tips and tricks
I recently lost another of my tripod feet. Instead of replacing with an original, expensive one, I decided to make a foot using a cork from a bottle of wine.
I had already done this with another of the legs, and it works really good! Haven't lost it in several weeks of intense use, and if I ever do, it will very easy and cheap to replace again.
To remove bad habits, we need to create friction. Do you eat unhealthy snacks every time you pass by the kitchen? Hide them away or, better yet, don't buy them.
To build good habits, we need to remove friction. Want to start running? Try by leaving your running shoes by the door.
The same applies to photography: we should remove as much friction as possible.
Something catches our eye. A possible image, we think. But then we realize about everything we need to do to take the photograph: take our backpack off, get the camera out, mount the lens, filter, extend the tripod, place it on ground, work through the settings... every single step is friction between us and the image. The likelihood of us trying our luck with that scene is very low. We will never know if that image would have worked.
Remove friction: have your camera out and ready, use P or A mode, shoot handheld. Consider using compact cameras. The simpler, the better.
There’s never enough time at a location. That was definitely what happened to me in my recent visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. A beautiful and huge place, and only 2 days to enjoy it.
In this video, I share some tips on how to make the most of a photography trip, so we can go back home with as many good images as possible.
A beautiful scene is not enough to make a good image. Photography is not about capturing, it’s about creating our own fantasies and illusions to express what we feel. For that, we need to stop seeing reality as it is, and start seeing “in images”.
Fog can be deceptive. As it happens with other weather phenomenons, the way our eyes and mind perceive a foggy landscape is different from what the camera will capture.
One of the reasons is that contrast can be tricky to find in fog. As we know, contrast is really important in black and white photography, so we need to know how to create it in foggy conditions.
Read MoreA few days ago during my morning walk, I reached for my RX100 (always in my pocket!) to photograph something I'd seen. As soon as I turned it on I could see the most dreaded message: "NO CARD".
It wasn't the first time I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera. I made that mistake once, and I learned my lesson. Since then, I keep spare memory cards almost everywhere: my wallet, my camera bags, in the car... they are cheap 8gb cards, not the fastest or highest capacity, but enough to make some images.
This little trick has saved me multiple times already, so I'd really encourage any digital photographer to do the same: buy a pack of cheap SD cards and leave them in places where you might need them.
These are a few tips for those who might feel stuck in their photography.
Read MoreFog is my favorite element to shoot in: many of my images have been made in foggy conditions. These are 5 things I look for when I run into fog.
Read More"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."
- Aristotle
I don't believe excellence in photography (or any art) is something we can reach through some kind of progression. As I've argued before, we are only one click away from our best image ever.
Skills play a role in photography, but in my opinion it is minimal. Once you master your camera and have an idea of what you want to create, experience takes a back seat.
Experience could in fact be harmful: we play it safe and repeat what's worked well in the past. Better to be a beginner forever instead.
How, then, are we supposed to achieve excellence in photography?
By doing, of course. By getting out and making more and more images. We have to create a lot of bad ones before we achieve that excellence we are looking for. Then we'll have to create more mediocre ones if we want to excel again.
Excellence is born when the right circumstances get together: an artist with the will to be at the right location, the passion to be there under the right conditions, a vision in mind -even if still in the subconscious-, and the right amount of luck.
Most of these factors are out of our control, the only thing we can do to create good art is to simply do it.
No, I don't mean I won't be making any videos anymore - my channel isn't going anywhere. I mean: I barely watch YouTube nowadays.
While Instagram is usually pictured as the most evil of all social networks there are, YouTube has been the biggest culprit for me. I was wasting a lot of my precious time. This is how it happened and what I did to fix it.
Read MoreSometimes we go through phases where we don't feel like creating new images. Willpower is important in photography -even more if it's done outdoors-, but even the strongest determination will eventually fade away.
The only way to stay motivated in anything is to make it enjoyable -and the best way to make it enjoyable is to make it simple.
Simplifying our photography process will make it more fun and in turn, that will motivate us to do it more often, to create more.
Imagine a camera that fits in your pocket and you can have with you at all times. I'm not talking about phones: even though I think they are more than good enough they are not my favorite cameras to use.
I'm currently experimenting with compact cameras as my only drivers: one for video (Sony RX100VA) and one for stills (Sony RX100ii), but most of the time I use just one for both (the RX100VA).
I don't have lenses to carry but most importantly, I don't have lenses to choose from. There's no second guessing, I take the camera, I put it in my pocket and I go out the front door. I embrace its strengths and flaws because I have no other choice.
This has led to some somewhat unexpected consequences: this morning during my morning walk I noticed something in my raincoat's right pocket: it was my camera. I had put it there unconsciously while I was getting ready. At this point, it's become a habit.
Carrying a bigger camera would've been less enjoyable, no doubt. It would never be a habit the way grabbing a compact camera is. And with no camera comes no images, no action, thus no motivation.
Anything you can do to decrease the complexity of your photography workflow will help. These are some additional ideas to simplify your photography, besides minimizing your camera gear:
And don't forget about the key to making great images: wake up and get out.
A short video with a few tips about tripods.
Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. In a sport where every millisecond counts, you'd think he had the best running technique. He didn't.
The real difference comes to light when you compare him to his rivals. While everyone is tense before the race, he's smiling and already having fun. While everyone runs like perfect machines, his form is natural, light, and yet powerful.
Is he having fun because he's so good? Or is he so good because he's having fun?
I believe it's the latter.
Perhaps we could apply this to our photography. Perhaps we should loosen up, have more fun, improvise more, think less, forget about proper technique, dismiss proper composition.
I've used continuous shooting mode on and off over the years. But for the last few weeks it's been the default mode in all my cameras, for both moving and static subjects. I love it!
Read MorePhotography can be a bit messy. It's not just cameras, but all that comes with them: lenses, batteries, memory cards, cables, tripod, computer, hard drives... These are some tips to keep your gear under control and always ready to go.
Read MoreWaking up and getting out early in the morning is always, always worth it. Some days, though, the payoff is huge. After a month and a half of daily outing early in the morning here in Indiana, I finally got what I was looking for.
Read More"Be curious. Stand up. Keep your eyes open. Don't shake. Don't blink" - Robert Frank
It really is this simple.
When planning a photography trip, one of the worst things you can do is to plan everything down to the minute.
Read MoreGoing through your photographs to select the best ones can be a very daunting task. Even harder if you take a lot of photos (like me).
Over time, I've developed a workflow that makes this process relatively fast and painless. The basic idea is to split the decision making process in a few steps to make it easier and ensure you are selecting only your best images.
I use Lightroom CC to organize my photos, but you could use any other software or even regular folders.
Read MoreWhen we see something that catches our eye, it's very tempting to focus on that and start shooting from where we’re standing. This is a mistake.
A good subject is not enough to make a good image.
It's very important to stop and give the scene some time, see beyond the obvious and pay close attention to the background and the edges of our frame. They can make or break an image.
Even the most beautiful subject will make for a bad image with the wrong background.
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