Stability, Depth & Sharpness
Tripods are one of the most important
tools for shooting just about any kind of
scene other than fast-moving objects or
street scenes. Don’t skimp on your tripod
and buy something flimsy. You spent a
lot on your camera and lenses; a good,
solid tripod will allow you to take the
best advantage of that awesome camera
system of yours.
Why use a quality tripod?
- Tripods allow you to get multiple
exposures of the exact same scene,
which you can then blend in Photoshop
using HDR techniques, Luminosity
Masking and other techniques for dig-
ital blending.- It’s impossible to shoot long-exposure
photography without a tripod. - Tripods make you take time to compose
and frame your shot properly. - You can achieve increased depth of
field by shooting at smaller apertures. - You’ll get in-focus and sharp images
with a camera on a tripod. Handholding
will often lead to blurry images, even
at higher shutter speeds. - Tripods are invaluable when using focus
stacking to get your whole scene in
focus from foreground to background. - One word: Astrophotography.
- It’s impossible to shoot long-exposure
The Four Ps
Practice. No artist will ever get better
at their craft without serious amounts of
practice. The good thing is, practicing
in photography is fun. Keep shooting
in new ways and experimenting with
new techniques.
Never stop learning. With the inter-
net at your fingertips, there’s no excuse
not to continue to learn and grow as a
photographer. Use YouTube as your
first way of searching how to do new
things in photography. Video is a great
way to learn. For more in-depth ways
to learn specific styles and genres, take
the plunge and buy a photo tutorial
from a photographer whose work you
admire. Alternatively, you can take a
class or attend a seminar locally. Be
sure to check out who’s teaching and
review their work online before signing
up, That way you’ll be more likely to
be learning the actual techniques you’re
interested in.
Patience. Don’t expect every shot to
be amazing nor think that every time
you try something new it will be a giant
success. You’ll learn a lot from your
failures. The trick is, only show people
your best work.
When asked about his 10,000 failed
attempts at creating the light bulb,
Thomas Edison replied: “I have not
failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that
won’t work.”
Patience also applies to waiting until
people are out of your shot, like inmy image of the Tori gates in Kyoto.
I probably waited 30 minutes to get
the shot with no one walking through
the scene.
Persistence. Don’t give up! Good
things don’t happen to those who sim-
ply wait; they happen to those who work
their butts off. Don’t be distracted by
negative thoughts and give up. The next
shot may be the perfect one.
Photoshop. Capturing a great image is
just the beginning. Learning how to bring
your vision to life by post-processing
with the powerful software available to
photographers today is the icing on the
cake. You’ll never regret getting really
good at Photoshop. Trust me.Breathe
“When you arise in the morning, think
of what a precious privilege it is to be
alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to
love.” –Marcus Aurelius
One vital aspect of being a creative
person is continuously finding ways to
remain inspired. When I’m photograph-
ing something special, I always try to
take a moment and put my camera down
to just appreciate where I am and be
grateful. Humility and gratitude in these
epic locations seem not just appropriate
but quite fitting. It’s the least I can do
when trying to pay homage to the place
I’m photographing.
I believe that I’m not just creating
photographs but building memories for
myself. The photos that I take and look
at for years to come will always bring
me back to this moment where I took the
time to absorb the sights, smells, tastes
and every other aspect of the place I’m
in. I don’t want to remember every single
place I visit with the obstruction of a
camera in front of my face.
I now own those captured moments
forever, and they’ll inspire me to continue
on my quest to find the next soul-stirring
place to photograph. opSee more of Ken Kaminesky’s work at
kenkaminesky.com.The Early Bird. Vatican Museum. Fujifilm X-T1, FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS at
10mm (15mm equivalent). Exposure: 1/20 sec., ƒ/4, ISO 400.outdoorphotographer.com May 2019 45