Since my childhood, I’ve been dreaming about inventing two things. The first is a teleporter. Yes, you read it right, but please imagine teleporting from the ‘Star Trek’ movie not from the horror movie ‘The Fly’! With teleport, people could forget about long queues, tedious trips and expensive taxis. The second thing I have been dreaming about is a Continue Reading
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You know the feeling; shyness around strangers, dreading new situations, sleepless nights worrying, completely self-conscious in a crowd, thinking that everyone is judging you. In short, a fear of people.
Your fear and inhibition are like having “stage fright” in everyday life. All of this leads to you suppressing your personality, your creativity, and any chance to share your gift of photography with your culture and the world. All of this fear is dangerous because it blocks your creativity, making you become miserable and anxious.
But there is hope for you because many folks have overcome their fear of people and gone on to thrive as photographers. Below are five exercises that will help you to conquer your fear of people too.
My son used to be afraid of heights at the playground. But I knew he could overcome it. So every time we were at the playground I would encourage him to try something with heights. He’d go just a little bit higher each time until he had completely overcome his fear.
“If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie
The way to overcome self-consciousness, fear, and shyness is to practice the healthy opposite.
What is the healthy opposite of fear and inhibition? Having a healthy confidence, the ability to enjoy other people, and the courage to try your best and accept constructive criticism. Here’s how you can work toward that.
It used to be extremely intimidating to ask friends if I could take a portrait of them. At a favorite coffee shop of ours, I asked my friend if I could snap a few photos while we were talking. I was really intimidated by this, but it becomes much easier once you do it a few times, trust me.
Without healthy goals to aspire to, your life will be stagnant. You need a goal or you have nothing to move toward. Here’s a good goal for you if you’re a fearful photographer. Aim to become a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.
Setting a goal doesn’t help you much unless you’ve got some steps to achieve it. Let’s see how to practice the healthy opposite of fear so that you can become “a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.”
Begin with the smallest steps possible, and gradually improve from there.
When I was a kid I was afraid of dogs. I didn’t want my kids to be afraid of dogs so I made sure that they were around dogs from the time they were infants. Whenever they showed fear I helped them to be brave and get comfortable with the dog.
If you’re afraid of people, you probably don’t speak much. You’re likely afraid of having your ideas rejected, giving damaging advice, or being locked in a heated debate. But as long as you’re a kind and thoughtful person, these things aren’t likely to happen often.
The worst part about speaking up is the nervousness you feel just before saying something. Ignore that “stage fright.” Overcome it by saying something small. Don’t go big, just practice by making small talk.
I’ve challenged myself to try street photography or photographing people while out and about. I was sitting in a coffee shop reading about photography when I saw this gentleman quietly having coffee on his own. I couldn’t resist taking a picture, waiting for the moment that he brought the coffee cup up to drink.
Perhaps you’re interested in street photography, but you’re so afraid of people that you could never ask for a portrait of them. You could practice getting comfortable by making small talk with strangers. Don’t even bring your camera along, that’s too much pressure. Just practice small talk.
Once you get over that initial discomfort of striking up a little conversation, asking strangers to take their picture won’t be as scary.
Add bugs to the list of things I’ve been afraid of! One summer I took a macro lens around and photographed bugs. The time I spend photographing them and editing the photos seemed to make me much more comfortable with bugs! Slowly exposing yourself to the things that cause fear will help you to overcome them.
Another way to become comfortable working with people is to get a job working at a department store portrait studio. If you work during the Christmas rush you’ll have the opportunity to photograph hundreds of families.
Because it’s your job, you’ll be forced to talk with them. This repetition will help you get over your fear of talking with people. Remember, you’re not there for the photography itself. You’re there to practice talking with people so that you can get over your fear and move toward your goal of being a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.
My little girl tends to be shy of new people and new situations. It takes a little while but she will become comfortable with friendly people. She was very shy for her first haircut but now loves a day out to get her hair done.
If you’re not sure how to start a conversation, start by noticing something that you can sincerely compliment a person about. Self-consciousness and fear paralyze you by keeping you focused on yourself in negative ways. If you’re always self-conscious, then you need to just take the spotlight off yourself by focusing on other people instead.
When you focus on offering people compliments two things will likely happen. First your attention is turned away from yourself and on to them. Second, your mind is turned away from negative thoughts (about yourself) and toward positive thoughts (about them) instead.
When I was a senior portrait photographer I would always find some little thing to compliment students about. If it was obvious that they spent a lot of time on their hair, that’s the compliment I gave. Maybe they had a great smile, or were funny, or we had something in common.
Focusing on the other person and having something nice to say will build bridges and help you to overcome your fear and discomfort around people.
Escalators can be intimidating the first time you step on one. Kids are afraid they’ll get swallowed up in the moving steps. Once my kids figured out how to ride one, they treated the escalator like a ride at an amusement park! Overcoming your fear can lead to exciting things in life.
You may quickly get over the fear of talking to people or the anxiety you feel over negative thoughts about yourself. But how about receiving criticism of your photographs? This is one of the worst things imaginable for some photographers.
If you panic or become consumed with anxiety and want to “just give up” over the slightest criticism of your photos, then you need to learn to take criticism better. It’s not comfortable at first, but it can be done.
First, admit that you are not perfect and that you should always focus on improvement. Be humble and admit that some healthy criticism could actually help you.
Second, seek it out. That’s right, go looking for critiques! Look for people who are better than you who can show you how to improve. You want to grow as a person and a photographer don’t you? Ask successful people how you can be better.
You can document your journey of overcoming the fear of people by journalism. Get it all out on paper. What you’re thinking, what you’re feeling, and all the successes you have.
Third, visualize criticism. You can practice receiving the image critique comfortably before actually receiving it. Close your eyes and imagine someone saying, “These photos are terrible” or “That’s not your best work.” Just imagine hearing those words. Get over the shock and uncomfortable feelings. How could you respond to their harshness in a positive way?
Do you think it seems weird to use your imagination this way? Yes, it may seem strange at first. But it’s exactly how you’re already using your imagination.
Your self-conscious fear is leading you to imagine what people are thinking and saying about you. Your imagination is causing you to fear criticism and be paralyzed instead of receiving it graciously, improving, and moving forward toward your goal of being a creative photographer who is confident and comfortable with people.
I’ve embarrassed myself a few times trying to chop wood with people watching me. I needed to learn to do it well. So one summer I decided to chop a massive pile of wood. It wasn’t easy to learn and some pieces ended up a mess before I could get them to split. But by the end, I was now showing other people how to chop wood. Constantly try things that intimidate you. The little successes will keep you moving forward and ignoring fear.
Consider who you are receiving the criticism or critique from. If you post photos online, you’re eventually going to receive harsh criticism from someone, solicited or not. The internet is an easy place for people to be mean and remain anonymous.
Please feel free to ignore people who are harsh and cruel. But always listen to the constructive criticism by other photographers who actually care about you and want to help. Their insights can be very valuable, making you a better photographer.
Your fear and shyness of people may come from your honest desire not to bother anyone. You avoid saying or doing the wrong thing. But are you also avoiding friendship and positive interaction too?
Begin with small talk and offer compliments. Become comfortable with conversation and criticism. Once you’ve done this then opening up and going deeper with people won’t be so hard.
Do you know what you might discover? You’re not alone in your fears. Other people (and especially photographers) are afraid too. And they’ll be thankful that you spoke up, and shared your ideas and your creativity. Courage is contagious.
This is our friend who is terrified of water. It used to be almost unthinkable for her to get out into the water.
However, she was determined to overcome her fear – or at least ignore it. Fear can be paralyzing, but finding the strength to overcome it can open new doors in life.
I used to be terrible with people, especially with kids. But I used all of the ideas above to break out of my shyness and conquer my fear of people. I still feel uncomfortable at times. But now I run my own photography business specializing in people! Whether it’s families or individual portraits, I’m able to connect with people and help them to feel comfortable in front of the camera.
If your goal is to become a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people, follow the steps above. It’ll take time, but start small and soon you’ll be thriving among people.
The post How Conquer Your Fear of People as a Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School.
If you’re looking for a good and reliable photo editing tool, Fotophire has you covered. It provides you with a host of interesting features that help you turn your photos into beautiful works of art. Fotophire is simple and easy to use. It has an intuitive user interface packed with functionalities both beginner and pro users can draw on to Continue Reading
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If you’re in the market for a new RED camera, you’re in luck. The California-based cinema camera company has announced that it’s both simplifying its product lineup, and dropping prices on all of its cameras.
Starting today, RED’s product lineup has been pared down to just three cameras: the DSMC2 Monster, the DSMC2 Helium, and the DSMC2 Gemini. The prices are now $ 54,500, $ 24,500 and $ 19,500, respectively, which amounts to a savings of over $ 25,000 for the Monster and Helium, and a savings of more than $ 5K for the Gemini.
Each of the cameras are now available in aluminum alloy and the Helium is capable of being outfitted with RED’s Helium 8K S35 Monochrome sensor:
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As for why this change is happening, RED says the change is being made to “[simplify] our portfolio.” The company says it “found efficiencies, and [we’re] passing along the benefits to our users.”
RED also notes that the names of cameras will be changed when upgraded to firmware v7.0.3 or later. The different naming scheme is seen in the below image.
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For people who have already placed an order that hasn’t shipped for an older camera that’s no longer offered, RED will update the ordered camera to the DSMC2 Brain with the exact same sensor for no additional cost. There are also upgrade options available.
You can read the full documentation of the product line simplification and changes on RED’s product support page.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Taking great portraits is a great genre of photography to master. Some of the most famous photographs in the world and even paintings are simple head and shoulder portraits. They can tell us so much about the person being photographed. Think of arguably the most famous painting of all time and most people would probably say the Mona Lisa. But taking portraits also seems to be a difficult thing for newbie photographers to do. Fear not, here are 7 quick tips to help you capture better portraits.
It might seem daunting taking someone’s portrait, even in a studio. But it will get so much easier if you build a rapport with the person first. Whether it’s in the studio or in the street, start the shoot with a conversation and get to know who they are. Find out what they do, what they like, and even what their personality is like.
If you can, make them laugh with a joke. Not only will all of this help build a picture of who they are which can influence the photo, but it will also mean that they are much more comfortable working with you.
This, in turn, will mean that they will be more relaxed and also more be accommodating to you taking their photo. Clearly, sometimes that will be difficult in travel photography, for example, when you might not speak the same language. But even then it’s amazing what a few hand gestures, a few local phrases, and a smile can achieve.
While it might seem obvious, it’s amazing how often I’ve seen a portrait taken where it hasn’t been framed properly. When you are taking an environmental portrait, you need to capture some of the person’s surroundings to be able to tell a story. But when you’re doing a normal head and shoulders portrait, the sole focus should be the person standing in front of you. Their face is where the focus should be, so if there are distracting elements near them or in the background try to crop those out.
Often the reason that photographers end up with too many distractions in the photo is that they are too far away from their subject. So, if you find that you are not able to focus primarily on the subject’s face when taking a portrait, get closer.
Another key element of framing your portrait properly is to ensure that the background isn’t too overpowering. Ideally, a muted or plain surface such as a wall works best as the viewer isn’t distracted by anything else. They can focus solely on the person’s face. If you find that your subject is standing somewhere that doesn’t work best for the portrait, ask them if you can move them and position them somewhere better. Even if you don’t speak their language, usually pointing to where you want them to go does the trick.
If you find that you have to take the photo with too much stuff happening in the background, set a wide aperture so that you will get the background blurred. This will help make your subject stand out from the busy background and not get lost in the photo.
Most of the time the advice that you are given is to try and light your portrait using natural light, photograph your model from the front, and get close enough to eliminate any distractions. Sound familiar? For example, being outside on an overcast day is ideal for taking portraits as the soft even light means you don’t get harsh shadows on the person’s face.
But while these are great bits of advice that you should follow, it is also worth sometimes pushing the boundaries. So experiment with harsh lighting or even a more creative shots such as in the example below. I took a step back to let people pass and was immediately struck with the dynamism that having someone walk across the image brought to it. It’s still a portrait, but it’s a little more interesting than if there was no one else in the shot.
The key is to not be afraid to go against convention and try something different, you might be surprised by the results.
The passer-by added a sense of mystery to this portrait.
If there is just one rule that you need to follow when it comes to taking better portraits, it is to ensure that the subject’s eyes are sharp and in focus. If the eyes are not in sharp focus, the whole image looks soft and unappealing. So, take extra care that you are focusing correctly and that you are keeping the eyes sharp.
When taking portraits outside, the majority of the time you can get away with using a fairly wide aperture. So as long as there is decent light your shutter speed should remain fast enough to avoid camera shake. If you are unable to keep a fast enough shutter speed, raise your ISO accordingly.
You often have a relatively short window when taking portraits as your subject will usually want to get on with their day. But that should still give you plenty of time to take multiple photos. Try taking photos in burst mode so that you can capture the exact moment when your model has their eyes open or has an expression on their face that works for the photo.
You can also try a few different compositions and even angles to give your photos variety. The great thing about digital photography is that it won’t cost you anything to take multiple photos as long as you have enough memory space.
Sometimes the real key to taking any great photo is just relaxing and letting it happen naturally. So rather than rushing around and clicking away frantically, just slow down and take your time.
Start talking to people without the burden of knowing that you want to photograph them and if the situation lends itself to a photo just enjoy the process and have fun. Show the person the photos you’ve taken, keep everything casual and you will find that your photos become much better and more intimate.
Taking a great portrait takes great skill, but when done well it can have incredible results. You will find that not only will you have amazing photos that will look great anywhere, but also memories that you will cherish. Just follow these 7 quick tips to help you capture better portraits and you’ll be on your way to capturing great photos of people.
Please show us your portraits and share your tips advice below.
The post 7 Quick Tips To Help You Capture Better Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Lightroom is one of Adobes most useful tools in its photography bag. It’s the companion to Photoshop, and it’s built more for image processing and visual editing, rather than the manipulation abilities that makes Photoshop so popular. Lightroom is one of the key tools any photographer should have in their tool belt. What’s a Plugin? Plugins are often referred to Continue Reading
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If you’re planning a winter holiday in a picturesque location, you’re probably wondering how to capture the perfect shot in the snow. Here are 9 tips to help you photograph the dynamic winter sports with beautiful snowy landscapes in the background. Pick the right lens and use protection Even if you prefer a sharp, high performance prime lens to Continue Reading
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Skylum Software, formerly known as MacPhun and the developers of the Luminar photo editing application, today announced the creation of a research and development division dedicated to artificial intelligence in imaging. The division is called the Skylum AI Lab, and it is a collaboration between Skylum and its sister company, Photolemur, makers of an AI-powered image editor.
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The team at Skylum AI Lab, which will be headed by former Let’s Enchance CEO Alex Savsunenko, is already working on a number of new AI solutions. These include artificial intelligence- and machine learning-powered image upscaling, tagging and segmentation, as well as automated image enhancement systems.
As Skylum CEO Alex Tsepko explains:
By using AI-based technologies in our products, our customers save time vs. manual editing, and can often get better results. Our neural networks are being trained on millions of images taken by cameras from Fujifilm, Sony, Olympus, Nikon, Canon and many others, which means outstanding results for all photographers, regardless of what style they shoot and what gear they are using.
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There is clearly a lot of buzz around artificial intelligence in imaging lately, and the possibilities do seem endless. It’s still early days, but with most major smartphone manufacturers implementing AI-powered functions in their smartphone cameras, it only makes sense to push the technology on the desktop and other platforms as well.
Whether it’s improved auto-tagging or lossless upscaling of images, we’re looking forward to the ideas and solutions coming out of Skylum AI lab in the future.
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Press Release
Skylum also hires Alex Savsunenko, former CEO of Let’s Enhance, to lead AI-based photo technologies to the next level.
May 22, 2018 — Bellevue, WA — Today, Skylum Software announced the formation of a new research and development division dedicated to the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies in image processing. The Skylum AI Lab leverages the company’s prior work developing smart filters in its award-winning Luminar software, as well as technology from its “sister company” Photolemur, which was founded in 2016 by Dima Sytnik and Alex Tsepko, co-founder and CEO of Skylum respectively.
“Clearly, AI can simplify our lives. By using AI-based technologies in our products, our customers save time vs. manual editing, and can often get better results,” said Alex Tsepko, CEO at Skylum. “Our neural networks are being trained on millions of images taken by cameras from Fujifilm, Sony, Olympus, Nikon, Canon and many others, which means outstanding results for all photographers, regardless of what style they shoot and what gear they are using.”
To spearhead the new Skylum AI Lab, the company has hired Alex Savsunenko, former CEO of Let’s Enhance, a leader in machine learning for visual content. Savsunenko will manage all research and development for technologies based on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks. Promising results will ultimately be implemented in Skylum products and solutions for image and video enhancement, with the aim to help users make their workflow faster, smarter and more efficient.
Currently, the Skylum AI Lab is testing over a dozen of new solutions, including:
To further reinforce its AI prowess, Skylum has also joined forces with Photolemur, creator of the world’s first fully automatic photo enhancement solution. Photolemur app has been sold for several years, with hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. It enhances images utilizing artificial intelligence without the need to use any manual controls. Development will continue on Photolemur, with the next evolution of the app likely to be a cloud solution that helps high-volume users enhance images as batch process.
Skylum Software (formerly Macphun) is a Washington-based photo software developer with the mission to make complex photo editing simple and user-friendly. Thanks to its innovative approach and high-end proprietary technologies, Skylum products have won dozens of various awards, including “Best of the Year” awards by Apple for six straight years. Luminar was honored with the “Best Imaging Software 2017” award by TIPA and “Best Software Plugin” in October 2017 by the Lucie Technical Awards. Aurora HDR was selected as the “Best Mac App of 2017” by Apple.
To learn more about Skylum, please visit http://skylum.com/.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Photographing people is a deceptively simple process these days. It seems with the wide availability of high-quality photo equipment and digital editing software that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is now a professional photographer. The reality is that true pros know technical knowledge is not the only thing that sets them apart from the amateurs. Connecting with your subject when Continue Reading
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