Is Wedding Photography Broken?

Here's an important article all my wedding photography friends should read and ponder:

Wedding Photography – The State of the Union
Are Weddings Broken?
By David Ziser

Excerpts:

"Last year at an Imaging USA luncheon with some of the most prestigious photographers in attendance, one of the top wedding photographers in the country said, 'Weddings are broken.' I think this statement reflects the state of wedding photography for many photographers nationwide."

...

"I know of three wedding photographers, photographers that were the leading wedding photographers in their respective cities who were all but out of the business in 2010. One drives a large cross country rig (and loves it BTW), another is driving limos to make ends meet, and another 30 year wedding photography veteran works at a popular retail outlet for the same reason -- no business. (He loves his new part time job too).

"The turn down in sales is not just limited to wedding photography either. It’s encompassing all areas of the photographic profession including family portraits, high school seniors, and all the services professional photographers have been offering their clients for the last 40-50 years."

"And the real fact of the matter is that it has all happened in the last 24-36 months. Photographers were having their best years in 2006 and 2007. Things started to go south with the crash of the economy in October of 2008. Although the “Crash of ‘08” certainly played a major role in the downturn of wedding sales averages, I believe the downturn was due to more than this single event."

...

"The point I’m trying to make is this. The market crash hit all vendors, photographers included, regardless of the market segment they served. The consumer was cutting back, and appeared to be cutting back across the board."

...

"Let’s look at I call the “Wal-Mart Effect”... In 1985, about the age today’s bride and groom were born, there were 882 Wal-Marts throughout the US. That number has grown to over 8,400 worldwide, nearly 10x the figure 25 years ago. What’s my point? Today’s wedding buying generation has been bombarded their entire lives with “…that we are lowering prices everyday” in Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart ads. Every retailer is offering deals and today’s bride and groom want a deal too. Today’s wedding buying population is, like it or not, a Wal-Mart population -- looking for the best deal all the time, even in their wedding photography."

...

"OK, a quick review... The aspiring photographer is getting better and better with the ease of use the new digital cameras provide and the bountiful amount of all the free training online. The whole world loves digital photography. But in October 2008, the stock market goes from 14,000 to just below 6,600. The housing bubble bursts and unemployment starts to shoot up dramatically!...

"People need to supplement their income; they’re excited about photography; they’re been trained to know an F-stop from a shutter speed; Craig’s List and eventually Facebook, sure seem like an easy and cheap way to advertise -- the new breed of weekend wedding warrior is born. And, they are entering the wedding market at an exponentially increasing rate."...

"Smart phones, and P&S digital cameras make photography more accessible to everybody, Facebook makes the sharing of any photographs easier than ever to with family, friends, actually the world. Are high school wallet photos even necessary any more? This combo begs the question, 'Is professional photography even relevant anymore?!'"

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

Product Description:

"Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book, volume 1 (the world’s best-selling digital photography book of all time), is back with a follow-up to his volume 2 smash best seller, with an entirely new book that picks up right where he left off. It’s even more of that 'Ah ha -- so that’s how they do it,' straight-to-the-point, skip-the-techno-jargon stuff you can really use today to make your shots even better.

"This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: 'If you and I were out on a shoot and you asked me, ‘Hey Scott, I want the light for this portrait to look really soft and flattering. How far back should I put this softbox?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture about lighting ratios, or flash modifiers. In real life, I’d just turn to you and say, ‘Move it in as close to your subject as you possibly can, without it actually showing up in the shot.’ Well, that’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned, just like I would with a friend -- without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.'

"Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look 'okay,' and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, 'Why don’t my shots look like that?' then this is the book for you.

"This isn’t a book of theory -- full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly 200 more of the most closely guarded photographic 'tricks of the trade,' this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time."

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Scott Kelby's “Best of 2009” Picks

EXCERPT:

"It’s important to note right up front that I didn’t say 'Best photography gear' or 'Best Photoshop stuff' (though both of those are represented). Instead, this is just my favorite 'bestest' stuff from 2009, (including things like songs, movies, travel stuff, food, etc.) presented in no particular order. Hope it starts off your New Year right! (By the way; make sure you read my disclaimers at the end of the list)."

Check out Scott Kelby's “Best of 2009” Picks.

Viva Viveza!

I first heard about Nik Software's U-Point technology when they worked with Nikon to develop Capture NX. I was so impressed with what this technology could do, that I bought Capture NX when it first came out -- and then, because of a clunky interface and buggy program, abandoned it. My interest was recently reawakened when Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski began showcasing Nikon's Capture NX 2 software on their new D-Town program. I upgraded, but was again unhappy with the clunky interface and also didn't relish the idea of using (and learning) another software program to edit images in. Wasn't there a way to incorporate U-Point technology into Photoshop or Lightroom, which are the two main editing programs I use?

Turns out there is! The Nik software folks have come out with a program called "Viveza" which provides a U-Point plugin for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture. Although pricey ($249.00), I think it is worth it. I bought the software and now have it working in both Lightroom and Photoshop -- and love what it can do!

Here's how Nik Software describes Viveza:

"Two of the most important factors in creating great photography are color and light. Mastering the art of selectively correcting or enhancing each of these is now possible for every photographer without the need for complicated masks or selections, or expert-level knowledge of Photoshop. Integrating award-winning U Point technology, Viveza is the most powerful and precise tool available to control light and color in photographic images.

"U Point powered Color Control Points, placed directly on colors or objects in an image (such as sky, skin, grass, etc.), reveal easy-to-use controls that photographers can use to quickly adjust brightness, contrast or color in a fraction of the time needed by other tools. With Viveza you’ll spend more time shooting photographs and save hours of image editing."

Here's where you can read more about it, watch tutorials, and download a 15-day fully functioning demo.

And, finally, here's a coupon code that will shave some buckeroos off that hefty $249.00 price tag: NIKPSS.

Important: Willie Smits: How To Re-Grow A Rainforest

What does re-growing rainforests have to do with photography? Well, if we don't figure out a way to reverse the apocalyptic tidal waves that are headed our direction (climate change, species extinction, pollution, etc.), then photography will go down the drain with the rest of the human race. This deeply inspiring talk offers some real world examples of how some of the challenges we are facing could be reversed in a surprisingly short amount of time.



Related links:

TED Talks
http://www.masarang.org/
http://redapes.org/

Gadgets & Gear: The Best Of The Best

If you're like me, you are probably very interested in knowing what kind of cameras, lenses, packs, lights, computers, and other gear your fellow photographers use, especially those who are at the top of their game. Here is a quick list of some of the folks I keep a close eye on:

Scott Kelby's Gear
About Scott Kelby (Includes A List Of Scott's "Favorite Stuff")
Terry White's "Favorite Things"
Moose Peterson's Camera Bag
Joe McNally's Camera Bag

Ed Greenberg On Photography Copyright, Contract, And Creative Rights Issues

Scott Kelby Writes:

"If you’ve been reading this blog for the past month or so, you’ve read my posts about photographers being harassed when shooting in public, and a lot of readers have chimed in with comments about what we can and can’t shoot, what our rights as photographers are and aren’t, our interpretations of copyright law, and so on. There’s just one problem; we’re not attorneys.

"So, I contacted New York-based Intellectual Property Attorney Ed Greenberg, who’s a published author on the topic, and who has been dealing with photography copyright, contract, and creative rights issues for over 30 years, to finally get the straight no-nonsense scoop on all this..."

"The two clips, Part I and Part II... I think you’ll find it as eye-opening, surprising, revealing, and as incredibly valuable as I did. This interview can change the way you work and protect your images in a very profound way..."

Photoshop User TV interview with Ed Greenberg- Part 1:


Photoshop User TV interview with Ed Greenberg- Part 2:


Read/visit Scott Kelby's original blog on this topic.

PhotoTools 1 Professional Edition

If you're like me, you are always on the lookout for things that can speed up your work flow and, at the same time, boost the finished quality of your work. I've just started working with PhotoTools 1 Professional Edition and liked it enough that I wanted to tell all of you about it. Here's how the onOne Software folks describe their new Photoshop Plugin:

"Jack Davis (Photoshop Hall-of-Fame member and instructor) and Kevin Kubota (renowned professional photographer and Photoshop instructor) have teamed up with onOne Software to bring you this indispensable Photoshop Plug-In that includes over 250 photographic effects. But there is much more to PhotoTools Professional than just effects. Select, preview and stack multiple effects to get the perfect one-of-a-kind look and then start up the powerful PhotoTools batch processing engine to quickly enhance an entire shoot at once."

Click here to find out more.

Click here to watch a demo video.

In the coming weeks, I'll post a few photographs here that I tweak using this plugin...

The First Month Of Kelby Training

I signed up for Kelby Training Online as soon as it was announced and have been very impressed with the content -- and stunning quality of the video presentations. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to swing by and take a look. Along with having a growing collection of world class presenters, what I especially like is being able to pick and choose the subjects you are interested in -- and then watch them at your leisure. Here's a quick excerpt from Scott Kelby's blog concerning this new service:

"In our best case scenario, if everything came together just right, we were hoping to have 300 subscribers at the end of our first month. If we somehow hit 500 subscribers by month’s end, it would have been nothing short of an absolute grand slam home run. Here’s what we hadn’t counted on; More than 2,200 subscribers!!!! We are just floored!

"The word of mouth from our students has just been incredible, and I’ve been getting email after email from our students raving about their experience, and how over the top they are about this amazing faculty of instructors (I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to hear your stories; how it’s helping you in your careers, and in your passion for creating great images).

"This incredible jump start has helped us to move further ahead on a variety of new training projects, and thanks to your response we’ll be announcing a number of new world-class instructors who’ll be joining our faculty, and bringing their talents to you in just the next few months (this has me totally psyched!)."

Click here to read Scott Kelby's complete report.

Click here to visit Kelby Training Online.

Nikon D Series Highest In Customer Satisfaction

Excerpted From January 2008 Rangefinder Magazine (pdf):

According to J.D. Power and Associates, Nikon's D-series cameras rank "Highest in customer satisfaction with digital SLR cameras." Using a 1000-point scale, the 2007 Digital Camera Satisfaction Study found that Nikon's D-series digital SLR cameras earned a score of 822 index points, making them the highest-ranked camera line among digital SLRs in four areas of customer satisfaction: picture quality, performance, operation, and appearance and styling. The popular D series includes the D200, D80, D40x and D40, as well as profsional models such as the D300 and D3 digital SLR cameras.

J.D. Power and Associates Press Release (August 29, 2007)

Cleaning Digital Camera Sensors

You would think cleaning the sensors on digital cameras would be easy and straightforward. But it turns out that there are a lot of different thoughts on cleaning, as well as products for getting the job done. And if it isn't done right, you could end up having to send your camera in to have its sensor replaced -- a costly and time-consuming proposition.

The best, most comprehensive and unbiased directions for cleaning your sensor that I've found are on the Cleaning Digital Cameras website. Among other things, they explain the pros and cons of many different ways of cleaning sensors, provide a list of sensor cleaning products, and even list the ways that camera manufacturers conduct in house cleanings (see below). How did they come up with their recommendations? They claim to have used over 150 different sources, including the repair departments of seven DSLR manufacturers, to come up with their information.

The information on their website led me to Photographic Solutions, a company that specializes in lens cleaning products. And once there, I found two videos that demonstrated wet and dry cleaning methods. While both of these videos are promoting products from Photographic Solutions, other products, from other companies, are used in similar ways.

Video One: Demonstrates Wet Cleaning

Video Two: Demonstrates Dry Cleaning

............

How do Canon, Nikon, and the other major manufacturers clean cameras in house? Here's a quick list from the Cleaning Digital Cameras website:

• Canon - Blower and a Kimwipe, held by tweezers. They do not like to use fluid but when necessary they use either 90% isopropyl alcohol or a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and Windex.

• Fuji - Photographic Solutions Sensor Swabs™ and Eclipse™

• Kodak - Photographic Solutions Sensor Swabs™ and Eclipse™

- Leica - Photographic Solutions Sensor Swabs™ and Eclipse™

• Nikon - A commercial grade lens tissue wrapped around a chopstick style piece of wood with medical grade methanol. Several forums have posts where readers have been to Nikon Service outside the USA and reported seeing the technicians using Sensors Swabs and Eclipse.

• Olympus - A Kimwipe held by tweezers and Olympus Proprietary Solution (dries quickly without streaks and is bio-degradable).

• Pentax - A special lint free cloth (provided from Japan) folded into a small square and held with a pair of tweezers as a swab moistened with a freon derivative.

• Sigma - Uses a special vacuum cleaner that was provided by Japan.

• Sony - Uses Sensor Swabs™ and Eclipse™ by Photographic Solutions.

Note: Only Kodak, Leica and Fuji support the consumer in using the same method that they themselves use for cleaning the low pass filter. All the others manufacturers only support the non-physical contact use of a hand blower. If Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax or Sigma, can tell that you have touched the low pass filter, your warranty is void. On the other hand, Photographic Solutions Inc., guarantees that you won't damage your camera, if you use their Sensor Swabs™ and Eclipse™.

Popular Photography: D300 Camera Of The Year

Popular Photography crowns Nikon's D300 the 2007 Camera of the Year.

>> watch larger clip on Popular Photography's website <<

Excerpts from Popular Photography's D300 article:

"Nikon could have played it safe. By just tweaking its highly rated D200, the company could have come out with a camera priced closer to Canon's new 10.1MP EOS 40D ($1,300, street, body only). Instead, the engineers went wild, revamping everything from the viewfinder to the sensor, adding live view, and taking such pro-level features as the 51-zone AF system from the new Nikon D3 ($5,000, body only). The result: the new 12.3MP D300 ($1,800, body only). Now, after our Lab and field tests, it's clear that Nikon made the right decision. We're so convinced of it that the editors of Pop Photo named the D300 The Camera of the Year 2007..."

...

"From the outside, the D300 looks a lot like the D200. But what's on the inside pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab:

"• It's the first DSLR to earn an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 all the way up to ISO 3200.

"• It sports the fastest (and most sophisticated) AF we've tested so far.

"A major factor in the D300's stellar image quality is the new Sony-made 12.3MP (effective) CMOS sensor that captures RAW data with up to 14 bits of color per red, green, and blue channels. Most other DSLRs in this class only provide 12 bits per channel. This gives the D300 an advantage in reproducing fine color gradations, shadow details, and wider dynamic range. But it also increases the file size of images recorded in the 14-bit mode (selectable over normal 12-bit RAW)."

...

"The only reason the D300 didn't earn an Excellent image quality rating at ISO 6400 was the higher noise levels in shadows."

...

"NX now ships with Nikon's D300 and D3, allowing advanced exposure, white balance, and lens-distortion correction, D-lighting and sharpening tools, and the powerful U-Point technology (with an assortment of filters) inherited from Nik Software, Inc."

...

"If you're a sports photographer and photojournalist, then you might want to stick with the amazing low-light image quality and burst capacity of Fine-quality JPEGs, and leave RAW (or RAW + JPEG) to those who can accept the hit to burst capacity and have time to process the files later. After all, the D300 captures up to 100 Fine-quality JPEGs at 6 frames per second..."

...

"The EXPEED image processor also cuts startup time (Nikon claims 0.13 sec), enables true HDTV video output (via an HDMI connector), and serves up dynamic-range enhancements in the Active D-Lighting controls. When turned on, Active D-Lighting manages high-contrast scenes by preventing blown-out highlights without blocking up shadow details, much like Sony's Dynamic Range Enhancement. For NEF RAW files, Capture NX software must be used to apply D-lighting adjustments."

Read the complete review here.

Have Blog, Need Stats Counter?

Now that my photo blog has been up for awhile and it is clear to me that I am going to keep filling this puppy up with great content, I've been wondering how many people are reading it? Which sections are read the most? Where are these folks coming from? So I spent a little time poking around Blogger (the company that provides this blog) and eventually ran into other bloggers who solved this problem using Statcounter. I like it! Simply sign up for the program and cut and paste the embedded code they provide into an html box (they tell you how if you need help). What, exactly, do the stats track? Take a look at the graphic below for a quick rundown.

How much does the service cost? Here's what they say:

"We are not out to make a quick buck. The reason StatCounter exists is to 'help webmasters make decisions, and be more successful online by understanding their visitors'. We offer a truly exceptional free service, because we want to help you grow. And as you grow, and as your needs grow, we hope you'll upgrade. We don't impose an upgrade on you. You can use it for free for as long as you like. The only catch is if you start to get over 9,000 pageloads each day you are outside what we can sustain as a free business model and we will then ask you to either remove the code or upgrade. It's as simple as that!"

Click here for more information.

The Photographer’s Right

From Bert P. Krages's Website

The Photographer’s Right
A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography

The Photographer’s Right is a downloadable guide that is loosely based on the Bust Card and the Know Your Rights pamphlet that used to be available on the ACLU website. It may be downloaded and printed out using Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may make copies and carry them your wallet, pocket, or camera bag to give you quick access to your rights and obligations concerning confrontations over photography. You may distribute the guide to others, provided that such distribution is not done for commercial gain and credit is given to the author.

>> Download The Photographer’s Right in PDF format <<

A Stand for Photographer’s Rights

The right to take photographs in the United States is being challenged more than ever. People are being stopped, harassed, and even intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were taking photographs of subjects that made other people uncomfortable. Recent examples have included photographing industrial plants, bridges, buildings, trains, and bus stations. For the most part, attempts to restrict photography are based on misguided fears about the supposed dangers that unrestricted photography presents to society.

Ironically, unrestricted photography by private citizens has played an integral role in protecting the freedom, security, and well-being of all Americans. Photography in the United States has an established history of contributing to improvements in civil rights, curbing abusive child labor practices, and providing important information to crime investigators. Photography has not contributed to a decline in public safety or economic vitality in the United States. When people think back on the acts of domestic terrorism that have occurred over the last twenty years, none have depended on or even involved photography. Restrictions on photography would not have prevented any of these acts. Furthermore, the increase in people carrying small digital and cell phone cameras has resulted in the prevention of crimes and the apprehension of criminals.

As the flyer states, there are not very many legal restrictions on what can be photographed when in public view. Most attempts at restricting photography are done by lower-level security and law enforcement officials acting way beyond their authority. Note that neither the Patriot Act nor the Homeland Security Act have any provisions that restrict photography. Similarly, some businesses have a history of abusing the rights of photographers under the guise of protecting their trade secrets. These claims are almost always meritless because entities are required to keep trade secrets from public view if they want to protect them.

For more information:

Legal Handbook for Photographers is written from the perspective of a photographer who has actually confronted the legal issues that many photographers face. This book explains the fundamental legal principles that affect the rights to make images, and is intended to increase your comprehension of how the law affects photography. In addition, the book provides guidance on how to handle confrontations, obtain remedies if wronged, and develop an ethic that reflects your individual approach to photography. It also explains the importance of copyright protection and the legal issues associated with publishing and licensing images.

Shutter Counts Followup

Looks like there are several software programs available that helps track shutter release counts:

Opanda (the program most often recommended)
PhotoMe
Preview Extractor (for Nikon cameras)

While I couldn't find any programs that were written for the Mac platform, all the PC versions can be used on an Intel Mac that has booted into Windows via Bootcamp or other Windows-emulating software.

And then there's brother Mel (Mel Russell, Captured Light Photography). He has offered to run a quick check on .jpg images that folks send him who would like a ballpark idea of how many times the shutters have been released on their cameras without going through the hassle of downloading, installing, and running Exif file programs (like those listed above). If you want Mel to do this for you, email him a low resolution .jpg image shot on the camera you want a shutter release count on.

Mel ran Opanda on two of my cameras, each of which is rated for 100,000 shutter releases:

My D80 = 7,401
My D200 = 28,192

Neither camera has ever been sent in for repairs, and I can't remember if I have updated the firmware on these cameras (remember Nikon says that trips to the repair shop and/or firmware updates can affect the accuracy of these counts). My D200 is about two years old. My D80 is about a year and a half old.

If you have any thoughts/resources that you would like to add to this discussion, click the "comments" link below.

The Kelby Training Program

Scott Kelby just announced a very promising new online training program. Here is an excerpt from his website:

OK, this is really, really, really big news; today we just launched a groundbreaking new online training program, featuring the best teachers on the planet, and it’s subscription-based so you get unlimited access to ALL of our online courses for an amazingly affordable price.

Here’s a Q&A with all the details:

Q. Before we get started; do I have to read all this stuff, or do you have a quick video clip that explains it all?

A. Yup, we sure do. Here’s the link.

Q. So what is subscription-based online training?

A. In the past, we’ve offered online training courses, and it was always “Pay as you go” (basically, you’d pay individually for each class you took). But now you can pay one annual subscription fee and then you have unlimited access to all our online classes.

Q. You said this is amazingly affordable. OK, how affordable is it?

A. Our annual subscription is only $199, or you can pay $19.95 a month. By contrast our online classes used to be around $70.00 each. If you took just three classes, you were already paying more than our new subscription tuition. Now, you get unlimited access, all year long, for only $199. That’s just 55¢ a day, for unlimited access to the best Photoshop and photography teachers on the planet.

Q. What if I’m a NAPP member? Do I get a discount?

A. Absolutely! You get an annual subscription for just $179 (or only $17.99 a month).

Q. How many classes do you have online right now?

A. We just launched today, and we already have 34 classes up online, right now, with more waiting in the wings (and I mean literally waiting in the wings; including some amazing new classes going up next week!)

Q. What makes you guys different?

A. We knew we had to do something really special to stand out from the other online training options, so we asked ourselves what is the single most important aspect of any online course. Is it the topics? The price? The technology? The quantity? The look? What is it? We think the single most important thing is “The teacher.” It’s who you’re learning from, and their connection with the students. It’s their passion, their knowledge, their ability to communicate and share in a way that makes sense, that’s engaging, and even fun. That’s why we built our entire program around one thing; bringing you nothing but the very best teachers on the planet. Period.

Visit Kelby Training Website.

Kelby Promotes Joe McNally's New Book

I check Scott Kelby's Blog daily because it has the best, most clear, interesting and helpful information on photography of any blog I am aware of. In today's blog, Kelby promotes Joe McNally's new book, "The Moment It Clicks". Writes Kelby:

"The single most amazing photography I've ever read is just a few weeks away from being published. It's Joe McNally's, 'The Moment it Clicks: Photographer Secrets from one of the world's best shooters', and I can tell you, without a doubt, I've learned more about the art and craft of photography, from this one book, than any book I've read to date. Period! It's just that good. "Joe McNally, whose celebrated work has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated, Time, and National Geographic (to name a few), is amazing different because it actually blends the rich, stunning images and elegant layout of a coffee-table book with the invaluable training, no-nonsense insights, and photography secrets usually found only in those rare, best-of-breed educational and how-to books."

Based on what Kelby had to say, I ordered a copy. To find out more, I encourage you to visit Kelby's blog and also swing by McNally's website, which includes a video clip that introduces the book, along with some photos.