Buffaloz Photography Tips and Training

ISO in a Nutshell.

2010-02-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what ISO is? Well, after reading this post you should have a pretty good idea of how it works.

ISO has been around for a long time. It is a abreviation for International Standards Organization. In the old film days it meant the same thing as ASA. ISO traditionally measures film speed. The higher the number, the more sensitive the film was to light. So, ISO 400 is a more sensitive film than ISO 100. Since you are probably not using film anymore,ISO is now how a reference to how sensitive your cameras light sensor is to light. Most cameras have several ISO setting ranging from 100 to 1600.

Most of the time lower ISO's are most desirable because they give you less noise in your photograph. However, choosing a higher ISO allows to you to use a smaller aperture or a faster shutter speed. There are times when a higher ISO setting is useful. If you are shooting in low light or if you are shooting action shots you might want to raise your ISO settings. Also, If you are using a really long lens, such as a 500mm, it might be wise to raise your ISO setting to help avoid camera shake.

If this is new to you it might be a good idea to do some tests. Go out and shoot the same scene in all of the ISO setting your camera offers. This way you can get a feeling for what the different ISO settings produce.

The Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own.

2010-02-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

A lot of photographers wonder what lenses to buy when they are starting out. Here is some great advice on what lenses you will want when you are a beginner or even an old pro.

1. 18-50mm zoom
This is the basic kit lens on your camera. If you have an aps-c camera this lens will be equivalent to a 24-70mm 35mm format lens. It zooms from fairly wide, which is good for landscapes to will also be able to zoom for closer shots. This lens is a great all around lens to keep on your camera when you don't know what you will be shooting.

2. 50mm f1.8 macro
This lens will allow you to get close up shots with your camera. It will also allow you to create shallow depth of field because of the 1.8 f/stop. If you can't afford a f1.8, a f2.8 will be just fine. This lens is also great for portraits and for close-ups like flowers. The other nice thing about these lenses is that you can pick them up cheap on ebay.

3. 70-200mm telephoto
This lens will allow you to get up close to your subject. It is great for animal shots and also is a good portrait lens. I also like taking photos of flowers with mine because you get very shallow depth of field. When looking for a telephoto lens try to find a fast one, f2.8 if possible. If you can't afford a fast one, at least try to find a f4 lens. Oh yeah, almost forgot that this is a great lens to shoot sports since it allow you to get close the the subject.

These lenses will give you versatility to shoot almost any situation you will come up against.
They are also available with almost any camera system available. If you have any questions post a comment and I will answer them, Thanks!

Strobing-This is way cool!!

2010-02-16T17:48:00.002-07:00

I was looking for a video on posing and I couldn't find one that I found satisfactory for this site. So, I am going to make one. I'm not very good at making videos and truthfully a little nervous about it. Anyway, it's gonna take me a few day. In the meantime, I have a video on strobing that I saw last year. I thought you might like it. Here it is. I have also included a photo of me using this technique. I took the photo about a year ago. Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.

How to Crop an Image in Photoshop.

2010-02-12T16:38:00.002-07:00

Cropping in image can be very important if you plan on printing a photo. What you see in your camera is not what you get when you print a photo. A 5x7 will need a different crop than an 8x10. To help out I have found a video that should be useful.

Critique #2 for H.B.

2010-02-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here is another review for HB.
Thanks

Very nice!!! You framed the photo with blossoms. Good composition. The exposure is good too. This is a good shot!! There's not much else to say!

Digital Photography Glossary

2010-02-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I have had a few questions like "What is Burning", or "What does ambient light mean?" To solve this problem I have found a glossary of terms that should help you guys understand. This glossary should help so when you are wondering what "buffering" is, you will know.

Ambient light – The natural light in a scene.

Archival – The ability of a material, including some printing papers and compact discs, to last for many years.

Aperture – A small, circular opening inside the lens that can change in diameter to control the amount of light reaching the camera's sensor as a picture is taken. The aperture diameter is expressed in f-stops; the lower the number, the larger the aperture. For instance, the aperture opening when set to f/2.8 is larger than at f/8. The aperture and shutter speed together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. A larger aperture passes more light through to the sensor. Many cameras have an aperture priority mode that allows you to adjust the aperture to your own liking. See also shutter speed.

Application – A computer program, such as an image editor or image browser.

Buffer – Memory in the camera that stores digital photos before they are written to the memory card.

Burning – Selectively darkening part of a photo with an image editing program.

CCD – Charge Coupled Device: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera's lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into electrons. The number of electrons, usually described as the pixel's accumulated charge, is measured, then converted to a digital value. This last step occurs outside the CCD, in a camera component called an analog-to-digital converter.

CD-R – CD-Recordable: a compact disc that holds either 650 or 700 MB of digital information, including digital photos. Creating one is commonly referred to as burning a CD. A CD-R disc can only be written to once, and is an ideal storage medium for original digital photos.

CD-RW – CD-Rewritable: similar in virtually all respects to a CD-R, except that a CD-RW disc can be written and erased many times. This makes them best suited to many backup tasks, but not for long term storage of original digital photos.

CMOS – Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. Its basic function is the same as that of a CCD. CMOS sensors are currently found in only a handful of digital cameras.

CMYK – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. The four colors in the inksets of many photo-quality printers. Some printers use six ink colors to achieve smoother, more photographic prints. The two additional colors are often lighter shades of cyan and magenta.

CompactFlash™ – A common type of digital camera memory card, about the size of a matchbook. There are two types of cards, Type I and Type II. They vary only in their thickness, with Type I being slightly thinner. A CompactFlash memory card can contain either flash memory or a miniature hard drive. The flash memory type is more prevalent.

Contrast – The difference between the darkest and lightest areas in a photo. The greater the difference, the higher the contrast.

Digital camera – A camera that captures the photo not on film, but in an electronic imaging sensor that takes the place of film.

Dodging – Selectively lightening part of a photo with an image editing program.

Download, downloading – The process of moving computer data from one location to another. Though the term is normally used to describe the transfer, or downloading, of data from the Internet, it is also used to describe the transfer of photos from a camera memory card to the computer. Example: I downloaded photos to my PC.

DPI – Dots per inch: A measurement of the resolution of a digital photo or digital device, including digital cameras and printers. The higher the number, the greater the resolution.

EXIF – Exchangeable Image File: the file format used by most digital cameras. For example, when a typical camera is set to record a JPEG, it's actually recording an EXIF file that uses JPEG compression to compress the photo data within the file.

External flash – A supplementary flash unit that connects to the camera with a cable, or is triggered by the light from the camera's internal flash. Many fun and creative effects can be created with external flash.

File – A computer document.

Fill flash – A flash technique used to brighten deep shadow areas, typically outdoors on sunny days. Some digital cameras include a fill flash mode that forces the flash to fire, even in bright light.

Fire – Slang for shooting a picture. Example: I pressed the shutter button to fire.

FireWire – A type of cabling technology for transferring data to and from digital devices at high speed. Some professional digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the computer over FireWire. FireWire card readers are typically faster than those that connect via USB. Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire was invented by Apple Computer but is now commonly used with Windows-based PCs as well.

Grayscale – A photo made up of varying tones of black and white. Grayscale is synonymous with black and white.

Highlights – The brightest parts of a photo.

Histogram – A graphic representation of the range of tones from dark to light in a photo. Some digital cameras include a histogram feature that enables a precise check on the exposure of the photo.

Image browser – An application that enables you to view digital photos. Some browsers also allow you to rename files, convert photos from one file format to another, add text descriptions, and more.

Image editor – A computer program that enables you to adjust a photo to improve its appearance. With image editing software, you can darken or lighten a photo, rotate it, adjust its contrast, crop out extraneous detail, remove red-eye and more.

Image resolution - The number of pixels in a digital photo is commonly referred to as its image resolution.

Inkjet – A printer that places ink on the paper by spraying droplets through tiny nozzles.

ISO speed – A rating of a film's sensitivity to light. Though digital cameras don't use film, they have adopted the same rating system for describing the sensitivity of the camera's imaging sensor. Digital cameras often include a control for adjusting the ISO speed; some will adjust it automatically depending on the lighting conditions, adjusting it upwards as the available light dims. Generally, as ISO speed climbs, image quality drops.

JPEG – A standard for compressing image data developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, hence the name JPEG. Strictly speaking, JPEG is not a file format, it's a compression method that is used within a file format, such as the EXIF-JPEG format common to digital cameras. It is referred to as a lossy format, which means some quality is lost in achieving JPEG's high compression rates. Usually, if a high-quality, low-compression JPEG setting is chosen on a digital camera, the loss of quality is not detectable to the eye.

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display: a low-power monitor often used on the top and/or rear of a digital camera to display settings or the photo itself.

Media – Material that information is written to and stored on. Digital photography storage media includes CompactFlash cards and CDs.

Megabyte (MB) – A measurement of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes (KB).

Megapixel – Equal to one million pixels.

Memory Stick®—A memory card slightly smaller than a single stick of chewing gum. Like CompactFlash and SmartMedia, it is flash-based storage for your photos.

NiMH – Nickel Metal-Hydride: a type of rechargeable battery that can be recharged many times. NiMH batteries provide sufficient power to run digital cameras and flashes.

Online photo printer – A company that receives digital photos uploaded to its Web site, prints them, then sends the prints back by mail or courier.

Panning – A photography technique in which the camera follows a moving subject. Done correctly, the subject is sharp and clear, while the background is blurred, giving a sense of motion to the photo.

Pixel – Picture Element: digital photographs are comprised of thousands or millions of them; they are the building blocks of a digital photo.

RAW – The RAW image format is the data as it comes directly off the CCD, with no in-camera processing is performed.

Red-eye – The red glow from a subject's eyes caused by light from a flash reflecting off the blood vessels behind the retina in the eye. The effect is most common when light levels are low, outdoor at night, or indoor in a dimly-lit room.

RGB – Red, Green, Blue: the three colors to which the human visual system, digital cameras and many other devices are sensitive.

Saturation – How rich the colors are in a photo.

Sensitivity – See ISO speed.

Serial – A method for connecting an external device such as a printer, scanner, or camera, to a computer. It has been all but replaced by USB and FireWire in modern computers.

Sharpness – The clarity of detail in a photo.

Shutter speed – The camera's shutter speed is a measurement of how long its shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. When the shutter speed is set to 1/125 or simply 125, this means that the shutter will be open for exactly 1/125th of one second. The shutter speed and aperture together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. Some digital cameras have a shutter priority mode that allows you to set the shutter speed to your liking. See also aperture.

SmartMedia™—a wafer-thin, matchbook size memory card. This is also a flash-memory based storage medium.

Thumbnail – A small version of a photo. Image browsers commonly display thumbnails of photos several or even dozens at a time. In Windows XP's My Pictures, you can view thumbnails of photos in both the Thumbnails and Filmstrip view modes.

USB – Universal Serial Bus: a protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices. Many digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the USB port on a computer. USB card readers are typically faster than cameras or readers that connect to the serial port, but slower than those that connect via FireWire.

White balance – A function on the camera to compensate for different colors of light being emitted by different light sources.

Critique for H.B.

2010-02-02T20:46:00.001-07:00

O.k. I have another brave soul!

O.k. Here we go.

This is a cute little boy. The smile is nice and the angle is good. Not bad!

The big problem is that the photograph is blurred. I can't tell if it is camera shake or just out of focus. I think it's camera shake(it is hard to see it until you actually look at it close up, click on the photo for a larger version).What you need to do is have a faster shutter speed. As a general rule, always shoot at 1/60th of a second or faster(with a regular lens). This will help with camera shake. I know that lenses have vibration reduction(image stabilization), and if your lens has that it is probably o.k. to shoot at 1/30th or 1/15th of a second, but be careful when shooting portraits for money. It's really hard to sell a photograph that is blurred.

Here is another something to think about.If you are shooting with a 300mm lens, your shutter speed need to be faster than if you are shooting with a 40mm lens. A general rule is to match your shutter speed with the mm of the lens you are shooting.So, For a 100mm lens set your shutter speed at 1/125 of a second. If you are shooting with a 500mm lens you need to set your shutter speed at 1/500 of a second. If you are shooting a 300 mm lens, set your shutter speed at 1/250 of a second or somewhere close to that. This will help eliminate camera shake.

Anyway, thanks H.B.

Please post comments for H.B. to let her know what you think about her photography.

Critique for TV

2010-01-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph from TV(Her Initials).

Here is my critique on the photograph.

Well Done!!!!!

I really like this shot. The smile is nice and the pose is good. The only issue I can see is the girl has her wrist bet upward. I looks a bit awkward. Change that and you have a winner

Good Job TV.

If anyone else wants to leave a critique for TV, Please leave a comment.

I will be doing more critiques soon. Thanks:)

Three things every photographer should have in their bag.

2010-01-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

So, I was thinking about my equipment and thinking some more about what to write about. It has been a while since I have done a post and I really am sorry about that. Life gets very busy some times. Hopefully it will slow down soon. Anyway, here is a list of a few items I feel every photographer should have.

1. Tripod

This is a necessity for every photographer. If you are at all serious about photography, get a good tripod. I have a bogen tripod that I got in 1990. It has been a life saver. If you are photographing landscapes you will want to use a small aperture and this means a slower shutter speed. To avoid blur, use a tripod. If you shoot portraits a tripod is great. You can put your camera on it and then go pose your subject.

2. Polarizer filter

Do you want blue skies and better color in your photographs? Put one of these babies on the front of your lens and you will almost always get better shots! Make sure you get a circular polarizer if you use an auto focus lens.

3. Neutral Density Filter

For the landscape photographer a neutral density filter is a must! You might want to get a split neutral density filter also. You ask what is a neutral density filter. Simply , it is a filter that blocks light coming into you lens. This allows you to use longer shutter speeds to get shots like this:

Of course, you will also need a tripod for this shot;)

Critique #1

2010-01-20T21:40:00.001-07:00

So, here goes....

First I would like to say that TV (initials for the artist) is a brave soul. To put your work out to be critiqued is tough and probably a little nerve racking. Also, it has been a few days since she sent me the art. TV, I am sorry I did not get to it right away. Thanks for being patient.

On the photo above :

1.The sky is good; looks like you burnt it in. I like that it's not pure white without detail. Do remember, though, that the eye usually goes to the brightest spot in the photo first. My eyes go right past the girls and into the bright sky.

2. It's flat. The photo needs to have more contrast. Too much grey.

3.The angle is good. I like how you are looking up at them.

4.The posing: Arms down to the side are not good. You should have them put their hands on their hips and their weight on one leg- preferably the back leg (weight on the front leg will make the hips look big). Maybe they could be leaning on each other. There is no connection or triangles in the shot. Work on the posing.

5. The ladder and the thing in front are distracting. I would get rid of them. If you're trying to incorporate an architectural/ environmental element into the portrait, you need more of it. In this shot, I can't tell what it is so it just takes away from the girls.

6. Great smiles. I can tell that they were comfortable with the photographer because the expressions are nice.

7. Nice job on the flash. Not overdone.

Over all this pretty good. One thing I have learned in the last 18 years as a photographer is that a subject set against a sky is a hard thing to pull off, but you also don't see a lot of portraits from this angle, so if you can make it work, it will be original and show your creativity.

How to make it better: Work on the posing and get the distractions out of the way.

On the photo above:

1. I like the pose, but wish I could see more of the subject's face, even if it's not meant to be a full-on portrait.

2. Like the last photo, this one is also flat. It needs a bit more contrast.

3. The subject's left hand is not in a good position. I would move it behind the subject and hide it or put it on her left knee or clasped with her right hand.

4. Good job at burning in the sky.

Over all: I like this one more than the other one. My main beef: I want to see more of the girl's face.

How to improve: more contrast.

TV. Thanks for being the first and if you want, send them to me again after you have worked on them.

If you think I am wrong in my critique, let me know. Whatever you do, keep shooting!

To all of my other readers out there, please let me and TV know what you think about these shots and keep an eye out for Critique #2 coming soon!

Do you want a professional opinion on your photography?

2010-01-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to enter a photo contest but you were unsure which print to enter? I have. Well, here is your chance to have your photo critiqued by a pro (maybe it will help you win that contest). It's always a good idea to get an objective opinion on your work, and here is your chance to see what I think and, through the comments, what others think as well.

Here is how it will work. You send an image to me at my email address: ayresphotography@yahoo.com I will critique it and then post it on my site so others can leave comments. I promise you I will give you my sincere opinion. If I don't like it I will tell you. If I do like it I will tell you.
You then will have the opportunity to fix it and send if back to me for a second critique (if you want).
I believe this is an excellent way to learn and become a better photographer. Making your photography better is the reason I have started the site, so send me your work and see what I think about it!

Tips for Shooting a Wedding in a Pinch.

2009-12-26T21:58:00.001-07:00

So, you show up at a wedding with your camera and your friend, the bride, is in tears. The photographer isn't gonna be there! She sees your camera and suddenly you are the photographer. Don't freak out. You can do this!

Here are some survival tips for shooting a wedding, on-the-spot or not.

1. Make a list of important shots. This is your cheat sheet. Put formal portraits in the list and candid shots you know the couple will love. This way when you get busy you won't forget what needs to be done. Check the list every 10 minutes or as needed. Weddings make almost all photographers nervous. Don't worry. You'll do fine.

2.Pretend you are shooting a movie. Have the bride and groom move. Have them touch noses or hug. Have them spin or jump. Photos will look less posed if you to this. Most of all, make sure they are having fun.

3. Shoot a lot of candids. Always get the flower girl. Take photos of the guests and family. Take photos of the cake. Remember that photos don't need to be posed.

4. Check out the location in advance. Look around for nice backgrounds. Find interesting places and think about how to pose the couple in the surroundings. Be creative.

5. Always have a back-up camera. Extra batteries are nice also. You don't want to get stuck with a dead battery or a camera that doesn't work.

6. Do the formal shots(groups and family) first if possible. This will make things easier as the day goes on.

7. Shoot close-ups. Get ring shots. Get hands. Shoot the detail in the back of the dress, shoot the bouquet, get creative! These shots will add depth to the album or DVD.

8. Get help from the Maid of Honor. Girls are more comfortable with helping than men.

9. Get to know the DJ. He can help you get ready for shots like the bouquet toss and the dance shots.

10. Enjoy yourself. Your images will reflect it if you are not having fun, so have fun!

How to get better photos of snow.

2009-12-13T17:49:00.004-07:00

Have you ever taken a photo of snow on an overcast day
and wondered why the snow photos look dark or grey
and not white like real snow?

The reason is simple. Your light meter in your camera
is being tricked! Your light meter is thinking "Wow! This
is a really bright photo.I need to compensate for the

brightness!" Your light meter does not know you are

photographing snow! It thinks you are looking at your

typical grey scene like spring grass or something.
So, what happens is that your camera

lowers the exposure to compensate for the difference in the

scene. This is why you get grey snow.

So, how do you fix this problem? On almost every
camera there is an Exposure Compensation button.
If you do not know where it is, get into your camera
manual and look it up. It is a very handy button. I use
it constantly. Anyway, all you have to do is add in f/stop
or +1 to your exposure and you should get better photos
of snow! Who knew it was so easy?

If you have questions, leave a comment and let me know.
I will do my best at answering them and if I can't, I will at
least point you in the right direction. Have fun as always:)

Here is a photo that I took of snow. Enjoy:)

Getting Funky with the X-mas Tree

2009-12-02T20:59:00.002-07:00

I like to have fun with photography. I always look for ways to be creative and I have found a good way to make some neat photos with the X-mas tree. Most photographers take the same photo of the Xmas tree every year. They place it in a corner and set up a tripod with their camera on top and shoot a few photos. I'm not saying anything bad about that but sometimes it's nice to switch things up and get funky. So while you are taking these photos turn on the disco music (or Xmas music). So, what I did was:

1.Got rid of the tripod, handheld the camera.
2. Turned off the lights in the room.
3. Set my camera shutter speed to 1 second. You can adjust this to your liking. Also, change the fstop for different shots to get the effect you want.
4. Moved the camera while the shutter is open.

Some people actually toss their cameras with the shutter open. You get a cool effect this way too, but I am not taking responsibility for broken cameras.

Hope you enjoyed the tips. Let me know if you have any questions:)

Getting Pie

2009-11-27T20:35:00.001-07:00

So, I was thinking about photography the other day (actually, I think about photography everyday), and I thought it would be good to go over how to get photo business. Marketing can be tough for some of us. So, here are a few ways to get your piece of the pie.

1. Word of Mouth. This is the best way to grow a business, but it also is very slow and takes time to build up.

2. Yellow pages. Depending on the other competition, this could be cheap or expensive. But, every serious photographer should be in the phone book. Thinks about this. lets say it costs you $400 for an ad in the phone book. If you get one wedding per year you could easily pay for this form of advertising!

3. Door hangers. Yep, get them printed and go out and hang them on doors. This can be a little costly.

4. Craigslist. A great way to start your biz and in most areas it is free!!!!

5. Direct mail. This can get expensive. First you need to get mailers printed and then you have to purchase a list of clients.

6. Business cards. Every photographer should have these and hand them out to whoever you meet!

7. Door to Door. Go out and knock on a few doors for an evening. I promise you will live and it really doesn't hurt that much if you wear comfy shoes!!! This is a very cheap way of drumming up some biz!!!

These are a few ideas. There are a lot of ways to market your biz, but these should get you started.

A few tips to get better photographs

2009-11-25T09:04:00.001-07:00

Even in you are a pro photographer, there is always room to improve. So, pro or not, here are a few tips to get better shots.

1. Get down to your subject's level. This applies to kids, pets, flowers, almost everything. Try a different angle to see how it looks.

2. Use flash outdoors. When taking photos of friends or family, use your pop -up flash. Believe me, your photos will look better. It will get rid of the harsh shadows.

3. Use a plain background when photographing people, pets, etc. There will be less distraction to take away from the subject.

4.Take a vertical shot. Most people get used to taking horizontal shots. Mix it up an bit and throw in an odd vertical.

5. Use the rule of thirds (if you don't know what it is, I did a post on it, so go find it.). Better composition always helps a photo.

6. Shoot down. It adds a creative angle to the shot!(check out the photo below.)

Hope you enjoyed this. Let me know if you have any questions.

Excellent Tips. Check this out!!!!

2009-11-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. I have posted a lot of videos. The reason? I am in the middle of a move. So, to not leave you hanging, I am posting videos. They are great videos though, Enjoy.

A quick lesson on Color.

2009-11-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Found this video and it is pretty good. Check it out and let me know if you liked it.
Thanks:)

My Idea was Stolen!

2009-11-15T20:25:00.004-07:00

So, I have been shooting flowers and close- ups with a 300mm lens forever. This month in Popular Photography they have an article on shooting flowers my way. I'm glad that they are letting photographers know about this technique, but I wish I would have let you (my readers) know about it first. Anyway, try it out. Get your long lens (200mm or 300mm) out and find a good flower and focus. Use f/4 or f/5.6 and you will get some nice photos. here are a few that I have taken using a long lens. Enjoy!

An Idea for Christmas

2009-11-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but I am pretty happy with some of my photos. My friends and family like them too. So, Why not give a photograph to them for Christmas? The only problem I have with this is deciding what type of frame to use. Does it fit with the other frames on the wall? Is it always best to go with a basic white matte and black frame? Why not make it something different? I found this site online called Fotoflot . This is pretty cool. It solves the dilemma of which frame to use because there is no frame. Check it out and let me know if you like it.

What do you want to know? Here is your big chance! Ask me!

2009-11-10T22:21:00.001-07:00

Here's the deal. I want to know what you want to know! Are you wondering what recroprocity departure is? (You really won't be interested in that, will you?) Do you want to know what ISO means? Are you confused about a button on your camera? Do you know what butterfly lighting is? Do you need a tutorial on bounce light? Here is your chance. You can ask me any question you want about and I will answer it. If I can't, I will find someone else who can. It has to be about photography. No asking me my social security number or how to break into my bank account. So, here we go! I'm taking a risk here! Lay it on me! Challenge me!

How to become a better photographer

2009-11-09T20:42:00.002-07:00

The other day a friend of mine asked me if I thought it was a good idea to take classes on photography. Absolutely! There are several things I would do to become a better photographer. Here is a short list:
1. Look at photos- If you want to get better, look at and study photos that you like. Try to copy them and figure out how they were taken. Snoop around Flickr.com .
2. Read blogs and find information on the internet.
3. Books are great. Go get a few books and read them(don't just look at the photos).
4. Take a class or seminar on the type of shooting you are wanting to do.
5. Join or start a photo group.
6. Most important, get out and shoot.
7. Be patient and persistant, great photographers are not born overnight.
8. Try new things, stretch you boundaries.
9. Have fun!!
These are just a few of the things you can do to get better. If you can think of some more let me know.
Hope these ideas help.

This photo below was my first photostitch. I took three photos and merged them into this one. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me.

A Short Video I Found on Wedding Photographers.

2009-11-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

I found this video on the 10 best wedding photographers. If your interested in wedding photography, watch this.

Looking for a new camera?

2009-11-03T10:33:00.001-07:00

Things can get pretty confusing when looking for a new camera. There are a lot of options out there. You have to decide which system you want. Canon and Nikon rule the roost. Then you have to decide on the lenses you need. You have to decide what length of lens you want and the quality you want. Lots of decisions!

Well, here is what I do. I almost always buy a camera that has been out of a year or so. For example, I shoot with a Lumix DMC-L1. I love my camera. It has a Leica lens that is extremely sharp and it's fun to shoot. I get a lot of complements on it also, not that it matters. My camera new would have been over $2,000. I bought it off ebay for less than $700.

So, If you are wanting a new camera, I suggest you buy a camera that is a year or so old. A great example of a camera that will work great for just about anyone is the Leica D-LUX 1. This camera has an awesome lens with a zoom from 35 to 420 mm lens( you won't ever need another lens). It has a 10 mega-pixel sensor, and since it is a over a year old you can pick it if for around $800! New is was above $2,000! Plus you get to shoot with a Leica! I do need to admit that I am a leica buff so this post might be a little bias, but still, this camera is a steal!

Anyway, look around before you decide which camera to buy and if you have questions let me know. I can give you some advice.

Thanks for visiting my site and don't forget to book mark it. Also, If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them.

Photo Retouching and Processing on a Budget. What Programs to use when Starting Out!

2009-11-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

So here is the deal. I have had several friends ask me what to use when it comes to touching up a photo or manipulating a photo. I can tell you what every pro is going to say" Use photoshop". Photoshop is the best program out there right now and it has been that way for several years. The problem is that if you are starting out, you might not want to spend a ton of money on the program. It's quite expensive. So, Here is what I would do. I would start out using Picassa. It is a free program that Google offers. Type "picassa" into your search engine and you can download it for free. The news out there is that there will be a new version of picassa out soon. Look for it and download it.

Picassa is not the best but it will get you started and excited about retouching. You can really spruce up a photo using this program.

Now, If you have a little bit of money, go to Ebay and buy an older version of Adobe Photoshop.
I picked up an older version of photoshop delux for $5 about a year ago. The older versions of photoshop don't have all the new bells and whistles but $5 is chump change compared to what you will spend on a new version. They still are a step up from most programs and will give you more options to use(and learn).
Anyway, this is my advice. It's free, but i think it's good.

Here is a photo touched up in picassa and then worked on a bit more in Adobe Photoshop Delux version #2

Here is the original Notice the difference?LOL

Like always, don't forget to let me know if there is something you need info on or if I need to clarify something better.

Thanks for stopping by my site!