Photo Tip - Get Better Photography, Lessons From A Sniper!

Today's photo tip will help us get better photography, learn to master our camera equipment inside and out and get comfortable with all our photo gear! Blindfolded and in the dark.

In the last several portrait photography photo tips articles, we've been studying lighting. Admittedly it has been some pretty heavy weight learning. For today's photo tip, let's kick back a bit and ponder...

Have you ever noticed how being a photographer and being a sniper are very similar?

First off, there's the obvious term - shoot. A sniper is trained to shoot and a photographer is trained to shoot. We call it shooting a portrait or shooting a landscape - having a model shoot and so on...

Next, no good sniper would ever take a shot without recording it in his shot notebook. It's how they learn the effects of heat and cold on a bullet. They learn how the ballistics are altered by varying wind speeds, altitudes and etc.

While less than 1% of you are likely to be keeping a notebook, the top photographers do. I've been harping on it forever. This one simple act can propel your photography to heights you can only dream of right now.

Take A Shot At Being Your Own Professional Photographer

For many people, photography is a passion that they would never even consider following seriously. It's a popular and fantastic hobby, and it isn't uncommon to get the nagging feeling that you could make something more out of it. With digital camera technology advancing at an incredible rate, it's more affordable than ever before to take high quality, beautiful looking pictures. Why hold yourself back any longer? Take a shot at being your own professional photographer, and read on to find out how you can turn your passion into something more than just a hobby.

Making Money Through Photography

The Internet is making it easier than ever before to sell yourself, your brand and your images to people all over the world. You don't have to rely on a brick and mortar store or friends and family to advertise your photography services - now you can do it yourself and at an extremely low online cost.

The first step is to build yourself a website and Facebook profile that showcases your images and style. With your contact information and a few details about yourself and the services you provide, you suddenly have all the marketing potential that you need to build a local client base. It's not an incredibly fast way to start, but it's important that you have an online presence for customers to refer to.

The Art of 'CAREfronting' Difficult Co-Workers

There comes a day in every business professional's career when he feels the need to abandon the good manners his momma taught him and tell his difficult co-worker where to shove it.

For me, this was one of those days.

My colleague -- let's call him "Billy the Difficult One" -- was operating the camera while I interviewed the organizers of an art gallery for a TV segment. Since I was new to production at the time, my manager requested that Billy also give me tips on filming along the way. But the Difficult One took it too far, attempting to chastise me in front of the interviewees, making it seem as if I were incompetent.

I was burning with anger. However, I knew that retaliating would only weaken my position and make me look unprofessional. Then I remembered the art of CAREfronting.

CAREfronting is the delicate method of disciplining your offender without attacking or insulting them. Unlike confronting, which often results in more frustration and anger, this technique is a much healthier way of dealing with difficult relationships. It puts you in a calm state of mind and allows you to manage trying people with grace.