Prints in a Digital Age

Despite a lot of photographers going "digital", there is still a lot of interest and desire to have a physical print of an image, even if a digital version is readily available.

Now, I'm not referring to headshots or images that are specifically to be used on a website, or that needs to be put into a brochure, newsletter, or other printed material. Digital images are better suited for layout programs and websites. Nor am I referring to fine art photography where a print (sometimes limited & numbered) is the standard defacto mode of delivery (usually already matted and/or framed).

But there are certain events, like weddings or prom shots where the couples/groups in question much prefer to purchase the actual physical print.

Why? Part of my educated guess is that:
A.  This a special event that is to be remembered and people want a physical representation of the event

B. Most people don't usually dress in finery except for those special occasions. So, they want a record of that occasion.

C. In the age of the digital camera, many people have too many photos trapped on their computer or their camera that never see the 'light of day'. So, if they can, they will much prefer a print over a digital image.

D. There are still many people of a certain generation who much prefer the tangibility of a printed photo versus a digital file.

When working any event that produces these types of shots, I always offer my clients the option of digital AND physical prints. The vast majority of my clients end up purchasing physical prints for their photo albums or prefer having the overall wedding album. But there is a small minority that prefer purchasing the digital prints and making images for themselves in an effort to save a little bit of money (even if they aren't saving time).

IMO, photographers who provide only digital images (with these types of events) do a disservice to themselves and their clients by not offering a print service. Considering that many photography hosting services (such as SmugMug, Zenfolio, or even Flickr, etc) offer 3rd party printing services, there really isn't an excuse to be able to offer both to clients. Your clients go to your gallery, choose their desired prints, and click a Buy button. Prints or downloads are automatically made available to them. This is a win-win situation for your clients and yourself.

The fees you pay for this type of service will be outweighed by the convenience, service, and satisfaction for your clients, as well as a method of generating profits for your small business.

Candid Images

Often times, I just like to go out and take candid images of people in different situations. However, photojournalistic images of people in candid situations has never been my forte. You need a little bit of luck and a good instinct. However, since this is something I don't regularly practice, I don't quite have that photojournalistic instinct (yet).

Often times, I find my candid people shots lacking in a certain vitality. However, there are times when I do manage to capture a special moment that makes me want to continue just playing around with these types of images.

Large Group Photos Setup

Large group photos are difficult, at best, to get good shots. Add some other factors, such as changing light and variable group numbers, and you've just added some interesting complexities for the shoot.

In our case, our client wanted alumni group photos for different eras.

• The number of alumni ranged from 10-60 people.
• The only location that made "sense" to host this wide range of numbers was in the outdoors atrium, where the light was going to drastically change between the different shoots (from nice perfect 5pm light to night).

So, when we did our first walk-through, we decided to make use of a few steps in the outdoor location. In this way, we could stack alumni members on those few steps to get a range of height, and spread out groups as needed.

We went with simple lighting setup. There were two large octogon softboxes controlled by a power source behind the photographer blasting light onto the scene.



Also, the photographer used a step stool to give her some height as well as a wider-angle lens to get large numbers in the frame. Obviously, there was going to be some distortion in the final image, but Lightroom & Photoshop easily corrected any distortion issues.

Group Photo Lighting Setups

For many of the events I work, want to have couple / group photos shot of their attendees so they can remember the night.

(I often refer to them as "prom shots" as proms are often the very first time that U.S kids get their formal photos taken with their dates & friends.)

I know that there are a variety of ways to set up the lighting for a prom-like shot, but here's the general lighting setup I used that allowed me to do full length, 3/4ths shots, and closer 1/2 body shots. I stayed with couple (2 people) portraits, but also found that with a quick adjustment of lights, I could get up to 5 people (with chairs) without issue.


Note: Relation between objects is not 100% to scale.

1 10x20 grey painted backdrop
1 Large Softbox
1 small-medium sized softbox
1 reflector
1 strobe with 40deg grid pointed at the backdrop (low to the ground)
Subjects are about 6-7 feet away from the backdrop.

I used the reflector & strobe because I was getting some unwanted shadow from the subject, giving me a "dark area" on the backdrop" that I didn't like during the setup.





The whole lighting setup worked well, but for next time, I will probably add a second strobe with grid on the right hand side as well.

Homestead from the Grand Tetons

While I'm getting my website updated with new images, I thought I might share a few of my favorites.

The image was taken at one of the many abandoned homesteads that dot the west side of the Grand Tetons.

Revisting the Animals

Just revisiting some of the wildlife photography I took the past two years

Stanford Alumni Event

This past Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of working with the Stanford Department of Anesthesia, and their 50th year alumni celebration.

It was estimated that about 300 alumni and their spouses attended the black-tie event at the Stanford Alumni Center. With 3 photographers and 3 "studio" setups, we provided a motley of services, including: coverage of the event, class alumni photos (10-30 people), and small couple/group photos (2-6 people).

In addition, the department wanted to provide a "headshot" section to allow doctors to procure professional headshots, should they be interested.

Our "day" started at 4:30pm with set up, and extended until the closing of the event, around 10:30pm. It was a long evening of good hard work, but we were prepared for the event, which made things flow easier.

Myself and my 2nd photog met with the event coordinates to walk through the venue, and where we would place our 3 studio setups. We took plenty of photos of the venue, and brainstormed ideas on lighting for our "outdoor class" studio setup(esp. as the light was going to drastically change over the course of the evening).

We mapped out our light placements, backdrops, electrical needs, etc, so that by the time we arrived, it was just a matter of getting our gear setup, shots chimped, and adjustments made as needed.

Then when guests started arriving, it was a matter of placing them in the correct post, and shooting their images fast. Their biggest inconvenience would be waiting in-line for their photos to be taken.

I'll post our lighting diagrams at a later date, and the specialized needs of each "studio setup" in later posts.