If you are a sports fan, you know what it means when a team goes into a “rebuilding year”. It is just when the owners or coaches decide its time to train new members and correct bad habits in others. And invariably, what team leadership says when they go into such a time is that they are going “back to basics.”
Most times it’s best for you and I as professional photographers to go back to basics. And, of course, if you are just getting started in the world of photography and want to learn “the ropes”, the basics are a natural start. But you want the basics of what the professionals know about the craft of photography.
Anybody can take a portrait. I went to a wedding where the wedding party left a disposable digital camera on each table at the reception for guests to snap photos. Before all was said and done, it was the children who were running around taking pictures of everything from the dirty dishes to their own underwear. Those were not photographers and while those pictures will undoubtably get a couple of laughs, these are not the kind of professional pictures clients want for their long-term memories.
Now don’t get too upset about confusing technical terms. Aperture is just a term for how wide your camera lens is open to let in light. And shutter speed is just how long you let the light come in to affect the picture. For getting a shot of a fast moving event, let the lens opening real wide but a short shutter speed so you capture the event quickly and close the window so the picture is caught before more light hurts the quality.
Photography is about being able to see light and light situations. You can and will get learn a lot about lenses and flash photography and other ways to turn the control over the lighting of a shot to you. So add to your core skills of photography a willingness to never stop learning. The better and more sophisticated you get in your ability to work with the equipment, the more you will learn and the more you will want to learn.
You can get a greater control over these basic controls of the camera such as aperture and shutter speed by learning how to switch from automatic settings to manual settings. The automatic settings of any camera are just there for the general public who are not interested in learning the basics. So they give you some basic settings like landscape, portrait and sports settings. By switching to manual, you can learn what settings work best in different situations.
And that takes us to the most important basic about becoming a great photographer and that is practice. Take a few minutes with your photography equipment and study it. Take it to situations and take photos with different aperture and shutter speed settings, in outdoor and indoor settings and different orientations to light. Don’t be alarmed when some of your images don’t come out correctly. That’s part of the learning curve.
By learning by doing, you will build your confidence in your work and eventually become a great photographer. But don’t get cocky, there is always more to learn. And that is one of the great facts about photography, isn’t it?
Photography in San Antonio by Richard’s Photography- 2010 Senior Portraits
Tags: Camera Reviews
Here are some great ideas to help you take better photos with your Canon wide angle lens,. The lenses do a great job at capturing a greater area in your photographs. The subject may be the image’s focus; however, by using this wide angle lens, you can make good use of the background in the picture to add interest. This way the picture will capture a larger story instead of just a photo; for example, in a picture of two children playing on the beach, you may have captured a small fishing boat going past in the background.
With regards to the larger lens, the wide angle lens gives you a stronger depth of field. This is fantastic in that besides giving you a background and foreground, you also have a greater ability to keep everything focused. On the other hand, if you were using a bigger lens, you would have to have the aperture more closed. This would cause a reduced shutter speed, and the need to use a tripod,which would make the process more time consuming. With all that extra work, the depth of field may not have the strength it would have with the use of a wide angle lens.
The best thing about using Canon wide angle lenses is that if you are taking photo shoots of such things as railroad tracks, a jetty, or anything that may stretch into the distance; the use of a wide angle lens will really give you realistic photos. They will produce a photo,where you will actually feel that you can walk along the railroad track. The wide angle lens will give strong lines to the picture.
The wide angle lens also gives another dimension to a picture giving the illusion that things at different distances are further apart than they actually are. Objects in front look smaller,while the objects in back seem much more distant.
It is really fun and not as hard as it looks to learn how to use a standard or a digital Canon wide angle lens. If you are looking for the best selection and best prices I would recommend Amazon.com
Tags: Camera Reviews
The Digital SLR Cameras really augment the photographic value. The cameras of the preceding times that were accessible in the souk were not at all customer friendly in their use. And thus, to click better quality pictures, you need to be a expert photographer. These latest Digital SLR Cameras are very user friendly and moreover give better quality photographs. With the right use of the Digital SLR Cameras, the beauty of your photos would definitely boost.
Most proletarian often do not have any idea about the ISO in their Digital SLR Cameras. By the way, the acronym ISO means International Organization for Standardization. It naturally depends upon the film speed. During the harmful conditions of the photographs, the ISO helps in improving the class of your photos. For instance, if you are in a dark place, you can still augment the value of your photography if you enlarge the ISO setting of your Digital SLR Camera. These latest technology based Digital SLR Cameras confer you the provision of easily setting up the ISO to 1600.
During the night time, as we cannot see anything undoubtedly, this characteristic proves to be very supportive for taking the pictures. Also, if we are able to see something, the image clicked turns to be really fuzzy. With the ISO setting in your camera, you can effortlessly detach the blur image to get a bright and better image of the object which you are targeting with your camera. In the different harmful kinds of scenarios, the ISO setting is really useful.
Even after using the ISO attribute in your camera, if the picture remains dim you can then straightforwardly place it on a constant place to click the picture. This would definitely cope the blurry effect and you can get an improved view. Placing the Digital SLR Camera on a firm place such as a table would provide more steadiness to the Digital SLR Camera and thus, the eminence of your photography could be enriched. Due to the permanence, the haze in the image would be gone.
You can also get your Digital SLR Camera a tripod stand to attain good pictures. You should never save money while securing a tripod for your camera. If you go for a cheap one, it would rebelliously break in short run. This would require you to go for a new one. The cheap class tripods don’t function properly. You cannot always get a perfect angle for your camera, when you use the cheap tripods. Thus after you obtain a good class tripod, you can save your camera from the assorted irritations related with that of the cheaper ones. Finally, you should also see to it that the tripod you have preferred can be effortlessly carried to places and is thus light weight and easily foldable for better use.
Tags: Camera Reviews
Portrait Photography can be very subjective
Do you just take pictures of landscapes without a thought to how it my turn out? Portrait photography takes you a step up from people photography. It gives you elements to notice such as the angle you take the photograph, the lighting you will use, and the expression of emotion on a persons face. While you may be an weekend photographer deciding to take Christmas photos without the expense you will need to have some artistic and crative abilities.
First when taking a photograph of a person you need to observe their eyes. The face is important to the angle you will shoot from. Though it is a cliché, it is true some people have a better side. This could be in relation to scarring or acne breakouts or even simpler. For instance my left eye is larger than my right by just a bit, and looking head on into the camera will cause a horrible portrait, however if the photographer comes from the right side and angles up a little the light and shadows will help even out the features while keeping the distinctions that make me who I am.
Portrait photography is about capturing the essence of the subject, the personality. The distinguishing facial lines of a face add character to the portrait. Your mission will to put your subject at ease. If you are becoming a professional portrait photographer you will want to learn about your subject as you are taking pictures or perhaps meet them before the session. If they are just your family then you should know what would get their expressions captured on your camera.
Lighting is the next important step to portrait photography. A lot of photographers prefer natural light to artificial. Your subject will in part decide this for you. Remember you will use the light you have. Natural light will often require setting the aperture to compensate for the cameras lack of definition. In other words you need to create the contrast with the light and shadows for the effect you want. Often artificial light is harsh and not directed properly unless in a studio. Again you will need to use the shutter speed and f-stops on your camera to capture the precise image you want.
The background is also important when discussing light. Will take a moment to choose the right background that will not wash your features out or your clothing. They want to have a distinction or contrast between you and the background. This is also important of home portrait photography. You will want a background that gives color to your subject rather than taking it away. Consider finding a nice big rock and mountains in the background can be a great portrait, but you will want to make sure the background is not too busy to distract from the subject.
Be sure the object comes into focus and is creative in nature.
The brand of cameras and film you use will also determine the quality of the photography. Once you combine techniques such as lighting, angles, and understanding your subject you will be able to create a near to professional if not professional portrait for your friends and family no matter the occasion. Just snapping a picture is possible, but it would be great to have a better portrait?
Richard’s Photography , Photographers San Antonio
Tags: Camera Reviews
It’s amazing how often times older technology or art forms are seen as better value when they are made obsolete by the new and modern. This is certainly true of black and white photography. When color photography came on the scene, it seemed the days of black and white in both video and photography were over forever.
But that was certainly not the case. In the last 20 years we have watched black and white change in both genres. In fact, it is not at all unusual any more to see a very modern movie filmed entirely in black and white. It is also common to visit a fine art museum and find a photographic art display that uses black and white extensively. Black and white has some artistic and emotional qualities that are just not possible to achieve in color photography.
Probably the strongest quality that grabs the viewer a black and white photo is its emotional power. Even if the photo is just of an old barn or an antique car, there is an emotional appeal that is difficult to analyze in words but universal to all of us as we look at a black and white shot. That is why black and white photos almost instantly take on an artistic look. So if you are evolving your artistic photography style and portfolio, including some experimentation with black and white will do a lot to improve your work.
Black and white photography tends to focus the creative eye on the emotional center of the piece. More than likely the optimal subject matter is the human face. In even a tranquil expression, the viewer can see such a vast range of expression in the eyes, the tilt of the head, the subtle wrinkles or peculiarities of the face and the focus of the gaze.
Black and white is always intriguing to many people’s eyes and leaves them wondering what what behind the taking of the image. If it’s a landscape, “What happened here?” is the question that often springs to the mind of the viewer and the longer they gaze at the photo, the more their imagination fills in the details. If you are viewing the face of a serene or melancholy girl, it is almost impossible not to wonder what she is dreaming about or what of life’s issues is weighing on her mind.
Along with the emotional power and the way black and white compels the viewer to search for meaning, black and white carries with it a tremendous romantic power that touches the heart in a powerful way. That romance can easily translate over to the sensual or even the erotic without having to become pornographic to achieve that effect. Shots that are trying to evoke the power of sensuality and romance do well when they involve moisture or a water scene such as the beach. Despite the lack of color, these colors appeal to the five senses in ways that color can never hope to achieve.
You can play around with black and white photography and gather the opinions of friends and family members to learn how to utilize the subtle but powerful artistic nuances that seem to come with black and white photography almost unconsciously. The digital portrait camera has invited in an enire new age of black and white photography. You see the form used even in otherwise non artistic settings like wedding portfolios or anniversary pictures. That is because of that emotional and romantic power that black and white conveys.
If you have not started to experiment with black and white shots, it’s worth the time to learn how to capture the powerful images this type of photography can make possible. Along with the creative use of light and framing, black and white gives itself well to editing that you can do with Photoshop to bring out the emotional center of each shot. Before long, you may actually find your self seeing black and white shots in a color world. Being aware of what will make a great pictures in this photography art form will become clearly defined and you will be ready to capture those moments spontaneously, which is always the best kind of photography.
Richard’s Photography - San Antonio Photographers
Tags: Camera Reviews
If you’re in the market for a hd digital camcorder, how will you choose which one to get? How can you tell which is the best, or the right one for you?
It would be hard – almost impossible – for the average consumer to keep up with all the new products available. Short of attending the Consumer Electronics Show, or the Photo Marketing Association Show, how can we keep up with what’s new and innovative? Rely on our representatives, that’s how!
Experts Attend All Electronic Shows
Electronic companies get the chance to showcase and expose their new products at trade shows like such as the Consumer Electronics Show.
This is the chance for them to unveil the new year’s products. For example, if the new dvd digital camcorder features a “high resolution sensor,” or a “robust still feature,” they want the experts to know about it. A “600 fps recording mode”? Tell us about it! “Strong overall video performance,” “ultra-compact body,” or “killer low light sensitivity” - this is where the aspects of the hd digital camcorders get established in comparison to the other similar products on the market. They hope their new features will match or top the others available.
Experts in the field of electronics routinely attend all the pertinent shows across the globe. They do this as a critical part of their job. They attend, compare and contrast the new products, like hd digital camcorders and other new formats, and then they write digital camcorder (and other) reviews as a way of reporting back to those of us who weren’t fortunate enough to attend the highly anticipated event.
How Valid Is The Review
So you’ve found a site with a review of the digital video camcorder with high definition that you’re thinking of buying. Can you trust it? Is the reviewer reputable? How can you know for sure?
Take a look at the website you’re on. Is it a neutral site, one that is an “equal opportunity critic”? Or do they tend to review certain brands more favorably all the time, or recommend a certain manufacturer’s products and exclude others? These sorts of things will help you determine the validity of the reviewer’s opinion and which digital camera to buy.
Some sites are known to be more reliable, like pcmag’s and cnet’s website. If you’re on a website that belongs to the manufacturer, only a fool would expect it to be unbiased. In that case, let the buyer beware!
Tags: Camera Reviews
With a good video camera, film or digital camera it is possible to produce professional quality photos of products, family, friends and yourself. To accomplish this, one only needs to have better photography lighting to make the difference between questionable photos and high quality photos.Here we take a look at some of the techniques that can be employed by beginners for their photography lighting. The primary step in beginning to understand lighting in photography is to understand the measuring of light itself.
A primary purpose of a photography lighting system is to illuminate a subject to allow for and achieve a desired affect or to properly capture an image.For illuminating the subject being shot, photographer's use a wide variety of lighting sources to get the desired look and mood of the photograph. This gives them a great chance of producing high quality photograph's, regardless of what or who the subject being photographed is.
Photo lighting kits can be utilized to add light to an otherwise dull subject or image and make it come to life in a brilliant photo.If a photographer can control or change the lighting conditions, there chances of creating beautiful photo's increase exponentially.Many camera owner's find out quickly that using the on camera flash sometimes doesn't produce the quality of photo that they are hoping for. Flash's on standard camera's are often too bright at close distances and at times, the flash itself is positioned in a way that won't light up the subject correctly.
On camera flashes are also ineffective at lighting up things at a distance. Most photographer's know that deliberately lighting what they are shooting with a quality light source will net them great photographs with consistancy . Photographer’s utilize not only flash, but may often use a fluorescent photo lighting kit or one of three types of halogen lighting kits for the desired affect and outcome of their photos. Both fluorescent and a halogen photo lighting create a continuous light source, where as flash simply follows it’s namesake and is thus not continuous lighting.Artificial lighting such as studio lighting or flash bulbs can either minimize a certain feature or draw attention to it. In using the on camera flash, photographer's often find that the subject of the photo ends up being over exposed with harsh bursts of light or red eyes.
Once you have proper photography lighting, it is important for the camera that you are using to be able to read shade.The center of your frame should point to a shady area and not the bright one so the subject will not appear as a silhouette.You can lesson and soften shadows from your light source with practicing this.
Available natural lighting can produce very interesting patterns of light.Before night falls, photographer's using the natural sunlight work quickly to capture the various moods of change provided throughout the day.
Tags: Camera Reviews
When you were a young adult you would think about the future and what your job would be, what is the advice your elders always gave you? It was, “Do what you love to do and you will always be happy.” And that has to be true because if you can spend your work week doing what you love the most, it really won’t be work as much as it will be play that people pay you to do.
Being that you have deep interest in photography, it makes sense to start your own photography business. But how to go about it? You see so many small photography shops that seem to spring up from from left field. What is the best way for you to go about starting your own business like this?
The place to start when it comes to a photography business is how to do it in a legitimate way. You want a business that will last a lifetime so you want to start it out right. So don’t fall for the “get rich quick” internet schemes or books that claim they will spill the insider secrets of other successful photography business. There are no insider secrets to this business other than what you need to know to run any business. To succeed you have to…
* Get experience first
* Get some schooling
* Get ideas and tips from experienced photographers
* Have knowledge of your craft
* Network
* Value your customers.
You can accomplish the first five of these objectives by going to school and working part or full time in somebody else’s photography shop. You may get over at the idea of more school. But your photography business will be about more than just cameras, photo shoots and dark rooms. You have accounting principles to comprehend and execute, taxes to be paid, a facility to rent, employees to pay, insurance to worry about, contracts to sign and all of that other “stuff” that goes with running a business. So start early and get some basic business classes under your belt such as accounting and economics. It will keep you ahead of the game and up to date on running a photography business
Many trades have an apprentice system where you tutor under a master of the craft. But it might be a good thing for you to take this matter into your own hands. Think about becoming a part time assistant on the weekends long enough to learn the ins and outs of running a small business and of running a photography business. This gives you the chance to build your knowledge and exposure to equipment, learn technique and how to work with your subjects.
In fact, it might be a good idea to deliberately apprentice at a number of different types of photography studios before launching out on your own. So you can learn the ins and outs of wedding photography, baby photography, fashion photography and others from specialists all before you spend a dime of your own money to start your own enterprise. In this way, you build skills, you build knowledge, you build experience and you can watch and take notes of the great things others do and the mistakes to avoid.
Your employers will be thrilled to share their old stories and experience with you if you are open to them that you want to learn from the masters how to do this with the goal of becoming their competition in the future. Above all, you can build a client base from the many customers you work with before you start your own business. Buy taking care of someone else’s customers, they can become your customers when you finally get your business of the ground. And that is good business.
Richard’s Photography in San Antonio specializes in Studio Portraits
Tags: Camera Reviews
Looking to buy a camera that you can take underwater without a special housing? Learn more about the options and pitfalls of underwater cameras by reading the following tips:
1) First and foremost, the sealing. This is what differentiates your waterproof camera from normal ones, and if any sealing breaks you are just left with an expensive piece of junk. Check all sealing while buying or evaluating, and recheck it regularly, especially in places where it comes under stress, such as on the camera lens or on the battery opening.
2) Next, the picture quality: Nowadays most cameras come with at least 5 megapixels of resolution and you may want to stick to that. Less resolution only represents a small saving, and much higher ones won’t make much of a difference for underwater cameras, except if you are a pro with special needs.
3) Looks and bulkiness. These are important, as you need to make sure that the device will fit your hand and your swimming or diving style. Some cameras come in bright colors to aid visibility, but not everyone likes them. If there is something that you miss, shop around some more and you may just find what you are seeking.
4) Industry certifications: Often overlooked by people when choosing a waterproof camera, these give you peace of mind about the standard that your camera was built to. You should look at Japanese Industry Standard designation Waterproof 8 for a camera that you can take on shallow dives, up to 5 meters.
5) Features and extras: Check that the waterproof camera has all the things you need. Important ones for underwater use are shutter speed and burst picture mode, good lens aperture, autofocus, and a powerful flash.
6) You bought a waterproof camera? Great! Now clean it. Regularly. Be especially vigilant around dust, tar and sand, these will destroy your gaskets and water WILL leak into your device, rending it useless. Or your lens will jam. A well maintained camera is a long-lived camera.
7) Be aware of chemicals, they will also damage your camera’s waterproof junctions. And it’s not only nasty chemicals such as petrol. Chlorine will shorten the life if your camera, so keep it out of pools and only take it to natural freshwater or saltwater bodies. Use a cheap disposable waterproof “fun” camera to take pics of the kiddies in the pool.
make sure that you do not end up with a splash-proof camera, instead of a waterproof one. These are not intended to be submersed, and will assuredly leak and then break if you do put them under water.
9) Acquaint yourself with your new waterproof camera gradually, trying out the various features and taking and pictures in a controlled environment before leaving on a big trip. This way you will avoid disappointment and also make more out of your new camera in the end.
Tags: Camera Reviews
With the economy the way it is, more and more people are turning to freelance work to get by.One easy business you can start is selling digial pictures. You take a picture, polish it up a bit and upload it and get paid whenever someone downloads it or buys it.You can still make money from photographs you uploaded 2-3 years ago. I don’t know about you, but the thought of getting paid over and over again for work I did 3 years ago sound great to me. Learn what you need to get started getting paid to take pictures.
First of all, why would someone get paid to sell photos in the first place? It costs the big companies less to pay you for each picture you submit than for them to hire a bunch of full time photographers and provide them expensive health benefits and other perks.And then they just pay you when one of your picture sells. You only get paid when an action takes place. This places little risk on the stock photography site and most of the burden is on your shoulders.
So yes, you can get paid to sell digital photography and you can get paid well. It may take a few dozen high quality pictures for you to make a nice part time income or it may take a few hundred. If you are having fun learning how to make a living taking pictures, why wouldn’t you do it?
Here’s a dumb question but which seems like more fun, working at a desk all day or heading out into nature taking beautiful landscape photos? You can do it with a little action and as has been said before, you can earn residual income from the pictures you take.Find out what photos sell the best, take a bunch of those and quit your job.
Tags: Camera Reviews
