(more or less a transcript below)
In this video I’m going to talk about how you can improve your photography in the midst of a pandemic. If you’re new to the channel, my name is Mik- I’ve been a professional photographer and photography instructor for over ten years, so I will be thinking about this from that perspective.
1. Dive into your metadata to see what your strengths and weaknesses are.
This is quite easy in Lightroom. Simply go to the library module and filter by focal lengths or lenses. What do you use most? Which lenses do you use least? For me, I know the answer without even looking. We’re good at what we love and love what we’re good at, and often this leads to an imbalance in your body of work. For me, that’s close up candids and interactions. I love capturing the emotional highs of a moment, often at the cost of missing out on some big picture shots. In looking at MY metadata, you I shot with my 17-40, only ___ percent of the time. I do not mean to infer that you should use each of your lenses an equal amount of time, but I can use this data to tell me what, in this case, I already knew: I definitely under utilize wide focal lengths.
2. Keep a Journal while watching the work of master cinematographers.
A couple of personal suggestions would be Rodrego Prieto and Emmanuel Lubezki. Prieto is known for films like The Wolf of Wallstreet and The Irishman and many others. Lubezki is known for Films like Birdman and Children of Men, two of my favorite movies. A couple of other interesting sources of inspiration is Call Me By Your name, which has impeccably well balanced frames and Mr. Robot, which seemingly throws the rule book out.
3. Get into street photography.
If there's one thing we can all do is go for a walk. I think as humans we like to create artificial barriers and distinctions. But ultimately photography is photography. If you practice one genre, it absolutely can improve your work in another. As an event photographer I see very little between what I do for work and what I do for fun when doing street photography. Sure, there are some staples and obligations when it comes to event work, but ultimately I’m just documenting what’s happening in front of me.
4. Read a photography book.
Personally I’m not a fan at looking at what my pieres are doing. I think, especially with the way trends move at such a rapid pace online, it will only lead to derivative work. But I am a big fan of looking for other sources for inspiration. When looking at the work of other photographers I recommend two different things to try out. One is to just take it in and let it slide into your subconscious. Two, is to find a photographer you admire and consciously go out to duplicate their work. This will help you understand the technical side of things as you set yourself on a path to replicate it.
5. Shoot a roll of film.
Now is a great time to slow down the process and really be present with your work. Shooting a roll of film is a great way to shoot with intention. Professional photographers often shoot thousands of images on a job. When doing so it can get easy to be lazy. But when shooting film, we have a finite amount of images we can make, forcing us to be present with our craft and pushing us to make meaningful images.
6. If you’re a professional, try surveying your clients.
This can be scary for sure, but I think they will appreciate your dedication to your craft and for reaching out. Questions I suggest asking include: What is it they like most about your work. What do they wish you provided them more of. How would they describe your work in a word. And How would they describe your work in a single sentence. And hey, if the feedback is strong you can ask them for a review. If its not what you hoped to hear, this is your chance to practice a dispassionate response and see how you can improve as a photographer.
7. Have your work critiqued.
This can be difficult and I can not really recommend looking for feedback on social media groups and forums. Far be it for me to claim to be the arbiter of who is qualified to provide you with a critique- just do your do diligence. What I find is that even good photographers can have a hard time separating opinion from fact.
If you’d like some additional help or just want to support the free resources I create for photographers, please consider checking out my Patreon page. Your support makes a difference.
https://www.patreon.com/mikmilman
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