With everything going digital, there are now courses and even schools where you can learn photography online. This is a great way for you to pace yourself and learn about photography on your own time with minimal or no visits to a campus. This article attempts to acquaint you with online schools offering photography courses, what you can hope to learn from these courses and guide you in evaluating and learning more about specific schools you choose.
Photography can offer a lot if chosen as a career. Its dynamic, versatile nature allows for a great degree of movement even within the craft. You can have a choice of a wide variety of subject matter ranging from news photography to magazine covers and travel or exotic locations. While the diversity and rewards exist with photography, you are unlikely to become a great photographer with mere good intentions and fervent hopes. You need to put in significant effort and hard work, as with any other craft, to become good at it. In your quest to become a great photographer, you may need to search for a good online school. Consider your search over as this article will address all the relevant points of finding a good online photography school.
Learning about how to take good pictures is just the beginning. You will also need to learn about all the business aspects of working with photography. You need to become familiar with copyright related matters and preparation and presentation of a portfolio. Some of the courses that are taught in photography schools include the following:
- Techniques of Photography
- Photographic equipment
- Digital photography and imaging
- Processes in photography
- Color Theory
A good place to start is by visiting this online photography school. The link to the site is here.
The subject of photography as a career is vast. This article and some of the tips provided above are just a few examples of the myriad of categories available in photography.
Photography is a unique craft which combines artistic expression with distinct individual tastes. Combine this artistic expression with a business model and you’ve got the makings of a unique and rewarding career. If you’ve developed a healthy obsession for it, then you will do well to learn the craft from true professionals who can share their experiences with you. The beauty of attending a photography school is that you don’t need to be particularly adept at photography or be an expert. You can join a photography school for several reasons: perhaps you are just starting out and want to learn the basics, maybe you’re beginning to develop your ‘artistic eye’ and want to further hone your skills or you’ve already had some experience and are looking to reinforce the techniques and skills you know. Regardless of your motivation, online schools will provide a lot more guidance than simply teaching you to take pictures and process or develop them. You will learn the history of photography, science of the art such as the chemistry involved in photography, or the physics involved which cover optics, color & light theory and even computer related skills if you are learning about digital photography.
Along with the great teachers, you are bound to run into and forge relationships with fellow students who share the same interests as you. You can benefit significantly from groups such as this and can help each other grow along the way.
When you are considering an online photography school, you will need to do your homework and research on each of them. Here are some questions that can help you get started off on the right track (each question also has a response for you to evaluate):
What is the purpose of a specific online photography school?
Here, you will want to look at what the school is attempting to do. You need to look out for cues that the school pays attention to its graduates and are really keen on developing a students’ skill-set. They should focus on training photographers to have sound technical and professional knowledge.
What sort of photography should I pursue?
Again, photography has a vast set of categories when it comes to picking one as a career. Some of your choices are advertising, fashion, portrait wedding or news photography. You may want to look at schools that specialize in a specific category that you are interested in. The school should teach you the basics of how to tackle any of these subjects and prepare you to start off diverse and eventually narrow down your focus.
What kinds of schools should I look at?
Obviously, there will be other institutes that teach you not only photography, but other subjects as well. A good rule of thumb is to look for a school that specializes in photography and is a good fit within your budget.
Are there any good schools either online or offline located in the US?
There are indeed. Some of the schools that are recommended are the Brooks Institute of Photography and the Art Institute of Colorado. For further information and a detailed listing, please click here.
The Brooks Institute of Photography is at the top for learning visual arts and photography. As with any career decision, your objectives need to be met when selecting a good photography school. Take the time to list your career objectives before you start searching. This will simplify things when you do start looking for a good school. Next, you should look for schools which have been around for some time. You want to avoid startup schools which only have an internet presence. Look for opportunities to intern with the school where you can quickly build up your work-experience. Photography is one unique craft which, if done as a career, can help turn your hobby into a means of income. There is nothing better that getting paid for something you love doing.
In my quest for some of the best online photography schools, I have come across a few worth mentioning. My favorite, because of the services it offers, is here.
The second school I feel is worth mentioning is found here. Its an instructor lead course and is worth looking at if you are looking for a set of online courses.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
What Are The Salient Points of Starting A Photography Business
The day comes when you realize that your little photography hobby is quickly growing bigger. You end up spending a lot more money, time and effort in your hobby and find yourself faced with that serious decision: Should I commit to my hobby by starting a photography business?
When you decide to go with photography as a business, you are now opening yourself up to a lot more responsibility. Whereas before, as a hobbyist photographer, you would only focus on your craft and the technical intricacies of photography, now you are faced with running a business as well. It is a rare instance when you will strike a good balance between being a photographer and a business-man from the get-go. Being one will not necessarily make you good at being the other. You will have to consider a lot more aspects of the business as a whole in order to turn it into a successful one. Some of these aspects are legal, finance, marketing and management related. Paying attention to all of these and taking great photographs is a sure recipe for success.
‘Excuse me sir, do you have a license for that camera?’
Most people wonder whether a license is required to become a professional photographer. The simple answer is no. You do not need a license to operate a photography business. As long as there is someone willing to pay for your photographs, no-one will stop you doing what you do. One thing you do need to keep in mind is the fact that when you are running your business and start incurring expenses, you may prefer to declare such expenses as a tax deduction on your income.
It will be at this point that the IRS will want to know whether your photography endeavor is a hobby or a full fledged business which generates income. In situations like this, there is no hard and fast rule for them to ascertain if you’re running a professional service or if you’re simply engaging in a hobby. They will, however, go through your records to determine if there are any specific patterns in your finances which give an indication of your work. Consider an example where you have entered a deduction for travel to Thailand. If you have specified this as an expense incurred as part of your business, then the IRS will want to know if any money you have coming in is a result of your trip to Thailand and the photographs you sell. If it doesn’t check out, then you will have some explaining to do.
Photography Inc. - How Do I Form A Company?
These days, there are a number of different ways you can start up a company. Incorporation has evolved to a point where you will most likely find that there is a type of company for your specific business. You could even incorporate under a Sole Proprietorship and do business like that. One other, more simple, option would be to incorporate as an S Company. This sort of company greatly simplifies the work required to file your tax returns and all the paperwork that goes with it. In this type of company, you do not need to have extra or separate paperwork for filing your tax returns. All you would need to do is to include any profits or losses of your business in your individual, personal tax return. For instance: Assume that your income is about $150k and your photography business has generated you a profit of $15k. You will have to combine your income, in this case, and specify a total income of $165k. Then you will be taxed on this consolidated income. If, however, instead of making a profit, you had incurred a loss of $15k, then you would deduct the loss from your income and be only taxed on $135k. This would be one of the most ideal ways to incorporate when you are just starting out.
What if I want to start my photography business at home?
One of the primary requirements of starting your business at home would be space. You will end up saving a lot on renting another place, but at the same time, you need to ensure that you have the requisite space to conduct your business at home. If you consider photography, you will need to have space for storing equipment and chemicals. If you are working with both digital and traditional photography, then you need to have a dark room. You will need to have an office space to work in and perhaps an area where your customers can wait. One point to remember is that if you use your house to double as your work area, you may not be able to consider it as a tax deduction. This is because the law stipulates that your place of work must be used solely for business purposes.
Getting the word out - How to market your Photography Business
When you start out your business, an important aspect you will want to focus on is the marketing. You need to tell as many people about your business as possible. You need to be able to tell people what you do and what services you offer. In a photography business, one of the first things you will need to do is build up a portfolio of the type of pictures you take. As an example, if you are only in the business of wedding photography, your portfolio will need to reflect that. Then what you can do is identify the market to which you want to sell. In wedding photography, you can partner up with people offering more services for weddings: stores which have gift registries, caterers, jewelers. You can approach them and ask if you could leave your brochure and portfolio with them so that they may recommend you to couples planning their wedding. Your brochure needs to be well worded, proofread and be very presentable. It is vital that you strive to make an impact with your brochure as this will be the entire basis for which you will sell your photographs. All marketing material should be proofread and checked by someone other than you for spelling or grammar mistakes.
The preceding are just a few tips for you to consider when starting up your photography business. Obviously you should expect some initial teething problems, but these tips will generally provide you with a road map to start off with. Once you get your first few jobs, provided you do great work in a professional manner, your reputation will spread quickly and you can expect to get a regular stream of customers.
If you are keen to start a successful and profitable photography business then you need to do it right the first time. Most people don’t and most often their business collapses. That’s a shame because most people want to be successful but won’t invest in knowledge and experience. They try to ‘go it alone’ to save a few coins. The differences between success & failure are based on 3 things; knowledge, experience and action. If you are sure you’ll take action then you just require the other two elements. Learn to start a profitable photography business.
When you decide to go with photography as a business, you are now opening yourself up to a lot more responsibility. Whereas before, as a hobbyist photographer, you would only focus on your craft and the technical intricacies of photography, now you are faced with running a business as well. It is a rare instance when you will strike a good balance between being a photographer and a business-man from the get-go. Being one will not necessarily make you good at being the other. You will have to consider a lot more aspects of the business as a whole in order to turn it into a successful one. Some of these aspects are legal, finance, marketing and management related. Paying attention to all of these and taking great photographs is a sure recipe for success.
‘Excuse me sir, do you have a license for that camera?’
Most people wonder whether a license is required to become a professional photographer. The simple answer is no. You do not need a license to operate a photography business. As long as there is someone willing to pay for your photographs, no-one will stop you doing what you do. One thing you do need to keep in mind is the fact that when you are running your business and start incurring expenses, you may prefer to declare such expenses as a tax deduction on your income.
It will be at this point that the IRS will want to know whether your photography endeavor is a hobby or a full fledged business which generates income. In situations like this, there is no hard and fast rule for them to ascertain if you’re running a professional service or if you’re simply engaging in a hobby. They will, however, go through your records to determine if there are any specific patterns in your finances which give an indication of your work. Consider an example where you have entered a deduction for travel to Thailand. If you have specified this as an expense incurred as part of your business, then the IRS will want to know if any money you have coming in is a result of your trip to Thailand and the photographs you sell. If it doesn’t check out, then you will have some explaining to do.
Photography Inc. - How Do I Form A Company?
These days, there are a number of different ways you can start up a company. Incorporation has evolved to a point where you will most likely find that there is a type of company for your specific business. You could even incorporate under a Sole Proprietorship and do business like that. One other, more simple, option would be to incorporate as an S Company. This sort of company greatly simplifies the work required to file your tax returns and all the paperwork that goes with it. In this type of company, you do not need to have extra or separate paperwork for filing your tax returns. All you would need to do is to include any profits or losses of your business in your individual, personal tax return. For instance: Assume that your income is about $150k and your photography business has generated you a profit of $15k. You will have to combine your income, in this case, and specify a total income of $165k. Then you will be taxed on this consolidated income. If, however, instead of making a profit, you had incurred a loss of $15k, then you would deduct the loss from your income and be only taxed on $135k. This would be one of the most ideal ways to incorporate when you are just starting out.
What if I want to start my photography business at home?
One of the primary requirements of starting your business at home would be space. You will end up saving a lot on renting another place, but at the same time, you need to ensure that you have the requisite space to conduct your business at home. If you consider photography, you will need to have space for storing equipment and chemicals. If you are working with both digital and traditional photography, then you need to have a dark room. You will need to have an office space to work in and perhaps an area where your customers can wait. One point to remember is that if you use your house to double as your work area, you may not be able to consider it as a tax deduction. This is because the law stipulates that your place of work must be used solely for business purposes.
Getting the word out - How to market your Photography Business
When you start out your business, an important aspect you will want to focus on is the marketing. You need to tell as many people about your business as possible. You need to be able to tell people what you do and what services you offer. In a photography business, one of the first things you will need to do is build up a portfolio of the type of pictures you take. As an example, if you are only in the business of wedding photography, your portfolio will need to reflect that. Then what you can do is identify the market to which you want to sell. In wedding photography, you can partner up with people offering more services for weddings: stores which have gift registries, caterers, jewelers. You can approach them and ask if you could leave your brochure and portfolio with them so that they may recommend you to couples planning their wedding. Your brochure needs to be well worded, proofread and be very presentable. It is vital that you strive to make an impact with your brochure as this will be the entire basis for which you will sell your photographs. All marketing material should be proofread and checked by someone other than you for spelling or grammar mistakes.
The preceding are just a few tips for you to consider when starting up your photography business. Obviously you should expect some initial teething problems, but these tips will generally provide you with a road map to start off with. Once you get your first few jobs, provided you do great work in a professional manner, your reputation will spread quickly and you can expect to get a regular stream of customers.
If you are keen to start a successful and profitable photography business then you need to do it right the first time. Most people don’t and most often their business collapses. That’s a shame because most people want to be successful but won’t invest in knowledge and experience. They try to ‘go it alone’ to save a few coins. The differences between success & failure are based on 3 things; knowledge, experience and action. If you are sure you’ll take action then you just require the other two elements. Learn to start a profitable photography business.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
How Do i Start A Photography Business?
When you consider photography, or any hobby, as a potential business, the first thing you need is a business plan. In this plan, you will be able to define your business, what you want to accomplish and how you will achieve your goals. The plan can help you organize your thoughts and can also act as a motivator in making your dreams a reality. There are qualified individuals who can act as mentors to you and also develop customized plans to address your specific needs. Think of the business plan as your own personal encyclopedia; one that you can use to document all your planning, strategies and financial matters down to the price which you will charge per photograph.
The fundamental aspect that you need to look at when you start your business is how much you are actually planning to charge per photograph. This should be a prominent entry in your business plan along with calculations on how you arrived at this figure. When trying to determine what price to charge per photograph, you will need to consider several factors: broadly, they can be grouped into your startup costs and the price per photograph that your competition charges. A good starting point is to evaluate the competition. What are other photographers charging per photograph? It will make sense for you to research the prices of photographers who have very similar profiles to you. They should also be fairly new to the business and offer similar services as you. As you progress and your business grows, you can continue this habit and ensure you remain competitive by either matching their price or bettering it. If you make a name for yourself and your photography becomes more sought after, you will be at an advantage to charge a premium for the services you provide. In reality, however, you will probably want to lower your rates so that you can beat the competition by offering a better service for a lower fee. If you position yourself to cater to a niche market with a higher demand and you find less photographers in your niche, you will then have an opportunity to raise your price per photo.
One other important aspect to consider when you embark on a photography business is your finances. You will need to consider all costs involved from setting up to delivering a finished product to a customer. Document all fees incurred; daily running costs, both fixed and variable, and also be on the lookout for any hidden costs that can creep up. When starting out, try to begin on a realistic budget which you feel you can manage. Bear in mind, however, that to launch and maintain a successful business you will need to have sufficient funding to ensure your business grows. This means having a marketing budget. You may want to focus more on the marketing as your sales pick up. Be vigilant that your marketing budget is utilized in a very efficient manner so as to maximize your exposure to your target markets. You will constantly need to market both yourself and the unique nature of your photography in whatever theme you choose.
Include details such as a business description, name of business, experience in the field and any qualifications you hold in your marketing strategy. Provide an insight into your technique and what you are capable of in some sample photographs. Include pricing details for your services and where or how you can be contacted. Your contact information is very important. Without this, people will not know how to reach you. Here are some things to consider:
1. Does your marketing material project your name and services in a compelling manner? Look at all your material and make sure the correct message is being delivered to your customers. Does your material answer some of your own questions if you were a customer that is considering the services of a photography business?
2. One mechanism of marketing your business and yourself is your website. How user-friendly is this website? Does it take several clicks for a user to navigate through to a particular page? One of the things you can include is a professionally presented profile of yourself. Information like this needs to be available to the customer at the click of a button. In this day and age, time is a very precious commodity and customers will rarely have time to waste navigating through a bad website. Make sure all important information is at the customers’ fingertips; otherwise they will go elsewhere.
3. Do you present all your services to the customer in a conveniently accessible manner? Are your contact details prominently displayed in your website and any advertisements that you put out? If you have outsourced your advertisement creation, then take a look at the advertisements before you publish them. Having the opinion of your friends and family is another economical way to ensure the advertisements are presentable and appealing.
4. If you are contemplating on using an agency to promote your business, then take the time to research the agency beforehand. Have a trial period during which they try to sell your photographs; evaluate them at each step they take. To ascertain if you are achieving the results that you require, go back to your business plan. See if your targets are being met. Additionally, you may get reviews of the agency you are trying out from fellow photographers.
5. Keep a watchful eye on the prices you charge for your photographs. Do not let unforeseen losses in revenue prompt you to charge very high prices. Your business plan should take into consideration potential challenges and times with lower sales. A good safety net is to have another source of income to ensure your photography business has all the support it needs during its infancy.
6. Your business plan should never be just a static document. It should be a dynamic, living document which you review and update throughout the milestones of your business. It can be a great way of documenting your experiences so that any errors you have made will not be repeated in the future. It is ideal to keep your focus on your goal.You can gain more knowledge at Profitable Photography Business. It’s dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources(some free) from Photography Equipment & Resources
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The fundamental aspect that you need to look at when you start your business is how much you are actually planning to charge per photograph. This should be a prominent entry in your business plan along with calculations on how you arrived at this figure. When trying to determine what price to charge per photograph, you will need to consider several factors: broadly, they can be grouped into your startup costs and the price per photograph that your competition charges. A good starting point is to evaluate the competition. What are other photographers charging per photograph? It will make sense for you to research the prices of photographers who have very similar profiles to you. They should also be fairly new to the business and offer similar services as you. As you progress and your business grows, you can continue this habit and ensure you remain competitive by either matching their price or bettering it. If you make a name for yourself and your photography becomes more sought after, you will be at an advantage to charge a premium for the services you provide. In reality, however, you will probably want to lower your rates so that you can beat the competition by offering a better service for a lower fee. If you position yourself to cater to a niche market with a higher demand and you find less photographers in your niche, you will then have an opportunity to raise your price per photo.
One other important aspect to consider when you embark on a photography business is your finances. You will need to consider all costs involved from setting up to delivering a finished product to a customer. Document all fees incurred; daily running costs, both fixed and variable, and also be on the lookout for any hidden costs that can creep up. When starting out, try to begin on a realistic budget which you feel you can manage. Bear in mind, however, that to launch and maintain a successful business you will need to have sufficient funding to ensure your business grows. This means having a marketing budget. You may want to focus more on the marketing as your sales pick up. Be vigilant that your marketing budget is utilized in a very efficient manner so as to maximize your exposure to your target markets. You will constantly need to market both yourself and the unique nature of your photography in whatever theme you choose.
Include details such as a business description, name of business, experience in the field and any qualifications you hold in your marketing strategy. Provide an insight into your technique and what you are capable of in some sample photographs. Include pricing details for your services and where or how you can be contacted. Your contact information is very important. Without this, people will not know how to reach you. Here are some things to consider:
1. Does your marketing material project your name and services in a compelling manner? Look at all your material and make sure the correct message is being delivered to your customers. Does your material answer some of your own questions if you were a customer that is considering the services of a photography business?
2. One mechanism of marketing your business and yourself is your website. How user-friendly is this website? Does it take several clicks for a user to navigate through to a particular page? One of the things you can include is a professionally presented profile of yourself. Information like this needs to be available to the customer at the click of a button. In this day and age, time is a very precious commodity and customers will rarely have time to waste navigating through a bad website. Make sure all important information is at the customers’ fingertips; otherwise they will go elsewhere.
3. Do you present all your services to the customer in a conveniently accessible manner? Are your contact details prominently displayed in your website and any advertisements that you put out? If you have outsourced your advertisement creation, then take a look at the advertisements before you publish them. Having the opinion of your friends and family is another economical way to ensure the advertisements are presentable and appealing.
4. If you are contemplating on using an agency to promote your business, then take the time to research the agency beforehand. Have a trial period during which they try to sell your photographs; evaluate them at each step they take. To ascertain if you are achieving the results that you require, go back to your business plan. See if your targets are being met. Additionally, you may get reviews of the agency you are trying out from fellow photographers.
5. Keep a watchful eye on the prices you charge for your photographs. Do not let unforeseen losses in revenue prompt you to charge very high prices. Your business plan should take into consideration potential challenges and times with lower sales. A good safety net is to have another source of income to ensure your photography business has all the support it needs during its infancy.
6. Your business plan should never be just a static document. It should be a dynamic, living document which you review and update throughout the milestones of your business. It can be a great way of documenting your experiences so that any errors you have made will not be repeated in the future. It is ideal to keep your focus on your goal.You can gain more knowledge at Profitable Photography Business. It’s dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources(some free) from Photography Equipment & Resources
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Monday, April 7, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Start a Photography Business if You're keen on Photography
Staring your own photography can be an exciting adventure. Before you set up shop, browse the current, local competition to compare and contrast your business field or capabilities to theirs. Photographers truly shine in skill when they embark on a business journey related to a field of particular interest. Hone in on your desires for business purposes and to become a great photographer.
Photographers have a hard time standing apart people in the same field. Unless, they push to put together a portfolio containing photographs with regards to a particular area of the photographer’s interest. Dedicate your business to creating a niche in the market and stand out over the less original artists.
Well known artists succumb to greatness by finding a way to share what they see as beautiful, or a huge impact in their own lives, with the general public. Artists focus on bridging a mental gap between them selves and the audience. Artists relate to their viewers through different mediums of composition, and by focusing on various details not previously given attention to by the general population. Monet, Picasso and other famous painters possessed a talent for creating paintings with a unique vision of the world.
The general public holds a common interest of wanting to view life in modes outside of their immediate perception. Photographers grab a hold of their audience by capturing moments the general public often overlooks. Photographers express great talent through creating a personal experience with a single photograph of particular landscape settings, formidable architecture or other event settings. Some photographers happen upon their success by sharing a photograph originally intended for personal reference. A business filled with enjoyment of hobby innately falls into the lap of the photographer. A photographer, as an artist, presents normal and abnormal perspectives on daily subjects to create a unique statement through a photograph.
Artists are not merely born into great fame. Famous artist’s dedication, focus, passions, inspirations, and deterministic capabilities combine together to create unique and exquisite work. Photographers start their success from a feeling within. They must truly believe in their ability to create great art in order to produce it. An artist cannot be discouraged by not being very popular right off the hinge. Famous artist develop by producing work over time and their talent eventually comes to light of the public.
A variety of Internet-based sites provide tips to up and coming photographers on how to start their own business. Some websites describe methods of personal business marketing with regards to photography allowing business capabilities to expand worldwide. Amateur business photographers learn a great deal by researching other well-known artists online. Research allows the prospective business photographer to seek out answers to beginner questions and learn ways to avoid pitfalls experienced by established businessmen. The Internet allows your work to be seen by several people across the world, rather than the few who might discover you at conventional venues. Connecting with people of common interest through photography presents the most sure shot way to making it in the photography business. Present your attitude and work ethic through exercising passion in business-oriented relationships. Make sure to prepare long-term goals to help keep you within the guidelines of a good business proprietor. Seek out the assistance of business professionals in your field. Setting your goals ahead of you early allows you to focus on the artwork through passion and interest. Otherwise, you will be too busy concentrating on the challenges of having your own business and your artistic ability may decline under the stress.
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Photographers have a hard time standing apart people in the same field. Unless, they push to put together a portfolio containing photographs with regards to a particular area of the photographer’s interest. Dedicate your business to creating a niche in the market and stand out over the less original artists.
Well known artists succumb to greatness by finding a way to share what they see as beautiful, or a huge impact in their own lives, with the general public. Artists focus on bridging a mental gap between them selves and the audience. Artists relate to their viewers through different mediums of composition, and by focusing on various details not previously given attention to by the general population. Monet, Picasso and other famous painters possessed a talent for creating paintings with a unique vision of the world.
The general public holds a common interest of wanting to view life in modes outside of their immediate perception. Photographers grab a hold of their audience by capturing moments the general public often overlooks. Photographers express great talent through creating a personal experience with a single photograph of particular landscape settings, formidable architecture or other event settings. Some photographers happen upon their success by sharing a photograph originally intended for personal reference. A business filled with enjoyment of hobby innately falls into the lap of the photographer. A photographer, as an artist, presents normal and abnormal perspectives on daily subjects to create a unique statement through a photograph.
Artists are not merely born into great fame. Famous artist’s dedication, focus, passions, inspirations, and deterministic capabilities combine together to create unique and exquisite work. Photographers start their success from a feeling within. They must truly believe in their ability to create great art in order to produce it. An artist cannot be discouraged by not being very popular right off the hinge. Famous artist develop by producing work over time and their talent eventually comes to light of the public.
A variety of Internet-based sites provide tips to up and coming photographers on how to start their own business. Some websites describe methods of personal business marketing with regards to photography allowing business capabilities to expand worldwide. Amateur business photographers learn a great deal by researching other well-known artists online. Research allows the prospective business photographer to seek out answers to beginner questions and learn ways to avoid pitfalls experienced by established businessmen. The Internet allows your work to be seen by several people across the world, rather than the few who might discover you at conventional venues. Connecting with people of common interest through photography presents the most sure shot way to making it in the photography business. Present your attitude and work ethic through exercising passion in business-oriented relationships. Make sure to prepare long-term goals to help keep you within the guidelines of a good business proprietor. Seek out the assistance of business professionals in your field. Setting your goals ahead of you early allows you to focus on the artwork through passion and interest. Otherwise, you will be too busy concentrating on the challenges of having your own business and your artistic ability may decline under the stress.
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Depth Of Field-What is it?
Developing a basic understanding on depth of field allows you to take matters further through personal research by having a starting point. Your shots give off a sense of confidence by making informed decisions.
Amateur photographers run through several rolls of film or memory capabilities before capturing the true meaning of certain photographic technicalities. Exposure times comprise the first of two aspects for so many rolls of film or memory use. The second aspect has to do with the DOF (Depth of Field). Photographers spend countless thoughts on what they might have done wrong.
Amateur photographers ask two questions frequently when first starting off.
1. How can I achieve a sharp subject and blurry back round in my pictures?
2. How do I put everything into focus?
Amateurs must learn the rules involved in long and short depths of field in order to move on to professional photography. Beginners need to learn how to manipulate and express personal vision through the depths of field.
First and foremost, consider the differences between short Depth of Field and long Depth of Field. Short DOF photographs contain a subject in focus, while the back round and all objects behind the focus show up blurry. Long DOF photographs focus every object in the picture. Combining short and long DOF you obtain the circumstances involved in medium Depth of Field photographs.
When should you use short DOF? Selective focus allows the photographer to be specific on what to focus in a photograph. Establish control of subject focus provides powerful photographs through this dynamic tool. Photojournalism photographs often include pictures of people standing out in a crowd and establishes them apart from the back round. “A picture paints a thousand words,” when uniquely using this powerful tool in your photography.
Glamour portraits use short DOF to isolate the subject in the photograph. Examples seen in photographs where the subject’s eye closest to the point of perspective renders sharply and the eye furthest away slightly blurs. This technique allows a level of individuality in the creation of personal messages through the photograph.
What instances should you use DOF in? Long Depth of Field provides great photographs considering landscape subjects. Shorter DOF used for landscaping produces minimal focus on the vast subject and capture much of the subject in a blurred outcome. Long DOF captures everything near and far in a landscaping picture and gives focus to several aspects of the subject. Ansel Adams and Edward Weston utilize long DOF to create famous works of art and photography. Large, wonderful scenery can produce a great blurred back round to a single bright, atheistically appealing flower by use of short DOF. Photographers need to develop versatility in order to capture the right photograph in various situations.
How can you make your understanding of DOF work for you? DOF varies on the camera’s focal length in the lens. Following information touches on quite a bit of technical details using a SLR lends with a 45mm to 70mm range. Learn to adjust the F-stops (aperture) on the camera to manipulating DOF. Modern SLR cameras allow the use of this feature through switching to AV (Aperture Priority) mode.
Fully explaining aspects of aperture could take quite a bit of time. Thus, the simplest understanding represents the F-stop as an adjustable opening controlling the light inducing a photograph on the film and digital captures. DOF of an image becomes controlled by the F-stop and choosing shutter speeds.
SLR cameras of older make contain lens ranges on the barrel. The aperture ring looks like the following on a basic lens:
2.8 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22
The numbers indicate aperture open settings or otherwise known as the F-stops.
Modern electronic and other cameras display F-stop values on the viewfinder. Newer lenses raise the range between F-stops; the following displays some common examples:
2.8 - 3.5 - 5.6 - 6.3 -7.1 - 8 up to 32
Choosing DOF settings on the camera requires a bit of technical information and basic understanding of certain concepts. Short DOF selects lower F-stop numbers to represent their capabilities, such as 2.8. Longer DOF selects higher end F-stop numbers to represent their capabilities, such as 22. Everything in the final photograph for higher numbered F-stops will come into focus. One subject in the final photograph for lower numbered F-stops focus the subject only and blur out the back round. The separation between pictures and photographs provides a dividing line in the understanding of the F-stop concept. You can practice understanding F-stop settings by picking out 3 subjects to photograph. Apples or orange provide good subjects since they do not move on their own and you can change their position to practice different ranges and F-stop settings. Arrange the subjects in order of 2′, 3′ and 4′ to give you some perspective in the final photographs. Start off with lower end numbers on the F-stop and progress through until you reach the highest values. The final photographs should focus the very first subject in the line up and blur out the rest on smaller F-stop numbers. The final photographs including higher end F-stop values should include focus to the back round subjects with greater accuracy as the number gets higher. In high-end F-stop value photographs all subjects should view as sharp objects and under great focus.
SLR cameras usually have a preview icon to represent the DOF. Selecting the preview icon and focusing the lens on your subject should project what the final image will come out as. Consider the possibility off too much light getting in as the F-stop value gets higher. Preview capabilities will appear darker because of the amount of light being let in. Several practice sessions allow you to take photographs without the use of the preview button because you’ve learned how to master reproducing the image without a guide.
You’ve just learned the basics of Depth of Field! Certain facets of DOF include understanding Hyper Focal Distance issues, after all, longer and shorter focal lenses provide different DOF results. With the information you’ve obtained here, you are ready to go further in developing professional photography skills.
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Amateur photographers run through several rolls of film or memory capabilities before capturing the true meaning of certain photographic technicalities. Exposure times comprise the first of two aspects for so many rolls of film or memory use. The second aspect has to do with the DOF (Depth of Field). Photographers spend countless thoughts on what they might have done wrong.
Amateur photographers ask two questions frequently when first starting off.
1. How can I achieve a sharp subject and blurry back round in my pictures?
2. How do I put everything into focus?
Amateurs must learn the rules involved in long and short depths of field in order to move on to professional photography. Beginners need to learn how to manipulate and express personal vision through the depths of field.
First and foremost, consider the differences between short Depth of Field and long Depth of Field. Short DOF photographs contain a subject in focus, while the back round and all objects behind the focus show up blurry. Long DOF photographs focus every object in the picture. Combining short and long DOF you obtain the circumstances involved in medium Depth of Field photographs.
When should you use short DOF? Selective focus allows the photographer to be specific on what to focus in a photograph. Establish control of subject focus provides powerful photographs through this dynamic tool. Photojournalism photographs often include pictures of people standing out in a crowd and establishes them apart from the back round. “A picture paints a thousand words,” when uniquely using this powerful tool in your photography.
Glamour portraits use short DOF to isolate the subject in the photograph. Examples seen in photographs where the subject’s eye closest to the point of perspective renders sharply and the eye furthest away slightly blurs. This technique allows a level of individuality in the creation of personal messages through the photograph.
What instances should you use DOF in? Long Depth of Field provides great photographs considering landscape subjects. Shorter DOF used for landscaping produces minimal focus on the vast subject and capture much of the subject in a blurred outcome. Long DOF captures everything near and far in a landscaping picture and gives focus to several aspects of the subject. Ansel Adams and Edward Weston utilize long DOF to create famous works of art and photography. Large, wonderful scenery can produce a great blurred back round to a single bright, atheistically appealing flower by use of short DOF. Photographers need to develop versatility in order to capture the right photograph in various situations.
How can you make your understanding of DOF work for you? DOF varies on the camera’s focal length in the lens. Following information touches on quite a bit of technical details using a SLR lends with a 45mm to 70mm range. Learn to adjust the F-stops (aperture) on the camera to manipulating DOF. Modern SLR cameras allow the use of this feature through switching to AV (Aperture Priority) mode.
Fully explaining aspects of aperture could take quite a bit of time. Thus, the simplest understanding represents the F-stop as an adjustable opening controlling the light inducing a photograph on the film and digital captures. DOF of an image becomes controlled by the F-stop and choosing shutter speeds.
SLR cameras of older make contain lens ranges on the barrel. The aperture ring looks like the following on a basic lens:
2.8 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22
The numbers indicate aperture open settings or otherwise known as the F-stops.
Modern electronic and other cameras display F-stop values on the viewfinder. Newer lenses raise the range between F-stops; the following displays some common examples:
2.8 - 3.5 - 5.6 - 6.3 -7.1 - 8 up to 32
Choosing DOF settings on the camera requires a bit of technical information and basic understanding of certain concepts. Short DOF selects lower F-stop numbers to represent their capabilities, such as 2.8. Longer DOF selects higher end F-stop numbers to represent their capabilities, such as 22. Everything in the final photograph for higher numbered F-stops will come into focus. One subject in the final photograph for lower numbered F-stops focus the subject only and blur out the back round. The separation between pictures and photographs provides a dividing line in the understanding of the F-stop concept. You can practice understanding F-stop settings by picking out 3 subjects to photograph. Apples or orange provide good subjects since they do not move on their own and you can change their position to practice different ranges and F-stop settings. Arrange the subjects in order of 2′, 3′ and 4′ to give you some perspective in the final photographs. Start off with lower end numbers on the F-stop and progress through until you reach the highest values. The final photographs should focus the very first subject in the line up and blur out the rest on smaller F-stop numbers. The final photographs including higher end F-stop values should include focus to the back round subjects with greater accuracy as the number gets higher. In high-end F-stop value photographs all subjects should view as sharp objects and under great focus.
SLR cameras usually have a preview icon to represent the DOF. Selecting the preview icon and focusing the lens on your subject should project what the final image will come out as. Consider the possibility off too much light getting in as the F-stop value gets higher. Preview capabilities will appear darker because of the amount of light being let in. Several practice sessions allow you to take photographs without the use of the preview button because you’ve learned how to master reproducing the image without a guide.
You’ve just learned the basics of Depth of Field! Certain facets of DOF include understanding Hyper Focal Distance issues, after all, longer and shorter focal lenses provide different DOF results. With the information you’ve obtained here, you are ready to go further in developing professional photography skills.
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Digital Photography-What 10 things can i do to improve?
Lets start with the basics; in order to learn how to photograph well, you need to understand the 10 most fundamental aspects of digital photography. By keeping these basic tips in mind when embarking on your journey through digital photography, you are well on your way to improving your technique and the quality of the photographs you take. At the very least, by learning these tips, you will be in a better position to understand the reasons behind certain other techniques of the craft.
Digital photography has revolutionized the way photographs are taken, processed, viewed and distributed. The convenience of it far outweighs any advantages afforded by the traditional 110 camera and film photography. The tips in this article will ensure you are making the best use of the myriad of assets available to you in the world of digital photography.
To start off with, always try to have the subject of your photo centered in your viewfinder. This will ensure that you place adequate emphasis on your subject and the viewer’s eyes will be drawn to it. If you cultivate this habit, you will discipline yourself into always taking the time to position your subject and draw attention to it. As you progress, you will learn that how you position your subject can go a long way into creating the perfect picture.
Do your best to avoid elements which take the attention away from the subject. Taking a picture of your dog with kids running into or out of the frame, or taking a picture of a sculpture with other photographers in the foreground, taking pictures of the same sculpture. These distractions will greatly diminish your ability to draw attention to the subject you have chosen to photograph.
You may already be aware that when choosing a digital camera, most vendors will list the resolution of the camera in terms of megapixels. When taking pictures, always select the highest resolution possible. This will allow for you to have the most amount of data to work with during the processing phase. The lower resolution pictures have less data and the results obtained during the processing phase may be of a much lower quality.
Make sure you get close to your subject. In other words, fill up the frame of your camera. This is another good way to draw the viewer’s attention to the subject. When the subject fills the frame, any distracting elements will most likely be eliminated and leaves the viewer with no doubts as to what your subject is. Either walk closer to your subject or use the zoom feature present in many of today’s digital cameras to maximize the use of the entire frame. The zoom feature is great for taking pictures where you need to be at a distance (either to be safe or because of the location) from the subject, but want your picture to appear as if you were nearby.
When taking pictures of people while using a flash, make sure to select the red eye reduction feature. This feature is again found in most of today’s digital cameras. It diminishes or completely eliminates the appearance of red, monster-like eyes in people when using flash photography. This phenomenon occurs when the light of the flash is reflected by the human eyes. The red eye reduction feature activates the flash in such a way that the human eyes are rendered less reflective. They teach a lot of this type of thing in photography schools which is another way to improve. Here’s an article on online photography schools.
Whenever possible, strive to frame photographs from a unique angle. Have you noticed how eye-catching some photographs are? It is more likely that these photographs will have been taken from a unique angle. It can be a sharp angle looking down at the subject or looking up from a lower position. Consider the mood you are trying to evoke in your viewers. If you want something to appear larger, go for a low positioned, upward facing angle.
Always carry extra batteries. Digital cameras rely solely on having batteries to operate. If the camera itself has a special battery that can only be bought from the manufacturer, then it would be worthwhile in investing in one of these proprietary battery packs. You don’t want to be in the situation where you missed the perfect shot because your battery was flat.
A tripod is a perfect way to lend stability to an otherwise shaky photographer. It is natural that you may not be able to hold the camera absolutely steady. In cases like this, you will be left with blurred or fuzzy pictures due to ‘camera shake’. In order to minimize the fuzzy pictures, invest in a tripod. Once a camera is mounted on a tripod, you can take crisp, clear photographs with minimal camera shake.
If there is one feature that makes digital photography stand out from traditional photography, it is the photo review feature. This feature allows you to examine the picture you took a few seconds ago to determine if it is exactly what you wanted. If it isn’t, then you can simply delete the photograph that you are not happy with and take another.
Make sure that you adjust your flash appropriately for the occasion when you take pictures. For example, indoor or night photographs will more likely require the use of a flash to properly illuminate the subject. It is not uncommon to have professional photographers using the flash even for daytime, outdoor photography. This is known as ‘fill-flash’ and if used properly, can add great dimension to an outdoor photograph.
You can gain more knowledge at Profitable Photography Business. It’s dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources (some free) from Photography Equipment & Resources
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Digital photography has revolutionized the way photographs are taken, processed, viewed and distributed. The convenience of it far outweighs any advantages afforded by the traditional 110 camera and film photography. The tips in this article will ensure you are making the best use of the myriad of assets available to you in the world of digital photography.
To start off with, always try to have the subject of your photo centered in your viewfinder. This will ensure that you place adequate emphasis on your subject and the viewer’s eyes will be drawn to it. If you cultivate this habit, you will discipline yourself into always taking the time to position your subject and draw attention to it. As you progress, you will learn that how you position your subject can go a long way into creating the perfect picture.
Do your best to avoid elements which take the attention away from the subject. Taking a picture of your dog with kids running into or out of the frame, or taking a picture of a sculpture with other photographers in the foreground, taking pictures of the same sculpture. These distractions will greatly diminish your ability to draw attention to the subject you have chosen to photograph.
You may already be aware that when choosing a digital camera, most vendors will list the resolution of the camera in terms of megapixels. When taking pictures, always select the highest resolution possible. This will allow for you to have the most amount of data to work with during the processing phase. The lower resolution pictures have less data and the results obtained during the processing phase may be of a much lower quality.
Make sure you get close to your subject. In other words, fill up the frame of your camera. This is another good way to draw the viewer’s attention to the subject. When the subject fills the frame, any distracting elements will most likely be eliminated and leaves the viewer with no doubts as to what your subject is. Either walk closer to your subject or use the zoom feature present in many of today’s digital cameras to maximize the use of the entire frame. The zoom feature is great for taking pictures where you need to be at a distance (either to be safe or because of the location) from the subject, but want your picture to appear as if you were nearby.
When taking pictures of people while using a flash, make sure to select the red eye reduction feature. This feature is again found in most of today’s digital cameras. It diminishes or completely eliminates the appearance of red, monster-like eyes in people when using flash photography. This phenomenon occurs when the light of the flash is reflected by the human eyes. The red eye reduction feature activates the flash in such a way that the human eyes are rendered less reflective. They teach a lot of this type of thing in photography schools which is another way to improve. Here’s an article on online photography schools.
Whenever possible, strive to frame photographs from a unique angle. Have you noticed how eye-catching some photographs are? It is more likely that these photographs will have been taken from a unique angle. It can be a sharp angle looking down at the subject or looking up from a lower position. Consider the mood you are trying to evoke in your viewers. If you want something to appear larger, go for a low positioned, upward facing angle.
Always carry extra batteries. Digital cameras rely solely on having batteries to operate. If the camera itself has a special battery that can only be bought from the manufacturer, then it would be worthwhile in investing in one of these proprietary battery packs. You don’t want to be in the situation where you missed the perfect shot because your battery was flat.
A tripod is a perfect way to lend stability to an otherwise shaky photographer. It is natural that you may not be able to hold the camera absolutely steady. In cases like this, you will be left with blurred or fuzzy pictures due to ‘camera shake’. In order to minimize the fuzzy pictures, invest in a tripod. Once a camera is mounted on a tripod, you can take crisp, clear photographs with minimal camera shake.
If there is one feature that makes digital photography stand out from traditional photography, it is the photo review feature. This feature allows you to examine the picture you took a few seconds ago to determine if it is exactly what you wanted. If it isn’t, then you can simply delete the photograph that you are not happy with and take another.
Make sure that you adjust your flash appropriately for the occasion when you take pictures. For example, indoor or night photographs will more likely require the use of a flash to properly illuminate the subject. It is not uncommon to have professional photographers using the flash even for daytime, outdoor photography. This is known as ‘fill-flash’ and if used properly, can add great dimension to an outdoor photograph.
You can gain more knowledge at Profitable Photography Business. It’s dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources (some free) from Photography Equipment & Resources
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Monday, March 17, 2008
What Good Are Zom Lenses?
What Good Are Zoom Lenses?
One of the ideas which are crucial to becoming an expert photographer is understanding the difference between a camera and a human eye. Our eyes are fixed to a narrow range of abilities - we have no choice in what magnification our eyes see with or what ranges of light they use. Nature gave us so many abilities and that is that. But cameras are an artificial contrivance we’ve cobbled together, with the aim of capturing images permanently. They aren’t bound by the constraints of nature.
Zoom lenses, unlike our eyes, allow the camera to have a variable focal length. This can allow your image to appear to have been taken closer to the subject than you actually were. Most often, this is handy for photographing natural subjects. Those shots of wildlife such as herons taking off from a pond or tigers lounging on the savanna are taken from a far distance away, with the camera magnifying the image. Likewise, you can get a close-up image of an approaching tornado, without actually getting up close and personal with it!
One can’t expect too much image quality under these circumstances. Particularly with digital cameras with telephoto and zoom lenses, some image quality will be sacrificed. This is because digital telephoto zoom lenses have to be made with that physical material we call glass, and it’s that much harder to engineer a lens that’s small, light, able to pull in the magnification, and still get good detail. Even with non-digital cameras, the camera lens sharpness will be lower with a 60-180 zoom lens than it would be with even a cheap prime lens. If you’ve used camera lenses in macro photography, you’ve noticed the difference when you blew the final image up to scale.
There are plenty of zoom lens tutorials online, so I won’t repeat them here. My purpose is to just give you a good feel for the territory, rather than directly answering questions like “How do camera lenses work?”. Lugging those various lenses through the field will be great exercise, as will handling them with the delicacy of a Faberge egg to make sure they don’t get damaged. There’s nothing quite like traveling on assignment only to open your luggage and discover a case full of broken lenses thanks to bellhops and taxi drivers who treat delicate photography equipment like Hulk Hogan giving somebody a body slam.
The best place to try out your new zoom lens is under studio conditions. Here, you can keep the camera perfectly still, the lens free of dust, and your subject set in ideal conditions. You’ll be pretty much limited to macro photography here, unless you’re looking to capture the paint on the studio wall magnified until it looks like the surface of Venus. But here you will have time to go over your camera lens zoom conversion tables and compare them with your results, so you get a good feel for what level of zoom will compensate for what amount of distance. Taking an action shot at a sporting event while your lens’ motorized zoom is adjusting will not be the time to practice.
On a final note, remember that all those variables in photography is what makes it challenging as a hobby or field of endeavor. Luck is a factor. Make luck work for you by taking lots of shots, trying to make each one perfect. When you see your results, you will hopefully have one that’s close to perfect
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One of the ideas which are crucial to becoming an expert photographer is understanding the difference between a camera and a human eye. Our eyes are fixed to a narrow range of abilities - we have no choice in what magnification our eyes see with or what ranges of light they use. Nature gave us so many abilities and that is that. But cameras are an artificial contrivance we’ve cobbled together, with the aim of capturing images permanently. They aren’t bound by the constraints of nature.
Zoom lenses, unlike our eyes, allow the camera to have a variable focal length. This can allow your image to appear to have been taken closer to the subject than you actually were. Most often, this is handy for photographing natural subjects. Those shots of wildlife such as herons taking off from a pond or tigers lounging on the savanna are taken from a far distance away, with the camera magnifying the image. Likewise, you can get a close-up image of an approaching tornado, without actually getting up close and personal with it!
One can’t expect too much image quality under these circumstances. Particularly with digital cameras with telephoto and zoom lenses, some image quality will be sacrificed. This is because digital telephoto zoom lenses have to be made with that physical material we call glass, and it’s that much harder to engineer a lens that’s small, light, able to pull in the magnification, and still get good detail. Even with non-digital cameras, the camera lens sharpness will be lower with a 60-180 zoom lens than it would be with even a cheap prime lens. If you’ve used camera lenses in macro photography, you’ve noticed the difference when you blew the final image up to scale.
There are plenty of zoom lens tutorials online, so I won’t repeat them here. My purpose is to just give you a good feel for the territory, rather than directly answering questions like “How do camera lenses work?”. Lugging those various lenses through the field will be great exercise, as will handling them with the delicacy of a Faberge egg to make sure they don’t get damaged. There’s nothing quite like traveling on assignment only to open your luggage and discover a case full of broken lenses thanks to bellhops and taxi drivers who treat delicate photography equipment like Hulk Hogan giving somebody a body slam.
The best place to try out your new zoom lens is under studio conditions. Here, you can keep the camera perfectly still, the lens free of dust, and your subject set in ideal conditions. You’ll be pretty much limited to macro photography here, unless you’re looking to capture the paint on the studio wall magnified until it looks like the surface of Venus. But here you will have time to go over your camera lens zoom conversion tables and compare them with your results, so you get a good feel for what level of zoom will compensate for what amount of distance. Taking an action shot at a sporting event while your lens’ motorized zoom is adjusting will not be the time to practice.
On a final note, remember that all those variables in photography is what makes it challenging as a hobby or field of endeavor. Luck is a factor. Make luck work for you by taking lots of shots, trying to make each one perfect. When you see your results, you will hopefully have one that’s close to perfect
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Cloudy or Sunny-Which is Best For Photographs?
Many photographers, especially professionals, will say that overcast cloudy days are best. However, this is actually more for practical reasons rather than aesthetic ones.
One advantage of cloudy days is that because of the lack of dark heavy shadows, there is less contrast and it is much easier to find a good exposure. There is usually quite a range of exposure settings that will look good.
The light on an overcast day is soft and this is normally much more flattering for portraits. Also, the light is more or less the same in all directions, which gives you much greater freedom, for instance, in choosing a suitable background for portrait shots.
The biggest disadvantage of cloudy days is that your pictures can often look dull and flat. This can be a particular problem for landscape photographers. Another problem is that a cloudy sky (unless it's very dark) is often much brighter than it looks and can easily just bleach out to a flat white in your photographs. If you reduce the exposure so the sky turns out the way it looks, everything else in the picture may be badly underexposed. It is best to try and include as little of the sky as possible when shooting on cloudy days.
When the sun comes out
On sunny days, things are very different. Colours are brighter, richer and more saturated. Everything in your pictures is more clearly defined and your photographs may even look sharper because the sunlight will bring out any edges and textures. Even the blue of the sky will come out more like it looks to the naked eye.
The other big difference is that the light is now very directional and that is very important for photographers. Unlike on a cloudy day, the direction you shoot in, relative to the sun, will now make a tremendous difference to your photographs. Almost everything will now look much better from one particular angle, depending on how the sun is striking it.
This angle keeps changing throughout the day so something that looked stunning in the morning can seem quite ugly in the afternoon. In landscape photography, the direction of the sun makes a great deal of difference. Many landscape photographers will visit a location at different times of the day just to gauge the effect of the changing position of the sun.
The worst time of day is probably mid-day, when the sun is directly overhead, this is not really a flattering light. The lower in the sky the sun is, the more interesting its effect on the landscape. This has led to photographers naming the hours after sunrise and before sunset as "golden hours". It's not just the colour of the light that makes them golden, but the direction too.
Another advantage of sunny days is simply that there is more light around, which always helps in the pursuit of photography. It means, for example, that you can keep the ISO number low for better quality or use a faster shutter speed for less chance of camera shake.
The downside of shooting on sunny days is mainly that the high contrast may make choosing the right exposure quite tricky, but by no means impossible. If in doubt, just shoot several different exposures and choose the best one later. The issue of the sun's direction can be a blessing or a curse. Most things will look better in sunlight, but more often than not, only at one particular time of day and from one specific angle.
What's best?
For portrait photographers, probably overcast most of the time and landscape photographers are much more likely to prefer sunlight, especially at the beginning and end of the day.
Colin Aiken is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom. His new website is full of photographs, useful information and news about photography. Take a look at: http://www.lovethepictures.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Aiken
One advantage of cloudy days is that because of the lack of dark heavy shadows, there is less contrast and it is much easier to find a good exposure. There is usually quite a range of exposure settings that will look good.
The light on an overcast day is soft and this is normally much more flattering for portraits. Also, the light is more or less the same in all directions, which gives you much greater freedom, for instance, in choosing a suitable background for portrait shots.
The biggest disadvantage of cloudy days is that your pictures can often look dull and flat. This can be a particular problem for landscape photographers. Another problem is that a cloudy sky (unless it's very dark) is often much brighter than it looks and can easily just bleach out to a flat white in your photographs. If you reduce the exposure so the sky turns out the way it looks, everything else in the picture may be badly underexposed. It is best to try and include as little of the sky as possible when shooting on cloudy days.
When the sun comes out
On sunny days, things are very different. Colours are brighter, richer and more saturated. Everything in your pictures is more clearly defined and your photographs may even look sharper because the sunlight will bring out any edges and textures. Even the blue of the sky will come out more like it looks to the naked eye.
The other big difference is that the light is now very directional and that is very important for photographers. Unlike on a cloudy day, the direction you shoot in, relative to the sun, will now make a tremendous difference to your photographs. Almost everything will now look much better from one particular angle, depending on how the sun is striking it.
This angle keeps changing throughout the day so something that looked stunning in the morning can seem quite ugly in the afternoon. In landscape photography, the direction of the sun makes a great deal of difference. Many landscape photographers will visit a location at different times of the day just to gauge the effect of the changing position of the sun.
The worst time of day is probably mid-day, when the sun is directly overhead, this is not really a flattering light. The lower in the sky the sun is, the more interesting its effect on the landscape. This has led to photographers naming the hours after sunrise and before sunset as "golden hours". It's not just the colour of the light that makes them golden, but the direction too.
Another advantage of sunny days is simply that there is more light around, which always helps in the pursuit of photography. It means, for example, that you can keep the ISO number low for better quality or use a faster shutter speed for less chance of camera shake.
The downside of shooting on sunny days is mainly that the high contrast may make choosing the right exposure quite tricky, but by no means impossible. If in doubt, just shoot several different exposures and choose the best one later. The issue of the sun's direction can be a blessing or a curse. Most things will look better in sunlight, but more often than not, only at one particular time of day and from one specific angle.
What's best?
For portrait photographers, probably overcast most of the time and landscape photographers are much more likely to prefer sunlight, especially at the beginning and end of the day.
Colin Aiken is a professional photographer based in the United Kingdom. His new website is full of photographs, useful information and news about photography. Take a look at: http://www.lovethepictures.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Aiken
Digital Photography During Any Kind Of Wealther
If you are a photographer you know that bad weather does not have to stop you from going out and getting that fantastic digital photograph. This is your chance to get that kind of photograph that you can't just go out and take on any kind of day. These photographs can really show some crazy weather shots, like lightning storms, or just a dreary, rainy afternoon, and snow shots are very cool to see.
The harder it is for you to capture these kinds of photographs the more money someone would probably pay you for them. If you're an adventurous kind of photographer these kinds of shots will be just ideal for you. With safety in toe, take a calculated risk in order to create the perfect digital experience.
If you are taking digital photographs outside in the rain you will notice the way the rain tends to make everything around just shine. Whether your in the city or out in the country, looking across a field of grass or flowers, everything just seems to kind of sparkle. This can create a really nice photograph. Actually the rain, along with a few good size clouds can create just the perfect natural light setting, removing any fade outs or shadows that might appear in your digital photograph otherwise. With a little bit of rain you will have the chance to create some really great landscaping photographs or even of the wildlife that surrounds you, if you're in the right spot at the right time. Just make sure you have something to cover up your lens to keep the droplets away. You don't mind the rain but when it gets on your lens that could be a problem.
Taking a photograph of lightning can be complicated, you have to snap it at just the right time and that is very unpredictable. You will have to have a tripod for taking these kinds of photographs and a rather long shutter speed. You can hold down your shutter manually if you'd like so that all you have to do is shut it on your own as the lighting passes through the sky or slams down onto the grounds. You'll want this kind of photograph to be as bright as you can possibly get it, to get that full affect.
Snow photographs are a very appealing photograph to create. The light from the snow creates such a nice contrast along with all of it's surroundings. Capturing a photograph of the snow melting off the tree limbs or using the snow as a nice background for whatever your main object is that you are photographing. Some nice nature shots or friends and family playing in the snow, or you could even get a nice portrait type picture with snow all around.
You can do so many things when using digital photography, even things that may seem a little bit extreme. Making sure you have all the right gear and the drive to get out there and take risks is all you need, no matter what mother nature has in mind for that occasion.
Professional engineer in the IT industry engage in marketing online,home base business. Visit us at: http://www.emarkethall.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Cheongkh
The harder it is for you to capture these kinds of photographs the more money someone would probably pay you for them. If you're an adventurous kind of photographer these kinds of shots will be just ideal for you. With safety in toe, take a calculated risk in order to create the perfect digital experience.
If you are taking digital photographs outside in the rain you will notice the way the rain tends to make everything around just shine. Whether your in the city or out in the country, looking across a field of grass or flowers, everything just seems to kind of sparkle. This can create a really nice photograph. Actually the rain, along with a few good size clouds can create just the perfect natural light setting, removing any fade outs or shadows that might appear in your digital photograph otherwise. With a little bit of rain you will have the chance to create some really great landscaping photographs or even of the wildlife that surrounds you, if you're in the right spot at the right time. Just make sure you have something to cover up your lens to keep the droplets away. You don't mind the rain but when it gets on your lens that could be a problem.
Taking a photograph of lightning can be complicated, you have to snap it at just the right time and that is very unpredictable. You will have to have a tripod for taking these kinds of photographs and a rather long shutter speed. You can hold down your shutter manually if you'd like so that all you have to do is shut it on your own as the lighting passes through the sky or slams down onto the grounds. You'll want this kind of photograph to be as bright as you can possibly get it, to get that full affect.
Snow photographs are a very appealing photograph to create. The light from the snow creates such a nice contrast along with all of it's surroundings. Capturing a photograph of the snow melting off the tree limbs or using the snow as a nice background for whatever your main object is that you are photographing. Some nice nature shots or friends and family playing in the snow, or you could even get a nice portrait type picture with snow all around.
You can do so many things when using digital photography, even things that may seem a little bit extreme. Making sure you have all the right gear and the drive to get out there and take risks is all you need, no matter what mother nature has in mind for that occasion.
Professional engineer in the IT industry engage in marketing online,home base business. Visit us at: http://www.emarkethall.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Cheongkh
Friday, February 8, 2008
Interior Photography
Interior photography is very demanding and the photographer must be sensitive to all the elements that will appear in the final print. Most rooms consist of small objects that look good in the room, but in a print, these objects may cluster the image.
Photographing interiors involves working within a confined space, so the first thing you need is a suitable lens. Most of us would prefer to use a wide-angle lens, but this lens causes problems with image distortion. Distortion is a large and common problem when shooting interiors, but can be reduced if you use a lens with the focal length set between 80 and 100.
Interior images should be bright, with perfect exposure and have fresh vibrant colours. This is the standard used by publishers all over the world. To achieve this the photographer must be able to control these elements and have a very good understanding of light.
Light will play an important part when photographing interiors. Most of your images will be shot with a low shutter speed, because natural light levels will be very low, so a tripod will be needed. If the natural light is good, use a reflector to bounce the light into the dark areas of the room.
If the natural light is not good enough you will have to use a strobe unit. Try to bounce the light off a photographic umbrella to soften the light in the room. If you are using more than one light have some reflectors with you.
Composition is very important when photographing interiors. Here are some pointers that you may find useful and helpful:
Look out for lines that will lead to the focal point of your image. By leading with lines into the main part of the scene you will draw observers into your photograph. These lines don't have to be straight. They can be a row of seats or interesting converging vertical objects.
Simple foreground objects are also perfect for composition. Patterns on a floor can give your interior a greater sense of depth. Use a small aperture (f/22) to keep the entire scene in focus.
Try to frame your scene with some of the elements in the room. This will focus attention on the main part of the picture.
Tiles on the floor and walls can be very handy as composition when photographing a room - use the tiles to focus attention on the focal point of the room. When photographing bathrooms, if possible exclude the toilet. Always try to exclude anything that you think is distasteful.
Sometimes framed pictures hanging on walls will appear distorted so it is best not to include them. If you are photographing someone's home ask the owner before you move items.
Good interior images are not easy to take but the rewards are great if you can master the trade. If you are unsure of the standard, buy some of the magazines that use these images. Publishers pay fine prices for well exposed, good quality indoor images.
TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free http://www.goldprints.com photography and http://www.goldprints.com/digital_photography.html digital photography site. His site also contains a free http://www.goldprints.com/photography_competition.html photography competition
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TJ_Tierney
Photographing interiors involves working within a confined space, so the first thing you need is a suitable lens. Most of us would prefer to use a wide-angle lens, but this lens causes problems with image distortion. Distortion is a large and common problem when shooting interiors, but can be reduced if you use a lens with the focal length set between 80 and 100.
Interior images should be bright, with perfect exposure and have fresh vibrant colours. This is the standard used by publishers all over the world. To achieve this the photographer must be able to control these elements and have a very good understanding of light.
Light will play an important part when photographing interiors. Most of your images will be shot with a low shutter speed, because natural light levels will be very low, so a tripod will be needed. If the natural light is good, use a reflector to bounce the light into the dark areas of the room.
If the natural light is not good enough you will have to use a strobe unit. Try to bounce the light off a photographic umbrella to soften the light in the room. If you are using more than one light have some reflectors with you.
Composition is very important when photographing interiors. Here are some pointers that you may find useful and helpful:
Look out for lines that will lead to the focal point of your image. By leading with lines into the main part of the scene you will draw observers into your photograph. These lines don't have to be straight. They can be a row of seats or interesting converging vertical objects.
Simple foreground objects are also perfect for composition. Patterns on a floor can give your interior a greater sense of depth. Use a small aperture (f/22) to keep the entire scene in focus.
Try to frame your scene with some of the elements in the room. This will focus attention on the main part of the picture.
Tiles on the floor and walls can be very handy as composition when photographing a room - use the tiles to focus attention on the focal point of the room. When photographing bathrooms, if possible exclude the toilet. Always try to exclude anything that you think is distasteful.
Sometimes framed pictures hanging on walls will appear distorted so it is best not to include them. If you are photographing someone's home ask the owner before you move items.
Good interior images are not easy to take but the rewards are great if you can master the trade. If you are unsure of the standard, buy some of the magazines that use these images. Publishers pay fine prices for well exposed, good quality indoor images.
TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free http://www.goldprints.com photography and http://www.goldprints.com/digital_photography.html digital photography site. His site also contains a free http://www.goldprints.com/photography_competition.html photography competition
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TJ_Tierney
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Basic techniques for taking great landscape photos
Basic techniques for taking great landscape photos
People often enjoy good landscape photographs because of the almost magical nature of the photos to transport the viewer to the location that was photographed. Although seemingly simple to take, only photographers who are aware of some key techniques will take very good landscape photos.
If you look at a few of the really great landscape photographs, you will be able to identify a certain amount of common elements to them. There is a foreground portion, appropriate composure or framing and they will all draw on the rule of thirds one way or another.
The foreground
When you consider landscapes, they are often vast, breathtaking areas which can be awe-inspiring when you are physically present. To reproduce this effect in photography, you need to present the viewer with a sense of dimension. The best way to do this is to include an element that can be easily distinguishable in the foreground.
This way, you show your viewer the true size of the landscape and they will be able to relate to it better. One main point to remember in landscape photography is that your pictures need to be in focus from foreground to background. The way to do this is to shoot with a narrow aperture. This is also referred to as using a high f/stop.
You need to scout your landscape area first for elements which you can use as foreground elements. Consider the following example: you’re shooting a lovely vineyard located in a mountainous region. One element you can easily include is an individual grape vine. Since the vineyard will be scattered with these vines, you can frame your photo to have one or two of these vines in the foreground. Since there will be so many of them, the viewer will be able to follow the line of vines towards the distance thereby gaining a sense of understanding of the vastness of the vineyard and landscape itself.
Different photographers prefer different elements to depict as their foreground. Some other examples of this are using a car to photograph a long, winding road or a boat on a beach. These elements themselves can be the subject of the photograph as well.
Otherwise there are instances when an old metal railing is used in the foreground to photograph a big city in the background. If executed correctly, mis-matching foreground and background elements can be quite compelling. Think Central Park in New York City with grass and trees in the foreground and big buildings in the background.
Composition
Composing or framing your photograph is another way you can draw attention to where you want your viewer’s eyes to go. It adds more context to your subject. Framing elements can be objects like trees, a window or doorway. Some photographers use the technique of placing the branches of a tree on the upper part of the frame that seem to ‘point’ to the landscape you are photographing. Having framing elements in your photographs to ‘lead’ the viewer’s eyes to your subject or by surrounding your subject is usually a good technique to learn.
When framing your subjects in this manner, make sure you don’t make the mistake of drawing attention to your framing elements by not focusing correctly. Since you’re taking landscape photography, use a high f/stop to gain good focus on both your foreground and background elements. Ideally, you would want your framing elements to be a little less prominent than your subject. One sure way of doing this is to use the light creatively to render the framing elements slightly darker than the subject. Think of an archway which is slightly shadowed which leads to a large garden and castle.
The Rule of Thirds
This often misunderstood and badly used technique is practically essential in landscape photography. Because of the nature of landscape photography being so wide, a certain amount of structure is required. Achieving this structure is easy by applying the rule of thirds. The basic idea of the rule of thirds is that the frame can be divided into 3 horizontal and 3 vertical sections. The ideal locations to place the important points of your composition is where these lines meet. In landscape photography, the rule is invaluable to photographers who need to determine where to place foreground and horizon. It can either be 1/3 sky or 1/3 land.
People often enjoy good landscape photographs because of the almost magical nature of the photos to transport the viewer to the location that was photographed. Although seemingly simple to take, only photographers who are aware of some key techniques will take very good landscape photos.
If you look at a few of the really great landscape photographs, you will be able to identify a certain amount of common elements to them. There is a foreground portion, appropriate composure or framing and they will all draw on the rule of thirds one way or another.
The foreground
When you consider landscapes, they are often vast, breathtaking areas which can be awe-inspiring when you are physically present. To reproduce this effect in photography, you need to present the viewer with a sense of dimension. The best way to do this is to include an element that can be easily distinguishable in the foreground.
This way, you show your viewer the true size of the landscape and they will be able to relate to it better. One main point to remember in landscape photography is that your pictures need to be in focus from foreground to background. The way to do this is to shoot with a narrow aperture. This is also referred to as using a high f/stop.
You need to scout your landscape area first for elements which you can use as foreground elements. Consider the following example: you’re shooting a lovely vineyard located in a mountainous region. One element you can easily include is an individual grape vine. Since the vineyard will be scattered with these vines, you can frame your photo to have one or two of these vines in the foreground. Since there will be so many of them, the viewer will be able to follow the line of vines towards the distance thereby gaining a sense of understanding of the vastness of the vineyard and landscape itself.
Different photographers prefer different elements to depict as their foreground. Some other examples of this are using a car to photograph a long, winding road or a boat on a beach. These elements themselves can be the subject of the photograph as well.
Otherwise there are instances when an old metal railing is used in the foreground to photograph a big city in the background. If executed correctly, mis-matching foreground and background elements can be quite compelling. Think Central Park in New York City with grass and trees in the foreground and big buildings in the background.
Composition
Composing or framing your photograph is another way you can draw attention to where you want your viewer’s eyes to go. It adds more context to your subject. Framing elements can be objects like trees, a window or doorway. Some photographers use the technique of placing the branches of a tree on the upper part of the frame that seem to ‘point’ to the landscape you are photographing. Having framing elements in your photographs to ‘lead’ the viewer’s eyes to your subject or by surrounding your subject is usually a good technique to learn.
When framing your subjects in this manner, make sure you don’t make the mistake of drawing attention to your framing elements by not focusing correctly. Since you’re taking landscape photography, use a high f/stop to gain good focus on both your foreground and background elements. Ideally, you would want your framing elements to be a little less prominent than your subject. One sure way of doing this is to use the light creatively to render the framing elements slightly darker than the subject. Think of an archway which is slightly shadowed which leads to a large garden and castle.
The Rule of Thirds
This often misunderstood and badly used technique is practically essential in landscape photography. Because of the nature of landscape photography being so wide, a certain amount of structure is required. Achieving this structure is easy by applying the rule of thirds. The basic idea of the rule of thirds is that the frame can be divided into 3 horizontal and 3 vertical sections. The ideal locations to place the important points of your composition is where these lines meet. In landscape photography, the rule is invaluable to photographers who need to determine where to place foreground and horizon. It can either be 1/3 sky or 1/3 land.
Friday, January 11, 2008
A simple guide to colour photography
There are four main types of colour that you will come across in photography.Most award winning photos will usually contain only one type of colour.
Contrasting Color:
Two colours that when placed together cause one to dominate the other.The contrasting colour for red is blue and for yellow it's green.
Complimentary Colour:
Two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel,which when placed next to each other make both appear brighter.The complementary colour for red is green,for blue it's orange,and for yellow it's purple.
Monochromatic:
A photograph taken in shades of only one colour.Not always the realm of black and white but where all colours appear as the same tonal range,think soft lit landscapes,moody window shots,David hamilton nudes etc.Usually seen as neutralcolours,such as browns and greys,very dramatic if used in the right context.
Spot Colour:
A monochromatic picture can be turned into a masterpiece simply by adding a spot colour.Adding a red or yellow spot colour lifts the picture dramatically.
Contrasting Color:
Two colours that when placed together cause one to dominate the other.The contrasting colour for red is blue and for yellow it's green.
Complimentary Colour:
Two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel,which when placed next to each other make both appear brighter.The complementary colour for red is green,for blue it's orange,and for yellow it's purple.
Monochromatic:
A photograph taken in shades of only one colour.Not always the realm of black and white but where all colours appear as the same tonal range,think soft lit landscapes,moody window shots,David hamilton nudes etc.Usually seen as neutralcolours,such as browns and greys,very dramatic if used in the right context.
Spot Colour:
A monochromatic picture can be turned into a masterpiece simply by adding a spot colour.Adding a red or yellow spot colour lifts the picture dramatically.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Art of photography-interior shot
Art Photography
The world needs a comprehensive, working definition for the realm of the "ARTS". This definition succinctly satisfies that need.
“Art” means different things to various people. It's been an enigma! Since the age of twelve I wanted to be an "artist". Over the years I had become involved with numerous "art" endeavors: drawings, sculptures, paintings in various media, architectural design, photography, writing, and ceramics. I've even been fortunate to have "art" jobs: art and photography teacher, freelance artist, supervisor of a graphic art department, museum exhibits designer and builder, and art director. In all those experiences and even through educational training beyond the master's degree I could not find a comprehensive definition of..."art". After all, I was an "artist"; but, how could I make claim to this intriguing group with out really knowing what "art" was?
In the early 1990's, I participated in the Improving Visual Art Education Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was sponsored by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Getty Center for the Arts. The conference basically centered around the concept of "Discipline Based Art Education". In this realm arts education is believed to have four basic tenants that should be covered in pedagogy and help give credence to spending constrained budgets on having "arts" in the public school curriculum. These four areas are: history, theory/criticism, aesthetics, and production. It was from this conference that I came up with the design for the MIA PATCH Lesson Plan for the Arts since there was no lesson plan format that I new of that really fit the "arts" education arena. One of the speakers, and I forget her name, was an aesthetics professor from the University of Minnesota. She came the closest to a definition of art that I could agree with, except, for her, art had to have a concrete artifact, an art "object", something tangible to be reviewed through time. But, as many "artists" know, sometimes an artistic creation is designed to be fugitive, non-tangible through time, it must disappear to fulfill its aesthetic intent.
While out jogging one afternoon at the conference it came to me, an epiphany; " There is a simple, comprehensive definition of "art", it's an acronym for itself".
The Aesthetic Rendering of Thought.
In order for Art to exist, the following three (3) criteria must be met. First of all, there must be some sensory manifestation (Rendering), fugitive or permanent, that is based upon a creative, intellectual process (Thought) with the intention of a beautiful or pleasurable (Aesthetic or Anti-aesthetic) action, or reaction, in one or more of the senses and/or psyche.
Encircled within this definition are more than the traditional concepts of "art": painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, architecture, drama, music, dance, and photography. It's now easier to understand why cooking can be included as an "art" and more than just a craft. Please do not confuse "craft" with "art". Art objects are original creations, one of a kind. Craft, on the other hand, is the fastidious copying, reproduction, of an art object.
Robert E. Bear is a professional educator and national award winning wildlife artist. He has been recognized in Who's Who In America, Who's Who In American Education, and National Honor Soceity Outstanding American Teachers. He has created the Star Poster Progra, the game of Gig'l(TM), and the team sport of Bearball(TM). His additional writings on art and eduation, as well as, paintings may be seen at http://www.ursidaeenterprises.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Bear
“Art” means different things to various people. It's been an enigma! Since the age of twelve I wanted to be an "artist". Over the years I had become involved with numerous "art" endeavors: drawings, sculptures, paintings in various media, architectural design, photography, writing, and ceramics. I've even been fortunate to have "art" jobs: art and photography teacher, freelance artist, supervisor of a graphic art department, museum exhibits designer and builder, and art director. In all those experiences and even through educational training beyond the master's degree I could not find a comprehensive definition of..."art". After all, I was an "artist"; but, how could I make claim to this intriguing group with out really knowing what "art" was?
In the early 1990's, I participated in the Improving Visual Art Education Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was sponsored by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Getty Center for the Arts. The conference basically centered around the concept of "Discipline Based Art Education". In this realm arts education is believed to have four basic tenants that should be covered in pedagogy and help give credence to spending constrained budgets on having "arts" in the public school curriculum. These four areas are: history, theory/criticism, aesthetics, and production. It was from this conference that I came up with the design for the MIA PATCH Lesson Plan for the Arts since there was no lesson plan format that I new of that really fit the "arts" education arena. One of the speakers, and I forget her name, was an aesthetics professor from the University of Minnesota. She came the closest to a definition of art that I could agree with, except, for her, art had to have a concrete artifact, an art "object", something tangible to be reviewed through time. But, as many "artists" know, sometimes an artistic creation is designed to be fugitive, non-tangible through time, it must disappear to fulfill its aesthetic intent.
While out jogging one afternoon at the conference it came to me, an epiphany; " There is a simple, comprehensive definition of "art", it's an acronym for itself".
The Aesthetic Rendering of Thought.
In order for Art to exist, the following three (3) criteria must be met. First of all, there must be some sensory manifestation (Rendering), fugitive or permanent, that is based upon a creative, intellectual process (Thought) with the intention of a beautiful or pleasurable (Aesthetic or Anti-aesthetic) action, or reaction, in one or more of the senses and/or psyche.
Encircled within this definition are more than the traditional concepts of "art": painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, architecture, drama, music, dance, and photography. It's now easier to understand why cooking can be included as an "art" and more than just a craft. Please do not confuse "craft" with "art". Art objects are original creations, one of a kind. Craft, on the other hand, is the fastidious copying, reproduction, of an art object.
Robert E. Bear is a professional educator and national award winning wildlife artist. He has been recognized in Who's Who In America, Who's Who In American Education, and National Honor Soceity Outstanding American Teachers. He has created the Star Poster Progra, the game of Gig'l(TM), and the team sport of Bearball(TM). His additional writings on art and eduation, as well as, paintings may be seen at http://www.ursidaeenterprises.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Bear
Books,Art,Architecture and Photography
Bell Hooks once stated "Life transforming ideas have always come to me through books." There is no better rejuvenation than reading a book for anyone who has picked it up as a hobby. Books indeed fill up your mind with ideas; ideas that are sometimes vain, sometimes thought provoking and sometimes life transforming. Books for every interest group exist in this world. Be it an adventure seeking soul, a meditation lover, a die hard romantic, a photography enthusiast or a connoisseur of art. The task here is just to find that right one that is capable of satiating your thirst.
Art, architecture and photography is a popular category when it comes to the book section of various high street stores or e-shops. Various followers of art, architecture and photography are on a never-ending trail for buying books that can further enhance their knowledge in their fields of interest. Not just the self starters, the veterans in the field too are on a constant look out for such books that can give a push to their careers.
Range of recommended books falling under this category includes the likes of The Digital Photography Handbook: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide by Doug Harman, The Botanical Palette: Colour for the Botanical Painter by Society of Botanical Artists, The Story of Art by E.H.Gombrich, Architect's Pocket Book by Charlotte Baden-Powell, Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 1 by Charlie Waite and Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson.
Informational books as these not just interests the veterans in the field, but general book readers as well who have an eye for art, architecture and photography. Various portals and e-shops on the internet have special sections dedicated to these genres. Most of the bestsellers in these categories are available online. You can also avail the free home delivery benefit offered by the merchants over the World Wide Web.
Jacob Marshal, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide Architecture & Photography with Books and Magazines as price comparison shopping.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Marshal
Art, architecture and photography is a popular category when it comes to the book section of various high street stores or e-shops. Various followers of art, architecture and photography are on a never-ending trail for buying books that can further enhance their knowledge in their fields of interest. Not just the self starters, the veterans in the field too are on a constant look out for such books that can give a push to their careers.
Range of recommended books falling under this category includes the likes of The Digital Photography Handbook: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide by Doug Harman, The Botanical Palette: Colour for the Botanical Painter by Society of Botanical Artists, The Story of Art by E.H.Gombrich, Architect's Pocket Book by Charlotte Baden-Powell, Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 1 by Charlie Waite and Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson.
Informational books as these not just interests the veterans in the field, but general book readers as well who have an eye for art, architecture and photography. Various portals and e-shops on the internet have special sections dedicated to these genres. Most of the bestsellers in these categories are available online. You can also avail the free home delivery benefit offered by the merchants over the World Wide Web.
Jacob Marshal, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide Architecture & Photography with Books and Magazines as price comparison shopping.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Marshal
Architecture photography
As a photographer, architecture offers many different challenges, especially for the new photographer. Technically, buildings can be very demanding to photograph, but the key in solving this and attaining good images is understanding image distortion and finding the best time to capture the building at its most glamorous moment.
Image distortion: When we look at a standard building, we see lines running horizontal and vertical. These lines often appear distorted and will make your image look warped. Image distortion occurs when we choose the wrong point to take our picture or use the wrong equipment.
With most SLR cameras a certain amount of image distortion will occur. Shooting directly in front of the building will limit your options but will limit the amount of distortion in your image.
View cameras are ideal cameras for architectural photography. They minimise distortion and allow you to shoot from any angle. If you are serious about architectural photography, an investment in a View Camera is something to consider.
Your lens may also make your image look distorted. A wide-angle lens will make the front of the building look massive compared to the rear.
If you are photographing a tall building, don’t shoot too near to the base. This will make the base of the building look too large compared to the top. Find a high advantage point, if possible, to take your picture.
Different light brings out different moods in a building. Just as with all other types of photography, studio photography being the exception, the time of day can make a big difference to an image. A building that looks plain and uninteresting during the day can be transformed by lighting at night. Also look out for photos that tell a story such as an office block with a single light on.
Side lighting will create long shadows along the front of the building adding mood to your image. Back lit buildings are extremely difficult to photograph and are only effective as a photograph when captured as a silhouette.
Most buildings are best captured at night and if possible shoot when there is detail left in the sky. You don’t need the most costly camera gear on the market to get great building pictures at night - bring plenty of film and a good sturdy tripod.
Architectural photography doesn’t finish when the outside of the building is finished. Images of the interior of buildings are also in demand with many agencies. Great care should be taken when photographing the interior as elements within the interior may be distracting to the final image result. Remove any object that may interfere with your image.
Industrial photography is also as demanding and rewarding as any other type of photography. Take extra care when approaching large structures, use standard photography techniques and use the light creatively to add humour and mood.
Architecture photography is very demanding, but the rewards are great for any person that masters the technique. But like all types of photography - practice makes perfect.
TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer. For more tips you can visit his photography site. To view his images visit his on-line gallery of pictures of Ireland or see his travel site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TJ_Tierney
Image distortion: When we look at a standard building, we see lines running horizontal and vertical. These lines often appear distorted and will make your image look warped. Image distortion occurs when we choose the wrong point to take our picture or use the wrong equipment.
With most SLR cameras a certain amount of image distortion will occur. Shooting directly in front of the building will limit your options but will limit the amount of distortion in your image.
View cameras are ideal cameras for architectural photography. They minimise distortion and allow you to shoot from any angle. If you are serious about architectural photography, an investment in a View Camera is something to consider.
Your lens may also make your image look distorted. A wide-angle lens will make the front of the building look massive compared to the rear.
If you are photographing a tall building, don’t shoot too near to the base. This will make the base of the building look too large compared to the top. Find a high advantage point, if possible, to take your picture.
Different light brings out different moods in a building. Just as with all other types of photography, studio photography being the exception, the time of day can make a big difference to an image. A building that looks plain and uninteresting during the day can be transformed by lighting at night. Also look out for photos that tell a story such as an office block with a single light on.
Side lighting will create long shadows along the front of the building adding mood to your image. Back lit buildings are extremely difficult to photograph and are only effective as a photograph when captured as a silhouette.
Most buildings are best captured at night and if possible shoot when there is detail left in the sky. You don’t need the most costly camera gear on the market to get great building pictures at night - bring plenty of film and a good sturdy tripod.
Architectural photography doesn’t finish when the outside of the building is finished. Images of the interior of buildings are also in demand with many agencies. Great care should be taken when photographing the interior as elements within the interior may be distracting to the final image result. Remove any object that may interfere with your image.
Industrial photography is also as demanding and rewarding as any other type of photography. Take extra care when approaching large structures, use standard photography techniques and use the light creatively to add humour and mood.
Architecture photography is very demanding, but the rewards are great for any person that masters the technique. But like all types of photography - practice makes perfect.
TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer. For more tips you can visit his photography site. To view his images visit his on-line gallery of pictures of Ireland or see his travel site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TJ_Tierney
Types of Photography
Advertising Photography. Photos made to illustrate a service or product. These images are generally done with an advertising agency, design firm or with an in-house corporate design team. Read more...
Aerial Photography is the taking of photographs from above with a camera mounted, or hand held, on an aircraft, helicopter, balloon, rocket, kite, skydiver or similar vehicle. It was widely used for military purposes during World War I. Read more…
Architectural Photography.
Find analyses of the various uses and techniques of architectural photography.
Astronomical Photography.
Find various techniques developed or modified since 1975 specially for the unusual demands of astronomical photography at the Anglo-Australian Observatory.
Baby Photography.
Find some must-have baby photography tips on taking the best pictures of your baby from Alexis Dawes.
Black and White Photography.
Find a vast collection of b&w images.
Cityscape Photography.
Find tips that will help you to take digital photos capturing the essence of the ‘big city’. Composition, lighting and exposure settings, photo subject ideas, and more.
Commercial photography
includes advertising photography, editorial photography, photojournalism, portrait and wedding photography, fine art photography.Read more…
Concert Photography
is up there among the most difficult ones. You have five thousand fans behind you, and there is a band in front of you. Nobody stands still… Read more…
Digital Photography,
as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself. Read more…
Documentary photography
usually refers to a type of professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur or student pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people. Read more…
Equine Photography
includes photographs of horses and everything connected with horses. Read more...
Family Photography.
Find family photography tips, including everything from snapping off 20 baby pictures to posing everyone at your family reunion.
Fine art photography,
sometimes simply called art photography, refers to high-quality archival photographic prints that are produced to fulfill the creative vision of an individual professional and often reproduced in limited editions. Read more…
Fine Art Nude Photography,
or Erotic photography dates back to the history of the art and process of taking pictures of unclothed subjects. Find the webs best fine art nude photography.
Food Photography.
Find a collection of articles intended to inform and educate the viewer regarding the craft, science, business, and art of food photography.
Glamour or Fashion photography
is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by exotic locations and story lines.
Infrared Photography.
With this type of photography you can get interesting “in-camera effects”: false-color or black and white images with a dreamlike or sometimes lurid appearance. Read…
Landscape Photography
is artistic interpretations of the land, its features, beauty and its definition. Gallery of Landscape Photography
Macro photography
is a type of close-up photography, where the image is as large or larger than the subject. Read more…
Nature photography
refers to a particular form of photography with a stronger emphasis on the aesthetical value of the photo, taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, plants and wildlife. Read more…
Night photography
generally refers to photographs taken outdoors between twilight and dusk. Read more…
Pet Photography.
Seven Habits of the Successful Pet Photographer.
Portrait photography
has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera, and is a cheaper and often more accessible method than portrait painting, which had been used by distinguished figures before the use of the camera. Read more…
Seascape Photography.
Find the gallery of beautiful seascape art and seascape photography.
Travel Photography.
Find pictures landscapes, nature, architecture and night photography of different places.
Underwater photography
is the process of taking photographs while underwater. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming. Read more…
Wedding photography
is probably one of the most complicated, but at the same time challenging forms of photography that requires a great deal of responsibility, skills, and knowledge. Read more…
Wildlife photography
is the act of taking photographs of wildlife, which is regarded as being one of the more challenging forms of photography as it has several different requirements. Read more.
Author mr. Henry Brown. Already works at shotaddict.com
Photo Contests
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Athhegreg_Herrogy
Aerial Photography is the taking of photographs from above with a camera mounted, or hand held, on an aircraft, helicopter, balloon, rocket, kite, skydiver or similar vehicle. It was widely used for military purposes during World War I. Read more…
Architectural Photography.
Find analyses of the various uses and techniques of architectural photography.
Astronomical Photography.
Find various techniques developed or modified since 1975 specially for the unusual demands of astronomical photography at the Anglo-Australian Observatory.
Baby Photography.
Find some must-have baby photography tips on taking the best pictures of your baby from Alexis Dawes.
Black and White Photography.
Find a vast collection of b&w images.
Cityscape Photography.
Find tips that will help you to take digital photos capturing the essence of the ‘big city’. Composition, lighting and exposure settings, photo subject ideas, and more.
Commercial photography
includes advertising photography, editorial photography, photojournalism, portrait and wedding photography, fine art photography.Read more…
Concert Photography
is up there among the most difficult ones. You have five thousand fans behind you, and there is a band in front of you. Nobody stands still… Read more…
Digital Photography,
as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record the image as binary data. This facilitates storage and editing of the images on personal computers, and also the ability to show and delete unsuccessful images immediately on the camera itself. Read more…
Documentary photography
usually refers to a type of professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur or student pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people. Read more…
Equine Photography
includes photographs of horses and everything connected with horses. Read more...
Family Photography.
Find family photography tips, including everything from snapping off 20 baby pictures to posing everyone at your family reunion.
Fine art photography,
sometimes simply called art photography, refers to high-quality archival photographic prints that are produced to fulfill the creative vision of an individual professional and often reproduced in limited editions. Read more…
Fine Art Nude Photography,
or Erotic photography dates back to the history of the art and process of taking pictures of unclothed subjects. Find the webs best fine art nude photography.
Food Photography.
Find a collection of articles intended to inform and educate the viewer regarding the craft, science, business, and art of food photography.
Glamour or Fashion photography
is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by exotic locations and story lines.
Infrared Photography.
With this type of photography you can get interesting “in-camera effects”: false-color or black and white images with a dreamlike or sometimes lurid appearance. Read…
Landscape Photography
is artistic interpretations of the land, its features, beauty and its definition. Gallery of Landscape Photography
Macro photography
is a type of close-up photography, where the image is as large or larger than the subject. Read more…
Nature photography
refers to a particular form of photography with a stronger emphasis on the aesthetical value of the photo, taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, plants and wildlife. Read more…
Night photography
generally refers to photographs taken outdoors between twilight and dusk. Read more…
Pet Photography.
Seven Habits of the Successful Pet Photographer.
Portrait photography
has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera, and is a cheaper and often more accessible method than portrait painting, which had been used by distinguished figures before the use of the camera. Read more…
Seascape Photography.
Find the gallery of beautiful seascape art and seascape photography.
Travel Photography.
Find pictures landscapes, nature, architecture and night photography of different places.
Underwater photography
is the process of taking photographs while underwater. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming. Read more…
Wedding photography
is probably one of the most complicated, but at the same time challenging forms of photography that requires a great deal of responsibility, skills, and knowledge. Read more…
Wildlife photography
is the act of taking photographs of wildlife, which is regarded as being one of the more challenging forms of photography as it has several different requirements. Read more.
Author mr. Henry Brown. Already works at shotaddict.com
Photo Contests
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Athhegreg_Herrogy
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