Leather Photo Albums

0 | January 27th, 2010 | Posted in Gear

Weddings, birthdays and graduation days all are classified as special occasions. If you are close to someone celebrating one of these memorable events you are likely looking for a special gift to give. Flowers, gift certificates and monetary gifts are all welcome, but if you want something even more special consider leather photo albums. These handmade gifts are unique and will be used for years to come.

Although they can be purchased already made, having one specifically crafted for the recipient makes this an even more precious offering. Leather photo albums that are handmade have their own personality and appearance and they instantly become a priceless heirloom. This is especially true if you have the artist creating the leather photo albums incorporate a memorable date or perhaps a name into the leather.

Finding a craftsman who specializes in this unique art form can be a challenge. Many people prefer to deal with someone in their local vicinity when looking for leather photo albums. This gives them the opportunity to see the personís work up close. If you are unable to locate an individual who makes leather photo albums close to you, donít worry. There are many online who do wonderful work and you can see images of albums they have created in the past as well as testimonials to the quality of their work.

If you want to make the gift even more special consider filling it, at least partially filling it with images. If you are giving one of the personalized leather photo albums as a graduation gift why not include pictures of the graduate during their childhood years? A few baby pictures and perhaps one or two of their primary school photos will be a lovely addition to their graduation album.

You can carry that same idea over into a wedding theme. The bride and groom are going to have dozens of pictures of their wedding day so they would love to have several leather photo albums. When giving one have the artist inscribe the wedding date on the cover along with the names of the happy couple. Adding an image of the bride and the groom from their younger years adds a hint of nostalgia to the gift.

We all seem to have boxes of pictures just waiting to be placed in albums for easier viewing. This is one of the reasons purchasing leather photo albums of your own is a good idea. Not only do they look wonderful when placed on a prominent table in the home but they also are ideal for passing on to the next generation so they can have a glimpse into their past whenever they choose.

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Baby Photography

1 | January 21st, 2010 | Posted in Technique

By Catherine James

Having a baby for the first time is an apprehensive but extremely exciting time! I bonded with my baby as soon as I felt her move for the very first time. I promised myself that I would treasure every moment of my daughter’s life would never forget those special moments. It was important for me to ensure all these moments could be documented and I knew there would be too many to count or remember. Before my daughter was born I looked into baby photography. Although I am rather nifty with the old camera I wanted these moments to be captured in the most special and creative way. Although babies seemingly only eat, sleep and poop in their early days do not estimate how precious these days are.

Baby photography done in your babies early days captures the soft and angelic skin showing the total innocence of your child. I had my first pictures taken when my daughter was only a few days old. Babies don’t stay like this for long and without my photos it’s hard to imagine my daughter was ever that age now. It was important that I chose the right photographer so I asked my friends and families if they could recommend anybody.
The photographer I chose had a great portfolio in baby photography and he invited me to the studio before I made any decisions. I was 36 weeks pregnant at this stage and I had been taking the whole eating for two a little far. As I waddled in I was impressed by the fresh, clean professional set up of the studio. The photographer was in the middle of a session with another set of Parents and their baby boy. As soon as I witnessed this I was sold – the photos were magnificent and were certainly a fantastic way of treasuring those crucial moments in your babies life.

During my photo session the photographer made my husband and I feel at ease. It wasn’t until this time that I realised that baby photography is in fact an art and that it was not an easy task. The photographer made endless efforts to capture the right and perfect moment to ensure that our life long memories were ones to treasure. Technology nowadays allowed the photographer to manipulate and control the pictures and the results were more than impressive.

The cost of the photos is always an important factor to consider. The photographer I used was very reasonable and he offered packages for a selection of budgets. My main concern was the quality of the pictures and I was certainly not disappointed. The photos were developed just in time for Christmas and they were the perfect gifts for close family and friends. Baby photography is a precious thing and is something that will be kept for generations reflecting the memories and history of ones family tree. Baby photography is definitely the way forward and should be considered by all new parents – just make sure you do your research.

About the Author: For a highly professional photographer use David P MacDonald Photographic studios Baby Portraits

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=443652&ca=Parenting

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Digital Photography Class – Cracking The Photography Code

0 | January 19th, 2010 | Posted in Digital, Technique

By Connie Fillmore

Don’t roll up your eyes and groan at the mere mention of “class”. Not all classes are as bad as those in your school and college were. In fact, a digital photography class promises bounties of fun and it is guaranteed that it will be one class of your lifetime, which you would not want to skip at any cost.

The soaring popularity of digital photography has seen digital photography schools springing up in almost every nook and cranny of your locality. So, which one to enroll to ensure your money’s worth?

Any good digital photography school worth it’s salt will offer intensive training and impart comprehensive knowledge in almost all the aspects of digital photography. And this also includes enlightening you on the internal mechanism of a digital camera. You can expect there will be no shortcuts either.

Your digital photography class will start out with an introductory session that will give you an overview of the camera setup and what digital photography is all about. You will be trained on the functions and settings of your camera so that after the completion of the course you will know your camera like the palm of your hand and will be better able to appreciate the scope of digital photography.

Being well versed in the parts and workings of a digital camera ensures that when you go to buy one for yourself, you can make the right choice.

Digital photography classes, as a principle, concentrate on teaching you the manual mode of photography. This is because the hallmark of a great photographer is definitely his skills in wielding control over how his photographs turn out. And wielding control entails that you do not let the camera decide when the flash should be used or being spot on with the focus and exposure settings without the intervention of the camera’s in-built scene modes.

There are many digital photography classes that arrange field trips for its students. And you will surely agree that a hands-on experience in outdoor shooting is actually far more beneficial than a theory class. Besides, a few bouts of outdoor filming will also ensure that your lighting issues are sorted out. Thus, the nitty-gritty of lighting like using filters to tone down the tints of a photo taken in the harsh midday sun or the details of night photography are best appreciated when tried first hand.

A stint at a digital photography class will hone your photographic skills manifold times with in-depth training in composition and blending the rules of traditional photography with the digital photography mode. The fine points of filming in different settings and churning out optimum results should also be a part of the curriculum.

Digital photography classes are particular about details. Therefore, you will not be stopping at filming lessons only. You will be taken through the editing and processing of digital photographs too. You will be taught the ways and means of accessing the images stored in the camera’s memory cards and the PC editing tweaks that will transform even the drabbest image into an enchanting piece of art. Besides, you will also be educated on how to compress the digital image files and have them uploaded on the Net.

There are hundred and one things that you can do with your digital images. Printing is definitely one of them. And you can be sure that your digital photography class instructor will teach you the fundamentals of getting digital prints.

A digital photography class is an excellent way of acquainting yourself with the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of digital photography. Attend one and flaunt your skills with the lens and the shutter.

About the Author: Connie Fillmore is a successful writer and publisher of photography related issues, for more informative articles go to http://www.digitalphotographyguy.com

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=96536&ca=Arts+and+Crafts

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Wedding Photography – The Three Approaches

0 | January 15th, 2010 | Posted in Become a Pro, Technique

Wedding Photography – The Three Approaches
By Tim Gunther

Planning for a wedding is one of the most exciting activities any girl will do in her lifetime. And one of the most interesting ones will be those concerning photography. If you’re not a photographer, chances are, you’ll leave everything to your photographer when it comes to the coverage of your special day. That could be good because photographers always know what they’re doing and they’re probably the best people who can help you with deciding on the approach should be used. However, this doesn’t mean that you need not do some homework yourself. Somehow, it will be best if you have an idea of how things will go or might go during that big day.

Of course, what you’ll want to research about are the styles of photography that you might actually prefer over the others. You can even decide on one before actually finding a photographer. The basics remain so it’s going to be pretty much the same set of fundamentals for Portland wedding photographers as it will be for Chesterfield photographers and so on. The point is, you have an idea of how things will probably go and you can even make suggestions.

There are currently three major approaches to covering special occasions these days and one of them is illustrative in nature. Here, the photographer takes on a creative style and incorporates different elements of this creativity such as color, lighting and texture into the images. The point is to have the couple engage in spontaneous activities like having a conversation or maybe playing around and tickling each other or anything that elicits the barest of human emotions. The photograph nearly randomly clicks through these moments and chooses the best ones after the pictures come out.

Another very artistic approach that may be used is photojournalism in which the photographer stands by and captures each moment as it happens. Photojournalists don’t like photographing poses and instead prefer to take everything as an instance in history. This is very important for a photojournalist because it heightens that sense of reality behind what is being photographed. With this approach, the photographer has to be very skilled and experienced because there will be no time to rehearse where or how to shoot a particular moment. It just happens and if the photographer lacks skills and experience, he will not be able to capture such moment with quality.

The third approach is traditional which involves the conventional way that people would be photographed – in poses. This is how it’s always been for most people, especially those who are conservative or traditional. As you may have concluded, those first two approaches are more contemporary in nature and they are more accepted and appreciated in the present day.

When in Oregon, you can contact a Portland wedding photography studio and discuss the possibilities with them. Although photographers would always want to work with their own style, they are usually open to their clients’ preferences.

Article Source:  Wedding Photography – The Three Approaches

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Photography Tips – How to Compose Your Images

0 | January 11th, 2010 | Posted in Technique

by Bernard Okoth

Composition is key in good photographs. When photographing your dog, think about the distance between the dog and the camera, carefully noting the angle of your camera and your dog’s surrounding. Consider getting closer to your dog and fill up your camera’s frame or viewfinder with the dog’s image. This will prevent background elements from distracting your photographs. Ensure to have enough distance of say 2 to 3 feet from your dog for good camera focus. Read the camera manual for more information.

Great perspective is important when taking photographs. Getting down on your knees, belly, or being on the same level as your dog will help you shoot more authentic and better images. Always pay close attention to the background when photographing your dog. Try to get as far away from walls especially for indoor photography and use camera flash to illuminate harsh shadows. Also avoid backgrounds with strong lines, patterns or distracting colours.

Take time to set up your shots and think about the story you want to tell using the photograph of your dog. Note that using focusing aid and light meter in your camera’s viewfinder, will not necessarily center your dog’s image. The simplest way to compose a good photograph of your dog is by not centering your dog in the middle of the frame. This can be done by dividing the camera’s viewfinder into 1/3 both horizontally and vertically then trying to place your dog in one of the intersections, away from the center. Also avoid placing the horizontal line in the center of your frame.

Try talking to your dog to get it to look at you. Be careful of what you say or how you talk to your dog. Calling your dog by name is usually not the best thing to do, as it will cause your dog to move towards you and the camera. Using a vocal level your dog hasn’t heard from you before or even whispering, can work wonders with your dog. Try using enticing words or phrases that will get your dog responding with funny expressions. Ask for a friend’s help when you need to, while you concentrate on composition and lighting to get a nice shot of your dog.

Kindly visit: http://www.phostock.co.cc to learn ways of earning an extra income by uploading your photos, images and videos for sale.

Article Source:  Photography Tips – How to Compose Your Images

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Great tips to photograph your dog (or cat or kids)

0 | October 17th, 2009 | Posted in Technique

I stumbled across this video when I was looking for a video publishing site. Great photo tips and such a lovely dog. Awww….

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Digital Photography – How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business

0 | August 6th, 2009 | Posted in Become a Pro

By R. Gajsek

Photography has changed so much in the past two decades. The price of photography has gone down significantly so that almost anyone can become a serious photographer. All you need is a decent digital camera, a computer and photo editing software to begin a career that can take you to the next level. A professional photography career. Here are four things that you’ll need to start running your own photography business:

Focus You need to know what kind of photography you want to do. Do you want to do weddings? Do you want to photograph babies? Or do you want to do photography services for businesses? It’s important to know that the sooner you decide the more focused your efforts become. If, for example, you are going to do a baby photography business then your advertising should be focused on people who want their infants photographed. The referrals that you will be getting will be from other parents who want the same service. Once you get experience and you get a good reputation you may get a referral to do a wedding but most of your referrals will come from word of mouth for your main specialty.

Training. It’s a good thing to get some training. Even if it’s very basic you’ll at least achieve a proficiency level that you would at least know what you are doing from the start. As your career flourishes you can take more courses to add more value and more services for your clients needs.

Networking. There are several ways to start networking with people to build your business. Friends and family are a good first step. Let everyone know that you are in the photography business. Get business cards printed up telling people what kind of photography business you are in. Create a web site gallery where you can showcase your work. Don’t forget to add the URL to your business cards. Join service clubs, business networking clubs and chambers of commerce clubs in your area. Join Toastmasters to brush up on your public speaking skills. It’s all good for business.

Practice. I think this is the most important part of this business when you’re first starting out. Take every opportunity that you can to hone your craft. Even if you have to do it for free. The best place is to start with your family and friends. They know you best. Volunteer to take pictures of friends weddings for cost. Take pictures of their babies for the cost of printing them. Your friends will appreciate you and you will have the beginnings of a portfolio that you can showcase to your prospective clients. Don’t forget to get signed release forms. As you get more experienced you can charge more for your services. Putting your profits back into the business allows you to upgrade your equipment and buy more advertising.

Do you want to know how you can earn a residual income with your camera?
Find more ways to make money with your digital camera here.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Digital-Photography—How-to-Turn-Your-Hobby-Into-a-Business&id=2506297

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How to Sell Stock Photography

0 | July 23rd, 2009 | Posted in Selling

How to Sell Stock Photography
By Ricky Cleghorn

Let me first start by explaining exactly what stock photography is. Photographers submit several photographs to a second party vendor who in turn (in exchange for a percentage) negotiate the selling of a particular photo to a third party vendor. These third party vendors could be magazines, postcard companies, greeting card companies, advertising agencies, or just about any company looking for a specific image and don’t want to hire a photographer to go out and maybe get the shot they are looking for. These company can browse through the stock photography site photo library or image bank and find exactly what they are looking for. This saves the company time and money which in turn puts a money in your pocket.

Now that we know what stock photograph is, let us cover how you can actually make some money selling your photographs this way. There are many places you can submit your photographs online. The places are called microstock photography websites. Sites like Stock and Print or Shuttershock are just few where you can submit your photographs to. Do search for stock photography site and pick a few to research and you will be on your way.

The more photographs you submit to these sites the higher the chance you will sell some of your photographs. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t sell the first photograph you upload, or even the 50th photograph you submit. Remember to be persistent and keep submitting. Eventually you will start earning money from your photographs and your craft will keep improving as well.

A few things to remember when taking pictures to sell as stock photography is companies are looking for specifics. An advertising agency might be looking for a picture of a field full of pollen producing dandelions for an allergy medicine client. I wouldn’t advise you to go out and start shooting fields with trees, buildings, birds or planes flying in the sky. When you look through your lens don’t look through your shot. Look at it as if you were looking at a picture. Notice everything in your picture and if you have to wait for a bird to fly by then wait. You are looking for the money shots. Once you think you have taken the perfect picture…TAKE MORE!

A lot of companies or agencies are looking for universal concepts, such as love, admiration, friendship, or sympathy. If you see something that might capture these concepts make sure the whole scene illustrates the specific concept you are trying to capture. For example, you may have the perfect opportunity to show the love between a dog and it’s owner but there is a homeless vagrant sitting on a park bench in the background…not too appealing for a company look for that warm fuzzy feeling. Either take the picture from another angle or use some editing software to remove the items you want out of the picture.

The most important thing for every freelance photographer to remember is to NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A STANDARD RELEASE FORM. If you are photographing a person, that person must sign a release before you are allowed to sell that photograph. You can take a photograph of anything but you can not in any way, shape, or form make money from that photograph without a signed release of the people in your photo. The same thing applies when you are photographing someones personal property. You don’t want to make money on your photographs, only to be sued later and have to pay more then you made from it. You can find standard release forms anywhere on the internet and I would suggest printing out a bunch to always carry with you.

I have been a freelance photographer for many years. If you would like to jump start your freelance career and start making money from your photos I suggest you visit http://www.cleghornconnection.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Cleghorn
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Sell-Stock-Photography&id=2597094

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Better Photos More Often

0 | July 1st, 2009 | Posted in Technique

Most photographers getting into stock appreciate that you need a large volume of images to make it work consistently. The numbers involved can actually be quite intimidating when you first start but don’t let that put you off. Here’s a simple system that will increase your output exponentially and ensure the resulting images are highly marketable.

Most photographers never really get around to it, but the more time you put into identifying your markets and researching them, the more saleable your work will be. There’s no big secret there: the best marketers in any field are those who identify a market, research it and create a product that their new customers simply have to have.

The good news is it’s quite straightforward to apply that approach to your photography. The added bonus is that when you do take this approach your volume will increase significantly as well!

It’s a simple three-step process that you can start now and keep adding to for years to come. I’d suggest you get yourself a ring folder so you can add extra pages to various sections as required. Don’t let the simplicity fool you; this is very powerful. Here’s how it works:

1. Make a list of your main subjects … aim for about 10 for now. You will add to this constantly, so for now just write down a few of the main subjects you like to shoot, those you shoot well and those you’d really like to shoot more often.

Write each one down at the top of a fresh page. If you are using a ring binder, make these the divider pages so you can insert additional pages between them.

2. Now make a list under each of those ‘Subjects’ of the kinds of photo buyers who might be interested in photos of that material. Write these under the ‘Subject’ heading and be as specific as possible.

3. Now set up a page for each of those Subject-Buyer combinations. You need to go looking for specific examples of that buyer type using an image of that subject. You need to find examples and really study the image to try and work out what was about each image that the buyer just had to have.

Make a note of any technical details of interest if you like, but your main focus should be on the content and composition. Your are researching your market, so some study of the competition is useful, but the real value here is in understanding what your potential customers are spending their money on.

In every published photo you see there will usually be one or two elements that the buyer simply had to have.

Even when the photo is a fairly ‘bland’ portrait; human, animal or object, there will usually be some specific trait or feature captured and conveyed that caused the buyer to select that particular image.

Other times it won’t be a physical element, but something less tangible: a mood or emotion or other message. They are the ones you need to study closely so you can see not just the message, but how the photographer used the physical elements of the image to convey it?

Has the photographer used props to add to the story? Are there more subtle symbols in play? How do all the elements fit together? How has the photographer used mood or emotion?

Until you start to recognise these kinds of elements in other images, it will be hit-and-miss whether you capture them in your own work. However, once you do start to look for these elements in other images, you’ll start to see them in your own photo opportunities, and then you can start include them in your own work.

When you do that I’d almost guarantee you’ll find yourself shooting much more marketable shots. You’ll also find you’re shooting a lot more prolifically as well!

Over time you might end up with notes on dozens of potential buyers for any subject you like to photograph, so when you’re faced with the opportunity to shoot a specific subject, you’ll have an extensive list of what buyer-types might be interested in images of this subject, and you’ll have specific information on the images they want.

Instead of getting one or two ‘photographer’ shots you could easily walk away with dozens of highly marketable images, each custom shot for a different specific market!

Matt Brading is CEO and Founder of Ozimages Stock Photography Library. Get 4 of his free photography eBooks: http://www.StockPhotographyProfits.com/ Get a detailed stock photography portfolio review at: http://www.ozimages.com.au

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Black And White Photography – Tracing Its Rise And Fall

0 | June 24th, 2009 | Posted in B&W

Black And White Photography – Tracing Its Rise And Fall
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Abhishek_Agarwal]Abhishek Agarwal

B & W photography was the first successful form of photography. It was popularized by Eastman Kodak in the first half of the previous century. It used simple silver halides as a coating on film. When light struck a part of this film, it burnt to black and where light did not fall on the film, ir remained white. So blacks came out as white and vice versa, on the negatives. A reprint of the negative was in fact a positive, or the ‘print’. This simple chemical process could be done at home by amateurs right from stage a to z.

The fall of B & W
There was nothing going the way of B & W once color hit the markets. All but a few enthusiasts switched to color. As far as people’s mentality goes, a color TV is better than a black and white one, and the same applied to photographs. Once color film was introduced, black and white took the back seat. And once digital showed up, well that seemed like the last nail in the black and white coffin. Or did it?

The rise of B & W
In this modern day and age of digital cameras, scanners, desktop printers, super fast film and such, who would want to mess around in a black and white darkroom? Well, people who understand the rest of this article maybe. Did you know you could use color filters to create unique effects on black and white film? Yes! Try using a red filter and shoot an outdoor scene. the sky comes out almost black! Nothing else can give this effect. Photoshop? No! Nothing can give quite the same effect as a color filter on black and white film. It is all about complimentary colors. Red, Blue and Green are primary colors that have opposites in the form of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. As far the the dark sky example goes – here is what happens. The Red filter lets all light rays pass through it to the film except for its opposite or complimentary color cyan, which is what the sky is mostly made up of. So, you get a dark sky. If you wanted to make grass appear dark what would you do? You would use a color filter of the color opposite to green, or complimentary to green, which is yellow. Every single blade of grass would turn darker, while the rest of the image looks fine. Can you imagine the possibilities with using color filters on black and white? You can MAKE your photographs exactly as you want them to be, and no two photographers need shoot the same scene to make it look all the same. This is the charm of B & W that no one will ever be able to take away, computer or no computer!

Abhishek is a Digital Photography enthusiast and he has got some great [http://www.Fun-Galore.com/634/index.htm]Digital Photography Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 59 Pages Ebook, Digital Photography Inside Out! from his website [http://www.Fun-Galore.com/634/index.htm]http://www.Fun-Galore.com/634/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

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