Technique
Sometime’s it’s Just Luck
0We all like to think that every great shot we’ve seen was perfectly setup and timed. I think most photographers would agree that even with the best planning, luck is always a factor. Maybe it was the wind picking up at the right moment with the right amount of gust that makes a model’s hair look perfect or having one image out of a series of action photos that ends up on the cover of a magazine. Here are a couple of examples of luck factoring into a couple neat shots I’ve taken:
I was setting up to shoot my cat in my home studio. I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to get a cat to sit and pose for just a second but during her movement I was able to capture this shot. Even though I had the lighting and composition ready, it took the perfect moment in time to capture her, in my opinion, funny looking smile. I laugh every time I see this shot.
If you’re a sports photographer, you’ll appreciate the spray and pray method I used for this shot. Sometimes you’re in a crowd and you’re trying to capture just about anything so the best you can do is hold up your camera above your head and just take a shot hoping to get something. During a recent wedding, there was a large crowd of people going table to table during the toasting and it was a struggle to take a well composed shot. At some point I had to raise the camera above my head and hope for the best. I really liked how this shot came out with the focus point being on the foreground and creating a sense of movement.
My Current Work Flow
0I’ve been trying to come up with topics to keep this blog up to date and I figured I would give some insight on my current work flow. This encompasses the moment I hit the shutter to when it ends up as the final product. This is of course is a changing process as I learn new techniques, especially on the post processing side.
Shooting Mode
On a day to day basis my camera is usually in Aperture mode but on photo shoots where I use my speed lights, its usually in Manual mode. On occasion I’ll be in Shutter Speed mode depending on the situation but its very rare.
RAW or JPEG?
To be honest it really depends on the situation and how lazy I’m feeling that day. Initially I was shooting primarily JPEG but gradually started shooting more RAW. At this point, if I’m serious about the shoot I always shoot in RAW. When I’m on a photo walk or doing something random I shoot in JPEG.
Post Processing
My go to post processing software is Lightroom 2. It’s the first step in my post processing phase where I correct for white balance, tone, and color. I will also try to do as much retouching as I can with the adjustment brushes. When I need to do some major retouching I turn to PS CS4 to do the heavy lifting. If the picture came out noisier than I liked, I run the image through Noise Ninja as the final step. From start to finish, depending on the photo and how much retouching it needs, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to process.
Da Grip
0I don’t have the most stable hands in the world when shooting and I’m always keeping an eye on my shutter speed to keep it within a range where I can snap a decently sharp picture hand held. I’ve employed a bunch of camera stabilizing techniques such as holding my elbows close into my body, leaning on a wall or something stable, and shooting after I exhale.
I saw a video by world famous photographer Joe Mcnally that showed his hand holding technique. Though the technique is geared for left eye focus, it really does good job in stabilizing photos. I may even switch to left eye focus if I can achieve a better hand held shot. I’ve posted his video below.