Ten Tips for Taking Great Photographs in the Snow

November is one of the best times of year to take great photographs of polar bears, and Cape Churchill in Manitoba, Canada is known for being one of the best places to photograph these fearless, curious creatures. If you are interested in going to Cape Churchill, the only way there is by helicopter or tundra buggy, but I promise you it is an experience you will never forget.
To kick off my trip to Cape Churchill, my fellow photographer friends and I ate polar bear cookies as we loaded our gear on the helicopter.  Once we landed we had seconds to go from the helicopter to the tundra buggy. We would not touch the ground again for five days for our own safety.  As soon as we arrived, the polar bears took notice. Five minutes later they were sniffing and licking our footprints and headed toward our vehicle.

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How to Get that "Photo Studio Look" Without a Photo Studio

I often hear portrait photographers lamenting the fact that they don’t have a studio.  I can understand where they are coming from (which is why I’m in the process of buying a studio right now), but I think that most photographers really don’t need a studio at all.  In fact, you can get that “studio look” in your photography without even leaving your living room.
There are several INEXPENSIVE ways to get a studio look in your photography without actually working in a studio.  The first way is to use a bed sheet, the second a reflector, and the third… use flash!

Method #1: The Free Option
Photography doesn’t have to be as complicated as it sometimes seems to be.  15 minutes ago, I wanted to take a picture to illustrate how you could get that “studio photography” look in your photos without expensive gear or even a studio.  So, I found a large window in my home to use as a light source for the photo.  Then, I went and hung a black bed sheet on the wall with some thumbtacks to use as a background.  Then, I took the picture.  Simple as that!  I had great photos of my kids in just 15 minutes without spending a dime on additional gear.
The photo below tells the rest of the story.  It totally works!

METHOD #2: The “Other” Free Option
See the photo below?  If I would have shot this in a studio, it would have turned out exactly the same.  No different at all.

I shot this photo while in a building with horrible yellow incandescent lighting, while doing a video tutorial for the online portrait photography class.  We were doing a location shoot inside the Idaho State Capitol building, which is very dim and has ugly yellow lighting.  I wanted to show how you could get many different looks on a shoot in the same location, so I whipped out a reflector and turned it to the white side and placed it behind the model.
Then, I set up a 22″ beauty dish with a YN-560 flash (total cost $150) directly above the model and placed a reflector under the model (barely outside the frame) to kick back some more light onto her face.  This simple lighting set up (often called clam shell lighting since the flash and reflector envelop the model from above and below) turned out a great result.
Did I need an expensive set up for this photo?  Nope!  Just a little creativity in getting the studio look without a studio.

The Third Free Option
I think photographers who start out in flash photography limit themselves by not allowing themselves to think creatively.  Often while I’m on a shoot outdoors, I will create a few “night” portraits or “studio” portraits right on location no matter where we are or what time of day it is.
This technique is actually quite simple to do.  You just overpower the sun’s light with the light from your flash, then adjust the exposure on your camera.  If you turn up your flash power enough, you can make the background completely black (like a black studio background), or you can turn it most of the way up and make the background look like night even if it is the middle of the day.

5 Steps to Black Backgrounds Without Any Background At All!

A.Turn your camera to manual mode and grab a flash
B.Set the shutter speed at 1/200 (flash sync speed), and your ISO as low as it can go (usually ISO 100)
C.Adjust your aperture up until the picture is completely black.  This will usually be around f/18 or f/22
D.Use a flash on FULL POWER (you might need two flashes if it’s very bright outside).  Don’t worry about    
    the flash appearing too bright in the photo.  One you adjust your aperture to compensate for the bright            
    flash, it will look great
E.Snap the picture.  You can adjust the aperture until the brightness on the model looks right

If you have a low powered flash, this can be difficult to do if it’s exceptionally bright outside.  When it’s really bright, I often use two flashes and scoot the flashes in as close as possible to the model.  As long as you have enough flash power, you can get a black background without any background at all!  Is that cool or what?!?!

But wait!  There’s more!
There is more to getting the “studio look” in your photos than simply using a backdrop.  There are other aspects of working in a studio that can be achieved without actually owning a photography studio.
One of the main advantages of working in an actual studio is that the photographer can control the lighting 100% and doesn’t have to worry about annoying incandescent lights messing up the shot, or reflected light from shiny surfaces in the room.  Studio photographers can fix these problems by painting all walls and the ceiling white or black (the white is like having a built-in fill light and other photographers paint black to prevent any reflection).
So when working outside a studio, you can encounter problems because you get other light sources ruining the shot.  You can see an example of that in the photo below.  The light from the flashes is neutral, but the yellow incandescent highlights from the ugly yellow lights in the room are also hitting the subject and causing light inconsistencies.  You can address this in Photoshop by selectively changing the color temperature on the affected areas, but there is a much much simpler way.

The easiest way to prevent the overhead lights in a room from ruining your flash photography is simply to turn up the power of your flash.  If you overpower the light in the room, it won’t affect your photo at all!  When I shoot in a space like this with a lot of other ambient light sources, I usually turn the power on my flash up to full so that other room lights do not affect the photo nearly as much.
You could also gel your flash with a warming gel to better match the color temperature of the lighting in the room and then change your white balance, but who wants to go through that much trouble when you can just turn up the power?
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How to Become a Photographer

Post-secondary education is not required for portrait photographers. Photojournalists and industrial and scientific photographers often need a bachelor’s degree. Employers usually seek applicants with a “good eye” and creativity, as well as a good technical understanding of photography.
Education : 
Although formal education is not required for most photographers, many take classes or earn a bachelor’s degree in a related field, which can improve their skills and employment prospects.
Many universities, community and junior colleges, vocational–technical institutes, and private trade and technical schools offer classes in photography. Basic courses in photography cover equipment, processes, and techniques. Art schools may offer useful training in photographic design and composition.

Portrait photographers take pictures
    of individuals or groups of people and usually work in their own studios.

Entry-level positions in photojournalism or in industrial or scientific photography generally require a college degree in photography or in a field related to the industry in which the photographer seeks employment. For example, classes in biology, medicine, or chemistry may be useful for scientific photographers.
Business, marketing, and accounting classes can be helpful for self-employed photographers.
Training : 
Photographers often start working as an assistant to a professional photographer. This work provides an opportunity to gain experience, build their portfolio, and gain exposure to prospective clients.
For many artists, including photographers, developing a portfolio—a collection of an artist’s work that demonstrates his or her styles and abilities—is essential. This portfolio is necessary because art directors, clients, and others look at an artist’s portfolio when deciding whether to hire or contract with the photographer.
Important Qualities : 
Artistic ability. Photographers capture their subjects in images, and they must be able to evaluate the artistic quality of a photograph. Photographers need "a good eye"—the ability to use colors, shadows, shades, light, and distance to compose good photographs.
Business skills. Photographers must be able to plan marketing strategies, reach out to prospective clients, and anticipate seasonal employment.
Computer skills. Most photographers do their own postproduction work and must be familiar with photo editing software. They also use computers to keep a digital portfolio and to communicate with clients.
Customer service skills. Photographers must be able to understand the needs of their clients and propose solutions.
Detail-oriented skills. Photographers who do their own postproduction work must be careful not to overlook details and must be thorough when editing photographs. In addition, photographers accumulate many photographs and must maintain them in an orderly fashion.
Interpersonal skills. Photographers often photograph people. They must communicate effectively to achieve a certain composition in a photograph.

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10 Easy Tips for Great Travel Photography

Travelling is all about the experience, but for us photographers it’s also about capturing the experience and being able to show others and relive the trip ourselves.  Here are 10 tips to to get great photography while you are traveling.

Gear

Photo by KhE 龙

• Less is more, so for DSLR shooters look for a wide zoom lens that covers at least 28-135.  There is noperfectlens for all situations but keep in mind you will be carrying your gear the entire trip, so my suggestion is to take no more then two lenses at most.
• Pick the right bag.  I’m a bag junkie, having four dedicated photography bags but always looking for another.  Your travel destination will help you choose what kind of bag you want, but here’s a quick primer from my experience.  Photo backpacks are great for transporting gear from point A to B but are terrible to work out of.  Sling bags are easier to get gear in and out of but are usually smaller.  I’ve never found hip bags comfortable to wear but some people swear they are the best to work out of.  The last type of bag is the overly popular messenger bag.  This is my preferred type of bag to work out of, however it took me a while to find one I really liked.  When I travel, I put all my gear in a photo backpack and pack my photo messenger bag in my checked luggage.  When I get to the location, I’ll put my gear into the messenger bag to work out of.
• Leave the kitchen sink at home.  Sure, a small, packable tripod is OK to take if it fits in your luggage and you plan on getting sunrise / sunset photos and need the stability, but you probably don’t need everything else in your camera arsenal.  Really think about where you will be going, what you will be photographing and how much stuff you want to lug around.
• Batteries, chargers and power converters are essentials!  Fully charge all your batteries before going and make sure they are in your camera and other devices.  Some airport security will ask you to turn on your camera or laptop to ensure it’s a real, working device.  If you are going to another country they may not have readily available AA batteries for your flash, take spares and/or a charger.  Likewise, look to see what power options are available where you are going and if you need an inverter or converter for your gear.  I always suggest taking a small power strip with surge protector as an added layer of protection if you are uncertain of voltage where you are charging your devices.
• Take a few microfiber cloths to keep your lenses and gear clean.  Dirt and debris can ruin equipment, so can getting caught in the rain for even a few minutes.  These cheap, very handy microfiber cloths will ensure you get clear and sharp photos and your gear is in tip-top shape.
• Take lots of memory cards!Memory cards arecheapcompared to even a few years ago, take double the amount you think you could use.

Shooting

Photo by Muffet

• The details are what make trips memorable.  For example, Miami is well known for the art deco hotels, but it’s the small details about them that make the difference.
• Get up before the sun rises one morning.  Scout a location the day or two before and plan to be there before the sun rises.  Morning light with the sun breaking the horizon can be one of the most beautiful things for any city or landscape shot.
• Be courteous of the locals.  Just because you are in a different city or country doesn’t mean everyone immediately wants to have their photo taken and pose for you.  When you shoot people, always be courteous and show them respect.  If you are in a country where you don’t speak the language of the locals, show them the photo on the LCD of your camera so they understand what it is you are doing.

Lastly

Have fun! Enjoy the vacation.  Don’t spend the entire time looking through the view finder and post processing photos at night in your hotel room.  Don’t forget to soak up as much of your travel adventure with your own eyes as possible.

As a bonus tip, take zip-top bags with you, a few in different sizes.  They take up no space and are worth their weight in gold (probably more) if you are out and about and get caught in a rainstorm.  Every photographer should have a few of them in their bag anyway all the time, if you don’t put them in!  Also worth taking along are business cards and model release forms.  If you are blurring the line between hobby photographer and professional, or you shoot stock photographs, having both business cards and release forms with you is a great way to ensure you have legal rights to use and sell the photos.  It’s also a great way to boost your business and meet potential clients while traveling.

Photo by Prabhu B

By Mike Panic 

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