Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The internet is a gold mine of information about cameras, lenses, and other photography equipment.
But there’s always a fair amount of BS circulating.
There are opinions masquerading as fact.
We’re constantly told to buy new gear… while also hearing that gear doesn’t matter.
So I’ve decided to lay out the truth about camera gear as I see it:
I switched to Sony from Canon on December 31, 2014.
Since then, I’ve cranked through over 50,000 frames on my Sony cameras in the past 4+ years of shooting.
I upgraded to the A7 III in October 2018, following a brief stint where I considered a switch to Fujifilm or Olympus.
So now’s a good time to take a look back at the pluses — and minuses — of my switch to Sony from Canon.
Let’s start with something you need to hear if you are thinking of switching camera system:
On May 30, 2019, controversial free stock photo site Unsplash announced that it crossed the 1 million images uploaded mark.
That had much of the photo blogosphere up in arms.
Many photographers hate Unsplash because it encourages people to give away their pictures for nothing — not even credit.
But, I’m going to argue that Unsplash’s 1 million photo milestone is no big deal — outside of stock photography, at least.
I love Instagram.
But I worry that it’s driving my fellow photographers crazy.
I’ve seen so many photographers do so many wacky things in search of Instafame that I’ve given the madness a name.
I call it… Instagram Derangement Syndrome.
OnPortraits.com was built to fulfill a positive mission: I want to give you actionable tips and tactics so you can create the portrait photographs you want.
But I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, and I want to talk about 4 things I truly hate about portrait photography in 2019.
Are you a portrait photographer in search of a 2019 New Year’s resolution?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really stressed over the prospect of another year of not reaching my photography goals.
On Not Photographing My Mom
I picked up a camera in 2008.
And I laid my mother to rest in 2010.
Guess what I never got around to?
That’s right – I never created a real portrait of her before we said goodbye.
Portrait photography gives us all different kinds of things.
You connect with interesting people you’d have never met otherwise.
You capture memories of your kids that will last forever.
And maybe you have some fun doing it.
But maybe portrait photography isn’t just about pictures — or the great experiences we have when making those pictures.
Maybe it’s the life lessons we pick up along the way, like:
Do you want to create effective portraits? Then you’ve got to learn what to say to your subjects… and more importantly, what not to say. Remember the 10th Commandment of Portrait Photography: Do no harm. It’s the photographer’s job to make the subject comfortable. If your subject is comfortable, you’ll get better expressions. Better expressions mean better pictures.
That’s why I put together this handy-dandy list of 7 things you should never say to your portrait subjects… and what you should stay instead. Plus, I even put my secret “don’t smile” tip down at the bottom of this article. Now, what’s the worst thing you can say to a portrait subject? Simple! It’s…
Jedi mind tricks are not just for Jedi.
They’re for you too.
Us portrait photographers face a difficult mission.
We must form instant connections with our subjects.
Have you ever photographed someone with whom you just can’t click?
I have, and it sucks.
To avoid awkward suckiness , I recommend using some of these handy Jedi mind tricks.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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