Award-Winning Knowhow with Rachel Owen

January 22, 2022 Artist Spotlight

Clubhouse Conversation: Rachel Owen

In the latest episode of the Portrait System Podcast: Clubhouse Edition, Kevin Conde and Ashleigh Taylor chat with award-winning photographer and digital artist Rachel Owen. Rachel consistently places in the Portrait Masters Awards’ digital portrait competitions as well in WPPI’s print competitions. In this Clubhouse conversation, she gets into the details of her process with Kevin and Ashleigh, covering everything from:

  • how she gets her inspiration,
  • how she builds on her ideas,
  • how she works with makeup and costume artists,
  • how she lights in composited images,
  • and she shares some fascinating details about her post-processing as well.

Be sure to listen to the whole podcast to hear pro tips on working with Photoshop from Rachel, who is an Adobe Photoshop Certified Expert. Some of the techniques Rachel uses to edit her photos simply blew Kevin and Ashleigh’s minds. There’s so much to learn from Rachel about how she works with individual elements of her composites inside of Photoshop, including stockpiling backgrounds, working with miniatures, and short cuts for keeping track of commonly used set properties like candles.

And if you’re considering submitting to the current Portrait Masters Awards competition or the upcoming WPPI print competition, you’ll be heartened to hear Rachel profess that it is the best education she has received for improving her photography. Furthermore, she expresses that the most important part is being able to hear the judges make comments on other people’s images. If you’re interested in experiencing that yourself, you might be interested to submit to PMA and WPPI, and you can also consider checking out the new Folio Reviews being offered by The Portrait System.

Here are links to some things mentioned in this conversation: The Portrait Masters Awards & Accreditation, WPPI, TPM Awards Advice with Erica Manning, and Gold Portrait Masters Award with Nicole Carson Bonilla. You also might like to check out: Awards & Accreditation Resources.

In this blog, you’ll find some of Rachel’s stunning portraits, links to her web presence, and answers to some bonus questions.

Join us live every Friday for Clubhouse conversations and get answers to your questions! Just search “The Portrait System” in the Clubhouse App and follow us there.

Get to Know Rachel Owen

Q: When did you first come across Sue Bryce Education and how has it affected your career?

A: I discovered Sue when she gave her very first talk to a small room at WPPI. I was like, “Wow, this photography is really, really good.” I was thrilled when she went on CreativeLive, and after that, I was hooked. I’ve been with SBE since the beginning. I am incredibly grateful to Sue for showing me a path to create a sustainable business model that I love that also provides for my family. Sue has opened my eyes to the spiritual aspects of business and photography. I thought that sounded crazy when I first started. “The energy you radiate.” “The things you attract.” “What you order from the universe.” Then I doubled my sales average by changing nothing but my mindset. I went back and really listened to what was being said about energy, mindset, and the law of attraction. I found it all to work the way she said it would. When Sue says something, I’m hesitant to doubt because I actually haven’t found her to be wrong yet.

Q: When first starting out, many photographers hit roadblocks on their journey to starting their business – whether feeling their equipment isn’t good enough or feeling they need a studio to start a business. What roadblocks did you encounter and how did you get over them?

A: I was lucky enough to find myself at 22 years old, single, with a newborn son. There is nothing that pushes you past your fears faster than having no other option. I shot my first newborn shoot (for my own business) with $5, using manual flashes that I had learned how to use at my local community college. When my client placed her order, the total came to just over $1,300. I got to the car and screamed and cried with joy. I didn’t know how we were going to afford groceries, and that sale in 2006 was more money than I typically made in a month. Having to start my business while being a new mother, I have always struggled with guilt for taking so much time to build my dream while he was young. I remember Sue’s phrase that there is nothing more detrimental to a child than seeing the unlived life of a parent. It is my hope he someday sees what I’ve done as inspirational.

Q: How do you feel about your current work/life balance?

A: The more I live, the more I think work life balance is actually a teeter-totter. The key is to keep it going back and forth. Currently I’m feeling pretty good about the shifts.

Q: What (beyond money) has owning a business given you?

A: So much joy! Literally, I can’t even believe I get to make money doing what I love.

Q: What is your favorite advice that you’ve been given along your journey that has helped you the most? 

A: No more, no less, just equal. For me this phrase cuts off anxiety at the source. Most anxiety in our field, whether it’s with a client, or networking event, or getting your work “out there,” comes from feeling superior or inferior. When this happens to me, I remind myself I have something to give and receive from every person I interact with. It’s hard to have anxiety or ego when everyone is the same.


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Transcript

Click Here to Read the Podcast Transcript

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Please note this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors. 

00:00:01:04 – 00:00:26:11

This is the Portrait System podcast, a show that helps portrait photographers and people hoping to become one, navigate the world of photography, business, money and so much more. We totally keep it real. We share stories about the incredible ups and the very difficult downs when running a photography business. I’m your host, Nikki Closser. And the point of this podcast is for you to learn actionable steps that you can take to grow your own business and also to feel inspired and empowered by the stories you hear.

00:00:26:24 – 00:01:00:05

Hey, everyone. Kevin Conde here and on today’s Clubhouse interview, Ashleigh Taylor and myself get the opportunity to talk to the talented and award-winning photographer Rachel Owen. She has placed multiple times in the Portrait Masters Awards, as well as WPPI print competition, and we go over her whole process from start to finish, from where she gets her inspiration, how she organizes and lays it out to photographing and compositing all the necessary elements.

00:01:00:27 – 00:01:40:29

And as an Adobe Photoshop certified expert, she gives us some fantastic nuggets of knowledge that we can use in our own workflow. Just sit back and relax, and let’s get started with the wonderful Rachel own. Welcome everyone to the Portrait System podcast Clubhouse Edition. My name is Kevin Conde and I’m here with my co-host Ashleigh Taylor. If you are not familiar with the portrait system, where are you? Portrait Photography podcast that is powered by Sue Bryce Education, Nikki Closser hosts our Monday episodes, and Ashleigh and I co-host our Clubhouse Edition, which is live here on the Clubhouse app every Friday at Noon Pacific, and then our episodes are released on Thursdays.

00:01:41:20 – 00:01:48:23

You can tune in on your favorite podcast app by searching for the portrait system. Ashleigh, how are you doing this beautiful day?

00:01:48:29 – 00:01:59:05

I am great, Kevin, and I’m so excited to be here again, co-hosting with you, and I’m excited to introduce our guests for today. Rachel Owen and welcome, Rachel.

00:01:59:14 – 00:02:01:07

Thank you. I’m excited to be here.

00:02:01:17 – 00:02:35:09

We’re so glad to have you. Welcome to the podcast, Rachel. 2022 starts off very quickly with awards season, with the entries for the Portrait Masters opening January 15th through February 15 and WPI being right around the corner at the end of February. Because of that, we thought it would be great to bring someone on who’s familiar with both awards and talk about their process to creating highly rated work. So you have had a few award winning concepts between your pandemic series.

00:02:35:11 – 00:02:54:12

You’re finding a voice, as well as your recent ice king and queen set. So to start us off, can you tell us the starting point of your ideas and concepts? What are you initially drawing inspiration from and deciding on what ideas to move forward with?

00:02:55:12 – 00:03:25:00

Oh, that’s a great question. You know, I recently started working in series, which has been a lot of fun. That’s kind of unusual for photographers, I’d say, at least in the industry that we come from. But as I was talking to more artists, they work in series, which I found out a few years ago and I was like, Wow, that’s really interesting because you can take one concept. But then how many different ways can you morph that concept to kind of change what it is that you’re saying?

00:03:26:18 – 00:03:35:01

So I find the inspiration all over the place, but my pandemic series that I did last year, which has done pretty well in competition so far,

00:03:36:24 – 00:03:41:20

it kind of came from 2020. I mean, that was rough.

00:03:43:02 – 00:03:43:17

Oh yeah.

00:03:43:22 – 00:03:52:19

Yeah, Kind of life changing. Yeah. But honestly, it was one of the biggest blessings I feel because it

00:03:54:05 – 00:04:08:04

for me, in the midst of all the turmoil, it really allowed me to have this quietness. And just kind of in that quiet let let images come to my mind that I was then able to create. So

00:04:09:24 – 00:04:40:28

I guess that’s kind of the start of where I get the inspiration. The other thing that’s kind of probably unusual for me is I get a lot of inspiration when I do like walking or running, and I don’t know if that’s unique to me, but actually, I was listening to a podcast by neuroscientist, and there is something to that, to the oxygenation, and that the chemicals that are released in your brain during physical activity. And I get a lot of inspiration when I just kind of zone out and go for a long walk or run, too.

00:04:41:15 – 00:05:17:07

Yeah, I think that’s actually great advice. I kind of survived 2020 by taking these really long walks and clearing my brain, and I’m like a very cerebral person, like if you let me just like, sit indoors all day and like work on the computer and stuff like that, that’s what I would prefer. I would say I prefer to do that, but every time I like actually move my body and like, go out in nature, I’m like, Oh yeah, this is like what humans are supposed to do. We get inspiration. So, so now I think, I guess photographers, especially studio photographers, where we’re indoors a lot editing, shooting inside all the stuff.

00:05:17:09 – 00:05:25:26

It is like a really great reminder, like go move your body, go like get in nature wherever you can like actually look to the outside world. I think that’s amazing, right?

00:05:26:02 – 00:05:38:15

Yeah, I’m glad you understand that because I know if that would be a weird concept or not. But I mean, every time I have a problem that I can’t solve if I go out and get some exercise, usually by the end, the solution is coming to me.

00:05:38:27 – 00:05:58:05

Yeah, no. I think I think it’s great advice, especially for me, because I know that advice that I resist it, like actively every day of my life, I’m like, I don’t want to do that. I want to stay inside like a little house cat. But like, yes, whenever I go do it? I know. Like, I need to like, get a tattoo that like, go outside, move your body.

00:06:00:11 – 00:06:24:22

But like for your series like ice queen or I know you have some historical figures as well, like wood, things like that. Like, obviously, that’s so different from the pandemic. Like, how are you coming up with those particular inspirations or like things that may not exactly be attached to, I guess, modern current life, if that makes sense?

00:06:25:14 – 00:06:56:19

Yeah. Gotcha. So a lot of that I’m actually pre drawing out everything. So the inspiration will come, I guess, when I find a story or a fairy tale or historical person that I’m really interested in. And then usually doing a lot of research on them. So in the historical ones, I’ve got one on Copernicus. There is a ton of hidden symbolism that’s in that image, and a lot of it is, well, I can give you one example.

00:06:57:21 – 00:07:34:10

You know, he’s so Copernicus was the first guy that discovered that the Earth is actually revolving around the Sun back when everyone thought everything revolved around the Earth, and he was religious as well, and this was really upsetting to the religious community. So that picture is actually the portrayal of him in this moment when he realizes that he’s made this huge discovery and he’s kind of like, OK, now do I let that discovery come out? Or do I keep it secret because people are going to be really upset about this? So there’s the lit candle representing the new idea that’s coming forward.

00:07:34:15 – 00:07:38:23

And then there’s this extinguished candle with the smoke kind of drifting away.

00:07:40:12 – 00:07:56:04

What’s going away, so that’s and then there’s more symbolism, like there’s books in the background that kind of represent some of the parts of his life and his history growing up. So with those kind of things, I do a lot of research on who and what it is that I’m trying to portray.

00:07:56:22 – 00:07:57:07

Mm-Hmm.

00:07:57:24 – 00:08:35:00

The Ice Queen was specifically for that C.G. Pro Prince Billboard project, and they wanted something that was very eye-catching and something that had a lot of color and was really unique. So I, my makeup artist and I, my makeup artist is really incredible. We have had this Pinterest board of Ice Queen makeup images that she’s wanted to do forever. So when we got the opportunity to do the Billboard project, I was like, Oh, let’s throw the ice queen in there. And then once I had that image done, I realized that it was a beautiful portrait that was quite striking, but there wasn’t a lot of story.

00:08:35:07 – 00:08:58:03

So at that point, I went back in and researched some of the different fairy tales and the ice queen. And there was actually, I believe it’s the Hans Christian Andersen version that has the ice queen was given this mirror and the mirror breaks, and it’s kind of how the evil comes out. So I actually added a mirror into that image, which is the storytelling part there.

00:08:58:22 – 00:09:26:07

Hmm, interesting. So it sounds like you do a lot of research for these. And are you like drying out, like sketching out on paper by hand, like all the elements that you like before you actually start shooting it? How like how much pre-planning like, you know, you want those books in the Copernicus and the smoke and or and is it coming to you later? Does that make sense? Because that’s like something that always confuses me with like these big

00:09:28:08 – 00:09:36:10

composited? Yeah. And things like how much of it, you know, ahead of time and how much comes into the picture later?

00:09:36:24 – 00:10:15:18

Yeah, that’s a great question. So I am. So typically an image will start with a vision board, and that’s kind of used to get all of my people on the same page. So the makeup artist, if there’s any costume designers, even the model, so the vision board is going to have a color palette that we want to stay within. So usually I have my primary colors and then a couple of secondary colors that I want to throw in just for pops. It will also have a sample image just like I just take an open and start throwing images in that I think like I collect them either on my phone or, you know, I might find a statue somewhere.

00:10:15:20 – 00:10:48:27

I’m like, Oh, that’s a really great pose, or I love that hand position. So then I’ll cut out just the hand and attach that into the vision board. But it’ll have costuming poses different lighting scenarios that I want to try. So basically, it’s got the general concept in it. And I at the moment, I probably have a dozen of those just sitting on my computer waiting to be done some day. So when the idea comes to me, I find that I’ve got to get it like out of my brain and onto some kind of paper quickly, or I’ll never remember it.

00:10:49:07 – 00:11:21:20

Uh-Huh. So those those are sitting around for a while. And then once we’ve kind of picked the date for the shoot and I’ve got the people, then I will actually go through and physically draw out, OK, this is how I want them posed in the scene. This is where this is going to go. This is where this light’s going to go. So I know 90 percent like I have a very good picture in my mind of how I want it to be. I’ve learned, though, especially with composition, I often like to move things around in the computer later.

00:11:21:22 – 00:11:33:09

So like, I’ll be like, I love this base, but I want it to go three inches this way because it’s running into the wall. So I often will photograph those elements separately because I know I want to make little tweaks in it at the end.

00:11:34:04 – 00:11:43:21

That’s so fascinating to me because this is not how my brain works at all. It’s like my it’s like mind blowing to me, and you shoot a lot of this on green screen, right?

00:11:44:07 – 00:12:14:14

Yeah, I’m mostly doing green screen. And it’s funny that you say that actually, because when I was learning how to do more composite work, I’m like, Oh, there’s no way I can’t draw this out. Like, there was so much just playing and hoping it would come to me. But then with the composite work, I felt like the more I drew it out, the more I had a plan, the more it actually became easier. So I totally understand what you’re saying, but it’s a learned skill, I promise. Yeah, it comes.

00:12:14:23 – 00:12:49:01

Yeah, it’s like it’s one of those things that’s kind of been plaguing me for years because I don’t, I guess I just don’t see myself that way and I can’t decide, am I not like, am I not interested in the sense that that’s just doesn’t feel like my style? Or am I just like, completely intimidated and therefore like don’t want to fail and don’t want to try, which is like a total Ashleigh move. For those of you who don’t know me, like, I don’t like necessarily doing things I think I’m going to fail at ever since I was a little kid. So I’m yeah, it’s just it’s just super interesting talking to you, talking to.

00:12:49:03 – 00:13:03:05

We’ve had Erica Manning on. We’ve had Nicole Carson Bonilla on. You all have super different processes, but it’s like, so amazing. I’m just so in awe of your vision and able to, yeah, put these images together. It’s really incredible.

00:13:03:27 – 00:13:37:21

Thanks. So you said that when you’re creating your these vision boards, you’re including make up artist, you’re including the model, even when you’re, for instance. I believe with Nicole, she it’s pointed out that she’s finding specific people to fit the image that she’s trying to create or you doing the same thing where you already have someone specific in mind and no one else can play that role? Or you doing like a model call and potentially finding maybe one or two different people that can fit into that spot?

00:13:38:24 – 00:14:10:19

That’s a great question. It’s really a combination of both. I just did it shoot a couple of weeks ago and there was this girl. She and I actually interact with her fairly often, but I’ve never photographed her before, but she’s always been in the back of my mind like, OK, when I find the right look like, I’m going to look for something that she can model in and make us make up, artist brought me a picture. I’m like, Oh, I know the perfect model for this one. So generally, it’s not like nobody else could play the role and more,

00:14:11:16 – 00:14:41:16

I wouldn’t say that I’m looking for a specific person, but like I did a moon goddess shoot, and it had this beauty lighting and I knew it was going to be real dramatic. So I’m like, OK, I want somebody with light colored hair and really dramatic cheekbones. So my makeup artist went through and we looked at some of the light colored the blondes that we had photographed in the past, and we talked about their different faces and how that would take makeup. And then we ultimately chose a person and she was available for it.

00:14:41:18 – 00:14:44:16

So it worked out. So it’s it’s kind of a mix of both of those.

00:14:45:20 – 00:15:25:09

I also was wondering, like beyond casting you, I think you mentioned you worked with costume designers. You also sometimes have these like really fantastical backgrounds like thinking of the ice queen. That is, you know, it looks like you went to, I don’t know, Norway or something um Alaska and you look like you’re in Frozen, basically like Disney Frozen and there’s a white wolf’s like, where are you getting? How are you taking the photos? Because I think for competition, right, you have to personally photograph all these elements if I’m understanding that correctly.

00:15:25:23 – 00:15:29:19

So how do you get access to do that?

00:15:30:01 – 00:16:04:11

So I have a folder on my computer called stack images and it is getting massive. I have like tens of thousands of images on it now. So basically wherever I go, if I’m going somewhere where the travel is unique or I’m not going to that location again, I bring my camera and even got a fancy little camera bag that looks like a purse now, so I don’t have to look like a photographer everywhere. So the ice castles one was actually like three years ago in Wisconsin.

00:16:04:13 – 00:16:34:16

They had this thing and it was literally called ice castles, and they had castles made out of ice, and it was way too cold to take a model there. But I’m like, some day I’m going to want these background images. Wow. So it’s funny because there were so many people there that the one I used in the ice king and queen shoot was actually this little hole in the wall where the Sun was coming in. So it’s like a spot of ice, like the size of my hand actually ended up being that whole background image. Oh, wow. Mm hmm.

00:16:35:11 – 00:16:41:20

That’s very like movie special effects, I feel like. Yeah, they do like the miniatures and stuff. Yeah, that’s crazy.

00:16:42:07 – 00:16:57:19

I’m really into miniatures. There are a lot of things that I can’t afford. So like, I have a little miniature bathtub and I have a little miniature, like, really ornate chair that I think is cool and I use these things in my composites fairly often.

00:16:58:01 – 00:17:11:04

Oh, that’s hilarious. I saw that recently where you had the the the claw foot bathtub. I’m like, I’m taking this little tiny chunk, then turn it into a real size one that is fantastic. So do you that

00:17:11:06 – 00:17:14:09

with like a macro lens or like how does that work?

00:17:14:11 – 00:17:46:13

I do and it it’s so funny because there’s like depth of field issues and like trying to find out what Lens is going to be correct. And I’m pretty sure that there’s a formula to it which I haven’t exactly been able to write out yet. But yeah, I photograph a lot of the little things on macro and it has to be at like f twenty two. Because macro has such a shallow depth of field, it would be like photographing it at like f two with a regular lens. Yeah. So, yeah, macros a little bit different, but I’m starting to work through it.

00:17:47:03 – 00:17:49:07

Oh, that’s so interesting. Wow.

00:17:49:28 – 00:17:55:15

Yeah, it’s like focus stacking. I have no idea how to do it, but I’ve heard I’ve heard a little bit about it. Yeah.

00:17:57:15 – 00:18:04:05

Yeah. So then what about like you said, costume designers, how are you finding costume designers to work with?

00:18:05:20 – 00:18:36:15

So I actually took up figure skating as an adult. Oh, wow. Yeah. And so actually, a lot of my models are figure skaters in some way because they’re fantastic. They have a lot of flexibility. They’re very similar to dancers and that they can hold poses, but they also have all of their costumes custom made. So luckily, through them, I’ve been able to work with a lot of well with a couple of really good costume designers in my area.

00:18:37:01 – 00:18:47:27

Oh, wow. And then are you working with like wig designers too? I know Saray works with like a wig designer. Is that something because I’ve seen some of your images have also fantastical hair?

00:18:48:17 – 00:19:12:06

Yeah, it’s my dream to work with a professional wig designer someday. But at the moment I haven’t been able to find one, so my makeup artist happens to be just incredibly amazing. Sometimes she will design like I’ll give her cones and stuff and she’ll just start wrapping hair, and it’s it’s pretty cool. Or I’ll kind of design them. So, yeah, I haven’t had a professional one yet, but someday.

00:19:13:27 – 00:19:32:20

And when you’re creating the the looks of it, are you sketching out the the entire like, for instance, a dress or the the Ice King’s outfit and then giving it to the costume designer or you give them free rein? Like here, this is kind of what I have an idea of. Just go make it

00:19:33:25 – 00:19:52:18

because costume design is so expensive and time consuming for the designer. I will usually say, Hey, tell me your vision. Like, what can you also sell on Etsy? What do you also need photos? What do you have started? And then I usually let them run with it just because that is such a big commitment that they’re giving me.

00:19:53:04 – 00:20:12:21

OK, yeah, because I was wondering how like the financial aspect of this works, like are they essentially donating time lending something or are you buying it and using it in your studio like costume library? I think you might have kind of already answered. It sounds like they sell will sell it after the fact or can you just clarify?

00:20:13:19 – 00:20:44:27

So whenever I’m working with vendors, be it costume or makeup or anything, I always say like, Hey, this is a creative thing. I would love to have you be a part of it. But unfortunately, I don’t have the means for this project to pay enough. If it’s something where I’m getting paid that I’m definitely paying everybody, and usually I’ll just be upfront like, this is my budget if you’re willing to work within this budget. Here’s what we’re going for. So a lot of it is when it’s just time for images, then it’s whatever you want to do.

00:20:45:09 – 00:21:16:20

If it benefits you like, don’t go. Don’t do anything that’s not going to benefit you, is what I always tell them, like I will give you. So like after the costume designer design that I got nice pictures on a stand for her, so she can also take that to Etsy. I made sure to photograph the back of the costume, so she has extra things for her. And not just that final image and same thing with the makeup artist. I got real good close ups of the face for her Instagram, and I just check with them before the end of the shoot and say, Hey, is this everything you want for your portfolio as well?

00:21:17:13 – 00:21:48:08

OK, then that’s really helpful, I think, because I mean, even now, I still sometimes struggle with when I’m submitting something for awards like, you know, sometimes I find a makeup artist who wants to like, do it and have it be collaborative. But sometimes they’re like, You know, this is my time, like yours. You’re the one who wants to do this for your awards, you know, so it’s like, I value their time. So sometimes like, I will pay. Yeah, their rate just because, like, I feel like, you know, that’s the fair thing to do.

00:21:48:10 – 00:22:06:05

Like, they’re not getting a potential like, you know, credit toward accreditation for this. I am. But yeah, I just can be really tricky. Like, at what point do you pay people? How do you budget for these awards? I think, you know, they are an investment, right? So how can you make it affordable for yourself?

00:22:06:28 – 00:22:34:27

Yeah. And I think it’s always just being grateful and letting those other vendors know how much you love working with them, but also really delivering on the product, like if they’re promised images within five days of the shoot like you, you’ve got to go deliver on that. And there’s a lot of people who want to who need great photos of their stuff. So there’s a lot of people willing to do it. But I also throw them paid work, like for every creative shoot I do with my makeup artists, we probably do five paid ones together.

00:22:35:05 – 00:22:37:19

OK, yeah. And that makes a lot of sense to you.

00:22:38:08 – 00:23:15:25

Yeah, I was going to point out there’s like by the sound of it is a good opportunity for people out there that are potentially looking to do something like this to find someone who might have an Etsy shop to trade time, maybe not just to create the one dress and create the, you know, every angle for that one or for any other outfit that they might have. You know, professional images are extremely important, especially when you’re trying to sell. So for those that are out there trying to find a way to hack it to, you know, create these types of images that it’s a good way for people to, you know, find someone to trade with.

00:23:16:00 – 00:23:17:04

So, yeah.

00:23:18:23 – 00:23:50:25

So let’s talk about how you like, shoot everything and put it all together, like we talked about it a little bit, but it sounds like you’re mostly just shooting all the elements in your studio on green screen. And then also combining it with these stock library that you built up over time. But like, how do you make sure the light matches because I’m thinking about your like ice queen shoot? And you said that that was like a very, you know, specific the sun was coming through in a certain way.

00:23:51:04 – 00:23:55:08

Now you’re like going to light all the models and everything like, how do you keep it consistent?

00:23:56:09 – 00:24:31:12

Yeah, that is a hard thing because there are a lot of images that just don’t work when I’m. I usually will try to find my background before the shoot date because if I have the background, then I know, OK, there’s a light coming in from the left and one from behind on the right, so I need to mimic that in studio. It is much more difficult when I photograph the model and then try to find the background to go into it. The ice king and queen was a little bit different because I knew it was going to be snow and snow basically just lights you up from every single angle.

00:24:31:14 – 00:24:32:29

Oh, OK, yeah, that makes sense.

00:24:33:06 – 00:24:40:05

So, yeah, it took me a while to find the right background for that. But yeah, eventually it worked out.

00:24:40:27 – 00:25:10:12

And then, like, I don’t know which one it was, but yesterday I was watching one of your behind the scenes. It was like a butterfly skirt. I don’t know exactly what the title was, but I was watching one of your behind the scenes where you were kind of putting everything together and it was like on a green screen. And then you, like, brought in a. It almost looked like a textured background and all this stuff. So that’s something that you’re kind of pre-planning also as well, where you picked the background out before because it looked more directional in that one.

00:25:11:07 – 00:25:13:20

Yeah. And you can tell too like

00:25:15:05 – 00:25:32:03

the more of this scene it shows, the more I pre-planned it, the closer in it is. There’s probably a I didn’t do as much planning, so if it’s like if the feet are in there, I planned that whole thing out. If there’s no feet, it was a lot easier to do and it might be a variation from my original plan.

00:25:32:13 – 00:25:33:10

Oh, that’s funny.

00:25:36:24 – 00:25:59:15

So on the day of the shoot and your you start off the day and you have the series in mind and you have it played out. How are you starting the shoot, though? Are you? Do you have a shot list or you’re like, Look, there’s this specific image that I know that I can accomplish. And this is the most important one. So I start here and move from there. Or what does that process look like on the day of the shoot?

00:25:59:29 – 00:26:32:18

OK, so typically I will give the model a warm up I don’t like. I like working with professional models who are working every day, but a lot of the models that I find we get to work with are semi-professional and they just kind of move on their own and they move a little too much. So I actually prefer to work with regular people where I can sculpt them, where they’re not going to move at all unless I tell them to. So usually we’ll do a kind of a warm up shot, and that’s just kind of getting the nerves out, getting the weird facial expressions, getting that tension out of the face.

00:26:33:15 – 00:26:47:11

And once I see that the models warmed up and it’s different, I mean, some people are ready to go in three minutes of shooting and other people take 15. But once I see that they’re ready to go, then we’ll go into that shot that I’ve drawn and sketched out and the one that we’re really going for.

00:26:49:13 – 00:27:26:26

And so once I find that I’ve gotten that shot, then I’ll move into close ups and anything else for the makeup artists or any other vendors, what they need. And then I will take the last five or 10 minutes and just kind of play and see if there’s something else that I might get that might work for a different composite in the future. A lot of one thing that I’ve learned recently, especially when working with just regular people for these kind of fantasy shoots, is you’ve got to nail the expression, and I’m learning to pose my models less in a pose, but more like a director would pose an actor.

00:27:27:09 – 00:27:46:16

So, you know, oh, there’s a little bird on your finger, and I want you to look over to that little bird. And now you look up and you see the sun over there or, you know, you just walked into this room and you’re feeling really cold. So different, different emotions. So rather than try and coach out a facial expression, I’m giving them emotions to try and feel, and it has really helped things.

00:27:47:07 – 00:28:17:18

Hmm. I love that. That’s that’s really good advice because I was like, this whole conversation. It just reminds me so much about filmmaking, like everything that you’re talking about, from going back to like the miniatures or, you know, like you’re shooting on a green screen, but like also the storytelling and all the details and like the kind of for lack of a better word, like set design. Thinking back to that Copernicus shot where you’re talking about all the different books that are in the background. So I love that you’re also kind of taking a filmmaking approach.

00:28:17:20 – 00:28:53:13

Approach to how you’re coaching your models, whether they’re professional models or just real people. I think that’s I think that’s also such an amazing thing for everyone. On real photoshoots. That’s kind of always the way that I’ve done boudoir shoots is like, I will act it out for them and I’ll be like, You’re flirting with someone, you know, like, I’ll try to coach them into what it feels like to be sexy, right? Right. So but I don’t just say like, you know, slap your hand to your like collarbone or whatever, I try to give them a reason to be doing it.

00:28:54:03 – 00:28:57:10

So I think that that’s I think that that’s really helpful and really cool.

00:28:58:11 – 00:29:01:08

Yeah, I think it makes them feel a lot more comfortable, too.

00:29:02:01 – 00:29:24:21

Yeah. And I think it gives like a reason for it to, you know, like thinking about again, the hand on the collarbone. Like, I’m always like, it’s like you’re brushing your hair, like you’re brushing your hair off your chest, you’re flirting. You’re lightly like feeling what it feels like to touch your own skin. You know, like those kinds of things are a lot more interesting than just like, put your hand here, like where you’re like, Why would I do that? I guess, when do I do this?

00:29:29:00 – 00:29:46:29

So as you’re going through this process of warming up and and then you start taking the these shots, how do you know that you’ve reached the one, the one image that you know, like this is it. Now it’s time for me to move on to switching up the set or do a different image.

00:29:49:04 – 00:30:24:11

I almost feel like I feel it. So I’m a lot of shoots that I’ve done recently. A bit like, Oh, that’s the one. Like it flash. I saw the light in the eyes. I saw it. I know that’s the one. We’ll take another five or 10 extra shots. But even when I go back in like the culling, it’s still that one. I’m like, I remember feeling this one. I remember, like, there was just a different almost energy about it, which I didn’t really believe in that kind of energy stuff in attraction until I started listening to Sue Bryce and then you started feeling it yourself.

00:30:25:05 – 00:30:50:11

Yeah, they’re they’re literally is something to that. And I feel like as photographers, the better I get, especially with people’s expressions like you photograph somebody’s soul and in order to get that like they’ve completely let their guard down, like, I have to let my guard down as the photographer and as I put that energy out there, they mirror that energy back. And it’s weird, but it’s almost like a feeling I just feel when we’ve got the right one.

00:30:51:06 – 00:31:08:09

I love that it’s so back to like once you’ve found your shot, are you then like shooting on the same day all the little other elements? Or is that something that like you’ll do on another day so that you don’t have too much on your plate at one time?

00:31:09:03 – 00:31:42:18

If there are elements that I know I need like for sure in there, then I try to get as many on that same. I’ll do it like people start packing up and they’re done in. Then I’ll photograph additional elements while my lights are still set up while I’m still at that same camera height. While I still have that same perspective on my lens, but oftentimes there are things I’m like, Oh, like the mirror in the ice queen shoot. I really need a mirror in here. So I looked at the image. I’m like, OK, we’re going to set the mirror about this angle. I’m going to try this millimeter lens and I’m getting better at that, just knowing the right angles that’ll get it into the image.

00:31:42:20 – 00:31:46:27

So basically, if I forget, it’s later, if we know it’s going in there and I don’t get it the same day.

00:31:47:12 – 00:31:50:17

So like, how much time do you think the whole shoot takes

00:31:51:07 – 00:32:06:06

the actual shooting time? I was telling someone the other day, typically I’m like 20 40 minutes max and oh, so quick. Yeah, and that’s because of all the pre-planning. It’s like, we know when we’ve got it. Once the models warmed up, it’s it’s not hard.

00:32:07:03 – 00:32:17:21

So it’s like because, you know, you’re looking for this very specific shot and you know, you have that feeling when you have the one, it’s like you don’t need to keep exploring necessarily and keep diving into it.

00:32:18:07 – 00:32:35:23

Yes, that’s exactly right. And that’s when it was when I started actually drawing and doing all this pre-planning work, and I realized that was making my post-processing so much easier and faster. That was really the turning point for me. I’m like, OK, I’ve got to design more.

00:32:36:09 – 00:32:48:07

Mm hmm. That’s really that’s really, I think interesting because I would have assumed that it would take a lot longer to do a show like this. And it sounds like in some ways, it might be even quicker than like a client.

00:32:48:28 – 00:32:59:28

It it is. And sometimes I just want to keep shooting because I feel so bad because everyone spent three hours of hair and makeup, and now we’re done in 20 minutes. So yeah, it goes by pretty quick, pretty quick.

00:33:01:24 – 00:33:26:23

So I wanted to ask you a bit about like your lighting set up, for instance. Do you try when you do your your different pieces? Do you try to stay within a certain set up that you’re comfortable with something that you feel that stays on brand with who you are as an artist or you switching up your lighting. Just depending on, you know, this one’s dark and moody, this was bright and airy.

00:33:28:10 – 00:33:34:09

Do you switch it up like that or you try to stay within something that you feel is more on brand for you?

00:33:35:29 – 00:34:07:11

I wouldn’t say necessarily on brand for me, but I would say on brand for the series I’m creating. So the finding my voice, the cage next series I used like a butterfly light that really cut in the cheekbones in almost every shot. So that kind of beauty butterfly light where you get those deep shadows in the cheekbones are my most common light. It’s like my favorite, but I also do a lot of Rembrandt lighting. But then, of course, like when I did the Covid series, those were outdoor images for all of them.

00:34:07:13 – 00:34:11:17

So those were kind of up a boring, flat light that just kind of matched the scenery.

00:34:12:15 – 00:34:31:22

Hmm. Okay. And another thing I want to ask you is since you are both the photographer as well as the retouching. Is there anything that you are doing that you feel that you’re looking for to make the retouching process early easier on you later on?

00:34:32:26 – 00:34:34:18

Oh, that’s a really good question.

00:34:37:21 – 00:34:47:29

Not particularly because a lot of the I feel like a lot of the flaws that somebody might have that I want to retouch out. I’m trying to get right in camera.

00:34:49:18 – 00:35:03:03

This past year, I’ve worked with a lot of really young people who didn’t have very many flaws. And the covid series, I had a mix of ages, but that was all really flat lighting and all of those. So I guess not particularly

00:35:04:22 – 00:35:07:15

sorry. I don’t know. All right. No worries. Very good question.

00:35:09:00 – 00:35:37:12

So if if in talking about the the retouching, the things that you might potentially look for, I want to hop into into your post-processing workflow, but I wanted to ask you a little bit about your training with Adobe. It’s something that you told is you are in Adobe Photoshop certified expert. What do you have to do to get certified and how does that translate over into what it is that you’re doing?

00:35:38:10 – 00:36:13:11

So I decided to get that certification in 2019. So it was like the end of 2018, 2018, early 2019 is when I really started studying for that. That’s when I discovered that Adobe did have a test that you could take where you could be. I believe they have. It might be called an associate is the lower level. But then there’s Adobe Ace, which stands for Adobe Certified Expert, and that’s the highest level you can go. So basically, I did a lot of research on Adobe Photoshop and did a lot of Googling.

00:36:13:13 – 00:36:43:26

There’s some people out there that are teaching courses and have sample tests and things specifically for this exam, and I will have to preface this was in 2019, so I’m not too sure how that process has changed. I haven’t looked into it since then, but then luckily, I’m in a fairly populated area. There was one of my local colleges where that was an option for a test I could take, and I had to go in there just like a a college exam show my ID and everything. And it was it wasn’t.

00:36:44:10 – 00:37:16:09

It wasn’t a huge test I want to say. It might have been under 100 hundred questions and it was on everything Photoshop and like printing and a lot of things that I don’t use any more. But diving into Photoshop to that level really helped speed up my production process because it’s like, Oh, I’ve been doing it like this. But here’s four other ways that I could also do the exact same thing, and these might be faster in certain situations. So that was one of the best things studying for that exam.

00:37:16:11 – 00:37:21:14

It was a beast, but studying for that exam really up to my skill level in Photoshop.

00:37:21:29 – 00:37:29:05

So is this like a paper exam or do you like go into Photoshop and show them that, you know, like how does that work?

00:37:29:12 – 00:37:49:22

That’s a great question. So in 2019, it was a computer exam and it was a combination. There were multiple choice questions. There were also like fill in the blank questions, and then there was a portion of the exam where it was in Photoshop, where you had to actually demonstrate some things. So it’s a combination. Wow.

00:37:49:24 – 00:37:53:01

It feels like a high school AP test. I’m like, Yeah, just thinking about it.

00:37:54:10 – 00:37:57:28

Yeah, exactly. I started sweating, just thinking about, Oh

00:37:58:00 – 00:38:00:15

my, oh, I’m having flashbacks.

00:38:06:11 – 00:38:09:06

So that’s awesome though that you got that certain vacation.

00:38:10:08 – 00:38:31:11

So let’s go ahead and actually just jump into your workflow. So you got all your images. You pull everything together. What? What is your starting point then in your retouching? Where do you focus on? Is it the master image that you said that you felt was right and then figuring out what to do with it or how does that go about?

00:38:32:03 – 00:39:06:27

Yeah, usually I will just dive into my exact image that I want. If it’s something that’s really surreal, like, the moon goddess shoot that I did. She’s actually coming out of the water in the lake before I ever shot her. I did several practice images with other pictures that I thought might be kind of similar. So I would know, am I going to need to actually put this dress in water? Can I photoshop it where it looks in water? So I answered a lot of those questions beforehand, but generally I would go right to that main image that I was looking for, starting first.

00:39:07:22 – 00:39:28:18

I’ve learned to use what are they called smart objects. So I will retouch everything and then convert it to a smart object and then pull that smart object in. So if I go back and realize. Oh, I over I over smoothed the skin, I can go back into that smart object again and smooth the skin, if that makes sense. All my layers are still there.

00:39:29:15 – 00:39:50:19

Oh, that is awesome. Wait a minute, are you taking? So you have the master image. You have a separate file. Let’s take, for instance, your claw foot bathtub that you shot. Are you retouching that in its own separate file, converting it into a smart object and then transferring it over into the main?

00:39:51:01 – 00:39:53:00

Exactly. You got it. Okay.

00:39:53:05 – 00:39:55:06

Wow. Our minds are blown over here.

00:39:56:12 – 00:40:08:18

Well, I’ve learned this because I’m very indecisive and the amount of times where I said, Oh, I wish I could go back and I’m starting over once I realized I could do that in a smart object. Also, because of the exam, that’s really helped things.

00:40:09:09 – 00:40:23:14

And when you’re doing it in the original file not in the master file, but the original file say the bathtub. Is it transferring over the information from that file over to the master where you have copied over the smart object?

00:40:23:29 – 00:40:59:11

Yes. And then if I go back and I. So you can right click on your smart object in the layers and then you can edit the smart object. And then when you save that smart object, it updates in the master file. Oh, wow. Mm hmm. You guys want to know something else I just discovered. Sure. Something, something I should have known because this was also in the exam. But the libraries I’ve always known about libraries, I’ve only always known them in theory. And a few months ago, I watched a photographer use the library and I’m like kicking myself for not doing this for years.

00:40:59:13 – 00:41:21:20

So the libraries, you can take your cut out objects and you can actually save them to the library so they’re always there. So now I’m putting in my candles, which I use all the time, and like my skulls and little butterflies, I’ve saved those into the library as smart objects. So rather than go find them, I just pull them out from the library into my document. They’re already cut out. It’s glorious.

00:41:22:21 – 00:41:27:08

Oh, wow. And that’s because of the creative cloud system, correct?

00:41:27:15 – 00:41:44:25

Yes, I believe so. I have to look at my library and see if I’ve got my library on the cloud where I could go to multiple computers, but I really just have one main editing computer. So but yeah, that’s the theory that the library can be on the cloud and you can use it anywhere. You can share it with multiple people. It’s kind of cool. Mind blowing.

00:41:45:14 – 00:41:54:01

You, I’m sitting here like, Oh, as you’re describing it.

00:41:54:03 – 00:42:08:06

So you’ve been working on the image. How many times are you starting and stopping on image, revisiting it, looking at a different direction, turning it upside down? Or you doing anything like that to kind of make sure that you’re going in the right direction?

00:42:08:20 – 00:42:43:15

Yeah, I’m doing all those things. So usually the main I mean, obviously, it depends on how elaborate it is, but usually the main image I will just do in one go 80 percent of the way there. And then after that is where the process really slows down because it’s like, OK, I know this is a little bit off, but my brain is not computing as to why it’s a little bit off. So I just kind of need to sit with it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll understand, so like that first chunk goes really fast, but then like the color, just tweaking every little perspective, all.

00:42:43:17 – 00:42:49:27

There’s a little bright spot over here, and it’s bringing my eye that usually takes a few days of just opening it up again and again.

00:42:52:04 – 00:43:02:16

So when you’re doing that, when you’re having to like, open it up multiple times, like, how do you know that you’re done? Because that’s the part that really is confusing to me.

00:43:03:09 – 00:43:34:05

Yeah, that’s a tough question. Luckily, I have a lot of really good friends in this industry, so my husband is actually a photographer as well. Oh. Yeah, and he is an incredible photographer, and it is great to have somebody to just bounce ideas off of. And it’s really nice, too, because I can say, Hey, Jeff, I want to Rembrandt lighting on this and I want to kick around the back and he just he’ll go and set up lights. And it’s just. And he’ll also be like, You didn’t want that lighting exactly like that.

00:43:34:25 – 00:43:46:24

So it’s nice to have another set of eyes, and often I will just let him look at something for a while and sometimes we’ll print things out and circle it or hang it upside down. We do. We do all that for final tweaks.

00:43:47:11 – 00:43:48:00

Oh wow.

00:43:49:19 – 00:44:04:01

So. Like, have you ever invested all this time into a creative project like and then just not been super like, happy with it in the end? Or are you always like super invested in like, yes, this is it. I love that

00:44:05:04 – 00:44:37:00

Yes, OK, I’ve got two two answers to that question. So there have been a couple of shoots where I did this little girl and she’s in this lake on a bed. And it’s kind of it’s almost reminiscent of the movie tangled with all the lanterns around. So I shot, Yeah, I got everyone together and I shot this image and I was like, This is going to be awesome. And this was probably about three years ago, and then I could not get that composite together and I was upset about it.

00:44:37:12 – 00:45:10:14

It took me another year and a half of learning different Photoshop skills. And once I learned how to do painting in photoshop, that’s what I realized. That image needed and I came back and was able to finish that image a year and a half later. So generally, I try not to bite off more than I can chew like that anymore, because especially when people are expecting the image, which is why I like with the Moon Goddess. I tested that with other similar images before I even did the shoot to make sure it wasn’t something that was beyond my skill level.

00:45:10:25 – 00:45:13:27

Sorry, can you explain to me what painting in Photoshop means?

00:45:15:14 – 00:45:50:07

Actually, literally just that is making it look like a painting, so I’m realizing some of these concepts are so surreal and so into the realm of fantasy that in a in an image that looks like an actual photograph, it’s never going to quite come together because it’s so fantastical that it needs to look more like a painting or a drawing. So using the mixture brush, you can go in and actually add brush strokes and make it look like a painting rather than a photograph. And I’m finding that’s kind of pulling in some of those crazy, surreal aspects into looking like looking correct, basically.

00:45:50:25 – 00:46:00:29

Oh wow. So did you, for instance, the I believe it’s a million dreams are keeping me awake. That’s the piece where you have the lanterns and everything.

00:46:01:04 – 00:46:01:23

Yeah, yeah.

00:46:02:11 – 00:46:08:24

Did you photograph something and then paint over it with the mixer brush?

00:46:09:12 – 00:46:39:06

Yep. So I got all those elements in there. It looked like a composite, but still looked like a composite. It just didn’t quite look accurate because you can’t in photography, you can’t get a night scene and have the lanterns properly exposed and the girl’s face like it. Just the photography doesn’t work like that. So as I was trying to make it a photograph, it wasn’t coming together. So then once I took it and started adding the brushstrokes and started it, making look more like a painting, drawing it, it looked correct.

00:46:39:23 – 00:46:47:21

That’s really that’s really good advice because I mean, yeah, like, how would someone solve that problem? So I’m really glad you mentioned that

00:46:48:13 – 00:47:06:16

let’s hop over to awards. And considering that you’ve entered both digital awards like the Portrait Masters as well as print awards like WPPI, do you have anything that you do differently or things that you take into consideration when retouching for either digital or for print?

00:47:07:21 – 00:47:44:03

Mm hmm. That’s a great question. Prints I’ve been competing in print for a long time. WPPI was the only competition that I even knew about, and that was always print and had been knocked down for poor printing so many times. Now we do our own printing, so my husband prints everything for me and we’ve been getting fantastic results. But when it’s a print versus a digital competition, so the digital has the the screen, which is actually lit up, it’s kind of like backlit, so you’re seeing more details in blacks than you typically will in print competition.

00:47:44:05 – 00:48:09:17

So for print competition, I’m really watching my blacks. A common thing that you will hear them take off points for is, Oh, the blacks are muddied. I can’t see details in the shadows. I hear that all the time. So just kind of knowing what range and what limitations I have in the printer and watching things like color, color cast shows up a lot more. You get more taken off for it in a print than a digital.

00:48:11:03 – 00:48:15:22

Banding, banding is another one. Yeah, banning is hard to get rid of in print.

00:48:16:14 – 00:48:23:25

How do you? So let’s talk about banning for a second because but in digital it’s easier to get rid of like it doesn’t show as much.

00:48:24:16 – 00:48:58:03

That’s how I feel. There are things where when I really have a lot of high, I’d say it’s mostly in the darks. Although I’ve seen banning other places, it’ll look beautiful on my screen then I print it out. I’m like, Oh, I see that that range of colors, it’s almost like a pixilated. It’s showing its ingredients, I guess is what is. Yeah, and it doesn’t have that smooth gradient. So, yeah, that’s something you’ll see more often in print. And you didn’t realize which is the importance of doing test prints and not just sending them right to the lab over to the competition.

00:48:58:18 – 00:49:06:22

OK, yeah, because I’ve experienced banding when I was a wedding photographer, a lot in like skies. Mm hmm. And it would just be like the most frustrating thing.

00:49:06:28 – 00:49:08:20

Yeah, yeah, that is hard.

00:49:09:10 – 00:49:34:06

So last year at WPPI, I sat in during the judging and it was fascinating to see what they were doing and what they were talking about, whether that was the type of paper, the weight of the paper or the matte that goes around it. Where do you find the information to figure out what works? Is it trial and error? Are you printing everything from a whole bunch of labs and seeing what works the best or how are you going about that?

00:49:34:22 – 00:50:08:09

That’s a good question. So you have to research the competition because different competitions are looking for different things. And as far as I am aware, WPPI is one of the last print competitions in existence. Most places have moved to digital, which actually, I think is kind of sad. So I can tell you a lot about WPPI is that they’re always looking for a very clean matte. You can go on their website and hear the judges talk about how to matte the image and what the judges are looking for, something that’s not distracting.

00:50:08:17 – 00:50:19:21

There was a big mistake I made the first time I did. I spent all this extra money getting colored mats and beveled edges with gold, and they were just looking for a simple matte that drew your attention to the image.

00:50:21:08 – 00:50:53:07

So that was huge. I always try to get research. The competition that you’re about to enter is my advice for that. But then as far as the actual printing goes, you have to find somebody that you trust. And to do that, I would just call the labs and see, like, is it a specific person that’s going to be printing? Do they have a specific person that prints just for print competition because a proper printer is going to look at the blacks and say, Oh, there’s no details in here, we need to lighten this up or, oh, this is casting way too magenta.

00:50:53:09 – 00:50:59:09

That’s not how it’s supposed to be. We need to add a little green. So a proper printer will know those things.

00:51:00:08 – 00:51:08:00

Are there any particular prints, shops, or labs that you feel comfortable with, or maybe recommendations that might be able to help out in that regard?

00:51:08:07 – 00:51:38:18

Oh, that’s a good question, too. I have to say no because we were getting dinged on every, every single image because of print quality. So that’s the exact reason we bought the printer. I know I’ve heard of some real good people. I’ve got a friend in San Diego, his name is Yannick Waskow, and he does printing specifically for print competition. I haven’t used him personally, but I know him and I know when he does something, he does it to the nth degree.

00:51:38:20 – 00:51:43:05

So I would imagine he would be probably my first recommendation to try. Hmm.

00:51:43:21 – 00:51:48:21

And if you’re doing it on your own, what printer did you choose to work with then?

00:51:49:11 – 00:52:19:11

Gotcha. So we got a canon. And that pretty much has. We did a little bit of research, but also we bought it at the trade show, which if you’re going to buy a printer, but now everyone will probably jump at it at the trade shows when when you’re at a trade show, they have all this extra ink and they don’t want to have to ship the paper back. They don’t have to ship the entire printer back. So you can get things like, Oh, you can have all the extra ink left over that we’re not printing here at the trade show, and you can also have all our extra paper.

00:52:19:13 – 00:52:49:15

So there are some deals you can get on printers at trade shows and then you have to really get your printer and your monitor calibrated, and you have to get a proper profile for the print paper that you’re going to use. There’s a company called Freestyle and it’s run by Eric Joseph. And as far as everybody I’ve talked to, there is not anybody I’ve met or seen in the world that has as much knowledge on printing and different types of paper than Eric Joseph.

00:52:49:17 – 00:52:58:24

He really is your Go-To guy if you want to get into printing and learning how to calibrate your machines and getting it all working, he says he provides printing psychotherapy

00:53:00:13 – 00:53:03:28

because it can be a little intimidating at first, but he’s really good at walking you through it.

00:53:04:12 – 00:53:23:04

Now is this one of those large, large printers where you almost need like a garage or like an extra… Because I live in a like town where real estate is crazy expensive and like I live in a 1200 square foot condo with no garage. So like for me, getting a printer the size of a room is just like, not ever happening.

00:53:24:09 – 00:53:31:10

So that’s funny because everyone thinks ours is a barbecue. When they come over, they think, Oh, you’ve got to do in here.

00:53:34:28 – 00:54:05:26

We ultimately did go with a large one because I often sell 24 by 36 inch prints to my customers. So we went with one that could print that because I was like, If we get smaller and still have to order our big ones from the lab, it’s it’s not really useful for us. If you’re wanting to do it just for print competition, there’s no reason. I mean, you’re going to get the same quality even in a small printer. And as long as you have that inkjet, know that it pro 2000 starts the professional.

00:54:06:01 – 00:54:11:17

So the Pro 2000 starts the professional. So that was my husband, Jeff. He does everything, I guess.

00:54:14:07 – 00:54:32:21

But you can get good results with a smaller printer. And when you’re printing for print comp 16 by 20 is usually the mat size. So at WPI, you have to have a minimum of 10 inches of print on one side. So you know, it’s not actually that large that you’re printing, if that makes sense.

00:54:32:23 – 00:54:38:20

OK, so I just feel like an eight by 10 or an 11 by 14. It’s not like this giant print that you’re exactly.

00:54:38:22 – 00:54:39:25

Yup. Got it.

00:54:40:02 – 00:54:40:17

Got it.

00:54:41:25 – 00:55:13:29

So, Rachel, last year at WPPI, they announced the final three winners of the CGI Pro Print and Billboard campaign, where they chose 10 photographers to display their work on a billboard all across the country. So I was at the table right next to you as you won. And by the look of your face, you weren’t expecting it. What did it feel like to win the award to go on stage? And did you have a speech? Are you prepared and were you ready to give it it in front of everyone?

00:55:14:24 – 00:55:45:16

That’s a great question, Kevin. I was shocked because so that is not a typical regular award. That was something that they did. I don’t know if they’re going to continue to do it, but that was something they did just for twenty twenty one. So I had read about that award in the rules, but I just kind of glossed over it because I was like, OK, we’re going for first, second or third here. And I scored a goal. So I knew I was a contender for a first, second or third. And then that didn’t happen. I got second place, but that doesn’t bring you on stage.

00:55:45:18 – 00:55:48:00

So I was shocked when they announced my name for that.

00:55:49:29 – 00:55:53:10

Yeah, and it was really quite quite the surreal moment.

00:55:55:03 – 00:56:09:03

You know, I didn’t have anything prepared because I wasn’t exactly sure what I was, what I won. It wasn’t an award that had come to mind, so doing the manifesting thing, and now I’ve got some speeches prepared for them for what it happens again, right?

00:56:10:11 – 00:56:21:16

Just have some baseline speeches ready? Yeah, exactly. So will you be entering any new pieces into the awards for this year, whether that’s for the Portrait Masters or WPPI?

00:56:22:15 – 00:56:53:05

That’s a great question, too. I have been looking at that all morning. At the moment, we are going back and forth. I can’t decide which ones to enter. I’ve got a bunch of entries that I’ve purchased for WPPI, so that’s the other thing. WPPI is unique in that you can purchase your entries early, but you don’t have to actually send them in. They have to be postmarked by February 1st. And there is a discount for purchasing early. So I’ve purchased them and now we’re just trying to narrow it down to which ones are actually going into the contest.

00:56:53:07 – 00:56:54:18

So yeah, the answer’s yes.

00:56:55:21 – 00:56:56:20

Awesome.

00:56:57:13 – 00:57:04:29

So to wrap it up, what advice do you have for people out there that are considering entering for any of these awards?

00:57:05:14 – 00:57:46:27

Oh my gosh. It is the single best education that I have ever received, especially when you can attend a live judging like WPPI. So they actually have the judges in the room and they make a comment on every single image. So you might be tempted to think, Oh, I just want feedback on my own image. But when you see them saying different comments and even often the same kinds of comments on image after image, it really just improves everything. And you know, we all should shoot weddings and other types of photography, but I’m pulling the knowledge that I’ve learned and the things that I’ve heard judges say from print competition like, Oh, you don’t want to show the back of the hand? That’s a huge one.

00:57:46:29 – 00:58:13:07

They say you got to show the side of the hand. So I’m always, you know, posing the bride for the side of the hand. And it just it really manifests itself in all of my work. If you have the opportunity to do it, do a little research and don’t get discouraged because it takes a little bit of time before you realize what the judges are looking for. But absolutely do it. If you have the opportunity to go attend the live judging, it’ll be worth it tenfold, I promise.

00:58:14:01 – 00:58:26:19

That’s fantastic. Well, Rachel has been an absolute pleasure having you on with us today. But before we let you go, can you please share with us your different social pages the way people know where to find you?

00:58:27:15 – 00:58:47:24

Yes, I am, Rachel Owen six one three on pretty much everything random story. I was born on June 13th, weighing six pounds, 13 ounces, and like all of this, six one three things have in my birthday is kind of crazy story. Rachel Owen in six one three on everything.

00:58:48:25 – 00:59:27:19

Now that is awesome. Everyone, please, please, please be sure to go follow Rachel and make sure to follow The Portrait System on Instagram and on Facebook as well. Be sure to check out the blog posts that are associated with our Clubhouse interviews at SueBryceEducation.com/blog. And you can also follow Ashleigh on Instagram at Ashleigh Taylor Portrait That is A s h l e i g h, and you can find me there as Pop Light_Photography. If you are a member of Sue Bryce Education and you have any more questions for Rachel, Ashleigh or myself, please go tag us in a post in the SBE Members Only Facebook Group.

00:59:28:01 – 00:59:43:14

And if you are not a member of Sue Bryce Education, and you are interested in learning more about how we can help your business succeed. Email Ella with support and support@SueBryceEducation.com. Thank you for joining us and hope we can see this again next week.

Also, be sure to check out the blog posts that are associated with our clubhouse interviews at SueBryceEducation.com/blog. If you are a member of Sue Bryce Education, you have any more questions for David, Ashleigh or myself go tag us in a post in the Sue Bryce Members Only Facebook group. If you are not a member of Sue Bryce Education, and you are interested in learning more about how we can help you and your business succeed, email Ella with support at support@SueBryceEducation.com.

Thanks again for listening today. And don’t forget, you can listen to either me or our special guests every Friday on Club House at 11:00 a.m. Pacific. Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System Podcast. Your five-star reviews really help us to continue what we do. So, if you like listening, would you mind giving us a review wherever you listen? I also encourage you to head over to SueBryceEducation.com, where you can find all of the education you need to be a successful photographer. There are over 1,000 on-demand educational videos on things like posing, lighting, styling, retouching, shooting, marketing, sales, business, and self-value

There’s also the 90 Day Startup Challenge, plus so many downloads showing hundreds of different poses. We have to-do checklists for your business, lighting PDFs, I mean truly everything to help make you a better photographer and to make you more money. Once again, that’s SueBryceEducation.com