Photography Outlook Until 2014

Cameras have advanced through the years. From the old ones that use film, we now have the digital cameras. After the standalone units comes the smartphones built with cameras that can capture images of similar or even better quality than the digital cameras.

Today, more than ever, people are in the habit of taking as many photos as they like wherever they go. Thanks to the digital units, consumers today enjoy keeping their memories and sharing them as often as they can online through the various photo sharing sites. But other than the main camera itself, the memory card is also instrumental in helping people capture numerous images during their photo sessions. With this advanced storage card, hundreds of pictures can be saved and shared on the internet.

Big cameras are it

For the future, the big cameras are going to make a comeback. Manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon and Sony are putting their bet on the high-end units that boast of full-frame sensors. The latest buzz is that Photokina will roll out five full frame models.

The best part is that these cameras will become more affordable. Canon's 6D and Nikon's D600 are selling for $2,100 while Sony also has its SLT-A99 valued at $2,800. Sony's SLT-A99 boasts of great features such as full-time autofocus in live view but is much affordable compared to its close rivals (Nikon D4 and Canon 1D X) which are at a price range of $6,000-$6,800.

Moving onwards, analysts see many photographers seeking image quality that can be achieved by a massive sensor. This may be the feature they will be looking for more than the sturdy body.

Mobile Imaging

As smartphones are now more patronized by consumers more than the digital cameras, top camera manufacturers are considering the idea of incorporating some mobile phone features in their products. Wireless capability is what's being focused on by the makers these days to allow for faster and easy sharing of images on the internet without having to use the computer.

So far, only Samsung has responded to this need. Its Galaxy Camera is known as the first smart camera despite its being compact. Some of its great features a wide screen measuring 4.8 inches, a touch interface, 3G/4G data antenna and the latest version of Android.

Expensive cameras

One of the trends being predicted is the creation of expensive digital cameras of different brands. These are the equivalent of luxury cars with unique designs.

An example is the Lunar made by Hasselblad which is selling at $6,500. In truth, this digital camera is just the bigger version of Sony's NEX-7 but features a new frame.

Leica, for its part, has the V-Lux series which are very similar to the Panasonic units. They even have the same designs but only their logo or brand is different.

Besides these three, the demand for longer zooms, higher megapixels and brighter lenses will also continue. Manufacturers are listening and taking action and hopefully, these features will soon become a reality.

Legal and Copyright Issues in Photography

If you're doing photography as a business, you might have wondered about legal and copyright issues. After all, trick photography is still part of photography whether you digitally manipulate the images or not. Have you ever seen a piece of video or a show that includes public shots and some of the faces seem to be blurred out? That is not poor production values on the part of the video team. The producers who eventually sold that video to be used commercially did not secure releases from those individuals. And if they used their images, they are laying themselves open for lots of legal problems.

So how do you know if the work you are doing in your photography or trick photos business requires such releases? After all, it's better to be safe than sorry and get releases from everyone you use as a subject than face a surprise problem down the road.

If you snap for portraits, weddings or other events where the intent of your work is to sell the photos to the people being photographed, there is certainly no need for releases. As long as you have no intention of ever using any of those photographs in a sale that will profit your business other than the original way, then you should be fine.

It is when you are working with models to provide photos for advertising, magazines, newspapers or any other purpose in which you are selling the images you have photographed for a profit, that is when a release is needed. This whole area of professional photography is very profitable because you are working at a higher level of professionalism than photographing the public to provide them with portrait pictures. It is a lucrative arena of professional photography, the competition to make those sales is very competitive.

When you are working with professional models, securing their releases is pretty routine and never a problem. They are working for you and they know the photographs are for sale so their agents and lawyers do all the legwork so the releases are proper. But from your perspective, don't let this detail go unattended to. After all, it is your responsibility to your customers, those magazines or ad agencies who look to you for professional photography work, are assuming you have this covered and that they can count on you to deliver not only quality work but work that has been legally released to be used for promotion.

The complexities come if you do your shoots in a public place such as a park, a mall or anywhere that there may be traffic that becomes part of the shot. If you complete the shoot and discover that the perfect shot that fits your customers needs just right happens to have miscellaneous members of the public in the background, you have to secure the releases from them or you cannot sell that photograph.

So what can you do to avoid these situations? You could think ahead and try to secure those releases on the spot. But if the people you are trying to convince to sign such releases know you are going to use their images for profit, and you pretty much have to tell them, you get into another whole level of negotiation. But you sure don't want to have to blur their faces out on the shot.vYou could Photoshop them out but then you might lose the spontaneity of the shot.

It is best to stage the shot from start to finish. If you want traffic to be occurring around your model, bring in models who can do the job for you. Any good modeling agency to provide you with average looking models to use for this purpose. You will have to pay them but at least you know that the shot is clean. Plus when you sell the shot, you are going to get questions about whether those models were paid and if you have releases on them too.

You can find a standard release form on the web or your lawyer can help you develop one that covers the legalities you need handled but also reflects how you want to handle this issue. But make this a priority. By protecting yourself, you can do good business and profitable business but above all, legal business in perusing your professional photography career.

The Trick to Getting an Unexpected Image

We are always looking for the intriguing, the unusual, something that sparks our interest. Everyone sees so many photographs now, making them so common that even the great ones can seem average. Yet it's easy to elevate an average subject into something of interest. Here is how.

Usually we see the world from a sitting or standing position. Naturally, as we stand we bring our camera up to take the shot. Viewers of our image see the viewpoint as they would if they had stood there. So it's an expected, ordinary viewpoint. Nearly every photograph you see is taken from the 5 foot to 5'8" high vantage point. Usually with the lens that the camera came with.

It's no surprise that the majority of the photographs you see feel the same.

So the magic is to change your point of view. It's really an easy fix.

Try getting down low - real low, belly on the ground low. Then, shoot up. Add to that a wider angled lens. Dramatic things happen. It intrigues the mind.

Try getting up on a step stool, a ladder, or climb a wall. Stand on the bumper of your car. Balance on a railing. Lean out of a balcony - heck climb up on your roof, and then shoot down, even straight down. Suddenly it's a whole new world. People don't go to those extremes to see things, so it becomes a novel delight to see the same old thing so differently. Your image takes them to a viewpoint that is completely new.

Now do that with the extreme ends of your lens collection. Since the vast-used lenses are the middle range ones, leave them. Use a wide-angle lens, then shoot up from a low vantage point. Shooting up warps everything it sees. Legs become stilts, the sky becomes all drama, it all becomes different, fascinating.

Try using your lens the wrong way. Rather than having the wider-angle lens (that is everything from a 55mm lens and smaller) for a scenic, full landscape shot, get in close, real close to your subject. It's a delightful change; yes, it's warped and now oddly shaped, but that's its charm.

Try focusing your telephoto lens on the nearest thing it can handle, and do it with the lowest fstop your lens has. You will be delighted with the effect and the mood this creates.

Rather than being so careful to get the whole subject matter in, crop it like crazy, to just a small piece. Do a study of the subject that way.

Or pull so far back, your subject becomes just an element in the scenic image.

Try these vantage points; you will be amazed at what happens to your images, the interest that will suddenly happen. The unusual always fascinates the viewer - they want to study it, figure it out, enjoy it. You will also start to see your world differently, finding new and exciting photographic choices abounding.