[Photography] How to Look at Other Photographers’ Images to Improve Your Work

When you’re starting out in photography, it’s quite easy to become obsessed with getting critique and feedback on own work to help you improve. Your peers may suggest a different crop, highlight issues with composition, and help you along your journey with camera settings and post-production techniques. Receiving feedback from your peers also provides a fantastic forum for you yourself to ask questions about specific items that have been brought up in discussion, and clear up any little issues that you may have.

While these are always very helpful methods of improving your photography, they are not the only ways. Another method is to simply look at others photographers’ work and ask yourself questions about it. You can even share websites of other photographers on social media, where you and many of your peers can have fantastic discussions about the work. Here are some tips for learning by reviewing other photographers’ work.

Discussion Points

Some great topics to discuss may be:

How do you think the photograph was made?

For help on this read: 4 Steps on How to Read Images and Learn to Replicate the Results

We all like to discuss camera settings and possible post-production techniques, so this is an important question to ask. Reverse-engineering an image will help you understand how the photograph was made, and give you a better insight. It will help you replicate a particular technique for you to try on your own.

What compositional techniques have been used?

How has the photographer composed the image? Have they used the Rule of Thirds (or as I like to call it, the Guide of Thirds!) or is the subject in the centre of the frame? How has the composition and placement of the subject helped the photograph? From what vantage point have they photographed the subject – straight on, from up above looking down, or down low looking up? How does this vantage point influence the impact of the subject (looking down on someone makes them look more vulnerable, for example).

How does the photo make you feel?

What emotions does the image evoke in you, and why does it make you feel that way? For example, if the image has a blue colour-cast, this could make you feel cold. Or does the image have a lot of vibrant, warm colours which can make you feel warm and happy? How does the composition techniques employed affect how you feel?

For this, if the image has been photographed from above looking down, the viewer will feel more powerful where the subject will look more vulnerable – it is the opposite if the photograph has been taken from down low looking up.
Is the image confronting? Knowing how you feel about and image and why, are very important for you to be able to achieve the same result in your own work.

What elements have been included in the frame?

Has the photographer kept the frame clear of any distractions and gone for a minimalist look, or have they included extra elements in the frame? How do these elements work together with the subject; do they complement it, or do they clutter the frame and distract from the subject?

What is the light like?

Discussing the light will help you see light better in your own work. Is the light hard or soft? To answer this, look for the shadows; the more defined a shadow is the harder the light (sunny day versus overcast day). How much light is there, and in what direction is it coming from? The direction of the light will influence the shape and form of a subject, as well as its colour. For example, if an object is backlit, this can create a silhouette.

Places to Look for Images

Now that you have a list of discussion topics, it’s time to look around for some images to discuss! The internet is full of fantastic websites where you can view the work of other photographers. Websites such as 500px.com, 1x.com and Flickr all have some fantastic images, that span a wide range of genres.

Here is a list of some websites, and photographers, that I often look at: (this list is by no means exhaustive!)

• Getty Images: fantastic collection of sport, editorial, and entertainment images photographed by some of the world’s best photographers.
• Time Lightbox: nice collection of images and projects from Time Magazine. The content often changes, so it’s always a good idea to check often.
• Instagram: I’m not going to give you a list of accounts to follow, but Instagram as some fantastic photographers on it sharing some amazing work. Follow dPS on Instagram here.
• Adam Pretty: an Australian sports photographer.
• Trent Parke: an Australian documentary photographer. His style is something that I often like to incorporate in to my own work. He is also a member of Magnum Photos.
• Clive Brunskill: a UK based sport and commercial photographer and someone I have been luck enough to work with.
• James Nachtwey: the world’s best documentary and war photographer. He has taken some amazing images across his almost 30-year career!
• Vladimir Rys: European sports photographer. I really like his style of photographing through objects.
• Rob Cianflone: Australian based photographer with Getty Images.
• Quinn Rooney: Australian based photographer with Getty Images.
• Al Bello: Getty Images Chief Sports Photographer – North America.

Editor’s note: you can also come join the new Digital Photography School Facebook group where we encourage lots of images sharing and commenting. 

Over to You

While feedback on your own work is important, in many ways looking at other photographers’ work will help you more. These are just a few suggestions on what you can discuss about an image, and where to look for images, and they are by no stretch of the imagination exhaustive!

Do you have a favourite place to look at images? It would be great to hear about them in the comments below.

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[Photography] 6 Ways to Take a Candid Portrait of Somebody You Know

Get Andrew’s The Candid Portrait eBook at 43% off now over at Snapndeals, only until August 9th (AUS time).

The phrase candid portrait is often used to refer to the type of portrait taken when the subject is unaware of the photographer. This is usually seen in street photography, but also applies in other areas such as documentary style wedding photography.

If you think of a candid portrait as being one that captures someone acting authentically or with a natural expression, as opposed to one where the model has been directed to pose or act in a certain way, then it follows that you can also take candid portraits of people you know. Or even somebody that you don’t know, but have seen in the street and asked for permission to make a portrait.

Here are some tips for taking candid portraits of people with permission.

1. Look for expressions that capture character

If you are taking photos of somebody in a formal situation and you want to capture natural expressions rather than a more forced one (or the sullen expressions preferred by many fashion models) then you need to become a keen observer.

Watch for the moments in-between, the ones where your model is relaxed while you pause before taking another photo. How do they behave while the camera isn’t pointing at them? How do they respond when you talk to them? What expressions do you see when they talk about something that interests or excites them? What unconscious gestures do they make?

I was taking photos of a friend when I noticed that she had a particular gesture that she sometimes made, when the camera wasn’t pointing at her. I waited until it happened again, then asked her to hold the pose while I took the photo (right). The resulting portrait is one of her (and my) favorites from the shoot.

2. Make the most of random encounters

I remember my first evening taking photos in Bolivia. It was late afternoon, quickly fading to dusk, and the streets were lit by a soft red glow, cast by the setting sun.

I raised my camera to take a photo of a mud brick building. From the corner of my eye I saw a small boy running down the street. He passed in front of the camera, stopped, turned towards me, and started waving his hands in the air. He obviously wanted to be in the photo, and a few seconds later he was joined by an older boy, presumably his brother, who also posed for a photo. Then they continued on down the street, and beckoned me to follow them.

Curious, I followed, and they led me to a car parked around the corner, where their father was waiting for them. They explained what had happened, and then the father asked me to take a photo of all of them together. He was a little drunk, and invited me to their house for dinner. I politely declined, although I would have liked to see the look on his wife’s face when I arrived.

When you are traveling and people are being open and friendly like this, take advantage. Be open to random encounters, and the possibilities that can arise from them. At the very least you will have some interesting experiences and new stories to tell.

3. Use a small camera and lens

A friend of mine is an experienced model. I have photographed her with an EOS 5D Mark II and an 85mm lens, which is a fairly large combination. I have also used a Fujifilm X-T1 and 56mm lens, which is much smaller. She commented afterwards that the experience was different, and that she felt under much less pressure to be a good model with the smaller camera.

If an experienced model feels this way, then imagine the effect on somebody who is not used to having their photo taken. I’m sure this is one of the reasons that people like to take photos on smartphones, and why the results can be surprisingly good – because the people being photographed feel no pressure to do anything, other than act natural.

The lesson is that camera and lens size matter. Cameras and lenses are tools, and it is up to the photographer to choose the most appropriate one for the job at hand. A smaller set up will help you capture candid portraits, even of people you know.

4. Find a good reason to ask someone if you can make a portrait

If you are not used to asking strangers if you can make a portrait of them, it becomes a lot easier if you can give them a good reason. You don’t always have to search very hard to find one.

For example, a few weeks ago I visited a blacksmith’s forge that uses forging techniques from 100 years ago. The smiths there do demonstrations for the visiting public, and I simply asked if I could take some photos while the smith was doing his demonstration. The result is a very natural portrait of somebody at work.

At carnival in Cadiz earlier this year there were lots of people dressed in costume, but only a few with face paint. When I saw somebody with interesting face paint I asked if I could take a photo (it helps that I speak reasonable Spanish). Each time I explained that I really liked their make-up, the person said yes, and I took a couple of photos.

This is one of the natural expressions I was rewarded with.

5. Undertake a project

Early last year I thought it would be interesting to take some photos of people practicing parkour, and got in touch with some local traceurs through a Facebook group. Two of them in particular were interested in a shoot, so we went out into the streets of Wellington and they showed me some of the things that they do. I took photos and portraits as we went along. It was easy to create candid portraits as well as some action photos, because they were enjoying what they were doing and having fun.

I didn’t think about it until afterwards but now it occurs to me that what we were doing was a form of street photography, just one where I was working in a collaboration, rather than trying to take photos of people without them noticing me. That led to a entirely different set of photos than I could have made if I had seen them doing their thing in the street, and just taken some photos without any form of interaction.

6. Take photos of friends doing interesting things

A friend of mine made her own gypsy caravan to live in. I think this is a fantastic tiny space project, and once it was finished I asked her if I could take some photos of her there. Her natural enthusiasm came across as we talked about it. I asked her to sit outside and play her guitar. While she was absorbed in what she was doing, I made some candid portraits that captured expressions like this.

Do you have any techniques of your own for taking candid or natural portraits of people that you know? I’d love to hear them – please let me know in the comments.

Get Andrew’s The Candid Portrait eBook at 43% off now over at Snapndeals, only until August 9th (AUS time).

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[Photography] Everything You Need to Know to Master Lightroom

Today we launched a brand new dPS course to help you get total control over Adobe Lightroom.

For a short time you can grab it with a 50% off early bird discount.

Are you frustrated with the time you’re spending perfecting your photos in Lightroom?

Perhaps you’re a beginner and just don’t know where to start with the workflow?

Our latest online video training course Lightroom Mastery will have you mastering post processing in hours.

Photographer Mike Newton has created a complete Lightroom Mastery Course specially for dPS subscribers.

Whether you’re a Lightroom novice or an intermediate user, you can take the whole course and work alongside Mike or skip ahead and start on the modules/tools you want to learn.

here’s a little more on what it includes from Mike himself.

Promotional Video from Digital Photography School on Vimeo.

Checkout details on all 15 modules here.

No matter what level of Lightroom user you are, you will walk away with huge improvements in the quality of your edits and the speed of your workflow.

The best part is Mike makes it super easy to understand.

In this course you’ll learn how to:

• Use the essential editing features of Lightroom
• Create amazing edits quickly and easily
• Stitch panorama
• Add watermarks to your photos
• Export a selection of photos as a web gallery for displaying your work online
• Perfect your Lightroom workflow for speedy batch editing
• Most importantly, learn what to do, when to do it, which tools to use, and have fun while editing!
• For a limited time, we’re offering this comprehensive Lightroom Mastery course for US$49, but in a couple of weeks time it will be going to the regular price of US$99.

Learn more and grab Lightroom Mastery with a Limited Time 50% Saving here.

PS: As with all our products this one comes fully guaranteed. If for any reason you don’t find it meets your needs just let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll send you a refund.

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[Photography] 10 Photography Accessories You Can Buy at the Supermarket

Let’s face it, we photographers are always looking for new stuff to add to our bag of tricks.

As a studio photographer with almost 20 years experience, I have found myself repurposing a lot of stuff to use as photography tools in my photoshoots. I came to the conclusion that most of the stuff I have around the studio, or in my camera bag didn’t came from photography equipment stores, but rather from the supermarket, home improvement stores, or even one dollar stores.

Here is a small list of items that you can find easily in a store near you, which might help out a lot in your future photo projects:

1 – Cupcake nozzles

These nozzles are used by bakers to decorate cakes, and you can find them in many shapes and sizes. If you take them out of context, they make great light modifiers when used in front of a flashlight, allowing you to shape and control your light, when you want to do some light painting for example.

2 – Shower caps

This is something you can buy really cheap or even get for free in hotel rooms. I always have some laying around in my camera bag, and I use the white ones as light diffusers for flash or LED lights.

I also use the transparent ones as a rain cover for the camera body. It’s not something for heavy rainfall, but it can save your equipment in an emergency situation, and you can still see the LCD and camera buttons with it.

3 – LED light strips

These lights can be carried anywhere as they work with 3 AA batteries, and can be used in lots of different situations. I used them a lot as macro ring lights with the strip wrapped around my lens shade.

These lights are also great to create light bokeh backgrounds, just put them over a black surface and turn your lens out of focus.

4 – Multi-Purpose Opener

This tool is made to be used around the kitchen, but I have been using it for years in my studio for a lot of different purposes.

The main use I have for it is for that really frustrating task of trying to unscrew a stuck filter on the front of your lens. Even though there are specific clip plastic tools for that job that you can buy in photography stores, I always find myself breaking them or scratching some really expensive filter.

This multi-purpose opener has a rubberized inside and offers a much better grip, besides fitting every filter size you might have.

It is also able to open any metal or screw cap bottle if you happen to get thirsty, and, last but not least, it is a great tool to open stuck thumb screws like the one you find on tripods or light stands for example.

5 – Glow Stir Sticks

These glow sticks, besides being a must at any cocktail party, are also really fun to use as a light source for light painting. They can be found in different colors and sizes and can glow for a few hours, allowing you to make fun images like this next one.

6 – Shower Curtains

Shower curtains are usually made out of plastic or waterproofed fabric. They are really cheap and can be used as great accessories for light control.

I use white ones a lot as light diffusers, black ones as flags, and grey ones as backgrounds, but there is a lot that can be done with colorful ones for backgrounds or light color effects.

7 – Ball Bungee Ties

It’s amazing what some elastic cord and a plastic ball can do together. This simple, but really effective tool, is used most of the time to tie cables, but there are a lot more uses for it. I use them a lot to hold my flash triggers to the light stand.

8 – Spring Clamps

I lost count of how many of these I bought through the years. Every time I see them on sale anywhere, I just buy a few more.

These are a must have item in any photography studio, whether it is to make your model’s clothes fit a little better, to hold cables and power cords in place so I don’t trip on them, or simply to hold that reflector in that position that will provide the best reflection possible.

9 – Express Grill Pan

These pans made out aluminum foil are great if you want to make a barbecue in a rush. But they’re also great to use as gobos that you can use in front of your light source to create special light effects.

10 – Reusable Putty-Like Adhesive

This type of adhesive is a lifesaver for product and macro photographers that need to keep small objects in a specific position.

It is moldable, reusable, and doesn’t leave any residue when you remove it. I use it a lot in jewelry photography to keep things in place, and just remove it (clone it out) in post-production afterwards.

So, keep these tips in mind next time you are dragging your shopping cart down the supermarket aisles. Maybe you can find some great accessories for your photography!

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