Maximize Your Event Photography Coverage

In the above video and proceeding outline, I will discuss how to maximize your event photography coverage.

All of these tips and approaches to event photography come from over 13 years of experience as a professional event photographer in Los Angeles.

Event Photography Tips: How to Properly Cover an Event (Maximum Coverage!)

Here is what will be covered:

• What your objective is, overall.

• How it changes from event to event.

• Lastly, How you can maximize your event photography coverage throug: 

• Logistical and practical event photography tips

• Technical event photography tips

• and Philosophical tips and exploration

The first thing to understand is what your objective is DEPENDING on the type of event you’re photographing:

• This will OF COURSE vary vastly depending on the job and

• It is important to understand Intended use

Corporate and political event photography clients will likely use your images for :

• Marketing and promotion

• Their Website

• Or simply documentation for internal use

But with private event photography, intended use will likely include:

• Documentation, of course

• Social media posts

• Framed prints

• And things of that nature

With a firm understanding of intended use, you should of course...

Balance this, with your personal objective as a photographer.

As a professional event photographer in Los Angeles, for me, at every event, I: 

• love capturing meaningful, emotion filled moments far more than “cool shots”

• want my event photography images to be windows to what it was like to be there

• want to create visual reminders of how people felt in those moments at the event

But additionally, I have ever changing goals when it comes to how I work and what I want to achieve.

And lastly, I have a career goal as a professional event photographer in Los Angeles, which is: 

To raise the bar, and challenge people’s notion of what event photography is, and what an event photographer can be. 

So let's move onto a discussion of what maximum event photography coverage is, exactly.

• Maximum Coverage vs more photos: Its about creating images, shot with intent, that are about something, that serve your clients needs- not getting more photos!

• It is about finding a balance between focussing on VIPs and covering as many moments and participants as possible.

• It's about capturing a wide variety of images of varying shot types at an event... In order to tell a well rounded visual story.

• I’ve created a video on the shot types at your disposal that I encourage you to check out if you haven't already since This video is about getting as many of those shots as possible, not what those shots are.

• But on top of that special focus, it's important to occasionally scan the room when photographing an event and keep a toll on who you’ve already photographed. But remember, while you want to get a shot of as many people as possible in attendance, you want to balance that with shooting with intent and making meaningful images. So don’t over linger on one person as you may end up missing other potential shots.

VIPs at various events often include:

• Guest speakers

• MCs

• The Birthday boy or girl

• Family members

• And possibly Celebrities (I photograph a lot of these as a Los Angeles event photographer
  

Logistical and practical tips for maximizing your event photography coverage.

As a professional event photographer, you want to show up to a job ready to shoot. So what this means is:

• Prep your gear in advance and have your:

  • Your lenses already cleaned

  • Your cameras tested

  • Your memory cards formatted

  • And your file formats checked (necessary for me since I teach and kids shoot jpegs)

• Have your camera set up in a way in which you won't have to fumble around in menus. 

• Find a convenient spot for your equipment that you can easily return to it throughout the night. I personally only shoot with two camera bodies when necessary and swap lenses often throughout an event so it is important that in doing so I miss as few shots as possible.

• BREAKS: I personally don't take many, but if not taking a break will affect your performance, TAKE A BREAK. Be wise.

• You want to be friendly- this matters - But Learn how to politely exit conversations- especially uncle bob asking about your camera. You do not want to get bogged down in unnecessary conversation.

• Stay fit, learn to fast and avoid blood sugar spikes. 

My last Logistical tips for maximizing your event photography coverage

• On top of that special focus on VIPS, as I have discussed, it's important to occasionally scan the room and keep a toll on who you’ve already photographed. But remember, while you want to get a shot of as many people as possible in attendance, you want to balance that with shooting with intent and making meaningful images. So don’t over linger on one person as you may end up missing other potential shots.

My philosophical tips for maximizing your event photography coverage

• Stay present

  • Ego is a buffer between perception and reaction- don't be in your head

• Clear your mind / meditate in the car before starting the job

  • I use this time to clear my mind and set intentions.

• Engage with your senses, Listen for the life of the party. 

Technical tips for maximizing your event photography coverage

• Setup your camera in a way in which you never have to open menus

• Pre Select Your Focal Point.

• Time Your Shot Ahead of the Peak of Action.

• Shoot with both eyes to be able to spot alternative moments while waiting for a shot.

Los Angeles Event Photographers Review Canon 135mm f2 L.

Event photographers,

In this review I talk about one of my favorite lenses, the Canon 135mm f2 L. I have repeatedly recommended that people start with their “bread and butter” lenses, prior to purchasing something like this, and I stand by that. But when you’re ready to have some fun and open up some “creative” opportunities, this is an excellent choice.

Unfortunately, when I purchased this lens, I didn’t really have all of my “bread and butter” lenses / focal lengths covered. But also, I never really had a mentor advising me on what purchases to make. If there was someone on Youtube giving advice like I do, I certainly couldn’t find one.

I purchased my 135mm on what was a somewhat uncharacteristic whim. I saw it at a trade show in which no tax was being applied, and I decided to just go for it. I more or less spent about $1000- a lot less than most professional level L lenses by Canon, I suppose in part due to it being a prime lens and its age (its relatively old, having come out in 1996).

Why Do I Use This Lens for Event Photography?

In order to talk about when I use this lens, I think it is important to first talk about what sets this lens apart from other lenses.

First off, this lens does something no other lens in Canon’s lineup can do at 135mm (namely, the 70-200 in all its variants), and that is that it can shoot at f2. I have found that the one stop difference between f2 and f2.8 makes a significant impact in what I am able to achieve as a photographer, both practically and artistically.

Being able to open my aperture up to f2, can mean an additional 30 minutes or so of shooting with available light as the sun goes down. It can mean the difference between relying on strobes or not in a dimly lit event, or it can mean the difference between having acceptable noise in my image due to not having to raise my ISO an additional stop.

Going beyond the practical aspects of using this lens, there is just something unique about the shallow depth of field created by the combination of a 135mm focal length and an f2 aperture. I am the first person to say shallow depth of field is overrated, not the end all be all to photography, and actually not the best artistic choice when it comes to personal work like street photography; but when it comes to professional work, shooting with such a shallow depth of field not only achieves specific goals, but has an air of quality and professionalism to the results. Also, in the end of the day, having something visually unique about your work can make you stand out. It could mean the difference between getting hired or not.

When it comes to the quality of this lens, well, its considered a bit of a legend. When it was released, there wasn’t really a comparable Nikon version. It was known to be one of Canon’s sharpest, if not sharpest, lenses and was even reasonably priced- relative to many of their other L lenses.

My subjective take on it? This lens has character and not just due to its fast aperture and focal length combination. It’s sharp as hell when you nail focus and It renders color better than maybe any other EF lens I own.

Events I Use This Lens at

Now that I have covered what’s so great and unique about this lens, lets talk about some specific use cases when photographing events in Los Angeles.

As mentioned before, this is a great lens to use in low light. One thing I specifically enjoy doing is shooting with it wide open at a high ISO in order to get enough ambient light to seamlessly balance it with my strobe, which I’m really just using to improve the quality of light on my subject.

I often bring this lens along, even when I have my 70-200mm f2.8 is, because once I get all my safe bread and butter shots of things like a speaker on a stage, I can experiment with more creative stuff. Also, if size and weight is a concern, I will rock this lens on one body while I have something like a 24-70 on another.

I love shooting portraits with this lens and definitely favor it’s size, weight, aperture range, and focal length to my 70-200mm lens.

One of my favorite uses of this lens is shooting available light during blue hour- the period right after golden hour when the sun has set. Blue and magenta tones seemingly dance together, splendidly, which is further enhanced by the Canon 135mm f2 L lens’ unique character and very shallow depth of field. The result has something of an ethereal feel to it.

I love shooting in tight crowds with this lens. I find I can maneuver through them, while actively shooting much easier than I could with a large, heavy lens. It is also great for when you have to shoot over people’s shoulders or through things because it’s so much less obtrusive.

Lastly, I want to mention that I really just love shooting with this lens because I love shooting with prime lenses and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, prime lenses are sharp and can generally shoot at wider apertures. But I just love the way it forces me to be more engaged with my craft. Having to physically move your body rather than just zoom in or out, is far more engaging and forces you to be more present, and ultimately potentially more creative. You might not agree with me. And believe me, I see the other side of the argument, but in the end of the day I liken shooting in manual and shooting with a prime lens to driving a stick shift car: a modern automatic will go 0-60 a lot faster, but that does not mean it’s as enjoyable.

What I Don’t Like About This Lens

Seriously, almost nothing. My one and only complaint is that it’s not the lighting fast focuser the 70-200 f2.8 IS, is. But that’s not to say it isn’t fast.

Conclusion

I have been using this lens to photograph events in Los Angeles for nearly 10 years. I probably should not have purchased it before buying at least one other essential lens, but hey I have no regrets. Some of my favorite work has been shot with it and it’s seriously a joy to use. Do you need this lens? No, probably not. But if you want to open up your creative possibilities, while having your work stand out, this fits the bill.

This has been a review of the Canon 135mm f2 L lens from the point of view of a working event photographer. If you would like a bit more technical information, I suggest checking Ken Rockwell’s review.

Los Angeles Event Photography: Shooting Detail Shots with a 400mm Lens

If you’ve been reading my event photography blog or following my Youtube channel on event photography, you probably know how important I believe it is to stay engaged with your craft, and to try new things in order to keep things interesting and avoid burnout. At a recent event in Malibu California, I did just that.

Using my Canon m50, a vintage 400 millimeter lens as well as a Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens and a Canon FD 50mmm macro lens, I decided to challenge myself to not only use vintage, manual focus lenses to make interesting detail shots, but to also to also use a Canon m50, a non professional grade camera.

As always, I showed up to my job early- very early. This allowed me to get all of my “safe” detail shots, with plenty of time to experiment after.

I use a variety of lenses when shooting detail shots, but usually I use the Canon 24-70mm f2.8, Canon 135mm f2, and the Canon 85mm 1.8. Like I said, I shoot “safe” first and only use available light or a single strobe. In this case, there was plenty of beautiful diffused light to work with.

After getting all the safe shots, first I switched over to the Canon FD 50mm Macro. This has been an incredibly fun lens for me to use. I don’t actually own a modern macro lens. Honestly, as an event photographer, I don’t really need to. But I have found that it has allowed me to really open up my mind to new possibilities when it comes to shooting detail shots: the ability to get really close allowed me to shoot details of the details, which I quite enjoyed. A quick note: you do not need to shoot close up with a macro lens. They can of course be used as a regular old lens if you choose.

Next I decided to try using my Minolta mount 400mm telephoto lens. Adjusting for the Canon M50’s crop, this is a 600mm lens… without image stabilization. Because of this, and my desire to shoot wide open, I found it an incredibly difficult lens to pull focus with. But when I was able to pull it off, it definitely created a unique look due to its compression.

Lastly, I shot with an old school Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens. I love this lens. In all honesty it’s not super sharp wide open, but I honestly don’t mind it. I love making images that have a unique look. I’m not one for arbitrarily stylizing my images just to make them look different, but using vintage lenses to get a different look works for me.

Interested in seeing some vintage glass compared?

Comparing Vintage Lenses on the Canon M50

I have been a professional Los Angeles event photographer and photography instructor for over 10 years. Follow the links below to see my work and be sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube for more videos

YOUTUBE

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How to Use an External Camera Flash // Part 1: Settings

How to Use an External Camera Flash.

When photographing a wedding, party, or any type of event, You’re not always going to be able to get an exposure with available light. But you’ve probably noticed that on camera flash, well, kind of sucks. It's probably time you upgrade to an external flash.

TODAY I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED USING AN EXTERNAL CAMERA FLASH.

Personally, when I'm using flash my goal is to make it look as little like flash as possible - and in the future, I’m going to give you some tips and tips on how to do so. But before diving into that, We need to talk about your basic settings and how your flash works. Like your camera, your flash has a manual mode. But without an effective means of metering - it can be impractical when on the move at a wedding, event, or anything requiring you to be on the move. TTL which stands for through the lens, however, is essentially your flash's automatic mode. The way it works is when you begin to make an image your flash actively meters the light returning to your camera and cuts off once its output enough light to make a proper exposure. But also, like your cameras priority modes, you can tell your flash to either under or over expose an image by varying stops. Remember, your flash doesn't know what it is photographing so it will always expose for middle gray. In my experience when photographing a bunch of guys wearing black suits I set my flash compensation to -1 When I shot weddings, when photographing a bride with flash, I over exposed by about a stop.

That's pretty much all you need to know about your flash's settings to get started.... But what do you need to know about your camera settings? Well because your flash is essentially shooting in auto - In order to have full creative control over how your images turn out its best to shoot in manual as your flash will adjust to your cameras settings for an exposure. However, It's important to note that flash exposure is solely determined by its output relative to your aperture and ISO alone. NOT shutter speed.

So in short: Set your aperture as you would normally dependent on your needs and taste and your flash will adjust. Shutter speed, on the other hand, while not having an effect on your flash exposure does have an impact on your ambient light exposure. But details on that will have to wait for another video.

I have been a professional photography work for 10 years while teaching photography at the same time. Follow the links below to see my work and be sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube for more videos

YOUTUBE

Instagram | @retrograding https://www.instagram.com/retrograding/

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mikmilman/

www.mikmilman.com

Building a Photography Kit- Advice for Noobs. Advice from an Event Photographer in Los Angeles

In this video I talk about building a photography kit for event photography. I am coming from the perspective of a Los Angeles event photographer, but really this advice would work for a lot of different working professionals, from wedding photographers to sports photographers.

The gist of it is that the first and most important thing is to cover a wide range of focal lengths. This can be done with a 24-70 and a 70-200. Of course, f 2.8 variants are preferred, but you can get by with f4. When starting out, I recommend getting what fits your budget and upgrading down the line.

I also discuss getting “sexier” gear once you have your bases covered. This will allow you to get more creative with the look of your work.

I have been a professional event photographer in Los Angeles for 10 years while teaching photography at the same time. Follow the links below to see my work and be sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube for more videos

YOUTUBE

Instagram | @retrograding https://www.instagram.com/retrograding/

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mikmilman/

www.mikmilman.com

Understanding Light in Photography

Understanding how light work is essential to any photographer. After all, photography is at its base, capturing light, whether on film or a digital camera sensor.

I have written quite often how important it is for an event photographer to be technical. A deep technical understanding of photography as well as experience allows everything to just get out of the way of your creative vision. But I have to admit, in watching other professional photographers work, I have been surprised by their lack of understanding the basics.

There are three things to consider when talking about light:

• Quality of light

• direction of light

• Amount

Quality of Light

Light can be either hard, soft, but there are varying degrees of hard and soft light.

Characteristics of a hard light source:

Hard light will have heavy shadows: more accurately, hard light sources create very crisp lines of shadow with very little gradation. Because of this, images shot with a hard light source gives the subject the appearance of having more detail or texture.

Synonyms and / or descriptors used when talking about hard light:

• Harsh light - because of the extra detail it creates

• Direct light - because hard light comes from a direct single spot opposed to soft light which is indirect

Examples sources of hard light:

• The sun

• Flash

• Unshaded light bulbs

Characteristics of soft light

A soft light source is best thought of as indirect or spread out light. Think of how light enters inside of your home through the window. That light is bouncing around and spreading out before it ever reaches the glass. Soft light can be identified by elongated shadows (more gradation).

Synonyms and/or descriptors used when talking about soft light:

• Indirect

• Diffused

Examples of soft light

• Window light

• Shade

• Light bouncing off of a white or lightly colored wall

• Cloudy or overcast days

Direction of light

The direction of light plays a huge role in the look of your photograph.

As an experiment photograph the same person or object from the front of, the side of, and behind  your light source to see what happens. You will end up with three very different looking images. Notice where the light begins to fall off. Which image looks like it has the most depth? Which looks flattest?

Amount

The amount of light is self explanatory but should not be confused with the quality of the light. You can have both an abundance of soft light as well as hard light.

Picture a scene in heaven in a tv show or movie. It is always depicted with lots of bright light, but that light is soft!

Amount 

Amount is simple. It's how intense your light source is. Thats it. Both hard and soft light sources can be very bright or very dim.

How to Improve Your Photography with Five Tips.

The following photography tips are based on experience I have accumulated from over 10 years of teaching photography and shooting as a professional event photographer in Los Angeles.

1. Always be Working on SOMETHING Whether You’re a Professional Photographer or an Amateur.

This can be a technique, a style, it can be shooting in low light. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT IT IS; Just always be working on something. Don't get complacent. If you’re going into a job or personal project or just doing some travel photography, go into it asking yourself: “WHAT DO I WANT TO WORK ON TODAY?” I do this in both my professional work photographing events and in my personal work as well. Recently, I have been challenging myself to shooting more film portraits while professionally photographing events. Living in Los Angeles has afforded me the opportunity to photograph both celebrities and politicians with my film cameras. Asking politicians and celebrities I work with to shoot their formal portraits has pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to work calm and quickly. Can you imagine what it was like to ask Nancy Pelosi, the person third in line to become president, to sit for me to photograph her with a vintage Rolleiflex? Not only have I grown as a photographer through this endeavor, and those like it, but the challenge has been thrilling.

2. Keep a Photography Journal.

This one layers onto the idea of always working on something. My advice: go into a job, a shoot, or project with an idea of what you want to achieve. Afterward, journal your experience- and this is important: YOU MUST DO THIS WITH KINDNESS. What does this mean? Remove your ego and do not limit yourself to what did not work. Be kind to yourself and ask, what went well and WHY? As for what went wrong, do your best to address it with in a dispassionate way.

3. Take a Class and Find a Mentor.

Everyone learns in a different way. Some people can go it alone but most cannot. It doesn't mean that they're not talented, just that that is not how they learn. A class (hopefully with hands on experience) will give structure to your learning process. Additionally it will provide you with some community.

If you’re interested in taking affordable photography classes in Los Angeles by an experienced event photographer, be sure to check out Barnsdall Art Center.

If you are learning to be a professional photographer, then the best way to learn is from a seasoned professional. Personally, I have trained several event photographers that have gone on to be excellent event photographers in their own right.

4. LOSE YOUR EGO and Get Some Feedback on Your Photography.

Try to get honest feedback from your peers and DO NOT rely on social media feedback. I swear to you, my least interesting photos are the ones that get the most likes. The images that perform the best are not necessarily your best. In the case of Instagram the images that are successful are the equivalent of junk food that gives you that blunt sugar, salt and fat fix. Good photograph is often layered and complex- not something to be observed long enough if takes to swipe.

5. GO OUT and Make Images!

How do you get good at guitar? You play guitar. How do you get good at photography? You take photos, lots of photos. Like anything, you need to practice if you expect to improve at photography. Hands on experience, in my opinion, goes so much further than anything else you do to improve your work. Yes, theory, art history, instructional videos, and such will all help you improve; But the hands on experience of making photographs is the glue that binds them together. I say this both out of common sense, but also from my experience as a photography instructor. Time and time again, it is my hands on workshops that my students say they benefit from the most.