Why Your Camera Gear Doesn’t Matter

By: Stacey Hill

Many discussions in online photography groups and discussions revolve around “What’s the best camera brand?” or “What is the best lens for x?” or “Thinking about upgrading, should I pick between camera x or camera y?” and so on.
It seems that a lot of people think that there is a Holy Grail of camera gear that will solve all their problems if only they can achieve it. However they fail to understand that it isn’t the gear that matters, it’s what you do with it that counts.

So many people praise Ansel Adams or Cartier-Bresson as peers of the craft, yet those photographers were dealing with old film cameras. The camera in your cell phone is more powerful and advanced in technology by light years in comparison.
If all the photographers in history were capable of making lasting impactful images with old film camera hardware and development techniques – if you have a modern camera (of whatever brand you choose) or even just your cell phone – what is your excuse?

It isn’t about the gear. It has never been about the gear and as soon as you realize that, you will be free to create and shoot in a new and exciting way.

Let’s Count the Ways That Gear Doesn’t Matter

1. The camera doesn’t decide what brand or model you buy, or what lens you opt for. You do your own research (presumably), make your choices, place the order and pay the money. Or perhaps you were gifted with some gear or loaned it. Maybe you just have a phone with a camera. It doesn’t matter, they are all cameras with essentially the same capability to capture images.
2. Your camera doesn’t haul itself out of bed early in the morning to get to the desired destination for a sunrise shot. It doesn’t drive for hours to get to a pretty lake, nor does it pack itself into a backpack and hike its way into the mountains to get the perfect shot – would be nice if it did though!

This image was taken on a recent camera club trip in the mountains – roughly 4 hours
drive from home. Lying full length on a snow bank to brace to get this shot, I chose to
do it backlit for the desired creative outcome.

3. The camera doesn’t decide what the composition will be, it doesn’t walk this way and that way, crouch down low, or climb up looking for a better vantage point.
4. The camera doesn’t go without its daily latte for a year, while it saves up to go on holiday to an exotic destination so it can take lovely new photos while its there.
5. Your camera doesn’t sit for hours on the side of a river, lake, or estuary waiting for the birds to come close enough to shoot.
6. The lens doesn’t decide, “Hey I want to be the lens on your camera today, shoot with me all day”.

7. Unless you are a complete beginner and shooting with everything on Auto, the camera doesn’t decide what settings it’s going to use. Nor does it decide when to click the shutter, when is exactly the right time to take the shot.
8. The camera doesn’t say, “I don’t want to shoot macro today, instead let’s do architecture instead, I’m bored with flowers”.
9. The camera doesn’t go, “I know it’s going to be cold and frosty tomorrow in the snow but it will be super pretty so let’s get up early to take photos before everyone walks all over it”.

A behind the scenes shot of what it takes to stage a food photography shot – I
haven’t even got the camera out yet.

There are so many decisions that you, the photographer make, that are essential to the image being created. But you could get the same shot with a Canon, or Nikon/Pentax/Sony or whatever brand you have.
For many of the shots that are taken, a recent cellphone has a pretty good camera in it and will do a good job too.

Specifically mounted and lit against a black background, this was deliberately shot with
selective focus and edited for a dark moody rich color tone.

What the Photographer Does Matters

• You are the one saving up to go on the exciting holiday, deciding where to go, what time of year, what places to visit, what things you might want to see and photograph.
• It’s you that decides how your image is going to be composed – portrait/landscape, close in or far away, what the subject is, what aperture or shutter speed to use for the desired creative outcome.
• You choose your subject, you decide how the image is going to look, where you will shoot from, what height/angle, and what settings you will use.
• You make the creative choices such as is it going to be macro, or shot with a very wide open aperture for a blurred background. Perhaps a long telephoto lens to separate the subject from the background. Maybe an ultrawide or fisheye lens for a different look, or even an old vintage lens with swirly bokeh.  You choose the gear and decide how you are going to use it at any given point in time.
• It’s you that makes the sacrifice to get out of bed early in the morning for the sunrise shots.
• You load up the gear, put on walking shoes, load up a drink bottle and head off into the unknown for an adventure and you earn your blisters and sore feet.
• If you are a food photographer, you might spend hours baking in the kitchen to create tasty treats which you then spend ages styling and propping before you eventually shoot.
• If you are a portrait photographer you might dabble in hair or makeup, and you absolutely need to have control of the light, shaping and modifying it to suit the desired outcome.
• Maternity photographers probably have to do some hair/makeup/clothing as well as set design and lighting for newborn shots.
• If you are a wedding photographer you probably have a bag full of tricks and emergency supplies to cope with any last minute drama or wardrobe failure, plus you have to wrangle all of the people on what is often a stressful day.

Minus 6C Hoar Frost – yeah it was pretty cold getting out of bed that morning but it was
totally worth it.

There are so many creative choices that you can make – high key or low key, black and white or color, cool or warm tones, tight abstract or bigger picture, low to the ground or eye level, morning/daytime/evening light – but none of these references your gear at all. These are all things you may even decide before you even pick up the camera.
So much of what we do is visualizing the image in our heads, and putting in place the required circumstances or situations to make that image happen. You may have to save for a couple of years to afford the trip to Patagonia or Alaska. Perhaps you might chase storms for months before you get the absolute best cloud formation or lightning shot you were after.
You might get up night after night to capture an aurora or every morning for a month to get the stunning sunrise. Maybe you have to wait until the next breeding season to get the shot of the bird that only flies in once a year. Plus you have to stake out a nest, build a hide and keep it secret.

Sometimes Gear Does Matter

Yes, there are absolutely situations when having a specific piece of gear totally matters. It is difficult to take macro shots of things if you don’t have a macro lens, or extension tubes or similar options.
Having a longer lens makes those birding shots a lot easier as well, not only are birds skittish, they can fly away from you. Plus you should be a responsible environmentally aware photographer and stay out of their habitat and not scare them deliberately.
I don’t shoot astrophotography but am aware that there are recommended lens choices to get the best outcome for your night shots.
Sports, action, and wildlife photographers usually want a camera with a high burst rate for the action shots, fast focus action, and reasonably good high ISO for low light situations and a really long lens.
Wedding photographers need high-performance camera/lens options that are adaptable to a range of situations and can work in low light.
If you want to do soft flowing waterfalls and waves, neutral density filters, a tripod, and a remote shutter are usually requirements.
So yes, there will always be situations where you do need specialty gear, but the same rules apply. You still need to make all the creative choices and decisions. Adding that extra hardware choice into the mix just becomes part of it.

To get this shot I needed a 70-200mm lens mounted on a tripod and then I experimented
with fast shutter speeds to get capture the motion in the water and the splashes.

Conclusion

Being there matters. Having the right light matters. Your subject choice matters. How you choose to frame up the composition matters. Your creative choices matter. Post-processing matters.
What gear you use to take the shot – doesn’t matter.
Any general camera gear can do the job for the vast majority of images taken. Does the brand matter? No.
Is it a cell phone? If you can take images you are happy with on a cell phone, then keep doing it.
Are there situations where specific lenses or gear makes a difference? Absolutely, and yes you probably will need to have what’s required to make those images.
But not everyone wants to do macro. Lots of people have no need for a tilt-shift lens for those architecture shots. 600mm lens that weighs several kilos? No thanks!

Street art in Melbourne, Australia. Some of these laneways are so hidden away only a local
knows where to find them.

But even when you do get the specialty gear, there are usually multiple choices of options to purchase. But again, the brand doesn’t matter.
Even if you do have the top-end camera with the fanciest tripod, the longest lens with all the bells and whistles…unless YOU take it out and use it, it isn’t going off and having photography adventures on its own.
As the saying goes, “The best camera is the one you have with you” so work with what you have, learn to use it to the best of your ability. Experiment, be creative, try different things, push your boundaries and have fun.
My camera does landscape, nature, birds, macro, food, still life, fine art self-portraits, flowers, cats, long exposures, black and whites, high key, low key, sports, abstract, events and probably many other things I have yet to point it at.
What does matter is that you are out there, with whatever gear you have, and are using it.
Happy shooting!

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5 Questions Professional Photographers Hate and What You Can Ask Instead

By: Brianna Shade

You probably know a few professional photographers, and you’ve undoubtedly found them to be an invaluable fount of information. However, there are a few questions that beginners commonly ask that they secretly despise. Let’s take a look at five of those questions, and what you can ask instead.

#1 – Which camera should I get?

You’re just starting out with photography. You’ve discovered your creative eye through your phone, and you’re looking to get serious. Photography sounds like a fun hobby – it gets you outside and allows you to share your unique view of the world with others.
Perhaps you have some friends who are also photographers, and you don’t want to be left out when they start getting excited about apertures and bokeh. So where do you begin? You ask which camera you should buy, right? Wrong!

Why pros hate this question

Pros hate this question because it’s too vague. There are so many cameras out there, and they’re all designed to cater to specific needs. A camera is a very personal thing – much like a car – so others may find it difficult to advise your purchase.

A pigeon judges the tourist with a camera in a city park.

Do you want to shoot stunning stars at night (which would benefit from a full-frame camera), or do you want to build your fashion Instagram account? Are you looking to photograph wildlife (where a cropped sensor might come in handy), or are you interested in portraiture?  Will you be traveling a lot and need something small and portable (mirrorless)?  What is your budget? These all come into play choosing a camera.
It also depends greatly on your experience. If you’ve never played with f-stops, ISO, and shutter speeds, then any entry-level camera that teaches you these things will serve you well. Practice with the fundamentals of photography, learn what you enjoy shooting, and get more familiar with what all the features actually mean.  Then you can make a much more informed decision or ask more directed questions.

What to ask instead

Do a little research first in order to understand your own needs. Narrow down the type of photography that interests you, and identify the features that are most important to you. Use Google! Armed with this knowledge, you can then confidently approach a pro (preferably one who does the kind of photography what you’d like to shoot, as they’ll be more knowledgeable and helpful to you) and ask specifics to help narrow your choices.
Here are some examples of good questions to ask:

• I really want to shoot the Milky Way, but I can’t afford a full-frame camera. Do you know of a less-expensive model that does well in low light?
• I want a super compact camera for my vacations that can take better snapshots than my phone. It would be great if it also has built-in wireless so I can upload photos on the go. What would you recommend?
• I get a lot of beautiful birds in my backyard. I’d love a better camera to capture them and perhaps some of the flowers in my garden. Can you suggest a basic camera, hopefully, one with a flip-out LCD screen?

Bonus tip

Rent! Just like a test drive, you can easily rent cameras, lenses, and accessories from your local camera shop to try out equipment and find what you really like before you invest the big bucks. Many shops even have weekend deals (pick up on Friday, return on Monday) at very affordable prices ($20-100 range).

#2 – Which is better: Canon or Nikon?

So now you’ve narrowed down the type of photography you wish to pursue, and you even have a few ideas of camera models that might be good for that. As you continue to research, however, you see options from Canon and Nikon. But which is better?

Why pros hate this question

Pros hate this question because it’s a silly competition the really needn’t exist. Which is better, Toyota or Honda? Marvel or DC? Deep dish or thin crust?
“Better” is such a subjective term, and asking this question really won’t give you a good answer. If you ask this of several photographers, you’re likely to get divided opinions, and this won’t help you in your final decision. Many photographers started with one brand, and they’ve simply stuck with it as it’s too expensive to switch (most brands are also deliberately not cross-compatible).

The truth is, these are competing camera makers. One will pull ahead with some fancy technology, and the other will jump up to match, adding its own new feature to gain an edge. And guess what? There are other brands, too – gasp!
Sony has been making amazing headway in its mirrorless department, and even Fuji has become popular with some photographers for their compact system. Just like camera models, they each offer different things, and it depends on the features most important to you.
Do you want to take low light pictures with little noise? Do you care about good dynamic range? Is superb multi-point autofocus important to you? Do you like using knobs and buttons over a digital menu? Brands are more about the specific features, and while pros can sometimes be polarized on which is “better,” they’ll generally agree that certain ones will perform better with regards to a given feature.

Shot with a Canon camera.

Shot with a Fuji camera.

What to ask instead

Just like the cameras above, figure out what you want most out of the camera you’re looking to buy, and ask about specifics. This will help you steer toward the camera that would be best for you, and it will be more than just an opportunity for the photographer you’re asking to sell you on their favorite brand.

• I want to shoot landscapes at sunset, but I worry about the sky being too bright while the foreground is all in shadow.  Which cameras perform better in these situations?
• I find all of these menus far too complicated. Is there a camera that lets me adjust the settings more naturally?
• Which brand generally has cleaner pictures at a high ISO?

Bonus tip

Be sure to ask your questions of multiple people (preferably using various brands) to get a balanced viewpoint. Even with more specific questions, “best” can still be subjective.

#3 – What settings/camera/lens are you using?

Okay, so now you have a good idea of what camera you want, and you’re excited to start shooting. You’re observing your pro photographer friends, and you want to emulate their setup.
But what camera settings are they using?

Why pros hate this question

Pros hate these questions mostly because of context. While these can certainly be legitimate questions under the right circumstances, most pros are asked these under less-than-flattering implications.
“Wow, that’s a great picture! What camera are you using?” This implies that the art of the photograph is completely removed from the photographer and can be accomplished through mere equipment alone. This will irritate a photographer faster than asking a chef if his food is so good because he uses expensive spoons and knives.

Asking about settings is arguably better, as this provides insight as to how a waterfall was blurred into silky smoothness, or how a hummingbird was completely frozen in the shot. When pros receive this question, though, they often get the impression that beginners are looking for a silver bullet for how to take good pictures.
Settings are very specific to the photograph. This question will only be useful to you if you’re looking to shoot the same kinds of things under the same conditions. And they are only helpful if you understand what the settings mean – and how to make adjustments for your specific situation.
As well, megapixels has become this magic number that consumers have come to equate with quality. 24-megapixels is worth the extra $300 because it’s so much better than the 20-megapixel model, right? While more megapixels does mean slightly better quality, this number really doesn’t matter to the average photographer. Many pros don’t even pay much attention to this number (unless they’re in the business of fine art prints).
Typical photographs are printed at 300 dpi (dots per inch). Even an 8×10 print (2400 x 3000 pixels = 7.2 million pixels) requires only 7.2 megapixels. 20+ megapixels don’t come into play until you’re talking poster prints. If you’re only looking to print a few images at home or share them on social media, you needn’t worry about spending more for a higher number; most modern cameras will easily have you covered.

What you can ask instead

The camera never makes the photographer. Incredible images can be produced from the most elementary equipment. Know that a camera is a tool that only allows you to perform your job more effectively, but the art is still created by your vision. Know what you want to create, and ask informed questions of the tools – without the implication that the art wouldn’t be possible without them.
Understand what the settings mean before asking about them so you know how best to apply them to your own work.

• I admire your macro shots. I’ve been trying to accomplish something similar with my flowers, but I can’t seem to get mine as sharp as yours. What shutter speed are you using?
• I know you do a lot of night photography. Which wide-angle lens do you prefer to use for those shots?
• I’d like to start printing larger images for my wall at home. Your prints turn out really well. How many megapixels does your camera have?

Bonus tip

A wise person once told me to never buy any equipment until you feel limited by what you own. Before you go drooling over someone else’s camera or lenses, ask yourself if an upgrade would afford you shooting opportunities you cannot already do (and that you’d actually want to do – that’s the hard bit!).
And know that just because a pro has more megapixels than you (or a newer model camera, or a more expensive lens) they aren’t necessarily able to take pictures that you can’t. It’s your experience that separates you, not your equipment.

#4 – How can I make money with photography?

You have your camera. You more-or-less understand the settings, and you’ve gotten pretty good. Now, you want to see if you can turn these pixels into profit.
So you ask a professional photographer you know how you can make some money with your photography.

Why pros hate this question

Pros hate this question because many don’t know the answer themselves. Or they do, but they don’t want to disappoint you.
The truth is that photography is a very difficult industry to break into, and it is seldom lucrative. With better cameras being more affordable to the average user, anyone can fairly easily take high-quality photos. In short, few want to pay you for pictures they could take themselves.
It’s a troublesome question to answer because so many are struggling to find just the right path to that elusive pay check.
Additionally, much like the above topics, there is no single perfect answer. There are specific types of photography that are more successful at earning a living wage than others (hint: they directly involve people), but a new photographer will find it challenging to see money out of their photography without a lot of hard work, effective self-marketing, and a niche business model.

Most pros have several sources of income. It’s rare that a single tactic will prove sufficiently effective.

What you can ask instead

Take a look at your local market to see what’s popular and where a need exists. Spend some time identifying what sets you apart from everyone else and build a portfolio with which to market yourself. Then you can approach those pros with specifics to help you develop your business plan.

• I love photographing people at conventions in all of their colorful costumes. What do you typically charge for a single session?
• I’d like to upload some of my photos to a stock photography site. Which ones give the best payouts to photographers?
• How much do you charge for travel to wedding locations? Do you think I should offer free engagement sessions?

Bonus tip

This day and age, the money is with people. If you have a fear of working with people, you’re unlikely to make a living at photography. Portraits, events, and weddings are far more likely to see income streams than landscapes, abstracts, and macro images.
That doesn’t mean the latter isn’t possible, it’s just more difficult. And even those areas require marketing yourself to galleries, travel and tourism companies, and individuals. So get used to interacting with people!

#5 – Thoughts?

You have some experience under your belt now, and maybe you’re even making a few bucks on the side. You have a general understanding of what makes a good photograph, but you want to take it to the next level.
How can you improve?

Why pros hate this question

Pros hate this question because it’s also vague. You post an image on a photography forum with just the single word, “Thoughts?” While it’s great to request feedback on your images, this question puts a lot of work on the responder to generate a viable conversation about your photograph.

This is also likely to garner some less-than-helpful (and possibly less than desired) responses, as it’s so open-ended. What type of feedback are you looking for, exactly? Are you displeased with the composition and you’re looking for pointers? Do you want some tips on ways you can make a person’s eyes stand out more? Gain more sharpness to that mountain landscape?
In many instances, this is not actually an invitation for critique but rather praise. Therefore, you might receive criticism you’re unprepared to receive. Being clearer with your request can spare you and others some angst.

What you can ask instead

When seeking feedback, figure out what you actually want to know about your photo and direct your questions in that manner. Specifics help guide people answering you, and you’re more likely to get more and better responses.

It’s also perfectly acceptable if you just want to share your pictures without constructive criticism. Just make that clear so you don’t get any undesired feedback.

• I really don’t like how this picture seems a bit fuzzy. Is there anything I can do to sharpen it, or should I do something different when taking the picture?
• This was my first time shooting waterfalls. I’m not looking for criticisms at this time, I just wanted to share.
• I tried doing an HDR with this sunset, but it looks a little fake. How can I make it look more natural?

Bonus tip

Feedback is a wonderful way to improve. However, be prepared to hear it if you put the request out there. Even the most thick-skinned of photographers can find criticism difficult to take. Listen to the feedback you receive, take each with a grain of salt (in the end, it’s your art), and try to not be defensive (it’s a natural reaction).
It will doubtless be painful at first, but you will be a better photographer for it.

Those more experienced in your field are generally happy to help, and they welcome your questions. But they want to make sure you’ve done a little research on your own first so you understand what you’re asking. Assess what you enjoy shooting, experiment a bit, and possibly check out renting some gear.
In the right context, and with the proper information on what your needs are, pros can be an excellent resource for improving your own skills in photography.

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Making the Shot: Your Guide to Creating Stunning High-Speed Splash Photos Without Flash

By: Rick Ohnsman

The making of one of my most successful shots started with a little photo play on a hot summer day, and a try at some high-speed splash photography.
The image above, “Red Bell Splashdown,” went on to win first place in the Corel International Food Photography Contest.
Let’s take a look at the “making of” methods used to create the shot so that you too can have fun with this quite simple technique.

Freezing motion

There are essentially two ways to freeze motion with a camera:

1. Use a Fast Shutter Speed such that the “sliver of time” you are capturing is very short and the object being captured moves very little, if at all, during the extremely short duration the shutter is open, or
2. Use the very Short Duration of a Flash so that the object you are photographing gets illuminated for a very small sliver of time. The duration time of an electronic flash can be extremely short. For example, a Speedlight like the Canon 580EXII at 1/128 power is less than 1/19,000th of a second!

I’ve used the flash method, and indeed it can produce some dramatic results. I will perhaps show that process and the results in a future article. For my splash photos, however, I wanted to keep it simple and do it outdoors where water splashes wouldn’t require any clean-up or endanger my photo gear. When I did these shots, I was using my Canon 50D which has a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second. I figured this should be enough to get the job done.

Let the sun shine in

Obviously, getting a proper exposure with a very high shutter speed would involve several possibilities:

1. Use a fast lens with a wide aperture – I was shooting with a Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, so a wide aperture was possible. However, I still needed a decent depth of field, so opening it up all the way wasn’t a good option.
2. Use a high ISO – Cranking up the ISO can aid in getting a fast shutter speed but at the penalty of more image noise. I didn’t want that if I could avoid it.
3. Shoot in very bright light. Normally, shooting under mid-day summer sun would not be something a photographer would do, but in this case, blazing sunlight (and lots of it) was the perfect solution.

The set-up

I wanted to use colorful subjects for the shoot. Bell peppers – easily found at the supermarket in red, yellow and green – seemed a good choice. I also picked up some other colorful fruits – strawberries and limes. To accommodate the size of the objects and also give me a flat glass “window” to shoot through, a 10-gallon aquarium was just right.
Wanting to get light not just from above but from below as well, I put a large 5-in-1 reflector on the table where I wanted to shoot, silver side up. I placed the aquarium on top of that out in the bright noon sun. I filled the tank with water about halfway and allowed the bubbles to settle out while I set up the rest of the equipment.

I put a pepper in the water and let it float while I took a look through the camera to frame the shot. I could see I would need a plain and preferably dark background, so I put a piece of black paper behind the tank. The paper was still too bright with the direct sun on it, so I used another reflector, black side down, at the back to the tank to shade the paper backdrop. I had my camera on a tripod and moved it to get as much of the front of the tank in the frame as I could, being sure I could focus that close.

To be able to drop my subjects into the tank and also trigger the shutter, I rigged up a Youngnuo RF-602C radio trigger so that I’d be able to fire the camera remotely. A wired remote with a long enough cord could have also worked.

Camera settings

I put the camera in Manual Mode. To get a good combination of the fast shutter speed needed, decent depth of field, and not too high an ISO, I found that shooting at ISO 400, F/6.3 and the key – fast shutter speeds between 1/2000 and 1/3200th of a second was about right. Letting a pepper float in the tank where I anticipated it to be when dropped, I set the focus and then locked it in manual. I also put the shutter in high-speed continuous mode so for each drop I’d get a burst of about 5 shots.

Splash-down!

So, good to go, I dropped the peppers, strawberries, and limes, trying to fire the bursts in synchronization with my drops. My wife Kathy came out to join in the fun and did some of the drops. We quickly found it was necessary to squeegee and wipe the front of the glass between shots to clean the drops off the front of the glass from the previous shot. So it went: drop, shoot, squeegee and repeat. For each drop, one frame of the 5-shot burst might be good, but often not. Timing is crucial. With practice, while we gained some skill, luck was still a huge element. There was lots of shooting to get the keepers. We tried it with the peppers and fruits in different combinations too. I easily made over 200 shots that afternoon.

Cleaning up your act!

Straight out of the camera, the raw shots were less than impressive. Of course, Raw files look flat, and so I knew they’d improve greatly with a basic Raw edit. There were also more drops, splashes, bubbles and other particles in the water than I wanted. However, the important thing – the action – was properly frozen and sharp!
My Red Bell Splashdown image used settings of ISO 400, f/4.0, 1/3200th sec. The rest was using editing tools to adjust the exposure, get good rich color and deep blacks, and eliminate distractions. My editing tool of choice is usually Adobe Lightroom. With the Adjustment Brush and the Spot Removal Tool, I was able to clean up the image to create the impact I was after.

Other considerations and possibilities

With any photo shoot, it’s always a good idea to critique your work and consider, “What might I have done better? Differently? What variations might I want to try?”
Seeing I had used a shutter speed of 1/3200th for my splash shots, I was curious how much difference there might be at the maximum shutter speed of my Canon 50D which is 1/8000th. I didn’t want to set up the fish tank and all of that for this second experiment, so I tried something simpler.
This time, I poured liquid into glasses in the bright summer sun. This process was simple enough. I clamped the glasses in a stand, put up a black backdrop behind them, set up the camera in a similar fashion to the previous splash shots, and did the pours. This time my settings were ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/8000th of a second.
When checking the shots afterward, it was apparent that the freezing effect was even more pronounced. However, at such a wide aperture, my depth of field was much more shallow.

What might I try next time?

I’d like to give different color backgrounds a try. Using black made editing much easier, and when cleaning up the shots, it was simple to “black out” any distracting elements. I’m not so sure that would be as easily achieved with a color background. Trying it with a white background for a high-key look might also look interesting.

Of course, using different objects for the splash photos is also fun. In fact, we did do that when during the splash photo session my Mini-Schnauzer, Schatzi, wanted to play and decided to bring us her favorite ball. Looking at the “face” on the ball, I thought it might be fun to try it in a splash drop as we’d done with the peppers. When seeing the result – which looked like the “creature” was exhaling bubbles during a dive – it made me laugh.

So, give this high-speed shutter technique a try. Take it outside in the bright sun, crank up the shutter speed as high as you can and have some fun. It’s a great way to improve your camera skills, learn the relationships between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed, and then test your editing skills when tuning up your shots. I’m confident you’ll get some images of which you’ll be proud.

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My Edited Video

How Aesthetic Differs from Style and Why it Matters

A Post By: Stacey Hill

A question often seen in photography groups and forums is, “How do I develop a photographic style?” or, “How do I know what my style is?”
What they are really asking about is more to do with the aesthetic look of their images. How can they create images that look uniquely theirs and are identifiable as such? How do they get consistency in the way their images look?

Style and aesthetics are two sides of the same coin, similar but different.
Photographic style relates to the way you physically create your images – the mechanics behind how you shoot and the way you physically set up to shoot.

• The camera, lens, and focal choices you make.
• Camera settings used to create your images.
• What you choose to shoot and some of the ways the images are composed.

Aesthetics encompasses the way your images look and how they make the viewer feel.

• Your choice of color – tones, colors, contrast.
• Subject choice – do you always shoot the same kind of subject?
• Subject placement and composition – is the subject often posed or placed in a certain way in the overall composition?
• Editing choices – what choices do you make when editing that affects the image outcome?
• Creative decisions – what creative choices do you incorporate when crafting and editing your images?

What are aesthetics?

According to Britannica, aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty and taste. It is closely related to the philosophy of art, which is concerned with the nature of art and the concepts in terms of which individual works of art are interpreted and evaluated.

Why Does it Matter?

This matters to us as photographers because we want our images to be judged as visually appealing. We want them to be seen as beautiful. How that expresses itself in our digital world is usually in likes, and sometimes comments.
But most of all, in a world that is saturated with millions of images posted every day (Instagram alone has over 95 million images uploaded daily) it can be a struggle to even get your image seen, let alone commented on.

It almost becomes a competition, the most extreme location, the most stunning sunrise, the most colorful sunset, the most adorable kids, the cutest puppy or kitten, the most romantic wedding shot. Fads come and go as a particular image or look becomes popular, people rush to emulate it.
Yet the question then becomes – do you want your images to look like yours? Or do you only want the attention that comes from copying a style or look that is momentarily popular?

Developing a Style

There are many articles on this subject you can read, many are full of vague advice, some are more specific and more helpful – and of course, different people learn in different ways. It’s my opinion that you can have a style but not necessarily an aesthetic, and quite possibly the reverse as well.

What do I mean by having a style and not an aesthetic?

Say you are a landscape photographer – you have loads of landscapes shots – often shoot wide-angle, and get low to the ground to add some intimate foreground interest. Lots of mountains, lakes with pretty rocks, sunrise and sunsets, the occasional selfie in your tramping gear for a change. Yet how do they all look?
If you line up all your favorite or best shots do they all look similar? Are they composed consistently? Is the lighting tone and angle usually the same? Are the colors of similar saturation or vibrancy?
Of course, as you proceed along your own personal photography journey you will learn new things and incorporate them into your techniques. Accounting for that growth, are they a group of images that look and feel like they were created by the same person?

Perhaps the physical elements of the image and the way they were composed and shot are consistent. A tendency to set up your tripod in a certain way, a specific lens choice, a commonly used focal length, a preference to shoot at a certain time of day or in defined lighting conditions – that is your style.
The way that they look in relation to color, light, tone, intensity, clarity, subject, etc. How the view is made to feel when they look at your image – that is your aesthetic.

How do you shoot?

When you shoot, what is your approach? Do you have an idea how you will compose the image in your head already? Is there a certain kind of light you want? Are you traveling on a limited timeline and can only snap and go?
If you have time, depending on what you shoot, is there a concept already in mind? Do you know what you want to shoot, how you might shoot it, and what the final image should look like?

When you have that final image in your mind, do you then set out to shoot to achieve it specifically? Or perhaps you aim for it but come away with something different, which is okay because it is still a good image.
Do you compose your images consistently? Are you thinking about how elements in the image interact with each other, what the light is like and how it will affect your image? If the situation isn’t perfect can you adapt or will you shoot regardless?

Is your voice present in your images?

When you copy a style from someone else, or if your editing consists solely of adding a filter and posting online – how are you making the image yours? Where is your voice visible in the image? What about the image ties it to other images you have created?

When people see your work, does it remind them of other images of yours, or of someone else’s?
How comfortable are you trying to create an image using someone else’s style or method? Does it have the soul and the spark that you want it to?
When you start out on your photography journey it’s common to try shooting images similar to those that inspire you. It gives you an objective, an obvious goal to aim for. As your skills develop, and you start to produce work consistently, you will then have the knowledge and ability to be more creative.
One thing I’m pretty certain of is that you cannot produce amazing images unless you are truly connecting with your subject (if it’s landscape, travel or street photography this may encompass the greater environment). You can be technically very competent with a camera, but unless your image has true soul embedded within it, people will struggle to connect to it, as a result.

Putting that soul into your images requires you to create with your voice, your vision, your unique view on whatever that image is about. The more you tune into that creative voice in your head, the closer you will come to your personal style and aesthetic.

Identifying your aesthetic

Are there images that you’ve seen online that particularly appeal to you with regards to how they look? Do they resonate with you and inspire you to create your own variation? Put together a collection of those images and analyze them for both style and aesthetic.

What specifically about their look appeals to you?

• The way light is used in the image.
• How colors are managed – are they vibrant and intense or muted and subtle?
• Contrast – do they have high dynamic contrast or is it softer?
• Color or black and white?
• Strong and bold or soft and gentle?
• Sharp or softly focused?
• Appealing subjects or abstract?

What visually pleases you in an image? What do you find beautiful? How do you express that in your own work?

Then take a look at your own body of work

Pick out some particular favorites of yours, then compare them to other images of yours that people like. Something I find frustrating is the images I like the most are not the ones other people like. It’s possible we get too emotionally attached to some images for external reasons.
When you do the comparison and look at what you like and what other people like in your work – is there a pattern? Can you see visually what works and what doesn’t? Is there variation across your different styles?

Honing your aesthetic

If you have undertaken the exercise above, the next stage is to assess your images for their aesthetic look. Are you happy with it? Do they have the feeling that you want them to have? If now, what is missing?

When you compare your images to that of some you admire, are you happy with the comparison? Is what you see a representative of your creative choices?
It can be difficult to see our own work objectively, so maybe find a friend and ask for their opinion. I find the viewpoints from non-photographers as powerful as they see the world very differently than I do. It’s a great learning opportunity.
Changing or tweaking your aesthetic might be as simple as changing your editing process. You may opt for a very different look for a certain group of images as an experiment. What you shoot and the way you shoot it in your style may not vary at all, and it all changes in editing.
Or you may decide to have some goals to shoot more consistently, perhaps the quality and tone of light, your subject matter, and the way you frame it.

Some examples from my personal experiments

There are a lot of dark moody food photography images that I love and I’ve spent around a year trying to figure out how to shoot in that style. The way I would set up and stage a shot isn’t any different from a standard or a high key image, it’s the same studio, camera, tripod, lens, aperture, and focal length combination. So my style is pretty consistent.
Where it differs relates to the way the image is lit and exposed and how I edit it. It’s deliberately done for a dark intense mood with rich colors and lots of shadows. My aesthetic in lighting and editing these images is very different as I want a specific style, and I can replicate it consistently too.
Doing some fine art self-portraits, inspired by Brooke Shaden, has been a great learning experience as everything about them entirely relates to the aesthetic. Using color, light, and shadows deliberately to create a specific feeling or emotion in an image is challenging.


Eventually, I found that the aesthetic that worked best for me is a very high-key bright white image that still has enough contrast and detail to have depth and interest. A particular aesthetic choice is to use mainly black and white tones with subtle splashes of another color, usually red. But the way I shoot these images is no different from a properly exposed image. The way I compose them, and set up the camera to shoot is the same.

Conclusion

Figuring out the difference between how you shoot something and the way you make it look is a pretty subtle difference (I expect many comments telling me there is no difference at all). However, given that I have shot landscapes, birds, wildlife, macro, still life, food, and fine art self-portraits, you can look at my catalog and identify the style elements pretty clearly. As my skill and experience grew and began to try different things and be more creative, it becomes easy to identify my specific aesthetic choices too.
Yet if you combine a bunch of different images together, there are still the common style threads linking them visually. They feel like a group of shots from the same person, with the same eye. It’s taken me about 10 years, and it feels like my style is finally beginning to be its own thing.

Many photographers shoot lots of different subjects. A landscape photographer might also do macro shots of flowers, with the occasional bird and wildlife images captured while on location. A wedding photographer has all the people shots as well as churches, gardens, interior event shots, and close-up details. Sometimes different subjects require you to shoot technically in different or certain ways.
Despite the differences required, if your aesthetic is actively engaged, the images will still be uniquely and identifiably yours.
In the rush to make everything the same as what is popular, don’t forget that unique has its own appeal as well. That there are many millions of people viewing your photos and the way you specifically create your images is special for some of them.

Maybe for commercial reasons you can’t always go in a particular direction for everything. But try and make time to explore a project and try that thing you have had tucked away in the back of your mind for ages (as I know you do!).
Embrace your vision, your voice, and your unique way of seeing the world, whatever that looks like. Stylistically and aesthetically.

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