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3 Stages Of Wedding Photography Preparation
by Admin on Nov.17, 2011, under articles
3 Stages Of wedding photography Preparation
By: Tulsa Wedding Photographer
Jake Aldrich
The failure to prepare, is preparation to fail. ? John Wooden
While this may have been applied to basketball at the time of the quote, this principle applies to many important things in life, including wedding photography.
This preparation for the wedding day can be followed in three steps. Treat them like wedding rehearsals. Let’s see how.
A Few Months Before
A few months before the actual wedding, a tulsa wedding photographer should
try and do a planning ?run through’ with the wedding couple, and plan out the day. You may not have all the details chosen yet, but it is a good starting point to get things narrowed down. An experienced photographer can also help you with ideas that you may not have thought of, and details to consider.
Another thing to potentially plan for is a “photo-run-through” aka, engagement photos. As a photographer, you get to know the couple even further, learn about their personalities, and get them ready for feeling comfortable when posing for pictures. Besides these advantages, you get the opportunity to discuss style with the wedding couple, and inquire more intricate details they would want to incorporate in their wedding photos.
You can also use this time (either in addition to, or in place of) to do bridal portraits. Usually featuring the bride and her dress, many times at the place of the ceremony (or at another scenic location) the bridal portraits offer the bride a chance to get some beautiful shots that she and all of her family members will want to keep, and possibly more importantly, gives the bride another excuse to be the princess if the day. Getting dolled up, hair and makeup done, and donning the dress that she plans to be married in is a great run through for the big day.
One Week Before
This is ?making sure’ rehearsal for the wedding day, in order to ensure the same situations discussed previously are still on the list.
Most important shots like pre-ceremony and post-ceremony shots of the couple or the group shots should be planned at this time. Shot sheets that feature specific family member names can also be very helpful in organizing the day, since it is difficult to off hand remember every shot you may want, especially in the whirlwind of the day.
The Night Before
Sleep well! Your big day is ahead of you, and your photos are the last thing you will need to worry about. With the preparation you have gone through for the day, everyone should be on the same page, and you are free to enjoy your big day!
By: Tulsa Wedding Photographer
Jake Aldrich
Epic Photography Tulsa
Find Out What It Takes To Be A Photographer – Learn Photography
by Admin on Nov.16, 2011, under articles
I have been on a quest to learn photography for quite some time. That has been a blessing, but it has also been a curse. I have gotten sidetracked with the technical side of photography rather than the creative side.
That’s why I came to these couple of questions. Is photography art? And does simply owning a nice camera, like a digital SLR, make an individual a photographer?
I must admit that I have been thinking about these things with regard to my own work quite a bit lately I do own a digital SLR camera. It’s a Canon 30D. There is rarely a day that passes without my camera being used. So, taking pictures is not the trouble, but I still have difficulty declaring myself as a photographer.
The reason I have such a problem is because of the work of others. I spend far too much time viewing the online images of photographers who I consider as extremely talented in the area of photography, and, quite honestly, I regard my pictures pretty rotten after viewing theirs. But then, a friend sees my images and is amazed at how good they are. My problem, I guess, is personal expectation.
My desire is to capture images that can stand up to the likes of Jeff Wignall or Scott Kelby, two of my favorite photographers and teachers. Those guys make my pictures look second rate.
I’m pretty critical about my own work in photography. But some times, I tend to be even more critical of those who imagine themselves photographers who know zero about the technical part of picture taking. How can someone call himself a photographer when he has no idea about the difference between an aperture from an exposure setting?
But now, after some soul searching, I see that I am being somewhat cynical. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right? Sadly, I invest too much time on the technical data and sharpness of the image than on the artistic or emotional value.
An image becomes art when it can inspire or draw out the emotion of a viewer.
A person’s ability to manipulate the camera settings, while important, is not art. Additionally, if the camera menu is never touched, what is wrong with that? A more important issue is the impact those pictures are making on the intended audience.
Something else to keep in mind is that not everyone is trying to have their photos published by Better Homes and Gardens . They take pictures in order to save a memory, and in that sense, they are photographers and artists.
So, as I end my muse about photography and art, let me urge you to continue to shoot those pictures. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination lead you into your next shot. Maybe it will bring a smile to a friend’s face, or it may end up in National Geographic in spite of us Pixel Peepers.
Sell Your Photography Online – Is It Easy Or A Pipe Dream?
by Admin on Nov.15, 2011, under articles
I’m constantly getting questions on how to sell your photography. Particularly trying to sell your photography online through stock photography agencies.
Many of you take gorgeous landscape, flower and insect photos and when you see a lot of the photos that are “out there”, you start to think, “My photos are better than that! I should sell them online!”
I enjoy shooting close-ups, flowers and etc. too! In fact, the very first accessory I bought for my first camera was a set of close-up lenses. I understand how intriguing it can be.
It IS possible to sell your photography online and through various stock agencies. The problem is, in order to make any decent amount of money, you have to have MASSIVE amounts of photos available for purchase.
Before the internet came along, the rule of thumb in dealing with stock photography was that you would average about $1 per year, per photo. So to make $30,000 dollars a year, you would have to have 30,000 photos being promoted through the stock agencies.
All well and good if you have 30,000 high quality photographs lying around.
(Don’t forget, each one has to be of high enough quality to be accepted by the agency, AND high enough quality to actually be something a buyer would want to purchase.)
Those were the dream days…now with the internet, virtually every photographer in the world, pro and amateur alike, is listing photos in the various stock sales outlets.
I haven’t heard a recent rule of thumb, but the prices have dropped so much, that I doubt you could average more than a few cents per year, per image.
Check out the various online stock photo agencies to see what I mean. There are literally millions of stock photos that can be bought for about $1.50. (Or less.)
What are the odds that any one person’s photo would be picked? And then if it is, they only make about a buck! (Don’t forget that the agency gets a cut of the proceeds.)
I just went on one of the more popular stock websites and entered the search term “lady bug”. I got 4066 results. And that is only one of literally thousands of stock agencies where a photo buyer could go (and there are tons of outlets where the images are free!).
PLUS…When a buyer is looking to buy a lady bug photo, they aren’t going to look at EVERY lady bug shot. They will look at the first page or two, pick one and move on. Even if you have the best lady bug photo the world has ever seen, what are the odds of it being found by your particular buyer?
Slim to none.
When I recommend NOT selling online, it has NOTHING to do with quality – or your photo abilities. It is simply a numbers game.
Imagine how much competition there is for a more popular subject than lady bugs!
There’s just plain too much competition to make a living.
I recommend that you put all of your photos in stock agencies as a lifelong project, but not as any sort of income strategy. If you put thousands of photos online every year, for your entire career…you might make enough to make a house payment in your retirement years.
Maybe.
So, what to do?
If you can do amazing pictures of flowers, landscapes and insects, you can do amazing pictures of someone’s pet! I’ve made literally hundreds of thousands of dollars with pet portraits.
Start a little part time pet photo business and you will very quickly get a customer base of happy people throwing money at you. Plus, then get a signed release from each client and you can post the pictures to the stock companies too!
As artists, we tend to be introspective and shy. We hesitate putting ourselves out there…that’s why you want to sell your photography online.
You wouldn’t know it now, but I was once painfully shy! Heck, just being in the same room with a pretty girl would give me the jitters and within minutes I would be literally drenched in sweat.
My pet photo business brought me out of it.
Now I have no problem with working with perfect strangers…even world class beauties. Having moved past my horrible shyness is probably the single best thing that has ever happened.
It is probably worth starting a Part Time Photography business just for that!
I don’t want to dash anyone’s dreams…I just want to be realistic.
If you want to shoot bugs, and flowers – DO IT! But, think of your photography as a hobby where you might pick up one or two bucks every once in a while.
Go ahead and sell your photography online, but make your living in markets where people are willing and eager to spend money.
How To Create More Cash From Digital Photography Online
by Admin on Nov.14, 2011, under articles
This is really a query that all photo lovers will ask themselves at some time or other|another. Even expert digital photographers will at some point will need to have a think about where their photo business is going. So the point that needs to be addressed is just how can we make more money from digital photography online.
It does not truly matter whether or not you’re a expert photographer or an amateur, you only need to spend your time doing what you love most in order to create cash from digital photo online, and these following tips will assist you to make the most out of one’s photography company.
What you might be about to discover will aid your small business to flourish regardless of whether you’re selling digital photo online through stock photography web sites, or even to your local market place, so let’s discover just what you are really in a position to do to sell much more of one’s photo work.
1) Do more on the web advertising.
All of us fail here at some stage or other|another, so you need to sit down and take a look at in which you’re at and what you ought to do to market place your photo much more successfully. Use a mind map so you can clearly see how your business is currently making cash, and focus your advertising and marketing efforts on those elements that produce most earnings. Develop a internet site around the operate that sells most, and then market place your internet website to a wider marketplace. You may possibly require aid from a expert World wide web marketer, but you may quickly see your photography company develop 10 fold in a really short time.
2) Write an on the web digital photography manual.
So you’re a great photographer, and have picked up a lot of tricks and helpful understanding along the way, so this could be your chance to put pencil to paper and create your very own digital photo online manual. You will find so several individuals available who are just yearning to learn your photo abilities, and the most effective method to marketplace that manual can be to consist of it on your brand new web site. Your newly attained advertising and marketing abilities will also allow you to to promote the photo manual to a world extensive audience, so you can marketplace it for just a couple of bucks. Consist of a monthly update subscription too, which will permit your earnings to develop even more.
3) How about giving digital photography online programs.
Now, have you ever thought about being a teacher? It doesn’t sound extremely glamorous, but apart from just teaching locally you’ll be able to also get available on the web as soon as once again, and supply a step by step digital photography online course. Once again you’re capable to turn your photo knowledge into something you are able to share with a really broad audience, and you could be amazed at just how numerous people are turning to on-line programs these days. You could offer programs from beginners to advanced, and do not forget to contain a few lessons about how to make cash from digital photo online.
Now as you’ll be able to see, there’s a entire new market place on the market who not only need to purchase your photo operate, but also want to learn from you. So just follow my advice, and also you will soon have a really thriving photo business.
Discover even more about Digital Photography Online with the help of Digital Photography Expert Dan Feildman. Download this FREE Digital Photography Report that will even help a complete newbie master Digital Photography with immediate results!
Zooming: A Popular Photography Technique
by Admin on Nov.13, 2011, under articles
Back when cameras only had the capability to consider an immediate picture associated with whatever was in the lense, you would want to have a picture of something that had been far away, and the picture would come out under desirable. Now, thanks to the zoom photography technique, you can very easily take a picture associated with anything that is far away, and have it look as if it was only a few feet away.
About the Zoom Photography Technique
With the zoom photography technique, you can adjust your camera so that this magnifies an object that is usually out of the variety in which you could take a decent image. For example, on numerous digital cameras, the zoom photography technique is easily achieved by turning a little lever at the top of your camera, and adjusting the camera so the zoom technology technique is really as close as you need it to be for a good picture.
The zoom pictures technique is often employed for various kinds of nature photographs. For example, it might be dangerous for photographers to get up close to crazy animals just to have a picture of them, so they need to employ the zoom photography technique for their own safety.
Another example of how the move photography technique is used in nature photography is in regard to plants. There are many flowers that have a truly distinctive design. Earlier cameras were not able to capture the intricacies of different flower designs, so flower designs were usually sketch. Nevertheless, thanks to zoom technology, you can see the actual designs of a flower firsthand.
The zoom pictures technique is also employed for artistic photography. For example, a rock might look just like a rock, but a rock and roll is comprised of many different mineral particles, and those particles can often be instead colorful. Thanks to the move photography technique, artistic pictures can be taken associated with rocks to show how amazing they really look.
If you are interested in move photography Techniques, be sure you obtain a camera that has which capability. Be aware that should you zoom up too close on an object, that object might appear blurry after the picture has been taken. This can generally be corrected with photo imagine software, which you can buy at various stores or online. With practice, you’re certain to implement the move photography technique into many of your pictures with superb results.
How to Photograph Firewoks Displays – Photography Techniques
by Admin on Nov.12, 2011, under articles
How to Photograph Firewoks Displays? These are most questions that i had received from readers and most had a feeling that its really hard to capture. I could understand that as capturing a fireworks display always involve the elements of both darkness and brightness. The darkness of the sky or the surroundings and the brightness of the fireworks or sometimes the foreground.
My simple adviced to all is ?grab you camera equipments and give it a try? whenever theres a fireworks displays in and around your area.
Below are some useful tips to help you get started.
Planning
Planning is the most important when photograhing Fireworks Displays and this is what most people tend to ignore. Always get to the location early. Be sure of where the fireworks are being setup and what part of the sky will it be lighting up. Try asking the organisors if possible of what they are planning. Look around the location and take note of the lightings and surroundings. You might want to decide now on what lenses and the focal lengths to use. Remember the first and most important thing in fireworks photography is planning and anticipation.
Framing and Focusing
Where to aim your camera? This is one of the most difficult part in photographing fireworks dislays. You normally need to aim your camera before the fireworks goes off. I normally spend most of my time looking in the sky rather then looking at my view finder so that i could see whats happening around me and also anticipate the moment or the right time to shot.
Always manually focus your camera or put it on infinity. Its quite impossible to use auto focus mode in low light and you may end up missing a lot of shots. So set your focusing in advanced and fix your focal lengths but remember to ajust your focusing if you happen to change your focal lengths.
Shutter Speed
Its not necessary to set your shutter speed to a very low setting. The temptation to keep your shutter open too long is because its dark and you need to do that. The problem is that fireworks itself are bright and you might over expose them and you may end up not having a clean and nice shot. What you may get is too much of the smoke in you photograph.
Aperture
What aperture to use in Photographing Fireworks Dispalys? Many people thinks that they need to open up the aperture in order to capture them right. But remember, the lights that fireworks emit is quite bright. I normally set my aperture between mid to smaller f stop and i find it tend to work well. And again it will also depends on what shutter speed you have selected.
ISO
Shot using the lowest ISO possible.
Capturing the Mood and Surroundings
When photographing Fireworks Displays many people tend to just capture the Fireworks and forgetting the foreground or the background. Remember Fireworks Displays are often relates to celebrations and occasions and I personally feels your picture must relates to the occasions and it must tell you where, what and when. Dont forget to include other elements such as people, landmarks or other perspectives to make your photograph more meaningful and the Fireworks Display looking more spectacular.
Take as Many Shots as Possible and Track Results
Keep taking as many shots as possible and do a quick check occasionally. But remember?.. dont check after every shot or you may end up missing the action!!! You might not have enough time. If you are using Digital Camera take advantage of it and keep on taking.
For more photography Techniques and tips visit my photography blog: Langkawi Photographer Blog?
To view my photography portfolio visit: AFFENDY.COM
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Commercial Product Photography: Three Product Photography Techniques for Great Catalog Online Store Pictures
by Admin on Nov.11, 2011, under articles
Wedding Photography Techniques – Immediately Improve Your Photographs!
by Admin on Nov.10, 2011, under articles
As a wedding shooter, whether you’re a professional or just doing it as a good deed – weddings are landmines waiting to explode! Before you take on photographing a marriage, you absolutely need some solid wedding photography Techniques. Allow me to share three?
3 wedding photography Techniques!
First: Scout the site.
The bride and groom selected that specific site to host their marriage festivities for a specific purpose! Perhaps it’s a very wonderful spot – or perhaps it had been really the only venue they could come up with the money for or, somewhere in between those two extremes.
In any consequence, they deserve (plus demand) remarkable photography!
It is advisable to complete a expedition to the venue in advance so you are positive you can locate it. Plus, as shooters we know that an area can look radically different based on the time of day, time of year and so on.
Through checking it out beforehand, (at the right time of day) you can get a quantity of great shots without the stress of the marriage day. You can also locate all those little buried and out of the way nooks that can make an excellent background for the couple. It’s easy to miss this stuff while under the demands of the big event.
Second: Make a shot list!
You’re likely to be operating at full speed on “the day,” and it is really easy to overlook a number of important pictures. In actual fact, with out a shot listing, you can basically count on the fact that you WILL not recall a few of them. It’s very easy to stay away from this difficulty – simply take action!
Third: CYA!
Bring 2 full camera systems with you! And have extra batteries and duplicates of all the other miscellaneous odds and ends you will want.
A not working camera or dropped lens can ruin a marriage ceremony – and get you sued. If you are shooting scores of weddings, eventually your camera WILL break down. No mature photographer ought to ever appear at a wedding ceremony lacking back-up equipment.
As wedding photography Techniques go, these three rank up there at the absolute top of the list. Interestingly, you’ll never know how worthwhile they may be until you require them – then these wedding photography Techniques can salvage the day.
Master Your Camera With These Professional Photography Techniques
by Admin on Nov.09, 2011, under articles
If you are looking for some professional photography Techniques in order to improve your photography, you are in luck! Here is a photo tip that will propel your photography into a whole new realm…fast!
A professional photographer is someone who not only knows the best professional phototography Techniques, but is able to duplicate them at will.
In other words, he or she KNOWS how to get the shot. Every Time. There’s no guesswork. This is important not just for professionals but for amateur photographers as well! After all, we all got into photography in order to express our creative vision! Photo opportunities are fleeting and we need to KNOW how to get the shot on the first try…there may not be another opportunity.
Unfortunately, with everyone shooting digital these days, it is easy – and free – to shoot dozens or even hundreds of pictures, just to get a couple keepers. And too many of us are trying to do it just that way – relying on hit and miss luck rather than learning the best professional photography Techniques!
With this scatter gun approach, we aren’t learning the best professional photography Techniques; we are just shooting and hoping for the best.
If you want to see a dramatic and almost immediate improvement in your photography, just pay attention to the viewing screen on the back of your camera!
After each shot, take a look at what you’ve got…if it is what you were after, make a note of it in a simple shot notebook. Record all the settings, lighting condition, and etc. then, whenever you are faced with a similar situation, you’ll immediately know what to do to “get the shot”.
If you didn’t get what you were after, don’t just keep firing away and pray for the best! Actually try to determine why it wasn’t the shot you wanted, take a guess at what you need to change to make it work, and TRY IT!
Tests have shown that whenever we are trying to learn something, if we guess at the answer first, we are far more likely to remember the final solution – whether our guess was correct or not.
Rinse and repeat until you get the photograph you wanted and make a note of it in your shot notebook.
True, this seems kind of boring and unsexy, but keeping a shot notebook is the way the better photographers learned all those amazing professional photography Techniques.
Photography Techniques to Enhance Your Work
by Admin on Nov.08, 2011, under articles
Although the age of digital cameras has made it easier than ever to get good photos, you still need good photographic Techniques to get the best results. It is alright to just point, shoot, and hope for the best. You will often get some great shots this way. But you will get even better results with your digital SLR camera if you understand some photography Techniques. This will help you go from getting just good shots to getting amazing shots. The added benefit is you are in control of the situation and can reproduce the results over and over again. With a digital SLR camera you can afford to experiment. If you don’t like the result, you can just delete it and start again.
Photography Lighting Techniques
Lighting can be either your best friend or worst enemy. Lighting Techniques in photography are varied and can be easy or they can be difficult, it’s upt to you. It will depend on what you are shooting. Maybe you want to take photos of cityscapes at night or photos in full sunlight – for good results you will need to understand good photography lighting Techniques. Once you understand the basics of photography lighting Techniques you will transform your photos into works of art.
Indoor Lighting Photography Techniques
There are different types of lighting you can use for indoor shots. Try using natural lighting that comes from windows, ceiling lights, candles, log fires, and any other indoor lighting. Many photographers use this to give a natural feel to their work. Often, though, there may not be enough natural light indoors. If this is the case, take a tip from portrait photography lighting Techniques. Portrait photographers use big lights to flood their subject for the best results. The good thing is you can experiment with the light you have indoors.
Try taking a photo of your subject in different parts of the room using different types of lighting. This will give you an idea of what works. Experiment with the early morning sun streaming through the window then try backlighting the same subject and see the different effects. Indoor lighting subjects include a whole host of Techniques and methods. It will become a natural instinct the more you play around with different effects.
Black and White Photography Techniques
Black and white photography Techniques can produce some really nice results. If you are using a digital SLR camera, you will most likely have the option to capture your photos in black and white mode. Don’t use this mode. Use full colour so you get the full depth of light and shade. Use a photo manipulation program like Adobe Photoshop to transform your image into black and white. This gives you the flexibility to manipulate the output which you would not have if you took the photo in black and white.
If you really want to experiment with your camera in black and white mode, try using side lighting. Side lighting will create shadows on ordinary objects and give them a different perspective. This is an effective black and white photography technique that has great results on objects that are highly textured. Experiment by changing the camera angle and different lighting Techniques. Use side lighting to enhance your black and white landscapes, people and buildings.
Street Photography Techniques
Street photography can produce some amazing results. They are shots of day to day occurrences; outdoor shots taken as asnapshot in time. Standing still or squatting while you watch and listen is a good technique; focus on what is happening around you. See the world differently. There is nothing more interesting than a candid shot of a moment in time. Here are some street photography Techniques that may help you when out on the street:
- Tune into your surroundings. Learn to sense moments of climax such as laughter or loud voices.
- Be relaxed and enjoy your surroundings.
- Use crowded places you can walk in and out of to get your candid street shots.
- Don’t be invasive of people’s personal space, try using a zoom lens. This will not always work and you can lose some of the emotion you are trying to capture.
- Learn to take photos without bringing the camera to your eye. Practice taking photos from any position.
There is so much to learn about photography and, the more you learn the more addictive photography becomes.
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