Want to get rid of a double chin? Want your subjects to look thinner in all their photographs? Here’s a great short video on how to pose for portraits. If you’re the photographer, keep these hints in mind when shooting. Here’s a quick recap of the video:
1) Lean in to the camera, not away.
2) Turn your body slightly sideways instead of facing the camera head on.
3) If you are facing the camera directly, pull your arms away from your body.
And don’t forget to smile!
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Infrared simply means near the outside the visible spectrum on the red end. It senses the reflected heat given off by the picture you’re taking. If you’re taking a landscape with people or animals in it, the landscape would be “feathery”and the body heat of the animals or people would be more prominent. If it’s sunny you’ll get a clearer image because more heat is reflected. Traditionally IR photography was taken with IR film loaded in the dark (try teaching that to a darkroom full of coeds), long exposures using a tripod, and tricky processing in the dark room. With the new Digital SLRs the process is faster and less cumbersome. However there is controversy on how much nuance you lose.
One thing you look for in a successful photo is the variations of tones (shades). Below is an excellent example of catching values from black to white and dynamic motion in Infrared. Using different tones pulls the eye across the page, compelling a response.
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How do you use digital photography at a special event and still enjoy yourself? Weddings used to scare me to death. I would be so anxious about getting “the perfect shot” I would run around with three cameras around my neck looking for the right light, right people, right action. Now with a digital camera, I just need extra batteries and extra memory chips… never leave home without them.
The requisite family of the bride, family of the groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, favorite aunts, uncles, flower girls and ring bearers, can all be “posed” and taken before the ceremony. The bride and groom at the altar, skipping down the aisle, and running out of the church amidst a shower of rose petals, are all action shots and need to be taken spontaneously. Take lots and lots of these…make sure you have enough memory and battery power left before the “I do’s”.
The reason I enjoy myself is that I always have my camera to my eye, snap the pic, and try to share the photo with those photographed right away. If they don’t like it, they’ll usually offer ways to make it more effective, crazy, or romantic. This involves you socially and before you know it, you’re having fun! Remember take lots and lots of intuitive pics… you’ll surprise yourself with wonderful shots that give an authentic visual of the event, as well as the warmth and character of it.
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Look ma, no ink! (This is just the coolest)
One of the problems with lightweight digital photo printers is that they run through ink like crazy. That can really add up fast if you print lots of snapshots. But the Polaroid PoGo uses ZINK technology–which stands for Zero Ink Printing Technology (cute name). Yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals are embedded right into the paper. Activated by heat, the crystals form prints without a drop of ink.
Just like the old days of “shake & bake” Polaroids, you get a decent quality photo printed out in under a minute–anywhere! Thanks to built-in bluetooth technology, you can pull this baby out of your pocket and wirelessly print 2X3 inch borderless prints of those awesome party pictures sitting on your cell phone. The device itself is smaller than a 3×5 index card and weighs only 8 ounces, which makes it one of the few truly portable photo printers on the market.
The PoGo printer comes with ten sheets of ZINK paper, but that’s not nearly enough once you open the box and start using this nifty tool. So, it’s a good idea to grab several packages when you get your printer. The sheets come out dry. They’re waterproof and smudge-proof. And the best part is you can make them sticky-backed! So you can adhere them directly into a photo album, greeting card or stick them to a business card magnet and hang them on your fridge or locker.
You can use the Polaroid PoGo with your digital camera and many cell phones. Unfortunately, it’s not compatible with all mobile devices on all networks. So, if you’re planning to print pictures from your phone, make sure it’s on the list.
The PoGo is reasonably priced under $50. Shoot, I paid $100 for my old Polaroid camera back in the 80’s. So, this gadget feels like a steal.
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There’s no mystery to macro photography… it simply means close-up photography. Fortunately most point and shoot digital cameras have macro capability built in. You can find it on the menu dial on top of the camera… you know, the dial with all the pictorial symbols, like a silhouette for portrait or A for automatic.
The joy is picking out what you consider important and capturing just that point displayed with a blurred background. What do you think is important? One cornflower in a field of winter wheat? A smudge on the back of your sneaker, hand, or windshield? You are in control! Just turn the dial to the macro image, look through the view finder to focus on the exact spot you want to capture, and click.
How is light hitting the object? I like natural light. If taking a close up of the reflection in a wine glass, you can place the glass near to a window. Be careful not to have too much light or it will destroy your image. Just play with the angle of the light by moving the glass or object around. If you are shooting a flower outside, you move around the flower.
Texture: Texture adds depth… even to a twig.
Focal point: This is your photo… the thing that will identify it as yours is what you are focusing on… the veins or the ladybug on a leaf.
Be intuitive and have fun; enjoy taking lots and lots of photos. You can expect at least one “winner” out of every 50 photos you take.
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You can find shiny surfaces everywhere–even in the London Underground. Reflection is a cool effect to play with and you can use it with any digital camera. The photo above was taken on the subway. I was trying to get a unique group picture.
Step One: Find a shiny surface that is reflecting what you want to photograph.
Step Two: Focus on one stationary point in the reflection with the subject of the picture surrounding the focal point.
Step Three: Make sure your flash is turned off, and snap the picture.
In the example above, I pointed the camera at the subway car window. The people standing by the pole were the subjects of the photo, but the pole made a strong vertical line and provided a good focal point. The naked eye registers three layers–a foreground (the window,) mid-ground (the pole and people) and background (the opposite side of the train.)
The result is a “ghost-like” image which is really nothing more than a reflection on the window of the train. It gives a layered effect where the subjects are identifiable but not concrete.
You can use this effect looking into a church window, a barber shop, water, people’s eyes, a shiny toaster, anywhere there’s a reflective surface. Clear glass works best, but give it a try with colored glass or shiny metal, too. Remember, you can always hit the delete button.
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