10000
FILMISNOTDEAD
5 FILM IS NOT DEAD
POSES THAT MAKE ME $10,000
PER YEAR
FIVE POSES
1
THESE FIVE WEDDING SHOTS HAVE MADE ME TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, AND CONTINUE TO MAKE ME A SOLID $10,000 A YEAR.
So, you are familiar with my work. You’ve seen the “creative” poses of the bride and groom, and I rock those all day long. I love taking shots that look like they’ve fallen out of an editorial spread somewhere. What you don’t always see is that I always get nice, traditional safe shots of the bride and groom. These are always done first so they’re out of the way and I don’t forget about them. I gotta please the wallet, and in return the wallet pleases me. When you master these simple, somewhat traditional set-ups, you’ll increase your earnings from each wedding and your clients will love you more, too. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, San Francisco, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
2
1
HEADANDSHOULDERS YES, ACTUALLY TOUCHING. IN REAL LIFE THIS LOOKS WEIRD, BUT IT LOOKS AMAZING IN PHOTOGRAPHS. The bride and groom shots I sell are the “traditional” ones. This is a head and shoulders shot with the newlyweds’ heads touching. Yes, actually touching. In real life this looks weird, but it looks amazing in photographs. Their heads are in the frame, not cut off, as we’re keeping this traditional. Groom is on my right and bride on my left. Why? If I want their heads touching, this setup means the groom’s boutonniere won’t be in her face, up her nose, or otherwise annoying the poor bride. The groom is to camera right, so the bride can snuggle up without getting pollen on herself or on her dress. You’ll want to make sure their eyes are on the same plane so all four eyes in the frame are in focus. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, San Diego, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
3
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, American Fork, UT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 800, Salt Lake City, UT.
FIVE POSES
4
FULLBODYSHOT
2
Take a few steps back and you’re creating another sure-to-sell shot: the full body, classic pose of the couple. The bride is still snuggled and close to her husband. The groom has his weight on his inside foot (closest to the bride) and his left foot is kicking out to his left, which creates a leading line up to their faces. His left hand is in his pocket and his right arm is around the bride. He is standing at a 45-degree angle to you, which keeps him looking broad and masculine. The bride is perpendicular to you, which makes her look as skinny and feminine as humanly possible. Her arms are around the groom. If she can’t reach all the way around his waist, then she’ll grab the groom’s suit where it buttons up with her right hand. Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Groton, CT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
5
THESE POSES LITERALLY BECOME THE ICONIC SHOTS OF THE WEDDING THAT EVERYONE BUYS. Her dress is all fluffed out looking nice and again, their heads are touching. I usually shoot his on a Contax 645 with an 80mm lens at f/2. These poses literally become the iconic shots of the wedding that everyone buys. They may not be as cool as the other shots you take that look like they came out of magazines, but these please your wallet. In return, that wallet pleases you. Nice. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Salt Lake City, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
6
3
INDIVIDUALHEADSHOT
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 160, Atlanta, GA. Middle: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 160, Atlanta, GA. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400NC, Oakland, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
7
WORK THE ROOM, AND DON’T DO IT WITH DOLLAR SIGNS IN YOUR EYES. PUT YOURSELF IN THE BRIDE’S SHOES. WHO WOULD SHE WANT KILLER PORTRAITS OF? We’ve already talked about how this is a really simple, effective way to make extra money at any event. Track down the people you know are important to the peeps that have hired you, then give yourself thirty seconds to pose and shoot each one of them. Work the room, and don’t do it with dollar signs in your eyes. Put yourself in the bride’s shoes. Who would she want killer portraits of? I shoot at f/2 with focus on the eyes, and I’m typically between 1.5 and 3 feet from my subject. I usually crop heads, as it just feels right that way. (Contax 645 with 80mm lens at f/2. Shooting 35mm? Nikon F100 or F5 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens shot at f/1.6-1.8.) For guys, I usually have them stand straight on to pose. For girls, I’ll typically avoid straight on – never want to make a woman look wider – and have them turn 45 degrees to me. If they are leading with their left shoulder, I’ll have them look at me and turn their face toward their shoulder. It is a classic feminine pose that makes every woman look skinnier and feel prettier. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Park City, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
8
INDIVIDUALFAMILYGROUPINGS
4
LITERALLY CREATE THE CLOSENESS YOU WANT THE PEOPLE VIEWING THIS IMAGE TO FEEL. We’ve discussed shooting “free” family portraits for wedding guests, but we haven’t discussed posing and logistics. Here goes. After family formals, I approach the Mom of each individual family. Dad could care less or might forget, but Mom will take me up on this offer every time. I tell her to come and find me when she’s ready for her family portrait. For posing, Mom and Dad are always together. Dad is on my right, Mom is on my left. (We’re keeping boutonnieres out of women’s noses, remember?) If Mom is a bridesmaid, I have her leave her bouquet out of the shot; this is a family portrait, not a wedding portrait. The taller kids are tucked into either side and the shorter kids are down in front. If they have very small children, I ask the Dad to hold the larger child and Mom to hold the smaller one. If there’s a baby, I ask Dad to hold him or her. This way, Dad looks like a nice supportive husband. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Chattanooga, TN.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
9
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Chattanooga, TN.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
10
Keep in mind that you’ll have two minutes or less to make this happen, so you’ll be working quickly. It’s your job to show the viewer the closeness and love in this family. That closeness won’t manifest itself by lining people up and shooting them. We want them to get close. Then even closer. If Dad is standing behind a little son, have him put his hand on his outer shoulder. Little girls up front? Have them hold hands. Mom and Dad? Arms around each other and heads close together. Literally create the closeness you want the people viewing this image to feel. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Pleasanton, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
11
5
“CLOSING”SHOTS
THIS TYPICALLY SELLS TO MANY GUESTS WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE IMAGE OR NOT, AS IT LETS THEM RELIVE THE FEELINGS THEY HAD DURING THE WEDDING. This is a shot that I take during the downtime during dinner when nothing else is going on. I grab my tripod and do some long exposures to balance daylight with tungsten of the event. The longer exposures also give blur to the guests, which gives the implied sense of motion and action. No matter how boring the wedding was, it will look fun with this setup. Contax 645, 35mm lens, f/3.5, Fuji 400H, Artesia, MS.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
12
I shoot this on my Contax 645 with a 35mm lens at f/8 for one minute. This typically sells to many guests whether they are in the image or not, as it lets them relive the feelings they had during the wedding. Left: Contax 645, 35mm lens, f/3.5, Fuji 400H, San Francisco, CA. Right: Nikon F5, 20mm lens, f/8, Fuji 400H, Los Angeles, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
13
Nikon F5, 20mm lens, f/8, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
14
QUICK REFERENCE: SHOT LIST
FILM IS NOT DEAD
HEAD AND SHOULDERS SHOTS
FULL BODY SHOTS
INDIVIDUAL SHOTS
INDIVIDUAL FAMILY GROUPINGS SHOTS
“CLOSING” SHOTS
FIVE POSES
15
As you know, owning a photography business is hard work. That’s why the early years of my business were a train wreck. I struggled to make money, clawing at any work I could find to feed my kids and to avoid going back to schlepping wellness products for a living. I was completely exhausted, the bank account always seemed to be empty, I never saw my family, and I once shot six weddings in multiple states in six days. It’s only after more than a decade of owning a photography business that I can say I know what I’m doing. Whether you shoot film or digital photography, FIND: Biz covers the nuts and bolts of operating a profitable photography business. We’ll examine my painful pricing progress, take a closer look at the profitability killers that almost cost me my family, and walk through my fourteen-to-eighteen hour workday, circa 2004. (It was painful, yo.) In it, I opened my books, my bank account, and my film archives to highlight all the mistakes I made in business so you can avoid making them yourself. I’ve shared the way I priced my first wedding (hint: a bride’s father chose the number) and how I grew my business by leaps and bounds without being any more profitable. That’s the fate that I want to save you from: business without profitability. NO MATTER HOW OR WHAT YOU PHOTOGRAPH, THE BUSINESS TECHNIQUES OUTLINED IN FIND: BIZ WILL HELP BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Please take the time to check it out after its release date of February 14th! Thanks, JON
JONATHAN CANLAS PHOTOGRAPHY ©2013
5 FILM IS NOT DEAD
POSES THAT MAKE ME $10,000
PER YEAR
FIVE POSES
1
THESE FIVE WEDDING SHOTS HAVE MADE ME TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, AND CONTINUE TO MAKE ME A SOLID $10,000 A YEAR.
So, you are familiar with my work. You’ve seen the “creative” poses of the bride and groom, and I rock those all day long. I love taking shots that look like they’ve fallen out of an editorial spread somewhere. What you don’t always see is that I always get nice, traditional safe shots of the bride and groom. These are always done first so they’re out of the way and I don’t forget about them. I gotta please the wallet, and in return the wallet pleases me. When you master these simple, somewhat traditional set-ups, you’ll increase your earnings from each wedding and your clients will love you more, too. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, San Francisco, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
2
1
HEADANDSHOULDERS YES, ACTUALLY TOUCHING. IN REAL LIFE THIS LOOKS WEIRD, BUT IT LOOKS AMAZING IN PHOTOGRAPHS. The bride and groom shots I sell are the “traditional” ones. This is a head and shoulders shot with the newlyweds’ heads touching. Yes, actually touching. In real life this looks weird, but it looks amazing in photographs. Their heads are in the frame, not cut off, as we’re keeping this traditional. Groom is on my right and bride on my left. Why? If I want their heads touching, this setup means the groom’s boutonniere won’t be in her face, up her nose, or otherwise annoying the poor bride. The groom is to camera right, so the bride can snuggle up without getting pollen on herself or on her dress. You’ll want to make sure their eyes are on the same plane so all four eyes in the frame are in focus. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, San Diego, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
3
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, American Fork, UT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 800, Salt Lake City, UT.
FIVE POSES
4
FULLBODYSHOT
2
Take a few steps back and you’re creating another sure-to-sell shot: the full body, classic pose of the couple. The bride is still snuggled and close to her husband. The groom has his weight on his inside foot (closest to the bride) and his left foot is kicking out to his left, which creates a leading line up to their faces. His left hand is in his pocket and his right arm is around the bride. He is standing at a 45-degree angle to you, which keeps him looking broad and masculine. The bride is perpendicular to you, which makes her look as skinny and feminine as humanly possible. Her arms are around the groom. If she can’t reach all the way around his waist, then she’ll grab the groom’s suit where it buttons up with her right hand. Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Groton, CT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
5
THESE POSES LITERALLY BECOME THE ICONIC SHOTS OF THE WEDDING THAT EVERYONE BUYS. Her dress is all fluffed out looking nice and again, their heads are touching. I usually shoot his on a Contax 645 with an 80mm lens at f/2. These poses literally become the iconic shots of the wedding that everyone buys. They may not be as cool as the other shots you take that look like they came out of magazines, but these please your wallet. In return, that wallet pleases you. Nice. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Salt Lake City, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
6
3
INDIVIDUALHEADSHOT
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 160, Atlanta, GA. Middle: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 160, Atlanta, GA. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400NC, Oakland, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
7
WORK THE ROOM, AND DON’T DO IT WITH DOLLAR SIGNS IN YOUR EYES. PUT YOURSELF IN THE BRIDE’S SHOES. WHO WOULD SHE WANT KILLER PORTRAITS OF? We’ve already talked about how this is a really simple, effective way to make extra money at any event. Track down the people you know are important to the peeps that have hired you, then give yourself thirty seconds to pose and shoot each one of them. Work the room, and don’t do it with dollar signs in your eyes. Put yourself in the bride’s shoes. Who would she want killer portraits of? I shoot at f/2 with focus on the eyes, and I’m typically between 1.5 and 3 feet from my subject. I usually crop heads, as it just feels right that way. (Contax 645 with 80mm lens at f/2. Shooting 35mm? Nikon F100 or F5 with a 50mm f/1.4 lens shot at f/1.6-1.8.) For guys, I usually have them stand straight on to pose. For girls, I’ll typically avoid straight on – never want to make a woman look wider – and have them turn 45 degrees to me. If they are leading with their left shoulder, I’ll have them look at me and turn their face toward their shoulder. It is a classic feminine pose that makes every woman look skinnier and feel prettier. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Park City, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
8
INDIVIDUALFAMILYGROUPINGS
4
LITERALLY CREATE THE CLOSENESS YOU WANT THE PEOPLE VIEWING THIS IMAGE TO FEEL. We’ve discussed shooting “free” family portraits for wedding guests, but we haven’t discussed posing and logistics. Here goes. After family formals, I approach the Mom of each individual family. Dad could care less or might forget, but Mom will take me up on this offer every time. I tell her to come and find me when she’s ready for her family portrait. For posing, Mom and Dad are always together. Dad is on my right, Mom is on my left. (We’re keeping boutonnieres out of women’s noses, remember?) If Mom is a bridesmaid, I have her leave her bouquet out of the shot; this is a family portrait, not a wedding portrait. The taller kids are tucked into either side and the shorter kids are down in front. If they have very small children, I ask the Dad to hold the larger child and Mom to hold the smaller one. If there’s a baby, I ask Dad to hold him or her. This way, Dad looks like a nice supportive husband. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Chattanooga, TN.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
9
Left: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT. Right: Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Chattanooga, TN.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
10
Keep in mind that you’ll have two minutes or less to make this happen, so you’ll be working quickly. It’s your job to show the viewer the closeness and love in this family. That closeness won’t manifest itself by lining people up and shooting them. We want them to get close. Then even closer. If Dad is standing behind a little son, have him put his hand on his outer shoulder. Little girls up front? Have them hold hands. Mom and Dad? Arms around each other and heads close together. Literally create the closeness you want the people viewing this image to feel. Contax 645, 80mm lens, f/2, Kodak Portra 400, Pleasanton, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
11
5
“CLOSING”SHOTS
THIS TYPICALLY SELLS TO MANY GUESTS WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE IMAGE OR NOT, AS IT LETS THEM RELIVE THE FEELINGS THEY HAD DURING THE WEDDING. This is a shot that I take during the downtime during dinner when nothing else is going on. I grab my tripod and do some long exposures to balance daylight with tungsten of the event. The longer exposures also give blur to the guests, which gives the implied sense of motion and action. No matter how boring the wedding was, it will look fun with this setup. Contax 645, 35mm lens, f/3.5, Fuji 400H, Artesia, MS.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
12
I shoot this on my Contax 645 with a 35mm lens at f/8 for one minute. This typically sells to many guests whether they are in the image or not, as it lets them relive the feelings they had during the wedding. Left: Contax 645, 35mm lens, f/3.5, Fuji 400H, San Francisco, CA. Right: Nikon F5, 20mm lens, f/8, Fuji 400H, Los Angeles, CA.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
13
Nikon F5, 20mm lens, f/8, Fuji 400H, Sundance, UT.
FILM IS NOT DEAD
FIVE POSES
14
QUICK REFERENCE: SHOT LIST
FILM IS NOT DEAD
HEAD AND SHOULDERS SHOTS
FULL BODY SHOTS
INDIVIDUAL SHOTS
INDIVIDUAL FAMILY GROUPINGS SHOTS
“CLOSING” SHOTS
FIVE POSES
15
As you know, owning a photography business is hard work. That’s why the early years of my business were a train wreck. I struggled to make money, clawing at any work I could find to feed my kids and to avoid going back to schlepping wellness products for a living. I was completely exhausted, the bank account always seemed to be empty, I never saw my family, and I once shot six weddings in multiple states in six days. It’s only after more than a decade of owning a photography business that I can say I know what I’m doing. Whether you shoot film or digital photography, FIND: Biz covers the nuts and bolts of operating a profitable photography business. We’ll examine my painful pricing progress, take a closer look at the profitability killers that almost cost me my family, and walk through my fourteen-to-eighteen hour workday, circa 2004. (It was painful, yo.) In it, I opened my books, my bank account, and my film archives to highlight all the mistakes I made in business so you can avoid making them yourself. I’ve shared the way I priced my first wedding (hint: a bride’s father chose the number) and how I grew my business by leaps and bounds without being any more profitable. That’s the fate that I want to save you from: business without profitability. NO MATTER HOW OR WHAT YOU PHOTOGRAPH, THE BUSINESS TECHNIQUES OUTLINED IN FIND: BIZ WILL HELP BOOST YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Please take the time to check it out after its release date of February 14th! Thanks, JON
JONATHAN CANLAS PHOTOGRAPHY ©2013
