CL Buchanan

So last night just before bed I checked twitter to see what was going on………. BIG MISTAKE! 

I seen a retweet from a photographer calling out another person in the photography industry and of course I followed the hashtag. Well there was a lot of nasty things being said. First off I’m not a fan of piling on people, second I’m defiantly not a fan of trying to publicly bashing people. There are some things that are worth standing up for and I will do that through good conversation and debate not insulting the other person and trying to push them down.

So here’s a little of the back story- David Jay, A person that I respect immensely, wrote a beginners guide to photography and well a lot of people aren’t happy about it.  There are a few things in The System   that have some photographers losing their cool.

I seen a ton of tweets about what’s inside The System so here is my take on some of the tweets -

tweet- “you don’t need much gear because it’s confusing”

my take- I shot my first wedding with a 50mm 1.4, owned, and a 70-200mm 2.8, borrowed. My client loved the images and still refers clients to me. You don’t need a ton of gear but know who to use what you do have.

tweet- “you don’t need to take great photos,they’re good enough” and “give them an incredible experience”

my take- how many times have you nailed the perfect shot and had the client pick the other one? Well it’s happened to me numerous times and the reason behind it- that smile is so him or that’s the way she throws her head back and laughs when she’s having the time of her life”.  These photos depict that moment in time and that’s what people want to remember. The get pissed that you took 20 minutes to set the lights up and only took one photo.

tweet- “make your clients your friends”

my take – yes you have to have a decent product to begin with but if people like you they will like your product and you don’t necessarily have to be the best in your area. I am a huge advocate for having fun and smiling when I work because my clients and friends friend my attitude and body language and that’s what they give back to me. Nobody wants to work with a sulky, grumpy photographer I don’t care how good you are.

The whole print vs digital!

I’m a bigger believer of not letting your kids grow up to be jpegs and anybody that knows me will attest to how much I say this. That being said I also know I am not a product photographer I’m a service based photographer. I sell digital files and I’m completely fine with that. I will also pass along to my clients when the local company I use is having a great sale on prints. The one thing that I also do is let me clients know that if they want large images or canvases I’m more than happy to help them out and my prints do not cost and arm and leg. I’m also a user of PASS Premier- my clients and I love it.

now for the whole Spray and Pray thing

my take- at my first wedding I was frigin nervous. I shot everything so I didn’t miss anything. I had a second shooter with me but still I was the main photographer for the first time and it was my job to capture the day. Did I shoot in manual mode yes…. for 50% of the day. the other 50% I went between AV and P because I wanted to be guaranteed that I was going to get something (remember I was nervous & that’s when mistakes happen). it ended up that my success rate of my manual shot images was pretty high but I was still glad to have the other images for back up.

For me I guess I look at this as a beginners guide (like it says in the heading- The System | A 10 Step Guide To Starting Your Photography Business) it’s a way to get started and learn as you go. Yes wedding photography isn’t the place to learn but it you love wedding photography and that’s all you want to photograph than there aren’t a ton of options. Yes you can second shoot and learn but speaking from experience not a lot of photographers are willing to share their knowledge with someone they know are trying to get into the business.

Just like anything else there are parts that you aren’t going to agree with well guess what you don’t have to use that part. Take from this guide what works for you. Even if it’s only one step you are one step closer to achieving your goals in my opinion. I am glad I’m part of a photo community that believes in helping and sharing with one another. Instead of trying to knock each other down maybe try lending someone a hand and pull them up once in a while.

For the record I use all the Showitfast products because they work well for me and I love them. I also love that a guy, David Jay, that was in the industry needed and wanted something and when what he wanted was available  he created it.

David Jay I am happy to call you my friend, I’m proud of what you have done for other photographers, but mostly you inspire me.