Five Steps to Becoming a Better Photographer

1. P is not for professional. So you pick up your camera, switch the mode dial to P, or if you are really getting fancy perhaps even shutter speed or aperture priority. But how do you go shooting in manual mode? Are you on top of all the decisions you are faced with? Leaving your camera on manual for a while may feel awkward at first but after a short period you will gain a much better understanding of aperture, shutter speed and ISO and how the three correlate to determine exposure. After you are comfortable shooting in manual there will be situations in which you still shoot aperture or shutter priority however you will be better informed to select the right mode for the situation and to evaluate the decisions you are putting into your cameras hands.

2. The lower your ISO the cleaner your images. Digital photographs contain artifacts known as "Noise". The higher you set your ISO the more noise your images will exhibit. Thus always use the lowest ISO you can, just don't forget to be mindful of your aperture and shutter speed and make sure they are correct for the situation at hand.

3. Understand shutter speeds and how to use them to your benefit. The general rule for hand held photography in order to maintain sharp images free of camera shake is that you should use a shutter speed no slower that 1/focal length. Fop example lets say you are shooting with a 50mm lens, the slowest shutter speed recommended for sharp hand help photos would be 1/50th sec, if you were to use a 250mm lens the slowest recommended hand held shutter speed would be 1/250th sec. There are of course exceptions to this rule, you may be able to get away with slower shutter speeds if using a flash. Another option is to use a tripod which is a great idea in general as it leads to more purposeful and thought out images.

4. Make the most of depth of field. If you don't already understand aperture and it's effect on depth of field do some research and learn it. Used creatively and with purpose DOF can transform average photos into great photos. Try shooting some portraits with a shallow DOF in order to render the focus on the subject and remove the distraction of messy backgrounds. An easy way to remember it is that the smaller the f stop (e.g. f 1.8) the smaller the DOF, the larger the f stop (e.g. f16) the larger the DOF.

5. Understand fill flash and when and how to use it. On camera flash can look flat and unflattering however used as fill with the flash power set to approx 1 stop under ambient you will be able to open up the shadows and obtain portraits under full harsh sunlight whilst avoiding the heavy shadows in the eyes. This will lead to more professional looking portraits with greater detail and more flattering light.

By understanding a few simple principles and techniques you can push your photography forward in leaps and bounds. Now get shooting!

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How to Create a Successful Photography Business - The 7 Steps to Success

Photographers have asked me for years for the magic formula for success in the photography business. I used to say there was no formula but I have now decided I was wrong. When I look closely at the steps taken by photographers who have achieved successes, I see different variations of the same process; I call this process The 7 Steps to Success.

First of all, let me be clear, the successful photographers I am talking about are not the Annie Leibovitz's, of the world. I am talking about photographers you may never hear of, or read about in PDN. They may sit next to you at an APA and ASMP meetings. You might have seen their post on a photoeditor.com but most likely you'll never even know they exist.

However, they are successful, as each one at different times in their career has reached their creative and financial goals. They have achieved their success, by employing not one or two steps but all 7 steps to success and by putting all of the essential parts needed into place. That's the key.

Here are the 7 Steps:

Step 1- A talent based body of work ready to sell, (this means a defined visual approach around a specific subject with enough samples to build trust with potential clients.)

Step 2- A deep database of appropriate contacts (and a smaller more researched group of contacts for in person visits)

Step 3- Several different marketing/sales channels (at least 4 or 5 is best)

Step 4- Marketing materials that are visually branded to move the visual message forward

Step 5- Perseverance

Step 6- Faith in your ability

Step 7- Patience...than means allowing for a 2-4 year timeline before seeing consistent results.

Notice that I wrote that those who were successful worked ALL of the steps above not just one or two of them.

Over the years I have met photographers who get one or two steps of the program but don't jump in completely. Maybe they get the vision piece but do very little marketing. Some photographers may now understand that they need to market using different channels but most have not yet embraced the concept of incorporating the other elements of the mix. The biggest mistake that photographers make, is that most never give the program the time it truly takes for their efforts to manifest.

The successful photographer is the person that understands and incorporates all The 7 Steps to Success consistently and congruently and gives their effort time to evolve into a successful business.

? 2010 Selina Maitreya

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