I’m a pleb, so I take thousands, and maybe I’ll end up with one or two. Being focused in the moment helps, but still feels like a game of chance.

People occasionally give compliments for saying “oh your pictures are so good!” But that just hurts me inside because I know for a fact none of my photos were perfectly planned and intentional.

Public Parades, outdoors concerts, festivals.

(In most countries) By default, all copyright is retained by the original creator. You, the client, can only exercise rights transferred to, or shared with you as spelled out on the contract.

Unless stated otherwise, you do not have the right to reproduce and publish derivative works. This includes a simple photoshop job as you described.

That said, copyright laws only apply for publication and reproduction. It doesn’t apply for personal use. Just don’t put it up on Facebook/instagram etc. and you won’t be violating anything.

Depends on the contract.

Usually, full copyright is not transferred in a simple photoshoot gig. We’d spell it out so that the photographer retains full copyright, and client gains the right to share and publish the work as-is.

If they want the right to produce and publish derivative works, that’ll have to be negotiated. (IE, you can, but leave my name completely out of it.)

If they want the right to SELL the original or derivatives, or otherwise use them commercially, that’ll be a completely different contract, probably in the form of a royalty agreement.

I don’t know what to tell you, it’s always about the lens, and rarely the body (unless you need yee many pixels for specific format, or you need the DR for astrophotography etc.). D700 and 5D Mk.II are still amazing clickers and you can get them for dirt cheap. D800 has been, and continues to be an astonishing body, and you can now pick it up for about the same price as a new intermediate APS-C body.

As all the major brands exit the DSLR market, all of their prices are coming down, so yeah, people who’re willing to compromise on IQ and portability for lens cost will look for deals with DSLR bodies and the respective lenses. Heck, I’d rather use full-metal chassis DSLRs and respective lenses for paid gigs just for that psychological reassurance that it’ll continue to function even if I accidentally drop or bump it while on the job.

Laminated Fuji Pearl stock, full bleed mounted frameless on a sturdy board.

There are plenty of youtube channels that tells you how to properly use your gear, light a subject, etc. Very few of them actively discuss the other half of the battle: actually thinking between your shots, and improvising when necessary.

Digitalrev TV back when Kai and Lok were hosts made some good content that really went deep about the philosophy and attitude of ‘making it work with what you’ve got’, and I really respected that. No matter how cheap or expensive your camera bag is, nothing will ever be ‘perfect’, and they had some real gems that help you get in that mindset and actively problem solving for ‘making it work’.

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edit: dang, I went to the channel and it seems most of the stuff have been unlisted.

I believe print is the truly timeless medium. With 61 megapixels, I can get a 300dpi print on a 20x30. So I’ll take that, thanks.

Always frame for less, and then crop even more to make it work, anyway. I’ve learned that there’s an art of exclusion in photography.

Let me tell you a story:

Many years ago, when I first started, I made the stupid decision of buying a 50mm for an aps c camera without realizing 50mm on an aps c is not truly ‘50mm’ people talk up. I couldn’t afford any other lens for a good while, so I stuck with it anyway.

A year later, I got a 35, and 23 few more years either way. And I can tell you, it always gets harder as you go wider.

So going back to the thesis, I suggest framing for less and cropping even tighter to get rid of things that you don’t want, then start taking a few steps back (or use wider focal length.)

Film simulation with a touch of Gaussian blur?

In order of importance:

1. Lens + Lighting (both important, and one cannot substitute the other)
2. Sensor performance
3. Post processing
4. Export configuration

An iPhone pro is plenty for a casual/amateur shoot these days. There are even external flashes and strobes that can work with iPhones.

Assuming you aren’t getting paid for it, youdon’t need fancy equipment unless you 1. Need a very specific lens and sensor configuration for a specific style/application. 2. Robust sensor / raw image for super low light noise suppression or heavy post-processing 3. Shoot craptons in a very short period.

Especially for events and candid shoots since more and more people who aren’t professional models haven’t lived around big black cameras and get intimidated by them.

Yes.

When charging for businesses, you don’t bill by the hour but by the business value of the photos and your services.

Depends on the type of the gig. When I do generic event shoots, I take about 500-1000 in an hour (I shoot in burst mode), and about 30 of them make it at the most. So that makes it a success rate of about 3~6%?

Each time I raise my camera, I do like a burst of 5~20. Call me spray and pray. But hey, it works.

Follow the 3-2-1 rule. 3 back ups. Two different types, and one in cloud/off site.

Terms of delivery should be included in the contract. For personal clients I tell them that I prefer two separate physical media and a one-time digital transfer. I make it clear that the cost for physical media and shipping is part of the payment (they’ll need to pay more if they want more), and digital transfer is just a bonus so they can get them faster.

For digital transfer I ask them to provide me a link where I can upload the images to. This way, once the pictures are uploaded, it’s their problem, not mine.