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How to Avoid Facebook Blackout
Shutter Magazine

How to Avoid Facebook Blackout

This month, Facebook is testing a plan to move all nonpaid Page posts away from the newsfeed. The Guardian reported that tests by Facebook (in six countries outside the U.S.) caused a devastating 60 to 80 percent fall in user engagement on business Pages. A story on Medium.com described the change as “death to small businesses.” It certainly could be . . . if you don’t know how to adapt. Here’s everything you need to know to avoid the impending blackout before it hits your business.

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12/01/2017
Finding Your Fit: Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC?
Post Production

Finding Your Fit: Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC?

As a photographer with a workflow built around Adobe Lightroom, the major changes released back in October 2017 got my head spinning. This industry is full of surprises, and we have to move forward instead of staying stagnant. Do these changes affect my efficiency, and am I paying more for a product I have to have? Before we jump to conclusions about Adobe taking us down a rabbit hole of lackluster enhancements, let’s talk shop. What the hell is going to happen to desktop-oriented Lightroom as we know it today?

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12/01/2017
The Easiest Photographer’s Business Plan Ever
Business

The Easiest Photographer’s Business Plan Ever

You’d rather be out shooting something awesome and getting paid a ridiculous amount of money for it so you can retire by the end of next week than read an article about a boring business plan for photographers. So would I. That’s why I turned a boring business plan into something fun and easy that will ignite sparks under your ass to take control of your business and make your annoying Uncle Arnie finally stop bugging you about going out and getting a “real” job.

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12/01/2017
Low-Powered Strobe, High-Powered Results
Lighting

Low-Powered Strobe, High-Powered Results

These two portrait sessions were all about breaking my f16 habit in studio, going in the opposite direction and using extremely low-powered strobe and wide apertures to recapture some of that vintage portrait magic. I used the widest aperture available, f3.5, on my Schneider Kreuznach 150mm LS lens. On a medium-format DSLR, this is equivalent to approximately f1.4. Both subjects were photographed using the same two lighting setups, one with strobe only and one with strobe and constant lights. In each case, the strobe served as the keylight.

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12/01/2017
3 Elements of Impactful Images
Shutter Magazine

3 Elements of Impactful Images

We have many decisions to make during client sessions. Many of us tend to overuse clichés in our storytelling. If we’re going to call ourselves storytellers, we should be able to come up with an original vision and execute it in a way that best helps tell the story. Whether you are a wedding or portrait photographer, you have the ability to influence the mood of viewers of your work, which is the first step in creating an impactful image and a lasting connection with the viewer. There are three elements that are essential to creating this connection: light, composition and story.

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11/01/2017
Shooting for Sales: Enriching Your Clients’ Lives with Printed Products
In-Person Sales

Shooting for Sales: Enriching Your Clients’ Lives with Printed Products

Sales is a dirty word in our industry. What’s even worse is having no idea how it’s done. While there are many factors that go into providing amazing service to our clients, the actual act of photographing them with product in mind is one that is most often overlooked. You may be surprised to read that shooting for sales does not involve creating the most epic photos anyone has ever seen. In fact, it’s much less important than the things you cannot see at all.

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11/01/2017
5 Ways to Speed Up Your Lightroom Classic CC Workflow
Post Production

5 Ways to Speed Up Your Lightroom Classic CC Workflow

After shooting a wedding or any eight-hour-plus event, I dread spending countless hours working in Lightroom. Lightroom can be a huge time suck: waiting for my memory cards to ingest, waiting for each Raw to load for culling, waiting for adjustments to render in the Develop module. Are you struggling with the same post-shoot stress? If so, this article will forever free up these worries and let you get to work—at the pace of your computer’s speed, of course.

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11/01/2017
Branding a Nonprofit
Branding

Branding a Nonprofit

Our mission at So Many Angels is to use photography to transform children battling cancer into whatever they want to be when they grow up. We are still in the launch phase, and I want to share some of the steps we have taken to hopefully become a brand that is recognized for being the best at what we do. This article is not about the legal stuff you need to do to be recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. These are just some thoughts that are fresh on my mind since the year I started sharing my dreams of this organization with others. Hopefully something here will help start you on your way.

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11/01/2017

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Behind the Shutter

Photography training and education for the modern photographer

In today’s competitive landscape, quality online photography training and education is priceless to your growth. Unfortunately, most publications contain a ton of fluff. No real meat to their content. Not at Behind the Shutter. We are committed to the photography community and improving professional photography by providing current, insightful, and in-depth educational content.

Training topics include photography lighting techniques, photography off-camera flash tips, photography posing guides, photography business concepts and marketing strategies, Facebook for photographers, boudoir and glamour photography training, high-school senior photography concepts, IPS (In-Person Sales) strategies, family photography, Lightroom tutorials, Photoshop how-tos, and much, much more.