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The Truth About Becoming a Professional Family Photographer

06 Nov

So you’re growing restless with your place in life, and thinking of becoming a professional family photographer? You know it’s what you want to do, but there seem to be a lot of obstacles holding you back. If only you could take a quick peek into the future and see if it will really work out for you.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to see the future. But would hearing from a photographer a few years ahead of you help?

I’ve been there myself and encouraged others along the way. And I hope I can inspire you too.

My first photography job had me working with dozens of kids every day. I didn’t know how to work the camera. Everything in the studio was preset. But what I did learn was how to work with people, especially kids. That is one of the most valuable parts of my family photography business.

Am I Good Enough?

Chances are many of your doubts relate to one question: ‘Am I good enough?’ But keep in mind that’s different from asking, ‘Are my photographs good enough?’

Are your photographs good enough? Do you know how to work your camera, and take the photo you envisage in your head? Do you get good responses from people when you put your photos out there? Do other photographers give you encouraging feedback?

If you can’t answer ‘Yes’ to these questions, then you probably need to improve your skills. But if you can, then you are good enough. And you’ll keep getting better through experience. Eventually, you’ll know you’re good enough because everyone who hires you will love their photos.

Begin with competence, and the confidence will come with time.

Along the way, you may be really hard on yourself. You might be a great photographer who pleases the families that hire you, and yet you still feel inferior. Learn to be honest with yourself, and start assessing your work from other people’s perspective.

At first, it may feel really awkward taking photographs of families you don’t know. Learn to embrace that awkwardness and be comfortable with new people, silences, and the occasional tears.

I Don’t Have a Defined Style Yet

You don’t need a defined style when you’re starting out. You’ll develop your style along the way. You don’t really know what you’ll encounter yet, so keep yourself open to surprises. Your style will reflect your unique vision (which you’ll be developing your entire life) and the experiences you’re drawn to.

Compared to other photographers well ahead of you, your style and vision may seem weak. But if you ask, they’ll tell you it took them a while to develop their style too.

I knew nothing about ‘golden hour’ photography when I first started my business. Now I love this time of day for photography.

I Need to Have the Right Gear First

Don’t go into debt for thousands of dollars to start your photography business. Use what you’ve got to the best of your ability. It’s probably better than you think.

Yes, you need to have good gear. But most new photographers over-purchase and buy gear they never use. Start with a good camera and a 50mm lens. Then upgrade and expand your gear as you get more experience.

No photographer is as good as the simplest camera — Edward Steichen.

I use a Fuji XT1 and 56mm lens for most of my photos.

Where Can I Get a Logo?

You don’t need a logo to get started. Nobody really cares about your logo. When people are looking for a photographer, it’s not your logo that will convince them to hire you.

Spend your energy building and showcasing your photography, and leave the logo for later.

How Many Facebook ‘Likes’ Should I Have?

When you’re starting out you should use every avenue possible to let people know you’re in business as a photographer – social media, networking, word of mouth and, of course, a website.

But don’t worry about the number of ‘likes’ you have. It’s the people who hire you that count, not the people who click ‘like’.

In the beginning, social media and word of mouth were critical for me. But now my website brings in most of my business. Create a simple website showcasing your photography, and tell people why they’ll love hiring you as a photographer.

Should I Quit My Job?

No.

Ease yourself into becoming a professional family photographer, and then leave your day job when you’re confident it’s the right decision.

I had seasonal jobs that allowed me to pursue photography in the summer. After about three years I decided to quit my job. I’m introverted and find it difficult to promote myself, so it took longer than it needed to. It might be much quicker for you.

Occasional sessions on evenings or weekends is a great way to get started. Prove you really want to be professional and that you can make your business work, then quit your job.

The more you focus on your photography instead of things such as logos and likes, the sooner you’ll be able to transition into your own business.

What Should I Charge?

I guarantee you’re thinking about this the wrong way. You’re thinking about how much you should charge per session, aren’t you? But you really have no idea. You’ll make assumptions about how much people are willing to spend. And you’ll settle for way too little.

Instead, you should:

Decide how much you’d like to earn in a year.
Decide how many sessions you’d like to do each year. (How many sessions can you handle each week or month?)
Use those numbers to calculate how much you need to charge per session.

Suppose you’d like to earn $ 50,000 per year and want to do only one session a week.

So that’s $ 50,000 / 50 sessions, or $ 1000 per session.

Maybe you’d settle for $ 20,000 each year and 100 sessions (two per week).

That’s $ 20,000 / 100 sessions, or $ 200 per session.

Keep in mind expenses. I use minimal gear and work on location, so my costs are quite low. But some photographers make a lot of money and then lose a lot of it due to expenses.

Above all, don’t assume you have to be cheap. People value photography, and when you’re a great photographer with excellent people skills they’ll be happy to pay you.

And don’t worry if your friends think you’re charging too much. Believe me when I say you shouldn’t start out cheap and then raise your prices over time. By all means, start off cheaper for a month or two to build your portfolio. But when you start you should already have your correct pricing in place.

Any Questions?

I’d be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them for you.

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How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline Quickly and Effortlessly

05 Nov

A wedding day photography timeline can help streamline the order in which you photograph a wedding.

From when the couple is getting ready all the way until the dance party, the timeline helps to keep everyone, especially you, on top of how the day unfolds.

It doesn’t matter if the couple has a coordinator or if the venue has a planner. A wedding day photography timeline will make sure that you are ready for the next big event.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 1

Portraits of the bride and groom at two different times during the day.

Why You Should Create Your Own Timeline

As the photographer, you need time during the wedding day to be able to capture all of the essential details, moments, and events that unfold throughout the day.

If you want to have even a little bit of control with the photography, you need to have a timeline made.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 2

Creating the timeline gives you control over how much time you have during any part of the day. Like the getting ready, where you can have the time to photograph the details.

Having a specific timeline for photography is priceless not only for you but the couple as well. It can help the bride to schedule her makeup and hair team.

The timeline also allows the bridal party to know where to be at what time. It also helps with family members who need to know when the extended family portraits are.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 3

A wedding timeline can help you choose or prepare for each of the important portraits during the day.

Not only does the timeline help you anticipate what is next during the wedding day, but also makes you look more professional because you know what is coming next. You aren’t scrambling asking the couple what is next.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 4

The wedding timeline can serve as a guideline for you during the wedding day. A directive ensures you get all the necessary photos of the day without questioning when or if you’ll have time to get them.

That way, you won’t miss the ring or shoe shot, or the photo of the bride with her favorite uncle.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 5

The timeline lays it all out for you – the couple, the guests and the bridal party. It even outlines the other vendors who will be working alongside you, such as the videographer or planner.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 6

Take advantage of any downtime during the day. This gives you the opportunity to create something unique and different.

It’s best to have the timeline made as soon as you know all of the major details of the wedding day.

Send it to your clients with at least a month in advance. Doing so gives them the time to make any last minute changes if necessary.

Confirm the wedding timeline at least a week before to make sure the day unfolds as planned.

Answer These Questions First

The following questions are important as they determine how you are going to schedule each portrait event of a wedding day.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 9

Some of the questions will have to be answered by the couple and other questions are for you to answer.

All of them equally important to the timeline!

Will the couple be having a ‘first look’?
If not, will there be enough light after the ceremony to take the bride and groom portraits?
If the couple is doing a ‘first look’, will they want bridal and family portraits following the portraits?
If the couple is not doing a ‘first look’, then the family portraits will have to be done separately. Also, bridal party portraits may have to be done separately as well. Is the couple okay with having these portraits separate?
Will the couple want sunset photos?
Are the locations for the portraits far from the ceremony or reception venue?

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 10

What it comes down to is whether the couple is deciding to have a traditional wedding or a ‘first look’ (when the couple sees each other before the ceremony).

Photography timelines are vastly different for each, which I will explain in more detail below.

It Doesn’t Have to be Fancy

The wedding photography timeline doesn’t have to be made in Adobe Illustrator (although you could do that). A simple Word document, or equivalent, would work just fine.

Having this schedule gives the couple a chance to look over the timeline and if need be, make changes of their own.

The following questions are important as they determine how you are going to schedule each portrait event of the wedding day.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 11

Also, you’ll want to create a template of some sort since you’ll be creating more timelines as you continue to grow your business. Once you get more experience creating these timelines, it will get easier and easier to fill in the details.

Traditional Wedding Day Photography Timeline

A traditional wedding means that a couple will not see one another before the ceremony and portraits get taken after the service. It usually isn’t a problem.

However, it is important to note if there will be enough light after the ceremony or if you will have to photograph the couple using artificial lighting.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 12

This couple opted to keep their wedding day traditional. Portraits were scheduled right after the ceremony.

The easiest way to create the wedding photography timeline for a traditional wedding is, begin with the times of the two most important parts of the wedding day: the ceremony and the reception.

From there, you will be able to work your way back and schedule the times for the rest of the days’ essential details.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 13

The same couple also decided to have sunset photos after dinner and toasts.

Say, for example, the ceremony begins at four o’clock in the afternoon, and the reception starts at seven o’clock. Begin with writing the ceremony time down first, and work your way backward until you reach the ‘getting ready’ part of the day.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 14

‘Getting ready’ photos can lead into the bridal portraits seamlessly.

Example Timeline for a Before the Traditional Ceremony

Working backward in time from the ceremony, a sample wedding day timeline may look like this:

04:00 pm – BRIDE AND GROOM ARE MARRIED
03:00 pm – Travel time to ceremony location and allow the bride to have touch-ups and get ready for the ceremony. Photos of the ceremony location and details. Candid photos of guests arriving
02:45 pm – Portraits of the groom with his family
02:00 pm – Portraits of the groom with groomsmen
01:00 pm – Portraits of the bride with her family
12:00 pm – Portraits of the bride alone and with bridesmaids
11:00 am – Photography coverage starts
10:00 am – Getting ready

Even if you may not be photographing the ‘getting ready’, due to collection choice or otherwise, it’s good to have a general layout of the day.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 15

This couple kept their wedding traditional. There was no more light after the ceremony and we prepared for that because we had a timeline.

Example Timeline for After the Traditional Ceremony

Once you have the bulk of the day laid out, it’s time to schedule all of the events after the ceremony.

It can look something like this:

05:00 pm – Portraits of the family with the couple after the ceremony. This can be either at the altar, ceremony location or somewhere close by.
05:45 pm – Portraits of the bridal party altogether with the couple.
06:00 pm – Bride and groom portraits
06:45 pm – Arrive at the reception location. Take detail photos of the reception set up.
07:00 pm – Reception time
10:00 pm – Photography coverage ends

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 16

Knowing when family portraits will be done can help keep everyone on schedule.

At the Reception

During the reception, it’s good to consult the coordinator or planner to ask what their scheduled timeline is. When there is no planner or coordinator, go to the DJ booth and consult with them.

The reception is much more relaxed than the rest of the wedding day. Here, you can follow the timeline that the other vendors provide so that you can focus on getting great photos of the dancing without the pressure.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 17

Work with your clients to outline which portraits are the most important for them. That way, you carve out enough time for those. The remainder can be filled in throughout the day.

For example, if the couple isn’t interested in having family portraits after the ceremony, fill the time with more bridal party photos or extend the couples’ portrait time.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 18

Ask your clients if they want sunset photos or if they will be having something special during the day. This way you can include it into the timeline.

Each wedding timeline can differ. Beginning with the ceremony and working in reverse will give you the quickest way to lay it all out.

‘First Look’ Wedding Day Photography Timeline

Again, even though the couple will be seeing each other before the wedding, it is quick and easy, to start with the ceremony time.

We’ll keep the same times for this example so that you can compare the two. Refer back here when you are creating your clients’ wedding timeline.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 19

‘First look’ before the ceremony.

‘First Look’ Example Timeline for Before the Ceremony

The ceremony begins at four o’clock and the reception begins at seven o’clock.

04:00 pm – BRIDE AND GROOM ARE MARRIED (Ceremony)
02:45 pm – Bridal Party Portraits with the couple
02:00 pm – Bride family portraits and groom family portraits
12:30 pm – Bride and groom ‘First Look’ and portraits
10:00 am – Getting ready photos

A timeline can change somewhat depending on ‘light’ situations. The afternoon sun is very harsh, especially for outdoor photography. You’ll want to avoid setting this time for the bride and groom portraits unless necessary.

In my experience, this is more often the case.

The above is a typical wedding timeline and even with the harsh light, you can opt for a covered or indoor location.

‘First Look’ Example Timeline for Before the Ceremony with Formals After

When your couple chooses to only do the ‘first look’ before the ceremony, and then do the formals later in the day, the wedding day could look something like this:

04:00 pm – BRIDE AND GROOM ARE MARRIED (Ceremony)
02:00 pm – Couple portraits alone
01:30 pm – Bridal party portraits with the couple
01:00 pm – Bride family portraits and groom family portraits
12:30 pm – Bride and groom ‘First look’ only
10:00 am – Getting ready photos

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 17

This couple had their ‘first look’ and formals before the ceremony. They also had formals after the ceremony during sunset.

‘First Look’ Example Timeline for After the Ceremony

From here, the post-ceremony timeline would look something like this:

05:00 pm – Portraits of the family with the couple after the ceremony. This can be either at the altar, ceremony location or somewhere close by.
05:45 pm – Cocktail hour at the reception venue
06:00 pm – Photograph reception details and other candids during this time
07:00 pm – Reception time

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 18

There are many different timelines because every wedding event is unique. Depending on your style, you might schedule the portraits earlier or later in the day.

Perhaps you’re photographing on a beach and want beautiful sunset photos. You may choose to take pictures of the couple earlier, and again during sunset.

Stick to the Timeline But Also be Flexible

Keep in mind that setbacks happen more often than not during wedding days. Fortunately, you have a handy wedding timeline. Due to the way it is set up, you have the option of rearranging and moving things around if necessary.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 19

An example of this would be if a groomsman is running late to the bridal party portraits, you can begin with the bridesmaids. Or if the bride is late for the portraits or ‘first look,’ you can switch to the pictures of the groom with his family instead.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 20

We didn’t have time before the ceremony to take the full bridal portraits so we opted to do them at a later time.

Having the timeline in mind during the wedding day will make these setbacks easier to overcome. You can reassure your clients that you will still get all of the photos that are of utmost importance to them.

Template for Quick and Easy Wedding Day Photography Timeline

Creating timelines doesn’t have to be a grueling task. Use the below template to help you effortlessly create quick and easy wedding photography timelines. It works for both traditional or non-traditional weddings, and begins with the ceremony and working backward.

Once you’ve created your timeline, make sure to confirm all of the details with your couple. Sure, things can change on the day, but it is still essential for the couple to sign off on it.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 21

Be sure to send a copy to the wedding planner or coordinator as well. That way, everyone is on the same page in regards to the timeline of how the day will unfold.

Conclusion

As the photographer, it’s important that you, your clients, and team, are all on the same page as the day unfolds.

Taking the time to create a timeline of each significant photographic moment during the day will save time and keep you in control of the photography.

How to Create a Wedding Day Photography Timeline 22

Work with the coordinator or DJ for the reception events. Add these to the timeline, even if they might be changed on the day.

With time and experience, you’ll be creating wedding timelines quickly and effortlessly!

Do you have trouble with wedding day photography timelines? Are their extra things you would consider? Share with us in the comments below.

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Samyang 14mm f/2.8 Lens – Astrophotography On A Budget

04 Nov

When it comes to choosing lenses, there are two main schools of thought. The first is to use a minimum number of zoom lenses with a large range of focal lengths. The second is to use more lenses with a smaller range of focal lengths.

As a travel photographer, I’ve worked hard to minimize my gear. I would love to own a dozen lenses, I just don’t want to carry them all. It’s rare to find more than three lenses in my bag.

I’ve followed that first school of thought for years, and it’s served me well.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens for astrophotography

The Case For Specialist Lenses

Whatever you photograph, there inevitably will come a time when you want a specialist lens for a specific subject. I’ve experienced this a couple of times.

In a past life as a wedding photographer, I owned a macro lens that I bought exclusively for photographing details such as rings. My other lenses weren’t up to the task, so I added it to my kit for just a few detail images per wedding.

Fast forward a few years, and I discovered a love for astrophotography. I found once again that my landscape lenses weren’t up to the task.

Astrophotography is a highly specialized subject and one that calls for the right gear. I was getting some reasonable night sky photos with my 16-35mm f/4 lens, but I wanted something wider and faster. I needed another specialist lens.

The Samyang 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens

My search for a lens that was wider than 16mm and faster than f/4 led me to a few lenses that I would’ve loved to add to my kit. The problem was that they were all either too large or too expensive. I didn’t want or need another wide-angle zoom lens.

Then I found the Samyang (also branded as Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 lens. 14mm gives you a 115° view, which is plenty wide enough to capture the night sky.

The maximum aperture of f/2.8 is fast enough to capture insane amounts of light in the stars. Being a prime lens, it’s lighter than most wide-angle zoom lenses. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s cheap.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens for astrophotography

Weight

At around 550g, this lens isn’t going to add a lot of extra weight to your camera bag. It’s made mainly of plastic, but build quality is surprisingly good for the price.

It isn’t the highest quality astrophotography lens on the market, but for a budget lens, it’s good enough.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens for astrophotography

Sharpness

Image sharpness is about what you would expect for a budget lens.

It’s sufficiently sharp for astrophotography, but personally, I wouldn’t use it for landscape photography during daylight hours.

This lens also has quite a significant distortion, but that’s unavoidable with such a wide lens. Lightroom’s lens correction profile does a pretty good job of correcting it.

Focus

One thing you need to consider before buying this lens that it’s manual-focus only. It also uses a manual aperture ring.

This has never been a problem for me, as I’ve found auto-focus to be virtually useless when photographing the stars. The focus ring has a nice smooth feel to it and a large throw, making focusing incredibly accurate.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens for astrophotography

You’ll also need to consider that you can’t use filters with this lens due to the large front element. Again, this shouldn’t be an issue if you’re using it for astrophotography, because you won’t be needing filters.

Who Is This Lens For?

If you’re looking for a wide lens on a budget, you should definitely consider the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens.

For a great astrophotography lens that won’t break the bank, it’s hard to beat. It may not be the best option if you’re planning to sell large prints, but the image quality will be sufficient for most photographers.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens for astrophotography

Other uses for this lens could be architecture and real estate interiors photography.

You could definitely photograph landscapes with it, but the image softness could be an issue. If you want a higher quality, sharper lens, you’ll need to increase your budget a fair bit.

It’s available with mounts for Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Pentax, and compatible with both full frame and cropped sensors.

Have you used the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens? What’s your go-to lens for astrophotography?

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The One Skill That Will Help You Become a Better Portrait Photographer

04 Nov

Watch any accomplished people photographer at work and you’ll see deliberate intention. Not so much with their camera, but with their subject. Bruce Gilden takes just moments to photograph New Yorkers in the streets. Nick Knight spends hours with models in his studio or on location. The relationships they have with the people they photograph is calculated and purposeful.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Monk in a Samlor © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Photographers with less experience approach making a portrait differently. They’ll look at the camera in their hands, make technical decisions, alter and check settings, change lenses, perhaps add filters. All with the intention of making a better photograph.

Meanwhile, the portrait subject is probably feeling a bit lost or ignored. They may become disinterested, or even bored.

Engaging with the person you want to photograph will help you get better photos far more than fiddling with your camera at the last minute.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Kayaw Girl © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Connect and Relate

Pay attention to your subject. You won’t see an experienced professional focusing on the camera when they are with their subject. They will have already taken care of the exposure and focus options, made conversation, and paid their compliments. The smiles and laughter will come naturally, or a more somber mood established if needed.

Relating to your subject, giving them your attention and engaging them will help them relax. When the subject enjoys the process and feels good about it you’ll get much better portraits.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Pretty Dancer © Kevin Landwer-Johan

For this photo made during a street parade, I wanted to eliminate the background. This was a challenge as there were people and activity everywhere. I had to move her until there was nothing distracting behind her. As I did, I chatted with her and mimicked how I wanted her to hold her hands. She was fascinated that I was being so precise and enjoying the interaction.

Even if you have only a short time to make a portrait, learning to connect is the best thing you can do to improve your craft. For me, it was extremely difficult as I’m a naturally shy person.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Laughing Lady © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Purposefully Build Your Confidence

My career started in the photography department of a daily newspaper. I quickly realized that to be successful I needed to overcome my insecurities. Most photos in newspapers include at least one person in the composition, so if I didn’t overcome these securities, I wouldn’t have a job for long.

You probably won’t have the same pressure to perform and come up with publishable pictures. But if you aren’t accustomed to connecting with people, you’ll need to change if you want to make engaging portraits.

Shy photographers often think, ‘I don’t want to impose on people, or cause them any bother.’ This is the first aspect of portraiture you need to work on.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Grandpa © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Instead of thinking you’ll be a nuisance, think that you might just make someone’s day by photographing them. People often like attention. If you approach them with a smile and a friendly manner, you’ll be surprised at the responses.

Revisit the Same Locations

Building relationships with people over time will allow you to photograph them more easily. We run photography workshops in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The people at the markets and villages are now quite familiar with us. We know many people who enjoy being photographed. We’ve been purposely building relationships.

You may have a local farmers market or your kid’s football club you can go to regularly with your camera. Return to the same locations and photograph the same circumstances. Doing so will help build relationships – and your confidence.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Lemon Grass © Kevin Landwer-Johan

I’d never photographed this man before. But he’d seen me around taking photos and was keen to have his picture taken. This makes life easy for a photographer. Him being so open and willing meant I could easily engage with him and get a very natural environmental portrait, even though he was posing. I showed some interest in him. I asked about the produce he was selling and he responded warmly.

Take Control of Your Camera

Know your camera. Plan ahead and set your gear before you’re with your subject. Choose the right lens. Guess what the light will be like and whether you want a soft or sharply focused background. If you’re unsure about using manual controls, choose aperture priority so you can get the depth of field you want.

When you know your camera well and are in control of it, you’ll be free to engage your subject. Talking with your subject before taking their photo will be far more beneficial than messing around with your camera settings.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Porter © Kevin Landwer-Johan

I’d seen this porter at the market a number of times, and sensed he was a little shy. But I wanted to photograph him. He has an interesting face and traditional tattoos on his forearms.

When I saw him resting on his push cart I set my exposure manually and made a test frame from across the street without him being aware. I guessed my focus distance and then approached him. I anticipated him being shy, and that some of the vendors might start teasing him and encouraging him to smile.

He agreed to me photographing him. But as he did, he put his hands by his side. I asked him to put them back where he had them, explaining that I wanted to photograph his tattoos as well.

In this short moment, two or three people did start to tease him. He got embarrassed and pushed his handcart off down the street. This frame is the only clear one I got.

If I’d been ill-prepared with my camera and not engaged him, I doubt the picture would be as interesting.

The next time I saw him I gave him a print of his portrait. He always says “Hi” to me now and gives me a big smile when we visit the markets.

The One Skill That Will Make You A Better Portrait Photographer Model and Mask © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Learn From the Masters

When I was learning there were no YouTube or other internet resources to help me. These days there are dozens of documentaries and programs showing photographers at work. Find some you admire and wish to emulate, and learn how they do it.

This documentary about some of New York’s well-known street photographers will give you a good insight into how different people achieve their results.

One of my favorite Instagram feeds is that of Lee Jefferies’ portraits. In this video, he tells a little of his story, and how he creates his incredibly intimate portraits of homeless people.

Many of the best portrait photographers are naturally more reserved. This comes through in their photography. Their portraits speak more about the subject than the photographer.

Engage Intentionally

Next time you make a portrait, converse and connect with your subject more than with your camera.

And if you’ve had a fun conversation with someone while making a portrait, share your story with us in the comments.

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How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease

03 Nov

Ever wondered what Lomography is?

Have you seen Lomo images and wanted to know how to do it? Do you know what Lomo photography is but don’t want to go back to film or buy more cameras?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on to learn about Lomo, and how to achieve a hassle-free, totally digital image like it.

What is Lomo?

You’ve probably heard of this term or its more colloquial name Lomography. It became very trendy over the last decade, and there are even workshops, contests and more dedicated to it.

It refers to a style of photography made with a particular brand of camera from Austria called Lomo. Thus, the name of the technique comes from the camera brand. Different models create a different kind of image.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 1

What is Lomography?

Regardless of the model of camera, the make is mostly plastic including the lens.

Sometimes they have light leaks and allow very little control over the settings. Therefore, the results are fun and unpredictable. While technically they have photographic ‘flaws,’ it creates a particular style that created an entire visual culture around it – Lomography.

How to Mimic the Lomo Effect in Photoshop

As I’ve explained, Lomo photography can be unpredictable, and also includes different models of camera that create a different kind of photograph. Therefore there’s no specific set of rules.

I’ll mention some of the most common and characteristic effects of the Lomo cameras and how to achieve them using Photoshop. These are not set in stone. The fun part about real Lomo or digital Lomo effect is that you can be as creative as you want.

1. Vignette

Most of the images created with a Lomo camera, especially if made with long exposures, have a vignette.

To create a Lomo image in Photoshop, you need to duplicate the background layer by dragging the existing one to the bottom into the New Layer button, or by going to Menu-> Layer-> Duplicate Layer.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 2

Next, go to Filter-> Lens Correction (If you don’t immediately see it in your version of Photoshop, go inside ‘Distort’ to find it). In the ‘Custom’ tab, move the slider called ‘Vignette.’ Once satisfied, apply the filter.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 3

Duplicate this ‘Vignette’ layer. Go to Menu -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur. I’ll set it to 3 pixels, but this is entirely up to you.

Now use the ‘Eraser’ tool. Start to delete the center and slowly widen your moves towards the outside. We do this process because the edges are not super sharp in Lomo photography, due to the lenses often being made of plastic.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 4

2. Grain

Since Lomo cameras use film, you can give the illusion of analog photography by adding a little grain to the image. To do this, select the first Vignette layer and go to Menu -> Filter -> Filter Gallery- > Artistic -> Film Grain.

Again, the quantity is for you to decide as it’s an authors choice and not an exact recipe to follow. I’ll do 4 with an intensity of 3.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 5

3. Color Saturation

Finally, Lomo’s characteristic colors are overly saturated. To achieve this, while there are many ways in Photoshop, I like to do it channel by channel with the ‘Curves’ tool. Firstly, add an adjustment layer.

To do this, click on the button at the bottom of the Layer panel with the circle symbol, and choose ‘Curves’ from its pop-up menu. You can move around the settings in each channel separately by opening the ‘Preset’ drop-down menu as per the picture below:

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 6

You may continue adding some adjustment layers to keep modifying the effect. I added a ‘Gradient Map’ with an ‘Overlay’ blending mode. I also added a ‘Vibrance’ and ‘Saturation’ layer where I pushed the vibrancy up a bit more. Experiment until you are satisfied with your adjustments.

Remember that you can double-click any adjustment layer to open its properties and move the settings as many times as you want.

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Once your adjusts are set, go to Layer -> Flatten Image which will compact all the layers you created into one. If however, you’d like to keep your layered file first, save a copy of it before you flatten. Once your image is flattened, go to Menu -> Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask and apply it to your image.

Be careful not to exaggerate this because it will enhance the film grain from before. Just move the sliders while keeping an eye on the preview window.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 8

That’s it! Take a look at the before and after images below.

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 9

Before

How to Mimic Lomography in Photoshop with Ease 10

After

Try out this technique for yourself, and show us what you come up with in the comments section below.

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Weekly Photography Challenge – Panoramas

03 Nov

Gorge Heritage Walk Panoramas by Caz Nowaczyk

Gorge Heritage Walk in Mt Buffalo National Park, Victoria in Winter on a sunny day by Caz Nowaczyk

This week’s photography challenge topic is PANORAMAS!

Panoramas are a fantastic way to capture the vastness and detail of the subject that you are shooting. Whether it’s a dynamic landscape or cityscape, panoramas always have an impact.

Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on how to take panoramas and how to edit them together for the final product.

Tips for Shooting Panoramas

How to Shoot and Stitch a Panorama Photo

21 Tips to Help You Create Better Panoramas

How to Shoot Really Big Panoramas

Tips For Stitching Panoramas in Post

How to Match Exposures when Stitching Panoramas in Photoshop

Step by Step Using Merge to Panorama in Lightroom

Weekly Photography Challenge – Panoramas

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSPANORAMAS to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

New England Highway by Caz Nowaczyk - Panoramas

Winter sunrise on the New England Highway, Llangothlin, NSW by Caz Nowaczyk

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Why Limiting Free Users to 1,000 Photos on Flickr is a Smart Move

02 Nov

Tim O'Reilly

Yesterday Flickr made their first big restructuring announcement since recently being purchased by SmugMug. Beginning next year on January 8th, Flickr will limit free accounts to 1,000 photos. The previously offered free 1 terabyte of storage goes away. At the same time Flickr is returning their paid pro account to unlimited storage which had been their original offer before capping new Pro accounts at 1 terabyte back in 2013. If you were Pro before 2013 you were considered “old school” Pro and kept your unlimited storage, but new accounts were limited. Now all Pro accounts are back to being unlimited.

In 1973 the artists Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman broadcast a short video titled “Television Delivers People”. In that video a simple assertion was made: the product of television. commercial television. is the audience. Television delivers people to an advertiser. Since then, various influential individuals from Tim O’Reilly to Steve Wozniak to Apple CEO Tim Cook have all repeated the mantra: “if you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer, you’re the product being sold.”

To put things more simply, there are two viable business models on the internet today to deliver service. There is a paid subscription model and there is a “free” model where business sell your data and make money on advertising everything from Butterfinger candy bars on Instagram to “brain force” pills via Alex Jones.

Personally I prefer to pay for an ad-free online experience which is one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed Flickr so much where I’ve had an opportunity to pay annually since I joined the service back in 2003. Flickr delivers a clean user interface, full high res photos, a compelling app for my iPhone, unlimited storage, kick ass organizational tools, a social community to engage with, search tools, stats, and much more.

At $ 50/year (well technically $ 49.99 but I like to round up) I think Flickr delivers tremendous value. I have spent thousands of hours of my life on the site — thousands of ad-free hours not just for me, but for any of my friends or even strangers who happen to land on my photo page too. I am more than happy to pay this every year and will continue to do so until I die most likely. Hopefully I will figure out a way to even continue paying after I die as my personal life goal is to publish 1,000,000 photos before I die and then let that archive of work stand in all perpetuity after I am gone.

So obviously Flickr works for me, but what about all those people who don’t/haven’t paid and just want to use the service for “free.”

I believe that one of the reasons why Flickr was sold by Oath (who had purchased Yahoo’s content businesses) to Smugmug was because Oath realized that a hybrid subscription/free service doesn’t really work. It’s the same reason why Facebook is so resistant to offering a paid ad-free option to customers.

Oath is basically an advertising company and when you are advertising at people you need to be able to advertise to your most profitable customers to make the service work. When you give your most profitable customers (i.e. the ones with money) the option to pay to opt out of ads they do and will. What you are left with is a bunch of accounts by heavy users who are either poor Americans or more likely poor overseas accounts or very light users who can put up with ads but won’t see very many because they are only on your site 2 minutes a week. Whatever the case, you are basically providing a terabyte of enterprise storage, bandwidth, support, etc., to customers who cannot economically be supported by advertising.

In order for Flickr to survive it has to be a long-term profitable business. SmugMug knows a thing or two about how to do this as their primary model for over a decade has been entirely subscription based. As someone who wants to be able to host my photos on Flickr for the 50 remaining years I likely have left on this planet (and even after my death) in order to publish 1,000,000 photos, it’s important to me that Flickr has a long-term viable business model. This means that strongly encouraging free users (who are not currently paying their way) to migrate to paid Pro is important.

I do think it is important for Flickr to offer a free account in order to give people an opportunity to try out the service to see if it is for them. 1,000 photos gives you plenty of opportunity to do just that. It gives you hundreds, even thousands, of hours to explore and enjoy the service without paying — but if you are a heavy user of the site and are using over 1,000 photos of space, at some point you ought to pay.

By the way, Flickr’s original deal when I started with them was that they would only show your most recent 100 photos if you were a free account and the Pro account cost $ 60 (or $ 59.99) per year. So you might say the current account that gives you 10x that or 1,000 is 10x more generous than the original Flickr from way back.

Besides the obvious business model reasons why this is a smart decision for Flickr and their users, there are other important reasons this makes Flickr better as well. One of the things I noticed after Flickr began offering 1 terabyte for free to users was that many users simply began using Flickr as a backup site for all of their photos. Instead of sharing their best photos with a community, they simply dumped everything on their hard drive to Flickr and left and went away. These photos were then indexed for search and populated the service littering it with low quality content (screengrabs, 1,000 bad photos in a row of fireworks, 3,000 poorly composed photos in a row of somebody’s sister’s wedding, etc.). By focusing Flickr’s vision on photo sharing and community rather than simply another online photo backup dump this makes the visual experience better for those of us who are actually there to share photos and engage with each other.

Also, if people are willing to pay for something they tend to put more effort into it. If you are paying for something and perceive it’s value you’ll care more, contribute more and be a part of something. These are the accounts that I value on Flickr the most.

Yesterday morning I had an opportunity to talk to Don MacAskill (SmugMug/Flickr CEO) about this most recent decision that Flickr is making on the phone. Don is someone who cares deeply about Flickr and its community. How many CEOs do you know that spend an entire day interacting with users in an online forum about a big change like this?

I truly believe that yesterday’s decision not only paves the way to make Flickr viable for many years ahead, but that it paves the way for Don and his team to continue to spend money growing and building out the site for the community that is there and loves the service so much.

There are still so many great things that can be done with Flickr going forward. Groups need work. Search needs work. Community needs work. The app needs work. All of these things do cost money though and by getting rid of the massive storage/bandwidth demands of 1 terabyte free accounts and gaining more paid subscribers, this will allow Flickr to do this important work to continue making Flickr the best photo sharing site on the internet for all of us who are a part of the Flickr community and love the site so much.

I do understand that people don’t always want to pay for things, but I think that the right people will pay for Flickr because it provides them tremendous value. I pay for my Adobe Lightroom subscription. I pay for my Netflix account. I pay for these things because they provide me value. This is also why I pay for Flickr and will continue doing so many years into the future.

Unfortunately as we have seen with services like Friendfeed (purchased by Facebook) or even Google+ (in the process of being killed by Google) social networks oftentimes get shut down. It is very important to me that Flickr remains profitable for the long-term so that I can count on it being there many, many years from now. I think yesterday’s decision helps make Flickr more economically viable and sustainable many years into the future.

You can find me on Flickr here.

[disclosure, I know people and have friends that work at both Flickr and SmugMug]

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

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7 Tips For Planning the Perfect Photography Trip

02 Nov

Are you planning your next photography trip? This video from Nigel Danson outlines 7 tips for planning the perfect photography trip.

In this awesome video, Nigel covers in some detail the following points:

1. Ensure You Take the Right Gear

Use Adobe Lightroom (or other post-processing applications you may use) to check out your favorite shots so you can see what lens you used. Chances are, you will find a trend towards one or two lenses, helping you to rule out the ‘just-in-case’ lenses. Try to stick to just 2 or 3.

Tripod – something that is lightweight, yet durable is a good choice.

Lens cloth – helpful for drying and cleaning your camera.

Portable hard drive – to download your images from your camera.

USB Battery Charger – If you run out of battery power on-location you can recharge via the USB.

Handwarmers (if in cold locations) – great for warming hands (and batteries) when in cold or icy climates.

2. Be Sure To Test All New Gear.

Check all the settings on any new camera gear to both make sure they work the way you expect, and so you know how to use them!

3. Understand Your Location

Research the location beforehand. Use tools like Google Earth to allow you to visualize a place in 3D. With Google Earth, you can get an idea of the scenic points that you can see from particular positions..

Check maps for routes, trails, and locations to narrow down where you would like to visit.

Make a google map of that area and plot your locations.

4. Focus on Fewer Locations

Plan out the best locations, so you don’t end up with just lots of holiday snaps. The more time you spend in a particular location, the more you can explore the light and angles, and get much better images as a result.

5. Understand the Time of Year in Detail

Understanding the time of year in detail means you have a better understanding of when the sun rises and sets in that place and its position in the sky. Where the sun sits dictates the composition of your shot. A good app for checking these things is Photopills. Also, check the weather forecasts.

6. Research the History and Culture of the Location

You want to tell a story about the location you are visiting. You want to let people know what it was like there (to accompany your photos either via blog or in person). Having a background to your images is excellent for these reasons. It is also great to have conversations with locals about the area.

Employ a local guide while you are there to find out the best spots and to get background information.

7. Explore Social Media and the Web

Take a look at what other people are photographing in that location, and look to take photos in spots that are covered least. That way you aren’t just making the same images as everyone else!

Be sure to follow some of Nigel Danson’s tips for planning the perfect photography trip.

If you have any tips of your own that you would like to share, please let us know in the comments below.

You may also find the following articles on our site useful:

Beginner’s Guide to Natural Light in Landscape Photography

5 Landscape Photography Mistakes That Keep Your Images From Standing Out

Using Layers and Foreground Interest for Better Landscape Photography

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Understanding Tonal Range in Photography

02 Nov

Understanding tonal range in photography can be the last thing on a photographers mind.

As we progress on our particular paths, there can be times when even the most mindful of us take some things for granted. The simple elements are sometimes overlooked first – such as a sloppy tripod setup or assuming our cameras settings are where we last left them.

In the same vein, the steadfast technical concepts of our photo work are misunderstood, misinterpreted or worse – completely forgotten. This malady spans every level of skill and afflicts both pros and hobbyists alike.

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 1

Take as an example the most basic building block of any photograph; light. In our weirdly flexible digital age of post-processing, we can sometimes forget what is happening with the luminance values of our images.

Our photographs are displays of contrast between light and dark, but the distance between the two are virtually limitless.

A Brief Word on Tonal Range

All that we’re talking about here today is the measure of brightness from complete dark to complete light. The range between the different brightness levels within our photos determines its degree of contrast. Take a look at this tonal scale:

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 2

We move from complete darkness on the left (black) to complete light (whites) on the right. This scale applies for both color and black and white photographs. Now, let’s talk about each of these values and how they relate to your photography.

Highlights

Traditionally, I’ve always thought of highlights as the brightest portions of an image, which is not the case. At least not the case to the utmost extent. In truth, highlights can be considered the areas of a photograph which consist of high luminance values yet still contain discernible detail. Here’s an example of highlight luminance values:

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 3

Notice that even though these areas are bright, there is still some discernible texture and detail to be made out within the bright spots. If we were to increase the exposure, in camera or with post-processing, it would become so bright that it would lose detail entirely, which brings us to our next point.

Whites

If we increase the brightness to the extent that our highlights become ‘blown out’ (where details are invisible), we have complete white.

Even if the white area doesn’t appear white, it may be considered a total ‘white area’ due to the lack of detail. The following is an example of luminance considered total white:

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 4

Depending on your photograph, it may or may not be desirable to push the exposure to the point of white-out. We’ll talk more about this as we discuss the relevance of tonal range in regards to constructing your images.

Midtones

A mid-tone is precisely that – all luminance values that are not dark or light are considered to be mid-tones. Most of the time our camera meter will attempt to expose for this average brightness when in ‘Automatic Mode.’

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 5

While mid-tones help to ensure much information is contained in an image, a photograph consisting of only mid-tones lacks dynamics.

Shadows

Areas that appear as shadows are closely related to highlights albeit in the opposite direction. Shadows are the areas of a photo that are dark but still retain a level of detail.

The above photo is a perfect example of more information in the shadow areas, so let’s use it one more time:

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 6

These darker areas still possess information seen by the viewer. However, if we darken them to the point where that detail gets lost or ‘burnt out,’ then…you guessed it, they become a completely black luminance value.

Blacks

Any portion a photograph that has zero luminance is considered to be black. Much like the complete white areas earlier, these points within our images don’t have to be utterly devoid of color to be regarded as pure black.

Let’s look at some shadows that are completely burnt out and retain no detail whatsoever:

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 7

Completely black areas are so dark that you can see nothing. Consider them the ‘dark abyss’ within a photograph. Having these areas within your image isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so let’s talk about that now.

Luminance Values and You

If you ever open a conversation among a group of photographers about the suitability of brightness levels within a photograph, you’d see that the schism is split. Some photographers feel that images should contain no areas of complete black or complete white – that all portions of the photograph should present some level of detail for the viewer.

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 8

Still, others contend that it’s perfectly fine to either burn or blow out some luminance values for the sake of contrast. Doing this means that there is an area of complete black and complete white so that all the other luminance values fall somewhere between those two absolutes.

While it’s true that it is often desirable to deliver the maximum amount of visual information to your audience, this is not always the case. There are times when a crushed and burnt out shadow or a super-bright highlight are just what you need to bring a photograph home.

Understanding Tonal Range in Photography 9

Final Thoughts

I’m happy to profess my opinion that there is no such thing as a set technique for each photograph you make. It might seem like a simple thing to remember, but it’s easy to overlook the importance of how different levels of brightness affect an image. Let’s take a quick run back through what we’ve learned about luminance values:

Highlights – Bright areas within a photo that still maintain detail
Whites – Areas of extreme brightness where there is absolutely no information(detail) remaining
Midtones – These are neither shadows or highlights but rather a middle value of luminance
Shadows – Darker areas of the image that still maintain detail
Blacks – Completely ‘burnt out’ portions of a photo that contains absolutely no detail

Like most concepts in photography, it’s essential to have a full understanding of the tonal range falling within your photos. You should use this knowledge to strive for technical excellence and also so you know when to break the rules in favor of fulfilling your creative vision.

How do you make use of tonal range in your images? Share with us your thoughts and images in the comments below.

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6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes

01 Nov

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 1

Towns and cities can be noisy, busy, stressful and congested but provide excellent subjects for photography. Taking great photographs of cities is not easy so here are six ideas to help you capture city scenes:

1) City Skyscrapers

Urban photography offers a great opportunity to document a cities environment.

On a sunny day, most photographers choose to head out into nature, where the coast or a rolling landscape is usually only a short drive away.

However, if you opt for urban landscapes, there are a whole manner of worthwhile subjects where you can point your lens. Skylines, architecture, famous landmarks and bridges are all beautiful examples of city elements worth capturing.

Cities dominated by skyscrapers are visually exciting and provide a wealth of interesting buildings to view and photograph. You could find strong patterns, symmetry, dramatic lighting and different textures amongst high-rise buildings.

Look for architectural or urban features that create interest and use a wide angle of view to convey a grander sense of the scene.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 2

Shanghai, China

2) A Nocturnal Cityscape

Cities are becoming more popular as destinations for short breaks. Overnight stays in cities provide an opportunity to photograph a nocturnal cityscape.

One key advantage of shooting a city at night is you can work in all kinds of weather such as rain, snow or light fog.

It is possible to do this because you are mainly focusing on elements that are characterized by darker tones with a few spots of color and light.

When capturing cities in the dark, you don’t need to concentrate on the usual shadows and tonal gradations that are relevant in the daytime. You work purely with light.

I suggest that you set yourself up before it gets dark so you can see what you’re doing and experiment with the changing light as it shifts from light to dark.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 3

MILLENIUM BRIDGE, London

3) Reflected City

Many buildings and city landmarks are so photogenic that they can be too familiar a subject to photograph.

Instead of shooting the usual perspective of just buildings, concentrate on reflective surfaces that mirror back the surrounding architecture.

You can find reflections in a pool of water, a polished surface or shiny glass (reflecting abstract patterns) and the bonnet of a car parked on a rooftop.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 4

Photographs of reflections are visually pleasing when executed correctly. To be most effective, select the maximum depth of field and aim to achieve an image that’s as sharp as possible.

4) City Scenes by Night

City centers become great light shows at night.

They give an array of color from buildings to lights of passing cars. One tip I recommend is you capture the energy and excitement of a nighttime scene by including a human element.

Doing so will make your images more dynamic and dramatic.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 5

Radcliffe Camera

If you are shooting at night, you will need a slower shutter speed to capture the scene. Use this to your advantage by recording flowing traffic such as buses and taxis or colorful clouds.

These can add motion to your city scenes or a splash of color to supplement the buildings in the background.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 6

Piran, Slovenia

5) An Urban Landscape – Day Shots of the City

Another way you can capture striking images of cities is to photograph the urban landscape.

Perspectives can be obtained from ground level or by capturing the city from above. Overlook a city from a tower or a rooftop. Find interesting patterns, contrasting buildings or views of street life to photograph.

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 7

University Church of Saint Mary the Virgin viewpoint

When shooting from high elevations, if you have to lean out for your shot, make sure it is safe to do so. Secure your camera strap around your hand or neck to keep it safe.

6) City Streets or Cityscapes From Afar

6 Tips For Photographing Better City Scenes 8

City streets provide intriguing and picturesque subjects such as human interest and variable light.

You may find yourself walking past a location every day and not realize its potential. Until striking shadows from the sun transform it into a great composition that brings it to life.

You don’t have to take pictures of city scenes only from close range. Take a step back and capture a wide shot of the urban landscape from afar. Seek out a viewpoint that allows you to obtain more context from an unusual angle.

Conclusion

Use these tips to go out and capture your best shots of city scenes and share your images in the comments below.

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