I wanted to walk you through a few photos and let you see what I think makes the images work.

In photo #1, I think a few things help make this photo work. Here is a quick bullet list of things that I think help make this work.

• Rule-of-thirds—The man gesturing is on the right top thirds
• Good use of Light—The light is coming onto their faces and brightest where the two men are in the photo
• Gesture—The man’s gesture helps you know he is talking to the man next to him. Also, the little girl’s finger under her nose shows possible sniffles. The little girl’s eyes also redirect you back to the man gesturing
• Shallow Depth-of-field [DOF]—The photo drops off in sharpness as you go back into the picture. Shallow Depth-of-field helps keep your attention towards the front of the man

I like this image of the ladies talking. Who can’t resist good “Window Light?” The rule-of-thirds is also working here. Shallow DOF keeps your attention on the lady listening. Catchlights in the eyes give life to her expressions. The hands communicate tension. I feel like she is dealing with some stress due to the position of her hands. With her head leaning on the wall, I also feel like she is relaxed and comfortable with this other lady. The other lady is slightly taller, and her body position and the lady listening to her communicate some authority. 

Street photography is a lot of grab shots. Here the wall is helping communicate the neighborhood where this young boy lives. You can tell that education is essential due to the signage. The little boy is relaxed in his body posture.

The photographer has a lot of space behind the boy and very little in front. The area helps create the tension that the future isn’t as hopeful. The boy’s expression questions and wonders who this photographer is, thus communicating a little pressure on the audience. The color palette is simple, yet the colors convey the Caribbean.

Photo #4 is of NBC news reporter Robert Hager covering a tornado disaster. Here the DOF is increased to be sure the viewer looks toward the debris in the background. Hagar is waiting to go on air and talk about the situation.

Here is where the elements of the videographer and his gear helps tell the story and, in essence, help to frame Robert Hager and the destruction.

In this photo #5, the subject is dead center, please pardon how this sounds, but this is why I put the issue in the center. The dead center usually is what you want to avoid, but it helps create even more tension here. The edges of the photo are trying to contain everyone in the picture. The lack of color around the image and then with the American flag center helps to make it pop and draw the audience’s attention. 

Here photo #6 uses color to help create interest and set the mood. Again, the light is off to the side and lets the viewer see the design of the lamp post. 

Using Rule-of-Thirds helped with the composition in photo #7. Also, using a shallow DOF, the eye goes to the sharpest part of the photo, which is the guy’s face. Here the expression of the man and the man he is looking at keeps you going back to the apparent friendship between the two guys. 

The light on the video camera in photo #8 helps start the eye looking and follow the morning to the subject. Also, all the cameras on the left are enabling to direct the eye to the right and the guys holding the trophy. Here the photographer has moved as close as possible and trying to contain everything in the frame.

Can you break down each of your photos? Today, study your pictures and those that catch your attention. Then, break them down so you can later use some of those techniques in your photos.

Be Prepared: The Motto of the Boy Scouts of America 

“Be prepared for what?” you might ask. For everything is the response, scout leaders will tell those who ask.

Be prepared to live happily and without regret, knowing that you have done your best.

I started scouting and then joined the Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol has continued to save lives and alleviate human suffering through various emergency services and operational missions. Best known for its search-and-rescue efforts, CAP flies more than 85 percent of all federal inland search-and-rescue missions directed by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

CAP spends a lot of time in training and education around aerospace. I remember going on camping adventures where we would practice search and rescue. We learned how to read maps and use our compasses to navigate rugged terrain.

I also went to the McGuire Air Force base in New Jersey summer camp. We learned to shoot M-16 rifles during that camp. We also took a ride in a C-141. Like all young boys, I wanted to go on a search and rescue mission and be in the woods with an M-16 rifle on maneuvers. I wanted adventure.

Most of us grew up learning a great deal of stuff that prepared us for where we are today. A good amount of what I learned in scouting and Civil Air Patrol are things I hope I never have to use, but I am thankful I now know what to do in an emergency.

Photographers need to be ready.

Like the scout we study, we know what to do in a given situation. But, I had to get to capture these wildlife photos.

Being ready today is often due because I wasn’t always in the past. For example, I now carry a tripod on every photo shoot. I may leave it in the car, but I can quickly get to it.

When I am shooting sports, I have long lenses and a monopod.

I also like to use the ThinkTank belt system that I customize with the gear I need for that event. I do not want to require a flash and not have it.

I even have KWP Knee Pads to help save my knees when shooting from the kneeling position.

Being Prepared can be Depressing.

By my senior year in high school, I finally dropped out of Civil Air Patrol. I was tired of doing practice runs for search and rescue and never getting actually to do a “real” search and rescue.

“Patience, young grasshopper,” Master Po often said to young Cain in the TV series Kung Fu.

Being a thrill seeker can get you into much trouble. A week ago, on my Google alert for my name “Stanley Leary,” an email alert came in for Sean “Stanley Leary,” who died from BASE jumping. Leary’s body, rigged up in his BASE jumping gear, was found 300 feet beneath a high ridge in the park’s West Temple area in Utah’s Zion National Park.

He was a thrill seeker.

I found, as a photojournalist, my heart pumping as I covered disasters. While, on one level, I was sad about the tragedy, I still enjoyed the rush of my blood pumping.

March Madness has some of the best moments in basketball history, and then it has had some moments where everyone wishes there was a mercy rule. Take the 1963 Mideast Regional, 1st Round: Loyola 111, Tennessee Tech 42 game. A 69-point difference in the score of the two teams.

I think there are no great photos when you Google those blowout games. They may even have a headshot of the MVP. The lack of great images is because the game wasn’t that interesting.

This year there have been many games coming down to the last few seconds where the winner won by just one basket. These games were great to watch and photograph.

I have covered many games where the two teams were playing flat. There was not much emotion or effort on the field for me to capture. When I edit, I try to find a photograph that tells the story, which is somewhat interesting for the viewer.

Blowout is a big contrast to those double overtime games I covered during March Madness, where I would have so many moments I had to narrow down my selection.

Being Professional Photographer in Flat Moments

It isn’t easy to photograph these moments where very little is going on. Lack of the obvious However, this is where the great photographers start to stand out truly. They look for exciting things that they now have time to look for as compared to those moments where so much excitement is happening you are just trying to capture what is happening.

The difference can be as simple as having a very introverted subject compared to an extrovert. , So yes, you can take great photos of each, and one is not superior to the other, but one may require you to work harder.

I have gone further downfield and used long lenses like a 600mm ƒ/4 lens to find a different angle.

I have gone to the corner of baseball fields to capture something different.

I shoot with a long lens from the other end of the basketball court to get something different.

I will use off-camera flash to help improve photos to give moments a little more oomph.

While I may not have as many ” keepers ” photographs from flat events, I will always have some that will work for my client. That is what they are paying me to do.

You cannot come back and say there was nothing to photograph. At my first newspaper job, the director of photography told me then to show me there was nothing to snap and don’t come back with anything.

At that newspaper, we sometimes went to places where no one was. So we would take a picture of the empty field and make it look good, showing we were there and nothing was going on.

I get depressed after some events because I don’t have much to show. I sit and think and wonder what I could have done better. I always think of something that I could have done a little better. If, in the end, you can say you know that you have done your best, then you can be comfortable with your work.

I am on my feet for the second day of a four-day meeting. The day starts around 6 am and goes past midnight every day.

Walking around from place to place with gear for this many hours can take its toll on you.

The Fujifilm X-E2 holds together the dynamic range I regularly see at this meeting. I love the color and the detail it captures.

I only regret this meeting because I only have one Fuji X-E2. If I had two, I could run around with just two lenses and get everything I needed with the cameras. I would keep the 18-55mm on one camera and the 55-200mm on the second camera.

Of course, the only downside I see with the camera compared to my Nikon D4 cameras for this event is the battery life. So, I am going through about three batteries a day.

The best part of carrying the cameras all day long would be the simple fact of the weight and size. I feel so much better if I all had two cameras and two primary lenses. As soon as the 10-24mm comes out, I would add this to the other two and have everything I need to cover meetings.

No matter if you are using a phone or meeting someone in person who you do not know, you are “Cold Calling.” If you play it right, this could be a “Warm Welcome.”

COLD CALLING is the sales process of approaching prospective customers or clients—typically via telephone, by email or through making a connection on a social network—who were not expecting such an interaction. The word “cold” is used because the person receiving the call is not expecting a call or has not specifically asked to be contacted by a sales person. A cold call is usually the start of a sales process generally known as telemarketing.

WARM WELCOME is a hearty, hospitable reception or greeting, as in We got a very warm welcome when we finally arrived.

My friend and I have met with a few photographers struggling these days. Today we had lunch with another newspaper photographer who lost their job. Sadly this is happening a lot these days.

First, this feels like crap for anyone going through this, and I have been through it two times. From the get-go, we wanted to let the person know that this has nothing to do with their skills but was most likely a numbers game. When that happens, you often will see some folks who kept their jobs while you lost yours, and it is hard to see the logic.

The great thing about these photographers is they are taking their time to asses their situation. They are also not sitting still either. This photographer had already created categories he will put on his website later. Personally, this photographer’s work was excellent. I wish I had all those images in my portfolio.

The photographer had some names of folks he was going to call. The plan is excellent that he had a portfolio just moments from being on his website and had some contacts already.

My friend and I had about 70 years of experience. However, this tip we shared with him didn’t exist for us until later in our careers.

What to avoid

The surest way to hit a dead end with a potential client is to ask them questions that are simple “Yes” or “No” answers.

Do you have any photography jobs that I can do? The answer is “Yes” or “No.”

What to do

Ask open-ended questions, more about the person and less about you and your photography. For example, someone just laid off can call someone and ask if they would meet with them. They explain that they were just laid off and would like to pick their brain.

Ask questions from your experience. If you could go back and start over, what would you recommend to someone like me? People like being asked for their expertise and will most likely talk to you.

Asking them for guidance and suggestions creates a sense of you seeking advice which is much different than asking for a job.

Some of the best folks to talk to are those who also went through a layoff. Surprisingly you will find many folks have been through this before. Most have a great deal of empathy and will offer some words of their wisdom.

Ask them before you leave if there is someone else that they recommend you talk to that could help them. Also, ask if they tell the new person that they referred them; most of the time, they will, which will help you get that next appointment.

Asking someone to look through your work and recommend how they might arrange it is a great way to get your work seen and keep the dialogue open with them.

You are starting a relationship.

It is much easier to follow up with them and say you listened to them and took their advice. You have done some things, and I wanted to review the changes you have made with you. Again, no need to ask for work.

The best advice I could ever give here is a simple observation. Those who are genuinely interested in building lasting relationships with people and not just using them are the ones who are the most successful in life.

If you ask for all this advice and never follow up to show the person how you listened and would like them to see what you have done, they know you were there only for a job and not a relationship.

Tom Kennedy, the director of photography at the time for National Geographic, had Don Rutledge, my mentor, contact him and ask to take him to lunch. Don continued to stop by every few months and enjoy lunch with Tom. Tom would also do the same thing with Don after a while.

One day Tom asked Don why Don had never asked for work from Tom. Tom then said that Don was the only photographer he had ever met that ever done this. Tom discovered that Don was genuinely interested in just having a friend.

Many people through the years had done the same to Don that photographers had done with Tom. They were not interested in a friendship; they just wanted a job.

My long-term goal for my career is to one day work with my friends. Guess what–that day is now for me. The reason is I did want a relationship with people and not just their money.