After beating 11 male challengers under the wire in the Breeders' Cup Classic last Saturday, the 5-year-old Mare Zenyatta with thankful jockey Mike Smith aboard, posed for photographers on her way out of the winner's circle at Santa Anita Park. Zenyatta, unbeaten in 14 career races, became the first female to win the Classic. Credit Sports Illustrated. Photographer: Peter Read Miller

When I was around 10 years old, my brothers and I received a subscription to Sports Illustrated one Christmas.  Although I already had a growing interest in photography, this Christmas gift would push me over the edge in that every week I was inspired by sports photography that left me in awe.

What I didn’t realize then, but have since realized, was that a large portion of those photographs that made me want to take photographs myself were taken by Peter Read Miller.   Miller has made his legacy with his unique photographs which he is able to capture because of his all important and impeccable timing but beyond that, he is able to look at a scene differently than most.

I still get Sports Illustrated today and each week when a new issue comes I instantly pick it up and look at the photographs before anything else.  This week, four photographs into their “Leading Off” section, a photograph of Breeders’ Cup winners Mike Smith (jockey) and  Zenyatta (mare) pose for photographs on the track in front of–by my count–18 photographers.

The photograph is compelling in its own right but the one thing that drew me to it was the pure brilliance behind the photography of the image.  Instead of getting the same photograph as the other 18 photographers there, the photographer of this image decided to think outside the box and cover the event for what it is; pure spectacle.

It was no surprise to me when I saw who snapped the photograph, none other than Peter Read Miller.  Miller has hundreds of such photographs; images that are unique, compelling, and purely genius.   My goal as a photographer is to capture life in a way that most people otherwise wouldn’t see. No one practices this better than Miller.

Next time you’re covering an event and fighting for position with other photographers, take a step back and ask yourself how you can photograph the event in a way that no one else is.  You may come up short but that may be a small price to pay when 20 other photographers are getting the same image anyways.

As I’ve described in the past I do a lot of work for a local newspaper. They know what they like from me and as a result I’m usually assigned similar assignments. For instance, i cover almost all the basketball for one of our three local high schools and cover every football game for this school.

As a result I’ve got a pretty nice routine down for these events that i do frequently. But it wasn’t always like that. I can’t count how many times I’ve gotten to a shoot only to realize that there were no batteries for my flash. One time, while taking a family portrait for a friend, I actually forgot the battery for my camera. There simply is never an excuse for this. You must be prepared in every aspect that way when it comes time to start taking photographs, the only thing on your mind is clicking the shutter.

1. Make sure your gear is ready. The night before a photography shoot, make sure you have your gear in order. Get your flash cards formatted and your batteries charged. Clean your lenses and make sure that you’ve packed the lenses and lighting equipment you need for the shoot.

2. Know why you are photographing . It doesn’t matter if it’s a wedding or a football game. You are going to be there for a reason and more than likely it’s because someone has asked you (hopefully paid you) to be there.  You should have an idea what they are going to use and what they need. Sometimes my editor will explicitly tell me that he needs a vertical shot, for example. If the only good shot I captured was a horizontal photograph, I have failed. Getting your client what they need is the only way you can gain respect as a photographer.

3. Know what you are photographing. I can’t tell you how many great photographers I’ve seen show up to a baseball game only to come up short because they didn’t understand what was going on.  This doesn’t just apply to sports photography though.  A wedding photographer needs to know when things are happening. A photojournalist covering a political event needs to know who the important speaker is.  In short, you must do a little research before you dive into a shoot. Understanding the subject allows you to photograph it more effectively.

4. Have a plan. Now that you know what you need to get, and you know your subject, try and plan how you’re going to get the shot.  I recently had to gather some photographs of some local landmarks.  The one shot of the series that I planned the most was of the tunnel in town (page 7).  This is a tunnel that only allows for one car at a time to go through, and is mostly used as a train is coming through town as it avoids waiting at the crossing.  I thought a bit about how to capture all of this in one photograph.  The only way was to get a picture of a train crossing the tunnel and two cars coming towards each other.  I looked at the train schedule and picked a time that correlated with a lot of automobile traffic. Having a plan allowed me to get the shot I was hoping for and it only took one try.

5. Be Flexible. Nothing ever goes to plan. Camera gear breaks. Batteries die. You may fail to follow rule 1. The star athlete may be hurt. The priest may not want you on the alter. What you envisioned in your head may end up looking like crap. It doesn’t matter how it happens but it’s going to happen–something isn’t going to go to plan  and you simply have to be prepared to switch gears.

To Conclude…

Photography is never easy and it is isn’t usually routine. However, simply having a routine to prepare yourself is a surefire way to ensure that you will consistently get quality results for yourself and your clients.

More Reading
Digital Photography: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)
More photography tips from The Photo Dictionary

The Panasonic DMC-GH1 will sell for $1500 when it is expected to debut this June.

Panasonic today announced that its second Micro four Thirds System camera, the Lumix DMC-GH1, will initially sell for $1499.95 when it is expected to debut this June.  Although the DMC-GH1 is not the first to record HD video, the kit will include a 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 lens that will enable HD video recording from the compact camera while maintaing constant focus–a first of digital SLR’s.

Below is the official press release from Panasonic
—–

In the U.S., the LUMIX GH1 will be available in black and has advanced photography features, such as the ability to record AVCHD 1080p/24p High Definition video, yet is easy enough for entry-level users to understand and take beautiful photos and videos. With Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode* – a user-friendly setting made popular in the LUMIX line of digital point-and-shoot camera products, both entry-level and more experienced DSLR users can enjoy a complete suite of technologies that allow beautiful photo-taking and engage automatically – no setting adjustments needed.

For those looking for more creative control in their digital camera, the LUMIX GH1 can adjust shutter speed during motion recording, giving the videos a special look, particularly suitable for shooting fast-moving subjects. Also, the LUMIX GH1 allows users to control the aperture, which is convenient when there are several subjects at varying distances. By adjusting the aperture, the user can focus on the foreground and blur the background – or vice versa – even during video recording.

“Since redefining the traditional DSLR category last year with the LUMIX G1 – which eliminated the internal mirror and thus dramatically reduced size of the camera body and lenses – Panasonic has been working to expand its award-winning LUMIX G Micro Four Thirds System line. Panasonic wants to offer increasingly innovative products and features that make photography fun and easy,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The introduction of the LUMIX GH1, allows photographers of all levels to take superior quality photos and shoot HD video with a more compact, easy-to-use camera that provides increased creative capabilities.”

The LUMIX GH1 provides cutting-edge video recording features, including the ability to record high-resolution full HD (1920 x1080) video at 24 fps or smooth HD video (1280 x 720) at 60 fps using an AVCHD format (MPEG-4/H.264), which provides the important benefit of doubling the HD quality recording time compared with Motion JPEG. The LUMIX GH1 features a dedicated video record button on the back of the camera which lets users instantly start recording videos, even while shooting still photos – removing the fear of potentially missing a must-see video moment.

For more information about the Panasonic LUMIX G Micro Four Thirds System, including the award-winning LUMIX G1, and to place a pre-order for the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH1, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix

This soccer photograph was the first photograph i had published. This lead to another job with The Daily Iowan which in turn lead to other work.

For the 10 of you that follow this blog (ok, 3 of you), I hope a common theme has become apparent. Flexibility.  As a photographer,  you have to be flexible.  Many young photographers have an idea in their mind that they want to be, say, a “sports photographer”. And so they start shooting nothing but sports in the hopes of someday being at the Super Bowl and while having goals and motivation is a great thing, it is not the only thing that will advance your photography.

Recently a blog i enjoy wrote about the need for people to stray from their most commenly traveled path. The notion being that doing things outside of the comfortable pushes personal development. This, as he points out, conflicts with some previous thoughts he had about sticking with what you’re good at, the argument being that there are people who want to be something they can’t be. Instead of focusing on what you’re bad at, you should focus on the things you’re good at.

This photograph (never published as the brand name was too dominant) was taken for an editorial on energy drinks at college campuses. The look of this image was honed at automobile and track races (panning). I honed this skill shooting sports, then given the opportunity applied it to something completely different.

I don’t think these two perspectives are mutually exclusive. As a photographer, you should try and focus on your strengths, but within that context it is very important to expand your talents and your vision.

If you want to become a great photographer you need to expand your photography skills beyond what you are comfortable with. However, at the same time it is important to focus on your strengths as becoming good at one form of photography will allow you the fortune of experimenting and learning at other forms of photography.

I’ll use myself as the example.

I primarily shoot sports. It’s where I make 90% of my photographic income.  I think it is my favorite form of photography. I enjoy the atmosphere of competition and I enjoy capturing that atmosphere.  It is also, I would argue, the form of photography that I’m best at.

Sports photography is my strength. It is what ultimately landed my first published photograph. Through that first photograph at the Woodstock Independent i was granted the opportunity to shoot many many more photographs for the Independent–sports or otherwise.  With that portfolio i went to The Daily Iowan (a school paper, perhaps a portfolio wasn’t needed) I was hired as a paid intern where i continued to shoot sports but primarily worked on day-t0-day photojournalistic shots–politics, editorials, biographies, breaking news, etc.

Since i first picked up a camera about 10 years ago I have worked to hone my strengths and relied on them to advance my photographic career, but the entire time I have worked very hard to broaden what I consider my strengths.

At the end of the day, the great photographers are great at photography–of any kind. By this, I mean that they can take a camera to any sort of event and photograph it. This may be a concert, it may be a football game, it may be a wedding, or perhaps a family picnic. Photography is not about becoming a great “sports photographer” or “concert photographer” or “horse jumping photographer”. It is about becoming a great photographer. For that to happen, you must embrace all forms and you must become great at them.

This is a photograph published in The Daily Iowan of an MTV Marketing Exec (on the large screen) giving insight to a buisness lecture at The University of Iowa. This was certainly not sports but ultimately my skills as a sports photographer led me to this shot.

To prove the point, i encourage you to check out these photos  at sportsshooter.com.  Yes, most of the subject matter are sports, but the sporting events are merely canvases in which great photographers have painted great photographs.

I would also encourage you to check out Magnum Photo’s.  The subjects of these photographs are often vastly different but the result is often the same: you will find yourself staring at the photograph.

Photo by Al Tielemans / Sports Illustrated

For anyone with quality gear and enough experience to have encountered the laymen masses out there in the world, the following sentence probably rings familiarity: “I bet that camera takes awesome photos huh!?”.  If you’re like me, your lip may quiver a bit before you shell out the diplomatic  response with a smile: “It sure gets the job done”.  Or perhaps you’ve been given some gem about the luck that is so frequently bestowed upon you in regards to your photography.

There is an idea that floats around the masses of new photographers, internet message boards, and those who aren’t familiar with the art that getting great and compelling photographs is about the gear you use and a large dose of luck.

Which do you think requires more luck? Catching a last second pass, dragging your toes in bounds, thus scoring the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, or capturing that moment with your camera thus landing the most important cover shot of your career?

I would hazard to guess that most people wouldn’t call what Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes did to win Super Bowl XXXVII luck. Nor would i argue that what Al Tielemans of Sports Illustrated was able to do on that play was the result of luck.

In a recent article Tielmans wrote for SportsShooter.com, he outlines why he was able to capture that photograph that most of us are so familiar with.  The image was the culmination of decades of experience, mounds of foresight, a healthy dose of instinct, and yeah, sure, a smidgen of luck.

Check out the article here

Some purists like to argue that it ruins the act of taking photo’s.  Some of them may just be getting nestolgic about the days of yesteryear when a shot wouldnt’ be seen until a few hours later as it slowly faded onto the paper as your hands dripped wet with developer (mmmm, smell those chemicals!).  There is a certain level of magic that takes place in a dark room and until you’ve done it for yourself (ideally with your own work), it’s difficult to explain. And on a certain level, digital photography has taken some of that magic away.  No matter how good a shot i’ve taken, seeing it on the computer–or more related to this topic, on the LCD of my camera– is less satisfying than had i seen it come through on photography paper.

Magic aside, there are some logistical reasons why you should and shouldn’t chimp during a shoot.

Why you should:

1. LCD screens have allowed photographers to instantly and accurately check exposure in a way that meters don’t allow for

2. Knowing if you’ve got your shot enables you to work less if you’re in a hurry

3. Seeing that your framing isn’t working allows you to adjust accordingly. Instant feedback.
Why you shouldn’t chimp:

1. Looking at your camera means you are not looking at the subject(s). I can’t tell you how many shots I’ve missed because i couldn’t resist the urge to chimp.

2. Relying on what you see on your LCD removes you from the actual process of taking photographs. Instant feedback is only good when it doesn’t limit the way you think.  Psychologists know that thinking more critically about something leads to more understanding.

3. The photographs aren’t going anywhere. Looking at it now isn’t going to change what has already been done.

4. Missing shots because you’re looking at your camera is a bad thing!

I stated one of those reasons against chimping twice, and for a reason.  Recently my LCD on my camera broke.  I haven’t been able to fix it yet and i’m in no rush because the camera still takes photographs.  And i’ve seen an increase in the quality of my photographs.  I’ve always been under the belief that constantly looking at your LCD after you take a photo removes you from the actual act of taking photographs.  If you can find a way to prevent this removal, i think your photography will improve.
I’m not advocating that you never look at the LCD. There is a reason it’s there and I’ve listed some reasons why it is useful. But there is a time and place for it.  Figure that out, and you’ll be golden.

Canon PowerShot A590

I’ve talked about always being on the ready before. Today’s camera’s allow all sorts of fun, so long as you have one available. This video was shot on a Power Shot A590. Not all visuals need to be done on expensive equipment to be good!

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Chinese look at falling stock prices on an electronic board at the stock market in Zhengzhou, China Monday June 4, 2007. China's main stock index plunged 8.3 percent on Monday in its biggest one-day drop since a February fall that triggered a global sell-off.

–Canon Joins the “Bad Economy Bandwagon”

There is no doubt that the global economy is in shambles. Individuals and the companies they work (or worked) for are suffering big time. Unemployment claims are at a record pace and the stock market has pretty much been in shambles itself.

As much us photographers would like to think that photography as an industry is fine, the simple truth is that it too is suffering. Not only are newspapers, which employ many of the worlds photographers, struggling to stay afloat, independent photographers are wondering if they need to adjust their prices due to the economy. It should come as no surprise then that some of the heavy hitters in the photography industry are struggling.

This week Canon announced that its profits have taken a heavy hit. The fourth quarter profits, canon says, are down 91% while profits on the year are down 37%. Canon expects digital camera sales to be down 7% this year and as a result, revenue and profits should continue to fall.

–For those of us who won’t be upgrading our camera’s this year

Last fall Canon released its update to the 5D, cleverly named the 5D Mark II. Many canon “fanboys” weren’t very happy with Canon’s update, arguing that the camera lacked important improvements (perhaps most annoyingly, an updated auto focus system).

One unique improvement was its ability to take high def video, something never before seen from a D-SLR. This is a feature that expands upon the “Live View” feature of its camera’s which was first seen on a special version of the 20D known as the 20Da. Every new DSLR of Canon’s since the 40D has Live View (450D/XSI, 40D, 50D, 1DmkIII 1DsMKIII, 5DMKII) However, the only canon camera that is capable of taking the Live View feature and turning it into HD video, is the 5DmkII–it should also be noted that Nikon’s D90 and Olympus’s E-30 also have this feature.

The feature is neat, at best. It lacks auto focus and an SLR camera is simply not designed to take video (a tripod is a must). That said, it is a very unique and fun tool to have. Fortunately for those of us who aren’t upgrading our camera’s this year (thus contributing to Canon’s lack of profits?) to the 5DmkII, there are workarounds.

A couple of months ago the first attempt surfaced on a Russian website. It is basically just a small program that you download to your computer. With the camera plugged into the computer (via USB), the program activates the Live View feature, and captures what it sees. Many have called this a “hack” but the truth is that it technically isn’t. However, there appears to be an actual hack in the works that will enable you to record video to your CF card–no cables, cords, or computers required.

This is neat. I played around with the program version last night and i must say, i’m impressed. You can watch the youtube video or download the video here.

The growth of what our camera’s can do is amazing. It seems, our DSLR’s are finally catching up to our cell phones, which have long been able to make phone calls, take photo’s and take videos.

–And Congress Hates that

In one of those stories that makes you think to yourself “What are they thinking?” Republican Congressman Peter King  (New York) introduced the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act. The act would require that all cell phones “to make a sound when a photograph is taken.” This would go into place for all phones made after one year of the bill being enacted. You would hate for the Respected Mr. King to worry about real problems, like a financial crisis, actual crime, or any number of things he could be devoting his time to.

One has to wonder how quickly the hacks for those phones would be rolled out…

To learn more about the hack in development click here
For more information on the downloadable program click here

The world is shrinking every day. Technology (as in hardware) is making it easier to connect (as in the internet) in a way that humans have never been able to before.  Social networking websites like facebook are letting people use this technology to make human contact through non-human means.

With the explosion in digital photography both in terms of professionals (which happened, arguably, about 10 years ago) and with consumers (a little more than ten years ago), the world is beginning to see itself more frequently and in ways not possible before.

What better example to demonstrate this than the Inauguration of President Obama?  The website Flickr.com (click here for some of my work) is probably one of the most famous photography hosting websites that is also a social networking tool. Since it’s creation in February of 2004, Flickr (now owned by Yahoo), is host to over 3 billion images. For those math whizzes out there, that’s well over a million photo’s uploaded a day.

As of today (1/22/09), when you search “inauguration” on flickr, you receive 130,000 results. The vast majority of these results are entire albums. What does this mean? This means that only 2 days after the Inauguration of President Obama that hundreds of thousands of non-professional photographers have their work accessible by millions of people from any corner of the world.

Furthermore, technology is also allowing us to actually see things better and differently. A very forward-thinking photographer named Chuck Kennedy with the McClatchy-Tribune Photo Service, mounted a remote camera (a Canon 5D with a 16-35mm lens) to the podium that the President Elect spoke at. He was able to capture the closest ever image of the President and his family as he took the Oath of Office and posted in shortly on the internet for the world to see. The speed at which this was accomplished (and arguably the ease with which it was done) was not really available in previous years.

Flickr is currently working with Getty Images, a world-leading photography stock photo agency, to incorporate flickr’s images with Getty’s. In late 2006, CNN launched a program called “ireport” where user submitted content, such as photographs, would be incorporated into their reporting. What does all of this mean? Not only is the gap of human contact shrinking but so too is the gap between the professional and Bob down the street who owns his own camera gear.

The internet and the technologies that have been implemented to it, such as Flickr, have allowed us to view things faster and more diversely than ever before. We are no longer bound to the New York Times for our coverage of an event. This is truly amazing when you sit and think about it.

A couple of years ago some really intelligent people created some technology that is beyond words. It takes images from flickr and combines them into an interactive collage of sorts. Microsoft bought the technology and it was was utilized for the inauguration of Obama. CNN has utilized this to capture “The Moment”–or the inauguration, with this amazing tool  Words cannot describe so i urge you to check it out.

So what do we make of this? The world has changed. The world has shrunk. Photographers are becoming ever-important and ever-utilized. So, pick up your camera, capture the world, and then show the world.

For more information on Chuck Kennedy’s photograph, click here

To see “The Moment” click here

A self portrait shortly after a ref ran into me on the sideline. As i said, there is a fine line to be had and i crossed it. But i am now forever marked with photography--or something.

The other day i mentioned that to take great photographs you must become completely ingrained in the scene that you are photographing. What does this mean exactly?

When i got my internship with The Daily Iowan i was thrust under the wing of a “photo coach” named Danny Wilcox Frazier. Danny is a Midwestern based freelance photographer who’s work has appeared in the likes of Time (perhaps most notably a double truck following 9/11) and covered many big names like Clinton, Obama, McCain and others. The message here: He knows what he is doing.

One of the first things he tried to stress to me was a need to get over the fear of getting up close and personal with my camera. He took me and another intern out to the streets of Iowa City to observe us photographing what we saw. I was timid, and shy. To prove his point, he took my camera and walked up to complete strangers and started photographing them. He was being extreme but it proved a point.

You must be able to get up close and personal with your subjects. This is true in any form of photography including sports. Timid photographers often ask me how i can sit so close to the court, football field, baseball dimond, etc. My response is usually, “If you’re not close enough to get hurt, you’re not close enough.” This is, of course, tongue-in-cheek, mostly. But the fact remains: If you are unable to become a part of the scene–without disturbing it–your photographs will suffer.

One of my favorite photos required me to get about a foot away from my subject