Today is the day that we celebrate cameras and how far they have come. With the advancement of technology, cameras have become more affordable and easy for the everyday person to use. That being said, photographers have to find ways to stand out in the crowd by showing their creativity and skillset in every image. So, out of curiosity, we asked members from our team, whether or not they were photographers, what was important to them in a photo. Based off the responses, we came up with some recommendations for a photographer to achieve these goals. What do you think? What are some equipment that you would recommend?
"Composition and lighting. Both are important to me for making a photo look better, more interesting, and engaging."
Recommendation: Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom Mobile is a free and powerful app for editing your photos. Use its tools to create compositions that elevate the photo. make sure to keep these 5 basic compositional theories in mind: Symmetry, Rule of thirds, Triangle and Geometry, Negative Space, and Leading Lines.
"If it's a portrait image, then it should be well lit and have a compelling background that helps tell the story."
Recommendation: Nifty 50! Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
The low aperture on this lens is great for capturing moments in low lighting and for creating a beautiful bokeh background. The best part? It has a low price tag of $100!
"I'd be more drawn into an action shot, meaning the subject is in action...running, throwing, kicking - where there is raw emotion."
Recommendation: AI Servo With Action Shots
Use AI Servo in conjunction with Single Point AF to get the sharp focus you need with action shots. Select a single AF-point that is in the general vicinity of your action while still shooting in Continuous Servo AF. If you aren’t sure exactly where you want to want to be focusing, choose an area option because it will give you a little bit more leeway to get the focus.
"Expression. Some of my children's school or dance photographs are perfectly lit, with a great background and posing, but their expression is awful. They look surprised and sometimes frightened- as if the photographer was making a loud noise or maybe said something strange. The saying 'A picture is worth a thousand words' applies here. Ha!"
Recommendation: The SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Card
Take many photos to get the right expression when using this memory card. It has minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s, read speeds up to 170 MB/s, and you can store up to 64GB of photos.
"For me in particular, I enjoy photos that capture the emotion of the experience which involves more candid photos with genuine expressions and interactions."
Recommendation: Roberto Valenzuela’s “Three-Point Check” System
This system helps pose subjects with purpose by directing the subject’s awareness of the camera. The look and feel of an image will depend if the eyes, chin/nose, and/or collarbone/chest are directly facing the camera. For example, if we turn all three away from the camera and direct the subject to smile laugh, the image will appear to be more candid.
"Color Grading"
Recommendation: Understand White Balance And Color Temperature
Tip 1: Color Temperature is simply the color of the light source
Tip 2: Different Types Of Lights May Give Off Different TintsColor Temperature deals with oranges and blues, but your light source may also exude different tints of color such as green or magenta. So when you’re shooting you may have to either change your camera’s setting to compensate, or if you’re shooting in RAW you can correct the tint in your photo editor.
Tip 3: Set Your Camera’s White BalanceWhen you set your camera’s White Balance you can choose one of the pre-sets (Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, etc…), or if you’re using a more advanced camera you can dial in your White Balance manually using Color Temperature. You can also choose AWB.
Tip 4: Use Live View To Dial In Your White BalanceIf you’re using a DSLR then using Live View to dial in your White Balance is great because you can see the adjustments in real time. If you’re using a Mirrorless Camera or a camera with an Electronic Viewfinder then you can do this in the viewfinder. By using Live View you’re able to set your White Balance accurately without having to do the “shoot and check” method.
Tip 5: Shoot In RAW For More Latitude When Adjusting Color Temperature And Tint During Post-ProductionWhen you shoot in RAW your images will retain the most color information, giving you more flexibility when you want to adjust Color Temperature and Tint later.
