Don’t ask what the story is. Ask what emotion you want to feel.
Next to shadow, I think SHUTTER SPEED is the most undervalued creative tool. Today, I will show what years of experience have taught me about it. I’ll add shutter speed notes on each photo.
The exact speed matters.
We talk about aperture and bokeh a lot. But the shutter can transform the simple scenes into something beautiful. Something that provoked thought and questions.
I think a lot of new photographers just think slow vs fast. But you can see that nearly every one of these was distinct. Slow for one scene might be 1/30th, but for another, you need 1/2 second.
Editing Notes: There’s a wide variety of photos here, so I used everything from Filmist presets to Silver and Alchmeist actions. I tried to note each photo.
But a slow shutter is often overlooked in portraits and in documenting. Clearly, there is more risk, as many photos simply do not work. This was done in film days. It’s far more open now. Cameras with IBIS, especially smaller cameras like Micro Four Thirds, have amazing stabilization. This even lets us shoot handheld at over 1-second, creating dreamy movement very different from being on a tripod.
If I need some inspiration, I will often just drop the shutter to 1/4 or even slower and see what happens. Of course, pay attention and don’t forget to go back up if you are doing important work. You don’t want to photograph a whole wedding blurred.
Yes, the pristine landscape here was on a tripod. I love tripods, and you should use them. But in a world of AI where photos need emotion, the movement of hand holding with practice can become magical and ghostly, and still even sharp at critical points.
Each time you try a speed, you discover something.
20 years ago, when new and on film, I was the photographer at Motor Speedway. I would always get the essential photos of the cars that I had paid me. But then, being bored and cars went in circles, I would slow the shutter speed and do creative panning. While some failed, many did now, and these images created motion, and the drivers loved them.
It’s not easy. Don’t get frustrated.
Blurring photos on accident is easy. Blurring them with intent takes time.
In a digital world, we often think that having a good camera and its ability to take good photos make us photographers. But anyone can hit a good photo sometimes, without training. But if you think that way, you will always be a commodity. You might get paid, but you will never achieve your full potential.
When we seek emotion in photos and test our limits. We get so skilled at the basics that we start exploring even in the middle of a job with confidence. That is when you realize why it takes many years to master the art.
My weekly Master Shadow Tips are really about hunting shadow and framing for drama, like we talk about in my free Shadow Hackers LIVE workshop.
The worst thing about events.
The problem is photos that look like they came from a stage. Concerts, weddings, performances. Podums. How can we avoid making that the focus? How do we make event photos into art?
Tools used in editing: These were edited mostly with Filmist and Silver presets (grab the free mini packs of both of these on the pages) annd also a little PowerFlow 8 as well.
I was fascinated by the Traditional dances in Tequisquipan, Mexico. But, thinking about how stage photos are so boring. Thinm, about your events. Amazing dancers, outfits, or singers backed by podoums and sponsored messages that make everything feel, well, staged.
I did an exercise and the results got me some great photos and a lot og local attention on these photos. Because the other people there did know that photos that looked like these.
Focus on avoiding photos that draw the eye to a stage.
Of course, there are times you want to show a stage or set. But usually, you don’t want props or sets to be the focus. You want the photos to have a feeling.
So I looked for a shadow to frame things like I talk about so often.
Instead of staying wide, I used a Sony 85mm 1.8 portrait lens on my NikonZf. A bit long, but it forced me to compose tightly and focus more on movement and feeling. I used the backlights to create deeper shadows while exposing down, ignoring the camera exposure recommendations.
I worked from the side, avoiding the ugly sponsor backgrounds that plague public events. I shot from the side, from behind, and off the stage I walked about I asked questions about the outfits. Turning my back on the stage.
Every frame was intentional.
There was zero spray-and-pray here. I was looking for closefor frames that stood on tehir own.
I took candid photos of dancers playing between sets. They were taking photos of each other with tehir phones, but I was taking photos of them. Avoiding the sterile posing they are used to doing at public events.
When I did photograph the stage, I used methods like slow shutter speed to show movement. Tight view to draw attention or to place people or objects in front of the lens to frame the subject. Sure, you could bring a zoom or a wider lens. But forcing myself to stay at 85mm created a difficulty that made me look harder.
Fearless Shadows and rich edits.
I shot for shadow and I edited for it. I used presets and film looks I know work and create natural drama like Kodachrome 64. I did not fall for traps like canking up shadow sliders.
The deep frames mixed with avoiding front stage views, going behind the stage, where no one was taking photos, and focusing on creative compositions, combined with often slow shutter speeds, create movement that also makes the photos feel more alive.
Instead of thinking like an event photographer. I thought more like a street photographer. I thought it was an interesting exercise, and the principles from this can be applied to any event, wedding.
Get out of your comfort zone and just watch what happens.
I have started to realize that actual photo technique is barely taught anymore. But only when I started looking around did I realize what the late Ken Whitmire taught about managing background is barely known.
Because eits a method of understanding tone. I admit those who never learned the rules rarely understand how to do this so it’s rarely spoken of. But these 3 approaches let you control every background.
But unlike rules, this approach makes everything more flexible. It extends what I show you in Shadow Hackers. That is the separation of the subject using tone that can make any lighting situation beautiful. So the more you practice this, the more second nature it will become.
Most think of a classic studio setup when we talk about key light. The way I’m showing you today is to clarify that this works in any place and with any light source. Once you understand, you can bend it in any way you want to.
Remember, your key light can be any source. And if you don’t like it, you just move, add a more powerful light, or alter how the light affects your subject.
Don’t always do it the same.
People in Facebook groups who want to feel like experts will always correct everything. But always base their suggestion on the experience they demonstrate.
Meaning with light, everyone wants to make you follow the rules of patterns and ratios. You should know these and the exposure methods we talk about in Exposed.
But I hope I illustrated in the video that it’s not about the background always being darker by a stop (though this is a good starting point). It’s not always about the ley line being in a certain place. It’s not about whether you use a flash. It’s all about getting pleasing light on your subject, whatever that is to you, and creating separation rather than having to battle with distractions.
There’s no bad background.
This may sound crazy. I know we all love an old castle or hacienda. But if you know how to key for the background and combine that with framing, composition, and maybe moving a trash barrel now and then, you can make any place a stunning scene for a photo.
The secret is to have a great subject and make sure everything in the photo works for that subject, not against by how to use your key light and mix it with the other lights, elements, and details.
It’s not always a question of right vs wrong, either. In the photo below, we have late afternoon sunlight as the key. And a few minutes later, we have sunset shade. Everything changes from the skin texture to the color and the way the background blends.
All this sounds easy right? As a photographer, you know better. But it is simple, and the more you keep this 1,2,3, keep for the background process in every photo, the easier it becomes. Go try it and watch what happens.
Have you seen people scoff at the idea that they should learn photography before going pro? Only to have them asking next week how to fix the wedding photos they ruined?
If you don’t have the experience, don’t fake it.
I was called a gatekeeper. Here’s what I actually said.
I think Photography is one of the few jobs on earth where experts are called outdated gatekeepers if they try and promote professional standards.
I’ve spent decades challenging myself. I make master classes in photography. I also share my knowledge freely. In almost any skill industry. If you have LESS than 2-4 years of experience, you’re not pro-ready. In most fields, experts have to approve of you first.
Yes, in photography, you also NEED years of dedicated study or apprenticeship. You should NOT try to be a professional, worrying about what to charge for your work. You may have talent and some good photos. But you’re probably not ready, and that’s OK.
A nice camera will take a good photo. If you happen upon the perfect scenes, you will get it. But the perfect scene is not real life. Being a photographer is an understanding of space, position, line, and tone. And even more of interacting with people. Posing, sales, marketing.
I have 25 years of trial and error. We need time to practice. We are the joy of learning before insisting on going PRO. That’s why so many are ruining weddings or begging for help after sessions because clients are unhappy. They are doing a job they never learned.
Buying a stove does not make you a chef.
Then why does buying a cool camera make you a photographer? because we can fake it in Photoshop by using AI generation to add in the part we missed. That’s not a photo; it’s using someone else’s, while you send Adobe money for the privilege of faking it.
Being a professional or expert in a craft does not mean you simply bought the tools. It means you learned that trade. That this is divisive when in any other trade it’s normal, shows the profession has become TOXIC.
This was a respected profession – Now it’s barely taught!
The attitude that experience is something to be mocked because you got some great photos or someone paid you is dangerous. These photographers often burn out quickly because they never learn the trade as a whole and respond to any criticisms with scathing accusations of gatekeeping.
When I started, I practiced for over 5 years before I even started charging. This was normal in the early 2000s. I understand there’s no absolute rule here. But in a fix-it-later world, we get offended by the idea that we are not great artists NOW!
Half of the photos in this post have won awards at PPA international competitions. About as tough as it gets. But when I shared this on social media, they were called low quality by the photographers.
So can we no longer have any professional standards? Do we have to accept constant AI fakers from new photographers as master works because the internet likes them?
“You’re a gatekeeper Gavin! It’s subjective!
What is going on? I went deep into toxic Facebook groups to find out. In fact, this is a topic I started in the groups. It got hundreds of likes, but nearly every comment was defensive or trying to belittle my own work.
This Seattle photo from 2011 won a lot of prestige and awards for me. It also helped me understand. Talent can be natural, but skill still always takes time. Study and practice. Even when I officially became a master, I realized I was not nearly good enough.
Photography now is driven by selling new cameras that convince new photographers they will be amazing because of good gear. It’s helped drive an incredible amount of argument among new photographers, which in the end prevents them from learning the craft.
It’s easier to make decent photos than ever and harder than ever to stand out. It could be said that gear is being used as the real gatekeeper. When in reality, the camera matters very little.
Dare I say, good photos are not always subjective – I’m not saying the government should fix our profession. But we should stop pretending there are no standards. There are objective guidelines who what a good photo is and how to create it. Just like learning to make music or furniture.
Sure, it’s subjective. But there are guidelines. High-level competitions and judges force you to face how great your photos are. Like PPA’s international juried competitions. I was young and arrogant, also. I pitted myself against people with decades of experience and got my ass handed to me. I got upset, but when I got over that ego, I learned a lot and pushed harder and eventually became a master photographer myself.
Most viral photos today are AI fakery.
I don’t use Ai generation to create scenes. But these day you can get more likes in a photo of your camera than the photos it takes!
Because the viral photos are fake. They are created by Ai or partially created by Ai fill tools like in Photoshop. Yes. Doing any major portion of a photo this way makes it a fraud. You didn’t create that amazing background of a bowing dress. It was plagiarized from a photographer who did.
Real photos matter. Fake AI photos are not photos. But Adobe does not care because they get paid. So we have to demand proof of whether the photo is real. Because
It’s not bad to be a hobbyist.
I think this is the biggest point people miss. The idea that they are not ready to be a pro is an insult. If you fly a hobby plane, would you be offended if a commercial pilot said you were not ready to fly a jet?
Going pro can quickly take the joy out of a thing, and we’re always being pressured to turn our hobbies into a job. But slow down. As you improve, do things with friends. After a few years, maybe help someone who can’t afford a wedding photographer. Try things that are safe and learn like ANY other skill. Is it gatekeeping that you started playing violin last month, but are not invited to play in the Christmas concert?
This is not gatekeeping. It’s where we are as a profession. The time you study is now a hard rule. real photography should be. I share what I know and learn from others. Take the time to learn for real so you become a true expert. Learn the power of a well-crafted photograph. Because the AI bubble will burst.
Every photo I added in this post was rejected by Lightroom’s Assisted Culling. That’s because feeling and emotion that AI tools don’t get. Every
Most photographers are no longer taught that the way they cull defines their work. It’s one of the hardest skills for most image makers, and it can’t be left to a machine.
Use good tools, but always practice better culling.
I can teach Shadow and light and space, and line. But learning how to pick the best of 20 photos from the same pose is something only years of practice can teach you.
If we start handing this off to a machine, even when that machine is better than this admittedly per-release version. We will lose that skill, and photos will all look the same.
AI tools homogenize art.
Whether Ai generation of culling. It takes away the nuance that makes photos great. That is atmosphere and feeling and soul and the vision we had when we pressed the shutter.
