10 Things to Consider as You Start Your Photography Business

This weekend I swapped messages with 2 people who are about to start their photography businesses. They are both confident with camera and client skills, but starting a business is the great unknown. I started to make a list of business things to consider. In most cases, these things are not hard, they are just new. Keep in mind I’m not an adviser, a lawyer, or an accountant – I’m a photographer. I have done each of these things in setting up and running my own business. Here are 10 things to consider as you start your photography business.

Setting up in business is an exciting time. Enjoy it!

1. How Your Business Will Operate? There are a variety of ways a business can operate (this varies depending on what country you are in). Will you operate as a sole trader? Will you establish a company? Here is Australia the simplest way to start operating is as a sole trader. This is how I first set up my business operations. As the business grew I changed to a company structure which is how I operate today. If you want expert advice, an accountant will be able to give you the pros and cons of different business structures.

2. Register Your Business. Once you have decided how your business will operate you need to register your business. Again, this process is different in different countries. Here in Australia you need to get an ABN number. This can be done online at www.abr.gov.au. If you want help an accountant will be able to assist in understanding and completing this process.

3. Insurance. Now that you are in business you will need to get appropriate insurance to protect your business in the event of something going wrong. Your photography equipment may have previously been covered under your contents policy. Now that you are using it for commercial purposes it is unlikely to be covered by your domestic policy. Insuring it under a commercial policy is the answer. And very importantly, you will need Public Liability Insurance. Here in Australia it is available for just a few hundred dollars per year from any of the major insurance companies or through an insurance broker.

4. Bank Account. You will need a separate bank account for your business. This keeps the businesses banking needs separate to your personal ones. Here in Australia it is very straightforward to set up a business bank account. I have mine with the same bank I do my personal banking with. They offer a fee-free business account which is nice.

5. Online Presence. Having an online presence is a key business tool. I see some beginners setting up pages on Facebook as their only online presence. This makes me cringe. You are going to need your own website if you want to control how your information is laid out and presented. Social media channels like Facebook and Google+ can be used to drive traffic to your website, but you will need a functioning website as your foundation.

6. Marketing Materials. I am avoiding going into the topic of generating clients here. Let’s just say that when you are starting out it is handy to have some simple marketing materials – like business cards, letterhead, envelopes, note paper etc. It adds to your credibility and can present you much more professionally than an enthusiast who just has a camera and a smile. Choose what you like and fits into your budget.

Take time to set you business up, so when you are with a client you can focus on great images

Take time to set your business up, so when you are with a client you can focus on great images

7. Contracts. Contracts are critical in photography business. They outline the agreement between you and your client. Make sure your contract covers what services will be provided, who owns copyright, and issues around model releases. I have never had a disagreement with a client about services or price, but its nice to know that if I did, I have a written contract to revert to. Some sample contracts are available online, but talking to a lawyer will give you peace of mind.

8. Invoicing System. Starting in business means you are planning to get paid for your work. To do this you need an invoicing system in place. That is a fancy way of saying, you need to know how you will get a bill to your client. Don’t be intimidated by this – when I started my system was to hand write all my invoices! I bought an invoice book at the local stationery store and literally hand wrote invoices to my clients. Low tech but effective.

9. Understand Expenses. When you set up in business, understanding the revenue side of your business is straightforward – it is the amount of money your clients are paying your business. Understanding expenses is slightly more complex, only because some of your personal expenses will be tax deductible expenses to your business. For example, if you are driving your personal vehicle to shoot weddings, the mileage you are doing in your vehicle can be claimed as a company expense. It is worthwhile talking to an accountant about business expenses.

10. Learn from those Who’ve Been There Before. There is now a good range of business photography books available with some outstanding advice. Three that I really like are:

The Photographers MBA by Sal Cincotta
Visionmongers by David Du Chemin
Fast Track Photographer by Dane Sanders

Keep in mind that getting started in business is not complex and you shouldn’t feel over whelmed. I hope these ’10 things to consider as you start your photography business’ have been useful. Have you set up in business? What was the most challenging aspect? If you haven’t set up yet and would like some more help, please add a comment to this post.

Making the Dream Real

Several readers of Beyond Here have opened stock photography accounts in the last 3 months. Most do so with a sense of hope and trepidation. While it is exciting to see your portfolio growing, it is normal that downloads are slow to begin. Inevitably new contributors get to a point where they say – is this really worth it? Will this effort pay off? And ultimately, am I any good at this? If you are thinking those questions – this post is for you. Don’t give up, read on for 6 tips for making the dream real.

Success in stock photography is open to everyone. Expect a slow start and keep building that portfolio.

Firstly, as a new stock contributor, what should you expect?

(1) Downloads take time. This is a reality so don’t be surprised if you go for several months with few downloads. It happens for a range of reasons, but the main one is that of the thousands of buyers out there – it is highly unlikely that they will see your file on the day it is uploaded and download it immediately. More likely is that when they find your file, they are researching a range of different images for their project. They will think about it for a while, and only then, go ahead with the purchase. Consider also that your file is one of tens of millions of pictures in the stock library. It is unlikely that you’ll make a significant income with only a few hundred images. This process takes time, and a portfolio needs to be built.

(2) Stock is not a get rich quick scheme. Tied directly to the fact that downloads take time is that stock will not make you a fortune immediately. It has made many people fortunes, but it takes time, practice, and dedication. It is very likely that in your first few months, your income will be negligible or small. If that’s the case – don’t worry, it’s normal.

(3) There is competition. A little searching on stock libraries makes this clear. There is competition in stock which means poor quality images will not sell. Buyers have lots of alternatives among well lit, interesting images. This is what will drive improvement in a beginners photography skills – you need to produce good quality, well lit images to succeed in the long term.

Ok, enough of the reality check. So, what about tips for making the dream real? Here are 6 tips for getting past the new contributor doubts.

Tip 1 – Build That Portfolio. The quicker you can build a portfolio, the quicker success will come. If you have uploaded several hundred images with little success – this is the time to push on, not to give up. When I first started contributing to iStock in 2008 there were weekly upload limits of 15 images. Yes, I was only allowed to upload 15 images per week. It took ages to build a portfolio back then. Today, on iStock, that limit is 999. Effectively that means there is no upload limit – you can build your portfolio very quickly compared to what was possible in 2008. Make the most of it – build that portfolio.

Tip 2 – Diversify. A broadly diversified portfolio has more opportunity of success than a very narrow one. Shoot a range of different material. Don’t rely solely on what you have shot in the past. Step out of your comfort zone and shoot something new. If you love landscape photography, try some portrait and macro work too.

Tip 3 – Learn What Sells. Yes, this means studying what types of images are successful as stock. Look at the major stock libraries and search for topics you are interested in. Look at the portfolios of successful contributors. See what makes their work stand out and be successful. Beginners in stock photography often think they can just upload images that have been sitting on their hard drive for years and instantly generate a significant income. I have never seen that happen. The most common path to success is to learn what sells, and then set about building a portfolio with that in mind. Think of it as first understanding stock photography, and then shooting for that market.

Tip 4 – Make Key-wording a Strength. Key-wording refers to adding words to your file. These are important because this is how a buyer finds your files. You need to make sure that your key words are relevant and accurate. To do this, study successful files. Look at how they have been key-worded. It is worth being good at key-wording. It is no good having great files which buyers can’t find.

Finding a niche will accelerate your stock photo results

Tip 5 – Find A Niche. You can find success in stock without having a niche – but it is much easier if you do. This might be an area where you have access to a type of image that others don’t, or you have an intimate understanding of a topic which helps you shoot unique images. Finding a niche is not that hard. I live in Melbourne, Australia where there is a large colony of flying foxes. I found a niche with images of bats – which sell very well around Halloween. Where is your niche? If you are a member of a motor bike club – photograph bikes and bikers. If you’re a plumber, how about plumbing or trades person themes? If you are a mum, how about baby or kids themes? If you catch the ferry across Sydney harbor every day, how about a daily image of the opera house and harbor bridge? Finding a niche is not hard, and will help your stock photography results.

Tip 6 – Keep Going. Nothing in stock photography is more important than persistence. Don’t give up. Keep growing your portfolio, diversifying, and building your knowledge of the stock photography market. Success is open to everyone – you can do it too.

Thanks for taking the time to read ‘making the dream real’. The first 12 months as a stock photographer are the most challenging. If you can make it through that with a steadily growing portfolio, your chances of long term success are very good. Got more questions? Please add a comment to this post. I’ll do my best to answer your question. Good luck in making the dream real!!

How Does Payment from Stock Photography Work

I have written a series of posts on Beyond Here about stock photography, and specifically about micro stock photography. It has been exciting that readers of Beyond Here have opened micro stock photography accounts and are starting to earn an income from their images.

If you’d like to read those earlier posts, two of the most popular posts are here:

One common question from new stock photographers is ‘how does payment from stock photography work?’ My first advice to these photographers is not to worry about downloads and income in the early stages of their stock career, but to focus on building their portfolio. But I understand they still want to know how the payment function works. So here we go.

You need to meet the minimum payment level before requesting a payment

1, Minimum Payments. Each micro stock photography site has a minimum payment level. That is the minimum you need to exceed before you can request a payment. I assume this is so that the micro stock sites are not processing thousands and thousands of very small transactions.

I am an exclusive contributor at iStock where the minimum payment is USD$100. That means, when your balance from royalties from downloads of your images exceeds USD$100 you can request payment of those funds. Other micro stock sites may have different minimum payment levels. When I was contributing to Shutterstock in 2008 and 2009 the minimum was USD$70.

2. Payment Method. Again, the way that you get paid can vary slightly depending on which site you are using. Using iStock as the example you can currently choose between cheque, Paypal, Skrill, pre paid Mastercard, or direct deposit (for US account holders).

I live in Australia and have always used PayPal as my payment method. iStock has a published weekly payment schedule, and the funds appear in my PayPal account within 5 business days from that date. From there I transfer the funds from Paypal to a nominated bank account. It takes a few days to appear in the bank account, but it is a very simple transfer process.

3. Payment Frequency. iStock’s payment terms also outline that you can request only one payment per week. I assume this is so that they are not processing multiple payments to a single contributor. When you are starting out, the USD$100 minimum will seem a long way off. But with persistence it won’t be long until you are requesting a payment every week.

The payment process from micro stock sites is straightforward and they are processing thousands of payments each week. You will need to look into what are the payment methods your stock photography site offers, and then set up the appropriate account. For example, if you decide to use Paypal, you will need to set up a Paypal account and link a bank account to it. This is also a straightforward process which can be done online.

So if you are starting out in stock photography, don’t be anxious about the payment process – it’s easy. Instead focus on building a portfolio of quality stock images and trust that the downloads and royalties will come in time.

Thanks for reading ‘how does payment from stock photography work?’ I hope it has been useful for you.

Great Reads – Photographers MBA

I recently started a series on Beyond Here called Great Reads. It gives you a brief over view of some very good photography books. The subject of this post is a book called The Photographers MBA by Sal Cincotta.

What is it about? The Photographers MBA states on the front cover “Everything you need to know for your photography business” and Cincotta does an excellent job of doing just that. He finds a very nice balance between telling you his own story, while giving you insight to how to run your own photography business.

I found his own story fascinating. While he was exposed to photography at a young age, he had worked a job in corporate America until 2006. Since then his photography business has grown and now has revenues in excess of $1m per annum. Nice work.

What can you expect? A practical guide to how to run your photography business better by someone who has done just that. His passion for his images comes through very strongly. I love his approach – rather than compete on lowest price, he will raise his prices and deliver an even better client experience. Fantastic!

Outcomes? There is a wealth of practical advice in this book – from how to structure your business, to branding, social media, contracts etc. The one thing that stands out to me from The Photographers MBA is that it is one of the few photography business books I’ve read where the authors passion for his business, art, and clients comes through so strongly. There is a broad range of outstanding images in the book. They are so good, that it took me a while to realize that several of them were from the same wedding.

In terms of the specific chapters, I found the sections on branding and social media very useful with things I can immediately implement in my own business.

Rating and Recommendation? The Photographers MBA is easy to read, and full of great images. It is divided into logical chapters making it simple to revert to a specific section. This book is a winner! 10 out of 10.

Thank you for reading Great Reads – Photographers MBA.

More Tips For Your First Photography Job

After a recent post titled Tips For Your First Photography Job I received a series of emails with questions and comments. It is exciting that there are photographers about to shoot their first paid job! I’ve taken that feedback and put together 7 more tips for your first photography job. There really are an unlimited number of tips. These 7 focus on yourself and your client. I hope they are useful for you.

Don’t leave your client with unanswered questions

Tip #1 – Keep the Client Informed. When you preparing for your first job, think about your client experience and take the time to explain the process to them. If you are doing a family portrait shoot, plan your time from beginning to end, and explain the process to the client. This might include the date and time of the shoot, advice to the client on wardrobe, the time-frame you expect to deliver the final images, what the client needs to do about image selection, and when final products will be delivered. The key is to be able to explain this to your client so that they know what is happening. There is nothing worse than hearing a story where a client doesn’t know when their images or albums will be delivered. Keep the client informed, manage their expectations, and deliver to those expectations.

Tip #2 – Back Up Your Images. Ok – boring tip alert! I haven’t heard from anyone who has had a gear failure and lost the images from their first photography job. Hopefully it won’t happen to you. To guard against this, back up your images in multiple locations. You don’t want a couples wedding images only on your laptop. If your laptop gets stolen, then you have a very uncomfortable discussion coming up with your clients. I keep my images on my laptop, an external hard drive, and an offsite storage facility. Be boring, back up your images. It is worth avoiding a very uncomfortable conversation with your client.

Tip #3 – Visit the Venues. This is a very obvious and very important tip. If you are shooting a wedding you need to have visited the venues for the ceremony, reception, and any other venues you are using. If you are shooting an outdoor family portrait – visit the location and consider the different backgrounds you could use. What will you do if the weather is bad? What lighting conditions are likely? What equipment will you need? Visit the venues in advance so that you know how to handle different conditions. Making it up on the go isn’t a good idea.

Use different lenses to create different looking images

Tip #4 – Different Lenses, Different Looks. Be ready to use different lenses to create different looks. If you are shooting an outdoor family portrait, you will get a different look from a 50mm prime lens, than you will with a 70-200mm lens. Use different lenses to create different looking images. This will ensure your client has a range of images to choose from, and increases your likelihood that they will want to purchase prints, albums or other products.

Tip #5 – Manage Yourself. On the day of your first shoot it is likely you will be nervous. Consider how you will perform at your best. Got all your equipment ready the night before? Got a full gas tank in your vehicle? Formatted your memory cards? Think through what is going to get you ready to deliver an excellent client experience.

Tip #6 – Plan Your Timings. It comes with experience to know how much time you need. When I’m shooting the bride and bridesmaids getting ready for the wedding, experience has taught me how long I’ll need to get a range of top shots. I’ve got a good idea for the minimum time I need, the ideal amount of time, and what is too much time. Without this experience, you will need to plan and then allow a little longer. You will also need to consider the time to travel between locations if its a multi location shoot. Don’t cut it too tight. Having appropriate time will help produce good images.

Tip #7 – Learn From This Shoot. Finally, go easy on yourself! On your first shoot, don’t expect that everything will go perfectly and to produce award winning images. That shouldn’t be your goal. Aim to have a satisfied client who will promote you and your work. When the shoot is finished give thought to – what went well? what could have gone better? how could you deliver an even better client experience? what is your assessment of the images you created? how could they be stronger or more diverse? Your first paid shoot is a great place to develop your skills and your client experience. Take the time to learn from this shoot.

I hope ‘more tips for your first photography job’ have been useful. If you have any questions, please comment on this post. I will be happy to try and answer them. Good luck for your first photography job.

Tips for Your First Photography Job

Recently I wrote several posts for first time wedding photographers. You can find those posts here:

This week I have been fielding questions from photographers about to shoot their first paid job. However, they are are not shooting a wedding, but are about to shoot a family portrait. For those readers here are some tips for your first photography job.

Congratulations on reaching a milestone! Your first paid photography job.

Tip #1 – Focus on Happy Customers. As you get started in paid photography it is easy to obsess about the money you will bring in from this first job. If you find yourself saying ‘this is fantastic, I’m getting paid $500 to shoot family portraits’ you might be falling for this trap. Believe me, this is the wrong area to focus. If you are going to make a living from this – having happy customers is far more important than the amount of money you will get paid from one job. Charge what is fair, and do everything possible to make sure you have a happy client. Happy clients come back again and again, and will refer you to their friends.

Tip #2 – Get a Contract. This point will turn a few people off! But, you need a contract with your client. This will cover what services are being provided for what compensation. Importantly, your contract also needs to cover issues around copyright, use of images, and model releases. If you are a member of your national photographic body they will have sample contracts.

Tip #3 – Know Your Equipment Well. Nothing will turn a paying client off more than if you are trying to work out how to use your equipment while shooting images for them. Shooting in light conditions you are familiar with will limit this risk. If you are used to shooting outdoor, shoot the family portraits in a park. If you primarily do studio work, organize for the shoot to be in a studio. Don’t do a studio shoot if you are not familiar with studio lighting techniques.

Tip #4 – Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Finances. If you are shooting a paid job, the client expects to pay. Make it easy for them – talk about what they need to pay by when, and how they can pay you. It is much better to have this discussion early in your relationship with the client than to leave it.

Tip #5 – Ask for Payment in Advance. I ask for payment in advance for weddings and family portraits and have never had a client balk at this. Again, I make it clear and easy for the client and it is covered in my contract. If the client would like some flexibility in payment terms I am happy to help – but I know I will do a better job if I’m not thinking ‘I wonder if these people are going to pay me?’

Tip #6 – Think About Presentation. The photo shoot is only one element of the client experience. When you are starting out, it is easy to think only about the shoot. You should also consider how will you present the images to your client. Will you take them through a slideshow in their own home? Will you just send them a USB in the mail? The approach you choose makes an impact on your clients experience. Consider the type of experience you want them to have.

Tip #7 – Carry Backups. It is very risky not to have back ups with you on a paid shoot. That includes spare camera body, lens, memory cards, batteries, and flashes. If you are starting out you may not own back ups of all of these. If that’s the case, ask a friend and borrow their gear.

I hope these tips for your first photography job have been useful. If you have any questions, please comment on this post. I will be happy to try and answer them. And if you have lots of questions I’ll write another post on this topic. Thanks for reading this post. Good luck for your first photography job.

Focus on generating a happy customer not maximising the financial return from your first job.

Great Reads – Digital Photography Book

‘Great Reads’ is a section I have recently started on Beyond Here which provides you with a series of reviews of photography books. Today’s post looks at a series of books called ‘The Digital Photography Book’ by Scott Kelby. There are several books in this series – 4 that I have read. They can be bought individually or as a set.

What is it about? The Digital Photography Book series provide a series of short, sharp tips for how to make particular images or how to tackle a style of photography. Want to know which settings will suit a football game? The answer is in the book. Want to know how to overpower the sun when shooting outdoor wedding portraits? Kelby shows you how.

Photography books There is a wide range of content – from how to set up a studio, to landscape, wedding, travel, sports, portrait – the list goes on. I particularly liked the section on how to set up a studio, and used the advice in this series to build my studio.

What can you expect? A really fun series of books! There is no getting caught up in technical detail here. Kelby has a very good sense of humor and isn’t afraid to use it! His chapter openings are particularly light-hearted and funny. The approach he has taken is to assume you are on a shoot together, and to provide practical advice in the same way he would to a shooting buddy. No technical overload – just simple direction and instruction on how to make a certain image. If you find technical talk confusing – don’t worry, this series of books is very easy to read.

Visual content? Lots! These books have an extensive range of images with commentary to match. Because these books cover a very wide range of content there is bound to be something in it which interests every photographer. The material is presented in ‘bite sized’ chunks with a topic, an image, and instruction.

Outcomes? These books are very useful if you have ‘generalist’ photography interest. Rather than being a very detailed review of a specific area, they have a light touch on a very wide range of content. This makes them an ideal reference. I refer to them when I am looking at a different area of photography, or wanting to make a different style of image. Beyond the useful content, they are very funny, and remind me that this business is fun.

Rating and Recommendation? These books are very easy to read, and because of the way they are structured, are ideal for ‘dipping into’ when you need. They are ideal if you have a broad range of photographic interests, or are considering which area of photography you want to specialize in. The tips are simple and effective, and have saved me many hours of trial and error. They are well presented, contain some great images, and are very easy to read. 8 out of 10.

If you are interested in purchasing these books, please follow the links to Amazon on this blog.

Thank you for reading Great Reads – Digital Photography Book.

Making This Waterbird Image

Wildlife photography continues to grow in popularity as prices of high quality digital cameras and zoom lenses continue to fall. Enthusiast photographers are picking up the challenge and creating great wildlife images. Here are some tips from one of my heron images. Read on for details on making this waterbird image.

A combination of high overhead cloud, a clean background and a great reflection make this image work

This image was taken at Albert Park Lake, just a few kilometers from downtown Melbourne, Australia. (If you are a motor racing fan, this is the lake that the Australian Grand Prix Formula One race goes around).

This shot was taken in the early morning, with high overhead cloud and no wind. In fact, it was a surprisingly still morning.

What makes the image work:

(1) Lighting. The high cloud results in very even lighting on the bird. There are no harsh shadows from sunlight. Melbourne in the winter gets a lot of cloudy weather which is ideal for evenly lighting outdoor subjects.

(2) Background. I had to walk to get to a position where there were not reeds or other distractions in both the foreground and background. Having a clean background increases the focus on the subject, and that has worked very effectively here.

(3) Reflections. Still days can create great reflections in water. You can get them in lakes, but also smaller areas of water. Even puddles can provide great reflections. I composed this image to include the reflection as a key component of the image.

(4) Focus. This image was shot at f2.8 using a single focus point aimed at the birds eye. This has provided very sharp focus on the bird. If you are looking to increase the quality of your wildlife images, try using a single focus point and aiming that focus point at the subjects eye (use this tip for portraits of people as well)

(5) Distance. Being some way back from the heron means it was going about its normal business without really being aware of the photographer and the camera. This image was shot with a 70-200mm lens at 200mm on a crop sensor camera (effectively given the equivalent of a 320mm zoom).

(6) Crop. I have cropped this image to square format to fit with the shape of the heron. It worked more effectively in this format than as a horizontal dimension image.

I hope these tips have been useful in understanding making this waterbird image. Best wishes with your wildlife photography.

Great Reads – Wedding Photography Posing

This post in ‘Great Reads’ looks at a book which features poses for wedding photography. Its full name is ‘Design Aglow Posing Guide for Wedding Photography’ by Lena Hyde. I recently ordered this book from Amazon and have enjoyed reading it. This brief review is to help you decide whether it might be useful to you. Thanks for reading Great Reads – Wedding Photography Posing.

What is it about? As the title suggests, this book is for wedding photographers and looks at the challenge of posing your subjects. It contains 100 different poses and is set out in an easy to read format. With such a broad range of poses and images, there will be new ideas for you in this book.

What can you expect? Great images and interesting ideas! Each idea is set out across a double page with a strong image and text to explain. It is divided into sections so you can choose whether you want to look at ideas for brides, grooms, brides and grooms, or the wedding party. This makes it easy to use and a handy reference. I particularly like that the text explains the pose, but also offers 2 or 3 alternative images you could take with the same pose, or as the subject moves on from the position shown. They are very handy tips for turning one good shot into 3 or 4 good shots. This book sticks to its title and focuses on the art of posing. It is light on technical information, but does include the camera settings for each of the featured images.

Visual content? Lots! This book has an extensive range of images. With that range comes brides, grooms and wedding parties of all different styles. Such a large range of visual content makes this book useful for the photographer to review to get fresh ideas. It is easy to read and just as easy to flick through to find an inspiring image.

Outcomes? This book is very useful for looking at different wedding photographers images and to consider how they have posed their subject. I am going to use this book to help me with fresh ideas, and also to share with my clients. I am going to ask my clients to look through the images and to highlight the style of images which they prefer. This will help me to make sure I understand the style of image my client is looking for. This will be very handy, and will compliment sharing my own images with them.

Rating and Recommendation? This is a good book and sticks to the topic of poses for wedding photography. I recommend it for new wedding photographers, or more seasoned photographers who are looking for fresh ideas. It is well presented, contains some great images, and is easy to read. 8 out of 10.

If you are starting out in wedding photography you may like to read these earlier posts:

Thanks for reading Great Reads – Wedding Photography Posing.

Making This Image

I had a canvas print of this image on my studio wall before it went to the client. It drew lots of questions about how it was created. How did I make her hair go like that? How do you get a pure white background? Is that shape real? And lots more. Below I have outlined the steps in making this image.

Unique portraits like this one don’t need to be complex or very time consuming

Step 1 – Plaits. This young lady has very, very long hair. She is tall and it goes all the way down her back. Step 1 was to get her mum to plait it. I didn’t see this part, but it must have taken some time for such long hair!

Step 2 – Studio set up. This shot was taken in studio, against a white background. I have written an earlier post about how to get a pure white background. If you don’t have a studio backdrop you can achieve the same effect with a white wall or nearly white wall. I had two lights with small soft boxes on them positioned on left and right at 45 degrees to the subject. You can see the catch-lights from those in her eyes.

Step 3 – Shaping the hair. In this image, I was aiming for a fun / quirky image. To shape her hair – we improvised! We unwound a wire coat hangar and threaded it through the middle of her plait. That made it possible to create a range of different shapes from her plait. The coat hangar protruded out of her hair. In this image it protruded to the left, where her mother was holding it.

Step 4 – Removing the visible part of the coat hangar. In each of this small series of images, part of the coat hangar was visible. It stuck out from her hair, and out of frame where her mum was holding it. To remove the coat hangar wire from the image required less than 5 minutes in post production, using the stamp tool to replace the wire with pure white from the background.

It does not need a long tedious studio session and hours in post production to make interesting images. This one took about 20 minutes from beginning to end (after her hair was plaited!!) I hope this was helpful to you, and that you understand the process for making this image. Do you have a story to tell about making unique portraits?