The level of noise definitely exceeded my expectations. The first time the door opened to the press room and I didn’t have my ear protection on, I was in shock. It is deafening. I had always assumed that NASCAR was like baseball in a way … that people went to hang out, eat some hot dogs and watch sporadic moments of action when they occur, but I learned that the sheer volume of the cars as they go around the track makes conversation pretty much impossible, and I imagine most make do with listening to radio chatter in their headsets as they watch the race.

We had three photographers at the race. One was stationed up high on turn one, looking down at the start/finish line, and two others (myself and a freelancer) who were free to roam the track. At around the three hundredth left turn I realized that NASCAR is much better on television, with multiple camera angles and that everyone at the event, myself included, was really just there to see a crash.

While there have been both pros and cons to switching from the Sony HVR-A1U to the 7D, I have been mostly satisfied. Shooting with the 7D allows for a much shallower depth of field and better image quality in general and especially in low light. Also, because the 7D is a still camera, I feel as though people are less threatened by it. They don’t immediately assume that I am filming, especially if I am holding it at hip level. In comparison, when I shoot with the HVR-A1U, it is more easily recognized as a video camera, and I will often be asked not to shoot. The Sony remains superior in regards to audio controls and is still my go-to camera when shooting sports such as football where I need a reliable autofocus and the ability to zoom far down field.

I also enjoy shooting with the 7D because it allows me to stay at least partially connected with photography. I may not be shooting for the paper, but I can still switch out of video mode and grab a few stills if I see something worth capturing.

Hurry up and wait.There is a lot of waiting involved in shooting video. Often, I will arrive at an event one to two hours before it starts just to set up. Part of that process involves plugging in cables, checking mult boxes and testing audio. Mainly though, it is to secure a good spot within the press area. (Truth be told, I started writing this post a month ago, right in the middle of election season. Since then, I have had to go to fewer of these types of events, though one does still pop up from time to time).

Tripods. Tripods are almost a requirement when shooting video. As a photographer, they make me feel nailed to the ground. I recently went out to shoot the funeral of a prominent state politician. I entered the church, set up my tripod in the back and started shooting. At the same time, our photographer was there running from the front to the back, lifting her camera as high as she could and setting it on the floor. Her action definitely made me feel like I wasn’t doing my job (and at times the reporter must have felt the same way too, because he kept glancing at me and my viewfinder), but sometimes shooting video means standing in one spot for what feels like forever.

Audio trumps visuals. At least to me it does, which is why I am OK sitting back and recording someone talking without worrying about gathering b-roll that I know will be there later (as mentioned above). That person may say something incredible, and I want the camera on them when they say it in case I either want to cut to their face because they are so emotional or (and someone may disagree with me here) in case I somehow don’t get enough b-roll or the b-roll isn’t relevant to what they are saying and I need to put their talking head up. I would rather run a great quote that goes back to their head than not run it because I was running around shooting b-roll while recording their audio.

Less is more. We currently shoot on Sony HVR-AU1′s here at the News Journal (though some photographers have 5D Mark II’s and 7D’s), something that I believe is pretty standard across Gannett papers. The Sony’s record to MiniDV tapes which are captured into Final Cut in real-time. That is, if I shoot an hour of video, it will take an hour to bring that into my editor to be able to work on. Unlike photography, in which one could potentially shoot as much as their card will allow and then quickly sift through all of those images in Photo Mechanic later, shooting video efficiently means capturing the shots you know you need to tell the story with sometimes minimal experimentation.

There is a flip side to the less is more aspect to shooting video. That is, as a photographer shooting video, I approach every video assignment as if I am shooting a gallery. When you are shooting stills, there are those assignments that you just know will not be a gallery. Perhaps it was a press conference, or a portrait of someone destined for an inside page, or you have six or seven assignments that day. Either way, you are in and out. Video does not work this way (it can, but it would be boring). When shooting video, from the most interesting feature to the blandest press conference, you need b-roll. Crowd shots, details of the speaker’s face, his or her hands, all of these let you edit an interview down to the length you need it to be.

(day 1) The first photo of the project:

(day 4) My brother on his wedding day:

(day 18) Going hunting with some war veterans:

(day 25) DIY photo studio:

More up on my flickr account and gctelegramphotos.com tomorrow.

In the time between posts, Chad has left Daytona Beach News-Journal.  Like many journalists, Chad has used the skills that he developed while working at a newspaper to reinvent himself, in his case, as a wedding photographer.  About a month ago I had the chance to catch up with him again, and discuss what it was like to enter the freelance world and run his own business.

How did transitioning into wedding photography compare to breaking in to photojournalism in terms of finding work?

It’s a whole different world. Much of the competition in wedding photography is not because many are good photographers, but because they are great marketers. Every time I sit down with a potential client it’s a job interview. I need to show them why I am going to do the best job for them, why I am different from everyone else and why they should pay me what I think I’m worth.

It seems like lately wedding photography has gained some respect, so this has caused more bad photographers to be whittled out or dropping their prices. This also means the competition is getting stiffer. Also with the internet, couples are realizing what quality photography is and they are looking harder to find it.

When I moved into the wedding market, one of the many reasons that I decided not to do editorial freelance was marketing to the editors. Many of the editors are in New York and require me to travel there and show off a book and then I’m competing with a very high level of photographers. Couples getting married are everywhere and there are many less expensive ways to reach them. They then understand what good photography is worth and are willing to pay you for it! Then they are so much more appreciative in the end when you come back with the final product.

So what I’m getting at, is that it never meant much to get my name out there with photojournalism, even though it was on every picture. With wedding photography getting your name out there is how you survive in the business. This first year has been about getting my name out there.

Instead of sending out 100 portfolios, now I reach out to thousands of people and bring them to see my one portfolio, blog or Facebook page. If it touches them, then they contact me.

Has your approach or style changed in going from newspaper photojournalism to wedding photography?

In newspaper photojournalism it’s about making one image or a few images to tell the entire story. In wedding photography you have 10s to hundreds to thousands of images to tell the story in. It really allows you to open up and show off your style. It also allows you to tell the stories that newspapers don’t seem to have room for anymore.

I don’t believe that my style has changed, I believe that this has just given me a greater opportunity to open my wings and show what I can do.

My editor to my blog, and any other photos I use in my marketing, is myself. My clients are also my editors when they choose what images they want for their album, when they order prints or even when they decide that my photography is the right style for them when they hire me.

One thing I always tell people when putting a portfolio together for an editorial job is to put in the photos that represent you. You will make a LOT of good photos in your career, but you need to put the photos that represent you best into your portfolio. You are not going the jobs that make you happy if you just put in photos that look good, but you don’t have a passion for shooting.

What has been the most difficult aspect of transitioning in to a new business?

Lot’s and lot’s of learning!

Starting anew from almost scratch, figuring out how to market, learning to run a business, and spreading my name in an industry where almost no one knows who I am.

I’m glad I had done a few weddings in the couple years prior to my job ending at the newspaper. This actually gave me something to start with, but even so booking weddings

I’ve run a photography business since I was in high school, I freelanced for a little bit in St. Louis when I lived in an apartment, but I own a home now and have to make a good amount of income to survive. I had a choice when I left the newspaper to completely give up on photography and try for another profession, but I couldn’t find anything else that I really had a passion for which could pay the bills. Now I’ve dived head on into the wedding photography industry and I don’t believe there is any turning back.

I hope to eventually shoot some editorial projects on the side, but I enjoy weddings and they are going to be my mainstay.

Often, students from schools such as SJSU, which put a heavy emphasis on newspaper photojournalism, lack a great deal of business sense. What are some of the most important business aspects of photography that students who are thinking about shooting weddings, editorial work, freelancing, etc. should know?

Only do what you enjoy doing. If you don’t like to edit or tone your images send them off to someone like PWDLabs.com. There are a few things you can’t hand off, but most of them you can and then you just pass the cost onto your clients. Outsource what you don’t want to do.

NPPA’s cost of doing business calculator at http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/business_practices/cdb/cdbcalc.cfm
If you aren’t charging enough to live on your own and pay the bills, then your business won’t survive. Also look at each of the items in this calculator

Customer service! It only takes one customer to complain about you to undo 10 that raved about you.

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get clients, but you have to have clients first to refer you.

Marketing (This includes social media such as blogging, Twitter and Facebook). Learn what ROI is. Network with everyone.

Separate your personal from your business expenses. Sit down and talk to a CPA. Almost everything you do can be deducted from business expenses when you are running a business.

Keep on learning. Go to workshops.

Give yourself a raise every year.

Look into ShootQ at http://www.shootq.com (if you want to give me credit for the referral then go to http://web.shootq.com?r=pilster_photography)
They are like having someone else manage your studio.

Get your own website. Make it look good. Use it’s domain for your email, it looks more professional (Domains are $10 a year on the high side!)

There will be a lot of people out there who say they know how to market, but do your research before going with anyone.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’ll get you started.

Are there any resources, online or otherwise, that have proved invaluable to you?

I did a ton of research on marketing to editorial so early on I was reading
Aphotoeditor.com, http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/, http://www.burnsautoparts.com/ and they are still great reads.

Now I look at wedding specific blogs. I also follow many of them on Twitter.
http://www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com/
http://www.thinksplendid.com

A great book is The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Seth Godin has a ton of awesome things to say too. Both have blogs and are on Twitter. Listen to what they have to say.

A few of the the things that I use that I don’t think i could live without.
When I was editing 10 images, Photoshop was perfect, but now I’m editing hundreds. Lightroom has been invaluable.

PWDLabs does all of my printing and albums. I just upload the images, and never have to worry about fulfilling orders. They can also do my editing and toning too if I need them to.

James Shaffer does my album design. I could do it myself, but he’s faster and does an amazing job! http://www.jameslshaffer.com/blog

You can find Chad on Twitter @chadpil, follow my blog at http://pilsterphotography.blogspot.com or become a fan of our Facebook page. Our website is http://www.pilsterphotography.net

Each year that I go back I run into someone from my past. A former math teacher, basketball coach, teammate … the festival is my real-life Facebook when reconnecting with the JA community.

It was with great pleasure, then, that I was able to volunteer my time and help document this past festival, held on Saturday, June 20 – Sunday June 21. The photos will eventually be incorporated into a DVD that will be used in fundraising efforts for the expansion of the community center.

On the road between Mammoth Lakes and French Camp.

Trout for dinner.

June Lake