Wedding Photography

Achieving The Wedding Photography Of A Couple's Dreams

By Savel Benaya

A wedding is undoubtedly one of the most precious moments in a person's life. Capturing it on film to be stored forever is even more important. Today, brides and grooms have so any options to choose from when it comes to choosing the kind of photography that they want for the most important day of their lives.

Here is a guide in achieving the wedding photography of a couple's dreams:

1. Choosing the right photographer

In order to select a wedding photographer, a couple must first decide on the picture style that they want.

Portrait photographers are perfectly capable to take both formal and casual pictures, but he will most likely concentrate on the formal ones.

Photojournalists take shots that are candid and not planned. This kind of photographer usually has experience in journalism photography.

Hobbyist photographers are those who are often a friend or a relative of the couple, and would likely offer his services for free or a very low price. It is hard to tell the kind of pictures that they will produce, and there is a risk that the pictures may not be as good as a professional's.

2. Getting the perfect camera

Wedding photographers usually use two basic camera types: the 35mm and the medium format. The 35mm has the tendency to produce pictures that are a little grainy, but the only person who may notice the difference are the photographers themselves.

3. Color or black and white?

Color is usually used in wedding photos, but those who want a more artistic feel may go for the black and white film. Black and white photos lasts longer than color ones, though color films capture the details of the event more appropriately. One option would be to take the pictures in color first, then have copies made in black and white.

4. Personality of the photographer

Most couples want a photographer who can take great pictures but who is also friendly and sociable. Set an interview with the prospective photographer, and make sure to ask effective questions. Also, make sure to ask for references, and take a look at his previous work.

All these tips can help couples in getting those perfect pictures on their special day. Make sure that these pictures can be shown proudly to families and friends, and can be passed down to future generations.

Improve The Quality Of Your Food Pictures

Guides To Help You Improve The Quality Of Your Food Pictures

By Savel Benaya

Taking great pictures of different food dishes isn't as easy as it appears to be in cook books and food advertisements. Great care should be exercised when taking these shots. Things that need to be considered include the dish's angle, composition, lighting, as well as problems that may arise. Here are some guides to help you improve the quality of your pictures.

Lighting

Consider the lighting in the kitchen or venue where you will shooting the dishes. It is a good idea to know this in advance so that you no longer have to make adjustments right there in the venue. Dark venues may be corrected by using a row of fluorescent lighting which possesses diffusers. The drawback of this method is that the image will have a subdued shade of green.

Depending on the camera that you have, it may have a setting that neutralizes the effects of fluorescent lighting or a magenta filter may be used to compensate.

Stability of tripods

Since you are taking pictures of food, every shot is done at close range. Unlike shots taken at a distance, shots done in close up are sensitive to movement. Any sudden moves and the picture will be ruined. Focusing on the subject also becomes easier when using a tripod or even just a stack of magazines.

Food presentation

To get that professional look, cut the dish in geometric shapes. Proper arrangement of the food is also important so that you will be able to showcase the dish's ingredients as well as its strengths. Garnishing the food that you will shoot will enhance its natural colors, making it more appealing to the eyes.

Focusing on the subject

A rather dull photo will become vibrant and dynamic if care is taken when focusing and adjusting the field depth of the camera. If your camera doesn't have manual focus, depressing the camera's shutter button halfway to lock the focus at that specific depth. Recomposing the focus can be done by changing the position of the camera while the shutter button is still depressed halfway.

Automatic cameras usually lack aperture or depth of field. Some purposely adjust the aperture such that the background becomes a blur to heighten the subject's features while others prefer that a wider depth of field is used to capture the whole scene.

These are some of the things that you should know regarding food photography. Constant practice will help you produce better shots. Follow your instincts. Sometimes this allows you to take better shots.

Zoom Lenses

Features Of Zoom Lenses

by Savel Benaya

If you are a photographer or just someone that loves taking pictures using your camera, specifically the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, you must know what zooms are for. Zoom lenses are added to your basic camera unit to be able to focus on a subject correctly. It is similar to filters that you also add on your camera for specific special effects.

During the past, you would see a photographer carrying his huge camera case which contained about half a dozen different lenses. Each of these lenses has a fixed focal length and can only be used for a certain type of focus shot. If the photographer wants to take a shot on something from a different angle, he would need to change lenses. That takes a lot of time and possible loss of the good view for the shot.

Having all these lenses and carrying them every time you have a shoot can be a big burden, not to mention, expensive. Thanks to our ever improving technology, zoom lenses were introduced. With zoom lenses, you can have a single lens that covers the same range that three or more fixed focal length lenses. This definitely lets the photographer change angle or focus instantaneously as compared to the old lenses.

Mid-range zoom lenses are versatile since they can cover normal, wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths with just a single lens. Telephoto zoom lenses are great for portraits, scenic, travel, candid and sports photos. Long zooms are useful for wildlife and sports photography.

Features of Zoom Lenses

Here are just some of the features of most zoom lenses available:

1. Macro focusing. This feature allows the lens to focus at a close range. To determine how close a lens is able to focus, a reproduction ratio is specified in the lens. A 1:4 reproduction ratio means that a lens can focus an object such that if the diameter of the object is 4 inches, it will measure just 1 inch in the picture itself.

2. One-touch zoom control. Most of the zoom lenses have just a single ring that controls the focus and zoom at the same time.

3. Lens aperture. There are zoom lenses that have only one maximum aperture, while others have two, for example f2.8-4.0. The f-number changes as the zoom changes.

Tips in buying zoom lenses

If you are planning to buy a zoom lens, the first thing you have to consider is the focal length range. For you to know what correct focal length range to buy, you must identify your purpose for the lens. If you think you will use it mostly for travel and vacations, a mid-range zoom would suffice. However, if you are planning to use it for sports and portraits, a telephoto zoom is a better choice.

The size and weight of the lens is also a consideration. In general, a bigger and heavier lens is usually faster. One that has wide zooming range can also be larger.

Lens speed is important if you are intending to use the lens for indoor photography. A faster lens allows more light which makes it easier to shoot in subdued lighting.

If you are using a lot of filters, it is best to consider the size of the zoom so it can accommodate as much filter. If you want close-up photos, you must also consider the specifications of the camera with regard to macro focusing. If you are after flexibility, it is best to have a zoom with continuous macro focusing than a limited one.

Of course, just like any other product, price is also a consideration. The better the features of the zoom lens, the more expensive they will be.

Zoom lenses are really a good investment if you are thinking of making photography a business. Even if you don’t, and you are just someone who loves taking pictures, having zoom lenses is still a good choice. You can take great shots at different angles and distances.

So if you are thinking of getting one, decide first on how you intend to use the lens so you can make the right choice. As you become more and more into this hobby or profession, then you can buy different types of zooms. Carrying just one or two zoom lenses is not a bad idea.

Filters For A Camera

Different Kinds Of Filters For A Camera

By Savel Benaya

If you are a professional photographer, you must have a set of filters in your camera equipment. Even if you are just an amateur, you probably have one or two filters. What are filters? Why do photographers buy different filters? How do they work?

Camera filters are transparent optical elements that change light properties entering the camera to improve the recorded image. Filters affect the different properties of an image such as sharpness, contrast, color, highlight flare, and light intensity. It can alter one or a combination of these properties, and can also create various special effects.

Camera filters are connected to the front of the lens. Aside from its features, it also protects the lens from elements such as salt air. Some cameras need lens adapters to be able to use filters.

Filters work the same whether you use them on a digital camera or film. There are just a few differences to be considered. Filters that can reduce excess contrast such as polarizers are helpful in a digital camera because digital is more inclined to blow out highlights. Digital cameras are also known to be less sensitive to ultraviolet light, thus, ordinary UV filters may not be needed. Also, infrared filters are easier to use in digital cameras.

Some Filter Types

There are different kinds of filters for a camera and each has its own purpose.

- Ultraviolet filters. As the name implies, this type of filter absorbs ultraviolet light. Cameras, especially ones that use film, have high sensitivity to the invisible light known as ultraviolet light. This is common in making outdoor shots, especially in highly elevated places where there is only a thin layer of atmosphere that absorbs the ultraviolet light.

Without UV filters, viewing far images can be difficult because UV causes a haze that diminishes details with farther distance. UV filters are available in various absorption levels measured by the percentage of transmission at 400 nanometers. A filter that transmits 0% is ideal for long distance and aerial shots. For normal situations, a UV filter with 29% transmission is generally good enough.

- Infra-Red filters. These filters are used to reduce visible light. Filters that can totally absorb visible light and transmit only infrared lights are useful for situations like recording heat effects and aerial haze penetration.

- Natural density (ND) filters. ND filters are used when light intensity is high and proper exposure needs to be attained or when a specific lens opening is required for sharpness purposes. This type of filter evenly absorbs light throughout the visible range which alters the exposure effectively without the need to change lens opening or do color shifts.

- Polarizing filters. Polar filters or polarizers enhance contrast, color and reflection control. It has a different optical principle compared to other filter types. Polarizing filters allows light to pass through in just one vibratory direction. Different alignment can produce different effects to the image. If the filter is aligned perpendicularly to the polarized reflected glare, the result would create stronger colors because true-colored reflection will pass through.

Polarizers are increasingly being used for outdoor shots to improve contrast and color saturation. A blue sky can be darkened by a polarizing filter, but it has to be blue in the first place.

Polarizers can also minimize and control reflections from water or glass surfaces. To get the best results, an angle of 33 degrees incident to the surface is advisable. The effect can be seen by viewing through while the polarizer is rotated. An object in water can appear as an object out of water without having the reflection.

Optical filters can be a good investment for those who want to make a living out of photography. It allows for different kinds of shots with special effects. It also makes an image look more alive by the different features and effects these filters have to offer.

But even when taking pictures just as a hobby, having some of these filters will be necessary to get the image of clarity desired. Taking a shot without a filter is indeed different from a shot with one.

There are just some considerations that need to be thought about before buying filters. Different types of filters are obviously for different purposes. It is best to determine what the main purpose is and what type of situation is commonly encountered.

Buying A Camera

The Things That You Have To Consider When Buying A Camera

By Savel Benaya

Photography is a much loved hobby around the world. Many people would want to get their hands on a camera

and start shooting away, or get some supplies to be able to build their own darkrooms and develop the films themselves.

Photography is a fulfilling hobby, however, there are many equipments out there which can be sources of confusion especially for beginners. The mere number of equipments can stir up one’s head.

What better way to guide a photography student than to give tips on how to buy a camera, which is of course, the most basic equipment in photography. This article tries to give some basic tips regarding the things that you have to consider when buying a camera.

1. What do I need?

If you want to buy a camera, you must first ask yourself- “what am I going to use it for?” there are many different kinds of cameras out there and they are used for different purposes. What we would recommend, especially for beginners, is to get a good, sturdy point-and-shoot camera.

These cameras are very handy and can be used in any occasion.

Well, the most intriguing pictures are the ones which capture unique events from unique angles. You may not be able to bring a more intricate piece of equipment when exciting things happen, but a point-and-shoot camera is always carried by photographers. There also are many other features that you might want to look at or avoid in choosing cameras such as stands and shutter features.

2. Research

A photography enthusiast needs to be able to know about what he wants to do when taking pictures. Reading different materials such as photography magazines (example: Apogee Photo or Popular Photography” can give you updated and fresh information about photography in general and photography equipments.

3. Know your budget

Getting the best pictures doesn’t mean that you have to buy the latest and the most expensive model on the market. It all depends on who is taking the photograph and the equipment is just a tool. More features mean more expenses. A buyer must be able to assess what features he needs to be able to get comfortable with a camera. It’s really a waste of money if you buy a top-of-the-line camera and don't know how to use half of its features.

These are just some basic tips on how you can start assessing what camera to buy. You must look into the details of a certain camera and assess the features and prices.