Photography Tips

1. Jason Anderson, 2009 www.canonblogger.com
Type Tip
Photography
Shoot early, shoot late - it’s the “Golden Rule” - and I think we all know about it, so this is just a reminder.
Photography
Shoot often - seriously, the eye does not improve creatively without practice, so get out as often as you can
Shoot outside your comfort zone - Like landscapes eh? Shoot some portraiture, macros, or event work.
Photography
Nothing gets creative juices flowing better than a challenge.
Shoot lower than you stand - or higher, whatever - take a different vantage point as that can make all the
Photography
difference.
Shoot with one lens - Preferably with a prime as this will force you to zoom in or out with your feet, changing
Photography
your perspective and getting your skills down really rote on the focal length you chose.
Shoot with a friend - nothing makes the post shoot high more gratifying than chimping your shots with a
Photography
photo buddy.
Shoot for yourself - often photographers are thinking of what clients want, what an editor would like to see, or
Photography what may sell well on a stock site. While it’s true that money puts bread on the table, it’s often liberating to
shoot without the pressure of a paycheck. Your results may surprise you!
Establish a connection - portraiture is about connecting with someone through the image. If you don’t
connect with them through the camera, then there will be no connection in the print. Make sure you connect
Portraiture
with your subjects in some way. Get to know about them, because that knowledge can transform your vision
into really beautiful works of art.
Relax the subject - Connecting with your subject means they feel comfortable around you - now the key is to
get them to feel comfortable in front of the camera. Many times this is much easier said than done, but
when you do get them to relax, the poses will come more fluidly, and you’ll get better results. One way I do
Portraiture
this is to just start taking pictures of things around us as we talk and connect. The whole idea of hearing the
shutter can be scary to some people, so by hearing it almost to excess and know it’s not on them can
mitigate the “scary” factor.
Choose a background - if you are in a studio environment, this is fairly easy, but if you are on location, keep
Portraiture your eyes out for backgrounds that provide contrast to the subject. Are they wearing light clothes? Look for
a dark background. What about props to give a little more meaning. Are they sports fans? Have them hold
a football, or stand by a basketball hoop. Backgrounds can help give more definition to your subject.
Have a purpose - try to think of reasons why you are taking the picture. Is it to record an event, or is it for a
model? What about a head shot for a business executive? If you think of why you are taking the picture in
Portraiture the first place, that can help give you ideas for how to compose it. For the event, it’s about the moment,
while the portrait it’s about just the person, so give some thought to how to enhance their best qualities and
minimize flaws.
Create separation - this is crucial to giving definition to your subject while minimizing distractions. In the on-
location areas, look out for things like power lines, nearby light sources and other objects that may detract
Portraiture
from the subject. Here it also helps to keep a wider aperture so that any distractions can be effectively
blurred out of focus to minimize their impact.
All about the angles - Some people have great profiles. Striking features can be accented from certain
angles and can give greater impact and meaning. Shooting from below can suggest power and strength (for
Portraiture
the business executive), while shooting from above can minimize a body style that is more robust. Even
profile shots can be stunning if done right (hint: try shadows there).
Lights, lights, lights - photography is all about painting with light, so portraiture is no exception. Whether it
be modifying existing light with reflectors, diffusers and shoot throughs, or creating your own light with
Portraiture
strobes and flashes positioned off to the side or from above, lighting can create a wide variety of moods and
bring images to life, especially in portraiture!
Watch the eyes - for any subject, whether human or animals, we like to have the eyes in focus. It’s just the
nature of people to look at the eyes in a subject, so make sure the eyes of yours are tack sharp. Seeing a
Portraiture persons eyes have often been said to be a mirror to their soul. You can get playful eyes, soulful eyes, sad
eyes, sparkling eyes, weepy eyes, tear-stained eyes, angry eyes, hungry eyes, passionate eyes… (you get
the eye-dea!)
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2. Jason Anderson, 2009 www.canonblogger.com
Clean that skin tone - this means make sure that you are keeping the tones in check. If the skin is too
Portraiture orange or too blue, add or remove some flash or ambient light. Here the key is in white balancing your
images. Take along a grey card (even something as small as a 3×5 card can work) and you can set your
white balance off that - your skin tones will be spot on if you do - and save you tons of post processing time.
Less is not always more - let’s all just admit it, it’s a digital world. Those pictures are really just data packets
and with data being as cheap as it is, we can afford to take more shots. This can help with blinkers, and if
Portraiture you want to try several poses or wardrobe changes, or lighting changes, or location changes, or group
changes (think weddings). or weather changes (think sunlight versus rain, versus cloudy), or….I think the gist
is clear again here.
Pack a large plastic ziploc or other sealable bag in with your camera gear. When it’s windy or there’s lots of
dust around, you can change your lenses from inside these bags to minimize dust. Additionally, it serves as
Gear an additional layer of protection should mother nature decide to dump a deluge of water on you with little
warning. (I keep several sandwich bags in my pack for protecting things like CF cards, wide angle lenses,
TC’s and other items.
If you must change lenses in the field, keep the body of the camera pointed down so as to prevent dust from
Gear
falling into the opening (dust won’t wall up…).
Keep a notepad and pen in your pack, in case you find a location that you want to remember, meet someone
and want an email or phone number, or to get an address to send prints or perhaps a resume to! On the
Organization
same note, having some business cards and model releases handy for handing out and in case you have a
willing model…
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Turn your CF cards around backwards when full, so you always know which ones are used versus unused.
Buy a car converter for AC to DC. This way you can charge your batteries while en route to a shoot.
They’re only like $20 at Wal-Mart or Radio Shack and can add a certain peace of mind that you are going
Gear
into your shoot with as much of a charge on your portables as you can get. (Just make sure you add the
battery chargers to your packing list…)
Speaking of packing lists - make one! This can help ensure you leave with everything you brought to a
Organization
shoot. I’ve blogged about this before, but it’s been a while, so bears mentioning again.
Gear Pack a micro fiber cloth for wiping off lenses in a pinch. (Better a microfiber cloth than your shirt!) These
can be begged off any eyeglasses store (try Wal-Mart, they are pretty liberal with handing these things out..)
Need a better way to store your gear at home? Try shoe boxes. You can get them for a buck a piece from a
dollar store - makes a great way to compartmentalize short lenses from long lenses, accessories, flash
Organization
equipment, battery chargers, CD media, gray cards, lens cloths, etc. A few labels from a Dymo label maker
and everything is neat, and easy to find in your bedroom closet!
Dress in layers - weather can change, especially if you are shooting at sunrise or sunset. It can change from
General cool to warm or warm to cool very quickly and having a layer to take off (or put on) can extend your shoot
time before you start getting uncomfortably warm (or cold).
Take a bottle of water and a granola bar in your pack! You’d be surprised how quickly you can dehydrate
and how hungry you can get while shooting. I’ve been on shoots where there is so much creativity and so
Photo Walks
many shooting opportunities, I can often forget to eat or drink. When things finally end you can be very
hungry and or dehydrated where even a bottle of water or a granola bar (or both) can give you the needed
boost until you can get to Starbucks or the house for more healthy refreshments!
Magazines - Magazines are always looking for fresh images for stories. Get yourself a copy of The
Photographers Market (most recent publication year is 2008)), and find out the magazines that match your
Selling interests most and send them the appropriate information as specified. Don’t be dejected if at first you don’t
garner much interest. There are many others like you also submitting images regularly and it can take a
while.
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3. Jason Anderson, 2009 www.canonblogger.com
Stock Photography - Stock photo sites like Getty, iStockPhoto, Crestock, and a host of others offer a great
venue for tapping into the enthusiast photographer market. You simply create an account, upload some
sample images, and once you get enough “approved” you are off and running. The problem here is that your
Selling
images are being sold for mere pennies (in your pocket). So, in order to generate sufficient revenue, you
need to have hundreds upon hundreds of sales. In turn this means you need a portfolio of at least that many
images available to get any kind of penetration into the stock market genre. This is becoming quite
crowded, but if you are talented, and have the library - upload away!
Consignment - An often untapped resource is local restaurants and businesses. Go talk to small business
owners whether it be a restaurant around the corner, a body shop, or other such enterprise, and offer to
decorate their walls for free. In exchange, you get free exposure and possible image sales. Often the
business owner will want at least a cut on the profits, so don’t be shocked if they ask for it. It also helps to
Selling have several images all ready to hang, so go prepared with at least 5 images in 3 different sizes. I would
suggest a 5×7, 8,10, and 11×14 matted and framed out to 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20 respectively. Be sure
you are also prepared to be told “No.” Persistence and self-confidence here is key. It also helps if you
scope the place out ahead of time. You can do so by eating a meal there, having some auto work done, or
going in for a cup of coffee (whatever, you get the idea).
Medical Offices - Here is a real sleeper that can pay off in spades. Doctors offices love to have fine art on
the wall - it can sooth anxious or sick patients. Even if they have a set of artwork already displayed, it never
hurts to ask. Simply offer a rotation for the next month, or 2 months, or 6 months, and be prepared to offer a
Selling portion of image sales to them (doctors like to make money too - or so I’ve heard!). Also, don’t limit yourself
to the traditional image of a doctor’s office - go see dentists offices, orthopedists, optometrists, orthopedics,
etc. As always, be prepared and quick - these guys (and gals) make money off their time, so the more time
you spend trying to convince them it’s a good idea, the less time they spend seeing patients, and the less
time they are making money. Go in, be quick, be professional, wow them with great images, and get out.
Banks are another great resource. Try seeing if your local branch will let you set out cards on display, or
perhaps hang an image or two. Some banks even offer this service to local businesses. WHen I was in SC,
my local bank had one day every week where a local business was featured. I put my cards out, and once or
Selling
twice I even had my info up on display. It generated some interest and even a few gigs. Once I found out
about our move to Colorado, I stopped though, for obvious reasons, and once we’re more settled down here
I’l be doing the same.
If you’ve got some blown highlights or high contrast pictures that just aren’t working - try a black and white
Photography
conversion. Add a vignette and you may actually have a shot worth keeping.
In a pinch, your on camera flash is still a flash…granted not the best one, but with even a piece of regular
Lighting copy paper in front of it, you can diffuse it and spread the light a little more. It may not be ideal, but better
than the glaring brightness of direct flash light.
Lighting In tough lighting and no gray card? Stick your hand out. Yup, it may not be the best metering source, but
your skin can be used to neutrally balance a shot. From there you can find the rest in post process…
Back story – provide some background on how you got the shot. Give it a personal meaning or significance
for the viewer. Often times connections with imagery are because of a personal tie to it – and if you give
Photography people a hint of the “who, what, where, when why, how” element of your photos that you share, it can
increase the impact. Just remember, keep back stories short – if it takes two pages to set the stage, the
show will almost always disappoint.
Take a look at the backgrounds in your photos. Are there any elements there that draw your eye? If so, that
is likely a detractor. Keep backgrounds simple. If shooting a lot of family members at a dinner, keep the
lower edge of your camera above the table line to avoid the distraction of glasses, plates, food,
Photography centerpieces, etc. Likewise, look where people are. Is it a crowded subway or is it a meadow of daisies?
Either can serve to enhance or detract from your image because the background can take emphasis away
from the subject or it can help focus on your subject. Generally speaking, the simpler the background, the
better the picture!
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4. Jason Anderson, 2009 www.canonblogger.com
Backsides – in family or group shot settings, can you see anyone’s backside? If so, then their face is not
Photography likely facing the camera. We tend to prefer shots of people where we can see their faces, so if you see
someone’s backside, hold off on taking that shot – get them to turn around a little.
Backups – It’s been said before, but the importance of backing up your files can never be understated.
When do you backup? I do it three times – on first import to the computer, after I sort through and delete out
Gear unwanted images, and then after I process for print and web. Typically the latter two will be purged after a
month or so of inactivity. By purge, I mean relegated to the RAID side of the house, rather than the active
folder I keep on my desktop.
Plan ahead. Just the mere act of planning for a shot can help. If you know you’re going to be in the
mountains, take a wide angle lens with you. If you know you’re going to be at a party, take that nifty fifty.
Photography
Wildlife? Take a zoom! Remember, prior planning not only prevents poor performance, but it also can help
you take better pictures.
Learn the technical stuff. Know the technical stuff. Memorize it. There are certain fundamentals you just
have to know, and by taking that sundry stuff and migrating it to a point where it’s in the back of your head
Photography and you don’t even have to think about it, then they can become tools. If you understand apertures inside
and out, then you can really use depth of field to create better pictures. The same goes for planes of view,
angles of view, composition rules, and all that other stuff.
Take lots of pictures. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. So, stop reading forums, blogs,
Photography magazines, books, and all that stuff from time to time (except for my blog of course!), and get out there and
practice, practice, practice!
Look at the pictures of others. Not only is appreciation of others work inspiring in its own right, but you can
Inspiration
also train your eye to see what makes some images just “work”.
Dedicate some time each day to do something related to photography. It can be any of the above, from
taking pictures, to editing pictures, looking at the works of others, studying your manual (learning about
apertures, shutters, etc.), or any other photography-related ideas. You can only improve your skills by
Photography
repeated use. Since I’ve referenced other idioms, another one could apply here: If you don’t use it, you lose
it. Just like musicians who practice every day to get better, if you don’t practice your craft regularly, you
won’t get better.
Photoshop CMD/CTRL+J = duplicates your existing layer
CRTL+ALT+SHIFT+E = Stamp Visible This takes all your visible layers and merges them onto a new layer.
Photoshop
Increases file size, but very cool
CMD/CTRL+’ = (yes, that’s apostrophe) - it activates the grid in your preferences. Since my grid is set to
Photoshop every 33.33% and one subdivision, it basically shows a Rule of Thirds grid overlay on my images - very
handy for compositional cropping
Left and right brackets - decrease and increase your active brush, whether it’s for clone stamp, healing
Photoshop
brush, eraser, history brush - whatever
Alt+Eyedropper = you can drag the eyedropper outside of Photoshop to sample a color in another application
Photoshop
(great for color matching)
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