Sunday 7 July 2013

Tips for Approaching & Photographing Strangers

Tips for Approaching & Photographing Strangers

Link to PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Tips for Approaching & Photographing Strangers

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 04:24 PM PDT

Street photography can be nerve-racking for some people. The idea of talking to strangers and/or capturing photos of them can be daunting. There are a lot of complaints people give for not doing street photography, but there are solutions to all of these issues. In this video, Adam Marelli goes step-by-step in discussing the top 10 complaints that he hears from street photographers (for those of you reading this by email, the seminar can be seen here):

Adam Marelli’s 10 Complaints About Street Photography:

  • “I didn’t want to ruin the moment” - If you’re awkward about it, yeah, you might ruin the moment. But just be confident and act like you know what you’re doing. You’re taking a photograph because you’re a photographer, don’t act like you’re spying on someone for the CIA.
  • “I only had 3 seconds” - You don’t always have to go chasing photos. Try finding a scene and waiting for people to come to you.
  • “It’s a game of luck and chance” - There is some luck and chance to photography, yes. We can’t change the outside light and we can’t tear down an annoying billboard in the background. But you can setup a scene, and you can make the most out of what you have. If it was all a game of chance, nobody could do photography for a living.
  • “My lens cap was on” - Be prepared. Simple as that. Lens cap off, settings adjusted, ready to shoot.
  • “I left the camera at home” - You won’t always have your camera with you, and you may miss some great opportunities this way, but don’t be dismayed. Bring your camera when you can. Leave it if you don’t think it’s a good idea. There will always be more shots.
  • “I had to shoot it from the hip” - Shooting from the hip can provide a neat perspective, but it’s very hard to control you scene when doing so. This is only leaving your good shots up to chance. If you need to shoot low, then get down low and frame the scene.
  • “I saw what’s-his-name do it” - Don’t obsess over what others are doing. Even if you admire someone’s work, you don’t’ want to copy it. Be original.
  • “That is how the scene looked” - When something obtrusive enters your photo on accident, don’t make up excuses. Find a way around it. Move around, turn around. There are plenty of ways to manipulate the scene to avoid things that don’t benefit your photo.
  • “When I zoom in, look at the detail” - Sharpness shouldn’t be your top priority. You’re looking for great images. Images that say something about the people or society. Sharp photos are great, but shouldn’t be your top concern.
  • “I don’t know what to shoot” - If you’re meandering about, it can be hard to find things to shoot. However, if you have something particular in mind, it’s often easier to find that thing. Have an idea of what you want to shoot when you leave the house. The more vague your idea is, that harder it may be to find.
street photography woman

Be aware of your surroundings and look for those special moments

For Further Training on Street Photography:

Have you been wanting to learn more about the technical and conceptual aspects of Street Photography? This 141 page eBook covers everything about the genre even down to specific post processing techniques that can bring the best out of street scenes (& includes a bonus eBook of interviews with famous street photographers). We were able to arrange a 25% discount which ends soon. Simply use the code picturecorrect at checkout.

It can be found here: Essentials of Street Photography Guide


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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Interesting Photo of the Day: Petra, the City Carved in Rock

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 01:27 PM PDT

Petra, also known as the Rose City, is an ancient city in Jordan that experts claim was built as early as 312 BC. Its defining feature is the massive structures carved out of the rock walls that make up the city. The architecture of this city is definitely impressive, but the perspective of this photograph adds even more emphasis to the size and grandness of this place:

petra jordan rose city huge rock wall carving structure architecture

One of the great stone carved structures of the Rose City (Click for Larger View, Imgur)

Perspective can heavily influence any picture. In this photo, the the size of the building is emphasized by capturing it alongside the giant rock face and the people below. It’s obvious to see that the photographer is very high up, yet the structure is almost as tall as he is high and the people look like ants in comparison.

Adding people to a photograph is one of the best ways to gain perspective in a photo. When you look at a photo of a long waterfall or giant tree, it can be hard to gauge the size if there is little context to help. Adding a person will give you an immediate frame of reference because, well, everyone knows how big people are.


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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Enlisting Strangers on the Street to Photograph as Fashion Models

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 11:56 AM PDT

Organizing a fashion editorial from top to bottom usually entails quite a bit of planning ahead of time. Coordinating a team, venue and date sounds simple, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. There are also permits for shooting on location, lighting conditions, weather conditions to consider. Would a week of preparation be enough? Maybe. Would two weeks be more convenient? Possibly? Is it possible to do it in 5 days? Some people would say probably not, but the Superstudio team defied the odds in their efforts to streetcast everyday people in Argentina without all the bells and whistles fashion editorials usually come packaged with (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here):

No uber complicated lighting setups, no booked models and certainly no food bar waiting backstage. Using people they came across on the streets, Superstudio put together a catalogue of photos for their client, nn07.

man smiling
bearded man posing by sign
bearded man laying on street
girl posing in cafe
woman wearing casual clothes
man posing by graffiti wall

The urban details mesh well with the style of clothing presented in the catalogue, and even though the models are not your typical cookie-cutter models you see in modeling agencies, the photographers were able to do them justice with good photography technique and creativity.

friends smiling
woman wearing yellow top
girl posing by cafe entrance
couple doing tango
man wearing polka dot polo
girl wearing blue top

For Further Training on Street Photography:

James Maher authored this popular 141 page eBook covering everything about the genre even down to specific post processing techniques that can bring the best out of street scenes. We were able to arrange a 25% discount which expires soon. Simply use the code picturecorrect at checkout.

It can be found here: Essentials of Street Photography Guide


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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

The Canon 70D’s New Dual Pixel AF Technology, Man it’s Fast

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 10:39 AM PDT

When Canon first introduced HD video capabilities on its 5D Mark ii in 2009, it revolutionized video production. Filmmakers everywhere could record on the camera’s large sensor and quality lenses at a fraction of traditional costs. But many features that were standard to dedicated video cameras, like proper audio recording capabilities and autofocus, still lacked.

To it’s credit, Canon (and others) have been catching up their technology. And now, with the introduction of the 70D, Canon debuted an innovative autofocus technology that will please DSLR video enthusiasts everywhere.

It’s called “Dual Pixel CMOS AF” and it zips the camera’s focus in live view with impressive speed. How fast is it? Check out this short video to see it in action (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here):

The new technology is a significant improvement. Previously, DSLRs were slow, would “focus hunt” or worse be unable to autofocus during recording. However, this iteration appears to be quick and reliable. Canon’s product page uses the words “game-changing” and “revolutionary” to describe it.  And they just might be right.


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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

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