Category: Photography

10 Must-Have Photography Accessories
You finally have your new camera and after the first few weeks of taking it out, you begin to realize that there may be other things that you need. Sometimes it is hard to know what photography accessories are really necessary and which are more “nice to have” items. It’s certainly possible to spend a lot of money on extra photography gear so it pays to put a bit of thought into it.

Of course, what you need will depend on the kind of photography you will be doing. A landscape photographer will need lots more things than a city street photographer. A studio portrait shooter will have a whole shopping list of expensive lights and stands required (not to mention the studio space in which to put it all).

But let’s start at the beginning, what are the most basic and necessary photographic accessories.

1. Extra Camera Batteries

Having a spare camera battery is a lifesaver, especially if you have remembered to charge it in advance. There is nothing worse than running out of power for your camera when you are away from home. You can choose to buy the branded battery to suit your camera, but there are also more cost effective third party options. My preference is to stick with branded, I have found they perform better over the life of the battery. Feel free to run your own experiments though.

For anyone shooting in very cold weather, it’s recommended that you have several batteries and some way of keeping them warm. Very cold weather chews through battery power, as do taking long exposures or lots of burst shooting.

2. Spare Memory Cards

Opinion is divided on whether you should have a few high capacity memory cards, or several smaller capacity ones. The theory is if a card gets corrupted, with a smaller capacity card you run the risk of losing less images. Check which memory cards are recommended or preferred for your camera as there are several brands available, but not all perform at the same level.

Check the speed of the card as well, if you are likely to do a lot of fast shooting. How well the card can process those bursts of images can have impact on the performance of your camera. If a card is too slow you will get buffer overuns as the card struggles to keep up saving all the frames.

Once you have several memory cards, it also makes sense to have some way of organizing and storing them. Some people have different systems to indicate when cards are full or empty. Come up with a plan so you know which cards are exposed and which are ready to go.

3. A Camera Bag

I am quite convinced that the perfect camera bag is like the Holy Grail – impossible to find. Everyone has different requirements which mean there is no one solution. Backpacks, roller bags, sling bags, waist packs, straps, clips, belts, and body harnesses are all available options.

My sling bag for walking around the city, or times I only want to take the very basics.

There are so many choices and it can be easy to get confused, here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a camera bag:
- Look for good padding in the shoulder straps.
- That the bag is the right length for your back (I am an average height woman and a lot of bags are too long for me).
- It has enough pockets to keep useful stuff like filters and batteries and for them to be easily accessible
- The bag is as light as possible.
- How does it behave when you put it on the ground, does it tip over?
- That it is waterproof (water resistant material, flaps over the zips and the best bags come with a built in rain cover).
- There is enough room to store all your stuff safely with sufficient padding and dividers.
- There are good cheststraps and waist belts on backpack style bags (they take up a surprising amount of the load off your shoulders if you use them).
Over time you will probably try several different styles of bag until you find an option that is the best compromise for what you want versus what you can find.

My main bag is a backpack, the F-stop Kashmir designed for women. This is the closed position.

Backpack in the open position. Different bags can be accessed in different ways.

4. Footwear

Pretty much everywhere you go with your camera will involve some form of walking for able bodied people. This means you need to have good supportive comfortable footwear which is suitable to your conditions. Don’t forget good quality socks as well (my preferred brand is Thorlo). When looking for shoes or boots take into consideration weight, fit, comfort, flexibility, waterproofness and of course the price.

These shoes are very light and breathable, however they are not very waterproof and the soles can be a bit slippery on wet rocks. But they are super comfortable to wear all day, which is the most important thing.

Heavy boots are really tiring to walk in for long periods but you might need them for really cold weather. Depending on the type of walking and situations you will encounter, you may even consider more than one set of footwear.

5. Jackets and Outer Layers

Modern technology has made outdoor clothing very light, and it is recommended that you build up layers to adjust to changing conditions. Being too hot and sweating in very cold conditions is uncomfortable but also may contribute to hypothermia, particularly if wind chill is a factor.

Hunters Element hunting jacket in green, and Kathmandu grey windproof jacket.

So build up a selection of light technical layers you can wear or carry easily in your bag or pocket. I have three jackets, the grey one is very light and warm and scrunches down into all the corners of my pack. The green jacket is a heavier hunting jacket that has excellent wind protection, with huge pockets in the front. Not shown is a rain shell to layer over the grey jacket for added dryness protection.

6. Extra Protection

Hats and gloves are also a necessity to keep you warm and dry. Particularly if you are outside doing landscapes or nature photography and you are sitting still for long periods. Again, layering up is useful, pictured are my thin windproof but quite warm gloves, with some heavier gloves to put on over top. The heavier gloves make it difficult to use the camera, which is why two layers of protection help me to function and stay warm.

The bottom half also needs protection. These are rain trousers that are designed to pull on over top of your standard leg layers.

Your backpack and camera also deserve consideration for protection as well. Pictured below are my orange backpack rain cover and a rain cover for my camera that allows shooting in the rain.

7. Tripod

Unless you are a hardcore street photographer (needing to be light and mobile) then a tripod will likely be a requirement at some point. Necessary for sharp landscape images, long exposures, astrophotography, macro and all kinds of studio work.

A tripod requires two components to work – the legs and the head. Sometimes you can purchase them bundled together, or you may wish to purchase them separately to suit certain requirements. Here are some key things to look for in a tripod:
- Are the legs tall enough for you? I was surprised to find many tripods too short for me at 5’6″ – having the right sized legs makes it easier on your neck and reduces the need to use the center pole.
- Does the center pole adjust to horizontal mode? Very useful for doing still life and macro work.
- Is it a clip or a twist-lock type of leg extension? People prefer different options – wildlife photographers often use twist-lock legs as they are quieter.
- How heavy is it? Carbon fiber is the lightest option, but it is also very expensive and in comparison, not always that light. Plus a heavier tripod offers more stability when used outside.
- Is there at least one leg wrapped? Carrying a bare metal pole on a cold frosty night is unpleasant.
Tripod head

Tripod heads come in many variations as well. Ball and socket are quite common but take two hands to utilize. A good quality head will be made out of solid material and be strong enough to hold your camera and its heaviest lens at a variety of angles. Do your research on weight tolerances and creep before purchasing.

Additional tripod accessories worth considering are L-plates for your camera body, and if you are into macro, nodal rails as well. Also learn how to take your tripod legs apart and clean, especially when used in water or in the ocean. This will extend the life of your tripod and save you money.

Take time to invest in a good tripod/head combination and it will last you for many years.

Manfrotto legs with an Acratech head. My preference is for click adjustable legs.

8. Camera Manual

It’s small and light and easy to tuck into your camera bag and really handy to have when you need it. It may never get used, but it’s good to have on hand. Take your camera manual with you!

9. Card Reader

There are several different ways to transfer data from your camera to your computer. Some new camera bodies have wireless, or can be connected via a cable to the computer for data transfer. However, that tends to chew up battery power quite quickly on the camera.

My preference is to use a USB card reader. USB 3 or the newer USB-C provide fast data transfer for those in a hurry. Additionally having a small portable reader allows you to take it with you when traveling, allowing you to download on the road.

Card readers are cheap, light, easy to pack and come in really useful when traveling. Get one with lots of different ports to cover any requirements.

10. Other Useful Stuff

There are other non-photo things that are useful to have around as well such as; change for parking meters or entry fees, a compass, sunscreen (mine is on a carabiner clipped to the outside of my backpack for easy access), and a pen and paper is always useful.

Other items that may come in handy are; business cards, model release forms, snacks, your cell phone loaded with a variety of useful apps, and the list goes on.

Conclusion

What you need in terms of photography accessories will depend on the type of photography you do and where you do it. This list should cover the basics that any new photographer is likely to need, or at least might need to think about investing in at some point. Being aware of your options is important as good bags and tripods can be expensive, so you will need to budget for them.

Many people forget about their own personal comfort and think cheaper clothing options will be okay. For general purpose photography that may well be the case, but anyone heading into nature should be as prepared as they can be. Good quality outdoor clothing will last and be an investment. No one wants to miss a sunrise because they were cold and wet and in an unpleasant situation.

Remember to look after yourself as well as your camera gear.

The post 10 Must-Have Photography Accessories by Stacey Hill appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 28, 2017
How To Shoot A Compelling Photo Essay

I frequently encourage people who attend my photography workshops to approach the day as though they have been assigned to shoot for a magazine editor and need to provide a strong series of images for a photo essay. One of the locations we visit is the local fresh market here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, so I’ll use images from this market to illustrate the point in this article.

The time it takes you to create a photo essay may be determined somewhat by your chosen subject. If you’re photographing your child’s birthday party, a social gathering at work, or a football match, you will have time constraints. With other subjects, you may have the luxury of being able to return many times over a period of days, weeks, or months to continue building your pictorial story. Whatever you choose as your subject you will be able to apply the points in this article to help you produce a strong series of photographs that a picture editor would welcome.

Approach to making photo essay

There are two main ways of approaching a photo essay – thematically or narratively.

I’ve chosen a series of images for my photo essay here with a thematic structure, showing the market as the overall theme. You may like to choose a narrative structure and tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. To follow a narrative storyline at the markets I could choose to follow someone who arrives to do the buying for their restaurant, follow one of the porters who haul produce for shoppers or spend time with a vendor documenting their daily routine.

Whether you take a thematic or narrative approach, applying some basic guidelines to the way you shoot and how you make your final selection of photos will result in a strong series of images.

You want to look for three types of images; wide, medium, and close-up. By shooting these three image types you will build up a broader perspective on your subject.

Wide Shots

At a market, I’m always looking to capture a great wide shot showing the lively hustle and bustle and feel of the overall vibe of the market. This is difficult to capture because I have no control over what’s happening. It’s important in situations like this to take your time. Find a good location where the lighting and background are pleasing and you will not be obstructing anyone, and shoot a lot. Be observant.

Watch and see the flow of what’s happening and anticipate the best time to shoot. If your chosen subject is more static you might want to include a single prominent feature in some of your wide shots. For example, if you are making a photo essay of your local park, try including one of the park benches, a drinking fountain, or a flowerbed in your wide compositions rather than taking just a wide shot with no main focus.

Medium Shots

Medium shots are best composed with one main subject as the focus, and including relevant aspects of the location as well. These shots will show a more intimate view of your subject, draw the viewer deeper in, and help them connect with your story.

At the markets, I like to shoot environmental portraits, often of the people who work there. Including some of their surroundings supports the theme by developing the context of my story.

Showing the mango vendor with her cart, produce, scales, and umbrella helps build the essay more than if I was to crop in tight and to make a portrait of only her.

Including some action in these shots makes for interesting photos too, as with this photo (above) of the butcher sharpening his knife. Neither of these photos was posed, but sometimes it’s a good idea to take a little control of the situation and ask someone to pause so you can make a portrait.

I asked this fishmonger with the lovely smile tray of smoked mackerel to pose for me.

Close-Up Shots

Coming in close to capture the details will definitely add depth to your photo essay. Look for elements to include in your close-up compositions that others may overlook. Single colors, patterns, and textures all work well as close up shots.

The neatly stacked fish in the blue plastic tub, the basket of (live) frogs, the bundle of soup ingredients for 5 baht and the bunch of flowers made from pandan leaves all add variety and interest to my market photo essay.

If you’re photographing a birthday party your close-up shots may be of the detail on the cake, some of the wrapped or unwrapped gifts, or tightly cropped happy children’s faces. Look for detail shots which fit in with the overall feel of your photo essay.

Other Considerations

As you are shooting, consider how your images will fit in with your overall story. Think about the five “W” questions – who, what, where, when, and why. Answering them with your photos will build up a very good impression for someone viewing your photo essay or picture story.

Traditionally, this market is where the people of Chiang Mai have gotten food. The market is over 160 years old, so it has real character.

When you’re shooting your photo essay be aware of the overall tone and feeling of the situation you are photographing. Become a part of it, not an outsider with a camera, and you will produce more intimate, interesting photographs. If you have time on your side, even consider visiting the location where you’ll make your photo essay without a camera. Doing this will give you a different perspective and may help you connect with your subject more easily.

Choosing Your Photos

Once you’ve completed your shoot and have downloaded the photos to your computer, begin by discarding any that are technically inferior. You don’t want to include shots which are out of focus, poorly exposed, or your timing was off. Remember, you are aiming to please the photo editor of a magazine (just pretend this is the case, even if you are shooting just for yourself, it will help you to have this mindset) and they will reject any images not up to their technical standards.

Take your time to look over your photos. Grouping them into the three types, wide, medium and close-up will help your decision-making process. Compare your photos within these groups and look for the strongest pictures that support your overall story. Think about how they might be laid out on the pages of a magazine and what they will communicate to someone viewing them that is not familiar with the subject of your photo essay. Finally, you will want to choose one main shot to be the feature image. The one you are most happy with that best conveys your feeling for the story you are telling.

Conclusion

So even if you have no aspirations to shoot for a magazine, this is a good exercise to help you put together a better photo essay. Consider printing a book or your completed project for yourself or to share with friends or fellow travelers.

Please put your comments and questions in the space below, and share your photo essay images.

The post How To Shoot A Compelling Photo Essay by Kevin Landwer-Johan appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 28, 2017
How to Use the Star Walk 2 App for Milky Way Photography

Photographing the Milky Way is unlike any other kind of photography. The camera settings are completely different, as are the post-processing techniques, and there’s a lot more planning that goes into a successful outing than people (who haven’t done it before) realize.

The Milky Way over Half Dome in Yosemite NP, shot from Glacier Point.

The trick is how to find the Milky Way

You see, finding the location of the Milky Way in our sky is always changing. In the northern hemisphere the best time to photograph the Milky Way is in the late spring to early fall. It isn’t even visible during most of winter because it’s only above the horizon during the day when we can’t see the stars. And of course in the southern hemisphere, everything above is reversed.

The Milky Way over a group of oak trees in San Luis Obispo, California.

When the Milky Way is visible, it’s hard to know when it will be in peak position and in which direction (north, south, east, or west) it will be visible. Then there’s the question of whether or not it will be rising straight up from a certain direction or appear as an arc across the sky.

Plan your trip accordingly

All of the answers to these questions will, of course, determine what foreground subjects you can use at any given time of the year. For example, if you’re trying to shoot Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, you’ll need the Milky Way to be visible in the northeast sky. Plus, you need it there at a time of night when the moon is either beneath the horizon or during a moon phase where the light from the moon will be minimal. If it’s a full moon for example, the Milky Way and night sky will be considerably dimmer than say during a new or crescent moon.

The Milky Way over Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.

As you can see, there are a lot of variables. That’s where the app Star Walk 2 comes in.

I found this app years ago when it was in its first incarnation, and still use it today for most of my night sky photography planning. This app is beautifully designed and will let you know exactly when and where the Milky Way will be at any given time, along with every other star and constellation in the sky. It’s an incredible resource for photographers. I created a video showing how I use it.

Have a look below and let me know what you think.

Conclusion

I know there are other options and apps that do similar things available as well, so comment below and tell us what you use. I’m always open to trying new things and would love to hear them.

You can find the Star Walk 2 app in the Google Play Store for Android and on iTunes for Apple devices.

The post How to Use the Star Walk 2 App for Milky Way Photography by James Brandon appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 28, 2017
18 Friendly Photos of Buddies Just Hanging Out

What better thing to do that to just hang out with your buddy this summer. Better yet get a photo together!

Here are 18 photos that show what it is all about to be friends.

By Lenneke Veerbeek

By Stew Stryker

By PicselPerfect

By Philip Brookes

By Trent McBride

By Sam Cox

By Leo Hidalgo

By Jay Melnick

By Chris Ford

By Art G.

By bunnysuicides

By Stefan

By Jarle Refsnes

By wolfgangfoto

By Stephanie Wallace

By Holly Occhipinti

By Theophilos Papadopoulos

By Julien Belli

The post 18 Friendly Photos of Buddies Just Hanging Out by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 28, 2017
Weekly Photography Challenge – Friends

Let’s start our day with a little friendship. It’s good for the heart and soul. Check out 18 friendly photos here.

By Felipe Bastos

By Tambako The Jaguar

Weekly Photography Challenge – Friends

Friendship comes in many forms and can be as varied as the friends themselves.

Your job for this weekly photography challenge is to create a photo of friends and show what that means to you. Friendships can cross borders and boundaries and are formed in the heart, not logically. How can you represent friends in a photo?

By bagsgroove

By Marciaaa.

By Ralf Steinberger

Share your images below:

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. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

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

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Friends by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 27, 2017
Tips for Finding Potential in the Obsolete – Photographing Trash

Most people like photographing the new and the fresh – a bright flower, a laughing child, a dawning day, the beginning of an era. Yet beginnings are but a small and rare part of the human experience. The persistent passage of time leaves us with ever growing piles of both literal and figurative garbage; maybe that’s why we seek out the new, for a glimpse of something different.

Sometimes we have no choice but to dwell in the past. Why not take the chance to explore it? There is something to be found and shared in that which is already past its due date – items that have been thrown away or left behind. Let’s open up this world of opportunity I like to call Trash Photography and see if we can find something of value!

The Left Behind

You may have heard of Urbex, or urban exploration photography, where the photographer visits and captures abandoned urban places. The photos often have a haunted feeling. The same atmosphere can be achieved on a smaller scale as well, all you need is something that seems to have been abandoned.

I found this old, rusty pair of scissors hanging on an old shelf at a friend’s cottage.

It doesn’t have to be something eerie. It can also be something out of place, something intriguing or different; a scene that gives a sense of a time gone by.

Old fuse insulators found in storage at my grandparents’ place.

Found Treasure

Trash and treasure might not be synonyms in your vocabulary, but for a photographer, they can be! Many things are thrown away because they don’t serve their original purpose anymore. That doesn’t mean that the object is useless – all it takes is a bit of inspiration and a creative mind.

I found an abandoned LCD TV in the recycling room and decided to borrow it for a project. The screen was indeed broken but not completely. With the addition of some intentional camera movement I managed to create something quite abstract.

But treasure doesn’t have to be shiny. It can also be a fascinating pattern or a revelation.

An alien skull or an old hair clip?

Contrasts

If you’re attempting to make an interesting photograph, capturing some kind of contrast usually works surprisingly well. When focusing on garbage or trash, the most obvious thing to contrast it with would be something new.

Apart from the contrast between old and new in this picture, there are also contrasts between organic and metallic, and a rusty color versus the green of the leaves.

You can also create contrast by challenging expectations.

This broken laundry machine standing outside in the rain, surrounded by laundry, offers another kind of contrast.

Which brings us to the last topic . . .

The Story

Telling a story with just a picture is hard, but it’s a challenge worth taking on. In terms of trash, it can be a story about human nature, environmental issues, the passage of time, there really are no limits.

The pile of discarded water bottles with a beautiful waterfall in the back might seem significant – what does it tell you?

Try it out and see what stories you might be able to tell!

The abandoned fishing net begs the question of why it was abandoned. Was it lost? Thrown away? Might it pose a threat to someone or something?

Conclusion

What do you think, is there any point in photographing trash, or does this just seem like a waste of time? I would love to hear your ideas and see your creations from Trash Photography in the comments below.

The post Tips for Finding Potential in the Obsolete – Photographing Trash by Hannele Luhtasela-el Showk appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 27, 2017
7 Tips to Help You Start and Grow a Photography Business

I have been a Digital Photography School writer for the past three years and I have to say, I absolutely love writing and sharing my photography experiences and knowledge. Every time one of my articles get published, my Facebook page and my website get a lot of visitors. I know this is because I use google analytics for my website which tracks visitors on any given day and shows where they spend most of their time (I highly recommend using Google Analytics for your website). I also get a ton of questions on my Facebook business page and the recurring theme of the questions is always something like this, “I love photography, but can you advise me on how to start my photography business and make money from it?”

So I decided to address that burning question in the hopes that it resonates with so many other photographers, who are thinking the same thing and are perhaps a little nervous to write in for the fear of showing their vulnerability. If you are, please don’t be, because everyone, including me, started somewhere and we all had similar thoughts.

#1 – Just Start

If you are thinking about starting a photography business to such a large extent that you cannot think about doing anything else, then just start. Go ahead and take that first step towards making your passion your career. Remember that “done” is so much better than “perfect”.

We, photographers, are always learning new things every day, be it in business, technology or photography skills. If you wait to be a perfect photographer, you will be waiting a long time. Now, I am not saying that you should not invest time and effort in understanding and practice. Skill is very important. But if you are considering learning the craft and the art of photography, then there is no better time than now!

My lovely friend and fellow photographer during a casual meet up where we exchanged headshots and talked shop over coffee and cupcakes!

# 2 – Use Social Media

Social media has exploded over the past few years in terms of the number of people who are using it for business, no matter what business they are in. Because so much of social media is both visual and text, photographers and writers have a slight advantage in terms of creating and sharing quality content.

So as a photographer, it behooves you to take advantage of the channel at your disposal. But be aware that the whole point of social media is to be social online, showcase your work, show who you are as a photographer and a person. Network, connect and interact online. It is one of the relatively inexpensive ways to make yourself know and recognized.

I love Instagram and think it is one of the best tools out there, especially for photographers. It is so visual and by engaging the right way, you can get a loyal following, new clients, and industry contacts. But like anything else it takes time and a concentrated, thoughtful approach.

# 3 – Practice, Learn and Practice Some More

Photography is an art form with many different nuances. Each aspect of photography has many different interpretations and to really excel in photography, you have to know and understand the basics.

Light, color, composition, emotion, and movement are all critical aspects of a good photograph. You have to learn them, practice them, and then put your own spin on them to make your own photographs go from good to great. There is no time limit for learning photography. The only way you can get better is to keep at it and photograph every chance you can get.

I carry my camera everywhere I go. I have been doing this for so long that it’s second nature now and I don’t think twice about it. Sometimes I will only shoot ten to twelve frames and sometimes I will shoot several hundred. But what I tell myself every time I bring the camera to my face is that this time I have to try something different and create something I have not created before.

I always give myself permission and time to play – sometimes it’s with florals from my neighbor’s backyard.

Whereas other times it is a quick click while hiking in the mountains around Boulder. The snow and the clear blue sky made for a pretty backdrop for this ranger outpost!

#4 – Market Your Work

Marketing is crucial to any business but so few of us really put much into it. Most of us have the mindset that if you produce quality work, then your photography will speak for itself and clients will line up outside your studio for all eternity.

But sadly, that is far from the truth. Like any good product or service, we have to take the time and the effort to educate our clients and our potential clients on why working with us is a great idea. The more you think about promoting your work on a daily basis, the more effort and heart you will put into your marketing. And remember, marketing takes a lot of time. Very rarely does a marketing effort pay off immediately.

One of my marketing pieces for a show that I am participating in – the show is aimed towards other businesses as well as creative women entrepreneurs!

#5 – Use Your Network

Unless you live in a personal bubble, you have a network. Networks can be social (i.e. friends and family), professional (peers or work colleagues), or industry related (other businesses that support photography).

So I challenge you to do a network analysis (sorry, I am a computer science major from my previous life so I love all this technical jargon!) and figure out who are all the people that you can reach out to and tap into for work. They might not be your direct clients but they may know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who is looking for a photographer. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing.

Word-of-mouth and referrals are the best kind of marketing you can ever invest in and they are free (for the most part). Your only expenses – making genuine connections and friends among your networks!

#6 – Hustle

You have probably heard this adage before – there is no such thing as a free lunch. There are no shortcuts to anything in life, so what makes you think that there are shortcuts to photography?

Photography, like any other profession, is extremely competitive with a relatively low barrier to entry. This means you have to hustle that much harder and longer to make an impression and to have an impact on your business bottom line. If you are starting out, try many genres of photography.

If you are starting out, try many genres of photography. Use any opportunity you can to improve your skills. Make friends with others in the industry and share experiences. Give it your all and eventually, you will reap the benefits.

I met these two local creatives via social media. We really hit it off well and collaborated on a beautiful spring tablescape inspiration shoot.

I also routinely go out for shootouts with many other photographers. It is a chance to make friends in the industry and geek out on all things photography!

#7 – Share

Share your work, your knowledge, and your expertise. The more open and willing you are to share among your peers, your competitors, and your clients, the more satisfying the journey to photography business success will be.

People, especially clients, will understand that you are genuine in building professional and personal relationships and the next time they hear of any photography work, they will connect with you. Photography friends and peers will refer clients if they are booked, help you when you are in a pinch, and work with you on creative projects – all of which as so important for your personal growth and growth of your business.

Conclusion

If you have other tips on growing a photography business, feel free to share with the larger dPS community in the comments below. Remember it’s not what you know, but how good you are building a community.

The post 7 Tips to Help You Start and Grow a Photography Business by Karthika Gupta appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 27, 2017
Cull Your Photos Carefully – 5 Steps to Follow Before You Hit Delete

When to keep and when to hit delete on an image can be a tough decision to make sometimes. In this article I’ll give you five things you consider before you hit delete to help you with the process of how to cull your photos.

The emotional attachment lessens with time

I was shooting high on a mountain pass this past winter. Low clouds and scattered sun danced across the snow-covered slopes, blown by a chill wind from the north. The view below came and went as fog blew past, opening and closing the scene like curtains. Enthralled, I snapped photos, the stark mountains, the pale sun, the glowing patches of light on the snow. “These shots are going to be awesome.” I thought to myself.

A few hours later, I opened my computer and downloaded the images. And I could see then, that they were awesome. I sat and I stared, certain that these were some of the best of the trip. The way the light played across the mountains, the storm-light on the rock and snow slopes. Yeah, these were great.

A week later, as I was putting together images from the trip, I revisited those photos. Huh, I thought, I could have sworn those were better. I mean, they were decent, but not extraordinary. What happened?

I had distanced myself from the images for a time, and was able to separate myself emotionally from the experience of making them. I’d been able to view those shots almost as though someone else had made them. As a result, many more of those photos ended up in the delete pile than I would have expected at first glance.

But time away from your photos is just one thing to can do as you try to segregate the keepers from those to delete. Here are the five things to keep in mind as you cull and assess your images.

Step #1 – Check the technical Details

After importing the photos of a recent shoot into my Lightroom Catalog, look at each image quickly, at full-screen size, and assess each for any technical faults.

Is the image out of focus (check at 100% or 1:1 view)? Is the composition obviously wonky? What about exposure, is the exposure so wrong that you can’t correct it? If the answer is “Yes” to any of these questions, immediately delete the image (or flag it as a reject by hitting X) and move on to the next.

The trick in this first step is not to try and go beyond the technical details. This is not the time to try and gauge overall image quality. This is the time, merely to delete the obvious screw-ups.

Step #2 – The second round

If I’m eager to spend some time with my photos, or I’ve got a deadline, I’ll go back through them quickly a second time. Lightroom, and many other catalog programs, give you the ability to flag images with different colors, and/or rating codes.

Scrolling through the images, I’ll color code the good and bad standouts. Images that I like get coded green, purple or blue (the color relates to my own filing system), while images that I don’t particularly like, for one reason or another, get flagged red.

Red flagged images are imperfectly sharp, have clear composition issues or other technical problems, while the green images are selects and the un-marked images are ones to hold onto for future consideration.

Some images do not get flagged at all. These are usually images to which I’m ambivalent. They are good enough not to get the dreaded red flag, but not so good that I want to highlight them immediately.

At this point, I’ll start post-processing my favorites, but I don’t delete anything. Not yet.

A screenshot of my Lightroom Catalog after a shoot of this Rufescent Tiger Heron in Argentina. Of the 26 images, I selected two as keepers, one vertical, and one horizontal image.

Step #3 – Let them rest

Immediately following a shoot, we get emotionally caught up in our images, for better or for worse. If a shoot went well, like my experience on the mountain, you may have the feeling that your images are better than they actually are. If it went poorly, you may feel like they all suck, when in fact, they may not.

The solution is to give the images some space. Pull back for a few days, don’t look at them, don’t edit them. Put your new photos out of sight, and give yourself some emotional distance from the experience of making your images.

After a few days, a week, or even longer, you can have another go.

Step #4 – Consider how your images will be used

As you dive back into your collection, think for a moment about how an image will be put to use. If you are shooting for a client, then you may already have a good idea of the kind of images you needed to make. For example, the conservation groups I work for usually provide me a brief on the project. In that document, they will note specific types of images or video they need or want. As I’m pulling selections for them, I’ll consider their needs, and put special effort into finding and editing images that match.

Usually, there are no clients telling me which images are best. Without anyone guiding me, I lean toward variety.

Variety includes more than framing, but also panoramic compositions like this one.

When I first started shooting seriously, I saved almost every image. I was too attached to each one. Later, as my image catalog and hard drives began to swell, I became heartless with images, deleting all but one or two from a series, even good alternatives to my selects. Now, I’ve settled somewhere in between because I don’t always know how an image will be put to use, so I like to have some variety available.

Magazine editors will often be looking for images with big areas of negative space which can be used for text placement. Large size wall prints require images that are immaculately sharp and high resolution. Illustrative shots, often sold for stock, or for small use in publications, need to be tight with only the bare minimum of room around the subject. While editing, I plan for these eventualities and select four or five images, in a variety of compositions, from any given scene, but not more.

Keep some variety of shots

As an example, below are my five selects from an encounter with a Brown Bear in southeast Alaska. Each of the five images have been published in national magazines. Each time, the editor wanted the image for a different layout, some involving text, some as a simple stamp-size illustration. The bottom line is you never know what is going to appeal to different viewers, so retain some diversity from within your shoots.

Don’t get caught up in what you think is the best image from a series. Rather, give thought to how you might want to use images from the shoot in the future. Red code (or however you tag your images) the faulty ones, or near-duplicates, but retain some variety.

Step #5 – The final cut

By this time, your collection of images will be a checkerboard of red and green. The red images flagged for deletion, the greens (and other colors) set aside as “keepers”. If you are like me, you’ve made enough duplicate, failures, and screw-ups that the reds wildly outnumber the greens and unlabeled images.

This image lay in my Lightroom for years before I finally noticed that it was pretty decent.

Before I hit delete, I give each image one more look, just to make sure I’m not cutting something that I might want to keep. Sometimes if an image is unique, even if it’s not what I think of as “good”, I’ll decide to hold onto it.

This image was taken Mexico in 2010. I found it a month ago, lingering on a hard drive. I had completely forgotten about that sunset over the Caribbean. Hard drive surprises can be great, but I recommend being more organized than I was at the time.

More than once, I’ve scrolled back through my Lightroom Catalog and stumbled on an image that, for one reason or another, I never gave a close look. At the time I created it, I must have considered it unremarkable, but didn’t consider it bad enough to delete. Years later, I’ve found some gems in those un-flagged images.

Bottom Line

Selecting keepers from a series of images is not always as straight forward as what is “good” and what is “bad”. Consider each image carefully, and use your delete key, but don’t get too enthusiastic pushing that button. Deleted images can never be recovered.

The post Cull Your Photos Carefully – 5 Steps to Follow Before You Hit Delete by David Shaw appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 27, 2017
6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography
In the following article, you will learn how to do creative landscape photography using a variety of different techniques.

The level of technical skill in photography these days is amazing. A quick Google search for any given location will show well-composed photos, taken during the correct lighting conditions, and edited to perfection. The number of people capable of taking these perfectly crafted photos is also increasing, and therein lies the problem. The number of people with similar photos diminishes all the others when placed together. What’s the solution to this? If you still want to take a photo of a particular landscape consider other creative approaches to photographing it.

So what’s the solution to this? If you still want to take a photo of a particular landscape consider using some other creative approaches to photographing it. Read on for six ideas to help you do better and more creative landscape photography.

This photo has used a long exposure to flatten the water. It’s also the same image used for the 360-degree panoramic image below.

#1 – Infrared Photography

Infrared photography is great fun to experiment with and has been around along time. This particular form of photography uses, as the name suggests, infrared light to capture images. Now you can’t see the infrared spectrum with your eyes, but your camera sensor or special infrared film can.

When using a digital camera you will either need to adjust the White Balance in camera or use post-processing to bring out the signature infrared look (note you can also get an old camera body converted especially for capturing infrared images). What is the infrared look? These photos have dark black skies, bright white foliage and often they have still water caused by a long exposure. In order to take this type of photo with a digital camera you will need a filter or a reconditioned camera.

Infrared is a lot of fun if you’re prepared to put the time into learning this technique.

#2 – Aerial Photography

One of the best angles in photography is a high angle looking down, this can lead to some great creative landscapes. The advances in drone technology have seen many people take amazing photos from the sky, though the consumer-level drones still don’t produce the highest quality still images. There are a few options if you want to try out aerial photography yourself.
- Airplanes – Yes get the window seat of your plane, and take photos from the sky. Ensure you have a high shutter speed, remember you’re plane is moving fast so you need a fast shutter speed to get a sharper image.
- Drones – The consumer drone will get you great angles, and images with good enough quality for online sharing, but not for printing. The professionals use larger drones that allow their dSLR to be attached to them.
- Hot air balloons – It’s a great experience to take a hot air balloon ride, and the photos can be incredible. Even more extreme is attaching a camera to a weather balloon, and sending it up almost into space!
A great angle if you can get it is overhead for a creative landscape. This photo was taken from a hot air balloon, but a drone would also get an angle like this.

#3 – Refraction

The concept of refraction to use light bent through a glass object is essentially how your lens puts an image onto your camera sensor. You can create this effect with spherical glass objects, or even ones filled with water. The image inside the refracting object will be upside down, and a vast amount of the scene behind the ball will be captured.

This is an interesting way to capture a creative landscape because the image inside the ball the image has the characteristics of a fisheye lens. Using a lens with a long focal length will compress the scene.

$6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography - refraction$

This scene of St Paul’s Cathedral was captured inside a crystal ball, using the refraction technique.

#4 – Shoot a 360-Degree Panorama

This creative landscape idea utilizes post-processing to create a tiny planet effect. The effect is similar to the refraction idea, in that you are creating a globe, however, the look is very different.

To create this photo you will need a panoramic landscape image. If you’re a purest, then the panoramic landscape will be created by rotating the camera through 360 degrees. Once you have your panorama it needs to be reformatted into a square image, flipped upside down, and then the polar coordinates filter should be applied in Photoshop. To find this filter go to filter > distort > polar coordinates.

This photo was turned into a tiny planet. It has the feel of a 360-degree panoramic photo.

#5 – Long Exposure

The different types of images that are possible with long exposures will lead to a burst of creative landscape photography. All you need is a tripod, and a camera capable of taking long exposure photos. The effect of long exposure is to make things move. The main subjects are car light trails, water, and cloud movement. Now, of course, astrophotography is also long exposure, but you’ll learn about that next.
- Car light trails – These are produced by taking photos that are generally five seconds or longer. An overhead angle from a bridge or tall building is often best for shooting car trails, but photos from street level also look nice.
- Water – Anywhere there is moving water, a long exposure can look nice. When photographing waterfalls the white water becomes like silk, with exposures over two seconds. The sea and its waves can be flattened by using long exposures over 10 seconds.
- Cloud movement – Clouds moving across the sky make for a dreamy look in your photo, to achieve this you’ll need lots of clouds, with some clear sky. The faster the clouds move the easier it is to capture this movement. A sturdy tripod is important here, clouds move faster on windy days, so you need the camera to be still.
It’s a lot of fun to play creatively with traffic light trails in a photo. The photo of Big Ben in London is a popular one.

#6 – Astrophotography

One of the most popular forms of photography for those interested in landscapes is astrophotography. The latest cameras help you capture starry skies, with better noise performance at high ISO levels. Recent excursions to the deserts of Dubai and the coastline of southern England revealed a phalanx of photographers interested in this kind of photography. The most popular types of astrophotography are capturing the Milky Way, or showing the rotation of stars around the pole.
- The Milky Way – Positioning the Milky Way in your frame can create a dramatic and creative landscape photo. This is the subject of a whole different article. The basics are to shoot at the constellation of Sagittarius between March and October in the northern hemisphere. Use the largest aperture you have, with exposures generally being 25 seconds long, and an ISO of 6400 or greater.
- Star trails – The aim here is to point your camera at the north or south pole, and capture the earth’s rotation during a long exposure. The photo can be an ultra long 15-minute exposure or a series of shorter ones. The best method is to take multipl30-secondnd exposures, and then stack them together. StarStax is a good piece of software that will help you create this type of photo.
Shooting the Milky Way is hard to photograph, so the chance of your photo being more unique is higher if you can do it.

Which creative landscape will you make?

There are many creative landscape photography ideas, which one will you choose to try out? There are other ideas we’d love to hear about as well, how did you make a creative scene your own?

In this article, I stuck strictly to still photos, but experiments with video allow for time-lapse or cinemagraphs as well. Please share your examples of the above styles that you’ve done, and tell us why and how you create your shot.

The post 6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography by Simon Bond appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 26, 2017
10 Amazing Photography Tricks You Can do at Home with Everyday Objects
Here is a quick video showing you 10 photography tricks or projects you can try at home using everyday objects. You may have some of these things lying around your house, if not most are inexpensive to buy.

Try some of these ideas:
- Make it snow indoors
- Use a magnifying glass for fun effects
- Create your own light flare
- Try some refraction using water drops or a glass
Have any others? Please share your ideas in the comments below.

The post 10 Amazing Photography Tricks You Can do at Home with Everyday Objects by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 26, 2017