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Lighting from All Angles

Ideally, all photos would be snapped using natural lighting. While it’s true that you cannot control the sun, there are many ways you can capture stunning shots when you are taking photos in the great outdoors. One of the most popular techniques for snapping frame worthy shots when you are at the mercy of Mother Nature is backlighting. Not only is the technique popular, it’s also extremely effective and relatively simple to master. Start by making sure the sun is in front of you. Light should be aimed directly at the camera, and your subject should be lit from the … Continue reading →

Have You Created Fantasy Portraits?

Now that the Christmas shopping season is officially underway, it’s time to start thinking about gifts to give family and friends. What better way for an avid shutterbug to make the most of his picture-taking talents than to create photo gifts to give out in the coming weeks? I’m over photo books and the plethora of other boring photo gift ideas, including totes, magnets, mouse pads and t-shirts. This year I am toying with the idea of creating my own fantasy portraits and giving them out as gifts. Fantasy portraits, magic portraits, prop portraits; they are referred to by several … Continue reading →

Basic Portrait Lighting

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We’ve talked about some lighting techniques, like back lighting and lighting coming from the side of a subject, at a 90 degree angle to the camera. Now, on to the subject of portrait lighting. In lighting a portrait, you want to create a pleasing light to the face, and bring out the characteristics and personality of your subject. To do this, set your main light at a 45 degree angle to the camera. This will create a sense of depth due to the modeling effect of the highlights and shadows. This is only part of portrait lighting, since we now … Continue reading →

Lighting (part two)

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In my last post, I talked about lighting and the best times of the day to take pictures. I left you with the question, “But what do you do if you have to take a picture at a time of day that is not ideal?” I’m glad you asked, because sometimes you can’t help when you need to take a photo. You can’t ignore that once in a lifetime shot just because it’s 12:35 p.m. So, what do you do? You work with the light that you have available, and retouch if necessary in a photo-editing program. If the light … Continue reading →

Summer Photo Jobs

Many people think that summer is traditionally a slow time for photo studios. However, this is not the case. In fact, many professional studios see summer as a huge money maker, especially with the surge in senior photos, family reunions and other seasonal events to document. If you are an avid shutterbug looking for summer employment, check out chain photo studios for opportunities. Sears, Kmart and the Picture People accept applications year-round for staff photographers. If you land a summer gig at one of these chain studios, you can earn a decent paycheck taking portraits while adding fresh images to … Continue reading →

Fixing Photo Errors

I love taking pictures. Unfortunately, my passion for photography doesn’t prevent me from making common errors. I often snap shots that fail when it comes to focus, lighting or composition. Fortunately, in this era of advanced photo editing, I can salvage some of my sorriest shots. Photo editing software has saved me one more than one occasion. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that I can employ editing tools on my home computer, I would have likely given up on photography a long time ago. In addition, if I had to pay big bucks for the opportunity to … Continue reading →

Inspiration in Bloom

In a few short weeks the price of flowers will increase exponentially. Roses that are selling for $10 a dozen today will cost you five times that amount as we creep closer to Valentine’s Day. If you are pinching pennies, but still want to impress your sweetheart with some beautiful blossoms, then consider snapping stunning pictures of flowers. Mastering flower photography is not too difficult once you get some experience under your belt. If you are serious about snapping an awe-inspiring flower photo that you can frame and gift to your beloved this Valentine’s Day, then now is the time … Continue reading →

Embracing Black and White

I’m a huge fan of black and white photos; however, I struggle to get my monochromatic images to look as sophisticated as ones taken by professionals. Still, I am not abandoning the dream. Recently, I converted a dozen or so beach photos to black and white in hopes of highlighting the different textures within the shots. Some photos turned out better than others, which proves that black and white photography is not always as easy as it appears. I think a lot of amateur photographers figure they can’t go wrong converting random color images to black and white. While pointing … Continue reading →

Go Glam!

When I was in middle school the “it” girls lived at Glamour Shots. The commercial portrait studios offer professional makeovers and a complete photo session in which you (try to) pose like the Cindy, Naomi and Christie. Basically, the shoot involves getting your hair teased to unprecedented heights, caking on more make-up than Tammy Faye Bakker and having a Mylar-type shawl wrapped around your bare shoulders. You then choose your best shot and have about a million copies made to hand out to other girls at school, who then go home to their parents and lament that they will be … Continue reading →

Get Ready for Grad Shots

If I were graduating from high school or college this month, a Nikon D7000 would be at the top of my gift wish list. Did you know that graduates can now register for gifts at select stores much the same way expectant parents sign-up for baby shower presents? Man, do I feel old… and poor… and envious. Whining aside, graduation is fast approaching for millions of students around the world. If some are fortunate enough to score Nikon’s latest and greatest DSLR, then their post-commencement photos will likely be as stunning as a new diploma. However, I have a feeling … Continue reading →