7 Traits That Can Make You A Great Photographer

7 Traits That Can Make You A Great Photographer

By Chris Rathore

We all know we have that shutter-bug in us, but can we be that "great"? Indeed, just adopt these 7 traits and you will be all set for the high road.

1. Being Passionate

You need to be obsessed with getting the shot. Not just any shot – THE shot. In other words – you need to think about, dream about, talk about and live photography and get that shot, no matter what stands in your way, literally! 

2. Dedicated 

Dedication is the key to the craft of photography. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert. It means you need to be dedicated to BECOMING an expert. No matter how long it takes, the effort will show.

3. Being a Story Teller

 Story telling is at the heart of good photography, accordingly, good photographers need to use a camera to project the inner emotions.

4. Subject Oriented

You need to care about your subject. You need to be a subject-matter expert, wether it’s birds or people or cars or waterfalls. Good photographers learn all there is to know about their subjects BEFORE they pick up a camera. Always photograph your subject as if it is the only way it will be remembered throughout all time.

5. Patience

I cannot stress this enough but they say it right, "Patience is the key". Be willing to search out or wait out the light. Tap your inner yogi and remember haste makes waste. 

6. Sharing is Caring

 Be confident to pass on what you learn willingly to others. Show your photos to everyone. You need to protect and preserve for others all your important photographic memories.

7. Style

Lastly you need to develop a recognisable style – even if that style is – no style! It will help you reach your highest potential in a much more directive way.

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The Man Behind iPhone's Default Wallpaper

The Man Behind iPhone's Default Wallpaper

By Chris Rathore

It was a surprise Tuesday morning for Photographer Espen Haagensen  when Apple unveiled there 2 new iPhones. A colleague called him, informing that the company was using one of his pictures as a default background for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus. 

Espen Haagensen was contacted by Apple earlier this year about licensing his image for broadcast ues, but Haagensen was clueless about what and how the company was going to use his picture. source 

By now we all know how beautiful the Milky Way looks on the new iPhones: 

Source

According to Haagensen's 500px website, the photo was taken in December 8, 2013. The new units of the iPhones are preloaded with the same shot. 

 The original image Source  and This is the cropped version for iPhone 

In an interview with 9to5Mac, Haagensen talks about how he felt throughout the whole process.

The photo: "Every year we take the train up in the mountains and ski for 5-6 hours to get [to] the Demmevass hut. The hut is very remote and old and is situated close to a glacier. After we get there we prepare traditional Norwegian Christmas food. The next day we ski back to the railroad before we take the train home.

I do quite a lot of starscapes and Milky Way shots but this was the first time I brought a decent wide angle and full size tripod to Demmevass. There was a rather big moon so the Milky Way was faint, but around midnight there were some skies and the moon disappeared and I was able to capture a nice series." 

Apple: "I was approached a couple of months ago by Apple, they wanted to license the image for non-broadcast use. Then some time in July they wanted to extend the license to also include broadcast use. I didn’t know before yesterday what they were going to use it for. A colleague called me during the Apple presentation."

Just imagine, waking up to a world where every iPhone has you photograph as a default. Might be shocking and a bit weird but definitely a great accomplishment.  

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Content Source: Business Insider

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6 Significant Reasons to Join a Photography Society

6 Significant Reasons to Join a Photography Society

By Chris Rathore

Source

Have you ever wished you could find a real person to talk to about photography or to get a review of your work to help you improve your technique?  If your answer is yes – a photography society could be the perfect answer for you.  

Almost everyone enjoys taking photographs. However if one wants to develop their skills and take more satisfying photographs, joining a photography society is an excellent step. There is a lot of practical help at hand. Most members are only too happy to share their expertise. If there is something you'd like to be able to do, there's probably someone in the society who can help. Informal 'How-to-do-it' sessions are arranged throughout the season. Also, if you are thinking of purchasing equipment, you can usually find some good advice:

1. Talk with like minded photographers  

Most societies have the full range from newbie to pro, and all with varying shooting styles. Don't be afraid that you won't fit in. You will.

2. Educational classes

You'll be able to learn new techniques and methods from people in the know. Whether the class is taught by a society member or an outside source, you can learn about software, how to use your camera, studio lighting and more.

3. Competitions and Critiques

Monthly competitions will usually have a theme; Macro, Flash, Transportation, Portraits etc. These will get you to shoot things you perhaps never would. You'll get inspired by the work of others. Through the critiques and judging you'll hone your skills and improve your pictures. "Come at me bro"

4. Trips and Excursions   

You may find professional photographers who run Photo Tours or society members may lead little day trips. You'll get the chance to explore new places and have an experienced guide to show you the best techniques and vantage points to shoot from. This is some of the best (and cheapest) digital photography training you can get.

5. A Shared Library  

Many clubs have lending libraries, where members donate books so others can benefit. You'll be able to learn new things without having to buy the book.

6. Friendly Learning  

Lastly you learn and get feedback in a much less intimidating and more friendly way from your fellow photographs, that's called a 'Photoclinic'. Members meet and review their images in a constructive and helpful way. This is a great way to start out on the process of improving your photography. Now how amazing is that.

So explore your hidden photographer by joining Photography Society, Brunel University by simply signing up here: Sign up now

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Content Source: Basingstokecameraclub, Berkscamera.org

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How I Created The Stunning Images for "Dusk to Dawn" with Anjana Abraham

How I Created The Stunning Images 

for "Dusk to Dawn"

By Chintan Rathore

Amazing portraits are always a result of effective teamwork. When a photographer and a subject team up with a goal and a vision; stunning photographs are born. A nice location, good light and an expressive subject can easily tell a great story. 

In my album Dusk to Dawn, I photographed my dear friend Anjana Abraham. My objective was to click photographs in the broad daylight and during dusk, using the majestic colours of the golden hour.
I cannot express how great we felt after seeing the results. I have posted some photographs in this blog and 500px. You can see all the photos on my Facebook page.

In this blog I will show you how I created these photographs, with my Nikon D3200 and a friend's helps.

3 Most Important Factors

• Lighting: I cannot stress enough, but lighting is the foundation of your photographs. You can have a great model, amazing background, but poor lighting will never help you achieve great results. Of course sometimes you might need dingy lighting to create a more dramatic look that may be suiting the whole ambience, but that will not work every time. You need to pay close attention to what lighting you have. In the image above I used natural light and a medium sized reflector. The reflector was placed facing right side of the subject to fill the shadows.

• Interaction: You must engage with the subject in order to capture what you are looking for. Tell your subject if they are doing well or not. Direction is a must. They don't know how they are looking, you do! So ensure you do the most talking. 

• Patience: Not all people you shoot are experienced, patience is the key. Many times we want our model to strike a pose which they might not be able to do. Be patient and interact, explain and try doing it again. Never overdo any pose, you might end up loosing the entire emotion. Photographs are a glimpse into one's soul. Try to be patient and go with the flow, trust me it will give you the best results.

Retouching

I use Photoshop CS6 to retouch all my images. I will show an example on how I retouch my photographs.

The settings of the image above were: 1/4000 sec, f1.8, ISO 100, 50mm.
The first thing I do after entering photoshop is airbrush the skin and try to remove any blemishes or uneven skin tones using the spot heal and clone stamping tool.

I then gently dodge and burn the entire image, making sure enhancing all the shadows and the highlights of the image. You can see there is already a dramatic change in the image above after adding the adjustments.  

I then adjust the temperature and hue/saturation according to the mood using the curves adjustment.

I am sometimes okay with stray hair but not always, so I get rid of them, again using the clone stamping tool. 

I do this when I want a cleaner look. 

 I then add a solid colour layer to fill the boring shadows, change the blend modes to soft light or screen and adjust the opacity until I hit the right spot.

Finally add my water mark and voila done! I know it might not look that "stunning" but I think I did an ok job on that one.

Below you can see the final edit compared to the original. 

That's the basics on how I retouch all my images. Its about patience and a lot of dedication. I always try not to overdo any image, I use photoshop only to enhance the details, remove any distractions and create a focus area. Most of the work shall already be done while clicking the image. Never solely rely on post processing.

I hope this article was of some help to you. Subscribe to my blog for more articles and Like my Facebook Page for more.

Please do send me any of your edits @chintan.rathore@outlook.com. I would love to see them.

See all the photos from Dusk to Dawn on my Facebook Page. Also sharing is always appreciated, so share this article with your friends.

Please leave your feedback, suggestions and comments below.

Please feel free to send in your question or queries and I would be delighted to reply.

Here is our Behind the Scenes Video for "Dusk to Dawn"

More Photographs From Dusk to Dawn

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