Joel’s practical tips
1 Shoot regularly. It is important to tune your instrument – which is your eye and camera – so that you know how to be in the right place at the right time.
2 I usually prefer tungsten lm rather than daylight lm because you can make long exposures with it and re-balance it in the darkroom.
3 Avoid burst mode. I always make single images, and I try to be in the moment with whatever it is that is unfolding in front of me.
4 Generally with a digital camera, I try not to up the ASA. I would rather use time and light and a lower ASA so that I have a more re ned image to work with.
5 A well-made photo requires a willingness to work things through and gure out the best strategy. Do I want the horizon line in the middle? Should I be closer? What happens if I turn the camera slightly?
6 The middle isn’t always the best. Shift the focus of your picture away from the centre to avoid sameness in your work.
7 In camera cropping is everything. It’s a way of saying, ‘I don’t have to go home and cut off bits and pieces to make a fragment of a photo, I’m good enough to make the whole thing now.’
8 Learn to play elements off the edges of the frame. Think of it like a billiard table where you’re cannoning the ball off all the cushions in an interesting way.
9 Photography is about ideas. Think about what you want to say and take the time to really study the images you are making.
10 Don’t overdo the editing process. I’ve had assistants who think you’ve got to use every tool in the box but you don’t.