I’ve been working as a photographer for almost 2 years now. And looking back at this time, I can see a number of stages I’ve grown through.
Each stage is characterised by what I believed is the most important element of great photography. And in this post I decided to analyse them and come to a conclusion on the benefits and dangers of each stage.
… Continue reading Developing Your Photographic Style: Adding Power And Impact To Your Photography
Have you ever opened up a photography magazine, saw a photo you liked and spotted the little blurb which reveals the camera settings?
The conclusion you might be tempted to make is that the aperture, focal length, shutter speed, ISO and flash settings you see there somehow “made” that photo.
And worse, you might try to remember those settings as “the right settings” to use the next time you want to take an environmental group portrait of a family “because I once saw a similar photo with those settings and I really liked it”.
Often beginners in photography are asking me the same question – “How can I become more creative as a photographer?”
I truly believe that it’s creativity that drags our attention to the image. I’ve seen thousands of technically flawless images that meant nothing to me, while sometimes one image with noise and not that perfect light stroke me, because it had unique idea in it.
Photographing people often requires a completely different bag of tricks compared to photographing landscapes or static objects.
As someone who personally loves taking candid shots, it’s taken me a lot of practice to get used to working with models in such a way that I get the perfect look and feel I want for my photo shoots every time.
… Continue reading 8 Tips for Working with Models Every Photographer Should Know
We all like having different resources at hand, be it graphic design, getting inspiration or just plain images to embed into articles. It would be so good if we didn’t have to be looking for resources in different websites until we find what we want, wouldn’t it?
Here’s where Freepik comes into our lives, giving us those much needed graphic resources whenever we want.
If you’re using Instagram, there are a few people who hate you. You can be a nice friendly person, and you friends are polite, that’s why they don’t comment your photos with an honest “Screw you, bastard!”
But what did you do?!
… Continue reading 15 Reasons Why Your Instagram Followers Hate You
There are only 7 basic notes in music. There are only three colors on a computer screen. So, digital photography should not be that difficult. But ok, forget it, we all know it is too good to be true. When all you have is a set of bricks, building a castle does not become easier.
Enough metaphors for now – let’s talk about postprocessing.
“Good artists copy, but great artists steal”
Pablo Picasso
… Continue reading How to Steal without Stealing: Hack Your Post-Processing With Lightroom Presets
“Most of my pictures are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face. I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape that I guess you’d call the human condition.”
It’s by Steve McCurry, whom I didn’t know much about until recently. I stumbled across him when a link called Behind The Scenes Of Photographing 2013 Pirelli Calendar showed up in one of my social media feeds.
So you’ve got a passion for photography, a slew of great photos that show you’ve really got talent and the desire to transition your photography skills from something that has been strictly a hobby into something that will allow you to earn money. What happens next? If you’re like most folks, you may start by offering to take photos of your friends and family to build up your portfolio and your confidence—which is a smart move.
But you can’t stay in “building your portfolio” mode forever; if you do want to do this as a professional and earn money at it, you’re going to have to start charging at some point. There’s no doubt it can feel scary and intimidating the first time that you tell friends or family that you will be charging them for your photography work. But by following a few tips, transitioning from hobbyist to professional-in-progress should be a bit easier:
… Continue reading How to Charge for Your Work: Making the Leap from “Favor” to “Job”
Imagine this scenario: You’re walking down a side street in Bangkok in the late afternoon, and you pass by an old man sitting on his patio. He’s drinking a cup of tea and staring off into the distance, and he just exudes an aura of contentment. The light is perfect, and the viewfinder in your mind’s eye composes the perfect shot, but you hesitate.
You don’t want to disturb him, but you also don’t want to just start clicking away without his permission. Also, your Thai is mostly non-existent, and you probably couldn’t ask him for his picture even if you wanted to. So what do you do?
… Continue reading How To Photograph People You Meet While Traveling
