It’s summer and the days are long and sunny. If you shoot portraits outdoors, the harsh midday sun may mess up with your plans. You can embrace it and incorporate it into your shots, but you can also create your own shade and modify or even block the harsh rays of the sun. In this 2-minute video, photographer David Bergman of Adorama will show you a couple of possible solutions for creating your own shade without changing the shooting location.
How to shoot a day-to-night transition, the holy grail of timelapses
The day-to-night transition has been the holy grail for timelapse photographers since timelapse first became a thing. What makes it difficult is rather obvious. The exposure is constantly changing as time passes. But dealing with that change in exposure over the course of an hour or two is not so straightforward.
But it’s not impossible to achieve, and there are various ways to do it, as David Bergman discusses in this video. Each of the methods has their own advantages and disadvantages, and which technique you’ll use will depend on your own judgement. But this will give you a great starting point to make your own.
Here’s how to mimic the sunlight using only a single flash
I love it when the warm light of the setting sun fills up the room. It looks nice in photos, and it’s good to know that you can recreate it at any time of day. In this video from Adorama TV, photographer David Bergman will show you how to mimic the warm sunlight using only a single speedlight.
This is why catchlights are important for both portrait photographers and their audience
Eyes are the windows to the soul and a very important element in every portrait photo. In this video, photographer David Bergman focuses on a very particular part of portrait photography – catchlights. In only two minutes, he’ll teach you why catchlights are important in your portraits. But he also shares a tip about what you can learn what you can learn from other people’s photos only by analyzing catchlights.
What are lens hoods really for and how do you use them?
If you listen to folks on Facebook, you might think that lens hoods are designed as some form of mystical lens protection. They’re often touted as the alternative to UV filters as a way to defend your lens against the evils of the world that might otherwise turn it to glass dust.
But, no, their primary function is actually to flag stray light from entering into your lens and causing flare. In this video from Adorama TV, photographer David Bergman talks about lens hoods, when you might want to use one and when you might not.
The beginner’s guide to using grids with softboxes
Every day I see people posting in Facebook groups asking about softboxes and whether or not they should buy one with a grid. Personally, I always advise going for one that comes with a grid. Even if you don’t know why you might need it yet, if you get one without and then find out that you need one, it can often be impossible to source just the right size and shape.
But what exactly do grids do? And do you really need one? That’s what photographer David Bergman looks at in this two-minute video. He goes over what grids are for and when you might choose to use one. I have grids for all of my softboxes and octaboxes. I don’t always use them, but when I do need them, they’re absolutely invaluable.
Start culling your photos for a more effective portfolio
One of the most common things I see today, especially from newer photographers is posting far too many images from a session online. We’ve all seen it, and probably all done it at some point. You go to a photographer’s page, look at their photos, and you see 50 images from one shoot, followed by 50 from another, then 50 from another.
While we’re proud of many things we create, this can really dilute our most impressive work. In this two-minute tips video, photographer David Bergman explains why we should edit ourselves and cull our work down to only the very best.
What it’s like to shoot behind the scenes on tour with Bon Jovi
Photographing huge gigs like those of acts like Bon Jovi is the dream of just about every would-be concert photographer. To go on tour with them, get exclusive behind the scenes access, and have millions of people see your work? Well, that’s just fantasy. For most of us, at least. But for photographer David Bergman, that’s been his reality for the past seven years.
This video from AdoramaTV profiles David’s journey as a concert photographer. David talks about how he started off his career, and shot for big clients including Sports Illustrated, through to finding himself touring with Bon Jovi.
How to stop your lenses from fogging up and why you need to
Lenses fogging up usually isn’t a big problem for me here in the UK. But it is a problem I’ve faced while shooting in warmer climates. You go from a nice cool air conditioned building to the hot and humid outdoors and there it goes. Within 10 seconds, your lens is virtually impossible to see through.
If your lens is weather sealed, it’s just a waiting game for it to clear up. If it’s not, you can face long term consequences. This two minute tips video from David Bergman offers several ways to prevent fog on your lenses when you change environments.
Learn how to read your histogram and nail exposure in just 2 minutes
Histograms are handy things. They either confirm that you’ve nailed your exposure or let you instantly see if you need to adjust. But, they can be difficult for newer photographers to understand.
In this Two Minute Tips video, photographer David Bergman shows you everything you need to know about reading your histogram.
