The best photographic projects stem from a fascination with the subject matter.  You will be spending a lot of time working on any particular project, so make sure you feel inspired, motivated, and ready to return to it many times.

I see plenty of photographers shoot subjects that seem to be ‘on trend’ rather than something they are intrigued by.  If you like photographing teapots, then go for it, the images will reflect your passion.  The breadth and quality photographs will reflect the effort put in.

Think of a linking theme for your images

Have a look around the internet and your local area to find a subject matter that you think will pique your interest.  Also start to think about what the cohesive theme for the ultimate set of photographs might be. A project is a set of images that hang together as a collection.

Consider an initial visit during which you take a broad variety of images. Afterward, looking through the catalog some frames will jump out and push you towards a creative theme. Then return to the venue to pursue your goal.

The images below show a theme not only of steam trains but also focus on the state of repair and amount of work required to reconstruct an old and battered train or carriage.  Establishing the theme was the starting point for the steam train photographic project at this visitor center and how they are fixed up over many years to their former glory.  

Do you want a person in each image or are you looking for openings with the theme of ‘seeing through’?  The possibilities are endless!  For example, I could have chosen – peeling paint, the color red, details, signaling paraphernalia, or even coal and steam. 

Consider the angles, composition and lighting

The challenge is to take better and more interesting photographs than anyone else. This a useful goal to have when thinking of a new creative project.  This sets the bar high and encourages you to rise to the challenge of making the best work you can on location.  You want your ultimate set of images to stand out. There will be a simple shot of record as it’s known, here is a train and I’m going to photograph it. However, look again, a steam train can be represented by a detail of one of its huge steel wheels, or maybe a driver’s cab, or the old-world font on the side of the boiler. So, then there is a theme – elegant decay, steampunk architecture, or charming old fonts.

Be acutely aware of the light and weather conditions as well as the surroundings and constantly be on the lookout for an interesting shot or group of shots. It may mean coming back later in the day or when the venue first opens.

Choosing the camera and lenses for the photo session

The kit you use for a photographic project is important – both the camera and lenses are key. Personally, I go to a new venue with one lens and one camera.  This means when confronted with many new scenes and options my choices are limited technically.  So, I have to think creatively to get a cohesive set of images that work well together without being ‘samey’. 

Think about what you are ultimately trying to achieve i.e. with a shallow depth of field or everything pin sharp with a large f-stop.  My favorite cameras and lenses are from Leica but obviously any camera even an iPhone with a committed project will be interesting.

Photograph in RAW and process later

Later, after the photo session, the software that images are processed through will make a huge difference to the final look of the photographs.  It really is true to say that if the starting point is RAW files then the finished photographs can be greatly enhanced by careful processing using contrast, exposure, and every other available setting.

Lightroom which has been developed especially for professional photography is an excellent package for processing images. The other experiment which you can easily explore in Lightroom is the option to present your final images in black and white. With a quick click of a button, you can view your color files in black and white and adjust the tonal response to your liking.

Douglas Fry Photographer is a corporate photographer in London.  Over a typical year, he covers about 300 photographic commissions around the UK and Europe for Piranha Photography. All Photos in this article are by Douglas Fry and shared with permission.

In this day and age, when autofocus is so well accepted and, frankly, so good on the latest Canon, Nikon, or Sony cameras, why would a professional photographer prefer to use a manual lens with old-fashioned, unchanging technology that’s been around for about 100 years?

My answer is that the results are truly worth it. It’s only the occasions when my fellow pros ask to see my pictures and they actually get to compare results are the differences so immediately and obviously apparent to them. Seeing turns out to be believing. 

Using a manual, my images taken at the same events are invariably have more acuity, the colors brighter and truer, and with excellent contrast. I also find my Leica manual lenses produce images with more clarity than theirs, giving an almost 3D look.

In poor or poorer light, the performance from my manual lens is even more impressive. With my manual lenses, I can shoot in almost near darkness or foggy conditions while an autofocus lens will be forever ‘hunting’ in low light for the shot but never finding it. 

In fact, the images taken on a manual lens are so good that many national newspaper picture desks have called clients to comment on their quality. Even the esteemed Magnum Photo Agency said the same during a portfolio review I attended last year.

But there is more to it than simply the technical excellence of the kit. I am convinced using a manual lens, because it demands concentration and decision-making, ensures each shot receives the thought and consideration it deserves. It’s an active, involved process that demands so much more than holding down the shutter and pointing an autofocus lens at the subject. This is the essence of the manual’s advantage. The thought and effort I have to put into the shot are rewarded by the quality of images. In short, I shoot fewer images but end up with more I want to keep. I liken it to the difference between a stylish, skilled boxer who chooses each punch carefully and doesn’t waste his energy, versus the thrashing swinger who hopes he gets lucky with a haymaker. 

I argue for any beginner just taking up photography for the first time, learning how to use a manual lens properly is much more satisfying and the pleasure comes from mastering the craft.  Or to use another metaphor, if you only ever use autofocus lenses it’s like putting a ready meal in the microwave rather than knowing how to cook dishes properly from scratch. 

Using manual lenses, I have to concentrate fully on the subject, having considered first exposure, focus, aperture, and ISO. And the good news is that it doesn’t take ages to get measurably better images. I reckon when I finally ditched autofocus lenses in favor of manual ones about ten years ago it took me less than a month to get my dexterity and judgment up to speed. Of course, I do experiment with the latest autofocus lenses to see if the technology has changed but I still haven’t found anything that betters the manual lenses. 

I’ll leave you with a couple more factors worth mentioning in favor of manual lenses. They are virtually indestructible with very few things to go wrong with them in that they have no electric contacts that can be contaminated or autofocus motors to go wrong. In fact, they can tolerate almost any amount of abuse compared to an autofocus lens which would end up as a box of bits if treated the same as my hardy Leica lenses. 

And lastly, manual lenses are popular with subjects on the receiving end. Because they are small and unthreatening, subjects don’t tense up in the same way they do when a huge lens is pointed in their face. And because manual lenses are compact, I can shoot more discreetly. A few years ago I was able to get much nearer to Chinese premier Xi Jinping with my Leica manual than the rest of the press pack, somehow managing to avoid bodyguards and PR minders for some great shots. 

If you remain to be convinced, my best argument is to simply give a manual lens a go. With a little patience and practice, I am certain you’ll be glad you did.

Douglas Fry Photographer is a corporate photographer in London.  Over a typical year, he covers about 300 photographic commissions around the UK and Europe for Piranha Photography. All Photos in this article are by Douglas Fry and shared with permission.

In this video, you will learn about ISO and how to use your camera to get a really good understanding of how ISO works. i.e., using Program Auto mode.

In this video, you will learn about aperture and how to use your camera to get a really good understanding of how aperture works. i.e., using Aperture Priority mode.

In this video, you will learn about shutter speeds and how to use your camera to get a really good understanding of how shutter speeds works. i.e., using Shutter Priority mode.

That’s why I recommend having a simple backup workflow.

Below is my current workflow, and one you’re welcome to model yours after.

• Lightroom catalog on an external RAID
• Clone of external RAID in the same room
• Clone of external RAID offsite
• Additional clone of external RAID offsite
• Backblaze of entire computer and external RAID
• Amazon Photos backup of external RAID
• Google Photos backup of external RAID

With all of this redundancy, I am guaranteed to recover lost data from the main drive if something happens.

Please do the same and protect yourself, and your business.