Photography things I learned and still learning!
I am not going to tell you I know everything when it comes to photography. I can share with you what I have experienced and learned has greatly increased my quality of work. When I go out to a photoshoot, I become a very heavy listener. The reason for that is I can understand my client more and what their vision and taste they are striving to achieve. Of course, I have my style and creativity when it comes to my photography. In the field I work in, where I am meeting numerous clients with many objectives for their businesses; it becomes important to me that I exceed the expectations.
This doesn’t make things easier because you will still fall short and not have happy clients. That is part of life in whatever you may do, unfortunately. I find it educational that moments like this happen because it allows me to evaluate what all happens with a client from start to finish. What I mean by that is simply asking yourself. What could I have done better? In a recent photoshoot, a client wasn’t happy with my work. A lot of times clients won’t express why they aren’t happy, which can leave you scattered-brained, as it did me. I knew from a little talk with them about the photoshoot, it wasn’t influencer enough. Made me think to myself that I didn’t ask the proper questions before or during the photo shoot. Not enough research went into whom the client was and their audience.
These can come across as very common things to do and ask, but it also is the easiest to overlook. The kind of photography that I do for my job is fast-paced and hectic. We release an issue every quarter throughout the year. Which has different photos and features for ads, project files, stories, product guides, and much more. During each issue, it’s about a three-month timeframe that the issue needs to be completed for the quarter. With such a tight deadline, things start to become repetitive pretty quickly. Scheduling a photoshoot almost every single day and having multiple throughout each day. This makes the days go by fast, but this also is a refresher for me that organization is essential, as well as slowing yourself down to limit errors.
The kind of photography that I take are of homes being interior, exterior, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. I never really have subjects involved because I am more focused on capturing spaces and what has been remodeled. This is not a strong skill of mine. As time goes on, and I learn more in my photography, I believe that I will become better and more comfortable behind the camera when taking photos of subjects. The photos I have taken with subjects involved have turned out very well in my opinion. However, I am always wanting some sort of feedback from my colleagues who have been doing photography way longer than me with more experience and taking photos with subjects involved.
Learning fast but smart!
Even when I started taking some photos with this new company I am working for. There were countless things I learned within my first couple of photoshoots I never thought about. For example, my height is something I need to consider when setting up an angle to capture space. I found myself setting the tripod a little higher than what would be the normal perspective of someone who is not as tall as I am. After making those adjustments, I started to realize how big of a difference it was from before I was shooting. Furthermore, learning about bracket shots has made me view these spaces in a different light. Being able to fine-tune all the settings like ISO, focal point, exposure, etc. to make sure I capture high-quality photos.
There are numerous ways you can capture the space you are photographing. Once you have captured all the photos you need, it’s time for the editing process. I’m not going to go into depth about how I edit photos or any kind of tips or tricks when it comes to editing. When it comes to the editing process, it is important when you are out on your photoshoot you were considering those extra steps when lining up for the shot. In other words, you don’t want an object or person who wasn’t supposed to be in the frame in that photo. Then having to remove them later when editing. It’s taking that little extra attention to detail when you’re behind the camera that will save you so much more time in your editing process. The quality and performance when you are back sitting at your desk will greatly improve. That is because now you are taking more time to focus on the editing that needs to be done like the lighting, color grading, and other details for each photo.
Pick up your camera!
If you are starting in photography, don’t be scared of failure. Failure is the top thing that has happened and still happens to me that has shaped who I am when it comes to my photography and skills. Always be open to trying different ways you are shooting certain products or subjects or spaces. I think as a photographer, we get stuck in such a routine and a style that we are comfortable with that we never truly try to expand or experience new things. I refer to myself as a professional photographer, but I don’t consider my work to be the best of the best, as I’m constantly looking for improvements to become the best of the best.
Let me know me what camera gear you are using and how it works for you. Comment below to show off some of your great photography!
Camera I am using is the: Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
Concluding, photography things I learned and still learning, is that I hope you have learned something new today or even a little more about photography. Please do share with friends or co-workers. Furthermore, please give me a clap and follow to see the latest post and consider on becoming a Medium member, buy me a coffee and see you next post!