Reflection
As he continues his career in professional photography, Igor Titov encourages aspiring wide-angle photographers to invest time and care into their craft and not be deterred by the challenges, suggesting a firm mindset and good technical skills will show through your final images.
Titov shares, “90% of photos with [a] wide angle lens are taken at sunrise or sunset [,] so laziness to wake up early or sacrifice the dinner or party usually is the hardest challenge… but with the proper mindset, all these challenges are nothing compared to the reward you get by taking [the] picture you’ve always dreamed of.”
As an up and coming professional wide-angle photographer, Igor Titov reveals his favourite pieces of equipment and leaves readers with his top five tips for succeeding with a career in photography:
Favourite equipment:
- Circular polariser (only for lenses up to 35mm)
- ND8 filter - for “silky” water effect
- ND400 - for long exposure photo
- 0.6 stop color grad - for sunsets and sunrises
Top five tips:
1. Study the weather patterns in the area you shoot and be able to determine the signs of a glorious sunset or sunrise in advance
2. Always carry your key gears. Better sacrifice the comfort of your trip or hike then regret not taking the photo of a lifetime
3. Plan well - always know the sunrise/sunset times, and position of the sun. Going to the location in advance and exploring it during lunch time can be very helpful too.
4. For photos near your place - take a model with you and shoot sunrise first and then you have 30 minutes to capture the model in perfect light.
5. Be at the location 20 minutes before the sunrise and never leave until 10 minutes after the sunset. Sometimes the skies are totally unpredictable and can deliver 30 seconds of magic when you are not prepared.