How to run a business and start a family | Part 1

by | Aug 6, 2014 | Advice, Uncategorized

I have a confession. I have been very, very busy this year. On top of already this being one of my busiest business years to date, I went and became a mom back in March.
I have a second confession, many of my clients didn’t know I was pregnant or that I had a baby.

First, let me say, this is a subject that I’m sure will hit home to a lot of my readers. I’m a 30 something year old woman, who has been nurturing her own business for about 8 years or so now (plus 1+ year of interning and 4 years of college for photography at RISD). So it was not lightly that I decided to start a family. It seems like my path is crossing with a lot of women who either own their own businesses or have worked their tail off to start a business who are around my age and facing this question: do I want to have kids? That question is quickly followed by the next one, what are the sacrifices of starting a family? And of course, that gets more specific with wondering, is it even possible to keep my career on course and become a parent?

The answers won’t be the same for everyone. But for me, I had no intention of letting my business get off track because I was going to start a family. Upon the suggestion of one of these woman whose path has crossed mine, I am going to write a little bit about how I made this transition work and how I was able to meet all my clients needs during this time.

So this first post is about making that choice to become a parent. Not everyone has the luxury of getting to make that choice and so already you are lucky.

Like many of my peers, I was very scared to start a family, for lots of reasons. What was going to happen to my body/career/marriage/etc?

The fear of what starting a family would do to my marriage caused my husband and I had some very intense conversations. These were no holds bar honest conversations. In these talks, we confessed what we both wanted our marriage to be like and where it currently fell short of that and what we needed to make sure we didn’t let go of when a baby arrived. We talked about “what if” situations. We discussed our peers who had children and the strains we saw them going through and mapped out strategies if we found ourselves in the same boat. Naturally, so much of what we talked about didn’t come true for us or did but in a way we never predicted. But being able to have already talked about stresses in a “what if” scenario took some of the taboo out of discussions when the situations were taking place.

Please don’t judge me because I know it is a vanity, but I didn’t want to loose my body to a child. This was a huge source of anxiety for me. Throughout my whole pregnancy it was a stress. I’ve always been in good shape and in the last 5-10 years put a lot of effort into eating right and being an athlete in my free time (My husband and I paddle, Dragon boats/OC/Sup, anything you can think of). I was terrified that I would have a baby and never get back into my shape and it would cause stresses on me and my marriage. So, just like above, my husband and I talked about it. A lot! I worked out until I really couldn’t, whatever I could do (my Dr said no to continuing to do crossfit, which now I think I might have been able to do actually). I ate as right as I could (first trimester all bets were off, my nausea decided I was going to eat a lot of Mac-N-Cheese with chicken nuggets -seriously, like in 3rd grade again). What really helped was acknowledging that my husband loved me, he liked me being in shape but loved me and that wasn’t going to change with the transitions my body went through. I picked a good man to marry, one who I knew wasn’t in it for looks. So that helped. And as a side note, if your with a guy who you feel like would leave you if you weren’t smoking hot anymore, maybe you should rethink that relationship because we are all going to get old one day and no matter what you do, gravity is going to get you.

Now the golden ticket: career. I decided to keep quiet about expecting to all of my clients. I let them ask me about it when I was showing enough that they were curious. I decided that there was a line between personal and professional life and to be honest, I was intimidated that my clients might run to someone else. So I knew that meant I had to make sure their photo needs were met EXACTLY as they were when I wasn’t pregnant.

That included a plan for going into labor during a shoot. I trained and trained and trained an amazing assistant of mine to do anything and everything I could so if I ended up in the hospital or on bed rest my business could still run. Picking the right person is key in this. For me, she had to be as attentive to detail as I am, friendly, professional, and okay with me staring over her shoulder commenting on her every move. I also had to trust her immensely. Essentially I knew I wasn’t going to get any downtime pre baby/labor/post baby so I had someone else to be there just in case I was too weak or physically unable to do my shooting so my clients wouldn’t have their images or timelines compromised. Luckily, I didn’t need my assistant to do too much when the time did come. But I had to be incredibly prepared. The total unexpected upside of this was that after I hired my childcare and found myself back in the swing of things I had the most amazing assistant ever! She was trained to be my hands and so I could trust her to do every light setup perfectly, know how to style everything I work with, understand the timelines needed (there were nights that she pulled all nighters to get my stack focus images ready so I had a file to work on) and always have a positive attitude.

Interview the crap out of this person. And pay them well. This was a cost of my business continuing to run so even if I broke even for a while because I had her helping me it was worth not loosing accounts/clients over. Be ready for complications because other people will notice your amazing assistant and offer them work as well. I was lucky that the clients that did that were super sweet people and we were able to work something out where my assistant could help them and me.

This fear, of how a baby would affect my business was a huge roadblock for me when I thought about starting a family. Even when I had been training and teaching my assistant it wasn’t until my clients could see her work and were comforted that as a team we were producing images as consistent and dead on as always, that my mind was at ease. Hopefully some of these confessions and tips help you put your mind at ease too. It really can be done and things will be okay. I’ll keep posting (as much as I can because having a baby does cut way back on my blogging time) more about how I am working through this transition and how it actually, positively has continued to affect my business.

 

 

Workshops in Florida | Photography Workshops – Kate Benson Photography

by | Jul 12, 2013 | Advice, business, Professional

I enlisted the help of my intern Nadia to put together a list of different Workshops in South to Mid Florida which may be of interest to the photographers and enthusiasts in the audience. We broke them down to levels and included the details of each Workshop. To be honest, I don’t think anyone can go wrong signing up for workshops. It is a place where we can network with other photographers as well as find deep learning. I’m sure we just scratched the surface with this list so if anyone has recommendations of other Workshops in  Florida or has comments on any of these workshops, leave a comment. I would love to hear from you and I’m sure the rest of the audience could find it useful too!
In no particular order other than experience levels:

1.
What: Break Out of Auto Mode Workshop | www.photoworkshops.biz
Experience: Beginners
Where: 210 Almeria Ave. Coral Gables, FL (Photo Workshops)
When: Contact 305-740-5401 | 305-305-5823
Instructor: TBD
Requirements: DSLR camera, camera manual, lens.

Here beginners will learn how to break free and use other settings besides auto mode with their cameras. This is class where you will be able to learn how to be more comfortable and confidant using your DSLR. There are only twenty spaces per class, so it would be a good idea to call for scheduling and make sure you have a space. ISO, aperture, shutter speed and all the basics will be covered in this three hour course. You should be prepared to have your camera, your cameras manual and your lens when arriving to this class. Workshop materials, drinks and snacks are included. $150.00 per person.

2.
What: Composition in the Field | https://live.digitalphotoacademy.com
Where: Miami, FL | Greynolds Park
Level: Beginner
When: Sunday Sept 15, 2013 10 am – 1pm
Instructor: Bernardo
Requirements: $99

Test and push your cameras capabilities with the direction and assistance of your instructor. This course will be a three hour session of shooting strategically and using all of your cameras capabilities to the fullest. You will be able to improve the quality of your photographs and it will give you a stronger foundation for shooting more advance photographs in the future. Each workshop will begin with a lecture and a questions and answers segment.

3.
What: Inside the Frame Photography Workshop | www.selby.org
Level: Beginner
Where: Selby Gardens Sarasota, FL [941] 366 – 5731
When: Call for details Instructor: TBD
Requirements: Bring whichever camera you wish to experiment with (Polaroid, camera phone, DSLR, point and shoot etc…)

In this class you will learn the importance of taking a good photograph regardless of your gear. Having high quality equipment is always a plus, however, great images can be made using all different calibers of equipment. Composition and having a creative open mind will determine how one can take a compelling image. You may bring your DSLR or a point and shoot to this workshop; whichever gear you want to experiment with. The subject focus of this course; people, places and things.

4.
What: Lightroom and Digital Photography | www.workshop.org
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Where: 415 Clematis St. WPB, FL Sponsored by the Palm Beach Photographic Center (561) 253-2600
When: Nov 14 -16, 2013 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Instructor: John Reuter
Requirements: $775

In this course photographers will become better acquainted with lightroom features and using it as a resource for retouching and organizing photographs. Creating catalogs, applying copyrights, and metadata are some of the topics the instructor will go over. They will also go over the vast improvement of lightroom and how it can improve an array of different images you may be working with.

5.
What: Lighting Essentials | www.calumetphoto.com
 When: Saturday July 20, 2013 and also 8/10/13, 8/31/13, 9/21/13, 10/12/13
Where: 1001 N. Federal Hwy, Ft. Laud, FL 954-522-6500 | Calumet Photo Studio
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Instructor: TBD
Requirements: $65.00 Camera, paper and pencil

In this workshop students will be able to learn and understand the effects of studio lighting and how to effectively use them. The instructor will also go over a wide array of tools and equipment that photographers use in studio lighting. Students will receive a workbook in this course so they can follow along through demonstrations. Modifiers, fill light, portrait lighting, and location flash fundamentals will all be discussed.

6.
What: Miksang Photography Workshop | www.miksang.com
Experience: All levels
Where: Hyatt Place 104 N.E. 2nd Ave. Delray Beach, FL
When: Aug 30, 2013 – Sept 2, 2013
Instuctor: Dennis Connor Email: [email protected]
Requirements: Must have your own camera and laptop to bring to this workshop

Different perspectives can create much different images of the same subject. It is always fascinating as an artist to see other photographers perspectives of the same thing; thus this is also true throughout different cultures – perspectives change. Miksang Photography is an Asian perspective of Photography; the Tibetan word that literally translates as ‘Good Eye”. Perception based photography with a simplified eye; sometimes so obvious we as a western society don’t necessarily hone in on it. All levels are invited to join.

7.
What: Lightroom 5 Workflow | sethresnick.com
When: July 23rd -July 26 9am – 5:30pm
Where: 1143 Vinter Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens FL 33410
Level: Intermediate or above
Instructor: Seth Resnick + Jamie Spritzer
Requirements: $1099.00 You must bring a digital camera that shoots raw, lap top (PC or MAC), flash card, card reader, external hard drive (2), Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS6 is suggested.

This course is recommended for intermediate to pro level students who will get a broad understanding of Lightroom 5. Course fee does not include meals or any transportation.

8.
What: Canon EOS Emmersion Workshop | Seminar http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/events_calendar/event_details/cll_events/20131019_tampa_seminar_cll.shtml
When: Oct 19, 2013 10 am – 6pm
Where: University of South Florida | Tampa | College of the Arts – Theatre 1 3839 SF Holly West Tampa, FL 336
 Level: Advanced
Instructor: Jeff Green + Shannon Levy
Requirements: $89

This workshop will be full of lectures and demonstrations. You will be able to take full advantage of your cameras features while shooting an array of subjects and learning what setting to use for each one. Lighting will also be discussed at length and how utilizing it correctly can enhance the creativity of your images. Most of the content in this course is related to Canon. There will be time set aside for questions an answers as well. Emmy award winning journalist Shannon Levy will go over the capabilities of video. She will discuss frame actions, structor, angles, composition and video technique.

Miami Advertising Photographer | Kate Benson Photography | Hiring a professional photographer in miami

by | Jun 17, 2013 | Advice, Miami Professional Pho...

Production. Pre-production, the production of the day of shooting, and post production. Yes, it is all a production. In the city of Miami, there are many aspiring photographers. Also, there is a trend within Miami to always say “I can do it, no problem”! Whether it is a home repair or a major ad campaign, Miami is a tricky city to hire someone in. Maybe I’m thinking of this today because of all the work done on my house last week, and all the things that weren’t done right and now require more time and work to fix. But in the city of Miami, you’ll rarely here anyone say “I don’t know how to do that”. And it’s part of the charm of the city! People truly WANT to be able to do it all. They want you to relax and not stress while they help you get done what you need done. But in a city, when everyone says they can do it, how do you find out who really can? At least in photography the devil is in the details. Which brings us back to (you guessed it), production. It’s what you can’t wake up and know how to do. You can be a very talented photographer, but if you can’t organize a shoot your not going to go very far. Granted, there are clients who know all about production. Clients who either have in house production staff to do this work or already know who they will outsource it to. Because when they say seconds of shooting takes hours of planning, it’s not a lie.

That said, reasons my clients love working with me is that I am always able and happy to help with production. I don’t expect my clients to all know how a photo shoot comes together, that would be unreasonable! So part of my job is to see what they want and need for images and then make sure on the day we shoot we have everything we could possibly need to get those images into my camera.

A good case study of this was a client of mine who had about two weeks to replace their existing ad campaign. This client was spending serious money on advertising and to learn that in 2 weeks they would no long have the license to any images was a huge blow. They needed Billboards, online ads, magazine ads, website images, a complete brand makeover, and it had to be done in about two weeks start to finish. And this is where they started to see why working with someone who knew the industry already was better than taking someone’s word for it that they “can do it, no problem”! Because there are always problems. A professional photographer knows how to roll through those problems and quickly find solutions to keep you on deadline. But if a photographer doesn’t know production, doesn’t have relationships already with a team of people, the client suffers. We would cast models only to learn they booked a ticket home (this was towards the end of the Miami modeling season) and were no longer available that day, we had stylists pulling clothes that weren’t what we wanted, we needed equipment flown in from out of state, just to name a few things. But because I have 7 years of this business under my belt we were able to watch closely as the days leading up to the shoot unfolded and catch each issue early on to fix it.

But production is more than fixing problems, it’s anticipating needs. I can see the creative direction from the examples and mood boards sent and know what we need to do this job well. In the above case study, I encouraged hiring 3 models instead of 2 (the client knew he wanted 2 particular models, the 3rd was a blond that I suspected would fit another need they hadn’t identified yet). The 3rd model ended up being the favorite and the one who was on the Billboards. We needed 5 shots with different outfits total, but the client ended up choosing 7 and licensing extras and because we shot over 10 looks they were able to get more to work with. The retouching happened as soon as the client made the selections and they were able to switch out their Billboards and run their new adds seamlessly. It’s a beautiful thing when fast, well shot, creative work happens. But if I hadn’t been who I am, if I was still green, any single small issue we hit could have derailed the shoot. It’s about knowing more than your clients do about the shoot. If you ever find yourself working for a client who knows more than you about what your doing there, look out. Odds are they don’t know that you aren’t more experienced and that truth always surfaces.

But being a photographer isn’t about putting your client down either. Please, don’t misunderstand me! It’s about anticipating the clients needs before they realize they have them. It’s in the details. And that is why a handy man with a camera isn’t the best choice for photos that are important. Because in this business, going back the next week to fix a mistake is easily thousands and thousands of dollars. I wouldn’t want to be on the other side here in Miami, it’s hard enough to find someone to repair your sink because of the false confidences. A sink, which is just a few bucks compared to a photo shoot. And when it comes to photography, more and more people are picking up cameras and trying to strike it rich, like some misguided gold rush, promising that they can take a great picture and pull off a monumental shoot with no work/worries/involvement fromt he client. I’d say that is the first red flag, if they don’t know what questions to ask and just tell you they can do the shoot. That’s when it is time to re-evaluate who your hiring. And then, well, call me 😉

Professional Photographer Miami | Kate Benson Photography | File workflow

by | Jun 6, 2013 | Advice, business, Professional

This week I did my final interview with my new intern/assistant/protege (welcome Nadia!) and it keeps becoming clearer with each new helper that I really do love teaching. Photography, especially becomes a guarded secret that many hoard close to their hearts in fear of someone taking their clients. But really, clients will come and go whether or not you share what you’ve learned. At least by helping other people learn how to do this (because, as is often pointed out to me, not everyone can make it) I can help build a higher standard for photographers overall. Or maybe it’s just because I’ve never cared if other people know as much as I do (or more). This, I’m sure, is a result of being the middle dyslexic child stuck between to geniuses. Yes, real ones. Like, both went to Washington DC to either compete in national Mathcounts competitions or meet the president to receive a gold metal for her brain. I’m serious. That really happened. Meanwhile I’m over here like “look mom and dad! I painted you a picture!!!” Anyways, getting off track! What I want to share today is my typical post production workflow. I gave Nadia my notes describing this because I thought she would find it useful and since my last intern Matt is getting ready to go full time shooting I figure he’ll need this too. So I figure, why just send it to him in an email when I can share it here with everyone else who may want to know!
So keep in mind, there are different shoots that command different variations on this. If I can, I always shoot tethered, which combines quite a few steps in here into one. But Since most of the photo enthusiast out there are shooting to cards, I’ll go over these steps for shooting to cards. If any of this gets beyond what you know, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll try and answer any questions you have. Because I’m not going to write down how to use Lightroom or Photoshop. That is a HUGE project and other people have already taught it better (especially on Lynda.com. If you haven’t subscribed and want to learn those programs, do it!!! It is one of the best professional investments you can make).

  1. Load your shot cards to computer (and it’s not a bad idea to back them up on an external HD right now too). I organize my files by date, so if I were doing this today I would put these new files in a folder titled 06_06 NameOfTheClient. I also keep my folders organized like this in the Pictures folder, put a year folder so 2013, put a month folder 2013_06 JUN, and then your new shoot). 
  2. I open the folder in Adobe Bridge and do a first edit. ANY shots I like or the client has said they like gets a rating of 1 star (on a Mac hold down the command key and hit 1) if I REALLY love a picture, it gets 3 stars (hold down command and hit 3). Go through all the images and rate them like this.
  3. Use the filters in Bridge to only show 1 star selections. Now I check the focus. This has to be done at 100% so I select the first image and hit space bar to fill the screen with it. Then click on the place that should be in focus. It will take a second to load and if it is in focus change the files rating to 2 stars (hold command and hit 2). Go through all the files this way.
  4. Select to only see the 3 start files in Bridge. Now that you’re starting to get to know your files, go over those ones you really loved and check the focus on those. This is a bit heartbreaking because every now and again an image you love isn’t in focus. If it isn’t in focus change it’s rating to a 1. If it is in focus and you still love it, change it’s rating to a 4. Check all the 3 star files for focus the same way you checked the others, spacebar, click on place that should be in focus, hold command and the appropriate number for the new rating.
  5. Now you have really narrowed down your images. Sometimes take a short break here to look again with fresh eyes, or if you good keep going. Now go through all the 2 stars and pick favorites. One of the reasons to use Adobe Bridge is because when you have a picture selected you can hold command down and click on another shot (or multiple shots, up to 9) to view them side by side. Your favorites should be marked with 3 stars.
  6. Depending on how many files you have, go over those AGAIN. Narrow it down further and mark the ones you really, really love with 4 stars.
  7. And if you still have a ton of files, do it all again and this time mark the ones you love as 5 stars. I know this seems super repetitive but viewing images are. And if you are tired of a photo after seeing it 5 times it’s probably not worth taking to the next step. Your client will be looking at these images way more than 5 times so take the extra effort to make sure you don’t bore them.
  8. Make a folder in Bridge (make sure you aren’t viewing only 5 star items, if you are you won’t see the folder). Rate that folder 5 stars and then select to view only 5 star items. Now the folder should be within your 5 star selections (or 4 stars, or 3 depending on how many levels of editing you had to do, always rate your folder the highest level of stars you went to). Move all the top rated files into that folder and open it in Lightroom (click and drag the folder into Lightroom or use Lightroom’s navigation to find the folder).
  9. In Lightroom, import all the images you’ve selected to the Library.
  10. Then select Develop and give the images a quick white balance, contrast fix, or apply filters you want. I’m going to be less descriptive here because it takes time to explain how all those items work in Lightroom and this blog would go forever if I did it.
  11. Once you’ve done all the image, Export them. Just for safety I export a high res tiff first and then export them all setting them to be small jpgs for an online gallery.
  12. Post these images somewhere online where your client can view them (box.com, dropbox, picassa, private gallery on your website, wherever).
  13. Send the client and email letting them know where to find review the images at. Ask them to let you now their choices of what they want to use and therefore what will be retouched.
  14. Once they get back to you with the files they want retouched. Open the large files from Lightroom in Photoshop and retouch them.
  15. Once the images are retouched upload them to a place your client can download them from or email them to your client (high res or low res depending on what they ordered).
  16. IF, this doesn’t always happen, actually rarely it happens but it does happen, the client has further retouching they want you to make on the file go back over it make the requested changes. Then send the fixed file back to them.
  17. Backup again, now with the edited finished files. Backing up twice doesn’t hurt either. About 4 times a year I backup my external HD to another. Two copies is better than one. Once they are full, I send them to NH for storage. Totally paranoid I know but a lot of good a double backing up of your archive is going to do you if they are both in your house and it burns down.

Of course there is also invoicing and payment collecting that happens in there somewhere. It differs depending on the client so I left that out.

I think it is important for everyone who wants to be a photographer to see these steps. I didn’t even include in this the steps to retouch in Photoshop or how to correct an image in Lightroom because each photo needs something different and it would take a book not a blog post to describe it. But when you quote a job, and someone feels like the quote is too high because they just wanted a quote for “an hour or two of shooting time”. It’s important to know that for ever shoot you have 16-17 steps to cover to just get the files to a client, without including steps in file retouching. So when you bill your time, you have to consider how much time this is going to take too. I did a shoot for a friend this weekend, we shot for 6 hours Sunday morning and then it took me 8 more hours to get the shots ready to send him. Not retouched.  Just getting to step 12. So be smart about your time and if someone wants to hire you for an hour because they don’t think it will take more time than an hour to capture the shot they want. Always consider how many files your taking and how much time it will take to get the files to them!

I hope this helps some of you who read this!

 

Miami Photographer | Kate Benson Photography | Reflecting

by | May 17, 2013 | Advice, Professional

You have to admit, it’s a bit amazing. Beautiful images are everywhere. Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr, websites dedicated to collecting beautiful images. Recently I heard it mentioned that this has really changed the industry of wedding photography. Brides-to-be collect and fall in love with images of how they want their day to be and be remembered. This becomes an expectation that is passed onto the photographer, pushing them to be better and better. The same is for commercial, business to business photographers. But often, we aren’t being pushed by a client but by ourselves. One of my most loved friends (you know who you are) works for Adidas as an art buyer put it well, “we want to see how creative and exciting the work you do on your own is so our art directors can tell you exactly what to do” (okay, that may not have been the exact quote but it went something like that). This is what my portfolio lacks. I’ve been going through my blog to do some much needed key wording and in full honestly, cringed more than once at what images I posted. In my blog, I post quickly, I think “I liked that shot from today” and write up a little post and publish it. In my portfolio I sit and stare at my images for weeks/months/years and if I still love them after all that time, let is become part of my work that represents me. So naturally, the quality of images on my website blow away those on my blog. As they should. That is what the website is for. It is our portfolio. But the blog still has my name on it and thus, it still important.
So my goal has been (for a couple of years  now) and continues to be, what do I want to shoot for me? Staring for hours and hours at an outstanding image doesn’t mean it is what I want to create. But it does mean that I recognize greatness in a shot (thank you RISD for that). Oh the amazing photo editor I could be (but for the right publication, I couldn’t go through editing pictures of horrific events to find the one that was just the right amount of shock without too much goriness to represent the publication). Once again, those editing skills I can thank RISD for. As I wrote about earlier this week, Mike Brodie really inspired me. But a huge part of starting a project is letting yourself off the hook. It is complete illusion to believe every image you create will sell and will represent you. I have to work really hard to let go of the voice in my head asking “how is this going to market? how is this going to represent me?” and start listening to that other voice, the one that is quieter and yet always there that identifies what I find beautiful. Then, just have a camera with me and shoot. I think by shooting more, constantly, perhaps, I’ll fall into what I love. Around me are amazing people who create beauty everywhere. They create beautiful food, invite me to beautiful places, are just plain beautiful inside and out, and perhaps by not shooting these moments I’m doing them and myself a disservice.

So that is the goal, let’s see if I can stumble upon that thing that I must shoot. Stand bye for hopefully some new images to come!

Lighting setup, 3 lights, 3 ways.

by | Apr 12, 2012 | Advice, Uncategorized

 

Sam makes an excellent light testing model. This is a basic light setup that I like to use for portraits in my studio. It’s 3 lights, 2 on the background and one key light on the model. By simply turning the background lights on and off or turning them towards the model we get 3 entirely different light setups. Love it!

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