Why You're Not Getting Paid To Shoot (PhotoFit #19)

November 1, 2016

The most common question I get in my email from aspiring photographers is "how do I get paid to shoot." This usually has the same follow-ons, 1) I've shot for free but now want to get paid, 2) I don't know what to charge, 3) I don't know what to give clients, and so on. By no means do I have all the secrets, but I want to spell out a few of the key points in my mind to turn you from just aspiring to actually making money taking photos.

First, if you want to get paid taking photos, you need to already be a professional. I'll go over what that means to me.

CrossFit Garden City Partner Competition - shot for CFGC

You need to have professional equipment. No, don't run out and buy a Nikon D5 and a plethora of lens, but a basic dslr, with a basic lens will do the trick. DSLRs are incredible now. Even entry level DSLRs have incredible low light capabilities and can create fantastic images in the right hands, better you can get them very cheap used. A basic crop body camera - like a used Nikon 7100 or the Canon equivalent will run you less than $600 and a 35mm 1.8 (great for the low light in a gym) is less than $200. With a setup like that you can shoot RAW, have plenty of low light range, and can nail tact sharp photos. With those tools you can deliver a professional product to your client that they will be happy with.

Next you need to have a portfolio and a social media presence, you could even get extra points and have a website. The social media presence is easy, and everyone now has an instagram accpimt and posts photos there. That is not a portfolio. A portfolio is a link you can send to a client that is representative of your work. It should be direct and short. A portfolio should be 8-12 photos specifically of the type of work you're looking to do. Don't send a portfolio to a gym client that includes wedding photos, or food photos. They are trying to hire the best fitness shooter, not some person that can do a little of everything. Your portfolio should also be perfect. Each shot should be great, without any technical mistakes, and stand on its own. If you're not confident in a shot, dump it. You have every photo you've ever taken to choose from, make sure they are all winners. More is not better here. A client or editor isn't going to scroll through 30 images, they are going to skim a few and make a judgement. Don't include crap.

Lastly, you could have a website. A website might really just be your portfolio - sort of like my landing page at www.scp-fit.com. I consider that page sort of an expanded portfolio. It has an about me section, and a few portfolio pages that are sorely in need of an overhaul. And a way to get in contact with me. A website isn't a deal-breaker, but it is definitely nice to have. I have this one hosted on Squarespace and it was very easy to put together.

Mat Fraser - Shot for East Coast Championship

So let's say having some gear, a portfolio, and a web presence is the starting point to being a professional. Next up, getting a job.

You need to walk into your first job already knowing how your gear works and how to deliver. Don't make a client learn the hard way that this is your first time. The easiest way to get those bugs out of the way is to head to your gym and take photos. Class is every hour and most people in the CrossFit space love having their photo taken. Just clear it with the gym owner/coach/ and members and you're good to go. Experiment, practice, and figure out how your camera works and how to get good results.

Now it just comes down to marketing. If you want to shoot at gyms, contact local gyms! If there are clients - whether athletes or sponsors - that you want to work for, reach out to them. Email and social media are always easy, but phone calls work better. Provide a link to your portfolio. Go into this already knowing what you're going to provide.

Beach stock shots - shot for Flex Events

Set up some basic packages. Here are some examples of what you could do. 2 group classes, plus coaches photos for $xxx, or 4 group classes plus coaches photos for $xxx. Explain what your deliverables will be (100 edited photos? 200 edited photos? Watermarks or no watermarks?, what sort of usage will the client receive? Finally, explain what sort of turn around time you can provide. Will they have their photos in a week or a day?

I can't emphasis this enough. A lot of people will just say no, or worse, not even answer you at all. That is just how it is. You need to cast a wide net and reach out to a lot of clients before someone will get interested in you. From there, the haggle usually starts. You need to know what your market is like and what your time is worth. In your area do gyms pay $1000 for photo services? Are they used to getting everything for free? You need to go in with a number that will not simply insult the gym but take into account what they could actually afford. To determine your own worth, look at the investment, first in time. A 2 hour shoot usually include 30 mins of setup and breakdown on each end, then there is an hour of driving as well. Let's say you're not a very speedy editor so every hour of photography you do, takes two hours of editing to process and edit your images. Pre-shoot calls and emails are another 30mins-hour. Delivery and follow-up are the same. So a 2 hour shoot is actually 11 hours of work. What do you think that time is worth per hour? You're also walking into the shoot with a few hundred to a few thousand dollars of camera gear, as well as the computer at home, and the software you're going to use to edit. While each client shouldn't have to pay for all of that, you could certainly assign a percentage to it to help determine your rate.

This is often the falling off point for people who haven't landed their first client yet. Telling someone you're worth money -- and I don't mean charging $50 for a 4 hour shoot -- but real money -- hundreds if not thousands of dollars is scary. Sticking to your guns when a client says "can you do it for less" is tough. That's where you just need to get some comfort in knowing what you're worth and what the lowest rate you'll shoot at is.

I think this is the perfect time to talk about working for free or for "exposure." Just don't do it. Free clients don't become pay clients. You will forever forward be the "free guy." Working for free also damages the local market for other photographers. All that said, there are certainly times to work with financial compensation. Barter is a real thing. Plenty of working photographers have started out by getting their gym memberships in exchange for a monthly photoshoot. That is not "working for free" you and the client are both getting something you want. Further, there may be a particular athlete you want to work with, they might need some portfolio images, and you might want to practice with a more high profile athlete. You're getting practice, they are getting some portfolio images. That could be a resonable barter depending where both of you are at. Again, it is all about valuation.

Whenever you're working a job, make sure you have some kind of written agreement in place spelling out exactly what you are going to do and deliver, as well as what the client is required to do (pay you, when and how). You also should have model releases for everyone that will be involved in the shoot as well as from the location owner (there are some handy apps that make this easier). I also don't want to burst your bubble, but if you're working, you really should have a separate business insurance policy. If someone trips on your camera bag at a gym, they can sue you, and if you don't have the proper insurance in place you can be liable for a hefty payout.

Katrin Davidsdottir - Shot for East Coast Championship

I think this lays out the basics of "how do I get people to pay me." To summarize, know the gear you're working with and have a portfolio. Know what kind of clients you want to work with and what you can provide for them at what rate. Lastly, deliver! Do a killer job and make sure they are happy with the product you put together.

If you like what you've read, please share. Feel free to post some content suggestions below so I know what you're looking for in my next post. For bookings email shaun@superclearyphoto.com. And as always, follow @supercleary on instagram and SuperClearyPhoto on Facebook.

Taking Camera Phone Photos that Don't Suck (PhotoFit #17)

October 26, 2016

I think one of the greatest motto's in photography is the best camera is the one you have. For 99.9% of us that is always going to be an iPhone or whatever kind of cell phone you happen to have in your pocket (I'm going to say iPhone for the rest of this article).

In the gym that saying still holds true, and with a few tips and tricks you can still get great photos with that camera that's almost always in your pocket anyway.

A few notes: This is going to exclusively talk about working with a iphone/cellphone/smartphone in its default camera mode without any "pro camera" app in use. On to my guide, in somewhat of an order of importance.

One: Wipe off the lens! I'm sure you've seen it on your favorite social media site, but someone's blurry gym selfie where everything seems blurry or foggy. No, the humidifier is not on, what's happening is there is grease, sweat, or oil on the camera lens. Every time your phone goes back in your sweaty shorts, that lens is getting more moisture on it. When you take it out for a quick selfie or to catch a friend's lift, it's going to be covered in sweat and the photo is going to be ruined. The same rule applies for the selfie camera on the front. Before every shot make sure to wipe off the front of the phone (the lens is up on the top 1/4 of the phone). Simply using a t-shirt or paper towel will do the trick. The lenses on camera phones are extremely sturdy, so a quick wipe is critical to taking a clean shot.

Two: Rotate the phone 90 degrees: I'd say something like 85% (not scientific) of all photos taken with a "real camera" i.e. dslr or point and shoot are taken horzintical/landscape. Yet, with an iPhone, 99% of photos are taken vertical/portrait. Rotating your camera 90 degree will immediately make your images look more professional and planned. Further, If the really good stuff happens to be dead center, you'll be able to very easily do a 1x1 square crop for instagram.

Three: Use the physical shutter button on the phone: To actually take your photo, don't click the shutter button on screen. It will immediately knock out the carefully framed up composition you've set and add camera shake into the photo. Whereas you can use the physical shutter button on the phone - on the iPhone it's the volume rocker - and you're able to keep the framing and control of your camera much better. Pro tip - don't try and find the button when you're ready to take a photo. Leave your finger on that button while you're setting up the shot and then just click.

Four: Use natural lighting. Lighting is one of the most critical components of a good photo. It takes a snapshot into a photograph. Most gyms have a window or a door or some other kind of natural light. We always want to set up with our subject facing the natural light. If they aren't facing it, just ask/tell them to! It will make for a better photo and make you feel like a pro photographer instantly as you direct people around. Now when you're shooting your subject they should be bathed in natural light, make sure not to stand directly in the way of the light casting a shadow on them. With an iPhone-style camera, never try shooting a subject against the light. This is called "backlit" and the auto mode on these cameras will freak out and generally just give you a silhouette where your subject is supposed to be. That can be cool from time to time, but shouldn't be your only trick.

Five: Get low. When you're at the gym, it's all about looking huge and strong. The easiest way to start getting that look is to shoot from a low angle. Get into a nice deep squat and shoot up. If that's not enough, lay on the ground and shoot from there. It will turn any PR into an epic hero moment. Any time you shoot up on the subject it's going to make them look bigger and fill the frame better.

Six: Get close. Never use that zoom in the camera, but instead just get closer to your subject. Your goal should always be able to fill the frame with your subject. This might take a couple of tries but always work to be as close to the subject as humanely possible. Often times, this is going to put you very close to falling barbells, but that's half the fun.

Seven. Memory is cheap, take lots of photos. Finally, don't just settle on one click of the shutter. Take lots of photos. Especially with a camera phone firing in auto mode, you need a lot of shots for the focus and exposure to line up just right. Further, the built in burst modes are great for taking a ton of frames very quickly without you have to press the shutter multiple times. Sometimes these types of cameras have a bit of a lag, so taking multiple photos will help nail that decisive moment in the lift of movement. You can always go back through and delete out the crap later.

One final note, make sure you have space on your phone! Nothing is more amateur hour than going to take a photo or video and getting the "no space available". Buy the biggest phone you can get, and pay the extra few dollars a month for the huge iCloud storage options.

*** All photos taken with iPhone 6, edited in Lightroom. Athlete: Rob Moloney, Location: CrossFit Island Park

Dani Horan, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 2000

Prime Lenses for Lowlight Elite Fitness Photography (PhotoFit #11)

September 7, 2016

Read the previous #photofit columns here

Shooting in any kind of gym environment - from CrossFit to MMA - you're normally stuck in dimly lit, dark boxes that have lackluster windows and worse fluorescent lighting. At a certain point, unless you're going to add lights (we'll talk about that later), you can't push your ISO anymore or slow your shutter further. There is simply no way to get a bright enough exposure with standard zoom lens, lenses that for the most part can't shoot faster than f2.8. The only place to go from there is Prime.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, F1.8, ISO 3200

Just as a refresher on the exposure triangle, you control light with three settings - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. To generally get "sharp" photos of action, you're going to need to shoot around 1/500th of a second. So in a dark setting, you're going to shoot wide open - as close to f2.8 as your lens allows - and then start cranking up your ISO as high as your camera allows. If all these parameters are maxed out and you still have an underexposed image, there's not much you can do with your current setup. That's where prime lenses come in. A prime lens does not zoom, but the trade-off is your aperture can open wider than f2.8 - usually f1.8 on cheaper primes and f1.4 on more expensive variants. Because of this, you now have another option to get the right exposure - going from f2.8 to wider apertures - f2.2, f2.0, f1.8, f1.6, and f1.4 - and letting more light in. Each of these allow more light into the camera, hopefully getting you close to that perfect exposure.

Jared Stevens, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Working with Primes

Handling prime lenses adds a couple of challenges, namely getting your shots in focus, and understanding how to zoom with your feet.

Focus: As you go to wider apertures, the plane of focus gets more and more narrow as you get that increase in light. What that means in practice is if at f2.8 you focus on an athletes chest, his eyes/face will still be in focus. At f1.4, if you focus on the exact same point, you will very likely get a tack sharp chest, but an eyeball that is completely out of focus. And to be clear, if the eye is not in focus on the subject, the image is out of focus and useless. Don't give me this "artsy/focusish" crap. If your subjects eyeballs are out of focus, the shot isn't really useable. So you've solved your first problem, the exposure is now right because you're letting in more light, but now your focus sucks.

There are a lot of ways to deal with this. First off, just because your fancy prime lens goes to f1/4 doesn't mean you should actually shoot at that. There are a lot of stops between that and f 2.8, and even shooting at f1.6 or f1.8 will give you a great deal more light, but still give you some wiggle room in your focus.

Secondly, I can't emphasize how important back button focus is when working with primes. (If you have no idea what that is, follow the link here). To nail focus I want to make sure that focus point is locked onto the subject's head. Again, because I'm all fancy and using my back button to grab focus, if the movement is say a snatch or a clean, during the setup I'm going to grab focus, and then during the lift I'm not going to refocus as long as the lifter doesn't move closer or farther away from me. If I used an "autofocus" mode and held down the focus the whole time, what would likely happen is the focus would grab onto the chest/bar/shoulder of the athlete and because of depth of field is so shallow, the end result image will be out of focus. Sticking with a back button technique and pre-focusing on where my subject will be should lead to more in-focus images at the end of the day.

Zoom/Composition: The other big challenge when working with a Prime is that you no longer have the ability to zoom in or out. But really, you still have that ability, it is just with your feet. So clearly a limitation exists when using primes at events. During big competition style events, you're not going to be able to go anywhere you want or zoom with your feet as close as you may need. That would then mean in the largest event settings you need to know where you will be and where your action will be and bring the appropriate lens.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/250th, f1.8, ISO 800

In most applications though, you're going to be able to go wherever you need and that's where primes like a 35mm or 50mm will really shine. Again, because you can't zoom, you need to anticipate how an athlete will move through the frame while you're taking the shot. If you frame up the shot perfectly during the setup to a lift, the lifter will very likely have their head or feet cutoff if you keep shooting without reframing. Because of that, I want to think about what shot I am really looking for, because I very likely can't do both during the same lift. As a rule of thumb, give yourself a little breathing room in your frame so that you don't cut any limbs off and then crop in post.

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/640th, f1.8, ISO 2500

So after all that it may seem like more challenges than it's worth, but primes have a lot of benefits beyond just letting more light in. Primes are incredibly sharp. Across the board, nearly all primes are sharper than a comparable zoom lens like a 24-70 f2.8. When you nail focus with a prime, the image quality is truly remarkable when compared to their zoom counterparts.

Now the magic really lives in the bokeh (out of focus areas). As that depth of field gets shallower, the out of focus areas turn into mush and help draw the eye into the subject. If you go wild and shoot at f1.4, you will get some really unique results when you nail focus.

My Setup

My go-to lens for most shoots is a prime actually, the Sigma 35 1.4 art series I find that the 35mm is perfect for most situations to capture subjects head to toe, while still allowing me to get tighter if I just take a couple steps forward. Even in relatively dark gyms, I'll shoot at ISO 1600, 1/500th, f1.8. This starting point allows me plenty of leeway to crank up the ISO if I need to. Only once my ISO is maxed out around 6400-8000, will I move to f1.6 or f1.4. Only in the most desire situations will I play around at those super wide apertures. Unless you have a lot of time to setup and a lot of chances to nail the shot, those apertures are extremely difficult to work with on run and gun scenarios. My thought process would have me moving my ISO up several stops before I consider going to those super wide open apertures.

I've also been having so much fun with this setup over the last two years that I picked up the Sigma 50mm 1.4 art lens recently. I've really enjoyed the results and the different focal length coming from shooting with a 35mm so much. I think for most CrossFit-style shoots in the gyms, the 50mm is a little more restrictive and leads to a few more amputations than I like. But, when everything lines up right, the results are fantastic.

And primes don't have to be expensive. Nikon and Canon both make a 50mm 1.8 that you can pick up used for around $100. I've used my Nikon 50mm f1.8 for years in professional work and no one has ever asked me, or realized that the lens is in the bargain bin at most stores. If you have the cash though, I can't praise the Sigma art series enough. There 35 has been a backbone of my camera bag for over two years, and the 50 has quickly found a place in my regular rotation of lenses. They are also about half the cost of their Nikon/Canon equivalents, while also delivering better or comparable results in head to head testing.

Brooke Wells, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200 — Brooke Wells, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

So there you have it, the secret to shooting in extremely dark rooms: prime lenses. They come with a few challenges, but as long as you understand how to work around that, you can go from a shoot that would be a disaster to one that you can deliver great results.

Kaitlyn Fitzgerald, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Keith Van Wickler, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200

Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f2.0, ISO 3200

Rob Moloney, Nikon D4, Sigma 35 1.4, 1/500th, f1.8, ISO 3200