Episode 6! Workshops and WPPI and Skips Summer School

Question #1: What are the best ways to learn the craft of photography?  Workshops?  WPPI?

Dave: I would absolutely swear by going to WPPI at least for a few years until you’re comfortable with what’s happening, and then you can sort of make an educated decision about whether you’re going to do it every year or every other year, etc.  It’s great for networking, great to see what’s happening and great to see what’s new with photography technology-wise.

Taylor: I found that Skip Summer School was awesome.  It was in Vegas, also at the MGM.  It sucks because it is Vegas in August and that means it’s hot, but where it was in the year for me was perfect.  I shot a wedding on Saturday, left Sunday, spent until Thursday there and shot a wedding on Friday.  And the amount of people I met was fantastic.  I didn’t think it benefited me then, but it laid a solid foundation for immersing myself in the industry.

This year, I went to WPPI but I didn’t do very much.  I sat in on a few speakers but I didn’t go out of my way to submerse myself in the WPPI environment because there are so many people there – and I was also with my girlfriend who’s not a photographer.  But I did like the intimacy of Skips Summer School – all the speakers had great stuff to say.

Dave: What I like about WPPI is the fact that even if you sit on someone speaking for two hours, you get a better idea of whether or not you want to take their workshop or follow their work.  I think having a week to focus on something and set some business goals is also a good idea.  If you can, take the Plus Class – the two days before WPPI starts – which is what we did with Sallee Photography and JB Smith, and it really re-charged us.  One little thing you learn in Vegas will change your financial state for years – you can really fix any problems going on in your career.

Taylor: I also wrote this video blog on my website, and it’s a write-up about how to do Vegas without spending too much money.  I’ve been there about 19 times, so check it out on http://www.taylorjacksonblog.com.  If you want to do WPPI for cheap it is possible, and even if you just go down for the trade show and keep your ears open for any events, you’ll meet great people and learn a lot.

And with workshops, I’ve done a few, but I use them primarily for networking.  I personally like shooting workshops the best and I like to sit in on as many speakers as I can because you can learn different perspectives.  I wouldn’t say any one speaker’s revolutionized the way I do business, but they’ve all contributed one way or another to my craft now.

Dave: I’ve done a few workshops, but not tons.  I think Vegas can be a teaser for something else you want to do.  I’m a huge supporter of Jerry Ghionis so if you’re thinking of taking a workshop, check out the Art Society first and sign up for that.

Taylor: It’s really cool to check out his technique, and that’s why I originally signed up for the ICE Society – because I just thought his process behind getting the photos is so the opposite of what I was doing that it was so cool to watch him come up with this stuff.

Question #2: I’m in the market for a Cannon 7D because I’m a film major interested in still photography.  Is there a lens – preferably a zoom at this point in time – that will fulfill these functions (sharp stills and good video)?  Looking for something approximately $500 if possible.

Dave: I’m not necessarily the best person to answer this, but I’d say to start things off, get a zoom that stabilizes so if you’re shooting handheld it will ease the motion.  But if you’re going to get really technical down the tracks, you’re probably going to be shooting wide primes for any steady cam work.

Taylor: If you’re a film major, I’ll assume you have access to steadicams and devices where it’s not just you holding the camera.  So at that point, pretty much anything will work.  I’m Nikon so I’m biased.

Dave: A good friend of mine bought a lens and it wasn’t right, so it is possible to choose the wrong one.  (He bought a 70 because he thought it was good general purpose.)

You’ll probably want a fairly wide prime, like a 24 or a 35 or something like that – but you’re not going to get it for $500.  But it’s worth it.

Taylor: For sure. But investigate all the possible opportunities with whatever you’re looking for.  I use Ken Rockwell’s website or Fred Miranda for reviews and price comparisons.  Whenever I’m trying to look for a good lens comparison, I’ll just pop over there.

Question #3: How do you politely address a guest at a wedding who shadows you with their camera and flash?

Dave: I do have it in my contract that I can expect to have the bride and groom’s support.  I think it can be a really tough shooting challenge mentally if someone’s watching you – no matter who you are, if someone is copying your shots and trying to prove them, it can be difficult.  So I usually let them know we’re taking our formal shots, and ask them to grab a cocktail and let them know they can shoot at any other time, but I don’t want to be out of focus with the bride and groom.  So create a reasonable reason to ask them to leave.

Taylor: I’m the same way.  Usually at the first meeting with the bride and groom, I talk to them about it so they don’t invite a second photographer to the formal session.  And that way they are aware, too, if he’s getting in my way, they can ask him to move along.

Dave: It’s a tough thing, and you want to be cool with them because they’re not killing your business.  If people want to stand around and take photos during the formals, I’ll just tell them they can leave their cameras there and I’ll blast a bunch of shots on each.

Question #4: Do you have a pose list that you follow on paper or in your head?

Dave: You know, I’ve learned over my years to be more regimented about my formals and ask my guests to prepare a list a week or two before the wedding.  So for the formals, definitely, have a list to make sure they get all the shots that they’re expecting and they’ve taken time to think about it.  But the rest of the day, I think we get pretty comfortable over time with what’s important and what to capture.

Taylor: For corporate stuff, you’ll actually have a shot list or an objective for the shoot with detailed instructions.  But for weddings and whatnot, I know the shoes are important, the dress is important and I work through it that way.

Dave: I think you learn as well that as much as you’d like to be creative, the shot that makes the thank-you cards is the classic wedding shot.

Taylor: And that’s the one that every family member is going to buy.

Dave: And for stuff like that, that’s why you need the shot list – because you may think the shot of the back of the dress walking down the aisle is cheesy, but that’s the one that they’re going to buy.

Question #5: What computers are you guys editing on and do you calibrate your monitors?

Taylor: I am using a lovely PC.  I use Mac laptops, but whenever I’m editing at home, a PC is fine by me.  I don’t need a Mac – it’s easier for me to use, but for PC it does a really good job, so I keep upgrading as I need to.

Dave: I edit on MacPro, but a PC does the same thing.  It’s one of those things that we try to be a little too fussy about, but as long as the densities are in the right area and the skin tones are okay, it doesn’t really matter.

Taylor: I also have two monitors and both of them are different colour pallets, and I’ll drop images back and forth between them, because I know the mother of the bride isn’t going to have a calibrated computer.  So maybe I sandbag it a little bit so it looks good on those kinds of computers as well as other ones.

Dave: At the end of the day, as long as you’re happy with the way your albums and prints are looking, I’m not particularly fussy on calibration.  I keep my blinds shut when I’m editing and certainly don’t edit in direct sunlight so I can keep consistent when editing.

In terms of backing up systems, I use the dro-bow (?) and I’m loving it because it’s still one version of a file, but it’s based on four hard drives, so if one drops, it’s okay.  If you fry a hard drive, you literally pull it out and put in a new one and it finds the data on the other drives.

Taylor: I have one copy of everything from the wedding on the web, and I have the working drive.  All of my in-camera stuff is close to the final product, so I upload the jpegs to Smug Mug, so if I need to get to them, I have them.  Otherwise, I have all of the photos on a terabyte drive and as soon as it gets to 800 gigs I’ll just buy a new one and archive the old one.  And when I’m ready to ship my photos to my editor, I’ll drag the best files onto the second device and mail it to her – and when that gets full I’ll archive it somewhere too.

Remember – to ask Dave and Taylor your questions, @reply on Twitter (Potluckphoto) or visit http://www.potluckphoto.com.