Get the Goods: Affordable training session this weekend in Denver

If your schedule permits, check out this David Tejada session on running Saturday at Denver Pro Photo. I've found Tejada's knowledge to be infinitely helpful during a past seminar I attended and blogged about. And I'm excited that he will be spending some time shooting so we can see how he works. That's a steal for just $50!

Tips of the Trade: Commercial Photographer David X. Tejada

On Sunday, I was one of about 30 photographers who got the chance to meet commercial David X. Tejada, one of Colorado's most highly sought after location corporate photographers. The Colorado Strobist Flickr group hosted the event at the North Denver Photography Studio, and it was well worth the $10 we each paid for the studio rental time. All images in this post were taken by Tejada.

I love any opportunity I get to pick the brain of a professional photographer. It amazes me that anyone would be able to make a living solely from their photography business, so Tejada's willingness to share some of his secrets of success was greatly appreciated. Tejada presented a body of work from various corporate assignments and discussed how many of those images where created. He shared some tips and tricks about lighting and answered questions regarding business practices. I will be blogging about some of those practices on Sunday's "Growing Pains" post and explaining how I will incorporate some of his ideas in my own business. I also hope to sign up for his "Small Strobes, Big Results" workshop so I can see some hands-on instruction in use of off-camera lighting.


Tejada even joined a group of photographers for dinner, allowing us to spend more time with him and his assistants getting coveted tricks of the trade. He is a location specialists and doesn't do much studio work anymore. This Nikon shooter spent the majority of his discussion explaining how to achieve big lighting results with a small travel size outfit of strobes (usually SB800s) that's easy to carry, especially since he's already had two back surgeries! His corporate photography and annual report shots often call for him to shoot "guys with ties" and "gals in skirts," so he explained what he does to make what might be boring subjects stand out:

1) He looks for an interesting background first and then puts his subject in it. His process starts with asking himself "what's my background," and "what's my depth of field." Then he applies the light that's needed to get the effect he wants. He figures out what f-stop he wants to shoot at and then sets up lights so he can shoot at that depth.

2) He uses people in his photos to show a sense of scale. He doesn't care who he has to grab, whether it's his own assistants or factory crews, to add a human element his photos showcasing advertising, architecture, editorial, healthcare, industrial, international, mining, oil & gas, portrait, still life and workplace or environmental imagery.


3) He uses foreground elements to create a sense of depth in images.



4) He rarely uses more than 1/30th to 1/60th of power on his SB800s, and he generally starts with only one light source. The area is lit before the subject comes in.

5) He aims to create believable and sellable images. Most of his work is staged, and he acts out every position he wants his subjects to take. He doesn't shoot photos, he "makes" photos. "Be an art director with a camera. People don't know what to do. You need to direct them." To this end, his most useful photographic tools are walkie talkies to direct subjects and primary color jackets to add interest and contrast to images.

"Nothing will happen uneless you make that shot happen. You will never get a shot unless you put it together," Tejada says.

6) He recommends collecting favorite images from magazines and annual reports so photographers can get creative inspiration. "I see nothing wrong with doing a rendention of someone's work," Tejada says.

7) He blogs to keep a written journal of his assignments. He does so much he tends to forget what his assignments are.

8) He makes clients pay for liability insurance and cleaning his gear in dirty, dingy and hazardous shooting environments.

9) The key to his small strobe usage is to let the ambient light do all the "heavy lifting" and he uses the strobes to light up the subject.

10) If you see something you want to shoot, STOP NOW and get it because there is no guarantee the circumstance will be the same when you come back.

11) Get yourself a mentor if you want to be successful.

12) He direct's a viewers eyes by placing a stronger light source on his subjects. He often has one person making direct eye contact with the camera in his images.

13) He loves DIY-photography projects. His other favorite tools are tripods for sharp images, Lightroom, light breaks to project pattern into a background, HMI movie lights, CTO/CTB filters, scissor clamps, barn doors and nothing larger than 4 GB on a memory card.

14) Use open doorways as an available light source. "Just because you have a strobe doesn't mean you have to use it. Find the light." On the other hand, it's sometimes fun to try putting a strobe in a shot. "Have fun playing with light and see what you can do. Practice all the time."

15) His biggest No-Nos: Don't have models standing or leaning on walls, and don't have a subject point a finger in a photograph.

An Aside: Great Intentions

As it turned out, I was so exhausted that I only did one of the three things I was hoping to accomplish this weekend. My maternity session client was a no-show, so I waited for an hour and then promptly went back to bed. The next day, I overslept again and didn't wake up in time for the photographers luncheon with Mile High Photographer members, so I will have make time for another meet and greet with this group at some other point. But thankfully, I made it to the David X. Tejada session arranged by the Colorado Strobists Flickr group! It was wonderful and I will post up some great tips and philosophies I gained from Tejada later this week.

During dinner, I asked Tejada if he was ever as tired as I seem to always be after an assignment. Somehow I had been thinking there must be something wrong with me. After an immense immediate high I get from shooting, I then feel drained and exhausted for a day or so afterward. Tejada, and other photographers who attended the dinner, all said they feel the same way. We must be using a different part of the brain as well as different muscle groups in our bodies when we shoot. When I'm on assignment, I am totally focused on trying to get the shots that both I and my client have agreed are the most important images to capture that event, and I wonder if I even tense up my body to try to stay alert. I know during the last week in Snowmass, I was pretty much on my feet for several hours at a time "working" a room, constantly moving from different angles to shoot new perspectives. Add the weight of my Canon 5D with a battery grip, as well as my 70-200 or my 16-35, flash, Gary Fong diffuser and Stroboframe and it's almost like a workout with resistance!

This Weekend: Maternity Session, Photographers Lunch and a Night wiith Corporate Photographer David Tejada

No rest for the weary! I just made it home from Aspen/Snowmass yesterday evening after an exhausting week covering the 36th National Brotherhood of Skiers summit. I was so tired I woke up in my own bed confused and not knowing where I was! During the drive back to Denver, I had to take a break at a rest stop, sleeping in my car for an hour, because I was worried about dozing off on the road. Well, I hope that cat nap gave me my second, third and fourth wind because on top of all the photos I will be editing from the NBS event, this weekend is going to be busy and productive as well!

Saturday afternoon, I am scheduled to shoot a maternity session. My earlier planned session was rescheduled due to my illness, so I'm looking forward to finally being able to shoot one of these.



Then Sunday afternoon, I am having lunch with the Femme Photographie group from Mile High Photographers group I recently joined. This social group was created for female photographers who shoot weddings. The luncheon will be the group's first official meet-up, and I'm very excited about being able to socialize and learn from other female photographers, as the industry is very male dominated.



Sunday afternoon, I will be joining several Mile High DPS and Colorado Strobists members for an Evening with Colorado-based Corporate photographer David Tejada. Tejada has been featured numerous times on the Strobist site for his excellent work with small strobes. Check out some of Tejada's photos here. For only $10 (payment for studio rental space at the North Denver Photography Studio.

Topics to include:

* Slide shows of projects and discussion of how he got the images.
* Review of his shot designs and their setups with some studio
examples.
* His use of small strobes - less is more, no need for big fancy
lights.
* Tips on starting and running a business in photography.
* Q&A



David's Background and Bio:

David Tejada has been shooting professionally for 25 years, specializing in location work for corporate annual reports and other business collateral material. David has been featured several times on the Strobist website as well as national publications as PDN and Rangefinder Magazine. If you are unfamiliar with David's work, check out his blog. He also has over 20 videos posted at YouTube of assignments he has shot and other informational videos.

David will be sharing his work, discussing location corporate assignments and sharing lighting tips and techniques he uses on assignment. He will show attendees how he uses "Small Strobes, for Big Results." Plenty of time for Q&A, tips on starting and running a business.

David teachs lighting workshops here in Denver as well as at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops in NM, Maine Photographic in Rockport, and is a Mentor for the Popular Photography "Mentor Series"