In my effort to make this the best photography blog on the web I wanted to share some upcoming topics with everyone. Each month I sit down and develop an editorial calendar and starting in March I will publish what’s on tap for this site at the beginning of the month.

NEW Series – Photographer Interview Series: Each month I email five questions to various photographers. These photographers will be of all different skill level and acclaim – ranging from the published professional photographer to the amateur hobbyist. My questions will differ from person to person but all questions will be photography based. I am happy to announce that this week we will kick the series off with one of my all time favorite photographers – J. Grant Brittain. Grant is one of the most acclaimed skateboard photographers in the world. If you have ever picked up a skateboard magazine chances are Grant’s work has been in the forefront. (He discusses one of my favorite photos – it’s very cool.)

FOCUS Video Series: FOCUS is a web series where photographers are interviewed and given the opportunity to discuss some of their signature photographs. In March’s webisode of FOCUS a photo of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers from 12/31/09 will be highlighted. This series to open to anyone who would like to be featured regarding a significant piece of work. If you would like to featured on FOCUS please send an email to: grt2@grtaylor2.com (Webisode #1) (Webisode #2)

Concert Photography 101: What it takes to take great concert photos. We discuss camera settings, equipment, lighting, gaining access and everything else related to concert photography. Here is a review of the first three installments (click here)

What else is happening? March is a busy month of music for me. I am scheduled to shoot Mike Watt, Flogging Molly, Hank III and Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. I will post photos and reviews of each concert. Also, pay attention for a Call For Submissions for music photographs for a very special non-profit project I am working on (I can’t say anything else about it yet since the details are being finalized.)

Lastly, I appreciate everyone reading. February was a record month for www.grtaylor2.com and I want to thank everyone who commented, tweeted, re-tweeted posts and recommended this blog to anyone. If there are specific topics you want to discuss please leave a comment and I will address the topic soon there after. Keep shooting photos everyone…

If you asked me what are the three most important things a beginner photographer should know – I’d say “Know your equipment, know your settings & trust your instincts.”

Sounds simple enough, right? Let’s explore these three photo tips for beginners…

1. Know Your Equipment : When I say know your equipment I don’t necessarily mean spend hours reading the manual that came with your digital camera or with your latest lens. Reading the user manual is always a good start but sometimes I think it leads to more questions than answers. There are a lot of really good camera field guides published for whatever camera you own. (example of after market camera guide) So now that you are familiar with the basic operations of your camera and how it operates – it’s time to go and shoot photos and put your new knowledge into use. Figure out which of your lenses are better for the different photo subjects you are interested in and how they react in the different light situations. You know the stuff that NO book will ever be able to teach you. I am a big believer in going out into the field and learning by doing.

2. Know Your Settings: For every photo situation I embark on I have a mental log (started out on a notepad) of my baseline settings. These are my starting point for ISO, Aperture and Shutter speeds. With that being said they change from time to time depending on lighting conditions and other variables but I always start at my baseline. Experiment with different settings in various conditions, review the image (the most powerful part of digital photography in my opinion), make adjustments and do it all over again. As you become a more seasoned photographer you’ll develop your own preferences for settings and what enables you to make great photographs.

3. Trust Your Instincts: Sounds easy but this is where many beginner photographers stumble. Just because you read something in a field guide or in an article someone like Scott Bourne writes doesn’t mean it’s an absolute. If you develop a strong sense of the first two tips this one will eventually come naturally. If it’s a dark day out and you think ISO 200 will be better than ISO 400 – give it a shot. If you think 1/125 will get you a better photo than 1/60 – do it. Prove or disprove your own theories. There are times when I photograph concerts and I only have a split second to capture an image so I rely solely on my instincts. Trust me, as you develop into a photographer with your own style and sense of surroundings this will fee natural – but in the beginning it will be a struggle. John Coltrane had a saying about music theory that applies well to photography, “Know the theory, know the scales but when it comes time to play – just play!”

This is just the tip of the iceberg and the building blocks to developing into a photographer that makes great photos. If you had to give a beginning photographer a couple of tips what would they be? Post a comment below and share some of your knowledge…

G. Love & Special Sauce brought their A-Game to The Marquee Theater in Tempe last night. Their set of laid back funky blues with the hip-hop flow kept the crowd dancing all night.

G. looked like he was having a great time and gave a shout out to our Phoenix Suns (the band attended the Suns vs. Blazers game the previous evening) before breaking into “Shooting Hoops”. (Click for a video of G. Love’s “Shooting Hoops” Video)

As a photographer this was not a difficult shoot. During my allotted three song limit G.  stayed seated with some decent lighting. The stage was back light in reds and blues (I hate red stage lights) with a spotlight that shined intermittently on him. For most of the shoot I stayed with the settings of f.2.8 – 4.0 at 1/60 with my ISO set at 800. (See my previous Concert Photography 101 Post for general settings.)

It was another night when as concert photographer you need to expect the unexpected. G. Love’s publicist left me off the guest list and I had to rely on the emails I had on my iPhone to make the tour manager (who was super cool and professional) feel comfortable in giving me the proper credentials.

All in all great show, G. Love’s tour management were extremely professional and the I was stoked to have had the opportunity to photograph the show.

(SIDE Note: If you are standing in the front row at the rail and I am getting ready to shoot photos in the pit, please feel free to ask me any photography related questions BUT I will not give you my camera so you can take a picture of me at the show. I know that I am there and my work will document me being there. Believe it or not I am asked that at every concert I photograph.)

Let me clarify…how do you get your photos viewed? Do you care about it?

I take photographs because I like capturing an image or moments. I’ve never been concerned about art for commercial sake but I do like people viewing my work. I’ve never had an exhibit (though I do have one planned) and I’ve never been in any photography shows but I have had my photos seen by the public. How? Through the use of Social Media.

I am a bit of a Social Media nerd…there I said it. Through various Social Media efforts I have had people whom I admire and respect view, critique, hate and/or compliment my work. I post photos to Flickr, tweet about them and I have my Flickr stream automatically update my personal Facebook page. To me as someone who is making a name for myself these are very powerful tools.

I guess I could have taken a more conventional route – I could have called a curator for photo exhibits and submitted my work. But why? The power of social media allows me to interact with people who in many cases I don’t even know their real name – but  value their feedback. Social Media has allowed me to “push” out my photographs to people in my virtual network and have them tell their circles about my work. Real people and many times to people I haven’t even met. The power of Social Media is amazing when put to proper use...

My Question To You…

Is Social Media an important tool for you to get your work seen? Do you care if no one ever sees your work? Is this a topic worth exploring here – Social Media and The Photographer?

To view my complete photography portfolio please visit www.grtaylor2photo.com

Here is a list of my 10 favorite bands to photograph and a couple of words in summary…

10. Mickey Avalon: Unpredictable on stage (photo)
9. Crowfield: New band to me & great music (photo)
8. Black Carl: Emma’s vocals (photo)
7. Death By Stereo: Hardcore from the crowd (photo)
6. Rusted Root: Great vibe (photo)
5. Agnostic Front: NYHC Legends (photo)
4. What Laura Says: Great on stage (photo)
3. Cage The Elephant: Next generation punk rockers (photo)
2. Rev. Horton Heat: Perfect lighting (photo)
1. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers: Always a challenge – Great stage presence (photo)

I am proud of my list’s diversity. Each show was a very different experience which is why they stand out in my mind.

What bands do you like to see live? Have you ever photographed their concerts? As always, we want to hear from you. Leave a comment and if you shot photos of the show add a link to share them.

To view my complete photography portfolio please visit www.grtaylor2photo.com

Are you tired of being being disappointed in your photographs?Do you want to take your photography to the next level? One simple way to step your game up is to learn when to use a tripod.

Here are three key reasons in photography that I use my tripod: Image Stabilization, Long Exposure Photography and Creative Photography.

IMAGE STABILIZATION

Although most lenses have a built in image stabilization feature – sometimes it is not enough. When using my telephoto lenses I use my tripod as often as I can. This way I can reduce the shake of the camera caused by the lens being extended at length. A good rule of thumb is anytime your shutter speed is equal to or less than your focal length -get out the tripod. (ex. 300m < 1/300 or 200mm < 1/200.)

LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY

When an exposure over 1/15 is used I highly recommend using the tripod. Long Exposures are needed to capture vibrant colors in low light situations. Two perfect examples of this would be sunsets and fireworks. You may be able to get away with shorter exposure times for sunsets but a stop action photograph of fireworks just doesn’t work. By increasing the exposure length the trails and colors of the fireworks are more vivid and dramatic. It is nearly impossible to keep the camera still for the duration needed to utilize long exposures.

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

In some situations you may want to extend your creativity and blur motion. This can only be done with the use of a tripod. By combining your tripod with the proper settings all static items will remain still in the photograph while objects moving will be blurred. This technique takes time and a lot of trial and error. It took me over two hours to get the above photo. (If you want to experiment with this type of photography I suggest you check the settings of this photo on my flickr page and be prepared to exercise some patience.)

The tripod is also essential if you need to bracket exposures. Bracketing exposures create images that are +1 fstop from the original setting and -1 fstop from the original setting. This technique is helpful to make sure you captured the image perfectly or if you plan on making the set of  photos into a HDR (High Dynamic Range) image.

These are by no means the only reasons to use a tripod. Unless I am photographing concerts I always have my tripod with me – you never know when it’s going to be put to use. (As demonstrated below!) How do you use your tripod? When does it get used the most? Please share your thoughts and experience below.

To view my complete photography portfolio please visit www.grtaylor2photo.com