Category: Photography

Weekly Photography Challenge – Panning
By Paolo Margari

Earlier I shared some images created using the panning technique.

I love the dramatic feeling of motion that happens when everything comes together and it works. Panning isn’t easy to perfect though, it takes a little bit of practice. If you want some tips on how to do it, try these articles:
- 3 Tips for Creating Dramatic Images using Motion
- Using Slower Shutter Speeds to Show Motion in Your Images
- Showing Speed: Using Panning When Shooting Action
- Creative Reasons to use Intentional Camera Movement
As you might have guessed already – now it’s your turn!

Weekly challenge – panning

Here are a couple more examples, then it’s over to you.

By Takashi Hososhima

By Angelo Domini

By Jamie McCaffrey

By zoutedrop

By Takashi Hososhima

Keep in mind you can do panning on anything that’s moving. Cars, kids, animals, carnival rides, playground rides, bikes, trikes, etc. – get creative with it.

Share your panning images here:

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 favourite 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.

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

Digital Photography School
February 14, 2015
A Sense of Motion with 26 Speedy Panning Images

In the last couple of weeks we’ve looked at both images of long exposure masterpieces, and ones with fast shutter speeds that freeze the action. This week is kind of a combination of the two.

Panning is a technique that uses a slow shutter speed but adds a sense of motion in the background. Here are some great examples of panning images.

Pizza! by Vikramaditya Rai on 500px

MX2 by Darek Siusta on 500px

F1 trial Circuito De Jerez by AJ Villamayor on 500px

Speed by Harag Ionut on 500px

panning by Cristian Todea on 500px

movin by David Jones on 500px

Lamborghini Gallardo by Federico Sciuca on 500px

Rainyday trampan by Jani Mäki on 500px

Yamaha Number 85 by Howie Mudge on 500px

Panning by Zyad ??El – Kadiki on 500px

Havana Ride by Nevzat Gökmen on 500px

Wet border collie dog in midair by Robert Hainer on 500px

… running horses by Carlo Scherer on 500px

Off to the races! by Bill Killillay on 500px

Horsing Around by Thomas R. Tucker on 500px

speed by tanyavindasius on 500px

Panning bike by Alberto Baruffi on 500px

Untitled by Andrea Trenti on 500px

Tour de France Cycling. Opening stage Time Trial. by KevinWinzeler.com ~ sports, lifestyle on 500px

TGV by Quentin Douchet on 500px

By Michael

By Luca Boldrini

By Damianos Chronakis

By Sam Javanrouh

By Rakib Hasan Sumon

By Scott Ableman

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The post A Sense of Motion with 26 Speedy Panning Images by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 13, 2015
A Beginner’s Guide to Mirrorless Cameras

Micro four-thirds cameras, otherwise known as mirrorless cameras, have been around for a little while now. And during the time they’ve been on the market, the companies that make them have been steadily improving on these pint-sized wonders. Many professional photographers in different fields are beginning to make the switch to mirrorless cameras, opting for something smaller than bulky DSLRs. Continue Reading

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Mirrorless Cameras appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

February 13, 2015
Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Digital Photography School

February 13, 2015
7 Things I’ve Learned from Photographing Storms

A massive supercell near Henrietta Texas in May, 2014. © James Brandon

I’ve been a professional photographer for around five years now. I’ve photographed a lot of different subjects throughout the years, but nothing in the world could have prepared me for photographing storms. When I stood in front of my first supercell on May 8th of 2013, I was hooked. A low hanging wall of cloud hovered over the field in front of me as its rotation increased by the second. The 40mph winds at my back were feeding moisture and warm air into the storm. The grass in the field was all bent down towards the monster looming in front of me. Yeah, that’s all I needed to become totally obsessed.

That was back in the spring of 2013. Since then I’ve become good friends with a few very seasoned storm chasers and have gotten a chance to ride along with them on several storms, both last season, and now this season. Mike Mezeul, for example, has become a great friend over the past couple of years and we even lead workshops together now. He’s an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to weather and I highly suggest you check out his work.

In these brief two seasons of chasing, I have already racked up countless hours chasing, God knows how many miles, and my bank account certainly knows how many tanks of gas. In spite of all that, I’m still very new to this world of storm chasing and storm photography, and to be honest, at this point, I’m more of a storm photographer than a storm chaser. I’ve already started getting a lot of questions about storm chasing so I thought I’d put together an article here on dPS going over some of the things I’ve learned thus far, with the preface that I am not an expert at this point. Whether you’re interested in dipping your toes into this genre of photography or just want to know more about it; read on.

1) Storm chasing and storm photography are two very different things

This is something that has become more apparent the more I go out. It’s tough to separate the two because when I go out in search of storms, even I say that I’m going storm chasing (but I’m really not at this point). The people up front in the car are the chasers. The driver is actually doing the chasing and the person riding shotgun is navigating and forecasting. Me? Well most of the time, at this point, I’m in the back; along for the ride. So you might say that I’m chasing with them and you might not. Who cares. I have been in the passenger seat a few times now (in charge of forecasting and navigating) and it is not easy. You can’t be focused on getting pictures in that seat. You’re responsible for navigating the road networks out on the chase — staying one step ahead at all times — while also keeping an eye on the storms using radar.

I haven’t photographed a tornado yet, but this is about as close as I’ve come. This wall cloud (the section of a storm where tornadoes DO come from) began lowering behind the tree line while rotating quite rapidly. © James Brandon

2) Becoming a good chaser takes time, dedication, mentoring and experience

Learning about weather has become a huge passion of mine ever since starting the process of getting my private pilot’s certificate (which I finally got back in late 2012). Weather has to be a passion to get into chasing. It just has to. You’ve got to have an intimate knowledge of weather patterns, frontal systems, pressure systems, lifting mechanisms, dry lines, triple points, dew points, troughs and so much more. You have to know when a scary looking cloud is just that; a scary looking cloud. Many rookie chasers (yes, I’ve done this) will see a scary, ominous looking cloud that is low to the ground and think it’s a tornado forming. They are looking in one direction — at the wrong part of the storm — while the actual danger is somewhere else. Lucky for me, I’ve always had experts with me to point out what I should be concerned with, and what I shouldn’t be.

This image shows an area of outflow from the storm that was moving off to the right. At one point the cloud began to resemble a funnel that was almost touching the ground. However, it wasn’t rotating and it was on the wrong part of the storm. A few minutes later, tornado sirens began going off in the small town nearby, even though the storm wasn’t tornado warned yet. Someone had called in and said a tornado was on the ground.

3) Until you become a seasoned chaser, NEVER go alone

The best chasers out there have dedicated their lives to this stuff. It’s not a weekend hobby. Seriously: Don’t go out alone if you’re a rookie. Just don’t do it. You’ll be putting both your life and the lives of others at risk. Going out on your own means becoming driver, navigator, forecaster, and photographer all at the same time. Just earning a permanent spot up front in a chase vehicle is a coveted thing that takes years (and should) of experience to accomplish. It’s referred to as the “hot seat” for good reason. When you’re on your own, it’s impossible to be totally safe. You have to concentrate on driving, but you also have to pay attention to the storm. That means that you’ll likely be using some sort of radar app on your phone or laptop and will be checking that instead of paying attention to driving. This is a recipe for disaster that will catch up to you eventually.

4) Like any hobby/interest, there are a lot of egos and hot heads

I’m sure this one is going to piss some people off but it’s just the truth. It’s true with anything though. Go buy a Remote Control car and get into RC car racing. Go join your local camera club. Buy an RV and start spending time with fellow RV owners. Every group has them. In storm chasing you will see them driving on the wrong side of the road, passing people with their amber lights flashing while driving 90 in a 55 to get to a storm that’s still 20 miles away (risking lives just to get on a storm), parking their cars just off the side of the road and then leaving their doors open so that traffic has to swerve around them…the list goes on.

Most of them also cover their entire car in storm chasing decals, weather instruments, antennas, and amber lights. The point is: Pay attention to the stuff that these people do and don’t do it. Having amber lights on your car doesn’t make you any more important than the guy in front of, or behind you. Storm chasers are not law enforcement or emergency services. Being a chaser doesn’t give you any special powers or authority.

5) There are also a lot of amazing people

While there are a lot of egos out there, there are just as many incredible people who have more knowledge about weather than I could ever even dream of. These are the people who make storm chasing a noble pursuit. Some of them are self taught, some have masters and doctorates in meteorology or climatology. I’ve had the fortune of meeting some amazing people already just in two seasons. If you can befriend these people, and honor their knowledge and authority, you will have a good chance at advancing your own knowledge at an accelerated pace.

A beast of a supercell in Throckmorton, TX back in May of 2013. Around 10 minutes after I took this photo the storm fell apart and disappeared.

6) It’s not about tornadoes

Sure, easy to say for the guy who hasn’t photographed a tornado yet. In all seriousness though, tornadoes occur in somewhere around 1-2% of supercells. I don’t do this for a living and it’s still a very new passion, so I’m not going to drive 10,000-15,000 miles across the country ever year in search of tornadoes. Even if I did, I’d still see tornadoes so seldom that if that were my goal, I’d feel like a failure. On top of that, tornadoes are incredibly dangerous and destructive, and take lives every year. If I can one day photograph a beautiful tornado in the middle of nowhere, miles away from a town or residence, I’ll be happy. But if there’s a town nearby, or a neighbourhood, or even just a house, I’ll be praying against a tornado each and every time. I’m not after tornadoes. I’m after structure.

Standing in front of a supercell with 30-50mph winds at your back, watching as it rotates and grows, is one of the most awe-inspiring things you’ll ever witness. Seeing the raw power and fury of mother nature is just incredible. I’ve stood in a field with warm, moist 40mph winds at my back feeding the storm in front of me. Then, in an instant, the air turned dry and super cold. The storm had began ingesting the cold air from the evaporating rain it was dropping, and in essence it killed itself by doing so. Within 10 minutes, the entire storm was gone.

An image of a rotating wall cloud from the storm I described in the paragraph above. This was actually my first storm to ever photograph.

7) Chasing has become a circus in recent years – tread lightly

It’s something you can’t fully understand unless you see it. With shows like Storm Chasers, the constant media attention that chasers get during storm season, social media, etc., an innumerable number of people have come out of the woodworks to chase storms in the U.S. When the Storm Prediction Center posts a moderate or severe risk day, you can rest assured that the roads will be packed with chasers (especially if it’s during a weekend). This can, and does, present an added element of danger to chasing storms. I’ve heard stores of road networks being completely clogged up from just chasers while a tornado is on the ground nearby. Because of this, the people I chase with usually don’t go out chasing on days like this. Some of the best storms I’ve seen to this day were on slight risk days when most chasers stayed home.

A CG (cloud to ground) lightning bolt strikes in a field somewhere in east Texas as a storm moves off into the distance.

In closing

Storm photography, storm chasing, whatever you want to call it, has become something I look forward to all year long now. The main months for chasing in Texas, and the surrounding area, is March through May – which means I have to dream about it from June through February. Sure, supercells can pop up in the surrounding months but not nearly as often. If you want to see what chasing is all about, please follow the advice that I set out above. These storms kill people every single year and should not be taken lightly. Don’t go unless you can secure a seat in the car of an experienced and knowledgeable chaser. For the record, someone who chases storms doesn’t necessarily qualify as an “experienced and knowledgeable chaser.” There are many people who chase solo year after year who shouldn’t be out there. Use caution and choose wisely.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below! To follow along with me during the upcoming storm season, be sure to follow me on Instagram. Thanks!

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The post 7 Things I’ve Learned from Photographing Storms by James Brandon appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 12, 2015
Depth of Field and the Importance Distance to Subject Plays

Let’s say that perhaps you’ve been taking photos for a while now. You’ve gotten yourself a good DSLR camera and have recognized that the standard 18-55mm kit lens that comes with your camera is nice, but just doesn’t give you the shots that you are looking for.

So you plunk down your money on the ever-popular 50mm f/1.8 prime lens that everybody is talking about, mount in on your camera, change your aperture to its widest (f/1.8) setting and start shooting. You spend all day shooting with this wonderful little lens and then you get home and put them on your computer and realize that 80% of your shots are out of focus.

In the past, when this used to happen to me, I would reason that shooting wide open was just not possible, because I ended up with too many shots that were out of focus. I incorrectly reasoned that I always needed to close down my aperture when shooting portrait subjects, or they would end up out of focus because the shallow depth of field was just too unusable wide open. For a while, I only used my 50mm 1.8 lens at f/4 because it was the widest aperture that I trusted to get the shot in focus. Crazy yes, I know. But then I figured out something that has changed my use of wide-aperture lenses forever.

Before we continue, let’s break down the meaning of “wide open” and “fast prime lenses”. To shoot “wide open” means that you are choosing to photograph at your lens’ widest aperture setting or f-stop. On a lot of lenses, the widest aperture is listed somewhere on the lens itself with Canon usually listing it on the front of the lens, and Nikon listing this information on the body of the lens. Generally the ration looks something like this: 1:2.8 or 1:1.8. (See photos)

A “fast prime lens” is one that has one focal length (does not zoom) and has “fast” light-gathering ability (due to its wider apertures). Most photographers consider a fast lens to be one with an aperture number of f/2.8 or wider (the smaller the number, the wider the aperture). Two of the most popular features of fast prime lenses are their ability to obtain beautiful out of focus backgrounds and shallow depth of field, as well as their ability to handle low-light conditions because of the aforementioned large apertures.

Let me let you in on a little secret about shooting wide open – it’s about the distance to your subject. Most people learn that wide-aperture lenses blur the background and let in more light, but they never understand that the really neat shallow depth of field created by their lens is also affected by another factor; how close they are to the subject.

You won’t find many manuals on subject to camera distance. It’s kind of an assumed topic that doesn’t get enough attention. Let’s look at it as simply as possible: the closer you are to your subject, the shallower the depth of field is relative to your chosen aperture. In other words, if you are shooting at f/1.8 and you are 20 feet away from your subject, you will have MORE depth of field than you will if you are shooting 2 feet away from your subject.

To get more mathematical, if you’re using a 50mm lens at f/1.8 and photographing something at 4 feet, your depth of field will be around 1.5 inches deep. But if you photograph that same subject from 10 feet, you will have a depth of field of just under 10 inches deep.

Shot at 2ft with a 35mm lens at f/1.4.

Shot at 9ft with a 35mm lens at f/1.4.

The right image cropped to similar framing as the left. Notice the increase in depth of field on the hair and ears, and also the reduction in lens distortion.

Shot at 2 ft with a 35mm lens at f/1.4.

Shot at 9ft with a 35mm lens at f/1.4. Cropped to similar framing. Notice how the pencils in the back row come into focus.

With this information, it is also very important that you get to really know your lens and its abilities. For instance, if you happen to know that you shoot a lot of portraiture close to your subjects, be aware of how much depth of field your lens gives you at three feet, four feet, and so on, when shooting wide open. In time, with experience, you will be able to immediately predict the depth of field your lens will give you based on the distance you are away from your subject.

Shot at 5ft with an 85mm lens at f/1.4.

Shot at 12ft with an 85mm lens at f/1.4.

The depth of field does increase slightly in the right image, but not as dramatically as the 35mm lens due to the 85mm longer focal length.

In conclusion, you can see that the reason your photos might be coming out blurry would be because of your distance to your subject when shooting wide open. So the next time you find yourself frustrated at your results shooting with that wide-aperture lens at its widest aperture, take a step or two back. You might like the results.

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The post Depth of Field and the Importance Distance to Subject Plays by Al Jurina appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 12, 2015
Photo Journaling Can Help you Become a Better Photographer

Let’s face it, photographers are artists. We love creating works of art in our photography. We love to express ourselves with our camera. We create photographs based on what our mind sees. You can take five different photographers with the same setting or model and get five completely different photographs. We are artists and photograph in our own unique ways. It’s important for us to continue to learn and grown and keeping a journal is an amazing way to do that. Your photo journal will serve two purposes. The first is to document your growth as a photographer. The second is to show where you were mentally when you took your photos. You’ll love being able to reference this information in the future.

Why Journal?

I learned photography by shooting with a 35 mm Pentax camera I picked up from a pawn shop. I didn’t have the luxury of looking at my screen (or chimping) after each shot. I had to shoot a roll of film, bracket, and then review the contact sheet to see what worked. I did this for months until I was able to predict what my settings needed to be in a variety of situations. I kept a journal of my photos and wrote down the settings that corresponded with each shot. I learned to do this while in art school. Nowadays, you don’t have to do this, but keeping a journal is still an amazing way to see your progress.

How Do You Journal?

There’s really no right or wrong way to do this, the key is to just do it. Basically, you’ll be writing consistently and adding your photos. When you have an awesome shoot – journal it. When you have a sucky shoot – journal it. Attach your photo and write about your feelings, the settings, the occasion, your equipment, anything new you tried, and anything else you might find relevant. The key is to write about anything that might give insight into how you created that photo. I’ll often add my inspiration sheets to the journal page. It’s just a nice way of referencing where you were pulling your inspiration at that time in your life. I encourage you to date your entries as well.

Just get started and you’ll develop a system that works for you. You can get as creative as you’d like. This is YOUR journal.

Creating Your Journal

The first thing you want to do when creating your photo journal is to find a book of some sort that you’ll be using. I like big sketch books. These give me plenty of room to attach my photos and to write about them. Next, get to snapping! That’s right. Take photos. Make it a habit to take photos weekly or even daily. You might not use all of these in your journal but you’ll have them to pull from. Take care that you are attaching your photos in a way that they won’t fall out. Double sided tape is excellent. You can even use photo corner adhesive pieces so that you can remove your photos if you ever need to later.

This journal is an expression of yourself, for yourself. You can get creative with it, or keep it simple. This is for your reference only.

Photo journaling is an excellent way for you to work on your photography and know where you need improvement. It’s a great way to express yourself and keep from being burned out. Photo journaling is a great way to get yourself shooting out of your norm, and even try new things. I encourage you to try this for a while and see how it changes your world. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

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The post Photo Journaling Can Help you Become a Better Photographer by Monica Day appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 11, 2015
20+ Fantastic Free Photoshop Actions for Your Photography Toolkit

Photoshop actions are an amazing tool that can help you to automate your workflow and to add creativity to your photo library. Using actions, you can apply a photo effect to one or many images from your collection. It’s extremely useful when you need to edit a lot of images from the wedding photo shoot, for example, and make them Continue Reading

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Photodoto

February 11, 2015
Preparing for a Successful Client Photo Session

“Watch out”, she yelled a little too late as I slipped on an icy patch of snow and tumbled unceremoniously, almost flat on my face. The first thought racing through my head was, “My camera! Please God let nothing happen to my camera!”. Had I researched the location and the weather prior to my photoshoot, I would have realized that the temperatures had dipped quite a bit the night before, freezing the melting snow on the ground. A few hundred dollars later (my lens took the brunt of my fall and the focus ring got dislodged) with my ego a little bruised, I now always check the weather report before I head out. My car is my traveling studio and has everything I would ever need for any type of situation – photography related or otherwise!

No matter what your level of photography expertise, a little anxiety or nervousness before a client photo session is very normal and typical. But with a little preparation ahead of time, you can reduce the anxiety, be confident that you have prepared for almost any eventuality, and actually have fun with your clients. I agree that preparations takes on different meaning for different types of client sessions – these are basic guidelines.

#1 Equipment related preparations

This is almost a no-brainer, but something that needs to be reiterated every single time. Recharge camera batteries, reformat memory cards, and clean lenses and cameras. Always carry spare batteries and extra cards. If you are going to be out for the whole day, carry your battery charger. You never know where you might find an electrical outlet, and those few extra seconds of battery life might just come in handy. I am very particular in downloading my images as soon as I get home from a client session. But that does not always happen, and there have been a couple of times where I had images on my card from prior shoots. There is nothing more unnerving than trying to remember if you have downloaded old images (or not) in front of your clients who are ready to be photographed.

#2 Location related preparations

Being a wedding and family photographer in Chicago means I have to deal with different types of clients, with different needs and expectations. Plus, weather is a huge factor in scheduling photo sessions. I am a natural light, outdoor photographer – that is what I do best. In a pinch, I will photograph indoors but that is not my first choice.

For family photo sessions, I have a few locations where I am very comfortable photographing. Those are my go-to location recommendations for my clients but every once in a while, I will get a client who wants to dictate the location. It could be a special place with special memories. This is where google maps comes in very handy. If it’s a local spot close to home, I will scope out the location prior to the shoot. But that is not always practical, especially with out of town weddings and engagement sessions, so I rely on google maps (any similar map tool will also do). Additionally ask around. I belong to several online groups of photographers and often times a quick question to the group gets me all the information I need about a particular location.

Invest in location scouting ahead of time, you never know what hidden gems you may find.

The bike mural was hidden in an alleyway and could have been easily missed had I not scouted the location ahead of time.

#3 Business related – contracts, model releases and questionnaires

This might be different based on your own photography business, but generally having a contract and a model release is advisable. This helps in level setting for both parties. My workflow is such that clients are required to sign a contract and a model release form prior to the actual session. But life does get in the way and sometimes they forget. I always carry spare model release forms with me – clients are more than happy to sign the forms at the end of session rather than having to go back home and mail out the materials. With my wedding photography clients, I have the couple fill out a detailed questionnaire – this has specifics like names, relationships of people in the wedding party and wedding photo shot list. The more details I can get from the bride, the better prepared I am, even before the main event.

#4 Visualize and plan your poses

A little preparation goes a long way! Hopefully by following the above tips, you are feeling confident and prepared for the photo shoot. Take it a step further and visualize your session even before it happens. Research poses and looks you want to capture that are a true representation of your work. Mentally walk through the shoot. Having an idea of what, when and where will really help you create a road map of how you want to execute the shoot.

It is also okay to write down must-have poses and shots, and refer to them periodically during the shoot. I always take a few minutes during the shoot to check the back of my camera. I am open and honest with my clients and tell them that I want to make sure I have gotten the shot I visualized. Sometimes I also show them the back of the camera to see what I am seeing. Clients appreciate this feedback and it makes them feel like they are doing the right thing. Happy clients = confident clients = happy photographer! Remember that most clients are not professional models and putting them at ease is as much a part of your job as is taking pictures.

A little preparation and previsualization really helps in getting images that resonate with you and your brand.

#5 Save the best for last

This goes hand in hand with #4. Most people get very self-conscious when a camera is pointed at them no matter how prepared they are. Often times the first 10 minutes of the shoot are the most awkward and uncomfortable for both parties. Do your best to set them at ease, talk to them from behind the camera, and encouragement them. Since you have pre-visualized your shoot, and also scoped out the location ahead of time, you know the best poses and the best light and location backdrop.

Save this for the last 10-15 minutes of the session. By this time the clients have warmed up to you and the camera and are having a good time. They are more open and receptive to trying out new things ensuring you have the shots that you want.

One of the last frames of this outdoor family photoshoot – everyone was really relaxed and happy!

Of course, there are still a lot of things that can go wrong no matter how prepared you are. The weather might take a sudden turn for the worse, your car might have a flat tire 20 minutes before the session, the family might cancel at the last minute (I speak from experience). The key is to be prepared for all the obvious and apparent ones and just roll with the punches for the things you cannot control.

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The post Preparing for a Successful Client Photo Session by Karthika Gupta appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 11, 2015
How to Make a Photoshop Collage in 9 Simple Steps

We all aim to tell a story through one single image. For many occasions, though, a well-assembled collage is an excellent way to pull the viewer in for a full experience. Consider this method for sharing photos from an event, a real estate shoot, or even a family photo session!

Collages are easy to put together in Photoshop, so let’s walk through the steps. Note that I am working on a Mac with Photoshop CS3, so your system may have slight variations in the key commands needed.

Photo selection is crucial. You want to select a mix of scales that will span the entire event. That means you pick some wide shots that show the entire scene, and some detail photos that show lots of texture and personality. Without one or the other the story will not be complete, and won’t carry the same emotion that it could.

Step 1. Open the selected images in Photoshop

Open all selected photos in Photoshop. You’ll want to pick a minimum of three, but avoid getting cluttered with too many also. Typically, I limit my photo selection to no more than eight. Keep in mind that the more photos you select, the tougher it will be to see details of each one.

Step 2. Create a new file

Create a new file (File -> New). Be sure to make it a bit larger than the size you want in the end. I always make it 20×30″ at 150ppi.

Step 3. Add your images one at a time

Go to one of the open photos and, using the marquee tool, select all (or press command+A). Press Command+C to copy. Click into the new document and press Command+V to paste. This will bring the photo into the new document on its own layer. Depending on the size and resolution of the photo you brought in, you may need to adjust the size. To do this, press Command+T to transform. Use the corner node and, while pressing Shift, adjust the scale of the photo until it is small enough to comfortably move around on the new document canvas.

Note: if you convert the image layer to a Smart Object first it will maintain integrity of the image quality as you size up and down.

Step 4. Create your layout

After you have added all images that you want in the collage, it’s time to lay out the photos! This is where you will shift the photos around until you feel they tell your story best. You’ll discover a style of your own after doing several collages. I generally like to either have symmetry in layouts, or make it look like an interlocking puzzle. That being said, each story has slightly different needs.

Step 5. Add image spacing

When you have the layout figured out and the photos are all sized as they should be, you can create a thin white border between images to give a bit of visual space. This step is optional, and the amount of white space you put between photos is a personal preference.

To do this, select the image layer that you want to move then use the arrow keys to shift it in the direction you want. Using the arrow keys rather than shifting with the mouse will help keep track of distance so that the spacing in between photos is even.

Alternatively you can butt them up against one another and using a Layer Style (select Stroke > Inner) add a white or black border around each image. See screen capture below.

Step 6. Merge all layers

Once you have your collage laid out and the photos are spaced as you want them, you are ready to merge all layers. To do this, press Command+Shift+E.

Step 7. Crop the final image

Once your collage is merged into one layer, crop any extra white space around edges so that it’s even. This outside white border is typically very narrow on my collages, so I don’t bother measuring. Be sure that it looks even all around.

Step 8. Resize for online usage

To make sure your collage fits your social media needs, you may want to resize it once complete. I recommend saving your original flattened collage as a JPEG for possible future re-use.

To resize your collage and bring it down to social media friendly dimensions, press Opt+Command+I. Sizing varies per social media platforms, but I typically save it at 1000 pixels on the short edge and 150ppi.

Step 9. Add a watermark if desired

If you want to put a watermark on your masterpiece, now is the time. Bring in your watermark and be sure to merge all layers once more to save as a JPEG. You are now ready to share it with the world.

Have you made any collages? Have any additional tips? Please share in the comments below.

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The post How to Make a Photoshop Collage in 9 Simple Steps by Natalia Robert appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 10, 2015