It is published by an ace photographer Kerry Garrison. Kerry is a wedding and portrait photographer in Orange County California. Cameradojo offers good quality tutorials, product reviews, and an active forum. Kerry writes several articles a week for the website and in May of 2008 he started the weekly CameraDojo podcast which is now one of the top photography podcasts in iTunes.
Find his interview below to know about his blogging journey and what makes his blog among the best photography blogs:
Kerry, let's start with a brief introduction of yours.
I started off about 10 years ago having to shoot my own pictures for an on-line magazine about high-power rocketry. This is where I started writing tutorials and product reviews and needed magazine-quality images. I studied lighting intensely and practiced until I became proficient at it. After this, I had an on-line magazine for Radio Control Hobbies which pushed me to compete against top print magazines. This lead to some of my work getting published in the top industry magazines. After I had sold off this site, I decided to focus on photography because there still wasn't a lot of good information on the internet, this led to the creation of CameraDojo.com. Shortly after this, a friend got me into wedding photography and I have been doing a mix of product photography, commercial work, and weddings ever since.
Tell us about the inception of your wonderful blog 'Cameradojo'. What inspired you to start blogging?
I was really inspired by some of "big guys" who had started sharing their information online and since I felt I can take topics and make them easy for newer photographers, I figured I could write articles that would really help people. Much of it is actually self-documentary as I try different techniques and grow as a photographer which I feel makes it relate-able to a lot of people. Fairly early on I was talking to one of my mentors, David Ziser, and I asked how I could pay him back for learning so much from him and his response was "teach other people" which has always inspired me to continue the website as well as many of the other educational projects that I am involved in.
There are two sides to this. On one hand there is CameraDojo.com which is much more of a pure resource site. This has certainly pushed me to try new things, stay current on products and trends, and to experiment with ideas that I might not otherwise have done.
On the other hand, my personal blog at http://kerrygarrison.com is more of a marketing tool to showcase current projects and to help potential clients get a feel about who I am.
First off, you need to have something to say that people care about reading. Simply posting about your dinner or the movie you went to is not going to help you much. Taking your favorite image from your last shoot and really discussing why it is your favorite, what elements really stand out to you, and how you captured and then processed that image is one way of having some content that not only showcases you work, but it helps people get into your thought process. Information like this is so much better than just showing a few pictures from your last wedding you shot.
The most amazing thing about blogging is? And the worst?
Without a doubt the most amazing thing is the people I have met. It's hard to go to any photography-related function without someone saying "Oh your the Cameradojo guy!". The fans of the website and podcast are simply the best. I love meeting them, hearing their stories, seeing their images, and watching them grow as photographers.
The worst is the time commitment. I have an exceptionally busy schedule and finding the time to write good quality content is very difficult. I do the best I can but sometimes life gets in the way of getting writing done.
Let's have a rapid fire:
One camera accessory you can't do without?
A speedlite. Without a flash you are very limited. As Scott Robert Lim says, it's like having sunshine in your pocket.
Which camera do you use?Canon 50DThe most influential person in your life?
On a personal level, I would say my Grandfather. He taught me that you do what you need to do in order to survive. I believe that I got my work ethic from him and that is what keep me going.On the photography side, I would say it is David Ziser.
Your favorite subject of photography?
If we are talking about the favorite subjects to shoot, I don't know that I have a favorite. Some of my favorite images are the brides because they are so filled with emotion. My favorite topic to talk about is lighting as it is the thing most people struggle with so I focus a lot of helping people with that.
Your preferred weather for photography?
Bright blue skies with a few clouds for contrast. I hate overcast days, they are dull and boring.
One line that keeps you going?
I hope my wife doesn't read this part because she hates the song this is from but the best phrase is "I get knocked down, but I get up again, they never gonna keep me down" from Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Don't let obstacles stand in your way, we all have our ups and downs, we all have our setbacks, its how you handle them that defines you.
A speedlite. Without a flash you are very limited. As Scott Robert Lim says, it's like having sunshine in your pocket.
Which camera do you use?Canon 50DThe most influential person in your life?
On a personal level, I would say my Grandfather. He taught me that you do what you need to do in order to survive. I believe that I got my work ethic from him and that is what keep me going.On the photography side, I would say it is David Ziser.
Your favorite subject of photography?
If we are talking about the favorite subjects to shoot, I don't know that I have a favorite. Some of my favorite images are the brides because they are so filled with emotion. My favorite topic to talk about is lighting as it is the thing most people struggle with so I focus a lot of helping people with that.
Your preferred weather for photography?
Bright blue skies with a few clouds for contrast. I hate overcast days, they are dull and boring.
One line that keeps you going?
I hope my wife doesn't read this part because she hates the song this is from but the best phrase is "I get knocked down, but I get up again, they never gonna keep me down" from Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Don't let obstacles stand in your way, we all have our ups and downs, we all have our setbacks, its how you handle them that defines you.
Tell us about your own line of photography lighting products.
So often readers of CameraDojo.com would ask me where to buy good lighting gear and I had a few companies I would recommend. Some went out of business, some would get horrible reviews for customer service. I finally decided that I should step up and find good quality products at affordable prices for people to get started with. In order to do this, I had to find products that were good enough for any Pro to be able to use on a daily basis but couldn't be so expensive that they were out of reach for beginners. I feel I have really hit the mark with the Blackbelt Lighting Products. These have been used by people like David Ziser, Chris Diset, and many others while still being extremely affordable.
Which is your favorite photography blog?
Probably my favorite has still got to be David Ziser's Digital Pro Talk (digitalprotalk.com) and then Neil van Niekerk's Tangents (http://neilvn.com/tangents/)
Is there any time left? On the second Tuesday of each month I run the OC Photo Club, on the third Wednesday of each month I host a webinar for Nations Photo Lab,, and this summer I have been doing free Saturday morning workshops. These days there isn't much that isn't photography related.
Have something to say. It doesn't have to be an all-inclusive educational site but have something that will interest people. It can be as simple as focusing on different ways to shoot wedding flowers, dissecting your favorite image each week, tips for new photographers, or tips for people looking to hire a photographer. Be consistent and post on a regular basis. This doesn't mean every day, but maybe once a week on the same day of the week.
And a final word for our readers?
There are two things I want to leave people with and I hope that CameraDojo.com is a good example of both of these two things.1. Learn your craft. This means learning your equipment like it is an extension of your body. Know without looking how to change settings, how to adjust your lights. Understand exposure. The more you know, the better you will be.2. Simply put "Share willingly". Share your knowledge, help other people, join your local photo club or meet-up group and help teach other people.
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