Photographic Skills Needed to Break Through to Higher Levels by Charlie Davis (based on original idea by Michael Candee, dba Michael Firstlight) o Learn the basics of exposure time, aperture, and sensitivity. Learn their characteristics (what they affect), their relationships to one another, and the tradeoffs involved with using them. An often recommended book is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. o Master your knowledge of every aspect of your camera; know every feature. Read the manual cover-to-cover. Better yet, buy a good aftermarket book if one exists for your specific camera model. Curl up with it, digest every page, and try every feature hands-on. There is no substitute for hands-on shooting practice. Advanced enthusiasts and pros practice until they instinctively know how to use all the features of their tools and know how/when to use each of them. Know the controls so well that the camera is like an extension of your body. Unless you spend time doing this after dropping a bundle of money on a powerful DSLR, you can't expect to produce consistently great images. o Learn how your camera works on the inside. Figure out how it focuses, sets exposure, stores files, etc. Learn how the shutter works (there are MANY different types). Especially learn why there are limits to exposure time (shutter speed) when using flash. Learn about the different types of batteries, how to best use each type, and how to maintain them. Learn how JPEG works. Learn how your specific RAW format works. Learn about the different compression algorithms your camera and editor use. Learn how cameras demosaic the Bayer data from your sensor. Learn what an anti-aliasing filter does. Learn why cameras have IR-blocking filters. Learn how various automatic dust removal systems work. Investigate the differences in shake reduction systems, especially why the in-lens type is better or worse than the in-body type…and why it doesn't really matter much where it is located. Learn the differences between phase and contrast AF systems and why they each have plusses and minuses. o Learn the limits of your equipment and don't ask it to do things beyond its limits. The flip side is that often using a different technique will enable you to do things not possible by mortals. Learn both the limits and the work-a-rounds. o Master the science of light. Learn the inverse square law; it is not just for studio work and it is equally applicable to exposure control with or without controlled lighting sources. A staple for many advanced shooters and pros is a very good book titled "Light: Science and Magic…An Introduction to Photographic Lighting" by Hunter, Biver, and Fuqua (there are also other good books on this subject). Learn about the physics of light, especially the dual nature of light (wave and particle). Learn about diffraction and how it affects photography. Learn why thinking about light was the key to Einstein's breakthrough about relativity. o Join a local Camera Club or the local Professional Photographers of America Guild. Become active. Attend meetings. Go to classes and enter competitions. Talk with other photographers and learn from them. Offer to help an expert photographer as an assistant…for free! If you get good, then suggest a small donation. o Learn that 50% of every great photograph was a result of extensive processing in a photo editor…great photos simply don't come out of cameras that way. You should try to get them as perfect as possible out of the camera, but also learn that if the image is worth the time, you should spend as much time in your digital darkroom as you did planning and executing the original shot. o Learn about color temperature. Learn how to manipulate it to your creative advantage. Measure and record the color temp- erature of early morning, mid-morning, noon, late day, and sunset light. You may need to violate the rules of white balance to learn how to control the effects of color temperature to your advantage. Don't rely totally on fixing it in post processing. Learn why automatic white balance is often unreliable. o Learn composition. Get a good book but don't stop there. Take an afternoon and visit an art museum to study the comp- osition of master painters. While you are at it, study their lighting techniques and quality of light they used. Pay special attention to subtractive composition, minimalism and spatial relationships. Learn the rule of thirds and then intentionally violate the rule to make specific, well thought out statements (photos). When you shoot, try experimenting with unusual perspectives, patterns and subjects in addition to making cliché images. Give yourself some fun assignments; go out and shoot from ground level all day. Go out and capture evidence of people/life without any people in the shot. Find pictures by well-known photographers on the internet. Try to figure out how they made their pictures. Try to emulate one of them for a while, and then compare your results to the master photographer's results. What do you need to change to get closer to the master? A good book on comp- osition is, "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman. o Learn to look at everything around you. Do this ALL the time, not just when you are taking pictures! Constantly look for interesting photo ops. Learn to see everything in your camera viewfinder before you click the shutter. Literally take notice of every little detail, every object large and small - no matter how minor. Study how every object relates to and affects every other object in the frame. Consider light and shadow as parts of that assessment; do not dismiss anything. Ask yourself of you were painting would you have put each item on your canvas exactly where and as it appears in the scene you are photographing. Ask yourself where does the viewer's eye start when looking at the scene and where does the composition lead the viewer's eye? How does the composition do that? Does the relationship of the elements in the image help or detract? Take your time. o Learn the Zone System and master it. Learn how to shift tonal values with light modification and exposure choices when shooting. The Zone System is every bit as relevant today with digital as it was with film. A good book on the Zone System is "The Negative" by Ansel Adams. While you are at it, go ahead and buy all 3 of his trilogy books ("The Camera" and "The Print" are the other two). While the Zone System is very old, it's a good thing to learn, even if you find more modern ways of coping with the dynamic range issues of cameras. o Get a light meter and learn how to use it in both reflective and incident modes. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. It is about taking control and truly understanding how much control that you have rather than simply obtaining a good overall exposure. Learn to use the camera histogram as well - not just for exposure but for control over shadow and highlight distri- bution. Regardless of the arguments over which is 'better', neither a histogram nor a light meter are substitutes for the other; they each tell you different things. A good, mid-price exposure meter is the Sekonic L-358. o Learn what dynamic range is and learn how to control it when shooting as well as how to manage it in post processing. Learn the tradeoffs and benefits of managing it in each phase of the lifecycle of an image. Learn High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques. Learn how and when to use fill light to solve difficult exposure situations. o Learn the concept of subtractive lighting; it is equally as important as additive lighting. o Learn the Sunny-16 Rule. You can have fun with it and also use it to test the general accuracy of your camera or handheld light meter in seconds without tools. If you are perplexed by this, point your camera lens into a clear blue sky on a sunny day between 1pm and 3pm with your lens set to F16 and your exposure time set the same as your sensitivity (ie, if you select ISO 200, then set the exposure time to 1/200 second). Your meter should register dead on in most instances. Go out one day w/o your new exposure meter, put the camera in M-mode, and ignore the built-in meter (and don't "chimp")…use the Sunny-16 Rule to see how well it works for you. If you have failures figure out why. o Graduate to mastering priority exposure modes once you have full command of using full manual mode. Learn about exposure compensation while you are at it. o Assign a message to every image you capture (in your head). Do this when you are making shot a selection. Great images all have one thing in common: Impact. Ask yourself if the image you are about to make has enough impact. Does it make a clear and compelling statement? Then ask yourself if your message would be clear and concise to the viewer in your absence. Then ask if you think anyone else would care about that message if you plan to share, sell or publish the image. If you are shooting something that moves fast (ball sports, birds-in-flight, racing, small children, etc) then you obviously need to shoot first and do the analysis later (in post processing), so as you crop and process these pictures, have a message in mind for every one you spend much time on…make each one have impact. o Learn the differences between and characteristics of large and small light sources. Hint 1: The sun is a very powerful but tiny light source. Hint 2: Except when it's obscured by clouds…then it's a huge light source but a bit less powerful. Learn the effects of light source size and how to use each to maximum advantage in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. o Shoot RAW for serious work (not just snapshots). If you must shoot JPEG, many of today's cameras allow you to capture RAW+JPEG and memory cards are large and relatively cheap. o Master your post processing program of choice; they are all excellent. Spend some time on a video tutorial site such as Lynda.com ($) and you will master your image software in a matter of hours or days and not years. Learn to process EVERY picture. Learn to make small changes. Get a good monitor…S-IPS is the best type, but S-PVA is good too, at a lower price. A good place to find information about panel types is: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm Calibrate your new monitor(s)! o Learn the difference between sharpness and resolution. Learn about diffraction and why pictures taken with very small apertures have less sharpness than pictures taken with moderate apertures. Even cheap lenses often perform as good as the most expensive glass at middle apertures. Learn what causes flare and reduced dynamic range with strong backlighting. Learn to lose those UV filters! o Learn about critical focus and depth of field. Learn what percentage is in focus in front of the focus point and how much is in focus behind the focus point. (Hint: they are not equal). Learn what hyper-focal distance is all about, how to determine the hyper-focal distance, and how to use it to your advantage in some situations. o Make the eyes the focus point. The life of your subject is in their eyes. Everything is there in the eyes. When confronted with a face, everyone looks at the eyes first, so concentrate on the eyes. o Learn how to properly use reflectors and shields for general photography both indoors and out - not just for people photog- raphy. Show me a landscape photographer using them in the field and more often than not I'll show you an experienced and talented studio shooter. o Learn how to use a view camera. No, you don't need to actually use one (however, it is fun if you ever get that oppor- tunity) but do it to learn about lift/fall and tilt/shift principles. What you learn about image plane and perspective control will change the way you shoot with any camera, even a point and shoot. Rent a PC lens for your dSLR (if it is a Nikon or Canon) for a weekend and practice what you learned. o Learn about camera stability for super sharp images and pledge to use a tripod whenever possible. When you think your camera is stable enough, think again and double down. A 5 pound photographic sandbag is hard to lug around and hang off of the tripod column, but you will appreciate the results. When hand holding, follow the old rule that you should select a min- imum exposure time (shutter speed) at least equal to or faster than the focal length (for example, no less than 1/250 second with a 200mm lens and so on). Even that may not be enough if you don't have steady hands and a good camera holding/ bracing technique (or VR). o Learn how to move the camera smoothly while you take pictures. When "panning" to take a picture of a bird or race car, it can help to increase the moment of inertia of you and the camera. Get a good monopod and shoulder brace (one that doesn't allow the camera to rotate around the monopod axis). Hold the monopod at the balance point (of EVERYTHING…pod, brace, camera, lens) with your left hand and operate the camera with your right hand. Learn to relax as you pan. Breathe before you start the pan. Learn to start panning before you start taking pictures and continue panning after you stop. o Learn color management in depth, including color spaces and the differences between them. Learn when and why to choose which color space in each phase of the lifecycle of a picture, including the effects of color space conversion from step to step. o Learn how to use and control studio lighting. Nothing teaches you about managing light quite like it - especially portrait light- ing. Rent lights for a weekend if necessary. Once you learn lighting in a controlled environment you'll better understand lighting in all environments and you will see everything differently - even for nature and landscape shooters. In the field you will learn that you have far more control over the light you have available than simply surrendering to the light you are given. The same applies to architecture, macros, and technical/product photography - diversify to learn more. o Learn that less is more. High yield is better than high volume; be deliberate and thoughtful when shooting. Someone that shoots a few frames deliberately and thoughtfully can come home with more winning images than someone that shoots many frames and hopes one or two will come out good. Pros shoot fast not because they are taking mindless snapshots, but rather because they are good and can do things faster than most people. A great assignment you can give yourself is to take a tiny flash memory card, like one of those worthless 256KB cards we used to use (if you don't have one, ask any "old timer" for one). Shoot RAW. This will limit the number of pictures you can take. Go out for an all-day excursion and with only that single card, thus limiting the number of shots possible. Learn to think critically for each and every shot. Even if you must shoot in burst mode, learn to THROW AWAY most of the shots…keep only the really good ones. o Accept that truly great images are mostly the result of the photographer and not the gear. There is no magic camera, no magic lens, no magic gizmo that will turn you into a great photographer. Today's digital point and shoot cameras often have far more capability than the most expensive pro cameras of the past. Special gear does allow for easier problem solving and adds versatility, but if you stick within the capabilities of what you have you can make great images every time. Except for a few lucky shots, consistent and reproducible results are a culmination of dozens of decisions that you, the photographer, deliberately makes for each shot or during post processing. All too often, people don't want to hear that there is no secret to making consistently good images. The more you practice, the more intuitive and automatic management of decisions becomes. Soon you'll be able to evaluate and make these decisions on the fly. Practice, practice, practice…