3 KEY COMPONENTS FOR PHOTOGRAHY
The beauty of photography lies in its infinite possibilities. This is one of my favorite aspects of being a photographer; every experience is unique from the moment you take the photograph to the final edit.
I am not a “technical” photographer and I don’t believe the camera makes the photographer. The camera is merely the messenger and it’s up to you to decide what to say and how to say it. I rely on my instincts to produce my work. Although, there are technical skills that go into photography and understanding your equipment is vital, getting lost in it can diminish the artistry of this expressive medium. You can buy your way into the industry and have all the new expensive toys, but if there is no soul in your work then it will never be sustainable. I like to keep a healthy balance of understanding both the science and the art that go into photography.
If you’re just starting out, don’t feel pressured to buy everything new or buy everything at once. Start simple — buy a good camera body and one versatile lens to get going. Learn and master both before buying your next lens. Also, always look for the used option. I’ve had great luck finding what I need on Amazon and they 99% of the time always have a “buy it used” option.
I once heard someone say, “the best camera to learn on, is the one you’ve got.” I love this because it is 100% true. Even if it’s just your iphone camera — master it and push it to its limits before investing in a more sophisticated camera. You’ll thank yourself in the long run. Remember, the only way to get better at photography is to take photos. So take them every day!
Here are 3 key components I use continuously during my process. I hope you find them insightful.
LIGHTING
Repeat after me — “Lighting is life.”
As a natural light photographer, lighting is EVERYTHING. One of the biggest skills to learn if you want to be a photographer is to learn to read the light. You have to become the ultimate observer; looking for the direction the light is coming from, where it’s hitting the most, how intense the light is, the contrast of the shadows and adjusting to your environment so you can shoot your subject the best. Honestly, there is only one way to truly learn how to work with light and it is to take lots of photos in different lighting situations. Experience is your best friend in understanding lighting.
Most people don’t understand lighting if they’re not familiar with photography. They see the light through their eyes and it looks great to them, but as a photographer you’ll start to see the light through your lens and how that translates. Lighting becomes something entirely different to a photographer.
Learning to work with light will save you time in the editing process and that should always be your goal.
When shooting indoors, I try to use the most natural light available when possible. In instances that natural light is slim to none (like if there’s no window, if it’s very overcast or the sun has moved away from the light source), you’ll have to adapt with artificial light. Using artificial light is always my very last resort. With experience, you’ll come to understand that track and florescent lighting are the devil (lol). But sometimes it can be unavoidable and in these cases, you’ll have to do most of your work in post. With track and florescent lighting there is a lot of distortion so you’ll have to do a lot of color correcting and this can be very time consuming. Moral of the story, it’s never an ideal starting point.
LOCATION
Choosing your location is key. However, there will be times when clients will have a specific location in mind and you’ll have to make do. It will then be your job to become an observer of light and figure out the best time to shoot in this location, how much light you’re working with and which lens will work best. In my spare time or whenever I’m out running errands or with family and friends I am always making mental notes about potential locations for shoots. I also have my favorite spots that are always in my rotation. The beach is my number one go to! Choosing your time, however, is 1000% important when trying to make a location work for you.
My recent work for Eco by Sonya Driver, I used the beach as my location for these product shots. It was overcast, so I went at the brightest time of day (high noon) to get the most out of the lighting that day. It also started raining mid-shoot, so I had to pack up, leave and then come back later that afternoon to finish. I was working with a deadline and the weather forecast wasn’t looking promising, so I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for a nicer day. Overcast days can work to your advantage though! In this case, the lighting was soft and lovely and I’m happy with the results. Eco has beautiful packaging for their products and they love to use gold foiling for their logos and text, so direct lighting can reflect too much off of their packaging and be a tad awkward to capture. The soft lighting works best for anything that’s highly reflective. It’s also important to keep in mind when shooting at the beach that the tides will play a major role, so figure out when it is high and low tide. Because I was working against the clock with weather obstacles, I had to make do with what I was given. For the second half of the shoot, the tide was very high and I literally had to place the product where I needed it and shoot lightning fast between sets to avoid a wave crashing into my work and taking these pretty Eco bottles to sea (lol). It definitely added an element of urgency and adrenaline, but that’s what you get when you shoot with Mother Nature.
There will always be elements out of your control, so you’ll have to become highly adaptable and a creative problem solver to get the work done.
VISION
I like to keep it simple and not overthink or make images too complicated. I see a lot of product photography out there that have lots of props or extra components that just make the image look busy.
Less is always more. Your best props are lighting and environment/location. Let the product stand in its glory and don’t over think the process.
If I need fresh ideas for a project, I will pull a mood board from Instagram and/or Pinterest to get inspiration and get going. I always use these mood boards with discretion. Especially, if you’re showing these mood boards to clients — be clear that these are conceptual ideas and NOT literal. I never want to rip off or deliberately copy someone else’s work with the intention of calling it my own.
Mood boards should be viewed as a jumping off point and where you land is entirely up to you.
Using your own creative skills and opening your mind to produce work that reflects your style is everything to your identity as a photographer. Unfortunately, I have dealt with and have seen copycats that choose to ride on the creative power of others. It’s disappointing because there is enough creativity for everyone; you just have to tap into it and put in the work. My dad says “There are no more original thoughts,” and I do agree because everything has been done before in one form or another, however, it’s how you interpret and apply these ideas that make them uniquely your own.
Developing your style is everything, so go out there and take photos every day. Learn as much as you can with every experience. Grow and get better and get lost in the infinite possibilities.
