SkipCohenUniversity
  • The Gateway
  • Faculty
    • Becker
    • David Beckstead
    • Clay Blackmore
    • Barbara Bordnick
    • Scott Bourne
    • Doug Box
    • John Paul Caponigro
    • Bryan Caporicci
    • Michele Celentano
    • Sal Cincotta
    • Cody Clinton
    • Bob Coates
    • Jane Conner-ziser
    • Michael Corsentino
    • Bob and Dawn Davis
    • Dixie Dixon
    • J.P. Elario
    • Joe Farace
    • Deanne Fitzmaurice
    • Hanson Fong
    • Mike Fulton
    • Jim Garner
    • Zach and Jody Gray
    • Rich Harrington
    • Gregory Heisler
    • Lou Jones
    • Tim Kelly
    • Don Komarechka
    • Julieanne Kost
    • Kevin Kubota
    • Tamara Lackey
    • Bobbi Lane
    • Justin and Mary Marantz
    • Charles and Jennifer Maring
    • Joe McNally
    • Dustin Meyer
    • Lori Nordstrom
    • Michael ONeill
    • Stacy Pearsall
    • Sandy Puc'
    • Arthur Rainville
    • Seth Resnick
    • Jen Rozenbaum
    • Dane Sanders
    • Ryan Schembri
    • John Sexton
    • Adam Sherwin
    • Louise and Joseph Simone
    • Ken Sklute
    • Brian Smith
    • Matthew Jordan Smith
    • Eddie Tapp
    • Roberto Valenzuela
    • Nick Vedros
    • Kirk Voclain
    • Beverly and Tim Walden
    • Yervant
    • Moshe Zusman
  • SCU Blog
    • Guest Posts
  • Videos/Showcases
    • Luminary Corner
    • The Marathon Center
    • Profoto Showcase
    • ProShow Annex
    • Tamron Theater
    • Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work
    • Suzette Allen
    • Clay Blackmore
    • Scott Bourne
    • John Paul Caponigro
    • Bob Carey's Tutu Project
    • Michele Celentano
    • Sal Cincotta
    • Dean Collins
    • Bob Davis: Lighting
    • Dixie Dixon
    • Bruce Dorn
    • Zach and Jody Gray
    • Rich Harrington and Rhed Pixel
    • Gregory Heisler and Profoto
    • Kristen Jensen
    • Lou Jones
    • Julieanne Kost: Lightroom 4
    • Vincent Laforet
    • Bobbi Lane
    • Annie Leibovitz
    • "Live Forever" - A Must Watch Classic
    • Charles and Jennifer Maring
    • Mary Ellen Mark: Profoto Icon Series
    • Steve McCurry
    • Nick's Picks
    • Arthur Rainville
    • Jen Rozenbaum - Boudoir
    • Matthew Jordan Smith
    • TED Talks
    • Art Wolfe
    • Zig Ziglar Classics
    • Monte Zucker
    • Moshe Zusman
  • Podcasts
  • About Us
  • Partners
    • Illuminati
    • Lumix G
    • Marathon
    • Photodex
    • Profoto
    • Shutter Magazine
    • Sprout Studio
    • Tamron

The Ingredients that Make a Great Photographer

9/20/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Skip Cohen

A couple of years ago I was doing a project for PDN. My assignment was to do a short interview with Kirk Voclain about what makes great senior portraits. He's one of the top senior photographers in the country and does some amazing work with high school seniors.  These kids love their first real experience with a professional photographer and he does everything in his power to make it memorable.

I remember hanging up the phone and thinking about the qualities that make great photographers, in addition to a sense of humor! I've worked with hundreds of different photographers in my career, including the recent SCU Summer Session Faculty and there are some powerful common denominators.

We already know how clients define satisfaction and being happy with their photographer, but what about from the industry side?  How do we as photographers, manufacturers, advertisers and vendors define a great photographer?

  1. Enthusiasm and Passion:  It has to be virtually unmatched.  Spend five minutes talking to Kirk and you know he sets the standard.
  2. Willingness to Share: There can be no secrets.  Think about the best workshops/programs you've attended.  The speakers all shared their "secrets", presenting ideas that have worked to elevate their work and business.  The old expression of secrets to success are never held back and openly given to you for your own application and use.
  3. A Thorough Understanding of Photography:   When Kirk picks up his camera there's no hesitation in knowing the results.  It's all thanks to his foundation in film.  And for those of you that think film is a four letter word, right up there with the "F-bomb" you're missing the point.  Kirk gets the shot the first time and his images look great, right out  the can!  He's not spending hours cleaning up his images.  I've heard him talk about teaching and taping up the back of the cameras so his students can't "chimp".  Once their panic subsides, they're able to pay attention to their subjects and focus on the expressions not the exposures.
  4. Confidence:  I was blown away by the fact that Kirk only takes six images in each outfit.  SIX!  Not a couple hundred variations of the same smile - but six images in 3-4 wardrobe changes, with a presentation of 18-30 final images!   And every image is different - not a series of slight variations on a quest for the ultimate smile.   He knows he's got the shot the minute he clicks the shutter.  In those moments when he knows he missed it, because of a blink or maybe his exposure was off, he'll re-shoot it.
  5. The Ability to Communicate:  In one 15 minute call I got everything I needed to write my assignment, because there wasn't one second of hesitation with any of the questions I asked.

So, go back to thinking about your favorite presentations and the photographers who you love to listen to.  They were passionate. They were confident.  They understood photography, the topic they were presenting and they could communicate.  Most important of all they were willing to share what they've learned to help you.  No secret ingredients - just a bunch of great people who believe in giving back.

I've often said I'm the luckiest guy in the photo industry.  I've worked with some amazing photographers and have an incredible network of talented friends and consider Kirk one of them.  Check out his faculty page here on SCU and follow the link to his site to see more great images.

Jim Collins, business author and theorist said it best:

"The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step."

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Need Help With Pricing?

    It's not rocket science and profit isn't a dirty word. Bad pricing is one of the most critical mistakes artists make.

    Help is just a click  away. Check out the previews for Skip's Lynda.com series on "Starting a Photography Business" and "Pricing."

    "Why?"

    Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're coming up on 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.

    Categories

    All
    Beyond Technique
    Building Your Business
    Business
    EDU10
    Fast Food Friday
    Guest Post
    Humor And Sarcasm
    In The News
    Lighting
    Lumix
    Marketing
    Miscellaneous
    Motivational
    One Step At A Time
    Photodex
    PhotoShelter
    Podcasts
    Profoto
    Sales
    Social Media
    Sunday Morning Reflections
    Tamron
    Technique
    Throwback Thursday
    Wedding Photography
    Why?

    Authors

    Skip Cohen is President of SCU, founder of Marketing Essentials International and past president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI. He's been an active participant in the photographic industry since joining Hasselblad USA in 1987 as president.  He has co-authored six books on photography and actively supports dozens of projects each year involving photographic education.

    Scott Bourne

    Scott Bourne was the first Dean of Marketing at SCU. He helped to establish this blog as a resource for aspiring and working professional photographers. He's an educator, artist, author and from time to time you'll see his name on guest posts that are always relevant to photography and marketing!

    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

Professional Education for Wedding & Portrait Photographers
✕