The Perils of Self Promotion: Photography
One of the responsibilities of a writer is to promote and market themselves and their books. Like any contract the details of photo use are in the fine print. This is the story of my journey to have a set of portrait photos produced for commercial use. If it helps one writer avoid the pitfalls and expense then its worth sharing now.
HOW NOT TO GET A PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT
In the fall of 2013 my family’s church (Mother & Brother’s family) where I attend a Bible Study Sunday School held a Directory Photo opportunity. A reservation, sitting and then in addition to the free 8×10 for the directory one has opportunities to purchase poses and prints. One of the reasons we were there was to have a group large family photo for my mother’s birthday, a gift from my brother and his family. It now hangs over the fireplace mantle and is a nice addition to my mother’s family room/den. That 20×30 size print on canvas, framed, ran at about $350.00.
Figuring this would be a great opportunity to have some portraits made I booked some additional time for some solo shots in conjunction with the group family appointment. The plan was to have them ready for the promotion, marketing and hopefully jacket covers of my books for later in 2014.
The photographer was interesting to work with and from my perspective of working in television with different individuals and groups I thought the poses were creative. Looking at the digital proofs I thought there might be one or two that might work. I made sure to read the fine print of the sessions and asked specifically if I could use them for my writing promotional purposes. Not sure if it were the hope I’d order a lot of prints or how the church photography game works but I thought I heard correctly the photos were mine to do with as I pleased.
When the CD arrived and I quickly loaded the jpegs to my computer I took some time to also read the PDF agreement and copyright information that came on the disc. I thought we had purchased the rights for these at $49.00. However, reading the fine print it indicated I do not own the poses or photos and that there was a copyright violation if used for anything commercial verses personal use. Talking later to the ACFW writers on the e-mail loops it was definitely a problem many writers are aware or learning how to handle. At some conferences there are photographers selling services that does provide writers with the ownership to use the portraits as they wish with full legality ownership. If a writer can afford the service its worth taking advantage of in a conference.
RESEARCHING A COPYRIGHT FREE PHOTO CLEARANCE
After making a few calls to other area studio photographers I found the copyright issue is a built in framework to nearly all studio professionals. One would consider providing the work but contrasted to an affordable dollar figure of a few hundred dollars the copyright amendment would be for thousands of dollars. I was not capable of that type of expense.
The best advice or counsel I learned was from my writer colleagues in the ACFW [American Christian Fiction Writers] association. They suggested finding a freelance, student or a family member with a high end digital camera willing to shoot the photos with all rights to my ownership. Fortunately, I had one ace in my family tree – my long time favorite Cousin Cindy whom I’ve known and have been close to since childhood. When asked she was more than willing to help in my quest for quality portrait photos.
Steve Myers & Cindy Baum-Sims.
Paraphrasing Garth Brooks “We are much too young to be this darned old.”
SHOOT AS PROFESSIONAL AS POSSIBLE
Coming from a Broadcast Journalism background both Cindy and I have worked professionally on the academic and commercial level. We both knew what we wanted in the desired photos and well educated on the wardrobe, makeup and/or process. I did wear any make up but I did know what to do in wardrobe and in looking for a background.
Cindy is both family and a friend I have admired all of my life. She was like the sister I never had with a kind, soft spoken, whisper voice of encouragement at key points in my life. One of those encouragements and influences included photography and journalism.
In my early teens I visited Odessa and spent a week with Cindy getting to shadow her and a friend of hers at Odessa College in the Journalism and Photography department. I had already developed a love from an early age of five or so in photography staring with a Brownie 20 almost journalist camera for a kid in the early 1960s.
By Junior and Senior High I once again shot with 120 roll film of in the twin-lens Rolleflex and Yashica Journalism Cameras in photography classes of both San Diego Californina at Hale Junior High and then in El Paso Texas at Burges High School.
At Burges I also grew into 35 mm photography with my father’s Graflex camera from the 1960s and then my own Minolta SRT-102 with both portrait and telephoto lenses.
From San Diego to El Paso I learned darkroom developing skills to develop film in black and white Plus X and Tri-X varieties. From contact sheets to enlargers for making enlargements I loved darkroomdeveloping from smell of negative film to photographic paper and chemicals.
Working under dim red lights and the magic of negatives turning positive for prints in large wash trays was a lot of fun. Then turning on incandescent or florescent lights to see our completed work and or sharing with classmates or friends was a process I’ll never forget. It was a cool process.
My last 35 mm camera was purchased from Macy’s in Dallas at the Galleria in 1988 and I used it for nearly 15 years before replacing it with my first Cannon Digital Camera. It lasted far less by about five years before increasing megapixels to my present Panasonic Camera purchased at Costco for less than $200. While I miss some aspects of the darkroom the digital age with Apple Computers and software from Photoshop and Aperture can do so much more in a relatively short period of time.
While its great to have one’s own printer I still value taking jpegs into Costco and having industrial professional enlargements made and/or the customized posters and/or Canvass printing services as well. But touching up photos like video has never been better than our present technology. It only seems to get better over time.
THE NEW PORTRAIT SERIES BY CINDY BAUM-SIMS
We scheduled a photo shoot for Friday April 4th 2014 as Cindy and her husband David would be in Arlington for a few days having their RV serviced in nearby Fort Worth. They have an RV park they love visiting here and it just a few miles from our home. I had pre-selected a location in Arlington that would serve as a shooting location. It was actually something that has caught my eye for several years. Arlington is a mix of both residential and open acreage with horses and a variety of animals including cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, ponies and sometimes Longhorns as well. If you ever come through Southwestern Arlington and are near the Cracker Barrel at I-20 and Bowen Road you can head north where there is a Bank and Shopping Center with a Quick Trip Gasoline Station. Park near the bank and walk north on the sidewalk of Bowen on the west side of the street to the north edge of the commercial-residential property line. Then walk north about one block. To the left, nestled between a pocket neighborhood of very beautiful houses and the large ranch property closer to the bank is a cattle pen several acres of land. It has a great Texas Scene of a Barn, Cattle Ranch Railing Fence and three beautiful Longhorn Steers. Prior planning presented a beautiful spot to take the photographs.
Over about twenty minutes on April 4th 2014 I posed for these professional exposures of Cindy’s craftsmanship. Thankful also for her husband David’s assistance to use my reflection disc from my video company to fill in some light on an early Friday morning. Even so, Cindy still did some quick PhotoShop touch up giving a bit more light around my face. The proofs below are the best of about 30 photos taken on location.
CHOOSE YOUR BEST SIDE OR FEATURES BEFORE SHOOTING ON LOCATION
I’ve never quite been happy seeing my face on film or video especially into forties and now fifties. Cindy’s husband David Sims was correct in that “we all have preferences of how we look in photographs. We see what we consider as errors or flaws such things as sizes of eyes, odd shaped heads, or distinct angles where we think we look better on direction than another position.” I am of much the same opinion. I know my nose looks more crooked in some angles than others. It was broken from a bully early in life as a little boy and as I’ve aged my face is more bony than I’d otherwise prefer.
I was much fuller in my teens to twenties in Radio and darn near stocky to heavy by my late twenties from too much beer, pizza and fast food. The opposite occurred in my thirties. A series of health challenges dropped my weight from 198 pounds in 1990 to about 110 by 1992. Its a crash course diet I do not recommend – a result of some rough antibiotic side effects that treating Urological issues did a number on my GI system. Today more balanced at a consistent 160 pounds more or less. That said, there are some angles that favor a most positive look than others and talking with Cindy about them before going on location to shoot made a major difference.
Planning on the right wardrobe, taking an extra set of clothes is a change is needed and picking your background or back drop is critical as well. I know as a video professional one cannot always film in public and not have some form of conflict with someone else. I remember in Houston a project of a friend of mine who while doing stand up video with on cmaera talent was confronted by two security guards stating the oil company building on the skyline could not be in any of the video. In this day and age of terrorism or homeland security that can be an issue too. When I was shooting some video footage of a town becoming a suburb with expansion and growth there was one property owner who did not want her buildings under construction to be filmed. And she was rather rough I had not sought permission.
That said, I did not seek or know who to ask for permission of the backdrop I chose. For the most part we were on a city sidewalk and outside the gate of the property line for what was a country scene. If at all possible get permission for where you choose to shoot. The next shots we’ll take come fall will be in a Church my family belongs to and has agreed we can take photos there against a stone exterior or interior wall. I may try to also get permission to be framed in a front sanctuary shot with the altar and cross background. But its wise to get permission and when possible in writing.
HAVE A GOOD IDEA HOW TO FRAME THE SHOT
Its always best when you can suggest your shot to the photographer and then defer to their eyes and lens how they choose to frame the shot. Ideally, I wanted the Longhorn Cattle in the background. However, THEY had other plans. Since they were dozing on the other side of the barn we went to Plan B: Cindy framed in the ranch logo on the fence, the barn, both, and then focusing on business-ranch wardrobe.
WARDROBE & MAKE UP
Both men and women should be prepared on location as to your wardrobe and/or make up. Have both handy if something as innocent as a bird leaving something on your shoulder should occur or the colors don’t work well with the light or background. I usually dress business casual as a rule of life. I’m usually in Dockers, a button down Oxford Dress Shirt, and New Balance Tennis Shoes. But I do own a pair of Wrangler Jeans from the 1990s. I also have a custom leather belt from El Paso Saddlery Company when Bobby McNellis was the proprietor. Also Tony Lama black boots. None of those are visible in the photographs but they could have been. And sometimes its just motivation to ‘feel’ the part dressed head to to in the style you want to bring into the photo motivation.
What is visible in these photos is a Stafford Sportscoat, a University of Texas Longhorns Dress Oxford button down dress shirt, and an expensive Resistol Felt Hat. I love that hat because I won it at the National Reining Breeders Classic in 1999 when I was then a Corporate Video Producer for a Defense Contractor out of El Paso who owned a Quarter Horse Ranch in the lower valley. That hat reminds me of two great weeks in Oklahoma just north of OKC, between Edmond and Guthrie as I worked from the Lazy E Arena then owned by the Gaylord Family and part of The Nashville Network. That was on my mind while posing for the photos.
These ese photos will be a part of the launch of my Western Historical Series of Romance Novels for Harlequin Love Inspired Books. With the grace of God they might sign into contract this year and see the light of day by 2015. I also have a Contemporary Series set in a small town south of the DFW Metroplex of Mansfield titled the OUR PLACE series. That too may see the light of day on store shelves in the coming years as well. These portraits could work for either series. When it comes for the launch of the OUR PLACE series or first book I will arrange to have Cindy back and shoot at the Actual Restaurant for those publicity shots. The owners are friends and they are more than willing to support my effort as I promote the book nationally to their benefit as the real world location. So plan as much in advance by dotting i’s, crossing t’s, having permission in writing, the right wardrobe and change of clothes, as well as make up. Work with your photographer and always agree to give them the photo credit as a bonus. In lieu of cash its always to give credit where credit is due.
THE PORTRAIT OF CHOICE
After all our planning and preparation I choose this portrait as my favorite. Out of some 30 plus shots this one just has everything that clicks for me. In the end the longhorns were not in the shot and neither was the barn or its painted Texas Flag. But Texas Lornhorn welded brand was, so too the metal fence, and beautiful morning budding trees not yet fully spring and long past winter. Cindy highlighted my face and the pose was just perfect. And note also without Glasses. I were bifocals but daring to take them off at Cindy’s suggestion created the perfect shot. And that’s how I was able to turn the perils of Self Promotion into a Positive Result.
EPILOGUE
The plan for these photos is to incorporate the shots into book markers, book inserts, brochures, post cards, the book cover inside flaps, back of cover and/or for my web pages. I’m even considering the possibly of one made into a large poster for on location book signings to sit on an easel.
One thing is for certain: This photo and the series are a tremendous step up forwards in my professional media and marketing use while free of copyright violations or legal issues.
Before I close this blog entry I’d like to thank both Cindy and Davis Sims for their friendship over the decades and their time to help a late blooming writer find some photographs I can live with – without squirming at how I look in them. Both of the Sims are in an early retirement and exploring the beauty of North America from a Studio Apartment on Wheels in a Mercedes Renegade shared with Maya their dog.
Look for their blog post ON THE ROAD WITH MAYA as they travel the National and State Parks into the beauty of North America. My favorite posts are of the Texas Parks, Scenery and Wildlife – but I’m always learning something from their journeys across the USA and into Canada. The blog can be found at: http://cindybsims.blogspot.com/
And if you like any of the photos Cindy has taken of me be sure to drop her a note of appreciation on her blog site.
From the inspirational writing studios of North-Central Texas – somewhere in the mixed neighborhoods of residential and rural Southwestern Arlington – I am busy writing and planning promotional campaigns for books hopefully coming to a store or Kindle near you.
God Bless!
Stephen