personal work /twenty four

Lately I’ve been much into improving on my personal photography work. It’s often very neglected as an aspect of the photographer’s growth. Yet, it’s one of the most powerful propellers when it comes to creativity, inspiration and technique. For many months, maybe even a few years now I rarely shot anything for myself and my own satisfaction alone. It was about time to get out and not think about anything else but capturing what I love, find interesting, challenging or simply different.

That’s how Twenty Four was born. It’s a personal project still in the progress and I have decided to not make the whole of it public. I want to stay on the safe side because the trademarks of some of the products I photograph are still visible. At the same time, it’s very interesting to be photographing something knowing that very few other people will see it, yet be very serious and intentional about it. Often we as photographers measure the value of our images by how the public responds to them. I think that there’s more to the whole story. An image ought to hold a strong value independently of what others have to say about it. While inventing, detailing, preparing and photographing the scene I, the photographer have been influenced by the process and then by the results. That’s enough for me to deem the photograph valuable.

Anyway, Twenty Four – it’s a project about the unusual and the unexpected among our daily lives. My challenge was to combine things we’re used to see during the 24hours of the day in ways we’re not. So, here come a few samples and if time permits, later as I progress I might share a few more.

Meanwhile, think of the place of personal work in your own journey as a photographer. It’s much more important than you might think.

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inspiration and tips /Joel Grimes

The people at framedshow.com are releasing some inspirational interviews. Have a full cup of your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy 47 minutes of inspiration by an upper class photographer Joel Grimes talking about career, passion, technique and composite work. It’s worth it. It’s worth even the second round.

When you’re ready, you can check him out at http://joelgrimes.com

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ten free things – wedding one

Some more samples are coming from the Ten Things for Free in 2011 project. It’s been a very inspirational exercise and has given me the opportunity to give back, this time as a wedding photographer.

Here are some photos from the first free wedding session:

Hit the link below to see the rest of the photos.

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scouting photo locations /tips

Whether you’re into photographing weddings, shooting lifestyle portraits or any other type of photography work which doesn’t take place in a studio, selecting your location is crucial. Getting to know your selected location is indispensable.

So, how do you go about that? How do you look for a suitable location? How do you get to know that location?

1. Finding a location. Even if you are shooting completely unrestricted by time and cash – find a starting point to help you determine what you want and put some boundaries in your search. Don’t spend too long jumping from locations which are very different, such as a park and a beach. If you’re at a total loss and simply want a cool location – get out and get lost.

If you do have a general idea of what you want from your location, do some homework… By which I mean – work from home (well, or your office). Get on Google Maps, turn the satellite view on and begin your exploration. If you haven’t yet browsed for an outdoor location this way it might take a few minutes getting used to, but once you begin to feel comfortable you’ll realize the value this tool has to offer to photographers. If your area is covered by Street View – make sure you have a look at it, as well. Neither will always be up to date, but both modes are more than enough to give you a general idea.

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be an observer – look at photos

Lots of photos, actually. Photography is far from only the art of capturing photographs – it involves a lot of looking at photographs.

I recently read or heard it in an interview (if I recall the source I’ll make sure to post it) a statement which reminded me of the importance of gathering inspiration through photos already captured by others. The photographer being interviewed pointed out that throughout the years a good photographer will build up a significant collection of seen photos. Small (or large) elements of these photos will eventually become the source of inspiration for your own work. The more you’ve seen, the more you know what (not) to do.

No, I’m not talking about blindly copying other people’s work… You can do that as an exercise but don’t get stuck on it or allow it to limit your own creativity. And yes, it does mean that you also need to look at not so good photos. Especially if you’re a new photographer, be it for weddings, commercial projects, stock or whatever – you also need to know what to avoid, not only what to aim for.

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the engagement shoot – a prep for the wedding

Often an engagement shoot is offered as a separate package by photographers. It is a separate event (well, kind of) and sometimes it’s also far in time from the wedding day itself. Yet, for the times when the engagement isn’t happening too far in advance of the wedding or the couple simply didn’t manage to capture the moment in a special way, offering an engagement shoot as part of one’s wedding package can be a great win-win situation.

As a photographer one will benefit from the engagement shoot as part of the wedding package because it bumps up the value of the package itself while at the same time offers a less stressful environment to engage with the couple in a photographic relationship – to see how they behave before the camera, to get more comfortable communicating with them, to get a better understanding of their taste for pictures… even to see how self-conscious they are.

For the customer – the couple, it’s a good practice run before the wedding and a good number of professional portraits (which many couples lack) at a small increase of the total price.

Lastly, such an “engagement” shoot doesn’t necessarily need to be called that to be a part of a wedding package. An extra short 1-2hrs photo shoot before the wedding will be warmly welcomed by most couples. Give it a shot and see how it will benefit you!

Below are some samples from a recent engagement/pre-wedding shoot I did with a great young couple.

Click the link below to see the rest of the images.

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copycat: protect your images

Cop·y·cat·ted, cop·y·cat·ting, cop·y·cats… The words most hated in microstock (well, after re·ject, I suppose). For the non-native English speakers – copycat as a verb means “to act as an imitator or mimic” (ref: the free dictionary). You can guess the meaning of the other possible uses.

For you as a microstock photographer (although I’d argue – as a photographer in general) this means – your successful work being copied. There’s nothing wrong with others trying to achieve what you already have for learning purposes, for the fun of trying, etc. The problem becomes when one’s successful work is being copied in the context of the marketplace by people who do so purposefully. This is what we’ll be talking about today – what are the consequences and how to prevent it from happening (for some time).

First, a little disclaimer/clarification/intro to the topic, so some of you don’t get offended. I’m not going to argue whether a green apple on seamless background is a copy(cat) of the other green apple on a slightly darker seamless. The photography market is so dynamic, yet so much of it is so similar – beginners seem to share too much in common, so they shoot the same stuff in ways that differ very little. This article is addresses the intentional copying of a certain interpretation of a concept, subject, etc. for commercial purposes.

It’s alright to try and achieve what great photographers have done as part of your exercise – if you’re not trying to mimic them precisely you’d come with a very different result and learn a ton in the process. Just don’t go ahead and try to sell this as “your thing”. Take whatever you’ve learned and make your own thing from scratch. Then sell it.

So, all clear… Let’s dive in the pool of ideas for protecting your images from copycating. It’s actually more of a pond of ideas, given that they’re merely four of them, but they’re basic enough to allow for further thought.

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hello, i am a photographer

I guess it’s a noob thing that I’m currently outgrowing, but it’s been a major issue for a while. Say you just met someone and they’re asking you about your occupation… or your hobby for that matter… or back up to the beginning of the conversation – how do you present yourself? For years now I’ve been struggling to reply “I’m Petar Neychev, and I’m a photographer.” Let alone say that you’re a professional photographer.

So it got me thinking – do I really consider myself one, do I underestimate the value of my photographs (that I find myself not worthy the title), or what is it?! When can one be defined as a photographer?

I suppose in the past, when fewer people could take more serious photographs it was somewhat clearer… Just a guess, correct me if I’m wrong. Today, however, given that everyone I know owns a camera of some sort – who is a photographer and who isn’t? Everyone who operates a still-image camera is a photographer. But then some people produce pictures, while others – photographs. So, “a photographer” ≠ “a photographer”.

One thing I’ve noticed is that whenever I define myself as a photographer it makes me realize the seriousness of doing this job. Thus, the mental note after this week’s ramble: don’t hesitate to call yourself a photographer and be ready to act like one.

What do  you think? Would you define yourself as a photographer? Share in the comments, I’m eager to know.

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ten things for free in 2011

Update: As of 11 Dec. the remaining offers have been closed because there is very little time left of 2011 to plan and execute these photo shoots. Still, if you’re interested in any of them – contact me and I’ll see what I can do for you.

WHAT: free photographer, photos for free, me work you enjoy… Call it as you wish – I’ll shoot for 10 of you absolutely for free throughout 2011. Two business promos/ads, two weddings, three family portraits, one personal portrait, two sport events. We’re talking “photo shoot”, not just a single photograph. You only get full res digital copies of the photographs (sorry, no prints).

WHERE: -undefined- (see info below)

WHY: because I enjoy doing things for free, because you like getting things for free, for inspiration’s sake

DETAILS: well, read on

HOW DO I GET IT: post your request in the comments area below

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