4 Steps To Make Colors Pop In Photoshop

Color is very important information when it comes to photography. A good amount of color balance can really make your photograph pop out. In this tutorial I will show you how u can make your photographs more vivid with very simple steps.

We usually work on RGB colors mode, which has three channels, RED, GREEN and BLUE. For printing it’s the CYMK which has 4 channels Cyan, Yellow , Magenta and Black. In this tutorial we will be working on LAB color mode. Follow the stepwise process to achieve vividness in your photographs.

Step 1

Change the color mode from RGB to LAB mode from IMAGE > Mode > LAB color mode. The advantage is, LAB offers separate channels for colors and exposure.

 

Step 2

LAB color mode has two channels A and B for colors where channel A control Magenta and cyan and B controls blue and yellow. The separate channel Lightness controls the exposure of the photograph. When you increase the color you don’t change the exposure of the images.

Now all that you need to do is to increase the contrast of both the channel. When you increase the contrast of these two channels they only affects the color but not the luminance of the color. Luminance is the level of brightness of any color.

Step 3

Select the channel A and apply the contrast either by going to image>Contrast or applying ‘s’ curves. Now repeat the same process for channel B. You can see the difference now. If you have used adjustment layers you can use the opacity slider to control the amount of vividness and makes sure to merge it down.

Step 4

Change the color mode back to RGB from LAB color mode.

See the before and after in the image below

Anup Ghimre

About the Guest Author:

Anup Ghimire is a Nepal based photographer & re-toucher, blogger and
educator. He is mostly interested in landscape and fashion
photography. He also has a blog pixeltut.com and has been doing
video tutorials for lightroom and photoshop. You can follow him on
twitter @anupg44.

 

Read More

The merits of flash as opposed to HDR in event photography

Event photography is one of the most exciting branches in the field of professional photography. As a photographer, each event you have the good fortune of photographing will be different, as will be the kind of ambient light you face at each event. You will find an equal mix of indoor as well as outdoor events; therefore, it becomes necessary to equip yourself with all you need to get some beautiful shots at the event.

HDR and flash are among the two most used features when it comes to shooting photographs in a dimly lit environment. Let us take a moment to understand the meaning of each of these terms and what they can do for your photographs.

Flash

Flash is just a very powerful light applied to illuminate a dimly lit picture. Complete with a startling color temperature of about 5500 Kelvins; flash has the ability to help you freeze the frame when you capture objects in motion. The bright light that emanates from a flash usually lasts for about 1/1000^th of a second. Although flash originated from the single use of halogen flashbulbs, it has now progressed to an electronic version. Most of the digital cameras nowadays, come with a built-in flash, while SLR’s have a popup flash that is not as effective as your regular flash.

Pro photographers have been known to prefer the use of studio lights that you either plug in or use with a battery pack.

High Dynamic Range or HDR

This specific shutterbug feature represents the distinction between the faintest and most prominent of lights in a particular room. The camera has a dynamic range that captures the picture. Once the objects in the frame go past the camera’s range, highlights mellow down to whites; while the darker areas fall to the shadows. HDR basically helps you achieve a picture with a wide dynamic range or lighting that would be impossible without it.

A photographer has to take several photos at varying levels of exposure and then go on to process them together to get the desired effect.

The distinction

The HDR feature requires the photographer to click a wide range of bracketed shots; which is basically the same photograph with different shutter speeds. The photographer then has to merge the different photos with post-processing to get one well illuminated photo. There are several types of photo-merging software’s like the Photomatix available to HDR enthusiasts today.

A flash succeeds in illuminating the picture frame so that you get a bright picture of the subject to start with. You can then go on to tinker at the photograph during post-processing and make any more changes. Some cameras today, come with an electronic flash that has a tube full of xenon gas. It works by shooting a high voltage electric current creating an electrical arc; which essentially emits a brief flash of light for you to take your picture in.

If you’re shooting an indoor event, your best option is probably the flash as you can truly capture some compelling images with such a dominant source of brightness.

The nature of the HDR feature prevents its use for objects that move; especially with the exposure bracketing you will probably be better off with a flash. HDR is more of a suitable option for those dabbling in real estate photography, as they can take the time to use HDR to get some fantastic shots of interiors.

Several digital cameras including the new range of DSLR’s have a very powerful flash option as well as great HDR setting. Do remember to experiment and let your creative genius run free in the field of special events photography, leading you to a bright future!

About the Guest Author:

Aaron Ho is a professional photographer based in Sydney. He provides top notch event photography Sydney to people so they can cherish their every special event!

Read More

Product Photography Tips

Hello readers! Today’s post has been contributed by my friend Heena Verma, a passionate beauty blogger behind Vanity Case Box. She takes exceptionally good photographs of her beauty and makeup products. Through this post, she shares with us, the top 5 tips to take ‘wow’ photos of your products :)

Tip 1. Lighting Is Very Important

If you have a good lighting, you have done more than half of the job. I always prefer natural light to photograph my products. It only means you have a clearer picture and a picture that depicts its true colours which is very important while photographing beauty products. You don’t want your bright pink eye shadow to be looking like a light pink eye shadow and fool your readers! Along with that, natural lighting also helps in bringing out true swatches of the products. Even in natural light, experiment with your camera settings to bring the swatch as close to the accurate shade of the makeup.

 

Tip 2. Avoid Using Flash

I also avoid using flash since it washes out the colours terribly and brings out another picture. The more you explore your camera and play with its settings, the more you will realize that how much good a plain digital camera can be!

 

Tip 3. Retouch, If Necessary

Also, when the weather is really gloomy and it’s getting tough to capture pictures nicely, you can always use a touch of photo editing software to brighten up the pictures in such a way that does not alters the product image drastically.

 

 

Tip 4. Get Creative!

Taking creative pictures is one of the most satisfying things for me in my blog. Think about different angles, different composition, and different backgrounds. Different angles mean as to in what way you want to capture your product i.e. sitting, lying, vertically, open or closed. You don’t want to place your product far in the picture. The product’s ratio should have a good balance with the picture frame.

 

Tip 5. Take A Look At The Background

Make sure that the product doesn’t get distracted by the background. Take a clean background. I have seen many pictures with the products being showcased in a very messy background. Avoid it. It causes distractions. You can use different locations and even different types of pretty handmade sheets to capture beautiful pictures. Many-a-times, you can also use different props to enhance images. Just make sure that you place them in a way that doesn’t interfere with the product and goes with the personality of the product. For example, while capturing skincare and bath care products, you can use towels and candles along side. Similarly, while capturing lipsticks or nail polishes, use can use jewellery behind them but in a sober manner!

Lastly to make sure that you get the most out of your digital camera, make sure that you are well acquainted with all of its functions!

 

About the Guest Author:

Heena  owns a makeup and beauty blog – vanitycasebox.com. She loves to take creative photographs on her blog. Hop on to her blog to see more of the pretty pictures

Read More

Learning What Can’t be Self-Taught: What a Photography Education Can Teach You

You will find a lot of columns and articles on the web featuring photographers outlining the ways in which going to a photography school and earning a photography degree is deficient in preparing a (future) photographer for the realities of a career as a shutterbug. And those articles and columns make a lot of good points.

Art degrees do often fail to include well fleshed-out coverage of practical business practices, cultivating marketing savvy, maybe the necessary writing skills that can prove necessary for some kinds of photography work and the details of some practicalities you’d never consider. Practicalities like protecting your images from unlicensed use, fixing broken printers, dealing with unhinged customers and unscrupulous competitors and perhaps too little about navigating ethical quandaries.

In my experience photography seems to attract people with more solitary and/or self-sufficient dispositions. It’s not an art or career that requires all that much collaboration much of the time and more intangibly, Freud might argue that there’s something inherently isolating about the use of a camera. Whatever the case, I suspect that tendency is partially responsible for the popularity of downplaying the importance of an education in photography. There’s no question there are things you’ll need to learn for yourself but there’s a lot a foundational education can give you that you just won’t find elsewhere. Here are a few of them:

 

Profs with an Eye for Photography and Peers to Critique Your Work

This is a big one and can be more important than people realize. Even photographers with a great natural eye can almost always stand to improve some feature of their work - composition, light work, framing, whatever. Unless someone’s lucky enough to have a family and circle of friends who are in possession of a technical and artistic understanding photographic expertise far greater than the average person, getting their critiques and opinions can only help so much, if at all.

You may be compelled to explain or defend your choices and work which will force you to think about those choices and that work. You’ll have an opportunity to examine and critique the works of fellow students too- learning from their mistakes and masterstrokes. Being in a position where no one reviewing your work feels obligated to simply compliment it can take you out of your comfort zone but is absolutely necessary. Speaking of which…

 

Taken Out of Your Comfort Zone

I shot for a college newspaper and my first year virtually everybody on staff wanted to be a sports writer or photographer. I was the exception. A couple years later, no one did. All the sports guys had graduated or left the paper and the new crop had absolutely no interest in covering the athletes of our alma mater. There was even serious talk of abolishing the sports section altogether- everyone getting fired up about retuning the paper to focus on academics, news and politics- the things that mattered. Our editor, bless her heart, though not a sports fan by any means was wise beyond her years and brought us all back down from our ivory towers,

“We are going to have a sports page. A lot of people read it and the alumni like it. Amy, you’re sports photog.” She said in paraphrase. I was miffed but sulkily complied and found that while I was never converted to True Believer lifelong sports fan, I loved going to the games. Racing up and down the field or court for good action shots was a blast and the crowd’s enthusiasm was infectious. As often, it’s a class assignment for portrait or still life, wildlife or whatever that turns someone on to something they’d never have considered if not forced to try it.

 

The Shoulders of Giants

If you look at the paintings of Picasso before he got into cubism, Pollock before his abstract impressionism, or James Joyce’s writing before he began producing stream of consciousness masterpieces, you will find the work of men with a thorough understanding of and owing a debt to classic technique. Those guys didn’t begin their careers by producing the work we’re familiar with.

However high the evolution of their art took them and original as it was- they wouldn’t have reached those pinnacles without a boost up from the shoulders of giants. The probability is very slight that anyone becomes an Annie Liebovitz, Mick Ross, Chris Johns or a member of the Bang Bang Club without studying the work of Lumiere, Philippe Halsman, Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus or Henri Cartier-Bresson.

 

Tools of the Trade

Not unlike the differing perspectives granted by a community of aspiring photographers and the professionals teach all of you, chances are you’re not going to find yourself in another situation where it’s your job to try out a great variety of cameras, styles, equipment, have easy access to a darkroom for ‘free’ (tuition notwithstanding). A good photography program can be invaluable in helping you find the equipment that will best facilitate your success. As for that community I mentioned…

 

A Community of Photographers

This is a biggie. Both personally and professionally finding a group of like-minded, like-careered, likewise-neurotic (in my case) community of shutter-jockeys and forming connections with them is invaluable. Other photographers can refer you work or give you a heads-up on good leads for client-bases. Hanging out with other photographers helps keep you in the loop regarding new tech and gadgets, the aforementioned work situation, new techniques, programs, apps, gossip, what have you. As or more importantly- maintaining a circle of friends with whom you can go have a beer and decompress, confide in, or who will kick your as* into gear when you’re just not feeling it. For that alone, I will never regret my decision to get a BFA in photography.

About the Guest Author:  Amy Cobb feels most at home behind a keyboard or a snapping shutter. She's a Jill-of-All-Trades media refugee turned blogger who, since jumping ship from the Fourth Estate, blogs on all things media and media-education-related. Most recently she's worked on cataloguing which school has the best photography degree. When not writing, Amy is doing her best not to torture the flora in her square foot gardening plots and she’s always at the beck and call of her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Snarls Barkley.

Read More

Understanding Exposure Compensation For Better Photographs

There are photographers who choose not to shoot in Manual Mode. Instead, they prefer to use automatic by choosing between the Aperture Priority (A for Nikon and Av for Canon) or Shutter Priority Mode (S for Nikon and Tv for Canon). There are times though when these programmed modes will not expose the subjects correctly. To help solve this problem, one must learn how to use the Exposure Value Compensation or EV Compensation on the equipment.

What is Exposure Compensation?

It is so easy to get lost in the technical definition of the term. In order to avoid confusion, let us try to use something that everyone can understand. Exposure compensation allows you to tell the camera to adjust the amount of light it “sees.” It helps in keeping the image from being underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too light with loss of details).

How Does It Look Like?

Look for the button on your camera that has the (+/-) sign. Press it to see a slider that looks like a ruler. You will notice that it has two sides, the right has (+) values which adds light to your image, the left has (-) values which lessens the amount of light entering the camera. The value is by default set to (0) in the middle.

How to Use the EV Function?

Even with good sensors there are times that your equipment makes an error in its calculations. The following scenarios show instances of when to use Exposure Compensation:

1. When you have a white or light subject like a bride in her wedding gown, the camera by default will adjust its settings and the result may be an underexposed image. In order for you to get the natural looking colours, you have to dial the controls going to the positive values. This will help to lighten the images whilst still keeping the details visible.
   
2. Black or dark subjects “confuse” your camera. Dark subjects are often misplaced by the device in the middle-grey area, resulting in an image without any details. To address this issue, you have to dial the EV down to the negative values. This will help bring the fine points back to your subjects. This setting is also good when dealing with backlit subjects.
   
3. Landscapes that have both light and shadowed areas can be a little tricky. In this situation, your camera will calculate the values according to the bright area. It can lead to washed out details with properly lit shadowed parts. To resolve this, you must be ready to compromise. Choose the value that would give you enough points of both the foreground and background. Be prepared to see some loss of details in the well-lit portion of your landscape.

There is no specific formula on how to get the proper exposure. The best way to learn more about your camera’s output and performance is through trial and error. Experiment with your shots. Take photos of everything and anything under different lighting conditions. Study and learn how to read the histogram of your photographs. This will give you a more accurate idea about the lighting conditions of your images. Once you determine what the problems are, take new photos adjusting the settings of your camera every after shot until you get a more natural looking image. Learn how to work with your equipment. Take the time to really understand your camera’s controls and the way it takes images. This would take you a long way when it comes to getting the correct settings every time you press the shutter button.

If you’re still unsure of what to do, here is an activity that you can try to help you gain more confidence.

1. Choose any stationary subject like flowers in a vase or fruits in a bowl
2. Place your subjects near an open window or any place that has ample lighting in such a way that the subject is properly backlit (See, In the example photo above, it’s a car/van in front of a bright sky)
3. Set your camera to aperture priority mode. Look at the top dial on your equipment, rotate it to A (Nikon) or Av (Canon)
4. Using the programmed EV value (0), take a shot. After the first try, adjust it to +0.3 then take another shot. Your third photograph should have an EV of -0.3 and so on…
5. Keep shooting and adjusting the values until you have at least 4 or 5 images with different Exposure Compensation values. Transfer them to your computer to see which one is better.

The key is in experimenting, as you can see from the above shot that the image taken at EV (-1) gives the best result – both the sky and the car are properly exposed with no considerable loss of details!

Whilst it is possible to correct the photo issues using various editing programs, it is best to start with a good shot. Try to take a photograph using different exposure settings and then go after editing if it’s really needed. Check which one comes out better. Will it be the underexposed photo, the overexposed or the one that you shot using the right settings?

After experimenting with your shots using the suggestions above share your images on our Facebook page. Please include the camera and settings that you used.  We hope that this post has helped to encourage you to pick up your camera and experiment with your shots!

 

About the Guest Author:

Nadia Hyeong loves following the latest news on gadgets, wireless technology, music and the latest developments from companies like Sony, Apple and O2. Feel free to follow her on Twitter and Google+

Read More

Top Tips For Pregnancy Photo Shoots

The objective of any pregnancy or ‘maternity’ photo shoot should be to make your client look amazing and feel great at a point when she may not feel at her best – in her later stages of pregnancy.

As a photographer it’s your job to use flattering lighting and suitable props to bring attention to a woman’s bump without making the woman feel self-conscious or exposed. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or are worried about shooting your first maternity session, here are some tips designed to help enhance your shots:

1. Timing

The best time to take a pregnancy photo shoot is at some point during months 8-9 when the woman’s belly is nice and big. Of course, this is just a guide – 9 months might be a little late for some clients so it’s worth consulting with each person in advance.

2. Comfort

If the photo shoot is being carried out at your studio, ensure that your client feels comfortable and looked after. As it’s a maternity shoot, you’ll need to ask her to take some degree of clothing off to show off her bump, so it’s vital she feels secure. Provide her with a private changing area, or at the very least, a screen. Also, it always helps if she brings a familiar face with her, whether it’s her partner, mum or friend.

3. Clothing

During the shoot, first take some shots with full clothing on. Once you’re happy with the assortment of those shots, ask your client to put on some under bump jeans and a vest top (you’ll have to remind her to bring these beforehand).

4. Materials

In terms of background fabrics and cloths to drape around your client, buy lots of lengths of chiffon and floaty material - some in blue and some in pink work nicely if your clients know if they are having a boy or a girl. I also recommend keeping a selection of neutrals and black and white for them to choose from.

5. Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of pregnancy photography. Studio lighting should be used to make shots subtle and beautiful. Start off by placing flash lights behind the woman to create stunning silhouettes of the bump. As they show off just the rim of the bump, the client doesn’t need to worry as much about stretch marks or pregnancy rashes.

I also recommend trying natural lighting with window light behind the woman. This will give your photos a beautiful, ethereal feel. Using white chiffon to drape the mum in further adds to this natural, subtle look.

6. Props

I personally like very natural images, but it can be fun to incorporate baby building blocks that spell out 'baby' or the baby's name or nickname (parents often have a pet name for their bump). Baby scan images and measuring tapes are also popular props to use to bring a more personal meaning to the finished image.

7. Poses

In terms of poses, it’s very much a case of trying out different ones to see which ones the delicate mum-to-be is comfortable trying out. Below, however, are some of the most popular poses with both clients and photographers:

• Client standing with her side facing the camera, silhouetted with a light behind the bump
• Same pose as above, but with a small amount of soft lighting in front, lighting the bump and face a little more
• Client looking down at her bump, with one hand on top of it and one at the bottom
• Mum sitting down and holding her bump, with legs to one side, looking upwards towards the camera
• Lying on her back with legs in air and ankles crossed. Do give her some support so she can rest her legs as a pregnant woman can’t hold her legs in that position unaided
• For standing poses – as you would with a model, emphasise the curves of her body, so get her to bend her knees and arms. This creates space between limbs and ensures even more flattering, beautiful photos
• Above all, remember she may be 7-9 months pregnant so try not to make it too much like an aerobics workout!

Do you have any other worth mentioning tip to share? I look forward to see your views in the comments below ;)

Lisa Gill

About the Guest Author:

Lisa Gill is a UK based professional photographer and training provider with many passions – pregnancy photography being one of her biggest! You can connect with her on twitter @LisaGillPhoto.

Read More

4 Tips On Choosing Printer Photo Papers

As a digital photographer, on occasion you might need a hardcopy of your images. Printing your work is an alternative way to share your passion with a hardcopy that you and others can hold and feel, and that deserves more attention and it’s often perceived as ‘special’.

 

With so many options and considerations to take into account, selecting the most suitable printing media is sometimes a confusing one. So in this post, our guest author Joseph Eitan walks you through four important tips to simplify the whole process!

 

1. Narrow Down The Type Of Paper

Printers use either laser or Inkjet technology to disperse the ink on the paper. In the case of Inkjet technology the ink is sprayed microscopically onto the paper and in the case of Laser technology powder is laid loose on the paper and must go through a hot fusing process in order to become permanent.

Photo paper that is designed for one technology should not be used on the other, as it will damage it. The vast majority of photographers use Inkjet as their preferred printer type, as Inkjet can print in higher DPI (Dots Per Inch) resulting in colours, especially skin tones and solid colours appearing accurately.

 

2. Size Of Photo Paper

Photo papers are available in predefined sizes designed to accommodate a number of printing needs. A common mistake is purchasing the wrong size resulting in further printing costs of ink and paper due to reprinting. While it is possible to cut to size a measurement which is too big, it will result in wasted time and unnecessary costs. Naturally the same base paper in its larger measurement will cost more than in its smaller measurement. If the print is too small for your needs, there is no other option but to reprint. Sizes vary from the smallest 10x15cm to the largest A3 oversized before you enter the world of large format media.

10cm x 15cm – These are the smallest photo paper sizes that most printers can safely accommodate. This measurement is aimed at standard photo albums. You may also come across it as 6”x4”.

13cm x 18cm – Slightly biggest, they too are designed to fit into standard photo albums. You may also come across it as 7”x5”.

A5 and A4 – Standard A4 sheet is precisely double the size of an A5 sheet. These measurements will be supported by all Inkjet photo printers and designed for photo frames (desk or hanged on the wall).

A3 and Oversized A3 - Standard A3 sheet is precisely double the size of an A4 sheet. It is reserved for the professional world, as it requires an A3 printer.

3. Photo Paper Quality

Quality in photo papers refers to two aspects. The first is the durability of the print before it fades or in low quality case becomes yellowish. The second is the tones and colour representation from what your digital camera captured to the printed result.

Two means to measure the quality of the base paper that is used and the weight of the paper:

Base Paper – Photo papers contain a receiving layer designed to hold the ink without soaking the paper which results in cockling (waves on the paper caused by over inking, which happens when printing an image on normal bond paper). The type of receiving layer will influence the colour palette of the print. Budget and lower quality photo papers use cast coating, while higher quality use PE coating and Micro-porous coating. PE coating will result in higher definition due better stability and humidity resistance.

Paper Weight - Weight is measured in GSM (grams per square meter) and refers to product per unit of area or product density. The higher the weight is, the better the printed result will look in terms of actual colour representation. Bond paper, which is your normal uncoated printer paper, will normally weigh between 80 to 90 grams per square meter, while photo paper can even exceed 300 grams per square meter.

 

4. Photo Paper Finish

Once you have decided on the most suitable size and quality for your circumstances, you need to choose the finish. Photo papers are coated in a translucent layer designed to enhance its appearance. It is measured in level of glossiness from high to low.

Glossy Finish – The most common finish, glossy finish contains the highest level of glare. While it makes viewing from a direct angle superb, viewing from an angle might prove limited. It becomes apparent when photos are hanging for display and people crowd around the photos from all sides.

Satin Finish – It includes some level of glare, but naturally less than glossy. You may come across satin under its aliases of pearl and Lustre in which levels of glare will vary.

Matt Finish – While glossy and satin contain some level of glare, matt is the only finish that is completely absent of any glare properties.

So, how are you planning to get your digital photos printed? Still in some doubt? Drop your comments, we would love to hear from you!

Joseph Eitan

About the Guest Author:

Joseph Eitan is the founder and Managing Director of the photo paper retailer - Photo Paper Direct. For further information, tips and tricks read the Photo Paper Direct blog.

Read More

4 Tips To Take Great Photos For Canvas Prints

Almost every new mother gets a flood of coupons and offers from baby-minded companies, including studio portrait photographers. But, while coupons for diapers and formula can save you money on things you need, a discounted studio portrait still counts as a luxury expense in many family budgets.

There is a way to obtain the quality of a studio portrait and, even better, preserve the spontaneity of at-home photographs for a fraction of the cost of professional photographs. But, if you're aiming for photographs good enough to print on canvas and frame in wood, it helps to follow the practices of professionals.

Professionals know that it's a lot less expensive to take a great photo than to retouch an imperfect one. With that in mind, here are some easy tips for creating studio-quality photos with your own digital camera.

 

1. Shoot In Adequate Light

“Let there be (enough) light” is the golden rule of good photography – or at least it should be. Too many great memories are shrouded in darkness because the photographer didn’t check if there was adequate lighting, or set the wrong flash duration, or simply didn’t use a flash at all. Professionals often play with light and darkness to create visually unique images, but for most people, the rule is simple – if it’s too dark, use a flash. “How dark is dark” might be a matter of how you want the final image to look, but if there are people in it and you can’t see them clearly (and you want to), that means you didn’t use the flash properly. So, this should be the first aspect to watch out for.

 

2. Avoid Camera Shakes

While lighting, colour and many aspects can be altered and enhanced using software applications, a blurred photo is very hard to rectify. Most high-end DSLR camera lenses today have image stabilization (IS) technology or Vibration Reduction (VR) built in, but these can cost you an arm and a leg to acquire. Here are some tips to prevent those shakes when it’s shutter time: 

a) Use a tripod - This might sound obvious but it’s surprising how many people avoid a tripod like the plague because of the inconvenience of setting it up; besides, who wants to hassle with a tripod when that beautiful moment might be gone soon.

b) Cradle the camera like you would a baby – the shaking is considerably less when you do this.

c) Third tip is to use what is known as a machine-gun hold; if you’re right-handed that means you use the crook of your left arm to support the camera.

d) Last tip – stop breathing; as in, at the moment of clicking the shutter, not for the duration of the shoot!

3. Use A Variety Of Lenses

Most point-and-shoot cameras provide some lens flexibility - you can zoom in and out. But, in many ways, a camera is only as good as its lenses. So don't spend all of your budget on a camera. Invest in three lenses a professional photographer usually depends upon: zoom, wide angle and telephoto.

a) A zoom lens - lets you get extreme close-ups without being on top of your subject. You could capture your child's smile, for example, from across the room. (Your child's smile might not be so natural if you shove a camera in his face.)

b) A wide angle lens - does a lot more than help you include everyone in a group shot without backing up over a cliff! It can help you create interesting angles, making your focal point appear closer and larger and the background smaller and more distant. Let's say you are taking a picture of your family on a mountaintop. With a regular lens, both your family and the surrounding mountains look far away. A wide-angle lens allows you to get closer to your family without losing the background.

c) A telephoto lens -

It lets you spy on your family - in a good way. You can get "close-up" shots of your daughter on a swing while standing on the edge of a playground or capture your son's touchdown while watching the game from the stands.

 

4. Go For The Highest Resolution

This is probably the most critical aspect of all because if your photo isn’t high-res enough, then you’ll end up with a grainy print full of nothing but coloured pixels, at best – at worst, people will have to constantly keep stepping back to see what the photo actually looks like, especially if it’s a very large print like a 24 x 72”. If you’ve already got a great photo you want to put on canvas but not high-res enough, then you can interpolate it with software – not the best option but it should do the job well enough.

Do these things and your canvas prints will come out looking like a million bucks. More often than not, people will ask you how you took such great photos. Just tell them you studied for years under the best photographers. It’ll be our little secret!

Tim Faught

About the Guest Author:

Tim Faught, CEO and Founder of Posterjack loved what photo companies in Europe were doing and found that there was no other photo company in Canada allowing individuals to turn their works of art into canvas prints. Now 3 years later they are the leader in producing photo art in Canada.

Read More

10 Photography Tips For Christmas

Christmas is one of the most memorable celebrations of the year. Unfortunately, the merry event only comes once every 12 months. If you want to relive the occasion at any given time and day of the year, you might want to capture the moment by taking a snapshot. However, don’t just point and shoot when you get the chance. The best pictures are captured by considering a number of elements.

Many owners of digital or SLR cameras are guilty of using a photo editor to alter an image’s quality or resolution. When you know how to properly use a camera at any environment, you no longer have to play with the tone, contrast and colour just to get that perfect picture. Just by simply tweaking your camera’s setting and taking advantage of the natural surrounding can be the answer.

1. Lighting

Lighting can affect the overall quality of your picture as it can create the mood and depth of the image. For instance, when you want to establish a homey and dreamy atmosphere, you can just simply dim the lights. On the other hand, direct and bright light can create a more dramatic vibe as more shadows are produced.

2. Avoiding Glares

If you are going to celebrate Christmas outdoors, you don’t have to use flash as natural light is good enough to emphasise your subject. However, you should still consider the brightness of the sun. Too little light will make your subject illuminate too much while too much can lead to glares. Mid-morning and late afternoon tend to be best for outdoor photography. Alternatively, indoor parties should be used with lots of lighting. When using flash, make sure that you are about 5m away from the subject.

3. Composition And Angle

You don’t always have to take a wide angle picture. As long as you apply the rule of thirds, placing your subject on the intersecting lines of the equally divided three sections of the frame, you can play with the angle of your subject. To do this, you can just switch on the grid on your camera’s setting.

4. Use A Tripod

Hand held shots can result to a wobbly picture but when you use a camera tripod, you get a balance image, giving you a sharper and crispier picture of your subject. You can also be included in group photos such as family portraits as you can just simply mount your camera, adjust the settings and set the timer.

5. Adjust Your Camera’s White Balance

White balance is an important aspect of photography that unfortunately not all camera owners know the importance of. When you take a picture indoors, you will notice your picture comes out with a different colour. Adjusting your camera’s white balance can make the colour better and accordingly to your subject.

6. Take Pictures Until You Are Contented

Take many pictures as many as you can. It’s easier to choose the best image among three or more shots rather than having only one version.

7. Christmas Lights and Ornaments

Unwrapping gifts and Christmas dinner aren’t the only things you need to take a picture of. You should also snap a photo of holiday decorations such as the Christmas tree and lights and other ornaments. For best results, photograph Christmas lights during dusk or at night so the colours can pop out.

8. Close-Ups

You don’t always have to use a wide angle for portrait photography or Christmas embellishments. You can capture a person’s emotion by opting for a close up. As for the ornaments, details are more prominent and thus, a better quality of the image.

9. Set Your Camera’s Shutter Speed

You can prevent blurred photos by setting your camera’s shutter speed. You don’t have to ask the subject of your picture to stay still as it can focus on your subject as they move.

10. Check The Background

To add a more holiday vibe, consider the background of your subject. Remember distractions shouldn’t be included in your picture’s frame as it can greatly affect the feel of the image.

So you are now well prepared in advance to make the upcoming Christmas festival a truly memorable one! Follow these 10 awesome tips and celebrate a revived and fun-filled Christmas this month ;) All the best!

Hannah Gregorio

About the Guest Author:

Hannah Gregorio is a photography writer for Dreamlife Photos & Video. She shares digital photography tips and tutorials aimed to help novice photographers.

Read More

How To Take Better Child Portraits

‘Never work with children’ goes the old hackneyed adage! And of course like any cliché there is always a ‘nugget’ of truth in it- it can be notoriously difficult to get kids to do what you want them to do in front of the camera, which can be very frustrating. The thing is though, some of the very best and most touching portrait photography you see is about children or childhood. Why is this? My theory is this- whilst with adults it’s very difficult to break down their outward ‘guard’ or façade, with children what you see is what you get. They don’t put up any guard, and they live very much in the moment. There is a purity to child portraiture that doesn’t often exist in other forms of photography.

It’s for these reasons that we love taking portraits of children. In this short post I want to share with you some of the things we have learned over the years that have enabled us to really capture the spirit of our (young) subjects:

1. Be patient!

When you start a portrait session with children it can be very tempting to just start taking pictures straight away. The problem with this approach is that, unless you already know the child, they may feel really uncomfortable and ‘freeze’ in front of the camera. It our experience it’s far better to keep your camera away, for at least 30 minutes or so. Start off by chatting to the child’s parents, and once the child is used to your presence, then talk to them- if you can make them laugh, then even better! It’s really important that both the child AND their parents feel comfortable around you before you start taking pictures.

2. Telephoto Zooms are your friend

If, like us, you shoot outdoor lifestyle shoots rather than studio based shoots, then one of the most effective ways of getting natural shots is to use a ‘long lens’. For lifestyle shoots about 80% of our shots are taken with a 70-200mm lens. Not only does this mean that you can ‘stand back’ a bit more and be less invasive, the longer focal length allows you to use selective focus (shallow depth of field) to really isolate the subject.

3. Set up fun games

One of the best ways to get really natural shots of children, especially when you are photographing more than one, is to get them to play a game together. It could be something as simple as ‘tag’. Once the children are involved in playing the game they almost always forget your presence, and this allows you to get some really wonderful natural shots. This is yet another reason why it pays to use a long lens!

4. Anticipate the moment

One of the skills that you learn over time when working as a portrait photographer is the art of anticipation. There’s nothing specific I can tell you about this, other than just keep your eyes open and ‘practise’. Over time you get much better at anticipating those golden moments- more often than not, it’s a ‘reaction’ rather than an ‘action’ that you are looking for.

I guarantee if you apply these principles your portrait work will improve exponentially. You see, whilst I think it helps to have a good ‘eye’, I do think talent is overrated. It’s far more important to put your heart and soul into what you do, and to practice, practice, practice. Before you know it you’ll be producing children's portraits to rival the very best professionals!

Matt Foden

About the Guest Author:
Matt, along with his wife Brenda, run a wedding and portrait photography business called Foden Photography. Their style combines fine art portraiture with documentary style photography.

Read More

3 Stages Of A Photographer’s Development

As photographers, we grow through 3 stages. Each stage will be shaped by what we think is important and will determine the quality of our work. The only way to move to the next stage is by mastering the previous stage. Doing so opens up opportunities to expand our skills, improve our photography and experience a greater amount of success. Here are those 3 stages…

Stage 1: Camera Technology

The first stage is one where we believe that a great camera makes a great photo. And we become obsessed with choosing the best camera and lens we can afford. To that end, we spend days reading technical specifications and lens reviews. After all, a portrait taken with a f/1.4 85mm lens is probably much better than the one taken at 85mm, but with some kit 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 thing, right? Well, that may be so (and often it’s not), but when you begin to see that the answer to that question is more than a simple “yes” or “no”, you grow to the next stage.

Stage 2: Technical Skills

In this stage, we begin to prioritize our technical skills. We begin to value the importance of lighting and composition. It doesn’t matter how sharp your lens is, or how advanced your camera metering system is - if your photo has cluttered composition and is badly lit, you probably won’t like it.

So you begin to learn about backlighting, cross-lighting, Rembrandt lighting and lighting using off-camera strobes. You also learn about posing your subjects in a way that enhances their appearance. And you begin using back, mid and foreground to create amazing 3-dimensional compositions. Phew! You’re now light years ahead of a photographer who is just beginning to understand the basics of ISO, aperture and shutter speed.

So does that mean that a great photographer is someone who has great technical skills that are complimented by advanced camera technology? Perhaps. But there’s one more thing to consider.

Stage 3: Connecting With The Subject

At some point you begin to notice that some of your photos are amazingly lit, technically flawless, are shot using high-end equipment and yet are...somehow hollow and boring. And then you go to an exhibition like World Press Photo and notice that photos on display often lack technical perfection; their compositions can be rough, the consideration for lighting seems to be patchy, images can even be blurry. And yet the photos captivate. They have an ability to move you to tears and make you think deeply about what happened.

What’s going on? When you begin to ask that question, you begin to grow to the third stage. It’s the stage where you realise that a great photograph is a result of a connection between a photographer and the subject. To become a photographer at this level, you have to be technically skilled enough to be able to almost forget about your camera. You need to be able to work its controls intuitively, precisely and almost nonchalantly - much like a great virtuoso plays the piano. That is important because all your attention needs to be on your subject and the story that is unfolding before your eyes.

Conclusion: The Ironic Twist

I think there’s some irony in this journey because it turns out that the thing you get fixated with at the beginning – the camera – ends up being the thing you need to practically forget about in order to take great photos. And the thing that you need most – your real self and the person whose story you want to tell - is already present at the very beginning. Remember – there are no right and wrong levels, and each level is just as important as another. Wherever you are now is perfectly fine and is exactly where you need to be. Just use this scale to become aware of where you need to go next to become a better photographer.

Steven

About the Guest Author:

Steven McConnell is a professional photographer from Sydney, Australia. He specializes in family photography and candid family portraits. To know more about him, do visit his photography website.

Read More

5 Tips To Take Great Photos Of Your Family And Kids

Years ago if you wanted to have great photographs of your family you had to hire a professional family photographer. These days many families still take that option, but many are also choosing to buy their own DSLR camera and try to take photos of their family themselves. But many are disappointed with the results because the photos they produce just lack that punch, that ability to captivate, entice and move the viewer. To help you take better photos of your family, I put together this quick 5-point guide.

1. Get Down To Their Level

Your brain is captivated by things it doesn’t usually see. And the usual way we see a toddler is from above. We are used to seeing the top of their head and sometimes their big grin (or teary face) looking back up at us. When you take a photo of your kid from this angle, your brain says “yup, I’ve seen this many times before” and quickly moves on.

To take photos of your kid which really grab attention, get down to the child’s level. If you’re not crawling around on the ground, you’re too high!  When I do family photo-shoots, I sometimes spend the majority of two hours we spend with the family crawling around on the ground. And for an extra challenge and to make your photos even more interesting, find a way to shoot up at your toddler.

2. Open Up Your Aperture

Aperture controls depth of field. And depth of field has a huge impact on the story which the photo communicates. By adjusting your depth of field, focusing on a particular point in 3-dimensional space and blurring the rest, you’re essentially saying: this is the important bit! This is where the action is! This is the star of this show.

Use aperture to isolate the most important parts of the photograph and blur the rest. This might take some practice, especially if you’re photographing more than one person. You might find that you have blurred a person you actually wanted to keep in focus. It means your depth of field was too narrow; just stop down your lens a little (in other words, make the aperture smaller) and try again.

As you’re learning to shoot with narrow depth of field, check your focus on the back of your camera by looking at faces of all people in the photograph at 100% zoom right after you take the photograph, instead of waiting to get home, uploading all photographs on your computer and finding out you’ve messed up all your photos.

3. What’s The Story?

A good photograph is not just a pretty picture. It’s a photograph which communicates. It tells a story! Once you master the basics of your camera and feel reasonably comfortable with exposure, aperture, shutter and ISO levels, you’ll be able to use your camera more intuitively and spending less time twisting different knobs and trying to mentally work out all the correct settings. This growth frees you up to think about less technical and more personal aspects of photography.

As you watch your family with your camera in hand, poised to take a photo, don’t think about taking a pretty photo. Don’t think about taking a photo which will look impressive. Instead, think about this: what’s the story here? If you were holding a pen and paper instead of your camera, what would you write about your kids in this very moment? Your camera is more closely related to a pen you probably realize. It’s not a picture-taking device, but a story-recording device. And there are stories unfolding before you in every moment; you just have to stop for a moment and hear them.

4. Connect

Your little kid or your partner will not reveal their story to you unless they feel like they can connect with you in that moment.

A lot of photos where people look nervous or rigid is actually the photographer’s nervousness, rigidity and inability to open up which is passed on to the subjects. I’m not into rules, but if there was one I’d have to single out as the most important one for taking great photos, it would be this: whatever you’re feeling the people you’re photographing will feel. And that will show in the photographs you take. Being aware of, and being in control of your emotions as well as your inner mental processes is an art in itself. And the best family photographers are the ones who have spent years mastering this skill.

You don’t need to embark on a journey of enlightenment, self-discovery, meditation and eating grasshoppers on a mountain in Tibet just to take a better photo of your family. But you can, for example, be aware that most people don’t like to have their photo for the sake of just being photographed. But people love to share what they’re passionate about and what interests them.

Before you pick up your camera, talk to your kids about their toys, their friends and their hobbies. At some point you can say “That’s such a pretty toy! Do you think I can take a photo of you with it so I can show my friends how good that toy is?” That will create a connection and a relaxed context for your picture-taking session.

5. Clean Up Your Backgrounds

What most people don’t realize is that each photograph has two elements: the foreground and the background. The foreground is something that everyone knows about because that’s where you usually place your baby, toddler, husband or the whole family.

The background is usually neglected. But it’s just as important because it’s instrumental in creating a composition which is pleasing to the eye. A background which is symmetrical, blurry (see the point above about aperture) and doesn’t have any people or stray objects is a classic which is used very often in family photography. When you’re taking photographs, look for naturally occurring and man-made objects which create that kind of background. It can be things like doorways, bridges, houses, trees and mountains.

Steven

About the Guest Author:

Steven McConnell is a professional photographer from Sydney, Australia. He specializes in family photography and candid family portraits.
To know more about him, do visit his photography website.

Read More

5 Tips To Improve Your Wildlife Photography Skills

The growth of the picture/photography industry has been tremendous in recent times due to the ease at which any individual can purchase a digital camera and more advanced photography gear. This has encouraged both professional artisans and armature travellers visiting safaris, to engage in one form of photography or another. We applaud this new development and would be providing our quota to photography by outlining five key tips in this article to help photographers standardize their wildlife pictures, use natural shadows to their advantage and manipulating digital images.

1. Knowing your Gear

As with every profession or hobby, this is your first important step to mastering photography. The best moments in wildlife happens at break neck speed (between 5-10 seconds) which means you must be ready to capture exquisite events as they happen. Therefore, a thorough knowledge of your digital camera and how it operates is essential. You need to have an in-depth understanding of your camera functions such as; its shutter speed, how to quickly change focus length etc.

2. Using the Light to your advantage

Lighting is one of the most important parts of photography for it allows you paint an image that captures the viewer imagination. Therefore maximizing the early hours of the morning, natural shadows and the position of the sun would help you paint the perfect background for your picture. Amateurs or safari/wildlife agencies that have no idea of maximizing light in photos should take the route of outsourcing images to professionals for some form of editing which would help your pictures reach a professional standard.

3. Shoot wider and Shoot closer

The format you use to take your pictures depends on the subject. Therefore, distant subjects should be shot by zooming closer while nearer ones should be shot closer. Using software which can crop images and zoom in/out can also help you achieve the above effects.

4. The more subject’s captured the better

Capturing multiple animals in one shot drastically increases the appeal of your image due to the variety of wildlife captured. Therefore, concentrate on capturing diverse species when ever possible to add variety to your photograph. You could also employ the use of image editing software to enhance natural shadows, background surroundings and contrast to achieve shadow uniformity and a more professional photo standard.

5. Use of Software/Post-Processing

Usually, the best photographs are those which have been edited. Editing can be done very easily using Google Picasa or if you are an expert, you can always consummate your wildlife photographs in Adobe Photoshop. This way your photographs can meet the standards required for online and marketing use..

Purathini

About the Guest Author:

Purathini is a webmaster at Smart Photo Editors. She also indulges in writing professional image editing tips and tutorials.

Read More