Practical Photography

When I was little I loved that idea of the fairies living in the garden and was fascinated about Frances and the Fairies and all the way back to 1917. I so wanted this to be true but the think was it was so believable and when you look back now an act of sheer brilliance.
The two sisters always claimed they could not photograph the fairies when anyone else was watching. No one else could photograph the fairies.

Photo boffins at the time said that none of the negatives had been fiddled with and fairies in photo that were moving and slightly blurry could no way be faked , no one seemed to even entertain at all that they were paper cut-outs fastened on the bush, jiggling slightly in the breeze.
Todat it is quite teh reverse and what with modern advancements hardly anyone can look at these photos today and accept them as anything but fakes.

I just really wanted to believe it was true

How annoying is it when you take photo and you get red eye. Your lovely piccies are spoilt by you looking like the devil
So what to do and what do you need
• Anti-red-eye Pen
• Image-editing Software
1. Buy a red-eye pen from a photography shop. Draw over the red-eye
2. Or scan into your home computer and use image-editing software to adjust. You may get side tracked as you can have so much fun making alterations…. Ten years younger springs to mind
To Preventing red-eye
Try to put space between lens and flash to reduce the effect down. Hold the flash at arm’s length from the camera, so the flash does not flood the subject’s eyes.

I thought I would write about quick tick list to review for a Fun in the Sun camera, just a few points to consider when deciding what camera to match your holiday

What are you using it for?

• Are you going to be going diving or just a kick about in the surf? If diving or snorkeling make sure you check the camera’s maximum depth rating.
• Are the kids going to get their mits on it? If yes think size, easy to use, cost and shutter speed – how tough it is when dropped!!!
• Crushability and impact resistance. Cameras get a bashing on holiday despite how careful you are with them.
• Is it sun or snow – match the camera to your adventures. Only a few models are freeze-proof or even cold resistant. Also you will need something different fro a sun packed week than safari

My brother got married at the beginning of May and have just received the DVD of the day.  Now normally I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of the watching someone elses wedding day but as it was my big brother i thought I better had.

So I sat myself down and prepared to see it all.  The worst thing is hearing myself  - do I really sound like that?  I did a reading which I cried through the last few lines of - but this didn’t sound quite as bad as I first thought!

Anyway, I think I could waffle on about this all dday but what I got, which I’m sure my brother and his new wife did too - was the fact that there was so much that I missed that even the photos (as beautiful as they were) couldn’t and didn’t capture.

My advice is to try and have a video man at your wedding - and actually I couldn’t even remember him there so that shows just good he was to get what he captured!

As you probably know summer is one of the most popular times of the year to get married.

Before you walk like a princess down your fairytale aisle, just  stop - and think about the serious side of things for a minute and make sure that every penny you spend is worth it’s while!  So, before you sign on the dotted line when deciding who your  photogrpaher is going to be, make sure you are aware of these few things…

• Makes sure you are obsolutely clear how much the total cost will be and how much of the deposit you WON’T get back if, god forbid, the wedding is cancelled or the date has to be moved.

• Make sure the deposit you pay is actually taken off the total invoice cost and it’s not taken as an extra

• And finally, see if you can  talk with other brides and grooms who have used the same photographer - before you sign the contract.

Wedding day photos – the pretty shots taken outside the church/registry office, everyone immaculate and smiling, or pictures by the car, or at the reception… All standard, can’t go wrong shots.

Boooooooooooring!

Now, I may sound a bit judgemental, however – it’s your big day, why be like everyone else? Yes, you do not want to upset Auntie Susan by having the photos somewhere she can’t toddle to, but why would you want pictures that look so fake? A wedding day is a one-off celebration – but there’s nothing stopping you bringing it into your everyday life!

Confused? Let me explain…

A friend of mine has just married a farmer – lovely service, great pictures in the woods next to the hotel, as well as the standard ones on the steps and by a tree for the family to put on the mantelpiece. But she’s also gone out on a limb and tried something new – wellies, dogs, cows, and the bride and groom in full wedding attire!

Laura’s beautiful white dress, and Andrew’s smart suit are wonderfully contrasted with their muddy green wellies, and all the sites of the farm in the background. I think it’s a great way to get another days use out of a beautiful dress, have some good harmless fun, get some great pictures, and some nice memories of a happy event.

Making sure you have a photographer to suit you and your new Husaband on your wedding day is quite an important part of the day I think!   You want the end result to be just perfect as the day goes so quickly (so quickly you wouldn’t believe) you want it all captured on film.  But if you don’t feel comfortable with the person who is actually taking the photos - they won’t display a very good image of your wedding day.

So, you want good quality shots - which you’ll see from prevoius work they have already done. Unique and differnet shots so don’t feel afraid to put your ideas forward too - it is your day after all! But one key thing that I think can be missed is making sure you have a good rapure with the photographer. You want the photos to look like your relaxed and having fun when you look back on them in years to come!

If you’ve just started out on the photography path for a hobby - here are some tips to help you along your way:-

• Get down to the same level of the object you are trying to capture
• If possible, try to use a plain background so your object stands out more
• Move closer to the object as well as using the zoom facility
• Change the view around so use the landscape and portrait views
• Lock the focus
• Move the main object from the centre - more in the foreground or background can often make the main focus stand out more
• Know your flashes range as taken too far away will results in a dark photo
• Be awrae of your surrounding light an adjust you camers settings accordingly
• become a photo director - re-arrange people, add props etc

Looking for subjects for your photographic portfolio can sometimes be challenging. But it doesn’t have to be, often the subjects much closer to home can be more exciting that you think. Take for instance your mantle piece clock, flowers, kitchen implements, your stereo speakers and garden ornaments.  Creating abstract photographs from these everyday simple objects can be really interesting. More than often water can be a great focus for an abstract piece. If you are lucky enough to have a water garden these can be great spots for a shoot. In the comfort of your own back garden you can experiment with perspective, vantage points, macro, shutter speed, lighting effects both natural and unnatural and filters.
When photographing water, experimenting with shutter speed can result in really interesting photography. If you have running water in your water garden, for example, a fountain or statue/water feature, then the effect of using a slow shutter speed to photograph moving water can be very exciting. Or photographing a pond when it is raining, again experimenting with slow shutter speeds, and can result in photos like this one below.

You can also try different combinations of perspectives and vantage points, each new vantage point can create a completely different photo. You can experiment with placing focus on the objects in the foreground or vise versa, using the natural plants and flowers as the focus points.
In terms of lighting, experiment with natural shadows, these can really add depth to a photograph by emphasising patterns and textures.
Abstract art is virtually limitless so remember your shot is only limited by your imagination! Use objects that are naturally inspiring and see what can be done with it!

Creating your own photo portfolio can lead to many benefits as a photographer whether you are an amateur or professional this is the best way to get your work seen by the general public. You tend to find that many amateur photographer create on-line portfolios which are much more accessible to the general public and can lead to says because lets face it many photographers out their take their photos to be sold and enjoyed by others.

Another way of narrowing down your selective audience would be by looking at business telemarketing lists to narrow down who you think you can sell them too. So for example if your profession is taking photos of animals you might want to target places such as vets, zoos, animal parks and so on and these list can provide you the information you need.

My Opinion on creating portfolios and getting your work noticed would be to create one on line so many can see with the photos you have taken in your chosen field and then also try entering your photos in to exhibitions and shows whether an amateur or professional this is a great way to show and share your work with people of the same interests.