3 things that dramatically changed your photography (IP EP-181)

Click the title of the article to read this post on Improve Photography, which includes all media files mentioned.

Josh:

• Lightroom Steal/ IP Plus Presets

• I used to have the same formula for editing every photo. I felt light there wasn’t another way to edit and I didn’t know how other photographers made their photos look so epic
• Buying presets helps you expand your own knowledge as you learn how the sliders change the whole effect.

• Using off camera flash

• It changed the way I looked at all light not just light using flash
• It took my real estate photography to a new level of quality and professionalism

• Immersing myself in a community of photographers like the Improve Photography Network

• • I can honestly say that the podcasts, FB groups and YouTube tutorials have more to do with making me the photographer I am today than any other resource.
  • My thinking about photography has been shaped by interactions with dozens of highly skilled and experienced photographers (and others like Jim
• (Bonus) Saying yes to jobs that are beyond my skill level

Annoucement… 14 day free trial over at improvephotographyplus.com and only 4 seats left on Nick and Majeed’s Ultimate Oregon Coast workshop

Laryssa:

• Travel – Travel changed my photography.  The first time I left the country I left with a point and shoot camera.   Our first trip was The Netherlands and Spain.  At the time I had a point and shoot camera my husband (boyfriend at the time) gave me for my birthday.  It was at that point that I realized I could not get the photos that I envisioned because of the camera.  I researched what camera to buy but didn’t want to spend a lot of money.  I purchased the D40X and kept it for about a year or so and realized it wasn’t what I wanted either because of the focusing being in the lens.  I could not use the Nifty 50 with it. So I then purchased the D90.

The funny thing is my dad has been a professional photographer for all of my life and I never took it up until I was in my late 30’s and my sister had always done photography as a hobby.  On a side note they are both canon shooters and I’m a Nikon shooter.

• Opening my business and freelancing – Working for a magazine got me focused on photographing people and using flash.  When I first started shooting I didn’t want any people in my photos.  I was strictly a landscape and architecture photographer but once I started shooting events for the local magazine in town I had to use flash and I had to photograph people there was no way around it they were paying me.  Now sometimes when I’m shooting travel I want people in my photos I used to wait for them to leave.

• Podcasting –  Just listening to podcasts on a daily basis and keeping up to date on all the new things coming out and listening to questions and answers that other people have.  I live 50 miles from my job and it typically takes me an hour to get in.  That’s two hours of podcast listening a day and while sitting in my office at work I can listen to podcasts so if nothing is going on I can spend almost 8 hours listening to podcasts.  I listen to both travel, travel blogging and mostly photography podcasts.  

Connor:

1. I shot with Prime lenses exclusively for years. I had a 28mm, a 50mm, and an 85mm

2. Learning how to retouch properly. It took me quite a while to learn restraint in touching up portraits. I would way over do it, and couldn’t quite tell why things looked so… Funky. I decided I needed more help so I went and sought out as many courses as I could find on the subject along with talking with professionals I found that had work that was done well and asked them about how they retouched their images. Over the past few years I have kind of mashed a number of those techniques together into a way that suits my style and the look I am going for which has really improved my photography.

3. I forced myself to acknowledge that feeling jealous of other people’s work was a good thing because it provides me with drive. Other photographers being skilled doesn’t take away from my abilities to create great work. If anything I should care about helping others become better because more awesome photographers legitimizes the industry.

Jim:

• Flash
• Taking a Photoshop class
• Watching other photographers work

Doodads of the Week!

• Connor: a book… In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits 
• Laryssa – EBL 12 Bay LCD AA AAA 9V Battery Charger for Rechargeables 
• Jim: Glow Parapop 38” (Following Nick’s recommendation)
• DORANDOM: ? Dwight Schrute T-Shirt 

The post 3 things that dramatically changed your photography (IP EP-181) appeared first on Improve Photography.