Planning Your Photography Shoot
Before you start taking photos, it helps to plan your shoot carefully. By preparing in advance, you can ensure your photos are well executed and visually engaging.
- Consider your location, ensuring it suits your subject and desired style.
- Think about lighting, whether natural or artificial, and how it will affect your images.
- Decide on the composition and angles you want to capture, and plan any equipment you might need such as tripods, reflectors, or additional lenses.
Photography Equipment
For taking photos, you can use your phone, but you may also choose a dedicated camera for higher quality. You’ll also need accessories such as tripods, reflectors, and lighting equipment, as well as a modern computer for storing and managing your images.
Depending on your course, you may be eligible to borrow equipment from the TORS Creative Media Centre.
LinkedIn Learning
Depending on the type of photography you want to do, you might be able to start shooting straight away, or you might benefit from learning the fundamentals first. We recommend building a strong foundation in key areas like composition, lighting, colour, and visual storytelling to help you grow as a photographer.
The Introduction to Photography course covers the key elements and principles, including framing, perspective, scale, and balance, and shows how tools like grids, exposure, and colour adjustments can help you create compelling images.
Post-Production
Post-production is the stage after taking photos where you polish and finalise your images. It includes tasks like cropping, retouching, adjusting colour and exposure, and preparing the photos for sharing, printing, or digital use. At Sheffield Hallam, we recommend the following software packages.
Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a browser and mobile app for editing photos. It provides simple tools and filters to enhance and adjust images quickly and efficiently, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced users. A free account is required to use the software.
GIMP
GIMP is a free, open-source photo editing software. It offers advanced tools for retouching, colour correction, and image manipulation, suitable for both beginners and experienced users. Additional plugins and features can be added to extend its capabilities.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a professional photo editing software used for enhancing and manipulating high-quality images. It offers a wide range of retouching tools, effects, and integrations with other Adobe apps, suitable for both beginners and experienced users. You will need your own Adobe licence or be enrolled on a specific course at Hallam to have access.
