What are first questions you ask when working with a new client?
The first few questions I will ask a client as soon
as I get call from is, where’s the location of the wedding? the number of
guests they’re expecting at the wedding? What kind of wedding are they looking
to do, is it an outdoor or indoor wedding? Do they have any concepts? Do they anything in minds to replicate to
have their dream wedding? How would I be involved in their wedding to make
their wedding a successful one.
First few questions I’d ask when working with a new client
are, the location of the event, the type of wedding; if it is going to be an
outdoor or indoor wedding? The concept they have that they’re trying to bring
to life for the event. If it is going to be crazy, calm or chilled. The number
of guest they will be expecting at the event. If they would be willing to do
what I’d recommend for them to do in terms of shoots? And if there’s any other
thing I would need to know from them, in order to make their bill easy on them
and their budget obviously. What they’re willing to pay for the services
they’re looking for, they select the packages they want and if it is something
Atilary Studio can handle, we would definitely go for it, but if it is
something above or below what we take care of, we always try to recommend other
companies to how we can assist the client to achieve their day in successful
way.
How should a photographer break into a new market or
city?
A photographer can break into a new market or city in the
following ways. First of all, the photographer should get acquainted with the
resident photographers in town, get close to them, hangout with them and
understand the city properly. Offer to do pro bono jobs. Make sure you try to be likable and get yourself out there a lot.
To hangout as much as possible with fellow photographers. And support them in
any way you can. From there you can build a portfolio, trying to know people in
the city and your kicks off from there, I believe.
Businesses or photography businesses in Nigeria are more of a hobby to
most photographers, just a few photographers are taking this as business.
Because running a business in the photography industry is not easy as most
people think. When you are running as a hobby, it seems easy, it seems cheap
because you don’t have a lot of contracts and paperwork involved. You can almost
misbehave and get away with it, because you’re still building up a brand or
you have some other job you are doing, you don’t take photography too serious. If you are running as business, it is not just a one-man business, it is a
team work and for you to put a team together, I believe as a photographer
shooting for close or over ten years, it is the hardest thing to put together
in Nigeria. Putting a team together, who will be loyal and come together and
serve the studio as much you would serve the studio has been so difficult to
come by. I believe if we can encourage more training's, more seminars, to
have so many photographers who are willing to learn over and over again, I
believe that disadvantage could be taken care of. If I could come back to
the photography business being as a hobby; most people don't realize how much it
is to put a lot together in running a business, not just taking pictures, because
once you’re done taking pictures, there’s business side of it you have to
maintain. You have to maintain clients, you have to do paper work, you have to
pay your taxes, you have to do your accounts and all those running costs. If
you fail to realize how to manage them, you’re basically not running a
business. You might be running at a loss, but you’d think you’re making money. If you do your paper work properly and you run it as proper business, I
believe you’ll be enlightened and see where and where you need to cover up and
grow as a business.
Questions from the Community:
What are thoughts on the business of photography?
Questions from the Community:
Samuel from Akwa Ibom asks:
How do you use off camera flash
to give the best result at a wedding in constantly changing light scenarios?
Alex's Response:
Hello Samuel, that really depends on you and what you like.
Most wedding, portrait photographer like hard lights, other love soft light.
And the type of modifier you use will determine the outcome you going to get.
If you use larger modifiers, you definitely get your soft light. If you use
smaller modifiers, you are going to get harsh hard light and the flash to
subject distance affects that as well. If you are going to have human
monopod who will be moving around and making sure that flash to subject
distance is maintained, then you will almost get constant result every time you
click your shutter. If not, you have to with what you prefer which from your
message, I believe you love soft flattering lights. You cannot use small
modifiers like the "MagMods" and all these other little modifiers, you have to
use something like the thirty-two inches softbox which will give your back
pains, but you will get your desired result. With that and managing your flash
and subject distance properly, you get your desired flattering light on the
subject.
Olayinka from Lagos asks:
How do you come about the idea
of the scene you wish to create? When does it come to you during your
conversation with client or do you just go through the internet? In other
words, what inspires your shooting style, concept/ideas?
Alex's Response:
Hello Olayinka, got your message and it is quite an
interesting one. You’ve given the answers already. Even if we have been
shooting for over ten years and I know we are quite experienced in this job, we
still go online to look for concepts from other photographers, even like
yourself and we research. The environment also helps us create our shot, so we can plan for the shot and not end up doing it because the environment doesn’t permit
you to do it. It is always good to prepare, just in case the environment permits you to, but if it doesn’t, you have to have other ideas which will come
through the shoot when you’ve seen your environment to create beautiful
moments and pictures for your client.
Posi from Ibadan asks:
I’m curious about wedding
photography; knowing fully well, wedding that receptions aren't a controlled
environment, especially for lighting. What best mode should I shoot in? Should
ISO be on auto?
Hello Posi, how are you doing today? Got your
question, it is quite a tricky one, but I’d advise if you can stick to manual
ISO, because if you go on auto, it might blast off your noise level to a level
that you can’t control. So I believe you need to continue changing your ISO,
your shutter speed or your aperture as you might require in order to get the
required look or effect for your pictures. You can’t just be given figure to
put in and expect it to be constant, because as you mentioned, nothing is
constant, light is not constant in the environment. So you must keep switching
as much as you can to make sure you get your beautiful pictures.
Adeyemo from Ibadan ask:
How can someone make money
from photography? I mean, making money from what you have passion for?
Alex's Response:
Hello Adeyemo, I’m testimony of someone making
money out of photography. Making money out of passion key nowadays, you have to
have your creative business plan in place. Let’s put the business plan aside,
if you’re taking great pictures and you have the environment to showcase your
talent, people will hire you. You need to go in and get a lot of job done for
free first. Because you must work and serve first. Even if you have to get your
first two or three jobs for free, so people can see what you’re capable of
delivering. Once you can get that, you can use those same materials to market
yourself and put a price on your work. You might not start so expensive, but
you want to put a price that will take care of your expenses for you to get the
next job done. So, I believe with all these being put together, you can start a
business irrespective of what you have and how you want to go about it.
Amanda from the United Kingdom asks:
Amanda from the United Kingdom asks:
Which celebrity would like to take picture which/a photo shoot with?
Alex's Response:
Hello Amanda, a celebrity I’d love to do a shoot for will definitely be Beyoncé! Because, that’s my wife’s favorite artist, one. And she looks like she’d so easy to photograph. That would make my career, not just my day.
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