So one of the biggest problems with Photography in this day and age is that there are so many AMAZING photographers out there, it becomes an up-hill-struggle to gain recognition. With the increasing number of photographic talent breaking through by the day, it's hard not to sit back in your chair and degrade your own abilities. I would like to take a little time to talk about a few techniques i have used, a few I've heard of and some helpful tips.
The first and most essential key to gaining recognition in any art form is mentality; not only referring to work ethic but also personal characteristics. to evaluate your own professional skills try a quick SWOT analysis of yourself. For those of you don't know what a SWOT analysis is, SWOT stands for
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
To begin the analysis remember Strengths and Weaknesses are personal, whereas Opportunities and Threats are environmental.
The idea of the Swot analysis is to reveal you to yourself, give you both confidence and knowledge of what you need to work on, the SWOT will also give you some ideas of how to work around your environmental issues.
An important aspect of achieve any form of recognition is to respect yourself as an artist and not be too harsh on yourself. Don't get me wrong, the last thing we need is a bunch of cocky and arrogant photographers to take over the industry, confidence and big-headedness are two completely different things.
Now i myself have a lot of trouble looking at my work and being happy with the results, however, the client is always happy so i must respect that. It is important to remember that someone out there will like your work, so never give up, and stay determined.
The hardest part about photography is staying inspired. To keep up inspiration, i am sorry to say, is something i cannot seem to grasp. With most other art forms i find inspiration through looking at other peoples work, with photography this only makes me feel bad that i cannot come close to the talent that is out there. To me, i just try to keep the photography flowing, and when i hit a patch of inspiration i allow myself to completely indulge. i always look at others work for the simple fact that i love the photography, despite the negative impact on my state of mind, i am fascinated. I will talk about other photographers in a later post.
So all life coaching aside, here are some simple and effective methods to get out there in the world of photography.
Social Networking
Social Networking is an undeniably useful tool for budding photographers. Not only does every man,woman, child and dog have either Facebook or Twitter, its a great way to get noticed and speak to all of your followers at once. I would recommend setting up a specific page or account for your photography work, this helps your page to stay professional and allows you to keep track of and separate your personal life with your work, making organisation and image a piece of cake.
Here is a link to my Facebook photography page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Local Recognition
The quickest way to gain local recognition is to keep an eye on any local information outlets such as Newspapers, Websites, Leaflets and Roadside Advertisements. Find local events that you think you would be able to and enjoy photographing. Be careful with entrance fees, only attend a payed even if you both have the money spare and think it will be worth your time. Often, if you can locate and contact the event organiser, you can get a photographers pass.
Try to attend as many events as you can, and carry around lots of business cards to hand out. After the event, try to locate and contact the subjects, weather they are an act or an audience member, and see if they would like the images. Be sure to watermark the images before handing them out.
Competitions
Competitions are a great way of gaining recognition and a small following. Sites such as Worth1000 are great for getting recognised, as well as receiving feedback and also inspiration. Worth1000 has a deferent topic each week, in novice, amateur, experienced and expert categories. This keeps you trying new things and picking up the camera regularly.
Some of the more well known competitions are also worth a try. It is very hard to imagine your own images making it to the top, but you never know, and it is great publicity regardless of the outcome.
Newspapers and Magazines
If you have captured a local newsworthy event on camera send them in via email to your local paper. you can also repeatedly send in your photographs to relevant magazines. It will take a long time, but eventually you will get published. As the photographer it is your job to seek recognition, if you expect it all to fall into place, it is highly unlikely you will receive work.
Work often comes your way off the back of something you have done to get noticed. So keep snapping away, updating your pages, contacting the appropriate people. eventually, you will get somewhere.
Thanks again readers!
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Reviews and Comparisons
This is a Review/Comparison between all 4 of my lenses. i have used all four of these for both my professional and personal work, and will talk about the main differences between them.
Nikon AF-S DX 55-300mm F/4.5-5.6 VR
Sigma DG-EX HSM 50-500mm F/4-6.3
These are my four lenses, ranging from 10-500mm, with no area unreachable in between. I would like to review each lens and offer advice to anyone thinking about buying them (or something similar)
To start this off i will talk about my Sigma DC-EX 10-20mm F/4-5.6 Wide Angle Lens. To sum up my opinion of this lens, i take it with me everywhere, it never leaves the camera bag. This lens is fantastic. Although i rarely use it for my professional work, this is my lens of choice for my landscapes.
The Exterior of the lens feels very professional, i find the Nikon Lenses are mostly Plastic and have a very delicate feel to them, This lens is Heavy for it's size and is constructed of metal with a strange rubbery/felt coating. I much prefer the heavier lenses because i can feel the weight and i am less likely to drop the lens during changes. The Coating also offers extra grip.
Performance wise i have yet to discover a fault, it does everything you would want a wide angle to do. The lens is fast enough for me, although i have found it to be slower than my other lenses. I have gotten rather annoyed that i cannot zoom in very far, but that is only due to the fact i cannot be bothered to switch lenses again. Being a Wide Angle lens, it has to be taken into account that it is not as versatile as my others. which is why i am leaving out the negatives to this lens, as a loose Einstein quote "You can't judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree".
This lens was fairly expensive, although it has shot down astronomically since i purchased mine. I bought it second hand for around £350. However it can now be picked up brand new for under £400.
Next comes the kit lens, my Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR. This lens is the lens i got when i purchased my Nikon D7100. The Lens is absolutely brilliant for an events photographer, with the ability to go wide and photograph big scenes, and the capabilities of zooming in to artists and crowd portraits. This lens has a generous aperture width and allows fast shutters, making it a great lens for events you suspect could get messy. The zoom is also very smooth and coupled with the D7100s auto focus time this lens is useful for switching from subject to subject.
The lens is very light, which some consider to be a good thing. i do appreciate the lack of weight when it comes to hauling my bag around, however i much prefer to be able to feel the lens in my hands.
Overall this lens makes light work of busy and varied subjects, a perfect all-rounder for both novice and experienced photographers.
The Nikon AF-S DX 55-300mm F/4.5-5.6 VR....possibly my most used and loved lens in my bag. this lens is the perfect lens for anyone after a portable and lightweight telephoto lens without compromising on zoom reach and quality. This lens is very quick for a 300mm and unbelievably light, which in this case, is good. The lens offers a decent zoom to allow great close ups and capturing distant scenes. The lens also allows a fairly wide bottom area. which means i can capture most things and only swap lenses a few times during a shoot. The image quality is phenomenal and i have used this lens in situations varying from 30 second exposures for astrophotography to 1/3000th of a second exposures for mid-flight bird shots. This is a highly versatile and impressive lens.
I picked up my lens for around £180 from Amazon, an absolute bargain if you ask me.
Finally comes the "BEAST" the Sigma DG-EX HSM 50-500mm F/4-6.3 . My largest, Heaviest and most expensive lens. Again, i absolutely love this lens. On the other and, it is very impractical and difficult to handle. However, should you be willing to put the effort in, this lens offers an amazing zoom range and a fair aperture as-well. This lens has a great feel to it, but it is much better off on a tripod. i have shot with this handheld many times with no problems, i would just say it is very heavy and will be much nicer on your arms if it is mounted.
The zoom is fantastic and the focusing is quick. I would however have preferred a much closes focus area, to allow for macro images, athough a decent attempt can be made, especially if the lens is mounted in front of a good sensor to allow lots of cropping.
This lens set me back £900 for a reconditioned one. New, they vary from around £1000 to £1500.
If you have any questions or would like to share your experiences of these (or others like these) lenses please do not hesitate to contact me via email at ajthomasphotography@live.com or visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Once again, thank you readers
Here are the four lenses i will be comparing:
Sigma DC-EX 10-20mm F/4-5.6
Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR (kit)
Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR (kit)
Nikon AF-S DX 55-300mm F/4.5-5.6 VR
Sigma DG-EX HSM 50-500mm F/4-6.3
These are my four lenses, ranging from 10-500mm, with no area unreachable in between. I would like to review each lens and offer advice to anyone thinking about buying them (or something similar)
To start this off i will talk about my Sigma DC-EX 10-20mm F/4-5.6 Wide Angle Lens. To sum up my opinion of this lens, i take it with me everywhere, it never leaves the camera bag. This lens is fantastic. Although i rarely use it for my professional work, this is my lens of choice for my landscapes.
The Exterior of the lens feels very professional, i find the Nikon Lenses are mostly Plastic and have a very delicate feel to them, This lens is Heavy for it's size and is constructed of metal with a strange rubbery/felt coating. I much prefer the heavier lenses because i can feel the weight and i am less likely to drop the lens during changes. The Coating also offers extra grip.
Performance wise i have yet to discover a fault, it does everything you would want a wide angle to do. The lens is fast enough for me, although i have found it to be slower than my other lenses. I have gotten rather annoyed that i cannot zoom in very far, but that is only due to the fact i cannot be bothered to switch lenses again. Being a Wide Angle lens, it has to be taken into account that it is not as versatile as my others. which is why i am leaving out the negatives to this lens, as a loose Einstein quote "You can't judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree".
This lens was fairly expensive, although it has shot down astronomically since i purchased mine. I bought it second hand for around £350. However it can now be picked up brand new for under £400.
Next comes the kit lens, my Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR. This lens is the lens i got when i purchased my Nikon D7100. The Lens is absolutely brilliant for an events photographer, with the ability to go wide and photograph big scenes, and the capabilities of zooming in to artists and crowd portraits. This lens has a generous aperture width and allows fast shutters, making it a great lens for events you suspect could get messy. The zoom is also very smooth and coupled with the D7100s auto focus time this lens is useful for switching from subject to subject.
The lens is very light, which some consider to be a good thing. i do appreciate the lack of weight when it comes to hauling my bag around, however i much prefer to be able to feel the lens in my hands.
Overall this lens makes light work of busy and varied subjects, a perfect all-rounder for both novice and experienced photographers.
The Nikon AF-S DX 55-300mm F/4.5-5.6 VR....possibly my most used and loved lens in my bag. this lens is the perfect lens for anyone after a portable and lightweight telephoto lens without compromising on zoom reach and quality. This lens is very quick for a 300mm and unbelievably light, which in this case, is good. The lens offers a decent zoom to allow great close ups and capturing distant scenes. The lens also allows a fairly wide bottom area. which means i can capture most things and only swap lenses a few times during a shoot. The image quality is phenomenal and i have used this lens in situations varying from 30 second exposures for astrophotography to 1/3000th of a second exposures for mid-flight bird shots. This is a highly versatile and impressive lens.
I picked up my lens for around £180 from Amazon, an absolute bargain if you ask me.
Finally comes the "BEAST" the Sigma DG-EX HSM 50-500mm F/4-6.3 . My largest, Heaviest and most expensive lens. Again, i absolutely love this lens. On the other and, it is very impractical and difficult to handle. However, should you be willing to put the effort in, this lens offers an amazing zoom range and a fair aperture as-well. This lens has a great feel to it, but it is much better off on a tripod. i have shot with this handheld many times with no problems, i would just say it is very heavy and will be much nicer on your arms if it is mounted.
The zoom is fantastic and the focusing is quick. I would however have preferred a much closes focus area, to allow for macro images, athough a decent attempt can be made, especially if the lens is mounted in front of a good sensor to allow lots of cropping.
This lens set me back £900 for a reconditioned one. New, they vary from around £1000 to £1500.
If you have any questions or would like to share your experiences of these (or others like these) lenses please do not hesitate to contact me via email at ajthomasphotography@live.com or visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Once again, thank you readers
My First Event
Starting from my first Music/Event opportunity, i take you back to December 20th 2013, not long ago. Held at the MECCA in Swindon, this event marked the 40th Anniversary of Swindon Viewpoint. for the entire event i used my Nikon D7100 with my Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 telephoto lens. This event was the kick-start to my working relationship with a local artist, ironically named AJ (below)
This opportunity was given to me by a College Tutor who could not attend the shoot herself due to pregnancy. The shoot went relatively well considering i had little to no experience, once the night was finished i began editing. Upon completion of the editing i uploaded some image to my Photography Facebook account and began locating the bands, asking if they wanted their shots. every single act i contacted told me they wanted the shots, however only one of them replied afterwards to give me their email addresses. The only act that gave me their details was AJ, my now regular client.
As a whole the shoot went surprisingly well, however i see many issues. The biggest issue was with my watermarking. This was my first watermark and by far the worst. Having been so desperate to get my name out there, i forgot to focus on what shows the viewer the photograph is mine. I settled with a fancy script writing reading "AJ Thomas Photography". Bad idea! 
Firstly, this watermark is far to tall and long, it imposes a lot on the image. Secondly, the watermark is far to fancy, making it almost impossible to make it flow with the image. Thirdly, this watermark is often hard to read due to colour and shape, it often blends into the image and somehow distorts the image at the same time. 
Since this shoot, i have developed a number of Watermarks for different jobs, i now have a logo in which i use as-well as the writing. this creates a far more eye catching but not too distracting watermark. i will delve further into watermarks on a future blog.
if there is any topics you would like me to review or discuss please let me know at ajthomasphotography@live.com or visit my facebook pages following this link https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Saturday, 20 September 2014
This Blog
This Blog
For the sake of professionalism and partly popularity, this blog will be focused solely on my work as a professional photographer. This means my blog will be focused around music and events photography, should you desire to see or read about my work as a landscape/wildlife photographer, please email me at ajthomasphotography@live.com and i would be happy to set up/talk about or direct you towards my personal work.
To kick start this blog from a slightly more professional angle, i will reintroduce myself. As you may have previously read, my name is AJ Thomas, and i am a student currently undergoing a HND qualification in photography. As this is my 4th and final year of studying photography, it is the perfect time to start attempting to get my name out there and gain some sort of following. Despite this, i would like to keep the atmosphere relatively informal. I am by no means a photographic know-it-all, and would like to show those who are following me my true personality and allow my followers to watch as my work (hopefully) improves. I would also like to hear feedback of my work, good or bad, and would like to keep my audience comfortable and relaxed.
I hope you continue to follow my blog, and we can both gain something from a blogger - audience relationship. please do not hesitate to contact me via email, and i would be happy to accept followers on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Friday, 19 September 2014
Introduction
AJ Thomas Photography
Hello, my name is AJ Thomas, i was born in 1995 and have spent the past 4 years studying and working as a photographer in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. In case you haven't already guessed, i am new to blogging and have no concept of what is or is not a "bloggable" statement, so i will begin with a short backstory of my life and how i came about to be a photographer.
I was born in Swindon and have have lived in the village of Chiseldon for 14 years. I spend most of my time juggling between photographic work/study, music and socialising with close friends and family.
My passion for photography started back in 2011, shorty after leaving secondary school. After having my inspiration for both music and art destroyed by GCSE study, i found myself struggling to decide what to study as AS/A Level. At this time the house was undergoing some work, which included repairs to our chimney. This meant that for several weeks the house was surrounded by scaffolding.
One day, mostly out of boredom, i decided to climb the scaffolding and listen to my music, i spent a lot of time sat up there enjoying the view of my rather rural village. As the sun started to set i found myself in complete awe of natures beauty, it was around August time and the sunsets were absolutely phenomenal. The next day i decided to watch the sunrise again, but this time i brought up my mothers 10 Megapixel Compact Kodak camera. The shots of the sunrise left me feeling both satisfied yet desperate for more. From here it was suggested i spent a few days taking photographs in an attempt to produce a small portfolio for late enrolment at Level 3 Photography.
I managed to make a good enough portfolio to be accepted as a late entrance onto the course, eventually being gifted my first camera, a Kodak Easyshare Compact. From here i upgraded to a Nikon D3100, which was eventually Stolen. Once i had moved onto DSLR i began learning fast and found myself as a photographer.
Since then i have passed the Level 3 Course with a Triple Distinction and am currently on my final year of a Higher National Diploma in Photography. My Kit bag now consists of a Nikon D7100 with a verity of lenses ranging from a Sigma 10-20 wide angle to a Sigma HSM 50-500mm Telephoto, with others in-between. Alongside the kit you would expect (Tripods, Remote Shutters, Filters etc.) I also own a low power studio flash unit and backdrops.
My main area of Expertise is Landscape and Wildlife Photography, however i work mostly as a music and events photographer in and around Wiltshire. I hope you will follow me on my journey through the photographic world as i exit the education system and enter the world of professional photography. I will be updating as regularly as possible, and hope to improve my skills as both a photographer and a blogger, so please bare with me.
if you would like to contact me, i can be found on Facebook by clicking this link: ://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Alternatively, you can email me at ajthomasphotography@live.com
Thank you
AJ
Hello, my name is AJ Thomas, i was born in 1995 and have spent the past 4 years studying and working as a photographer in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. In case you haven't already guessed, i am new to blogging and have no concept of what is or is not a "bloggable" statement, so i will begin with a short backstory of my life and how i came about to be a photographer.
I was born in Swindon and have have lived in the village of Chiseldon for 14 years. I spend most of my time juggling between photographic work/study, music and socialising with close friends and family.
My passion for photography started back in 2011, shorty after leaving secondary school. After having my inspiration for both music and art destroyed by GCSE study, i found myself struggling to decide what to study as AS/A Level. At this time the house was undergoing some work, which included repairs to our chimney. This meant that for several weeks the house was surrounded by scaffolding.
One day, mostly out of boredom, i decided to climb the scaffolding and listen to my music, i spent a lot of time sat up there enjoying the view of my rather rural village. As the sun started to set i found myself in complete awe of natures beauty, it was around August time and the sunsets were absolutely phenomenal. The next day i decided to watch the sunrise again, but this time i brought up my mothers 10 Megapixel Compact Kodak camera. The shots of the sunrise left me feeling both satisfied yet desperate for more. From here it was suggested i spent a few days taking photographs in an attempt to produce a small portfolio for late enrolment at Level 3 Photography.
I managed to make a good enough portfolio to be accepted as a late entrance onto the course, eventually being gifted my first camera, a Kodak Easyshare Compact. From here i upgraded to a Nikon D3100, which was eventually Stolen. Once i had moved onto DSLR i began learning fast and found myself as a photographer.
Since then i have passed the Level 3 Course with a Triple Distinction and am currently on my final year of a Higher National Diploma in Photography. My Kit bag now consists of a Nikon D7100 with a verity of lenses ranging from a Sigma 10-20 wide angle to a Sigma HSM 50-500mm Telephoto, with others in-between. Alongside the kit you would expect (Tripods, Remote Shutters, Filters etc.) I also own a low power studio flash unit and backdrops.
My main area of Expertise is Landscape and Wildlife Photography, however i work mostly as a music and events photographer in and around Wiltshire. I hope you will follow me on my journey through the photographic world as i exit the education system and enter the world of professional photography. I will be updating as regularly as possible, and hope to improve my skills as both a photographer and a blogger, so please bare with me.
if you would like to contact me, i can be found on Facebook by clicking this link: ://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007321418710
Alternatively, you can email me at ajthomasphotography@live.com
Thank you
AJ
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