'Those are great pictures!.....What kind of camera did you use?'
I cannot tell you how many times I and other photographers hear those words. It seems that some people believe that the more expensive camera you own, the better the pictures. And while it's true that more expensive cameras have more features and probably use interchangeable lenses, it's more about the technique of the photographer and most importantly...their creativity! (Don't tell the camera manufacturers who want to sell more cameras) So, how can someone with a point and shoot or basic digital SLR make pictures like the pros? That's what I'm going to discuss in this blog.
First some basic info about photography and cameras in general. Cameras work by exposing something to light. Whether that's traditional film or a digital sensor, all photography is done in this manner. Photographers control this by adjusting three elements: ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
- ISO is simply the sensitivity of the sensor or film to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor. So if you increase the sensitivity of the sensor, you can take pictures with less light. But, the higher the ISO, the lower the quality of image is captured so you need to be careful with this. With the newer cameras, such as my Nikons, this is almost a non-issue as they can produce images with very good quality at higher ISO's.
- Shutter speed controls how long the shutter, or curtain, is open. A shutter speed of 1/60th is slower than one of 1/2000 since the shutter is only open for 1/60th a second versus 1/2000th of a second. Faster shutter speeds of 1/800th a second or faster are needed to capture moving subjects such as the one at the top.
- Finally, aperture is the size of the hole that light is allowed to come through before reaching the sensor or film. Without going into a huge explanation of this, basically, a smaller aperture such as f16 will allow you to keep more of the image in focus versus f4 where only the subject is in focus. (f4 is my basic aperture for shooting sports such as Gymkhana)
So, knowing these basics, I can make some recommendations for better pictures from any camera:
Take it off automatic and try different settings! With digital, we no longer have to worry about buying film and processing. If you don't like what you see, just delete it. Practice, practice, practice... it applies in everything we do in life.
Use good shooting technique to steady the camera. Shooting pictures is very similar to shooting guns in that is the camera is not steady, you may get blurry photos or miss the target. So, hold the camera in close to your body, use your left hand to steady it underneath and use a rest whenever possible. If you've seen me shooting at a show or other place when I have a long lens on the camera, I eithe
r have a monopod or am using something to steady my shot. This is key for sharp pictures.
Remember to check your background. Distractions and objects in the background will detract from your pictures since it draws the viewer's eye to the background instead of the subject. Try to use an angle that eliminates distractions. This includes making sure their isn't a tree branch "sticking out" of the subject's head. Sometimes, using a larger aperture will allow you to keep your subject in focus and throw the background out of focus.
Along these lines, using a lower vantage point when shooting subjects will make them seem more imposing to the viewers. Children should be shot (no, not really) from their level. Looking down on a small subject just makes it appear that much smaller. So, the next time you take a picture of your child, get down on one knee or the floor.
Use good composition. There are volumes of books written on this subject alone. This essentially involves trying to compose a picture that will be pleasing to the viewer's eye while including the parts of the photo that are important. A good starter is to avoid "bulls-eying" the main subject in the middle of the frame. Try moving the subject to either side or up or down and see what you like better.
Finally, remember to look at the direction and quality of light. The most pleasing pictures will usually be taken either early in the morning or later in the evening. This is because the light at those times is lower in the sky and is softer. The harsh light of mid-day can put shadows on a subject's face and cause them to squint. If you have to shoot in these conditions, try to find shade or face the subject away from the sun.
I hope this is a quick guide to taking better pictures with any camera, including the one you already have. Even a cell phone camera can take some really nice photos if you use great technique. And remember, pro photographers don't just use more expensive cameras, they have the knowledge to use them to take the best pictures. Now get out there and shoot!
Everything Equine Trail Challenge 2012
I was asked this past winter if I would consider covering the 2012 Trail Challenge at Everything Equine and I immediately said yes! Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to meet so many great people and watch a really challenging event. The event is held inside the exhibition hall at the Champlain Valley Fair and this in itself made my work more interesting. Limited available daylight from one end and primary lighting from flourescent lights above made getting the correct white balance and keeping a high enough shutter speed real issues. Thanks to Nikon and Adobe Lightroom I was able to deal with it pretty well. I found that my cameras are able to deal with ISO's of over 2000 without a problem. For those of you who use D-SLR's I can testify that in challenging lighting like this, shooting in RAW is the way to go. The images from the shoot are here.
As I started the day, I wanted to capture the emotions of the competitors and the first few images show the seriousness of their faces. You could tell they were anxious about the course and during the pre-event meeting, they were no different than NFL players on Sunday afternoon. All business. (With over $2700 in prize money and a top prize of $1500 at stake, who could blame them!) The competitors did a walk through with their horses and found some interesting obstacles that simulated real-life problems they would have to deal with when trail riding. From the simulated forest fire where the horses would be blind folded, to the 14 inch balance beam, to the dreaded 'rhoaguephotography' pedestal, they would have their hands full.
One by one, the competitors went through the course, the object being to complete the course the fastest (each obstacle in under 30 seconds), while scoring points with the judges for doing so using proper technique. The balance beam and the pedestal turned out to be the toughest portions as you can image. Asking a 1200 pound animal to walk over a beam or stand with all four feet on a pedestal and getting them to do it still amazes me. I thought the organizers of the event, Northwest Riding and Driving Club's Extreme Cowboy Race Committee, were very creative in the design of the obstacles with the simulated fire (fans with red/yellow paper streamers blowing upwards) being my personal favorite.
You could tell as the event went on that the competitors started to get a little more comfortable after seeing some of their peers go though it. Smiles started to appear on those serious faces and by the end, you could tell that win or lose, everyone had a great time!
Congratulations to Michelle Hoyt and her horse Cayenne in taking the top prize and winning the event! She and Cayenne made the course look easy although you could tell how much time she has put into training for these events. Time well spent I'm sure!
So thanks to the Extreme Cowboy Race Committee for having me and I hope to be there next year. I'd encourage everyone who reads this to attend also.
Blogging and how I got here
Welcome to my first blog! I hope to make this a regular feature and use it to keep readers updated on my work, client info and tips to better your own photography. Since this is the first time I have 'blogged' I figured I should give everyone an idea of how I got to the point of making pictures for money.
My interest in photography began in 1986 when I signed up for a photography class in high school because I figured it would be a great class that would keep me near the graphic arts room I loved being in. Little did I know that I would begin to love photography so much that it would become a large part of who I am. Being able to create images furthered my artistic ability and to this day I get excited about looking at an image for the first time. My teacher, Mr. Queary, (anyone who went to MVU will know who I am talking about) was great in that he imparted knowledge about not only f-stops, iso's and shutter speeds, but also about succeeding in life. The darkroom was a place where I learned to make chemicals and silver work together to make prints. A Pentax k100 and later an Olympus OM were my first experience with real cameras and they were fantastic to learn on if you wanted to know more than point and shoot. Rolling your own film and processing it gives you a great idea of what to expect from a processor when you start relying on them to do it for you.
The picture below is of a friend of mine who volunteered to be a subject while learning different portrait lighting techniques. Thanks Becky! I found this last week and it brought back a lot of memories of those days. We had a simple set up with two incandescent fixtures, a white sheet background and the camera on a tripod. In these times of 50000 point auto focus, 1 million ISO and 100o megapixel cameras, I found myself thinking about Tri-X black and white film.
Since then, we've had the digital revolution and this peaked my interest in new technology. Learning Photoshop, Lightroom, printing and all of the other things that go along with it has been a real process and as any photographer will tell you, an expensive one. It sure is tough to keep up with the latest cameras, computers, etc. But being able to fully control what happens to your images after they come out of the camera was one of the greatest developments (pardon the pun) ever! No more do we have to rely on what the print machine at the Photomat thinks our prints should look like or depend on the new kid to process our slides. We can do it all at home!
So then one day, I was asked to shoot a wedding for a friend and realized that I could make money with my camera. I liked it so I shot a few more and even started with stock images. I was published when I sold a digital copy of a slide that I shot of carrots and horse grain to Horse Illustrated Magazine. In addition, I have shot landscapes, portraits, macro, sports, and anything else that I thought was interesting. Life changes slowed me down some but I now have time again to concentrate on making this a business and while starting slowly, I am hoping to expand more in the coming year.