Category Archives: Uncategorized

#124 New photo workshops offered

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Dates have been set for two new types of photo course at HarryNowell.com.

1. Sessions Photo Workshop

It’s time to challenge yourself!

I have been asked to host workshops that span a period of time allowing students to see progression over the sessions. I did not want a classroom based course – imagine learning to drive a car solely from a classroom!

We will meet in central Ottawa/Hull locations to photograph a variety of challenges:

  • night life
  • street portraits
  • architectural detail

followed by a critique session in a central classroom. The flexible course agenda will take advantage of weather and available events. We will be shooting inside and/or outside.

Sessions
Sessions

Details: The course covers 4 weeknight evenings in November: 7-9:30pm. Very fun for photographers with some base photo skills! Cost – $250 + tax.

More details – Sessions

2. The Professional Program

I also get requests from people who want to jump the gap from amateur photographer to working photographer. This is a tough leap that requires:

  • good photography skills
  • good business skills – perhaps more important than photo skills
  • good people skills
  • patience
  • persistence

A new business is often depicted as an uphill battle! No one can ever guarantee your business success. Never. There are ways to stack the odds in your favour. This program is designed to help!

Uphill battle?
Persistence, patience and smart work = good business

The flexible year long process involves:

  1. Choice of five or more photo courses at HarryNowell.com.
  2. One-on-one sessions throughout the year to review work, set goals, discuss business practices
  3. Work experience – the student must arrange 40 hours of co-op work experience in an environment that meets their goals.
  4. Final evaluation and report – we review the student’s final portfolio that will be produced with a client presentation in mind. A written evaluation and certificate will be delivered.

The program also includes phone and email support throughout the year.

The course provides elements that will set the groundwork for a business in photography. We already have our first student!

More Details – Pro Program

#123 Butterflies and photo performance

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Butterflies and photos

I am talking about the butterflies in your stomach! Some call it stress, performance anxiety, stage fright or nerves.

Stress on the job is a good thing – the correct amount keeps you sharp and makes you perform behind the camera. Too many butterflies will suffocate your ability to perform. There is a middle ground – you want to manage your level of stress so that you succeed!

Early on in my photography career stress swarmed me days before a big assignment. I would have bad dreams. I couldn’t sleep. I wouldn’t allow myself to go for a run, play soccer – good stress relievers! – for fear of injuring myself just before a job. It became overwhelming!

I remember talking to Dave Andrews – printer and musician – about performance anxiety. He referred me to Kenny Werner – jazz pianist and author of “Effortless Mastery.” His book is written for musicians but is applicable to anyone needing to perform. It explores the ideas of controlling the butterflies and allowing yourself to excel. How does Harry cope with stress and performance anxiety?

They are all connected. It works for me.

Harry

#122 Muisc and photos

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I finished a shoot last week for Peter Foret and his big band Peter and the Wolves.

Peter Foret
Peter Foret

A shoot like this always has its challenges:

  • co-ordinating a large group of people
  • dealing with uncertain weather
  • limited location
  • very limited timeline

With so many people involved we had to ‘create some magic‘ with whatever was available – people, personalities, weather. There was little flexibility because of the size of the group. Studio lighting is always an option but limits flexibility further and increases time involved.


Peter and the Wolves

We chose a familiar area that had a few options or ‘contingencies’. A shoot like this can be stressful as there are few certainties and many limitations. Stress can trample creativity. Developing a trust that things will work is tough but crucial to performance! More on performance and butterflies soon.

The shoot went well. We had reasonable weather for the shoot. I am pleased with the results. The best part was Peter’s reaction – He was ecstatic with his new collection of promotional material!

That makes this job fun.

Harry

#121 The high cost of low-cost photography

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Zoom airlines recently announced it has “suspended operations.”

Zoom is, er, was a low-cost alternative to traditional, higher priced air travel. Zoom offered budget flights and reportedly excellent service. Unfortunately, they charged too little for a good thing! People loved Zoom until they got stranded at the airport recently or, like my parents, paid for flights that no longer exist! Speculation was that rising fuel prices squeezed the airline more than it could handle.

What has that got to do with photography? The budget photo business model can lead to the same results as Zoom Airlines. Substitute low cost photo work for Zoom’s low cost flight service and you could encounter the same “suspended operations.”

soaring costs hurt budget businesses!
Avoid pitfalls with solid business training.

Pricing your photo work low can help attract some early sales but it can create problems:

  • client expectations of low cost work. Try raising your prices to sustainable levels after a year of low cost photo service – see what your client says.
  • little breathing room for unexpected expenses like equipment breakdowns or ‘high fuel prices’.
  • industry expectations – If too many people offer budget prices the new norm may be unsustainable wages for photographers. What you charge affects the industry!
  • price too low and your happy customers may be disappointed after they discover you have “suspended operations” because you cannot make ends meet.

Want to stay in business and promote a healthy photography industry? Discover a way to charge fair and realistically sustainable prices for your level of service! This will require:

  • educating your clients to the value of your work
  • saying no when dollars are too low
  • learning how much is too much for the customer

Pricing work is a tricky business!
Skip painful mistakes – Learn from other creative business people with the Creative Business Seminar in November, 2008.

Harry

#120 Photo job available

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Mimi, graduate of my Creative Fundamentals and Creative Business Seminar, sent me an e-mail about a photo job offer at the University of Ottawa. Anyone interested?

Thanks Mimi!

In other news, my story on the Pumphouse will be completed soon. The story is a special one for me as I usually spend my summer fun in whitewater. It’s been a good and busy summer. Alas, my paddling time has been limited.  Sigh:

whitewater paddling on the Ottawa River
Whitewater kayaking on the Ottawa River

#119 Working Creatives Meeting

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Last night I organized the season’s first session of the Working Creatives group – established last year. There are ~115 members with a different mix coming to meetings every session.

The group’s raison d’etre is to provide an informal and inexpensive forum for people working in a creative field (as their principle occupation) to learn, meet and network. We have had presentations from or about Apple, Corel, suppliers, archiving digital work, etc.

The group has graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, writers, film/video talents that work independently, or for government or other employers. Veterans and those emerging into their fields attend. There is a lot of cross discipline information and networking – it’s win/win.

If you are working full time in your creative discipline or emerging into your field in a serious way and would like more information please let me know.

#118 Paddling photos

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Here are some more photos from Ottawa’s Pumphouse. It’s an amazing downtown Ottawa resource producing fun for Olympians, casual paddlers and spectators alike.

The club is run by the ORR.

Ottawa Pumphouse
Rachel Penman – back from junior world cup action in Europe

Ottawa Pumphouse
K1 Junior National Champion, Michael Taylor


Coach (and elite paddler) John Hastings 

Have fun,

Harry

#117 The week’s preview

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Coming up this week at HarryNowell.com:

  • submission of work to a client wanting a photo 300 inches wide. They are interested in film for this large project to get decent resolution.
  • a promotional shoot for a musician and his 11 piece band
  • edit and prepare submission for Iceland stock work
  • follow-up on previous stock submission
  • post extra new dates for the second Creative Fundamentals photo workshop – the first one filled
  • developing and posting fall & winter photo courses. Look for sports and a series workshop.
  • prepare to shoot two returning Beijing Olympians for a magazine.
  • a Working Creatives network meeting
  • prepare for a Custom Course for an NGO communications department

It’ll be busy.

Harry

#116 Photographer’s Olympic Report

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Photo District News filed a report of the Olympics from the photographer’s perspective.

Mountain Bike Photo - ChelseaGallery.ca
Relatively new Olympic sport – Mountain Biking

” “It’s pretty amazing actually,” says Getty Images photographer Shaun Botterill… Photographers and editors interviewed over the last few days universally praised the Beijing Olympics as the best-run games in years.”

Read the full article.

I don’t usually watch tv. But I have been glued to the tv late at night! The Olympians have amazed me!

Harry

#115 Product review

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Finished up the Urban Landscapes workshop last night. There were smiles all round. All students progressed well.

Before the trip to Iceland – see past postings – I started looking for a new over-the-shoulder (OTS) camera bag. I have had many photo bags and use different styles for different projects. For a backpack style I have owned two LowePro full sized camera backpacks – they’re good.

My current OTS bag was starting to break down, it had no waist belt and when loaded it hurt my shoulder. Time for a new bag. I searched and googled for a couple months. I kept coming back to the Crumpler “Brazilian Dollar Home”. It seemed to have everything I wanted:

  • waist belt support
  • large capacity
  • inconspicuousness (does not yell “steal these cameras!!!”)
  • comfy
  • laptop-able

I bought it at Henry’s in Ottawa. I have had it for over a month and have used it for assignment, travel, Iceland, etc.

The verdict?

I love it. I can load it and travel comfortably. I have fit:

  • 2 full features bodies + 1 small body
  • 4 prime lenses + 1 large telephot
  • laptop
  • memory cards, film, batteries, cords, etc.
  • laptop

This loaded it’s heavy.

The only downside may be that there is pressure on the laptop when fully loaded as the bag wraps around my body trying to curve the laptop. Is this bad for the laptop?

Two thumbs up for the Crumpler bag.

Harry