Framing snapshots and creating calendars and coffee mugs with your images can be fun, but have you ever considered producing your own limited edition art prints? An art print conveys quality and creativity and by limiting the number of prints produced, you establish value to your series.
Art Prints are a great way to share your photos. They make beautiful personal gifts, lucrative crafts to sell, or eye-catching decoration.
It isn’t necessary to be a professional artist, photographer, or print maker to produce professional-looking results. All you need is a digital camera, computer, printer, special paper, a pencil and a desire to express your creativity.
Whether it’s for social networking, a business website, or online dating, we all need a good portrait of ourselves. Now, thanks to technology, it’s possible to capture a professional-looking portrait in the comfort of your own home.
The quality and direction of light can make or break a photograph. Notice where the shadows are falling upon your subject and it’s easy to identify which direction the light is coming from.
• Top light is just like a sunny day at high noon – not attractive. Overhead light creates under-eye shadows.
• Front light is considered beauty light, because it minimizes wrinkles and bumps. The shadow under my subject’s nose indicates the light is placed in front of the face and above the eye line.
• Sidelight creates dimension and texture in your image. Sidelight is found outside in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky.
Natural light can be beautiful, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon, but you can’t rely on it. If you’re using an on-camera flash the results are often unflattering and difficult to control. That’s why it’s best to use a constant, flattering light source to achieve consistent results.
I discovered that a lot of people want professional-looking pictures without spending a lot of money, and they’re intimidated by the technology and price of professional lighting kits. So I teamed up with FJ Westcott to offer a safe, simple, “cool to the touch” daylight balanced lighting kit that makes you look good!
I took a picture of Karla on That Morning Show on E! Look at the results I achieved in the “After” photograph, just by using one of the Home Studio Lights.
Here are a few other tips for capturing a beautiful portrait:
• Tip 1: Look for a catch light in the eyes. This reflection of light in the eyes makes your subject come alive in the image.
• Tip 2: Give yourself room to zoom for a flattering perspective. If you want to fill the frame with your subject’s face, don’t use the wide-angle setting and move in close. Instead, stand back and give yourself room to zoom in with your telephoto lens to fill the frame.
• Tip 3: Create a more visually compelling image by using the “rule of thirds.” Visually divide your scene into thirds and place something of interest at one or more of the intersections.
These are just a few things you can do to improve your images and create amazing portraits that will make a lasting impression.
1. Plan ahead.
No power means no pictures, so be prepared and charge your camera batteries ahead of time. Have one extra battery with you at all times and don’t forget to bring an extra memory card too.
2. Change your point of view.
If you’re photographing kids, get down on their level, and zoom in to fill the frame and capture their personality.
3. Keep it real.
You don’t need to say “cheese” to take a good picture, be encouraging and positive. Get people to laugh with you or give them something to do, and you’ll capture more natural expressions.
4. Don’t forget the details.
At the holidays, it’s the little things that count. Use your camera’s Macro Mode to get up close and capture the moment.
5. Be creative.
Our world is full of reflective surfaces, especially during the holidays – shiny ornaments, mirrors, windows, and water, are a few. Look around and see if you can find a unique way to reflect your world. This technique works best if you turn off your flash.
6. Control your flash.
The warm glow of lamps, candles, and outdoor lights are often blasted into darkness with an on camera flash. Here are two ways to remedy the problem:
• Turn off your flash and raise your ISO to let in more light and reduce blur.
• Use your camera’s Night Flash or Slow Synch setting to illuminate your scene. This setting uses a slower shutter speed to capture more ambient light in the background. Hold the camera very still or use a tripod to reduce blur.
7. Get together.
Take charge and do a little directing to gather everyone together and capture that group shot. Position your subjects in an overall shape, with some people sitting, some people standing, and in a variation of body angles towards the camera. Take multiple shots to ensure that everyone’s eyes are open in the final picture.
8. Simplify.
Pay attention to the background, you don’t want plants coming out of people’s ears or lamps coming out of their heads. You can choose something holiday related, but think “less is more.”
9. Capture the action.
When an emotion or reaction occurs, capture every second by using the Sports Mode setting on your camera. Some cameras allow you to hold your finger down on the shutter button to capture multiple frames in quick succession.
10. Compose your shot.
Create a visually interesting photograph by moving your subject off-center and use the “rule of thirds.” Visually divide your scene into thirds like a tic-tac-toe board and place something of interest at one or more of the intersections.
Whether you’re gathering for a family reunion, celebrating a birthday, or capturing your favorite sports team, a group photo is always a good idea. The problem is, a successful group photograph can be a challenge for even the most experienced photographer - from impatient subjects, to closed eyes, bored expressions, bad light, and blurry images, what’s a person to do? Don’t worry, with a few tips and a little practice you’ll feel confident about directing the group and your pictures will look fabulous.
You bring your digital camera along everywhere you go, snapping photos of people, places, and things that are important to you (even if just for the moment). Problem is, you can’t seem to capture the image you were hoping for and you’re frustrated! Sound familiar?
With a few tips and a little knowledge about your digital camera, you can start capturing those special moments in a way that is both practical and gratifying. I’ll start with the problems, briefly explain why they occur, and follow up with some real-life solutions. In no time, you’ll be on your way to taking better photos! READ MORE >
The three main areas we covered in my Digital 101 class at BlogHer were light, composition, and authenticity. My talented students picked up on the lessons very quickly and either found prior photos that would be appropriate or created new ones for submission into my BlogHer Photo Contest. After much deliberation the winners are…. drum roll please!
Very beautiful. I love the late afternoon quality of light and the timeless feel to the image. A candid shot often incorporates a person in a personal moment, unaware of the camera, and you’ve captured this moment as if it’s a memory the viewer is experiencing. You won a F.J. Westcott 42″ 6-in-1 Reflector Kit!
This little boy looks so sweet and the image really tells a story. You’ve created a compelling composition with him in the foreground and the family visible, but blurred in the background. His expression is very authentic….as if he’s excited and proud to have a new baby in the family. You won $50 worth of Digital Photography Titles from Wiley!
Great shot! The color is vibrant, the composition interesting - nice use of the rule of thirds and the angle creates energy in the image. You won a dSLR Gorillapod from Joby!
The relationship between Mother and child evokes a warm and fuzzy feeling and the S-curve of the hand and little baby foot creates an interesting composition. Nice job. You won a Gorillapod Original from Joby!
Remember that all my BlogHer students win a premium subscription ($40 value) to Club Smilebox. Email me for details.
Thank you to everyone who participated! I enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to seeing more of your wonderful images online.
I’m getting ready to go to PMA 2009 (March 3-5 in Las Vegas) and I’m so excited! The Photo Marketing Association trade show is a great place for photo retailers, professional photographers, and educators to learn about the hottest imaging products for the year. Last year I visited a few of my favorite booths and decided to create a video so you can see some of the cool stuff I found in 2008. Thanks to my producer, Michael Welch, for shooting and editing this video for me.
The holidays are here and people are coming over…yikes! Time to pull out the Christmas decorations and sweep the dust under the sofa. Well, sort of. I know one thing for sure, I’ve been way too busy to pay much attention to my interior decor. Things are looking a little shabby - the only problem is, I have champagne taste on a beer budget. What’s a girl to do? Get creative! I took macro shots of interesting things around the house, then found some cool looking frames on sale at Aaron Bros (with the museum mats), and printed up my own artwork with my Canon photo printer. Voila! A few nails later my creations were hanging on the wall, just in time for the festivities. This is one instance when things were easy, fast, AND cheap. Let the party begin.
I had the opportunity to work with a great crew of people while shooting these videos. You can see some of them in these behind-the-scene images from the set of the “How-To” Youth Sporting Event.
The “How-To” Portraits of Kids video was a blast!
Check out Mr. Blue Eyes…
