7 Tips to Boost Your Confidence in Your Photography

By: Anthony Epes  

All creative people suffer peaks and troughs with their confidence. It’s just part of the deal. How, then, do you pull yourself out of a dip in confidence and into a place of awesome, creative inspiration?
I have been a photographer for twenty-odd years and I still have times when I wonder, “Will I ever take another good photograph?” Our creativity can be a very delicate, vulnerable energy – so it’s good to tend to it and treat it kindly.
In this article, I will give you some simple ideas that can help boost your confidence when you are struggling with being creative in your photography.

1. Stop focusing on what you can’t do

While it is super important to know where you have weakness so that you can improve, don’t focus on it.
Our minds can quickly fall into soul-crushing, creativity-crushing tirades about all that we can’t and don’t do. So we have to walk the careful line of improving ourselves, without destroying our confidence in the process. If you are super self-critical (as I am) then I urge you to stop, at least for a little while because intense self-criticism won’t help you develop.

Now start looking at your photos and think of all of the things you do well, all the things people might have said they like about them, things you like about them. Build from there.
When you are feeling good about your creativity, you’ll be so much more open when you go out and shoot. You’ll be less focused on yourself and a lot more focused on the world. That’s the right way to be, not thinking about you, but engaged and connected with the world around you. That’s when you’ll discover awesome shots.

2. We all have a story to share

I know so many people who think they don’t have anything new or interesting to add to the world because it’s already been said and done. That is just plain wrong. Every single person has a unique story, a unique way of looking at things – regardless of how it is expressed – through writing, photography, science, music etc.
If you aren’t getting good photos, then my first question for you would always be, are you photographing subjects that you are deeply in awe of? Are you standing in front of your subject and thinking WOW?
Or are you just shooting whatever catches your eye, with a mood of vague interest?

“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” – Jim Richardson

What interests you may not interest me. Within the groups of photographers I teach, they each have totally different interests – and that is awesome!
The more you hone in what makes your inspiration explode, the more your ideas, your stories, your photos will be unique and interesting to others.

What I encourage is to pick one subject that you are passionate about and really work on developing that until you start getting photos you really love. It could be abstract shapes in black and white, environmental portraits, sunrises, plants, etc.
When you pick something and go deep you become really familiar with your subject. By working different ways of shooting that subject, you are definitely in with an opportunity to develop something unique.
Dig deep into whatever makes you feel excited to jump out the bed and go photograph. Get really familiar with it, work on different angles, formats, processing techniques, etc.

I know you might say, “But I have 10 different subjects I love to photograph.” I get it! The world is an exciting place. But if you want to seriously improve your photography start with one subject. You can always move on later.
Most famous photographers are known for photographing one or two subjects right? They know what they are doing! Pick something and become totally awesome at capturing it.

3. Kill perfectionism

One of the main ways to deflate your confidence is to get wrapped up in trying to be perfect; trying to have the perfect kit, waiting for the perfect subject, trying to be perfect in your execution. You may think that perfectionism is striving for the best of yourself but in fact:

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.” – Julia Cameron

When you are locked into the perfectionist mindset you stop doing and start analyzing too much. You wait for perfect conditions rather than just get on with what you have in front of you.

Getting started, getting out there, trying your best but not expecting perfectionism is the best way to move your energy and start taking better photos.

4. Photography is a journey

My photography 10 years ago was quite different to now. Although my subjects are similar, the complexity of my images has deepened intensely as I have gotten older, experienced more, and have obviously taken thousands of more images.
We are all on a journey with our creativity, we are developing at different rates and we all doing it in different ways. The most important thing for me is to enjoy where I am at right now, and enjoy what I am photographing – otherwise what is the point?

Trying to race through into getting better defeats the objective for me of being creative. Taking photos is my time away from all the rushing and deadlines and emails. It’s my time to be totally present in the world and to enjoy being creative.
Don’t rush the process, enjoy it!

5. Create for the sake of creating

Create just for the sheer pleasure of doing it. It’s not a means to an end, it’s a beautiful end in itself. Create for no-one, create only for yourself! That’s when you start to hit really magical work – when it’s all about your own pleasure.

Look at Van Gogh. He sold one painting in his lifetime, but thankfully he never stopped painting.

6. Keep going

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” – Pablo Picasso

There are so many times I’ve felt like I would never get any good shots but I have gone out regardless, often because I was compelled to. There was one very dreary winter morning in London when I had to go to get final shots for one of my books. I trudged over to East London in the depths of night, only to be greeted by a flat gray sky when the sun finally rose.

I was convinced that the photos I got that morning were dreadful, and came back to my office, disheartened. But I showed them to my editor and she said there were a couple she liked a lot. In fact, after the book was published I’ve had several people point out shots from that morning as their favorites.
So you seem it doesn’t always matter what you believe is going on, go out and take photos regardless. Something could lift your mood; a great subject appearing, seeing some beautiful light, etc. Or you could take a collection of photos, believe they aren’t that great but find, on reflection, that they are pretty good after all.
Or nothing could work. But:

“Chance is the one thing you can’t buy. You have to pay for it and you have to pay for it with your life, spending a lot of time, you pay for it with time, not the wasting of time but the spending of time.” – Robert Doisneau

Keep going, you never know what will appear around the next corner.

7. Do it now – often, later becomes never

It’s so easy to get lost in our minds and our ways of not believing in ourselves. I think the root of procrastination is usually a lack of belief in our skills, a lack of belief in ourselves.
Let’s look at it this way – this is your one life, it’s your one and only experience of this very day. Don’t waste it on ideas of your lack and inability. You can do extraordinary things – we all can. We are creators, makers, forging new ideas out of nothing all of the time.

Push through the discomfort, ignore that stupid voice in your head that says in your mind that you can’t do this, and go out and create something that is uniquely yours.

“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – CS Lewis

Most importantly – have fun!

I hope these ideas help you get a little more voom into your thinking about photography. I would love to hear what you think – please let me know by commenting below.

Share this article.

How to Let Go of Perfection in Photography

By: Karen Quist 

In the digital era, where perfection seems within our grasp through post-processing and limitless opportunities to reshoot, it’s easy to get hung up on perfectionism. In some genres, such as product photography, it’s a necessity. Your commercial client won’t appreciate blown-out highlights on a shampoo bottle or soft focus on the wheel of a prestige car. But in many other areas of photography – especially when it comes to your personal projects – letting go of perfectionism can help unleash your creativity and ensure that you don’t miss important moments.

Beautifully imperfect.

My brush with perfectionism

Earlier this year, my firstborn turned 18 and I wanted to create a slideshow of photos from her birth to the present day. Since I was still shooting film for the first 10 years of her life, this involved trawling through printed photos.
What stood out to me was that among my favorite photos, very few were technically perfect. Some were poorly composed. Others were out-of-focus, underexposed, or badly lit. In fact – and I hate to admit this – if I’d shot these photos in the digital era, I’d have rejected many of them, or attempted to reshoot them to get them “right”. But they captured expressions that epitomize my daughter. They had caught candid moments between sisters, and snippets in time I’d forgotten, but want to remember.

Grainy, underexposed and soft, this photo of my children snuggled into an armchair reading books 

is priceless to me.

Embrace the imperfect

Almost everything about the black-and-white photo at the top of the page is imperfect from a technical stance. The subject is too centred; the sun has cast shadows over her eyes and highlighted her nose; the highlights are blown out, and the focus is soft on the eyes. To me, though, it is exquisite. The windswept hair, the tilt of her head and quirky smile capture her sweet nature, and the way she looks (to this very day) when she is daydreaming.

In all three photos above, there are technical faults. But the clumsy embrace, the dimples, those 

eyes and that cheeky pout could never be replaced by technical perfection.

While this article is not about film versus digital, it is hard to deny that the digital era has brought out the perfectionist in us all. Those of us who cut our photographic teeth in the film era will remember what it was like to accept imperfection. When you had a maximum of 36 frames on a roll of film, there was no room for rapid-fire shooting in the hope of getting one good shot. Unless you did your own printing, or were prepared to pay for custom printing, you were stuck with the composition you’d shot. There was no histogram to meddle with, no brushes to delete stray hairs, and no actions or presets to smooth everything out.

Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity

My youngest daughter is wildly artistic. She’s a keen photographer and has an eye for composition, lighting and quirky camera angles. To my frustration, she refuses to master some of the basics such as the exposure triangle and depth of field. While I think this has more to do with teen rebellion than creativity, I have learned something from her.

Technical skills are important, there’s no question, as we need to master the fundamentals of our craft. In photography, this means understanding light, how focal length and depth of field work, and the relationship between shutter speed, iso and aperture. We should be aware of the rules of composition even if we choose to veer from them.

But digital photography allows us to take our perfectionist tendencies to an extreme.

Would this photo be improved if it were straightened, and the white balance perfected?

Perfection is a myth

When you make perfection your goal, you’re often left with a sense of failure. Rather than enjoying your achievements, you waste time lamenting what you failed to achieve and what you could have done differently.

Creative minds are rarely tidy (neither are their workspaces – just ask the aforementioned daughter). Creation can be a messy business, yet making a mess is something that’s discouraged from an early age. Creativity is the explosion of paints and brushes across the table. It’s the random words smudged across school books that become poems and songs. It’s burnt saucepans, twisted ankles and spilt ink, and it’s weird composition, missed focus, and unwanted backgrounds. These messes can lead to wonderful things that you’ll miss if you are focused on reaching perfection.

It’s worth remembering that Penicillin, potato chips, Scotchguard and the pacemaker were all the result of mistakes.

I am no landscape photographer, but when I revisited my birth country I wanted to capture how the majority of South Africans live. The photos below were shot from a slow-moving vehicle, and a landscape photographer could point out their many imperfections. But I think I achieved what I set out to do, and that’s good enough for me.

Khyelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, was established during the apartheid era as 

part of the Group Areas Act, and is now home to around 2.4 million people.

Tins roofs, uninsulated buildings and a riot of electrical wires overhead.

In the background, the mountain range for which Cape Town is famous. In the foreground, the 

outskirts of Khyelitsha.

Perfection is boring

There is a long list of famous songs which were recorded with mistakes, including Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, The Police’s Roxanne, and Radiohead’s Creep. It takes nothing away from our enjoyment of them – in fact, it enhances them. It reminds us that they were made by humans, who are fallible just like us.
I believe there is something in the human psyche that craves imperfection. In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of vinyl in the music industry. The trend in photo editing, especially for portraiture, has swung towards emulating film. And it is the millennials, raised in the digital era where everything sought to be perfect, who have led these trends. Lightroom presets such as Mastin Labs and VSCO are doing a roaring trade making digital photographs look like they were shot on film.

The flat tones in this photo were the result of underexposure. Now there’s a preset to emulate this look.

In this photo, the skin tones are too green, the central composition could be improved, and that red 

bucket draws too much attention, but contributes nothing to the story. Yet the photo reminds me 

of how much fun my children had on their first camping trip, and is evocative of my own childhood.

You’ll miss the important moments

Henri Cartier-Bresson, a master of candid photography said, “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” To him, photography was all about capturing the decisive moment, not getting hung up on technical perfection. Get too fixated on perfection, and you’ll miss the moments that take your breath away.
Your subjects can’t repeat a candid expression because you missed focus. An embrace is only spontaneous the first time. Spend too long worrying about shutter speed or depth of field, and you’ll miss it. If it’s restaged, it will show.

Discovering what my children had done when left unsupervised with craft paint in the backyard: 

priceless.

The photo below of a woman with her teenage daughter is an outtake from a family photo shoot, snapped in the break when they had dropped their guard. Because it is out of focus, I was tempted not to show it to them, but I was so drawn to their natural smiles and the warmth in their embrace that I changed my mind. It turned out to be one of their favourite photos. The outtakes are often the best photos, when people behave spontaneously.

This photo of my daughters was shot on 35mm film. Had I been shooting with a DSLR, I may have reshot it because the focus is soft. I’m so glad I didn’t. That split-second interaction sums up their relationship – the little one’s curiosity while her big sister asserts her superior status.

A moment is only candid the first time.

Progress over perfection

Candid photography and photojournalism are all about capturing the decisive moment, no matter how imperfect the conditions. You can’t reschedule the moment your baby takes his first steps until the light is right. And trust me, if those photos are blurry and the cat makes a guest appearance at the critical moment, they will still move you to tears when you look at them 18 years from now.
Regardless of what genre you like to photograph, keep shooting. Keep learning; read widely and take inspiration from anywhere you can. Learn from your mistakes and strive for improvement, but don’t get hung up on perfection. Enjoy your photos and, most importantly, the process of creating them.

Share this article.

                                                                           Stuck

Viral video - Cell phone video, Inspiration for you videographers considering a topic for your next project.  253,375 views on Facebook. Your video may receive more.



 
$7.99   Get your copy here:  https://amzn.to/3b76mGJ

  (Pssst...as good a deal as this is at only $7.99, how would you like to have access to the Smartphone Filmmaking Handbook absolutely FREE?  Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the Amazon Kindle Unlimited Access offer)

20 More Photography Tips Every Travel Photographer Must Know

By: Oded Wagenstein

Traveling is fun and rewarding, but sharing memories of your journeys with friends, family, and the world through your own beautiful images can be even better.

Georgia (the country)

Here are 20 more tips for great travel photography:
(You can read Part One 20 Photography Tips Every Travel Photographer Must Know here)

Before you go:

1. Make the visual decisions

For most of us, deciding where and when to go is based on many decisions, not necessarily related to photography. But there are some small decisions you can make to turn an ordinary trip into a photo-worthy one. For example, let’s say you are going on a business trip. You can squeeze a few hours of photographing between meetings. But a much better option would be to take a day or two off and spend this extra time photographing on location.
Or when planning your next family vacation, add a little visual research before the trip. Is there a nice festival or a market worth visiting at your destination? Is there something unique like an interesting ethnic group or unusual landscape that’s worth documenting? These small visual decisions can make a huge difference in your photographic experience during your trip.

2. Build a shot list

A “shot list” is a term from the movie industry. It’s a list of shots that are planned for a specific day. Want to come back home with better travel photography results? Then the shot list is your tool for the job.

Thailand

First, make a list of visual ideas as your “I won’t come home without” image list. Combine the iconic images with more creative ideas. For example, if you’re going to Paris, don’t skip the Eiffel tower. As a true symbol of Paris, it should be on your list. But make sure to add creative visual ideas, such as boutique wine shops, farmers markets, or anything to your liking. The shot list is there to help you, not restrict you. When you’re on the road, with so many new sights and smells competing for your attention, the shot list will keep you organized and be a continual inspiration for creating the next shot.

3. Smart gear choice

Don’t take all of your equipment with you! Match the gear to the destination. Do you really need that flash on the beaches of Thailand? Or that 50 mm prime lens for the safari trip to Tanzania? Choose wisely and you’ll worry (and carry) a lot less.

4. Photo boot camp

If you’re not making images on a daily basis, it will probably take you a few days on location just to “get in shape”. Get a jump-start by warming up at home by creating a daily photography routine at least one week before departure. This will make sure you’re at your best as soon as you step off the plane.

Thailand

5. Coordinate expectations

Apart from our photographer’s “hat”, we all wear other hats, such as “father,” “spouse,” or “friend”. When traveling with others, we must wear many other “hats”. You must coordinate expectations with your travel partners to make sure the importance you’re placing on your photography during the trip won’t cause problems. Think and plan together about places you all can visit that would be great for even those who don’t take pictures: vantage points with scenic views, colorful markets, religious centers, etc.

When you get there

6. Location scouting

This is another movie industry term. It means that before even taking out your camera, it is wise to get familiar with your surroundings. Take at least a few hours to learn the area. Understand if there are any interesting places around your hotel, visit one or two places that are on your shot list and adjust it accordingly.

Uzbekistan

7. Get up early

Yes I know, this one is a crazy ratings downgrade. But hey, travel photography is not for the lazy! The most precious thing on a trip is your time. Do not waste the hours of golden light of morning (or afternoon) on sleeping. Especially if you are traveling with non-photographers, it’s your time to do your best shots. You can save sleeping in for weekends at home.

8. Markets first!

Colors, food, local people, culture; markets are a photographer’s paradise. It’s always better to visit open markets (for the daylight) rather than covered ones. Some of the best markets I visited happen only once a week, be sure to be there.

China

9. Diversify your shoots

You took a landscape photo with a wide lens? Excellent, now do it again with a telephoto lens.
You’ve got the main square in daylight? Wonderful! Come back at night with a tripod and shoot long exposures. Make the most out of your once-in-a-lifetime trip as your diversify your shoots and portfolio.

10. Get out of your comfort zone

We all have places that are less comfortable for us, but visiting a new place is an excellent opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. Do you not have the courage to approach strangers in the street in order to take their portrait? This is an excellent opportunity. You might be surprise how easy and fun it is to do this with strangers.

Thaliand

11. Go iconic – but from a different point of view

We all know how Times Square, The Taj Mahal, and the Eiffel tower look. Don’t come back with the same, “we’ve seen it all before” images. You don’t have to skip those iconic places, they usually are truly worth the visit. But think of new and fresh ways to feature them. Try using a fish-eye lens, creative editing process, or reflections – the sky is the limit.

Uzbekistan

12. Get inspired!

When I’m on a photography assignment, I always try to pay a short visit to a local gallery. Yeah, it sounds bit snobbish, but seeing the photography, paintings, or any other local art forms acts as a huge inspiration for my travel photography. We all want to create different and unique images. This is great way to do just that.

13. Setting a trap

I love this technique. Instead of jumping from place to place, looking for interesting subjects to photograph, I suggest to stay put and start building your frame with the background. Find an interesting vantage point on the street. You can even do this sitting at a sidewalk café. Establish your frame by determining the composition and exposure setting. Then wait for something interesting to enter your frame.

Dominican Republic

14. Join forces with a local

From experience, in travel photography, there is nothing like working with a local photographer. Use a social platform (Facebook, Flickr, couchsurfing) and find a local photo enthusiast like yourself, who can show you all the best places to photograph. Of course, there are always risks when meeting strangers from the internet. Use your common sense and don’t meet them somewhere secluded at first.

Coming back home

15. Backup

I cannot stress how important this tip is. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Laptop, hard drive, cloud storage, you name it. Backup your images on more than one source.

16. Clean your gear

Before you store your stuff, you should clean it. Sea salt, sand, or even just fingerprints on the lens, can damage your gear. Keep your equipment in good shape and you will enjoy it for many years.

Kyrgyzstan

17. Have a successes and misses notebook

In the past, I was recording a notebook of all my “almost got it” frames. Those fuzzy, overly bright, and “what the heck is this thing in the background” images.
I kept this notebook in order to learn how to not repeat my mistakes (and because we photographers like to be angry at ourselves from time to time). Then, I realized that it is just as important to understand why I failed as it is to understand why I succeeded. So, even today, after every assignment, I write ten things to keep and ten things to work on until the next trip.

18. Rest from it

I know it’s tempting, but resist the urge to filter, edit, and post-process your images the minute you get home. Give yourself at least a week before you do so. We tend to emotionally connect to our images, usually by the degree of investment and hard work we put into creating them. Give yourself time to disengage yourself from the experiences of your journey. This will help you see your images with less bias.

Laos

19. Get feedback

After learning from your successes and mistakes by yourself, use the help of someone else. Choose a friend, (preferably one with tact) and get his/her opinion on the images. It doesn’t matter if they’re a photographer or not. They should be honest, sincere and non-competitive with you.

20. Get it out to the world

Now, after resting from it, seeing it again with a new perspective, and hearing someone else’s advice, it’s time to get your art out to the world.
Choose up to 15 photos (not more). It is important to pay careful attention to the opening and closing images. Each image must stand on its own and together as a set. Add some text and post it to the world.
Note: the author would like to thank Nicholas Orloff for his help in writing this article.

India

Share this article.

How to Overcome Fear and Create Better Travel Photography Portraits

ABy: Oded Wagenstein  

Traveling is fun and rewarding, but sharing memories of your journeys with friends, family and the world through your own beautiful images can be even better. Especially rewarding are images of the interesting people you meet along the way, because creating travel photography portraits can be an amazing addition to your portfolio.
But, if taking pictures of strangers while interacting with them makes you uneasy, maybe even feeling a bit of fear? GOOD! Then this article is for you.

The world of photography is divided between two groups of people: those who enjoy creating portrait photography and those who do not. Through discussion with my own students I have realized that only about ten percent of those who avoid portrait photography actually do not like it.
The remaining ninety percent, so I discovered, are hiding, deep down inside, a photographer who really desires to shoot portraits, especially when he or she travels to interesting and distant places, meeting people from other cultures. But it is not that easy. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s super hard. So what we do is we wrap ourselves with excuses like: “I do not feel comfortable with this”,”I do not want to invade a person’s privacy” and as the “golden excuse” we used that one story of someone who shouted at us at some market in Morocco.

First, from my experience, getting yelled at (and all kinds of other problems) only starts when you take photos of someone from a distance and they catch you in the act. But here is another fact: there is nothing like photographing someone from a close distance.
The eyes, the feelings and the huge visual story potential within. Besides, when we work from a close distance while interacting with the person, we gain control of our tools as photographers: composition, background, the “decisive moment” and we also have that amazing ability to tell the photographed person: “you know what, let’s take one more shot”.
In 99% of my travel photography work with magazines, I photograph portraits from a close distance, without hiding myself or hiding the fact I am taking a photo. Now, some will say that when a person sees a camera, it affects the authenticity of the moment. I will address this issue later.

First rule: tell, do not just show

This is the # 1 mistake of bad travel photography: trying to show a story, instead of telling it. Creating a diary instead of evoking feelings. Here is the unpleasant truth; apart from our family and close friends, no one cares where we travel and who we meet along the way. If you want to succeed in exciting your viewers, you need turn to a different approach.

Before the digital era, it was enough if you traveled to the other side of the world and came back with images of people from some exotic tribe. You know, those “colorful” images, of people with a bone stuck in their nose. Today, when almost every corner of our planet has been photographed, this is not enough anymore and we have to return to the basics; to that one element that hasn’t changed since the beginning of time – a story. We are just obsessed with stories.
A person is not only clothes, a Cuban cigar or colorful sari; a person is an entire story. A story is a complex thing to create, so for the first step I will ask that your images be able to answer this question: how does the person in the image feel? Is it a comedy or a tragedy? Has he just finished a day of hard work or is he enjoying a vacation? Look at the person’s body language and listen to his voice. Try to convey the type of feeling you had while meeting this person.

Choose the right equipment

Remember the following equation – if you have a telephoto lens, you will to use it, because that is the easiest way of shooting people, from a distance. Instead, go with a wide lens (up to 50 mm for full frame, 35mm for cropped sensor). Also, try to avoid complicated and sophisticated equipment like flash and tripods. This will attract unwanted attention in the streets and you will be busy handling the gear instead of focusing on the story in front of you.

Read about the culture

Yes, in India they wear sari and in Cuba they smoke cigars. To get a more in-depth story of the culture, you have to learn about it first. Prior to your trip, do a brief study of the place you are about to visit. View images, read material and mainly, answer important questions like:

• How will people react to the camera?
• Do I need to pay for taking a picture?
• Are there things that I should not photograph?

In order to answer these questions you can ask someone who visited the destination or look for information on the web. If you do not know anything about the culture, you will fall into the cliche of photogenic tourist traps. But if you come with knowledge, it will affect your photography.
My editor at the National Geographic Traveler magazine calls this “photographic intelligence”. Go the extra mile and read about the history of the place, the religious system, the food and the local music, which leads me to our next tip.

Use the local music to your advantage

Recently I photographed a story on the Dominican Republic. It was the first time I worked on this side of the world and suddenly I felt as if I almost forgot how to take pictures. I did not approach anyone and at first, my photography did not come out well at all. So, I just listened to some local music on my headphones.
I do not recommend staying with headphones all the time, because it cuts you off from the environment. But for the first day, it’s a great tip; it puts you in the groove and makes you feel good. In conclusion, on the first day of your trip, do not trouble yourself with approaching strangers. Relax, listen to the local music, get into the groove and warm up with easier image making: buildings, landscape, food, etc.

Get outside when the lighting is right

The meaning of “Photography” is drawing with light. Even the most photogenic person will not look good in unsuitable light. There are no rules about lighting, no “good” or “bad”. There is appropriate and inappropriate lighting, because light has varying qualities: color, direction, strength, softness, etc.
According to most photographers, the best light for most situations is within the “golden hours”: around sunrise and sunset. If this is your first time approaching people in order to photograph them, let the light be on your side. Try adjusting the correct time to go outside. If you cannot control the time (like when on an organized tour) try to photograph people in the shade.

Force yourself – get out of your comfort zone

After a day of listening to the local music, getting the groove and warming up with easy shots, it is time to start working. Do not delay it, even if it is very hard for you. Just fake it until you make it:

1. Choose: choose a person you would like to photograph. Don’t use excuses like: “I can’t find anyone special”. Just make the shot, even if it’s only for practice. It is very important that you choose a person who is not on the move, because you need to get ready BEFORE approaching him, so it will be easier in a static situation (a seller in market stand, or someone relaxing at the park)
2. Get ready: know your lens and exposure. Think about the composition and background.
3. Approach: ask the person if you can take their photo. You can ask verbally or just by lifting the camera and smiling, waiting for a smile back.
4. Explain: it doesn’t matter if you are in NYC or Tibet; people want to know why you are taking their photo. You can tell them how much you liked their shop, pet, hair, etc., or just mention that you like portrait photography and you would like to take their photo. Usually this kind of good feedback will be enough.

Now, you might get a NO for an answer. That’s okay! Say “thank you” and then just “get back on the horse”, move on to the next person. You might get a YES. That’s wonderful! Relax, think about the framing and make the image.

So what about the authenticity of the moment?

It’s True. Usually when a person is asked to be photographed, they will put on a “mask”. You can call it their pose. Sometimes this pose might be the thing you are looking for. When photographing two men for a story I did in India for the National Geographic Traveler magazine, that pose (image below), which is so typical for the Rabari tribe men, was perfect for the story I wanted to tell.

If you don’t want the pose, my solution – give your subject time and space. Do not stop him or her from making that pose. Give them a positive feedback and show them how nice the first photo came out. From my experience, after a minute or two, the masks fall. That is because someone eventually will enter your subject’s shop, or they will receive a phone call or anything that might make your subject forget you are still there. This is the moment of magic. This is when the best pictures happen.

Share this article.

---

Viral video - Cell Phone video.  Inspiration for all you videographers considering your next project.


 
$7.99   Get your copy here:  https://amzn.to/3b76mGJ

  (Pssst...as good a deal as this is at only $7.99, how would you like to have access to the Smartphone Filmmaking Handbook absolutely FREE?  Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the Amazon Kindle Unlimited Access offer)

5 Simple Secrets To Sharper Photos

By: Rick Berk 

Many factors play a part in image sharpness, not the least of which is the lens.  Most of us who ever pick up a camera judge our images, at least in part, on overall sharpness.  Before you go out and plunk down some hard earned cash on that top of the line pro-level lens you’ve been drooling over, think about these steps you can take with the lenses you already own to get sharper images.

1. Pay attention to the basics 

Hold the camera properly.  Your right hand should grip the camera with your finger ready to press the shutter button. Your left hand should cradle the lens. Tuck your elbows firmly against your side. Press the eye cup of the camera firmly against your head.  This three-point stance stabilizes the camera and holds it steadier than holding the camera out and away from your face, with your arms extended.
Learn More: Here’s how to hold a camera well.

2. Use a polarizing filter

Polarizers are famous for darkening blue skies on sunny days, but they are just as useful in other situations. In misty or hazy situations, polarizers can help cut through that haze.  Haze has the effect of softening an image, so using a polarizer to eliminate the haze enhances sharpness. So don’t hesitate to put the polarizer on your lens, even when darkening a blue sky isn’t the reason.

Learn More: Learn More about Polarizing Filters

3. Use the “sweet spot” of your lenses

Most lenses are at their sharpest when stopped down 2 or 3 stops from maximum aperture. However, even if for depth of field reasons it’s not possible to stop down that far, closing the aperture 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop will still increase sharpness.  By the same token, when a lot of depth of field is required, shooting one or two stops open from minimum aperture will provide the best sharpness. This is because at minimum aperture, lenses begin to exhibit diffraction. Diffraction happens when light is forced through a small hole, and begins to disperse. At larger apertures, this light is a small percentage of the total light hitting the sensor.  At smaller apertures, this diffracted light is a much greater percentage of the total light hitting the sensor.  Diffracted light causes images to appear softer.  By shooting at f/16, rather than say, f/22, you can minimize diffraction and thus get sharper images.
Learn more: Here’s how to find your lens’ sweet spot

The above finished and edited image was shot at f/11. Beneath are two crops. The crop on the left shows the same scene, shot a few moments later at f/22. The crop on the right is from the same file as the completed image, shot at f/11, but unedited. In the shot at f/22, you can clearly see the effects of diffraction, as the windows on the building are just not as sharp as those shot at f/11.

4. Select the AF point you want to use, and put it where you want to focus

Many photographers I talk to like to use the center AF point and use the “Focus and Recompose” method of focusing to create their images.  Unfortunately, while easier in many ways, this method can contribute to less sharp photos.  This is especially apparent when shooting at wider apertures and depth of field is shallower. When you do this, the focal plane shifts, moving it away from where you originally focused. It’s not a big deal when shooting at smaller apertures, but when shooting near wide open, it will be noticable. A better technique is to choose the AF point nearest where you want the sharpest focus.  This reduces focal plane shift, thus keeping the sharpest focus where you want it in your photo.
Learn More: Here’s more on creating Sharper Images but Understanding Focus Modes

5. When using zoom lenses, focus at the focal length you plan to shoot at

In the past, in the manual focus days, lenses were parfocal, meaning that you could zoom the lens and the focus would stay the same. Many of today’s lenses, however, are not parfocal.  So changing the focal length by zooming causes focus drift, and the lens is no longer focused where it was before it was zoomed.  The better bet is to zoom the lens where you want it for your composition, and then focus the lens.
There is obviously much more to getting sharper images, but these five basic tips are a good start to keeping your images sharp.

Further Reading on Taking Sharp Photos

• How to Take Sharp Images
• 5 Tips for Getting Sharper Images
• Advanced Tips for Tack Sharp Images
• How to Get Super Sharp Landscape Photography Images
• 5 Tips for Getting Sharper Images When Doing Long Exposures

Share this article.