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

Do you photograph very quickly?

Well what do I mean by this? I shoot some many shots that I am sometimes more focused on quantity rather than the quality.

On so many occasions I have to keep telling myself, Denzil slow down. You are shooting to fast and you are making the people in front of your lens very nervous.

Have any of you ever experienced this problem? Well for some they might see this as a problem and others might just consider it as the only way that they know how to shoot.

Well, as you develop through each year of your course you will come to understand that the photographs that you take need some additional attention. What do I mean by this?

Well we are going to seeing smooch more than when we first started. You will be considering the composition in front of you. You are also going to be considering color, texture, leading lines and depth of field. There are a number of different factors that come into play now that you are using a Dslr camera.

Let me explain. On Sunday, yes Mother's Day I had an engagement booking for a couple that I knew. They arrived at my place with their outfit changes and we sat down and started talking about what kind of photographs they were interested in. What poses they would like to see in their book or what prints they would like to get from the session.

Now I was all prepared. I mean really prepared. I had my iPad with my Pinterest suggestions and a list of available prints that I wanted to show them. Just been prepared is not always that great at times as I soon discovered. I started to rush and because I knew that the light was perfect and may be setting soon so I just wanted to get out and start taking some photographs. I ushered them into the garden, knew the location I wanted to shoot in and what type of photographs I want to get, so I just got started photographing immediately.

Here is why this was a problem..

I did not check to see if my flash was to low or to high. I was so comfortable with my "usual" way of shooting that I started making simple mistakes. Here is the first mistake. What do you see wrong with this photograph?

Yes, I did not take a good light meter reading and my flash was positioned far to low. Look at the shadow that formed under his chin.

Now, you might say but if you checked the back of your screen you would have been able to pick that up. Yes, I would have, but the sun was still shining brightly over my shoulder and it was a little difficult. So invest in a great loupe for your back screen of your camera. 

Now, I only had an hour for all the photographing and we still had to go to another location. That is just what I was thinking. I was already on the next set of photographs in my mind. I was already there thinking about what I was going to be shooting next to the lake. That was my problem. I was not in the moment. When you are photographing, you have to be in the moment. Think about only those photographs you are about to take at that present moment in time. Work the scene and the subject and try and get the best photographs that you can. If you do not make it to the next location, at least you got the best from the first location.

Well, I made it to the next location. I had this all planned in my head. I knew it was sunny so I brought my diffuser with. Great job!! 

Well not quite. I am sure many of you are one person photography teams or businesses.You try and photograph and do everything yourself. Well I am such a guy. I do not have much money. I photograph, edit, print and market my entire business.

Well the problem at the new location was that it was to bright and it was very windy. As a result I started to rush even more and with the result I started making a few more silly mistakes. These relate to location, location , location. Can you see the obvious problems in these photographs?

1. The cap cast a bad shadow over his eyes.

2. He is quitting in the bottom photograph.

With the wind blowing I could not hold the diffuser and in my rush I forgot the stand and sandbag to keep it in place from flying away. Slow down Denzil!!

Slow down, think about the next shot only when you are there. If you planned the shot because you knew the location then you would have had the sandbag and the stand in the car.

Well everything was not that bad. I had to turn the bad into some good. So what can you do when you are working alone, it is windy and you cannot use a diffuser or you forgot your stand and sandbag at home. Well look for locations where you can use that sun to your advantage.

I started to slow down. I kept telling myself, "what will work in this situation?" Look around for some solid shade. Shoot at higher ISO's if you have to. Add some fill flash if they are facing away from the sun. Without that it will create a silhouette.

So here are two photographs I felt worked well in these conditions.

I started to focus on what I could do, rather than what I wanted to do.

You have to approach each session with an open mind. Yes it is great to plan, but you have to be flexible enough to know when you have to change. Just going on without any regard for what is happening around you is going to create problems you do not want.

So my advice to you. Slow down and look at the scene. See what will work and what will be a challenge. If you have to work longer in one location then that is just fine, unless of cause the client wants another location, then that is just what you have to do. Don't let your desire to take that great photograph in your mind, result in the missed opportunity that was right in front of you all the time.

Have great day and good luck with all your photography sessions this week. 

Ps: If you would like to see a blog post of your choosing here then please let me know. We will welcome any and all feedback.

Have a great day.

Denzil

Master the Maternity Session

Working with engaged couples and new parents is a blast because it means seeing people at their happiest. Emotions run high and the images captured serve as valuable reminders of important life events, from weddings to first birthdays. An event that is quite different from those is the pregnancy itself. Maternity sessions are exciting in their own right, but instead of the high-energy images captured at weddings and family portraits, there is an underlying sense of serenity mixed with anxious anticipation at a maternity session. Capturing this is so worthwhile - if you know anyone who is expecting, see if they'll let you try your hand at maternity photography to see if it's something you want to add to your repertoire!

Typically taken after the 30-week mark (I find 32 weeks to be ideal), maternity photographs should show off a mom-to-be's connection with her child and make her feel beautiful even though she's likely quite uncomfortable and ready for baby to come out! Selecting a location that is special to the couple, encouraging her to bring a few outfits that make her feel great, and shooting a variety of angles and poses will make for a successful maternity session. Incorporate props from baby's nursery or the other parent into the session for extra special images. Not only will the parents love having reminders of how they felt while waiting on their little one to arrive, but the child will get to see how loved he or she was even before taking a first breath!

-Friday Ambassador

Have Your Photos Tell a Story for a Big Impact!

When you share images on social media, are you telling a story? While one image may speak for itself, sometimes it makes sense to create a diptych, triptych, or collage of images to make more of an impact. I shared the diptych above on my Facebook page instead of adding each one individually because I think they make each other stronger. The contrast in color, focal length, and composition when juxtaposed in such a manner make me look closer at each panel. At the same time, each image emphasizes the closeness of the couple, which is the goal of an engagement session. That aspect, as well as the warmth of the images, relates them to one another so that they are able to work together.

Do you have a preference in how you share images, or what you are drawn to when other photographers share theirs? If you're interested in displaying your images in groups, you can create templates in Photoshop really easily. Using the same border thickness from one template to the next and adding your logo or name to each template will make the process of inserting your images and exporting for web sharing super fast!

-Friday Ambassador

Successful Shooting - Family Photography

A while back I wrote about the challenges of photographing children. While some of my favorite images are of big-eyed, smiling babies, it is definitely not easy to get the perfect shot. Something babies and young kids have that adults and teenagers often don’t, though, is a carefree attitude in front of the camera. As we age, many of us (myself included) learn to be camera shy and self-conscious, making it tougher for a photographer to bring out real emotion in family photographs. I have a few tips to share about what works for me during a family shoot, and would love to hear your advice as well! If you notice any great tips missing from the following, leave a comment so we can all learn from one another.

Make Everyone Comfortable

By the time a family gets to your studio or chosen location, they may have been stressed about their appearance or the fact that they have to spend an hour or two taking photographs in the first place. Being personable and assessing the moods of the various family members will help you determine if cracking a joke, asking questions about school, or chatting about current events will best break the ice and get everyone to relax. 

Start Formal
If you're shooting outside, starting with the formal photographs will ensure the parents that the outfits they picked out so carefully will stay nice and clean for the traditional images. By the end of the session, they won't mind if everyone gets a little messy with more fun compositions, because the shots they think are most important have already been taken care of. It's likely, though, that their favorite images will be those messy ones in the end!

Embrace Imperfection

Kids may cry, teenagers may be sassy, and siblings may fight. Sometimes the moments that are more raw and real make for the best, unexpectedly honest images. Those fighting siblings? Get them to act out their frustrations for the camera and they'll end up laughing together instead of coming to blows.

Pose Naturally

Allowing your clients to fall into a pose that feels natural will make for a better-looking image. If they look a bit stiff, ask them to bend their limbs slightly to add more shape to the composition. Get them to laugh, smile at each other, and forget about the camera when possible.

Take a Break

Smiles can feel stiff and forced after a while. I encourage portrait clients to bring a change of clothes, because putting on a new outfit and having a few minutes to refresh physically will also help them refresh mentally.  

Have FUN!
When you enjoy yourself, your clients will enjoy themselves too. Smile, laugh, and be enthusiastic about the images and the experience.

Nerves and Nuptials: Making Couples Comfortable with your Camera

Working with human subjects can be intimidating, especially once you begin taking professional, paying jobs.  It is incredibly important to get the hang of it while you are still a student.  One subject is hard enough, but trying to capture a couple's intimacy is extra tricky.  When I took my first engagement job, it was for two friends who knew my experience level and were just happy to get photographs for free.  We spent three hours walking around the city where they met, finding backdrops that meant something to the two of them and making time for several outfit changes.  They were comfortable with me and in front of the camera, which is not usually the case!  The majority of wedding and portrait clients are pretty camera-shy.  Knowing how to work with nervous clients has been one of my biggest assets since I began taking on paid jobs.  

Meeting with clients ahead of the shoot is ideal, but not always possible.  Imagine you get to an engagement shoot on a day that is nearly freezing.  There is no time to chat and get comfortable with one another, so you have to find another way to make the couple feel at ease in front of your camera.  What do you do?  One option that has worked for me is just to step back a bit and let them interact, allowing them to get the feel for being the center of attention without having the added pressure of a camera three feet from their faces.  One reason engagement shoots are so valuable if you choose to shoot weddings is that getting your couples used to you and your camera will make the wedding photos easier and more natural.

Having an engaged couple hug or kiss while you're farther away is less awkward than being a few feet from their faces:

Soon enough, your clients will relax with you a bit closer.  While it may feel weird to ask them to move a certain way or put their hands somewhere specific, I've found that the more nervous they are, the more they want your help!  Make suggestions like "if you move your hands just a little lower you'll look more natural and relaxed" so they understand why they are making those small adjustments.  

Encouragement goes a long way - make sure you let your clients know that they are looking great and be enthusiastic about your compositions!  Showing them one or two images along the way will invest them more in the session and get them excited about what you are creating together.

Once they loosen up, you'll be able to get in close without making them uncomfortable. 

Do you have questions or concerns about working with models and clients?  Have you found successful techniques for photographing couples?  Leave a comment and let us know!

-Friday Ambassador

Photography and Community

It is a pleasure to begin my time as a student ambassador!  Your former Friday ambassador has transitioned to life after graduation, so I’ll be taking the reins for a while.  As we graduate you will be introduced to new student voices, each with a unique point-of-view. I live in the vibrant city of Chicago with my husband and our overly affectionate dog, Dublin (pictured left).  Dubs will be sitting on my lap on my office chair as I write my posts.  If he loses physical contact with his humans, he is one unhappy pup.   He’s a little spoiled but I greatly benefit from this relationship during the winter when he is my 37-pound heat blanket.

My love for dogs leads me to my topic this week.  When I first began pursuing my photography degree, I was approached by an acquaintance at the law firm where I worked.  She wanted to know if I would be willing to take photographs of an adoptable dog for a local rescue.  Since that day, she and her husband have started their own rescue and I have loved photographing the dogs that they save.  We have also become great friends; I shot their maternity session, newborn session, and countless portraits of their baby girl.  What began as a way to improve my photography skills and help out a friend has led to paid portrait sessions, events, and even weddings!  Not only have I grown as a photographer because of this relationship, but I have also been part of an amazing journey as the new rescue was formed and dogs that I fell in love with got adopted into wonderful homes.

Finding a way to contribute your skills to improve your community is a great way to get you out shooting!  It can bring you valuable business connections, create lasting friendships, and provide a sense of fulfillment.  Most importantly, it will keep you connected to what is really important - using what you learn to make the world better.


During your photographic career you will inevitably be approached with requests to provide your services for free.  While it would be wonderful to be able to say yes to every request, you still need to pay your bills and have a life.  Keep a list of student photographers who may need the experience, and your referral can make both the organization and the student very happy!  So, how can you offer your skills to your community?  If you are not sure where to start, try brainstorming topics that you care deeply about.  Would you like to help a child struggling with cancer?  Check out The Gold Hope Project, an organization that matches photographer with families to capture beautiful portraits and make the children feel like rock stars!  Think of national organizations with local offices, like Veterans Affairs, The Boys and Girls Club, or the Red Cross.  It's likely they hold events and could use a great photographer to help document them.  If you want to help animals, I can guarantee your local animal shelter and rescue groups would love to have beautiful images to help showcase each animal's characteristics, like Bear's goofy smile above.

Whatever your passion, you will feel amazing when you use your skills to better your community, and you will meet incredible people (and dogs?) along the way.

-Your Friday Ambassador

References:
"The Gold Hope Project - Home." The Gold Hope Project. The Gold Hope Project, 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.