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Photography Discussion – Can you make it as a Photographer Today?
A major question and concern for many photographers looking to make photography a career these days is “Can you make it as a photographer”? Brandon who is currently in college and is the photo editor of the school paper asked me this question during a recent SKYPE call. With the barrier for entry at a low point and the easy access to pro gear many people have flocked to being a photographer in the hopes of making it big. But the question still remains can they make it as a photographer today?
To answer this question I want to step back to a personal experience I had in the past with a Sports Illustrated photographer. He wanted to warn me that photography is a very very hard career to get into. I took what he said the wrong way, I thought he was telling me I would not make it or I should give up right there. What he was really doing was being honest, telling it like it is which so many people are afraid to do today.
My short answer to the question is YES, you can make it as a photographer today. But like with any other profession, many will try and not all will succeed. Let’s look at the things I think you can do to set yourself up to make it as a photographer today. I want to just do a brain dump on ideas and things you can do as a photographer of all ages. I want to make this point very clear, YOUR AGE DOES NOT MATTER!!!! I don’ care if you are 12 or 72, you can make it as a photographer.
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Quick TIp – Tips for using your camera batteries in the cold
Have you ever wondered why it seems like your batteries drained quicker in the cold and what you can do to keep your batteries warm?
Many people who shoot outside are faced with needing to bring more batteries as it seems that they tend to die quicker in the cold. The cold may make your batteries last longer by slowing them down but they are not able to give you the power you need in the cold. Here are a few tips you can use to ensure that your batteries last longer outside.
Some batteries like AAA/AA may last longer in the cold but they may not give you the power that you need when you need it. Your camera batteries like in your DSLR bodies tend to drain quicker in the cold.
1. Don’t keep your cameras and batteries in your car or in a cold room. I know it sounds simple but when you leave your camera in the car or garage in the cold the batteries will not be as responsive.
2. When you are out in the cold, take your batteries out of your camera and flash and keep them close to your body. You can keep them in an inside pocket of a jacket. Be sure to have the battery covers in place so the battery contacts do not make contact with your skin.
3. Use something like a glove, scarf, sock or hat to hold your batteries inside your pocket for more protection.
How To Build a Photography Portfolio for College Part 3
Part 1 and Part 2 I was helping Sam try to figure out his style as well as sending him off to capture more images for us to choose from. Part 3 brings this process to a close when we start to narrow down all of his images to the 10 keepers for his portfolio.
I want to point out that I am not telling Sam what images he has to use in his portfolio. I am merely giving my professional opinion on what I think would work best for his college entrance portfolio. I mention that a few ties to him, that I think this would be a strong image but if there is another image you feel strongly about feel free to use it.
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Photographing the Q102 Jingle Ball
The Q102 Jingle Ball comes around to town each year bringing the current days musical acts to play. I used this opportunity to further the First Person Shooter Project which allows you to see via a video camera on top of my camera what I am capturing images of.
As you will see in the first part of the video I am breaking down concert photography tips for you from the venue. Remember these tips just don’t apply to concert photography, they are tips that can be used in any situation you may find yourself in.
Please follow my during the day as I break down all aspects of this photo shoot from the gear I am using to tips and tricks from the pit.
Here is a list of some of the acts I was photographing.
Playing this years concert were Avirl Lavigne, Big Time Rush, Flo Rida, Kelly Clarkson, LMFAO, Demi Lovato, Gym Class Heros.
Click Here to see all the images from this shoot
Nikon D800 Preview
We are going LIVE on Spreecast at 11:30PM to discuss this NEW CAMERA CLICK HERE TO JOIN.
Here is is the Spreecast discussing the Nikon D800 and D800E
Second Spreecast discussing the Nikon D88
Nikon has finally announced the long awaited D800 FULL FRAME CAMERA. This thing is a monster for its price tage of $2,999.95. Though it is a monster it does have a few things missing that I wish it had. Be sure to check out the video below to get my full take on who this camera is for, will I be getting one as well as any other information you are looking for.
By the way there are two models of this camera, the D800 and the D800E which has no low-pass filter.
If you would like to pick up a Nikon D800 or any other Nikon gear please check out AllensCamera.com or call 215.547.2841.
Live From My Loft on my Birthday – Illinois
On Jan 21st I had a birthday party at my loft with a bunch of great friends and a great band named Illinois. You can watch the full performance below in full HD though you will see its a little on the shaky side. Keep in mind we were filming this for fun and learned quite a bit for doing this the next time.
Click Here to see all the FULL RES images
During the concert you can see me running around on and off stage capturing images. I did not plan on taking pictures but as soon as the band started to set up their gear I knew I had to grab my camera. There was something that went off in my head that said you have to shoot this. I love when that happens, everything else leaves my mind and I get into image making mode. I start to see things that draw my attention that I know I need to capture. Click Here to see all the FULL RES images.
It just felt right to capture the images in my loft. It felt like this is my place, my set up and I could do and capture whatever I wanted. As you will see in the images below, I captured a ton of angles with a bunch of lenses in black and white and color. I walk you through a large number of images from keepers to ones with slight corrections could turn into keeps.
My concert photo critique
Full LIVE performance from Illinois
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How to set your Meter for Concert Lighting
Have you ever wondered why your images are coming out extremely dark when you are shooting live events? Well the main reason is that your light meter is being thrown off by the stage lights. What is happening is your light meter is seeing extremely bright stage lights and it is tricking your camera to “think” there is a ton of light in the whole scene when there really isn’t.
Let me paint the picture for you. If you are inside and you see your light meter read 1/8000 of a second you should know that that is not correct. Now its correct in the term that if you were shooting just the stage lights it would need to be shot that fast. But if you are trying to capture a band they would just come out dark because of such a fast shutter speed. This is all part of the mentality of photography and knowing when something is either to good to be true or just can not be right.
So, if you are attempting to capture a band on stage and you don’t want to come back with all dark images what can you do? In this video I talk about getting out of aperture priority and getting into manual. The reason we are getting into manual is so you set your shutter speed opposed to the camera attempting to set it for you. You will start to understand when looking through your camera what shutter speeds should work and what shutter speeds will cause issues.
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The Road to Austin Episode #1
Click below for the FULL Spreecast.
Please CLICK HERE to follow me on Spreecast to be notified anytime I create a NEW one as well as when I am going LIVE.
Click Here to join us at 1:30 PM EST Jan 24th
