UKC

Hey guys,

So I recently ventured into climbing photography, something which is completely new to me as I have focussed on videography previously. What I would really love from you guys is some structured feedback on what I have of a portfolio so far. Tips and tricks are hugely appreciated!

http://TamsinEB.com/climbing

And please be kind guys this is my first summer attempting photography at all!

In reply to TamsinEB:

Try using the rule of thirds.

In reply to TamsinEB:

Your composition is boringly predictable - the subject is always centered in the frame! Try experimenting with different compositions (not just the rule of thirds). Also try getting above the subject more, and anticipate where they might be making interesting moves. Bum shots are rarely flattering, and having the subject of the same plane as the camera can get quite dull quite quickly. Climbing is, after all, a 3D sport!

In reply to TamsinEB:

not sure if it's a function of the site builder you are using, but...

launch your slide show, look at the girl dangling on rope (5th picture)
now close the slide show and it loads the picture full screen...

I'm not sure if it's a bug or something but i can't find anything actually in focus (certainly not your subjects eyes) is this because the picture is massively stretched? if it is, then it's not doing your portfolio any justice

HTH's

In reply to rallymania:

All in focus to me.

In reply to TamsinEB:

Nice work. Maybe try thinking about the way the climber and the landscape interact? For example try getting some of the cliff face or the background landscape into shot. Also remember to use the drop, no-one takes pictures of boulderers!
Best of luck,
Greasy

In reply to TamsinEB:

The light just seems all so "nice" and everything seems very flat. Very little contrast.

In reply to TamsinEB:

What you've done here is good ... at a certain level. I mean, if you want to show your mates or family, or even other persons outside of the sport - what climbing is about then there's a lot of good content. Exposing it here to UKC readers is a different game altogether - folk accustomed to a v hi standard .

There's always a higher standard to aim at and you've made a good start.

In reply to TamsinEB:

Seems like a good start.

I think the get good shots of the wider rock with the climbing you need to set up an abseil and take shots from the rope a few routes over.

I don't like the web site much, it's quite slow.

In reply to treforsouthwell:


The joys of WordPress I suspect.

In reply to TamsinEB:

As a former creative director I am used to directing and buying photography. The question I would ask, is, who are these photographs aimed at? Experienced climbers ....... or at making the ordinary bloke unused to being in scary positions going wow? At the moment, they do not seem to be technical enough for the former, not caught in sufficiently airy positions for the latter. Are you trying to sell them? For what media? What story are you telling? As suggested, you probably need to abseil down a cliff to catch the moment. Perhaps the Verdon gorge. Good luck though!

In reply to TamsinEB:

Can't really add much to what's already been said, but I'd definitely try getting above the climbers. And if you can get someone to lead, even better - top-roping doesn't make for dynamic or exciting images IMO. A disembodied forearm isn't interesting, even if its fingers are touching rock. If you're going to go in close or crop, go in really close and see the strain on the fingers.

I'd also strongly suggest analysing what you feel is strong about any particular image and then ask yourself what would someone outside your group think, looking at the same shot? Is it actually interesting? Be more objective.

On the plus side, and despite the justifiable criticism of them as a type of climbing photography faux pas, as bum shots go, #14 on p1 worked for me.

In reply to rallymania:

I think I've solved this particular problem for you. The button on the top right of the photos is not a close button, but a full screen button. If you look closely, it has expanding arrows pointing in four directions. The close button is on the bottom left.

In reply to TamsinEB:

As others have said, pictures of belaying and/or top roping aren't that interesting. A little cropping would really help - especially cutting out ugly bits of foreground or unnecessary sky - don't be afraid to really hack pictures into unconventional shapes. It'll make you think about framing.

A flash will help when you have a dark foreground and a light sky.

In reply to TamsinEB:
Have you spent hours poring over pictures by the best climbing photographers to see what works, and how they use light, space, expressions, etc? Greg Epperson (showing my age here huh?), Keith Ladzinski, Andrew Burr, Tim Glasby, Jimmy Chin, Jim Thornberg, Simon Carter are all worth checking out. Unsurprisingly, most of those are American - they have the market to support climbing photographers, and they have amazing light and dramatic cliffs. You may struggle a bit to replicate their work on Southern Sandstone or in the Wye Valley.

In reply to TamsinEB:

It's interesting how every type of photography is different. Having the skills and eye at one type doesn't necessarily tranfer to other types and you just have start at the beginning.

I liked the better shots in your portfolio but I would have left a lot of the less good ones out. Australian climbing photographer Glenn Robins used to say that from one roll of film (36 shots) he'd typically get one really good one and two or three other usable ones. And he was a great photographer, with lots of experience so for the rest of us its likely to be far fewer than 1 of every 36. So I'd say cut out all the second rate ones and the portfolio will immediately appear better.

Some places are inherently more photogenic and I think top roping on sandstone is far from ideal so a different location could be very helpful.

Do you shoot RAW and edit in a RAW editor? In the photos of the pinnacle (Illam Rock?) the climber in shade was under exposed. In a RAW editor this could have been corrected. If not shooting RAW then you should have exposed for the subject rather than the background.

In all photography its good to decide what the subject actually is. In climbing photos its usually either the climber, the route, or the environment in which they're climbing. Whilst you usually see all three in a shot I think its useful to have an idea of what the main thing is you are trying to capture. This can help with the thought process for composing the image.

If its the climber then you want to make sure you get their face in the picture. Because they're facing in towards the rock or up this is not too easy to do. It typically means you want to be above or level with the climber. If you can't do either then being well back, with a telephoto lens can also produce good results. Also waiting for them to look down, when moving their feet can work well. So the key is to wait for just the right moment when they turn their head the right way.

Often the face may be underexposed because the climber is facing the rock, away from the light. Using a fill flash is often impractical for climbing shots so again editing in RAW can fix this easily.

If the route or the environment is the subject its still good to get the face in. But if you don't get the face then aim for a good body position. That is on an interesting move, often where the arms and legs are clearly separated, rather than an amorphous lump.

Finally I'd say it good to label your photos, at least with the route, location and grade of a route because any climber viewing your image will always want to know those things.

In reply to TamsinEB:
Nice start but at the moment your pics look just like climbing snapshots, some of them rather tightly cropped or shot. The only one that caught my eye was on P3 of the climber kneeling on a cliff top with the river stretching away behind her - it has depth and interest but her posture is awkward and somehow the picture fails to celebrate what she has achieved - a more relaxed, just-accomplished posture would have helped. It would have been worth trying a whole lot of different angles, considering it as a landscape shot with a climber intruding temporarily.

The one thirds/two thirds rule is crucial, and always give space in front of your subjects.

Try talking the camera out early morning or late evening or at any time of year than summer to avoid that flat light. Read up on how telephoto lenses flatten distances and bring subjects back to their true scale in a landscape.

Have you considered some straight portraits? Climbers often have characterful faces and being slimmer than most of the population gives them sharp features. They often have interesting hands, muscular and well shaped and usually torn and tattered. Here again you need to understand the effects of different lenses - the best focal length for portrait is usually considered to be 90mm, which allows you to get close without intruding and gives the most un-distorted view of the face. To understand this, stand in front of a mirror very close indeed and observe your nose and ears then walk backwards - you'll see the effect on proportion of using a longer lens as your nose diminishes in size and your ears assume their true size. And I'm talking about posed portraits here, not candid snaps.

Edit: I've just realised that every one of your shots is in landcape. What's wrong with portrait?

In reply to Fraser:

Hmmm, I wonder why?

Just someone please tell the person in that photo not to clip their chalk bag into their harness back loop with a krab. It seems to be received UKC wisdom now (and sensibly so) that you're risking really ****ing up your spine in an accident or even just a bouldering fall where you end up falling on your bum.

Overall I thought the photos were OK, but it felt like they were taken by a non-climber (or a beginner) who doesn't really get why top roping pictures are inherently boring. Of course I accept that if you are unfortunate enough to have only Southern Sandstone close to you, this is a bit of an issue.