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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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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