PhotoPlus_Issue_128_July_2017

CANONSCHOOL
Portraits part-time
If you’re building your
portfolio, it’s worth seeing
if a model will trade time for
shots – you get experience,
they get good images
growing market for pet
portraits, from cats and
dogs to larger beasts such as
horses. Along with a love for
photographing animals, you’ll
also need similar people skills
to shooting normal portraits
when dealing with the owner
of the pet. This can often take
a lot of patience, as you’ll have
to be ready to deal with both a
potentially unwilling subject
and their owner!
How to charge
There are two typical business
models when it comes to
charging for portrait shoots.
You can either charge a set
rate for the sitting, which will
include a set number of prints
and digital files, depending on
how long it will take, or you
can charge a small (or zero)
fee for the sitting and then
charge extra for prints or
digital files afterwards.
The single-fee model is best
for those who like a consistent
income from each portrait
shoot. You’ll know beforehand
how much money you will
make, approximately how
much time it will take, and
don’t have to spend as much
time ‘selling’ the prints to the
client afterwards. You should
have an agreement with the
client about how many prints
or digital images they would
get for this fee, with an option
to buy more on top of the basic
fee. This approach is much
simpler if you’re more
interested in photography
than selling, particularly if you
are a ‘one-man band’.
The lower (or zero) fee plus
charging for prints option is
ideal if you are prepared to do
a bit more selling to your
customers. With this approach
you’ll need to be confident of
selling enough prints to make
up the value of the time that
you take for the shoot and any
post-production. Not having to
pay up front will appeal to
many potential customers, so
it’s a good way to get this type
of client. But this can be
time-consuming and not every
photographer is happy with
this more ‘high street’
approach to selling their
images and time.
How much time will it take?
Setting up the initial elements
of a portrait photography
business will only take a few
weeks in your spare time,
but building it up to become
genuinely successful and
profitable will take much
longer. It will usually take
anywhere between six months
and a year to get all of the
elements in place to get
regular bookings and for your
marketing to have time to
reach a good range of people.
In the know: Take better portraits
Our ten top tips to help you capture better portraits
01 Use a long focal length as the compression
effect is more flattering; a 70-300mm at the
long end is perfect.
02 Use Av mode and set a wide aperture (low
f-number) for a shallow depth of field to
isolate the subject from the background.
03 For more dramatic full-length shots when
using a long focal length, shoot from a low
viewpoint (in other words, lie on the ground).
04 Avoid shooting in midday sun as the harsh,
overhead light is unflattering and causes
dark eyes (but if you must, use a reflector).
05 Focus on the closest eye to the camera.
06 Position your subject against a background
that contrasts with their skin tone (pale
subject/dark background and vice versa).
07 For the best results, shoot on an overcast
day (but avoid getting the sky in the shot)
or during the golden hour, just before
sunset, when the light is softer and warmer.
08 Don’t ask the subject to smile; make them
smile by saying something funny and you
will capture their true personality.
09 Use Partial metering rather than the default
Evaluative to read the light on the subject.
10 Avoid distractions in the frame, like signs.
82 www.digitalcameraworld.com