Say ‘hey’ to our May Perfectly Real artist, Phillip Wise from Bend, Oregon.  He’s a father who has moved from photographing brides and grooms to photographing his wife and kids. We just loved how much his submission varied use of light, technique and composition. You can check out his work at the following spots on the web:

Phillip Wise Photography, Facebook, and Instagram

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

My all time favorite lens is my 85mm f/1.4.  It’s been by my side for over ten years now, and I can’t even imagine life without it.  I do love a wider prime lens sometimes too, though.  A good 24mm f/1.4 or 35mm f/1.4 are close seconds.  Another thing I love is my LowePro Flipside backpack.  We’re outside hiking, biking, climbing, and playing a lot and it’s a bag that I don’t have to take off when switching gear.

What is your favorite light to shoot in?

I’m definitely a natural light shooter.  There is always amazing natural light, anytime and anywhere, you just need to find the right way to use it.  I always have my Nikon flashes and pocket wizards with me, but only use then occasionally.  Even when I do use artificial light I tend to use it in a non-traditional way (backlighting rain and silhouettes, putting filters on the flash to play with white balance and colors, using a snoot to make little shafts of light, etc.).

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

Know the camera inside and out.  It needs to be second nature.  There’s nothing worse than missing a perfect moment while messing with camera settings.  Photographing weddings for seven years made me realize how truly important that is. Even though I don’t shoot weddings anymore, I still constantly work on being quick and completely comfortable with every piece of my camera and equipment.

What are you drawn to document?  Is there a particular composition, technique, or mood you love?

I’ve always been drawn to photographing people.  I love shooting the emotion and interactions between people.  I started out wanting to be an outdoor/sports photographer (which I do still like to do), but completely changed when I got an assisting job with a wedding and portrait photographer.  I could almost feel the emotion coming through the lens and fell in love with that feeling.

For composition and technique, I kind of came up with my own thing that really helped me back in my wedding days.  I called it my “BARNS” method, and it’s something I still have in my mind every time I pick up a camera.  BARNS is just an acronym I came up with for my five favorite techniques.

BARNS:
Backlight (natural, or where I might be able to make it artificially)
Above (shooting the situation from above)
Reflections (windows, mirrors, puddles, shiny table tops, etc.)
Negative space (I just love negative space)
Shoot-through (shooting through anything that might add colors or patterns in the foreground)

Running through that in my mind instantly helps me look at any situation in five different ways, then I can decide which one I like the most, and try it.  Of course, sometimes things happen too quickly to think through those options, and I love those times too.

To learn how you can become a Perfectly Real Artist please visit our Submissions page for details!

 

 

Say ‘hello’ to April’s Perfectly Real Artist, Carrie Yuan!  Carrie is a photographer from Seattle, Washington.  We just loved the emotional range in her submission.  Her images showcase all the feels!  Check out what she has to say about her work and approach to shooting.

Where can we find you online (Website, Facebook, Instagram)?

http://www.yiliphotography.com/
https://www.facebook.com/yiliphotography
https://instagram.com/yiliphoto/

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

I started a 365 in January, and I’ve been almost exclusively shooting with my Sigma 35mm lens. I love the wide focal length (though just recently I’ve found myself wanting something a bit wider on occasion), its sharpness, beautiful bokeh, and its ability to perform in low light. For hospital newborn sessions, it’s my go-to lens. For documentary work outdoors, like playing in the backyard, for example, I’ll throw on my 24-70. It’s such a versatile lens that’s quick to focus. Currently my favorite camera strap is a beautiful scarf camera strap from The Vintage Clothespin.

 What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

Wherever real life moments happen. In my pursuit of the photojournalistic style, and in my efforts to document my family’s life authentically, honestly, and COMPLETELY, I’ve learned that I can’t limit myself to natural light shooting. I live in Seattle, so that means that during the winter, it can get dark at around 4:30PM. I have a part-time job in health care in addition to my photography business, so on those work days during the winter, it was dark by the time we got home in the evenings. Before I started the 365 and was “forced” to shoot daily, I would rarely bring out my camera on those days. But I realized that all of these real life moments were passing me by, and the photographic record of our family life was incomplete. Yes, they happen after dark, in yucky artificial light, but these are the moments I’m really going to want to remember in 5 or 10 or 30 years from now. Family dinners. Bath time. Play time. Story time. Bed time.

So while I do love beautiful, directional, natural light, and oh yes dreamy golden hour backlight, I am embracing the light where real life happens. Because to me, a pretty picture with beautiful light is soulless if it’s not honest and authentic at the same time. I’ve also been brushing up on my speedlight skills, which I’m really thankful for, and I feel much more confident about walking into a client’s home to photograph their real life in whatever kind of light they have.

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

Be patient. Allow a story to unfold. Try to have no expectations. As a visual artist, it can be difficult to have no preconceived ideas of what kinds of images you’d like to capture, but Molly Flanagan gave the best wisdom on this. If you’re shooting what you’ve preconceived, then you’re limited by your imagination. If you let go of all of that, then you’re no longer limited. It can be scary, but it’s pretty freeing at the same time. Along those same lines, I’ve learned to keep shooting past the obvious. Once I’ve captured a scene or a moment in the obvious way I’d usually capture it, I’ll push myself to keep shooting. Find a different way to capture it. A different composition, different focal point, just something different. Usually my favorite images are the ones I take after I get the standard stuff out of the way.

Say hi to Elisabeth from Quebec City, Canada!  She is our very first Perfectly Real Artist.

The thing that struck us most about Elisabeth’s submission was how effectively she captured an entire story in single images, which is not an easy feat at all!  Here’s a little bit more about Elisabeth in her own words. We encourage you to check out more of her gorgeous work. 

Elisabeth Simard Photographie, Ruban Casette  (blog), Facebook, Instagram

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

When it comes to photography gear, I am on the minimalist side. I use a Canon EOS 6D and a Sigma 35 mm 1.4 Art. I have to say that I sometimes wish I had a 24 mm lens so I could take wider frame in particular situations. It may be my next splurge. I don’t have a good camera strap but I am dreaming of owning a Holdfast leather one. It is so beautiful! But I don’t really need one. And when it comes to camera bag, is it a shame that I use my purse?  Oh and my purse is also my super duper diaper bag. I am not proud of this situation!

What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

I use to love to take pictures at golden hour. I was obsessed with magic light and wasn’t really good at appreciating other kinds of light. I think it felt like since the light would be gorgeous, my pictures would be too. Haha! Like a lot of other mom photographers, I started to appreciate and see more potential inside my own home after the birth of my oldest son. Slowly, I learned to work and play with “inside the home” light. Now, I really enjoy a dramatic light with a lot of contrasts and exposing for shadows.

Do you have a favorite spot to watch life unfold and shoot?

Our entire home! But if I have to take just one area, it would be our dinning room. From an aesthetic point of view, the light is gorgeous, there is not much clutter or stuff on the walls and almost everything is white. This is the perfect canvas to capture the colourful life of my kids. My sons spend a lot of time in the dining room, eating, playing and learning to be brothers (one is 2 years old and the other is 6 months old). I have a little spot in the kitchen where I can watch everything they do without being an “intruder”. So much magic happens when I just stand there, watching them. Life as its best!

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

Stop the spray and pray! Take the time to let the story unfold in front of your eyes and learn to press the shutter when the right moment comes. When I feel insecure with the pictures I am taking, I tend to take too many in the hope something will be good afterwards. I used to be totally overwhelmed by the amount of pictures I had to go through after a shoot to find the ones that were important in communicating the story and emotion I wanted. I won’t say that I don’t still do it from time to time but I am far more aware and patient when it comes to pressing the shutter now that I have this valuable tip in mind. I have to repeat it to myself over and over, though!

See our Submissions page for more details on how to submit for a Perfectly Real Artist feature.