Yesterday I shared my thoughts on being creative when shooting Real Estate Photography.  Today I’m sharing a similar statement, but for when you’re shooting family portraits.  After you have completed the job that you’re being paid for, see if the family is open to experimenting with different ideas.

Do they mind?

Do they have the time?

For this photo, I asked the family to stay still while I gathered the right exposure for a silhouette.  The sun was setting quick so I did not have much time.  I metered to the sunset, focused on the family and snapped the shot.  Because the daughter is so young and likes to wiggle in her father’s arms, I had to capture as many shots as I could before the sun disappeared.  Out of the 15 or so shots, 3 were usable and this was my favorite.

While this isn’t your typical family portrait, they family loved the photo, which makes me happy.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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After shooting this kitchen, I decided to spend a few more minutes shooting brackets of the room.  While the HDR came out okay, I much prefer this shot because of the dramatic light.

If you are building your real estate photography portfolio, and have the ability to experiment with light in the homes you are shooting, do it.

Is there a fireplace?  Play with the light.

Is there mixed lighting?  Play with the light.

Are there big windows?  Small windows?  Window shades? White ceilings? Tall ceilings?

One of the best parts of photographing homes, are the variety of shapes, sizes and features.

Be creative and have fun doing it.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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If you’re visiting my website for the first time, please be sure to check out  the iPhone Blogging Workflow Tip and iPhone Shortcuts Workflow Tip articles.

The Scenario

You’re on a photowalk and the other photographers in attendance are not (currently) friends.  The event is in a city atmosphere and there is the possibility of being separated from the group.  You’re not familiar with the area and could get lost.

The Solution

The iPhone has an amazing new app called Find My Friends.  You have the ability to connect with your friends using the built-in GPS as to locate them anywhere in the world.

If you open the app, you’ll notice a few tabs at the bottom: All, Temporary, Me and Requests.

If you click on the Temporary tab, you will have the ability to enter some information relevant to the photowalk

• To – the email address of other photowalkers that you would like to connect with
• Name – the photowalk event name (e.g., Photowalk Asbury Park, NJ)
• Ends – when you want the temporary connection to end

Just remember that once you have approved the connection, the connections can find you anywhere in the world.  Make sure you set the end date correctly.

Your Tip

Do you have an iPhone Photowalk Tip to share? Please comment below with your tip.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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We pulled up to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey.

It was just before sunset and we had about an hour to get in some portraits before the sun went down. This was one of the first shots from the session.

I noticed the angle and the amazing structure in the distance while we were walking along a path. I used the Nikon 70-200 to capture them from the path.

This has become my favorite shot from the shoot.

Photo Tip: Look in the distance.  No matter how far something is, it can be your perfect background.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

Advertise here with BSA

As I stated previously, the Williamsburg Bridge is uninspiring as you walk across.  However, when you arrive in the middle everything changes.  The graffiti art makes the trip worthwhile.

Of course, when I got to this point, Brian was already shooting this exact scene.  Then when Chris arrived, he shot it as well.  I guess you can say great minds think alike.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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I really like this photo because of the harsh light and cool shadows of the fire escape. What makes it even cooler is that this was shot around noon and the sun was bright darn bright.

How do you this? Expose for the overall scene and see what the meter says. Drop the ISO to 200 (or lower if desired), adjust your shutter speed 1/8,000 or so. Take a shot and look at the light. Too dark? Slow the shutter down. Too light? Close the aperture. Rinse and repeat.

You might also choose to throw on bracketing. That way you have more to work with.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

Advertise here with BSA

Doors with graffiti covering them make fantastic subjects. When walking past this one in particular, I had the vision of gloomy nightmare style processing. For me this has the feeling of coming out of a zombie movie.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

Advertise here with BSA

For this photo, I knew I didn’t need much for lighting or “the set”.

We used a white sheet for the backdrop, a coffee table and couch as the staging area and my lights consisted of a SB-800 with 2 reflectors and another SB-800 through a small softbox. Simple and effective.

I’m super excited to process the photos. They’re going to come out great!

Google+: View post on Google+

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This portrait of my nephew holden was taken not long after he was born.  As a person without much baby experience, it’s been an exciting week and I look forward to spending even more time with him as he grows.

It’s nice being an uncle and Melissa is a fantastic aunt.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

Advertise here with BSA

What you learn in this article corresponds to my Photographers SEO & Social Marketing series. If you’re interested in learning more about the subject, please visit Part 1, 2 and 3.

Before I get into it, please don’t forget to follow my website on LinkedIn and connect with me personally.

Why LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a fantastic method to network with other photographers and customers, share stories, articles, and request feedback on new photographs. If you’re a photographer with another business target in mind then LinkedIn is an amazing tool to use. In fact, for Business to Business (B2B) I find LinkedIn better than all of Social Media tools out there. I have been in the process of building a real estate campaign in New Jersey and LinkedIn will be my main source for marketing to realtors and real estate investors in the state.

LinkedIn Groups

I am a member of a variety of LinkedIn groups. Some are about general photography, some are photographic marketing, or business and some are marketing in general. It’s a good idea to join a few local groups if you’re planning on targeting in-state businesses.

To share a few:

• NAPP
• New Jersey Young Professionals
• NJ Social Media
• NJTC
• Photo Marketing Association
• Photography Business & Marketing

LinkedIn Strategy

If I write an article that I believe has value for my LinkedIn connections, I will post the article as a status update. However, if I feel that a specific group will benefit from the article, I will post it to those groups with additional content to add even more value. Simply posting your article in a group won’t be viewed positively by the group’s members. It might even get a person kicked out. Also, if you do post in a group and people reply, be sure to add your own replies, even if they are “thank you” comments.

I don’t pay attention to specifically when I post content. I have not found a statistic to guide me to a specific timeframe, nor have I found a tool to help decide. Instead, I do it when I have the time. The best content is usually an article about photographic marketing or a specific part of the business. General articles don’t do well on LinkedIn. Finding the niche is important and having it match the group is a crucial element.

The best content to share is usually an article about photographic marketing or a specific part of the business. General articles do not do well. Finding the niche is important and having it match the group is a crucial element. Remember, by sharing a photograph you are not marketing to your customer. Doing this would be marketing to a colleague. Unless of course your target is other photographers.

The LinkedIn Sync

Don’t sync with Twitter or Facebook. LinkedIn is best for B2B. The people you connect with on LinkedIn are not necessarily concerned with what you ate for dinner, what wedding you just finished photographing, or every tweet that you retweet on Twitter. Your connections want to see how your services can benefit them.

LinkedIn Findings

I have had posts where no one replied. I learn as I go and that is how I found that people do not want articles shared on their own. People want to see the value you can offer. After you share your first article, track its reach. Look at your inbound traffic from the link. Pay attention for replies. If nothing came of it, review your article and revise. If that does not work, revisit how you shared the article. Did you add extra value?

Marketing for Photographers

• Wedding photographers: connect with vendors, DJs, venues, bakeries, etc. Network and build relationships
• Real Estate photographers: connect with agents and stagers, etc. Network and build relationships
• Music photographers: connect with venues, recording studios, etc. Network and build relationships

The list can go on and on. In the end, think about who your target is, what your goal is, and consider who you need to connect with to reach the goal.

Make use of company pages. It provides added value for your business

• Follow ability
• Employee listing
• Services
• Customizable views based on specific demographics (aka… target your goal)
• Analytics!

So there you have it. I hope that you found this educational. Thank you again to PhotoShelter for asking me to share my thoughts for the Photographer’s Social Media Handbook.

Please visit the PhotoShelter site to down your copy of the handbook.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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