Photo Art Design

Wedding

Wedding photographers are now able to take advantage of traveling light and having the ability to use creative lighting.  Wedding videos are the record that you will have for a life time that documents that momentous time of your life.  Wedding photographers have traditionally consumed about 10 percent of the entire wedding budget.  Wedding Photography and Wedding Video have changed in style and technology in the last 10 years.  Wedding photography can be taken in black and white, color or both.

Photographer

Photographers also carry back-up equipment in case their primary equipment fails, which adds to the cost of the wedding photography prices.  Photographers must also insure their own camera equipment.  Photographers know that if they choose a high f-stop, such as ?/16 or ?/22, they can expect great depth-of-field with much of the foreground and background in focus.

Digital

Digital cameras have enjoyed improved quality over the past several years.  Digital wedding photographers have been known to take up to 3,000 bridal images on a single day.  Digital printing can be done on an inkjet or color laser, but the latest photographic papers from Kodak and Fuji have alife-span of over 100 years.  Digital cameras, as anyone who uses them knows, require great amounts of power, particularly if you use the built-in LCD screens.

Bride

Brides on a budget are looking for anywhere they can save money on their weddings.  Certain effects are going to impress some people, especially a bride and groom who may not be trained in photography.  A seasoned photographer will know whether a wedding is organized based on a bride’s preparedness for their meeting and whether there is a Wedding Planner.  Get to know the bride and the groom, understand their needs and wants.

Business

Businesses have expenses and they take hard work to build and maintain.  Business: Provide good wedding images without leather albums.  The strategies vary, but the motives are usually the same: gain more business by emotionally drawing in an audience.  A successful wedding photographer is a successful business person and knows about marketing inside and out.  Learn the skills required for running a wedding business including technical and compositional know-how and related skills.

Wedding Photography is my passion and I feel that everyone deserves high quaily professional wedding photography at an affordable price.  Wedding photography is the art of capturing pictures related to a wedding.  Wedding photography is a unique combination of every type of photography.  Remember that wedding photography is an art.

        While photography equipment is known for being pricey, there are some great gift ideas for individuals who want to buy a nice gift for a photographer without breaking the bank.  We have compiled a list of items to make your shopping as easy as possible.

1.       Magazine Subscription – Outdoor Photographer is just one of the many photography magazines available, but is a good choice if the photographer enjoys taking picture of nature and landscape.   The magazine offers gear reviews, tips for improving your knowledge in both photography and post processing, and provides insight on locations and workshops available. Retail $19.99

2.       External Hard Drives – Too many photographers depend on their notebook or desktop to store their files.  Not only does this slow down the computer, but it also prevents them from accessing the files if the hard drive fails.  An external hard drive will allow you to work faster while providing you with a peace of mind knowing your files are safer.  Retail Price $99-$250

3.       Flashpoint 42-Inch 5 in 1 Collapsible Disk Reflector – This product is great for adding fill light to your subjects and contains translucent, white, silver, black, and soft gold.  This product is easy to breakdown and carry in the field. Retail Price $45

4.       Photography Books- There are some great books on photography available at reasonable prices.  Pick books that relate to type of photography they enjoy.  Also find out if they use Photoshop or another photo editor and see what books are available.   John Shaw’s Nature Photography Field Guide should be on the bookshelf of every nature photographer. Retail Price $17-$25

5.       Digital Photo Frame – The prices have dropped substantially recently without a decrease in quality.  We have not found it worth the extra price in most cases to purchase the wireless frame as opposed to one that accepts memory cards or a USB slot.  Retail Price $99-$150

6.       Memory Cards – It seems every year larger and faster memory cards or available at a fraction of the cost of last year’s models.  Most photographers always want to upgrade their memory cards for both size and speed.  This will require you knowing what kind of memory card their camera utilizes. Retail Price $29-59

7.       Photomatix – This software is used to produce High Dynamic Range photography.  You can now capture high contract scenes without blowing out the highlights.  While there are other programs that do this, Photomatix is the best we have tested to date.  Retail Price $99

8.       Filters – While most photographers have circular polarizer and ND Grad Filters, some do not carry warming filters or special effect filters.  Cokin offers some affordable specialty filters for warming, cooling, and sunsets.   It is also important to include a carrying case to prevent the filters from scratches and damage.  The Cokin holder isn’t necessary as you can simply hold the filter over the lens to achieve the effect you desire.($29-49)

9.       Photography Vest – I went through several photography cases before finally settling for a photography vest.  It was actually a gift from a friend of mine that is a photographer.   I am more efficient now since I can easily have everything organized and accessible. No more forgetting to put something in your camera bag.

10.   Subscription to photo.net – While this site is free, a paid membership allows members unlimited gallery uploads, additional photo critique request, a personal imagePRO website, and a favorite image gallery.  It is a great way to show off your work and get advice on your pictures.  Retail Price $25

In today’s camera market, you will find an endless supply of gear, some useful, some not so, some quality, and some not. This variety makes it harder to find exactly what you need, especially when you are not sure of exactly which features you need and which you can do without. A tripod is an essential part of an arsenal carried by any Travel and Nature photographer. You already know that for sharpest images you need to use a tripod. What you are wondering no doubt is why there is such a significant price range among the different manufacturers of tripods, and whether or not it makes sense for you to make a significant investment in a tripod.

Basic Function of a Tripod

First, let’s quickly examine what a tripod will do for us. First and foremost, it supports our camera, attached lens, and some of the other gear, like a flash unit, etc. It helps us position our camera at an odd angle at times. It helps us get higher than our typical shooting stance, and get lower at times for macro work. The most appropriate tripod for you will depend on your shooting style, and choice of subject matter. There is not one tripod out there that is better with every subject matter; on the contrary, most tripods are specialists. Most are build to be versatile, but each is build to excel in a certain area of photography.

So, what areas should your tripod excel to be useful for outdoors shooting?

If you are planning to shoot nature, there are certain aspects of the outdoors which your tripod will have to endure, which it would not, if it was used indoors.

Moisture is an enemy of photography gear. If you plan to shoot landscapes in the wilderness, wild animals, birds, etc., your camera and you will end up in some wet environments. As such, you have to make sure that your tripod choice reflects this fact. Many manufacturers build tripods specifically meant for the outdoors, and they are built to be moisture resistant, if not proof.

Terrain is always a concern outdoors. A good tripod should have spiked feet, simply because you will often end up on loose soil, dirt, and other surfaces that will be uneven, and require sharp spikes to secure the tripod, and attached gear.

Load is a very important aspect to consider. How heavy is your camera and your heaviest lens? Are you planning on getting larger heavier lenses in the future? Are you planning to try a medium or a large format camera? While it is tough to predict, always try to plan ahead. Your choice of a tripod will reflect your future purchases. Always, make sure you tripod has at least 30% of capacity for future upgrades to your equipment. If you plan to shoot wild life, you will have some really heavy lenses, and a tripod will have to support them, and allow you to pan smoothly, when shooting animals in action.

Weight is probably the main determining factor in your purchase. Remember, when you travel and explore, you will have your tripod with you, and depending upon how much walking you do, weight of your tripod will be more or less important to you. However, always aim for highest ratio of weight to load. In other words, look for lightest tripod rated for highest weight. Outdoors are often rough environments and every pound counts. Think about this a lot.

Leveling is important especially for panoramic shooters. If you plan to capture panoramas of nature, your tripod base must be leveling. Look for a tripod with a large easy to use bubble level (spirit level). A level base is a “MUST” for good panoramas.

Flexibility of shooting positions is important when you change subject matter on the fly. If you are like me, you will shoot macro, landscapes, panoramas, and perhaps even some animals, depending on time of day and weather. If so, a flexible center column is a must feature. Look for a tripod which allows for multiple positions of the center column. My favorite tripods allow for the column to be vertical, horizontal , and everything in-between. A tripod should allow you to get low, and have more than one foot angle. Best tripods for this job will offer up to three different angles for the feet, which will allow you to get very low if need be, to shoot flowers, insects, etc.

How Much Money?

Choosing a tripod is not easy. Some manufacturers do make things easier and group them into specialties, like outdoors, studio use, etc. Do as much research as you can, because there is not one ideal model that suits everyone. Remember the old saying: “You get what you pay for”. This is very important when deciding how much you are willing pay. Keep in mind, a huge budget will not mean you get the best tripod, but it will mean that you have more choices. Do not look for a cheap tripod, which you think may suffice. Your shooting requirements will change, and within a year or two you will be shopping for another one. Strongly consider Carbon Fiber. CF tripods are lighter than any alloy, more durable, will not bend, and flex under the weight of your gear, and do not rust, corrode, or are adversely affected by moisture. They are more expensive, but without a doubt worth the extra money. Look at this purchase as a long-term investment in photography. After all, your images will only be as good as your shooting ability and your gear.

A portrait basically represents a painting, photograph, sculpture or any other artistic representation of a person, where the face and its expressions predominant. Through it the likeness, personality and mood of the person is expressed. The history of portrait trails behind to Egyptian culture where the portraits were made of funeral rather than kings or emperors. It flourished during the Roman culture. Later canvas of elite kings, priests, warriors and even distinguished artisans were made representing several stages of their lives. One of the most renowned paintings worldwide is of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso’s The Old Guitarist.

Portrait Photography

With the dawn of photography, the face of portrait has changed massively. Photography came into existence since the 19th century. And it revolutionized the oil painting phase. It became comparatively inexpensive and time saving affair. With just 30 sec. exposure time, and better quality output as compare to canvas painting, it soon became mass appeal. Trends have changed a lot since and we are into a new phase of commission portrait where recreation of the photograph into canvas is done with same perseverance of the essence of the original photo. Portrait photography has become a popular commercial industry all over the world nowadays. Many people want professional made family portraits to hang in their homes, or special photos to honor special events as weddings and graduation etc.

Techniques for Portrait Photography

•    Quality of lighting has major impact on final output of photograph with respect to quality. Good lighting leads to proper visibility of the subject. The better the visibility the clearer the photograph.

•    The subject backdrop is equally relevant in context to lighting. Contrast backdrop colour is essential for good output of the image. There are three types of lighting namely key lighting, fill lighting and hair lighting. The key light is the main light for the subject. The fill light fills in shadow appearing on the subject’s face caused by key lighting. Hair lighting illuminates the subject from above so that it visually distinguishes the subject from the backdrop.

Advantages of Photography over Painting

Portraits made in canvas are no doubt a prized collection. But they are yet not common man’s cup of tea. Canvas paintings are tough to preserve for long time. And they are very expensive with respect to money and time. In case of portrait photography, hardly thirty seconds are required to capture the precious moments. They are printed on paper so need less storage capacity. They don’t need extra precautions for their perseverance. They have longer life, cheaper and better with respect to output. And the best thing about it is that even an amateur can handle it, yielding comparatively good result.