Five Secrets of Professional Photographers

Posted by chris on January 27th, 2012
difficult shot

The best shots rarely are found in the most convenient locations

Many people aspire to being a professional photographer but few will ever make it. A small subset of the total will actually make some money. Out of that small subset who manages to make money, an even smaller percentage will actually end up making their living from photography.

There are certain qualities which separate those who make it and those who end up in another line of work. The people who do end up doing something else, frequently it’s for the best. They lack either the passion, imagination or drive to make themselves a commercial success. It takes a fairly narrow range of skills to make the cut, a lot of talent, and a little bit of luck.

Like most challenges in life, luck seems to be most likely to come those most prepared to receive it. There are some secrets that will put you out ahead of the pack if luck does wander by, here are five of them:


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Four Tips For Better Group Shots

Posted by chris on January 26th, 2012
group shot

This group shot tells a story about the people in the photo and it was one of my dad's favorite photos for over 60 years - Christmas Eve 1944

There are probably more group shots on the internet and photo sharing services than any other type of picture. And the vast majority of them are going to be a loosely organized mob of people thrown together in uncomfortable closeness for a few quick frames of unimaginative poses punctuated by forced, half-hearted smiles. Painful for subject and viewer alike they are quickly washed away by the digital river of newer images and forgotten.

Yet there was something that brought those people together. It may not be significant now, but what about the future? A good group shot will tell a story, both about the event that brought them together and the people taking part.  A fabulous group photo will fix a moment in time and make the date memorable for a lifetime.

It’s hard to tell a story herding people over against a wall and telling them to bunch up, unless the story is the first few minutes of the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. It’s equally hard to tell a story about people sitting around a table. If I’m doing a group shot of a family gathering, I try to get it before everyone sits down or herd them all over to one side.


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Portrait Lighting On $100

Posted by chris on January 24th, 2012
$100 portrait lighting kit

My $100 portrait lighting kit

In the last few months I’ve covered basic three point lighting and five point lighting but what about those of you who can’t afford to lay out that kind of cash for gear or don’t have enough space for a studio?

I decided to put together a portrait lighting package that anyone with $100 to spare can afford and one that you can use anywhere; studio, outdoors, living room, where ever you want to shoot a portrait. I’ve already covered a $250 portable lighting kit that does a pretty decent job, but I decided to unleash my inner cheapskate and see how low I could go and still get a portrait I’d feel good about charging regular portrait rates.

The portability leaves out any kind of light that requires an electric socket and there wasn’t even enough room in the budget for a sync for the flash. Talk about a challenge!


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ND Filter or Polarizer?

Posted by chris on January 20th, 2012
polarizer v ND filter

A lot of sky and a lot of water means I went with a polarizer on this picture instead of an ND filter

If you’re a DSLR shooter, there are two indispensable filters you should have in your bag: One is a circular polarizer and the other is an adjustable ND filter or a set of ND filters.

Which of those you choose will likely depend on whether you shoot more stills or more video. As we’ve discussed before when shooting video you’d don’t have the same range of f-stop and shutter speed combinations you do shooting stills. That means on bright, sunny days when normally you’d just bump the shutter speed, you’ll need to use an ND filter or be stuck shooting at f/22 all the time. Video shooters will be more likely to opt for a set of ND filters over an adjustable for consistency.


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Going Manual

Posted by chris on January 18th, 2012
auto mode

Beware the green camera, don't rely on auto shooting mode - by Nikon

There is a debate that wanders through photography from time to time that pits people who insist that to be a great photographer you have to shoot in manual mode against people who like the convenience of the automatic camera settings.

In the early days it was no contest; camera light meters were center-weighted and primitive. Over the years the metering system improved by sampling more areas across a photo, the computers linked to the metering system became more powerful and the software inside got a lot better. The camera you carry today has a more powerful computer than those carried on some early spaceships.

Consequently the manual vs auto debate burns less hotly today than the days when anyone shooting on auto would have been dismissed out of hand. Yet, despite all the advances in technology, the camera makers have not been able to duplicate one critical element in great photography: You.


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Medium Format Manufacturers Cling Together For Survival

Posted by chris on January 16th, 2012
mamiya leaf image

Cameras like the Mamiya Leaf are becoming increasingly difficult to justify

Medium format camera makers are clinging together for survival in an increasingly competitive digital photography marketplace.

Phase One A/S announced that it’s merging Mamiya Digital Imaging and Leaf into a combined company called Leaf Imaging Ltd. The new entity is entering into an intellectual property license agreement with Kodak, which likely means the new medium format cameras will be sporting Kodak sensors and color processing technology under the hood.

“We are committed to exciting future developments for the Leaf brand of products through innovative engineering, worldwide marketing and customer service,” said Henrik O. Håkonsson, President and CEO, Phase One. “Leaf customers will benefit from the many synergies with Phase One.”


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Trends In Professional Photography

Posted by chris on January 13th, 2012
photo of d4

There will need to be a compelling value proposition before the trend toward $6,000 cameras catches on - by Nikon

It’s not exactly a headline to proclaim that professional photography is changing and those who want to make their living will have to adapt. Professional photography is in a constant state of flux and has been for as long as I can remember.

Cameras get better with every generation, lenses improve, the bar on professional photographers constantly moves higher and higher, which begs speculation about where we’re headed today.

Some trends are already firmly established in photography. Wedding and event photography is going to continue to see a push toward immediate delivery and live streaming of photos. Certainly there are disadvantages and real challenges to real time posting of wedding photos, but that’s where the market is headed and, if you want to stay competitive, you’ll have to learn to adapt. The biggest challenge will be delivering quality photos with a minimum of post-processing magic.


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Fujifilm’s Sexy Retro Styled X-Pro-1

Posted by chris on January 11th, 2012

The Fujifilm X-Pro-1 combines sexy retro styling with an advanced chip that boasts 5D level resolution

Fujifilm is making a play for the retro rangefinder market with the interchangeable lens X-Pro-1. Sporting a new type of sensor and a choice of three prime lenses, Fujifilm is definitely making a statement. The surprising twist with the X-Pro-1 is with the popularity of mirrorless cameras Fujifilm decided to rely on a tried and side-mounted viewfinder and leaf shutter combination.

The big news is inside where the XPro-1 starts with a 16-megapixel APS-CX-Trans CMOS sensor. It’s a brand new sensor type Fujifilm claims will offer better resolution than a Canon 5D MK II. I’ll believe that when I see it, but it does eliminate the old Bayer pattern of color filters over the pixel layer and replaces them by 6×6 arrays of RGB filters in a semi-random pattern that is supposed to mimic film grain. The non-regular pattern reduces moire and the need for a low pass filter.

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iPhone 4 Takes Over As Most Popular Digital Camera

Posted by chris on January 9th, 2012

According to Flickr the iPhone 4 is the most popular digital camera

While Canon has the most cameras in the top five, Nikon takes the top spot with the D90 the most popular DSLR and the Apple iPhone 4 now taking over as the most popular camera.

This chart on Flickr tells the story, with the most popular camera models listed as:


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Nikon Flexes Video Muscle With D4

Posted by chris on January 6th, 2012
nikon D4

Nikon flexes their video muscles in the D4

For years pro DSLR video shooters scratched their heads over why Nikon basically ceded the high end video market to Canon, but it looks like those days are coming to a close with the introduction of the Nikon D4.

In a rare pre-CES announcement, Nikon released the specs of the D4 early. Compared to the D3, the D4 is more of an incremental improvement than a generational leap in technology. The camera is built around a 16-megapixel full frame sensor backed by the Expeed 3 image processor. The combination lets the D4 clip off shots at 10 fps with AF and AE or 11 fps with exposure and focus locked.

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