Always Be Prepared!

Once of the biggest things that you have to learn to do as a photographer is to Be Prepared! Just like the Boy Scout motto, you need to be ready all the time to capture that image when you are working in the photography field. This is especially true when you are a photojournalist but it applies to anyone who is making their living with a camera. You want to be ready all the time so you don’t miss a shot. Here are some tips for making sure you are always as ready as possible.

I was shooting a car show one Saturday and came across this house fire

1.) Batteries - Make sure you always have your batteries charged fully and ready to use. It is also recommended to have spares with you wherever you go.

2.) Memory cards - Like batteries, memory cards are another item you can never have too many of and with the low cost of memory these days, you can easily carry several spares on you at all times.

3.) Lens caps - Leave them off when you are carrying around your camera. Nothing more embarrassing then pulling up your camera to snap a once in a lifetime shot and then realize you left your lens cap on. An easy and inexpensive way to protect your glass is a UV filter on the end.

4.) Carry more than one camera - If you look at pros out in the field, especially photojournalists, they never waste time changing lenses out in the field, they take two bodies, one with a wide lens and one with a telephoto so they are ready for anything that may happen.

5.) Turn off Image Preview - I never use my image preview when shooting and I don’t recommend anyone does. If you spend all your time looking at your shots on the LCD as you take them, you are going to miss a great shot sooner or later. Again, watch a pro out in the field with a DSLR and you will never see them looking at their LCD. They know their camera and they know how to use it, so they know without looking if they got the shot or not.

One of the firefighters from the house fire I came across

 6.) And last but not least, make a checklist. Just like a pilot, if you make a list of all the items you need with you when you go out and check it the night before and again the day of the shoot or when you leave the house, you will be prepared for anything that happens and be able to just shoot away. And if God forbid a meteor falls and takes out both your cameras, just laugh at the irony and whip out that iPhone and snap away, you can still get that shot!

Comments/Questions

Do Things That Scare You!

Good morning everyone.

This morning I am not going to be giving you any of my insights and experiences. I am not going to be telling you what you should or should not do. This morning I am going to let you read an article by Pamela Wilson. It was previously published over at Big Brand Systems.

It is more about who you are and what you have to do to get your photographs seen by people and what you have to do as a person to get that exposure. It's more about what you have do yourself to excel and become the photographer that you want to be.

We can show you all the applications, their tips and tricks. We can talk about composition and show you great photographs, but if you do not apply any of what you learn in the real world then we will never know your true greatness.

I hope you enjoy the article.

Lessons Learned From Down Under.

We look forward to seeing your photographs this month. #aipodvolunteer

Using Perspective for Better Images

One of the things that new photographers struggle with is shooting everything at eye level. You walk around taking in the scenery and see something that catches your eye and just point your camera at it and shoot. The problem is this can make your photos bland and boring and everything starts looking the same.

In order to make things for interesting and visually appealing, you need to move around and change things up a bit. Shooting a field of flowers with a windmill in the background? Use a wide angle lens and get down low to the ground, that way the flowers in your foreground are more prominent.

If you are shooting a redwood, get down low and shoot looking up into the tree, it will exaggerate it’s massive size even more and create a more interesting view. Or if it’s a small object like this antique Singer sewing machine, shoot standing over it and shoot downwards.

I shot this sewing machine by getting close and then looking down into it.

You can also shoot buildings or cars at an angle to get more of a unique look to them. I sometimes shoot my buildings for my project at the corner of the building just to make the scene more interesting and if the sky happens to also be really dramatic naturally it can make your image stronger.

For this Impala SS, I got down low and shot it at an angle from the front.

Great photographers never just stand and shoot everything at eye or tripod level, they move around and mix things up a bit to make for more appealing images. One of my favorites, Chase Jarvis, shoots a lot of sports, especially cyclists, snowboarders, rock climbers and he is always thinking outside the box on the view, angle and perspective he wants to get for his images.

I watched one of his shoots he was doing for Mountain Dew, and he was shooting a guy riding on a trail out in the woods and to get the perspective he wanted, Chase and his team made a dirt mount for the rider to go over and get airborne and then Chase actually laid on the ground on his back and shot up into the rider and bicycle to get a better angle to make the kind of strong image he was looking for. Now in a case like this, he could have potentially gotten hurt if something went wrong, but Chase doesn’t worry about stuff like that, he worries about getting the angle and view he is looking for to make that strong, visually appealing image and the folks at Mountain Dew loved that image and plastered it all over billboards, magazines, etc.

For this steam powered saw, I knelt down and got in close to make the blade bigger.

So keep these tips in mind next time you are out shooting. Change things up, make your images more compelling and more interesting. You will get much more dramatic and beautiful shots, and won’t have your professors nagging you to move around and make more visual variety!

Comments/Questions

How to critique work?

Good morning everyone.

Today I am going to cover some additional points about how to critique work that you see as well as the work from your classmates and peers.

As you all know we have the August Photo Month challenge. It is the month of giving back and we will all be contributing to volunteering our services to the community.

If you have not done so this month or would like to know more about this event then please have a look at all our previous posts. We have some great information about what to do, how to contribute and what to expect when you go out to photograph your event.

We would like everyone to contribute and will be supplying information shortly about how you can submit your photographs to this beautiful event.

So what do you have to do when you critique someones photograph. Well, it is simple really, you appreciate the photograph for what you see. You normally get an immediate reaction to seeing a photograph. You may not know why at first, but that is what we are going to show you.

You either like it or you don't like it. There is no right or wrong answer here. That is the beauty of photography. There are so many different things to admire and dislike that we really just have to be honest to ourselves and move on. However, if you like something or even if you do not then you have to be able to say what it is that you like or do not like.

Be comfortable in the knowledge that you have!

© Micah Jones 500px

This photograph by Micah Jones is interesting because it caught my eye. What is it that makes it a great photograph? Are you drawn to the highlights? The shadows? The lines? Pattern? Texture?

The list is endless and as a student you need to be able to identify these areas and comment on them to critique correctly.

As a student who has spent hours looking at photographs, researching and commenting on classmates photographs I hate these comments the most.

THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPH. 

WELL DONE ON A GREAT SHOT. 

WOW. 

NICE ONE. 

WHO ARE YOUR MODELS?

These photographs don't say much more than they appreciate the photograph. Give some additional detail.

This list is extensive and can be so frustrating for any photographer except boost the ego. Do not, I beg you, fall into this group of people. Please give substantive feedback and critiques. So how do you critique?

Well, firstly appreciate the photograph for what it is. If you like the photograph then please let the photographer know that you really like the photograph, and give them a single reason why. If you do not like it, then appreciate the attempt and maybe you could suggest and reason they could actually make it professionally submission worthy. This is what I would normally say.

"Hello Denzil, that looks like a great attempt and finding the lines in a photograph. I think it may be even stronger if I may suggest, shooting like this."

You can then go one to describing what it is that you think they should do to make the photograph stronger. Now, from what I mentioned here you can see that you have to know what elements to look for in a photograph.

© Copyright Amelie Satzger 500px

That is what you need to critique about. You have to give substantive feedback to the photographer so that they can see that you know what you are talking about and where they might improve if that is your intention. Negativity is never appreciated. Nobody likes that, but we can give feedback based on the information that we have learned. 

They may be trying to communicate some symbolism that we are not aware of. They mat be attempting some fine art. The are so many factors that we are not aware of and by starting this communication we are able to take our understanding of photography to the next level.

So going into the next month we are going to be seeing so many different styles and topics for our Month of August Photo submission event that we will be needing your input when it comes to peer review. 

You have learnt much over the last few years, and if you are just starting then you may already have learnt a few new interesting things about photography.

Discussion points to discuss could be, texture, color, highlights, shadows, DOF (depth of field), rule of thirds, shape, form, posing, composition and background. There are so many more discussion points and to be able to critique you have to know what to discuss.

PLEASE, give more feedback than those one-liners. We want to know what we did right and more importantly we want to know where we can improve, even if we don't want to hear it. The flip side is that you also become more proficient critiquing. 

Here is a great article over Digital Photography School and you can also find more information at Luminous Landscapes

By giving great critique we as photographers receive valuable input into our shooting abilities but it is also about you bringing additional and valuable insight to the critique table. We can immediately see that you know what you are talking about and we appreciate that in itself. If you do not know what you are talking about, then more than likely we are are just going to ignore your comments and do the same things over and over again. We would all like to be better photographers, but we cannot do it on our own.

We need your feedback and critiques. So stay away from the one line feedback emporium and give some substantial feedback based on the knowledge you have acquired. We will definitely appreciate the effort. That I can guarantee. (Well, I am speaking for myself here.)

So, I look forward to your comments and critiques. However more importantly I look forward to seeing all your submissions for this coming month. We will be sending out submission instructions in the not to distant future.

Happy shooting. 

Denzil

© Copyright Djian Duminuco 500px

Building a System

 One of the things I want to share with you the readers is how to build your photography system or what to bring with you when you go out to shoot.

The first, and easiest thing to choose is your camera body, once you decide what brand to go with, Canon, Nikon or another, then it’s a matter of getting the right lenses. Do you want to shoot crop or full frame and what can you afford on your budget, don’t spend yourself into debt buying a camera body. I shoot Canon and a lot of Canon shooters run right out and buy the latest full frame, whether it’s the 6D, 5D Mark III or 5D R or 5D SR, or maybe even the 1D X. Most of these cameras are very expensive, anywhere from $2,500 to $6,500 for the 1D X.

I generally recommend buyer earlier models, especially if you are on a budget and want to get the most ‘bang’ for your buck. You can go on Craigslist or eBay and buy a great condition Canon 5D Classic for a few hundred dollars and most Canon shooters will tell you that the 5D Classic is still an awesome camera and between the various 5D models, still shoots landscapes better than the newer models do. I personally own 2 5D Classic and love them both, they might not have all the ‘bells and whistles’ of the Mark II or Mark III but they do what they are designed to do, take awesome images. I usually also recommend buyers good condition used camera bodies as you can not only save money but you can also afford to carry a backup or second camera.

As I mentioned, I have 2 of the 5D Classics and spent only around $400 for each one and then earlier this year, I did buy a new Canon 6D full frame body as well. I got my 6D from www.lumoid.com for $1,200 (considerably cheaper than $1,700 from Amazon or canon.com), plus I got the $300 rebate from Canon that they were offering at the beginning of the year. Now, instead of spending $2,500 for a brand new 5D Mark III and having one camera, I spent $1,700 and have three camera bodies, all of which are full frame!

Next, when it comes to lenses, you don’t want to cover every millimeter of focal length. First, it will cost you a lot of money, second it’s more gear to carry and more time wasted changing lenses rather than making images. Most of your pros, including famous ones like Ansel Adams never carried more than three lenses when they are out shooting. If you have three bodies like I do, I carry all three when I am out shooting for a day and I equip each one with a specific type of lens.

Shot with EOS 6D and EF 17-40mm F/4 L USM

I put my trusty Canon EF 17-40mm F/4 L USM on one body so I can capture fantastic landscapes. I equip the second body with my 85mm F/1.8 USM portrait lens so I can shoot people or street photography. My third body I equip with my Tamron SP 150-600mm super telephoto lens incase I need something with more reach to capture a shot of a red-tail hawk I spot sitting on a power line or in a tree. I know you are thinking ‘that’s a lot of gear and weight to carry around’, but I am used to it and I use the kind of camera carry systems that make carrying all this gear easy. I have the Spider Pro belt that I mount one body on my hip like a six shooter, I have the Camera Carry Pro clip system that I can also attach to my belt or a small backpack that carries the second body and then for my super telephoto lens/body combo, I use my Manfrotto monopod, which can double as a walking stick.

Shot with EOS 5D Classic and Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD

If I am out shooting mostly landscapes for my Forgotten Pieces of Georgia, then the body with the Canon EF 17-40mm F/4 L USM is the one in my hand at the ready and the other two are standing by for shots of opportunity. By employing this strategy I am always ready for any shooting opportunity that presents itself and never have to change lenses in the field and don’t have to worry about sensor dust.

As I mentioned earlier, you do not need to cover every millimeter of focal length, do like the pros do and move closer or farther away and you can more than make up for not having every millimeter covered in lenses. You can even cut it down to two bodies and lenses and say carry a 17-40mm and then a 70-200mm, as the 70-200mm can be used for both portrait and zoom work, since it covers the two most popular portrait focal lengths of 85mm and 135mm.

Now that I have shared more on how to build your system, feel free to leave a comment or post a question, and get out there and make some great images!

Comments/Questions

Shooting High Speed Sync

Hello everyone,

This week I am going to keep things really simple and easy.

We all have some great events planned for this month and one of the challenges that I am sure many of you will face, will be lighting. You might have an event outside, and shooting in bright sun can be quite challenging. How can you shoot wide open and get a great shallow depth of field if your camera  only flash syncs at 1/200 sec? Why not shoot at f/1.8 or f/2.8 and get a shutter speed of 1/8000th sec.

That is where High speed sync comes in. Here is a great article that was previously published in shutter magazine. It is written by Michael Corsentino and gives you all the information you will need to shoot outside and get some great flash output while shooting at higher shutter speeds with wide open apertures.

Click on image for link to article.

Another great article that I would like to cover for this week as we plan our events is over on The strobist. 

How to shoot Events without TTL flash?

You might not get the results from your flash when shooting with TTL, and this is just a great way to learn how to control your flash if it does not have that function or you have an older model flash.

These are great articles as you prepare for your events. 

I wish you all, great success with your events and look forward to seeing your images in the coming weeks.

#aipodvolunteer.

Denzil

Using Aperture for Your Sharpest Images

An item that new students that are also new to photography get confused on is how to get the sharpest images. Often times new students believe that getting the widest aperture lens possible if they can afford it will give them the sharpest images, this is NOT true.

If you ask any of your professors or any other professional photographer, they will tell you that your sharpest images happen around 2 stops below your widest aperture. As an example, I have the Canon EF 50mm F/1.4 USM lens, but I never shoot this lens at F/1.4 as it performs much better sharpness-wise at around F/2.8 on a full frame camera or F/2 on a 1.6x crop body.

Shot on EOS 5D Classic with EF 50mm F/1.4 @ F/1.4

When you shoot with this lens wide open you get very strong halation aka dreamy look with some Chromatic Aberration in your images as well. After the dreamy look diminishes at F/2-F/2.8 you get very strong colors and contrast, which in turn will make your images really “pop”. When using a really wide lens, you don’t want your aperture smaller than F/8 because then diffraction starts to soften them again.

This sharpness is how things apply to prime lenses, which have extremely wide apertures. When dealing with zoom lens, it works a little different, on a zoom lens, the optimum sharpness range might be smaller but they are generally sharpest at their widest apertures of F/3.5-F/5.6 or even F/6.3. Now with a zoom lens as I mentioned the sharpness range is usually smaller but you can generally count on sharp images from the starting aperture to around F/8 or maybe F/10, anything past that and again you get diffraction again.

Shot on EOS 5D Classic with EF 50mm F/1.4 @ F/2.8 notice even the bokeh is better

 Now that you are more informed about using aperture to get sharp images, get out there and make some great ones!

Comments/Questions

Internship in Review

 First of all let me apologize for no Friday Ambassador post for the last few weeks.  Starting a new job and finishing the last of my internship was just enough to throw me off course when I came down ill.  I can finally wrap my brain around the fact it is Friday!! (Trust me that is a huge improvement over the last few weeks!

RC Broncos Celebrating another win

Much like the Rubber City Broncos celebrating what was another win to their road to becoming the 2015 Cardinal Division Champs the end of my internship is a celebration.   There are things that happened behind the scenes that make this internship difficult at times.  I will not go into detail about the difficulties because I think that in the end what challenges us makes us strong in anything that we do. 

Instead I wanted to share some generalizations about what I learned over the last 11 weeks.

1. No matter what you expect from your internship it will be different.  

This isn't a negative thing it is just an observation.  What your employer things is your job may not be what you thought your job with them maybe.  While I was the photographer for my team and eventually the TV show my job wasn't just to shoot pictures.  

At times I played personal assistant with responsibilities that had nothing to do with actual photography at all.  However in the end I learned what it was like to be an owner of a Semi-Pro Team. I learned how difficult it can be to be an owner.  I learned how much more there was to getting the games ready than just may part.  In many ways, I got to know various players better which in the end gave me better shots this year.  

2. Something will go wrong.

This seems like a silly concept but if you are expecting an easy internship I'll be honest in most cases something will go wrong! It could be personally related - equipment failure. It could be something completely out of your control.  

The point is you can't dwell on that and let it stop you from being the best you that you can be during your internship!  Your internship is ultimately about you getting the most out of it.  If you don't feel you are getting all you can out of it talk with your employer and make suggestions about what else you can do. Or even ask for more work.

3. You may have to nag a little about time sheets.

Depending on the employer you are working with you may have to push a little politely to get your time sheets signed off.  

First of all try not to get frustrated. You may see that your grade is going down because of late time sheets. Keep your Internship Advisor in the loop and if need be she will also intervene for you.

This will seem huge for you as you are working your tail off.  Don't sweat the small stuff this can be worked out.

4. Get it in writing - Yep I said it don't forget a personal contract 

The school will give your employer a general contract and in the process you and your employer will define your roll and your duties.

What isn't included is how your employer wants you to hand things.  What you should and shouldn't put on your time sheet per your employer. Just some general physical rules that you can both look at to know that you are on the right page.

Without this document someone or both parties maybe come confused.  It may not help to have emails and conversations about how to do things.  Your employer maybe very busy and if communication isn't clear from either party this can become a problem.

I will tell you that my internship was interesting and not at all what I expected it to be. It had it's ups and it downs.  My internship adviser introduced me to a graduate student who had a bit of a difficult internship.  He and I discussed that his  internship, while difficult, really gave him a great start. He considers it one of the reasons he has had so many successful magazine covers to his name.  It helped to give him some amazing contacts that helped to get him where he is today.

So don't forget to intern!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Getting Ready for Giving Back

Hello everyone,

As we start this month of August I just celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary, I got two weddings booked for this weekend and I am setting up an estimate to shoot some head shots for a law firm.

Now, please forgive me if you think I am bragging. This was not the case because just over 11 months ago I was in a completely different situation altogether. Back then I had just started my business. I was not sure how I was going to pay for my final year college and I had little to no money to keep my business moving forward. However, I had a plan. I had done my analysis (yes, you will doing a course like that as well, business plan included if you have not already completed it)  and I knew what was required of me. Roll up the sleeves and get to work.

I got started doing all the free Facebook postings and any free advertising that I could. I got my name out there, but nothing happened.... immediately. Yes, it takes time. I was in a place that was as far from my comfort zone as I could possibly get. I am sure that many of you have been or are in similar positions. Don't be stressful about that (if you can help it). I did my first giving back session a few years ago so I know what it feels like and that was the give start that I needed to get the momentum going.

As we all get ready for giving back this month of August, I know that there are quite a few of you out there that might be very hesitant or even unsure about approaching such an intimidating task.

We all want to be great leaders in our community by been able to give back. However, as I found out there was so much that I needed for myself and my business that I never thought about giving back. I was the person in need. Why should I be giving back when I am struggling so much?  I needed to pay my bills, I needed to get my business up and running, find money for marketing and where to find customers? These are daunting tasks as you try and get your business moving forward.

We all have life's challenges to overcome and I can honestly say that I was very intimidated whenever I had to do something that took me outside my comfort zone. This was the event that added the momentum to my business that I needed.

Last week I spoke about been prepared for your shoot. You made contact and now you are ready to get going. If you are just starting out and this is the first time that you have ever done something like this, then do not panic. We are here to help. Here are a few helpful pointers I think will keep you moving forward.

1. Don't be scared to get a NO. It only means you are moving closer to getting that YES!! 
2. Make a list. Make sure you have a time table of events and things that are needed to accomplish. As you move through your day keep checking that you got each point done. It is not so much about getting the points done, but rather, if it is your first time, it gives you a structure around which you can work. At the end of the day you can break it down and see what worked and what did not work.
3. Make sure you speak to someone about what you are doing. They can be a your best friend, father, mother or anybody that you trust. They will give you some sound advice and maybe even some personal experience stories. That is what it is all about. We are all going to be doing the same thing this month so don't be afraid to reach out to any of your peers. That is what we are here for. We would love to help if it is at all possible. I am in the Boston area. If you need my assistance then please reach out. 
4. Look at this session as an opportunity to grow your photographic EMPIRE!! I always think big. It makes me feel better and I know I can still dream. I know it will do the same for you. There are so many small things that go into running a great session. This is just a great platform for you to get the exposure in the marketplace as a photographer. 
5. Finally, have some fun. Make sure you use some of the tips I mentioned last week. to ensure that you have a great day. If you come away from the day making just one person happy then I can say with confidence that you have made an impact and accomplished what we intended from this August photo experience.

Now, don't forget to send us your photographs. We would love to see where you have gone and the photographs that you have taken. I know we will be creating a great compilation from all the best photographs and you will have the opportunity, in the coming months,  to get your hands on a copy of all the winning photographs. 

Stay tuned here to see what we have in store for you.

In closing I wanted to leave you with an article I found while reading the Success web site. It is all about starting your own photography business. Written by Kelsey Humphreys it is all about how Jeremy Cowart, some of his lessons that he doles out and insights into his photography empire. 

More on Jeremy Cowart

Have a great week and I am really looking forward to seeing all your photographs. #aipodvolunteer 

Denzil

Post Your Work

 This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch an amazing documentary called Finding Vivian Maiers. This is a fantastic story that I personally think every photographer should watch, I don’t want to give too much away other than to say she was a woman who worked as a nanny and did photography as a hobby. She never showed her work to anyone, which is sad as she turned out to be an incredibly talented artist.

The reason I am bringing this up is not only because it is an awesome story but to also encourage all photographers to always post their work. I understand that not every photograph is perfect, and I encourage you to be your own critic first but when you do have your best images ready, you need to share them with the public. Post your work on your own site if you have one, join some of the good photography groups on Facebook, join sites like 500px.com or even the newer www.dashburst.com, which has just recently started as a new photography and creative artist site.

Blue Moon from July 31, 2015

You want to not only display your work but also be willing to take constructive criticism about your work. By that, I mean people who are willing to give you honest, accurate critics on how to improve your technique when it comes to your art, not some of the nasty people who just poopoo everything that is not their own. Another reason why I recommend 500px.com is you can actually sell your images on this site and retain 75% of the profits, which is nice and they have a very large list of legitimate, paying clients that will buy your work for various projects they have.

I also recommending putting your best work out there on Twitter, Instagram, with proper hashtags to get more exposure and it doesn’t hurt to have a Flickr account as well. I know it sounds like a lot to keep track of, but luckily, most of these sites will allow you to cross-post on the others. If you are not already familiar with Instagram, with their app on your phone or tablet, you can post an image with Instagram and then also share it on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare.

My point is, you will never know how good your work is or get discovered as an artist unless you actually share it with the world! Now get out there and make some great images!

Comments/Questions