Photography

"Picture-This" Kiosk

Description:

Digitize the wedding sign-in book and memory-collection experience. A specialized kiosk is brought to the wedding, where guests can digitally sign in. Digital cameras’ memory cards can be deposited into the kiosk from guests who have taken pictures with their cameras.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I searched online for BYU students and the businesses they have started up. When I saw this business idea I thought that it was revolutionary and has huge potential.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

Major problems I see would be getting the word out that this is a great way to preserve wedding memories. Another problem I could see happening would be making the kiosk user-friendly so everyone can use it with ease.

A way to overcome these issues would be to place a kiosk at a friends wedding for free so guests can use it and spread the word about the great technology. Also, stationing an employee who can explain any concerns and alleviate any confusion would assure the wedding couple that all the guests would be able to use the kiosk properly

What I learned:

I had never heard of this product before so I learned about the idea and the technology. From this I have learned that there are many untapped outlets for technology and that this invention could change the face of weddings and create an easy way to get snapshots from friends and family in a timely manner.

Photographer

Description:

: general photography in many different types of settings. I work with weddings and other events. These include concerts and fashion events where I take pictures for magazines and the companies that put on the events. Rarely do I have anyone else working with me, and if I do it is just a person that helps me set up. I usually have to meet with whomever I was doing the work for before to know exactly what they want before the event begins. Its great because a lot of it is done on my own time which help with my schedule.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I’ve always been interested in photography and would just do a few things here and there. Then someone saw a project I did and asked me to do some work for them. After a few of these jobs I realized that I could do it and that there was a need for it.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

The biggest challenge I face is that I haven’t been doing it for a long time so it is hard because I don’t have a big clientele and nobody really knew that I was able to do it. Through relationships that I had kept over the years, they were able to help me with people that they knew that needed some photography work done. It was good advertising for me because I had already done work for them and they liked it so they were more than willing to refer other friends and family to me.

What I learned:

I learned many business aspects that I didn’t realize before. Some of these are advertising and its importance, the ability to work with different people and their specific demands. I also learned that it takes a considerable amount of time to have success and its not just a quick and easy thing.

Photographer's Assistant

Description:

As a photographer's assistant I was in charge of managing post production processing of photos taken by my employer, the photographer. Generally I would receive the photos as a batch of 2-300 shots. I would then go through each one and manage the color, cropping, lighting, and touch up imperfections in the photos or in complexions. Generally I used photoshop to do these corrections and create a finished product for the client. Sometimes major photo manipulation was required and I would need to work extensively on one or two photos to achieve the desired effect. On occasion I would accompany her to photo shoots to act as her second shooter or assist with lighting or other duties.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

A lady in my ward heard that I was proficient with photoshop and liked photography, and she offered me a job as her assistant / second shooter.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

Having never prepared photos for a client, I had to overcome a little bit of fear of failure, and do as much as I could to ensure that I put out a quality print for them. I had to make sure I knew the software and knew what my boss wanted me to be accomplishing.

What I learned:

I learned how to create a workflow and produce professional-grade work for clients. I learned that it's always important to keep up on your education in the area that you are working, software is constantly changing and you have to know it in and out and keep up with the techniques and processes.

Photography Assistant

Description:

With this job opportunity I was able to work in a photography studio, side by side with the photographer. Her business provided high quality photographs for families, couples, weddings, children, babies, and any other special occasion that clients requested her services for. My job was to assist her both on the photo shoots with lighting, equipment, props, posing, and placement as well as in the lab on the computer with touching up, and editing the photographs. I also would organize the files and backup each client/event on to hard disks and file those as well. I was in charge of receiving orders and placing them, which involved preparing the photos to be sent into the lab to be printed and making sure the client was happy with the end product. In order to use any of her clients’ pictures on her website, there were model release forms that needed to be filled out and signed, I had the task of making sure each were signed before the shoot began and keeping them on file. I would also keep track of the calendar and schedule photo shoots when clients would call in.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I got the idea because I have always been interested in photography, and as it is my major, I knew that I would one day want to have my own business to run and wanted the experience of working with a photographer to see what it involved. I began looking around for photographers who I could relate to their style of work (a very important part because if you do not like their style you will not like working with or for them). I started by searching the internet, or talking to people who had been clients. I then made a list of all these and began to call each one explaining the situation that I was looking to intern, or would be happy assisting in order to gain more experience in the business. This took a few weeks and I came up short most of the time, but it did work and I landed a really good job with a photographer who I shared the same creative style with and learned a lot from.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

I faced, and how I overcame them: There were things that I did not expect and problems that came up during work that I had to solve. It was difficult to sometimes keep track of deadlines because from the time a photo shoot happened we had two weeks to finish editing, filing, and ordering all the pictures. One can only imagine the confusion that this posed at times when you would be working on three or four clients at any given point in time, with a steady stream of new clients being scheduled. Organization was the key factor in solving this problem for me. I had a system of filing so that I knew with what client what needed to be done at what point in the entire process. For every client the same process needed to be completed, so there were folders that represented each stage in the process. Therefore if my boss asked I could tell her exactly where any given client was at in completion of this process. For example, I was also able to know exactly whose orders were ready, and whose pictures needed to be edited still. This gave my job a sense of grounding so that it was not just simply chaos all the time, and each day I knew exactly what needed to be completed in order to keep each client on track and finished in two weeks

What I learned:

In doing this I learned a lot about the mechanics of actually running a photography business that I did not know about before. I learned about the different programs that are used, and how to use them. I now know how to take a picture and make it look better simply with a program on the computer. I know about different labs that are used in printing and the good and bad aspects of each. I learned about photography equipment, how to handle it, clean it, store it, and use it. I learned what makes a good photograph and what does not. I learned people skills how to sell yourself to clients and how to make them happy with your product. I learned organization and how to multi-task and still produce efficient quality work. Most of all I learned that photography is really what I want to do in life. Because of the joy that it brought me knowing that I was a part of the process that brought happiness to the faces of clients when they saw their memories in photos that they will cherish forever.

Photography Framing

Description:

My current job is at the BYU bookstore in the art department. I work at the framing desk where I help customers choose molding, matting, glass, and fillets for their pictures. I then put together the frames, cut the glass and mats, and paper and wire the back of the picture. I also mount posters and pictures on foam core. Helping customers finding their way around the art department is also something I am required to do, along with answering the phone and quoting prices.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I found the job when looking and the job opportunities board in the BYU employment office, a few weeks before school started so there were many listings. When I saw there was an opening in the Art and Frame department I became interested and applied almost immediately. When I turned in the application in, I was asked in for an interview a half an hour later which went well. The interviewer told me he would probably make his decision within the next couple days, and let me know. About three hours later I got a call asking if I wanted the job, and I accepted

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

To accept the job I had to have a three hour block of time each day in the week that I could work. I had to make sure my classes were not at that time so I could work. I also suffer minor cuts on my hands each day from working with posterboard, paper, mats, and glass.

What I learned:

Through my experience at the framing desk I have learned many valuable skills that I will be able to call on when I have a career. Coordinating colors, giving suggestions to and assisting customers, and assembling frames are all qualities that overlap into many different career fields, making my experience as a framer very versatile.

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