Starting a Photography Business Will Be Easier With These 30 Free Tips

When you're a keen photographer and you have the desire to spend your working life doing something you enjoy such as photography, it would be a shame if you didn't pursue it further wouldn't it? You really don't have to join an institution or pay thousands of dollars to get started either. You simply need the passion to learn and persist. Most great photographers who rely on their trade to survive don't even know they have these traits because they love what they do and they simply can't stop.

It's true that there is wealth to be made in photography and I'm not going to down play that or make a pitch to the opposite because in every case, it's been up to the individual. Meaning - it depends on what mode of photography they choose, how much time they put into the business, do they have a commercial bent, are they more artistic than usual etc. All these points come into play when success in a photography business or studio is questioned.

I don't want to create any false hopes by that last paragraph because success will require some hard work, tolerance and patience. These next thirty tips should help you along the way. There is more detail available on this subject matter at the link at the bottom of this page.

Where can I obtain information on building a photography business?
1. Always do some extensive research before starting out a career with your own photography business so that you understand the pros and cons involved. Some ideas include subscribing to a good magazine related to the photographic industry such as Professional Photographer, Camera Arts and Photo District News. Besides that, the internet is the biggest source of information and can provide you with a plethora of career opportunities or even more information on starting a photography business.

At which level do you want to start your photography business?
2. This is the trickiest question that a person interested in starting a business encounters. It is very important to decide what kind of photography business you want so that the relevant requirements and (sometimes) finance can be muscled up.

When is the best time to start a fully-fledged photography business?
3. After deciding on what you need and any extra necessary equipment that is needed to set up the basic infrastructure, you will need to consider carefully your main tool - the camera, be it digital or film. You must also consider carefully a reliable, high-quality PC and good relevant software to manipulate your photographs with special effects. If the business is being undertaken on a massive scale then maybe a developing lab needs to be planned and established.

o What kind of venues will yield real income to your business?
4. A newly established business in photography requires an assured location or a beat (working locally), as in journalism. For instance, wedding photography, sports related photography or developmental photography. Once established, business can also be diversified into many more fields.

o Building a photography portfolio
5. It is always important to compile a good portfolio as far as photography is concerned. A portfolio must contain a collection of pertinent photographic work that you believe to be impressive. Make sure that photographs are unusual in character and are from diverse fields. Your portfolio must be able to impress the client in the very first meeting.

6. Don't keep all the photographs that you have in your possession. Only keep your best work in the folder so that you don't embarrass yourself or find yourself having to explain photographs that aren't relevant.

7. Showcase spontaneous photos that you believe are of good quality. You'd be surprised how many people respond favorably to peoples expressions when they are good shots.

Basic apparatus required
8. A canvas background of at minimum 7-9 foot and the background colors should be either navy or white as minimum requirements to start with; a well-branded studio lights system such as that of Norman & Speedtron; certified picture manipulation software such as Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop, etc.

Is there a need for establishing a makeup studio as part of your photo studio?
9. Makeup and photography often go hand in hand. Wherever makeup is involved it is often referred to as trick photography because makeup is capable of completely transforming an individual's personality, and sometimes relevance to a product in the case of advertising photography.

What kind of photo-editing software available in the market?
10. Photo-editing software through which special effects and complete changes to a photo are possible and can also often save the need for a re shoot.

11. Some of the photo-editing software that are popular includes Photoshop CS; Photoshop Light room, iPhoto, i View Multimedia, MediaPro, ACDSee, Corel and Picasa.

Is storage and treatment of photographs crucial in building photography business?
12. Never adopt laxity while handling or archiving photographs. You will regret it later. Storage and access efficiency will either improve or frustrate your working environment. Often older photos become more valuable with time.

How can be photographs be preserved easily apart from the conventional method?
13. Today's cameras are highly versatile and will allow downloads and transfers from highly surprising devices including your mobile but pictures can also be stored on a CD's, USB's and DVD's too.

o Choosing a Camera
14. Stick to w ell known brand. The level of mega pixel offered and quality of the zooming facility must be looked into carefully. I have my favorites but there are many equally as good as mine.

15. Most of the cameras are compatible with computers and printers and moreover, because we now use memory sticks, we are truly free to operate unencumbered.

o What kind of a website does a person need to have?
16. Your collection of photographs must be properly classified under different categories. Visual appearance of your website will do wonders for your business so take consider setting up one with semi automation where the maintenance and hard work is done for you like photostockplus.

17. Remember to constantly upgrade and maintain your website so that each time people come across your website, they will find fine something new and interesting.

o Copyright of your photographs
18. Copyright is the right protects the person who owns or who took the photographs. A wise exercise if you are looking to use some stock houses for commercial purposes.

o Why is a business card helpful?
19. In every business, visiting cards are helpful. It is extremely useful in for people to contact you after your first meeting. It must contain all your contact details. If you're a photographer, a clever impressive graphic or a picture of yourself with your equipment is best. Your contact number or email must be easy to read. I have seen cards that have large names and pictures and the phone numbers are so small they are difficult to read. Ridiculous! Make your phone number the largest thing on the card - that's what most people will use it for.

o Which things must be kept in mind while you plan to build a wedding photography business?
20. Wedding Photography is almost another art unto itself. There are many things to remember for a truly successful wedding shoot. I have prepared another article to deal with this in more detail and it's all about --Wedding Photography. --

o Advantage of assignment photography

21. Assignment photography is that branch of photography where a person is engaged or consigned to capture shots of something impressive and extraordinary, such as in the case of advertising or portrait photography; this can provide you a stable income after you've learned the ropes.

o Advantage of stock photography

22. Stock photography is that branch of photography where there is an accumulated stock of photographs which can be sold to interested buyers, designers, adverting agencies etc. This can be a slow haul but if your pictures are well thought out, it can be the source of an ongoing income. --My favorite is istockphotos--.

o Other places where you can sell your photographic collection?

23. Art shows are the perfect platform from where your creativity and work will be really appreciated because at such places you will find some niche customers that have a sharp eye for real talent. Such places have been known to bring instant fame.

24. Winter Park Art Show at Orlando, Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts, Old Town Art Show; Chicago, Boston Mills Art Show; Peninsula, Ohio, Similar art shows are held in different parts of the world and they are easy to find on the net. Simply do a Google search for "photography art show" and the name of the country you are in after adding the plus sign like this; "photography art show"+ Sweden

o Prices to be charged from the clients

25. In the initial stages of your business, don't try to charge exorbitant amounts otherwise it will give the wrong impression and you will perhaps lose a valuable long term customer. Tread slowly. Ring other photographers and research. Five phone calls should do it.

Marketing your photography business

26. You must try to market your work at relevant places. Photographs can also be published over the internet. Publication over the internet will increase customer enquiry. Don't forget to search for suitable local markets and get the snaps printed in a local journal or newspaper and always display your contact number prominently - always!

27. Establishing and popularizing a business is a tough call but if you adopt a proper marketing strategy. Today, Advertising is one of the most popular mediums of promoting. Ads can be placed on websites, online telephone directories, newspapers and magazines, etc. Research the right mediums before you rush in. Sometimes good deals get in the way of recognizing the right advertising vehicle.

28. You can develop a website of your own to effectively promote your photography business but one thing that must be kept in mind is never forget to include a testimonial section and gauge the response of the people visiting the website. Let them make comments.

o Career prospects in photo journalism

29. Individuals interested in setting up a photography business can begin their career by becoming a photo journalist. Appealing and unusual photographs can be supplied to newspapers, magazines, websites and the photography business is booming to such an extent that even international media organizations will offer you good money in return for rare and high-quality photographs.

30. Mainstream photographers are engaged in TV, parcels and copy services, newspapers, magazines and sketch photography. There are many more jobs also related to photography than there ever was previously and because of the diversity and flexibility of digital photography, more respect has been attached to this profession. Some of the avenues in photography apart from business are Journalism, Graphic arts, Advertising, DTP jobs, Publications and Motion Picture creation.

Go and make yourself a hot beverage and a have a long think about where you're going to start, that is, if you haven't already started.


This article has been supplied courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy has supplied further detail on the above subject matter at starting a photography business and is dedicated to coaching you on how to start your own photography business. You can also gain photography insights, help (mostly free) or even a Digital Photography Tip or two. For brief reviews on services or equipment see http://www.profitable-photography.com/resources.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Barker

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Lytro: The Biggest Thing to Happen to Photography Since Digital

The Lytro camera may be the most diminutive object to start a revolution. With its simple, rectangular form factor, the Lytro looks more ready to bestow the user with a half-dozen Oreo cookies than a totally new kind of photography. But that's exactly what it promises (and without any trans fat).

The Lytro is the world's first consumer light-field camera. Unlike conventional models, a light-field camera captures all the light information from all the rays in its field of view — not just color and intensity, but direction as well. The method has a number of novel applications, the most publicized being photos that the viewer can focus after the fact. Here's an example of one of Lytro's so-called "living pictures:"

The idea of using a camera to "shoot now, focus later" is what captured the world's attention when creator Ren Ng revealed his new company and its ambitions to the world earlier this year. Lytro said it hoped to have a camera for sale by the end of 2011, and although it's missed that deadline, the company unveiled the camera in October and customers can preorder it now. (One big caveat: it's only Mac-compatible.) It'll be in consumers' hands before spring 2012, according to the company.
How It Works

The Lytro requires a completely different approach to photography, but the device still needs to be fundamentally a camera — small and portable, not to mention easy to use. Lytro's engineers needed to achieve in a compact gadget what had previously been done with a room full of cameras and a supercomputer.

"We're capturing a different kind of image," says Charles Chi, executive chairman of Lytro. "Basic cameras capture a 2D slice of a scene. For us, we're capturing rays of light. It's important to capture the ray, but also the direction."

They started with the lens, which is an 8x optical-zoom lens with an constant f/2 aperture — and extremely large spec even by the standards of high-end DSLR cameras. A big aperture is necessary to capture as much light information as possible, and it gives the camera very good performance in low light, Chi says. The lens array is specially packaged with the sensor, and doing that properly with a mass-market product was a challenge.

"The lens array needs to be packaged with the sensor at a very precise distance," says Chi. "No one had ever done this before. Internally we had done it, but we had to refine it to ensure high quality and high yield. Perfection of the product took several months."

Once all the light-ray information is gathered and captured by the sensor, it's up to some sophisticated technology to process it. Enter the light-field engine. Proprietary software can take that data and, with a click of the mouse, repurpose the photo to change the focus or even create a 3D image.

The sheer amount of data and different way it's stored meant the designers needed to create an entirely new file format, called .lfp (light-field picture). Although that means light-field pics aren't compatible with services like Snapfish of Flickr, anyone who buys the camera will get unlimited storage on the Lytro site, and those pictures can be embedded on other sites with their full refocusing powers intact.
The Camera That's Not a Camera

All that novel technology needs a novel design, and Lytro didn't disappoint. The camera looks nothing like today's point-and-shoots and DSLRs, with an austere anodized aluminum exterior, a rubberized grip and just two buttons: a shutter button and on/off. A simple finger swipe along the casing controls the zoom.

Although Chi admits they company was definitely trying to stand out with a signature form factor, there were many practical considerations in the design. "It's very much about form following function," he says. "We put a lot of effort into minimizing the size of the electronics and creating a great user experience."

Chi explains that the shutter button is right on the camera's center of gravity. The designers made sure to ensure the two lined up so hand movement would be minimized, cutting down on any motion blur.

"We did a lot of ergonomic testing. When we were going through industrial design choices, we were looking at early adopters," he says. "We wanted to appeal to that kind of buyer, give them something they'd be proud to own."
The Future

The forthcoming camera only takes stills, but could we soon see a Lytro for video? Chi says that the company's looking into it.

"Video is possible with light fields. The issue isn't multiple exposures — video is typically 60 exposures per second. We can absolutely do that. The difference is the amount of data coming off of the image sensor. We capture images in full raw. If we have to do that 60 fps, that's a lot of data to process."

Besides video, light field photography could also lead to an inexpensive way to shoot in 3D, or further down the road, even holograms. In the here and now, though, Lytro is concentrating on bringing its first camera to market. The first Lytro camera should be here by April, and it'll be available in three colors and two capacities: The 8GB version comes in electric blue and graphite for $399, and the 16GB version only comes in "red hot" for $499.

Will you buy a Lytro? What's your favorite part of its design? Let us know in the comments.

Lytro Launch

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Photography Business Marketing

Marketing in any business is tough, and when it comes to a photography business it can also be tough. This is sometimes because of the non-commercial interest that comes in to picture when we talk of photographs adorning walls. However, despair not. You can still make your photography business a highly marketable product or indeed, service. Follow some simple rules and get off on the right track!

Decide what your photography business is going to be like

There are two kinds of photography businesses that you can set up. It can be either Assignment photography or Stock photography. In both cases, the name explains it all. Assignment photography is the kind of business where you are assigned or hired to take photographs of something. It can be any event or just someone. The event can be someone's wedding. And that someone of course could be anyone.

Stock photography, on the other hand, is a business where you already have photographs in stock and you are selling them to interested parties. The stock photographs can be anything from flowers to nude women.

Therefore, you have two options to decide on. Basically, people start with the assignment photography thinking that it would give them a meagre but steady income. That is true to some extent but it will give you a very small audience.

Whereas stock photography business will help you reach a wider target market audience. Stock photography is recommended because that is where the potential of the photographer has better chances to be recognized.

Target your audience

When you are dealing with stock photography, you have a great chance of spending lot of resources without any returns. This is especially the case when you don't know who your audience is. When you are out to click those beautiful moments, make sure you know who you are going to show them to. This streamlines your clients and would also help you take photos that are relevant to your market. Try sending postcards or samples of your photos to your targeted clients and see their response. This way you can make a mark among the circles you want to feel your presence.

Give them what they want

When you do present your customer's photographs, make sure you're giving them what they asked for. So many photographers don't! This is important. They have chosen you because they believed that you were going to supply them with what they wanted. If you make a volte face and give them photos they don't need, you are sure to lose them. Therefore, be very attentive to the details and give your customers what they ask for. Take notes when they tell you what they want. People rarely remember more than 7% of what they've been told in a conversation 24 hours later - so take notes. A happy customer means more business!

Be present at places that matter

- When I say be present, I am not speaking about the physical presence of the photographer. I am talking about exposure of your work. Advertise them wherever possible and that's relevant. Keep the costs in line, advertising can get out of hand. Make sure your advertising in the right places. Publish your work on the net through some of the photography sites or stock houses. This would greatly increase your client base as your photographs are showcased along with the others. The sites may take a percentage of your earnings but it is worth it as you are just building your base while you are being paid. You can always start on your own once you have a considerable presence in the right circles.

- Think about organizing an internet site and drive traffic to it.

- Advertise on AdWords at Google.com and Yahoo.com (you can now target local areas through Google)

Look for local markets too

- Join your local library that may publish your photographs in their weekly or monthly journal, ezine or newsletter. Making sure that your contact details are always available. This way you can get a foothold in your own locality.

- Go to your local florist and leave some business cards with the promise of a tip if work successfully comes your way from their referral.

- Visit your local church, mosque etc. and leave your particulars. You never know when questions are asked in these circles. Reciprocate with some free services from time to time.

- There are many venues you can work with like this, just put your thinking hat on.

Accept help from your peer photographers

Knowing some other photographers can also be immensely helpful. If they are good enough, they can show some of your collections to their clients who have some specific requirements. Even if they don't showcase your photographs, they may help you with some valuable tips to market yourself and networking ideas.

No replacement for quality

No matter how much you market yourself, if the quality of your photographs is not up to the mark, you are definitely poised to face doom. The quality of your photographs should be the best you can possibly present and keep in mind that there's always room for improvement. Quality most often results in recommendation and referral. Once you have a customer, never, ever skimp on quality because it's more costly to find a new customer than it is to keep an existing one.

Photography business marketing is often a case where your photographs have to be in the right place at the right time. Do not think that it is all by chance. The truth is, it is you who will make them available at the right place at the right time just by following a few commonsense marketing rules. All the best and happy marketing!

Courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy often coaches photography business marketing and is dedicated to coaching on how to start your own photography business but places strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain photography insights, help (mostly free) or even adigital photography tip or two. For brief reviews on services or equipment see http://www.profitable-photography.com/resources.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Barker

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How to Be a Better Photographer With Tumblr

IMAGE: FLICKR, ANITA RITENOUR

Often, great photography takes a trained eye and some mad skills. While most of us don’t need to be professional-caliber shutterbugs, even the most amateur photographers should be able to snap lovely shots of the important times in their lives.

Learning about photography doesn’t mean expensive classes or complicated equipment. In fact, spending just a little time on Tumblr can teach you about both the technical and the creative sides of the art.

SEE ALSO: The Beginner's Guide to Tumblr

Whether you want to break into the biz or just capture selfies to rival Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar hit, here’s how Tumblr can teach you to be a better photographer.


IMAGE: FLICKR, BRUNO CORDIOLI

1. Follow other photographers.

Observe what other people are doing in the art world. Keeping tabs on other photographers whose work you admire will be a constant source of inspiration and ideas.

Don’t just glance at their images and scroll on. Take some time to analyze the technical reasons why a photo is so beautiful. Look at the composition, the colors and the lighting. What’s the depth of field? Does it look like he added post-processing or filters? Being able to think critically about the photos you see is the first step to creating ones of your own.

Professionals aren’t the only ones whose work can be educational. Amateur photos are just as useful, especially since they show just how expressive you can be without loads of expensive equipment. Any image-heavy blog with pictures that move you is a good place to start.

2. Ask questions.

Tumblr’s "Ask" feature can be a great resource. Check whether your favorite photographers have it enabled and see what they have to say. When you find a really striking photo, ask the artist how she captured it. What kind of camera and lens does she use, how much prep did she put into a shoot? Where does she get her ideas?

Many artists are happy to share insights with fans or aspiring up-and-comers.


IMAGE: FLICKR, RANDY PERTIET

3. Find inspiration everywhere.

Inspiration shouldn’t be limited to the photo field. Round out your Tumblr account by following people who have zero interest in photography. You can see interesting use of color and shapes in a graffiti blog. Fashion and street style blogs can give you ideas on how to pose and create shapes.

Find people who share your interests outside photography and see what they’re thinking about. Drawing on other art forms you enjoy can help you develop a unique personal style.

4. Search wisely.

In theory, Tumblr’s tag system makes it easy to look through a huge volume of material and find exactly the type of post you want. In practice, it's still a chore to wade through every single post labeled "photography." To make the most of your queries, think of more specific or unusual searches. Search for the specific camera model you have or for a photo magazine you enjoy.

If you want an easy place to start, check out the spotlighted Tumblrs. These are usually some of the platform’s most successful and popular blogs, so the quality might be better than a search. The network has separate sections for photographers and photography, so something is likely to catch your eye.


IMAGE: FLICKR, U.S. ARMY

5. Share your photos.

Don’t just lurk on Tumblr. If you aren’t already active on the network, get to posting. Especially if you link your posts to other social networks, you can get your work in front of a sizable audience.

Publicly sharing your work is also a good lesson in feedback. Figure out whose opinions you trust and take in what they say. Pro tip: Even though it makes you feel awesome, good feedback is more than “I love it!” If you really want to improve, you’ll quickly learn how to parse which comments are helpful and which come from trolls. You’ll develop a thicker skin, which is a must if you want to take your photography to a professional level.

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Photography Lenses - What You Need to Know

Photographic Lenses - A perspective from an avid shutterbug

Have you ever wondered why photographs turn out different than what you saw through the viewfinder? Why is my photography blurry or out of focus? How do I capture more of the subject area in the photo? How can I get closer to the subject? Why is the photograph darker than suspected? I have had these questions over the years and have studied photography lenses so that I can select the most appropriate camera and camera lens for my subjects.

Today, with the most wonderful world of photography , and the technology at hand, it is much easier to shoot those prize photos even for the weekend shutterbug. But, if you understand even a few basics your photographs can turn out much better than you anticipated. It has become really easy for anyone to pick up a point and shoot fixed lens digital camera and take a great photo. With the influx of many high end, high megapixel cameras available for under $200.00, anybody can put memories in their pocket.

I started out shooting photography and using several types of photography lenses in the early 1980's. My uncle introduced me to Pentax SLR equipment as he had a wholesale representative contact in Denver. I was able to purchase thousands of dollars worth of equipment for pennies on the dollar. And, so began the journey with my Pentax LX professional line of equipment. My photography lens arsenal was made up of many types such as wide angle, zoom, telephoto, macro, and standard camera lenses . I had a motor drive, high end camera flash, tripods, camera lens filters, lens hoods and more to get me started. As an athlete my first love was shooting sports which involved fast film, fast lenses, and a zoom lens. I soon fell into shooting landscapes, wildlife, and weddings. And, let me say, all for free. I loved taking pictures and giving them away to people who did not understand how to capture those prize memorable moments behind the lens.

So, what makes up the chemistry of photography lenses? How do they work and when should I use one over the other? Today it is so easy to get that all automatic digital SLR camera and lens and hope that the subject turns out as you thought it should. I think these automatic cameras are great. However, if you understand how to utilize other photography lenses in a manual mode you can still produce beautiful photographs. I actually have a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera today in addition to my Pentax LX and Nikon Coolpix pocket digital.

Photography Lenses Explained

Camera Lens Types:

Wide Angle The wide angle camera lens enables the photographer to shoot a photograph when you wish to encompass more of the subject scene than would be possible with a standard lens such as a 50mm focal length. Wide angle camera lenses are typically a shorter focal length under 50mm and allow the photographer to change the perspective of the scene. A moderate focal length is about 24mm to 35mm that have apertures of F/2 or F/2.8 which allows more light in. There are also extreme wide angle lenses , called fisheyes, that can produce almost a 180 degree photo. These photographic camera lenses can be fun however, make sure you understand that the lens may produce a rounded image and the depth of field can be limited in low lighting conditions.

Standard Standard lenses are typically the 50mm lenses. These are a fixed focal length and are the lens of choice on most SLR cameras . Everyone should have this camera lens . It typically will be used the most for everyday common photography. The 50mm standard lens is about what the human eye can see in the field of vision. It also produces the most relative size of the subjects and objects in the photograph. This camera lens can be one of the fastest lenses in your camera bag. It can be purchased with a low aperture of F/1.4 which will allow for very low lighting photographic opportunities.

Zoom The zoom lens is my favorite lens. This camera lens gives the photographer so many options especially if you are not carrying two camera bodies with you. The zoom camera lens is not limited to one focal length but has movable elements in the lens that allow for multiple ranges. Zoom photographic lenses are available in many sizes but the typical lengths give you anywhere from 35mm - 70mm and 80mm - 200mm. I recommend these two lengths for the weekend hobbyist so that a full range from 35mm - 200mm can be achieved. These lenses can be expensive especially if the aperture is under F/4.0. They are typically not used in low lighting conditions or with motion photography unless you are shooting in daylight with sunny conditions. For most photography hobbyists, the 80mm - 200mm works great for sideline photographs and has enough focal length to capture images such as wildlife from a distance.

Telephoto Telephoto camera lenses have a focal length that is longer than a normal 50mm lens. The longer the length of the telephoto camera lens the more magnification you can get and the closer you can draw near to your subject. These camera lenses differ from the zoom in that they are fixed and cannot provide the photographer a range of lengths. Most telephotos are used where the subject is static and situations where you are restricted to keeping your distance. They usually come with a smaller aperture somewhere around F/4.0. Careful selection and use must be made when using these lenses as they can be heavier and blur photographs with the slightest movement. I would recommend a tripod or monopod for use with lenses longer than 200mm. They are absolutely great for sports and wildlife photography. I have used anywhere from 100mm to a 500mm mirror telephoto. The 500mm mirror lens was really nice when shooting at an air show.

Specialty There a couple of specialty camera lenses that I'll talk about. The first photographic lens that is a must for close- up photography is the macro lens. This lens can come in a few focal lengths that are typically less than 100mm. The macro camera lens enables the photographer the ability to shoot subjects extremely close-up such as flowers, insects, and commercial products. These camera lenses are really fun and can produce beautiful images that fill the frame with wonderful color and detail. I have done a lot of macro photography and recommend that a tripod be used when shooting these subjects so that blurring is limited. These lenses can also have lower apertures so that long exposure under low lighting can be accomplished. The other type of specialty lens is the perspective control lenses that will take close up photographs and keep the subject sharp in focus and prevent the depth of field from distorting the subject. I have not used these types of lenses so I cannot give you a real life example. However, for most non-professional photographers this lens may not be worth the investment. Finally, I will mention the 2x converter. This photography lens cannot stand alone but augment another lens by boosting the focal length by two times it's standard length. You simply add it between the camera and your lens of choice and the optical mirrors magnify the image by two. I use this often outdoors shooting sports on sunny days where I have a bunch of light. This will boost my 300mm zoom to 600mm. And, I can get really close to my subjects from the sidelines.

Photography lenses today provides the shutterbug an array of opportunities for photographic design. Depending on the type of photographer you are, it will determine the types of camera lenses you put into your camera bag. I would suggest that everyone has at least a mid-range zoom. If it is the only lens in the your budget at time of purchase, you can add other camera lenses later. The 35mm - 70mm would be my recommendation. If you are going to shoot athletics you will most likely be on the sidelines or in the bleachers and will need up to a 300mm telephoto or zoom. Depending on your budget I would suggest a lower aperture but nothing more than F/4.0.

Have fun and remember that you can take oodles of pictures today and test your photographs much easier with digital SLR photography . If you don't like your results, delete them. Then, go out and take more pictures!

To your photographic success.

Mark Brozovich is an avid photographer from Denver Colorado. He specializes in sports, landscape, portrait and wedding photography as a hobby. He got started shooting photographs with manual SLR cameras in 1980. His understanding of photography lenses grew as he became a serious photographer and now primarily uses a Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera for most of his photographic needs. Today, Mark helps people understand their cameras and photography lenses in person, in the field, and on his photography lenses web blog. Hopefully this information has helped you with some basic understanding of camera lenses and how they are used. For more information about photography lenses, cameras, and photography education, visit our site at http://photographylensesblog.com

Mark Brozovich

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Brozovich

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7 Simple Photography Hacks to Help You Snap Like a Pro

Shutterflies everywhere have some new ways to turn their ordinary photos into extraordinary works of art.

Online magazine The Cooperative of Photography offered seven simple DIY tricks to upgrade your photographs — no expensive classes or fancy equipment required. From practical hacks like making your own diffused flash to creating more artistic filters on-the-go, shooting photos like a pro never seemed so easy.

SEE ALSO: 10 DIY Photo Filters to Think Outside the App

Even if you're a beginner, you're well on your way to becoming a first-class photophile. Grab your camera and get snapping.

BONUS: 9 Tips for Taking Great Vacation Photos

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Instagram Adds 10 New Features, So Anyone Can Be a Photo Geek

Photo filters are now just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to editing images on Instagram.

The photo-sharing service announced 10 new editing tools on Tuesday for both iOS and Android. In addition to new adjustments like contrast, brightness and saturation, Instagram's filters have also been tweaked; users can now adjust the filter's intensity with a slide bar.

SEE ALSO: Beyond the Filters: A Look at Instagram's Advanced Editing Tools

Instagram first started utilizing the slide bar in March with the app's Lux tool, which serves as a fill light of sorts for dark photos. That slide bar is now available on a number of editing features, giving users more control over how dramatic their edits appear.

"All of us [at Instagram] are kind of photo geeks, but we're trying to bridge the gap between being a photo geek and the rest of the world," says Peter Deng, director of product at Instagram. "Instagram's always been about taking these tools that were previously inaccessible ... and making them accessible for free for everyone that uses Instagram."


IMAGE: INSTAGRAM

All of Instagram's new editing tools come with a slide bar to set different intensity levels.

The company has been building the new suite of tools for less than six months, Deng toldMashable. For some, like the vignette tool that affects the lighting around the edges of an image, Instagram engineers studied film cameras to determine how light is bent through different lenses, says Deng.

The full list of editing tools include Adjust (lets you crop and straighten photos simultaneously), brightness, contrast, warmth, saturation, highlights, shadows, vignette, sharpen and filter strength (the border tool is now within the filter strength setting, too).

More Instagram editing tools are on the way, although Deng wouldn't specify any; they will be added to the app as they are finished. Instagram expects the new editing tools to be available to iOS and Android users on Tuesday as the app updates are pushed through to the App Store and the Google Play Store.

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How To Start A Photography Business - Knowing When You're Really Ready And Knowing Other Differences

Here's a question: How do you know when you're ready to start a photography business? Answer: When you 'know' that you 'know' (the doublespeak is for emphasis) the difference between your artistic photography skills and your understanding of business. Knowing the difference makes the difference between success and failure when you start any type of business, for that matter.

Tip #1

Think about it, the art of taking pictures is getting easier and easier - especially with the advancement of technology. Digital technology has made photography so easy that it appears that everybody and their brothers and their sisters are photographers! Such ease makes photography a very popular attraction and very compelling to start a photo biz.

But, what many budding photographers fail to realize and take seriously is that: Business is Business. Whether selling teddy bears, cell phones or photography, the business principles are the same. And they are basic and simple (not easy - simple). Successful photographers aren't necessarily the most skilled. They understand and practice the basic and simple principles of running a photography business. They also don't confuse the quality of their photography with the need to plan, market and operate their photography business.

Don't be confused! You must consistently produce top-notch quality products and photographic services. Constantly improving your skills is critical. So is the learning and consistent practice of business principles. If you don't consistently practice the necessary business principles, budding photographers that do know the difference and practice the principles will get the customers and the business that should be yours. If you fail to practice the principles you will fail at your photography business attempts. Period. You will be another charter member of the 'starving artist' club! There's a reason why they're 'starving!'

Once you do start a picture-taking business, every day that you're in business there's opportunity to grow and prosper, and the chance to stagnate and fail. Your being clear on the difference between photography practices and business practices determine the success of your photography business more than your photographic skills and talents. Be sure to spend as much time developing your photography skills as you do your business (marketing, self-promotion activities, for example) skills and you will find success.

Compliment vs Reality - Tip #2

Most budding photographers have this experience: a good friend, family member or neighbor sees a photograph and 'raves' how good it looks and how 'valuable' it 'should' be! Somewhere in their raving they proclaim, "you should sell that, you'll probably make a lot of money!" Red flag warning! What is given as a compliment of your photograph is instantly translated to your having a "diamond" that you can sell and that will change your 'status' in life. Here's a test: the next time you receive such a 'compliment,' do this: thank them and then ask them how much are they willing to pay you for the photo? I promise you that the same 'expert' that just raved about your valuable artwork will pass on the 'opportunity' to grab up your 'valuable' artistic photo. In the photography business value is determined by other criteria than a compliment or two. Knowing the difference contributes to your success in business.

Develop your knowledge and skill and your confidence as a photographer will dramatically increase. Likewise with business: develop and practice basic business principles and your confidence as a successful professional photographer will dramatically increase. I promise.

Research Builds Confidence - Tip #3

Do your research. Go online and read the available research on the business of photography. Read before you buy. Online research is just a click away. Take your time. Take advantage of free and easily available information online. If you choose to buy something offered, determine what goals you want to accomplish and ask yourself will what you're buying help you to really meet your goals. Avoid the resources that promise and guarantee you that you can make $200 - $300 a day overnight - for obvious reasons. Also, there are no "secrets that the pros don't want you to know!" There is information that you do not know now. But, isn't information that is unknowable or impossible to find out - they're just unknown to you at this time. Do your research. Besides, if they're for sale, how "secret" can they be? Do your research

In the business of photography, it is more profitable to specialize. Specialization (also referred to as your "photography niche") is how your customers will find you. Another development of technology is how customers - those who can afford and are willing to spend money for photography - find the photography that they buy. They look for something specific (in photographer speak that means "photography niche"). Go online and do a search on "photography niche" and take advantage of the information available. Remember, read before you buy; there are no"secrets that the pros don't want you to know;" and great photography does not sell itself. In the world of business, nothing does.

For business purposes, go online and do a search on different business topics that you want more information about. For example, do a search for "photography marketing" or "marketing for photographers" or "amateur photography tips" or "how to sell photos online" or "how to start a photography business" etc. etc. Read before you buy.

Know And Start Where You Are And Be 'Sincere' - Tip #4

Start where you are with the equipment that you have. If you don't have a photography studio don't take on photography jobs that require a studio. Don't be all things to all people - remember, specialize (research "photography niche" - you'll be head and shoulders above the majority of your competition). If you feel that you have to purchase equipment to take on a job - that's a red flag that you're not ready, yet. In successful photography, the profit is in the "photography niche" and your understanding of that simple difference.

Doing your research will prepare you for one of the biggest challenges most photographers have - pricing. The challenge of knowing exactly what to charge stops most of us in our tracks. It shouldn't! Do your research. Search "photography pricing," for example. The information is available and most of it is free. Remember, read before you buy.

In my opinion, there really is no one criteria needed to start a profitable photo business. However, my experience has convinced me that self-confidence is the most significant asset a photographer in business can possess. You develop that self-confidence by knowing what you know and knowing what you don't know - and being crystal clear on the difference. Confidence is gained by knowing the necessary criteria needed and knowing that you possess the knowledge and skills to consistently accomplish tasks in a satisfactory manner.

Research, develop and practice both your photography knowledge and skills as well as your photography business knowledge and skills.

Finally, when vaudevillian, George Burns, was asked what was the secret to his successful career, he responded - "sincerity, be sincere - even if you have to fake it!"

Kalem Aquil is a 'semi-burnt-out' photographer that dispenses free, unsolicited (yet, very good and accurate) tips and advice to budding photographers that want to take their photography business to the next level. He dispenses such advice to budding photographers such as "where to start," "what to charge," "how to know if you're really, really ready," etc. etc. etc. He dispenses his free and unsolicited advice here. Subscribe to his free ezine, the "Best Amateur Photography Tips Digest," and receive a Bonus Special Report - "How To Build Your Own Successful Photography Website." Click here to subscribe.

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What Kind of Photography Do You Want?

Persons capture images for a lot of motives, assorting from over-romantic incentives to extremely convenient anxieties. Capturing images may possibly be an artistic structure, a family unit pastime otherwise a past obligation. Likewise, staring at images keeps us in contact with the past times, continues us educated of happenings moreover permits us to value creativity.

Photography is an impressive ability outline that comprises more than simply portrayal, scenery or glamour taking pictures. Mutually specialized and unprofessional photographers might support precise varieties of photography more than others. Although an expert photographer may possibly toil in photojournalism, an unskilled might be mainly fascinated in large-photography.

Capturing images can be as effortless as positioning the photographic camera, clicking and desiring impressive turns out. A lot of inhabitants capture images in this way Nonetheless, this technique might be incompatible: at times it works and occasionally it doesn't.

So, which kind of photography do you want? Here is a comprehensive list of the kinds of photography:

Representation Photography-Documental photographs inform tales with pictures. The major dissimilarity among photojournalism and representation photography is that representation photography is destined to provide as a past representation of a political or sociable period whereas photojournalism represents a specific prospect or occurrence.

Photojournalism-Even though unskilled might terminated into this branch of knowledge lacking of proper preparation, photojournalism is frequently restricted to proficient. One cause photojournalism is frequently accomplished by experts is that sober photojournalists have to be sure that their shots uphold the reliability of the unique view.

Photojournalism entails the photographer to capture simply the essentials: no modification or exaggeration of the image is allowed. Photojournalism images are frequently influential pictures that prosecute the observer with the information subject matter. Cognizing how to obtain specified shots to interpret the unique sensation is frequently discovered simply throughout the years of performance and understanding.

Macro Photography-Macro-photography distinguished the subject field of photography in which images are captured at close up scope. When limited to lens men with improved and luxurious apparatus, macro-photography is currently uncomplicated for unskilled to put into practice through digital cameras by means of macro environment. Macro-photography subject matters might comprise arthropods, plants life, as well as the surface of a woven jersey otherwise some content where close-up taking photos exposes appealing informations.

Action Photography-Though experts who capture moving shots might concentrate in a diversity of various subject matters, games photography is one of the quickest and most arousing styles of taking photos. Just like several action shot, an excellent games lens man has to be acquainted with his or her subject matter fine adequate to expect when to capture images. Very similar regulation goes for photographers captivating moving shots of fauna organisms in natural world or of an airplane departure.

Micro Photography-Microphotography makes use of dedicated cameras and magnifiers to captivate pictures of enormously tiny objects. The majority of utilization of microphotography is better suitable for the systematic human kind. For instance, microphotography is exercised in subject areas as varied as natural philosophy, environmental science and medical science.

Marketing Photography-It's because photography performs a very important role in marketing, a lot of expert photographers dedicate their professions to marketing photography. The require for sole and noticeable marketing reproduction means the photographer might toil with numerous forms of taking pictures, as well as macro-photography and beauty photography.

Beauty Photography-Beauty photography, sometimes misidentified with pornography, might be horny and titillating except it is not pornographic. Alternatively of centering on nakedness or violent postures, glamour photography seeks out to seize its subject matter in reminiscent postures that give emphasis to curvatures and shades. As the name entails, the objective of beauty photography is to interpret the role model in a sensational brightness. Therefore, lots of glamour shots bear teasing, unexplained and good-humored natures.

Aerial Photography-An airborne photographer concentrates in capturing images from the air. Photographs might be utilized for reviewing or constructing, to seize birds or climate on movie or for armed forces intentions. Aerial lens men have make use of airplanes, particularly lights, parachutes, hot-air balloons and remote controlled airliner to capture images from the atmosphere.

Imaginative Photography-Imaginative photography can hold a broad selection of subject matters. Whereas a natural world photographer might make use of undersea taking photographs to generate an art show based on marine life, a representation photographer's amusement might attribute black and white imaginative portrayal. Overall cases, the shoots should have artistic significance to be regard as artistic creation.

Marriage Photography-Marriage photography is a combination of various styles of taking photographs. Even though the nuptials photograph album is a documentary of the marriage day, marriage photographs can be improved and modified to generate a mixture of special effects. For instance, a lens man might take care of several of the photographs with reddish brown harmonizing to provide them an extra traditional, enduring look.

Underwater Photography-Subsurface photography is frequently in employment by scuba divers. On the other hand, the price of scuba diving, attached with frequently luxurious and awkward undersea picture making apparatus, creates this one of the fewer frequent styles of taking pictures. Likewise, if an unskilled has the apparatus and the scuba knowledge, captivating shots below the surface can be difficult, as scuba safety glasses are overstated and deform the photographer's visualization.

Travel Photography-Travel photography might extent numerous types of photography, as well as advertising, documentary or dialect photography that portrays a mainly local or chronological taste. A travel lens man can capture the sense of a site with mutually sceneries and portrayal.

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Photography - A Memory Preserver

Photography is used by amateurs to preserve memories of favourite times, to capture special moments, to tell stories, to send messages, and as a source of entertainment. Many mobile phones now contain cameras to facilitate such use. Photography is all about light, and as photographers, we're constantly thinking about the light as we photograph a scene. Light dominates our thoughts during the photographic process, and light continues to be a defining element when converting your RAW captures to "real" digitalimages. Photography is an art and those of us who choose to practice the great art of street photographyought not be targeted by bullies like Blint. Many of the great artists, artists being shown in the SF MOMA itself were practitioners of street photography.

Photography is a language; it has syntax and structure like English. As with a language, there are many ways to understand how to use the language. Photography is also increasingly asserting itself on the auctionblock as an important investment. And its prices in the galleries and at the major fairs reflect its serious status.Photography is one of the most basic, quintessential prototypes for how a "small business" works. It's the single-celled creature of the business world, making it the easiest to analyze, experimentwith, test, and retest.

Photography is a type of art. With the skillful use of the artist's hands, photography can bring out the subject's "personality" and create almost magical moments which might not ordinarily be achieved through other means of self-expression. Photography is a creative endeavor, if you removethe pressure to capture every angle and view of a location, you free yourself up to be more creative and your results will be much better. Photography is not art any more than oil paint is art. Some photographers used it to create art.

Photography is the confluence of chance, observation and memory. Photography and Art tap into the very life force that drives us. Photography is an emotional and intuitive process for me. Scenes, objects, and the subtleties of light and colour are like emotional bookmarks. Photography is an art that is capable of ?

Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists. When you watch television, look at a magazine or even view a billboard on the highway, this is all because of photography. Photography is no different than cave painting, we all want to tell our story, some want to record that story for others who missed out. Did you see the anguish in her face, did you notice the mother's reaction?". Photography is the dream, the interval, which we take to be the real. And yet secret tears flow behind these portraits.

Photography is an entire hobby in itself, and a thorough exploration of it is beyond the scope of this article. If you are interested in Professional RC aerial photography, or just want to know more, get a book from the library on photography and read it. Photography is a life-long hobby for many people. But for many thousands more it is a vocation. People who gain ability in photography can put their knowledge to work by making their living in it. Photography is also just plain fun, and it's a wonderful foundation for community-based projects. If you introduce photography properly, it helps you look much more carefully at the world around you.

Photography is finally escaping any dependence on what is in front of a lens, but it comes at the price of its special claim on a viewer's attention as "evidence" rooted in reality. As gallery material, photographs are now essentially no different from paintings concocted entirely from an artist's imagination, except that they lack painting's manual touch and surface variation. Photography is HOT in the international art market. People in the know buy photos by hot artists from hot dealers, the way some savvy businessmen buy blue-chip stocks. Photography is probably the most accessible form of art in the world. Granted, a box of crayons is cheaper than a disposable camera, but in theory you do not need any technical skills to use the camera.

Photography is an art form that should not be squelched. Transportation is a huge part of our lives, and documenting this whether it be subway photos, or pictures of trains and airplanes, has a long history and tradition in this country Photography is also a large part of our modern news media and journalism. Photography is an expansive art form that includes more than just portraiture, landscape or glamor photography. Both professional and amateur photographers may favor specific types of photography over others.

Cameras also provide histograms to help you determine if a photo has been properly exposed. Histograms will be a subject for a future article. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or triggered automatically. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, poles and parachutes. Cameras are changing and improving. Methods of developing are changing and improving as well.

Cameras in the nineteenth century were large, took photographic plates and required a long time for exposure. Subjects in portraits would have to sit for minutes, and some photographers would use restraints or posture holding devices to reduce movement. Cameras do not focus infrared light the same way they do visible light, which is one reason infrared photographs tend to be a little blurry. Cameras with a pentaprism (as opposed to pentamirror) ensure that little light is lost before it hits your eye, however these often increase the cost of the camera significantly. Larger format sensors also produce a brighter viewfinder image (such as full frame 35 mm, compared to 1.5-1.6X or smaller crop factors).

Stock photos are professional photographs of all different subjects that are sold individually or as a set, usually on a CD or on the Internet. Clip art is line art such as drawings and illustrations rather than photographs. Stock photography websites contain thousands of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. Legally, you cannot use a photo you find on the web without the photographer's permission.

Practice your photography skills and improve your class projects. Practice this at home in a dimly lit room and without a flash change the shutter speed settings on your camera. The manual you got with the camera should explain this more in detail.

Subject movement is also an important factor to consider. Macro photography magnifies the subject, leaving more room for blur. Subjects in all lower case tend to escape notice in a busy group like RPD, and those in ALL CAPS tend to get actively ignored?probably because many experienced Internet users take all caps as SHOUTING.

Phantom of the market

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