Okay, so you have read a few blogs and are wondering “what more is there?” Well, dear reader, I will tell you. There is a lot left. This is not just a teaching blog (yes, I do hold my Master of Fine Arts [MFA] in Photography and am a College Professor on the topic when I am not out photographing events in and around the Kansas City Metro Area), but it is in conjunction with the rest of the website; especially that of the Music Portfolio Page.
See, one thing that I feel is absolutely necessary is to teach what I practice, and likewise, practice what I teach. This is the core of what my teaching philosophy is. And the reason is simple; how am I to keep on top of current photographic trends and information if I don’t do the work myself? I know that there are always articles, YouTube videos, podcasts, etc. that I COULD quote from and add their knowledge to the blog, and sometimes you will see me do that. There is nothing wrong in that. HOWEVER, being able to do that, find that information is being able to learn it and then re-put that out here for you is only part of the goal of this page. Who knows if the information on that page is actually able to be done in real practice?
So I have taken it on my self to be that “tester” if you will, to see if that knowledge that others are trying to pass along in their blogs, how-to videos, etc. and see if it actually works (and how will it might work) in real life, under “professional” experiences (being mostly concert and sports photography, but I will use some of the techniques in my own personal artistic work, such as studio shots and my documentary work). This is so I have the knowledge that what I am giving you, dear reader, is the best and as practical information and tips humanly possible, to help streamline your photography experiences and allow you to have the best outcomes the first time.
Now this is not to say that you won’t still screw something up, that your images will be perfect from the get-go and you will never have a band image. Absolutely not. And even if I had that power, I wouldn’t use it. It is not because I am a selfish asshat or anything like that, but rather I want you to learn, and how we do that is from trial and error; and out of those trials and errors is what comes success.
As far as the information that is provided here, it might not be for everyone. One reader might find it stupid and that it might have NOTHING to do with what or how they shoot, and others might see it as a lifeline. If the information is not for you, and how you normally shoot, then by all means, skip it and see what else is here for you to possibly use. Or better yet, try and adapt that information into your style of shooting, or branch off and try something new! There is nothing wrong with attempting to gain more experiences from your every day shooting world.
With that in mind, Cold Pizza and Coffee is here as a quick reference to what might be out there in the photographic world and help open eyes to possibilities, to help work through some unfamiliar zones/issues with shooting and post production, and to answer any questions that people might have along the way. Sure, the info will be focused a little more on what I shoot (just like anyone who teaches anything tends to do, teach the areas that you know best) but don’t be afraid to ask about any topic within the world of photography, because I might have that answer for you or know quickly how to find the best answer out there.
So, one of the questions that I was asked a little while back (in person) was about printing and who do I go to do to my prints. This is a good question and a lot of photographers, especially new ones, are worried about this and trying to figure out what is what and who will give you the best product for your buck.
Personally, I keep everything in house. This means that no matter if I am shooting film OR digital, I am developing/editing my own stuff, scanning it in myself (if I am working in film), and printing my own work. I have an Epson SureColor P600 Photo Printer here in my office that I LOVE using. It gives off some of the most amazing quality prints that I have ever seen and I have personally printed off every image that I have used for exhibitions that I have had SINCE 2015/2016 with it. The reasons are for me that I know that everything will be done on time and correct, and if it is not correct, I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.
Now I know that for some people, getting a printer like this and doing everything in house is not an option. I understand that. So a few of the places that I am going to talk about next are ones that I have done research on and have found that the quality is pretty damn good.
For individual prints - I would HIGHLY recommend WHCC (what the letters stand for, I am not 100% for sure as my morning coffee that I am drinking while writing this has not kicked in just yet and it is the day after the world around me was lighting off fireworks until god knows when last night). The quality of print is some of the best out there and they have a great turn around time. WHCC also includes a lot of great paper and printing options, from large photographic prints to canvas wraps, to even prints that look like old Polaroid film (but still have the high quality of an image that you shot).
The drawback from using WHCC, is that you have to become a client of theirs, with a user name and password to even be able to order anything. It is not like what we had in the 80s and 90s when we could get prints from Walgreens and Wal-Mart like everyone else and their dog, WHCC is a top quality, professional print studio that does top grade work and they want to ensure that the people that are using them are top grade and top quality photographers (at least that is what I would imagine). They can also do things like books and cards and things like that, which if you are in something like the Wedding industry could be very helpful to give you a high quality edge over someone else in your area, but I have not gone into those printing options with WHCC so I cannot say the quality of those products. However, if they are anything like the regular photographic prints that they do, I am sure that you will be VERY pleased with what you order from there.
So now that we have covered that, let’s talk about something fun, other prints/promotional materials. You might be thinking “What is he talking about??? All I thought about was making beautiful prints of my work and that is it…” but wait, there’s more!
JakPrints is basically an all in one printing platform for almost everything else that you would need (outside of books, which we will get to later). I have used JakPrints several times, from my personal business cards to stickers (yes, THOSE stickers) to high quality glossy handbills for exhibitions. These guys are amazing, and provide top quality prints. I learned about this shop YEARS ago I believe during a Van Warped Tour stop in either Lawrence, KS or Bonner Springs, KS (so we are taking about anywhere from 1997-2002 era). ANY type of promotional goodies that you many need/want, and I repeat ANY TYPE, you can get printed here. Not only do they do the above mentioned stickers, business cards, and flyers, but they also go to VIP badges, banners, and yes, CLOTHING. You can do hat, shirts, hoodies, bags, underwear, and more for your photography business. Why is this so awesome and very important for you and your photography? Let me explain it to you.
Let’s say you are the best photographer in your market, hands down. Your images are second to none and your turn-around time is amazing, your customer service is top-notch, and all of that is great! Word may spread about you and you might get known through your community that way. And don’t get me wrong, it is a great feeling to know that people talk about your top quality work and how awesome you are at your job. However, that word of mouth can take forever sometimes to spread, and sometimes (maybe often times) people will hear about you, see your work, but then when they need a photographer for something, forget all about you because too much time has passed without them hearing your name. How do you fix this? BY GETTING MARKETING MATERIAL FOR YOURSELF. It really is that easy. (and yes, I do have a hat with my logo on it, the same logo that is on my stickers and the background of my business card).
The only draw back on using JakPrints (where there are two actually) is that first, you have to design the images yourself. Yes they have templates to help you out, but that is only to make sure that the size of your design fits accordingly. There are design studios out there to help if you don’t know how to create designs yourself, but those too cost money and personally I would rather use what money I have on the awesome products that that I can buy to help spread the name of Chris Ortiz Photography and Cold Pizza and Coffee (Yes, I learned a little design while in college, and trust me, it helps out a lot).
The other drawback is that you have to order in bulk. Now wait a minute here…bulk…what are you talking about? Are we talking about like Cost-Co’s 2 Gallon Mayonnaise buckets here that will take forever for someone to use/go through? It used to be yes. However, back in June JakPrints posted on their Facebook Page that some of those bulk orders are starting to go down. Prime example is their shirt ordering. They announced that they are now decreasing the number of shirts that you have to order as a minimum, from 24 down to 12. Now you might be sitting back in your chair thinking “what the hell am I going to do with 12 shirts with my logo on them? It is only me here!” Well, you know people, being your partner, a friend, parent, cousin, aunt or uncle, the homeless guy at the end of your block…who ever, and they could use a shirt…right? Why not? If they don’t like it or want it, they might flatter you a few times and wear it around you (think of the holiday season and that sweater your least favorite aunt used to make for you every year, and how you were forced to hold onto it and wear it around her until it got too small or in my case “lost”) and then maybe give it to a second-hand clothing store. That is not a bad thing. People buy clothing from there all the time that they might think looks cool, even if they might not know what it means. I have seen it happen all of the time (and for you music snobs out there, think of the “if you wear their shirt, name three songs that they do”). It is the same concept. Yes, it costs a bit of money, but if you have a good design people will remember you. Trust me, I am looking at my favorite water bottle sitting here on my desk, which is covered in stickers, and I remember where I got all but maybe 1 of the stickers from…and that one sticker I most likely got at my favorite record store. It is those kind of things that people remember more often then not, and it is that type of positive impression that will ensure that at least you at first, then maybe later your work, is remembered by the masses.
Last, what I want to talk about here today is photo books. Those are a crazy thing, and trust me it is awesome to see your work in any type of book format (being in a book you created yourself or a magazine by someone else). Where can you get a photo book done? Where there are a million and one places where you can look to, from the Publish on Demand/Do-it-yourself websites like Blurb and Lulu just to name a few (hell, even Amazon does Print-on-demand) to bigger named indie publishing houses like Peanut Press and Paper Chase (which are two of my favorites, Hi David and Ashly!) to some of the biggest names out there (like TASCHEN and the Aperture Foundation), it really boils down to what you want to do and what publishing house is best for your work.
The PoDs out there will publish anything, as long as you the work and money to do so (sometimes you don’t even need to have the money, the person paying for the book is also paying for the printing of it). The others that are not PoDs will go through a process before you can get your photography book published. The thing is, that most of them will screen your work, or rather go through it to make sure that the image quality or photographic quality is up to their standards AND is in the subject matter that they print. This is why it is a good idea to visit these websites and do your own research into what type of photography they work with PRIOR to submitting your proposal to them. It makes things a lot easier and doesn’t make you look like a dumbass for sending your work of concert photography to a publishing house that only deals with landscape photography. That just makes you look unprofessional. Also, as what David Carol said once in a Facebook post (and yes this may seem funny or obvious, but trust me it happens more often than not), make sure that you do your research into WHO you are sending the submission to. You want to make sure that you get the people that you are talking to and presenting your work to correct. You don’t want to say “Dear David and Alf” when there is no one at the publishing house named Alf. That, again, is very unprofessional and shows that you really haven’t invested the time and energy into researching for your book, and kind of makes it look like you don’t really care about your work, you just want a book, no matter what.
Books are cool and all, but make sure that you know who you are talking to and presenting your work to.
But peps, that is it in a nutshell for today. I hope that you find this bit of information useful, and as always, if you use someone that I did not mention above, please drop a note in the comments about the company, who they are and what they do and why you like them to help spread that word.