Once you have a camera and lens, the best addition you can make to this kit is a flash.

There are so many times that a flash would improve an image that you might not take that photo without a flash.

Here is a classic example of where there is more light behind the subject than on the subject.

I find myself in well-lighted rooms where I am on the opposite side, where the light is on the subjects’ faces, and with a small flash, I can at least get a photo that otherwise would not be possible.

Many might think you can change the exposure for the people’s faces, but then in some of these situations, the background would disappear.

If you buy a flash with TTL that matches your camera brand, you can do many exposure variations to get those moments.

I assume you understand the exposure triangle; if you do not, here is a blog explaining it.

There are two separate exposures you are controlling when using a flash. When you set the camera and use TTL flash, the default settings for most cameras will dial the ISO down to the lowest setting automatically if you are using Auto ISO. This will often cause the background to disappear.

Since the camera needs more light at a lower ISO, the camera is talking to the flash with the TTL technology and telling the flash to put out much light.

Here is a simple tip to help you still get the background and balance it for the subject. Take a picture without the flash on using Auto ISO and a shutter speed that will not blur the issue. Usually, 1/60 or 1/125 works. Then, pick an aperture that keeps what you need focused. Remember, if you are shooting with an extensive depth-of-field like ƒ/16, you need a powerful flash. So be realistic about that aperture. I usually shoot no more than ƒ/8 and most of the time around ƒ/4.

Once you take the photo, then make a note of the ISO setting. Then be sure you have your ISO minimum setting with AUTO ISO no more than one stop less than the photo you took without flash. Of course, you can always set the ISO manually and not use the AUTO ISO.

Now, remember that the flash can also be controlled while in TTL. There is either a menu on your camera to control the flash by sliding a setting from – 0 +. Having it at 0 on the EV scale and the camera set to an ISO of 1/3 to ½ under the proper setting gives excellent results.

Now there is much more you can do with that flash than what I mentioned here in this blog. Just type in the search window on this blog, “off-camera flash,” for many posts to help you do even more with this flash.

Photos that engage me the most at the ones that communicate emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically.

It is easier for a photo to do this with the photographer getting close enough to connect with people. This is especially necessary for photos whose purpose is to communicate a particular message to an audience.

Photojournalism is highly objective, and while some images can be stunning, there is little scope for direction or altering lighting conditions.

Documentary photography is very close to photojournalism, about recording an event or telling a viewer about something through a series of pictures. However, documentary photography needn’t be as objective as photojournalism, and the documentary photographer has more freedom to direct subjects, change the scene, modify the light, etc.

Editorial photography is about shooting for newspapers or magazines, but it is not photojournalism. Typically an editorial photographer will be producing portraits or documenting a workplace or an event of some kind for a feature in a magazine. The photographer does not need to be objective like a photojournalist but needs to meet the brief, often producing polished images that border on being commercial.

While I started in this profession as a photojournalist, I often worked as an editorial photographer. After working for a newspaper, I went to work for The Commission Magazine and the Foreign Mission Board. We were all photojournalists by training who were doing editorial work.

We were sent stories with a call to action, which is not part of photojournalism. We constantly asked the audience to take action and support the organization’s work.

Why do organizations continue to call me to help communicate their message? First, my portfolio shows that I can capture the emotional, spiritual, or psychological storyline for the audience.

So how do I consistently do this for my clients?

Before I go around the world for a client to do a story, I spend a reasonable amount of time asking questions to the client. These questions are what I need to know to be on purpose when I am working on the story.

1. What is the story or assignment? This is where I hear them tell me what they believe the story is about.
2. What is the call to action for this story?
3. Who is the audience, and how will they see or hear the story? For example, is this a printed piece, in a blog, will it be a video online, or will it be shown at a meeting?
4. Logistics questions come next.
   • Who is my contact on the field?
   • How long do I have with the subject to do the story? I am often negotiating this part.
   • When is the deadline for the photos, text, and video?
   • If a video which will be reviewing this and making editing decisions?

Most of the time, I try to connect with the subjects before I leave for my coverage. First, I will do a preliminary interview, which verifies what I have been told the story is about. This process involves getting to know the subject and building a relationship.

Once I am on location with the subject, I sit down and converse with them. I learn about them in general and not just about the story—things we may have in common to build upon. I get them talking as much as possible and only inject something about me and my connections into their lives to help develop a bond.

Once I have their story, I summarize the storyline to them and ask them if I have it correct. They may alter a point or two at this point. Once we agree on that storyline, I get to work.

At this point, I will transition to capturing the story with photos and video. I let them know what I need to do to get the content. Often if the story has to do about their work, then I ask them to follow them and often will see if we can be sure I get a list of things they do that relates to the storyline. This is the editorial photographer role. I am just asking them to do what they usually do, but we schedule when I am with them.

I give a little direction when we start and then let everything happen naturally. Then, since I am shooting to the brief of the organization that sent me there, I may ask them to repeat something so that I can get the photo from a different angle, or maybe I need to set up lights to reveal their faces or what they are doing.

Throughout my time with them, I will occasionally direct, but this is usually more like a movie director who asks for the actors to repeat a scene. I may have to move something out of the location that can be distracting. This would be a no-no for the photojournalist but OK for the editorial photographer. This is because the organization I am telling the story for isn’t a journalistic outlet. They are telling their story.

Depending on the lens, the audience will get a different vibe. A wide-angle lens requires me to get closer to the subject to fill the frame. Since I am more immediate, the audience will feel more intimate. I usually am less than three feet from the subject when shooting with a 14mm, 20mm, or 24mm lens.

While a portrait lens, like an 85mm lens, helps me compose a pretty tight headshot at a comfortable distance from them and keeps the proportions of the face looking good, I am usually about four feet from the subject.

Sometimes, I must back up and use a wide-angle lens to establish the subject in a location. The purpose of that photo is to show the context more than to see the expression on their face. Being further back to where you can see the person, but maybe the rest of the room will mean, at first glance, the audience is seeing the room. They may study the photo more and see a good expression, which is secondary to establishing context.

With video, I often need a sequence to help tell the story. So I may require the person to get into their car, drive to work, get out of the car, open the door to work, and so on. When necessary, I maybe use all my lenses and add lights inside the vehicle to show them without them being silhouetted.

As you can see, I need much cooperation from the subject to tell their story. You do not do this by just showing up and taking pictures or videos. You need first to get to know them. Throughout the entire process, I am still getting to know them.

To help make this easy to remember, start by talking your way in with the subject and then shooting your mode out of the story.

It is much easier to pull out a camera with a wide-angle lens and take some photos of a person you are having coffee with over a table than to start taking pictures and walking closer and closer with your camera.

I know from my degree in Social Work that the process of doing an intake interview and understanding their real needs is very similar to the storyline process.

Often after I have finished a story, it feels the same as a therapy session. The subject feels like someone has helped to tell their story more efficiently than they could and, in the process, feel like they understand how to tell people their story in the future much better.

How do you make better photos? First, get to know your subjects!

What Does it Mean to Capture the Moment? When we talk of capturing the moment in photography, we reference the feeling, emotion, vibe, atmosphere, or photo. And that comes from more than just the subjects or the scenery; it comes from the photographer, too.

It’s essential to capture these moments because they’re fleeting and forgettable—it may take a year or more to forget them. Still, without a timeless visual reminder, you can lose the feeling and never dig it up again. A photo can bring back the emotions, memories, and scents attached to the image.

It’s Called Anticipation

In photography, looking into the future involves imagining with high probability how the scene will play out in a time that’s later than “right now.”

When most people take their first photographs, they react to moments. Isn’t that so cute? Then they reach for the camera. They may love the photo because it is a memory jogger for them, but other people do not look at that photo and get the same feeling. The reason is that what made the moment “cute” is gone.

Anticipation is a skill that all great photographers use when searching for the right moment to press the shutter release.

Even if you are not a sports fan, you can understand why I use sports as a metaphor for how to anticipate a moment.

We know in baseball when the pitcher will throw a pitch and even when the batter will most likely swing. You can get in position with the right camera and lens and have the photo well composed. What decides when you push the shutter button is showing the pitcher in their windup or release of the baseball to home plate. If your camera is focused on the batter, you know that you must push that shutter release the moment you see the batter start to swing to capture the ball’s crack on the bat.

You can follow the action in sports because it is usually where the ball is in the game. I recommend new photographers shoot sports to get your sense of the moment by squeezing the shutter release so that you are getting those “moments.”

No matter where you are, there is an invisible ball at play. When people are conversing with another person, it is the same as a pitcher and a batter. One person comments, like a pitch, and the other person swings, like the batter.

People Watching

People-watching or crowd-watching is observing people and their interactions. It involves picking up on idiosyncrasies to interpret or guess another person’s story, exchanges, and relationships with the little details they have. This includes speech in action, relationship interactions, body language, expressions, clothing, and activities.

Studying body language can be very helpful in broadening the way you shoot and being more effective in your photographic storytelling, establishing mood, and heightening your awareness of how your clients and audience likely perceive the moments you capture (even subconsciously). You can use this knowledge to direct your subjects, aid in your observations, and know when a moment is right to illustrate your story or vision.

Many psychologists believe that non-verbal communication reveals as much or more than talking. People’s physical appearance, how they dress, and how they move and position themselves speak volumes. Much of what happens with body language is unconscious. People can monitor and control it to a certain degree. Still, often, their physical movement conveys their feelings when they aren’t verbalizing them, even when they don’t want to or can’t verbalize them because those feelings are unconscious. For example, research suggests that people, without even realizing it, lean slightly forward when thinking about the future and slightly backward when thinking about the past. This is because the body doesn’t know how to lie.

Two Tips

My two tips for capturing the moment are first aesthetic and second technical. But, of course, you must first have a sense of curiosity about the world in which you live. So, let’s start with something that gets you excited.

Many people taking photos will concentrate on nature, while others may focus on sports. So, pick a topic that gets your heart racing.

Someone who loves wildlife and nature will know when the best time to take photos is. For example, if you love wildlife, your curiosity will have you researching the best times and places to capture an image. Bird photographers know where to find those birds, and many even know how to attract a bird to get those photos. For example, they may put food out and wait for the birds to start coming to the food. They will have even anticipated which branch they will perch on before eating to get that photo.

So whatever your subject, become an expert in that subject. If it is your family, you may already know enough to start shooting.

The technical part of getting those moments is mastering squeezing the shutter release to get the “moment.” Part of that is knowing how to set the camera to get good exposure and position yourself to have the light work for you.

As you can see, capturing the “moment” is more than just seeing something and clicking. I hope you now know that those who capture “moments” consistently see the subject and anticipate those “moments.”

As a voter, you will help decide who will lead us. You make your voice heard on important issues that affect the future of our state and nation. Every time you use your precious right to vote, our democracy grows stronger. Participating in elections is easy when you have the tools and information.

Yesterday on election day here in Georgia, voters were deciding who would represent them in the Senate. This was a runoff election between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.

A canvassing group hired me to capture their people going door to door in Atlanta to find out what motivated people for this election. Canvassing is used by political parties and issue groups to identify supporters, persuade the undecided, and add voters to the voter’s list through voter registration, and it is central to get-out-the-vote operations. It is the core element of what political campaigns call the ground game or field.

I was listening to some of their responses and topics like the economy, healthcare, and women’s rights, and picking someone they wanted to represent them that they could trust would vote in their best interest was the top reason I was hearing from the voters.

These are just some of the photos from the day, and I hope you enjoy seeing how democracy in action looks in Atlanta on election day.

Food is an essential context for global and cross-cultural understanding. It is both highly international, as it is consumed worldwide, yet highly local, as there are significant variations in food across countries and cultures. 

One of the best experiences when traveling is the ability to taste food from different parts of the world.

Leisurely Meals Build Trust

In my family, I have the record for the most extended birthday meal. My family lived in Eastern North Carolina, and my parents had heard about Fondue. Since five of us put pieces of meat into the oil at one time, it took forever to cook. Fondue invites you to enjoy more than a meal. It invites conversation, laughter, and coming together over artisan cheeses, fresh salads, savory entrees, and indulgent desserts.

You will have to slow down if you are used to grabbing a quick bite to eat and continuing your work day.

Eating is a social act, even more so: a social event central to family and public life. Meals are the foundation of socialization, in the twofold meaning of the word: the place to learn the rules of living together and the place for social interaction, sharing, and friendly exchange.

When I travel, I try to take pictures of my food because this is one of the things that is an experience worth sharing with others. When I was on staff with an organization, the photo library staff told me to take pictures of the food because many children’s magazines loved to show children what other children around the world ate for their meals.

Dining Is A Collective Experience

For me, the best meals I have enjoyed are when I have been in the kitchen while there are cooking the meal. I get to know the people and see how they make the meal. But the best part is the food makes the experience more enriching for me.

All the photos are more of Grab Shots around the world. These are not studio food shots, just what others served me in many countries.

Top Photo Settings [NIKON Z 9, NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 2000, 1/8000, ƒ/4, (35mm = 100)]

Due to a mistake, I came across something I had not seen with other digital cameras.

After shooting inside with flash and balancing it with available light, I went outside for another setup. Unfortunately, I did not change the ISO from ISO 2000 to ISO 64. Due to this, I was shooting with a shutter speed of 1/8000.

The results you see in the top photo. It looks like Venetian blinds where a little light is getting through, and the existing light is still bright enough to light the rest of the face.

This is not the same as what you see with flickering lights that cause banding. Instead, mixing the flash duration with the 1/8000 created two exposures where the flash was hitting the subject.

There is no effect on the background because the flash wasn’t affecting it.

I used the Flashpoint XPlor 600 HSS TTL on a light stand and the 7” reflector with a diffuser. I was triggering it with my Godox X1. I was using TTL mode for the flash.

I was shooting in Aperture Priority, Auto ISO with the lowest setting turned to ISO 2000 due to shooting inside earlier. So the shutter speed would vary as the light changed.

Those photos shot at slower shutter speeds of 1/4000 didn’t have those lines.

This could easily be due to the Flashpoint lights and their flash duration in TTL mode.

This is the downside of not seeing your images on a large screen. Unfortunately, on the back of the camera, I did not think to zoom in to look for such an anomaly.

I immediately called my client and reshot those particular photos on my dime. Here is a couple of them here. I did change and use a softbox as well. I shot with the Nikon Z9, 85mm ƒ/1.8, with ISO 64, 1/125, ƒ/2.

Many other photos I have taken at 1/8000 and similar ISO have not had this issue. I hope to figure out what is causing this in the future, but I know that when I choose the lowest ISO possible, I have never seen those lines. Double-checking your settings is the takeaway from this unexpected failure.

People often ask me my favorite story or photo I have ever taken. That is like asking a parent who is their favorite child.

What that question has done to me over the years is make me think more and more about what I like to photograph the most. This has led me to ponder a great deal about what is important to me.

There are two types of assignments that I am continually pursuing. First, my needs require me to pursue those jobs that pay the bills. The second has me seeking those assignments that move my heart.

Surprise!

Seldom do I have a photo shoot where I don’t learn something new or meet a new person that enriched my life in some way.

I am always asking people about themselves and learning about their stories. Most of the time, I know so much more than the photos from those assignments reveal. Often I know things that are outside the project. So sometimes, I will come back later and do a story on what I discovered from that encounter.

ROI – Return On Investment

Everyone wants the work they do to be valued. I want my work to make a difference.

While working at The Hickory Daily Record, I shot images in print the next day and helped to inform the public. Since I lived in the same town, I covered stories over time and got personal feedback from the community.

Most of the feedback was that people enjoyed seeing their family and friends in the newspaper. They would even ask for copies of the photo for themselves. Another type of feedback was when people asked more questions about the stories. Again, my photography engaged them and had them interested in the story.

While on staff at Georgia Tech, I often photographed research, and those photos helped those researchers with more funding. For example, I once helped a researcher who told me that my work helped his team get a multi-million dollar contract with the Department of Defense.

When I did work with Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy asked the staff at the home office, “Are you helping the restaurants sell more Chicken?”

One of the first stories I did for Chick-fil-A was to help tell how an Operator in Kansas had created a Daddy Daughter Date Night event. This was used internally for the chain, and I would later hear that people were stopping my video and copying as much as they could from that video to do in their restaurants. That became the most successful event for Chick-fil-A. This helped in building their brand as the company that CARES.

I learned through the years that every type of photography, from headshots to sports, editorial, product, humanitarian, etc., impacts the bottom line. They could all make a difference.

Variety Is The Spice Of Life

The best part of my job is meeting people and hearing their stories. Even when taking a photo of a product, I have to meet someone and learn about that product to understand what I am trying to highlight.

I enjoy photojournalism and humanitarian work the most of all types of photography. The reason is that when I am done with the project, I will be able to share what I learned about the people I met with the audience.

My favorite type of assignment with photojournalism and humanitarian work is cross-cultural work. I love just going to another part of my town and meeting people from a different culture than my own.

It is like getting to try out new food. This reminds me that my happy place in the story is usually me sitting with the subject and eating some food. The best site for this is in their home and their kitchen. I love hearing their stories as they cook.

My Favorite Assignment

My next assignment is my favorite because this is when I will meet someone new and learn something I didn’t know before. The best part of this process is when I have figured out how to package this for you, the audience, to see. My greatest reward is doing those stories with a call to action.

I love telling stories that ask the audience not just to enjoy the story’s entertainment but to do something—asking them to get involved by giving financially or of their time. Stories like Habitat for Humanity are so rewarding.

Next Chapter

While I love telling stories, my greatest joy may be teaching others how to tell stories.

The most rewarding thing I can do right now, at this point in my life, is to be sure there are others to continue telling stories way past my time. I love doing workshops where the students are working on a story, and I get to help coach them through the process.

If you want to learn how to tell stories, drop me a line, and I would love to help you become a storyteller.