I don’t know about other professional Photographers but it seems to me that the most often asked question i get is NOT, how much do you charge but “what type of camera would you recommend I buy”.  It is actually a bit of a ” How long is a piece of string ” type question with a multitude of answers.  I thought I would try and address some of the responses to that question here !

Firstly, I would usually respond to that question with 3 questions of my own, what type of photography do you do, where do the images end up and what is your budget.

Let me deal with what type of photography do you do.  I use Nikon, so let me get that out there ” straight off the bat “.  I use Nikon for no fantastic reason other than the first really decent camera i bought 30 years ago was a Nikon and all the lenses i bought since that time fit onto the various Nikon camera bodies that i have.   I am not against Canon its just that i see no reason to switch and have to buy a whole new kit of lenses.

I am a full time freelance Photographer in that, it is all i do to pay the rent each week and feed my family.  I use a Nikon D7000 ! Why do I use this particular camera, because it does everything i need it to do and it fits into my budget.  For all you equipment snobs out there, It is NOT the most expensive Nikon Camera on the market and it does NOT have the most Megapixels of any camera on the market. I shoot mostly Commercial Headshots, buildings, products & Weddings.  In most of these situations I have good control over the light and I have a good understanding of where the Images will be used. Why is this important, because in my business, right now anything more expensive with more mega pixels is just not needed.  That’s not to say that that won’t change in the future but that’s how it is right now.

What will you use your new camera for ?  If you tell me that you are going to turn Pro well then i would be asking what type 0f Images are you going to shoot.  If you said that you will be shooting commercial billboard advertising then i would probably suggest you get a full frame, 35 megapixel Nikon d4 or something of that ilk for about $8000.00 because if the Images are going to end up on billboards then you will need something with lots of megapixels so the images can be enlarged.  If you said that you will be shooting kids portraits in a studio then you could get a D7000 or something with a few less bells & whistles for a few less $$$$$.   If you tell me that you just want to be able to take really nice pictures of your kids for use on social media then you could get  any one of the point & shoot cameras on the market that range from $150.00 – $1000.00  In fact if you have an Iphone or anyone of the smartphone cameras out there, you have an amazing camera already.

If you want to get a bit more creative and step up to DSLR( DIGITAL SINGLE LENS REFLEX ) then be prepared to carry around lots of stuff.  I carry the very minimum I can to each shoot but I still carry a bag with 2 bodies, 2 flashes, 3 lenses, close up lens set, 4 sets of batteries, a tripod, a light stand & a laptop.  Now, you probably won’t want all that gear just to shoot photos of the kids playing at the park or the beach but a DSLR where you can change lenses are heavy, and the lenses for them are heavy so you will need a bag, that is heavy and if you want to use them to their full capacity which means in low light and those types of situations then you will need a tripod, which are also heavy !

You can see where this is going, I’m not that into the equipment side of things so I use what I need to get the job done and i believe the best camera is the one that you have with you.  The camera is just a tool you use to take great images.  If you see a really nice house, does anybody care what type of hammer the builder used ( maybe I’m showing my age, should i change hammer for nail gun ?) Does anybody care what type of brushes a painter used if he has painted an amazing picture ?

Affordability !  If you have $10,000 to spend on a top of the range Professional camera, I’m jealous.  If you buy one to take photos of the kids at the beach, its like buying a Ferrari to go food shopping in on a Saturday afternoon.    DSLR Prosumer cameras can range from $800.00 up to $2500 and there are so many choices.

I would suggest buying a decent camera for about $1000.00 and then investing the rest in a really good course of training.  Buying a camera for $2500 and then not knowing how to balance shutter speed, aperture, ISO or white balance is a waste, like buying a Ferrari that goes at 320klms per hour but driving in a 60 klm per hour zone.

After you tackle the digital Camera question you then have to think about computers & computer software. Top of the range cameras that take 35 megapixel images take up lots of space on your hard drive and you need lots of processing speed just to be able to view the images. More food for thought  and a whole new discussion for another day.

A quick look at facebook, linkedin or the internet in general, tells me that the everyday person is having their photograph taken more & more.  This shouldn’t surprise anyone because nowadays 99.9% of the population carry a camera in their pocket.

How do we then start to look better in snaps that we are in everyday.  These are a few tips, that if you can remember will help you not only look better in day to day snaps but will also help on your wedding day, in any corporate profile images and might stop you cringing when your mates post images of you on their Facebook feeds.

1.  Most people have a tendency to pull back from the camera, this gives you a slightly elevated position and can highlight your neck, not a good look generally. I suggest you lean towards the camera, bringing your forehead closer to the camera !

2. If the person taking your picture is smaller than you, drop your knees a little so that the camera is at or slightly above eye level, this will hide any extra stuff you might have going on under your chin.

3. Unless you have no teeth whatsoever I would usually suggest you smile. Practice being able to smile on cue.  I find a lot of girls particularly want to pull off that sultry, sexy look that models do.  Models can do it because they practice it everyday and have that ” look”.  Lets face it, if we looked like that we would all be models. Natural smiles are always best.

4. Slightly turn one shoulder towards the camera, either side is ok but the trick is to lean towards the shoulder closest to the camera.  Turning one shoulder towards the camera can make us look slightly thinner and leaning towards that side will again take away any chins by stretching the skin under the neck and giving a stronger jawline.

Following these few tips won’t make you look like Brad Pitt or Nicole Kidman but they can help you to stop cringing when you see photos of yourself on facebook or social media feeds.

Do people care about your profile Image ?  I grew up with the words, ” you have to make a good first impression and you only get one chance “   What type of first impression does your profile picture make ?  Does it make the impression that you want it too ?

There are marketing people  that say you must have a profile Image on your website, staff photos if you will.  I can’t find it written anywhere that says your staff photos have to look like drivers license photos or passport photos.

There are some very simple tips & tricks that can make your Headshots look better.

Next week i will give you some techniques in standing and some expressions that can make you look as good as you can possibly look.

Traditionally headshots were the realm of Actors & Actresses that were looking for work.  Whereas the business man would carry a business card, an actor would carry a composite card or 8 x 10 headshot.  Why the headshot ?  I think because of the proximity and the fact that you can’t hide in a headshot.  Its up close and its you.  Full body shots on location for example, the person can hide a little and get lost in the fact that it might be a great view or beautiful sunset and the overall image might be excellent.  In  Headshots there is no hiding!

Why are Headshots becoming so important for everybody lately?

The ability to market your business or product online has probably overtaken most other necessary skills.  Less and less do you meet business people that don’t have some form of presence online, whether its a major company or someone selling something from his garage.  The ability to be able to connect with people online and to have people trust you is sooooo important.  I believe that having a Headshot or profile Image on your website or on your linkedin page are paramount to people being able to connect with you and understand that they are dealing with a real person and not just an automatic website.

If a customer can see you, the real you, then I think you move a step closer to forming a relationship with that person and hence it then becomes much easier to engage with them.

It is said that people take about 7 seconds to make up their mind about you based on your profile image.  What does your profile image say about you and or your business ?

Look for next weeks Headshot installment from the Gold Coast Headshot Guy !