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Contact: Maggie O’Neill; Ed Johnson
919. 772.4688
Wood from Old Home Site will be Salvaged for New Garner Nature Center
On Friday, July 18, wood from a farmhouse in Garner’s White Deer Park will be salvaged for reuse in the new Nature Center to be built there. Slated for demolition when the park is built, the dilapidated 1930’s farmhouse will contribute first as part of the new building, and also as part of the interpretive program for the park. Staff from Garner’s Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and volunteers from the park design team will carefully remove the boards with hand tools. The 3/4” tongue and groove heart pine boards will be used as flooring in the new Nature Center.
The Nature Center will be the Town of Garner’s first LEED Accredited building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a measurement tool used internationally to evaluate performance in site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Removing the boards is just one of the many environmentally sustainable initiatives the project is undertaking to achieve a LEED rating from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
“The Nature Center will have many environmentally friendly systems and features,” said Tom Maynard, Director of Garner Parks and Recreation Department. “It will include exhibits about protecting the environment. We believe the building itself will be a tool for use in teaching about how to care for and sustain the environment. The reclaimed wood is one example of how we can show people what they can do at home.”
“Reclaiming the wood is also a nice way to remember the people who once lived in the area and the history of Garner as a farming community,” said architect Louis Cherry of Cherry Huffman Architects.
The Town will store the boards until they are refinished and installed in the new Nature Center. The wood that cannot be salvaged will be recycled. The building begins construction in Fall of 2008 with expected completion in June 2009.
About the Project
White Deer Park is a 96 acre nature park located on Buffaloe and Aversboro Roads in Garner that is slated for construction this Fall. In addition to the nature center, the Park will feature 2.5 miles of paved walking trails, five picnic shelters, two new playgrounds, wildflower meadows and an arboretum. The Nature Center will also permanently house the white deer that the park is named for. The 2500 square foot Nature Center will achieve a LEED Silver Rating from the US Green Building Council for its many environmentally sustainable features.
The design team for the park includes Garner Parks and Recreation Department, obs Landscape Architects, Cherry Huffman Architects, Design Dimension, Stewart Engineering and ConsiderDesign.
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TOWN OF GARNER
(919) 772?4688
www.garnernc.gov
moneill@garnernc.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY
July 17, 2008
Town of Garner to Salvage The Homestead
The best photo opportunities related to this project will be Friday, July 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
The address of the facility is 2400 Aversboro Road. It is located approximately .5 miles from the Aversboro Road and Timber Drive intersection. Please contact CB McDonald at 919?772?4688 if you plan to visit the site so we can arrange an escort to get you from the parking lot to the site.

Town Of Garner NC website

Garner NC City Guide

City5NC.blog

(ARA) – Placing disposable cameras on reception tables has become a modern American wedding tradition. The cameras make guests feel involved because they are helping to create a photo record of the most important day of your life. Sometimes the pictures they capture are among the most heart-warming, moving images from your wedding day.But what do you do with those hundreds of pictures once the honeymoon is over and the developing done? Will you let them languish – disorganized and unseen – in a shoebox or drawer? And what about the dozens of pictures guests will take with their own digital cameras or cell phones to e-mail to you later?

“The sad truth is many newlyweds simply don’t know what to do with all those pictures,” says Donna Burt of PhotosYourWay.com, a new social networking and photo-sharing Web site. “They hold on to them, but often not in a manner that allows the couple or their loved ones to enjoy these precious memories.”

A growing number of smart brides are turning to photo-sharing Web sites to preserve, organize and share amateur images from their weddings, and to create keepsakes like photo books and memorabilia. Most sites allow you to easily upload your images and make them available online for viewing by others. Other options such as organizing and sharing vary considerably from site to site.

Here’s what you should know about photo-sharing Web sites before you choose one to host your precious wedding day images:

* There should be no charge for uploading, storing or sharing your images. “If a site wants to charge you for these basic services, look elsewhere,” Burt advises. “Sites make their money from prints and products. A handful also make a small percentage when you sell an image – through their site – to a third party like an advertising agency or online content publisher.”

* You’ll potentially be uploading hundreds of wedding images, so look for large storage capacity. For example, PhotosYourWay.com provides 7 GB of free storage, enough to upload and store thousands of photos.

* Look for a site that offers the greatest flexibility for organizing images. Seek a site that will allow you to organize those images in a variety of ways, such as by who took the pictures (Photos by Uncle Joe), subject matter (Who Danced with the Bride) or chronology (Pre-wedding Prep, Walking Down the Aisle or Post-Reception Partying).

* Consider how the site allows you to share images. Can you send e-mails inviting friends and family to visit and view your images? Can you designate your images “private” or “public” at the time of upload? Does the site allow you to launch your own “community,” where your pictures can be viewed by not only your loved ones but other Internet users who may share your interest?

* Comparison shop on prices for prints and other products, such as photo books, canvas prints, mugs, T-shirts and other memorabilia. Be aware of shipping charges, which can amount to more than the cost of the prints or products themselves.

* Does the site allow those you share the photos with to download the images and print them on their own? Or will they be required to purchase prints through the Web site? PhotosYourWay.com will allow you or any of your family and friends to download the photos themselves and print them on their own or wherever they choose.

* Does the site offer you the opportunity to sell your images online to third parties, like advertising or public relations agencies, online publishers and others who need stock photography? PhotosYourWay.com is one of the only sites that offer users the chance to make money from their images.

“There’s a huge demand for wedding-related images,” says Burt. “That adorable photo of your father dancing with your niece may warm your heart, but it could also make you some money if someone wants to buy or rent it for use in their marketing materials.”

To make money from your wedding photos, simply designate them for public viewing – and available for rent – during the upload process. The images will be funneled through PhotosYourWay’s sister site, ImagesYourWay.com, where clients who need a steady stream of fresh, quality images will have the chance to view and rent them. You will pocket 60 percent of the rental price for your photo – as much as $180 in some cases.

To learn more about organizing and sharing your wedding photos, visit www.PhotosYourWay.com.

(ARA) – One out of every four gifts purchased this year will be an electronic item, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. With all those tech toys flying off the shelves, consumers will need all the help they can to get the most out of their technology.“Whether you are just getting familiar with your new digital gadgets or dusting off old ones, choosing the right memory card or other upgrade option is one of the most important considerations to ensure the best performance,” says Tony Gomez of PNY Technologies.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your tech toy, be it a digital camera, cell phone or other device:

* Digital Picture Frames – Digital picture frames make a great solution for sharing and displaying your favorite holiday, vacation, family or other photos. However, most frames have little or no internal memory, so you can only view your pictures from an SD memory card (or other compatible media), otherwise you’re stuck staring at a blank screen. With an extra SD Memory Card, you can keep one in your camera to take more great photos and leave one in the frame so your favorites are always there for your viewing pleasure.

* Cell or Smart Phone – Today’s cell phones are more advanced than ever, and now let you capture, store and play pictures, video, music, games and more. By adding a MicroSD memory card, you can store more information, and with the proper adapters can use that same storage card in other SD-compatible devices, or even on your USB-port equipped PC.

“A 2GB, 4-In-1 Mobile Media Kit from PNY is an excellent upgrade option that allows you to capture and transport your favorite content on multiple devices using the same memory card,” Gomez adds. With the kit, you can choose a single memory device to work with virtually all digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, laptops, smart phones or any device that supports an SD card or USB drive. The 4-In-1 Mobile Media Kit contains a MicroSD card and three adapters, converting the MicroSD to a MiniSD card, standard SD card, or a USB drive.

* Point and Shoot Digital Camera – Even many of today’s basic digital cameras shoot high-resolution photos at 10 mega pixels and beyond, and also can take video at up to 30 frames per second. The result is great-looking images and videos you can treasure for years to come. These picture and movie files can get quite large, however, and quickly fill-up older, lower-density memory cards. A Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card provides photo enthusiasts and other mobile device users the speed and capacity needed to capture the high volume of files to store and share.

* Laptop Computer – While notebook PCs have become more affordable than ever, entry-level models often have small storage capacities or slow performance. Add some memory and a new USB Flash Drive to complement your new laptop. Flash drives are portable, reusable storage devices make a great solution to transport and share digital pictures, music, documents, and more. A USB flash drive provides the ultimate mobile storage solution for anyone on the go. It can be carried in a pocket, a backpack or briefcase. To access files, simply plug the USB drive into virtually any PC or MAC without the need for bulky cables or adapters. The drive performs in a variety of climates, weather conditions and temperature extremes. Plus, some drives are even enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost to boost system performance if you’re running Windows Vista.

* Desktop Computer – If your old PC is due for a tune-up, or perhaps your new PC does not have the capacity to take advantage of the latest features in Windows Vista Home Premium, a simple memory upgrade can improve overall system performance. If you would like to have a better overall visual experience, view and edit photos, appreciate the features of Vista Aero, or perhaps play the latest DirectX 10 games, consider upgrading your graphics card.

* Digital SLR Camera – Digital SLR cameras are now available to aspiring and professional photographers alike. However, with their often-higher resolutions and ability to shoot multiple frames per second, these cameras put higher demands on the memory cards that store your photos. A 4GB CompactFlash card is a high-performance, flash memory card that improves click-to-click speed and write time, so you never miss out on the action.

For more tech tips or to purchase the right memory solution for your hardware, please visit http://www.pny.com  .

Courtesy of ARAcontent

VIDEO, DVD, HD-DVD YEARBOOKS

Exhibition features Durham man’s pictures of a troubled era

The woman is holding her infant carefully, almost reverently, but she cannot shield him from the reality etched above their bus seat: “For colored patrons only.”

Alexander M. Rivera Jr. took the photograph more than half a century ago, but when he sees it on the museum wall, he pauses to look at it once again.

“This is the kind of world that this kid was born into,” says Rivera, 94. “That’s what they had to look forward to.”

That photograph — along with dozens of others that Rivera took as a journalist covering the civil rights struggle during the 1940s and 1950s — went on display Friday at the N.C. Museum of History. Rivera’s work will remain a part of the museum’s collection until early next year.

Rivera, a North Carolina native who lives in Durham, spent nearly 30 years writing and photographing for black newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation’s most prominent at the time. He traveled the Southeast, documenting lynchings, wrongful prosecutions and the push for integration.

He wrote stories that the mainstream media avoided, covering both the accomplishments of black athletes and performers and the suffering of the families of lynching victims. He wrote about a 14-year-old boy sentenced to a 30-year prison term for stealing a flashlight, and a sharecropper arrested for “unlawfully looking” at a white girl.

He recorded the stark trappings of segregation. One photograph shows the audience at a 1948 spring dance in Rocky Mount. Whites and blacks sit on the same expanse of bleachers, but a wire strung from the ceiling neatly divides the races. The dividing line, in Rivera’s day, was no metaphor.

Rivera says he had little sense at the time that he was recording history. He says he was just supporting his family, doing “a job that needed to be done.”

Shirl Spicer, the museum curator overseeing the exhibit, said Rivera was a pioneer, one of the South’s most prolific and respected black journalists. He earned national awards and in the 1950s struck up a friendship with then-Vice President Richard Nixon, who invited Rivera along on a 1957 diplomatic trip to Ghana.

But in the years since, she said, his work has been largely forgotten, with only a handful of photos permanently displayed in the N.C. Central University library.

“We have, in our midst, a living legend,” Spicer said. “But very few people know it.”

Rivera’s work often drew ire rather than respect. He was jailed in Lumberton in 1948 for photographing the three separate entrances to a movie theater, one for whites, one for blacks and one for Indians.

And on a rural road in Montgomery County, Georgia, Rivera feels sure that his life was saved only by the chauffeur’s cap he happened to be wearing. He was on his way back from interviewing the widow of Isiah Nixon, who was shot in his front yard in 1948 after angering whites by voting.

Sallie Nixon told Rivera that a group of men lured her husband to the fence, and then shot him while his children watched. When the gun went off, she told Rivera, “my children scattered like a covey of birds.”

He snapped a picture of Nixon on the porch of her wooden shack — the kind that has become emblematic of rural Southern poverty. She is surrounded by her six children, one of whom is only a few weeks old. The face of one child is clenched in a sob.

As Rivera drove the winding road away from her house, he rounded a curve and found a car blocking the road, he remembers. The sheriff was one of several white men inside. The sheriff got out and demanded to know what Rivera had been doing.

The photographs of Alexander M. Rivera Jr. will be on display until March 1, 2009, at the N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., in downtown Raleigh. The exhibit, on the third floor, is free. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Read More:News & Observer

(ARA) - Bird feeding is a hobby shared by millions of people around the world. Viewed by many as lovable outdoor pets, birds are delightful to watch. One of the best ways to view these outdoor pets is by feeding them. Birds need to eat year round, which is why it’s important to keep feeders full throughout the four seasons. It is during the winter that feeding birds can be most beneficial. In fact, winter feeding can actually improve the traffic on your feeder, since many outdoor pets will find, and stay, where there is food to be had.

In the winter months, birds’ natural food becomes scarce. Insects, fruits and seeds are just summertime memories, and as a result, many birds come to feast at feeders throughout the day. In fact, it’s not uncommon to spy a group of cardinals, finches and grosbeaks crowded around a feeding station together instead of living their typically segregated lives.

An important rule of winter feeding is to be prepared. By stocking up on premium bird seed, bird lovers can help to secure a wholesome food source for birds without having to brave stormy weather. It’s also a great idea to add suet to the diet of your outdoor pets. Not only does suet offer birds an important source of fat, but premium suet like Wild Delight’s Fruit & Berry Smoothie Suet contains real fruits like dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries and raisins that birds love.

In addition to feeders, bird lovers can help birds survive through the winter by stocking their yards with plants that retain their berries, seeds or cones into the winter months. Plus, these types of natural food may attract birds like cedar waxwings that seldom visit feeders.

Feeding birds can be especially important when temperatures fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius). Easy meals at the feeder can mean the difference between life and death. In very cold weather, birds survive by remaining very still, perching quietly with their feathers fluffed out for insulation. They do this to save energy, which can only happen if they have enough body fat to fuel them. Consequently, birds that have access to feeding stations have an easier time putting on and retaining fat.

To help ensure that birds can easily access your feeders, keep them free of ice and snow. Even adding a roof to existing feeders can make a difference. For those who live in areas with heavy snowfalls, temporarily move feeders closer to the house, so they’re easier to fill. Plus, with feeders closer to home, many bird lovers can enjoy a close-up view of their outdoor pets.

Just because feeders are closer to the residence doesn’t mean that homeowners have to put up with a mess on the ground. For those who value a clean yard, look for waste-free products, like Wild Delight Deck, Porch N’ Patio, which don’t contain filler ingredients that leave behind messy leftovers.

Just as birds need food year round, they also look for water. This can be tricky where water spends the winter as ice, but there are a number of ways that bird lovers can help out. For instance, experts says that leaving icicles on the eaves can provide a regular source of water for birds (they will drink the drops as icicles melt). In addition, a shallow basin of warm water set out daily or an electric heater for bird baths is sure to make any yard a magnet for birds during cold winter months.

Feeding birds is becoming more and more popular every year, and while birds don’t rely solely on feeders in the winter, feeders do provide a beneficial food source that helps outdoor wildlife survive the colder months. No matter what the season, feeding birds is important, and feeders should be kept full year round.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

ARA) – Between Jimmy’s first day of school, Sally’s school pageant and the family vacation, it’s easy to quickly fill your digital camera’s memory card. Then your options are: either swap the full memory card for a new one, transfer the images to your home computer’s hard drive, or – as an increasing number of amateur shutterbugs are doing – upload the images to a photo-sharing Web site.

But how do you choose the photo-sharing site that’s right for your needs? They aren’t all created equal. Here’s what you should know about photo-sharing Web sites to make sure you choose one that will work for you:

Today’s photo sharing Web sites trace their origins to the late 1990s, when traditional photo developers began offering online ordering as a way to boost sales of their real money-maker – prints. By the early 2000s, the sites had evolved to allow users to store and organize their images online, order prints and share images with friends and family. The services continue to evolve, and recent changes have included increased storage capacity, the ability to put images on specialty products like calendars or T-shirts, and the ability for multiple users to download photos from the sharing site to their own media.

Some sites, like the newly launched www.PhotosYourWay.com, are pioneering the latest trends in sharing Web sites: social networking and allowing you to earn money for your photos. While most sites allow you to share your uploaded images with people you know and whose e-mails you’ve entered into your online address book, social networking allows your images to be viewed by virtually anyone. You can designate your images as public and publish them in communities that will attract the attention of like-minded people. For example, images of your new puppy could be shared with communities of other users who enjoy pets. It’s a way to share and make new friends.

Photos Your Way also allows you to earn money for the images you post on the site by making them available for purchase by photo houses, advertising agencies, publishers and anyone else who needs fresh images on a regular basis. The Web site acts as an outlet for the images, sharing a percentage of the sale price with the member who posted the photo.

While most have many factors in common, a few sites vary:

* By creating an account – usually free – you can upload images from your digital device, be it desktop, laptop, digital camera or cell phone, to the site where the images are stored. Most sites limit storage space; others limit the length of time for which images will be stored. PhotosYourWay.com is one that allows 7 GB’s free.

* All allow you to order prints of your digital images. Some allow you to have the prints produced at a photo kiosk near you, like the ones found in drug stores and discount stores.

* All allow you to share the images you upload. You can either send e-mails inviting friends and family to visit the site and view the images, or designate certain images as “public” and viewable by everyone – or a select group of contacts.

* All of the major sites, and many smaller ones, allow you to purchase specialty products – like mugs, T-shirts, calendars, memory books and canvas prints – made with images uploaded to your account.

* Only a few sites allow those who you share photos with to download the photos and print them on your own rather than requiring you print them through their Web site.

To learn more about social networking and photo sharing, visit www.PhotosYourWay.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

As millions of Americans look for greater control over their financial destiny, the dream of self-employment has become more compelling than ever. Just the idea of launching a small business to become their own boss, and financially independent, drives many people to stake their life savings on everything from franchise opportunities to some gadget the’ve invented.

The entrepreneurial spirit is, of course, a part of our great national tradition. The problem is that many people devote a lot of their time to half-baked ideas and high-risk flings that have little chance of success.

There is always some gamble involved when you start a business, whether your investment is $50.00 or $500.00, or more. But once you begin to view your new business as “gambling,” the risk-to-reward ratio tilts out of wack! The shrewdest and most successful entrepreneurs know that “taking the plunge” works best when you take along time-tested principles that put the odds in their favor.

TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
AND BUILD YOUR BUSINESS AROUND IT

If you decide to join the ranks of self-employed freelance photographers, you will soon discover there is no magic in being able to earn thousands of dollars every year. Forget about the notion that you can start up a business just because you have a camera laying around you know little or nothing about. If you try the casual “learn on the job” approach with photography, your competitors will capitalize on your mistakes, promoting customers to turn elsewhere for the products and services you market.. Then your business will be floundering by the time you acquire the knowledge of what it takes to succeed. Never expect people to pay you while you practice on them and waste their time and money. And never take an assignment you know you can’t handle. Being honest with yourself and your customers will be to your benefit in the long-run.

The best approach to starting your freelance photography business is to start off slowly and build on a base of knowledge and experience. In other words, take the knowledge that you presently have about your camera and build a company around it. Start out by offering a particular service where you can be competitive from the first day you are open for business.

YOU DON’T NEED A STUDIO & FRENCH
PROVENCIAL FURNITURE TO GET STARTED

You don’t have to open a studio with elegant French provincial furniture, glass showcases, and large expensive frames all over the walls, to go into business as a freelance photographer. It’s actually just the opposite; you don’t need a studio at all!

What you will need is: a camera, a couple of strobe lights, light stands, and a black-and-white darkroom setup. From there, it’s just as easy for you to go to your customers as it is for them to go to a studio.

How much money you make will depend on the amount of time you want to devote to your business. The beauty of being a freelance photographer is that you can create your own markets, and establish your own rates. If you go into freelancing with the intent to earn extra money working on weekends, you should be able to earn $1,000 - $2,000 per weekend if you did nothing but shoot weddings followed with package deals. If you decide to go into business on a full-time basis, then you could earn up to $50,000 and more depending on your specialty. It really boils down to one important thing; you must have the ability to use the equipment you have to produce a good photograph. People are willing to pay top dollar if you produce quality results. They don’t like paying for poor work that isn’t pleasing or effective.

BEING SUCCESSFUL IS SELLING
WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE

In this report we are assuming that you already know something about operating a camera, taking pictures, exposure, lighting, composition, and darkroom prodedures. That is the production end of it. Turning that knowledge into salable photography is the next step.

The first rule to remember is that if you are offered a job, and you don’t even know the basics, you better say “no thank you,” and tell your client why you’re passing it up. Tell him what you do specialize in at that moment. When the next job comes around, you will have an established reputation of being honest and that same person will be back 1) because he respects your honesty; and 2) because if you say you can do a job, you can.

ADVERTISE YOUR WORK IN A PORTFOLIO

Make up a portfolio of quality 8×10 prints to show your potential clients. It should consist of both color and black-and-white prints. Mount our 8×10 prints on attractive 11×14 boards. That way you can include a few 11×14 prints as well.

A complete portfolio should include some 35mm slides. Display them in 8.5×11 plastic sheets, which will hold 20 slides. If you intend to produce 24×22 transparencies for commercial and industrial assignments, sheets are available.

When you are satisified with your portfolio, call on advertising agencies and show the art director what you are capable of. Make appointments with the art and fashion directors of department stores and boutiques. Show business and industrial firms, and consider beforehand how their advertising and public relations departments could use your services.

Be prepared to show your work to anyone at anytime. Everyone is a potential customer, and you never know who will be needing your services next. Carry your portfolio in the car at all times. If you are proud of your work, show it! Make advertising what you do a part of yout everyday life.

KNOWING WHAT TO CHARGE

The first thing to remember is that you aren’t going into business to give it away. Being fair to both yourself and your customers is the principle you should follow when setting fees.

The way to do that is to determine what amount will adequately compensate you for your time, talent, and investment in equipment on a job-by-job basis.

Don’t fall into the trap of charging less for your work just because you aren’t working out of a studio, or don’t have brand-new, expensive equimpent. You still have overhead!

At times your expenses will seem endless as you pay for photo supplies, office supplies, advertising, travel expenses, water and electricity if you operate your own darkroom, darkroom supplies and equipment, taxes, business license, business stationery, portfolio costs, business cards, and depreciation on your vehicle and photo equipment. Never let anyone convince you that you should work for less because you don’t have overhead.

What you ultimately decide to charge for your work is something you will have to decide yourself. The area you live in, the economy in that area, the competition, and how much you need are all influencing factors.

These are basically two ways to set your fees: 1) You can charge per individual photograph or job. On a job you would have to know exactly how many different shots they would require, and allow for differences in your price quote; or, 2) You can charge an hourly rate that compensates you for your time and talent. Your hourly rate does not include the rolls of film you shoot, proofs, processing, or prints ordered by client. Your hourlly rate does not include the rolls of film you shoot, proofs, processing, or prints ordered by your client. Your hourly rate is for your time only, starting from the time you leave your home until you finish the job and return home. In some cases charging by the hour just wouldn’t be practical. For example, prom sets, graduation packages, dance schools, or Little League Teams where you are further ahead to charge by the photo. Commercial shots on the other hand, where you may be asked to take a single photo that ends up taking 1-2 hours to set up, wouldn’t pay if you charged by the photo.

EARN $50,000 PER YEAR WORKING ONE DAY A WEEK!

Whether it’s a good or bad economy, one thing is for certain - there will always be weddings and work for freelance photographers.

Word-of-mouth advertising works well no matter what product or service you are selling. But it works especially well if you are a photographer in the wedding pictures business. When a bride is pleased with the quality of your work, she will pay a $1,000 for your time, talent, albums for each of the parent couples, wall photos, and her album. But it is her album that everyone she ever knew, or ever will know, will be invited to look at.

Most of your work will come through referrals from brides who were happy with your work. You should also promote your business, however, by showing samples of your work to florists, bridal shops. boutiques, and caterers who normally have a lot of wedding business.

Just tell them you would be happy to send business their way, if they will do the same.

Always sign a contract with the bride so there are no misunderstandings. Specify exactly which photos will be taken, and of whom. Always include a “Release Paragraph” which states that you are not responsible for the loss of photographs resulting from camera malfunction, accidents in development, or film lost in the mail. You may also want to include a “Model Release” which will give you the right to use any photos as samples for advertising purposes.

SETTING YOUR FEE

Make certain the bride completely understands what your fee is, and what she will receive in return. There are various ways you can price weddings:

1) Offer a complete package that includes an engagement photo for the
newspaper, formal bridal portrait, and coverage of the rehersal party,
wedding and reception.
2) Coverage of the rehersal party, wedding and reception.
3) Wedding and reception
4) Wedding only

Weddings can be a goldmine. It’s not uncommon for a complete package that includes an 8×10 album for the bride, and a 4×5 album for each set of parents to run $1,000 or more. Many photographers set a $500 minimum charge for weddings. Even if you only did two weddings per weekend at the minimum charge, you could easily make $52,000 per year. Two complete wedding packages per week would earn you over $100,000 per year. That’s working one day per week! Now imagine how much money you could earn working full time!

OTHER FREELANCE JOBS
THAT CAN MAKE YOU BIG MONEY!

DANCE SCHOOL RECITALS

Dance recitals are only once a year, but taking photographs of beautiful childern in their costumes can mean increasing your banck account substantially.

Dance schools are every where, and they come in all sizes. By offering a photo package of one 8×10, two 5×7’s, four wallet photos, and one 5×7 class photo, you can make anywhere from $1,000 for the smallest classes, up to $5,000 for a class of 400-500 students. If you make the teachers responsible for posing the students, and offer one pose per child, you can process the largest classes in just a few days.

CHILDREN’S SPORTS PHOTOS

Children’s sports, such as Little League baseball, football, hockey, soccer, and basketball offer a very profitable opportunity to make fast cash for a freelance photographer. Every team (and the hundreds of parents in the stands) all want group shots and individual photos of every player. Most leagues will have at least 8-10 teams, with up to 30 children on a team, depending on the sport.

The person to approach for working out arrangements for a photographic session may be the coach, a director, committee, or sponsor. Dealing with one person works best. Check with the city or county recreation department. They will know who is using their facilities.

REAL ESTATE & ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Some of your best clients can be real estate agents, residential and commercial contractors, and architects. Real estate agents know that photographs are more effective in advertising a home or business than the typical classified ad. Doing all of a real estate agency’s listings can add substantially to you income.

INSURANCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Insurance companies will reimburse a policy holder only for those items they have documented. Increasingly, insurance adjusters are urging clients to photograph everything that’s covered by their policy on their home or business. It’s difficult to argue with a photographic inventory and for that reason people will pay you to photograph their possessions and file them away in a safety deposit box.

FAMILY PORTRAITS

When you take family portraits it’s best if you don’t use a studio. People always act and look more natural in their own homes or yards. Family pets are also easier to include when they are in familiar surroundings.

You can promote your “on location” family portrait service in the Sunday newspaper. Note the fact that they won’t even have to leave the comfort and privacy of their home, because you will come to them. Charge an initial fee, which includes the first portrait (16×20s and 20sx24s are not uncommon) plus travel expenses and other shooting costs. Always promote the Christmas card portraits, which the labs will offer.

CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES

When church members become old enough to become regular members they are confirmed and oficially admitted to the church. Churches usually want group shots of the entire class plus individual photos for each family.

A bar mitzvah in the Jewish faith is similar to confirmation. When a boy turns thirteen, he then becomes a recognized member of his religion and the synagogue in a ceremony. With a confirmation and bar mitzvah are joyous occasions that are followed by a reception for family, friends, and religious members.

ANIMAL SHOWS & PET PORTRAITS

Pets and animals add up to a multi-billion dollar business in America. What animal and pet owners spend every year on food, grooming, pet-sitting, pet-walking, health products, and accessories is staggering. Offer your services as a pet and animal photographer and they will buy that also. There are freelance photographers who make a good living just going from one show to another that features horses, cats and dogs. Get in touch with your local veterinarian, who should be able to provide you with the names and addresses of sponsors for the various shows and organizations.

ANTIQUE DEALERS & AUCTIONEERS

Some large antique dealers have photos taken of their items for sale, and send the photos or color slides of special or unusual pieces to other dealers or customers.

When auctioneers are hired to auction off items from an estate, bankruptcy, a large business or industry, or any other large job that has valuable items on their list of sale items, they will often use color slides for TV, ads, brochures, and other promotional pieces.

GOLF COURSES & COUNTRY CLUBS

You can make some fast cash by making arrangements with a golf course or country club to have action photos taken of golfers when the hold tournaments and there is a crowd. Set up your camera on the first tee for foursome shots and action shots as each player swings.

PONY & CHILD PHOTOS

Back in the 1940s and ’50s photographers would travel the country and go door to door. For a fee, children could put on a cowboy hat, vest and chaffs, and climb onto a saddled pony to have their picture taken.

All you have to do is rent a gentle-natured pony, have a three-piece (one size fits all children) cowboy outfit, and an assistant standing by just in case the pony gets skittish, or the child decides to jump off. Then make arrangements to appear at ‘crazy days’ festivals, school carnivals, family reunions, shopping mall promotions, parades, or any other place where crowds gather.

PHOTOGRAPHING SCHOOL & COMMUNITY BANDS

Make arrangements with the band or booster club and make arrangements to take color group photos of the band and individual members. Mail sample prints to band directors outside your area and arrange for appointments to show your work and explain package offers and fees.

GRADUATION PHOTOS

Contact the senior class advisor and make arrangements to take graduation photos of seniors in their caps and gowns as they practice before the actual graduation ceremony. If you don’t have a portable background, use the stage curtains. Borrow a didploma from the school that each graduate can hold.

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