Archive for Make Better Photographs – Page 24

HDR Series – Getting Started, Part 3: Tone-Mapping

Welcome to Part 3 of the HDR Series – Getting Started! This time you are going to learn about the settings in a HDR Tone-Mapping software I use called Photomatix Pro 4. Before you get to the adjustments window you will be prompted with this window first.

Align Source Images: I always keep this box unchecked unless I was using brackets shot by hand (which I never do). If you did shoot your brackets by hand you will want to make sure that “By correcting horizontal and vertical shifts” is selected and that the “Crop aligned images” are Unchecked. (This will save you aggravation later if you have to use layer masking in Photoshop) Read More→

Tying The Knot: How A Promo Turned Sushi Into Big Fish

Imagine a world where one wedding just isn’t enough for a bride. She loves them so much that she just wants to get married every weekend! Who cares who the groom is?! She just wants to relive that amazing day over and over again, and of course have you photograph each and every one!

Ok, time to wake up! Unfortunately we don’t live in that world and instead we face the reality that wedding photography is a hard business. Not just because of the scale of the event, or the long hours of shooting and editing, or the knowledge and skill required, but because you always need a constant flow of new customers.

Unlike other genres of photography, wedding photographers can’t rely on regular customers or repeat business as brides only get married once. Ideally!

Of course weddings inevitably yield baby and family portraits which you’ll be only too happy to shoot. But if weddings are what you want to focus on then how do you keep the momentum going and keep the portfolio building? And where exactly is that new business going to come from?

If you’re like me your first experience as a wedding photographer was second shooting at a friend’s wedding. That was a great start, but you only have so many friends and, inconveniently for you, they’re not all about to get married!

The solution is to grow your potential client base but that’s not an easy task either. With little wedding experience why would brides come running to you? Time to think smart. Read More→

Photography 101: Macro for Beginners

I love macro photography. In a world that continues to get larger, it is wonderful to look at the same surroundings on a much smaller scale. However, viewing the world through tiny eyes does bring on its own challenges outside correct exposure, white balance, and battery life. So, if you are like me and want to see this tiny world, read on!

The first thing you will want to invest in is a good tripod. I have boasted the benefits of tripods before, but a key feature you want to make sure your tripod can handle is getting close to the ground. The reason this is the first item you want to buy is that any movement from yourself, or the subject, is ultimately going to lead to noticeable blur in your photo. It will help if you can find one that allows you to mount your camera on the bottom, the legs fold out wide, and yet provides you a sturdy base for all your work. A good tripod of any kind is well worth the investment!

The next item you want to start considering is a macro lens. Every camera brand comes with a nice range of options here, however this is where you need to sit down and do some thinking. The most important item to consider is what you expect to shoot up close. There is a big difference when it comes to shooting a deadly spider or photographing spare pocket change. Knowing this will help you determine if you can get by with something like a 60mm macro lens, or if you will need a 200mm to put as much distance between you and the eight legged death dealer. Both lenses maybe great, but understanding the nuances of what you want to capture is going to help you budget planning.

Read More→

High Contrast Grunge Photography

High Contrast Grunge Photography takes the look of traditional Kodalith darkroom prints to the digital era (or for those of you still shooting with film, and developing in a darkroom, keeps Kodalith alive). By the way, there is a Kodalith group on Flickr!

Old Sneakers

Read More→

Scenic Outlook – To Post or Not to Post

In this day and age, most of us take lightly how powerful the internet is. We post status updates to Facebook, tweet all day long, and display our cherished photos quite literally for the world to see. It’s easy to fall into a trap and expose your entire life online without thinking twice. I’ll leave the status updates for another time, but I want to discuss the act of posting image after image on a blog or photo sharing web site. This article isn’t meant to be a guide on when to post and what to post. Rather, I want to get as many people out there to stop and think about the process of selectively (or not so selectively) posting images.

We are our biggest critics – I may have taken three photographs I completely and unconditionally love in my life, if that. It’s human nature to be harder on ourselves than other people. The problem with working on your own image is that you spend a good deal of time analyzing it and looking for mistakes you may have to correct. You were also there when the shutter was pressed so it’s easy to say, “If I just waited 5 more minutes the light would have been that much better!” The thing is this: no one else knows that. Viewers look at your image for what it is, not what it could or should have been. It’s much easier for outsiders to appreciate a photograph by you than it is for you to do the same. What I’m trying to have you think about is that you may have taken a lot more worthy photographs than you think. Don’t be afraid to post a shot you may be unsure of. Constructive feedback and criticism is the best way to grow in this field and you just never know when someone out there could love the image so much they want it on their wall. Read More→

Photography 101: Stop and Enjoy

This is going to be an unusual post for me, as instead of breaking down some type of technique or photography secret sauce (there is none; incidentally), I am going to tell you to do something completely different. In a world that is connected by glass lines that transmit data at the speed of light and where news happens on a minute by minute basis, I will tell you to stop. When is the last time you put the camera down, and enjoyed the scene outside of shutter speed, correct white balance, and aperture settings?

Hence, my article will be brief this week, spurred on by a recent visit with my in-laws. I see my in-laws a fair amount as they live a little over an hour away. What was different on this visit was the knowledge that they are in the process of moving hundreds of miles away, separating my wife and I from them by two full days of driving. This means that what little time we can easily spend with them now becomes ever more important.

I had packed a bag full of gear and toys with every intention of shooting various spring photos during our visit. The tulips are in full bloom, the Magnolia tree had gorgeous flowers at the ready, and the weather was spot on for some great sunset shots. Yet, I never unloaded my gear or snapped a photo. No, I spent the day enjoying the conversations about things I cannot recall now. I stopped thinking at four frames a second and let one long exposure rule my mind. I had stopped to enjoy the moment. Read More→