Last month I was a guest speaker at the Maroondah Photography Society meeting. It’s great fun sharing pictures and talking about ‘action photography’. I really enjoyed the discussion and the questions, and during my time as a presenter, I also learned a lot. Here are 5 Lessons from Talking to the Local Camera Club.
Lesson 1 – It’s Fun Talking to Other Photographers
My first lesson was more of a reminder than a lesson, and it was – it was fun talking to other photographers. We share a passion for creating images, and I really enjoy sharing pictures and talking to this group.
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While I mainly shoot sports, I also enjoy doing action shots of wildlife
Lesson 2 – Photographers love Knowing Your Camera Settings
During discussions about action shots, with almost every shot someone asked about camera settings. I’m a bit surprised. Maybe it’s from experience (or old age!) but I rarely ask about camera settings. I’ve had experience taking different shooting styles, or can get an idea by looking at the pictures what the camera settings are like. Besides, the lesson is that the members of this club are interested in camera settings. Next time I will include it for each image.
Lesson 3 – Positioning and Timing
I mainly shoot sports pictures so the discussion is focused on sports photography. Positioning and timing are key to producing high-quality sports imagery. Two simple tips – it will be more interesting if you can see the faces of the players, and if you can see the ball. Position yourself to capture both of them in your image.
Lesson 4 – The Amateur Photographer Wants to Know How to Make a Income from Drawings
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been active in stock photography. There are many posts on Beyond Here that cover the process of taking stock images and uploading them to an image library where they are then available for purchase. In our discussion of action photography, I mentioned that many of my wildlife images are available as stock. This raises a question and is a good lesson for me – there are lots of amateur photographers who are interested in how to generate income from images. See here for what to expect from stock photography.
Lesson 5 – The Photographer Wants to Know Your Gear
While the equipment isn’t a major component of the presentation, it does feature and attract some discussion. I briefly cover the gear we use for sports photography and more generally for action shots. You will find it easier if you have a camera body that shoots many images per second, has a lens that focuses quickly and shoots at a shallow depth of field, and uses a mono-pod if you are going to be shooting for a long time. additional time.
Thanks for reading these 5 lessons from talking to local camera clubs. To Neil and the photographers at the Maroondah Photography Society – thank you for having me!
baresi