned a clean and happy "oh ah" set of photos.  But, as I began to take those shots, I was anything but impressed.  They were the same ole, same ole shots.  Then, just as I was about to bail from the circle for this month, I spotted an old glass vase (still dirty from the flowers it held, probably many years ago).  Bam!  New idea was born. 

The images below are not the images that I thought I would yield from this little experiment, but I sure am happy with them just the same.

How often do you step out of your comfort zone?  Are you happy you did? 

To see the full set click here.

{Embrace} the Photography Forums

I'll be the first to admit that I really don't like people telling me what to do.  I'm not a huge fan of other people's opinions.  It's not them, it's me.  I tend to take everything way to seriously and can get offended easily.  But, when you need a second pair of eyes, you simply need a second pair of eyes. 

The other day I photographed a very lovely couple for their maternity session.  This was a pretty big day for me.  Not only was it my first maternity session, it was the first time I collaborated with a stylist and a make-up artist.  This is a collaboration that has been in the works for a few months and Sunday we made it happen.  The couple looked amazing.  The outfits were totally them.  The make-up looked amazing.  And the pressure was on for me to deliver the final result.

In my last post I talked about finding my style.  I really want people to look at an image and say, "Hey, is that Michelle Montero?".  That's my goal.  So in my feeble attempt to find me, to find my style, I destroyed the maternity images.  I took beautiful images, edited the hell out of them, and destroyed them.  (Head hitting my wall as I write.) 

Enter "the Forum".

I am a member of Clickin Moms.  I've taken three online courses from them and hold their company, and the professionals that grace their forums, in very high regard.  Sensing that I had done something very wrong to my images, I turned to them for advise.  I will admit, I really didn't want to know what they had to say, but I needed the critique, not only for me but for the couple and the group of amazing women that I had just collaborated with.  My head had gone batty and I needed a second set of eyes.

Image #1 - Over Edited Nightmare!   

I posted this image in the "Serious Critique" forum on Clickin Moms to see what it was about the image that seemed off.  Here are some of the replies it garnered. (Note: I'm only sharing one image from the set that I shared on CM.  Some replies are referring to different images.) 

"I love the posing. These are really cute photos, the couple looks very natural. Number 5 is my favorite
About the editing- the actions are doing wonky things to their skin tones and hair color, and they are very saturated and contrast-y. You're right about the inconsistency. I think something weird also happened when you resized them- they look super pixelated. I would recommend masking the action layers off of their bodies and skin"

"they look really crunchy (oversharpened), and the tones, as app said are way too red and magenta-y. Think about how these would print (prints usually become a touch darker, more saturated, sometimes more red) - that could be a disaster for paying clients."

"I think if you take a look at their legs you'll see how off the color is. Especially on #3 . Is he wearing boots or something? And she has a big purple mark on her knee.
Why don't you post the SOOC versions of a couple. We can give some advice on how to proceed from there."

I asked for it.  Very straight forward, tell me exactly what you think kind of critique.  This is exactly what I needed.  As I've said before, I don't want to be a fare-weather photographer.  I want to be a photographer that stands out.  I want to be recognized and in order to do that, I have to be able to take this kind of criticism if I want to move forward.  Now, onto image #2.

Image #2 - Taking 10 steps back - SOOC shot slightly edited in LR and Photoshop.

When I went back and re-posted my SOOC (straight out of camera) shots with my LR edits, this is what the group had to say.

"Um, ok crazy lady! Trust in your original handiwork! You don't need actions, these are beautiful! I agree with your LR edits as they were a touch under-exposed but these look wonderful."

 "Love your new edits they are Beautiful, you so do not need the actions "  

"Oh my! These are waaaaay better! Lovely!"

"Ok - these are gorgeous! You do not need those actions - all they do it take aways from these lovely photos "

"Get rid of those actions! Your original edits were WAY overdone, the magentas and reds were completely blown and the blacks were too high.

"I LOVE your new clean edits! Wow! See what getting it right in camera can do? Your images are beautiful!"

"holy cow, @mmarlin74 ... those are awesome! Get rid of those stinky actions! The only thing I would do differently is to clone out the houses in the background of that last image you posted. Gorgeous work! " 

This critique is so what I needed.  I learned a lot from this experience.  I learned that I need to be a little vulnerable and allow others to be honest with me.  And, I gained a whole new level of respect for my peers.  If I hadn't put myself out there and listened to what they had to say, this session could have had a very sour conclusion.

How do you feel when it comes to constructive criticism?  Do you embrace it?  

Sharing one more of my favorites from the session! 

 

Photography Limbo - What to do now?

I've been in a bit of  photography limbo lately, my head has been jumping from one place to the next.  There's been a lack of focus.  The enthusiasm is there, but I lack direction.  I don't know where to go from here.

So, what to do?

Once again, take time away from the forums and blogs in an attempt to put me on the right track.

Enter, Skye Harwick's: The Workshop Workbook.  I wasn't really planning on reading any more photography material, I felt that my mind was saturated enough, but while checking out Skye's Posing Guide, I ran across her Workbook and thought I'd give it a go.  Well, this and the fact that Elizabeth Halford had nothing but praise for the Workbook, I knew I couldn't go wrong.  And, lucky for me, Photo Dough had a sale and the Workbook only cost me $69!

Where was I before the Workbook?  All over the place.  I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but there was nothing concrete.  There was no conviction to my decisions.  I've been living in "maybe land".  Maybe I'll try this.  Maybe I'll try that.  Maybe I'll do it this way.  Maybe I'll do it that way.  Maybe I'll jump off a cliff.  Maybe I won't.  A lot of indecisiveness.

In the Workbook, Skye highlights her steps (good and bad) to becoming a successful photographer (prices, art, workflow, posing...).  And I have to be honest, it always warms my heart a little to hear other photographers, photographers that we assume have always been successful, talk about their struggles in those first few years in business.  Skye is no different.  I love her approach and her methodology when it comes to marketing herself; her art.  Skye mentions that her work is her art and those that truly love and respect her art will pay the price of her sessions.  She became true to her art and would not stray from that passion simply to make a quick sale.

This concept was foreign to me because I always thought of my photography as a picture that someone liked and paid me to take.  I never thought of my images as "art", and that people should pay for my "art" and not just another photograph.  This was a huge ah ha moment for me.  This has set my stage for what I plan to do next.   

What's in the plan?

1)  Work on pre-session prep.

Until now, my pre-session prep typically worked like this: 

1)  When/where do you want to meet?
2)  How many adults/children?
3)  Bring a few props if you'd like.
4)  Here's a link to my Pinterest "What to Wear for Portraits" board for your reference.

This approach was OK, but I really want my clients to get a little bit more from me as their photographer.  I want to talk to them about my approach, about what to wear, what to expect.  I want to give them enough information to help them feel comfortable about the session.  I want them to be prepared.  I want them to feel confident about the fact that they just hired me.  And, I want to have enough confidence in my work to have creative control over the session.  Until now, I've only just taken pictures.  I never clued into the fact that my clients look to me as the professional and are waiting on me to guide them.  I'm not used to being the leader.  

2)  Work on my Style.

My style is well, I have no style.  We show up.  We shoot.  I send pictures.  We're done.  I never quite understood how other photographers got a certain look.  I mean, how do all the kids' parents know how to dress their little ones?  I just thought that all the hip/cool parents only went to one photographer.  Then it hit me, the photographers bring the props and some clothing choices to the session.  They make it happen.  Duh!  With that in mind, I'm moving forward with a new plan.  I've already scoured my kids' closets and the shelves in our home for clothes and props.  

3)  Workflow (post-session closeout).

My post-session workflow is all over the place.  Because my sessions are so inconsistent, and I still haven't gotten a handle on what I'm offering to clients, I can't wrap my head around the final product.  Since my sessions are still new and simple, I plan to keep the workflow the same as well. 

3)  Business Plan.

A business plan.  Who would have thought?  Can't we just take pictures and make money?  I guess it's not that simple.

I will be honest.  I expect to lose money this first year in business, and I don't expect to make a huge amount in year two, either.  I have come to a few realizations about this process.

1. I still consider myself in portfolio building mode.  While my official portfolio building sessions have ended, I'm still working to create images that are my own.  I've grown so much since my initial sessions, that I don't feel I can use many of those images to market who I am today as a photographer. 
2. Take more time to learn.  This is where I will spend most of my money.  To date, I have taken three online course through Clickin Moms, and I'm on task to take the Natural Light Workshop with Brooke Snow in May.  I can't gush enough over these courses and what I've learned from them.  It's an investment, yes, but I have a much better mind about my camera, composition and processing because of these courses.  If I want to be as good as I want to be, I have to make these investments.
3. Print materials.  Like I said previously, the images that I have for my portfolio are from, as I see it, a different photographer.  Once I get a few sessions that I feel best represent my brand I am going to have a few items printed (accordion books, hard cover books, canvases) to help bolster my sales.  Right now I'm only digital, but I hope to change that in the coming months.  
4. Market my business.  I can't say that I am 100% comfortable with what I have right now, so I've been a little quiet on the marketing front.  Once I feel like I have a solid product (inquiry to sales) then I'll go head first into marketing.  I'm giving myself about 5 months to get there.  
5. Keep shooting!  I would love to say that I'm booked solid, but that's simply not the case.  In the mean time, I'm recruiting friends and family and continue to shoot and work on my style.  Just this past weekend I met with a young couple (whose family I photographed in December...a paid session) who are pregnant and took maternity photos for my portfolio.  I didn't get paid, but no one needs to know that.  If I stay active, and people continue to see fresh faces on my blog and social media sites, I'll give the illusion that I'm booked and in demand.     

The idea here is to use my inactive state to further work on where I'm going and the type of photographer I want to  become.  I'm actually OK with being slow right now.  At his point, I'm not prepared to take on a huge amount of sessions.  I don't want to be the photographer that let the little things fall through the cracks.  I want a strong reputation.  She was reliable, professional and a pleasure to work with, that's what I want to hear. I'm always preaching about patience, about moving forward, about baby steps.  This is still the case.  As much as I want to be successful now, I have to take all the necessary steps to success and that takes time.