Author: Sham of the Perfect

Finding Your Decisive Moments

Contributor Articles

As documentary photographers, we are faced with the uncertainty the world gives us. However, instead of succumbing to this, we face this challenge head on. We find the light, we compose (and compose again), and we constantly search for the decisive moment to click the shutter and make the frame.

If only the trifecta is this easy to execute.

To make a really good frame, we need our photographs to make the viewers feel something. Light and composition are important for conveying the visual read of the image, but to me, moment plays the biggest part in making the viewers feel and resonate. It has the power to best influence the story you are telling.

Choosing the moment is all about your right-brain. It is entirely dependent on your artistic voice and how you respond to the world around you. When you click the shutter, you are creating a frame that others will react to because of how you see and express your response. It is a beautiful and continuous exchange of cause and effect.

Let’s break this down. You are observing a scene. You are responding to it when you feel emotions – try and identify what they are. What is it about what is happening that is making you feel a certain way? Does it make you want to press the shutter? Why do you feel the need to make this frame at this moment?

For the purposes of focusing on moment, quiet the voices that say “Oh this is beautiful light; look at all the lines and graphic patterns!” Find the ones that make you feel something as you take in the scene. This is what will elevate a photo that already has nice light and/or lines to something even greater – by including a moment that speaks to you. What you find funny may not be as hilarious to another; what you empathize and want to shed tears over may not be the same for someone else. If you have missed the moment, file that information away. See if you can anticipate it again. Moments are missed ALL THE TIME. You simply cannot stay on top of all of them. However, cumulatively, the reasons that make you want to press the shutter at any given moment represent fingerprints to your personality. Once you realize that, you will let go of the notion of what moment is theoretically right to capture. Instead, embrace and acknowledge your creative response, and just click.

“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative.” ~Henri Cartier-Bresson

The next time you pick up the camera, set up your frame (for light and composition), observe, anticipate, and feel for the moment. Pay extra attention to what your muse(s) is saying, listen to your own responses, and then let your intuition move your forefinger to press the shutter. Experience the world, and discover the details that are remarkable and enigmatic to YOU and express that in photo.

confused new parents with new baby and baby carrierElderly woman smiling at her great-granddaughterDad trying to stop the silliness of his daughter in front of the mirrorMother watching her daughter's love for their latest newbornMother comforting her crying daughterlittle kids reaching out for help at the playgroundA family Boulder hopping in the ocean Excitement between sisters of celebrating a birthdayToddler trying to remove a helmet off her headDad carrying a boy sideways who is trying to pinch his noseMom holding her newborn feeding her older son his lunchMom empathizing with her son feeling sad while dad is oblivious Father anticipating a kiss on the cheek from his daughter

Feature Project – Stacey Ilyse’s 365

Featured, Featured Project

Today we are featuring Stacey Ilyse. She’s been shooting documentary style photography for several years and took on a 365 project (one picture a day for a year) in December of 2016 to document more of her family. You can see more of Stacey’s work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram. Here is what she had to say to our contributors:

Aniya: I absolutely love your work – been following you for ages. I find that we tend to get in a box – “what kind of photographer are you?” And we often times feel compelled to define our work – portrait photographers, vs fine art photographers, documentary, and the list goes on. Do you define yourself as a documentary photographer who also makes amazing portraits? (Love the portrait of your daughter!) Or do you prefer not to define yourself as a “x” photographer? Why or why not?

I think at this point I’m gonna go with “fine art documentary photographer”. Why…? I aspire to create beauty and art within the moments I capture not JUST documenting them, but I’m also not the type of photographer that completely creates the scene. I like to see things unfold as honestly as possible. I think straight up documentary photography is kick ass and sometimes that is all it is that day – just documenting it for what it is. But for me, I’m looking to move past JUST THE MOMENT. I want (as often as possible) for the moment to feel artful, too. That happens for me when I consider the light, the moment, sometimes the lens, the location, the editing choices I make, etc.

Leslie: Beautiful work, Stacey, I’ve been following you for some time and enjoy seeing both your client and personal work. I’m surprised that since you have been shooting so long that this is your first 365. Was there a reason behind this decision? Why this year?

In 2015 I made a commitment to myself to take out my camera more often and capture more images of my girls and our lives, to put myself in front of the lens more often and be more intentional with what I was shooting – while also pushed myself to capture my girls as they were. I felt I had done that pretty well. Some days/weeks more than others, but I had my camera handy and took it out fairly often. Then last year (2016) I told myself I would do a monthly DITL. About 6 months in, I lost interest, work got so hectic, and so on. Especially with learning and adding video services to my business. I found myself at the end of a long and super busy fall season with actually VERY little personal photographs to speak of. I was so burnt out from it all, and I was truly disappointed in myself. Not only did I fail to follow through with my monthly DITL, but I stopped taking photos of my family altogether. I decided on Dec 23rd to just DO IT. I wanted a goal to keep me going – and to make the effort even during a hectic time in my business life to still remember my family. So I made the commitment to take on the challenge. I picked up the camera and took my first shot – of my younger daughter, CRYING in her christmas jammies. It felt appropriate to start with that one. 🙂

Jessica: I love how you see humorous and poignant moments and also have a very strong sense of light. What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a photographer and are they different for your personal vs client work?

I’ve never been afraid of high ISO’s, slow shutters, trying new things, epic failures when trying something new, laying down in the dirt, jumping in the puddles and more. Before I started this project I think my biggest weakness was that I was convinced that I COULD NOT engage with my subjects – that it had to be 100% all natural – or nothing at all – but FOR ME that does not work! I find that my own children NEED me to engage with them – I’m their mother, not a fly on the wall! I found that it worked best when I got a good mix – sometimes I let the scene happen as it’s playing out, other times I laugh with them at the kitchen table – with my camera next to me ready to go. Some days I ask them to do it again partly because it was something I wanted to remember and partly because I saw the joy in their faces, so I knew it was an easy sell to get that shot.

Before I changed my mindset I used to feel like I was to running around like a chicken with my head cut off – worrying about “missing a moment” and getting disappointed when I felt it fell flat. The reality of it is this, there will ALWAYS be another moment, and MOST kids (or at least mine) don’t mind us making them laugh, they usually like “doing it again”, or they are to wrapped up in their own moment to notice and so on. Thinking this way gave me permission to slow down, take my time, get it right, enjoy the moment both with my girls and with my camera too!

With my clients I do my best to find that happy balance between getting interesting, authentic images but also ones that I think would speak to the parents too. So while I love me a good toddler crying or find humor in a good spat over a toy and I certainly don’t shy away from documenting it. I also work hard to show the flip side to that child’s personality. I would love to think my clients would be as open with me as my own family, but I think that is hard for MOST people on some level. And that is ok. They are entitled to want privacy, and I respect that. You can’t document EVERY.SINGLE.THING. but you will get the things that ultimately matter the most in the end.

Jenny: I love your work Stacey! And I love that you have included some beautiful portraits as well as documentary work in your submission. Do you only do documentary work for your clients or do you also offer portraiture, fine art portraits, etc?

I ALWAYS love to do portraits for my clients – whether they are individual images, just siblings, or the entire family altogether. I think it is SO important to have both. I love remembering the moment, movement, the overall scene – BUT I still think it is nice to remember how some looks, their features, their expressions, etc. It is kinda amazing to see a portrait of my girls from the start of the year and even 1/2 way through how they have changed! The same holds true for a client! I work hard to encourage my clients to see past the perfect smiling portrait – educating them that it is OK to look beyond that.

Robin: Has your personal 365 project changed or influenced how you document other families for work?

It 110% influenced how I document other families. I’m far more willing to play with light or take chances now with my clients images then I was before. I think I played it safe, afraid that if I shot the way I wanted it would not be welcomed. Now I try and to channel my 365 mindset into my client work. I also feel that by consistently sharing the work I do of my own family has given my clients a clear indication as to how I will shoot their families if they are willing to just let go, have fun, and be themselves!

Heather: I love the humor in your images. I know you just started your 365 but have you run into any slumps? If so how did you push past them?

Yes, some days I think, I’m SO F-ING TIRED. So, maybe the image I take that day is not that fantabulous – but I just do it anyways. I found that when I’ve started to feel a slump coming on – I think of something new to do with it. I give that day a purpose. I decide today is a details only day and only shoot the small, often missed over details of our lives. Or I’ll pull out my lensbaby and shoot with that. I’ll set out on an adventure with my girls and make a point to do it with camera in hand. Maybe I’ll make a point to capture dinner with my mom or take a portrait of my husband instead. I put the power in my hands because we ALL lead lives that are a bit redundant and mundane, but it is up to us to find the beauty in it and create something unique from each day.

*****

Want information on how you can be a featured artist? Check out our submission page for all the details.

Pinterest: A Photographer’s Guide

Contributor Articles

Are you using Pinterest to boost your photography business? What are you waiting for! As a photographer, Pinterest is a treasure trove and possibly the best return on investment of any social media platform for your business/website. You will need to put in a little legwork at first, but then I promise things will flow. The great thing about Pinterest is that compared to Facebook and Instagram, the pins are long lived and can reap the benefits for years. However, you won’t necessarily see results right away and it may take a few months of using the platform consistently to see the rewards of all the work you’ve put in. So don’t get discouraged, a pin can go viral years after you first posted it!

Here are a few statistics to get you pumped: did you know that most Pinterest users spend on average 15 minutes browsing once they login? That is is just 5 minutes less than on Facebook. Also, Pinterest is the second highest traffic generator on the web after Facebook. Crazy right? One image pinned on Pinterest usually generates on average 6 visits/clicks to your website. These clicks might take a while and won’t happen overnight but that is still amazing. You have all these wonderful images already, what do you loose by adding them to a board and getting traffic from them?  Also, contrary to other social media platforms Pinterest is the only one that gets referenced on Google. This means that when people search for things on Google or Google images, pins will show up in the Google search results. Also, the more pins are being shared from your website, the better it is for your SEO and the better they will perform on Pinterest too. Just keep in mind that as with any other social media platforms, the more time you spend on it the better the results you will get. So how do you optimize your pins and your account for the best results possible? Let’s see…

The first thing you will want to do is set up a business account. This will give you access to analytics and rich pins. The analytics give a wealth of information such as who your pins reach, what their demographics and their interests are, which are your best-performing pins, what brands your audience engages with, etc. Which will, in turn, give you a good idea of the types of pins to create and post.

Another advantage of having a business account is access to Rich Pins. Rich pins generally perform better since they provided added search words and descriptions to your pins. You can read more about how to install them and what they are here. Why is this important? Simply because not only is Pinterest a platform to share images but it is also a search engine of its own with over 2 billion searches being made every month. If you have rich pins, Pinterest will automatically add the metadata that you have already included on your website to your pins. Then you can use even more descriptive words to your caption that are different from those you’ve included in your metadata furthering, the possibilities of being found through a search. Now just like for your metadata you don’t want to be putting keywords one after another, but instead, you want to formulate a cohesive sentence that includes your keywords. To help you, think about what someone would type to find a photographer and include that in your caption. Having Rich Pins also means your pins look more professional, your logo and a call to action button appears with your pins automatically.

Since Pinterest’s algorithm relies so heavily on keywords for their search engine, not only is having good images key but proper wording too. This means that when setting up your account, you will want to make sure your bio has key search words and describes who and what you do clearly. You will want to make sure that all your boards have a title that says exactly what the board is about, again think in terms of search words. Make sure you give your boards a good description and don’t forget to put in a specific category provided by Pinterest. Lastly, you will want to make sure that the captions that go with your pins are descriptive and packed with keywords yet again.

Now, let’s ask a few questions. What do you want from Pinterest? Who is our target market? Good chances are that you want to generate some traffic to your website and eventually get a few sessions booked, sell prints or seats to a workshop or perhaps grow your Instagram following. If you are reading this, then you are probably a documentary family photographer; so your target market is most likely moms with kids. This mom is maybe also a photographer or someone who is into the arts, probably a creative and someone who appreciates good photography. She values connections over aesthetics but still likes pretty things. Write all of these things down and do a proper analysis of who your clientele is. So why is she using Pinterest? Most probably to get inspired, but also to inform and educate herself. So now you need to think about what inspires your client, what type of information are they looking for on Pinterest and take more notes. A great way to find this out is to search for your clientele (type in former clients names in the search tool or maybe some of your Facebook or Instagram followers) and check out their profiles on Pinterest. See who they are following, who is following them back and get a feel for who they are. What are their interests and their hobbies? So now that you know all this, creating an account that appeals to them will be that much easier. Also, keep in mind that if they like you as a photographer, they are going to want to follow you to see what it is that inspires you and what your likes and aesthetics are too.

If you want to see who and what is being pinned from your site you can check by entering the following Url: pinterest.com/source/YOURWEBSITE.com This way you can see who is liking and sharing your work. This is a great way to also engage by commenting on these pins and perhaps start following the pinners.

https://www.pinterest.com/celinab/storytelling/

So now that you have figured out what your target market is, it’s time to get some boards up keeping in mind all that not only inspires you but especially your potential clients too. As family documentary photographers, it is important to showcase photos that are aligned with our style. You could create a few boards that are in line with the type of sessions you offer, for example, one for in in-home sessions and one for maternity or baby sessions. Have a look at the different categories you offer on your website and create a board for each of them. Include other photographer’s work too, not only yours. This is a great way to showcase what your photography style is. Pinterest isn’t about only promoting our own products, it is important to mix it up. A good rule to follow is that for every 2 pins that come from your website, you should have about 8 that are inspirational or informative. These can be pins that you generate from websites yourself or even just repins. You can create a board with only your photos but also create some with the type of photography that inspires you. For example, create a board with your favorite storytelling images or more specifically of your favorite photographers.

https://www.pinterest.com/celinab/my-perspective/

I have all kinds of different boards with very specific themes like light, perspective, and movement, just to name a few. I want people to fall on my profile and be inspired by what they see and follow me. Chances are if they like what I am pinning, they will also like what I have to offer. One thing you want to avoid is pinning are images that aren’t in your style or that you don’t want to take. You need to keep true to your brand and image, just like when you are building your website. You can also share boards with things related to your photography business. For example, you could have a board with home decor and ideas on how to hang photos. You can also have one with your favorite gear or even tutorials on how to become a better photographer. Remember who your client is and cater to their likes all the while keeping it related to your business. Pinterest does really well during holidays, why not create a board with your favorite Christmas or Easter photos. You could even create mood boards to inspire your clients and add some great photos to the mix. Think outside the box and make your account exciting and fun.

https://www.pinterest.com/celinab/like-father-like-son/

Above is a mood board I did for father’s day. Now imagine one for a newborn or maybe a kids birthday; perhaps you offer Mother’s day mini sessions. The possibilities are endless.

Also, a great way to get good content to repin and pin is to create group boards with people who share the same style and aesthetics as you. Help each other out by pinning from each other’s websites or even just repinning images to some of your other boards. This is a great way to get more eyes on your work. Commenting helps too, just like on Facebook and Instagram. The more engagement the pins get, the more they will be seen.

Now let’s talk more specifically about the type of pins that work. Of course, beautiful imagery is a must, but don’t think it has to be all golden light and matching outfits. A lot of photos with genuine family life and real moments have gone viral. Photos with strong emotional cues, great colors or high contrast black whites that catch the eye are going to perform better. So when choosing which photos to share keep that in mind. Also,  you need to consider the size of your images. As documentary photographers, most of our images are 4X6, however, the optimal size to upload to Pinterest is 600px by 1200px. In general, even square photos do better than horizontal ones. So you have 3 options, keep the photos as is, crop the photo or make a collage. You could also try and get a few horizontal photo while shooting and keep them to share on your social media. Horizontal photos perform better on Instagram too and are great for sharing on Instagram stories too. Also, remember most people are using their phones to scroll through all of these platforms; so keep this in mind when deciding on which photos to share as they will be seen in a very small format. Don’t be afraid to tell people what to do and add a call to action in your captions on top of all your search words. You could also add your Url in the caption, as it is clickable and is a great reminder to go check it out.

Finally, don’t forget to let people know you are on Pinterest. Add the pin it button to your website and images. Create a post with inspiration boards like the one above; you can even add these boards to your newsletters. You can also share some of your favorite pins to Facebook or Twitter via the sharing option on Pinterest. Let your clients know you are on Pinterest and send them to see what it is that your style and vibe is all about.

Happy Pinning!