Harry Lim Photography's Blog

I don’t remember if it was David Hobby (Strobist) or Joe McNally who said that when they were shooting for newspapers, they would always use the same lighting technique: camera in right hand, flash in left hand. That led to the same lighting pattern over and over again. So it took some thought to begin setting up a light on the right hand side of a subject.

It’s kind of like that for composition, I think. If you are used to doing one technique; be it lighting, shooting or editing, you fall into a routine. This  isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can lead a beginning photographer to discover their style. But it’s also a good exercise to break out of your routine and try something new.

Not too long ago, I was hired to shoot a couple of houses. I thought it would be a standard shoot until I arrived at the first house. The client said he was looking for something more creative; not necessarily showing the whole room. It turned out to be a fun and challenging shoot because I had to approach each shot in a different mind frame.

The shot above, for example, is not one I would have normally taken; but I rather like the compositional elements. The homeowner specifically mentioned the sculpture on the right. On the left, the pattern and vertical lines of the wrought iron door anchor the image. In the middle distance, you can see a sitting area and the dining area in the background adds depth.

At the second house, the client wanted to emphasize the detail work above the doorway. I didn’t want to just take a picture of the door, so I thought I’d make it interesting by showing the spiral staircase. The dramatic curve plays nicely against the horizontal and vertical lines outside.

In this last image, I think the angle of the staircase leads the viewer’s eye to the living area. The vertical line of the wall makes a good dividing point between the left and right side of the image.

Obviously all these examples are of interiors and architecture. If you are a wedding or portrait photographer, you might try using negative space. Or use the environment around your subject to frame them. The point is, break out of your comfort zone. It’s going to take a little forethought before you even look through the viewfinder, but you might be pleasantly surprised at the result.

Super Moon on 3/19/11. (f/11, ISO200, 1/90th @ 200mm)

I checked my blog stats and noticed that searches and hits to a post I wrote last year about photographing the super moon were exploding. I couldn’t figure out why until I heard on the news tonight that the super moon is coming back this Saturday. This year’s super moon is supposed to be even bigger than last years! The news report said the moon will appear about 30% larger than normal. Last year it was 10%-to-15%. If you want to geek out on why that is, check out this science-y article.

In the meantime, feel free to re-visit last year’s post. The same principles apply.

In a recent post, I glossed over liability insurance. Well here’s a good example of why a photographer might need it. A photographer taking pictures of a client’s art work allegedly moved an ancient statue to take advantage of the light. It seems the statue was placed on uneven wood floor and toppled over. The piece was valued at $300,000 and the owner is suing. In this case the photographer was working for an art magazine which says they have no liability.

You can read more on the story HERE.

Now imagine you are a wedding photographer and at the reception you accidentally knock over a priceless piece of art or break a piece of furniture. Do you have thousands or tens-of-thousands of dollars to pay for it? I know some reception halls require photographers to carry liability insurance. Not all photographers need it; but if you shoot on location (weddings, events, corporate settings, commercial clients, etc.) then it’s something worth looking into.

The photography tax man cometh! Okay, there’s not really a photography tax…the same dude takes all our taxes. But the end is near! Well, you’re almost out of time to pay your taxes, anyway.

In a previous post, I touched on some tax considerations for photographers. Now I want to give you a working illustration and a quick and easy way to give Uncle Same his due.

As always, please remember I am not an accountant. I sought help from a certified public accountant and I suggest you do the same; especially if you’re just starting out.

So here’s my deal: I have enough coin to buy that shiny new 5D MKIII. Sweet, huh? Not so fast. I’ll have to work a little harder and wait a little longer. You see, I owe taxes on everything I’ve made this quarter. I add up all my profits, subtract my expenses and calculate 38.3% of that to come up with my estimated tax payment for the first quarter of 2012. Keep in mind that not all expenses can be taken at 100%. The IRS calculates depreciation for equipment. But that’s why it’s called an estimated payment. I may end up owing the government more money at the end of the year, or I might get money back. Read the previous post to find out why it’s 38.3% for me. Your mileage may vary.

Taxes are due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. This year April 15 falls on a Sunday, so we get an extra day. The fastest way to pre-pay your estimated tax is to go to www.eftps.gov.  Click the “enrollment” link and follow the registration instructions. Basically, you enter some personal info (social security, address, etc.)  and link a bank account. You then request a PIN which comes to you in the mail within 7 days. Use that PIN to complete the registration and you’re all set.

Why pre-pay my taxes every quarter? ‘Cause I don’t want to get hit with a big tax bill at the end of the year. I would rather pay it in chunks throughout the year. I know it’s not fun, but I don’t imagine getting audited is fun either! And hey, maybe next quarter I’ll be able to deduct that 5D MKIII!

I’ve shot some big homes before. But this one takes the cake. This 14-thousand square foot, 9-bedroom home is the largest home I’ve shot to date. The pool area alone was bigger than most homes!

Yes, there are lights that shoot through the jets of water, like tracer rounds (I still don’t know how they do it). The long exposure above makes it look like the fountains are constantly lit.

This is a vacation home and the best part of the story for me is that the homeowner told me since the pictures went live, he’s had 30 bookings! That’s enough to carry over into 2013! Proof that professional photography adds value.

I’ll leave you with a few more images. Check out the full gallery here.

I’ve blogged before about sources where you can find some free photography education. You may also be familiar with B&H; the huge photography, video and electronics retailer based in New York. But you may not know that the folks at B&H produce educational videos in their “event space”.

Check out this link for a list of 68 videos ranging from Lightroom and Photoshop to off-camera flash and studio lighting. Most videos run from an hour-and-a-half to two hours. So it’s a time commitment, but you can always watch in chunks; and hey, you can’t beat the price!

Let the price drop begin. When Canon announced the 5D MKIII two days ago, I was expecting the price of the MKII to drop in the coming weeks (the MKIII is expected to begin shipping in late March). I had no idea how soon the price would drop.

I tracked price fluctuations last year; from a hike to about $2,700 after the Japan earthquake to a low of about $2,100 for the Christmas shopping season. It stabilized to the usual $2,500 after the holidays.

Now it’s down to $2,200 on Amazon. [UPDATE 3/5/12: Another $50 drop. It's down to $2,149.] How low will it go? We’ll see in the next few weeks. So if you’ve been eyeing a full frame camera, you might save some money by opting for the MKII over the newer MKIII.

Is the MKIII worth the extra $1,300? I did a comparison using SnapSort and found mostly minor differences.

• A screen that is .2-inches larger with better resolution. The image on the screen does not reflect what you’ll see on your computer or print.
• 6 frames per second vs. 3.9. If you don’t shoot action, then this won’t matter to you.
• 22.1 megapixels vs. 21. ‘Nuff said.

The differences that might sway me are:

• ISO 25,600 vs. 6,400
• 100% viewfinder coverage vs. 98%. As an interior photographer, this is actually a big deal for me

Other features that might interest you:

• More focus points and more cross type focus points
• In camera HDR
• Silent mode for video recording

The question is: is that worth the extra money? Hit me up in the comments with your thoughts. If the MKII drops to $2,000 would you get it instead of the MKIII or is the MKIII clearly superior?

In a recent post, I talked about some legal and tax issues to consider when starting your own photography business. I touched on pricing and want to dive a little deeper into the subject. There are a ton of resources out there; some paid, some free. So while this post is not meant to be exhaustive and comprehensive, I want to give you a starting point.

The first thing is knowing your cost of doing business; your overhead costs. The NAPP has a great on-line calculator where you enter all of your expenses and how much you want to earn and it will calculate how much a day of shooting will cost you.

I find the calculator most useful for helping me think of things I might have otherwise overlooked. Retirement, for example, or how many days a year you want to work.

Think of it this way: Your current 9-to-5 job provides you with X-amount of dollars a year. That salary pays all your bills, including health care and retirement. You also get 2-days a week off and 2-weeks a year for vacation. So if you quit tomorrow to start your own photography business, would you make enough to keep your standard of living?

People wonder why photographers charge so much when all we do is take pictures. The calculator above puts it into perspective. There’s marketing (a later post), postage, gas, software, equipment, taxes, etc.

Last week a blog post caught some traction on the web. It was from a photographer who commented to an upset bride-to-be who complained on Craigslist about “expensive” wedding photographers. The reply summed it up nicely. You can read the response here.

Another good resource is this 15-minute tutorial offered by Mark Wallace. I really can’t say it any better so just watch it.

There are books and software dedicated to helping you figure out how much to charge. But there is no one-size-fits all solution. You have to know how much it costs you and then figure out the quality of your work compared to the competition. If you’re just starting out as a wedding photographer, can you compete with the 3-thousand-dollar-a-wedding guy? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you should try to undercut the 3-hundred-dollar-Craigslist guy either.

Your price has to be fair to both the customer and yourself.  I am perfectly happy to negotiate, but I am equally happy to let a client walk away if we can’t agree. I would rather lose a hundred dollars one day than to work for less than what the job is worth. I know I’ll make that hundred and more from the next client who is willing to pay what is fair and reasonable. Don’t price yourself out of business.

I’ll leave you with a great blog post Zack Arias wrote a couple of years ago: “Cheap Photographers Only Kill Themselves, Not the Industry.”

So you want to be a professional photographer? You’ve got a camera, a website with some galleries and you’ve even earned a few bucks on the side for your work. You have the passion, now you have a taste for the business. So it’s time to quit the 9-to-5, right? Not so fast. There’s a lot you need to think about first. Sure you can take money under the table, but if you want to be legit, if you want people to take you seriously as a professional then you have to take certain steps.

The first question a lot of beginning photographers struggle with is, how much to charge. There are quite a few sources to turn to for help with this question, but I’m going to save that for a later post.

Before you start charging people, you need to set up your business. The example I am about to provide is for my specific case in my state (Florida). I am not an accountant or attorney, so use this as a guide.

First, you have to decide if you want to operate as a sole proprietor or a corporation. Don’t tell Mitt Romney, but corporations are not people (more on that in a moment). As a sole proprietor you just run your business and pay taxes. A Limited Liability Corporation, as the name implies, gives you protection against debt and lawsuits. If you are a sole proprietor and the business goes bust or you get sued, your personal assets are at stake. Do you really want to lose your car, house and life savings because your photography business didn’t make it? As an LLC, debts and lawsuits are limited to the corporation and not your personal assets. In Florida, it costs $125 to register an LLC and $140 a year to file annual reports.

Speaking of lawsuits, you can buy commercial liability insurance and “errors and omissions” insurance. The first, protects you if someone gets hurt or property is damaged while you’re on a shoot. The latter is bridezilla insurance. Or in the case of one New York studio, a divorced man who wants tens-of-thousands of dollars to re-create his wedding. You can learn more about insurance for photographers from the PPA and ASMP. I got a quote from a company offering a 1-million dollar liability policy, $15,000 in equipment insurance and $25,000 errors and omission protection. The quote was for $625 a year.

Next, you have to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. This is just a number the IRS uses to identify a business. If you get a W-2 from your employer, you should see the EIN number on the form.

Now you’re ready to pay taxes quarterly! Yay! Depending on how much you made and spent on business expenses, you have to estimate how much taxes you owe and send a payment every quarter. Since you work for yourself, you owe self employment tax. The current rate is 13.3%. Just like your wages are deducted for social security and medicare, the SE tax deducts 10.4% for social security and 2.9% for medicare.  Then there’s income tax. If you are married and filing jointly and make less than $17,400 you are in the 10% tax bracket. More than that but less than $70,700 you are in the 15% bracket. For singles, anything between $8,700 and $35,350 puts you in the 15% bracket. So in my case, I’m paying 28.3% in tax: 13.3% for self-employment and 15% for income tax.

There are, of course, deductions you can take. I pay for my own health insurance, so I can deduct that. If you bought a new lens or camera, that’s a deduction. You can even claim mileage at 55-and-half cents a mile.

[UPDATE 2/7/11]: Check out this post on special tax advice for photographers.

Let’s add it up so far: $125 for the LLC, $625 for insurance and 28% of everything I earn (after legitimate deductions) goes to taxes. Still think you can charge $100 for a photo shoot?

I’ll get more into pricing in the next post. For now I want to leave you with some resources. Check out Photoshelter’s Vimeo page for great videos with the “Tax Ninja” on taxes for photographers and three good videos with John Harrington. Harrington, of course, is the author of “Best Business Practices for Photographers” and the Photo Business blog. I’ll leave you with a video on the “7 Common Tax Mistakes Made by Photographers”.

…and now for something completely different. Every once in a while, I like to push myself out of my comfort level and try something new. A few weeks ago, a photographer friend of mine posted an image on Facebook of a motocross racer and said he wanted to try to shoot something like that. My neighbor’s two kids race their bikes at a track not far from here so I coordinated a shoot during a practice night.

For someone who shoots houses for a living, trying to shoot something that moves very fast is a change of pace, to say the least. I got there just before the sun set and quickly found I had to boost my ISO to at least 800. I knew I wanted to show some motion in the wheels so I thought a shutter speed of 1/125th would work. I was shooting with the 70-200 f/2.8 lens and thought I would start at f/5.6, but that went out the window right away and I was shooting wide open at 2.8 the whole night.

After the sun set, I had to boost my ISO to “HI” which on my camera body is only 3200. I started shooting in RAW, but switched over to JPEG because at 6.5 frames per second, the buffer time was taking too long. My Compact Flash cards have a 30 Mb/s transfer rate. If I shot sports professionally, I’d probably have the 45 Mb/s cards. One last tip if you’re shooting fast action: make sure you set your camera’s focus drive to “AI Servo” (aka Continuous Focus for Nikon). This tells your camera to track motion.

Despite all the knowledge I brought onto the track, the vast majority of my shots were craptacular! I had trouble nailing the focus in the low light conditions. But hey, that’s what trying something new is all about, right? I might go again…maybe during the day to see if I have better luck. You can see the rest of the gallery HERE.