Portrait & Event Photographer

Protected: I’m gonna show you; how great I am!

Jason — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:48:38 +0000

Taking Photography and Careers to New Heights!-Tom Ryaboi

Jason — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:47:38 +0000

This image is had just a great perspective, defiantly something we don’t see everyday! I really love this kind of photography; Tom Ryaboi is someone who really takes it to a whole new level. His images and time-lapse really inspire me and I think they would inspire you too!

This image is of supposedly Tom hang precariously on the roof of an extremely tall building in downtown financial district of Toronto, Canada. When you first look at the photo it takes you a second to orient your self to it. At first I was like wow I’m dizzy! I have never had any problems with height but this images puts you on the edge, gives a little fear? I like is all the same! This one image has been view thousands of times on site such as 500px and Flickr. Tom was featured on NatGeo and the BBC his work is selling fast and his career is really taking off.

You can read more about how this images was captured on his blog on 500px

All the best to you Tom; Keep the images coming!

Small Lights Timelapse

Jason — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:35:37 +0000

This is one of my first try at Timelapse Photography. It took my only a evening to shoot this short video. I didn’t want to make it so long for it being my first time. So I set up my camera on my tripod and shot every 2 seconds for 15 or so mins, I also was dragging the shutter a slight bit at around 1/30th of a second. I wanted to blur the cars and people so they didn’t just blink in and out of the shots.

It was just me and my camera that night so I had total freedom to take the camera to a different spot when I wanted to, Which turned out to be really fun. I just focused on the traffic in this one, but lots more of my future films will be of traffic. I like to show how busy we are as a culture, and how maybe slowing down would be good for the soul.

Thanks for stopping by and watching. The follow equipment was used and stay tuned for more soon!

Hardware:
Canon EOS 50D
Sigma 15mm Fisheye Lens
Induro Adventure Series Tripod
Magic Lantern 2.0

Software:
Adobe Lightroom 3 (I currently have 4)
Final Cut Pro
Quicktime 7 Pro

Human Rights Campaign and Discounts for Gay and Lesbian Couples

Jason — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:37:48 +0000

Today I heard on a local radio show that a very nice young woman could not find a photographer in Marietta, Pa, which I would normally find easy. Since there is so many photographers in the area! She then continues to say that they (photographers) keep hanging up on her and they won’t shoot her special day, After a few more minutes she explains that she is marrying another young woman who’s in the military. Now I have been a very long time supporter of gay rights and gay marriage and I find that some of my colleagues being professional artists cannot support equal rights and something as simple as love. Be it man to man or women to women. I am highly offended by to hear such horrible things coming from my fellows in this passion/profession.
That is why I am offering my talents and experience to local and distant couples, who are having a hard time finding a photographer with a sense of what passion and love is and that it knows no bounds. I’m even taking 20% off my wedding package to gay and lesbian couples!
Don’t worry straight couples if your show your support for gay rights, by signing the Human Rights Campaign Petition for equal marriage and or donating 50$ to the ERC. You will receive 15% off!

*In order to receive this discount you must give proof of donation or a thank you email for signing.

Ten Years ago Today

Jason — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 23:41:10 +0000

On February 1st, 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA OV-102, disintegrated upon re-entry at the end of its 28th mission to space. The tragedy killed the seven brave crew members, in a moment of national sadness we’ll never forget.

Space travel has always been a feat of pride for humans. It shows how awesome we can be. We might be small in the universe but we’re capable of feats much bigger than us. It makes the moments of our successes in space more triumphant and the moments of failure intensely sad. I’ll never forget where I was when I heard about the Columbia disaster—I was working at a Starbucks in the Chevy Chase Pavilion.

May they rest in peace and forever be remembered for what they accomplished.

I was at home, watched it on TV, Very dad indeed.

Source: Gizmodo

Couples Photo Shoots – Updated!

Jason — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:05:11 +0000

Shooting a young couple the other day, I found my self at the beautiful Founders Hall Alumni Memorial Grove in Hershey. The location is perfect for photo shoots because of the varied and interesting backgrounds. It is beautiful at this time of the year but even more so in the Spring and Fall with the seasonal foliage.

The lovely couple are from Middletown, Pennsylvania and are the proud parents of a beautiful baby. This very nice couple braved the cold and windy weather and we took some great shots! Check out more of these photos on facebook after I edit them all. Facebook

[fbphotos id=474070049316282]

Featured Post: The High Cost of Low Cost Photography

Jason — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:23:46 +0000

I wanted to share a very interesting article about the high cost of low cost photography. I certainly agree with what is said in the article, I think that the main point is that would you trust someone who has little experience, knowledge or talent with your precious memories? If I ever need photos to commemorate something as important as my wedding, I wont be looking for a low price.I’ll be looking for talent, experience and above all a personal connection to the photographer. (Even though I know some great photographers!) Please enjoy the read and let me know what you think!

It’s a rather long read but trust me well worth it! This article comes from a great website

Photography is not just an art but it is a tool to holding on to many of your most prized moments and experiences, which I am sure many can agree are more precious than most anything money can buy, yet in an ironic twist it costs money to preserve those memories. As a photographer, I recognize the heavy weight of responsibility upon my shoulders to do better than I could the day before. After all, people during emergency situations, will grab their photos some risking their lives for these. I refuse to create an inferior product that someone would be willing to risk their life for. It must be nothing but the best, that took every ounce of my being to create when it holds that much emotional magnitude to it. That may seem extreme but every time the news interviews people after an emergency situation the first thing they discuss (provided they have not suffered mortal losses) are the loss or damage to their photos, memories that cannot be recreated.

A good camera is not the reason a photo turns out as a gorgeous piece of artwork. That is about as ludicrous an idea as telling a head chef they must have awesome pots and pans because the meal is delicious. There is so much behind the camera that goes into that image that it must be one of the most unintended, disrespectful things that a photographer can be told. Years of hard work and dedication applying oneself to the technical skill and to the art of creating a photograph. Talent and creativity that is as individually unique as a singular snowflake in which I personally believe there can be no true monetary value placed upon. And you probably don’t even want to hear about the money invested into adequate equipment, software and the training itself. And what does it take to run a photography business? Equipment upgrades and maintenance, up to date software, insurance, advertising expenses that make you want to cry, a gorgeous website, possibly even a separate “shopping cart” gallery site, and the list can keep on going.

Chances are if you are looking into quality photography, you are looking for a photographer that does not split their time between jobs and other avenues of making money. You are most likely looking for someone who fully dedicates their time to their craft. With that comes fully supporting oneself and their family entirely on photography. And if that is the case, planning for retirement, kids college tuitions, unforeseen healthcare costs, and the list goes on just as it does with a person working in any other industry. I am not sure when exactly perception on the industry changed so drastically that this comes as such a shocker, but it is sad indeed that it has.

And actually, I am certain it has something if not everything to do with the instant gratification of the digital age. There is this horrible perception that since it is digital it is free. Um, yeah, so NO! A decent camera body, not even close to top of the line, will run you a good $1800.00. Just one backup battery: $80.00. Oh wait, you can’t take a photo yet! You need a lens, cheap lenses run $300.00 plus, a decent one will sell for between $800-1500.00. Now you are ready to shoot, right? Wrong! Digital age means digital media: memory cards. Chances are you will spend between $50-100 on one memory card depending on the storage capabilities. But that still means you need a back up. What about a fancy shmancy flash you see attached to the big boys’ cameras? Yeah, another roughly $700.00 plus. What did I hear? Oh you want to go after the wedding market? Well now you will need to multiply the minimum of your $3500 investment by two because now you need a backup! You are $7000.00 in the hole and have yet to take a single picture! But hey you have your equipment needs covered now on to acquiring a wedding. Good luck by the way on convincing a bride to book you without a portfolio. So chances are you are going to have to work roughly three and get them right for…FREE, in order to pull enough together to look like a portfolio. So that is what 6-8 hours shoot time, which will easily be 10-15 minimum hours of edit time per wedding. So that is 16-23 hours multiplied by three. On top of that brides like to see finished albums not just digital media. Depending on the image you are trying to portray that could cost you as little as $100.00, but chances are closer to $300.00 per sample album.

So you are now roughly $8000.00 plus 70+ hours in debt (and these are conservative estimates; as reality is much more tough) and you are trying to find a bride to appeal to now. Assuming you don’t have a hundred friends planning their weddings so there are no short cuts, you now need to make yourself marketable. Most brides search online resources first. So step number one would be a website. Assuming again you want a halfway decent website you are looking at an initial investment of $200-300. Wait, how are people going to find you if they don’t know your business name (which by the way, do your homework and do it right by getting a DBA & EIN; and yes you have to charge and pay sales tax for photography services.)? Now you enter the world of advertising, the one area of your business where you are the mercy of some seriously greedy, under-delivering businesses in most cases. This can run you as little as $100 monthly but most likely closer to $300.00 (if not more) monthly per advertising venue you market yourself in. To those that think digital photography is inexpensive: almost $10,000.00 in and you have yet to make your first dollar. And remember, I am pretending you already know the basics and rules in digital photography, not to mention how to edit and treat these digital images. I am pretending you have eased so effortlessly into this profession that you have experienced not one set back. I am assuming you are a 100% natural talent in this field.

Let’s now explore the idea of cheap photography along with the repercussions of it. What’s the pro of booking cheap services? About the only one I can think of is that it is simply less money that comes out of your pocket at that time. But what does it really cost you? This is not like any portrait session. Your wedding is a once in a lifetime moment that you will never get back. There is no such thing as a re-shoot if something goes wrong that day. No way to make those moments magically reappear. More than just the months on top of months of planning, the investment into decorations, catering, attire and entertainment. The emotion of the day submerged in all of that effort is the most important part of the day. Hiring an inexperienced photographer is like playing Russian Roulette with those irretrievable memories. Taking a chance that (cross your fingers) that a beginner orgreen square shooter gets it right.

If the photographer you choose for your wedding day doesn’t understand their equipment, what do you think that will translate out to on your final images? What if, on top of not getting how to properly use their camera, they have no earthly idea how to handle the image files. Want to hear some disasters? Shot in low to mid quality JPEG on automatic in low-lit atmosphere. Pulled them into low grade editing software, added some “effect” to make it “look cool” that tainted skin tones and saved without checking to make sure the save quality was at the highest possible. To save on space, saves over original images, burns disc and sends it to you. You receive this disc and excitedly pop it into your computer, you find a few that give you hope, but as you keep looking you begin to cry. About the time you get angry and want to do something about it you realize you paid $300.00 for an eight hour day. Even if you got your money back, what does that even matter. All those months of planning. All of the monetary investment. All of your loved ones gathered in one place. All of these things to celebrate your new beginning. What do you have to show for it? Photos that make your insides squirm. If you think that is dramatic, let me just assure you that is a real story. And I have heard so many more. In some cases, it takes years just to find out the friend of the family or “photographer” lost the images in a divorce (yet another true horror story). Once your images have been subject to such a sad level of care in unexperienced hands that they are essentially ruined, there is little if anything that can be done to salvage them.

So what should you expect to pay for quality? It definitely takes a lot of restraint not to say these things to those that a) have no idea what they are stepping into when they charge $500.00 for a wedding or b) expect professional grade photography for $500.00. In all actuality, depending on the level of expertise, creative talent, artistry and coverage (before adding product), good, solid wedding photography should start around upwards of $2500.00. Yes, I said start, as in bare bones minimum. And this also depends heavily on the area of the country you live in.

I cannot sufficiently stress the importance of doing your homework before booking a photographer and prior to becoming a photographer. As the client, having the full confidence in your photographer and as the photographer, knowing what you are jumping into and never settling for just okay.

Remember: wedding photography is the ONLY thing that will make sure you can forever remember everything else you spent that money on, the only thing that will take you back to the feeling of that day: the butterflies, the happiness, the peace, the chaos, the tears. Don’t skimp on the only thing that will immortalize that day. And photographers, don’t skimp on your yearning to be the absolute best; put your very soul into the images you create for your clients and you will have no other option but success.

Here are a few of my great wedding photos!

A Photo in Review, A Wedding Photo that Expresses love!

Jason — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:00:32 +0000

Welcome back, after a long time off I am returning to bring great new content back to JMaccPhotography! I took off for a few months to get back on track, to center my Chee. I really wanted to get my creativity back and I believe I have don it, so lets get too it!

I took this photo last year at my best friends wedding, he was looking for a photographer in his price range and couldn’t find one, he of course knew how creative I was and loved my art, so he gave me a call and this photo was the result! He and his and his bride had their wedding on the very beautiful golf course Dauphin Highlands in Harrisburg, Pa.

This course had the most beautiful grounds, they have great scenes and great photos spots! I took this photo with the small lake behind them, it was a very sunny day so it was hard to keep the brightness down, but I did a little editing and made the image right where I wanted it. I love this shot really shows the love they have for each other.

Richard Wedding Photographer in Getting to know the Pros Series!

Jason — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:50:37 +0000

Today I wanted to share a interview I had a chance to do with a excellent wedding photographer from Southern Westchester NY. He’s been Professional Photographer since 1994 and has loads of knowledge in the field of wedding photography and I wanted to ask him my questions for all Wedding Photographers!

He is the first to be featured on my “Getting to know the Pros”, Series of interviews. Lets get too it

Are you a self taught photographer or did you have a mentor that showed you the ropes or did you attend school?

When I was a child my father was a hobbyist photographer and I learned my love of photography from him. When I was ten he gave me my first SLR, a Pentax Spotmatic… the old kind with the screw mount lenses! I had a 28mm, a 50mm and a fantastic Takumar 135mm. I quickly surpassed my father in terms of photographic knowledge, skill and enthusiasm. I set up a dark room in our basement and started developing my own black and white film and prints. I was the photo editor of the school newspapers and yearbooks all through junior and senior high school.

I took only one photography class prior to going professional… it was a black and white developing class in high school. I later took an intro class for fun at a local college which I ended up co-teaching. The majority of my knowledge comes from experimentation and reading. In the past few years I have taken several seminars on lighting and on digital workflow. I am a firm believer that one cannot learn to be a good photographer… a good eye is either something you are born with or not. One can learn all kinds of technical knowledge, but without that natural eye all the knowledge in the world won’t matter. I have met people with PhDs in Fine Art Photography that were HORRIBLE photographers… and the I know many self-taught highly accomplished photographers.

When it comes to photography schools I have a fairly negative opinion! I went and looked at attending the Hallmark Institute of Photography in MA. They have some very impressive classes but it just seemed like a mill to me. After looking at Hallmark I have met dozens of people who went there that attempted to build photography careers but ended up working at print and frame shops! I would never suggest that someone spend that kind of money on photography. I love photography and it is my career… but whatever I need to know to improve on my natural eye I can read in a book or learn in smaller seminars. These photography schools charge a small fortune and there is very little guarantee of work afterwards!

[W]as there a defining moment when you knew that it was time to take pictures professionally or was it a gradual transition?

I went to college and was pre-law as an undergraduate. As a senior I was editor-in-chief of the schools newspaper. My first love was politics and I wanted to either work for a newspaper covering politics or work for a politician… I was too radical myself to get elected! After graduating from college I got a job writing for a weekly newspaper on Long Island, The Three Village Herald. I did some really good investigative journalism there. At this point in life photography was still just a hobby for me. At some point the newspaper editor asked me if I could shoot some photos for the paper… she knew I always had a camera in my car. I started shooting for the newspaper as well as writing…. People started to see my photo credit in the newspaper and called the office and asked me if I could take some photo for them. I had never thought of being a professional photographer, it was just something that I loved to do! Within six months I was getting enough request for photography that I quit working for the newspaper and did photography full-time… all without a business card, business license or really knowing anything about business… or the technical aspects of photography for that matter. It all started by word of mouth. During the following years I learned the technical aspects of photography and about business.

Sometimes when I am shooting photography it feels very spiritual and photo ops simply present themselves as a gift….do you ever feel that way and do you think there is such a thing as someone really having a “natural eye” for photography?

I most definitely believe that someone either has a natural eye or does not; it is not something that can be learned or taught. There are many times when photography feels spiritual to me. I love to capture the raw emotions of a day whether that emotion is happiness or sadness. My wife has seen how I respond when taking photos. I suffer from a chronic pain condition… but somehow when I am photographing I am not as aware of the pain and I am more at peace.

Do you rely on lighting (natural, or artificial), or do you rely on dark-room/computer manipulation?

The answer to this question has changed since the industry has gone digital. In the film days it was much more important to get the shot right in the camera. The labs were able to do amazing things, but if the initial exposure was really off the shot was done for. In today’s digital age we photographers are offered a lot more leeway in terms of not needing to get the shot just right in camera. However, I still shoot like I did when shooting film because I believe that getting the exposure right in camera will save me a lot of time in my post processing work flow. That being said, there are amazing things that can be done on the computer. I consider myself a “techie” and I use and love all of the latest software. So, to answer your question, with today’s digital workflow I believe that both exposure and digital processing are important.

Do You Have A Favorite All-Around Lens…If So What Is It?

I do a lot of special event photography. The past couple of years my main camera has been a Canon 50D, a cropped sensor camera. So… my favorite lens has been the Canon EF-S 18-200. I find that when shooting special events, and using a flash, I can get 85% of my shots with this one lens. The image quality is good enough for most clients. That being said, I have recently fell in love with the look of full-frame images and am planning on switching over to the Canon 5DII & 5DIII. I am also purchasing a 70-200 2.8 which I expect I will use a lot as my main client these days has me shooting multiple events where I cannot use a flash.

I also rediscovered a favorite lens from years ago recently… I had an old Canon 100-300L Macro f5.6 lens that I started using again and that lens is tack sharp!

In general, during a wedding, how many pics would you say you take and how many would you deliver to the client

In the film days when medium format ruled the business photographers would shoot 300 photos and offer 120-150 to clients… and the clients were happy! Today I hear stories about people shooting 2,000-3,000 photos and giving the clients 1,500+ images and I think this is RIDICULOUS!!! I believe it actually hurts the photographer to give the client that many photographs. How are they supposed to choose what to print? I never give my wedding clients any number guarantees. I tell them I will shoot what I think is necessary and give them what I think is good. So… I usually shoot anywhere between 800-1,200 and give the client between 500-700 images; and I think this is too many!

As photographers we have to each decide what we are shooting for… Are we shooting photographs that we want people to print and hang on walls or put in albums? Or, are we shooting digital images simply to be randomly displayed on computer and cell phone screens? I want my photographs to be printed and enjoyed as art on the wall or in an album so I believe that offering less to choose from… culling out and only giving the client my best… is more likely to end in prints.

I had read over your website and packages, How did you determine your price and what is included in them?

I will have to address this in a separate entry as I am actively changing this now.

We would love to talk about it when your finished!

How did you go about branding your business? and what is your favorite tip.

I am old school. I believe that if you offer your clients a better than good product and make them happy… that is the best “branding” you can do. Word of mouth has built every business I have owned since graduating college!

What is the ONE lasting impression you want to leave in your photos?

I want viewers of my photos to feel the emotions of the people in the photos. I want my photographs to make people empathic not just sympathetic.

What are the pros and cons of being a photographer? Please be specific

Being self-employed has many pros and cons. The biggest con is that it is not a 9 to 5 job 5 days a week. I work 12-18 hour days 6-7 days a week. Many people force themselves to hold office hours and make the time for other things in their life. Being a self-employed photographer can truly take over and become your whole life… and this is not good. Life is about relationships… so fostering relationships has to be a significant effort on a personal and business level.

I could not work at a job that I did not enjoy. I love photography and consider myself to be beyond lucky that I can earn a living doing something that I love. Do not do something you don’t love! It’s not worth it.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you want to be? Why?

If I were not a photographer I would be a writer… I was a writer once… and I know that someday I will get back to writing.

What type of reading do you do on a daily basis, Photography wise?

I read several blogs… I read tech magazines… I am obsessed with the B&H website and read/drool it almost every day!

I wanted to thank Richard for doing a quick interview with us and you can find Richard’s website here www.richardcole.com I really found Richard’s history and how he became to be very interesting and I hope we can talk more about his thinking behind pricing and branding!

Cheers

21 Signs Your’re a Real Photographer

Jason — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:00:02 +0000

Posted By Peter Phun

I wanted to share this funny post by another photographer, Peter. This is a very funny list!

In a day and age when anyone with an iPhone or a Flickr account can call themselves a photographer, it can be a little difficult to figure out when you’ve separated yourself from the pack to become a real photographer. After all, beauty — in photographs as in all things — is in the eye of the beholder.

But here are 21 clues that you’ve crossed the threshold from pretender to contender:

1. Your friends have begun to hand you their cameras at social gatherings when they want a good picture taken.

2. You don’t run out of battery power because you are chimping less.

3. Your kids have stopped fussing about being photographed because you work faster.

4. The salesman at your favorite camera store lets you handle the merchandise usually kept locked in the shiny glass display cases.

5. You understand the difference between bokeh and a flower arrangement.

6. A gorgeous woman with a digital SLR brushes by you — and you only notice her camera and what kind of lens she has.

7. You concentrate on the lighting instead of the undergarment when you photograph backlit subjects.

8. You snicker at the folks in the back row at the concert shooting with an iPhone or a point-and-shoot.

9. Photo lab workers ask you to complete paperwork to verify that you own the copyright to the pictures you bring in.

10. Your in-law who’s a pro shares fewer and fewer tips with you.

11. Other photographers follow you to see where you’re shooting from.

12. Other photographers ask your opinion about gear when they see you at camera stores.

13. You realize how inaccurately Hollywood portrays the photographer’s job in the movies.

14. More and more engaged women want to be your friend.

15. You stop asking what aperture and shutter speed was used to take a picture.

16. Fewer people make fun of your torn, tattered but ubiquitous photo vest.

17. The subjects in your group pictures no longer resemble the hapless victims of a firing squad (everyone against the wall).

18. You are unashamed to carry a point-and-shoot — even at events crawling with other photographers.

19. Before you allow yourself to be impressed by that long telephoto, you want to know its widest aperture and whether it has image stabilization.

20. Your spouse stops asking what FedEx or UPS delivered.