Photography Workshop at #TBScon

A couple of weekends ago, I road tripped it over to Charleston, South Carolina with Molly and Alicia for the 4th annual Blog Societies Conference! Last year, my friends and I created a photography presentation for the conference, and while I think it was helpful, photography is one of those things that you just need to get out and DO. I’ve been to several blog conferences where someone stood at the front of a large group, clicked through a photography powerpoint, and I left without really learning any new techniques or how to better understand my specific camera.

SO, I was really excited when the TBS head boss ladies, Jessica and Cathy, told us that this year they were adding a day of workshops to the conference. Molly and I drafted up the topics we wanted to cover, made some cute handouts, and ordered two vinyl photography backgrounds from Ink & Elm for everyone to practice on.

For the first half of the class, we focused on flatlays, white balance, and general questions attendees had about their cameras. In our first two sessions, we spent the second half of the class outside to chat about outdoor photos since a majority of the conference’s attendees were fashion bloggers. In our third session, the sun was blaring and chased away all of our outdoor shade, so we moved over to a gorgeous hallway (at the lovely Belmond Charleston Place where most of the conference was held) with tons of natural light.

Below you’ll find a little list of the photography terms we covered in our workshops!

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the amount of time it takes for the shutter to open and close. It’s measured in a fraction of a second, so keep in mind that the smaller the number on the bottom is, the larger the fraction is, so the shutter will be open longer to let light in. The larger the number on the bottom is, the smaller the fraction is, so the shutter will be opening and closing much faster and will let in less light. A good starting place: Indoor photos will need more light, so you want a larger fraction for your shutter speed. Outdoor photos will need less light, so you’ll need a smaller fraction.

Aperature / Depth of Field / F Stop

Aperture is a measurement of the size of the hole that lets light into your lens and camera. The lower the number, the wider the hole. A wider space means more light can be let in. A larger number means the space is smaller and less light will be let in. Aperture is also known as the “depth of field,” or “f-stop” and controls amount of blur in the background of your photos. A wider aperture will give you more blur, and a narrower aperture will give you less blur with more of the photo in focus.

ISO

ISO measures the sensitivity of the sensor in your camera and how sensitive it is to light. The higher your ISO is, the brighter your picture will be. Always keep in mind that a higher ISO will add more grain to your photos.

Where to start

If you’re inside, a good place to start is with your shutter set to 1/100, your aperture at 2.5, and ISO at 400. Snap a photo and adjust from there.

If you’re outside, a good place to start is with your shutter set to 1/400, a low aperture, and ISO at 100. Base your aperture setting on what you’re planning to photograph. For example, if you’re photographing a more close-up detail shot, you will want your aperture lower than if you are photographing a full-body shot of an outfit or a tablescape, which will need more of the photo in focus.

And I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Jessica & Cathy, Ink & Elm, and everyone who attended our workshops!! ♥