6:40 PM

Recommended Camera Equipment for Night Photography

TDasany    


by 
Having looked at a variety of equipment options in previous night photography articles its time to suggest some recommended setups. 
Before I do, I'll qualify these recommendations by mentioning that as technological innovation marches on the equipment I recommend today may well become dated in the near future.

Cameras

Canon and Nikon are traditional owners of the lion's share of the film and digital camera markets and have options available to photographers the other systems simply can't match. However, new players are emerging and making life difficult for the "Big Two".
Sony are offering some increasingly attractive models lately. The incredible low-light abilities of the Sony A7s is of particular interest to night photographers.
Samsung have also just entered into the market with their first serious attempt at a pro level APS-C camera: the NX-1. The 28 Megapixel CMOS sensor design in the NX-1 is more technologically advanced than any of Nikon, Sony, or Canon offerings and image quality and low light performance is comparable to full a frame sensor. This camera also uses a powerful CPU and imaging chip that offers more computing power than any other camera ever made. Much of the functionality of the camera can be enhanced or have features added through firmware updates. Samsung have been updating this software rapidly and adding many interesting new features.
Given that there are a variety of good options out there today, and undoubtedly many more coming tomorrow, what criteria should you be looking for in a camera body for night photography?
  • A bigger sensor: As the sensor gets smaller image quality usually declines. Pixel density can also greatly influence image quality.
  • RAW capture: A camera with RAW capture capabilities is important. Shooting JPEG-only just won't cut it. Light sources in night photography are mixed and variable, so being able to post-process colour after image capture is a very important feature.
  • Manual control: You also need to be able to take full manual control of your camera and all of its exposure settings. 

Lenses

Lenses are the one component of your system that require some long term planning if you wish to future-proof your purchases. You need to know exactly what type of subjects you will photograph before you can make an informed decision about purchasing glass.
Before you buy a lens do some research and make sure it is compatible with the body you wish to use it on. For example, if you choose a full-frame (135mm) camera body you will also need a lens that produces an image large enough to cover the full frame sensor. You might like to read my two lens articles here on Tuts+ before you jump into lenses. In them, I cover the features I personally find useful in a lens, the merits of zooms versus fixed focal length lenses, and manual versus autofocus lenses.
Nikkor 80-200mm lens
Autofocus zoom lenses like this Nikkor 80-200mm AF-S lens can be a very versatile option for covering a range of focal lengths...

Focal Length

Most situations can be covered with a full-frame equivalent focal range of about 20mm on the wide end to 200mm on the telephoto. It's up to you to decide what the best selection of lenses is to cover this range.
Modern autofocus lenses will deliver excellent image quality and are generally a more versatile option. Autofocus lenses will cover you for the majority of photography situations you might encounter. They aren't always the best money spent, though, when it comes to night photography.

Critical Focus

Being able to focus in low light is something I personally find very useful in a night photography lens. This is why I have a set of Nikkor primes in my kit. I find them to be excellent in terms of value and performance. They have well matched colour balance and sharpness and contrast is consistent across the set. Many of these lenses are still available new, despite their manufacturing being more-or-less unchanged for years.
Nikkor AIS manual focus prime lenses are great for night photography. They are fast, have a calibrated hard infinity stop, smooth focus action and hyperfocal markings. I find these features very useful and use them all the time for specific subjects. 
Manually focusing with modern autofocus lenses is difficult. Focus throw is generally much shorter with autofocus lenses and the manual focus mechanism on autofocus lenses is usually inferior. Many of the latest digital cameras do, however, have a live image preview on the display to assist with manual focus. Normally you can zoom into this view far enough to carry out very precise focusing if there is enough available light. 
In some night photography situations getting critical focus is very hard due to a lack of available light. A good example of this problem arises when photographing lightning in areas where there is very little ambient light.
Shot in the dark.
Camera: Nikon D7000  
Lens: Nikkor 135mm f2.8 AIS prime lens  
Exposure: 25 Seconds @ f4.0 - ISO250 
The lightning photo above illustrates perfectly the inadequacy of autofocus lenses in certain night photography situations. There was no ambient light source other than the intermittent flashes of lightning going off to allow me to set focus in this shot.
I have previously been in a situation where another photographer who was shooting the same subject alongside me using autofocus lenses. In situations like this having a calibrated hard infinity stop will allow you to set critical focus easily without having to confirm focus in the viewfinder. Autofocus lenses do not have a calibrated hard infinity stop and it can be nearly impossible to achieve focus in these situations. Bottom line: I got sharp photographs using a Nikon manual focus prime and the other guy using autofocus lenses didn't!
By complementing a set of autofocus lenses with the addition of a manual focus 50mm, 85mm or 135mm prime lens with a hard infinity stop you effectively plug this gap in your night photography equipment collection.
The other notable element in this image is the presence of chromatic aberration. It is quite visible but in this instance I think it actually adds some character to the lightning by surrounding it with a pinkish hue mainly visible around the main bolt. Sometimes deficiencies  in a lens can add some unexpected spice and flavour. In any case, the chromatic aberration in this shot can be easily removed during RAW processing if needed. It is therefore something that can be ignored to a certain degree.

Mix, Match, and Adapt

Let's say you decide to purchase a full frame body. Does that mean you automatically buy all of your lenses to suit just that particular model of camera? Canon, for example, makes many different lenses in a variety of lens mounts that include EF, FD, L, and EF-S. versions. These cover a range of options if you wish to shoot with one of their camera bodies.
What if you don't want or need autofocus capabilities in your lenses? If you prefer a manual focus lens then you have two additional options: 
  1. Choose a third party lens manufacturer, like Zeiss, Voigtlander, or Samyang, that offers a product in the native lens mount.
  2. Adapt a manual focus lens from another manufacturer, such as Leica, Nikon, Zeiss, Olympus, Konica, Minolta, or Contax (among many) to the native lens mount. This is a very viable option.
Thrid-party lenses can be as good, or even much better, than their first-party equivalents. With adapters, the pool of available lenses is large. Don't overlook older lenses: they are often very high quality. There are some interesting lenses with unique qualities out there, too! Be aware, though, that there are some limitations with certain lens and body combinations.

Adaptability

The Sony E-mount has the shortest flange distance. This means the Sony cameras have the largest pool of compatible lenses for their full frame and APS-C bodies.
If you decide on a Nikon full frame body your lens options are more limited in some respects due to the native F-mount. The long lens flange to focal plane distance of the Nikon F-mount means that Nikon bodies really only work with Nikon F-mount lenses. Few options exist to adapt lenses to Nikon bodies other than esoteric mounts like M42 (once popular with Russian manufacturers) or certain Leica lenses.
Nikon F-mount lenses, however, can be adapted for use on nearly any camera body! This includes 35mm film, digital full-frame, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds camera bodies from Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax and Olympus. Nikon F manual lenses are high quality, solidly built, and relatively affordable.
You can also get Zeiss, Voigtlander, Samyang and other premium brand manual focus prime lenses in Nikon F-mount that can be be used on many other camera systems by using an adaptor. The Zeiss F mount prime set is of the highest optical quality but you pay a price premium for this glass. Only you can decide if the expense is worth it.
Olympus, Pentax, Konica, Canon, Leica and other lens makers have older manual focus prime lens sets available as well. There are some hidden gems among these lenses that beg to be adapted to a modern DSLR.

Adapters

Don't skimp when it comes to adapters. A bad adapter from a disreputable (or no name) manufacturer isn't worth the hassle of misalignment or a loose fit. Voigtlander and Rayqual adapters are recommended.

Bits and Pieces

Most DSLR cameras have a shutter speed range of between thirty seconds and 1/8000th of a second. This is quite limiting for night photography. It is definitely worth having a dedicated external remote timer. This will allow you to program shutter speeds far longer than the limited thirty second maximum exposure time built into your camera.
I suggest you purchase one with a built in intervalometer and the ability to program shutter speeds longer than a few hours duration. This will give you a great deal of flexibility allowing you to take a single image for the entire duration of the night or to shoot a series of shorter duration images.
The Yongnuo ones I have purchased allow you to program a shutter speed of approximately four days duration with an unlimited number of images. They are also inexpensive.
Another alternative to a remote release or intervalometer is to run camera control software from a computer or use a smartphone app like trigger trap.
You should also get yourself a set of filters. This should include neutral density filters and perhaps some special effects filters like a spectral filter or star filter which work really well with point light sources like fireworks and city lights.
You can see a star filter effect here in this photo of the Brisbane skyline taken using the Cokin filter system.
Neutral density filters are very handy for extending the shutter speed for certain subjects and are particularly useful around twilight. I have 2-stop, 4-stop, 9-stop and 10-stop ND filters to control the amount of light entering the lens.
This allows you to use long duration shutter speeds without having to stop down your lens to minimum aperture settings. This will help to prevent diffraction from softening your images.
A ten stop ND filter was used here in this photo allowing a very long shutter speed of a few minutes to be used at middle apertures where the lens performs at its best.
When purchasing filters it is worth buying large size versions and using step-down conversion rings so you can adapt them to all your lenses. This will save you money as you don't need to have multiple versions of exactly the same filter with different thread sizes. I have a set of filters with 77 mm threads and these can be adapted for use on all my lenses, many of which have 52 mm filter threads.
Alternatively, you could look at getting a filter system like those made by Cokin, Schneider or several other manufacturers. These use a filter holder rather than the traditional screw-in filters you attach to the front of the lens. I have the "P" series ("Professional") Cokin filter system which covers lenses up to an  82mm diameter. The larger "L" series is probably a better option for full frame camera systems as the smaller filter diameter can cause vignetting problems at wider angles of view.

Suggested Camera Systems for Night Photography

I have divided my selections into several categories according to budget and prices are approximate at the time of writing. Don't forget to also allow some money for a tripod, filter set and cable release.

Entry-Level Full-Frame System: Budget $1500 USD

If you want a full frame camera body and have a tight budget I suggest you look for a secondhand camera body on Ebay or similar.

Option 1 

Option 2

Mid-Range Full-Frame System: Budget $5000 USD

For those with some more money to spend I suggest looking at a one of the three models listed below.
  • Nikon D750 - 24MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera Body  - $2000 USD (New)
  • Sony A7s - 12MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera Body  - $2000 USD (New)
  • Canon 5D Mark3 -22MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera Body  $2000 USD (New)
Add the following three lenses to these cameras and you would have the basis of an excellent night photography setup.
Proven performers that will cover the longer focal ranges and deliver sharp images.

High-End Full-Frame System: Budget $20K+

The D810 offers state of the art performance and is perfect for night photography.
  • Nikon D810 - 36MP Full Frame Digital SLR Camera Body  - $3500 USD (New)
Currently rated the best performing sensor on DXO mark.
Add a set of Zeiss primes....
The combination of a high resolution full frame camera teamed with these premium lenses offers the ultimate in night photography performance. No excuses with this kit!

APS-C Camera System

The APS-C format is an excellent alternative to full frame sensor cameras and there is a huge range of models to choose from. 
You really can't go wrong with any of the newer generation of bodies available from Samsung, Sony, Pentax, Fuji, Canon or Nikon.Modern base model camera bodies offer excellent picture quality. A Nikon D5500 with the standard 18-55mm kit lenswould be a great starting setup for night photography.
If you intend to use older legacy manual focus glass on these bodies though I would opt for one of the higher pro level models, like the Nikon D7100, that support exposure metering and EXIF data when using older legacy lenses.

Micro Four Thirds Camera System

Choose this option only if you need a compact camera kit. I rarely use my Micro Four Third cameras for this type of photography as they simply don't have the dynamic range, colour reproduction and low light performance of larger sensor camera bodies.

My Kit

Here is a list of the camera gear that I own and use. Much of this equipment has been specifically chosen for night photography but other items have been selected based on other criteria, such as performance and suitability for video use.

Camera Bodies

Manual Focus Prime Lenses in Nikon F-Mount

Auto Focus Lenses in Nikon F-Mount

Other Lenses

Miscellaneous Gear

Filters

Conclusion

Look at the big picture. Think about your needs and the kind of photography you do. What can you do with the equipment you have today? Before buying into a new camera ecosystem look at how you photograph. Are there things you can do to get the most from your gear? Think about using adapters, for example, to expand your choices for wide-aperture lenses. 
No system is ever truly complete. There's always some better, newer, cooler lens out there. If only we had such and such piece our photography would be that much better, right? It's hard not to get sucked into the marketing spin and gear envy.
It's true that good quality lenses make a big difference to image quality. And today's sensors have incredible sensitivity. However, manual focus lenses from 30 years ago are, in most cases, just as good as the clinically sharp lenses of today. Digital cameras of two and three generations ago are more than sufficient for top-quality night photography.
As you've seen, you absolutely can make great pictures with old gear. If you have an older camera or a limited budget don't feel bad about having something less than the state-of-the-art. Be happy to make great pictures! That's what really matters here.
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6:39 PM

How to Draw a Perch With White Ink on Black Paper

TDasany    

by 

Final product image
What You'll Be Creating

Today we’ll create a drawing using a relatively rare technique: applying white ink to black paper. 
This way of using art supplies can be a real challenge for an artist, and this challenge conceals a great range of possibilities. For example, the white color can be used to create an inversion look, so that what would usually be black turns white and vice versa. Or you can use the white ink to highlight the areas of your drawing that are supposed to be spotlit in real life. 
I've decided to depict a perch because it’s a common, well-known fish. It is also very beautiful and balanced in its proportions, so it won’t be too difficult to draw even if you don’t have a vast experience with fish. If you feel that you need more information about fish anatomy, I’d recommend a great tutorial on this subject: How to Draw Animals: Fish and Sharks.

What You Will Need

  • Black paper (it may be smooth or textured, as you prefer)
  • A pencil (HB or B type)
  • An eraser
  • White liquid ink
  • A thin nib on a nib-holder
  • Small container for the ink (if the neck of your ink bottle is narrow and doesn't allow you to dip the nib directly into it)
  • A paper towel or napkin for wiping the ink from your nib
  • A brush (mine is a thin, natural squirrel brush)
If you have a set of thin white color ink liners, you can use them instead of the ink and nibs. However, I don't recommend using an ordinary gel pen because the strokes it creates are too thick for the desirable level of detail, at least in the case of relatively small A4 paper.

The materials ink nib pencil brush and others

1. Understand the Shape

Step 1

I will use a pencil sketch drawn from a real live perch instead of a photo as a reference material, because my main goal for this artwork is to achieve a stylized but expressive look, based on the observations and impressions of this beautiful scaly model. Also, I'd like the drawing to have a distinct resemblance to a real fish. It takes some mental practice, so I need to consider my future steps beforehand with the pencil sketch. 
Let’s have a look at the sketch. This fish has an elongated but compact body, narrowing to the end, where the tail fin is. The head with the gill cover accounts for approximately a quarter of the length of the fish. The gill cover is in a way the transition from the head to the body and consists of several relief folds.

The contour shape sketch

Step 2

If we observe the contour of the perch’s spine (that means, the upper part of body, because this word may also refer to the backbone), we can see that it creates a small deepening on the border between the end of the skull and the beginning of the body, and also it changes direction from upwards to downwards after reaching its peak—the middle spikes of the front dorsal fin. 
The lines are smooth and soft, except the spikes on the two dorsal fins, front and back. There are some other types of fins, such as the pectoral fin (on the fish’s side); ventral (under the body in the front), anal (under the body, before the tail) and the tail fin. These fins also have spikes, but they are not so thick, and they tend to fork near the end of the fin. 

The pencil sketch in contours

Step 3

After I’ve got the main impression of the shape, I proceed to the value observation. 
The darkest area of the fish body is the upper part with seven vertical stripes. Each stripe is distinct, but its contours tend to be a little diffuse and lighter than its core. The middle stripes are the thickest and the longest. 
The belly of the perch is very light, almost white, and the transition between the shady and the light areas is quite smooth. And it’s necessary to leave a light reflex line that is parallel to the dark spine shape—it will create a more real, three-dimensional look. 
The value information is very important for us, because we’ll be using the white ink for creating dark and shady areas. That’s the point of this artistic inversion.   

The pencil sketch in light and shadow scale

2. Draw With White Ink

Step 1

With the pencil I outline the main contours of the fish, observing my sketch and keeping in mind the proportions. I am also careful to compose this artwork in the right way: there must be slightly more space before the fish than behind it. This helps to make the fish more dynamic and lively. 
As you can see, the outline is almost imperceptible, because of the low contrast of grey pencil strokes on the black paper. However, it works in our favor: in the end, all these lines will be invisible under the ink, and we can easily erase the remaining excess strokes. 
I prefer to avoid small details in this step because it leaves enough space for improvising, training the artistic vision and achieving a vivid, expressive line in the ink part. When an artist just traces the pencil lines with ink mechanically, it's evident, and it's not the look I'm aspiring to.

The pencil contour on the balck paper

Step 2

If you’re not familiar with this technique, you'll probably ask yourself how this white ink looks on black paper. Trying your materials beforehand is a very useful process for preparing the artistic mindset. 
Take a piece of black paper and draw something, for example, parallel lines. Here are my samples. 
The first square contains dots; I varied the pressure and tilt of the nib, so some dots came out smaller than others. As you can see, many layers of dots can create an interesting effect. 
The second square is for simple diagonal hatches. You can try different kinds of pressure on the nib (from light to really hard) and observe which one you like most. Maybe you’ll even find some interesting effects that will become a part of your style. 
In general, all the processes of the next steps will be based on these two types of drawing, simple parallel lines and dots. 

Dotwork and hatching

Step 3

After the pencil outline is created, I dip the nib into ink and draw the contour of the fish with medium pressure, just above the pencil strokes. To achieve the lively artistic effect, I break the line in several places. I’ll join it and make it thicker in the next steps, but now I’d like to accomplish the drawing gradually. 

The white ink contour

Step 4

I add dots to the spine, blending them with the contour line, and also mark the stripes. The stripes are less filled with the dotwork because it’s necessary to leave the spine border as the darkest area of the figure. 

Creating the stripes

Step 5

I add thin hatches to the fins, because it helps to separate the spikes visually. I also define the eye and add thin parallel strokes to the head to emphasize the volume. 

Adding the hatches to the fins

Step 6

I add a steady and even dotwork to the head and the eye. 

Creating dotwork on the head

Step 7

I continue with the dotwork, spreading it to the upper part of body. The stripes get an additional layer of dots. And don’t forget to leave the reflex line untouched! 

Dotwork on the upper part of the body

Step 8

I mark the belly with short strokes (and these strokes don't intersect the contour line). The bottom part of the fish is light, as we remember, but it also has subtle shadows to show its dimensions. 

Short hatches on the belly

Step 9

I add thin hatches to the head (rounded strokes near the eye and the mouth), and mark the gill cover. Also it’s time to start drawing the scales. Scales are small, round, close-fitting elements. The perch has a small area of scales on its 'cheeks', so I add some thin, rounded lines to trace them. The gill cover doesn't have any scales.

Creating the scales on the head

Step 10

I continue drawing the scales on the body. The closer my strokes are to the belly, the more faltering and thin I draw my lines, because the belly is light and delicate. Creating scales is the most time-consuming part of the work here, but it’s also very meditative. 

Scales on the body

Step 11

I draw the rest of the scales. The ones closer to the tail fin are smaller than those on the main body. 

Adding scales to the tail part

Step 12

I dip my squirrel brush into the ink, dab it with the paper napkin to remove excess ink, and draw a smooth contour of the figure. I also emphasize the most prominent parts of the drawing, such as the pectoral fin, spikes and gill cover. 

Creating the thick contour with the brush

Step 13

It's time to set aside the brush and take the nib again. I place an additional layer of dots and small hatches onto the spine and stripes area. They are supposed to look more marked out. 

Creating a layer of dots and hatches on the spine

Step 14

I add thin strokes to all the fins just to mark the spikes on all the fins and doubling points on the tail fin.

Working on the fins

Step 15

I feel that the highlight I’ve left on the fish's back looks too unnatural, so I add a layer of dots and thin strokes to blend it with the dark areas. 

Shading the spine highlight

Step 16

I come back to the fins and add dots and tiny hatches in places between the spikes to create fullness and volume. 

Creating more volume on the fins

Step 17

I add lengthwise hatches to the upper part of the head and the spine, so it looks more three-dimensional because of this cross-hatching. 

Lengthwise hatches on the spine near the contour

Step 18

I fill the belly area of the fish with small dots. They seem to be sparse and almost invisible in comparison with the whiteness of the upper part, but such details change the general look of the drawing greatly.

Adding dots to the belly

Step 19

I mark the shadow that casts the side (pectoral) fin and expand the dotwork to the middle part of the fish body. 

Creating slight shadow of the side fin

Step 20

I add one more layer of dots to the spine and stripes, and also make the tail fin more prominent with the additional touch of dotwork. 

One more layer of dots to the upper part of the body

Step 21

I emphasize the thin line of the dotwork near the belly’s contour, so the fish shape seems to have more volume because of the untouched black line between the thick contour of the fish and the dotwork area. 

Making the dotwork line on the belly more prominent and visible

Step 22

I make the bottom parts of the dorsal fins more white with the delicate dotwork, so the bases of the fins are now blending into the spine contour. 

Refining the dorsal fins with more dots

Step 23

I evaluate my drawing. It seems almost complete, but there are some details that can make it look better. For example, I add several more thin strokes to the head and draw a thin line that is parallel to the upper border of the side fin, to distinguish it from the body. 

Adding small nuances

Step 24

The area of the bottom part of the head and the small transition from the head to the body seems a little empty, so I add some small dots to the scales. Now I feel that the artwork is complete. If there are some visible pencil strokes that are coming out of the silhouette, they can be removed with the eraser. 

Last refinement adding random dots to the head and throat

Your Drawing Is Complete 

Now you have a unique hand-drawn fish, created using an unusual, expressive technique. This artwork can become a great decoration for your workspace or even a splendid gift for your friend.

Completed Drawing
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6:38 PM

How to Create a Profitable Brand for Your Freelancing Business

TDasany    

by 
You know that feeling when you’re invited to someone’s house for dinner and you find yourself standing in the supermarket aisle for over half an hour, eyes glazed over, looking at dizzying row upon dizzying row of wines, reading labels about fruity undertones and woody aftertastes, while wondering which bottle to get, how much you should spend, what your hosts will like (or won’t like), and how the value of that wine will reflect on your value as a guest?
Well, that’s the same feeling your customers experience when trying to hire a freelancer and they’re suddenly confronted with a digi-store chock-full of “designers” or “coders” or “photographers” or whatever professional it is they’re looking for. Daunting, isn’t it?
How can customers know who the right freelancer is for them and who'll bring more value for their buck? More importantly, how can you stand out from the underpriced competition and help clients realize your real value over everybody else?
In a word: branding.
As a freelancer, you may think that you don’t need to create a brand. You may even think that branding is something solely for big companies with huge budgets. But that’s not true.

Everybody Needs a Brand

And you may even have one without realizing it. If you’ve ever signed your name under an email you’ve sent to a lead, under a quote or proposal you’ve sent to a potential client, or under a service you’ve provided to a paying customer, then in each of those moments you’ve represented your brand.
More than that, if you’ve ever blogged about what you do, put up a website with your services, joined a freelancer job board, or in any other way “put yourself out there” for the world to find, then in those moments you’ve stated your brand.
Do you know what your brand says about you and how potential customers perceive your value? Because if you don’t, you’re practically playing Russian Roulette with your contracts (and your bank account!). Not smart.
If you’re serious about succeeding as a freelancer, then you’ll need to take serious care of your brand and of the way you present your services to others.
Branding isn’t just telling people what you do in a fancy way: there are plenty of other people out there doing the same thing as you.
Branding is about incorporating your “what” with your “how” and your “why” to create a unique identifying mark that showcases your true value.
And to do that, you’ll need to craft the three parts (three P's) of profitable branding for yourself.

Proposition, Personality and Purpose

Let’s take each part separately. We’ll look at what it means in terms of your brand, and then do a few fun exercises (available on this free branding worksheet) to get you on your way to higher profits and better-paying clients! 

1. Proposition

Also often referred to as unique value proposition or brand promise. What do you propose to your clients? What promise are you making them that will lure them in?
This isn’t simply what you do. It’s what you really do. You may think I’m splitting hairs here, but I’m not. Nailing this first step is important. 
Putting a simple label on your website that says “web designer” or “coder” or “photographer” isn’t enough. Doing so makes you just another no-name bottle of wine off the shelf with a “red wine” label on it. Not very special, right?
Your proposition must give your clients a reason to choose you. So what is it that you offer your clients that no one else does?
This doesn’t have to be anything over-the-top impressive or earth-shatteringly new. But it does have to be unique to you. Even if in subtle ways. And the best way to discover your unique proposition is by doing the first exercise on your worksheet, called the brand butterfly. 

Brand Butterfly - Venn Diagram
The Brand Butterfly helps create your brand proposition by examining the intersection of what’s wrong with your industry and what’s special about you.

Step 1: What's Wrong With Your Industry

The top wing of the butterfly represents what's wrong with your industry. This doesn’t have to be a major flaw of the industry. It just has to be something that you think is missing, or something that you think could be done in a better or different way. It doesn’t matter whether it’s something you can do or not. For now just make a list of the gaps you see in your field in the first column of the table below the butterfly on your worksheet. 

Step 2: What's Special About You?

The lower wing of the butterfly represents what's special about you and your services. What is something you do that no one else does? If you’re a web designer, for example, and have a passion for manga comics as well, your special thing could be designing websites in manga style. Or if you’re a photographer who also loves some good body ink, maybe you have a special skill and eye for photographing tattooed brides. 
Think about all your skills, passions, and experiences inside and outside your industry, and write down the things that are special about you. It doesn’t matter if they don't directly relate to your work. Just write them down in the second column for now. 

Step 3: Analyze the Intersection

The intersection of the two wings that forms the body of the butterfly represents your unique proposition: What’s something that your industry needs and that only you can provide because of your special skills?
The reason most freelancers fail to stand out as exceptional isn’t because they’re not good at what they do, but because they don’t know how to present themselves in the right light. Most people begin thinking about their work in terms of what there already is in their industry rather than what there isn’t. That’s why everybody ends up looking like everybody else on the shelf. And that’s why clients have a hard time choosing among all the options, being essentially forced to choose based on price alone. Because if all else looks and is the same, wouldn’t you choose the cheapest one?
But if you start by looking at what’s missing, you'll be a step ahead of everyone else in the game. If you can propose something unique, then price becomes obsolete because you become the one clients want.
Use the middle column of the first exercise to brainstorm ideas of how you can bridge the gap between something that's missing from your industry and some of your special skills. What unique propositions can you come up with?

Let’s look at an example to see how you can use the power of brand proposition in practice.

Let’s say you’re a wedding photographer. “Wedding photographer” is too general to be your brand. So what is it that you really do? Here are some ideas of what you could write in the “What’s wrong with your industry” wing of your butterfly: 
  • There’s no photographer who’s dedicated to photographing weddings on or near water locations that need special lenses for great results.
  • There’s no one who specializes in old-fashioned film photography that can create true photos of a couple’s special day.
  • All wedding photographers try to become “invisible” and just take candid shots of your day. There’s no one serving the couples who want the staged, high-art, cinematic pictures.   
And here’s what you might write in the lower wing about what’s special about you:  
  • I come from a high-art background with work in editorials and staged photography.
  • I’m an excellent dancer.
  • I love the old art of traditional film photography and think that it’s the best way to create and capture unique moments.
  • I love to direct people and compose scenes that really bring out the “feeling” of the moment, rather than simply document what’s happening.
So where do the two wings intersect to create your unique proposition to your clients? How will you present yourself to them? Here’s a thought:
I am a fine art wedding photographer. My approach applies fine art photography to the living, breathing, fast-moving phenomenon that is a wedding. Yes, I do documentary photography, because you need to capture the important moments at a wedding, but I also compose and direct. For me it is all about making something beautiful even if I have to insert myself into the situation. Ultimately, my goal is to craft vibrant energetic, fine art images, that are as unique as the people in the photograph.
And that’s not just a made-up example. That’s precisely how freelance wedding photographer Jose Villa presents his brand and describes his work on his website.
Although I’ve hypothesized what his answers to the first two questions might be, the description of his work nails his brand. He doesn’t portray himself simply as a wedding photographer. He goes into detail about what’s unique about his wedding photography (he composes, directs, creates fine art images, inserts himself into the scene). And that’s what makes him special and catapults him from mere wedding photographer into sought-after artist.
Crafting your unique proposition is the first step to creating your brand. Because as Philip Kotler has said: 
If you’re not a brand, you’re a commodity.
And commodities are cheap (like boxed wine) and can only compete on price. Don’t be a generic “freelancer.” Become a specialist. What makes you a brand?

2. Personality

Once you figure out what you really do for your clients, it’s time to tackle the how. And that’s where brand personality comes in. What’s special about the way you do things?

Step 1: Give People Something to Connect To 

Customers don’t choose a freelancer solely based on what they do. Customers also choose according to personality. Because we all want to work with people we like and get along with. 
There’s no perfect personality that you should have. Just like there’s no perfect aftertaste to wine. You like it one way. I like it another. What you have to do is craft your brand personality so that it attracts the clients you enjoy working with. 
Just because you’re a coder, it doesn’t mean you have to appear like a distant computer geek who doesn’t know how to communicate with non-techy people and doesn’t like anything outside of coding. Give your brand some personality. Talk about your hobbies, or your passions. Make it interesting. 
As a freelancer, you brand personality will naturally closely align with your own personality since your whole business revolves around you. But that doesn’t mean that it has to be exactly the same as your real-life personality. You don't have to share everything about yourself with every stranger online. (There is such a thing as too much information after all!)

Step 2: Embrace Your Process and Quirks

Brand personality is how you present your brand and how you choose to communicate with your clients. 
Steve Jobs once said: 
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
And you could apply this quote to any industry, not just design. People don’t come to you just for what your services look like or feel like. They come to you because of how you work.
If customers love your personality, they’ll stay. If they hate it, they’re gone. And if you’ve got no personality? They’ll put you down in that corner with all the boxed wine.
Here’s a good example of how to do a brand personality that’s unique, quirky, non-corporate (i.e. personable) and works!
Sculptor and painter, Chris Ryniak has a strong brand personality that’s quite the opposite of the image you may conjure in your head upon hearing the words “sculptor” and “painter.” But he’s not afraid to flaunt it. In fact, he’s made his name and fortune around it.
Chris’ brand personality can be described as weird but in a cute and friendly way. His characteristic “morning scribbles” designs took the internet by a storm of cuteness and catapulted him to online fame. His weirdness is evident in his subject matter of choice (critters!) which he somehow manages to turn from yuk! disgustingto aw, that’s so cute! in every single one of his drawings. As for his friendliness, it comes through in his blogging and the effort he puts into communicating with his fans through various channels.
Chris may not fit your traditional idea of what a sculptor and artist looks like or does, but his unique personality makes his brand stand out from thousands of other monster-drawing artists struggling to leave their mark.
Your industry doesn't have to dictate your brand personality.
Craft your brand personality in the way it most strongly resonates with you, and you’ll attract clients you love working with. (And you’ll also keep away anyone whose personality is not a good match with yours. So it’s a win-win all around.) 

Step 3: Identify Three Meaningful Characteristics

For the second exercise, go to your worksheet and write down three characteristics you would like others to associate with your brand.
Don’t write what’s expected in your profession, or the characteristics of those you admire. I want you to imagine how you would like your ideal client to perceive your brand and write those adjectives in the first row of each column in the table provided. Underneath each characteristic, write how you will showcase each of those characteristics through your brand, like I did for Chris’ brand in the example above. How will you work with your ideal clients? 

3. Purpose

After the what, and the how, it’s time for the why. If answering the “what” gave your brand shape, and answering the “how” dressed it in attractive, stylish clothes, answering the “why” will plant the heart to make you brand come to life. Consider:
  • Why do you do what you do? Not just because you need a job. You could’ve been stuffing the wine shelves at Walmart if all you wanted was a stable paycheck. 
  • Why are you in this? Why have you made coding or designing or filming or photographing or drawing your life’s work? What about it makes you tick?
People want to know. And that’s because human beings connect to the values underlying deeper purposes. If you don't resonate with peoples' values or purpose in life, they won’t work with you in a million years. Not even if you’re the only person in the world who can do what you do. They’d sooner convince themselves they don’t need your services than betray their own values.
As Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, has said: 
If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.
And loyalty is what you want. Return business from clients that like and trust you and that you don’t have to fight tooth and nail for each and every time.
At Chocolate & Caviar, a collaborative studio I’ve helped set up with the graphic and web designer Stella Demetriou, the marrying of high art and functionality has been paramount to our work from the beginning. 
The purpose behind the brand has always been to create artistic work that helps companies reach practical goals and outcomes. Because we believe that art and business (the left and right brains of the society at large) should support one another in creating a better world—not oppose one another.
A brand is the expression of the deeper purpose its founder believes in.
Your brand purpose shouldn’t be an afterthought. It must come in from the very beginning of your brand creation to give life and direction to all you do. If you proudly display your purpose through all your brand elements, your clients will stick to you like bees to honeyed wine.

Step 1: Identify Your Brand Values

For the third exercise write down in the box provided the values that most represent your brand.
These could be words like trust, loyalty, quality, speed, creativity, security, environmental, giving, artistic, philanthropy etc. Jot down a few words that are meaningful to you, and then complete the brand purpose statement like I've done above:
“My purpose in providing my services is to __________________________ because I believe that ________________________________.”
And you don’t have to stick to that formula either. If you’d like to phrase your purpose differently then go ahead and get creative with it. Do what speaks to you.

Create a Brand With Value

True brands are not about price tags. They’re about creating value in the world.
If the dinner you've been invited to is special and your host someone important to you, you’d never in a million years dare to show up with boxed vinegar masquerading as wine under your arm. Out of respect for yourself and out of respect for your host.
So don't give your clients boxed wine that looks like all the other non-brands on the shelf.
It’s always the wine with the taste we enjoy, the presentation that charms us, and the quality we can trust that wins our hearts (and our extra bucks).
If prospects can see your proposition, your personality, and your promise through your brand as clearly as they can read the label on their favorite bottle of wine, they’re much more likely to become loyal fans of your brand. Fans that choose you over the cheapest price tag every single time. Because they understand your value. And value is what sells.
What do your three branding parts (three P's) say about the value of your brand?
Tell us about your proposition, your personality, and your promise in the comments and let's start building up your brand today! 

Resources

Graphic Credit: Money Bag icon designed by Mister Pixel from the Noun Project.
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6:37 PM

Quick Tip: When to Turn Your Lav Mic Upside Down

TDasany    

by 
Sibilance is the ‘ssss’ sound which becomes prominent when the speaker has a voice of a higher pitch or when the room in which you’re doing the recording has an echo. This can be a problem in on-camera interview situations. With a large mic, like a shotgun or cariod mic, we change the recording position to minimize sibilance. When using a lav mic, reducing sibilance is a bit tricky.
A lavalier microphone, more commonly referred to as a lav, lapel or clip mic, usually attaches to clothes to allow us to capture sound hands-free. As they’re relatively close to the mouth of the person being recorded sometimes sibilance can sometimes be a problem.

Typical lav mic
A typical lav (or lapel) microphone placed right way up

If you’re recording in a studio environment or somewhere where the sound is dampened then something turning the mic upside down is one way to reduce sibilance.

An upside down lav mic
A lav microphone placed upside down

This technique also has the added bonus of reducing breathiness and popping in speech. The lav mic would has to be an omnidirectional type of microphone for this to work, which most are. This technique will not work in a room with an echo either as it will just serve to amplify the issue.
Placement is something to think about too. Which side is the clip on? Be aware of ties or collars, basically anything that might rub against the mic; something perhaps more likely to happen when the mic is upside down.

In summary

Turning an omnidirectional lapel mic upside down is a useful trick in a studio environment or ‘dead’ space for reducing popping and sibilance. If you’re ‘in the field’ or somewhere where you’ve got an echo or lots of external noise then you’re better off using a cardioid and having it the right way up, taking into consideration mic placement and proximity to the speaker’s mouth.
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