hiring a photographer

Perfect Business Headshot is worth $1,000

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Nineteen-year-old US tennis player Serena Williams holds her Jack Russell terrier named ‘Jackie’ after a morning practice session in 2001.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Would you pay $1,000 for a business headshot?

The Wall Street Journal published an article about the value of professionally done business headshots for people seeking a career boost. (This alternative link doesn’t have the photos included in the original article but that’s actually a good thing. The glaring irony of the original article about the value of headshots is that the headshot examples are rather plain or poorly done.)

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What makes a photographer good?

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A portrayal of an amateur photographer at work, circa 1907. “Kodack” was spelled wrong intentionally. (George W. Spencer / US Library of Congress)

What makes a photographer good?

Getting pictures in focus? Having proper exposure? Good colour balance? Accurate flash exposure?

It’s none of those things because cameras have auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto colour balance and auto flash exposure.

Producing technically perfect photos does not make a photographer good. So what’s left?

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Barbers and Photographers

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Customers shop in the canned food aisle at a Dominion grocery store in Dorval, Quebec, circa 1950s-1960s. (Chris Lund / National Film Board of Canada / Library and Archives Canada)

If you’re new in town and need to buy groceries, you can go to any supermarket because they all sell the same products and same brands. Most supermarkets even have the same store layout. So people usually shop at whatever grocery store is closest to them.
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Guess The Job

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Guessing a job based on its description is a game used for helping people learn English or just for fun.

Can you guess this job based on this real description:

• Repetitive and frequent standing, seeing, sitting, walking, and driving up to eight hours per day.

• Holding five pounds in one hand for five minutes.

• Repetitive hand and arm movements needed to type and write.

• Occasional bending, stooping, squatting, lifting, twisting and carrying are necessary to perform job functions.
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Photography Speedometer

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Does a camera have a speedometer?

I received a request a few days ago to photograph a Toronto conference later this month. The event organizer said they expected the photographer to deliver a minimum of 125 pictures per hour. Huh?
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Photography By The Minute

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Someone emailed earlier this week to say they needed a photographer to cover a business workshop in Toronto. Seven guest speakers will each be giving a presentation and then there will be a panel discussion with all seven.

The event wanted pictures of just the panel discussion because it’ll be the only time that all seven speakers are onstage together. The panel discussion is expected to last an hour depending on how many questions are asked by the audience.

The event person said they needed “only a few” photos of each speaker, the overall stage and the audience. They asked for a quote for “just 15 minutes of your time.”

Where to begin?
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