Photography - Breaking Into The Business

So you want to be a photographer. Well, you've got a long road ahead of you. Photography is one of the most competitive fields in the world. It doesn't matter where you live or what language you speak. Anyone with a camera can be a photographer, which makes the competition fierce. So if photography is something you have your heart set on doing, then there are a few things you're going to need to know. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will give you a start.

The first thing you absolutely must do is decide what field of photography you want to get into. There is fashion photography, sports photography, glamour photography, studio photography, outdoor photography, children's photography and the list goes on and on. The market for each of these and many other types is wide open. And with those wide open markets also comes a lot of competition. Deciding on which field you want to get into should not be based on the path of least resistance. There is no such thing. Pursue the path that you have the most passion for.

The next thing you have to do is get all the equipment that you're going to need. This is going to vary depending on what kind of field you want to get into. For example, if you're planning to become a photographer who specializes in stock car racing, then you are going to need a lot of equipment for taking high speed photos. The good news is that you're not going to have to spend a lot of money on lighting since these photos will be taken outdoors. Conversely, if you're planning to photograph fashion models, lighting is going to be critical to your photos and your lighting equipment expense is going to be quite high.

The next thing you're going to need to do is advertise. You'll have to print out business cards, take out ads in magazines and newspapers and more or less get the word out that you exist. If you're hoping to break into the field taking photos for a magazine like Playboy, then you're going to have to first get some private work photographing models in order to submit these photos to the magazine itself. Before you do that though, you're going to have to write to the magazine for permission to send photos. Most publications do not accept unsolicited material.

If you're planning on opening up a studio to take children's photos then you're going to need to lease a building. It doesn't have to be anything large but it should be in a visible part of town with a lot of other businesses. Visibility is half the battle won.

Finally, you're going to have to take lots of photos, especially if you want to build a reputation for yourself. You'll want to put together a portfolio of your work so that you can bring it around with you. Again, this is going to depend on what field you want to get into, whether it be freelancing for a magazine, setting up your own shop, or working for somebody else, which is usually a good way to break in.

The world of photography is wide open. There are many options to each aspiring photographer. So pick a game plan and stick to it. With patience and perseverance, you'll eventually get to where you want to be.

Taking Cameras And Film On Planes With Ease

Just about everything having to do with flying on any commercial airline has changed in recent years. There's no exception, whether you're taking your film camera on a once in a lifetime vacation or you're a photojournalist scheduled to cover an assignment. You can still take your camera and film on the airplane, but you need to take certain precautions to protect your film.

You can fly with many kinds of cameras. Both film and digital, disposable cameras, video cameras, and cell phone cameras are all allowed on flights. The film, on the other hand poses the problem. If you pack undeveloped film in your checked luggage, the high intensity screening equipment will destroy your film. Only carry undeveloped film in your carry-on camera bag.

When packing for your trip, have all your undeveloped film in a large plastic bag, if possible. Request ahead of time to have your film hand-inspected, and not run through the security scanner. Also, store your camera in your carry-on bag with all film removed, so it's not destroyed when run through the scanner. Currently, your digital camera memory cards, memory sticks and other digital storage devices appear to be safe to be shipped in your checked luggage or run through the carry-on luggage scanner. Being prepared before arriving at the airport helps speed up the process when you get to the security check area.

Exposed film or processed film won't be damaged by the baggage scanning machines. As long as you pack them so they won't get crushed or damaged, they should come through a flight with no problems. Just place the exposed film back in the canisters they came in and pack it safely in your suitcase or camera bag, if you're taking along a large bag that is sturdy enough to check.

Checked baggage can take a lot of abuse and has been known to not reach it's destination. Many photographers elect to pack their camera equipment in their camera bags and use them as a carry-on to ensure their safety. To make room for extra film, if needed, wear your camera on the strap around your neck. If you do have to pack your equipment in your checked baggage, always take at least take some equipment with you in your carry-on. Then if your luggage is lost or stolen, you'll still be able to get those irreplaceable vacation photographs or that shot that will put you on the cover of a major magazine.

Face Painting Books

Face painting books and eBooks are useful reading resources for face painting enthusiasts. These are categorized for beginners and the professionals who need to expand their face paint craft with special effects.

Why Read Books for Painting Faces?

Do you love face-paint, and painting your children but want more tips to improve your artistic skill? Face paint books, such as easy guides to paint well-loved designs include the butterfly, pirate, and tiger look. This is a simple step-by-step guide that shows you how to work the paint and make accessories for well put-together look and it is fun to do the job yourself.

Even if you are not much of an artist with pencil or brush, the books can help you create the face you want. Of course, do not expect to be a Leonardo da Vinci overnight but the book can develop your skill in painting faces. You can start also with Cheek Art, a very easy guide to paint cheeks and progress to animal faces and illusions. Cheek Art teaches you how to paint flowers, hearts, spider's web, dolphins, swords, and fake wounds on children's cheeks and these designs are all adored by children.

With the availability of face paint books from several experts, it is now possible to start learning how to do painting correctly with the right face paint kits. Children can also learn face painting with books geared for children. The books do not waste too much time expounding theories but concentrate on teaching how face painting is done with simple instructions.

Advantages

A book will contain simple how-to guides for 30 or more different designs created by face paint artists. There are also clear photography and instructions, a bonus for those who want to see the completed face art. Apart from the instructions, there are tips used by professionals to make your work better, maybe even beyond your wildest expectations.

The face paint books are softbound or have wire spiral binding and may be sized A4 or A5 with gloss paper and gloss laminate covers. These books can be ordered online or bought from art shops. These are easy on the pocket; hence, it is a pleasure to collect them. The local library is also a good source for these books but there is nothing that beats owning these books.

Learning the craft and perfecting it has its rewards too. You can host face-paint parties or hire out your services to schools and families who want the best face painting for parties, Halloween, and themed-parties.

Places to Host and Share Your Photographs Online While Learning Photography

For the budding photographer yet to showcase their talents and abilities, it's best to choose hosting sites by comparing them for their features and drawbacks. There are many leading photography hosting sites that are widely popular among its users, and several have already shown great promise with additional plug-ins and applications designed for ease of use. Of course, the "right hosting site" is greatly dependent on your needs and requirements. Learning photography makes one want to explore and utilize one or more of the many options available.

PhotoBlogs

If you're a blogger-photographer who wants to share your stories, WordPress is the right venue for you since it can host many images through a blog interface. Share your thoughts, stories, and your stream of photos in a blog-like fashion. Other photography enthusiasts can comment on your posts as soon as you publish them.

Facebook

As a leading social networking site, Facebook has introduced its new timeline layout where you can upload a cover photo on your heading, and photo albums can be organized with tagging features, so friends and other contacts can view them within minutes after uploading. Sharing your favorite photos has been made easier through drag and drop album organization and enlarged photos on each timeline page. And because the number of users of Facebook is very large, it is also a great place to show off or advertise your photography services, if you offer them.

Photobucket

Snap happy people are known to have regular Photobucket accounts. To engage its photography community, regular competitions and cool prizes are made available by its administrators and from major sponsors. Photobucket is one of the leading image sharing sites which features top categories with unique perspectives for hobbyist and professionals. Group albums is a feature where members can upload images and videos in a safe and secure method. Photos have direct links which is easier for non-members to view your photographs without the need to create an account. Unlike other social networking platforms, photos can't be viewed once a user is logged out or if they do not have an account with the site.

Flicker

Flicker offers unlimited photo hosting, so you may wish to upload as many as you want in your account. However, it does not have many advanced features. It does have options for creating prints and personalizing them. It is a simple site which is made to be very easy to use. Its help and support system is reliable according to many regular users.

Picasa

A special feature for Picasa is that modifications, effects and other treatments can be made on your favorite photos and saved simultaneously as Picasa saves the original file for you. So if there are changes or effects you are unhappy about, the original photo is always there. Choose from posterized effect, charcoal, oil paints and more. Picasa enables you to play around and tickle your creative side.

Zen Folio

Zen Folio is a special photography hosting platform where you can upload and organize your photos in albums within your own site. It is particularly user friendly and fun to use. However, it lacks a special photo book application where you can print or publish your photos directly from your albums. This means you have to design a layout for your photos manually through a separate program.

Slick Pic

Slick Pic is making a name in the photo hosting roster because its editors are online and are ready to provide assistance for photo enhancement. As a plus, it offers unlimited photo and video sharing. You can create professional photo galleries in less than hour. Its privacy options are reputedly unequaled, that's what you get for paid service although you have the option to start for free.

Conclusion

Deciding on which photo sharing site best suites your needs, now that you have an overview on the top image hosting sites, still may not be an easy task. But have fun exploring! Plus in order to get noticed as a photography enthusiast, it's not really the site that matters but the creativity and perspective in your images.

Go ahead and share your photographs!

Your Stress-Management Education Course in an Article

Education is different things to different individuals. While the whole world is focused on traditional education, I believe that the best education is self-study, and independent study, if one really wants to get a true grip on life. Yes, I promote and agree that everyone needs a high school and a college education, but it is my true belief also that these traditional educations must be supplemented with life education, with experience, and with on-the-job training wherever possible. If you are interested in advancing in any particular field and interested in having the best life you can have for yourself, then you will live and grow with the idea that your education is never finished. Yes, you hear correctly. For you, the successful individual, your education is never finished.

And it is always growing according to your outside environment and your inside attitude, personality, dreams, wishes, hopes and goals. And that all put together is your wholesome education. You will, without a doubt learn your most valuable lessons, not in a classroom, but in life, outdoors with people, while you are surrounded with the real world. That is and should be some of your most prized possessions when it comes to having a real education.

So, what is your extra education? What is necessary beyond those four walls and many buildings of high schools and colleges? The rest of your education consists of going to Broadway plays, of meeting new people in your own cities and in the rest of the USA or the world as you travel throughout your life. Some of your extra education will be in observing people and seeing how they live and knowing that the way you live is only one way and that there are millions of other ways to live a life and most of them are successful. The rest of your education consists of listening to great music, seeing great art, talking with great individuals. The rest of your education consists of reading not books but entire libraries of books, one book at a time, one day at a time.

And I think one of the most vital parts of your education is knowing that the news of the day will only serve to depress you. So to force your education to go in a most positive direction and to add joy and clarity to your life, to be your most successful person listen to the news (if you need to do that) only in the midday part of your day, not in the morning and not in the evening. Why ? The reason to refrain from news-bites early in the morning is because you do not want to bring all the bad news with you as you begin your day, and the reason to refrain from the news in the evening is because you do not want ot bring the bad news to sleep with you at the end of the day. Cover your world with good, positive blessings and thoughts as you begin your day and fill your pre-sleep hours with great positive, soothing thoughts and you will be your best you.

You should check out NYI for photography if you are interested in that particular field.

Now that is truly a grand education. Article updated on July 20,2008

Online Photography Courses - Luminance Meters

For those that wish to take their photography to the next level, an off camera light meter will be required at some point. The in-camera light meters are fairly sophisticated these days, but you are still locked into the camera body with many limitations. Professional photographers - both studio and onsite - use specialist light meters that are more suitable for their work.

The following article deals with the terminology you will come across when researching light meters, measurement and conditions.

definition:a device that measures the light available and has a computer that calculates an exposure based on light intensity and film speed or ISO.

There are two styles of light meters:

1. Incident

An incident meter measures light falling on the subject before the camera. This meter is hand held and is separate from the camera.

2. Reflected

This meter measures light reflected from the subject. This meter may also be hand held and is often an integral part of the camera.

Many light meters on the market today offer both systems in a single light meter. You can also purchase professional specialist meters in one unit.

Interpreting Light (definitions)

1. Pre-visualization

Pre-visualisation is the act of observing a scene with the physical eye and seeing in the mind's eye how a medium can render the subject.

This may be aligned to the photographer's creativity.

2. Zone

A 'Zone' is a visual unit of measurement for luminance. It is arrived at by altering the standard exposure of a light meter by one stop more or one stop less.

3. Luminance Meters

Luminance meters are useful for pre-visualisation, they measure light reflected from surfaces and carry various scales by which exposures are indicated.

4. Value Scale

The term 'value' refers to the degree of lightness and darkness of a colour. In a photographic print the display of greys or values is known as the scale.

To aid pre-visualisation the continuous value scale is arbitrarily divided into nine steps.

5. Value Rendering

The term rendering is used rather than recording because photographs are generally gross approximations of the actual values found in the originals.

Rendering suggests that there may be a choice among possibilities of interpretations. Value rendering is planned and pre-visualised in tones.

6. Zone System

With pre-visualisation and value rendering, a system is developed to allow the photographer to:

1. Translate subject values into print values.

2. Resolve problems to provide the best photographic interpretation of a real object.

3. In viewing and processing, complete image plans before an exposure is made.

Inspiring Thomas Edison Quotes On How To Become Successful

When we are young we always dream of becoming a successful doctor, a successful lawyer, or a successful teacher. Notice these dream professions are always preceded by the word successful. But how can we really get that success that we want to achieve. The phrases that we have to live by to obtain success are; be courageous in facing all the challenges that will block your way, have faith in yourself that you can do anything, and go forward to reach your dreams. There are only a few steps that we follow to get the formula of success. Here are few of the things that we can do to be successful in every venture. We can be inspired by a Thomas Edison quote in becoming successful in life. Here are some of Edison's most inspiring quotes to motive you to achieve success.

First, "hard work is the moat essential thing because nothing can be compared to a hard work. Success is sweeter when you work hard for it". Hard work will always lead to the peak of success. We do not get tired of working if we are serious about our endeavor. The effort you make will be compensated. This is the best start to climb up because there is no easy work for a long term goal. To go forth will only be the way to go through, you may stop for sometime but that is usual. The most important thing is to go forward and be brave.

Second, if you have gone through a wrong maneuver can always go to the right way. "The challenges in life will always dictate what the better ways are." There are quite few of them but ponder which one will lead you to the right path. Sometimes it may seem like a crooked way but this can also be the right way. Be smart in choosing what will be best for you.

Third, "be positive in everything that you do." Sometimes doubt and hesitation will always interfere the opportunities that come. Look at the brighter side. Remove those clouds that cover your clear determination. Do not let anyone or anything let you down. Hold on to your dreams and unquestionably it will bring you into the right way to triumph.

Lastly, do not give up when the clouds cover your clear vision towards your dream. "Giving up is one of our weaknesses. If it does not work the first time you tried, there is always a second chance." Quitters never win, always put that in mind. If you stumbled down, be courageous to stand up. We cannot avoid this to happen because it will always be part of every life. Be brave enough to face all the challenges and never give up. There is always a second chance.

Great Poses Make For Better Pictures - Photography Tips

If you're anything like me, you love photographing people. What else could be more rewarding? But how do you pose them? It's more that just coming up with great poses, it's also about making your subject comfortable. It's about paying attention to who you're photographing.

One mistake many people make is to try and pose everyone the same way, or to use cliche poses. It's really best to keep your posing natural. Make your subject look comfortable by talking to them and getting to know them a bit better. This way you'll see which poses will look most comfortable for them.

The best approach to starting to pose a subject, is to keep it simple. Let them put their hands where they want to, and let them stand how they naturally stand. Now you can move on from there. But always keeping it simple. It's okay for men to put their hands in their pockets and it's okay for woman to cross their arms. After all they need to put their hands somewhere. Crossed arms are not necessarily a negative gesture as some people think, on the contrary they can make someone look proud and confident. Especially when they're smiling.

Sometimes using a stool can help when posing a photography subject. It anchors them and gives them one less thing to think about. This makes me think of a really good point. When your subject is on the stool, just focus on their face. This will give you less to worry about - less to pose. You can just focus on the expression. And while they're there, talk to them. Ask them questions. Do they have kids, what interests them? Questions about kids and family always relaxes a subject, and it gets them thinking about something else instead of being nervous in front of the camera.

Your words and actions can sometimes be more important than actual poses. Your job - your responsibility is to make them comfortable so they look great in their photographs. For more tips on what you can do to ensure you can handle the technical and creative side of capturing a great portrait, visit this Informative Site!

What Is an Animation Portfolio?

Character animator, storyboard artist, visual development artist, layout artist, effects animator, and modeler - all of these animation career paths have one thing in common: training.

If you want to get into animation school, you need to know how to draw. As part of their entrance requirements, every reputable animation school will ask you for a set of your drawings arranged in a portfolio to show that you possess certain specific drawing skills. Competition for spots in the top animation schools is fierce. It's not enough to simply meet the requirements when submitting a portfolio. If you want to get into an animation program you will need to aim high above all of the average submissions and distinguish yourself with an excellent portfolio of drawings. At the bottom of this article, there is a link to a number of student examples that show exactly what I'm talking about. But first things first. What exactly is an animation portfolio made up of?

An animation portfolio is commonly made up of a combination of these elements:

Life Drawings - drawings of the human figure. These conte, charcoal or graphite drawings must be drawn "from life" and not from a photograph. Get into a Life Drawing class if you can, it's the most important step you can take along the path of getting into animation school and becoming an animator. A Life Drawing class with instruction is your best bet but the next best thing is an open Life Drawing class (students each pay $10 per class toward the cost of a model and agree on a number of short poses usually followed by longer poses toward the end of a 3 hour drawing session) which will at least give you exposure to the nude model and opportunities to draw the figure.

Object Drawings - drawings of individual common objects. The key here is to draw objects that are based on basic geometric forms such as a sphere (an orange?), a box (milk carton?), a cylinder (water bottle?), a cone etc. Don't "clean up" your object drawings. It's perfectly acceptable if your drawings show some of your "rough" construction lines as these will show that you understand the structure below the surface of the objects you draw.

Room Drawings - you need to demonstrate a working knowledge of perspective. Use 2 point perspective to draw a room in your house (kitchen, bedroom?). When choosing a view of a room, avoid facing a wall directly. Look toward a corner instead. If you are 12 to 15 feet away from a corner of the room, your view will show angles that can create more visual interest.

Animation character - design an animation character and draw a turn-around of the character (front view, 職 view, side view etc.) along with various poses and facial expressions.

Storyboarding - some schools will give you a script that outlines a very simple story, a character model sheet and a number of storyboard panels. Basic story-telling skills, character drawing skills and creativity are evaluated based on your storyboard drawings.

Personal artwork of your choice - in addition to the required drawings, you may be asked to include artwork that you choose. Some schools will offer parameters for this portfolio piece ("no animation characters - aka SpongeBob", or "no photography", "no flaming skull-heads", etc.)

The format for the portfolio will vary. Some schools will ask for 8.5 X 11 scans or photocopies of your artwork arranged in a plastic folder because the artwork cannot be returned to you. Other schools will require original artwork to be submitted and then collected by the student after it is evaluated. Either way, if you invest the necessary time and effort into each of the drawings that make up the portfolio and then present the final drawings in a professional manner, your portfolio can highlight your drawing skills and help you get into animation school!

For examples of artwork taken from successful animation portfolios, visit http://www.animationportfolioworkshop.com/students-2

Happy drawing!

5 Essential Accessories For Your Nikon Cameras Or Canon SLR Cameras

If you're looking into buying Nikon cameras or Canon SLR Cameras, you probably have a lot of questions. Like most things you buy, there are a ton of accessories you can add to Canon SLR cameras, to really enhance the photo quality and give you even better results than you even imagined. There are literally thousands of things you can buy for your new camera, but here is a list to weed out the essentials from the extras and help you decide on what the most important add-ons are.

- A Tripod.

Tripods are vital for Canon SLR cameras and Nikon cameras if you're looking to capture clear photos at night, long range photography, self-portraits, or group shots that you want to be included in. Basically, they're essential for anything that requires you to hold the camera steady for long periods of time. A lot of people tend to shy away from tripods, because they can be kind of a pain to carry, but if you're looking to do more dynamic photography, they are pretty handy.

- Remote Shutter Release.

If you've ever used Nikon Cameras or Canon SLR cameras, you may have noticed that when you take macro or landscape shots, they come out a little blurry sometimes. Having a remote shutter release alleviates any shake and vibrations from the camera by eliminating the need to press the shutter button manually, giving you perfectly crisp photos.

- Camera Bag.

If you've been shopping around for Nikon Cameras or Canon SLR cameras, you're already aware of the pretty large price tag on these fine pieces of equipment. So if you end up buying one, you should really invest in a good camera bag to protect it. Camera bags come in all different styles, sizes, and colors, so definitely do some research and find which one suits your needs the best.

- Memory Card Case.

You're probably planning on getting more than one memory card for your DSLR, if you're a serious photographer or enjoy having ample storage space for your photos. If so, you should plan on getting a memory card case to keep your precious files organized and in one place.

- Filters.

Filters are essential for getting truly crisp, saturated, professional photos with Nikon cameras or Canon SLR cameras. There are a lot of filters to choose from, so when picking some for the first time, you should probably stick with a UV filter, a circular polarized filter, and/or a graduated neutral density filter. UV filters go on the lens for protection against scratches and other damages. A circular polarized filter can reduce undesired reflections and make colors more saturated. A graduated neutral density filter can alleviate over-exposure problems in high-contrast shooting situations. These are the real essential filters that can improve any type of shooting, the rest are more for creative and artsy purposes.

- External Flash.

Most Canon SLR cameras and Nikon cameras come with a built-in flash. If you want more a more powerful flash that has a further reach, you should look into an external flash. Also, external flashes reduce red-eye.

Photography in Education - Ideas For Using Photography to Enhance the Educational Experience

Here are some great tips to enhance the classroom and learning experience using photography.

1. How We Grow. Photograph the children by a measuring stick or mark on the wall. Consider having them photograph each other. Take some early, mid-year and end of year images and let them see, measure and discuss the differences. Talk about things that would affect the accuracy of the measurement (shoes, hair, posture, camera angle, etc.)

2. Nature Walk. Take the class on a nature hike and try to identify plants, animals and rocks. For those that can't be identified, take the images later and use them to look up the item. Print out photos of the items to display when it's cold outside, and save some for your seasonal bulletin boards.

3. Photo Gifts. Have each child take a photo of themselves or other subject and have them make a gift, such as a card or other craft to give as a holiday or occasion gift.

4. Local Print Sponsor. Ask one of the local businesses such as a grocery or drug store to donate some number of digital prints or developing services, so the class can choose the best pictures and have them printed on nice paper.

5. Photo Club. Consider creating a photo club as an after-school or activity period club. Look for sponsors to provide funding for disposable cameras and film, or a couple of good digital cameras. Approach a local photographer to be a club instructor, mentor or speaker. See my article on Photo Club Activities for more ideas.

6. Theme Bulletin Boards. Before you build those boards yourself, share the theme with your kids and get some volunteers to take some photos to support the theme.

7. Kid Camera Weekend. Assign a digital camera to one child each weekend for them to take home. Ask them to take photos of their experiences - family, pets, activities and ask them also to take a creative photo or one that represents their personality. Then in the following week, have them build a slide show and share with the class. You may need to have editorial review on some of those photos!

8. Computer Editing Skills. Digital photography will be a part of every child's life. Why not offer basic photo editing as part of the computer skills curriculum? You can also have some creativity at play - see who can come up with the most interesting edit of a standard photograph.

9. Photography as Art. Have the students understand some of the artistic elements of photography - composition, lighting, posing, editing and printing for example. Perhaps have them review certain famous works or photographers and choose one to study or emulate.

10. Yearbook and Newspaper. Classroom candids, school life and special events are all great opportunities for children to get involved. Also consider having an online newsletter or blog built by and maintained by the students. Allowing students to actively photograph assemblies and other special events promotes responsibility, creativity and leadership.

11. School Tour. Producing a book or video for new students is a great service that your students can perform. They can gain experience in storyboarding, scripting, recording, photographing, editing and producing. A video or annotated slide show produced by the students and approved by the administration is a great tool and also a great testimony to the trust and responsibility that the school gives the children.

12. Time Lapse. Science classes, especially biology, lend themselves to time lapse photography. Define the rules (how often, how to set up, who takes photos), and capture the sprouting and growth of plants, or the growth rate of animals in your classroom. Also, taking a photo outside of your windows every day will make a really neat weather/climate video near the end of the year. The key is consistency and follow-through to stitch the photos together in a movie format.

13. International Photo Pals. Consider hooking your kids up with some other schools across the planet, and trading photos on specific subjects a few times each year. For example, you could do a set on food, and have the kids photograph their lunch experience and some of the foods that are common to their school and area. You could focus on clothing, customs, holidays, sports, local environment and lots of other subjects. The kids will be excited to send and receive these electronic photo packets.

14. Photo Contest. Teach the children about evaluating photos. Develop a score sheet with their inputs and some general guidelines. Have each child submit a small number of photos for blind evaluation. Encourage each evaluator to find positive things in each photograph. The top 3-5 from each class go to a grade-level round, and the top grade level compete for over-all school awards. Everyone will have fun taking, editing, evaluting and following the contest. The winner can get a certificate and perhaps the local paper would print the image along with an article written by some of the students. Or, a local photographer may agree to work with the student to get the image professionally printed and framed.

15. See the Numbers. When explaining large numbers to kids, photographs of the items will be handy. How about 1 Million? Consider having them count out 1,000 of something like paper clips, then photographing and printing 10 copies. That can be 10,000. Then take a picture of those 10 pictures, duplicate it 10 times and you have 100,000. Once more and you have 1 Million, and you can show the groups of 10 pictures beside each other on a board to show the scale.

16. See the History. Field trips to local museums or historical areas are good opportunities to capture history. You can collect some of those images and use them as study guides - the kids can remember the trip through the images and reinforce their learning. Also, you can ask them to photograph or bring in the oldest thing in their family and talk about it.

17. See the Health. Students can stage and photograph healthy activities and lifestyle and can build a book or board to share with others.

Have fun incorporating these ideas into your classroom experiences. If your school or classroom does not have a digital camera, contact your community foundations, retail stores and local photographers to ask for help in obtaining usable digital cameras and software.

Various Benefits of Joining a Film School

It's becoming a craze for youngsters to go into a film industry. Most of the students from all around the world and especially from Canada are willing to learn film production. If you are the one out of many students who is planning to join Canada film schools, then you must get the detail information about the institute, as various institutions in Canada produce most of the movies as well as TV show, which are publicized around the world. This place is probably the best spot to join any of the BC film schools.

As from last few years, the technology & method on which movies are animated and produced have drastically changed, it is very important for film schools to maintain the latest technology and trend. There is a huge competition in this industry, hence up-to-date information and advanced technology is critically essential to run the business. Majority of the Canada film schools are elements of what make this great job lively.

However, it is not easy for some institutions to keep up latest technology because of several thrilling changes and the cost of maintenance with the development can be vast. Nevertheless, a number of good schools will have the capital to keep up the changing trend. Film schools can make you ready for the exciting career for which you are preparing to go. Ensure that you select the right one while you make the selection of any institute to join. They will appoint you as a beginner and make you an expert who will be eager to set up the initial big project.

It's hard to go out and produce films, until and unless you have perfect knowledge. Skill and knowledge related to film production will not come just like that, hence it is necessary to join a school that can bud you as a director. If you have any of your relatives or grand parents working in the same industry then you can avoid going institution to some extent, otherwise it is important to join film school to become a successful producer.

There are numerous of benefits of joining an institute that taught about how to make movies, let us see some of them.

• You can learn the perfect utilization of cutting edge instruments and software that you would have never touched before.


• Though you can't be called as a computer nerd, however you get to know those things that you have to use in your work effectively, in order to get success in your business.


• You will learn in in-depth about all the things that are taking place in this industry and how they are related with each other.


• You will be judged by professors as well as other students and when they evaluate your short films, you will get various suggestions that you have to improve upon.

Photography Course - Photo Imaging

If you are looking for best photo imaging photography course that meets the industry requirements, you need to search through all the best institutes which are providing the quality photo imaging photography course. The best course ensures you to become a best graduate for the industry. Photography photo imaging is an exciting and challenging industry for the students. Opportunities exist for talented graduates who understands and studying photography course. The best photo imaging photography course emphasizes both film and digital photographic technology. If you are studying in a quality education Provider College in Gold Coast, after graduating you will enter in the industry with skilled in the field.

You can gain practical experience in black and white color lightning techniques and studio work techniques. The quality of this course provides vast learning in the field of photo imaging and digital photography. You can explore different areas of photography like fashion, nature, sport, landscape, advertising, photo journalism and portraiture. If the college is providing the quality and skilled teachers, with current industry experience, it will be learning opportunity. After completion of the photography course, you can get your dream job in the industry. This course can lead to some interesting exciting jobs like photo imaging assistant, digital laboratory technician, digital processor, real estate photographer and even you can start you own studio. When choosing the photo imaging photography course, look for testimonials from other graduates.

If you are looking for online courses, do not choose at home or free photographic courses. These courses do not provide the proper guideline and skill training to meet with current industry requirements. These days interest in the field of photography has been increasing, most of the photographers are working for different magazines. You can set up your own business in this field, if you are skillful and have new ideas. There are several marketplaces also where freelance photographers sell their work for good price. Magazines and websites are buying these excellent photographs at good prices. The benefit of photography courses is to learn new ideas and various techniques to shoot the pictures. Quality institutes provide digital equipment and latest computers, where you can edit and use your skills on your work. The advantage of taking this course is that you learn every day; there are thousands of techniques which enhances your skills each day.

Online courses are the best way to get started, but choosing the best college is difficult. There are several quality institutes in Gold Coast, Queensland which provide photography courses to students from all over the world. You don't need to buy expensive equipment; these colleges are providing all the latest equipment that is required. Always look for those colleges which also teach dark room skills, these are offered by few colleges. It gives you all the details about printing and understanding the method. Most of the online courses teach you only the basics of the photography, the best way to learn the photo imaging photography course is to join the best college.

A History of Photography - 1888-Present

The art of photography has definitely come a long way. The first "camera" was basically nothing more than a projector-and it displayed things upside down at that. However, after a number of technological leaps during the 19th century, such as daguerreotypes and ferrotypes, the first fairly modern camera was introduced in 1888. Since then, cameras have become virtually omnipresent, and we enjoy taking and displaying our photos as art throughout our homes.

How has camera technology come so far in such a short time? Of course, one can argue that technology itself has rapidly grown and expanded. However, in 1888, the predecessor to our modern Nikons and Canons was a Kodak camera that needed a twenty-foot roll of paper in order to take pictures. Additionally, these cameras took circular pictures instead of our rectangular ones today.

After 1888, a number of breakthroughs occurred in improving photography. First, in 1889, Kodak came out with film for their cameras rather than paper. This truly allowed for mass-produced cameras that were more usable. A year later, Kodak created its Brownie box roll-film camera. Because the Brownie was a cheap, cardboard-body camera, it made picture-taking easy for everyone, not just the elite. After taking enough pictures to fill a roll of film, a person would send in the camera with the film to be developed.

At first, all photographs were in black and white, or some shades of gray. Of course, many people chose to get their photographs tinted after they were taken, but this was not always an accurate representation of the colors present when the image was actually made. Thus, in 1907, the Lumiere brothers developed commercial color film, called Autochrome plates.

Of course, with the advent of portable, cheaper cameras and better film came the rise in photojournalism and taking pictures of different cultures. This documentation also extended to the government hiring Lewis Hine to photograph child labor mills in 1909. Perhaps cameras and film opened up the door for politicians to see how harsh some lives actually were, and they were able to regulate child labor and other harmful practices.

In 1914, Oscar Barnack, under the employ of German microscope company Leitz, created the first modern-frame camera. He made a 24x36mm frame and 35mm movie film. This camera was perfected until 1924, when Leitz marketed the device under the name Leica. This Leica was a very high quality 35mm camera, and it was a far cry from the previous Brownies.

The mid 1900s led to a number of new practices in photography. In 1931, a man at MIT developed strobe photography. In 1936 came Kodachrome, which was the first multi-layered color film. Also during this time period came manufacturers such as Nikon, Fuji, and Zeiss. In 1963, Polaroid made cameras available with instant color film.

In the late 20th century, such things arrived as autofocus (Minolta in 1985), Photoshop (Adobe in 1990),  and in 1991, the first digital camera, from Kodak. Of course, you probably know the story from there. Now, we can put our pictures on internet albums such as Snapfish and Facebook. We can take pictures and put them straight into our computers. Digital cameras, which were $6,000 for 2.74 megapixels in 1999, can now be found for $200-and at least 10 megapixels.

With the ease we now have in participating in photography, we should take advantage of the other benefits we have from modern technology, such as turning our photos into canvas works of art. For more information on printing your images on canvas, check out YourCanvasPhotos today.

Continual Demand For Graphic Designers

Utilizing a wide range of graphics and layout computer programs, designers and artists create, plan and figure out visual ways to convey information among a group of people. They make use of several different tools like photographs, illustrations, colors, animation, fonts, and numerous layouts to get information across to the desired audience in the easiest and quickest way available. designers produce the overall production and layout designs of newspapers, journals, magazines, company reports, and various additional publications.

Additionally, they make promotional displays, marketing and packaging pamphlets for service and goods, design unique logos for businesses and goods, make signs and systems of signs and create websites, interactive media and multimedia endeavors. designers produce layouts or preliminary sketches to demonstrate the design idea. Designers pick out typography, animation, photography, artwork, sound, color and other visual aspects for their art.

The arrangement and size of the design elements as they appear on the screen or page are another of the decisions the designer makes. Their work also includes consulting with copywriters about text that will be included in the design, as well as creating any graphs or charts that are going to be required. A graphic designer can add style and polish to a project that can inspire the people involved to create a successful outcome.

If you want to prepare in the best way possible for such a position, on the job knowledge gained on graphic design is great, but you might also consider a design degree from a school program which focuses on design, itself. The majority of both entry level and higher graphic design positions require a bachelor's degree, but there are various technical entry level positions that merely need an associate's degree. Many colleges and universities offer programs for graphic design or fine arts as well as schools that specialize in art instruction.

Such curricula will be composed of principles of design, computer assisted design, commercial graphics production, printing technique and the like, together with liberal arts classes in composition, marketing and business, all of which assist designers in dealing more effectively with content. Two and three year technical as well as professional schools also offer associate certificates and degrees in graphic design. Such programs concentrate on the technical facets of graphic design and typically will not offer liberal arts classes.

An impressive portfolio with examples of the best work the designer has done is also what determines whether or not they'll get hired. Graphic artists must be able to meet deadlines, effectively interpret the wishes of the clients, be able to work independently and under pressure and be able to solve problems. Many positions also require a good working knowledge of computer graphics and design software programs.

There is expected to be average growth for the employment of graphic designers through 2014 since the demands for designers is also growing from computer design firms, publishing companies and advertisers. However, competition for available jobs will be intense as many talented people are drawn to careers in graphic design. The best opportunities will go to those students who obtain a bachelor's degree and are well versed in computer aided design software, website design and animation. Graphic designer are expected to be in high demand since there is a growing market for online information and the growth of the video entertainment market, which involves online communication, video, movies and television.

Ways to Increase PTA Membership

Inspired Note: The purpose of this article is to encourage you to share these ideas.

Many times I have heard from various Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders that while they deeply appreciate their volunteers, they greatly need membership dues to further their goals.

Extended family, business leaders, seniors and other members of the community are encouraged to join... not just parents or teachers of students.

Being a new PTA member myself, I now understand just how vital their contributions are to our children's education.

A PTA/PTSA/PTO works tirelessly to put technology in the classrooms, books in the hands of our students, equipment on the playground, security in our halls, and take care of endless other behind-the-scenes needs that our teachers, principals, and community have.

Therefore, I wanted to take this opportunity to help the PTAs across the country come up with additional ideas to increase membership in their communities.

At the very least, I hope that I am helping to shine a spotlight on these very important organizations.

Please share this list with everyone you know that is involved in a PTA, PTSA or a PTO today, so that they can continue to make a difference in the lives of our children tomorrow!

Feel free to leave comments or additional suggestions below, so that everyone else can share in your helpful ideas.

This is a list of ways to increase PTA membership at our schools:

Marketing Materials Should:

• Highlight the projects that your PTA has successfully completed in the past


• Highlight the projects slated for this year


• Reinforce that "Joining does not require a time commitment"


• Include a list of places that you can receive discounts by showing your PTA card


• Include benefits or perks that your personal organization offers to members


• Include contact information for new members


• Include your website address and any other social media links, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest


• Have a tear-off section on the primary flier that can be completed and returned with membership dues


• Be available in the various languages of your community

Current Student Strategies:

• Packets on Display - Put PTA membership packets in the front office on display, in plain view for parents that are volunteering, bringing students in late or signing them out early, dropping off items, or coming up for conferences.


• Membership Goal in View - Have a large banner or graph at the front entrance of the school showing what the PTA's membership goal is for the year and where they are to date. Have a small table set up next to the banner with marketing materials about upcoming meetings and membership fliers. Stress that joining PTA does not equal a time commitment.


• High Traffic Days - On days when there is an event scheduled at the school and an increase in traffic is expected, have a couple of people manning the front table handing out brochures and signing up new members. Offer coupons to local establishments with any new membership.


• Parties for Participation - Have a party for classrooms that have 100% membership. Give students who get multiple memberships (extended family, neighbors, etc.) special perks.

New Student Strategies:

• Welcome Packet - Make sure that new students receive PTA marketing materials when they are enrolled at the school, rather it be during the "Kindergarten Roundup" before school starts or as students transfer in.


• Follow Up Email - Send a follow up email welcoming the parents of the students to the school/community and attach your marketing materials. Also include a list of local doctors, dentists, grocery stores, banks, dry cleaners, restaurants, sports team's contacts (for extracurricular activities), and after school care programs that are MEMBERS of your PTA.


• First Day Breakfast - Hold a breakfast on the first day of school for parents of ALL new students that have not had the chance to attend a getting-to-know-us meeting. PTA volunteers can answer questions, give tours, make introductions and discuss membership opportunities within the PTA.


• Preschools and Day Cares - Set up a table and hold a mini-membership drive before the new year starts at local preschools and day cares whose children will soon be attending your school. This will help to get parents excited about joining and volunteering.


• Informational Nights - Set up a table and hold a mini-membership drive at course selection nights for parents at lower level schools that feed into your school.

Community Strategies:

• Community Service Need - Identify a need in the community and rally your group around it. This will give outsiders an inside view of your PTA and its values.


• Submit Articles - Reach your community and beyond through well-written articles that are submitted to local newspapers, magazines, neighborhood newsletters, online blogs, Facebook sites, school newsletters, and any other place else where you can tout the PTA's latest projects, highlighting the importance of membership and how to join.


• Partner with Community Service Groups - Find community service groups or organizations that require members to fulfill community service hours and partner with them to co-sponsor special awareness projects or drive membership for your organization. (See Membership Drive Strategies below.)


• Senior Membership - Have students perform or display their artwork at local senior's centers and set up a table for a mini-membership drive. Encourage seniors to get involved at the school.


• Grandparent's Day - Sponsor a "Grandparent's Day" at your school, inviting both student's grandparents, as well as seniors from the community to help with class projects and eat with students who could use a fill-in for the day.

Local Business Strategies:

• Business Owners Join - Ask community business owners to join and display your PTA's marketing materials in their front office.


• Awards for Businesses - Award business owners with a PTA-membership certificate that can be hung in their office for customers to see.


• Business Owners' Support - Ask businesses to display supportive PTA messages or notice of upcoming PTA meetings and events on their marquee signs.


• List of Members - Distribute a list of businesses that are PTA members to your PTA membership, encouraging them to support these establishments.


• Coupons and Discounts - From PTA-member businesses, get coupons or authorization to offer discounts to new and/or current members that will help drive traffic to these supporters.


• Business Drive - Ask local businesses if you can set up a membership table during their lunch break or work hours for 2 days, so that you can talk to people as they come and go. It would be a good idea to start with larger and/or more frequented companies first, since your odds for gaining new members greatly increases as the pool of possibilities increases.


• Business Sponsorships - Ask businesses to sponsor a meeting or event.


• Real Estate Professionals - Ask real estate professionals to hand out PTA marketing materials with their real estate marketing packet or flier.


• Chamber of Commerce - Attend chamber meetings and give an update of what your PTA is doing. Invite attendees to become new members.

Teacher and Principal Strategies:

• Back-to-School Nights - Ask your Principal to speak about the importance of being a member of PTA at back-to-school nights. Have a manned PTA table at these events to sign up new members.


• Get-to-Know-the-Teacher and Open House Nights - Ask your teachers to talk briefly with parents about membership opportunities and hand out marketing materials during various school-sponsored activities.


• Poster Displays - Display tastefully decorated posters in each classroom and in the halls encouraging membership. Remember to include, "Joining does not require a time commitment."


• General Membership - Encourage membership of teachers, principals, school administration and district administration. Place signs of recognition on teacher's or administrator's doors that have joined.


• Teacher's Breakfasts and Luncheons - Regularly have teacher's breakfasts and luncheons to discuss upcoming projects and garner their support.


• PTA Bulletin Board - Request that the school provide a PTA-only bulletin board in the main hall, where visitors can see pictures of PTA-sponsored initiatives as well as children's related artwork, posters, and stories.

Membership Drive Strategies:

• Weekends - Put a manned PTA table outside local grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants and other entertainment locations on the weekends.


• Production and Recital Days - Put a manned PTA table inside auditoriums and local theaters on days when students have activities.


• Game Days - Put a manned PTA table at local sporting complexes, recreational fields and school gyms on game days.


• Summers - Put a manned PTA table outside the local library, museum, or establishment that draws business during the summer, including festivals or fairs, right before school starts.


• Neighborhoods - Go door-to-door in neighborhoods that feed into your school, handing out fliers and signing up new members.


• Extended Family - Offer discounted dues for additional family members that join, such as: spouses, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and the like. Make sure parents that are not living with the children also have the opportunity to join.


• Vouchers - Offer new member vouchers that can be redeemed at PTA-sponsored carnivals for games and food.


• Workshops - Offer "members-only" workshops, classes and special presentations.


• Elected Officials - Ask elected leaders, including school board members, city council, and others to join. Remind them that these parents are their constituents.


• Places of Worship - Set up a membership table at your place of worship, encouraging people who attend, with a special focus on seniors, to join and, if they have extra time, get involved in PTA.


• School-Related Meetings - Set up a membership table at school-related community meetings that attract traffic, such as redistricting, annual budgeting, and the like. People who do not want to be re-zoned are more likely to show their solidarity, in this instance.


• Community Meetings - Set up a membership table at city-wide meetings, encouraging engaged community members to support your cause.


• Past PTA Members - Contact all past PTA members and ask for their financial support.


• School Volunteers - Contact anyone who has volunteered in the school over the past couple of years and ask them to join.


• Advertisements - Place yard signs on the drive up to the school advertising upcoming meetings, local business discounts with memberships, and upcoming events.


• Evites - Send "Evites" to the school-wide database for PTA general meetings.


• Facebook Page - Have a PTA-specific Facebook page and have each member of the PTA invite all of their "friends." Advertise events, meetings, and membership benefits.


• Letters Home - Write a "How PTA Supported Your Class" letter to parents, giving specific examples.

At Meetings:

• Babysitting and Tutoring - Provide free babysitting and free tutoring for member's children that are in attendance at meetings, in conjunction with high school kids receiving community service hours.


• Student Involvement - Have a student group (choir, band, theater) perform or display student's work (art, writing, photography) at a general meeting. This should attract more of an audience.

Again, please share this list with everyone you know that is involved with a PTA/PTSA/PTO.

They may already be working on several of these initiatives, but will gladly welcome any new ideas that you can offer.

Here's to another Inspired Minute!

Photography - Keeping Your Gear Safe When Taking Pictures Outside

Keeping your gear safe when taking pictures outside can be quite a challenge.? Yet every photographer will tell you the best natural light is outside come rain or shine.? Here are four dangers to your camera equipment you may encounter and what you can do about them.

1. Water - Rain Moisture or condensation on your lens


2. Sand - Danger of scratching expensive lenses


3. Sun - UV rays are a major issue that filters can protect


4. Cold - Freezing temperatures can cause moisture condensation as well

Cameras Are Not Water Resistant

I can't count how many times I've been caught in the rain while out taking pictures.? Taking pictures of flowers with dew drops or rain drops on them can have a set back or two.? And those expensive camera lenses seem to attract condensation like bees to honey. I've been known to tuck my camera under my coat.? Once even had to slip it under my shirt as I darted for shelter.? But there are easier ways to protect your camera from rain and snow.

If you're going to venture toward water of any kind, you might want to consider protecting your camera lens.? Camera bags come in a variety of sizes and most will even carry the additional items you might need to keep your gear safe while taking outdoor pictures. You can even purchase a special bag for most cameras that will allow you to shoot underwater. I just noticed today you can also purchase a portable umbrella just for your camera.? It attaches to your tripod and protects you equipment from sun or rain.

Watch Out For Sand

Have you ever seen a camera lying unprotected on a beach blanket near the ocean?? That scenario brings up two red flags.? The first is water again.? Being close to the ocean means high humidity all by itself.? Your camera lens will gather moisture.? You can expect some condensation if you do not have your camera protected.?

The other danger is sand.? You need to take extra care in cleaning your lens after a day at the beach.? Sand acts as an abrasive and will scratch those expensive lenses.?You may want to use canned air to blow any sand particles away.? And be sure and use cleaning supplies made especially for cameras.? Most cameras sell an accessory kit that includes just about everything you might need to protect your camera from outdoor mishaps.

Take Care of Sun Glare With Filters

Most of those accessory kits I mentioned also include filters.? Filters protect your camera from the suns harmful UV rays.? They also protect against sunspots and flares on your photos.?Some photographers even use those filters for special effects.

Freezing Temperatures - Another Cause For Condensation

You look out the window and snow is piling on the pines.? Your first thought is grab the camera and take a walk, right?? I love freshly fallen snow before snow plows come through and turn it into piles of dirt.?But again your camera needs tender loving care.? Those freezing temperatures are once again an invitation for moisture to gather on the lenses.?

A camera bag will help, but you may be just as well to tuck that camera under your coat to allow body heat to keep it warm.? If you notice moisture on the lens, return indoors as quickly as possible.? Allow your camera to dry.? All should be fine. Outdoor photography is fun and full of adventure.? Just make sure you take steps for keeping your gear safe while taking pictures outside.

Remote Controlled (RC) Helicopters - Are They Toys or Tools?

Although they are a heck of a lot of fun to play with, RC helicopters like the Draganflyer is saving lives and solving crimes. It saves lives by reducing human exposure to hazards and helps solve crime by giving investigators a bird's eye view.

Draganflyer-x8 is an eight bladed RC helicopter that carries a digital video transmission IP camera system. This means it can take digital photos while simultaneously recording video. It can also carry infrared and low light cameras for night search and rescue operations. Four brushless electric motors power eight counter rotating carbon fiber rotor blades which lets the Draganfly move through the air with minimal noise. This makes it the perfect recon platform for swat teams who need to gather intelligence without being detected. Draganfly's phenomenal stability and maneuverability is achieved by varying the speed of each individual rotor and an array of on board sensors which include GPS, one barometric sensor, three accelerometers, three gyros, and three magnetometers. Engage the hover hold function and the GPS will lock the Draganfly into a three dimensional position for as long as needed. Another remarkable feature of this RC helicopter is its ability to auto land.

So who is using this technology and what are they using it for?

1. Law Enforcement

繚 Accident scene analysis
繚 Crime scene analysis
繚 Swat team recon
繚 Bomb squad recon

2. Fire and Emergency Services

繚 Fire damage assessment
繚 Hazmat recon
繚 Fire investigation
繚 Fire scene control

3. Real Estate Applications

繚 Golf course promotion
繚 Real estate promotion
繚 Property assessment

4. Professional Photography and Video

繚 Wild life
繚 Weddings
繚 Music videos
繚 News media
繚 Advertising

5. Education

繚 Advanced UAV research
繚 Colleges
繚 Universities
繚 Technical institutes

Ok, so you still think a RC helicopter is just a toy? What if our toy weighed 6,000 lbs. and was powered by an 813 shaft horse power Rolls Royce turbine engine? It would be called Fire-x, The Northrop Grumman and the Bell Textron-owned vertical unmanned air system (VUAS).

Fire-x is a fully autonomous unmanned helicopter. It combines all the outstanding capabilities of the Bell 407 with the US Navy's Northrop Grumman MQ-8B fire Scout UAV. This meaning the Fire-x can carry a useful load of 3,000 lbs. or recon up to 16 hours or carry 2500 lbs. of internal or external cargo up to 110 nm. On December 10, 2010 at the Yuma Proving Grounds in AZ. the fire-x lifted off for the first time. With many more tests to go the fire-x is not operational yet but in the air only 11 months after its inception is a fantastic start.

Imagine your child with the biggest smile you have ever seen on their face as they dive and climb that RC helicopter around the back yard. Now picture a US Special Forces Ranger guiding his Fire-x through the mountains.

So I ask again, RC helicopters, toys or tools?

The Budget-Friendly Guide to Wedding Photography

Finding someone who can capture the memories of your wedding at a price that you can absorb is one of the biggest challenges of planning the event. Coordinating flowers, music, food, and other details can be a logistical nightmare, of course. But, selecting the right wedding photographer is a decision that carries unique considerations. In 20 years, when you ask your guests to recall their memories from the event, they won't remember the food. Nor will they recollect the flowers and music. Few will even recall the venue. Your pictures will be the lasting memory of your most cherished celebration.

Unfortunately, wedding photography is expensive. The pictures alone can cost nearly $2,000. Additional services - for example, videography, DVDs, and prints - can catapult the price higher. When you're planning the event on a limited budget, the cost of good photographs can make your heart stop. In this article, I'll provide several ideas that you can use to trim the expense while ensuring the memories are properly captured.

Choose A Basic Package

Most wedding photography professionals offer a basic package. They typically (though not always) exclude extras such as an album, prints, photos during the rehearsal dinner, and other services that quickly boost the price. By contrast, a basic package will normally include a predetermined number of pictures from both the ceremony and reception. You are, in essence, paying only for the professional's time and expertise. Once you save enough money, you can buy the extras that you want.

Can You Reduce The Hours?

Nearly all photographers charge based upon the number of hours they expect to spend at your event. If your reception is an all-night (and early morning) affair, and you want photographs taken during the entire celebration, expect to pay a higher price. If possible, limit the number of hours for which you hire your photographer. That doesn't mean you need to shorten your reception; just the time during which you want pictures taken.

Interview More Wedding Photography Professionals

A lot of couples pick their wedding photography professional based upon recommendations from friends and family. To be sure, those recommendations can be valuable. However, if the professionals to whom you've been referred are expensive and your budget is extremely limited, it may be time to consider other options. In truth, there may be dozens of professionals in your area who can deliver great pictures. Venture outside your referral circle. Visit and interview other experts. You may uncover an inexpensive, yet wildly talented gem.

Call The Local Paper

The people who take the photographs that appear in your local newspaper are experienced photographers; they're often very talented. They'll have an intuitive grasp of being able to capture a moment and tell a compelling story through a well-placed image. Plus, many of them may be searching for opportunities to make extra money during the weekends. Calling your local paper isn't an ideal approach to finding a wedding photography professional, of course. But, if you're drowning under a mounting bill for the event, this can be a great option for saving money.

Creating The Memories

I've just given you several ideas for trimming the cost of your Chicago wedding photography, or anywhere. It's also important to keep in mind that an experienced photographer can do a lot with very little. That is, they don't need a spectacular setting to make an image come alive.

They don't require extravagance in order to capture moments that tell a crisp, memorable story. In fact, many wedding photography professionals contend that simplicity has a breathtaking power that opulence can't hope to match. When captured properly, it can perfectly encapsulate the moment. Whether you're getting married in a barn, at the beach, or in a castle, the memories should live on with the magic of the original event.

Photographers - Consider Core Strengths to Determine Growth Strategies

You own a small one photographer photography business. The photography industry is competitive. Yet, thanks to your hard work, creativity and tenacity, your business has continued to grow. You love your business. However, you love your family more and would like to increase your income while reducing your workload. The growth of the business is what will increase your income; but how do you chart a path to sustainable growth? One key to consider when answering this question is to determine your core competency. The following are some examples of how your core competencies can influence your growth.

1. Core Competency: Processing. Are you able to fly through the processing of your images? Are other photographers amazed at both the quality of your images and your turn around time? If this describes you then processing images is probably one of the core competencies of your business. You likely already have numerous automated batch processes and short-cuts in place. You likely also have solid computer and networking (computer) skills.

One possible growth path for someone in this situation is performing the processing for other photographers. Scripts, Actions and Networks can be extended to other computers. A streamlined process can be documented. Relatively unskilled help can run the simple part of the process. That unskilled help can access the computer with all its scripts from anywhere in the world through remote access computing (thus a photographer can hire from any low wage area of the world). Scale will bring efficiencies which allow for competitive pricing. Daily improvements in the process will increase margins. The model is almost unlimitedly scalable.

2. Core Competency: Marketing. Do you consistently have more customers than do your competitors? Would unbiased observers when comparing your product side by side with some of your less busy competitors say your work is comparable? If this is the case it is likely you have a core competency in photography marketing.

A person with this core competency can easily expand by providing a marketing service for other photographers. This service would be scalable (there are an awful lot of talented photographers who are not getting sufficient business. For example, if you are getting most of your business from your website because you have done some search engine optimization work on your website and you rank high on relevant keywords on Google, you can provide this service to photographers throughout the country.

There are a number of avenues in which a photography business can grow. One factor to consider when creating a growth plan is the photographer's core competencies.

Top Trends In Photography Web Design

In the days of film and dark rooms, successful photographers only required one skill; the ability to take good pictures. Today, however, having an impressive online portfolio carries equal weight. Many website builders provide practically everything needed to create a professional website. Still, with the abundance of flash templates, portfolio website templates and content management systems available, many photographers find creating an online portfolio and deciding what to include daunting. This post looks at 6 current trends in photography web design worth noting.

1. Minimalism and Simplicity

Minimalism continues to be a big trend in photography web page design. Stripping a landing page of superfluous elements allows your best images to stand out and successfully create homepage interest. By eliminating visual pollution, visitors quickly gain an understanding of what you, not your Website developer, can do. With powerful imagery, you have the capability of whetting your visitors' visual appetites and inspiring them to delve deeper into your website.

2. Using HTML5 and CSS3 over Flash

iPhones', iPods' and iPads' inability to support or make use of Flash, give rise to an added element of complexity when creating a digital portfolio or web design. Because of this shortcoming, websites designed to use Flash intro, a technique heavily relied upon by many photography portfolios, loose out to a staggering number of potential visitors. Fortunately, HTML5 and CSS3 bring alternatives ways to provide a level of interactivity and display options to the millions of iPhone, iPod and iPad users.

3. Scattered Photographs

Displaying scattered photographs and thumbnails is another trend we can expect to see more of on photography websites. This fun concept welcomes visitors to scan scattered images in search of clues for visuals of interest. More appealing and exciting than orderly displayed photographs, scattered photos provide site users the advantage of making exciting discoveries. A number of website builders offer the availability of free website photo galleries and publishing platforms. Incorporating a random layout of photographs to an existing web page involves simply uploading your images and allowing the program or plug-in to do the work.

4. Large Background Images

With increasing monitor resolution and blazing Internet speed, comes the welcomed trend of huge background images. One beautiful over-sized photo, placed boldly on your landing page, can easily communicate a thousand plus words. By filling up blank website space, this popular technique works masterfully in drawing your users' attention and holding their interests. Embedding over-sized background images within your photography portfolio is a huge trend and one that is not likely to go away anytime soon.

5. Subtle Grunge

Expect to see more subtle elements of grunge design used in photography websites. This technique, when used sparingly, can offer a more genuinely realistic and rigid look to your photo gallery. More importantly, subtle grunge enables you to convey an individual note.

6. Modal and Light Boxes

Finally, thanks to new technology seen in the latest versions of website builders, a new generation of pop up windows are popping up all over photography web designs. The user clicks a thumbnail and the image pops up in a scaled-up, clean version. User friendly, modal and light boxes offer a different method of exhibiting images, text and videos. One of the trends biggest advantages is the visitor's ability to concentrate on relevant pictures without leaving the page. This aspect makes the modal and light box technique a favorite among many web designers and site visitors.

Choose the Right Lens for Portraits

There is nothing that beats a good portrait photograph. Especially when both the subject and the photographer are pleased with the results.

But, if you want to take good portrait photos you need to think about investing in the right sort of lens. If you want your subjects to be pleased with the results of your work, then make sure you get a lens fit for the job. And that means, one with the correct focal length.

Lenses with a focal length less than 80mm are no good. They make noses look too big because the photographer has to get in too close. The ideal portrait lens has a focal length in the range 90mm to 135mm. These keep the natural proportions of the face as you see with the naked eye.

Don't forget your sensor size when determining the equivalent focal length. Most modern digital cameras have a sensor that is smaller than the 35mm film equivalent. This means you have to factor in a multiplier to get the correct lens focal length. A film lens of 50mm would work out 80mm on a digital sensor with a 1.6 multiplier factor. Refer to your camera handbook for information on magnification factors for sensors.

A longer focal length means you can stand a bit further away and still fill the frame to your desire. This makes the nose more in proportion with the rest of the face and is very flattering.

A Profitable Hobby - Sell Photos Online

Photography has become a very popular hobby these days; if you want to make your hobby profitable and earn extra bucks, you can sell photos of yours online. Photography is now a revered art form and there is a large market of both buyers and sellers out there.

The conventional way of selling photographs was to set up an exhibition or a showcase at a gallery. This meant that unless you had connections or capital you would not have been able to successfully market and sell your photographs. The internet, however, has simplified the process immensely. If you want to sell photos, it is as simple as uploading some of your best stock work on to an online photo selling site and create a photo gallery of yours along with your profile. These photos are now in the online market, where buyers can browse through your work and if they buy any of your work, the website sends the money to your bank account.

Tips To Successfully Sell Your Photos

The first step you should take to sell photos online is to find a good online photo gallery. Any search engine will display many such websites, and now it is just about choosing the right one. This choice depends on you; almost all good online stock photo agencies charge an amount to set up your gallery on their website. You can compare the rates and terms and decide which one you want.

Once you sign up, these websites have their own verification process and this may take time. You may have to create your profile on the site and if you have any prior experience in photography, you can list your qualities and other specifications. The next thing is to upload the best of your stock photos. Stock photos are photos that are already on your hard drive. Pick the best among the lot, upload them and create your own gallery. Choose the ones that you think are good and are going to stand out amongst other photos.

How To Market Your Photos

The subsequent marketing of the photograph is tricky. The price has to be just right, as most of these websites have a base price, and it is best to start around that figure. These sites also have their own aids to help photographers successfully market their photos. Once your online portfolio is ready, you will have to be patient. Your first sell can take time. Nevertheless, it will happen as there are numerous buyers trawling the net. If you have talent and your pictures are good, you will find a great source of alternate income. This is also an excellent way to extend your hobby and make it a profession as it gives you a base.

You should also know that you can only sell digital photos on these websites; scanned photos are not permitted, even if they are your work. Always make sure that the quality of the pictures is good and that the photographs can be blown up. It is unadvisable to upload photographs that are from a mobile phone camera, as most of them do not give good blow up results. Internet is surely a good platform to sell photos. You need to just give it a try.

Digital Photography School Projects - Learning to Use Shutter Speed

Learning photography from books is useless if the course does not have a big emphasis on practical assignments or projects. This is a great way to evaluate the course material. It's pointless learning the fundamentals of photography without actually putting it into practise. This series of articles aims to do just that.

The amount of light that reaches the camera's digital sensor is not only controlled by the aperture of the lens but also by the shutter. The speed of the shutter ranges from 1 second all the way up to 1/4000th of a second or higher. Shutters are calibrated in such a way that each setting is half or twice the speed of the setting next to it so that the difference is equal to one f-stop of aperture.

The shutter speed is used to control the amount of movement of a subject reflected by how blurred or how sharp the image is. This is all well and good but in order for you to really get to understand how shutter speed works you need to get into action and shoot photos while changing the various settings.

So on with the project. For this first part of the project ask a friend to help you as the subject. Get them to walk briskly past you, so that they fit in the frame, at a normal walking speed.

1. For your first shot set the shutter speed to 1/15th of a second. Make sure that you are holding the camera steady or have it mounted on a tripod if you have one. Shoot the image a few times. Download the image to your PC and what do you see? You should see a slightly blurred image.

2. For your second shot change the shutter speed to 1/60th or 1/100th of a second. Again make sure that the camera is being held steady or on a tripod. Take the photo a few times at both shutter speeds and then download the image to your PC. What do you see? You should see a fairly clear image, maybe lacking a little detail, but with the arms and legs slightly blurred.

3. For your third photo series set the shutter speed to 1/250th of a second or higher.

Take the photo a few times and then download the image to your PC. Quite different from the first shots you took? There should now be no blur whatsoever. By shooting on the higher shutter speeds the camera freezes the image and your subject should be pin sharp and their motion frozen in midstep.

You can now see that by varying your shutter speeds you are able to create different effects in the image. A photo that is frozen in time is not always better than one that is slightly blurred conveying motion. Using shutter speed correctly allows you to be more creative with parts of the image blurred and parts sharp and well defined.

Let's get on to the second part of the project. This time you need to find a location where vehicles are going past at the speed limit in a residential area. Again the whole subject should be visible in the frame. Try to shoot against a fairly plain background. I want you place you feet apart so that you are firmly anchored with minimum sway as you stand. Bring you camera to you eye and lock your arms to the side of your chest.

Hopefully you are now a human tripod. I want you keep your feet firmly anchored to the ground while moving at the waist from left to right or vice versa. This is called panning. What you need to do is to turn to the left moving only at the waist and then track or follow your subject as it comes past you to your right. Your action should be fluid. As the vehicle reaches the position directly in front of you press the shutter button gently but continue tracking the vehicle as it disappears to your right. The whole action from left to right should be one fluid movement.

1. For your first shot set your shutter speed to 1/30th of a second and pan as the vehicle passes you and take the shot directly in front of you. View it on your PC and what do you see? The car should be blurred. This shutter speed is too slow. It gives the appearance of speed and is still a very effective image.

2. The second shot should be taken at 1/100th of a second. In this image you should see the vehicle reasonably sharp against a blurred background. You are starting to get a great image giving a good impression of speed.

3. In your third image or series of images set the shutter speed to 1/250th of a second and take the shot. The car should be frozen with even the wheels showing a lot of detail. The background will be reasonably blurred although much sharper than the other images.

So what have you learned? The choice of shutter speed is very subjective depending on the type of image you want to create. Varying your shutter speed gives different results depending on the final image you are trying to create. The key is to experiment and find out what each speed does under a variety of conditions. The choice is yours.

Catalog Photography Can Create Credibility to Sell Products Via Their Digital Images

Ever wondered what makes some products on sale online more credible than others? And yet who ever who is acquainted with ways of online business knows that credibility is a sales booster? Catalogues are more than just product list. They are the manner in which products are introduced to the potential buyers. And they are one, which places the bedrock of potential sales. Hence most business owners value the importance of attractive catalogue photography. It is no hidden secret that customers are attracted to brilliantly created images. A dress is worn a thousand times in imagination before it reaches the customer. A gleaming food image teases the taste buds much before it is placed on table. All these back up the cause of having captivating catalogues. Thus, it is increasingly being felt that there is always a need to step ahead of the homegrown look. While the obvious look for catalogues is so taken for granted, users are always hooked to catalogues that surprise them.

If arresting the user's attention is one function of catalogue, on which the business owners cash on. Then it is needed that the catalogues highlight the products in an attractive manner. But there is another side of it. The users have a different perspective. After they feel attracted to a certain product or the entire catalogue, their next step is to look for details. A thoughtful buyer is expected to look for various facts in relation with the product. Thus, it is very important that the catalogue highlights the essentials traits of the product. If attraction initiates the buying process, this is what which seals the deal.

Catalogue photography is genre, which includes various kind of catalogue making. It is important to know the certain catalogues require the touch of specialists to reach the perfection. There are various such specialists like food photographers. Similarly there are professionals who specialize in lifestyle products, cars and any other thing under the sun. The motive is to present the thing in different light again and again. There are also variations in terms of location shoots and studio photo captures. In many different projects the catalogue photographers take active part in conceptualizing and editing the photo.

Image editing and layout are two very important factors, which play on enhancing the merit of the catalog. With more and more use of technology, catalog photographers are implementing various techniques to enhance the quality of the image. Such image editing techniques are implemented to each image and to the entire catalogue in general. Thus, catalogue photography is best performed in close association of editing services. The clients are treated with a complete solution from image capture to special effects and perfect layout. It is easy to implement such catalogues. Designer virtual galleries have been instrument in bringing more sales online. Imaging online currently requires a photo editor to frame the stock of products that clearly highlight the best features.

Catalogue photography takes the modern sales methods to greater heights.

Photography - How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business

Photography is a fantastic expression of creativity and discovery. It is a wonderful way of freezing a moment in time. Many people nowadays engage in this activity for the sole purpose of personal satisfaction and development of artistic freedom. It is a popular hobby that can also be a good opportunity for business. Anybody with technical skills in digital photographs and photo enhancement can pursue this field.

In opening your own business; be aware that the competition can be very fierce. It is important you have a vision for your career. There are so many fields to choose from and it is essential you know where you want to focus your expertise on. If you live in Arizona and prefer celebrations like weddings, then you can do wedding photography in Phoenix. If you are more into nature, then outdoor landscape shots are more your style. However you foresee your future in this field, you must be equipped with the basic knowledge in starting this kind of business. Here are some suggestions in making your dream a reality.

In starting your own business it is important to have a definite business plan. Organization and determination will be an essential key to make this venture successful. Sorting out all the details before starting the business will be a tremendous advantage even if the business plan grows and changes along the way.

The next step you need to do is to make an impressive portfolio. Choose the very best pictures from your collection. Originality and distinctiveness will work wonders for your portfolio. This will make you stand out from the rest. Select a category that you excel at. If you are versatile in different shots then make several portfolios for diverse categories. Arrange them in a professional manner using the best materials.

A crucial part is investing in the equipment for the business. Buy high quality digital cameras and lighting accessories. For your background arrangements, find fabrics with a variety of styles to provide your clients with a range of options.

Advertising your business is also a fundamental part. Send out flyers or post an ad in your local newspaper. Think of other creative ways to promote your business. Another option is to make a website. This will give you more exposure than handling leaflets on the street. Select your best images and upload your portfolio. Applying a theme will be a good idea because the pictures will look more organized. If you decide on pursuing wedding photography in Phoenix then it is wise to display photos that highlight the kind of style you are good at. It may either be the traditional or photojournalism type.

Make everything legal by getting your license. Find an office space and apply for other necessary permits so you will be able to operate your business officially.

Start networking for your business. Be a part of professional organizations in your area and establish connections. Be visible in local celebrations because you'll never know you might just meet an important contact in these events.

Careful assessment and thorough research is needed before you invest time and money in your own business. It can be exciting at first but it also involves a lot of work. With determination and hard work you will surely accomplish your objective.

The Management Team Section of the Business Plan - Don't Just Include Resumes

Even the best new concept or existing plan will fail if executed poorly. The Management Team section of the business plan must prove to the investor why the key company personnel are "eminently qualified" to execute on the business model.

The Management Team section should include biographies of key team members and detail their responsibilities. It is important that these biographies are not merely resumes that include the educational backgrounds and previous job titles and responsibilities of the team members. Rather, biographies should highlight the most relevant past positions that the individuals have held and specific successes in each. These successes could include launching and growing new businesses or managing divisions of established companies.

Team member biographies should be tailored to the company's growth stage. For instance, a start-up company should emphasize its management's success launching and growing companies. A more mature company should emphasize how team members have successfully operated within the framework of larger enterprises.

Depending upon the stage of the company, key functional areas may be missing from the team. This is acceptable provided that the plan clearly defines the roles that these individuals will play and identifies the key characteristics of the individuals that will be hired. However, it is generally not favorable if personnel are missing for ultra-critical roles. For example, a plan that is fundamentally a marketing play should not seek financing without a stellar marketing team.

The Management Team section should also include biographies of the company's Advisory Board and/or Board of Directors. While having well-known advisors/board members adds credibility to the business plan, it is highly effective to explain how these advisors will directly impact the company through strategic advice and/or providing conduits to key clients, partners, suppliers, etc.

In summary, the Management Team section of the business plan is an opportunity to prove to investors that your company has the necessary talent to succeed. Rather than waste this opportunity by merely showing employee resumes, which could be included in the Appendix, the section should be used to explain precisely how the team is uniquely qualified to execute the venture in its present state.

Benefits of Online Photography Courses

Many aspiring photographers prefer photography courses that are available online. This is not surprising as online courses have several advantages. The first advantage is there is no need to spend time and energy to reach the place where the course is being offered. The second advantage is - you can pursue the course during times when you are free. You do not have to stick to a particular schedule and so it is quite flexible.

The next advantage is you are not sacrificing anything as you will be offered the facility of interacting with professionals. You will come across useful examples for illustrating various concepts. Some courses also have money-back guarantees and this offers a safety net for you. You can learn the course at your pace based upon how busy your life is and which concepts need more effort and time.

You will also require working on projects for highlighting the skills that you have acquired. You must take care to choose the course that is close to your requirements. Several courses are available - the beginners' course will teach the various concepts using animations and examples. Some courses teach you to get the best benefit out of your cameras.

Some specific courses are also available for imparting specific skills like: making use of various lighting techniques for different types of effects. Some courses concentrate upon providing skills needed for a specific occasion for capturing the occasion in the best manner. Such occasions may be common ones that happen to everyone and so the scope of the training is not quite limited as it can be re-used.

To pursue the online photography courses, you should have access to high-speed internet without much interruption as it will help you to maintain the continuity. If you are not in a hurry, you can join the course when there are some special offers like discounts. Even experienced photographers enroll for learning latest techniques. The techniques would be taught in a manner that makes them easy to understand.

Challenges of Rule of Thirds

While, this rule along with rule of Golden Mean have been practiced for a long time and advocated in many articles and books, in real life situations, they can become inhibiting factors.

On an average, when photography is done for friends and family, we have not much scope for applying these rules. Even in the commercial and industrial photography, the requirements are very much difference and in-fact, most of the situations demand 'breaking' of these rules and delivering as per the brief given by the client.

One example is the genre of corporate photography, in which photography assignments are given to professional photographers to photo-shoot the top brass of an organization. All the subjects have to be bang in the middle of the photographs and there is little or no extra scope to apply the rule of thirds.

The main area of application of the rule of thirds is in fine art photography. Fine art photography is the genre of photography in which the photographer has complete freedom to express his creativity as best he thinks is appropriate to his target audience.

In nature photography, say of animals and birds, getting the subject at any of the four points of 'interest' as enumerated in the rule of thirds is not just difficult but also not desirable. Imagine, a photograph of an eagle flying in the sky with 80% of the photograph filled with 'empty' blue sky and the main subject of the photograph the eagle in this case relegated to one of the corners.

One of the best method to overcome the challenges is to 'practice' breaking it with innovative composition and other photography techniques to highlight the subject and yet not make the photograph contrived. One of the worst practices is to adhere strictly to the rule even at the cost of composition and overall aesthetic appeal of the photograph.

Although, aesthetically the photographs may look "balanced" there is always the danger of keeping the main subject of the image way off the intersection line of rule of thirds, relegating the subject to a corner and leaving too much of empty space. This results in somewhat awkward looking photographs and leaves a feeling of incompleteness in the overall visual impact of the photograph.

The challenging aspects of the Rule of Thirds, have been overcome by all great photography legends, who deliver not only world-class results but also generate great interest in their work from the critics as well as the target audience. The truly great artists transcend all geographic boundaries and become legends.