Nikon vs. Canon, Mac vs. PC, Lightroom vs. Aperture. I have seen these debates on countless photography websites, blogs and forums. Let me clear this up real quick: The average client does not care...

I get asked "What kind of camera do you have?" very often. I infer from the question that the person asking thinks that if he/she owns the same kind of equipment then they will be able to shoot the same quality of the photos that I shoot. Although I'm complimented by the question (the person asking always precedes or follows up the question with kudos about my photos), the answer is ultimately useless.

 

I was recently subjected to a rather drawn-out Facebook email thread that started with a simple question from a model friend of mine to myself and a number of other photographers. For the sake of brevity, the question was "Would any of you photographers be willing to shoot a 2-hour event for free?" It was quickly met with criticisms directed toward those who ask for free photography, with the overall sentiment being "I don't shoot for free."

Although I'm a steadfast believer in only shooting paid gigs, there are occasions in the past where I, as a private, freelance photographer, have shot for free.

I'm walking to my car after another wonderful night of late night drinking at Darwins and Dirty Dog Bar. I was approaching the corner of 7th and Trinity when I see this rather large black woman in my path, dressed in a shiny red top and black shorts.

I parked at a lot last night and the guy tells me "Oh no, you don't need a ticket for your dashboard...I'm going to be here all night."

 

So after you get home and you put all your photos on your computer...then what? With today's digital cameras' megapixel range averaging 10-12 megapixels, photo files are freakin' HUGE.

Bounce flash a very easy way to bump your photography to the next level and add dimension to your subjects. All it takes is a swiveling flash head (the Nikon SB600, SB800, SB900, and the Canon 430EX, 580EX are popular choices) and a reflective surface (wall or ceiling).

So I recently had a photo shoot with an invididual who contacted me via email and sent me some wonderful pictures of herself. Since I'm extremely busy I normally don't screen potential models face-to-face. Based off the images she sent, I booked her.

Learning how to pose is critical to your success as a model. Models who know how to pose allow photographers to concentrate more on composing the photograph and snapping a great picture rather than spending time helping the model with their poses!