Mocking Bird » Photography Tips

Why Shooting With Film Will Make You A Better Photographer

Amanda — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

All photographers are different. These days most of us shoot with digital cameras and some of us are falling back in love with film. I’m not going to tell you why I love film because I talk about that plenty. I want to talk about how shooting with film has made me a better photographer.

The Auto Settings and LCD are Holding You Back

If you never move out of auto mode, you will never have complete control over your photographs. Think about whether you want your images to look how you want them to look or how your camera wants them to look. That is the difference between shooting on auto mode and shooting manual. Your camera can only expose and focus where it thinks it should, not where you want it to. A good example of this is when you shoot a scene with a lot of light and dark. Your camera will instantly be drawn to the bright in the scene and expose accordingly. This of course, may be the opposite of what you intended for your photograph.

Over the weekend, food photographer extraordinaire Penny De Los Santos shared her knowledge and skills with the Creative Live audience (it was mind-blowing). One thing that really struck me was how she called her shots “film” and treated her Canon 5D mark 11 DSLR like a film camera. She kept saying to her students, “stop looking at the monitor, this is film. Use your camera’s exposure meter. Your settings are there. Keep shooting.” Some of them were concerned with looking at the back of the LCD screen and it made me realise that shooting with a digital camera can almost be a crutch. People are so reliant on checking the settings and checking the exposure that they lose sight of the goal, which is to take pictures. I loved that she encouraged her students to treat their DSLRs like film cameras and wanted them to trust that they were doing a good job so that they could get the pictures and not miss a moment.

Shooting with a Manual Film Camera Will Force You to Learn the Technical

Using a manual film camera will force you to learn all these technical things that digital cameras make easy for us. Sure, you can use a DSLR completely set on auto and take fine pictures but if you really want to know how to get the best out of your camera, understanding how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO relate will allow you to take your photography that step further. When you use a manual camera, you have to choose the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus all on your lonesome without the aid of your camera.

When I started shooting, I had my camera settings on auto for a good while before I realised that the camera was choosing the exposure and focus and in turn was giving me no control over how my photographs turned out.

Manual Focus, Baby

Manual cameras do not have an auto focus button as their lenses are all manual. Focusing manually gives you the freedom to choose your focus, not what your camera wants to focus on. Some beginning photographers freak out when their auto focus won’t focus on what they want it to.

“Read my mind, stupid camera!!”

Of course, cameras are computers and can’t read minds, so a simple solution is to shoot with manual focus.

You Will Slow Down

Shooting with film is more expensive than shooting digital and therefore the shots we do take are more “precious”. This enables you to really think about what you are shooting and makes you slow down and take your time. Slowing down allows you to tell a deeper story and make a better photograph.

Shooting with a manual camera can drag you out of your comfort zone and into a whole new world of creative expression. You’ll feel naked without a safety net, but imagine how much more confident you’ll be in your photography.

How do you feel about shooting manual? Do you shoot manually? Are you a better photographer for it? Does it make you nervous? Never tried it? I’d love to get some conversation going in the comments.

To find out more about how those manual settings work, stay tuned for my photography course, Shoot By Design: Refining Your Photography Style registration in the coming weeks.

20 Easy Ways To Improve Your Photography

Amanda — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:00:23 +0000

1.Turn your camera off Auto- no matter what type of camera you have, compact cam or DSLR, if you can use something other than the auto setting, you are going to not only get better pictures, but you will also learn more about your camera and photography. With a compact cam try and use the portrait, landscape or Kids/Pets modes. This may seem obvious to many, but I know lots of non photographers who don’t realise that these settings can help to make their pictures better. Get adventurous with your DSLR and use the Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority Settings or take it even further and use full manual mode!

2. Turn off the flash- Unless you are using a professional flash unit, the only time I think the flash should be used is for taking casual snapshots of people at parties. There is plenty of beautiful light around to get the best out of your shots. You don’t need it at concerts either. The lighting at concerts is high powered enough to get good shots without blinding the artist and all the people around you. Lots of photographers use fill flash for portraits and that’s fine but I think beginner photographers need to learn to find good lighting situations first.

3. Read your manual- everything you need to know about your camera is in the manual. Work through it slowly and try not to take it all in at once.

4. Shoot what’s around you- you don’t need to have events happening or a reason to take photographs. Shoot your breakfast, shoot your garden, shoot your latest purchase, shoot your dog, shoot the kids…whatever you have right in front of you is the perfect subject.

5. Start a photoblog- this may sound strange but when I started my first photoblog way back in 2001, it was the greatest thing I ever did to improve my photography. Because I had a daily blog, I was shooting constantly and through wanting to shoot for the blog, I was forced to get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot. It will improve your photography without a doubt. Start one in 2011. If you don’t know how…ask me, I can help.

6. Choose when you shoot- Try shooting in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is pretty.

7. Turn on the macro setting- When I got my first digital camera, I loved playing with the macro setting and I think those beginnings really shaped the type of photographer I am. I love the details! Use the macro setting on your camera to get up close to shoot the details. Playing with that little flower setting taught me a lot about Aperture and Depth of Field which now benefits me greatly when I shoot with SLR cameras.

8. Experiment with film- dig out that old film camera you (or someone in your family) have collecting dust, stick some film in and fire off some shots. You will get enjoyment out of taking time with your composition; of actually finishing the roll; and waiting to get the prints back from the lab. You will also see a difference in the prints that you may not achieve with your digital camera.

9. Experiment with different cameras- play around with different film and digital cameras and it will broaden your range. Believe me.

10. Wander- Go for one of my Wandering Neighbourhood walks with your camera. Camera dates are the best!

11. Use a tripod- Use a tripod if you find that you often get blurry shots and you will be amazed at the difference. If you don’t have a tripod, try and use whatever you have available to help steady the camera. You can set it up on a fence or even use a wall to lean your body/arm against to get balance.

12. Self portraits- Who better to practise portraits on than yourself? Let your beautiful mug shine. Aim to focus on your eyes.

13. Start a photography group- ask some friends to go shooting and spend time talking cameras and settings with other like minded camera geeks. Back in Sydney, I attended many camera get togethers with the Sydney Photobloggers group on flickr. Before flickr there were just 4 or 5 of us who would get together and shoot on the weekends. Hello Tracey, James and Jarod! Although, I do think I spent most of the time avoiding their cameras rather than shooting my own. ;)

14. Take a photography class- even if it’s just an 8 week community college course. These courses can teach you the basics and will get you out shooting with a pro photographer on a couple of excursions. Don’t be shy to ask questions of the instructor. I’ve taken 2 of those types of courses in the past and I took a more intermediate one at the Australian Centre for Photography. I would love to take a few courses at some local photography schools here in Vancouver.

15. Always have your camera with you- you never know what you might see on the way home from work!

16. Photograph something you wouldn’t normally- Like shooting flowers? Go shoot an alley instead. Spend most of your time photographing food? Try shooting some portraits of friends. You never know what inspirations you might find.

17. Use what you’ve got- don’t be concerned with megapixels and lens size. Make the best of what you’ve got and practise till you know that camera inside and out.

18. Try photojournalism- try to shoot like a photo journalist by capturing people in moments without them realising. See the moment before it happens and be invisible. Not ‘creepy, hiding in the bushes’ invisible but find a way to let the action happen around you without disturbing the moments.

19. Offer to take a friend’s portrait- it gives you the practice you need and your friend scores some nice photographs to use on their facebook profile pic. Win, win!

20. Enjoy it! Try not to get too caught up in silly techniques and the latest action fads (vintagey yellowy tinged photoshop action I’m talking to you) and just have fun. Be yourself and shoot for you. If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?

That’s my 20 for now. Do you have any you’d like to share that you’ve found have helped your photography?

p.s. Check out my ‘Me and My Camera‘ interview at Sh1ft. Thanks Tracey!

When Inspiration Is Too Much

Amanda — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:00:37 +0000

If you are anything like me, you spend a lot of time pouring over other people’s photographs on photography websites, blogs and in books and magazines. There is such an amazing truckload of inspiration out there for all kinds of photography no matter what your needs. I sometimes share some of my photography inspirations here on Mocking Bird but I try not to overload you with other people’s photographs as there are so many great blogs out there already doing that.

As great as all this inspiration is, sometimes the volumes of photography available to peruse can actually be debilitating to your own photography. If we spend more time looking at other people’s photography than shooting ourselves, this can actually be doing our photography harm. The only way to improve is to practise and the only way to find your own voice and style is by trying out different things and seeing where you fit.

I think a lot of people get caught up in shooting fads, shooting what everyone else is shooting and trying to fit in. As pretty as all that can be, it doesn’t help you grow as a photographer. For me, photography is about being original and having a style and voice that is recognizable as your own. I may not always achieve this myself, but when I shoot, I remind myself that these are my stories, my photographs and not something that should be heavily influenced by someone else.

I hope I’m not sounding too preachy with this post but I do want new photographers to be themselves, to be original, to share their own voice in new and amazing ways that only they can. I also mainly wrote this post to remind myself to get out there and shoot for me too. I’ve been doing a lot of shooting for non personal reasons of late and along the way forgot to make time to shoot for me. We all need to shoot for ourselves too!

p.s. We welcomed the newest little bub to our family yesterday. Hooray for darling, little Aislin!

Being a Stealth Photographer

Amanda — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:00:48 +0000

Do you see possible awesome photograph options while you’re out and about but don’t have the nerve to shoot them? Do you ever wish that you had more camera courage whilst out in public? Recently one reader asked how I shoot the things I do without getting funny looks. She wanted to know what my “secret to avoiding the silly is”.

Often times I have missed great photo opportunities because I’ve worried about what people may think. Nobody wants to be the crazy lady crawling through the bushes or laying in the middle of the street legs and arms a-flailing with a camera pointed in the air. The secret is…there isn’t one unfortunately.

However, I pose to you this…how badly do you want the shot? There are plenty of times that I have wanted to shoot something and been too nervous or worried that people might think I am a weirdo. It’s moments like those that I ask myself this very question: How badly do you want it? If I want it badly enough, I will size up the situation, shoot as quickly as I can and then get the hell out of there.

Of course, there is a time and place for photography. As I’ve mentioned before, I used to shoot a lot of bands. One time I had a really hard time shooting and simply had to put the camera away. It was a Joanna Newsom gig. It was in the famous Spiegel Tent and with nothing but a little lady strumming a harp, it was dead silent. Having my shutter button clicking away during the performance would have been downright rude, so I put the camera away. Obviously, some things are not appropriate to shoot and I make a judgement call.

The photographs that posed this initial reader question were taken in a store. Now quite often some stores have rules about taking photographs so you need to be careful. I will admit that when I took some pictures inside The Regional Assembly of Text, I was nervous about it. I wanted to ask permission but it was super busy, so I just took a few shots as I walked around the store. Thankfully, one of the owners actually emailed me telling me that she loved the post. There is always the chance that you won’t be that lucky.

I take quite a lot of photographs in cafes and people may think I’m a bit of a weirdo but I’d rather walk home with some lovely pictures of my day than regretting not shooting that moment. I guess it comes down to not being worried what people will think and being courteous. I am always mindful of my surroundings and if I think that my shooting might disturb others then I will give it a miss. You can always ask permission first too.

I’ve had some funny looks from people, I’ve had comments and even quite a few people asking me to take their photo. It goes with the territory. If you really want the shot, compose it in your head, stand tall, be quick and courteous and be brave! You never know what you might come home with.

Do You Get Photographer’s Block?

Amanda — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:20 +0000

Are you trying hard to improve your photography by shooting as much as you can? Do you sometimes get stuck in a place where you are unsure which way to go next? When photography found me (yes it found me, I didn’t find it) I was consumed by wanting to shoot until my shutter finger hurt.

I tried to shoot photographs every day but sometimes found myself with no direction if I wasn’t shooting for purpose. Once you’ve shot everything in your house and around your neighbourhood, a new photography habit can leave you wondering where to go to next.

I soon discovered places like Photo Friday and Theme Thursday which I loved participating in each week. Each week a theme is posted and photographers are asked to go out and shoot one photograph on that theme. Tracey runs photography lists and scavenger hunts over at Sh1ft and Shutter Sisters have similar things happening in their flickr pool.

Themes are a really great way to stretch yourself as a photographer and make your eyes notice things they may not have before. If you are feeling a bit of photographer’s block, here is a list of themes to go and just shoot!

Doors and windows in your neighbourhood
Signs- street signs, storefront signs, church signs, road signs, neon signs!
Anything that is pink.
A word theme e.g. “soft” or “memoir”
Sidewalks/Footpaths- Eons ago I ran The Sidewalk Project where I asked people to send in photographs of things they found on the sidewalk. I got hundreds of entries from sidewalks all over the world.
Self portraits- yes, shoot your own face for 365 days, 52 weeks or every day for a week. Chantelle is doing her 52 weeks and sharing them at Fat Mum Slim.
Books- on book shelves, in book stores, left at bus stops.
Coffee designs – a favourite of mine.
Things found at the beach.
Bathroom Mirror Reflections- Damn Hell Bathrooms on flickr.
Different body parts- just hands, just eyes, just feet.
Strangers- get up the courage to ask a stranger if you can shoot their portrait.

There are thousands of different themes you can choose to inspire your photography and get yourself out of a camera funk. If you do decide to take on a theme based project, get yourself a flickr account and share it in a set.

Have you got any other nifty ways of coping with photographer’s block?

How To Shoot In Dark, Winter Light

Amanda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:14:26 +0000

Since moving to Vancouver, I have had to deal with one nasty, ugly problem. Despite its mountains and ocean, its pine trees and snowy fields, its absolute and utter beauty, in the wintery months, Vancouver is one dark city. This is no big deal for most, but for a natural light film photographer like myself, it does cause a few problems. Now, I could very easily just pack up the cameras until next April, but for someone who craves photography, who needs to take photos every day, that is never going to happen.

I’ve never had to deal with this before as Sydney is more sunny than it is rainy and the light there is very easy to come by. This is a whole new learning curve, so rather than just staying inside with a hot chocolate, I’ve decided to find ways to make photography work for me in the dark, winter light. I hope this new school of education for me can be of some help for you with your own photography.

Firstly I need to make a few changes to my usual mode of shooting:

To think about my equipment (film types, camera types, flash vs no flash, reflectors, light sources, tripod).
To find different times in the day to shoot.
To apply my knowledge of Polaroid photography to all photography. I will explain why.
To shoot things I would never have thought to shoot before i.e. people in the rain, beaches with an overcast sky.
To accept and find beauty in the dark, winter hues.
To set up an indoor studio.
To buy thin, warm gloves and protection for my cameras.

I have to make these changes because I am used to having light pretty much whenever and wherever I want it. I shoot with natural light as I find flash to be too harsh and it really can destroy a photo. The only time I think flash is necessary is when your are shooting indoor portraits and parties with your point and shoot.

In the coming weeks, I am going to offer you my ideas about those points above. Do you have any questions that you would like to share about this kind of photography? I look forward to sharing what I learn with you!

Subscribe to the RSS so you don’t miss coming Winter Light posts.

In the meanwhile, here are a few inspirations from winter photographers on flickr.

Discovering New Places With Your Camera

Amanda — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:52 +0000

Making my way around the Vancouver hot spots with my camera is a great way to get to know the town. Not only do I get to visit new places and discover possible future favourites, but I get to remember them all over again when I get back a roll of film.
I find using your camera as a way to discover new places is a real inspiration. It gives you a reason to get to places that you may not have discovered for any other reason that to pretend you’re still a tourist.
I am still technically a tourist in Vancouver, but pretending to be one was something I did a fair bit in Sydney.

You Can Be A Tourist Too

Grab your camera and put your tourist eyes on and find new and wonderful parts of your community- places you may never have imagined could be very clickable (Amanda-speak for “photogenic”).
Pick a suburb that you may not ordinarily go to and shoot the streets.
Go to your local market and shoot the produce.
Attend a community street parade or multicultural fair.
Go to your local park and shoot the flowers and wildlife.

Getting to know your suburb and neighbourhoods with your camera is a great way to discover new things that you may have overlooked for years. You never know what is hiding around a corner!