Thursday, March 5, 2009

Photography School

The Appropriate Selection Of A Photography School

By Savel Benaya


There are many people who want to make photography as their career. Many people find it fulfilling to engage in a life of taking pictures. This venture entails a good photography education.

Just like any other kind of school, the appropriate selection of a photography school which will meet the needs of the students is essential for a good education. This article tries to lay down some tips on how you can choose a good photography school. Listed below are the tips:

- Look at the bigger picture

In choosing a photography school, you must be able to look from afar to able to see the bigger picture. The selection of a photography school must be made under consideration of your general career goals. There are several tracks which can be taken in the field of photography. If you intend to be involved in the more artistic side of photography, you can get more subjects which will aid you in this goal. If you are more inclined towards the commercial side of photography, you can choose a school which offers good business courses on side of the photography classes.

-Photography is more than point-and-shoot

Some people may want to take up photography just to escape from the “hard” subjects, especially those which involves math. Guess what? These are things that a photographer needs to take to be able to survive in the real world. Since most photographers would eventually own their own studios, courses in business management, accounting, marketing and other such courses are important and should be taken by photography students.

-Inquire about the size of the class

Too many people in photography classes can really be a hindrance towards proper learning. It will also prohibit the instructor in giving hands-on supervision on the students.

-Computer skills

A good photography school needs to have courses regarding the use of computers. The field of photography is a very competitive one and you could really use some knowledge of computers. With the advent of digital photography, the need for computer literacy is more evident than ever.

-Scholarships

It would be best if the photography school is offering some kind of financial assistance for their students. Some of the equipments in photography are not that cheap.

These are just some tips on how to choose a photography school. Choosing the right school is as important as having a good view of where you want to go. The right school is the best way to get there.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Digital Camera Works

How A Digital Camera Works

By Savel Benaya


Digital cameras come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Different brands of digital cameras also offer users an array of features designed to make each and every shot fantastic. Despite the numerous features offered by digital cameras, manufacturers still manage to create products that are simple enough for a child to use.

Day by day digital cameras are becoming a well-known fixture in most homes across the globe. In fact, most of the people around the world own one and use it on a regular basis. Digital cameras have also been incorporated into a variety of technical gadgets that have been integrated into the lifestyle of people everywhere.

PDA devices as well as cellular phones are just some of the technological devices that have a digital camera feature. Despite being an add-on feature, the digital camera device installed in these gadgets fair relatively well compared to detached models.

As a matter of fact the memory used for digital cameras, detached models or otherwise, can easily be upgraded using memory cards. The added memory will certainly come in handy because most digital cameras can also be used to take video clips.

There are numerous brands of digital cameras available on the market today. Mainstream electronic brands like Nikon, Kodak, Canon and Olympus are just some of the manufacturers of conventional 35mm cameras who have jumped on the bandwagon to create their own lines of digital cameras. Other famous brands that manufacture digital cameras include Panasonic, Casio and Sony.

Basic Features of Digital Cameras to Consider

Regardless of brand names, digital cameras have the same basic features that any consumer should know and consider before buying one. Even though digital cameras are generally a point and shoot device, certain features can often single out a particular brand or model. A good example of this is the term megapixel, which became known when digital cameras were introduced in the market.

Megapixels, which means millions of pixels, measure the quality and size of a digital camera. Pixels refer to the dots that make up a picture. Therefore a digital camera that has about a 5-megapixel resolution will produce better quality pictures compared to a 3-megapixel digital camera.

Moreover, photos taken with a digital camera that offers greater megapixels can be enlarged safely without sacrificing the quality of the picture. Average digital cameras with less than 3 megapixels often forfeit the clarity of the picture once it is enlarged. Unfortunately, there is a downside to using a digital camera with greater megapixels as they consume more of the camera’s memory.

The zoom function of a digital camera is another feature that most consumers should consider. There are generally two types of zoom features for many of the digital cameras on the market today. The optical zoom feature is common in devices without permanent lenses. The user can simply zoom and focus on the subject to be photographed.

A digital zoom feature is similar to using an editing software program for images. In most cases, a digital camera may offer both types of zoom features. Most digital camera users recommend concentrating on the optical zoom feature to validate the quality of the device.

What to Look for In a Digital Camera

A digital camera generally has an LCD screen. This wide screen replaces the small aperture in conventional cameras through which you look into before taking the shot. The LCD screen allows the photographer to view the picture while taking it to see how it would appear in reality.

Digital cameras have memory stick slots where memory sticks are inserted. Unfortunately, memory is another major consideration that many consumers often overlook. For the most part it is because digital cameras that require larger memory can be quite expensive.

On the whole, many of the digital cameras of today make use of rechargeable batteries. Consumers should check if the particular brand they wish to purchase comes with a charger. If not, then you need to purchase it separately.

Downloading pictures taken with the digital camera is another factor that need to be considered. In most cases, many digital cameras can easily be connected to a desktop computer using a USB port. Through this connection, a user may download the pictures taken with the camera into the computer’s hard drive for printing or editing.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Photography Business

Starting A Photography Business

By Savel Benaya

Do you love taking pictures? Are you considering making some money out of it? Starting a business out of photography is relatively easy, as long as you have the right equipment.

You can start a photography business with only a few bucks, or possibly nothing at all if you already have the right camera equipment. You can even start your business in the comforts of your own home.

You can probably find a small space in your house or a room dedicated for your business. That will serve as your “office” space.

With the advent of digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, you don't even need a dark room to develop the pictures you have taken. All you need is a personal computer with above average specifications and photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

If you want to make your hobby a business, you should not only have your basic camera unit but the additional equipment as well. Of course, you would want your pictures to stand out and be more appealing to potential clients. You would need different zoom lenses and camera filters to make your shots clear, sharp and even have some special effects.

Starting with a few of them will do, then just gradually increase them as your business progresses. You don't even have to make this a full time business right away, especially if you don't have a client base yet. Doing this part time would be sufficient enough while in the start up stage.

Even if you only do this on your free time, make sure you are still dedicated and serious. You won't be able to get enough clients to sustain yourself if you don’t take this business seriously.

Since you are going to make this engrossing hobby a business, there will be some legality that you need to take care of. First, you need to have your business registered and have a name and logo to be able to operate legally. Once registered, you can issue receipts and file taxes for your business.

Also, it would be good to write a business plan. Having one will help you identify your goal for your business and keep focused with this goal. This way, you will know if the business that you start up is worth all your time and effort.

With your business plan, you can also define the different strategies that you can do to make your business more profitable. You can change the business plan from time to time as needed. Having a business plan will surely help your business increase earnings, as well as help you to find ways in financing your business.

Your business plan should include your business’ objectives. This is important because it will help you stay in focus on how you want your business to turn out in the long run. It should also include a marketing plan, how you intend to advertise and market your services to get customers. Also, the price you intend to charge on your services should be included. You may want to change this as your business grows.

With regard to marketing your services, who else can help you better than your relatives and friends. At first, you may want to volunteer your services for free for birthdays and other occasions of your relatives and close friends. For sure, once they have seen your good shots, they will recommend you to their own circle of friends and colleagues.

And it will go on and on until you realize that you are now having difficulty arranging your schedule because of so many appointments. Of course, doing some marketing and advertising techniques would help. You can probably give away flyers or brochures to your neighbors. Or maybe post an ad in your local newspaper.

There are many ways to gain clients. Many people now consider photographs as a very important part in special occasions. Companies also rely on good photos to market their products.

Starting a photography business may be easy to do but it should be taken seriously. For anyone who wants to make serious money, dedication is important. You should also be responsible for all your actions. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to earn decent income with something you love doing?