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  • The New Tradition
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      THE BEST BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS - EVER!

      Winner of a Gold Award at the AIPP Professional Photography Awards, The New Tradition is a 'must have'. Don't miss out!

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Recent Blogs from Better Photography


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If You Could Only Have Two Lenses For Travel?

Adolescent King Penguin, South Georgia
Fujifilm X-H2, XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR, f9 @ 1/500 second, ISO 500

Okay, so this question could go on forever, but there are times when travelling that it’s not practical to carry a large camera bag full of gear. For instance, on a zodiac you’re better off having two cameras and being able to shoot without changing lenses (in case of splashes or inclement weather). Or when you’re doing a long trek for a few hours, days or weeks, one camera with a spare lens might be all the space you have or weight you want to carry. What do you take?

For me, I’m looking to capture photographs that are a little different to the standard travel snap. ‘Standard’ used to mean something shot with a 35-70mm lens, but these days it would include a 28mm wide-angle on a smart phone. So, if I use focal lengths that are different to the masses, that might give me a head start in capturing something that stands out and I can always crop an image or stitch a few frames together in a pinch.

So, I’m going super wide and super long. For super wide, I use a Fujifilm 8-16mm wide-angle zoom (APS-C size sensor), or I used to use a Canon 11-24mm (full-frame sensor). At their widest settings, I find these lenses are great for interiors and massive sky shots, while at their longest setting, they aren’t too wide for general purpose shooting.

At the other end, my new best friend is a Fujifilm 150-600mm zoom. It’s lighter and smaller than my 200mm f2.0, and while not quite as sharp, I can make up for any shortcomings with a little extra sharpening. Using an APS sensor, this lens is the equivalent to a 225-900mm telephoto and I have to say, shooting at 600mm (900mm) is wonderful for both landscape and wildlife.

Downsides? Yes, I confess that 150mm is a little too long for some subjects and so a 70-200mm (full frame) might be a more sensible choice if wildlife isn’t a part of your itinerary. On the other hand, forcing yourself to use longer focal lengths can definitely mean you come home with some different shots and, given you have only two lenses, it doesn’t matter which two, you will always be missing out on something!

Put A Line Across Your Aerials

Down near Useless Loop, Shark Bay, WA
Phase One XF 150MP, 80mm Schneider lens, 1/640 second @ f4.5, ISO 100

There's no doubt getting up in the air to take photographs is exciting. And the first few times, you're simply blown away by the experience, so it doesn't really matter too much what your photos are like, they will elicit great memories when you view them.

However, with a little experience, as you look back over your images - especially those which are essentially abstract patterns - you might wonder why they're not quite as good as Tony Hewitt's? What is the difference?

Generally the answer is a matter of design. Yes, Tony has wonderful control over his exposure, colour and the texture he brings out, but at the heart of the image is its shape, pattern and composition. Exposure, colour and texture are great, but the difference is invariably a strong shape or pattern that sits inside a complete, considered composition or framing. How does he do it?

Dunno!

However, there are two observations I'd like to make. First, when you're up in the air, don't look for clear areas or large areas, rather limit your scope to a narrower angle and include some geographical lines in the frame - roads, coasts, cliff edges, dams etc. Man-made subjects can work really well when sitting inside an otherwise natural setting. And using a telephoto lens or taking your aircraft down a little lower may allow you to better frame the subject (depending on the subject's size, of course - you might be better at a higher altitude to get the framing required).

The second point to note is that you can tweak the shape and framing of the image in Photoshop, Lightroom or Capture One etc. Stretch it, crop it, rotate it. Once you do this a few times, you'll realise you don't have to get the framing perfect while you're up in the air. Close enough is often good enough if you're prepared to do a little more in post-production.

And if you happen to be interested in shooting Shark Bay with Tony and me later this year, we have one spot left! Why not come along?

Should Stills Photographers Shoot Video for Travel?

Breaking wave, Nazare, Portugal. Would a video give this image another dimension?
Fujifilm X-H2, 150-600mm lens, f9 @ 1/500 second, ISO 320

Stills and video are very different disciplines. I don’t think it is possible to do both of them easily, but if you’re very comfortable as a stills photographer, I think there’s room to investigate video as a way of sharing your stills photos further or better.

As stills photographers, what we probably don’t want to do is create a documentary masterpiece of our travels. To match the production values of what we find on YouTube (the good ones) can require a lot of effort and I fear that focusing on a video in this way could take us away from our primary goals of capturing stills. It could also take us away from enjoying the travelling – travel photography can include cultural and location experiences as well. Don’t miss out on these by focusing on too much video.

Having said that, being open to capturing certain times and moments with video makes a lot of sense. Some experiences when filmed have a dimension that is not available as a single capture, so if you can capture these moments on video – a calving glacier, a ceremonial dance, an albatross coming into land – what can you do with this material?

One answer is to create a slide show (e.g. for YouTube) and combine your stills with video footage – and maybe a great sound track or even a voice-over. It doesn't have to replace your prints or your photo albums, but it’s another way to share your travel images and your experiences. And one that I think can be a lot of fun.

What Are Our Workshops Like? Check Out These Videos!

Svalbard - Ten Perfect Days
Svalbard - Ten Perfect Days
Narooma NSW
Narooma NSW
What's It Really Like In Antarctica?
What's It Really Like In Antarctica?
What's It Like In Bhutan?
What's It Like In Bhutan?
Photos from Middlehurst Workshops
Photos from Middlehurst Workshops
Late Season Antarctica
Late Season Antarctica
Bolivia
Bolivia
Bhutan - Myth
Bhutan - Myth
Peter and Tony Talk Middlehurst
Peter and Tony Talk Middlehurst
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Svalbard - Ten Perfect Days
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Narooma NSW
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What's It Really Like In Antarctica?
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What's It Like In Bhutan?
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Photos from Middlehurst Workshops
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Late Season Antarctica
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Bolivia
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Bhutan - Myth
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Peter and Tony Talk Middlehurst
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Slide 1
How do you make better photographs?
How do you create photos other people admire?
Read how with our three essential ingredients.
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
Block
The Three Essentials
1
GREAT IDEAS
2
PHOTO EDITING
3
A Mentor

First, we need a source of ideas. All the equipment in the world will get us nowhere without ideas. Ideas are our energy source. Ideas make great photographs.

Second, we need to embrace photo editing. Learning selective editing is the key to creating photographs that you'll be proud of and that others respond to.

Third, we need a mentor. The most famous artists and photographers in the world all benefitted from advice. Yes, photography is an individual pursuit, but how do you know if  what you're doing is any good? Only a mentor can give you this essential feedback.

1. We're Full of Ideas!

Slide 1

Better Photography Magazine and its annual Photo of the Year awards provides all this to its members - ideas, skills and feedback.

Maybe you're tired of Google and YouTube, aimlessly looking around for what you're not quite sure? Or perhaps Facebook and Instagram are leaving you confused about what makes a good photograph and how to create it?

Slide 1

One of the problems with so much to choose from is knowing what to choose. That's where a quarterly magazine like Better Photography can really help because it suggests ideas and techniques you might never think of trying on your own.

Slide 1
Here's How It Works!

Recently, I was reading an article by Better Photography contributor Nick Melidonis. Nick was writing about a Photoshop plugin called Shape, which at the end of your editing process can give your photographs some wonderful life and sparkle.

I might be the editor, but I'm also a magazine reader! I immediately followed the link Nick provided, purchased Shape and today it is a regular part of my workflow.

My photos look better because of it, but without the article in Better Photography magazine, without the 'idea' from Nick, I would never have found it. And I would never have searched for it on Google because it wasn't anywhere on my radar.

Slide 1

Click on the menu image here to visit Shape's website if you'd like to investigate it yourself.

Now, don't get me wrong. I use Google and YouTube, but the extra value of carefully selected content in a quarterly magazine like Better Photography shouldn't be overlooked.

You only need one idea from each magazine to make the subscription worthwhile. And there are thousands of ideas tucked away in the Better Photography magazine archives, available to download for all subscribers.

Chances are you've recently bought a new camera or lens, or perhaps it's a monitor or a processing app, but what did they do for you on their own? The ONLY reason equipment and techniques are useful is because of the ideas you use as a photographer - and that's what Better Photography provides.

Slide 1
IDEAS
Slide 1

The secret to great photography isn't in new equipment, it's in your ideas - and you'll find tons of ideas and inspiration in a subscription to Better Photography magazine.

2. Selective Editing

Selective editing is the single most important skill a photographer can learn today. It lets you express and refine your ideas.

'Global' editing is what our cameras do. When they take a photograph, everything within the frame receives the same global settings, even if the sky ends up too light or a person's face is too dark.

Slide 1
'Selective' editing let's us transform camera photos into something much, much better. Not only can we darken the sky or lighten a person's face, we can creatively interpret the image in many different ways - depending on our ideas.
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER

I'm well known for embracing post-production in my work, but I am also criticised for 'changing' or 'enhancing' reality by photographers who call themselves 'purists' or 'realists'. These misguided folk are our enemies. No one is forcing them to edit their photos if they enjoy the discipline of capturing everything 'in-camera', but I don’t think it is acceptable to criticise others who wish to be more adventurous and express their creativity through photo editing.

Slide 1
Photography is a language and we are all entitled to choose whether we write fiction or non-fiction.

For me, post-production is just as important as the capture. Photography is a two-step process and depending on the subject, I get to decide how much or how little post-production is best.

Slide 1
Do What YOU Wanna Do!

Years ago when I started playing with Photoshop, I showed four competition entries to a couple of friends. Their response was terrible, telling me the images were horrible and that it wasn't even photography. A month later, those same four images won me the 2004 AIPP Australian Illustrative Photographer of the Year award.

Fortunately for me, the judges had a different view of photography than my friends and it's the same today: everyone is a photographer and everyone has an opinion. My objective isn't to get you to think like me, rather to share a range of ideas and inspirations to get you thinking and photographing like YOU.

And with a subscription to Better Photography magazine, the contributors and I will share with you a range of post-production techniques and approaches that will have you making great photographs.

3. Finding A Mentor

Many of the contributors to Better Photography magazine also act as mentors and lead photo workshops. We have no shortage of expertise.

However, not everyone has personal access to a mentor, so one way we thought we could help is through our annual Photo of the Year competition. Every entry receives a score and a short comment from a judge, providing valuable feedback.

Slide 1
And every subscriber to Better Photography receives a free entry into the competition, which is the only photo competition judged by three AIPP Grand Masters of Photography.

Our How To Win Photo Competitions online package links in with the judging comments used for our Photo of the Year awards and you can enter extra photos as well for more comments.

So, what are you looking for?

Do you want to produce photographs of a professional standard?

Would you like to feel comfortable with post-production so you can edit any photo?

And would you like to experience the satisfaction of producing a photograph that is truly creative?

Slide 1

This is where you start - with a subscription to Better Photography. Here's what you get:

Four brand new issues of Better Photography, each 100 pages and in full colour.

Access to over 50 back issues of Better Photography magazine, full of ideas and inspiration and valued at over $750.

Entry to the Better Photography Photo of the Year award, valued at $20.

Re-subscribe for just $29.80 - a saving of $20 in future years.

Slide 1

We'd love to welcome you as a subscriber - why not join now and enjoy taking Better photographs with Better Photography magazine.

Click here to subscribe