This Week’s LIDLIPS

46. Creativity comes as a breeze before it comes as a gale.

47. When a prospect says “It’s a simple job, don’t worry”, then it’s time to worry.

48. There’s no direct connection between the amount of time it takes to do a shoot and the amount the photographer should charge.

49. Daylight comes in many colors.

50. When NASA launches a rocket, it does not go straight up.

Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 46–50

46. Creativity comes as a breeze before it comes as a gale.
Inspiration, the creative breath, comes when it wants to – not when you beckon it. Creativity often starts softly – like a gentle breeze. And, like a breath of spring air, creativity may stop suddenly and then change directions before returning. As you open yourself to the creative flow, its intensity will build until it seems like you are being swept along in a gale. Then, without warning, the storm will pass and you’ll be left standing – alone, uninspired again.

47. When a prospect says “It’s a simple job, don’t worry”, then it’s time to worry.
It always cracks me up when a prospect (or a client) says that he has a “simple job” for me. Simple? How would he know? If he were a pro photographer, he wouldn’t be calling me. The fact that he says the word “simple” just before describing a complex set of shots, tells me that he hasn’t a clue. If he hasn’t a clue, then he’s going to think my fees are outrageous. If I want the job, it’s up to me to help him understand that simple is not always simple. Figuring out how to convince him of that is when I start worrying.

48. There’s no direct connection between the amount of time it takes to do a shoot and the amount the photographer should charge.
With the exception of event photography (where I agree to shoot for a certain number of hours), I never allow clients to think that I charge a certain rate per hour. This is something that every photographer should avoid. As I see it, my clients hire me to create images that fit their needs. Time on the shoot or in post-production is not a direct component of the value of those images. I’ve invested heavily in training and gear over the years. If I can get a job done in an hour when it takes a less-experienced shooter three hours, does that mean that my work has less value?

49. Daylight comes in many colors.
To use the term “Daylight” when describing the white balance on a digital camera or the color balance of a film stock is a misnomer. Lay in bed and watch the color of your walls change as the sun rises. Walk through a forest and observe how daylight changes as it is filtered and reflected by the canopy of leaves. Think about how daylight is changed when it bounces off the surface of the moon or cascades through clouds. Get to know daylight in all its colors. Then come to understand how to use light modifiers so that you can change the light that’s available to you into the daylight that you want.

50. When NASA launches a rocket, it does not go straight up.
We all want to think that when NASA launches a huge rocket that it goes straight up into space. The truth is that the contraption begins to fall sideways as soon as it leaves the launch tower. As it gathers speed, it continues to arc over. By the time it leaves Earth’s gravity, the spaceship has actually traveled much farther horizontally than it has vertically. It’s also important to consider the fact that the vast majority of the fuel used to launch the rocket is expended in the first couple of minutes after the launch. Seems to me that getting a career started as a photographer is a lot like launching a rocket.

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