Photography Process
I continually take photos to improve my technique and learn more about the process.
Taking Photographs
Subject matter has the biggest impact on how the photograph is taken.
Sports
When shooting sporting events I like to get down as close as I can to the action. I use a larger aperture and a high enough ISO setting to reduce or eliminate motion blur. I don't often use a tripod but I don't use any really long lenses either. One of the most important things is anticipating what will happen so the critical moments are captured and the important parts are in focus. Being a sports fan helps.
Portraits
Portraits are often shot outside among pleasant natural surroundings or interesting buildings and structures. Most sessions are relaxed and informal. I use a speedlite flash for fill light and a small step ladder to change viewpoints. Wide to mid apertures are used to blur backgrounds.
Landscapes
Whenever I travel I try to take landscape and nature photos. I use a tripod as often as possible and a small aperture allows more depth of field.
Close Up / Macro
Close up or macro photography can add interest to almost any ordinary object. I use lens attachments to allow my lenses to focus at very short distances. Very small apertures are used to get adequate depth of field. A tripod or some other stabilizing techniqe is a must because the smallest camera movement can throw the whole image out of focus.
Products
I also include product photography here because I've had a little practice photographing my own pottery. I built a collapsible light studio which allows complete control over the lighting. I use a tripod and adjust lights as necessary and sometimes use a polarizing filter to reduce glare.
Editing Images
I often enjoy the editing process as much as taking the photographs due to the nearly unlimited potential that is available with current software.
Organization and Backup
I transfer images from the memory card to the computer with a USB card reader (or even better, the built in card reader on my computer!). I usually create a folder with the date and then a word or two to describe the image content. I burn the images onto a CD right away. After all the editing is done I also copy everything to an external hard drive.
Reviewing and Rating
I use either Adobe Bridge or Canon's Digital Photo Professional to preview, sort and rate images. I usually go through once to get rid of any flawed images and then my wife and I each go through and rate all the images. If the images are for someone else I try to get their feedback as well.
Adjustments
If the images are for someone else I usually shoot in RAW format which gives me a little more to work with. In that case I adjust contrast, color balance, and saturation in DPP or Adobe CameraRaw. I generate JPG files and then make any final adjustments to sharpness or add other effects using Photoshop. I save cropping for last so I can crop to the final output size desired (8x10, 4x6, square poster, etc.)
Effects
Adding effects to an image is one of my favorite parts of the process because I can get creative. I like to experiment with black and white or monochrome settings, motion blur, isolating one color or object vignette and many other effects.
Uploading, Ordering, Delivering
Usually images are uploaded to a print lab and an order is placed. Other times someone might just want a few images emailed or a CD with all the images to choose from.