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Business
Practice
The
EPNet Community
Part 1 of 2
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When
I decided to look into what I needed to do to grow my recently
revived photography venture, I went to the computer and started
surfing. One of the first sites I came across was the EPNet's
home page www.equinephotographers.net
I was most interested in the job boards and, of course, the exposure
for my business, but I soon found that the EPNet had more to offer
than just the directory listing. The support and knowledge of
the newslists within the EPNet community were just the impetus
I needed to grow my business.
| Since
joining in March 2002, I made the decision to check out shooting
events and went to the Trinity Trials in Dallas/Ft. Worth
with Network member Ardell Greenwood to see what it was all
about. In April, I did my first show and I’ve been hooked
ever since. I’m an engineer's consultant by trade and,
if things keep going as they are, I have one more big consulting
project that should pop up early next year, then my photography
business should crowd out the consulting business some time
after that. |
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I use my own success as an example here to emphasize the importance
of using EPNet to its fullest extent. Everything you need to know
about how to either plant your photo business or grow it is here!
The fastest and most effective way to use the resources of the
EPNet community is through three discussion newslists which are
hosted through Yahoo's list services: Equine Photographers, Pro
Equine Photographers and the newly formed Digital Equine Photographers.
Each list has a distinct function and personality and offers members
insight and knowledge into the specialty of photographing things
equine.
My
first glimpse into this supportive electronic community was through
the original Equine Photographers list found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquinePhotographers.
The messages for this group date back to June 19, 2000. That first
page lists messages 1 through 30 (at my monitor's resolution),
and the messages cover quite a variety of subjects, from indoor
flash photography to digital cameras, getting published, how to
shoot neutral colored or black horses, advice on lenses and lots
of introductions. And that’s just page one! Since then, there
have been almost 15,000 posts! In the archives, I searched for
answers to questions on how to get started in my own photography
business. I hadn’t really thought of specializing in equines
at this point, just wanted to see what others were doing. The
more I got into the questions & answers, the more I liked
and appreciated what this group had to offer. At some point the
seed was planted and my equine photography career started growing.
If you are interested in equine photography and want to learn
more about technique, equipment, process and limited legal issues,
this is the place for you. Your questions & queries are reviewed
by hundreds of people, beginners, amateurs and professionals alike,
and you are liable to get several replies and variations of answers
for you to glean information from. Use it to fit your needs. There
are presently 435 members of this group!
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Once
you have established your business, you may request permission
to join the Pro Equine Photographers list, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProEquinePhotographers.
The main purpose of this group is to provide a forum for the pro’s
to discuss business practices in detail. Even if your business
is well established, this group offers invaluable support and
helpful responses to even the most difficult of customer service
and technical details. Many of the 125 members of the Pro list
also respond to the main board to assist with advice on how to
improve photography skills as well as to provide pertinent copyright
and business practice information.
To
keep current with member's needs, the EPNet has recently added
a third newslist specifically for the Digital Equine Photographer,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalEquinePhotographers.
This list keeps the focus on the specific needs, issues and requirements
of the digital photographer. There are both subtle and not so
subtle differences when comparing film to digital, and this newslist
hopes to provide those who are in the process of converting and
those who are contemplating making the jump into the digital age
with the information they seek. If you have questions about equipment,
software or techniques, this is a good group to stay in touch
with. Numbering 84 members in its' first month, it's going to
be great place to find technical tutoring and tips!
Each of the boards have the capacity for members to utilize sub-directories
for uploading and viewing photographs. If you would like advice,
need to lament or just plain show off your latest image, this
is a great system. Having the uploading space available also helps
curb virus activity, since no attachments are permitted with messages
posted in the three lists. As a courtesy to others, please try
to keep uploaded file sizes at a maximum of 100K and 72dpi, since
these areas are limited in disk space. They also have areas for
chatting, links, polls, members list, etc. really, quite diversified
and quite a resource. When you have a question, write it down
wherever you are, and pose it to the group later. Chances are
it has already been addressed. Do a quick search in the message
archives for your answers and post a message to the board to fine
tune your newly found information to your needs. You can organize
your business – and the way you do business – based
on the results of your research. You will likely find several
methodologies to any single issue. You need to choose the one
that feels right for you, your goals and your business. Some recommendations,
for example, may work better for the digital photographer than
for the film photographer, and others may apply to the full time
photographer better than to the occasional photographer. The main
thing is to hit this forum every day and, at least, follow along
with the items being discussed. You will find a variety of issues,
from pricing to what kind of sunscreen to use:). A lot of us owe
our success to the people who freely give of their time and talent
here. I, for one, am thankful.
I have found that the beauty of these newslists lies in the willingness
of their members to share and support all those who ask. You do
not need to be a formal member of the Equine Photographers' Network
to utilize the knowledge of these groups, but once someone plants
the seed of a business plan in your own garden, it's easy to find
all the stuff you need to grow it within the EPNet community.
Be sure to read Part 2 in October's Newsletter issue for more
of the benefits offered by the Equine Photographers' Network
Stephen E. Lasko Photography
Specializing in things equine
slasko@bellsouth.net
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Inspirational
Moments . . .
"Saturate
yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take
you by the hand."
--
Margaret Bourke-White
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DIGITAL
CONNECTION:
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Creating
Contact
Sheets
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One
of the basic truths about Photoshop I have uncovered is that I
will probably never tap out the resources of this program. I have
attended workshops, read over a dozen books and perused multitudes
of online tutorials and heard established Photoshop gurus admit
that the imaging possiblities are nearly endless! One of the latest
ways I have chosen to use Photoshop 6 is to organize my image
CD collections by using the Contact Sheet function. Years ago,
I made contact sheets in the darkroom by placing the negatives
directly on the photographic paper and exposing and developing
as a regular image. I really liked the full size contact sheets
from the darkroom and remembered them as I was attempting to organize
my growing digital image collection, surely this was a possiblity...
I
found the Contact Sheet tutorial by using the Adobe Photoshop
Help files. By choosing Help>Contents and searching
on Contact Sheets, a suitable tutorial appeared. I outlined
it below and add my own findings to hopefully, make your first
foray into digital Contact Sheets a positive experience.
1) Under File on the top toolbar, choose Automate
and then Contact Sheet II. Be sure to keep your focus on
producing your contact sheets and be careful not to get off track
by playing with the web gallery function.
2) By clicking Choose, a file browser allows you to choose
the image folder you would like to have indexed. If you have subfolders
within, click Include All Subdirectories to fully catalog
the contents of your image folder. Otherwise only the contents
of the top level folder will be displayed on the contact sheet.
3) Next, it's time to choose the dimensions, resolution and color
mode for the thumbnails on your contact sheet. Use the Document
menu shown in the Contact Sheet II window to accomplish this amazing
feat. Personally I select 8" width, 10" height and use
200 dpi to ensure print quality if I need it.
4)
Continuing with choices, Thumbnail placement is next. I
use left to right and depending on my needs and the number of
images in folder; anywhere from 16 to 36 images on each page.
The program will display the maxium dimensions your number choice
allows the thumbnails to be along with a preview of the contact
sheet layout.
Click around and choose what you like, it doesn't cost a penny
to explore!
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5)
A great option to help organize your future searching is to select
Use Filename as Caption , it does create smaller thumbnails
but an image without a name may prove difficult to find if your
disc contains more than just a few files.
6) The final option is to choose your Font style and size
for the caption option.
7) All that's left to do now is hit OK. Here is where the
Photoshop magic begins.....minute replicas of your cherished images
appear on screen!
When you save the resulting photoshop image as the file type of
your choice, save a copy to the image folder to burn onto the
CD to further organize your image collection. Knowing that a Contact
Sheet is a possibility forces me to organize my file names so
images needed are quickly found. For events and private shoots,
the photos are named numerically by roll ( yes, I shoot film!
) and kept on a series of CD's exclusive to that event. For portfolios
and images with photoshop work the images are named by a title
that suits the image and perhaps a definition. I keep the major
steps of a retouch in job folders as having the original scan
and the .psd file of the steps saves time if changes occur. For
example, my photoshop work file names may be: dressagetrot-orginal.tif,
dressagetrot-work.psd, dressagetrot-final.tif and dressagetrot-web.jpg.
For archiving, I store the CD's and index pages in pages specially
designed for safe storage in three ring binders. If the CD's contain
images I may need to access frequently, they are put in thin jewel
cases and stored in a CD cabinet near the computer for easy access.
I'll
close by reminding everyone that it never hurts to make a duplicate
of your image CD's to ensure your images' safety against breakage,
catastrophies and just plain glitches in the CD or burning process.
It just makes perfect sense, both financially and professionally.
Rebecca
Baucus
It's not just the camera...
www.rebeccabaucus.com
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Legal
Views
Question:
I
do graphics and ad layouts for my photographic clients
and occasionally they bring other photographer's
work to illustrate more poses of their stallion.
Is it the client's or my responsibility to ensure
proper usage permissions? Is there a clause I should
consider to add to my paperwork?
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Answer:
Responsibility in such a case is not always clear
which means that you always do something to protect
yourself legally. One way to do this is through a
warranty clause. E.g., "Customer warrants that he
or she is authorized by the copyright holders of the
images provided to use them in publications. In the
event of legal action concerning copyright infringement,
Customer agrees to indemnify and defend the Designer
at his or her expense."
Bert P. Krages
Attorney at Law
6665 S.W. Hampton Street, Suite 200
Portland, Oregon 97223
http://www.krages.com/lvaserv.htm
Editor's Note: Bert Krages is an
attorney practicing environmental and intellectual
property law in Portland, Oregon.
He is also the author of the Legal Handbook
for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making
Images
More information on his book may be found at http://www.krages.com/lhp.htm
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Spotlight:
Behind the Camera
Lynn
R Equine Photo
written by Paulette Struckman
Lynn Rougeau began her career as a portrait photographer.
Although she seemed to have some talent for it, she lacked
any essential training and most of the necessary practical
skills. "I didn't know an f-stop from a stop bath."
She learned the techniques of her profession in college,
through intensive course work that covered subjects which
varied from the extremely technical thru the business
and into the art of photography ( B&W and color photography
and darkroom., large format to pinhole cameras, optics,
densitometry and on to the art of composition, color theory
, etc ). Her teachers included two Brooks Institute graduates
and a classically trained British photographer. After
graduating, she worked at a pro camera store where she
had the opportunity to expand her knowledge further by
teaching photography and darkroom courses. Lynn became
a professional equine photographer in 1985. Her riding
coach suggested that she might be able to bankroll her
horse habit by selling horse photos -- two
passions combined, two hurdles with one jump! She began
by taking photos of her barn buddies, and through their
feedback and advice, gradually acquired the skill at capturing
just the right moments. She began photographing horse
shows, specializing in the English disciplines and began
to have her work recognized and published. Lynn believes
that she has learned as much about horses and riding thru
her photography as she has in the hours spent in the saddle.
"I have been fortunate to have had the privilege
of meeting and learning from some truly great horsemen
through my photography, and I have been blessed to have
made lifelong friends along the way."
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The
Baroque breeds have become a passion and a specialty of
Lynn's equine photography. Lynn first discovered these
horses through the breathtaking images of Robert Vavra.
And while her exquisite photographs convey a similar mystique,
she has developed a style quite distinctly her own. Her
love affair with these classical horses began with Cody,
a half-Lipizzaner who magically appeared in her life when
she most needed him, not long after the devastating loss
of her only child. Cody
wasn't even supposed to be for sale; he appeared in the
background of a sale video of several other horses. Lynn
made the 1200 mile trek from her home in Canada to California
to meet the horse of her dreams. He turned out to be everything
she was looking for and more. The chance to ride his sire,
Maestoso II Sabrina (aka Smokey), confirmed what she already
suspected, she had found something truly special. While
at the breeding farm where she purchased Cody, she had
an experience which changed her professional life as well.
Lynn had the opportunity to photograph art in motion,
Baroque horses at play. The images she captured there
changed the way she envisioned and photographed horses.
Lynn simply couldn't stay away from these classical horses.
A few years later she went back to the breeding farm to
visit and unexpectedly fell in love with the ranch manager,
Bill. One of them had to relocate and Lynn was elected.
Cody came back home to California and the Central Coast
acquired a resident equine photographer.
Since
her relocation to California, Lynn has focused on developing
and honing the artistic component of her work. Lynn is
offering a selection of limited edition fine art prints
featuring Baroque horses. New this year are products such
as t-shirts and coffee mugs featuring her most popular
images. Lynn also welcomes commissioned work, such as
farm and stallion shoots, supplemented by photographing
the occasional show or clinic.
For
more information you can visit Lynn on the web at www.LynnRphoto.com
lynnrphoto@att.net
Lynn R Equine Photo
9250 Monterey Road
Gilroy, CA 95020
408-846-8067
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| Photo
Tip . . .
I
recently shot a horse that was ultra spooky from prior circumstances
in her life. I was met with the challenge of getting a pretty
head shot in which she looked attentive and friendly but
not scared. My solution was to have a person the horse knew
well, the owner, hold a wadded up plastic bag in her hand
that she could gently squeeze to get a small noise while
pulling her hand away from the horse' head. The final result
was just what I wanted, a pretty head shot of a sweet mare
that is attentive but not scared!
Cristy
Cumberworth
Equine Photography
http://www.horse-photography.com
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İCristy Cumberworth
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The
mission of EPNet News is to inspire, educate and reinforce
the importance of integrity and professionalism in business practice.
As
a publication of the Equine Photographers' Network, the EPNet
News does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness
of any information presented. One Horse Productions, the staff
of EPNet News, guest authors of the EPNet News and current members
of the Equine Photographers' Network are not responsible for errors,
omissions or for results obtained from the use of such information.
Any reference to specific products, process, or service does not
necessarily constitute or imply endorsement of such. All photographs
and illustrations on newsletter are copyrighted through the respective
photographer/designer and the Equine Photographers Network through
publishing in the EPNet News .These images are not in the public
domain and may not be posted on personal or commercial websites
or correspondence or used in any manner without obtaining permission
of the copyright holder. For more information on images contact
EPNet News Editor.
Editor: rbaucus@chartermi.net
© 2002 Equine Photographers' Network, All Rights Reserved
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