Episode 1 - What Is A Portrait?
Written by Andi Watson on 30 Apr 2010
Andi discusses what he looks to do when taking a portrait.
Zach Smile
Written by Andi Watson on 21 May 2010
Episode 2 - Props Are Good!
Written by Andi Watson on 11 Jun 2010
2 Minute Movies: The Wedding Guests
Written by Andi Watson on 05 May 2011
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In last week's 2 Minute Movie I spoke of my approach to photographing the bride & groom, and I followed that up with a blog of how I prepare for the group shots. The third part of shooting a wedding, particularly for a photographer shooting in a reportage style, is shots of the guests. I like to take informal shots that help to tell the story of the day, and give people an idea of what the atmosphere was like at the wedding. But rather than write about that, I thought I'd talk about it in a 2 Minute Movie!
Enjoy.
Away From Auto - White Balance
Written by Andi Watson on 20 May 2011
As the price of digital cameras has fallen, many people are now investing in decent DSLR's, even if they have just a passing interest in photography and use their camera's mainly for family snaps. Even with these budget cameras they will have some great features, but I've noticed that a lot of people just stick with the Auto mode, happy to rely on their camera to choose all their settings for them. Now, these cameras are pretty clever, and Auto will do just fine for most situations, but it will on occasion get it wrong! Also, by playing about with and understanding the Manual settings it allows you to be more creative with your photography, and hopefully achieve more interesting results. And above all, it seems a bit of a waste to spend money on a piece of kit that has some excellent features, only to use it like you would a basic "point-and-shoot". So I thought I would start a new video series here on the Notebook called Away From Auto, with the aim to get people using the Manual settings on the camera over the Auto.
I thought I'd start with white balance. Adjusting the white balance can sometimes be the key to a great colour photograph, whether you're shooting with an expensive DSLR or a camera phone. Our eyes automatically adjust in terms of white balance, just as they do for light and darkness, but your camera will sometimes need some help. With learning the manual settings, you'll be able to override the camera when it gets it wrong.
Another reason I thought white balance would be good to start with is because your camera actually has a series of white balance pre-sets (flash, shade, sunshine etc), so although you're getting away from relying on the camera's auto mode, you're not having to do much more than pressing a button and seeing the results on the back of the camera - an easy way to ease yourself in to the world of manual!
Hopefully the video below will encourage you to start experimenting with the features in your camera, and will help you to take better photos!
C&J5
Written by Andi Watson on 16 Aug 2011
