How do you photograph a conference? Today Tris Hussey shares some great tips on the topic.
There are two things that are pretty common at almost every conference I attend: laptops and cameras. However the quality of pictures captured and posted from a given conference vary wildly. Very wildly. To help you out I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for better conference pictures (and a few other words of wisdom too).
1. Bring extra batteries, memory cards, your cables, and chargers
As simple as this may seem, I know lots of people who get half way through the day and find themselves begging-borrowing for extra batteries—especially before a party. So bring at least one set of extras. If you have a DSLR, chances are you can’t just swing by the local corner store and snag one, so don’t forget your charger (or better invest in a spare battery). Memory cards are a toss up. I don’t know too many “regular” folks who fill up a card during a conference, much less a single day, but it doesn’t hurt to have extras. As for cables, pretty much every conference I go to I’m loaning out my USB cable or card reader (I carry SD and CF readers). Why? People just leave the cables at home.
I carry spare batteries for my camera and speed light, plus chargers, plus cables in my gear bag. These never leave my bag so I know they are always there. My spare memory card is on my camera strap so again it’s right there.
2. Get out of auto mode.
One of the best pieces of advice I got about using my point-n-shoot was to get out of auto mode and into P or program mode. Why? Because you have more control. You can adjust the flash (on, off, sometimes even intensity), white balance, ISO, even sometimes the aperture and shutter speed. In auto mode your pictures will almost always have that vacation snap shot look. Bright flash, broad focus, grainy. Unless you have a DSLR (or really want to play with settings on a point-n-shoot) switching to aperture (A) or shutter (S) priority mode isn’t really worth it.
Read the rest of this entry
In this post Christina N Dickson from ChristinaNichole Photography shares some tips on how to improve your wedding photography.
According to comprehensive wedding planning site, theknot.com, December and January are fifth and sixth most likely months to schedule a wedding date (at least in North America). No winter breaks for wedding photographers here! If weddings are to be found year round, anyone wanting to improve their wedding photography skills should dedicate some time to expand their skills during the off-times of their shooting.
One of the most helpful ways I have found to expanding the diversity and creativity of my wedding photography requires nothing more than a trip to the library, my laptop, and a few sheets of paper.
1. Check out the recent wedding magazines.
Take cues from the successful and world-renowned trend setting wedding photographers featured in wedding magazines. Here you will find out if the industry is going retro in editing style, minimalist in portraiture, or creative in detail shots. Decide if these trends will work in your own style, or be inspired by the styles of these successful photographers. [Extra Tip: Wedding magazines are also brilliant for checking out flattering portrait poses for brides].
Read the rest of this entry
Over the month of October DPS has been holding its first ever photography competition.
The response by readers was more than we were expecting. Over 2000 images were entered (you can see them all here) and and the standard of some of the shots were quite amazing.
Our judging panel of four was faced with an almost impossible task but did an amazing job of wading through each entry and came up with the following three images as their favorites (ordered from first place to third place).
The winners are:
First place - Kimrose
Second Place - Mords
Third Place - Jeremy Hall
Holding this competition was a massive effort and we learned a lot in doing it.
Photrade was gracious enough to host it for us and while there were a few teething issues with people being able to log in we got there in the end and hopefully will be able to build on the experience for next time we run this type of competition (we’ll approach a few things differently).
Thanks to all those who entered, voted and especially to our team of judges who joined me in this task - Sime, Linda and Nathan. I’ve messaged each of the winners on Photrade with details of how we’ll get you the prize. Check your inboxes!
Read the rest of this entry
“Look where the sun is coming from - then position yourself with your back towards it so that it light up your subject’s face.”
This was the very first piece of photographic advice that I was ever given as a child entrusted with the family’s camera for a school excursion.
The intention behind it was good and in many photographic situations over the years it has actually served me well.
However…. sometimes in photography it can be easy to get trapped in a mindset that actually limits the potential of your shots.
My suspicion is that many people are being limited by the above piece of advice - lighting your subject from the front and avoiding back lighting at all costs.
The problem with ignoring back lighting images is that:
- backlight can add drama to an image
- backlit images can show the delicacy of a subject (think transparent or translucent things like flowers or insects)
- backlight can help create real mood in a shot
- backlit images can highlight details on the edges of subjects
- backlight can reveal textures that might previously have been hidden
- backlit images can show off the shape and form of a subject
- backlight can create shadows that add points of interest to an image
I’m not arguing that backlit subjects are the way you should approach every shot - but ignoring it as an option ca leave you potentially missing out on a very powerful technique.
Check out some of the following images that show the beauty of power of ignoring the age old advice of always lighting a subject from the front.
PS: just because your subject is backlit doesn’t mean you need to forget about how they are lit from the front. Using a Fill Flash and/or some sort of reflector is often a great way to get the balance right for a well exposed shot.
Read the rest of this entry
Weekly Assignment
This week’s assignment was Headshots. We had head shots of all sorts of creatures, from people to dogs to horses, and everything in between. We managed to pick out a few of our favourite shots from this week, and here are our picks. Our winner this week was i speak in math’s lovely autumn picture. The warm tones and lighting really captured the autumn atmosphere without taking any focus away from the subject herself. Our first runner up was k9mom’s picture, of well, her canine, Frannie. This shot just goes to show that a headshot doesn’t have to be of a person. We thought that this shot had very nice clarity and framing, and she just exuded her personality in the shot. And last, but not least, our final runner up this week was superdewa for the high key picture of her friend’s daughter. We really loved the lighting and expression in this shot.
This week’s assignment is slightly different. The subject is What’s in Your Bag, and this contest has been sponsored by ThinkTank who is going to help pick the winner and give away a camera bag to them. The standard rules still apply: your photo must have been taken between 22 October - 12 November 2008, your post must include “Assignment:What’s in your bag”, and your exif should be in tact. There are a few extra things to note for this week’s assignment though: the judge’s decision is final; the competition is open to anyone, anywhere; the contest runs for 2 weeks instead of 1; and everyone is eligible to play since the winner will be chosen by a third party instead of the moderators. So good luck!
Hot Threads
- Toilet Paper Diffuser: Who doesn’t love DIY Photography projects? Well, we do! So when baldmountain decided to share their toilet paper diffuser, we thought it was worth sharing. Diffusers help make the light softer, and this accomplished that nicely. Just a warning, the flash does get warm, so keep a careful eye on the paper!
- How do you do our print order?? Timeline?: So, you’ve started taking photos for money, and you’ve set up a place online where people can review the photos, but you’re not using that for ordering. So, how do you deal with people who are taking their time in putting in an order. Do you set a deadline for their order? Do you change your ordering process? What are your suggestions on how to setup the order timeline? Come discuss it in our forum.
- Tripod or not?: One of our forum members wants to know if people carry their tripod everywhere that they go. Not just whether they have one or use one, but it ’s just as essential as their camera when they go out shooting. Come and join the discussion in our forum.
- Favourite Photographers: A creative person of any kind is likely to be inspired by another artist’s work. Whether or not you consider yourself an artist, you may still have a favourite photographer. If you do, come share your favourite photographer in our forum thread, and if you don’t, who knows, maybe this thread will inspire you with other people’s work.
- Best batteries for speedlights: If you have a speedlight of any kind, you will have to use batteries. Now, unless you really enjoy spending a lot of money on batteries, you’ll probably wind up wanting to pick up some rechargeable batteries, but what kind are best for your speedlight? Come join the battery discussion in the forum.
Pet Photography is one of the favorite past times of many of our readers so to inspire a little ‘pooch’ photography this weekend I thought I’d share 8 fun Dog photos.
If you’ve got some great Dog Photos to share head over to our forums share your shots section so we can see your work.
Image by Anne Gordon
Read the rest of this entry
