Photographs Are Not Created with Mouse Clicks

Despite all of the amazing advancements we've recently seen in photography, I usually find myself more impressed and inspired by images created by photographers of the past. W. Eugene Smith, Ernst Haas, and Walker Evans to name a few.  They weren't paid by the mouse click, but rather for capturing a real moment in time.  They didn't use HDR or prepackaged "actions" to create a certain look. There was no anti-shake built into the camera body, and flash sync speeds were around 1/60. Yet, to these photographers and the countless others who went before, the limitations of their gear only worked to sharpen their senses. They weren't bogged down or distracted by all this technology and as a result, connected with their subject in a way that's visible in their work.

As we move into an increasingly digital world, I am seeing an increase in blogs and websites with comprehensive lists detailing every last piece of equipment in their bag.  While it's nice to see that Canon and Nikon's marketing efforts are working, the resulting portfolios are rarely as impressive.  The photos may be technically sound but the photographer's personal touch is overshadowed by the technology used to create it. Somewhere behind all the layers of post production, there are images which wouldn't really stand up on their own.

Today with every tool at our disposal, I believe there is a real danger in simply relying on technology instead of mastering our craft.  Take Neil Leifer's photo of Muhammed Ali for example.  It was captured in 1965 and I've yet to see a more powerful boxing image even with today's fastest motor drives.  His timing was impeccable and the exposure did not need to be rescued in Photoshop. Technology should not replace photographic knowledge.

Be honest, if you were to cover up your camera's LCD screen with tape, could you still use manual exposure properly?  If not, then your photographic muscles need flexing. I say this not to discourage, but rather to fire you up for the journey.  As Leonardo Da Vinci said "Those who are in love with practice without knowledge are like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whether he is going."  Now the question is, where do you go from here?

Photo Marketing 101: Ask the Experts

Welcome back to Photo Marketing 101, our semi-weekly blog series on marketing yourself as a photographer. In our last post, I laid out a couple of ideas of marketing ideas for when you’re ready to start spending money.

This week is a little different. Instead of telling you what to do, I want you to tell me what to do. More specifically, I want you to feel free to ask me anything about marketing. And I will do my best to provide a clear answer.

We call this our Photo Marketing Q & A. It’s time for you – the readers – to steer the conversation.

To get started, just ask a question by using the comments below. Or you can Tweet your question to us, but make sure you use the hashtag #PhotoMarketing101.

Who’s first?

Challenges of Photographing Young Children

Photo: Studio M / Michael Spengler Photography

I almost titled this post "It's Not Easy to Shoot Little Kids," but I didn't want to offend anyone's delicate sensibilities. "Shoot" as in "photography," of course - and it certainly isn't every photographer's cup of tea to evoke the best work from bored, irritable, nervous, and infinitely unpredictable youngsters. To successfully photograph a group of children, as in this video of a catalog shoot showing the professional work of California photographer Michael Spengler, you have to be as entertaining as Sesame Street, as nurturing as Super Mom, and as patient as Mother Theresa. It's a master class as we watch Michael on location, playing Pied Piper to evoke the most playful spirit in his young models. 

Join the conversation on Twitter.  Follow along with Facebook.

Tune in on YouTube.  Visit the Official Site at NYIP.com.

Your Fireworks Photos

Just before the 4th of July, we asked our NYIP Facebook Fans to help us amass the greatest collection of fireworks photos ever. They came through in a big way, sharing the photos that they took on and around the fourth with us all month.

We chose the best of the best and included them in a slideshow below. We hope you enjoy!

And you can visit nyip.com for tips and tricks on how to capture amazing photographs of Fireworks.

NYIP Contest Watch

NYIP's Contest Watch provides information on international, national and regional photo contests that you might want to enter. Here are the lastest photography contests to check out:

X-Rite "Color Perfectionists Unite" Photography Contest

X-Rite, who make color management software and equipment have launched this monthly photo contest for "anyone passionate about perfecting color." Each month they will announce a theme (August is Summer Fun) and monthly winners will be selected by a top professional photographer specializing in the area of photography related to the theme. Each monthly winner will also be featured on the X-Rite Photo blog and will receive either an X-Rite ColorMunki Display, i1Display Pro, or a ColorChecker Passport. The top 20 finalists each month will be featured in a monthly gallery at X-Rite Photo on Facebook and Color Perfectionists Group on Flickr.

PIX Digital Imaging Contest

AfterCapture' Magazine's PIX Digital Imaging Contest recognizes excellence and innovation in digital imaging including retouching, CGI, 3D, compositing and other post-production techniques. Categories include Single Image, Series (limit 5 images), and Student (Image or Series). There are fees to submit your images. Prizes include either a Canon PowerShot G12 or Nikon COOLPIX P7000 camera, Complete Nik Software Collection, a PhotoServe Portfolio, full registration to WPPI 2012 and three Master Classes, Gold Pass to the 2011 PDN PhotoPlus Expo including a two-day pass to WPPI NYC, Image and Series winners will receive a feature in AfterCapture magazine, Student winners will receive a one-page profile in AfterCapture magazine and a One-year subscription to Photo District News magazine. You'll need to hurry — the deadline has been extended to August 15, 2011.

Rangefinder Magazine's Take Your Best Shot Contest

Photographers are invited to submit their best images of People, Places or Things. Prizes include having your photo published on a cover of Rangefinder Magazine if you're the Grand Prize Winner, and a Digital SLR, a Tamron zoom lens,a $200 B&H Gift Card, full registration to WPPI 2012,  and a one-year subscription to Rangefinder for other winners. All winners will also be featured in an online gallery as well as in the December issue of Rangefinder. Deadline to enter is October 3, 2011 and there are fees to enter this competition.

Epson World Shootout Underwater Grand Prix

If underwater diving is your thing and you can head off to a reef somewhere to take pictures this month, then you'll want to consider entering this contest sponsored by Epson. Over $70,000 of cash and prestigious prizes, 7 categories (Dive Destination, Wide Angle, Macro & Super-Macro, Ship or Plane Wreck, Underwater Environmental Conservation, Fresh Water, and Amateurs) and you choose your own diving destination. However, the rules are very specific, so you'll want to make sure you read them. For instance, since they only want photos taken during the month of August, contestants are required to set the date on their cameras to August 2016. Learn more on the contest Web site and then get diving — your images need to be in by August 31st!

Zoom-in on Poverty" Global Photo Contest

A joint effort between the Chinese news agency Xinhua and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this contest has the goal of refocusing the world's attention towards poverty. Submitted images should show some of the causes, solutions and achievements made in poverty alleviation and must have been taken within the last ten years. The contest is open to  professional and amateur photographers as well as news media organizations.  Categories include Editorial Images: Best Professional Singles Award, Best Professional Stories Award, Best Non-Professional Singles Award,Best Non-Professional Stories Award as well as a Creative Images Award, Netizen's Choice Award - 1 Piece from All Categories and an Anti-Poverty Achievement Award. The first, second and third place winners will get $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively. The Netizen�s Choice Award winner will receive $6,000 and camera gear and The Anti-Poverty Achievement Award winner will be awarded with $8,000 and camera equipment. The deadline is September 1, 2011.

One Life: an International Photo Contest 

The deadline has been extended to August 19th! The prizes are great for this photo contest - $10K in cash, an exhibit, worldwide exposure - but the entry fee is steep at $10 a picture so you'll want to carefully consider whether to enter or not. You can submit entries into People, Place, Things, or Ideas, basically anything that according to the contest officials "illuminates your perspective: what you love, your travels, or anything that reflects your world and experience." If you've got images along those lines and the entry fees don't scare you away, this could be your ticket to the big time... Enter by July 29th.

For tips on how to enter and win photo contests, check out NYIP.com's Contest Tip Collection.

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Tune in on YouTube. Visit the Official Site at NYIP.com