one of the things that improved my work was learning how to light from your videos.... its very important. onece you get that, everyother thing would look good.... thanks alot for this video sir
I’m a casual photographer. I enjoy having a camera out on the street with me, capturing places that mean something to me and people doing what they’re doing. What really helped me, was about three or four years ago, younger friends were taking up film photography with ancient cameras that were either totally manual, or manual focus with aperture priority exposure meters. I’m of the age where that’s how I started photography as a teen, because there was nothing else. I didn’t buy a film camera (I still had a few) instead I bought a used Leica M, which is manual focus and aperture priority exposure. I found that using it made me really think about what I was doing with every photo I made, instead of just pushing the button and expecting a computer to do everything like we use our cell phone cameras. This was so much fun, not only was a thinking about light and composition, but I took the camera out every time I left the house. That combination was the best thing ever to start learning a developing skills once again.
That sounds fantastic. I had to look up the camera to figure out why it wouldn’t have shutter priority 🤦🏻♂️ and that should have been obvious knowing how those old lenses work. That camera is really sexy and it makes me want to buy one for vacations! I kind of felt the same way a few years ago when I tested a hasselblad rangefinder. The contrast AF was so slow that I just used mf and focus peaking and it really made me feel more present and responsible for the outcome.
Great presentation, so much to absorb! In 2019 my daughter asked me to do some product & model(friends) photog of her jewelry designs. I started with a Nikon D3500, LED daylight bulbs and metal reflectors from Homedepot, I had no clue what WB was then. I continued with the LED lights and added modifiers and a painted insulation foam-board background (wht, blk) and learned about WB. Now I’m using a refurbished Nikon D7500 with a 35 y/o 35-70mm Nikkor lens (from my film days), speed-lights, new modifiers and a Savage white background. I post process in Darktable (another learning curve) and glad that I’ve gained so much in the past 4 years but I definitely need to shoot more frequently.
Hi Luis, You just reminded me my first video lights were DIY and consisted of 4 or 5 100-watt CFLs that I would dig up in an umbrella and I would augment that with a high light and kicker from the Home Depot reflectors! Wow that brings back memories and I am sure the more you shoot the more you will grow - so keep it up!
Thank you for the video John. Hope you are well. I have asked questions on photography groups and forums recently to test what folk know. There are huge holes in the fundamentals for a fair few. All of what we do built from the foundations and fundamentals. This issue is compounded by popular RU-vid channels and professionals delivering incorrect information.. the people being informed do not know this. Case in point the miss conception of diffusion and light softness... many seem to forget you need to change the size of source relative to subject to increase softness. Diffusion spread highlights and reduces specularity. You reduce contrast by adding diffusion until you change the size of the source .. then you make it softer and reduce contrast. Also please folks ignore settings for the most part, unless they provide it all. ( lights, modifiers, camera, lens, settings, DISTANCE.. DISTANCE is huge) Next time you speak to a photographer you like or follow ask about the the why and thought process. You will learn more.
Thanks Rick! It's nice to hear from you. I hope it didn't come across this way, but what are the power settings is probably the most annoying FAQ I get. But I know they don't know any better.
@@JohnGress I get why they ask, hell I even fought against including camera setting on BTS posts in groups for a while as they only tell part of what is going on. I now include them and as much info as I can. What does not help is the amount of incorrect information on RU-vid about some of this stuff. I get people wanting to pay it back and help others.. that's great but if the info is wrong they are just perpetuating the cycle. I must get some of your videos posted in my FB group, solid solid info with a ton of tips to pick out. Thank you.
I think it helps to have ash awareness first and then have a list off things you want to work on. More than anything being able to work on one new thing in every shoot from that list over time has guaranteed growth. It feels slow day to day but I see improvement in quality and consistency every single year.
Among other things, I like to make mood boards, lighting diagrams, shot lists for my must-have shots, and schedule for the session(s). Basically I try to be as prepared as possible in terms of the logistics of a session so I can focus on all the creative stuff!
Quality over quantity is huge for me. I rather capture 15 amazing shots then 50 soso shots. 2) I work hard to get as much as I can correct.. composition, pose, lighting during the session .It is a game changer !! im not having to spend hrs trying to correct and manipulate mistakes. Instead I spend few minutes on each making minor adjustments!
