If you are familiar with Photoshop you may all ready know the basic functions of the tool palette items and some of the other commands. If you are just beginning to use the software package and want to use it simply to clean up or lightly alter your own photographs there are a few basic functions that you should take the time to learn and explore. (more…)

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If any of your readers are like I am, they probably have encountered the same problem I had during a recent trip. What happened was that about 5 or 10 of my first photos of the day came out either way too dark or way too light. The cause? My settings the evening before, while shooting the sunset.

• If I had opened up my aperture to capture a later shot of the sun, the photos were too dark the next morning, because I had forgotten to redo the settings on my camera from the night before.
• If I had closed down to shoot the sun earlier, right before it set, or perhaps to darken my image of the sun, and then forgot to redo the settings, the first photos the next morning would be almost black.

The obvious answer?  ALWAYS reset the camera before turning it off at the end of the day.

Hope this helps someone.

Thanks for your site and all your help.

From T. Dillon

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Most weddings will require a combination of photographic techniques, including portraiture, outdoor group photos and low light or indoor images. There are however exceptions to this standard, and these include evening weddings, and indoor weddings.

Indoor weddings will require some bold actions on the part of the photographer as well as some preparation ahead of the event. A good photographer will always scout their locations prior to the day of the wedding, and for indoor wedding photography both the wedding and reception areas should be reviewed thoroughly. This is primary for a successful number of shots of the event as it will allow the photographer to see and understand the nature of the lighting within both spaces. Also, it is not a bad idea for a photographer to ask to attend the wedding rehearsal in order to find the best locations to stage shots during the ceremony.

Some wedding ceremonies will not allow flash photography, and for this reason alone a photographer will need to really examine the venue prior to the event. When taking images during the actual ceremony a high quality professional will select from three to four locations to take pictures. These locations should be reached during hymns, musical interludes or longer readings, rather than during critical moments in a ceremony where movement and noise may disrupt or annoy the guests and wedding party. Also, a photographer will always disable all sound features on their equipment to eliminate unnecessary bells and chirps from interrupting the ceremony or ruining the atmosphere.

For an indoor wedding a photographer must understand how to use and rely on diffused light. If a church or wedding ceremony will allow flash photography a good photographer will know how to bounce the light off surfaces to better illuminate the scene, or they will use a flash diffuser to create enough light to capture the image, but not over light the entire scene. If a flash is not allowed the photographer should use their fastest lens at the widest aperture or bump up their ISO. Some lenses now offer image stabilization that can help with any hand shake that can spoil or blur an image.

All professional digital photography should be shot and saved in the RAW format. If a photographer allows the camera to store in the JPG format many of the settings and features will be eliminated by the requirements of the file size. RAW formats can be enhanced to much greater effect in image software such as Photoshop where inadequate lighting can be adjusted manually through contrast and brightness settings. RAW will also allow easy manipulation of white balance in any images which can also accommodate some of the issues presented by tricky lighting.

Contributed by Amy Renfrey who has provided this guide which greatly enhances the above tips. It’s called Digital Photography Success. If you’re a struggling even just a little, this is a handy photography guide to set you straight on many of the professionals tips.

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Whether you are a professional or an amateur photographer, it pays to keep up with technological developments in the industry. The traditional processes of any photographic system, whether a SLR or a digital method, involve capturing an image, storing that image, editing it and finally producing a print or output. The technologies behind each part of the system will always impact the final photographic print. The newest technology rapidly under development, and one that actually applies to and appears in all parts of any photographic system, is called HDR or High Dynamic Range. (more…)

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Original post by Administrator