Arturo Alvarez Demalde
Focus In On The Eyes:
When shooting a portrait, you want to make sure that the eyes of the subject are clear and fully in-focus. While a little bit of blur at certain spots might be acceptable, blurred-out eyeballs will not make for a pleasing picture. This is especially important when doing a portrait job for a client because they will not be happy when you show them the final result. You can avoid this common problem by setting your camera’s autofocus point to a spot right over one of your subject’s eyes.
Child Photography:
Getting good pictures of children can be one of the most challenging feats that a photographer can attempt. Especially in the case of babies, they tend to be uncooperative and easily scared. One person who knows a lot about photographing children is Ava Taylor, head of Ava Taylor Adoption. She uses several tricks to make this process easier, and one of them is the total avoidance of flash. By using good lighting, and by using reflectors to direct light in the desired places, a photographer can keep from having to use a flash which will often startle the child and ruin the picture. Ava Taylor adoption specializes in child/baby photography, so you can bet that she knows her stuff. On a side note, it is also a good idea to photograph small children early in the morning or immediately after feeding, as this is when they tend to be the most alert.
Make Use Of Photoshop:
Knowing what kind of camera, lenses, filters and such is a very important part of the photography game, but there is another tool that can help you a lot. That tool is photoshop. Using this software, you can correct a lot of simple mistakes that may occur in any photo session. You can also apply special effects if desired. You can tint the picture with a certain color, brighten it up, darken it, or crop out unnecessary portions. For those who cannot afford photoshop, there is an equivalent called GIMP (only available for Linux systems). GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulator Program) is a little harder to use, but it’s also free. Evaluate your budget and decide accordingly.
Consider The Use Of Candles:
The use of candles can be a good way to capture a certain atmosphere in any photo. Maybe you’re going for an old-timey retro look, or maybe you like the visual effect of the shadows cast by the candles, or maybe you just happen to be photographing a setting in which candles are used such as a birthday party or religious service. In any case, you will need to set your equipment up properly to avoid problems. Your ISO will need to be set to at least 1600, and you will need a large aperture. You should also make sure to use a camera with a high shutter speed so that the normal movement of the flames and shadows do not end up as an ugly and unprofessional-looking blur.
Use Reflectors:
If you don’t own or don’t want to use a studio lighting set, there are ways that you can take advantage of natural light to create photographs that are just as pleasing as any taken in a studio. The trick is to take photos close to a window and use reflectors (either white or silver, it doesn’t really matter) to direct the light onto the subject of the photo. Why spend a fortune on lighting and special bulbs when you can just use the sun?
Use It Like A Shotgun:
Use burst mode and take a bunch of pictures when doing group portraits. If you simply take one or two photos, there is a good chance that at least one person will blink at the wrong moment and ruin the picture. The more you take, the better your chance of getting a perfect photo in which all subjects are looking directly at the camera with their eyes open. Here are a few other tips on group photography.
