Monday, October 29, 2012

How To Create A Great Photograph

In a previous article I wrote about how anyone can take a great picture, with the main difference between an amateur and a professional photographer being the consistency and the regularity of getting that great snap. As a professional if you miss the opportunity that's in front of you, there is often no second chance. As an amateur it's just a minor disappointment.

As a pro or a budding amateur photographer there are principles of composition that can help and complement the natural eye that you have for a great image, whether it's a portrait or a landscape.

When you think you see a great image:

1. One aspect that is important is the position of the camera. The point of view whether high, low or somewhere in between, is very important in creating the best possible perspective for the shot. A shot of a building or a person from close to the ground can present the subject almost as three dimensional in the finished photograph. This can really bring to life a photograph that may not have much detail in it.

2. Another aspect of getting a great shot is the essential trio of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. All three are incredibly important in having a fully developed presentable photograph, but the aperture is the one that can really enhance the scene in front of you. A large aperture will enhance the foreground of the image making it centre stage and blurring out the background, while a small aperture will give life to the whole picture. With a large aperture the simplest photograph of something like a flower head can translate to a wonderful and powerful canvas.

3. The third main aspect of a great photograph for me is balance. Angles, straight lines and natural frames can help an image not to be overpowered by one single element. The glimpse of the side of a building, an archway or a horizontal horizon can frame the subject that is the priority of the picture and give it substance that it may otherwise not have.

These factors combine to fully develop the great picture that you think you see in front of you, but the most important factor is recognising the opportunity for the great snap that has presented itself. When you see the opportunity it is very important to take stock of all the elements and possible variations that are in front of you to produce the best possible result.

At times you can pause and relax and shoot at your own pace to create that great photograph, other times you have to be sharp and alert to weigh up the factors in an instance and catch that moment, as that second chance is often not a possibility.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Photo Session Guide for Bradford-On-Avon (Wiltshire, UK)

If you are thinking of having your professional photographer take you and your family on a fun photowalk, why not consider Bradford-on-Avon? Bradford-on-Avon is a really pleasant, homey and picturesque town, full of tranquillity and romance. Its history goes back 2500 years, with each century leaving its marks on the city's soul and architecture. Fine examples from the Saxon, Medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Industrial Revolution periods are all present and preserved on the streets and squares of this relatively small corner of Western Wiltshire.

If you choose to visit Bradford-on-Avon for a photowalk or location shoot, you will undoubtedly enjoy the day immensely, as just walking the streets and riversides in Bradford-on-Avon is always a discovery, with historic adventure and the warm pleasure of a small town. At the same time, this small spot also has all the features required for a good family photowalk. As well as historical buildings that provide a stylish setting for the pictures, there is a riverside and green areas providing a natural, neutral background. Children will find all kinds of fun on the playground, while the adults of the group enjoy the beautiful hill scenery.

A 2-3 hour photowalk is easily planned in Bradford-on-Avon, while guaranteeing plenty of pictures in many different styles and background and still ensuring that the entire party is entertained and has a pleasant day out.

Start at the heart of Bradford-on-Avon, where the ancient Bridge at the centre of town faces the river Avon. There is the option to go down to the river and get some lovely shots directly on the water. Next to the bridge there are some architectural gems, including a Victorian Tea Room dated to 1675 and a historical pub, both looking the very picture of most people's fairy tale vision of old England.

Next, head towards Wine street terrace on the hill side, which will take you past both The Holy Trinity Church and The Saxon Church of Saint Lawrence. The route is filled with charmingly narrow and winding streets, historic buildings, brick walls and flowers that all together form the ideal setting for a relaxed city shoot. After taking full advantage of the aged beauty of those old churches, your photowalk can begin meandering up the hill.

Of course, if walking many stairs up a hill is not your general idea of fun and relaxation, the entire hill walk can be skipped. However, if you do make it up that hill, you will be well rewarded with a stunning view of the city and some truly splendid pictures to be proud of. There is also a playground ahead, as an enticement to children, so that they have the motivation to keep walking! Most children can manage this route very happily and head back down the hill still full of energy for the playground ahead.

Once you have climbed or skipped the hill, you and your family photographer can walk through Barton Orchard, then cross the Rail Bridge to arrive on the Avon river-side. This part of town is beautifully park-like and the first thing your children will see is that long-anticipated play-ground! There is no more suitable subject to capture for a family photobook than children enjoying themselves at play. No matter the weather, this always produces pictures of colourful, sunshiny happiness and joy.

After all that walking and playing, the kids (and maybe the grown-ups,too!) will likely be exhausted, so you can simply exit to a car park at this point, or linger a while longer in the pleasant surroundings and take advantage of the pub nearby. Of course, if the family is up for it, you could always continue walking along the riverside, enjoying the unique and peaceful atmosphere of this town. That will conveniently lead you back to where you started by the Town Bridge, where you could partake of the local coffeehouses and restaurants, which are surprisingly plentiful for such a compact town! Bradford-on-Avon is definitely a pleasant day out with the family, and is easy to take advantage of with your favourite family photographer in tow, capturing those memories of everyday life that will mean so much as your family grows.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Why Wedding Photography Is So Expensive

When you look through Wedding Photography websites checking out prices, sometimes it can seem like photographers have it easy. They earn a thousand or more for a single day of work! Of course, this is far from the case. In reality a photographer will spend many hours working before, during and after the big day itself.

Before any shooting begins, your wedding photographer will sit down with you at a consultation and have a long discussion about what you want from your wedding pictures. He will discuss the overall feel with you, venue ideas and issues, and those special shots he absolutely MUST get on the day. Once these things have been decided, a good wedding photographer will visit the venue in advance whenever possible, to look at all the options for locations, lighting, and whether there is somewhere to shoot in case of rain. This visit will help him decide which equipment to bring and to make a plan for your wedding day.

On the wedding day itself, most likely your wedding photographer will be with you every step of the way - from the bride getting ready, rushing to the venue to take some shots of the groom and his best man waiting, then heading to get a few photos of the bride arriving. He will be focussed on you for the entire service, and then for the intensive photo shoot after the ceremony. He will likely carry on into the night, photographing those important memories that happen during the reception. Like your first dance, the wedding speeches, the cake, as well as you and your guests in candid moments. And he will do all of this while carrying 3 or 4 kilos in camera, lenses and equipment. Your photographer will be as exhausted at the end of your wedding day as you will be!

Of course, the next day is when the bulk of the work truly begins. Your wedding photographer will have in the area of 1000-2000 files to sort through, grade, and edit. This post-production process can take a week or more of long days and many hours of intensive labour. Just going through all those photos alone, to decide which shots are the very best and worthy of being processed into your treasured wedding memories, can take three or four hours, during which about 30% of the photos that are not technically perfect are weeded out. Those left are rated for quality and pleasing subject matter, and the files are further reduced until 200-300 photos of the best quality are left.

At this stage, a photographer's "other" great talent comes into play. Because it is not enough to have an artisitic eye and be able to take a great shot, though that certainly is part of it. A talented wedding photographer will be able to edit your photos to perfection, creating the perfect mood for your special photos. Images are cropped, altered to remove distractions, colours are tweaked for best effect, as well as many other small details. This precision work, spread over 300 photos, means many hours of hard work for your wedding photographer, who is always conscious that you want to see your wedding pictures as soon as possible.

Suddenly that thousand or more your wedding photographer is earning is spread over two weeks of hard work. There is no putting a price tag on true talent, and finding a wedding photographer that you trust to capture your most special day, but it does help to know where the money is going and that your wedding photographer is talented, well-trained, and above all, an artist.

Monday, October 8, 2012

TIps For Taking Tasteful And Creative Boudoir Photography

There is a surprising trend happening in the world of photography that involves women taking sexy portraits. These two don't go together at all with traditional wedding photography or family photography. So, what could possibly allow a woman to express her self confidence and share intimate and personal photos with their special someone. This would have to be boudoir photography for sure. These are not the old fashion studio photos where you got the impression that you were looking at pictures taken in a hotel that rents by the hour. Boudoir photography is very tasteful with a hint of sensual and sexiness. Today's boudoir sessions are more about fashion and flair. Boudoir photography is about woman in lingerie and provocative poses.

Women are more comfortable with sexuality than ever before. It was only a matter of time before they demanded a change in how they were perceived in boudoir photos of old. The old dreary color faded photos of the past were no longer going to be acceptable. This isn't about creating a porn video either. It's an art form and it's not about taking your clothes all the way off. It's about creating a look that shows how amazing a woman's body really is. Photos they can share with their loved one that just say wow how amazing is my body and I'm proud of it. There are a few steps to keep in mind when creating and properly executing a boudoir photo shoot.

The best way to make your client feel comfortable during the shoot is working on your posing. Boudoir photography is no different than other forms of photography when it comes to creating comfortable and manageable poses. If your clients are uncomfortable then it will most likely show up in the shots you take. You need to bring out the best parts of each individual client's best features when shooting boudoir photography. Every woman is different as far as their sizes and shapes. So, you have to be able to figure out what parts of the body you want to feature. If your client has very large hips and she's extremely conscious of them. You want to take shots from the side and from above instead of head on in front of you. It's best to try and establish a rapport with the client to help them feel at ease. Don't just bring them in and start shooting.

You could go out and hire a bunch of professional to help build your portfolio and practice your skills. I feel it's better to work with regular everyday clients to work on improving your skills. With professional models it can be hard to determine which feature is their best. It can also hard to find out what is their worst. There is one plus to working with even amateur models and that is they are good at finding sensual poses that you can work with. It may take your clients awhile to get comfortable and they may not know how to position themselves in a sensual manner. This is the one area you may benefit from having amateur models to provide you with examples to use on our clients. Your job is to highlight the parts that your client feels are her best physical qualities and hide those that she doesn't feel comfortable about.

Lighting is very important in boudoir photography as it is with most photography in general. Flash photography can be very unflattering to natural skin. So, you want to use as much natural light as you possibly can. Avoid at all cost direct flash and use as little off camera lighting as you can get away with. Use soft lighting during your shoot which will allow for softer skin tones. Split lighting is a technique that I like to use in my sessions. I've tried this with natural lighting, but this doesn't work as well as use one main source of lighting. You place your light source at a 90 degree angle and preferable use off camera lighting that simulates natural light. This allows me to create a dramatic and a definite mood in my shots.

Picking the proper lens will also help you get the desired shot you are looking for. A zoom lens and the right camera angle is really all that's needed to get the perfect shot. You don't need multiple lens changes or camera changes during your shoot. You want to shoot level with the client and not from above. This will help make sure the proportions are correct and not unflattering.

Picking out the right outfit is another issue that you want to work with your client on. You don't want to pick out your clients outfit. You want them to feel comfortable in whatever they decide to wear. The item could have a special meaning or it could just be an item of clothing that they share during special intimate moments. You want your client to at least bring two or three different items for you to work with. You want to bring items that are a combination that allow you to undress and reveal another more provocative outfit underneath. This also allows the client to become a little more comfortable about taking their clothes off while a camera watches their every move.

You want them to stay with neutral colors like black, beige, and red. These work best with most skin tones. You also want the items they are wearing to fit. You don't want an outfit that is too tight on their skin. You also don't want one that lose fitting and falls off during the shoot. Remember you aren't shooting porn. You are creating tasteful art that isn't showing full nudity. Picking a favorite team jersey or a work shirt is always recommended as one of the outfits you'll want to use.

The biggest hurdle your going to face while shooting boudoir photos is getting your client to relax. If you are able to get past the nervous issues that arise. You should be able to create sexy and provocative photos for your clients to share with the loved one.

Monday, October 1, 2012

World's First Intelligent Camera Unveiled

Digital cameras of today are getting more advanced and smarter. If you still haven't heard, a new kind of camera will be released into the market this month. It's no ordinary photographic device because it is dubbed as the world's first intelligent and wearable camera.

Known as the Autographer, this device captures images in an automated manner once it detects changes in its surroundings. It is equipped with a GPS system and passive infrared sensor that is responsible for detecting motion changes in the subject or its surrounding environment. Additionally, it features other sensors that are able to detect changes in temperature, direction, acceleration and color. In total, it has five built-in sensors.

When this unique digital camera captures information, it automatically takes photos up to 2,000 in just a single day. The images are captured through the 5MP backlit CMOS sensor and a wideangle lens (custom 136 degrees).

This Autographer can take thousands of images thanks to its 8GB internal memory. It is very light weighing only around 58 grams or two ounces and has a fixed-focus lens.

Another intelligent feature is its Bluetooth connectivity that allows users to transfer images across other devices including smartphones and tablets. In short, you simply connect and beam your photos to an iPhone or other Bluetooth-equipped mobile devices and the recipients will be able to view the images immediately via a companion app.

How it works

In terms of images, this camera is able to capture natural, unexpected and genuine photos a person wouldn't otherwise be able to notice. Even the candid shots you were not able to see during your trips and gatherings are well documented.

What this means is that you and your family or friends can enjoy your get-together or travels without having to think about what subjects to take or the best angle to take your shots. This also means that you can easily share the stories of your travels on albums you create on your social media accounts because the Autographer captures everything in sequence.

As an example, you can capture the stages of the sunset through this device with absolutely no effort from you. This is because the shutter is triggered once the camera detects changes in the environment where it is situated. It can detect changes in movements, temperature, color and other factors. You can then view the images either as photos or stop-motion video. How cool is that?

Indeed, this new kind of digital camera is intelligent as it is. It has a mind of its own and lets you do your thing without worrying about the images you want to capture because it will do the job for you. No need to press the shutter or find the best scenes to capture. Just position it on a flat surface and it will record thousands of images even for an entire day.

This intelligent digital camera is due to be released this November at an initial price of 399 Sterling pounds. Early registrants will be the first to own this device like no other.