One of the easiest and best ways for photographers to improve their photography is to develop a personal style. By understanding why you shoot what you shoot is half the journey. The other half could be the type of lenses you use, the angle you choose, your subjects, your lighting, how you interact with the subject, your personality, and even your post-processing.

This four week online workshop will guide you through the process of identifying and establishing a style that works for you, with a weekly module and photography assignment, a private photographers forum for sharing imagery, the giving and receiving of feedback and critique and so much more.

The fee for this workshop is £20.00 and is open to ALL photographers – it could be your first or twenty-first workshop. Once you have paid via paypal (button below), you’re in. A welcome pack will be emailed by 18 March before the workshop starts proper on 23 March 2012.

Style has no formula, but it has a secret key.
It is the extension of your personality.
Ernst Haas

Last week I worked with the beautiful Chelsea on a new and exciting concept that I will be offering my female clients very soon.

A slow shutter speed allows more light to come in because the shutter is open longer. But since the shutter is opened longer it also allows for some movement in your picture (motion blur) if it’s open longer than 1/80 of a second and there is a moving object/child in front of the camera.

Many photographers over estimate how steady they can hold a camera. Using a standard 50mm lens the minimum shutter speed you should use will be ‘one over 50′, which is 1/50. To turn it into a shutter speed you simply call it a fraction of a second, like this; 1/50th of a second. The nearest shutter speed you can set is actually 1/60th of a second but you get the idea. So if you’re shooting at 200mm the minimum shutter speed you should use will be ‘one over 200′, which is 1/200th of a second. So you would set your shutter speed to 1/250th of a second, that being the closest to 1/200. These figures are just a rough guide and may vary according to individual ability. Over time you will learn how slow a shutter speed you can hand hold but if in doubt always err on the fast side. It wouldn’t generally recommend you hand hold any camera/lens combination below 1/30th of a second.

The image below was shot with a shutter speed of 1/4 second (f20, ISO 100) using a neutral density filter. To get this effect on a very sunny June day was not easy. I had my son Theo stand still while his friends ran around him. The camera was on a tripod because of the slow shutter speed needed and I had screw-in neutral density filter +8 filter otherwise the image would have been completely over exposed as there would have been too much light hitting the sensor. There’s a great article on ND Filter’s here.

For most people the most important aspect of choosing a shutter speed is getting one fast enough to freeze movement. Unfortunately the world is full of things that all move at different speeds and no one bothered to make a list of what shutter speed would be needed to freeze each and every one of them. With this in mind I have put together a little table containing some common ‘things that move’ and a suitable shutter speed to stop them. You can use these values as a basis for working out shutter speeds for other situations you may encounter. This is a rough guide only so don’t sue me if one doesn’t work for you – try increasing another stop.

If you leave it on auto select the camera will generally hone in on the closest element which isn’t always your desired point of interest. A lot of photographers just leave the camera’s focus point on the center one, which can be a little hit & miss when your subject in not bang in the middle of the frame.

I prefer to toggle through the focus points as I shoot, after many years practice I can whizz through to the one I need in no time at all.  If you are photographing fidgety children or action and don’t want to miss a moment it might be easier to maintain one central focus point then focus on your subject’s face and then recompose if you want the images off center rather than struggling to change the focus point quickly.  By this I mean you half press the shutter (to get the little red box) then you move your camera to where you want to frame the shot (keeping your finger on the shutter button the whole time) and then fully depress the shutter.

Try it. See what you think. Hopefully now your camera won’t go crazy on auto focus zooming back and forth, in and out, not sure of what it should focus on.  If you cannot change the focus points on your camera then please try the recompose technique.

TIP: When you are photographing people always focus on the eyes the most important feature.

Even if your subject isn’t looking directly at you it’s still very effective to focus on their eyes. It allows for the most important part of their face to be in focus. I didn’t want the leaves behind Stefi in sharp focus and her eyes out of focus, which is what would have happened had I left he focus point in the center.

When photographing groups, I focus on the most important area/person, just like the eyes, and put that person in the center of the group, ie the bride or granny surrounded by her family.

Today I thought I’d start with ISO. In photography, an ISO number is an indication of the sensitivity of the image sensor, where a higher number indicates higher sensitivity. Basically the higher the number of your ISO the more your camera will absorb the ambient light.

TIP: The first thing you should do when you pick up your camera is set your ISO.

This is usually expressed as a range, e.g. ISO 100 – 1600, my camera takes great images at ISO 3200

A higher sensitivity allows us to take pictures in low light without using flash. However, this gain can come at a price: as we amplify the light signal, we also amplify the noise signal, and high ISO images are usually more “noisy” than low ISO images. Noise reduction software can smooth out the noise but it comes at the expense of losing fine detail. I use Noiseware by Imagenomic which is an awesome plug-in for Photoshop.

Larger image sensors have larger pixels with better light signal to noise ratio, and produce “cleaner” high ISO images. Personally I would always choose to have a little noise rather than using built-in flash indoors.

Back in the film days you were stuck with the same ISO film until you finished the roll, now it is so much easier as we can now change the ISO for each shot if wanted. The higher the number of your ISO the more your camera will absorb the light. So you will want to raise the ISO to a higher number in low light situations.

If you get into the habit of setting your ISO as soon as you pick up the camera, it will become second nature and then you can move on and just worry about the aperture and shutter speed !!!!

Here are some general settings or starting points for your ISO:
• outdoor in the bright sun – ISO 100
• outdoor in the shade – ISO 200 or 400
• indoor near a window – ISO 800-1200
• indoor when it’s not real bright – ISO 1600 or higher

The last picture of Tower Bridge, had quite a lot of “noise” which needed help from the Noiseware plug-in but considering this shot was handheld it is pretty good really.

Did you get a lovely new camera for Christmas but don’t know what to do with it ? Or have you had a camera for a while but only use auto mode ?? If you answered yes to either of these questions then you need to sign up for …..

You have this amazing piece of kit, why not use it to it’s full potential and never use AUTO or that Green Box ever again.

This workshop is for DSLR’s, Bridge Cameras and any other models where you can control aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc. Each week you will receive a module unlocking apart of the mystery of manual photography with an assignment to be completed within that week’s deadline. You will also be given access to a private forum where you can, should you wish receive 1-2-1 feedback, it is also a great source for information and inspiration.

Every friday for four weeks you will receive a PDF module via email with course notes and an assignment.  You have until midnight the following thursday to complete the assignment and upload your images to the private photographers forum.  You will receive feedback and constructive criticism to help you develop your knowledge and skills.  Participation on the forum is optional as you can work along alone at home if you prefer but I’m certain everyone that has joined in for the last five years will tell you they learnt so much from the other photographers in the group.

It’s quick and easy to sign-up, just click on paypal button below and once you paid the fee leave a comment below. A welcome pack will be emailed on 10 February 2012, in the meantime start reading your camera manual.

Every friday for the four weeks of each workshop you will receive a PDF module via email with course notes and an assignment.  You have until midnight the following thursday to complete the assignment and upload your images to the private photographers forum.  You will receive feedback and constructive criticism to help you develop your knowledge and skills.  Participation on the forum is optional as you can work along alone at home if you prefer but I’m certain everyone that has joined in for the last five years will tell you they learnt so much from the other photographers in the group. don’t be shy

I’m really excited to announce that Bootcamp 2012, my third 100% dedicated photography weekend will take place in Essex Friday 27 – Sunday 29 April 2012 !!!

WHAT IS IT?

Photography Bootcamp is completely focussed on teaching you how to create stunning pictures in any environment. I will demonstrate shooting in a wide variety of everyday situations and give specific techniques how to walk away with gorgeous images every time. Working in perfect lighting conditions to absolutely pants light ! You will shoot alongside me with real models in real world locations as well as a studio set-up. Yes, that’s right you will get to play with studio lighting. After the shoot I will show you my workflow and share my top secret post production techniques. In addition to having an action-packed schedule, there will be ample time to answer all of your burning questions. This workshop is loaded with all the technical, creative, artistic inspiration you can handle!

WHO IS IT FOR ?

DSLR owners only I’m afraid, that are serious about improving their photography or considering a future career behind the lens.

WHO IS IT?

Cheryl Johnson, Professional Photographer & Instructor Feel Good Workshops more than ably assisted by friend and fellow photographer Lesley.

WHEN IS IT?

2pm Friday 27 – 4pm Sunday 29 April 2012

WHERE IS IT?

LOCATION: Park Inn by Radisson, Thurrock Hotel (click here)
Sitting in six acres of landscaped garden this refurbished Georgian Manor retains its original charm with all the modern conveniences you might want. It’s a photographers dream location

DIRECTIONS:(click here) M25 Dartford Tunnel 10 mins, London City Airport 20 mins, Stanstead Airport 40 mins, Gatwick Airport 45 mins

HOW MANY?

I strongly believe in the importance of providing personal attention to all my Bootcamp attendees so the weekend is limited to 24 photographers. We will have a fully equipped studio, classroom set-up with projection screen plus comfortable relaxation areas (the 18th Century Library is stunning).

HOW MUCH?

The weekend fee is only £385 per person (same as 2010). This includes instruction & inspiration, extensive workbook, accommodation, dinner on Friday, breakfast lunch & dinner Saturday and breakfast & lunch Sunday.

A deposit of £85 will secure your place with two further payments of £150 due 1 February & 1 March 2012

HOW TO REGISTER?

Email me to register your interest and we can discuss payment options or if you have any questions at all. Once you have paid your deposit and registration is complete you will receive more information with all the exciting details.

cheryl@feelgoodworkshops.com

Here’s some of what went on last time

It’s great to be busy in a recession.  Meet lots of amazing people, take lots of photos, pursue my personal photography goals and expand my business in the process. The downside is there are far too many images to go through to make the review.

Phew quite a year ! It has been incredible on a personal and professional level and I can’t wait to see just what’s in store in 2012.

Happy New Year !