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Documentary photography courses dublin

Snapshot Podcast Part 2 Of Martin Creggs Thursday Talk – ‘An Introduction To Documentary Photography’ Online Now

 ‘An Introduction To Documentary Photography’ Part Two Online Now

Dublin Photography School recorded Martin Cregg’s ‘Thursday Talk’ and  PART TWO is available as a free podcast, ‘HERE’. Available also is  a free download of the presentation given on the  night by Martin so you can follow along.

In case your looking for Part one, you can find it here

We here at Dublin Photography School were delighted to host Martin’s talk – ‘An Introduction to Documentary Photography’. Evident throughout the entire evening was his honest passion for photography, his knowledge and his expert delivery. There was a fantastic turn out on the night with over 45 people in attendance, with all levels and genres of photographers represented.

The team at DPS would like to thank Martin for the work, time and effort that he put into the talk and we look forward to bringing you more ‘Thursday Talks’ in the Future #dublinphotographyschool

 

DPS Bites: Black & White Photography

5 Tips For Better Black & White Photography

black and white photography courses ireland

Black & white photography is an art form in itself, it can be considered by many to be the pinnacle of photography, as often you have to do so much more with less. Aside from it’s own unique aesthetic, black & white, depending on how it is used, can make an image striking & hard hitting & can also be used to romanticize images, while allowing the photographer to experiment with moods & feels that are easy to communicate as they are not watered down or obstructed with colour.

Know When To Shoot Black & White:

improve your black and white photography

This is one of the more simple considerations & one that is often over-looked. Ask yourself what makes a good black & white image? A technical breakdown would see the image broken into shape, form, texture, tone, contrast & pattern,  but this can be answered very easily by any photographer looking at a scene. Next time when looking through your viewfinder & wondering if this image would look good in black &  white, ask yourself , what is the most striking thing about this view? If colour is the first word that pops into your head, then more that likely it is a black & white image.

Texture Is King:

texture in black and white photography

Have you ever noticed how anything old tends to look great in black & white? This is mainly for two reasons, the first one is, this is a stylistic choice, old things look “authentic” in an old fashioned medium, however also things that are old tend to have some city miles on them & are often covered in scratches & dust. These objects or scenes look great in black & white becuase there are ‘textures’ in the absence of colour. A strong texture will add a striking tactile quality to your image. Have a look at some black & white images online & you will see strong textures in a lot of them.

Toning:

toning in black and white photography

Very few images are what we call ‘true black & white images’. Even in the days of printing in a darkroom, there was no such thing as a truly neutral print, as the age of the paper & chemical would cause a slight colour cast. With that in mind a lot of impact can be added using toning. Adding a single colour to your image to warm or cool it, can have a dramatic impact with it’s mood and feeling. So, experiment away in lightroom, aperture,  photoshop or whatever editing software you use.

Shoot in Colour & then Convert:

black and white conversion techniques

A lot of people think they are being purists by photographing black & white in camera, however in reality they are doing themselves a terrible dis-service. This setting on your camera only records the the luminosity information & uses 256,000 shades of grey to render the image. While this sounds like a lot, it is actually a tiny amount of information, which means your black & white image with will come out more grey, dull or muddy. Shoot in color & convert in a program like photoshop or silver efex for maximum tonal range.


Shoot in RAW:

adobe camera raw photography course

This is not just a Black & white tip, but a photography tip in general. Every image can benefit from being shot in Raw format. There is a host of technical reasons as to why, however suffice to say it makes a massive difference to the contrast & tonal range of the image, as well as allowing maximum flexibility in processing & printing the image. You will need to have a program to convert your raw images to JPEG’s before you can print them.

Bonus Tip:

travel photography courses dublin

Why not come along to a Black & White Photography Workshop  with DPS. While it is not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills you need to know to kick your black & white photography to the next level!

 

DPS Bites: Night Photography

5 Tips For Better Night Photographs

night photography courses dublinNight photography is a massive genre & can cover a huge range of subjects from astro photography & light painting, to landscapes taken under moonlight, traffic light trails & everything in between. Each one of these specific styles has it’s own rules & techniques that are popular among there practitioners, however this article is aimed at the beginner venturing out at night to photograph things like cityscapes with light & traffic trails. So, if you have just managed to get you head around ISO, F-stops & Shutter Speeds, then you will be well on your way to nailing down traffic trails & night cityscapes.

Use A Tripod:night photography dublin

Like any good landacape shoot, night photography starts with a tripod. When using a tripod you are able to keep your camera steady & can use much longer shutter speeds without camera shake. The longer your shutter is open, the more chance you will have of creating traffic trails & turning any movement into ghosting.  Tripods range in price & quality &  finding the right one for you may requirs some decent research. Two tripods that Dublin Photography School recommend are, the  Hahnel Triad Lite 60 Tripod & Manfrotto Compact Action Tripod . You can order them here (cheeky plug). When looking for a tripod it should satisfy a very simple requirement ….it has to be stable enough to keep your camera steady, after that, material, style, height, head & brand are a matter of personal preference.

Use A Low ISO:

Something that surprises many newbie photographers is using a low ISO….they have learned that a high ISO is used in dark & low light conditions & yes that is generally true (if you are shooting hand held at night), however since you went to all the hassle of dragging your tripod into town, you might as well achieve the best reuslts by using a low ISO. Your image will have less noise & less grain, & by creating longer shutter speeds you will add more creativity to your shot.

White Balance:

awb night photography

Most cameras by default are set to AWB (automatic white balance) & while this does a good job for about 99% of scenes, it will struggle to get colours correct at night, as the scene will be lit by multiple light sources, for example headlights, neon lights, traffic lights & street lights. This can easily confuse any camera system. The solution is simple however, you can change the white balance in your camera to match the scene. Try setting your camera to ‘Incandescent or Tungsten’ to eliminate that strong orange colour in your night images. Make sure to set it back to AWB when you are finished night shooting.

Try Using Manual Focus:

Many cameras will struggle to achieve focus in low light situations & how much it will struggle will depend on a couple of things. Firstly, how well lit up the scene is & the second is the camera model itself. To get around this & to make sure you have full control of your image, try turning on your camera’s manual focus & adjust the focus to the most prominent subject of interest in your scene. If you are not sure, simply focus one third of your scene as this will put a large amount of your scene into clear focus. Again remember to turn back on your ‘auto focus’ when finished, as it may result in all your images being out of focus when photographing later if you don’t.

Turn Off VR, IS, OS or SS:

night photography tripod

Image stabilization systems are designed for producing sharper handheld shots by utilizing tiny motors that cancel handshake & barrel vibration. This works fantastically & should always be left on when shooting handheld, however when used with a tripod, these motors  can actually cause the image to be slightly softened & look unsharp. So, remember switch it off while you have it on a tripod & then turn it back on once you have finished shooting.

Bonus Tip:

travel photography courses dublin

Why not  join the 7 week Beginners Course  at Dublin photography School. It includes two on location night shoots.

 

Documentary photography courses dublin

Thursday Talk by Martin Cregg – ‘An Introduction To Documentary Photography’

In Case You Missed It!

Dublin Photography School recorded Martin Cregg’s ‘Thursday Talk’ and  it is now available as a free podcast, ‘HERE’. Available also is  a free download of the presentation given on the  night by Matin so you can follow along.

We here at Dublin Photography School were delighted to host Martin’s talk – ‘An Introduction to Documentary Photography’. Evident throughout the entire evening was his honest passion for photography, his knowledge and his expert delivery. There was a fantastic turn out on the night with over 45 people in attendance, with all levels and genres of photographers represented.

The team at DPS would like to thank Martin for the work, time and effort that he put into the talk and we look forward to bringing you more ‘Thursday Talks’ in the Future #dublinphotographyschool

 

Martin Cregg Martin Cregg is a documentary photographer and lecturer living in Dublin. He has exhibited in Ireland and also internationally. Martin specializes in contemporary documentary photography practice and will give a lecture around an ‘introduction to documentary ideas and different practices of documentary photography’.

Time: 7.30pm
Date: September 28th 2017
Venue: The Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2.

Martin has exhibited in Ireland and Internationally – recently at ‘Heillandi’ Switzerland (2016), ‘Gazebook’ Sicily (2016), ‘Illuminations’ NUIM (2014), PhotoIreland (2013) Les Rencontres d’Arles (July 2012), the Natural History Museum in Leeuwarden (July 2012) and in Shanghai as part of the ‘Postcards from The Celtic Tiger’  Group show. In 2011 his ‘Photo Course’ project was shortlisted for the FOAM Talent Call. Cregg’s work has been published in a variety of magazines and books including ‘Ireland and Photography’ and Magazines such as Source and Irish Arts Review,

R.S.V.P by emailing info@dublinphotographyschool.ie to secure your  place
Please book early as places are limited & it will fill up fast

Martin Cregg

DPS Thursday Talk presented by Martin Cregg – ‘An Introduction To Documentary Photography’

FREE THURSDAY TALK WITH DUBLIN PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOL

We are delighted to bring you an evening presented by Martin Cregg – ‘An Introduction To Documentary Photography’
Martin Cregg Martin Cregg is a documentary photographer and lecturer living in Dublin. He has exhibited in Ireland and also internationally. Martin specializes in contemporary documentary photography practice and will give a lecture around an ‘introduction to documentary ideas and different practices of documentary photography’.

Time: 7.30pm
Date: September 28th 2017
Venue: The Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2.

Martin has exhibited in Ireland and Internationally – recently at ‘Heillandi’ Switzerland (2016), ‘Gazebook’ Sicily (2016), ‘Illuminations’ NUIM (2014), PhotoIreland (2013) Les Rencontres d’Arles (July 2012), the Natural History Museum in Leeuwarden (July 2012) and in Shanghai as part of the ‘Postcards from The Celtic Tiger’  Group show. In 2011 his ‘Photo Course’ project was shortlisted for the FOAM Talent Call. Cregg’s work has been published in a variety of magazines and books including ‘Ireland and Photography’ and Magazines such as Source and Irish Arts Review,

R.S.V.P by emailing info@dublinphotographyschool.ie to secure your  place
Please book early as places are limited & it will fill up fast

DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Night Photography

5 Tips For Better Night Photography

night photography courses dublinNight photography is a massive genre & can cover a huge range of subjects from astro photography & light painting, to landscapes taken under moonlight, traffic light trails & everything in between. Each one of these specific styles has it’s own rules & techniques that are popular among there practitioners, however this article is aimed at the beginner venturing out at night to photograph things like cityscapes with light & traffic trails. So, if you have just managed to get you head around ISO, F-stop & Shutter Speeds then you will be well on your way to nailing down traffic trails & night cityscapes.

Use A Tripod:night photography dublin

Like any good landacape shoot, night photography starts with a tripod. When using a tripod you are able to keep your camera steady & can use much longer shutter speeds without camera shake. The longer your shutter is open, the more chance you will have of creating traffic trails & turning any movement into ghosting.  Tripods range in price & quality, &  learning about them requires some decent research. Two tripods that Dublin Photography School recommend are, the  Hahnel Triad Lite 60 Tripod & Manfrotto Compact Action Tripod . You can order them here (cheeky plug). When looking for a tripod it should satisfy a very simple requirement ….it has to BE stable enough to keep your camera steady, after that, material, style, height, head & brand are a matter of personal preference.

Use A Low ISO:

Something that surprises many newbie photographers is using a low ISO….they have learned that ISO is used in dark & low light conditions & yes that’s generally true (if yoy are shooting hand held at night), however since you went to all of the hassle of dragging your tripod into town you might as well achieve the best reuslts by using a low ISO. Your image will have less noise & less grain & by creating longer shutter speeds you will add more creativity to your shot.

White Balance:

awb night photography

Most cameras by default are set to AWB (automatic white balance) & while this does a good job for about 99% of scenes, it will struggle to get colours correct at night as the the scene will be lit by multiple light sources, headlights, neon lights, traffic lights & street lights. This can easily confuse any camera system. The solution is simple however, you can change the white balance in your camera to match the scene. Try setting your camera to ‘Incandescent or Tungsten’ to eliminate that strong orange colour in your shots. Make sure to set it back to AWB when your done.

Try Using Manual Focus:

A lot of cameras will struggle to achieve focus in low light situations & how much it will struggle will depend on a couple of things, first off, how well lit up the scene is & the second is the camera model itself. To get around this & to make sure you have full control of your image, try turning on your camera’s manual focus & adjust the focus to the most prominent subject of interest in your scene. If you are not sure, simply focus one third of your scene as this will put a large amount of your scene into clear focus. Again remember to turn back on your ‘auto focus’, as it will result in all your images being out of focus when shooting later if you don’t.

Turn Off VR, IS, OS or SS:

night photography tripod

Image stabilization systems are designed for producing sharper handheld shots by utilizing tiny motors that cancel handshake & barrel vibration. This works fantastically & should always be left on when shooting handheld, however when used with a tripod, these motors  can actually cause the image to be slightly softened & look unsharp. So, remember switch it off while you have it on a tripod & then turn it back on once you have finished shooting.

Bonus Tip:

travel photography courses dublin

Why not  join the 7 week Beginners Course  at Dublin photography School. It includes two on location night shoots.

 

DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Wedding Photography

5 Tips For Better Wedding Photography

wedding photography course ireland

With the summer months upon us & the wedding season fast approaching, many of you out there may have been asked to photograph a family member or friend’s wedding. Saying ‘no thanks’ may not be an option, even though this may not be an area of photography that you are used to & you don’t really know where to start.

Wedding images should reflect the atmosphere, spirit & beauty of the occasion & as either a newbee wedding photographer or someone who has been asked to do a ‘favour’ for  a  family member or friend, these tips should get you going in the right direction.  Each wedding is unique & different in it’s own way, so for each one  go above & beyond & capture the warmth, emotion, beauty & romance of the day.

Create Your Shot List:wedding shot list - dublin photography school

 

Get  the  bride  &  groom to have a good think about the type of shots they want on their big day. Create a comprehensive shot list with everything included, from the preparations, through the wedding ceremony & onwards throughout the rest of the day.

Details, Details, Details:

wedding details - dublin photography school

Many couples will want everything photographed throughout the wedding day, a story from start to finish. Details make up this story. The dress, shoes, veil, button holes, mass booklets, flowers, menus, table settings & so on.

Shoot In Burst/Continuous Mode:

burst mode - dublin photography school

When it comes to those reportage/candid style shots you will need to think & act fast. If shooting with two cameras, switch one to continuous shooting mode so no opportunity is missed. Sometimes it’s the shot after the shot you meant to take that captures the moment beautifully.

Add Some Variety:

It is not always about showing the newly married couple kissing or in a loving embrace. Sometimes just connecting to each other by chatting, laughing or walking in the distance can itself be enough & can create a beautiful image.

Stay Out Of The Pros Way:

wedding photographer training ireland

It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day, however with that in mind if you are not the official or designated photographer on the day, try to stay out of the way. The main photographer has been hired for a reason & should have priority. If you want to give the couple a fantastic array of images, let the professionals do their job & you can present a collection of images from different subjects & angles, documenting the day from a whole new perspective.

Bonus tip:

wedding photography training ireland

Why not come along to our  Wedding photography workshop on the stunning grounds of Russbourgh House. Although it’s not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills to start capturing the big day like a pro!

 

DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

stewart kenny

When we think of travel photography we often think of the famous landmarks, monuments & attractions of the city or country we plan to visit. However for many people these famous sites are just the tip of the iceberg when visiting a new destination. To us here at DPS travel photography is so much more than just landmarks. To us it is a sub-genre of documentary & reportage photography that involves looking at landscapes, cultures, customs, people & their history. It conveys in an image a feeling that expresses the feeling of a particular time and place.
When we return from a holiday often it’s not the big things e.g. the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa that stick out in our mind but the smaller things. Details & quirks of the trip that spring to mind are e.g. small coffee shops, local markets or the artisans that ply their trade on the roadside. Food & art are things that make a culture unique. When we go away what we are looking to find is not what is similar to our own culture, but what is different. With all of this in mind, here are a few simple tips on what to look for when photographing on your adventures & travels.

Plan Your Kit:

travel photography tips for beginners

This is one of the most important considerations and one of the first things we teach on our travel photography workshop. Think about what kind of shots you want & make a list. If it’s mostly scenic landscapes then pack a wide angle lens, if it’s people a 50mm fixed or if it’s a mix of both, consider a zoom lens. Remember that it’s not always about what is in your kit bag!, a good compostiion can be achieved on a camera phone or a compact camera, will still look great on a web album or e.g. Instragram.

Be Prepared For Low Light:

DPS

A lot of the action takes place in the evening, especially in hotter climates where the heat of the day can be a little over whelming. Be prepared for shooting in low light & carry something portable that you can use as a tripod to create slow exposure effects. A mini gorilla pod or a table top tripod are small & portable & they will fold up neatly into your kit bag. They are ideal for use anywhere. However if you are stuck, then you can use a bean bag, a wall or a rolled up t-shirt.

The 1/640th Rule:

travel photography tips for beginners

When travelling we are often looking for a shutter speed that will freeze about 90% of everyday action. Try setting your camera to 1/640th of a second, while this will not freeze every scene, it will freeze most day to day scenes that you will come across where people & moving subjects are part of it.
Start walking around with your camera in TV or S mode. This will allow you to focus on framing & composing your image.

Buy Something For A Portrait:

travel photography courses ireland

A great way to break the ice with a local trader for example is to buy something small from them, then ask if you can take their portrait! Get chatting to them. Even if language is a barrier they will see from your body language that you have no alterior motive & they will often allow you to take their photograph. Stall holders, shop keepers & street musicians are often asked by travellers for photographs & will generally be willing to have their portrait taken. If fact many of them often play up for the camera.

Get Up High:

stewart kenny

High vantage points can be found almost everywhere. Even if your only photographing down-hill, it will make a massive difference to your images.
Get great scenes by getting up high, this can be as simple as photographing from your hotel window or by hiking up a hill, or even taking a drive into the mountains. Try to a have a point of interest in the foreground as a focus point so as to make the shot more interesting.

Bonus Tip:

travel photography courses dublin

Why not Take a travel photography workshop or photography holiday with DPS. While it is  not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills you need to know to capture that trip of a lifetime!