This has been a great year for my wedding photography and I have been blessed with having so many wonderful couples … so much so that I decided to put together this short tribute to them all… View it by clicking here.
Respect other people’s space and privacy
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
I am often asked, in the context of my travel photography, how I get my subjects looking relaxed and happy in front of my camera lens. The simple answer is to follow the golden rule which is to always respect somebody else's space and privacy. If you do that and ask permission before sticking your lens into someone's face then you exponentially increase your chances of getting the shot you are looking for. Sensitivity is key and clearly you need to make sure permission is granted first before pointing the lens. That's not always easy when there's language barriers to consider and cultural mores on top of that. However, in many countries around the world people are more than happy to have their photograph taken. In others – generally, richer, western societies – not so much. I have another rule regarding subjects surrounding the perennial issue of whether to pay people for their trouble. 
My view is simply this; a little baksheesh – tip – for the elderly and candies for younger people always helps. Also, share your shots! One of the greatest joys of digital photography is the ability we all now have to instantly share what we've just created. The reactions I get when I show people my snaps of them are almost uniformly ones of delight, amazement and very often surprise. You may sometimes be in a situation where people have never actually seen themselves in a mirror simply because mirrors don't exist; rare but possible. Generally though, if you follow this rule you will succeed in getting great portraiture on your travels! Happy snapping.
Learn to shoot in Manual mode “M”
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Most digital cameras these days – certainly Canons and Nikons – give you the option of shooting 4 or 5 different 'modes'. "P", "S", "A" & "M" and "Auto" mode (which doesn't, in fact, exist on my Nikon D300 but will be there on most DSLRs and every Digital compact). A quick rundown on what the different modes are designed for and then I'll give you my view which is nothing more (but nothing less) than that!
P stands for Program and allows your camera to select the basic exposure settings, but you can still override the camera's choices to fine-tune your image while maintaining metered exposure. S or Shutter priority is useful when you want to use a particular shutter speed to stop action or produce creative blur effects. Choose your preferred shutter speed and the camera will then automatically select the appropriate f/stop for you. A or Aperture priority lets you choose when you want to use a particular lens opening, especially to control sharpness or how much of your image is in focus. Specify the f/stop you want and the camera will select the appropriate shutter speed for you. M or Manual mode gives you full control over the shutter speed and lens opening, either for creative effects or because you are using a studio flash or other flash unit with your camera's automatic flash metering.
For some reason best known to myself I spent most of my first two years as a photographer shooting in S mode. I suppose I felt most comfortable with and I'm not a camera techie by any means! An encounter 6 months ago with my friend Paul Pacey in his studio revealed that he shot in Manual mode almost all the time. I was convinced by Paul's explanation as to why and started doing the same. Essentially it boils down to control. In Manual mode you control everything so as long as you have the time to fiddle around with the controls then there's no other way to go really; you fix the aperture setting and then you fix the shutter speed. The only occasions in which you might want to consider going into a different mode are if you are shooting high-pressured photojournalism – riots, car bombings, earthquakes that type of thing – and you simply don't have time to fiddle with the settings. On those occasions you might either shoot in Auto or P mode. Otherwise, working with moving subjects you might naturally move into S mode. This link has a good explanation of that. When you are looking for a strong Depth of Field (DOF) then Aperture mode might be for you but why not achieve precisely the same results – or better – in M?
It seems complicated but its really not. For 90% of your subjects – people, landscapes, buildings etc – 90% of the time you won't need to look beyond Manual mode.
Always carry a camera with you
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Cameras come in dozens of different sizes, shapes and formats these days. From the humblest mobile cameraphone to a large format Tachihara 4×5" which can only be used with a tripod. In my life I have used multiple Canons, a Minolta, a Ricoh (euuughhh) and now I shoot with Nikon. Ultimately it doesn't matter what you shoot with so long as you are shooting. If you are out taking photographs then most likely you are improving & honing your skills. I continually find that interesting things are happening on the streets around me in Prague or wherever else I may happen to be.
If you can find the time to shoot something every day all the better. But how can you go about doing that in your busy every day life? The best tip I know is simply this; always carry a camera with you! Never leave home without it as those American Express ads used to say. Of course 95% of the time it may just be that if you are carrying a mobile phone it has a camera and so you are set – especially if your phone is one of those iPhone 4s with some superb camera technology packed under the hood. I have a less sophisticated cameraphone but I am still incredibly proud of the picture I took of two late night tram passengers here in Prague who happened to be on the same carriage as me.
It is a picture that demands attention and whilst it has severe technical deficiencies – light, harsh reflections, over-exposure etc – it is storytelling through photography which has to be our loftiest ambition as photographers… amateur or professional. We look at this shot and wonder to ourselves; who are these people? Why is he on top of her when surely it would be more chivalrous to be the other way around? Are they drunk or just tired … or both? What about the box of chocolates? Did he give it to her earlier in the evening? Will the chocs even make it home or will they spill onto the floor without them even noticing? One thing seems for sure; this is a young couple in love and they've just had a great evening out. If I hadn't had my cameraphone with me that night then the moment would have been lost to the world.
One of my favourite aphorisms is that 'a lot of photography is just being there'. Its a twist on that old "right place, right time" idea. I was fascinated reading legendary sports photographer Neil Leifer's comments about his iconic shot of Muhammad Ali standing over 
defeated rival Sonny Liston from their 1965 Lewiston, Maine bout. Leifer said of that shot; 'Part of being a great photographer is being lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time like I was, but a more important part is not missing when you're in that spot. I got very lucky at the Ali-Liston fight, but what I'm proudest of is that I didn't miss'. Now clearly a professional sports photographer isn't ever going to show up to a gig without his kit but the bigger point is this; if you don't have a camera with you, you won't even have the opportunity to miss. So try to make sure that, even if its just a cameraphone, you're always packing!
Putting Your Logo on Images
Monday, January 10th, 2011
There are two ways to go about this. Let’s talk first about our own work and putting it onto the internet. To protect ourselves from others copying and pasting our work into their own albums without credit (yes, I have had this happen to me!) it is important to watermark our work, always.
If I am doing a custom job for an individual / family (portrait or wedding, for example) I will provide for them a disk with the images on it. This gives them the opportunity to look through all the (edited) images and they can choose which of those images they want to print. If they do choose to put some of those images on a family site or facebook, I advise that they must give me a "credit line" on the website or on facebook / other networking sites.
What about if these same individuals / families ask me to print some of the images for them? Many times this is the case as I suggest certain images to be printed on special paper and inks, and have a specific printing company that I like to use. In this case then, I will attach a sticker onto the back of the image with my information on it.
I have seen where some photographers sign their work directly onto the image with an acid free archival artist paint pen. This is also an option and can look really beautiful. I’m sure we’ve all seen photographs that our ancestors had done and back then, it was one way that photographers not only marketed themselves, but also set themselves apart by their signature.
If I am doing some project work for a corporate client, I give them a license that specifies exactly what they can and cannot do with the photos, but they are not watermarked.
We can all learn much more from the book "Best Business Practices for Photographers" by John Harrington.
I wish you happy snapping,
Benj
Learn from the Old Masters
Monday, January 10th, 2011
My training in photography started in 1987. I was 15 years old and at school. No cameras were involved. I had just walked into my first art history class with a wonderfully wizened tutor called William "Whippy" Winter. He didn't carry a whip around with him, (although there were rumours) but he did carry a small stick that he used to prod us with when he felt we were getting lazy, not paying attention or getting off topic. How times change! He'd be suspended these days for that kind of behaviour. I spent much of the next 7 years studying the great old masters of painting, sculpture and architecture. I started with my A level (that's "A" for advanced) and moved onto university where I completed my Masters in Art History in the summer of 1994. In those 7 years I had spent thousands of hours in classes, writing essays, reading catalogue raisonnes or tramping round the great galleries of Britain & Europe – from the National Gallery in London to the Uffizzi in Florence to the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna. When I left University I thought all this culture might prove to be next to useless to me in my upcoming career. I had to wait 14 years to realise how wrong I was! For, as it turned out, this study of the old masters turned out to be a brilliant training ground for me; the best way to gain an understanding of light, composition, perspective & colour. It is often the reason why I believe that the art of photography has come so naturally to me and why I have never felt the need to attend a photography course. When I am shooting in a church I think of Masaccio. When I am looking at a sunset I think of Turner. When I am contemplating someone's face for a portrait session I often come back to Rembrandt, and if I am trying to construct a landscape I'll get inspired by Claude. In short, if you want to understand how to compose great photos try to ensure you spend as much time looking at the Old masters of PAINTING as you do of PHOTOGRAPHY! I'll leave the last word to Ken Rockwell: "That's why you go to art school, and why most of the world's best photographers have arts degrees, like Cartier-Bresson, Jay Maisel, Ansel Adams, and the list goes on and on. The best class you can take to improve your photography is to take a local adult-ed or community college class in drawing, painting or composition."
Awesome iPhone APPs from Tego Interactive
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Some months ago I became excited by the possibility of working with the guys from Tego Interactive to develop an iPhone app for my photography business. In the past week I've previewed the beta version of the brand new Benjamin Arthur Photography App for iPhone 4 (it will also work on iPhone 3G but is optimized for 4).
I can sum it up in one word; AWESOME!
The team at Tego – Brian Avery and Alfred deRose – have been simply brilliant and incredibly patient with me. I'll be sure to post more news on the App very soon, as in the coming days you will be able to download it from the Apple apps store and check it out for yourself
It is unusual for a photographer to have their own app for mobile devices and I am convinced that it's going to be a great way for me to grow my business. If you are looking for a partner to work with you developing a mobile app for your photography business then Tego Interactive are the people to get into bed with. Kudos.
Visions of South East Asia coming to Brno from November 1st
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
After the success of my first show in Prague in April & May I've definitely got the exhibition bug. From November 1st I'll be taking over 40 images to the Travelers' Club in Brno. This is going to be an exciting show for me entitled Visions of Southeast Asia. This is the region where I started my photographic journey more than two years ago and this work is still among my favourites. The show runs until the end of November. All the pictures in the exhibit are for sale and prices start from 500 CZK. This is the first time that these photographs will have been exhibited anywhere in the world. More information about the show can be found by clicking here.
New facebook page launched
Monday, April 5th, 2010
I have been running a facebook group for over a year now and, with 620 members and over 300 SHOTS OF THE DAY, it has been successful as a showcase for my work. However, the time has now come to move on. Facebook groups have serious limitations for businesses and, specifically, photographers – organisation of the work, analytics, SEO etc;
Pages are the way to go. That is why I am using the occasion of the relaunch of my website as the moment to also relaunch Benjamin Arthur Photography's presence on facebook. This is why I now have a brand new facebook page which you can find here. (more…)
A talent
Monday, April 5th, 2010
Recently I was directed to the website of the Prague Daily Monitor and, specifically, their Photo Galleries segment. I was impressed with the quality of the work on display and, most particularly, the work of a Prague-based Canadian Photographer, Paul Pacey. I liked Paul's impressionistic style so much I looked him up on facebook – as one does – and be-friended him. I then sent him a note telling him I absolutely had to meet with him to talk about his work and life as a foreign photographer in Prague. (more…)
