Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas

Now-a-days just about everyone has a camera of some sort. Here are some tips that will help you take great photos of couples.

Tip #1

Photographing couples when they are sitting around chatting is a good way to get the natural side of anyone. Using your zoom from across a room with a fast aperture setting (sport setting) will help you fill the frame and separate them from their surroundings.

Tip #2

Kneeling down or standing on something higher than the couple and not putting them right in the middle of the frame is another idea. We like to call this the rule of thirds.

Tip #3

Costumes are always a good way to photograph couples who are looking for that not so normal photo session, Halloween Monsters, Easter Bunny's and Mr. & Mrs. Santa are all good ways to brighten any wall.

Tip #4

Outdoor photos with couples holding hands around a tree or sitting on a boulder facing each other are other great ideas for couple photography.

Tip #5

Using Black and White film or setting your camera to take Black and White photos is another good tip. This allows you to be able to capture couples with a timeless look to them.

Tip #6

Lighting is particularly important since you don't want the couple to cast shadows on each other (outside settings are usually the best for this.) Trying a morning or afternoon shot is usually a good way to get your desired lighting.

Tip #7

If you need to use a flash, try to stand at least 2 or 3 feet away from the subjects so the flash isn't too bright. Another tip is to put a tissue over the flash to soften the light.

Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas

Night Photography Techniques

Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas

Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas
Couple Photography - 7 Tips and Ideas

Night Photography Techniques

Perfect Prom Photos - Tips For Capturing Great Formal Images on Prom Night

Follow these tips to capture great photos at Prom time!

1. Choose a clean background. If possible, choose an outdoor setting with some greenery - trees, bushes, anything with green or flowers. Place the subjects several feet in front of the background. If indoors, take a couple minutes to select a posing spot and clear any clutter out of the background. Try to avoid direct sunlight. If you have no choice, place the sun behind them and off to one side and force the flash to fire. That will create a highlight on their hair, but you will have to balance the lighting with some front light from flash or reflectors.

2. Fall back and zoom. Most cameras have a zoom feature. To compose your image, you can either zoom out (wide) and get close, or zoom in (tele) and step back. Try the latter. By stepping back, you shorten the facial features and create a more attractive image of the subjects' faces.

3. Stabilize the camera. If you have a tripod or monopod (stick), use it. If not, try to set the camera on a stable object. The worst possible way to shoot is to hold it out in front of you with two hands. The camera will move and the image will be blurry.

4. Know when to flash your subjects. In general, don't use on-camera flash indoors. If you have an SLR camera with a separate flash, you can consider bouncing if off of the wall or ceiling. But indoors, the little camera flash will create a very cheap look and very hard shadows on the wall behind them. It's better to use available light and shoot with a stable camera. Outdoors, a bit of fill flash may be good to minimize eye circles.

5. Mind the white balance. Most cameras have a white balance selection. Instead of auto, choose the white balance that is appropriate for the predominant light source. Outside in shade: choose Shade. It will have a great impact on your image colors.

6. Compose the groups. If you have multiple couples, take a couple of shots of each lady in full length, then half (waist up). Then get each couple, generally with the man a bit behind the lady and off one shoulder. Have him place his arms around her waist and you can show his and her flowers as well. Then get all of the ladies together and then all of the men, and finally, one shot with all of the couples. Avoid the "Adam and Eve" look with hands together in front. Hands at sides, or partially in pockets, or holding flowers or each other. A bit of physical contact between subjects conveys a much warmer, frendlier image.

7. One camera at at time! To have the photos come out best, make sure the subjects place their attention on just one camera at a time. Otherwise, the eyes of some subjects will not be looking at the camera. If you have one parent with all the gear and experience, let them guide the posing and the first shots, and then the others can step in before the pose is changed.

8. Vary your angle. Sometimes shooting waist level is a good way to capture the whole dress, or far above for a dreamy look.

9. Throw in some creative and fun poses. Everyone is nervous and feels a bit akward about being so dressed up and being with a crowd of kids and parents. Encourage the kids to loosen up and shoot some fun candids. Add the little sister or brother for a shot or two, or the family dog.

10. Multiple shots for multiple people. The more people in an image, the greater the likelihood that someone will be blinking in any shot. For larger groups, take at least 5 images. One trick is to have everyone close their eyes, and on a count of three, open them and smile.

11. Share! Post the images on your Facebook page, or Flikr page or other areas. But before doing so, spend a couple of minutes to rotate the images so they all show up correctly, and consider a few basic edits: Contrast, color saturation, exposure levels, cropping. These fundamental editing steps will take a good shot and make it great.

Enjoy taking great prom photos!

Perfect Prom Photos - Tips For Capturing Great Formal Images on Prom Night

Night Photography Techniques

Perfect Prom Photos - Tips For Capturing Great Formal Images on Prom Night

Perfect Prom Photos - Tips For Capturing Great Formal Images on Prom Night
Perfect Prom Photos - Tips For Capturing Great Formal Images on Prom Night

Night Photography Techniques

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

Tube. Duration : 7.05 Mins.

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

Full guide at: http://www.dslrtips.com/workshops/How_to_take_photos_at_night/manual_long_exposure.shtml How to take successful photos at night, by Gordon Lai...

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

DSLR Tips: Night Photography

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Photo Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio

INTRODUCTION

Studio portraiture is very specialized and has always been the "elite" photographer's playground. While it is true that high end studio photography requires a great amount of study, practice and mentoring; it is also equally true that an interested amateur with some decent equipment can take very nice family and portrait photos with some practice.

BASIC STUDIO EQUIPMENT

You are going to need a few key elements for some basic studio photography. First is some studio lighting. Three strobe lights will likely give you as much studio lighting as you will need to get by in most lighting situations. Some studio setups have as many as 6 lights, reflectors and various diffusers and use high end 600-800 Watt per Second strobes that cost thousands of dollars. Don't worry! You can likely find a good starter set with 300-350 WPS lights in places like eBay, Henry's or your local camera store. You should prepare to spend in the neighbourhood of about 00.00 to get strobes, stands, soft boxes, umbrellas and maybe a reflector. You can also consider a wireless strobe trigger although you can likely get away with the cord that will come with the lights. Most "package" systems come with a carrying case as well so the will save your equipment from any damage.

Next item(s) will be backdrops. You may want to consider a number of things. Good quality Muslin backdrops can be found for very reasonable money on eBay. I buy all my backdrops from eBay vendors. Like anything, make sure you check the seller rating and their eBay store to make sure they are reputable. You may also want to consider a backdrop stand. That will assist in properly hanging your backdrops in almost any location. Questions you need to ask yourself are

1. How many colours do you want?

2. How large do you need (will you be doing large group photos)?

3. How much space do you have to use to set them up?

4. Do you need a backdrop hanger?

Now that you have some of your basic information, you will need to select colors for your backdrops. A nice standard grey, blue and maybe a brown/red base backdrop will usually be enough to get you going. You also need to know the size. 9x6 is a good standard muslin used for portraits however if you can get a good deal, go for 10 x 10 and that way you can have some extra backdrop to use for full body shots and even enough for some small group shots. Backdrops of that size are generally around 0 each however, you can often find great deals on eBay if you are patient.

SETTING UP THE STUDIO

Now that you have the gear, it's time to decide how to set up your studio. Hopefully you have already found yourself some room in your house that you can use as a "studio only" location. If not, you can go "mobile" with most equipment and set up wherever there is room. Ideally you would like to have a room that has a good amount of ceiling space, enough room to set up your subject and light. A room or area 15x15 is a good starting point but you may have some limitations for larger groups. If you are mostly doing your pets, family and other small subjects and groups this should suffice.

If you have the ability to set aside your "stage" and keep it set up, the best thing to do is to set your backdrops up against one wall and your lighting off to the side. Your lighting needs will vary from shot to shot so it is best to just have the lights on their stands set to the lowest point on the light stand. When you know what type of lighting you are going to need, you pull your lights as needed and set them up (with a soft box, umbrella...).

IN SHORT

Studio shooting can be a lot of fun. It makes for really great home done family portraits and can even make you a couple dollars. Once you start feeling comfortable taking portraits, why not start doing some friends portraits? After some practice, some study and some experience with various portrait styles; you will start to see some great results and will be the envy of all your friends!

Photo Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio

Night Photography Techniques

Photo Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio

Photo Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio
Photo Tips For Setting Up a Home Photography Studio

Night Photography Techniques


Full guide at: http://www.dslrtips.com/workshops/How_to_take_photos_at_night/manual_long_exposure.shtml How to take successful photos at night, by Gordon Lai...

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Fashion Photography Tips For Success

We see them all over the place; in television advertisements, in magazines, and on the runway. They are the beautiful men and women who strut their stuff while showing off the latest styles from the hottest fashion designers. These are the fashion models of today and tomorrow, and the subject of high fashion photography. It is through photography that these models and fashionable clothing are brought to the public. Therefore, these photographs must be taken with a certain level of precision and a special attention to color, style, and lighting composition. Learning a few key fashion photography tips will help to make this possible.

High fashion photographers such as Mario Testino and Eva Mueller may not be as famous as the models they shoot, but they are actually sought out more than their model counterparts by fashion magazines and designers. While the dream of huge paychecks and hobnobbing with the rich and famous might appeal to the aspiring fashion photographer, it is not easy to become successful in fashion and model photography. For every one talented young photographer who makes it big, there are hundreds are left dreaming about the moment their photo will be chosen.

Here are a few fashion photography tips for anyone interested in getting started in the field of fashion photography. The first thing you must do is study your subject. As with any field, you can never learn enough. Read as many fashion magazines you can possibly get your hands on. There are a number of fantastic books on the subjects of fashion and model photography available. They can be purchased cheaply online at sites like Amazon.com or even cheaper if you get them used on eBay. You will also need a good camera, a tripod, and a lighting system. One of the more often overlooked fashion photography tips, is to ensure that you always have plenty of film and extra batteries available.

One of the most important fashion photography tips to focus on is having a portfolio. You need to start assembling a portfolio of your work and you need to keep this portfolio handy at all times. You never know when you will have the opportunity to show your work off to someone in the fashion world. Sharp, vibrant images on a 4 x 5" transparency will best show off your work, so focus on them when putting your fashion photography portfolio together. If any of your work has already been published regardless of whether it was a local magazine, newspaper or contest, add a tear sheet (literally a sheet you torn out of the magazine) is a great addition to a portfolio. You should have a minimum of 20 photographs in your portfolio and showcasing different styles.

In this day of the internet, it is wise to display your fashion photography talent online as well. Setup a simple website displaying your work and submit your digital photos to online contests. Also, submit them to online fashion gallery websites. This will help tremendously with getting your work seen and showcasing your talent around the world. Probably the most important of all the fashion photography tips is to get your photographs seen by as many people as possible. There is no better way of doing this than by putting them online.

Remember that most fashion magazine editors are looking for your personality in the photographs that you take. Each fashion photographer will captures the essence of a fashion design and model differently. Most importantly, if this is your dream, do not give up, ever! Keep learning the latest high fashion photography tips and keep working to get your photographs on the cover of my next hot fashion magazine.

Fashion Photography Tips For Success

Night Photography Techniques

Fashion Photography Tips For Success

Fashion Photography Tips For Success
Fashion Photography Tips For Success

Night Photography Techniques