For the New Photographer

I found these on Digital Photography School and thought I would re-post.

1. What you see is not what you get.
2. To get what you see you need to understand light. That takes a lot time, effort and patience.
3. The best asset a photographer needs is anticipation and readiness to capture a moment.
4. There is time and place for all gear.
5. Some of the best photographs you see are not accidental. They are the end result of careful thinking and planning.
6. Overcoming the inertia of using a DSLR is not enough. Always remember to keep learning and try for improvement.
7. Possessing a DSLR doesn’t warrant you to be in manual mode always. Importance should be given to capturing the moment. Explore your creativity only if the situation permits.
8. Even if you don’t realize it, most of the photographs you see online are post processed. Take time to master some techniques. It will pay off in the long run.
9. Be gracious about your success rate. Only a few among the many photographs you have clicked will be useful.
10. Costly gear does not necessarily equate to better photographs. Know your existing gear like the back of your hand.

Adding water to images using Photoshop

Up and Coming

I've really been working hard to do a couple of things lately. First, building my portfolio of bridal portraits and second, getting ready to start teaching.

Bridal portraits are fun for me. And I really don't want to do the typical bridal stuff. One of the reasons my step-daughter "hired" me to do her senior pics was because I was different than the typical senior photographer. And I really appreciated that compliment. I told her I wasn't going to charge her because of that!

I think what makes any portrait great is that it's not typical. But that's also the hardest thing to do. I think Olan Mills revolutionized family portraiture, but at the same time, they really got us used to the mass produced-church-directory-photographer-in-the-box portraits. You just get tired of "sit on the stool, dad over here, mom right there holding junior." But again, that's the hardest thing to do is be creative, ESPECIALLY for someone like me who isn't an artist, isn't in tune with the artistic side, isn't at ALL interested in going to Starbucks drinking coffee then hanging out at the G3ni0us B@r at the @pple St0re.

So what kind of bridals am I looking at in the future? Goth! Yep, I had no idea that there are some people who don't want to wear a white wedding dress and would rather wear something like a vampiress getup to get married in. WONDERFUL! Love it!

And I'm also getting ready to start teaching photography. I'm excited and a little terrified. My wife is the teacher. She's phenomenal! Read her amazingly awesome blog. But I need to get out and start sharing. I truly believe in sharing in education. I also believe that as we get more advanced we should teach. I've been paired with some AMAZING photographers to develop a certification program in photography through extended education. What and honor. Scary! Surprising! I'm excited to teach my first class.

So what's on the horizon.

CHARITY! PRO BONO!

I've really been moved to do portraits for segments of the population who do not ever get to have a picture.

I'm a believer in Help Portrait a project to provide free portraits to the disadvantage. Always in December. I want to do something similar to this during the year. I have a special package for those who fit one of these characteristics.

• On WIC
• orphaned
• on free and reduced lunch/breakfast
• single mom with multiple (2+ kids)
• I waive my sitting fee ($100) and they get a free CD with re-touched photos.

See you next time.

Editing Mistakes

Photography Essentials Part 02

Photography Essentials

Workflows and Actions

I've been asked how I get my images to look the way I do. Most of it is in taking the image. It's easier to take an image correctly than it is to try to correct it. Get your white balance, ISO and exposure correct first. Get things the way you want and take the image.

Digital images if not simple snapshots look better processed. They often have a "haze" to them and the colors may not be rich. Processing or "workflow" is what you do to an image to clean it a little. It involves cropping, color correction, skin or item correction (think removing blemishes or leaves or anything distracting) and then any artistic additions.

Here is a video I did for the process.