Commercial lifestyle photography to me is about being able to draw out genuine moments and emotions in your subjects. Without this, you’re not really capturing the spirit of what this genre of photography is all about… to sell and entice others to want to be a part of what you’re photographing. It’s an ideal they can aspire to that is then represented by a clothing line, location or other product.

I was talking with a few other local photographers this week and we all agreed on one point. Concept, creativity and genuineness will really take your photography a step above where it may be now. Without these you’re just fulfilling technical steps instead of creating images. It’s the difference between engineering and art. One is mechanical, one is creative driven. I’d even go so boldly as to say stop worrying about your technical skills. Start focusing on your creative ideas and what you want to say in your own photography. The technicals will come with practice and attention. The creative might never if you don’t focus in on it. It’s the most important element of lifestyle photography. What can you create to draw in viewers?

Here we have our three friends arriving at the car wash. I like to utilize depth of field to create different layers in an image. It gives your image a subject and sense of place. I also enjoy little detail elements like having someone reaching in to grab keys. It hides their face and creates an “anybody” moment. You can almost put yourself in the same position.

Here our three models are once again playing around. You can create posed or set photos like each of these are, while at the same time bringing out the genuine elements of lifestyle. Simply set and direct where you’d like everyone to be, and then have them start moving and interacting. That way you have the right positions, and still a real feel to the images.

This last set I really like. You can tell how real the expressions are and how fun everyone is having. It’s all part of being able to add yourself as an extra party member to the group. Make yourself not just a passive viewer to the images, but a member of them. In that way you create an image that your viewers can not only appreciate, but engage themselves in as well.

With that ideal, the first Sit-down will be this Saturday, August 14, at 1:00p.m. at Chompie’s in the NW Corner of the Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix. Anyone interested in hanging out and talking photography, swing on by. If you do plan on coming, please try and send an RSVP to matt@matthewdutile.com so I know if we need to reserve a big or small table. Hope to see you there!

Me: “Alright, do you want to hold onto each other and spin around?! It’ll be lots of fun.” 7-year-old: “No I don’t want to.”

Well I didn’t quite know what to say to that. I guess I’ve been spoiled working with adults always willing to go along with my ideas and work with my direction. Slowly over the course of the photo shoot and thanks to help from the parents and a friend I started to be able to direct a little more. There’s a few things we found that seem to work much better with children and some advice I’ll be applying to my next kids photo shoot.

1. Become friends. Before really starting a shoot you should get down on the kids level and just talk to them. Ask them what they’re favorite games are, which TV shows they like and things like that. Share some kid friendly things you like too. I wish I had done a bit more of this to start because it took longer to become a friend over the course of the shoot. I’ll be sure to try this right away next time.
2. Play games. It’s not a photo shoot, because that means work. Instead, play games with the kids. Who can jump the highest? Who can hopscotch the fastest? Etc. Also, if you want them to say run toward you and then stop and pose, you have to make it an activity or they’ll just keep going. So create a game where they run toward you and then yell out their favorite ice cream flavor.
3. Rewards system. See if there’s something you can offer as a reward for great work. Maybe an ice pop if they help get the photo just right. Rewards give them an incentive to be a participant.

I’m sure there are a lot more ideas I’ll be discovering as I work in more kids photo shoots. In the meantime, enjoy a few of these images from this weekend.

Here’s a few I recommend and why they’re on my bookshelf.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson - In my opinion, every first time camera purchase should automatically come with a copy of this book. It’s the quintessential read (other than the manual that came with your camera – go read it if you haven’t!) to understanding the principles of aperture, shutter speed and ISO in achieving an exposure. No other book illustrates it all quite as well. This newer version incorporates techniques for both digital and film. I first purchased the film only version of this book when I was 16 and took a semester of high school photography. When I picked up a camera again seven years later it was invaluable in acquainting me with the principles of photography once again. Peterson put out another companion book solely focused on Understanding Digital Photography. I’d recommend grabbing it as well.

Photo Trekking by Nick Onken – Nick is one of my favorite photographers so its probably no surprise this book is up there on my recommended reading list. His book focuses on travel photography, from photo tips to pre and post production to personal branding and inserts on little stories from his own travels. What I’ve found great about it is that it has a little something in there for both beginners and more advanced photographers. An entire section is devoted to tips for taking great travel photographs that beginners will love (and more advanced photogs that need a reminder). If you’re into lifestyle or travel photography it’s a great read on tips to streamline your trip from what to pack to considerations of production.

The Photographer’s Survival Guide and How to Succeed in Commercial Photography – Both of these books are written by leading commercial photo reps and consultants and contain a wealth of advice on common business practices of the commercial photographer. If this world of photography appeals to you, these are two must read books. However, there’s some great common themes that easily translate into retail photography (weddings, families, etc). In the Photographer’s Survival Guide, Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease review such critical elements of commercial photography as establishing a unique visual style, marketing, website and portfolio presentation, bidding jobs and production. I’d consider it THE basic primer on successful business practices. The bonus is that it’s filled with photos, diagrams and remarkably easy to read and follow text. In addition, the book contains a CD with 21 essential forms such as model releases, invoice forms and call sheets.

Selina Maitreya is thought of as one of the original photography consultants, and she’s helped hundreds of photographers find their voice and improve their business practices. In How to Succeed in Commercial Photography she speaks to many of the same principles found in Stone’s and Sease’s book, but from a bit more of a general perspective that is both motivational and enlightening. The two authors differ on a few things, but mostly agree. There’s a better look in this book at what goes into a good team and specific examples on building a vision from photographer profiles. What I found really great were the last two chapters. Packed full of inspirational stories and thoughts. They leave you with a real go-getter attitude. I actually found myself working much harder toward my goals after reading the book, even the dismally boring ones like accounting.

These last three books really hone down more on professional practices, profit and workflow. If you’re really still struggling with your technical skills, I’d recommend holding off on these few books. They are an in depth look at what it takes to create a sustainable business as a commercial photographer. The first is what might be called the manuscript on photography for profit – Focus on Profit by Tom Zimberhoff. I’m not sure if it’s regularly printed much anymore and I’ll admit I have yet to dive into this one, but it’s reputation is big. The other two, Professional Business Practices in Photography and Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook come free with membership to the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). It’s a great organization where you can meet and network with many experienced professional photographers. Membership also includes a lot of really great benefits such as discounts on gear, Adobe software, computers, insurance, business services, websites, car rentals and more. I’ve easily made back what I spent on membership and more. The ability to network and learn from other local photographers is a huge boon. Consider it once you’ve gained a bit more proficiency and want to start learning the business side of this craft.

Lastly, if the commercial world really isn’t your goal, there’s a great packet put together by Stacy Reeves and a few other retail photographers on how to price weddings and portrait work. It’ll give you a great look into all the calculations that really go into a wedding and why charging $500 for one is ridiculously unsustainable. Hope this was helpful. If you have any other books that you really enjoy and would recommend, feel free to let me know on Facebook about them.

If you don’t have much lifestyle or fashion work in your book (some senior portraits may work but family photos definitely will not) then you’ll need to start building up a base of work before reaching out to an agency. It takes an agency time to call their models and find someone available to test, in addition to the fact that they put their reputation on the line by sending someone to you, so don’t expect them to start working with you right out the gate. I’d recommend starting on a site like Model Mayhem, which will allow you to start building a book on a trade basis. As your images get better, the talent you work with will too. Keep fueling this train (it may take a few months, a year or two years depending on the effort you put in) before you’re ready to meet with an agency.

While you start building a portfolio, he’s a few things you may find helpful. Check your wedding, engagement and family portrait post processing effects at the door. When it comes to commercial images, these cutesy or arty effects really don’t hold much weight. If you’re aiming for a commercial look in your book, then you might want to consider keeping it simple on your post production. Fashion work can go many ways. You can add some surrealistic looks and tinting to your images, or keep it very minimalistic. The thing to remember is where you may have skirted by in family work by covering up mistakes with a processing effect, in commercial work it’s all about the right light. No amount of processing is going to cover that up to someone with a trained eye.

Compiling images that speak to your vision is critically important. You need to be building a style that shows who you are as a unique artist. However, don’t forget to curate photos that a model would include in their book. I’ve got a few images that are my favorites for my own book, but I wouldn’t include them in a visual to an agency because the model may be a distant part of a scene or is spinning with only hair visible. Those are great abstracts for my book, but useless for a model who needs to show their features to be considered for castings.

Establish a network of make-up artists, hair stylists and wardrobe stylists that you can trust to put out consistently reliable work. Again, this may be a building process as your work progresses. Don’t expect to work with the very best first, but there are a lot of great people struggling to make it into the market at the same time you are who are willing to trade work for their portfolio as well.

Determine where your shooting location(s) will be. Do you plan on doing solely studio or location work, or a mix of both? Have a few areas planned out that you’ve used before and you know how to work properly to get the best images. It’s the same principle that often applies to family and senior photographers.

So you’ve found some great locations, established a network and built up a book that you’re ready to finally take to an agency. It’s time to send out an email and request a meeting. Be flexible to the agencies schedule. If you have a book put together, be sure to bring it in. If not, ask if they’ll be ok with viewing your images on a laptop and bring that in. Check to make sure the colors and contrast aren’t way off or you may seriously dislike showing the images on there. Let the agency know that you’re a new face in the market looking to continue building a book and working with their talent.

If they’ve agreed to work with you, make sure you both can agree on a price point. This will usually include a fee for hair and make-up as well, so you’ll need to make sure you’ve budgeted that in. This is where your network comes in handy.  From here, this is where the little details start playing a large roll.

I’ve found call sheets to be a tremendous asset to the agencies I work with and prepare them for every photo shoot. These are a one piece of paper that include details such as your contact information, location address, times, your stylists, the models, any wardrobe recommendations or other special requests you have. It saves the agency a lot of time when they don’t have to try and piece together information from several emails and can just send the call sheet directly to their model. Make a template sheet and plug in the details you need for each shoot. It’s well worth the quick time it takes.

On game day, be professional and polite. This rule really applies to any type of photography, so remember it! Bring a light snack and definitely some water if you’ll be shooting for longer than an hour. Photography isn’t just great images; it’s a service you’re providing.

You’ll need to put together three to four different looks for a good comp card. Each look is a different wardrobe and make-up/hair change. They don’t always have to be drastic, but they should be enough to provide some versatility for the models portfolio. If you’re not supplying wardrobe, you’ll need to feel it out when the model arrives, but also have a few ideas floating around that you can tap for almost any look.

Whew this post went on quite longer than I thought and I’m sure I missed a bunch, but hopefully this helps those of you interested in eventually working with modeling agencies and building up a commercial portfolio. Feel free to ping me any questions on Facebook.