Photography Blog

Hugh Parker asked:




No doubt your home is filled with scrapbooks and photo albums overflowing with pictures of the past. You may even have a box of photos yet to be entombed in any form of structured memory storage. The various frames that pack your shelves and tabletops are beginning to pervade your living space. You’re in need of a new way to display your images. You want the look of fine art and elegance. And there are two ways to achieve this. Traditionally, people have chosen to transfer their photos onto ordinary matting and arrange them in framing for final presentation. But now, a new and innovative form of imagery is catching the eye of amateurs and artists alike- canvas photos.

Unlike customary matted portraits, your pictures will come alive when seamlessly transmitted onto soft and sturdy canvas and wrapped on a solid wood frame. And your images will look as animated and vibrant as the day you took them! The quality of craftsmanship that comes with a canvas photo is guaranteed to last as long as you own the picture- and well after. These portraits make the perfect heirlooms to pass on to your family. Your pictures will be more beautiful than any embellished scrapbook page, and can be easily viewed, unlike flipping through the pages of a photo album. And canvas photos are an extremely affordable work of art. Take a look at our comparison of matted versus canvas photos, and you’ll see just how the competition stacks up.

Cost: The cost of any photo is dependant upon its size. You can purchase both matted and canvas photos in dimensions big and small. But compare the price. A matted frame of 8 x 10 proportion can cost as much as $50. In contrast, the charge for an 8 x 10 photo printed on canvas can be as few as $25- that’s half the price! The difference in dollars for a larger size portrait is even more dramatic. If you’re looking to hang your picture above the mantelpiece, a 20 x 30 matted frame will cost you upwards of $250, but a canvas photo of the same size can be purchased for less than $100. That’s a savings of $150 or more!

Quality: Matted photos, though displayed beautifully, can tend to take on a one-dimensional existence. They appear flat and lifeless. But a canvas photo can awaken a memory trapped in time! Perhaps you’ve snapped a special photo of your natural surroundings. The desolate backdrop of a desert, the cool serenity of a lake shore, the chaos and confusion of the big city. A canvas photo will breathe new life into any image- feel the sun on your face once more, sooth yourself with the lapping lake waves, and listen to the buzz of the city streets.

Durability: Why worry with broken glass and chipped frames? Matted photos can be damaged so easily that the average picture needs to be replaced after just a few years. Canvas photos are resistant to normal wear and tear, making them the most resilient form of photo imagery. The life expectancy of a canvas photo can be as much as 100 years if maintained properly, making it the perfect family heirloom.

Whether it’s affordability durability, or artistic quality you’re looking for, you’ll find it all with canvas photos!

Anthony Smith asked:




1. How many pictures will you take of me?

2. How long will the session last?

3. How many different looks are included in the price?

4. How do you direct the actor during your sessions? In other words, do you help the actor to come up with different expressions or is the actor responsible for doing that on her own?

5. What colors should I not wear? What color would be best to include in my wardrobe?

6. What happens once the session is complete? How do I get my pictures?

7. How will I view them?

8. What will you give me? A cd with the photos? Will you upload them to a website for me to view?

9. How will/can I make copies? How much will they cost?

10. What about retouching? Do you offer that service as well? Is there someone you can recommend?

11. What about hair and make up during the shoot? Do you provide that service? If so, is it included in the price? Do you have any recommendations with regard to hair and make up? (This is also a moment to express any concerns you have about blemishes you would like not to be visible in your photos, etc.

Sarn Anattar asked:




This article explains a few things about photography, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know, especially when you want to join some of forums and discussions about this topics, then this article will be useful for you more or less, in order for you to get some of new ideas from the discussions you have joined.

As there are so many photography novices are very concerns about their techniques to get good quality photographs. As we all know that there is no one who can be called the photograph expert, who could come to us and give some tips and techniques for novices like us, unless you pay a bit of money to join photograph school. What we are doing when we take photo graph is to find the best quality camera, and believe that that magic functions of the camera (as advertised) will help us to get good quality pictures without having other specific technique of photography.

In fact, this is quite true but just some part of the whole truth. We take photograph by ourselves only when it is informal occasions, such as when you are traveling to other places with your friends or take photographs during family part. However, in our life time, there are still so many occasions that need formal picture and may need a photograph professional to take care of this stuff, the example of there occasions are weeding ceremony or wedding reception, graduation ceremony etc. That is precisely why at most important occasions people hire the services of a professional photographer.

Therefore, we may need a professional for these occasions but in the mean time, the cost for hiring a professional photographer is very high and very difficult for someone who has very limited budget. So for many photograph newbies, then try to find photography tips in order to help them to get good quality pictures without paying fortune for professional. Here is some tips for you, which I have gather some of them for professionals that I have known recently.

Firstly, try to get everyone into the picture frame. It is the fact that sometimes when novice taking photograph, they did not ask everyone who want to take a picture included in the picture frame, then when the film is developed there is someone is not included in the picture and this is really ashamed. For you, as a beginner this mistake is usually happened, Therefore you have to make sure that you guide everyone to include themselves in the frame before taking a shot because they will never know until the photographer tell them.

Secondly, when you shooting outdoor, many of beginners have trouble with sunlight direction which really effect to the quality of picture. You have to make sure that you will not shooting directly with the sunlight, which will create the dark shade on the picture. You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about photography. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far.

Ted Burns asked:




So, you want to know how to become a photographer? Perhaps you love the idea of taking pictures. Maybe friends and family keep telling you that you have a natural eye for it, for creating just the right composition out of any situation. Well, that is definitely a good starting point. There was a time when being a photographer meant just getting yourself a decent 35mm camera and going out and snapping pictures on a casual basis. You opened a shop, placed some ads, and promoted yourself. It is not quite so easy any more.

Taking Classes

These days, the first step to learn how to become a photographer normally starts in the classroom. Now, don’t think that you have to stop your current job and become a full-time student. On no, not thanks to our modern high-tech world. Simply spending a little investigative time on the Internet and doing a quick search, you can find a whole host of Vo-techs, colleges, universities, and trade schools that offer a veritable cornucopia of online classes that completely cover the subject of how to become a photographer. You might think, wait a minute, first off, how can I take photo classes online?

And second, just how many classes could I possibly need simply to learn how to point and shoot? Okay, to answer the first, do not fret. These institutions know what they are doing. The classes are fully outlined, and you are sent all the study material via snail-mail, or they can be downloaded as PDF documents. The training takes you step-by-step through every class in the Concerning the Class content. Learning how to become a photographer involves a whole lot more than simply “point and click.”

What is Involved in the Profession?

If you are going to learn to become a photographer, you need a good grasp of how to set up a shot. One critical factor in a photo is lighting. Some evening, try taking a picture of the moon and see how it comes out. Your classes will help you to learn about that. If you plan to open a small studio taking portraits, doing weddings, and other family gatherings, you will need to learn how to run a business. That is also covered in the lesson plan for learning how to become a photographer. Of course, there is also the question of just what type of photography you want to do as a personal preference.

There are quite a few possibilities available. You like celebrities, politicians, sports figures? You could spend your time chasing them around the globe. Or, if you pooh-pooh such things and consider yourself an artist, you could study to be the next Ansel Adams. His pictures hang in art museums all over the world! So, think long and hard as you study how to become a photographer. There is a lot involved in it and a lot of potential for a bright future, either as a hobby or professionally. In the end, your enjoyment will only increase through training.

George Godoy asked:




Levitation is a big part of Criss Angel’s repertoire. He has fascinated crowds all over the globe by floating off the ground, seemingly without any supporting device, special equipment or wires. On his television show Mindfreak he once floated off the ground about two feet and gently landed on a cement ledge to the amazement of spectators on a busy street.

So how is this done? How does Criss Angel levitate himself? It’s actually easier than you think. In a recent video Criss Angel shows some of his friends how this is done.

This form of levitation involves standing in front of an prop, like a metal box, chair, or stair case with your back to the audience. In this demonstration Criss stands approximately one foot from the prop, in this case a metal box.

He places his feet together (his shoes are magnetized). He stands so he is in the center of the spectators. Now while talking to his audience he uses misdirection with his right hand while his left hand opens a panel on his pants that allows his right leg to come out.

This is the gimmick, the right shoe is attached to the pants so when his leg is out of the shoe, the shoe will hang.

The critical point is removing the right leg from the slit in the pants. Criss again misdirects. The importance being he doesn’t want spectators concentrating on his legs. This is the most difficult part of the trick, actually getting the leg out and firmly planted on the box. Engaging the spectators with speech and hand movements allows Criss the split second needed to accomplish this.

Just before he rises from the ground Criss arches his back looking up, extends his arms outwards and takes deep breaths. This wraps the spectators in anticipation and allows Criss the time to balance himself.

He floats up. His arms outstreached, his eyes gazing upwards. His legs remain straight, heels together, floating two feet off the ground. “How does it look?”, Criss asks the three or four friends that have gathered. “Looks good.”, someone answers.

Criss explains that from this point he can float to the top of the box or float back down. If he floats to the top his foot is placed on top of the right shoe. The exposed leg is then slipped back into the pants and shoe.

Criss would then end the act by turning to his spectators, observing their expressions and saying something like, “Do you believe?”

Well do you?

Andrew Goodall asked:




Great rainforest photography is like all nature photography. You get the best results when you concentrate on nature and light, not on technology. Yes, you need a decent camera, and you must know how to use it. But results in rainforest photography are not about the price tag on your camera. If you have a tripod, and a camera that allows you to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, you are set to go.

I make my living from nature photography, including a lot of rainforest photos, and I have never relied on the latest equipment for my work. Great rainforest photography is simply about finding an eye-catching subject, in good light, and having a creative eye for composition.

Note: The following tips are for photos of rainforest scenes, not for close-up photos of leaves, fungus etc.

Rainforest Photography Tip #1: Choose a subject. As they say in the classics, “It’s a jungle out there.” In the rainforest, you are confronted with foliage, branches, roots, rocks, vines…in your face and all around you. A really good rainforest photo requires structure, to make some visual sense of all that clutter. Look for something that is immediately eye-catching – a big tree that dominates the trees around it; a root system that leads the eye; a waterfall or stream; in short, something that you can build a composition around.

Rainforest Photography Tip #2: Use the best natural light. The mistake almost everybody makes at first is to take their rainforest photos on a bright sunny day when they are in the mood for a walk. Wrong! In full sunlight, the rainforest becomes a patchwork of light and shade that is impossible to expose properly. What you need is a cloudy day, when the light is much more even. Misty weather adds even more atmosphere to the rainforest, and can add a mysterious character to your rainforest photo.

Do not use a flash. The flash illuminates the scene with flat, white light, eliminating the gentle play of natural light and shade that gives the rainforest its character. Always use the natural light.

Rainforest Photography Tip #3: Carry a tripod. Taking your rainforest photo under a heavy tree canopy, on a cloudy day (see rainforest photography tip #2), means the level of light will be very low. You may be shooting at shutter speeds as slow as one or two seconds. You will always need your tripod, and it is best to avoid windy days so that the scene is as still as possible.

Rainforest Photography Tip #4: Use a wide-angle lens (or a zoom lens, zoomed back to its widest angle). The wide angle lens has several advantages for rainforest photography. Firstly, it exaggerates the sense of perspective in a photo, creating a sense of three dimensional depth. Viewers of your photo will feel like they are looking not just at a rainforest, but into it. Secondly, the wide-angle lens has a naturally wide depth of field. With so much detail all around you, it is important that you can keep both the foreground and the background in focus.

Rainforest Photography Tip #5: Stay on the path. There are some practical reasons for staying on the path when bushwalking. You minimize the possibility of getting lost, injured, or fined by some over-officious park ranger. The people who run the national parks are not stupid. They know what you want to see, and design their trails accordingly. Sticking to the path will not rob you of any great photo opportunities.

In terms of rainforest photography, you are able to create some distance between you and the foliage around you. It is much easier to photograph a tree when you don’t have the branch of another tree in your face. By staying on the path, you can get a clear view of your subject, without interference. You can even use the path as part of the composition in your rainforest photo. It is an excellent way of inviting the viewer to join you on your walk in the rainforest.

So there you have my five rainforest photography tips. Notice they concentrate on light and creativity, not on fancy techniques or equipment. You can make great improvements in all your nature photography this way, regardless of what type of camera you have.

Spencer Wood asked:




To understand the history of the image and in particular, the photographic image, one has to consider the ancient civilizations.  Egyptian paintings and works of art are well documented but it wasn’t until the rise of the Roman Empire that the portrait flourished.  Roman portraits primarily took the form of a sculpture and it was particularly fashionable to depict an unflattering representation of the subject.  Our seemingly modern fascination with perfection can be traced back to France during the middle ages when the trend shifted to producing painted portraits that favoured an idealized symbol of what the person looked like.

Due to the enormous cost, commissioning a painted or sculptured portrait was an act reserved only for royalty and the very highest within society.  To meet the high demand for inexpensive portraiture saw the invention of the daguerreotype during the middle of the 19th century that employed numerous physical and chemical discoveries of the era.  This was essentially an early type of photograph in which the image is exposed directly onto a photosensitive plate.  Further refinement of the design and processes as well as advancements in photographic glass plates reduced the cost and a large number of photographic studios in major cities around the world began to offer photographic services to the masses.  

Development of the photographic film towards the end of the 19th century replaced photographic plates.  Photography and the professional photographer were no longer confined to the studio.  A great many advances in the technology led to the appearance of the modern 35mm and compact film cameras used today.  The costs were further reduced to the point where cameras became disposable as early as the mid eighties.  The inclusion of a variety of cameras in the basket of 650 goods used to calculate the Retail Price Index for almost two decades is testament to the popularity of photography.  The 35mm camera was only recently removed in 2006 when it was replaced with the digital camera.

Digital cameras first became commercially available in the very early nineties and saw the replacement of film with a photon sensitive chip and rewriteable memory cards.   There are many advantages when comparing digital against film.   One such advantage is that the physical size of a camera can be reduced such that it can be incorporated into a mobile phone.   Despite initially being very expensive, digital overtook film in developed countries in 2002 and the technology is now cheap enough to allow for disposable digital cameras.   Photography as a profession, as a hobby and part of popular culture has become even more accessible thanks to the digital technology to the point that the percentage of the UK population owning a digital camera or camera phone has risen to 90% according to a recent survey.  

Shipment volumes of digital cameras have been rising year on year and totalling 7.5 million units in 2007.  Total digital camera sales hit 50 million in 2003, rising to 114 million in 2007 and forecasts don’t predict slowdown due to market saturation any time before 2010.

The digital revolution has made the transition of getting an image from the camera lens to the computer screen a trivial exercise.  Retouching encompasses everything from modest enhancement to restoration and recovery of an otherwise objectionable or unusable image. Photographic retouching is often considered to be a modern concept due to recent advances in computer performance and software capability besides the relatively recent introduction of the digital camera itself.  However, this is far from the truth.  

Photo manipulation is as old as photography itself.  Joseph Stalin regularly made use of photo retouching techniques for propaganda purposes as early as the 1920s.  Before computers, photo manipulation was achieved by retouching with ink, paint, double exposure and piecing photos or negatives together in the darkroom.

“Photoshopping” is slang for the digital editing of photographs; the term originating from Adobe Photoshop, the image editor most commonly used by professionals for this purpose.   The 1980s saw the advent of digital retouching.  Before digital cameras became widely obtainable, the most common way of getting a print onto a computer was via a scanner.  The processing power needed to manipulate large images has up until recently been beyond the reach of most.  Purchasing expensive custom hardware from leading manufactures of the time, Silicon Graphics and Apple Macintosh was unavoidable.

The number of households in the UK owning a personal computer capable of image retouching is around 65%.  This combined with the extremely large portion of the population owning equipment capable of taking digital photos; one would imagine that a sizable number of individuals would be retouching their own photographs to meet their ever increasing desires for flawlessness.

Retouching software is varied in functionality and the cost of some of the less capable packages is inexpensive when compared to the price of computer and camera equipment.   Becoming proficient in retouching however is not just a one off purchase.  A great deal of patience and commitment to acquiring the necessary skills is required.  Furthermore, an artistic flare is more often than not an advantage.  The act of retouching is also a time consuming affair.  A recent study has shown that lifestyles are changing.  Working and commuting hours are increasing and social calendars are becoming crowded.  To compensate for this, a culture of contracting out tasks that are either time consuming, requiring effort or are considered tedious is increasingly becoming the norm.  For instance, it is not uncommon for tired office workers to pay to have their shirts ironed and hand car washing businesses in public car parks are thriving.  A recent study showed that 48% of homes in Britain employ an average of three outside helpers at a cost of £20 billion; undertaking a range of tasks from dog walking to personal shopping.

Photographs, on a personal level, can become treasured items.  In addition to documenting events and special occasions they capture moments in time of friends and loved ones.   Weddings, holidays, graduations and children growing up are popular photographic opportunities that are often unrepeatable in nature.  Making the most of the available photographs is favourable.  Photographs also have more pragmatic uses as it makes good business sense to showcase products and services to potential customers in the most attractive way.  Allowing all types of images to look their finest through retouching is both appealing and beneficial.

Advances in computer and networking technology have led to the inevitable rise and subsequent dominance of the Internet.  The number of households having access to the World Wide Web via high speed broadband connections in the UK is around 55%.  $259 billion of online sales including travel occurred in 2007 in the US; an 18% increase from the previous year14.  It is advantageous for businesses and services such as traditional high street retailers, banks, restaurants, tourist attractions, estate agents and hotels to secure and maintain an online presence and in turn, the demand for high quality images looks set to increase.

Images are required for a wide selection of applications.  Besides the recent emergence of the online paradigm as highlighted above, demand for traditional photography services remains strong such as wedding, portraiture, sports and journalism to name but a few.  Meeting this demand for imagery is now easier than ever thanks to the profusion of photographic equipment.  Photographs of an exceptional standard that satisfy our need for perfection however are reserved only for big business and those with deep pockets.  All photographs, whether or not they were taken professionally, can benefit from some degree of retouching; a term which covers all forms of manipulation and enhancement.  It is not uncommon for magazine cover photographs, despite having been taken by notable professional photographers using the very best equipment, to undergo hours of post production work to produce the perfect image.

To achieve faultless images, a number of companies and individuals currently offer specialist retouching services to the big industry players, often on a contract basis.  It is also becoming commonplace for photographers to invest in the tools required to manipulate images and become proficient in their use in order to meet the increasing demands of the client.  Such services are expensive and are not aimed at the mass market.  The only real solution available to the general public is to purchase a suitable computer and acquire the knowledge to create masterpieces of their own images using relatively costly retouching software. A number of companies now offer online retouching services and make the whole process easy and affordable for individuals and businesses alike. One such company is London based Retouch Genie Ltd – Photo retouch, image enhancement and photo restoration.

The yearning to look flawless and conform to contemporary ideals is not a new concept.  For hundreds of years Chinese women bound their feet to stunt growth and in Elizabethan times wore corsets which caused broken ribs all for a desirable curvy silhouette.  In recent years however, celebrity obsession, glossy magazines, television makeover shows, fashion, pharmaceuticals, weight-loss and advertising industries, rightly or wrongly, have intensified the quest for perfection.  In the UK, the number of cosmetic surgical procedures carried out has increased by a third between 2004 and 2006.

From a number of business applications, selling items in online auctions, social networking profiles, online dating, leisure, tourism and travel, the perfect image has many diverse and varied applications and the photographic retouching industry is likely to grow as a result.

 

Thomas Jack asked:






There was a time when you had to wait for days in order to get your photos processed and then too, there were reported instances when the picture quality was less, or the number of pictures developed were less etc. But today, things are slightly different. You need not compromise on the quality of the pictures any more, neither do you need to wait for unending days to see your photos developed.

Photo processing has become extremely easy. Your photos can be developed in not more than an hour. It might sound like magic to those who are used to follow the tedious photo developing technique of the bygone days. Moreover, these photo processing processes also guarantee a much better quality of photos which is amazing in comparison to the traditional photographs that we are used to seeing.

While all other things are in control, the only factor which is not impressive is the fact that these photo processing techniques have actually increased the price of the photo development. They are no longer as cheap as we know them to be. The technically upgraded photo processing techniques are more expensive than the traditional ones.

Hence the next time you go for photo processing techniques make sure that you get your pictures processed through a reputed digital photo processing house which will take care of your photos being processed properly that too at the right time always.

Photo processing services at some of these photo developing workstations are excellent. They provide good customer service and ensure complete satisfaction of each customer looking for good quality photo processing services.

Now a days you can even get photo processing services online, which are extremely easy. All you need to do is upload pictures online and then order for photo processing of these photos. The photos will be processed and sent to your billing address at reasonable rate and excellent quality.