Stop shooting from standing height only to improve your photos

Getting low not only gave a different perspective, but let me tie the people in the foreground to the signage in the background to help give context to what is going on with them.

Most of us all take pictures from standing height. It's convenient more than any other reason.

So few people vary their shooting position relative to subjects, so that when you do your photos have stopping power. There are basically 2 approaches that I recommend trying every time you photograph a subject: 1) bird's eye view and 2) worm's eye view.

I put the camera on the floor for this photo.  This takes some practice to be able to shoot this low and compose.  I have worked on this and can see what I am getting without always looking through the viewfinder.

Get as low as you can and shoot up to the subject. This is called the worm's eye view for obvious reason.

At almost every Chick-fil-A grand opening, the first 100 customers arrive 24 hours and camp out to get Chick-fil-A for a year for free.

Get up above the subject to help give us the overall perspective. This is called the bird's eye view.

To get the birds eye view I rented this crane for me to go up above.  I like using helicopters for this, but the helicopter would have created such a down draft of wind on all those tents it just wasn't worth risking it.

When you get low and high also vary the lens you choose. Shoot a wide, standard and tight shot from each perspective of low and high.

If you do this regularly you will find that as you explore the subject you may discover the unique angle not only has stopping power, but also may give you a decisive moment and perspective that tells the whole story in one photo.

Remember if a subject made you stop and take a 2nd look with your camera it most likely stop other folks as well—if you work at it to find the most interesting perspective.

Photos used by permission of Chick-fil-A

Hire a professional photographer for technical and for the artistic

When you hire a professional photographer, they show up with the right equipment to deliver high quality images.  One thing is a seasoned pro shows up with is flashes to use outside with group photos on sunny or cloudy days.

I used a flash on this overcast day to help with being sure you see everyone's eyes.  If you don't use a flash you will often have raccoon eyes, where those with deep socket eyes have shadows covering the eyes.  The flash also gives a catch light.  One more thing is often on overcast days the color shift can rob a photo of the color that the flash can put back.

This is the time of year for diploma presentations to graduates as in this photo.  A seasoned pro will be sure the background is appropriate and the lighting looks natural and you can see everyone's faces.

While posed photos are often the ones chosen, today people always like to have a "fun" shot.  While you would never have a person who is part of a group photo up above everyone else for the "fun" photo it can work.  Again the photographer needs to be ready for the moment when it happens.  This is not a 1, 2 and 3 count off photo and then fire the camera--you have to anticipate.  If you wait until you see it--it is too late.

Using flashes effectively comes from years of not using a flash like in this photo.  You have to see the light before you can make it look natural.  It is also another reason to hire the seasoned pro, they will deliver "moments" rather than just lining people up and getting good expressions in a group photo cannot replicate.  This requires a photographer to feel the moments and capture the mood. 

Graduations are ceremonies for change.  We need them to help us say goodbye to the way things were and help us to prepare for the future.  Weddings are as much a funeral celebration to the single life as they are to the future as husband and wife.  Graduations are a time when people are saying goodbye to the friends they shared for the past year or years on a journey.

Photography plays a really big part in helping us with these transitions in life.  They give us something tangible to help us remember.  We will remember the friends and maybe want to reconnect after looking back at the photos.

If you hired the pro rather than having your friends with cameras take the photos you are more likely to have memories that tell the story to future generations. The professional photos capture your personality and tell something about you to your grandchildren that words alone would not capture.

Why are you here?

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

— Ephesians 2:10

Fellowship Of Christians United in Service, Hamilton, GA

“Stanley, why were you created?” is a question I remember being asked by my grandfather Rev. Knolan Benfield. 

My grandfather then quoted Ephesians 2:10 to me and let me know I was created to do good works. 

I believe one of the greatest movements in my lifetime has been volunteerism.  I saw this movement start in the late 60’s for me.

As a child I remember professional missionaries speaking to churches where they helped raise support. Most of the missionaries were all college graduates who often had masters and doctorate degrees in things like theology, law, agriculture and medicine.

Student marks the board to be cut as part of a roof repair for an elderly woman's house in Hamilton, Ga.

These missionaries felt called to give of their lives in service around the world.  They prepared through education so they would be well qualified to do the work in a different culture.  They would go to language school and learn to speak a foreign language.

Students clean the landscaping of Fellowship Of Christians United in Service offices in Hamilton, Ga.

Loren Cunningham started Youth With A Mission in the 60s when the mainline church thought that unskilled youth should not be encouraged to do short term mission’s projects.  It took a while to grow the concept to today.  YWAM currently has over 16,049 full-time volunteer workers in nearly 1,100 operating locations in 171 nations and trains 25,000 short-term missions volunteers annually.  It is a movement still growing and thriving today.

Former U. S. President Jimmy Carter got involved with Habitat for Humanity in 1984.  Habitat for Humanity is devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing using primarily volunteers.

IMPACT 360 student cuts board for roof repair in Hamilton, Ga.

Pay it Forward is a movie produced in 2000 about a 11 ½ boy’s response to school assignment to devise and put into action a plan that will change the world for the better.  Most folks feel like they need to give back to those who help them, but this boy’s concept is to Pay it Forward and creates a movement.

This past weekend I photographed college students who are in a gap year program in Pine Mountain, GA doing a service project. One of the appealing things about this college program is the service component and students are seeking ways to Pay it Forward in their communities.

John and Trudy White founded the college gap year program called IMPACT 360.  Trudy is the daughter of Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. One of the cornerstones of Chick-fil-A is based on biblical principle of service.

It's the same way with the Son of Man. He didn't come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.

— Matthew 20:28

Elderly woman watches as the IMPACT 360 students and alumni put in stairs to her home in Hamilton, Ga.

The students each year enjoy their time of service and after they graduate they come back for alumni weekends to work alongside the current students in service projects.

Are you living up to your purpose—doing good works?

See the Big Picture

This is a clip of Carrie Underwood playing the youth minister to Bethany Hamilton in the movie Soul Surfer.

Our family just saw the movie. in another scene Carrie Underwood showed a close-up photo of an insect’s eye to the youth group asking the kids to identify what they were seeing. She then would zoom out and show the bigger perspective. 

Throughout the movie we see the theme of there are bigger perspectives that we need sometimes. Carrie quotes the scripture Jeremiah 29:11:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Early in my career I covered a similar story.  I got to be with the Newberry family, as they had to deal with their two year old son Philip’s loss of hands and feet due to spiral meningitis. Here is that story.

Often we can get too focused on a project and not see how it fits into the “bigger picture.”

One of the ways I try to help my clients is to see the photos I am shooting for their project can be used for other projects. What I encourage now more than ever is to get a big perspective early.

If the project you are working on maybe part of something bigger for the company for example, you may want to consider pulling the stops out to make an more upfront investment that over the course of the company initiative will be used over and over which brings down the cost per use over time.

One thing is that if you think something is really big and decide it should be a video and don’t assign a writer you then will have to have someone go back and spend more time backtracking to get text to use for other parts of the project through the year. Another downside of video alone is that it doesn’t work in print very well.

I think when you have big stories to cover you should consider always using text and think of still images next. The stills can be used in slide show with audio, used on website, used in print and have shelf life to be used later in PowerPoint, poster, display booth, billboards and more.

Sometimes video alone is sufficient because the story will not have many facets.

Think big picture right away. Ask this question: Will this be part of a larger initiative? If the answer is yes take a little more time involving a team to be sure you have explored the possibilities.

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.

-- Alan Lakein