Matt Nicolosi Photographic Art

Jason Drumm Matt, Thanks so much for doing this! I really appreciate you answering my pre-live questions re: workflow and post-processing. You're answers were really helpful, and I was especially thankful for your honesty about the mediocrity of your early sessions as a photographer. It makes me feel like there's hope for me afterall. I've had 11 years in Photoshop, but only a few behind a DSLR. I originally bought the nice camera cuz my wife and I were having kids and we wanted better photos of them. ((We bought into the false myth that a more expensive camera takes better pictures, but we found out that a more expensive camera just requires you to be more savvy if you want better pictures.)) But as other people saw the photos we were taking, we started getting requests from friends to do their kids and families. Soon I started getting calls from their friends for engagements and weddings. We had to start charging people just to manage our time better, and it's still gone crazy. My wife and I have prayed that God would give us wisdom to know and learn more about this newfound love and business of ours, and you have been one of the ways that God has been directly answering those prayers. As we follow your blog, we glean both technical wisdom and priceless inspiration. In spite of all this, I often look at my pics and think, "What do people see in this? I have so far to go." All that to say, It's nice to know that you've been in the same boat before. You're willingness to share your wisdom is much appreciated, and more helpful than you realize, and I will be looking forward to the next "Let's Talk Live." If you get a chance, you can check out our website (drummstudios.com) to see the photos that you have had such an influence on. Thanks Matt, Jason Drumm Oct 4, 2008 ~ 5:04pm

Jenn H I've been so looking forward to this, and then I had to go and tear my cornea, keeping me off the computer. I'm only on now because I'm wearing an eye patch-like a pirate! I only really had one question-how do you find your amazing locations, and what do you look for in a location? I'm in the DFW area-Rockwall-so you don't have to go into detail about your locations. Thanks so much for doing this-I hope I can participate in the next one. For now, I'm off to read the chat and see what I can learn! Oct 3, 2008 ~ 6:38pm

matt Nicolosi I also do all my ordering sessions in person using ProSelect sw. I think it makes a huge difference in orders because people come into my home office and theyre able to see examples on the walls and Im able to talk to them in person about their needs as well as suggest options and ideas. I started off doing web galleries and letting people submit orders that way, but Im sold on the in-person gig. It really helps me connect with people, and like I said, they can see the big canvases and the image arrangements on the walls, and we all know that people only usually buy what they see. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:58pm

Matt Nicolosi @ Danielle - absolutely! I've sold a couple of them already, and any image you see on my sight or blog is available for purchase. I'm actually trying to get a separate mini-site set up early next year for just that reason where people can purchase prints from the web site. In the mean time, just shoot me an email or call me and let me know which image(s) you're interested in. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:54pm

matt Nicolosi @ Danielle. Hi, Danielle. No, I don't set up LR to auto crop anything. I leave my images in the 2:3 ratio that they are in the camera. I like to individually crop images as needed to where they look good to me. Most of the time I try to keep it in a standard ratio so clients can find frames for them, but I'm also not afraid to crop some images in odd sizes to create a more artistic look. In those cases, I tell the client that they'll either need to get custom framing or a canvas for that image. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:50pm

matt Nicolosi @ Andi - I bought Kevin Swan's presets a while back, adn there's a couple in there I like (Details, Brown Blue Split, Copper, Lighter More Saturated). Then one of my absolute favorites is one called "300" which is supposed to create a look similar to the movie "300". Just Google it, and you should be able to find it as it's free. I think when you download it, there a two presets that come with it. As with most presets, I find that I rarely use them just as they are since they often feel a little "heavy" to me, so I usually go in an tweak a version and save it as another preset. Then I also have a handful I've created to add contrast, saturation, fill light, etc. to certain images. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:47pm

matt Nicolosi @ Tina. I usually show 30-40 unique images for a portrait session, and those are all fully edited. I'd like to get to the point where I show images with just minor tweaks and then only fully edit images clients select, but I guess I'm not comfortable letting clients imaging what an image COULD be. I think most of them need to see it to order it. Not saying my approach is the best, because it can be time intensive and the editing is speculative (you don't know if they're going to order it), but I feel like I'm in between a rock and a hard place here. I think one of the biggest reasons clients ask me to photograph them is because of the style of images they've seen, and so now it's become part of my brand. Ideally, I'd like to outsource more editing, but I haven't found a solution for that yet that I'm completely happy with. I'm close, but not yet. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:41pm

Shena Luna Thank you so much Matt for your time & info! God bless you & your new wife-to-be... I know how busy it can be to move into a new home and plan a wedding. 2005 was the year I delivered a baby girl in May, moved into our new home in June, planned my wedding myself and got married in August, and finally planned my brother in-law's wedding who got married in November. Just had to share that ;) I wish you the best! And I always look forward to reading your blog entries... Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:38pm

matt Nicolosi @ Andi. Yep, I live in Lightroom. It's the backbone of my workflow. After a shoot, I import all my images into Lightroom using am import preset I created to add tags/metadata to each image thats descriptive of the session client so that I can easily find them later if needed. Then I go through and quickly sort images into 3 categories rejects (LOTS of these), maybes, and definite keepers. I delete the rejects because Ill never go back to them. THen I do a 2nd pass through the maybes and try to narrow those down to a number that I'm comfortable with. Usually for a portrait session, I try to show the clients 30-40 unique images (not including b&w or vintage variations of an image). I use the Develope module in light room to batch process/correct as much as I can before taking any image to PS. Some images never make it into PS because I can quickly apply a couple corrections/presets in LR that get the image to a point that I'm happy with it. I should preface this by saying I try to get the best exposure I can in the camera, but there are times when you just don't have time to set everything up just right in camera. In LR, I'll use the WB tool to tweak the images if necessary, then I also use the Tone and Tone Curve controls to add a little contrast to my images since I like them to have a little pop. I'll also use the crop tool in LR because - unlike PS - if I ever want to go back and change the crop, I can in LR. After that, I've got a set of presets I'll use on some images (depending on the image and the look I'm going for). Like I said, sometimes that's enough (about 30% of the images), but if not, I'll open images in PS and add final touches with the actions I mentioned above. Eventually, I'd like to get to the point where I use LR and be done with 90% of the images, but I need a few more features before that will happen. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:35pm

matt Nicolosi @ Shena: Both. For both. I learned PS as part of my corporate job before I ever got into photography, so I was fortunate in that regard. I also highly recommend Scott Kelby's books on PS for digital photographers. Great tips and ideas... and lots of pictures which I'm a big fan of. PS is a monster app... it can do amazing things, but there's also so many things it can do that it can be overwhelming how to learn them all. I've been using it for 12 years and am still learning, so pace yourself... it's a lifelong learning process with new things being added every year. Don't try to learn it all at once... you'll have a melt-down. Regarding the camera, I did a LOT of playing around with the camera, a LOT of reading on the web (especially blogs), and - gulp - a LOT of what I now look back on as mediocre sessions at best with clients when I first started out. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, and shot everything in auto mode. Yikes. I've also gone to a few good classes (and a few not so good ones). I love Texas School. Every year a week with an instructor and 20ish other photographers getting in depth knowledge and hands-on experimentation. And free food and fun every night. For the price, you can't beat it. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:25pm

Shena Luna Hi Matt! You've actually already answered my top question re: your process for texturizing your images... now I seem to be stumped as to other questions on my mind! Plus, I've been going through your older posts and have found some answers that way. One question I do have is: Do you plan on creating new templates (for cards, storyboards, etc) that you will make available for purchase? I purchased your Vintage Contemporary Storyboard designs and LOVE them! I need more! ;) Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:13pm

Matt Nicolosi Do I use actions? I do routinely use actions. All. The. Time. Ive tried just about all of em and honestly got a bit overwhelmed by all the choices. My actions palette got to be so big is was hard finding stuff, and I was spending waaaay too much time looking for certain actions or even just playing with a 20 different actions to check out different looks for the same image. I had to simplify, and Ive mainly settled on using TRA (Totally Rad Actions) and a couple Kevin Kubota actions in addition to a few Ive created myself. Heres my favorite TRA actions: Volume I - Oh Snap, Ying/Yang, Warm it up Kris (especially combined with Boring B&W), Technicolor Dreamworld. Volume II (great for the vintage looking images) Sparta, Troy, Grandmas Tap Shoes, Pool Party, Soft Lux. From Kubota, I primarily use: Magic Sharp and Tea Stained. I use others as well, but those are the ones I use most often, and usually in combination with each other depending on the look Im going for. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:08pm

Matt Nicolosi A couple people asked questions before the chat, so I'll try to address them now. Heres how I create my vignetting in my images: Duplicate your image layer in PS, change the blend mode to Multiple, use a mask to paint out the center (lighten it) to taste, and then lower the opacity (if needed) of the new vignette layer to get the darkness you want in the edges. Oct 3, 2008 ~ 3:07pm