Action Photo School

The rumors are true, if there were any rumors...  dang.... should have started some rumors first!!  I've started a website with action photographer extraordinaire, Daniel Milchev.  The website is called Action Photo School and is located here: www.actionphotoschool.com It embodies everything action (skate, surf, ski, board, bike, etc..) and includes ton's of techniques for capturing, editing, and marketing action images.  It's even got a forum at www.actionphotoschool.com/forum/ for you to discuss action photography technique with me, Daniel, and everyone else who is joining!  There's a TON of articles already on the site to keep you entertained.

We can't wait to hear feedback from everyone regarding the site and are very excited about this, thanks for following All Photo Buzz, which WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST, but with less frequent posts (though more frequent than the last 2 months...) and we hope you will follow Action Photo School too!  If you like it, please click the like link on specific articles that you enjoy, or on the homepage.  We have a facebook page too that you'll find in the top bar, along with our twitter.  Enjoy!

Skiing Shoot Tips for Any Day!

A few days ago I headed out with my photo gear to shoot some side-country skiing (like backcountry but with easier lift access from a resort).  We'd had over a foot of new snow the day before, and woke up to perfect bluebird skies.  These are the days that skiing photographers live for!

Not everything was perfect though.... I had no plan of attack.  No run that I knew would have good light, and no real set of features that I planned on shooting.  That's the lesson I learned on this shoot, and have learned too many times before.  PLAN YOUR SHOTS, SCOUT YOUR LINES, AND THINK AHEAD!!!!  Sometimes you can get lucky winging it though, as was the case on this shoot.  I got some good shots (no award winners, but definitely good quality images), and had a blast, which is very important!

There are a few pieces of advice that I would like to share with you that I should have (and did with some) kept in mind to make this shoot go smoother:

It's all in the location and style.

Here's a quick thought to get the creativity flowing.  What separates a technically good image from a great image?  Content.  This consists of the location, the model, and clothing/make-up.  It really doesn't have anything to do with camera settings.

Camera settings do make a difference, but the content of the picture is key.  Taking pictures of ordinary things, no matter how great the camera settings and lighting, will still be ordinary pictures.  It's important to try and make the content as different as possible.  Location plays part of this in a HUGE way.

Shoot a skateboarder on a normal street performing a very simple trick and spend time making sure the angle, color, lighting, and composition are all great.  The picture looks technically sound and is a quality image.  Now take that same shot in an incredible and stunning location (i.e. mountaintop road, grungy alley, etc.) and you've created an extraordinary image.  What changed?  Not your camera settings.  The content!

I firmly believe that about 98% of the population (not formally trained in photography) will look at a picture based purely on it's content.  Of course it's important for the exposure to be right, but the amazing content brings the image to the next level.

10 Tips for Shooting Action Sports Like A Seasoned Pro

Action sports is a tough genre of photography to learn.  It takes a lot of practice, knowledge of the sport, and know-how to create great images.  I can tell you all of these tips, but there is only one way for you to make them work.  Experiment!  Get out there and shoot as many action sports as you can, and try applying at least one of these tips to every image.  You won't be a pro overnight but with practice and effort I believe that anyone can take great action sports images!

#1: Know the sport your shooting -- Simply heading out and shooting randomly can yield good images, but to truly create great images, you have to know what the athlete will be doing.  I find that a big part of the reason that I've been successful shooting skiing, mountain biking, and skateboarding images is because I enjoy and spend time participating in these sports.  Know-how can take you a long way while understanding why the athlete loves the sport and what the key moments are is necessary to get awesome and creative images.

Setting up flashes on uneven ground

Often times, I find myself off deep in the woods, needing to mount a flash from a high angle, or on rough uneven ground.  This is where traditional flash-stands fail.  Unless you have perfectly even ground they tip over.  All three legs are always the same length, and they are clearly designed for in-studio work, or on perfectly level pavement.  What's with that?  I get the idea that they are quicker to setup, but there are better ways.

When I'm shooting biking or skiing I know the ground will be uneven.  Here are the two solutions I've come up with to help in almost any situation:

Photographers Blogs you should follow: Chase Jarvis

Chase Jarvis Blog

Chase Jarvis had quickly become a HUGE name in the photography world.  His work is diverse, stylistic and inspirational.  It seems like he somehow is involved with all the top photography companies, runs his blog, a studio, captures breathtaking imagery, creates artistic and unique videos, and finds time to take tons of pictures everyday with his camera phone in between.  Many of us find it tough just to manage a shooting schedule each week.  I'm pretty sure he never puts his camera down.  And that's a lesson in itself.  If you want to be a photographer, you must live, eat, and breath photography.  Oh, and did I mention that he also works with Creative Live to create videos teaching photography?

I'm posting this article, because I found his video titled "Benevolent Mischief" made me want to head out and start filming an artsy/stylish video right away, with my video-capable DSLR.  The movie is very cool and unique.  It also shows that with some hard work, the right people, and some skills/direction, anyone can create an indie style movie.  Video is embedded below:



Chase's philosophy is that "the best camera is the one thats with you".  It's an idea that no matter how crappy the camera you have is, you can still take photos and get great images.  I really have taken to this idea.  Since I first picked up a DSLR I've decided that I must always have it with me if I want to capture anything good.  This isn't true!  Sometimes, the cheaper cameras defects make them take amazingly cool pictures.  Plus, having a crappy camera with you is better than having no camera at all when you see something you need to shoot!

So check out Chase Jarvis' Blog and start following it.  There's tons of information there so spend a little time and soak it all in.  It will be very beneficial to your shooting and outlook on life as a photographer.


That's the Buzz for Today!  Please check back soon for more.

Specify terms explicitly before starting a job.

Let's face it, photography is often undervalued and mis-understood by the clients.  They see that the results are great, but don't understand what it took to achieve that look.  It's easy to undervalue your work as a photographer as well because the image was quick to shoot and edit.  Remember that your expertise is what makes it expensive, it's the years of training and skills that you've learned.  That's what the client doesn't see.  You walk in, set up, shoot, and are out in an hour.  In the standard business world, an hour of work equates to a fairly low dollar amount.  Photography is not like this!  Don't undervalue yourself!

That's not the end of the rant either....  As a photographer, you MUST specify terms explicitly before you start a job.  It's the difference between hours and hours of frustration and smooth transaction.  I've messed up many times.  That's why Today, you are going to take this advice to heart, and arm yourself with a whole new knowledge.  Don't get trampled over by your photography clients.

This bike rider is clearly upset after dealing with a bad client because he never specified terms.

Shoot what you love to shoot

Photography is a passion, an art, a lifestyle, and if your smart enough, a career.  As a photographer, you are challenged to come up with consistently enticing and amazing photographs for clients and yourself.  The vision grows with you and becomes better with time, but for success, should follow a basic rule:  Shoot what your love to shoot.  In other words, don't force a career by shooting subjects that don't entice you.  Spend your time shooting the things that you enjoy shooting, and build your career off those subjects.

If you follow your passion, and really stick with it, you can become a huge success.  But when photography turns into work that your only doing for the money, you lose some of your vision and passion.  Stick with the subject matter that is important to you and your photos will reflect your happiness.  If skateboarding is your favorite thing in the world, shoot it!  If weddings are your cup of tea, shoot them!  The one's who shoot just for the money rarely get great images.

Shoot Journal: Teva Games 2010 Day 1

Just got the new D3S, and used it for a test run today.  AWESOME!!  The camera has literally blown my mind, and I don't mean that lightly.  I shot at ISO 800 for most of the morning due to cloudy conditions with fast moving action and f/8 aperture.  The shots are about as noisy as ISO 250 on my D300.  I kept firing sequences at 9 frames per second to make sure I got the perfect moment of the athlete's motions, and continuous auto-focus worked flawlessly.  It never failed to yield perfectly sharp images, even at f/2.8!  Also shot some video, with manual focus, and am very impressed by the results!  Sick, sick, sick camera for action photography!  Look for video to be added on APB in coming posts.

One thing that I learned today, but already knew and for some reason did not do?  Bring a flash everywhere.  You will probably use it.  I thought that it would interfere too much with the athletes if I used a flash, but it's actually not a big deal.  Especially when shooting midday.  My friend Daniel Milchev brought his along and was capturing some incredible images.  Flash will give you the edge!