Get Lucky brought the Freestylers, DJ Monk, and Nyx to Salt Lake City's annual St. Patrick's Day party organized by V2 Events. I was really excited about the lineup, and when I saw the big, bright projector screen, I was stoked for that, too.

One thing I wasn't thrilled about was that the DJ table was high up and far forward on the stage -- great for audience viewing from far back, but difficult conditions to shoot under. The DJ's were frequently hidden behind the DJ table due to their high position and the low angle I was shooting from. Getting back further, there's a big crowd to deal with and too much camera shake to get a clear shot.

Because the table was far forward and raised, it was also difficult to shoot on stage. My usual angles of attack were all blocked! No problem. Time to improvise. As a photographer, it's easy to get sucked into doing what works from tried and true experience. Situations like this force me to think outside the box, mix things up, and even change my shooting style.

I didn't want that bright, colorful screen to go to waste, so I was careful not to wash it out with my flash, and I found myself reaching for my 50mm f/1.8 a lot more frequently to let in more of the amazing light and color that was already there. Maybe you can't see my characteristic flash style as much in these shots, but sometimes you do what you gotta do to get the job done!

I was swimming in the technicolor fantasy visuals by VJ Berkely (Hallucination on Film), and I wanted to capture that sense of hyper-reality that I felt on stage at the event. I hope I've done a decent job of it here.

I really enjoyed the sets, but Monk really impressed me this time. I felt his set connected with the audience even better than the last performance I caught at Pioneer Daze. I got a kick out of Berkeley's video clips, and I think that the VJ performance engaged the audience every bit as well as the music did.

It's funny how much my own emotions effect my photography. I was really feeling all the light, color, and music associated with Monk's set, and it's reflected in the photo set. I think I took more pictures of Monk than anybody else at the party. When I'm having fun it's like my finger never leaves the shutter release. I hope the passion for the music and the excitement of the show are visible in the photography.

Labels: get lucky, nightlife, rave, salt lake city, slc, utah, v2, v2 events

Hi everybody, I'm working on something exciting. I have been a fan of Morgan Page for several years. A couple years ago, I brought him to Salt Lake City to celebrate the release of his influential bootleg remix album, "Cease and Desist". Since then he's gone on to top a bunch of dance charts, got signed by Nettwerk Records, and released his first album with them. In celebration, I'm going to try to give one copy away every week for three full months to SLC VIP Club Members. Make sure you're on the list for your chance to win!

A personal note from Morgan Page:

Hello family & friends. Today is a big day. Elevate is officially released and available wherever music is sold.

When I set out to make Elevate, I set an ambitious goal for myself. I wanted to create an album that allowed people to experience my remixes in a brand new context; woven between original material as part of an album that would flow seamlessly as a coherent musical journey. I wanted to change the perspective of what constitutes an electronic album to fans and critics alike.

Elevate is the culmination of years of work and an evolution of my work as a producer. It is undoubtedly one of the most significant milestones in my life. In addition to the amazing artists that I’ve had the opportunity to remix for this album, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with some truly talented songwriters and musicians: Lissie, Tyler James, Camila Grey, and Matt Wasley. I am absolutely elated and I hope you’ll join me in celebrating this momentous day with your support.

Purchase your copy of Elevate today, and experience a new perspective towards electronic music.

---

Now available at:

P.S. We're also giving away two tickets to see Benny Benassi at Get Funky. Lots more great give-aways coming. Signup to win!

Labels: album, morgan page, nettwerk records, promotion, vip club

Congratulations DREW LATTA!

You have won the VIP Club ticket give-away for Nu Skool 3! You can pick your tickets up at Mechanized. We still have more exciting giveaways coming, including two free tickets to see Benny Benassi at Get Funky!

Labels: giveaway, vip club

All due respect to David Hobby, who called this technique Strobe on a Rope, I shoot wireless infra-red via Nikon's CLS (Creative Lighting System).

If I had a dime for every time I've described how I handle light on nightlife shoots, I'd never need to shoot again. In case you are not one of the 17,000 people I've told... here's a photo for you (thanks to Salt Lake After Dark for the photo). Mount your strobe to the end of a tripod or monopod (I prefer the tripod because I can set it down and trust it to be stable if I want different light angels), aim the light where you want it, and shoot. It's that easy. That funky thing on the end is a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud Diffuser. There are a lot of pundits on Flickr who make fun of Gary Fong and his products, but diffusers work. They scatter and spread the light around, make everything a bit more evenly lit, and having one on a tilt/swivel flash makes it really easy to tweak your exposure by shining more or less light on your subject with a twist of the flash head. It takes some practice, but eventually becomes second nature.

Labels: me, nightlife photography, strobist, technique, tutorial

With a quiet mind,
come into that empty house; your heart,
and feel the joy of the way
beyond the world

- The Dhammapada

Today I had the pleasure of photographing a very non-traditional model for a feature in The City Weekly's "Best of Utah" awards. Typical models are quite tall, skinny as toothpicks, and very young. She was none of these things, but she was great to work with. She had a terrific work ethic, great hair, smiles, and a sexy attitude. Wonderful!

Since the sexy controversy errupted on my blog, I've been thinking a lot about the disparity between what I think is sexy, and what gets put out there by the media (including myself, obviously) and held up as sexy. Today I had another chat with amy that I'm not going to post; but in it, Amy suggested that if there was more diversity in what media held up as beautiful, it would be easier for people to have a healthy self-image. My apologies to City Weekly and their model. I'm going to hold them up as examples of what I'd like to see more of.

The model (a city weekly employee) admited that she's not often picked for this type of job, and went on to point out that there are many pretty young ladies at CW who are usually chosen to go out on shoots. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw her, and I thought she was a brilliant choice. I'm very happy that City Weekly is willing to print photos like this of women who are strong enough and beautiful enough to break the mold.

Thanks, City Weekly!

Labels: city weekly, sexy controversy

Going to have an Easter meal with my mother in law this evening. I welcome the relaxation. I've been working too much lately. For example: Yesterday I was bombarded by emails and blog comments over a controversial post to my blog; trying to keep my head above water and make sure that my important work-related stuff wasn't getting lost in the sudden and unexpected tidal wave of attention.

Then I had to catch a short nap and head out to photograph a local radio dj in the studio for his winning feature in The City Weekly's Best of Utah issue. Sorry, can't say who, or what he won yet!

After that I was off to the rave ("1") to photograph a killer lineup -- incredible! Best display of talent I've seen all year, and I'm including the phenomenal Future Sound of Breaks Tour and the Paul Oakenfold show in that. I haven't seen such an amazing talent lineup since a human beat box went up against two of Utah's best turntablists at Man vs Machine back in December.

"1" was a PHENOMENAL SHOW! -- just one problem -- the promotions fell short and the crowd was very thin. It's a shame so many people missed out on such a great event. Hopefully there will be a lot fewer flops like that when the VIP Club promotions get into full swing. If you want to know what's going on in the SLC EDM (Electronic Dance Music) scene and have your chance to win free VIP tickets to all the best events - along with a lot of other great prizes, sign up now. If you're already a member, forward this to your friends!

This week I have a few more shoots for City Weekly (watch for them in the Best of Utah issue, April 3rd! I'm giving away two free tickets to a lucky VIP Club member for Nu Skool 3 (Solid UNDA Ground), interviewing applicants for my college credit internship program and compiling photos for an upcoming nightlife photography exhibit. Watch this space. If you think it sounds like I'm doing some cool things now -- you ain't seen nothin' yet... just wait until I tell you about the parties that are still under wraps!

Labels: diary, events, nightlife, parties, utah, vip club

By your own efforts,
waken yourself, watch yourself,
and live joyfully.

- The Dhammapada

Amy is a long time friend and has no connections to the controversy that exploded on my blog earlier today. I think that the discussions have raised some important social issues, and that if we are going to solve these problems, we need to raise a candid dialog, in the same way that I've been open and candid about my photography, and my business. This is what Amy had to say. I enjoyed it.

me: my blog is under comment siege
 Sent at 1:43 PM on Saturday
 Amy: well deserved :)
 me: um..
you do know that several people are throwing rocks at me, right?
=)
is that the part that's well deserved?
 Amy: meaning?
 me: the original email is a woman bitching me out for posting sexy photos
 Amy: right
 me: some of the comment posters want me dead
 Amy: ah, i didn't read that far
 me: and a mother thinks I caused her kid's drug problem..
I hope you're not saying that stuff is well deserved... [wink]
 Amy: well, obviously that is ridiculous
i just meant that i understand the original woman's point
not so much any of the violent crazies :)
 me: hmm..
can you make an elegant case for that position as a blog comment?
 Amy: probably not any moreso than anyone else has
 me: do you honestly believe that those photos are doing any sort of harm to anybody?
 Amy: not your photos in particular, but those type of photos in general
 me: so far I haven't seen any eloquent points made by any of the people posting negative comments
 Amy: but i wouldn't say for you to take them down, because i believe in free speech
but would i direct my daughter or my sisters to look at them? no, absolutely not
 me: shouldn't those girls be allowed to dress how they like in an appropriate venue?  it's not like they're wandering public streets dressed like that.
 Amy: absolutely
 me: people go to those shows to see them dance on stage -- they're part of the act
 Amy: people should be free to do whatever they like, look at whatever they like, photograph whatever they like
 me: and frankly -- it's my job to take pictures of them.. honestly I wasn't interested in that part at first -- I completely ignored the crowds and the girls and focussed my photo snapping almost exclusively on the djs
but when I started getting hired to cover the events in a more general way, I learned that I really enjoyed the people interaction
 Amy: but personally, i feel that pictures like that feed into society's obsession with unachievable body types
and i that's not something that i would want anyone that i love exposed to
but that's not your responsibility, it's mine as a parent, friend, sister, whatever
but it would definitely be a lot easier if images like that were not plastered all over tv, movies, the internet, city buses, etc :)
 me: people can watch disney movies instead of look at my website
 Amy: sure
 me: it's not my fault if they get sucked in and start gawking at girls they wish they could look like, and frankly, it's not the girls' fault, either.
 Amy: if they don't like what they see, they don't have to look at it
 me: it seems to me that people who are offended by those images almost universally half deep-rooted self esteem and body image issues
 Amy: of course they do
 me: and they need to take responsibility for that and work to change their thought patterns
 Amy: because society tells them every single day that because they don't look like the girls that you photograph, they are worthless
 me: rather than lash out at innocent people
 Amy: it is a societal problem, not an individual one
 me: you think I'm saying, "look, she's hotter than you, you're worthless"?
hell no.
 Amy: not you as a person
 me: I'm saying it isn't society.
 Amy: then you need to open your eyes
 me: it's the person with the self esteem problem.
 Amy: how do you think a person gets a self esteem problem?
you think they just wake up one day like that? or they're born with it?
people have low self esteem from being systematically told by their peers, the media, their family, their friends, strangers on the street that they do not meet up to what is expected of a person in their community
if it's because they're fat, or they have bad skin, or a big nose, or whatever
 me: Amy, when I was younger, I was one of those people.
Seriously.
 Amy: so?
 me: I had a real hard time with negative thought patterns.
I made a conscious effort to change
and I did change
and then it didn't seem so much like I was being bombarded by negativity anymore
 Amy: yes, the effort is something you have to do yourself
because you have to overcome the negativity that is being pushed at you all the time
 me: it's not that the world around me changed, it's that my attitude about it did a 180.
 Amy: right
 me: you realize that those girls are constantly hounded by the same sort of negativity, right?
 Amy: but that doesn't mean that because you were able to overcome a society shitting on you, that it is not a social problem
 me: only it's "OMG somebody give that girl a sandwich!"
or "slut"
 Amy: i am sure they are
 me: "skank"
"bitch"
 Amy: and that is a societal issue also
and a feminist issue as well
why do women who choose to portray themselves in a sexual way automatically get labeled a slut or a whore?
 Sent at 3:18 PM on Saturday
 Amy: it is all a system of oppression, the only variable is which end of the oppression you are on
 Sent at 3:19 PM on Saturday
 Amy: did i make you mad? :)
 Sent at 3:20 PM on Saturday
 me: so people are unhappy with themselves, and they try to oppress the people around them to make themselves feel better?
so is it okay that people want to censor my blog?
 Amy: nope
 me: because that oppression is justified somehow by those insecurities, social anxieties, and internal pressures?
 Amy: i never said that you should censor your blog
but that people would WANT you to, i can understand
 me: you understand where she's coming from.
 Amy: yes.
 me: so do I, I think.
What I don't understand is the need to lash out at innocent people.
 Amy: but i understand where you are coming from, also
well, that is the last resort of an angry person
someone who feels powerless
like a cranky dog in a corner or somethin
g
 me: I don't understand why people think that my photographs and comments justify insightful suggestions like, "die please"
and perhaps it's better that I don't.
 Amy: that's the internet, these are the same people who carry around big posters of aborted fetuses at every political rally in the country :)
 Sent at 3:26 PM on Saturday
 me: Can I post this whole chat on my blog?
 Sent at 3:29 PM on Saturday
 Amy: why?
i don't need any hate mail :)
 me: You'll be known only as "Amy"
 Amy: okay
 Sent at 3:32 PM on Saturday
 me: Thanks, Amy.  No, I'm not mad at you.  I think your perception is spot on, and I think it reveals a lot about why my photos have raised such a stink today.  You're wonderful, as always. =)
 Amy: be glad your photos raise a stink, that means they make an impact :)
 

Labels: community, society

"Dear Eric,

I've noticed that there are lots of scantily-clad young girls on your photo stream. Aren't you afraid that you are going to offend 90% of your clients in Mormonville, USA and don't you think that by giving these harlots a public place to flaunt themselves you're perpetuating the stereotype that girls are merely sexy playthings?"

You should take those photos down or you'll never find any work in this state!!!

- Enraged Feminist [Yes, this is actually how she signed!]

Whoah, Enraged. Calm down. First of all, those who would be so offended that they wouldn't hire me are not the sort of people I want to work for anyway. Call it client darwinism. It's a good thing. Trust me -- I'm not hurting for business. In fact, I'm hiring interns to keep up with the workload. From a photographer's business perspective, being true to my unique vision is my primary marketing strategy. My style and subjects are my brand, and what do you know -- sex sells. The last thing I'm going to do is shoot some conservative idea of what people want to buy. I prefer to shoot what I love.

Anyway, these girls aren't the primary subjects of my photographs. I mostly sell photos of the DJ's and other performers. That's where my real passion lies, and that's where the real money is. They need photos for their presskits and promotions, and they're willing to pay for them. Since most of them are from out of state, and unlikely to be conservative, my choice to include these girls in my photo sets has no negative impact on my bottom line.

Another interesting point is that photos of beautiful girls are far and away the most popular photos in my photo stream, and it's a safe bet that many of my fans found me initially through one of those popular images.

As for your second argument, I've just had a discussion very much like this on the UtahRaves.com message board. Here's a snippet of that conversation:

"And being the feminist that I am I think that they're just ridiculous and perpetuate the image that women are sex toys here for the pleasure of certian perverts and macho sexist idiots." - triciaprefect

"People said the same thing about Madonna." - me

"Madonna was (is) unique." - adrena_line

"So is Ms Easy. The point is that being sexy doesn't always 'perpetuate the image that women are sex toys,' and some particularly strong women manage to be true to themselves and flaunt their sexuality in a way that is empowering and liberating to women." - me

In another conversation, somebody accused me of being exploitive of these girls -- using them to sell my photos and services as if it's wrong to make money from anything that could be considered prurient. Far from feeling exploited, many of these girls are friends, and they respond enthusiastically when they see me. They plaster my photos all over their MySpace pages. They proudly display them to their friends, and many of them have asked me at one time or another for more formal photo shoots. These girls trust me because they know if there's a photo they don't want posted, I'll take it down. None of them have ever complained to me about the way that I conduct myself. I think it's telling that the people accusing me of exploitation are not the people being "exploited".

We can argue until the cows come home about whether it's wrong or right to post pictures of hot girls in skimpy clothing on the internet, but like any honest straight man, I like a dose of sexy in my photos now and then. Call me a sexist pig if you like, but consider this:

I celebrate the individuality and self expression of everybody I encounter in the nightlife scene, whereas, you assume that these girls are harlots, tear them down, and take the time out of your day to rant to me about it, just for trying to express themselves in a way you don't like. You profess to be a feminist, but isn't feminism about freedom and rights? These girls want the freedom and right to express their sexuality in an appropriate venue. Why should I deny them that, and refuse to take and post their photographs? They are part of the nightlife, and my job is to celebrate the nightlife, and all that it includes.

Since you asked me so politely to address this issue, here they are in all their bare-skinned glory: Utah's sexy nightlife dancers.

What are your thoughts on this debate? Take a look at some of the girls in question, and then click the little comments button to chime in.

Labels: beautiful, controversy, debate, feminism, feminist, girls, photos, sexy, women

Eric Hamilton Photography and V2 Events are giving away two tickets to see Benny Benassi at Get Funky! Members of the VIP Club are automatically entered. Not a member yet?

Sign up for the VIP Club to be informed of new galleries and upcoming events. Every month we'll give away cool prizes, like VIP tickets to the hottest parties! I care about your privacy, and I will never share your information with anyone.

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Labels: contest, nightlife, party, vip club

My mother used to tell me to get my head out of the clouds all the time. I was always cooking up crazy business ideas, or working on music, or drawing, and I always had an unfaltering faith that no matter what I chose to do with my life, I could figure out what it takes and make it work. I still have the same faith. I'm not going to lie to you. It's hard work, often thankless work bootstrapping a new business. Budgets are so small as to be almost unmeasurable. Little things like how to replace the flash that got knocked over can seem like insurmountable obstacles if you let them.

Key words -- if you let them.

This is a mental challenge; a test of your will. If you have what it takes, you will come out the other side of this gauntlet with solid foundations on which to build something that resembles a life not just survived, but well lived. I like living life with my head in the clouds. The air up here is a bit cleaner, and looking down from way up high at the big picture, something like a broken flash doesn't seem like the end of the world. Just another milestone on a beautiful path, full of twists and turns. I live for the challenges. I welcome them. I thrive on coming up with creative solutions. Want to make a photo book? Try funding it with pre-sales. Want to break into sports shooting? Volunteer for the local little league to get your portfolio started. I currently have what might seem like an insurmountable problem. I have a lot more work on my plate than I can handle on my own, and this is the sort of work that really needs to get done. That's not the problem, though. The problem is that I'm still in bootstrap mode, and I simply don't have the budget to hire employees and pay benefits and an hourly wage.

I could stumble on this obstacle. I could give up and decide I just can't hack it as a photographer because "it takes money to make money". Or, I could look at what I do have -- a solid reputation, great connections, a strong network of friends, and a lot of knowledge to share. The solution to this problem was a college internship program. Offer school credit for hands on training in a real photography business. No, this business doesn't have the best cash flow, but I can get interns VIP access to big shows, give them a chance to meet people who genuinely are successful. Let them associate and do business with people who have been there, done that, and made a thriving career of it. That's how to pay them. Reward them with the faith that a kid from nowhere with a dream can look at the big bad world, take it on, and become a productive part of it. Maybe when they've talked to photo editors from influential mags, and met major celebrities and discovered that they're real people -- maybe after all that they'll catch the bug, boldly thrust their heads high into the clouds, and realize that there is always a solution. If you have a dream, and you relentlessly pursue it in spite of all the warnings from concerned friends and family, you can make it come true.

"What you're doing by being a successful creative is violating all the rules of business already, so forget about realism." - Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua

Realism? Who needs it? All due respect to my mother, I think I'll keep my head in the clouds for just a little longer. Come and join me, if you're not afraid of falling.

Labels: business, going pro, photography

You should learn to use the word "no" as a tool to shape your portfolio and your future career. Take work that could be used in your portfolio to land your dream job, and turn down the work that doesn't excite you. It helps keep your portfolio looking fresh, sharp, individual, and creative to photo buyers, and it keeps you sane. The trouble is, how do you say no to a job without offending the client?

Turning down a job doesn't have to be a heart wrenching experience, with sad faces and gnashing of teeth. One way to say no without being offensive is to quote a high price for your services. When somebody asks you how much you would charge to shoot, don't allow yourself to think about how much they can afford or how much you think other photographers would charge. Think, "how much money would it take to make me excited about this job?" The funny thing is, I've had some clients enthusiastically agree when I was trying to turn them down gracefully by quoting a high price to them. I just smiled and ran with it, and what could have been a nightmare if I felt like I was wasting my time turned out to be a good experience for everyone, and it gave me hope, by proving to me that there really are people out there willing to pay a premium for a pro, even when there are hordes of amateurs out there happy to work for free.

I've turned down three jobs this week using this method, and no tears were shed by anyone. If you think I'm crazy for turning down paying work -- watch this space. You're gonna love the jobs I said "yes" to!

Labels: business, going pro, photography

Tommy Lee drops some electro house at The Playground in Park City, UT.

The gig was fun. I only had ten minutes to shoot while he was playing, so I only nailed a few really good shots. We were supposed to hang around after and get some more intimate portraits with Tommy but I guess he was having an off night. He hid in the green room after his set with his tour manager popping his head out every few minutes and saying, "Yeah, we're gonna do the photos", and then he'd vanish back into the room and close the door. After waiting around for about 30 minutes, the entourage comes out, makes a b-line to the door and into their waiting truck without a word.

Maybe he wasn't feeling it. Maybe he was in a bad mood (though if he was, it didn't show -- he was friendly in a very detached way, smiling and waving). The opening DJ, Skeet Skeet was really cool. He grew up with The Cobra Snake -- probably in the top 5 most famous nightlife photographers. We talked a little about him, and shared stories about going days without sleep while working back-to-back nightlife gigs.

The crowd was terrific. Some of the most friendly people I've met, and very diverse. The electronic music nightlife scene in Salt Lake City is pretty incestuous, as a rule, and most of the people here already know who I am and where to find my photos... at this gig I gave out over 100 business cards, which is a rarity these days, because I frequently try to hand somebody my card and they're like, "dude, I know who you are, I look at your photos all the time!"

It was cool to meet some new people who'd never heard of me. Refreshing and really fun. I almost felt normal again. I haven't really experienced that since last October. I generally feel a bit awkward when people know so much about me and I have never met them before. It's kindof weird. Truthfully, I wasn't prepared for all the scrutiny I've had in recent months, it kindof hit me unawares.

One day nobody knows my name, and the next, I'm surprised to meet somebody who doesn't know who I am. I always feel guilty when people are like, "Hi Eric!" and I don't know their names or recognize them at all. I feel like if they know me, I should know them, too, and if I don't, I've somehow let them down...

So it was cool not feeling that at all tonight. I didn't realize how much that was messing with my head. It was a breath of fresh air. I wonder how it must be for somebody who really is famous, and then I am a little more understanding about Tommy bailing out on the photos. It would have been nice to actually talk to him a bit and get some pictures of him just being a regular guy, but over all it was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to my next chance to meet him.

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Labels: celebrity, gallery, nightlife, park city, party, photography, the playground, tommy lee, utah

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Labels: twitter, updates, vip club

In the last few days, I've been posting to the new going pro series in order to encourage other photographers to pursue their career goals -- but I'm going even further. Each college semester, one lucky person will be chosen to work directly with me to learn how I turned my passion into a dream career. Submit your application by April 1st to be considered!

You will be working directly with me at least 15 hours per week for 15 weeks. Hours are flexible, afternoon or evening shifts, with one late night per week, assisting on a real nightlife shoot. You'll gain access to all the big EDM shows, learn the black art of low-light event photography, and most importantly, you'll learn the ins and outs of operating a real photography business hands on -- and believe me, they don't teach you this stuff in school!

In addition to college credit, you will be compensated with generous commissions and a rewards program that will encourage you to mind the fundamentals that help every business succeed. Application is free, and the position pays (commissions only). However, you will be required to read two books on your own time, and your own dime (just like a college class, hey!):

• Successful Self-Promotion for Photographers, and
• Best Business Practices for Photographers

Labels: assistant, help wanted, hiring, internship, nightlife photographer

Local photography interest groups can be huge assets to beginning photographers. There's a common stereotype that photographers are mostly solitary and don't like to share their secrets. Average photographers are afraid that if they share their secrets, they'll lose business to competition. Great photographers are secure enough to share what they know. In my experience, you'll gain access to a wide array of studios, equipment, and knowledge if you can tap into local meetup groups. I have participated, given talks, and assisted at several local groups here in Utah. Here are some of the best in this area:

• Photowalking Utah
• Utah Photo Safari
• Provo Area Digital Photography Meetup
• Utah Photoshop User Group

Labels: education, going pro, photography

I got an email yesterday that reminded me a lot of my confusion when I first started out. Before you've established a name for yourself, gaining access to events can be difficult. Organizers know that access is valuable to new photographers, and they will do everything in their power to exploit that. Here's the question:

"Last week I got invited to shoot a heavy metal video. I went and took a bunch of photos, and then the company demanded pics for free. When I said they cost money, the guy got really angry. He said that letting me on set was my payment and if I ever want to work for him again he needs the pics. He said that the exposure that I get from the band's publicity should make it worth my time. What do I do?"

I think every photographer has a story just like this to tell. For me, replace "heavy metal video" with "fashion catalog" and that would be exactly how I felt less than a year ago.

A lot of pundits on Flickr will tell you to NEVER work for free, for good reasons. People in this industry will push you around if you let them. It sounds to me like this guy has no intention of ever paying you, and he would not be a good client if you're looking for money. However, if you are willing to work for them free to build up your portfolio, absolutely do it, just be clear that you retain the copyright and that the image license is non-exclusive. If they want extras like exclusive rights, feel free to charge for that! When you're just getting started, this is probably the best way to build your portfolio and break into the industry. If you don't need these images for your portfolio, brush them off your radar and walk away.

When I was just beginning, I had friends who were part of the biggest electronic dance music promoters in Utah (V2 Events). Before long, I was being invited to shoot some shows with some big headliners, like Rabbit in the Moon. Knowing that V2 constantly brings out top names in the dance music community, I agreed to shoot a series of shows for them in exchange for access. Those shows helped me build up a rich nightlife portfolio that targets exactly the kind of work that I love most, and it introduced me to some great connections that have been a huge asset to my career. This image was shot at an event in exchange for access. It's now being used on Rabbit in the Moon's MySpace profile, which has boosted my recognition and given me some credibility with other artists and production companies:

Imagine your dream job, and ask yourself these questions:

"Will the images I get from the access they're giving me help me land my dream job?"

"Will the contacts I make introduce me to a network of people who can help me achieve my career goals?"

"Can I still buy food and pay my rent if I'm doing this work without a paycheck?"

If you answer yes to these questions, you need to stop thinking "free" and realize that ACCESS is your payment, and it's worth every bit of effort you put into it. If you answer "no" to these questions, working with them will not benefit your career. It will only make you angry and resentful over non-payment. Tell them you're not interested and move on.

Another question I get frequently is, "when should I stop taking free work?"

Personally, I stopped doing free work when I had enough paying work to make it easy to say no to the free stuff. It seems like a pretty good indicator to me. At first, I had a hard time saying "no". I didn't want to hurt people's feelings, but this is business. Your portfolio comes first.

Think of your career as a sculpture, and the word "no" as a chisel. When you're just starting out, your career is a big block of marble that represents everything you could possibly do. Chisel away everything you don't want to do by saying "no" until what's left is your dream career, and the perfect portfolio to represent it. Personally, freeloaders and jerks are not part of my dream career. Saying "no" to somebody who wants to pay too little, or isn't offering work that I'm really excited about doing, is very liberating.

P.S. For a lot of perspectives from the magazine world, check out the Pay to Play posts on APE and AVS.

Labels: education, going pro, photography

This is one of the most important lessons I've learned since I dropped everything and started shooting full time about a year ago:

Learning who you are as a photographer, what you like to shoot, and how you like to shoot it, is the first and most important step you can take into the world of professional photography. Learn what you love, shoot what you love, and then figure out how to make money shooting subjects you're passionate about. You don't have to shoot weddings for a living if you don't like dealing with in-laws. No matter what the subject is, chances are there's a market for it somewhere. The more you shoot, the quicker you'll discover what you're really passionate about, and if you're passionate about something, chances are you'll find a way to translate that passion into great photos!

It's a lot easier to create photographs that evoke feeling if the subject you're shooting evokes feeling in you. Photographers don't just share what they see - they share what they feel, even if that feeling is detachment or apathy. Those things translate in your photographs.

There are benefits aside from creating better photos. If you're shooting subjects you're passionate about, you're less likely to get burned out doing the busywork that goes along with professional photography. I spend most of my week at the computer, editing photos, drumming up new business, scheduling shoots, networking, estimating, billing, accounting, hiring, etc... Shooting is just a small part of what a photographer must do to earn a living. It helps if your shooting time rejuvenates you and gives you a sense that everything you did to land and produce that gig was worthwhile.

Before I took up photography full time, I was running an MP3 blog on electronic music and producing nightlife events. I wanted a professional photographer to come take photos of the events, and I had a hard time finding somebody I could count on to do a good job, so I started bringing my own camera and taking photos for myself. When other people noticed that I had a pretty good camera, they started to hire me to shoot their events, and when I started making more money at that than I was with my other work, I dropped it all and made the switch.

At first, I thought, "Okay, now I'm a professional photographer. How do other photographers make money?" I considered weddings, high-end portraiture, tourist photography, etc... At that point, I was willing to do whatever it took to rake in the money, so I started developing a portfolio of product photography, family portraits, lifestyle photos, fashion, you name it! I was all over the map, because I thought I had to be.

But I kept going to nightlife events and taking photos there. At first, I thought of the nightlife photos a personal project. And then one day it hit me -- "Hey! There's money in this!"

I can go to the shows, enjoy the music I love, work with a network of people who have become like family to me, and make money doing it. Why did it take me so long to figure that out?

Shooting what you love also helps to differentiate you from the swarms of other photographers competing for art buyer dollars. Art buyers don't want to see what you might think is safe and sellable. They want to see what makes you special and unique. Get edgy if edgy is your thing. Love sports? Get out there and start shooting sports! Cars? Motorcycles? Landscapes? Macros? Your tastes and passions define your style as a photographer. They make you special in the eyes of art buyers. Don't hide them!

Rob Haggart recently interviewed an anonymous art buyer from a big shot agency who had this to say:

A good photographer has their own style and can’t shoot anything. Nor should they want to…because they’re so good at whatever it is that they’ve focused on, that they’re not shooting everything. Take any great legendary photographer, they didn’t shoot everything, they had a particular style, focus, interest, and then made it their own. When you look at these photos, that’s how you know it’s theirs and not anyone else. Photographers reading this should ask themselves “are they passionate about what they’re shooting and do they recognize the difference of their own work compared to someone else?”

Having read Elyse Weissberg's Successful Self-Promotion for Photographers, and listened to a sample photography consultation with Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua, I can tell you that one of the first things that consultants for professional photographers emphasize is the importance of highlighting your unique vision in your portfolio. You can't do that unless you trust yourself enough to be true to your own style and career goals. Try to imagine your dream job, and then focus your portfolio on landing that job. In the linked interview, Clay Stang made the mistake of saying, "but realistically..." and Leslie's reply was revelatory and inspirational:

"What you're doing by being a successful creative is violating all the rules of business already, so forget about realism."

The median photographer's wage is only $26,170, yet PDN reports that there are many photographers making quite a bit more than that. I assert that what separates the average photographer from the successful photographer is that successful photographers believe in dreams. Speaking of dream jobs, I have a photo shoot with Tommy Lee tonight. I'd better wrap this up and get ready for it.

The bottom line is, you're an artist, and art generally sucks when it isn't genuine.

Labels: education, educational, going pro, photography

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions about how to take professional looking photographs. While I'm always happy to answer individual questions, this particular question comes up every day, and the subject is fairly complex, so it's easier to answer here on my blog. Here is an email I got yesterday:

Hopeful Amateur: I've been following your photos since you first started posting to Flickr, and it has inspired me to watch you grow from an amateur to a full time professional. I want to be a professional photographer, but most of my photos look like snapshots. How do you get that professional look?

First, you should evaluate whether or not you really want to pursue photography professionally. The median annual wage of a professional photographer in America is only $26,170, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you have a really keen business sense and you can beat out 90% of the photographers competing for the best wages, you can expect to earn about $56,640. Only a tiny percent of photographers command six-figure salaries. In order to succeed, you need to be as passionate about business as you are about photography. Being a better photographer is no guarantee. Much of it is about being connected, building a brand and developing a solid, professional reputation with the photo buyers in your market. If you still want to go pro, read on!

I have already addressed the mechanics of artistic photography in a post titled, The Art of Portrait Photography, however, the first two keys in that article are worth repeating here.

The first key is light. Light is everything, because light is what you are recording on the sensor. Light can make a subject look dull and boring, or make it pop off the page. Light can tell stories, and express moods. Light can highlight your subject, or hide it in shadow.

The second key is concept. Web developers have a saying: "Content is King!" It applies equally to photography. From Amanda Sosa Stone's blog:

"[...] while I know production is VERY IMPORTANT, in the mindset of a creative director, art director or a very open art buyer - CONCEPT does RULE. A good image could be a good image[...] but if the concept is not there...it gets lost very easily. Remember: You are speaking to creative people who are constantly on the search for an amazing award winning concept and you have to be that person/photographer who can execute it (and hopefully understand it)."

You can practice until the cows come home and master the technical aspects of photography, but in order to develop a mastery of concept, a photographer has to think creatively, and maintain the ability to solve analytical problems. The trouble is that our brains are wired so that we can usually do one or the other well, but generally not both. This presents a daunting challenge for photographers.

Betty Edwards wrote an influential book on this subject titled, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence). In the book, she goes into a great deal of detail about the difference between thinking with the creative right side of your brain, and thinking with the analytical left side of your brain. Here are some of the properties of each:

Left Side:

• Verbal - The ability to communicate your vision to others.
• Analytic - Being able to solve technical problems.
• Abstract - The ability to use symbols and numbers to solve problems that relate to physical things.
• Temporal - Keeping track of time and sequence.
• Rational - Solving problems based on reason and facts.
• Logical - The ability to infer solutions based on related facts.

Right Side

• Nonverbal - Thinking visually, rather than with words.
• Synthetic - Putting things together to form wholes.
• Concrete - Seeing things as they are, being "in the moment".
• Analogic - Seeking similarities and metaphoric relationships.
• Nontemporal - Timeless.
• Nonrational - Not over-thinking things.
• Spatial - Seeing how objects relate to each other in the frame.
• Intuitive - Making leaps of insight based on instinct.
• Holistic - Seeing over-all patterns and structures. The ability to look at the environment and visualize a great photograph.

Photography is inherently technical. We're using digital equipment with a bunch of buttons and dials to record light, and obviously, we must be good at things like understanding how to freeze motion with faster shutter speeds, or how to create blurry backgrounds and Depth of Field with aperture settings and focal distance. Unfortunately, the technical side of photography can sometimes hinder the creative process. Thinking technically, it's easy to create images like this one:

Technically, it's not bad, but the image falls flat. It simply isn't very creative. A good photographer needs to be able to see deeper into his or her subjects and communicate a mood in the same way that a storyteller does. Here is the same subject, photographed using a more creative approach:

Technically, I just turned off the flash and recomposed the image, but what really happened between one photo and the next was that the analytical side of my brain got out of the way so that the creative side could step in and create. The ability for both sides of your brain to get along, and cooperate harmoniously is the key that will unlock your potential to create really strong, professional quality images.

In order to create that harmony, you need to exercise both sides of your brain. Your creative side needs down time to survive. You need to be able to stop thinking, and concentrate instead on feeling, enjoyment, relaxation. A post on Rob Haggart's blog reminded me of how important it is to me to sit down at my piano before each photo shoot. I use the time to get into a creative zone. Before each photo shoot, you should take some time to just relax. Don't do anything important. Maybe pull out a pencil and doodle. Sit down and have a bite to eat (slowly). Breathe.

You also need to develop a mastery of your camera's technical operations in order to unleash your creative potential. It absolutely must become second nature so that your technical thinking doesn't get in the way of your creative vision. It doesn't matter if you're using an expensive camera, or a $100 point and shoot. Just make sure the camera has these three settings:

Manual
Gives you full control of your aperture and shutter speed.

Aperture priority

Gives you aperture control. The camera chooses the shutter speed that will give you a proper exposure.

Shutter priority

Lets you control the shutter speed. The camera selects the aperture that will give you a good exposure.

I shoot exclusively in these three modes, and if you want to learn how to use your camera, you should, too. True, it can be daunting at first, but the best way to learn is to take off the training wheels and start pedaling! Practice as much as you can. If you're serious about learning photography, train yourself to take some photos every day. Start working on your portfolio right now. In addition to learning how to use your camera properly, you'll also start yourself on a journey of self discovery that will help you define your style and photographic niche.

Shoot What You Love!

Learning who you are as a photographer, what you like to shoot, and how you like to shoot it, is the first and most important step you can take into the world of professional photography. Learn what you love, shoot what you love, and then figure out how to make money shooting subjects you're passionate about. You don't have to shoot weddings for a living if you don't like dealing with in-laws. No matter what the subject is, chances are there's a market for it somewhere. The more you shoot, the quicker you'll discover what you're really passionate about, and if you're passionate about something, chances are you'll find a way to translate that passion into great photos!

Labels: education, educational, going pro, how to, instruction, learning, nightlife photography

Pimp n Ho Masquarade was a KickAss Entertainment event held at the Murray Super Theatre, featuring the heart-stopping bass woven by Baby Anne, along with the talents of Jake Williams, Nico Caliente, Tink, and several other local DJ's. For me, the highlight of the event was the breakdancing, which has become a rare treat in Utah's EDM scene lately. Perhaps this stage performance is a preview of bigger things yet to come!

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Labels: breakdancing, club, dj, event, nightlife, nightlife photography, party, rave