Racecar Driver Portrait Session

keith204 · Feb 24, 2008

This is the first driver portrait session thus far. I have many hookups, and can likely get more of these sessions in the future. Please tell me things you like as well as things you'd do different in the future!

1) Simple shot of the car

2) Day 2 of owning a lensbaby 2.0

3) The only shot where Chris smiled...turned out well.

4) I told him to pose like that, and the other people gave him the towel...that will be a tough Photoshop job.

5) A 100% crop of this one is unbelievably sharp, and was taken with my cheapest lens...the amazing 50mm f/1.8

6) last...least? you decide.

I am a beginner, and am not sure how to deal with people during a photo shoot. This time, they basically had a family reunion...all kinds of people there to witness the experience...pretty weird, but it was super fun.

yardism · Feb 24, 2008

I like #5 the best. Even without seeing his eyes, I get a sense of his personality.

KristinaS · Feb 24, 2008

#5 and #6 for me. Good job with these!

kundalini · Feb 24, 2008

You know what would have been really cool with #5? Have a another car streaking pass in the reflection of his shades.

Anelle · Feb 25, 2008

I really like these!

Number three only opens half way so I can only see the top half!

Number 4 is really cool... I wonder what it would look like with a different crop - taking more off the top so that the car is in the top 1/3?

Anelle

bellacat · Feb 25, 2008

i think #5 is my fav and i love the nice reflection in the lenses but it would have been top notch if there was another race car reflected in his lenses.

DBlack · Feb 25, 2008

6 is the best. I would have had the car up just a wee bit closer. Nicely done!

keith204 · Feb 25, 2008

kundalini said:
You know what would have been really cool with #5? Have a another car streaking pass in the reflection of his shades.

bellacat said:
i think #5 is my fav and i love the nice reflection in the lenses but it would have been top notch if there was another race car reflected in his lenses.

mstephens · Feb 25, 2008

keith204 said:

thats great!!! love this one.

keith204 · Feb 26, 2008

Thanks TPF.

Now, what would you charge for a session like this? There were about 80 photos in this shoot. I charged $300 and am just giving them the RAW and JPEG files. Is this too expensive? Too cheap?

Anelle · Feb 26, 2008

Keith, I think one needs to decide what market you are going for! I will never, ever give out my RAW files (but that is just me). As for selling digital prints: every photographer must make that decision for him or herself. I don't like doing that because I prefer having control over the print quality of photos that have my name attached to them. However I will consider selling a digital CD at a very handsome price to clients once they have ordered for a certain amount. I do however give a CD with web quality files to my customers for use on their blogs etc. These all have my name displayed in the corner!

Did you edit all 80 shots? How long did it take you? How long was the session? Did you charge a session fee?

If you edited the 80 shots you are making about $3.75 a shot... that is very little for the time that goes into shooting and editing...

Work out how much you earned an hour (including the session, the edits, saving the files, copying to disk etc.) Then decide if you would do any other job for that wage...

A lot of photographers start out undercharging and then they either realize that and recalculate their prices or else they go under...

Just my 2c worth.

Anelle

keith204 · Feb 26, 2008

Anelle said:
Keith, I think one needs to decide what market you are going for! I will never, ever give out my RAW files (but that is just me). As for selling digital prints: every photographer must make that decision for him or herself. I don't like doing that because I prefer having control over the print quality of photos that have my name attached to them. However I will consider selling a digital CD at a very handsome price to clients once they have ordered for a certain amount. I do however give a CD with web quality files to my customers for use on their blogs etc. These all have my name displayed in the corner!

Did you edit all 80 shots? How long did it take you? How long was the session? Did you charge a session fee?

If you edited the 80 shots you are making about $3.75 a shot... that is very little for the time that goes into shooting and editing...

Work out how much you earned an hour (including the session, the edits, saving the files, copying to disk etc.) Then decide if you would do any other job for that wage...

A lot of photographers start out undercharging and then they either realize that and recalculate their prices or else they go under...

Just my 2c worth.

Anelle

Thanks for the excellent response. I'm getting the idea I charged too little. That would be great if I am, because that gives me room to make more. Here are some facts/answers.

I am not confident in the quality of my work...because I keep looking at the pictures, and keep thinking of what I would have done different next time. Maybe I'm over analyzing?
Hours Spent: So far, I've spent about 4 hours on this project, including the shoot, and editing.
Editing: I took about 150 shots, and went through and found 80 keepers. Maybe I should narrow this down even more. But, about 20 of those pics are group shots of family by the car. ALL of the 80, I checked levels, and adjusted if needed. Only 10 or so, I did something simple, like with coloring, and in only 1, I did something big (the reflection in sunglasses). Maybe I should heavily edit more? Come up with some really creative things, and really have some cool edited copies? I'm always hesitant about too much editing, and like to do most of my work before the sensor. I'm fluent in Photoshop, so maybe I should utilize that.
RAW - I didn't tell them they'd get raw files, so maybe I should just ship the JPEGs...
Undercharging/Overcharging: Currently, I am a full time university student. I make $11 an hour at my part-time job doing some programming. So, making $50 an hour taking pictures, is definitely worth it! However, I also am getting busy, so I need to be managing my prices effectively, so I make the most out of each job, without overcharging.
What market? So far, this was probably my favorite photo opportunity. Currently, driver portrait photography in the area simply doesn't exist. I don't know ANY drivers who have portraits like this...yet there are 8 race tracks in a 30 mile radius. Surely I can gain more clients, if I manage this right...but how?

Anyway, if you could respond to some of these thoughts, that'd be super! Thanks again for the response.

JerryPH · Feb 26, 2008

I like the subject (cars!), and I know you have a LOT of passion and potential, Keith. I saw and really liked your cage fight pics, at least the ones you shared.

BTW, you do know that it is easier to critique than to actually follow the advice and do it, yes? (haha)

Having said that, how could I say that I would improve the pics?

1 - Too much sky, also get closer... I want to see the car, not the scenery.

2 - Either blur more or less of the car. The bumper blurs looks accidental. Again, get closer or further. A shot of the car REALLY blurred and the numbers tack sharp would be awesome!

3 - Good smile, but body parts are missing down low. If you do cut, cut mid joint, not at the joints (they look handicapped if you are not careful). Arm and leg could be better placed to let us see his number and name on the car.

4 - A touch too much sky... chopped front bumper, but that compostion is awesome! Again, I would want to see his name and number on the car. Maybe even angle it a few degrees more aggressively? I would likely crop out most of that sun... the asphaly infront of the car adds a lot to the pic. This is where the car gets it on!

5 - Composition is interesting, but part of his head and neck are missing. Either zoom out a little to get the whole head... or my personal suggestion... zoom right in till his glasses are about 1/2 the screen and I would have LOVED to see his car reflected in his glasses!

6 - Great shot.. but part of his had and shoulders are missing! I love the colours in his glasses, and the bokeh of his car is perfect while still being able to clearly make out his numbers.

Additional note: The traditional 3/4 shots of the car from front and rear are classic car shot poses. Dont be afraid to abuse those and maybe add to it by using a tilt that adds an aggressive flavor to the pic. Now, again, it could be my monitor, but though I feel that all pics are properly exposed and well focused, they could be improved with a few more percentage points of smart sharpening in Photoshop, or similar.

Take my CC as being from someone that is nothing more than an enthisuastic amateur, Keith!

Atropine · Feb 27, 2008

keith204 said:

Good idea except for the fact that the reflection should be mirrorized (?). What's the deal with race drivers and shades btw? I've also been shooting a lot of drivers around the race tracks here in Sweden and they always wear shades. :lol: