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Workshop at the Ranch – February 2005 – Steps to Success

0205-3-iconHi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. I receive many emails each month asking how to become more successful in the photography business. To answer that completely I would need to write a book. The digital revolution is a great boom to the industry but also seems to suggest instant results both with images and business alike. Here are some of the steps I recommend for photographers starting out in business. Take them to heart, work hard and you will find your images improving each time you shoot.

Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. I receive many emails each month asking how to become more successful in the photography business. To answer that completely I would need to write a book. The digital revolution is a great boom to the industry but also seems to suggest instant results both with images and business alike. Here are some of the steps I recommend for photographers starting out in business. Take them to heart, work hard and you will find your images improving each time you shoot.

Before we get started we must assume that you, the photographer seeking to make progress into the business, have a foundation of basics. Basic knowledge of your equipment, exposure, composition, light, computer skills, etc. will all be requirements to success. Without BASICS and the fundamentals of photography being second nature you will be like a boat set a drift in the ocean. Poorly exposed images with cluttered backgrounds captured in poor light with unpleasing composition will not hold up…….even if you are a master of photoshop. Remember, we are talking about photography not repair/damage control. Now, let’s begin………….

Image#1      KNOWLEDGE… about your subject is very important. The more you know and understand about your subject whether it is an athlete, an event, an animal, a landscape, or a portrait the more likely you are to capture a great image. This image of Mary Lou Retton was taken as a result not so much by my skill as a photographer but because of my KNOWLEDGE of the sport. I was not accomplished in photography in 1984. I was only a few years into the profession. I had solid basics but nothing fancy. It was my KNOWLEDGE of gymnastics and many of the athletes including Mary Lou Retton that gave me a distinctive edge over many of the great photographers who were covering the Olympic games in LA. Freezing the action of Mary Lou flying through the air and tumbling across the beam was easy. Even her perfect 10 vault that clinched the GOLD for her was routine for me because of the knowledge I had of the sport. As a gymnast in High School and College I knew all the coaches, trainers and people who were involved in the sport. This lead to conversation with the Olympic Photo Marshall at the gymnastics venue. He was a former gymnast and editor of the International Gymnastics Magazine. He had a front row ticket that was not being used. He gave it to me. My Olympic credential gave me access to all photography areas and after I photographed Mary Lou performing and landing her perfect 10 vault, I hurried off to the front row seat for the GOLD medal presentation. No other photographer was on this side of the arena. They are all behind Mary Lou during the award ceremony but I am in front. I captured a moment that no one else had and it changed my life and kicked my career into high gear. My skill level as a photographer was only average, but it was my KNOWLEDGE and familiarity with one sport and all those who are involved in it that separated me from my competitors.
NOTE: There are many factors that influenced my career. Title 9 legislation paved a road for women athletes in the late 1970’s of which Mary Lou Retton and other women athletes became big news in the early 1980’s when my career began. ESPN started in 1980 and the sports coverage revolution was under way. Then Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding fueled a media frenzy and the sport of figure Skating sky rocketed in popularity and me along with it. All these factors plus a steady growth in public interest with the Olympic movement helped create a market place for sports images that I recognized as a perfect fit for me. What athletes, teams, events, and situations are a perfect fit for you? Take the time to examine the developing trends for images needed in today’s market place so as to have a SUPPLY that meets the DEMAND.

Image#2      THE MOMENT… occurs in every game. Sometimes there are several key moments and plays that determine the outcome of a game or a season or an athletes career. Michelle Kwan falling at the 2000 Winter Olympics is a defining moment of her final program, the competition and one of the historical moments of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. The GOLD was hers until this MOMENT. As previously explained, it was my knowledge of the sport and all those involved that aided me in capturing this MOMENT. The more you know, the more likely you are to be prepared to capture the moment. My knowledge and experience with figure skating gave me an edge. An edge to choose my position, lens choice, shutter speed etc. in order to maximize my ability to cover the event.

NOTE: These two steps KNOWLEDGE and THE MOMENT go hand in hand. Your knowledge of your subject will always lead to more complete coverage and increase your ability to capture the moment for your client.
Image#3      LIGHTING… is the greatest influence. Your use of light, be it natural of artificial will influence your picture more than any other factor. Look for the shaft of LIGHT on a football field. Wait for the golden LIGHT at dawn on a mountain. Scout out the location for a portrait that has beautiful sunset LIGHT. Learn to use strobes and lighting equipment. If you use LIGHTING and the other photographers you compete with do not…then you will be unique to all clients. I love to use lighting in many situations. This basketball image is complex in its use of arena strobes to freeze the action and create a colorful, striking look. A very average play that looks spectacular because of LIGHTING. Start small with one light and work your way up. Portraits, events, nature, etc. can be lit. The use of LIGHTING can RAISE the STANDARD of your circle of industry. Regardless of what your subject is, LIGHTING can separate you from your competitors. Poor use of light places you at a disadvantage in the business if others are using lighting well. Get started with portraits and continue to push yourself to more complex lighting like arenas as you grow in knowledge and skill.

Image#4      TECHNOLOGY… can separate you from the others in your chosen field. The digital camera, more mega pixels, lenses, strobes, underwater housings etc. are all factors in the photography industry today. Choose the camera based on the final resting place of your image. The Internet requires a certain quality of image, Newspapers require a higher quality, Magazines even higher quality, Advertisements higher yet and Gallery Prints require even higher quality. More megapixels usually equates to greater quality of image. Greater quality of image usually equates to more options for editors. More options for editors might equate to more space rates using your images and the possibility of usage in other mediums like advertisements. TECHNOLOGY can often times give you an edge over your fellow photographers all shooting the same game. This image of Tiger Woods during the 2004 Masters was taken with a Nikon Coolpix 8700. A consumer camera! Its 8 megapixel RAW/NEF file and SILENT SHUTTER capabilities enabled me to capture a high quality image during Tiger’s backswing. An impossible image to make with even the top of the line professional cameras due to shutter noise prohibited by the golfers. I knew very little about golf or the Masters or Tiger Woods. However, my KNOWLEDGE of golf coverage revealed that if I could capture images of the golfers during their backswing……..then I would have something unique and valuable for my editor. This shot is not difficult to execute, but the TECHNOLOGY of the Coolpix 8700 gave me an advantage

NOTE: It is your task to search out the things that will separate you from the rest of the photographers. There were 20 photographers in the tower at the 18th tee but I combined KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY, and BASICS to help me capture a MOMENT that was UNIQUE and would SEPARATE ME FROM MY COMPETITORS. You can do the same thing.

Image#5      My HEART… goes into the making of my pictures. I hear too many excuses from photographers. No editor is at fault. No weather conditions are at fault. No game or player is at fault. You alone are responsible for the light and how it is to be used. You alone are responsible for capturing the moment. You are responsible for every edge and corner of the frame you capture. This image of Kevin Barnett serving during the World League Volleyball Championships is very defining of my style of sports photography. My understanding of the BASICS of photography gave me the freedom to create this image in my mind before I arrived at the arena. My KNOWLEDGE of Kevin’s perfect serve came from careful study during previous games and practices which lead to photographing this MOMENT of athletic excellence. My use of arena strobe LIGHTING enabled me to freeze the action perfectly. My understanding of remote camera TECHNOLOGY and my equipment helped me capture this image from a unique viewpoint. My HEART goes into the pictures I make. I love to take pictures of a variety of subjects and I love to experiment with new ideas and stretch my imagination when I go to cover an event.

These are steps all of us should consider. If you go after even one of these steps, your images will improve significantly. Improve two or more and the sky is the limit. It will take hard work, long hours, and a strong desire. Success will not happen over night. I suggest you start today. So…. How does one become successful in this industry…..make great pictures for a marketplace that is in demand.

See you next time at Workshop at the Ranch. Adios, Dave