Since I start my new day job this coming Monday, I’m slacking a little and just sharing some kind of random links about basic photographic technique.
One of the things you see a lot of photographers do, especially if they want to “go pro” and shoot portraits, is something called “seamless paper”. Basically, it’s a huge, long roll of colored paper that you tape up to a wall or hang from a pole to get a smooth, uninterrupted, but still plain and not distracting background for portraits. It sounds pretty straight forward, but, let me tell you, having worked with it a bit, sometimes, it can get a little tricky. So, I’m starting out the grab bag of links with DIY Photography’s Best Tips for Working with Seamless Paper Backdrops. These folks are always helpful and this collects some of their best tips for working with this mainstay of formal portrait photography, as well as some helpful hints for shooting other things with seamless paper.
The next link is from Canon, via PetaPixel, with a Tutorial on Cleaning and Caring for your Photography Gear. This may seem super basic, but there are some good reminders here for those of us who forget how delicate our photography gear can be. For instance, the suggestion to keep gear in a sealed, water-proof bag when moving it between temperature and humidity extremes until it can match local conditions to minimize fog, especially on lenses, is a great idea, especially in Houston!
Finally, I’ve been hearing how still photographers are passe now and, if you really want to “keep up” or break into professional photography, you need to know videography. Personally, I’m not entirely sure that’s true, but it certainly does seem to be a theme these days, so I’m including another link from DIY Photography that’s an Introduction to the Basics of Cinematography. Also, no matter how you feel about actually learning cinematography yourself, as a photographer, learning framing techniques from great cinematographers is a pretty good idea!
So, there you go; three links for you to explore on a lazy Friday, or this weekend, if you’re still pretending to work!
Either way, y’all have a good weekend! And, get out there shooting!
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Photography Link Grab Bag | Diary of a Network Geek
[…] One of the things you see a lot of photographers do, especially if they want to “go pro” and shoot portraits, is something called “seamless paper”. Basically, it’s a huge, long roll of colored paper that you tape up to a wall or hang from a pole to get a smooth, uninterrupted, but still plain… Read More […]