Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. Viewers are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, which I think is a great way to interact with his blog readers.

This Weekend: Booked a senior session, hosting another photo booth

ON SATURDAY:

Today, I booked my first senior portrait of the season! I met my client, Monique, last year when I took senior portraits for her friend Christine's daughter. Monique attended the session and hung out with Christine while I shot her daughter. Monique enjoyed the photo shoot and loved the photos so much that choose me to shoot her son's session. That's one of the best referrals you can ask for, and because of it, Christine's daughter will receive $25 worth of free prints!

I am extremely excited about this session because it will be the first one I've shot with a senior male and a prop. Jordan, 17, plays the violin and he wants several shots with his instrument in them. Jordan said he wanted his photos to be edgy, urban and abstract. We decided to start shooting along the 16th Street Mall in Denver, and specifically near a sculptural garden that captured Jordan's eye.

Here are some examples of the kind of poses he's looking for:





ON SUNDAY

On Sunday, Jason Peckovitch and I will set up our photo booth and sell prints at the first annual "Hot August Nights Car Show" in Fort Collins. We met the client who hired us to shoot this event at our last car show coverage where we discovered that beautiful models and fast cars meant lots of print sales. If these events keep being profitable for us, I think Jason and I should start coordinating our schedules so we can be prepared to have booths available at various events throughout the car show season next year!

Get the Job Done: Shooting opening night of a film festival

This evening, I will be shooting the opening ceremonies for the First Annual DocuWest Film Festival hosted by the Foothills Art Center in Golden. The event organizer asked Efrain Cruz, director of Illuminate Workshops, to provide student photographers to cover two days of festival. I told Efrain I would be able to work tonight's shift, photographing the reception, first moving screening and after party from about 6 till 10. As part of my compensation for the work, I get free access to film festival which as an interesting line-up of featured works.

I've never attended a festival like this, so I can't wait to see tonight's film "Kimjongilia." Accepted into the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Kimjongilia reveals the shocking truth about North Korean forced labor camps as survivors talk about the horrors the experienced.

The event organize has asked for primarily posed shots as well as a few candids to show people enjoying themselves, both of which I'm very good at. Tonight's event should offer me more foundation building experience of shooting indoors in low lit areas. Plus, I am looking forward to meeting new artistic contacts in Golden, a city I haven't spent much time in, and gaining exposure for possible future clients. I'm glad to know that Efrain's referral network is working, providing opportunities for his students to be successful in their craft.

Growing Pains: Resolving payment issues for clients

Panic made my client's voice shake when he spoke into the telephone receiver. Immediately, my heart and stomach sank as I contemplated all the myriad of reasons why he and his wife-to-be must have changed their minds about letting me shoot their wedding in December.

"I tried to make a full payment for the wedding coverage using the PayPal shopping cart buttons on your website, but PayPal took it out of my checking account instead of my credit card! Can you get them to stop the payment?"

Having made that mistake before during my own purchasing process, I knew firsthand the anxiety my client was feeling. Of course you want to be able to do anything to please a client, especially ones who offer to give you a full payment, upfront, months before an event takes place this most wedding client did. Thank goodness PayPal allows its users to refund payments back to a buyer (as well as fees). My client was able to make the payment again from the correct account, and within minutes, we both received emails describing all of the transactions, including the refund and my client's final payment.

PayPal's resolution center also makes it easy to respond to buyer disputes. Here are tips to help your payment transactions go smoothly:

1. Overall precautions:

Provide clear, detailed descriptions. Buyers don't like surprises. Give a detailed description of your item and include photos. Pictures are especially important when selling in countries where buyers may not be as fluent with the language in which the seller wrote the listing. Also clearly state your return policy in a place where buyers can find it.

Respond promptly to inquiries. Show buyers that you are listening by promptly and courteously responding to all questions.

2. Before accepting payment:

Beware of unusual requests. Abnormal requests can be a sign of suspicious activity. A few examples include:
Rush shipments at any cost.
Partial payments from multiple PayPal accounts.
Payments not received in full.

Be extra cautious with high-priced items. It’s fairly common for shipping addresses to differ from billing addresses. However, be extra cautious when sending high-priced items, especially if payment is received from one country and sent to another.

Know the buyer.
Do they have a confirmed address?
For e-commerce sites with feedback systems, what is the buyer's score?
Do you have any questions? Get answers by emailing or calling the buyer.

3. Shipping tips:

Track packages. Packages should be sent with tracking numbers. Once you get a tracking number from the shipping service, promptly send it to the buyer. As an extra precaution, you should consider adding delivery confirmation. Finally, make sure to keep proof that the package was received by the buyer.

Insure packages. When sending goods, opt for postal insurance to protect yourself in the event that a shipment is lost or the buyer claims it was never delivered.

Keep buyers up-to-date about delivery. Set expectations up front. Once payment is received, give buyers an estimated delivery time. Keep in mind, it's better to overestimate delivery time than have a package show up late. If a package is not sent in time, tell your buyer about it.

Instructor's Tip: Textures

I hope you enjoy this week's "Instructor's Tip" by one of my favorite instructors, award winning nature photographer Russ Burden. To learn more about how Russ captured the above image, join him on one of his photo tours. Visit Russ Burden Photography to get more information.


Textures come in all shapes and sizes. From a close up of a moth’s wing to an array of balconies of a high rise hotel, they can be found almost anywhere. They can be soft like the feathers of a bird, fragile as peeling paint, delicate as ripples of sand, patterned like a plowed farm field, etc. The key in revealing them is the direction and hardness of the light. With regards to direction, the more it comes from the side, the more the texture is revealed. With regards to hardness, the more direct and pinpoint it is, more texture is revealed.

When photographing large scenes or grand landscapes that contain textural elements, the classic time of day at which they should be photographed is within the forty five minute period just after sunrise and just before sunset. Additionally, in order to take advantage of the low angle of the sun, your subject must be close to a ninety degree angle from where the sun rises or sets. When these conditions are met, the light strikes the subject from the side revealing a world of highlights and shadows. This is what causes textures to pop. But even with the golden light of sunrise or sunset, if the subject is front lit, subjects look flat as no texture is depicted. Look 90 degrees to your left or right and a world of texture opens before your eyes.

Take a class with Russ or a fellow Digital Photo Academy instructor in your area, check out the Digital Photo Academy. I took Russ' intermediate and advanced courses last year, and he continues to be a strong source of knowledge and encouragement as I progress in my photography.

Don't forget to check Take Great Pictures for Russ' most recent tips. On the home page, click on the "Photo Tips And Techniques" button in the left hand column. Additionally, check out his "Digital Tip of the Month" found by clicking on the Digital Photography button.

Growing Pains: More Exposure for Picture Your World!

I have been asked to display several of my photos at the Wolf Camera store in downtown Denver! A store manager there, Jessica Olesky, photographer and co-owner of Impact Images, contacted me last week and asked if I would be willing to participate in her venture to highlight the work of several photographers' whose work she knew and respected. It's a wonderful, gracious offer and I want to thank Jessica for her faith in my abilities as well as her willingness to open up a platform for other budding photographers to showcase their creativity.





Jessica said "Terri's Rose" was a given for the display. I was worried that the 20x30 I had framed would be too large. But she placed it large and in charge, in the direct front and center of the setup! I also decided to hang up this nighttime image of the South Platte and this fiesty fox that visited the backyard of a friend's wood cabin in Jefferson County.







The gallery set up at the camera store is impressive, and each image is available for sale. Before, I used to get stymied by trying to price my work until I remembered how expensive it was just to by the frame and mats, much less the print itself. Plus, I think what's even more important is the power of exposure. Even if no one buys one of my prints, having my name and work out there will hopefully keep me forefront in potential customers minds for future services if they like what they see.





If there is anything I've learned this month, it's that no matter what size your studio is, creating visibility is the only way to increase sales. Exposure can mold a company brand and drive how potential customers view your product or services. I've been greatly blessed with many opportunities to have potential customers see my product and services with an ongoing display at a local deli, Facebook ads, internet presence and most recently by hosting several photo booths -- all of which have helped me expand my reach and lure in new clients or print sales.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. Viewers are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, which I think is a great way to interact with his blog readers