Other than my own work here and on Street Fashion Sydney, I have been working with my partner Vivienne Shui on her blogs vivalaViv and now, luxury travel site White Caviar Life; where we have both learn't from each other; about leveraging up the quality of your work, collaborating and how to get the most from your creative vision. Just scroll down to learn more -
It's Time to Trade Up!
By now you have no doubt already asked many favours of camera owning friends, significant others and questioned just about everyone you know about the making and how-to of getting better pictures. Then comes the time when although you have the ideas; the pictures are just not coming out how you would like. It's time to start exploring the world of professional photographers and photography.First stop; the internet! Blogging is about being social, it's about developing friendships, so is photography too, but the way to find a photographer is through search; possibly why you are here right now! For search you will find Google is your new best friend. In the search box try, Your City - Sydney - Fashion or Lifestyle - Photographer.. and up will come some results (looks like I'm currently on page 2..) Then you need to start doing your research. Look carefully at the websites, take a detailed look. What sort of 'fashion' does this photographer do; does it fit my vision now - or where I want to my blog to go? If the answer is no; it's onto the next website; yes, bookmark it until you have seen a few more. You can also search on Instagram using #tags, #Sydneyphotographer #Photoshoot etc; check out fellow local bloggers @credits to see who they are shooting with too. One useful tip about looking at any photographers work, is deciding if it is consistent or not. If it's a bit all-over-the-place on their website, they may not be ready for your hard earned cash. Keep looking until you find a style that suits and consistency of work across their portfolio.
Studio collaboration with Margaret Zhang - Shine By Three |
Be realistic about your needs. Plan your shoots carefully around the pictures your blog post will need. Sounds obvious I know.. but time is money; and simply asking a Pro to take endless shots just hoping to get something right (might do ok..) but is unlikely to deliver the best results. How many outfits and how many types of shot? Full length and details are different pictures and while you can sometimes crop a detail from a bigger picture.. again, the best results happen when you know what you require beforehand; shoes, yes; full length, tick; earrings detail + necklace; that's a beauty shot - good, got it, done!
My partner started her first blog with a rule to only ever use one shot per blog post - I know even I was shocked. Of course these days she uses more but how many do you need - Need to tell the story? Front, back, side, close-ups, a long shot? Maybe some scenery to set the mood too? OK it is not always possible to know exactly the number and best looks before the shoot, but if you have a plan; you are going to be more effective as a team coming up with the gold standard of shot you really need. Put together an outline and let the photographer know the details in writing before the shoot.
Ask for usage, not copyright. What! That's right and it's a biggie. A professional photographer is not going to sign over their image copyright to you for the kind of money we are most likely talking about here. But that is OK because you don't need the copyright, all you need is a usage agreement. So don't let copyright close down the conversation, think about what you need to use the pictures for. Your Instagram, Pintrest, Your Blog of course! But that's really it. If you are doing some thing with a brand, discuss this upfront. If it's simple cross tagging that's probably OK - if it's a campaign on the sly or by stealth.. your new friend the professional photographer can possibly help you cut a better deal; without anyone misrepresenting themselves. For many bloggers, this will be a non-issue; just ask that you can use the shots as Editorial on your site and social media platforms - confirm by email, and you will be good to go.
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Telling Stories in Pictures all over the world..
Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.
0433 796 863