• Capture Multiple Exposures: Take various images with different settings to capture details in both dark and light areas. Merge or adjust these in post-processing for balanced exposure.
• Adjusting Exposure: Slightly reduce exposure to darken dark areas without losing highlight details. Aim for a balance that enhances the dynamic range.
• Adjusting Contrast: Use editing software to modify contrast, making darks darker and lights lighter, but avoid excessive adjustments to preserve detail.
• Use Natural Shadows and Highlights: In product photos, utilize natural shadows and highlights for depth and realism, aiding in exposure and contrast balance.
• Editing Software Tools: Employ tools like ‘Highlights’ and ‘Shadows’ sliders in photo editing software for specific exposure and contrast adjustments.

Why Would Photographers Use ChatGPT for Their Work and Business

Photographers can harness the capabilities of ChatGPT to significantly enhance their work and business operations in several innovative ways:

1. Creative Assistance: ChatGPT can help photographers brainstorm ideas for photoshoots, suggesting themes, poses, colors, props, and other creative elements. This AI-driven inspiration can be particularly useful when photographers are looking to explore new styles or are facing creative blocks.
2. Image Captions and Descriptions: Generating compelling captions and descriptions for photographs can be time-consuming. ChatGPT eases this task by creating descriptive and engaging text, which can be used on social media, in portfolios, or for client presentations.
3. Social Media Engagement: In the digital age, a strong social media presence is crucial for photographers. ChatGPT can assist in crafting posts, responses to comments, and engaging content strategies that can boost online visibility and audience engagement.
4. SEO and Marketing Content: For those managing a photography website or blog, ChatGPT can generate SEO-friendly content, helping photographers rank higher in search engine results. This includes creating blog posts, articles, or even SEO-optimized website copy, driving more traffic and potential clients to their work.
5. Business Communications: From drafting personalized pitches to potential clients to creating professional emails and responses, ChatGPT can streamline the communication aspect of the photography business, ensuring messages are clear, professional, and tailored to the recipient.
6. Workflow and Productivity Enhancements: ChatGPT can offer suggestions to improve workflow and productivity, from organizing photo sessions to managing client databases. This allows photographers to focus more on their creative work rather than administrative tasks.
7. Networking and Community Building: By providing guidance on how to engage with online photography communities and professional groups, ChatGPT can assist photographers in building a network that offers support, accountability, and opportunities for collaboration.

ChatGPT serves as a multi-faceted tool for photographers, enhancing their creative process, simplifying business operations, and amplifying their online presence, ultimately leading to growth and success in their photography careers.

1. What is ISO, and how does it impact the quality of your photos?

    

2. What is shutter speed, and how can you use it to capture motion?

    

3. How can you use composition to create more visually interesting photos?

    

4. How can you adjust the white balance on your camera to create a more accurate colour in your photos?

1. What software is available for editing your photos, and which one should you choose?

    

2. How can you use colour grading to create a consistent look and feel across multiple photos?

    

3. How can you use presets and filters to speed up your editing workflow?

    

4. How can you use double exposure to create unique and surreal images?

    

5. What are some ways to use shadows and reflections to add depth and interest to your photos?

How to Become a Successful Wedding Photographer is the big question – Wedding photography is not merely about taking pictures; it’s about capturing the heart and soul of the event, documenting the timeless moments that paint the narrative of love, joy, and celebration. As a wedding photographer, your goal is to capture these moments that will become cherished memories for the couple and their families.

These timeless moments are fleeting and spontaneous – a teary-eyed mother watching her daughter say ‘I do’, the father-daughter dance, the laughter and camaraderie among friends and family, the loving glances between the couple, and the exuberant celebration at the reception. To capture these moments, you need to be observant, anticipating the instances that matter, and ready with your camera to freeze them in time.

Developing a keen sense of observation and intuition is essential. It requires understanding the dynamics of the event, knowing where to be at the right time, and empathizing with the couple and their loved ones. Being in tune with the emotions of the day will help you anticipate and capture these unforgettable moments in their most genuine state.

Moreover, building a good rapport with the couple before the wedding day is crucial. By understanding their story, their personalities, and their expectations, you can ensure that the essence of their unique love story is reflected in the photographs. Remember, as a wedding photographer, you are the couple’s storyteller, and your photos are the chapters of their love story.

1. Identify Your Niche: The first step towards creating a compelling portfolio and attracting clients is to identify your niche. Are you a portrait photographer, a landscape photographer, a wedding photographer, or something else? By specializing in a particular area, you can focus your skills, develop your style, and attract clients looking for that specific kind of photography.
2. Create a Strong Portfolio: Your portfolio is the most powerful tool you have to showcase your skills and style. It should only include your best work, and the images should be diverse yet cohesive, reflecting your unique perspective as a photographer. Update your portfolio regularly to show your growth and versatility.

1. Establish an Online Presence: In this digital age, having an online presence is crucial. Create a professional website to showcase your portfolio. Utilize social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to reach a wider audience. SEO optimize your website and blog regularly about your work and experiences to improve your visibility on search engines.
2. Network: Networking is an essential part of building a client base. Attend local events, photography workshops, and seminars. Join photography clubs and online communities. Networking can provide opportunities for collaborations, referrals, and gaining new clients.
3. Customer Service: Excellent customer service can set you apart from your competition. Be professional, responsive, and friendly. Go the extra mile to make your clients feel valued. Happy clients are more likely to refer you to their friends and family.

1. 1. The Stigma of “Formulaic” Work: There’s a stereotype that wedding photography is formulaic, with the same shots at every wedding. Some photographers might feel this doesn’t offer enough creative freedom or challenge. However, this perspective overlooks the creativity involved in capturing unique moments and telling each couple’s individual love story.
   2. Post-Processing Workload: After the wedding, the photographer has to sort through hundreds, if not thousands, of photos to select the best ones, then edit and retouch them. This post-processing work can be time-consuming and labour-intensive.

   In reality, wedding photography requires a wide range of skills, from technical photography know-how and creative vision to excellent people skills and business acumen. Those who excel in wedding photography are often highly skilled and versatile professionals.

1. Request Testimonials: After a successful shoot, ask your clients for a testimonial. Testimonials provide social proof and can be powerful tools for attracting new clients. Feature these testimonials on your website and social media platforms.
2. Collaborate: Collaborate with other professionals in the industry such as models, makeup artists, and stylists. Not only can these collaborations diversify your portfolio, but they can also lead to referrals.
3. Offer Mini-Sessions: Mini sessions are shorter and less expensive than full sessions. They can be a great way to attract clients who might be hesitant to commit to a full session. Mini sessions can also be a great way to build your portfolio quickly. This will help you in How to Become a Successful Wedding Photographer.
4. Participate in Competitions and Exhibitions: Participating in photography competitions and exhibitions can increase your visibility and credibility. Winning an award or having your work exhibited can be a great selling point for potential clients.
5. Follow-Up: After a shoot, always follow up with your clients. Thank them for their business and ask for feedback. This can help you improve your services and maintain a positive relationship with your clients.

Starting your Own Business

Starting your own photography business from home is an exciting venture but can also be overwhelming. If you’re considering this, here are some practical steps to turn your dream into reality. These steps have helped me operate my home-based photography business for 15 years.

Here I describe these essential bullet points to get you going.

1. Believe in Yourself
2. Stop comparing yourself to others
3. Buy your equipment
4. Start taking photographs!!!
5. Choose your niche
6. Decide on a name
7. Get Legal
8. Buy a Domain name
9. Set up your website
10. Set up your socials
11. Set up a business bank account
12. Market yourself

Chasing the Sunlight Immediately post-dawn and pre-dusk are magical times when nature gifts a warm, golden hue. For photographers, these periods are prime for capturing ethereal shots. For instance, try shooting landscapes during these hours for a magical touch.

Tools in Nature Natural settings already offer a lot, but using reflectors can enhance the play of light and shadow. For example, employ reflectors in forest shoots to highlight your subject. On the other hand, diffusers are perfect for beach shoots, ensuring sunlight isn’t too harsh.

In Search of the Perfect Shadow Soft, filtered light is the specialty of shaded spots. Use structures like pavilions, or natural shade from trees or clouds for a subdued feel. Imagine capturing a portrait under a tree canopy, creating a serene atmosphere.

Angles of Light The direction from which light hits your subject can entirely alter the vibe. Try backlighting for a halo effect, side lighting for dramatic contrast, or front lighting for clarity.

Nature’s Artistic Touch Incorporate natural elements such as foliage, window panes, or even fluttering curtains as creative lenses, introducing captivating patterns. Consider a portrait with dappled sunlight through leaves for an enchanting effect.

Three-Point Lighting Explained Three-point lighting is a standard technique used in visual media such as photography and filmmaking. It employs three distinct light sources to illuminate the subject from different angles, thus achieving depth, dimensionality, and visual interest. The three lights used are:

1. Key Light: This is the primary light source, usually the brightest, positioned at a 45-degree angle from the subject, illuminating one side of their face or object.
2. Fill Light: Placed opposite the key light, it’s softer and less intense. Its role is to fill in the shadows created by the key light, ensuring that they aren’t too dark or contrasted.
3. Backlight (or Hair Light): Positioned behind the subject, often higher up, its purpose is to provide a glow around the subject’s outlines, separating them from the background and adding depth.

Achieving Three-Point Lighting with Modern Tools With advancements in technology, achieving this classic setup has become more accessible. Here’s how:

1. Flash or Speedlights: These can serve as your key light due to their high intensity. Use a flash diffuser or bounce the flash off a white surface to soften its effect.
2. LED Lights: These are versatile and can be adjusted for intensity and color temperature. They can act as fill lights, providing consistent illumination. Modern LED panels often come with adjustable brightness settings, allowing for fine-tuning.
3. Portable Reflectors: While not a light source, they can act as fill lights by reflecting the key light back onto the subject. This is especially useful when working with a single light source like a flash.
4. Backlighting with LEDs or a Second Flash: Use dimmable LEDs or another flash unit, positioned behind the subject, to achieve the backlighting effect.

Today, with the combination of flash and LED lights, photographers can recreate this traditional lighting setup in various environments, be it in a studio or on location.

Marrying Natural and Artificial Light While three-point lighting primarily involves artificial sources, blending it with natural elements can yield stunning results:

• Chasing the Sunlight: Use the setting sun as a backlight or key light, then complement with LEDs or flashes for fill.
• Using Nature’s Reflectors: Water surfaces, sand, or even white walls can reflect sunlight, acting as a natural fill light when paired with artificial key lights.
• Shadow Play: Position your subject in natural shadows and use artificial lights to control illumination, merging the best of both worlds.

With modern equipment and the environment’s natural elements, photographers can craft mesmerizing compositions, bringing subjects to life with depth, contrast, and nuance.

Gel photography, which involves the use of coloured gels placed in front of light sources, can greatly enhance and transform your photos in various ways:

1. Mood Creation: Color gels can be used to set a specific mood or atmosphere in a photograph, from mysterious and sultry to energetic and vibrant[3].
2. Visual Interest: By adding a splash of colour, gels can make a picture stand out and capture the viewer’s attention.
3. Balancing Color Temperature: Gels can be used to balance or modify the color temperature of a light source, making it warmer or cooler based on the desired outcome.
4. Highlighting Subjects: Specific colours can be used to emphasize a subject or a particular detail in the frame[1].
5. Dramatic Effects: Gels can create strong contrasts and dramatic conditions, such as simulating sunset or twilight.
6. Narrative Enhancement: Colors often carry symbolism and can be used to further the narrative or story being told in the image.

In the realm of LED lighting photography, colour gels serve as an invaluable tool to elevate the artistic quotient of your images. These gels can be employed not just to match themes or set a specific mood, but also to introduce striking contrasts or subtle tints, enriching your portraits.

To harness the potential of colour gels in LED lighting photography:

1. Securely affix the gel directly onto your LED light source.
2. Dive into the world of hues by trying out various colours and layering combinations to craft one-of-a-kind visual effects.
3. Integrate the intensity of the coloured gel illumination with ambient or other light sources to achieve a harmoniously lit composition.
4. By embracing the spectrum offered by colour gels, your portraits can emanate a spectrum of emotions, allowing you to narrate stories, capture fleeting moments, and craft a signature style that resonates with your artistic essence

Use these light setups to help get a better understanding.

Rembrandt Lighting
Loop Lighting
Split Lighting
Butterfly / Paramount Lighting
Theatrical Lighting

This month I wanted to feature four standard lighting setups that I use on a regular basis. This is lighting which I often use for portraiture and my location fashion photography(as well as one not so typical lighting setup). These setups will add confidence to your photography technique. You can add them to your repertoire, which helps you create unique, dynamic portraits and fashion work. 

To demonstrate how the lighting works, I managed to find a perfect looking mannequin to help show you the effect of the light. I have sprayed the head matt ivory, which shows the best outcome of light on the subject without being an actual subject.

For the benefits of the light source, I am using an LED light from Amazon to create the studio lighting setups. The cost for them is very cheap but gives a perfect look. It’s also important to point out that light is light wherever, and understanding light is critical. These lighting setups are the same for LED light, Arri or film lighting, or studio flash lighting both in a studio and on location.

These few examples of lighting involve using only one effective light source. Of course, you can add others if you like, and some of my later posts will show how this can work. Nothing stops you from adding more lights or reflectors into the mix to fill in shadows or just be adventurous with your studio lighting. Whether you are using continuous light or flash, hard light or soft light, the light will work the same only at different ratios of power and softness. The shadows will effectively be the same, only harder with direct film light or softer with flash and a softbox.

The below examples were taken with a hard light source which cost me £25 from Amazon to make the light pattern more obvious. It is better as it demonstrates the positioning better and the effect of light on my mannequin. So let us jump in and give you some ideas for your own lighting setups.

James Nader’s Own Style – Rembrandt Lighting

I have adapted the Rembrandt style to work for me and my studio/location work. I place the light slightly higher and not at 45 degrees. The light becomes a little top-heavy and shadowy on the face and only some faces suit this. Men and Androgenous Females. I don’t use it all of the time but I would say that for my theatrical on-location look this works well to increase the overall cinematic effect. You have to be careful with shadows in the eye sockets or deep shadows around the eyes.

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting is named after the famous 17th Century Dutch Painter Rembrandt. He often painted his subjects illuminated by high windows, which produced a distinctive triangle of light on the cheek of his subjects on the shadow side of their face.

When creating the classic Rembrandt lighting, place your lighting at an angle of roughly 45 degrees from your subject’s face. Raise it up to a point down towards your subject’s face at approximately 45 degrees. These angles are only a starting point for you to work from and work for me, both on location or in a studio. I will move the lighting around until it suits my subject and my interpretation of light on the subject’s face. This is because all faces and structures vary.

Rembrandt’s lighting is flattering and quite arty. If controlled, it is suitable for both portraiture and fashion work. This style of light works well on virtually any subject in any situation where light is added to a composition or scene regardless of whether they’re male or female. You know you have the format correct when the light overhead creates a shadow from the nose, which connects with the shadow on the cheek.

This lighting style is excellent for creating either classically styled portraits or dramatic portraits. If you want to create more dramatic portraits using Rembrandt lighting, you could increase the hardness by using the raw light from the flash unit. This means no diffuser such as I did on location in the sample picture.

I created contrast by removing the light control and overexposing the light source on location, which gives a harder light source similar to film lighting or Arri lighting.

This lighting is also perfect for Fine Art Photography when used with figure work and low lit lighting scenarios.

Loop Lighting

Loop lighting is very similar to Rembrandt lighting. However, the shadow from the nose doesn’t quite meet with the shadow from the cheek. Loop lighting is named for the shadow created on the subject’s face in the portrait. This simple lighting pattern is so-called for the “loop” shaped shadow created by the subject’s nose. If done correctly, loop lighting creates a circle-shaped shadow under and to the opposite side of your light.

The size and intensity of the loop vary from small and well defined to softer and more prominent, extending down toward the mouth. But the loop nose shadow does not touch the shadow on the cheek. This lighting technique is very similar to Rembrandt’s lighting, but the shadows on the cheek and nose do not meet.

Loop lighting is effective in studio work for portraits and campaigns. I used this lighting for the Superdrug campaigns and many others. Whilst it still works with direct lighting such as Arri & LED, it’s best suited to using a light source with a soft diffuser. However, for the purpose of this article, I am using direct LED light to highlight this.

To create Loop lighting, position your key light between 30-45 degrees in relation to your subject’s face, and raise your light to just above your subject’s eye level. Just make sure that the shadow from the nose on the cheek does not meet. This would then be classed as Rembrandt styled lighting.

Just like Rembrandt lighting, Loop lighting is a flattering style of light that works well on virtually any subject, regardless of whether they’re male or female. It also works for products so that it is not flat light and does throw light to create some light and shade, which, of course, gives contrast to the product. For me, there is nothing worse than flat lighting or copy lighting. I see this many times more so with some videographers who have no idea how to light and believe that adding two or three lights on a stand at the head height is perfect lighting!

Butterfly/Paramount Lighting

Butterfly lighting (also known as Paramount lighting) is created by positioning your light source directly centred and above your subject’s face. This creates a shadow under the nose which resemble a butterfly (Reason for the name). It is sometimes known as “Paramount Lighting” because this was the style of lighting that was often used by the Paramount movie studio to photograph their leading actresses back in the early days of Hollywood.

A lot of my more cinematic work features this type of lighting. Most of my early research into light as a student was from the Hollywood master photographers such as Sinclair Bull and George Hurrell. This particular lighting I absolutely love. When mixed with Film lighting or, better still, the older hot lights such as Blondes (2K Halogen) and Redheads (1K Halogen), the texture of the subject’s face literally looks like it emulsifies and has creamy looking skin and softens the skin. This is why the Hollywood master photographer’s pictures look so beautiful.

Butterfly lighting is more typically used for photographing women as it can accentuate cheekbones and will soften any wrinkles they may have. Is more flattering and forms a butterfly-shaped shadow under the subject’s nose, which is the source of the name. It is ideal for portraits to highlight the subject’s main features, like the nose and cheekbones. It creates a shadow under the subject’s nose and chin. These shadows make the subject look slimmer, and many cover shots will use this lighting style. Often a diffused reflector will be placed and the relevant angle to the subject. To create Clamshell lighting, you would use this light and a selection of reflectors close to and around the face for a brighter look portrait. Sometimes adding silver reflectors will enhance this look to a high degree and can be used more creatively with an avant-garde look overall.  

Split Lighting

Split lighting uses a single light source to divide your subject’s face in two with light and shadow. It can be quite theatrical and mystical and often works really well when adding a small reflected light source from a reflector or V-Flat. It punches some low-level light back into the shadows giving some detail in the dynamic range, which can be pulled or pushed in post-production.

I personally will do just that in some of my portraits. Still, I might underexpose the reflected shadow area, as I can play around with the dynamic range for highlights, lowlights and clarity in the digital darkroom. It gives a unique effect not possible with film.

This style of lighting is excellent for creating dramatic or mysterious portraits. This is a typical style of lighting used in photographing people in the arts, such as musicians, magicians and artists and fine art interpretations.

If you are clever and can read the light, the split light can be used to illuminate the background. You can also use the light overspill to work for the background and in the shot below. This was one light (Red Head 1K) with barn doors. I used split lighting but positioned the model differently and allowed the light source to deviate and split into two. This allowed me to light the background and add exciting shadows from the barn doors on the light.

When setting up for split lighting, place your light at an angle of roughly 90 degrees from your subject’s face or directly to the left or right of your subject. Depending on your light source, moving the light away from the subject will still create the effect, more so with film lights such as Arri lights or LED’s, as the light projects further and sharper than flash. With flash, the shadows will get softer the further from the subject. To get around this with a similar effect as film lights, simply add a beauty dish with no baffles or diffuser or take off the light control and use raw flash or even a Speedlight.

Everybody’s face is slightly different, so you may have to adjust the position of your lighting (or the direction of your subject’s face accordingly. Remember, if your subject turns around their head, the light pattern on their face will change. If you want to maintain the “Split Lighting “look, you will have to adjust the position of your lights too.

Theatre or Theatrical Lighting

You may have seen this light in some films such as Horror or the Film Noir cinema film from the 40s to 50’s lighting is key to creating atmosphere and a mood. Cinematographers look to mix lighting all the time to create drama and effect.  Uplighting is famous for being used by gaslight theatres from the early days when the gas lights were at the edge and around a stage, and the actor, singer or dancer would stand behind them. It was all about lighting the subject and not designed for any effect.

I successfully use this style of lighting for a more cinematic feel to my images and only relevant to the more creative or avant-garde look for me and my work.

Cinematic lighting can create depth to your composition. It can also add texture and flavour. One light at the height of your waist pointing up at the subject will give an unusual look. It’s not a typical lighting style, but when you ix this lighting with avant-garde clothing and makeup, it can look so good. This lighting creates drama wherever it is used.

Conclusion

Those are the four main lighting patterns traditionally used in portraits.  Once you master the technique for each they map out into any other lighting types from flash to LED.  Getting control of your light to create light, shape and form is essential to getting a diverse style of capture in your portfolio but equally having lighting techniques in your arsenal helps you work  at different level.

Why will I not give away my RAW files?

For me, there are many reasons not to give out any raw files unless my usage or buyouts cover this and to be honest, this is a rarity these days. I can safely say that I have only done this once and for a big high street company for whom I had previously shot the campaign and was paid for it. It was for one image, and they paid handsomely for the file.

There are numerous cases of one’s work being stolen and used on social media or high-level campaigns in the creative visual industry. The RAW files are not only proof that the photographer took the photographs but also the owner of them, and so the owner of the copyright.

Previously, when shooting pictures with film, the negatives were always with the photographer, and I was never asked for them. There was a process to photography a while back when shooting film, and the photographer was in charge as he was the professional in the process. 

Raw files are the modern digital version of the negatives, so hold value. It is far easier to pass these along, as clients may have access to someone who could manipulate the Raws. Therefore, it is more of a problem these days where clients often feel they have paid for access to them when in real terms, they have only commissioned the photographer to create the photography.

In today’s photography market, almost all photographs are digitally enhanced to some extent. This takes the images to another level, often better than the shoot itself, and sometimes mixes images in a composite to create an entirely different picture.

When working with a retoucher, they will require access to the Raw file to ensure that the quality is at its best. Most agencies will need these images to pass across to their retouchers or post-production houses. The Raw images are then passed across. My campaigns are where I have been commissioned to light and create pictures that sell a client’s product. I retouch these pictures in house, but a % will go across to a retoucher, and the file will all remain my own as they have not paid for the files. These files will be altered by retouching, but the Raw will still be the owner of the photographer.

As a rule, RAW files are not passed around because they are such large files and quite tricky to send a set across to a client. The client may need to send these on again to a retoucher, Creating a problem. I send my files around with WeTransfer, but sometimes, on more significant campaigns, I would give lower-res files for the client to proof them for me to edit 

Another factor to consider is that the RAW files are unprocessed and have no styling to the images. These files, if shown around, can define your own brand, and as a RAW file, this is not a good look for your brand. Unedited files are not what you want to be released. 

I have always been conscientious for this not to happen. 

As a photographer, you develop your own way of processing your images, and in reality, this is what the client will have booked you for in the first instance. Unless you are passing the raw files across for processing by a retoucher, then the RAW files should stay with you.

Manage your Client’s expectations. Let clients know why the RAW files cannot be shared?

 Before commencing any project, you must manage your clients’ expectations about what they are paying for and what they actually get for their money. Scoping the commission and agreements in advance saves the day and your client’s relationship with you, and it also shows your professionalism and value in your own brand.

Not every client will understand the rules or boundaries, and some actually believe that when they commission you, all content created is truly theirs and that they own it. I have faced this a few times over the years, and it really happens at the lower end of B2B commissions. So, for example, company X has purchased jewellery and has everything in place. The photographer is the last piece of the jigsaw, so most of the budget has already been spent. Mostly the confusion is around the lower budget or startups, wherein my early experience, they feel that they own everything.

I soon learned that managing their expectations is all about what they are actually paying for and receiving after the shoot. Most. of the time, it is all ok, as long as the client is willing to understand. If not simply walk away.

Keep your RAW files.

Advantages of RAW files. 

Some of the benefits of RAW files include:

• Great detail.
  The main advantage of RAW files is that they contain the most detail compared to other raster and vector file types. This gives you a lot more to work with when editing photos.

• Wide color range.
  RAW files can contain millions more colors than a JPEG image, plus increased RGB tonal values.

• Lossless compression.
  This ensures that the quality of your RAW image files won’t drop due to compression.
• Greater control.
  With RAW files, you have the power to make any kind of adjustment, such as converting a black and white RAW file to color and modifying brightness, contrast, and gamma correction, all without changing the RAW image itself.
• Converting potential.
  Try merging RAW files to form HDR or panoramic images you can then edit.

Every few days, I am sent emails from graduates and would-be assistants whose desire to get into photography is a drive for them. I try to reply to all inquiries in a friendly and engaging way, although sometimes it can be tricky with every contact.

I get the occasional Instagram DM message but mainly emails, and I would say that I find this very flattering. To get so many messages of hope from all of the new photographers joining the market is fabulous. I honestly wish I could accommodate more assistants with a lot more frequency; however, I already have my perfect go-to assistant but would welcome a few more on occasion. If I ever need an assistant or looking for someone, it would be best to look at my Instagram and watch this blog as a notification.

In this post, though, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to enlighten the readers about what makes for a good or great assistant, not just in my eyes but for the many other photographers who are booking assistants. I could suggest a few pointers for assistants who want to start working with photographers. So if you’re looking to begin assisting, or you’re already assisting and want to know what photographers might be looking for, this information will be of help for you and represents my own requirements to help or assist me.

I get direct emails regularly, often every week, especially at the end of term two in year three. The requests are from graduates or assistants who wish to assist me and then tag on their CV when reaching out to me. It’s perfectly ok to ask like this, but for me, it’s so crucial that you suggest in your message exactly how you can help and assist the Photographer.

I get so many emails that say, “I really would love to assist you because I want to learn how to be a fashion photographer.”  I have never heard from you, I don’t know you, and more importantly, you don’t follow me on social media. This is THE BEST way for me to notice you and potentially build up my contact list. Most of my bookings for assistants are from me noticing and having a conversation via DM on social media channels. Comment on posts and get yourself seen. This is my way of qualifying a potential assistant.

When I get an email that simply states that they would like to assist me out of the blue, it honestly feels to me, and of course, other photographers like you wish to drain my brain, taking advantage of your opportunity without putting in any real effort. Even though this is what you mean, I don’t necessarily need to hear this. 

Assisting can be a fantastic place to learn skills for your own photographic career; I assisted many leading British Photographers and a few international ones, however, that shouldn’t really be the point. You, as an assistant, are there to make the life of the Photographer during the day so much easier. Having good experience is an asset. However, there are chances that you can get a placement for a week or so; therefore, if possible, you should come to any shoots with a reasonable amount of knowledge. 

For an assistant, this means knowing how to set up lights, use light meters, change lenses on a camera, and the ethics for working on set with the Photographer and team. It’s really ok not to know everything about the job, and it’s also OK to ask the Photographer how they might want things done and his thoughts about lighting and the setup. If you’re going to assist and you don’t have these skills, it’s best to head over to YouTube and review some lighting and helpful videos to enlighten you and get better acquainted with what you will need. The right tools for the job!  YouTube Here

If you are new to assisting, don’t worry, as there are other opportunities to get on set? Here you can offer to be a second or third assistant on a set and maybe even offer to come to your first few shoots for free or cover expenses. As a second or third assistant, you could take direction from the first assistant and be an extra pair of hands. A chance to learn how the kit works, observe what the other crew members do, and get to grips with it all. 

I want to add to this blog post this caveat. I know from experience that many people who wish to assist don’t want to do anything for free, and I understand this. No one should help for free, as this can set a precedent for working without pay. However, being prepared to get experience without pay sometimes is the only way to get your foot in the door. It can show willingness and commitment. This giving of free time should not be seen as a weakness but as a strength and allows you to exchange time in return for valuable knowledge which can take you onto your next assisting job for another photographer.

Sometimes photography assistants may be hired to help plan a shoot in advance, even before turning up on the day; therefore, before the shoot, it’s essential that you check whether there is anything you can do to aid the main Photographer in ensuring they have everything in place for the shoot.
If travelling far to the shoot, do they need to rent any gear, particularly lenses or lighting equipment?

Will a studio be required at all? Maybe space for hair and makeup needs to be organised? Are there locations that are yet to get decided on? Might you be able to help by scouting out and visiting potential spots?
As you work on more shoots, you’ll find that you build up a database of information such as good rental stores, studios and locations. However, it’s essential to do your research before suggesting them.

Always be On Time: 

Obvious, you would think! But if you can arrive on set on time, that makes life so much easier for everyone if you can make it earlier even better. It gives you a chance to get familiar with the kit, location and crew and means that you can be ready to go and start setting up whilst everyone is getting prepared. 

Be Friendly:  Be a nice and a friendly person to be around, be engaging and helpful and be a pleasure to have you around. Do this, and you’ll get hired over and over again. Photographers want to be around happy people. I enjoy the company and helpfulness of my assistant and the fact that I can trust him not only the way he is but mainly because of the way he acts around my clients. I trust him to be professional and engaging as he becomes an extension of my brand. The client will get a better experience on the day if all of my team effectively represents my brand and me.

Let the Photographer introduce you to the clients and use their example to acclimatize to the situation. Remember that it’s not about you. You may well gain a lot from the experience, but your role is secondary to the photographers. A shoot is never about the Photographer, it’s about the client wanting a solution to their problem, and the Photographer is there to achieve this. Your priority should be to ensure that everyone gets along and works together.

Showing initiative: good assistants will only need a brief introduction to how the day works and is included in my own vision and the client’s expectations. However, an assistant is expected to work independently to the correct process. This means lighting, camera setups, lens choice, backgrounds. It might even mean the odd cup of tea or running down to the shops to get lunch for the crew on occasion.

It’s important to note that not all photographers will expect you to do all of the work on set, and I personally get involved and help my assistants by giving direction and asking the correct questions, so they learn on the day. So, whenever on set, look around and ask yourself if there is something that you can be doing. How can you make things easier? 

Study The Photographers’ Work: I think that most assistants will know the photographers’ work. It’s crucial to take a moment and study what they do, how their work looks. How do they like to light their images? What is their compositional approach? Is their lighting avantgarde or softer, or do they like a harsher look? Do they use styles of lighting such as Rembrandt or split lighting? If you can arrive on set with some decent knowledge of what the Photographer you’re working for will want/need, you’ll be very appreciated, and you will have a basic understanding about how they may be thinking of lighting the set.

This is a generic idea of how to be effective in assisting a photographer like me. The job entails so much more at a higher level but this will happen over time. Use this as a guide to help you think about what to do and when to dio it.

Rank number 1 on Google for Photography and SEO for Fashion Photographers. Many Photographers really struggle with the concept of working with Website SEO and letting their web content or photographers portfolio get seen – Search Engine Optimisation. I rank on page one of Google for the keyword search Fashion Photographer UK or fashion Photographer London. My website www.jamesnader.com

What a result, it has been this way for over 12 years and even though it fluctuates on occasion mostly it works. It drives interest to my work and has repeatedly got me bookings and has enabled me to escape the clutches of photographers agents who rake in over 20% of your hard-earned cash.

So what do I do? How did I manage to get listed so highly on Google and in Google rankings? I am going to give you some simple tips that will help you out which will be followed later this year with a full course to learn the Business of Photography where I share my tips and tricks to get photographers better acquainted with success

1. DO YOUR KEYWORD RESEARCH.

So ranking for Fashion Photographer is a major investment with time, but it can be done and doesn’t happen overnight and possibly not at all but it will push you up the rankings. There is any point trying to rank for a one keyword phrase as this narrows down your options so and if the photographers keyword only gets a small amount of traffic – similarly you need to know if you are trying to rank your site for a highly competitive keyword, as it may be beyond your capabilities to do so. It’s important that you find a keyword string that will allow you to get seen and probably most have gone. The best way is to initially use google to type in your keyword choices and see what comes up. There are many tools that can be used to help you manage your keyword search and final choice of photographers keywords. I will post the links below.

2. ALLOCATE CERTAIN KEYWORDS TO CERTAIN PAGES.

Once you have a positive search string such as mine Fashion Photographer UK. Then you need to weave this into your pages. It’s also a great idea to weave this keyword into your website pages to echo the same as the home page. Its also wise to look at slight variations on your chosen keywords and weave these into relevant pages i.e. Location Fashion Photographer, UK FashionPhotographer or Fashion Photographer London or New York Fashion Photographer
allocate certain keywords to certain pages of your site – a common mistake is to keep allocating the same keyword for lots of different blog posts – try to keep your main keyword for your home page only and spread your other keywords throughout the site.

3. SEO FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS – USE IMAGE ALT TAGS AND ALT TITLES.

Alt tags are like descriptions for your images, they translate your image for search engines. Without them, your images are pretty much non-existent for the worldwide web. Every image that you submit to your WordPress or website should be highly optimised. In plain English, images to be edited and then named relevantly to your webpage where they will sit. When you upload most website hosts, WordPress or third-party hosted websites will allow you o enter your alternative tags and image tags. Thes tell google what is there and helps description of the page and thus you get a ranking. Your pictures will also turn up in search results for google images which is another way that people can search for you and your work.

Images should be at 72dpi and you can use https://tinyjpg.com/ to render your images even lower in size, optimised websites are quicker to load and Google prefers to see fast loads and this helps your ranking overall. Use this link to see if your website fast https://tools.pingdom.com/

4. BUILD LOTS OF INTERNAL LINKS BETWEEN SITE PAGES.

Google wants to rank sites that provide a good customer experience – good site navigation between pages is fundamental. Ensure your site menus are logical and easy to use. Throughout your blog posts and site, pages ensure you link to other relevant pages on your site – this makes it easy for Google’s bots to index your site, and also increases the time your clients spend on your site. The bot likes to travel around a website’s content and not through it! keep it engaged!!!

5. PHOTOGRAPHERS H1 TITLES AND TITLES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY SEO.

Headings are a way to logically organize content on the page. The heading tags – H1-H6 – are also intended to allow designers to control the style of the page.  A good large header H1 tag where ever is good for Google. It shows to Google that this is relevant and more important text, however, sometimes the font looks far too big for your design so the header or title tags can be reduced to H2 or H3 titles.

Headings signify topics, which is why they are important for SEO. The largest words before a body of text are very likely to give a clue about the content of that text. 

6. PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO WANT TO GET WEB SEO IN PHOTOGRAPHY NEED WORDPRESS.

So once upon a time, I was a director of my own production and interactive agency and we had hand coders which were great but slow. These days it’s easy for photographers to display their work on various portfolio websites such as Squarespace, Photoshelter, Flowthemes, etc. However, there is one major problem with using these online portfolios. They are generally not that good for SEO for Photographers or for optimising your photography keywords for success. I have used them all and for a while but the best way for every photographer is the way I will be explaining in one of my live seminars.
Getting to page number one on Google and many times at position 1 has been a great achievement. The most success has been with being in control of my own website and yes this is a comprehensive learning curve but the power of this knowledge gives you the edge over your competitors. WordPress is a free platform and you can either use their hosting with a free account or install a free-standing version into the route of your domain www.jamesnader.com/blog so Blog is the directory where mine is. This is a process I will go through you personally in a webinar video you can sign up to. So many ways to do this but my way works and I have been successful with my website ranking high on page one for Fashion Photographer UK for over 12 years.

I will post a link to more info here soon. Register your interest here by just letting me know your email

7. PHOTOGRAPHY BACKLINKS ARE IMPORTANT.

Your website gets listed higher if you have super backlinks from good-standing companies, people or blogs.
If people like your work, allow then do feature you and your work in their own blogs. Students love to fond work that inspires them and then reflects on this in their own blogs. This is classed as a backlink. You can buy these from Fiverr but DON”T as these will damage your ranking. The offered services from portals to get 1000’s of backlinks are not going to work and they farm these. They are bogus and do nothing at all! It’s best to build up relationships online and get people to feed off your work.

8. SUBMIT A SITEMAP TO GOOGLE.

For your website to show up in search results, Google has to know about all your site’s pages and index them. This can happen organically over time, but a sitemap is a faster way to “help” Google. If using WordPress, this feature should automatically be included in the excellent “Yoast SEO”  plugin

9. YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE.

Google owns YouTube. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Google, therefore, loves to show your videos. Start creating content or slideshows of your portfolio work, upload them to YouTube using the same process of headings, titles, tags, and descriptions. Then embed that saved YouTube video in a blog post on your website. You can also add a backlink to your site on YouTube as part of the description of the video.

10. SOCIAL SHARING BUTTONS ON YOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS BLOG.

It’s a good idea to use your website and add social sharing buttons. If your website is interesting, people who read your content and like it will share it with their social media. You should also try using Quora to answer a post relevant questions.

11. SUBMIT TO DIRECTORIES SUCH AS ENTIRE WEB.

It’s important that when you have a completed photographers’ website or fashion photography blog, that you submit the URL to all of the major search engines including the main ones Google and Bing. You can go to the Entire web and this will automate your submission process for all except the latter. It’s also my practice that I submit each post or page also over time.

12. BLOG POST WITH A PURPOSE WITH KEYWORDS AND FOCUS ON OPTIMISED PAGES.

Want to dominate those local search results? Get some nice reviews via Google Maps, and you’ll soon find you start to rise up those A B C D map links 😉  Sadly it’s not easy for clients to do, as they have to jump through Google accounts loops, etc. You might be thinking right about now, “I’m a photographer, not a writer.” However, blogs are proven traffic generators, and they allow you to make your photography more personal. If you aren’t exactly a wordsmith, here are some tips that will help. You can also hire a professional content writer. 

• Use a primary keyword Fashion Photographer UK ( MIne) in the title and the first paragraph of the content, and sprinkle secondary keywords throughout. Keep density to 1 – 3 percent overall.
• Keep it simple and tell a story. On point blogging ins every time. If you have information like this page keep it clean and a simple layout.
• Make the content visually pleasing and scannable, with short paragraphs and plenty of white space
• Use meta tags, H1 title tags, and h1 – 4 tags for headings and subheads.
• Don’t be lame and copy content from other websites. Write your own as it can be traced!

13. Get your address and contact information on the footer of every page of your business

Another signal to Google on your “local” geographic location is, of course, your address It also makes a big difference with potential clients!  The truth is I don’t do this as a rule as numbers and addresses get spammed. I learned the hard way so it’s really down to you. Local business is good for using addresses but national and international I choose not to.:)

JAMES NADER – SILVERGUMTYPE – a quick review of SEO for Photographers but should give you a heads-up!

So you have the basics of getting seen online I am planning a module written by me and a video with me going through what I have learned over the years. I think it’s about time that people help each other and soon I will be producing a subscription video allowing photographers to learn SEO and WordPress and getting your photography business seen Successfully placed websites re great for bringing in clients and business.

SEE VOLPE VIDEO PRODUCTION – DIRECTOR / CINEMATOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER – JAMES NADER

As a rule in 2022, people, in general, are consuming more films, clips, and animations than ever before. In fact, over three-quarters of all internet traffic comes from video. Over one billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every day. There are more than eight billion video views per day on Facebook. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world and YouTube helps greatly in ranking position when combined with your blog and website.

After five years of working on my video techniques, I would say that the clear answer is yes, after all, is it not the other way around? Are videographers not shooting stills? I know that many times I was asked to shoot on the set of films but in the end, it was done by the director or some other guy in video production and therefore I made it my task to learn not only shooting but all aspects as much as possible.

1. Video expands your business opportunities and client reach

2. Video is great for engaging with your audience on social media

3. Vlogging allows you to build and improve your brand

5. Creating tutorials online will help boost your fan base

6. Promoting your films is easy through social media channels

7. Video gives you lots of different skills and a better portfolio

I have even produced, Directed and created video shorts for TV and online for Fletcher Cowan. Fletcher Cowan is a British TV host and actor. He’s known for co-hosting E! Entertainment’s “What the Fashion”, as well as the comedy series “How to be a Socialite” on Channel 4.

With my own production team, we worked on the fly to produce 6 episodes for Fletcher to launch his American TV debut. We produced a set of videos with comedian, Matt Richardson, Actress and model Margot Stilley, Saville Row Tailor Patrick Grant who is best known by the general public for his work as a judge on the BBC television series The Great British Sewing Bee and Sottish actor Craig Mcginlay just after his acting role in King Arthur

I am now skilled at crafting and scripting, editing and grading and syncing with sound for effect. I have worked on advertising sets and worked with cinematographers and video directors and shooters and all of the above have been great news for me. I have directed a few campaigns and also lit and directed a few film shorts.

Working for many companies these days, video is a prerequisite to both shooting and directing and crafting the whole video. Clients will always ask if you can shoot video and have this included, and the short answer is yes and no. I will shoot it, and then I will not include it unless paid for, and it’s about being careful with clients and meeting their expectations. Many have been damaged by creatives who will shoot cheaply or include it and do it in a shabby way, thus giving a lower expectation for clients. Its this which is damaging the creative industries overall.

9 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY AS A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER

An interesting topic seeing as so many people feel they are a fashion photographer

How can you make money in Fashion Photography and how do you make money as a Fashion Photographer? I get asked this question so many times. It’s a tricky answer which a few years ago was really a simple answer. Since the explosion of social media and especially Instagram for Photographers, it has become increasingly difficult to find work out there. There are so many photographers now since the liberation of photography with digital photography and cameras.

The problem really is so much more about who you know and about relationships, although some photographers really do make it without following the traditional route that I followed. Becoming an influencer and being liked by your crowd seems to be an attraction to agencies, producers, brands alike and why? Well, its all about your reach. If you have a good reach then advertisers are more drawn to you rather then just your content.

Being realistic, there is no great way of measuring an advert placed in a magazine easily apart from sales of the magazine and one increased sales, but not with any realtime metrics. These days it’s all about your metrics and your presence online. Being totally honest with you all. My jobs used to fly through the door. Most of my work happened via my website and direct bookings which led me onto some super brand work. These days this is less so and I have seen work go to the photographer who may not be that good and not have that many previous clients or indeed history in working with clients which was SO IMPORTANT even 5 years ago! If you have great metrics and an average style and you travel around a lot then you are prime estate.

I am fortunate in the fact that I have good social media and been around a while but going out there now is challenging. you have to NOT FOLLOW the crowds and really be yourself and follow your own instincts. There is a danger by following what everyone else is doing online then you are sinking in the mire of the photo has-beens! The sea is flooded with great photographers but ones who follow the crowd. I have in the past fallen into this category. I have followed the crowd and sunk, only to pick myself up again and sink again. You have to have a vision of destiny and of your end game. Be in control of this and you are on course to keep your head held high and above the water. Her re some ideas of how you can exist and make money to keep your dream alive.

BE A CONTENT CREATOR:

What is content creation? well is just another name that people use just like a digital asset. Photography and more so the video is content creation. This is the new buzz word and in fact, the reason that I go quiet in my fashion productions is normally that I am content creating for brands outside of fashion too. I set up a production company called www.nadermedia.com and work as the director in this. The ability to shoot not just photography but video too is your strength and makes you more employable. Take your sill production ability into moving video content. Clients can sometimes not really know what to do with the content you create but here’s a tip. Manage their content with facebook ads!! learn this and you will be set up for life. A setup fee and then monthly payments as you manage the ads for your clients build a strong residual income. Do some post-production and retouching, editing and grading to upsell your work. If you can’t do this then learn how to!

SHOOTING EDITORIAL:

Shooting for an editorial has never paid much but its offset to give you coverage and credit. Magazines would always give credit but nowadays most magazines are going online so its a different audience. Editorial allows you to test out your style and show this to other brands who may book you. Sometimes shooting editorials is a great way to get your work seen across many social networks and a good collaboration should get you seen online which will allow your photographers profile to grow and then attract actual clients. This can also work with models and model tests.

TESTING MODELS FOR MODEL BOOKS:

Working with models is saturated, testing for model portfolios and shooting model books is a great way of building your brand. How? well if you do great shots that fit in with a model agency style or brand. Then the pictures are added to a book and to the model agency website. This increases your profile and gives your photography a platform to get seen. You can even get paid between £150-£300 per model shoot and so potentially good money in a day as you start out.

So how does this help? well the model adds their new images to their book and go out to view clients and potential work on go-sees, clients as they look through, will often ask shot a particular shot if they like it and then, of course, the model mentions your name. The model at the go-see also mixes with other models from other agencies and they look at each other’s pictures and this can lead you getting more model test photography for model portfolios. This is a great stealthy way of building your brand.

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS FOR BRANDS:

So now you have done the above two topics, shooting model portfolios and also shooting editorial plus the odd bit of content production. This gives you a good presentation portfolio. You are now open for business with brands. So starting off with small start-up business entrepreneurs is a great way to get further up the ladder. Often they have small budgets but want big productions! this work is a great way of building a relationship with the brand. As they grow so they come back to you.

You could set up an informal agreement which states that you agree to do these first few shoots at an agreed rate but as they grow their business, they will still use you a better price reflective of their position I the market. They retain your service. Not all like to do this method, some clients will use you to get their initial images then want to move on. Don’t listen to the ” next time we can pay you a better price” as they never do. They are using your creativity to bounce them up the ladder. Get some agreement in place, however, these startups are a great way to grow your brand and of course your content. As long as you are aware of this then you will be fine. Don’t get desperate

RETOUCHING & POST-PRODUCTION FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS:

If you’re great at retouching and post-production for your won work, then why not use those skills to do the same for other photographers? Photographers need retouching and whilst I do my own for certain work, it’s really important for me to know where I can get great retouching as firstly some clients request a specialist but other photographers don’t have the skills or even the time but require a great solution which of course can be you. Your style of retouching with a few changes might just be what another photographer requires. The best way to go about this is to post your work on Instagram. Instagram for Photographers is a super way to get seen and attract work. If you’re on the point then send out a DM to the photographer asking if you could do a test on their work. This could be just what you need to get seen. Your retouching seen on a great photographers’ feed will get you seen. They will do a shout out on insta stories on Instagram and help promote you

ASSISTING

When you first start off in photography either from university or by just wanting to change up into photography from another job. Assisting is a great way to get some skills and opportunity to see how its all done. However, I get approached daily by hundreds of aspiring photographers who wish to assist me. The truth is I don’t have space or the opportunity most of the time. Be prepared for rejection but if you are successful then assisting a photographer even on a per-day ad-hock basis is great to build your brand.

BECOME A STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER:

Stock photography can still net you a great monthly residual income, the challenge is creating content in suitable numbers to make a difference. I actually supplied images to stock and have around 4000 images in stock agencies around the world and it generates a basic income. The market is saturated and many images are out there, however finding your niche is essential to build your brand. Snapping away is great but a direction in what you want to have a focus in is essential to your success and selling images.

I will be doing a video and blog content demonstrating the process of shooting stock photography. As a fashion photographer or lifestyle photographer then you have a greater chance of capturing an image that can sell into fashion covers. Likewise, landscapes and editorial images also sell well and my best buddy owns a top London stock agency where my stock is. I can always supply a link and details if needed.

SHOOT E-COMMERCE:

E-commerce or e-comm are images shot for online selling and often quite plain in appearance. You can shoot them on white and most of the looks are quite static. So Assos is a good example as is Next. Shots are very simple and repetitive and can be priced per shot. Not much pr shot however but if you are shooting many then you stand to make good money. This work is normally more like a process and needs a regular rhythm and style to the images. Catalogue work needs the formula and if you get this correct you can pick up some lucrative contracts as not everyone wants to do these shoots. There is also the Hero shots that normally surround the page and give the lifestyle to the catalogue fell. These are normally taken by another photographer and most of the time on a location. Boohoo and Misguided are great examples of this. Great fashion locations and interesting fashion for e-comm websites that sell in volumes.

LOOKBOOK FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY:

Before the digital age, fashion photography lookbooks were physical books that fashion brands would have printed to showcase their latest collections. These would be sent out at shows and posted to potential customers and given to online retailers and stores. These would carry the brand message and today they have become digital. lookbooks are most essential and give an overall impression of this season’s look. It’s great to photograph these and mostly you get paid a lower rate than a campaign but you can line these up. These happen 2-4 times per year if not more. In the fashion industry, brands like Next will have newness added per month and this is a selection of new items every month which will need photography. Normally a day rate but add to your main lookbook shoot. Bigger companies will do more of these more often.

Today, most lookbooks are digital and live on a brand’s website. Some are designed like traditional lookbooks with slides of images that can be digitally “flipped through.” Others are more creative or interactive.

Get ahead in making money as a Fashion Photographer final thoughts

Just 9 tips to help you make money as a fashion photographer. I hope you found these a little help and of course there are many other ways you can make money in photography. Its a game you have to get great at to stand out and get the bookings but these few tips should help you on your way, they did for me!

Any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section!