different perspectives. Rather than just taking photographs for
the fun of it set yourself a project – with a deadline – and finish
it. No matter how experienced you are, I guarantee you will
learn new things with each new challenge.06
Workflow and backup
I transfer the images from my laptop and archive
them to my Drobo 15TB data storage system, which is linked
to my desktop system. This is very important! You should have
at least two copies of your images – always! Drives and storage
devices can crash, with terrible consequences if you don’t
have a copy. This is even more important for your ‘hero’ shots.
When you’re in a less exciting or distracting location, you
should be able to go through all your images and enjoy them
again. This is a handy time for sorting those last few images
to add to your ‘hero’ list. I shoot in RAW and I convert my
images to DNG (Digital Negative files) as they import. This
keeps any processing, or image rating information with the
photo and it’s simple.
Some of you might be thinking that I do a lot of sorting of my
images. Nothing could be further from the truth! I spend as little
time as possible with each step. Likewise, I spend as little time as
possible with image processing. As a general rule (and obviously
subject to the rare times when complex creative Photoshop is
required) I spend less than a minute on most of my images in
post-production processing. So, from 3,000 images from a two-
week tour I might end up with around 300 ‘hero’ images, rated as
five-star book quality. I don’t process every image.07
Make a book
The arrival of affordable limited-run photo book
printing has been a boon for amateur and professional
photographers alike. There are a number of options available
and it’s possible to produce a glossy coffee-table book
showcasing your own images in just a few days.
This is where your skill at sorting your images and working out
which images work well together comes to the fore. Think about
visual style and the story that your pictures tell. Experiment
with different layouts and keep asking yourself, does this image
advance the story I am telling or detract from it. Sometimes you
might find a great image actually takes away from what you are
trying to achieve. It might jar with the visual style of the other
images, or act as a distraction from the message you are tring to
convey. Sometimes you need to be ruthless – if it’s not helping,
get rid of it.
Practically, you’ll find it helps if your photo library is well
organised. When I put together a book of a recent photo tour,
I go to the folder in Lightroom and sort the images so only those
images with five-star ratings are shown. As long as you rate your
images as you go, this step can be a big time saver.08
Share your amazingness!
On most of my travels, by the time I start organising
photo books I have uploaded my images to Facebook and
Instagram during the trip. Most of these would be straight ‘fun’
travel pics, with what I reckon is the odd ‘cool’ shot. Once I get
home I will start to upload some of the more creative images.
I also love audio-visuals. Since 1982 I have set a selection
of ‘hero’ images to music. It’s a fantastic way to show friends
and family what’s happened, and for me, it opens up business40 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015
Top tips for shooting ‘hero’ images
- Isolate your subject, either by using limited depth of field or
by positioning the subject. This approach draws the viewer
straight to the subject and limits distractions. - A balanced look between strictly correct technical elements
and a creative feel is vital to the final result. You can be as
technical as you like, but in my view the best images come
from a balanced look. - Give yourself space for the subject within the frame.
Especially with cameras which can shoot huge files, you
can always crop to suit your creative thinking. - Visualisation of the end result is vital. This includes
visualisation pre-shooting, while shooting, and in post
production. Not only do you need to take the shoot itself
into consideration, you also need to think about how you’ll
process the image. Photography is not just about pressing
the shutter button!
ABOVE
Visiting the Himba
people offers great
‘cultural’ shoots.
They increase your
‘hero’ image rate
just through their
unique attributes.
Sony A900,
70-400mm
lens @ 300mm,
1/200s @ f/5.6,
ISO 100, hand
held. Vibrance,
contrast, shadows,
sharpened.
Adjusted in Adobe
Lightroom 5.