Digital Photography Guide

A Guest Post by Clayton McLaughlin

There are a lot of tutorials out there that introduce the practice of shooting timelapses with a variety of different cameras. All of which can help you get started. But as with any situation, I’ve found there are a few things that have helped me along the way that I never read in a tutorial online.

1. Use velcro to secure the wireless trigger

Using a remote trigger does two things that are important to timelapse photography. First the intervalometer built into a lot of triggers does the tiring work of taking photos at a regular interval. Second, it allows you to be hands free from the camera, reducing the dreaded camera shake. But if you just wrap the trigger around the tripod, or even just drop it once it’s plugged in, a stiff breeze will blow that wire around and shake the camera. Defeats the purpose of using the trigger and the tripod.

My solution. I put a piece of velcro on my tripod leg and the corresponding piece on the back of the remote trigger. The wire stays wrapped up in a twisty-tie to avoid long cords dangling in the wind or just asking to get snagged on my sleeve.

2. Bring a notebook

Or use your phone to take notes. Having something to take notes will allow you to write down camera settings for immediate use (switching from AP to Manual mode to grab settings via in-camera light meter) and for future use (reference for settings to avoid star trails for instance). Personally I use Evernote on my phone amp; sync the app across all my computers. This provides an (almost) always available database of information that I can utilize. Think of it as a photography diary. Every time I shoot I try to create a new note about something I learned. When I get in a rut, I just look back at my notes. This is a habit I picked up from playing golf and it’s worked very well for my photography.

3. Download Google maps to your phone

This tip will likely not apply to everyone in every situation, but I’m giving it nonetheless. If you plan on hiking to a spot, or you’re just heading to am unfamiliar area, download that region to your phone via Google Maps. Then if you lose service you don’t need to depend on the network to provide the map. GPS always works so you can find your way still. Here’s a quick YouTube tutorial: Google Maps Offline

4. Bring a Small Red LED flashlight

This is a night time tip. It’s obviously hard to see in the dark, and the little light that you do get from your camera will go away once you start taking the pictures. If you’re shooting the stars, then this little tool will be especially handy because astrophotography is generally at it’s finest when there is the least amount of light pollution. The red color is better on your eyes in darkness and it isn’t as noticeable to the camera sensor.

5. Entertainment

Unless you’re a professional that shoots 9 cameras at once, you will likely setup the timelapse and then have to wait… a long time. So be prepared to keep yourself entertained. For me this includes my iPod and a phone with full battery to play games, write blogs, check sports scores, etc. If you’re into crossword puzzles, bring several. Timelapse photography is a waiting game.

6. Keep everything warm during cold weather shoots

This includes you and your gear. Put on enough layers to make you sweat when inside. Then put on one more before leaving the house. You won’t be moving around much so put on enough to keep you warm as you sit still for hours. I would recommend buying hunting gloves that let you pull the fingers back so you can easily changes settings, etc.

As for your gear, buy the hand warmers that are available in every retail store and gas station in the country. Place all of your extra batteries in a pocket with this warmers. I gene

Further Reading:

An Introduction to Time Lapse Photography

How to Make a Time Lapse Video With Your DSLR

7 Tips for Shooting Better Timelapse

Interview with Ross Ching – Time Lapse Photographer

Clayton McLauglin is a Chicago based ‘digital junkie’, photographer, videographer and storyteller. See more of his work at his blog, on Flicker and Follow Clayton on Twitter at @augiecrazy8.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

6 Timelapse Photography Tips [You May Not Have Considered]

Last Updated (06 February’12): - Review & Sample Photos @ PhotoRadar Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS is a 12.1-megapixel digital camera features 28mm wide-angle lens; 4x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer, Smart AUTO mode intelligently selects from 18 predefined settings, ISO 100-1600, and 2.7-inch PureColor System LCD. The camera measures (WxHxD) 3.56 x 2.20 x [...]

Online educational tutorials provide photographers with basic information, insights, and tips to achieve color control, consistency and creativity in their digital imaging workflow

Canon Powershot SX20 IS is a 12.1 Megapixels superzoom camera features 20x optical zoom (35mm equivalent: 28-560mm) with image stabilization, HD Recording, and a 2.5-inch TFT color Vari-Angle LCD with wide viewing angle. The camera is powered by AA batteries, measures 4.88 x 3.48 x 3.42 in./124.0 x 88.3 x 86.9mm and weighs Approx. 19.8 [...]

A Guest post by Jenika McDavitt from Psychology for Photographers.

“At all levels of income, the typical response is that one needs 20% more to be happy.” – Richard Easterlin

The photographer’s equivalent to Dr. Easterlin’s statement is probably “Whatever you charge for your work, the typical response is that you’re 20% too expensive.”  Like clockwork, I’ve been told my photography is too expensive at $75, $100, $300, $500, $1200, and $2000 price points.  But why?

Anchors Aweigh

First, photography is one of the worst victims of something called the anchoring bias: Our tendency to grab on to a certain number and weigh everything else against it.  Even if that anchoring number has been pulled out of the air, or is largely irrelevant to the situation, people will cling to it when evaluating everything else.  For example, a person from a small town might think taxis in their town are too expensive.  But a New Yorker who visits that small town will think “Whoa, these taxis are cheap!!”  It’s the same taxi and the same price – but reactions are different because the two people have a different anchor for how much a taxi “should” cost.

People are used to paying $5 for 50 prints at the corner grocery store and under $30 for a packet of school photos.  Thus, most people’s “anchor” for photography pricing is probably somewhere between $5-30.  So they wonder: Why would they want to lay down a hundred bucks, let alone two grand, for your services?
The hard truth is, no matter what you charge, you will always be too expensive to someone, especially those whose “anchor” is a grocery store.   You might as well price your work profitably, and in the meantime, work to “re-anchor” your potential clients to your price range.  Here’s how:

1.  Create your own profitable pricing list and stick to it

Don’t steal someone else’s pricing because it “looks right” – you need to understand exactly how you arrived at your numbers.  If you take your pricing from some other photographer, it’ll be harder to stick to your guns when clients pressure you to accept a lower rate.  When you feel desperate for work, one price grabbed out of the air won’t be much different than another.  Understanding your own overhead costs and profit margins helps you be firm, because you’ll quickly see what that discount would really cost you.  (If you’re struggling with setting profitable pricing, I recommend Easy as Pie by Alicia Caine.  My highest sale before buying that e-book was $500, my first sale after implementing my Easy As Pie pricing list was $4000.  Well worth the investment.)

2. Spell out to potential clients exactly why your services are worth what you charge

Most people understand why taxis in NYC are more expensive than in their hometown.  But many people may not see the difference between your photos and a mall studio, except that your photos are taken at a park.  (But since using the park was free, why would you be more expensive?)  Make sure your website describes in lavish, dazzling detail exactly what they will get from working with you.  Blog regularly about the experience clients receive, how unhurried and fun each session is.  I recently blogged a breakdown of the time I spend on each client (23-34+ hours), and potential clients told me they had no idea!

Make it clear how much effort you put in on their behalf, and what that means for their life and family.  Only then will they see how their previous price anchors don’t apply to your business.

3. Don’t count on the quality of your work speaking for itself

 
Too many photographers fall into the trap of counting on clients to perceive the high quality of their photographs and thus believe that their services are worth more money.  But consider: when you started in photography, I bet you were more easily awed by professional photographs.  Now, after putting in hundreds of hours taking and looking at photographs, I bet you have gotten progressively more picky about technical sloppiness.

Your clients are not photographers.  They are not going to immediately recognize soft focus, clipped highlights and shadows, Photoshop overcorrections, etc.  Some may honestly not see the difference between your honed skills and your neighbor down the street who just picked up a camera yesterday.  There needs to be a more compelling reason for them to pull out the checkbook.  You might make it a part of your regular blog conversation to post a few SOOC/post-processing comparisons, do a “year in review” and talk about how much you’ve grown over the year.  Even non-experts can appreciate jumps in quality when they see things side-by-side.

4. Don’t change prices too often

Your current prices are an anchor for past clients.  Wedding photographers are not aiming for repeat wedding clients (hopefully!), so they can raise their prices more frequently with less anchor damage.  But a mother who did her newborn session with you may be shocked to come back at six months and find that your rates have doubled.  It’s easier to set a profitable pricing list right now (which usually represents one significant jump), perhaps taking time to explain to past clients that in order to be around to serve them long-term you have made some adjustments, but that you value their business and look forward to working with them again. Then tweak only once or twice a calendar year thereafter.

If you set a profitable price list and find that you need to make an increase, consider keeping your session fee the same and adjust the prices of your products.  Session fees stick in people’s minds, so big session fee jumps can induce more sticker shock than nudging up the price of your canvases.

5) Don’t make this Mistake

People are not always explicitly aware that they have price anchors, or that they are using them to evaluate you.  They simply think “too expensive,” and move on.  Thus, it’s important that you make it clear to clients that you’re in a totally different category from mall studios or DIY prints so that they don’t simply think “photography” and grab on to their grocery store price anchor.

When you market to differentiate yourself, you may find it tempting to focus everything on YOU.  MY photography is better quality, I provide great service, MY business is better than their business, etc.  This is a mistake.  People don’t care about how great your business is if it’s not totally clear what’s in it for them. Ask them: Imagine what it would be like to have a relaxed, unrushed, 2-hour photography session where there was no stress, just family fun.  Imagine personal service, no waiting in lines, no hurry-up-and-decide pressure.  Imagine a professional retouching each image and ensuring that it looks beautiful.  Give them a clear picture of what they will get out of an experience with you. This will help them let go of those frustrating anchors and better see the value of your services.

Jenika McDavitt blogs over at Psychology for Photographers, helping photographers run smarter businesses through a savvier understanding of human behavior.  Wave hello on Facebook here!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How To Get Over Your Fears And Raise Your Prices as a Photographer