Are you having a hard time doing photography while social distancing?
Do you need some help determining what and how to photograph during these difficult times? 90mm | f/2.8 | 1/320s | ISO 320
You’ve come to the right place.
Because as hard as it is to deal with the current situation, there are still photographic opportunities everywhere.
You just have to know how to see them!
So if you’re looking to capture some great images, even now…
…read on.
1. Go on walks and photograph the scenery
Plenty of countries are currently in full lockdown, which means that you can only leave your home for exercise.
But while you’re out walking, why not take some pictures?
Obviously, don’t approach people on the street or linger too long in one place.
But there are plenty of gorgeous parks out there where you can capture some stunning landscapes as you walk along. An image taken on a recent walk. Canon EF 24-70mm f4L lens|70mm| f/8.0| 1/20s| ISO 200
And if you don’t live near a park, just go for a walk around your neighborhood! Take some photos of trees waving in the sunlight, of flowers starting to bloom in gardens, and more.
The opportunities are endless. The key is to be open to more unusual, spontaneous images.
By the way, I’d recommend using a telephoto lens for this, such as a 70-200mm zoom; that way, you can stay on paths and avoid approaching houses and other people.
I’d also recommend going out at sunrise or sunset, when the light is
warm and golden. That way, you can capture gorgeous skies, gorgeous
clouds, and just take in the beautiful world.
2. Capture gorgeous macro photos in the garden
It’s now officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
With spring comes flowers, and with flowers comes the potential for beautiful macro shots.
Get your closest-focusing lens, or a dedicated macro lens if you have one, and go out into your garden. You can easily photograph flowers like these in the garden! Nikon 60mm f2.8 lens | 60mm| f/5.0| 1/200| ISO 320
Look for flowers, and try to capture some beautiful colors, textures, and even more abstract flora shots.
I recommend doing macro photography on cloudy days, because the diffused light will help bring out flower colors.
I also recommend getting down low, on a level with your subject, so you can portray the world from a more intimate perspective.
By the way, if you don’t have any flowers, that’s okay!
You can still photograph plants, trees, buds, or even weeds. The
beauty of macro photography is that there are subjects everywhere.
3. Spend time creating a studio in your home
If you’re like me, you’ve always wanted to create a photography studio in your home.
But you just haven’t had the time.
Imagine what you could do with a studio (after all the social distancing is over, that is!).
You could do portrait photoshoots.
You could do pet photoshoots.
You could create all sorts of still life setups.
You could do high-speed photos of balloons popping, or of colored water, or of products, or of food…
Really, you can do tons with a proper studio. A home studio is great for capturing photos of pets! 55mm| f/6.3| 1/160s | ISO 250
So why not set it up now, while you’re stuck at home? Here’s what you need:
First, some sort of backdrop.
A black tablecloth will work just fine for many purposes, but you can
also use a large, white slab of cardboard, a proper photography backdrop
(these can be purchased online), or even an interesting wall.
Next,
you’ll want at least one light source. You can use natural light, in
which case you should simply position your studio near a window (ideally
with the window light coming from slightly in front of your setup, so
you have light falling on your subject from the front and side).
You can also use artificial light, which is what I’d recommend; this
gives you more options and limits you less in terms of shooting on
poorly-lit days and at night.
If you do go with artificial light, you’re going to want several speedlights
at the very least. I recommend two for beginners, though three is also a
good number, and one is adequate if you’d like to keep costs down.
These speedlights will need to be held up with light stands, so you’ll
want a couple of those.
You’ll also need light modifiers. Options here include umbrellas, softboxes,
diffusers, snoots, and more. Though I’d recommend going with a couple
of basic umbrellas because these are great for softening the light and
easy for beginners to get the hang of.
Last, if you’re doing any sort of product or
still life photography, you’re going to want a table. A simple wooden
option works well, and it doesn’t have to look new. A bit of texture can
make your product shots and still lifes even more interesting!
And speaking of still life photography:
4. Level up your still life photography skills
If you’ve ever considered pursuing still life photography, now is a great time.
You can do still lifes with a studio setup, as discussed above.
Or you can do still lifes without much of anything, except a few subjects, some window light, a table, and a wall.
The latter method is practically free, and it can result in stunning
shots. So it’s a great way to get started with still life work over the
next few months.
For basic still life subjects, fruit is a great choice (I’m partial to pears and apples, but you can use basically anything).
Flowers, including cut flowers you can grab when checking out at the grocery store, are an excellent option, as well.
In fact, you can do all sorts of cool photography with flowers or
fruit. While it’s possible to do classic still lifes, you can also do
more abstract shots, like this: This type of black background, illuminated flower setup is something you can work on when doing still life photography. Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro | 100mm | f/2.8 | 1/100s | ISO 200
Given the current situation, I don’t recommend taking trips to the store just to buy still life subjects.
But if you’re already at the store, there’s not much harm in grabbing a couple of extra apples or a bouquet of flowers.
And, by the way:
You can also do still life photography using objects you find in your home.
Objects such as bowls, plates, silverware, vases, jugs, antiques, and much more.
So don’t feel like you have to go out into the world to get subjects. Some of the best subjects are right in the house with you!
5. Get to know your camera while stuck inside
Cameras are complicated.
Which means that there are probably things you don’t know about them,
but should be familiar with if you want to capture the best possible
photos.
So, whenever you get the chance, I recommend you turn on your camera and explore.
Start with all the external buttons. Do you know what they can all do?
Then dig into the menu items. Scan over every single option. While getting to know my camera, I snap a lot of random pictures to test out functions. This is one of my most recent ones! Canon EOS R | Canon 24-70 f4 lens | 70mm| f/4.0 | 1/160s | ISO 3200
And as soon as you hit something you’re not sure about, or you’re not completely familiar with…
…look it up.
(You can use your camera manual, or you can just do a quick Google search.)
If it’s an especially useful feature, then make a note. And ensure
that, the next time you get a chance to do some photography, you try it
out.
Make sense?
And by the way, every camera is different. So if you have multiple
cameras, I recommend you follow this tip for each and every one of them.
That way, when things are better, you’ll feel much more at home with your camera.
Hopefully, these tips will help you continue to improve your photography while social distancing.
Because while things are tough, it really is possible to keep up your photography!
So good luck, and stay safe! And, as always, share your photos with us in the comments section! Share this article.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Tips for Overcoming the 5 Biggest Photography Fears
“Most inventors and engineers I’ve met are like me. They’re shy
and they live in their heads. The very best of them are artists. And
artists work best alone…” – Steve Wozniak
While fear can affect anyone and cause undue stress in their daily
lives, creative people (including photographers and other artists) are
often introverted and can be susceptible to fear more than others.
Whether it is simply a hobby, passion, or profession, photography
involves proficiency in both the artistic and technical realms, creating
a perfect environment for anxiety and fearfulness to form.
But like with most other things in life, knowledge is a powerful
ally. Learning what anxiety-inducing things you might deal with, as well
as what you can do to alleviate them, can help you with overcoming
photography fears. It also allows you to better and more confidently
enjoy the craft.
Let’s take a look at 5 of the biggest fears we might encounter as photographers.
1. Interacting with people
This is something I can definitely speak to personally. Many of us
have difficulty being comfortable interacting and communicating with
others for several different reasons. It could be anything from simple
shyness or a lack of confidence, or in my case, social anxiety disorder,
where fear of social interaction can cause physical symptoms and impede
daily life.
Because photography is something we choose to do, we can also choose
our level of involvement and what facets of the hobby (or job) we
participate in.
For me, I know that I don’t always feel comfortable communicating with people.
Because of this, I don’t do many portrait sessions as I know that
communicating in real-time with the client is necessary to produce
photos that they will love.
Many photographers deal with the fear of interacting with clients. (50mm, f/4, ISO 100, 1/250 sec)
Instead, my photography focuses on landscape and nature scenes, which lets me be comfortable while enjoying my work. I take on the odd portrait job when I feel ready to do so.
Of
course, many of us want to learn to embrace that fear and conquer it.
The best way to do this is to expose yourself to the thing that makes
you uncomfortable. Learn what about it makes you feel that way until you
no longer have the same fear for it.
Work on becoming more comfortable around people on a small scale, so that you’ll be ready to speak confidently to your clients.
Know your gear well, and be knowledgeable about the particular
service you’re providing. This will give you something stable to hold
onto while interacting with your customers.
2. Shooting in public
Street photography is a popular form of photography, and some of the biggest names in our hobby dabble in it, at one time or another.
However, it also exposes the photographer more than some other forms
and can make us feel nervous and vulnerable. This is because many people
don’t care to have their photograph taken. Knowing that can make the
photographer reluctant to open themselves up and capture the beautiful
moments they see before them, for fear of being called out or
confronted.
Many street photographers deal with these issues by using gear that
is better suited for those situations. Small, light, and inconspicuous
mirrorless cameras and smaller lenses are readily available. These make
the photographer and their actions less visible. It allows them to be
more comfortable and focus on making great images.
Shooting in public, in view of others, is another common fear of photographers.
(50mm, f/8, ISO 400, 1/640 sec)
It is also helpful and important to know the rules and laws regarding
photographing people in public or other spaces. That way, if someone
does confront you or question what you’re doing, you’ll be well-prepared
to answer them.
The bottom line is to respect everyone’s wishes, whether it’s a legal
issue or not. If someone is uncomfortable with you photographing them,
be a decent person, and just stop. You don’t have to delete the images
or anything that extreme, as they are your images, but don’t continue
photographing them. An upset subject isn’t going to make for a good
photo anyway.
At the end of the day, keep in mind that there are thousands of
people out there right now, taking pictures of daily life, people,
places, and events. Chances are, you’ll go out and enjoy the experience
without any problems, and you’ll bring home some unique images.
3. Rejection and failure
This is a common fear for many people, and unfortunately, it is one
that we all experience at times. Rejection of your work or failure to
produce work that you consider great will be a commonplace occurrence
throughout your relationship with photography. Even the great ones dealt
with rejection at times, and they often used these failures to learn more and make adjustments to be even better.
Although there is nothing you can do to completely avoid rejection or
avoid producing an imperfect image, you can certainly learn to cope
with it and overcome photography fears.
Conquer your fear of failure by tackling challenging situations. (iPhone, 4mm, f/2.2, ISO 640, 1/4 sec)
Firstly, don’t try to block out the emotions that come with rejection or failure. You need to know what it feels like and embrace that feeling. It will make you stronger, and you will be better for it.
Keep in mind that failure is an exception, not the norm.
Also, remember that repetition is the key to improving.
Tackle some challenging situations, such as a dark and challenging lighting scenario.
Go through the possible solutions and execute them until you’re
confident that you can solve that problem in a dynamic, on-demand
environment.
And, talk to someone.
Talk to anyone who knows you and understands how passionate you are
about your craft. Friends, family, and colleagues who lift you up and
encourage you can provide tremendous help. They can remind you that
rejection can happen to anyone, and is a learning tool to improve your
skillset.
4. Cameras and gear
The title of this section might need a little explanation. Of course, we’re talking about the fear of using your cameras and gear, not fear of your camera itself! That would be weird.
The equipment we use can come in various levels of complexity.
Regardless of your familiarity with cameras in general, it may
inadvertently become another source of anxiety.
Fortunately, the days of being stuck with nothing more than a printed
manual are gone (isn’t it nice when we still see them, though?). The
current digital age allows us to learn everything we need to know about
our cameras from many sources.
Blogs like Digital Photography School, digital manuals and online
resources from camera manufacturers, Forums such as Reddit, and YouTube
all provide endless means of learning about the ins and outs of your
equipment.
Knowing your camera and other gear inside and out can help bolster your confidence.
(50mm, f/4, ISO 100, 1/640 sec)
The bottom line is, the more you know about the equipment you’re
using, the more confident you’ll be in the field or studio. The more
informed you are about the camera, the less an arising problem will
shake you.
Learn all you can as early as you can. Like one of my favorite old sayings goes, knowledge is power.
5. Knowledge of business and marketing
Last in the tips for overcoming photography fears is our knowledge of business and marketing. Many of us have a fear of the business side of our passion for photography.
If you intend on working as a professional (meaning you make any
amount of money off of your photography, regardless of your time input),
you are going to need to understand the basics of how business works.
You need to know how to price your products and services, and how to interact with clients on all levels.
Again,
through the wonder of technology, the internet is a treasure trove of
information (often free) that can give you a good background and bolster
your confidence with knowledge.
Many people feel that it’s tough to get a good working understanding
of how small business works without taking classes or even having a
business degree.
Fortunately, that’s not the case. A quick Google search will reveal
many free blogs and other resources that can help you, and many of these
are even specific to the business side of photography.
dPS has a great e-book on Going Pro – Making Money from Your Photography.
Fear not, my friends
Overcoming your photography fears may not seem simple, but I hope
this article has helped you identify some of your fears and worries when
it comes to being a photographer. Maybe it even pointed you in the
right direction of overcoming those photography fears.
Remember, this is your passion, and you do it because you love to, not because you have to.
At the end of your day, there is nothing to be afraid of, because you’re doing something that makes you happy.
Are there other fears you experience that we didn’t cover here? Sound
off below and share them with the rest of us. You’ll probably be
surprised to find how many other people feel the same way!
For the majority of new photographers, one of the biggest hurdles to
overcome is fear. This often leads to people missing a perfect photo
opportunity or even, over time, falling out of the practice of actually
taking photos. But it’s perfectly normal to have fears when starting
anything new, especially in an industry that is so subjective and fast
moving. Here are six common fears newbie photographers experience, and
tip to help overcome them.
#1 – Technophobia
The first thing people often fear about photography is the actual
camera, and all of the accessories that come with it. After all, it’s a
lot to learn and remember just about the theory and practice of
photography, without all of the software elements and techniques thrown
in, as well as the multiple controls of the camera itself. How do you
remember the difference between aperture and shutter speed? ISO and white balance? Photoshop and Lightroom? The list is endless…
The good news is that this is easily overcome by simply taking each
element individually and reading about it, watching videos, and
practicing. There is so much educational material
available now, that it has never been easier to learn about anything
you don’t know. The key is to break it down into small milestones, and
focusing on that until you are comfortable, before moving on. It’s a lot
less daunting trying to learn one thing at a time.
#2 – Fear of people
Most newbies wouldn’t have any hesitation taking a photograph of a
statue or famous landmark, yet as soon as photography involves anything
to do with people, fear grips them. This is usually a combination of
shyness, and a fear that it will result in a confrontation with the
person who they are photographing, or the owner of the place.
The reality is that most people are incredibly happy and willing to
have their photo taken, and won’t get offended if you spend the time to
talk with them, and ask permission to take a portrait.
At other times when you have fleeting moments, the person you are
photographing probably won’t even notice that you are taking a picture.
The only way to overcome this fear is to go out and practice, not only
the actual process of photography, but also approaching people to take
their photo. You’ll be amazed at how many people are willing to have
their portrait taken!
#3 – Fear of the photo not being perfect
Every photographer has experienced that moment when you get home,
look at the pictures you’ve taken, and realize that you’ve messed
something up and the photo isn’t perfect. It could be camera shake, wrong focusing,
too much noise or just bad composition. Sometimes this ends up knocking
your confidence, and the fear of messing another shot up means you try
to avoid it altogether. Any photographer that tells you they have never
messed up a photo is a liar. Everyone makes mistakes, even seasoned
pros. The difference is that as you practice more, and become more
experienced, those mistakes become fewer and further in between. So
instead of one in 10, they become one in 100, one in 1000, and so on.
The key is to accept that you are going to make mistakes in the beginning, and instead of beating yourself up about it, learn from the mistake and think about how you can avoid it in the future. Over the years I have learned more from my bad photos than my good ones.
#4 – Fear of trying new things
One of the great periods for any photographer is right at the start
of their journey. It’s all new and exciting, and motivation isn’t
usually an issue. There’s no pressure to capture photographs that sell,
or dealing with demanding clients who require perfect photos. You can
spend this time experimenting, and trying out different genres and
techniques.
But
for some, the fear of failure also means they are afraid of trying
something new. What you need to remind yourself is that to really stand
out, you do sometimes need to take risks with your photos. I was
recently at a talk by world famous wildlife photographer, Paul
Goldstein, and he said he would rather see a photograph which is not
quite perfect, where the photographer has taken a risk, rather than a
safe but perfect shot.
#5 – Fear of being rejected
It’s no surprise that an industry which is so subjective, can be
daunting for new photographers. It doesn’t matter how tough you are, if
you’ve worked hard to put a portfolio together only for it to get
rejected by picture editors, it can be hard to live with. After a few
rejections, this can knock your confidence for approaching potential
clients, and for actually going out to take photos. You might think what
is the point if you keep getting rejected?
What you need to remember is that every photographer has been in that
situation at some stage, and just because one person doesn’t like your
images, doesn’t mean others will feel the same. The only way forward is
to push on, learn from your mistakes, and most importantly, do what you
enjoy!
Very early on in my career I approached a stock agency to represent
my work. They turned me down, so I approached a bigger and more
exclusive agency and they accepted my work. A few years later the same
agency that had rejected me approached me to photograph for them.
This photo was rejected by one of the stock agencies I work with, but was accepted by another and
sold multiple times.
#6 – Fear of losing or damaging your gear
While it’s obviously important to ensure you keep your equipment safe and in good working condition,
it should not be to the detriment of actually taking a photo. What’s
the point of having an expensive camera if it always stays in your hotel
room, or backpack, because of a fear of it being stolen or getting
dirty? The higher end DSLRs these days are pretty sturdy and can
withstand more than you think.
To overcome this fear, the first thing you need to do is to get
yourself decent insurance to cover all of your equipment. That way you
always know if something were to happen, you can get a replacement. The
next thing you need to do is be prepared for the environment in which
you will be photographing. This requires research, and thought about how
to avoid potential problems.
For
example, if you are heading somewhere where there is likely to be rain,
take a plastic bag and towel to protect your camera. Going somewhere
that has a problem with theft? Make sure you use a camera strap which
can’t be cut and don’t leave your camera unattended. Always remember,
the reason you have a camera with you is to take photos.
Photography can lead to a rewarding hobby or profession, but like
anything new it can be daunting for newbies. But with practice, anyone
can overcome their fears of photography.
Any other fears that I have missed? How have you overcome your photography fears? Let me know in the comments below.
Share this article.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
5 Fears to Overcome When Starting a Photography Business
As you enter the field of professional photography, there is one
thing that will become immediately clear. One of your biggest obstacles
will be fear. You will worry that you are not prepared for a job, that
you are not experienced enough, that something will go wrong, or that
they will not like your images.
Business Portrait. Each photography job will have a different makeup and you should create a game plan going in.
This is normal and I have bad news for you; the fear will never fully
go away. It will get easier however, and you will become better at
pushing through it. As time progresses you will find yourself
confidently going into jobs that you used to make you petrified. But
even then, a whole new set of fears will arise as you move into more
advanced jobs.
This can paralyze you, especially as you are starting out. It is the
biggest obstacle that will stand in your way towards becoming
successful. But fear not, because you are not alone. Even the more
experienced photographers stay up sleepless the night before jobs.
The key is to harness that fear and understand that it is normal. It
is good in fact, because it means that you are progressing and trying
new things. It means you are doing something interesting that you will
be proud about afterwards. As you learn, you will make mistakes, but it
is how you deal with those mistakes, how you learn from them, and how
you push through the fear that will be the impetus for your success.
Here is a list of my toughest fears to push through as a professional starting a photography business, and how I deal with them.
1. Is my work good enough? What if I’m not experienced enough for a job?
When you begin to think about starting a business the scariest
question is whether your work and your abilities are good enough. You
may have heard you are talented or that you have a gift for image
making, but the reality is that being a good photographer is based on
your experience and the amount of effort, thought, and study that you
put into your work. Anyone can take a good photograph, but professionals
learn to do it day in and day out in a variety of circumstances.
If you are starting out, no matter how good you are, you will have a
lot to learn. It is important to know this. Everyone started somewhere.
Spend time researching people who do the type of work that you want to
do and figure out how they do it. Learn from them. Read about
photography and settings and situations. Use websites like dPS to
improve your skills. Before you do a job research what you want the
photographs to look like and plan out how you will pull them off. Go
into the job with a plan.
Environmental
Portrait. If you are an introvert like me, interacting with subjects to
get them in the right mindset will make you nervous. This will improve
with experience and you should study other photographers to pick up tips
on how to best interact with subjects.
If you treat your image making like this and put the work into it,
even if you are not currently ready, you will be soon. The more prepared
you are, the more confident you will be when going into jobs and
marketing yourself. All of the information is out there for you to
prepare yourself, it is just a matter of doing it.
You will most likely look back on your work two years from now and
see how much better you have become, and that is the point. Everyone had
to start from somewhere and it is the prepared and thoughtful
photographers who ultimately become successful.
2. Am I charging the right amount of money?
Pricing is an artform based on experience. At first it can be scary
because you will not have any experience with it. Also, if you are not
confident in your work or your ability, then how can you be confident in pricing your work?
If you are entering the professional world you have to understand
that you are starting a business. You need a business plan. You have to
charge enough to make a living. If you are making the commitment to do
this, even if you are not fully comfortable yet, you still have to make a
living.
Research other photographers in your area or field and figure out
what they are charging. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think
about what they might be willing to pay. Create a pricing structure
based on this and raise your prices as you become more experienced.
Some jobs you will lose because you are too expensive. No matter what
you charge, there are always people who will think you are too
expensive. Do not let these people affect your opinion of what you
charge. Other customers will pass you by because you are not expensive
enough! That happens.
Environmental Portrait. Some jobs will be much easier than others but always plan for the worst.
Imagine you are hiring a wedding photographer with a budget of $5,000
and you like two photographers who seem like they have fairly similar
experience, but one charges $2,000 and the other charges $4,500. Which
one will you hire? Some might hire the $2,000 photographer but
many would hire the $4,500 photographer because they would assume that
this photographer was more experienced solely based on the price they
command. They would not want to risk hiring the cheaper photographer for
the most important day of their lives.
Also, if people tell you your prices are too high, educate them on
why you charge what you do. Many people who hire you will not understand
photography. There are a lot of people out there who think photography
is just about getting a camera, showing up for an hour, going home, and
sending the photos. That is so, so far from the truth. Explain what you
will be doing for them, the time and knowledge that goes into the job,
and why it is priced where it is. Some people will understand, be happy
that you explained it to them, and will then hire you. Some will not,
but then you don’t want to work with those people in the first place.
Do not be afraid to lose a job because of price. That will inevitably happen and it should not dictate your pricing strategy.
3. Will my equipment break?
This one scares the heck out of me. What if something breaks while I
am on a shoot? If you are creating a photography business, you need to
have backups in place. A photographer plans based on contingencies. This
is not only a vital business practice, but very important for your
peace of mind and confidence.
Have an organized system for your equipment and bags and a consistent
way of packing them for jobs. Have a backup of everything. If you do
the same job regularly, then it is worth it to purchase two of
everything that you use regularly. You can consider renting equipment
for jobs that you do not do as frequently.
4. The neverending job and difficult clients
I used to have a big problem taking jobs that I shouldn’t have gotten
involved in. I would be flattered that someone wanted to hire me and I
hated to turn down income, particularly during the lean times. This
became a huge problem, especially with the difficult clients who kept
changing the job parameters and asking for more. This mistake cost me a
lot of time and ultimately money.
Your time is valuable and certain jobs, particularly when you are
starting, will not be worth your time. If you are starting a photography
business you need to build up a steady stream of clients and having one
take up an inordinate amount of your time, particularly if they are not
paying you well, is just not worth it. You could be spending that
valuable time marketing yourself and building your knowledge and
business.
Always get all of the information up front from the client before you
quote a price and size them up. It can be obvious, sometimes right
away, when a client will be difficult. When you get all of the details
stated up front, if the parameters of the job happen to change later in
the process, then you will have the grounds to ask for more money for
the extra work they are asking you to do. This will keep clients from
taking advantage of your time and asking for more than what was agreed
upon. Sometimes they will not even remember what they had asked for at
the beginning.
An
engagement portrait. Some clients will prefer more posed portraiture
that looks like it came out of a magazine. Some will want both. The
better you know your clients the better you can anticipate what the will
want.
5. Will the client like my work?
I have been doing photography jobs for a decade now and I still get
nervous every single time I have to press the send button for the final
images. No matter how confident I am in them, that fear is never going
to go away for me. It might be the same for some of you.
However, it used to be more debilitating than it is now. At the
beginning it would cause me to procrastinate and it would cause me to
take so much longer editing the images than it should have. I notice
that this happens to a lot of photographers. Newer photographers often
spend much more time on the editing than the more experienced
photographers. Some of this is based on speed and experience, but I find
that the biggest factor is that the experienced photographers have
their editing process down to a science. There is a structure to the way
they do things that makes everything more efficient and having this
structure also helps reduce the fear.
Create a consistent structure for how you edit jobs. Here is mine:
I first start by choosing my final selection of RAW negatives that I
will send to the client. I go through all of the images in Adobe
Lightroom and star everything that I think is decent as three stars.
I then take a break to clear my head and eyes and go through the three star images and make the best of that bunch four stars.
The four starred images will be the ones that I will send the client.
I do a second and sometimes a third round through, moving some of
the four starred images back to three stars and making the best images
five stars. The five starred images are in case I want to send a small
edit of the top photos or if I want to access them later for my
portfolio.
Friendly
and natural business portraits. When you need to create images that
feel natural you need a game plan for how you are going to make the
subjects feel relaxed. Think ahead of time about what you can say or do
to achieve this relaxed environment.
Once
I have this done, the path to the finished product is laid out before
me. I then go through all of the negatives and get them to the exact
crop that I want. I do this because I want to see the whole sequence of
images that I will be sending to the client before I start editing the
final look of them.
Finally, I go through and edit the images. The hardest aspects for me
are getting the color balance, contrast, and exposure to be perfect.
Also, one of the toughest things to do is to make all of the photos feel
consistent. This is why I like to have the final edit of negatives
chosen and cropped before I begin to work on the aesthetics. It gives me
a clear path to get to this endpoint.
Do you see how an efficient system can cut out hours and even days of
editing time? It keeps you organized and this organization is meant to
break through any procrastination and worry about the final photographs.
Then, all you have to do is stand up for a second, take a deep breath,
close your eyes, and hit the send button.
Take yourself seriously, especially when you are starting out. If you
are starting a photography business, commit to it. You are a
photographer, you don’t do photography. You have a product that
takes a lot of effort, knowledge, and skill. Your product has a lot of
value and not everyone with a DSLR can do what you do.
Need more help with business? Try these other dPS articles:
I make ’em, you make ’em, all photographers make ’em sooner or later – dumb photographer mistakes.
Today’s cameras are now essentially computers, and the saying about computers is, “They do what you tell them to do, not what you want them to do.”
Leave a switch in the wrong position, forget to restore a setting after
taking a prior image, or toggle any myriad of other possible things
other than they should be and it’ll happen – the “gotchas will getcha.”
I’ve yet to meet the perfect photographer, the one that never makes
dumb photographer mistakes. The difference is learning to quickly
discover a problem, determine what the problem may be, and knowing how
to quickly recover. The intent of this article is to cover some of the
more common mistakes and perhaps spare you the pain of learning them the
hard way.
“Smart people do stupid things. Stupid people don’t learn from them.” Frank Sonnenberg
We all make ’em – Dumb Photographer Mistakes. When the gotchas getcha, being able to quickly
recover is key.
The “Happy Idiot”
The worst mistakes you can make in photography are the ones you don’t
detect until later, after the photo session, maybe even back home when
you finally sit down to edit your shots.
Before digital, this was the kind where you might happily shoot an
entire session, get home, open the back of the camera and see you’d
forgotten to load any film.
This might still happen in a digital camera if you have the setting
“release shutter without card” turned on and then never “chimp” your
shots to see what you’re getting.
When
in a store in demo mode, it might be fine to have the shoot without
card mode enabled. In all
other cases, it’s a very bad idea.
Some photographers will tell you that chimping
your shots (checking them on the LCD after taking them), is a sign of
an amateur. Okay, you “perfect photographers” might not need to do
this. Me? I chimp whenever I can. The times when I’ve been burned
most often were when I didn’t check.
One of the best things digital photography gives us is the ability to
immediately review our images after taking them. We can do so right
there in the field where we can immediately detect and remedy any
problems.
I still bow to the wedding photographers
who used film. They shot an entire wedding and were so confident in
their abilities that they rarely had any nasty surprises when they
developed the negatives.
There’s nothing worse than snapping away like a “happy idiot,”
clueless that you’re just making those dumb photographer mistakes.
Something’s wrong here
In the medical world, they talk
about “early detection.” Catch a problem early, and you can reverse it.
You minimize the damage and perhaps even find a cure. So let’s use that medical terminology; symptom, diagnosis, and cure as we look at some typical dumb photographer mistakes you might make.
Everyone
will make dumb photographer mistakes occasionally. A smart photographer
can quickly
identify symptoms, diagnose the problem, and affect a cure
to recover quickly.
Focus Faux Pas
Flubs, foul-ups, and a few other f-words can describe what happens
when you fail to get fine focus in your photos. Worse is that while we
can sometimes rescue an exposure issue in editing, to date, there is no
cure for a misfocused, unsharp, image. Let’s use our terms to address
some of the dumb photographer mistakes you might make.
Symptom – The entire image is fuzzy, nothing sharp in the shot
Diagnosis – If you’re using Autofocus, is the switch “on”? Are you half-pressing/holding/getting focus lock and then squeezing the button the rest of the way to trip the shutter?
I’ve seen many newbies either push the shutter button in one quick
motion (both shaking the camera and not allowing it to get focus before
making the shot). I’ve also seen them half-pressing, getting focus,
releasing, and then pressing the button a second time.
Did
you forget to turn on the Autofocus switch? Or used Manual Focus and
then forget to turn it back
on? When you are having focusing issues,
this should be the first check.
Another possibility is that the shutter speed is too low. If you’re
handholding the camera, remember the “Reciprocal Rule,” which simply
means your shutter speed should be at least the inverse or your focal
length. So, with a 50mm lens, that would be 1/50th. Out at 400mm, that
would be 1/400 second.
You might get away with a slightly longer shutter speed if your
camera or lens has image stabilization. However, it’s better to err on
the side of a faster shutter speed when you can.
Of course, if you want to freeze a fast-moving subject, a shorter shutter speed will be required.
If you’re manually focusing, such as when making landscape photos,
you can go to live view. Use the magnifying feature to check critical
focus on a particular spot, and then make your shot. But here’s the
“gotcha” with this one. (Don’t ask me how I know about this.) You use
that method to make your photo, then go onto making other shots, but
forget you’ve turned off autofocus. The camera may still fire, even if
the focus is slightly off. While you might not detect a very slight
misfocus while in the field, you’ll cuss later when back in edit, you
detect your mistake. Cure – There is no editing cure for photos where the focus is soft. Yeah, I know Photoshop and other software has some tools that claim to fix blurry photos. Some are even using Artifical Intelligence (AI) to do it now. It sorta, kinda works, but there is no substitute for getting it sharp in the field. Learn proper focusing techniques. Let’s look at some other typical focus flubs.
Understand
and use the autofocus points in your camera. Most cameras will default
to the center
point, and if your subject is not in the center, you may
not get focus on the subject you want.
Symptom – Some things in the image are sharp, just not where you wanted
Diagnosis – Did you use the focus-points in your
camera and put them on what you wanted in focus? Beginners often don’t
know about focus points, merely using the default center point. Then,
when what they wanted in focus wasn’t in the center, they wonder why the
subject isn’t focused. Another possibility is too wide an aperture
giving too limited a depth of field. A good example is a group photo
where people in the front row are in focus, but the second-row people
aren’t. Cure – There’s no cure for the shots you already made that are blurry. However, if detected in the field, check to be sure you are using the focus points properly.
If your subject is moving, perhaps continuous (servo) focus might be appropriate. Be sure your aperture selection gives you adequate depth-of-field too.
When working on a tripod, turn off the image stabilization. It won’t help, and in fact, might hurt
image sharpness.
Symptom – You were on a tripod, but your shots are still slightly soft
Diagnosis – Is the stabilization switch on your camera or lens on? Cure – When working on a tripod, turn off the auto
stabilization. It won’t help and could possibly hurt your images,
attempting to compensate for motion that isn’t there.
Switches and buttons and menus, oh my!
There are so many settings in modern cameras that it can be overwhelming. Many of the auto modes can be lifesavers, relieving the “chores” of photography and letting the photographer instead concentrate on being creative.
They are great when they work.
Where they fail is when the camera is “fooled” by circumstances where
an intelligent photographer would choose differently, or when settings
are inadvertently left on or off.
Let’s look at some examples.
Spot
metering has its uses, but forget to switch back to something like
matrix/evaluative metering
when you’re done, and you will puzzle over
why your images are wildly exposed.
Symptom – The exposure seems completely out of whack, regardless of the mode you’re using
Diagnosis – Did you go to Spot Metering for a previous shot and forget you left that on? Cure – Many cameras now warn the user they are in
spot metering mode with a “!” mark in the viewfinder. Spot metering has
very specific uses, and in those cases, it’s terrific. In most other
cases, it will wildly mess up your exposure and leave you to wonder why.
Auto
Noise Reduction works by taking a second black frame and combining it
with your exposure.
You get to wait while it does that. Decide if that’s
acceptable before engaging the option.
Symptom – You make a shot and it seems to take the camera a long time before it’s ready to make another.
Diagnosis – If you have the Long Exposure Noise Reduction feature turned on and are making longer exposure
images, the camera will take a second “black frame” image and then use
that to reduce noise. Sometimes that’s great, but realize it will take
twice as long for the camera to process and store the image, sometimes
making you wait. Cure – Use the Low Exposure Noise Reduction feature
only in special circumstances (perhaps when doing astrophotography where
high ISO and noise might be involved). Otherwise, turn it off.
You
might use multi-shot bracketing to make images you’ll combine later. Be
sure to turn it off when
done or you’ll get a surprise when making
subsequent shots.
Symptom – You click the shutter, the countdown timer activates and then fires off five shots
Diagnosis – You probably set up the camera with a 2-second timer and also for a 5-shot bracket. Cure – This is a great feature when you want it, but
after you’re done, return the settings to single-shot and turn off the
countdown timer setting. Otherwise, when you only want a quick single
shot, you’ll wait while the time counts down and then get several.
You
might have an occasion to only want .jpg images, but don’t forget to
put it back to Raw when
you’re done. Your editing options are much more
limited with .jpg files. You will be very sad if you
intended to make
Raw images and only come home with .jpgs.
Symptom – You get home from a session and all of your images are .jpg, no raw images to be found on the card
Diagnosis – You probably did an earlier shoot where
you only needed .jpg images. You set the camera to do that, and then
forget to put it back. Cure – You can still work with .jpg images, but you
will have greatly reduced editing options. Chimping will not tell you
when this is happening as the image you see on the LCD is always a .jpg.
So make it a habit to always put your camera back in Raw Mode after a
shoot if you’ve changed it.
Return to a standard
I could go on about all the settings, buttons, and dials you might
have in the wrong position, what will tip you off, and how to correct
such problems. There are dozens of “gotchas” when this occurs.
The common cure is to always return to your personal defaults if
you’ve strayed for a special situation. Make it a habit to check and
return your settings to your defaults when you put the camera away.
Then, when you’re driving down the road on the way home and Bigfoot
(Yowie in Australia, or beasts with a few other names in
other parts of the world), suddenly steps out of the forest, you can
quickly turn on the camera and have a better chance of getting the shot.
Seriously, for any situation where you don’t have time to fiddle with
all your settings, you want a standard that will pretty much give you
quick point-and-shoot capability. I can’t tell you what that is for you,
but it’s your base settings. It’s the place you most often work from
and use for a good majority of your photos.
For me, this is the “P” or Program mode of my camera, Single-point
Auto-focus, Auto White Balance, and Auto ISO. Sure, that’s quite
automatic and perhaps not where I’ll ultimately go. Maybe I’ll be using
Aperture Priority, Continuous Focus, and ISO 100 or even Manual exposure
mode, but it’s a great default to work from.
My brain might (hopefully) be better, but the camera is quicker.
Plus, the engineers that developed auto modes were no dummies. When
seconds count, and Bigfoot appears, I can be ready.
Program in specialized settings
I love that I can also have more sophisticated set-ups stored in the
Camera User (C1 and C2) modes on my Canon 6D. Many other cameras have
this option too, a way to set-up and store various settings and then
recall those so that with a spin of the mode dial, you can use all those
settings.
For example, should I want that 5-shot bracket with a 2-second timer,
Evaluative metering, ISO 200, Auto ISO, Aperture Priority with a f/11
f-stop, and perhaps a few other things thrown in, I can get there with a
turn of the dial to C1 or C2, wherever I have that combination stored.
When done, I put the dial back to my standard. Quick to turn on, quick
to turn off, no “gotchas.”
Mistakes are lessons inside out.”
Matshona Dhliwayo
My
Canon 6D has two memory storage locations; C1 and C2. They are great
for entering more
complex camera settings with the ability to turn them
on and off with the turn of a dial.
Filter forgetfulness
I wish I didn’t know about this one first hand.
I was shooting earlier in the day with my circular polarizer
on. Later that evening, as the light was getting low, I knew I’d have
to perhaps raise the ISO a bit, so I did. So why was I still having to
use longer shutter speeds and wider apertures than I thought I should?
Oh well, I made my shots figuring I could deal with the issue later in
post-production.
As I was putting the camera away, I saw my blunder – the polarizer was still on! Arghhh!!
I’d needlessly given up two-stops of light because I hadn’t taken the
filter off when I was finished using it. I won’t make that mistake
again. The takeaway? Turn your mistakes into lessons so you won’t repeat
them.
Here’s a fun and educational game to play with your photographer friends.
Play “Stump the Chump”
Here’s an exercise I’ve used with photo students to teach them to
quickly detect, diagnose, and recover from a camera problem. I take
their camera, have them turn their back, and then purposely change a
setting, flip a switch, or do something else that will create a problem.
I might even swap in a dead battery or a full storage card.
When they turn around, I hand them the camera. They have three
minutes and three shots to put things right and make a good image. The
fourth shot, when the three minutes are up, must be a good one.
This exercise teaches them the controls of the camera and how to
detect and cure camera problems. It’s all too easy to inadvertently bump
the wrong button, select the wrong menu item, or leave a setting in the
wrong position after a previous shot.
Something else to practice is learning where all your camera controls
are in the dark. How many times have you fumbled in a low light or
night photo session because you haven’t memorized the basic buttons and
settings on your camera? When the situation is fleeting, and you must
get the shot now, having to futz around with the camera is the mark of a
rookie.
Take
a page out of the Boy Scout Handbook when packing your camera bag for a
photo session or
trip and Be Prepared! It will head off many dumb
photographer mistakes.
Be prepared
It’s the Boy Scout motto – Be Prepared! You will head off many dumb
photographer mistakes by taking the time to check, maintain, properly
pack, and re-check your gear before you go.
Here is a checklist that you might want to copy and save:
Have the camera bodies and lenses you might use?
Don’t carry more than you need, but also don’t leave home something you
might want. Learn how to properly pack for any given photo session or
trip.
Batteries fully charged? You wouldn’t start a trip
with a half-tank of gas. Don’t go out with a battery only
half-charged. Don’t be “half-gassed.” Have extra, fully-charged
batteries and charger.
Storage cards off-loaded, formatted, and empty before you go?
Always have more storage than you expect to need. You never want to
have to delete photos in the field so you can make more room. Don’t use
your cards for long term storage. After a session, offload your images
to your computer, make a backup
elsewhere, and then format your card with the camera. Deleting images
with the card in the camera increases the risk of file corruption.
A
smudge on your lens can ruin an entire photo session if it goes
undetected. Clean your lenses
before a shoot and then periodically look
at them during a session.
Lenses cleaned? A big smudge, undetected can ruin an entire session.
Have your filters? Digital editing tools have
greatly reduced the need for specialized filters, but the one for which
there is no substitute is the circular polarizer. What you want will,
of course, depend on what you expect to be photographing.
Tripod cleaned, screws tight? Is your tripod plate or L-Bracket
on the camera or attached to the tripod? Not being able to mount your
camera to the tripod, or having something break or fall off, will ruin
your day and maybe your camera too.
Sensor cleaned? Yeah, you can remove sensor dust specks in editing, but save yourself the work by checking it before a shoot. Clean it when necessary or have a pro do it if you feel you don’t have the skills.
Have your camera strap? When going handheld, the
camera strap is your “safety belt.” Fumbling and dropping an expensive
camera has been known to make grown men cry.
Have a camera rain cover? Check the forecast, and if in doubt, have a rain cover. I just keep one in my pack at all times.
Have photographer comfort items Hat, gloves, sunscreen, and bug repellant? When you’re miserable, your photos will suffer.
Water and snacks? A happy photographer is a well-fed, well-hydrated photographer.
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
It’s been said that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying
hard enough. I would add that if you’re not more adventurous and
explorative with your photography, always shooting the same subjects
with the same camera settings, in the same way, you’re likely in a rut.
You might make fewer mistakes, but you will also make fewer unique and
exciting photos.
The same goes for learning what you can do with your camera. If you
always work in full Auto or Program mode, always use Auto-Focus, always
shoot .jpg or rely too much on your camera to do your thinking, you’ll
make fewer mistakes, but just average photos. Be adventurous, go
full-manual, try new things, and make some mistakes. It’s okay. When you
do, think about what went wrong and try it again.
As for the just plain “dumb photographer mistakes,” the kind we
covered here, they are a fact of photographic life. You’re gonna make
’em.
Learning to quickly detect, diagnose, and rapidly recover – that’s
the mark of a pro. We can also learn from each other, so be a little
humble and share your mistakes here with your fellow photographers in
the comments section below. We can all have a chuckle and then perhaps
not have to make those same mistakes ourselves.
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