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Welcome to the liveblog of the BlogHer Food '10 panel "Visuals - Taking It to the Next Level: Professionalizing Your Photography."
Here's the description:
You've gotten to a certain level with your photography. You're good at it; you know it, and increasingly other people do too. They are interested in your work or encouraging you to pursue photography more professionally.This session is led by Jen Yu from Use Real Butter and Helene Dujardin of Tartelette, who were both in different fields before transitioning into full-time photographers, and who will delve into the nitty-gritty of what this profession is really like. According to them the photography itself is probably only 20% of the job of being a professional photographer. As with any consultant or small business owner, the devil is in lots of details. Learn how to plan your workflow, build your portfolio, make business contacts, represent yourself as a professional photographer, attach value to your work, and essentially become a sales & marketing representative of your own work.
Your liveblogger is Bon Vivant. Check back during the panel (1:30pm - 2:45pm October 8) for the liveblog!
Can't make it to BlogHer Food? Get the virtual conference pass and don't miss a thing!
Helen Dujardin (HD)
Jen Yu (JY)
Both Helen and Jen had separate presentations for this panel sharing their experiences in professional photography. Their tips for aspiring professional photographers are divided out into bullet sections.
HD: Started off with some background to her entry into photography. It all started when her husband gave her a point and shoot and told her to "play with it", but it was only in 2009 that she really got into it. If she had to pinpoint an exact moment in her life when she started getting serious about photography, it had to be the day after she returned from BlogHer Food 2009, when she received a call from Garden and Gun magazine to style a shoot. First opportunity to work with a professional team, and other jobs soon followed.
JY: Blogging is her hobby, not a profession. Background in Science and engineering with a PhD in Geology. Left Geology in 2006, diagnosed with cancer in end-2007 and in 2008 started thinking really hard about what she wanted to do with her life. Decided to go pro in nature photography and her husband was supportive. "When you say 'I want to go pro', you need to have a lot of things figured out". Says that she's still in the process of 'going pro'.
HD: Suggestions for photographers looking to go pro:
- Identify where you stand - look for feedback that's more critical of your skills than just "yes that's a nice picture". Ask yourself, is your work good enough to take it to the next level, and whether you really want to do this. Be honest with yourself and don't be afraid of critique. Her best critic is her husband - he doesn't know food photography, but he reacts to food and tells her when things work or don't work. Look for a senior photographer who can mentor and critique your pictures. Flickr groups such as the Food Photography Club also give good feedback. Critique is always informative, not always easy to hear but good to know.
- Identify your goals and your plans - She was shooting with the Canon Rebel XTi for her first jobs with Garden and Guns and Charleston Magazine and found it limiting. Wanted to upgrade to a better camera, but her husband sat her down and asked her if that was really what she wanted to do, given the high cost of buying a better camera. The lesson from this is that it's important to draw out a plan and give oneself goals and deadlines as you work towards establishing yourself as a photographer.
- Know your niche - identify what makes you stand out - your subject, your technical knowledge, your styling abilities. Are you a food photographer or a stylist? Or both?
- Online portfolio and bio - most useful tool to have when starting out. Showcase your best shots and have a full bio. They can be your favorite shots, but it's important to showcase what you can do. Add professional experience when you can. Some reliable portfolio hosting sites include: photobiz.com, livebooks.com, bludomain.com. Shop around for a site that suits your needs, it's like looking for your own store location. Once you set it up, take your portfolio to work -
