Giving Back Photographs Needed!

Good morning everyone!

I hope you all had a great start to the week. This post is going to be short so you can get back to your favorite activities soon.

As you know we have been doing the giving back photograph challenge. Well now is the time to get all those photographs in. I have created a location where you can all upload your photographs too.

 https://www.dropbox.com/request/k5RzDFo7FBn7x8QbadLS 

I am going to create a web site location once we get all your photographs in so that we can start the peer appreciation.

If you have any questions or suggestions then please do not hesitate to contact me at denzilern@stu.aii.edu 

Thanks everyone.

Denzil

Preparing Photographs for submission

Good morning everyone.

I know quite a few of you have been hard at work photographing your Giving Back to the Community projects. Well now as we start wrapping up all our shooting projects we have to think about getting those photographs into the market place.

Well, nobody is going to see them on your hard-drive so we have to get them developed and processed so that your peers can choose their favorites and we hopefully can choose some great photographs for our final project submissions.

This short blog post is all about where you can find additional resources to get your photographs developed.

The best place to find some great resources on how to use some of the applications that we use everyday would be from the Tutoring center in our Campus Common area.

Here you can find great tutorials on how to learn the applications that will become the foundation of your business in the future.

I also found a few paying websites that you can use to learn how some of the professionals in the business do it.

FREE

Hop on over to Creativelive for some really great videos. They offer free training for all their live courses and they cover a wide range of genre's and creative processes. 

Our own Lynda.com access can be found under our online library section of the campus common area. Just go to your online library and choose Photography icon. You will find it under the Industry Information section.

Another great site is Petapixel. They some of the best resources in the business and you are always getting some really good professional information. 

Paid

Then of course you can invest some additional money into your education and get some paid training. I use Kelbyone Training

There are so many different options to choose from so make sure you choose something that you are comfortable with.

We will be creating a special visual celebration of all the photographs that are chosen.It will be a selection of some of the best photographs from our Month of Giving Back and something that I know you will be proud to be a part of.

All final submission deadlines will be posted in the coming weeks so please make sure that you have all your photographs edited and ready for submission.

If you have any questions or thoughts then please leave a comment for me here and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a great week of shooting and editing and I will speak to you soon.

Denzil

#AIOvolunteer

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

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

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