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How to Make Amazing Photomontages. Part 1: Taking Your Photos

07 Feb

The post How to Make Amazing Photomontages. Part 1: Taking Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

This is the first article in a series of three on how to make amazing Photomontages.

Most photographs are created in a fraction of a second from one point of view. Imagine an image made from multiple positions and spread out over time. This is the nature of the cubist style Photomontages I make.

Painting How To Make Amazing Photomontages

David Hockney, the famous English painter, made many of these in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He called them “photo joiners.” This is where I gained my initial inspiration to experiment with time and space photographically.

What’s involved in making a Photomontage?

Joining together a series of photographs is not a new idea. My great grandfather, Frederick Cooper, was doing it back in 1889. He made this panorama of the Tasman Glacier and Mt. Cook range with five 8X10 inch images. He made them on the first expedition to photograph the mountain.

What’s different about Photomontages is they are not supposed to represent a single perspective in a single instant. By changing your camera position and spreading out the process of making the photos, a cubist style becomes possible.

Here’s a series of steps I take to produce my Photomontages. This has developed over time since I was first introduced to the concept in 1984. There are no rules. If you want to try something new, follow these steps as guidelines to create your own cubist-styled photography.

1. Choose your subject carefully

Have a raw concept in mind. What is your photomontage going to be about? It’s more than just the subject you choose.

When you are starting out, it is easier to use static subjects. Any movement in the scene adds complexity and difficulty.

Can you re-visit and photograph you subject again if you need to? Getting all the photos you need does not always happen in one session. It is convenient if you can return to your subject and fill in any gaps.

Try to find a subject you can move around and photograph from different angles. Nothing too small. Small subjects can be very challenging.

For my Photomontage of the old Iron Bridge in Chiang Mai, I photographed it from the left side, in the middle, and then from the right side.

Iron Bridge Chiang Mai How To Make Amazing Photomontages

2. Decide how big you want your Photomontage to be

My example above is made up of only seven individual photos. You can make a montage with just a few photos or with hundreds or thousands. There is no limit.

Looking at your scene, choose a focal length to use. I generally keep to one. Zooming or changing lenses can bring about confusing results.

Avoid using a wide-angle lens. Distortion at the edges of the photos can make it harder to compile them well.

Base your lens choice on the dimensions you want your finished montage to be. This can be tricky when you are first starting out, but it’s helpful to consider at this stage of the process.

Having a baseline of six or seven photos with a height of five photos, you end up with around 40-50 photos in your final montage. Choose a focal length that gives you the number of photos across the horizontal axis that you want.

Having too many or too few photos to work with can be quite complicated. The Iron Bridge montage took me ages to compile to make it look right because I was working with so few images.

3. Create a base series of photographs

Take more than you think you need. This is most important. Don’t go crazy taking loads of images that are all very similar. Change each composition slightly.

I am always working in manual mode, so my exposure remains constant unless I choose to adjust it.

You can use this first set of photos as the base of your Photomontage. It’s good to have a foundation of images to reference once you start compiling your montage. For these first photos, try to build a selection of images that, when put together, make a fairly normal looking representation of your subject.

Aim to have some overlap in every photo. About 30% is the minimal amount. Being methodical as you make the photos can help to ensure you capture everything you need.

Follow a grid pattern. Start at the bottom left corner and make a series of overlapping images as you move your camera across to where you want the bottom right corner to be. Count the number of photos you are taking.

Point your camera a little higher, including some of the last photos you made. Now work your way back across to the left, taking roughly the same number of photos. Follow this pattern as you continue to cover the whole area you want to include in your Photomontage.

Look for strong lines running through your montage. These help make a more cohesive image when you are putting it all together.

Songtao How To Make Amazing Photomontages

4. Begin adding alternative perspectives

Now that you have a fairly standard collection of photos change your perspective. Move to your left or right. Crouch down or get up higher. You may be surprised at how much a slight change in your perspective alters the look of your montage once you start to compile it.

Move a few times, each time photographing the whole scene again or just the most significant parts of it.

When working with movement in your subject, it may be best to stay in one position to make all your photos. You can rely on the changes in your subject for a cubist effect.

Photographing the tricycle taxi rider, I did not move much. As he moved, I photographed him in different positions. I compiled the photos to convey this movement and contrast it with the image of him sitting.

Keep looking for the strong lines as you or your subject moves.

Tricycle Taxi How To Make Amazing Photomontages

5. Take more photos

Once you think you have taken enough photos, take some more. There’s nothing more frustrating when you’re compiling your montage than finding gaps you have no photos to fill.

Don’t be in a rush. Take a careful look over the area of your composition and take more photos around the edges and the most important parts of your main subject. These are the two areas you can have the most significant problems with.

When you’re working with subjects you have some control over, think about adding them into your composition more than once. I have done this with some of the people in my tuk-tuk montage.

Tuktuk How To Make Amazing Photomontages

Conclusion

Taking the photos for a montage is typically the shortest part of the process. Imagining how your compiled montage looks help guide you when taking the photos.

Be careful not to make your first Photomontage too big or too small. If you do discover you have photographed a space too wide or too high, you can alter it when you start positioning the photos in the next step.

Here’s a short video where I share a little more of my montage making experience and an introduction to the videos I make of these Photomontages.

I’d love to read your comments and feedback below. Please share your photomontages and your thoughts on making them.

The next article in this series I will explain the steps taken to compile your photos so they won’t end up looking like a dog’s breakfast.

The post How to Make Amazing Photomontages. Part 1: Taking Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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Expand Your Creativity by Taking Self-Portraits

07 Jan

The post Expand Your Creativity by Taking Self-Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Stacey Hill.

If someone asked me “what is the ONE thing you have done that improved your photography the most?” my answer would be Self Portraiture. No, not your average cell phone social media shot, but a fully-conceptualized project. One that is planned and executed down to the last detail, and then shot by the photographer who is also in front of the camera.

I don’t shoot people because they can be awkward and self-conscious in front of the camera. Often they have no idea how to pose, don’t listen and take direction, and can be impatient with the process. They can also be easily distracted, and you have to spend a lot of energy to keep them happy and engaged. For those who make a living shooting people/portraits, I salute you because it is hard work.

However, for those of us who don’t like to photograph other people, we are then left with a dilemma. Having a human in the shot helps us tell a more involved story, gives the viewer something to relate to, and helps us engage with the image. Therefore, using ourselves in the picture becomes a choice. Which leads us to the challenge; how do we plan out an entire image and shoot it, while being IN it at the same time?

Not only do we have to design and plan the whole shoot, which is enough of a challenge anyway, but we also have to put our self in front of the camera at the same time.

So we take something that is hard to do and make it even harder. Why would we do that? What are the benefits?

I had to come back and do this shoot a second time because all my first set of shots were not 100% in focus. I marked my focus point with a white stone this time

Creative Freedom

Using yourself as the model gives you enormous creative freedom. It allows you to try creative directions a paying client may not want to do. You can be adventurous and take more risk with the shot style.

Some themes you could play with include:

50’s pinup style shoots or burlesque or lingerie
Cosplay with lots of armor and weapons
Western-themed with a horse and a lasso
Fairytale redo of Cinderella or Red Riding Hood
A fantasy wedding theme
Pirates
Sport
1920’s speakeasy
Zombie horror
Elaborate composited scenes not possible in reality like levitation and flying furniture and people

Sticky fake blood looks effective for this zombie-themed shot. It tells a story with just the hand and arm.

Thinking outside the box

There are so many more ways to create a self-portrait. You can use your whole body or only a part of it. Using the hands alone can tell stories in so many ways. Many people do not like having their face in the frame, and showing complex extreme emotion is a challenging concept for a lot of people.

Why are our portraits often of people smiling and being happy? Do we not also feel sadness, grief, anger, confusion, depression, anxiety, despair? How can we explore the full human condition?

What are the other stories we can tell using the full range of emotions available to us? How else can we create powerful emotive imagery? What stories can we tell that encompass our vision and experiences?

Are there things we personally find challenging or interesting? What fascinates and drives us? Are there demons dwelling in our psyche to be uncovered and exposed in front of a lens? What is our story? Do we want to share a reality or instead craft an alternate fantasy world instead?

My mantra is “I want my images to evoke a response.” Any response is fine. Just so long as my images are SEEN, not just scrolled past on the phone. How can they stand out from the crowd of the millions of other images uploaded every minute online? I also want them to be uniquely mine by permitting myself to create what is necessary to get a specific shot.

My question to you is “how do you get someone to stop scrolling and see YOUR image, or to like or comment on it?” How do you innovate with your imagery to make it different, noticeable or more engaging?

Learn to take risks

For the record, there is nothing wrong with the traditional style of portrait/self-portrait images, but there are those of us who strive for something more. We strive for something different, something extreme or extraordinary. In which case, starting with yourself is an excellent way to experiment in a safe, controlled environment. An environment where it is okay if you make a mistake and take twice as long to do something because you are only using your time. Somewhere everything you try is a learning experience and often a valuable one.

However, putting yourself as the subject in a shot is a risk. Everyone suffers the same doubts. “Will I look OK?”
“Will people like this image of me?”
“I hate how my face looks when I smile” and so on.

Underneath we are all the same fragile creatures, so putting yourself front and center takes a lot of courage.

If you are choosing to do something more creative, then the risk may feel greater.
“Will I look like an idiot dressed as a pirate?”
“I’m afraid of doing a nude or lingerie shot.”

It is easy to worry about what people think.
It can also be hard to overcome the ingrained societal concepts of good or expected behavior. Society expects us to be smiling and happy in a portrait shot. Many people do not cope well when presented with your screaming face covered in blood!

You may feel concerned about going outside to shoot where other people can see you.
“What is this person in a strange costume doing making weird poses in front of the camera?”
Yes, that is a real thing.

My response to that is first of all, who cares what other people think? Second, if we want the shot of a particular place to tell a story, then we do what is necessary to get the shot. Are we risking embarrassment by doing this? Maybe, but I am also comfortable with the idea that no one has died of embarrassment.

Breaking through my comfort zones and pushing my boundaries is one of the most valuable things I have done to improve my photography. Self-portraiture has been a big part of that journey because it gave me the freedom to take risks and try something new. Because I am using myself as the model, if it doesn’t work, I can try again. I can try something different, or refine my process in a better way.

Think about how you could tell new or different stories if you had the time and made the opportunities to craft self-portrait images that tell your story!

Self-portrait secret weapons

A Wireless Remote
Shooting Tethered (either cabled or wireless with a trigger)

A wireless remote

Having a wireless remote is faster and more efficient. You can get yourself into position and shoot a whole range of different poses without having to dash back and forward between the camera and your position.

Shooting tethered

If you are in a studio or working close enough to the camera, shooting tethered makes the process even better. You can make sure your pose is within the frame, can see any issues and adjust them quickly. Shooting tethered allows you to fine tune everything while you are shooting the scene. You save time too, in case you cut your head off accidentally and need to reposition again and again.

Being able to see how the final image looks on a bigger screen is also very helpful for creative direction. Several of my shots I would not have conceptualized without the opportunity to see the potential of them on the laptop screen. Sometimes merely adjusting the tilt of the head or the angle of the chin completely changes the tone or feel of an image.

Slightly out of focus while I was trying out shooting tethered for the first time. Helped to position the fan in exactly the right place

Give yourself time to play

When you are the only set of hands and have to be in two places at once, it takes time to set the shot up. Give yourself plenty of time to shoot, so there is no rushing. That way you can deal with any issues and be relaxed about your time frame.

Also, allow yourself time to play and experiment while in front of the camera. By having time to play, you can spark up new concepts and ideas you didn’t initially have. Ideas that can turn out to be valuable. I have specifically scheduled time in my studio with a few props to experiment with a concept. With no specific intention for a shoot, just time to create visually in an unstructured manner. I can take small risks, try new things, move on to the next idea and experiment.

This exercise has taught me a great deal about posing, and how to move the body to get the best visual outcome. This exercise is invaluable for talking to portrait clients later, as you can empathize with how odd it feels, but explain why it matters too.

Planning a self-portrait image

Many elements go into creating an image. For example, subject, light, story, and mood. With a self-portrait image, you have to start from the beginning and build the entire picture. You must integrate all the necessary elements in such a way that allows you to create both behind the camera and in front of it simultaneously.

1. What

What is the concept or idea behind your image?

2. How

How are you going to execute it? What constraints or limitations are there? What are the technical or physical challenges and what lighting is needed?

3. Where

Where do you shoot it? Do you shoot inside or outside, or in a specific place? Is the background composited in later?

4. Theme

What styling or theme do you want the shot to have? Be as creative as you like or can afford.

5. Pose

How will you be posed? Is it a pose you can hold and adjust easily for a range of options? Is the pose comfortable and safe?

6. Props

What props are needed to tell the story? Do you require hair, makeup, clothing, or other accessories to tell the story?

7. Extras

Some other things you may need to consider are: site permissions, shooting fees, access, public audience, personal safety, weather conditions, and travel distance/time.

Other considerations

These are all the things you may need to account for if doing a shoot with a client or a model. You can go the safe route and do classic headshots, or outdoor portraits in a garden. It is a safe option when dealing with a client who may not want a more challenging style of image, may not have the time or budget to get dressed up in costume or isn’t interested.

Figuring out how to do this by yourself (assuming you don’t have any assistance) can take some practice. If you have an elaborate, complicated costume, can you get dressed in it by yourself? Can you do it in the back of your car if there isn’t anywhere else you can get changed? Can you wear it and drive at the same time?

How much gear are you carrying? Can you take it in one trip to the session site? Are you and your gear safe while working outside?

Everything becomes much more complicated. You need to take a normal approach to things and make it even simpler. Then you repeat until every stage is possible for one person to achieve.

The final edit from the original shot seen above

Conclusion

Using people in images helps tell an engaging visual story. However, not all photographers have the luxury of friends/family to pose for them or can afford a model. Some photographers may prefer not to deal with a stranger due to the complexity of the shoot, and the time required. So putting yourself in the frame may be the only option.

Putting yourself front and center can be intimidating. Some of us prefer to be behind the camera. However, we can dress in costume, wear wigs, elaborate makeup, masks or shoot in such a way that our identity is not apparent.

Masking your identity also forces you to be more creative with how you think about staging and shooting your image. It can be a challenge because everything takes longer and the complexity increases with the need to be both in front of the camera and composing the shot.

There are so many learning opportunities and experiences to be had by taking the time to play. When it is just you and a camera, there is great freedom involved to try random concepts and ideas. Things you may not have ever considered before.

Pinterest and Instagram are great places to find inspirational ideas. Start making yourself a board, gather props, take a deep breath and put yourself in the frame.

It will be tough going initially, but it is worth it. Even just for the learning experiences, you gain from making mistakes. However, don’t let that stop you. Go forth and create!

Share with us some of your images below.

The post Expand Your Creativity by Taking Self-Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Stacey Hill.

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Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography

07 Dec

The post Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Whether you have just invested in your first camera, or you did so a while back, taking a measured approach to learning to use it will help you improve your photography.

Woman Photographer at the Shopping Mall - Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography

Beyond camera skills, there’s a whole lot more to making great photos. Composition, lighting, timing, and relationship with your subject are all important aspects of photography. All are largely unrelated to camera tech.

Photography is a journey. You can make it as long or short as you like. You can stick to a well-beaten path, (and create photos much the same as most people do,) or be more ambitious and scale lofty peaks. If you want to do the latter you better have a good idea of where you want to go and be ready to develop the necessary skills for the adventure.

Where do you start and how do you become competent in both the technical and creative aspects of photography?

Start with What’s Essential

Camera manuals are notorious. They are often difficult to understand and the information can appear disjointed. However, these books provide you with valuable insight. To be able to create interesting photographs you need to have a good knowledge and understanding of your camera first.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Happy Photographer

Start with your camera manual. Read it in the language you most easily understand, (and ignore all other language options.) Don’t try and absorb it all at once. Spread out your reading over the first week with your camera in your hands. Take in a little at a time and practice it.

Google and Youtube will often provide you with information about your camera that’s more straightforward. Search your camera make and model. Find one or two sources that cover it in depth and spend time studying it.

Get a good grasp of the basics of how your camera works. Get to know it’s settings and functions. Learning these things will help you avoid a lot of frustration when you are taking photos.

Concentrate on the Basic Functions

Trying to learn all the intricacies of your camera right at the start can be confusing. Modern cameras are packed with more whistles and bells than you will ever need to use.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography My First Camera

My first camera was a simple tool. I had no option but to learn to use it manually. It had no automatic functions. This was a great way to learn. Thirty years or so later as I was preparing to launch my photography workshops, I had to study how to teach using the auto settings. I had never used them.

It’s a little like driving a car with an automatic transmission after learning in a manual shift car. Easy, because you’ve already mastered the essentials in manual mode.

Personally, I think using manual mode gives you the freedom to become more creative with your camera. I encourage you to do this. If you don’t have the time or commitment, experiment with the auto settings on your camera and find one or two which suit you best. Don’t be distracted by the scene modes or the many other functions your camera has. When you are starting out these will just add confusion.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Camera Police

Be Regular

Picking up your camera frequently and regularly is the one thing that will advance your photography. Make a habit of taking at least one photo a day. It only needs to take a few minutes.

Once you form a habit you will find it easy to make more time for photography. As you become familiar with your camera you will start to enjoy it more. When this happens you will notice you are beginning to take better photographs. It can become addictive.

Using your camera infrequently will lead to some frustration each time you do pick it up. You will have to think again which dials and buttons do what. You will not be familiar enough with the controls to use your camera with ease. Taking at least one photo a day will help you learn the camera controls and before long you will know them and use them intuitively. You don’t need to make a masterpiece each day, just try to improve a little at a time.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Example

Learn a Little More

Studying – along with regular camera use – will accelerate your photography learning experience. Find a good book, online course or enroll in some classes.

Look for a teacher or author whose style you like and would like to emulate. Some people who teach photography will have you concentrate heavily on the technical aspects of the craft. Others will encourage you to leave your camera on auto all the time and let the camera do the work. It’s your choice which path you choose to follow. I prefer to teach a mix of the creative and technical aspects of photography.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Monk Photographer

Building your technical ability is important. You need to understand your camera and how to manage the settings. Receiving some good teaching on the functions of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus and other essential controls will lead you to be more creative. Once you have learned these skills your mind will be freer to focus on the creative elements that make good photographs.

Having a good grasp of composition, light, color, and timing is equally important for being able to make good photographs. Much of the creative side of photography is very subjective. You can study it and gain foundational knowledge. This will set you up towards developing your own personal photographic style.

Without a balance between technical and creative study, you can end up unbalanced. This can lead to technically perfect snapshots or terribly exposed, out-of-focus ‘creative’ photographs.

Three Helpful Tips to Help Your Progress

Make a separate folder on your computer, somewhere you can access it easily. At least once a week, go through the photos you have made and choose a few of your favorites. Put them in this new folder. This is your portfolio. You don’t need to share it with anyone else (but it’s a good idea to.) It’s there so you can see your photographs improve over time.

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Market Photographer

Having your work critiqued by a more experienced photographer helps. You may not always see what you have done wrong. You may look at your photos and know they are not great, but not be able to figure out why. This is where an experienced photographer can help you. A good critique will be positive and constructive but not shy away from pointing out changes which need to be made.

Finding someone to mentor you is one sure way that will help your photography progress. Regular contact with a more experienced photographer who’s committed to helping you learn will accelerate the process. The feedback a mentor can provide is invaluable. A good mentor will teach and guide you. They will also set and assess assignments for you.

Conclusion

Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography Kevin Teaching

Like learning to play a musical instrument or losing weight, the level of your commitment will be reflected in the level of your success. The more committed you are to learning to use your camera well, the more successful you become.

Frequent camera use and study will propel you more quickly to your goal. It’s your choice. Make regular study and camera use a daily habit. Go through and separate out your favorite photos once a week or so. You will be encouraged by the photos you are making. You will never achieve your potential by only occasionally picking up your camera.

The post Taking a Measured Approach to Learning Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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5 Tips for Taking Beautiful Photos of Nature

11 Oct

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Nature photography encompasses a wide range of photos taken outdoors, and conveys natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, trees and flowers.

Whether you’re photographing sweeping natural scenes or close-ups of flowers, nature photography can be incredibly rewarding. Here are five tips for taking beautiful photographs of nature.

Focus on the foreground

Being out in nature can be incredibly rewarding. And not just for photography. The fresh air, the scenery, and the experience itself are all great incentives to head outdoors with your camera.

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

When capturing beautiful scenes in nature, your picture can benefit from a bit of foreground interest. When you find a magical landscape to photograph, do it some justice by including something interesting in the foreground. I see many nature photos showing empty landscapes and skies without any consideration for the foreground.

Don’t get me wrong. Nature images can look great with an atmospheric sky and inviting view. But adding a foreground will help make your image stand out. Throw in a rock or some flowers to your image, and the photo becomes much more striking. In this nature photo I included some dandelions in the foreground to accentuate the scene.

Balance the photo

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Have you ever taken photos in nature and been disappointed with the images you produced? Returning from a photography outing with images that please you can be a challenge. So my next tip is to make your photos more balanced. Capture images of nature with careful consideration of what you include in the frame, and balance all of those elements.

For example, you maybe able to bring certain parts of the landscape together to improve your image, such as trees and mist. When you’re shooting outdoors, what things can you identify that would make a visually pleasing image?

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Use the right gear

Depending on the subject you’re photographing, it’s important to choose the right gear to get the best out of your images. Close-ups of insects or flowers would be best suited to a macro lens, which lets you get nearer to your subject. When faced with a wide vista, use a wide-angle lens to record a greater field of view.

On the other hand, if you’re shooting wildlife, telephoto and zoom lenses are usually the best option as they can help you zoom in closer to your subject. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but rather suggestions on what generally works regarding lens choice.

For example, if you’re photographing animals in a zoo, a wide-angle lens may be better than a telephoto lens if you want to capture more of the scene than just the animal, or if you’re positioned close to them.

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Capture different seasons

The advantage of nature photography is it can be done at any time during the year and in different seasons. Summer is a great time to document lush landscapes and green foliage when everything is in full bloom, whereas spring and autumn can provide blooming flowers, cooler climates, atmospheric weather and the occasional mist. The added benefit of autumn is the change in colours of autumn foliage, giving you opportunities for vibrant photos.

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Winter is another wonderful time to capture the brilliance of nature. While it can be harsh and cold, it can also be strikingly beautiful. A sprinkling of snow can look good in any nature photo.

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Snow can add contrast in landscape vistas. For example, the snow in this scene helps the dark silhouetted tree stand out. I also find that snow-capped mountains are wonderful subjects to photograph during the winter season.

Make the most of your natural surroundings

You don’t have to live in a beautiful and remote location to find amazing subjects of nature. You’ll find an abundance of things waiting to be photographed in your local area. I took this photograph five minutes from my home. Go outside and explore your own surroundings, and take photos in the best natural places close to home.

An example of taking beautiful photos of nature

Conclusion

Capturing photos of nature can be truly rewarding, and a great opportunity to be photographing outdoors.

Whether you’re a landscape photographer or prefer to shoot plants or wildlife, try putting these tips into practice. And feel free share your images and any other comments or tips below.

The post 5 Tips for Taking Beautiful Photos of Nature appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

08 Aug

Have you ever been stuck in a car or a bus and seen all this great photographic potential passing you by? Fantastic landscapes, funny signs, unusual animals, and stunning compositions seem to always appear when I’m stuck in the passenger seat of a car. It’s frustrating, especially if the car can’t stop to let you capture the view.

A landscape photographed from a car on a highway. - Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A fantastically colorful landscape by the highway in the Atlas mountains of Morocco.

The Challenge

For someone who actually doesn’t like the idea of just driving through an area and taking photos of it through the window (maybe because it feels so impersonal), I’ve done a surprising amount of it. Often because it’s a now-or-never situation; the view won’t be there later, or I won’t be returning in the near future.

Sometimes I’m on a highway and can’t stop, or there are so many photos I’d like to take that I feel bad asking the driver to stop over and over again. Also, taking photos from a car or bus can be great for people who have a hard time walking.

A landscape seen through a bus window in Iceland. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I couldn’t resist this view seen through a bus window in Iceland.

In a car, bus, or train, there are many contexts in which it’s inappropriate, difficult or impossible to take a photo. Fortunately, there are also many situations in which you don’t have to leave completely empty-handed. It is possible to take photos from a moving vehicle, but it takes a bit of knowledge and planning.

It’s a suboptimal situation but sometimes you just have to find a way to make the best of it. Most likely it’s better than not trying at all! In this article, I hope to give some tips to help make your trips more enjoyable and creative. Let’s begin!

A house seen from a car in the Rif mountains of Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

The amazing houses and views in the mountains of northern Morocco were difficult to resist, even though it was a bit tricky to compose well.

When to try and when not to shoot

Safety is paramount

Even though trying is almost always better than not, there definitely are situations where you shouldn’t be taking photos from a moving vehicle. Remember that you’re sitting in a metal box moving through space at high speeds!

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be doing any photography if you’re the driver. But as a passenger, you also need to be aware of how your photography may pose a danger to you or others. In short: think about safety.

Make sure you don’t block the driver’s line of sight or disturb them in some other way. Communicate with the driver and the other passengers. If you’re on a tour bus, don’t block other the passengers’ view through the window.

A woman on a donkey in rural Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A very old photo I took through a car window. There are clearly some issues in terms of sharpness and composition, but it’s still a lovely memory.

If you’re in a car and planning to open a window, make sure nothing can fly out and be aware that there might be branches or objects by the side of the road that can hit you or your camera. Also be aware of oncoming traffic, and don’t lean out! Only slow down if it won’t disrupt the flow of traffic and if you convince the driver to stop the car for a photo break, make sure it’s in a safe place.

Is it worth it?

Even if everything’s okay in terms of safety, there are a few other things to consider before you start photographing.

Can the car stop for a little while instead of you attempting to take pictures through the window? If not, can the window be opened? Is there enough light for photography? Will doing so mean that you’ll miss out on seeing and enjoying the view?

There may also be places where I wouldn’t recommend photographing through a window. Driving through a city or village pointing a telephoto lens at people could be considered a bit creepy.

A mountain landscape seen from a highway in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

This is how you do it

Enough of the don’ts and the warnings. It’s time to learn how to take great photos in this challenging situation.

Expose right

Not surprisingly, the most challenging part of this kind of photography is dealing with movement. In a moving car, your subject matter might swoop by at very high speeds.

In practical terms, this means using a shutter speed that can freeze that movement, finding an aperture that allows for enough depth of field, and choosing the ISO that makes all of that possible.

A view of rural Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

Here, the car was moving quite slowly so I got quite a sharp photo with a relatively wide angle. The dark and rainy weather made exposure a bit challenging, but it also made the sky much more dramatic.

The desired exposure depends a lot on what kind of a photograph you want. To get a sharp landscape photo from a moving vehicle, it’s important to have a fast enough shutter speed.

How fast depends on how fast you’re moving, but faster is generally better. I would suggest using at least 1/400th, but preferably faster. Be aware that the foreground is more likely to reveal signs of movement, whereas photographing something that’s further from the road is more likely to be successful.

Between the mountains and the desert in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A photo with a lot of depth, taken from a moving car.

If we continue with the example of a landscape photo, it’s also important to have a large enough depth of field to get a sharp capture of the whole view. This means you’ll need to use a small aperture, preferably around f/8.0, also depending on the sweet spot of your lens.

If you have the chance, try different settings, but if you can only take one or two photos, aim for a small aperture. Again, this depends a lot on what kind of photograph you’re aiming for and light levels.

Geological features photographed from a highway in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I was aiming for a sharp photo of these beautiful geological features rushing past the car in the Moroccan Atlas mountains.

The last element of exposure, ISO, doesn’t make as much of a difference to this kind of photography as shutter speed and aperture do. ISO has the effect it always has, so the lower it is, the better.

Still, with modern DSLRs, using a higher ISO might be the key to allowing you to use the shutter speed and aperture you need while not adding a lot of noise.

An urban landscape near Casablanca, Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

It was cloudy and rainy, but by aiming for silhouettes and a dark atmosphere, this industrial view turned out sharp enough.

Plan well

It might seem difficult to plan in these situations, but there are usually some things that can help you create as good a photograph as possible. Even before you take your photo you can observe the light levels outside, which can help you with exposure.

You may also be able to get a good composition by observing the landscape outside and imagine what it might look like behind that curve or beyond that next hill. You can also see when there will be power lines appearing in your photo. I find that one of the most annoying parts of this kind of photography is power lines. They always get in the way!

Also, remember that this is one of those situations where taking a lot of photos is not a bad thing.

Signs and advertisements after a storm. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

Really annoying power lines! Still, I decided that I wanted to document the aftermath of a pretty bad storm outside Rabat, Morocco.

Optimise

To get as good a photo as possible, you should open the window to avoid unfortunate reflections or dirt in your photo. A closed window will also limit your movement and your options when it comes to composing.

There are many situations in which opening the window isn’t really a great idea, though. Remember that the most important thing is safety. If you can’t open the window, use the viewfinder and possibly a polarizing filter to try to avoid getting reflections and dirt in your photo.

A mountain landscape in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I didn’t have time to open the window so I photographed this view of houses seemingly pressed between mountains and clouds through the window.

Conclusion

Have you taken photos out of a car, bus, or train? I find the hardest part to be composing the photo.

What do you think? What benefits and challenges have you noticed? Do you have any tips for better photography on the road?

The post Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos

27 Jul

How can you improve your action photography? Everything moves so fast that it is a real challenge to make decent action photos.

The best way to improve your high-speed action photography is to slow down. Don’t be mistaken that because your subject is moving rapidly that you must do the same.

Expert action photographers achieve their outstanding results by carefully anticipating and planning. Then they pick up their cameras to begin making photographs.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

My best action photo. Sometimes it’s more than just good planning. My timing was lucky!

Here are three basic steps to improving not only your action photos but all of your photography. You can apply these principles each time you shoot, no matter your chosen subject.

Look First

Before you bring your camera to your eye, even before you turn it on, look carefully at what you have chosen to photograph. Look at:

Your subject
The background behind your subject
Foreground in front of the subject
Lighting
Weather
Obstacles – people, traffic, cows, etc. (Anything that might hinder you from taking pictures.)

Being observant is one of the key things photographers need to be experts at. You need to know what is around you and how it will help or hinder your photograph making process.

Hmong New Year top spinning - Action Photos

Then Think

Once you have chosen your subject and had a sufficient look at your surroundings, it’s time to piece together the picture you want to make.

Think about your shooting spot

One of the most important things to consider is where you will take your photos from. You need to think about how your subject will look from different angles and which one you will choose. You may need to take photos at a few different locations before finding one you are happy with.

For any action photography your subject will be moving, so your background may not remain the same. Ask yourself if you will get better photos if you are moving with your subject or if you are stationery.

Moving with your subject will be more difficult. There will be a greater risk of not getting any usable photos. It might pay to stay in one spot until you are confident you have some good pictures and then move with your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Be conscious of others

If you are at a sports event you will need to be conscious of other people. Photographing your kid’s football game, there will be other parents on the sidelines that you will need to consider. They may not consider you and step in front of your camera ruining that shot where your kid scores.

So choose a location where you will not be hindered. Sometimes this will mean getting in front of others or getting further back.

Think about the light

Is it bright enough to achieve a fast enough shutter speed? If not you will need to raise your ISO to a higher setting.

Where is the light coming from? Will your subject be lit from the front or back? Maybe from the side? Maybe from multiple angles as they move around.

Looking at how the light is falling on your subject will help you choose a location at which to position yourself. Look and see at what angle the light is best for the type of photo you want.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Think about the weather

Photographing outdoors you may also have to give some thought to the weather. On clear sunny days or cloudy dull days when weather conditions are unlikely to change there’s not much to think about. When there’s a good wind blowing that might cause dust or sand to hinder you photo session you will need to be careful.

Clouds are the thing that you need to think about the most. On a day when clouds are moving across the sky and the sun is being obscured some of the time, you will need to pay attention. As the light changes your exposure will need to be altered and this may affect your shutter speed, depending on the settings you are using.

Think about your composition

Composition requires careful thought. So often people will try and take a quick snap of the action. They may be successful at capturing the decisive moment, but the composition is often terrible.

That is because it was unplanned. Choosing a good location and anticipating the action will also help you plan your composition.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Lastly, Click

Now that you have thought everything through you can start taking photos. The thinking stage does not always have to take long. It can happen very quickly at times. This depends on how familiar you are with your subject and the location you are shooting.

The more familiar you are with both, the easier and quicker it will be for you.

Camera settings

Setting your camera well for action photos is important. Your shutter speed and focusing mode are especially critical.

To stop the action you will need to chose a fast enough shutter speed. The faster the action the faster shutter speed you will need to freeze your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

To blur your subject the opposite applies. Choose a shutter speed sufficiently slow enough to let your subject appear blurred by their motion, but not so slow that you cannot recognize it anymore.

With really fast action I typically set my camera and lens to manual focus. I will pick a spot to focus on and only make photographs when my subject is within my focus zone. I do not practice a lot of action photography these days so I find this method suits me well. Of course, this technique will depend on the type of action you are photographing.

Most importantly with action photography, make sure to squeeze your shutter button and take your photos at the decisive moment when the action is at its peak.

Hmong New Year - Action Photos

Conclusion

If you just grab a few frames without first looking and then planning before you shoot, your results will often be lacking. Being ready when the action happens will more often lead to better action photos.

The more familiar you are with your subject and surroundings the easier is will be. So, if you are just starting out and trying some action photography, picking a subject you know well might mean you have early success.

The photographs I have used in this article are all from a Hmong New Year celebration I photographed a few years back. The day features various sports activities that individuals and village teams compete in. There’s always loads of action and tons of fun.

Please check out this video for some more tips on looking, thinking, and clicking your way to improved photography.

The post Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Taking your drone to a wedding? Read this first

20 Apr

Best practices for flying your drone at weddings

It’s spring, and that means wedding season is upon us!* If you’re one of the many photographers planning wedding shoots this year, it’s also a great time to think about including aerial photography in your plans.

A drone is a great way to capture unique shots that can help tell the story of a memorable day, and in my experience more couples are requesting drone photos than ever before. I expect that trend to continue. On the following pages, I’ll share some of my best practices for flying drones at weddings, and give you some hints about things to pay attention to.

* Apologies to those in the Southern Hemisphere. We haven’t forgotten about you.

Get certified or licensed to operate commercially

In the US, pilots who fly drones for commercial purposes are required to pass the FAA Part 107 exam. Passing this exam is beneficial beyond just getting a certificate: in the process of studying, drone operators will learn important rules, regulations, and best practices for flying responsibly, all of which will make you a more knowledgable, safer pilot.

You can self study for the FAA exam using the study materials provided by the FAA, or by taking one of the numerous available online test prep courses like this one from Drone Pilot Ground School.

Outside the US, many countries have similar regulations, so make sure you know what the rules are where you’re operating and ensure that you have obtained any necessary permits, certificates, or licenses.

Register your drone with the FAA

After you successfully pass the Part 107 exam, you’ll need to register your drone’s serial number with the FAA. This registration is necessary if you’re flying your drone for commercial purposes, and costs $ 5. The registration number must be clearly marked on your drone so it can be identified if there are any issues or potential accidents.

It should be noted that this registration process is also required for recreational drones, and pilots who intend to fly their drones as a hobby. The FAA had previously removed the registration requirement for recreational drone use, but has recently reinstated it.

Get a good UAV liability insurance policy

Get a liability insurance policy that covers your drone activities. It’s not just a good idea – it will may in fact be required by certain venues before you’re allowed to fly. Venues (and commercial clients) might dictate how much liability coverage you need, or even ask to be listed on a rider, demonstrating that they are protected from any liability during your flights.

Having no liability protection during a wedding flight could be disastrous; despite careful planning and preparation for your flight, unpredictable things can happen. Having UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) liability coverage will ensure that you’re protected against the potentially large financial burden that could occur if an unforeseen situation arises.

Get a good UAV liability insurance policy

A common question I get is where to buy UAV insurance. Liability policies are offered through special aviation insurance companies, and traditional agencies will typically offer annual coverage based on the policy amount and number of drones covered. You can also purchase UAV insurance on a daily basis, for very specific places and time periods, and even specify the amount of coverage required.

If you intend to fly commercially on a frequent basis, it’s best to buy an annual policy since they tend to be a better value for long term use. However, if you will only be flying the odd commercial gig once in a while, then getting coverage for the day may be the smarter option. I’ve had an annual policy from Costello Insurance for the past two years, and they’ve been great to work with, but if you’d like to look at an on-demand provider, then you might want to take a look at Verifly, which has iOS & Android apps that can be used to book coverage straight from your mobile device.

Update your drone to the latest firmware

Verify that you’re using the latest software and firmware on all of your devices and drones. This includes updating to your drone’s latest mobile app on your phone or tablet, as well as updating the firmware on your controller, drone, and maybe even your batteries. All of these components operate in synergy, so if one part is out of sync you could be exposing yourself to unnecessary risk.

I always go through my checklist several days before a flight, ensuring that I check for updates on all of my devices, and making sure everything is properly charged and calibrated.

Calibrate your IMU and compass before your flight

This is something that I used to take for granted, until I had a very scary close call while trying to capture a beautiful sunset. I decided to pull over by a beach, and proceeded to send my DJI Phantom 3 Advanced up for a quick flight. The drone jumped up and immediately lost it’s GPS and compass heading, putting it into an uncontrolled frenzy in ATTI mode. I struggled through almost the entire battery charge to get it under control, and experienced the highest degree of stress I’ve ever experienced when flying a drone. I was lucky to get it back on the ground without damaging anything.

Looking back, if I had taken a few minutes to calibrate the compass and IMU, I would have a beautiful sunset to look back on instead of the stressful memory of that dreaded flight. Don’t let this happen to you, especially at a wedding. I now always calibrate my compass and IMU before each flight.

Monitor wind conditions

Knowing the wind speed and direction is a critical skill for any drone pilot. When flying downwind it can seem like wind isn’t an issue, but you don’t want to discover that it is when flying back upwind with a low battery. Pay attention to the wind and know both where it’s coming from and at what speed. I use an iOS app called Windseeker to help keep tabs on the wind conditions. It has geolocation abilities, and can even give you an augmented reality overlay of the wind direction for easier planning.

Wind can always be a factor when flying a drone, though to what degree may depend on which model you’re flying. I’ve found that the DJI Phantom series are pretty resilient, and can typically fly in moderate to strong winds. Smaller drones like the DJI Spark and Mavic Pro may not be able to fly in strong winds as adeptly as bigger drones. No matter what drone you’re flying, always use your judgment. If it’s too windy to fly, stay on the ground.

Use a visual observer

Having a visual observer is a requirement for any FAA Part 107 pilot flying for commercial purposes. It serves to cover the line of sight requirement during commercial operations, and is generally a good idea for any flight in my opinion. It’s very difficult to pay close attention to your controller and maintain line of sight to your drone at the same time.

Creating cinematic shots often requires close attention to your display, the controls, and your technique, and breaking that focus to maintain your eyes on the drone in the air will pretty much undermine all of those things. Play it safe and make sure you always have a visual observer to handle this task so you can focus on nailing that epic shot.

Keep a respectful distance

Flying with tact and consideration is a must in my opinion; when planning your shots, do so in a way that doesn’t intrude on the ceremony. I never try anything too fancy without discussing it with the bride and groom. If I need to shoot something that requires me to get relatively close to the ceremony, I always make sure it’s OK with them, and that everyone is aware of the audible noise that my propellers will cause.

Also, consider what type of drone is best for any given situation. If maximum image quality is needed I may use a DJI Phantom 4 Pro, but if image quality takes a backseat to noise, then I can often get more subtle shots with a less intrusive DJI Spark. My advice is to always balance respect for the wedding with the need to get the perfect shot, and discuss this with your clients. They’ll appreciate your need to get the best shots without causing a huge distraction that potentially overpowers their special moment.

Best practices for flying your drone at weddings

These best practices should allow you to get great drone photos or video at a wedding, while also ensuring that you’re operating safely, legally, and respectfully.

I’m interested to hear about other best practices you may have developed over time. Please share them in the comments below! We can all continue to learn and benefit by implementing them into our workflows.

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The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People

02 Apr

Have you ever wished that you could take better photographs of your friends and family? Do you love looking at portraits taken by professional photographers, but just aren’t sure how to replicate similar results for yourself? Have you ever felt totally overwhelmed by all the options for photography gear and need someone to help you understand what’s essential for photographing people and what isn’t?

If you found yourself nodding along to any of those questions, this guide is for you! In this dPS Ultimate Guide, we’ll walk through everything from equipment to post-processing, and give you the tools you need to photograph people with confidence!

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Equipment

When it comes to photography, the best camera to use is the one you already have. Whether you’re using your cell phone, a point-and-shoot camera, a mirrorless camera, a cropped sensor camera, a full-frame camera, or an old film camera, you can take beautiful photographs of your friends and family. Essentially, don’t let the lack of “ideal equipment” get in your way. In almost every circumstance, you can combine the equipment that you already have with this guide to improve your people photography and portraits.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, in addition to your camera body and basic photography essentials like memory cards, there are a few key pieces of equipment that make photographing people much easier.

If you’re using a DSLR camera, lenses can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos. Most photographers prefer prime lenses for people photography. Although you do have to zoom with your feet, they tend to produce images that are sharper and more vibrant overall.

That said, whether you’re at a wedding or a soccer game, there are times when your subject’s distance from the camera is going to change frequently and quickly. In those instances, a zoom lens may be the best choice for photographing the special people in your life. Here are a few of the most frequently used lenses for portrait and people photography.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Prime Lenses

35 mm lens: This focal length is not great for traditional head-and-shoulders portraits, but it really shines when it comes to capturing people in the context of their surroundings.

The 35mm lens (on a crop or APS-C size sensor) is most similar to the angle of view of human eyes. So it’s a great lens to use when you want to capture what’s happening around you just as you see it. For this reason, the 35mm lens is an especially great choice for street photography as well.

50mm lens: For many photographers, the first lens they purchase after their kit lens is some variety of a 50mm lens. The price and versatility of a 50mm lens just can’t be beaten, and for a lot of photographers, having the ability to shoot at f/1.8 (or f/1.4, or f/1.2) is a huge upgrade from their kit lens.

If you’re shooting with a full-frame camera body, the 50mm lens is great for photographing families and sibling groups. If you’re shooting with a 50mm lens on a cropped sensor camera, it’s a focal length that’s great for portraits and photographing couples.

85mm lens: Most 85mm lenses are extremely versatile, allowing you to fill the entire frame with the subject’s face or backup to include their entire body without distortion. In fact, 85-105mm is known as being the ideal focal length range for portraiture because images captured within those focal lengths tend to be more flattering and have less distortion than images of people captured at other focal lengths.

Additionally, the lens compression with an 85mm lens makes it appear that the background is being pulled closer to your subject, which results in beautiful and dramatic portrait images.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Zoom Lenses

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art Lens: Designed for cropped sensor cameras, this lens has a range that includes many of the most popular focal lengths for photographing people. In addition, the ability to shoot at f/1.8 across all focal lengths makes this lens a powerhouse for both portraits and people photography.

70-200mm: This lens is considered to be one of the standards when it comes to wedding and event photography because of its versatility in capturing people across a variety of focal lengths. The 70-200mm focal range is especially helpful in situations where you’d like to be able to capture genuine emotion without being physically close to the people you’re photographing.

As you’re looking at different lenses for portrait and people photography, keep in mind that to achieve a nice blurred background in your portraits, you’ll often want a lens that’s capable of shooting somewhere between f/1.2 and f/2.8. You’ll notice that lenses capable of shooting at those apertures are more expensive, but this is one instance when the payoff is worth the increase in cost.

If you’re shooting on a cropped sensor camera, remember that you need to multiply the focal length of the lens you’re using by the crop factor (this number is often something like 1.5 or 1.6) to discover the functioning focal length of your lens. So, if you put a 35mm lens on a cropped sensor camera, it actually functions more like a 50mm lens.

Other Helpful Tools

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Reflectors: A 5-in-1 reflector kit will help you tackle a huge variety of lighting situations that you might encounter when photographing people. Not only is it helpful for bouncing warm or cool light on your subject, it also gives you the ability to absorb light and to fix dappled light issues when photographing one to three people.

Alternate light source: Even if you think you’ll only be photographing people outdoors in natural light, it’s a good idea to have some form of an alternative light source at your disposal, whether it’s a speedlight, ring light, or studio lights. We’ll talk more about when and how you might want to utilize different lighting sources a bit later in this guide. For now, just know that having some form of a light source will dramatically improve your versatility as a photographer.

Lighting

Photography is often described as “painting with light”. As such, it’s very important to have a good understanding of the different light sources that you may experience as a photographer and how to best use them to your advantage.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Natural Light

The most basic of all lighting types is natural light. This is as simple as it sounds – all of the light in your photograph is coming from the sun. No additional light source (like a flash) is used.

Photographing using natural light (sometimes also called available light) can mean that you’re shooting outdoors, or it can also mean that you’re shooting indoors near a large window. It can mean that you’re shooting when the sun is high in the sky, or that you’re shooting backlit portraits near sunset.

If you’re new to photography and are struggling with lighting even in natural light situations, grab a friend and try the circle trick, which is a quick and easy way to help teach yourself how to see different natural lighting situations.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Studio Lighting

Another option when it comes to lighting is to utilize studio lighting. This sounds more intimidating than it really is—studio lighting just means that you’re using a flash, stand lighting, and other artificial light sources as your primary source of light for your image.

Professional headshots are often photographed with studio lighting, as are many newborn photography sessions. The major benefit of studio lighting is that you can easily control what the light looks like and ensure consistent lighting regardless of external factors like weather. Studio lighting can also be helpful in creating high-key images with dynamic lighting and lots of contrast.

Using studio lighting does involve a different learning curve than natural light photography, and many photographers feel intimidated by it. However, learning studio lighting is a great way to achieve a solid understanding of a variety of lighting situations, and it’s absolutely worth taking a class or workshop to learn more about it.

Even if you don’t ultimately end up using studio lighting very often, it’s a valuable tool to have in your arsenal.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Combination Lighting

Many photographers utilize a combination of natural light and studio lighting—using available light when possible, and sometimes supplementing with another light source. The most common light source for beginning and intermediate photographers is probably the speedlight.

Using a speedlight in combination with a diffuser is a great way to photograph people indoors in situations where you may not always be able to pose them near a window (think birthday parties, wedding receptions, holiday gatherings, etc.). Another way to use combination lighting is to take your speedlight outdoors and use it as a fill flash for outdoor portraits.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Finding Locations and Backgrounds

When it comes to photographing people, the location and the background that is behind your subject are extremely important. Your backdrop will either enhance your final image or detract from it, so here are a few tips to help you find and choose the best possible locations to compliment your photography.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Color is King

When I’m shooting portraits, I’m most often using a 50mm or 85mm lens, and shooting with a fairly wide aperture (usually somewhere between f/1.8 and f/2.5). Typically, I’m looking for the person that I’m photographing to be in focus, with a nice creamy bokeh background behind them. Because the background is softly blurred, sometimes the color of the background can be more important than what it actually looks like to the naked eye.

A parking garage can look like a less than inspired backdrop through a 35mm lens. But if you transition to an 85mm lens, suddenly the details of the background disappear, and you’re left with a backdrop that appears to be a nice neutral gray tone in portraits. Similarly, a field of weeds can look terrible in person but translates as a creamy golden yellow background in a photograph.

As such, training yourself to consider color in addition to content when looking for potential photography locations is a great trick to have up your sleeve as a photographer.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Memories Matter

One of my favorite ways to choose a photography location is to ask the person you’re photographing to share a location that’s particularly meaningful to them.

Is there a park that their family walks to on Friday nights in the summer? Go there. Does the high school senior you’re photographing have fun memories of picking peaches at a local farm with her parents every summer? Check out that orchard. Is a family bringing home their first baby? Consider shooting at their home instead of a studio.

Choosing locations that have special meaning to the people you’re photographing is a great way to ensure that they’ll be as comfortable in front of the camera as possible, and it’s also a great way to invoke genuine positive emotion. Hearing a song on the radio can take you right back to a specific memory in your life, and so can revisiting locations that have happy memories associated with them!

Don’t be afraid to ask the person you’re photographing if there’s somewhere particularly meaningful to them that could act as the backdrop of your photo session. From the public library to grandma’s famous dahlia garden, to a family friend’s lake house, you might be surprised at what they come up with!

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Utilize Geotagging

Several popular websites for photography allow you to search images that have been geotagged by zip code, city, and other identifying factors. Flickr Map is one such resource, and although it can be a real mixed bag in terms of the quantity and quality of images to sort through, it’s a great tool for visualizing what different parts of your area look like at different times of the day and different times of the year.

I wouldn’t recommend choosing a location sight unseen, but it’s a great tool for narrowing down areas that you might want to check out in person. Another option that’s just beginning to gain in popularity is Shootipedia, a location scouting website, and app that allows photographers to post images and share details about their favorite locations to shoot. Some parts of the world have lots of locations cataloged while others have very few. That said, it’s always worth a look!

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Go Explore

One of the best ways to discover photography locations near you is simply to get out and explore your area. Go for a hike. Hop in the car and drive around. Print off a listing of all the local public parks, and swing by at different times of the day.

Don’t discount familiar locations either. Chances are that as you begin to look through the lens of photography, you’ll find that there are countless appropriate locations and backdrops right in your own neighborhood.

Clothing Tips and Ideas

Most people can benefit from some sort of direction regarding what to wear when being photographed. However, whether or not you (as the photographer) will be able to offer direction in terms of what to wear will vary based on lots of different factors including the type of people photography you’re doing.

For example, if you’re photographing the attendees at a birthday party or doing street photography, you won’t have as much input into clothing choices as you would if you are shooting portraits.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography
In situations where you do have some influence over what the people you’re photographing are wearing, that level of “direction” can range from you purchasing specific pieces of clothing to be worn to simply giving general advice regarding colors and patterns that are flattering on most people.

The level of your direction as a photographer will also be dependent on your personal photography style and whether you offer styled sessions or not. However, regardless of your personal style, there are a few rules of thumb that generally hold true in most instances when photographing people:

Neutral colored clothing (black, white, tan, or gray) is always a good choice.
Jewel tones are flattering to most complexions.
Avoid logos or text on clothing.
When incorporating patterns, stick to very classic patterns like plaid or polka dots.
When photographing families, it’s better to work with one color family (warm colors, cool colors, jewel tones, neutrals, etc.) than to have everyone wearing exactly the same thing.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Adding or removing jackets and/or cardigans is a great way to add some versatility to a session.
If you’re photographing more than one person together, make sure they’re not wearing exactly the same color on top, or it can be difficult to see where one person ends and another begins.
If the person being photographed isn’t comfortable in what they’re wearing, it will usually be evident in the photograph.

Most people genuinely appreciate tips and/or feedback from their photographer about what to wear. It helps them relax and feel confident in front of the camera.

All that said, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. If you’re photographing a toddler that desperately wants to leave her fairy wings on for the photos, you might want to consider giving it a try, even if it goes against your “vision” for the photo. Clothing choice can help enhance a photo, but in most cases, genuine expression in a photo will trump clothing choice any day.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Setting Up Your Camera

This section is especially for beginning photographers. If you have been using your camera’s auto mode, and aren’t even sure where to begin in terms of photographing people it’s designed to give you some ideas to help you start taking more control over your photography and to elevate your photos of people from mere snapshots to intentionally crafted images.

Two of the most frequently used camera modes for photographing people are Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority.

Aperture Priority

When selecting the Aperture Priority mode on your camera, essentially you select the camera’s aperture, and you’re asking your camera to select the rest of your settings. You can still select your ISO if you wish, or leave it set to auto if you’d prefer that your camera choose that too.

When you select a small aperture number (f/1.8), less of your image will be in focus. When you select a large aperture number (f/8), more of your image will be in focus. If you’re wondering how to create a portrait with a nice blurry background, shooting with a very wide aperture (f/1.8) is one way to achieve that effect.

However, as you add additional people to the image, it becomes trickier to nail the focus on everyone. So one good rule of thumb when photographing small groups is to set your aperture no smaller than the number of people you’re photographing – if you’re photographing two siblings, set your aperture at f/2.0 (or higher). If you’re photographing a family of three, you may want to consider setting your aperture at f/3.0 (or higher), especially if not everyone is on the same plane.

Aperture Priority mode is a great choice for shooting portraits or small groups, wherein the people you’re photographing are not moving too much.

aperture priority portrait - The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People

Shutter Priority

Where Aperture Priority mode is great for photographing people who are largely stationary, Shutter Priority mode is great for photographing people that are on the go.

Whether you’re photographing a soccer game and want to freeze the action, capturing a family mid-tickle, or practicing street photography and want to show the blur of people bustling about, Shutter Priority is a great way to either stop action or emphasize movement in people photography!

Working with People

Photographer, aul Caponigro once said, “It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

Indeed, there’s a difference between taking a snapshot of a person and creating a portrait that captures the essence of who they are and what they’re about. Often, the difference comes down to the interaction between the photographer and the person being photographed.

We’ve already talked about how location and clothing are two factors that can help the people you’re photographing relax in front of the camera. In addition to those two factors, coupling gentle posing with prompts and questions designed to help the person you’re photographing relax and evoke emotion during the session can be very helpful in capturing images that look and feel genuine.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Posing

If the idea of gently posing the person that you’re photographing feels overwhelming, you may be interested in purchasing the Posing App. This particular app includes over 300 illustrations of various photography poses for men, women, children, and groups, and can be a great starting point when trying to describe to the people you’re photographing what you’d like them to do.

Keep in mind that resources like Posing App are just starting places. Don’t be afraid to modify poses, changing them slightly for variety or to better flatter the person you’re photographing.

Also look here for more posing help:

Portraits: Striking the Pose – a dPS ebook.
67 Portrait Poses (Printable) by dPS.

Prompting

Once you’ve got the person you’re photographing situated in terms of posing, the next technique in evoking emotion is to prompt them with questions or statements.

When photographing a child, this might be saying, “Show me your best lion roar!” As the photographer, you’re less interested in the roar itself and more interested in the fits of giggles that usually follow, so be ready with your camera to capture the moment!

If you’re photographing a high school senior, this might mean asking them about their plans following graduation and what they’re excited about. If you’re photographing a newly engaged couple, this might mean asking them to tell you the proposal story. When you’re photographing a wedding, this might mean asking them to practice their first dance for you.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Prompts can be sentimental, but they can also be silly. Ask a groom to whisper his favorite vegetable into his bride’s ear, and watch them both laugh hysterically. These prompting techniques allow you to connect with the person you’re photographing on a deeper level and also help evoke genuine emotion that translates to a stronger photograph.

Culling and Post-Processing

After you’ve snapped the actual photographs, you’ll want to weed out the best images and apply some sort of post-processing to them, even if only sharpening to print. If you shoot in RAW format, you’ll need some sort of software (such as Lightroom or Adobe Bridge) that can recognize RAW file types before you’ll be ready to start culling or editing your images.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Culling

Regardless of the software, most photographers use a process that either amounts to “Editing Out” or “Editing In” for culling images. If following an “Editing Out” process, you go through and deletes all the images that you do not want to edit, and processes the rest. If following an “Editing In” process, you go through and flag all the photos that you’re most interested in editing, and edit only those. This is largely a matter of preference, and neither method is better than the other.

When culling, keep in mind that no one needs 10 images with exactly the same expression, focal length, and camera angle. However, do be aware of micro-expressions, or particular mannerisms that the person you’re photographing may display, and consider including some of those images into your final cut as well. Sometimes, those are the images that capture the essence of a person, even if their eyes are squinty or their nose is a little scrunched.

Post-Processing

Whether or not to post-process images in digital photography is always the subject of much debate. Personally, as someone who started with black and white film photography, I find the debate to be a bit silly. There was little controversy about dodging and burning in the black and white darkroom to enhance a portrait, so I see little problem with doing the same in the digital medium.

There are many options available for post-processing, but the most common still seems to be Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography package, which includes Lightroom, Photoshop, and a whole collection of mobile apps to download.

Many photographers batch edit their images, using either a preset in Lightroom or an action in Photoshop. If you’re brand new to post-processing, there are a whole host of actions and presets available to purchase, including several great sets from Digital Photography School.

Keep in mind that most actions and presets are not designed to be one-click wonders. They do require tweaks and adjustments for best success, which means that having a basic understanding of Photoshop and/or Lightroom is definitely necessary when it comes to post-processing. This is one area where it’s absolutely worthwhile to check out an online course or eBook in order to understand the basics of post-processing so that you know what the actions and presets are doing, how to tweak them to your advantage, and how to eventually make your own to help you stand out from the crowd.

Marketing Yourself and Getting Paid Gigs (If You Want Them)

So, you’ve photographed a bunch of friends and family, and now people are starting to tell you that you should start your own photography business! If that’s something you’re interested in pursuing on a full-time or semi-professional basis, we’ll walk through a couple of things that can help make that happen.

Check Your Local Laws

Laws regarding small businesses vary drastically from location to location. Some places require you to have a business license and insurance before getting started. Some require you to register your business name. Others only require that you declare any income received so that you can pay appropriate taxes on it.

Because dPS has readers all over the world, the best suggestion I can give is to contact your local Small Business Association regarding what you need to do to keep your budding business on the up and up. Even if you aren’t ready to officially start your business quite yet, it’s still important to research the requirements (and whether your prospective business name is actually available) before you begin any of these other steps!

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Build Your Portfolio

If you haven’t already done so, you need to build a portfolio of your work that you can show to prospective clients to demonstrate your skill as a photographer. Many times, photographers initially build their portfolio by offering to take photos of their family and friends for free in exchange for permission to use them as part of their portfolio.

Another option for building your portfolio is to participate in workshops or photo walks that grant you permission to use the images that you take during the event as part of your portfolio. If you’re interested in photographing weddings, many photographers partner with vendors to photograph several styled sessions before they ever actually photograph a real wedding.

Build Your Brand

Once you have a portfolio that you’re ready to market, you need to have a brand! This step includes coming up with your business name, logo, watermark, a headshot of you, and often a color scheme that you’ll use throughout your online and print materials.

Build Your Web Presence

One of the next key steps to developing any level of a photography business is to build a web presence so that people can actually find you! This may include many different avenues, such as creating a website, a photography blog, a Facebook business page, and an Instagram account for your brand.

Expand Your Audience

For lots of photographers, their business starts with friends and family and gradually expands out from there as those people recommend you to their friends and family. If you can encourage your friends and family to tag your photography pages on social media as they share your images online, this can be a really great way to expand your audience and reach. Some other easy ways to expand your audience include:

Offer a rewards or incentives program for past clients who refer their friends to you.
Host a model call on Facebook.
Consider running ads on social media targeted to “friends of friends”.
Donate your photography services to a cause you care about.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Conclusion

Whew! That was a whole lot of information about photographing people! Although it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the dos and don’ts of people photography, you don’t have to master everything at once!

Use the camera and the equipment you have, pick one tip from this guide, and try it out. At the end of the day, the most important part of photographing people is just to get out there and do it, as often as you can!

The post The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People

29 Mar

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Equipment

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Prime Lenses

35 mm lens: This focal length is not great for traditional head-and-shoulders portraits, but it really shines when it comes to capturing people in the context of their surroundings.

Additionally, the lens compression with an 85mm lens makes it appear that the background is being pulled closer to your subject, which results in beautiful and dramatic portrait images.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Zoom Lenses

Other Helpful Tools

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Lighting

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Natural Light

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Studio Lighting

Even if you don’t ultimately end up using studio lighting very often, it’s a valuable tool to have in your arsenal.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Combination Lighting

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Finding Locations and Backgrounds

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Color is King

As such, training yourself to consider color in addition to content when looking for potential photography locations is a great trick to have up your sleeve as a photographer.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Memories Matter

One of my favorite ways to choose a photography location is to ask the person you’re photographing to share a location that’s particularly meaningful to them.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Utilize Geotagging

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Go Explore

Clothing Tips and Ideas

For example, if you’re photographing the attendees at a birthday party or doing street photography, you won’t have as much input into clothing choices as you would if you are shooting portraits.

Neutral colored clothing (black, white, tan, or gray) is always a good choice.
Jewel tones are flattering to most complexions.
Avoid logos or text on clothing.
When incorporating patterns, stick to very classic patterns like plaid or polka dots.
When photographing families, it’s better to work with one color family (warm colors, cool colors, jewel tones, neutrals, etc.) than to have everyone wearing exactly the same thing.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Adding or removing jackets and/or cardigans is a great way to add some versatility to a session.
If you’re photographing more than one person together, make sure they’re not wearing exactly the same color on top, or it can be difficult to see where one person ends and another begins.
If the person being photographed isn’t comfortable in what they’re wearing, it will usually be evident in the photograph.

Most people genuinely appreciate tips and/or feedback from their photographer about what to wear. It helps them relax and feel confident in front of the camera.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Setting Up Your Camera

Two of the most frequently used camera modes for photographing people are Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority.

Aperture Priority

Aperture Priority mode is a great choice for shooting portraits or small groups, wherein the people you’re photographing are not moving too much.

aperture priority portrait - The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People

Shutter Priority

Where Aperture Priority mode is great for photographing people who are largely stationary, Shutter Priority mode is great for photographing people that are on the go.

Working with People

Photographer, aul Caponigro once said, “It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Posing

Keep in mind that resources like Posing App are just starting places. Don’t be afraid to modify poses, changing them slightly for variety or to better flatter the person you’re photographing.

Also look here for more posing help:

Portraits: Striking the Pose – a dPS ebook.
67 Portrait Poses (Printable) by dPS.

Prompting

Once you’ve got the person you’re photographing situated in terms of posing, the next technique in evoking emotion is to prompt them with questions or statements.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Culling and Post-Processing

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Culling

Post-Processing

Marketing Yourself and Getting Paid Gigs (If You Want Them)

Check Your Local Laws

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Build Your Portfolio

Build Your Brand

Build Your Web Presence

Expand Your Audience

Offer a rewards or incentives program for past clients who refer their friends to you.
Host a model call on Facebook.
Consider running ads on social media targeted to “friends of friends”.
Donate your photography services to a cause you care about.

The dPS Ultimate Guide to People and Portrait Photography

Conclusion

The post The dPS Ultimate Guide to Taking Portraits and Photographing People appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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This strange gadget literally shocks you into taking ‘better’ photos

21 Feb

A new project called Prosthetic Photographer involves a very real gadget designed to zap humans into taking better images. The system was created by artist and designer Peter Buczkowski, and it works with both DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Using artificial intelligence, the device constantly scans for ‘ideal’ scenes and uses mild electric shocks to force/train the photographer to capture them.

“The Prosthetic Photographer enables anybody to unwillingly take beautiful pictures,” Buczkowski explains on the project’s website. The gadget is a way for an AI to train a human, though the AI itself was first trained using a dataset containing 17,000 images, and those images were captured and rated by humans.

Using what it learned about quality photos, the Prosthetic Photographer AI identifies scenes worth capturing and trains the human behind the camera to recognize them. To do this, the AI triggers a small electric shock delivered through electrodes on the handgrip, which forces the photographer’s finger to press a button and capture said ideal scene.

As demonstrated in the video at the top of this post, users can adjust the shock strength using knobs on the back of the device. “This system is part of a new aesthetic, based on computer-generated decisions that were taught by previous human skill,” Buczkowski explains on his site. “The conscious skill of photography becomes obsolete this way.”

The resulting images feature the AI’s own aesthetic tastes, which are based on the images used to train the system. Of course, some of the scenes captured by the human who is being ‘trained’ are often… less than striking.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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