Korean Photography Blog

Living in Korea or elsewhere as a photographer, you will no doubt get a few photo gigs here and there. While the attraction of earning a little money from your hobby (at this point) may be enticing, you must be careful while you are working here. Here are a few tips (made from the mistakes that I have made over the years)

1. Keep Your Business a Business and Your Job a Job
Too often we photographers in Korea blur the line on what violates our visas. Be careful because if you are a working photographer (making an income from your photography) you could get nabbed by immigration. While the likelihood of this is rare, all it takes is a phone call from a jealous co-worker to put you into hot water.

Awhile ago, I was doing a charity gallery for a group that helps orphans and one of my co-workers blatantly asked me if this violated my contract and visa. I looked dumbfounded for a second, I never even considered that this would interfere with my job, but looking around, the place was filled with my co-workers and bosses, the photos were also hanging with price tags and sold stickers. Nothing was made of it and I told my curious co-worker that I was making no profit off the sales as it was going to charity. I dodged a bullet there, but for the rest of you, be careful.

This also goes for self-promotion too. If you brand yourself as a photographer, you may get into trouble as immigration may see you as “self employed” and thus violating your visa. I would suggest keeping all promotional material out of the office.

2. Set your prices up front
One of the things that I still have a problem with is setting a price for my work. It seems everyone has a different price and I find that each job has a different one too (depending on travel and whatnot). One of the biggest problems that I have had is not being clear on the price because I was not confident of my own work.

What I recommend is that you have a sit down with your clients and the first thing that you discuss is the price and what they get for that price. Then state the time frame for payment, which should be before the shoot. Why I say this is that many times clients that I have had and did not pay before the shoot will use that as leverage to get a bargain from you or extra editing/reshoots or what not. You’ve done your work, your are giving them the quality and photos that you agreed on, it should be a done deal.

3. Be Firm with Pricing and Packages
There is that old saying about “give an inch and they take a mile” and it is true in the photography biz as well. When I first started I had no confidence in my work. This worked to the advantage of the clients and many times as they got a lot more from me than they would have normally received because I was afraid of upsetting them.

To give an example, one time I did a photo shoot and threw in a short slideshow of the work as an added “freebee” Well it soon became extra work for no extra money. I had to re-edit the photos and rework the entire slide show. When I was finished, the clients ask for “a deal” because the work took so long. I was annoyed but because I knew them, I reluctantly accepted. I was a huge mistake. Make sure your clients get what they pay for and nothing more.

4. Be wary of Friends asking for your services
If you have a nice camera and take decent photos, many of your friends and family will ask you to do some work for them. It is a simple thing that when people see that you have passion for your hobby or work, they well want to utilize your services. I would stay away from these jobs unless you are very clear about the above topics.

I have been burnt by this a few times where I would do a portrait shoot or engagement photos for some friends and then have them gouge me on the price because you find out that they were not coming to you to give you some work, they were coming to you to knock of $500 from the regular photographers price. While this may be fine for good close friends, often it is friends on the periphery that will do this to you.

An example of this was a few years ago I did a wedding shoot for a friend of mine. I gave him a discount because I knew that he was strapped for cash and couldn’t afford my usual rate. However, I neglected to talk to his would-be wife about it and soon received numerous emails later about styles and poses and locations. It was a slap in the face. She was asking for stylish shots like the ones she saw from websites that were charging $3000 and they were paying a lot less, only a few hundred actually. The reason was that they knew I could pull off the shots and I was eager to please because they were “friends”. Set your prices and set your packages, EVEN WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

5. Be Confident
Some people can just smell weakness and will use it to their advantage. Many times I have felt that I wasn’t worth the price that I was charging because I was just starting out. Be very clear in your initial meetings and be confident in your ability. If your clients feel that you are confident and professional, they well see that in your photos later. However, if they get a sense that you are nervous, weak and not confident in your own work, they will use that to their advantage.

Here is something to think about. The people that hire you, hire you because they have seen your work, heard of you (good stuff usually) or both. They would not have hired you if they felt that you were a horrible photographer and are hoping for the best. So with that in mind, when you show the final work, make sure that it is the best work that you can do and make no excuses about it. Do not say “well, this is the best that I could do because the lighting was bad” or “The pictures are a little off because of the conditions at the shoot” stuff like that will always take the power out of your hands no matter how good the photos are.

People have a strange way of acquiring a new skill set when it comes to saving money. Clients who have no idea about photography suddenly become more critical than the editors of National Geographic or GQ magazine. Just like the parents of the children you may teach some how become very knowledgeable about English education and the latest teaching styles (without actually speaking the language) when they think that they can save a few chon-wons on the newbie teacher.

Be confident and tell your clients that these are the best photos from the shoot and that it fulfills the agreement that you’ve made. After that, there should be no more arguing (unless the shots are sh*t). Stand up for your work and don’t make any excuses.

6. Don’t Take Jobs If You Don’t Have the Time
I have often overbooked myself and paid for it in the end. You think that if you can squeak out for a bit and get some shots that you are done. However, many of us here, are juggling our primary job, a blog or something, and then the photography business. You have to realize that you need a certain about of time for each job. So even though you may think that stacking jobs is cool, often times it affects your creativity and post processing as well.

Remember, the pro’s usually have an assistant or two working for them. They handle a lot of the editing and whatnot. Most of us here in Korea, it is a one-man (or woman) show. Keep the jobs simple and finish them in a timely manner.

7. Get Credit for YOUR Work
In this age of digital files, people email and/or post everything to facebook. Make sure that if you take photos for your clients that they give you credit for your work. I have seen a number of my shots pop on facebook with no mention of who took the shot. People assume that if it is in one person’s profile, that they possibly took it. It also takes something away from the professionalism when the shots get mixed up with party shots or “lesser” portraits. By Lesser, I mean shots that maybe don’t have the same quality or time that you put into your work and then people will just naturally assume that it is less professional.

Another thing that you must make your clients aware of is that while they are the models and perhaps purchase the photos, you still own the rights to those photos. If they have a problem with that, they may ask to purchase the rights to the photos. I include this here, because often times especially when making photo slideshows for my clients, I have had the request to include some of their shots in the video. While this may seem innocent, it does take something away from the body of work. If you have the rights to the photos, you maintain the rights to use the photos as you see fit. The video also represents you and your work.

You may wonder about this, but people usually do this when they want to pass the video off in emails as something “they did”. With a few shots of their own, people will pay no attention to who took the rest of the photos. You need to make sure that the photos you give to your clients are a representation of you and your business, not just a reflection of the people in the photo. With this being said, you may want to write up some release form or wavers for your clients.

That is it for today. Have a great weekend and get out there and shoot!

I am sure that most of you now are entering into some sort of martial art, now that you are in Korea. I am sure that you have more than once, wanted to show your buddies back home your sweet moves and your spiffy do-bok. However, when you get the shots, they all some how have a green tint to them and they just don’t look as cool as you thought they did.

Being a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Kuk Sool Won, I have spent a lot of time in the Do-jeong, training and photographing my Kuk Sool family. Until recently that is, when knee injuries prevented me from training. However, I still love martial arts and will return soon to proceed on to my next challenge; staying in Kuk Sool shape!

At any rate, how do we get good shots? Well, it is tricky because of the lighting. In most of the do-jeongs in Korea, they usually have florescent lighting that makes things look like crap (in the best of conditions) plus, the padding used on the floors is usually green too, and to top it off most adult classes are held at night, taking the natural light away and forcing you to deal with the green tinted nastiness.

There are some ways around it. I can only advise you because a little experiment will go a long way. Here are a few tips to help you get some better shots:

When in doubt, shoot in black and white. There I have said it. I have never really been happy with the shots that I get in the dojeong, so I tend to convert them to black and white. This gives a sort of classic contrast to the shots. It also takes that nasty green tint away. For Kuk Sool Won, we have awesome black doboks, that this makes a great contrast to the white walls of our dojeong.

Avoid goofy posed shots and go for the action. If you have fast glass, F2.8 is choice, you can freeze the action and get some great “poses” or get creative and slow down a bit getting some blur to show speed and power. The key to getting great shots is to make sure you get some faces in the shots. If you pick up any magazine on any sport, very rarely do you see a shot of the action without a face to convey the emotion and the passion for the sport. In the dojeong it is no different.

Details are always great to shoot too. get up close and shoot your dobok or your sword. Get low and get creative. Remember, the more creative you are the more interesting and appealing your shots will be to other people who may not share the same passion for the martial art like you do.

Another good tip is to get your master in the action. We all learn from some of the best people in the world, why not show your friends back home who you train with every night? Get some nice shots (not the goofy posed kind) and let your friends and family get a feeling for the class that you take.

Lastly, take in a few tournaments and snap away at some of the higher end guys. Not only will you get to see the best of the best but if may help you with your training as well. Ask your master when the next region or national tournament is.

At any rate, how you cover your martial art depends on you. What makes you come to class every day. What drives you to train hard when you could just sit at home and watch TV? Put that into the digital realm and you will have your friends back home drooling.

These days everyone has a blog or a facebook page or a flickr gallery, maybe even a website but how you present it to real people is just as important. Maybe because I turned 32 yesterday that I am feeling my age but when I see real prints, I get excited. When I can hold something in my hands, that makes me really look at the photo. So how do we get those professional books to show potential clients or would-be employers or just to show off to your friends and families? THE INTERNET!

In the last 3 years or so, the internet has exploded with sites that will print your photos on to anything from a pair of panties to sheets of metal. So with all the places willing to upload and send you a book with your photos all over it, what sites and what companies are the most notable?

Kodak Gallery
I started using these guys years ago and I have never been let down. Sure there are probably better places out there, but again, I will say, I have never been let down by them. The best book that they have to offer is the “Legacy Book” It is a large, leather-bound, elegant book, perfect for showing off your best work. They will ship it to Korea for a little over $80 and I feel that is a good price for shipping and getting a professional job done. The original price is around $69.99 for a 20 page leather hardcover book.
They also have cheaper smaller books, perfect for little projects and to send friends and family back home. For a 9 x 10.25″ (20 pages) printed hardcover it will cost around $34.99 (USD). Another good feature about this site is the fact that you can ship the products anywhere you want. So if you have an overseas client that wants prints, or your Mom or something, you can send them everything without leaving your desk. It works really well but I would suggest that you order a few samples to make sure that what you up load is of the highest quality.

Aperture Books
I am eagerly waiting to see the finished product of this. As I am a huge Apple fan, this feature come as a pleasant addition to the aperture software that I bought when I got my macbook pro. Right from the program, you can design and order a book! This seamless integrated workflow is a great way to to get your work out there. Aperture is adding more templates to the existing 8 (13 in iPhoto) to give more options. What I like is the automated feature that will fill your pages from your working folder. The price for a 8.5 x 11 hardcover is around $34.94 (USD) Check out their LINK

MPIX
In most of the photoshop stuff that I read, MPIX keeps coming up. With their catch phrase motto “Shoot today, upload tonight, we ship tomorrow” tells you about how fast their service is. So far, I have heard nothing but good things from their service and their products. For a 20 page 8.5 x 11″ hardcover will cost you about $50 and looks much like the Apple ones.

So these are just a few selections from the many across the internet. If you have tried any others like BLURB or Lulu Let me know what you think. How about, just letting me know what you have used and if you’d recommend them. Let’s hear your thoughts.

[Spoken in a Ring Announcer Voice]
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Welcome to the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium the the event of the season! On my left weight in at a horrendous 2 tons, Red Bull! and on my right weighing in at a staggering 2.5 tons Blue Bull!!! LET’S GET IT ON!!!!!

Okay well it is not quite like that but I am sure that is what the halmonies [little old Korean ladies] probably get from it. Essentially, the sleepy town of Cheongdo gets hit with thousands of people each year for the bull fights. They essentially are bull pushing fights where the bulls push each other back and forth until one gives up or runs away. No bulls are seriously harmed or killed during this event.

This is a great slice of the dying country life here in Korea and it should be something that you should take in at least once while you are here in Korea. Why I say that it is dying is because 70% of the Korean people that attend this event probably survived the Korean war. Most young people are to stylish and hip to attend country events like this. However, this event attracts thousands of people and the roads are backed up half way to Ulsan during this 4-day event.

I have gone here a few times and enjoyed myself. In 2007 they even had sort of a mini-circus going on next to the show. Like most festivals Cheongdo has a lot of great food and places to eat right on the stadium grounds. Be aware of the pushy salesmen trying to get you into their shops. It can be sort of annoying because a lot of time these food tents don’t have the greatest service. So, after getting begged to go to their tent you could wait for a while to get grumpy service.

All in all, it is a good time and a real great way to see the other side of Korean life. This festival sates back a long time and is quite interesting as well. Here is the main website for more details

I have been looking for a book on HDR written by someone who actually knows how to do it. This isn’t knocking any of the great photographers out there who have given their 2 cents on the technique, but it would be like me commenting on the world of portrait photography. Yes, I have done some, am I good at it? NO. Do I know the finer points and the ins and outs of a studio? Nope, but I know a little… but not enough to tell you how to do it.

That being said, I am not going to write about how to take portraits. Likewise, I never really got the feeling that the people who were writing about HDR were really into it, until now. This book leaves the others in the dust. Yes, there are now a number of books out that tell you how to make an HDR shot but none tell you the finer points of the programs to make your photos pop like Trey does.

The book at first glance, looks like a picture book of some of the most eye catching photography that I have seen to date and then you read and Trey tells you how to get these shots. This is a great thing because if you know anything about HDR then you know that there are sometimes limitations to what you can photograph. Moving objects for one is a challenge.

Remember, that you are taking multiple exposures to create that dynamic range. So if you have a fast moving object, how can you capture 3 photos of exactly the thing? Trey explains all in the book. I would tell you but I actually want you to buy it and use it. Speaking of which, you can pick it up in Korea here at what the book?

Trey also teaches you a cool double tone mapping technique that gives the photos a more “drawing” like look. Not my most favorite technique but one worth exploring. There is a ton of information here and I hope to show you more photos from the information that I learn from this book. This is a great book and I would really recommend picking it up if you are at all interesting in HDR.

When you first come to Korea, the food is among the first things that pops out to most. While we have been accustomed to many different kinds of Asian cuisine, Korean is among the least known to many foreigners that arrive here. Sure, in places like Vancouver and LA there is a Korean BBQ shop just around the corner, but that is only the tip of the iceberg and most of what you’ll eat here would make Indiana Jones squirm a little bit before finding out that it is really good.

So how do you get good shots of food to show off to your friends and family? Well a lot has to do with preparation, temperature, and depth of field. Simply snapping away as people demolish the food in front of them is not the most appetizing way to show off the delicious food that you are about to eat. So here are a few do’s and don’t about food photography.

The main thing is that you want the main focus of the shot to be about the food, not the table, not the people behind you, but the food itself. So that meaning fill the frame with the food. Get in nice and tight and really get up close and personal but still leave a bit of room so people can actually see what it is.

Depth of Field is key to drawing the interest into the frame. I normally shoot most of my shots wide-open at f/1.4 on a 50mm prime lens. This provides an interesting effect, sometimes a bit too much but you want to have it somewhere around there, to add that little bit of artistic bokeh.

Try not to shoot from eye level. This makes for a less interesting shot of the food. Get down in there and shoot it from table level. This will add further dimensions to your shot. Shooting it from a similar distance from what you would normally eat it from, gives the brain nothing new to look at. This is the same as photographing children, when you get down to their level, the shots are more interesting.

Be aware of the lighting and the temperature of the colours. Sometimes the lighting used in restaurants is not the most flattering on the food you shoot. I normally shoot in RAW format so that I can adjust these factors using camera raw in photoshop. Another handy tip is to sit next a window during morning or late afternoon. The light from the window should offset the yellowish hue from the lights.

Table-top tripods work well for shooting on-the-go meaning that if you just sat down, had your camera with you and the food that you ordered looks amazing, these little, but sturdy tripods work great. However, if you get the chance, talk to the manager before hauling out the gear. They may not appreciate such detailed work, or they may give you a treat to take a photo of. Communication is always better than speculation.

This last one maybe a no-brainer but I still see it a lot. Don’t touch or eat the food before you get a few good shots. You want the photos to make the person viewing them to feel like they, themselves, ordered the food. If you started to demolish the food, then snap a few shots, it looks like someone’s leftovers and not the most appetizing of shots.

Another thing that is often forgotten is to remove any distractions from around the table. That means get your mitts, hats, receipts, used napkins, etc out of the shot. Again, focus on the food, not what is around it. Unless the surroundings add something to the appetizing look of the food.

Here is one of the worst shots that I took of food. I had just got my 300D and like most was pretty happy to get some shots of us eating some Whale meat. The shot is as bad as the food itself.

Here are a few better examples of what I am talking about.

Notice how your eye is drawn into the guts of the Burger? If you want to show off the food, you want to put the focus on the food.

Another great example of how to shoot food can be found on Ulsan Online There are a ton of great articles (I know that most of the coffee ones are written by me) but check out Jason Wilson’s recent article and take note of how he shot the chocolate. Amazing photos there. Flash Parker also did a really excellent tutorial on taking shots of food and I think even better than mine. Take a look here

At any rate, enjoy playing with your food and have a great week!

Well, Dave Ziser just put out his take on this, so I thought that I would too. Again, these are just tips to improve your photography here, not make you feel like an idiot because you may or may not do them.

7. No Self-promotion
I learned this the hard way. I used to leer at another local photographer for always talking about his work and see his photos pop up everywhere. I thought that “my work should speak for itself” Well, it doesn’t and the way to get known is to promote yourself. That guy has over 150 more people on his facebook group than me, if that is any evidence. Don’t know how? Read up on my recent post about business cards. Then use facebook to its full advantage. Get together with other photographers and utilize their networks as well.

8. Crappy Web-sites
This is not a dig at anyone and I can’t say that my site is anything special at the moment but this is one of the main things to people view you as a photographer o, so it must work well and look good. Another thing to consider is not posting every photo you take and really cutting down your work. Why? K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. If you have a bazillion photos on a site that takes forever to load, people are not going to stay. Put up your best work and keep the party/friend/drunken night in Thailand shots on your facebook account.

9. Lack of Photoshop Knowledge
This is a big one and one that irks me to no end. It doesn’t just have to be photoshop, it could be anything (picasa, aperture, lightroom, etc.) but slapping out what photo straight from the camera is a big no no. It is not about “faking” the shot, it is about “working with the image” There are a ton of great resources out there for you to learn photoshop. My favorites are video podcasts like “Photoshop User TV” and “Photoshop Quick Tips” These are both free and great to watch. Also, as I have brought up, Scott Kelby at kelbytrainging.com has a great site and a great series of books designed to help photographers utilize photoshop.

10. Mixing Work with Pleasure
I am a teacher according to my visa. So that being said, it is a good idea to maintain the job that pays you regularly, while you are here. Sometimes what you do in your free time could infringe on your contract and get you into a lot of trouble. I did a gallery exhibition last year with the City of Ulsan and it was a blast. My school came out to check out my photos and I sold a lot of them. Then as a teacher was leaving she coyly said to me “Doesn’t think violate your contract? You can’t make any money outside the school” Thankfully I was donating the profit to charity, but even then I was on shaky grounds.
Another time I was working for the AFC Champions league and I was traveling twice a month for games across Korea. It was a great experience and I had it a planned out with my Director, at the time. Then, right before the last game of the season, she went back on our agreement because my co-workers were complaining about my absence. I had a choice; stay and get paid and keep my job and apartment or go, lose my job and leave the country. I stayed. Yes, AFC used another agency and have been using them ever since, but I kept my job and my apartment.

11. Not having the Right Tool for the Job.
There is a lot to be said for the guys that drop a bazillion dollars (or won) on the fanciest cameras and equipment and then not know how to use them, but the same can be said for the guys that don’t. Often I see a lot of new photographers get the cheapest camera with the cheapest lens and the cheapest bag. I think that photography is one of the hardest things to get into because the investment is so high. Once you get into it and you know your camera, start getting better tools for the job. Get a good tripod, get a shutter release, filters to protect your lenses and external drives. A functional bag is a must! Those little bags that you may get with your purchase don’t help when it rains or if they get bumped. Get a bag big enough to store your gear, sturdy enough to protect it and designed for the elements. Get quality glass for your camera and ones that suit your style of photography. Kit lenses are ok, but there is a reason why they are included in your “kit” they are not high quality. Research and invest in a set of good lenses.

12. Thinking that everyone is their subject.
You have to be polite when taking shots of people, or really sneaky. Often times people see candid shots of people in National Geographic and think that the photographer was just walking around taking random pics. People have dignity! If you get a shot of a lady at a market, show her. Better yet, ASK HER FIRST! Many times they will agree but they may not and that is their choice. Having cards or buying something after will help ease the creepiness of having some random stranger take their photo. This goes for many businesses too, not just people. I have often been questioned about what I was doing taking photos inside a cafe or around industrial sites.
The best story that I have is of a friend of mine that was shooting near Hyundai Car Factory. A security guy drove up and asked what he was doing. My friend showed the shots, the guy went through them and said it was ok. My friend ask why and the security guy told him that there were parts of the factory that cannot be photographed. Simple… ask first, shoot later. They have to protect themselves too.

13. Using the Camera to Pick-up Women
Yes, guys do this all the time and it is disgraceful and disgusting. There are a lot of beautiful people in Korea but please refer to #12. Often times, I have heard about guys using this line “hey, can you model for me?” in order to get a date with a girl. This is a disgrace to the profession and to photography. Why? First, question I would say is “what are you going to do with the photos?” Next, do you have a model release for? or any other professional document stating the purpose and usage of the photos? Probably not. If you work with models, most of the time you’ll have a studio and the proper gear. If you don’t, take pictures of your girlfriend or your close friends. Chances are they will give you the feed back you need to practice, don’t be a pervert. If you need a professional model, there are a number of agencies that provide models. Go about it the right way.

14. Calling yourself a “Street Photographer” when you shoot nothing
“What are you trying to say with this shot?” is what was once asked of me and I could couldn’t come up with an answer. I find a lot of so-called “street photography” just aimless, random, pointless shots taken while waiting to cross the street. Either you are taking fine art photography, beautiful scenic shots, portraits, sports, whatever… There has to be some sort of meaning to the photo and I find that street photography or rather people that are attempting it, seem to have pointless shots of people checking their teeth in a store front window and attaching some sort of socially aware title to it like “Vanity”… what a bunch of Bull S**T
You photos should convey something. IF you are on the street, there are a ton of things that you can cover from the busyness to the stacked signs, the mixture of English and Korean, the busy food stalls next to highend cafes, something for god’s sake please! Make a story and find the photos to tell it. Do Not Just randomly shoot crap and try and find some mean after when you want to show people your stuff.
That is it for me people, I have been trapped inside for too long and I have to get out for a bit. I hope to see some of you out tomorrow for the fire festival.

If you are a fan of “dynamic” Korea and its sparkling-ness then you probably want to make your photos that really pop and this is where HDR comes in. Now I know that there are a lot of arguments surrounding the issue of using HDR and some die-hard photographers out there really hate it, but they also said that when DSLR’s and photoshop first came out. Whatever your position is on it, I don’t really care because for many situations, I find that HDR just looks awesome. Especially in Korea, when there is an acid trip like setting to some downtown areas and a stimulus overload of signs and colours that would get washed out if you are not careful. HDR can help make those colours and details pop.

The question I get asked most is “wow how did you do it? You must have used photoshop” Well yes and no. If you have no idea what HDR is, it is basically fusing 3 shots of the same scene that are exposed at different settings into 1 “dynamic” shot. This is supposed to be a closer version of what the eye actually sees because it uses a broader spectrum. That being said I am going to give you a quicker overview of my workflow and get you started taking some HDR shots.

First, is what to shoot. Sounds strange I know, but I find that there are some limitations to HDR, that maybe the pros can handle but I don’t think that a beginner could. So be aware that you are going to be taking 3 shots of EXACTLY the same scene. So crowds, moving cars, traffic, trees blowing in the wind, etc are not your best subjects. This is because of the fact that when you put the pics together, whatever program you use will try and match up all of the features and if it can’t, you get what is called “Ghosting” and that is when you get a partial imprint of something on the final image.

So the things that are great to shoot are skies! Dynamic skies are awesome in HDR! If you wait until a storm breaks at sunset and you can catch the light piercing through the clouds, shoot it. Buildings, reflections, urban areas, are all great to shoot. You want to look for a scene and enhance the colours and contrast.

Ok, so now how do you do it? Before you even think about hitting that button, put your camera on a tripod. This is a must, there can be no shaky-shaky when you are getting these shots. Next, set you cameras AEB settings (Auto Exposure Bracketing). For older canons like mine (30D) you can find this setting in the menu screen in the red section. For newer canons, you have to hold the “mode” and “AF drive” buttons to turn of the AEB. Nikons, I am not so sure about, but according to Scott Kelby, you can adjust the AEB by pressing and holding the Function button (fn) and then using the command dial to find the AEB mode. He also recommends using 5 shots for HDR. This can be adjusted for canons by using the custom functions panel. For older models like mine, you have to get the extra two manually. I usually set mine two stops above and under, so basically: -2, 0, +2. For the 5 shot guys got with one -2, -1, 0, +1, +2.

So now that your camera is on a tripod, you have it set up to shoot bracketed shots, what do you do next? Well, I always shoot my shots in Aperture Priority. I just get better results from shooting in this mode. Next you would want to plug in your shutter release, if you have one. If you don’t try using this technique if you have a canon: Switch the drive to timer. For some reason (which is totally cool) in timer mode it will fire all of your bracketed shots for you. So that means either 3 or 5, it will just keep shooting until it is done without having you touch the camera. If you have the shutter release, I usually switch the mode to high speed burst and fire away.

Now you have your shots, you are back at home with cup of coffee in hand and and the images in front of you. What to do now? One of the best programs out there for HDR is “Photomatix Pro” There are others, but this is the one that I would highly recommend. So, if you have that, fire it up. Next, hit the “Generate HDR” button and load your images. Photomatix does a pretty good job of knowing what photos should be used, so it will let you know if you got a different image in the mix or not, but it is always good to double check. Once the images are loaded, you get a dialogue box with some options. I usually turn on; “align source images” “Reduce Noise” and (if you think there was some movement) “Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts” Then hit the “Generate HDR button and wait a bit for the process to finish.

Now, you have a photo that looks like crap.

Hit the “Tone Mapping” button and work away. The sliders that I usually use are Strength, Saturation, Tone Settings: White Point and Black Point. Typically you want to jack the strength way up to 100% and keep the saturation around 60 for decent results. Next I usually play around with the white points and black points until I get something that I like. Then I save it. I normally keep all of my tone mapped but unprocessed HDRs in one file. I do this so that I can come back to the original HDR and rework it without having to reprocess the entire image set or look through a bunch of files for that one HDR shot. If processed it, it will be in the HDR file.

Now, load it into Photoshop and make your adjustments. Usually I would process this the same way that I would normally process an image, but there are some differences. One of the key problems with HDR is that there sometimes can be a lot of noise in your shots. So here is where you can use noise ninja or noiseware and remove that stuff. You can also mask out the areas that you want to remain sharp because sometimes these programs also reduce the sharpness of the shot in order to reduce the noise. For sharpening I find that “smart sharpen” works really well for these images.

Anything beyond these basic steps are for the advanced photographers. If you are one of those guys, then there is a much better, more clearly explained Tutorial series by the most amazing HDR photographer Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs.com Click the link and it will take you to his great tutorial that makes mine looks like that un-tone-mapped image.

Another great resource is Scott Kelby’s video tutorial on creating HDR photos. This is the companion guide to his great series called The digital photography book and you can check out the video here Just scroll down to chapter 5.

That is about it. I hope that this will get you at least start in HDR. Let me know how it goes.

I got this idea from “Digital Pro Talk” an excellent blog by renowned wedding photographer David Ziser. He gave a list of the top mistakes that new wedding photographers make when they first start out. It got me thinking about photographers in Korea and what mistakes we all make when we arrive here.

1. Not knowing how their gear works (This was first on David’s list too)
This one irks me to no end. A lot of people pick up a camera and hope that it will magically make beautiful photos by itself. Well, maybe some do, but mine doesn’t. You have to know your camera inside and out. That means that you have to read the manual a few times, to find out how to adjust all of your settings and what each little knob does. Then maybe do some reading on how to effectively use it.

2. Disrespect of places of worship
A lot of the Buddha statues are made of shiny gold and many of them have devout worshipers praying in front of them. This makes every photographer think “National Geographic!” However, this act is just not appreciated and greatly disrespectful. We don’t like it when groups of people follow us around, why would they like it if we are trying to snap a photo while they are praying? Temples are interesting, but shoot with respect.

3. Lack of Korean
This one is a challenge for most but a necessary one, learn to speak the language. Even if it is just basic phrases like “May I take your picture?” This just shows that you are trying to learn their culture and communicates that you are a friendly person. It also gives them the opportunity to refuse if they don’t want their picture taken. Not everyone wants to end up on your facebook account.

4. Being a Douche
Sometimes a little website or something inflates peoples egos. Sometimes we are really trying hard to get the best shot to send home. Sometimes it may not goes exactly as planned, but that is not a good excuse to use for being a jack-ass. Attitude plays a big part of things here. Sometimes people are going to want to check out what you are doing, sometimes people are going to want to watch you. It is just part of the job, be a nice guy (or gal).

This also goes for the semi-but-not-quite-pro-wanna-be’s too. I have seen a few people yell at Koreans during high time at Bulguksa for getting in the way of their shot. That just goes with the territory at a popular cultural/tourist site. Just be patient and calm. Nothing is worse that those who are trying to be the “premiere arteest” as Ziser calls them, and just being a douche. Then well all get that label and it makes it harder to get good shots.

5. Not knowing When or How to Shoot
I have often said that there is a difference between photographers and people who simply take photos. Photographers are the guys (or gals) who get up at 5 am to catch a sunrise or plan their day around their shooting schedule, so that they are in the right place at the right time. I remember shooting the cherry blossoms at Bulguksa with a few photographers. I also remember getting up at 4 am to get to Gyeongju before the crowds arrived.

Often times I see two very common mistakes from new photographers. The first is shots taken at high noon, with harsh light and flat colours. Sometimes this is hard to avoid, especially if you are on a tour. Other times it just means getting up earlier or staying out later. The second is shooting in the black of night. Often the best shots of a city come when the sun has just gone down. This means that it is dark but there is still colour in the sky. Scott Kelby at Kelbytraining.com has some great tutorials and an awesome series of books to teaching you everything on how to get the best shots.

6. Shooting Without a Tripod
I know that it is a pain in the ass to set up and get ready when you see a great shot and you just want to capture it right away. Just calm down. Most conditions, you may get away without it, but why take that chance? With the wide range of tripods out there, pick up a light one that is easy to carry around with you. Crisp sharp shots are always better than blurry ones.

If you are worried about “size” I carry around a Manfroto 482 wherever I go. It is about the size of an external hard-drive (in its pouch) and can hold my 30D with a 12-24 wide angle lens and battery pack. It also has a decent ball-head. It can extend up about 30cm and it works great for those restaurant shots where you still can’t believe you meal is still alive.

7. Paying More Attention to their Camera and Not their Lens
Some people buy the best camera they can find. They spend thousands of dollars of the latest and greatest DSLR on the market and then stick on the cheapest lens they can buy with little money that they have left over. What a waste. More often than not, a good mid-range camera and good glass (lens) with get you amazing shots. With the market the way it is, the bottom to mid-range DSLRs are 10x what they were, even a few years ago. The constant is the glass attached to them. If you invest in a set of good lenses, then you will see an improvement in the quality of you images.

Not convinced? Many times I see sporting events where the “team photographer” or the “premier arteest” has a 300mm f/5 lens or something. Not a dedicated sports lens(a fast lens around f/2.8 and a minimum of 200mm). Or I will see someone trying to take portraits with a standard wide angle lens. While you may get some alright shots, you won’t get nearly the quality that you would buying the proper lens for the job.

I know that having a “big lens” means your friends with their iPhones or point-and-shoots will take their shots at you for “compensating” and what not, but if you are serious about it, once they see your photos they will probably shut up. Also note, that I was once that dude with the 300mm f/5… big mistake.

I will have more on this topic tomorrow.

*** I will also be out on the 28th of February shooting the Ji-bul-nori festival along the Taehwa River in Ulsan. If you want to meet up, leave your details in the comment section below or shoot me an email at jt@jasonteale.com

Here is a video that I did for my trip to Thailand. As you can see, it does a pretty good job of displaying the photos. I have shown these on my blog before, but I am testing a new plugin and I want to see how it looks.

The best part about the Animoto videos is that they have everything that you need, right there. All you have to do is upload the photos, select the music, adjust to your liking by adding text or highlighting certain photos, click finish and you are done!

Site: www.animoto.com