Thursday, September 29, 2011

2 Main Styles of Wedding Photography

Traditional and photojournalistic are the two main divisions of style in wedding photography. The approach and technique may differ greatly, although both styles use similar equipment. Which style to use depends on what you want and your budget.

Traditional Wedding Photography

Traditional wedding photography puts more emphasis on quality and posed pictures. You'll need time to set things up for the shots, getting people together, and relocating any equipment. This ensures you get the exact pictures you want, with a lot of control over the pose and location. A disadvantage to this style is the stress that may be involved with the set-up, and your pictures will look like they've been set-up.
If you decide to go with this style of photography, it will give you a great wedding album. Traditional wedding pictures turn out often looking like a photo shoot rather than a wedding day. This can be to your advantage to have pictures taken specifically to go on pages in a scrapbook or album.


Traditional photography is for you if:
  • You have time for the set-up
  • You know what kind of pictures you want
  • You want to avoid photos of silly or potentially embarrassing moments
  • You want a traditional, old-fashioned look to the pictures
  • You'd like posed photos of all the guests in their best dress

Fine Art Photo as an Element of Interior Decoration


Fine art photography can give a contemporary touch as an interior decoration element and can be framed choosing from a wide selection of matting and framing solutions to suit the interior decoration of the living space or office.
If you feel that your living space needs a change of mood, adorning the walls with fine art photography may be the right solution that could give the necessary impact to bring about such a change. Black and white photography in particular, has been regarded as an interior design element for many decades and has been used to give a classy modern touch to any interior living space.
Using the latest printing technology, fine art photography can be reproduced on canvass, stretched and hang directly on the wall to give a cool modern look to your interior decoration. Fine art photography is also regarded as a valuable investment by art collectors, especially when the piece is signed by the artist.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tips For Getting The Best Nature Photos


Taking great nature photographs is not only rewarding, but it is challenging as well. You need some special skills with your camera, and, of course, a good camera helps. A digital SLR is just about required, but the equipment that goes with it, namely the lens, is also very important. Many photographers argue about which DSLR is the best for nature photography. There are proponents of both Canon and Nikon who all claim their camera is best. Either way, a Canon telephoto lens or the Nikon counterpart is a key element for taking award winning nature shots.
There are some ways to prepare for the day when you will be shooting your best photos of wild animals and birds. First and foremost, know your camera. Practice taking shots at the settings you will use in the field. If you can't afford a proper telephoto lens, borrow or rent one. The kit lens that comes with most DSLR cameras just will not get the job done.
Another piece of equipment that is very helpful is a tripod with a good ball head. Some nature photographers specialize in hand-held shooting, but it takes lots of practice to be good at it. A tripod is your best bet to hold your camera steady with that big gun of a telephoto lens on it. The longer the lens, the more likelihood of camera shake, ending up with an unacceptably blurred photo.

6 Wedding Photography Tips

Wedding photography has changed a lot in the last ten years everything from the poses chosen to the books, albums, and slide shows that capture the moments of the day to be cherished forever. Here are some words of advice that you may have heard already, and if not, you can use them for the next wedding that you shoot.
1. Get to know the couple before the wedding. Every minute you spend getting to know the couple in advance of the wedding pays off in wedding images that can reflect their unique personalities and their hopes and dreams for the life they are beginning together. By the time of the wedding day, the couple should know you well enough to think of you as a new or old friend whom they welcome.
2. Call the wedding planner before the wedding. If there is one, call the wedding planner and introduce yourself as the photographer. Wedding planners can make or break your day and their contribution to your shooting workflow can be immensely helpful. Get on their good side and stay upbeat and flexible.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Beauty of Fine Art Nature Photography

Fine art nature photography is a very affordable way to build a high quality art collection, one likely to build in value over the years. Photography and art collectors can't help being drawn to digital photos of nature, wild animals and outside scenes. Why? Because digital photos have taken collectible photography to a whole new level, resulting in high-resolution images that can last for up to 100 years, with no loss of color.
Digital photos also reflect a photographer's creativity in capturing a special landscape or wild creature that looks real enough to touch, right down to the minutest features.The proof? Simply look at a nature photo, one photographed digitally, and marvel at how it captures the tiniest details drawn from real life - from the thin antennae and stunning colors of a butterfly's wings to the beauty, tones and subtle shading of majestic landscapes. Compare that to other, older photos which weren't taken digitally. Odds are, colors haven't held up well or have faded within a relatively short amount of time.
Unlike photos of old, fine art nature photography can be both a wise investment and a delight to view, year after year, never losing its beauty. Some digital images are highly realistic while others are similar to abstract paintings. Each captures nature's beauty, a unique testimony to the photographer's skill.
Digital photos are a special collaboration between photographer and nature itself. The result? A unique artistic creation - captured in time, in a split second, yet as stunning - or more so - than the finest painting.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Essential Equipment for the Wedding Photographer

One of the first questions a photographer that is entering the wedding field will have is what equipment is needed in order to cover the day in full. That is a very good question and an arbitrary one at that. I am going to do my best to name some of the equipment that I find to be most useful. I will also try and name some equipment that is helpful, but not a necessity. Let's get started!
The first item that you need is obviously a camera. And not only one camera, but two cameras. Murphy is walking around and looking for his next victim and you do not want to have to explain to your clients why you cannot continue to cover their "once-in-a-lifetime" event. If you do not have two cameras, no problem. You can rent good quality cameras online for a very reasonable price. There is no reason that you should not have a backup camera. My suggestion is to get a camera exactly like the one you have and set all of the settings the same so that you will be able to work seamlessly. Another advantage to having an extra camera is that you will be able to equip it with another lens and have it handy for fast shooting.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Basic Things to Know about Your First SLR Camera!

You just bought your first SLR camera and can't wait to start taking some awesome pictures with it. But the manual for your camera is huge, and you're not quite ready to trudge through it.
So what are the basic things you need to know to be able to use your new SLR camera correctly? Here are some great pointers to help you take better pictures and possibly start a photography career down the road.
Shutter
The shutter speed refers to how fast your shutter is opening. The longer it's open, the more light you're letting in. If you have a slower shutter, you can capture motion blur; with a faster shutter, you'll freeze the motion.
Aperture
Aperture, or f-stop refers to how wide the opening of your lens is. The wider it's open, the more light you're letting in. With a wide aperture, you're lens blurs the background; with a small aperture, your background is more in focus.
ISO
ISO refers to how sensitive your sensor is to the light that's coming in. The higher your ISO, the brighter your image. With higher ISO, you'll see more grain or "noise" in an image than you do with lower ISOs.
So you've got to decide which settings you'll be using to make your picture brighter or darker. When you let in more light with one, you have to let in less light with the other to get the same exposure. 

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Wildlife Nature Photography in Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the most mystical destinations on the planet and every year thousands of tourists now brave the elements and cruise to Antarctica to take in the stunning landscapes and amazing wildlife. For photographers it's a wildlife photography opportunity like no other. For the smartest shooters, the best destination of the lot is actually only half way there...
Every year, as the first warming rays of spring sunshine strike Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, life begins to stir on its rocky crags and amid its course tussock grass. Within weeks of the last snow melting, Australia's sub-Antarctic outposts teems with wildlife. Millions of sea birds noisily jostle for nesting space while, on the beach, elephant seals compete aggressively for mates.
But wildlife is not the only invader of this remote, 32km long and 4km wide island, midway between Tasmania and Antarctic. Scientists from the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition arrive each spring to join personnel who have wintered on the base. During the next few months they record almost everything that moves on land and sea, taking a census of the island's wildlife and studying the island's plant life and geology.
Of recurring interest are the 4 species of Albatross that breed on Macquarie. These majestic birds, which soar effortlessly over thousands of kilometres on 3 metre plus wingspans are threatened in large part because they often become entangled in the fishing lines set by long-line tuna boats.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Advanced Effects of Green Screen Photography

Green screen photography is a sort of technologically advanced form of picture making, generally used by the photographers to enhance the visual effects of the images. The process involves taking images in front of a green backdrop followed by the replacement of the subject background by other desirable image in a photograph. Such photography is gaining immense recognition especially among photography studios that intend to bring something innovative to their business. In such photography, a Plano photographer enjoys the liberty of creating images artistically, shortening, or stretching the subject with the use of such technology. However, what deserves special mentioning is that a photographer should choose high quality video editing tool to edit the background image with ease.
Green screen Photography- How to perform
Green screen photography demands good deal of conditions. What is required is a high quality material as a background cloth against which, a person is required to place the subject of photograph. A person can take the help of a muslin cloth as a background cloth as it has lesser chance of getting crimpled. Make sure to use clean spotless cloth, as spots of act as a dampener, creating problem in making. Also, ensure that high quality lighting arrangement is very much present so as to avoid all sorts of shadows on the skin of the subject and to get rid of the shadows at the background. If needed, one can easily make use of the floodlights to brighten up the studio. You can make your subject enact a scene or strike a pose as need be.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Defining Fine Art Photography

Fine art photography, by definition, are the photos that express an artist's creative vision. This is quite the opposite of photojournalism and commercial photography business. You've got a very clear objective with those commercial images: to sell a product or service. Then, photojournalism is necessary for any sort of magazine that utilizes documentaries. None of these really define what fine art photography is.
There are some genres that define this type of photography, and they include natural landscapes, portraits and nudes. Nowadays, there are far more exhibitions of this kind of photography arranged and organized than before. It is becoming quite a trend to use prints and frames for too. Many studios now display these photos without directly on boards without glass. Depending on the purpose and the theme of the stills, the scale of the prints may vary significantly.
One can't simply ignore the beauty of such photography. In very artistic displays, photographs can be staged and lit so a new dimension is added to the photographer's vision. With the introduction of full spectrum photography for electronic cameras, improvement in aesthetic refinery has been achieved. So much can be accomplished with an easy filtering of visible, infrared and ultraviolet light.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Basics on How to Take Good Photos

Many people dread picking up the family camera to grab that perfect moment. Much of this is said to come from their misunderstand of the equipment. It can also be because people misuse the best camera of all, their own eyes. To become a great photograph 'taker' you need to have an appreciation of what goes into making a great photograph. Being a professional photographer I often see this king of image produced by beginners.
Seeing a wonderful Peak District scene is something that we all enjoy but often we do not realise that the camera does not see the way that we do. Human beings look about; our eyes constantly rove a scene picking out interesting elements which either appeal to some hidden primaeval emotion or an interest we currently have. Put these elements together an you have a wonderful scene to photograph.
For example in the Derbyshire Peak District you will find some great landscapes (primeval emotion), we will also see wonderful properties (current themes and aspirational). Often people will reach for a camera to record this image because it presses a few pleasure centres for us. We might even think that the image will look terrific on our lounge wall. The bad news it that we didn't see the quarry and Peak District limestone processing factory in the middle distance. The result is that when we review the image back home there is an amount of disappointment.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

How to Achieve Amazing Photo Quality using Photo Lighting Equipment

A great deal of information about the photo lighting equipment subject is already known by photography school students and avid photographers, but not really by those that might be hoping to enter the field from the beginning. These tools can be used to further enhance a picture beyond what is otherwise possible with only editing software (and a good camera, of course). Combining all of these factors together can create truly astonishing photos of amazing quality, but this all begins with proper photo lighting equipment.
An all-new level of quality is easily achieved by those with either the wallet to buy new items, or those with the mind to buy used photo lighting equipment items. Either way, once the items are acquired, you must then learn how to use them. The first thing you should learn to use is the external photo lighting (or a photo lighting kit). This allows you to highlight the subject of the photo, whether it's a product or a person, and also to manipulate the light in such a way as to capture an image of the subject's best features.
Photo lighting equipment typically comes in two varieties. Strobe lighting, or camera flash, is the more technologically advanced of the variations and requires complex synchronization. Once the shutter and strobe light are synchronized, the picture can be taken safely. This is advantageous because it doesn't provide a constant bright light that can cause squinting. The other type of lighting is continuous lighting, or "hot lights". These provide a constant stream of high-quality light for repeated shots, and are usually advantageous for objects (or other subjects that are unaffected by bright lights).
Continuous lights can be further broken down into two categories: halogen and florescent. Halogen is usually the more popular of the two because of the amount of brightness it can produce, but raises the temperature of the studio while in use. It is also far less energy efficient. Florescent photo lighting equipment is usually much cheaper and more efficient because it consumes less electricity. It generates almost no heat and is used to simulate more natural lighting (ie. the sun). Florescent photography bulbs also last a lot longer, maxing out at around ten thousand hours.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Digital Photo Equipment - Buying Tips For Beginners

Digital photography is a fantastic hobby, and there are more and more folks getting into it every day. The reason so many are interested in it is because of the word "digital." The technology has come so far and it has become so user-friendly that being an amateur photographer is now easier than ever. The question is, what kind of equipment do you need in order to take the kind of pictures that you want? There is a big difference between buying and economical point-and-shoot camera and buying a mid-range DSLR camera.
If you want to take snapshots and travel photos that you pasted into a scrapbook or posted on a website such as Facebook, one of the newer point-and-shoot cameras will probably be sufficient. However, if your intention is to become an advanced amateur are beginning professional, you will want to purchase a more professional digital SLR camera. However, before taking the leap, conventional wisdom suggests that you should "count the cost."
While digital cameras have certainly come down in price, they are not cheap. A midrange DSLR will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500-$2500. Then you have to add the cost of any extra equipment, including lenses. Buying a great camera without a good lens defeats the purpose of the great camera. In fact, many professional photographers spend far more on their lenses than they do on their digital SLR camera.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

An Introduction for Some of Photographic Styles

One of the things that is often talked about between photographers and especially brides these days is photographic style. "What's your style?" is a question we hear a lot. Now there are two definitions for style in the photography world. The first is the photographer's unique style... what makes their images different from everyone else and what sets them apart. The other is the photographer's shooting style - the way they capture their images, and this is what most people want to know about and therefore what I'm going to talk about today.
Let's start with traditional photography because it is the oldest & most common style of photography. This is the type of photography you see often at weddings or in department store photos, and traditional photography is easily recognized by it's contrived posed or "set up" look. A benefit to this style of photography for weddings is that these photographer often use a shot list, which means that specific poses are part of this photographer's routine. There are a few disadvantage to this style. One of biggest issues involves their shot list. Traditional photographers get very focused on their shot list so much so that they may miss a special moment because they are more interested in shooting to sell and not necessarily capturing your story. The other big issue is often that the bride groom end up spending so much time taking photos that they miss out on getting to spend time with their guests and enjoying their day.