A Look at Some Helpful Photography Websites With Beginner Photography Tips and Advice For Pros

Photo Credit: celtics baby clothes

When I was in high school I found my moms old Nikon camera. I always wanted to get into photography but didn't know anything about it. So I got a job at a photo lab and took that camera with me everywhere. I'd bring the film into work the next day to see what I had learned and how the photos turned out. When prom time came around a bunch of my friends wanted me to do their prom pictures. So I borrowed a nicer camera from a friend and charged my friends to shoot their prom pictures. I made enough money to buy my first camera. After that it was a start of a dream

Since then I have done paintball photography for a world wide magazine, been a sports photographer, wedding photographer, school photographer, child photographer, and every kind of photographer in between. These are a list of sites I used when I first started out that I found to be invaluable.


www.photographytips.com
Great site that is some what member based. You can look around most of the site for free but if you want to access everything there is to see you can sign up online for only $5.00 a month. There are great articles on subjects from composition, to light, to how to use your flash. There are also some great galleries so that you can learn by example. Every page is filled with helpful information and numerous pictures that help explain the topic of the article.

www.photosecrets.com
This site may not be graphicly pleasing but it covers its bases. The tips are divided up into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The beginner section covers topics like what kind of camera and film you should buy as well as how to take better pictures of people. he intermediate section talks about quipment, hot to tackle more complicated subjects, and travel photography. The advanced section is more about selling photos, more details about film, and the use of filters. The only thing I Don't like is there are no photos on any of the pages. I think a photography site should have pictures!

www.kodak.com
As one would expect this site covers everything that is photography. This site is easily to scroll through and has a wide variety of topics. Learn the best way to photograph your baby, take better vacation pictures, or photograph your pet. The site also covers topics like printing pictures, sharing pictures, and getting started in digital. The photographs on the site are great and offer some step by step examples of topics discussed in the articles. There are also interactive demos on different subjects that are worth checking out. You can even research information on
film and digital cameras.

www.photonhead.com
This site offers a great tool for the photographer who wants a better understanding of shutter speeds and f-stops. This is the hardest concept to grasp when starting out=t in photography. I know, Ive been there. No matter how many times its explained you just Don't quite get it. This site offers a tool where you can set shutter speeds ad and f-stops in any combination and see what the effect would be. You have a sample photo to your left and to your right you can see what it would look like with your f-stop and shutter speed combo. This is a great tool that helps you learn about f-stops, shutter speed, focal length, and depth of field.

www.betterphoto.com
This site offers online photography course for the photographer who wants to become a professional. The online classes are rated for skill level of the photographer. Classes usually include weekly assignments and have the course instructor personally look over your work. Course range from the business of photography to how to use photoshop and many other topics. Classes vary in price. A 8week class could be between $200-$400. If your aren't happy with your course by the third assignment there is a money back guarantee.

www.scphoto.com
This is one of the best sites I can recommend for young photographers who need direction. This site was created by a high school photography teacher. Its is a free lesson plan that offers homework for photographer. The best thing it offers is assignments on different areas of photography. There are assignments for learning magazine photography,lighting, concepts, and much much more. There are list of words and terminology you should new. Its basically a free high school photography class. I went through the whole lesson plan when I was teaching my self photography and highly recommend it.

Photosecrets.com


Photographytips.com


Kodak.com


Photonhead.com


Betterphoto.com

Whoever Said a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Probably Didn't Use Positive Images Photography

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Well I've come to terms with the fact I'm no Denzel Washington... and I'm okay with that. All I really wanted to do was to take some good quality pictures I could use as profile headshots for my internet businesses and for my business cards, brochures, etc. This was important since I had a deadline coming up that I needed pictures for.

Based on my photography needs, I had wondered was there a photographer where the average looking person can go to get reasonably priced, almost "Star Quality" pictures taken. Also, I preferred that they were local too because I wanted a photographer that I could do business with again on future projects. Just imagine my delight when I found out that there was such a photographer located in Oakland at Positive Images Photography.

The owner is Gisele Bonds (no relation to Barry) and she not only consulted with me on the objectives of my project, she also happened to be a pleasure to talk to. She is very knowledgable. She definitely won points when she suggested that I go home to retrieve a few darker outfits to round out my photoshoot after I mistakenly arrived with all lighter colored outfits. She then explained why and how the darker colored outfits could be used to my advantage in the photoshoot.

As we took pictures she instructed me to pose at various angles and again she told me why those angles were important based on the numerous ways we discussed I could to utilize those pictures in my marketing mix. For instance, some of my pictures were taken with my business' branding in mind so that my company's logo or other images could be easily incorporated into those pictures. Nice!

For someone who's camera shy, I can honestly say I did enjoy Gisele's professionalism and creativity. After what felt to me like a thousand pictures and almost an eternity, we finally finished! At that point my mind started thinking, I hope these pictures look okay. I have to admit, I felt a little self-concious about the prospect of seeing the finished product because I have like many people, facial blemishes. When I mentioned this concern to Gisele she said not to worrry the pictures are going to look good.

Gisele invited me to come in and take a look at all the pictures we took and choose the ones I wanted. She gave me some positive feedback that was helpful and then I selected my favorites.

Later, when I received my Picture Disc I was happy to see that she was so right, my pictures did look good and my facial blemishes were gone... at least in my pictures! Interestingly, I'm told her specialty is working with high school aged students. Her studio is filled with with a plethora of graduation and prom pictures, etc.

She mentors students by providing intern opportunities at her studio and one of her past interns who is in college currently, still works at the studio which to me says alot about the kind of person Gisele is. I think that Positive Images Photography is aptly named and if you're looking for high quality photos, Gisele is the person you need to see. You may soon find that your pictures will be worth much more than a thousand words if you do!

Christmas Photography Tips and Advice

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For Christmas photography tips, or any sort of photography, we want the best results to come from our time and effort. Christmas photography captures special moments, especially when children are involved. In fact, this leads to my first Christmas photography tip:

(1) Focus on the children first. This admittedly is a bias of mine, but Christmas foremost should be a children's holiday. This applies to gift-giving, and also to photography. If you disagree and/or if adults are at the center of your Christmas, fine, that's just my opinion. Just think of ol' Art Linkletter: "Kids Say the Funniest Things." Kids also make the best photo subjects, and regardless, Christmas (like Trix cereal) is for Kids.

Our Top Ten Christmas photography tips are going to relate to the strategy of taking the best photos, not to the type of camera. That's a whole 'nuther topic. In fact, yours truly is not even a shutterbug. My advice comes from working as a local daily newspaper reporter, among some of the best professional photographers, going back to the 1970s when they still used darkrooms, up to today in the digital age. These Christmas photography tips are geared toward how you interact with your subjects, once the camera is chosen and the lighting adjustments are made.

(2) Don't be one of these photographers who is constantly out front and interrupting things, asking people to pose. For your best Christmas photography, be the fly on the wall. Stay in the background and take candid photos of what's happening, photos in which the subjects don't realize you're taking their photos.

(3) A lower angle (shooting "upward" toward the subjects and the scene) often yields better results. Don't hesitate to sprawl on the floor.

(4) In your Christmas photography, look for sequences of events. A photo is just one moment in time and to capture a sequence, many folks nowadays prefer a video camera. Still, there's nothing like a series of photos. For example: (A) Child awaits anxiously for gift-giving to begin. (B) Child receives wrapped gift. ( C ) Child tears wrapping off of gift. (D) Child reacts to gift.

(5) In fact, your sequence of events could begin hours earlier. Child helps decorate tree. Child puts on Christmas outfit. Etc.

(6) Just because you're staying out of the spotlight with your camera, that doesn't mean you can't be persistent. Patience is a virtue in waiting for just the right moment, just the right shot.

(7) Be a minimalist. Don't try to illustrate the whole scene of the Christmas event at once. If it's a party, take turns focusing on individual participants, or no more than two or three in one frame. If your Christmas photography involves a group of carolers, go ahead and photograph the whole group, but also aim for closeups of one caroler, or a small group.

(8) If you still want some posed Christmas photography for the archives, that's fine. Try to do the posing at the conclusion of the shindig, not at the start or during the middle.

(9) For posed photos, try to keep the number of subjects small. Let's imagine the group of Christmas revelers is 20. Go ahead and shoot the group of 20, but keep in mind that with so many folks in there, their faces are going to be the sizes of dimes. Also shoot "subgroups" with three, four, five people.

(10) When people pose in groups, have them put their heads as close together as possible. This may seem like a minor point, but when you see the results, you'll understand. Faces can be 20 percent larger and up close if we eliminate the wasted space between their heads.

SOURCES

Personal experience

http://digital-photography-school.com/16-christmas-photography-tips

http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/Christmas-pictures.html

http://photography.about.com/od/christmas/Christmas_Photography.htm

DIY Wedding Photography: Shot List for the Traditional Couple

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How can you save money on photography for your wedding? Do it yourself! DIY wedding photos won't sacrifice your precious wedding memories. Just make sure you are doing the wedding justice by creating a shot list before the ceremony.

As a traditional couple, you will want "classic" wedding portraits. Make sure you get the following shots for your do it yourself wedding album.

DIY Wedding Photo Shot List - Pictures of the Bride and Groom

Have the bride and groom stand in front of the church. Stand back from the couple so you can get their entire bodies into frame. Make sure to get the entire wedding gown in the picture.

Take a few steps forward, use your zoom, and take a close-up portrait of the bride and groom facing forward.

Have the bride and groom turn their heads and look into one another's eyes. Take a close-up.

Snap a photo of the bride and groom standing in front of the church on their wedding day.

DIY Wedding Photo Shot List - Photos of the Wedding Party

Every wedding album needs a picture that includes the entire wedding party. Line up the bridesmaids and groomsmen with the bride and groom in the center. The flower girl and ring bearer can stand in front of the attendants, but do not place them directly in front of the bride and groom. Doing so would block the bride's wedding gown.

Take some wedding photos of the bride with her bridesmaids. Then take some pictures of the groom with his groomsmen.

Make sure you get a picture of just the flower girl and ring bearer. These cute wedding photos will turn out great!

DIY Wedding Photo Shot List - Pictures of Family Members

Family plays an important role in any wedding. Make sure to include them in the wedding photographs.

Shoot the bride with her family and the groom with his family. Marriage unites these two families, so get a shot of them all together as well.

Make sure to get a picture with the grandparents as well.

DIY Wedding Photo Shot List - Photographs of The Ceremony

The ceremony is the most sacred part of the wedding. Don't be too intrusive while getting your shots. Here are some wedding photos you must get:

Each bridesmaid and groomsmen as they walk toward the altar

The flower girl and ring bearer as they walk down the aisle

The bride walking down the aisle and being given away

Close-up of the groom when he sees his bride

The bride and groom standing at the altar (from behind and from in front if you can manage)

The entire wedding party during the ceremony

Bride and groom's first kiss as a married couple

The couple lighting the unity candle

Bride and groom exchanging rings

Bride, groom, and attendants as they walk back down the aisle

DIY Wedding Photo Shot List - Reception Photos

The reception offers many opportunities to capture the spirit of celebration. Take a lot of journalistic style photographs during the reception of guests dancing, eating, and laughing.

In addition to these spontaneous photos, remember to snap the following pictures:

The bride, groom, and attendants in the receiving line

Groom removing and tossing the bride's garter

Bride tossing her bouquet

The wedding cake being cut and fed to the bride and groom (protect your camera from flying cake!)

The couple's first dance and dancing with their parents

The Most Important Tip for DIY Wedding Photography - Be Creative

This wedding photography shot list will get you started. It is not intended to limit your creativity. These are only the basic poses and wedding pictures a traditional couple would like to have in their wedding photo album. Take these basics and add your own ideas to create a unique wedding gift -- the gift of memories.

Sources

DFM Photography, Wedding Shotlist Helper, http://www.dfmphotography.com/wedding_shotlist.shtml

Personal Experience