Follow the Light: Photography Tips from SmugMug’s Aaron Meyers
Photographer Name: Aaron Meyers
Position at SmugMug: Director of Product
Years at company: Four, (but over 11 as a SmugMug customer)
Years as a photographer: +10
Favorite things about working @SmugMug: The amazing people I get to work with. But perhaps even more so is working on something I’m so passionate about! I sometimes can’t fall asleep before 2am because I’m so excited for the things we’re working on and want to get them out to our customers as soon as possible.
I’m also really excited to welcome Flickr to the SmugMug family. Most of my photographer friends were people I met on Flickr and to be able to play a part in its future is exciting.
Best advice from a pro? I used to get to a location and hope that the sun would put the light exactly where I wanted it, and if it didn’t happen, I would end up with nothing. David Thompson, an amazing landscape photographer/mentor to me (and a SmugMug customer) is always saying “Dude, follow the light.” Thanks to his advice, I’m constantly looking around to seeing what the sun is doing and moving myself and my vision to match what Mama Nature is giving us. Being able to improvise, see what’s so special about the moment and then put yourself there has been the biggest difference.
Picking your locations? That’s a major reason why I share my photography — I hope to inspire others to travel and see amazing places. When I get that inspiration I’ll spend time researching the location: when the best time of year is, what time of the day I should visit, and think about what the light will look like. Once I’m at the location, I’m constantly watching the weather to see if a slightly different location will be better or worse. And sometimes, like in this photo, I had to go back multiple times until I got the timing just right.
“Being able to improvise, see what’s so special about the moment and then put yourself there has been the biggest difference.”
Favorite feature on SmugMug.com? I absolutely love the “Events” feature. I can share a few galleries with friends or a client and they can pick their favorites. With a few quick clicks in Lightroom, I’ve got their favorites imported and I can re-edit those photos, re-publish them, turn them into a photo book or send them to the print lab. Before I knew about this feature I’d have people telling me “well, I love photo #1, 10, 100, and 350” and I’d waste so much time finding those photos. With Event Favorites and Lightroom I barely have to do any work!
What about the app? I’m constantly going in and out of the app to find photos that I want to share with people. It might just be pulling up a photo to show someone next to me, sharing a story about a recent trip, or grabbing a photo off my portfolio so I can post it to Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. One of my absolute favorite features is the ability to mark my photos for offline viewing. I have my entire portfolio ready at my fingertips, even if I don’t have an internet connection. It’s saved me soooo much space on my phone, not to mention time and energy (my photos were already on SmugMug, and then I’d spend even more time transfering them a second time to my phone. Ugh that was painful). I used to need the largest storage space on an iPhone possible but thanks to the SmugMug app I can usually get away with one of the smaller ones!
Favorite shot you’ve taken? A number of months ago I was able to get in a hot-air-balloon in Napa Valley for a sunrise flight. I ignored the couple behind me that was getting engaged because the fog and the morning golden-hour glow was just so perfect. I loved this photo because of a few of the reasons I talked about before — Mama Nature was giving us this amazing golden glow off some low clouds and a little layer of fog caught that warm light … and the sun had just come up a bit and cast beautiful shadows on the vineyard. There was a bit of the “pre-vision” too: I saw another balloon start to enter the scene and knew that if it kept flying in its direction it would line up perfectly for the photo!
Finish this sentence. I shoot because …
I want to inspire others to travel, see the world, and enjoy amazing experiences. I’ve been so fortunate in my own life and I hope others can see and enjoy in the same way. I strongly believe if people stopped to enjoy life a little more, the world would be an insanely better place.
Check out Aaron’s work https://www.aaronmphotography.com
Follow his social
IG: Aaron Meyers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronmphoto
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/
Thanks, Aaron!
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