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5 Non-Gear Related Ways to Improve Your Work and Take Better Photos

19 Sep

I have lost track of the number of times I have heard complete strangers compliment me on having a great fancy camera that takes “great pictures”. Initially, I used to be quick to the defense and try and get a word in on how I am a professional photographer and hence have some level of skill in my craft. But now I just nod, smile and quickly move away. Unfortunately, the reality is that a lot of photographers (and others) think that by having the latest and greatest fancy camera, they have the ability to take better photos.

The truth of the matter is that you don’t need the latest equipment or fancy qualifications to be a good photographer. Photography is a creative art form and like any art form, it takes a lot of hard work, practice, and perseverance to get really good at taking great pictures. Sure, you need to really understand your gear and what it can and cannot do. But there are loads of simple, non-technical stuff you can do to improve your photography as well.

Here are some non-gear related tips that will help you take better photographs.

#1 Take your camera everywhere

You never know what might be around the corner, be it close to home or on your far away travels. Life is unpredictable and things change in a split second. There’s always something interesting to photograph. You just need to open your eyes, look around and be ready to snap that shot. And additionally, make sure your phone or camera of choice is within easy reach ready for that shot.

5 Simple Non-Gear Related Ways to Improve Your Work and Take Better Photos

Cows hitching a ride inside trucks is quite a sight especially on narrow streets in India!

These migrating pelicans found the most electric resting places…hopefully, they got re-charged for their next flight.

#2 Take pictures every day

Overnight success is a myth. The sooner you realize that the more at peace you will have on your photographic journey. We all know that to get really good at anything, we need to practice and practice a lot. After all, practice makes perfect. The more pictures you take, the better you will become.

Don’t get hung up on what you’re using to take the pictures, either. Many times I only have my iPhone with me and take a shot if it catches my eye. Be confident that if done correctly, you can make good pictures with any camera.

Cupcakes and coffee = great food editorials shots.

Other times it is just a bowl of fresh fruit that can spark an inspiring photo. Don’t get hung up on the perfect scenery – let your imagination be your guide for your everyday shots.

#3 Analyze other photographs

Seek inspiration in other photos. Look at pictures you like and ask yourself what you like about those pictures. What makes it interesting to you and why? Also question how you could make it better or do it differently.

Don’t be afraid to try something similar and put your own creative spin on it. Take an old idea and make it your own. That makes it different, new and in turn, you just might make it better than the original.

A recent obsession in the study of effectively capturing movement in photographs led to a multi-exposure frame – one of my personal favorites to showcase my creative journey.

#4 Study your images

Become your own best critic. Question everything. Look at your pictures and ask yourself what you like and what you don’t like. Be completely honest with yourself as this will really help you improve your craft. Sometimes it is also beneficial to repeat the shot and change it up to make it better than your own original.

And when something works, celebrate your success. It is very important in your creative journey to celebrate your own milestones – it makes the journey that much more fun.

This is the view from my home in Bombay and I love photographing the sea bridge – one of the technological marvels of the modern world – at different times of the day and in different weather conditions. It is amazing to analyze how light and color changes the whole perspective of an image.

Of course, night shots have their own charm. Next time I shall remember to take my tripod along for some car trails!

#5 Stop, look and then click

Most of today’s fancy cameras have a continuous shooting mode where you can fire away at six to eight frames per second. But I find that this tends to make us lazy as photographers. We take on the mentality of the “spray and pray” theory that if we take 20 shots of something, chances are at least a couple will be worthwhile.

Yes, taking loads of pictures is great. But if you pause and take a few seconds to really observe your surroundings, you will be able to visualize your shot. Think about how you want your picture to look and do what you need to do to achieve that look. It might mean moving position, waiting for the light to change or the crowds to dissipate, but it could be the difference between a good photo and a great one.

We were walking along the narrow street of Vridhavan in India and this cow was ahead of us. We just stopped to see what he was doing and also to give him a wide berth as he was a very big bull. He calmly walked into this abandoned house and just made himself at home. It’s not every day that you find cows lounging inside your house.

Conclusion

I hope these simple yet powerful tips help you take better photos and improve at your skill and craft. Remember it is not the camera that takes a great picture but the skill of the person behind the camera that gets the money shot.

The post 5 Non-Gear Related Ways to Improve Your Work and Take Better Photos by Karthika Gupta appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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The Top Gear Related Articles from 2015

27 Dec

As much as we hate to admit it, we photographers love gear. We want the latest greatest lens, camera, bags, and gadgets. While we can’t always afford new things, nor do we need them, it’s nice to know what’s available when we are ready to upgrade.

popular dslrs

Let’s look at some of the top gear related articles from the last year, 2015.

Cameras and General

6 of the Most Essential but Underused Camera Features
How to Clean Your Camera Sensor and Lenses
Gear Envy: Five Things to Consider Before Buying Your First Camera
5 Lessons Learned Switching from DSLR to Mirrorless for Travel Photography
The 20 Most Popular DSLRs Among our Readers
The 19 Most Popular Compact System and Mirrorless Cameras with Our Readers
Mirrorless, DSLR or Point and Shoot: Which Camera is Best for Macro Photography?
Do You Really Need the Latest Greatest Gear?

Lenses

popular lenses

The 20 Most Popular DSLR Lenses Among our Readers
7 Tips to Help When You’re Stuck with Only a Prime Lens
Writer’s Favorite Wildlife Lens – Tamron 150-600mm
Writer’s Favorites – 35mm Prime Lens
Writer’s Favorite Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Photographing Stars Using a Kit Lens
How to Use a Wide-Angle Lens for People Photography
Why Every Photographer Should Use a Manual Focus Lens
5 Ways a Telephoto Lens Can Improve Your Landscape Photography
Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People

Other

How to Select the Right Camera Memory Card
5 DIY Hacks to Have in Your Camera Bag
dPS Writer’s Favorite Photography Gadgets
How to Shoot in Low-Light Conditions Without Using Flash
Essential Accessories for Landscape Photography
A Beginners Guide to Light Modifiers

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The post The Top Gear Related Articles from 2015 by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community

13 Feb

There is so much power in photography, as the old adage goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine if you did more than just create a photograph? Imagine if you taught a generation of people how to tell a story with a camera? Would you?

I have, and find it terribly rewarding! Well perhaps not an entire generation, but I have worked with some awesome teenagers in the Seattle area. Let me just say, it’s truly wonderful to see what can happen when you work with young curious minds.

I have mentored with a Seattle area non-profit, Youth In Focus whose mission is to empower urban youth, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and to make positive choices for their lives.

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Youth In Focus offers film and digital photography classes at different levels; this includes a full darkroom and a digital lab. It’s a kind of after-school program, providing a lot of these kids an opportunity to have a creative outlet that may not be available to them through their schools. Students are issued a camera, film/media and receive assignments weekly. There are also field trips to local museums and even photowalks.

One of our outings was at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Some of the kids in the group hadn’t been to the market before, this made for a great opportunity to see the market as well for them to have access to us while taking photographs, real time. The bonus was that we teachers and mentors take photos too.

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During my time with Youth in Focus, I worked with three different groups of students. Each group was amazing and entertaining too! The best moments are a round table discussion of each student’s images. Every week they select, edit, and print their favourite image from the previous week’s assignment. They may ask for guidance in selecting that image, especially in the beginning of the classes, as they’re just learning. You’ll find the best way to help them is to ask questions about the story they’re trying to tell or how they believe the composition could be better, etc. The goal is to get them talking about it, get them involved.

Connecting with the students via the art they’re creating is so powerful; seeing their improvement each week makes you proud. You’re excited for what’s to come and where they’re going to take it. It’s an experience not yet matched by any work I’ve done in my professional life. Perhaps if I were a full-time teacher I’d feel that, every day. I imagine you’ll get as much, if not more out of the experience if you try it.

At the end of each quarter the kids select their best one or two images to display as a part of an open house show. There’s a potluck dinner, and a gallery of images to view from each class. It’s so impressive to see what these kids create.

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Now you’re thinking, “Wow! I want to do that, I want to help kids and teach photography!” but then you think, “I don’t have the time” or perhaps, “I’m not a teacher”. That’s okay, you don’t have to be a teacher, you just need to have a desire to share the knowledge you already possess. As for time, if you really want to do it, you can you can make it happen. I did, and will again.

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Other challenges may be that there’s not a program like this in your city. Do a little research to see if you can find one, or reach out to a local high school and see if you could collaborate with them to put one together. I’d be willing to bet you can find other photographers in your area that would help you make it happen. If you’re in New York City, check out NYC Salt, which offers a similar mission for youth there.

If for some reason you can’t find the time to invest in such an opportunity, but you still want to be involved, you might consider making some sort of donation; old cameras, photo equipment, or of course good old hard cash. These kinds of groups are always in need of cameras, film, memory cards, rechargeable batteries and the like. Youth In Focus uses eBay to sell equipment that is donated but can’t be used in the classroom, then puts that money back into the classrooms.

Working with a non-profit like Youth In Focus or NYC Salt are not the only options. There are projects like Help Portrait, founded by Jeremy Cowart and Kyle Chowning, or The Giving Lens founded by Colby Brown. Those are just a couple, there are so many opportunities available, you just have to seek them out.

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There is great joy in giving back to your community, it’s challenging, educational, and it fills up your heart.

Are you ready?! Get out there and make it happen!

The post Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community by Kate Hailey appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Half Dome Permit Related Death?

09 Aug

Is the nearly impossible mechanism to obtain permits to hike Half Dome to blame for the death of a hiker this week?

I had an interesting conversation with my neighbor regarding the hiker that just recently perished on Half Dome this week as we’re both a 2-3 degrees of separation from her. What was an eye opener in the conversation is that few people hiked Half Dome that day because of questionable weather. Did the people who hiked Half Dome that day risk the questionable weather because it is so difficult to obtain permits? Or because there is no mechanism to redeem permits on another day if “rained out” (bigger risk being lightening)? Seems ironic that the permits could actually result in accidental deaths when they’re in place to prevent them from overcrowding.

Hikers Climbing the Cables on Half Dome – Yosemite, California

The Yosemite NPS Half Dome Day Hike site does say not to summit in bad weather, but there is no mention of a mechanism such as a “raincheck” provided by the BLM if conditions do not permit a safe summit. With such a difficult permit to obtain and such a long hike people who reach the cables might be unnecessarily tempted to ascend when they might otherwise try again another day.

Hikers Climbing the Cables on Half Dome – Yosemite, California (zoom)

From an example BLM site:

Can I get a “raincheck” after I pay my fees?

You can get a raincheck for the XXXXX permit areas only if you attempted to reach the trailhead and were unsuccessful. You may then apply for a raincheck voucher in person at the XXXXX Contact Station (or XXXXXOffice in the winter). You may redeem your raincheck voucher, at no cost, for a replacement permit dated within 30 days following your original permit, or within the same 30 day period the following year. Call the permits desk (xxx-xxx-xxxx) or the XXXXX Strip District Office (xxx-xxx-xxxx) with your voucher number to obtain a replacement permit.

Raincheck example: John Smith has a permit for 2 people to hike to XXXXX on March 18th, 2010 and he and his hiking partner are unable to get to the XXXXX Trailhead because XXXXX is flooded. Mr. Smith travels to the XXXXX Contact Station and applies for a raincheck voucher. He is issued a voucher that he may redeem for another permit before April 17th, 2010 or between March 19th and April 17th, 2011.

What are your thoughts?