Fifer Photography Blog

putting your right foot forward

Everyone has heard the term ‘Any publicity is good publicity’. In some cases this may be true, but in photography, it is a fine line that can have drastic results.

THE NITCH
Being a photographer often means finding a certain type and focusing your efforts to this one style. You have spent years honing your craft and then in one small instant, it can all fade away faster than tide pullback before a tsunami.

This can’t be more true than with family and children photography.

BE CAREFUL
If you are advertising family and children’s portraits and then fill your portfolio/website with scantily clad fashion models, most level-headed parents would wonder if you are going to photograph their kids in the same manner/feel the models were shot in… and most likely move on to another photographer. Parents often network, so news can quickly spread around the neighborhood… good or bad. As a photographer, you don’t want to be on the latter end of that news. Getting a bad reputation (if even perceived) from parents can be a career-ending proposition for some one that has chosen to specialize in that kind of photography.

These are some simple rules I follow for photographing children.

• Never, ever photograph a child unless their parent has specifically asked you to do so, or they are a part of public display (such as a parade).
• Always (without exception) have the parents present when doing a shoot, either in the studio or on location.
• Never touch a child. If they need reposing or some other kind of attention, get their parents to do the task for you.
• Always engage the parents. Don’t just start shooting the child and emerge minutes later. Talk to them throughout the process. Let them see some of the images you are taking and let them know you are open to suggestions.

By following these guidelines (and even coming up with a few of your own), you will gain the trust of the parents. They will spread the (good) word to other parents and pretty soon, you will have them asking you to take photos of their children.

If you are even the slightest bit interested in image/photo editing, I’m sure you have heard the big news that CS5 is out. This not only covers Photoshop, but the suite of applications that happily make their home beside Photoshop. In this blog entry however, we are going to stick to the most famous of the clan.

Adobe and educators are banging the pots and pans over this release. I can understand Adobe wants to make a profit, and I understand that educators, like Kelby Media (if you are the big dog, you get more fleas) trying to get everyone to buy it. If nobody is buying the software, there go book sales, online training, and seminars. Shangri-La dries up. If I sound like I have some sour grapes, I don’t really. May Scott and crew continue for many years to come. Heck, I would even come to one of the seminars, if they were a little freak’n closer… like Omaha, maybe? I just want to keep an eye on reality.

While this version of Photoshop has some nice features, none has made me stand up and shout cool! It has left me out of the ‘wow’ crowd, and in some cases just plain let me down. Without wasting any time, let’s dive right into the new features worth giving a mention. Continue reading

Concerts can be fun venues to shoot. If you take some time and don’t rush things, they can be equality as rewarding.

Gear
Because concerts usually take place in the evening, if at all possible, use the fastest lens you have. An f2.8 would be the best, but even an f4 can do a decent job. If you have two bodies (or can borrow an extra one), put a long lens on one for taking close-ups and a wide lens on the other for taking wide shots of the band. That way, you won’t be standing there changing lenses as the action rolls by you.

Hangin’ Out
Instead of moving all over the stage, trying to catch that great expression or body posture. Slow down some. The band is not going to play 1-2 songs and leave. Usually, they are there for a couple of hours (at least). Pick out a person and ‘hang out’ with them for a while, even a full song. The important thing is to never take your eye from the view finder. If you have your camera down and they start to do something photo-worthy, by the time you get the camera up to your eye and focus, it will be too late. Constantly follow that person and refocus often, never taking the camera away from your eye. Then, when they strike that killer rock ‘n roll pose, you will be ready.

Don’t worry about the other band members ‘getting away’. If they are doing something interesting now, they will be doing the same sort of thing 3 songs from now… it is a part of their stage presence.

I used to worry about getting that killer shot at concerts. I would take a shot of one person… oh wait…. There is that guy over there! Quick, get that guy! I would get myself so worked up that I would inevitably forget basic camera stuff, like monitoring my exposure. With the camera at the ready all the time and on the same person, if they are having a ‘down’ moment, you can quickly take it away from your eye and make any adjustments, if needed (if you are really good and know your controls, you can do this with the camera still to your eye).

Now, instead of having to make a decision of what image is good enough to keep, you will be faced with what images do I want to/should I discard. You will have many more good shots than bad.