A Better Workflow for Digital Photographers
If you've been in the photography industry for a while now, you may have noticed that how we work has shifted dramatically with the new digital era. Gone are the days of shooting film and having to leave it in the hands of a printing lab for hours. Nowadays, we can do everything on our own (minus developing film). Now is this always better?
This post will explore if there's more to think about when it comes to your workflow as a photographer and why there are pros and cons to using this method as well.
This post was written by Boseman. He is a photographer and blogger at www.bosemanphotography.com , one of the largest online photography communities he's worked with many clients and is currently working on building a website for himself. His image sequencing process can be seen here .
1) Digital photography has changed so much since we fired up the first digital camera. It has now evolved into a medium of art in itself, not to mention there are more and more features out there to enhance your images. So what's the problem?
As photographers, we tend to want the best equipment for our work, but we fail to realize that just about everything gets better with time.
Nowadays, companies release new cameras and lenses and other accessories with only minor advancements over last year's model, because they know that once a photographer has a shiny new thing in his or her hands, they'll soon upgrade it again. The same goes for computers, software and other photo gear as well. It's like they have to constantly try and push us towards buying new tech.
So, what's the problem with this? Well, let's break it down:
DON'T DO IT!
2) Remember; it's also about the content of your images. What does that mean? It means that you must remain creative and continue to evolve your vision with each shot you take. You should never sacrifice your vision for a camera or lens (unless of course you have been commissioned by a client). I know so many people who buy new cameras or lenses and then just stop shooting because they are waiting to master the equipment. Instead, you should think about how it can help you improve your vision as a photographer. You'll never get better if you wait until you master something to start using it.
3) There are many aspects of photography that can take time to master, but the key to becoming better is shooting! I mean really shooting. The more images you take, the more time you will have to perfect those techniques because they will become second nature to you. I have had plenty of people tell me that they don't have time to shoot, but the truth is, it's much easier to shoot than it is to edit or even post-process an image. To me, shooting is the most important aspect of photography because you can learn so much when you're just out there and shooting. I learned a lot by shooting with a certain lens and then trying to perfect my vision with that lens over other lenses. It's important to use every tool that you have as a photographer, including your equipment.
4) So what about software? If I'm being completely honest, software is not always necessary for every situation (unless it's for Photoshop and Lightroom). I believe that everyone can figure something out with a complicated program. The key to making your life easier is not spending all of your time on software, but rather making sure that you're always shooting. I hear from so many photographers who have the times of their life teaching them something new with software (I'm guilty of this as well), but it starts and ends with shooting.
5) If you've been around for awhile in photography, you know that there's nothing new out there. It's all about the way you use it. I personally am interested in building a website for myself, but I don't know how to do any of this without learning WordPress by hand. Why? Because I want to be able to know how it works as well as how to customize it. If I just jumped right in and used software to build a site, I wouldn't understand much about the web design process and what goes on behind the scenes. I think that this is a great way to approach learning new techniques and skills in photography, whether they are based around shooting or post-processing.
6) Don't let your ego get in the way of your success! Just because you have more expensive equipment doesn't mean you're better than the guy with only a camera phone. One of the biggest hurdles that people have when trying to improve their photography is noticing their flaws and working on improving them instead of trying to get better images.
They just want to find the "perfect" angle or the "perfect" light, but they are failing to realize that there isn't one. Instead, if you're out shooting, look at things differently and try something new. Look past a common error in your shots and find a way around it. There is no "perfect" shot in photography, which makes it so much more interesting.
I know that I'm not going to shoot like a pro right off the bat, but I do want to try my best to be more aware of how my gear can help me improve and not let anything hold me back!
For more information about Best Practices for Professional Photographers , check out their website at www.bestpracticesphotography.com . Follow Best Practices on twitter @BestPracticesPhotog . And for more resources on this industry and other topics, check out their website at www.bestpracticesphotography.com/resources .
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Conclusion
Now that you've read through this article, hopefully you're interested in your camera more and want to learn more about it. If so, please be sure to check out my blog post about the Canon 5D Mark III which is probably the most important camera I'm going to review for this site.
Get inspired! Be visually stimulated! Be inspired! Be visually stimulated!
Please share this article with your photography friends and family members. They can take advantage of it as well, and maybe they'll even pick up a new trick or two in the process.