It’s hard to believe that we have already been open almost a year.  We’re pleased with how it is going.  It seems like, to us, people walk away thrilled with what we’ve done.  It always makes our day when someone takes the time to write something on our Facebook page.  We get a lot of compliments from customers through email, internet posts, letters, and in person.  As some of you know, I have a bit of an ego and FotoFly doesn’t help in keeping me humble.  It’s not unreasonable to think that we are approaching perfection.

Well, for the record, we aren’t.  Sometimes, things do not go well.  There are sessions where we struggle.  There have been times where we haven’t been able to connect with the child and the pictures reflect that.  Sometimes I am not pleased when reviewing someone’s pictures.  The photographers, me included, make posing or lighting errors.  There have even been a few sessions where we didn’t take a single picture and had to reschedule.

We occasionally fail at explaining how we do things and someone will show up expecting something we don’t do.  Frequently, the photographers get carried away and spend too much time editing the pictures while the customer waits.  We’ve had printers stop working at inopportune times.  We’ve even had a customer get home and attempt to view her pictures – only to discover that her CD is blank.  Very disappointing…

With many companies (restaurants, dentists, golf courses), if you’re ten minutes late – it’s not a big deal.  With us, since we start every session on time, we won’t allow your session to run into the next one if you’re late.  We always try to make it up and give you the variety that you expect- but those missed ten minutes are significant for us.  This can be frustrating to people for us to be that rigid.

I cringe whenever I ask a customer how it went and her answer is ‘good’ or ‘ok.’  I really, really want every customer to leave being amazed at their experience and say, ‘Wow – it was unbelievable!  I love my pictures!’  This is something that causes me a lot of stress.  When you create something, it becomes an extension of you and it’s hard not to take things personally.

I’m getting better at accepting that we aren’t and can’t be perfect.  All we can do is our best and learn from the frequent mistakes that we do.  I can say that we have the best kind of people working here.  They sincerely care about what they’re doing.  They are trying to be creative in every session.  These photographers want the pictures to be good as much as you do.  They allow themselves to get emotionally involved in each session – which is risky for them because they become vulnerable.  When they talk to you at the beginning of the session, you will feel the earnestness coming from them.  Their goal is to give you the best expressions, poses, lighting, creativity, and variety possible.  Sometimes, a tired toddler or an upset infant has other plans.  But, I can safely say that these photographers are committed to make the best of whatever situation and do everything possible to get the absolute best result.

They are very skilled but intend to get better.  They are great photographers now – wait until next week, or month, or year – they’ll be even better.  I cannot include what they do in a job description.  Imagine a job description that said, ‘Catch spit-up in your hand to protect a dress’ or ‘Hit yourself in the head to get a smile if necessary’ or ‘Bring an extra shirt to work because you’ll likely get peed on.’  I can’t pay these people enough to do what they do.  They are voluntarily giving this to me and you and it’s inspiring.

So, we are not perfect – not even close.  We are trying to be.  We constantly talk about how to improve.  We are doing well now but wait until next month or year…  If there is someone that has left a little disappointed with some aspect of your experience, please let me know.  I am very interested in suggestions and ideas from you.  Please email me if you have an idea or feedback.  Eric@fotofly.com.

It’s been a short year that we’ve been open.  We’ve experienced a lot and learned a lot.  We feel very connected to many of you.  I’ve often wondered where exactly that connection comes from.  My best guess is that it’s easy for us to bond when we are working shoulder to shoulder – trying to get your newborn, toddler, high school senior, or family to look perfect.

Pay enough to hire amazing people

How much harder would it be to hire amazing people if I paid the minimum?  How long would they stay?  How committed would they be?  What kind of effort would they give?  From the beginning, I decided that I would have to pay much more than other studios.

I envisioned the type of person that would succeed at this.  In my vision, I saw Daniel.  Just kidding…  I did envision his energy, intelligence, sincerity, commitment, skill, and ambition.  I needed to attract this type of person and pay him or her enough to stay for a long, long time.  Our success relies on the skill of our photographers.  Let me say that again, our success relies on the skill of our photographers. So, this first principle is that I needed to pay enough to attract and retain the best kind of people.

There are some photography companies that don’t believe in this.  They pay the minimum and attempt to dumb-down the photography so that anyone can do it.  My advice to these companies is to pay more – their company’s success, like mine, relies on the skill and longevity of your photographers.

Keep the price affordable and clear.

Not too long ago, I sat at a photography conference where the speaker taught that photographers should NEVER show our prices until AFTER the customer has seen the pictures and was emotionally attached.  He said that it’s hard for customers to walk away from images of their children…  Obviously, I disagree with the secrecy.

Some photographers display their pricing, but it is so confusing and riddled with fees that customers get fatigued trying to figure it out and just give up on the idea of going to a professional photographer.

Some companies bring you in by offering a package for $8 or a free something.  Once you’re there, you find out that you will pay much more to get what you actually want.  In the company I used to work for (before I was fired after 16 years in a 5 minute meeting – sorry, I still have to get that off my chest every so often), we ALWAYS had a sale going – every day of the year.  We had fictitious ‘regular prices’ that we could discount and advertise ‘50% OFF’ sales.

There are many photographers that are upfront and simple with their prices, but are so expensive that it’s unrealistic for most people to afford them.

I decided that I didn’t want to play any games with the customer.  I didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence.  I wanted one price that didn’t change throughout the year.  You will never hear about a sale at FotoFly.

I don’t like the word ‘fee.’  We don’t have them.  Whether you come in with your 5 year old or your family of ten, the price is the same.  I think that customers knowing what they are going to pay is important.  I think customers don’t like the unknown.

The low price is also important.  Most families, especially young families, don’t have the money to pay hundreds of dollars every time they want pictures.  The $79 price is something that almost everyone can afford.  Our clear, low price is definitely one of the key principles that has helped us be successful.

Create images that are amazing, stylish, and unique.

How quickly would we fail if our photography was mediocre?  I knew we couldn’t just be adequate or average.  We could not be like any photography studio before us.  I winced at the idea of putting up some typical backgrounds and getting some cheesy props.  I imagined a style that was hip, creative, edgy, and uniquely FotoFly.  We are committed to adjusting and always being at the edge of what is cool.

The epicenter of our company is photography.  It is not sales technique or spreadsheets, policies or percentages.  I’ll never forget looking through the materials for the last company I worked for that fired me and then went out of business a year later (again, venting).  After looking through the 2 inch binder, I counted the number of times the word ‘photography’ appeared.  It was in that binder only 3 times.  We had lost our way and focused on everything besides the photography.  At FotoFly, we realize that photography is our product and we won’t forget that.

Give the customer the electronic images

Customers want and expect the electronic image.  Traditional photographers have a hard time giving it up.  Much of their money is made from prints.  However, customers do not understand why they would pay $40 for an 8×10 when they can get it for a few dollars at Walmart.  I’m convinced that those photographers who don’t adapt and realize that they are providing a service – not a product – will see their business slip away.  Giving our customers the image CD is an essential part of our success.

Create an experience that is not only painless, but legendary

Getting your pictures done can be an unpleasant experience.  In the beginning, I tried to think of all of the frustrations that customers typically face and avoided those.

The basics are important:  I knew that we needed to start every appointment on time.  We have scheduled enough time between sessions so that we do not have to rush the customer.  There is no pressure on the parent during the session – we are in control and know what we’re doing.  I knew that people would want to see their images right after the session.  We had to provide a play area for the children so the parents could look at their images undistracted.  I knew we needed the ability to print images immediately.  We needed to make it easy for customer to reorder prints directly from us or online.  These were the essentials that we needed to provide.

However, I wanted the experience to be legendary.  There are no shortcuts or gimmicks in making this happen.  The foundation to a legendary experience is photographers sincerely caring about each customer.  Every photographer understands the ‘big picture’ of what we’re doing and that every session is a significant event.  It’s a newborn’s first pictures.  It’s a senior’s only senior pictures.  It’s the only time a child is turning one.  Each will grow old and these images will become more valuable.  We picture a baby being 65 and showing their grandkids looking at those baby pictures with amazement.  We understand the meaning of photographs and feel the responsibility to get it right during every single session.  Both us and the parents are unified in our common goal of getting the best pictures possible.  I think the customers feel this and it’s a big part of what makes the experience legendary.

These 5 principles are each essential pillars upon which FotoFly stands.  If any one of them is removed, the whole thing falls apart.  Interestingly, before we opened, there were plenty of naysayers who told me that I was paying too much in salary, spending too much on the facility, setting the price too low, etc.  I think I was right.

Things are cruising along well at FotoFly.  We have been at capacity since November.  We expected to be fully booked during the Christmas season – but not in January or February.  I can’t tell you what it does for my ego to have this happen.  Seriously.  It also reminds me of how much our business model matches what customers have been wanting in a photography studio.  It’s nice to have our schedule look like this:

This is how each day begins - a full schedule.

One challenge associated with being at capacity is that customers have a hard time finding appointments in the coming week.  We  hate it every time we tell someone that we don’t have any openings on the day they want.  What makes this more frustrating is that we know, inevitably, we will have 2-3 appointments cancel each day.  They usually cancel the night before or the morning of.  Most of the time, it is because their child suddenly was sick.

Once the day gets started, 2-3 appointments almost always cancel.

We have considered collecting deposits but I cannot imagine telling parents that, because their child woke up sick, they are going to lose their deposit.  We realize that this happens and the parents wisely postpone the appointment.  It is very unlikely that we will ever take deposits for appointments.

"Roger has the flu? That's awful. What makes it worse is you just lost $50!"

We’ve given this a lot of thought and think we may have a solution.  We will offer an incentive to customers who are willing to ‘fly standby.’  The incentive will be three free sheets. We will have a morning and evening standby customer each day.  These customers will be ready to come in on short notice during those times.  Usually, a person cancels within 24 hours of their appointment so you should know the night before.  When an appointment cancels, we will quickly contact the customer and let them know when the open appointment is and see if they can make it.  We’re hoping this will solve both problems: First, customers will have an easier time getting in.  Second, we will be able to fill our appointments each day. So, here’s how it will happen:

• A person schedules for a stand-by appointment.  We will only schedule two per day – a morning and an evening.  This can only be done over the phone or in the studio.
• We will only fill in appointments with stand-by customers within 24 hours of the appointment.
• When someone cancels for the following day or same day, we will notify the stand-by person and confirm that they can make it.
• If no one cancels on a day, (a rarity) it will be up to the stand-by customer to reschedule for another day.

We are hopeful that this will be a win-win for the customer and us.  They will receive something free, we keep our appointments filled, and my fragile ego stays intact!  Email us with any questions at contactus@fotofly.com.

As we approach Valentine’s Day, we thought it would be fun to have our very own ‘The Bachelor’ event at FotoFly.  Of course, ours will be different.  You submit someone and, if she wins, YOU WIN A CD!  Simply, you email a picture and answer a few questions about someone that you believe will be a good match for Daniel, we choose and post the finalists to Facebook, then our fans vote.  The winner and Daniel will go on a special date sponsored by FotoFly!  Scroll down for the details.

He's definitely got some super-sweet moves.

Our bachelor is, of course, Daniel Silva.  Many of you already know him.  How can I describe him?  He’s quite the character…  He’s 24 years old.  He’s a student at the U of U.  He’s originally from Brazil but has spent most of his life in the U.S.  He speaks Portuguese and English.  He spent two years in New York as a missionary.  He sings, he dances, he makes panther noises.  He does a mean Donald Duck impression.  Definitely a snappy dresser.  He’s very thoughtful and smart and has more charisma than I do.  Yes, he’s that charismatic.

Daniel also has the staff record for number of different hairstyles.

He is poised to have a long, very profitable career with FotoFly as long as he continues to eagerly follow every command.  Seriously, he is a key player on the ground level of a successful company that will expand.  He’s proven to be a hard worker and very able to perform beyond expectations.  He definitely keeps things interesting in the studio and our customers love him.  In other words, he’s a GOOD CATCH.

Daniel is king of the slightly-open mouth look.

Here’s how this is going to work:  you may submit someone that you believe will be a good match for Daniel.  You may not submit yourself!

Step #1:  Submission  February 1st-6th

How to submit someone, email me (eric@fotofly.com) the following:

• A picture of the person.

The answers to these four questions:

• What does she like to do in her free time?
• Describe her style.
• What are the top three things that she is looking for in a man?
• Why do you think she would be a good match for Daniel?

Step #2:  Review and Post February 7th

We will choose several finalists that we believe are the closest matches.  We will then post those finalists on Facebook.

Step #3:  Public vote  February 8th-9th

After posting on Facebook, you will be able to vote for the person you think is the best match for Daniel.  You will vote by ‘liking’ a finalist.  We have devised a way to do this in a way that doesn’t allow people to simply recruit others to vote for their submission.

Step #4:  Winner chosen February 10th

We will select the winner on February 10th.  Our intention is that the date will happen on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day (February 12th).  The person who submitted the winner will also receive a CD!

He also has the staff record for number of pictures of himself.

We hope that you will participate and get involved in ‘The Bachelor.’  The winner is guaranteed to have fun on this date.  This should be fun and, who knows, we may end up changing some lives!  :)

In the last six months, we’ve done four photography workshops.  Starting last month, our goal is to do a workshop monthly.  We are developing four types of classes:

• Photography basics
• Photography advanced
• Photoshop basics
• Photoshop advanced.

Last month, it was photography basics.  We had 40 people show up with camera and notepad in hand.  The cameras ranged from point & shoot to a few high-end prosumer models.  Our participants were old and young.  Everyone had a shared interest in photography.  Our goal was to give a foundation of knowledge that they could build on.

The class lasted about two hours (next time, we are going to have an intermission).  Every person that came seemed very interested and excited about what we covered.  The workshop is pretty structured because we’re teaching a lot of material.  We’ve tried to make it as interesting and captivating as possible.  Here are some highlights:

Of course, we have refreshments. Learning requires energy. Energy requires sugar.

I noticed that there are a lot of jackets in the room. Either that’s the style or we have it cold in the studio. It’s probably a style because I felt completely comfortable.

As we go, we take the time to be sure EVERYBODY understands how to control the basic functions of their camera.

This is me showing how to shoot with a couple of pistols. The B&W makes it more dramatic and scary.

Another shot of the attendees in rapt attention; hanging on my every word.

Here I’m giving someone a high-five. She left me hangin’. Perhaps because of the crazy eye.

She is clearly pondering the profound comment that was just made (by me).

Daniel was there - trying to help. You can tell that this woman is disappointed that Dan is helping her rather than the master (me).

Here’s Dan and Sara posing. Actually, they’re not. That’s just how they stand by each other.

One question we get a lot is, “Why do it?”  It’s confusing for people that we aren’t charging for this – people are willing to pay for it.  Also, we get asked if we’re afraid that we’re training our future competitors.  If we are training people that will be able to take pictures of their own children, isn’t that one less customer?

So, why do we do it?  Two reasons.  First, we enjoy these workshops.  It’s fun to interact with the public.  The people that come are always fun, interested, and appreciative.  It’s cool to get with people that have our same passion for photography.  Second: we do believe that doing this for the community will benefit FotoFly.  Maybe not directly, but we are letting people get to know us.  We’ve found that helping people is the best way to build relationships with them.

We know that our company will succeed if we build real relationships with enough people.  We are lucky as photographers because we have a huge opportunity to do that in every session.  If we were selling shirts or copiers, the chance of building a lasting relationship is not as easy.  It’s easier to build that relationship with parents when you are jumping on the ground, tickling their two year old so that they will have an image that shows the real personality of their child.  Trust me, parents find it endearing.

So, our workshops are just one more way that we can build a lasting relationship with you.  Our company will succeed or fail one relationship at a time.  However, this isn’t just a long-term financial strategy.  We don’t really think about that.  In the moment, it really does just feel good to serve and that’s as good a benefit as any.

What makes FotoFly….FotoFly?  It’s not the cool facility.  It’s not the great equipment.  It’s not the price.  It is the team.

Not many people know this – but I interviewed 300+ applicants when hiring the photographers for this first studio.  I had a very specific person that I was looking for.  This person had to have a natural affection for children.  They needed to be smart and learn quickly.  Physical coordination was a must.  They had to be comfortable making silly noises.  I needed to see enthusiasm, excitement, and energy.  They had to laugh at my jokes.  In other words, they had to be the complete package.  I interviewed people for weeks.  Those that were hired were interviewed up to four times.  I wasn’t going to settle.

Before we moved into the studio.  We trained at my house for four weeks.  We set up a studio in my basement and practiced and practiced.  We needed to build our skill – we also need to build a team.

I think the best teams are built around a struggle.  When you are shoulder to shoulder with someone, in a struggle to create something, you grow together.  When the odds are against you (think 2-week-old and a toddler in the same picture) and you’re able to succeed only as a team, you grow together.  When you need help and there’s someone there in that very moment, you grow together.

Working at FotoFly is not always easy.  In fact, it’s almost always difficult.  Every session presents its own challenges.  Sometimes it’s a toddler that won’t stay in place.  Other times, it’s an infant that only wants to cry.  It may be a ten-year-old that has practiced his smile so much that now it’s fake.  Or, it’s ten cousins under seven years old.  Every session requires a lot of effort.  I cannot pay them enough for what it requires to be good at this – they have to voluntarily give it because they want to.  I can safely say that our photographers have given everything they have to every session.  They are not holding anything back.

We’ve each learned a lot since those weeks in the basement.  Our photography is amazing and, amazingly, we keep getting better every month.  We love what we’re doing and who we’re working with.  Daniel, Rachel, Victoria, Danielle, and Sara have become the most skilled children’s photographers that I have ever worked with – and I’ve worked with many.  Also, the unsung heroes of FotoFly are Alisha and Courtney.  They are our Artists and they are the face of FotoFly and we couldn’t do any of it without them.  They are tireless and the studio would screech to a halt without them.

What I’m saying is that I have wonderful people working here at FotoFly.  Each one of them brings something different to our studio.  As individuals, they are impressive.  As a team, they are legendary!  This purpose of this post is to give you some insight into how we work as a team.  So, here’s some ‘behind the scenes’ images that illustrate how we must work together to deliver the portraits we do everyday.  In each image, you’re seeing an example of one photographer helping another to get the shot.  Enjoy!

Weʼve written about this topic once before but we had an experience last week that I want to write about. Weʼve become involved with an organization called Fridayʼs Kids Respite (www.fridayskids.org). This group simply watches kids with special needs on Friday nights so that their parents can have a well-deserved break for a few hours. Itʼs a great concept.

We have joined Fridayʼs Kids in trying to serve these special kids and their families. Every month, we are setting aside times for these families. Our first night was last week. We were expecting it to be a challenge but rewarding experience. However, it was something different. Thereʼs always a good feeling in our studio – but, while those children were in our studio, the feeling here was hard to describe. It felt like, while they were here, the studio was sacred ground.

As we jumped and played and tickled and ran, trying to get a good picture of these special souls, we knew we were in the right place doing the right thing at the right time. All of us were affected by being around those amazing kids and their selfless parents. Each photographer requested that they be scheduled for any future Fridayʼs Kids sessions. Weʼve never worked so hard for a picture – but our work that night was unforgettable.

We heard the same troubling comment from each family. The parents explained that they had been uncomfortable going to photographers in the past. They felt like photographers did not like ʻdealing withʼ their childʼs special needs. Or, they believed that some photographers had the desire but werenʼt really able to handle their situation. They explained that past trips to the photographer usually resulted in frustration and poor photography.

Iʼd like to send a message to any family with a special needs child: we believe every family should have great portraits and parents shouldnʼt ever feel uncomfortable bringing their child to a studio. Every child deserves images that show how beautiful he or she is on the inside and out. We are able to handle any situation and feel honored, not inconvenienced, when we are photographing a special needs child.

After this past Fridayʼs Kids photo night, we received some notes of appreciation from the parents. Iʼm including those notes along with a few of the pictures from each session. Take a look – youʼll see what Iʼve been writing about and suddenly want to work at FotoFly! You may not be able to work here, but you can volunteer at Friday’s Kids. The biggest challenge this charity has is getting volunteers. It sounds like it’s easy to get involved and I can’t think of a more rewarding way to spend a Friday evening! Check out fridayskids.org for details.

“I wanted to let people know that they did a FANTASTIC job with our family and Brinley also. They realized that she loved movement and so they were dancing all over the room to get her to smile and laugh. They totally worked so well with her and our whole family. We were all laughing by about 5 minutes into the shoot. He even knew sign language to talk to our daughter with. Not many people know how to photograph special needs children, but they know their stuff! Highly recommend them to anyone!”

“Just wanted to let everyone know that FotoFly did an AMAZING job with our pictures!!! It actually brought tears to my eyes when I saw the expressions they captured on Brayden’s adorable face. I hope everyone else has a wonderful experience, too!”

“We had an amazing experience with Mekhai! They flawlessly captured his smile and buoyant personality! It was definitely the best photo experience we’ve had. I went in stressed because as many of you know, it is a challenge to take the family with our special needs kids to get family pictures. I came out laughing and smiling and danced in the car the whole way home. What wonderful people! I am still glowing from the outcome! They even burned the cd of pictures right there for us, and because of time constraints on our part, we’ll be back tomorrow for prints! I’m so thrilled and can’t wait to hear how it goes for the rest of you! All of my family and friends will know about FotoFly!”

It’s been an eventful week here at FotoFly. Not only did we have tons of appointments but we decided midweek to paint a few of our walls for diversity sake. Because we are pro-painters, Victoria and I were on painting duty Thursday afternoon. After our first coat of paint we all looked at the wall questioning our color decision.

A decision was made and we decided to paint the top part of the wall a different green because it wasn’t a strong enough contrast between the other walls in the room. So we started over with a different green in hopes that it would be a big enough contrast. At this point, painting was getting really messy. Apparently I have slim to no control over where paint flings and the next thing I knew, I was covered in paint. Victoria was only slightly taken over by the paint.

So 5 coats later & 3 different hues of green, we arrived at this…

We have come to love our new green wall. BUT in reality we will probably change it in a month so dont get too attached.

Sara was feeling left out so we assigned her and Victoria to paint our largest wall in the left wing. Unfortunately we were all somewhat confused as to what we were supposed to make it look like. Our instructions were as follows: Make a hot spot, make the edges darker, make it look urban, make it seamlessly match the floor, and finally, make it look good. Hm, ok. The first attempt looked something like this…Awful, right? So with 30 minutes left to finish painting Sara and Victoria started all over. At this point we were all pretty exhausted and ready to have our masterpiece finished. So, 4 coats later with 4 hues of paint we ended up with this…

Black and White? We like it. Color? Yeah, not so much.

Dont worry though, we were informed last Monday at our weekly meeting that we will be changing the wall, AGAIN!

Stay tuned to see the final product. Hopefully it’ll be the last time we will be changing that ginormous wall. Until next time….

Lighting is one of the most important elements of a picture…other than the photographer of course ..jk. It can either destroy or create a photograph (I’m talking about lighting again btw). Lighting develops the mood of the picture, allowing it to be interpreted as Happy, Sad, Angry, Excited, Beautiful, and the list goes on. Here at FotoFly we have to constantly test our lighting, change our lighting, and create new lighting. We don’t have stuck lighting stands and fixed set-ups (like every other studio), every time we take a picture it is unique lighting for a new model. (isn’t that just ssoooo personal!!) This is a collection of us photographers testing out lighting techniques on ourselves.

Sometimes our lighting tests go haywire!! Here are some of our most favorite ‘posses’ and ‘faces’ to our various lighting tests. We are just a bundle of crazies!!

Now even though sometimes we are just plain crazy, our results from one simple test makes all the difference. When testing our lighting it permits the perfect style of picture to be taken. Here are just a few of the ‘Before & After’ shots from our lighting test – to our final product.

Aren’t we just awesome!!! Well sorta, our customers are tons better…just look at ‘em! And amazing lighting allows us to capture their Awesomeness.

Leave a comment of your Favorite ‘How many _______ does it take to screw in a light bulb’ joke.

Here’s one of my fav’s:

Q: How many Real Men does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. Real Men aren’t afraid of the dark

(I cant wait to hear some more!)

Everyone wants to look their best in pictures, right? Did you know there are ways to make people look better in a photograph then they do in person? Here is a list of our top ten tips for more flattering posing.

1. When taking a full length shot, make sure the camera is level with their chest height. You don’t want to be drastically shooting up or down on them unless you’re intentionally doing so.

2. Have them put their weight on their back foot

3. Make sure their hips are turned slightly away from the camera

4. Lean forward slightly at the hips

5. Raise their chin to elongate their neck

6. Stand straight and shoulders back

Just like this:

7. Place their hands and feet. This is especially true for children, otherwise they look out of control.

See how much more posed this second image looks just from simply putting her feet together and placing her hands.

8. If you’re shooting a group, have everyone on the same plane otherwise you will have some people in focus and some out of focus.

9. For closeups, stay at eye level

10. And last but not least, instead of using the wide angle on your lens (24mm) take a few steps back and zoom in (70mm). As you can see with the shot taken at 24mm, there is an obvious distortion of her face and body. The distortion disappeared when I zoomed in and used 70mm.