Are you moving in to a new home? Are you redecorating and changing color schemes and themes of your favorite rooms? Are you thinking of ways to add new life into your old room? These days it can be so easy and very affordable to bring a dull room to life with canvas prints. Choose a favorite private photograph or a family portrait and have it printed on canvas to bring a comfortable, inviting feel to your family room.

These canvas prints of your favorite photos will also give your bedroom a classy look. Widely used canvas photo prints for a bedroom incorporate personal portraits, wedding snaps or still life photo portraits and great photos of a peaceful landscape. Extraordinary relaxing views of your favorite vacation spots are also very soothing to look at and will make a good improvement to your living space. Dining rooms can sport still life canvas prints or even pop art photo themes on canvas. Canvas prints are sure to impress your guests!

Canvas prints are also great for children’s rooms and the nursery. You can choose a favorite cartoon character and have it printed onto the canvas.

Choose a favorite scene from your favorite Mickey Mouse cartoon or a Winnie the Pooh scene to bring the walls of your nursery to life. Have your newborn baby’s extremely cute photo printed on canvas to make the baby room a touch lighter or opt for several snap shots of your children and have it crafted into a photo mosaic ahead of printing it into canvas! At the same time, take pride in your children’s works as you can have your children’s drawings transferred easily into the canvas in order to make it last! 

Canvas printing has become a new art form and is fast becoming a very popular alternative for interior decorators. Disappeared are the days when the artist’s canvases are reserved solely for the more costly oil paintings. There are several shops that are now recreating not just photographs but popular and classic artwork into canvas. You can choose from different themes and sizes. You can even have your photos edited before having it transferred onto canvas. We all know how a photo printed on canvas can look so much classier and expensive compared to framed photos printed on paper. It really is a great thing that technology has now made it possible for printers to transfer digital photos and artworks into the thicker texture of canvas.

It’s so easy to get your own canvas prints. You can even order them online! There are ready made canvas prints in various sizes. All you would have to do is click on the designs that are displayed on a shop’s website and viola! You will have your canvas prints delivered in a matter of a few working days. Also you can choose to send your digital image online and stipulate the specifications of the canvas on which you would like to have your picture printed. What are you waiting for? Get your own canvas prints now!

Technorati Tags: Canvas Prints, pop art photo

Pop art portraits would make an interesting twist in the home décor so a lot of people are thinking of ways on how they can get their hands on those kinds of artworks. Artworks can be hard on the pocketbook and few would fall on the range of what regular people can easily afford. The good news is that there are many providers that are skilled on personalized pop art portraits. Apart from having a wide range of options in the numerous aspects of the print, people would also appreciate that this subject is something that is near to their heart. A portrait can have the subject of any of the members of your family. There are a lot of people who also turned to having pop arts of their pets. What ever the case is, it is a issue of deciding upon color palettes and styles that might be perfect for the place where it is likely to be placed.

The start without doubt is having a snapshot that might work well as pop arts. After the birth of the electronic period, it would be rather impossible not to come across one that would be appropriate for it. If a person is still not satisfied with what they have, they can ask friends who have some background in photography to take pictures for them. It would be best if they specify that it is intended for pop art portraits. If all else fails, they may enquire for a professional to obtain those pictures.

After acquiring the best photo that has defined shapes and tones, it will be time to make a decision on the different designs of pop art there is. The most popular would have to be the style of Andy Warhol. People can also choose airbrush and graphic designs if they wish. It all depends on what decorating style they have in a specific room. For pop art portraits that have more details, screenprint style would be best.

The effect of having the portrait in black with a background of any color would look quite lovely for some. Those would be perfect for people who are not aiming for artworks screaming with color. Whatever the case is, each of the styles pop art comes in would still have a different feel simply by changing the color palette. Several would go for two or three totally different shades of a color. Others like the idea of integrating some black or some white into the portrait.

You will also find others who delight in as much color as they desire. Considering the color of the wall or the color scheme of the wallpaper would also be a good step in choosing the apt colors for the pop art portraits. It would be a good idea to check out the different colors and styles before deciding on what they want.

Others even like the thought of acquiring the same portrait in four varying color schemes. Those can be printed on one big canvass or four separate smaller canvasses. A singular portrait can also be divided on a number of canvasses.

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These tips will help you be able to recognize good black and white photo opportunities and to be able to photograph and edit them for the best results.

Black and white photography is an excellent way to train the eye to recognize remarkable photo composition which is why so many photography courses and schools teach black and white early on.

As vibrant and colorful as a sky at sunset may be, it is often the lines, shapes and curves that move the eye through the picture. With color, the vibrant tones are beautiful but with black and white the contrasting tones are more dynamic.

Despite all of its benefits, black and white photography became less popular in the 70’s and 80’s because of the popularity of color. It soon became increasingly more challenging to find places that sold and processed black and white film. Now thanks to digital cameras and photo editing software, black and white photography is back!

How to Recognize Stunning Black and White Photographs

Although choosing the best subjects for black and white is very subjective, many professional photographers will agree that the following types of compositions beg for black and white:

• Photos that convey strong emotion. Often times, color can be a distraction whereas black and white makes the emotion or feeling seem more strong.
• Images lacking a full spectrum of colors; for example, a city scape or Ansel Adam’s Yosemite “Moon and Half Dome.”
• Low contrast images such as photographs shot on dark overcast days.
• Any subject with the lines, contours, shadows and curves that you just know will look great in black and white. How can you tell? By studying black and white photos! Just look online for “Ansel Adams.”. Or search for “famous black and photos.”
• Look at B&W photography books at the library. There are lots of places to appreciate and learn this unique art form!

Create Black & White Photography with a Photo Editor

Once you see a subject and know it would like best in black and white, then you can always set your camera to B&W and take it. However, if you gain experience with your photo editor, you will find you can create even better B&W images by shooting in color first and then desaturating in the editor. Another added benefit to this method is that you’ll never accidentally take a day’s worth of pictures in black and white because you forgot to reset the camera!

Check Your Camera’s White Balance

While the easiest way to change a color to black and white is to desaturate it with your photo editor, this technique doesn’t let you control how the primary colors work together to produce a grayscale brightness. If you have good white balance in your picture, then simple desaturation may be all you need to do in the software editor.

Make Sure to Use Your Photo Editing Software’s Color Swatches

One of the many methods for creating black and white images in a photo editor allows you to apply color swatches for your tones. Even though we don’t see the colors in black and white, there are tones, and these are created by colors. Color swatches work a lot like the way color lenses work on a SLR camera. For instance, camera filters in the yellow to orange range look great with skin tones while green adds wonderful natural tones to outdoors pictures.

And last but not least, don’t forget to share your favorite black and white photographs. Beautiful black and white photos deserve to be framed for all to see. Choose frames that showcase rather than distract from your black and whites with simple clean lines. Black and white pictures look especially good framed in silver picture frames, gold picture frames and even black picture frames depending upon the style of the image. Hope you enjoyed these four black and white photography tips and have fun taking your next black and white photo!

Technorati Tags: black and white photography, black and white photography tips, black and white photos, black and white pictures

Contemporary Glamorous Photography desperately needs a breeze of talent and freshness, being supressed by strong competition and everybody’s obsession with money-making. It is a rather odd and bitter feeling - to observe how the Internet becomes stuffed with low-quality, flat and meager Glamorous Photography “creations”, while really talented artists strive to gain renown and get noticed.

Those who do stand out, in fact, managed to widen the limits of the glamour art genre and create their own unique style. If you ever wanted to join these ranks, improving your artistic skills and enhancing creative aspirations is essential. So, in this article I would like to tip you on the matter of making your glamour images exclusive and distinguishable.

Most importantly, you must learn to approach the process shooting as creatively as you can. It sounds vague yet how much simpler could one get in defining this mysterious substance of inspiration? Taking after some prominent photographer is good for honing your proficiency, yet it is unacceptable in terms of developing your own artistic vision and style - it will not make you stand out, will it? That is why don’t mind violating the rules and canons if it does deliver results. Rules are only good for breaking, aren’t they? If there were, we wouldn’t ever move any further than the Stone Age, let alone glamour images.

Then, never disregard the emotional impact of your glamour photographs. Especially the mood created by the person depicted on the shot. In glamour photography, a model is the co-creator this is how it works. If you only want to show what pretty curves her body has got, it would hardly be fine art. Sensual background and emotional impact are capable of reviving and enhancing even the humblest of pictures. These provoke the viewer to think and feel, being quite the triggers for engaging them emotionally - this is the corner-stone of the importance of emotions.

Unleash your inspiration - a good idea can come from anywhere. People never really knew how attractive and majestic a black and white landscape may appear - Ansel Adams was the first one to show it to them. Another example: when many photographers thought that lightbrush was only good for shooting still life, guys like Jorg Gr?ndler introduced this technique to nude portraits. Photography and fine arts have many examples of widening the limits and breaking the bounds. It doesnt even know what bounds are. Using time-tested techniques in combination with something new and unusual can prove invaluable for developing really unique artistic manner.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to rely on your intuition. If you didn’t have one, I doubt you would end up as a glamour artist. So it is probably a more reliable compass than just an article written by someone like me. Although don’t confuse the voice of your ego with that of your intuition - they sometimes sound pretty similar. So bring your images into the world, take critics, hone your skills, be inspired and inspire the world with your works! This strategy really works best. People who deny it are either pretend to be artistic-savvy or wish to get rid of competitors.

For Glamour Photographers

Technorati Tags: creativity, glamour, Photography

Prior to the recent digital photography revolution, particularly over the last few years, film ruled the roost. And while film photography still has its devotees it’s largely fine art photographers that resist digital. It’s fair to say that digital photography has officially usurped the throne.

Of course, there are downsides with digital photography. Some say there is a qualitative deficit when comparing film to digital. Mind you, software has become so refined that apparent limitations can be mitigated, and some might say, totally dealt with. With CDs, for example, while they can’t match the dynamic depth of vinyl, they also are not saddled with scratching and static noises.

Many photographers stayed loyal to film waiting until digital matched the excellence of film. Now, all but the immovable old-schoolers will grant that for most kinds of photography, including modern wedding photography and commercial photography, digital has not only made its mark, but has gone one better than film.

For a decade digital has had it over film with respect to convenience. With film, you have to process the film and then if you want to tweak the pictures in Photoshop you must scan the negatives - a time consuming process. With digital you take your shots, upload them lickety-split and get on with it. That alone is a startling advantage. Some of the best wedding photographers, for instance, upload the ceremony and park pix onto their laptop for guests to see during the reception.

One noteworthy drawback to digital concerns the ability to take an almost unlimited quantity of images. Needless to say, this is a good thing, especially for candid wedding photography. Sadly, it also means that some digital photographers get trigger-happy.  This unconscious photography requires them to keep shooting so they don’t miss anything – this not only makes them more intrusive, but often results in taking a boatload of images, while bizarrely managing to neglect the profound moments. As is often the case, less if often more. Those photographers who come from film learned to look for those ‘moments’ and not shoot willy-nilly as if they are being paid by the number of pix they rattle off. Of course, they also had to keep in mind that more images meant more film, which meant more processing and more cost. In other words, there was a self-limiting system at work, which arguably spawned a more attentive photographer. So, while digital offers the opportunity to take lots of shots, the progressive photographers always understand when to press the button.

Regardless, recent advances in digital camera technology that are rendering film photography purely niche (other than for rather narrow uses). Firstly, the image quality is now equal to (though not the same as) film. Secondly, the low-light facility of the latest higher-end cameras is stunning. The fastest film is 3200 ISO and it is extremely noisy. Only photographers specifically wanting this look go this route.  Of course, at times they have no option because they are going to be shooting in a low-light environment without flash or lighting. It’s almost unfathomable how capable the newest digital cameras are in this regard. Top Nikon and Canon cameras can go as high as 102,000 ISO. Absurd. Now, it’s really grainy at that top level, but what it means is that you can have decidedly serviceable photos at up to about 12,000 ISO.  This is a god-send, particularly for photographers who shoot with existing light and often shoot in low-light. The days of having to forgo depth of field or sharpness to achieve effective exposure – or just not be able to get the shot at all – are done with.

When used properly and to its full potential, digital photography represents the new standard. Salute the new chief.

Technorati Tags: Digital Photography, film photography

The Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera provides a 12.1 megapixel resolution and a 3x Optical Zoom lens with Canon’s renowned Optical Image Stabilization system to produce excellent image quality, even under low light shooting conditions.

The camera incorporates the exclusive DIGIC 4 image processor which offers very impressive response times and also powers Canon’s unique Face Detection and Noise Reduction Technologies, making it easier for users to capture sharp, well-exposed images in any shooting situation. Furthermore, the 2.5″ PureColor II LCD display has an ultra tough scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coating featuring Night Display for easy viewing in low light.

The camera also has a real-image optical viewfinder, that zooms along with the lens. With all of these premium features, the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Elph is also incredibly slim, measuring only 0.8″ (21 mm) deep, and possesses quite a clean, minimalist design that evokes the classic Canon Elph film camera.

The Canon Powershot SD780 has the following features:

• The 12.1 megapixel resolution of the SD780 IS Digital Elph ensures that images are captured with all the detail needed for large photo quality prints

• The genuine Canon 3x optical zoom lens on the SD780 produces images with all the clarity and brilliance you’d expect from a world leader in advanced optics technology. The 3x zoom range can handle most typical shooting situations while the 4x digital zoom is included to get extra close with a combined zoom rage of 12x

• The lens of the SD780 is equipped with Canon’s acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects for camera shake so you’ll get steady, crisp, brilliant images – under just about any shooting conditions

• Delivering fast, responsive camera performance and superb image rendering, the DIGIC 4 processor also enables Canon’s Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Furthermore, the processor incorporates iSAPS scene-recognition technology using an internal database of thousands of different photos to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance

For more information on digital cameras or an Canon Powershot SD780 review please visit my compare compact digital cameras website.

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The trend of video-sharing sites, such as YouTube and MySpace , associated with the incorporation of video- makingtechnologies into common consumer electronics gadget, such as cell phones and digital cameras, has turned virtually everyone into budding videographers and documentary filmmakers. But perhaps the biggest push toward putting video into everyone’s hands, started with the introduction of the inexpensive pocket camcorder in 2006. This pocket-sized HD camcorder can record up to 120 minutes of HD video onto its 8gb of built-in memory. Due to its compact size, there is no optical zoom, but it still features 2x digital zoom. Pure Digital Technologies started the pocket camcorder revolution when it released the Pure Digital Point and Shoot, which was to be later renamed the Flip Video camcorder.

The Flip UltraHD Camcorder combines Flip Video’s signature shoot-and-share simplicity with the power of vivid, vibrant HD video. Put it in the hands of someone who rarely, if ever, shoots video, show them where the power button is located, and watch them go. It honestly couldn’t be easier to use. The switchblade-style USB connector flips out for quick and easy connection to your computer and the included software (stored in the camera’s memory) makes simple edits and YouTube uploads a relatively painless process. Video quality is decent provided you have adequate light available. Audio quality is also acceptable assuming you’re not dealing with too much wind or ambient noise.

Joining the ranks of the Flip family, the Flip UltraHD Camcorder 120 minutes black is one of the easiest-to-use digital camcorders on the market. This version features 8GB of storage, high-definition video capture, the ability to use an included rechargeable battery pack or off-the-shelf AA batteries, and HDMI output. Whether it’s a relax afternoon in the park ; a family picnic; or simply an accidental , everyday event , your UltraHD will be charged and ready to go. So you never have to say, “You should have been there.”

Cute moments occur all the time, but do you keep a camcorder in your pocket? Flip this little camcorder out and let the fun begin! Flip Video presents a pocket-sized camcorder in its Flip Video UltraHD Camcorder Series! Record up to 120 minutes and then download it to a network full of possibilities. Get instant fame on YouTube or send it off to Grandma’s PC! Never fear sharing your memories!

The 2.0″ LCD view screen lets you choose your shots carefully. With 8GB of memory and HD CMOS sensor, you get amazing quality video! Once you plug this camera into the viewing screen of your monitor, TV or home theater, you have a quality product to enjoy, regardless the light level of your scenery.

The Flip UltraHD is an easy-to-use and very-portable camcorder that works well for casual video capturing by novice technology users. More experienced users, however, will likely find the camcorder’s high price tag, lack of features, and poor low-light performance to be a deal-breaker.

Technorati Tags: flip ultrahd camcorder, flip ultrahd camcorder 120 minutes black, flip video ultrahd camcorder

Aerial photography can be as challenging as it can be for the pro shooter. Quite a few choices need to be made to obtain exceptional results, everything from style of aircraft to subject material and time of day. Working together is also necessary because the photographer and pilot have to communicate well in order that the photographer to obtain the desired images. This article covers aerial photography platforms with a small volume of photography technical data. Part two will give you the technical and creative side of aerial work.

While aerial photography has been achieved with everything from hot air balloons to space shuttles for the majority of us we’re somewhat restricted with the resources we’ve got available. I’ve utilized helicopters, fixed wing airplanes and ultralights for my work and I will deal with these in a little more detail in my individual order of preference.

Helicopters:

Aerial photography using helicopters is probably the easiest platform to work from under the majority of conditions. When utilized especially for photography nearly all pilots will permit the removal of a door providing a sizable workable shooting area obtainable. This is very advantages since you can literally pan the camera to keep the subject within the frame while still traveling in a straight forward path. Helicopters also provide spectacular turning characteristics so you will find that there’s far less lost time when you circle back to shoot from a alternative height or angle.

There are several disadvantages in shooting from helicopters however. For starters is the big expense, easily $500 each hour or so for a Robinson R22 to $1,500 or more for a large jet. It is extremely impressive the amount you can shoot in several hours however the credit card can take a huge hit after you land. Do you really need a jet helicopter for most uses? I’ve utilized both the smaller Robinson’s and large jet helicopters and have had very good results with each. Some will argue that the bigger helicopters are a little less dangerous however I will leave that up to the experts. Jet helicopters are considerably quicker so if you are going large distances they might have an advantage. Secondly, vibrations are an issue based on a number of factors. My experience has been that a good pilot can frequently hit a “sweet spot” where the helicopter settles into a somewhat smooth forward motion. This generally isn’t when you hover, forward motion plays a part.

Helicopter photography from a technical point of view can be both a challenge and an exhilarating experience. If you can’t remove the doors wear dark clothes and make certain you have a lens shade installed. The majority of the windows are Plexiglas and tend to have scratches so you will probably wish to shoot relatively wide open to restrict the depth of field. Window tint may additionally be a problem although this can typically be cleaned up in Photoshop or some other editor. I recommend shooting RAW for this reason. Whatever you do, don’t place any part of your body or camera against the sides of the helicopter because the vibration will transfer over to the camera and cause unsharp photographs. Life is easier without doors but be aware of the turbulence in the event you lean out a little too far. The buffeting could be very strong. All gear as well as other equipment needs to be securely fastened to your body or a harness, you don’t want to think about what might happen should you drop a lens or camera out of the door! I go as far as taping the lens hood to the lens as a safety precaution as I’m sure the tail rotors would make quick work of a lost lens hood, possibly with bad consequences. If at all possible work with a few different cameras so you can keep switching lenses and memory cards down to a minimum.

I try to keep my shutter speeds around 1/1000 or faster if at all possible but have had reasonable success close to 1/500. If this means boosting the ISO as the light fades I do this in preference to having relatively blurred photographs. This should allow for an aperture of about f5.6 in most conditions although as the light fades you might be looking at f2.8 or so, a good reason to have fast lenses.

Ultralight:

When i first did aerial photography from an ultralight in Costa Rica a few years back. I have to disclose I really didn’t know what to expect because all my previous aerial photography had been done from helicopters up to that time. I expected a significant amount of vibration as well as undesirable wind buffeting but was in for a great shock. Ultralights are definitely a fantastic aerial photography platform under the proper circumstances which is when you tend to fly them anyway. They do get thrown around slightly but usually the vibrations are not as bad as helicopters. While they are not as maneuverable as helicopters they are better than fixed wing aircraft. Perhaps the only downsides are, they are somewhat slow and you have to feel comfortable in them because they are extremely bare bones and seat of the pants!

Fixed wing aircraft:

Likely the bulk of aerial photography is done using fixed wing aircraft. Although not as maneuverable as helicopters they are still very capable shooting platforms under the right conditions. Make an effort to obtain an airplane with a high wing such as the Cessna 172 Skyhawk to get the best view. The low winged airplanes seriously restrict the view below! Even with high wings the wing strut will probably be in the way, it’s just not generally located in a good placement for photography. I am sure some photographers fly with the doors off however in general you will be flying either shooting through a small opening window or perhaps through the glass. In either case, placement of the plane is extremely critical to line up the photograph so a good pilot preferably with experience working with photographers is a must. What is the greatest benefit of a fixed wing platform? Price! Probably 1/4 or even less of what the helicopter will cost.

Getting organized:

Flying in circles searching for photographs could be very exciting as well as entertaining until you land and discover how much money you invested without having really achieving anything. Do your research ahead of time and obtain a good idea about what you would like to photograph and how you’ll accomplish it. What side of the aircraft will you end up shooting from? What elevation or various altitudes are needed? When will the light be the best? Often you’ll find that one flight will not produce all of the required photographs as a result of some of these decisions and a second or even third flight may be necessary.

Once you have done your homework you’re ready to find your aircraft. What is your budget is probably the biggest decision here in addition to which kind of aircraft are available? Employ an excellent pilot, ideally one that has experience working with photographers! Pilots do vary and some are better than others in terms of understanding the requirements associated with aerial photography. Go over a flight plan and stick with it. The most important component of the shoot is the pilot calls the shots and has the final say in what is going to be done. They understand the regulations, safety issues and the bottom line; they are responsible for you, the aircraft as well as the individuals on the ground!

Happy shooting!

Kevin Oke is a professional aerial photographer living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Technorati Tags: photo technique, photography. aerial, tutorial

Children are a joy to behold. They can make your heart sing with their laughter. Even if we face a multitude of problems throughout our day, the sight of children always lightens our mood. They take us back to the happier and untroubled days of our own childhood.

Watching children play and run around the place is very soothing. When walking at the beach or in a park, it is difficult not to stop and watch the children running around with their carefree laughter. People usually find it entertaining to watch children having fun and drop whatever it is that they are doing. We feel pleased and contented whenever we see cheerful children.

Photographs of children can make us feel the same way. Photos of children holding an ice cream cone, a balloon or a ball, or acting like an adult can make us smile. If your articles, site and marketing materials contain pictures of children similar to these, your audience will feel the same way, too.

Pictures of children will make your readers:

- Read your article

- Avoid distraction

- Feel good

Stock photos of children can help you grab the attention of your readers quickly. The photos will make them stop what they are doing and focus on the message of your article. They will also be in just the right mood. When you achieve these things, you will not have to worry about your reader getting bored and moving on to the next site. It is also possible to turn your reader or site visitor into a long-term customer. This means increased revenues for your business.

Royalty free stock photos of children are inexpensive. These photos are very economical because they are royalty free. You simply purchase them once. Then, you can use the image in any number of projects. Inexpensive stock royalty-free photos of children can help you earn more.

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Creating portrait images can be hugely gratifying. It’s a way to reveal the best side of somebody, and make a photograph that conveys something exceptional.

The 1st guideline of really good portrait photography is to pay attention to your subject.

This does sound obvious but have a look through many of the images you have of your friends and family to see if they don’t have a kind of sameness about them. Chopped off head and shoulder shots, uneasy posing, goofy expressions, empty gazes, unnatural smiles…?

Each individual offers some distinctive quality which deserves photographing. It doesn’t have to be perfect skin, a redesigned nose, pouting mouth, spectacular eyes. Nonetheless it ought to be a unique quality which  conveys the person’s uniqueness.

Seem overwhelming? It isn’t really if you abide by some rudimentary guidelines.

Compose Vertically.

Tilt the camera to one side. A portrait image normally features the head and torso and sometimes includes the hands. Portraits almost always look better when shot vertically. Horizontal framing leaves you with open spaces on both sides of the subject matter which could take away from the perception of the shot.

Attempt to Manage The Way your Subject  is Dressed.

If this is to be a practically formal portrait photograph you can probably recommend what clothes are to be worn. Solid, dark or light colorings are best. Patterns, checks, stripes and swirls bring confusion to the eye of the viewer. Bold colors can overpower the skin tones. A scoop or vee cut is normally better than a round cut. For older women or men, cover the shoulders, for young women leave them uncovered.

Try to use the available light effectively.

Place the individual where the light is gentle and emitting primarily from one direction. This often gives greater focus to the eyes and results in a “moody” atmosphere. You might use a reflector on the shadowed side to bounce the light if the contrast between highlight and shadow is too stark. An easy reflector can be put together by covering a sheet of cardboard with aluminium foil.

Do Not Use a Flash Directly at the Subject.

Flash is lighting at its most dull. On rare occasions it will actually lift up an image into amazing life, but usually making use of available lighting is better. Flash lighting will probably give you a dull look and the experience of the flash firing eradicates any personal atmosphere you might have created.

Utilize a Telephoto Zoom Lens. 105-135mm is best. (Wide angle lenses are undoubtedly out.)

Encourage Subject to be Seated.

This helps them to relax so helping you to control them with less effort. Give the subject directions.

Choose Your Subject’s “best side”.

People in actual fact have one. Position one shoulder barely turned towards the camera favoring one side. Try that particular pose another way and decide on which one is best.

In the portrait photograph, you are addressing minor movements and changes of placement and viewpoint. Make an effort to get the shot from a little bit higher than the subject to open the eyes. Possibly consider lowering the shoulder nearest to the camera, position head straight or at an interesting angle. Drop the chin a small fraction.

Some people don’t look their best when they smile and some do. You will get more intriguing expressions and subtleties without a smile. Tell the person to think about something they like doing. This will raise subtle lights in the eyes and changes in the mouth lines.

If you have included the hands in the picture, ensure that you take a look at them. Hands can look unsightly or awkward. A gently closed fist is generally neutral. Let the hands rest on the knee or in the lap and see what you have. Crop them out afterwards if they don’t work.

If you’re taking candid portraits many of the same ideas are recommended but in these kinds of shots you might want to remember to change position to find the most fitting angles.

Click here for more detailed black and white photography advice and photo editing software.

Technorati Tags: creative portrait photography, portrait photography tips, portrait photos