Great photography subjects are all around us. You don’t have to go far to find interesting people, flowers, or wildlife. The real test is to use your skills to create a photo with genuine impact.

How do you make your subject really stand out in a photograph? It is tempting, but quite wrong, to blame the camera when your photo doesn’t work out the way you want. You need to know right now that a more expensive camera will not automatically make you a better photographer. In truth, the techniques in this article will work for almost any camera. All you need are manual aperture and shutter speed settings, and a decent zoom lens.

“1 Flag” captured by Keith Willette (Click Image to Find Photographer)

Here are a few simple tips for adding impact to your subject.

Tip #1. Highlight A Brightly Lit Subject Against A Dark Background. If you are shooting a subject in full sunlight, with a shady background, the subject is always going to stand out. This is a simple principle to understand, but it is a little easier said than done.

When your photograph has two very different levels of light, the lightmeter in your camera can be confused. It may expose for the dark background, causing your subject to be overexposed. The trick is to expose for the subject.

You can’t do this on automatic. What you need to do is switch your camera to manual, and adjust the aperture and/or shutter speed settings until the photo is underexposed by one or two stops (according to the lightmeter). When you get the balance right, you should have a dark background and a perfectly exposed subject.

Photo captured by Vaughan Nelson (Click Image to Find Photographer)

Tip #2. Use A Small Depth Of Field To Blur The Background. You have seen plenty of photos where the subject is sharp and clear, but the rest of the picture completely out of focus. You will find this an easy way to add impact to the subject, and a three-dimensional effect to your whole photo.

To achieve this, you use a combination of a large lens and a wide aperture. First, zoom in on the subject with your largest magnification. This will naturally reduce the depth of field. Then adjust the aperture to its widest setting. A wide aperture will reduce the depth of field even further.

The closer you are to the subject the more pronounced the effect becomes.

Tip #3. Use A Wide Angle Lens To Exaggerate Perspective. This technique is almost the opposite of Tip #2. A wide angle lens makes everything in your photo appear much smaller, so objects in the distance seem much further away than they really are. Meanwhile, you can stand very close to a subject in the foreground (a person, animal etc) and still fit it in the frame.

“October leaf” captured by Katrina (Click Image to Find Photographer)

As a result, your close-up subject will appear to tower over a background in which everything else seems very small and distant. Although the surroundings will be mostly in focus (the wide angle lens has a much larger depth of field), they will seem relatively small and insignificant, making your subject seem larger and more dominant by comparison.

So there you have three fairly simple ways to add impact to the subject in your photos. Because my background is in nature, I usually think in terms of wildlife, but you can probably think of many subjects that will benefit from these techniques.

The great thing is, you don’t need a professional camera to try these ideas out. As I said earlier, if you have a zoom lens, and manual control of your aperture and shutter speed, you can add impact to your photos with just a little practice.

Even better, in the age of digital photography, practice costs nothing…so get out there and start snapping!

About the Author:
Andrew Goodall writes for http://www.naturesimage.com.au and is a nature photographer based in Australia. He manages a gallery in Montville full of landscape photography from throughout Australia.

PictureCorrect Comment: A popular wide angle lens is the Canon Zoom Wide Angle EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. A ring-type USM means both fast and silent AF, as well as full-time manual focus when in the AF mode.

Go to full article: Make Your Photo Subject Really Stand Out

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

A shot of a bird in flight has always been a challenge to photographers. Seeing a perfect print image only serves to make them eager to create the same result. Photographing a bird in flight presents one problem, but capturing that one special bird-in-flight shot that’s in focus and has good composition plus good light can represent a whole set of problems. Everyone has his share of good flight shots where the bird may be just a tiny bit soft. Those are easy. But, how do you get a great flight shot?

“flying” captured by nelson (Click Image to Find Photographer)

The camera technology of the last several years has made flight photography easier than it was before, but there are still lots of variables that need to be added to the equation to make good bird-in-flight photography a common part of your repertoire. Here are some fundamentals to help you increase your supply of flight shots:

Camera Body Features

The camera body equipment out today has made action photography much easier than it was when manual focus was the rule rather than the exception. The first handy feature to set is the continuous focus mode called AI Servo on Canon and Continuous Servo on Nikon. This setting allows the lens to keep changing the focus as long as the shutter button is depressed halfway and the subject is in the set auto focus point.

Second, Canon has a custom function that expands the auto focus point activation area to either 7 or 13 points. This is a great function, as it allows for the subject movement to remain in focus even if you don’t keep up with the movement of the bird in your primary AF point.

Drive mode is the third camera function to set. Here, the best setting is “high-speed continuous” where you get the most frames per second that your camera body will allow. While you’ll burn quite a few shots with this setting, it will allow more shots to choose from for the wing position and lighting you like best.

Photo captured by Beebo Wallace (Click Image to Find Photographer)

Lens Selection

Lens selection is a very subjective topic with plenty of correct answers. Being a Canon shooter, I’ll refer to Canon lenses, but many other brands have some comparable lenses. If you want to do flight photography handholding your camera and lens, the best choices are the 400 f/5.6 and the 100-400 IS. These are, by far, the best lenses on the market for flight photography. (Canon shooters have the advantage here, as the comparable Nikon lens, the 80-400 VR, is very slow to focus. People in my workshops have wanted to throw their Nikon lenses as far as they could when they couldn’t force them to focus fast enough.)

When handholding, try to keep your hand as far out on the barrel of the lens as possible to provide better balance while you’re panning and moving around with the subject. Also, tuck your elbows into your body as far as you can and keep your legs about shoulder-width apart. This position helps you turn your body into a tripod.

Your skill level also plays a part in proper lens selection. When you’re starting out in bird photography, it’s best to use the above lenses as opposed to “big guns” such as the 400 f/2.8, 500 and 600mm lenses. The reason is that shorter focal length lenses will provide easier tracking of the birds in the viewfinder. With the larger lenses, you have a very limited viewing range when the birds are close. You have to get them in view when they’re farther away and stay with them until they move close enough for you to take your shot. After time and practice, you’ll find it easier to focus on them when they’re close, but even then you’ll miss some shots. Longer focal lengths also allow you to work at greater distances with less change in subject position. Birds going across the frame are easier to track, particularly with a long focal length, than those coming directly into the camera, since they stay at roughly the same distance.

If you plan to shoot from a tripod instead of wanting to hand hold the camera/lens combination, a big lens will definitely do the trick. If you’re setting up a big lens on a tripod, by far the best option for a tripod head is the Wimberley head. The gimbal action is designed for action photography and makes panning with the birds easier than you could imagine if you’ve never used one of these heads. You can use a sturdy ball head, but you have to be careful with how loose you keep it. I primarily use my 400 f/2.8, sometimes with an extender, with the Wimberley head and then keep a second body close at hand with a 70-200 f/2.8 lens and either a 1.4 or 2X extender attached.

“Flying Close” captured by trinko (Click Image to Find Photographer)

The faster the f-stop of the lens, the better, as quick shutter speeds are imperative in getting sharp flight shots. It’s best to be able to stick with a f/2.8 lens but this isn’t always an option, depending on how much money you can spend. F/4 and f/5.6 are about as slow as you want for getting quick action shots, whether the subject is birds-in-flight or any other fast-moving subject.

Advancing lens technology has made flight photography much easier, but not foolproof. Auto focus is the major development that has helped to capture action. Be aware that owning an AF lens is not a guarantee of sharp results. There is no substitute for good technique. However, auto focus does yield a higher percentage of acceptable images when you’re shooting birds in flight, especially if you have a camera body that can shoot upwards of eight frames a second or more.

ISO

Because digital cameras keep improving the quality of images you get at higher ISO settings, it’s now alright to push the setting to 200 or even 400 to get good flight shots, depending on the available light. The caution to keep in mind is that a shutter speed of at least 1/500 is needed–preferably even 1/1000 or more, if possible. Doing a little bit of testing with shutter speed and f-stop will help you determine what the ISO needs to be for you to obtain the desired shutter speed.

Lighting

As with any other subject, lighting is critical with flight photography. The best light condition for flight photography is front lighting, with the sun at your back and the birds coming towards you or across in front. The best light is still those two golden times of day when the sun is low on the horizon, but because the subject is high in the sky, you can extend your shooting time as the higher sun can still bounce nice light off the bird.

Photo captured by Thomas Hawk (Click Image to Find Photographer)

Composition

A key detail to keep in mind when you’re composing flight shots is which auto focus point is set. You need to become adept at changing the auto focus point on the fly for you to get good flight shots. As multiple birds are flying around your location, you have to be aware of which point you’ve selected for the best composition.

The best compositions have space in front of the bird in the direction the bird is flying. Having its beak/ bill crowded against the leading edge of the shot makes for a potential throwaway image, even if everything else is right with the shot. Your subject needs room to breathe, and continually changing the AF point for better composition will provide the space you need to maintain in front of the bird.

Starting out, keep the AF point on the center point and try to get the bird’s eye focused there. This will ensure there is room in front of the bird for it to fly into the frame. While the eye will be in the middle of the frame, the majority of the bird will be behind it, so you’ll be keeping the full bird from being centered in the frame.

Technique

The farther away you can get the subject into your viewfinder, the better. If you try to focus only on a bird that’s close to your position, you’ll never get a good flight shot. As you see a bird coming in your direction, get it in the viewfinder, and track with it as it moves closer. Once it’s in the position you like (the preferred frame size and in good light), you can fire away.

When you’re panning a bird in flight, continue the panning motion even after you’ve taken the final shot. Following through will keep that last shot in focus better than if you abruptly stopped the movement. It’s the same idea as a golfer doing a follow-through on her shot or a baseball player continuing with his swing. A good way to do this is to continue shooting after the bird has passed you by. The last couple shots will be throwaways, but you’ll have included the shot you really want.

Photo captured by Larry Powell (Click Image to Find Photographer)

The eyes have it. As with any wildlife photo, you need to have the eye in sharp focus. If the eye is out-of-focus, then the shot is not of a technical quality suitable for publication. If possible, try to set your AF point on the eye. If you can’t do this, at least get the focus on the neck, as the neck of a bird is on the same plane as the eye.

Location

The biggest factor to keep in mind when you’re shooting flight photography is the relationship of the wind and the sun. Birds will always (well, almost always) take off and land into whatever wind or breeze there is. Getting the wind under their wings help them with lift and drag. Putting yourself in the right position to get the best flight shots means having both the wind and the sun at your back, allowing the birds to come towards you.

As you see, there are plenty of factors to keep in mind when you’re taking flight shots of birds. You have to think about how much you want the bird to fill the frame, what the background is like, and the direction of the subject in relation to the sun. Since these variables change from picture to picture, you begin to understand that creating great flight shots requires more than just getting the subject sharp. You’ll need to give yourself time and practice. In the meantime, you always have the delete button on both the camera and the computer.

My 600 f/4 sitting on a Wimberley head with my camera set to high-speed continuous and the sun and wind at my back will keep me happy for a good long time. I try to get caught up with what’s in front of me, fly with it, and become part of the action. The next stop for me will be in front of my computer, looking at lots of shots of birds in flight and, hopefully, lots of keepers.

About the Author:
Andy Long is an award-winning photographer / writer who devotes his photography work to the beauty of the world around us. As a leader of workshops ( http://www.firstlighttours.com ) since 1994, Andy likes to help people explore new areas and to go home with a memorable experience as well as great images.

With more than 100,000 stock images, work has appeared in more than 30 publications and books as well as appearing in National Geographic and Animal Planet television shows. Besides these, Andy’s work has also appeared in Birder’s World, Outdoor Life, Audubon Regional Field Guides, regional AAA magazines, Montana Magazine, Outdoor and Nature Photography, Photo Media, National Cowboy Museum’s Persimmon Hill, Ancient Images note cards, travel brochures, Sierra Photographers Focus and in ads for Rollei cameras. He is a previous winner of the national RoseWater Network Photographer of the Year award.

Go to full article: Capturing Birds in Flight

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

“Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground” captured by Mark Broughton (Click Image to See More From Mark Broughton)

Not everyone wants to travel to Venezuela to capture the world’s highest falls, but photographing waterfalls is fun and rewarding when you see the results of your efforts in print.

Here are ten tips that will help you get the best photos from your efforts.

1. Height adds drama. Even if a trip to South America is out of the question, you can find waterfalls that are dramatic because of how tall they are. (If you live near Norway, you are in luck. Seven of the top twenty highest falls are in Norway.)

2. Check the weather. Of course, you don’t want to be out in weather that is not conducive to getting good photos, but more importantly, make sure the place your will be traveling to has had enough precipitation. Periods of low rain or snow could lead to a disappointing flow of water.

3. Plan your trip. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the best time of day for your photo adventure. Even though early morning and late afternoon are usually the best times for lighting, they may not be optimal for the waterfall you have chosen. Find out what the lighting conditions are where you will be shooting to get the best results.

4. Change your perspective. Normal waterfall photographs take in the whole waterfall, but being creative with your position can get you some stunning results. Try getting above or underneath. You will want to protect your gear if you are in the spray area, but it may be worth the effort. Sometimes there are boats to take you right up to the bottom of the falls, and in other places there are falls that you can go behind.

“When water meets rocks…” captured by Ævar Guðmundsson (Click Image to See More From Ævar Guðmundsson)

5. Composition changes photos. Try different focal lengths and positions to add interest. Include scenic objects such as tress and rocks to increase interest as well. Your camera and lens choice can be a major factor in your photo shoot. Again, change lenses to see what the difference is.

6. Use a filter. Waterfalls offer some very wide ranges of color and lighting. A neutral-density filter may be just the thing for adding depth of color range to your shots. Polarizing filters may also be helpful.

7. Check your shutter speed. Some of the most dramatic shots are made with either a very slow shutter speed or a very fast shutter speed. Slow gives a nice, silky look. Fast will stop water drops in mid-air to add drama. Try both.

8. Take a tripod. Steady is good, especially when slowing down the shutter speed. You want smooth and silky, not blurry. Also try using a delayed shutter release or remote release switch when using slow shutter speeds.

9. Check your white balance. You can make use of camera presets such as cloudy or sunlight, but using a filter can change how the camera perceives the correct white balance. One way to overcome this problem is to shoot in RAW mode. Then you can set the white balance in your post processing using Photoshop or some other editing software.

10. Use bracketing. Most camera have the ability to bracket exposures up to 3 stops. This will help get all the light ranges into the shot. You will need to combine the bracketed exposures in post processing, or some cameras now have HDR capability built right into the camera software.

“Smooth rocks” captured by Simon Lambert (Click Image to See More From Simon Lambert)

No matter which waterfall you choose to photograph, take lots of shots, change lenses, and try different camera settings. The most disappointing experiences are when you get back to your computer and discover you could have made a few minor adjustments and gotten much better results.

About the Author:
Wayne Rasku has been an amateur photographer since 2003 (http://photographyclassesatlanta.org/). He runs sites related to photography classes in Atlanta Georgia and a Canon lens organization site.

Go to full article: Waterfall Photos: 10 Tips to Photograph Falling Water

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Capturing character through portraits has always been a real and true representation of people photography. The magazines always show us perfection by misrepresenting the imperfections of models and actors and other celebrities. Character portraits capture reality and the essence of the subject.

So how do we go about capturing a true character photo that is genuinely representative of the person being photographed?

Photo captured by Stephen Pacinelli (Click Image to Find Photographer)

1. Treat the subject with dignity

The role of the photographer is always subservient in the relationship with the character being photographed. The subject is the most important and needs to be treated with respect and dignity. Without these key elements the resulting images may be detrimentally affected. The character is giving you time and this needs to be remembered.

2. Capture the face

A full face photograph is always a great way to start. Isolate it from the rest of the seen with a telephoto or zoom lens. You want to get in close and tight and see the detail and character lines of the face. This is where you will read the history and experience of your character.

“Snowstorm” captured by Arman Zhenikeyev (Click Image to Find Photographer)

2. Planning

This is an essential part of your shoot. Get to know who you are going to shoot and the circumstances of their life, career or pastime. Knowing your shots, angles and framing is vital if you are going to make a success, so work out a shot list before.

3. Add some environment

A person is a part or product of their environment. Environments say a lot about the person’s character and their world. Add a little of this to the image and contextualise them. The tools of their trade, hobby or pastime will reveal some of the passion of the subject. Be careful not to make it too busy as you’ll not want to have elements competing with the subject.

“Harrier Pilot” captured by andre stoeriko (Click Image to Find Photographer)

4. Relax your subject

A relaxed subject is always going to make a better portrait than someone who is nervous or stressed by the shoot. Engage your subject and perhaps have a third person involved who can chat with the subject and help with the relaxation.

5. Focus on the hands

A face captures expression but hands can show just as much expression. Carefully watch how the person uses their hands and isolate in a tight image. Tradesmen or people who use their hands will show a different aspect with scars and reflections of their work.

6. Black and white

A lot of character photography is done using monochrome. There is just something about a contrasty black and white image. Watch your lighting and think black and white. Some colours when shot in monochrome look very similar and lack contrast so it’s important to try some test shots and. Make sure your subject has an alternative set of clothes of different colours to counter this.

“last one” captured by Sanja Kulušić (Click Image to Find Photographer)

7. Available light

You don’t want to go into a character session with huge lights, softboxes and umbrellas. Beside the inconvenience of it all it can unsettle the subject. Use available light. By planning well and using the right time of day for the setting you’ll be able to find the right location in the person’s environment to shoot. Available light from a window, doorway or skylight can be sufficient with maybe a little fill in flash from an off camera strobe. But, use your available light effectively and you’ll get some stunning images.

Character photography is all about capturing the essence of your subject and conveying who they are and what they do. Vary your lenses and be prepared to experiment. Each setting is different and needs thought and attention to detail.

About the Author:
Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography. He has produced 21 Steps to Perfect Photos; a program of learner-based training using outcomes based education

Go to full article: Character Portrait Photography Tips & Techniques

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

New-found interest in photography came about when the digital age made it easier to take photos and share them with a bigger audience, whether through blogs or social networking sites. Taking pictures can be a truly gratifying experience when you see the lovely outcome.

Now you don’t really need a sophisticated camera to take a stab at photography. Even the simplest device can beautifully capture a moment or scene when a skillful eye takes the lead. Budding shutterbugs will find it useful to follow these tips:

“Sunny People” photographed by Natalie Milissenta Shmeleva. (Click image to see more from Natalie Milissenta Shmeleva.)

1. Follow the Rule of Thirds

Often mentioned in the world of photography, the Rule of Thirds was actually discovered by Greek artists who were masters of their craft.

Imagine the scene you’re capturing to be framed in a rectangular shape that is divided into nine equal parts by two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Now create more drama or depth by putting your subject at any of the points where the lines meet. The ideal composition of your picture can also be achieved by moving in closer to the subject and taking out the unnecessary elements. Lastly, keep the horizon aligned properly when taking landscape photos.

2. Pay attention to lighting

The amount of lighting available can help you get the effect you’re hoping for. Remember that the direction of the light is an important factor when you take your picture. Bring out a soft glow by making use of indirect light. For wonderful outdoor scenes, make sure that you’re standing behind the sun so that the subject is facing the source of light.

3. Keep snapping!

When using subjects such as animals and children, it may be difficult to control their movements while you’re waiting for that one cute pose. Just snap away and review the series of pictures afterwards. That’s the huge benefit of digital photography – maximize it! Later on, you can browse through your shots to find that special photo that catches your eye. Through constant practice, your fingers will be more trained to hit the shutter at the right moment.

4. Use the right shutter speed

Play around with the speed settings of your camera’s shutter to be able to capture images in their dynamic form. Generally speaking, moving objects must be captured by a fast shutter speed, unless you deliberately want a blur. Then, once you feel more comfortable fiddling with settings and stuff, you can start experimenting with the right type of lens to complement the speed setting. Sports photographers, for instance, are often seen toting cameras with huge and long lenses in order to catch that winning shot close up and as it happens.

“Bastion Square Grand Prix 2012″ captured by Nathan Philps. (Click image to see more from Nathan Philps.)

5. Experiment with angles

A view of a house or room can become more interesting when shot from a different angle other than eye level. Try taking pictures from ground level, or climb up a chair for a different perspective. Or try slanting your camera from 10 to 45 degrees. Unless you’re taking a landscape picture, a little slant tends to add dynamism to your images.

About the Author:
Once you’ve become more comfortable with the camera, improve your photography skills even more by investing in important equipment such as tripods, filters, and lenses, and learn to use them. Who knows? Your new hobby just might open up for you a lucrative new career in food photography or wedding photography in the future.

For Further Beginner Training, PictureCorrect Suggests:

Check out Photo Nuts and Bolts – Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos; a very popular instructional eBook for any photographer who feels that they would like to know more about how their camera works, and how to become more confident at using it to take better photos. By the end of it you’ll understand camera settings and be in a much better position to make decisions on how to best use them rather than just sit in Auto mode. If you’re not satisfied that it is helping your photography within 30 days they will refund your money in full so there is no risk in trying it.

It can be found here: Photo Nuts and Bolts eBook

Go to full article: Top Photography Tips for Beginners

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

It’s very common for a professional photographer to have a customer ask to be given all of the photo files from a day of shooting. Invariably, the photographer will try to persuade the customer against it, or even refuse outright. It leaves some customers confused, or possibly even angry. So why won’t your photographer let you have the product of the entire photoshoot?

What Is The Customer Entitled To?

In reality, the customer has no right to the work in progress. If you were commissioning a painting, would you later demand all of the sketches and studies that went into the finished piece? Or if you had a dress made, would you ask for the muslin fitting trials or the fabric cut-offs? Or the stone chips leftover from the carving of a sculpture? Obviously not. However, asking to be given every shot taken during a session amounts to the same thing. The photos that are not used are cast-offs, the detritus leftover as an artist works on a beautiful piece. There can be no benefit to seeing these unused, unnecessary bits of material.

“Skiathos Wedding” captured by Skiathos Wedding Photography. (Click image to see more from Skiathos Wedding Photography.)

But, you’re still asking, what’s the harm in having all of the photos? There can be a good deal of harm done to the professional photographer. If a customer were to show these unedited, cast-off photos to friends and family, it could seriously harm the photographer’s reputation. A professional artist shows off his best work, after all of the very best photos have been chosen and edited to their greatest advantage for pictures of the most supreme quality and beauty. Having raw, discarded photos represented to others as his work, as pieces that were supplied to a customer, would make a photographer look unprofessional and inept.

The Truth Behind a Photo Session

“23″ captured by Dimitrios Tsourtsoulas. (Click image to see more from Dimitrios Tsourtsoulas.)

Let’s face it, not every photo is going to come out perfectly. A photographer will take many, many photos during your session – hundreds of them in total. From these, he will cull the very best, the ones that are most flattering to you, and have the most potential to be works of art. And then he will perfect them, editing them until they are the best they can be, balanced and natural. These edited photos will show the best possible you, which is what you want out of your pictures, right? Wading through hundreds of unedited, unused photos, sometimes dozens of the same pose with only minute differences… there is nothing to be gained from this when your professional photographer will hand you the very best shots, edited to the best possible standard.

The photos that aren’t chosen to be edited were left behind for a reason. No one wants to think of themselves as unphotogenic, but sometimes a shot will be plain unflattering, or from a bad angle, or will unintentionally highlight flaws. No matter how much a customer assures a photographer that they will not be upset by the raw, unedited stack of hundreds of photos, this invariably turns out to be the case. The customer sees themselves portrayed in unflattering ways in these unused photos, and become angry or upset, and are left feeling doubtful about their photographer’s abilities. If the photos are of a particularly important occasion, like commemorating an engagement or the birth of a child, the emotions attached to these photos can be very high. And no one wants to see a newly engaged woman burst into tears when she sees her photos for the first time!

“Florist” captured by Samantha Foster. (Click image to see more from Samantha Foster.)

Trust The Professional

If you still want to see all of the photos, ask yourself why. Is it possible there might be a really great shot hiding in amongst all of those discards, something that you might be missing out on? Your photographer has carefully combed through all of the photographs, and just as carefully chosen the very best to be edited and presented to you for your album or for framing. Trust that he has created these for you from the very best shots of your session together. He is just as interested as you are in having those photos be beautiful and memorable, highlighting his talent and hard work. Your photographer knows his art, and you chose him for a reason, trusting him to capture your image and your essence. Now trust him to complete his work, to find the true gems among the photos, and to make them shine.

About the Author:
Alexander Soloviev is a family photographer based in Wiltshire, UK. Alexander does a wide variety of photography related to people and their activities – family, parties, weddings, events, personal profiles, nurseries, schools – you name it! Pet (especially horses) photography is another object that tightly connected to everyday human life.

For Further Training, PictureCorrect Suggests:

Check out Digital Wedding Secrets; a very popular and comprehensive instructional eBook package for aspiring wedding photographers and has guidance on virtually everything needed to start a professional wedding photography business. With 189 pages of information and many other materials such as shot lists and sample contract templates, there is immense value here for any level of photographer interested in wedding photography.

A word of guidance…Their website is a little obnoxious to navigate – you’ll see what I mean. But we have found them to have an effective wedding photography training package. Their free eBook that comes with the newsletter is a little helpful, but the primary ebook package and all it’s extras are a lot more useful and actionable. It also carries a 60 day no-questions-asked guarantee, if you are not satisfied with any part of the product just let them know and they will give you a full refund so there is no risk in trying it.

Go to full article: Why Professional Photographers Do Not Give Customers All the Files?

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Extraordinary portraits do not require extraordinary gear. In fact, just one off camera flash can work wonders. A properly executed portrait, with an interesting expression, good composition and lighting has more power, more magic, and more allure to more people than any other type of photo.

“tones of the evening sun” captured by Jason Lavengood (Click Image to Find Photographer)

With few tricks and a modicum of knowledge you can achieve professional results in your portrait photography. I am going to show you how to make artistic and professional portraits with nothing more than your SLR, a hot-shoe flash, a couple of bedsheets, a piece of cardboard, and a few other inexpensive odds and ends. Portraiture is a big topic and I cannot cover it all in this article but I can give you a few highly versatile lighting setups that will work well for anyone, anywhere. You will find shortcuts, tips and tricks that can instantly change your portraiture from mediocre to memorable – all without breaking the bank.

Professional portraitists for the most part use multiple-flash systems with as many as four strobes. To get the same results with a single hot-shoe flash unit, you first need to know what each of these strobes does. It is simple, since each light in a four light system has one and only one function:

Photo captured by Elena Kuznetsova (Click Image to Find Photographer)

The main (or key) light:

This light is used to illuminate the subject and measured to determine exposure. Your main light will be your hot-shoe flash linked to your camera via a 10-25 foot off-camera cord. Yes, you know it already and I repeat it here again: the number one way to improve your flash lighting (not only for portraits) is to get your flash unit off the camera. An on-camera flash creates flat and featureless lighting, mostly causing red eyes.

Positioning your main light off-camera allows you to sculpt shadows and highlights to enhance bone structure, skin and other features of your subject’s face. There is simply no way to be as creative when your flash unit is locked in a hot shoe! Some modern cameras have the feature to trigger the flash unit wireless, if not, then you have to buy a cord which is long enough.

“Music Video III” captured by Per Janus (Click Image to Find Photographer)

Fill light:

After you have positioned the main light, next comes the fill light, used to soften the shadows produced by the main light. It does nothing else and is optional if you do not need or want to control the shadows. If the main light is set to the left or right of the camera position, the fill light is usually set on either the opposite side.

Tip: You will get better results if you use a fill, but you can forgo buying a second flash unit if you make your main light also as your fill light. Just use a large panel of shiny white cardboard to reflect part of the main light back from where you would normally set your second fill light. If you want to cut the shadows from the main light even more, wrap aluminium foil around the cardboard sheet before you position it. Whatever the reflector, place it closer or farther from your subject to control its effect. An ideal and cheap tool which you can bring wherever you want is a collapsible reflector with two different surfaces for different effects.

Photo captured by Ekaterina (Click Image to Find Photographer)

The background light:

This light is used only to illuminate whatever happens to be behind your subject and is optional if you do not want to light up the background. This light is usually placed behind the subject and is always aimed at the background. You can skip the expense of a background strobe simply by using a dark background, which is often preferred. For an easy dark background, hang a black bed sheet 4 or 5 feet behind your subject (the distance works to keep folds, tears and cloth patterns from appearing in the picture).

If you can take your shot in a large room and can darken it completely, you can also position your subject 10 or 15 feet away from the background wall, light only the subject, and you will have a black surround without the need for a cloth at all. But if you insist on a bright background and do not want to buy a background light, shoot the portrait a few feet in front of an open window during daylight. Let the background blur. Caution: Using a light colored wall without separate lighting, the wall may look washed out and dirty in the picture.

The kicker light:

The kicker light (also called a hair, rim, or edge light) is used solely to separate the subject from the background. It is usually placed above and slightly behind the subject and aimed at the hair, or placed behind the subject and aimed at the back of the head. My advice: Forget the kicker, for normal shots, if you place your main light properly, the kicker does not really do much. It is nice to have sometimes but in my opinion you will end up with a less clichéd, more artistic portrait if your shot is unkicked.

Author: Gerry Aeschlimann, photographer

Go to full article: Portrait Lighting Tips – How to Shoot Pro Portraits

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

As we all know, photographing children can be very challenging. It is tough enough just to keep them in sharp focus. Who in their right mind would complicate the task even further by adding pets and flash lighting to the mix? You should!  Adding the right amount of flash at the correct angle can turn an ordinary snapshot into a work of art.

Two Speedlights Used

120mm lens, ISO 400, F6.3 x 1/200 sec., WB 7000K. Feathering the Main light evenly lights both subjects with flash.

Select a Familiar Environment

The photograph of the three year old girl and her dog was shot in their back yard. Children and animals are most comfortable in a familiar environment. Most photographers think a beautiful location is the answer to great portraits—wrong! Relaxed and comfortable subjects are the key.

Popular scenic locations are always overrun with lots of people and too many photographers. Who can relax under those conditions? Remember– your subject is the star of the photograph, not the background.

This article demonstrates the following techniques:

•  Underexposing the Background for Drama
•  Multiple Speedlights
•  Line of Sight Communication
•  Feathering a Light Source
•  Flash-Fill
•  Inverse Square Law

How the Subject was Lit:

The background was deliberately underexposed one stop to emphasize the subjects and add drama.

 Feathering the Light

Lighting setup for the above photo.

Main light (B) was placed into an Umbrella Softbox six feet from the dog, just outside of the camera frame. The Umbrella Softbox, attached to a lightstand, was handheld by the child’s mother above the subjects’ heads and feathered (angled) slightly left of the child (see diagram). This technique evenly lights both subjects, since a light source is brighter in the center. The dog was lit by the dimmer edge of the light source and the child was illuminated by the bright center.

Speedlight B was set to ½ power.

Inverse Square Law

Fill light (A) is an on-camera Speedlight with a medium-sized diffuser attached. Its job is to add a little detail into dark shadows. The power was also set to ½ power. Why?  Since the fill light was much further from the subjects than the main light, the power had to be set high enough to brighten the shadows.

The Inverse Square Law tells us that F8 (the distance between the Umbrella Softbox & midway point between our subjects) is a little over 3.5 stops brighter than F28.

Calculate light to subject distance in F-Stops (2’, 2.8’, 4’, 5.6’, 8’, 11’, 16’, 22’ etc.) and this will help you set the correct power settings on your Speedlights. For example: Move your light from 4’ to 5.6’ and you lose 1 F-Stop in power, move from 4’ to 22’ and you lose 5 F-Stops in power.

Fill Light A was approximately 3.5 stops less bright than main light B. It brightened the dark shadows on the dog and girl slightly.

Knowing photographic math helps, but don’t sweat it! In reality, shoot a test and adjust your power settings accordingly.

“Line of Sight Communication” is built into most modern Speedlights

Rotate the head of the Speedlight toward the subject. Sensors must see each other without obstructions.

No radio slaves were needed for this photo. “Line of Sight Communication” – the system that is built into modern Speedlights, made both Speedlights fire simultaneously. It works flawlessly when used correctly. You must make sure that the Slave Speedlight sensor is aimed at the Master Speedlight’s sensor. The Master Speedlight is on the camera and the Slave Speedlight is off the camera. The Speedlight’s adjustable head makes this system of lighting possible! Point the light at the subject and rotate the sensors toward each other.

Note! It is critical that any modifier attached to the Speedlight not obstruct the sensor.

Light Modifiers are used to Soften Harsh Direct Flash

Speedlight modifiers used: Diffusion Mitt – left. Umbrella Softbox – right. Handheld attached to lightstand and used as boom.

Manual Mode is Usually Best

The Speedlights and camera were set to manual mode. Manual mode gives the photographer maximum control and the results are consistent shot-to-shot.  However, if I was chasing this three year old around the yard it would be best to switch the Speedlights to ETTL. (That article is in the works, so stay tuned.)

One Speedlight Used

200mm lens, ISO 400, WB 7200K, F5 x 1/200sec.

Flash-Fill from the Camera

Lighting setup for the above photo. Ceiling blocks unwanted top light. Subject lit by flattering side light.

The photograph of this beautiful young girl was far less complicated. She was positioned on a bench at her home under a covered patio. The ceiling above her head shielded unwanted top light from striking the subject. Light from the side is more flattering than overhead light. It creates a more three-dimensional appearance.

The only problem was that the shadows created by the open skylight were too dark. The simple solution was to add a little Flash-Fill from the camera’s position to lighten the dark shadows.  A medium sized diffuser was attached to the on- camera Speedlight to soften the flash. Speedlight set to ETTL -2 FEC.

Lighting setup for the above photo. Ceiling blocks unwanted top light. Subject lit by flattering side light.

(A) Diffusion Mitt attached to on-camera Speedlight to soften Flash-Fill

About the Author:
John Rogers is an award winning photographer from Boise, Idaho and owner of prolightsecrets.com.

Go to full article: Outdoor Flash Photography Tips with Children & Pets

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

One piece of equipment that photographers don’t learn how to use correctly is the telephone. This is where the money is. Learning how to speak to potential clients is crucial to the success of any photography business. Read on for some helpful tips to improve your rapport on the telephone and give your business a boost.

There are two types of phone calls:

“Untitled” by Alexei Jurchenko. (Click image to see more from Alexei Jurchenko.)

1. If you have your prices on your website then you’ll get some prospects interested in hiring you straight away as they feel they have all the information they need. Naturally, you might think this is a good thing – but it’s not. I’ll explain why later.

2. People who are interested in more information.

Let’s look at that first scenario a little closer. Why have they decided they want to hire you? 99 times out of 100 it will be because they like your photos and you’re at a price they’re prepared to pay. Great huh! Or is it? Most photographers have decent photos on their website so in the eyes of the prospect we’re all very similar. They don’t understand the problem with viewing products and packages on a website. One print, album or frame is much the same as another, right? Nope, but our clients don’t understand or appreciate the huge differences at this stage in the buying process.

So, they call you up because you’re one of the cheaper photographers whose work seems ‘good enough’. Great, you now have a long line of people who want a fairly cheap, half decent photographer who don’t particularly understand or appreciate what you do. Is that the niche you want?

You’ll always be struggling to make a decent living, your clients won’t respect you and you’ll be so busy trying to make enough money that you rush people through like they’re on a production line. To keep costs down you’ll have to use poor quality printing and paper which doesn’t do your work justice and that fades in a couple of years. Before long you start thinking that none of this is worth the effort because you feel like a worthless commodity, not the respected artist you always dreamed of being. Not a great result I think you’ll agree.

So, let’s look at scenario two – people calling you for more information. The first question we’re asked is nearly always the price because you’ve been smart enough to not put the price on your website. You’ve not put the price on your website because you’re charging a much more sensible and worthwhile amount. You realise you’re an artist, someone who’s spent years learning their craft and deserves to be paid handsomely for your skill and expertise. You’re going for the high end of the market. This is the right strategy for a photographer who wants to be successful, but it does mean you have to be much better at marketing and much better on the phone.

This article is about how you handle phone calls, improving your marketing is for another day. These are the five best tips for handling phone calls.

“First Came The Kiss” captured by Gagan Dhiman. (Click image to see more from Gagan Dhiman.)

Don’t do it on email!

What I mean by this is that if someone emails you then call them back, if they leave a number. If they don’t leave a number then don’t spend ages crafting an email back. Pre-write several suitable emails for all the usual types of enquiry you get. The task of each of these emails is to get the prospect to call you. Don’t give away prices, even if they ask for them. It’s way too early in the process to start talking about prices. You handle the question of price by saying that you can do a lot better than just sending them a price list. You’d like to get a deeper understanding of what they’re after and that it will be a lot quicker for them to give you a quick call to go through everything. All this is true since it’s hard to quote meaningfully without knowing exactly what they want and before you’ve had a chance to explain everything properly.

Don’t try and get the sale on the phone

The phone call is all about finding out if you’re a good fit for one another. If you are a good fit then your only objective is to arrange a chat to go through things in more detail and to show them some of your products. Many photographers work themselves into a frenzy because they feel they must get the sale over the phone. This turns off the prospect because they sense you’re not focused on what they want, only on what you want – the sale.

“Candace” captured by Rome Wilkerson. (Click image to see more from Rome Wilkerson.)

Ask lots of questions

One of the most crucial elements of the call is building rapport with the prospect. The best way of doing that is by asking lots of questions. This is because it shows you care. When a client has finished explaining one of their requirements or worries you then explain something about your service that addresses their need or concern.

Explain the benefits of meeting up

If you don’t explain why the prospect benefits by meeting you then they’ll either resist it or they’ll just not turn up. If they understand the value of meeting up then they’re much more likely to oblige.

Lead the prospect with confidence

The more confident you sound the more likely the prospect will follow your lead. If you ask them whether they’d like to meet up it sounds like you’re half expecting them to not want to. Instead, simply say “Let’s meet up for a chat, I’ve got next Tuesday at 4pm or this Saturday at 11am.” This sounds much more confident, like you expect them to say yes. Notice that you’re providing two dates; you’re not giving them the option of not bothering.

Don’t be specific on price

The phone call is still too early to get into specific pricing details. Explain that there are lots of options and that they can really invest as much or as little as they like depending on what they choose. Express that it’s best if they see the products first. However, you should always volunteer a ball park figure based on your more economical packages. This will give you and the prospect some frame of reference on price without being too specific. If your low end is way out of their budget then they may not be right for you, although don’t give up straight away.

Be emotional

Investing in photography is a deeply emotional decision, not a logical one. Don’t get caught up in packages and prices and sizes. Ask about their family. Ask them what the most important thing about the photos is. Get them thinking emotionally about what these images will mean to them. This takes practice if you’re not used to speaking like this, but it’s a crucial element in subtly demonstrating the value of your product.

“A Love Story” by Gagan Dhiman. (Click image to see more fromGagan Dhiman.)

Mention your guarantee

People don’t like parting with their money, particularly when they’re not certain what the end product will be like. Explain how much you care about creating something special for them and that if they’re not absolutely delighted then you’ll give them all their money back. It takes all the risk away from them. They start to feel they have nothing to lose.

The phone call is just one part of a much larger system, but it’s a crucial part that most photographers don’t execute well enough.

About the Author:
Dan Waters teaches photographers how to sell portrait and wedding photography and build a successful business. He shares lots of free information that he’s learned from the most renowned marketing and sales professionals like Drayton Bird, Jay Abrahams, Ari Galper, Clayton Makepeace and many others. He then translates their ideas into practical advice for photographers.

For Further Training on Growing a Wedding Business:

Check out this in-depth playbook on techniques to grow a wedding photography client list. This eBook will guide you through the process of developing a strong base of referrals so a consistent scalable business can be built. The guide also carries a 180 day no-questions-asked guarantee so there is no risk in trying it.

It can be found here: Get Connected – Build a Wedding Photography Business

Go to full article: How to Book More Clients at Higher Rates as a Photographer

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

OK, you’ve bought all the right camera equipment. You have three camera bodies, 10 lenses, a stack of lighting gear, all the filters and attachments you can think of, you’ve read the manual and gained some experience in taking different types of shots, but you’re still not happy with your results. You’ve even copied other people’s styles but they’re just good photos and they look the same as everyone else’s. They don’t stand out and nobody would instantly recognize them as yours. In other words, you have no distinct photographic style. What is photographic style and how do you establish your photographic style?

“Summer In London” captured by Jirina Kantova. (Click image to see more from Jirina Kantova.)

Photographic style is not a destination, it’s the journey itself. You don’t suddenly develop style. It’s the result of your experiences, an extension of who you are and how you see the world. It’s what you evoke in people viewing your work that makes you unique. Photographic style is not copying someone else’s style, but it is about making your photography an extension of yourself. In other words, don’t just copy the masters, try to be one!

As this article is about helping you develop a personal style, how do you go about it?

• Discover what you are passionate about. It’s easy to see which photographers are passionate about their work because it shows in many images they capture.

• Enjoy your photography for the same reason. It will shine through.

“Bookman-Bookwoman” captured by This Room Became A Hill. (Click image to see more from This Room Became A Hill.)

• Try new and different things to photograph subjects that challenge you. Every new challenge adds more skills and more experiences.

• Do not be afraid to fail by taking bad photographs. Overcoming failures by taking better photographs only make you a better photographer.

• Assign yourself assignments that you have not attempted before, especially those assignments that you’ve never seen done by others before.

• Be free to express yourself. Ignore the set rules. (Set by whom?)

• Be inspired. Attend workshops, seminars, look at photography blogs, magazines and books.

• Act as your own critic. Look at your own collection of shots and ask yourself how they could be improved. Is your work exciting to you or just another bird photo?

• Share your work with your friends and family, or got one stage further and sign up with photo web forums. Attend local meet up groups. Treat all negative feedback as a means to learn from them. Treat positive feedback as being on the right track.

• Take a camera wherever you go. That one perfect shot is waiting to be captured by you.

• Specialize on particular genre of photography but do it differently.

• Decide on a medium. Do you want to photograph in black and white only, HDR images? Pick one and be consistent in the main and I mean 90% of the time. There’s nothing worse that browsing through someone’s portfolio to see colour, black and white and some HDR. It cries out that you haven’t developed a style yet.

• Try and describe your style to others. Do you capture the moment, freeze action, tell a story or do you aspire to being a photo journalist? This will help to define your style by telling others.

“A Day Out” captured by Jay Sadler. (Click image to see more from Jay Sadler.)

Eventually, you will come to realise what your style really is. One word of caution, don’t over process your images in your favourite imaging software. Keep it simple and your work will stand the test of time.

About the Author:
Geordie Parkin is a photographer based in Forest Lake, Qld (http://photopress.in/brianparkin). For further information about wildlife photography, pet photography or general questions about digital photography.

Go to full article: How to Establish Your Photographic Style

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips