Share your tricks and tips of the trade

[Shawn7656]

Something that goes along with other posts but hasn't been mentioned is to return your camera to Auto (or at least some "normal" settings) every time you're doing shooting. I have ruined many pictures by accidentally leaving my ISO at 1600, or the shutter speed at 3 seconds. Flicking it back to Auto means you can possibly get the picture of the random deer that darts out, instead of trying to set up your camera manually, or having to even look at the settings before you hit the shutter.

If you don't have a spare battery, make sure you charge it the night before you plan to shoot. Before leaving your house test to make sure your camera is working. Nothing would be worse than showing up at a wedding and learning your Flash batteries died, or your memory card became corrupted and won't store anything.

(Got this from Ken Rockwell) Travel light. Don't bring 50,000 lenses with you. There's no need to have lenses with overlapping ranges as you'll be spending too much time worrying about switching them out. If you skip a couple mm in your focal ranges, just take a couple steps forwards or backwards. Why have an 18-55, 55-200, and a 200-400? Try an 18-105 and a 200-400, if you feel the need for the range. Ken's recommended lenses (for Nikon, I'm sure Canon has similar) are the 10-24mm DX for wide angles, a 35mm 1.8 DX, and a 55-200 VR DX for telephoto.

[autofocus]

Bad skin tones? Murky off color whites?...in PS, try Image>Adjustments>Selective Color. This will allow you to adjust 4 sliders in each of the color channels plus blacks, whites, and neutrals. It'll open showing the red channel, use the drop down option to see the other 8 choices. I find this a great way to adjust the color purity and the brightness of individual colors without effecting all the colors simultaneously. A little too much yellow in your whites...? Grab the white channel, back off the yellow slider, and if necessary, brighten it by moving the black channel. A very handy tool that once you learn it's value, you will use it often.

[bpretorius]

For Landscapes and Cityscapes I love taking pictures in Blue Hour (the time of day just before sunrise and just after sunset). I find it works best when you have some lit buildings in the frame with the royal blue sky in the background.

For those of you with iPhones there is a Blue Hour App that works with the GPS in your phone to give you the time window for this - I have found it incredibly useful to make the most of this time of day.

[christophe760]

Originally Posted by RLucas

Subscribed. I want some tips on what you guys do to relax yourselves. My people skills seem to be going completely backward lately. I can't seem to relax, and it shows in the photos. That's one reason why I don't post much anymore.
I always ask the people I shoot what they want to gain from their shoot, and the standard reply is, "I don't know? Just do what you do." It almost always throws the burden back on me, which tenses me up even more because in my limited experience, what I find pleasing and the best shots are always the opposite of what the subjects like. It's a cycle of awkwardness!

Hi Luke, this might seem like an obvious answer but you can't beat rural scenes for rest and relaxation and you sound like you could do with a great deal of it. Try going to your favourite place for scenic views.
If that wont work try a random approach to get fresh inspiration and chose a landscape that you have never been to before. Good weather will also help the feel good factor if you are lucky on the day you choose, so give it a go - you will come back refreshed.

[dmann]

Originally Posted by autofocus

Bad skin tones? Murky off color whites?...in PS, try Image>Adjustments>Selective Color. This will allow you to adjust 4 sliders in each of the color channels plus blacks, whites, and neutrals. It'll open showing the red channel, use the drop down option to see the other 8 choices. I find this a great way to adjust the color purity and the brightness of individual colors without effecting all the colors simultaneously. A little too much yellow in your whites...? Grab the white channel, back off the yellow slider, and if necessary, brighten it by moving the black channel. A very handy tool that once you learn it's value, you will use it often.

Can I do this this in Photoshop Elements 10? If not does anyone have tips for skin tones with that program?

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by dmann

Can I do this this in Photoshop Elements 10? If not does anyone have tips for skin tones with that program?

Someone with PSE10 will have to answer that, as I don't use it

[hammerdownny]

great tips, thank you everyone.
quick tip for anyone looking for PS tips of all kinds, You tube is your friend. every time i need to figure out how to do something in Photoshop i look it up on youtube with much success.

[STB]

- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone was a beginner sometime or another.
- When you do ask questions, be specific and respectful.
- Say thank you for the help.

This board is filled with so many experienced photographers who have spent years honing their craft. They're good at what they know and as usually happy to share that knowledge with eager beginners. Same thing can often (not always) be said of your local camera store. I am very grateful to the many folks here who are helping me learn more about photography.

At the same time, be respectful of asking for help and be specific in your questions. "How do I use my new camera" isn't going to get you the same kind of help as "I'm trying to take pictures of birds in flight or my kids playing hockey."

[Christian Grattan]

Originally Posted by autofocus

Wow Luke..not an easy question to answer. I'd have to say that for starters, don't ask the subjects what they want...you are perceived as the professional, and they expect you to know that. That may help you to eliminate that cycle you are experiencing. Like everything else, people become comfortable when they are very sure of their skills. I'm sure your technical skills with the camera are fine, and it's your people skills that you need to be comfortable with. A sales training course I attended years ago taught us to first "break the relationship tension" before you start advocating anything. I still use this technique with new people, and it works great to get them, and you to be more comfortable with each other. You are developing their trust by asking some simple questions and some small talk that has nothing to do with the upcoming photo session. Make the questions geared directly to them, and not to you. I'll often ask them if they enjoy taking pictures themselves, and do they enjoy doing the edits. I'll also ask (if it's the mom alone with her kids) what the husbands do for a living...or directly ask the dad if he's also at the session. There's a two fold benefit in doing this. 1) you are showing an interest in them, and 2) the information you gather will often tell you what to expect. If the person has editing skills, you'll know you'll have to be more careful with how and where you watermark your proofs. If you find out that the husband is a company owner, or has a high level good paying position, you may anticipate a very nice order to follow.
There are plenty of simple questions you can ask to help break that relationship tension. If the session is at a park you might say, "it's really beautiful here, do you come here often?"...or "were you aware of this nice little park?" What you are doing is showing them you are interested in them, and care for them, and this makes them more comfortable with you, and with the upcoming photo session. When you are finally ready to start the shoot, you will need to be the one taking charge and directing the shoot. You establish the various locations to shoot in, and how to pose the individual(s) etc...remember, you are the expert, and the client will feel comfortable with the knowledge you convey. Once you've gotten them more comfortable, I assure you Luke you also will be more comfortable.

I couldn't agree more.

I have been shooting forever, seriously my first shoot was the Flintstones holiday tablet, and I use source images when I go into a shoot. I use these to work out my lighting set ups and gear. I know that they are a starting point and then I will put my stamp on it. Additionally the subject will shine through.

I do have a couple of tips for how you can put the subject at easy during a shoot.

You are in charge when you have a camera. You are the alpha. They will mirror you. Be confident and calm. They will follow you. It is easier said then done, but here are some tools.

Initiate physical contact with them, especially a hand on the upper arm. It sounds crazy but there have been studies that show that this is an unconscious signal for dominance. When I am working with cranky celebs I will stick my hand out and introduce myself.

One time I was shooting a premier and Claire Danes was there. She is known on the press line as being not so fun to shoot. I walked up to her, stuck my hand out and said "Hi. I'm Christian from WWD and I am here to shoot your outfit." She shook my hand and let me take her picture. You need to be the alpha.

Another way you can make then at ease is have them stand on one foot. This causes their brain to overload. It is also silly. Their brain makes staying up the priority and then their smile becomes less fake. It seems dumb, but it will work like a charm.

I have a million tricks, so holler at me if you want more. Make sure you smile and stand up straight. Basic, but effective.

The last thing I will say here is look into an anchoring technique. It is an NLP thing. You can anchor to confidence. This will get you in a confident state and they will relax. It sounds woo woo, but it can work. Once you are comfortable they will follow suit.

Good luck. I know you will get this down and then have lots more fun on shoots.