A bunch of stuff…

Well, today’s post is gonna cover a few topics. I’ll try to keep things rolling along will attempt to keep things slightly interesting.  My first thought is about a concert I shot last night. I have previously shot publicity photos for the band Jacob’s Well. We shot in the studio a couple of weeks ago and got some really nice images. I shot the band individually, then composited the guys in so it looked like a group photo.

Last night I got to shoot Jacob’s Well in concert and they put on a really good show. If you get a chance to see them, make sure you do. They are not only good musicians, but also good song writers. Here is shot from last night.

Ok, here’s another topic. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve spoken with several aspiring photographers as well as a professor of photography at a local college. In speaking with all of these people it occurs to me that sometimes people overlook learning the basics. They try skip over the fundaments of photography and then wonder why some of their work is lacking. It seems to me (IMHO) that one of the single best ways for a beginner to improve is to set the camera’s exposure setting to manual. This will force you to think about 3 things every time you take a photo, shutter speed, aperture, and depth of field. Since photography is the art of using light to create images, by shooting using manual exposure, you are forced to think about how your subject is lit. In doing so, you will start to look at lighting from a different point of view and you’ll see the overall quality improve.

Or, maybe not. 🙂

I had lunch the other day with a friend who is wanting to improve his photography. He asked me what he could do take better photos. This may sound obvious, but the best way to improve is to look at some else’s work, (someone whose work you respect and admire) and compare it to your own. Look at your work critically and see where you are lacking. Then, the next time you are shooting try to improve on those weaknesses. It also helps to deconstruct photos you like. Try to figure out how it was shot.

For instance, I don’t shoot a lot of sports. So, my ability to keep moving subject in focus isn’t as good as I would like. To improve on that skill, I periodically stop by a local park that has a lake that attracts a lot of waterfoul. I try to shoot the birds in flight, this forces me to concentrate on accurately panning with the moving birds and reacting quickly. It really seems to help.

So, that’s it for today.