Break into Professional Photography

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Professional Photography From the publishers of

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PROFIT

Brett Florens explains how to set up & run a successful photography business

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about the editor…

contents

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4 Starting out

There’s no better way to give your business a successful head start than by clearly establishing a brand identity.

8 Get business savvy

Don’t just take a shot in the dark. Learn how to develop a unique selling point with a niche idea to get ahead of the competition.

12 Play to your strengths Be yourself - it’s that simple. Well, not quite, but it’s advice you need to heed when developing your business.

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16 The price is right

Or is it? The difficult issue of costing and valuing your services is a key decision to make as it will keep you and your business afloat.

20 Targeting the trade It's payback time. Find out how helping other businesses will boost yours.

24 Family fortunes

Making money from kids is easy, and that doesn’t mean stealing their pocket money either!

28 Shooting in the rain

As well as shooting in the rain, you’ll be singing in it too, because it’s all about preparation for bad weather that makes a happy photographer.

It’s obvious that the more you invest in yourself, the more you will reap the rewards. For the past eight years I have endeavoured to impart as much valuable knowledge as I can to other photographers through my private mentoring sessions, workshops and seminars.

After running my own business for more than 20 years and having managed to enjoy a successful, sustainable photographic career, this knowledge comes from a passionate and hard-earned place.

I have developed a teaching strategy that both motivates and empowers my candidates to fulfil their potential as successful photographers.

Sharing and teaching is just as rewarding for me as I believe it is for my clients. If you are willing to invest in yourself and your photographic career, I look forward to contributing towards attaining your dreams and goals. I will be holding two three-day workshops in the UK during the summer of 2016.

Brett Florens

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Professional photographer

● To view upcoming workshops or purchase educational material please go to www.brettflorens.co.uk

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Break into Professional Photography

from passion to profit GET BUSINESS SAVVY

To run successful business its a good idea to start with the the requirement to establish a brand identity

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aking pictures for friends and family for fun is a very different proposition to embarking on a full-time career in photography. If you want to make your living out of your camera you need good business acumen. You will need not only photographic, but also marketing and strategic thinking skills as well.

The transition process can be a difficult one, because when you start asking to be paid for the time you take to shoot the images, as well as the time taken for post-production, you may find that you don’t have as many friends as you previously thought. You may not get invited to as many parties as you used to – ‘Come to my party, oh, and bring your camera’ will probably be a thing of the past. In simple business terms you will have alienated your existing target market.

This brings me to the topic of finding out what your target market really is, and your style of work may influence this. If you shoot imagery that is governed by contemporary trends and fads then you might find that you appeal to a middle-market type of client. If you find that you are doing enough work to earn a good living from this sector, then that may work for you. However, if you find that this particular business model doesn’t generate enough income, you may have to target a market that has the disposable income to spend on good photography and prints and/or albums. This is where you may find an internal conflict happening, as you may feel that your prices could deter potential clients. This will happen when you are trying to attract clients who have a better lifestyle measure or Living Standards Measure (LSM) than yourself and your thoughts may go along the lines of ‘I wouldn’t pay that amount of money for family portraits’.

What you have to get clear in your head right off the bat is that just because you don’t have that sort of disposable income, it doesn’t mean that your clients don’t.

I will honestly say that I couldn’t afford to pay a photographer what I charge for a wedding. That doesn’t at all mean that I don’t think there is value in what I produce for my clients – I make sure that there is. It just means that I can’t afford that amount of money myself. That’s because I don’t fall into my personal target market, which is LSM 8-10, but my marketing strategies have enabled me to run a sustainable photographic business aimed at this sector for over 15 years.

I’m one of those many people that weren’t fulfilled in their original career and I found myself looking to change what I was doing with my life. Photography was where my passion lay, and I was willing to take the plunge and give photography a go as a full-time venture. I started off, as many people do, photographing for friends and family and they were happy with the work I was producing. This was great for my ego as everyone told me how fantastic my images were.

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If truth be told, however, that’s because they weren’t paying very much and didn’t have high expectations. As soon as you put a monetary value to your skills and the physical product that you are selling, you are facilitating the creation of certain expectations.

The transition period between hobby and business is crucial to the longevity of your career, as this is the time when you position yourself in the marketplace. You have to be aware of setting certain precedents that may be difficult to reverse as your career develops.

Understand from the outset that the barrier to entering this market, be it any sector in the photographic industry, is pretty much non-existent these days due to the digital revolution.

The rapid improvement of camera technology has meant that photography is way more accessible to the general population than it was when we were shooting on film. One of the most obvious reasons is that, with the digital revolution, you have instant assurance that you have captured an image. When we were shooting film you might only find out days after the shoot whether you got the shot or not! This, coupled with the decreasing prices of memory, means that the input costs after hardware has

IMAGES As well as ensuring that the images in your portfolio are right for your target market, it’s important to take a good look at how you present yourself, from your clothes to your car.

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Photography was where my passion lay, and I was willing to take the plunge and give photography a go as a fulltime venture

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been purchased is very low. Compare this to the 25p or so that slipped through your fingers every time you pressed the shutter in the olden days and you’ll understand how much more expensive it was back then.

Another factor is the current economic climate. There are many people who have been laid off or are just out of college or even people who are looking to supplement a stagnant or even shrinking income. The market is now fair game to everyone and the client is not too concerned by experience levels or official qualifications. Clients are looking for value and great images and if you can keep them happy on these two fronts then you have a chance of making it. There are many experienced photographers out there who are feeling the effects of a diluted, over-saturated market and are struggling to adapt to this phenomenon.

The importance of brand This busy, overcrowded market is one of the main reasons why you need to work on a clear brand identity, and this will send out a clear message to consumers, no matter which sector of the market you’re targeting, that will tell them who you are and what you are offering. Your clients will see images on your website or social media outlets and your work will either resonate with them or not.

This is where understanding your target market is going to count.

Research your potential clients to find out what types of images appeal to them. What brands of clothes, fragrances and shoes do they wear? Where do they shop, what magazines do they read?

If you’re photographing families, take a good look at what the parents dress their kids in. Then look at the images in the magazines that appeal to your target audience and the images that are used to sell them fragrances and clothing. Find out what is ‘normality’ for your clients. This will give you a very good indication as to what type of images will appeal to your market, whichever sector they may come from.

As I target a high-end client, I buy Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and W magazine. I follow the advertising campaigns of Guess, Abercrombie and Fitch, Levi’s, Ralph Lauren and the like. I then shoot images that are similar in terms of lighting and posing, as these will resonate with them.

Initially you might find yourself in a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario where it’s difficult to attract people from a higher income bracket to photograph for your portfolio simply because you don’t have shots that would appeal to them already in there. There is a way around this, however, namely the use of model agencies and websites. There are many models that will swap time for prints and this mutually beneficial agreement will allow you to start your business off on the right foot with the right perception of your brand. You will need around 15-20 different images to use on your site and you might only have to set up three to four shoots to gather together the images you need to get started.

Ensure your models are wearing the right clothes and create a storyboard of images gathered from magazines that you would like to emulate. This will give your models an idea of the end result you are looking to achieve. If you’re going to use these images to support print advertising in magazines, you need to carry out research beforehand to see which publication best suits your brand. If you are going to advertise in the print media, then it’s better to buy a bigger space in one magazine than four smaller spaces in four different publications. Having a bigger ad in the right magazine will send out the right message. Remember that I’m talking about the higher end market; if you’re targeting the middle market then this strategy could intimidate your clients because they will suppose your charges are high, so in this case the smaller ads in more publications route could actually be better.

For those looking to break into the wedding industry I would also suggest shooting a few friend and family weddings at no cost or as a gift to the couple, since this will help you to become familiar with the structure of weddings and will teach you what to expect in terms of the order of events. If you’re trying to appeal to a higher-end market, however, then remember that images of work from a lower-income job shouldn’t appear in

IMAGES If you want to move from taking photos for fun to making it your business, creativity isn’t enough; you’ll need business acumen, too.

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your marketing, no matter how happy they were with the results, since they will have a negative impact on your brand. You may feel at this point that I appear shallow, saying that people with less money are less worthy but, as I stated earlier, I’m not my own target market! I target clients that earn a lot more than I do.

Take a look at yourself We’ve discussed the types of images required to attract your target market – now let’s chat about you. What does your attire say about you, do you smell like you belong rubbing shoulders with people of a higher income bracket? What car do you drive? All these superficial things have an impact on your brand’s perception.

If you don’t own branded clothing or a nice watch or expensive cologne, consider it an investment, just as your camera and lenses are. On this topic, where you meet your clients is also going to have an impact on your brand perception. Think of the salesman selling expensive sports cars. He’ll approach his clients in a way that’s distinctly different to a second-hand car salesman selling entry-level vehicles. There’s no way that the salesman selling the expensive cars could afford the product he’s selling, but if he’s good at his job the client will believe that he could, and that he sees the value in the product.

If you don’t own or rent a studio that would impress your clients, then ask to meet them in their comfort zone. Find out

where they live or work and meet them at an upmarket coffee shop or deli. If you don’t know of one in the area that you are going to meet offhand, tell your client that you will get back to them with a meeting place. Then research the area and suggest a venue that is up to the standard of your client. Remember to pick up the tab; even if it is the most expensive coffee you have ever drunk, it’s good for your brand!

Pricing your work is such a difficult topic to write about considering the diverse readership of this magazine. However, whichever sector you’re targeting you need to approach your business like a business. Consider the cost of producing the work you are selling. Include cameras, lenses, lights and all your other accessories. Take into account the cost of creating your portfolio and all your marketing material, your website etc. Then there is travel, an assistant, office supplies and rent. Plus, of course, income tax!

Not such fun now is it? Don’t get me wrong, I love running my own business and I get incredible satisfaction from this creative field. However, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is a business and should be run like one. You can’t be afraid to charge what you feel you deserve, as your price is also a perception of quality. However you need to back up or justify your fee by the quality of your product and service, as well as the perceived value of your brand. If you fail to do that you’ll unfortunately be just another fly-by-nighter, and you’ll soon be looking for another career. ●

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For those looking to break into the wedding industry I would also suggest shooting a few friends and family weddings at no cost or as a gift to the couple

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I embrace the dark and use the opportunity to create images for my clients that they never dreamed were possible

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a shot in the USE LOW-LIGHT

Modern DSLRs effectively allow you to shoot in the dark, while ISO speeds can be changed in seconds. Here’s where you can use low-light shots as a key selling point

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n some ways we don’t know how lucky we are, and for those who’ve come into the profession since digital technology swept away silver halide, it’s difficult to believe at times how convoluted things used to be, and how challenging it was to cope with all the different lighting situations that you might face during the course of a typical wedding, for example.

Obviously times have moved on and the business point that I’m seeking to make this month is that you should be looking to tap into all the benefits that modern digital technology has to offer. In particular it’s now easier than it’s ever been to shoot in low-light situations and the opportunity is there to make pictures of this kind an integral part of your approach and a key element of your trademark look. It’s a way of differentiating yourself from the family member with a camera or the part-time photographer, and if you take the time to understand what lowlight shooting has to offer you then you’ll be confident trying it out on your next assignment.

The film scenario For those who don’t remember how things used to be, here’s a reality check from a wedding I undertook in January 2002. We arrived at the bridal preparation room and started shooting details, and initially I was using my Nikon F4 SLR loaded with Fuji 400 Superia since I was working indoors using window light and the higher speed of the film gave me a useable shutter speed of around 1/125sec. I then shot the bridesmaids’ activities, as well as the make-up being applied, with my Nikon F90, which was loaded with Ilford XP2 ISO 400 B&W film.

The bride was now ready for her portraits: by this time I’d shot 22 images of details on my colour roll, and now wanted to change to Fuji Reala in my F4 since this delivered better skin tones. However, I didn’t want to waste the remaining 14 frames on my roll of Superia, so I manually rewound the film until just the tongue was showing, popping it in my pocket and making a mental note of how many frames had been exposed.

I shot around 18 carefully lit and posed images using Reala before repeating the process of manually rewinding the film and putting that one into my other pocket. Off to the church, where I shot some more photojournalist-style images with the F90 and XP2, while I reloaded the partially exposed roll of Superia in my F4, taking care to advance the film to the correct place – a laborious and potentially risky process.

And so it went on: after shooting my remaining 13 images of the bride getting out of the car and a portrait with her father I loaded another roll of Superia 400 to cope with the dark church interior and then switched to Superia 100 for the after service portraits, shooting outside in good light. A roll and a half later I manually rewound the film again to replace it with Reala, and I used this into the evening at the reception. Here at times even ISO 400 wasn’t enough, and for available light shots of the first dance I needed to push the film by two stops, asking my darkroom to extend the development time to compensate. So much to think about, and remember this was all just 14 years ago, not back in the photographic dark ages.

Little wonder then that I’m so grateful for the digital revolution that has, amongst many things, enabled us to shoot using a different ISO speed from frame to frame should we so desire, simply by quickly changing a setting. With modern professional DSLRs we now have the ability to literally shoot in the dark and the hardware available to us is so advanced that it’s opened up a whole new avenue for us to express our creativity.

Not only have cameras moved on, but new lighting solutions have emerged with costs that are not out of the reach of most professional photographers. I’m no longer afraid of the dark; in fact I embrace it and use the opportunity to create images for my clients that they never dreamed were possible. These are not only my wedding clients, but my commercial, fashion and portrait clients as well. Once you learn to trust your camera’s capabilities, which may take a while given that the concept of shooting smooth images at ISO 12,800 or higher would not have been possible even just a few years ago, you’ll find infinite ways to express yourself.

LEFT By covering the hair light with a blue gel I created a more interesting image. I’ve noticed that those shooting images for perfume advertising are having fun with colours, and I took my inspiration from this.

ABOVE TOP The LED was covered with a red gel this time, giving me a different option. I had to increase the output of this primary light source, however, resulting in a higher shutter speed and less influence from the blue-gelled hair light.

ABOVE Both light sources were covered with a blue gel for this image, resulting in an image with an intentional ‘science-fiction’ look and feel.

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Low-light skills I recently invested in a Nikon D4s, an incredible piece of technology capable of producing astonishing quality images at very high ISOs, and channelled my enthusiasm for my new acquisition into testing the camera under various lighting conditions to see what images I could create. I think we need to undertake personal training more often, especially when working with a new piece of kit, as it instils confidence in our own ability once we know that we’ve mastered its foibles.

When you have the ability to work at extraordinary ISO speeds the combinations that are possible are as diverse as the different styles photographers have, allowing you to create images that resonate with your carefully nurtured brand. The trick is to know the different properties of each light source and the emotion it evokes. Different LED lights can for example emulate window light using soft light whereas other LED panels can be a little harder, almost like a beauty dish on a strobe. A domestic LED torch produces a rather harsh light emulating a bare bulb strobe, creating razor sharp shadows and an editorial feel.

Once you know what each light source can offer you can experiment, for example by using gels to colour the light source, and this allows you to create a very specific mood. Other options would include shooting through transparent objects, such as a prism or wine glass, to create interesting foreground textures in your images, while you could also look at varying your combination of speedlights or off-camera strobes or

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maybe ould make up an entire feature on its own, but in this article I’m referring to ambient or continuous lighting sources.

These will give you a great introduction to low-light shooting because you’re able to see what your results are going to be in advance and can then adjust your lighting or subject positions accordingly.

Interesting light The key to low light, or night shooting, is to find a location with some ambient light that would be interesting when out of focus, and this includes many areas that might not necessarily look good when lit by the sun. I’ve already mentioned the low light/high ISO capabilities of some modern DSLRs, and if you’re regularly shooting weddings and social functions that go on into the evening then it makes real sense to invest in such a camera. A fast lens, such as an 85mm f/1.4 or f/1.8, will be a good companion, not only giving you a brighter viewfinder in a lowlight situation but also providing the opportunity to create some spectacular bokeh.

Shoot wide open to create an image with a shallow depth-offield, allowing messy backgrounds to be lost, and work with an ISO that’s high enough to give you a shutter speed the same,

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RIGHT Shooting purely by the light that emanates from shopfront windows can be quite effective. This image was created using only the light available on location. You’ll be surprised at what you can create if you know what to look for when you’re shooting out and about.

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Find a location with some ambient light that would be interesting when out of focus, and this includes many areas that might not necessarily look good when lit by the sun

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or higher, than the focal length of the lens you’re using. This will keep the risk of camera shake to a minimum, unless you’re looking to introduce blur as a special effect. The beauty of being in a creative field is that you’re able to interpret and express things in your own way.

Colours at night can be very interesting, and the advantage of working at this time is that it’s easier to control the intensity, direction and colour of the light falling on your subject. If you gel the light source that illuminates your subject, for example, and then correct the white-balance either in-camera, or in postproduction, to compensate for the colour, you’ll essentially change the perceived colour of everything that’s not illuminated by your light source. The use of a grey card may be of benefit in this instance, as the multiple colours of the ambient and added light

sources have the potential to fool the auto white-balance settings of even the most advanced cameras. That said, perhaps you’re not looking for perfect skin tones at all, preferring a more surreal look, in which case it’s better to leave the white-balance where it is.

There are so many possibilities available to you, with only your imagination limiting your creativity. With this in mind it’s important to set aside a night or two to experiment and create. My advice would be to collaborate on a shoot with a hair and make-up artist, as well as a clothing designer, since such an arrangement would be mutually beneficial. Offer images to the participants in return for their contribution and approach the shoot as a collaborative partnership, rather than ‘your’ shoot. This in turn will be more attractive to the other contributors, elevating the chances of a successful session. ●

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play to your BUILD YOUR SKILLS

strengths

It’s important you identify and categorise your own character type, so that you can use your individuality to your advantage and attract the right type of client for your business

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o many of us spend hours online investigating, researching or possibly even stalking our opposition.

This practice often results in deflated egos and inevitably negative sentiment. We either look at images that are of such high standard that we believe we will never achieve such greatness ourselves, or we see photographers who seem to be very busy and successful, producing images that we wouldn’t even post because they look so inferior or amateurish. ‘How are these photographers charging what they charge and getting away with it?’ we may ask ourselves, or ‘I’ve met that guy before and he’s so arrogant, I can’t believe that he gets the clients he does!’

To understand what attracts clients to particular photographers or brands I’ve been drawn to studying the decision-making process. More than that, however, I’ve delved into which brands are fascinating or attractive to certain types of consumers, and this research moves more into the realm of the human psyche. Hopefully I’ll be able to shed some light on this side of things, as well as encourage you to become a little more introspective regarding where you’re positioning your brand.

When we started off working as professional photographers we generally all looked to successful leaders in the industry, and tried to emulate their formula for success. This may work to a certain degree, but the fact is that what works for one person does not necessarily work for others. I believe one of the strongest keys to success is an understanding of the seven triggers of fascination, namely Power, Prestige, Passion, Trust, Mystique, Rebellion and Alert. Created by world-leading brand expert Sally Hogshead, the ‘fascinate system’ measures how people perceive your communication and helps you to understand what makes you valuable to others. Ultimately you can use this system to ensure the world sees you at your best.

Triggers of fascination Power: Generally those who have Power triggers tend to be natural leaders who are determined to go for certain goals.

These self-assured individuals earn the respect of either their co-workers, customers, peers or their competition.

They’re confident and don’t have much time for selfdoubt. They will generally become influential people over time, figures that others will look to follow and imitate.

Their strong beliefs make them opinionated, ensuring they can decide on a quick course of action when necessary. While Mystique would be carefully examining data, Rebellion creating newfangled methods and Passion deeply concentrating on relating to others, Power would probably have paved the path that he’s skipping down merrily, with a band of followers hot on his heels.

Prestige: These individuals intuitively search for continual self-improvement, bigger and better goals and concrete evidence of their success. They are highly ambitious, investing boundless energy into reaching greater heights, and they expect others to be doing the same. They have a clear, focused vision and their dogged determination makes them very good leaders. Superperfectionists, not only in the work they produce but in how they present themselves to the world, they notice the smallest of details and are tempted to fix any slight flaw they come across. Colleagues or acquaintances respect them as experts and achievers, and they are likely to be consulted when it comes to others seeking advice. They are uncompromising and will not be happy to settle for what they deem to be less than the absolute best.

Passion: Those with a primary Passion trigger have the ability to make emotional connections with customers, colleagues or peers in a relatively small time frame.

They are really friendly and approachable, with great

IMAGES If you want to move from taking photos for fun to making it your business, creativity isn’t enough; you’ll need business acumen, too.

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Ask colleagues and other vendors in the industry what they consider your triggers of fascination to be, then play to your strengths

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IMAGES There’s no point trying to come across as something you’re not; identify your personal strengths and incorporate them into your business to make sure your company attracts exactly the type of person it needs. Do your research and apply it carefully.

interpersonal skills, and they use body language, including facial expressions and vocal intonation, to communicate and emphasise their point of view. This typically keeps people interested in the message they’re trying to get across. The tendency of this group of people is to think with the heart, rather than the head, following their initiative or gut feeling and likewise picking up on other people’s feelings. This allows them to impulsively adjust their own message according to what they hear back, making sure that their audience is emotionally fulfilled. They wear their heart on their sleeve and usually have great difficulty masking their emotions, which means that situations that require negotiation and hoodwinking make them uncomfortable.

Trust: These people are stable and solid, rarely, if ever, fluctuating in their conduct. They are cool as cucumbers and can calmly face situations of chaos and disharmony. Extremely dependable, they stick to their promises and deliver what’s required of them. These Trust personalities often develop patterns and routines in their lives, which they find to be comfortable, making them very predictable. They tend to be seen as your average girl- or guy-next-door type.

Mystique: Probably the polar opposite of Passion, Mystique individuals are quieter than most, preferring to stay out of the limelight from where they can observe and plan before they act. When they have something to say it will be after thoughtful deliberation, which often makes their opinions more influential for their rarity. Some people may not be comfortable with a Mystique, because they don’t know where they stand with them. They protect themselves by guarding their feelings and emotions, and are generally rational, analytical thinkers, relying on facts on which to base their decisions and sharing only what they think is essential.

Rebellion: These are creative, alternative thinkers who produce inventive solutions and resolve problems with speed.

Highly innovative, they rely on flashes of inspiration rather than methodically plodding through a rationally thought-out plan.

Typically, they prefer to work alone so that they are free to make their own decisions and expand their creativity. They have an entrepreneurial nature that loves new territory and hates feeling hemmed in or limited. Quick-witted, clever and possible edgy, they find it easy to grasp alternative viewpoints, but can often be seen as unpredictable and unorthodox, surprising people with non-traditional ideas and actions.

Alert: Much like the Trust personalities, these people are very reliable and tend to work methodically, sticking closely to deadlines and briefs. They are extremely careful, closely watching details to avoid problems, striving for perfection in their work for fear of failure. They love to form a routine in their daily lives, following predictable patterns so as to avoid risk and the unknown, and they are also rational thinkers, averse to saying or doing anything controversial.

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Mixing things up Now hopefully I haven’t lost you within all this deep analysis, but you need to bear with me for a little longer! We all have a dominant trigger of fascination in our personalities, as well as a secondary trigger, that, when combined, result in an approach that conveys a brand message or a brand identity. These brands are ‘talking’ to our customers.

When you combine Trust with Prestige, for example, you create a brand that emanates a message of sustained attraction. This is great for a long-term career, and if you use these combinations you’ll benefit from the constant support. However, you may find it difficult to elevate your prices to the heights needed to lead a luxurious lifestyle, because with the Trust trigger the girl- or guy-next-door type is sometimes at a disadvantage. This is because people feel very comfortable with you very quickly and they may want to take advantage of the perceived friendship, talking ‘discount’ and how you can help them out. Alternatively, with the combination of Prestige and Alert, you would have a brand with a heightened demand for a luxury, reliable product.

Think of designer brand stores and the feelings that are associated with them. The décor is often very high end and the layout will be quite sparse, creating the sense of exclusivity.

This enhances the shopping experience for clients looking for unique garments, appealing to their desire to be seen as having a higher social standing than most. If you want to see what your fascination combination currently produces, go online and search for ‘triggers of fascination’, or Sally Hogshead.

Following on from all of this, the first thing you need to do before you can market your personality type is to take a good look at yourself to determine your own characteristics. Your ego may get in the way here, as what you perceive about yourself and the actual signals you’re sending out can sometimes be very conflicting. Ask colleagues and other vendors in the industry what they consider your triggers of fascination to be, and then play to your strengths. Don’t ever try to be something that you’re not: if your primary trigger is Mystique, for example, then trying to copy a Passionate personality won’t come across as authentic.

This could mean that you’ll end up failing dismally, even though you may have a good product and a great service.

What I’ve done with my brand is to combine Prestige and Mystique, which produces a message that has a hint of hidden benefits. I do this by using the fact that I am a Nikon Brand ambassador and am seen to be an authority in my industry.

This is backed up by my work being published in magazines such as Professional Photo and through me supplying material to well-known brands to use in their marketing and social media, thereby cementing my brand by association. In my print advertising or on social media I don’t offer too much detail, which builds mystique and entices clients to go to my site to find out more about me. Clients are often on my site in excess of seven minutes, and that’s a lot of time in this digital age of short attention spans!

Comments on my posts are often ‘Love the photos, can’t wait to see the rest’. I ensure that my clients and viewers aren’t completely emotionally fulfilled, because if they are then the desire to revisit my site or to contact me for more information will be lost. I personally find it amazing that photographers give clients all the information they need online, negating the need for personal contact and eliminating the opportunity to sell yourself through your personality. However, I know that I feel like that because I’m good at selling myself: someone who’s not as confident as me should consider a different approach that’s more in line with their own personality.

Now that you know a little more about what make brands fascinating, think of your favourite brands, or even brands you don’t like, and ask yourself the questions that will reveal to you what types of brands you are attracted or repelled by. This is how companies such as Google learn about our personalities and send us advertising that is specifically designed to be attractive to us, thereby increasing the chance of success for the advertisers.

The more you learn about these seven triggers of fascination, the more you’ll be able to use them as a helpful tool to sell your brand to the very specific clientele that you’re looking to attract. ●

IMAGE It may be a difficult task to examine your own business mind, so don’t be afraid to ask others – especially if they may come into that target group you’re looking to attract.

These honest opinions help you get a true reading on what your business stands for.

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COSTING THE JOB

the price is right Taking a long hard look at the thorny subject of pricing. Here are suggestions in ways in which you can achieve what you are worth, while still attracting the clients you need

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ricing is a major aspect of your business. Not only does it impact on your bank balance, it also has a psychological impact on sales, as generally opinion is that price is directly related to quality. If your price is higher than the quality of your finished product, then it’s unlikely you’ll book much work.

Vice versa – if your price is low for a high-quality product, you’ll probably have too many bookings, which means you’ll be working really hard, but not making any money.

If you’re too cheap, the impression in any case will probably be that you’re not very good. When you go to a fine dining restaurant, you expect to pay a premium, not only for the food, but also for the dining experience. You don’t expect as large a quantity of food as you would at a buffet, but rather your expectations are to find small, high-quality portions of food that leave a positive and lasting impression. I have a strong view that in order to have a sustainable career, you will need to target more of a ‘fine dining market audience’.

Let me explain to you my reasoning. When you put a price to your work, don’t merely look at what other people are charging and follow suit, or put your price in the middle of the highest and the lowest, which I know is what many of you do. And, for pity’s sake, don’t take a wild gambit and suck the figures out of your thumb! It’s imperative that you take into account all physical costs that you incur and also put a reasonable value on the time you’ll incur.

Let’s look at the wedding market for an example, as this is my area of expertise. However, the principles apply just as well to

portraits, landscapes and fashion as well as commercial work.

Begin the costing process with a look at your basic overheads.

This will include the rental costs of your business space, telephone, staff and office equipment such as computer hardware and software, printers and office supplies. Add to that your photographic equipment, as well as any insurance you pay on these items. Then you have to cost in your advertising and marketing such as your print ads, your website and wedding fairs.

Gather all this information and project it over the span of a year, and then divide this by the number of weddings that you anticipate booking during the year. This will give you the cost of the wedding, excluding the cost of sales, which would be prints, USB storage, albums etc. Once you’ve calculated the costs of a wedding you will need to factor in things such as income tax and VAT. The next factor is time. Remember that, in the digital era, there is a lot of post-production time likely to be involved. Added to this is the time you spend with the client during the initial meeting, as well as any other meetings prior to the wedding. I usually spend about an hour with the client prior to a wedding and then approximately ten hours on the wedding day itself. Postproduction usually runs into 60 hours, totalling around 70 hours per wedding.

This may sound like an extraordinary amount of time, and I myself was surprised when I first documented the amount of time spent on one wedding, but there it is! Only once you have calculated all these costs and time will you be able to get a good indication of what you should be charging.

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Your product, service and brand value needs to justify the price, and so you have to exude quality from the top to the bottom of your business

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Setting your fee Let’s look at a photographer who shoots three weddings a month on average and charges £1500 for their services.

This price may seem a little high, as Brides magazine recently revealed that the average spend of their readership is £1399 for photography and video combined; however, as you will see, charging £1500 will not result in a comfortable lifestyle by any means.

Let’s start by looking at a conservative list of fixed costs incurred by photographers for the year. l Advertising £3600 per year: £300 per month l Training and education £600 per year: £50 per month l Computer hardware and software £6000 over five years: £100 per month l Camera gear £10,000 over three years: £300 per month l Office rental, telephone, Internet etc. £3600 per year: £300 per month l Insurance £1800 per year: £150 per month Now we need to look at each wedding in isolation and its share of the overall cost. l Album, including images, or coffee-table story book: £300 l Assistant or second shooter: £100 l Telephone, office rental etc: £100 l Advertising: £100 l Computer hardware and software: £30 l Camera gear: £100 l Travel, wear and tear on vehicle: £50 l Insurance: £50

Total cost of sales: £830

As you will see, if you’re charging the £1500 fee we mentioned earlier you’ll be coming away from the wedding with a pre-tax profit of £670. Depending on your yearly income, your take-home pay after tax will be around £435.50, possibly less if you’re a VAT registered vendor.

Now let’s now take a look at the amount of time spent on each wedding. l Pre-wedding consultation: one hour l Site inspection: three hours l Wedding coverage: ten hours l Post-production: 56 hours

Total: 70 hours Now here comes the depressing part. If you’re shooting 36 weddings a year at £1500 per wedding you are working for £6.22 per hour, which equates to £1070 per month. Look at this figure and then consider that the national minimum wage per hour for those over 21 is currently £6.31.

Charge what you’re worth I can’t tell you what you should be charging for your work, because everyone’s situation is different. However I can tell you that £1500 per wedding is unsustainable, considering the sacrifices you’re making to deliver the service you want to be known for: the endless weekends away from home, the unsocial hours you put in to meet your clients (inevitably after work or at weekends), the hours spent slogging away on the computer refining pictures and designing albums.

A great deal of thought and investigation needs to go into your pricing structure. You need to work backwards and consider how much money you require for the lifestyle you aspire to have. Take into account how much time you’ll be investing in the job, then take into account fixed and variable costs. Only then will you have an indication of how much you need to charge to make it worthwhile taking the commission.

Now we need to look at our own level of confidence and undertake a little introspection. Many of you at this point may be thinking that your clients won’t pay the amount of money you require to run a sustainable business. Remember, just because you don’t have substantial disposable income it doesn’t mean that your clients don’t: you need to target the right market.

I discussed in a previous feature in this series the market that will appreciate your work and will be prepared to pay for it. If you want to know what I’m talking about then take the clothing and footwear industry as an example; a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes is still just a pair of shoes, but some people are willing to pay in excess of £800 for them, and Jimmy Choo is one of the most successful footwear brands in the world on the back of this fact. Secondly, purely increasing your pricing is not going to guarantee that the clients will come flooding in. Your product, service and brand value needs to justify the price, and so you have to exude quality from the top to the bottom of your business.

You may feel that you need to start cheaper to get into the market, to get your foot in the door so to speak. Ask yourself, however, which market that would get you into: the answer is the cheap market. Most guests attending a wedding are of the same social standing as the client, and will expect the same product,

service and price as you have given their friends for their wedding.

Suddenly increasing your price after realising that your price is not sustainable will alienate your existing target market, meaning that a rebrand may be what you need to make you attractive to a market higher than the one you are currently targeting.

If you want to gain experience without setting a pricing precedent then offer to shoot the wedding for free. Yes, for free.

Consider it school fees and put it down as an investment in your education. Don’t even charge costs because, as we have seen, your cost is around £830 and there are some photographers out there charging less than that for a full service. Thus, even charging cost is setting a precedent.

Deliver a free wedding shoot five times and you’ll have gained enough experience to charge what you are worth. If you don’t have work currently in your portfolio that is attractive to a higher end client than you are currently targeting, then go out there, hire models, dresses, flowers etc., or collaborate with other vendors in the industry to generate enough material to put together a portfolio that will be attractive to a more affluent market. Take this step and the ultimate result could be a sustainable and fulfilling career. ●

A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT AND INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO GO INTO YOUR PRICING STRUCTURE

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targeting the trade GET CONNECTED

You’re not on your own in the wedding business and it makes sense to help other service providers out through your photography. The payback is recommendations and a great free showcase for your pictures

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hinking about any business, it would stand to reason that when you begin to market your services, you’d start by targeting your potential clients, right? Well, actually – wrong! Not when it comes to the wedding market. So many of us photographers make the same mistake: we exclusively target brides-to-be, or engaged couples, and we do this through print adverts, attending bridal or wedding fairs and having a strong online presence, be it social media or a well-constructed website. Of course, there is merit in this thought process.

However, through years of experience I’ve discovered that you will achieve far greater long-term, heightened success when you target the trade.

Let’s look at a scenario where a couple become engaged on a Saturday evening. Come Sunday morning Facebook and Twitter is abuzz with congratulations and good wishes, and now starts the long and laborious task of coordinating the wedding. Certainly, this will be the most emotionally valued event in the female’s life to date, and her mind has now switched into ‘hunter gatherer mode’ as she searches for a wealth of information that will help her to create her ideal wedding.

Be it ideas, pricing, recommendations or general advice – anything at all related to weddings is now fascinating to our brideto-be. She will be walking down the high street and will now be drawn to the florist shop she never noticed before, or a wedding dress outlet that she passed wistfully every day, but had no need to go in before. She frequents all sorts of wedding vendors with enthusiasm and intent.

Now let’s imagine what happens when she enters the florist’s and speaks to the owner or floral designer about her wedding. The florist is going to show her images of work that she has previously done and, as we know, these images will usually have been taken by the florist themselves, at the end of a long day preparing all the flowers in time for the ceremony or reception. They are usually taken with a mobile phone or, at best, a compact camera, as seen in the image over the page, where our wonderful florist is taking snaps of her beautiful creations.

The resultant image may make us giggle, as the composition, lighting and intruding finger may not result in an award-winning photo, but bear in mind that we can’t arrange flowers like she can! Our bride-to-be starts looking through the amateurish photographs of wonderful flowers and suddenly ‘pop!’ a great photo that stands out from all the rest, because it was shot with a great camera and a fast lens with a shallow depth-of-field.

The logo of the photographer is discretely placed on the image and for the first time the bride has now seen the name ‘Brett Florens’. She continues to look through the portfolio and every so often a professional image pops up and each time it has ‘Brett Florens’ on it.

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Break into Professional Photography

Planting the seed Now none of this means that she’s going to rush out of the shop and immediately contact me, but at the very least the seed has been planted. In conversation, the bride-to-be asks the florist for some feedback, as her friends and family have been giving her all the advice in the world and now she wants to know what people in the industry, with all their considerable experience, are thinking. ‘Which photographer would you recommend?’ she asks, bearing in mind she could be enquiring about dresses, hair and make-up or anything wedding related.

Now this is where it gets interesting. The florist may have worked with many other photographers who are better than I am, but she’s never seen their work or had any interaction with them besides seeing them shooting details at the wedding.

It goes without saying that she is going to recommend the photographer that gives her great images of her work! She may have been promised images from her previous clients, but after the wedding is all over, the bride is not really in the frame of mind to deal with all the administration of getting images to all the vendors she employed at her wedding. This rarely happens.

I have also heard of photographers who refuse to give images to other vendors, insisting they pay for them.

Now if you have been diligent enough to send out images to all the vendors that you work with and would like to work with in the future, the above conversation will repeat itself at the hairdresser, make-up artist, dress designer, jeweller, venue, cake designer, wedding coordinator or any other vendor you have supplied images to. It continues to cement your position as the industry-approved choice of photographer. And ‘industry approved’ holds so much more weight than a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend.

If you were looking to buy a bottle of wine as a gift, would you take your friend’s recommendation, or ask an expert at a wine cellar? I’d want to know what bottle of wine they had with their meal the previous night, as I would assume that someone in the

industry is blessed with the benefit of insider knowledge and can therefore offer expert advice.

When I email these images to the vendors I supply medium resolution and add a small logo. I state that they may use the images in their advertising and all that I require is a byline in return. You will be surprised at the responses I get from the recipients: “Thank you so much for the lovely photos you sent from Jessica’s wedding. Most photographers don’t do that, so I really appreciate it.”

I also let them know that if they need high-resolution images for print advertising I am willing to oblige as long as I get a byline on the advert. Once again I get a payback, because this gets my name into magazines, which is advertising that would ordinarily cost money!

Look for opportunities With social media being so prevalent these days, marketing strategies need to take on board these opportunities. At the wedding I’m constantly looking to shoot images for the other vendors. Take the DJ for instance; the bride isn’t really looking to have images of him announcing songs or pictures of his hands spinning the decks in her album, but I take images because I know it will benefit me by giving him marketable images from the wedding. Search for the correct ‘cover photo’ dimensions for Facebook and create a collage that you can message to him.

I would bet that 95% of the time that cover image will be up in seconds on his Facebook page with your logo on it, exposing you to so many more potential clients. Do this for all the vendors and you’ll be amazed at the organic reach you achieve.

What I have done with certain high-end venues and coordinators, with great results, is to produce vendor cards.

These are 6x8in printed cards with images from a wedding at

IMAGES It goes without saying that supporting other people in the wedding industry will end up benefiting the photographer too, so making time to take photographs that each vendor can use will mean your name will be shouted out as they promote their business with your images.

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The florist may have worked with other photographers who are better than I am, but she’s never had any interaction with them

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❝ I always ensure that I’m polite and courteous to everyone I work with, from watching that I don’t get in the videographer’s way through to assisting the florist with moving flowers

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Break into Professional Photography

Where might your shots be used?

Think about how your images could be shared – online, printed on cards, in promotions – and take images to suit. They could end up gaining you free advertising.

IMAGES A florist takes a picture of her work with a compact camera, but with your quality images, her hard work will appeal more to potential clients – as will yours.

the venue, and they show off my imagery with a bias towards showing off the venue. Naturally, these cards are going to find their way into a bride-to-be’s hands. I’ve even gone so far as to create coffee-table books for these venues and coordinators.

This might seem like an unnecessary expense, but when you look at the prices of print ads in magazines that might not even be reaching the right market, the £300 or so spent on a sample book seems logical. Some album manufacturers even give a discount for samples.

Behaviour towards, and interaction with, other vendors on the wedding day may also have an implication on further bookings and recommendations. I always ensure that I’m polite and courteous to everyone I work with, from watching that I don’t get in the videographer’s way through to assisting the florist with moving flowers; anything in fact that will make other vendors see the value in working with me. What will happen over time is that you will find that you are working more often with the same vendors and you’ll learn how they all work. Remember that you are part of a team that’s working with the common goal of producing a magical, memorable experience.

Overall my marketing is done to vendors that I would like to work with again. If I have an experience with a vendor, whose work or service is not in keeping with my brand image and I don’t want to work with them again, I don’t send them images. It’s as simple as that.

In conclusion, I have found it to be far more effective – and much cheaper – to target my marketing to the industry, as opposed to the traditional avenues of advertising. The vendors in this industry are likely to be around a lot longer than the 8-12 months average that brides-to-be are, so if you’re doing your job properly you’re making a marketing investment that will have serious longevity. ●

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Break into Professional Photography

MAKE MONEY FROM KIDS

family fortunes It’s one of the most popular photographic subjects, and mastering the art of kids’ portraits could attract some serious business

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Break into Professional Photography

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apturing stand-out portraits of children is tricky, and this is a very competitive sector right now. To conquer it, you need to invest in your skills and marketing strategy.

In terms of shooting your pictures, you can take many different approaches, but lifestyle is a fail-safe choice for very saleable results.

Shooting techniques One of the most important tips for getting great shots of children is to get down to their level – quite literally! – and you’ll instantly capture pictures with a natural feel. Also, I recommend shooting from a very low angle through the grass – it adds depth and dimension and further enhances the professional look and feel.

Be prepared to capture your child subjects in action, since posed pictures not only look unconvincing, but also you’ll struggle to get young children to stay still long enough. If you’re lucky you’ll get a few minutes of quiet, structured poses, but as the novelty wears off children become fidgety. If this happens ask the child to run towards you, pre-focusing on a spot that you know they’ll pass. They will run into focus, and if you’re using continuous shooting you should achieve a number of pin-sharp images – you could even present these to your client as a framed sequence (for every potential shot, think about how to sell it to your client). Remember to zoom out as the subject approaches to ensure they remain the same size in the frame as they speed towards you.

With a toddler, ask a parent or sibling to get the child to run towards them. As the child gets closer, their face will light up – creating an authentic, memorable moment.

Children’s skin is beautiful and wrinkle free. Even freckles are gorgeously cute, so don’t be afraid to zoom in on your subject for a really nice close-up full of impact. The important thing is to ensure the eyes are pin-sharp, even if there is softness elsewhere in the face. With babies, try photographing different body parts – hands, feet, ears, lips, etc. A macro lens creates a striking artistic image, perfect for baby’s first album. High contrast lighting and converting to black & white can product artistic images, worthy of framing for the wall.

If you’re lucky enough to coax a child to pose for a few minutes, ask them to cross their legs with their hands in their pockets or arms folded. Children often find this amusing so will stay in position long enough for a shot or two. I often ask them to sit like their mum or dad, with legs crossed at the ankles, or hands in their lap, as they tend to like the idea of acting like their parent, resulting in photos with beaming smiles of achievement and pride. Before the shoot, think about the poses and their order so the session flows, to avoid a grumpy child.

Build a rapport with the child; they need to feel as if they’re having fun. Chat to them, reassuring them that they’re doing fantastically, they look great and that their grandparents or parents are going to love the photos. With babies and toddlers, you might need to employ baby language or sounds to keep them looking at the camera and hopefully smiling or laughing.

I have quacked like a duck so many times over the years to get a response!

Offer clients plenty of options and variety to generate extra revenue. Parents attach emotional value to photos of their kids, and even subtle facial nuances can strike a chord, ensuring they’ll buy several versions of a pose – you could suggest buying a multi-image frame. During the shoot, watch for different looks 〉 and expressions you know parents will want you to capture.

IMAGES It’s a given that children don’t stay still for long, so make sure you get the shots parents or clients are looking for. Hone your technique – you may not have long to get those all-important images and you need to make sure your location is foolproof: little things like checking the weather forecast and making sure your location has plenty of room for the children to run about can make or break the shoot.

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Pricing structures Earlier I wrote about the need to work out your overheads properly and to price your products and services realistically to ensure you make a reasonable profit for your efforts – and all those principles apply to your family portraits business too.

In today’s market there are essentially two types of pricing structure – which works for your target market needs careful consideration. I shoot in a number of different countries and change my pricing model to suit the clientele I’m working with.

For my first pricing structure I might charge a smaller session fee to get price sensitive clients in for a shoot and then a higher fee for the prints or canvases. This model might attract clients through the door, but they could be reluctant to purchase prints that they could print themselves for far less. They might forget the small sitting fee, or feel that as digital photography is so convenient and cheap that this in itself was adequate.

Your challenge with this model is to convince clients that your products represent value for money.

With this kind of structure and market, you need volume to make the business sustainable. You can do this by creating demand, for example advertising certain days for particular sessions to potential clients, for example, Family Thursday; or tell them that Thursday is the only day of the week that isn’t fully booked. Either way you set a situation where you photograph a lot of families on one day, which is much more efficient than spreading them over the week. Then put the time you’ve saved towards more productive, lucrative projects.

Using this approach I’ve shot 19 families in a single day.

Although I don’t always cover these kinds of numbers, dedicating a day like this is financially viable, even if it’s at a reduced sitting fee. I arrange for clients to either come to my studio or to meet

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me at a prearranged public area, such as the local park if the weather forecast is promising.

The second pricing structure involves a higher sitting fee, which includes a limited number of prints. For the higher end market, this approach works really well. The client pays for the sitting and then when they come to choose the images for printing, the initial outlay is almost forgotten, so the purchasing of prints or canvasses is a separate transaction, lessening the blow of the entire purchase.

Margins on printed products can be very high. I recommend using a professional lab for superior results to ensure your clients perceive the value of the products. You should be charging at least five times what you paid for the printed product. For example, I charge around £90 for a 6x8in framed image.

Distance yourself from the companies targeting the middle market and relying on emotional tactics to upsell. If your clients understand the value in your product, they will return; if they feel that they’ve been scammed, they won’t.

Clear communication is important. Ensure your clients understand your pricing structure before the shoot. Friends of mine have a wonderfully clear explanation of their process on their website; check out www.deasyphotographystudio.ie for an example of a well-run, profitable portrait studio.

Personally, I’m not an advocate of handing over high-res digital files to clients. It’s a whole other debate, which we can’t go into here, but if you give away your files, you need to be at peace with the possibility that your clients will manipulate your images and, most importantly, you’ll find it difficult to maintain a profit. ●

IMAGES Both before a shoot and during it, don’t just think in terms of poses and shots, think about their final presentation too. For example, from one pose of a child you might get many different expressions – so maybe a multi-image frame? Or a family shot might work well as the opener in a photo book or album.

Break into Professional Photography

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Price your products and services realistically to ensure you make a profit

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IMAGES Both before a shoot and during it, don’t just think in terms of poses and shots, think about their final presentation too. For example, from one pose of a child you might get many different expressions – so maybe a multi-image frame? Or a family shot might work well as the opener in a photo book or album.

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COME RAIN OR SHINE

ready for anything

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If you shoot on location regularly, at some point you’ll have to handle less than perfect weather.

Photographers need to learn not just how to cope, but how to thrive in such conditions

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ne school of thought instantly brands anything other than bright sunny days as bad weather, but as photographers we know, of course, that every situation brings its own advantages and its own challenges. Sunny weather, for example, is pleasant to work under, but brings harsh shadows and bland skies, while so-called less than ideal conditions can not only be managed successfully, but can yield atmospheric and memorable shots. So when the heavens open and everyone instinctively heads for cover, bring out your contingency plans, and you’ll come away from an unrepeatable event, such as a wedding, with striking images that your client will love.

Obviously certain weather conditions are still challenging, but a small shift in attitude can produce images that surpass your client’s hopes. When weather turns bad and their expectations drop, regard it as an opportunity to over-deliver and prove why you’re worth your fee. I’ve always said that the difference in the abilities of a good photographer and a great one become much more apparent when conditions are challenging.

It’s not only the so-called bad weather you might find yourself dealing with; the client’s mood can also change as they anticipate disaster. While you may not be able to change the weather, you can lift their spirits. Reassure them that you’re not fazed and that you have a sure-fire plan.

Coping with a crisis So, how do we deliver on this promise? The first thing is, stay calm. You need to look and behave as if you are completely in control, and you might even suggest you’re excited at the prospect of creating wonderful images. In my head I’ll be planning to reduce the number of images I’m expecting to shoot; concentrating on creating fewer, more impactful shots.

One of the most successful pictures you can achieve in wet weather is a shot highlighting the rain using backlighting. This accentuates the rain, adding to the drama and excitement. I’ve often used a battery powered portable flash system which is small and light enough to hide behind the subjects. You can also use speedlights, although they can become erratic when they aren’t in the direct line of sight of each other.

With the backlight in place, expose for the light falling on the subject from the front, which may still need to be modified. Bear in mind, however, that if you use artificial light from the front, you may see the raindrops across your subject’s face – which is not ideal at all. The balance between front and backlight will also need to be balanced, so set your flash to manual and adjust its output until you have the look you want. ‘Borrow’ people to stand in for the bride and groom to work out the intricacies; the bride won’t want to ruin her dress or her hair by standing around in the rain for too long.

Alternatively, create an image with no sign of rain. After all, it doesn’t really matter what’s going on around your subject. For example, at a recent wedding, the couple sought shelter under an awning while I stood under another. I shot through the rain to create a romantic image with late afternoon light falling on them – not a raindrop in sight!

Be patient and be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.

Although you need to keep your gear dry at all times, don’t take too long to set up; when there’s a break in the weather, you need to be ready to shoot fast. Warn your client that if things clear up briefly, they should be prepared to make a dash for it.

IMAGE Rain can add to the drama of your pictures if your technique is up to speed. Position your couple in an area where they are shielded from the rain, and use fill-in flash or a reflector to lift shadows on their faces. Also look to backlight rain with flash to create a dramatic effect.

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Be patient and be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. When there’s a break in the weather, you need to be ready to shoot fast 〉

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Sport in wet weather Rain and action are immensely challenging, so I asked two good photographer friends, Johan Pretorius and Craig Kolesky, who specialise in these areas, for some advice.

Johan has a bracket for his monopod to accommodate a large golf umbrella, to help keep the worst of the rain off him and his gear. He also suggests that if you are at the mercy of the elements at a sporting event, a waterproof poncho is a must.

It’s much better than a rain suit as you can keep your laptop and camera bags with your equipment safely between your legs under the poncho.

A camera and lens rain cover is essential if you’re going to be out on a rugby or football field for a while. A cap or large brimmed hat is also useful for keeping your viewfinder dry. What also helps at modern stadia is the lighting; it’s good for HDTV cameras and it’s is great for photographers too. Wherever you are, you’re likely to get great backlighting to accentuate the rain.

Craig’s worst weather experience necessitated protecting his gear “from high winds, ice, rain and driving mist”. He continues: “Fortunately, the bag I use is as waterproof as they come; you can use rain covers, but this then makes it difficult to get to your gear quickly. I actually ended up giving my rain cover to an athlete to keep his hands warm as the temperatures plummeted below zero.

“Changing lenses in conditions like these is, of course, a tricky game. If the weather is really bad I would rather just get the shot without changing my lens, but on this particular shoot there was a ridgeline shot I wanted that called for my

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16mm, so I had to change things. The technique I used was to turn my back to the weather (ie. face away from the prevailing wind direction), and then I opened my jacket slightly for extra protection. When I took the lens off I kept my body facing down so that no rain could get into the shutter area. It also helps to change lenses in the bag, with the flat half closed, essentially blind. This procedure works well, but you do need to know your gear really well.”

Craig’s pictures were full of drama and atmosphere, so it just goes to show that if you’re prepared and confident, you can create striking images in the rain, cold or wind, fantastic photographs that your clients would never expect.

ABOVE Craig Kolesky covered a cross country event where the weather was awful, but his pictures were full of atmosphere.

ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PICTURES YOU CAN ACHIEVE IN WET WEATHER IS A SHOT HIGHLIGHTING THE RAIN USING BACKLIGHTING

Break into Professional Photography

Being prepared Just as the Scout’s motto says, be prepared. It’s particularly advisable if you live in a notoriously inclement climate. Invest in an AW (All Weather) camera bag, one with water-resistant YKK zippers. A good quality bag will have a built-in All Weather Cover with heat-sealed seams, which will provide maximum protection.

So, what if you aren’t prepared? Unlike Johan and Craig, not all of us think ahead enough about what to do when the weather is misbehaving. In which case you need to come up with solutions on the spot.

I have used rudimentary methods to protect my expensive gear when the occasion has demanded. The ‘sleeve method’ may not necessarily have the pro bag appeal or efficacy, but it does the job temporarily when in an emergency. Basically I protect my camera and lens by inserting the lens through the sleeve of my waterproof jacket. Granted, I’m going to get wet myself, but I can handle a bit of rain better than my gear can!

Keep a small plastic bag handy for emergencies: my camera bag has a small compartment containing little odds and ends for emergencies, including a small sewing kit, with extra white thread for bridal use; headache tablets; and a small amount of duct tape or adhesive tape. Add a small, durable plastic bag with a hole in it for your lens to fit through and then during bad weather, slip it on and secure with tape or an elastic band. It may be primitive, but it’s surprisingly effective! ● TOP If improvising in an emergency Brett recommends using the sleeve of your waterproof jacket. BELOW Modern stadiums are lit for HDTV and provide great backlighting for rainy occasions.

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