In general, contests can be useful and not just for photographers.
Besides the bragging rights it can be used as the proverbial carrot not the stick.
I stopped entering them with the hopes of winning once I was hired full-time as a photographer at the newspaper.
It didn’t mean I was resting on my laurels.
I still worked at my craft but I didn’t feel crushed if I didn’t win.
Having have a camera with you at all times, is the best way to improve your photography.
Even if you’re not using the camera, just playing around with settings and taking a picture can be very illuminating.
DSLRs today are so complicated I still find features I have not used so anytime I find myself waiting around, I often dig out the owners manual to see what a button does.
Those technical writers of camera manufacturers don’t always explain the ins-and-outs of their hardware very well unfortunately.
So it can take even season users a while to truly get how a feature works.
Sorry smartphone users, my biggest beef with them is there is no reliable way to control the depth-of-field so until such time they give you aperture control, I can’t consider using it beyond documentation purposes.
If all the time you have to devote to photography is your weekends , then try the following: Continue reading 5 tips to jumpstart your creativity
Once you have an idea of how big your group is, you will have a better idea of a suitable location.
Obviously if it’s a number that’s more than 5 or 6 persons, you should plan on doing the photo outdoors. Continue reading Vergara family portrait part 3
The number of people in a group you are photographing matters a lot because the larger the group, the more likely someone will either be lost or late.
Besides that, coordinating the wardrobe or clothing will be more difficult as well.
