Engagement Photography Tips and Techniques |  |
- Engagement Photography Tips and Techniques
- How to Create Refractograph Abstract Photography
- Interesting Photo of the Day: Reflections for Days on the Uyuni Salt Flats
- Chimpanzee’s Photographs Sell For Big Bucks at Auction, Why?
| Engagement Photography Tips and Techniques Posted: 07 Jun 2013 04:45 PM PDT The precursor to the actual event, engagement photography is what helps show the couple’s spark with each other and creates widespread awareness of their upcoming wedding. As the photographer, it is important for you to do your research so that the couple’s engagement pictures will be creative, interesting, entertaining, love-struck, and most of all, satisfying for the couple themselves.  “Wedding” captured by b-bee (Click Image to See More From b-bee) 1) Preview the coupleNo, I don’t mean to actually screen the couple before you decide to work with them. (Although in some cases, this might actually be a smart idea.) Anyway, get to know who these people ARE in advance. Meet with them over coffee, for lunch, or just chat a while on the phone. The best way for you to get the engagement photos that this couple wants is to figure out what it is that they actually want. Get a feel for their personality and their chemistry together. 2) Keep them connectedThis engagement picture tip basically speaks for itself – keep the couple connected with each other. Sure, they are going to be somewhat nervous (especially if they are not super comfortable with you just yet), but do your best to keep them into one another. This leads me to my next pointer… 3) PDA is Okay (and necessary!)Because an engagement photo session is completely different from a normal headshot, model, or family photo shoot, you have to remember that the overall theme for these pictures is going to be love. Make the couple comfortable and aware that they SHOULD kiss, hug, hold hands, be playful, be silly, and be touchy-feely mushy gushy all they want! It makes the pictures more personal and personable!  Photo captured by Tatiana Garanina (Click Image to See More From Tatiana Garanina) 4) As always…”Burst mode!”This seems to be recurring theme in my articles…definitely make a point to use “burst” mode while doing engagement photography. The couple will be nervous, so after they do their initial and stiff pose for the camera (thinking they look natural!), they will loosen up, smile, laugh, look at each other…THOSE are the moments you want to catch more than anything. 5) Location is lucrativeIf you have been doing photography, especially engagement photography, for a while, you may know of some great places around your town to take engagement pictures. Prepare yourself with a list of locations and interesting places beforehand that you can suggest to the couple. They most likely will be open and willing to consider anything you have to say! Also, couples frequently travel to other towns for their engagement pictures, so make sure you have tracked down some hotspots that will be aesthetically pleasing. 6) Do your research!The only way for you to actually be as knowledgeable and prepared as you want to be (and want the couple to think you are) is to DO YOUR RESEARCH. As with the previous engagement photo tip, research locations for engagement pictures. Look up creative engagement picture poses that you could suggest to the couple during the shoot. Learn what clothing options will be wise to suggest for them to wear…  “Engagement” captured by Samantha Foster (Click Image to See More From Samantha Foster) 7) Clothing optional (well, not quite)They might be committed to just one person, but make sure this couple has options! Tell them to bring a few changes of clothes so that you can get some different engagement shots in different locations. You want to give them variety and creativity. Also, let them know what colors NOT to wear. Examples: white, khakis, light colors, etc. Depending on the background, certain colors and prints may not mesh. 8. Suggest an event shootMost couples won’t think of this amazing idea for engagement pictures, so you should suggest it to them! Offer the idea to go along and shoot a “date night” for the couple. Have them go to the place where they met, their favorite restaurant, or out doing their favorite hobby. Another fabulous engagement photo shoot idea is taking pictures at their engagement party! We just did an engagement shoot like this and the pictures are priceless. Friends, family, and most importantly, the couple, were ALL included! 9) Shoot in RAW (vs. JPEG)This helpful hint is especially important when shooting indoors! Shooting in RAW gives you the liberty of having a wider range of exposure adjustments during the editing process. Some may prefer one format over another, but on our engagement photo shoots, we want to make sure we have the most options possible so we can come out with the best engagement pictures possible. 10) Don’t focus on the faceThis hint sounds ludicrous for engagement pictures, right?! Well, of course you should take pictures of the couple’s faces! But on the flip side, try focusing on things other than just those. Have the bride-to-be lift her foot as if they were kissing, and snap a picture of their shoes from the knee down. Make absolute positive you get that engagement ring in some pictures! Catch her whispering something in his ear. Shoot them from the neck down. All of this is interesting and innovative for the eye.  “Daria and Yury” captured by Tatiana Garanina (Click Image to See More From Tatiana Garanina) 11) Be vocal (they won’t!)Finally, one of the most important engagement pictures tips I can give you is to BE VOCAL. Have fun with the couple and suggest poses for them to try. Have general conversation to loosen them up. Tell a few jokes (if you happen to be funny) and create a warm friendly atmosphere. Direct them and they will take direction. Many couples WANT you to hold their hand along the engagement picture path and lead the way. Take advantage of this power! You have the liberty to come up with something new, creative, and fantastic. They will appreciate this when the editing process is over! About the Author For Further Training on Being a Wedding Photographer:Check out Simple Wedding Photography, it covers everything you need to know to photograph a wedding and the business behind it. From diagrams of where you should stand throughout the ceremony to advice on all the final deliverables to the client. This 200 page ebook will be useful to wedding photographers of any experience level. It also carries a 60 day guarantee, so there is no risk in trying it. It can be found here: Simple Wedding Photography eBook Go to full article: Engagement Photography Tips and Techniques |
| How to Create Refractograph Abstract Photography Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:34 PM PDT Ever look through a kaleidoscope as a kid? You would hold the tube up to your eye, twist the end, and see an array of wild colors and patterns move about. Well refractory photography works somewhat on the same concept. Using a refractory object such as glass or plastic, you can create your own abstract images. Rob Turney created this helpful tutorial for us to follow (for those of you reading this by email, the video tutorial can be seen here): What you need for refractory photography:
 Refractory photography is great for creating abstract photos  Make sure there is no ambient light when shooting your refractory object For Further Training on Non-Traditional Photo Effects:Check out this very popular eBook that explains how to do amazing photography tricks and photoshop effects. It can be found here: Trick Photography and Special Effects Go to full article: How to Create Refractograph Abstract Photography |
| Interesting Photo of the Day: Reflections for Days on the Uyuni Salt Flats Posted: 07 Jun 2013 02:35 PM PDT At first glance, you might think this photo was a product of a skilled Photoshopper. However, you would be wrong. This place, called the Uyuni Salt Flats, actually covers a 4,000+ square mile space in southwest Bolivia. It is essentially a giant bed of salt. When covered in water, it appears to be a giant flat lake, however, the water typically only reaches a few inches deep making it possible to still walk across the entire bed:  The vast Uyuni Salt Flats: a photographer’s treasure (Click to See Larger Size, Imgur) This spot has been used by photographers for years for its unique look. Commercial, fashion, and model shoots alike have taken place here, and a quick Youtube search for the area would result in many of these. This photo reminds us of how many unique treasure there are in the world and how many still remain unknown to us. Go to full article: Interesting Photo of the Day: Reflections for Days on the Uyuni Salt Flats |
| Chimpanzee’s Photographs Sell For Big Bucks at Auction, Why? Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:29 AM PDT Does a photograph become more valuable depending on who is behind the viewfinder? In London this week, a Russian art collector thought so, and was willing to put down $76,000 to prove it. That price tag was for a collection of 18 photographs taken by Mikki – no, not the one writing this article (sadly). Mikki was a Russian circus performer, who had the good fortune to be a charming three foot tall chimpanzee. The “artwork” – the 4th out of a 10-print run – sold at Sotheby’s Auction House for 50,000 GBP; this news clip from CBS This Morning gives the full story (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here): Mikki was taught his basic photographic skills in the 1990s by fellow performers and conceptual artists Alexander Melamid and Vitaly Komar, who have a long history of creating art with animals. Some people see the images as having important cultural significance, of being an abstract expression from a living creature who knows no speech. Others think it’s just silly. The chimp-artist seems to have learned simply to point the camera and click the shutter, without mastering the finer details of focusing or setting manipulation. So the question that comes to mind is, would these images be nearly as valuable if I, or anyone else has taken them? Does a piece’s value correlate directly to its creator? Obviously it does, to a certain extent. If Richard Avedon took the picture, it would probably be worth even more. If I did, it would barely be worth a few bucks for the frame. That goes for anything, regardless of what the picture even looks like. So is it art? And, just as importantly, is it valuable?
Nobody has ever been able to aptly describe what “art” is, so I don’t figure we have any business defining what does and does not get to be called such; art is a thing which, by its very nature, eludes explanation. The images are, however, a piece of art history, and can be appreciated for that reason alone. We can probably all agree, though, that art doesn’t just boil down to what’s on the canvas. Any visual creation is inevitably and intensely coloured by our personal experiences, histories, and emotions, our values and beliefs, which creates context and connections that the artist could never have dreamed of. If knowing something about a photograph, like the fact that it was taken by a monkey, enhances your experience of the piece, why shouldn’t it add value? After all, all art is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it – no more, no less. What to you think? Did this monkey create great art, or just a funny story? Tell us what you think in the comments below. Go to full article: Chimpanzee’s Photographs Sell For Big Bucks at Auction, Why? |
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