Getting ready for a weekend worth of good shooting? As part of our Canon Series, a number of pro photographers provide some valuable tips to up your photography game. For even more, visit the first part here.

Lee Slabber's Top Tip
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"I've been to shoot at this location before but my images have not come out looking like yours!" This is something that I have heard a lot before regarding my seascapes, but the bit of advice I can give is quite simple. When shooting seascapes, swell, weather and tides can all play a major role in the outcome of your image. The best way to nail the shot is to keep returning to the same location over and over until all the elements fall into place, otherwise you're just gambling. Remember the three P’s: Patience, Persistence and Passion.

Andrew Beck's Pro Tip
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You really need to pay attention to where your focus points are placed in an image as well as the depth of field that you select. Also be acutely aware of the variables that affect the resultant depth of field (aperture, distance to subject and focal length) and keep these in mind when photographing wildlife.

Quintin Mills' Pro Tip
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This is a hard one, but advice I would regard as important if someone offered it to me would be to shoot more personal work. It offers an opportunity to explore different styles and options and to experiment more. It will build your skills/technique without the pressure of a client wanting results, and most of all I think, it can take you to your happy place where you will remember why you love looking through a viewfinder.

Other than that always sign a contract, always take a deposit (retainer), shoot as many options as you want to, backup after every shoot, and always say please and thank you.

Tim Moolman’s Pro Tip
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A photographer should be a photographer no matter what circumstances, situation or light they find themselves in. By that I mean that you should be able to capture any situation competently. The person who taught me photography used to drum this into me, that I could photograph anything I wanted to and photograph it well. I simply had to understand the subject intimately and, if necessary, the client’s needs.

Once you understand and are comfortable with the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO, it comes down to who you are as a person when you tackle a new project. For example, if you choose to be a wildlife photographer, learn the animals' behaviour and practice patience. If you want to photograph people (and this is a broad field encompassing street, wedding, event and all sorts of commercial photography), then develop a love for the human race and be patient.

All images have a story behind them, whether it’s amusing, frightening, tragic or exciting. This story and your personality is going to shine through in your photography in various ways and you want to be proud of your work and of the person you were. I act like a goofball at times and it puts people at ease, they relax, become themselves and then I get great photographs. 

Lastly, always strive to enjoy what you’re doing and don’t get caught up in pointless debates. You’re a photographer – you get to show people, and the world, at their best. If you choose to, you can also capture the world at its very worst. Keep your perspective; we are documenters and sometimes we are artists, but we are not going to solve the world’s problems or cure its diseases. We can only tell its story.