Photography Blog

Portrait photography, if you have the knack for it, is a very satisfying type of photography. I say you have to have a knack for portrait photography simply because it’s true. If you can’t put your subject at ease and get them comfortable sitting in front of a camera then as a portrait photographer you have a problem on your hands.

Your subject will turn out stiff and unwilling and it will come through in the photograph as well, and it won’t matter how good a photographer you are, or how much wizardry you can do with editing software.

If the original photograph you take is flawed then there’s not much you can do about it except go back to the drawing board. And by the drawing board here I don’t mean your portrait photography skills but the need for you to brush up on your people skills. And don’t worry if the first ever portrait photograph you take is of the person looking stiff and unnatural, you just need to keep trying until you get it right. Besides, most first attempts at anything invariably come out looking wrong so don’t get discouraged.

It’s only when things are still looking decidedly dicey after about two years of almost dedicated portrait photography that you might want to think about brushing off those people skills you knew you had but which you haven’t been able to find.

For my very first portrait photography session, I hijacked my sister into being my willing victim – oops, I meant to say guinea pig – and I can tell you that the end results were disastrous to say the least.

After that I just forgot all about it and left my desire for portrait photography behind me. Again at this point it was the whole film and processing thing, I didn’t feel like wasting my time and money on something that I clearly wasn’t good at. I also knew that no matter how much I tried to brush up my people skills that that was really as good as it got. So there I was, and there was portrait photography, a seemingly unobtainable goal in my photographic life, until that is of course, I bought my digital camera.

And I have to say that after that, whole new worlds opened up to me and I even went so far as to dream about doing some portrait photography as well. Luckily for me as the years had passed my people skills had also loosened up a little bit and I wasn’t so stiff-necked when I went it to this time. My photographs were still stiff necked, in the beginning at least, but they did improve with time and I can now take a decent portrait photograph without too much of a problem.

The moral of the story then? The digital camera is good for experimenting with photography. And portrait photography is good if you can easily interact with your fellow human being. But overall, don’t give up on portrait photography just because your very first shots were far from perfect. Give it a few more tries and don’t lose hope that you’ll eventually get something more than halfway decent.

Before I forget, I’d also like to point out that portrait photography need not only be about the traditional portraiture. You have many options open to you and which one you take depends to a large amount on your subject, basically which type of portrait would display them best, and your own inclinations. This was just to give you an idea of what type of portrait photography you can look forward to.

Earlier when photography was not invented, portrait paintings of oil colors and sketches were the mediums used by people to get the images of their loved ones made and conserved for future generations. In fact, oil painting portraits were very popular and greatly in demand in earlier times.

 

After the invention of photography, portrait paintings of oil colors became very costly and could be afforded only by the well off people. They became a status symbol for many. Many famous oil painting portraits flooded the markets, but they could be bought home only by very few. Photography introduced a new form of art to people. But it could not take the place of oil paintings in the heart of people.

 

The popularity of portrait paintings specially grew in the European countries. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, painted in the 1500s, became the most famous and demanded oil painting portrait. Some of the most famous oil paintings were created in the European countries during the 18th and 19th centuries by famous artists like Rembrandt and Gainsborough. Some of these beautiful oil painting portraits are preserved in the National Portrait Museum in Washington.

 

The portrait painting of oil color, created ages before, tell stories of that time. Each portrait, whether they portray an individual, a group of people or anything else, are beautifully created by artists which take people to another world.

 

The popularity and demand for oil painting portraits are on a rise even today. People are very eager to get the portraits of their loved ones made. People also commission a portrait from their favorite photographs.

 

 

Portrait paintings have become the best decorative pieces for decorating homes and offices. With time these portraits have proven that they are a valuable asset and no other art form can ever take their place.

 

 

 

 

Photos are the best ways of preserving memories of an occasion for a lifetime. We all love taking photos to remind us about the fun moments of our lives. But everyone cannot take snaps properly at all times. In fact, many photographs snapped by inexperienced people can contain errors. Poor lighting, red eyes, and wrong focus can make photos look bad. This is where photo editing services come in handy. Here expert photo editors can correct mistakes in photos and make those more presentable.

Some of the mistakes that photo editors can take care of include the following:

Red eye removal – Red eyes show up when we take people’s photos in a low-light condition using a camera that has its flash bulb placed too close to the camera lens. Most compact cameras fall under this category. Photo editors can remove these red eyes and make the eyes look more natural.

Changing background – It can often happen that we get a very good shot only to find that the background was very unimpressive. Photo editors can change these backgrounds as per requirement and make the photos look more stunning.

Photos are supposed to be memories frozen in time. Proper editing of improperly shot photos can help in making these look good and last long.

If you enjoy taking pictures, you might want to think about a career in photography. In order to make sure you know what you are doing, you want to learn everything you can about digital photography before you begin. Remember, this is not just taking pictures for your own personal use, so the pictures you take must be perfect. In order to make sure you know how to take pictures in different lighting situations and under various conditions, you want to either take a course in photography or gather some personal experience before you begin to offer your services as a photographer.

 Learning about digital photography doesn’t mean you have to go sit in a classroom—you will find plenty of online courses you can take that will provide the information you need. You can, of course, choose some local courses if you so desire. The important thing is you want to learn enough about the field to be able to take pictures that people will be willing to buy. If you aren’t good enough to sell your services, there is little reason for you to consider a career in photography. Another option is to obtain a position in a photography studio that offers on the job training. Keep in mind that the training you receive in a photography studio will relate directly to their individual needs, so if you plan to do something different, you will need to gain experience and knowledge in the area you wish to pursue.

 Another option is to purchase a book and study about digital photography in your spare time. The books that are available on photograph will give you step by step instructions on what to do in order to make certain you can produce the most professional looking photographs. You will find explanations that tell and show you how to adjust the settings on your camera to achieve the best results. The more knowledge you gain before you begin offering your services as a photographer, the less time you will have to spend reshooting a photo. You want to keep in mind that sometimes you will not have a chance to reshoot when you are working with clients, so it’s important to make certain you develop all of the kills you need before you begin working professionally. Freelance digital photography clients will come to you by referral, so it’s essential to be a perfectionist in your area. 

Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase “hold it” or “freeze” carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.

YOU can turn this into your advantage: Since children don\’t always do what you want them to do, or what you expect them to do (actually they rarely do!). A solution often is: don\’t expect them to become a cooperative little adult merely because you want to take their picture. Trick them – expect them to act like children. Don\’t expect anything in particular. DO this and you can enter the fun and profitable field of child photography.

Know your stuff – Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing – what your camera is capable of doing – what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the children). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes – though you feel you have just run a marathon – so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.

Know your subjects – With children, you must expect the unexpected. At different ages children are capable of doing different things. The more you know what they typically do during some of these stages, the better images you are going to capture. And the happier you make your clients – which, in turn, makes you financially happy.

During a session photographing children you can get a variety of poses, expressions and antics. In no other field of photography are you liable to get such variety. The more you learn about little ones the better child photographer you will be. Children are not just children until they become adults -they come in all sizes. Between four months and four years you can place them into quite a few categories: 4-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, 18-24 mos, and then you can lengthen out the age span. Awareness of these ages are needed to help you – the photographer – be aware of the limitations children (especially little ones) have.

Listening to the parent can help toward a successful session. You can learn specific things about their child that will make it or break it: Are they afraid of certain things or sounds? What are their special likes? Do they like books? How comfortable are they with a stranger approaching them? You do NOT want to spook a little one; the scheduled time may not allow for you to win their confidence.

Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!

In most areas of photography a tripod is great for sharp photos. However with child photography you do not always have such a luxury. Once they reach the moving around stage, a tripod limits your ability to capture expressions and poses. Be mindful of your camera settings – keep that shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring – and be ready to move quickly!

Child photography allows for close-up portraits as well as the child engaged in some activity – taking their socks off – in a box / tub with toys – climbing on or out of something. There is really no limit. As you continue to gain experience in working with children of various ages you will become more adept at learning what typically works with different age groups.

Child photography is a challenge – but don\’t worry sometime it turns into children photography. Mom has twins – big brother / little sister – maybe three little cousins. The list goes on! Imagine two sister and they both have triplets! Other than the obvious difficulty of getting multiple little subjects in any semblance of position, conducive to a memorable photo you need to bring everyone’s eyes to a central focal point. Tricky, but not impossible. Adding something NEW to catch their attention, at the moment you press the shutter, can work. Use this sparingly, because when child photography turns into children photography getting all their attention on the same thing is quite a feat. The beauty of digital is no limits to the exposures you take and you can take a quick peek on the spot.

Parents can be quite helpful during the photo session. Children often are more confident with a parent nearby. Also, do not overlook the value of older brother and sisters. They have a relationship with the little one like no one else! Often they can get their little brother or sister to giggle, make faces, hold things and a host of other things that may be exactly what you need. Plus, you have the opportunity of including more subjects in the photos, which translates into a larger photo package for the customer!

As you advance in child photography you will want a lighting setup and a backdrop. A three light setup – consisting of a main light fill light and a background light – is ideal. However if you are just beginning you can do great photography with a lot less. Experiment, and add as needed. If you are using a backdrop keep the child at least four feet from the backdrop (if possible). This eliminates shadows and prevents the backdrop from competing with your subject.

Take your act on the road – You can do child photography at the park – on the beach – in the backyard, just as easily as in a studio or home – maybe more so – and nature will take care of the lighting for you, as long as you select open shade.

Most people tend not to think about the details of their online photo sharing experience. As long as their photos get from their computers to their online photo album, they could care less about the processes that got it there. The way that digital cameras designed, this really isn’t a problem, as most cameras and photo editing software support this approach. However, there’s a lot more that goes into online photo sharing than is obvious on the surface.
Those who are interested in the fundamentals of digital photography may be curious about different file formats. Many have heard or seen the terms for picture file extensions, such as .jpg (or JPEG), .gif, .tif, and .png. What do all these different three letter extensions mean?
JPEGs
The term JPEG actually stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group” – the group that initially created the standard back in 1992. Since then, the JPEG has become the most commonly found picture file type on the Internet. This is primarily because JPEGs offer a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of its compression and picture quality. That is, its possible to significantly reduce the storage size of a JPEG file by also reducing the quality. Back when the Internet was first starting out, downloading mutli-megabyte picture files just wasn’t practical. JPEGs could maintain a reasonable image quality while making the file size of the image much smaller.
JPEGs have remained an Internet standard thanks to this quality. People are able to make images much easier to transfer between computers without losing a significant amount of picture quality. The drawback to JPEGs is that it is a “lossy” format – this means that each time a picture is edited and resaved in the JPEG format, it loses a degree of quality.
TIFFs
TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF files are versatile and high quality, supporting up to 48-bit color depth (compared to 8-bit for GIFs and 24-bit for JPEGs). The downsides of this format are two-fold. For one, TIFF files have a wide variance and an image viewer that can view one type of TIFF file can’t necessarily view anther. Secondly, TIFF files are not widely supported by web browsers, making them impractical for online photo sharing.
GIFs and PNGs
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Like the JPEG, GIF files are also commonly found all around the Internet. GIF files are comparatively limited in their color palette – having only 256 colors to work with. This make GIFs a good choice for relatively simple pictures without a lot of color differences, such as cartoons and simple logos. While it a lossless format that doesn’t degrade in quality, it’s pretty rare that you’ll see a photograph in a GIF format in the modern age, since most cameras are able to take pictures with significantly more color depth.
PNGs, or Portable Network Graphics files, are the successor to GIFs. Unlike GIFs, they support truecolor, a 16-million color palette. PNGs are lossless, making them great for editing photos. Most web browsers support PNGs, but they can still be quite large. In many cases, the best choice is to edit a file in PNG format, then convert to JPEG for distribution.

People get a portrait shot because they want to be identified for what they are. They want to leave a strong memory, and their want their family to be able to look at the photograph and see not only their face, but also their life and character. That’s why when getting a portrait shot; you should get only the best that Doylestown PA Photography has to offer. Put someone before a camera, compose the shot into a close-up or a mid-shot and shoot. Taking portrait photographs sounds easy enough doesn’t it? If the job was mechanical, anybody would have done it. But it’s not. Taking portrait photographs is an art and only a few Doylestown PA Portraits have captured the essence. To take good quality portrait, the photographer must not just be familiar with his equipment and the techniques, but must also be very observant. Doylestown PA Photography business only has a few good men who really love their job enough to always make an effort to bring out the best in their subjects. That’s why you’ll find that most Doylestown PA Portraits are taken by amateurs and don’t look good. Every person has a unique character, and a unique look. The professional photographer does not use a cookie cutter approach towards portraits. A good photograph much capture that person’s essence and character, that’s why if you’re looking for good Doylestown PA Portraits, you must find someone who studies the subject before taking the photograph. Luckily, professionals have the required skills and the training to know how to take good portrait photographs. Doylestown PA Photography trade does not have many photographers, but there are some who are really good. Just ask your friends for references. Or if you see good Doyelstown PA Portraits, ask who took that photograph and employ the same photographer. If you’re not going for a professional, then only luck can help you. You won’t have the lighting equipment that are used by professional Doylestown PA Photography people to make the subject stand out, but you can use a digital camera and shoot many different photographs with different settings and angles and if you’re lucky you might have one of those few Doylestown PA Portraits worth showing. Some people have a bred knack for taking good photographs. Many of them are not professional photographers, yet they’ve made a scientific pursuit of their hobby and can give any Doylestown PA Photography person a run for his money. If you know such a person you can always ask him to take the snap for you. It’s polite to pay a small token as appreciation for good quality Doylestown Portraits. If the photographer is your friend, remember to take along a gift for him. If after having your portrait shot when you look at it, you like it, and are able to see the person behind the picture, then you have a good portrait. It’s among the select Doylestown PA Portraits that you can put up on your wall, and people will appreciate it. For more resources about Doylestown PA Portraits Or even about Doylestown PA Photography please review this web page http://www.atgoccasions.com

Maintain your Portrait Paintings and let them look beautiful forever

Portrait paintings are valuable assets and not just decorative items to bring elegance to your home or office interior. Therefore, if you are the proud owner of some beautiful portrait paintings, or are planning to get some for yourself soon, you should maintain them and preserve them for your future generations because portrait painting is the one of the best way to save your happy memories.

Many people choose to display portrait paintings to give a new look to their office or living rooms. But many times, people remove the portraits from the walls as they fade out or get spoilt with time. People believe that the elegance of their portraits fade out with time as poor quality products might have been used to make the portrait. But this is not true. If you want your portrait paintings to look elegant and beautiful forever, you need to take good care of them.

Here are some tips which can help you to maintain your portrait paintings and keep them looking beautiful for ages:

So, if you want your favorite portrait painting to look beautiful tomorrow, start taking care of it today.

You’ve taken the photos and installed an image editing application on your computer… no it’s time to get to work. This article is aimed to get you through the basic functions of a photo editing application. There are a lot of such applications available on the market, from basic programs which include features like removing dust, scratches and red eye or adjusting brightness and color, to more sophisticated ones that let you use special effects, combine several images etc. Some companies offer you a free trial to make sure the software responds to your needs.
Viewing pictures
You can work on a single photo at once or bring in several photos.Working on two or more photos at once is particularly useful if you want to combine them in the end. Most applications include a browser which lets you see the pictures as thumbnails and double-click to open. You can also do this from the file menu, which opens a dialog box and lets you search for the file through your computer.
Resizing the image
Resizing may be needed for printing pictures or uploading them on the web. In case you want to print a photo, bare in mind to take it at a higher resolution. In case you are scanning it, make sure it is at least 150 dpi. This way you can enlarge it with your photo editing software. Images you want to upload on the internet have to be resized at a smaller size and resolution, like 72 or 96 ppi.
Rotating or flipping the picture
This is a very easy to use feature which allows you to rotate the image if, for example, you scanned it upside down. With a couple of mouse clicks you save all the work of rescanning the photo again.
Retouching
There are functions that enable you to make small corrections to the image, such as removing dust, scratches or red eye or unwanted background objects, improving color balance or making the picture brighter.
Color and contrast
Playing with color and contrast can be very entertaining. You can create interesting changes, such as turning a color photo in black and white or adding some color to a black and white photo. There are also more subtle changes you can make to improve the image.
Basic tools
Just getting used to your software is a good start. Don’t let yourself overwhelmed by the high number of features available. Take baby steps instead, learning a little bit at a time.
Hand a zoom
The hand feature lets you move the image around the screen while keeping the same zoom level. Zoom allows you you to zoom in a lot, which is good for working at small details, such as making corrections with a small brush. Then you just zoom out to see the whole picture.
Selection tools
There are several types of selection tools you can use, allowing you to make adjustments on just a section of the picture. For example, if you have a photo you like but a portion of it is to dark, you can select that portion and increase its brightness. This way you avoid brightening the whole picture when there’s no need to. You can also use selection tools to cut something out of the photo.
Rubber stamp (clone)
This is a very useful tool which you are likely to be using a lot. It allows you to pick color and attributes from one part of the image and paste them somewhere else. For example, if you want to take an object out, you can pick the attributes from the area next to it and gradually stamp them over it. You will need to zoom in and zoom out to see how the picture turns out like and use different brush sizes. Check if the area you are cloning is solid or gradient color. You may need to work on the transparency level of the clone tool so that the area you covered doesn’t look patchy.
Text tool
You can use this tool to insert a text box into the picture. You can choose from the true type fonts available or insert artistic text, which in turn has a range of different fonts, but also lets you apply filters, stretch or manipulate the text the way you want.
Montaging and overlaying
Some photo editing applications allow you to combine several images to make a collage or overlay two or several images (similar to multiple exposure in film camera). From now on your creativity can go wild.
Hope this were some useful tips that will help you getting used to your photo editing software. Good luck!

There are many ways to make money online with photography, but a popular and fairly new way is through Micro Stock Photography websites.
Micro stock photography is simply stock photography that’s sold at deep discounts. Clients are able to license stock photos for just $1 or $2, and photographers earn money each time a client chooses one of their photos.
Micro stock photography is considered to be still in it’s infancy, and some people feel it’s wrong to sell photography at such low prices. Particularly since many professional photographers invest a lot of time and money on equipment, learning, and photo shoots.
For the beginning photographer though, micro stock photography agencies can be ideal places to start. Since entry requirements are not overly restrictive, many hobby photographers with inexpensive cameras have already started making a nice second income from their pictures.
How Does It Work?
The process of making money from your photography through micro stock agencies is fairly simple.
1. Research popular micro stock photography agencies online. There are quite a few of them, but you’ll want to start with just one or two until you get the hang of things.
2. Choose your absolute best pictures to submit. Some agencies require you to submit 10 pictures for review when you apply for an account with them, while others only require three the first time. Most don’t have minimum requirements though, and you can start by submitting just one.
3. Your pictures will be reviewed by humans, and accepted or rejected into the micro stock photography site. If they’re accepted, they’ll be available for clients to “buy”.
Technically they’re not fully buying your pictures though. They’re simply licensing the pictures for specific use. Usually micro stock photography is used in websites, though sometimes it’s used in advertisements, brochures and other marketing materials. The photographer always retains full copyrights to their photos though, and is normally able to sell the same photos over and over again to additional clients.
And this is the beauty of stock photography. Once you’ve taken a great picture and had it accepted into a stock photography portfolio, that one picture can continue earning you money month after month… sometimes year after year.
Most micro stock photography agencies pay $0.20 – $0.50 per picture license, or download. This may not seem like much, however a good photographer with several hundred pictures for sale could make a nice second income over time, because it all adds up!
There’s a lot more to the stock photography business, which we don’t have room to cover in just one article. You’ll find expanded details about making money with stock photography in this article though: “Can Photographers Make Money With Stock Photography?” found at: http://www.stocktography.com/Making-Money.php