How To Take High Impact Photographs

[@davidsaylors]

This is photography gold! Thank you for sharing these insights you have learned!! Wow. So much to unpack here. 📸👍

[@MartinCastein]

Thanks David!!

[@TeddyCavachon]

I've been at 56 years including two from 1972-74 apprenticing and assistant top wedding portrait photographer / teacher / author Monte Zucker then 1974-75 working at the National Geographic photo lab and moonlighting 1975 - 1980 teaching and evening class at a college on photo reproduction what I finally made a career off, managing offset printing of magazines. The most valuable insight gained from Monte, while he was critiquing my Zone System B&W during my first interview after seeing his newspaper ad looking for an apprentice is the CONTRAST with the backgound is what will draw and hold attention in a photo. For example in the thunbnail for this video my eye was pulled to the bright background not the face. He critiqued each of my photos by asking me what my intended focal point was, cropping in tight with pair of L shaped crop guides asking me say stop when anything with more contrast with background entered the frame to illustrate that. When taking photos, which I tried to crop in camera, I'd always started wide then got smaller, moving the focal point to each of the four ROT nodes, etc. and had not notice the contrasting distractions his method revealed. Unable to not see the me I when home that evening and cut down all my matted prints according to that principle which is what convinced him to hire me starting was an amazing career which in 1982 got me recuited into the US Foreign Service to manage a publishing center there from 1983 - 2001 where I was able to a lot of undewater photography which is how I got started - my first camera was NikonosII I bought to document my high school SCUBA adventures. Since that job interview with Monte I've shot with an 'inside - out' crop and 'cinematic story telling mind set asking myself 1) What is where I want attention drawn and held? 2) How can I make it contrast strongly, and 3) where in he frame -if anywhere- do I want the veiwer to go next to add context in ''medium POV actor in environment' and 'wide POV' establishment shots Starting out I would shoot wide, medium, close-up but switched to doing it in reverse order and really imprroved the 'actor in environment' by learn to expand the frame short of any distraction or spotting it have a plan to deal with it in post processing by burning iin or cloning,

[@rezafarivar8946]

Thank you for sharing your insights. I'll give this a try. To summarize: 1)Contrast the subject with the background, 2) inside-out crop to notice distractions, and 3) where in the frame to draw a viewer's attention in the actor-in-environment or wide establishment shots.

[@dennisjones5579]

Hi Martin, I greatly enjoy your videos. Your photos are superb and your description of the "how to" is excellent. Thank you

[@MrJREllman]

This is great, thank you. There seems to be about 5 times more videos on YT about lenses and technology of cameras. But as a beginner photographer, this is far more useful.

[@rickyzagalo]

Thanks a lot, Martin, for sharing so well all your experience and knowledge. To me, a simple amateur, this is most useful because give me lines, directions, to go to. It's always a pleasure to watch and listen to your videos.

[@MartinCastein]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Twobarpsi]

Excellent video! I like how you never mentioned cameras or camera specs. It really doesn't matter. Lighting, and understanding how a camera sees light is the most important aspect of photography!

[@johnjon1823]

Tremendous video, super excellent information. Clearly KZbin is not recommending you enough. Good work. God bless!

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful

[@onemanband3579]

Really good, informative video Martin, thank you!

[@dingo3718]

Images are amazing hoping to get to this level onward and upward,, every time I watch your videos as well as getting constant tips and tricks it encourages me to get my gear out and go hunting. thank you Martin I've learned a lot from this channel and will continue to do so.

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you 🙏

[@debisteinbacher8138]

Thanks!

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you!

[@personallycatholic]

Really grateful for your channel. Thank you.

[@jandromare]

It´s always such a delight to experience your great videos including your wonderful photographs - thank you, Martin!

[@MartinCastein]

My pleasure!

[@anarchisttutor7423]

When I have time to be more creative, I like to sketch my future photos, including the equipment I will use and framing lines. Since no stroke is unintentional, it leads me to consider every element, except maybe color, if I forget to use it.

[@Daniel-o1l2e]

Really great stuff. I'm deeply impressed.

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you!

[@gerarddesilva5193]

Amazing as usual! So glad I found your channel. Would love to see a course on portrait lighting as you've explained in this video.

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you yes this is something on the list

Always, always amazing advice on this channel. Thanks so much.

[@MartinCastein]

My pleasure!

[@SwissNetHawk]

Your photographs are as amazing as your explanations and comments on all things photography. I would love to see you editing your photos. Any chance we see that happen one day?

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you! I have editing workshops on my website www.martincastein.com/workshops

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Gorgeous images Martin, both landscapes and portraits. That's what I like to shoot too with a little wildlife. Thanks for your compositional tips, always great. Cheers, Robert.

[@johnbethell8666]

That's really excellent, Martin. And beautifully explained.

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you!

[@gfxmaniac]

I agree. I was waiting for the right moment for 3 months. Animal had to be in the exact spot where Scorpion grasses were blooming. It was last days of blooming that I succeeded to make the photo that I wanted.

[@PerEng2405]

Absolutely brilliant Martin. Gems exposed in a logic and informative way. Much appreciated. /Per (Denmark).

[@hywel3143]

Superb content, clarity and presentation. Thanks Martin!

[@theslawitman]

As always... Fantastic information. The deer photograph blew me away... I just sat in my car, wide mouthed at the quality if these pictures. Can Inask.. are they edited quite a bit? Amazing and mesmerising ar the same time... Thank you so much...

[@MartinCastein]

edited yes, not loads but some, dodge and burn a little and some contrast and colour grading, for me a normal amount.

[@jurrevandermeer4857]

Amazing video!! Especially the bit about back lighting, very useful!!😊

[@MartinCastein]

Glad you liked it!

[@dillank3240]

This was very useful. Thanks!

[@etnes10]

Amazing job Martin! For me personally, this is the best channel for learning photography on the KZbin. After years of shooting, reading multiple photo books and watching thousands of random tutorials on KZbin, your channel is really giving me a new perspectives and a new ways to approach photography. Thank you!

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you!!

[@andrewcroft2570]

Great video Martin.

[@anthonyballinger7144]

Very informative video and much appreciated, however im a little baffled as to how one applies these methods to landscapes for some dramatic scenes?

[@MartinCastein]

I’m going to try to cover this on location in the coming weeks, I was attempting to put it into the video like the side lit landscape example but think it would be better shown on location

[@robertlayne8180]

Great video. You need to make a course/tutoral on children's photography. Most children's portraits are downward shooting. Those photos that give the child's perspective are bangers.

[@Santafefashionweek]

Great information

[@kelvinsakala]

You're the best 👌 sir

[@codyallen3729]

Hey Martin, off topic but have you used the 6d mk2 before? I just picked one up for a good price as a newer companion for my 5Dc and while the camera body itself is really nice, I am finding the colors sooc a bit garish compared to the older sensors.

[@MartinCastein]

I haven’t I’m afraid you might find the 6d mark 1 a better match I think

[@codyallen3729]

@@MartinCastein Yes, I had one briefly and you're probably right though i wasn't happy with the cheaper quality plastic screens on it that got so scratched up compared to the 5d series I didn't really keep it long enough to give it a chance. I do really enjoy the more modern features on the mk2 but will need to experiment with the files to see if I can get something i like better i think

[@tonycanniffe2360]

German portrait photographer on here uses 2x 6D mk2 and had the OG 6D. Forgot his name but it’s a decent sized channel. Maybe he has a perspective on the colours between the two.

[@codyallen3729]

@@tonycanniffe2360 if you think of his name let me know!

[@mehdiiranmanesh9640]

Hallo Martin Die Fotos sind wunderschön David aus Frankfurt Germany

[@DessieTots]

Martin CastIron did you say thirteen or thirty? Whichever, the images you put on show are all really great, very strong images. Love them. As Eve Arnold replied when she was up here in Glasgow and asked for her opinion on the Glasgow based photographer who took her portrait said after a short pause, “he’ll go far” 😂😂. I’m glad to see your KZbin videos here even though you have your Patreon account. I love you Martin, but not that much. 😊

[@MartinCastein]

Hahaha 13 not 30! Thanks though well I’m trying with it all. Channel is doing ok I think.

[@potatopotato7040]

How much do you think the a7 iv will go down in price when the a7 V comes out? Im looking at the used market right now so i was wondering.

[@MartinCastein]

The drop doesn’t always happen immediately it can take a while for the market to be flooded with used cameras first AND demand to drop. How much the price drops depends on demand and that’s hard to predict.

[@potatopotato7040]

@@MartinCastein ok thank you

[@Stan_the_Belgian]

2:05 almost looks fake, great timing

[@tjmanou6422]

so many secrets out on KZbin these days ;)

[@rachellevance]

👍🏼

[@E.Michael]

Number 1. 12/2/24.

[@jaynepal2051]

Gold content but less subscribers. KZbin algorithm needs to do better.

[@allee2445]

Great tips Martin! What is your prediction of how AI impacts the future of photography?

[@MartinCastein]

Hi I don’t think will affect it. I mean I don’t want to stop taking photos.

[@gohumberto]

When automation replaces hand-made products it tends to increase the value of hand-made products. I think the demand for "artisan" created photos will increase as AI floods the market with auto-generated junk.

[@PJ-om2wq]

Who else is from London?

[@ndc5544p]

a few million people.

[@jacquesgiard6943]

Thanks!

[@MartinCastein]

Thank you!