The Photographer - June/July 2017 by The Photographer Magazine

Official Publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc.

VOLUME 52 - #4 June/July 2017

Magazine Editor

Bill Hedrick, M.Photog.Cr. 1506 E. Leach St. Kilgore, TX 75662 903-985-1080 Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com

Executive Director

Steve Kozak, M.Photog.Cr 5323 Fig Tree Lane Grand Prairie, TX 77052 972-601-9070 Steve@tppa.org

Printing by

Complete Printing & Publishing 1501 W. Panola Carthage, TX 75633 800-964-9521 www.CompletePrinting.com

ON THE COVER “Tara” was created by Mark McCall of Lubbock, Texas. “This is one of my favorite locations on the Texas Tech Campus,” says Mark. “There’s a big window to the right of the camera but I augmented the light with a single off-camera Metz flash. I blended the flash with ambient light by using a longer shutter speed to give a more natural look.” The image was taken with a Canon 1DS MII. Exposure was f5.6 at 1/30 second, ISO 400. Lighting consisted of a single Metz 45CL-4 to the right of the camera on a light stand with the main head bouncing off the ceiling and a “wink” flash firing at the subject. McCall uses a tripod when photographing brides, allowing him to step out from behind the camera and interact with the subject. Mark McCall will be teaching the Print Competition Boot Camp at Summerfest ‘17.

Let the Vacation Begin!

Summerfest 2016

The Camera Trap

A Late Bloomer

Spotlight: Phyllis Kuykendall

Making Great Landscape Images

Life Is A Story

Perpetual Marketing

Aerospace Photography

Spotlight: Bill Hedrick

Instagram Tips

A Message from TPPA President, Trey Homan

June 25 - 28, Conroe, Texas by Tammy Graham

Great Idea for Wildlife Photographers! by Joe McDonald

Incredible Story of Karen McCoy Butts by Bill Hedrick

“Candlelight Recital”

The Finer Points by John Murray

Albums Are the Key by Renée C. Gage

Wall Displays In Your Studio by Gregory Daniel

John Wilson Has the Perfect Job! by Bill Hedrick

“Home Sweet Motorhome”

For Professional Photographers by Holly Harris

THE PHOTOGRAPHER is the official publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc. Acceptance of advertising or publishing of press releases does not imply endorsement of any product or service by this association, publisher, or editor. Permission is granted to similar publications of the photographic industry to reprint contents of this publication, provided that the author and this publication are credited as the source. Articles, with or without photographs, are welcomed for review for inclusion. However, the editor reserves the right to refuse publication, or if accepted, the right to edit as necessary. For more information, visit www.ThePhotographerOnline.com. Send all communications, articles, or advertising to: THE PHOTOGRAPHER, 1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662. Phone (903) 985-1080, or Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

2017 TPPA Executive Council President Trey Homan l

Trey@ehoman.com

17222 Classen Rd., San Antonio, TX 78247 (210) 497-3809

Vice-President Tammy Graham l

Tammy@locationsphotography.com

Let the Vacation Begin!

3300 Joyce Drive, Ft. Worth, TX 76116 (817) 300-0780

Treasurer Ross Benton l

Ross@StudioBenton.com

1876 Nacogdoches Rd., San Antonio, TX 78209 (210) 804-1188

Secretary Marla Horn l

Marla@ahh-photography.com

10716 Camelot Dr., Frisco, TX 75035 (972) 567-8613

Councilman-at-Large Belinda Higgins l

higginsphotography@earthlink.net

1301 Genoa Red Bluff, Pasadena, TX 77504 (281) 998-9905

Councilman-at-Large Luke Edmonson l

Luke@LukeEdmonson.com

7628 Brownly Pl., Plano, TX 75025 (972) 208-0215

Chairman of the Board Stephanie Ludlow l

Stephanielonghorn@yahoo.com

205 N. Mays, Round Rock, TX 78644 (512) 246-0063

Executive Director Steve Kozak l

Steve@tppa.org

5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 77052 (972) 601-9070

Texas School Director Don Dickson l

Don@DonDickson.com

1501 West 5th, Plainview, TX 79072 (806) 296-2276

Magazine Editor Bill Hedrick l

Editor@cablelynx.com

1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662 (903) 985-1080

PPA Councilors Gabriel Alonso (Ft. Worth), Belinda Higgins (Houston), Brad Barton (Grand Prairie), Randy Pollard (Victoria), Stephanie Ludlow (Round Rock), Don Dickson (Plainview), Trey Homan (San Antonio), Cris Duncan (Lubbock), Elizabeth Homan (San Antonio), Cliff Ranson (McAllen).

ummer is finally here! For me, one of the toughest things about the school year is rolling my overweight body out of bed to get the kids ready for school. They have alarm clocks but somebody invented a “snooze” button that has become the newest rage. As kids growing up, my wife and I were always instructed that, “The early bird gets the worm.” This is a lesson that we try to teach our kids… but modern day life’s snooze button sure does get in the way. We take the “Early Bird” approach in our business. Every January and July we set aside a day or even two to sit down with our staff and do some planning. We have a printed agenda that addresses things like policies, price changes, advertising, maintenance, major expenditures and events. As a group we sit down and hammer out the logistics of when all of these things are going to happen. An example of this would be our Santa Portraits. In January we pick the days and book Santa. We also discuss anything that needs to be adjusted policy wise (extra fee for combining cousins?) and product wise (should we get rid of the blankets?). In July we come up with our theme and finalize our marketing calendar and establish when our newsletter and marketing pieces need to be produced. If our newsletter is hitting the post office on September 1st, we count backwards two weeks (August 15). This is the date that the printer needs the artwork. We count back 4 weeks (August 1), this is the day that the newsletter needs to be designed to allow our staff to study it. We count back 6 weeks (July 15) and this is the day that our sample set needs to be photographed. We count back 8 weeks (July 1) and this is the day that the set needs to be built. By looking at this you can see that we are building our Santa Set in July. We work this process through with each of our product lines (families, seniors, weddings, children themes) to make sure we are always planning 6-12 months in advance. Now don’t get me wrong, we miss dates, forget to put things in the Newsletter and overlook obvious pricing mistakes. But that is not the point. The point is that we MAKE the time to plan and do our best to work the plan. My hope is that this summer you can carve out some time to make your own plan. Find an accountability partner and do it together. Write it down, put it on the wall and look at it every day. You might be surprised at how tasty that worm tastes and how easy it is to catch. See you in Conroe! Trey Homan TPPA President

To contact any of your PPA Councilors, you may obtain their phone numbers from the TPPA Membership Directory or visit the TPPA website at www.tppa.org Complete financial information on Texas Professional Photographers Association is available to any TPPA member by contacting Steve Kozak, Executive Director, 5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 77052 Steve@tppa.org

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

If you are not a member of Texas PPA, this is my personal invitation to you to join! Email Steve Kozak, TPPA Executive Director, at Steve@tppa.org or call 972-601-9070.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

Every Room is a Suite! Make Your Room Reservations & Summerfest Registration www.TPPA.org/summerfest

REGISTRATION

at TPPA.org/summerfest

TPPA Member – $149 TPPA Members save $50 off the Non-member price. Non-TPPA Members – $199 If you have not yet joined TPPA, you can still come to Summerfest and enjoy all of the programs, picnics and pool-side fun. We would love to have you. What a chance to meet new friends! TPPA Member “Buddy Pass” – $249 TPPA Members can bring a spouse, a friend, an employee, another member or even a Non-TPPA member with our money-savings “Buddy Pass.” Just be sure you have all of your buddy’s contact information and email before you register.

TPPA Student Member – $50 Our special student rate is for TPPA Members who have joined TPPA with a qualifying Student Membership TPPA Life Members – Complimentary For our Past Presidents and Life Members. Come and join us! Non-TPPA Member “Join & Go” – $244 With our “Join & Go” plan, you will get a one-year membership in TPPA with all of the benefits and enjoy all of the education and fun of Summerfest.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

BERT BEHNKE

CRIS DUNCAN

PHANEENDRA GUDAPATI

PHYLLIS KUYKENDALL

“The Fine Art of the Family Portrait”

CPP Review Class

“Light It the Güd Way”

“Volume Photography: You Can Do It!”

LARRY LOURCEY

MARK MCCALL

JUSTIN MOORE

LARRY PETERS

“The Path to the Merit”

“Weddings Made Easy”

“Airborne Over Texas”

“Underwater Photography”

RANDY POLLARD

CHRIS SMITH

KIRK VOCLAIN

“Extracting and Compositing: You Got This!”

“The Santa Experience”

“COOLNESS in the Eyes of Your Seniors”

PRINT COMPETITION - The purpose of this competition is to allow photographers to enter images to be judged against a Standard of Excellence and to assist them in preparation for PPA District or International Photographic Competition. With this competition, TPPA members are also eligible for awards and TPPA Points that count toward the Associate and Full Fellowship Degrees within TPPA. TPPA has now created two divisions in our competition to include the Photographic Open category and the Master Artist category. TPPA Members can submit one case in each category. The Master Artist category serves those who compete with their skills in the PPA Master Artist category. This creates the opportunity for Artist images to be judged separately from the Photographic Open category. The maximum number of entries in a case has changed from four to eight. This will give members a chance to gain feedback on additional images and to compete for newly created awards. Photographic Open cases may include 8 images (physical and/or digital) plus one album entry. Albums are not eligible in the Master Artist category. Case fees for the Photographic Open category remain at $59 for up to four entries and one album. Any additional entries in the case will be $10 each. A new Non-Event Album entry was created. This new category is for albums of images that do not qualify under the Event Album category. Awards were created for the new Non-Event Album category for both non-Master and Master entries.

For complete rules and eligibility, please log in at www.TPPA/summerfest

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

Summerfest is a Hit... Here’s Why! La Torretta Resort and Spa - This resort is a family vacation destination on Lake Conroe featuring an 18-hole golf course, 12,000 square foot spa, fitness center and an impressive water park. The Aqua Park is home to La Torretta Lake Resort’s multiple pools featuring an elegant heated upper pool with an infinity edge that cascades down into a 6,400 square foot Mediterranean pool. Other pools include the Breeze Buster pool, Lay-Z River™ Rapids and the Splash Scape pool with an in-water playground, and the Pollywogs pool for the youngest of water lovers. There is an arcade, miniature golf, and movie nights by the pool. Kids will enjoy putt-putt, a teen hang-out with video games, making s’mores and other organized activities and games throughout the day led by the La Torretta staff. Dining options include the Coco Cove Poolside Grill, the Yoi Sushi Bar and the Lakeside Restaurant and Bar, just to name a few! There is a piano bar, a coffee shop and the Energie Lounge. Check out the many dining options at the La Torretta website: www. latorrettalakeresort.com. Family Fun with TWO FREE PICNICS - After a hard day of water slides, golf, hanging out in the lazy river, going to the spa and learning photography, you and your family are going to need to find something fun to do! That is why we brought back TPPA Family Fun Night on Sunday night at 6 pm. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and a cooler of your favorite adult beverages and enjoy the picnic sponsored by our wonderful vendors. Then, by popular demand, we are bringing back the Monday Night Family Fish Fry! Admission to the TPPA Family Fun Night and the Family Fish Fry is included with your registration and includes the picnic meal. TPPA Annual Photographic Awards Presentation - Join us on Tuesday at 6:15 pm for an evening of surprises! We will begin with the

children’s awards for the Kids Foto Kontest. Every kid who participates will be recognized and we will announce the winners from each category. The excitement continues as we announce and unveil the winners from the TPPA Annual Photographic Competition. Tickets to the event are only $28 and include a buffet dinner. Kids tickets are only $17. So, make plans to attend and bring the entire family! Every guest room at La Torretta is a suite! The room rate for TPPA Summerfest attendees is an unbelievable $112 per night. As an added bonus, if you book your room by June 1st, you will get your La Torretta Resort Fee (normally $30) ABSOLUTELY FREE with your stay at La Torretta! Don’t miss out on this huge money-saving offer. Register now and reserve your suite at www.TPPA.org/summerfest. Just staying in your suite is a vacation in itself.

Golf Anyone? -

As you enter the La Torretta Resort property, you get your first glimpse of this beautiful golf course. Golfer’s will delight in the beauty and the challenge of the course at La Torretta. On Tuesday, around 8 am, the 24th Annual TPPA Golf Scramble tees off. If you have never played with this group, come and make new friends and enjoy the fun. The fee for the 24th Annual TPPA Golf Scramble is $65.

Make Your Room Reservations & Summerfest Registration at

www.TPPA.org/summerfest

Each year, the current President of Texas PPA selects one image from the General Exhibit that best illustrates a predesignated “theme.” There are no special requirements for this image other than what are already prescribed in the competition rules. After the judging, he will review the images exhibited (physical prints and digital images) and select just one image that he believes best illustrates his theme. So, when selecting which images to enter, keep that theme in mind and maybe you will be the lucky recipient of this one-of-a-kind trophy. This year’s theme is “Old World.”

Texas PPA is pleased to announce the publication of the 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 Gallery Books. These books include all of the trophy winners and distinguished print winners from the Summerfest print completion, as well as images scoring 80 or above! Each book has over 50 pages of fantastic images. Order your Gallery Book online at: www.ThePhotographerOnline.com/gallery-book.

with Mark McCall We want to take away the fear you may have of entering photographic images and get you prepared for competition and to see you earning those trophies and awards. TPPA believes that participating in the image competition process and earning those PPA degrees help improve your chances for success and sets you apart from the crowd. We want to see you succeed! Image Competition Boot Camp runs Sunday, June 25 from 10 AM – Noon, continues from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Image Competition Boot Camp is FREE with your registration to Summerfest. Space is limited so register early!

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

If you love nature, love photography, and love challenges and surprises, photographing with a camera trap may be right up your alley. I’m not talking about the various trail or game cameras that capture jpg or video, which may be fine for scouting an area and discovering what wildlife subjects might be lurking about. No, I’m talking about using a regular DSLR and electronic flashes, all triggered by a tripping device using an infrared beam or lasers.

et’s cover the three ‘loves’ mentioned above. Loving nature – enough said, that should be a given for this type of work. Loving photography, that’s a given, too, but doing camera trap photography allows me to incorporate great lighting and compositions as I plan and set up my gear in a whole new way. If you love challenges and surprises, you’ll have plenty of both, as you work out where an animal may pass, and rig up the gear required for the shot. I’ll guarantee you’ll get plenty of surprises, as your camera trap may capture wildlife you had never expected. I’ve always been interested in capturing wildlife behavior, especially activities that are rarely seen. In the 1970’s a photography magazine featured some incredible images produced by the first commercially available camera trap and I knew I had to have one. The product was the Dalebeam, and although somewhat crude by today’s standards it allowed me to capture owls flying at night, frogs jumping, and rodents hopping across logs. Other entrepreneurs subsequently built more sophisticated versions, leading to the state of the art equipment offered today. The key to this type of photography is a reliable triggering device. If you’re handy, you might be able to make one yourself, but considering the time and effort involved, I’d suggest buying the gear. I use either a Range IR or a Sabre, both available from www.cognisys-inc.com. Either unit will fire a camera or a flash when a subject breaks their invisible infrared beams. Both units are small and quite portable, about the size of a pack of playing cards. The Range IR is powered by two AA batteries, while the Sabre uses a rechargeable battery.

The Range IR is extremely easy to use – just aim it in the direction you expect an animal to pass. If the Range IR is wired to a camera (via the appropriate cable) you must take into consideration the lag time of the camera. Lag time might be an unfamiliar term, but it refers to the time that elapses between the device being triggered and the camera actually firing. This can be as long as 1/10th sec for some cameras, long enough that a running squirrel or bobcat passes out of the frame before the camera fires. Cognisys explains how to determine your camera’s lag time, but in the field it’s a matter of trial and error, as your wildlife subjects will move at varying speeds. You’ll have to focus the lens and position your flashes at that location, and not necessarily at the point of intersection with the beam. There is no lag time when a flash is connected to the Range IR or Sabre. When a subject breaks the beam, the flash fires, virtually instantaneously. To record an image, however, your camera must be on Bulb, or a very long shutter speed, to insure that the shutter is open when the flash fires. Obviously, you can only do this at night or in very low ambient light, but that’s the trick to photographing bats or moths or nocturnal insects. The setup, in theory, can be quite easy, only requiring that a single infrared beam is aimed across the spot you expect the bat or bug to fly. For example, in Tanzania hundreds of Leaf-nosed Bats exited a large but narrow gap in a Baobob tree just after dusk, and the setup was simple. I positioned a Range IR’s beam to point straight up in front of the opening, insuring that at least half the bats passed through the beam. My setup would have made MacGyver proud, as I had my flashes mounted on small ballheads screwed June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

“I’ve always been interested in capturing wildlife behavior, especially activities that are rarely seen.”

through a field or a forest, so too do most animals. At tourist lodges in Africa, Genets and Galagos, also known as Bush babies, often visit dining areas after dark for handouts or scraps. It’s a simple matter then to place a couple of those scraps in a photogenic setting, like a tree limb or an interesting, wildlooking trail. For mammal work, with the exception of the bats, I connect the camera to the Range IR or Sabre, so I must factor in the camera’s lag time as I focus and compose.

into 12 inch long 1/4x20 metal rods that I lashed to a frame of bamboo poles braced against the twelve foot wide tree. Using an electronic cable release I locked for continuous firing, I made three second exposures as the bats flew out for their nightly feed for the next two hours. As you might expect, not every frame had a bat, and some were poorly framed when an outstretched wing tip tripped the beam, but I still ended up with several hundred bat images, leaving me with the delicious problem of picking the cream of that lot! Don’t expect results if you simply set up a beam and hope that a bat will fly through. It won’t happen. A bat has to be going somewhere specific, like out of a roost hole or across a small pond for a drink, or visiting a flower for a sip of nectar. That’s how I shot the Nectar-feeding Bat. Earlier in the day, a staffer at a lodge in Costa Rica casually complained that his hummingbird feeders were drained nightly by those darn bats. What bats?! That evening I set up a Range IR and four flashes, this time mounted on light stands, around the feeder. Just after dark the bats arrived, by the score. After making multiple shots around the feeder, I substituted a flower sprinkled with sugar water, while bats swirled around me, sometimes colliding with my hands or head – you gotta love bats I guess.

Once, in Brazil’s Pantanal, I was hoping to photograph a Jaguar walking down a trail. I set up for a side view, and crawled down the trail and through the beam to make sure everything was working. That confirmed, I headed back to camp. Unfortunately I didn’t account for the Jaguar’s faster walking speed, and all I captured was the back half of the two Jaguars that passed! Often you can slow down, or even stop an animal right at the beam by placing a little food or an odd scent. Although Ocelots and Jaguars eat meat, they’ll often stop to investigate the fruit and bananas I’ve placed as bait for deer or tapirs. While all this might sound a bit complicated or involve a lot of effort, setting up the Range IR or Sabre and the camera is the easy part. What’s far more challenging is the lighting, at least if you want the image to be aesthetically pleasing. One on-camera flash will work, but results in flat, harsh lighting. I generally use several flashes, all off-camera, and triggered by Phottix Ares remotes, positioning the flashes as I might for portraits, with a key, fill, hair light, and perhaps a background light, if I use four flashes. I’d suggest a minimum of three flashes for any set up. Two flashes are usually needed to properly illuminate the side of the animal that faces the camera. Sometimes I’ll use both front flashes as key lights, one on either side of the animal, and sometimes as a key and a fill. The third flash is usually positioned as a hair light. I like using a hair light or back light for nocturnal subjects, as it not only sets off the subject from the background but it also creates a dappled light appearance, as if the moon is shining

While using just one beam certainly works, and is the way I do a lot of my camera trap photography, you have no control over the direction and little control over the precise position of your subject. An Ocelot in Brazil’s Pantanal or an Armadillo in a Texas backyard might pass anywhere within the length of the beam, which could result in the subject half out of the frame. If you’re planning for a head-on shot, you still might find you’re capturing only the back end. That’s when you’d want to use two beams, and that’s most easily accomplished by using the Sabres. Two Sabres, the Cadillac of these devices, can be programmed so that a subject must cross both beams simultaneously, or break one beam first, with the camera or flash firing only after the second beam is broken. In that way, you can insure that your subject is travelling in the direction you wanted – unless it walks or runs backwards! Whenever I can, I’ll position the beam to cross a trail, for just as we like to walk the easiest route THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

“I’ll guarantee you’ll get plenty of surprises, as your camera trap may capture wildlife you had never expected.”

brightly or shafts of sunlight are filtering in thin columns through a jungle canopy. The Ocelot (right) is a nice example of this. Nocturnal subjects look fine with a black, unlit background, so I may use a fourth flash to fill in the lower regions of a subject, positioning that flash fairly low to the ground. I set my flashes on manual mode, usually at a lower power ratio to enable fast flash recycling. The camera is on manual, too, using the fastest flash synch possible and an exposure that will underexpose any ambient light to maintain a full flash exposure. Ambient light may still register in the background, but flash ghosting is minimized or eliminated. One of the real advantages to this type of photography is it allows you to literally do two things at once. Once everything is set up, with flashes and beam positioned and the camera focused and set for the proper exposure, you’re free to move on to other chores. Since a lot of camera trap work involves nocturnal wildlife, I can be sleeping while the camera is working! Some critics might argue that ‘you’ didn’t take the picture, the camera did, when using a camera trap. While that’s certainly true in the most literal sense, the planning involved, and the mastery of techniques that includes predicting animal behavior and position, attractive lighting, and composing for the best angle for the shot you envision, requires just as much skill, if not more, than what would be required if I were behind the camera. And some shots, like flying bats or very shy species, like Ocelots, might never be captured otherwise. Weather and equipment security can be an issue. If rain is likely, I’ll simply cover the flashes, beam, and camera in Ziploc plastic bags. I cut a hole

for the lens, mount a lens hood, and secure the bag via a rubber band. Equipment security is another matter, and I’d recommend leaving gear overnight only in areas where access is restricted or, if not, where the chances of having any nefarious passers-by are slim. I’ve done this type of work in Texas, Arizona, at my home in Pennsylvania, and in Kenya, Tanzania, India, and Brazil. For these foreign destinations, where dangerous animals may be lurking, I set up these traps close to the lodge during daylight hours when I’m fairly safe. Once, though, in Brazil, I had a setup going in a forest and after checking the trap at dawn, I decided to let the setup go throughout the morning to see what might pass through. To my surprise, less than a half hour later, a Jaguar walked through the trap. I’m wondering if it was watching me the entire time. As I said, these camera traps yield some amazing surprises, and perhaps some chills as well.

Joe McDonald has been photographing wildlife and nature since he was a high school freshman and was selling his photos to the National Wildlife Federation. Soon after, he was represented by several different stock photo agencies, eventually being represented worldwide by over 18 agencies. Since then, he has been published in every natural history publication in the U.S., including Audubon, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birder’s World, Defenders, Living Bird, Natural History, National and International Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Smithsonian, Wildlife Conservation, and more. He is the author of nine books and one e-book. Joe is especially well known for his expertise in electronic flash and using equipment for high speed flash and for remote, unmanned photography. He conducts a special Advanced Flash course nearly every year, covering all aspects of electronic flash and camera remotes. For more information, go to: www.hoothollow.com

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

by BILL HEDRICK

But it wasn’t long before she somehow began losing her passion for photography and eventually mustered enough courage to refer the jobs that did not satisfy her creativity to other photographers. “It was hard to turn away the money,” says Karen, “but when I did, my desire to create returned.” Her new goal was to become known as a fine art, portrait artist, specializing in children and newborns, with the final product being a painting. The journey continued.

The Incredible Story of Karen McCoy But ts M.Photog.,Cr., CPP

rom the time Karen Butts could hold a crayon, she wanted to be an artist. “I loved looking at pretty pictures and playing with crayons and paints. Being creative took me to a happy place,” she explains. Her gift for creating things was inherited from her mother who was a dreamer and creator of many things. Her father, on the other hand, was serious and all business and often reminded Karen that, “You can’t make any money being an artist!” So, by the time she was in high school, Karen tucked away her dreams of becoming an artist and, being the obedient child that she was, took extra math and English in preparation for college. “My father thought I should be a nurse or a teacher, which was about all women did back then,” says Karen. But after marrying and raising three children, it was Karen’s turn to pursue what she had set aside for so many years and, in 2004, photography became her hobby. In that same year, Karen attended the Texas School of Professional Photography and her life was changed forever. She vividly remembers the words of her instructor that year, Darton Drake, who told his class, “Your eyes are windows to your soul.” There was something in Darton’s words that spoke to Karen and she was inspired enough to quit her job as an elementary school registrar. So, instead of listening to her father’s words, she listened to her heart. “At the age of 55, I felt I had so much to learn in the time I had left on this Earth,” she explains, so Karen began photographing everything she could.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

“In the beginning of my photographic career, I was a people pleaser and didn’t know who I was as an artist. I had no confidence in myself and allowed others to control the direction of my sessions. I was frustrated, to say the least,” she explains. Karen realized that she needed more professional training and, since 2004, has never missed a year attending the Texas School of Professional Photography, taking courses under some of the finest instructors in the country, letting her own heart make the selection of her instructor each year. “Honestly, I am not sure where I would be without the education that I have received at the Texas School.” Karen’s next bold step was to enter print competition on the guild level. “The Professional Photographers Guild of Houston is one of the most active guilds in the country and always has a great speaker lineup. For years, I only watched the print competition because I didn’t feel I was good enough and was afraid of failure. But now I understand that the competition is not about winning or losing, it is about growing as a photographer,” says Karen. Once over her fear, Karen soon began earning print merits in PPA competition and, in 2015, earned her Master of Photography degree. “Learning the technical and business side of photography is indeed important,” she explains, “but so is discovering who you really are as an artist. I soon realized that I did not want to be like other photographers. I wanted to be uniquely me. I wanted to step out of the box and be different.” But she does thank her father for his good business advice. As a result, she built her business a step at a time, buying equipment only when she had the money. “Being frugal actually has a silver lining,” says Karen, “and has forced me to be more creative.” THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

“Chocolate Vanilla Swirl”

“Forest Nymph”

“Maternal Instinct”

Today, she looks everywhere for inspiration, often turning to other forms of art. “One of my favorite things to do is to go to Old Town Spring and wander through the shops and antique stores looking for inspiration. “It amazes me that an object, a color palette, or a scent can trigger a new idea. Once, while walking with my neighbor, I found an old, rusty tin can. To me, it was a piece of art, although my neighbor thought I was nuts! But I have that rusty, tin can on display in my office as a reminder of the power of nature.”

In fact, Karen makes many of her own backdrops and props that are uniquely her own which sets her apart from other photographers. The background in “Chocolate Vanilla Swirl,” which went in the PPA Loan Collection Book, is scrapbooking paper. The ice cream is upcycled from a rag doll that she bought at an antique store. The tutu in “Maternal Instinct” was made from neon colored fabric that she manipulated in Photoshop for a more pleasing color palette. The child was sitting on a chair made from old doors. “This busy, little two-year-old finally settled down when I set a bunch of teddy bears on a chair with her. When I placed the small bear in her arms, she turned into a little mother. Using Photoshop and Corel Painter, I then removed the other bears and created the color harmony by painting in the colors from the skirt onto the back of the chair,” she explains. “Forest Nymph,” which also went in the PPA Loan Collection Book, is not necessarily the typical color palette used for a newborn portrait, but Karen found the scarf with the complimentary colors while on one of her shopping excursions. “The basket was made from two grapevine wreaths from a hobby store. I added a cardboard bottom and filled it with batting to make the soft palette for the baby, then hot-glued the moss onto the wreath to finish the set.” Inspiration comes in many forms and from some unlikely places. While her lawn man was spraying for weeds one day, he accidentally killed Karen’s beautiful Honeysuckle vine. As she was angrily chopping down the remains, it dawned on her that she could make lemonade out of lemons and fashioned a headpiece used in “Mother Nature’s Heiress.” She also used a bird nest she found in her yard and, in post processing, played around with texture overlays, something she learned from Jen Hillenga. Obviously, Darton Drake made a huge impact on Karen’s life and career as a portrait artist. “Twelve years after I took his class, he finally commented on one of my images just a few months before his death,” relates Karen. Darton remarked that

“Mother Nature’s Heiress” 18

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

he “could not stop looking into her eyes.” It was a comment that, to Karen, meant as much to her as earning her Master of Photography degree. That image, “Engaging,” was another Loan Collection image and was a portrait of Karen’s own granddaughter who asked her if she would “take her picture.” The session evolved as a game of “dressup” while granddaughter and grandmother rummaged through a stash of old scarves. “I had her sit on my door chair on the front porch,” she explains, “and shot only with natural light. This special spot has beautiful light about 80% of the time and I’ve used it for many, many portraits.” The precious child in the image, “I Miss My Daddy,” was placed in a Crepe Myrtle tree in Karen’s backyard with the mother holding onto his legs for safety. “I used only natural light when capturing this image and then painted it in Corel after manipulating the straight lines of the tree trunks into meandering curves to frame the boy. I also took away some of the contrast in the bark so the area of greatest contrast was between the child’s face and hair and his eyes, not the tree.” Since we normally read from left to right, Karen flipped the image so the lines of his arm/shirt created a leading line to the center of interest... his face.. which is in a power point. “I would like to think that Darton would have liked this image, too,” she comments.

“Engaging”

When Karen turned 65, she made a decision to give back to her generation by offering a complimentary portrait session and print to senior citizens. “I think seniors deserve a little special treatment,” she says. The idea was the result of observing a beautiful, little lady every Sunday in Church. “She was always dressed from head to toe with matching shoes, purse, and outfit, topped off with a hat.” Because of a persuasive, mutual friend, Yolanda finally decided to take Karen up on her offer for the complimentary session. “While working with her, I discovered that she was a Katrina transplant from New Orleans. She had raised three children as a single mom and had put them through college all on her own. Then, after they graduated, she went to college herself and became a social worker. What a heart-warming story!” After photographing the lady in several of her outfits, including the hats, Karen had her remove her hat and then draped her in a scarf that complimented her skin tone. The portrait, “Refined Indigo,” was taken with natural light on Karen’s front porch. “Yes, I broke a rule by having her looking out of the frame without giving her room to look, but it just felt right.” In fact, the judge who later critiqued the image commented, “You broke a rule and did it very well.” Karen would be pleasantly surprised while attending IPC Judges’ School in 2016 when this image was shown in a power point presentation used to charge the IPC jurors. Karen’s most recent endeavor was inspired by Tom Hathcock, who was Executive Director of the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston at the time. He encouraged her to start doing programs. “I explained to him that I was very shy and insecure but he would not leave me alone!” So, with just a bit more encouragement, Karen finally agreed to present a workshop titled, “Fine Art on a Shoestring Budget.” In her presentation, Karen explains all about being frugal and how she uses her crafting and sewing skills to create unique props and backgrounds.

“I Miss My Daddy” “Refined Indigo”

“I worked hard on the program and was shocked that I was not at all nervous and rather enjoyed myself! It felt good to share my knowledge with others,” she says. Since that time, Karen has taught various workshops and presented programs throughout Texas and Louisiana including a Super One Day class and two Texas 10 Workshops. “It feels great to be doing what I think I was born to do... create artistic images,” she adds. In January of 2017, Karen Butts received her Photographic Craftsman degree and has set her goal to earn her Master Artist degree. She is living testimony that, “It’s never too late to follow a dream!” THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

“Candlelight Recital” was photographed by Phyllis Kuykendall, M.Photog.,CPP and received a Distinguished Print Ribbon at Summerfest ‘16. “My original concept for this shoot was a heavenly look, but I couldn’t pull it together,” explains Phyllis. “So I switched gears using one of Cliff Ranson’s digital backgrounds, adding the lights right and left on the wall and altering the background of the window to a cloudier look.” The subject, Alex, was photographed in the studio using ProFoto lights consisting of a 4x6 softbox placed camera left and a 1x4 grid for rim light to separate the Alex from the background. Using Photoshop, Phyllis extracted Alex from the background and used multiple blending layers to add light and shadow. “Creating the light source to match my image proved to be a challenge,” she adds, “so ivy was added in the background and in random areas to give added interest.” Phyllis Kuykendall owns Lilly Blue Photography in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, check out her website at LillyBluePhotography.com.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

What Makes a Great Landscape Image? by JOHN MURRAY

reat landscape photographs require the skill of a number of artistic and technical ideas brought together. One issue is the employment of the art elements using ideas of light, color, line, and circular observation. A second idea is that the landscape image will be loosely evaluated by the twelve elements of a merit image as well as its believability. A third importance is the photographer’s mastery with the camera to communicate an idea with emotions that follow a technical set of ideas. Finally, the photographer must set his/her emotional previsualized results and consider which of the techniques of camera settings, previsualization, and ideological approach will best evoke the desired emotional response. These four considerations will help determine the landscape image appeal. The above image demonstrates how it all works. While driving through Yosemite National Park, I noticed a stand of trees that had a beautiful backdrop of pines, mountains, and sky interest. I saw and felt the loneness of the subject birch trees among the grandeur of pines, mountains, and sky. My heart began to race with rapturous excitement, so I grabbed my equipment and rushed quietly to the scene for tripod placement. The light on my subject was in good position with the clouds forming a strong backlight... a winning condition. The contrast of the subject in the scene was there to make my subject birch trees stand out among the enormous pine and granite display. Liking what I saw, I chose my 50mm prime lens and selected my tripod height by viewing the scene through my camera first and following my feelings. Because the foreground was not particularly noteworthy, I aimed my camera up at the interesting sky and asked myself, “Do I have something of interest in all four quadrants of my composition?” This is called Quadrant Theory.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Next, I composed the scene by raising and lowering the camera height and placing the birch trees in an aesthetic center of interest. When satisfied, I set the lens aperture at f11, the sweet spot for that lens, and focused one-third the distance into the scene. Then, with my hand atop the camera, which is on the tripod, I pushed down the shutter snap. There are a ton of technical decisions to make when approaching a scene like this. So, to minimize the number of decisions which can distract from the purpose to communicate something of the subject, I pre-prepare the camera before arriving. The shutter release cable is affixed to the camera body with the mirror-up option selected and the camera is mounted on the tripod. In my camera vest, there is a two-stop graduated neutral density filter and a circular polarizer for the prime lens of choice. The Quadrant Theory is a good place to start when communicating the scene. Is there something of interest in each of the four equally divided quadrants of the frame? Next, keep in mind that viewers will probably enter your composition at the bottom-left third, unless forced elsewhere. Now choose one of the compositional theories that appear closest to what you are seeing in your viewfinder and place your subject at the intersection point. Every step affirms decision-making choices while recording the landscape. You may decide to use a circular polarizer to capture more drama in the sky or to see more cloud contrast. The choice of using a graduated neutral density filter may be determined by asking whether or not there is a balance of tones from top to bottom of the composition or if something needs to be darkened to reduce its distraction from the subject. Setting the exposure also helps communicate your feelings of the scene. If left in auto mode, you will automatically get what everybody else gets. Normal things are rarely inviting when it comes to imagery. The manual mode allows the photographer to influence the image as light and airy, or intensified colors due to darkening the surroundings, or dark and mysterious or even jubilant ascensions by allowing the eyes to follow a path straight up. Subject composition is the key to a great image by influencing its ability to be remembered. “When Rain Turns to Snow” has an “s-curve” through the water that begins at the beaver dam and flows to the bottom-left of the frame. Notice that the viewer’s eye movement does not allow exit from the image. There are no high-contrast objects near an edge, there are no vertical/horizontal line intersections close to an edge, and there are no out of key elements around the edge. There is only interest.

“When Rain Turns to Snow”

“Time for What Really Matters”

In the image to the right, the gathered friends are placed in the “Rule of Thirds.” Their shape creates a gentle diagonal, which is the third strongest compositional form. The sands of time are in movement while the subject’s stillness expresses the title of “Time for What Really Matters.” Also, notice that the cool colors do not exceed .382 of the scene. This is important because equal balance is not appreciable. The composition that normally exists in nature is .618 and its inverse. Mathematical rhythms do influence vision preference. In “Sundown Over Southfork,” the horizon line is not allowed to occupy the middle of the picture. It is good for nothing other than passing the viewer’s eye from one side of the image onto the other side. A “dead center” is just that... dead and at the center... and good for nothing. Rarely is a scene perfectly balanced with exact symmetry on both divisions of the image. THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

“Sundown Over Southfork”

A near monotonous appearance of the scene on the gulf helps to influence the idea of “Alone in the Silence.” The unused chair highlights the fact that the subject is alone. The image has multiple appeals because it allows multiple inflections into what is happening in the photograph. Most would see the man as slumped shoulders and in despair of his situation because he is facing outward on the left edge of the image. It is silent with still waters, yet warm and inviting. The subtle painting technique employed on the wood helps to shift emphasis away from the dock and onto the man. Previsualization of statement is important to anticipate the emotion the photograph emits. For instance, fog enhances the unknowing of the future. Sand enhances the idea of time comparison. Still waters enhance the quietness of thought. Waiting enhances anticipation. Cool colors are filled with thoughtful reflectance. Yes, symbols are used in everyday communication and far exceed the ability of description for universal acceptance.

“Alone in the Silence”

Anticipating outcome is more than ideological thought. It relates to physical things like gear planning, image presentation, predictive movement, composition employment, color rendering, contrast control, light recognition, circular flow, maintained asymmetry, and deliberate statement. The best way to previsualization is to put self into the scene and imagine what you want to say... then pursue that.

“Overseer of the Kitengela” 4 Movement, Circular Observation, Parallelism, Primary-Secondary Subject - The aesthetics of eye movement has another occurrence beyond where to place the horizon line in an image. Vertical and horizontal “t” movements also help maintain viewer activity into the piece. It is imperative that the viewer cross the middle lines, vertical and horizontal dimensions, multiple times to maintain involvement. Usually the longer dimension is searched first, and then the shorter dimension with alternating views appearing next. Those middle lines should not include either the horizon or a strong vertical in dead center. If it does it will divide the viewer and interest will usually be lost. It is both unnatural and a poor use of negative space that repulses the mind.

Where to Put the Horizon Line? - No discussion of scenic landscapes would be complete without a discussion of where to place the horizon line. Remember, that of all the compositional strength shapes that the horizontal line is the very bottom of the list of shapes. It is the most static and requires repeating its shape at least eleven times to gain any visual interest of its own. As it turns out, the horizon line is good for nothing more than passing the viewer’s eye from one side of the image onto the other side. It might be best to capture a scene without a horizon line in it. However, and realistically, there is at least an implied horizon line to draw the mind. Whether the image presents an actual or virtual horizon line, it serves to distract while it offers an eye path. The horizon line is so subtle that it can lend to the aura of feeling derived from depth ploy. When a broken or shortened horizontal line exists in the image the eye is pulled from subject to that place and can serve to add the perception of depth in the image. Consideration of the horizon line placement is valuable. Here is an illustration of horizon line placement with the image “Sundown Over Southfork.” For an image that has upper or sky interest, a lower horizon line is best. It lends the differential vertical ascension to the viewing pattern and causes better evolvement with the rest of the image. For a scene that has great foreground interest, the horizon line should be placed in the upper part of the capture. This allows for the natural vertical ascension movement to heighten the full contact with the rest of the scene. The subtlety of recommending eye movement does not exist with exact middle placement of the horizon line and requires other eye movement devises to suggest movement. Good placement of the horizon or its virtual counterpart would be at thirds, fifths, .618 from the top or bottom, ninths, or anyplace other than dead center.

A “4 Movement” action occurs when the eye ascends to the top of the image, then diagonally down and left to the horizon, then to the right side, and then back up again while surveying the whole image. The “4” movements actually imply a diagonal movement also because the mind wanders to connect the vertical-horizontal progression.

Upper interest with lower horizon line

Primary and secondary subject placement ideas are used to engage the viewer for inclusion into the scene. “Overseer of the Kitengela” illustrates this idea. The giraffe is the primary subject while the group of zebras is the secondary subject. The link of two subjects is helpful for communicating their inter dependence upon each other. The giraffe has good vision for protection from predators while the zebras smell out predators that the giraffe cannot. Together as a unit they are safer. All four movement theories of circular observation, “t” movement, parallelism, and primary –secondary subject placement ideas rely on uninterrupted eye movements. Interruptions occur when a distraction is introduced to the balance of the scene by inclusion of a distraction. Distraction avoidance becomes necessary when retouching the scene or capturing the image so as to not disturb the vertical-horizontal eye polarity created from horizontal line placement. John Murray, Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman, is a second generation photographer following his father, Paul Murray, who pursued portraiture as a business since 1948. He is well-known in the industry as a knowledgeable critic used by the Masters while helping many of them achieve their degrees from PPA. John is one of the first to hold the “Excellence In Imaging Award” presented by the Professional Photographers of America.

Upper horizon line, with texture as glistening snow for foreground interest June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

Storytelling in photography must be carefully done from the moment a photography session begins until a client’s children’s children can turn the pages of their family story.

Renée C. Gage M. Photog., ASP

ife is a story told from many different perspectives, ultimately weaving together the many big and little moments that represent each of us. Photography is a loom which weaves these moments and connects heart to vision. As a fine art and portrait photographer, my job is not only to capture the moments where everyone is perfectly in place, but to capture the little moments as well. It is not only the posed bride and groom, but the expression of a small child in the wedding party. It is the family portrait where time stands still, but also the child who answers the door in skivvies, cape and mask with a light saber tucked in his belt. Our life stories often reside in these little moments more than the big.

From the first instant a potential client reaches out to me, we form a connection. In order to capture what my clients embrace in their everyday lives, we discuss what means the most to them, what they hope their children will learn from them, and what is their favorite family moment. I ask them to fill out a design session sheet that asks them, “What is your favorite place to be all together? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? What is your favorite color?” If they open up to me, I can enter their world. When it’s time for their session and I am invited into their home and their lives, I notice the rain boots or flip flops on the porch, the sleepy pup, the child running down the hall to tell her parents I have arrived, and the exchanged glance between a husband and wife. These raw, real moments are vital pieces of their story and I am the storyteller. After the session, I create a video of my favorite edited images and deliver it to the family and leave it with them overnight, asking them to jot down which images first pop into their mind. These images, usually about ten or so, are likely the ones they love the most because they resonate with them. Now begins the biggest question—how best to preserve and showcase the images that best tell their story? In this difficult moment, my professional direction and guidance are essential.

In these beautiful, hand-crafted albums, we mix formal, photojournalistic, color, and black and white images. I include these albums in my collections of fine art prints, a la carte prints, albums or books. They can also be purchased individually and, oftentimes, people will purchase an album for themselves and a smaller book for a grandparent or other family member. Serendipity also created a unique and special album I offered for sale at my recent fine art exhibit, “Texas Trees, Sky & Sea,” an infrared exhibit of Texas that became an 18-month-long project. As I travelled from Corpus Christi to Big Bend and everything in between, I captured hundreds of images including dreamy trees, racing clouds and reflective water that inspired me. A unique album from Serendipity with a custom embossed cover, simple design and layout, and impeccable attention to detail was the perfect choice for this unique collection of fine art. Storytelling in photography must be carefully done from the moment a photography session begins until a client’s children’s children can turn the pages of their family story. From newborns, families and seniors to fine art exhibit projects, I find that albums are an essential product with which to create my photography’s legacy. Of the big and little stories that make up our lives, I always say the little moments mean the most.

I first encourage all of my clients to choose the one image they wish to be an heirloom and make that the centerpiece of their home. But there will always be other images they feel they can’t live without. This is where I suggest an album... something tangible that can sit on a coffee table for friends and family, especially children, to view again and again. Although beautiful wall art is one way to capture and present our most priceless images, albums are an essential tool to chronicle my client’s stories.

Renée C. Gage is a Master Photographer from Corpus Christi who employs her photojournalistic talents to tell the stories of her subjects with elegance and whimsy. She has received numerous professional accolades for her outstanding imagery including the International Loan Collection and the MPPA Kodak Gallery Award. She began her photography career in 2001 and continues to build an extensive clientele around the world, capturing and preserving life’s rich beauty and the little moments that mean the most.

For my purposes, I have found Serendipity Albums to be the perfect steward of my clients’ images. Serendipity’s co-founders, Eric and Alice, are both professional photographers who care as much about the story I’m telling as I do and they are from Texas. It is important to me to support local friends and entrepreneurs who offer something above the rest.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

by Gregory Daniel M. Photog.Cr., F-ASP

ould you be interested in a business model that was inherently designed to reduce marketing costs, increase profits and perpetually build the buzz over time? This has certainly been our experience for over 33 years. We have successfully stood the test of many fads, economic roller coaster rides and the digital revolution without changing our basic business model. Hopefully some of the following thoughts will generate some ideas and a review of your current business model and help with the development of an action plan for the future.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

Third party display marketing has been one of the most powerful institutional marketing tools the photography industry has touted for decades. We all know that landing a display at the local childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boutique or in the premier mall entrance can be one of the best forms of keeping your name in front of potential clients. As wonderful as this sounds, landing these displays are not always easy and can be extremely costly. Over the years I have experienced difficulty in finding just the right business match that not only loves a Gregory Daniel Portrait but also is willing to display the portrait on their most valuable merchandizing wall.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say you work with 100 clients each year for over 5 years, you would have over 500 wall displays in the target homes of your marketing sweet spot. These are display holders of people that love you because of the wonderful gift and treasure you have given them for a lifetime. These are homes where parties are held each weekend throughout the year, every year, and where new potential clients are immersed in conversations centered around the most important topics of these families. Can you imagine the perpetual marketing buzz this produces? The type of third party marketing from having one of your clients share their experience during the creation of their timeless masterpiece is priceless. I believe a business designed to create a timeless recognizable brand of personal art that is displayed on the wow walls of your clients is a blueprint for a sustainable, successful business. I would suggest perpetual marketing that is built into your products is a valuable concept that can and will reduce your direct marketing costs and continually increase your profits. This concept is one of the foundation blocks of our business and has proven itself worthy and standing the test of time.

Gregory and Lesa Daniel are from Titusville, Florida, and are regular instructors at the Texas School of Professional Photography. For more information, check out their website at www.gregorydanielportraits. com. For more information on Texas School, go to www.texasschool.org.

Third party marketing from having one of your clients share their experience during the creation of their timeless masterpiece is priceless and is a valuable concept that can and will reduce your direct marketing costs and continually increase your profits.

The predominate wall for a local merchant is typically prime real estate that needs to be graced with income producing products bringing large profits to the table. This is why partnership marketing is so very important to the merchant and ultimately cost you through kickbacks or shared profits via certificates sold or honored from the generation of sales as a direct result of the display. There are many other types of displays that we have successfully used in the past and still employ today. This article is not to address all of the normally taught standard practices in our industry today but have you explore the idea of a proven and much more sustainable approach to long-term powerful marketing. Consider setting up a photography business that is focused on creating timeless classics that are designed to hang on the predominate walls of all your clients. These are clients that have purchased your artwork because they love what you do. Naturally their portrait is something they are emotionally attached to forever. Typically it was created during a very special time in their life capturing their family, as they want to see them today and in the future. They have displayed this timeless, priceless portrait in the most desirable place in their home to be seen everyday.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

by BILL HEDRICK

ohn Wilson is one lucky photographer! In addition to running his own studio in Ft. Worth, Texas, he is also a full-time photographer for the world’s largest defense contractor, Lockheed Martin. It’s a rewarding and challenging career and, for 40 years, John has witnessed history in the making while playing a critical role in the defense of our nation.

the FBI in the DFW area. I worked with a local agent who would select the images. One memorable set of images depicted the robber walking out of the bank, pulling up his shotgun and blasting the surveillance camera. They did catch the guy because we got a full-face image of him just before he pulled the trigger.”

As a child, John admits that photography was not at the top of his list of future professions. However, by the time he was in high school, John was taking a college-level class on commercial photography. John also worked for a location photographer during his junior year in high school, earning $3 per session while using his own gas in his 1954 Chevy Belair. From there, he moved on to Idabel, Oklahoma, to run a small studio before returning to Ft. Worth where he worked in Dillard’s portrait studio.

John is a man with two careers. In addition to his photography work with the aerospace-defense industry, he runs a studio. His day begins at 5:30 in the morning with a quick check of the studio before heading to Lockheed Martin. He returns to the studio at 4:45 that same evening and often works until 9:00 or 10:00 at night. The studio is located in a heavy industrial area of North Ft. Worth. “We moved there from our home studio in 1988,” he explains. “Our largest commercial client was across the street from our new studio.” The studio specializes in a “comfortable blend of Traditional and Contemporary” photography. “We place great importance on providing each client with a memorable experience and cherished photographic heirlooms,” says John. “We strive for a balance of creative photography in all aspects of our studio, which includes Weddings and Portraits.”

Over the next few years, John worked for a couple of other studios before a friend recommended that he check out a job opportunity with General Dynamics, which later became Lockheed Martin. He was originally hired as a Lab Technician. “In 1977, we were still doing everything in blackand-white,” says John. “We did a lot of medium format film and much of our work was 4x5 black-and-white.” Today, his official job description is “Digital Imaging Technician.” The history of Lockheed Martin goes back over 100 years. Lockheed Corporation was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta Corporation in 1995. The company employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. After purchasing Ft. Worth’s General Dynamics in the early 1990’s, Lockheed manufactured the Western World’s most-produced jet fighter, the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In 2001, Lockheed Martin won the contract to build the F-35 Lightning II which has become the largest fighter aircraft procurement project since the F-16, with an initial order of 3,000 aircraft, worth some $200 billion before export orders. As one of a team of professional photographers on staff for the company, John performs a variety of duties and spends a large amount of time at the computer providing digital manipulations, retouching and postproduction work. Although it might seem like boring work to some people, John says that isn’t so. “At one time, we also processed all of the bank robbery film for

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

networking has become more critical than ever before and social media will become a primary source of advertising.” In fact, he believes that older photographers can learn a few things from the “newbies” as well. “Many of them know what they like and how they want to be treated.” As far as the future of photography, John believes that the future is up to us. “Sometimes a good kick in the pants is necessary to get us out of a rut.”

But, just when you thought he has a full schedule with two jobs, John Wilson is also an instructor for the Texas School of Professional Photography, teaching Basic Photoshop. “I always encourage new photographers to continue their education and to join professional associations. I also try to impress upon them that this is a business and they must handle it as a business. That means paying sales taxes and all of the other fun stuff. Passion doesn’t pay the bills.” As both a professional photographer and an instructor, John realizes that the term “professional” has changed over the past few years. “Having a studio or having the latest equipment does not make one an instant professional photographer. In the past, a professional photographer has always been defined as being an individual whose main source of income was produced from creating photographs for business or private use. Today, the term ‘professional’ has been somewhat weakened to include hobbyists.” he explains. However, it isn’t all “doom and gloom.”According to John, today’s professional photographers must remain relevant to our past and current clients. “If people can’t see what sets us apart from their point-and-shoot cameras, they won’t need our services. To survive and prosper, we need to market differently and to do more volume trade. Third party advertising and THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Sweet Motorhomeâ&#x20AC;? was photographed by Bill Hedrick, M.Photog.,Cr., as one in a series of commercial images for a motorhome manufacturer. Interior images of several motorhomes were photographed inside an airplane hangar to control lighting from the outside. Windows were covered on the outside with translucent material with six to eight strobes strategically placed around the motorhome at varying intensities. Additional lighting was bounced inside the unit as needed. Outdoor scenes and television screen were added in post production using Photoshop. The image won a trophy for Best Interior and a trophy for Best Overall Commercial/Industrial by a Master at a Texas PPA summer seminar with a score of 98.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

acebook and Twitter get a lot of attention as social networking tools, but really there’s no better place for a photographer than Instagram. Why? First of all, Instagram is image-focused and you can network with other photographers and get inspiration. Also, your fans can follow you, see your style, and book your services. But you can also use your Instagram page as a place to experiment and to have fun! So, let’s break down some key steps for finding more followers, using Instagram strategically to boost your business, and how to translate online followers into real-life sales. Setting Up a Business Account - Starting with Instagram is as easy as downloading the app, registering your profile, and uploading a photo. But if you have a business, you should consider converting your personal account to a business profile. It’s easy to do. Just visit the option menu and hit “Switch To Business Profile.” You’ll get some immediate benefits from having a business account. First, you can add additional contact info like your location, email, and phone number so followers can get in touch with you to book sessions. Secondly, you can access valuable data about your followers, posts, and engagement. This can help you refine what you post and when. Finally, you can promote posts. This will help you get extra eyeballs on super important posts. Using Insights to Improve Posts - With a business account, you get more information about your audience and how they react to your posts. You’ll see a demographic breakdown of your followers, including their ages, genders, and location. You’ll also see what days and times your followers are most active. Knowing your audience and their viewing habits can help you decide what to post and when. The “when” part of this equation is very helpful. If you’re only going to post a few photos a week, it’s a good idea to do it when the most people are online to see your work. Look to your data to discover which days and times your audience is most engaged. By making small tweaks to your content and posting schedule, you can eventually see big gains in likes and engagement. THE PHOTOGRAPHER

June/July 2017

Post Consistently - When working out your posting schedule, remember: the most important thing is to be consistent. Post daily if you can, or stick to three times a week. What matters most is that your followers can count on you to deliver content that they love – consistently. Set a reminder in your calendar if you have to! Frequent updates keep you top of mind with your followers. They show that you’re a hardworking, prolific, in-demand photographer! And the more you post, the more room you have to experiment. Experiment - It’s smart to take a strategic approach to your Instagram, but don’t get stuck worrying about it too much. Instagram is meant to be quick and off the cuff. It shouldn’t take hours to make a post. That’s because Instagram is not your portfolio, but it should work like a companion. Post a mix of portfolio-quality photos, nice shots that won’t exactly make it into your portfolio, experimental images, “behind the scenes” photos, and casual mobile pics. Around 80% should be your main style, and the rest is playtime. Again, don’t get too paralyzed by perfection. Obsessing over what pics are good enough, on target enough, perfectly balanced, and on and on will just suck the fun out of life. Above all, have fun! Write Better Descriptions - Your followers want to know more about your cool photos! Where were they taken? Did you use any new equipment? Why was the shoot memorable? Consider taking a moment to jot down any thoughts about your photo that seem interesting. Giving the image context helps to draw in your audience and give them a peek into your process. It doesn’t have to be long, usually a quick sentence or two will do. And don’t worry about “SEOing” your descriptions. Instagram uses hashtags to help people find images they like. Use #Hashtags To Get Found - Instagram uses hashtags to help users find images. This means that unless you use hashtags on your posts, new users won’t be able to find your cool photos. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post. At a minimum, you’ll want to include at least 10 or 15 at the end of your post. When you start to type a hashtag, Instagram will tell you how many posts are currently using that particular tag. It’s important to use a mix of “popular” and “less-popular” hashtags, so you can show up in a lot of different places.

cutting edge. When you can, grab a big old piece of that inspiration pie for yourself and try new methods, subjects or editing styles. And you can take inspiration for your promotional strategy, too. Do you know a photographer who is #KILLINGIT on insta? Study the way they write their descriptions and the hashtags they use. New and trending tags pop up all the time, so be on the lookout – you could be making a bigger splash in a smaller bucket. And when new features or tools come out, don’t be afraid to give them a try. If you stay plugged in, you can uncover better tactics and new followers who are hungry to know your business better. Engage With Your Community - Gaining followers is good, but so is following others (This is the SOCIAL part of social media!). To get friends, you have to make friends. So go ahead and follow some accounts that you really like, photographers you want to know better, influential fans, and accounts that take submissions for contests. Networking is an important part of your business and by creating relationships, you can open up new doors in your career. If someone leaves you a comment ... write back!

You also may find more success using smaller tags. That’s because big tags mean big competition. Where you might drown in a sea of #photography posts, you may rise to the top of a smaller tag, like #westcoastphotography. It’s good to think strategically about your tags, and notice which work better over time. And remember: INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE LOCATION-SPECIFIC HASHTAG! Unless you can travel all over the world to shoot, the majority of your clients will be LOCAL! Make sure the right customers can find you. (For example: brides searching #charlotteweddings.) Stay Ahead Of Trends - Instagram is not only for your adoring fans – it’s also a place for you to network and get inspired. Following and engaging with other photographers (and fans of photographers) is super helpful for figuring out what people are liking, responding to, and doing out there on that dangerous

Sure, it takes a minute, but your followers will really appreciate you taking the time to say “thank you” or answer a quick question. The user you engaged with will likely stick around and come back more often. If they weren’t following you before, they probably will now. People like knowing that you’re not a robot that spits out pictures. The more human you make yourself online, the more your followers will want to engage with your brand. And if they’re in your area looking for a photographer... you can be darn certain they’ll remember you.

Holly Harris is the Marketing Strategist for PhotoBiz, a company that specializes in building websites for professional photographers and other small business owners. Learn more at PhotoBiz.com.

June/July 2017

THE PHOTOGRAPHER