Woo! Finally, Part 3 of this series! Just a quick recap, this series is made with the aspiring photographer in mind who wishes to make the switch from being a hobbyist to becoming a professional photographer who takes on commercial works.
Go here for Part 1 of this series. Go here for Part 2 of this series.
DISCLAIMER: In this 3-parter, I will share with you some tips and tricks which I have picked up during my transition from being a hobbyist cosplay photographer to a commercial photographer. However, I still keep true to the spirit of The Art of Mezame by planning and executing conceptual commercial photoshoots with corporate clients and couples who want to have a unique fantasy pre-wedding photoshoot. I also gave a talk at ShootBKK on this series during my recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand.
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- Be organized and get your work out
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- Use the right software – I personally use Capture One Pro because it is easy to create a library of images and sort out my raw files
- Speaking of Capture One Pro 12, I have some good news! Here are some fantastic offers for you. Buy any of the following product and get the Film Style Pack (worth USD$69.00) for FREE!:
- Make sure your website is not cluttered and easy to navigate (I highly recommend using SmugMug to build your website or portfolio online!)
- Take advantage of social media channels
- Invest in a tablet like an iPad Pro – good to keep your portfolio or marketing deck handy
- Have a business card; make sure it has a clean design with your contact details – ugly designs usually won’t be kept
- Have a proper workflow – where you keep your files and folders matters; invest in cloud solutions like Dropbox
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- Keep practising
- If you can afford a camera and lights, set them up at home and keep on practicing – all you need is a small space (it can be challenging but it can be done)
- Experiment, try new things, fail, repeat till succeed
- Embrace failure
- Listen to constructive criticism
- Don’t be too bothered with praises – they are nice to hear but beware of having a big ego as it will get you nowhere
- Finding inspiration
- I draw my inspirations from
- Looking at artworks in museums
- Talking to random strangers
- Daydreaming
- Watching movies
- From reading comic books and novels
- Listening to music
- I also draw inspirations from the following channels:
- DIYPhotography: I owe it to this website for helping me get my works out there; they have got some very interesting articles that get you started with photography
- Pinterest: The algorithm on this app makes it a joy to find inspiration
- Instagram: I tend to avoid the Insta-look where everyone slaps filters on their images but there are some quality accounts out there that can inspire you
- Fstoppers: I love the articles that get posted here – some of them are inspiring
- Petapixel: Just like Fstoppers, you can find inspirational stories here
- I draw my inspirations from
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Where to find resources for learning and creating
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Raw Exchange International: Lots of very helpful tutorials, backplates, brushes, etc. that can help you if you choose to do digital composites on Photoshop
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Capture One blog: Phase One has started a blog that really helps you in getting your feet wet for using Capture One
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Strobist101: I owe to this blog site for my fundamentals in lighting techniques
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The Art of Mezame Academy: A sanctuary I founded for learning; suitable for anyone who wants to learn Capture One basics
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- Be organized and get your work out
And that’s it for Part 3 of this series. I hope this series has been beneficial for you guys. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mezame@theartofmezame.com. Cheers!
