Some of my earliest lessons in this craft served me very well—at the beginning. As I’ve grown, they have stopped being helpful. I suspect this is true for you, too. I was told to put the sun behind me. I was told to fill the frame with my subject. I was told that if I divided the frame into thirds ... The post Small in Frame, Big in Story first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Want to make stronger photographs? Consider your layers of impact—or the power of three. Let me explain. Few photographs are truly compelling to us because of just one thing. A person, a landscape, a beautiful bird. Beautiful on its own, perhaps, but once it becomes a photograph, we usually need more. An interesting person in great light, with a great ... The post Layers of Impact – What’s Your Hook? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Some of my most frequent advice is to shoot through a scene. As a younger photographer, I would give up too easily and put the camera down too quickly when my efforts weren’t met with immediate success. “It’s not working,” I would say, when the truth was closer to “I’m not working.” I wasn’t giving the scene the time and effort ... The post Shoot Through It! first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I should have been on a flight to the Yukon on Wednesday. I was meant, by now, to be sitting on a river with bears. I was, instead, lying on an operating table getting an emergency appendectomy. Don’t let anyone tell you the life of a photographer isn’t full of adventure. Oh, the romance of it all! Timing couldn’t have ... The post Adventures & Appendectomies? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Learning to use a camera is only the very first part of this craft. Once you can do that, the rest is learning how photographs work. Last week I began this conversation by showing you one of my photographs, both before and after, and invited you to reverse engineer it. I encouraged you to speculate on the decisions that made ... The post Watch the Video: What Makes The Image Work? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I’ve got a question for you. Do you know how your photographs work? Not your cameras, you know how to focus and expose and use enough of the other buttons that you can mostly make it do what you want, but do you know how your images work? A still image is a lot of moving parts (metaphorically speaking). Sure ... The post What Makes Your Images Work? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

If everything went to plan, I’m currently in the bush on the Zambezi River, probably just settling in for the evening by the campfire with a whisky in my hand and a blanket of stars above me. Behind me, a forest of winterthorn trees, and around me, the song of frogs. In the distance, splashing and the deep guttural noises ... The post One Thing: Simplify first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I spent yesterday morning with a cup of coffee at the local marina, staring at the boats and the light and breathing it in, my deep pleasure at doing nothing at all spoiled only by an apple croissant that was, in fact, filled with marzipan. A nice surprise if you like marzipan, but I think it tastes like the inside ... The post Seeing Takes Time first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Your photographs probably don’t matter that much, and neither do mine. The one that just took home the blue ribbon at the state fair? It’s (probably) not going to change the world. The one that just made the cover of that magazine you’ve always hoped might publish your work? In a couple of years, you’ll likely look back on it ... The post Do Your Photographs Matter? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Not 20 minutes after my arrival at Kutali Camp on the Zambezi River in Zambia, a large bull elephant strode through camp, walked up to the lunch table, and sampled—then summarily rejected—the cucumber salad that was due to be my lunch. Two mornings later, I woke to find him outside my tent at 4 am, walking right past the tent door ... The post An Elephant at My Tent first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I’ve always loved high-key images for their simplicity, elegance, and power. There’s a directness to them and no confusion at all about your intended subject. The technique is relatively simple, and yet for all its advantages, it’s been a while since I’ve thought to embrace it. Going into my recent trip to Kenya, I decided to remedy that by looking for ... The post All (High) Keyed Up? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I have an early memory of going photographing with my dad on a morning after a big ice storm came through. It was just after Christmas, the storm had knocked out power to much of the area, and the streets were thick with ice, impossible to drive on. I finally had my first “real” camera, an SLR with interchangeable lenses, ... The post Find Your “Hey, Look at That!” first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I went to Kenya last month with the usual mix of excitement and worry. Excitement for all the normal reasons, not the least of which was being in front of wonderful things in beautiful light with my camera in my hand. Worry because I really didn’t want to come back with different versions of the same photographs I’ve made before. ... The post Stop Looking (Only) for Subjects? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

This post is accompanied by some of the work I shot over the last 4 weeks in Kenya. What a trip it’s been. I hope you enjoy the images! My grand-dad was a Scout. At the time he was the highest decorated man in the scouting movement in the UK, a movement whose motto is “Be Prepared.” I like to ... The post 6 Ways to Be Less Un-Ready first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I ask myself a lot of questions as I make my photographs. What’s this scene really about? What do I include, and what do I leave out? What possessed me to get up at 5 am and sit in the rain? Those kinds of questions. Like you, I also ask myself what I might do with my exposure, how I ... The post Are Your Shoulds Hurting Your Creativity? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Put the coffee on, maybe pour a glass of wine. This will take you about eight minutes to read, but it might be a great way to recalibrate for the year ahead. If you’re looking for the winners of the Gura Gear Giveaway, you can find those towards the bottom of this piece. My first camera was relatively easy to use. A ... The post It’s Enough to Know Enough first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

In French, my last name, duChemin, means “of the road.” I was born to travel. I got my first passport just six weeks after I was born, and took my first international flight when I was six months old. I’ve now photographed in 59 countries and all seven continents. It’s fair to say I’ve packed a lot of bags and have some strong ... The post Win My Favourite Camera Bag (+More!) first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I was about to photograph a beautiful family of cheetah in gorgeous morning light when my camera returned an error message and wouldn’t—no matter what I did—focus. It wouldn’t even fire. By the time I got my lens swapped onto another body, the action was all over, and I was down a camera at the beginning of a month-long trip. Or ... The post Oh Sh*t! (When it Hits the Fan, This Kit Helps) first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

A couple years ago I was doing a little moonlighting for a small computer and imaging company that rhymes with Snapple. They were under the mistaken impression that my nearly 40 years behind the camera meant I know what I’m talking about. But what a fun gig! One of my first tasks as their Creative Storytelling Specialist (yeah, I still ... The post The Problem with Mood first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Photography can be many things. For some, it’s about capturing scenes. For me, it’s about conveying emotions and suggesting narratives that resonate deeply, first with me and then with the viewers who might experience the image. I’m not so much after eyes as I am hearts and minds. Mood does that. The mood of a photograph is its emotional tone—a ... The post The Power of Mood first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

5 Ways to Greater Competence & Control In my last dispatch, I talked about competence, hoping that asking “Is my work getting better?” might lead you to more productive places in your craft than asking “Is it good?” I suggested that a first step might be to get better at the basics of your craft before running off all half-cocked to ... The post (In)Decent Exposures? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

The holidays are coming and though this is not about that, there might something in here that you could give to your favourite photographer, especially if that’s you! This is decidedly less philosophical than some of my blog posts, but I thought I’d show you what’s in my camera bag. Not the cameras and lenses, but the other stuff, the ... The post Everything But The Cameras first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Two weeks ago, I suggested you stop asking if your photographs are good and that you not concern yourself with whether they are or are not art. I advocated a more playful approach guided by what you love and what brings you joy. I argued that the growth in your craft could be channelled by that love because the more you love doing ... The post Is it Getting Better? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

My photography is never so difficult and robbed of its joy as when I try too hard to make it “good” (whatever that means) or worse: to make “art.“ The moment I focus my concern on the outcome of what I am making or how it is received by others, my work becomes rigid and self-conscious. Not only does the ... The post Stop Making Art? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Wildlife photography should be easy: get a long lens, put the critter in the frame and don’t screw up the exposure. Simple, right? In the 20 years during which I have slid sideways into becoming a wildlife photographer, I have found myself both delighted and frustrated by the challenge of it. Surely if you know how to use a camera, ... The post Stronger Wildlife Photographs: 5 Ways first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Watch the short video above, or keep reading if you prefer the written word. Too many photographers look to the work they do with the camera as job one, which it is. But it’s not the only job. Your ability to edit down to your keepers, to process them in ways that are consistent with your voice, and to do ... The post Stronger Photographs With Just One Decision first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I once wrote that “what if?” was the central question for creative people. I also once wrote that our expectations of what we hope for—of a place, a subject matter, even an idea—can blind us to the reality of it. You show up in Venice to photograph the city in fog and experience agua alta, the high flood waters of ... The post Between What If? and What Now? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Watch the 7-minute video above, or keep reading if you prefer the written word. Here’s a question that keeps me up at night: Why do photographers get so intimidated by editing down to their best images and the “now what?” that comes once we put the camera down? And are we missing really important creative opportunities because of this? For ... The post 3 Ways To Give Your Images Their Best Chance first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Take a few minutes to watch the video above or, if you’re more of a written word person, keep reading. It’s not uncommon for me to come home from a trip with thousands of photographs. On a wildlife trip I can average 1,000 photographs a day, which is really easy to do when you’re in a moving boat, excited about ... The post A Better Edit Makes Better Photographs first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Imagine this: we’re side by side at a local pond, a thermos of coffee between us as the first light comes up. You’ve got your camera with a 24-105mm lens. I’ve got mine, too, but chose to bring my 300mm lens instead. As we set up, you say you wish now that you’d brought a longer lens. “Funny,” I say, ... The post Change Your Lens, Or…? first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

My best photographs are usually a surprise to me. Long after I’ve made them, they feel familiar and almost inevitable as I look back on them, but not one of them could I have really ever anticipated at the time. The light, the composition, even the subject—I often never see them coming. Sometimes, the surprise is that the image even ... The post The Golden Merganser: About the Image first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I am not the photographer I once was—and neither are you. Change is inevitable (and desirable), and as you look at your work, I hope you see that change reflected in the photographs you have made. As the months and years roll by, the camera becomes a little more familiar, a little less intimidating. At some point, it just feels ... The post The Evolving Photographer first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

I came home from Zambia with a small handful of images I love. Maybe eight. The jury is still out. But a couple of them I really love. The rest are just meh, a collection of sketch images that don’t make me lean in or quicken my heart. Far from failures, they’re what it takes to get me to the ... The post Diminishing Returns? I Don’t Think So. first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.

Something a little different for you this morning. My heart stopped dead when I saw the black snake in my tent. Walking barefoot to the washroom in the middle of the night, my mind needed no time at all to jump to the certainty that what I was looking at was not just any snake but one of the most ... The post Change is Hard (At Least You Aren’t a Lobster) first appeared on David duChemin - Photographer, Author, Creative Instigator.