Es ist soweit! Nach monatelangem Planen, unzähligen Videokonferenzen und viel, viel Arbeit kann ich Euch endlich alle Neuerungen auf kwerfeldein vorstellen. Also los, schnappt Euch ein Heißgetränk Eurer Wahl und macht es Euch bequem, denn es gibt einige Neuerungen zu entdecken.

Warum kwerfeldein sich verändert? Ich muss zugeben, dass ich schon sehr lange mit dem Gedanken gespielt habe, ein paar Sachen anders zu machen. Nicht, weil ich das Magazin, so wie es ist, nicht gut fand. Aber ich weiß, wie gefährlich Stillstand ist. Die Medienwelt und unsere Wahrnehmungen verändern sich. Und auch ich habe mich weiterentwickelt und viel gelernt.

Eine der wichtigsten Lektionen war es wohl, um Hilfe zu bitten. kwerfeldein ist groß und macht dementsprechend auch viel Arbeit. Neben der Zeit, die nötig ist, um Artikel selbst zu schreiben und zu organisieren, erreichen mich täglich rund 40 E-Mails, die bearbeitet werden möchten. Dazu kommen immer wieder Überraschungen wie technische Probleme, Marketinganfragen oder neue Mediengesetze, deren Anforderungen wir umsetzen müssen – bei all dem blieb kaum Zeit, um über neue Ideen nachzudenken.

Dann kam der Stillstand durch die Pandemie im Frühjahr. Meine Arbeit war noch dieselbe, aber die für kwerfeldein als finanzielles Standbein wichtige Bannerwerbung brach weg und die komplette Kunstwelt geriet in eine Schockstarre. Alle Veranstaltungen wurden abgesagt – so auch der OpenTable in Köln, den ich schon in der Vergangenheit mitorganisierte. Im Gespräch mit Sebastian und der kleinen Crew um den OpenTable fassten wir einen Entschluss: Wir schließen uns zusammen.

Der OpenTable als physische Veranstaltung mit Bildbesprechungen und Vorträgen war erst einmal so nicht mehr möglich. Ich hingegeben habe eine große Onlinepräsenz. Gemeinsam könnten wir neue Formen finden, um über Fotografie zu sprechen und Kunst zu vermitteln. Das Ergebnis könnt Ihr nun sehen.

Vortrag von Julia Sellmann © Christian Ahrens

kwerfeldein Bühne

Oben im bunten Menü seht Ihr neue Punkte, die unsere bestehenden Artikelformate um neue Medien erweitern. Darunter auch die Bühne für Veranstaltungen. Auf der kwerfeldein Bühne wird es zukünftig einmal im Monat einen interessanten Vortrag, eine Podiumsdiskussion oder eine Lesung geben. Diese finden zu normalen Zeiten im echten Leben und mit Publikum statt. Im Nachgang gibt es die Abende auch online zum Nachschauen. Diese Veranstaltungen können perspektivisch an wechselnden Orten in ganz Deutschland stattfinden – sobald man wieder sicher reisen darf.

Los geht’s aber erst einmal in leicht abgewandelter Form am 11. September im Kölner Quartier am Hafen. Bei gutem Wetter werden wir uns im Hof des Künstlerhauses treffen und mit Abstand und gutem Sound die ersten Vorträge anhören. Den Anfang machen wir drei Initiator*innen: Katja, Christian und Sebastian.

Der Eintritt für die Veranstaltungen der kwerfeldein Bühne liegt bei 10 €. Aufgrund der aktuellen Beschränkungen und Hygienevorschriften haben wir leider nur Platz für 30 Personen – mit Masken. Ihr könnt Euch ab sofort ein Ticket sichern!

Die bisherigen Vorträge, die unter dem Namen OpenTable liefen, sind natürlich weiterhin erreichbar. Wie dieser mit Andreas Chudowski.

kwerfeldein Bildbesprechung

Ein weiteres Veranstaltungsformat der Bühne sind die Bildbesprechungen. Wie früher beim OpenTable treffen sich 20 bis 25 Fotograf*innen, um gemeinsam bei einem Getränk und Hotdogs Bilder zu besprechen. Vier bis fünf Teilnehmer*innen bringen Fotos bzw. ihre Projekte mit und bekommen die Möglichkeit, konstruktives Feedback von den anderen Teilnehmenden zu erhalten. Dabei ist es egal, ob ihr Profis mit 30 Jahren Berufserfahrung, Amateur*innen oder Anfänger*innen seid. Alle sind willkommen. Die Bildbesprechungen sind und bleiben für alle kostenlos.

Die Bildbesprechungen werden erst nach dem Ende der aktuellen Beschränkungen wieder zum Regelbetrieb zurückkehren. Bis dahin wird es ab diesem Monat digitale Bildbesprechungen im Livestream geben. Die vier bis fünf Präsentierenden besprechen ihre Bilder gemeinsam im Studio und alle anderen können über das Internet mit dabei sein. Alle, die ihre Bilder besprochen haben möchten, können sich unter shs@kwerfeldein.de melden und sich und ihre Arbeit kurz vorstellen.

Bei den Bildbesprechungen vor Ort filtern wir die Beiträge natürlich vorher nicht, doch wenn wir live in die Welt senden, möchten wir vorher wissen, was gezeigt wird, um den Abend für alle an den Geräten zuhause möglichst spannend und effektiv zu gestalten. Schaut Euch gern einmal dieses Video von Sebastian und Paddy an, um einen Eindruck zu bekommen, wie eine Bildbesprechung ablaufen kann:

kwerfeldein Podcast „Der Blick von außen“

Auch der OpenTable Podcast wird weitergeführt – als kwerfeldein Podcast unter dem neuen Namen „Der Blick von außen“. Einmal im Monat spricht Sebastian H. Schroeder mit interessanten Gästen aus Popkultur, Fotoindustrie und Politik über Fotografie. Mit allen, die selbst keine Fotograf*innen sind.

Damit erhalten wir einen „Blick von außen“ und lernen die Fotografie von neuen Seiten kennen. Zu Gast waren bereits GEO-Bildchef Lars Lindemann, Coachin Silke Güldner sowie der CGI-Künstler Matthias Demand. In der neuen Folge spricht Sebastian mit dem Rechtsanwalt Wolfgang Rau über Bildrechte, Urheberrechte und das, was man umgangssprachlich als Rechtsgefühl bezeichnen kann. Die ersten Folgen, die noch unter dem Label OpenTable liefen, findet Ihr ebenso wie die neue Folge in der neuen Rubrik Podcast.

kwergehört – die Fotonachrichten

Braucht die Fotowelt noch einen neuen Podcast? – Das werden sich sicherlich viele fragen, die unsere ausführliche Liste mit Podcasts zum Thema Fotografie kennen. Mir hat aber eine Form darin sehr gefehlt: Ein Nachrichtenformat.

Wie großartig wäre es, sich morgens bei einer Tasse Tee in Kurzform über aktuelle Themen aus dem Bereich der Fotografie informieren zu lassen? Ein bisschen wie unsere beliebten browserfruits am Sonntag – zum Hören. Unsere erste Folge geht schon an diesem Freitag, den 4. September, online. Wir planen, neue Folgen im Rhythmus von etwa zwei Wochen zu produzieren.

Video

Sicher ist es Euch aufgefallen: Das Bewegtbild nimmt gerade online immer mehr Platz ein. Auch wenn ich selbst sehr gern lange Texte lese, sehe ich durchaus den Vorteil von Videos für bestimmte Formate. Im neuen Bereich Videos werdet Ihr die Vorträge, Diskussionen und gestreamten Bildbesprechungen von der kwerfeldein Bühne finden, um sie nachträglich anzusehen.

Zudem führe ich auch meine Serie „Der erste Eindruck“ weiter. Falls Ihr das Format noch nicht kennt: Dabei zeige ich in jeder Folge Fotograf*innen einen Bildband oder ein Fotobuch und freue mich darüber, wie sie es für sich entdecken. Und Ihr könnt dabei zusehen, wie wir währenddessen über – eben – ihre ersten Eindrücke sprechen.

Natürlich wird es zwischen all den neuen Formaten auch weiterhin Artikel geben. Dass ich nicht mehr allein jeden einzelnen Tag mit Inhalten füllen muss, weil nun mehr Kolleg*innen mich mit frischen Inhalten unterstützen, hilft mir, mich gezielter und tiefer mit Themen auseinandersetzen zu können. Ich freue mich wahnsinnig auf diesen neuen Abschnitt von kwerfeldein und bin sehr gespannt, wie Euch unsere neuen Formate gefallen werden.

Morgen erwartet Euch eine ausführliche Vorstellung des gesamten Teams mit einigen neuen Gesichtern, die für kwerfeldein Video, Podcast und die Bühne möglich machen. Wenn Ihr sonst noch Fragen zu den Veränderungen habt, schreibt sie gern in die Kommentare und wir werden sie beantworten.

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Wir laden herzlich zu unserer ersten Bildbesprechung unter dem Namen kwerfeldein Bildbesprechung ein! An dieser Stelle suchen wir auch Menschen, die über ihre Aufnahmen sprechen möchten und Fragen zu eigenen Projekten haben.

Ursprünglich geplant sind unsere Bildbesprechungen so: 20 bis 25 Fotograf*innen besprechen gemeinsam bei einem Getränk und Hotdogs Bilder und Serien. Vier bis fünf der Teilnehmenden bringen Fotos bzw. ihre Projekte mit und bekommen die Möglichkeit, vor Ort konstruktives Feedback von den anderen Anwesenden zu erhalten. Dabei ist es egal, ob man Profi mit 30 Jahren Berufserfahrung ist oder noch ganz am Anfang steht. Alle sind willkommen.

Nun ist es aktuell natürlich nicht vernünftig, mit 20 Menschen um einen Tisch herum zu stehen und hitzige Diskussionen über Fotos zu führen. Deshalb haben wir unsere Idee angepasst: Nur die vier bis fünf Präsentierenden besprechen ihre Bilder gemeinsam mit Sebastian im Studio und alle anderen können über das Internet per Livestream dabei sein.

Diese durch die Corona-Pandemie notwendigen Einschränkungen haben nicht nur Nachteile: An unseren virtuellen Tisch passen viel mehr Menschen, als ins Atelier S. H. Schroeder. Ihr könnt alle teilnehmen und während des Livestreams im Chat kommentieren und Fragen stellen.

Präsentiere Deine Bilder!

Wir suchen nun noch die vier bis fünf Präsentierenden, die zu uns nach Köln ins Atelier kommen. Keine Angst, bei uns wird nichts verrissen! Wir alle haben irgendwann angefangen und wissen genau, wie wichtig es ist, auf Augenhöhe zu diskutieren. Unser Ziel ist es, Euch da abzuholen, wo Ihr aktuell steht, weitere Wege aufzuzeigen und Eure Fragen zu Euren Aufnahmen zu beantworten.

Wichtig: Eure Aufnahmen werden online zu sehen sein und der Livestream wird auch nachträglich abrufbar sein. Bitte stellt daher sicher, dass Abgebildete mit der Veröffentlichung einverstanden sind.

Alle, die ihre Bilder besprochen haben möchten, können sich per E-Mail melden, um sich und ihre Arbeit kurz vorzustellen. Am besten direkt mit einer Fragestellung, die wir gemeinsam am 24. September angehen können.

An den regulären Abenden filtern wir die Beiträge natürlich vorher nicht, doch insbesondere wenn wir live in die Welt senden, möchten wir vorher wissen, was gezeigt wird, um den Abend für alle an den Geräten zuhause möglichst spannend und effektiv zu gestalten.

Wie sieht so eine Besprechung aus?

Falls Ihr einen Einblick haben möchtet, wie so eine Online-Bildbesprechung ablaufen kann, schaut Euch gern einmal dieses Video von Sebastian und Paddy an:

Die kwerfeldein Bildbesprechungen sind und bleiben für alle kostenlos. Wir freuen uns auf rege Beteiligung. Tragt Euch den Termin unbedingt in den Kalender ein! Mit dem Link zum Livestream versorgen wir Euch kurz vorher und erinnern natürlich noch einmal an die Veranstaltung.

Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
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Auf der kwerfeldein Bühne wird es zukünftig einmal im Monat einen interessanten Vortrag, eine Podiumsdiskussion oder eine Lesung geben. Diese Veranstaltungen finden im echten Leben und mit Publikum statt. Und im Nachgang gibt es die Abende auch online zum Nachschauen.

Wir starten unser Bühnenprogramm gleich mit drei Vorträgen und laden dazu herzlich am Abend des 11. Septembers ein. Den Anfang machen wir drei Initiator*innen: Katja, Christian und Sebastian.

Die Vorträge

Katja wird kurz über die Arbeit bei kwerfeldein berichten. Was sind die Herausforderungen eines Online-Fotomagazins, welche Arbeit steckt dahinter und was hat es mit all den Neuerungen bei kwerfeldein auf sich?

Sebastian wird einige relevante Stellen aus seinem neuen Buch „Eins Reicht. Fotos gezielt auswählen und präsentieren“ lesen und um weitere Beispiele aus dem echten Leben ergänzen. Es wird um Kommunikation mit den Betrachtenden, um die Lasswell-Formel sowie um Abbilder und Prozessbilder gehen.

Christian ist leidenschaftlicher Industriefotograf und hat in unserem Interview bereits einen Einblick in seine Arbeitswelt gegeben. Im Vortrag wird er noch einmal tiefer in die Thematik einsteigen und beantwortet auch gern im Gespräch Eure Fragen zum Gebiet der Industriefotografie.

Ort und Zeit

Diese erste Veranstaltung findet am 11. September um 19 Uhr im Kölner Quartier am Hafen statt. Bei gutem Wetter werden wir uns im Hof des Künstlerhauses treffen und mit Abstand und gutem Sound die ersten Vorträge anhören.

Quartier am Hafen
Poller Kirchweg 78–90
51105 Köln

Ich möchte teilnehmen

Der Eintritt für die Veranstaltungen der kwerfeldein Bühne liegt bei 10 €. Aufgrund der aktuellen Beschränkungen haben wir leider nur Platz für 30 Personen mit Maske. Tickets für den Abend könnt Ihr ganz einfach hier im kwershop erwerben.

Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
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Seit der Veröffentlichung des letzten Podcasts ist schon ein wenig Zeit vergangen. Dieses Mal ist allerdings zur Abwechslung nicht die Corona-Krise der Grund dafür, sondern die Umstellung vom OpenTable Podcast hin zum kwerfeldein Podcast unter neuem Namen: Blick von außen.

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit dem Rechtsanwalt Wolfang Rau. Er ist Spezialist für Bild- und Urheberrecht und darüber hinaus auch der erfolgreiche Autor des Standardwerks für Bildrecht namens „Recht für Fotografen“, das inzwischen bereits in dritter Auflage erschienen ist.

Wir sprachen darüber, wie Fotograf*innen sich sicherer fühlen können, wenn sie fotografieren, was die DSGVO wirklich für Veränderungen gebracht hat und was ein Rechtsgefühl ist. Unser Gespräch verlangt etwas mehr aktives Zuhören als sonst, da es inmitten des Paragraphendschungels um klare, rechtliche Einordnungen geht. Dafür werden wir aber alle belohnt: Mit praxisnahem Wissen zu unserer Profession.

Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
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Are you willing to go out and shoot in wet conditions? Nature photographers often shoot in the rain and  stay out in some pretty nasty weather… thunderstorms, hail, sand-storms, windstorms, snowstorms. Cold weather photography can be quite difficult. But unless the weather is dangerous, we don’t mind shooting in cold weather. It’s all about being prepared.

Varina Patel standing in cold water with quick dry pants and neoprene shoes, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Cold weather is something Jay and I have to deal with quite a lot. It’s critically important to stay warm when you are out shooting, so having the right gear is key. When safety is not a concern, we often shoot in cold weather. Here are some tips that can make a real difference for cold weather photography.

Protecting Your Photography Equipment

Water Proof Camera Cover

Our cameras are weather-sealed, but they certainly aren’t entirely waterproof. We use simple waterproof covers with elastic to keep them in place. Nothing fancy. If you don’t have a cover, use a plastic bag with a hole cut from one corner for the lens to poke through. It works just a well. Here is a quick video about my camera’s waterproof cover and why I likes its simple design.

How Varina Patel keeps her camera and lens dry – Click to Play Video

Waterproof Camera Bag Cover

A waterproof camera bag cover protects your gear and your bag from the elements. When you are back indoors, be sure to open up your bag and let everything dry out. Moisture can seep in over time and, when you leave the bag closed, it takes much longer to dry out. Even if your bag is dry inside, your camera strap and other gear may collect water while you are shooting. When you put it back in the bag, that water doesn’t evaporate quickly.

Chemical Heat Packs

We keep a couple of these in our pockets when we are out in the cold. In between shots, we can warm our hands by sticking them in our pockets – and we can help extend the life of our batteries by putting our camera inside our jackets. You can also keep one in your camera bag to help keep your batteries from draining because of the cold (we carry extra batteries when shooting in cold weather). These heat packs can also be put in your shoes if your feet are cold.

Cold weather photography require extra batteries, Jokusarlon, Iceland

I’ve even put two inside my hood by my cheeks once. My face was getting really cold in the wind, so I cinched my hood tight and placed heat packs between the two layers against my cheeks. I wouldn’t recommend putting these directly on your skin – especially when you are very cold. A layer of fabric protects your skin from direct heat and helps to radiate the heat more evenly.

Staying Warm and Dry

Quick-Dry Shirts and Pants for Base Layer

We highly recommend that nature photographers use quick dry fabric for their base layers. The first time I visited Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, I didn’t own any quick-dry pants. I waded through the river to get to a waterfall and ended up knee-deep in the water. Wet jeans are very heavy and they take forever to dry. By the time we returned to the car, I was freezing cold. Jay had a pair of quick-dry pants. His were dry within about 30 minutes of climbing out of the river – and he was comfortable and warm. Now, I have several pairs and I always use them when I’m on location.

Gear for Head and Hands

Fleece hat, thin fleece glove liners, waterproof and windproof gloves (we like the ones with a mitten flap that lets us use our fingers to handle the controls on the camera).

Put a few chemical heat packs in your pockets to keep your hands warm – and tuck your camera inside your coat when you aren’t using it. The heat packs and your body heat will help keep it warm – which will extend the battery life and keep everything working nicely.

Cold weather photography attire with windproof winter coat, hat, gloves, and waterproof boots, Vestrahorn, Iceland

Upper Body

We wear layered clothing when we’re working in the cold so that we can add and subtract as the weather changes. Wear fleece underneath. Fleece makes a great warmth layer – and it holds less than 1% of it’s weight in water so it doesn’t get soggy or heavy when you are working in the rain.

You can pile on the fleece to try and stay warm… but if it’s windy, you’ll find that the wind passes right through and chills you anyway. So wear your fleece underneath your waterproof/windproof layer for best results. When it gets colder, we also carry a down jacket.

Lower Body

For the lower body, we wear fleece pants and quick dry hiking pants for warmth as well as waterproof and windproof pants for outer layer. When we went for that hike in the Paria River, we wore fleece pants underneath a waterproof layer. They were in the water with every step, but they didn’t get waterlogged and they helped capture the heat from our bodies.

We will sometimes wear fleece OVER a pair of quick-dry pants. Sounds silly, I know. But the fact is that in many cases, we only need that warmer layer in the morning and evening. We often deal with cold weather in the morning and then end up having to remove layers later in the day. If your quick-dry pants are under your fleece layer, you get the benefit of the warm layer, but you can also remove it quickly. You’ll be ready to keep going in your quick-dry pants all day – and when it gets cold again in the evening, you can put that fleece layer back on and you are good to go.

For Your Feet

Good, waterproof hiking boots and thick wool socks are critical – but if you are going to be standing in water that will likely go over the tops of your boots, we recommend neoprene diving booties. Yes. Really. 🙂 We actually use the same shoes that divers wear. You can purchase them online or at a dive shop.

Cold weather photography requires warm socket and winter boots – Egilsstaðir, Iceland

One year, we spent about six hours standing in freezing water in Utah. We broke through three layers of ice with each step and stood in freezing water that stopped just below our knees. The diving booties won’t keep your feet dry… so that first step was freezing cold… but a few seconds later, our feet felt nice and warm and we were comfortable for the rest of the hike. Of course, our feet looked like shriveled raisins when we took the boots off. 🙂

We keep a couple of towels in the car, we dry off carefully, and then put on dry, wool socks and our hiking boots. Your boots feel great after that! I let the legs of my fleece pants and waterproof pants get wet – they won’t hold water – and they kept me nice and warm. We always have a dry change of clothes waiting for us in the car.

Be careful out there. Cold weather can kill you. Be sure you have the right gear and always travel with someone, if you can.

Winter photography from Bryce Canyon, Utah by Varina Patel

Please don’t take this as an invitation to go out when the weather is dangerous. Lightning can be deadly and so can serious storms. Please stay in a safe place if there are tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, or other hazardous conditions. We’ve left locations that we felt could be dangerous more than once – because of the possibility of flash flooding, trees that might come crashing down on us (no kidding… it happens more often than you think), high waves, and more.

All of the nature photos in this article were taken in difficult weather conditions. But, because we were prepared, we weren’t uncomfortable. Take care of yourself and your gear and you’ll be able pursue nature photography even when the weather isn’t cooperating! Have fun – and stay safe!

About Author Varina Patel

There is nothing more remarkable to me than the power of nature. It is both cataclysmic and subtle. Slow and continuous erosion by water and wind can create landscapes every bit as astonishing as those shaped by catastrophic events – and minuscule details can be as breathtaking as grand vistas that stretch from one horizon to the other. Nature is incredibly diverse. Burning desert sands and mossy riverbanks… Brilliant sunbeams and fading alpenglow… Silent snowfall and raging summer storms… Each offers a unique opportunity. I am irresistibly drawn to the challenge of finding my next photograph, and mastering the skills required to capture it effectively.

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When you dive into the various minutiae of the craft, it’s very easy to forget the large, basic ideas and tactics that you should always be pursuing in how to get better at photography. We thought we would go back to basics and look at some of those tenets that apply to everybody from newbies through to pros.

Let’s jump in.

Define What “Better at Photography” Means For You

For starters, we all have very different goals when we start trying to find out how to get better at photography.

For some people, that might mean getting good enough to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year. For others, it means being able to shoot an image that they are happy to print and hang on their wall for their friends and family to see. Others might want lots of likes on social media.

Any goal is perfectly valid, but how you go about achieving that goal can differ somewhat. While most of the following advice is going to be generalist in nature, don’t be afraid to dive down deep into your specific goal.

If knowing how to get better at photography will result in you getting prints for your own wall, then it’s you who is the ultimate arbiter. If winning a competition is your goal then you will need to be much more focussed on what works well for photography judges and professionals. Choose the path that suits your own goal.

Pick up the Camera to Keep Motivated

It’s easy to forget the reason you’re reading that blog post or photography book when you start to dive deep. Sure, it might be important eventually to learn the finer points of the inverse square law or measuring hyperfocal distance, but more important than any of that is keeping up the motivation to keep shooting and remembering the reason you’re doing all of that learning.

So pick up the camera!

Not every shot has to be a technically perfect tour de’ force and you will get plenty of images that you will simply delete – that is perfectly normal.

Luckily these days we have an ever-improving selection of mobile devices that are perfect to always have a camera on hand meaning you can shoot when it’s convenient or when you see a great scene worthy of a shot. Just remember to use them regularly!

The key here is keeping motivated. You cannot get better at photography if you’re not doing photography. Grab the camera and enjoy yourself!

Always Be Hustling for Inspiration

A lot of creative people often have problems with photographers’ block when they are trying to come up with ideas. Here are a few tips to get around that problem.

If you are not sure what to shoot, then it’s often as simple as opening up your favourite photography blog and choosing a topic off the front page. Here are a few that we love and recommend:

If you can’t pull a shot idea or two off the front page of any of those blogs, then dig a bit deeper and you will almost certainly find something to tickle your imagination.

The other habit you would be well advised to get into is to start a collection of images you find inspiring. With the Instagram or Flickr like features, this is actually pretty easy. Just open up the images on your like list and you will get yourself motivated to get better!

You will probably also want to subscribe to a few photography magazines. Quite often they will break down their “hero shots” which is really useful, but all of them show off really inspirational images. Find the one that gels for you.

Understand Your Personal Preference for Learning

It’s easy to let ego dominate this one with people screaming at you to “learn by doing” or “pick up the camera.”

But the truth is that people learn differently.

Some people learn on the job by picking up a camera and going out shooting. They learn incrementally by making mistakes and then analysing and making incremental improvements. That is fine. It also seems to be the “glory” way of learning for a lot of guns-ho memes and Tweets.

And that is ok. It does work for a lot of people and if you are one of them then that is exactly what you should do.

But there is another very sizable portion of the population who learns differently. Picking up a book to learn the theory before going out to shoot. Understanding what and why you do certain things so you can get it straight in your head before you try to apply it. And that is fine too.

And if you don’t fit into either of those camps, again, don’t get hung up on it. 

Learn the way you learn best. Just be aware of it.

And leave the others to their way! There is room for everyone!

Practice Using Your Camera (Duh!)

Look, I know it sounds a bit harsh, but if you cannot change the settings on your camera when it’s in manual without looking at it, then you still have some improvements to make in your camera craft.

Yes, modern cameras can make a lot of decisions for you, but often those decisions are not perfect and they always take an element of control away from the photographer. 

And don’t get too carried away here. The level you should usually be aiming for is to be able to manipulate the elements of the exposure triangle so that the camera is where you want it to be. ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed are the controls you need to master. Not to mention how they work in tandem.

Sure there is a lot more to learn in camera craft, but that is the basic skill level you should be aiming for and it can quite easily be learnt in an evening.

The bad news is that it is slightly different on every camera with control placements etc.

The good news is that it is really satisfying once you nail it.

You can also practice this without going out on a shoot. Hell, just keep your camera in your hands while you’re watching TV and practice. You will nail this one a lot sooner than you think.

Don’t Ignore the Theory

Every craft worth learning has a ton of theory and photography is no exception. 

The thing is that knowing the theory gives you a lot of options in your shoot that you may not otherwise have.

Simply reading a few “Intro to Photography” books will break the back of it for most photographers. If you need to go further than that, you will probably already have the knowledge how – most people dive into a niche like landscapes or portraiture when they get to that stage and dig down deeper like that.

Either way, at some stage you will find yourself learning this stuff if you stick with photography, so why not jump in a bit early and get it under your belt?

Make Yourself Accountable to Your Peers

Part of any improvement for most people is the idea of positive social pressure. That is pressure that forces you to improve yourself.

Luckily for we photographers, there are many wonderful communities, teachers, mentors, friends, photo walks, events and classes where we can meet with others in our craft and push each other.

Now this will take different forms, but regular contact with others who expect you to be shooting is a good start. Taking a class will often be even better. Enrolling in a full course better again. 

It’s really up to you what form this takes, but when you have people expecting images form you then you are far more likely to produce those images and keep pushing yourself to do more.

At Light Stalking we have our forums where we make ourselves accountable to each other with our weekly photography challenges and the Shark Tank for serious critical feedback which many people find very useful – people enjoy it because we emphasize camaraderie in learning so we all grow together.. Other forums are great too. Camera clubs are fantastic. Just find those peers who will help push you.

Set Yourself Regular Projects That Push Your Skills

This is a different way of saying “practice” but it’s more than that. To get better at any craft, you need to both do it a lot and push the boundaries of where you are comfortable. 

Now the regularity of how often you practice is going to be personal and vary by individual, but obviously, the more often you practice, the faster you will get better. 

The other element of this is pushing your boundaries. The obvious way to do this is to shoot subjects that are somewhat unfamiliar in conditions that you are not used to. Literally, pick up a short guide or read an article on how to shoot something you usually wouldn’t bother with and then go and put it into action.

If you would like some guidance with this, then this is something we concentrate a lot on at Light Stalking with our weekly Projects series. These will get you shooting short and succinct photography projects on a weekly basis with a view to pushing your boundaries.

Take a look at Light Stalking Projects here.

Take a Photography Course

There are simply a lot of things that a photography course can teach you in how to get better at photography that you might miss with self learning. 

There are literally hundreds of online photography courses so the chances of finding one that will gel with your personal needs is quite high. Take a look at our photography courses page for a free one that might help you.

Here are a few of our favourite online photography short courses:

Also don’t ignore the offline options. Beside local courses at colleges and the like, there are usually several professional photographers in almost any town or city who will offer evening, weekend or private courses and sometimes specific tutoring. A quick Google search should turn up a few.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to get better at photography is a process that is personal to each individual. Some people will want to go fast and furious with their learning in which case the more formal courses and tutoring will be helpful. Others of us are content to take months, years and even decades in developing our craft. There is room for everybody. Choose your own path or change it as you get better. There is no one true way. But the outcome is well worth it.

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Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
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Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
Please visit our main site for booking availability and rates.

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Are you willing to go out and shoot in wet conditions? Nature photographers often shoot in the rain and  stay out in some pretty nasty weather… thunderstorms, hail, sand-storms, windstorms, snowstorms. Cold weather photography can be quite difficult. But unless the weather is dangerous, we don’t mind shooting in cold weather. It’s all about being prepared.

Varina Patel standing in cold water with quick dry pants and neoprene shoes, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Cold weather is something Jay and I have to deal with quite a lot. It’s critically important to stay warm when you are out shooting, so having the right gear is key. When safety is not a concern, we often shoot in cold weather. Here are some tips that can make a real difference for cold weather photography.

Protecting Your Photography Equipment

Water Proof Camera Cover

Our cameras are weather-sealed, but they certainly aren’t entirely waterproof. We use simple waterproof covers with elastic to keep them in place. Nothing fancy. If you don’t have a cover, use a plastic bag with a hole cut from one corner for the lens to poke through. It works just a well. Here is a quick video about my camera’s waterproof cover and why I likes its simple design.

How Varina Patel keeps her camera and lens dry – Click to Play Video

Waterproof Camera Bag Cover

A waterproof camera bag cover protects your gear and your bag from the elements. When you are back indoors, be sure to open up your bag and let everything dry out. Moisture can seep in over time and, when you leave the bag closed, it takes much longer to dry out. Even if your bag is dry inside, your camera strap and other gear may collect water while you are shooting. When you put it back in the bag, that water doesn’t evaporate quickly.

Chemical Heat Packs

We keep a couple of these in our pockets when we are out in the cold. In between shots, we can warm our hands by sticking them in our pockets – and we can help extend the life of our batteries by putting our camera inside our jackets. You can also keep one in your camera bag to help keep your batteries from draining because of the cold (we carry extra batteries when shooting in cold weather). These heat packs can also be put in your shoes if your feet are cold.

Cold weather photography require extra batteries, Jokusarlon, Iceland

I’ve even put two inside my hood by my cheeks once. My face was getting really cold in the wind, so I cinched my hood tight and placed heat packs between the two layers against my cheeks. I wouldn’t recommend putting these directly on your skin – especially when you are very cold. A layer of fabric protects your skin from direct heat and helps to radiate the heat more evenly.

Staying Warm and Dry

Quick-Dry Shirts and Pants for Base Layer

We highly recommend that nature photographers use quick dry fabric for their base layers. The first time I visited Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, I didn’t own any quick-dry pants. I waded through the river to get to a waterfall and ended up knee-deep in the water. Wet jeans are very heavy and they take forever to dry. By the time we returned to the car, I was freezing cold. Jay had a pair of quick-dry pants. His were dry within about 30 minutes of climbing out of the river – and he was comfortable and warm. Now, I have several pairs and I always use them when I’m on location.

Gear for Head and Hands

Fleece hat, thin fleece glove liners, waterproof and windproof gloves (we like the ones with a mitten flap that lets us use our fingers to handle the controls on the camera).

Put a few chemical heat packs in your pockets to keep your hands warm – and tuck your camera inside your coat when you aren’t using it. The heat packs and your body heat will help keep it warm – which will extend the battery life and keep everything working nicely.

Cold weather photography attire with windproof winter coat, hat, gloves, and waterproof boots, Vestrahorn, Iceland

Upper Body

We wear layered clothing when we’re working in the cold so that we can add and subtract as the weather changes. Wear fleece underneath. Fleece makes a great warmth layer – and it holds less than 1% of it’s weight in water so it doesn’t get soggy or heavy when you are working in the rain.

You can pile on the fleece to try and stay warm… but if it’s windy, you’ll find that the wind passes right through and chills you anyway. So wear your fleece underneath your waterproof/windproof layer for best results. When it gets colder, we also carry a down jacket.

Lower Body

For the lower body, we wear fleece pants and quick dry hiking pants for warmth as well as waterproof and windproof pants for outer layer. When we went for that hike in the Paria River, we wore fleece pants underneath a waterproof layer. They were in the water with every step, but they didn’t get waterlogged and they helped capture the heat from our bodies.

We will sometimes wear fleece OVER a pair of quick-dry pants. Sounds silly, I know. But the fact is that in many cases, we only need that warmer layer in the morning and evening. We often deal with cold weather in the morning and then end up having to remove layers later in the day. If your quick-dry pants are under your fleece layer, you get the benefit of the warm layer, but you can also remove it quickly. You’ll be ready to keep going in your quick-dry pants all day – and when it gets cold again in the evening, you can put that fleece layer back on and you are good to go.

For Your Feet

Good, waterproof hiking boots and thick wool socks are critical – but if you are going to be standing in water that will likely go over the tops of your boots, we recommend neoprene diving booties. Yes. Really. 🙂 We actually use the same shoes that divers wear. You can purchase them online or at a dive shop.

Cold weather photography requires warm socket and winter boots – Egilsstaðir, Iceland

One year, we spent about six hours standing in freezing water in Utah. We broke through three layers of ice with each step and stood in freezing water that stopped just below our knees. The diving booties won’t keep your feet dry… so that first step was freezing cold… but a few seconds later, our feet felt nice and warm and we were comfortable for the rest of the hike. Of course, our feet looked like shriveled raisins when we took the boots off. 🙂

We keep a couple of towels in the car, we dry off carefully, and then put on dry, wool socks and our hiking boots. Your boots feel great after that! I let the legs of my fleece pants and waterproof pants get wet – they won’t hold water – and they kept me nice and warm. We always have a dry change of clothes waiting for us in the car.

Be careful out there. Cold weather can kill you. Be sure you have the right gear and always travel with someone, if you can.

Winter photography from Bryce Canyon, Utah by Varina Patel

Please don’t take this as an invitation to go out when the weather is dangerous. Lightning can be deadly and so can serious storms. Please stay in a safe place if there are tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, or other hazardous conditions. We’ve left locations that we felt could be dangerous more than once – because of the possibility of flash flooding, trees that might come crashing down on us (no kidding… it happens more often than you think), high waves, and more.

All of the nature photos in this article were taken in difficult weather conditions. But, because we were prepared, we weren’t uncomfortable. Take care of yourself and your gear and you’ll be able pursue nature photography even when the weather isn’t cooperating! Have fun – and stay safe!

About Author Varina Patel

There is nothing more remarkable to me than the power of nature. It is both cataclysmic and subtle. Slow and continuous erosion by water and wind can create landscapes every bit as astonishing as those shaped by catastrophic events – and minuscule details can be as breathtaking as grand vistas that stretch from one horizon to the other. Nature is incredibly diverse. Burning desert sands and mossy riverbanks… Brilliant sunbeams and fading alpenglow… Silent snowfall and raging summer storms… Each offers a unique opportunity. I am irresistibly drawn to the challenge of finding my next photograph, and mastering the skills required to capture it effectively.

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Sourced by Time Trap Photography sharing the best photography tips, news and tricks throughout the industry. Time Trap Photography is dedicated to freezing those special moments in life that can be revisited and admired for generations to come. - Shannon Bourque
Please visit our main site for booking availability and rates.

Receive valuable industry knowledge delivered free to your email each day.