Category: Photography

How to Take Your Portrait Photos From Good to Great with a Single Click
Do you enjoy portrait photography? Are you a Lightroom user? You’re going to love what we’ve just released today!

It’s our all new Adobe Lightroom® presets bundle: 101 Lightroom Portrait Presets.

With our new presets pack, transforming your portrait shots is a breeze.

And for a limited time, the pack can be yours for the special introductory price of just USD $ 20 (that’s 60% off).

Check it out here.

In this comprehensive Portrait Presets pack you’ll get the following collections:
- Art Series (7 presets): Get the look from the early 1900’s through to the 90’s.
- Black and White (10 presets): A variety of black and white presets to give you that b&w portrait look.
- Film Series (8 presets): Nothing beats the authenticity of film. These presets will re-create that professional film feeling.
- Fix (20 presets): Fix a range of of issues including contrast, grain, highlights and sharpness.
- Tone (14 presets): Change an array of tonal qualities.
- Traditional Series (8 presets): Tweaks to give your portraits that classic look. Including Beach,
- Outdoors, and Worn, amongst others.
- Touch Up Kit: 37 brushes to help you touch up eyes, hair, lips and skin.
Created by professional photographer and author Rachel Devine, she’s done all the hard work for you so you can get the perfect edit for every portrait, without the fuss.

Here’s a short video of Rachel showing how easy it is to use these presets:

Simply apply the effect and adjust as desired… it’s fast and easy!

You’ll save a whole heap of processing time, while giving your portraits an instant “pop”. See Rachel demonstrate in the video on our product page.

Transform your photos in just one click. Pick up our 101 Lightroom Portrait Presets today – while we’re still offering it at the introductory price.

Please note: a copy of Adobe Lightroom is required to use these presets.

Also: Haven’t used presets before? No worries. Full instructions are included in the pack.

Lastly: like all our products this one has a 60 day satisfaction guarantee. If you buy it and find for whatever reason that it doesn’t suit your needs simply contact our support team and we’ll arrange a refund – no questions asked.

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The post How to Take Your Portrait Photos From Good to Great with a Single Click by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
October 12, 2016
Tripod versus Monopod – a Comparison and When to Use Each

Tripods and monopods, you’re very likely to have seen them. They both have their uses and their purposes for existing. But when do you use one over the other and what advantages do each have? In this article, I’ll look to explain when you would use a tripod versus a monopod and how they’re not necessarily exchangeable in their properties.

Tripods

By Jake Khuon

Uses and pros of tripods

Let’s start off with tripods. You know, those three legged stands that nearly all photographers have?! They provide your camera with a sturdy platform to which you attach your camera. Tripods come in all different sizes and have a huge variety of heads (the actual mounting point) to suit different shooting styles. They are especially helpful for avoiding camera shake when using slow shutter speeds. This is most useful when you want to blur water in a stream, show car light trails at night or simply do a long exposure.

With this frame, I used a tripod to prevent camera shake that would have been caused by the 3.2 second shutter speed. This shutter speed was used to blur the water.

Tripods can also be extremely helpful with macro, still life, and studio photography as they hold the camera in the exact spot you want while you set your shot up. Time-lapse photographers can also benefit from using a tripod over a monopod as it will ensure that there is no jumping between each frame as the camera is securely locked in one position. However, tripods are not without their cons.

Use a tripod for long exposures like this.

Cons of tripods

However, tripods are not without their cons. They can be heavy to carry around and take some time to set up. Depending on which head you are using, tripods can also be very limiting for quick camera movements which you may need when photographing moving objects. Everything about using a tripod is slower. So if it’s speed, and ease of portability that you’re looking for and stability isn’t your main priority, then perhaps a tripod is not the best item for you.

Monopods

This is the monopod I use. Here, it is compacted (54cm/21.26″) but it extends to be 192cm (6’2″). It is made of carbon fibre and weighs in at only 620g (1.36lb) but can hold up to 18kg (39lb).

Uses and pros of monopods

When a rock solid platform for stability isn’t a priority many photographers turn to a monopod for their camera support needs. Just as the TRI in tripod means three, the MONO in monopod means – you guessed it – one! They are simply a single leg support on which you can mount your camera and/or lens. They too come in different sizes and will support different weight limits.

Monopods are perfect for taking the weight of a heavy lens/camera combination to stop aches and pains from a long day of shooting. If you’ve ever seen sports photographers with their long lenses, then you may have noticed that they are often being supported by a monopod. Monopods also offer much more versatility in movement as you now have only on one leg, not three, and they are much quicker to set up than their three-legged brethren.

This photo was taken using a 400mm f/2.8 lens. These lenses are quite heavy, so using a monopod is a great way to take the weight off your arms. Daniel Smith/Getty Images.

Cons of monopods

A monopod, however, will not offer you the same stability as a tripod, so if you’re considering a monopod as a lighter alternative to a tripod, do remember this. If it’s milky streams and flowing car lights that you’re after, a monopod will not help you here at all; you will still need a tripod.

But if your arms get tired from holding your camera up all day, then a monopod may well be very suited to your needs.

Conclusion

While tripods and monopods offer extra support and in some cases, stability for your camera, there are times when one is more useful than the other and one cannot always be used in place of the other. Generally, for very long shutter speeds or time-lapse photography you’ll want to use a tripod to avoid camera shake and to maintain consistency between each frame. But if it’s a little extra support and to take the weight of a camera/lens combination, you can’t go wrong with a monopod.

Do you have either or both of monopod and tripod? How do you find using each of them?

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The post Tripod versus Monopod – a Comparison and When to Use Each by Daniel Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 12, 2016
4 of the Most Important Elements of the Lightroom Library Module

When I read through photography forums or talk to other photographers the topic of image editors often comes up. People give various opinions and thoughts about which one they prefer. Photoshop, Lightroom, Apple Photos, Capture One, GIMP, and a host of other options from companies like ON1 and MacPhun are all capable of doing various types of small and large edits to your images.

However, one advantage Lightroom has over some other programs is that it not only lets you edit your pictures but categorize them, sort them, tag them, even compare different pictures to see which one you prefer. All this happens in the Library module which is a key part of Lightroom’s workflow. It is essential to understand the Lightroom Library module if you want to get the most out of this program.

The Library module. No late fees here (library pun), just lots of ways to manage your images.

While the Library module does many different things, to get an understanding of the basics it’s good to narrow your focus down a bit. There are a few key areas of the photographer’s workflow that are served by this part of Lightroom; organizing, sorting and viewing…with a dash of editing thrown in just for fun. Let’s look at each one by one.

Organization of images in Lightroom

One aspect of Lightroom that is often misunderstood is how it handles your actual picture files, whether JPG, RAW, DNG, or any other format. Contrary to what some people think, it doesn’t actually do anything with your files whether you are categorizing them, sorting them, or editing them. Wherever your pictures are stored on your computer, that is precisely where they will remain when you import them into Lightroom. What you can do, however, is use the Library module to organize and manage your pictures within the program itself. The best way to do this is to put your pictures into what’s known as Collections, or virtual folders that contain sets of images.

Collections are a powerful and efficient method of sorting and organizing your pictures in Lightroom while leaving them fully intact and untouched on your hard drive.

How Lightroom sees your pictures

When you import your pictures into Lightroom you are essentially just telling Lightroom where to look for the images that are sitting on your hard drive. Remember back in the days of using the card catalog in a public library? The books weren’t stored in the massive grids of tiny filing cabinet drawers. But those thousands of little cards did tell you where to locate each book as well as a bit of information about each one. That’s sort of how the Collections feature works in the Library module. You can use it to create virtual filing cabinets to organize the images on your hard drive without actually moving, renaming, or otherwise altering your original images.

For example, let’s say you shoot a wedding for your friends Jim and Pam Halpert and come back to your computer with over a thousand images to edit. You can copy all their images to your computer into one folder, and then use Collections in Lightroom to organize them in a way that makes sense to you. Then you can create a Collection Set called “Halpert Wedding” and then within that create additional collections such as “Ceremony,” “Reception,” and “Candids.” Because you are not actually moving the images into different folders on your computer or duplicating the actual picture files, you can put the same picture into multiple collections. You could have the same shot of Jim’s buddy Dwight in both the Reception and Candids folder.

This picture of a periwinkle flower could go into a collection called “Flowers,” another one called “Nature,” and another one with only pictures of periwinkles. All at the same time.

Smart Collections

While Collections themselves are quite flexible, you can go a step further by utilizing Smart Collections which is a way of automatically putting pictures in various collections based on criteria that you specify. There are a staggering number of criteria at your disposal, and you can choose whether the Smart Collection should meet any, all, or none of them. These collections are updated dynamically so as soon as a picture in your Library meets the specifications for a given Smart Collection it is automatically inserted into that Collection.

Collections remain one of the hallmark features of the Library module and serve to make Lightroom far more versatile than other programs that simply let you edit your pictures. They work hand-in-hand with the many sorting options as well to give you even greater control over your images.

Sorting images in Lightroom

Have you ever gone through your closet and wished that you could snap your fingers and instantly see all your red shirts, tan pants, or gym shorts that still fit? Better yet, what about immediately seeing only the red shirts you actually like? The Library module allows you to do just that. With the click of a button or press of a keystroke, you can hone and filter your images to see precisely the ones you want, then easily reset everything back the way it was. Pressing the “\” key (while in the Library module), or going to “View > Show Filter Bar” brings up a bar at the top of your screen that allows you to dynamically sort your images based on criteria you specify at will.

Using the filter bar tools

The Filter Bar lets you sort by criteria such as whether photos are marked as Picks or Rejects, have a color or star rating, or are associated with specific keywords. Click any of the icons in the Filter Bar to see the results in real-time, and your images will be immediately pared down to reflect the criteria you want.

To remove any of the filtering criteria just click the button again and Lightroom turns it off. You can also change the type of filtering by clicking the “Text/Attribute/Metadata” options in the middle of the top of your screen which will give you additional parameters. If you don’t want to constantly turn the Filter Bar on and off there is also a persistent mini Filter Bar at the bottom of your screen with many of the options as the full-featured one. I use these filters constantly to sort through my images and find the ones I need for any given project.

Using Keywords to sort your images

Keywords are a handy way to add sorting criteria to your photos.

The Keywords feature is another aspect of Lightroom that allows you to sort through your images. On the right side of the Library module is a panel that you can use to assign keywords to images such as “Birthday,” “Nature”, “Summer”, “Uncle Mike”, or any other words you want. To assign a keyword, or multiple keywords, to a picture, just start typing them in the Keyword box or select them from the Keyword Suggestions or Keyword Bank frames. To assign keywords to multiple images at the same time, select them first and then enter your keywords in the box.

Whether you have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of pictures to sort, the options in the Library module can help.

Viewing images in the Library module

As your photo collection grows larger it’s essential that you have a way to actually view and manage all of the images. Thankfully Lightroom has a robust system in place to let you do exactly that. Of course, you can use collections and sorting criteria, but you also have some useful tools at your disposal to actually view the pictures too. The icons at the bottom-left of your screen let you change between four different views; Grid, Loupe, Compare, and Survey.

View modes

Click Grid to see a bird’s-eye view of all the pictures in the Collection you are currently viewing. Use the Thumbnail slider in the bottom-right (if it’s not visible tap the T key to hide/show the tools bar) to change the size of the thumbnails depending on your preference.

Grid, Loupe, Compare, and Survey let you view your pictures in useful and creative ways.

Loupe is a term borrowed from the days of developing pictures in a darkroom. It refers to the small glass viewer, sort of like a magnifying glass without a handle, that a technician would use to see a given image in greater detail. Click the Loupe view to see one image at a time and then click anywhere on the image with your cursor (which has now turned into a magnifying glass with a + inside) to zoom in closer. Hold [alt] or [option] on a Mac to click and zoom out, and use the zoom level options in the top-left corner of your screen to change the magnification level. This is particularly useful if you want to check if a given picture is sharp and in focus.

Compare and Survey view modes are related in that they let you see two or more pictures at a time in order to choose the one you prefer. These modes are especially handy if you have multiple similar images, such as after a portrait session, and are trying to pick the best one out of a bunch.

I had about two dozen nearly identical shots, but Lightroom’s view and sorting options helped me find just the photographic needle in the memory card haystack.

Quick Develop in the Library module

I like to think of the Library’s Quick Develop options as extra credit for a class assignment. They are an added touch that lets you do a bit of editing with your pictures without going to the full-fledged Develop module, and will often give you just the right amount of editing that a picture needs. Nestled on the right-hand side of the Library module is a little toolbar called Quick Develop which does exactly what you might think. It allows you to quickly and easily adjust a few essential parameters such as White Balance, Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, and a few other settings.

Clicking on the single arrow for any given parameter adjusts things just a little bit. While clicking the double arrow adjusts things a lot. For example, the single right-facing arrow for Exposure will increase the value by 1/3 stop, whereas the double arrows will increase the value by a full stop. You don’t get anywhere near the fine-grain control that you do in the actual Develop module, but if you need to quickly make some basic edits to an image you might find Quick Develop to be quite handy.

Conclusion

These four elements aren’t all that the Library module has to offer, but learning them will give you plenty to work with as you begin to expand your knowledge of this powerful program. Do you have any favorite tips you’d like to share? Are there features you think I missed that others should know about? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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The post 4 of the Most Important Elements of the Lightroom Library Module by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 11, 2016
In Europe? You Don’t Want to Miss Pop_UP Berlin in Three Weeks

At the end of the month, GPP PopUp is coming to Berlin. If you are in Northern Europe, this city is within reach for you. And for a variety of reasons, it’s almost certainly the last time Pop_UP will be held in Europe.

Here’s why you shouldn’t miss it.

A Compact, Info-Filled Weekend

This will be my third time teaching at Pop_UP. Over the course of one weekend—two days—the instructors there work hard to bring you a learning experience that centers on photography, but hits it from four unique and different perspectives.

That’s important, because no two photographers’ environments are the same. And learning from people who have successfully navigated various waters in different ways can be very valuable.

The sessions are all pretty fast paced. We each have a lot to cover and only a few hours to do it. For that reason, we each tend to step back from the daily cacophony and concentrate on things that might spark you to think about your own situation in a different way.

I wouldn’t expect to learn 500 things. If past Pop_UPs are a guide, I think the more likely experience is that you’ll get a deeper look into a couple dozen new concepts—many of which will be things that you have never really considered before.

People don’t learn sequentially. Accumluated knowledge kind of builds up, then something causes that dam to burst and important concepts come together in a very concentrated way. Which is why there are times when you suddenly realize multiple things at once.

Creating those intersections is the main goal of my session at Pop_UP. But more on that in a minute.

Greg Heisler is a One-Off

Consider Greg Heisler. And yes, I realize there is a Joe and a Zack involved. But they each have their own online venues to talk about their approach to Pop_UP. But Greg really doesn’t.

So let’s talk about him for a minute.

First, Greg is one of the world’s pre-eminent portraitists. You’ve grown up seeing his work. And you think there is this gap, for lack of a better word, that separates his work from yours. And in some ways you are right. The technical gaps are there, because he has a mastery of photography and lighting and color that few can match.

But what I have learned, watching him teach in his very open way, is that the camera-related gaps only partly explain the difference between his work as compared to that of the average “good” photographer.

I have learned that there are other gaps. Important gaps. Probably more important than the photography-related gaps that we can easily identify.

His work ethic, his thought ethic, his approach to dealing with the people in front of his camera, his respect for (and knowledge of) the history that came before us as photographers—all of that is at least as important as his mastery of photography or lighting.

Probably more important, actually.

Spending a half a day seeing that is something that is hard to put a value on. You go in expecting F/stops and you coming out realizing the important stuff had nothing to do with F/stops. If you have read 50 Portraits, you already have some idea of what I am talking about.

(And if you own his book, bring it. Get him to sign it. In 100 years, no one is going to remember me. But Greg Heisler will still be alive and well in the lexicon of photographers.)

Yes, he will almost certainly be shooting at Pop_UP. And it will be a learning experience to watch him work. He might use a Profoto light, or he might use a cheap fluorescent tube from a local hardware store. To Greg, it’s all just light. His versatility and unflappability is a lesson in itself.

Lastly, back to the idea of this being a one-time opportunity. Because for the most part, Greg has been taken off of the market.

Syracuse University in upstate New York has very wisely snapped him up to keep largely for themselves. He loves it there. It’s a wonderful college town with a steady stream of curious (and lucky) young minds for him to mold.

Which means he almost never teaches externally these days. And because of his academic schedule, when he does teach it is generally close to home.

If you are in Europe, this might well be the only chance you have to learn from him.

And I Have to Follow That

I have taught in a lot of places—many cities, many countries. And suffice to say that following Greg Heisler in any kind of teaching environment is its own little nightmare. Not unlike the one where you show up at school without pants.

It stems from a deep-seeded fear of relative inadequacy, something I readily confess as a “lighting guy” in the context of Greg. So you can damn-well be sure I won’t be talking about lighting.

“What an amazing cooking presentation by Julia Child! Please stick around for David Hobby, who is next and will show you how to make toast…”

No.

So my class on Sunday afternoon will be more about the things that surround photography:

• How do you find the areas in photography where you are particularly well-suited?

• How do you identify—and create—areas of extreme competitive advantage?

• How do you create the ecosystems that, in turn, create the positive feedback loops you need?

• Which “outputs” from those systems do you optimize for? (Not just money.)

• Is it a good idea to optimize for money? (Not usually.)

• What balance do you need to create to foster sustainability?

• Where do your best ideas come from?

• Is it possible to engineer a stream of strong incoming ideas? (Yes, definitely.)

I have watched for ten years as my particular field—editorial/photojournalism—has largely collapsed. Many assignment fees today don’t even cover the cost of periodic gear replacement. It’s crazy.

So my last ten years have been spent studying and practicing new ways to approach the “new” world of photo and its related professions. To learn to adapt to a world that has completely shifted under my feet, and to anticipate those changes still yet to come.

This is not something I write about on this site, simply because it is way out of the lighting niche. But it is something that I feel is existentially important for photographers to understand.

That’s the deep dive we’ll be taking on Sunday afternoon.

So That’s One Day

Like I said, I’ll let Joe and Zack speak for themselves. Feel free to ping them on Twitter if you have any Q’s. But for those of you joining us in Berlin, this is what’s on tap for your Sunday.

Pop_UP is not a forever thing. We have been to UK, Asia, US—and this month, EU. If it continues, it would almost certainly be in South America or Africa.

If you are in Europe, and you want to attend one, this is your chance. Come join us.

And if you have photo friends in Europe, please help to spread the word. None of us live there, so we would very much appreciate your help in that way.

Thanks—and see you there,
David

:: GPP Pop_UP Berlin, Oct 29-30 ::
Strobist

October 11, 2016
12 Sources Where You Can Make Money in Photography

It can be a daunting task when you first start looking for ways to make money in the photography world or find photography jobs. On one hand, there seems to be, and are, many different avenues you can take to achieve an income, but on the other hand, each of these avenues can be difficult to break into.

I created this list to help focus you on your path to finding the right way to achieve income through your work. Take your skill level, your location, your situation, your short-term goals, and your longterm goals all into account and choose the strategies that you think will be most effective. Hit those strategies hard. There is no need to waste your valuable time on the other stuff.

1. Friends, colleagues, and family

Band photography

There are few photographers that I know who did not gain their first photography jobs through friends and family. Your friends, colleagues, and family already know you and your work ethic (which I hope is strong). They trust you and will be willing to recommend you. Some will even hire you. Everyone needs photography in some way and people often want to work with a person they know. Let that person be you.

Think about how your network can help propel you where you want to go. Who might they know who can help your career? Ask for an introduction. If you want to do business or law firm portraits, ask your friends who work for those type of companies to put you in touch with the person who hires photographers. In addition, influential people (connectors) can be a big boon to your business. Reach out to any of these people that you might know or seek out an introduction from a friend who might know them.

Send out an official announcement about your business. Create a mailing list, and send out a professional looking email that talks about your services and how you can help people. It’s one thing to talk in passing to your friends and family about it, but it’s another to be official and explain how you can help them or the people they know while showing your accompanying work.

2. Assisting and internships

Business portraiture

Besides your personal network, assisting and internships are the other primary way that you can effectively break into the photography business. Be prepared to make coffee and sweep floors (tip: if you learn to make good, strong coffee, everyone on a photo shoot will love you). Doing this will allow you to learn about how a true photography business runs quicker than at any photo school. It will give you a nuanced insight that you cannot get in any other way.

If you assist a portrait photographer, you will learn about lighting really well because you will be in charge of setting up the lights. If you assist for a wedding photographer, you will likely be a second shooter. In that role, you will gain invaluable wedding experience without the risk of shooting a wedding for the first time without any support.

It will allow you to build a new network around you. The photographers you work for will pass along jobs that they cannot do. You will make friends with the other assistants and you can help each other out in the future when you all start shooting on your own. The relationships and skill building that happens in these environments is invaluable.

3. People that need photographs for their wall

Canvas wall print

If you are aiming to sell your photographs, you can market directly to businesses, restaurants, local galleries, everyday people, collectors, and your network. You can be a go-to person for gifts. However, keep in mind that this is a very hard way to make money. It can take years of dedicated work to build up and you will need to actively market yourself.

Studying marketing and selling is important for anything you do on this list, but particularly if you are aiming to sell your work. Most photographers choose other ways to make a majority of their income at first while building up a print sales business over time.

4. Local businesses

Business portraiture

You know the needs of your local businesses well, and most likely you already know the people who own them. Figure out what they might need, whether it’s business portraits, shots of their food or products, event or conference photography, or work for their walls. Approach them with a plan in mind, and ask to set up a meeting to discuss your ideas and how they can benefit.

Better yet, if you know anyone that works for the business or has a relationship with someone who does, ask for an introduction first. Introductions will give you a huge advantage.

5. Couples, weddings, and engagement photography

Engagement photography

Wedding photography is a big business for photographers. It takes a lot of time to get good and is very hard to do well, but it is one of the best ways to make a good living at photography. If you are aiming to start off with wedding photography, I suggest trying to at least work as a second shooter for a while to gain a portfolio and skills.

But there are other ways you can take advantage of this as well. You do not have to be a wedding photographer to be an engagement photographer. Couples and family photography is a very viable business wherever you live and engagements are a big part of that, whether or not you are a wedding photographer. Learn the best locations in your area to photograph and market to families and newlyweds. This may also be a good first-step to transition into the wedding world.

6. Travelers

Tourists from a workshop

If you are in an area that gets any sort of tourism, you can become a photography tour and workshop leader. Learn about all the best locations in the area and the best times to photograph them. Learn some history too. Just because you are running a photography tour does not mean that history isn’t important. People should be able to get to know more about what they are photographing. They want to learn that stuff. Market yourself through hotels, tourism companies, local tourism boards, and Google.

7. Actors, artists, and students

Dancer

There is a whole photography sub-industry that caters to creatives and students. These genres do not usually pay as much as working with business firms, but they can as you improve and move up. Go advertise where these people hang out. Find a connection at your local schools. Learn which of your friends have high school age children that need photos taken, then begin to work with their network of friends. Try to get into acting or art schools.

8. Conferences and events

Business Conference

Event photography is another way that photographers can start making money right away. Event photography is on the easier and less stressful end of the photography spectrum, as long as you are okay with the socializing. There is not as much pressure involved as shooting a wedding, and the technical skills are not as difficult to master as other forms of photography. Learn to use your camera, your flash, how to shoot in low light, and how to get people to smile in photos and you’ll be good to go.

9. Trade and art shows – networking events

Trade event

Seek out all of the trade shows whose members you think you might be able to work with. Whether it’s a business related show or a local tourism event, many of the attendants will need your services. Meet people, get to know them, don’t come on too strong, and let them know that you’re there if they ever need your services. The more you attend these different events, the more people will recognize and get to know you. Just this exposure can be very valuable in the long run.

In addition, many areas have arts and crafts fairs and shows. This is a great way to get your work seen by your community. It’s a lot of work, so plan carefully and try not to go overboard at first. Do your research coming in, and use the time at the show not only to sell your work but to get to know people in your community. Even if someone is not ready to buy your work, it doesn’t mean that they will not want to in the future or for a gift. Get to know them, and see if they want to sign up for your mailing list, so you can keep your work in front of them in the future.

10. Organic: Google and social media

An image used as a fashion show backdrop

Due to all the competition, ranking highly in Google is tougher than it used to be. But with some focus and time, it is very doable. Learning how to rank higher in Google involves too much information to do the topic justice here, but you should follow resources and websites such as problogger.com (our own Darren Rowse’s other site), which will help you learn to make more of your living through the internet. You will need a website of course. Also keep in mind that besides a variety of unique factors, Internet links are the lifeblood of ranking highly in Google, so it is necessary to figure out how to get other people to link to your site and mention your work.

In addition to your email list, build a Facebook business page and an Instagram page to grow your following. This will help you keep your work in front of people so that they will remember you the next time they need your services.

11. Local internet marketing

Business photography

You can market your work to all types of business on the internet. However, local websites can be the most important. Local news sites, blogs, or wherever your community hangs out on the internet are important to become a part of.

Think about how you might be able to work with these websites or be of value to them. If you join certain communities, you do not want to go crazy marketing to them. Join the community, be a valuable member, answer questions and offer advice, and just get to know people. That’s how you market in these situations. If you do this the right way, they will like and trust you and will want to work with you in the future.

12. Other photographers

There is so much competition between photographers that it can get incredibly frustrating. Other photographers share the same passions that you do, and they are going through the same trials and tribulations. Seek out the good ones and become friends with them. Offer to help them if they need. Pass along jobs if you can’t fulfill one. Grow together.

Over time, you will surround yourself with an invaluable community and you will all be stronger together. The photographers who feel too competitive to give you the time of day will then not have the advantages that the rest of you do.

Conclusion

Making money in photography can be challenging and hard especially when you’re getting started. These tips should give you some ideas to move forward with in your photography career. If you have any other ideas that have worked for you please share them in the comments below.

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The post 12 Sources Where You Can Make Money in Photography by James Maher appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 11, 2016
10 Tips for Better Interior Photography

Whether it’s because of a love of seeing what other people do with their homes, or because we’ve got a friend in real estate, loads of us are turning to real estate photography. Of course anyone can run around and shoot a house in a few minutes. It may be useable, but better images command a better price for a house, either for sale or rental. So what can you do to make your interior photography stand out from the others?

Well, quite a lot actually. Some of it just boils down to a basic understanding of what an interior shot requires. Great angles, straight walls, and even light make a massive difference to the shot. We’re not talking about high end, multi-light setups with tilt shift lenses here, just getting better shots.

#1 – Use a tripod

You can nip around and shoot handheld, but for many houses, you may need longer exposures. High ISO will just introduce too much noise, so a tripod is the best option. It does slow you down, but it also makes you concentrate on the shot more. You can use the time to check around the frame for stray cables, or clutter, and create the composition before you hit the shutter button. A few of the other tips benefit from using a tripod as well.

#2 – Use Live View

I shoot with a Fuji X-T10, so everything is live view, either by screen or by electronic viewfinder. Most cameras have a Live View option (if your camera has a video mode you likely have Live View), meaning you can see the shot before you take it. It’s even better if the camera has a tilt screen.

#3 – Go wide

Shooting wide can make the room look great, though you need to be careful that you don’t over do it. Sitting tight into one corner while you try to get the other three corners in just looks wrong. Don’t do it. Anything in the 16-24mm range on full frame (or the crop equivalent which equates to 10-16mm approx.) is great. You also don’t need to show everything. Our eyes and brain will fill in gaps, so half a cabinet and the pillows section of a bed work fine in a photo. I use the Samyang 12mm lens (check prices for that lens on Amazon or B&H Photo) for my wide interior work.

#4 – Shot one or two point perspectives

There are standard views you can shoot. A 1-point perspective is shooting so the sensor plane is parallel to a wall. It shows the side wall leading into the back wall and helps set a scene. A 2-point perspective is where you’re shooting into a corner. The corner doesn’t need to be centered in the frame, but don’t try and show three walls.

#5 – Shoot from mid-room height

We can’t all afford a tilt-shift lens to keep perspective in check, so it’s a really good idea to shoot with the camera at or slightly above mid-room height. This means you can keep the camera aimed out straight to keep the walls vertical. While the perspective distortion you get can be corrected in post-production, it’s much easier to get it right in camera. This is another reason to use a tripod as well.

#6 – Use a bubble level

Most cameras have an electronic level, but not all. Even then, some only work for the horizon line, and don’t show tilt. There’s also a question of tolerance too. I find a little hotshoe bubble level to work great, and you see exactly when the camera is level, both side to side and up and down. The latter is essential to keep the walls looking straight.

#7 – Bracket, bracket, bracket

When shooting interiors, there’s often a huge range of light in a room. From the light outside to the darkest corners of a room. Often it’s more than your camera can capture in one shot. Bracketing is your friend here. This means you’re taking a normal exposure, a shot 2 stops underexposed, and one 2 stops overexposed. Lightroom’s Merge to HDR function can be used to combine the shots for more editing leeway. You can also opt to use more shots (4 stops under and overexposed if you want even more latitude) for example, when you want to show the view outside a window.

#8 – Use fill flash

Another way to bring down the dynamic range is to use bounced flash to fill in the shadows. By aiming your flash at the ceiling and walls behind you, you can lessen the shadows in the area in front of you. It’s possible to do this on-camera, but it works well off-camera too. You can even just hold the flash in your hand pointed at the ceiling.

You’ll need a radio trigger for the flash, or a system with built-in triggers like the Cactus RF-60 (price on Amazon and B&H Photo) and V6ii trigger. See the difference in the towels and the near part of the bed in these photos? That’s what fill flash does. It’s subtle, but lifts the light in the room.

#9 – Go vertical for magazines

With so much interior work viewed on the web, there’s been a shift towards horizontal images in the interior photography world. But print magazines are still out there, and if you want your work published, you’ll need to shoot verticals for single magazine pages. Verticals usually mean letting the eye fill in gaps, so make use of composition to show hints of the room.

#10 – Post-processing magic

Get as much right in-camera as possible, but do edit your Raw files to bring out their best. When post-processing in a program like Lightroom, you should bring the Highlights down and open up the Shadows. Next bring the Blacks down to ensure that the contrast lost from opening up the Shadows doesn’t impact the image too much. A little Clarity can also help. Find a Lens Profile in Lens Corrections to correct for distortions. Use Lightroom’s Upright tool to fix perspective issues in the image that can happen.

Conclusion

Hopefully you’ve found these tips helpful for getting started doing interior photography. If you have any others to share please do so in the comments below.

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The post 10 Tips for Better Interior Photography by Sean McCormack appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 10, 2016
DSLR or Mirrorless Cameras Which is Right for You?
Have you considered switching to a mirrorless camera system from your DSLR? Or are you upgrading fro a point and shoot and want to know which system is the right choice for you? This video from Phil Steele may help you understand the differences and make a decision that’s sound.

If you found that helpful you can learn more from Phil over on his website Steele Training.

By Soe Lin

You can also see more info on mirrorless cameras and the differences between them and SLRs in these dPS articles:
- 3 Reasons Why Mirrorless Cameras are Better than Digital SLRs for Focusing
- Does the Camera Matter? SLR versus Mirrorless versus Smartphone
- 8 Factors to Look at Before You Choose a New DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
- The 19 Most Popular Compact System and Mirrorless Cameras with Our Readers
- 5 Lessons Learned Switching from DSLR to Mirrorless for Travel Photography
- How the Switch from DSLR to Mirrorless Changed How I Edit Photos
- 10 Reasons Why a Pro is Using a Mirrorless Camera for Personal and Paid Jobs
You can also vote and see the results of our poll on mirrorless cameras here.

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Digital Photography School
October 10, 2016
5 Easy Tips for Photographing Babies Outdoors

When it comes to photographing babies under two years old (and newborns), most people immediately think of studios with elaborate backdrops and lots of available headbands, hats, and props. There’s nothing wrong with that type of photography for children, but if you don’t have access to a studio space of your own, you have to get a little creative.

More and more, I’m discovering that I love to photograph both newborns and young babies outdoors. Yes, I often take even 5-10 day old little babies outside for at least part of their session. If you’d like to give it a try as well, here are five simple tips to help get you started while also keeping the little guys and gals safe.

1. Settle them inside

When it comes to newborns, you’ll find that they settle best when they’re very warm. This means that if you want to photograph a baby outdoors, you will typically be more successful if you begin indoors. Inside, swaddle the baby up tightly. Keep in mind that babies like to be warm, so you may want to leave them in pyjamas under the swaddle. Then rock them while playing white noise or making sushing sounds until they are nice and sleepy. Next, lay the baby in a basket or bowl that has been lined with a fluffy blanket and let them settle. Once the baby has settled in, carry the whole thing outdoors.

Sometimes, photographing babies outdoors can be a bit of a race against time, as any big gust of wind or loud noise can startle them awake. For best success, scout out a location that’s close to the house before you begin. Also, even in the most ideal situations, there are times when a baby just won’t stay settled outdoors. If you experience that, don’t sweat it, just move on.

Recently, I tried to take a baby outdoors on several occasions, and each time she woke up crying before I could get even a single shot. So with permission, I cut a few flowers and brought them inside, and photographed the baby inside with the flowers instead (see photo above). Just be flexible. If you can’t bring the newborn outside, consider ways to bring the outdoors in.

2. Have someone hold them

If you primarily shoot on location, you’ll find that not all families have a great space for family portraits indoors. Sometimes the physical shape or size of the room isn’t particularly conducive to a group portrait, or the decor doesn’t quite match the desired aesthetic. Sometimes families just have beautiful outdoor spaces that I love to showcase.

Regardless of the scenario, I often find myself asking mom or dad to hold the baby during a few family portraits outdoors. Particularly if the family has expressed an interest in “lifestyle” or “candid” images, as nature can tend to feel less stuffy and conservative than an indoor studio setup.

Even if you experience a baby that won’t settle outdoors in a basket or bowl, keep in mind that being held in mom or dad’s arms may be an entirely different story. Sometimes babies just want to be held. Don’t be afraid to experiment with both scenarios until you discover what works best for each individual baby and family.

3. Shade them appropriately

Whether you’re placing a baby in some vessel or having a parent hold them outdoors, it is really important to make sure that they’re shaded appropriately. Both newborns and older babies have very sensitive skin, and the last thing you want is for them to get a sunburn for the sake of some photos (it’s also better light for portraits). If you’re not able to find shade naturally available, some alternative options are a large umbrella (patio or beach umbrellas work well), or even a reflector held directly overhead.

When dealing with dappled light through trees, I sometimes position mom or dad strategically just out of frame so that they block any light that may fall on baby’s face or body.

4. Try to contain walkers and crawlers

When it comes to photographing older babies outdoors, there’s a sweet spot between sitting babies and crawling babies when outdoor photography is easiest. That said, you won’t always be working with the ideal developmental stage because all babies hit those stages at different ages. So, it’s best to be prepared with a few tricks up your sleeve to make photographing walkers and crawlers a little bit easier.

I usually start by laying a quilt or blanket down on the ground. Some babies will not crawl off the blanket because they hate how the grass feels on their bare hands and feet. This is typically not a solution that lasts for the duration of the session without causing frustration, but can sometimes buy you a few stationary minutes. Other than the blanket trick, I have used galvanized wash tubs, old crates, toddler sized chairs, and wagons, to help contain older babies outdoors.

When using any of these props, please be safe. Use a spotter if necessary to prevent tumbles, and don’t be afraid to use composite images (combine two shots) if needed so that someone can have a hand on the baby at all times.

5. If you can’t contain them, entertain them

If sitters, walkers, and crawlers aren’t happy being contained, your next best bet is to just roll with it. Don’t push things, or you’ll likely to end up with a baby in tears, and nobody wants that at a photo session.

At the first signs of frustration, transition to games or activities that will entertain the baby, then keep taking pictures. Many babies and early walkers love to hold hands and stand or walk, so let them. Have mom or dad pick up the baby overhead and play airplane. Play a game of chase. You’ll be surprised at the opportunities for candid images of the family having fun together, as well as the number of opportunities for images that have a portrait feel to them as well.

Do you have any other tips for photographing newborns or young babies outdoors? If so, please chime in the comments below.

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The post 5 Easy Tips for Photographing Babies Outdoors by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 10, 2016
Tips for Using the Blur Filters in Photoshop
For most photographers before they even press that shutter button, they have already pictured the type of shot in their heads. What exactly do I mean by that?

Well for example, a sports photographer may use a panning technique to shoot a moving sports car so that the background is out of focus to convey a dynamic shot of motion. Or maybe you are a portrait photographer and you want your subject set against a wonderful bokeh in the background.

Shallow DOF on the photo to the left. A Field Blur filter using Photoshop was added to create a greater depth of field look to the photo on the right.

In-camera blur versus done in Photoshop

All these techniques can be done in-camera. But sometimes due to time, technical constraints, or other factors, getting that desired shot in-camera isn’t always possible.

In this article, I will take a look at the Blur filters in Photoshop and demonstrate how useful these effects can be when applied in post-production. Whether you want to create a motion blur effect or simply blur part of the image to create a shallow-depth-of-field look.

When Photoshop CS6 was released Adobe added three new filters: Field Blur, Iris Blur, and Tilt-Shift. This brought the tally up to 14 different types of Blur effects in Photoshop. These new blur features were impressive.

Blur filters in Photoshop

First, let’s take a look at few and where you access them in Photoshop. I’m using Photoshop CS6. Go up to the Menu Bar > Filter and select Blur. I’m not going to describe all of them. Instead, I will concentrate on the few that I use the most but feel free to experiment with the others.

Where the different Blur filters are located in Adobe Photoshop.

Some of the filters I’ve never used let alone tried, such as Blur and Blur More. Here are some blur filters which include my personal favorites:
- Gaussian Blur
- Field Blur
- Radial Blur
- Motion Blur
- Average Blur
- Lens Blur
If you take a look at the following images, you can see the subtle, and not so subtle differences, each blur filter has on the same image, which are white lines on a black background.

Normal whites lines on a black background – no blur effect. A Shape Blur filter was applied to the same image on the left.

Gaussian Blur was applied to the image on the left and Radial Blur was applied to the image on the right.

A Lens Blur was applied to the image on the left and a Motion Blur was applied to the image on the right.

Gaussian Blur

I use Gaussian Blur the most out of all of the blur filters. It is my general workhorse for blurring parts of an image and for softening the edges of a layer mask. It can also reduce noise in an image.

Field Blur

Field Blur works great when you want to focus on an area of your photo, such as the foreground or background. You apply a pin on the part of the image where you want the focus left as it is. Then reduce the Radius to 0px, which can be done either by using the slider in the top right part of the menu or by dragging the white bar around the pin until blurring disappears. Place another pin or pins on the image where you want to blur the focus. The default setting is 15px Radius.

Sunflowers in France – one is smiling while the others are wilting due to the intense heat.

Applying the pins on the image where I want the focus to remain, and others where I want it blurry.

I applied the Field Blur to blur out the poor wilting sunflowers so that the focus was on the smiling sunflower.

Note: If you have version Photoshop CS6 13.1 or Photoshop CC, you can apply these blur filters to Smart Objects. That’s a big plus.

What I found particularly impressive when either of these three blur tools are accessed is the separate panel for creating Bokeh. Read this dPS article if you want to know how to create a Bokeh effect in Photoshop.

Radial Blur

Pick up any magazine or newspaper where you see photos of cars being advertised. If you look closely, you will see some images of cars where the motion effects were applied in post-production. Reflections, the wheels of the car, and the background are the usual tell-tale areas.

An animated Gif to illustrate the Radial and Motion Blur effects applied to the wheels and parts of the car and the background.

Let’s take for example, the wheels of a car. A Radial Blur could be used here to create the effect of the wheels spinning around.

Radial Blur applied twice to the front rim part of the wheel.

In the example above, I first selected the wheel rim and part of the tire using the pen tool (See Note below). The pen tool saves the selection and I can edit it later if needed. This selection was placed on its own layer and converted it to a Smart Object. I applied two Radial blurs. For the first method, I used Spin; Quality Best with a 8px blur. I then applied another Radial blur using the Zoom method; Quality Best at 6px blur.

Motion Blur

For the background and other parts of the car, I used the Motion Blur effect. I duplicated the image and converted it to a Smart Object. The car was isolated with the pen tool and I applied a layer mask so that when the motion blur is applied, it affects the background only and not the car. You will notice a little ghosting around the rear of the car.

Radial Blur was applied to the wheels. Motion Blur was applied to the side panel, rear side window, and to the background.

Ideally, you would also cut out the car from the duplicated image and clone the area back in with the surrounding sky, trees, and road.

Disclaimer: I’m in no way inferring here in this article that to convey motion to a static shot of a car that all you need to do is apply Radial and Motion blur effects. Far from it. I fully appreciate that more techniques are involved, along with time, skill, and effort, to pull off a professional retouching job.

Note: I feel the Spin Blur Filter in Photoshop CC is definitely a much improved version of the Radial Blur. You add a pin over the part of your image. Click and drag the ellipse’s borders to resize it, or you can also click and drag the handles to reshape and rotate it. It’s much faster and intuitive to use. You have more control and it works on Smart Objects. The effect is also more realistic in my opinion.

Average Blur

This is a filter I don’t use that often but I wanted to demonstrate how to use it to remove color casts on your photos.

With your image already opened, duplicate the layer. Go up to Filter > Blur > Average. It will turn the image to a solid color by producing an average of all colors in the image. Add a Levels Adjustment layer. Click on the middle eyedropper tool and click anywhere on the solid color layer. This samples a gray point in your image. Turn off the visibility of this layer and you will see the difference, the color cast has been removed. It’s not perfect though, and you may find that further editing is required.

How to apply the Average Blur in Photoshop.

A solid average colour is calculated, which is blue. Add a Level Adjustment Layer and click on the middle eyedropper tool.

By selecting the gray eyedropper tool and clicking on the image, the blue colour changes to grey.

The colour cast has been removed.

Lens Blur

The Lens Blur filter is probably my favorite of all of them if I had to choose one. It does a fantastic job of replicating the shallow DOF (Depth-of-Field) look normally achieved in-camera. While Field Blur also does a great job of this, I still prefer the Lens Blur method as you can import a depth map. That is an alpha channel which stores the selection as an editable grayscale mask in the Channels panel.

An example

In this image of the rhino taken at Dublin Zoo, I was too far away and I didn’t have a telephoto lens with me to get a nice shallow depth of field to blur out the background.

A rhino taken at Dublin Zoo.

So in Photoshop, I selected the rhino using the Quick Selection and Refine Edge tools. I saved this selection and named it. The selection or mask is now permanently stored as an alpha channel. To access it, I opened up the Channels panel and selected the alpha channel called rhino. By holding down on the Cmd/Ctrl key and pressing the letter I, it inverts the mask. The rhino is now black. Remember black conceals, white reveals on masks. Next, I clicked on the RGB layer to go back to the Layers panel.

I now need a layer mask for the foreground as I only want the background to appear blurred. Follow these steps to do the same:

Create a new layer and click on the Gradient Tool. Go up to the Gradient Editor and make sure you choose the preset Foreground to Background. Start near the bottom of the image while holding down the Shift key and drag upwards. It may take a few tries but you want a nice transition from black to white, similar to the image below.

Open up the Gradient Editor and set the preset to Foreground-Background.

Open up your Channels panel again and duplicate any of the red, green, or blue channels and name this gradient. You now have two separate channel layers; one with the rhino and the other with the gradient for the foreground.

Duplicating the gradient channel to create one alpha channel.

Bear with me for the next few steps!

In order to create just one alpha channel to load as a depth map for the Lens Blur filter, we need to copy the rhino selection onto the gradient layer. So duplicate the gradient channel by right clicking on the layer or dragging the layer to the bottom of the Layers panel to the icon “Create new channel”. Name it rhino mask in this instance.

Hold down the Cmd/Ctrl key and click on the rhino layer. You will see the marching ants around the rhino and the border. Go up to the Menu Bar > Select > Inverse. Now the marching ants are just around the shape of the rhino. Go back up to the Menu Bar > Edit > Fill with Black. Click on the RGB layer and go back to the Layers panel.

After inverting the selection of the rhino, you can now fill it with Black.

Now we have the rhino mask and the foreground mask on the one channel ready for the Lens Blur filter as a depth map.

Now we are ready to load this channel as a depth map into the Lens Blur filter. Duplicate the layer, or if you have a new version of Photoshop convert it to a Smart Object.

A separate dialog box appears and the image will initially be blurry. Go to where it says Source and click on None. A drop down menu appears and you can select the channel you have just created, in this case “rhino mask”. Adjust the radius value and click the Ok button.

Selecting the channel rhino mask in the Lens Blur filter

The depth map has been applied and a shallow depth of field has been created.

Conclusion

I hope this article was helpful and your eyes aren’t too blurry from reading it.

Do you use Blur filters in Photoshop? What are your favorite ones? Please share your comments below.

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The post Tips for Using the Blur Filters in Photoshop by Sarah Hipwell appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
October 9, 2016
How to Capture the Perfect Action Shot in Sports Photography

Sports photography is a fun challenge for any photographer. There is plenty of intensity and emotion to be found at any competitive event. These elements combine to create the potential for some truly memorable images.

At the same time, the speed and unpredictability of some games can be intimidating. Especially if you are used to dealing with slower-moving subjects, like portraits or landscapes.

Never fear! This article will arm you with helpful knowledge so that your next brush with sports photography will result in some fantastic captures.

Getting your settings right

This image was taken at 1/1600^th of a second, which freezes the action completely. This super fast shutter speed is possible because there is a lot of sunlight.

Chances are that you’ve probably taken your fair share of blurry sports photo. Typically, players or athletes are moving at high speeds, and your camera doesn’t necessarily know for itself how to compensate.

Freezing the action

If you want to freeze the action in a photo, you’ll need to use to choose a fast shutter speed. But, how fast does it need to be? Well, that depends on the sport. 1/250^th of a second should be enough to freeze kids playing soccer, but you’ll need to go a lot faster if you want to capture a baseball in mid-flight. Experiment and find what shutter speed you need to use in order to produce sharp images.

Adding motion

On the other hand, you can also experiment with slowing down the shutter speed and panning your camera throughout the picture to create a sense of speed and movement. It takes a bit of practice to get right, but if you match the speed of your subject, you can hold them in focus while the directional blur emphasizes the sense of movement.

Whenever possible, you will want to use a wide aperture, such as f/3.5 or lower. This will create a narrow depth-of-field, and helps the players to stand out, as the background distractions will be blurred.

This image was shot at an aperture of f/2.8 so that the spectators in the background don’t distract from the players chasing the ball.

If the sport is being held outside during overcast conditions or indoors with consistent lighting, consider using manual exposure mode and settings. It may take a bit of time to figure out, but you’ll get much more reliable and consistent images.

Pick your spots

When you first arrive at the field, arena, gym or track, consider all of your potential angles and options. Your options will be different depending on whether you have a short or a long zoom lens.

For many sports, you won’t be able to cover every angle. Getting up close with a wide-angle lens means you won’t be able to capture plays on the other side of the field. While using a long zoom means you may struggle to capture play right in front of you.

Find the “sweet spots” – the places on the field of play which are the perfect distance away for your camera and lens combination. You’re going to get your best images when the play is in these areas. Rather than trying to get an incredible picture when play is far away on the other side of the field, be patient and prepare so that you make the most out of every opportunity when play is in your sweet spots.

When I stand near the benches with a 70-200mm lens, this play in front of the net is right in my sweet spot, which allows for strong composition.

Where possible, it’s a good idea to put yourself in a position where the players will be coming towards you. This allows you to see faces and get a better sense of depth than if you shoot from the sidelines and get a side profile view of everyone.

Get in the middle of the action

If you want to take a sports photo that will be memorable, you need to bring the viewer in as close as possible. Typically, this means using a zoom lens like the 70-200mm. If you don’t have a long zoom lens, simply get as close as possible to the field.

Perspective changes quite a bit as you zoom in. A wide-angle shot looks very different than a shot with full zoom (long telephoto). Consider how you can use this change in perspective to find some unique captures.

Many first-time sports photographers are nervous to zoom right into the middle of the action. Yes, it does come with some risks. You’re likely to snap plenty of frames where an unexpected zig or zag took the player partially out of the image. This is part of sports photography. Even the professionals aren’t able to nail the perfect shot every time.

In this shot, the referee passed in front of the camera and messed up the focus. Don’t feel upset if some pictures turn out like this! These kinds of images will be very familiar to any sports photographer.

Risks sometimes pay off

If you have trouble following the play, it definitely is an option to play it safe by taking a wider shot and then cropping in closer afterward. But by taking a high risk, high reward approach to composition will result in some magnificent images!

Another reason to use zoom: To capture expressions!

The most memorable sports shots show faces full of emotion – whether that is the joy of the game, the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

Timing is everything

There seems to be a furious competition between manufacturers to see who can make a camera that takes the most images per second.

Burst mode is an incredibly useful tool for sports photography, but all too often it can be a crutch. Just because you can take 10 pictures in one second doesn’t mean you should.

Having the ability to take pictures in bursts should be secondary to anticipating the action. Understanding of the game and having a sense for what is going to happen next is more important than burst mode in every case. If you return from every event with thousands of pictures, all taken a fraction of a second apart, it’s going to be a strenuous job of sorting and finding the keepers.

With that said, burst mode can be a great tool if you don’t want to miss any opportunities and have lots of room on your card.

Lastly, don’t spend the whole game chimping! Chimping is when you get so caught up checking out all of your sweet pictures on your camera’s LCD screen that you miss an incredible play that happens right in front of you. Your pictures will still be there when the game is over. Focus on getting your shot!

Hitting your focus

Having the perfect settings, composition and timing won’t count for anything if you miss your focus.

With the possibility for spectators, colourful advertisements, and other players in the background of your images, your camera’s focus might wander and lock onto the wrong target.

For sports photography especially, you might want to consider using back button focus. With this method, your focus is controlled by a button on the back of your camera, which you can reach with your thumb. The shutter button doesn’t influence the focus at all.

By separating the actions of focusing and taking the picture, you will have greater control and independence over both roles. You may need to consult the manual for information on how to switch your camera to back button focus.

Focus modes

Your camera comes with different focus modes that you can use to get more reliable results, even when dealing with fast and unpredictable subjects. The process for selecting these modes will be a bit different for every camera, so consult your manual for information on how to switch to these options.

First off, you can allow your camera to use all the focus points to determine the best target to lock onto. This can often go wrong, however, as the camera may choose the wrong point, leaving you with an out-of-focus image.

You can get a bit more specific with zone focus, which allows you to select a group of focus points that the camera uses to determine what it focuses on. This focus mode gives up greater control over what the camera locks onto, but still leaves some room for error.

If you want to be very precise, single point focus allows you focus based on just one point of your choosing. This is great if you want to focus on a specific player in a group. The drawback is that is may not be as accurate, and you may need to be very steady in order to stay locked on target.

This image shows three different focus modes as seen through a Canon 7D: Full Auto Focus, Single Point Focus, and Zone Focus

You can also select how the focus will track. These settings may have different names from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they do the same thing.

Continuous or AF-C (Nikon) / AI Servo (Canon): In this mode, your focus will constantly seek for as long as you are holding your focus button down. This is ideal for moving subjects, and should be your first choice for sports.

Single or AF-S (Nikon) / One Shot (Canon): In this mode, your focus will find a target and lock, even if you continue to hold down your focus button. While this is often slightly more accurate than servo focus, your subject may have already moved out of focus by the time you take the shot.

AF-A (Nikon) / AI Focus (Canon): This mode is an intelligent blending of the two previous modes – it will determine if the target is moving and will lock or track accordingly.

Making the most of the focus technology your camera has to offer will play a big role in snapping some excellent sports shots!

Bonus tips and tricks

If you are photographing a car race or a long jump event, it can be a real challenge to track your subject in action. A fast moving car or runner isn’t an easy target for a lot of cameras.

One surefire way to hit your focus even under these tricky conditions is to prefocus. When using this technique, you pick a spot somewhere ahead on the track to carefully set your focus. Then, when your subject comes through, you simply snap the picture and voila!

If you want to add drama and action to your images, consider shooting from a lower angle. This perspective can often make athletes seem heroic or larger than life. Shooting from a lower angle also means the background will show spectators or the opponents behind the player, giving a better sense of the setting and action.

Take Lots of Pictures!

When you get home and load the images on your computer, you’re going to find that many of your shots have missed focus, have players in awkward or unflattering angles, or other annoying distractions. This is perfectly normal! It isn’t easy to capture the chaos of sports, and you’re going to need to throw out a lot of shots.

Over time, as your feel for the game from behind the camera improves and as you begin to master these techniques, you will find yourself coming home with more and more keepers!

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The post How to Capture the Perfect Action Shot in Sports Photography by Frank Myrland appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 8, 2016