10 Signs You Might Be A Bad Photographer

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Master Photographer

(With a hat tip to Jeff Foxworthy!)

You might be a bad photographer if:

1. You think that merely owning a Leica means your images will hang in a museum.

2. You know nothing about and care nothing about your subject.

3. You need to get drunk or stoned before you think making pictures is fun.

4. You think that paying extra for the “PRO” account on Flickr makes you a professional photographer.

5. You spend more time explaining your photographs than you do making them.

6. You think that picking up your camera once a year during a national holiday means you’re avoiding getting rusty.

7. You spend more time on camera forums belittling other people’s photographs than you do trying to figure out how to make your own better.

8. You spend ANY time complaining that your pictures don’t get enough LIKES on Facebook or Flickr.

9. You’re more interested in making photographs that cause the cool kids to promote you on Google+ than you are telling stories with your camera that matter to your subjects.

10. You think that pixel-peeping and measure-beating will cause you to be a successful and famous artist – or – to get that girl you met in college to like you.

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Five Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography In A Week

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Master Photographer

1. Learn to use your flash – Read the flash manual. Read the camera manual pages that talk about using flash. Practice making a photo of a person, place and a thing with the flash. Then get (or make) a 3′x3′ white bounce card and practice making those same images by pointing the flash at the bounce card and the bounce card at the subject. Note the difference.

2. Get small! Well not small in size – small in details. Make pictures of your usual favorite subjects but instead of your usual approach, drill down on to details. If you usually shoot pictures of horses, try just making some shots of their faces, or their eyes, or their tails or someone’s foot in the stirrup.

3. Practice photographing birds – gulls to be exact. Now hold on – I’ll explain. This isn’t advice I am giving because I am a bird photographer. It’s advice related to the fact that it’s just good practice. Photographing fast moving objects improves your aim if you will. And most people reading this live somewhere the common “sea gull” can be found. Try it – you might just have fun and it works.

4. Practice the big three – if you follow me regularly you’ve heard this advice but I share it over and over for a reason. It helps. EVERY DAY you should read a page of your manual, make at LEAST one photograph and look at as many published, professional photographs as you can. This will improve your photography every day you do it.

5. Think background/foreground. Try making pictures that START with an interesting background. Reverse the typical process. THEN find something interesting in the foreground to complete the picture. This vision exercise will help you “see” better right away.

Improving your photography almost always just starts with a camera in your hand, so stop reading this post and go shoot. And have fun too!

Camera Lens Buying Guide – UPDATED January, 2012

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Master Photographer

UPDATED January 2012 – there have been several cool new lenses released since I first published this list and those changes are reflected herein. I’ve also added a few more of the older lenses I’ve had time to test and fall in love with. I’ve also added a section briefly explaining the difference between prime and zoom lenses:

I get lots of “what camera should I buy” questions here at Photofocus. I personally don’t enjoy that question since it’s sort of like asking me “What sort of car should I buy?”

I do have more sympathy for the next logical question: “What lens should I buy?” I am not talking about the “Is the Nikon 50 f/1.4 really better than the 50 f/1.8 lens?” questions, but the “What lens should I buy generally?” questions.

Neither question is easy to answer. This is an updated version of my first attempt (back in June, 2009) to cover this question. I have seven basic questions here that should help make the process of selecting a lens easier. For those who just want me to pick a lens for them, skip to the bottom where I have some generic suggestions.

If you’re trying to decide which lens to buy, here are some questions that you should answer (on your own) before you decide to go to the camera store.

1. What is your current skill level? Are you a raw beginner or advanced amateur? What are your goals? Do you want to turn pro or just shoot family photos? The advice I would give to someone buying their very first serious camera lens would sometimes be different than it would for someone who’s been at this five years. Pros need lenses with wide (fast apertures) etc.

2. What subjects do you like to photograph? The lens I’d suggest for photographing birds is very different than the one I’d suggest for a food photographer. Some subjects require long lenses (like sports and wildlife.) Other subjects like architecture require very wide lenses.

3. Will you primarily be shooting indoors or outside? If you’re shooting mostly indoors you’ll have to consider a faster lens than if you’ll just be shooting outdoors. Unfortunately, faster lenses cost more. But if you can’t or won’t use flash, super wide apertures are going to be important to you.

4. How much money do you want to spend? Lenses are like most things – you get what you pay for. Knowing how much you want to spend will often have a big influence on what I’d recommend. I personally think the lens is more important than the camera body – in some cases. It’s sort of like stereo equipment. Every genuine expert in that field I’ve spoken with says to spend the money on speakers. Here, I’d suggest spending the money on glass.

5. How long will you keep the lens? If you turn your gear over frequently, it might make sense to go with something less expensive than if you plan to use the lens over the entire length of your career. If you are the kind of person who hangs on to everything you buy, save your pennies and buy the best.

6. How strong are you? Weight (and size) are important factors in lens choice. I know many photographers who were very excited to get a Nikon 200-400 F/4 lens until they actually had to hold it. The thing is a beast. Are you prepared to carry whatever lens(es) you buy? It’s a shame to buy a lens and then not use it because it’s too much of a hassle to carry it.

7. Which is most important? Price, quality, durability? An old businessman taught me a very important lesson early in life. You can have it good, fast or cheap. Pick any two.

With this information in mind, you should be much better positioned to select the right lens for you.

Before I go on I want to address one common question about the difference between “prime” and “zoom” lenses.

For those who are new, a prime lens is merely a fixed focal length lens. It just means that unlike your 70-200 mm lens that allows you to use focal lengths between 70mm and 200mm, a prime lens will only shoot at a fixed length. Some common prime lens lengths are 24mm, 35mm 50mm, 85mm, 100 mm, 200mm, etc.

Here’s a rundown of the advantages prime lenses have over zooms from my point of view.

1. Prime lenses tend to be “faster” than zooms. What I mean by that is that they have a larger aperture (lower f-stop number) and allow more light into the camera.

2. Prime lenses tend to be sharper because they tend to have fewer optical compromises. Zooms require more lens elements and moving parts which could impact sharpness.

3. Prime lenses are typically smaller and lighter than their zoom-lens equals.

4. Prime lenses force you to think more about composition since you can’t just zoom your way out of a problem.

5. Prime lenses (at least the great ones) sometimes offer you more control with features like depth-of-field scales (used for hyper focal distance calculations) or aperture rings.

There are disadvantages to all these features. You have less flexibility, you have to buy and carry more lenses to achieve coverage of the same focal lengths, and good prime lenses can be expensive.

As for my own preferences, I like primes and I don’t shoot with many zoom lenses. Yes they are affordable, convenient and versatile. But there’s a trade off. They typically have more flaws than prime lenses. I am NOT saying you shouldn’t buy a zoom lens. In fact, I do own a few myself. Okay, I own three. I will even recommend a few below. But I believe (especially for those shooting video as well as stills on a DSLR) that a very fast prime lens is the best way to go for those who can afford it.

I also want to mention that I am not covering many third party lens manufacturers here. The reason is simple. I only own one third-party lens (Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO IF Ultra Telephoto Zoom Lens.) I haven’t had enough testing time with most of the third-party lenses to be able to tell you which ones are best. You can indeed often (but not always) save money with third-party lenses. My advice is to rent these before you buy to make sure they meet your needs. Another thing to note is that while third-party lenses often perform at levels consistent with the lenses produced by Canon and Nikon, they typically suffer more manufacturing defects. So your chances of getting the proverbial “bad copy” of a lens go up with third-party lenses. Lastly, if you do go with third-party lenses, try to stick with the higher-end third party lenses. Sigma in particular is making some very high-quality lenses at the higher end of the market.

For those who want to know which lenses I like, here are some quick (and safe) suggestions, in several price ranges.

NOTE: If YOUR favorite camera lens is not on this list, it doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s a good lens. These are just my personal choices.

I apologize in advance, but I won’t have time to advise folks individually regarding their lens choices. This list (as well as this post) are designed to help you select for yourself. When it doubt, rent. That way you can see for yourself if a lens performs as you expect it to.
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Normal Lens – 50mm

In my opinion, a fast 50mm lens is a must have in every serious photographer’s camera bag. For years, the fast 50 was the “kit” lens. This somehow made it less desirable and the camera companies started shipping cheap zooms with their bodies instead of the 50. I think that was a bad call. In most cases, I’d dump the kit lens in favor of a fast 50 and one auxiliary lens (at a minimum.) The good news is that fast 50mm lenses are affordable. Here are my suggestions.

BUDGET

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

INTERMEDIATE

Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens

PRO

Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G Lens

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

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Wide Angle Lens

If you photograph landscapes, architecture, environmental portraits or anything else that requires a wide view, wide angle lenses are going to be important to you. While photographers disagree about how wide is wide enough, I’ve always found lenses in the 20mm to 28mm range to be a consistently good focal length for most wide shots. Yes, there are times when SUPER wides like the 14 or 16mm lenses will be more appropriate. These are typically expensive and overkill for MOST photographers. Feel free to go wider if you need to and can afford it. For the purpose of this piece, I’ll stick with 20mm to 28mm lenses as a wide angle choice.

BUDGET

No Budget Choice This Category

INTERMEDIATE

Nikon 20mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor Lens

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Lens

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide Angle Lens

PRO

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S RF SWM Prime Wide Angle Nikkor Lens

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens

Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Lens

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Zoom Lenses

I’ve already given my thoughts on zooms. In today’s economy, they will be the only logical choice for photographers on a budget. Thankfully, there are some very good and affordable zooms. Here are some of my favorites.

BUDGET

No Nikon choice in this category

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L

INTERMEDIATE

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

PRO

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Lens

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Zoom Lens

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Specialty Lenses

Some photographers will need specialty lenses for things like macro, portrait, wildlife, sports or architectural work. There are also two micro four/thirds lenses on the list. Here are a few that I like.

INTERMEDIATE

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 Lens

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8 Lens

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens Nikon

85mm f/3.5G AF-S DX ED VR Micro Nikkor Lens

NOTE – the above 85 f/3.5 lens is designed ONLY for Nikon DX cameras. Full frame Nikon shooters should buy Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens

PRO

Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra-Wide Angle Lens

Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Lens

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II

Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG Lens (Canon)

Remember, 98% of all lenses are better than 99% of all photographers. It’s not the gear that makes the photo, it’s the person who’s using it. Just because you own these recommended lenses, doesn’t mean you’ll get great shots. Practice your craft, build your vision and then these lenses might make a difference.

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Where To Photograph Birds

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Master Photographer

Shorebirds, water birds, birds of prey, exotic birds, and song birds are just some of the many types of bird subjects that inspire great images. And no matter where you live, you can find some of these birds to photograph.

The great thing about photographing birds is that you can start in your own back yard. Plant a few bird-friendly plants, set out some birdbaths and feeders, and build a blind to attract desirable subjects. If you want birds that do not inhabit your area, or you want more skittish birds like hawks, you will need to consider wildlife models and zoos.

One of the best ways to find birds of prey is to see if you have a bird rescue center in your area. These organizations typically provide medical care and shelter for birds that were injured or orphaned in the wild. These places can be an ideal source for photographers who want access to birds that are not normally approachable.

Call around until you find a rescue center and then introduce yourself. Tell the operators of the center that you are a wildlife photographer and would like a chance to photograph the birds they work with. Promise to follow any guidelines they establish, agree to give them copies of the images you make for promotional use, and if necessary, offer to make a donation to help them with their work. This can be a great way to get close-up portraits of birds under controlled conditions where you can predetermine the background and look for the right light. Try to find birds that have minimal injuries or that have been nearly rehabilitated. Even if a bird has a bad wing for instance, you may still be able to make a striking head and shoulders portrait.

Zoos are another great source for bird photography. Many zoos maintain large bird collections. In some cases, these birds may even be in areas that are photographically accessible. The San Diego Wildlife Park and San Diego Zoo have several bird exhibits with natural habitats that make great photographic backgrounds. The San Diego Wildlife Park features an African bird exhibit that allows many great photo opportunities with general admission. Some of the best bird photographs we’ve made have been at zoos.

If your local zoo doesn’t have the birds in an area that you can photograph, call the zoo society and see if you can arrange for special access through a docent or handler. Many zoos will make this access available to you in return for rights to use the images. Still others may charge a fee. If they have good specimens, it may be worthwhile.

Private game owners often will allow photographers access for a fee. In Roma, Texas, Roel Ramirez has established blinds and feeders on a section of his property offering some of the best opportunities to photograph songbirds you will ever find.

And don’t forget aquariums. They are likely to have water bird exhibits or habitats that attract non-captive birds. In Newport, Ore., at the Newport Aquarium, the puffin exhibit is superb.

And then there are wildlife refuges. Places like Bosque del Apache in central New Mexico are a bird photographer’s dream.

Three Things Portrait Photographers Can Do To Establish A Connection With Their Subjects

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Master Photographer

There are several ways to establish a connection with your next portrait subject. Here are three.

1) Shooting straight on with your subject at or near eye-level establishes eye contact and a close relationship between the subject and the viewer. There is an intimacy to a straight on camera position that evokes an emotional response.

The straight on shot can work from any height, but it is most effective at eye level. If you want to establish an immediate connection between the viewer and the subject, shoot straight on.

2) Try to get an honest, genuine expression. Expression sells portraits. So get a real one. If you just tell someone to smile it rarely works as well as getting them to smile in a genuine manner. I am not above telling bad jokes to my subjects to get them to laugh or smile naturally. It makes the portrait more real and intimate in my opinion.

3) Take care of the technical stuff BEFORE the subject arrives for their portrait. Know what camera settings and lighting setups you want before they show up. The photographers who spend time fiddling with their cameras and gear don’t have as good a chance at establishing real rapport and connection with their subjects.

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Seasonal Considerations for Wildlife Photographers

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Master Photographer

If you want to photograph wildlife (or any subject outdoors) pay attention to these seasonal considerations:

Winter – Snow can cause your camera’s meter to register an improper exposure by fooling the camera into thinking there is more light than there really is. A simple way to avoid this is to fill the frame with the animal or use your camera’s spot meter to make sure you are reading only the light that is striking the animal, not the light that is striking the surrounding areas. See the exposure section if you need a brush up on metering non-medium tones.

Cold weather can also affect your gear. Cold weather shortens battery life. It’s a good idea to keep your spare batteries in a pocket close to your body. Often, if a battery runs low, warming it up will help restore it. Some photographers have actually taped chemical hand warmers to the outside of their cameras over the battery compartment. For more tips on protecting your gear in the cold, see Secret #22 – Protecting your Gear.

Photographing in winter can be a joy, but you need to protect yourself and stay warm. We recommend layering appropriate clothing. That means synthetics or wool instead of cotton. Always have a hat available too.

It’s hard to change film or settings on your camera with frozen fingertips. Glove liners, fingerless gloves, and hand warmers are a few strategies for keeping your hands operating. One product that Rod really likes is the ThermaBand by Crazy Creek. The ThermaBand is a wrist strap made of polar fleece material. It has a pocket that holds a chemical hand-warmer against the wrist, which, according to Crazy Creek, “prevents the radial and ulnar arteries from constricting, increasing blood flow, keeping hands and fingers warmer.” With the ThermaBand, you can wear lightweight gloves or the fingerless flip top mitten gloves. When you do expose your fingers, they stay warm and workable. The hand warmer packets typically last up to seven hours, which, in the winter, means all day.

If your feet are uncomfortably cold or numb, you’re not going to be thinking about making your best photos. You’re going to be thinking that your feet are uncomfortably cold or numb. Combat this problem with chemical toe warmers and insulated boots.

To keep the rest of you going, have some high-energy food snacks in your pocket too.

If you use your head before going out in the cold, the rest of your body will remain comfortable, and you’ll be able to concentrate on your photography.

Spring – Spring brings rain to many areas of North America. Take appropriate steps to protect your gear. It’s also a time for wildflowers and fertile green backgrounds for your wildlife photos. There is more daylight in the spring than winter, so you may have more opportunities to shoot, but also note that the sun will be higher in the sky than in winter causing harsher light with greater contrast.

Summer – Summer is the hardest time to photograph wildlife. The sun is very high in the sky meaning that you have to restrict your shooting time to very early morning or very late afternoon. Crowds are always an issue if you go to parks, zoos, or refuges. You will also notice that the animals you photograph in summer don’t have the pretty coats of fur that you see the rest of the year.

Avoid photographing wildlife in the summer if you can help it. There are exceptions to this rule, such as bears in Alaska or moose in Maine. But for the most part, you’ll do better waiting for fall.

Fall – Fall is the best time to photograph at zoos, parks, and wildlife refuges. Summer crowds are gone. There are few school field trips to the zoo this time of year, and it’s cooler, so the animals are typically more active. Some zoos even offer discounted admission fees in the fall making it cheaper as well. The light tends to be lower in the sky this time of year, so the light will be softer or less harsh. Contrast ranges will be narrower making it easier to get a good picture every shot. Animals from cold climates will start to get their winter coats in the fall, making them much more photogenic. Depending on the location and weather, you might even be lucky enough to get backgrounds full of fall color.

The Best Way I Know To Avoid Photographic Boredom & Grow At The Same Time

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Master Photographer

I’ve written here before about shooting your way out of a rut. Now I want to help you before things get that bad. This is a little secret I learned years ago and it has helped me to keep my photographic interests alive longer than most of you reading this.

Here’s the secret…

Stretch your boundaries – leave your comfort zone – do something daring or at least different with your photography at least once per year.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. But it’s harder than it sounds. Ships are safest in the harbor but they are not built to sit there. They are built to sail.

If you want to avoid boredom, and dare I say it, receive the additional benefit of even growing, try something new.

Abraham Maslow said, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

Visit some new territory if you want to grow. It worked for me. I was safely behind the wall of wedding and portrait photography, enjoying my success when one day I saw photographs of birds by Arthur Morris. I decided to try my hand at some bird photography. Talk about a stretch. I moved from the controlled environs of my studio and strobes to open fields and nothing but sunlight. But it helped me get past the boredom of shooting portrait after portrait and move forward to something new and fun and hard – photographing birds.

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded that life will be over before you know it. Try something new before you run out of time. Shoot something you would normally never think of photographing. Take it further and actually study and scrutinize the work of photographers who work outside your genre. The more you apply yourself to this exercise, the more you’ll get out of it.

Not only will you avoid the eventual boredom that envelopes many long-time photographers, you’ll find yourself with better vision and growth in a new direction.

Birds (and one deer) of Bosque 2012 – Diary Part 3

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Master Photographer

In my last installment of the diary, I said I was hoping for some weather at Bosque del Apache. Well I got it – perhaps I should have been more specific. I wasn’t hoping for deep, dark clouds and driving rain. I was shut out at the blast off. There was no light. But I did find some new spots that I’ll shoot from later. I made exactly one exposure and some video during the morning.

This is a good example of the patience it takes to be a nature or wildlife photographer. Unlike studio shooters who can control just about every aspect of their shoots, those photographing birds spend most of their time in a state of NO control.

You can’t control the weather, the light, the birds, the wind direction and strength, etc. You just need patience, luck and the basic knowledge required to put you in the best position to GET some luck.

This is why so many people give up nature or wildlife photography. They go out once or twice and if conditions are bad, they form an opinion that it will always be that hard and they move on. It takes incredible patience, spanning years sometimes, to do this work. When you get some luck and everything fits together, it’s very rewarding.

I did have some luck this week. Some deer were grazing on the reserve. Usually they are very timid and hard to photograph. This week they seemed more accessible. I managed a decent shot of one.

As always happens at Bosque, each day is packed with meeting more old friends who’ve also come here for years, and I even met some new ones. I was gratified at the number of people who came up and introduced themselves to me saying the read the site or listen to the podcast.

Because of the bad weather, I spent a few extra hours in Socorro. There are a few new restaurants, (If you go, try the new Mexican place directly across from Taco Bell. It’s really good) and a few old ones are victims of the recession. The old grocery stores are still here despite the newish Walmart. The Holiday Inn Express is one of the newest hotels in town, and it’s the most expensive and the nicest in my opinion. That said, it’s not exactly a great place. No Internet for the first two days of the trip and the hotel is badly in need of a renovation, but it’s still better than the choices we had in the mid 90s.

As I close this section of the diary I’ll say that now I’ve had enough time to form a reasonable opinion, there’s no doubt that my fears about Bosque turned out to be true. As bad as it’s been, I’ve been fortunate to get some good images. But it’s not like the old days. The refuge is simply seeing fewer birds than in past years. I talked with a wildlife biologist who assured me the bird populations are holding steady, it’s just that the birds aren’t stopping at the Bosque while on the flyway. I probably won’t be spending next Thanksgiving here.

To steal from Forest Gump – “Nature/Wildlife photography is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get!”

One more post coming from Bosque.
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How To Stitch Panoramics Using Photoshop

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Master Photographer

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CROSS POSTED AT 3EXPOSURE.COM

Guest Post by Richard Harrington – Follow Rich on Twitter

The Photomerge command lets you take several photographs and combine them into a seamless panoramic image. You can use the command to merge images that are tiled horizontally or vertically.

Use the following steps to merge properly shot photos into a panoramic image.

Choose File > Automate > Photomerge. You can also select multiple images in Adobe Bridge and choose Tools > Photoshop > Photomerge (then skip to step 4).
Click the Use menu and choose Files or Folders.
Click the Browse button and navigate to the files or folder you want to use.
Select a Layout option to merge the photos. For most situations, Auto works well.
Choose Blend Images Together to have Photoshop attempt to seamlessly blend exposure and color. If you want to create layer masks manually, leave this option unchecked.
Click OK to begin the Photomerge process

Other Options

Vignette Removal: This option can remove darkened edges that can be caused by lens flaws or improper lens shading.
Geometric Distortion: This option attempts to correct the distortion caused by certain lenses (such as wide angle or fisheye).

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Photographers – It’s Okay To Say “Excuse Me!”

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Master Photographer

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I was invited to attend a press conference at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week. Apolo Anton Ohno, the most highly-decorated Winter Olympian in history was attending the public unveiling of his new custom 1964 Cadillac Deville convertible. There were dozens of photographers and several video crews at the press conference. The room was small and poorly lit. Typical conditions in the real world.

At these events, in order to get the shot you need to be patient. You also need a little luck. With lots of photographers jostling you for position, you may have trouble unless the people you work with are sensitive to the needs of their fellow photographers.

At this event, most of the photographers were working for the same shot. Fortunately, most were paying attention to their location and careful to avoid staying in the line of fire.

But at all these events, no matter where they are, when they are or who attends. No matter who the celebrities are or what they are doing, there are always a few people who will either simply be clueless or downright rude and boom – they’re constantly in your shot.

At this event, I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with several such photographers. One in particular, who is at most car-related events just casually walks into other people’s shots without care or concern. He got in front of my shots at the Indy Car race, the NHRA Nationals and yesterday, at the press conference. Along with a few new guys who I didn’t recognize, it was a real battle to get a clean path to the right shot.

When you find yourself in these situations, the first and least confrontational approach is to just wait patiently for others to get their shots. You can wait too long though and end up with nothing. Mr. Ohno wasn’t going to sit there all day waiting for me to take his picture. You can only wait so long.

At this event, I decided I wasn’t able to wait any longer so I firmly placed my hand on the shoulder of the guy who’s been walking in front of me for months and loudly said, “Excuse me!” It almost always works. In years of experience it’s worked about 90% of the time. I’ll leave it to you to decide how to deal with the other 10% – but don’t be afraid to assert yourself. Moments and opportunities pass. There will never be another time when Mr. Ohno unveils his new 64 Cadillac. Sometimes you just have to say “Excuse Me!”

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