Breaking our Own Mold - Mark and Jessica's Beautiful Wedding

Backlit with flash and using a Nikkor 70-200 VR at f2.8, this image was also
made possible because of the creative input of this beautiful couple. Props,
combined with their desire to a very important part of the creative process
made images such as these possible on a wedding day that could have
otherwise been very difficult.

Photographing a wedding is always a daunting and wonderful task - no matter who you are or how many weddings you have captured over the years. It is an honour to be given the one and only opportunity to capture a couple’s wedding day, and therefore daunting in its impact of personal responsibility. Tash and I will approach each wedding individually, but admittedly our combined visual style is apparent in each.

Then along came Jessica and Mark. What a wonderful couple! We were looking very much forward to photographing their wedding – for personal and creative reasons. Mark and Jessica are friends of the family and it was an honour for us to capture their dream day and all of the love surrounding them – so much of which was our own.

It is only a natural part of our service to ask a couple what kind of images they prefer. This doesn’t mean that we don’t know what we are doing, but every photographer can adapt for their customers. From a photographer's perspective it also allows for growth. It doesn’t mean a complete departure from their skill set or visual style, but only a more predominant approach within their style that suits their customers. When Mark and Jessica indicated their preferences of images using examples of wedding images they liked, well…we kinda took a double take. Why? Well, how do I put this?…We didn’t like the images they presented. When that happens, what do you do then?

Combining the creative vision of our couple with our own
style, this image was alse made possible with a LensBaby
Edge80, which I personally love to use as often as I can
at a wedding. 

Well....we were honest. You have to be, don’t you? We told them that while we didn’t feel that our style matched what they showed us, we would nonetheless do our best to shoot this way – but to add our unique talent set and visual style to them.  Having seen our wedding images, they agreed to place their trust in our abilities and we agreed to step outside ourselves. It was a challenge for the two of us to remember what we had to do, to deliberately alter our methods and styles and produce images that were out of our genre. But it was a great exercise, and we appreciate the growth it brought to us also. For me? I was able to get out the LensBaby Edge80 I have been dying to work with so much! Thanks Mark! Thanks Jessica! 

Their wedding day was a mixture of weather patterns too. There was heat. Then there were clouds. Then there was downpour. Then there was warmth again. Photographers who are unable to work with these unpredictable conditions will suffer the consequences of this inability – as will their clients. Tash and I took each stage in our stride and instead of working against the weather, worked with each as a creative opportunity. Thank you Mark and Jessica for being our teachers, our friends and a beautiful couple whose creative input and dedication to the acquisition of props made for a creative collaboration!

To see a gallery from this wedding, click here.

A brave bride and groom made this image possible. Thanks Mark and Jessica
braving the weather and bringing an umbrella!
Image: Natasha Muller

Sunset over Pushkar

Camels mirror each other in the setting sun as I run to compose symmetrically. Nikon D700, Tamron 28-75 f2.8.

End of day, Pushkar. Nikon D700, Nikkor 70-200 at
200mm f2.8

Life changes, and each stage of my career is bringing with it new lessons and opportunities. These days, much of the work I am doing is governed by privacy ethics and laws and so my blogging has taken a down turn - as some of you may have noticed. And yet, today, during this usual lull at the end of every year, I find myself sorting through tens of thousands of images, hundreds of directories and a history of photography that I am proud to call mine. So, starting with this post, I think I am going to revisit my images and present their stories to you as often as I can.

So, lets start with India....

These images were taken at the famed Pushkar Camel Festival. At the time I was running a photographic tour for an old friend in the industry, Darran Leal. Darran's company, World Photo Adventures, is one the best in the business if you want an unforgettable and educational photographic experience. India was an experience I will never forget - on almost every possible human level.

Walking through this festival, a festival at which tens of thousands of camels are bought and sold, there are photographs at every turn. The camels, their owners, the buyers, their families, the dusty landscape, the colourful culture - the list is endless. You are in a dusty, hot, overcrowded photography heaven. Documenting an event like this is difficult enough as video at 25 frames per second. One image at a time is even more difficult.The problem is not 'what do you take?' but rather 'when do you stop taking?'. 

This in itself poses a problem - the problem of prioritising. When you are in a situation in which there is just too much to photograph, it becomes a case of 'what to leave in and what to leave out'. Once you have eradicated the 'what to leave out' aspect, the 'what to leave in' is challenge enough, but less so. So what do you leave out?' To me, that answer then becomes about light. If the light is not in any way complimentary to the image, then leave it out - epecially when there are thousands of potential images complimented by great light. 

Returning the festival in the late afternoon, the light becomes more workable and interesting, complimenting each image with warmth along with more manageable highlight and shadow details. In these conditions, everywhere you point your camera suddenly assumes more natural capture potential - especially in a place like Pushkar and an event like the Camel Fair.

Working with two cameras, each armed with a completely different focal length made the decisions and the process easier. So, the first port of call is the lens choices. To maximise the opportunities, I chose a wide angle to medium Tamron 28-75 f2.8 on one body and a 70-200 f2.8 zoom on the other.

Because I prefer to produce images to the degree possible in camera, metering was manual, which is my usual preference.  Then....well...you look, watch, point and wait for the moment. Conversely, you see and grab. There is no formula. You just get what you can - cursing when you miss, chimping when you hit. The chimping compensates for the cursing until after a while you realise that you are capturing images you have dreamed of taking since you were a boy who dreamed of traveling afar, camera in hand. When that realisation hits, you stop, take a breath of gratitude and continue your quest. There is no room for cursing or regret over any allegedly 'lost' images or opportunities. Right here, right now...this is the opportunity. Just concentrate, and enjoy. After all, you may never be here again.

Bred for warfare and known for their inward turning ears, a Marwari Stallion becomes too hard
handle at  a Festival designed for a less noble beast of burden...

Tracy and Simon's Beautiful Wedding

Tracy and Simon backlit with flash on the bridge at Lyrebird Falls.

Hello Blog!
Hello Readers!
We recently had the pleaure of photographing Simon and Tracy’s wonderful wedding. The honour it would be  to capture their wedding first became known to us when our friend, Greg Earl asked us if we were available on that upcoming November day. Naturally our answer was “yes”!  Meeting Simon and Tracy at their initial interview just sealed the deal.

Tracy poses for the light on the stairs in her home...

Yeah…frankly..they’re awesome.

Their wedding took place at LyreBird Falls, in the heart of the Dandenongs. Surrounded by lush, verdant rainforests, this beautiful venue offers photographers some creative opportunities. Combine that with a young couple who love photographs – plus the time given to create them  - and you have the makings of a great wedding – photographically speaking. Hey…either way  it was a great wedding! Its just that we photographers view everything from our image-making perspectives….

We had the pleasure of staying on for the reception and enjoying a lovely meal, some great company, a few hearty laughs and the chance to enact ‘The Grease Megamix” with Tracy on the dance floor. What a hoot!

For a gallery of images from Tracy and Simon's wedding, go to our Living in Pictures blog here.

Thank you so much, Simon and Tracy. It was a distinct pleasure to photograph your wedding!

An Afternoon with Stephen Sondheim...

Stephen Sondheim relates his anecdotes to an enthusiastic audience...

Geoffrey Rush joined in the fun...

It was our privilege recently to photograph an event that proved interesting in various ways. With "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" currently running at Her Majesty's Theatre here in Melbourne, the event was held to honour the visit of Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music for this comedy. Stephen Sondheim required no introduction to the thousand thespians and fawning fans who gathered to hang with hands clasped on his every word. And words there were. He delivered some very interesing insights and humourous anecdotes about his work - insights on "West Side Story", "Gypsy", "Sunday in the Park with George", "Into the Woods" and many others. It was an interesting afternoon. Even Geoffrey Rush turned up to join in the fun! 

So here we were, Tash and I, once again roaming the darkness of Her Majesty's Theatre for yet another set of performance shots and some obligatory pre and post-performance group photographs. The difficult thing about that was that Mr Sondheim is not one to have his photograph taken - something we were reminded of by everyone who was involved. But, we have all faced that haven't we? 

Mr Sondheim's averseness to photography was further made very apparent after the first song performance. Naturally, we were doing our best to remain discreet and silent during these songs, but the clunk of a shutter and mirror box assembly is not only ampilified by the silence of the audience, but also the acoustics of the building itself. Perhaps we need to buy some Leica M9's? I hear they are pretty quiet! Anyway....within seconds of the first song being sung and completed, Mr Sondheim requested that photographers respect the performers and not take pictures during their performances.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

That request was met with the thundering applause of the 1000 or so fawning fans. But these were the same people who laughed when he said that one of his friends had been hit by a bus. So, by my guess their applause seemed to be something we perceived to be more of the usual fawning and knee-jerk reactions than a well considered response. Either way...its not easy standing in a building while 1000 or so people clap at the request that you no longer do your job.

But really? How do you respond in a situation like that?

Tash came over to me during the next minute or so and asked pretty much the same question. I suggested that Mr Sondheim could do a few things with his comment that may or may not have been physically possible - even for a younger man. But I explained that while we will do our best - which we had been doing - we don't answer to Mr Sondheim. Our obligation was to our client, and so that meant that we kept shooting. We would simply adapt our approach a little, perhaps grabbing the shot during the louder parts of the song, or that moment at the end when the song is finishing and the audience begins its applause. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. 

But in the end, with all due respect Mr Sondheim, my client dictates what I do, thank you.

The lovely Kellie Dickerson poses excitedly with an unenthusiastic Stephen Sondheim...

Keeping Up Appearances

Straight from camera, this portrait could be printed without a single stroke of Lightroom
or PhotoShop. But which camera? The latest, greatest, most expensive? 

If you have seen the classic television show of the same name as this blogpost, you will remember the situations that Mrs Bucket often found herself in because she was consumed with the notion of keeping up appearances. The truth mattered little. She needed to be accepted. She needed to be seen. She needed to look like she belonged. But with a name like 'Bucket', was that really going to be possible?

Photographers face this situation within their cultural circles also. Its sad, but its an irrefutable truth.

"What? Your lens doesn't have Vibrations Reduction!"?

"really" You don't have the 1.4? You only have the 1.8?"

"Really? You take pictures with that? Oh...mine is much newer/biggger/more technologically advanced!"

All the Gear, and No Idea

There is a saying that photographers have which I laugh at, but which I have found unfortunately true in far too many cases. "All the Gear, and no idea". I have taught and trained many hundreds of photographers over the years and far too often have I seen them turn up with thirty grand worth of gear and completely devoid of real information and understanding. That, I suppose, is where I came in as a trainer and teacher and that's perfectly fine. But the notion that expensive gear makes the photographer is definitely a myth.

And then there are those who simply will NOT learn.

I know that in years past I have been at weddings where 'Uncle Brian' has turned up with two six thousand dollar cameras, four three thousand dollar lenses, two or three one-thousand dollar flashguns and about three cents worth of ability and talent. Then, he stands in my way all the time or tries to point his lens over my shoulder during the shoot. Sorry, Brian. That's a 'no-go'.

The image above was taken recently at Tracy and Simon's wedding reception....and yes, we will be blogging that wedding soon. This portrait of Don ( I hope I have remembered his name correctly!) is straight out of camera, (except for some resizing for the blog, of course) . What camera? Our old backup Nikon D200. Yes, folks, you heard it here. A camera with 7 or 8-year old digital technology produced a jpeg like this. And yet, this jpeg - straight from camera - could be printed and accepted for quality without a single stroke of PhotoShop.

New, technologically advanced camera equipment is wonderful, but it won't make you a photographer. Its funny how we all know that, but its also funny to see the looks on photographers' faces when you pull out an old workhorse like the D200.

And yet, it can create images that were perfectly beautiful, won awards, travelled the world and shot a mean wedding in 2005. And you know what? It still can. If you are considering photography as a career, think education over gear. Armed with that education and training you will actually save money buying the right equipment first, rather than gathering your weapons only to find that you don't know the battle strategies.

A New Look at an Old Lens....

Sometimes when you are in the middle of what you have to do, you find that there is more you can do. Whether you can do it is the question. As a working photographer, your client is foremost. However, sometimes you are able to fit something in briefly that is purely creative and has nothing to do with the client. This was one of those situations.

While on a shoot recently, Betty (pictured above) was assisting us with people and other simple logistics. Betty is from Kenya, has striking features and an effervescent, bright personality. For a few moments between tasks, she was able to sit briefly and have her portrait taken. She was more than happy to do so, for which we were very grateful. 

Thank you Betty for spending a few minutes with us and allowing us to photograph you.

As much as I love available light, I have to admit to being thoroughly enamoured with the control of studio lighting. This is a very simple setup, and combined with some Lightroom processing, a simple but dynamic portrait has resulted.

What is otherwise interesting in this portrait is that while I used my Nikon D700, the lens was by no means as recent (although even my D700 is now beginning to look a little old...) The lens I chose to use for this shoot was my old manual focus Nikon E-series 75-150 f3.5 zoom. Yes, its 30 years old, but its such a beautiful thing. If you remember the classic image that the great Galen Rowell took of the rainbow over the Potala Palace in Lhasa, then also know that it was this lens that he used. This lens is small, sharp and has a constant aperture throughout. You can get them dirt cheap these days. If you are a Nikon shooter, you work in slow and controlled situations (such as studio) and you see one in good condition....buy it. Its so beautiful to use in the studio and if you are concerned that your eyes may not focus as sharply as they used to in manual focusing...shooting at f11 helps.

This lens had been sitting in the bottom of my filing cabinet for years.

Now, I wonder why. I have been missing out.

Well, it has its place in my LowePro Pro Roller now!

Yes, I do own the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom, and I love it. But its a cumbersome lens and completely unnecessary in the studio. In studio situations I much prefer this 30-year old lens designed for Nikon-using amateurs in the '80's than the 70-200 f2.8 with its autofocus and its Vibration Reduction and its blah blah blah. The 70-200 is a great location lens, perfect for wedding work, location commercial work, location portraiture and travel. But from now on, I will be very happy pulling this old amateur lens out of my Pro Roller and shooting with it.

The Camera Can Do It

There are times I feel a sense of loss for photographers who never had the benefits of shooting with film - back in the ooooooolden days. True, photography has come a long way technologically since then and even I can see that the quality of images I am producing with my well worn, 4-year old Nikon D700 is better than I ever achieved using my 35mm Nikons. However, learning the ropes using film had one distinct advantage - especially transparency film. Why?

Well, we learned that a transparency was the last word, the final result. What it revealed was the direct result of your shooting skills and your ability to produce an image using the camera and its direct accessories during the actual capture process. That lesson has been one that I have promulgated as a trainer and teacher of photography over the last 15 years, and also one that I still endeavour to maintain as a photographer.

Do I love PhotoShop? Lightroom? Yes! Do I love manipulating and finessing a RAW file? Absolutely! But I would never want to walk away from a shoot not having produced an image that I am proud of in camera. That is especially true when shooting portraits, corporate headshots and weddings. In this 'see it when you shoot it' age, a bride is encouraged to work with her photographer even more enthusiastically when she can see what you are producing there and then. For commercial clients, the advantage is obvious. Your reputation as a photographer who can produce and satisfy on the job is only going to win their hearts and cheque books.

The other advantage to this is, quite simply, time. The hours I hear photographers putting into their post-processing is often horrendous - chewing through their personal family time, destroying relationships, eating up profits and frustrating their customers. Aiming for the image in-camera reduces that workload dramatically.

The image above was recently shot in our Living in Pictures mobile studio, and produced entirely in camera, shot in jpeg fine and using the D700's monochrome mode. It is a straightforward and simply produced image and is a jpeg straight out of camera - downsized for this blog. It was achieved using a simple two-light system with a Photek Softlighter on the main light and a grid on the hair light. That's it. As an in-camera jpeg, it certainly does its job and prints beautifully.

I metered as I always would have in my film days, using my Sekonic flash meter. I balanced the ratio between the hair light and the main light as I always did, using my Sekonic flash meter. I added a Lastolite reflector, as I always would have....because the process and the principles haven't changed. To add antiquity to the mix, I used a 30-year old 135mm Nikkor manual focus lens I picked up at a Camberwell Camera Market a couple of years ago for $150. Damn, that thing is sharp.

We underestimate the humble jpeg and the cameras that produce them. I am all in favour of a RAW file, which is why I usually shoot simultaneously producing both. But twenty years shooting transparencies is a hard habit to break, even after ten years of shooting digitally. I still aim for the finished jpeg, in camera. I wonder if I will ever change. But then,  I wonder why I would need to.

Living in Pictures

The Reality of Shooting and Selling

The vivacious and somewhat crazy Lee Andrikopolous. If anyone can teach you the art of selling your photography,
he can. Don't miss our combined seminar - The Reality of Shooting and Selling!

In world that has commoditised photography, working photographers at all levels are having difficulty making money from their craft. There are several reasons for this, and many of them have little to do with the customers' perceptions of their abilities or the value of photography. In the hundreds of workshops I have run, I have learned that while there are many photographers who know how to create beautiful work, they have little if any real ability to infuse it with a dollar value and stick to it. Their fear of rejection often gets in the way of their ability to value their photography and sell it for what its actually worth.

That being the case, long time photographer and lecturer on this very subject, Lee Andrikopolous and I are running a day-long seminar that will change the way you create and sell your photography, enabling you to understand the process of appealing to your customer, creating the photographs they desire and then selling them at their worth. Along with his wife, Lorna, Lee has been running a life-changing business called Instincive Desires for several years, teaching photographers how to create and sell images and make a living from photography. For my part, I will be discussing the need for a photographer to gather the right creative skillset and in creating niche products. Combined, there is much to learn from our decades of experience in this industry.

The event is being held at Abbottsford Convent, Abbottsford, Victoria, on Tuesday the 23rd of October.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, download the pdf here!

The Beautiful Wedding of Nav Sandhu and Georgia Main

The wedding of Nav Sandhu and Georgia Main.

The piano at Bram Leigh is a favourite with
photographers. This is my take on it....

A few years ago I was traveling home from an interstate shoot and sitting next to me was a very friendly young woman. Her name was Georgia and she was very friendly, intelligent and conversational. As 'we spoke of many things, fools and kings'...we naturally we talked about our work. I may have happened to mention that I was a photographer....

Well, on Saturday, Tash and I, aka Living in Pictures,  photographed her wedding.  Yes, on Saturday, the lovely Grace Kelly-esque Georgia Ellen Main married the very debonair and incredibly handsome Navjeet Sandhu, known affectionately to us as 'Nav'.

Hmmm... I wonder if his friends call him "NavMan" or "The Nav-Igator"?....

Ok. I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Our assistant for the day was Frankston-based photographer, Richard Ingram. Richard is an old (as in 'long time', not aged) Creative Photo Workshops friend/customer who had asked if he could come along on a wedding with us one day. Well, this was the day, and we were glad to have him along. Richard was an invaluable assistant and we were truly glad he was there for us. Choosing an assistant for a wedding day is not something you take lightly as they can very easily ruin your reputation. Their behaviour, work ethic and general demeanour can make or break the day. The last thing you want to worry about is your assistant. But Richard...you were awesome, mate! Thank you!

Hey, even my mother-in-law came to help out at the reception....and she was awesome too....Thanks Monika!

Georgia at home, pre-ceremony.

We started our wedding as usual with pre-ceremony sessions with both parties. Richard and I started with Nav and the boys, while Tash went on ahead to start the pre-ceremony preparation shoot with Georgia. Then, Richard and I met up with her at Georgia's home, continued the shoot and followed the bride and her entourage of bridesmaids to the ceremony. 

The wedding was held from ceremony to reception at Bram Leigh Receptions, a beautiful wedding venue that has seen some wonderful refurbishments and improvements in the last few years. I hadn't photographed a wedding there in some time, and it was a noticeable improvement under the new management. The ceremony was lovely, filled with laughter and emotion. The shoot itself was a little brief for our liking, and I would always advise couples to allow more time than they usually do for photography. After all, we don't come cheap, so you may as well work us hard!

But what time we did have we used to create some of the images you see here. 

The 'NavMan'...

The responsibility of wedding photography is not something you take lightly. A wedding day holds such promise, hope and joy within it that a photographer needs truly know his or her craft. They need to be always ready, always a step or two ahead, always thinking, creating, preparing and enjoying. 

And yet, at the same time I am not sure that any photographer is always 100% happy with the results from any wedding. There is always that shot you missed, that pose that is slightly wrong or the opportunities that time would simply not allow to come to fruition. 

That said, wedding photographers need to work as hard as possible, past exhaustion if necessary, to honour the role that they have been asked to fulfill and the craft they purport to know and offer. Wedding photographers are problem solvers, diplomats, acrobats, comedians, therapists, flower arrangers, tailors and yes...even image makers. Their role on a wedding day is to be what they have to be to get the work done and to provide the bride and groom with the best experience possible on the day, followed with the best images they can create and supply. It is an honourable profession, but one which, in my opinion, too many quixotic neophytes are seeing as a chance for an easy buck, much to the detriment of the profession and the eternal chagrin of their clients.

Thank you Nav and Georgia for the honour to be a part of such a beautiful day, and for the privilege of being your photographers. We look forward to our Trash the Dress shoot when you return from your honeymoon!

One of my favourites from the day...

Georgia and her entourage at the reception...

Success as a Photographer - How?

When the client demands an image and it presents a myriad of problems, can you still create it?
This cover of Australian Traveller required sunshine on a rainy Melbourne day.
The client doesn't care how you get it...just get it.

The client wants a sunrise, but there isn't one. The photographer
needs to impress. Can he create a sunrise when there isn't one?

I would imagine that the world holds 7 billion creative souls - or thereabouts. In saying this, I mean that all of us are creative in one way or another. It is designed in us. Its part of being human. We each express that creativity in different ways. Music, architecture, the visual arts, sculpture - and the many other means of personal expression that we are given in this life. Some are creative in a variety of ways, able to express our inner person through separate and distinct forms of art. Me? Well, I chose to channel my creative expression through the medium of photography. While I have devoted my creative time to that form of expression to enhance its success as a career, I have also spent much time expressing myself musically, although with much less success in terms of its creative outcome and none whatsoever as a career. This was my choice, and the time I am given in this life to be creative has been spent in photography. It had to be the case, as it became the form of employment that would feed my family.

We are all creative, but to succeed in creation we need to understand the science of each type of art. Musicians study the differences in sound between types of materials used for their instruments, the combinations of them, the size and build of their instruments. They study the mathematics of music and the relationships between keys and chords, melodies and harmonies. Sculptors study the grain and colour of wood and stone and the instruments they use to carve their imaginings into them. The list goes on. But this academic study of their art enables each of them to create in art form what ebbs and flows within them as a desire of expression.

In the many years I have spent teaching photography, I have often said that photography is about 5% creativity and 95% problem solving. The creativity flows naturally and uniquely within each of us. But the ability to make an image happen is only borne in the ability to see what is needed in terms of tools and techniques and the employment of them in the creative process.

While on a recent shoot for Stile220, a boutique fashion outlet in Melbourne's upmarket district of South Yarra, problem solving was 100% of the shoot, as the almost 'conveyor belt' nature of the photography required little, if any, creativity. We needed to shoot as many clothes on a mannequin as we could in the time my client's budget could afford. (Yes, building a website and adding hundreds of images to it can be a costly thing and photography is up there in the costs.) The shoot required that we set up a portable studio in the back of the shop itself and shoot clothing against a pure white backdrop. The last thing that either Tash or myself wanted to do was shoot first and fix later. It had to be as right as it could be in the camera. This also meant that we could confidently reveal to the customer the professionalism he expected to see on the backs of our cameras. There is little use in telling a customer "Look, it doesn't look so good here, but imagine it when I have fixed it!" 

A quick capture of the setup as taken with the iPhone,
and before the flashheads were elevated.

Any photographer knows that producing a pure white background in camera is not easy, and getting that established on the first night of the shoot required some real problem solving skills, considering that we were working in a very confined space. We tried two softboxes, evenly spaced across the narrow white backdrop, and it was relatively successful but inverse square laws  made the clothing very bright on the edge and a little muddy in the middle. So I thought to remove the softboxes altogether and simply bounce the light off the white ceiling. Now, the light was too bright on the top of the mannequins and too dark in the middle and closer towards the floor. So my wife came up with the 'reflector protector' idea. Essentially, we attached a large Lastolite reflector on top of two light stands and placed the flash heads higher than them so that the reflector would not actually catch any direct flash. There was about a 40cm gap between the white roll backdrop and the reflector. So, when the flash fired, the light hit the ceiling, came through the gap and bounced around merrily within the area of the white paper floor and the white reflector ceiling above the mannequin. The backdrop? A perfect, even white from top to bottom.

Voila! That done, the rest of the shoot was 'f11 and be there'.

The resulting evenness of the lighting, and about ten seconds of Lighroom

On the second night of the shoot,we simply set up the same system and shot away, taking dozens of images for our clients - each one consistently illuminated with an even white backdrop from top to bottom. The 'blinkies' on the back of the camera made sure of this. The items of clothing had texture and colour and even the white shirts stood out against the white backdrop - something which many photographers struggle to achieve in camera. 

Yes, successful photography is found in your ability to solve problems, not create pretty pictures in your head and then hope they turn out. If you are a photographer and you are reading this, ask yourself  "How much about my craft do I study academically? Do I devote time to understanding the process as much as I do in getting inspiration? If I was asked to do this shoot in this time frame under these conditions, could I have done so in camera?" Do I dream of creating images I am constantly unable to create? 

These are important questions to consider as I am always going to believe that successful photography is 5% creativity and 95% problem solving. The creative part will get your images churning in your heart and in your mind. But the skills to create them are often purely academic.

Its the coldest wedding day ever.....Can you solve the problems?

When a KFC Family Meal is Worth More than a Photograph...apparently.

Is this what our images have been relegated to?

Yes, its an interesting title. But I have to be honest - its an interesting story, one which, as photographer, I am saddened to relate. Here is how it goes.

While we were on a shoot a couple of weeks ago, I took an incidental but rather beautiful portrait of someone who was there at the location. It was beautifully lit with studio lighting, captured in a wonderful moment and taken with 30 years of experience. Yes, it was quite lovely, even if I say so myself. Little were we to know then that it would be the last photograph taken of this person. Yes, within a couple of weeks, this person unexpectedly passed away. When this happened, we naturally got a call from the grieving family. "It is a beautiful photograph", we were told. "Its how we want to remember (this person)".  A moment like this can make a photographer feel like they have done something that has lasting and positive results. 

My wife and I have gifted our photography many times. We have often done this as an act of gratitude, or perhaps as an act of compassion. However, in this case there were reasons why this was not possible.  But there was the opportunity to reduce our price, which we did. When the woman with whom I was speaking asked me the price of a print, I reduced it significantly from our usual price and explained to her that I had done such, with compassion and sympathy. The woman then paused with apprehension, told me that she would consult with her sister about the purchase, and get back to me. Now, her reduced price for the print was being halved due to the fact that her sister was being asked to contribute. This brought the print price for each to below that of a family meal at KFC!

Knowing that the funeral was being held in the next few days, I contacted the family again, asking if she wanted to me to rush the print over so that it would be there for the actual service. I was kindly told that the portrait was not wanted. Suddenly, a photograph that allegedly meant so much became something that meant nothing at all. Why? Because it would cost her about the same as a meal at KFC. The last photograph taken of the person she loved so much, an image that honoured, dignified and beautified this person, suddenly became completely unwanted....unless it was either free, or perhaps significantly less than the price of a family meal at KFC. 

This being the case, I have to admit to feeling glad that I did not offer the print as a gift of sympathy. Gifts are hopefully appreciated. While I certainly can empathise with their loss, I find it difficult to comprehend their perspective on the worth of this beautiful and final portrait of someone they apparently loved so dearly, especially when it had become so affordable. I am left wondering what she thought the price would be? Would I just hand it over as if it required nothing to achieve, no costs and no time on my part to arrange? What would you pay for the final photograph taken - particularly one as beautiful as this - of someone you loved so much? Where will your family meal at KFC be in a year? Ten? Twenty? The portrait of your loved one would still have shone from its frame during all those years.

In a way I feel sorry for this family, whose complete lack of appreciation has cost them this memory of their lost loved one. And then, on the other hand, I am saddened and insulted on  behalf of the person who has died. 

While my heart goes out to the family as a result of their loss, all I can say to them with regard to this precious photograph, I suppose, is....'Enjoy your chicken'.

-Shelton Muller

Living in Pictures

Is Your Business a 'Non-Profit' organisation?

The digital era has turned photography into a commodity.There was a time when photography was mysterious, a skill to aspire towards, an art. Now, an image costs nothing to take, so it means nothing to own. Many of today's photographers are coming out of the woodwork with little understanding of light, lenswork and composition, adding a funky Lightroom preset that makes it look 'arty' and hoping that people will rave about their images on Facebook. No wonder professional photographers are struggling. The entire concept of the value of beautiful and masterful images by photographers who know their craft has been lost on the masses. Apparently, if you have a good camera, you can do it yourself. And yes, if you buy your pencils from the same place Shakespeare did, you can also pen a beautiful sonnet.

So, if you are a photographer who creates masterful images, or you are at least aspiring to that endeavour while in the meantime trying to make or supplement your income, you will need to know how to value your images yourself and then sell them confidently. This is why I have attached the image above.

Its a portrait of Lee Andrikopoulos. Along with his wife, Lorna, Lee runs a business called Instinctive Desires. He is one of the most inspirational and effective speakers I have heard on the subject of the emotional sale. While spending an afternoon recently in their home having lunch, Tash and I embarked upon a few portraits of them. What the heck....I am too lazy to get my lighting gear and backdrop out of the car, so why not drag it all into their living room and do a few portraits? After all, its fun too!

Well, thanks Lee and Lorna for using this one in your latest promotions for a seminar I hope I can attend. I am honoured!

If you are struggling to sell your work, it may be that you are struggling to value it yourself. It may be that you need the skills that enable others to value it as they should. If you can make this seminar, do so. If not, at least connect with this motivational couple and their business. You won't regret it.

For the seminar, click here