Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Stuff

Preface

Over the weekend, I finally found time for a long-awaited task: filming YouTube videos 📹.

You, my dear readers, have been requesting these videos for a while. I managed to shoot 5 videos, including the one I'm releasing today about the art of taking pictures 🤳.

Creating YouTube videos is not easy, at least not for me. To improve the way they look compared to my first-ever YouTube video, I placed up my iPhone 12 Mini on a tripod 📱, decorated the scene with 2 of my dear wife's plants 🪴, and positioned myself at a 45° angle to our bedroom window.

The outcome? Well, I'll let you be the judge.

Another challenge I'm eager to embark on is publishing my own podcast - where I will read aloud my newsletters 🎙️.

But living in the US 🇺🇸 has made me conscious of my accent, and I can't help but question how appealing (or unappealing) it will sound.

My accent has never been a concern to me. I'm fluent in three languages (Hebrew, English, and Arabic) but have an accent in the last two. Back home, native English and Arabic speakers have always complimented my speaking skills. However, speaking English in the US and publishing YouTube and Podcast content on English platforms makes me feel self-aware. And not in a good way.

Instead of rambling on, let's save the subject of having an accent for next week's newsletter.

Today, I'm excited to unveil my secrets for taking great photos.

I entered the world of professional photography in 2014 and began investing in my own professional gear in 2016.

It's something I do on a daily basis, and today I want to share my 9 years of experience in a 5-minute read.

I also prepared a complete video guide that I'm publishing today on YouTube, and you can watch it by clicking here.

Enjoy #48!

Main Article

📷 The process of taking pictures has changed tremendously in recent years.

Our smartphones 📱 now have high-quality cameras, and we no longer carry a separate camera.

Remember the era of inserting film into your camera?

Back then, clicking the shutter button was a dramatic moment. The result of that click was a mystery until the film was developed at the photo store. It was time-consuming ⌛, costly 💰, with no room for errors 🤦‍♀️.

Yet, whenever I look back at my film photos, they have a certain magic 🪄.

Sure, some of them are grainy, yellow-tinted, and lack focus. But the unpredictability of the outcome made you put in a lot of thought and care when taking them.

Nowadays, we have instant results right on our phone screen 📱.

So what's the problem? It sounds like all past issues have been solved, right?

Well, yes… and no.

Sure, we no longer pay for taking pictures, nor do we have to visit a photo shop to find out how our images look.

Nevertheless, we now have a new set of issues: We take multiple photos 🤳 without considering the lighting, surroundings, or focus. We rely on our phones to do everything for us. Usually, the result is pretty good. But oftentimes, there's no magic in these pictures. We end up with massive folders with images we hardly ever look at 🗄️.

Today I want to explain how I approach these issues to make my pictures look great.

I will focus on strategies you can implement today, and require no previous experience, photography skills, or technical capabilities.

1. 🌤️ Natural light:

In photography, LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING.

Proper lighting can make or break a photo! But that can be easily addressed.

The most important thing you should remember is that natural light is your best friend 🔆.

🌞 Position yourself so the sun is behind you and shining on your subject whenever possible.

If you're indoors but have a window with sunlight, position your subject at a 45° angle to it 🪟.
(By the way, this is how I positioned myself in my video).

🔦 If using the sun is not an option, switch on all the lights in the room 💡. Natural light will give your pictures an airy feel and make them look more professional. Your subjects should be positioned so they are evenly lit and there are no harsh shadows.

🏡 Take Home message:

Outdoors, use the sun. Indoors, position at a 45° angle to a window, or turn all the lights on.

2. 📸 Flash:

If it's too dark, and in most cases where clinical pictures are taken, you can use a flash.

HOWEVER, if a flash is not used correctly, it can ruin your photo!l

Besides macro shots (photos taken from an extremely short distance), the flash shouldn't be directed at your subject.

Instead, its light should bounce off the ceiling 🦘.

In simpler terms, aim your lens at your subject and flash at the ceiling directly above.

Since phone cameras lack this feature, I NEVER use a flash with my phone!

I'd rather have a grainy-yellowish but natural photo taken in dim light than a washed-out, flash-in-your-face photo.

🏡 Take Home message:

If possible, bounce the flash off the ceiling. If not - don't use it!

3. 🎥 Zoom:

There are two forms of zoom: Optical zoom and digital zoom.

🔭With optical zoom, the lens glass moves when you zoom in, keeping the quality and resolution intact.

📱Digital zoom, however, is like taking a picture but using only a tiny piece of it. It means that whenever you use digital zoom, you delete a part of the image and use computer power to make it look like you didn't. The result is a worse-looking picture.

Newer phones do offer some optical zoom, but it's pretty limited. My advice is straightforward — zoom with your feet!

👣 Simply move closer to your subject.

🏡 Take Home message:

Zoom with your feet, not with your phone.

These are my 3 secrets.

Hungry for more?

Click here to view my complete YouTube video guide.

Stuff - My Camera Gear

This is the gear I use on a daily basis:

📷 Camera Body:

I'm currently using a Canon RP. It replaced my old Canon 5D Mark III, which I now use for portrait shots.

🔭 Lenses:

I have three. A Canon Macro 100mm 2.8L IS for macro images, a Canon 24-70mm 2.8L II USM for clinic portraits, and a Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS II USM for personal use. If I had to choose one lens for clinical photography, the macro would definitely be my pick.

📸 Flash:

Canon MR-14EX II Macro Ring Lite for macro images and Canon Speedlite 430EX II for portraits.

🔋 Batteries (for flash):

Eneloop Pro batteries, which I charge with the Eneloop quick charger.

Epilogue

That's it for this issue.

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Have a great weekend!

Shay