BackdoorArts
Senior Member
I went to the inaugural "Shoot Like A Pro" training session given by Scott Kelby in Philadelphia yesterday. It was well worth my time and money ($89 with discount code). He's a nerd, like us forum folks, but also not afraid to step on photo forum axioms (like "RAW vs. JPEG" ... his answer is "Yes").
Out of respect for the people who make a living doing these things I won't give away any tips that I feel are core to the course, but there are a few things that are what I would consider so intuitively obvious that they shouldn't even be in a course like this, except for the fact that it so rarely occurs to us that you never think about how right/wrong it is until someone finally tells you. Here are a few of those, chosen so as to hopefully not spark debate - though as he said, some forum people will argue about anything. LOL
How to best avoid getting dust in your camera/lens - It's been a topic here, and many have talked about the best way to get a lens swap done in under 2 seconds to avoid getting dust in the camera. While that helps, what do most of us do with body and rear lens caps when they're not protecting the body and lens? In the bag, or in our pocket. Using his words, "What's the world's greatest collection device for dust and lint? The pants pocket!!" Match the lens and body caps before putting them away - or at least avoid your pockets.
For a tack sharp photo you can't move - Do whatever you need to do to reduce movement. Regardless of the focal length, if you have to shoot below 1/60 then use a tripod or raise your ISO. Don't worry about noise (see below), and while some people will claim that they shot an amazing photo handheld at 1/10, you're not them. Do what's necessary.
Stop worrying about noise- Spend some time really looking at the featured photos in magazines like Sports Illustrated and Time and other magazines that shoot outside the studio. They are great photos, but there's noise everywhere. The only people who care about noise are photographers, and particularly photographers on internet forums. Shoot a great photo and people will love it ... and never see the noise!!
Check your photo immediately - The screen on the back of the camera is meant to be used. Zoom to 100% and check the focus every time because that's one thing you can't fix when you get home.
You won't get better by just reading and watching videos, you need to get out and practice - I don't think I need to explain this one. If I do, then you may be the person who would most benefit from this advice.
There are others, but I don't want to give away too much. I suspect other things will pop up in my posts as the advice sinks in and sticks, and it pertains to specific situations I may post about.
Out of respect for the people who make a living doing these things I won't give away any tips that I feel are core to the course, but there are a few things that are what I would consider so intuitively obvious that they shouldn't even be in a course like this, except for the fact that it so rarely occurs to us that you never think about how right/wrong it is until someone finally tells you. Here are a few of those, chosen so as to hopefully not spark debate - though as he said, some forum people will argue about anything. LOL
How to best avoid getting dust in your camera/lens - It's been a topic here, and many have talked about the best way to get a lens swap done in under 2 seconds to avoid getting dust in the camera. While that helps, what do most of us do with body and rear lens caps when they're not protecting the body and lens? In the bag, or in our pocket. Using his words, "What's the world's greatest collection device for dust and lint? The pants pocket!!" Match the lens and body caps before putting them away - or at least avoid your pockets.
For a tack sharp photo you can't move - Do whatever you need to do to reduce movement. Regardless of the focal length, if you have to shoot below 1/60 then use a tripod or raise your ISO. Don't worry about noise (see below), and while some people will claim that they shot an amazing photo handheld at 1/10, you're not them. Do what's necessary.
Stop worrying about noise- Spend some time really looking at the featured photos in magazines like Sports Illustrated and Time and other magazines that shoot outside the studio. They are great photos, but there's noise everywhere. The only people who care about noise are photographers, and particularly photographers on internet forums. Shoot a great photo and people will love it ... and never see the noise!!
Check your photo immediately - The screen on the back of the camera is meant to be used. Zoom to 100% and check the focus every time because that's one thing you can't fix when you get home.
You won't get better by just reading and watching videos, you need to get out and practice - I don't think I need to explain this one. If I do, then you may be the person who would most benefit from this advice.
There are others, but I don't want to give away too much. I suspect other things will pop up in my posts as the advice sinks in and sticks, and it pertains to specific situations I may post about.
