November 2012
56 posts
jndphotographyblog asked: Hey Zack, I love the professional feel of 500px, but I bugs me that I can't get any love from the community. It was a lot easier to get my pics out there on twitter...I would just find the biggest groups possible and share with them. Any tips for getting more hits? Thanks!
Anonymous asked: Zack - any plan of running a workshop in Minnesota or the surrounding states? Or do you know of any great workshops or people running them in this area - who you would recommend? Your work is great and between this QA and the blog you have some of the best s*it out there!
Anonymous asked: As someone who has watched your One Light DVD a few times, and observed your growth over the past couple years, if you knew then what you know now, what gear would you recommend to people on disc 1? Would you still recommend the big mama? Also, would you have done anything differently?
Anonymous asked: I know you love your ThinkTank bag. However, how do you carry your Einsteins, modifiers, stands, and other assorted big stuff. I have (at least ) two issues: First, I use the Buff bags, but would like to have something with more protection and easier to carry. Second: When I do a shoot, it takes me a long time to drag all my crap to the shoot and then start setting up. I am making trip after...
Anonymous asked: hey Zack! is there anything wrong with living outside of the major market place for photographers?( this case it's toronto) I'm assisting but commuting i live about 40 mins away. Does this hurt my chances with assisting and in the future shooting? Would you hire someone who lived out of town?
October 2012
186 posts
Anonymous asked: Do you every shoot off-camera flash with your fuji's, or do you reserve those cameras for available light street photography?
Anonymous asked: What light meter do you use? What can you recommend? I've been using the Sekonic L-308s (the basic one) and I have been thinking of "investing" in the Sekonic L-758DR (or a "better" meter) should I stumble on to a great deal.
Anonymous asked: How do you get potential clients to be ACTUAL PAYING clients? We have a lot of people interested in photos and say they want to do pics, but we can't get commits. Three weeks ago we had 12 people say they wanted pictures done... We haven't done any for those people.
Anonymous asked: I was hired by the director & a team member of the biggest art fair in the country to do her profile shoots. I told them specifically to give credit wherever the picture appears. My picture came in atleast 8 magazines & 7-10 newspapers. No credit was given anywhere. I told them about this. They still send my picture to magazines/newspapers with no credit. One of their team members said you...
jilliankay-photography asked: Zack! I heart you & your beard. I'm transitioning from weddings/family to headshots. Changing everything(!). Target client: small biz owner whose personality/self is central to their branding (writer, life coach, consultant, DJ, etc). Not targeting actors/corporate/publications. I'm struggling with the proofing concept. Do I proof XX images, they pick, I retouch, and deliver X...
Anonymous asked: If a Client booked you for a project and they ask you to book the job and you accept to do so .. How do you go about setting up the Model Release? Should you have the model sign a release with your name on it or the companies ? Or is it something more like he/she signs over rights to you and then you sign rights over to the companie ?
Anonymous asked: Hi Zack please don't take this the wrong way but if all you (and some other well known photographers) want to do is to help others learn photography then how come said well known photographers charge so much for classes, dvds, 'secret' techniques and market their wares and promote their brands for commission? One well known photographer on youtube talks about how much he likes to...
beckarobinson asked: Hey Zach! I want to make the jump from just weddings to shooting more editorials for magazines and hopefully one day campaigns for companies. I have a few friends who do this and they told me it's just about doing the projects on my own and then being in the right place at the right time to get opportunities. I've been frustrated feeling like no one will give me a chance. How do I get my...
Anonymous asked: How do I set prices that can both cover my costs of running my portrait business AND make people want in to invest, all the while maintaining some kind of integrity? On one hand, I've got the education and training, and I'm paying taxes/insurance/buying legit software. Yay me! But I've got to clear at LEAST $800 per session just to cover all costs AND feed the kids. It seems that...
Anonymous asked: Zack, I love your work and your advice. Do think it's a good idea to post pricing on your website? How do you do handle pricing? How did you come up with your pricing? Every time a potential client asks me how much I charge, I freeze up and then in the end feel bad because I didn't charge enough for my time. Thank you so much for your TIME. :)
Anonymous asked: When should you charge for licensing ``Usage``
Anonymous asked: In the starting days or even now, How do you charge a band? Say if they want to shoot at one indoor location & one outdoor? you shoot according to number of pictures? number of locations? pictures being used by them? what all do you keep in mind?
Anonymous asked: The owner of a salon wants me to take photos and then give him my files so he can blow them up and hang it in the salon. He hasn't mentioned paying me. How should I invoice him? Also should I handle the printing in my end, or should I give him the files? I would really like some of your wisdom on this. Thanks
icewater0417 asked: have you seen the movie bang bang club? if yes, what can you say about the movie in regards to photographer who took the photo of a dying kid being stalked by a vulture? :D
Anonymous asked: If the doctor told you that you had 30 days to live and you wanted to leave a portrait of yourself behind to your family, who would you want to take the picture? (and it can't be a self-portrait)
Anonymous asked: Hi Zack have you entered a photography competition? If not why not? A man of your talent can win, right? And if you didn't, what would you take away from it? What do you think of the high profile competitions that 'recognize' talent and promote awareness of said talent? In short my question is - do these competitions matter and should one take these seriously in their photographic...
Anonymous asked: Formal education. Thinking about going to school for photography. A Bachelors would end up costing me about $80,000. And I would be required to spend between 5 and 13,000 on software and equipment (price varies depending on the quality of the equipment I purchase). What do you think?
Anonymous asked: Hi Zack. I've been a professional photographer for about 6 years now and there's one thing I've never figured out how to do. It seems like everyone has "firstname lastname Photography," and we attach a lot of our professional success to our personal brand. How do you separate your professional life from your personal life? How can we keep professional failures from feeling...
Anonymous asked: I'm 100% positive that the XPro-1 is the perfect camera for me... EXCEPT for the sync speed. Have you ever experimented with ND filters to knock down the ambient?
caseystanton asked: Z! - Still a noob when it comes to ISO. Why did you shoot (dubai03_05 jpg) at 1/50, f/2, ISO 1000 at 11:30am? Is it because you HAD to, to get more light in, with desired DoF? My gut says "daylight, ISO 200". Appreciate you!
Anonymous asked: Hey Z, so i been researching equipment rental places in NY and out for the best deals. Besides borrowlenses and lensprotogo, do you suggest any other places to look at? I found a few others online but their advertising campaing and websites dont seem safe. Good looks ahead for the reply
Anonymous asked: Is it okay if I don't do Instagram?
davepluimer asked: If you decided to go to Europe for 10 days with only an X100 - besides extra batteries/chargers and memory, what is a must have for you in this situation?
Anonymous asked: So you've talked about model releases at least once and made it pretty clear, any modicum of commercial usage and you need a model release. But what about locations? There is clearly a difference between private and public locations. What are the lines? Also what about federally owned property? For example, there is a sweet sculpture in the courtyard of my local federal building. What is...
Anonymous asked: I will be attending a public festival in November. I'll be taking pictures for my own personal projects and to improve my skillset. I don't intend to use any of them for commercial purposes. If I ask people specifically to take their portrait, do I need a release? Thank you for your time.
Anonymous asked: Hi Zack - Have you ever had a shoot where you didn't feel satisfied with the results, but you still have to deliver them to the client? Regardless of circumstance, maybe you only got one shot you were happy with, but the client is expecting a dozen? How do you deal with that, and what did you learn from it; what was the takeaway?
Anonymous asked: How do you decide to do business with? I do outsourced editing for some photographers and find them to be flaky. One day they need tons of work done and the next day they've disappeared. Always happy with the work, but rarely straight in business. In my mind, I always want to stick it to them and turn down work the next time they come calling in a jam, but I always seem to choose the almighty...
Anonymous asked: For what purposes would a photographer use the Capture One versus Lightroom or aperture? I want to purchase Capture One but don't want to make a mistake in doing so because it lacks a vital function that maybe Lightroom or Aperture has. Thanks in advance! -FG
Anonymous asked: Great job with your Q&A blog/site. Thanks! Is it possible to get that cheesy/hollywood style we often see in wedding pictures with an APS-C camera and a fast lens (1.8 to 2.8)? Or do I need to go higher onto full frame or even medium format (sigh...)? Cheers
Anonymous asked: Hey Z-Man! What if I just LOVE street photography and just want to shoot the world around me in every type of photography? LIke say Thomas Hawk? He seems to be doing well financially. Monetizing a blog and generating thousands of views on his blog, flickr, and other pages. What say you?
Anonymous asked: Hi Zack, I'm meeting a creative director tomorrow to show my portfolio - what should I be wearing? Normally I'd wear a suit but this seems overkill.
larrygthomas asked: Hi Z I have less than zero experience with medium format, but have been intrigued by what you have written about it. I have come across a second-hand kit consisting of: Hasselblad 500CM Planar 80mm f/2.8 Sonnar 250mm f/5.6 Sonnar 150mm f/4 Distagon 60mm f/3.5 S-Planar 120mm f/5.6 Two filmbacks Polaroid film back Viewfinder Darkslide This is going for the equivalent of about $900 dollars (US)...
Anonymous asked: Awesome Blog Z!!! Love it! I shoot a mixture of wedding and portraits. I don't have a studio so there's a lot of dragging onto location involved. For weddings I bring everything. Now that I am doing more portrait work than weddings, I really hate bringing a pelican case full of gear. Do you have a bag suggestion that I could throw a body, couple of lenses and my cybersyncs into so that I...
mdkauffmann asked: Not sure who else to ask, so here it goes...I have two ideas for new lighting modifiers that would make them more efficient/useful. I'm obviously not a David Ziser, Scott Kelby or Gary Fong where the very mention of my name causes equipment companies creaming their jeans to work with me. How should I pitch them? Is one company known to be easier to work with than another? Thank you for all...
Anonymous asked: Hi, Hope you're well. I have a Nikon D7000 with an 18-105mm, 70-300mm and a 60mm lens. Which lens should I purchase next? What am I missing (wide angle lens) or ? Can you please recommend? Thank you.
Anonymous asked: As per your x100 post and my experiences with the camera, the battery life is not the best. Does the XPro-1 have a better record with it? Also, did you still buy off-brand spares? B&H has a great deal with half off a lens right now, so I'm about to make the jump. Just wanting your thoughts on the battery issue. Thanks for the continuously great info.
Anonymous asked: How important is it to have a "professional" looking camera? I am considering going with an all Fuji X system but I've gotten some funny looks when I've pulled out my X100 on gigs. Note, I'm at the point where I'd like to move into smaller-scale editorial/commercial/corporate work. I also shoot Canon and am considering a used 5D Mark 1 and 1DS Mark II (very...
adamghahate asked: You mentioned SaberStrip on Facebook....worth the price? uses? what you use it for? Special applications? Cool Factor? General thoughts/feelings/short review, Kino Flo alternative? GO!
Anonymous asked: Is there commercial or catalog work in ATL? How do you suggest getting into that kind of work?
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Anonymous asked: This goes along with today's instagram question. What are your thoughts on people who say "If you are using instagram with a camera other than your phone, you are doing it wrong?" I notice you use the tag #notiphone, is this just a courtesy to the iphoneographers?
Anonymous asked: Also about rolling stone...You have over 50K followers on twitter and FB, you are friends with the biggest and best in the industry...Why can't you shoot a rolling stone cover? Have you even tried? You must know a guy who knows a guy? If this business is all about who you know, and you know everyone, what chance do any of us have? Are art directors THAT removed from the photography industry...
Anonymous asked: After a long (public!) history of knocking Instagram for being cheesy, how do I redeem myself and dip my toes in the water without being just another hipster who takes snaps of his Starbucks cup and throws a filter on it? Aside from actually not doing that?
Anonymous asked: i just had to ask this: SD card that you use for the x100?
tifl asked: Zack, Can you break down how you ingest your media? For instance- if you are shooting RAW format, what is the first thing you do after you shoot a job? Do you convert to DNG, or just archive the RAW image? Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop or Photo Mechanic for your conversion? - Thanks - Todd
Anonymous asked: In a response you previously gave, you told about a funny story involving Kid Rock's publicist and a "new a$$hole" being torn by you. Can you tell us some more ? :)
