Archive for Make Better Photographs – Page 40

Go Behind-the-Scenes of a Carnival Pinup Shoot: by Boudoir Louisville

Since we had such a good time the first go around, I just had to make another trip to the Kentucky State Fair’s midway for a few more pinup shots! This time, I took a past client as well as my hair and makeup artist, Scooter. Turns out, there is a ride called the “Scooter”! Needless to say, he got a little excited!

We started off shooting on the Bumper Cars, then made our way over to the balloon dart pop game thing. After, we had to hit up the funhouse and ferris wheel. While shooting in the funhouse, I told Christy that I was going to shoot her and edit the pic to look like she was upside down. She proceeds to just flip herself upside down! Gotta love her…

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100 Stunning Examples of Grunge Photography

According to some, grunge photography is just a fad. As far as I’m concerned, grunge photography is here to stay, and may have been around for quite some time, though it was overshadowed by more sought-after images depicting perfection.  Grunge photography, in a sense is the opposite of traditional photography where everything is as perfect and flawless as possible.

The following photos are a small handful of what is available on, and constantly being added to Flickr.  While there are numerous groups geared towards grunge style, there are far too many to list.  So if you are interested in grunge photography and/or grunge art, thousands can be found by searching for photos tagged as grunge.


easter show for i have no arm Chained forbidding chex coke machine one stop bridge to nowhere Amy Transiently Ghost Cemetery tree Swingers bodie blue truck Ghost Town Caskets Bodie State Historic Park P1360493 Usine B - 2 esta casa es una ruina... Chernobyl and Pripyat -1171 demon child Bain d'automne Chateau Dragon Abandoned Hospital Iron? crash desk speed queens one... two... three hundred thousand Hope Floats • Consomme Moi • scary. L'idiot du village IMG_8219 DeJarnette: Interior Heart On A String Northcliffe Apartments (71) cello session @ the old train station HallHDR01.jpg Scan-080228-0032 Untitled Industrial sanatorium hallway Salve Mater in the lab boiler house default. self-destruction erika Panel Decay Stanley Hardware1 Table and Chairs abandoned doll1 30 the1 Old baths at Hellingly Asylum. Safe & Sound East New York Station-41 Cyberpunk Baby Lee Plaza - Boo(b) Tube Bath laundry 2 Inch Binder IMG_2829 P-6 Top Oil Former DDR military barracks West park abandoned hospital Surrealism: Propaganda The iron Lung 10 pediofobia Electro Therapy Sterilisator detail on a rockinghorse of time End of the Hall Abandoned Denistry Sanitaria S.P.A. Suction... Power Station Vintage Fuel The Last Tow Hospitaal OZR romantic tub mine to fill Went Postal Got a smoke?

Ethics in Photojournalism: by Becky Patterson

It’s true that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, and that’s why newspapers splash their front pages with large photos that are far more likely to capture audiences than the best crafted words. Photos not only augment the story and lend credence to the written word; they also draw attention to the story with their starkness and candor. And although it’s not something that we like to admit, when it comes to making news and headlines, it’s the pictures of natural disasters and people struggling to cope with them that steal the show and grab the largest and most prominent space. In fact, the more the photo tugs at your heartstrings, the more valuable it is.

But as both recent and past events have shown us, there is always a thin line between shooting great pictures and following ethics in photojournalism – the recent earthquake in Haiti has created photo ops for people who want to show the world the extent of the destruction that has ravaged this tiny island; at the same time, it has raised serious questions about the moral responsibilities of people who are in a position to help those affected, but who choose instead to shoot photographs of them. There was one of a woman trapped in rubble from below her waist, with a few other affected and bleeding people standing by. Should the photographer have helped her first, or was he just doing his job by snapping this picture? Read More→

Creating A Beautiful Engagement Session

MOYL EngagementEngagement photo sessions can be a very rewarding experience for your wedding photography clients. I like to tell my clients that engagement sessions are great for them because it gives them a chance to just take a break from wedding planning and spend a couple of hours focusing on each other and remembering that the whole reason they are doing this crazy event is because of each other. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating a wedding engagement session for your client.

Make sure the environment is a reflection of the client. These photos are really for the client to enjoy and send out to friends and family before the wedding. They should be a reflection of the clients personality and interest and not the photographers. Talk with your client. Throw out some suggestions of places you like to shoot and see what they think. Many times they will surprise you with ideas of their own. I am based in San Antonio and we have a beautiful downtown area. I love to shoot there because no two shoots are ever the same and the client will get a fun, energetic, one of a kind engagement session.

Let their personality show through. Let them just have fun together and capture those moments. Don’t be too strict in your positioning as that will come out in your photos. You want to let them be as natural as possible. Lots of kissing, lots of touchy feely. You’ll find it makes them relaxed and your photos will have a truly emotional connection show through. Read More→

Photography 101: Aperture And You

You have been shooting your photos in auto mode for far too long. You want to take the plunge and kick those photos up a notch. Where do you start though? Aperture, exposure, ISO, slow lenses, fast lenses, cake or pie? These new ideas start flooding in when you start reading up on how to go beyond auto shooting mode. Take a deep breath and relax.

One of the biggest areas so many photographers deal with is the exposure triangle. This is the correlation of ISO, Aperture, and Exposure. Each of these items plays a major role in your photos, how they look, and influence the overall feel of the shot. Even more complicated is how closely these three items intertwined with one another.

For this article, let’s focus on one aspect of this triangle in aperture. A more common term used for aperture is f-stop. I am not going to go into all the mathematics that comes behind aperture. You math gurus can easily hit up Wikipedia to get your formula geekery on. Let’s get the show started.

Aperture is one of those weird numbers in photography. By weird, I mean the smaller the number the larger the aperture the smaller the depth of field. The first part of this is the smaller number equals a larger aperture. Read More→

Dealing With Amateur Photographers During a Wedding

I’ll never forget the first time I had to deal with other photographers at an event. I was standing next to the altar waiting for the ceremony to start. As soon as the music stopped suddenly there were 15 other amateur photographers up at the front taking photos. I literally had to fight for space and for shots. It took me by surprise and I had to adjust my thinking with how to deal with other photographers when I am the hired gun. Here are a few tips that I use.

Talk with your client. Explain to them that they are hiring you for this event and while you want your guests to enjoy the photos they also want to make sure that guests don’t disrupt the event. Ask them to have an announcement made that you will be the photographer for the event and to please stay in their seats during the ceremony and that you will make the photos available for purchase to friends and guests. Doing this can eliminate having to fight for space.

Work around other photographers. Remember that even though you are the professional you  don’t want to step on the toes of the guests of your clients. Politely ask if you could switch positions with them. Many times they are unaware that they are in your way and are more caught up in the event and have no problem moving. Read More→