One question I frequently get asked is how to get rid of shadows in the picture when the subject is close to a wall?

Well, it depends on if the shadow is being created due to a specific angle of the speed light or you’re using some sort of a flash diffuser. A lot of photographers assume that the omni dome diffuser you get with your speed light is essential to making the light softer, which is not always true.

In most cases that dome diffuser is used to spread the light in a very challenging lighting situation when you can’t bounce anything off the ceiling or walls. The plastic diffuser helps you project the light forward and in all direction to illuminate your subject. But what if you are able to bounce the light off the ceiling without any difficulty? In a situation like this, omni dome diffuser can create shadows behind your subject and in some cases the light rather looks harsh and unflattering.

In the sample pictures (above) you’ll notice shadows behind the subject and the flash on the subject’s face is not very soft. This was taken with a dome diffuser that comes with most speed light these days.

In the next picture you’ll notice that the shadows are gone and the light becomes much softer. I simply removed the diffuser and bounced the light straight off the ceiling. It was a 20 foot ceiling and I had no problem creating soft light.

Take a look at some other sample pictures where my subject is very close to the wall but there are no shadows simply because I did not use dome diffuser which helped me eliminate any shadows and harsh light.

If I were in a situation where the ceiling was of a very dark color and too high to bounce the light off, then I would use the dome diffuser to bail me out, but for the most part you can create beautiful light without the diffuser.

PhotographersOnUTube is a Photography Tutorial channel on YouTube. You can find their facebook page here and YouTube channel here.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How to Use Dome Diffuser to Eliminate Shadows and Harsh Light

There are a lot of tutorials out there that introduce the practice of shooting timelapses with a variety of different cameras. All of which can help you get started. But as with any situation, I’ve found there are a few things that have helped me along the way that I never read in a tutorial online.

1. Use velcro to secure the wireless trigger

Using a remote trigger does two things that are important to timelapse photography. First the intervalometer built into a lot of triggers does the tiring work of taking photos at a regular interval. Second, it allows you to be hands free from the camera, reducing the dreaded camera shake. But if you just wrap the trigger around the tripod, or even just drop it once it’s plugged in, a stiff breeze will blow that wire around and shake the camera. Defeats the purpose of using the trigger and the tripod.

My solution. I put a piece of velcro on my tripod leg and the corresponding piece on the back of the remote trigger. The wire stays wrapped up in a twisty-tie to avoid long cords dangling in the wind or just asking to get snagged on my sleeve.

2. Bring a notebook

Or use your phone to take notes. Having something to take notes will allow you to write down camera settings for immediate use (switching from AP to Manual mode to grab settings via in-camera light meter) and for future use (reference for settings to avoid star trails for instance). Personally I use Evernote on my phone amp; sync the app across all my computers. This provides an (almost) always available database of information that I can utilize. Think of it as a photography diary. Every time I shoot I try to create a new note about something I learned. When I get in a rut, I just look back at my notes. This is a habit I picked up from playing golf and it’s worked very well for my photography.

3. Download Google maps to your phone

This tip will likely not apply to everyone in every situation, but I’m giving it nonetheless. If you plan on hiking to a spot, or you’re just heading to am unfamiliar area, download that region to your phone via Google Maps. Then if you lose service you don’t need to depend on the network to provide the map. GPS always works so you can find your way still. Here’s a quick YouTube tutorial: Google Maps Offline

4. Bring a Small Red LED flashlight

This is a night time tip. It’s obviously hard to see in the dark, and the little light that you do get from your camera will go away once you start taking the pictures. If you’re shooting the stars, then this little tool will be especially handy because astrophotography is generally at it’s finest when there is the least amount of light pollution. The red color is better on your eyes in darkness and it isn’t as noticeable to the camera sensor.

5. Entertainment

Unless you’re a professional that shoots 9 cameras at once, you will likely setup the timelapse and then have to wait… a long time. So be prepared to keep yourself entertained. For me this includes my iPod and a phone with full battery to play games, write blogs, check sports scores, etc. If you’re into crossword puzzles, bring several. Timelapse photography is a waiting game.

6. Keep everything warm during cold weather shoots

This includes you and your gear. Put on enough layers to make you sweat when inside. Then put on one more before leaving the house. You won’t be moving around much so put on enough to keep you warm as you sit still for hours. I would recommend buying hunting gloves that let you pull the fingers back so you can easily changes settings, etc.

As for your gear, buy the hand warmers that are available in every retail store and gas station in the country. Place all of your extra batteries in a pocket with this warmers. I gene

Further Reading:

An Introduction to Time Lapse Photography

How to Make a Time Lapse Video With Your DSLR

7 Tips for Shooting Better Timelapse

Interview with Ross Ching – Time Lapse Photographer

Clayton McLauglin is a Chicago based ‘digital junkie’, photographer, videographer and storyteller. See more of his work at his blog, on Flicker and Follow Clayton on Twitter at @augiecrazy8.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

6 Timelapse Photography Tips [You May Not Have Considered]

“At all levels of income, the typical response is that one needs 20% more to be happy.” – Richard Easterlin

The photographer’s equivalent to Dr. Easterlin’s statement is probably “Whatever you charge for your work, the typical response is that you’re 20% too expensive.”  Like clockwork, I’ve been told my photography is too expensive at $75, $100, $300, $500, $1200, and $2000 price points.  But why?

Anchors Aweigh

First, photography is one of the worst victims of something called the anchoring bias: Our tendency to grab on to a certain number and weigh everything else against it.  Even if that anchoring number has been pulled out of the air, or is largely irrelevant to the situation, people will cling to it when evaluating everything else.  For example, a person from a small town might think taxis in their town are too expensive.  But a New Yorker who visits that small town will think “Whoa, these taxis are cheap!!”  It’s the same taxi and the same price – but reactions are different because the two people have a different anchor for how much a taxi “should” cost.

People are used to paying $5 for 50 prints at the corner grocery store and under $30 for a packet of school photos.  Thus, most people’s “anchor” for photography pricing is probably somewhere between $5-30.  So they wonder: Why would they want to lay down a hundred bucks, let alone two grand, for your services?
The hard truth is, no matter what you charge, you will always be too expensive to someone, especially those whose “anchor” is a grocery store.   You might as well price your work profitably, and in the meantime, work to “re-anchor” your potential clients to your price range.  Here’s how:

1.  Create your own profitable pricing list and stick to it

Don’t steal someone else’s pricing because it “looks right” – you need to understand exactly how you arrived at your numbers.  If you take your pricing from some other photographer, it’ll be harder to stick to your guns when clients pressure you to accept a lower rate.  When you feel desperate for work, one price grabbed out of the air won’t be much different than another.  Understanding your own overhead costs and profit margins helps you be firm, because you’ll quickly see what that discount would really cost you.  (If you’re struggling with setting profitable pricing, I recommend Easy as Pie by Alicia Caine.  My highest sale before buying that e-book was $500, my first sale after implementing my Easy As Pie pricing list was $4000.  Well worth the investment.)

2. Spell out to potential clients exactly why your services are worth what you charge

Most people understand why taxis in NYC are more expensive than in their hometown.  But many people may not see the difference between your photos and a mall studio, except that your photos are taken at a park.  (But since using the park was free, why would you be more expensive?)  Make sure your website describes in lavish, dazzling detail exactly what they will get from working with you.  Blog regularly about the experience clients receive, how unhurried and fun each session is.  I recently blogged a breakdown of the time I spend on each client (23-34+ hours), and potential clients told me they had no idea!

Make it clear how much effort you put in on their behalf, and what that means for their life and family.  Only then will they see how their previous price anchors don’t apply to your business.

3. Don’t count on the quality of your work speaking for itself

 
Too many photographers fall into the trap of counting on clients to perceive the high quality of their photographs and thus believe that their services are worth more money.  But consider: when you started in photography, I bet you were more easily awed by professional photographs.  Now, after putting in hundreds of hours taking and looking at photographs, I bet you have gotten progressively more picky about technical sloppiness.

Your clients are not photographers.  They are not going to immediately recognize soft focus, clipped highlights and shadows, Photoshop overcorrections, etc.  Some may honestly not see the difference between your honed skills and your neighbor down the street who just picked up a camera yesterday.  There needs to be a more compelling reason for them to pull out the checkbook.  You might make it a part of your regular blog conversation to post a few SOOC/post-processing comparisons, do a “year in review” and talk about how much you’ve grown over the year.  Even non-experts can appreciate jumps in quality when they see things side-by-side.

4. Don’t change prices too often

Your current prices are an anchor for past clients.  Wedding photographers are not aiming for repeat wedding clients (hopefully!), so they can raise their prices more frequently with less anchor damage.  But a mother who did her newborn session with you may be shocked to come back at six months and find that your rates have doubled.  It’s easier to set a profitable pricing list right now (which usually represents one significant jump), perhaps taking time to explain to past clients that in order to be around to serve them long-term you have made some adjustments, but that you value their business and look forward to working with them again. Then tweak only once or twice a calendar year thereafter.

If you set a profitable price list and find that you need to make an increase, consider keeping your session fee the same and adjust the prices of your products.  Session fees stick in people’s minds, so big session fee jumps can induce more sticker shock than nudging up the price of your canvases.

5) Don’t make this Mistake

People are not always explicitly aware that they have price anchors, or that they are using them to evaluate you.  They simply think “too expensive,” and move on.  Thus, it’s important that you make it clear to clients that you’re in a totally different category from mall studios or DIY prints so that they don’t simply think “photography” and grab on to their grocery store price anchor.

When you market to differentiate yourself, you may find it tempting to focus everything on YOU.  MY photography is better quality, I provide great service, MY business is better than their business, etc.  This is a mistake.  People don’t care about how great your business is if it’s not totally clear what’s in it for them. Ask them: Imagine what it would be like to have a relaxed, unrushed, 2-hour photography session where there was no stress, just family fun.  Imagine personal service, no waiting in lines, no hurry-up-and-decide pressure.  Imagine a professional retouching each image and ensuring that it looks beautiful.  Give them a clear picture of what they will get out of an experience with you. This will help them let go of those frustrating anchors and better see the value of your services.

Jenika McDavitt blogs over at Psychology for Photographers, helping photographers run smarter businesses through a savvier understanding of human behavior.  Wave hello on Facebook here!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How To Get Over Your Fears And Raise Your Prices as a Photographer

I, like many new photographers, would walk around shooting everything I saw without consciously thinking about the way it was framed or the settings on my camera. If you browse through the archives of my blog you’ll see a clear pattern of growth and learning in the images, but admittedly, I still have a long way to go!

For me it’s always been hard to slow down. I’ve always been the type of person that wanted results now, not later, and slowing down to think through a shot seemed like I’d be wasting time. Even after reading posts here on dPS like, these three stupidly simple reasons, it still took me a while to learn to slow down. For the first few months of my photography experience I handheld everything – it just took too long to set up the tripod.

Of course, I finally did get sick of those blurry images and I decided that the tripod was worth more than just a good walking stick after all. While, at first setting up the tripod did help me slow down and it certainly improved my image quality, it didn’t help me slow down to the point where I was thinking critically about the shot. I was still going too fast!

So What’s This Magical New Method?

While out on a typical photo walk I stumbled upon this awesome new technique when this crazy idea to pull out my iPhone and film my camera setup popped in my head. I decided to explain my thought process on the shot, and finally I ended up sharing that video with my small group of readers over on my blog. The result was the photo you see above and the video embedded below.

Okay, so it’s rough around the edges, but be kind, it’s my first video ever, and I am frozen!

The point here isn’t the quality of the video or even the fact that I’m recording it with the mindset to show my readers how I took the shot. The point I have is that recording a video like this is a good idea even if you’re not going to show it to anyone! It took me until when I got home that night to realize exactly why, but here are the reasons I came up with.

Three Benefits of Recording Your Shot

1. You’re Forced to Talk About It – When you’re out setting up the shot how often do you actually talk it through? I know we always say, “Think it through, frame it right, and double check your settings”, but a video forces you to talk through the shot and that’s a completely different experience.
2. You’ve got Evidence – After a typical shoot all you’re going to have is the memories and your photographs. A video will give you a clear view of how you set the camera up and even an insight into your thought process when you were shooting which is something that’d be hard to convey otherwise.
3. And of course Slow Methodical Set Up – Due to the added time it takes to record a video you’re without a doubt going to slow down and think about the shot from every possible angle, which should result in a better composed image.

Now I know recording a video is impossible for every single shot and I don’t expect anyone to do that, but personally I’m going to try to do this process at least once every week or two.

Can you think of any other benefits to recording your shot? Have you ever done something like this? I’d love to hear what you think.

John Davenport is an avid amateur photographer who posts daily photos on his blog Phogropathy. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter and his brand new Youtube Channel.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How I Stumbled Across an Amazing Way to Slow Down My Shooting Process

In today’s environment, with the development and increased mobility of digital cameras, it has become easy and inexpensive to take a large volume of photos. Compared to the early days of photography when it took a couple of days, required gear weighting tens of pounds and cost a couple of dollars for each capture (or rather, at today’s prices, a few hundred dollars), photography today allows instantaneous results, requires less than a pound of equipment and cost little to no money per take… in addition, the photos taken today are often much better in quality.  The future of photography is bright: we today have more than enough tools to surpass the works of the early masters of photography. The bad news is with advanced tools so readily accessible to the average user, much has already been achieved. So what is left in it for you? A lot! More specifically, for many of us in photography, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I would guess that since you are reading this post, you are looking for that self-improvement. Here are two pieces of advice.

Take more pictures

When I first heard this advice, I did not fully understand it. I was backpacking in Mexico and had met with that professional photographer who gave me the advice. We met a few days in a row, which made me feel after that I could do much more with that fancy DSLR than with my small point and shoot. I felt the urge to spend what was left of my savings into that ‘toy’ at the time. From toy it became tool but that’s another story. Before we parted ways, I received a final word of advice: “take more pictures”. It did not resonate with me until much later after owning my own DSLR. Even though my now-wife felt that I was already taking too many pictures, my current view is that it is not so much the quantity of pictures taken as it is learning from the trials and errors of many takes in order to perfect your touch. Multiply the opportunities. And, when you have found a subject or setting that you like, keep on shooting until you lose interest.

Keep fewer pictures

Unless you are naturally gifted, following the first advice will result in a monster inventory of pictures. You will come back from a long weekend with 1,000 or 2,000 pictures easily. But it wasn’t even your wedding – it was merely a visit to Grandma and you shot everything possible in her garden. What to do then? The easy way is to download the pictures onto your computer and leave them there or share them all. While most of us “sort” through them and send 50 of them to your parents, siblings, friends, facebook etc… that number is still too large. Keeping 50 would often mean eliminating the ones that were identical or poorly composed or exposed. But you still have 50! You need to be much more selective. Try to keep 5. Yes 5 out of 2,000! 0.25%! When exercising this best practice becomes a habit, you will develop your critical eye and you will keep only the pictures that YOU really like.

The feedback loop

As you learn to take more pictures and keep fewer, you will begin developing a sense of style – your style. You will start to shoot only those shots that you think you have a chance of keeping. You will begin to understand your tastes and aim for each different shot you take. However, you will still shoot a lot and still keep very few. The feedback loop will feed itself of increasingly better pictures and operate through a tougher selection. As a result, you will have trained a more critical eye and a better shutter finger. In no time, you might keep 1 of 50 photos taken during that weekend with Grandma, but you will love that picture and Grandma will be happy she appeared more interesting than the tomato in the garden.??So, again, what is left for the aspiring photography after the fact that the average camera user can follow these advices too? Well first, this is a disciplined practice that not anyone can put himself/herself through. But, with diligent practice of this exercise, you will certainly improve your photo skills. More importantly, you will develop a better sense for your passion in the way that pleases you.

Sam Levy is the founder of citifari. citifari offers photo tours in New York City. Structured as a 2-1/2 hour practical workshop, citifari tour helps you get comfortable with your camera settings and take great shots in New York City. citifari is launching its newest New York tour: Central Park photo tour.

Images in this post are copyrighted to citifari

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email Sam Levy at sam@citifari.com

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Take More Photos – Keep Less

When you get really into photography, when you’ve mastered your camera and are focusing completely on the creative aspect, there’s a real beauty that comes to play. Being completely absorbed in your activity and thinking of nothing else. In a way, photography is a way of meditation. A way of zen. Your focus is completely on the image and nothing else seems to matter. 

Meditation, the practice of self-realization and consciousness, can be related to photography in many ways and, in my opinion, help strengthen your skills as a photographer. 
When one meditates they start by focusing on one specific thing, be it ones breathing or an image. This trains the person to clear their mind and have deep, concentrated focus. The same can be applied to photography and used to develop ones senses, particularly ones vision. 

When most people look around the world they see things but don’t really “See”. Their mind quickly labels objects, categorizes things, and fails to see the beauty built into everything. ?

Practice Seeing Everything 

While I won’t recommend sitting in the lotus position, I do recommend spending five to ten minutes before every shoot meditating. Spend this time observing your location. 

Do not think of anything 

Simply observe. Notice the light and how it hits certain objects and is blocked, causing shadows in others. Notice the quality and color of the light. Notice the shapes and lines of the objects and the natural, built in composition of the area. ??Use your other senses as well. Notice the aroma in the air. Feel the wind and listen to the ambient sounds. Become completely absorbed into the location that you are at. Be there and actually be there, not somewhere else in your mind thinking about something very insignificant. ??When you begin a photo shoot this way you come to understand your location much better. People photographers understand the importance of knowing their subjects personalities before shooting. The same holds true for nature photographers, architecture photographers, etc. 

When Framing Your Shot… 

Never simply point and shoot your camera. Many photographers think they have the right shot and simply shoot, spending at most a few seconds looking through the viewfinder. This is the most important step in photography and should take up much more time. Look through the viewfinder and really “See” everything within the frame. Often times you’ll come up with even better ideas simply by holding off that urge to press the shutter down. 

“Observing” On a Daily Basis 

While the deep, zen-like observing is great when on a photo shoot, it’s something that should be done on a daily basis. When walking through a park, passing by a dark alley, or going anywhere you’re going to pass beauty (it’s hard not to). Instead of thinking what you have to do, where you have to go, or who you have to talk to, just observe. I do have to warn you though, you may feel the sudden urge to have your camera with you at all times if you start doing this often. 
When you truly open your eyes, everything becomes “photogenic”. 

Al Sanchez is the creator of PhotoTechniques.info, a site with digital photography tips.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Zen and the Art of Photography

We all know that composition is important to keep in mind when taking a photo, and it’s just as important to think about composition when you’re designing a photo book layout. Here are my five top tips for designing good photo book layouts.

1) Less is More

Don’t try to crowd in a lot of photos in a single layout, give your photos some breathing room. In fact, consider placing a single photo per page. It allows your photo to take center stage.

If you are planning to create a whole spread with several photos, think about the end size of your photo book. A very common size offered by photo book companies is an 8 x 8 inch book. How many photos to put into a spread should correlate to the size of the book. For example, laying out 12 photos on a single spread (two facing pages) of an 8×8 inch book is going to print very differently from 12 photos on a single spread of a 12×12 inch book. Doing the former may make each photo appear rather small in the final product and you don’t want folks squinting at your layouts. If you don’t have the benefit of a large monitor, so you can zoom to actual size, many companies display the measurements of your photos so if you have to, grab a ruler so you can see what end size you’re going to end up with. I typically don’t try to place more than 6 to 8 photos on a single spread of an 8 x 8 inch book and even then, you probably don’t want to do that for every page.

2) Establish a Focal Point

If you have a beautiful photo of which you’re especially proud, as mentioned in #1 above, highlight it by letting it have its own spread. Place it in a full bleed spread, or if the book size you’ve chosen is going to cut off key areas of your photo, then choose a container size smaller than the spread.

Another way to establish a focal point when you have more than one photo in your layout is to display one or two larger photos with smaller supporting photos.

A big pet peeve of mine is when companies provide very boring, unimaginative stock layouts based on the number of photos you want to lay out. If you place your photos into a layout of eight equally sized photo boxes, which photo is the focal point? Not to say that a layout like that would never work, but picking one or two photos to highlight tells your viewers the focus of your design.

3) Vary your spreads

I have done a “portfolio” type book where I only placed a single photo per page, and that makes sense with that type of book, but if you’re doing a book of an event like a birthday or graduation, you’re most likely going to place more than one photo per spread. Try to vary your spreads so the viewer doesn’t get bored. With that said, I often reutilize a layout more than once, but scatter it throughout the book. Similarly you can take your layout and reconfigure or make a slight change to it so it doesn’t look exactly the same. By reusing layouts, you can quickly design your spreads. The key is to not bore the viewer.

4) Tell a Story

Just as with any other book, your photo book is meant to tell a story, especially when making a photo book of your vacation photos for example. When you show off your vacation photos, you’re sharing your experiences with your family and friends. You want to make them feel like they were on the trip with you – seeing the sights, taking in the picturesque views. Think about how you want to tell your story. The typical event-based book will likely be chronological. But don’t be afraid to break from that, by grouping photos that make sense together for impact. For example the following layout highlights all the delicious food we ate on vacation!

5) Do your Prep Work Ahead of Time

Designing your pages will be easier, if you haven’t upload all 1000 photos from your event or trip into the photo book design software. You’ll easily lose your mind going through all of them. I’ve found that in a 100-page book, about 300 photos are more than enough and even then I don’t end up using all of the photos. Edit down the number of photos to the best ones, or the ones essential to telling the story you wish to convey. Also make sure you’ve done your post processing using your own software before uploading, as there are typically very few in-program photo-editing tools.

The author is the blogger behind Photo Book Girl – a resource for finding the best photo book companies, the latest photo book deals and helpful tips on designing your own photo book. For more tips, check out her ongoing series: “How to Make Your Own Digital Photo Book“ and her prior guest post for DPS on the same topic. You can also find her on Facebook discussing all things photo book!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

5 Top Tips for Designing Good Photo Book Layouts

Many of us spend plenty of time on the weekend watching our favorite sports from the sidelines and, as photographers, we yearn to be able to capture that awesome moment when something great happens. But it’s rarely as easy as it might seem. All the critical elements have to come together to shoot really good action shots: timing, position, exposure, and framing–and you have just a split second to make it happen.

Years ago when my kids were younger and beginning sports, I set my sights on improving my craft, and over the years, and after learning lots of hard lessons, I have seen dramatically improved results. Here are a few tips I’ve gathered along the way.

1. Eliminate that “D’oh!” moment

Take the time to check your equipment…before you leave home. Extra battery (charged), spare memory cards, a dust cloth, and of course, the proper lens for the job, including a lens hood for sunny days, should be packed and ready. You’ll thank yourself later.

2. Exposure: Learn the basics and lock it in

Point and shoot cameras have this all figured out. Just turn the dial to the guy who is snow skiing and you’ll get perfectly exposed shots, right? With an SLR, it takes a bit more thought, but it’s still relatively easy. Just remember the three key settings for optimal exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Change one, and you affect all three. On days with plenty of available light, I set my camera on a low ISO for best image quality. Then I set aperture priority (Av) at a wide-open f-stop, which in turn, allows the camera to select the highest possible shutter speed. If available light is an issue, I’ll simply push the ISO higher to ensure I get the shutter speed I need. My own guideline is a minimum of at least 1/500 of a sec if possible, but occasionally at night, you’ll have to settle for speeds in the 1/250th range. More often than not, I am shooting at 1/1000th or higher to stop the action really well.

3. Depth of field: Zero in on your subject

Selecting a wide aperture has another great benefit beyond faster shutter speed: compression of space and shallow depth of field. Why is this important in sports photography? Because generally there is a lot—and I mean a LOT—of clutter on the sidelines. Spectators, cars, parking lots, signs, concession… all the stuff you did NOT go there to photograph. Opening up your aperture ensures that your subject will be the focal point, rather than the surrounding milieu.

4. Focus: Laser-like precision

Tack-sharp focus is of prime importance to creating winning action shots, and several factors will affect this outcome.

Focus mode. Your camera’s focusing mode can make a big difference with a moving subject. Among the three Canon modes, Al Servo, or Continuous Mode for Nikon lingo, is usually the best choice, as it’s designed to help you hold focus on a moving subject coming toward you.

Focus points. Also consider your selection of focusing points. This is a bit trickier. My Canon 7D offers a superlative 19-point focusing system, but frankly, with a subject that is moving all over the frame, I have found the most success by using a single-point mode and employing the back-button focus method (which can be permanently set using Canon’s custom functions) In this way, I can easily lock in and recompose quickly to have the most control over my composition. It takes a little practice, but once you are used to it, you’ll never go back to shutter-button focus.

Steady as she goes. Even the best cameras can only do so much, and the bottom line is, you have to have a steady, supported hand to manage good action shots. An image-stabilizing lens can be a big help, too, but learning how to brace your camera—using your own body as a makeshift tripod or by mastering the use of a monopod, will greatly enhance the final product.

5. Know your sport, and shoot, shoot, shoot

Anticipation is well over half the battle in capturing a header in soccer, a slam-dunk in basketball, or the perfect equine arc of a hunter/jumper. Understanding what is likely to happen will mean your camera is trained at the right spot–in advance of the moment. Beyond that, it’s simply a matter of practice. After you’ve logged in hundreds and hundreds (and by that I mean, thousands and thousands) of shots over time, your instincts will begin to kick in and pretty soon you’ll have mastered the ability to both continually shoot and enjoy the action at the same time.

6. Use your arms and legs

Remember to move around! Funny enough, your feet can become a cheap but useful piece of camera gear, by allowing you to change your perspective and the relationship of the camera to the action. By the same token, don’t forget to use your arms and turn the camera vertically, especially if the action comes too close and you need to reframe the shot.

7. Know your limitations

This, admittedly, takes discipline. You’ve purchased that awesome 75-300 mm lens… you want to use all 300 mm, don’t you? Here’s a lesson I’ve learned over and over. Even with an awesome zoom, the best shots rarely ever come from the other side of the field! Do I still find myself pegging out to capture that faraway action? Yes, but every time I do, it confirms what I already know—it’s a bad idea. Even with image stabilization and a quality camera, you will give yourself the best options when they are shot from close to mid-range.

8. Good composition—the holy grail

I know I said focus was a primary factor in image quality, but without great composition, your focus won’t matter. In my estimation, and according to many mentors I have followed over the years, a few elements of good sports composition include:

Faces. Make sure you can see the subject player’s face. The shot will fall short if all you see is the back of someone’s head. Faces with great emotion are a huge plus!

Be the ball. Include the ball or other equipment in the shot. These things are an extension of the players’ action, in most cases, so it’s an important element that really communicates what is happening in the shot.

Cropping. Credit where credit is due, I owe this mantra to Jim Bryant, an experienced pro who repeatedly mentions this in DPS forums: “Crop in tight…then crop some more.” Tight shots create excitement and add emotional tension to a shot, so eliminate everything that is not central to the action. One caveat, though, is not to crop at a person’s joint (knee, elbow, wrist). Just above or below those areas create a more pleasing and less awkward aesthetic.

Negative space. Ok, despite what I said about cropping, occasionally the use of negative space can add dimension to a composition. Sometimes just providing logical room for the player to kick the ball out of the frame can be the element needed to balance the composition and communicate something more about the moment.

9. Editing

Be very strict on yourself when it comes to your final product. I may shoot 400 frames in one soccer game but I consider it a success if I end up with 10% to share with others; and beyond that, a handful that I personally am proud of. My advice is to analyze each shoot, learn something, and then delete and don’t look back.

10. Post-processing

When it comes to sports, if all goes well, you should have very little post-processing except for cropping and adding a touch of sharpening. The real post-processing fun comes when you are able to send out a batch of photos that represent special moments to teammates and friends.

Deb Scally is a full-time writer and editor and author of her photo blog, 1107photography, which can be found at www.1107photography.wordpress.com. Her passion is artistic nature photography, but she enjoys challenging herself in all genres and photographic styles including sports, portraits, architecture and travel.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Catch that Shot! 10 Tips for Weekend Warrior Sports Photographers

Before I got my iPhone I had a Nokia phone with a pretty good camera on it… apparently… but I never really used it much because it had such a long lag on it from clicking the shutter to the picture making it to the phone that it irritated the willies out of me… talk about a way to make you not inspired to shoot with a phone!

Since I moved into the world of Apple though, a whole new world of photography opened up to me… my photos in the beginning with it were pretty dire… now I am right in the swing of it and loving the results.

First of all the best thing about phone photos over fancy DSLR shots is quite purely and simply, ease, accessibility and weight. In my world with 3 kiddos and generally being busy a lot of the time, I don’t have time, although I must say I certainly have the inclination, to get out my big camera, start fiddling around with what lens to use, start playing around with the settings, yadda, yadda, yadda… it’s heavy and bulky and means that I have to have an ugly camera bag with me.

Phone cameras change all that – and having that little baby in my pocket has taken me on another journey with photography, one I certainly did not see coming or expect and one I am enjoying immensely.

Phone photography for me means freedom and capturing moments with my family and things about Australia that I am inspired by that otherwise I would miss.

It was tricky at first to get a good shot though.

Here’s what I have learnt over the last few months:

The Beach Cottage Top 10 Tips to Phone Photos 

1. Hold the phone like you would a camera

When I first got my iPhone and discovered the camera I was holding it with just one hand and almost gliding it around… now I hold the ‘camera’ in two hands and with my right hand I ‘click’ the shutter as you would a regular camera…

I also imagine my camera screen as the viewfinder on my big camera – when I first started iPhoneology I was holding the phone out in front of me at a ridiculous angle and doing some strange straight-armed, head back movement, robot style. Now I hold the phone in front of me with both hands and ‘look’ through the screen to what I am taking a photo of as I would with the other camera rather than kinda looking past the phone… I hope that makes sense?
 

2. Don’t zoom in with the zoom on the camera, zoom in with your feet

If you want to take something close up actually walk up to it, get close and click. Mmy iPhone loses heaps of quality even with a tiny bit of zooming and it becomes really grainy and pizelated. So I never move the zoom in. Moving from a telephoto lens on a Canon 50D to no zoom on a phone is a big difference and has been great for teaching me about light and my composition comfort zone has been seriously jolted… ahem, still learning here!
 

3. Shoot the same thing a few times

The great thing about digital photography is it allows for a lot of attempts and a lot of mistakes. Add to that benefit, the speed and ease of a camera phone and you have the opportunity to take a few shots so one of them will be good. You can just take multiple shots of the same thing and one of them will be vastly better than the others.

I love shooting at the beach with my phone, as you might have gathered and I will sit, with a coffee or on a walk and take a bundle of shots, upload ‘em when I get home and poof delete them right off. Too easy!

But don’t delete those shots you think are no good when you are out and about because often when you get home the things you think looked rubbish on your phone screen actually turn into interesting things on your computer monitor. The first time I got sun flare on my iPhone I was on the ferry to the city and shooting like mad with my iPhone. Checking the images I was a bit disappointed on the quality – they looked really over-exposed, too bright and patchy. When I got them uploaded to the computer later I realised that the elusive fingers of God were all over my pictures.

4. Light

Light with camera phones is important – the lower the light the more grainy and bad quality it becomes – unless you are taking photos of the sun and the sea  keep the light behind you and your subject well lit.

But don’t lose those dark and night time opportunities. Shoot with your phone at night and dusk and see what it produces. I am doing this all the time lately and learning a lot along the way. I love shooting the sky at night – results have been a real mixed bag but are inspiring me to get out there with my real camera and have a go like a big girl.
 

5. Check out the resolution and picture quality settings – and set them on high

 
6. Keep the camera as still as you can because the jitters will make your picture blurred. To keep it still look for something to lean your arm/hand/camera on – this makes a big difference to camera jitters and my phone photos. Keep your hand there for a second after you ‘click’ too just to make sure, in case your phone has a big shutter lag.
 

7. Move around and get in different positions

The thing I love about my phone is that it is small and easy and you can get get down low and dirty with it or you can point it up and high really easily. Tou can move right on in to a shell or a flower and you can get it into awkward places and positions that a regular camera it would be more tricky with. So move it in bundles of different angles to see what you get – it doesn’t cost a penny.

Also move the angle of the phone as you take the pictur – I have experimented with this a lot with the horizon and the sea… haven’t posted any of the images yet ‘cos it actually looks like I was drunk when I took the photos, ahem maybe there was the odd Limoncello involved in some of them actually… but the shots are really interesting in my own personal photo-taking journey.

8. Clean the lens… duh!

I didn’t do this for ages and I don’t do it enough now still. My phone is in my bag, in my pocket, floating about in the car and ultimately has grubby little kiddo fingers all over tit so cleaning it makes a difference to the resulting shot.
 

9.  Process!

All of my phone pictures are processed. I think that is the beauty of phonology, you have the ability to whip that baby out and capture something amazing you see, even though the quality and look might not be what you wanted. Then wham bam thank you mam, technology and a lil bit of foofing gives you a pretty nice shot…

I usually use Windows Live to tweak the contrast, light and saturation etc. It’s normally the light that makes the big difference in shots. I turn the highlights and brightness and often exposure right up. A real photographer would probably shudder at my processing, but the look I like, and hey that’s who I’m doing this for, is overly bright photos.

I also nearly always turn the temperature down. I like my photos on the err of blue and you would never have guessed but I like ‘em pretty white too. You can also do this with an app if you have an iPhone. Qhen I first got mine I went on a serious iPhone frenzy and got a lot of phone camera apps but really none have them have honestly floated my boat that much. Nowadays I just take the photo with the regular phone camera and do the foofing later.

There are a few apps for processing too but I find it fiddly and too small to try and see what’s going on on the small screen of my phone, I much prefer getting them uploaded and doing it on the big screen.

10. Clutter

Don’t have too much going on in your photo. One of the reasons, in my humble little opinion, some of my phone photos are still fairly good even though they are pretty grainy and not even in the same league in sharpness and quality as my DSLR camera shots is that there is not too much going on in the photos. This allows you to get away with a lot.

Keeping one main subject and a scene where you want all/most of it in focus are best. As you can see in the photo above, the quality is average to poor and pretty grainy (when viewed at full size) but hey I LOVE the pink sunflare, I love the clouds, I love the sea and baby I captured it… bingo… and that’s what photography is all about for me!
 
That’s how I take photos with my iPhone, hope these ten tips for phone photography might help you too… main thing though… just shoot ‘em up baby!

Sarah is a busy mum blogging from the beaches of Sydney about her sea-change from the grey skies of London to Australia, she logs the renovation of an old cottage and life by the sea, since picking up an old Powershot that had seen better days when she first started her blog, she began on an unexpected journey with, and new found love for, photography…slowly moving up the camera ranks, she replaced the Powershot with a Canon G10 and soon moved onto a Canon 50d…and nowadays also uses her iPhone when she’s down the beach to capture it all….

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

10 Quick iPhone Photography Tips

We all know that word of mouth is the best form of marketing, but for creative industries it is even more important. The world has a perception – “artists don’t like to post advertisments around, they love to create art. And if somebody is hanging posters about himself, it means he is not good enough.” The truth is that good artists really don’t need marketing, everybody finds them anyway.

We as artists can quietly help the word to spread around – I call it “silent marketing”. Here are a few tips, tested by myself and other creative people. I will not talk about internet and social networks – if you read this then most probably you know how powerful they are. This time I will be giving very practical, down to earth tips – they are very simple and very effective. The main goal is to get people talking about you.

Business Cards

Many artists have really nice business cards, but there are thousands and thousands that don’t even have one. I have printed a few pictures from my portfolio on my business cards and every time it turns out to be a long ceremony of business card exchange. There are a few really good things about it – people see my portfolio one more time (and I have an extra possibility to talk about this or that picture, thus turning the conversation into more emotional mode).

It attracts the attention of other people and usually more people get my cards. People can’t choose one picture, so they take two or more. Having a nice card that is chosen by taker, will add an extra possibility that the person will not throw it away. If the card is excellent, it might happen, that it will be shown to others. And if the card is exceptional – if somebody got several, then it might be passed to somebody else.

Final Product

We live in a digital era and more and more photographers use digital tools to present their final work. These tools are very useful and they help to spread the word around, but don’t underestimate the world of tangible materials. If your customers are companies or high tech guys, then this might not be for you. I work with families with small children and I know that moms are too busy with their little ones. They don’t have time to share pictures on social networks and they don’t have time to print them.

Not all of them have iPads or time to upload pictures on their cell phones. A very good solution for spreading my name is good old prints that I am giving along with CD. I know that moms of my models will meet other moms. They will talk about babies and kids. And there is a bigger chance that they will take the prints and show them to others. And they do – this is how I get more than 90% of new customers.

Packaging

When I give the final product to my customers, I usually get the first compliments about the result and they are about packaging. People know, they will get a CD. In most cases they think that it will be just a CD in an envelope or plastic box and most probably there will be something written with a permanent pen on the disk – just like the CDs we have at home. You can turn this moment into a positive and unexpected experience. Packaging is not that time and money consuming, but it gives you a chance to say without words that you care about your customer, she or he is special to you, and you invested more than it is expected from you. I have seen that my packaging is still alive after years! People wrap and unwrap it.

Delivery time and place

Think about time and place, where your customer will be or where he might open and see your work for the first time (in any of the form, files, CD, prints). If he or she is in the office, then all colleagues will hear about you. If there is planned a party, then all guests will see pictures and will talk about you. You know your customers better – find time and place that could help to whisper your name.

Gift cards or vouchers

There used to be several months when I spent more time printing and packaging gift cards than taking pictures. The key is to get gift receiver cry or close to it. I am a children photographer and in most cases my contacts are young women – moms of little models. They are emotional and accessing their hearts is not very hard, but some of them really cry when opening gift card. In most cases it happens in parties, and it is hard to skip tears. Everybody will know why and your name will fly in the air for some time. I make my cards as personal as possible. I include the name of the gift receiver, I ask the gift giver to choose from several quotations – all of them are touchy, and I write the text using tiny emotional details that I ask from gift givers. All together with the nice packaging it explodes into emotions that are above average. People love to give presents that make gift receiver really happy.

And don’t forget to put several business cards into envelope of gift card or final product packaging!

Agnese Aljena is children and family photographer and lifestyle business blog owner.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Silent Marketing Tips for Photographers