Blog
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
11/01/2017
Building a Brand That Gives Back
Branding

Building a Brand That Gives Back

We​ ​have​ ​spent​ ​countless​ ​hours​ ​working​ ​on​ ​our​ ​brand—everything​ ​from​ ​identifying​ ​our​ ​purpose,​ ​to​ ​networking​ ​and​ ​building relationships,​ ​to​ ​becoming​ ​a​ ​recognizable​ ​symbol​ ​in​ ​our​ ​community.​ ​Before​ ​our​ ​organization​ ​took​ ​flight​, ​we had​ ​to​ ​establish​ ​every​ ​detail,​ ​including​​ ​behind​-the​-​scenes​ ​administrative​ ​aspects​ ​of​ ​running​ ​a​ ​charity​ ​and then​ photo​ ​style,​ ​color​ ​scheme​ ​and​ ​everything​ ​in​ ​between.​ ​We were​ ​laser-focused​ ​on​ ​the​ concept of​ ​giving through​ ​the​ ​art​ ​of​ ​photography. Whether​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​give​ ​by​ ​creating​ ​your​ ​own​ ​nonprofit​​ ​or​ ​by​ ​aligning​ ​your​ ​business​ ​with​ ​an existing​ ​cause,​ ​we’d​ ​like​ ​to​ ​share​ ​with​ ​you​ ​some​ ​insights​ ​based​ ​on​ ​our​ ​experiences​.

Read More »
11/01/2017
The Evolution of a Brand
Branding

The Evolution of a Brand

One aspect of photography that has come into play in recent years is much more prevalent to photographers than it used to be. In fact, it’s now a crucial element for all businesses, big and small. It’s the brand. While most consumers don’t know the difference between good and great photography when looking at a single image, they now instinctively know it when looking at a collection of images. Thanks to social media outlets like Instagram and Pinterest, most consumers have been passively trained to appreciate a good, consistent brand image—and recognize a bad one.

Read More »
11/01/2017
5 Tips for Creating an Unforgettable Brand
Branding

5 Tips for Creating an Unforgettable Brand

Is your brand irresistible and unforgettable? Everyone, and I mean everyone, seems to be a photographer these days. We aren’t just competing with the pros, we’re competing with consumers who have smartphones with amazing cameras. There are five major points to master if you want to be a brand that’s irresistible. Get these right, and you’re on your way to standing out in your marketplace, no matter how crowded it is.

Read More »
11/01/2017
5 Brand Elements Your Website Needs Now
Branding

5 Brand Elements Your Website Needs Now

The last time we upgraded our site was in 2011, to a popular WordPress theme. Despite its ease of use, our careful lead tracking made it clear that some pretty major roadblocks must be preventing Internet traffic from reaching us. Let’s look at some of those roadblocks—and how to fix them on your website. By the time you read this article, our brand-new Showit site will have just launched. We’ve invested a lot this year to sit down with many of the most successful web marketers in our industry. And we kept hearing the same tips about effective website design.

Read More »
11/01/2017
The Branding of Your Vision
Branding

The Branding of Your Vision

Your vision is your number-one competitive advantage. Not your gear, not your fancy camera strap or your quirky logo or company name. You and your work. When someone lands on your site, they are drawn in by your imagery. Next, your personality comes into play. You nail those two things, and you will book the job. So, what does this all mean? How do you translate any of this into something actionable? Let’s get started. 

Read More »
11/01/2017

Top Categories

Videos
Lighting
Posing
Lightroom
2-minute critiques
Wedding photography
Senior photography
FREE Digital Magazine
All Post Categories
Archives

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.