Vietnamese wedding photographers hit by recession

From the Look At Vietnam blog, we can see that Vietnamese wedding photographers are suffering in a similar way to Australian photographers, and in much the same way as rock photographers worldwide.
Wedding recession | Look At Vietnam

“Nuptial photographers complain amateurs have flooded the market and couples hit by the global cash crunch can’t afford expensive wedding photos.”

“Today, anyone can be a photographer, but a camera isn’t enough,” he said “A real professional photographer does not let the lab produce the whole picture. A beautiful photograph is not only about Photoshop, its about aesthetics.”

I live in Vietnam

I’ve been receiving quite a number of quotation requests from Australians lately, so I guess the message hasn’t been clear that I no longer live in Australia.
For the record, I live and work in Vietnam now.
Please don’t send me quotation requests unless you are based in, or are referring to a job in Vietnam.

For all updates on my adventures in Asia, please subscribe to www.channelsteve.com

Thanks

Online article – The Free Exposure Trap

I really enjoyed this article published by Mark Stout, called “The Free Exposure Trap”, and have re-published it here for your interest. It covers the all to common problem faced by all but the most successful photographers – that of being asked to shoot for free.  Please visit his site to read the original article and if you want to read more of his ideas.  His photography is not to my tastes, but he is very good at what he does, and he writes in a thoughtful and well-structured manner.

The Free Exposure Trap « Mark Stout Photography – Photoshoot News & Models

The Free Exposure Trap
© Mark Stout 2009

Note: I am finding that I am frequently contacted by photographers asking for advice and it is not possible to fully answer the questions by e-mail. This is the first of a series of articles to answer the questions I am most often asked.

The “Free Exposure” Trap

I may not be in a league with Annie Liebovitz, yet, but I have seen accomplishments I did not dare dream possible when I started my career. Many mistakes were made along the way, the worst of which was believing “exposure” would make my career.

Yes, you need exposure, but it has unfortunately become the lever the bottom feeders of the industry use to coerce photographers into working for free. And while it might seem worth it to allow one of your photos to be used without charge for a magazine cover to “break in”, this underhanded game has reached astonishing proportions and never leads to anything other than more work for free.

Some examples: A publication that wanted me to shoot a 4 day convention in a distant city with two additional photographers, assistants, and set up a portrait studio on premises with a digital capture station and technician to wire photos immediately to the magazine during the day (all at my expense). The pay? Mention in the magazine, which would be distributed ONLY to attendees at the seminar. As the audience consisted of teachers, it would not even reach potential clients. I was left wondering how they even dared ask… yet they probably found someone foolish enough to take them up on the “opportunity”.

Another is a designer who offered me the “opportunity” to pass out business cards at their party for the grand launch of a new line. They paid for catering, flying in industry executives, NFL football players to attend, and took over an entire nightclub for the night but expected the photographer to work free. My answer was that I could pass out the business cards at the entrance to the club and not have the work of shooting the events and touching up all the photos.

The twists to this game are endless. We are, after all, creative people. But they are all played to the detriment of the photographer who goes along. It can be the designer who asks for a discount because he will publish the shoot in additional publications and on blogs (in truth, you should get paid an additional amount for each use of the images), the modeling agency who promises paying work but only after you do some “test” shoots with their girls first (why can’t they look at your portfolio to determine your work quality?) and the ever increasing number of magazines and blogs who have “no budget” for photography, but claim the exposure you get will make it worthwhile. The worst of them happened yesterday when a magazine offered me the “opportunity” to pay them to publish a fashion editorial in their magazine. Of course I would also have had the expense of the shoot on top of the magazines fees!

The problem is when it seems everyone is offering some variation of “free exposure” as payment, just what is this exposure worth? The chance to pay to shoot for someone else?

The irony of the situation struck me hard after one of the more offensive “opportunities” — the convention shoot — was sent my way. It occurred to me that driving to the conference and parking in the convention center parking lot each day the Ford logo on my car would be seen by more people than my name would be in their magazine. Ford would be getting a ton of “free exposure”, yet I still had to pay for the car. The Nikon logo on my camera would be seen by the same number of people, but I still had to pay for the camera. Likewise with my strobes and the rest of the equipment, lots of free exposure given to them when I use their equipment — but I still had to pay for it.

Think about it for a moment. You buy a pair of Nike shoes. They get free exposure as a result of your purchase. Your stereo, free exposure each time friends are over. Every item you purchase has the logo plastered across it and each time someone buys their product, they get free exposure/advertising.

Why then should a photographer be expected to pay to produce the content (yes, it does cost money to do a photoshoot) that a magazine needs to attract readers and advertisers; or the advertisements a designer or corporation needs to sell its products, or the portfolio a modeling agency needs to market its models for “free exposure” in lieu of pay?

I can’t follow the logic. Can you?

Why do so many of us fall for this ploy? It is the mistaken belief of most artists that “getting discovered” is the route to the top. Over the years I have learned that is exactly what it is. A mistaken belief.

Each success I have under my belt came about not as a result of free exposure, but through creating well thought out marketing materials, determining who the right contacts were and knocking repeatedly on their doors. I quickly learned that throwing the coveted “tearsheets” from the free exposure work down on an art directors desk was a big mistake. It’s a small industry, everyone knows who is out there and who the bottom feeders are. Throw down the free exposure work and they instantly know, and tell you, you got played. You have at that moment lost the respect of the person you hoped would hire you.

It is also interesting to note that whenever work is done for free, the recipient considers it, and you, worthless. If he were to do otherwise, it would make him guilty of having taken advantage of you. For this reason, if the promised paying work does eventually appear, it will go to someone else. In their eyes, you are worth only what you charge. If you were any good, you would have demanded payment!

I expect that I will come under criticism from those who defend their right to be taken advantage of. I have seen that oddity over and over on the various photographer forums and it was one of the more difficult things for me to understand. I did however, finally, come to terms with it. It’s just human nature. Some people work to get ahead and help others do the same. Some like to get ahead at the expense of others. Others have given up and seek to pull others down to their level. It is for the first category I write this and I hope that it will help a few beginning photographers avoid the mistakes that could well cost you any chance of success.

I wish you success. I will do my part by sharing with you the lessons I have learned and hopefully spare you some of the same mistakes. Meanwhile, never sell yourself short. Whether you are a seasoned pro, or still learning your way around all the buttons on the camera, if someone wants your images, they have a value. Learn what they are worth and demand it.

© Mark Stout 2009

Channel Steve launched

Today I launched my new blog – Channel Steve at the web address www.channelsteve.com

For those not already aware, I leave Australia on May 21 for a year-long working adventure in Vietnam. I’ll be teaching English and IT whilst over there and during that time Rock Portrait Photography will effectively be on hold.

The purpose of Channel Steve is twofold.
Primarily it serves as my personal blog and single-entry point into all of my online activity.  It is also intended to provide me with a photojournalism-style outlet where the Rock Portrait Photography blog would not be appropriate to do so.

I intend to blog as regularly as possible and hope you guys would like to come along for the ride.
Regular posts at www.channelsteve.com will start after I land in Asia.

I’ve been published again – well, sort of.

Anyone ever heard of Schmap online travel and map guides?

Nope, me neither.  Regardless, I’ve allowed them to use one of my more average photos of a wallaby in their latest guide to Melbourne.

Apparently they are best known for their iPhone app and blog widgets, allowing people to quickly call up maps of whichever international tourist destination they happen to be traveling around.  The editor contacted me through Flickr, asking to use this shot to represent the Healesville Sanctuary.

At first I cringed, thinking that’s a terribly lit photo from a not very compelling angle (in other words, a snapshot) and wanted to offer her a bunch of really excellent flora and fauna shots from both Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Zoo to choose from instead.  Then, after thinking about it, I realised that it would be best not to waste too much time on this as the chances of someone seeing the shot on their iPhone and suddenly getting the urge to contact Rock Portrait Photography, or even just take a look at more of my photos, is next to zero.

What this experience illustrates is that even though there are millions of photos and many thousands of subscribers on Flickr, there is still a reasonable possibility of exposure to those looking for something specific.  Makes me re-think my current view on what I post to Flickr.  Currently I post very little of my professional work on there as I don’t like the idea of it being open to re-use without my permission.  Even though I apply an appropriate  Creative Commons licence to all my images I still have to rely on people respecting that, as it’s nearly impossible to track down unauthorised use of online images.

But lets face it, the iPhone is kind of cool so having one of my shots occasionally appear in one is cool by association.

Cricket legends meet a kid with a camera

One of the real joys of growing up as a sport-loving kid in Victoria is being able to experience the magnificent arena that is the MCG.  Our footy and cricket heroes seem to be much larger than life in that venue than anywhere else, and I get the impression that other sporting cultures don’t offer quite the accessibility to our heroes as we do here in Australia.

Back when I was just a little tacker I lived in the country, but on rare occasions I was fortunate enough to have been taken to the cricket or footy in Melbourne.  My grandfather was an ex-VFL footballer and a state cricket selector, and as such had regular access to tickets for all the big games at “The G”.  I’ve been dusting off all the old prints I took with my plastic Hanimex 126 from one particular Xmas Test (a match between two “Test” nations), and running them through a new Canon MP980 scanner.

1979

The Test in question was the 1979 Australia v West Indies Boxing Day clash, and aside from being able to see the games greatest names in action right in front of me, it turned out that one of the players actually bowled against me later in my own cricket playing life.  On a related note, I once clean bowled the Sri Lankan opening batsman in a one-day game, but that’s another story.

Anyway, because the tickets came from my grandfather I was seated in the Members, right in the middle of the actual players section. This gave me the very best access possible to snap photos of the legends that shaped my sporting life.  Dennis Lillee has always been Australia’s greatest fast bowler, and you can sense a real charisma and confidence in him as he makes his way down the race.

After the game, the players exit the MCG through the Members doors then walk through the public surrounds of the ground to get to the team bus. I don’t know that this happens much these days but it led to a situation where you could easily approach them and ask for an autograph or simply say hello. As you can see by the lack of hysteria, or even many other fans, times were very different back then.  I have a memory, which may well be just imagination, that I asked Dennis if my Nana could wash his clothes for him that night.

And here is my Nana with Joel Garner, who was everybody’s favourite West Indian. Not only was he huge at 6′ 8″, he was also a gentle giant. He was more than happy to hug Nana as I took the shot.  I’m pretty sure that’s Bob Simpson in the background autographing something for a young girl.

The most powerful and dangerous batsman in modern cricketing history is a debate that could rage for quite a few beers. Many would say Adam Gilchrist, and it would be hard pressed to argue against that. Then there are Lance Klusener, Lance Cairns, Ian Botham and many more.  For me it is still Viv Richards. There is something to this man’s incredible arrogance that makes it appear to the general public as supreme confidence, which it probably was. Whatever the case he was amazing to watch, and on this particular tour he didn’t make one score below 70.

In this shot he is coming back up the race after being dismissed on 96 (probably trying to hit a boundary for his ton).  I’m wondering what possessed me to stand right in the middle of the race to take this shot. Today’s attendants wouldn’t allow such boldness.

1983

I don’t remember going to this match in 1982, but I am fascinated to know how I got so close to the presentation. You must remember that my camera at that time had a fixed lens of probably 50mm, so to get this tight a shot I must have been in the front row of the onlookers.

Tony Grieg (ex-English cricketer, and Australian TV commentator) interviews David Gower as he accepts the award for player of the series.

At the time I was taking all these photos on such a cheap little gadget it never occured to me how much I would appreciate them in the future. In fact, it is part of the reasoning behind my developing thoughts on the unnecessary focus people place on technical perfection and expensive gear. The more time I spend on Flickr, the more I am disillusioned by people who are pushing over-Photoshopping and totally “perfect” images instead of capturing the real life events going on around them. Their amazingly crafted images might look wonderful on a wall, but who is buying them for that purpose? We just look at them on our screen and say ‘wow’, then click “Next Image”.

These old, badly crafted snapshots taken at the MCG gather value over time, and I wish I’d spent more of my life with a camera in hand.

Photo Challenge 10 – Photographer

Well, we come to an end after 20 weeks of the original strict Photo Challenge format. We’ve lost two contributors along the way, with a third just hanging in there.

I am benefiting creatively by shooting in styles I am not familiar with, so instead of setting formal challenges online each fortnight I’m going to change the structure into something far more casual.  Any reader wishing to suggest a theme or get involved in a challenge should feel encouraged to do so, no matter what level they believe their photographic skills are at. Whatever I receive, whether it be a photo or an idea, will inspire me to shoot for that idea, and I’ll ask that you help me by continuing to contribute your thoughts and comments.   In other words, I’m going to post whatever theme I feel like, whenever I like,  in response to whatever conversation I’ve been having either online or offline with you guys.

Sounds like fun?  Well, it does to me.

On to our theme for this particular challenge – Photographer.

Steve’s submission

My thoughts:

My camera and tripod was still out after shooting a passport photo of myself, and when I moved it out of the cinema room (my “studio”) the cats showed their usual over-curiosity. Cue “ding” noise in sync with light bulb appearing over my head.

I took three images I really liked, and had a tough time choosing one, but this is as close as it gets to a cat setting up a “still life” photo of the outdoor BBQ. It so happens that the BBQ is the one spot the two of them can jump on to see over the fence. In this case I believe Mishka may be doing some rainy day reconnaissance so she is better prepared to make an escape bid when the sun reappears.

ISO 200, F2.8, 1/60

Joepi’s Submission

Joepi says:

The battle for the best spot to get the best shot.
There were more photographers at the back just waiting for their turn. I decided to get away first before I add to the non stop clicking and excited Photographer chatter.

My thoughts: As soon as I saw this image it reminded me of an image I took of a horde of male photographers swarming around a Japanese mini-celebrity in Akihabara. It’s unlikely that you’d see this sort of photographer/subject interaction on a Melbourne street. I’m not sure if that’s because Australians don’t take street photography seriously, or because the potential subjects so often display a bad attitude towards being photographed.

Joepi exhibits excellent paparazzi skills by being in front of all the rest.

Mat’s submission:

Mat says:

I took this during an Asleep In The Park gig where there were a few other photographers roaming around. I took this at 3200 ISO because it was a pretty dark venue then as the original shot was done in bright red light I fed it threw a gentle sepia filter in dark room to make it look less like a photojournalist visiting hell. I was tempted to
lighten up the camera but then I thought the photographer is the subject here and the camera is really irrelevant. At first I was amused at the way this guy has his left eye all screwed up in a painful looking squint…until I realised that I probably do the same thing!

My thoughts: Nice image, Mat. Well composed and exposed. I’m very impressed that 3200 came out this well. Seems like I might have to upgrade my 30D to the something with a new chip after all. I’m glad you didn’t lighten up the camera.  The photographer is, and should be the subject here. Definitely makes me squint when I look at it. In fact there are days when I wonder if I’m going to get my regular focal length back in my left eye, especially after staring at a bright stage through the viewfinder for an hour. On the flip side (excuse the pun) I feel very uncomfortable when I notice he is using his right eye to focus.  That just doesn’t seem at all right to me.  Well done in bringing back the image texture. After shooting once at Revolver under those bad red lights, I’ve chosen not to go back – at least not with my camera.  Note – Tyrah Banks thinks that lump above his left eye makes him uniquely photogenic. You may wish to suggest he try out for Cycle 13.

PS – “dark room”? You going backwards in your progression and fallen into film techniques, Mat?

Next Challenge

The next challenge is to think up the next theme for the masses to go crazy about. (Sarcasm is one of the services I offer).

I have some ideas for things I’m going to post when I get the urge, but if someone wants to put a rocket under me any earlier than that, then be my guest.

Photo Challenge 9 – Seven Deadly Sins

There is a lot of scope to be particularly creative on this one, and I did think about that for my own personal submission.  However, I also felt it was important to remain true to my particular style, and moving into a more artistic world does not represent who I am as a photographer.  I don’t think there’s a lot of scope for varied interpretations of the theme itself, so it is with hope that each of the following images represents our respective photographic styles, as opposed to radical re-readings of the theme.

Steve’s submission

My thoughts:

I like to think I’m an observer of the world around me, rather than the creator of dazzling imagery, so my submission is a snapshot of something I saw a lot of in Osaka.  Part of me wanted to created a more picturesque, or visually appealing image for this theme, but I kept coming back to one part of society that truly represents the seven deadly sins.  In Melbourne it’s the Crown Casino. In Japan it’s Pachinko.  I was forbidden to take images of the machines or the patrons, so this is a sneaky snapshot taken one night just as the sliding doors were about to close behind a doomed gambling zombie. In a world of cute, tiny shops that battle to make the most of expensive real estate, Pachinko venues are large, noisy, lurid, garish and unappealing. Notice the repeated word “Get” standing out like a sore thumb. “Get more” ,”Get money”, “Get successful”, “Get happiness”.  All lies in this den of iniquity. More like “get lung cancer, liver disease and destitution”. I say “Get lost”.

• Lust – for all the things money can buy
• Gluttony – for self-punishment (you almost always lose when you gamble)
• Greed – for cold hard cash
• Sloth – both brain and body atrophy together
• Wrath – “Life is unfair”, “I never win”, “Leave me alone”, “I hate this machine”, “I hate this habit”, “I hate myself”
• Envy – Wishing you had the lifestyle of the rich and famous
• Pride – This is referring to me. I usually take no for an answer, so in this case I am proud that I was able to snatch an image of something immediately after being told not to.

There is significant noise in this image, as it was taken with my point and shoot at high ISO to capture as much light as I could.  I think my style is not at all about technical perfection, but about capturing a moment or some energy.  I hope this image does so.

ISO 800, F3.2, 1/50

Joepi’s Submission

Joepi says:

I haven’t been diving this weekend, and when I don’t dive, my thoughts end up where a girly-girl’s thoughts usually end up: SHOPPING. I realized as well how deadly it all can be. All 7 deadly sins can be committed, thought, seen or caused all in one setting. I also realized how much stuff I have in the little square space that I call my room, that I can actually do a shopping mall set up! LOL!

Now for the photography aspect: the little point and shoot was used for this one as I left my tripod in the office and I used the nifty little rotating screen on that camera to see myself as I shot the photos as I needed to see expressions and proper framing for the right message to be captured. Will having a remote and then tethering my camera to a laptop give me the same set up of a live-view on my laptop screen?

My thoughts: Brilliant! When people submit things like this it really inspires you to make more of an effort next time.  This took a lot of time, planning and effort, and the end result is well worth it.  I love the colours, the high-key backgrounds, and Joepi’s many expressions.  It made me laugh out loud, which is not something I do often.  In answer to the question about tethering and a remote – Yes. You USB the camera to your lappy, then you can either use it to view the images taken, or you can set it up to actually monitor what you are shooting. You can change settings and actually take the pics directly from the laptop.  The wired remote works fine, but you then have the problem of seeing it in your shot.  Therefore the Canon RC-5 wireless remote is the answer.

Mat’s submission:

Mat says:

I decided to be lazy this time and go with Sloth – cue obvious joke involving leaving the lens cap on and sending a completely black image. But no, not even I would stoop so low.
I’m sure some will be horrified to hear that this image was shot on a mobile phone – a Sony Ericsson w960i which has a 3.2megapixel camera which is quite capable for snapshots. The shot is taken from one of the upper levels in the Melbourne Central shopping centre and shows a security guard contemplating a spilled milkshake left behind by a very slothful person indeed. Or maybe the security guard is being slothful in that he’s using his radio to call for somebody to come and clean it up.
I played with the depth of field function in Paintshop Pro X2 and fiddled with saturation and sharpness in order to fake the tilt-shift effect that can make real things look like models. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how effective this was but I quite like the result!

For those who are interested you can see some spectacular tilt-shift shots here:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/16/beautiful-examples-of-tilt-shift-photography/

My thoughts: Cool effect. I would have cropped the superflous space out and presented a landscape image letting the people themselves speak, rather than play with effects, but it does make me want to fiddle around with this technique for some fun. That said, cropping a mobile phone image would reveal the total inadequacies of this medium for presentation-quality photography.  (Don’t take that too seriously – using my point and shoot at anything higher than ISO 400, as I did for my submission, is about on a par with using a very good cameraphone).

The people do look like plastic toys, and that’s what has my attention here.  The curve on the right and mass of blur underneath is driving me nuts, and I find the subject of the image becomes insignificant to me. I also query whether this is sloth, rather than carelessness.  Today’s youth (who else but a young person would drink a milkshake whilst walking in a shopping centre) are definitely lazy, but I think they are more careless than lazy. I think sloth is a an intrinsic way of “being” rather than just how you would describe an event or action.

Katy’s submission

Katy says:

Hail, Sinners. Hope you all have enjoyed this challenge as much as I did. A feeling of utter excitement took over me as soon as I found out that the seven deadly sins were up next.

I confess that this time my head was boundlessly buzzing with ideas – some of which will be carefully hoarded still. Bear in mind that a considerable heap of images will be protected by the inherent confidentiality of my bedroom.

And just so you know, I had all seven sins photographed – too bad I had to rule the other ones out. But the depicted sin that definitely stood out from the pack was gluttony. I couldn’t just help myself when I set my eyes on that ravenous little caterpillar. I had to have it shot for one main reason: caterpillars are the most voracious feeders ever known – therefore, the perfect portrait of gluttony.

My thoughts: I would have preferred to post the other image Katy considered – the one she posted on Flickr.  I think with some tweaks it is a much better image from an artistic, creative and thematic point of view, and in my opinion represents Katy’s style better.  I think this image above shows survival or opportunity, not gluttony, and it needs some thought put into the light source, composition and background.  I wonder what sort of butterfly that little guy will turn into later?  I’d also like to put up a direct challenge from our locusts. I reckon a few of them would have something to say about the voracious feeders debate.

Next Challenge

This was the penultimate challenge for which I am going to be the organiser and collator.  I know people like to read without commenting, but I’m not getting as much out of this as I am putting in.  Even though I receive many emails and IMs from people saying how much they like the Photo Challenge, so far the cost-benefit analysis shows too much weight on the cost side.

I recently posted a link on Facebook to an article incorporating thoughts on the trend for people to write about themselves online, but not be very good at contributing to discussion. I feel like this challenge has been about me doing a lot of writing and, with the exception of some occasional comments, I’ve been unable to ignite vigorous debate or even promote educational tidbits for those of us looking for self-improvement.  I often find that the best discussion occurs behind closed doors, via email or chat programs. That’s not much help to all the readers of this blog.

I will provide a final theme and I’ll post the results up as always.  However, I am looking for volunteers to run the challenge from this point forward.  To make it happen you’ll be given editing rights and some brief training on how to use the post template.  You’ll need to be both punctual and committed.  I’ll approve the final post before publication of course, but I’d like to take a back seat on driving the challenge itself for a while.  If there are no volunteers I’ll put the challenge to rest for a while, or at least reconsider how it can be run more effectively.  I might look at tapping into an already existing online challenge, if that’s possible.  Of course I am open to input from you, the readers and contributors.

The next theme has been submitted by Mat, and it is appropriately entitled “Photographer“.

Please submit your images by midnight on Sunday March 8th (in whatever timezone you reside).

Photo Challenge 8 – Texture

This was a fun theme, and for mine, the hardest part of shooting this was trying to nail it down to one image. There are so many textures one could shoot.  The other thing this challenge did was make me realise how much I need a macro lens. In the end I had to crop my final choice as I simply couldn’t focus closely enough to compose it totally in camera.  Not the best way to end up with the result I wanted.  A confusing result from this challenge was the difficulty a couple of the other challenge participants had in shooting a suitable image by the deadline. Whilst I believe that I could take 60 quality shots on this theme within 60 minutes, others see the world around them very differently. I suppose it simply illustrates how uniquely each of our minds work.  I hope this particular challenge also helps some of us find a different way to look at our surroundings as fuel for photography.

Steve’s submission

My thoughts:

After a few of days of moping around the house reflecting on our horrific fire disaster, I realised that the texture of my own 3-day growth was waiting to be shot. After all, it’s at least as interesting as the study materials I’ve been staring at. So, being the very lazy photographer that I am, I grabbed my 350D with the 50mm 1.8 lens, shuffled into the bathroom and took a couple of snaps into the mirror, with careless guesswork being my means of determining a focal point (obviously I couldn’t look through the viewfinder). After shooting three images whilst trying to stifle yawns, I chose the last and dialed down the saturation a little.  The unnatural yellow you get from down-lights lends it some character, and all I really had to do was crop closely and fiddle with the curves to improve contrast.  To shoot this properly, I should have waited until daylight, used my 30D and the 70-200 USM 2.8 lens on a tripod, with a remote control and me sitting next to a window.  As I said, I’m lazy and that was way too much work. Hence this quick and dirty, hand-held marvel with my toy SLR.

ISO 200, F4.0, 1/30

Joepi’s Submission

Joepi says:

This Ao Dai is my favorite souvenir from my travels. I took this for the photo challenge to show the texture of the fabric and the embroidery. I love the details on the dress – the stitches along the edges, the colorful thread used, and the satin on the collar. This beautiful softness is offered to you for your viewing pleasure. Shot with my Canon 400D on a 50mm lens.F1.8 1/40 shot in natural light.

My thoughts: I love this photo. I love the Ao Dai (pronounced “Ow Yay” in the south and “Ow Zhay” in the north) – Joepi has immortalised her stunning garment just beautifully. I love the collar as much as I do the design, the composition is very good, and the image is so sharp I feel like I could reach out and touch it. This photograph successfully transfers the feeling of texture from my eyes to my fingers.

Mat’s submission:

Mat says:

I’ve struggled with this one for the last two weeks trying to come up with a concept I would enjoy shooting. The main problem I had is that to me texture is something you feel, not something you take photographs of! I’ve had this silly pun in the back of my mind for at least a week, and as I haven’t been able to come up with any better ideas I decided to shoot it. I fed the shot through some of the interesting texture effects in Paintshop Pro to give the smooth wood and wall a far more textured feel. I think I’ve surprised myself by actually coming up with an interesting photo and not just a silly pun, but here it is: Textchair!

My thoughts: Mat said it himself. This was a bit of a cheat on his behalf (so was mine last week), but in fact there is texture everywhere in this image, the most obvious being in the post-processing. However, the chair has texture in the grain and feel of the wood, as does the floor it sits on and the plaster of the wall behind it. I for one, have ignored his play on words and thought immediately of how smooth the polished chair feels in the hand as you follow the bumps, grooves and stretches of timber shaped by the lathe. No matter what the purpose of the image, it’s actually quite an interesting one to look at.

Ken’s submission

Nope, it’s not an error – there are two images for Ken. Read on, then make your comments as necessary.

Ken says:

I set out to photograph some familiar rock formations along the coast for this weeks challenge. However, as i was getting into the processing, I kept glancing up at a postcard I’ve previously printed and pinned on my wall. It was from a set of the very first photos when I began getting back into photography in August 2004. I had just bought a Nikon D70 kit with an 18-70 f3.5 lens. The lens was terribly slow but still very sharp. This is a small alley near the Prahan Market on a very wet day. My original goal was to shoot the whole alley which was lined with plenty of graffiti along the walls. My favourite of the set ended up being this shot for its simplicity and texture. The addition of the sepia improved the contrast and mood.
…..whilst digging the alley photo out of the archive I have come across another which also fits very well with the challenge. I will let Stephen decide if two photos would be appropriate. This was a crab net on the docks in Port Fairy. I was travelling back from Adelaide and stopped in Port Fairy to spend the night. I was delighted to come across this old net on the dock. It lends itself well to being black and white as there is little contrast in the colour shot with the rust blending in with the background dock

My thoughts: I know sometimes we have a lot on our plate, so I’m OK with archival shots every now and then – this time Ken submitted two from his archive. One I’ve seen before and absolutely love, but I initially picked just one – the crab pot because it’s new to me.   Then I saw how much Ken wrote, and I know he doesn’t like putting pen to paper so much. I didn’t want to edit his submission, so here you are – two images.  As I said, they’re both awesome images, but I’m concerned about starting a trend in shot selection, so let’s hear your feedback first.

I use the word challenge because I want people to think about the theme for the best part of 2 weeks and actually get out there and shoot a new image.  Another part of the challenge is to be able to select and edit – I know how hard that is for me, and Ken’s got a lot more good stuff coming out of his camera than I do.   Ken, I know your busy, but am I going to have to pick you up and take you away from the house, camera in hand, a couple of hours a month?  Actually it would do me some good and get me some Vitamin Sun.

Katy’s submission

Katy says:

I’ve always been a texture enthusiast. Yes, I’m that kind of nutcase who goes shooting for textures every so often, especially during the rainy season – don’t ask me why as I can ramble on that for hours.

Looking back on my previous photo database, I could discern that every other image I took had been strewn with layers of textures ranging from fur to parched paper. Unluckily, most of them were merely experimental and not prone to be ever displayed in public. For what it’s worth, I’ve got a reputation to uphold.

For this shot, the aperture was at 9.0 and the shutter at 1/160 setting focal up to 55mm on me amid pine trees on a bright sunny day of Sunday.

My thoughts: Well, the timing on this is perfect – Survivor series 18 started yesterday, and it’s set in Brazil.  Katy looks like one of the competitors after a tough immunity challenge.  And if it wasn’t for the strap of her singlet I could imagine she is the wild woman of Borneo running and hiding in the forest whilst trying to remain a myth.  I’m glad someone photographed a pine tree. They are about the most enduring memory of texture I have from childhood. Most country schoolyards had them, I think.  One thing I’d really prefer to see here is a sharp crispness of the tree, as that is actually what my eye is drawn to. I suspect it was there in the original, but might have been lost in post-processing? Katy – any thoughts on that?

Next Challenge

It’s time to give Katy a go. She came up with a real doozy and I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this exactly.  The theme is “Seven Deadly Sins“.
For those of you not up with sinning, and I sure as hell (oops) am not, here’s what they’re said to be:

1. lust
2. gluttony
3. greed
4. sloth
5. wrath
6. envy
7. pride

Personally, I can’t see anything wrong with any of them.

Now, I’m not going to ask you to submit seven photos, nor am I going to spread this out over 14 weeks.  So, you have two choices.  You may either shoot one image that encompasses all seven, or you may pick your favourite sin and make it happen in a glorious 2D photograph.

IMPORTANT – I hate censorship as much as the next person, however this blog is read by people of all ages and I’m not quite ready to introduce password-protection or adults-only sections.  So, if you just can’t help yourself, send those images to me separately for private evaluation, but I can only publish the PG – M rated shots.

PLEASE submit your images by just after sunset on Sunday March 1st (Australian Eastern Standard Time for you internationals).
Most importantly – have fun shooting!

Photography for Musicians – Published in Forte Magazine

Working in the rock photography business means you are regularly challenged by the scores of music fans with cameras – whether it be directly when you’re trying to work around them at a gig, or via bands who don’t yet understand the difference between fan-shot images, and professional, marketable ones.  You know, I’ve even met management representatives who don’t understand the difference.

Late last year I wrote a two-page spread for Forte magazine in a contribution to their “Essential Young Musician’s Guide” series. Forte is the music street press for the Geelong and western Victoria region.  They’ve only just recently made the issue available online, so I can now reproduce it for your enjoyment.

Key points I covered included:

• The band photos used in the bio, and CD artwork, can be a deal breaker. They need to be professionally shot.
• Presenting amateurish photography is almost as much a backward step as presenting amateurish demos on Myspace.
• Effective live gig photography is not easy, and requires a real knowledge of light as much as an understanding of stagecraft.
• A Myspace page is not enough. Whilst it has it’s purpose, you need a professional web presence.
• Find a photographer with creative vision that aligns or compliments your own.
• Ask questions about experience, charging, contractual rights, numbers of images, gear and recommendations

Attached is the article itself. If you have an interest in hiring a photographer (hopefully me!) or you’re dabbling in the idea of rock photography yourself, then do yourself a favour and add this to your reading material.

The Essential Young Musicians Guide – Part 4 (Forte Magazine, Nov 20, 2008)

Apologies for the typos throughout. I can’t do everything myself, as much as I would like to, so typesetting fell into the hands of the publication itself. 

What do you think?

Just for a bit of fun, and to find out who’s reading this far into my article, here is my initial suggestion for an advertisement I took out in the same magazine, and following is their final proof supposedly based on mine. Quite a bit different.  Tell me which one you like best, or none if you think they’re both rubbish.

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