Photography Blog

Almost everyone owns a digital camera these days and can take pleasing photos. It can be tempting for resort and hotel owners to save money by taking photos themselves or hiring a local photographer that doesn’t necessarily specialize in hotel photography. Pleasing photos and professional photos are not the same thing, however.
Hiring a professional resort and hotel photographer can make a huge impact on a business’s bottom line. Oftentimes a brochure or website is the only opportunity a hotel has to make a first impression. Poor photography can turn potential guests away simply because they judge the quality of the resort based on the photos.
There are certain things to take into consideration when hiring a hotel photographer. By reviewing each of these points carefully with potential candidates, you can feel confident that your choice in the end will be the right one!
The Right Equipment for the Job
Striking hotel photographs start with the right equipment. It is imperative that professional resort and hotel photographers have the specialized lighting required to properly light large spaces such as hotel suites, ballrooms, lobbies and restaurants. Without proper lighting, the outside light may be burned out eliminating details both outside and inside.
Having a wide variety of wide-angle lenses is also required for properly photographing hotels and resorts. A wider lens shows the expanse of the room and can make even the smallest of hotel rooms look comfortable and inviting.
Hotel Photography Experience
Obviously, photography experience in general is a must when hiring a resort and hotel photographer. It is important to ask to see samples of work similar to your hotel as well. If the photographer shows an entire portfolio filled with stunning wedding shots, they may not have the experience necessary to photograph resorts and hotels.
An experienced hotel photographer knows how to stage a room based on the clientele. A business hotel might have a newspaper and laptop on the table versus a tennis racket and romantic dinner in a luxury resort. They will also have a keen eye for pinning back the curtains correctly or making sure the bedspreads are folded down.
Hotel Advertising and Marketing Experience
Beyond experience photographing resorts and hotels, it is important for a photographer to have knowledge of advertising and marketing. Hotel photographs are generally used to market and sell rooms. A photographer with experience in this aspect of photography will be able to choose models of the appropriate age to represent the average guest. They will seek out potential settings with the best views and best representations of the hotel. And the fact that these photos will be used to sell is never far from their mind.
Business Practices
In the end, it all comes down to the photos themselves. Different hotel photographers have different policies about how their photographs are purchased, presented and used. The best scenario when choosing a hotel photographer is to find one that provides clients with all of the digital files so that they can use them in different formats (print, web, etc) Some hotel photographers charge royalty fees, so it is best to choose one who offers unlimited use.
As the photographer what happens if the photographs are not acceptable in the end? Most reputable resort and hotel photographers will offer a guarantee and re-shoot if necessary.

Photography is an art and it takes a passionate and skilful photographer to fully capture the beauty of his/ her subject(s). Choose your wedding photographer after careful deliberation and with prudence. After all, how you will remember your wedding day will depend on your memories and the wedding photo album. Memories fade away, but pictures last forever.
Sourcing a Photographer
You can look for a photographer in your locality by examining various sources such as the Yellow Pages, billboards, newspapers, or the Web. Of course, the best option remains the ‘word of mouth’ recommendation. A friend/ relative who got married recently can give you an honest opinion and have a first-hand knowledge of the photographer’s professionalism.
If they strongly recommend their photographer based on what he/ she did for their wedding, grab the opportunity to enquire further. However, restrain yourself from booking him or her until you have a look at his/ her portfolio! Beauty is subjective and for all you know, you may not agree with your friend’s or relative’s perception of “what is beautiful.” It makes sense to decide based on your personal preferences.
Important Factors to Consider
You should choose a photographer based on his/ her technique and pricing.
Technique: A wedding may be captured using various techniques or styles such as traditional, formal, casual, or candid. A skilled photographer should include a variety of techniques in his offering. Choose someone who incorporates various styles in his/ her photography and adapts to every occasion and moment. He or she should take casual and candid pictures that are natural and spontaneous rather than make you ‘pose’ for every snap. Always choose a photographer based on his entire work, not selective work as shown in his/ her portfolio. His/ her portfolio will include only the best of his/ her work, which can be misleading.
Price: Are you wondering how much of your wedding budget you should allocate to the wedding photographer? The standard norm is to allot about 10-15% of your total wedding budget for the photographer, which can be anywhere from $500 to $10,000. You can get a basic package for a price of $1,500 or, if you have a small budget, you could try hiring a part-time photographer or a student photographer. Prior to finalizing the deal with the photographer, make sure to enquire about what is included in his/ her services.
After you have scrutinized the technique, style, versatility, and price the photographer offers, you can schedule a meeting with him/ her. Before the meeting, you should already have a good idea of what the photographer has to offer and the objective of the meeting should be mainly to validate your decision. Be yourself, try to strike a good rapport, and discuss your wedding details.
Photographer’s Personality
It is vital for you to strike a good rapport in the initial meeting. If the photographer’s personality or demeanour does not match yours (if there’s no fit), he/ she will be unable to mingle with the guests or interact with them when taking pictures. Also, good results in the form of good pictures are possible only if you feel comfortable collaborating with the photographer.
Brief the Photographer About the Wedding
Once you have decided to hire the photographer, briefly outline the details of the wedding such as location, date, time, sequence of events, and other aspects that the photographer needs to know. This will give him/ her time to plan his/ her activities as well as come up with creative and innovative ideas or ways in which he/ she can present your wedding with elegance, grace, and charm.
We hope these tips will help you make the right decision in choosing the appropriate photographer. As years pass by, you will be able to show your children, friends, and relatives what a splendid wedding yours was and also bring back fond memories of the wedding to your partner. We cannot stop time, but it is possible to capture the most memorable moments of our lives for ETERNITY!

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer for your Wedding and things to consider.

Here are some tips to help you Choose your Wedding Photographer for your special Day.

1. Ask your friends for a personal referral, most couples are the best sources for choosing.. been there done that sort of thing so, take their advice since experience is a good gauge to judge photographers. Build a short list of wedding photographers and do your research. Take time out and see which photographers styles best suit your taste and budget.

2. Dont Settle for mediocre, go for the best that you can afford. For an added bonus, find out if any of your guests is into photography, you may be pleasantly surprised at their skills to deliver better candid shots since photographer and crew are highly focused on the ceromonies.

3. Visit their Websites, Since this is a digital world now, most photographers should be online.. techonology has been the name of the game and any decent photographer should have the capacity to even setup a basic website… its all in the photos, they should speak for themselves. Try to concentrate on photos and not on the effects of the web design.

4. Talk to propective photographers, call or email them and get a feel of what they are like, check your wedding days and ask him personally what is his specialty, does he prefer the candid approach, photojournalistic approach or a combination of both.. try to get a feel if you can trust your most important day in your life to the photographer.. beware of the wine and dine approach. Personality is so much better than Pesonality.

5. Make an Appointment and take time out to get to know your photographer, He should be more than willing to share his time and show you his past work for you to evaluate and dream how your wedding should be executed and share this with him. Remeber that you are on the same side and that by talking to him, you open possibilities for potential images. Tell him your dos and donts when it comes to your wedding, he should understand and respect your wishes.

6. If in doubt, dont be scared to ASK! you are paying for services and you should know limitations of what you buy, your confidence in the product is a big big plus.

Some questions to clarify before you sign up.

1. What’s your photographers style? photojournalistic, creative, artistic, traditional?

2. Do you shoot in color or black and white? Can you specify if you want a mix of both

3. What kind of input can we have on the direction of the shots? Can we give you a shot list to work from?

4. Will you be the actual wedding photographer taking the photos? or will it be your assistant?

5. Will you be shooting other engaments on the same date? Some photographers do double bookings so be sure!

6. Is there any special equiptment that will be needed? Churches and hotels require some permits before equiptment is brough in.

7. Do you edit your own photos? or do you have a graphic artist? ask for samples.

8. Can we buy the raw files from you or is it included in your package? if so how much would it cost?

9. Personality.. does he get along with both you and your hubby? some photographers style be offensive to some the antics and effect done may rub off the wrong way if you dont get along well with your photographer.

Once you have given your commitment, and taken your time out to know the person.. sit back and relax and let him do what he does best and that is to let him take photos of your wedding. Remember if you impose too many restrictions on the photographer, he may lose the interest and passion that drives his photography. Give him some room to create wonderful images.

Things to AVOID when choosing a photographer.

1. When emailing them or calling a photographer, please be personal and dont do the shotgun approach and email 100+ photographers on one go.. without the decency to even blind cc the other photographers.. this is a big turn off and photographer will instanly know that you are looking for the cheapest without consideration for price.

2. Set appointment that you can keep, keep to your time and show the photographer that you mean business. Being late to a meeting is a sign that you dont really consider punctuality as a valid concern.

3. Trust the photographer in his selection of shots, if you dictate your shots and tell him how to do his work then your photos will not come out as you expect because the tension and frustration will come out in his images.

4. You are hiring a Professional, so treat them like Professionals, dont make them do things, carry bags or do errands on your special day.. let them feel that they are sharing this special day for your and that that is his main concern to show you the event that you dont see on your wedding day. The things that may make a difference, like reaction of the crowd to thing you do as a couple.

5. Please make arrangement for the Photographer to take his lunch or dinner or what refreshments that may arise. He is human and needs to eat.. he gets tired too and he has feelings. If you treat him like household help, he may return the favor to you and the effects may be seen in your photo. He is there to work.. give him the proper respect and treatment.. if you go out of your way for him.. he will surely do the same.

Good Luck and happy hunting!

There are various types of digital cameras made by different manufacturers with different features. Among all, selecting the right digital camera which is suitable for you is not a typical task if you follow these techniques.

1. Resolution

2. Optical zoom

3. Digital zoom

4. memory

5. Usability

6. Investigate

These techniques are explained as follows:

Resolution

Each and every digital camera has certain resolution factor. Most advanced cameras will have high resolution where as the normal digital cameras will have low resolution.

Basically the picture resolution will be dependent on pixel rating. The resolution of the camera will vary for different cameras with different pixel count.

The cameras which have high resolution power produce larger images and the rate of these cameras will also be high. Normal and average photographer need not require these cameras with high resolution.

Most probably these high resolution cameras are preferred by professional or expert photographers. They also don’t use these cameras all the times (except for taking special pictures).

Optical zoom

Optical zoom is necessary to view the object in large size. Almost all digital cameras will have this optical zoom facility. Before buying the camera, you must check the optical zoom present in it and you must not afford it if it has the optical zoom less than 2.

Digital zoom

Digital zoom is used to increase the size of the picture. Most of the digital cameras offer this digital zoom facility. Check out the clarity levels of the picture clearly when you increase the size of it because some of the pictures will loose their clarity if you apply digital zoom to them.

Memory

Before getting the new digital camera know how much memory is present in it. Most of the digital cameras will have less memory to store more number of snaps in it. So, better along with your digital camera get the extra memory card which has enough space to store more snaps in it.

Usability

You have to select the camera depending on your usability. If you have high usage of it, go for advanced cameras which provide more techniques and high resolution or else if you have less usage of it better get the digital cameras which don’t have high resolution and more advanced techniques. So, depending upon the usage you have to select the right camera suitable for you.

Investigate

After getting your new digital camera, investigate it on various aspects by knowing what are the different modes and new techniques present in it. Try to learn all the techniques regarding how to handle it properly without causing any damage to it before using your new digital camera for the first time.

Do you like to know the reason behind this? Some cameras will be damaged easily if you don’t handle them in the right way. So, to avoid this situation try to know how to handle it in the right way.

Other than these things, you should also get all the necessary accessories required for your camera when you get the new digital camera. These accessories will be helpful to you in more number of ways and they also prevent the damage of your digital camera. Visit Digital Picture Zone

My top 20 key questions to ask yourself when buying a digital camera.1. How many “megapixels” /resolution?Once and for all, at least to me, you have to get the highest resolution your money can buy at the time you buy. Period.2. Who made the lens? Most cameras will give you an idea where the lens was made just by looking at the front of the lens. Know if the lens of your camera came from a reputable company like Leica, Zeiss, Canon, Etc… Lens quality is one of the most important factors you should consider especially if you’re going to use it for commercial, technical or scientific purposes.3. Will I need interchangeable lenses? How many are available for my specific camera in mind?Having the option of interchangeable lenses gives you the freedom to experiment with different kinds of focal lengths. Although some P&S (point and shoot) cameras can rival DSLR’s with a generous zoom range for a non interchangeable lens system. Also note the number of lenses available for use with your specific camera because of flexibility reasons. You can practically cover the entire “zoom range” with interchangeable lenses versus modest zoom ranges on non interchangeable lens systems or P&S cameras.4. Does it have a zoom capability? What’s the range?Almost all applications that I listed above will need some form of zooming in (telephoto) or out (wide angle), especially if you don’t have the space to move around the object you are shooting. For Landscape shots, wide angle shots are very common and appealing while zooming in on the details serves as a break and complements the wide angle shots. For weddings and events, you need a zoom because there will be times where you are limited by the shooting space and you will have a difficult time moving around. Its a good thing to know that you can do all sorts of framing without even moving from your position.A nice zoom will give you the efficiency and versatility in your photography, so my suggestion is to go for the longest range you can get (usually from a 7X to a 10X for Point and Shoots).Also note the speed of zooming in or out as this will be a factor if you’re shooting events like weddings. You will fail to capture that “decisive moment” on a mediocre zoom speed.5. Does it have the provision to capture raw images?Many photographers will say you’ll need this digital camera feature if you want to have big prints from your pictures. Although this is correct, the main reason why you will want this is because of the benefit it will give you…pure total control of your pictures… from exposure, color, metadata, hdr and a lot more.6. Can I attach an external flash?Having an external flash capability will give you the power and creative freedom to light your subjects any which way you like. You can connect your digital camera to all sorts of lighting equipment thus giving you more options and versatility. This comes in the form of a hotshoe or a PC-Sync socket. If your digital camera doesn’t have this feature, there is still hope because accessories called flash slaves are being sold by third party companies in different flavors that will also do the same job more or less.7. Does it have a tripod socket?Some of the most beautiful landscape pictures that I’ve seen are undoubtedly made with a tripod, so this is a must have if you are planning to do this kind of photography.The “available light shots” in a wedding, still life and product shots, studio and fine art shots … all need a tripod for successful execution… so guess what happens if you don’t have a tripod socket?… You cannot effectively use a tripod!8. Does it have automatic and manual focusing?It will not be evident at first why you’ll need this especially if you’re just starting out in photography. But if you’re like me… A total control freak when it comes to cameras… and you really want to express your creative side, this is definitely a must have.9. Can you attach filters to it? and what filter size?Creative expression through special effects is just one of the many reasons that makes photography fun and interesting, and experimenting with filters is one creative pursuit you should try with your photography especially if you’re a beginner. Always remember to ask if the particular digital camera you are eyeing for can handle filters and ask for the filter size. (To save you from buying the right filter with the wrong filter size) Please note that most Digital SLRs should be able to to handle filters as most lenses that come with it have a filter thread built into the lens.Most P&S (point and shoot) digital cameras normally doesn’t have a filter thread built-in and might need special accessories to accomplish this so you should check to know for sure.Again, there are many third party accessories that you could buy to adapt filters to your P&S digital cameras that don’t have this provisions. I’ll discuss all about this in a future post so watch for it. (Or subscribe to my announcement list (feed via email) so you’ll know when it’s up. 10. Can I upgrade the firmware?The good thing about some digital camera manufacturers is that they keep on improving their digital cameras even after they sold it to you… this comes in the form of a firmware upgrade. Usually this involves an improvement on one or many features of a camera. Be sure that the digital camera you’re planning to buy has an easy way of upgrading its firmware. This comes in the form of either an easy download via the manufacturer’s website (find it and bookmark it now) or a FREE CDROM.Another caveat – be sure to consider if a downgrade is also possible or available with your digital camera… Why is there a need a downgrade you ask?… Because, you may want to reinstall an earlier firmware… just in case you don’t like the results from a firmware upgrade.Occasionally there’s a feature that will be removed by the upgrade that you failed to read about and you decided that you just want to keep that feature instead of a bunch of trivial upgrades from the new firmware. (Yes, I personally experienced this.)11. Are there extra goodies or software that come with it?Some people ignore the fact that you can save a lot of money just by doing a simple arithmetic. Did you know that you could actually get your digital camera for a lot less if you study the deals and offers on the marketplace?If you buy a digital camera and it comes with software that you can really use… like photoshop, elements, or any other image editing software for that matter, then you already saved some money you would otherwise spend. Some dealers will throw in lots of extras… If you just simply ask.Always try to ask for these things that you’ll end up buying anyway if you don’t – like camera bags, extra lenses, extra batteries, memory cards, tripod, lens cleaners etc. Trust me… you will end up buying these things if you don’t ask for it on the deal. What have you got to lose? Simply ASK. Would you believe that I effectively lowered one of my camera purchase cost by as much as 30%? Ask away.12. Is there Local Support in your area?Finding the answer to this one will give you a great benefit in the long run. Wouldn’t you sleep better at night because you feel that extra security – that in case there is something wrong with your digital camera, you can bring it in for repair at a moments notice? Not knowing when your camera will be repaired (or if it even arrived at a distant repair facility) is one of the worst feelings a photographer can have especially if you’re in the middle of a photoshoot or project.13. What type of warranty does it have? Worldwide / Countrywide?If you travel a lot its good to know that a countrywide or even better – a worldwide warranty can get your camera fixed wherever you are. Always bring the warranty card and glue it on your camera bag.14. Does it have the ability to take video and audio?I know, most DSLRs don’t have this function. But some non interchangeable lens DSLRs have it. This is a very useful feature to have if you’re on a project or photoshoot and want to document or record a procedure, a moment, or an idea that you would otherwise have trouble remembering or even writing. It’s always a good idea to bring a P&S camera backup that have this function.The things that you could do with audio and videoclips on a photoshoot are only limited by your imagination… interviews, documentation, funny quips, training procedures, bloopers, etc..15. Does it have a manual white balance?White balance is one of the most interesting aspects of digital cameras. Its fun and fascinating to work with. Having this option puts the photography fun-o-meter way way up. In future posts, I will be discussing white balance in detail so be sure to stay tuned.16. How sensitive is it to infrared?If you’re planning to make infrared pictures or enter the exciting world of Infrared fine art photography then you’ll want to know if your digital camera can do it. TIP: There is a simple way to test how sensitive your digital camera is to infrared using a very common device – a TV remote control. For P&S, you can aim the remote control towards the lens and gauge how bright the LED from remote is. This should give you an idea how sensitive your digital camera is to infrared. For DSLRs you will need to take shots of the LED and experiment a little or you can simply research or google the particular camera model you have in mind for other people’s experiences and thoughts about it. 17. How high is the ISO sensitivity? Is it manually adjustable?ISO sensitivity is a term referring to the sensitivity of film to light. In the digital camera world, it refers to the sensitivity of the electronic sensor in your digital camera in relation to the ISO standard used for film.The higher the ISO sensitivity of your camera the faster or better it can record a specific amount of light.High ISO sensitivity is useful for taking better pictures in dark settings… such as inside a church or at night. The higher the ISO setting, the more details you can capture of a dark scene. One caveat – take note of the amount of noise a particular camera exhibits at higher ISOs. Some people like it and some don’t. Again, don’t be afraid to ask or do research on the noise characteristics of your camera model in mind to see if this is the right choice for you.18. How high or low can you set the shutterspeed? What are the minimum and maximum aperture settings?Shutterspeed and aperture settings are the basic mechanisms that drive your camera and controls the amount of light that is exposed by the film or image sensor. You use high shutterspeeds in action shots and to prevent camera shake, and you use low shutterspeeds for movement effects and bulb or long exposures. You can check for these figures on the websites that I gave you in part 1. You can see it in the technical specifications for a particular camera. A bulb or “T” function is a nice feature to have because you can take exposures for virtually very long periods of time. Another feature to have is if your camera has a remote control to use this bulb or “T” mode. This gives you the capability to take pictures without holding your camera and adding to the “camera shake”.With the subject of apertures, a small one (small aperture opening) lets you have a wider depth of field so your shots are sharp from near to far versus a large aperture (big aperture opening) where your shots have a narrow depth of field and appear “selectively focused”.19. Does it have some form of an image stabilizer?New cameras coming out as we speak often have this feature. Simply put, an image stabilizer is some form of a mechanism built into the lens or the camera body (depending on the manufacturer and their implementation) that basically prevents you from getting blurred pictures when taking pictures in low light or you are using a long or telephoto lens. Having this feature can mean the difference between a blurry picture (aka no picture!) to a usable one.20. How close can it focus? Macro abilities?The closer your camera can focus… the bigger the picture of an object you can take in relation to the image dimensions of the final photo… and the bigger the picture of the object… the more detail you can get. If you want to take pictures of small objects such as flowers and fine details then this is a must-have.That’s it. Whew.Do you really have to go over all these questions?… Of course not, but even if you only study and ponder on half of them…and take the time… I promise you that one thing will surely happen… You’ll be…a lot smarter!than when you first started asking these questions… ergo you’ll be in a better position to decide what digital camera to buy… Because you are now armed with the most powerful tool anybody can have the power of information!In any case, I hope you find as much value in these questions as many of my friends have and be able to get the camera of your dreams.Enjoy!

Because lots of photo editing software are in market nowadays, you may be hard up in choosing which one is the best. Some are also free of charge, you can find these free photo editor on the Internet. However, we have to consider a few things in choosing free photo editing software either in the Internet or in the Market

So, what are things to consider when choosing a software to edit your photos? Here are important features to consider:

Let us presume that majority of free photo software nowadays offers basic editing tools, like sharpen, brightness, saturation and crop, contrast, red eye removal, and hue. Apart from these, there are more great advanced features added, if you’re going to make use them.

For instance, there’s something so called as the Curves. Curves are a more advanced photo editing which permits you to manage highlights, lightness, and so on. If you think it would be very advantageous for you, then that could be something to look for in photo editing software.

Where to Find the Tools

I often find it very significant for photo editing software to be user friendly. I do not know how you evaluate it, but I hate to search for tools I want to make use of. As far as I’m concerned, I like to use them when they’re easily to be found. Of course, if you are using the photo editor and particular tools frequently, you will get used to it.

Viewing and Locating Images Easily

Some editing software applications are as well great photo viewers. For instance, you may be allowed to change the sizes of the photos. Check if the software have options for viewing photo layouts.

Easy and Effective Resizing of Image

You must have alternatives for resizing the file size and the physical size of your photo, and it must be easy to do that so. Adjusting the photo’s physical size can change how you perceive the picture on the screen, while altering the file size can make it smaller which makes a lot faster to upload. It will as well then occupy fewer space on your PC.

Are all Software free?

Probably not all. However, the purpose is to look for free photo editing software that would do what’s most significant to you. Perhaps, batch editing isn’t something you will use. Or perhaps, you do not mind opening-up the original photo to compare to the one that is edited, if it is easy to do so.

It is not hard to download some and try them. See which one you like doing the editing with the best. After all, they are free.