photography: I'm looking for a few good stagers!
- 11/04/08 09:54 AM
Last month I kept finding myself in houses where a particularly good stager had left his/her mark. This isn't too surprising considering the type and volume of shoots I typically handle. I thought to myself; "I'm going to get in touch with this person, I could use a good stager to recommend!". It's become much more common lately that people get in touch with me, looking for a stager or similar resource. I call the number on the stagers card (which is quite plain, more on that in a second). I get ahold of them and tell them I want to refer them / … (22 comments)
photography: Copyright law is under attack!
- 10/06/08 10:57 AM
I've been absolutely swamped with business lately. Between the Buildex convention here in Seattle and 'normal' shooting (now averaging 3-4 bookings per day) I've had almost no time to visit AR. :( That said there is a very concerning issue at hand: The so called 'Orphan Works Bill'. BTW, full credit to Glenda Cherry for breaking the story first. You can see her blog here. :) - - - Basically the bill attempts put some rules in place for using other peoples images when you can't find them (in other words, 'orphan works'). This sounds good in theory...I suppose. There might … (7 comments)
photography: Canon announces an astounding new camera!
- 09/19/08 05:38 AM
If you've followed my blog much you'll probably note that I'm not much for 'equipment debate'. Lots of folks do enjoy arguing the various merits of this camera system over that and it's understandable as everyone wants the inside scoop on the best tools. Frankly though, while I think the right equipment is important, I believe your photography skills are far more important. Anyway, any 'major brand' DSLR you can currently buy, be it Canon, Nikon, or Sony is going to be a great piece of equipment. :) Still, once in a while a camera or lens comes along which is … (10 comments)
photography: City Lights at Dusk:
- 08/10/08 01:58 PM
If you've been following my blog about dealing with interior light for RE shoots, you might have noticed I'm a big fan of dusk shots. Not only are they quite easy to create but they can be very dramatic as well. Must dusk shots involve exteriors (focal point house) or interior (focal point interior). However, if you list in a metropolitan area you have third option which isn't quite like either of the first two.
Because there's so much light volume in developed areas you can truly take advantage of the views while still employing a dusk shoot. … (11 comments)
photography: Handling Interior Light, the Comprehensive Look at Current Methods:
- 07/25/08 11:21 AM
Wow, I think that's my longest blog title yet! There's been a lot of info lately on HDR, blends, bounce flash etc. Much of it good info (some of it not unfortunately) but very little objective comparison of methods all in one blog. I'm going to cover the following topics: single exposure (available light) multiple exposure blend (available light) multiple exposure HDR (available light) single exposure HDR (available light) Civil Twilight / Dusk (available light) Bounce flash (speedlight) Strobes (flash) Thanks for being patient, this is a bit of an undertaking. :) - - - 1. SINGLE EXPOSURE: Anyone who's … (25 comments)
photography: Just about the coolest 'virtual tour' software imaginable!
- 07/13/08 12:01 PM
Well, it would be if it existed. I'm talking about Microsoft's Photosynth...and it is on it's way (though it will certainly be a while). I mentioned this in a blog a ways back (as I believe others have). However, I just wanted to take a moment to illustrate how photosynth could very well change the face of how homes are marketed online. Most homes these days are marketed online with a mix of static images (photographs), virtual tours, video, photo slideshows, and of course a text description. Photosynth has the potential to replace all of the visual items at once. - - … (9 comments)
photography: Photographing Children:
- 07/08/08 04:26 PM
While I specliazine in architectural and real estate photography I thought it would be fun to depart from my typical topic and talk a little bit about working with kids. :) I began my career working with children and there are days I really miss that type of work. Also, I think it keeps us fresh to work outside our primary area (no matter what field you are in). On that note I'll cover a few of the basics: - - - 1. Get in Close! The number one common 'problem' I see with snapshots of kids and family is … (12 comments)
photography: Do you REALLY need to hire a professional photographer for every listing?
- 05/20/08 06:05 PM
Heck no you don't! That's right, I said it and I'm a photographer. Listen, every once in a while I see a post on AR by a real estate 'photographer' or virtual tour business where they suggest, imply, or outright accuse agents of doing their clients a disservice by not 'hiring a professional'. To be sure, there plenty of situations where a photographer can enhance your business tremendously but there are also many situations where it might be money down the drain. Situations where you probably don't need a professional photographer: The property is sizzling: Last year I recall a … (59 comments)
I sent out a bit of marketing recently to the top 40 agents in WA state, the resposne has been overwhelming and I'm now swimming in bookings (that's the good news). The bad news is this has revealed a weakness in my business model which is time spent on backend process (post work). It's taking too long...strictly speaking I'm rapidly approaching more business than I can handle. As a result, I'm shifting certain interior shots from primarily HDR to primarily strobe lit. This costs more time at the shoot but saves a ton more time on the backend. I … (14 comments)
I bumped into two very thought provoking blogs about wide angle shots. One of the super things about this forum is the great variety of interest and opinions the members bring to it. I'd like to highlight these two interesting questions, add some detail of my own and hopefully broaden the discussion a bit. - - - First off, Kathy Neilson, a Stager asks us to consider that wide angle shots may not always the best marketing in her blog; Choosing the Right Photo. She is making the point that sometimes a narrow, more intimate shot can be highly effective … (53 comments)
photography: Updates, Articles?, Some neat MS software, and you guessed it..pics! :)
- 08/06/07 01:32 PM
I'm probably the worst Active Rainer on here. Once a consistent participant I've sunk to random updates and very occasional lurking. :) I'm glad to say that my absence is almost entirely due to workload (hey, one of my magazine covers just got picked for a national advertising campaign) but I do miss the AR community. I'd like to put together an article or two for learning purposes and maybe you'd like to help? A few topics I think might be useful for folks around here. Votes? Other suggestions? Understanding lens distortion, when it's bad, when it's good. Comprehensive look at ISO … (15 comments)
photography: Self Portrait:
- 05/03/07 03:36 AM
Ok, ok...I've been really busy. Plus with some recent unpleasantness with a fellow member I decided to just focus on my work (of which there was more than enough!) and take a break from AR. Anyway, a while back I jauntily challenged Cheryl to actually post a picture of herself. Well, she called my bluff post haste which left me in a bind. Now *I* had to post one as well. Sigh. Did I mention that I dislike having my picture taken? Yes, the photographer dislikes having his picture taken. Actually I'm a good sport about it when necessary it's just … (10 comments)
photography: This Week In Pictures [04-20-07]:
- 04/20/07 05:40 AM
I'm getting way behind here on AR. I admit it. I'm simply too busy. Nice problem to have but it is becoming a serious issue actually (I need to write a blog about what to do when you get too much business all at once). Whew! Here are some images from recent shoots. I thought I'd switch things up a bit and include some portraiture as well as work from one of my favorite corporate clients, CB Richard Ellis. A couple of interesting points, only the first two shots are a residence, all other 'propert'y shots are commercial. The other thing to … (24 comments)
photography: This Week in Pictures [04-07-07]:
- 04/07/07 11:33 AM
Wow, to say I've been busy this week would be putting it mildy (this is the first time I've even fired up AR). A few of the highlights from real estate shoots. :) Cheers, -B
Seattle-Photographer … (32 comments)
photography: This week in pictures [03-27-07]:
- 03/27/07 02:16 PM
I'm swamped with work this week so I am going to post up early. The below photos are from just one job, a wedding I shot this weekend. What makes this unusual is the following: I'm not a wedding photographer. I maintain this by telling people to use other, better photographers that specialize in weddings (there are plenty). If that doesn't work, I insist on outrageous fees. Sometimes that STILL doesn't scare them off. Then again this wasn't your traditional wedding. The ceremony was held at Rialto Beach. Now, if you've never been to Washington it's an amazing state from a nature standpoint. … (16 comments)
Have you stopped by the Photography Group lately? Something amazing is happening. The the whole dang photography group has blossomed, we've near swamped ourselves with content rich articles! We now have so many blogs dedicated to building the skills of our fellow AR members that we no longer know quite how to handle them all. We are talking about making some kind of special sectionfor how to's and tutorials so other, newer blogs have time to breath. It's not just one or two folks either, it's a whole mess of people. It's helpfulness run rampant! Hide the women and children! SVW(tm) … (41 comments)
photography: This Week in Pictures [03-22-07]:
- 03/22/07 05:24 PM
I have a plan. Actually, let's call it a scheme. That's more exciting sounding. Kind of dangerous. I've been awfully busy this week with shooting, I need a little AR time. :) My plan is to post up a few of the given week's images. My favorites from work and from the personal world (or the interesting bits, even if the photos are bad). Please feel free to comment and critique. I'm also happy to answer any questions. I hope others will join in and post their photos as well. The ones they like as well as the ones they … (28 comments)
photography: Photography: Photo.net
- 03/17/07 09:56 AM
I'm about to send you to a site beyond your wildest photographic dreams. No, no...not my site. That's more like an odd nightmare caused by a gas bubble during a cat nap. I'm talking about http://www.photo.net Photo.net is going to expand on that effort and more. It's simply an amazing site. Actually I can't extol it's virtues enough but I'll summarize the best bits: Inspiration Art appreciation Technique Critical Feedback Understanding Gear An online portfolio for you Inspiration: I want you to quit reading this blog for a second. I'm going to send you a link to photo.net's top rated … (8 comments)
photography: Selling the Listing? Sell the Community!
- 02/26/07 06:17 AM
I was reviewing last years work recently when I realized that the images for a favorite client of mine never centered around the 'listing' or property in question. In fact, among all the shoots I'd done for him...I had never photographed a single structure or piece of property he was actually selling. Wait, what? Yup, no pics of the property being sold...ever. Now to be fair he mostly does large development deals. As a result it's rare there is anything much to shoot.
Instead he calls me when he wants marketable images of the local area. He gives me a … (21 comments)
photography: The Absolute Necessity of Failure:
- 02/25/07 04:23 AM
If you are anything like me you've had the...um...you know, occasional mishap. OK, wait...I need to be a little more forthright. I've goofed up, made mistakes; I've been late, I've been too early, overslept, said the wrong thing, used the wrong name, dressed inappropriately, misunderstood the context. My Professional Photographer equipment has failed, I've deleted key files, failed to understand objectives, turned in work late, failed to take the picture I wanted. etc. etc etc. The list goes on! Let me tell you how it feels when I make a mistake. It hurts! I want to crawl back into bed with a … (14 comments)
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