Sounds wrong, clients? Then why are they doing it themselves? Mostly because I am fairly expensive! And not every thing needs my skills to be effectively communicated. We all know how to cook, but we still eat at restaurants right? There is a time and place for everything.
Many of my clients shoot before, during and after. Surely the before photos can be done by any competent camera owner. In this case they don't need to look good! And pretty much the same for the during...but the after, that is when it is the most important to do the best job.
I don't have any clients who have me shoot EVERYTHING they do! A few come close though, and they work on the high end, and recognize the importance of image, and are willing to invest in it. But most clients have projects they would like to document, maybe post casually on facebook, or have in their files to show, but that are just not unique enough to make it financially worth it to hire a pro. And that is where I feel I can add to my value by passing on tips for making their own photography better. I am not losing any business by it, but helping them to be more successful also.
Some situations can easily be photographed by most people with their normal cameras, brightly lit scenes outdoors are a no brainer with any modern camera. Similarly a scene indoors with plenty of sunlight on it is not too much of a challenge for most cameras and its automatic settings and flash. But turn that same camera towards a bright window and you have a disaster of bright glaring light and dark shadows that just says hire a pro! (don't worry, I'll even give some tips for that situation!)
Another bad situation is a large room, full of brand new furniture and carefully selected accessories. You back up against the wall to get it all in and let your camera take care of the exposure and focus....and you get a picture of a dark cave, with a brightly lit something or other in the foreground from the flash!
These are the kind of problems I have seen when my clients have tried to do their own photos, and that have simple fixes. You don't neccessarily have to go out an invest in thousands of dollars of equipment either, although a few of my clients have bought good digital single lens reflex cameras. (The kind you can change lenses on).
So...an intro to what I intend to blog about...I think I will break it up into simple posts, lesson at a time kind of thing..
And I have to find some pictures that aren't the results of hours of work, the best lighting and equipment, and my years of experience, to serve as examples!
:)
