May Corporate Shoot

Last month, I had one of my first really cool corporate shoots for an advertising event production company based out of NYC and Portland, OR. The job was making images of a pop-up shop the company was putting together to promote Nike’s line of All Condition Gear (ACG) shoes and clothes — thanks to Satis&fy for coordinating. It was something different than what I normally shoot and was something I liked.

Instagram Hashtags for Photographers

If you’ve ever been active on Instagram you probably know the importance of adding hashtags (like digital keywords) to your photos so they can be seen by people who don’t follow your account. I’ve found that adding hashtags increases the visibility of my photos. One thing you don’t want to do is overload your posts with a million hashtags (this has an unprofessional look on the platform) but instead post relevant ones. Every year Photoshelter releases is a curated list of the most popular Instagram hashtags broken down into different photography categories (i.e. landscape, portraits, etc).

If you haven’t been adding hashtags to your photos I suggest you check them out. I have attached a CSV file with many of these hashtags organized into different categories. They can be copied and directly pasted into Instagram. I suggest using the web-based version of Instagram to do this through your browser because it is much easier.



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2018 Photos of the Year

Another year comes to a close and a new opportunities are on the horizon. A look back at some moments that stood out over the course of the year.

A high school gymnast flips on a floor routine during a meet in Needham, MA on Jan. 23, 2018.

Westford Academy head coach Russ Coward makes a point during the game against Wachusett at the TD Garden in Boston, Jan. 27, 2018.

Watertown High School senior captain John Korte brings the ball to the basket during a game on March 10, 2018.

Watertown High School senior Alex Abrahamyan and captain John Korte embrace after winning the MIAA Division 3 state semifinal game against Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Burlington, March 14, 2018.

A multiple exposure image of high school baseball pitcher during a game in Lexington, MA, April 12, 2018.

Desiree Lynde, the two-time Olympian and 2011 Boston runner-up, pulls away at the end of Heartbreak Hill on Commonwealth Avenue in Chestnut Hill, April 16, 2018.

Portrait work

Cambridge Police Officer Che Santos takes a selfie with Jayla Vincente Blackmon during the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2018 in Cambridge, June 7, 2018.

Darrell Red Cloud pieces together the top of a tipi during a tipi raising event organized by the Lakota YouthStay, a project Sancutary United Church of Christ at Playstead Park in Medford, July 29, 2018.

A visiting Chinese little league baseball team played at Veterans Field in Acton, MA, Aug. 6, 2018.

A couple embraces during a performance by country artist Josh Turner in Wayland, MA on Sep. 15, 2018.

A view of Lake Boon in Stow, MA, USA from above.

Race Day Event Photography: A Business Tip

I get excited everytime the Boston Marathon comes around since it is one of my favorite sporting events to shoot.

I wanted to share a random business insight I acquired a few years ago which I hope can be useful to anyone who might be new to shooting public sporting events.

Believe it or not the event can be a business opportunity for you in an unlikely way. Runners are coming from all over the country and the often the world – sometimes alone – and for many this is a life milestone.

A couple of years ago when I was on assignment I happened to post some of the images I took at the race online. The next day I was contacted by a fellow who was visiting from Sweden. He had come across my pictures the night after the race and noticed he was in a group action shot. He loved the image and wanted to buy it. Sale made. I’m not saying you are going to make a living running around photographing runners, but you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to make a little extra money if the opportunity arises.

So, in closing, to be successful at this I think two things are important:

  1. Edit and process the photos ASAP after the event and have them available online to download via your website or other service.
  2. As with everything, make sure you have your business card ON YOUR PERSON. You don’t want to be throwing them into the race, obviously, but you want to have something to follow up with if you are asked by someone at the event.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Happy shooting!

 

Bringing Film slides back to life (Digitizing)

I’m pretty excited about an experience I had working to digitize some personal family film slides with the help of a company and I’m curious if other people have had a similar experience.

My thoughts on working with a company:

Do some quick research beforehand so that you can familiarize yourself with each companies’ scanning fees and damage protection policies, which vary depending on the location.

The process for me, and as I understand it the general process for most companies, followed this structure:

  1. You collect and organize your slides
  2. You package them and send them to the company
  3. You meet with them to discuss the project
  4. They go through the digitizing work
  5. You meet with them again to retrieve the original slides and the scanned digital files.

It took about 2 1/2 weeks from start to finish and cost around $100*

And if anyone is wondering: FILM is not dead!