Better Photographer Education - How to Put Pizzazz Into Your Photos!

Sep 11
13:24

2011

Dan Eitreim

Dan Eitreim

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Do people REALLY want to look at your photos? If not - here is where you start your photographer education and learn to put the "WOW" factor into your photos...

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Anyone can take a photograph! But,Better Photographer Education - How to Put Pizzazz Into Your Photos!  Articles not everyone can produce a photo anyone wants to look at! If you fall into this latter category, here is where you will want to start your photographer education and learn to put some pizzazz into your photos.The first major key in your photographer education is... you need to understand your camera!I hate to say it, but you'll need to dig through your junk drawers and find your camera's manual. Then, read it...with camera in hand and make sure you understand everything in it!Bear Bryant, the famous American football coach achieved the status as being one of the winningest coaches of all time by starting each seasons first practice by holding up a football and saying "This is a football."In other words, even though he was coaching some of the most brilliant players in the world, he started every season by going back to the basics.If you truly want to master your camera, start with the basics and read the manual...from cover to cover, until you totally understand it. Then re-read it at least once every year.Yes, I know it is written by people whose first language is geek...yes I know it's dry and boring...yes it's worth the effort. I've been a professional photographer for 20 years and I re-read my camera manual every January 1st. I wouldn't even consider not doing it.The next key bit of photographer education is... keep in mind that photography is all about light. Study it.Get yourself two flashlights and 2 willing helpers. Leave your camera in the bag, this is just a study of light.Have one helper/model sitting on a chair in a darkened room. Give one of the flashlights to the other assistant. You stay at the imaginary camera location.Have your helper turn on the flashlight and hold it at the models eye level, at the camera location. Observe the light. And, just as importantly, observe the shadows.Have your helper raise the light higher, and drop it down lower. Observe what changes there are on the models face.Then have your helper move about 45 degrees left and right of camera position. Have them raise and lower the light.Have them move behind the subject and do the same thing. What changed? These experiments are all an exercise in seeing what happens when you use a one light setup.Now, turn on the second flashlight and you hold it at camera position while your helper goes through the same series of tests - now you have a two light setup. What changes?Warning! It is easy to dismiss these steps and not do them...that would be a huge mistake and will set you back on the learning curve to amazing photography.Seems odd...but these two simple little bits of photographer education will immediately improve your technical savvy as well as your photo "eye" and will show immediate results in your photography!

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