Practical Photography

In the Phillipines children who have autism, which prevents them from expressing emotions, are learning to use photography as an outlet to show what they feel.

Autism is a disorder where the brain does not develop social interaction and understanding as it should and displays itself when children are as young as two or three years old. There are mildser forms of autism which are measuerd on what is know as the Aspergus scale but when a child is diagnosed which actual autism there can be other medical implications such as heart problems, it is also difficult for these children to live a normal life.

Autism can mean the child does not fully understand emotions and are often scared of physical emotion such as a hug. This can be distressing for friends, family and the child. The disorder has strong genetic links but it is quite complex so the first you will know that the disorder is in your family is often when an autistic toddler is diagnosed.

It can be very hard for parents and family of an autistic child as thye want to show they love the child but the child does not understand. Some children can be shown forms of emotion and can comprehend these teachings on some levels.

In the Phillipines they have embraced an interesting study where by using photography autistic children can be taught to express themselves. Photography is a great medium for expreimentation, creative development and expression.

Photography is also a good skill to learn and for children who  are often stigmatised for being different, they can have something physical to show off and be proud of. By setting up these potography workshops the community is also admitting their acceptance of the disorder and the children who have it. This makes it easier for the families who can sometimes feel ashamed by having an autistic child.

Social media and internet networking sites have taken over people’s social lives and it is now more popular than ever to use Dating sites for meeting the next love of your life. I was recently approached by someone asking me to take their photo specifically for putting up on a Dating Site.

I took a range of photos including one of the girl in her underwear. It made me start thinking about the kind of photos you would put on a dating site, is it appropriate to put up sexy photos, or is that asking for trouble?

I personally would not have my photo taken professionally specifically to put online but if I had a good one already done I may be tempted to put it up especially on a dating site where physical appearance  may be a variable in someone deciding to contact me.

But is this a true representation of me, the reason dating sites hav become popular is because it is a safe environment to get to know people’s personality’s rather than getting drunk in a bar and fancying someone. Also if you do put a professional photograph up, especially the wrong kind you could attract the wrong kind of attention and although it seems quite safe meeting people online in the comfort of the your own home, you do not know that the person you are chatting to is who they say they are.

There is also the possibility that people do not believe it is you and you have just taken the image from somewhere. I believe for a dating site you are better off being true to your personality and using personal pictures which show you in your typical environment or doing something you enjoy. This will help you attract a genuine person that you can build a relationship with.

Photography doesn’t always have to be serious, you can have a lot of fun with photos. One way I like to have fun is by playing with perspective. You can get every day objects and make them look giant with a bit of camera trickery.

You can also create funny images and situations using perspective and angles, like the jaw of the queen seen on a £20 note looking like it is on a person.

Belfast newspaper Sunday Life, the Independent News & Media , has been banned from publishing photos of Kenneth Callaghan who is being released after 21 years in prison for murder.

Kenneth Callaghan was jailed for life in 1988 for the murder of the 21 year old Carol Gouldie,the convict had been on day release in a cafe and shopping centre when he was snapped, he leaned the newspaper planned to publish these and decided to take legal action against the newspaper.

Callaghan moved from prison into a prisoner assessment as part of a pre-release scheme unit that replicates conditions in the outside world, including day release.

The judge, Justice Stephens, did not find that the publication of an unpixelated photograph would lead to a “real and immediate risk” to the life of Callaghan.

However, he said that background articles published by the newspaper had “lacked any balance” as to the supervision by authorities of Callaghan in the community.

He also said that the “hostility engendered by the tone and content of those articles” would lead to “disruption to his home, his private life and his family connections through acts of violence, if his precise whereabouts were made known through the publication of such photographs”.

Stephens assessed the “balancing exercise” required to judge the right to a newspaper group’s freedom of expression and Callaghan’s right to respect for his private and family life and his home.

He found that, based on evidence presented, that Callaghan posed a “low to medium risk” of reoffending without the publication of photographs and that there was “proper” supervision by authorities.

The judge concluded that publication of the photographs could disrupt Callaghan’s private life and increase the risk of him harming the public.

He said his ruling was “a proportionate response and necessary in a democratic society”.

I have had a lot of experience in wedding photography, it is a hard job organising lots of people and you need lots of memory/film as it is very important you get a lot of images for the bride to choose from. It can take a number of months for the bride to choose the final prints but after that she should get what she has paid for pretty quickly. This is, hopefully, a once in a life time experience so the photographs are often very important to the couple.

It has been mentioned a few times in the press that brides have been ripped off by wedding photographers and in one case the bride considered taking legal action when the photographer took years to supply the images.

Laura Schuff said she was ready to take her wedding photographer to small claims court after waiting two years to receive all the items she paid for.

Rachael Roberto contacted the news media to tell her story of hassling the same photographer for a year-and-a-half before she got her album and prints.

Erica Curci filed a complaint with the Chattanooga Area Better Business Bureau after she said the photographer didn’t keep up her end of the contract.

These incidents keep occuring where the photographer has not kept to his/her promises of delivering the products. I would advise anyone getting a wedding photographer to go through a contract about exactly how many prints you will recieve and time scales of editing and printing.

This will stop any confusion and if the photographer feels for the amount of prints it will take a long time this can be agreed up front.

Yesterday the Met Office offered a weather warning for snow and ice and cold miserable conditions but this does not stop hard core photographers like myself as after a snow storm, rain and wind you usually get a short period of excellent lighting. To get the best out of this you need to be prepared and have everything set up ready as this lighting is usually short lived.

Preparation should include having the right equipment set up ready to put up as soon as the weather calms, you also need to have a good idea of the images you want, the subject of the photograph and composition should be clear in your mind. You need to know the location pretty well, you cannot just turn up and expect to get good results on the day if you haven’t explored the surroundings before hand.

Most importantly you need to be conortable it is likely to be cold so you need to wrap up warm, if you are using models make sure they are comfortable as much as possible in between shots this way you will get better images out of them.

Flash photography used by paparazzi photographers can often cause thin tops to go see through, a rule every celebrity should be aware of if hoping to keep their dignity whilst in the lime light. This is something experienced Paparazzi subject Kelly Brook should have warned her new boyfriend.

Actress, model and presenter, Kelly Brook is no stranger to the paparazzi and should know all the do’s and dont’s about appearing in public especially that flash photography can expose more than intended. So why didn’t she tell her latest squeeze, Rugby player Danny Cipriani who was snapped with a flimsy woolen top exposing his toned chest as they returned from a holiday in the Caribbean.

Perhaps Kelly wanted the world to see her new Wasps and England rugby international star in a new light as the sexy shot revealed a very toned chest that lucky Kelly gets to enjoy and the rest of us can look on in jealousy. I don’t know what the couples intentions were in this fashion faux pas but Danny certainly upstaged model Kelly.

The credit crunch has been in the news over the past 8 months and the stories have gotten worse and worse, a lot of these stories and ’scares’ have made things much worse and businesses are suffering because people have curbed their spending. If you have a photography business you have overheads, rentals, energy bills etc and while people are cutting down on such luxuries as portrait photography some businesses may be forced to close down.

All is not lost though, people are still spending and if you can manage your costs you could be left standing whilst your competitors fall. The most important thing is to keep your doors you need to cover the costs of the rent, try negotiating with your landlord, or if you are in a good position it may be worthwhile buying a place now property prices are starting to drop.

The other issue photography owners are facing at the moment is the rise in electricity costs, running a studio uses a lot of electricity you have your studio lights, computers, digital cameras not to mention the basics like light and heat but their are offers available for business electricity that will get you the best deals.

This is well worth you looking into as if you’re electric gets cut off you cannot provide the service and your business will fall. Photography needs electricity as you cannot take great pictures without having good lighting and it is much more cost effective for the results to use a digital SLR rather than a normal mechanical SLR. Touching up and editing is much easier on a computer than manually airbrushing a print and re printing is more profitable.

If you want to make it through the hard times at the moment you really need to get a good deal for your business electricity and ease the load.

The latest Casualties of the credit crunch are Photographic studio group Olan Mills who announced on Friday that they will be joining there high street neighbours Zavvi, Whitards Tea , The Officers Club and USC by going into administration.

The high street fim, who are based in Northamptonshire,specialise in family portraits and has many studios in Mothercare stores, closed their doors on Boxing Day.

Olan Mills have announced that any Customers who have paid in advance for studio sessions will have to apply to the administrator for refunds. Gift vouchers can no longer be redeemed. Any photographs that have been purchased may still be printed and sent to customers but it is unclear as yet as to how many of these orders will be completed.

A closure notice posted on the company’s website said: “Olan Mills has ceased trading and will shortly be placed in administration.”

Potential refunds

Customers who have already bought photographs may still get them.

The notice said: “The company is endeavouring to fulfil all outstanding orders, which will be posted direct to customers’ home addresses during January.”

But those who have paid in advance for studio sessions will have to contact the administrators about any potential refund.

Customers who paid with cash or a debit card should write to: The Administrator, Olan Mills Photography, Waterside house, Station Road, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, NN9 5QF.

Those who paid by credit card may be able to get a refund from the card issuer.

Olan Mills have 34 studios in the UK, all of which have ceased trading, they also have US branches but it unclear how these may have been affected.

Photography can be done by anyone but it is ca good composition that seperates the amateurs from the real photographers. Having a good eye for a composition can enable you to take lots of good shots from different angles of the same subject. You can walk around a particular focal poit looking at different lines and perspectives this can mean looking at the subject from above or below, cropping the subject and focusing on different points.

Experimenting with different angles can help you determine what makes a good composition, don’t be afraid to take risks with a good digital camera you can take as many shots as you like and if you don’t like them just delete them straight away.

Try Zooming in close or moving away to get a good wideangle shot all these experiments will help you see what you camera is capable of and give you an idea of what you like and dislike about an image helping you create your own style.