Frequently Asked 5

1. Has there ever been a time where you didn't "click" with a client?

There have only been a small handful of times where the client and I just didn't "click". Anytime you work with someone one-on-one and in such a personal and intimate setting like photography there is a chance that photographer and client just won't see eye to eye, humor isn't understood, miscommunications happen or expectations aren't met. That being said, I make sure every client is happy and satisfied with their work. Obviously if they don't express their concerns I can't help, but I do my best to make sure I've done everything I can to give them the desired results from their session.


Images by Chance Hammock
2. Does it upset you when former clients work with another photographer?

As I have said in the past, it is the greatest compliment when clients come back and desire to work with me for another session! It makes me all gooey inside. However, that doesn't always happen. I'm only human, so of course it stings when a former client goes elsewhere. But, I don't take it personal - it's business. Perhaps the client and I just didn't "click", my style/pricing/offerings have changed, or perhaps they just want to try something different with a new photographer!

3. Congrats on  your pregnancy! With your baby set to arrive soon, will you hire a photographer to do newborn photos of your baby? What kinds of things would you look for as a photographer turned client?

Thank you! Only 2 more months to go! I've been tossing around the idea of hiring out someone to do my newborn photos for a while now. Lots of tossing. Admittedly newborn photography is not my favorite (because it's hard work, long hours - but they're oh so cute!) and I don't know if I will be up to doing the photos myself.

Should I decide to seek out another photographer, style is the biggest thing I would look for. I personally love a more photo-journalistic style of newborn photography - no props, clean processing and just candid photos of baby in their natural state. There are so many photographers who excel at prop photography and all those crazy jellyroll poses - but I am not one of them! While their work is beautiful, I simply look for something different as a photography and as a would-be client.

4. Have you ever dropped your camera?

Have I? No. My cameras and lenses are like my other babies. Has my daughter ever dropped my camera? Yes. =)

5. What advice can you give to new photographers regarding the style of their images?


Final images and "straight out of the camera shots" are two different things. You can change the look of your work and define your style through post-processing alone. I prefer a more classic look. I love all of the filters and actions you can apply to photos, and in many cases a session or "mood" warrants these, but I prefer to keep my photography timeless and I think clients who work with me look for the same. It took a lot of experimentation on my part to figure out what "style" and look worked best for me and what I felt most comfortable with. Now, I have my processing down to a science.

That's my best advice - experiment. Find what works best for you and what draws in the clients. There are clients for every style and aesthetic. =) 


*Note: I'm not an expert. I don't pretend to be! These are simply my opinions and experiences during my time as a professional photographer.
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Frequently Asked 5

1. While a good business mantra, logically speaking, the customer isn't always right. Have you found a good way to ensure a win-win for both you and the client when there's a misunderstanding?

I think it's all about compromise. In a business where you are your own boss and not a big corporation, it can be very easy to let clients walk all over you. Have there been times where I have put on a happy face to make a client happy? Absolutely. Have I had to politely tell a client no, and explain to them why a solution would be unfair to me as a business woman? Yes (and after hitting SEND I may or may not have cowered behind my screen, terrified of their reply!). The key is to keep everything professional and work to find a happy medium where both the photographer and client feel like they are being respected and their needs are being met.

2. Outside of Facebook, do you use any social media to promote your work?

Social media exists outside of Facebook? 

3. What's one camera accessory (flash, bag, tripod, etc) would you buy if you had one free purchase?

I would probably buy another camera bag. Just like any girl, photographer or not, you can never have enough bags! Different sessions call for different supplies and equipment, so it would be fun to have a few bags for different purposes to mix things up!

4. If you could buy any one lens right now, what would it be?

The 24-70mm 2.8, hands down! I have used various zoom lenses for weddings, but nothing beats this amazing piece of glass. The sharpness, the colors, etc. I rent it for every wedding I shoot! Unfortunately I don't specialize in weddings, so I can't justify the expense of purchasing the lens for my collection...yet. =)

5. What are your favorite photography websites?

I don't really follow too many. I once read that the only work you should compare yourself to is your own - so, to feel really good about myself I will look at my old work and give myself a pat on the back for how much I have learned and grown in the past 2 years! =)

I do however have the "Craft of Photography" installed on my iPad on my Flipboard app, which pulls in all sorts of fun articles from Photography blogs all over the internet. It's pretty much the only outside resource I use! 


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Tutorial: Headswapping

Family sessions are always a challenge because I have to get everyone to look at me at the same time with a great big smile. For families with children, this is an especially greater challenge. I often find myself "swapping heads", for lack of a better term, to get my shot just right.

Creating a composite image is as simple as finding a base image and appropriate images to pull in outside objects or subjects and using a layer mask to merge the two. For this quick tutorial, I'll be using an image of the Hunt men from my session just this past weekend.

Here is a straight out of the camera (SOOC) shot but unfortunately our little guy was looking at the rocks we were passing him to keep happy instead of the lady with the camera. This is an otherwise great shot, so I can't bear to part with it. Looking through my film, I find another image from this same pose where baby is looking at me.

In my opinion, the key to a good head swap is making sure you use heads/subjects from the same location and same pose. If you start pulling from earlier/later in the session, your lighting and body position is not going to be the same, nor is the scale of the head/body.

So now that I've found a better shot of our little guy, it's time to plop him into our base image. I use the lasso tool to draw a big selection around him. I find that drawing a big selection is a lot more fool proof when you are trying to blend (especially with a layer mask) then attempting a precise cut and paste.

Once I've made my selection, I copy + paste onto the base, which creates a new layer.

Now, using my Move Tool I adjust the layer to fit over the existing image. Having trouble? Try turning down the opacity of your pasted layer which will allow you to see the original image behind you. This can help you line up eyes, noses, etc. Just remember to turn the opacity back to 100% when you're done!

This was a pretty seamless job, except that weird paste line on his leg and a few of the bricks look a big longer than they are in real life. This is when our layer mask comes into play! Layer masks - they are where it's at. I use them in every picture I edit!

Make sure when you create your layer mask that the mask, or white box, is selected. It should do this by default, but ya never know.

The way a layer mask works is by using a white and black paintbrush, you can draw and erase your layer as much or as little as you need. Black works more or less as an eraser while white paints back anything you've erased from the original layer. If you mess up, erase too far, or realize you needed a part of your pasted layer, you can simply switch your color swatch and repaint that part of the image. GENIUS.

Since we want to remove the line of the pasted layer, we want to use a black paintbrush, to "erase" the pasted image.

Doing this helps me clean up the excess brick around his head (thus making them proportional and well, normal looking) and I've cleaned up the area on his leg. Remember - if you make a mistake, simply switch back to your white paintbrush and add the pasted image back! A layer mask is much more forgiving than simply erasing your layer or cropping out the excess.

So there you have it! We saved this great image! Once you flatten your image, the image should look seamless and no one will be the wiser. I had to do this for a few photos in this session and I think my clients would struggle to figure out which images have been adjusted!

Check out the before and after by rolling over the image below to get the full effect!


Image Rollover Effect

Jason & Emily, April 27, 2012

This past weekend I had the great privilege of photographing Jason and Emily as they exited the Washington, DC LDS Temple. It was a bit unusual, seeing as how I'd never had an opportunity to meet the couple prior to documenting their special day! Both students out West and with families from Pennsylvania and Connecticut, there just wasn't ever a time for us to get together. However, I immediately felt welcomed into their big day by their family, friends, and the warm personality of this couple. I loved getting to know them better and their story.

For example, did you know you can get a custom made wedding gown on Etsy? Also, photographing a photography student (aka someone who knows their stuff) is a bit nerve wracking! In the end, that only worked to my advantage as Emily knew exactly how to work in front of the camera, given what I can imagine is extensive work behind it! I love it when a couple seems to forget I am there and I catch a real moment.

Here are just a few of my favorite shots from their afternoon at the Temple! Right now they're probably soaking up the sun and solitude in Mexico =) Wish them all the best, and congrats again you guys!!

 

 

 

* If you love my photo enough to use it on your Facebook, profile, blog, etc., then please love me enough by linking back to my website or tagging Kelli Brewer Photography on the photo! Thanks =)

Friday 5

First and foremost, I really should stop calling this the "Friday 5" and instead refer to it as the "Sporadic FAQ Post that I Put Up When I Get Around To It - 5". I apologize I've not been very consistent, but on the plus side it's because I've been so busy with clients and working with such fabulous people!! Here are some of the questions I've received over the past few weeks that I've had sitting in my inbox:


1. I'd really like to break into photography, specifically family photography but nobody seems to be calling. What is the best way you garner clients?

Everyone has their own opinions, and this is simply mine - people aren't going to pay money for an outcome they can't see. Meaning, do you have any family sessions in your portfolio? Can a potential client see what they would get in return for their investment?

Okay, so now you're asking me how to add to your portfolio if nobody is calling?? To me, that's easy - "portfolio building sessions". When I first started in this business I did a lot of free sessions of friends and family, or friends or friends, to build up my portfolio and before I felt like I could work in exchange for money. Once I was comfortable, I started doing sessions in exchange for the client purchasing digital files and prints, but the session was no cost to them and they had no obligation to buy anything. How you choose to go about your portfolio building is up to you, but I think it is absolutely essential to have experience in an area of photography - newborn, family, child, wedding, etc. - before you can expect people to come knocking and wanting to pay for your services.

Lastly, sure, these sessions are time consuming for little pay, but the experience - and advertising - is priceless. Your portfolio sessions will be shared by your models, who will show them to friends, who may end up calling you. I have managed to completely build my client base on referrals/Facebook alone!

2. What do you do when a client is late? How long do you wait?

This is tough because in the DC area traffic is unpredictable. I would say 30 minutes is reasonable in the DC area, whether the client or even the photographer, myself, has hit a traffic jam. If it gets longer than 30 minutes you really could be cutting into your available light at which point it might be better for everyone to reschedule. 

3. How has changing your pricing structure impacted your business?

I am happy to report there have not been any hiccups in my bookings since reworking my portrait session fees. I know my clients struggled with understanding how my previous packages worked and what was included. Although the initial investment now seems higher, clients are no longer restrained to how many images from their session they can order and a gallery credit is included with your session, so every client walks out with at least $100 of custom goodies! 

Pricing is really tough, but I am so happy to be where I am at and to have found something that is really working for me.

4. Can you recommend a good host or gallery service?

I am currently using Zenfolio (which recently merged with my professional lab, Millers) and I have been really impressed with it. There are so many features and customizations that it can at first seem a little daunting, but now that I am figuring it out I couldn't be happier about the change!!

5. How do you feel about props in your sessions? Do you provide them or do your clients?

I love when clients bring props and ideas to their sessions - it really helps make their session their own. That said, I ask that all clients provide their own props. It's the easiest way to assure that a) the client likes props b) it's a prop they picked out and therefore their style c) you don't see the same prop ideas all over my blog. Sometimes the props work in a session and sometimes they don't, but the beauty of digital is that everything is worth a try!

Now, in regards to newborn photography, I have learned I am not a prop type of gal. I think that style of photography is beautiful and there are so many skilled photographers, but I prefer a more candid approach. Aside from a comfy bed and a beautiful blanket, I feel the baby is the only "prop" you really need. That's just my personal preference! 

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