[Photography] Should You Upgrade to a Full-Frame Camera? Weigh These Pros and Cons Before You Decide.

The post Should You Upgrade to a Full-Frame Camera? Weigh These Pros and Cons Before You Decide. appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.

Has anyone ever said to you, “That’s a nice photo; you must have an expensive camera”? It’s a common line – and a common source of frustration for photographers. According to photography legend Ansel Adams, “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”

Your camera is simply a tool, one that you use to create your vision of the scene in front of you. A camera can only do what you tell it to; it’s not going to capture that “nice photo” all by itself.

That said, specific camera types and models do come with different benefits. So if a camera doesn’t perform up to your expectations, then it may be time for an upgrade – from APS-C to full frame.

I recently made the jump from a crop sensor camera to a full-frame body. In this article, I don’t want to get into a technical discussion about the differences between a crop-sensor camera and a full-frame camera. Instead, I want to talk about if and when upgrading to a full-frame camera is desirable, especially for those who are on the fence about purchasing a full-frame body.

So let’s start with a discussion of some important full-frame pros and cons:

Advantages of a full-frame camera

I took this image at ISO 6400 on a full-frame Nikon D750. Thanks to the larger sensor, I was able to capture great tonal range and acceptable noise levels, despite the ultra-high ISO setting.

Shooting with a full-frame camera comes with several important benefits. Here are the main advantages to bear in mind as you consider an upgrade from APS-C to full frame:

• Enhanced low-light performance: Full-frame cameras have larger sensors, which in turn have bigger pixels; as a result, you get less noise at higher ISOs. In most cases, you will get a one- or two-stop improvement in high-ISO noise over crop-sensor cameras. Thus, with a full-frame camera, you can push your ISO higher in low-light situations to maintain a faster shutter speed or a narrower aperture.
• More control over depth of field: This is a commonly misunderstood benefit of full-frame cameras because the larger sensor does not really affect the depth of field of an image. However, with the larger sensor of a full-frame camera, you can move closer to the subject while using an equivalent focal length, and this causes the depth of field to become narrower. Ultimately, you get smoother background bokeh.
• Improved dynamic range and color depth: A full-frame sensor can record more tonal range within shadows and highlights. Detail and color are much improved at both ends of the spectrum. With a full-frame camera, you’ll often be able to successfully capture a high-contrast scene with a single shot, and you won’t have to rely on HDR techniques or GND filters to ensure that the shadows and highlights have plenty of detail.

Disadvantages of a full-frame camera

This heron in flight was captured at a high ISO to achieve the fast shutter speed needed to get a sharp wildlife image.

Shooting full frame isn’t all sunshine and roses. Sure, there are plenty of benefits (see above!), but there are some significant drawbacks, too:

• Expense: Not only is the cost of a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera higher than crop sensor alternatives, but you may also need to invest in full-frame lenses, which can set you back thousands of dollars.
• Size and weight: Simply put, full-frame cameras are bulkier than their crop-sensor counterparts. With advances in mirrorless technology, this is less of a problem – full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Sony a7 IV are very compact compared to full-frame DSLRs like the Nikon D850 – but for travel photographers, street photographers, and anyone else looking to keep their setup light and portable, the difference will be noticeable. Perhaps more importantly, full-frame lenses are larger and heavier; here, mirrorless technology has not made a significant difference, and you can expect that full-frame 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to weigh you down, regardless of whether you use a mirrorless camera or a DSLR.
• No crop factor: The telephoto reach of a full-frame camera is lessened by not having a crop sensor. A 200mm lens on a full-frame camera reaches 200mm; a 200mm lens on a 1.5x crop sensor camera reaches 300mm. However, whether this is a benefit or a drawback depends on the type of subjects you like to shoot. For wildlife, sports, and bird photographers, a crop factor offers much-needed extra reach. For landscape and cityscape photographers, on the other hand, a crop factor often takes away from the desired wide perspective.

Questions to ask before upgrading to full frame

If you’ve made it this far and you still like the sound of a full-frame camera, it’s time to ask yourself a few key questions:

How much will it cost?

As mentioned above, a full-frame camera is significantly more expensive than a crop sensor one, plus you’ll likely need to purchase new lenses.

There isn’t much use in changing to full frame if you are not going to use high-quality lenses designed for full-frame cameras. So if you plan to make the jump to full frame, you may want to begin by upgrading your lenses to those compatible with full-frame cameras. (Full-frame lenses work well on crop-sensor cameras, but the reverse is not true!)

What type of photography do you enjoy shooting?

Choosing a smaller aperture of f/22 produced enough depth of field to keep both the boys and the waterfalls in focus when using my full-frame Nikon D750.

Full-frame sensors offer advantages and disadvantages for different types of photography.

• Landscape: Enhanced low-light performance and more detail are both key advantages of full-frame cameras for landscape photography. You also get a wider perspective thanks to the lack of a crop factor. The only possible drawback here is the effectively shallower depth of field, but this can be compensated for by using a smaller f-stop.
• Portraits: The larger size of a full-frame sensor will result in a shallower depth of field. For portraiture, this means the backgrounds can feature more blur and make the subjects stand out better.
• Wildlife: A full-frame camera loses the telephoto reach that a crop sensor camera offers. Nevertheless, a lot of wildlife photography is shot in low-light situations, where a full-frame sensor gives a significant advantage.
• Sports: As with wildlife photography, high-ISO capabilities are helpful for sports photography. However, the loss of increased reach may be a problem, depending on your lenses.

This scene was captured at 24mm on a full-frame Nikon D750. The white line shows how much of this image would be captured on a crop sensor camera from the same shooting location. For this type of cityscape photography, a full-frame field of view is very helpful!

To summarize:

If you are a portrait or landscape shooter, there are many reasons to switch to full frame. In fact, nearly every professional portrait and landscape photographer ultimately makes the switch from APS-C to full frame.

However, if you’re a sports or wildlife shooter, you’ll need to consider more carefully. There are plenty of serious sports and wildlife photographers who prefer to use a crop-sensor camera; in fact, it’s the reason that Canon has consistently released fast-focusing, rugged APS-C cameras such as the Canon 7D Mark II, and more recently, the (mirrorless) Canon EOS R7.

This image was captured at 600mm with a full-frame camera. The white line shows the reach advantage that a crop sensor camera would provide. Still, capturing this image in low-light conditions with an ISO of 2000 was possible thanks to my full-frame sensor – and if I were working with an APS-C camera instead, I might have ended up with a frustratingly noisy file.

Is your current camera holding you back?

Every camera has a limited number of shutter releases, so if your camera is nearing the end of its life cycle, it might be time to consider an upgrade. If your older crop sensor model is limiting your results in low light, and you are constantly frustrated by high levels of noise, you might benefit from an upgrade to full frame.

However, keep in mind that it’s convenient to blame a camera for taking poor images, but it may not be the camera that’s holding you back.

Many times, photographers don’t get the results they expect from high-end equipment simply because they struggle with more fundamental techniques. No matter what type of camera you shoot with, get to know it and how all of its features work before moving on to a different one.

Despite the low light, I was able to capture a sharp handheld photo of this cityscape by increasing the ISO (which allowed me to use a faster shutter speed). My camera’s full-frame sensor ensured that the final photo had limited noise and plenty of dynamic range.

What is your level of photography experience?

A full-frame camera is probably not the best option for beginners.

Having a good handle on the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) and how its key components work together is essential if you’re going to take advantage of a full-frame sensor. If you’re not familiar with these different elements, and you’re not making careful camera settings decisions on your own, you may struggle to notice a useful difference between APS-C and full-frame sensors.

(Also, full-frame cameras are generally designed with advanced users in mind. Therefore, manufacturers often leave out beginner-friendly modes and guides that are helpful for new users but are avoided by professionals.)

Basically, if you are a beginner, I’d recommend starting with an entry-level camera and working up to a full-frame model. In fact, if you are looking for a camera to take photos of family and friends, a crop-sensor model is a great choice.

Do you make large prints?

A full-frame sensor has larger pixels, which will capture more light. This results in high-quality files and, consequently, beautiful large prints. If you never make prints larger than 8×10″, then a full-frame model won’t help you much here.

Also, since full-frame sensors are bigger, they tend to contain more megapixels. A 45 MP full-frame camera will produce far better large prints than a 24 MP APS-C camera (all else being equal, of course!).

Captured with a full-frame Nikon D750, this sunrise image reveals a nice range of tones, without any of the digital noise in the shadows that is likely to be present with some crop-sensor cameras.

Will purchasing a full-frame camera make you a better photographer?

You may have heard this quote, “Skill in photography is acquired by practice, not by purchase.”

Do you need a full-frame camera to capture great images? No, of course not! Most new crop sensor cameras on the market today are engineered to take beautiful images, and a great photographer can take great images with any camera, whether the sensor is full frame or crop.

But if you’re an experienced photographer, switching to full frame does come with real benefits that’ll expand your capabilities as a shooter.

The bottom line

If you are thinking of upgrading from a crop-sensor camera, be sure to consider the price, lens compatibility, and type of photography you do before you make the change to full frame. Jumping to a larger sensor can be intense – but if you’re ready for that big step, the results are often rewarding.

Now tell me:

Are you ready to go full frame? Please leave your answer in the comments below!

The post Should You Upgrade to a Full-Frame Camera? Weigh These Pros and Cons Before You Decide. appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.

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[Photography] How to Photography Landscapes in Exotic Places: 5 Practical Tips

The post How to Photography Landscapes in Exotic Places: 5 Practical Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

Landscape photography is difficult, and even the best landscape shooters can struggle to capture consistently great shots. If you live in a location that lacks spectacular landscapes, or you just want to go somewhere new, traveling to a new and exotic location – especially a beautiful one – may seem like the solution. A few days or a week in a far-flung national park or some other beautiful spot with your tripod and camera sounds like a great way to create wonderful new images. What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, the answer is plenty. The weather (and, consequently, the light) might not do what you want. If you are shooting by the sea, the timing of the tides may not be conducive to taking great photos. Since you’ll be photographing in a completely new area, and you might only have a few days to shoot, you might not have the time to find the best locations for landscape photography. And even if you do find some good locations, you might fail to get on location when the light is at its best.

So what do you do? One option is to give up on doing exotic landscape photography and instead focus on your local scenery, even if it’s less spectacular than the breathtaking mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and seascapes you can find around the globe.

But if you’re like me, you don’t want to give up on travel. Travel broadens the mind, it’s a lot of fun, and – if you take the right approach – it can result in amazing landscape photos. But because time is tight when you are traveling, you need to plan well to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. In this article, I’m going to show you how.

1. Do your research before you leave

Research is very important for any type of landscape photography – but when photographing exotic locations, it’s absolutely essential. As I emphasized above, you generally don’t have a whole lot of time to explore a new location when traveling, which means you won’t get any do-overs. The more preparation you do, the better prepared you will be. Here’s how I recommend you prepare when traveling to a distant landscape destination:

Use Flickr and 500px

Get on both of these websites (Flickr and 500px are both free to join) and search for photos taken where you’ll be headed. The results will give you a great idea of the potential of that location. You might also find some new spots away from the ones that everybody else seems to photograph.

If you are going to a coastal location, the tide schedule makes a huge difference. Try and figure out how the changing tides affect the composition of the images you see. Some places are at their best at high tide, and others are ideal at low tide. So if you’ll be shooting along the coast, do an online search for tide tables, and plan your visits accordingly. If the best photo opportunities for a particular beach are at low tide, for example, then the ideal time to travel there is when low tide coincides with sunset or sunrise so you can take advantage of the golden hour and twilight.

Got a question about an image? Send the photographer a message and ask for their advice. Not everybody will reply, but you may receive invaluable advice from those that do.

2. Get The Photographer’s Ephemeris

Viewing images taken by other photographers is a great way to start preparing for a landscape photography trip. However, as you look at other people’s photos, bear in mind that the light, and the direction it comes from as the sun rises and sets, changes during the year. A beautiful location might have stunning sidelight at sunset in January – but come June, the sidelight might have shifted to backlight, calling for a completely different approach.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to calculate where the sun will rise and set in any given location at any time of the year. Simply download The Photographer’s Ephemeris, and use it to determine the sun’s location during your travels. The Photographer’s Ephemeris is free for Windows and Mac computers, and you can use it extensively before you travel to determine the best times to shoot different locations. It’s also available as a paid iOS app, which can certainly come in handy if you need to do some sunrise or sunset calculations when out in the field! (Another great option is the PhotoPills app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.)

3. Check the weather forecast

It sounds almost too obvious to mention here, but it’s important to check the weather forecast before you go. Most trips are booked ahead of time, but long-range forecasts are only accurate a few days in advance. Checking the forecast helps you prepare.

What if the forecast calls for rain and cloudy skies? Then you need to work out how you are going to cope with that. Shooting in dreary light is very different from shooting in intense sun, and you’ll want to approach your landscape photography differently.

For instance, when faced with cloudy skies or rain, you might choose to work in black and white, you might use a more minimalistic compositional approach, or you might concentrate on creating evocative images showing the background blurred out by the rain.

Also, if rain is forecast, make sure you have a waterproof camera bag to protect your gear, as well as lens cleaning tissues or cloths to clean water off your front lens element. A cover to protect the camera is also a good idea – this cover, which costs around $20 on Amazon, is a decent choice – and as long as you’re careful and use common sense, you can use it to shoot in open rain without damaging your electronics.

4. Take minimal gear

As you research different photo opportunities, think carefully about the gear you need to take. The trick is to find a balance; on the one hand, you want to take enough lenses and accessories to create great images, but on the other hand, you don’t want to carry so much that you’re worn out upon arriving at your destination and are too tired to take photos.

For example, on a recent trip, I took my 17-40mm wide-angle zoom and an 85mm prime lens (plus cable releases, filters, etc). That’s it! Thanks to my research, I knew I wouldn’t need anything else.

I do recommend packing a tripod, but this can be tricky. You don’t want to lug a huge, bulky tripod halfway around the globe, so it’s important to find a compromise between weight and stability. There are a lot of good tripods out there that offer decent stability without weighing you down too much, so if you don’t own a tripod, I highly recommend checking out our article on the best travel tripods.

Finally, when planning, don’t forget personal items, such as protective clothing, a raincoat, food, water, etc. They all add weight to your load!

5. Be flexible

Good planning gives you a great head start, but don’t become so fixated on following a schedule that you’re unable to change plans if you learn something new. When you’re on location, you may come across a new scene that you desperately want to photograph, or you might hear from a local about an area that you should definitely check out.

In fact, I recommend that you use local knowledge to your advantage. If you can, ask the person you deal with at your accommodations the best places to take photos. You can also speak with shopkeepers, passersby, etc. And you can always browse shops, where you might run into postcards or local photo books that include interesting ideas.

Bottom line: Don’t get so locked into your plans that you are unable to see fresh opportunities when they come your way!

Photographing landscapes in exotic locations: final words

Traveling to capture beautiful photos of exotic locations can be extremely rewarding. And while it comes with plenty of challenges, as long as you take steps to prepare, you do just fine!

Of course, at the end of the day, travel can be valuable in and of itself. So enjoy your trip, have fun, and if you can create some beautiful images along the way, that’s just icing on the cake!

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for exotic landscape photography that I missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Table of contents

Landscape Photography

• GENERAL
  • The dPS Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography
  • 10 Most Common Mistakes in Landscape Photography – and How to Overcome Them
  • Responsibilities of Landscape Photographers
• PREPARATION
  • How to Find and Photograph Wild Landscapes for Epic Images
  • The Three Dangers of Landscape Photography
  • How to Plan the Perfect Landscape Photo
  • How to Find the Best Locations for Landscape Photography
  • The Importance of Scouting for Landscape Photographers
  • Why Goal Planning Is the Key to Growing as a Landscape Photographer
  • What is Your Favorite Landscape Location?
  • 8 Tips to Avoid Crowds at Popular Landscape Locations
• SETTINGS
  • 5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography
  • Understanding Aperture and Landscape Photography – Why F16 Isn’t the Only Choice
  • Guide to Creative White Balance for Landscape Photography
  • How a Short Versus Long Exposure Will Affect Your Landscape Images
  • How to Get Super Sharp Landscape Photography Images
  • Getting Landscapes Sharp: Hyperfocal Distances and Aperture Selection
  • The Best ISO for Landscape Photography (in Every Situation)
  • 5 Reasons To Should Shoot Your Landscape Images in RAW
  • How to Work with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography
• LIGHTING
  • Tips for Using Flash to Enhance Outdoor Nature and Landscape Photography
  • Landscape Photography: It’s All About the Light
  • How to Improve Your Landscape Photography By Understanding Portrait Lighting
  • Painting with Light in the Landscape
• COMPOSITION
  • Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography
  • 6 Tips for Capturing Dramatic Skies in your Landscape Photography
  • How to Use Leading Lines Effectively in Landscape Photography
  • 10 Landscape Composition Techniques for Breathtaking Photos (2021)
  • 3 Reasons to Shoot Vertical Aspect Landscapes and 6 Tips on How to Shoot Them
  • How to Use Juxtaposition for More Compelling Landscape Photography
  • Using Layers and Foreground Interest for Better Landscape Photography
  • Include The Foreground For Dramatic Landscapes
  • How to Photograph a Minimalist Landscape
  • 5 Framing Tricks to Help You Capture Better Landscape Photos
  • How to Use Balance in Your Landscape Photography Composition
  • 5 Good Reasons to Add People into Your Landscape Photography
  • Include Clouds In Your Landscapes
  • Landscape Photography and the Human Element
  • How to Add a Sense of Scale to Your Landscape Photos
  • How to Solve 5 Composition Conundrums Faced by Landscape Photographers
  • The S-Curve: A Landscape Photography Composition Technique
  • Using Water to Lighten Landscape Photos
• GEAR
  • 5 Quick Reasons to Use the Nifty Fifty for Landscape Photography
  • Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
  • How to Use Neutral Density Filters to Make Better Landscape Photos
  • How to Use Wide-angle Lenses for Landscape Photography
  • Tips for Shooting Landscapes With a Telephoto Lens
  • Six Tips For Using Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
  • 5 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape Photography
  • Six Situations Where Tripods are Essential for Landscape Photographers
  • Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography
  • 10 Essential Pieces of Landscape Photography Gear
  • Why you Need a Telephoto Zoom Lens for Landscape Photography
  • Circular Polarizers Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
  • Comparison – HDR Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
  • Polarizing and Neutral Density Filters: Essentials for Landscape Photography
  • Why I Always Use an L-Plate Bracket for Landscape Photography
  • Why I Switched From LEE Filters to Formatt-Hitech for Landscape Photography
  • Review of the Venus Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photographers
  • Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy? [video]
  • Essential Accessories for Landscape Photography
  • How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography
• ADVANCED GUIDES
  • 10 Tips for Photographing Wide-Angle Landscapes
  • 8 Tips for Fall Landscape Photography
  • 5 Tips for Better Winter Landscape Photography
  • 5 Ways to Create Dramatic Landscape Photos at Midday
  • How to Shoot Landscapes at Sunset
  • Tips for Shooting Landscape Photography Towards the Sun
  • 8 Steps to Great Long Exposure Landscape Photography
  • 15 Tips for Low Light Landscape Photography
  • The Night Sky In Landscape Photography
  • How to Make Storytelling Landscape Photos – 4 Steps
  • A Day At The Beach: Photographing Seaside Landscapes
  • Tips for Winter Landscape Photography on the Prairie
  • Landscape Photography – Shooting the Same Location Through the Seasons
  • 3 Tips to Take Better Landscape Photos Regardless of the Weather
  • Time for Landscape – Weather and Landscape Photography
  • Tips for Landscape Photography in Exotic Places

    • 1. Do your research before you leave
    • Use Flickr and 500px
    • 2. Get The Photographer’s Ephemeris
    • 3. Check the weather forecast
    • 4. Take minimal gear
    • 5. Be flexible
    • Photographing landscapes in exotic locations: final words
    • 1. Do your research before you leave
    • Use Flickr and 500px
    • 2. Get The Photographer’s Ephemeris
    • 3. Check the weather forecast
    • 4. Take minimal gear
    • 5. Be flexible
    • Photographing landscapes in exotic locations: final words
  • Putting You Into Your Landscape Photography
  • 5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos
  • 5 Tips to Discover Intimate vs. Grand Landscape & Nature Photography
  • Photographing Starry Skies for Nocturnal Landscape Without Breaking the Bank
• CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
  • How to Take Creative Landscape Shots Using Intentional Camera Movement
  • How to Convert a Camera to Infrared for Black and White Landscape Photography
  • Tips for Making Dramatic Black and White Landscape Photos
  • 6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography
  • How to Create Glass Ball Landscapes – 6 Techniques
  • How to Get Landscapes Sharp with Focus Stacking
  • How to do Landscape Panoramic Photography
• POST-PROCESSING
  • 5 Easy Steps to Exposure Blending for High Contrast Landscapes
  • A Super Simple Way to Make Landscape Photos POP Using Lightroom
  • Making the Best Use of HDR in Landscape Photography
  • Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom
  • How to Use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop to Make Your Landscape Images Pop
  • Editing Gently: 3 Tips for Processing Realistic Landscape Photos
  • The Power of Post-processing for Landscape Photography
  • How to Use Neutral Tones to Craft Realistic Edits for Landscape Photos
  • Top 5 Nik Collection Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
  • How to Edit Landscape and Nature Photos with the Lightroom Gradient Tool and Range Mask Features
  • Lightroom Quick Post-Processing Tips for Landscape Photography
  • Tips for Processing Winter Landscapes in Lightroom
  • How to Use the Lightroom HSL Panel for Landscape Photo Editing
  • How to Process a Black and White Landscape Photo Using Lightroom
  • How to Give Your Landscape Photos Extra Punch in One Easy Step
  • Tips For Editing the Colors in Landscape Photos Using Lightroom (video)
  • Tips for Processing Landscape Photos – from Basic Edits to Artistic Interpretation
  • 5 Tips For Mastering Contrast In Your Landscape Photos (video)
  • Using the Lightroom Adjustment Brush to add Dimension to a Landscape Photo
  • OPINION: Why Photoshop is Ruining Landscape Photography
• INSPIRATION
  • An Interview With Landscape Photography Legend Art Wolfe – Part 1
  • 27 Black and White Landscape Images
  • A Collection of Stunning Landscape Photographs
  • 9 Striking Landscapes That Break the ‘Rules’
  • These Inspiring Landscape Photographers will Make You Want to Take Better Photos

The post How to Photography Landscapes in Exotic Places: 5 Practical Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

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[Photography] 7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects

The post 7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

Photography can be a lonely business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Of course, some people enjoy the solitude, and that’s okay. However, if you’re a photographer who’d like to be a part of a community, there are plenty of ways to get together for group photography. In this article, I share seven ideas for fun group photography projects and events!

Who’s going to take your photo if you always photograph alone?

The reasons to join a group are varied, and even if you’re a lone ranger, there are likely some ideas here for you. Linking up with others doesn’t have to be extremely involved; sure, it can involve in-person meetups, but it can also just be about an online community. Regardless, if you’re interested in doing group photography but you’re not sure where to start, here are some suggestions to help you out:

1. Create or join a photo walk

One of the easiest and most informal group photography events is the photo walk. These are often organized by photography clubs, and there is a popular one run annually by Scott Kelby. The nice thing about a photo walk is that each participant can go at their own pace. The general idea is to have a starting point, a finish point, and a time limit. You may choose to walk together as a group or split off individually – whatever works for you and the rest of the group.

Some people like to take all their gear to the photo walk!

There may be some members who pass on tips to other photographers, making this type of event a great learning experience. My recommendation is to end the walk with a meal or a drink; it’ll help you get to know your fellow photographers, and the connections can lead to more group opportunities down the line! Finally, share the photos you’ve taken that day on a social media platform, such as Instagram or Facebook, and then have some fun browsing through the images taken by everyone else!

If you live near a major city, there are probably photo walks going on in the area, and they’re likely free to join. Just do some searching on Google and Facebook to see if you can find some of these events.

If you can’t find anything nearby or you’re not satisfied with the current opportunities, then you can always create a photo walk of your own. For instance, you can reach out to local photographers, asking if they might be interested in a fun photo walk. Or, if you prefer a more structured approach, you can always create a group on a website such as Meetup.com.

2. Join photography clubs

Yes, it’s a bit of a clichéd option, but I genuinely believe that joining a photography club is one of the best conduits for group photography. A club may not automatically offer hands-on group photography opportunities, but through a club, you can feel like you’re part of a real photographic community, and you can often organize many of the ideas mentioned in this article.

Photography clubs typically meet at regular intervals – perhaps once a week or once a month – though lots of activity can occur online between meetings.

Meeting up with other photographers at a photo club is a lot of fun, and it’s also a great way to learn.

The best place to find nearby photography clubs is by searching social media. You can also contact your local community center or even local universities. And I’d encourage you to call camera stores in the area; some of them run clubs of their own, or at least have the knowledge to point you in the right direction.

These clubs are a great place to learn new photography skills, and evening post-processing workshops are fairly typical. Are you having trouble finding the right club for you? You could always start up your own!

3. Take part in a group photography project

If you’re interested in a group photography option that also allows you to work in isolation, a group project could be perfect for you. These projects generally involve a number of photographers shooting with a particular goal in mind; the idea at the end is to have a body of work under a common theme taken by every member of the group. A project like this could even lead to a group exhibition or a collaborative photography book.

In most cases, you’ll work on the photography individually, though the leader of the project may seek to curate your work in a certain direction. Here are a few examples of group photography projects to give you a sense of what you might do:

• A subway group project: Most big cities have a mass transit system with many stations. The goal of this type of project is to take one photograph per station. The larger cities usually have many stations, so dividing up the workload makes sense. (For projects like these, it’s often a good idea to seek permission from the authorities before getting started!)
• A 365-day or 52-week group project: These are classic project ideas that involve publishing a photo on a daily or weekly basis. But you don’t have to do it alone! Instead of working in isolation, share it with others, and ask them to make photographs on the same theme as your own! The dPS bi-weekly photography challenge could easily form the basis of this project.
• A food photography group project: Everyone loves good food, so combine this with your photography! Each photographer picks a country. Then they make food from that country and photograph it! You could even make this into an international cookbook.

This photo was taken as part of a subway project in Seoul. It was a big challenge to photograph all the stations!

4. Form a photography team

This group photography idea is less about socializing and more about business. You see, there are times when forming a photography team will give you the edge as a professional photographer. The more you move into the commercial world of photography, the more this becomes important, as you can’t be everywhere all the time.

Think of events like weddings, sports, or festivals. The need to cover all your bases means teaming up with other photographers so they can be where you’re not. Let me give you a couple of examples:

• Event photography: When photographing events, having more than one photographer allows one of you to concentrate on the wider scene while the other covers moments closer to the action. Think of when tennis players go from singles to playing in pairs on a team. In doubles, they have different roles and need to complement each other.
• Portrait photography: Another great example of when a team of photographers is needed is when doing portrait work with strobes. For such a scenario, there is generally one main photographer taking the images, but having other photographers or assistants there to help with lighting equipment is desirable. You and your partner might even switch off or contribute ideas during each photoshoot!

Teaming up with other photographers can be a great way to pool resources.

5. Create an association

Related to creating a photography team is making an association. In this case, you’re creating more of a guild, and indeed a photo team could be formed from members of that guild. A grouping of photographers like this should generally use each other’s strengths to form a stronger unit when a client comes along.

Such an association might look to create a stock library of images, albeit on a much smaller scale than larger firms such as Getty Images. Other models for such a grouping of photographers would be the famous Magnum organization, though you’d likely need to keep the association far more scaled down (at least when you first get started!).

The more the merrier – as long as you don’t step on each other’s toes!

6. Do weekly challenges

Weekly challenges are a good way to do group photography on an individual basis, and you can decide to opt out of weeks that are not your style. As I mentioned in the section on group photography projects, there is a great bi-weekly challenge run by Digital Photography School, and you’ll find other photography communities that run similar programs.

It’s also possible to organize weekly challenges on a more local level, where perhaps you meet up with fellow photographers in a coffee shop once a week to set your own challenge, and then spend a few hours shooting together afterward.

Seasonal photo challenges are a staple for many photography groups. Spring is often a popular theme!

7. Enter a photo competition

A final way you can interact with your fellow photographers is through a photo competition. There are many types of photo contests, from broad competitions that cover a lot of subjects (such as the huge Sony World Photography Awards) to more focused competitions that are geared to a specific subject (such as the Audubon Photography Awards, which is designed for bird photographers).

There are also photography contests that require you to tell a story through a sequence of perhaps 10 photos; depending on the type of photography you do, such contests might be a better fit.

Of course, these contests can be adapted to you and your community. If you’re part of a photography club, why not take a leaf out of the bigger company’s book and make a competition of your own? A little competitive edge within your group can often push you out of your comfort zone and help you produce even more amazing results!

How will you do your group photography?

There are many good ways to collaborate with others and do more group photography activities. Hopefully, this article gave you an idea or two so you can become part of a photographic community! With any luck, you’ll have a lot of fun – and you’ll make some lifelong friends along the way.

Now over to you:

Have you ever been part of a photographic community? Do you have a novel way to make a community? If so, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

The post 7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

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