Most of Glyn’s YouTube channel is focused on Photoshop Tutorials like the one you see below:

However, Glyn does include a few other types of videos like this review below:

or even some photography tips like in this video:

You can visit Glyn’s YouTube Channel to view more videos. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE while you are there.

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I am a professional people photographer who photographs people in controlled settings both inside and out. In other words, I shoot in manual and control the lighting both inside and out to make it work for the set up that I am using with strobes, reflectors, etc. Photographing an eagle in nature on manual was not a good decision.  In addition, I had my camera set in two other classic people modes that I use which were not good either.

Mistake #1 – Shooting in Manual Mode

I should have set my camera to aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode. However, I would have chosen aperture priority mode over shutter because the shutter speed would have been fine if my ISO and f/stop were in line.

I had my camera in manual, grabbed it and started shooting. My image was overexposed; however, there were other issues as well like Mistake #2 and Mistake #3 which are two other settings that are usually fine with my people photography but not so good with a flying eagle.  Yep, the eagle took flight and I was not ready.

I like shooting with the 70-200mm at f/5.6 at this distance. I was at f/3.5 which was not the biggest problem that I was up against. I would like to have been at a faster shutter speed than 1/500th for the flight that took place but at 100ISO stopping down to f/5.6 would have lowered my shutter speed. However, that would have gotten the exposure more in line. I could have gained two f/stops by shooting at 400 ISO and three f/stops at 800. So if I had it to do all over, I would be in aperture priority mode at f/5.6 at no less than 400ISO and maybe even 800ISO (to some that may sound odd for outside).

Mistake #2 – Shooting in the WRONG Auto Focus Mode

I should have been on Continuous AI SERVO mode. That is the best mode for moving subjects and action. The Canon 5D Mark III has 3 focusing modes: One Shot, AI Focus and AI Servo. I tend to stay on AI Focus which is supposed to select the right focusing mode even for action; however, I have found that when trying to photograph action that AI SERVO is best: The camera is constantly focusing.

The eagle took flight and I ended up with ZERO usable images most of which were OUT OF FOCUS. I had a FANTASTIC one with a beautiful full wing span at an angle but between manual settings and the wrong focus mode, I cannot show it to you here. In addition, Mistake #3 factored in when the eagle took flight.

Mistake #3 – Shooting in Single Frame Mode

If you read Mistake #2 before reading this, you know that the eagle took flight and I was in the wrong focus mode. Well, I was also in single frame mode but at least I was on silent rather than the shutter being noisy. The Canon 5D Mark III will shoot 6 frames per second. There are other less expensive cameras that will do more frames per second, but the 5D Mark III is a full frame pro camera. I’ll take less frames per second for the trade off.

I should have been in continuous frame mode which with the continuous auto focus that I should also have been in would have helped when when the eagle took flight. That was an AWESOME full spread shot but between Mistake #1, #2 and #3 all combined, I cannot post the shot here: Too Bad!!!

FYI, I do offer photography workshops in the Raleigh area and one-to-one training.  I don’t offer training on how to photograph eagle’s in flight.  I am still working on that one.

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7 Photography Tips:

The 7 photography tips below, when implemented and practiced, will help you improve your DSLR Photography. If you already own a DSLR Camera that is likely worth hundreds of dollars minimum or maybe even thousands, you might as well learn how to start getting better results from your investment or gift (if you were lucky). Some of the tips even have a video from YouTube that I thought may help you understand the tip better than trying to say it all with words.

The tips below are not meant to go into great detail. That would take a book. But when implemented and practiced, these 7 photography tips will help you become a better DSLR photographer.

1) Understand Light:

Light can make or break your photography. You need to learn how to use it as your friend not your enemy. One of the key components of making light work for you is paying attention to the direction the light is coming from. Is it behind your subject, beside your subject or in front of your subject? Once you know that, then you have to practice making light work for you not against you. Toss out the rules (at least for now), like the sun coming from behind your subject, and try something new which is this case may provide a nice silhouette with bursts of light coming from behind your subject. The nice thing about digital photography is that you can see what you are getting without having to wait like the film processing days.

Using a flash and a reflector are tips #5 and #6, so you’ll gain a little more knowledge about light as you continue through this post.

Lighting tips go way deeper than the basic advice above. This post is only meant to scratch the surface.  You should start noticing light more and practicing how to use it to your advantage.

2) Compose the Shot:

Composition is critical to creating great images. Although in the digital age, you can easily crop an image after the fact to change the composition. However, that is not the same as truly being aware of your image composition through the camera lens at the time you release the shutter.  If you don’t have something in the frame that could help with the composition, you cannot make cropping work for you in the same way as if it were already part of the image. It’s true that with digital that you can add or take away things in Photoshop. However, I am talking about being truly aware of what you are seeing through the lens of the camera and purposely composing your shot.

There are two great ways to get better at composition. First, study other photographer’s work to begin understanding what some of the best photographer’s are up to. Joe McNally and Trey Ratcliff come to mind quickly.  Secondly, practice, practice, practice.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but these two things will make a difference.

3) Understand Depth of Field:

Depth of field in its simplistic form relates to how much the back ground is in or out of focus. It is controlled by your lens setting like f/4 vs. f/22 for example. You have likely seen many images with the background out of focus that causes the image to POP more. Rather than type a lot of words here, I will simply encourage you to watch the video below. He shows a quick example within the first 90 seconds or less of the video.

The longer you continue to shoot in auto mode and let the camera do all the thinking, the longer it will be before you are truly in control of your photography.

It helps to have a good understanding of the exposure triangle first which will not only help you with manual mode but with depth of field, understanding light, exposure and ISO.

1) You need to understand the exposure triangle: 

It amazes me how many people own a DSLR camera and rely on the little pop up flash.  The missing piece in many DSLR owner’s camera kit is an external hot shoe mounted TTL flash also known as a speedlite.  TTL is short for “Through The Lens.”  In other words, the camera and flash communicate well with each other to give proper lighting from the flash.

It’s true that the Nikon and Canon brand name top of the line flashes can be $500+.  If that is way out of your range, one of the best off brands that I am aware of is the Yongnuo YN-565EX which as of this post is $119.99 on Amazon.  If you want something  a little more expensive and more of a popular name brand, you could look into the METZ brand.

There are 3 key things to keep in mind when using a hot shoe mounted flash.

1) Be sure to have backup batteries – Most units work off of 4 AA batteries.
2) Bounce the flash with something like a small ROGUE Flashbender currently around $35 on Amazon.
3) Use the flash outside to fill in shadows and get better results overall potentially outside.

If you want more in depth knowledge about flash, you may want to see my post about the FroKnows Guide To Flash Photography.

6) Use a 5-in-1 Reflector:

You can find a 5-in-1 reflector for under $20 on Amazon. Even one as large as the one in the video below.

This is something that is far better to SHOW than TELL, so I’ll leave you to the video. It’s only a 5 minute video about an awesome tool for controlling light.

Most lenses that come with camera kits today are zoom lenses which makes logical sense because they provide a greater range of focal points like wide angle to closer up for example without the photographer having to move around very much. However, in the film days, 35mm cameras typically came with a 50mm lens. That’s a prime lens. Actually a prime lens is simply a lens that is not a zoom lens and has one focal length. A few other primes lenses are 28mm, 35mm, 85mm, 100mm and 135mm, but the list goes on.

You may already be thinking…..”Why do I need a prime lens?” That’s a great question. One of the key reasons that comes to mind is the lens opening. For example, Canon makes a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for just over $100. The typical kit lens is around f/3.5 at the widest opening and sometimes f/4 or f/4.5. That means the prime lens will be better in lower light. If you have not watched the depth of field video above in tip #3 that may help you understand some of this f/stop geek speak a little better.

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In this post, I will share 4 Websites and the You Tube Channels associated with those sites that can help you become a better photographer at any skill level.

QUICK THOUGHT: I am 100% fine with people getting into the photography business. However, I am not OK with people getting into photography simply because they bought a nice camera over the weekend (often high end consumer version), leaving it on auto to shoot everything (because they don’t understand any other settings) and using low prices as their core way of getting business (because that’s the only way they feel they can compete). I think that undermines the industry when those 3 things happen.

No matter what career path someone chooses, we all owe it to ourselves to invest in some level of education / learning / core understanding of that career choice. The 4 websites and the 4 YouTube Channels that go along with them below can make a huge difference if someone has chosen photography as their career.

Please note that NONE of these are affiliate links and that I have received no compensation for listing these sites.

Kelby Training

Kelby Training has a tremendous reputation in the industry.  The training is available as an annual subscription ( under $200 as of this post ) or as a monthly recurring fee.  You may also want to consider a NAPP Membership which is the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.  NAPP is tied to Kelby Training and can save you money on your Kelby Training membership.

Be sure to visit: The YouTube Channel for Kelby Training

Creative Live

Creative Live offers a lot more than just photography training, but since this post is about photography , I’ll stick to that topic.  With Creative Live, you can watch the event online for FREE on the day or days of the event.  You can purchase the event at a discounted rate prior to it starting through the end of the event. Shortly after the event is over, the price will likely go up.  The events are archived and you can purchase them individually at a later date.

Be sure to visit: The YouTube Channel for Creative Live

Karl Taylor Photography Masterclass

Karl Taylor is based in the UK. He has done an amazing job of putting together quality photography training. Karl Taylor offers photography training via DVD with worldwide shipping for Beginner, Advanced and Professional Photographers.  You can get several FREE online videos via email by simply providing your name and email address on this page of Karl’s website.

Be sure to visit: The YouTube Channel for Karl Taylor

Glyn Dewis Photographer, Retoucher, Trainer

Glyn Dewis is based out of the UK.  I am expecting Glyn to comment on this post once I let him know about it.  You see, my connection with Glyn shows how the power of the internet works.

I watched Glyn’s interview on Kelby Training and I highly recommend that you watch it as well once you sign up for Kelby Training.  After watching his interview which was the first time that I had ever heard of Glyn Dewis, I pinged him on Twitter, got a reply, then took that over to Facebook which Glyn and I have communicated on fairly regular since then.  Glyn even LIKED my Facebook page.

Now that my story with Glyn is out of the way, it’s time to talk more specifically about Glyn Dewis:  Based on what I remember from the interview, Glyn was doing retouching for other photographer’s who often asked him to work miracles on not so good photography.  Glyn decided to buy a camera and start doing photography himself.  Fast forward several years later and there you have it: Glyn Dewis Photographer, Retoucher, Trainer.

Speaking of Training, you should visit Glyn’s YouTube Channel.  Glyn conducts workshops in the UK and he has an online store on his website with some of his downloadable paid products.

Live Photography Workshops Around Raleigh NC Including Live One-to-One Photography Training

Now’s as good a time as any to put a quick plug in for my own photography training services.  I do teach live workshops as well as offer one-to-one photography training around the Raleigh NC area.  Travel is no problem either should you be interested in hosting a workshop in your city.  Be sure to visit my workshop page to learn more about the photography workshops that are offered or to contact me for one-to-one photography training.

Sometime in 2014, I hope to have several videos available including both FREE and paid versions.  Please be sure to join my list at the bottom of the workshops page to stay updated.

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A lot of Professional Photographer’s feel that many that do photography as a sideline take away from those who do it for a living.  I have mixed emotions about it all but want to share my thoughts in this post because we all have an opinion about something, right?

Here are the core problems that I have with photography as a side business: aka “The Photographer with the Nice Camera.”  FYI, it’s not the individual that I have the problem with.  It’s their approach.

1) Buying a nice camera kit (say the low end of $600 D5100 / T3i to the high end of roughly $1,800 roughly D7100 / 70D ) does not automatically make someone a photographer.  Oh that’s right, owning a nice camera and having a business card does (sarcasm).

2) Giving someone a CD with 100 unedited images from a photo shoot for $100 not only hurts the photography business but the personal brand of the one handing over the CD.  At minimum, edit select images (Lightroom and Photoshop Elements are both affordable), provide the best of the best (not all of them) and raise the price to a respectable market level.

3) Get some training.  Please get some training.  Putting a camera on auto mode and shooting may provide some nice images, but learning how to override the settings can take ones photography to  another level. A great way to start with some training is with the following: Kelby Training, Karl Taylor and FroKnowsPhoto.com Flash Guide.

4) Work your A** off to make it in photography.  Whether it’s part-time or full-time, photography is not the easiest business to be in unless someone is working for free or practically giving their work away (see #2).  Photography not only takes a lot of work to stay busy, but it requires investments in equipment, training, insurance and more.  Personally, I would not recommend anyone hire a photographer for their wedding just because they have one nice camera.  The photographer better have some backup equipment for that special day and some liability insurance.  FYI, I shot my last wedding in 2001.

As for Professional Photographer’s in Raleigh and beyond, they/we have to stay on our game.  One thing that I do like about the side business photographer’s is the desire within in me to make sure my personal work stands out.  As a photographer, either your worked is loved by others or it is not.  I only want to work with people who love my work.  If someone cannot tell a difference in a veteran professional’s work and the $100 CD photographer’s work, I cannot blame someone for focusing on the price.

As Professional’s, we have to do our part in the industry as well.  Whining and complaining is not the way to get things done.  We all have to work together and better the industry as a collaborative effort whether full-time, part-time or wanna be.

My guess is that top photographer’s, like Brett Florens, that get $20,000 for wedding photography are likely not worried about someone who just bought a “nice camera” and will be shooting weddings for $500 or a family CD for $100.  Ah, there’s another thought, “What’s Your Market?”  That may be good title for another blog post.

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The Complete FroKnowsPhoto 3-Hour Video Guide To Flash Photography

I ran into Jared Polin of  FroKnowsPhoto.com at Allen’s Camera in the Philadelphia area over the Summer when I was visiting the area.  That’s where this photo of the two of us was taken.  

I have not purchased the guide mainly because I started using my first flash over 30 years ago, but I am recommending that ANYONE not familiar with flash photography or needing to improve their skills get this guide purely on the reputation of Jared Polin.

I come in contact with so many photographers in this digital age that DO NOT EVEN OWN a flash. Although that surprised me at first, it’s now less shocking and is likely because of the digital age that so many people do not own a flash. I know a guy that shoots video with a Canon 5D Mark III and doesn’t own a flash for still photography. He called me yesterday to get my advice on flash photography for something that he has coming up.  I no doubt that this guide could make a difference to those not using flash.

The other group of people are the ones that own a flash but either do not really know how to use it or just choose not to use it likely because they really don’t know how to use it.  These folks could also likely learn a thing or two about flash photographer with this guide.

Using a flash, as you can see just in the promo video for the program, can take your photography to another level. There are so many things that you can do with flash photography that will make your images better when flash is used correctly.

Be sure to at least watch the promo video and read about the program by going to this link: The Complete FroKnowsPhoto 3-Hour Video Guide To Flash Photography which again is NOT an affiliate link.

Fro Knows Photo is on Facebook as well.

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The Canon A2300 has a lot of noise (grain), so I did a shot with the flash turned on and don’t care for either image.

For the Sony WX-50, the shot was taken in the same lighting environment but because the Sony has an EV (Exposure Value) mode, I overexposed (brightened) the image by 1 stop. You can find this in the Sony manual that comes with the camera. It will go +2 under (darker) or +2 over (brighter). However, before you think a $99 camera will be your low light savior, you need to know a few things. The subject needs to be still. This camera doesn’t do well in low light with a moving subject. It takes multiple exposures to produce the image. It is also best to use a tripod or mono-pod even when photographing a still subject. I took several images of the camera below and not all came out as well as the one posted.

Canon PowerShot A2300 – Available Light…

Sony CyberShot WX-50 – Available Light…

Canon PowerShot A2300 – with Flash…

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By using my iPhone and Camera Awesome, I decided to be a photojournalist while Bill spoke about “The Anatomy of a Referral.” The app is by SmugMug and allows me to post to multiple social and/or photo sites: SmugMug, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, YouTube and YES Instagram. I also posted to Google Plus and since Pinterest slipped my mind, I used my desktop to post to Pinterest ( see it here ).

One key thing that I did while posting to all these places was to use a  TITLE.  In most cases, I did something like “Triangle Lunch Talks: Bill Davis of Team Nimbus.” By doing this, I not only have a chance of the image coming up for Bill Davis and Team Nimbus, but it is tied to Triangle Lunch Talks as well. Remember, I was able to do all of this from my phone, on the front row as Bill was speaking. I was there anyway, so I didn’t have to sit down in front of my desktop later.

Take Away: Q: What is the best camera to have? A: The one you have with you. Most of the time the camera you will have with you will be your phone, so have an app or multiple apps on your phone in order to be able to do something like I did above. So what do I get from all of this? I am glad that you asked. This image is posted on all my accounts which ties it back to me when it is found. This becomes a win-win for all parties: Bill Davis, Team Nimbus, Triangle Lunch Talks and David Williams

The video below is one that I shot of Bill Davis in Studio with my professional equipment:

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This post is NOT sponsored and there are no affiliate links associated with it. I simply like what Karl does and wanted to bring attention to it.

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