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Wooten posted:So I've been running a mildly successful photography business out of my living room. I've got quite a bit of business booked on the horizon, enough that I've put a deposit on a studio downtown. The only problem I'm running into is it's time for me to invest in some real backdrops. I want to get an on the wall system that holds 6 backdrops. What system should I be looking at, and which 6 backdrops are must have? I've got about 1500 bucks to work with, though cheaper would be good. I'd mark a white and a black BG as essential. I'd probably get at least one of blue/brown/grey as well. Luckily, solid color backgrounds are available on seamless paper for cheap. Really cheap. Cheap enough you could probably get the entire rainbow. Otherwise, as far as actual scenes go, well, they're kind of cheesy most of the time. I would try to make sure you get at least one that would work for Christmas photos. If you're doing families, Christmas should be a booming time for you.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 15:50 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 17:39 |
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ConfusedUs posted:I'd mark a white and a black BG as essential. I'd probably get at least one of blue/brown/grey as well. Luckily, solid color backgrounds are available on seamless paper for cheap. Really cheap. Cheap enough you could probably get the entire rainbow. So paper is definitely better than muslin?
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 15:55 |
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Keep in mind that I've never actually done this, so I can't offer any personal experience, but I've always wanted to get a setup similar to the one outlined here: http://www.zarias.com/?p=71 Basically, it involves using a roll of white seamless for your background, and then using two lights behind bi-fold doors to light it. The doors act as huge flags to make sure they only hit the background. That way, you can shoot them bare for white, turn them off for black, or gel them for color. Then you light your subject independently, and viola. I have no idea if this is a better idea than using separate sheets of seamless / muslins, because I don't have any practical experience with it. I just figured I'd throw it out there for you to consider / others to comment on.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 16:41 |
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Can't you just blacken the background with light placement (I forget how)?
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 16:56 |
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pwn posted:Can't you just blacken the background with light placement (I forget how)? dakana posted:That way, you can shoot them bare for white, turn them off for black, or gel them for color.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 17:28 |
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God drat I must be blind. Time for bed.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 17:29 |
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Wooten posted:So paper is definitely better than muslin? Paper is cheap and muslin is only good if you want to spend 90% of your time steaming and ironing it. No one uses muslin. Get a white and a dark gray (usually called 'storm' or 'seal') and then whatever colors you want. You can get any tone or color off those two by varying your light ratios or using gels. I wouldn't bother getting any kind of "system" other than 2 C-stands with arms unless you are going to be changing them out all day really rapidly without assistants.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 18:12 |
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I just signed a contract to be a photographer with the newspaper. I will go out and shoot people at events and then the events. Concerts and NFL football games. On stage and sidelines. So, I am pretty excited. I will get paid for doing the event and for sales of the photos. This is pretty much enough to cover gas and the like; we aren't talking tons of cash. I do not get anything from the paper like insurance, benefits and whatnot. Which is fine, I have a day job. The two big questions I have is since I am now paid, what insurance (theft, damage, etc,) should I look at? As well, would I be able deduct my camera equipment come tax time? I am a meticulous file keeper and I have no problem saving every receipt. My next step is a CPA, but if you guys have ideas I can bounce off him, I’d love to hear them.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2009 23:20 |
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Wooten posted:So paper is definitely better than muslin? Muslin wrinkles like crazy and is usually ugly as gently caress because of it. Its main benefit is that it's 100% re-usable. If it gets dirty, just wash it. Paper, on the other hand, usually comes in big rolls. If it gets dirty or creases, just unroll it some more and cut/tear off the damaged portion. When you get low, buy more. It's cheap. pwn posted:Can't you just blacken the background with light placement (I forget how)? Yeah, if you have enough space to do so. If you put the light close to the subject but far from the background, the subject comes out bright and the background dark. Exact distance determines just how much the background darkens. It's possible to get a pure white wall (or white seamless) to turn black if you have enough space. But if space is at a premium, having an already-black background just makes poo poo easy.
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| # ? Jun 28, 2009 03:06 |
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Eeek posted:I just signed a contract to be a photographer with the newspaper. I will go out and shoot people at events and then the events. Concerts and NFL football games. On stage and sidelines. So, I am pretty excited. I will get paid for doing the event and for sales of the photos. This is pretty much enough to cover gas and the like; we aren't talking tons of cash. I do not get anything from the paper like insurance, benefits and whatnot. Which is fine, I have a day job. The two big questions I have is since I am now paid, what insurance (theft, damage, etc,) should I look at? As well, would I be able deduct my camera equipment come tax time? I am a meticulous file keeper and I have no problem saving every receipt. My next step is a CPA, but if you guys have ideas I can bounce off him, I’d love to hear them. The problem isn't with record keeping it's with assigning ownership and ussage if you plan to also use your camera as a personal item. If you are going to talk to a cpa, he'll know the rules and be able to help you straight away (as long as he isn't from H&R Block  )
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| # ? Jun 30, 2009 16:42 |
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Alright, I'm an idiot. I just got done taking team / individual photos for a local little league. I had envelopes printed with the different items / packages they could order from me. This is where my stupidity comes in: I forgot to write on the envelope whom they should make checks out to. So about half of the checks are written out to (My last name) Photography. I've talked to my bank, and they said I'd need to open a new account in order to cash those checks. How do I go about getting "established" as a business, and what are the costs like?
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| # ? Jun 30, 2009 23:35 |
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I get checks like that all the time and never had a problem cashing them. I have separate accounts for work, but they are just in My Name and not My Name Photography (which is what I do business under). If you want to open a new account, you need to file a DBA (doing business as) form which is usually like $20 and you do it at the county clerk's office. Then you take the DBA form to the bank and they let you open an account in that name.
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| # ? Jun 30, 2009 23:47 |
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brad industry posted:I get checks like that all the time and never had a problem cashing them. I have separate accounts for work, but they are just in My Name and not My Name Photography (which is what I do business under). So you have a work account under just Your Name, and you can cash checks that are written to Your Last Name Photography? But anyway, all I need to do is do one of the DBA forms? I haven't done anything this high-paying -- just a few weddings in the past -- so I haven't registered anything in terms of a photo business. Do I need to do anything like that? Thanks for the help.
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| # ? Jul 1, 2009 02:07 |
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I've never had a problem cashing checks made out to "Alex Turco Photography" in my personal account, though I should probably go ahead and set up two accounts etc.
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| # ? Jul 1, 2009 02:29 |
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dakana posted:So you have a work account under just Your Name, and you can cash checks that are written to Your Last Name Photography? Yes. I have accounts with Bank of America and Charles Schwab and neither of them have a problem with it. You don't need a business license or anything like that, just a DBA if you want to open an account in something other than your legal name (all it does is link your SSN to another name).
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| # ? Jul 1, 2009 02:32 |
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I'll go over to my bank tomorrow and talk to them in person then. If they have an issue, then I'll just do the DBA form and a new account. Thanks, you two, for the help!
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| # ? Jul 1, 2009 02:44 |
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Anyone familiar with a group called Action Sports International? They hire photographers to shoot foot races, with the idea of selling the photos to the runners. I was thinking of joining them to pick up some extra money, just wondering if there's anything I should be wary about.
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| # ? Jul 11, 2009 20:28 |
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Nihiliste posted:Anyone familiar with a group called Action Sports International? They hire photographers to shoot foot races, with the idea of selling the photos to the runners. I was thinking of joining them to pick up some extra money, just wondering if there's anything I should be wary about. Just on face value it seems like they likely underpay then take all of the rights to your image. But it's all about deciding what your time is worth to you. The only way to find out if it's something that would be good for you to do is to do your own research into it.
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| # ? Jul 14, 2009 19:12 |
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TsarAleksi posted:Just on face value it seems like they likely underpay then take all of the rights to your image. But it's all about deciding what your time is worth to you. The only way to find out if it's something that would be good for you to do is to do your own research into it. Further on this maybe try to contact someone who has or is working for them and ask them how they like it?
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| # ? Jul 14, 2009 21:08 |
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Dread Head posted:Further on this maybe try to contact someone who has or is working for them and ask them how they like it? Eh, that's my problem, the group is alien to me other than I know they do work all over North America.
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| # ? Jul 15, 2009 13:17 |
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Nihiliste posted:Eh, that's my problem, the group is alien to me other than I know they do work all over North America. Have they approached you or anything about shooting for them?
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 02:39 |
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I'm just back from uni, and was hoping to find somewhere to assist at over the summer. There's this place: http://7studios.co.uk/ just down the street (literally 30 seconds) from my house. What'd be the best way of approaching them? Just go in and say hello? I've not got a printed portfolio, should I get one first and take it in on my first visit?
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 13:26 |
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I can't beleive I have to ask this, but here I go. At my old job at a dog daycare I would take pictures of the customer's dogs while they were staying and make some cheap 4x6 prints at costco to put them up on the bulletin board in the lobby. This wasn't a part of my job, just something I did on my own, using my own equipment. I just saw that my former boss made a facebook page for the business, and filled it with my pictures. Most of them she had to have taken right from my flickr page because I never made prints of them. What are my options in reality? I'm pretty sure of my rights here, but would like the peace of mind of someone here backing it up. I am about to contact her and demand she take them down or pay me for them. Pay how much though? Its around 30-40 pictures atm. I just checked and a couple are also on the businesses official website. Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 14:03 |
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Stregone posted:I can't beleive I have to ask this, but here I go. My guess is that if you did it on company time, she can fairly easily claim that you did them as 'work-for-hire' and she has every right to use the images.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 15:19 |
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TsarAleksi posted:My guess is that if you did it on company time, she can fairly easily claim that you did them as 'work-for-hire' and she has every right to use the images. Well, not all were taken while I was on the clock. Some weren't even taken at work. Hopefully someone who isn't guessing can give me some direction...at the least I can report the pictures to facebook. I doubt they will care to investigate if what you say is true, the upload dates on my flickr page for these pictures are all months to a year ago and have the default all rights reserved copyright notice.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 15:54 |
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TsarAleksi posted:Have they approached you or anything about shooting for them? The other way around. Their terms aren't that great, it turns out, though it is still money. I might take an event here or there for cash.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 17:32 |
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Nihiliste posted:The other way around. Their terms aren't that great, it turns out, though it is still money. I might take an event here or there for cash. I'd be really careful if I were you. They sound like they're roughly in the same neighbourhood as the guys that take photos of you when you get off the tour bus and then try to sell the photos to you when you come back. Ask very specific questions about what your duties and responsibilities will be. You may end up having to do a lot more on the sales end of things that you might like.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 19:35 |
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Nihiliste posted:The other way around. Their terms aren't that great, it turns out, though it is still money. I might take an event here or there for cash. The company I worked for could be entirely different, but they owned a lab that prints photos for the largest race photography company in America and they pretty much started the thing so I would expect similar businesses to follow the same model. Be wary. HPL posted:I'd be really careful if I were you. They sound like they're roughly in the same neighbourhood as the guys that take photos of you when you get off the tour bus and then try to sell the photos to you when you come back. Ask very specific questions about what your duties and responsibilities will be. You may end up having to do a lot more on the sales end of things that you might like. 
JAY ZERO SUM GAME fucked around with this message at Jul 16, 2009 around 20:15 |
| # ? Jul 16, 2009 20:13 |
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delicious beef posted:I'm just back from uni, and was hoping to find somewhere to assist at over the summer. There's this place: http://7studios.co.uk/ just down the street (literally 30 seconds) from my house. What'd be the best way of approaching them? Just go in and say hello? I've not got a printed portfolio, should I get one first and take it in on my first visit? You can bring a few photos (three or four), but that may not be what they're interested in when looking for assistants, they may want to know what experience you have. But the photos can't hurt. Mentioning that you live 30 seconds away would be a good idea, meaning you're quickly available. Good luck!
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 20:21 |
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Stregone posted:Well, not all were taken while I was on the clock. Some weren't even taken at work. Hopefully someone who isn't guessing can give me some direction...at the least I can report the pictures to facebook. I doubt they will care to investigate if what you say is true, the upload dates on my flickr page for these pictures are all months to a year ago and have the default all rights reserved copyright notice. Work for hire will likely get you if they were made using company funds or for a company purpose. It depends on the back story. Now they have a problem with the other images. If they weren't taken at work or for a work purpose (for which you were paid) you can demand they are taken down. Here's the problem you run into, if you want to sue, it's $30 to register and since I bet these are more than 3 months old, you can't register and get statutory damages (for this infringement) Now you can get actual damages. It will be tough to prove what actual damages are in this instance but you will, with any decent council be able to take him for a lot more than you would have originally given him a license for. I assume you left employment on bad terms and this would be beneficial. The first thing to do (if you don't really want the money, just him to stop using your images) is to just call him up and inform him that since you were the author (the person who pushed the button on the camera) of those photos, they are subject to your copyright and that he must take them down immediately. Also, there is no federal small claims court so you have to go to federal court to get a judgment.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 20:23 |
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Interrupting Moss posted:Having worked at such a company, I can tell you they most likely take all the rights, will forbid you from advertising any other business (even if it is in a market they're not), and pay like poo poo. You may not even get access to the CF card you're shooting on. You likely turn it in immediately after shooting and that's it. The company I worked with wasn't concerned about image quality as long as it was exposed well. Don't expect to be lauded for going after 'great' images, they want quantity not quality. They sound a bit better than that, but yeah, I'm not in a rush to take any assignments. What I really need to do is build my portfolio and start pestering modeling and advertising agencies.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 21:19 |
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KennyG posted:Work for hire will likely get you if they were made using company funds or for a company purpose. It depends on the back story. Now they have a problem with the other images. If they weren't taken at work or for a work purpose (for which you were paid) you can demand they are taken down. quote:Here's the problem you run into, if you want to sue, it's $30 to register and since I bet these are more than 3 months old, you can't register and get statutory damages (for this infringement) Now you can get actual damages. It will be tough to prove what actual damages are in this instance but you will, with any decent council be able to take him for a lot more than you would have originally given him a license for. I assume you left employment on bad terms and this would be beneficial. quote:The first thing to do (if you don't really want the money, just him to stop using your images) is to just call him up and inform him that since you were the author (the person who pushed the button on the camera) of those photos, they are subject to your copyright and that he must take them down immediately. Thanks a ton, I really appreciate it. I will talk to her and tell her to take them down, and give her a chance to pay something if she really wants them.
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| # ? Jul 16, 2009 21:50 |
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Interrupting Moss posted:Having worked at such a company, I can tell you they most likely take all the rights, will forbid you from advertising any other business (even if it is in a market they're not), and pay like poo poo. You may not even get access to the CF card you're shooting on. You likely turn it in immediately after shooting and that's it. The company I worked with wasn't concerned about image quality as long as it was exposed well. Don't expect to be lauded for going after 'great' images, they want quantity not quality. This is what I figured the operation was, be very wary of them. The photographer in these cases is often more of a button pusher getting paid barely above minimum wage than an actual photographer. They don't employ you based on your skills.
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| # ? Jul 17, 2009 22:15 |
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So what's the feeling on agents? I'm guessing you need to be pulling in major business before an agent could become worthwhile. Probably better to stick to calling art directors...
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| # ? Jul 18, 2009 23:10 |
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I worked for a photo agency in NYC, what do you want to know? edit: http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/06...borah-schwartz/ brad industry fucked around with this message at Jul 20, 2009 around 00:35 |
| # ? Jul 20, 2009 00:28 |
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brad industry posted:I worked for a photo agency in NYC, what do you want to know? That interview is very informative, thanks. What are the rates for reps though, on average?
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| # ? Jul 20, 2009 01:34 |
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Nihiliste posted:That interview is very informative, thanks. What are the rates for reps though, on average? They all work differently, because they all do different things and have different structures. The one I worked at charged clients a 10% agency fee on the invoice. I know this has come up before but what else is out there similar to Smugmug/Zenfolio? Are there any ones without an annual fee? I'm shooting a wedding for a friend and don't want to pay a lot since I almost never do weddings.
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| # ? Jul 22, 2009 00:23 |
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brad industry posted:They all work differently, because they all do different things and have different structures. The one I worked at charged clients a 10% agency fee on the invoice. I saw it in Resource Magazine
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| # ? Jul 22, 2009 07:08 |
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brad industry posted:They all work differently, because they all do different things and have different structures. The one I worked at charged clients a 10% agency fee on the invoice. I just installed Coppermine Gallery on my site (it's all PHP) and use a star rating system to do proofing. It works for now and is pretty customisable, I'll be moving to Smugmug soon enough though.
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| # ? Jul 22, 2009 10:41 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 17:39 |
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A local wedding photographer recently browsed my flickr page and liked what she saw, and she's asked if I'd like to help her out with weddings to get some more practical experience. As she put it, "mostly to watch and shoot a little, at first." I sort of solicited this; I'd written her asking if she knew of any good classes/resources in town. I'd be happy to help her, she's one of the most successful photographers in town and is talented as hell; anything I learn from her is likely to help me out in the future. The question is, if the shots I take are to be given to clients as part of her package, what could I expect, if anything, to be paid for this? She's already got a full-time assistant, so I'd likely be assistant-to-the-assistant, some kind of rogue shooter out to get the shots they don't have time for. She's an acquaintance of my fiance (who worked in the wedding industry at one point) so that kind of muddies things: while I consider it a privilege to be able to learn from her, I don't want to be a chump working for free on a $5k job just because we're on friendly terms. If anybody's done this before, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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| # ? Jul 22, 2009 14:04 |
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