Entries Tagged 'Photography' ↓
May 2nd, 2009 — Photography
Photography has quickly become one of the most popular pastimes for adults and children alike. With today’s technology, it’s not difficult to see why so many people are stepping behind the camera and looking at the world through the lenses of digital photography.
Below you will find five of the most popular types of photography and a brief description of each. Don’t worry, these aren’t the only types of photography in the world, there are many more to choose from as well:
1. Nature. Nature is, by far, one of the most popular types of photography. From breathtaking sunsets and waterfalls to fascinating volcanoes and mountains the rewards of capturing the world’s natural beauty are limitless. There’s a world of opportunity right outside your door.
2. People. Taking photos of people has been and will always be a great way to share memories and capture the important moments of life. There are many ways to photograph people, including staged photos, natural photos, black and white pictures and more. Many professional photographers love taking pictures of newborn babies. Anne Geddes is just one of several professionals who have made their living off of selling photos of newborn babies.
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April 24th, 2009 — Photography
In sterile, dictionary language, photography might be defined as, “the process, of recording visual images”, or words to that effect. I didn’t actually look up the definition, but you get the idea. In any event, rigid definitions don’t exist when you’re talking about art.
Which is the superior medium, color or black and white, film or digital are subjective questions, without definative answers. What works in one situation may fail miserably in another. Sporting events are one example of a situation when color is superior. Landscapes and portrature can go either way. A black and white landscape can save a picture from being overwhelmed by excessive color. Everything comes down to application and execution.
Why Black and White?
Great novel’s have a way of expressing profound ideas in ways that go beyond mere recitation of fact. One need only think of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”, or Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Just as great ideas are sometimes most powerfully expressed through fiction, the best black and white photography speaks to deeper truth. Black and white allows the photographer as artist to reveal a world invisible to the naked eye. In black and white, abstract shapes, contrast, and recurring patterns have a psychological impact and dignity often unrealized in color. When the beauty of a common place item comes through in a photograph, the photograph has become art.
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April 14th, 2009 — Photography
Over the past ten years, maternity photography has become very popular. The anticipated birth of each child into the family is being celebrated with a professional photography session to capture the time in the family’s life. When considering getting pregnancy portraits done, there are some key elements to think about, including when to have the maternity session, who should be in it, and what to wear.
The best timing for the maternity session is when the woman’s stomach is nice and round - but not so far along in the pregnancy that the baby may come before the pictures are taken or when there is likely to be more swelling of the feet and hands. Thirty-two to thirty-six weeks is usually a good formula so that the belly is very curvy, but the woman is still feeling good and without much swelling in the extremities.
Another thing to consider is who will be at the maternity session and in the photos? Clearly the pregnant woman will be there, but should the partner and other children also be in the session? This is a great time for a family portrait before the family expands. But it can also be a nice session to do as a more private study of the woman and the curves and the new life inside of her.
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March 21st, 2009 — Photography
Many elements exist in taking great photographs and this article aims at helping you set up your camera and monitor to get the most out of the pictures you take.
More to it than Photoshop
Photoshop is a very powerful tool when it comes to photo editing and this program allows you to enhance and radically change just about any aspect of a photo. Although you can import an image into an application like Photoshop and edit it in many amazing ways to get the best results to suit your criterion, you start by taking a great picture.
Presetting your Digital Camera
Apart from a few exceptions you should always shoot in RAW format because you can always be assured there’s more creative leeway in a RAW file. JPEGs lack certain information in the data that makes up the file. If shooting in JPEG format make sure you shoot at the highest possible quality.
JPEGs have their role, for example, if you have little time to work on the photos after you shoot and just want to capture a snap, or you require fast sequence shooting then shooting in JPEG format is ideal.
Understanding your Cameras ISO
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March 17th, 2009 — Photography
I have been studying photography for many years now, and since the beginning my friends have always asked how I take such good pictures. Even though there are many different types of photography, most of the key tips I give end up being the same for all.
Professionals Use Single Lens Reflex Cameras
The number one tip that I give is to use a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. I do not understand why many self proclaimed amateur photographers have not started to learn how to use an SLR (some still use snapshot cameras).
I know that this is the age of technology, and that the advances in digital cameras and memory are getting better and better every day, but there is just not enough versatility with a snapshot camera. They are okay for the general every day pictures, but they just do not offer the professional results and versatility obtained with an SLR camera.
With all of that in mind, more functions come with the increase in versatility. So, when you do start using a single lens reflex (if you do not already), be sure to become familiar with the owners manual. Learn which function controls the aperture size, the speed of the shutter, the white balance, and the film (ISO) settings.
Note: In older SLR cameras (not digital) ISO is a function of the film and refers to the film’s speed. Only digital SLRs offer ISO function settings.
Use the Viewfinder Properly
Too many photographers shoot much wider then they really want and have to use software to crop the shot down to the scene they want. This just causes more work later, and there may be too many distractions to crop out.
Unlike a point and click camera, the viewfinder of an SLR uses a prism and mirrors that allow you to look directly through the lens. This is why you get what you see in the view finder with an SLR (no more cropping off the top of your uncle’s head like a point and click sometimes does). By taking everything in the viewfinder into account, you may notice distractions that you otherwise would not have.
Don’t you hate it when you think you have captured a really good scene just to find out later that there was something distracting in the background?
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February 25th, 2009 — Photography
By: Greg Coggiola
In this digital age it seems every time you turn around someone has a camera in their hand. More often than not, it is some proud parent photographing little Johnny or Sarah who have either reached some milestone in their short lives or performed like a Hollywood actor for all to see.
You’ll want to keep taking pictures of the kids over the years, as your children grow and you will catalogue them in either a traditional album or maybe create your own family website full of all the best moments in little Johnnys life. Better still use a software program like FlipAlbum to create a 3D page flipping album on your computer.
I have been photographing other people’s children as well as my own for the last 15 years and would like to offer a few tips to save you having to delete so many images off your cameras memory card because they are just not good enough.
As a professional photographer I find the pictures that sell the most are the natural or candid images. I figure if they sell the most, then they are the type of pictures parents like.
Depending on the age of your children, will govern the approach that is best used to capture images you’ll be proud to display.
Babies are best photographed in the mornings, straight after a sleep and a feed. Resist the urge to spend any more than 15 or 20 minutes in a single session with them as they will get annoyed with all the unusual attention. You will become frustrated and will find your self just clicking away on the camera in order to convince yourself that your morning hasn’t been a complete waste of time. However your images will convey how the morning really was.
Lay baby in their cot with all the clutter removed and just a plain light coloured or white sheet surrounding them. If possible try and turn their face towards a window where there is some natural light falling on them and if at all possible TURN THE FLASH OFF!
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