Portfolio

Blog

Instagram

20% off your first year of HoneyBook

Get 30% Off Your Annual Membership of Skillshare

Podcast Episodes on Apple Podcasts

My Photography Gear

Where I get my music for the podcast

Transcript
My most used editing software is Adobe Lightroom Classic. Don't get that confused with Adobe Lightroom. Adobe Lightroom Classic is more robust and feature rich compared to Adobe Lightroom, which is catered to mobile users or users looking for a more streamlined approach to photo editing that can sync across multiple devices.

For photography, it's what i started with when I started editing my photos on a computer. I've grown with it and I've been impressed by how much power and technology Adobe has stuffed into the software.

...

After some time though, i've found software that added to what i can create along with Adobe Lightroom Classic. Two of those is Adobe Photoshop and Luminar.

I've been using Photoshop for a little less than two decades. I originally started using it to make graphics for my MySpace page, but I got hooked on the possibilities I had with photo manipulation in Photoshop.

Since then, I found software like Luminar 4, and recently Luminar AI, that allowed me to do some of the things I would do in Photoshop but in a fraction of the time, like sky replacements and beauty retouching. Photoshop is still a huge part of my workflow, but Luminar has allowed me to take some of my time back.

If a photo calls for some specific, time consuming adjustments, like when I'm shooting beauty campaigns with my partner who's a makeup artist, I'll throw the photos in Luminar AI after my initial edits in Lightroom Classic to add a bit of pop.

...

Another great bit of software I recently implanted in my workflow, suggested by John over at John Branch IV Photography on YouTube, is JPG Mini Pro. It's a simple software that does one thing very well. It compresses JPGs without sacrificing image quality.

Why I'd implore you to use this software is because you don't want to send your client huge files when it's not necessary. It's an extra bit of convenience you're offering your clients that separates you from the rest of the pack.

After I'm done with my exports from Lightroom, I'll throw those photos into JPG Mini Pro and let it run. I usually won't need to compress any files because they're already pretty small in storage size by the time I export them, but just in case, I'll still do my thing with JPG Mini Pro.

...

Before we get to the last section of this episode, please follow me on Instagram @rich_photog, that r-i-c-h-underscore-p-h-o-t-o-g

If you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner will guide you along your journey with us.

If you're a small business or know someone who is starting their own small business and needs photography or videography, please send them our way so we can best serve them and you.

...

The last software I'd like to share isn't actually photo editing software, but it is integral to the editing process. That software is culling software. I use two of them. I use Optyx and Photo Mechanic.

These softwares allow me to separate and categorize photos before I get them into Lightroom. I have enjoyed using Optyx since last year because of it's AI software that easily groups photos that are similar to each other. It also has the power to identify faces and make labeling decisions based on parameters I set, such as sharpness and happy faces.

I use Photo Mechanic because of it's power when it comes to meta data management and quickness in viewing photos.

Without these two applications, the process in which i select my photos would take hours I could be spending actually editing or working on other projects.

Portfolio

Blog

Instagram

20% off your first year of HoneyBook

Get 30% Off Your Annual Membership of Skillshare

Podcast Episodes on Apple Podcasts

My Photography Gear

Where I get my music for the podcast

Transcript
The first way I make money as a photographer is by photographing weddings. It's my most lucrative source of income.

As a new photographer, you can get started photographing weddings by offering your services as an assistant or second shooter for photographers whose style inspires you.

You can also, during the beginning of your career in order to build a portfolio, offer to photograph weddings of friends for little to no cost. All you require is the rights to use those images for your portfolio. The biggest disclaimer is you definitely have to tell your couple you're just beginning this journey and you may not have as much expertise in wedding photography as a more seasoned photographer. Set the stage so your clients know what to expect. You may even meet or blow past their expectations.

You can listen to episodes 19 to 22 of this podcast for details on equipment you'd need to photograph your weddings along with lighting tips and suggestions.

...

The second way I make money as a photographer is by offering portraiture and headshot services.

To build your portfolio, if that's the avenue you'd like to follow, I'd highly recommend finding local facebook groups with other photographers, models, or anybody else who you can collaborate with. Each party involved gets something out of the agreement. Everybody gets photos for their portfolios and connections to some really great people.

I now have the opportunity to work on short films as a sound technician and director of photography because of someone I met in a facebook group.

...

Before we get to the last section of this show, please follow me on Instagram @rich_photog, that r-i-c-h-underscore-p-h-o-t-o-g

If you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner will guide you along your journey with us.

If you're a small business or know someone who is starting their own small business and needs photography or videography, please send them our way so we can best serve them and you.

Let's get back to the show.

...

The third way I make money as a photographer is by working with other small businesses to fulfill their photography and videography needs.

In the beginning of 2020, I started offering reoccurring services for small businesses who needed what we at Richard J Nieves Photography provide on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis.

At first, due to the state of the world at the time, i didn't get a-lot of traction, but I have since started working with small businesses I found on instagram and from my own connections.

If this is something you want to do, the best advice I can offer is to not be afraid to pitch yourself to companies. They may need your services, and if you enter their world at just the right time, you may spark a lucrative relationship. Send an email or find their social media accounts. Instagram has been very useful for contacting companies who may need photography or videography.

...

Lastly, I implore you to say yes to the jobs that come your way that you want to do, but you may fear you're not up to the task. Don't doubt yourself. You've put in the work to learn this craft. You've put in the time to listen to people like me who want you to learn and succeed.

Take that fear of making a mistake and turn it into the fuel that makes you get the job done. Never refuse work because you feel like you're not good enough. You most certainly are.

Portfolio

Blog

Instagram

20% off your first year of HoneyBook

Get 30% Off Your Annual Membership of Skillshare

Podcast Episodes on Apple Podcasts

My Photography Gear

Where I get my music for the podcast

Transcript
TTL stands for "Through The Lens" metering. Like I stated in episode 21, it is a setting that allows your speed light to communicate with your camera and base your exposure off their combined measuring of ambient light. It detracts the work you have to put into exposing your photo.

TTL has one goal, to light your subject as well as possible. That's fantastic when you're shooting quick moments that need that extra bit of oomph in the exposure.

It's great for new wedding photographers who's priority is the client's satisfaction with their photos. The need to perfectly light a scene is put in the back pocket when the hug with the best grandma in the world and a bride is lit well enough that it can be delivered and get a reaction.

Since the priority of TTL is to expose the subject well, the background exposure takes a hit. TTL doesn't care if the background is well exposed. That is something that can be adjusted in post. It's up to you where you set your compromises. If that's an issue, you can always manually set your flash power if you know what you're doing.

Since there is that bit of control taken away by using TTL, you may feel like part of your artistic pedigree is lessened. I assure you, it is not. You are as much of an artist as you were before you decided to use TTL. You may feel like you are less of a photographer because you use TTL. Again, I assure you, you are as much of a photographer as one who dials in their settings.

Before we discuss one last bit about TTL flash units, I'd like to ask you to please follow me on Instagram @rich_photog, that r-i-c-h-underscore-p-h-o-t-o-g

If you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner will guide you along your journey with us.

...

One more thing to consider when using a flash unit with TTL is those units are more expensive than their manual counter parts. Depending on the brand, prices may be drastically different between units. Again, that's your call to make. I would always opt for a unit with TTL because I can always take the reins when I feel the need to.