Photography for Graphic Designers

- If you want something done well, the old saying goes, you have to do it yourself. I don't actually think that's true, given that there's so many people who are so much better at so many things than I am. However, doing something yourself is often a good way to save yourself for money, and there's no reason that you can't take a DIY approach to the photography in your graphic design projects. If you're a graphic designer who regularly works with photographers, and you find yourself struggling to get approval for the cost of a professional photographer, then you might want to take a stab at shooting your own photos.

Today's modern digital cameras, with their sophisticated automatic modes, make it possible for a designer to assume photographic chores that used to require a professional shooter. In this course, we're gonna look at some quick tips and suggestions for how you can take on the photographic duties that your projects require. We're in San Francisco right now, and we're going to head to the Bayfront Theater to work with Bay Area Theater Sports, a local improvisational theater company. They need a two-sided trifold flier that's gonna require a good amount of photography. You're gonna see how we use stock photos to prototype a design, and then work from that prototype to create a shooting plan.

When we're actually shooting, you'll see me tackle portraits, architecture, simple objects, a full-length stage production, and more. (shutter clicking, applause) Finally, we'll take a quick look at what might need to happen to your images in post production as we work towards a finished first draft to deliver to the client. You can't become a professional photographer overnight, but for certain types of shooting, the virtual professional that's built into your camera combined with your own design sense and eye might be all that you need to get the images that you want.