Quick Photo retouch

Lab Flow

Currently putting together a magazine and getting photos and videos together for promo. Here are a few shots

BTS and lighting set ups

Courtesy of all the assistant photographers holding my phone while I shot

Photoshop tutorial

How to create a logo in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful tool that allows users to edit and create photos. This tutorial will show how to create a simple logo using CS6

Materials

·         Laptop or computer

·         Any version of Adobe Photoshop

·         Creativity

Step 1) Open a new document

1.    Change preset to Default Photoshop size

2.    Click ok

Step 2) Decide the color of your background

1.     Click the paint bucket tool located on the left

2.     Click the top square located at the bottom

3.     Choose your background color and click OK

4.     Click anywhere in the white space to change background color

Step 3) Insert text

1.     Click the type tool located on the left side (Note: Photoshop reads fonts already installed on computer. For creative font visit www.dafont.com)

2.     Choose a font

3.     Click the colored square to change the font color

4.     Click anywhere on the background

5.      Type text

(Note: If the text is too small highlight it and select font size as in Microsoft office.)

Step 4) Create shape

1.      Right-click the shape tool located at the bottom left

2.     Find a desired shape

3.      Point and drag over background to create shape

4.     Move to desired position

Step 5) Customization

1.     Click type tool

2.     Change text color back to original background color

3.      Type inside shape and click the “check mark” at the top when done

4.      Ctrl-t to resize text

5.      Click “check mark when done

6.     Save finished product

Photogs DON'T Shoot Auto

Anybody who has a DSLR camera and is making money knows this for a fact. Photographers don't shoot auto. What I mean by this is that they don't allow the camera make decisions about how the photo should come out. This separates the amateurs from the professionals.

Automatic mode chooses the shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and f-stop based off of the lighting condition. Then when its too dark, the camera decides to use the built in pop up flash which creates an unflattering image with hard shadows. Auto mode limits the photographer's ability to create and is being run by the camera. By going manual you have total control over your camera and you become boss.

When I first picked up a camera all I wanted to do was make the background blurry and I learned how to do that through adjusting my f-stop. Here's a SIMPLE explanation of the camera I wish someone had told me. It is in no way the correct "scientific" way of explaining it but it helps...

Shutter Speed: How fast the camera clicks. The higher the number the more light you need. Meaning if there is a lot of available light (sunny day outside) shoot at a higher shutter speed. The lower the number the less light you need. Meaning if there is limited light available or you're controlling it (studio, external flash) you need to shoot at a lower shutter speed to allow more light into the camera

ISO: The darker the subject/location the higher the number. (Outside Day 100-200) (Studio 400-600) (Outside Night/no flash allowed 800 above)

F-stop: Clarity and amount of light the camera takes in. (lens plays a factor) Large number-everything in focus. Low number-only selected area in focus everything else is blurry or slightly out of focus.

White Balance: Temperature. Warm/cool settings for whatever look the photographer is trying to achieve.

If you're just a hobby shooter and you bought a DSLR to replace your digital point-and-shoot camera there is nothing wrong with shooting auto. The camera will get the job done just fine BUT if you REALLY want to get the most out of your investment I would strongly encourage you to learn the basics and exploring other modes.

Get Paid or Get Played

Once you start taking photography serious you’re going to get tons of messages from people trying to shoot for whatever reason. One thing I noticed was that when the conversation starts to lean towards money it get awkward on both sides. GET PAYED OR GET PLAYED. PERIOD. 

I have wasted countless hours on other people’s projects trying to help/assist their dream and I got screwed in the end. Music artists ESPECIALLY “Rappers” are notorious for this. They will contact you about them needing photos and they’re going to get you exposure blah blah blah and not one time will they mention payment. Then after their cd/mixtape comes out your work is either everywhere and you got ZERO to minimum credit or they never even finished the work and they move on to something else. Not only did I not get paid in either situation but SO much time was wasted. Ask yourself, if they’re songs are talking about the amount of money they have, why shouldn’t you get some? I have NO sympathy for artists anymore. I understand the struggle but I have to eat too. 

"Models" are next in line. Instagram has jump-started many careers and has gotten many models exposure. Do not be fooled by the pretty face or her flawless body. GET PAID OR GET PLAYED. I’ve worked with a few models with over 10k followers on instagram. They would promise to post the photos and give me credit which would hopefully get my numbers up as well as bring in new business. Here’s what really happened; Photos were posted with NO credit, watermark cropped out, and a dumbass filter was added (which kills the photo in my opinion). They got hundreds of “likes” and I’m sitting there with egg on my face.

I’m at a point now where if a model does contact me about pictures whether I can use them for my portfolio or not I hit them with a price tag. Serious models will pay no problem because they understand quality work costs. The pretenders will ignore your message. They are the ones relying 100% on their looks to get what they want. Nothing wrong with that, I’m just not the photographer for the job.

Here’s a couple of examples.

I could of used this particular model for my portfolio so I hit her with a low price. She replied but unfortunately we will be unable to work at this time.

This particular person wanted gym photos. We had an in depth conversation about what all she wanted so I gave her a deal. (No way in a normal situation would I have 3 outfit changes for $125) She was a pretty fast texter too so we were going back and forth for about 30 minutes until I hit her with the price. I sent that message over 4 weeks ago…Still no reply. 

People may not understand photography but they understand money and everyone can speak that language. No money, no shoot, no time wasted. Simple as that.

Paying the Price

Can’t tell you how many times a potential client would get in contact with me and then completely disappear after I tell them my prices. Realized the problem was that they really have NO clue what they were paying for.

Everyone is always looking for a deal when they’re shopping so naturally they are going to gravitate towards something that is decent quality at a low price. I myself believed in that as well until I picked up a camera and began my journey as a photographer. That’s why many new photographers get so much work initially. They have the basic camera with no real equipment or experience so they offer shoots dirt cheap to build a portfolio. Clients do not have that “photographers eye” and they rarely pay attention to quality or overall concepts. They see a person with a camera and immediately label them as a photographer which makes sense because they mostly take pictures with their iPhones and the basic camera with a kit lens is capable of producing better quality. As that photographer gains more experience and acquires new equipment their prices go up.

Why?…

One of the main things a person is paying a photographer for is TIME.Whether it be studio or on location somewhere, it takes time for the photographer to plan the shoot, setup the necessary equipment, and even drive to get to the spot. Time is already spent before the photographer takes the first picture.You also have to take into account the actual length of the shoot. Depending on the subject and theme, shoots can range between 30 minutes to literally all day (weddings). Now, Once the shoot is over the photographer is far from done. They then have to load all the images and necessary changes to create a flattering image. (A number of photographers say they don’t edit. I personally feel like editing is absolutely necessary. I would NEVER give a client an image straight off the camera. The least I can do is make sure there are no zits or nose hairs sticking out.) Depending on the photographer it could take minutes to weeks. Time plays a key role.

EQUIPMENT Photographers are carrying thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Between the camera, lenses, lights and memory cards, clients should be grateful they are not paying the total price for the equipment each shoot. The type of shoot will determine what the photographer will bring. Some of it may be rented, but the photographer needs some kind of compensation if something breaks so there is a good chance that may be calculated in the quote.

Don’t think equipment and time matters? Here is an example of unedited, straight off the camera, cheap photography (its my work. Wouldn’t dare post another photographer’s work and critique)

Not a bad photo but the goal was to have a solid white background so that he could use it for his upcoming mixtape.

With a little effort (and a few dollars in my pocket) I created this.

Here’s one more example,

This was shot back in the day before I knew about lighting and retouching skin and removing zits. Notice I didn’t even remove the lipstick stain on her teeth. The most I did was up the saturation. The shoot was free so that I could build my portfolio but I did nothing to help hers.

Now lets fast forward a year and a half later…

Same model, same photographer just with more knowledge on lighting, composition and editing. 

All in all…you get what you pay for.

Wanted: Models

Like many other photographers when I first got my camera I was eager to shoot any and everything. My dream was to shoot the most attractive females and make a decent living from shooting. The only problem was that nobody really knew who I was or what I was trying to do. Here’s how I was able to get models…

SOCIAL MEDIA: There are tons of social media sites out there today. The more popular ones are Twitter and Facebook and in my eyes the best app out right now is instagram. Use whatever site to your advantage and begin to market yourself.

Instagram just came out when I first got my camera and it was one of the first apps to be entirely photo based. Concept is simple; Take a photo, add a description and some tags, then post. Some of your followers let you know that they “like” your photo by literally double tapping the screen until a heart appeared. This is perfect for photographers to post work and reach a broader audience. My goal was to reach the urban community and shoot eye candy but had no real work to show for it and no real model would give me the time of day. My solution; appeal to the ratchets.

Now when I say appeal to the ratchets I don’t mean it in a disrespectful way. What I mean is to find someone with a social media presence and has a decent following. That person also has to love taking photos of themselves and just about every weekend they’re in a club. Those are the ones who will be more than willing to shoot with you and will flood their Timeline with your work. They are strictly there to get your name out there.

(Unless you want to be a club photographer Please DO NOT heavily post and advertise those photos. You do not want to be labeled as that type of photographer if those are not your intentions.) I shot about 4 ratchets before finally being able to get some decent talent. I was attracting rappers and tattoo artists and in case you didn’t know, they hang with plenty of attractive females. I made sure to stay in contact with the artists and the girls they hung with and eventually I got my shot to shoot with one of them.

The timing couldn’t of been more perfect. It was summer, it was hot, and the pool was open. After the shoot I made sure to edit every photo to the best of my abilities and put my watermark on each image because I knew these were a home-run and she was going to advertise heavy. That one shoot not only got my name of there but I was now being looked at as not only a photographer, but as a professional.

Snappin' and Trappin'

One way to look at photography is to think about the drug game. You'd be surprised how much they really have in common...

Like every drug dealer, you want to have the best product. Photographers are constantly looking for that fresh idea or new look or the infamous "secret filter" that distinguishes their work from others. The point is to attract new clients and even "steal" them from your competition. The dealers are in it to make money and so are the photographers.

 Now in order to keep clients coming to you for their "fix", you have to constantly supply them with a product that feeds their high. For example: thanks to many social media websites including instagram, models are getting noticed by the amount of "likes" and "double taps" they receive. It feeds their high. Photographers should focus on things that would assist the high. Once a model is satisfied with the product, she labels the photographer as DOPE and tells others about him or her. The best photographers in the model's eyes are the ones who can get them published. When the model realizes that and actually gets published, they will continue to come back for their fix ultimately making them a dealer of your product. The model is now a reflection of your work and certain rules will apply as far as how your product will be distributed.

Selling drugs is illegal and so can photography. Many photographers trespass in order to get to a location for a shoot. Some of the best locations are the ones nobody has used. Today with almost EVERYBODY being a photographer, many of the main locations are parks and anything with graffiti background if they do not have access to a studio location. Experienced photographers understand that versatility is key so some risks are worth getting that perfect shot including trespassing. Many photographers for urban magazines travel from city to city. This creates a problem for hometown photographers. I'll explain more later...

Dealers are also willing to steal product to stay ahead of the game. In a sense photographers do it too in a few ways. Many new photographers are looking to find a style, so naturally, they're going to mimic someone they admire. They will study the work and do their best to reproduce it; Stolen style. Editing software can be quite expensive as well. Rather than pay for it, photographers either burn a copy from someone or download it from a torrent site. Like a dealer who comes across unclaimed product, it saves them money and nothing is lost. Its a win-win situation. Some photographers are also looking for that high so in order for them to become DOPE they may take your model/supplier by offering them their cheaper, more beneficial, or sometimes even better quality. Now back to the urban magazine photographers. The have access to more product and are able to distribute to a larger audience. This is like gold for models. It's the new crack with a limited supply because most of the photographers are only in town for a few days and while they're here it's a GUARANTEED high. Those photographers not only steal product, but they keep the people wanting more and feening for a return. It's absolutely genius

"Never get high off your own supply". This quote could not be more true when it comes to photography. Many photographers get comfortable after becoming established or known in their area/field and are "high" off of their own success. They forget about how hungry they were when they first started and they also forget about the foot soldiers. Those foot soldiers are coming for that top spot and if the photographer is not careful they'll lose the DOPE and the hungry foot soldier will have the juice.

Each day ask yourself; "What would I do to kick my own ass" and your answer will be the key to your success.

The Jordan Book

Currently working on a book composed of Michael Jordan's infamous shoes featuring many different colorways of the Air Jordan 1-14. One pair of shoes away from completing the collection! Here's a preview of one of the pages

Currently working on the new e-book and a future street photography book highlighting the popular spots in Atlanta. Here's one of the first pictures. Location: Krog Street Tunnels

The after effect

Felt like showing off both my photography and design skills tonight