Photographer Mark Laing

Mark Laing is a London-based photographer specializing in brochure and marketing imagery.  We think of him as a sort of stunt devil-photographer hybrid who has managed to combine his love for photography with flying fixed wing and rotary aircraft. Not a bad gig, if you ask us! Some of Laing’s clients include Cunard and Honda. A self-proclaimed gear-hound, he told us that his next purchase will be an Alpa Max with a Phase One IQ180 back.  Mark shoots with TetherPro’s new Low Profile Casing FireWire 800, which will work great with this kit.

My first camera was…
A Zorki 4, given to me at the age of 13 by my Uncle Ernie. It was Ernie who got me really interested in photography and then set me up with a darkroom in the roof void of my parents house. There was no sink, water or drains, and it was more than once that I spilt developer and fixer on myself while lifting the trays in and out of the roof hatch.

I got started in photography…
Unfortunately by lying about my age! But this allowed me to get a job as a sales assistant in a Scottish chain of camera retailers. I worked after school and on Saturdays and quickly mastered every piece of kit in the store. Although very part-time, I became the best salesman of camera accessories (the commission was higher), insisting persuasively to purchasers of cameras that they must have a leather case to protect their coveted purchase.

I was allowed to borrow cameras (Canon A1 and Nikon F Photomic) and loved shooting reels of film. The excitement of pulling the film off of the plastic reel and seeing my images on wet celluloid was fantastic! At 17, I moved to Glasgow and studied photography.

In my second year of study, I was chosen to be the “official” photographer for Glasgow at the Queen’s Silver Jubilee party in Hyde Park, London. My eyes were opened and on the flight back home to Scotland, I made a promise to myself to ‘come to London’ and work. At the age of 23, after working for a Scottish ad agency, I moved to London. There, I ended up working for two top photographers before setting up on my own just over 10 years ago. I now employ 11 full-time staff.

Photo by Mark Laing

I wanted to become a photographer because…
I had a taste for travel and realized that photography could pay its way for me – something that the business has enabled me to fulfill.

My first paying photography job was…My first BIG paying photography job was…
My first paying photography job was at the age of 21, working for the Scottish ad agency in Edinburgh. I came to London without a job and touted more than 20 studios for a job. I told them that I had to be better than the worst photographer they had ever employed and I eventually got a break working in a central London studio. My first big paying job was for a government agency, not long after setting up my own business.

I would describe my style or shooting philosophy as…
Technical, not particularly creative. I’m a good listener and interpreter of clients’ requirements. I’ve no ego whatsoever and still manage to surprise myself at times when I see the final images.

Photo by Mark Laing

Some of my industry role models are…because…
Edward Weston, who I think is probably the most innovative and influential photographer ever. I go walking with a digital camera and two lenses…he went with a wooden and brass camera, mahogany tripod, glass plates, chemicals and a portable darkroom! Also, Henri Cartier-Bresson is a master of photojournalism and the best capturer of “the precise moment.” Sir Norman Parkinson, who gave me his 500c Hasselblad (which I covet), is another. Of course, my Uncle Ernie is my favourite living photographer who still manages to produce exceptional shots of his explosives business.

If I could choose one dream gig, it would be…
An air-to-air helicopter shoot at night with portable lighting. The risk assessment and civil aviation permissions have been interesting. I’ve been working on it for a while. There is another photographer in the United Kingdom doing something similar but they haven’t gotten the shot yet.

My favorite piece of gear is…
My Minolta III light meter and 18 percent grey card. Some habits just never change!

Photo by Mark Laing

Do you shoot tethered? If so, what is your current set-up?
I always shoot tethered when in my studio. My setup is a FireWire 800 straight out of the Hasselblad H back into my PowerBook Pro. On location, especially arial shooting, I like to shoot tethered to the 100GB Hasselblad ImageBank – a portable drive no bigger than a pack of playing cards. CF card capacity and speed has increased immensely lately, although I still like to write directly to hard drive. I’m told that ‘solid state’ is the way forward. The thought of a card being dropped out of the open helicopter door whilst sitting on the skids during changeover makes me sweat just imagining it. Also, when shooting in the studio, the tethered setup backs all images to the raid servers and also to an off-site location, negating the need for end of day back ups.

Have you integrated your iPad into your workflow yet? If so, how?
I love the iPad apps and use the Hasselblad Focus and Capture One applications. The Capture One app is perfect for clients looking at what’s going on. Just make sure that the camera adjustments controls are switched off when you hand your iPad to the client! I love the technical advances in our profession. I’m a real gadget man and sometimes find that the smallest pieces of kit, thoughtfully designed, are often the most essential – like the Tether Tools Jerkstopper for camera to laptop. The number of times that I have been disconnected from FireWire has been totally eradicated by such a small but essential piece of equipment!

Photo by Mark Laing

A photographer shares an Animoto video on Facebook

In recent weeks, we’ve been having a lot of fun with Animoto. It’s an online program that turns photos and video clips into professional video slideshows. The best part is that Animoto is really easy to use, fast, and a relatively low cost way to increase your client satisfaction and photo sales tenfold. Animoto offers the most time and cost-effective way we’ve found yet to encourage sales and increase business from your clients. Here’s how to do it:

Create Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Having a plan to combat the “slow season” is important. Video can play a huge role in your marketing strategy. Try producing a video for clients that you know are on Facebook. Make sure the video begins and ends with your studio logo, then upload it to Facebook and tag your clients. More than likely, they’ll “like” the video and even comment on how great it is. Once they do this, the interaction appears on their Facebook timelines, which means some of their friends are likely to see it. This is a great way to get more qualified leads into your door and your name out in the community!

Sell Videos a La Carte
The old sales saying goes, “if you don’t show it, people won’t buy it.” If all you show are albums, then you’re going to only sell albums. The same idea goes with prints, canvas wraps, and yep, video. Kick off a proofing session with an Animoto video. This adds an emotionally compelling element to clients’ photos. You want to get them in the right state of excitement and sentimentality before pitching them on pricing. Plus, these videos create a great add-on sale. Make sure that you include the pricing for the video on your price list once you get to that stage of the sales process.

Include Video in Your Premiere Package
Animoto videos are a nice incentive to get your clients to step-up to a higher-tiered package. These videos really motivate clients to pay more while making them feel like they’re getting a good add-on value. Let’s say you’re pricing out a client’s portrait project for $125 but you really want to bring in more revenue. Show them how, if they pay just a little more, they’ll get a creatively packaged video they can use for future promotional efforts.

SPECIAL OFFER: Tether Tools customers can purchase 1 year of Animoto Pro by March 1st and receive 2 additional months for free! The promo code is tethertools.

Matt Dutile is a New York City based lifestyle and travel photographer. He grew up in a small New Hampshire farm town before venturing west seeking buried treasure, as most explorers do.  After a recent move to the Big Apple, he came to the conclusion that he prefers crazy cab rides and New York City nights. These days he’s giving the wild world of lifestyle and travel photography a go. Matt likes to think of himself as a problem solver and storyteller.

My first camera was…
A Pentax ZX-M in high school for a darkroom photography class. I didn’t really hit my stride with photography until six years later when I picked up a Nikon D80 digital body on an impulse buy.

Photo by Matt Dutile

I got started in photography…
Really just on an impulse in December 2008. I was sitting at a desk job that at first I had enjoyed, but started losing interest in, and was looking for a hobby. I started out by shooting everything that makes me cringe to think of now. I guess that’s where most of us start, though.

I wanted to become a photographer because…
It really was an epiphany for me when I first knew this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I mean clouds parting, choirs of angels singing, basking-in-the-warm-glow epiphany experience. It just hit me one day. This was it. This was what I had been looking for and trying to figure out about myself. If I had to pinpoint one thing it would probably be the idea of being able to visually express myself.

Photo by Matt Dutile

My first paying photography job was…
I sold a few stock images of a property to a development group that I had photographed in my HDR phase. At the time my immediate thought was something along the lines of, “oh snap I can make some cash doing this?” My first booked assignment was a bit later shooting prospective model comp cards.

My first BIG paying photography job was…
A one-page advertising shoot for the Greg Norman Collection. They had recently signed rising LPGA golfer Belen Mozo to their line and needed an image of her for Golfweek. We photographed a few different looks and they picked up some images for social media use as well. It was a nice first big shoot because it was relatively simple and everyone was easy to work with.

Photo by Matt Dutile

I would describe my style or shooting philosophy as…
I’ve come up with a tag line that I think represents what I try to do pretty well. Capture the Energy of Life. That’s really what I like to create and bring out in my work. I also try to keep a clean aesthetic in my images. I want them to feel fresh and natural.

Some of my industry role models are…because…
I particularly enjoy the work of Shannon Greer, Julien Capmeil, Joao Canziani, Nick Onken, Stephanie Rausser and Pamela Hanson. I take something different away from each of them.

Photo by Matt Dutile

I knew there was no turning back when…
When I stepped out on my own. That was the real no turning back moment – at least from a financial and career perspective.

If I could choose one dream gig, it would be…
Target. I really want to work with Target and see my images splashed all over displays and wall hangings in their store. I think the message and visual style of the company fits so well with what I do. It’s fun, it’s carefree and I just like it. I have to grow a bit more in my work and the production level behind my images, but I’m confident I’ll get there and have the opportunity to work with them.

Photo by Matt Dutile

One thing NO ONE could have ever prepared me for is…
The amount of work and time it takes to build a business in this industry. Even when you think you’ve got something special, it’s going to take a lot of effort and marketing. It takes a while to even pop up on the radar of clients you want to work with. Then even longer before you might be a fit for an assignment. Factor in pre-pro and then a few months from there to even get paid from it. That’s a long haul process that I don’t think you can fully appreciate until you’re in the midst of it. Be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint!

Some of my favorite educational resources are…
I often troll sites like PDN and APhotoEditor to stay on top of current trends, read interesting articles or just look at other photographers’ work. I think the best education you can give yourself is to keep thinking about what drives you and then open yourself to the vast catalogue of good photography out there.

Photo by Matt Dutile

Some of the tools I use to market my work include…
E-mail promotion is really my main source of reaching out to new clients nowadays. It varies between big blasts that go out every now and then to smaller targeted pitches and personal e-mails to my top prospects. Sometimes it can feel a bit impersonal, though. When I can, I really love setting up meetings. It’s made me realize that personality and how you handle clients and shoots on-set is all part of your selling package. It’s what distinguishes you from another photographer.

Since moving to NYC, my biggest revelation has been…
There’s this incredible high that comes with the realization of, “oh sh*t I’m actually doing this.” On the flip side, the competition can sometimes be overwhelming. But the competition is part of the push. It’s what makes you better.

Photo by Matt Dutile