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  • (light music)

  • - Look at this, I feel like I grew this.

  • I've been taking care of this at the office.

  • I've been given it water, that you know, plants need

  • and sun, and it's just growing.

  • It's so happy, makes me so happy.

  • Everyday that I come in it's longer, it's called a pothos.

  • You like that?

  • And it just hangs so happily.

  • Ah, what a great day. (laughs)

  • (upbeat music)

  • What's up everybody, Peter McKinnon here

  • and welcome back to another video,

  • today we're talkin' photography.

  • If you like taking pictures, if you own a camera,

  • you wander about, snappin' picks, this video's for you.

  • Specifically targeted more towards beginners

  • or people that aren't necessarily professional.

  • I wanted to go through a few things

  • that beginners make mistakes on quite frequently

  • when they're starting out in this craft.

  • I've looked inside myself and I've found some things

  • that I wish I had done better

  • when I was starting photography out.

  • A few little things, if I had just paid more attention to,

  • I would of been taking better photos faster,

  • which means potentially more business

  • if that's something you're looking

  • to take photography towards

  • or just you're being a better artist,

  • you're being a better photographer

  • with some of these things, if you keep them in mind.

  • Tip number one, one of the things I wish

  • I'd paid more attention to is the histogram.

  • That's this little funky chart right here

  • that looks like a heart rate monitor.

  • The far left of that chart represents the blacks

  • and the shadows, far right of that graph chart represents

  • the highlights, the whites, anything that's overexposed.

  • In the middle is your midtones.

  • You never wanna see that graph, if you will,

  • the histogram, spiked in one direction.

  • If it's way up here that means it's blown out,

  • you're image is damaged, there's just no detail,

  • there's too much white, there's too much brightness,

  • there's too much light.

  • Whereas, on the opposite spectrum of that,

  • if it's spiking on this side, there's no detail

  • because you crushed those blacks too much,

  • it's too dark, there's too much shadow.

  • It's not evenly balanced.

  • When you look at a histogram,

  • it tells you right away without even having

  • to look at the photo, because don't trust your eyes

  • and don't trust the back of an LCD screen.

  • Too many times I would just look at the photo on my camera

  • and be like, that looks dope.

  • Then I would get back to start editing it,

  • you see it on a huge monitor, looks totally different.

  • I would see the histogram within Lightroom or Photoshop,

  • wherever I was editing, and then realized,

  • oh wow that's actually wildly overexposed.

  • Had I just taken five seconds to look at the histogram,

  • I would have known that scientifically

  • and then I could of just taken another photo and fixed that.

  • 'Cause what you're looking for is an even plain.

  • You want that histogram to have a nice even flow,

  • no crazy spikes, like when you're trackin' your sleep

  • with a sleep tracker app and you wake up,

  • and it looks like Everest, ooh.

  • And you're like, wow that was a rough night.

  • But then, you wake up one morning

  • and you see it's like calm waters.

  • You're just chillin' in the Maldives.

  • It's just smooth, you're coastin', you're like,

  • wow, I feel great.

  • That's the same kinda thing you want

  • when you're lookin' at a histogram.

  • I have weird analogies, but I think you guys dig 'em

  • because they help me.

  • Tip number one, to help you being a better photographer,

  • look at that histogram, don't trust your eyes

  • on the back of the LCD.

  • Point number two, is settling for a photo

  • when you could of made it so much better

  • by either moving yourself to a better vantage point,

  • or moving something in that frame out of the way.

  • So, as an example, you're taken a photo shoot,

  • someone's standin' there, you snap a photo.

  • You coulda just moved that chair,

  • like two inches to the left.

  • It would no longer be in frame

  • and it'd make that photo way better

  • 'cause the focus is now on the subject.

  • Or, maybe it's just moving your subject a little bit

  • to the left so that garbage can isn't in frame anymore.

  • You don't have to worry about Photoshopping it.

  • Or, maybe it's walking up the hill or down the hill

  • to get a better vantage point.

  • Or, trying a few extra locations instead of just being,

  • okay with the one that you have.

  • So, sometimes it's these little tweaks,

  • by just moving something out of the way

  • or moving yourself that's gonna make a massive difference

  • with how good your photos look.

  • And, you'd be surprised.

  • Go take some shots, don't think anything of it.

  • Then look at them, look inside the frame

  • and think to yourself, what could I have moved out

  • of the way to make this picture more clear, more concise,

  • more focused, more polished, more professional?

  • I guarantee you'll almost always find something.

  • Maybe it's even just your sunglasses

  • that you left on the couch and you're takin' a picture

  • of this nice clean room but you forgot when

  • you walked in, you dropped your keys on the counter.

  • It would look better if those keys were gone.

  • So it's those little things that you need to look for

  • that you can easily remove,

  • that are gonna make your photos look better.

  • Or, move yourself to get a better vantage point.

  • That's number two.

  • Ooh, I'm feelin' this. (laughs)

  • Alright man, I'm gonna come close for this one.

  • I've even gonna drop down my voice

  • so that you even feel like, oh something's about to happen.

  • He's about to drop some knowledge.

  • I hate, hate, tripods.

  • Ugh, oh, actually the worst.

  • Tripods, no thanks.

  • Even buying a tripod is like just the worst thing

  • to have to buy.

  • You walk in, you're not even excited,

  • you're like, ah I guess I should go get one.

  • Monopods, I like them a little bit more

  • because they have a better function for video for me.

  • But tripods, I just, ack, I can't get on board

  • but I wish that I got on board with tripods earlier

  • because the amount of shots that I could of got

  • with a tripod, just bringing it with me.

  • For long exposures, or to just have more clear,

  • in focus images, would of made all the difference.

  • 'Cause, sometimes even if you think

  • your shutter speed's fast enough,

  • you will get a better quality photo

  • if you lock it off on a tripod.

  • Not to mention, all the advantages you get being able

  • to shoot a wide range of different photos

  • because you have a tripod, long exposures,

  • making those waterfalls look better

  • with that milky smooth water, all of those things,

  • the star trails in the skies, cars driving by.

  • That stuff all looks better and works

  • when you have a tripod with you.

  • So, invest in a tripod early, use it often,

  • bring it everywhere you go because it always comes down

  • to the tripod, it always comes down.

  • And that's why I hate it.

  • That's why I'm like, ugh, you got me again tripod.

  • Why don't I just bring you with me everywhere?

  • I've been doin' this for 15 plus years now

  • and I'm still tryin' to learn that one

  • so my tip to you, bring a tripod with you.

  • Use it often, get to know it, get to love it.

  • Tripods, (sighs) I feel like we just had a therapy session,

  • I just feel lighter now, feels great.

  • Okay, the last tip, the last mistake

  • that a lot of beginners make and that

  • I made all the time, being thorough.

  • So many times, I would just rip through, grab my camera,

  • shoot what I thought I needed and be done.

  • I didn't take the time to check all my settings enough,

  • because I just thought I knew it.

  • I was arrogant.

  • I just thought I know this, I obviously,

  • I nailed it, I got it in camera.

  • I do the same thing I do all the time, I'm good.

  • But, I've made this mistake so many times.

  • Maybe you shot JPEG instead of RAW,

  • maybe you shot small JPEG instead of RAW.

  • And a little fun fact, I'm gonna come clean about something,

  • last year, I went to the ice caves.

  • (camera clicking)

  • Took these amazing star trail photos.

  • Something happened to midday, I actually shot all

  • of those photos on small JPEG, not even RAW.

  • I was still able to blow them up for my gallery

  • but inside knowing that the highest res

  • I have of those photos is like 1200 pixels wide, that hurts.

  • Especially being that there are some

  • of my favorite photographs, that I've ever taken,

  • 'cause I was rushing through it.

  • I just assumed I'm not gonna make those mistakes,

  • but I'm still making them.

  • So, being thorough to check your settings,

  • to make sure the smallest thing isn't gonna ruin

  • something incredible, is very important.

  • Maybe it's making sure your ISO is not too high.

  • You're shutter speed is right on.

  • Checking that EV meter to make sure it's not all the way

  • to the left, you're not overexposed,

  • or underexposed, it's in the middle.

  • So being thorough and checking all those things,

  • makes all the difference.

  • Beginner or pro, we still make those mistakes

  • but getting it early on is going to help you out.

  • That's my advice, you wanna take better photos?

  • I think those things will help you.

  • I don't think those things are the sole ingredient

  • to, you watch this video,

  • you're a better photographer instantly, it's all with time.

  • It all takes time, over time, building up different things.

  • But, I do think this will help you think about

  • some things differently that might save one or two small,

  • oh instances, as you're shooting,

  • that's generally gonna make you better at this art form.

  • That's all I have for you today.

  • Hit that like button if you like this video.

  • Smash it.

  • Puh, puh, puh.

  • Got a little carried away on that one.

  • If that's somethin' that you're into,

  • 2018 style, subscribe if you aren't already

  • and I will see you guys in the next video. (sighs)

  • I'm gonna go take photos.

  • I haven't done that in awhile.

  • Bye.

  • (light music)

(light music)

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