[REVIEW:] Getting It Done With Photo Mechanic – Dennis Hays

Back in the days of film, before going on an assignment, I would stop at a camera store and buy enough film for the shoot. Of course, I would estimate this from a shot list provided by my client and added extra to it, based on some WAG (Wild-Ass Guessing) factor.

In most cases, I would buy the film in "blocks" of twenty, as 20 roll boxes of either 35mm 24 or 36 exposure film came cello-wrapped that way. I'd buy these blocks because they had the same emulsion number, therefore expecting consistent results. Anything left over went into my refrigerator for those one-off, quickie assignments or for fun and testing.

After the assignment, I'd drop off the film, often E-6 chrome, in two batches—odd number rolls in on one day and even number when I picked up the first batch the next day. If there were any lab accidents, only half of my film was at risk at any one time.

Once back at my office with the developed chrome images, I'd lay them out on a light table to view them. No matter what size film I used, 35mm, 120/220 or 4x5, I needed to view them with a magnifier. I'd go through each one, putting aside, in two batches, definite keepers and the garbage shots.

It's all so much easier with digital, including the last bit about culling the images. Instead of using a magnifier, I can look at each image full screen and even magnify it 800 times to see critical areas. Now, that I'm not restricted by a finite number of images (memory cards notwithstanding), I tend to shoot more pictures than necessary, even some grab shots along the way or some, I call experimental.

Working through large batches of exposures requires a tool that can do a number of tasks quickly. Recently, I had the good fortune to use Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits (version 4.6.3).

Figure 1: Photo Mechanic Main Interface

My workflow may not necessarily be right for you, but Photo Mechanic can accommodate most anyone's. The workflow incorporates everything from getting the image files off of the memory cards to "output." Photo Mechanic describes output as saving images, printing contact sheets or full images, creating a web gallery, and so forth.

Photo Mechanic's robust ingest feature determines when you have attached a memory card to a card reader and offers to copy/move the image files to your hard drive. While ingesting the files, Photo Mechanic can also apply the data from the IPTC Stationary Pad (Figure 2) to all the images. The data, once applied to your images, is available for any other IPTC aware applications.

Figure 2: IPTC Stationary Pad w/ MetaData

The images appear inside Photo Mechanic as a contact sheet (see Figure 1) with either the original file names or those applied while ingesting (batch renaming). While you can have a number of contact sheets in Photo Mechanic's tabbed interface, usually, you are working with only one at a time. A small annoyance, for me, was how I had to close a tab. I had expected to be able to close a tab with either a double click or right-click and select close, but, in Photo Mechanic, I had to use the keyboard combination of “Ctrl-w” or go into the “File” menu and select “Close.”

One of the first and, in my opinion, more important actions is to cull the collection for keepers. Photo Mechanic is set up to help you do this swiftly. Start by double-clicking the first image at the top-left of the contact sheet to open the preview window (Figure 3).

Figure 2: Preview for Tagging Images

To quickly go through your images, keep your hands totally on the keyboard and press “T” to tag the image (keeper) and the right arrow key to go to the next image. If in doubt about the quality of an image, press the “Z” key to toggle the zoom (can be set at various magnifications) and look at the image closer. When you've gone through the entire collection, press the “ESC” key to leave the preview screen and go back to the main Photo Mechanic interface (Figure 1).

Now, press the “F3” key and the images not (T)agged disappear (they not deleted), leaving you with only the keepers. Select all of them, “Ctrl-A” and use the “File >> Copy/Move photos...” command to copy them in a new folder, labeled as keepers.

In a few minutes, you can go through scores of images and whittle down the entire shoot to the few you need for presentation or editing or output. The beauty of working like this is you quickly narrow the collection to a manageable number and the unwanted images are removed (not deleted) and you are free from their distraction.

Figure 3: Single Image (Contact Sheet) Showing Additional Features w/ Mouse Over

Besides working the images as a batch, you can also address each image individually. As you hover the mouse over each image in the contact sheet, icons in the frame appear which allow you to tag, rotate, edit the IPTC data and "star" the image. The stars, at the bottom of the frame, allow assigning images 0 to 5 stars to designate a "value" for consideration.

In the editing mode, you can do all of the following:

• Selecting photos
• Rotating photos
• Tagging photos (e.g. the "keepers")
• Previewing photos
• Running a Slide Show to tag photos
• Sorting photos
• Adding IPTC (e.g. Caption) info to photos either individually or as a batch
• Renaming photos
• Sending photos to an external editor for detailed inspection

The design of Photo Mechanic allows you to speed through the normally time-consuming process of moving files from your memory cards, applying IPTC data and deciding which images are worth keeping. When done culling you can:

• Copy photos
• Save photos as a new photo (applying rotation, crop, resize, etc)
• Print photos as contact sheets or individually
• Export HTML web pages of photos
• Send photos as email attachments
• Present a slide show of your photos

Initially, I was reluctant to add another software application to my workflow as I had thought importing the files into Adobe Lightroom and working with them there was enough. However, I can definitely see the efficacy of using Photo Mechanic on the front end to speedily get to a stage where I can do any necessary editing. Photo Mechanic displays JPG, TIFF and RAW (also JPG + RAW) files quicker than most any application I have used.

I don't know about you, but frankly, I really don't like the grunt work—I'd rather be shooting or drooling over new gear. Photo Mechanic is quite efficient at what it does and for what it does, it leads the pack.

Visit the Photo Mechanic web site for additional information

Demo Available - http://www.camerabits.com/pages/demoreg.cgi

License: Electronic $150.00 / Media $160.00 / Upgrade $90.00

 

Technorati Tags: Photo Mechanic,Camera Bits,Culling Images,Edit,Images,Contact Sheet,IPTC

[REVIEW:] Zenfolio — An Online Photographer's Paradise – Dennis Hays

Photographers and writers are invisible performance artists and are known only by their work, not by their physical presence. While singers, actors and dancers perform in front of an audience, a photographer's audience usually never sees the actual performance, but only the results. It is the results, however, that the photographer wants the audience to see.

It's a rare photographer that keeps their work under wraps and away from the public and away from view. Normally, images are to document an event, publication or to be exhibited. I would feel safe in saying a large majority of photographers are amateurs and never put their work in front of the public. Of this demographic, there is a healthy number dabbling in fine art and semi-professional work (getting paid for their images, but not gainfully employed, full time as a professional photographer).

Zenfolio provides a service to photographers wanting to exhibit their images, possibly sell them, but don't want or can't technically maintain a proprietary Web site. Whether you are a novice, hobbyist, semi-pro or professional, Zenfolio has features to accommodate you.

Using Zenfolio's services is much like having your own web site, except for the costs of programming, on-going maintenance, and installation of a shopping cart for selling pictures, which can be both expensive and difficult to set up.

I created a trial account on Zenfolio to examine what they offered and also to experience the uploading and settings available. Zenfolio's trial account allows you to have two weeks to evaluate whether Zenfolio has what you need and, to be fair, I didn't find it lacking any essentials. In fact, I'm hard pressed to determine what, if anything, is missing.

After the two-week trial, Zenfolio offers three tiers of service: Basic, for $25.00 per year, has no bandwidth limit (you can feel free to have every one of your relatives, friends, clients and the general public view your pictures without any additional costs), but initially, has a two-gigabyte limit for image storage. If you stay at the Basic level, you get an additional gigabyte of storage for every additional year you maintain your subscription. The maximum file size per image is 12 megabytes, which should be plenty; the Unlimited tier, for $50.00 per year, offers the same per-image size, but the Premium level ($100 per year) has a per image limit of 24 megabytes.

Between the different levels, Basic, Unlimited and Professional, there are a few differences, with most of the difference between the two lower tiers and the Premium level.

The Premium level is intended for image sales and, as such, has a myriad of services intended to make the process of selling quick and easy. Zenfolio lists a comparative chart of their services and features.

 
Figure 1: Zenfolio Wizard

When I got started with Zenfolio, the site presented a wizard to facilitate getting set up. There were two choices of uploaders to get your images from your computer onto Zenfolio's site. The Zenfolio Uploader can upload a batch of images at one time. All you need do is drag and drop them into the uploader, press the upload button and get some coffee. The HTML uploader requires you to add photos, one-by-one. You can also use third-party tools.

After opening a trial account with Zenfolio (no credit card required), I used the wizard to upload three of my images and then went to look at how they were displayed. I thought it looked good...so good, I wanted to put up a few more to see the slide-show at work and that's when I ran into the first problem. Where is the upload tool?

After going to my account page, I looked for a login link and finally found it at the bottom right-hand corner. I logged in and looked for the uploader and, not finding it, searched the lower right corner, but it's not there.

Glancing around the screen, I saw the Zenfolio logo on the top left and a few items at the top right: WELCOME DENNISHAYS, MY ZENFOLIO (drop down) and LOGOUT. Thinking, for just a minute it's in the MY ZENFOLIO drop down. I check. There is a Back to Edit View link there (also goes to edit view when you click the WELCOME link). It's not obvious, but, I guess if you look hard enough...

Figure 2: Zenfolio Edit Page

Back at the edit view, where you can start one of the uploaders, the original wizard popped open, even though I had checked "Do not show this page when I log in." After the first time I used it and checked "Do not show..." I don't really expect to see it every time I go into Edit mode. This happens with both Firefox and IE7.

That is small potatoes overall. Zenfolio is a comprehensive online tool allowing you customize it almost any way you want: layout templates, background color, adding music and, as I said previously, a back-end shopping cart to help you sell your images.

Figure 3: Zenfolio Price Calculation

If you elect to sell your images through Zenfolio, you can create and manage price lists, building various lists for how you market your images. For instance, you can create a price lists for general sales and another for selling limited run pictures. When you upload images, they go into galleries you create (there is no limit to the number of galleries). Once created, you can assign your price lists to the galleries.

Figure 4: Zenfolio Price Formula Edit

Initially, I wanted to see the Zenfolio prices, but couldn't find a link. However, when you create your price lists, the base cost displays showing you Base Price, Profit, Service Fee, Selling Price and a tick box to tell Zenfolio to use a formula for price calculations. You can turn this off and change the profit and/or Selling Price to whatever you want. Also, you can change the formula used by Zenfolio in the price calculations.

Selling Price = Base Price + Fixed Markup + % Over Base

Zenfolio is a remarkable online platform for photographers. In an afternoon, you can create a presence which is both professional and comprehensive, allowing a myriad of customization to make your gallery unique.

Is it worth the price? Zenfolio's fees are, in my opinion, quite reasonable, at $25.00, $50.00 and $100.00 per year. The real question, however, is what is your alternative? What's the cost in time and energy to create your own Web site from scratch or how much will you pay to have someone do it for you. Let's face it. We're photographers and our time should be spent taking and editing pictures and marketing our services, not pushing code.

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[REVIEW:] Software Review: Athentech Perfectly Clear - The Joy of Image Editing – Dennis Hays

I have been using Adobe Photoshop ever since Adobe released version 2.51 on November 1992 and, for the most part, I have kept current. Photoshop is a daunting program with hundreds of commands, some buried so deep you'll need an archeologist to unearth them.

If you are a professional or fine art photographer, you may need to have all of this power at your disposal; but what if you could find some way to edit your images visually and with few commands?

Over the years many individuals and companies have made a business out of supplying plug-ins to extend Photoshop's abilities, but most all of them require you to know exactly what you want to do with your image prior to using them.

Athentech's Perfectly Clear promises automatic photo correction with instant Real Color perfection. Available for Microsoft Windows, Perfectly Clear could not be easier to use. Open the plug-in after loading your image and Perfectly Clear immediately corrects your photo. Athentech says their product will provide one-click adjustments to images that nine out of ten times exceed either the camera's own rendition or normal manual adjustments.

Figure 1: Perfectly Clear Before and After

The before and after picture above clearly shows what Perfectly Clear did without any manual adjustments. Note specifically the color of the water and the clarity of the subjects.

What about the times Perfectly Clear doesn't get it just right the first time? Look at the second picture where you can see, on the right side, controls for you to manually adjust the settings for your image. There are but a few and clearly labeled: Exposure, Contrast, Sharpening, Skin Tone as so forth.

Figure 2: Athentech Perfectly Clear Interface

All of them can be enabled or disabled with the check box to the left and you can save your manual adjustments as a "preset." This allows you to re-use your settings at any time by selecting them in the drop-down box at the upper right. As an example, I took many pictures at this beach while on vacation and, instead of moving the controls to duplicate my setting on each image, I saved my settings for the first image and then picked it from the drop-down for each image thereafter.

Many corporations and image laboratories have been using Athentech's Perfectly Clear technology for some time (in over 55,000 kiosks in 30-plus countries, thousands of mini-labs, countless online solutions, labs, and over 13 million software copies), but now it's packaged as a Photoshop plug-in for the general public. You can download a 30-day, fully functional trial with zero limitations of Perfectly Clear at Athentech's web site.

Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
• Apple iPhone, Macintosh OS currently in development.
• Windows Version - $199.00
• iPhone Version - $2.99

 

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[REVIEW:] Photographing Nature by Ralph A. Clevenger – Review by Dennis Hays

Photographing Nature: A photo workshop from Brooks Institute's top nature photography instructor Review by Dennis Hays When I was a boy, I watched Marlon Perkins' Wild Kingdom on television and was fascinated by the images of live animals on the screen. I knew a photographer had to be in the background to capture the action. Someday, I told myself, I'd like to do that. While I'm grown up now, the wonder of nature still enthralls me and so do the photographers who put themselves "out there" to get the images. A few years ago, I had a conversation with Andy Rouse, one of the preeminent nature photographers in the world. While we talked about his photographic work-flow, we did have a side conversation about the field work. Being a nature photographer is not just walking out into the brush with your camera; there is quite a bit to learn to do it right. Reading Ralph Clevenger's book, Photographing Nature , was an eye opener for me as to what's needed to be proficient. He covers quite a bit, gives away some secrets and provides a first-rate course in this subject. Photographing Nature is a photo workshop from the famed Brooks Institute, where Clevenger is an instructor. Clevenger takes you step by step and leads you through a process to learn what you need in the way of equipment, lighting, wet-belly photography (it is what it sounds like!), and even ethics. There is no way a book, even one as comprehensive as Ralph A. Clevenger's Photographing Nature is going to make a weekend shooter into a professional nature photographer; not without hours and hours of practice and thousands of images. However, if you have any thought of heading to the great outdoors to try your hand at some simple subjects, Photographing Nature will make your initial steps easier and give you some methods with which to evaluate your product. Most of us will not be nature photographers, but will, from time to time, go camping or hiking and, while away, have opportunities to photograph plants and animals. The techniques Clevenger presents can assist you in making sure the images are framed correctly, have effective lighting and know what makes an appealing and possibly a salable picture. As for me... I still have a wee part of my curiosity that wants to explore some of Clevenger's methods, but not so much that I want to give up a comfortable bed for a sleeping bag.

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It's All About Focus - The Lensbaby Review by Dennis Hays

There is something almost primitive about the Lensbaby series of optics. The idea of a hands-on approach to selective focus is quite ingratiating and gives me a feeling of control. Almost from the minute I put the Lensbaby Composer on my Canon, I had an intuitive feel for its operation.

The Composer is the base lens of a system, where you change the optics to achieve various results. With the default double glass optic , you can move the front of the Composer, within its ball-and-socket axis, to adjust the "sweet spot" in any direction. This allows you to change the area of focus and force other areas softer. Once moved, the Lensbaby stays where you put it--there is no lock—it is secure to use for multiple shots or to point in any direction.

Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass Optic

Operating the Composer is easy. After putting it on your camera (it approximates a 50mm lens), twist the manual focusing ring to adjust the focus and then tilt the front of the Composer in any direction. This is a manual focus lens—there is no electronic connection between the lens and camera.

Changing the aperture is more involved than any other lens you have in your kit. You have to remove the double optic lens (or any of the other optics of the Optic Swap System) from the Composer body and replace the aperture disks This is the primitive nature I alluded to in the first paragraph. The aperture disks supplied with the Composer double-optic are: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.

All of the Lensbaby series of optics come with aperture disks and a magnetic tool to remove an existing disk. The tool has a built-in container to hold the unused aperture disks.

The Composer is not like a tilt-and-shift lens or a large format camera where you can extend the depth of field or adjust parallel line convergence. It has but a single purpose; to move the sweet spot within the angle of coverage.

Years ago, we used to take an old glass filter and gently put Vaseline over it, leaving a clear spot in the center. The Lensbaby is essentially a "dryer" form of this, albeit, with the ability to tilt the optics in any direction, while keeping the film plane parallel to the object.

As I said previously, the Lensbaby Composer is the base of the system. Using the top of the plastic case of one of the  Optic Swap System lenses , you remove the double glass optic and replace it with one of the other optics.

Lensbaby Composer with Fisheye Optic

I used the single glass optic , which simulates the optics found on an antique camera; the plastic optic that simulates the lens of a toy camera with a large amount of chromatic aberration; Pinhole and Zone Plate; Soft Focus Optic with which you can vary the amount of softness by replacing or stacking aperture disks; and the Fish Eye Optic with an ultra-wide 12mm focal length and 160 degree field of view.

Since all of these are part of a system using the same base device, when you purchase any of the other Optic Swap system units, you keep the versatile tilting base. None of the Optic Swap System connect to your camera's electronics; therefore, everything is manual--focusing, aperture adjustment and degree of softness.

 
Lensbaby Composer with Soft Focus Optic

To change any element, optic or aperture, you have to remove the optics and replace the optic and/or an aperture disk. This is not as simple as removing a lens from you camera and replacing it with another. Changing the Lensbaby requires some effort, so using any of the Optic Swap System items is not a spontaneous decision. You must think about the shot you want and not just set your camera on five frames a second and wave it about.

While some photographers, using the automatics of the digital SLR, may find using the Lensbaby cumbersome, I heartily disagree. The Lensbaby Composer and the rest of the Optic Swap System are a set of devices to help you acquire your artistic vision. You are not just capturing an event, you are painting a digital canvas.  

Lensbaby Composer with Zone Plate Optic

The Lensbaby is not expensive and definitely worth considering, whether you are an amateur or professional photographer. The $270 retail price the of the Composer is within the means of both the professional and the hobbyist and the individual lenses from the Optic Swap System are also affordable (Single Glass Optic $34.95, Plastic Optic $34.95, Pinhole/Zone Plate $34.95, Soft Focus Optic $89.95, Fisheye Optic $149.95).

This is a different way of working and unlike any optics or lens available, therefore it safely sets its own niche. I found their best use in portraiture and still life, but I’m certain I have only touched the surface.

Lensbaby Composer Specifications

• Available in mounts for Canon EF (EOS), Nikon F, Sony Alpha A / Minolta Maxxum, Pentax K / Samsung GX, Olympus E1 / Panasonic Lumix DMC cameras.
• Double Glass (Multi-coated Optical Glass Doublet) included.
• Focal Length: about 50 mm
• Focus Type: Manual
• Aperture Type: Interchangeable, magnetic aperture disks
• Apertures: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22
• Minimum Focus: about 18" (45cm)
  Maximum Focus: infinity
• Size: 2.25"(5.7cm) h x 2.5"(6.35cm) w / Weight: 3.7 oz (104.9g).
• No electronic communication between the lens and the camera body.
• Automatic light metering is possible by shooting in aperture priority mode for almost all digital and film SLR camera bodies except certain Nikon bodies including the D40, D50, D60, D70, D70S, D80, D90, D100, N50, N65, N70, N75, N80, Kodak 14N and ProN, & Fuji S1, S2, and S3.

Single Glass Optic Specifications

• 50 mm focal length
• Uncoated double convex optical glass singlet
• Shipped with clear plastic storage case
• 1.75" (4.44 cm) x 1.37" (3.5 cm)
• Compatible with the Composer, Muse, and Control Freak

Plastic Optic Specifications

• 50 mm focal length
• Uncoated double convex plastic singlet
• Shipped with clear plastic storage case
• 1.75" (4.44 cm) x 1.37" (3.5 cm)
• Compatible with the Composer, Muse, and Control Freak

Lensbaby Pinhole/Zone Plate

• 50 mm focal length
• Pinhole: f/177
• Zone Plate f/19
• Shipped with clear plastic storage case
• 1.75" (4.44 cm) x 1.37" (3.5 cm)
• Compatible with the Composer, Muse, and Control Freak

Soft Focus Optic Specifications

• 50 mm focal length
• f/2 to f/22
• Multi-coated optical glass doublet
• Magnetic disk aperture system
• Degree of softness controlled by changing the aperture disks
• Includes 3 special multi-hole soft focus aperture disks
• Part of the Lensbaby Optic Swap System
• Compatible with the Composer, Muse, and Control Freak
• 1.93" (4.9 cm) x 1.93" (4.9 cm) x 1.34" (3.4 cm)

Fisheye Optic Specifications

• 12 mm focal length
• 160 degree field of view
• Minimum focus: .5" (1.3 cm) from front of optic. Allows for extremely close focus (zero inches from the front of the optic) when used with the Control Freak.
• Maximum focus: infinity
• Six element multi-coated optical design
• f/4 optic with aperture disks that range from f/5.6 to f/22
• Shipped with clear plastic storage case
• 1.89" (4.8 cm) x 1.89" (4.8 cm) x 2" (5.08 cm)
• Compatible with the Composer. Special adapter required for Muse and Control Freak (sold separately).

Lensbaby web site: http://www.lensbaby.com

Technorati Tags: Lensbabyy,Optic Swap System,Selective Focus

When the Teacher Becomes the Student

When I go out in public to shoot, people often approach me and ask questions. Many times the initial query is about my camera or lens. From there, however, the conversation can go anywhere and, invariably, the individual will share a personal anecdote or pose a question based on their own experiences.

Since I’ve already revealed to you that I’m an introvert by nature, you might think I would attempt to avoid such encounters. On the contrary, I’ve found that I’ve gained as much wisdom from these exchanges as I’ve imparted.

An Impromptu Tutorial

One Fourth of July evening, I set up a Mamiya 645 (film) on a tripod and waited for the local fireworks display to begin. As others in the crowd passed the time until the sparks flew, a number of them gathered around me to ask questions.

“Are you shooting for a newspaper?”

“What kind of camera is that?”

I noticed, as the people gathered, that some in the crowd became my protectors. They took it upon themselves to create a circle around me and my tripod, keeping others from bumping it or tripping over it as they passed.

This happened as if by magic — nobody said anything.

I got some good images that night and removed the film from the camera’s film holder. But I had to wait for the crowd to clear before going home.

That’s when one of my self-appointed protectors asked me how to shoot fireworks. He had a new camera and had wanted to bring it to the display, but he didn’t know where to begin.

An impromptu tutorial and question-and-answer session ensued. And somewhere along the way, the conversation began helping me, too.

As I thought through the answers I was providing this gentleman, I realized I would need to make some changes in one of my upcoming shoots.

Learning from Unlikely Sources

That’s the moment when the teacher becomes a student. The Socratic questions, in this dialogue, sparked some ideas and techniques I hadn’t considered, or had tucked in the recesses of my mind.

Even though I was holding court, so to speak, I was also learning something. That’s why these opportunities are golden — and should never simply be dismissed as a nuisance or inconvenience.

Obviously, you can find news and tutorials all over the Internet. You can go to trade shows with some of the best teachers available, and you can take courses in person or online.

But furthering your photographic education is not always through books, seminars and workshops. It can also come from the most unlikely sources — such as a chance conversation with a stranger.

[Appeared In Black Star on February 16, 2010 - http://rising.blackstar.com/when-the-teacher-becomes-the-student.html ]

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For the Self-Confident Photographer, All the World’s a Stage

In a previous Black Star Rising post, I discussed overcoming self-doubt in client negotiations by tapping into a reservoir of confidence — the one you have earned by developing your talents as a photographer.

But an awareness of your technical abilities can only carry you so far. As photographers, we also face other challenges where our doubts and anxieties can undermine our success.

For me, one of these has been directing people on a set or in portrait situations.

I’m an introvert by nature. I abhor crowds. If I need to confront someone, I prefer e-mail if I can get away with it.

So to effectively handle the “people” part of my job, I have to remind myself of some advice I was given many years ago — back when I was an apprentice magician.

The Magician’s Apprentice

As a high school student, I studied magic. I liked manipulating cards and coins — and making things disappear, of course.

After practicing my tricks long and hard, I decided to join a magicians’ trade group. Part of the initiation was presenting a 15 minute show to the group’s members.

So, on a Saturday evening, I walked on stage and did my act.

I stunk.

Oh, the magic worked well enough — but my stage presence was awful. Almost in tears, I retired to the back of the room, while the membership continued with the initiations.

As I sat on a bar stool feeling sorry for myself, a diminutive gentleman named Joseph White climbed onto the stool next to me and started a conversation. He told me very candidly the areas of my act that needed work. He gave me advice on how to improve my body language and interaction with the audience.

Then he said something that has stayed with me.

He recommended that before my next performance, I should mentally throw a switch to the “on” position, gather myself and take possession of the stage.

“When you are on stage,” Mr. White said, “you should own it.”

Owning The Stage

To this day, when I’m working as a photographer, I’m “on.” I own the stage.

I focus on being assertive, on being efficient, and on acquiring the deliverables. I know I must speak up and, if necessary, project my voice and attitude to those around me.

Whether on a set, at a portrait sitting or at a wedding, you can only succeed if you are able to take control and master the situation. During a wedding, for instance, when shooting the family images, it’s your responsibility to “call the shots,” literally. With shot list in hand, you must move people around to make the most pleasing pictures.

If you don’t project a commanding presence (without being rude or arrogant), that part of the event will take longer and you will dampen the overall mood — particularly as it relates to you. Things will only get worse when you move on to the reception, where if you don’t assert yourself, the attendees simply won’t pay attention to you.

If you, like me, are an introvert, this may be all a performance — turning on an “on” switch. But it’s a critical part of your job.

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