The Pricing of Photography

i found a blog post by Blair Banks today which curtails the pricing of professional photography. this is for you all who wonder why photographer's seem to be so expensive and why the sale of prints and the like are not included in a sitting fee. Blair is a child photographer in the baltimore area and she uses a great analogy and a lot of practical examples of why photographer's charge what they charge. to see what she has to say, you can check out Blair's blog at http://blairbanks.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-husband-got-kindle-and-i-got-to.html?spref=fb

my own, personal philosophy on pricing is based on a case-by-case estimating system. every shoot should be unique and different, so who's to say that every 3 hour long studio shoot should be this much and that a great wedding photograph package should be that much? estimating each shoot also gives me as the photographer and the client an opportunity to get to know each other more on a personal AND a professional level. i can learn what they want, what they like, what they do, some of their favorite objects or things to do, places to go, clothes to wear... a lot of things that will help us both have a creative and successful shoot so that they can walk away with images that they can be proud of and look at and show to their grandkids 50 years down the line.

anywho, i had been getting quite a few e-mails about pricing and such recently and so this was just something that was on my slab of mental musings over the past few days. now it's on (virtual) paper for you all to see!

also, make sure you check back soon for a gallery of headshots i recently took of a great friend of mine. her name is Barrett Johnson and she is a music major who happens to be one semester away from graduating from the University of Miami. she looks absolutely stunning in the photos and i can't wait to share them with you!

'til next time!

sb.imagery

View my Book Online

back.story is available to view online! here's an embedded version...

and then here's the link if you want to tell other people to look at it :-)

http://www.adoramapix.com/backstory/book/backstory

Thanks everyone! Hope your New Years is going well so far!

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Ringin' in the New Year

so the last time i made a post i was just about to graduate. and now i've officially graduated and i am getting ready for the new year! the ceremony was really nice... i had been dreading it all quarter, but it really was not that bad. the national building museum is BEAUTIFUL and was the perfect venue for our exhibits and ceremony. i gave out a lot of resumes and business cards and such, so hopefully some business comes around. now that i'm done i can focus on working and building a successful business in the new year! i already have a few things lined up in addition to my internship at the Kennedy Center, but i am always looking for more. my plan is to send some marketing materials to the professional theatres in the DC area such as Arena, Signature and Woolly-Mammoth and i will certainly keep you all in the know on what i am doing. anywho! i'm sure this post was a little bit anti-climactic, but i don't have much else to say and i just wanted to give a heads up before the new year starts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!


sb.imagery

Build It and They Will Come...

i have a wall! with frames!

so this is basically what my exhibit for graduation will look like (insert my photos in the frames and voila!). i have almost everything all ready to go. prints... check. wall... check. promo materials... check check check. awesome new suits... check. haircut... well... about that... all i'm waiting for now is my book and my mattes... and i guess a haircut. we've reached the home stretch folks! here goes life!!!

sb.imagery

Family Session : Yin's Family!

on thanksgiving day, i did a family session for my dear friend Stacy Oosterink. her nephew is serving our country and was home for thanksgiving so it was the perfect time to get everyone together. there were people everywhere and it was a little cold outside, but we got it done!

stacy happens to live next to a horse farm, and there was this great wooden fence and lots of fall colors... it was a perfect location.

this is how they came out...

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Exciting News!

soooooo... like the title says, i have exciting news! i interviewed for an internship on monday, and just found out that i will be the advertising/graphic design intern at the kennedy center starting in january!!! it's a full-time, paid internship in the advertising department at the kennedy center and i will be working with my superiors to create ads for the center and its productions for the season.

i am really excited about this because it's literally my dream internship. i will be working in a field that i love, in a place that i love and combining two of my greatest passions in life (theatre and art). what more could i ask for? not to mention the upcoming mainstage productions are fantastic... including Follies, Next to Normal and Wicked (which is not my favorite, but i know some of you love it). i can't wait!

in other news, i have everything i need for portfolio all ready to go. i just have to print, which i am doing on sunday. and get my book that i ordered from adorama. and then i'll be good to go! it's exciting to be closing one very big, important chapter of my life to move on to a new, equally as important chapter. it's going to be an adventure!

also stay on the look-out for an image or two from the photoshoot i did today with a good friend of mine. they're going be awesome!

sb.imagery

Melissa and Jordan

this past sunday, i had the pleasure of shooting with two wonderful models. i met Jordan Kwong (the one on the left in the image above) at an event i was shooting in Annapolis about a month ago and i had the perfect idea in mind for her (which you can see to the right). she had the perfect facial structure for what i was going for, and her look is perfect for what i was trying to convey. just look at the jawline! and she was a pleasure to work with!

Jordan had a friend (on the left) who i also shot with named Melissa Foley who was just as fantastic ! i did not really get to familiarize myself with what Melissa looked like before shooting, just a few facebook photos, but i had a few ideas once i saw the clothing she had brought with her. she had a very clean, commercial look so i focused on very natural shots that really captured her features.

these are just a few of the photographs from that day, but i think they fairly sum it up. both girls were fun to work with, and i would shoot with them anyday!

there are quite a few more, new photos on the way also! be on the lookout for a few product shots over the next couple days. i am also going to embed a preview of my book, "back.story" shortly (maybe tonight?) that you all should check out! it's going to be one of my centerpieces for my graduation exhibit, and will actually be available to buy!!! so keep on the look out!

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.