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.
I call it the lost Photoshop Panel. Because no one talks about what it can do and it took me 15 years to master it.
I’m talking about mastering the Actions panels. Users of actions like my new Alchemist 3 have been asking for some advanced tips. And I realized how little people know about this lost panel that’s’ more powerful than any plugin on the market.
I make lots of great presets like Filmist. But when I do actions people always ask me, can this run in Lightroom. The answer is always no. I make tools that make the native tools of these apps work faster and better.
A raw editor like LR or C1 can’t even come close to and old Photoshop CS6. The way they do layers is world apart and if you only use a RAW editor you’re only half editing your photos.
No not either apps either like Luminar or anything else. The ones that do have basic actions or scripts implement it really badly. That’s why I cant even make this stuff in other layer apps.
Watch the video and I’ll add more notes to this post later for some extra tips.
Your everyday carry could be any camera. But your cup holder camera is the one that does not live in a bag or even with a lens cap. It’s your cup holder camera.
This is the camera that will actually transform your work.
It can be a better photographer than any premium new body.
New overpriced cameras abound. But most of them are just copies of each other as camera makers ignore what photographers are saying and try to push every more premium toys on us.
But your Cup Holder Camera is rarely that expensive. Sure, you want a good camera, but as you know, if this video is a decade old, it will still be amazing. It’s about the agility of a camera that’s always ready and that makes you want to take a photo.
My CHC is usually a cheap to mid-priced camera that is really well-made and small. I know it’s going to get knocked around, and I know it will handle that, and that if something does happen, it’s not a huge deal.
Thinking like a journalist.
Whether you like landscapes, portraits, sports, or crazy events, the CHC is really about being a journalist. Being able to take any situation you find, grab your camera with a second thought, and get the photo.
Speed and agility are king. And if I jump out in the middle of a street fight to do something or say something, I also don’t want to be worried about how much I will lose if I get robbed or someone breaks my heart.
I’m not saying what you need to do is get a small camera so you can run into a police standoff. I’m just saying that a journalist’s mindset will make you take photos more, with more confidence, and improve every area of your work.
If you want to carry a Leica or get the high-priced Sony RX1R III, that’s fine. The main thing is that it’s a camera you will never have an excuse to toss in your cup holder and grab at a moment’s notice.
But a Pocket is even more accessible, right…
Maybe… In 25 years of doing this, the Cup Hold Camera I have found is the most convenient.
Even a pocket camera can get left behind. For example, my Sony RX100 was powerful if a little uninspiring to me. It was also very expensive and felt delicate. So in real life I neither wanted it kicking around the car or collecting dust in a pocket.
Perhaps the most “POCKET” camera in these times is the Ricoh GR, and while I don’t have one, I’ve been eyeing it as an even smaller solution for when I don’t even want a camera seen on my neck.
You want a camera you love. But it’s not about being trendy. The Fuji X half is more of a fun overpriced toy than a true pocket camera, and it’s not even well built, so as a CCH it’s not the best choice either.
Camera companies are trying to make expensive fashion accessories instead of really great cameras. They think if they can become Apple and trendy, they will get those numbers back. It won’t work in the long term.
So I think the lack of a truly pocketable camera in 2025 is a problem, and I hope we’ll see more quality compact cameras in the coming years. For now, I think buying used is the best way to send a message and get a great, always-ready camera that you will always take with you.
