Applying Make-Up For Photography
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Anyone able to recognize variations in forms and color can easily learn basic make-up application for photography. The two main points to remember are knowing where the facial bones lie and the way in which they are shaped, along with being able to recognize the texture and color of the skin. Make-up for fashion photography is applied using the same basic principles as putting on make-up for every day wear; the main difference being the amount used.
It is best to apply make-up using the same kind of light the photographs will be taken in, considering whether the lighting will be warm or cool, natural or artificial. The way the light falls on a face without make-up determines where contours need to be altered. Establish what the best features are and also the tone of the skin.
Make-up is in itself an art, combining qualities from both painting and sculpture to create one overall effect. Color emphasizes the skin and provides accents. Contouring creates lights and shadows, emphasizing the bones and creating mass. Cheek bones which may have seemed nonexistent can be made to appear high and prominent.
Color of clothing also plays an important role in choosing proper tones for the make-up. An effective overall look is created when the hues of both the make-up and clothing are compatible.
Many people have the misconception that the hardest look to attain is that of the sophisticated high fashion model one sees in magazines. Actually, it is the natural look that can take hours to accomplish. It takes patience and a bit of practice to achieve the soft look that will be just right for natural light. Bouncing the light off a silver reflector can help to keep the shape of the face unchanged, and tends to take the harshness out of a made-up face.
By: Vincent Di Leo
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Memorable Christmas Pictures With A Digital Camera
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Christmas is a time for strong sentiments, gatherings of family and friends, good food and nice traditions. Learn to make the best out of this memorable time in pictures for old and young.
Rather simple point-and-shoot cameras have a great potential for family pictures during Christmas and they can also produce most other kinds of pictures during this important annual event. Small digital cameras aren't that intrusive as big professional cameras.
Here, I offer some basic photo tips and some more advanced photo tricks. If you follow just a few of them you will probably make much more memorable Christmas pictures during the Christmas days - and may be even before Christmas day.
Be prepared for photography
Keep your digital camera in reach during all Christmas. Make sure your battery is fully recharged and your memory card has plenty of space for new pictures. Have your battery re-charger available, too, as you will take many photos with flash.
Share the responsibility for taking pictures
For some Christmas events you might be quite busy serving the guest or helping older family members or being the one who should talk with everybody. Then just give your camera to another person and ask for him or her to take a lot of pictures during the event. Young people will often be very good at picture taking, not least because the availability of camera phones has facilitated that habit to even very young people.
Go close when taking pictures
Go as close as you can what ever you are shooting family members or Christmas things and symbols. Most digital cameras include more in the photo than what is displayed when you frame it, unless you only use the digital display screen. You can always quickly check the result and take a new picture if needed.
Don't be afraid of arranged picture taking
Many situations around the Christmas tree are quite messy. Don't worry of arranging a fine scene like grandfather in the big chair with the youngest family member on the lab with a big Christmas present in the small hands.
Arrange an all family members group photo
To have a picture taken if all family members get together for Christmas is an opportunity you shouldn't miss. If possible think beforehand of a functional locality - indoor or outdoor with enough room for all, including the space for the photographer. Use a tripod to have your self included. Take at least three frames.
Take several shots of the most memorable situations
When you have a very nice situation don't spare your shots but take at least 3 alternatives. One picture might turn out much better than the others, and the first shot isn't the best shot very often.
Take pictures without the flash turned on
As Christmas in the northern hemisphere is happening in the dark wintertime many pictures will be taken with the flash on. That is fine for many occasions but the strong flashlight will often remove the nice special Christmas atmosphere. Learn how to manually turn the flash on and off before any important Christmas gathering. Increase the sensitivity to say 400 ASA for natural light photography during Christmas events.
Take candlelight pictures
Candlelight pictures are a rewarding approach to Christmas photography as they generate a special atmosphere of old time and traditions. Include one or two faces in the frame together with the candle. You have to switch off the flash of the camera and improve the sensitivity. If possible support your elbows on a table or the like to avoid camera shake. Still remember to take some alternative shots. Many Christmas symbols are also fine in candlelight.
Take series of Christmas pictures
A number of Christmas pictures showing a process or an event from the phase of preparation, through the main activities until the final stage of saying goodbye or cleaning up can be very interesting later. This can be a fine task for a younger family member to take care of and it is so nice with digital cameras that we don't have to worry of the cost of pictures that become failures. Such a series of Christmas pictures is excellent for a digital slide show later.
Take special interest in the oldest family members
As time goes by it often turns up that the last pictures of an old family member that passed away was taken at Christmas time. Without exaggerating keep that in mind and make sure you get really nice portraits of the oldest family members in good mood - every Christmas.
Make the best of the newborn and babies
Normally there will be taken a lot of photos of babies and the smallest children and that is a good tradition. Just pay a little attention to how to link the pictures of the children to symbols of Christmas and activities of other family members or friends during the Christmas event.
Preparing for Christmas - also a photo option For children the waiting time to Christmas might be felt like infinity. For us grownups the time might slip away because of all the preparation for Christmas combined with our other duties. Shopping in the decorated streets, preparing presents and cooking food etc. are all fine options for your Christmas photography.
Throw away the bad pictures quickly
During Christmas or just after go through the Christmas pictures and weed all the bad ones out. When you have taken three alternative frames of the same situation, only keep the best one for the future. Be tuff, when editing your Christmas collection of pictures - that will reward you in the long run. Google's Picasa picture organizer is a fine help and it is free at picasa.google.com
Share your Christmas pictures
It is easy to share your Christmas pictures with family members and friends. At OnlinePhotoSharing.net you will find many options.
By: Soren Breiting
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Filters For Landscape Photography
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Filters are used in photography to bring back an image to the way our eyes have perceived the original scene. Some times it's not possible for our cameras to record an exact scene - so we have to rely on the manufacturers of camera products.
Filters also help us to create mood in our images and bring out the best in a scene. A small selection of filters is well worth packing when heading off for a trip. They don't take up too much space and will definitely add a bit of spice to your images.
Filters work by being placed in front of your camera lens. You can also place several filters in front of your camera at any given time.
Lets take a look at the most important ones to use.
Neutral Density Filters (ND): Neutral Density filters will certainly help you with tough exposures. These filters work by cutting down the light that reaches your lens. These filters come in a variety of strengths with the most popular being 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 - these filters will help with exposure without affecting colour.
One half of these filters is dark and the other is completely clear. They basically work by reducing brightness. The different numbers stand for the amount of brightness they reduce - 0.3 ND reduces light by one stop - 0.6 reduces light by 2 stops - 0.9 reduces light by three stops.
Lets say you arrive at a high contrast scene, - you take a light reading of the sky and get an exposure reading of F/22 at 1/8 second; you take a reading from the ground in front of you and get a reading of F/22 at 1 second. This is a difference of three stops of light. You need to reduce the brightness of the sky. By using the 0.9 ND you will reduce the light in the sky by three stops without affecting the light hitting the ground in front of you.
Polarizing Filters: A polarizing filter should be top of the list - a polarizing filter can be used with colour or black and white and is probably the most important filter on the market today. The polarizing filter will also darken the blue sky to give it a strong rich colour. It will make mist stand out and can be also used to give fast flowing water a misty effect. This filter is most effective with side lighting.
Warm-up filters: In overcast conditions, don't put your camera away. This is an ideal time for you to switch your attention to landscape detail. On an overcast day images often appear cold and dull. Try using a warm-up filter. These filters will remove the dull effect that you get shooting without the sun.
The 81-series are the best choice and will give your images an extra bit of life. An 81A warm-up filter is ideal to use in adding extra warmth to low light images.
Filters for B/W photography: Just because you use black and white film it doesn't mean that you can't use filters - there are several filters for B/W photography. The polarizing filter is one of the few filters that work for B/W and colour photography. It will help to darken shades of grey in your final print.
The red filter is one of the most popular. This filter will darken the sky giving your image more impact. The most common red filter is the number 25. Filters for B/W work by transmitting light of its own colour, and holds back light of the other colours.
There's a large amount of filters available; these are the most important filters for landscape photography.
There are also several filters on the market today that will do very little for your photography. Colour graduated filters should be left at home or placed in the bin - colour graduated filters work by creating un-natural colours, destroying your final print.
By: TJ Tierney
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Natural Vs Artificial Lighting for Portraits
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There are basically two kinds of lighting to consider for portraiture: natural and artificial. Considering the pros and cons, as well as requirements for different situations, will help you decide which kind to use.
Natural Lighting:
Natural lighting, whether used outdoors or indoors through a window, is perhaps the easiest for beginners. Simply take your subject outside during the last couple of hours before sunset for a stunning quality that is unmatched by that of strobes. Or if you are inside, put your subject near a window during mid-morning. You’d be amazed at the beautiful results you can achieve using only natural light.
Going outside for a portrait session works great for babies and children. Just let them run around as you follow them with your camera. They will just think you are there to play and you’ll get expressions and compositions that would be hard to duplicate in a studio. You can also photograph children in their home, perhaps in their own room. This is so ideal because they will be relaxed and you’ll get lots of shots that show the child’s personality much easier than in a studio setting.
Bridal portraits are a great occasion for natural, outdoor light. The soft light from the last hour before sunset will flatter the bride’s skin tones. This is the perfect time to use halo or rim lighting, with the sunlight coming through the edges of the bride’s hair.
The disadvantages of using natural light is that you are at the mercy of the weather and are limited to only a few hours of the day to do portraits. The upside to this, though, is that you can charge more for this type of specialized service.
Artificial Lighting:
Artificial Lighting is a little more involved and will take some time to learn how to set it up and use it, but once you do, you can also get some beautiful effects. Strobes are the standard type of lights to use for portraits, since continuous lights are too bright and hot for subjects, making it much harder to get great expressions from your subjects.
The great thing about using strobes is you can do a session no matter what the weather. Simply set up the lights indoors, day or night, and the lighting is exactly the same. You’ll have much more control over this type of lighting too. You can decide whether you want more or less light, a softer or more contrasty effect, and simply adjust it to fit your needs. Time is also not a problem with strobes, since the light stays the same no matter what time of day it is. You won’t be forced to wait for the perfect light, only to have it last but a few precious minutes.
Portraits of individuals, especially adults and older children are perfect for this type of lighting, since they are easy to instruct on where and how to pose. Family portraits also work well with strobes.
The disadvantages of artificial lighting are evident when you are photographing a young child who refuses to sit still. As often is the case, they have no desire to stay put while you capture their image for future generations and would much rather be playing with your equipment than sitting in front of it. This is why outdoor sessions are usually much easier with children and babies. Some photographers also do not like the quality of light strobes produce, preferring the softness of natural light. There can also be a lack of spontaneity because the subject must stay in the area where the lights are set up.
Both natural and artificial lighting have their pros and cons, and which type you use will depend on the circumstances of each particular session. I suggest you try both types, experimenting with different techniques and various ages of people to photograph. Eventually, you’ll get a feel for what kind of lighting works best for you and your subjects.
By: Angela M. Griffin
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Utilizing Natural Light For Photography
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Using natural light instead of artificial flash on consumer grade digital cameras can significantly improve your photos. With a little knowledge and some practice, your candid shots at home can look more like the pros! Whether your digital camera is a point-and-shoot or a SLR, using an in-body flash can cause your images to appear flat and produce harsh, distracting shadows.
First you will want to maximize the amount of available diffused light where you are shooting. If you are indoors - throw open the curtains and remove anything blocking the sunlight from filling the room. If you are outside, look up! Is it cloudy? Perfect! The clouds are diffusing the light for you. If its sunny, head for the shade where the light is diffused and not causing harsh shadows.
Second you will want to choose how you will position your subjects based on the light source. Front light means the light is hitting directly on the front of your subject. Side-light means the primary source of light is to the side, and back-light means it is coming from behind. Be sure to choose the best option that evenly lights the face and does not leave a significant portion of the subject in shadows. Those effects can be nice if used moderately, but for portrait work you will usually want an evenly lit subject.
Now you will want to experiment with your camera's settings. Your shutter speed and aperture will need to be adjusted based on the composition you are aiming for as well as the amount of available light. If light is low, you will want a wide open aperture! If the light is quite bright, you might need to crank up your shutter speed for proper exposure.
By: Mollie Donovan Burpo
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Mollie specializes in family portraits, children's photography, and newborn photography in austin, texas. her photography is candid, modern, and fun! capture the growth and personalities in your family - visit http://www.photographyinbloom.com
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