Tips for Photographers (T4P) is a weekly feature where I talk about a cool tip that I think will benefit my fellow photographers. For more T4Ps, click here!

Today’s tip is about something very important to me, which is networking. I think there are two types of photographers. The first is the kind who hordes everything they know, refusing to teach anyone anything unless they pay an absurd amount of money (if at all), and who thinks that if they share their “secrets” for free they will lose all their business. These photographers live sad, lonely lives and often have businesses that are always on the edge of failing.

The second photographer knows that it is their style and personality that makes them successful, not some secret marketing gimmick or Photoshop action or anything like that. They enjoy meeting and helping other photographers, and understand that the photography industry is a community of good people. These people openly network with other photographers, share what they know, and learn from those around them.

Thankfully, the latter type of photographer is becoming much more prevalent these days. It seems like everywhere you turn, successful photographers are sharing their advice and the tips that have made them successful. And, if you notice, the photographers who share the most are often among the more successful in their market.

I encourage all of you to be that second type of photographer. Get to know the photographers in your market, attend guild meetings such as your local PPA chapter, organize Photographer Happy Hour, or simply make yourself available as an assistant or second shooter if needed. You’re likely to make a lot of great new friends, and you’ll be surprised at how it may actually help your business (I book around 5-10 weddings each year that are referrals from my peers).

You can also participate in online communities. The three I frequent most are the Flickr’s Starting a Wedding Photography Business and Wedding Photography groups, both of which are free to join, as well as the Digital Wedding Forum (DWF). The DWF is probably the single greatest collection of professional wedding photographers in the world. There you will find some of the greatest wedding shooters on the planet, all offering their insight and advice on a daily basis. It’s not free, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny. They also have a great forum for beginners called DWF Start, which is the perfect place for someone who is just starting to get into wedding photography. I highly recommend it! Open Source Photo is another great forum with lots of successful professionals, and it’s free which is always good. For those of you in Texas, I recommend Texas Photo Forum, which can be very helpful for networking with your neighbors.

If you’re not already networking with other photographers, either online or in your community, you’re missing out on a very valuable resource of both information and friends. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and network! :)

Tips for Photographers (T4P) is a weekly feature where I talk about a cool tip that I think will benefit my fellow photographers. For more T4Ps, click here!

Today’s Tip for Photographers is going to be about posing inspiration. Posing is probably one of the hardest aspects of being a photographer, and in my opinion, one of the most important factors in what separates a good photographer from a so-so one. It also completely sets the tone for the photoshoot and your “style” as a photographer.

My primary source of inspiration for my posing is magazines. My poor boyfriend can attest that I buy every single Bridal magazine I can find, as well as several high-fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle, and I immediately run home and flip through every page, ripping out any poses that inspire me. I have a huge collection of tearsheets that I have collected over the past few years…

I used to paste these into a journal where I would make notes on each pose, what I liked about it, how to achieve it, what types of brides/dresses the poses worked best with…

Now I keep them organized into a binder, divided into categories such as “Poofy Dresses,” “Mermaid dresses,” “Bridesmaids,” “Bride and Groom,” “Groom alone,” “Details,” etc., so that I can easily find the tearsheet that apply to whatever it is I am shooting that day.

Before each session, I go through my binder and review the poses that apply to that particular day’s shoot, and I try to commit 2-3 of the poses to memory. I study them very carefully and try to burn the aspects of the pose that I like into my brain. Then, during the session, I will re-create those poses, but I will do something different to make them my own, such as changing the arm placement, lighting, angle of the body, or composition. After awhile, you will have a mental repertoire of images that you can work from during your sessions whenever you can’t think of something new or unique.

That’s it for this week. Hope you guys like the new feature! Let me know what you think :)

If you’re planning on seeing a fireworks show for the Fourth of July, you might be wanting to take some cool photos of the display. Here are a few tips I’ve learned from my experience shooting fireworks:

• Set your mode to shutter speed priority (usually Tv or S on the dial) and set your shutter speed to 5 seconds. Later, you can adjust the shutter speed to get more or less of the light streaks (I recommend 3-5 seconds).
• Use a low ISO, such as ISO 100 or 200, as long exposures can be somewhat grainy.
• Use a tripod! This is non-negotiable! Make sure you get one that will allow you to tilt your camera straight up and not fall over, just in case you end up directly beneath the fireworks.
• If your camera has a short timer option (such as a 2-second timer), use that so that the camera shake when you press the button doesn’t blur the image. Better yet, get a wireless or a remote trigger for your camera!
• To focus your camera, switch the lens to Manual Focus, and then turn the focusing ring all the way to the infinity symbol.
• Shoot, shoot, shoot! You will take a TON of photos, and probably only 5-10 of them will turn out well. That’s okay!
• Later, when you’re tweaking the photos in Photoshop, use the Burn tool and set it to “Shadows” at about 10-15%, then paint over the areas where you have smoke or haze. This will make the sky darker so the streaks of the fireworks stand out more.

All of the above tips are for people using SLR or DSLR cameras. If you’re using a point-and-shoot, look to see if your camera has a “fireworks” or “nighttime” setting. That’s your best bet! Don’t forget a tripod!

Here are some photos I took at a show a few years ago:

Good luck! Let me know if you get anything good!