The Camera hates me and I hate it too!

May 26, 2011 By 5 Comments
Get that camera away from me!

Get that camera away from me!

I’d be a wealthy man if I had a pound for everyone I’ve photographed who started the session by saying, “I hate having my photograph taken”, or “the camera doesn’t love me” or just, “I’m not photogenic”.

As a commercial photographer in Newbury, West Berkshire, the majority of my business clients come from the ‘baby boomer’ generation. How they see having a photograph taken is dramatically different from that of our social media ‘savvy’ children, who snap everything and everybody with mobile devices, point and click cameras and video cams.

The acceptance of being photographed, by these young people, probably stems from the totally different mindset about confidentiality and privacy created by social media, with many of them sharing images and detail far beyond the comfort zone of their parents.

Many of my clients come from the coaching and personal development professions where a “glass half full” attitude is actively encouraged, yet they are frequently incredibly negative about the prospect of being photographed and how good they look in pictures.

In an attempt to reassure them I tell them to look in any newspaper or magazine where the journalist wants to put a negative spin on a personality, even the most glamorous and photogenic celebrities can be caught in an unflattering pose, and don’t forget the hundreds of out-take pictures that never see the light of day after a photo session.

I also tell them that to achieve a good comfortably relaxed image, the photographer needs to establish rapport with the subject, and this can’t be done in an instant. One of the biggest factors in getting a good portrait is to put them at ease and the simplest way to do that is by talking to them, so they engage with the person, not the camera.

Any photographer who relies on snapping people as a means to make a living must accept the challenge issued by these reluctant subjects and soothe their concerns with reassurance and quite often, empathy – I know a lot of photographers who hate being on the other side of the camera.

Why do we have this inherent fear of being photographed? There seems to be no scientific word to describe it – the closest I’ve seen to give it a name is, “photographobia” which would seem to be a reasonable attempt at an identity.

Across the globe there are many religions and cultures that for various reasons will not permit their members being photographed, not for fear, but because of the fundamental belief that their soul will be damaged or stolen.

The genuine, but irrational fear of being photographed is far more significant in this age of email, the internet and the social networking explosion that the digital youth have enthusiastically embraced, especially with the reliance on ‘photo ID’ in so many aspects of our lives.

For those who just ‘dislike’ having their photograph taken, I suggest it’s the same emotional disbelief we feel on hearing our recorded voice played back the first time?

Seeing a picture of you, as others see you, appears unnatural and the experience can be a shock and may be a key factor in the discomfort you experience in front of the camera.

We’re all used to seeing our reflection in a mirror but it’s only when we’re photographed or filmed that we see the image that everyone else sees, I believe this is the main reason for us not liking photographs of ourselves.

Seeing your face in the mirror every day, when applying make-up or shaving, it’s familiar to you – it’s the face you ‘know’, so well.

When you see this, stranger looking back at you in the form of a photograph your expectations become confused and because of our inherent dislike for change, the person in front of you becomes an unacceptable substitute for the real you.

Maybe we as photographers, should be presenting the pictures we take in mirror image?

Overcoming the reluctance of such a large number of people to embrace the benefits of a really good photographic portrait is any photographer’s greatest challenge. It requires the eye and composition of an artist as well as an understanding of facial anatomy, but most of all the need for patience to establish the most important relationship, rapport.

If you or someone you know is nervous or anxious about having their picture taken, make sure you find a photographer you are comfortable with and believe that there really is a good picture in everyone.

For business and social media portraits for nervous and anxious clients book a photo-session with me today

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How good is your eCommerce Image?

May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

eCommerceDo you sell your product online?

With more and more businesses using ecommerce as part of the way they sell their wares, competition is increasing and visual presentation of the product is becoming an essential consideration.

Having spoken to a number of web designers specialising in ecommerce sites they seem to be saying the same thing, that, generally the quality of photographs used to sell products online is poor.

Whatever you’re selling it’s essential that you present it in the best possible way and good product photography is probably the most important single factor in doing this.

Even if it’s just putting a second-hand item on Ebay or similar auction sites, the written description can never compare with a good clear photograph and if what you’re selling has an unusual feature or you need to point out some specific damage, there really is no better way to illustrate it than a good picture.

What’s more in its most basic form the difference between a quick snap or a well lit, carefully composed photograph can have a significant effect on how well it sells and more important, how much it sells for.

Buying on line is a wonderfully flexible way to shop but the great disadvantage is that unless the product is something you are familiar with and have actually seen and held you have no way of knowing anything more about it than words can convey.

By showing your customer high quality pictures of what they’re buying, they can at least have an idea of the quality of finish and whether it has an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Providing multiple views and angles in particular close-ups of any special features or details can enhance this information and be invaluable to your customer, ultimately making the purchasing decision easier.

Any marketing expert will tell you that making it easy for your customer to buy is a key requirement in any purchase, therefore, giving your customer as much visual information as you can, will definitely give you an advantage over your competitors.

For photography or help getting your product displayed in a professional and visually powerful way call me for a chat.

 

Filed Under: commercial photography, eCommerce, product photography, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Celebrations & Photography Tips on a Canal Boat

May 9, 2011 By 2 Comments

The torrential rain of Saturday night didn’t bode well for the first Photo day cruise staged by an alliance of Mike Samuels Photography and the Canal & Tipi Experience.

Booked as a birthday treat for Jake’s 11th the thought of trying to entertain a group of eleven year-olds for 6 hours on a canal boat, by teaching them some photographic tips, suddenly looked seriously daunting.

Fortunately, the clouds were kind and by the time 11 o’clock arrived the sun had put in an appearance and everyone boarded the boat in excited anticipation.

Nick Harbourne, my colleague from Canal & Tipi Experience was going to be piloting the boat as it navigated the seven locks between Aldermaston and Burghfield, on the Kennet and Avon Canal in West Berkshire, introduced the day by running through the safety and housekeeping rules.

Having met Jake’s mum and dad, Alison & John, they got the group together and I spent the first 20 minutes running through the basic photographic tips they would need for the day and making sure everyone understood how to use their cameras.

It was time to start the engine and begin our trip.

The first photo-opportunity came almost immediately, with the opening of a swing bridge carrying the main road; pictures were taken of the bridge opening, the barriers holding back the traffic and the canal boat making its way.

With so much going on it was difficult for the children to decide what to do first, take pictures or help open and close the bridge and it soon became obvious that the mix would have to be their decision.

Making our way through a boat-yard full of similar vessels to Meand’er the boat that was out home for today, plenty of pictures were taken and I spent my time talking about composition, exposure and how to get the right bits in focus. Explaining the way that light is controlled using the speed of the shutter to photograph moving objects and how the size of hole in the lens, or aperture, makes the difference between everything being in focus or just the single thing you want to concentrate on, took us to the first lock and the group split naturally to the ones who wanted to help open the lock and those who were happy to take pictures.

With the storms of the previous night gone the sky was beautifully blue with classic cloud formations to make landscape photographs so much more interesting.

Having taken so many pictures in such a short time I decided we would have to review what the group had taken regularly throughout the day, and now between locks seemed to be a good moment.

Because of the variety of cameras and their ability to operate in non automatic modes, I’d made the decision at the outset not to confuse the issue by trying work in manual so the main theme of the day was composition, image framing and looking for pictures and using their imagination.

Viewing the pictures taken on the boat’s television gave everyone chance to comment and critique the photographer’s skills. The results were truly impressive and improved throughout the day.

Taking a break for a picnic lunch, generously provided by Jake’ parents, enabled everyone to chat generally and comment about what they were enjoying most about the day.

As we made our way through the countryside Alison set the group a challenge, to get the best picture of a yellow flag iris on the river bank which she would judge at the end of the day.

With memory cards filling up rapidly and batteries flattening it was time for the group to get together in the lounge area of the boat and look at the day’s endeavours, enjoying ice-creams kindly provided by Alison.

Arriving at our destination I gave everyone a certificate to say they had learnt to take better photographs and they all said how much they had enjoyed the day.

Packing up my laptop I discovered a message that Jake had left on the screen, I think he enjoyed his photocruise birthday.

Photographic days can be tailored for all abilities and are organised by Canal and Tipi Experience, so if you have small group of enthusiastic camera owners or photographers who would like to spend a day with a professional photographer or maybe just a birthday or anniversary party you can contact us .

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Photography on a knife edge – how to keep your business image sharp

May 5, 2011 By 6 Comments

If your business manufactures or markets a product, the chances are you will want to show pictures of it in your leaflets and literature and on your website.

The simple solution for most businesses today will be to get the company camera, normally a point and click, and take some pictures themselves, but if that product is exceptionally small or detailed they may run into difficulties and need the services of a professional photographer.

One of the most satisfying jobs as a commercial photographer working in West Berkshire is photographing tiny complex objects in close-up, so that they appear as larger than life pictures.

Generally referred to as macro or ultra close-up photography, it’s an area of expertise I learned in my first job as a professional photographer, where I spent many hours photographing small pathology specimens.

With the introduction of digital cameras, interest in this type of photography has been stimulated by the fact that virtually every point and click camera today seems to boast a macro facility, however, the majority will never truly deliver macro quality images.

In an effort to provide every camera owner with the ability to take good close-up pictures simply and automatically, the acceptance of visual distortions and the loss of exposure control are an accepted compromise.

Strictly speaking, most of these cameras never achieve macro ratios and should really only be classified as close-up, with many others relying on supplementary magnifying lens on the front of the camera to bring the image to focus.

True macro photography starts when the photographed image has a ratio of 1:1 or life-size, up to around 4 times life-size and generally requires specialist equipment to attain quality imagery.

I began producing macro images using conventional large format cameras with a black cloth over my head, working on 5 x 4 inch cut film or in some more specialist applications half plate glass plates, very early on in my career as a medical photographer.

Using this knowledge and experience I have taken the techniques used in conventional analogue photography and use macro configured lenses with extension tubes and bellows to produce high quality images with digital technology.

The biggest challenge in macro photography is getting sufficient light onto the subject to enable the smallest possible aperture size to ensure good depth of field, since the greater the magnification the shallower the plain of focus and because the camera lens is so much further from the sensor chip in the camera body it needs even more light.

If keeping the whole image in focus is important multiple exposures can be made which can be ‘stacked’, within a digital editing programme and subsequently flattened into a sharp image.

The other major challenge to good pictures is dirt and dust, because you are working at magnification every hair, dust particle or scratch is emphasised so the cleanest possible environment is needed.

If you need some really close-up images of your product, don’t accept compromise talk to an expert and get the pictures your product deserves.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,
Social Media Integration Powered by Acurax Wordpress Theme Designers
Visit Us On TwitterVisit Us On FacebookVisit Us On Google PlusVisit Us On Linkedin