{"id":1316,"date":"2024-01-28T17:44:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T22:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/?p=1316"},"modified":"2024-01-28T17:49:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-28T22:49:17","slug":"142-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/142-2\/","title":{"rendered":"142"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_code _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-14393637\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1316116\/14393637-taking-sharper-more-professional-photos.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-14393637&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Mentioned in this episode<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span>PhotoPills &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.photopills.com\/calculators\/dof\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PhotoPills DoF Caculator<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.22.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Transcript<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hey, how\u2019s it going?\u00a0 I\u2019m Andy Jones, and this is episode 142 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So before I start, I want to mention Threads, which is the meta version of Twitter. I mentioned it two episodes ago, and it could be a great opportunity. We need to do this as a group to help us get more followers and, in turn, more exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if we all add #pshpod to our posts and follow anyone with #pshpod in their posts, we can grow together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, we can use the same hashtag on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you go on Threads (or Instagram), do a search for #pshpod. Everyone with that tag will be listed. Go through the list and follow them, and if someone follows you, follow them back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bigger your network is and the more you post, the more the Threads (and Instagram algorithms will promote you to a broader audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So use the #pshpod hashtag, and we\u2019ll all grow together.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><b>#pshpod<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Okay, let\u2019s take a look at taking sharper, more professional photos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first thing is \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your camera still<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is key to getting any photo sharp and in focus. Avoid any movement as you depress the shutter button. The slightest change of position can cause the photo to be slightly soft and out of focus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shooting handheld with a slow shutter speed can result in a soft photo. The rule is the shutter speed should match the focal length of the lens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if you are using a 50mm lens, the shutter speed shouldn\u2019t go below 1\/50 of a second. The minimum shutter speed with a 200mm lens should be no less than 1\/200 of a second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rule was from back in the film days when cameras didn\u2019t have lens and body stabilization. So it is possible to use slower shutter speeds, but as a rule of thumb, it will improve your photos if you are having camera shake problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are still having problems, use a tripod or monopod. A tripod is perfect when shooting static portraits. A monopod is more often used for sports and wildlife photography, but you could easily use one for shooting portraits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While I\u2019m on the subject of portraits, the next thing that will give you more professional photos is \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on an eye<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I see so many portraits where the eyes of the subject are not in sharp focus. The focus point is either on the ear, chin, or body. A photo with the eyes of the subject in sharp focus draws the viewer in. If the eyes are out of focus, the image just doesn\u2019t look right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most newer camera bodies have eye detection, and that makes the photographer&#8217;s life way easier. If your camera doesn\u2019t have it, you need to put a single focus point on the subject\u2019s eye. It\u2019s best not to use multiple focus points when taking portraits. Just a single point is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can either change the focus point to match the subject&#8217;s eye position or use autofocus lock. Autofocus lock will allow you to use the center focus point on the eye nearest you, reframe the scene and take the photo. The eye should still be in focus as long as you don\u2019t change your position.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using back-button focus will give you the same feature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look up Exposure Lock, Focus Lock, and Back-Button Focus in your camera manual.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having your subject&#8217;s eyes in focus is crucial to a good portrait.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next is \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DoF<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing how Depth of Field works is your first step to controlling how you want your photo to look.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if you are doing a portrait and you focus on the subject&#8217;s eye, the depth of field is the distance in front and behind the subject\u2019s eye that is in focus. That distance can be controlled by which camera, lens, aperture, or the distance you are from the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckily, there is an app for that, and it\u2019s free. It\u2019s called PhotoPills. I\u2019ll put a link in the show notes and over at PhotographySideHustle.com\/142.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ll give you a quick example.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your camera is a Canon T7, and the lens is 50mm. Your aperture is f\/2.8, and you are 7 feet from the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The total DoF is 7.54\u201d.\u00a0 3.60\u201d in front of the focus point and 3.94\u201d behind the focus point.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if you were focusing on the subject\u2019s eye, 3.60\u201d in front of the eye would be in focus. That is, all their face would be in focus, unless their nose was longer than 3.60\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Behind the eye, everything would be in focus up to 3.94\u201d or 4 inches. So, behind their ears, the image would start to be out of focus, which is perfect for a portrait.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you look at a portrait where you can see everything in the background, it sometimes looks amateurish and more of a snapshot than a portrait.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spend time learning what you can do with depth of field. Knowing what depth of field to use is crucial to getting everything you need in focus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next is \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose the right background<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is something that you need to do if you want to make your photos stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose a background that is in contrast to your subject. If they are wearing light colors, put them in front of a darker background, and it will give separation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A subject wearing green clothes will blend into a background of green trees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your subjects away from the background if you want to use a shallow depth of field and have the background out of focus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This also works well when the only background is ugly. I once took a portrait in front of an old blue and rusty garage door. I had the subject stand 20 feet forward of it and used a shallow depth of field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of a garage door, the background was blurry blue and brown, and the subject popped.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next is \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose the best time for outdoor shoots<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The worst time of day for outdoor photo sessions is mid-day. The sun is at its highest, and the light is harsh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider shooting early in the morning or a couple of hours before sunset. The light is softer and more flattering for your subjects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have to shoot in the middle of the day, think about getting a flash.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using a flash will let you take control of the light. Shooting outdoors in strong sunlight can cause shadows across the subject&#8217;s face or make them squint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you use a flash, you can eliminate the shadows and get professional results. Even if you position the subject under a tree, you can still get patchy light. So, use a flash and take control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn how to edit<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a biggy. You need to know how to edit your photos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You hear a lot of photographers say they like to get it perfect in camera. Well, I would bet there isn\u2019t one decent professional photographer who doesn\u2019t edit their images.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you think the top portrait photographers produce stunning photos right out of the camera, I\u2019ve got news for you. They edit them until they are perfect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t matter if you shoot sports, landscapes, real estate, or portraits. You need to maximize every photo that a customer will see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lightroom and Photoshop have never been easier to use, and with the addition of AI, they can do things we didn\u2019t even dream of a year ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, learn how to edit your photos and take a professional approach to your photography.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Okay, that\u2019s all I\u2019ve got for this episode.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you need help with anything, you can join the Facebook.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember to use the hashtag #pshpod in your Instagram and Threads posts, and follow anyone else who is using it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right, I\u2019ll be back next week with photo stuff. I\u2019ll talk to you then, bye.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mentioned in this episodePhotoPills &#8211; PhotoPills DoF CaculatorTranscriptHey, how\u2019s it going?\u00a0 I\u2019m Andy Jones, and this is episode 142 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast. So before I start, I want to mention Threads, which is the meta version of Twitter. I mentioned it two episodes ago, and it could be a great opportunity. We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,13,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1316"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1318,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316\/revisions\/1318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/photographysidehustle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}