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What other photographers do you admire for their work?

Photography's Finest: A List of Admired Artists

So the question is, what other photographers do you admire for their work in? This could be a really long list. I'm probably going to run out of time, but let me start with some that are on the app, a moose Peterson, amazing nature, Wildlife, landscape photographer. Joe McNally is probably one of my biggest favorite photographers, right? Joe McNally is an absolute genius behind a camera Deb. Sandidge is another amazing photographer that's on this app Cliff Mountain. Her is on this app and an amazing photographer. Me go into my genre a little bit, which is live music photography. Christie Goodwin, who is the house photographer for the Royal Albert Hall in London and an amazing tour photographer. She is one of my favorite photographers of all time. Speaking of Music photographers, the legendary Jim Marshall. Love the work that Jim Marshall did David Bergman, amazing, legendary tour photographer. Adam Elma Caius I learned so much from Adam and I learned a ton of also from Tata Young, he has a website that is Ended up teaching, lots of music, photographers Allen Hess at a San Diego. Literally wrote the book on live music photography, man, the list could go on and on on photographers that I love macro photographers. You got Don, Comer rich. Girl, who's just amazing Freddy Clark as a beverage and food photographer, Aunt pru, it kind of an all-around photographer Street photographer, kind of guy. Rick Sam, and of course, is just a legend. They call him the Godfather of Photography, man. I'm And to think who I left out that I'm going to get in trouble for leaving out. But the truth is there are just a an amazing group of people working in this field right now Photography. In my opinion, from a creative point of view has never been better. I would just suggest going out and kind of browsing around. I've had a ton of great photographers on my podcast as well so you know, go check that out. Yeah, that's my list.

Some of the photographers I admire for their work include Moose Peterson, Joe McNally, Deb Sandidge, Cliff Mountain, Christie Goodwin, Jim Marshall, David Bergman, Adam Elmakias, Tata Young, Allen Hess, Don Komarechka, Freddy Clark, Aunt Pru and Rick Sam.

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The photographers I admire for their work are numerous, so I'll try to mention a few. Moose Peterson is an incredible nature, wildlife, and landscape photographer. Joe McNally is one of my absolute favorites, a genius behind the camera. Deb Sandidge and Cliff Mautner are also amazing photographers on this app.

In the realm of live music photography, Christie Goodwin, the house photographer for the Royal Albert Hall in London, is one of my all-time favorites. Jim Marshall, a legendary music photographer, has left a lasting impact. David Bergman, Adam Elmakias, and Tata Young have also influenced my work in this genre. Allen Hess, who wrote the book on live music photography, is another notable figure.

For macro photography, Don Komarechka and Freddy Clark excel in their craft. Aunt Pru is a versatile photographer, specializing in food, beverage, and street photography. Rick Sammon, known as the Godfather of Photography, is a legend in the field.

There are many more talented photographers I could mention, and the creative landscape of photography has never been better. I encourage you to explore and discover the work of these artists. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of hosting numerous great photographers on my podcast, so feel free to check that out as well.

The Key Qualities of an Exceptional Photo Educator

What makes a good photo educator? Wow, this is such a great question. And I think it's multifaceted. Number one, you obviously have to understand the subject. And I mean, really understand the subject. You can't just know it a little bit in passing. You have to be able to think of this subject matter that you're teaching without thought, right? Mindlessness. You have to be able to talk about that subject like it's an extension of your body. Number two would be understand the audience that you're talking to. You need to understand the goals of that audience. I had a time one time when I was teaching computers and I was working for a company and we were teaching these high-end IT people, these Fortune 500 IT staff. And I was teaching Microsoft certification courses. And I looked at the owner, I said, I'm really nervous because these guys have high-end IT jobs. I mean, they have real jobs and I'm teaching the content. And his response to me was, but they don't know what's in the book. They don't know what's in the manual. And that matters. You have to kind of have an understanding of what your audience baseline is so that you can find the middle of that audience and kind of teach to the middle. But most important, I would say is good communication. And I don't just mean a good voice or a good patter or a good timing or anything like that. I mean, you have to be able to take possibly complex concepts and terms and translate them into real world English. That is absolutely critical. When somebody asks a question and I answer it, sometimes they'll say, yeah, I still don't get it. You have to have three, four, whatever analogies until you can find the terminology that helps them understand.

A good photo educator needs to have an in-depth understanding of the subject matter and be able to communicate it effectively to their audience. They also need to understand their audience's goals and be able to find common ground by finding the middle of the audience. Finally, they must be able to translate complex concepts and terms into real world English in order to help people really understand what is being taught.

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What makes a good photo educator? This is a fantastic question that encompasses various aspects. Firstly, a good photo educator must have a deep understanding of the subject matter. It's not enough to have surface-level knowledge; one must be able to effortlessly discuss and teach the subject as if it were an extension of themselves. Secondly, understanding the audience is key. Knowing their goals and baseline knowledge is crucial for effective teaching. Being aware of their needs allows finding a middle ground and tailoring instruction accordingly. However, the most important aspect is good communication. It goes beyond having a pleasant voice or timing; it involves translating complex concepts and terms into understandable language. A skilled photo educator can take challenging ideas and break them down into relatable terms. Providing multiple analogies or explanations until understanding is achieved is essential. Good communication ensures that students grasp the material and can apply it effectively.

How often do you swap lenses whilst on assignment? Or do you use more than one camera instead?

Photographer's Lens Swapping Strategy: A Little Bit of Both

How often do I swap lenses while on assignment? Or do I use more than one camera body? And for me, it's a little bit of both. I'm Alive music photographer and so, I'm limited how long I can photograph generally for any band on stage, it's their first three songs and then I'm done until the next band takes the stage. So having a wide variety of focal lengths is advantageous at quick notice. So for example, I carry a cannon R5 on my right hip 45 megapixels, and it can in our six on my left hip 20 megapixels, and that are six. Always has a wide angle on it generally, nowadays. That's the cannon RF 15 to 35 2.8 and the reason is in case something like this happens periodically you'll be in the photo pit and you might have the R5 up to your face with a 24 to 70 2.8 or a 70 to 200 2.8. And suddenly the bass player comes up and sticks. The head of his bass, in your face, being able to drop the one camera and grab the R6 from my left, hip with a femoral. In the 35 enables, you to capture something like this on the right hip. I always have the Canon R5 and by the way that left hip, I'm not going to crop it a lot because usually, if somebody's in my face, I'm just lucky to even get them in it at 15 millimeters on the right hip. I will look at the stage at the beginning of the night and decide how far back is the drummer, how spread out is the band? How high is the stage and decide? Should I start with a 24 to 70 or a 70 to 200? And whichever one I think is best I'll start with If I switch lenses perhaps between songs depending on how I think it went. And so for song, number two, I'll use the opposite lens, 7200 24, to 70. And then song 3, I will go with out of those to the one that I think performed the best. So it's a little of the both for me.

As an event photographer, I use both a Canon R5 and R6 with a variety of lenses depending on the situation. Generally the R6 has a wide angle on it and the R5 will either have a 24-70 or 70-200 lens attached. Depending on how the band is setup and the size of the stage, I will decide which lens to start with for each song. I may switch between songs if needed for optimal performance.

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When on assignment, I often swap lenses and also use multiple camera bodies. As a live music photographer, I have limited time to capture shots during a band's performance, typically the first three songs. Therefore, having a variety of focal lengths readily available is advantageous.

I carry a Canon R5 on my right hip, which has 45 megapixels, and an EOS R6 on my left hip, which has 20 megapixels. The EOS R6 usually has a wide-angle lens attached, such as the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8. This setup allows me to quickly switch cameras if unexpected moments arise. For example, if a band member comes up close and sticks their bass head in my face, I can drop the camera in my right hand and grab the EOS R6 from my left hip with the 35mm lens to capture the moment.

On my right hip, I always have the Canon R5 with a lens like the 24-70mm f/2.8. On the left hip, I use the wide-angle lens since I don't crop those shots much due to the close proximity of subjects. Before the performance starts, I assess the stage, the band's positioning, and the stage height to determine whether to start with a 24-70mm or a 70-200mm lens. I may switch lenses between songs based on how I feel the shots are turning out. For example, if I used the 70-200mm lens for the second song, I might switch to the 24-70mm lens for the third song if I think it will perform better.

So, in summary, I employ a combination of lens swapping and using multiple camera bodies to ensure I can capture the best shots during live music assignments.

Unlocking the Power of Negative Space: A Visual Storytelling Tool

Hey Brett. Great question. What is negative space? And I'm actually going to refer to it as something else, which is in the old design World. They call it white space although it's not always white at, you know, think of a white piece of paper. I'll give you an example in a minute, but a good way to think of negative space is there are two kind of, I don't want to say competing, but two concepts in design and in photography, one of them is filled the frame. Meaning have your subject fill as much of the frame. As you can for that energy and that impact and the other one is to use the space around your subject to set scale to set the environment that they're in to give perspective on things. And negative space or whitespace is that ability to take a subject and Surround it by something else, which may be nothing. For example. One of my favorite magazine ads of all time, this goes back years and years was A bottle of Crown Royal whiskey in the middle of a magazine page. The page was Pure White, the bottle was fairly small in the bottom half and it was shattered and all it had was text in the top half of the page, which was Pure White up there, just saying grown men do cry. The scale of that white paper with a broken bottle. Kind of gave an emptiness feeling like you lost something in there and you'd lost your bottle of whiskey and grown men, do cry, white Space Blank Space - space can really, really add to a photo if it's done, right? And adds something to the story don't just do it to do it, right? If you're not sure fill the frame but used properly. Negative space has an amazingly powerful storytelling tool.

Negative space, also known as white space, is the use of empty space around a subject to set scale, environment, and perspective. It can be a powerful storytelling tool when used correctly.

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Negative space, or what is sometimes referred to as white space in the design world, is the area surrounding the main subject in a composition. It is the empty or blank space that surrounds and interacts with the subject. Negative space can be any color, not just white, and it serves as a way to create balance, set scale, and provide context or perspective in a design or photograph.

In design and photography, there are two concepts that can be used: filling the frame, where the subject occupies most of the space for impact, and using negative space to create a sense of environment or to convey a specific message. Negative space allows the subject to stand out and can add depth and storytelling elements to the composition.

An example of negative space is a magazine ad featuring a small bottle of Crown Royal whiskey placed on a pure white page. The shattered bottle and the empty white space around it evoke a feeling of loss or emptiness, emphasizing the message grown men do cry. When used effectively, negative space can enhance the visual impact and storytelling of a photograph or design.

How do you recommend going about finding a photography mentor?

Building a Photography Mentor Community: Key to Success!

The question is, how do you recommend going about finding a photography Mentor in this one is super important to me because whatever level you're at in your photography Journey, there somebody that's been there before you. So even if you're a high-end photographer you may end up in a situation where you have not encountered those those needs or questions before and there's somebody that can answer those for you or help guide you through that. So having a mentor can be super, super important, and the simple answer is Is community and relationships, right? You've got to build a community for yourself, and you've got to build relationships that matter to you. Now, for me, it was always social media. I look at Twitter as the ability for me to send text messages to somebody, whose phone number I would never have. And that's how I used to ask questions and because of that people like Rick Sam and I would ask questions of and he was at my local photography group, one time, doing a presentation, and I went up in today, I asked you questions on Twitter and since that time years and years ago, Rick and I have become friends. And in many ways he's been a mentor to me along with a number of other people. He's on this platform by the way. So what Rick? Welcome to To the platform. But I would say getting involved in some photo Community, whether it be online, whether it be through Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, or something else, really, really helps. And then there are those those physical communities that you can get involved in. For example, if you go to shows like WPI and wander the explo Expo floor, or you go to classes and you start talking to somebody and strike up a relationship that way or a Photoshop world, or Or Imaging USA or something like that, local photo groups, La Orange County. San Diego. They all have their own local photographs, they do local image competitions, getting involved in. Those can teach you a lot. You listen to what the judges say. And you build relationships with the other people that are in that competition, then you can also move up a course to state or national like PPA or something like that. So it really comes down to build your own personal community and relationships. That you can then rely on. Thanks for the question.

Finding a photography mentor can be an essential part of improving your craft and finding success. The best way to go about it is to build a community, get involved in social media, attend shows and classes, join local photography groups, and participate in competitions. By doing this, you can make connections and build relationships that can help guide you along your journey.

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Finding a photography mentor is crucial at any stage of your photography journey. The key is to build a community and establish meaningful relationships. Social media platforms like Twitter can be a great way to connect with experienced photographers and ask questions. Building relationships through online photography communities on platforms like Facebook or Instagram can also be beneficial.

In addition to online communities, consider getting involved in physical photography communities. Attend photography shows, expos, or classes where you can interact with fellow photographers and potentially find mentors. Local photography groups and competitions are also valuable resources. Participating in image competitions allows you to learn from judges' feedback and build relationships with other photographers.

Ultimately, it's about creating your own personal community and nurturing relationships that you can rely on for guidance and mentorship. By actively engaging with the photography community, both online and offline, you increase your chances of finding a mentor who can support you on your photography journey.

What qualities do professionally taken photographs have that their amateur counterparts lack?

Key Qualities: Pros Master Light, Pose, Composition, Gear

What a great question, what? Qualities do professionally taken photographs have that their amateur counterparts lack and the first thing I would say is an understanding of the medium and what it can do, a professional photographer by studying their craft tends to understand what tools are available to them Beyond. Just the camera, they understand the light plays a role, the pose plays a role, the depth plays a role, the subject matter placement plays a role. So for example, a professional would know how to Pose, somebody, if it's a person that's in the subject of the shot post, somebody that makes them look the most flattering. A landscape photographer would understand how to use that light. For example, to draw the human eye, where they want it, how to control that light and compose the scene in the strongest way. Keep in mind, the rules of composition are not really rules, people say they're guidelines, but they've existed for centuries. The old painters used compositional techniques to strengthen Their image to guide the human eye. They understand what a rule of thirds is or when a golden ratio is or they understand that if you play somebody in a landscape image, at the far edge of the image looking out of it, with space, behind them, that creates more tension than if you place them at one side with a lot of space in front of them in the image, a lot of empty space there. So a professional photographer tends to understand how to use the light. The pose, the compositional techniques and the gear. To get the best image and best story that they can amateurs. You can still take an iPhone out to a landscape and given the right day, with the right clouds, the right Sky, the right seen in the right lighting, you can get an amazing photo, right? It doesn't mean an amateur can't take of an impactful, great photo, but Pros tend to use all the tools available to them. Even those that aren't in their hands.

Professionally taken photographs have a greater understanding of the medium and its tools, such as light, composition and pose, which allows them to create more impactful and meaningful images. They also use gear and techniques to get the best possible image.

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Professionally taken photographs possess certain qualities that their amateur counterparts often lack. One key distinction is the professional's understanding of the medium and its capabilities. Through dedicated study and practice, professional photographers grasp the various tools beyond just the camera itself. They comprehend the significance of lighting, posing, depth, and subject placement.

For instance, a professional portrait photographer knows how to pose their subjects in the most flattering way. A landscape photographer understands how to utilize light to guide the viewer's attention and compose the scene effectively. While the rules of composition are not strict guidelines, professionals draw from centuries of artistic techniques to strengthen their images and direct the viewer's gaze. They are familiar with concepts like the rule of thirds or the golden ratio. They recognize how the placement of a subject within a landscape can create tension or evoke a particular mood.

Moreover, professionals have a comprehensive understanding of their gear and how to utilize it to capture the best possible image and tell a compelling story. While amateurs can still capture impactful and excellent photos with devices like an iPhone, professionals make use of all available tools, even those that may not be physically in their hands.

In summary, professionally taken photographs exhibit qualities that stem from the photographer's knowledge of the medium, their ability to manipulate light, pose subjects effectively, employ compositional techniques, and utilize their gear to its fullest potential.

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Steve Brazill is a music photographer based in Southern California. He is also the host of the Behind the Shot Podcast. Music has been a special force in Steve’s life for as long as he can remember. As a radio host, emcee, and voice actor, he’s been around the music and entertainment industry for many years. You can find him on air at KCAL FM where he also handles their concert photography. Steve is one of the photographers at Toyota Arena where his goal is to combine his love of music and photography and tell viewers a story about the show. 