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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Taking better pet photos
I know alot of you like to take photos of your pets....I hope this short guide will be of some help.
Pets, like any member of a family, have unique personalities, individual responses to situations, and ways of expressing themselves. From a dog that loves to play hide and seek, peering from around a corner, to a cat that triumphantly perches in its favorite spot after removing any who dares to trespass on its prized territory, these small events are among the memories of pet owning families. Capturing the nuance of these situations simply requires a camera and the use of a few techniques which make photographing a pet unique.
Choosing the Shot
There are a number of ways to shoot great pictures of a pet with a camera. Portraits can be challenging with a pet, but the end results can be worth the extra effort. Using food, toys, or another person to direct a pet to look in a particular direction or to elicit a certain expression may be necessary. To obtain a more natural scene incorporating interaction with other animals or family members can help to create an image that better captures the true personality of the animal and a more typical atmosphere as attention is drawn away from the camera.
Common settings for pet pictures are where ever the animal is comfortable, such as lying on a favorite chair or gazing out a window. Another ideal setting is where ever they can be engaged in a favorite or natural activity. This helps to reduce some of the difficulty in getting an acceptable pose in front of a camera and better reflects the behavior and personality of a pet.
Setting Up the Shot
As is true when photographing other types of subjects, assuring that the background is free of clutter or distracting objects can help to focus attention in the shot on the pet. A plain background often creates the best backdrop. Wiping the eyes of a pet prior to shooting can also help to eliminate any distracting residue that will take away from the focus on their eyes.
Just as with small children anyone hoping to capture the best images of their pet will need to approach the situation with patience. Waiting for the right shot to happen is often a prime ingredient. Once the right setting or situation is selected and any needed props or helpers are assembled then the task of getting the best photo will frequently require multiple shots with the camera.
Taking the Shot
Getting photos that show the detail of a pet's features requires getting the camera up close and on their level. The pet should fill the frame and the photographer's viewpoint should be near the eye level of the pet. When getting close with the camera isn't an option, zooming can help to achieve similar results and when all else fails cropping during the editing phase can also improve results. Although the eyes of the pet should be the focus of the shot in most instances, it is important to shoot with the camera at angle if flash is used to eliminate the eerie glow that can occur when flash bounces off of the eye.
Whenever possible it is best to avoid using the camera flash with a pet. The risk of getting the unwanted reflection in the eyes is significant and some pets will even learn to avoid the flash by closing their eyes at an inopportune moment. For this reason, shooting pets outdoors is often easier, particularly early or late in the day or in the shade when harsh sunlight doesn't take away from their features. When photographing indoors and available light is insufficient, better photographs are easier with a camera that allows the in-camera flash to be disabled or removed. The photographer can then bounce the light off of a wall or ceiling to avoid any harsh glare.
Selecting the appropriate setting on the camera can help to assure optimal focusing. Many consumer model cameras have settings such as portrait and action which function nicely. Using the burst mode or sequence-shot setting when trying to capture images of a pet while playing can allow rapid shots that best capture the activity.
For millions of individuals and families who have pets as part of their lives, preserving memories of their time with us can be important. A good camera and knowledge of just a few photographic techniques can help to capture the kind of images that will be treasured for years to come.
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Pets, like any member of a family, have unique personalities, individual responses to situations, and ways of expressing themselves. From a dog that loves to play hide and seek, peering from around a corner, to a cat that triumphantly perches in its favorite spot after removing any who dares to trespass on its prized territory, these small events are among the memories of pet owning families. Capturing the nuance of these situations simply requires a camera and the use of a few techniques which make photographing a pet unique.
Choosing the Shot
There are a number of ways to shoot great pictures of a pet with a camera. Portraits can be challenging with a pet, but the end results can be worth the extra effort. Using food, toys, or another person to direct a pet to look in a particular direction or to elicit a certain expression may be necessary. To obtain a more natural scene incorporating interaction with other animals or family members can help to create an image that better captures the true personality of the animal and a more typical atmosphere as attention is drawn away from the camera.
Common settings for pet pictures are where ever the animal is comfortable, such as lying on a favorite chair or gazing out a window. Another ideal setting is where ever they can be engaged in a favorite or natural activity. This helps to reduce some of the difficulty in getting an acceptable pose in front of a camera and better reflects the behavior and personality of a pet.
Setting Up the Shot
As is true when photographing other types of subjects, assuring that the background is free of clutter or distracting objects can help to focus attention in the shot on the pet. A plain background often creates the best backdrop. Wiping the eyes of a pet prior to shooting can also help to eliminate any distracting residue that will take away from the focus on their eyes.
Just as with small children anyone hoping to capture the best images of their pet will need to approach the situation with patience. Waiting for the right shot to happen is often a prime ingredient. Once the right setting or situation is selected and any needed props or helpers are assembled then the task of getting the best photo will frequently require multiple shots with the camera.
Taking the Shot
Getting photos that show the detail of a pet's features requires getting the camera up close and on their level. The pet should fill the frame and the photographer's viewpoint should be near the eye level of the pet. When getting close with the camera isn't an option, zooming can help to achieve similar results and when all else fails cropping during the editing phase can also improve results. Although the eyes of the pet should be the focus of the shot in most instances, it is important to shoot with the camera at angle if flash is used to eliminate the eerie glow that can occur when flash bounces off of the eye.
Whenever possible it is best to avoid using the camera flash with a pet. The risk of getting the unwanted reflection in the eyes is significant and some pets will even learn to avoid the flash by closing their eyes at an inopportune moment. For this reason, shooting pets outdoors is often easier, particularly early or late in the day or in the shade when harsh sunlight doesn't take away from their features. When photographing indoors and available light is insufficient, better photographs are easier with a camera that allows the in-camera flash to be disabled or removed. The photographer can then bounce the light off of a wall or ceiling to avoid any harsh glare.
Selecting the appropriate setting on the camera can help to assure optimal focusing. Many consumer model cameras have settings such as portrait and action which function nicely. Using the burst mode or sequence-shot setting when trying to capture images of a pet while playing can allow rapid shots that best capture the activity.
For millions of individuals and families who have pets as part of their lives, preserving memories of their time with us can be important. A good camera and knowledge of just a few photographic techniques can help to capture the kind of images that will be treasured for years to come.
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Monday, November 29, 2010
Earn money selling your pictures on the Internet
Got a digital camera? Now you can earn money selling your pictures on the Internet! If you have a good eye and if you are a creative person, you can generate very nice monthly income by selling your pictures on stock photography web sites. Personally, I am receiving checks and PayPal transfers for few hundreds bucks every month and you can do it too. At least, it pays you back for all that nice and expensive photographic gear you have purchased last year.
I truly love the online stock photography internet phenomenon, since it is the first in the world and probably the only business model which allows amateur photographers like you and me to earn some money from they lovely hobby. In fact, if you are a talented photographer and you shoot hundreds of pictures every month you can earn a very significant part of your living by shooting high quality creative pictures for stock photography agencies.
There are many stock photography sites that will be happy to sell your photos and share with you the received revenues. iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto and CanStockPhoto are just few stock sites to name. All stock sites allow you to register for free as their submitting photographer and start uploading your work to their banks. However, be aware that many sites will ask you to provide detailed personal information such as a scan of you picture ID or passport. Also, at many sites you will be requested to sign and fax back a signed copy of the site's 'submitter agreement'. These requirements are part of continuous effort of limiting the image fraud on the Internet and protecting both image buyers and image copyright owners from the fraudulent behavior.
In addition to the submitters authentication, many stock photo sites will ask you to pass a professional online test, which should verify that you have all the required photographic skills and that you understand rules of the game on stock photography market. Do not be afraid of that test. If you know the difference between shutter speed and the aperture and if you can explain what is DOF you will pass this test for sure. And the basic stock photography rules are quite simple:
1) Do not submit images that include any copyrighted material Avoid photographing company logos, trademarks, third-party images and brands.
2) Provide a model release for any recognizable person in your image Each site has its own standard model release form that you have to fill in and send along with each image containing a recognizable person. It could be a good idea to keep handly printed copies of model releases for all the sites where you submit your photos. When you shoot a person, do not forget signing her on one or more model releases! Note, that most sites will also ask you for the copy of model's ID, the witness signature and a copy of witness picture ID. Keep all this in your mind when you prepare a stock shooting session
3) Editorial content Some stock photo agencies, e.g. ShutterStock has a separate section / category for editorial images. Different rules set apply for editorial content. Editorial content can be used only in news and therefore editorial images do not require model releases and can include copyrighted material. So, if you have shot a carnival in Brazil do not throw out all your pictures because you do not have model releases for all these people. You still can submit your images as editorial content at some stock photography sites. However, be aware that there are not too much buyers for this type of content and the submitters' competition could be tight.
4) Use appropriate lighting and composition This is common sense, but I will mention it anyway. Your images compete for the buyers attention with images created by highly qualified talented professional photographers which shoot for years, own nice equipment and definitely know how and when use it. You must think creatively in terms of lighting and composition, otherwise your images will never sell.
For instance, if until now you relied on built-in camera flash as a proper source for indoor lighting it is a time to change your mind. Go to the stock sites and take a look how other photographers use light in their work. You will probably need to switch to some more professional sources of lighting for your indoor photography. Again – be creative and you will win the war for the buyers' attention and buyers dollars!
5) Images format must be JPG at most sites, typically starting from 2 megapixels and with max file size of 8-10 MB
6) Properly prepare your images before uploading them to stock photo sites First of all it means digital editing. There are many software applications that can help you to edit your image, starting from the industry standard de-facto Adobe Photoshop tool, followed up by the newest and much cheaper than Photoshop Adobe Lightroom and ending up with Google's Picassa, which is very limited in its editing capabilities, but is available free of charge. Do your best editing your pixels. In many cases some light extra-saturation will help.
However, making your image look gorgeous is still not enough to create a bestselling picture. Think about buyers. Buyers still have to find your image among all the similar pictures in the web image database provided by a stock agency. It means you have to describe your image using appropriative keywords, title and description. It is important to do it before uploading images to a stock photo site, otherwise you will need to add keywords at every stock site, thus multiplying image preparation time.
Fortunately, keywords data can be inserted directly into JPG file, so the image carries its own keywords. This image metadata modification protocol is called IPTC and is implemented by some graphical applications, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Editing IPTC data and selection of proper descriptive keywords can take significant amount of time, especially if English is not your mother tongue or if you just much better in taking pictures than in describing them in words. Buyers will never find your image if it was loosely keyworded, but the proper keywording and upload to multiple sites can take a while! Additionally, if you wish to keep the control what image was uploaded to which site and when, you might be completely lost after uploading a few tens of images.
Fortunately, there is dedicated stock photography management tool which takes care of all the issues above. ProStockMaster provides significant aid for a stock photographer by streamlining stock photography workflow. The application sports semi-automated images keywording, IPTC data editing, EXIF reading and provides simultaneous images upload to multiple leading stock photography agencies. ProStockMaster is available for free download from the product web site: http://www.prostockmaster.com. The free version is limited to 5 image uploads daily which certainly could be enough for many beginning stock photo submitters, saving them tens of hours of routine image preparation and management work in front of their computers.
7) Prices and payments – what income you can expect Most stock photography agencies pay photographers for each download (a purchase) made by the image buyer. This is a micro-payment model and the prices you get paid start as low as $0.20. However, if you were successful to create a real bestselling image you can easy hit few hundreds downloads a month, so your earning arithmetic can be $0.2 x 300 = $60 monthly for a single image. Shooting 10 bestsellers monthly could generate you $600 monthly income – definitely not a bad return on a few hours investment.
The rule of the thumb says the more images you have online in each and every stock photography agency the more images you sell and the higher monthly income you get. Typically, stock agencies send you a check or a PayPal transfer at the end of every month if you have earned more than a certain amount of cash, typically $100, during that month. Your earnings will be collected by the site until they reach this minimal payment.
Well, that's all folks! Just take your digital camera now and go for a shooting session. Oh, - wait!, wait a second. First, open your web browser and look what other people submit to stock photography agencies. Note the most popular images and agencies suggestions for stock content categories and keep these subjects in mind when you shoot. My personal advice? Avoid flowers close-ups, typical landscapes, city scenes and buildings. Try to materialize business terms and shoot pictures which represent them,e.g. 'success', 'failure', 'partnership'. Be always creative in your work and your pictures will become online bestsellers. Good luck and happy shooting!
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I truly love the online stock photography internet phenomenon, since it is the first in the world and probably the only business model which allows amateur photographers like you and me to earn some money from they lovely hobby. In fact, if you are a talented photographer and you shoot hundreds of pictures every month you can earn a very significant part of your living by shooting high quality creative pictures for stock photography agencies.
There are many stock photography sites that will be happy to sell your photos and share with you the received revenues. iStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto and CanStockPhoto are just few stock sites to name. All stock sites allow you to register for free as their submitting photographer and start uploading your work to their banks. However, be aware that many sites will ask you to provide detailed personal information such as a scan of you picture ID or passport. Also, at many sites you will be requested to sign and fax back a signed copy of the site's 'submitter agreement'. These requirements are part of continuous effort of limiting the image fraud on the Internet and protecting both image buyers and image copyright owners from the fraudulent behavior.
In addition to the submitters authentication, many stock photo sites will ask you to pass a professional online test, which should verify that you have all the required photographic skills and that you understand rules of the game on stock photography market. Do not be afraid of that test. If you know the difference between shutter speed and the aperture and if you can explain what is DOF you will pass this test for sure. And the basic stock photography rules are quite simple:
1) Do not submit images that include any copyrighted material Avoid photographing company logos, trademarks, third-party images and brands.
2) Provide a model release for any recognizable person in your image Each site has its own standard model release form that you have to fill in and send along with each image containing a recognizable person. It could be a good idea to keep handly printed copies of model releases for all the sites where you submit your photos. When you shoot a person, do not forget signing her on one or more model releases! Note, that most sites will also ask you for the copy of model's ID, the witness signature and a copy of witness picture ID. Keep all this in your mind when you prepare a stock shooting session
3) Editorial content Some stock photo agencies, e.g. ShutterStock has a separate section / category for editorial images. Different rules set apply for editorial content. Editorial content can be used only in news and therefore editorial images do not require model releases and can include copyrighted material. So, if you have shot a carnival in Brazil do not throw out all your pictures because you do not have model releases for all these people. You still can submit your images as editorial content at some stock photography sites. However, be aware that there are not too much buyers for this type of content and the submitters' competition could be tight.
4) Use appropriate lighting and composition This is common sense, but I will mention it anyway. Your images compete for the buyers attention with images created by highly qualified talented professional photographers which shoot for years, own nice equipment and definitely know how and when use it. You must think creatively in terms of lighting and composition, otherwise your images will never sell.
For instance, if until now you relied on built-in camera flash as a proper source for indoor lighting it is a time to change your mind. Go to the stock sites and take a look how other photographers use light in their work. You will probably need to switch to some more professional sources of lighting for your indoor photography. Again – be creative and you will win the war for the buyers' attention and buyers dollars!
5) Images format must be JPG at most sites, typically starting from 2 megapixels and with max file size of 8-10 MB
6) Properly prepare your images before uploading them to stock photo sites First of all it means digital editing. There are many software applications that can help you to edit your image, starting from the industry standard de-facto Adobe Photoshop tool, followed up by the newest and much cheaper than Photoshop Adobe Lightroom and ending up with Google's Picassa, which is very limited in its editing capabilities, but is available free of charge. Do your best editing your pixels. In many cases some light extra-saturation will help.
However, making your image look gorgeous is still not enough to create a bestselling picture. Think about buyers. Buyers still have to find your image among all the similar pictures in the web image database provided by a stock agency. It means you have to describe your image using appropriative keywords, title and description. It is important to do it before uploading images to a stock photo site, otherwise you will need to add keywords at every stock site, thus multiplying image preparation time.
Fortunately, keywords data can be inserted directly into JPG file, so the image carries its own keywords. This image metadata modification protocol is called IPTC and is implemented by some graphical applications, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Editing IPTC data and selection of proper descriptive keywords can take significant amount of time, especially if English is not your mother tongue or if you just much better in taking pictures than in describing them in words. Buyers will never find your image if it was loosely keyworded, but the proper keywording and upload to multiple sites can take a while! Additionally, if you wish to keep the control what image was uploaded to which site and when, you might be completely lost after uploading a few tens of images.
Fortunately, there is dedicated stock photography management tool which takes care of all the issues above. ProStockMaster provides significant aid for a stock photographer by streamlining stock photography workflow. The application sports semi-automated images keywording, IPTC data editing, EXIF reading and provides simultaneous images upload to multiple leading stock photography agencies. ProStockMaster is available for free download from the product web site: http://www.prostockmaster.com. The free version is limited to 5 image uploads daily which certainly could be enough for many beginning stock photo submitters, saving them tens of hours of routine image preparation and management work in front of their computers.
7) Prices and payments – what income you can expect Most stock photography agencies pay photographers for each download (a purchase) made by the image buyer. This is a micro-payment model and the prices you get paid start as low as $0.20. However, if you were successful to create a real bestselling image you can easy hit few hundreds downloads a month, so your earning arithmetic can be $0.2 x 300 = $60 monthly for a single image. Shooting 10 bestsellers monthly could generate you $600 monthly income – definitely not a bad return on a few hours investment.
The rule of the thumb says the more images you have online in each and every stock photography agency the more images you sell and the higher monthly income you get. Typically, stock agencies send you a check or a PayPal transfer at the end of every month if you have earned more than a certain amount of cash, typically $100, during that month. Your earnings will be collected by the site until they reach this minimal payment.
Well, that's all folks! Just take your digital camera now and go for a shooting session. Oh, - wait!, wait a second. First, open your web browser and look what other people submit to stock photography agencies. Note the most popular images and agencies suggestions for stock content categories and keep these subjects in mind when you shoot. My personal advice? Avoid flowers close-ups, typical landscapes, city scenes and buildings. Try to materialize business terms and shoot pictures which represent them,e.g. 'success', 'failure', 'partnership'. Be always creative in your work and your pictures will become online bestsellers. Good luck and happy shooting!
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content
Advertise your blog on Twitter!
Sign up for Free, or buy for yourself and create your own cash generator! http://tiny.ly/uvqW
Please follow and Rate!
http://creatingonlinecash.blogspot.com/
http://bigdphoto.blogspot.com/
http://bigdphoto.com/
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Fall is finally here
I always enjoy Fall. Fall is the most colorful time of year for photography. The seasons change so fast so we need to get out and take advantage of our beautiful scenery before it is gone.
So here are a few tips for getting the best Fall photographs:
If it is sunny it is good to add a polarizing filter over your lens to help cut glare from the sun shining on the leaves. It also has the benefit of darkening the blue sky and saturating colors. Although I have recommended that every serious photographer have a polarizing filter this is the time to bring it out and see how it can really improve those photos. The degree of polarization with this filter will be different depending on the direction (relative to the sun) that you are photographing. Since the sun moves from East to West, the best direction for a polarizing effect is photographing in a Southerly or Northerly direction. Usually you want the sun to be at your shoulder for the best effect. Polarizing filters also rotate so the degree of polarization can be controlled by the amount the filter is rotated on the lens.
Although a sunny day is good for those sweeping landscapes, if you happen to be out on a cloudy or rainy day spend your time photographing the more detailed parts of leaves. Whereas the sun creates a light that is harsh because it is such a small pinpoint of light, clouds soften the light creating a large diffuse light source. This light doesn't cast any shadows and colors still remain quite saturated. To show detail we want this kind of light. You will find that your polarizing filter will have little effect when it's cloudy but it will help to cut the glare of the water on leaves if they are wet from rain. Rain on anything will make it look better. Some photographers bring spray bottles of water to add the rain affect on their flowers and leaves.
Don't forget to look up and down in your grove of changing leaves. By looking up you can contrast the color of the yellow leaves with the color of the blue sky. Yellow and blue are complementary colors which look wonderful together. Look for interesting patterns of branches spreading up into the sky from the trees. Screw on your polarizing filter for an even nicer effect of deep blue sky.
Don't be afraid to photograph right into the sun. I try to place the sun behind a branch and move until just a small ray shines out from behind. This small point of light will turn into a star burst on your photograph, especially if you use a small aperture. Experiment to see how this works and keep trying until you get that award winning image.
After looking up spend some time looking on the forest floor for colorful leaves grouped together. Some of the undergrowth is more colorful than the trees. Although I prefer to find what's already there, I've been known to gather leaves to group together in my own man made composition on the forest floor.
It is good to bring your tripod along when photographing under trees where the light can be limited and your exposure can be too long to hand hold your camera. Don't forget to get really close to the leaves too. If you happen to be near water or a small creek look for leaves floating in the water or stuck in an eddy.
Take time to enjoy this colorful season and capture its beauty while you can.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gene_Rodman
Saturday, November 27, 2010
How To Take Great Portrait Shots - Your Portraits Should Tell A Story
The Afghan girl featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985 captured the attention of a generation. Her eyes in that portrait told a haunting story that photographer Steve McCurry admits was never actually premeditated. "I didn't think the photograph of the girl would be different from anything else I shot that day," he says in a follow up National Geographic article, a Life Revealed.
It is something about the strikingness of the eyes and the emotion of the subject that can really make a portrait stand out. Like McCurry, some of your portrait photography success will be attributed to luck, but you can also take on board these tips to capture poignant portraits:
Plan - for a portrait shoot, scour your surroundings and plan your shot before you set up your subject. Look for a plain background to shoot against for close-up head shots. Meanwhile, a simple setting with some interesting lines will be good for full length poses but be sure that the surroundings don't detract from your subject matter.
Build Rapport - the most important part about photographing people is to make sure your subject feels comfortable. Establish good rapport, engage them in conversation - this will be especially important if you're not working with a professional model as many individuals feel nervous about having their photograph taken. Always discuss the shots you're planning and be prepared to alter your plans if he or she does not feel comfortable with the concept.
Personality - lighting, background, framing - while the photographer is in control of the elements of the shot, the subject is in control of the photo. You will need to work with your subject's personality to create an engaging image. Remember that the definition of a portrait shot is an "artistic representation of a person" capturing the personality, emotion and mood of the subject. For example, environmental portraits that are taken in the subject's natural surroundings such as the home can make a powerful composition and reveal a lot of depth about the person.
Posing - as a photographer, you're expected to give stage directions to your model. You want the position to look natural and to present your subject in the best light. Look for any flaws in your subject and pose them in a way that hides these imperfections - for example, you can minimise the appearance of a large nose by raising the chin slightly. Meanwhile, make sure the shots look and feel natural - let kids be kids and make sure group shots convey the relationship between the individuals.
Equipment - not all digital cameras are built the same and you'll need to ensure you have the right equipment for your portrait shot. Many experts recommend the rule of 3 point lighting for portrait photography (key light, fill light and rim light). Fast lenses and medium telephoto lenses are usually best for portrait shots as they can create a sense of depth and draw attention to the subject. Canon has its own line of portrait camera lenses that are specifically designed for portrait photography.
It is something about the strikingness of the eyes and the emotion of the subject that can really make a portrait stand out. Like McCurry, some of your portrait photography success will be attributed to luck, but you can also take on board these tips to capture poignant portraits:
Plan - for a portrait shoot, scour your surroundings and plan your shot before you set up your subject. Look for a plain background to shoot against for close-up head shots. Meanwhile, a simple setting with some interesting lines will be good for full length poses but be sure that the surroundings don't detract from your subject matter.
Build Rapport - the most important part about photographing people is to make sure your subject feels comfortable. Establish good rapport, engage them in conversation - this will be especially important if you're not working with a professional model as many individuals feel nervous about having their photograph taken. Always discuss the shots you're planning and be prepared to alter your plans if he or she does not feel comfortable with the concept.
Personality - lighting, background, framing - while the photographer is in control of the elements of the shot, the subject is in control of the photo. You will need to work with your subject's personality to create an engaging image. Remember that the definition of a portrait shot is an "artistic representation of a person" capturing the personality, emotion and mood of the subject. For example, environmental portraits that are taken in the subject's natural surroundings such as the home can make a powerful composition and reveal a lot of depth about the person.
Posing - as a photographer, you're expected to give stage directions to your model. You want the position to look natural and to present your subject in the best light. Look for any flaws in your subject and pose them in a way that hides these imperfections - for example, you can minimise the appearance of a large nose by raising the chin slightly. Meanwhile, make sure the shots look and feel natural - let kids be kids and make sure group shots convey the relationship between the individuals.
Equipment - not all digital cameras are built the same and you'll need to ensure you have the right equipment for your portrait shot. Many experts recommend the rule of 3 point lighting for portrait photography (key light, fill light and rim light). Fast lenses and medium telephoto lenses are usually best for portrait shots as they can create a sense of depth and draw attention to the subject. Canon has its own line of portrait camera lenses that are specifically designed for portrait photography.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Now that we have some of the bugs worked out.... we can get back down to business! Here is a new release from Topaz Labs. I use Topaz plugins for Photoshop almost daily. You should really consider them if you ever need a great plugin for post processing.
Introducing the new Topaz InFocus Photoshop Plug-in
A New Sharpening and Blur Reduction Solution
The new Photoshop plug-in, Topaz InFocus, is an advanced sharpening solution that gives you the tools to reduce blur, while bringing clarity and definition to your images. InFocus uses advanced deconvolution technology, which reverses the effects of image blur and restores image integrity. The new program also features a one-of-a-kind blur estimation tool to help detect and resolve unknown and complex image blur.
Topaz InFocus can help you:
Sharpens image with true detail and natural clarityOther sharpening methods increase perceived sharpness by simply boosting edge contrast. InFocus on the other hand, reverses image blur to reveal your hidden image detail and then effectively sharpens that detail.
Rescue blurred images caused by camera shake and out-of-focusDue to its unique blur estimation capabilities, InFocus can handle a variety of complex and unknown blur challenges.
For more information about the new Topaz InFocus:
- Visit the Topaz InFocus webpage
- Check out our informative InFocus Overview video.
- Check out our Blur Estimation video.
Ready to redefine your images? Try it yourself by downloading a free, fully-functional, 30-day trial and see what this new sharpening technology can bring to your photography. Regularly priced at $69.99, be sure to take advantage of our one-time introductory special of $40 off until 12/3/10! Just enter the coupon code “SuperSharp” when purchasing.
Thanks for reading and for using Topaz software. We look forward to continuing to provide you with timely updates and useful software. If you have any questions, thoughts or suggestions, join in on the conversation! Have a great day!
The Art of Photography
An updated and newly revised edition of Bruce Barnbaum’s The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression has just been released by Rocky Nook. With well over a hundred photographic illustrations in both black-and-white and colour, as well as numerous charts, graphs, and tables, this book presents the world of photography to beginner, intermediate, and advanced photographers seeking to make a personal statement through the medium of photography. The 364-page volume is available at a price of $44.95.
Press Release
The Art of Photography
An Approach to Personal Expression
Santa Barbara, CA — This is an updated and newly revised edition of the classic book The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression (Rocky Nook, $44.95 USD, originally published in 1994), which has often been described as the most readable, understandable, and complete textbook on photography.
With well over 100 beautiful photographic illustrations in both black-and-white and color, as well as numerous charts, graphs, and tables, this book presents the world of photography to beginner, intermediate, and advanced photographers seeking to make a personal statement through the medium of photography. Without talking down to anyone, or talking over anyone’s head, Bruce Barnbaum presents “how to” techniques for both traditional and digital approaches. Yet he goes well beyond the technical, as he delves deeply into the philosophical, expressive, and creative aspects of photography so often avoided in other books.
Barnbaum is recognized as one of the world’s finest landscape and architectural photographers, and for decades has been considered one of the best instructors in the field of photography. This latest incarnation of his textbook, which has evolved, grown, and been refined over the past 35 years, will prove to be an ongoing, invaluable photographic reference for years to come. It is truly the resource of choice for the thinking photographer.
About the Author
Bruce Barnbaum, of Granite Falls, WA, entered photography as a hobbyist in the 1960s, and after four decades, it is still his hobby. It has also been his life’s work for the past 30 years.
Bruce’s educational background includes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mathematics from UCLA. After working for several years as a mathematical analyst and computer programmer for missile guidance systems, he abruptly left the field and turned to photography.
Bruce has authored several books, some of which have become classics. The Art of Photography was first published in 1994 and remained in print until 2007. Bruce has been self-publishing the book ever since, but with limited distribution (until now).
Bruce is a frequent contributor to several photography magazines. His series “The Master Printing Class” is featured in each issue of Photo Techniques, and his articles are published regularly in LensWork. Through his workshops, articles, lectures, books, and innovative photography, Bruce has become a well-known and highly respected photographer, educator, and pioneer.
Bruce is recognized as one of the finest darkroom printers on this planet, both for his exceptional black-and-white work, as well as for his color imagery. He understands light to an extent rarely found, and combines this understanding with a mastery of composition, applying his knowledge to an extraordinarily wide range of subject matter. His work is represented by more than ten galleries throughout the United States and Canada, and is in the collections of museums and private collectors worldwide.
Bruce has been an active environmental advocate for more than three decades, both independently and through his involvement and leadership with organizations such as the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, the Stillaguamish Citizens’ Alliance, 1000 Friends of Washington, and the North Cascades Conservation Council.
Additional Resources
For more information about the book, including table of contents, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781933952680
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
How Will People Remember your Photography
How do you want to be remembered? When your photography career is finished and you’re too old to creak out of bed and walk the trail in search of new images, how will people to remember your work? How do you want them to remember your work?
When working with people, it is such a privilege to be able to use the camera to record the intimate moments of individual lives. Billy's work has been classified as both candid and photojournalistic. Regardless of the title, it is always his intention to capture the natural expressions that reveal true emotion and feeling. He strives to be as natural, insightful and understanding as possible with his photographic styles. As a photographer, he aims to record genuine emotions in a candid and unobtrusive way. Let his experience behind the camera help to capture the images of your life. An image that will stir your soul and lift your spirits every time you look back at your wedding day images or at the masterpiece portrait hanging on your wall.
If you would like more information about services offered by Big D Photo, please contact us at:
BYork@BigDphoto.com
If you would like more information about services offered by Big D Photo, please contact us at:
BYork@BigDphoto.com
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