Photography

What’s the best advice you could give for someone looking to make photography a career?

Embrace new technology: AI's impact on photography careers.

Oh man. These are weird times to be starting in photography, the onset of AI tools like DALL-E will forever change the entire creative industry. Some jobs, some jobs aren't exist anymore. But on the flip side, I'm sure a whole host of new jobs are going to be created. That's what history tells us anyway. Either way, it is a difficult time to be an established photographer, let alone a photographer starting off. I would say though, that the best strategy is to embrace these new tools. They're not going to go away. And the creatives that are left standing, I think they're going to be the ones that really understand and embrace this new technology.

It's a difficult time to be starting in photography, but the best strategy is to embrace the new AI tools and technologies that are emerging. This will help you remain competitive and open up new creative opportunities.

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In these unique times for photography, with the rise of AI tools like DALL-E, the creative industry is undergoing significant changes. Some jobs may no longer exist, while new opportunities will likely emerge. It's a challenging period for both established photographers and those starting their careers.

My best advice would be to embrace these new tools rather than resist them. These technologies are here to stay, and the photographers who thrive will be the ones who truly understand and embrace this new technology. Adapting to the changing landscape and incorporating these tools into your work can help you stay relevant and competitive in the industry.

When photographing outdoors, do you focus more on the subject or the landscape to tell the story?

Photographing Outdoors: Subject or Landscape? The Key to Telling Your Story

That's a great question and it's one that took me years to really work out myself. I think the best way to answer it is to take a step back and ask yourself slightly different question which is, what am I trying to say with my photo? Once you answer that, it becomes a lot easier to decide what's important in your composition. Take this image, for example, it's an interpretation of Ceremony that honors, the moon got Mets lie in Mexican culture, so the moon and therefore the landscape around. It is a big part of the story here. So it had to feature prominently in my composition and that's a very different composition to this photo which is all about the subject. Meshiach a friend of mine called Linda. I wanted the image to show Linda in a proud and dignified fashion and I could do do that just by using pose and perspective really, so the surrounding landscape added little to my story and therefore features way less prominently in my composition. So I guess to sum this up deciding, what goes into your composition and what doesn't is purely a factor of what you want to say to your viewer. If you need to have the subject interacting with their surroundings. Tell your story then do that, but if you don't, it's always way easier to create portraits when the subject or the model fills the frame. That just way less to think about. I hope that helps

Deciding what to include in your composition depends on what story you want to tell with your image. If the subject needs to interact with their surroundings to tell the story, then use the environment. Otherwise, it's easier to create a portrait when the model fills the frame.

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When photographing outdoors, the focus on either the subject or the landscape to tell the story depends on what you are trying to convey with your photo. It's important to ask yourself what message you want to convey before deciding what is important in your composition.

For example, in an image capturing a ceremony that honors the moon in Mexican culture, the moon and the surrounding landscape play a significant role in telling the story. In this case, they would feature prominently in the composition. On the other hand, in a portrait of a friend named Linda, the focus is on showcasing her in a proud and dignified manner. The surrounding landscape adds little to the story and therefore takes a less prominent role in the composition.

In summary, the decision of what to include or exclude in your composition depends on what you want to communicate to your viewer. If the subject's interaction with the surroundings is essential to the story, include it. However, when creating portraits, it is often easier to have the subject fill the frame, as it simplifies the composition. Ultimately, the goal is to convey your intended message to the viewer.

What’s the biggest mistake a new photographer makes?

Mastering visual language: the key to great photography

The biggest mistake, I think the biggest mistake. Well, the one I see the most often in new photographers is thinking that their biggest obstacle. Well, the biggest obstacle between them and creating great photos is, is getting the right camera gear. And, you know, that's not true, no matter what manufacturers imply in their ads, to become a great photographer above all else, you have to master visual language to to become practiced at expressing yourself through compositions. A great camera, won't make you a better photographer. It's it's just gonna render your average photos with way more megapixels.

The biggest mistake that many new photographers make is thinking that their biggest obstacle to creating great photos is getting the right camera gear. Even with the best camera, a photographer still needs to master the visual language of composition to become a great photographer.

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The biggest mistake I often see new photographers make is believing that their main obstacle to creating great photos is having the right camera gear. However, this is not true. Despite what manufacturers may imply in their advertisements, becoming a great photographer requires mastering the visual language and expressing oneself through compositions. Simply having a great camera won't automatically make you a better photographer. It will only render your average photos with more megapixels.

What is better to spend more money on, a good piece of glass or a camera body?

Unleash Your Creativity: Lens or Camera Body for Better Photos?

So, what's better to spend money on camera body or good lens? Well, because of the technical complexity and high prices of Photography gear, it can be really easy to forget that your camera is just a tool to help you express yourself. It's entire value lies in how? Well, it can help you do this as a portrait photographer. Some features matter, a lot more to me than others aperture, focal length. These in particular will A huge impact on how my photos look and these are all lens features a good camera Body Matters. Of course you know I need a big sensor to print out my work but a lot of the features that people draw all over with regards to camera bodies foldable screams hundreds of AF Point size weight Etc. They're all less important to me. A sports photographer, might have a very different answer. You should really think about the features that will best help. You express your creativity.

When deciding to spend money on camera body or lens, you should consider the features that will help you express your creativity best. A portrait photographer may value aperture and focal length more than a sports photographer.

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When it comes to spending money on photography gear, the question of whether to invest more in a camera body or a good lens arises. It's important to remember that your camera is simply a tool to express your creativity. Its value lies in how it helps you achieve your desired results.

As a portrait photographer, certain lens features like aperture and focal length have a significant impact on the look of my photos. These features are crucial for achieving the desired aesthetic. While a good camera body with a larger sensor is necessary for printing high-quality work, many other features that people often prioritize, such as the number of autofocus points, size, and weight, are less important to me.

It's essential to consider the features that will best support and enhance your creative expression. The answer to whether to invest more in a camera body or a good lens may vary depending on your specific photography style and needs.

If you had to boil your essence into one word, what would it be?

Curiosity: The Essence of a Photographer's Passion

If you had to boil your essence as a photographer into one word, what would it be? You know, I'm really enjoying these limiting questions. They're, they're interesting to answer, I would say the word curious sums up. My Essence is a photographer curiosity about the people I photograph their culture, their stories, you know. This is why I have spent close to a decade working with the same people in the same themes. But, you know, I'm not just curious about making photos. I'm actually fascinated. Innate it by The Art of Photography as well. And, you know, every topic that it's continuous with like, for example, how evolutionary biology can explain, why some compositions are visually pleasing, but others less. So, or you know, how iconology can help transfer meaning through photography, all that stuff is interesting to me and it keeps my passion for photography going

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If I had to boil my essence as a photographer into one word, it would be curious. I find these limiting questions quite interesting to answer. Curiosity defines my approach to photography, as I am deeply intrigued by the people I photograph, their cultures, and their stories. This is why I have dedicated nearly a decade to working with the same subjects and themes.

However, my curiosity extends beyond just capturing photos. I am genuinely fascinated by the art of photography itself. I am innately drawn to topics such as how evolutionary biology can explain why certain compositions are visually pleasing, or how iconology can convey meaning through photography. These aspects keep my passion for photography alive and fuel my continuous exploration in the field.

Photographer reveals secrets of creating magic in camera

I try as much as possible to get my photos in one shot, even the complex ones. Now you know of course that isn't always possible things go wrong or you know just don't have enough hands on set to to get every aspect ready at the same time, things like, fire and smoke can be very hard to coordinate to get to look perfect in a photo. So when things go south I'll you know, I'll often spend ages and Photoshop compositing. From multiple photos to get what I wanted. But I do strive to keep my edits to just a few minutes in Lightroom if I can. It's not that anything wrong with post-production. You know, I just got a lot more satisfaction from creating the Magic in camera.

I try to get my photos in one shot, but sometimes it doesn't work out and I have to do a lot of Photoshop compositing. I prefer creating the magic in camera, so I keep my post-production edits to just a few minutes.

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My editing process aims to capture the desired shot in-camera whenever possible, even for complex scenes. However, there are instances where things may not go as planned or require additional elements that are challenging to coordinate, such as fire or smoke. In these cases, I spend a significant amount of time in Photoshop compositing multiple photos to achieve the desired result.

Ideally, I strive to keep my edits to a few minutes in Lightroom. While there is nothing inherently wrong with post-production, I personally find more satisfaction in creating the magic during the actual photography process.

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