In the many types of photography you might need to do as a photographer, babies & children may be the hardest. Even if you aren't a professional photographer, but you try to get a nice portrait of your child, getting them to cooperate is a large undertaking.
The first line to live with baby photography is that, as a matter of fact, they ARE the boss of this shoot. The whole process must be built around the mood of the child. But there are a few tricks of the trade that you can use, professional or amateur, to capture the best shot of that sweet baby.
Babies respond well when they're warm, fed & rested, with people they know & trust, and when they get all the attention. So right off the bat, you as mom or dad can see that the requirements are met. Now, it isn't always easy. If you have an appointment to take the child to get his or her portrait taken at a local photography studio, their mood may not be the way you want it to be.
That is why, if at all possible, that we would discourage getting pictures in a studio. If you can set up a shoot in your home, where there is a comfortable setting & much more that's familiar around, you'll have many more opportunities to get that smile that'll make the portrait of a lifetime. Now that calls for a "house call" by the photographer, but if they are a photographer who wants only the best shot of the child, they'll work with what you want.
Another advantage of scheduling the shoot at home is that you know when the child is usually at his best so that you can schedule when the time of day is just right. In fact, if the photographer can show up during nap time, there is plenty of time to set up the shoot before the angel wakes. By removing the car ride to the studio, you remove a significant risk of that sensitive mood going sour.
A second tip comes from the fact that babies like people they know. If the photographer has time to meet the baby, play with him or her, then they'll be more receptive to playful direction to get the image you want. You must be clever how you introduce the camera as it can either be an object of fear or seen as a toy & your child may want to play with it.
Thinking about the kind of equipment you'll use to get that perfect portrait to get a baby...you want it to be portable, so you can make the shot on the spot - that works so much better. It should be small, both for portability & to not alarm the child. Digital is the best because you can shoot many shots & never have to reload film. But make sure that it's good quality equipment that'll shoot at a high resolution so when you get the head shot, it'll transfer to a canvas print.
By setting up the room with the sort of backgrounds that'll create a good portrait, you can then have the child begin to play with her or her toys & interacting with parents, siblings or photographer in a happy way. It won't be long before the sound of clicking cameras & even the flash will become familiar & the baby won't pay it any attention.
The best pictures of the baby are laughs. Try to get on the same level with the child as he or she plays. Have Mom & Dad sing songs or games that always get a giggle, then exploit their insider knowledge to get a good shot! The baby will love to know & hear of these games from them, which will result in getting that sweet laugh or smile you want.
By learning the child's personality & how to get in sync with your child, you can coax pictures from the session that might otherwise be impossible to get. That is what you want - a portrait of a child that will last a lifetime!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Portrait Photography
Do you take pictures of friends without a thought to how it my turn out? Portrait photography takes you a step up from people photography. It gives you elements to notice, like the angle you photograph, the lighting you'll use, & the expression of emotion on a person's face. While you may be an amateur photographer deciding to take Christmas photos without the expense, you need to have some basic knowledge of the techniques used by the pros.
First, when taking a photograph of a person, you need to study their faces. The face is important to the angle you'll shoot from. Even if it is a cliche, it is true some people have a better side. This may be compared to the scars or acne breakouts or even simpler. For instance my right eye is bigger than my left by just a bit & looking into the camera head-on will result in a horrible portrait. But, if the photographer comes from the right side & angles up a bit, the light & shadows will help even out the eyes while highlighting the distinctions that make me who I am.
Portrait photography is about capturing the essence of the subject, personality. The little nuances of a face add character to the portrait. You want to loosen up your subjects. If you become a professional portrait photographer, you want to learn more about your subject as you shoot, or perhaps meet them before the session. If they are your family, you should know how to get their personality captured on film.
Lighting is the next important step to portrait photography. Many photographers prefer natural light over artificial. Your subject will in part decide this for you. Remember that you'll use the light you have available. Natural light will often require setting the aperture to compensate for the cameras lack of definition. In other words, create contrast with the light & shadows for the effect you want. Often artificial light is harsh & not flattering, unless manipulated in a studio. Again you must use manual settings on your camera to create the perfect portrait.
The background is also important when discussing light. In a studio a photographer will choose a background that'll not wash your features out or your clothing. They want to make a distinction or contrast between you & the background. This is also important for home portrait photography. You'll have a background that gives color to your subject. Finding a nice place with a tree to sit on & mountains in the background can be a great portrait, but you want to make sure the background isn't too busy, or distracts from the subject. Make the subject seem a part of the picture rather than outside of it.
The type of camera you use will also determine the quality of photography. When you combine techniques such as lighting, angles, & understanding your subject you'll be able to create a close & close to professional, if not professional portrait, for your friends & family for any occasion. Just snapping a picture is possible, but wouldn't it be great to have a better portrait?
First, when taking a photograph of a person, you need to study their faces. The face is important to the angle you'll shoot from. Even if it is a cliche, it is true some people have a better side. This may be compared to the scars or acne breakouts or even simpler. For instance my right eye is bigger than my left by just a bit & looking into the camera head-on will result in a horrible portrait. But, if the photographer comes from the right side & angles up a bit, the light & shadows will help even out the eyes while highlighting the distinctions that make me who I am.
Portrait photography is about capturing the essence of the subject, personality. The little nuances of a face add character to the portrait. You want to loosen up your subjects. If you become a professional portrait photographer, you want to learn more about your subject as you shoot, or perhaps meet them before the session. If they are your family, you should know how to get their personality captured on film.
Lighting is the next important step to portrait photography. Many photographers prefer natural light over artificial. Your subject will in part decide this for you. Remember that you'll use the light you have available. Natural light will often require setting the aperture to compensate for the cameras lack of definition. In other words, create contrast with the light & shadows for the effect you want. Often artificial light is harsh & not flattering, unless manipulated in a studio. Again you must use manual settings on your camera to create the perfect portrait.
The background is also important when discussing light. In a studio a photographer will choose a background that'll not wash your features out or your clothing. They want to make a distinction or contrast between you & the background. This is also important for home portrait photography. You'll have a background that gives color to your subject. Finding a nice place with a tree to sit on & mountains in the background can be a great portrait, but you want to make sure the background isn't too busy, or distracts from the subject. Make the subject seem a part of the picture rather than outside of it.
The type of camera you use will also determine the quality of photography. When you combine techniques such as lighting, angles, & understanding your subject you'll be able to create a close & close to professional, if not professional portrait, for your friends & family for any occasion. Just snapping a picture is possible, but wouldn't it be great to have a better portrait?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lenses In Photography
Just having a nice camera isn't going to get you the best pictures. Most of us who take photos are amateurs in the art world, but with the right equipment, our photography can be elevated to a whole new level. Lenses are important, especially when you settle on a medium you'll train in. Most photographers choose an area of photography to specialzse in. There are many types of lenses: the standard 35 - 80mm, telephoto, & panoramic lenses.
Most cameras have a 35 - 80mm lens, even the point & shoot type. Often when you buy a camera body, they'll sell you the standard lens with it. All lenses are interchangeable. However, you will have to stick with the same brand of lenses as your camera & ensure that the diameter is the same. The diameter of most lenses is the same as long as you follow the same brand. The 35 - 80mm lens tells you the extent of zoom. While you can take photographs several miles away with a standard lens, you'll not have the distinction of functions in the print that you need. The standard lens is good for close-ups, such as flowers, spider webs, humans & pets. To get more defined picture miles away, you need a bigger lens.
There are many telephoto lenses in photography. One is the 75 - 300mm lens. While this isn't as massive as other telephoto lenses you see a professional walking around with, it's a big step up for mountain & wildlife photography when your quarry is some distance away. As you begin to go from 35mm to something larger, it's best to have a stabilizer with the lens. A stabilizer will help you keep the camera still to get clear images, even if your hand moves a little bit. When you move into the world of the telephoto lenses, you can buy accessories to help with angles & lighting.
Photography in the world of Panorama is another way to take spectacular landscape images. The panoramic lens, you can widen the shoot, especially with a digital camera. If there is a mountain range or glacier that you want the whole picture of without pasting them together in Photoshop, the panoramic lens is the best way to go. I am sure you have seen the landscape with panoramic views, & wished you could have had that opportunity. Even with film cameras you could have a panoramic lens to widen the picture.
These lenses are just the tip of the iceberg on the use of lenses in photography. Whether you are an amateur photographer or a budding professional, you'll want to maximize your photography skills. The next gear you want to buy to help you with larger lenses would be a tripod to stabilise the camera even more. Tripods are pretty simple & easy pieces of equipment & work well for portrait photography. All media of photography require moderate to top of the line camera equipment to produce a photograph with quality. Photography also relies on the skill of the photographer & their eye. Lenses are just a small part of the photographic world as you begin to study it. If you have questions about the lenses, the best places to find answers are your local photography store.
Most cameras have a 35 - 80mm lens, even the point & shoot type. Often when you buy a camera body, they'll sell you the standard lens with it. All lenses are interchangeable. However, you will have to stick with the same brand of lenses as your camera & ensure that the diameter is the same. The diameter of most lenses is the same as long as you follow the same brand. The 35 - 80mm lens tells you the extent of zoom. While you can take photographs several miles away with a standard lens, you'll not have the distinction of functions in the print that you need. The standard lens is good for close-ups, such as flowers, spider webs, humans & pets. To get more defined picture miles away, you need a bigger lens.
There are many telephoto lenses in photography. One is the 75 - 300mm lens. While this isn't as massive as other telephoto lenses you see a professional walking around with, it's a big step up for mountain & wildlife photography when your quarry is some distance away. As you begin to go from 35mm to something larger, it's best to have a stabilizer with the lens. A stabilizer will help you keep the camera still to get clear images, even if your hand moves a little bit. When you move into the world of the telephoto lenses, you can buy accessories to help with angles & lighting.
Photography in the world of Panorama is another way to take spectacular landscape images. The panoramic lens, you can widen the shoot, especially with a digital camera. If there is a mountain range or glacier that you want the whole picture of without pasting them together in Photoshop, the panoramic lens is the best way to go. I am sure you have seen the landscape with panoramic views, & wished you could have had that opportunity. Even with film cameras you could have a panoramic lens to widen the picture.
These lenses are just the tip of the iceberg on the use of lenses in photography. Whether you are an amateur photographer or a budding professional, you'll want to maximize your photography skills. The next gear you want to buy to help you with larger lenses would be a tripod to stabilise the camera even more. Tripods are pretty simple & easy pieces of equipment & work well for portrait photography. All media of photography require moderate to top of the line camera equipment to produce a photograph with quality. Photography also relies on the skill of the photographer & their eye. Lenses are just a small part of the photographic world as you begin to study it. If you have questions about the lenses, the best places to find answers are your local photography store.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Choosing a Photography Subject
How do you know what kind of pictures you want to take? Do you have a family reunion? Going for a hike & hope to see some wildlife? There are many questions with regard to choosing the subject of your photography. You'll want to have a basis of photography techniques to create the best picture & once you learn these techniques the rest will be up to you. Most photographers, whether professional or amateur, will have a medium through which they work. This is the same with other artists like painters, sculptors, sketch artists, & much more. Photography is art, and therefore requires an eye for the right photo.
How do you know what subject you'll shoot? This is where your interests lie. If you only want to take pics of wildlife then you'll have to wait for the subject to appear in front of you, or go seek it out. Of course you can go to a wildlife park such as a National Park & hope to find subjects. Most often it'll depend on the season. Moose & deer are more prominent when they come down the mountains to mate & eat. Birds will always be available, but the nature of the birds will vary. If you're in Alaska, chances are you'll have several chances of photographing a Bald Eagle, while in Florida you can find heron or cranes.
When you're practicing techniques, you need to choose your subject accordingly. Many of us are regulated to the area around us. Landscape photography requires the use of the land you have around you, unless you're going on vacation to some place new. This is another important fact to choosing a topic - you're either limited or you have the whole world at your feet. It'll depend on your travel opportunities. For now we'll stay close to home.
When you choose your medium, you will then search for topics. A subject that speaks to you is what you should choose to shoot. If thw way a tree & branches are formed interest you, you'll want to check the lighting in the area. Deciding what angle to shoot from will also be a decision on the subject. Lighting may not be right for the topic you've chosen & the other side of the subject might not give the best picture.
To select a topic, you need a good eye for detail & observation. Often the best subject isn't the 1 you can see with a normal eye. Have you ever looked at a tree & found a spider web hiding in the leaves? If you look closely you can even find a spider. A spider web can make a good image not only because of the technology necessary to make the web to appear in your photo with the silky thread, but also the pattern of a spider's web. People are fascinated by an organism that can create a symmetrical pattern.
Again, your eye is the best tool for finding a subject. How to choose the topic will depend on what's available, the angle & lighting. Moving slowly through an area such as landscape will help you decide. Looking under leaves or rocks is often beneficial to find something new & different. You never know where you will find a picture just waiting for you. Some people & animals do things that'll never happen again & this is when you want a camera available. Most people interested in photography carry a camera with them everywhere they go. If this sounds like a habit, turn this habit into a hobby & a possible income if you become good at taking the right pictures. As you become better at taking pictures, you can then start displaying your pics so others can view & possibly buy them.
How do you know what subject you'll shoot? This is where your interests lie. If you only want to take pics of wildlife then you'll have to wait for the subject to appear in front of you, or go seek it out. Of course you can go to a wildlife park such as a National Park & hope to find subjects. Most often it'll depend on the season. Moose & deer are more prominent when they come down the mountains to mate & eat. Birds will always be available, but the nature of the birds will vary. If you're in Alaska, chances are you'll have several chances of photographing a Bald Eagle, while in Florida you can find heron or cranes.
When you're practicing techniques, you need to choose your subject accordingly. Many of us are regulated to the area around us. Landscape photography requires the use of the land you have around you, unless you're going on vacation to some place new. This is another important fact to choosing a topic - you're either limited or you have the whole world at your feet. It'll depend on your travel opportunities. For now we'll stay close to home.
When you choose your medium, you will then search for topics. A subject that speaks to you is what you should choose to shoot. If thw way a tree & branches are formed interest you, you'll want to check the lighting in the area. Deciding what angle to shoot from will also be a decision on the subject. Lighting may not be right for the topic you've chosen & the other side of the subject might not give the best picture.
To select a topic, you need a good eye for detail & observation. Often the best subject isn't the 1 you can see with a normal eye. Have you ever looked at a tree & found a spider web hiding in the leaves? If you look closely you can even find a spider. A spider web can make a good image not only because of the technology necessary to make the web to appear in your photo with the silky thread, but also the pattern of a spider's web. People are fascinated by an organism that can create a symmetrical pattern.
Again, your eye is the best tool for finding a subject. How to choose the topic will depend on what's available, the angle & lighting. Moving slowly through an area such as landscape will help you decide. Looking under leaves or rocks is often beneficial to find something new & different. You never know where you will find a picture just waiting for you. Some people & animals do things that'll never happen again & this is when you want a camera available. Most people interested in photography carry a camera with them everywhere they go. If this sounds like a habit, turn this habit into a hobby & a possible income if you become good at taking the right pictures. As you become better at taking pictures, you can then start displaying your pics so others can view & possibly buy them.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Is Photography art?
The controversy about whether photography is art is 1 that has been raging in the art world for a long time & we're probably not going to solve it here. But it can be an important decision if you are considering a career in photography with the goal of producing quality artwork. If this is where you are, the idea that someone would say "It's not art, you just took a picture" is pretty disturbing.
Of course, art is a subjective matter. Many people would look at a Jackson Pollack "splatter" painting & determine definitively that modern art isn't art, because it "does not look like anything." And if you spend any time in the modern art world, you'll definitely see something at some point along the way taking up space in a perfectly respectable art museum, that to you, can never be considered art.
Is this just a matter of opinion? To some extent, yes. But there's an art world & an industry behind it that depend on there being some standards that art is judged by. One such standard is the intention of the artist. If you make a photo or artwork from a photo that's intended to be seen as art, then the viewer is obliged to try to produce artistic value in it. Whether the viewer sees the merit or not may depend on the viewer's ability, how well you get your artistic message, or many other factors.
But just wanting something to be art does not make it so, does it? I sometimes go by "I don't know what is art but I know what I like" evaluation system of the pieces I see. Art, after all, tends to involve us in another place that's beyond the image - an emotional place, a place for reflection & understanding. For a work to be art, there should be a message, a feeling, a reason the artist made the work because he or she wanted to say something, even if how I interpret the statement is different than what the artist meant.
So that might also be a review of a photo's artistic merit or not. Now the primary objection of is photography art sometimes is that a photograph is often a realistic depiction of a moment was taken with a machine & some would say that "anybody can take a picture." This means that the same mechanical skill it takes to paint a picture or sculpt a statue isn't required for photographic art. So it is worth looking at the question from several different angles before we choose which side to weigh in on.
It is true that the mechanical skills that the photographer at Wal-Mart may have to take baby pics may be the same as a great photographic artist. But the objection doesn't hold up, because the same human language used to create great poetry is also used to scream out obscenities at a sporting game.
Good evidence comes from the credit some great art experts have provided photographic exhibitions in the fine museums in the world. The very fact that photography is considered art by those who know may be proof enough. So the conclusion must be that because the arguments against the artistic value of photographs is weak & people who know consider photography as an art, so we're confident in seeing what we do artistically, too. And that opens the side of your soul to express yourself through the media you love the most - photography.
Of course, art is a subjective matter. Many people would look at a Jackson Pollack "splatter" painting & determine definitively that modern art isn't art, because it "does not look like anything." And if you spend any time in the modern art world, you'll definitely see something at some point along the way taking up space in a perfectly respectable art museum, that to you, can never be considered art.
Is this just a matter of opinion? To some extent, yes. But there's an art world & an industry behind it that depend on there being some standards that art is judged by. One such standard is the intention of the artist. If you make a photo or artwork from a photo that's intended to be seen as art, then the viewer is obliged to try to produce artistic value in it. Whether the viewer sees the merit or not may depend on the viewer's ability, how well you get your artistic message, or many other factors.
But just wanting something to be art does not make it so, does it? I sometimes go by "I don't know what is art but I know what I like" evaluation system of the pieces I see. Art, after all, tends to involve us in another place that's beyond the image - an emotional place, a place for reflection & understanding. For a work to be art, there should be a message, a feeling, a reason the artist made the work because he or she wanted to say something, even if how I interpret the statement is different than what the artist meant.
So that might also be a review of a photo's artistic merit or not. Now the primary objection of is photography art sometimes is that a photograph is often a realistic depiction of a moment was taken with a machine & some would say that "anybody can take a picture." This means that the same mechanical skill it takes to paint a picture or sculpt a statue isn't required for photographic art. So it is worth looking at the question from several different angles before we choose which side to weigh in on.
It is true that the mechanical skills that the photographer at Wal-Mart may have to take baby pics may be the same as a great photographic artist. But the objection doesn't hold up, because the same human language used to create great poetry is also used to scream out obscenities at a sporting game.
Good evidence comes from the credit some great art experts have provided photographic exhibitions in the fine museums in the world. The very fact that photography is considered art by those who know may be proof enough. So the conclusion must be that because the arguments against the artistic value of photographs is weak & people who know consider photography as an art, so we're confident in seeing what we do artistically, too. And that opens the side of your soul to express yourself through the media you love the most - photography.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Summer time...and the livin's easy...
Wow, time sure flies when you are having fun!! As summer always does, it has flown by and we are already well into August. After graduation in mid-May and moving permanently back home, there has been a little bit of adjusting to life in Point. I like not having to drive 2 hours every Monday & Thursday to go to & come home from Madison, but I do miss my friends and experiences from school.
Matt & I took a much-needed road trip out to Yellowstone in late June into early August. What an amazing adventure! We stopped a few places along the way to explore or visit friends & family like Rochester, the Badlands, Custer, & Ten Sleep to break up the drive. Once we got to Yellowstone, I got to see some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. We also got to see so much wildlife, including numerous grizzlies! A little scary, but amazing to say the least. We saw a sow and 3 cubs in Hayden Valley guarding a carcass. While standing there observing them (and the lenses other photographers were using that cost as much as a new car), I met another wedding photographer from Dallas, Texas, William Porter http://william-porter.net
We only chatted briefly as Matt & I were on our way to the Tetons & Jackson that day, but we have kept in touch since we both got home. He enjoys all genres of photography and you can see an infusion of many different shooting styles in his work. I always enjoy networking with people, you never know what new experiences they might open you up to!
Before we even returned home from out west, I began editing the pictures in the car and had a slideshow made in iDVD to show people. 3 days after returning from Yellowstone, I jumped on a plane and went out to Seattle to shoot a wedding with a friend, then we drive down the Oregon coast on 101 all the way to Redwoods National Park. I ended the trip with a visit to San Francisco to see my brother, then came home and got "back to reality." So needless to say it has been an amazing summer thus far, and I am very much looking forward to the future adventures being a photographer will take me on!
Check out my photos: http://pixbyjen.zenfolio.com/p397312024
Matt & I took a much-needed road trip out to Yellowstone in late June into early August. What an amazing adventure! We stopped a few places along the way to explore or visit friends & family like Rochester, the Badlands, Custer, & Ten Sleep to break up the drive. Once we got to Yellowstone, I got to see some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. We also got to see so much wildlife, including numerous grizzlies! A little scary, but amazing to say the least. We saw a sow and 3 cubs in Hayden Valley guarding a carcass. While standing there observing them (and the lenses other photographers were using that cost as much as a new car), I met another wedding photographer from Dallas, Texas, William Porter http://william-porter.net
Before we even returned home from out west, I began editing the pictures in the car and had a slideshow made in iDVD to show people. 3 days after returning from Yellowstone, I jumped on a plane and went out to Seattle to shoot a wedding with a friend, then we drive down the Oregon coast on 101 all the way to Redwoods National Park. I ended the trip with a visit to San Francisco to see my brother, then came home and got "back to reality." So needless to say it has been an amazing summer thus far, and I am very much looking forward to the future adventures being a photographer will take me on!
Check out my photos: http://pixbyjen.zenfolio.com/p397312024
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Lyra - 1 year
I have had the pleasure of photographing Miss Lyra since she was just a little peanut (well, she still is a peanut)! And now she is 1 year old - I can't believe it!! We did the shoot at her new house where she got to show off her new back yard, scooter & wagon. Happy Birthday, Lyra!
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