Top 10 Mistakes: Knowing Your Equipment

“HELP!!!  I shot a family session and only one person in the photo is sharp and I need a photoshop expert to help fix it!”

“I think I’m ready to go into business, but it feels like at every session something comes up that’s a surprise that I’m not always sure how to deal with… and it seems like I have to shoot a lot to get enough keepers.”

Let’s be honest here: we were all beginners once.  I think sometimes those of us who have been in photography for years and years forget what it was like to feel like we are progressing one day and are completely lost the next.  There is nothing wrong with trying new things.  After all, you have to try them on someone to learn.  And there is nothing wrong with asking for help either.  With all the resources available to new photographers today, you can go on a forum and ask for help, and have answers within minutes from more experienced photographers around the globe.

But there is a difference between trying new things out using your neighbor, or your kids, or your dog as a subject, and trying new things out on paying clients.

If you’re new to SLR photography, I’m about to give you some resources to learn more about your camera and lenses and exposure and all that cool stuff.  Important words and concepts are hotlinked to other articles (and yes, I know the blog design makes this difficult to see… and I’m working on a new design because of it.) This is all stuff that you need to know before you go into business as a portrait or wedding photographer. I’d say that it’s information you should be comfortable with, but really, I believe you need to be more than comfortable with it.  It needs to be second nature.  And I know that there will be some reading this who say “who does she think she is? I can be in business whenever I want to.”  Well that is true.  But this is Photography 101… and it helps answer the many questions about “am I ready to be in business?” The top three problems that tend to plague newer photographers as far as image creation is concerned are focus, distortion and blur issues, and all can be solved by knowing more about your lenses and how they work with both your camera and your subjects.

Know how your lens choice is going to affect your results

Wide angle.  Telephoto zoom.  Variable aperture.  “Fast” lenses.  What does that all mean?  And why does any of it matter when it comes to portraiture?

I started writing this whole explanation of the “magnification factor” with non-full-frame-sensor DSLRs and then thought no, it’s too much to get into here.    So let’s just talk about standard lens groupings.  Generally speaking, wide angle lenses are those between 10.5mm (the lovely fisheye) and about 35mm.  Traditionally, the “normal” lens for the 35mm format has been the 50mm (aka, the Nifty Fifty).  Telephoto lenses are anything longer.  Some people really love the flexibility of zoom lenses (like the 24-70mm, or the beautiful 70-200mm), that will let you switch focal lengths without changing your lens.  I usually use prime lenses (lenses with a fixed focal length, like the 85mm) because I’ve been using them for so long that when I put a zoom lens on my camera, I tend to forget to zoom it.  It’s a personal choice.  When you’re shopping for zoom lenses, you’ll notice that some will give their focal length range and then something like 3.5-5.6.  That is a variable aperture lens, which means that your minimum aperture will change depending on your focal length.  That does give you less control.  A lens that gives the focal length range (for instance, 70-200mm) and then just one number (like 2.8) has a fixed minimum aperture, meaning that no matter what you zoom in or out to, your camera settings will not change.

So why does all this matter?  Well first of all, each type of lens is perfect for a different situation.  A wide angle lens will be great for showing off your location or working in tight spaces because they’ll give you a wider angle of view.  The disadvantage to using the wider angle lenses in portraiture is that the closer you get to your subject, physically, the more distortion you’ll get in your image.  I see a lot of very pretty girls with unintentionally gigantic-looking feet, and babies with huge foreheads because the photographer chose a wider angle lens (yes, sometimes even with the “normal” 50mm) without considering the distortion that a wide angle will give you.

The longer lenses will cure your distortion problem, but they will also require you to put more space between you and your client to fit them into your frame.  That’s one of the reasons I like the 85mm lens for portraits… it gives my clients some room to breathe, and to interact without feeling like I’m in their faces.  If you’re short on space, they’re going go give you a narrower angle of view and so will limit the type of shots you can take.  This is why so many portrait photographers love zooms… if you have a 24-70 and a 70-200 in your kit, you can cover most of your needs in most locations with just two lenses.

Know how depth of field is going to affect what is in and out of focus in your shot

So what does it mean to have a “fast” lens and why would you want one?  “Fast” lenses have a wide minimum aperture, and are great in low light situations.  They also tend to be very well constructed and reliable lenses.  We run into another problem with fast glass, though… and that is that the larger your aperture gets (meaning the smaller the f-stop number gets), the shallower your depth of field will be.  With one person, if you shoot with a very fast lens at 1.2, your depth of field will be so shallow that it may be hard to keep what you want in focus, in focus.  So… you need to learn what your safe zones are, as far as your subject is concerned.  If you have just one subject who is staying still, you will have fewer problems with missed focus than with a moving subject or a family.  To be safe, you probably don’t want to photograph a family with a wider aperture than about 5.6, so that you can make sure to keep everyone in focus.  Of course, if the idea is to have one member in focus and the others nicely blurred, go to town with that 1.2.    But if you feel that your family work has focus problems, too-shallow depth of field is often the true culprit.

Know how to cure camera shake and blur

The other hidden culprits that create blur (and are often mistaken for focus problems) are camera shake and subject movement, and both of those are related to your shutter speed.  The general rule of thumb is that if you’re shooting hand-held, your shutter speed needs to be at least the same as your focal length to help prevent camera shake.  What this means is that if you’re shooting with a 105 mm lens, and you are not using a tripod, your shutter speed probably needs to be 1/100s or faster.  I have shaky hands by nature, so I know that my shutter speed needs to be a little bit faster than the general rule or I need to use a tripod.

Faster shutter speeds will freeze action, and slower shutter speeds will record more subject motion.  So let’s say you’re photographing kids jumping around, or clapping their hands.  A slower shutter speed will give more of the impression of motion, if that’s the look you’re going for.  But if you want to make sure that the eyes and hands are sharp, you’ll want a faster shutter speed OR you’ll want to use a flash, which also freezes motion.

For a basic class on your camera, check out BetterPhoto.com.  Another great resource: your public library.  Many have copies of a good beginner’s guides.  My personal favorite is The Camera (part of the Time Life Library of Photography),  Yes, it was written in the 70s and revised in the 80s about film cameras, but it will still give you good, basic information about the basic design of cameras and lenses, depth of field, lens choice, the effects of focal length, and much more that can apply to today’s digital photographer as well.

So for those of you who ask “how will I know when I’m ready?”:  if this is a boring post because you’ve already completely mastered all of this information, then you’re on your way there.    But we haven’t talked about the other side of the photography business.  You know: the business part.  We’ll touch on that next week.

Top 10 Mistakes: Studio Light Exposure and Color

I have been taking a break from the forums, because I’ve had way way way too much going on with my own studio and life to get sucked into the online world.  But now that things are slowing down I’ve had a chance to browse at a few of the sites where I hold memberships, and I’ve found that very little has changed.  People are having many of the same problems now that they were six months ago — its just that the individual posters are new, so the problems are new to them.  And when I look through my photographer email box, and then browse the forum threads, I can see that many of the same questions are being asked over and over again.  So in the interest of time (because there’s no way I can catch up on the volume of un-replied-to email I have in my “From Photographers” folder — sorry, folks!) I thought it might be best to just address some of these questions and problems, in general, on the blog.

I mentioned to some other photographers that I was planning an article about the most common problems that new photographers run into, and I got much more input than I expected… and many of these established photographers had the same “I wish I’d known then what I know now” comments.  So here is the first installement in a series called The Top 10 Mistakes New Photographers Make, as suggested by photographers across the country and as compiled from the forums and my own Photographer Email inbox.

10) “My color/exposure/lighting pattern is all over the place when I use studio lights, and I’m not sure why.” I hear from many, MANY photographers who are coming from an “available light only” background and are just beginning to learn to use studio lights.  There are some things you need to know before you get started.  First, starting with one light and a reflector is going to help you a lot more than starting with a main, a fill, and a background light.  Start simple, and once you master the simple, then start adding lights.  It is very difficult to figure out what is going wrong at first if you have too many lights in your setup.  Also, don’t turn off the modeling lights on your strobes… you need to see where the light is falling when you’re just getting started, because it will save you time and help you learn WHY things look better with the light in one position than they do in another.

Exposure problems are almost always caused by one of two things: either the photographer hasn’t invested in a light meter (and yes, I do believe that its a must-have item for studio work) or they’re shooting on one of the program modes, instead of Manual. I hear people say all the time “well I metered with my camera and it overexposed” or “well the first shot was too bright, and then the second shot was a little bit better and I don’t know what changed.”  With strobes, you HAVE to shoot manual.  Your camera is a smart little gadget, but it isn’t that smart.  When you’re using strobes and trying to shoot on Aperture or Shutter Priority or Program mode, OR if you’re trying to use it to meter, what happens is that the camera reads the ambient light in the room and gives you settings that are appropriate for the room light.  Your modeling lights on a strobe are often just regular light bulbs, and they don’t put out as much power as the flash from the strobe will.  Learn to use a flash meter, and set your camera accordingly.  Also know that unless your shutter speed is slow, the ambient light in your room is not likely to have much, if any, effect on your exposure.  With studio strobes, your exposure from the flash is tied to your aperture, and the amount of ambient light (room light) you let into the camera is tied to your shutter speed.  I don’t want to get into a big technical lesson here on the blog, but you can read more about those connections in most basic photography books.

The other big problem I see, sometimes even with people who have experience with studio light work, is in trying to use Auto White Balance. Your room light and your modeling lamp are usually “tungsten balanced,” meaning they produce very warm light in comparison to daylight.  Remember back in the film days, if you’d take a photo indoors without using a flash, how orangey that photo would come out?  That’s because back then, we were using “daylight” color film and the light from regular light bulbs is much warmer, as far as color temperature is concerned.  The same holds true for digital.  The light from your strobes is daylight balanced, so even if you are shooting with studio lights in a dark room, with only the modeling lamp on, and you use AWB on your camera, your camera will “read” the light from that good ol’ tungsten light bulb in your modeling lamp.  When you actually shoot, the cooler light from the flash will record too blue, and your color results in your studio shots will be inconsistent.  I am a big fan of Custom White Balance, but if you are in a pinch, using Daylight or Flash on your camera will give you much more consistent results with studio light than AWB will.

Two gadgets to try: an Expodisc and a Sekonic Light Meter.  Every time I recommend the Sekonic I get an email saying “isn’t there anything cheaper?”  Yes, sure there is.  You can get an analog meter for next to nothing… but it is much harder to learn to use and is likely to take you more time to read.  The Sekonic will last you a long time and is also great for outdoor work.  And no, I do not get paid by Sekonic to say that.    A good light meter is just a must-have piece of equipment for all professionals, in my opinion, and they have a few different models, depending on your budget.  Studio lights I’d recommend for beginners: Alien Bees, and one of their softboxes.  You will need a modifier for any strobe, and yes, you can use shoot through umbrellas as well, but because softboxes provide a more controlled light, I like to use them for teaching so that we can see as easily as possible where the problems might be.  Also, if you’re looking to use studio strobes to get more of a windowlight effect, you are more likely to get that with a softbox.  The largest Alien Bees box is not really very big, and they are portable for all you location shooters.

Check back in next week for the next installment… I’m hoping to do one of these a week.  And feel free to drop me a comment here — I am still sending photographer email to a holding tank, because I really just don’t have time right now to answer individual emails.

Thank you Abilene!

I had such a great time getting to know you all.  Thanks to everyone who came out and who came up and said hello.  We had a good crowd and I enjoyed talking with all of you!

Now that I’m back from Abilene, I’m done with workshops and speaking this year.  I’ve talked with a few people about trying to plan for 2009 but we’re so busy at the studio, with holiday sessions and some restructuring, that I have not had time to iron out details.  Thank you to everyone who has inquired about future dates and offered hosting!  Before we get to planning anything for next year, I need a chance to revamp the program a little… I have taught the same things in the same way so many times now that I’d like to take things in a slightly different direction for 2009.  Until we get through the busy season, the photographer’s blog is going to get a little quiet (I know: as if that’s a change, but I’m just sayin’.)

Abilene Event!

Just a reminder that I’ll be in Abilene in a little less than a month!  I am excited about coming out and sharing with all you fun people.    Here is the info:

When: Monday, October 13th at the Abilene Guild meeting, 7-9 PM

Where: The Center for Contemporary Arts downtown

How much: $25 for Guild Members, $50 for non-members

Click on the JPEG below for a little more info.  This is a great program (if I do say so myself) even if you’re not a children’s photographer, because we’ll talk about marketing and program-building philosophy, as well as a little bit on studio lighting and set design, so you will still walk away with some good information.  But if you’re in the children’s business and are getting burned out by “one size fits all” volume-based baby programs, this will be a can’t-miss night.

Professional Photographers of Oklahoma!

Be sure to come and say hi at the PPOK State Convention in Tulsa next weekend!  I’ll be speaking on Baby Plans on Saturday afternoon and I’d love to meet some of my “Imaginary Internet Friends” in person!  If you’re in the area, this is going to be a great convention.  Don’t miss the chance to hear some great speakers and network with other photographers in your area — if you haven’t been to a state photographer’s convention before, you should know that you will learn as much from chatting with other photographers as you will from the programs.

In the Spotlight

I’m doing “teaching double duty” this month!  For those of you who are members of ProPs, Cher and Mary Beth and the gang have asked me to be their In the Spotlight photographer for August.  Thanks, everybody!  I have some good discussion topics planned and I’ll get started posting those tomorrow after my sessions.  If you’re not yet a member of ProPs, you can still check out the interview on their blog.

Hello, Phaunties!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone out there at the Phaunt Actions forum!  I’m their VIP Speaker this month and I feel so honored that Kylie invited me to hang out and talk a little bit about what I do.  It’s going to be a great month!

Ooooooklahoma!

It’s official — I will be speaking at the Professional Photographers of Oklahoma State Convention this September in Tulsa.  If you’re in the area, come on out!  I’d love to meet you, and it’s a great opportunity to network with other photographers from your own area, see all the new stuff the vendors bring to the trade show, and learn some new techniques and business ideas.

Jpeg vs RAW

Let’s talk about the RAW vs jpeg debate for a minute. You should know up front that if you email me questions, I’m probably going to take a look at your site and blog, just to see where you’re coming from as far as technique goes. And what I am seeing is that many of you appear to be shooting jpeg. Now I know that some well-known photographers shoot jpeg almost exclusively, and I am sure that those photographers each have their own reasons. But today we’re going to talk about why I shoot RAW, and why I think you should too, especially if you do lifestyle work.

Now what makes me think you’re shooting jpeg? Well when I go and look at a blog post from a session where the light and exposure appear to be changing moment by moment (as natural light will do, naturally), and I can TELL that the light and exposure was changing moment by moment, that is a clue. Babies with fair skin who have beautiful ivory undertones in one shot, and then a blue/gray tinge in the next (with what appears to be almost a haze), tells me that even if you were indoors, the sun went behind a cloud for a moment and so everything about the scene changed, possibly just for that shot. Color is something that not everyone sees naturally, and I am the first to admit that there are times when I think my color looks fine, and then when I look at the images again the next morning, I realize that they have a tinge toward one end of the scale that isn’t really what I wanted. Color pop actions can change the color some and increase contrast, but if you have a color cast, you’ll STILL have a color cast with the actions.

I don’t believe in using RAW so that you can shoot sloppy and fix it later, although I do admit that there are times when RAW is a lifesaver because I need to make sure a scene has a fantastic sky AND perfect exposure on the faces. But I do think that processed RAW files have a cleaner and higher quality look to them overall, even in the easiest of lighting conditions.

I shoot with a custom white balance in the camera, but I want to show you what the exact same shot looks like when you shoot raw vs. jpeg even WITH a CWB. For this last session, I shot RAW + High Jpeg so that we can see the exact same image, one that is processed and one that is not. (Click the image below for a larger version).

Now, you’re not going to get an EXACT idea because of web-size limitations, but you CAN see that the file on the right has a more crisp and higher quality look. Even with the custom white balance, my color needed a little tweaking to look right. And the image on the left was not underexposed, yet there is a flatness… a greyness… a “fog” to it that is common for a jpeg. I did not touch the exposure on the right, and I did not add much to it as far as brightness goes. And yet it looks more vibrant, cleaner, and better exposed than the shot on the left.

Does this add extra time to my workflow? Actually, shooting in RAW has cut my post-processing time dramatically. I can take all the shots from a set, even outdoors, and process in one fell swoop — then I can go back and quickly look at each image individually to make sure that everything is right. Of course, no technique will work as well as finding the right light to begin with, and knowing how to expose your images so that you don’t have to “fix” much in the first place. You CAN adjust contrast and white/black point in a Jpeg, and you can even batch it, but more often that not, your results will not be as good as with the RAW process, and you are likely to spend much more time tweaking each file.

Another hint about emailing questions: if you have a question, please ask me in a thread on the forums (ProPs, TexasPhotoForum, etc) and then email me to link me to the question. I have found that people tend to have the same questions about a post or a comment, and it makes more sense to answer them in a place where others who have the same dilemma can learn from the discussion, and other experienced photographers can chime in with their two cents. And if you do email me and I reply (because I always do), please let me know you got it… I rarely get a “thank you, that helped” or “thanks, I’ll check it out” response to my email replies so I always wonder if people are receiving them.

Now for Sale: The Client Collection

For the past year, I’ve been giving copies of my client info pack to workshop attendees, and over and over I’ve heard “can’t we get the files from you so we can just use our own information?” Well here you go. The Client Collection includes a fully customizable set of my client cards — two, actually, because I’m offering them in two designs, with two handmade backgrounds, on WHCC press templates. You can customize them even more by adding your own backgrounds, colors and font styles, but no matter HOW custom you decide to make them, all the text is included on a layered, editable file. So the hard part is done for you!

The set is available for $199 retail, but I would be happy to talk about group buys for you forum people. These are available for purchase to photographers outside of a 100 mile radius from the studio. Email me at workshops@shelbylane.net if you’d like to order!