Time to jump up on my soapbox this morning! A friend was kind enough to recommend me for a photo job (via LinkedIn)...the nature of the shoot was "real estate"...as it turns out, it would involve travel, location lighting and of course standard equipment and post production. Sounds like a decent job right? Not so my friend!
It seems he has a shooter who has offered 100 shots for $79.00. Not a typo...100 shots for $79.00! For those of you who may be "math challenged...that's 79 cents per image!
(Right now, if you're like me you are saying WTF?)
To that I say the following....
I own a hammer but I am not a carpenter!
I own a wrench and I have a car but I am not a mechanic!
I have a first aid kit but I am neither a doctor or a nurse!
With that in mind...just because you "own" a camera, doesn't make you a photographer...it makes you a camera owner!
If you have experience and are a "real" photographer...don't under sell your value, experience and talent!
The market is difficult enough...don't make it worse through "stupid" actions!
Monday, May 25, 2015
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
8 Tips For Better Digital Photos
Whether you consider yourself an amateur photographer, or you just want to create better family photos, there are many things you can do to get better photos. Here are some easy tips to use the next time you head out with your digital camera.
Even a beginner can take professional-looking photos - suitable for framing.
Be Prepared
Keep all your photography equipment ready for use. Collect everything you'll need into one place. A camera bag is ideal, because it keeps all your stuff together and lets you carry it all with you. Everything in its place. A good camera bag will let you organize a miniature tripod, extra batteries, memory cards, etc. - even a plastic bag or waterproof housing to protect your camera in wet weather.
Hold your Camera Steady
Blurry photos are almost always the result of camera movement. Just your own unsteadiness, causes your camera to shake enough to blur your pictures.
So steady yourself and your camera before you take the shot.
Plant your feet firmly on the ground and tuck your elbows in close to your sides. Instead of using the LCD viewer, steady your camera against your forehead and frame the shot using your cameras viewfinder. You can also steady your upper body by leaning against a wall or a tree. Or totally eliminate any camera movement by using a tripod.
Once you're all set, gently press the shutter release in one motion. Pressing the shutter release too hard could jerk the camera downward.
Get Closer
One difference in snapshots and really great photos is the composition of the shot. Unless you're shooting an outdoor landscape, you can improve most photos just by getting closer to your subject. Depending on the situation, you can physically move closer to your subject, or use the zoom feature on your camera for the same effect. Try to get within a few feet of your subject so you eliminate most of the background. You'll like the results.
Take more Pictures
Even professionals take loads of shots of the same subject - to get just a few that they will use. With a digital camera, you can delete the images you don't like, and only print the winners - so don't hesitate to take several shots of the same subject. Change the angle of the shot. Get a little closer. Adjust the lighting.
Why not fill the entire memory card with pictures of your kid at the pool, or your daughter in her cap and gown? The more pictures you take, the better the odds that you'll get a few shots that will really thrill you.
Vary the Lighting
Using natural light will give better skin tones when photographing people, so try not to use the flash if you don't have to. Outdoor daylight shots are easy, but you'll have to be a little more creative when shooting indoors. Try using the light coming in from a window for warmer tones than you would get using the flash.
Experiment with natural lighting. You can get stronger shadows by moving your subject closer to a window, and turning your subject can create more dramatic shadows.
Eliminate Red-Eye
Red-eye is the result of light passing through your subjects eye and reflecting back. You'll get it more often when using your flash, just because the light from the flash isn't as diffused as natural light. So the first tip for eliminating red-eye is simply to avoid using your flash when you don't absolutely have to.
Another way to reduce red-eye is to have your subject look anywhere but at the camera. This reduces red-eye because any reflection isn't directed back at your camera lens.
If you have to use the flash, some digital cameras have a built-in feature to automatically remove red-eye. Use it.
Go for Candid
Instead of posing two (or more) people looking directly at the camera, get a shot of them interacting with one another. Even two people having a conversation is more interesting than having them stand next to each other facing the camera. Some of the best professional portraits have the subject captured deep in thought, with their attention focused inward, rather than on the camera lens.
It makes a more interesting shot. Your portrait will look more natural - less posed.
Create a Scene
Putting your subject in the centre of a photo is just boring. You'll get a much more pleasing result if you place your subject off centre when you frame the shot.
This is a truly professional technique. Place your subject so that they occupy 1/3 to 1/2 of the total composition, but NOT at the exact centre of the frame. Capture an interesting background object in the rest of the frame.
Anybody can practice these techniques. They're easy and you'll get better, more professional photos.
Even a beginner can take professional-looking photos - suitable for framing.
Be Prepared
Keep all your photography equipment ready for use. Collect everything you'll need into one place. A camera bag is ideal, because it keeps all your stuff together and lets you carry it all with you. Everything in its place. A good camera bag will let you organize a miniature tripod, extra batteries, memory cards, etc. - even a plastic bag or waterproof housing to protect your camera in wet weather.
Hold your Camera Steady
Blurry photos are almost always the result of camera movement. Just your own unsteadiness, causes your camera to shake enough to blur your pictures.
So steady yourself and your camera before you take the shot.
Plant your feet firmly on the ground and tuck your elbows in close to your sides. Instead of using the LCD viewer, steady your camera against your forehead and frame the shot using your cameras viewfinder. You can also steady your upper body by leaning against a wall or a tree. Or totally eliminate any camera movement by using a tripod.
Once you're all set, gently press the shutter release in one motion. Pressing the shutter release too hard could jerk the camera downward.
Get Closer
One difference in snapshots and really great photos is the composition of the shot. Unless you're shooting an outdoor landscape, you can improve most photos just by getting closer to your subject. Depending on the situation, you can physically move closer to your subject, or use the zoom feature on your camera for the same effect. Try to get within a few feet of your subject so you eliminate most of the background. You'll like the results.
Take more Pictures
Even professionals take loads of shots of the same subject - to get just a few that they will use. With a digital camera, you can delete the images you don't like, and only print the winners - so don't hesitate to take several shots of the same subject. Change the angle of the shot. Get a little closer. Adjust the lighting.
Why not fill the entire memory card with pictures of your kid at the pool, or your daughter in her cap and gown? The more pictures you take, the better the odds that you'll get a few shots that will really thrill you.
Vary the Lighting
Using natural light will give better skin tones when photographing people, so try not to use the flash if you don't have to. Outdoor daylight shots are easy, but you'll have to be a little more creative when shooting indoors. Try using the light coming in from a window for warmer tones than you would get using the flash.
Experiment with natural lighting. You can get stronger shadows by moving your subject closer to a window, and turning your subject can create more dramatic shadows.
Eliminate Red-Eye
Red-eye is the result of light passing through your subjects eye and reflecting back. You'll get it more often when using your flash, just because the light from the flash isn't as diffused as natural light. So the first tip for eliminating red-eye is simply to avoid using your flash when you don't absolutely have to.
Another way to reduce red-eye is to have your subject look anywhere but at the camera. This reduces red-eye because any reflection isn't directed back at your camera lens.
If you have to use the flash, some digital cameras have a built-in feature to automatically remove red-eye. Use it.
Go for Candid
Instead of posing two (or more) people looking directly at the camera, get a shot of them interacting with one another. Even two people having a conversation is more interesting than having them stand next to each other facing the camera. Some of the best professional portraits have the subject captured deep in thought, with their attention focused inward, rather than on the camera lens.
It makes a more interesting shot. Your portrait will look more natural - less posed.
Create a Scene
Putting your subject in the centre of a photo is just boring. You'll get a much more pleasing result if you place your subject off centre when you frame the shot.
This is a truly professional technique. Place your subject so that they occupy 1/3 to 1/2 of the total composition, but NOT at the exact centre of the frame. Capture an interesting background object in the rest of the frame.
Anybody can practice these techniques. They're easy and you'll get better, more professional photos.
Digital Photography Jobs – What You Should Know
Photography is a vast field that many people are interested in getting into–whether for leisure purposes such as a hobby or for a serious job like most professional photographers get into. And why not, photography is the ultimate expression of oneself that can be taken as an art. Even more, it can be made into a profitable business and a rewarding career.There are two types of photographs that can be captured in photography–one is a captured through film and the other and more recent development in photography is captured through a digital media such as a memory card. the pictures that are captured through film, a good amount of skills is necessary because aside from point and shoot, the ability to produce prints from films is a very tedious process to do.
It is a good thing that digital photography has been introduced in the society. With digital photography, it is very easy to capture images and delete them in instances where one finds the shot unacceptable. One good thing about a digital camera is that you can easily manipulate how a photograph will look through the use of photo manipulation software.Digital photography has been very popular in the current society because of the ease and flexibility that this type of work gives the photographer. For the ordinary, picture-admiring public, it gives them delight as the pictures are masterfully rendered and manipulated that a seemingly simple object or moment becomes extraordinary.Because of the popularity, many people are becoming interested in finding digital photography jobs. However, it is not in an instant that one can take a job like this. For an individual to succeed as a photographer, he must learn some additional skills regarding the creative and technical aspects of photography.Qualification wise, there are several trainings and programs that one can get into to further enhance his skills in photography. Having a unique style is something that will set one apart from the others, therefore exhibiting one will be very helpful when applying to digital photography jobs field of photography will always have something for everyone, which is one major reason why it continues to be appealing to many people. In photography, one’s interest is taken into context and is developed through the many exposures that one can get on the job.
The rewards of digital photography jobs go beyond the usual advantage of getting paid for doing something you love since it can even make one earn a decent living. The salaries of being a professional and well-known photographer can reach up to six figures in many instances. If you come to think of it, it really does pay well to become a photographer. Indeed, it is very ideal to get paid for something you find your interest in since it makes the job all the more easier. Some will even consider it not as a job but as a commitment.
Terry Edwards -
About the Author:You can find out more about http://www.DigiCamCashReview.com
Photography is a vast field that many people are interested in getting into–whether for leisure purposes such as a hobby or for a serious job like most professional photographers get into. And why not, photography is the ultimate expression of oneself that can be taken as an art. Even more, it can be made into a profitable business and a rewarding career.
There are two types of photographs that can be captured in photography–one is a captured through film and the other and more recent development in photography is captured through a digital media such as a memory card. the pictures that are captured through film, a good amount of skills is necessary because aside from point and shoot, the ability to produce prints from films is a very tedious process to do.It is a good thing that digital photography has been introduced in the society. With digital photography, it is very easy to capture images and delete them in instances where one finds the shot unacceptable. One good thing about a digital camera is that you can easily manipulate how a photograph will look through the use of photo manipulation software.
Digital photography has been very popular in the current society because of the ease and flexibility that this type of work gives the photographer. For the ordinary, picture-admiring public, it gives them delight as the pictures are masterfully rendered and manipulated that a seemingly simple object or moment becomes extraordinary.
Because of the popularity, many people are becoming interested in finding digital photography jobs. However, it is not in an instant that one can take a job like this. For an individual to succeed as a photographer, he must learn some additional skills regarding the creative and technical aspects of photography.
Qualification wise, there are several trainings and programs that one can get into to further enhance his skills in photography. Having a unique style is something that will set one apart from the others, therefore exhibiting one will be very helpful when applying to digital photography jobs field of photography will always have something for everyone, which is one major reason why it continues to be appealing to many people. In photography, one’s interest is taken into context and is developed through the many exposures that one can get on the job.The rewards of digital photography jobs go beyond the usual advantage of getting paid for doing something you love since it can even make one earn a decent living. The salaries of being a professional and well-known photographer can reach up to six figures in many instances. If you come to think of it, it really does pay well to become a photographer. Indeed, it is very ideal to get paid for something you find your interest in since it makes the job all the more easier. Some will even consider it not as a job but as a commitment.
Terry Edwards -
You can find out more about http://www.DigiCamCashReview.com
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Adobe Photoshop: A Must Have Software for Photographers
As a professional photographer, you know that you need to take great and flawless photos of your subjects. If you donít, then you donít really deserve to be called a professional photographer and you won't profit from this kind of job as no one would want a photograph that was taken by an amateur. However, we have to admit the fact that not everyone is perfect. Even if you are a very good photographer, you are bound to make mistakes and take bad pictures.
This is why you will need Adobe Photoshop (CS..2,3,4,5). So, what is Adobe Photoshop?
First of all, you need to remember that most professional photographers today use digital cameras. I say most, because there are still a few hold outs. Film cameras are a thing of the past and digital cameras are a lot easier to use and provides better quality photographs. So, I am assuming you are already using a digital camera, and you will see that Adobe Photoshop will be able to help you a lot on your job as a professional photographer.
This is basically "the" image editing and enhancing software program that will allow you to edit and enhance the photos you take and upload from your digital camera to the computer. For example, you have to remember that no one likes the red-eye phenomenon on their photos. If you have been hired to take a picture of a kid's birthday party and you saw that the seemingly great pictures you took resulted in a red-eye phenomenon on most of the subjects, the people who hired you will not really be satisfied because of it.
Even if you are using the latest professional grade digital camera with red-eye reduction, the red-eye phenomenon will still happen whether you like it or not. With Adobe Photoshop, this is no longer a problem as it will have the red-eye detection tool which will detect the red-eye on the photos you take and get rid of it. The result is a natural looking photograph without the red-eye on the subjects.
Also, you have to remember that there are times where you will be faced with a bad lighting condition. No matter how many times you adjust your digital camera, you will still have to deal with the bad lighting condition which will ruin any photograph. Adobe Photoshop has tools that will help you deal with lighting and colour. With the adjust brightness and contrast, adjust colour intensity, and hue adjustment tools, you will be able to make dark photos in to something that looks like it was taken in the best possible environment.
As a professional photographer, you will sometimes take headshots. For this kind of job, Adobe Photoshop will make your subjects look more handsome and beautiful. How? Well, Adobe Photoshop has tools that will help enhance the skin or the face of your subject. You can remove pimples, and other imperfections from the subject's face. And, you can even make someone old look a little bit younger.
If your subject is very pale, you can add some colour on their cheeks and make them look as if they have those healthy rosy cheeks. In fact, Adobe Photoshop even has some tools that will make an obese person look as if they were a model of Victoria's Secret and vice versa. This is how powerful Adobe Photoshop is.
So, if you are a professional photographer and you are looking for a way to edit your photos to make it look flawless, then you will need Adobe Photoshop.
This is why you will need Adobe Photoshop (CS..2,3,4,5). So, what is Adobe Photoshop?
First of all, you need to remember that most professional photographers today use digital cameras. I say most, because there are still a few hold outs. Film cameras are a thing of the past and digital cameras are a lot easier to use and provides better quality photographs. So, I am assuming you are already using a digital camera, and you will see that Adobe Photoshop will be able to help you a lot on your job as a professional photographer.
This is basically "the" image editing and enhancing software program that will allow you to edit and enhance the photos you take and upload from your digital camera to the computer. For example, you have to remember that no one likes the red-eye phenomenon on their photos. If you have been hired to take a picture of a kid's birthday party and you saw that the seemingly great pictures you took resulted in a red-eye phenomenon on most of the subjects, the people who hired you will not really be satisfied because of it.
Even if you are using the latest professional grade digital camera with red-eye reduction, the red-eye phenomenon will still happen whether you like it or not. With Adobe Photoshop, this is no longer a problem as it will have the red-eye detection tool which will detect the red-eye on the photos you take and get rid of it. The result is a natural looking photograph without the red-eye on the subjects.
Also, you have to remember that there are times where you will be faced with a bad lighting condition. No matter how many times you adjust your digital camera, you will still have to deal with the bad lighting condition which will ruin any photograph. Adobe Photoshop has tools that will help you deal with lighting and colour. With the adjust brightness and contrast, adjust colour intensity, and hue adjustment tools, you will be able to make dark photos in to something that looks like it was taken in the best possible environment.
As a professional photographer, you will sometimes take headshots. For this kind of job, Adobe Photoshop will make your subjects look more handsome and beautiful. How? Well, Adobe Photoshop has tools that will help enhance the skin or the face of your subject. You can remove pimples, and other imperfections from the subject's face. And, you can even make someone old look a little bit younger.
If your subject is very pale, you can add some colour on their cheeks and make them look as if they have those healthy rosy cheeks. In fact, Adobe Photoshop even has some tools that will make an obese person look as if they were a model of Victoria's Secret and vice versa. This is how powerful Adobe Photoshop is.
So, if you are a professional photographer and you are looking for a way to edit your photos to make it look flawless, then you will need Adobe Photoshop.
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