A Pro Always Knows What He’s Doing … Right?
Does a real pro always knows what he’s doing? The one trick pony’s probably do but I think it’s just impossible to be a creative photographer and always know what you do at the same time. Being creative implies that you are not afraid to try out different things and to venture into the unknown. I for one, am not afraid that I don’t know what I’m doing quite often. And I don’t think that’s a problem as long as you can manage to stay calm and have the knowledge to find a solution. Creative and technical challenges are what drive me and get my creative juices flowing.
I believe you can be professional and creative at the same time. Creativity shouldn’t be limited to personal work only. And if it comes with not always knowing perfectly what you are doing, so be it. Here are five tips to allow yourself the creative freedom of not always knowing what you do.
1. Play it safe … for 5 minutes
Don’t start your session with crazy experiments, take it easy and spend the first 5 minutes using things you know. You may not end up with a world press photo but at least you will have something usable. And your client/subject will get confident in your skills which will buy you a bit more credit when you get to the experimenting phase.
2. Forget something in your car
You can buy yourself some time to think by getting something from the car. You don’t want to look like a fool, so don’t leave any must carry items in the car. But it can be perfectly acceptable to leave 50kg worth of sandbags in your car.
3. Wardrobe change
If you still need more time to think, just ask the subject to have a wardrobe change.
4. Bring someone to do the talking
It happens often to me that the time you are not actually shooting is spent talking to the subject and/or the clients. I’m just a man, so I can’t multitask so thinking about a creative shot while chitchatting is very difficult. An assistant with people skills can do the small talk in your place so you have more room to think.
The tips above come in handy from time to time, but the last tip is the most important one :
5. Just tell
Being a creative photographer who’s trying to make a killer shot isn’t something to be ashamed of. If the assignment allows it, I’ll just tell the subject that I’m going to try to make something different. I also explain that that usually means that I will be spending some time on experiments that may not work. If I need time to think, I’ll just say that too. As long as you communicate it right, your client will understand and probably respect you even more. After all, why should anyone object to someone who’s trying to make them look stunning.
(You still might want to implement tip 1 before you switch to creative mode.)
How do you get away with your experiments?
Inspired by LIME and their invaluable videos, podcasts, etc., I set out to shoot my most recent wedding by pulling out all the stops. I played it safe for about 15 minutes, then decided to pretend I knew what I was doing while I experimented away. I tried some lighting setups I never used before, asked the wedding party to do things they’ve probably never heard of (nothing inappropriate lol), and explored some wacky angles, by climing on pews, window sills, and under-construction balconies. My assistant (also my wife) thought I was crazy, until she saw the pictures and was blown away, not to toot my own horn. I find that the more afraid or less confident I am on a shoot, the more mediocre the photos come out. By jumping out on a limb and not worrying about what shows up on the little camera screen, I made this the best wedding shoot yet! Thanks for your inspiration, Bert and Pieter!
Another set of very good tips. Although I usualy skip 2-4. I just tell the model; Okay.. lets do some basic shots and try something different on the later part of the session.
I try to schedule my shoots so that they would not last more than an hour. Playing it safe for 15 minutes and fool around the remaining 45. Im too sloppy of a shooter so I usualy have filled my only memory card in that one single hour. ~250 images doesn’t take that long to shoot ;D
Keep going!
Hey Bert,
really insightful stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Mariano
I always start with very basic shots, ones where i know i get the one or other decent picture.
And than I tell the model, that i just bought for an insane amount of money that ultra cool new foto/lightning thingy and I cant wait to try it out. Of course most of the time the equipment isn’t actually new - I am just trying some new techniques I found on the web with gear I already own.
The interesting thing is that most people respond a lot better to highly priced gear compared to some (odd) ideas. Suddenly I got all the models attention. She feels honored that I bought that thing just for this shoot with her. Her expectations for the final pictures are lower since she knows I just bought that thing. Still, most of the time this leads to very interesting images where I learn a lot.
Greetings from Munich,
Phil
I start with what I know sometimes. I am still disorganized when I go to a shoot. But now that I am charging,
this is a really good idea. Thanks for the inspiration.
BTW… I am a woman… does this mean that I can talk and shoot at the same time? (Just kidding) I really
cannot… but I try
Thank you very much for this article.
Well, I think the key is to be well prepared. Think about the shot and the picture you will achieve before you to go to your assignment. I think it’s important to have a pretty clear idea of the final picture in your head before setting up your gear. And finally, if you got that shot, there is much much time for experimenting.
And in my opinion this can be fun for you and your models too. I don’t worry about telling them that these photos can look like crap afterwards because it’s just experimenting. Often this is the moment when your model will relax and some really great shots can be the result.
Jens
I find it can help if you show them your first try.. “This is what I’m trying to do, but I have’nt nailed it yet, can you help me?” sometimes this can be very effective and put the model on your side as you’re both working together for the same goal!
Also I’ve had models raring to go when I’m considering pitching it in because it’s just not working out!
Not only do the basic shots in the beginning ensure you get decent safe shots, but they get your model warmed up to the shoot, not just your shooting! They start to relax after a couple minutes; most people aren’t good right from the beginning.
There are so many great ways to buy time… pick locations that require moving from one spot to another, and you can think on the way.
When I become totally stumped for ideas (and have shot enough) I tell the client that we got a great variety, and that we can stop things there unless they have ideas THEY wanted to try that we haven’t covered - even if at this point it’s much earlier than the allotted time we decided on. And there’s always that hope that they DO have something they wanted to try!
I recently found “Squeeze The Lime” from watching “Diaries of a Photographer” on youtube.com and I just love watching you both work and find your videos extremely helpful. As a new wedding photographer I have wanted to get into more of studio lighting and fashion photography. I have been trying to do some research on lighting and equipment but I am finding it all very difficult and confusing, especially when I am looking at B&H for ordering products. I am clueless as to what is good and what I need? Do you know of any good books or resources that can help me tackle studio lighting (the hardest part for me is that I learn by hands-on). Any advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much! P.S I so plan to come to one of your workshops- whats better than a trip to Europe to study photography with awesome people!! Do you have a mailing list for your workshops?
Warmly,
Brittany (Milwaukee WI, USA)
Good tips guys.
What I also find useful is using images from magazines, the web etc to show the model what you are trying to create, that way at least there is a headstart in getting the shot, but as always it the randomn gestures or poses that catch your eye for a great shot.
Keep up the good work guys.
Trev
I don’t often comment on blogs but just needed to stop and say that I like yours.
I think Trevor nailed it…. I always have lots of magazine or web pictures as ideas to start from. Study how they shot it, how they lit it, and what angles and possible lenses were used…. then try and reproduce it (don’t try and reproduce some 16 light setup on your first try of course). I also carry a little notebook to jot down idea’s and locations I have spotted.
Anyway, while you are trying you will probably end up with something different… if not, try and morph the idea into something new. Make it yours. Own it. Don’t be a photocopier but learn from someone else’s shooting.
Tip for Brittany: Check out http://www.strobist.blogspot.com too (if you haven’t already). One strobe and an umbrella will do wonders. One of the best things I ever borrowed was a single studio strobe and umbrella. I shot with it for months until all I could see was spots! I gave it back to the owner with some new bulbs. I learned more from that single light than I could ever have imagined. Once you have played with some studio or speed lights you’ll get an idea of what you would like and soon be a master at the B&H site. I know those photo stores are intimidating but learning what and how others shoot (thanks for filming Bert!!) is making all those photo stores much less intimidating.
I think everyone’s goal should be to wear out your DSLR body before it becomes obsolete. That means shooting until your eyes bleed — the whole time critiquing your work and learning.
Here is some more incentive from Melissa Rodwell (a fashion photog)… http://fashionphotographyblog.com/2009/01/genlux-editorial-art-issue/