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maanantai 31. heinäkuuta 2017
PictureCorrect.com: Engagement Photography Tips and Techniques
The precursor to the actual event, engagement photography is what helps show the couple’s spark with each other and creates widespread awareness of their upcoming wedding. As the photographer, it is important for you to do your research so that the couple’s engagement pictures will be creative, interesting, entertaining, love-struck, and most of all, satisfying for the couple themselves.
photo by Philms
1. Preview the couple
No, I don’t mean to actually screen the couple before you decide to work with them. (Although in some cases, this might actually be a smart idea.) Get to know who these people are in advance. Meet with them over coffee, for lunch, or just chat a while on the phone. The best way for you to get the engagement photos that this couple wants is to figure out what it is that they actually want. Get a feel for their personality and their chemistry together.
2. Keep them connected
This engagement picture tip basically speaks for itself. Keep the couple connected with each other. Sure, they are going to be somewhat nervous (especially if they are not super comfortable with you just yet), but do your best to keep them into one another. This leads me to my next pointer.
photo by Sean McGrath
3. PDA is Okay (and necessary!)
Because an engagement photo session is completely different from a normal headshot, model, or family photo shoot, you have to remember that the overall theme for these pictures is love. Make the couple comfortable and aware that they should kiss, hug, hold hands, be playful, be silly, and be touchy-feely mushy gushy all they want! It makes the pictures more personal and personable!
4. As always…”Burst mode!”
This seems to be recurring theme in my articles. Definitely make a point to use burst mode while doing engagement photography. The couple will be nervous, so after they do their initial and stiff pose for the camera (thinking they look natural!), they will loosen up, smile, laugh, look at each other. Those are the moments you want to catch more than anything.
5. Location is Crucial
If you have been doing photography, especially engagement photography, for a while, you may know of some great places around your town to take engagement pictures. Prepare yourself with a list of locations and interesting places beforehand that you can suggest to the couple. They most likely will be open and willing to consider anything you have to say! Also, couples frequently travel to other towns for their engagement pictures, so make sure you have tracked down some hot spots that will be aesthetically pleasing.
photo by John Hope
6. Do Your Research!
The only way for you to actually be as knowledgeable and prepared as you want to be (and want the couple to think you are) is to do your research. As with the previous engagement photo tip, research locations for engagement pictures. Look up creative engagement picture poses that you could suggest to the couple during the shoot. Learn what clothing options will be wise to suggest for them to wear.
7. Clothing Optional (well, not quite)
They might be committed to just one person, but make sure this couple has options! Tell them to bring a few changes of clothes so that you can get some different engagement shots in different locations. You want to give them variety and creativity. Also, let them know what colors not to wear. Examples: white, khakis, light colors, etc. Depending on the background, certain colors and prints may not mesh.
photo by // jonCates
8. Suggest an event shoot
Most couples won’t think of this amazing idea for engagement pictures, so you should suggest it to them! Offer the idea to go along and shoot a date night for the couple. Have them go to the place where they met, their favorite restaurant, or out doing their favorite hobby. Another fabulous engagement photo shoot idea is taking pictures at their engagement party! We just did an engagement shoot like this and the pictures are priceless. Friends, family, and most importantly, the couple, were all included!
9. Shoot in RAW (vs. JPEG)
This helpful hint is especially important when shooting indoors! Shooting in RAW gives you the liberty of having a wider range of exposure adjustments during the editing process. Some may prefer one format over another, but on our engagement photo shoots, we want to make sure we have the most options possible so we can come out with the best engagement pictures possible.
10. Don’t Focus on the Face
This hint sounds ludicrous for engagement pictures, right?! Well, of course you should take pictures of the couple’s faces! But on the flip side, try focusing on things other than just those. Have the bride-to-be lift her foot as if they were kissing, and snap a picture of their shoes from the knee down. Make absolute positive you get that engagement ring in some pictures! Catch her whispering something in his ear. Shoot them from the neck down. All of this is interesting and innovative for the eye.
photo by Julita B.C.
11. Be vocal (they won’t!)
Finally, one of the most important engagement pictures tips I can give you is to be vocal. Have fun with the couple and suggest poses for them to try. Have general conversation to loosen them up. Tell a few jokes (if you happen to be funny) and create a warm friendly atmosphere. Direct them and they will take direction. Many couples want you to hold their hand along the engagement picture path and lead the way. Take advantage of this power! You have the liberty to come up with something new, creative, and fantastic. They will appreciate this when the editing process is over!
About the Author
Callie Colleen Smith can provide more information about wedding photography, family pictures, engagement, or modeling headshots. Smith is an assistant photographer who works with Shane Messer and Raychle Searfoss at Shane and Raychle Photography in Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY.
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Cherry Blossoms in Germany
Sometimes, a location is best shown as a combination of multiple exposures. Stacking the images can create different effects, add detail, and widen the perspective. In this case, the vertical view is lengthened to create a tunnel of blooming cherry blossoms. The effect is mesmerizing and creates a visual tunnel for the viewer to ‘walk’ through. This can be done in Photoshop, as the photographer did to complete this photograph:
“Cherry Blossom Trees In Germany” by Andre Distel (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.
Andre Distel captured this stunning photograph in the city of Bonn. During March and April, there is a 2-3 week stretch there when the cherry blossom trees bloom as seen. Distel was sure to photograph them during their peak on April 5th before the trees shed onto the street, cars, and sidewalks.
To arrange this image, he used four horizontal exposures and merged them into a vertical image. Stacking the images created the vertical panorama you see now. Each shot was a single 35-second exposure and captured the high detail in the trees and leaves. He used a Nikon D800 camera with a Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens at ISO 200 and f/8 aperture.
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PictureCorrect.com: 5 Ways to Use a Color Meter in Photography Sessions
Here’s an incredible piece of technology that can save you hours and hours of post processing time and speed up your whole workflow: a color meter. Shooting under lights—any lights—can be a problem. With artificial lights, especially in a multi light environment, you’ll have issues dealing with color casts. Even with natural light, the light keeps changing and that means constantly adjusting your white balance. Using a color meter is an effective way to counter this. Jay P. Morgan shares five reasons you should use one:
1. Measure Color Temperature in Natural Light
Use a color meter to measure the color temperature when shooting outdoors in natural light.
The natural world is a Pandora’s Box speaking in terms of color temperature variance. If your subject is standing in the shade they might appear too blue. If there’s grass in the foreground it could reflect on the subject’s face. Basically, if there are prominent features in or outside the frame that reflect a color, the color temperature in your image could be skewed. A color meter solves this problem effectively.
2. Work with Mixed Lighting
When shooting indoors and in a mixed lighting environment, you have a to find a balance between the different colors inside the room and find the right color balance that can take care of this issue. As such, if there is a tungsten light interspersed with sunlight, you meter each one of them and then find the best meter reading that takes care of all these lights.
3. Use LED Lights
Similar to the above situation, when using LED lights in a room, you can take a meter reading of the practicals. Then adjust the white balance on the LED lights so that they match the white balance of the practicals. This saves a lot of time during post-processing by avoiding cross over white balances—two different white balances on the same image.
4. Test Lights for Consistency
These days, LED lights are all over the place. You have lights which have a green tinge and others that are magenta, and so on. To ensure that all your lights are on the same white balance take a meter reading and adjust the lights before you start the shoot. It can even tell you the gel that you need to put on your light to be able to make it a neutral 5300 or 5600 degree K.
This is especially important when using a white background and two different LED lights (with different color casts) illuminating the background and creating a weird transition effect in the process.
5. Match the White Balance of Strobes and Ambient Light
When shooting with a strobe, take a white balance reading of the strobe and then meter the ambient light. Now you can match the white balance of the strobe with the ambient white balance and use the right white balance on your camera to make the exposures.
Do you use a color meter? Share your experiences and tips below!
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sunnuntai 30. heinäkuuta 2017
PictureCorrect.com: How to Snipe Out Your Best Photographs Ever
You load ammo into your camera, aim at your subject, and fire. You are a shooter. Strangely, the way most photographers shoot is vastly different than the way a marksman – specifically, US Marine Corp Snipers – use their rifles. Is there a thing or two we can learn from these expert shooters? Can stealing a few tricks from the best snipers in the world improve your photo ‘shot’? Find out now.
Photo by Bas Wallet; ISO 100, f/9, 1/160-second exposure.
A common piece of photo advice is that the more shots you take, the more likely you’ll stumble upon that one amazing shot. Even if it means 4/5th of your photos end up getting deleted.
I say this piece of advice is flawed. Here’s why.
Taking twenty tries to get one shot right is, quite simply, sloppy shooting. And, while it’s acceptable if you’re just starting out in photography, it’ should not be something any photographer is happy with.
A Marine Corp Scout Sniper, in contrast, is trained to load his rifle, aim, and get the shot right the first time – or die.
From day one of Marine Corps Sniper training, shooters are taught that there are no second chances. There is no delete button on their rifle. There is no ‘Photoshop’ to correct their mistakes. They must step up to the plate and become the best shooters in the world – or find another career.
Unlike photographers, every shot a sniper takes puts them at risk of being exposed to their enemy. As a result, snipers are forced to train their eyes to see anything and everything around them. They are forced to shoot with exacting precision. And they are forced to shoot with perfection– every time.
Photo by Roberto Saltori; ISO 320, f/11, 1/250-second exposure.
We photographers can learn a lot from Marine Corp Snipers. Follow along as I share with you three essential skills snipers must develop and how you too can harness these skills for your photography success (and, as a result, use the delete button a little less).
Essential Sniper Skill #1: Be James Bond Cool
A hot-head, unable to keep their nerves straight under pressure, will fail miserably during the 9-week military sniper training course. A great sniper is drafted first for his temperament.
One way military folk are trained to shoot under pressure is through a target practicing drill – without bullets.
Soldiers must go through the motion of loading and aiming their gun at the target just as if it they were using real bullets. Upon firing, however, they must use their mind to imagine their shot hits the bull’s-eye mark. Most soldiers, you see, shake from the pressure of pulling the trigger. This type of ‘mind training’ helps soldiers visualize success and reduce trigger shake.
Applying This to Your Camera:
Bring your camera to a shoot and don’t put a memory card in it (or film). Just point and imagine pressing the shutter every time you see the perfect shot. Since there’s no way you can take the shot, you’ll be forced to really look at what you’re shooting and imagine getting the best shots possible. That way, when you do finally load your camera, you will be ready.
Essential Sniper Skill #2: Do Whatever It Takes to Get the Shot
Snipers are trained to do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot. They’ll crawl over mine-infested roads. They’ll sludge through three foot deep cesspools in the Jungles of Vietnam. They’ll sleep in snow covered mountain terrain for weeks. Whatever is necessary to get the shot they’ve been ordered to get, they will do. Sniper training is specifically designed to weed out the solder that won’t go this extra mile.
Applying This to Your Camera:
Be ready and willing to go above and beyond for that perfect shot. Just take a look at some of the National Geographic’s photographers and you’ll get the idea. These photographers make expeditions to the most remote parts of the world. They dive into arctic ice caves with uncertainty that they’ll ever make it out. They step into deep, unexplored jungles with no idea what they’ll encounter.
Photo by Valerie.
If you’re willing to get dirty and take risks, you’ll find shots 99% of other photographers will never get.
Essential Sniper Skill #3: See Everything, Everywhere
Snipers are trained to see everything around them. In one specific training drill, soldiers are shown a scene with several objects and then asked to repeat, with exact detail, what they saw.
At the start of their training, only a few objects are given to them to find. As their training intensifies, several more objects are added for them to locate. By the end of their training, snipers develop the ability to find and locate over 25 objects and describe these objects several hours later.
Applying This to Your Camera:
Try seeing the details everywhere around you, without your camera. Develop your skills of observation. Notice the objects around you while you drive to work.
One exercise I did a couple years back was to set an alarm every four hours on my phone for a few weeks. When it went off, I would immediately close my eyes and name ten objects around me with detail. At first, I struggled as I was rarely ever paying attention to details around me. With this alarm going off every four hours, every day – for weeks, that changed.
Photo by Jeff Wallace; ISO 125, f/10, 1/20-second exposure.
Try this same exercise out for a month and your observation skills will improve drastically! This will help you better notice details within the camera frame most other photographers without this ‘sniper’ training will miss.
Use These Sniper Skills to Strengthen Common Photographer Weaknesses
While using your cameras delete button is not a bad thing, relying on it is a clear sign of weakness. It is better, instead, for you to spend a bit of time working at developing your photo skills so you can get the perfect shot in fewer tries.
You’ll find that you put much more care into each and every shot when you follow the philosophy of a sniper: you have one chance to get the perfect shot – or you’re dead.
About the Author:
Simon Takk, creator of http://ift.tt/1gHpSJD, shows others how to open their eyes to the breathtaking photo opportunities all around them.
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: A Colorful Night in Tokyo
From neon lights and anime shops, to temples and cherry trees, the amazing city of Tokyo, Japan is a wonderful combination of ultra-modern and traditional all wrapped into one. Famed for its vivacious food and stylish fashion scene, this famous city capital has a little something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to reminisce about your visit or to transport yourself into a surreal visual world, A Colorful Rainy Night in Tokyo has a little something for everyone:
1/45 of a second, ISO 400, f/4.0, 55mm (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)
As with many cities, you just can’t beat photographing Tokyo at night. Self-taught Tokyo based photographer Masashi Wakui has transformed this city into captivating works of art through his photography. From the neon brilliance to the kaleidoscope of colors, his colorful rainy night portrayal of Tokyo will keep you coming back for more.
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PictureCorrect.com: Do’s and Don’ts for Landscape Photographers
While capturing landscapes may seem straightforward to the inexperienced eye, it often takes years of practice to truly perfect. Finding the gear and shooting techniques that produce the best results is a learning experience that never fully ends. Luckily for those just starting to develop an idea of what goes into a great landscape, Craig Roberts offers some insight. Listed here are just a few of his dos and don’ts of landscape photography:
- DO take advantage of what’s available locally. It’s easy to get into the “grass is always greener on the other side” mindset and overlook the beauty that lies within your own backyard. But the fact of the matter is that it’s possible to make a great landscape nearly anywhere. Whats more, it’s a good idea to practice with the materials you have around to improve on your existing skill set. When you find yourself looking over a truly impressive vista, you’ll be know exactly what to do.
- DON’T automatically opt for your widest angle lens. While it’s natural to opt for short focal lengths to capture as much land as possible, ultra wide angle lenses can also significantly distort a scene. Consider trying out lenses with longer focal lengths – you may be pleasantly surprised with the results.
- DON’T work on the assumption that you can just crop in on your subject later on. Instead, use the correct tools the first time around and try to get things right in camera as much as you possibly can. Cropping in can significantly reduce image resolution, which can be especially harmful when it comes to printing or otherwise reproducing a photograph.
- DO consider your foreground, midground, and background when seeking out a composition. Ideally, you want a landscape to take you on a sort of journey – having something going on in every part of your photograph naturally leads the eye throughout the photograph, creating a more dynamic image overall.
- DO utilize your camera’s metering capabilities to get a correct exposure. If you’re working with an image with a large dynamic range, it often helps to expose for midtones. From there, you can bump highlight or shadows to create an image that falls in line with your own personal style.
- DON’T set your lens to focus on infinity right off the bat. Instead focus a third of the way into the composition to maximize your depth of field. While it’s important to have clarity and sharpness throughout a landscape composition, you’ll find that having the greatest point of focus fall one third of the way into a composition often yields results that are most pleasing to the eye.
- DON’T restrict yourself to sunrises and sunsets. Sure, plenty of photographers are quick to praise the quality of light that comes at the golden hour. However, it’s important to experiment working with all different times of day and find the conditions that best suit your style. Though sunrises and sunsets are beautiful, they can often take away from the beauty of a landscape and ultimately serve as a distraction.
- DO consider bringing a polarizer or a graduated filter on location with you. Almost any scene you come across is going to need some form of exposure balancing – for this reason, having a compensation filter can make a huge difference. While it is true that exposure blending is possible in post with digital photography, it never hurts to do what you can to improve a scene in camera.
- DON’T opt for a ND filter on landscapes unless absolutely necessary. Nine times out of ten, there’s an option that will work more effectively in landscape and outdoor scenarios.
- DO bring along a reliable tripod. Out in the field, having something steady to rest your camera on is going to be indispensable. Tripods allow you to utilize slower shutter speeds, lower ISOs, and narrower apertures without compromising quality. In addition, a tripod is an absolute must for any sort of bracketing technique.
- DON’T be concerned over having the latest camera model. Enjoy what you’ve got on hand. After all, a great picture is not so much about the tool as it is the person working the camera.
- DON’T break your bank to get lenses or accessories outside of your budget. Just get the best that you can afford. There’s always going to be something bigger and better out there, so it can be incredibly stressful to continuously feel the need to upgrade. Instead, savor the time you have to spare exploring the world with your camera!
“You know, the most important thing about landscape photography is what’s behind the camera—you.”
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