Underwater Splunking (Caving)

Professional Model, Katia © 2013 Terrell Neasley

"And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and entertainment and exploration." 

~ Pam Grier

Many things inspire, motivate, and move me. Two things in particular that tend to spur me on is something I fear or something that makes me uncomfortable.  I'm compelled to do what scares me and the more it scares me, the more it's embedded in my head that I need to do it. What's brought this on? Let me tell you...

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

My good buddy John was the first to inform me about the National Geographic 50 Greatest Photos exhibit on display at the Venetian here in Las Vegas until Jun 1st. It was definitely a must see. Any photog should want to see that show, really. I wanted him to go with me the weekend he informed me of it, but that wasn't possible for him. And then I just forgot about it. That is until Heather Rae reminded me about it about a month later. We went a few days after her reminder and I was indeed perplexed and amazed.

I was perplexed at some of the shots that were selected. I couldn't quite make out what made them so special. After reading up on a few of them, there may have been a story or cause that backed the shot up; sometimes not. I'd much rather a shot stand on its own sans any background info. I was amazed at a couple of them as well. "Afghan Girl" by the renown Steve McCurry, of course was tops. Polar bears and women in burqas were in a number of them as well. My favorite image was "Underwater Cave, Bahamas" by acclaimed cinematographer Wes C. Skiles and it rekindled my desire to do some underwater cave photography excursions and exploration.

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

I first did caving in Mammoth Caves doing the Wild Tour back in 2006, I think it was. It was a surreal experience. That was 6 hours of splunking and only an hour or so was spent standing up. The rest of the time you are on hands and knees or your belly. I later learned about underwater caves and when I got really serious about photography, I knew that was still a very much unexplored genre of photo. The problem is that I know nothing about diving, for one. Two, one of the most dangerous things you can do on the planet is dive caves. There was a video on Skiles' photographic adventure and Heather Rae was quick to note the photographer eventually died on an expedition only a few years ago. Maybe its too cliche to say "He died doing what he loved", but I don't know... maybe that ain't such a bad way to put it.

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." ~ T. S. Elliot

So yeah, cave-diving. Maybe that's why I liked the movie, "Sanctum" so much. What makes is so compelling is that I'm afraid of it, I'm uncomfortable in the open waters, and I know nothing about diving. Which means that within a year, I'll be doing it. So remember this post and call my bluff on it if you don't see shots of me with dive tanks and fins. Chances are, I'll be incorporating a nude in there somewhere! Who's got nudes swimming with whale sharks?

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

In the meantime, I have a number of projects to work on before the summer gets here. Most notably is my commitment to working with more nude models to reach my goal of at least 20 by year's end. I only worked with 4 models last year and just 7 the year before that. I was used to working with around 4 models a month when I came to Vegas. I want my 2013 book of nudes to be much more substantial than before. WPPI was recently here in Vegas and I was fortunate enough to get to shoot a couple of professional models. This is Katia from LA and while she doesn't do nude work, you'll still be amazed at what you can turn out with her. Talk about a great girl to hang out with, as well. I'm so glad I got to meet her and shoot. Excellent talent.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with special permission from the family

"To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture." 

~ NILMDTS Mission Statement

I received a text message on my phone from my area coordinator that requested a photographer come to one of the hospitals in the Las Vegas area. It was Super Bowl Sunday. I was out of town at the time. I watched my phone during the football game in-between plays to see who was going to respond to the urgent call. There were responses but all of them were replying, "Unavailable."

In most situations like this, if I'm busy but no one else is available, I'll try to take it upon myself to drop what I'm doing and answer that call, but I was 2,000 miles away this time. A baby had died. On Super Bowl Sunday. And of the few photographers who serve with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation in the Las Vegas area, none were available because there are SO FEW of us doing it. All of us are professionals at what we do and when lacking in numbers the way we are, its inevitable that a call will go unanswered. However, this was a first for me in the three years I've been doing this. A hospital called on behalf of grieving parents and the call went unanswered.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with
special permission from the family

So I'd like to make a special appeal to the local Las Vegas area photographers to consider donating some time to this cause. It is not an easy task by any means. A mother gives birth to a child who, for whatever reason, is not going to make it or may actually be stillborn. The only records that prove this child ever existed will be a birth and a death certificate with dates too close together. Many people will not understand this service and some may disagree with it. Nonetheless, that child still made an impact in this world if only for the briefest of moments. Lives that ripple out from the parents are affected...brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends of the family, and others. That child will be missed and that pain of loss can radiate outwards for quite some time. Having a well-done portraiture will mark the occasion better than anything else, as well as help bring healing, and a more positive way to remember that child.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with
special permission from the family

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a global foundation of affiliate photographers and volunteers who offer their professional services FREE of charge and at their own expense. The foundation serves the community by doing portraits of the babies and families involved. Last year, I photographed the family you see in these images who gave me special permission to use them to promote this cause. I very much appreciate their desire to help me ask you for your help. We are too few in numbers here in the Las Vegas Valley and could use your help. This is not an easy portrait session to so. Taking memorable photos of a deceased child or a dying child will be one of the hardest things you will encounter. Nonetheless, the need for our services is great and is only equaled by the need for more photographers to volunteer the help.

Right now is a great time to find out more about the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep foundation and to see if you can serve. The WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) 2013 Convention is just around the corner and there will be a NILMDTS booth on the Expo floor. Better than this however, are the NILMDTS Certification classes that always accompany WPPI Conventions. So this is an excellent opportunity to submit your portfolios for review, get accepted, and attend the certification course in just a few weeks. So visit the site to become an affiliate photographer for the Las Vegas area and give us a hand in giving back to our community. We don't want anyone else to be turned away.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with special permission from the family

If you simply KNOW for a fact that this is not for you, then no worries. No hard feelings. I have genres of photography that simply aren't for me as well. That's understood. It takes both a stomach and a heart to do this. No two assignments or cases are alike. I've been on some like the family in these pictures where I was with the family for 16 hours. Others were less than an hour. That doesn't matter. All that counts is answering the call, doing the job, and delivering your best work. For more information on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, please peruse the website, contact the staff, or contact myself. I can only end this blog with this; We need your help. Even if you are not a photographer, there are ways you can volunteer or donate to the foundation. Thanks.

More Optimism, Altruism...(less drama)

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that
in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” 
― Maya Angelou

This is an invite. It's going to get weird, but bear with me.

I'm a people watcher. Actually, more like an observer. I've tried to look at people sans judgments  but with understanding. Sometimes you run into those who are just plumb stupid, whole-hearted assholes, and otherwise mean-spirited folk. But I would say this is the minority of the kinds of mannerisms for most people you will meet.

“How can you govern a country
which has 246 varieties of cheese?” 
― Charles de Gaulle

As a photographer, being observant is an asset. I feel like I've always been an observer, but now I see people often times through an imaginary viewfinder. I see how they might look with a lens between them and me or how they might appear if I strategically cropped out the rest of the world around them. It's fascinating actually. Ya'll should try to visualize that sometimes. Things can become a bit more easy to see when you shrink the world. And when you can see, you can understand.

One of my life-long goals is to become less angry and fed up with people. I think I can do this by understanding people's affect on my life and put them into true perspective. What this essentially means is letting go of drama. I can't stand drama. Drama should be in the cinema or on stage and never in real life. I've had to deal with my fair share and ever more, even now. But I want to invite you to think about this and contemplate the affect it has in your life. I would wager to say that most drama has very little true impact on a person's life. We tend to empower drama, more so than our drama has its own natural power. Case in point: I've been betrayed or blindsided quite often by people who I imagined were close to me. Hurts every time, I'll admit, but what surprises me most about myself is my ability to get better at recovering from it much more quickly than I have in the past. Part of that is realizing that people's opinion of me don't really matter. They don't affect my income or my ability to care for myself. They don't affect my relationship with God. They don't detour my future potential and they certainly don't dictate my ability to decide what's right for me. That is, unless I empower them to do so.

“All the diversity, all the charm, and all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.” 
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Let me entreat you to try a little harder at optimism. I struggle with it. Make no mistake, I'm not speaking to this like I'm some wise old sage, guru, or mountain mystic sitting above 8,000 feet in a small village above the cloud-line. But I think if we can look at things in their proper perspective and give credence only to those things and people that really matter, it would be difficult to NOT be optimistic about ourselves, our future, others we hold dear, and humanity in general.

Another word I will throw at you is Altruism. Random acts of kindness, a good-natured attitude, looking for the best in people and situations, light-hearted, caring for other people and the world we live in; all of that. That's altruism. Not being divided by social, political, gender, racial, and sexual persuasions...that's altruism. Actually desiring to reach a mutual agreement and working tirelessly towards that goal...that's altruism.

“Be sure to enjoy language, experiment with ways of talking, be
exuberant even when you don't feel like it because language can make
your world a better place to live.” 
― Deborah Levy, Pillow Talk in Europe and Other Places

The Hubble telescope is one of many instruments we use to see deep into the universe. We can see so far into the distant expanse of space that we are actually seeing into the past. As far as well can tell, we here on the planet Earth are the only representation of LIFE that we have been able to find. That girl on the job that you can't stand is still, in essence, a miracle of life. We can procreate life because we are designed to so do. But we can't just create life from scratch. Its impossible. Even the most simplest forms of life are yet impossible for us to create ourselves. Can you create a worm? Do you have it in you to re-engineer a fly? None of the most brilliant minds or the smartest brains to ever grace the human race can do this. Yet we often cheapen life and the value of one another.

I am reminded of the movie, staring the late great Michael Clarke Duncan. You know the movie..."The Green Mile". His character is gifted but fed up with how mean we are to each other:

"Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?" - character, John Coffey in "The Green Mile"

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.” 
― Gene Roddenberry

So I submit these questions: Why can't we enjoy one another? Why can't we just enjoy life? Why do we needlessly get caught up in things and people that don't really matter? Let a mother feed her baby in public. And if she uses a boob to do it, so the f-what. Quit being so disparaging over a naked body. Clean up the heart and nudity won't matter. It doesn't matter what your faith is, God said to love. He didn't specify exceptions at to sexual orientation. I'm Black, but I'm just like you, just with a longer dick, better natural ability with a ball (you can keep your pucks), and more rhythmic responses to music. I'm Kidding! Cuz we're getting a grip on the puck, too! Nah...All jokes aside. I'm actually just like you, maybe culturally different. But isn't that the brilliant thing about life...Our Diversity!! That's what made life proliferate throughout time. Diversity. Relish our differences. I promise you. If you want to enrich your own life, get to know cultures outside of your own. So appreciate and celebrate me. I will love and cherish you. How about we make THAT deal. More OPTIMISM. More ALTRUISM.

....less drama...

You can do this. WE can do this. Help me treat you better. I wanna start with me. You do the same. And we can just see where it takes us. I found this animation over on Peace, Love, Nudity. I thought it was interesting.

Welcome to Photo Anthems 2013!

"Like all great travelers  I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." - Benjamin Disraeli 

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

First post of the year. Hooray!  Nah, I don't really get into all that. But I understand many will still make resolutions, break'em, and renew them the next year. I'm normally not a conformist, but let me give it a try.

First, I'm gonna shoot more nude models than the FOUR I shot last year. Granted, 2012 was quite odd. I spent the first 4 months on lock-down from knee surgery. I spent some time out of the country and came back to the US and traveled around some more. So I didn't have a lot of opportunities to shoot many models. That changes. Regardless of travel schedules, or other extra-curricular activities, I'm making time for nudes. I don't care where I am. I'll be shooting. I had the good fortune of starting the year off right. When the clock struck midnight, I raised a glass, drank some champagne, kissed a few beautiful women, and 30 mins later was shooting a nude...for the next 7 hours. That's how I want to spend every New Year's.

© 2013 Terrell Neasley,
Anonymous Model

The second priority of business is to travel MORE! I know I have to get back down to Central America again. I need to backtrack some of my spots from last summer and this time bring a nude model with me. There were so many beautiful spots to shoot in and nobody was getting naked. Nature = Nudes, as far as I'm concerned and this is a must do. I need to spend some time with a Guatemalan family to learn Español, as I had intended to do on my last trip. But as I detailed before, Hurricane Ernesto had other plans. I don't know how much I'll get to do, but the priority is to do backtrack Central America, head on down to a few more C.A. countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama. I may leave Nicaragua and Costa Rica for another day. And then skirt on down further South into South America with priorities on Brazil, Colombia, and Equador. I'll see how things go and maybe get Peru and Chile in there.

"Full nakedness! All my joys are due to thee, as souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be, to taste whole joys." - John Donne

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

The problem is that I like to take my time and sufficiently explore a place. I don't want to do a city or two and hit the next country. I want to absorb the culture and actually learn something. Tourism is not my goal. Experiencing the places and people I visit, is. All that takes time. How much time will I have? Who knows. A better question might be how much money will I have. Yeah, funding is kind of important, because at the same time, I still have Photo Anthems to run. Can I implement more travel into my business model? Well, that's still left to be seen. I'm taking steps as we speak to make that happen.

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

Which leads to the next priority for the year...My business. Travel will definitely be a part of it, but I don't want to travel on my own dime by saving up and hitting the road with a limited budget. The goal is to have funds coming in WHILE I am on the road...or boat, as it were. I tell you my mind is constantly bent on this notion. I've almost entirely evolved my initial business plan when I first set out to do photo, which was primarily going to be on personal documentaries. Well, while this is still part of my business, I'd like to incorporate personal travel documentaries in the mix. I'd follow a client around and photograph and video their experiences and edit everything into a final package.

I love this thing, photography. And I want to revamp everything about the way I do it, in terms of gear I use, my methodology, and my art. I'll talk more on all that later on, though. But I can definitely envision great things, great collaborations, and EPIC projects. I hope you are on board and are following me. 'Cause its going to be a fun ride!

Getting into Photo, Part 5... The Business

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid © 2012 Terrell Neasley

 Merry Christmas, Everyone. I hope you've found the information in this series helpful so far!

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

This is probably the hardest part of this series and likely the most important. Why? Because you can have excellent gear, be great at your work, and still go hungry in this profession. On the flip side, how many times have you seen a photog's work and absolutely KNOW your shots are better, yet that guy is making bank, getting the cool gigs, is published on a regular basis, and has their work plastered in galleries/corporate hallways, etc? The only difference between you and THAT guy is the fact that THAT guy knows how to market his business, network effectively, and manage his operations and money. THAT guy probably doesn't have a cashflow issue. When something breaks or is needed on the fly, they just go buy it. You'll see them getting paid 10 times what you might get for the same if not better work.



Peter Lik is on top of his game (Bio). He has established a brand and a reputation that commands 6-figures for a single print. He gets to travel all over the world, getting access to shoot in locations that you will probably never ever be aware of much less see. He's got million dollar galleries in at least 4 locations on the Vegas strip alone. The odds say you will never ever do enough work to account for even one of his best-selling prints. Your chances at achieving a single percent of his career results are about a million and five to one. The question is... Can you be that one? Is it possible to actually attain even more accolades, notoriety  and fame than Peter Lik? Well, the correct answer to that question is an emphatic, yes. I guess a better question might be, do you want to.

The Photographers You Idolize Are No Better Than You - (Business excerpt by Lee Morris)
"Hugely successful photographers are master businessmen and women. If they aren’t good with business, they hire someone who is. Most of these photographers have agents that can not only help them find jobs but also do all of the negotiating. If these photographers don’t have a private agent they will have a manager on staff that deals with this aspect of their business. Underbidding a job in many cases is worse than overbidding and these photographers know exactly how to negotiate with each client/campaign."

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

I think the potential is there. This is America. (Peter Lik is Australian.) In this day of age, you have almost every tool to be successful in this business available to you. This isn't like the Medieval days where the chances of you moving up from a peasant to a person of nobility and wealth was nigh impossible. In the last 20 years there have been more wealth made from newbies than in any other time in history. The requirement to be middle-age, white, and male is no longer the mainstream to achieving substance today. Children are creating millions of dollars with ideas. A kid fed up with having his Halloween candy taken away after a night's worth of successful looting, asked himself why candy couldn't be tasty and actually good for you. He and his father are now the engineers behind a million dollar a year revenue generator for nutritious candy. I am firmly confident that you can do the same in photography if you can establish the right attitude, networks, team, and with a little bit of creativity you can revolutionize the photo standards of today. Too often I hear that photography is dead and that the amateur/weekend photog is cheating the pros out of work. Here are some of the biggest excuses I hear most often:

1. The advent of the digital age has killed professional photography.
2. Cameras are getting better and cheaper every year so consumers need me less.
3. Photoshop is too difficult to learn. I miss the darkroom.
4. Everything original has already been thought of.
5. Someone will always undercut my fees and force me out of the business.
6. I can't compete because too many photogs are giving their work away for free.
7. Photography is getting way too expensive and I can no longer afford to be in the business.

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid © 2012 Terrell Neasley

Some of facts these people mention are true, but the conclusions they draw from them are ill-conceived. Digital photography has indeed put a camera in everybody's hands. Technology is making it cheaper to own better cameras. Nikon put a 24-megapixel sensor in their baseline entry level camera. Canon and Nikon have entry level Full-Frame (FX) cameras now. Pretty soon the DX format will become obsolete since FX has become cheaper. Cell phones and Mirrorless systems are killing the DSLR. Does that kill photography for the professional. NO! Being a Nikon/Canon camera owner does not a photographer make. If you think about it, EVERYBODY used to be full-frame. It was called 35mm film and it was the standard for the majority of camera owners. Yet the professional services were still required.

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

Don't be afraid of tech. Things change. Change along with it and therein find your niche in the transition. Photography has been changing on a regular basis since 1820 and the same argument has been proposed regarding the ease of use for the consumer since the Kodak's Brownie in the early 1900's, the Polaroid in 1948, and disposable cameras in 1986. Digital is simply the latest paradigm. So since change is inevitable, the most important element about the business of photography is this...MOTIVATION. If you have the motivation, you will find a way. Pick a genre of photo that you love and run with it. If you hate fashion photography, don't do it just to make money. If you love underwater photography, carve out your spot in it and own it.

In most cases, a change of attitude is all it takes. Maybe you thought I would focus on marketing, management techniques, and financial control measures. I think those are all secondary. I won't waste your time discussing it because this post is already long enough. If you have the motivation to do this, be better at it, and all out succeed, then you will study, research and implement all the marketing and management you will need. So if you want me to approach this from an commercial perspective, then okay. Let me break it down like this:

1. Decide to do this and maintain a high motivation for it.
2. Remember at all times, this is a business.
3. Treat this like a business.
4. Make time for personal projects. (Shoot what you like often)
5. Give back. (Tithe, volunteer, help out upcoming togs)

Here is something more along the lines you might want to take a look at as for tips at FStoppers.com - Career Tips for Emerging Photogs

Here are some other good sites or the Emerging Professional:
1. Black Star Rising
2. Skip Cohen's Marketing Essentials International
3. Entrepreneur Magazine
4. Photopreneur
5. Small Business Administration
6. Marathon Press
7. US Library of Congress (Copyright Registration)
8. Professional Photographers of Amercia
9. Photo Attorney
10. Package Choice (Photography Business Insurance)

Getting into Photo, Part 4... The Print

© 2012 Terrell Neasley

"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance."
 - Ansel Adams

In the majority of cases, this is what it boils down to. The Print. Nothing else really matters. I'm not talking about the shots that wind up on Facebook that you took with your cell phone from the Christmas party last night. And this isn't intended for people who will only use their cameras to take pics of family and family events to share with other members of the family and friends. This goes to those desiring to "Get Started in Photography", whether you turn pro or do it as an amateur/enthusiast. Its the print that matters most. If you have a moment, check out my April 2012 post regarding, "Focus on The Print".

Why do I say this? What point am I trying to emphasis? Well, its mainly regarding photogs who give away hi-res images on a CD to their client and never do anything beyond shooting and editing. This job is then incomplete. The photographic process is three parts, not 2. Its Shoot, Edit, and then Print. Cutting corners by not completing this last stage kills your own money and that of mine because I am part of the industry. Rangefinder Magazine did an excellent article in their annual "State of the Industry" year-end report on photography trends in the US. One of the last parts in this report covers the "Album-less Bride".

© 2012 Terrell Neasley

The Album-less Bride,
"But that doesn't mean commercial photographers aren't concerned about the negative effects of digital and of file sharing. Last year, WPPI described a growing phenomenon: the album-less bride. “What is an album-less bride?” writes Kathleen Hawkins, a Florida-based photographer and author, in the WPPI newsletter late last year. “Amazingly, many of the photographers who took pride in the fact that they were artists and not business people are now seeking the quick and easy sale with the evolution of digital photography.” Or in other words, an album-less bride is a shoot-and-burn job in which the client (often a bride) gets the master images on a disc to do what she wants with them; she, in fact, doesn't order any prints from the photographer at all. 

As a business practice, shoot-and-burn has a collateral effect, says Graphistudio director Maureen Neises. “The photographers that cave in and give their clients a disc are creating a pent-up pressure in the market place,” she says. “The trend now is that consumers are calling us directly.” Or, she says, they are searching online book printing services. “Shoot-and-burn photographers that provide a disc are not finishing the job." - Excerpt from Rangefinder Magazine's State of the Industry: Business Trends 2012

© 2012 Terrell Neasley

“The photographers that cave in and give their clients a disc are creating a pent-up pressure in the market place.” 

- Maureen Neises

The thing is, the article goes on to say that a representative from one of the largest album makers said their sales have not fallen off, despite this trend. This is because they have been getting more contacts directly from the consumer to make their own albums, which means they take your hard-earned work, your copyrighted images, and make their own products from them, doing so with your permission!. I won't even get into the plethora of stories I hear from other photogs who's clients also RE-EDIT those Hi-Res shots to their own liking or at the very least RE-CROP the images. Sometimes this is a crop to get a close-up portrait shot (creating two images from the one) OR, they do it to take off your watermark. I talked to another shooter just last week who represented the business side of a husband-wife photography studio. From everything I understand, they are very successful at what they do. They have a great studio and I can't help but respect their business. However, I have to entirely disagree with their business model. They feel like their market demands the CD and therefore that's what they cater to. Specializing in weddings, the Hi-Res CD is given to the client with little to no concentration on prints. "The market doesn't support prints. They all want CDs." Well, of course they do! The market would also support free photography services. If you want to stifle the business of photography, keep doing this. Its analogous to cutting small slits in your own necks and bleeding out slowly.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley

Here's why this is so important. Lets forget for a second that the print is the final end-product and that the photo [GRAPH] is the reason we we do photo [GRAPHY]. Consumers don't look at your overall expenses in the photo game. You can't blame them. They don't see the other side. They see you snap a picture with an expensive camera and that's it. As if all your money is tied up in your camera and lens investment and once the money for that is earned back, everything else is gravy. But you know what, I have a business licence to maintain with the state of Nevada every year. I have business insurance that covers my equipment anywhere in the world, as well as if I get sued. I go to some sort of continuing training program every year, trade shows, and have monthly subscriptions to services that aid me at being better at what I do. My website is not free. My software is not free, nor the computer hardware or network. 

“For me the printing process is part of the magic of photography. It’s that magic that can be exciting, disappointing, rewarding and frustrating all in the same few moments in the darkroom.” 

– John Sexton

All my redundant back-ups cost me in equipment and storage. I deserve to be well-compensated for my years of expertise, knowledge, and education. I spend money to go network with other photographers and scout locations so when my client has a vision for a special place, I can suggest several options that match or exceed what they have in mind. I could go on and on regarding copyright registration fees, accounting and tax fees. This is still a business. How do you fund your retirement and medical when you are giving away profits? We do more than just "push a button", as I was once told by a guy at a wedding who didn't feel like I offered any more than he could with his $300 point and shoot. He asked me how much my setup costs me. I told him. Then asked what I was charging for the wedding. Of course I told him that info was only between my client and myself. I took his picture and sent him a portrait of himself shot at f/1.2 and told him that he could have his pic at any one of my cameras and a lens if he could duplicate that shot with his own camera. I never heard back from him.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley

Thankfully, not all consumers are like this. I have had the benefit of working with clients who understand my trade, appreciate my art, and respect my business. If you want to be a good businessperson who is also credit to their trade, operate your business the right way. I fully recommend doing business with your local print labs. I work with both the local businesses here in Las Vegas as well as some of my online vendors. I work between about 6 different lab choices on a regular basis with business accounts with each. My choices may depend on promotional specials or the quality of work my client is willing to pay for. High-end work will go to one of 3 labs choices whereas the others are more economical. And then sometimes it has to do with the services offered. Not many labs offer framing services as an additional option, for instance. Either way, do your work and offer print options and sales that end up with your artistic efforts on residential and business walls...not just social media walls.

Next up, and final of this series... The Business

Getting into Photo, Part 3... The Light

Shot with a Paul C. Buff  Einstein 640 with a large softbox at about 1/4 power from the right side of the frame

 
The word Photography can be broken down into 2 parts; Photo, meaning light and graph meaning to write. So basically, Photography is the process of writing with light and that's exactly what you are doing. Your ability to see visible light, funnel it through a lens, and record an image to a medium is what photography is all about. In its most simplest form, all you need is a box with a small hole in it. That tiny hole will project the view in front of that box upside down on the opposite inner wall. If you place a light sensitive medium on that back wall, you can record that projection.

Most beginner photog will either refuse or misuse flash and thereby call themselves a "natural light" photog. What they really mean is that they don't have a flash, can't work monolights, and can only manage the pop-up flash on their cameras. So they stick to ambient light, which is sometimes call available or natural light. Ambient light is the light that is already present, no matter how strong or direct it is. This may be window light, interior light, or sunlight outdoors. Amateurs tend to believe that you don't need flash when you are outdoors and this is because they don't understand the nature of fill flash.

Shot using off-camera Canon 580EX II Speedlite very low power blended with
available sunlight just to add some fill in the face and to bring out color in dress 

So here's the thing. There is no way I can go into great detail about light in just a few paragraphs on this blog.  The intent is not to leave you with full on flash knowledge, but rather encourage you to not fear the light, to get you in the right gear, and send you  in the right direction to learn light. There are some masterful photogs out there who never use flash. You are not one of them. Get to know and master light. Start with ambient and introduce flash. I love available light and use it as my only light source quite often. Know when it works and know when to bring in some artificial light.

Client shoot, available light only

Now here is my pet peeve. I don't light paying a lot of money for light. Light is cheap and I can't understand why manufacturers want to charge me $500+ for their top of the line flash guns. I can understand underwater light costing a dime or two, but I don't like coming out of pocket for an on-camera blaster like that. $300...tops. That being said, I'm gonna say you can do more than just get by on the 2nd tier flash like the Canon 430EX II, or a Nikon SB-700 for under $300 each. I've had top of the line and can't say the extra power was every really warranted. I don't need to attach a battery pack. I'm never shooting from 100 feet away to warrant the full power of a SB-910, and I'm never shooting so friggin' fast that the less than a second recycle time is a great demand. I prefer the lighter, easier to carry, but powerful flashes of the SB-700 and Canon 430EX II. I've used both. They are great. I damn sure ain't dropping the $630 for a Canon 600-RT. That's monolight range. Which is my second point. If you need MORE POWER... get a set of monolights with battery packs that you can take anywhere. I love the Einstein 640 by Paul C. Buff. Paul C. Buff gear is phenomenal. I also rock with a White Lightning X3200 and use the large softbox and the strip soft box. I even use these on location outdoors by plugging them into my Vagabond battery packs.

Then you gotta check out radio triggers. What's the standard? PocketWizard. The Plus III is now the new boss of radio triggers at $150 per. You'll need at least 2, of course. Now ask me what I like. That would be the Yongnuo RF-603. You can get a set of 4 of these for under $70! And they work like nobody's business. I've never had one fail on me. These transeivers (transmitter & receiver in one) are each firing up to 200ft away. I tested them. The only downside is they only sync at 1/200th of a second vs. 1/250th, but I've been able to deal with that. You can too. Get a couple of flashes and a set of 4 of these radio triggers and you are set.

Using low level on-camera flash swiveld left to trigger White Lightning X3200
off to the left side filling in front side details

The thing is, you gotta learn manual mode on these things. But its easy as pie. A few tips to remember is that shutter speed controls ambient light. Aperture controls flash. So when you are balancing flash with ambient light, keep those considerations in mind. Understand the sync speed of your camera, which is usually going to be 1/250th of a second for pro-level and prosumer cameras. You can get by this by utilizing the high-speed sync function on your flash which fires a series of low-powered flashes over the span of a shutter speeds faster than 1/250th of a second instead of just one big flash. Ever get that black band at the bottom of an image when using flash? That's because the shutter is closing before the flash can illuminate the sensor. The black band is the rear curtain closing before the light hits the sensor.

Another thing to consider is modifiers. These are things that MODIFY how the light comes out and hits your subject. Diffusers, of some sort are the most popular type of modifiers. These scatter the light so your subject is hit more evenly instead of the way harsh direct light flattens out an image and creates ugly shadows, maybe under the eyes, nose, and chin. Reflectors are also popular. You can use the sun to just bounce light back into the subject, but this might be a problem if you're bouncing the light of the sun with a silver reflector back into your model's eyes. What do I like? As ugly as it is, I gotta say the Gary Fong Collapsible Lightsphere is the bomb. It may not look like its worth $60, but when it delivers the shot and you get paid, you rethink that notion. Softboxes on monolights are the only other thing that compares.

Nude hiking, available light only

Bounce the light. You can make the ceiling or a wall into a modifier. Try using filters (included w/Nikon flashes) to help balance flash with ambient (so light is the same color temperature). I like a little CTO on my flash when doing fill for sunset shoots. READ the friggin' manual. Learn the functions. Carry the flash everywhere. If you can swing it, get TWO and shoot Off-Camera using the radio triggers. Get creative. Use one for fill and the other as your key light. Have another one to backlight your subject. Search the internet for great tutorials on multi-light set-ups. If you want to go all out, check into the power of the Sun in your camera bag with the Quantum Lights. Maybe I've already said it before, but those things give you the power of the SUN in your camera bag. You can even get softboxes for flashes nowadays. There's no limit to the way you can alter and play with light. Manipulate it to capture the image that is in your head. I've never needed a 57 light setup like some people. 3...maybe 4 is the max I ever need. And then sometimes I flip the off switch on my flash and shoot natural light. There's nothing like natural light, but you should not be afraid to add a little when necessary. The idea is to master light and that means to know when to use it, how to manipulate it, and when to take it away.

Next...The Print.

Here are a few nice Go-To links to follow through on:

1. Strobist - Excellent source for lighting tutorials, articles, and DIY light building.
2. Adorama TV - Tutorial videos. I have this link specifically related to lighting
3. The Top 10 Photography Lighting Facts You Should Know
4. Painting with Light - Google image search
5. Guess the Lighting.com - Excellent blog that illustrates lighting techniques using diagrams
6. Sketching Light - Book by Joe McNally on working with flashes
7. High Speed Sync - Explanation of how it works
8. Mark Wallace on Rear Curtain Sync
9. Mark Wallace on Sync Speed, High Speed Sync, and Radio Triggers
10. Canon Professional Network - Getting the most from your Speedlites
11. Nikon Creative Lighting Systems - In my opinion, Nikon has the edge in lighting
12. Luminous-Landscape - Another top photography blog that talks a lot about lighting

Getting into Photo, Part 2...The Lens

So now onto the glass.

Glass is a tad bit tricky, so this post is a little longer. I'm writing this with the understanding that you want to be a good and better photographer. If you're just shooting every now and then trying to get the kids as they grow up and don't require the better quality, there's no need to read any further. I also write this only touching on the basics of aperture understanding. It would greatly benefit you to research further on this. You can visit the links at the end of this post for starters. In addition, you can always go to B&C Camera where there are professionals who can answer your questions and help you decide on a lens. If you go to Best Buy or Costco then you are on your own. You've been warned.

Brie...Shot with a wide-angle lens, distorting perspective especially on the edges

First... Quite buying cheap glass! That 18-55mm kit lens? Get it off your camera and use it for target practice, especially you Canon shooters. You want to talk about a "starter" lens? Cool. You don't need to spend $2,000 on your first lens. But you do still need to get respectable glass. Notice I said glass. Not plastic lenses, but glass. If you call yourself a pro and I see this in your camera bag, I'm going to talk bad things about you behind your back. Most of the name brand low-end lenses use a plastic barrel and lens. On top of that, they are slow as hell. You ever buy that extra lens, the 55-200mm zoom lens thinking you got a great deal? And then you shoot with it, but can't freeze the action because the camera doesn't take a really quick picture? That's because this lens is slow, but its popular because people don't know any better. The speed of the lens is a factor of how much light it lets in. This is measured by the diameter of the opening, or the aperture as its commonly referred to. Sometimes aperture and the term f/stop are used interchangeably. The maximum aperture of the lens this lens is considered small...too small to let in a lot of light for a quick exposure. More time is required to get enough light in through the smaller opening which means the shutter must stay open longer. So if your subject is being still...great. For moving subjects...not so much. Most zoom lenses have a variable maximum aperture that get's even smaller, and thereby slower the more you zoom out.

Considerations

Shot with a 85mm at f/1.2. Notice how shallow the DofF is?
Basically, from the tip of her nose to her temple.

In buying a lens, FIRST think about what you are type of photography you are going to shoot. What interests you and what will you spend the majority of your time shooting? This will be the first determining factor in your lens choice. Landscape? Portrait? Sports? Flowers? All these require different lens characteristics. Wide-angle for landscape, Normal lenses for portraits. Fast zoom glass for sports...or really quick kids. And you'll need a macro lens for close-up shots of flowers. But lets say you want to still be a little versatile, despite those specific preferences. A normal lens should then be the first choice with a typical range of 24-70mm, which is the workhorse for most photogs. Or you could go a little longer like the 24-105mm Canon or the 24-120mm Nikon. The 24-70 is usually fast glass at f/2.8. The other mentioned lenses have a maximum aperture of f/4 (slower, but still decent). You can do a lot with these lenses.

The aperture of the lens is the opening in the barrel that lets in light. The smaller the number...the larger the opening. Think of it as a fraction just without the numerator (top number of the fraction). 1/2 is bigger than 1/4, ergo... 2 is bigger than 4. Any lens with a f-stop smaller than f/2.8 is considered slow and like wise f/2.8 and larger is considered fast glass. You want fast glass to learn on because you have more flexibility to experiment. A f/4 lens can do in a pinch at times, but you lose the depth of field option. Any slower lens than that, have your tripods ready.

*Wikipedia example. As you can see the openings get smaller as you go right. Each next aperture is half the size of the preceding one. F/2.8 lets in double the light as f/4, but only half the light as f/2. (Sizes are not to scale)

Another thing that is a factor in lenses is Depth of Field. Ever see those shots with the real creamy/blurred background, (referred to as Bokeh) but the subject is tack sharp? And then you wonder why your shots NEVER turn out like that. Chances are its because you have cheap lenses which are slow. Why does that matter? Because Depth of Field is a factor of the aperture setting. The wider the opening, the narrower the depth of field. So larger (hence, faster) apertures will give that effect the wider you open up. Focus on your subject and everything behind goes blurry. The effect is magnified the more open you go beyond 2.8. If you have a lens that opens up to f/1.4, it gets REALLY creamy. Remember...fraction. F/1.4 is opens 2 full stops wider at 4 times the amount of light and thus faster than f/2.8. Conversely, the smaller the aperture, then the longer the depth of field...out to infinity where everything is in focus, including all the foreground and all the background. Depth of Field is extremely important when you shoot portraits.

Close-up shot with at 100mm f/2.8 with a Macro lens. Also narrow depth of field.

Primes vs. Zooms. As you probably already realize, zoom lenses start from one point and then "zoom" out to a longer end and you can take a picture at every point within that range. Prime lenses don't have any zoom other than manual. Manual, meaning your feet! You move in or back, manually. These lenses have only one focal length which is the stated focal length on the lens. That's measured in millimeters. 50mm is considered normal, as in what the eye sees. Its often referred to as a STANDARD lens. So basically, your ability to see is derived from the two 50mm eyes you have in your head. Prime lenses are most often considered to be sharper than zooms and that's just because there is less glass and mechanics that light has to travel through to reach the image sensor in the camera. The 50mm with the maximum aperture of 1.8 is the ONLY cheap glass that you can buy and hear nothing from me. These lenses are under $150 and are considered by many to be the best lenses for the value...emphasis on VALUE.  However, the 50mm 1.4 is not much more expensive so you may as well get it instead.

Katherine with extended DofF at f/8.
All of background is still in focus.

Make sure the lens you buy is sturdy, solid, and has a metal mount. The back of the lens where it attaches to the camera should be all metal...not plastic. Say it with me..."NO PLASTIC MOUNTS!" ... Good. Now the next few lines are just suggestions and my professional opinion. Please make up your own minds and do your own research. If I'm not getting a high-end lens, I'm getting a Tamron. Other popular 3rd party lens manufacturers include, Tokina, and Sigma. I tend to stick with Tamrons if I'm not getting my main manufacturer high-end lens. They simply do the best, IMHO, at providing the better quality at the lower price and better guarantee (6-year warranty). Most of the newer Tamrons have the metal mounts. They have much better build quality than the low end Canons, and are on par with Nikon's low ends. They use mostly glass and have more f/2.8 options on the low end than either major manufacturer. For $500, you can get at least 6 lenses that are 2.8 glass or better. You'll spend more than twice that on 2.8 glass for either Canon or Nikon, (other than the aforementioned 50mm). And if money is no object and you just want the best quality, think Zeiss...all metal. I mean, everything on this lens is metal except for the high-precision ground, special coated glass lenses. These are manual focus lenses.

Now this one is tricky. The background is blurry even though the aperture is f/5.6. How is this possible?  Because the focal length is in the telephoto range at 135mm! Telephoto lenses "compress" the perspective allowing shorter DofF even at smaller apertures.

One last consideration is the camera's sensor type. Is it an FX (full frame) or a DX (APS-C cropped sensor)? When you buy a lens for a full frame camera, the focal length is exactly what it says on the lens. If you buy for a DX camera, you have to factor in the camera's multiplier. For Canon, that multiplier is 1.6. For Nikon its 1.5. This means that if the lens says is a 100mm lens, its actually a 160mm lens on a Canon. This is because its thats the Full frame equivalency. A Canon full frame sensor is 1.6 times as large as the DX sensor (see the links below). Some DX lenses won't fit on FX cameras. Canon's won't. Nikon's DX lenses actually do. Tamron lenses also fit on either lens, but be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN you get the right mount lens when you buy any third part lens. Tamron makes lenses for Canon or Nikon mounts. But if you buy a Tamon with a Nikon mount...it won't fit on a Canon camera. So just make sure that the box says, "FOR CANON" if you have a Canon camera, or "FOR NIKON" if you have a Nikon camera. Make sure the sales person knows which camera you have.

Vibration Control...Image Stabilization...Vibration Reduction...whatever the particular manufacturer calls it, all it means is there is some type of element built into the lens to help reduce camera shake when hand held. So a lens that is considered slow, but has VC may be okay because you can still hand hold it, in some cases this compensation can mean 2 or 3 f/stops slower. I like stabilized lenses and get them over the non-stabilized version when possible, because some lenses will come in two versions: a stabilized version and non-stabilized one. Tamron, as a point of fact, makes the world's only 24-70mm stabilized lens and costs a whole grand less than Canon's.

So start out with the faster glass. You learn better on them because you have more options with speed and depth of field.

If you have a DX camera, here are my top 4 lenses to buy in this order:

1. Either :Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 with VC (normal lens) Canon Mount / Nikon Mount 
Or
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 designed for full frame but works on DX very well Canon Mount/ Nikon Mount
(I give the option of the focal range to you. Either one will do. Edge goes to the 28-75mm. Remember the multiplier. The 17-50mm is actually a 25-75mm on a DX camera. The 28-75mm lens is actually a 42-112mm lens on a DX camera. At f/2.8 you'll appreciate the extra reach!)
2. Tamron 10-24 (wide angle) Canon Mount / Nikon Mount (with multiplier, its like a 16-35mm lens)
3. Canon or Nikon 50mm 1.4 (for portraiture. Looks like a 75mm on DX camera)
4. Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 with VC Canon Mount / Nikon Mount (looks like a 105-300mm on DX cameras)

If you have a full frame:
1. Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 Canon Mount / Nikon Mount
2. Canon 16-35mm 2.8/ Nikon 16-35 f/4
3. Canon or Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 with VC
4. Canon or Nikon 50mm 1.4

For other interesting lens, look up Tilt-Shift, Fisheye, Teleconverters, Circular Polarizers, Neutral Density Filters, and the fun LensBabies!

Here is some further reading to help you understand:
Canon Full Line-up of Lenses / Nikon Full Line-up of Lenses
A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop The Long Answer!
Understanding Camera Lenses Cambridge in Color Tutorial
What is a DX Lens? Ken Rockwell covering Nikon DX Lenses
Understanding the Magnification Factor Luminous Landscape
Understanding Depth of Field Cambridge in Color
Understanding Sensor Sizes (DX vs FX, etc)

Next post, I'm going to touch on Light!