I’ve written on print vs digital (both have pros and cons) but for this post I want to share why it’s still important to have physical printed copies of your images. Call me a traditionalist, but until humans evolve past the confines of corporeal form, they will still dwell in physical buildings with walls & tables just screaming to have art on them. Some of that art should be the photos you’ve made. Here’s why: Personalization Whether your work is hung all over the house or just in your room, whenever people see it they will know you live there. Our work reveals a great deal about ourselves as artists. Not only does it show our aesthetic, but it also reveals unspoken bits of our personality as well. Recollection Through the hustle & bustle of life and stresses of adulthood, sometimes we can lose sight of why we chose to pursue this path. We may get in a rut or question our worth as photographers. When your pieces are displayed, you pass by them every day. You can’t help but look at the work you’ve done and remember how exciting that session was. The joy the client […]
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This may contradict my why finding your niche is important post, but I’ve realized over the years there is a definite benefit to variety. Shooting things you don’t usually shoot results in the following benefits: Practice The age old saying “practice makes perfect” rings true. Though no one should be striving for that unreachable precipice, we can all strive to be better than we were before. Whether that improvement is in technical skill or conceptual prowess, we can gain some good from extra shooting. Volunteer Sometimes there are projects or organizations that really speak to you. What if instead of donating money, you donate your time & skill? A few photos of their work in the community that they could post online or put on a sign could really help bring awareness to their cause. Remember I love to travel. On every trip, I never leave home without my camera. I of course snap a few with my phone, but even the most advanced ones to date don’t offer the versatility & performance that my DSLR does. I love going to a new place and capturing a different culture. Instead of clamoring by all the stores […]
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Sometimes our favorite activity becomes less than fun and dwells in the “chore” category. This especially applies to people who do that particular activity for work on a daily basis. I’m not sure about you, but when the days are short and full of more darkness than light, I feel less motivated to actually do my craft. Photography becomes something that I do on occasion when I have to, not a daily task I enjoy. It isn’t always easy getting out of a photo rut, but here are a few tips that might helpfully inspire you if you’re going through it as well. Write about it You don’t necessarily have to blog, but journaling about different issues in your life can help you determine what really is preventing you from shooting. Each time you feel uninspired or bothered by the photographic process, stop for a moment and write down why. Try to be as detailed as possible, it could be a recent interaction or stress is really bogging you down and you’re transferring that negativity onto your photography. Look for inspiration Whether online or in photobooks, try and find something that speaks to you. Sometimes, a great […]
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I don’t know about you, but it felt like this year flew by. It seems that the older we get, our perception of time feels faster and faster. Although I won’t be able to share every detail, I will be able to look back at all those posts as a kind of journal of the year. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the process, there were ups and downs for sure. Here are some specific things I noticed: Found a flow about a third of the way in and really caught up on posts. Just over halfway I felt a bit bored with it. Didn’t feel challenged because of being so on top of my schedule. Was disappointed when subjects had to reschedule/cancel for my shoots so had to settle just to post for a challenge. (Or miss like in November because I had no back up plan.) Enjoyed focusing more on writing. Felt like I didn’t have enough images for a “photo blog.” Appreciated when people in real life told me they found my tips helpful. I’m glad I finally decided to consistently blog. Because of the planning beforehand and picking […]
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If you’re a portrait photographer, chances are you’ve come across all different types of people. And though someone may have hired you to capture their image, unless they are a model/actor/musician/or other professional performer, they’ll probably be a little (if not a great deal) shy once you point that lens at them. All is not lost though, here are a few ways to ease their anxiety and make some great photos. 1) Get to know them. If this happens to be a friend, great, you’re already halfway there. Ask them about their recent trip, their pet, their job, anything they really enjoy. If this is someone you’ve just met, do the same thing. Try and find out what they are passionate about, what really gets them riled up. Building rapport isn’t too difficult after a bit of practice. Once you find a similar interest, share some tidbits about yourself. Often times if a photographer doesn’t speak, they seem on a different level or even less human than the subject. Break the silence. Show them you are a person behind the camera as well. 2) Be authentic, yet eloquent. There’s a difference between being polite and being fake. If […]
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Let me first explain what I mean by “pseudo.” Or rather, I will explain what it is not. To me, pseudo is not someone at any level (beginner, hobbyist, amateur, or intermediate) who truly has a love for taking photographs and couldn’t imagine life not doing so in one way or another. They may want to do this professionally one day, or keep it as a fun activity, but the passion is there all the same. I associate pseudo with the following: An individual who doesn’t take the time to learn how to improve An individual with a lot of extra money to spend on gear An individual who doesn’t understand the hard work it takes yet craves notoriety An individual who doesn’t take advice/criticism from other photographers 1 – “I’ll just rock it on auto mode and hope for the best!” This is a trait I see in many beginners. They have a fear of failure, so they let the camera decide what’s best. The problem with this is that they aren’t allowing themselves any creative freedom. They aren’t using light to their advantage, heck, they don’t even know how the camera is using light because […]
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Niche has a few different definitions, but in regards to work as an artist, it is closely related to genre. This is sometimes difficult to pinpoint, especially for newcomers. Years ago, I remember saying I couldn’t possibly limit myself because I loved to shoot everything! Well that love may be true for many of us, but typically there are a couple types of photography we find ourselves gravitate towards. For me, it’s people. I love anything involving people; portraits, fashion, street, etc. There’s something so fascinating about the human face, body, and overall interaction with the world. Because of this love, the majority of what I shoot involves people. My niche is specific in that I focus primarily on portraits & headshots. Advantages for having a specific niche: You have a focus. By honing in on a very specific aspect in your field, you will always have an idea of what your next project will be. Your passion really shines through. Because you aren’t trying to shoot every single thing in the world (which could amount to so-so results) you are able to put in 100% each time you do a shoot. […]
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In the same way I took a topsy-turvy path to find my love for photography, I also stumbled upon my overall “style”. I tell you it was difficult. At first I was just snapping away enjoying the life with no real rhyme or reason. I even did minimal editing because I wanted to keep that candid look. Pff, that sort of candid looked like anyone with a camera and an idea shot it. And there were still remnants of yellow… blech. I continued to shoot my editorials, but there wasn’t a particular editing style bringing them together. Once I made the decision that photography was more than an additional skill I possessed, I decided to look outwards for advice. I read countless articles on how to find your style and many of them had more or less vague suggestions to “just keep shooting and it will come to you.” These were not the words I was looking for. But I went with it, since that’s all I really could do. I still had my beloved Pinterest board to inspire me as well, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I knew what types […]
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It all began with a youtube video. I know, sounds strange, but the path that ultimately led me to becoming a photographer was not straightforward at all. Back when I was in highschool, a junior or so, I loved watching youtube videos.] Like…everyday for multiple hours a day. Because in 2009 that was still relevant. I remember thinking that the people I watched seemed to be having so much fun making these videos. I knew viewers like me enjoyed watching them, so I decided that I wanted to start making my own videos as well. I began on a “trusty” point-n-shoot canon powershoot that was hand-me-downed from my dad. The quality was questionable of course, but I was having fun and that’s what really inspired me in the beginning. I wanted to answer questions and help people, but in a humorous way. Eventually I started to include more fashion and natural hair videos to help & inspire people too. (In case anyone is interested, my youtube username is ShekinahShazaam and there’s still a bit of content on there.) I haven’t made a video in quite some time partly due to my aging macbook’s weakness with […]
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