16 Top Photographers Share the Best Advice They’ve Ever Received

January 24, 2018

Photo Week on CreativeLive every year offers a great resource to photographers. Here are the answers from some of the top photographers in the business which run the gamut from useful reminders to awesomely profound:

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“Make it personal. That is my ultimate goal in my business, no matter what the job is. From social media to volume events with 1000’s of kids: making it personal will help make my business successful.”
— Mike Fulton

“If I don’t go out and get what I want, it likely won’t be handed to me.”
— Brooke Shaden

“Remember to breathe.”
— Khara Plicanic

“Jump first, fear later.” This wasn’t advice that was given to me, but more of an idea that was instilled in me during my time interning for a nonprofit in California after high school. Big ideas are awesome and deserve to be tackled. I think it is so important to decide to do something or not do something based on how much you want to do it. Don’t think about the logistics or the cost, or the time it will take first. Think about whether or not you really want to do it or not. If you do, then just say yes to it and make it happen. Exhibit A: Planes. Can you believe that someone just said, we can do this? Now, there are humongous metal tubes floating through the air all of the time. Figure out what your plan is, and make it happen.”
— Ben Sasso

“However big your camera bag is, you will fill it.”
— John Greengo

“Every time someone books your highest package, raise your prices.”
— Vanessa Joy

“Face the dragon of fear. To me, this meant to go head-on with the things that scare you most. It’s empowering when you realize you can conquer them, and you most often realize they weren’t that scary after all — and the result is huge leaps in your learning, wisdom, and connection with new experiences. Difficult situations are often only difficult in our minds, and once we tackle them, they seem trivial in hindsight. Person-to-person communication is also greatly enhanced when we say the hard things that need to be said as soon as they need to be said. Oh, and my mom also used to share the advice she got from her mom: ‘Be sweet.’”
— Kevin Kubota

“Being a successful professional photographer has less to do with how good your pictures are and more to do with how good your relationship skills are.”
— Mike Kelley

“Don’t attempt to do EVERYTHING just because you need the money.”
— Erin Manning

“Lowering your prices doesn’t necessarily increase perceived value. In fact, when you have the lowest price in the marketplace, people may believe that your value and quality is the lowest. Don’t undervalue your work, because then others will undervalue it as well.”
— Lindsay Adler

“From my Dad: ‘Keep the focus.’ Little did I know how literal those words would be to my life’s calling.”
— Johnny Davenport

“The more ridiculous you look while taking a photo, the better that photo will probably be. Photographers can’t be afraid to get into strange and awkward positions to get the shot they’re after.”
— Pei Ketron

“Don’t take anything personally, it’s just business. If you don’t let things get to you, you’ll be much better off in this field.”
— Pratik Naik

“Stop blowing out your highlights!”
— Courtney Daly

“I was told to photograph 50 strangers in a way revealed something about them. Portrait photography is all about connecting with your subject. That’s a great way to learn how to do it.”
— Brian Smith

“Learn to see light.”
— Ryan Muirhead

This blog post was put together by Whitney Ricketts on creativelive.com

WHY SHOULD YOU AS A PHOTOGRAPHER HAVE INSURANCE

September 27, 2017

Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. As photographers, we are expected to be both an artist and a service to the public. There’s always going to be a chance that your client is going to be so difficult, uncooperative, or possibly vindictive if they feel as though you’re not up to their expectations for whatever reason.

It is for this reason that every professional photographer should have their own liability insurance to protect themselves from being taken advantage of.

How Liability Insurance can Save You

If you’re getting a steady flow of work and you consider yourself to be fairly busy as a photographer, you will eventually encounter a situation where you have to make changes and cannot commit to a scheduled photoshoot. If your client doesn’t take kindly to this suggestion, they may turn on you and decide to sue you for a breach in contract, which they could win if you don’t have anything that states the ability to cancel at any time prior to the appointment.

Insurance can save you from being sued for a client’s negligence, too. Like, if they were to trip into a piece of your equipment and hurt themselves. Liability insurance can also cover you if for whatever reason your camera malfunctions and either ruins or renders the customer’s images unrecoverable.

Every potential scenario where things could go wrong, at no fault of your own, should be accounted for, because there are plenty of people out there who try to take advantage of small businesses and avoid having to share whatever losses incurred due to an accident.

Weighing your Options

While these things do happen, it ought to be noted that an occurrence like this is extremely uncommon, as a general rule you have most likely better chances winning the lottery, however, they do happen and in this manner it is imperative that you are not left exposed after a bad turn of events.

Still not persuaded? The other thing liability insurance can help with is damage to other’s property. This would cover you on the off chance that you harmed another person's property while doing your job. For instance, you could incline toward a divider and push a portion of it over with your weight as you are taking the photo! The fact that the divider was not sufficiently secure is no assurance in the courts. You would be in charge of the repair to it - all things considered, the client would contend that the property was fine before you stepped into it!

A straightforward mishap like this could cost hundreds, maybe thousands - something that could also leave a mark on your career, too. You can do your best to avoid doing business with people who seem unreasonable or suspicious, but there’s no guarantee that you won’t run a streak of bad luck and end-up losing a ton of sleep, money, and possibly business over an honest mistake while trying your best.

Photography Tips on Shooting Drinks w/ Pires Photography

September 20, 2017

If you’ve ever done any product photography or casual foodie snapshots, you might be thinking that photographing beverages is a pretty straight-forward process, but you would be wrong, of course. Those commercials of mouth-watering Sprite, Coors, and so-forth are pretty involved.

Shooting glasses filled with drinks is an even more layered beast. The obvious challenge here is capturing enough light to highlight the condensation, but also keeping the picture balanced and not too overwhelmed with bright lights bouncing all over. Use some of these tips to help you navigate this foreign landscape with your camera and take great shots of your favorite booze and drinks.

Manage Primary Light

In order to get the best illumination of your glass’ contents, you’re going to want to place your primary light source behind your glass and the position of your camera. This keeps the light a bit more manageable and you can better adjust the amount you need in order to bring out the details of the drink and glass.

Create Ambience

Just snapping photos on a colored or textured background isn’t enough to really grab the attention of the viewer, you’re going to want to add a bit of color that can enhance the presence of the drink. This works really well with little flavor suggestions to go with the drink, like a little lemon or lime, so you can add an accent light behind the drink to give it a nice “pop” against the background.

Featuring Ingredients

To borrow off the last tip, a nice way to break up uniformity in a product photo like this is to lay out small samples of the ingredients that are used in the production of the drink. You could add them in later with post-production, but it’s very charming to go through the extra effort of picking a few pieces of barley, cherries, or vanilla beans, for example, to lay beside the cold, tasty glass and evoke those flavors subconsciously in the viewer.

Try out different Containers

Unless you have your own branded glasses that the customer can purchase, it’s a good idea to present your beverage in a container that best compliments the personality of your beverage. You don’t want your drink to be associated with “average” or “boring” cups that you can find in any grandma’s cupboard. Be creative and take a few shots with various containers, you never know how they’ll look.

Get Frosty

You want an insider secrete on how to get the perfect amount of condensation on your glass without having to wait for it to naturally happen? Place your glass into the freeze ten minutes before your shoot, then pour your beverage and watch as the cold exterior collects with little beads of thirst-motivators. Everyone loves an ice cold drink.

Let Loose

Don’t think too hard about your photoshoot. Nerves can ruin a photo more than forgetting to bring a specific light or prop. When you’re in a creative and playful mood, you get results that may surprise yourself, because you’ll be thinking about what a customer would love to see, not what is purely technically sound or advised.

GALLERY OF RECENT WORK FROM PIRES PHOTOGRAPHY

A Closer Look @ Our Spaces

September 14, 2017

The Production Studio is located on the west end of Toronto minutes from Sherway Gardens. Our 8500 sq ft building offers 4 unique studio spaces ranging from 1100 to 3200 sq ft. complete with 2 kitchenettes, washrooms.

All studios come with a raised shooting platform, a Hollywood mirror, makeup station, portable speakers, change tent, clothing rack, 4 c-stands, sand bags and extension cords.

Book online at www.productionstudio.ca/booking or email us with inquires at sales@productionstudio.ca

If you would like to rent out the entire building (studios 1-3 and kitchenette), the day rate is $700 CDN and a discount for multiple days.

Please take a look at our galleries below with floor plans and specs for each space, photos from various angles and daylight availability.

If you are a photographer looking for space, we offer a great residency program. It offers a cheaper rate to use our studios and a consistent location to help you build your brand.

Kitchenette

Studio 1 - 1100 sq ft

Studio 2- 1100 sq ft

Studio 3- 1100 sq ft

Studio 4- 3200 sq ft

81 Entertainment Produces Commercial - Gets Honourable Mention in Ad Week

September 13, 2017

We have been fortunate to have 81 Entertainment produce great content in our spaces. 81 Entertainment is Toronto’s premier video production service company specializing in commercial production and branded content. Trusted by small businesses and large international brands alike, 81 Entertainment’s range of expertise ensures each client receives the best in concept design and execution.

81 Entertainment received its (first!) honourable mention in AdWeek with one of the commercials they produced for Cougarlife.com earlier this year using almost all of our spaces.

Sets were built throughout the spaces creating a club, bedroom, bathroom and powder room.

Click here to read the full article on AdWeek - Cougar Life’s Rebrand Tells Women That Dating Younger Men Is Grrreat!

With the highest five to Director Jared Pelletier, Creative Director Justine Galea, Co-Producer Michael Chwastiak, DOP Chris Lew, Production Manager Joel P. Schneider, and Production Designer Lewis Belgum. Along with The Production Studio Ashley Hallihan Ontario Camera Rentals, alter ego amongst so many other talented individuals.

Some Great Video has Been Produced in Our Spaces

September 12, 2017

We have been fortunate to have some great productions shoot in our spaces over the past year. There have been commercials, music videos, web series, The Beaverton and small indie projects.

Here is a story that was published on Notable of a Toronto couple that broke up by creating a powerful video. This project was filmed in Studio 3.

THEY DECIDED TO DO THE PIECE TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS – SOMETHING MOST OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED BY NOW IN OUR DATING LIVES.

“After several months of being apart and growing individually, I contacted her about an idea: to put rest to our past and create our own blank slate. We’re both performers and love Sia, so we decided to do our own piece to her song, Eye of The Needle,” writes Wadden. “This piece is inspired by our own past, Sia, and Marina Abramovic’s ‘The Lovers’.”

WATCHING THE POWERFUL VIDEO WILL REMIND MANY OF US OF A PAST RELATIONSHIP, AND THE MADDENING ROLLERCOASTER OF CONTRADICTORY EMOTIONS IT CAN BRING.

Booking a Studio Space w/ Great Talent

September 8, 2017

Peter Hurley and Studio Manager Emanuel Pires share a photo together.

It was an honour to have Peter Hurley, one of the top headshot photographers in the world, choose The Production Studio as his studio space to teach members of The Headshot Crew.

We had photographers from the GTA, Vancouver, Northern Ontario, London and Mexico attend.

We used all 4 spaces to have various lighting setups for the group and space out the participants.

When a photographer of Peter Hurley's caliber loves your space and comes twice in one year to teach, you know that the space must be pretty great. Thank you Peter and everyone who attended for one fantastic weekend.

Peter Hurley with members of the Headshot Crew in studio 1.

Back in Our Studios - PETER HURLEY - The Headshot Intensive Toronto

August 15, 2017

A 2 day headshot knowledge infusion extravaganza! Want to go Intensified? Add a 3rd day to the mix and really dig into your portrait shtick.

This course is designed for every level photographer from amateur to pro as long as you understand camera basics, this isn't a technique course in camera settings, but a mind blowing course in handling any subject that has stepped into your frame. Yes, the workshop is geared toward headshot photography, but all of this stuff applies whether your subject is 3 feet in front of your camera or 30 feet in front of it, so I believe any portrait photographer needs to utilize this information as part of their director's toolkit whenever shooting portraits. Although I believe the information is ground breaking, any photographer at any level will truly benefit from attending.

purchase on this workshop on peter's website

In this workshop you’ll learn the in’s and out’s of my workflow, direction, shooting style and business sense. It's a soup to nuts approach on how to crank out one good portrait after another. We’ll immerse ourselves completely into the action as we apply these ideas in order to enhance your shooting style and up your game immensely.

In a nutshell, THE HEADSHOT INTENSIVE is designed for the photographer looking to gain beneficial knowledge from the leader in the headshot genre in order to develop a new skill set when photographing people. So whether photography is your full time gig or you are a passionate hobbyist who can’t seem to put your camera down, this workshop is for you.

The Headshot Intensive is also the breeding ground for my team of talented Headshot Crew Associate Photographers. We've launched a global initiative to create an elite crew of headshot photographers worldwide. Interested? Sign up for a free account now. Anyone can register and if you upgrade into my Protégé Core Coaching Program you'll receive a 30 Day Free Trial. All photographers who take the workshop will get six months free(approx $120 value) in the Headshot Crew Protégé Coaching group and earlybirds(the first 4 people to sign up) will get a year free.($199 value) Those interested in becoming a Headshot Crew Associate photographer will work closely with Peter to create a portfolio worthy for inclusion into the Headshot Crew Associate Photographer Program for their target market.

Some Topics Include:

• Lighting Hurley-Style

• My belief in being 90% Therapist and 10% Photographer

• The necessity of being a Jack of All Trades

• Performing The Chameleon Approach

• Applying Sherlock Holmesing to the mix

• Digging into Micro-Expression

• Creation of Residual Laughter

• Direction by Mis-Direction

• Hurleyisms

• The HURLEY Headshot System of directing your client from shot to shot

• The Shoot: You’ll apply the ideas laid out to you by applying these ideas on the second day of the workshop. Game Plan & Business Know How: Building a road map to develop your business

• Pricing your work into your target market and ground rules for handling your customer service. The Final Product: Retouching, printing and delivery of the final product.

• Headshot Crew: Peter will discuss his global plan and your shot to capture your target market by becoming a Headshot Crew Associate photographer. The goal is to have each photographer that is interested in building their headshot business become part of the Headshot Crew referral program, using it as a marketing tool to build their headshot clientele through referrals from their own Headshot Crew micro-site.

What You'll Need:

A DSLR, mirrorless or medium format digital camera and basic knowledge of how to use that camera. You’ll want a decent headshot lens to go along with it, so I generally like a minimum of 85mm for full frame DSLR’s and 100mm and above for medium format cameras. Generally I roll with a 70-200mm on my full frame DSLR, so have something that can hit that range if you are on a zoom or a prime in that neighborhood.Everyone should bring a laptop and/or external hard drive with them to the workshop in case you want to shoot tethered, take notes or transfer files, etc. I love shooting on a tripod, so if you have one that can reach above 6' then bring it along with a nice ball head. If you don't then don't sweat it, but I'm going to be giving you umpteen reasons why you should be using one. You can check out my gear page for my recommended Feisol/Arca Swiss combo: www.headshotcrew.com/gear

We've had everyone from beginner to professional go through this workshop and the ideas presented are so unique that they work for everyone no matter how far along you are in your career. Get a good nights sleep prior to coming up to the intensive! We usually go from 10am in the morning until lunchtime, come back and do a session until dinnertime. After dinner we'll come back and keep the info pouring in until around 10 or 11pm. The second day runs from 10am to 6pm. We do break for lunch and will be shooting all afternoon, so be ready for a busy weekend. No food is included with the workshop fee. Cost and Scheduling:

The price for attending this phenomenal weekend workshop is $1500 and payment is due in full when signing up. ALL PAYMENTS ARE IN US DOLLARS.

It’s an amazing value for anyone interested in taking their portrait photography to new heights. However, I want to add even more value for those attending:

The Real Deal:

• Any photographer that is one of the first 4 to sign up for any Intensive will receive an earlybird bonus of one free year on headshotcrew.com at the Protégé level.($199 value) If you are wondering if you qualify for this just ask. Don't worry, if you don't make the cut all additional attendees will receive 6 months free.(approx $120 value)

• All participants will receive a promo code for 1/2 off THE ART BEHIND THE HEADSHOT DVD and/or Illuminating the Face download($150 value each).

• B&H has sponsored the workshop, so we will be giving away at random one $50 gift card to a lucky participant from my favorite store on planet earth.

Get your own Headshot by Peter Hurley! Each photographer will get in front of my camera at some point during the workshop and I'll personally shoot a SHABANG'in headshot of you. I can't stand photographers who don't put a nice shot of themselves on their about or bio page, so I'm making sure each of you have one! You'll get a unique perspective from being in front of my camera as well. This allows you to understand exactly what your clients are going through and it's proven to be a powerful experience. It has been one of my favorite portions of the course and a real eye opener for past attendees, plus it's $2000 for a new client to step in front of my lens, so there is definitely some major value in it for you there! All Headshot Intensive upon graduating will be dubbed a Bachelor in the Fine Art of Shabanging(BFAS) in the Headshot Crew Coaching Program! Prepare to be added to this prestigious group that have attended the workshop. The BFAS label and any free months you are to receive as an attendee will be added after you've completed the workshop.

My goal for the course is that each photographer receives a tremendous amount of value out of taking the workshop, so if you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to contact me personally at 212.627.2210. Use the links on the right to register for your desired workshop and lock in any promotions you may receive.

In case you are interested The Headshot Intensified is an added extra 3rd day where you spend time with me one on one in order to drive all these concepts home. It that costs an additional $750 and limited to only 8 photographers. Feel free to add the extra day to your cart or feel free to sign up for it separately if you have previously taken The Headshot Intensive.

I feel strongly that the workshop is appropriately named, so I hope you are ready for an INTENSE weekend of non-stop information coming your way!

I'll be emailing you with ant other logistics for the weekend during the week preceding your chosen workshop, should you have any questions beforehand definitely reach out to me via email or call the studio.

No food is included with the workshop fee. We go out to a local restaurant for lunch and dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.

Due to workshops selling out regularly we require payment in full in order to keep your spot and snag any time sensitive discounts. All payments are non-refundable, so don't give me your $ until you are certain you are ready to roll!However, should you need to reschedule, inform me at least at least 2 weeks prior to your scheduled intensive and I will apply your fee toward the workshop of your choice in the future or figure out something that is fair for both of us. I usually have a waiting list, so if something comes up that causes the need for you to cancel then chances are we'll get your spot filled right away and I'll be able to provide you a refund if that is the case.

So, are you ready to get serious about your people photography?

Get it going, each workshop is limited to ONLY 12 photographers plus I have 1 spot for those who can't get enough of me and want to take it for 1/2 price a second time, so grab a spot as soon as you decide you are ready to roll! All my workshops have been selling out, so don't get caught on the short end of the stick. Those who want to take it a 2nd time and grab that spot for 1/2 off just contact me before registering.

Reserve your spot today!
Simply click the button on the right the corresponds to your desired workshop to register by firing up a credit card.

Questions? Feel free to email us or call the studio at 212.627.2210. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, I want everyone to be 100% informed prior to coming to the workshop.

I am traveling the world with the workshop, so sign up for your desired venue and as soon as a studio is secured we'll be letting everyone know where we'll be.

If you are coming to NYC here's my NY studio address:

Peter Hurley Photography Studio
134 W 26th Street, Suite 1203
New York, NY 10001

We start each day at 10am in the NY studio for Headshot Intensives outside NYC I will be emailing you with logistics.

The closest hotels are right on 26th Street between 6th & 7th Aves:

The Hilton New York Fashion District

Holiday Inn Manhattan 6th Ave - Chelsea

Looking forward to seeing you at The Headshot Intensive!

Thanks!
Peter

Video of the Signature Series Workshop w/ Paul Buceta @ The Production Studio

March 1, 2017

Here is a video that we put together to show what we do in our intensive and Signature Series workshops. We want to create the best environment and talent to help you achieve your goals as a photographer, to help build your book and to allow you to have fun while doing it. For more information and to register for workshops check us out online at www.productionstudio.ca/workshops or www.meetup.com/ProdStudioTO

Don't forget that we can also assist you with all of your studio rental or commercial needs. You can find more information about that at www.productionstudio.ca

The Headshot Intensive Toronto March 2017

January 17, 2017

The Production Studio is excited to announce that world renowned photographer Peter Hurley will be bringing SHABANG! to our studios in March.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Hurley is a premier portrait and headshot photographer with studios in New York City and Los Angeles. He is known for the genuine expressions he captures in his actors headshots and executive portraits.

EDUCATOR

He is an expert on human facial expression and has spoken on the subject for TEDx, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and GoDaddy to name a few. Peter is also a Canon Explorer of Light and teaches his signature photography workshops all over the world. He is the author of the recently published book The Headshot the definitive guide to headshot photography.

SIGN UP

You can sign up via the buttons below linking to the two events at our studios and check out the video for more information.

THE HEADSHOT INTENSIVE - MARCH 11-12

The Headshot Intensified - March 13

Importance of Studio Space for Photographers

December 30, 2016

The studio is a professional photographer’s second home away from home. It could even be located in your actual home, but it should be a setting that you can feel secure and free of distractions. Designing your studio space is also important, it should look and feel separate from a bedroom, for example. It needs to be built around productivity, so we’re here to give you some tips on what is best to focus on for building the perfect photography studio.

Residency Program

The Residency Program at The Production Studio is a great way to start utilising a space where you have little overhead and can run your photography business out of. Meeting clients in a professional space can help you land the deal and give you a home base to operate out of. For more information on the residency program click here. Remember, with 4 spaces to shoot out of there will always be one available and we can make any custom package to suit your needs.

Maximizing Space

When it comes to renting out a studio space for photography, space is everything. Don’t underestimate the importance of space to work, move, and think in. This is about comfort and the ability to grow as a photographer. Space also allows for more creative freedom, capturing your subjects without relying on zoom too heavily is key. Headspace is also important, try to get a place for your studio that has elevated ceilings to really take control of your lighting.

Convenience and Class

Where your studio is located is almost as important as the studio itself. If you only focus on the cost of rent, you might end up with a studio that is either located in a spot that is not in close proximity with your own house or is located in a drab industrial district, which could turn off clients. Appearances can and do matter, so consider this when planning your studio location.

Controlling your Craft

Sunlight is certainly ideal, however controllable light is more vital. So, in the event that you have access to common light that you can't control, it’s better to pick a spot you'll need to falsely light that you can control.

Expansive, upscale, open gathering places are super helpful for a photography studio. A flatscreen TV makes a pleasant expansion to the waiting room – demonstrating your portfolio pictures or motivating art videos.

The camera room ought to be separate from the business room. If not totally discrete, the two ought to be isolated by separation or themes. The main thing you ought to do in the camera room is shoot. Everything else needs to happen elsewhere.

A changing area is another great idea. The changing area ought to offer good security and ideally, be no less than a porta-john to consider simple outfit swapping. The changing area ought to offer a little seat and table and in addition places to hang garments. A lavatory can serve as a changing area insofar as it's sufficient for allowing a person to stretch their arms and legs around.

Intangibles

A reliable power grid. You ought to expect that a normal studio will utilize significantly more power than the customary office workspace. By and large the camera room ought to be white, dark, dim or nonpartisan in shading. This keeps away from inadvertent reflections. And, finally, keep your studio stocked with lots of comforting items for all the senses: healthy snacks, beverages/alcohol, mints, and music playlists for different personalities.

Studio 4 - A Great Creative Space

December 21, 2016

Our 4th studio space has opened and has lends itself to many creative and commercial projects. Spanning 3500 sq ft, this space has already been used for photography and video projects.

Combined with our existing 3 spaces, The Production Studio now offers over 8500 sq ft of shooting space, two load in bays, two kitchenettes and 4 bathrooms. Contact us at sales@productionstudio.ca for a custom quote or for more information.

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