Kansas City photographer, Aaron Lindberg

Over the past few months I have immersed myself in photography podcasts. I’ve found them a great way to catch up on industry trends, get reviews on the latest camera gear, and find out what other photographers are shooting.

What I like to do is drop my favorite podcasts into my iPhone and listen to them while I commute to the studio or between shoots. With the iPhone, you can bump your podcasts up to play at 2x speed. Spoken word is easy to understand even at twice the speed — enabling you Type As out there to knock a podcast out in half the time.

Here are a few things I take into consideration when deciding whether to subscribe to a podcast:

• How often does the podcast update? (The more frequent, the better.)
• Is the content geared more toward a professional or prosumer audience? (I prefer the former.)
• Does the podcast field questions from listeners? (This can be good or bad, depending on the audience.)
• What is the format — roundtable discussion, one-on-one interview or monologue/rant? (I tend to prefer roundtables and interviews.)

In general, I seek out podcasts that deliver information and perspective beyond what most amateurs/prosumers want to hear. I get weary of hearing answers to questions like “Should I buy a Nikon or a Canon?” or “What lens should I buy to shoot sports?”

So, with that said, here (in no particular order) are six podcasts I enjoy and highly recommend:

1. Camera Dojo. I really dig this podcast. Hosted by Orange County photographer Kerry Garrison, it’s an interview-style show with interesting people talking about their work. Each podcast is about an hour, and it updates three to four times a month with new content. Camera Dojo also has a lot of information on its site about digital photography, with tutorials and forums in addition to the podcast.

2. The Candid Frame. What stands out about The Candid Frame, hosted by Ibarionex R. Perello, is that it focuses on what a photographer is working on and his or her process for doing the job. It’s an interview-style show, 45-60 minutes long, and it updates every two weeks.

3. Light Source. Hosts Bill Crawford and Ed Hidden throw out questions to photographer guests. The podcasts are about an hour long and update once a month. The site features studio lighting tips and gear reviews as well.

4. Pro Photo Show. Hosted by Gavin Seim, this roundtable-style podcast touches on several subjects in each podcast. Each episode is about two hours long — which can wear you down after a while. But it’s only updated once a month, so I just listen to it in manageable parts. I really enjoy roundtables like this, because you hear different viewpoints and lively debate on the latest gear and trends.

5. This Week in Photography. Hosted by a group led by Silicon Valley photographer Frederick Van Johnson, T.W.I.P. offers a roundtable discussion that records live and allows listeners to log in and send questions/comments while the show is recording. Podcasts are about 90 minutes long and update weekly.

6. Freelance Radio. Although this podcast doesn’t address photography issues specifically, it does offer insights on how to run a creative business. Topics like contracts, business plans, financial planning and the like are discussed. The roundtable discussion features four freelancers from across the country — John Brougher, Dickie Adams, Kristen Fischer and Von Glitschka. The Freelance Switch site also has lots of information about operating a creative business.

Some other podcasts I enjoy are New Media Photographer, Photofocus, and Typical Shutterbug. You can find their podcasts through iTunes or their Web sites.

I’m always on the lookout for new podcasts — so if there’s one you recommend that I didn’t include here, please tell me about it in comments or e-mail me at aaron@aaronlindberg.com.

Aaron Lindberg, Kansas City photographer, www.kcfaces.com, headshots, editorial, fashion.

This week I re-launched www.kcfaces.com with a new look and feel along with new photographs that I have shot from the Kansas City area. The new look is still a horizontal format website much like it was before so the viewer will scroll to the right to view all of the images on each page. On the site the viewer will find fashion photography, editorial fashion or headshots featuring work of actors, actress and models.

I wanted to take the site back to a clean, crisp look and feel that reflects my main site at www.aaronlindberg.com. I like my websites to have a bland starkness to them so that the photos stand out and the viewer is not distracted by the design of the website. Obviously the photos are the most important thing to showcase on a website and my personal philosophy is to have minimal distractions from the photographs. I have posted photos from high fashion, editorial fashion and headshots photo shoots that I have done in the past year.

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg

Twitter – @aaronlindberg Facebook Fan page – Facebook Fan page

Kansas City Skyline - Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg

Backyard - Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg

Approaching Storm - Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg

Cross Walk - Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg

Kenna at the Vet - Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg

More of my iPhoneography at The Best Camera. Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

View 2009 Travel in a larger map

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Article written for Black Star Rising.

Recently I had a conversation with a client about some of his past projects shot by other photographers. Referencing one piece in particular, the client described the images as “good enough.”

I thought to myself, “Why would the client settle if he wasn’t getting what he really wanted?”

Maybe it came down to budget constraints or tight deadlines. Or maybe the client hadn’t properly valued the importance of photography to the project — and now regretted his decision to go with a photographer who didn’t (or couldn’t) truly deliver.

Just because you own a hammer, that doesn’t make you a carpenter. The same is true for DSLRs and professional photographers.

So, what makes you a “carpenter” in photography today?

In my experience, successful pros separate themselves from the “good enough” pack in three ways:

1. Mastery of the fundamentals. Why would someone pay you hundreds of dollars to take their family portrait if they can get the same thing from Sears Portrait Studio for a $10 sitting fee (with a free 8×10 thrown in)? It starts with things like solid composition, tack-sharp focus and proper exposures. They are the foundation for all that you do — and your clients can see the difference in quality, even if they might not be able to put their finger on the reasons your work is better.

2. Unique vision and style. Even more noticeable than your fundamentals is the creative vision you bring to your shoots. Over time, we develop a way of seeing things, and we use our camera to share this vision with others. This is ultimately what makes your photography more than a commodity — and therefore more valuable. When prospective clients view your online portfolio, you not only want to impress them with your technical expertise; you also want them to see a unique style that is not easily duplicated by others.

3. Business acumen. This one might surprise some of you — but your business savvy is just as important to differentiating yourself as your talent. If a lesser photographer undercuts your price and you decide to match it, you are no better than that photographer, at least in the eyes of the marketplace. Your hard work to separate yourself through technical skills and a unique vision means little if your fees don’t reflect the quality of your work. You must know how to market your business, how to price your work, and how to stick to your prices.

If we as professionals don’t provide a consistently high-quality product, and stand up for the value of that product, clients will continue settling for “good enough” — even when they know it isn’t.

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Kansas City Freelance Exchange ICE Awards, Aaron Lindberg Photography, Kansas City Photographer

Earlier in December, the Kansas City Freelance Exchange held its first ever ICE Awards in celebration of Independent Creative Excellence. I was greatful to bring home 4 awards for work I photographed in 2009. The KC Freelance Exchange is a great resource for creatives who run their own business. I would highly suggest joining the group for its resources and unification of fellow creatives who are making a living out on our own. For more information about the Freelance Exchange, take a look at their website kcfreelanceexchange.com

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Kansas City Photographer Aaron Lindberg

Portfolios have been finalized and grades are sent it, its time to put the Fall 2009 Studio Photography class in the books. I had a great time working with the students and learned a lot from teaching this semester at the University of Kansas. I thought I would share our class photo here on my blog, we had a good time shooting it. Read more about this here and here.

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Kansas City Photographer Aaron Lindberg

Article I had written for www.freelanceswitch.com

This semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to go back and teach a studio photography class at my Alma Mater, The University of Kansas. Before the start of this semester I never would have thought I would enjoy teaching as much as I have, and never would I have thought that I was going to learn as much from the students as they were learning from me.

Teaching is a wonderful way to give back to students who are interested in learning about the path you have taken to get where you are. They are looking for answers to many questions and when you can provide them answers from your hard work and experiences, it’s a great feeling. It reminds you that you were once young and didn’t know as much as you do now, it also shows you how far you have traveled along your path to get where you are.

As freelancers who run our own businesses it’s a wonderful thing for the students to learn from us about what it really takes to make it out in the real world after college. I try and teach the students that it’s more than just your work that will get you clients, it’s also marking and selling yourself as someone who can take a problem and hand the client a solution. I have found that a lot of things involved with the business side of freelancing is never talked about in school. These things need to be taught to the students so that they will be more prepared for the real world once they get out of college. This will help them balance out producing their work and how to land and keep a client base.

A few classes into the semester I received a pleasant surprise. Each week we have a critique of the previous assignment and all of the students bring in a couple prints from their work that week. During our first review, to my surprise the students knocked the assignment out of the park and brought in some beautiful prints. I was shocked to say the very least. On my way home I had a rush from that class. I was truly amazed at what the students brought in because it was so raw and pure that it took me back to when I was sitting in those same chairs a few years back. I realized that I had forgotten what it was like to be new to photography. I approached the camera now in a different manner than I did back than. After that class I realized I shot more for my clients than I did for myself and I knew I had lost something. My goal was to set out to get it back.

I think it’s easy to slip out of the experimental, “throw it on the wall and see if it sticks” mentality that we have when we are just starting out with something new. A naive thought process might be the best way to explain the mentality, not knowing the outcome of an experiment verses planning out every last detail to earn your next paycheck. It’s very liberating to grab an old plastic camera and load a roll of film in it and shoot like I used to do. Something about it brings out the raw unscathed creativity that drives us. Designers might get the same feeling if they picked up a large pad of paper and some charcoal and do without the computer.

We try on different hats while growing to see what fits best. Most of us have failed more times than we’ve succeeded during this process, but that is part of learning.

Looking back, the path we travel gets cleaner as we learn. It seems to get less messy. We become more organized, and go through less trial and error due to the lessons of our experiences. Unfortunately, that means we slip into safe zones. Teaching has taught me that I have missed that and I need to shake things up again. It’s amazing walking into a classroom of 16 college photographers and feeling like you are giving back in some way. I see a lot of what I was in them and realized how far I have travelled to get to where I am from where they are. Ever since I started teaching this semester I have reproached the way I tackle an assignment while shooting for a client. It has been a breath of fresh air.

The students of the Studio Photography class at the University of Kansas have reminded me that I was once where they were and that I had forgotten where I started my path. Since I started teaching, I now walk looking both ways to keep myself and my business balanced.

Photographing hockey is a lot of fun because its a enclosed fast pace sport on a slick surface, it is very face paced and you have to track the puck and follow it to keep up with the action. Players are flying around on a sheet of ice slamming themselves into one another and checking the opposing players in the boards, it really is a fun sport to shoot. I hope the Mavericks stick around and build up a solid fan base here in Kansas City we could use a winning sports team here in Kansas City right now.

Here are a few shots from the game on opening night against the Wichita Thunder out at the new Independence Events Center.

How can you not like a sport that allows fighting as long as nobody falls to the ground?

I find its best to shoot hockey with two camera bodies, one with a long lens and the other with a wider lens to capture photos along the glass. The top image was shot with the wide angle lens, shooting with a 17-55mm 2.8 and on the other body I was shooting with a 70-200mm 2.8 to capture the action farther away. One of the best parts about shooing hockey is the reflective light you get from the ice bouncing up from the floor, it makes for a nice fill light on the action and removes a lot of the shadowing from the lights above the ice. I am looking forward to shooting the Mav’s again soon!

Be sure to pick up this weeks Ink Magazine to see more photos from the game.

Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

This semester I have been teaching as an adjunct instructor at The University of Kansas and last week we switched things up a bit and held class at my photo studio here in Kansas City.  One of my students, Austin Pulliam, put together this video from our class so I wanted to share his work to give a little behind the scenes of how the day went.

You will see a brief example of the students holding their work in this video and hopefully after the semester is over, I will showcase more of their work on this blog so keep checking back or follow the RSS Feed.

Thanks for checking this out  – Aaron Lindberg.

In Photography, It’s the Archer, Not the Arrow

I’m a big fan of technology, and it’s easy to get swept up in the shiny new toys that the big camera companies roll out every year. I love the fact that I can now record video as well as stills from the same camera bodies, for example, and that the low light sensitivity of those bodies can produce amazing results without the digital noise we once had to work around.

But a few weeks ago, I read a quote that I thought applied well to photography: “It’s the archer, not the arrow.” I took that quote to heart, and decided to take a step back from my arrows and focus on the archery itself.

Shooting with a Holga

Kansas City photographer, Aaron Lindberg, fashion, modeling, model

Here’s what I did: I got a cheap, plastic Holga camera and two rolls of film and conducted a fashion shoot on the rooftop of my studio.

From the moment I started photographing my model with 120 film, I felt a sense of excitement, and a bit of pressure. With each roll of film, I only had 12 shots, 12 chances to make it work, 12 frames to fill — without the ability to see through the lens.

That’s a lot different from an 8 or 16 gig compact flash card that might hold 800 raw files, and the ability to review every shot after you’ve taken it.

Kansas City photographer, Aaron Lindberg, fashion, modeling, model

I dropped off the film and had to wait overnight before I could get my negatives and proofs from the shoot; I had forgotten that sense of anticipation. As soon as my film was ready, I went back to the lab to pick everything up. I felt a little giddy waiting to see what was captured on the emulsion. In the end, I thought we created some unique-looking photos.

Film was and still is an amazing tool, but the point is that a photographer is more than the sum of his tools.

Try something for me: think about something you have been wanting or meaning to shoot. Now, go and do it — not with your go-to camera and lenses, but with an old 35mm body or a pinhole camera, something as different as you can find from what you normally use.

I guarantee this exercise will make you rethink the way you approach a shoot. At the very least, it will force you to slow down and think more about what you’re doing, versus shooting and chimping to see the results.

Thanks for checking this out  – Aaron Lindberg.

Drop by, grab a drink and hang with some cool people and get to know more of your fellow creatives. We will have some snacks and drinks but it would be best to BYOB just so we don’t run out.

Guests are more than welcome to bring others for the party, no need to ask. Check out the Facebook page for more details.

Address is
1000 Broadway, Suite 501
Kansas City MO 64105

Hope to see you there!

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]]> http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?feed=rss2&p=1123 0 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1019 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1019#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:29 +0000 Aaron Lindberg http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1019

What are some of your favorite songs that relate to photography? Here is a small list I put together of songs that mention photography in some way. (FYI – All of the links go to Youtube.com) I am sure I am missing a ton of other songs that would fit in this list. Feel free to leave a comment with the band and song title and and I will be sure to put it on this list.

Girls on Film – Duran Duran – One of my favs!

Picture Book The Kinks – Another favorite.

Centrefold – J. Geils Band

Freeze Frame J. Geils Band

Photograph – Def Leppard

Take My Picture – Filter

Kodachrome – Paul Simon

My Camera Never Lies – Buck Fizz – This video is hilarious.

Pictures of you – The Cure

Photograph – Nickelback -

Lady Picture Show – Stone Temple Pilots

3×5 – John Mayer

Photograph – Ringo Starr

Pose – Justin Timberlake

F-stop Blues – Jack Johnson

I Turn My Camera On – Spoon

Photograph – Verve Pipe

Paparazzi – Lady GaGa

Photograph – Weezer

Hope you dig this, I thought it would be a fun break from the normal posts! Thanks for checking this out – Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

I thought it would be a cool thing to round up as many fellow Kansas City photographers who use Twitter and create one big list that we all could follow and share information from. Here is that list of Kansas City photographers who were interested in getting their name on this list. First and foremost, you should start with adding/following @aaronlindberg for putting this list together!

Within all of these people you will find a ton of great stuff, photogs that range from portraits, weddings, commercial, sports, engagement, fashion and a whole lot more. The best part about this is that everyone is at a different level on different areas so if you ever need recommendations or advise or have a question about something you are not familiar with, shoot it through these channels and see what pops up. Be sure to add and follow all of these photographers to keep up to date with what is happening with other photographers here in Kansas City. (Fingers crossed that all links are working correctly.)

Hope you dig this idea!

@4honor

@aaronlindberg

@adamthemiller

@asicoffey

@bkmhoxx

@brsphotography

@capturesintime

@dimartinophoto

@dni_photography

@elinebarger

@greenleafthered

@hawesphotokc

@iannewlin

@jasondomingues

@jasontracyphoto

@jeffmoffett

@keithczechanski

@leslieradams

@mikevarel

@nicolerenee

@pbinder

@prentissearl

@randomphoto

@rpetersphoto

@sarahdickerson

@smith_mike

@stevensphoto

@sueables

@taylortholen

@TysonHphoto

@jamesallison

Let me know what you think about this blog post…thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

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]]> http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?feed=rss2&p=1088 0 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1058 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1058#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:45:02 +0000 Aaron Lindberg http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1058 A couple weeks back I shot for a new client One Bite here in Kansas City. The Japanese restaurant is releasing a set of  sauces and hired me to shoot their promo/advertising for the new product. I believe that the sauces can be found at local Hy-Vee’s in or near Johnson County and are targeting to be sold in Dean & Deluca soon. I highly recommend checking out the restaurant when you get a chance, they serve wonderful food and I can’t wait to get back there to chow down again!

In the above photos we see the two different types of packaging the client is using, one is a plastic bag which will be sold in places like D&D and the other is a glass bottle. Both are reflective and needed different lighting set ups but both looks were similar to each other. The basic scheme consisted of two beauty dishes along with one silver reflector set up with a strong back light from the studio lights on a table top.

Here is a rough look of how the lighting was set up at my studio. I am sure there is a reflector lying around somewhere that was used during the shoot.

With the shrimp photo, the client wanted to showcase the sauce in a dipping action. The consistency of this particular sauce gave us a great slow drip to capture in camera, I was really happy with how this photo turned out.

This was one of my fav shots from the shoot. This particular frame doesn’t have the logo or branding but I like how this shot turned out. I highly doubt that it will be used by the client since their branding is not in the image but I wanted to showcase the photo regardless of its usage.

Hope you dig seeing some of my product photography. Thanks for checking this out  – Aaron Lindberg.

I would like to create a mega list of Kansas City Photographers who are on Twitter. Email me your Twitter name and I will place it onto this blog in the next couple of days so that we can all connect and keep a pulse on the beat on what’s shooting in Kansas City. If you would like to be added to this list, email me at aaron@aaronlindberg.com and I will place a link to your Twitter profile here on my blog. Feel free to re-tweet this message to fellow Kansas City Photographers. Here is the direct link to this post if you want to add it to your tweets – http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=1047

This could be a cool thing for all of us here in Kansas City if we get a large amount of people to participate so be sure to pass this along!

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg. Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Über simple/sleek cards that a put together. I am not a big fan of placing photos on my cards, no particular reason, just something I am not into.

What are your thoughts about photos on biz cards?

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

After I wrapped up a photo shoot on Saturday here in Kansas City, I was walking to my car and along the way I pulled out my phone and took photos while I was walking through the streets. I took about 20-35 photos along the way and wanted to show that Über amounts of megapixels don’t necessarily make better photos, it’s the operator that matters the most. I am not claiming that these photos are the greatest shots ever taken, I do want to show that a simple iPhone camera and 5 minutes in the streets can make interesting photos.

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, iPhone Photos, iPhonography

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, iPhone Photos, iPhonography

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, iPhone Photos, iPhonography

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, iPhone Photos, iPhonography

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, iPhone Photos, iPhonography

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

Aaron Lindberg Photography - www.aaronlindberg.com

Bio: Sally Crawford put on her first pair of tap shoes when she was only four years old.  She trained in a variety of dance styles but has always loved tap dance.  She has taught in universities and colleges in Liverpool, the Midlands, and Worcestershire and is one of the few dancers trained to teach the Lester Horton contemporary dance technique in England.  Although she is currently lecturing at a small Arts College in Worcestershire, she continues to work as a freelance choreographer and performer.  Ms. Crawford received her MA in Choreography from Laban and is currently undertaking her PhD at De Montfort University.  Her research focuses on an ethnographic approach to studying tap dance communities in England.  Studying a uniquely American dance form in England allows her to delve even more deeply into the dance form she loves and explore how it continues to evolve.  Even with her demanding schedule, Ms. Crawford loves to take time out to beat out a few new rhythms in the dance studio. www.misssally.com

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

High fashion/swimwear photos on Piqueonline.com

Guest blog post on Black Star Rising about my “Mullet Approach” to Twitter.

Zombie fashion photos in Ink Magazine

Photo ran on Glamour.com

Glamour website

Normally I avoid shooting weddings as much as I can but the Satterfield’s asked if I would shoot their special day and so I decided to help them out. I never advertise or brand myself as being a Kansas City wedding photographer or wedding photographer in Kansas City because its really not my thing. I wanted to share a few of the shots from last weekends wedding here on my blog to showcase a side that you might not ever see of my work. This is actually the second wedding I have shot this season and thats about all I can handle shooting during a year!

The reception was at the Aloft Hotel in Leawood, Kansas out at Town Center Plaza. The hotel was brand new, it opened the Thursday before the Satterfield’s held their reception and might have been the first wedding held at the space. The space hosts a very trendy interior with a large balcony for the reception. I imagine that this will be a very popular spot to host wedding receptions with its contemporary settings and kick butt balcony. We should start seeing a lot of photos from this space over the next couple of months.

I hope you like the photos, my wedding photos never make my blog so this is defiantly a rarity! Congrats to the Satterfield’s!

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg, wedding photography.

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

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]]> http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?feed=rss2&p=976 0 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=968 http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=968#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:27:45 +0000 Aaron Lindberg http://aaronlindberg.com/photokidblog/?p=968 On September 20th, 2009, my son Jett and daughter Sloan were born.

Everyone is happy and healthy.

Kansas City Photographer, Aaron Lindberg, kids, babies, photo, images, baby photos, newborn, children

I will be blogging more very soon.

Thanks for checking this out, Kansas City photographer Aaron Lindberg.

Follow on Twitter – @aaronlindberg

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The Copy Diva - Julie Cortes

Beware of Word of Mouth

Having run my own freelancing business for almost a dozen years, I often chuckle when I come across those ever-so-lovely “crazy” clients. You know, the ones who think they can totally take advantage of you because you’re self-employed. The ones who will try to not pay your invoice at all or who pay extremely late. The ones who scream at you so loudly that you have to hold the phone two feet from your ear, making you have flashbacks of your teenage years, fighting with your parents. Or the ones who demand an enormous amount of revisions, all at the last minute, all at midnight.

To them I say, “Ha!” I’ve been around the block with enough crazy clients in my time to learn how to (hopefully) prevent these situations and how to protect myself when they do arise. I’ve met with an attorney and got myself a fancy contract written up … one that states that clients are paying for my time as opposed to the finished product, that they’ll pay in full no matter what, and that they’ll pay on time … and if they don’t, they’ll pay a small late fee.

Do they all abide? Of course not. Unfortunately, there are those who will walk all over you as a freelancer no matter what. But those are the people who earn a really bad reputation quickly – not only for themselves, but for their company as well. Because really, do you think I’m going sit here all quietly when something shady like that happens? Of course not. Not many people would.

Freelancers talk. And for the most part, we’re a tight-knit community. We look out for one another and try to prevent others from getting burned by the same schmucks. I, personally, am connected with hundreds of local freelancers in my community. And at the click of a button, I could easily share my horror story and do some major PR damage to the client in just a matter of seconds. Good luck finding a freelancer who’s willing to work with you after hearing that. I’m just sayin’.

So, word to the wise. While it may be in the best interest of a freelancer to deliver promised services and a quality product in a timely fashion, it’s definitely in the best interest of a client to provide frequent and effective communication, make timely payments, and keep all matters professional. No matter how crazy things might get.

Follow Julie Cortés and Aaron Lindberg on twitter @kccopydiva and @aaronlindberg

Kansas City photographer, Aaron Lindberg's headshots from August. Aaron Lindberg photographed a wide range of ages, both male and female, actors, actresses, models and beauty pageant winners from the Kansas City area.

August was a busy month for my headshots here in Kansas City. Looking back I didn’t realize I had photographed 28 individual head shots until I counted them a few days back. I have a few more examples of my headshots over at www.kcfaces.com and will be updating that website soon with new content!

I had a great opportunity to work with a wide range of ages, both male and female, actors, actresses, models and beauty pageant winners. All of these people need headshots to promote themselfs in their industries and I appreciate all of them for choosing to work with me to help build their comp cards. Comp cards are like business cards for actors/actresses and models, they are mini portfolios sent out to help get their face in front of people.

I do have a question and can’t find a solid answer if someone out there know what is the best way to spell it let me know. Is it headshots, head shots, head-shots? It always trips me up.

Thanks for checking this out, if you or someone you know is thinking about updating their headshot let me know!

Aaron Lindberg

Follow Aaron Lindberg on Twitter – @aaronlindberg