Photo Click Chick

Chain Link as a Background

2011-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have often avoided chain link fencing as a photography background because, well, it's ugly. Recently, though, I realized that it can be pretty effective in certain situations. Here's my recent effort. They were done right before sundown so the light is nice and soft.

When Too Close is Just Right

2011-01-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to break the rules. The photography rule I like breaking most is don't get in too close to your subject or you'll wash them out with your flash. In some cases, flash washout can cause an otherworldly feel. This shot was taken indoors with my Droid's camera. I think it's very haunting.

Top Photographers to Present Young Photographers Alliance Awards

2010-09-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just received this press release and I thought that my readers would like to read it, too:
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NEW YORK, NY — September 30, 2010 — Young Photographers Alliance (YPA), a
501(c)3 educational foundation dedicated to inspiring, educating and
empowering the next generation of image-makers, is delighted to have six of
America’s leading photographers present the 2010 YPA Scholarship awards on
Tuesday, October 12th.

YPA is honored to have Barbara Bordnick, Doug Menuez, Eric Meola, Michel
Tcherevkoff, Ron Haviv, and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders present this year’s
awards to six promising young photographers at the YPA Award Ceremony and
Benefit Auction, to be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, from 7pm
to 10pm on Tuesday, October 12th.

The scholarship awards are just one of the programs YPA runs with the aim of
nurturing talented young photographers to emerge as tomorrow’s top visual
artists and documenters of our world. A preview of the results from this
year’s mentoring program will also be on show at the event: images on the
theme of Answering Adversity, created by eleven teams of young photographers
in the US, Canada and UK, will be exhibited for the first time.

The Benefit Auction, which will begin at the Award Ceremony and continue
online until October 28th, will include highly collectable signed prints by
renowned photographers Amy Arbus, Antoine Verglas, Barbara Bordnick, Brad
Trent, Cameron Davidson, Chris Jordan, Daniel Kramer, Darrell Gulin, Doug
Menuez, Hans Neleman, Henry Horenstein, Howard Schatz, Jill Enfield, John
Lund, Marcus Gaab, Martyn Thompson, Russ Quackenbush, Sean Justice,
Sebastian Smith, Shannon Fagan, Spencer Jones, Stephen Mallon, Toby McFarlan
Pond, Vincent Dixon, and others. There will also be prints by the 2010 and
2009 YPA Scholarship winners. Images can be previewed from October 1st at
www.youngphotographersalliance.org/auction.

The Award Ceremony and Benefit Auction is YPA’s principal fundraising
vehicle. The event is open to all and is a unique opportunity to meet
leading players in the photography and stock image business; to delight in –
and possibly acquire – some stunning photography; to enjoy complimentary
beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres and live jazz; and to celebrate and support young
talent. Tickets may be purchased online and cost $50 ($75 at the door).

For more information or to buy tickets, see
www.youngphotographersalliance.org/events

– end –

About YPA
---------
Young Photographers Alliance is a global community where young photographers
connect with the inspiration, resources and contacts they need to build
successful and sustainable careers as the artists, communicators and
documenters of the future. The foundation brings together a wealth of
industry experience through its board and membership, and offers real-world
knowledge, insight, experience, and contacts to help students and other
emerging photographers develop their artistic skills and business acumen as
photography professionals. Likewise, through its programs, YPA helps
established photography professionals connect with the next generation of
innovative image-makers. For more information, visit
www.YoungPhotographersAlliance.org.

About the scholarships
----------------------
The awards this year have been sponsored by ASMP Foundation, APA, Alamy,
Jerry Tavin, and Photolibrary. The scholarship program is administered in
cooperation with the Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship Program. The judging panel
for this year’s awards comprised: Stephen Mayes (Managing Director at VII
Photo), Steve Diamond (Executive Director of Photography at Scholastic
Inc.), Spencer Jones (CEO at Glasshouse Images), and Jerry Tavin (YPA
founder).

Photo essays submitted by the award winners are available to download from:
www.youngphotographersalliance.org/programs/scholarships.php

Tripod Photography Hack that Can't be Beat

2010-08-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

If you hate carrying your tripod around with you everywhere, try this tripod hack:

Prevent dSLR Camera Shake With These 3 Techniques

It uses just a simple string, so it costs you basically nothing!

On-Camera Flash Photography Hacks

2010-07-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

On-Camera Flash by Agata Urbaniak

I just found an article over at DPS with some fantastic on-camera flash photography hacks. The article shows you how to narrow the beam of your flash and make your flash stronger using a rubber band, black foam and craft board. Awesome! Here's the link:
8 On-Camera Flash Tips: How To Get Better Lighting From Your On-Camera Flash

Photo Tinting: How to Paint on Photos

2010-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Adding some color to photographs using oil paints and colored pencils is pretty simple. To learn more about this photography technique, take a look at my article Hand-Coloring Photos: How to Paint on Photographs with Oil Paints or read Photo Tinting: Simple Techniques for Hand Coloring (Artist's Library Series #31).

Free Lens Hood Photography Hack

2010-05-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't come up with this free lens hood photography hack, but I wish I did. A UK website has a neat printable lens hood. All you do is download the template for your type of camera, print it out, cut it out and fold it.
Why do I love this so much? Oh, let me count the ways: It's free photography equipment, its collapsible for easy storage and you can easily make different colored lens hoods for different effects by printing the hood on different colors of paper.
Here's the link: Free Lens Hood Website

Food Photography Taken with a Motorola Droid

2010-04-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

I just can't say enough about how much fun it has been to take pictures with my Motorola Droid. The quality is good, so I can take photos on the fly. Here are some food photography I've done with my Droid. I didn't use any special lighting and I didn't touch up the photos at all.

Taking Photos with a Droid

2010-04-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

So, I got a Droid smartphone for Valentine's Day and I have been having a blast using the camera. I've never had a phone that could take such stunning pictures! Lately, I've been experimenting with photographing glass objects with my Droid. Here are some of the results:

To get results like these, make sure to avoid using your flash and find a place that is full of light. Droid loves natural light!

New Photography Hack: Camera Handle to Eliminate Camera Shake

2010-04-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a new photography hack created by yours truly, the Click Chick.
How to Make a Camera Handle to Eliminate Camera Shake

Tips on Taking Winter Photographs

2010-03-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

I just wrote an article for Demand Studios on how to take winter photos. This assignment couldn't have come at a better time because it snowed last Sunday, which is rare for my area of Texas.
In fact, it has snowed several times this winter, giving me ample time to brush up on my skills for photographing snow.
My best tip? Use a polarizing filter to make your blue skies extra blue. The contrast with the white snow is fantastic. Speaking of contrast, make sure to photograph bright colors against the white snow. Children are my favorite snow subject, especially when they are decked out in brightly colored snow gear.
Here are some of my favorite shots:

Taking Casual Looking Photos

2010-01-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

Do you have a totally un-photogenic person in your family. I do and he's my husband. It's like pulling teeth to get a nice looking photo of him. As soon as he knows the camera is pointed at him, his face goes, well, strange. An eye droops. Lips pucker. You never know what's going to show up.
The best way I've found to counteract his strange faces is to photograph him when he's not paying attention. I also use this technique with others.

You have to really sneaky and use your zoom to get the best shots. Make sure that everything is perfect before hitting the shutter button because you usually only get one shot of these camera hating souls. Once they hear the click of the shutter, they will take off like frightened deer.

My Love of DSLR

2009-12-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

I'm in the market for a new digital camera. I have been lusting over the Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) and the Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens. Yum, right?
I've realized I absolutely have to get a digital SLR for all of the photography work I do. Here's my #1 reason why: You don't have to worry about digital noise as much with a DSLR. I love taking photos at night, so this is a must. Plus, my current camera is only 7MP, so upgrading to a 10.2MP would be awesome.
What's your favorite camera or which ones have you been drooling over? Leave a comment and let me know!

Dec. 25

2009-12-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to You and Your Family!

Christmas Light Photos

2009-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some Christmas light photos to get you into the holiday spirit. Christmas lights has always been one of my favorite things about Christmas, so I love to photograph them.

How to Take Pictures of Yourself

2009-11-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

It is really hard to take a good picture of yourself. Take a look at all of the profile pictures on MySpace and you'll see what I mean. There are people looking up at the camera as they hold it out at an arm's length. Not. Very. Flattering.
So how do you take a good picture of yourself when you have no one else around? Try this:

Go to the bathroom and stand in front of the mirror.
Point your camera at you so that you can see the back of the camera, and the LCD screen in the mirror.
Position the camera so that you can see your face framed in the LCD screen.
Snap the picture.

This way you know what you look like before you snap the picture and you know that your face is in the frame.

Showing Motion in Photos

2009-11-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Showing motion in photos can be tough. Sometimes there is too much blur, but often, there is no blur at all to show motion. I had this problem with one of my latest photos I took of a local hoola-hoop competition.
So, I uploaded my digital photo and used Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 to add some blur. I used my smudge tool set to 50% opacity and 50% hardness to blur the area around the girl. Even though she wasn't moving much, the effect gave the photo a groovy wavy effect that made it seem like she was about to spin away any second.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Have a click-happy day!

Halloween Photo Tips

2009-10-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some Halloween photo tips:

Take photos of the characters with all of their halloween costume on and without the headdresses or masks. You'll want to be able to match the costume with the person in the years to come.

Catch kids off-guard. Children (and most adults) are more photogenic when the photo is candid.
Only use a flash if you are around three feet from a person. Otherwise they will be washed out.

Take photos of your jack-o-lantern at night with a candle inside for some great photos. Set your digital camera to night mode and use a tripod.
Take pictures of your jack-o-lantern from the inside for spooky pictures.

Top 10 Tips For Taking Halloween Pictures

2009-10-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

I just found a great article over at Kodak Gallery called Top Ten Tips for Taking Halloween Pictures.
I particularly loved the tips for how to make a person look like a ghost in a picture. To do it, you basically set your camera exposure to eight seconds and have the person move out of the way at five seconds. Of course, this will take a tripod and a camera that can be set to manual mode. Here are some examples of my ghost pictures.

Check back tomorrow for one of my own Halloween photo tips!

Food Photography Tips

2009-10-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

As well as being a photographer, I am also a writer. A lot of my articles are about food and I usually need photos of the the food to accompany the article. So, I've developed some cheap photography gear and techniques that I can use in my kitchen for food photography.

First, set up a make-sift light box by putting a sheet of white foam core under your dish and behind the dish. Make sure the seams are lined up well to prevent lines in the photo.
If possible, scoot your food far enough away from the background so that you don't get shadows.
Avoid using your flash. If you have to use your flash, back up so that it doesn't wash out the colors of the food.
Use a simple plate or dish. You don't want to distract from the beauty of the food.
Get as close to the food as you can.

Photographing Glass Tips

2009-10-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted a blog about how I photograph glass that is lit from the bottom. Here are some tips for fantastic glass photographs:

Add colored water to clear bottles, jars, vases or cups to get an interesting effect.
Photograph glass by standing above it to get the shape of the glass item without a halo.

To get a halo, photograph glass straight-on.
Hold a black sheet of paper behind the glass item so that the background will be black in the photo.
Lay the glass item on its side, turn it upside down and photograph it from underneath for interesting effects.

How to Photograph Glass with Homemade Photography Gear

2009-10-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Love to make free photography gear? Then I found an article that you are going to love over at the Digital Photography School website. 4 DIY Photography Hacks You Can Do With Boxes gives you four ways to use a simple cardboard box as free photography gear.
My favorite part of the article was using a box to light glass from underneath. Pure genius! Of course, I had to try it.

I took a cardboard box and turned it upside down over a small lamp.
Then, I cut a hole in the top of the box.
I cut a hole in a piece of black felt and set it on top of the box.
The bottle was filled with colored water and placed over the light hole in the box and the felt.

Photographing the bottle from above gave me the best results.

Using Digital Pictures for Fine Art

2009-10-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

I love to create collage art with my favorite photos. The one on the left was done with a really bad picture I took of my daughter.
Everyone has photographs just laying around waiting to become fine art. Here is how to take a bad picture and turn into into painted collage art.

Selling Your Photos

2009-09-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy. I just sold my first photo t-shirt. Sure, I've sold my photos before, but this feels different.
Selling your photos on merchandise kind-of makes you feel like Ed Hardy or some other famous fashion designer. I know I'm far away from that, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?
Okay, so you may be wondering how I did it so that you can sell your own photo merchandise. Well, I found this neat online store where you upload your images, turn them into t-shirts, hats, stickers and more for free. They give you an online store and create the products. It's simple and all you have to do is give them a cut of the profits when something sells.
The place is called Zazzle.com. Here is a link to my store on Zazzle.com if you'd like to see my stuff or click this link to go straight to the site to make your own account: