25 years ago when photog was first established, our aim was to help document college events. Up till today, we are still doing that. Each year, we cover over 50 events. That translates to tens of thousands of photos.
But as event photographers, what should be our photographic aim?
If you ask me, it is simple: we should be so good at events coverage that our photos out-of-camera do not need any post-processing work.
Now you might be wondering why I say that. We all shoot many events quite frequently (especially so during this season), and we have many hundreds of photos to look through, select and Photoshop and this is a very time consuming process. So if we can get the photo right in-camera, then this eliminates our Photoshop work and helps us save time to do other stuff!
This means getting the exposure, framing, colour, subject all correct when shooting to ensure we do not waste unnecessary time correcting them in post. Let's all face it, post-processing/Photoshopping is a waste of time. So our aim is to get photos so good that they don't need editing, and this saves time for us!
Now here are a few tips to get good photos out-of-camera.
1) Check the white balance.
Before the event starts, go early to the venue and get some test shots. Try out different white balance settings in tricky lighting situations, e.g. hall and performance theatre. If need be, DO A CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE. I find this the easiest way to get accurate colours in my photos.
2) Check the frame before snapping.
Always look around the viewfinder and check your composition before pressing the shutter. Make sure you do not cut off people's hands/legs/heads, make sure no weird things creep into the edges of the frame, make sure the horizon is level, subject is properly focused... simple things like these are quickly forgotten when one is in the heat of photographing an event.
3) Expose your photo properly.
This is important. Always make sure your exposure is correct. Do not have the mindset that I can underexpose and then later use Photoshop to brighten the image. If it can be done right in-camera, why do it in post? This also means that it is better to shoot at a higher ISO and get a properly exposed image than shooting at a lower ISO but get an underexposed image. If you need to go up to ISO 1600 to get good exposure, DO IT! Do NOT use ISO 800 and underexpose by two-thirds of a stop. Recovering data from shadows usually isn't pleasant.
4) Do NOT spam shots.
Take your time to compose your shots, and only snap when the moment arises. Remember, the more you shoot, the more you have to look through!
9:02 PM
With Adobe™ Photoshop 7.0
