Video Notes:

Can you have small business? Yes. But what are you comparing it to? In this video, we’re discussing the concept of establishing yourself as a small business, operating ‘on the side’. Some call these photographers the ‘weekend warriors’ and even look down on them for their small time aspirations.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting your photography busienss to be a small one to supplement your usual income. But it’s important to know what goes into running a business big or small and you might be surprised the the jump from small to big really isn’t that huge.

Things you need to be in business {big OR small}:

Legalities - you need to register yourself as a business and get legal with your government. Paying taxes.

Insurance - no matter the size of your business, you need to be properly insured.

Legalities - forms, releases, etc

Branding - how will you communicate who you are to your potential clients?

Printing - cards, letterhead

Packaging - setting yourself apart from everyone else will put you in a league of your own. In addition to creating superior work, your packaging will add value to your work and this will mean you can charge more and work less.

Further education - you need to stay educated no matter how big or small your business is going to be. Personal growth is very important in your forward motion.

Online presence

Marketing - How are you going to get your clients? Some marketing is free and others are low cost but even free forms of marketing cost something, even if it’s time.

If you don’t set yourself up well to glean a higher level client, you will have to work harder, not smarter.

Watch the video to hear more about big business vs small business.

Bad Sass Backdrops is the Best Friend Team of Kristen Caldwell, Photographer and owner of Kristen Caldwell Photography, LLC and Terry Cutlip, Graphic Designer and Owner of Sassy Designs, Inc. They have taken all of Sassy Designs digital goodies and have now made them available to be printed on 100% CANVAS Backdrops! These backdrops aren’t your ordinary backdrops. Not only are they printed on 100% CANVAS using the highest quality designs, materials and ink but they are also sprayed with a matte sealant and undergo a 24-hour curing process which locks in the ink and color and also acts as a UV protector and water resistant barrier. If they are soiled, simply wipe them clean! These backdrops are the best investment on the market today! Bad Sass Backdrops are 60 inches wide and are offered in legths of 4ft, 6ft, 8ft, and 10ft. Shipping is FREE to all 50 US States!

Bad Sass Backdrops Inc is the Creator of the “SPLIT”  and “TRI-SPLIT” design options! They allow you to “SPLIT” either a 8 foot or 10 foot CANVAS Backdrop to include ANY two designs of YOUR choosing for no additional cost! Yep, that’s right! You get 2 Canvas Backdrops for the price of what you would pay for ONE from other distributors! Combine a flooring design with a pattern and you have a complete set up in just minutes! Clamp a wood baseboard where the two designs meet, and WHALLAH!

Today, Bad Sass Backdrops Inc is offering an AMAZING giveaway to ONE very lucky Pretty Presets reader!  Enter to win a $250 Gift Certificate to Bad Sass Backdrops!  Check out their beautiful backdrops at http://www.badsassbackdrops.com.

Here’s How Enter.  Please leave ONE comment for each item you complete.  You have up to SIX chances to win:

1. Follow Pretty Presets on Facebook.

Extra Entries (Optional):  Please leave additional comments on the blog for each of the following items you complete.

2. Follow Bad Sass Backrops on Facebook

3. Follow Sassy Designs on Facebook

4. Follow Pretty Presets on Pinterest

5. Join Pretty Presets Mailing List

6. Share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.  Type the following:  “Go check out @Pretty Presets for Lightroom at www.lightroompresets.com to enter to win the “$250 Gift Card to Bad Sass Backdrops!”

There you have it!  6 chances to win this FABULOUS Giveaway from Bad Sass Backdrops!

Hurry! Giveaway ends this Friday at midnight CST.  Winner will be announced on Monday, May 21st.

LEGAL STUFF:  This promotion is in NO WAY sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You will NOT be notified publicly via Facebook if you are a winner. You MUST be 18 to participate. By entering this giveaway, you are providing information to Pretty Presets and NOT to Facebook.  Prizes do not have cash value. There will be no returns/exchanges on any of the items.

Kristen and Terry met back in ’92 while in their Junior year of high school. They have been best friends ever since! They are both spunky, fun and creative striving to bring new ideas that are versatile and cost effective to the photography industry! In December of 2010, they opened a studio together and have been working side by side ever since. The designer and photographer who make up this friendship and partnership is a force their husbands and children must reckon with on a daily basis. Without the support of their families, they wouldn’t be where they both are today. They both are wife, mother and artist. They wouldn’t change any of it for the world!

If you are new to Lightroom (or not so new, as this took me a while to figure out), you may be a bit confused as to how you can resize images in Lightroom. For the longest time, I searched high and low for the resize option, but came up empty-handed! I was actually using Photoshop to resize, but once I figure out how to resize in Lightroom, I realized just how easy it is.  It’s a piece of cake!

You will find the resize option in your Export dialogue. So, go to your top toolbar, select File, Export, and you will see this box:

Once you see the above box, use the arrow on the right to scroll down until you see Image Sizing, then check the “Resize to Fit” box.

At this point, you will have several options for resizing, so let’s look at how they work:

Width and Height 

With all of the resizing options, you can choose your dimensions in either pixels, inches, or centimeters, as well as select your resolution. In this example, I am using pixels, and a measurement of 3500 X 4500. This is the quick, easy and custom way to set your pixels and resolution.

Dimensions

As you can see above, I changed my dimensions to inches, and entered 8X10. Something to keep in mind is that Lightroom will generally not resize the image to exactly 8X10, but instead, will size the image as close as it can to the dimensions you entered. After I exported this image, the exact dimensions were 8X9.71 inches.

Another important factor to keep in mind is resolution. If you are editing for the web, a resolution of 72 pixels per inch is more than enough for screen display, however, if you are going to make a large print, you will want a high resolution of 240-300 ppi.

Long Edge and Short Edge

With this feature, you can choose to edit either the long or short edge of your image, and Lightroom will automatically adjust the rest of the dimensions for you. This is extremely handy if you are editing a photo for online sharing, as websites and blogs often require a specific pixel measurement on one edge of the image.

Megapixels

If actual file size is a factor in your editing, you can set your megapixels. This is a great option if you are not bound by specific dimensions, but rather, file size. If you are emailing your photos this will come in handy, or, if you simply do not want to use too much space on your blog or website.

Sizing Presets

Another useful trick in your Export dialogue is that you can create presets for your commonly used dimensions. To create a preset, in your Export dialogue, select Add (lower-left side of box, under Plug-in Manager).

Once you have named your preset, click Create, and in the future, you will be able to quickly apply the same measurements to an image.

As you probably know, one of the greatest benefits of Lightroom is its non-destructive editing. So, you can resize your images in Lightroom, without having to worry about accidentally overwriting your original image with a smaller version. Many times I have accidentally overwritten my original edit with a smaller version in Photoshop, destroying the original forever. Lightroom does not overwrite the original when you resize, though. It is possible to do, but you really have to go out of your way to tell it to overwrite a file! If a file is about to be overwritten, Lightroom will ask you if you want to overwrite the original file, or use unique names. Always select “Use Unique Names” just to be on the safe side.
Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.

Video Notes:

Can you get a camera and go straight into business? Yes and no. Can you start a business as a beginner? Yes and no.

Thinking about business is the very first step of starting one. If you were to get a camera tomorrow purely for the purpose of going into business, then just thinking about business is the first step.

Some trades/careers where people go into the trade purely for the purpose of business:

• Bricklayer
• Physicians
• Filmmakers

You may be in the thinking stage of starting your business for years before ever beginning to shoot for money. And again, unless you have consistency in your work, you’re not ready to start taking people’s money.

In this video, I’m going to talk to you about 5 things you need to start working on to get your feet on the path to starting your business:

1. Get serious about your education. Eat, sleep and breathe photography. Make learning your full time job or part time job if you have to. Take classes online, join a club, go on photo walks, start discovering what you really love shooting. Hone in on your specialty.

2. Get a mentor. Find someone locally or someone online who can help teach you the ways of photography and business. Find a photographer who will allow you to second-shoot or be an apprentice. I think it’s time for us to stop being so tightly guarded with our secrets.

3. Practice practice practice. If you want to be a photographer, start taking pictures.

4. Start learning about business. Study marketing, learn how people think. Read the blog Psychology for Photographers. I love this new blog and I never miss a post.

5. Get critique. Have your work looked at and critiqued by other photographers who you admire and respect. One way to receive real, honest critique is through a Professional Photographer. Don’t ask for critique from your friends. They’re going to tell you what you want to hear and unless they’re also professional photographers, they won’t have the critical eye needed for giving you advice that will help you grow in your craft.

So remember…you have to start thinking about your business as the first step to going into business. Don’t hurry that stage!

We’re starting Mother’s Day a little early this week!  We’ve got some FUN things to share with you.  In efforts to make it short and simple we’ll list them below.

1. We’re releasing our first 2 sets of Lightroom 4 Brushes today!  These are one of the most popular items in our store and we’re working on making more specific sets for your needs.  You can view our Portrait Brushes here and our Graduated Filters Toolbox here.  You can view our Lightroom 3 and Lightroom 4 brushes here.

2. We’ve teamed up with Matt from Lightroom Killer Tips to offer you 2 free Pretty Presets from the Spring Color, Flare & Haze Collection. Come download them here!

Introducing our first 2 sets of Lightroom 4 Brushes and Graduated Filters:

The Portrait Brushes + Graduated Filter Toolbox for LR4 – $30

Includes: Blush and Eye Shadow, Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes, Green Eyes, Lashes n Liner, Eyes and Teeth Whiten, Under-eye Circles, Lip Gloss, Red Cast Remedy, Cool Skin, Warm Skin, Smooth Skin, Blue Skies, Colorful Background, Cool Haze, Depth and Drama, Darken Flash, De-Haze, Green Grass, Rose Haze, Soften Background and Sunlight!  Plus enjoy 5 bonus brushes: Brighten, Darken, Light up Shadows, Simple Sharpen and Super Sharp

Check out these pictures edited with our Brushes and Graduated Filters.  Special thanks to Spanki of Spanki Mills Photography for the use of these beautiful pictures.

The Portrait Brushes + Graduated Filter Toolbox for LR4!  Includes: Blush and Eye Shadow, Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes, Green Eyes, Lashes n Liner, Eyes and Teeth Whiten, Under-eye Circles, Lip Gloss, Red Cast Remedy, Cool Skin, Warm Skin, Smooth Skin, Blue Skies, Colorful Background, Cool Haze, Depth and Drama, Darken Flash, De-Haze, Green Grass, Rose Haze, Soften Background and Sunlight! Plus enjoy 5 bonus brushes: Brighten, Darken, Light up Shadows, Simple Sharpen and Super Sharp

I am so excited about the new Spring Color, Flare and Haze Collection! Now, when you purchase the collection, you will see that it is for RAW files, but to all of you JPEG shooters out there, don’t let this confuse you. While the presets were designed with RAW files in mind, they can be used on JPEG images. I rarely shoot in RAW (Gasp! Please don’t be mad at me!) but the first time I used one of the presets on a JPEG image, I was amazed at how few tweaks I had to make. In this tutorial, I will walk you through how I apply the RAW presets to a JPEG file. This is a very general tutorial, and with each of your photos, your adjustments will be slightly different, but this will get you started on some of the common adjustments you will need to make when using a RAW preset on a JPEG file.

Open your image in Lightroom, and select your Develop module. Then, locate the first preset you would like to use.

In this case, I chose Color Preset – Vintage Spring. As you can see, it is overexposed, and the saturation is a bit too much for my taste. This is because we are using a RAW preset on a JPEG file. RAW files, when they are unedited, tend to appear a bit flat in terms of color and contrast, so presets created specifically for RAW files usually boost those areas. In turn, when you apply them to a JPEG image, they can seem too heavy, but like I said, this is an easy fix.

In the above image, the circle on the right highlights the areas that we need to adjust, primarily Recovery, Fill Light, Brightness and Vibrance.

Most likely, the first two adjustments that you will want to make are Recovery and Fill Light. Recovery will restore the blown highlights without darkening the overall tone of the image, so I moved it all the way to 100. Fill Light will tone down the highlights on the entire image, but again, it will not darken the overall exposure. Next, I reduced the Brightness just a tiny bit, and then Vibrance I reduced to -6. Experiment with the sliders on these adjustments and you will quickly begin to grasp how they affect the image. One of the many great things about Lightroom is that it gives you a live preview as you are working, so you can immediately see how the adjustments are affecting your image.

Next, I added the Post – Touch of Sun II preset. Again, it is pretty intense on JPEG files, but we can easily fix this by adjusting the settings of the Graduated Filter.

In your Develop module, select the Graduated Filter, then you will see two circles appear on the left side of your image. You can drag the points of the filter to any location on your image. For this photo, I moved the filter further to the upper left so that it would cover less of the photo.

In order to tone down the Graduated Filter, I lowered the Exposure, Brightness and Saturation. Again, this is something that you will want to experiment with, so don’t be afraid to move the sliders in all directions as you are getting used to editing with the presets.

Now, see how easy it is to use the RAW presets on a JPEG file? So, if you only shoot in JPEG, then you can absolutely use RAW presets on your JPEG files. This applies to all of the preset collections at Pretty Presets, too!

Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.

Whether we like it or not, watermarking is a part of producing and sharing images online–especially if your images are the way you earn your living! Today, I am going to walk you through the steps you need to follow in order to set up and begin using a watermark on your images in Lightroom!

2 Things to Know Before We Start

• Watermarking is something you apply to your photos as you export or publish your photos online. You won’t see your watermark on your images while inside of Lightroom.

• There are also Modules (print, web, and slideshow) that allow you to use watermarks while creating in those Modules

1. To begin creating a watermark, select “Edit Watermarks” from the Edit menu if you are on a PC. If you are on a Mac, the select “Edit Watermarks” from the Lightroom menu.

A new dialog box will open up and look like this:

2. Choose the type of watermark you want. You may have a text watermark or a graphic watermark. A text watermark consists of typing in the text you want to use as a watermark. A graphic watermark will require you to have an image you want to use as a watermark. The image you choose will look best if it is saved as a PNG file with a transparent background (see the bonus video.)

3. Apply the options in the options menu. There will be font and drop shadow options if you choose to use a text watermark. For both text and graphic watermarks there are options to adjust the opacity and position of the watermark.

4. Save the watermark. When you have finished creating the watermark, save it with an original name. Once it is saved, it will be available in any of the modules that allow you to use a watermark AND during export and when using publish services.

There isn’t a limit on how many watermarks you can create (as far as I know.) So you are able to create different watermarks for different uses.

AND, as a bonus, I created an impromptu video about how to create a transparent PNG file from a Photoshop file. Enjoy creating and sharing your images!

Hi!! I am Gayle. I am a wife to my handsome husband and mom to 4 beautiful kids. In my spare time, I am a photographer and blogger at Mom and Camera. I have a passion for sharing my love of photography with others. I teach local photography classes and regularly share photography tips and tricks on my blog. I hang out there a lot—I’d love you to stop by and visit!

by Elizabeth Halford

This is week 2 and in this second video, Elizabeth will be discussing the #1 thing you need before charging money for your services. And that’s consistency! Elizabeth says:

Before taking anyone’s money, you absolutely need to be able to consistently produce the same level of work over and over again. So many photographers are guilty of displaying happy accidents on their website which they aren’t able to recreate and this will snowball into a whole lotta different problems. If you’re going to be charging for your services, it’s not going to be that simple and you have to have consistency! Take pictures on purpose – don’t shoot for luck.

6 ways you know you’re a lucky shooter:

1. You take way too many pictures.

2. Your sessions take hours longer than they need to

3. You feel panicky, nervous and out of control while you’re shooting

4. You can’t explain to someone later on how you made a portrait or the settings you chose

5. You either shy away from manual all together or you ‘wing it’ and take the same shot over and over with different settings ‘just in case’

6. Your clients are confused as to why they spent hours with you, witnessed you taking a bazillion photos but they only ended up seeing 20 of them (note: clients will ask this anyway, but the less you rely on luck, the less they will ask)

There are a few reasons why this can be dangerous to a photographer who is charging for their sessions:

1. Your clients have gone to your website for a product but when they come to you for their session, you won’t be able to produce the same product for them.

2. Following on from the above, some of you might know of the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree. He was enticed by the leaves of the tree, but when he approached it, there was no fruit. He cursed it and it died. Being a haphazard photographer is like a tree of leaves enticing clients who later find that there isn’t actually any fruit. A business built on these principles can’t last.

3. You will smash your own confidence if you rely on luck. You will feel out of control and deep down inside, you’ll know that it wasn’t really YOU creating the images.

When I look back, I can see that I have learned many things from my lucky shooting days. I learned about composition. I learned about self restraint and, most importantly, I learned how to stop shooting for luck and how to start taking pictures on purpose. Here are the things I wish I knew back then to get started sooner:

1. Learn light

2. Learn your camera

3. Learn posing

4. Try bracketing

5. Have restraint

I’ll be watching the comments below this week for questions and discussions on these topics!  Watch our first video from the series here.

Come be a part of our Self Portrait Challenge and win a $75 Gift Card to Pretty Presets or a 16×20 Gallery Wrapped Canvas!!  Click here to upload your image!  All entries must be in my May 4th, voting ends May 6th and winners will be announced May 7th.  

May 7th update: Congratulations to Carrie, Nadia and Erin on winning!  Carrie had 535 Votes!  Thank you all for joining us.  Carrie please email me at laura@lightroompresets.com and let me know if you’d like a Canvas or a Pretty Presets Gift Card!

Throughout the years, artists have used self-portraiture as a form of self-expression, and as a way of perfecting their craft. Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and even Leonardo da Vinci all dabbled in self-portraiture. Ever since photography was invented, photographers have used self-portraiture in much the same way as the great masters of visual art, honing their skills and expressing their feelings through a photograph.

As photographers, we often get too comfortable behind the lens, so putting ourselves in front of the lens can also be a great way to empathize with our subjects – once you have been in front of your own lens, you will know exactly how your subjects feel, and when you photograph people, a little bit of empathy can go a really long way!

Now, at this point, you are probably thinking to yourself, “This is all well and good, Anna, but where am I supposed to start?” at which point I would say “Just point your camera at yourself and click away!” but for most of us, it isn’t that easy. Some of us are detail oriented and we need an assignment or an idea to get us started on something, while some of us dread the thought of photographing ourselves because of our own insecurity about being in front of the camera. We all have these feelings, trust me! The great thing about self-portraiture, though, is that if you aren’t happy with your initial results, nobody has to see them but you. It is a completely safe way to experiment with lighting, posing, and conveying a mood through your photos.

So, let’s just start with a simple theme to get you started – mood. That is a pretty general, theme, right? Well, the great thing about mood is that it gives you a lot of different options! Here are a few ways that you can create mood in a self-portrait (or a photograph of another person, for that matter):

Lighting – We constantly rely on light for our photographs, because without light, you couldn’t have photography. Even if you’re doing a long exposure at night, you’re still relying on light from street lights, the moon and the stars. If you want to convey a dramatic mood in your self-portrait, try low-light. If you want to convey a whimsical or quirky mood, use available light, whether it’s your desk lamp, the headlights on your car, or the light from a neon sign at a restaurant. Light is all around us, and experimenting with different types of lighting will not only add different moods to your photos, it will also help you become more aware of your surroundings, which will open up a whole new world of possibilities in your photography.

Location – The location of your photo can be a great indicator of mood. If you are new to self-portraiture, try going to a place that is special to you. Maybe you have a favorite park or coffee shop that has special meaning to you. Part of the beauty of self-portraiture is that it is highly personal, and allows us to express what is important to us. If you are shy about photographing yourself in public, find a location that is important to you in your home where you spend a lot of time – it could be your office or study, your kitchen, or even your backyard. Putting yourself in a location that has meaning to you will help you relax in front of the camera.

Props – Just as you would incorporate props into your client shoots, try incorporating them into your self-portraits. Much like location, props can carry a lot of meaning and convey elements of ourselves in front of the camera. I often use props in my self-portraits because they not only highlight what is important to me in my own life, but they also help me stay secure in front of the camera because they give me something to focus on besides worrying about my crazy hair, or whether or not my nose looks too big from a certain angle. Let’s face it, we all have these thoughts, and having a prop can give us something else to think about! So, try to think of props that are important to you – a family heirloom, your favorite record. You can even incorporate your pets into your photo!

Hopefully these ideas will help you get started on experimenting with a self-portrait and conveying different moods. Keep in mind, though, with self-portraiture, it is supposed to be a learning process – learning about photography, as well as yourself – so go easy on yourself, and have fun!

Come be a part of our Self Portrait Challenge and win a $75 Gift Card to Pretty Presets or a 16×20 Gallery Wrapped Canvas!!  Click here to upload your image!  All entries must be in my May 4th, voting ends May 6th and winners will be announced May 7th.  

Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her fiancee, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.

I’m excited to introduce you to Poppy Tree Frames today!  Check out their beautiful frames and be sure to enter to win a $100 Gift Card to their store.

Poppy Tree Frames creates modern and whimsical custom, hand-made frames. Our ever expanding pallet of options currently offers 18 shapes, 42 colors and 48 prints. We absolutely love creating art to compliment our customer’s images and home.  View frames that we offer below!

Here’s How Enter the Giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Gift Card to Poppy Tree Frames. Please leave ONE comment for each item you complete. You have up to FIVE chances to win:

1. Follow Pretty Presets on Facebook.

Extra Entries (Optional): Please leave additional comments on the blog for each of the following items you complete.