Q: What is this and why aren’t you responding to me personally?
A: We set up this little FAQ for a number of reasons… and we plan to add to it as time goes on. We’d ask that as you read this you please consider that as someone who relies on this business and info to pay my mortgage, giving away business advice and photography help is a tricky proposition, particularly with those of you that I may know personally. Since we receive several emails a week requesting info, we thought that this would be the best way to be helpful while saying what we’d like to say and having something easily accessible…
Q: Do you do workshops/lessons?
A: Yes! Although very rarely. In the past we have taken part in the amazingly awesome (Genesis Workshop)… It’s a fantastic learning opportunity. We occasionally do 1-on-1 workshops, but they’re mostly in the off season. We are always in talks to do workshops in the future.
Q: Where did you get your website/blog?
A: Our site is a custom design from the amazing RAWfolio crew. For a long time we messed around with a variety of homemade sites, since I have a background in design. When I discovered RAWfolio, we were finally able to get what was in our heads online. Check out RAWfolio and feel free to use our discount code: HOFFER11 to save yourself 10%.
Q: How did you get started in photography / How should I start?
A: Photography started as a hobby for me (Tony), like it does for many. As I started taking paid jobs, I found myself spending immense amounts of time entrenched in books, manuals and more. I’d imagine that many of you are in that place. As work picked up, I spent a long time basically doing two full time jobs.
I always offer one piece of advice to any photographer wanted to start a photography business: Running a photography business is much more ‘Running a business’ and much less ‘Photography’ than you probably planned for. Many jump in head over heels because of the easy entry into the field. For the same reason, most fail shortly after. I’d encourage any new photographers to treat this business like you would any other. Sit down and make a business plan, think through expenditures, future earnings, future employees, up front costs, time commitments, delegating work, ect. I’d also encourage any new business to meet with an accountant/lawyer as soon as possible and to get all of those affairs in order up front. Trust me when I say that I understand this isn’t a fun thing to do, but it is exactly why most businesses fail. Having these things in order allows you to earn income doing what you love. Without them, you’ll be the best free photographer around :)
Q: Can I assist/2nd shoot for you?
A: We don’t currently offer any 2nd shooting positions, however we do have an internship program. Our internships are yearly and information is available on our blog and Facebook page when the time comes (typically early in the year).
Q: What makes your photos so crisp?
A: Having great equipment helps, but careful study of depth of field, light, space and aperture choices is more important than anything in producing the final product. The sharpness of a photo often has a lot more to do with these choices than with anything else.
Q: How do you do your editing?
A: We edit almost all of our work using Adobe Lightroom 4 & Adobe Photoshop. About 95% of what you see is all done in Lightroom, and we’ll sometimes throw a file into Photoshop to finish it off or do some cosmetic changes. If you’re interested in more information on how we deal with our images post-shoot, feel free to check out our Workflow DVD, which touches on that and much more.
Q: What equipment do you use and why?
A: We use Canon gear. We’ve tried all the lenses they offer for the most part, and here are our favorites. Keep in mind that these are based entirely on our style of shooting as well as the things that we shoot. I’d recommend these and a few things that aren’t on here. If it’s not on this list, there’s probably a reason we don’t use it…
Camera Bodies
3 – Canon 5D Mark III – The best wedding camera we’ve ever used
Canon 5D Mark II – A slower, cheaper older brother of the Mark III, with nearly the same image quality
Lenses:
Sigma 15mm fisheye – for cool wide angle effects
Canon 16-35 2.8 – The best wide angle zoom lens for Canon
Canon 24 1.4 – Great in low light and still pretty wide
Canon 35 1.4 – Excellent color and contrast, very fast. Tony’s favorite lens
Canon 45 TS/E – For interesting focus effects
Sigma 50 1.4 – As good as any Canon 50, including Canon’s 1.2
Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II – Great lens for low light versatility
Canon 85 1.2 – A beast of a lens that’s slow but excellent
Canon 135 2.0 – Great color and contrast straight out of camera
Canon 100 2.8 Macro – The sharpest lens ever
Lights:
Canon 600 EX-RT
Paul C. Buff Einsteins
Cybersync transmitters
Q: What should I do to set up my business?
A: Consult an accountant and a lawyer for advice and help setting up a business… I don’t feel at all qualified to give advice on either of these and my butt has been saved by my accountant. I’ve paid lots of unnecessary money as a result of not being willing to spend money up front on skilled professionals… I won’t make that mistake again. Neither should you :)
Q: What are the best ways to attain/build business?
A: The easiest way is to be really good at one of the following: Taking Photos, Marketing your Photos. That’s the best answer I can give you. If you want help with those, see question #2!