Shop Talk: What space are you in?
When you get a new digital camera, one of the bewildering number of options available to you in set up is to change the color space: sRGB, Adobe 1998, or even ProPhoto RGB (only certain cameras). Each of these has a wider color gamut than the last. That’s a fancy way to say that they [...]
Portland’s own Mad Man
Portland-area fans of the AMC cult-favorite drama Mad Men take heart. Due to the Mad Men Casting Call contest (a partnership between AMC and Banana Republic), you can get a shot at a guest appearance on the show. All it takes is some creativity, a camera and a devotion to 1960s-era coolness bordering on the [...]
From Portland to Portland: 4:33 minutes of fame
Last month I was honored to be among the first participants in a whirlwind cross-country video “road trip” of creatives stretching from Portland Maine to the other Portland, some 2,500 miles away, in Oregon. The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit organization that believes that copyright protection promotes creativity in any creative endeavor–writers to photographers, filmmakers [...]
The colors are coming
Here in Maine, autumn is a pretty special time of year. The leaves are turning brilliant colors, leaf-peepers on buses are chasing the peak colors as they move from Fort Kent down to Kittery and, somewhere, a photographer is taking killer photos. A couple of things that I know to be true: One, the fall [...]
Shop Talk: Looking Sharp
In Photoshop there are several different ways to sharpen your images. The two which I use routinely are quite different from each other, and are applied at opposite ends of my workflow. Again, I’d love to hear from other photographers who use methods other than those I’m describing. First, it’s important to understand that there [...]
Maine Photographer chosen for Photoshelter showcase
Kind of blowing my own horn here, but, well, this is pretty cool. I’m a member of Photoshelter, which provides website and e-commerce tools and markets the work of photographers worldwide. More than 60,000 photographers use the service, which is filled with all kinds of cool tools to help photographers help their clients. Each month [...]
Shop Talk: Black and White image conversions
This is the first in a regular series I’m calling ‘Shop Talk’. Basically, it’s a response to some of the questions I get, both from other photographers, friends…and our intern, Stepheney. Most of the tips will be Photoshop oriented, but they will also relate to workflow, archiving of image files, and other software that I [...]
Maine photographers give back with Flashes of Hope
I’ve gotta be one of the luckiest photographers in Maine. How do I know? Last week I was one of four photographers taking part in the Flashes of Hope shoot at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. More than a worthy cause, it’s a great way to give back to some amazing people. Kevin Brusie, a [...]
Copyright Alliance comes to Maine
Last month I got an interesting request from Patrick Ross, executive director of the Copyright Alliance. This is a non-profit organization that promotes the intellectual property rights of artists (not just photographers, but artists of all stripes). I recently wrote a post about the importance of copyright registration for photographers, and really am excited about [...]
Maine State Sales Tax 101 for photographers
After many years’ experience as working, professional photographer, I’m well-versed in the technical side of my craft. The largest part of my business isn’t photography, though–it’s business. You know, everything from marketing to maintaining my site to keeping records and doing taxes. That’s often where photography businesses either make it or break it. Whether you [...]
This is what real work looks like…
This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Susan Taylor of Simply Susies Catering, a Downeast vendor who has worked every wedding, BBQ, picnic and countless other types of events for 22 years up and down the coast. I spent just three hours with Susie and her crew, busy prepping for a family [...]
Architectural photography checklist makes things go smoothly
Architectural photography is both an art and a science. Much depends on details and it’s easy for clients to forget to ask key questions during the process of searching for the right photographer for their job. The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has a lot of resources dedicated to helping you choose the right [...]
Maine blueberries mean summer
Summer is when Mainers get out and get active. The warm season isn’t all that long here, and people around these parts waste no opportunity to get outside–even if that means parking it around a patio table on their front driveway. Recently I photographed organic Maine blueberries for an article on summer activities for families–picking [...]
Microstock: why it’s good (and bad)
Many professional photographers complain about the growth of microstock in the past few years–inexpensive stock images (costing as little as one to five dollars) from companies like istockphoto, shutterstock and BigStockPhoto. These images on average cost pennies to dozens of dollars to use and have become standard for businesses and web designers who don’t want [...]
Fitzgerald Photo at upcoming PUG
What is a pug? No, it’s not the curly-tailed, bug-eyed kind. PUGs (Pictage User Groups) are wedding and portrait photographers organized in local groups around the US. Most attendees are customers of Pictage (hence the name), a photo lab that is much, much more. Local PUG organizer Emilie of Emilie Inc. invited me and several [...]
Announcing: Aurora Photos
Aurora Photos. I’m pleased to announce that starting last week, I’ve become a contributor to Aurora Photos. What is Aurora? They are a very well-known photo agency that licenses and distribute unique, high-end imagery to clients around the world. They specialize in outdoor adventure, sports and lifestyle imagery and journalism. Started by National Geographic photographer [...]
Make your photo files immortal
What is a DNG file? Should I shoot RAW? I hear questions like these all the time from photographers and friends. It’s confusing out there, with each camera manufacturer using a different, proprietary type of RAW file. Sometimes the file type changes between cameras of the same manufacturer. How do you ensure that your files [...]
Meet the Maine Roller Derby
I recently worked with the ladies of the Maine Roller Derby on a project that resulted in some great images. I had a lot of fun shooting group and individual images of the group and can’t wait to shoot more of them in August. If you haven’t been to one of their bouts at the [...]
Copyright registration: why it matters
Misconceptions abound when it comes to copyright of intellectual property, especially photography. Photographers typically think that they automatically own the copyright to their work and thus are protected when their images are used without permission. This sense of security–while based in fact–is somewhat misplaced. A comprehensive discussion of copyright law is a topic for another [...]
Flashes of Hope
I’ve been looking forward to July for quite some time now. Only recently, however, did I get official word that I’d be part of this year’s Flashes of Hope event at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. Hundreds of professional photographers from around the country donate their time and talent to take portraits of children with [...]
Reach for branding success
“Branding” is one of those words that seem to be applied to everything, and with good reason. Every bit of text, every graphic, every image that conveys both positive and negative information about your company or your person is affecting your ‘brand’. Are you still using that two-year-old portrait to represent you or your business? [...]
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You can easily get updates on Brian’s work or hear what we’re up to by subscribing to our monthly email newsletter. We send out a detailed quarterly summary of our studio news and eight times a year we send out our “One Shot” email featuring some of our latest and favorite work. Subscribe to our [...]
What a candidate can teach us about brand
Everyone who relies on Facebook and other social media sites to market their brand and news needs to keep things fresh. That’s why I enjoy working with the McGowan for Maine campaign. I did some work with them in December and got some portraits of an active-looking Pat McGowan at his Hallowell home. Back then, [...]
Give your business brand image an overhaul
There’s a tagline at the bottom of my business card: “Image Matters”. Sounds obvious, right? Still, too often, many businesses who take such great care to take care of customers, or to produce a great product or service neglect to attend to their visual brand image. One of the best pieces of advice I ever [...]