Technical Photography Skills You Need to Know
BONUS PHOTO CHALLENGE | Go through each skill listed here and identify where you need work versus where you’re already well off. Take some time this week while practicing with the photo prompt, to include the techniques you need to improve.
No one plans to take bad photos. Moreover, many don’t realize a bad photo because they aren’t aware of the elements that are missing or done incorrectly. That’s the difference between a photographer and someone simply taking a picture. Photographer’s come armed with technical skills, creativity, and the gear to execute making a photo. Creativity is often something that is simply apart of who you are, but it’s also something you can cultivate and enhance with experience. Coupling creativity with technical skills elevates the photos you create.
Good Posture | If you’re frustrated with shaky focus and blurry photos, it could be worth stepping back and checking out your posture when you hold your camera. Greater stability in your stance will increase the clarity of your photos (and allow you to shoot in lower shutter speeds and in low light scenarios). The goal is to control as much movement as possible.
Always Mindful of Light | We all know that good light can MAKE OR BREAK an image. It’s not just the presence of light, but understanding the technical aspects of lighting and how your camera takes in light is the difference between a washed out photo and an unrecoverable underexposed one. You always want to spend a few seconds before shooting to mindfully examine the light. Where is the lighting coming from (front, back, side)? Is the lighting hard, soft, flat? Is there bright light that creates a shadow on the subject? If I move, how does that change the shadow? As soon as you identify the lighting conditions, you can then begin to use the tools in your camera (ISO, exposure, white balance) to have control over how your camera will use that light in the final image.
Understanding Focus | We all want crisp, in focus shots. Whether focus issues come from camera blur (when you move the camera at the same time you press the shutter) or from using too low of a shutter speed (the speed was too slow to freeze the motion in the scene), understanding how to focus your lens is critical. It’s important to decide if you want to tell the camera what to focus on every time, or if you’d like your camera to ‘guess’ what to put in focus. Adjusting the ‘auto-focus’ (AF) settings on your camera and features like AI Servo (which allows the camera to continue tracking the focus of a subject as it moves around the frame) are some of the options your DSLR offers.
Know Your Camera | Getting started with a camera is really exciting. It can be drudging to think of going through the manual before beginning, but it’s critical to understand the basic functions of your camera. If you have that down, then it’s learning about all the features and options that your camera offers. Can you take a long exposure? Can you capture motion blur? Can you bracket? Knowing at least some semblance of those things gives you greater knowledge and control.
Composition | While knowing how aperture, shutter speed and exposure work together to create an image is important, photography also requires some understanding of basic composition, an attention to detail, and an eye for storytelling. Photographers with good creative skills also know to pay attention to the entire frame, not just the subject. Spend some time looking back at your favorite images and specifically pay attention to the edges of the frame. What’s in the corners? Is the subject framed with an aesthetically pleasing border around at least 2-3 of the sides of the frame? Is the subject cropped closely to the edges of the frame, are parts of the subject cropped out? A small attention to detail, not just to the subject but to the background and edges of the frame can make a big difference in the quality and appeal of a photo.
Practice | The biggest difference between a good photographer and a great photographer? Great photographers are never more than a few feet away from their camera. Shooting every day and packing your camera wherever you go can transform your photography (you’ve heard me praise 365 projects, I fully believe in the power of that practice). There’s no reason in the digital age to not take thousands of images and study them.
Editing | While the majority of the work happens in camera, knowing your way around editing software is part of modern digital photography. The quality and wow factor of your photos can improve immensely just by learning what types of mistakes can be corrected (dust specks, white balance, etc.) and what things can’t be easily fixed with editing software (over exposure, blurry focus, finger in the frame etc.).
Critique | Being open to feedback, you can learn about the technical and creative skills you still have to develop, as well as getting the positive reinforcement for what’s going well in your photos.
It’s nearly impossible to identify the photographers who are truly skilled in technical proficiency. There are, however, some factors to consider that can give you an idea of a photographer’s skill level. 1) Having to shoot a wide variety of genres, 2) Having an extensive portfolio 3) Don’t have overly edited photos. Here is a list of a few photographers that catch my attention in meeting that criteria:
Chris Burkard | Chris started shooting surfers and California landscapes, then began traveling the world to shoot landscapes in a way that rocked the photography industry: including people in wide and extreme scenes.
Cristina Mittermeier | In my experience, it’s rare to come across a photographer that can take a good portrait, document wildlife, and take amazing landscapes. Cristina also shoots underwater, in studios, and has such a diverse portfolio that is simply amazing.
Peter McKinnon | While heavily editing his photos, Peter is also very technically versed in the camera he shoots with and the way he shoots. He is brilliant indoors, outside, in extreme weather conditions, and with portraits as well as landscapes. That range of skill means one thing: he knows how to make his camera work for him and apply his creativity.