5 Challenges in Photography by Sarah Scrafford

Good morning all,

As mentioned in my last post, I am undergoing a website and blog redesign and my posts will resume in March where I will have many art gallery opening announcements and portrait stories to share with you.

In the meantime, I invited Sarah Scrafford, a known photography journalist, to post an interesting article related to the field.

Speak with you all very soon,

Dan

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5 Challenges in Photography

It may seem like an easy job – all you have to do is focus and click – but photography is anything but simple. In fact, most photographers work really hard to produce those stunning effects in their pictures. There’s much that goes on behind the lens that is not reflected in the final pictures, events and situations that tell the true story of an ardent photographer and the passion exhibited for his/her work. It’s a challenge more often than not, to come up with great pictures on a regular basis, even when they have to contend with:

• Difficult subjects: If you’re a fashion or portrait photographer, you have to contend with the vagaries of human nature, soothe ruffled feathers, and play peacekeeper when you’re trying to shoot a group of people. Although children are by far the most difficult of models, it’s easy to lump celebrities with the kids too because of their star tantrums and moody behavior. It’s a real challenge to cancel a day or more of shooting because your model leaves in a huff, especially after you’ve got everything else set up and ready, and then continue later after much begging and pleading as though nothing untoward has happened.

• Bad light: This is a photographer’s nightmare, because no one can control nature. If you’re stuck in the outdoors in light that’s not good for your shots, there’s nothing you can do but wait it out till the conditions are to your liking. One of the greatest challenges in a photographer’s life is the cultivation of patience, especially when you rely on nature for most of your pictures.

• Natural shots: There are some shots that must be captured immediately because they can never be acted out again in exactly the same way. It’s a challenge to photographers to be ready at the right time and the right place so that they get the right shot they want. Sports photography is one discipline where you must be quick on the button. With no action replays to aid you, it’s time to rely on burst mode photography to capture shots in succession so that you don’t miss the exact shot that you’re looking for. The same holds for wildlife photography where you must wait patiently and attentively for the creature you’re observing to make the move you want, because if you miss the opportunity to shoot when the event does happen, you may never get a chance to capture it on film again.

• Moving subjects: It’s always hard to photograph moving subjects without losing your subject in a blur. There are various techniques that help you take good shots of moving people or objects – you can blur either the subject or the background or both or none to achieve the effect you’re looking for with these techniques. Being prepared to capture a moving target is a challenge that ranks among the most difficult for any photographer. Just ask those who’ve trained their lenses on a cheetah or on Usain Bolt.

• Difficult positions: And last, but not the least, any photographer worth his/her salt is expected to get down and dirty and do what it takes to shoot a scene that’s waiting to be captured on film. And so you may find people with cameras on top of high ledges, on the edge of cliffs, on the ground under moving cars, twisted and contorted into tiny spaces, running behind celebrities and putting themselves in danger, underwater chasing sharks in a cage, and so on and so forth. It’s a challenge to get into a difficult position, just so you can get the kind of shot that you want.

By-line:
This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Online Photography Colleges. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.