Guest Blogger - Samantha Townsend

I'm pleased to welcome, quite literally from the other side of the planet, Australian photographer, Samantha Townsend. Sam runs Shuttersnap Photography, a wedding and portrait photography business based out of Brisbane. I stumbled across her work online a few months ago and just absolutely loved her fresh style. We're very lucky to have her sharing some tips on taking our portrait photography to another level. Without further ado, take it away Samantha...

Recharging Your Portrait Photography

Written By: Samantha Townsend, Shuttersnap Photography

As a wedding and portrait photographer, my favorite part of my job is taking the bridal portraits. It's a great opportunity to explore your creativity and have a bit of fun.

I'm always looking at ways I can do something new and fresh. Frankly, it is pretty hard sometimes and I struggle. It’s all too easy to fall back on your 'greatest hits' - after all, they worked once. Why not again? Staying on top of your game (and avoiding repetition) is a constant challenge, but it’s what makes photography exciting. Here are some tips on how to improve your portraits.

Know your weaknesses

Before you start shooting, it's important to know what your weaknesses are. Take a step back and look over your work with an honest, unflinching eye. Are there any patterns emerging? Do you take the same photograph again and again? Are there certain areas you need technical help with? If you are having trouble, seek out a friend who can be brutally honest (but in the nicest possible way!). 

Once you have identified your problem areas, you need to work on them. Not great at flash photography? Find out what the best available books are on the topic and purchase or borrow them.  Are you like me and take a lot of your photographs from a vertical perspective? Next time you photograph someone, try a horizontal perspective instead.

Practice, practice, practice and you will soon see a difference.

A new angle

There are two people standing in front of you. How do you photograph them? Many people would simply raise their camera at eye level and press the shutter release. There's nothing wrong with this, but there are plenty of other options you could try. Step out of your comfort zone and take a photograph from a new perspective. Experiment a little - rules are mean to be broken!

Shooting sideways is one option....

...and shooting down is another.

Switch lenses

Shooting with a different lens is a great way to freshen up your portraits. Always using your zoom lens? Try a wide-angle lens or the macro that's been sitting in your bag for months. Fixed lens are terrific as they force you to get close to the action and consider your shots more. Hire a lens for the weekend and see what you can come up with. There's a world of possibilities out there.  

It’s all about the light

Always remember the light. Focus on finding great light, rather than a great location. As long as the light is right, you can make a dingy alleyway look terrific.

Shoot into the sun

It may sound counter-intuitive and against everything you may have learnt, but shooting into the light can produce amazing results. I have shot some of my best portraits by shooting into the sun.

This photo was taken in a car park, believe it or not. Despite the strange location, the light was amazing and I knew instantly the shots would be good.

Depth of field

Experimenting with depth of field can result in some cool pictures. Try a shallow depth of field and place your main subject in the foreground and your secondary subject in the background (or vice versa).

Busy backgrounds

I prefer backgrounds that are clean and clutter-free. Take a few seconds before you press the shutter and look around. Are there any signs in the background? Rubbish on the ground? If there is, remove it. Believe me; it only takes an empty coke can to ruin a perfectly good photograph.

Face up to the facts

Remember, not all portraits need to focus on the face. You can also capture the essence of a person, place or time by focusing on other body parts like their hands, eyes, feet, etc.

I was at a wedding at Surfers Paradise earlier this year and was looking for a different way to capture the beach setting and the relaxed, casual atmosphere. I looked down and there was my answer!

Know your subject

It sounds obvious, but establishing a rapport with your subject does wonders. If your subject is uncomfortable, you will see it in the images. Be sincere, be nice and everything else will flow.

Read more

I often read magazines or art books to see how the subjects are posed in the photographs. I’ll store some of the images away in my mind, and then reinterpret them on a photo shoot. The idea is to find inspiration and then put your own little spin on things. Remember, copying is not cool.

One new idea

Before each wedding or engagement shoot, I like to think of one new idea I can photograph. Find some quiet time with a notebook (or just your thoughts) and plan out what you will do. It might be a new photographic technique, a new angle or a new pose. I find that this keeps my work fresh and helps me stay inspired and excited about photography.

Back to Blogging

 

 

Well, we thoroughly enjoyed the rest and recuperation that came with our spring hiatus from the blog. Thank you so much for all the comments and suggestions that came in as we brainstormed new and interesting features for the blog.

We're excited to share with you some of the new things that are going on with Towner Jones Photography.

1. Photographer Spotlight - (New Feature) The Photographer Spotlight will feature a photographers whose work we've discovered and enjoyed. The hope of this new feature is to share the gifts of other talented individuals to inspire you (and us) to broaden our vision and sharpen our skills. 
2. Guest Blogs - It's been a while since we've had some guest bloggers, but that's about to change. Paired with our Photographer Spotlight series, featured photographers will have the opportunity to guest blog the Tuesday following their feature on the site. This will give you a chance to see a little more about what's going on behind the camera.
3. Photowalks - We've got two great photowalks planned which we'll be announcing in the days ahead
4. Monthly Contest - You've been asking for it, so we're bringing it back. Make sure you check back on Friday for the details of the June Monthly Photo Contest.
5. On Assignment with Towner Jones Photography II - By popular demand, and the support of some great sponsors, on July 1st we'll be announcing the details of this year's assignment.
6. Client Photos, Special Projects, Tutorials, and More - Be on the look out for all of our standards. We've got a lot of great stuff from the past few months to share, and some exciting new projects on the horizon.

Dropbox Review w/Chris Stern

My buddy Chris Stern introduced me to a pretty interesting online service called Dropbox. It's an awesome collaboration tool, and I'm excited to see the ways I end up using it. I planned to write a short summary of what it was about, when I had a great idea... get Chris to write it for me. :-)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Chris Stern.

In this review, we are going to take a look at a software program called Dropbox.  I was first introduced to this software program by Brian Mataish whom I know through Flickr.  He recommended this software program to me as an easy way to share photos for critiquing purposes.  In addition, he shared an easy way to export your photos from LR to Dropbox via an export preset.

Dropbox is a software program which allows you to do things like syncing files across multiple computers, sharing files with others via shared folders or to use as an online backup.  You are not limited in using the just one of the features, in fact, you can use them all if you would like.  The nice thing about Dropbox is it gives you 2GB of free storage space to use and you can get more web space by inviting friends to Dropbox who register and install the software.  The good thing is both you and your friend will get more storage space so it is a win-win situation. 

After downloading the software, there are a couple of things to note.  First of all, when downloading the software, I would recommend installing the Dropbox folder somewhere you have quick access to it.  I installed my Dropbox folder in the default location which is “My Documents.”  Secondly, in the notification area in the bottom right hand corner there is an icon for Dropbox.  By right clicking on the icon, you can get easy access to your Dropbox folder or launch the Dropbox website where you can log into your account.  

As a photographer, I am always looking for feedback regarding my photos and wanted an easy way to share my photos with other photographers.  Well, Dropbox offers this opportunity in the way of Shared Folders.  When you log into your Dropbox account, select the Sharing tab, and click on Share a folder.  It will then ask you to do of the following: create and share a new folder or create an existing folder.   In this case, I created a new folder.   You can name the folder any way you would like but if you share your photos with multiple photographers then I would recommend the following name convention  - ‘Your Last Name-Their Last Name.’  For example, if I was sharing my photos with Rob then I would name it ‘Stern-Jones.’  If he wanted to share photos with me, then he would create a folder such as ‘Jones-Stern.’    Next, you would input an email address to send the shared folder request.  If the other person does not have Dropbox, they will need to install the software in order to accept and have access to the shared folder.  

 

Once the request has been received by the other person, they will log into Dropbox to accept the shared folder invitation under the Sharing Tab.  

Now, this is where the fun begins.  If you are a Lightroom user, you can create a preset in Lightroom so when you export a photo it will be exported to Dropbox folder you designated.  One thing, I would recommend when creating a preset is to use the same folder name you created in Dropbox which will be easier for you to identify when exporting a photo to the shared folder.  For example, I created a Folder Name in LR as ‘Dropbox’ then created a preset called ‘Stern-Jones.’  

 

Once you once you export the photo it will export the photo to the folder you requested and initiate a request to the other user stating there is a new file in the shared folder.  To see the file, log into your account on Dropbox and go to the Files Tab to select the folder where the file is residing.  

Here are a few more benefits of using this software:  

1. Files uploaded to Dropbox via the desktop application have no file size limit. However, there is a 300MB cap on files transferred via the website  
2. Your files are very secure as Dropbox uses Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3)  
3. Files stored in Shared Folders can be only accessed by those authorized to view them
4. Access to the files from anywhere there is access to the internet
5. Access to history of actions via the Recent Events tab
6. Mobile Access through iPhone or iPod Touch

If you work with photography mentor who lives far away, this tool can help bridge the divide by giving you easy access to sharing your photos for immediate feedback.  

I would highly recommend this software as it is very easy to use and straight forward.  You can try it out for free by downloading it at Dropbox.  

Help Portrait by Robert Klimkiewicz

Robert of Robert E. Klimkiewicz, Jr. Photography and DC Shutterbugs graciously provided the following post in hopes of supporting this great cause. Thanks Robert for your desire to serve the community with your gifts.

A little while back I heard about Help-Portrait, a way to give back to the community using our talents as photographers. I sat on it for a while and eventually signed up after seeing the video below.

Everyday I'm thankful for the things I have, the people around me, my job, my health, etc. But with the holidays approaching we're reminded that there are those who are less fortunate, whether they don't have a job, no family around, nobody to go home to -- whatever the case may be, there are people who don't have as much to be thankful for as I do. I've often wanted to find a way to give back, in some way, and help someone who needs it. I think Help-Portrait is a great way to do so, and if I can make someone smile by doing something I love, it's win-win!

The Northern Virginia/Washington DC chapter of Help-Portrait could use some volunteers, whether they're photographers, people who can do hair/make-up, as well as those willing to bring food, donate books, blankets, clothes, etc. We'll be getting together on Thursday night, November 12, at Busboys and Poets in Arlington to plan the official Help-Portrait day, which is Saturday, December 12. You can find out more about Help-Portrait in your area and sign up here.

You don't need to be a pro (I'm not!), but you do have to be willing to help. If you can help, I hope to see you there! If you can spread the word or know of someone who can help out, please email me at robert@rekphoto.com or direct them to the website above.

You can also find Help-Portrait on:

• Twitter
• Facebook

Thank you!

Finding the Unique in the Familiar by Jason Moore

I am currently working on my entries into NAPP’s “So You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?!” video tutorial contest. They are looking for submissions from people who not only have a grasp of the software but who can also teach it in an engaging way.

As I began contemplating what to do, I was reminded of a shot a fellow photographer had while he was on a photowalk to a rather familiar location. He felt as though the subject was tired and he’d already shot it from so many angles, in so many styles that he had little to no interest in shooting it again. Until he figured out a way of making it fresh for himself which, in turn, made it interesting for all of us.

It was inspiring for me, really, because more than just outlining a technique or walking through a workflow, I realized that a good video needed to offer examples of how to process or present images of familiar things in unfamiliar ways.

Here’s the kind of thing I’m talking about:

Take the Eiffel Tower, for example. It’s got to be one of the most photographed landmarks in the world. It’s been shot from every point of view at every time of day and it’s pretty much impossible to find a new image that you haven’t seen somewhere before. With a subject like the Eiffel Tower, it’s easy for a great shot of it to get lost because it looks like every other great shot of it.

What I did in the shot above – inspired by one of Kim’s excellent ideas – I forced the tower out of focus, in-camera. It took away the undesirable details and people in the fore and middle ground of the frame but also, since the tower is such an iconic thing, I was able to maintain clarity (you know exactly what it is) even with the absence of definition.

The trick is to capture and/or process the subject in a way that makes it stand out. Do something that hasn’t been done quite that way before. Though you don’t want to over-use a popular technique – which will contribute to your image getting lost in the crowd too – carefully processing your photo in imaginative ways can draw people in even further and make you stand above the rest.

Use techniques for landscape photography for your next still life. Use a more photojournalistic style for your next portrait session. Process in black and white what you would normally process in color. Apply filters* you’ve never tried before and in combination. Use textures. Experiment. Take the opportunity to your images to the next level so that your viewers will be as engaged as you were when you took the photo in the first place.

*Note: With that said, please, on behalf of all creative people everywhere, please don’t use a filter just because it’s there. Some of those filters were never good ideas and should never be used by anyone, ever, without proper adult supervision.

Jason Moore is a long time friend of TJP and is the creative talent behind Jason D. Moore Photography and the Photoshop and Photography Blogroll.

Thank you, Jason for helping your old buddy keep the blog up and running while I take care of the twins. As always, you provide great advise and a wonderful perspective.