My first photography trade show and seminar – Part 1

On Sunday October 30, I put myself through an exhausting day as I attended the Edmonton Photographic Trade Show and Seminar put on by McBain Camera. I started early with the intention of going to some of the photo seminars being offered. The trade show was packed all day – lots of exhibitors with the latest in technology, some lenses that I swear you could see Mars with, and need an assistant to help you carry.

My first seminar was a well taught and informative “Sports Photography For all Levels,” facilitated by Warren Gamache. Warren taught us a lot of very simple techniques that can be used for big, professional sporting events, or just shooting your kid’s bantam hockey game or soccer game.  Some of Warren’s advice:

• Get to the venue early to get a good spot and bang out some test shots
• Hockey can be tricky lighting wise because of the white ice. Practice with your white balance and settings
• In sports/ action photography, the action should be coming towards you for the most impact
• 1/500 shutter speed will freeze most human action, so it’s a good starting point for sports
• Use a wide aperture (2.8) and as high of an ISO as needed, but not so high as to get graininess
• Al servo is a good focus setting to track a moving subject
• Get your “bread and butter “ shot first, then go ahead and get creative
• Get reaction shots, facial expressions and unusual moments
• Never use your flash (that’s why a wide aperture and high ISO). If you do you’ll be the guy that distracted the player from making his shot, and could make you VERY unpopular.
• Shooting position – drama usually happens in the corner of the field, not at the center line

Next I was off to “5 Minutes to impact” – Photo Editing, by Robert Bittner. Robert went over some really simple Photoshop Elements techniques to enhance your photos. He showed us that just a few simple enhancements, in less than 5 minutes can really make your photos look much more professional. I learned a little about vignetting, some new sharpening techniques and how to use layer masks. I won’t go into too many technical details here, but I have tried a few of the techniques and had some success.  I found a 20 minute Photoshop seminar is just not enough time, so I may end up taking McBain Photography’s full day course on the same topic.

Stay tuned to my blog for another few updates on the other workshops I took at the trade show. Drop me a line anytime.

TTFN