by successfulbob | commercial photography, Lumix GH3, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography, photography, photography education, photography gear
Went to dinner with my lovely wife Holly at Sound Bites Grill last night and Wineaux Wednesday was on in full force in Sedona, Arizona. The deal is $10 bucks and allows you taste wine with friends while enjoying live music and Tapas from 5PM to 7PM.
But what does that have to do with photography Bob??
Glad you asked! I also brought along my camera with a funky lens to play with from LENSBABY. They sent me the f3.5 5.8mm, 185° Circular Fisheye lens to check out.
Here’s a capture of the SBG Wall of fame. I create images of the performers for posterity (and decor!) in an
artistic fashion for the restaurant. Here it is in all it’s micro 4/3rds Fisheye glory.
This lens is made for getting in close. Make sure your performer knows they’ll have a camera really close in their face. it helps to be
the house photographer to have the access to performers during live stage shows. Don’t try this without permission.
Using the ‘Flairability’ of the Fisheye to add some interest to this live stage shot of Eric Miller guitarist extraordinaire.
“OK Bob, how can this lens make me money?” In my case I grabbed the owners and set them up
on stage with Eric to create an image to help promote the wine and entertainment event at the restaurant.
You need some time with the 5.8mm Fisheye to learn to see how it sees. It is quite unique and takes a bit of getting used to to know when it might be just the ticket to set something apart. I mounted this on the Lumix GH3. With the micro 4/3rds sensor size we loose just a bit of the fisheye circle which I actually like. If you get this lens for the full frame DSLR cameras you’ll have the complete fisheye circle.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – If you want to hear some wonderful guitar playing and are not near Sedona you can find out more about Eric Miller’s music here. (I highly recommend hi CD ‘Eclectic Vibe’ subtitled Elevator Music for Cool People. It’s awesome. You have to email Eric to get it. It’s not on his web site right now…
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education
The clouds led to some interesting lighting conditions when I drove up the hill overlooking West Sedona so I popped out to see if it would translate into a cool photograph. What I saw in my mind was not what I was able to capture in my camera but it wasn’t terrible.
This is the color ‘straight version. I liked the play of light and shadow but thought there was more there with a little artwork.
Using a couple NIK Color FX filters (Glamour Glow & Old Time Photo) I feel like this image was made many years ago and
could work as a decor piece for a business that caters to a more timeless vision of Sedona.
The panorama was made from 7 photos with the camera held in the vertical position and stitched in Adobe Photoshop. Manual settings including focus and exposure on the Lumix GH4 made it easier to stitch the pano. The lens was the Lumix 35-100mm f2.8. With the stitching I ended up with a 150MB file which can be printed pretty darn large.
What ‘Cha think?
YOurs in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education, success education
Be like the Energizer Bunny Rabbit ‘Eveready’!
Sometimes creating the great image is being aware enough and having good habits to not miss an opportunity. Today’s Photo/Art Quote comes from one of the top photographers in the field today. Listen and remember.
“Don’t pack up the camera until you’ve left the location.” Joe McNally
The idea is to stay aware of possibilities, and be ready for serendipity to strike at any moment. Simple thought. Great habit.
Want to learn more from a master? Check out Joe’s books…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS Here’s the Meet Joe text from his blog.
“The thoughts, notions, and ideas here come from thirty years in the field as a shooter. Twenty plus on the road for National Geographic. LIFE staffer. Sports Illustrated contractor. 54 countries. 50 states. Read on, and welcome to my blog.” Check it out.
by successfulbob | photography education, photography marketing, success education
Keeping your name in front of your potential clients is job when when you are in business for yourself.
If you have writing skills you can reinforce your status as the go-to photography person and stay front of mind by writing for your local newspaper. Here’s an article I wrote for the Villager a local paper here just outside of Sedona. It will be delivered in the next few days by mail. In the meantime you can read the article using the link above online.
Article in local newspaper.
The article is written partly as a local area piece featuring a human interest angle combined with a photography how-to. With hummingbirds being a well loved subject in the area and being difficult to photograph and my wife’s experiences with the delicate birds it’s a perfect pair.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography education, photography marketing, success education
Lets review before we go further…
Enter Professional Photographers of America or PPA Affiliate type judging to get feedback on your imaging. Try to attend the judging live. Or watch online if that’s available. Order critiques if available.
Learn.
Put into practice what you’ve learned…
Pretend these instructions are on the side of a shampoo bottle. ie repeat. Enter again. Learn. Enter again.
Now that you’ve entered and learned enough to win awards it time to use them for marketing. Display awards in your studio.
This is a sheet I add to my clients contract packet to reinforce their making a good decision with past press.
Send out a press release to various outlets in your market. What should a press release look like? I’m going to post the one I’ve written for this event here and break down the items you need to be aware of. You’ll see comments in Italics.
Press Release – For Immediate Release
(This should top your release. If there’s and embargo date it should read for release after x date.)
Contact – Bob Coates Phone 928-284-0200 Cell 928-300-0535 [email protected]
(Make sure you have plenty of contact info. They may have questions, want to do a feature on you or need something before going to press)
Sedona Photographer Named Arizona Photographer of the Year
(Make your headline fit the story and hopefully garner extra attention – This headline is based on local does good)
For the fourth time Bob Coates of Bob Coates Photography has been named Photographer of the Year by the Arizona Professional Photographers Association. Coates competed in the state’s annual competition recently held in Phoenix and won numerous awards including the Emil Eger Photographer of the Year Award, first place in the Masters Commercial, Portrait and Illustrative categories. Coates also received the American Society of Photographers Award for the highest scoring image by an ASP member. In addition, this was Coates’ 15th time being named to the AZPPA Top Ten in 16 years. All jurors of this year’s competition were International Jurors approved by Professional Photographers of America. (PPA)
(the first paragraph sets the stage and gives details explaining the headline)
The imaging competition is an opportunity for photographers to have their images judged by a panel trained to score images against a standard. “The actual competition is against yourself,” said Coates. “You are trying to score against the standards set by PPA. The awards themselves are just a bonus. The real win comes from a chance to have experienced peers review your work and hopefully come out on top as you try new techniques and imaging ideas. I am extremely honored to have done well in the competition but my clients are the real winners as I expand my photography skills creating interesting imagery.”
(The second paragraph goes into more detail and set the stage. Note that I am writing this in the third person just as the newspaper would)
Master of Electronic Imaging and Master Craftsman Photographer Thom Rouse said, “It’s always a great pleasure to view Bob’s photography! Coates works in a number of genres, from portrait to landscape to conceptual fine art. His recent work ranges from depicting Sandhill Cranes, a collage of Day of the Dead symbols, to a traditional black and white image of a stand of Aspens. Throughout his work is a unifying style and an understanding of the visual culture and traditions important to each individual subject he represents.”
(Praise for your work should come from third parties. In this case I asked the judges to comment on my body of work)
Master Craftsman Photographers Bert & Cindy Behnke shared, “Bob’s work is so original and artistic, it is exciting to not only judge in the competitions but to view and enjoy as a photographer and fellow artist. What we really like about his work are the varying concepts, it is all very original and fun to see. His work really shows off both his artistic and technical expertise.” Cindy was especially taken with the image ‘Sandhill Cranes’. “This is a beautiful art piece. I see it as an exercise in Japanese art. The color harmony is wonderful. It’s almost as if this has been printed on rice paper with an interesting glow and color with warm tones.” She also awarded this image with her Judges Choice ribbon.
(more follow-up judges comments)
To learn more go to bcphotography.com to see more of Bob’s photography and art imagery.
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(The three # signs are a signal that you have sent out press releases before and signify the end of the release)
(Hopefully the contact for follow-up info will get printed also. The article needs to be written with the most
important information at the top because the editors will cut from the bottom first.)
In addition to the actual press release don’t forget to send images with your release. Always add a head shot too. This will often lead to getting many more column inches and add to the versatility of your material increasing the possibility of your release getting printed.
I’ll also share the press r
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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