It can be a train of thought fraught with anxiety: we wonder whether our work is good enough, if we’re being creative enough in our photographic endeavours. We worry about becoming jaded with the medium, about losing our “mojo”, about failing. We then seek ways of rejuvenating our passion, of rediscovering what it was about photography that first got us hooked.

The tips I’m about to propose for reinvigorating your passion for photography are not new. But they’re sentiments that we all forget as we become more involved in the medium, particularly when we begin to pursue it professionally. Mired in the What and How (or How Much) and When, we often lose sight of the Why. So, here are four ways of rediscovering the Why for yourself.

1. Value your own vision (aka Stop comparing your work with that of other photographers)

New photographers often tell me, “I’d love to be able to shoot like [insert famous photographer's name here]“. My response is usually: “Why?”.

You have your own way of seeing the world. Why ignore that? Why sacrifice your own creativity by attempting to mimic someone else’s work?

Above all, do not compare your work with those produced by other established photographers. It’s the first step on the road to self-doubt. Don’t go there.

Appreciate the work of other photographers for the unique and creative ways in which they let us see the world. What makes their images so powerful is that they were produced from the heart. When you shoot, shoot from the heart – let your instincts guide you. Learn to ignore that voice in your head that says: “How would [insert famous photographer's name] have shot this? How would s/he have composed this?”

Don’t hide your work. Show it off – whether in an online portfolio, on Flickr, Red Bubble, 500px, Facebook and so on. When someone asks if you could photograph for them – refer them to your images. Tell them: “This is what I shoot. This is how I shoot. This is how I see the world. If you like my vision, then I’ll be happy to do the job for you. If not – well, there are other photographers whose vision may be closer to what you’re looking for.” A customer who does not value your vision is not worth shooting for.

2. Choose your critics (aka Not everyone’s an expert)

Web 2.0 and social networking have been terrific in putting photographers in touch with a wider audience. But it’s also fostered a cultural climate where most everyone considers themselves an expert and a critic, even if they may know precious little of the field. You wouldn’t take to the streets and canvas random people for their thoughts and opinions about your work, so why would you do the same in the online environment?

By all means, share and show off your work, but only take to heart comments (good or bad) from those whose opinions you value and, more importantly, those who you know have the experience and knowledge to back up their responses. If you’re specifically looking for critique of your work, choose the forum in which you present or publish your work carefully.

3. Accept that you will be your harshest critic (aka Learn to ignore your inner-critic)

I’ve been prone to listening too closely to my inner-critic. You know the voice that informs you that you haven’t perfectly composed according to the Rule of Thirds or the Golden Mean; the one that natters in your ear, reminding you of all the rules of photography that you have broken.

The inner-critic is a useful tool, especially for photographers beginning their journey. After a while, however, its prattling can become annoying and intrusive. Your inner-critic is the consciousness that developed while you were learning about photography; it was formed when you were discovering the rules of composition, the techniques of exposure, the mechanics of the medium. Having learned the rules, you’re intuitively ready to break them to create your own unique vision, but that voice won’t let you.

Even worse, it’s the voice that’s been created by self-doubt, the voice that scolds and says: “Why can’t you shoot like so-and-so,” or “Why are your pictures lacking the dramatic intent of the images taken by so-and-so”.

Train yourself to ignore your inner-critic. Self-assessment is useful, but self-assess too much and you will spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about the quality of your work, instead of just going ahead and producing new work.

If your inner-critic begins to harp on about composition, tell it that you’ll do better next time. If it begins to question the quality of your work in comparison to that by another artist, tell it to shut up and that you’re not interested in being derivative.

4. Find something new (aka Stepping outside the square)

The more experience you gain as a photographer, the fewer new subjects become available for your photography. Shoot for a few years and you’ll find that your checklist of things to photograph grows shorter and shorter. And when you begin to revisit the same subjects, you run the risk of repetition. It’s a creativity killer and you risk losing your “photo mojo” if it continues.

Remember the thrill of the first time you shot an event, or the excitement (and anxiety) when you did your first portrait shoot? Look for something new to photograph – whether it’s a new angle on a genre in which you are already comfortable, or a completely different subject.

Work out what you’re currently comfortable shooting and what you shoot well. Then, take yourself out of this comfort zone. Start by asking yourself what you would never shoot, and then go shoot it! Sometimes, it’s as simple as changing the setting in which you would normally photograph – if you shoot during the day, start shooting at night; if you haven’t shot in a storm, start chasing storms.

Because you’re entering new territory, you’ll discover new ways of seeing. You’ll struggle with new challenges and most likely stuff up once or twice (in which case, you might like to listen to your inner-critic a bit as part of the learning process), but the prospect of creating something completely new will be thrilling!

As you look forward in your photography for 2012 – what lessons from 2011 will you take with you? What thoughts have you given about challenging yourself this year to make sure that photography stays fresh for you; that your passion for photography grows, and that you will be primed and ready to consider new challenges at the end of this year?

Our first stop was Garvey Park in Guildford, the site of the old brickworks where clay was excavated from the banks of the river. Now lush wetlands, it was a perfect setting for our first shoot – with models Mal and Nene. The emphasis here was on controlling natural light when shooting in the shade, and making use of sunlight for rim, while exposing for the subject.

Photo by David Winch

Then, we brought on our speedlights, and looked at how TTL flash can be used as both key light and fill flash, on-camera and as bounce flash. Here’s Mal and Nene looking rather cosy with one another.

And here’s another of Mal looking a bit more “blue steel”, lit by flash bounced off a silver reflector camera right.

Meanwhile, Nene, our resident “cow girl” was hamming it up next to a lake – see how powerful a bounce flash can be in making a portrait taken in full sun pop?

Photo by John Miocevich

Photo by Capturing Hearts Photography (Samantha Kinkella)

After Garvey Park, we headed to Taylor’s Cafe and Studio in the Swan Valley, and photographed in an “outdoor studio”. Working with portable manual strobes, participants learned how to make use of location and light positioning to take location portraits. We went with quite a sexy look here, with Mal all oiled up and sweaty ala fireman’ calendar dude, while Nene posed in something black and slinky, in keeping with the junkyard’s very gritty environment.

Photo by Capturing Hearts Photography (Michelle Donoghue)

Photo by Capturing Hearts Photography (Michelle Donoghue)

Our pit stop for lunch was at Ironbark Brewery, where participants shook off the heat with a cold beer (or ginger ale) and a great lunch spread.

Suitably re-fueled, we headed to Kosovich’s Vineyards and Winery for a spot of wine tasting, before shooting among the spring vines with an Elinchrom Ranger. We looked at how using a powerful light can allow photographers to overpower the sun, turning day into night and lighting up their subjects in dramatic fashion. With the sun hanging a little lower in the sky, it was time to play around with sun flare – shooting into the sun and lighting our models up with the Ranger. Mind you, we nearly lost the beauty dish when the wind picked up and sent it and the light stand tipping over a row of vines!

Photo by Capturing Hearts Photography (Michelle Donoghue)

Photo by Capturing Hearts Photography (Samantha Kinkella)

We went with a romantic theme in this shoot, and had Mal and Nene playing the part of a young couple traipsing through the vines.

We had to wait until after dark for our final session (no one minded as it meant we could wet the whistle at the Royal in East Perth), where we ventured down to the banks of Claisebrook Cove for some amazing fire and light painting courtesy of light-painter extraordinaire, Stephen Humpleby. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

LightPlay 2 was a long day, but packed with action, excitement and new opportunities for photographers to develop their skills in creative lighting! And participants LOVED it! As was summed up by one of our participants, Michelle of Capturing Hearts Photography:

“Had soooo much fun and learned so much! Light bulbs going off in my head as well as camera! All starting to make sense now. Can not thank you enough!”

If this has whet your appetite for some creative lighting, keep an eye out for LightPlay 3 – due out in April/May 2012!

Others argue that the light meter is an essential tool, especially when you’re shooting with multiple lights and need to achieve the correct lighting balance.

I’d like to think that the truth lies somewhere in between.

The light meter is a tool. Much like the exposure meter in your camera. And with most tools, they’re best used as guide, a means of establishing a starting point from which you then develop the rest of your image-making creatively.

The light meter gives you an exposure reading. Rely too much on it and you get into a “lock and leave” mentality – you think you’ve measured the light correctly and then you shoot. You forget that your sitters or models are mobile – they’ll move closer to the key light, or away from it, and their distance from the light source will affect the way they’re exposed in your photographs.

As with all forms of photography, you need to keep an eye on the light as it falls on your subject. Studio strobes have modeling lights – take note of this, and if it looks like your model’s position has changed, obtain a new exposure reading and adjust lighting or exposure settings accordingly. Even if you’re dealing with multiple lights, be observant and remember where your model is positioned in relation to these lights.

Tools make work easier for us, but they should never replace our ability to think creatively and to problem solve. I like my light meter and use it at the start of every studio shoot to check exposure. I shoot dynamically – changing the model’s position, lighting angles, height, distance and so on. I estimate changes in exposure and make changes accordingly. At the end of the day, I like having the light meter there to confirm that the estimates are on the right track.

If you’re just starting out in studio photography or using strobes, having a light meter is invaluable. As you become more and more familiar with the way light works in the studio, you’ll find that you’ll rely on it less and less, and that you’ll eventually use it as a means to check and confirm. It’s a bit like having a spirit level – good to have in your pocket, but there are times when you know that you have set something straight and you don’t need to pull it out and use it.

I’ve attended lighting demonstrations, where the professional commercial photographer, sans light meter, has taken nearly 5 minutes to obtain correct exposure as he fiddled around with adjusting strobe power on the lights. With a light meter, he could have set things up and confirmed them within 30 seconds.

For an alternative point of view, consider Charles Lucima’s take on the light meter on the Model Mayhem blog.

Do you use a light meter? What are your thoughts on its use?

(Light meter image in banner by Chad Miller)

My interests in photography lie predominantly in portraiture, but I’m rarely interested in creating “flattering” people portraits. I don’t use skin smoothing software, for instance, and very rarely will you see me spotting or cloning away the errant mole or pimple (unless it’s on the bride).

For me, people’s faces and bodies are topographies – landscapes where lines and bumps, pits and pores are as interesting as streams, rivers, mountains, forests and lakes for landscape photographers.

In a recent shoot of a fitness model, I wanted to change the tone of the shoot, albeit briefly, and focus on creating what I call “gritty” portraiture. The model, like most fitness models, was tall, fit and good looking. Which meant I had to change things somewhat to “grit” him up. On came a hoodie and directional lighting (best to make every pore and bump visible to the naked eye). Some black and white post-processing and selective sharpening later and Adam was transformed into a character who would not look amiss in the boxing ring.

Without doubt, being able to photograph models makes it so much more enjoyable for participants to practise what they have learned. Our workshops are very hands on and all participants get the opportunity to work with our models.

From beginner’s workshops to portraiture workshop, flash photography lessons to 1-on-1 fine art nude photography workshops, without our models, these workshops wouldn’t be as engaging and, heck as much fun!

So, without further ado, let’s introduce our talented models past, present and future.

“I’m a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I shake my little tush on the catwalk”
(I’m too Sexy, Right Said Fred)

While there was no catwalk at Up On High Studio in Fremantle, there certainly was a lot of posing, strutting and tush shaking at our Fashion Photography Workshop, which we ran in collaboration with Perth fashion, commercial and lifestyle photographer, Tristan Jud.

Modeling for us was the fantastic Nene Bolin (have a look at the photos of Nene below and you’ll see what I mean), with make up artistry by the very talented and creative Sandy Tau who made Nene glow under studio lights. Cupcakes and art direction tips and tricks came courtesy of Tristan’s other half, Mona Jud.

The three-hour workshop covered lighting for fashion (it’s all about the garment, dah-link!), posing and attention to detail. Participants took turns directing and shooting Nene in two separate shoots – the first somewhat glamorous and the second more cutting edge.

To give this workshop an authentic flavour, participants were asked to shoot the cover for a fashion magazine targeting a younger, more street-wise audience. Make sure you check out Tristan’s effort on the cover below!

So what next for the likely lads of Venture Photography Workshops and Tristan Jud Photography? We’re already planning our next workshop – this one on beauty and glamour, and it’ll be a corker. Sign up for our Newsletter to find out when it’s available or if you’re a Facebook junkie like us, go on and “Like” the Venture Photography Workshops Facebook page for updates.

Photo by David Savage

Photo and cover by Tristan Jud

If that hasn’t grabbed your attention, then we don’t know what will.

We’re collaborating with Tristan Jud Photography on a series of workshops with a fashion/glamour angle. Why? Because Fashion and Glamour is what Tristan does – and does well.

Our first workshop – Studio Fashion Photography – kicks off on Monday 27th June, 7pm – 10pm (yes, a first for us – a night class!). Participants will learn about setting up, lighting and directing a fashion shoot, working with model Nene Bolin on two very hands-on photo shoots (we believe in learning by doing). One of the assignments that participants will need to complete at this workshop is to shoot a magazine cover for “Denim” – a new magazine focusing on contemporary edgy and sexy street wear.

If this is something that gets your attention, why not join us for this workshop. Details and bookings at: www.venturephotography.com.au/workshops/studio-fashion-photography-workshop

We all had an absolute ball at LightPlay on Sunday May 1. The premise of this workshop was a simple one: let’s get funky and creative with light!

Without light, there is no photography, yet lighting is something that is often ignored by photographers new to the art. Because it’s all around us and we take it for granted, we often don’t pay attention to the way a scene or person is lit. And our images suffer because of this.

LightPlay was all about getting photographers to notice light, and to do creative things with it. Whether it’s natural light in an outdoor environment, low-light indoors or a studio setting where the very control of light is at your fingertips, this workshop had participants develop an understanding of light and how it can be used to create extraordinary photographs.

The day was split across five shoots, each designed to explore one type of light.

We started outdoors, using natural light and fill-flash to create outdoor portraits of the gorgeous Laura and Tarryn, and then retired indoors, into the dim and smoky confines of our little “den of iniquity” for an exotic boudoir shoot with our very exotic and evocative boudoir model, Kat. Then, a change of space with a studio shoot using only a one-light set up to photography physique model, Brad, before we headed back out into the sun with fashion models Jen and Michelle, with Brad completing the trio, to look at outdoor strobing with off-camera flash. Finally, we were treated to a spectacularly fiery finish by Jacob McGrath of Dream State Circus, whose blazing extravaganza was captured using slow synch flash.

It was a long day (nearly 10 hours of shooting and learning) but judging from the excitement, smiles and laughter, all participants had a great time and came away with fantastic photographs.

Here are some photographs from LightPlay followed by behind the scenes snaps by workshop assistant, John Leonard (thanks John!).

Behind the scenes

Maximising your DSLR is a one-day photography course aimed at photographers new to shooting with a digital SLR. Let’s face it — the reason you bought a DSLR because you realised that your compact digital camera had limitations, and using a DSLR will not only give you better image quality, but greater control over how your images turn out.

Our workshop focuses on getting you off the “Auto” mode on your DSLR (and this includes the Auto “Scene” modes such as the Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action modes on your dial), and gets you using your DSLR more creatively, so that you’re making a conscious choice about how you shoot. We also feature a model in the street shoot segment of this workshop. Having Tamarin pose for us meant that workshop participants could practise what they had learned about controlling their DSLR.

Here are our top five tips for DSLR photography, taken from our Maximising your DSLR workshop:

1. SELECTIVE FOCUS

Many beginning photographers leave their DSLR on multi-focus, letting the camera decide the point of focus from the bevy of focus points available (often more than 50 potential focus points in the more advanced DSLRs). However, the camera doesn’t know that you’d like the focus to be on the person standing behind the rose bush and not the rose bush itself! Take your DSLR off multi-focus, and set it to a single focus point (check your DSLR manual to find out how you can set your focus point). We recommend setting a central focus point (the point at the centre of your viewfinder) as it’s the brightest and often sharpest point in your lens. To do this, your DSLR must be set to its P, Av (or A), Tv (or S) or M modes (you cannot select a single focus point if you’re shooting on an automatic mode).

In this shot, we are able to selectively focus on our model, Tamarin, even though she is behind several rose bushes. If the DSLR had been left at multi-focus, then there is a chance it would choose to focus on the roses instead of Tamarin:

2. FOCUS LOCK AND RECOMPOSE

Now that you’ve set your DSLR to a single focus point, you can place the point over the subject you want in focus and take the picture. Too easy! But wait – there’s more! You can now lock the focus on your subject by pressing the shutter button half way down (not fully down) and wait for focus confirmation (your camera may beep, or a little circle will appear in the corner of your viewfinder). Once focus is confirmed, and while maintaining the half-press on the shutter button, you can now pan the camera left/right or up/down to relocate your subject within the frame. Once you have located your subject within the frame, press the shutter button all the way through to take the picture. Your subject will still remain sharp in the photo as you have locked focus on the subject prior to recomposing its position in the frame.

In this example, we focus-locked on Tamarin, and then recomposed to set her at the left-hand side of the frame:

3. CONTROL DEPTH OF FIELD WITH APERTURE

Aperture describes the window in your lens that lets light into your camera. When you set your camera to Av (or A), you’re setting it on Aperture Priority – which means you can control the size of this window using the command dial. The size of the aperture is represented by a number, called an f-number. The lower the f-number, the larger the window.

The size of the aperture window controls the depth of field in your photograph. Depth of field refers to the zone of sharpness in your image. A shallow depth of field means that objects to the front and back of the point of focus loose sharpness and appear soft. Great for portraits where you would like to separate the subject from the background. A deep depth of field means that objects to the front or back of the point of focus retain their sharpness, which is great for landscape photographs.

Set your aperture to a small f-number to obtain a shallow depth of field (try f3.5, f4.0 or f5.6). Set it to a larger f-number if you need deep depth of field (try f8.0, f10 or f11). Here’s an example:

Compare the depth of field: a shallow depth of field at f4.0 means the background leaves appear softer. A deeper depth of field at 4.11 shows clearer background leaves.

And here’s how a shallow depth of field is used to separate our model, Tamarin, from a fairly busy background (building facades):

4. FREEZE OR BLUR MOTION BY CONTROLLING SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed refers to the duration the camera shutter remains open to expose the camera’s digital sensor to light entering the camera.

When you set your DSLR to shutter priority mode (Tv or S), you can control the shutter speed by using the command dial. Shutter speed is represented in fractions of a second, so 500 is actually 1/500th of a second; 30 is 1/30th of a second. If shutter speed is represented with a set of quotation marks, for example 2″, then we’re talking about full seconds here; in this case, 2 whole seconds!

When you shoot at fast shutter speeds, you can freeze motion. Try photographing someone jumping in the air at 1/250 or 1/500 of a second, and see them frozen in mid-air if you happen to click the shutter while they’re in mid-jump. Shooting at slower shutter speeds creates motion blur — it’s the reason why so many photos taken in low light look blurry, because the camera has to leave the shutter open for a long time to allow enough light to land on the sensor. You can use slow shutter speeds to create a sense of movement – for example, photographing running water at slow shutter speeds will turn the water smooth and silky.

5. ISO AND LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

If you’re shooting in low light and your shots look blurry, chances are that you’ll need to increase the ISO. ISO refers to the sensitivity of the digital sensor in your DSLR to light. A low ISO makes the sensor less sensitive to light and is ideal for shooting in brightly lit situations (eg. in broad daylight). A high ISO makes the sensor super-sensitive to light, so you don’t need much light in order to create an exposure. There is a trade-off, however. Pictures taken with high ISOs tend to look noisy and slightly degraded, because the digital sensor begins to replace actual image detail with pixels.

To control ISO, look for the ISO button on your camera. Press this and turn the command dial. In most DSLRs, you should be able to set the ISO between 200 and 1600. Some DSLRs allow you to set the ISO to as low as 50, and as high as 6400 or highter.

Remember that the next time you need to shoot and there isn’t enough light, dial your ISO up. It helps also to make sure you have your aperture open as wide as possible (as low an f-number as possible) to let as much light into the camera.

If you’re new to DSLR photography and are keen to learn how to take better control of your camera, book yourself in for one of our Maximising your DSLR lessons.