KLK PHOTOGRAPHY: BEGINNER'S WORKSHOP!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

$325

11am - 4pm

Irvine, CA

Please RSVP by emailing me at kristi@klkphotography.com

The Importance of Connecting: Jesh De Rox & Dane Sanders

First off, thank you to all who joined Paul and I for our BBQ a little over a week ago. It was so great getting to know each of you more. I look forward to launching "the photo attic" this summer, thank you all for your interest and support and I look forward to our gathering. TBA soon!

I NEEDED to share this with you...


Jesh de Rox on AskDane from Dane Sanders on Vimeo.

I can't stress how influential Ask Dane is in my life, each time i listen to the thirty minute sessions, i learn so much on how to impact my business AND LIFE in such a positive way. This session was shared with the amazing Jesh de Rox, please take the time to listen, one of the most important lessons in life. And you get spoiled with over a 60 min session ;)

Thank you Dane and Jesh!!! Two of the most giving and real individuals i know, but have yet to officially meet...you guys are unbelievable and I hope amazing blessings come your way today and always.

Gatherings on hold until mid June!

I will update the blog when my life (hopefully) returns back to semi-normal by mid-June! I am looking forward to seeing you all again and having our gatherings back, thanks so much for your patience during this busy destination season and Paul and I are finally married!!! WOOHOO!!! :)

Become a Better Photographer by Taking Fewer Shots

EDITOR’S NOTE: Guest post by Jason Anderson, Canonblogger.com.

“Okay, I’m done.”

“That’s it? You’ve only been shooting for ten minutes!”

“Yep, got about 50 shots, I should have 4-6 proofs for you from that bunch.”

“So we’re done?”

“Pretty much…I mean I can keep shooting, but there’s really no point, it’ll just be duplicates of the same stuff.”

This was the dialog I had with a co-worker a short time ago when I went to take pictures of her son. It is indicative of a mentality that exists in society…not only is size king, but so is quantity. If you were to take two photographers and set them side by side, who would you think is a better photographer: the one who took 40 shots or the one who took 400? Many of the general public would probably respond by saying the latter, without giving it much thought. When it comes down to it though, people can recognize inferior quality no matter how many shots you put in front of them, so it’s a good idea to slow down, take your time and not only get it right in camera, but get it right once (or twice), but know when you have it and stop!

The same holds true in your post processing as well.  I know of several studios that just inundate their clients with hundreds of shots to choose from. They can’t understand why these clients never get any prints or very few prints from the studio. They think that people like to have a choice, and that the more choices you give them, the better. While the idea is not without merit, (because choice is a good thing) it can go to an extreme… that is where some trends are going. The reason why they are not getting prints done is because too many choices can also be paralyzing. If presented with 4 options, it is very easy to pick out which one you like best, whether it’s cars, cameras, televisions or photos. Presented with 400 options, the choice becomes more difficult and time consuming, primarily because you become concerned over picking the “wrong one”.

My perspective, in contrast, is to deliver just a select few shots. It makes the choices easier for the client. In a world where time is an increasingly valuable commodity, getting bogged down in sorting through hundreds of images trying to find one or two to print and hang can be more frustrating and lead to inaction. In essence it’s like you are transferring the process of elimination part of the work flow from your hands to the client. This has several downsides with minimal upsides. The one upside is that “Hey, the client chose this, not me.” can absolve you of responsibility for getting a bad shot framed. I would venture to ask though: why was a bad shot among the choices?

As I told a friend via email recently, it also comes to one of work flow management. Which would you rather deal with as a photographer – a work flow where you process 50 images or 500 images? The argument that “it’s digital, so what’s the big deal?” always seems to get under my skin a little bit. For me, the big deal is that some are going out there and not putting much time or thought into capturing the essence of a scene. They just lift the camera, point in the general direction of what they want and just fire away. I’ve actually heard the term “spray and pray” used for such shooters. The idea of slowing down and taking your time to both enjoy the moment and to really take into consideration all the nuances of things like lighting, shadows, and minimizing distractions has benefits. For me, the benefits far outweigh the downsides. First, it is a much more enjoyable situation to be in. Not only do you have fewer images to process, but you can really take your time, pay attention to the detail, and get every nuance of the image pegged!

Second, you will probably find that you are less stressed yourself. You’re not worried about missing the shot because you didn’t have time to consider all the aspects – primarily because you are considering the nuances. Third, and most importantly, when you relax and aren’t stressed, your clients aren’t stressed either…a photographer and their subject often feed off each other. I have so much fun when taking pictures of subjects, I often forget that I am there for a specific reason – we’re enjoying the moment.

That’s right…we are enjoying the moment – client and photographer! We’re laughing, and having fun, and I just happen to have a camera in hand recording it. Yeah, the first shots are often always a little awkward for them, but once they see my mug grinning over the camera at them and laughing and joking around, the stress level decreases by a factor of ten! When your client is less stressed, they photograph better! They are more willing to strike goofy (in their eyes) poses! You can capture the shot!

So, think about your workflow and how many shots you are taking.  By planning more and taking less, you can see increases in productivity threefold

1. Cut down on post processing (both for quantity and quality)
2. You stress less, and thus, your client stresses less.
3. You increase your keeper percentage!

That seems worth it to me – what about you?

Location Lighting Techniques with Joe McNally

Lighting Techniques from one of the worlds top shooters, Joe McNally


Here's the opportunity of a lifetime to spend the day with a legendary photographer regarded as one of the world's best shooters! Join Joe McNally, internationally acclaimed American photographer, long-time photojournalist, and author of the ground-breaking smash best-selling book (The Moment it Clicks) for the only photography lighting seminar tour of its kind.


Joe shares his lifetime of experience and his personal secrets to using off-camera flash and on-location lighting to easily and quickly create the look you see in professional publications. You'll see the whole process unfold right there in the class, as Joe shows you how to set-up, position, and control simple lighting that has a huge effect on your photography.

You'll learn the step-by-step process of going from bad to good light with just one flash, then working your way up to two or more flashes. You'll see the dramatic difference taking your flash off the camera makes. Then you'll learn the difference between the quality and quantity of light when using small flashes and studio lights. Joe will take you through a variety of lighting set ups with live demonstrations and you'll see first-hand how improving your lighting techniques can take your photography to a new professional level. This is your chance to learn the secrets of one of the world's most respected and admired photographers!

REGISTER TO ATTEND NOV 6th WORKSHOP HERE, see you there!