Learning - Toby Dawson Photography

Just starting? Want to fine tune? Want to learn something new? Send me a message and let's discuss what you want to learn.

"What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?"

"How did you get good at photography?"

"What gear do you use?"

"Which lens is your favorite? Why?"

"When you go out to shoot, do you take any essential items other than a camera and lens?"

"Among the photography gear that you’ve purchased, is there something you wish you hadn’t bought? Why?"

"What are your favorite settings?"

"What kind of tools do you use for post-processing? What’s your workflow like?"

"Out of all your photos, which one is your favorite? Why?"

"Whose work has influenced you most?"

And my favorite:

"What is the general mood of the photos you take and why?"

Source: Various sources, including YouTube.

Note: The settings may vary slightly based on your camera body, lens, and light source.

Take a test picture to get a completely black screen on the back of camera. Adjust camera settings as needed.

Take a second picture with the subject lit as needed. The black background remains.

Make sure the location is meaningful (adds to the story).

Look for areas of open shade.

Find some leading lines.

Look for backlit leaves.

Search for beautiful textures.

Add in geometric shapes.

Make sure the location has layers (depth).

Find rows of trees.

And my favorite:

Try to find a unique location that has not been 'shot' too often (and blur the background as needed).