The Filipino Photography Biennial - Gulf

RULES ON PARTICIPATION

Who May Enter
The project is open to all Filipinos (or other nationals of Filipino lineage) who are residents of the GULF Region – UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, of any age, and all photography levels (professionals, hobbyists, amateurs, etc.)


How to Enter
• 2010’s theme is “The Gulf through the Eyes of a Filipino Photographer.”

• There are five photographic categories: Local Landscape and Architecture, Local Heritage and Culture, Pinoy Slice of Life, Fashion and Beauty (Filipino). Please see category guidelines for more information.

• Each participant may submit in any category, and up to 10 entries in total, at any time during the submission period. Each entry must comply with the aforementioned Photography Requirements.

• Submissions should be sent to: filphotobiennial@gmail.com or in a properly marked CD delivered to Illustrado’s Dubai Media City office.

• DEADLINE: Submissions should be sent to Illustrado on or before the 25th August 2010. Target launch date is Q4 2010.



Photograph Requirements
• Photographs must be in digital format. However, the photograph need not be shot with a digital camera: scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographic prints are also acceptable.


• All are requested to submit:
o August 25 Deadline - for the SELECTION PROCESS (only): JPEG, Medium resolution, 100DPI – 1 to 2MB, around A5 to A4 size

o After the selection process, qualifying photographers will be asked to urgently submit publishing grade files with the following specs: 300DPI, 30 to 40MB, jpeg format file; suitable for possible reproduction of min. A4 max. A3 size

• Submitted photographs could be from any period/date, but should be strictly “unpublished”, and may not previously have won an award in any contest. Commissioned works will not be accepted as entries.


• POST PROCESSING:
We encourage all photographers to submit “REAL” photographs and discourage over manipulation or heavily digitally altered photographs. To wit –

o Dodging, burning and color correction: Minor dodging (to brighten shadows), burning (to darken highlights) and color correction is fine. The goal is to make the photographs naturally beautiful (based on reality).
o Other effects or filters - solarization, mezzotint, duotone, etc – Discouraged as it constitutes visual gimmickry.
o Black-and-white images: Acceptable.
o Cropping: Acceptable.
o Stitched panoramas and High Dynamic Range (HDR) images: Acceptable as long as all sections or combined parts have been shot at the same time frame and therefore have a consistent look. If your entry is an HDR image, kindly indicate this in the caption.
o Specifically for beauty and fashion category – liquify, distortion, etc. - Acceptable at a certain degree and if done skillfully. The objective should be to refine the image, not to alter the subjects. Subjects/models should look natural and not radically different from reality.
o Graphic art and other composite images: Images containing graphic arts or collaged visuals (usually done to achieve a surreal or hyper-reality effect) are NOT part of this project.


Releases
• For photographs that include MODELS, the photographer is responsible for securing MODELs RELEASE. This release form should be provided to the Publisher upon submission of final selected images.

• The same applies for photographs that include works of art, like painting, sculptures, etc. Photographers should provide the necessary release and ensure that their work is not an infringement of another party’s copyright or a fraud.

• The photograph should be an ORIGINAL WORK in its entirety. By joining the project, participants confirm that all submitted photographs are their sole original work, and that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.

• Photographs submitted should be in accordance with the cultural and religious sensitivities of the region and should not contain any obscene, sexually explicit or inappropriate content. Photographers who are submitting entries should always be reminded of the cultural and religious sensitivities of the Middle East, thus photographs of nude physiques, religious symbols and blasphemous images are not allowed. Even though countries such as the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar allow some level of religious freedom, publication of Christian images are not permitted.


Selection Process
• Selection of qualified photographs will be done using a “blind selection system” where participants will not be named. Photographs will be assigned reference numbers for scoring.

• The selection process will be done in two stages:
• INITIAL SELECTION – where the selection panel will be composed of the Publisher, appointed third parties, as well as representatives from participating Filipino photography clubs.

• FINAL SELECTION - pre-production, where Publishers reserve the right to remove entries which do not meet with Publishing Standards (whether technically or contextually) or may be deemed inappropriate.

• See separate Selection Process Criteria.



License
By joining the project, all participants grant an irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to the Publisher, to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) specifically in connection with the Illustrado Filipino Photography Biennial – GULF project, in any media, including but not limited to: book publication, display at a possible exhibit, publication in Illustrado magazine or any title in connection to the promotion of the project both print and online, display in a possible website, any other distribution as Public Relations or possible advertising. The Publisher will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Usage of the photographs for purposes other than this project will be treated separately.



Limitation of Liability
By entering this project, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless the Publisher and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this project or any related activities.


Conditions
By entering this project, all participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the selection the selection panel and the Publisher is final with all matters relating to the project.


CATEGORIES & SELECTION INFO.


Category Guidelines
There are five photographic categories:

• Local Landscape and Architecture
o Photos should be taken within the region and should communicate a distinctly “local” flavor. Architecture photos could include both old/native and modern structures in the region.
o Taking photos of famous landmarks in most places is allowed, but be careful that military bases and important government buildings are not captured in the image, as this is not allowed in many cases.

• Local Heritage and Culture
o Photos should be taken within the region and should communicate a distinctly “local” flavor.

• Pinoy Slice of Life
o Photos depicting the “Pinoy way of life in the region” from a myriad of angles.
o Photos depicting a darker or negative subject can be considered. However, we would also request all photographers to provide a more balanced and uplifting view, at the same time.
o The main task of the book is to uplift the image of the Filipinos. The book is not a photojournalistic tome meant to focus on the sad issues and heart-wrenching plight of the Filipinos in the region. Although negative portrayal of the Filipinos is not disallowed, it is not encouraged.


• Fashion
o Photographs submitted in the category of fashion will not only be judged based on typical photography criteria, but also according to credibility as an actual professionally executed fashion photograph – which takes into account models (look, stance, proportions, etc.), fashion (styling, make-up, fashion story, etc.), overall fashion aesthetics.
o Models could be of any nationality. Stylists, hair and make-up artists could be of any nationality as well, but we would encourage tapping Filipino talents in the community.

• Beauty
Subjects should be Filipino or of Filipino lineage – all ages and genders.


Selection Criteria

All photographs will be assessed according to the following criteria –

• Technical criteria - Exposure Focus/sharpness, depth of field, color and/or tonal rendition, contrast, lighting

• Visual and aesthetic criteria - Framing and choice of viewpoint, background, design elements and principles, appropriate application of photographic techniques and elements, visual impact

• Content – Information, emotion, mood, feeling, denotative and connotative content, symbolism, metaphor, meaning, communication through the language of photography and visual art, the moment, relevance, subject impact

• Viewer’s response – Visual, aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, excitement, interest

• General characteristics – Originality, style, context, photographic vision, empathy, insight, validity

Gary V at 25 in Dubai

Gary Valenciano better known as “Gary V.” performing at the Dubai Aviation Club on Thursday night November 2, 2008.

Gary’s sons Paolo and Gabriel performing together with their proud father and also Yeng Constantino who won the Pinoy Dream Academy competition.

Tina Monsod - Palma visit Dubai

Tina Monzon-Palma Program Director Bantay Bata 163 ABS-CBN Foundation visit Dubai and joined in the Clean Up Drive. This event was organized by LIFPG (Lightform International Filipino Photographers Guild- Dubai) with Dubai Municipality and The Clean Up the World Organization held at Mamzar Park, joined by most of the Filipino Organization here in Dubai.

Stock Photography Part - 2

Second part of my Stock Photograhy are about all types that stock photo agency has.

But After the first part of the article regarding Stock Photography one of our friend "Arabian Josh" here in Dubai makes a comment on it" here what he say's

"as per stock photography, it does help and promote the photographer but i guess the normal problem is when someone jst grabbed the artist's work w/o due permission.."

Now to explain regarding to unautorized use of photo's from online stock agency as far I understand it is not happening since all the photo's are protected, like it has a water mark and you cannot download a big file for big printing.

Types of Stock Photography

Micro Stock-

(1) source their images almost exclusively via the Internet

2) do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists)

3) sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a royalty-free image.

Stock photography is commonly sold as either rights managed or royalty free

Royalty-free (a confusing term, this does not mean the image is "free")

Pay a one-time fee to use the image multiple times for multiple purposes (with limits).
No time limit on when you can use an image.
No one can have exclusive rights of a Royalty-free image (the photographer can sell the image as many times as he wants).

A Royalty-free image usually has a limit to how many times you can reproduce it. For example, a license might allow you to print 500,000 brochures with the purchased image. The amount of copies made is called the print run. Above that print run you are required to pay a fee per brochure, usually 1 to 3 cents. Magazines with a large print run cannot use a standard Royalty-free license and therefore they either purchase images with a Rights-managed license or have in-house photographers.

Rights-managed (sometimes called "licensed images")

Pay each time you use the image.

•There is a time limit on how long a buyer has exclusive use of an image (usually one year).
This allows the photographer to sell exclusive rights to the image again when the first buyer's time limit is up. You must choose a Rights-managed license if you want exclusive use of an image. The photographer would not be allowed to sell the image to anyone else if exclusivity is part of the license. Not all Rights-managed licenses are exclusive, that must be stipulated in the agreement.

Fee is based on such things as exclusivity, distribution, length of time used, geographic location of use.
A Rights-managed image usually allows a much larger print run per image than a Royalty-free license.

Editorial is a form of rights-managed license when there are no releases for the subjects. Since there are no releases the images cannot be used for advertising or to depict controversial subjects, only for news or educational purposes.

What is the standard Royalty free license?

To be explain on the last part of this article... To be Continued...

Stock Photography

Photography is one of my hobby and I consider it as my second profession. As time goes by on my hobby I was thinking on what should I do on all the pictures I have taken, It's now eating a lot of space in my computers hard drive and at the same time a lot of CD's and DVD's used to stock all of this.

One of my friend told me that he is doing a stock photography, as of curiosity I ask what is that, he explain it to me, and one thing I remember on what he said to me. "your picture are stock in your hard drive or CD's, DVD's and earn nothing why not put it in online Stock Photo Agency It's was stock there also but It will gain some money, its not to big but it will help you and it will also helps to depelop your skill as photographer, the best things are it is earning money while you are sleeping. So I follow what he said I search a lot of online stock photo agency and register submit photos and so on. Meaning I do what my friends told me and it works.

Now to explain what is Stock photography I do a research again and hope this will help to other people....

What is stock photography?

Stock photography is photography or imagery that is used repeatedly for commercial and non-commercial purposes. It is a cost effective method for customers to purchase high quality images, and is a great way for photographers to earn money from their collection of imagery.

Often stock images depict common situations, concepts, ideas, issues, landmarks, and people. It is very popular with designers, graphic artists, art directors, advertising agencies, and marketing professionals, in magazine ads, websites, and marketing brochures.

Instead of hiring a professional photographer to create an image, a buyer licenses an image and the photographer is paid a commission. Photo researchers can save valuable time and money by searching for stock photography through online databases. Images are delivered through direct download or email to the customer.
Stock agencies are often called image banks or photo archives, referring to the vast electronic data stored online. Images stored at an agency are licensed on behalf of the photographer or artist and the agency retains a percentage of the sale. Pricing may be set by the photographer or agency as the needs of the audience require. Prices may range from as little as $1 to thousands of dollars.

One of the first major stock photography agencies was the one founded in 1920 by H. Armstrong Roberts, which continues today under the name RobertStock.

To be Continued...

See you on the second part of Stock Photography...

Arab Journalism Awards Invites and Now Open for Submissions in 12 Categories

Press Release:

The General Secretariat of the Arab Journalism Awards today announced it is accepting entries in 12 categories for the eighth edition of the annual event. The deadline for submission to the Awards has been set to 15 January, 2009.

The region’s most coveted recognition for journalistic excellence will give away cash prizes totaling AED863,000 (US$235,000) for best works in politics, business, investigative journalism, IT, columnist, culture, sports, environment, photo-journalism, caricature, interview and children’s journalism.

Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Director, Arab Journalism Awards, said the recognition aims to acknowledge journalists who take the responsibility of portraying an accurate image of the Arab world in the region and beyond.

She added through the past seven editions, the Arab Journalism Awards have consistently endeavoured to contribute to the progress of journalism in the Arab world, while motivating media persons in the region to excel by honouring the most outstanding achievers among them. Bin Fahad said: “With every year, the Arab Journalism Awards are gaining wider recognition and appeal. Aiming to sustain, if not exceed, last year’s record participation, key members of the General Secretariat will soon embark upon a region-wide road show and visit a number of Arab countries to meet with editors, publishers, media associations and press clubs. We urge the print media to ensure active participation at the 2009 Awards that will globally spotlight the premium quality work produced by our people.”

The 8th Arab Journalism Awards will be held on 15 April, 2009 as a fitting finale to the two day annual Arab Media Forum that serves as a key platform for constructive dialogue among Arab and international media experts.

In 2007, the Awards attracted 2,609 participations from 18 Arab countries. Egypt proved to be the most prolific participant, followed by the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Canon EOS 50D

The Canon 50D is now a reality, announced as a follow up to the very popular 40D professional digital SLR. The 50D improves on that model with an all-new, faster DIGIC 4 image processor and a 15 megapixel CMOS sensor, while retaining such amenities as the 3.0-inch live view LCD display.

Canon 50D Specifications
15 megapixels

JPEG and RAW file formats

Canon EF/EF-S lens mount
DIGIC 4 Image Processor

ISO levels expandable up to 12800

3.0-inch live view LCD display

Lithium-ion battery

More Details:
canon.com

Nikon D90 - new line up for Nikon DSLR Family

UAE Price at: AED 5,999.00 body + Kit lens nikkor 18-55mm

The New Nikon D90 Key Features:

12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS imaging sensor: Coupled with Nikon's EXPEED image processing technologies and NIKKOR optics, breathtaking image fidelity is assured.

Continuous shooting as fast as 4.5 frames-per-second: Combined with fast 0.15ms power-up and split-second 65ms shooting lag, dramatic action and decisive moments are captured easily.

D-Movie Mode—Cinematic 24fps HD with sound: Record cinematic-quality movie clips at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) in Motion JPEG format, enhanced by NIKKOR interchangeable lens quality and versatility.

Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200: High signal-to-noise components and design deliver exceptional performance, even at high ISO setting.

3-inch super-density 920,000-dot color LCD monitor: High resolution, 170-degree wide-angle viewing guarantees confident image review and movie playback.

Built-in image sensor cleaning: Effective 4-frequency, ultrasonic sensor cleaning frees image degrading dust particles from the sensor's optical low pass filter.

11-point AF system with Face Priority: Consistently fast and accurate autofocus, reinforced by the Nikon Scene Recognition System, delivers razor sharpness in a wide variety of conditions.

One-button Live View: Easy to use Live View activates access to 3 contrast detection focus modes including Face Priority AF.

Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System: Nikon's renowned 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, teamed with the exclusive Scene Recognition System, evaluates images, referencing an on-board database of over 30,000 photographic scenes, for unmatched exposure accuracy.

Comprehensive exposure control: Five advanced scene modes plus Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual.

Auto Active D-Lighting: Selectable and Automatic, Active D-Lighting optimizes details within shadows and highlights, taming high-contrast situations in real time.

Durable, high precision shutter: Testing to over 100,000 cycles assures shutter life and accuracy.

In-Camera Image Editing: Creative freedom stems from exclusive in-camera image editing, featuring Fisheye effect, Straighten and Distortion Control as well as D-Lighting, Red-eye Reduction, Image Overlay, Monochrome and more.

GPS geo-tagging: GP-1 GPS unit (optional) provides automatic real-time geo-tagging.


To read the Full Specs Click Here

Digital SLR Camera Nikon D700

Nikon FX-format digital SLR – exceptional performance combined with superior mobility and functional versatility to provide serious photographers with outstanding value

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of its newest FX-format digital SLR, the Nikon D700.The D700 features an FX-format first introduced with the Nikon D3. Highly praised for its outstanding features, the D3 established a new level of professional performance in terms of overall image quality, extraordinarily low noise, ISO sensitivity range, continuous high-speed shooting, color gradation, image crispness, durability, weather-resistant operation, system versatility and more.
The new D700 incorporates an extensive array of features that boast a level of performance that is in many ways comparable to the D3. At the same time, it derives a wide range of benefits – including functionality, flexibility and operability – from the more agile D300, Nikon's flagship DX-format D-SLR.
The D700 has everything it takes to satisfy a broad spectrum of photographic needs. The 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor with a sensing area of 36.0 x 23.9 mm; a sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6400; continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second (and up to 8 fps with the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10; Nikon's exclusive 51-point AF system; Scene Recognition System for optimum autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance detection – these are but a few of the advanced capabilities of the extraordinary new D700.

My Travel to the Philippines Part 3

Understanding Depth of Field

What Is Depth of Field (DOF)?

Depth of field (DOF) is the distance wherein objects are in focus and the background are out of focus.

This is the pragmatic explanation.
To be technically correct, DOF is the zone of acceptable sharpness, the area in front of, and behind, a focused subject that appears in focus.

Circle of Confusion (COF)

Technically, only the subject in focus -- and all other objects at the same distance -- are in focus; everything else in front and behind are out of focus. How much out of focus depends on a term called the "Circle of Confusion (COF, or COC)."

Imagine we are photographing three (3) dots. They are the tiniest dots the human eye can clearly make out, and of course, we are assuming perfect 20-20 vision and ideal light condition.

So, here we have these 3 dots, arranged one behind the other (with the closest dot to the right of the middle dot, and the farthest dot to the left of the middle dot, so a camera can take a picture of all 3 dots).

Now, we focus our lens on the middle dot, which comes out in perfect focus. The two other dots also appear in focus, but peering closely at the resultant photograph, we notice, however, that the dot in front of and behind the middle dot appears as circles instead of perfect dots. I.e., technically, they are out of focus, but to our naked eyes (at a "normal" distance), they "appear" in focus.

It is this circle that we call the "Circle of Confusion." So the COF is the diameter of a dot such that when we view it with the naked eye, it appears in focus. If this circle gets past this diameter, our eyes tell us it's out of focus.

Lens manufacturers have to decide what that diameter is going to be and design their lenses accordingly to be able to resolve a dot within that COF so that it appears sharp to us.

What Affects DOF

What we really want to know as photographers is what affects DOF so we can control DOF in our pictures. For a long, long time, photographers have gone with the following three criteria:

• lens aperture
• distance from subject
• focal length

While the first two are technically correct, the third one has raised somewhat of a storm of controversy among certain circles. Why exactly, we will make clear later. Let's look at each of the three criteria in more detail.

Lens Aperture

The aperture is simply the size of the opening that allows light to go through the lens. It is expressed in f/stops (also referred to as f/value or aperture value), and a typical aperture range is f/2.8 - f/8, giving the range from maximum (large at f/2.8) to minimum (small at f/8) aperture.

A small f/value (e.g. f/2.8) indicates a large aperture.

A large f/value (e.g. f/8) indicates a small aperture.

So, f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/8.

Generally, a large aperture gives a shallow DOF, and a small aperture gives great DOF.

Putting Aperture into practice:

If you want only the subject the lens focuses on to be sharp, and everything else to be out of focus -- such as a portrait with the background nicely blurred -- then you would "open up the aperture," i.e. use a large aperture.
If you need most of your picture to be in sharp focus -- such as a landscape scene -- then you would "stop down the aperture," i.e. use a small aperture.

So go out and practice I think you can make a perfect on doing it since we are all using digital from which we can evaluate our photos instantly at no cost...

Understanding Exposures ( SLR and D SLR)

First understand this rule:

Aperture - the lower the number the bigger the opening, the bigger the number the smaller the opening.

Faster shutter speed let in less light and decrease the exposure making the image darker but reducing blur.
Smaller apertures let in less light and decrease the exposure making the image darker but increasing depth of field.

You, or the camera's automatic exposure system, control exposure using the camera's shutter speed and aperture. Both affect the exposure, the total amount of light reaching the image sensor, and so control a picture's lightness or darkness. The shutter speed controls the length of time the image sensor is exposed to light and the aperture controls the brightness of that light.

The Shutter

Shutter speeds are specified in seconds or fractions of seconds. Traditional shutter speeds are arranged so each is half as fast as the next fastest and twice as fast as the next slowest in the sequence. Changing from one speed to the next is a change of one stop and, depending on which direction you change it, doubles or halves the light reaching the image sensor.

The shutter speed is the most important control you have over how motion is captured in a photograph. The longer the shutter is open, the more likely you are to get blur from subject or camera movement. In studio photography, where the subject rarely moves and the camera is mounted on a tripod, this usually isn't an issue so you can use fast or slow shutter speeds. The only reason not to use very slow shutter speeds is that the camera may automatically increase the ISO setting. If it does (and sometimes even if it doesn't), your image will have more noise than it otherwise would and this reduces image quality. Shutter speeds typically range from about 1/2000 to as long as 8 seconds or so, and a few cameras offer a bulb setting. Bulb keeps the shutter open as long as you hold down the shutter button.

The Aperture

Aperture settings, called f-stops, indicate the size of the aperture opening inside the lens. Traditional apertures let in half as much light as the next larger opening and twice as much light as the next smaller opening. As the f-stop number gets larger (f/8 to f/11, for example), the aperture size gets smaller. This may be easier to remember if you think of the f-number as a fraction: 1/11 is less than 1/8, just as the size of the f/11 lens opening is smaller that the size of the f/8 opening.
The aperture controls depth of field-the area in a setup from foreground to background that will be sharp in a photograph . The smaller the aperture you use, the greater the area of a setup that will be sharp. For some pictures you may want a smaller aperture for maximum depth of field so that everything is sharp. In others you may use a larger aperture to decrease the depth of field so that some details are sharp against a softer background.How wide you can open the aperture depends on the len's maximum aperture its widest opening. For example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 opens wider than a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.6. Larger apertures are better when photographing in dim light and also let you get shallower depth of field. With most zoom lenses the maximum aperture changes as you zoom the lens. It will be larger when zoomed out to a wide angle, and smaller when zoomed in to enlarge a subject.
One desirable feature of a lens is a small aperture. The smallest aperture on some digital cameras is f/8 or f/11. On 35mm film cameras, it may be f/16 or even f/32. Smaller apertures let you get more depth of field and also extend the range of your lighting. If you can't use a small enough aperture, some powerful studio lights will cause your images to be overexposed and too light. Your only control then is to move the lights farther away from the setup, something that may be difficult to do in a small room and which also changes the quality of the light.

Using the Shutter and Aperture Together

You, or the camera's autoexposure system, can pair a fast shutter speed (to let in light for a short time) with a wide aperture (to let in bright light) or a slow shutter speed (long time) with a small aperture (dim light). Speaking of exposure only, it doesn't make any difference which of the combinations is used. But in other ways, it does make a difference, and it is just this difference that gives you some creative opportunities. You're always balancing camera or subject movement against depth of field. This is because a change in one causes a change in the other. Let's see why.

Each exposure setting is 1 "stop" from the next and lets in half or twice the light of the next setting. (Many digital cameras actually let you adjust settings in one-third stops for finer control.) A shutter speed of 1/60 lets in half the light that 1/30 does, and twice the light of 1/125. An aperture of f/8 lets in half the light that f/5.6 does, and twice the light of f/11. If you make the shutter speed 1 stop slower (letting in 1 stop more light), and an aperture 1 stop smaller (letting in 1 stop less light), the same amount of light enters the camera so the exposure doesn't change. However, the smaller aperture increases the depth of field slightly and the slower shutter speed increases the possibility of blur.In the studio, where neither the subject or camera is likely to move, we generally think mainly of the aperture setting because of its effect on depth of field. In aperture-priority mode, as you change apertures the camera automatically changes shutter speeds to keep the exposure constant. All you have to do with the shutter speed is keep your eye on it. If the aperture you select results in a shutter speed below 1/15 second or so, you might turn on noise reduction if your camera has that feature and it doesn't come on automatically.

Exposure Modes

To creatively use shutter speeds and apertures, you have to change the camera's exposure mode. Let's take a look at the modes you usually have access to.

Automatic or program mode - sets the shutter speed and aperture without your intervention. This mode allows you to shoot without paying attention to settings so you can concentrate on composition and focus. For many studio setups, this mode works very well.
Scene mode has settings designed for specific situations such as landscapes, sports, and macro photography. In desktop photography, the only one of these settings you will be interested in is the macro setting.

Aperture-priority mode - is the most useful mode in studio photography. It lets you select the aperture (lens opening) you need to obtain the depth of field you want and the exposure system automatically sets the shutter speed to give you a good exposure. You select this mode whenever depth of field is most important, as it often is in desktop photography. To be sure everything is sharp, select a small aperture. To throw the background or some other part of the setup out of focus, select a large aperture.

Shutter-priority mode - lets you choose the shutter speed you need to freeze or deliberately blur camera or subject movement and the camera automatically sets the aperture to give you a good exposure. You select this mode when the portrayal of motion is most important. In digital desktop photography where the camera is mounted on a tripod and the subject usually isn't moving, this mode isn't of much importance.

Manual mode - lets you select both the shutter speed and the aperture. You normally use this mode only when the other modes or exposure compensation can't give you the results you want-as when you are using strobes. However, this mode has one big advantage over the other modes. As you move or rotate a subject, the camera's exposure doesn't change as the reflectivity of the subject changes. This means background exposure will remain constant through a series of pictures. This is very important when doing object photography or photographing any series where images will be shown together.

Tips for Portrait Photography & Posing

The portrait market demand reaches enormous levels especially when the requirement is almost every household across the globe in every civilized country. Think about this from another angle - you could target every building and what is more exciting is that repeat business is almost incalculable. Parents love to have family portraits but some like to have it done annually as the children grow. Then they most often like to have a portrait of each child in addition to that. The opportunities become endless.

When it comes to portrait digital photography and photography poses or shall we say, posing for portrait photography, there are many differentials and some of them aren’t obvious. It’s true that while your active organising portrait photography posing with your subject that many new posing ideas will come to mind but you will still need to know the rudimentary basics. Any studio posing will require posing techniques which will vary from posing the female model, baby portrait poses, family portrait poses, wedding photography poses, and even senior portrait poses. They all vary in their portrait pose requirements.

Photography poses are very strenuous on the model or subject as well and there is usually a photography posing guide or a model posing guide that can help your understanding with these areas. Fatigue and restlessness must be considered at long shoots for instance while models are posing for portraits. I recently saw an article that was a guide to posing the female body; however it was too focussed on the one aspect and left little room for photography posing of other types.

The rest of this article offers some posing tips for a photography pose in general and is compiled to stimulate your interest in portrait posing because once you have the basics, your portrait posing skills will compound with each new sitting. To photograph a pose and make it look natural and interesting is what your goal should be with posing. Remember not to treat portrait poses lightly and you will get much better at this skill in a short space of time.

Portrait photography is also a photography business that can be initiated from home. Often only requiring modest photography equipment , you’ll only need several pieces of cloth (backdrop), a camera, some good lenses, two or maybe three lights and let’s not forget the tripod. In addition to the equipment being modest by any ones standards, it is all reasonably lightweight and easy to handle should you need to work outdoors.

The most important rule to remember is that it is a portrait, not necessarily of just the head, but the person, or group is the focal part of the picture, so it is important to take the photograph without any extraneous clutter. Because you will always be dealing with people with whom you have to maintain control, not as a tyrant, but you have to guide your subjects. Therefore a certain degree of self-confidence is necessary. If you are taking a formal portrait of a group of children it is necessary for you as the photographer to ensure that none of the children are making faces.

This brings us to posing. Many photographers underate this essential requirement because posing will make or break your portraiture. There is much value in learning to guide people through various poses. Posing has an ongoing education requirement depending on age, gender, culture, promotion, product, and emotion needed for each piece of art etc. It is such an important and extensive subject that I’ve provided you with this downloadable guide which I think you should take seriously - Make Camera Friendly Posing Happen!

When you have signed up a person for a photographic portrait take a few extra shots, and offer them as wallet or purse photographs at a smaller fee. You already have started the business, capitalise on it, few people can resist the feeling that they have got “something for nothing”. This may seem a waste of time; they can be important additives for your portfolio.

Portrait photography has undergone many changes of style since the introduction of the formal portrait. The modern emphasis is to bring out each individual’s personality. Top glamour models are paid enormous fees to express a distinctive personality, but to bring that aspect forward in your subject is as much about people skills as camera techniques. It is imperative to be able to create a rapport with your subject to bring out the expressions that display their personality. Anyone over the age of two can pose for the camera, with a vacuous expression, but the secret of saleable portrait photography is capturing more than the pose. To be a really good portrait photographer you have to be able to connect with people, if you have not got these skills, then it is better that you concentrate on some other type of photography-perhaps underwater photography if you want to be more active and adventurous

If you want to flatter your subject, you’ll probably want to minimize their nose. Stand about twelve feet from your subject, so that their nose isn’t significantly closer to you than the rest of the face. However, at such a large distance from the camera, if you want to fill the frame with just your subject’s face, then you need a high magnification lens. Typical “portrait” lenses are therefore between 90 and 135 millimeters long when you are using a 35mm camera.

Whilst a lot of portrait photography is completed inside a studio, the prospect of natural light can be very flattering. This can be achieved inside by positioning your subject in front of a window. Environmental portraiture presents different challenges. These portraits are best enlarged, otherwise the subject’s face gets lost in the background. Slow film and the use of a tripod; help to keep your images sharp. There are a number of professional photographers who argue that a portrait is not shown to it’s best advantage when it is clinically sharp and they use a filter, but with modern digital cameras, you can make an adjustment in Photoshop at a later time. However if you are using a digital camera you will achieve the best results with a camera with a true single lens reflex.

Natural light or umbrella lighting can achieve soft lighting; both of these reduce shadows and show the face in a “better more attractive light”. However there is another type of portrait photography, which is high impact photography. This is a very dramatic type of portrait photography, which uses very strong light with a high contrast of tonal color. This technique is more effective indoors, as it is achieved by controlling light, and there is too much light to control out of doors. Position your subject at different angles to the light, from one side, or from underneath. This lengthens the shadows, rather than muting them, and gives a distinctly dramatic effect. You can achieve this in varying degrees, but if the light source is placed at 90 degrees to the face, it will throw the whole of the opposite side of the face in shadow. If you are using a digital camera you can also manipulate the contrast later to achieve a more dramatic effect.

Camera Lens (Important parts of the Camera)

As far is camera is concerned from my last post What is the Best Camera or Digital Camera to Buy" I think it is time for us now to look after the Lenses.

What is Lens? Lens is the most important part of the camera, yes it is!!! because without this you cannot capture good photos. Just for an example, Imagine a person without sunglasses with 450/450 or more of eye grade, how they see images. (Note: All Lens Images are from Nikon)


Let talk about lens basic.

Cost and Quality
Camera lenses cost from a few pence to tens of thousands of dollars, yes some lenses are more expensive than camera , but all do basically the same job of making an image on the film or sensor. You can even take pictures without a lens using a pinhole camera. Some high-budget advertising campaigns have been shot this way, using large sheet film, giving results you would never guess came from a pinhole (in some cases the client didn't either.) At least one photographer has won an advertising award with an image literally taken using the bottom from a bottle. If you have the creativity you can work in many different ways. However in general, expensive lenses are likely to produce higher quality results.

Most of us use lenses made for photographic use, either on cameras with a fixed lens or with those that take interchangeable lenses.

Many pros will have spent several times as much on lenses as they have on the camera. But even the cheapest lenses on disposable cameras can produce good pictures.

Prime Lenses and Zooms

Photographic lenses come in two main types: fixed focal length (prime lenses) and zooms. Zoom lenses let you alter the focal length - and thus the angle of view that the picture takes in - while remaining focussed at the same distance.

Focal length

The focal length of a simple lens is the distance from its centre to the sharp image it gives of a distant object. This and the film size determines the angle of view that the lens gives on film (or sensor.) With a SLR camera (Single Lens Reflex) the viewfinder image is also created by the lens and will change according to the focal length of the lens in use. Non-SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses may show different white light frames for the different lenses.

Wide Angle Lenses

Short focal lengths compared to the sensor give a wide angle of view and are usually called wide-angle lenses. On 35mm cameras, any lens of 35mm or less is a wide angle lens, with those of around 24mm or less being called ultra-wide.

Standard Lenses

Lenses with a focal length around the same size as the sensor diagonal give a moderate angle of view and are called standard lenses. On 35mm cameras these are between 40mm and 55 mm.

Telephoto Lenses

Those lenses with a long focal length give a narrow angle of view. In the early days of photography they were known as long focus lenses. Lens designers soon started to use a trick called telephoto design to make these lenses shorter, and we now call all long focus lenses 'telephoto lenses' - most but not all are. Short telephoto lenses - around 70-105mm focal length for 35mm - are sometimes called portrait lenses, as they are great for 'head and shoulders' pictures. 200mm is probably the most common length for a telephoto now, with birders and some sports photographers favouring much longer glass - perhaps 400 to 600mm

35mm equivalents

35mm cameras dominated photography from the 1960s to the turn of the century and many photographers still think of focal lengths in terms of their equivalents on the 35mm format. So a 7.6mm focal length lens on a consumer digital camera may be referred to as a '39mm equivalent' - in other words it gives the same angle of view as a 39mm lens would give on the 35mm format.

Zoom lenses

A zoom lens can have different focal lengths, usually with a ring (or less commonly a slide) to move to alter the focal length. They are designed to keep in focus when the focal length is changed. When zoom lenses became popular in the 1970s, they were all telephoto lenses, often covering the range 70-210mm; some people still assume that zoom lenses are telephotos. My favourite zoom is a 12-24mm wide-angle, and there are some zooms that go from wide-angle to telephoto.

With smaller formats it is much easier to design zoom lenses with an extreme range. Zooms for 35mm are normally limited to a ratio of longest to shortest focal length of about 3:1, while for consumer digital cameras, 6:1 is not unusual

Zoom or Prime Lens?

Generally affordable zoom lenses have smaller maximum apertures than most fixed focal length lenses.

Prime lenses are generally lighter than zoom lenses, but a zoom lens will possibly replace two or three prime lenses, and be lighter, cheaper and less bulky than three lenses.

Prime lenses usually have less distortion than zoom lenses.

When photographing a rectangular subject, the image almost always will either bulge slightly out in the middle giving a barrel effect, or slightly in, resembling a pincushion. Lenses with 'good drawing' are those that have low distortion. The effects of distortion are usually only noticeable with subjects with straight lines - such as most buildings, seldom with portraits etc.

Composition is Essential in Photography

Photography Composition' is something of a dirty word in some photographic circles, because of the way that certain rules used to be raised to the status of a religion, and a picture which did not follow the Rules of Photography Composition was automatically disregarded by the self-appointed pundits in the camera clubs and photo magazines. Even so, the old 'rules' (the Rule of Third) are excellent general guidelines, though you should never be afraid to break them if you can get a better picture that way.

Composition is all about how you arrange the elements of the scene in front of you. While you can't move the landscape, you will still have plenty of opportunities for perfecting your composition.

For a subject to be strong enough to be worth photographing, the relationship of its forms must be rigorously established. Photography composition starts when you situate your camera in space in relation to the object. For me, photography is the exploration in reality of the rhythm of surfaces, lines, or values; the eye carves out its subject, and the camera has only to do its work. That work is simply to print the eye’s decision on film. -Henri Cartier-Bresson



The best advice I can give is to use your feet. Get out there and walk around your chosen area to see how the elements within the landscape work together. Change your viewpoint - don't stick to the 'standard' eyeball-height view (everyone does this), so get down on the ground or get up to a height and use uncommon viewpoints to see if these perspectives can improve a scene. Take a look at the tips on landscape photography for more ideas. Photography composition is more art than science, although using scientific principles will get you better results, but you need to go beyond that. A book like Photography: The Art Of Composition will help increase your artistic proficiency while still keeping you grounded in the science.

Always take your time while composing a photograph. While changing light conditions can mean you need to work fast, I find that using a tripod slows things down and means that I have to think about what I'm photographing and the composition I'm trying to achieve rather than quickly snapping a scene in the hopes it'll turn out well when I look at it at home. Since I use a tripod, I'm more likely to go to a greater effort in getting a good photo to reward the time I've put into setting up the shot. If your exposures are going to be long, a tripod will ensure your photos are as sharp as possible.

Architectural Photography

Architectural photography is amazing. A single image can take hours to set up, then hours to shoot. The photographer is trying to match what they eye sees and what the architect envisioned when he/she designed the lighting.

Interior

Each set of lights gets its own exposure and must be balanced for color. On film that requires a lot of testing and calculations. Experience really comes into play. Imagine testing exposure via light meter and Polaroid for each set of lights, one at a time, knowing what the color temperature is of each, and what filtration and filter factor for each. Oh, and add in reciprocity issues, because exposures can last for seconds up to an hour. Then try to bracket all that onto several sheets of film. It’s not unusual for one image to take an entire night to make

Architecture has many attractions for the new photographer. Buildings don't usually move much, are generally fairly easy to find and will seldom complain when you try to take a picture - or at the results. However it's main attraction has to be an interest in the built environment. We all live in buldings, most of us work in them, see them every day.

Exterior

Despite this, buildings are difficult to photograph well, presenting a number of challenges that make life interesting for the photographer. It is often very hard to produce exciting images that make your work stand out from other people.
Technically it can also be a demanding area. Professional photographers of architecture usually work with medium or large-format cameras, producing work of high technical quality. With a 35mm camera you cannot hope to equal this, but you can certainly produce respectable images, and may well have the advantage of a wider choice of focal lengths giving more precise framing.

Outdoor

This feature will look at the subject for people with an interest in photographing buildings using ordinary photo equipment, whether film or digital. However it will at times mention the increased potential of professional equipment.

Silhouette Photography

What is a Silhouette?

A silhouette is a classic and dramatic photographic technique. By isolating the outline of a subject while eliminating detail, a silhouette places tremendous emphasis on shape and contrast. It's not only popular for portrait photography, but also landscapes and nature photography. While traditional SLR cameras made the process of creating a silhouetted shot a matter of manual exposure adjustment, the automatic nature of digital cameras makes achieving this effect more difficult. However, it's not impossible to shoot silhouettes with your digital camera if you follow a few simple guidelines.

In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark against a light background. More specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background. This is an artistic outcome that many photographers like to perfect. This effect can be achieved with any kind of bright light source, but of course the most commonly used is the sun around sunrise or sunset. The backlighting from the sun shadows everything towards you and produces this effect.

Silhouette Techniques
When you are getting ready to take your silhouette pictures, there are a couple things to keep in mind. These tips work for both digital and film photography. Make sure you never point the lens directly at the sun. If there is too much light, the light will fall on your object. If there is not enough light, your background will become gray. The main key to silhouette lighting is having your background lighter than your object, but this can be done in more ways then one. Many photographers focus on a certain time of day, where their subject is, what kind of weather there is, and where the sun positioned in the frame. See above image...

Other Options

There are quite a few more options to tweak your camera to get a silhouette just right, but they depend of the capacity of your camera. Some cameras offer a specific picture mode that adjusts your camera to take a silhouette. Others offer manual control over your exposure system that can help get the right shot. When setting these manual controls, keep in mind that a good silhouette comes from a fast shutter speed, a slower aperture, negative exposure compensation, and a higher film speed. It's hard to recommend exact settings for the wide range of scenes you'll find yourself in when shooting silhouettes, but take advantage of every feature your camera has and find out which setting works best for you.

Silhouette Shooting Style
It's digital, so shoot away! Take as many shots as you have memory to give you the widest range of shots to choose from. Experiment with different exposure settings -- you can always check the EXIF data later to see what the settings were when you captured that perfect silhouette. Try changing your point of view or rearranging your subject to emphasize the most identifiable features. Remember that your LCD preview screen is your best friend in situations like these -- no more waiting until your film gets processed to see your results. This digital camera standard feature is the best way to make sure you got the correct shot while you're still at the scene. And, as always, it's a good idea to use a tripod to minimize camera vibrations and ensure that your subject's edges are distinct.

True to form

The use of silhouettes is a great technique for creating mood and emphasizing line. Hopefully, this article has shown you that shooting silhouettes doesn't have to be difficult. By playing a few tricks on your camera, you can create stunning silhouettes of your own.

But all of these, keep in mind the number one Rule in Photography, "the Rule of Third"...

What is The Rule of Third?

The Rule of Thirds is a guideline that photographers use to help them compose, center and frame their photographs. According to the rule of thirds, a frame can be divided into nine equal sections by dividing the space with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Framing the center, the lines will produce four corners points, known as “power points” .

A photographer should then orient the central focus of his picture at or in the middle of any of these four power points. The effect of the resulting picture will change depending on where the subject is placed. If the subject is located at one of the top corners, the image will take on a stronger, more imposing tone. Conversely, an image centering on either of the bottom two power points will appear more demure, mysterious and secretive.

The image can also be located in the direct center of all four power points. If this is the case, the final picture will appear more balanced and direct.

By applying and manipulating the rule of thirds, a photographer can make his photos more artistic, adding a remarkable degree of dynamism and dimension.