In ye olde days of film commercial photographers had a simple formula for pricing professional film. We doubled the cost of the film and processing and the same was true for Polaroids. This covered the expense of buying film, refrigerating, testing for batch variances, processing, travel to/from the supplier and photo lab plus spoilage. It … Read more
All professions use some form of psychology in doing business. Here I’m using ‘psychology’ in a very broad definition. “Be yourself, everyone else is taken“ Oscar Wilde I’m not going to psychoanalyse myself because I’d have a fool for a psychologist. After years as a chameleon, emulating successful photographers didn’t feel right. Eventually I discovered … Read more
In two weeks on 12 October, Standards Australia will celebrate its centenary. For 100 years committees of industry professionals and Standards Australia staff have worked together to create standards that Australians benefit from every day. Standards Australia liaise closely with equivalent associations across the world within ISO, the International Organization for Standardization. Australian experts have … Read more
The best way I know to avoid work is to do what you love. Having a passion for your career, creates a life of purpose and pleasure. In researching this post many people suggested that following your passion and making it your career, is either not possible or simply a mistake. They argue that once … Read more
Last century I worked for a short while as a Ship Photographer aboard the P&O Fairstar, a passenger ship that cruised the Pacific and South East Asia. We employed the same photography system used on cruise ships around the world. There were five photographers, one leading the chain of command, each of us with designated … Read more
When it comes to how much resolution you need for a job start at the end. What is the end use of the images? Are they being used for your website or on a billboard? Or both, or maybe you don’t know? Depending on your answer determines two very important outcomes: How the photographer approaches … Read more
We learn a lot from experience whether that’s a sport, hobby or our profession. Practice really does make perfect. 10,000 hour rule Malcolm Gladwell popularised the idea that it takes ten-thousand hours to master a skill. While often debated the idea behind it is sound: it takes time to become proficient. When tutoring aspiring photographers … Read more
Like all animals, when we gather humans seem to form cliques and photographers are no different! We form partnerships with clients, colleagues and ancillary professions that can last a lifetime. Loyalty is a mutual benefit that rewards everyone. Having been in the workforce for many decades I quickly came to appreciate teamwork. Working collegially meant … Read more
With the Academy Awards on it seemed like a good time to wave the flag for some Aussie companies leading the world. These companies help creatives around the world to tell their client’s stories in new and engaging ways. Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Design equipment and software is used on many Oscar nominated (and winning) films. … Read more
If you’re a professional photographer working today, consider yourself a pioneer. Just as the industry changed to dry plate, to roll film and to colour, digital was one of the most significant technological advancements in photography. If not the most significant. The first decade of this century saw the rapid adoption of digital capture. At … Read more