The visual impact of perspective & sharpness control

By Avi Roth

Jewelry, as a photographic object is comparatively small in terms of three-dimensional extension. The range of movements offered by the view camera present great control over quality and visual presentation. This article about using a view camera in the studio-managed environment, discusses ways of deliberately influencing and modifying perspective and sharpness to attain

visual splendor and image quality

Unlike SLR or medium format cameras (“rigid body” cameras), the view camera has capabilities for a full range of movements: rise and fall as well as tilt and shift of both front and rear standards. This is very important in digital jewelry photography since simply stopping down a modern digital lens all the way to f45 or f64 is a poor approach in obtaining sharpness and can have a damaging effect on image quality. Modern digital lenses perform optimally toward the middle of their aperture range: f/11 for short focal lengths, f/16 for moderate focal lengths, and f/22 for longer lenses. Sharpness has other implications on image quality as well: surface quality, data density, and separation of planes and edges.

In practical terms, when photographing a round pearl necklace or a pendant on a 180º object surface with a tilted camera plane of 30º- 45º, the view camera can quickly and easily be set to achieve sharpness throughout the entire object plane at the optimum aperture without stopping down, while retaining natural proportions. An SLR or medium format camera on the other hand, must always be stopped down to a maximum lens opening of f32 and beyond to achieve a greater depth of field, with all the associated disadvantages of image quality.

A limited amount of sharpness can be re-gained in post-production by image manipulation, but only with considerable losses in terms of image quality, and with unpleasing pixel distortions. For known reasons, diffraction has a large effect at high line frequencies, and to ensure that enough line pairs reach the digital sensor to achieve good sharpness, it is best to avoid very small apertures! This is why when desiring great image quality, it’s imperative to achieve sharpness by adjusted depth of field vs. stopping down the lens opening!

Another good example of the view camera advantage can be seen when photographing a square jewelry gift box. How do you photograph a square item from a dramatic angle without converging lines?

With a medium-format camera it‘s not possible to compensate for converging lines at a small aperture like f/11 in order to get the entire subject sharp. Since lenses made for digital photography perform best in this aperture range a view camera like the Sinar p3, Arca, Linhof or Cambo would easily realize overall sharpness without loss of image quality while retaining the desired viewing angle.

The above examples demonstrate how the capabilities of a precision view camera with a full range of movements can achieve great overall sharpness at small apertures. But at the same time, the view camera also allows to create purposeful un-sharpness for artistic and creative interpretations. Utilizing the view camera’s range of movements to manipulate perspective and sharpness will create spectacular special images of even ordinary jewelry objects – especially in close-up range.

In jewelry photography close-up sharpness over the entire subject, at the optimum aperture for best image quality, is inconceivable without camera movements. If you are searching for a system that will help you capture the ultimate digital image quality, I would highly recommend thinking about a view camera studio-solution. There are at least two other components beyond the camera platform you must consider: the digital back, and digital lenses. It’s not inexpensive – but the results will justify the investment.

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nareshkumar -
About the Author:

Author’s Bio
Avi Roth is an internationally recognized jewelry photographer and the founder of Digital Jeweller: Digital Jewelry Photography Solutions. His elegant jewelry photography can be seen in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Martha Stewart Weddings and other prominent publications. Roth has received numerous awards recognizing his professional virtuosity, but he feels most rewarded by sharing his knowledge with others who share his passion for photography. For more jewelry photography tips and info go to http://www.jewelryphotographyonly.com

The field of child photography is challenging but also both enjoyable and profitable – if you like children. Don’t bother pretending, if you really don’t. You may fool a parent – but not the little one.

Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase “hold it” or “freeze” carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.

YOU can turn this into your advantage: Since children don’t always do what you want them to do, or what you expect them to do (actually they rarely do!). A solution often is: don’t expect them to become a cooperative little adult merely because you want to take their picture. Trick them – expect them to act like children. Don’t expect anything in particular. DO this and you can enter the fun and profitable field of child photography.

Know your stuff – Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing – what your camera is capable of doing – what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the children). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes – though you feel you have just run a marathon – so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.

Know your subjects – With children, you must expect the unexpected. At different ages children are capable of doing different things. The more you know what they typically do during some of these stages, the better images you are going to capture. And the happier you make your clients – which, in turn, makes you financially happy.

During a session photographing children you can get a variety of poses, expressions and antics. In no other field of photography are you liable to get such variety. The more you learn about little ones the better child photographer you will be. Children are not just children until they become adults -they come in all sizes. Between four months and four years you can place them into quite a few categories: 4-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, 18-24 mos, and then you can lengthen out the age span. Awareness of these ages are needed to help you – the photographer – be aware of the limitations children (especially little ones) have.

Listening to the parent can help toward a successful session. You can learn specific things about their child that will make it or break it: Are they afraid of certain things or sounds? What are their special likes? Do they like books? How comfortable are they with a stranger approaching them? You do NOT want to spook a little one; the scheduled time may not allow for you to win their confidence.

Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!

In most areas of photography a tripod is great for sharp photos. However with child photography you do not always have such a luxury. Once they reach the moving around stage, a tripod limits your ability to capture expressions and poses. Be mindful of your camera settings – keep that shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring – and be ready to move quickly!

Child photography allows for close-up portraits as well as the child engaged in some activity – taking their socks off – in a box / tub with toys – climbing on or out of something. There is really no limit. As you continue to gain experience in working with children of various ages you will become more adept at learning what typically works with different age groups.

Child photography is a challenge – but don’t worry sometime it turns into children photography. Mom has twins – big brother / little sister – maybe three little cousins. The list goes on! Imagine two sister and they both have triplets! Other than the obvious difficulty of getting multiple little subjects in any semblance of position, conducive to a memorable photo you need to bring everyone’s eyes to a central focal point. Tricky, but not impossible. Adding something NEW to catch their attention, at the moment you press the shutter, can work. Use this sparingly, because when child photography turns into children photography getting all their attention on the same thing is quite a feat. The beauty of digital is no limits to the exposures you take and you can take a quick peek on the spot.

Parents can be quite helpful during the photo session. Children often are more confident with a parent nearby. Also, do not overlook the value of older brother and sisters. They have a relationship with the little one like no one else! Often they can get their little brother or sister to giggle, make faces, hold things and a host of other things that may be exactly what you need. Plus, you have the opportunity of including more subjects in the photos, which translates into a larger photo package for the customer!

As you advance in child photography you will want a lighting setup and a backdrop. A three light setup – consisting of a main light fill light and a background light – is ideal. However if you are just beginning you can do great photography with a lot less. Experiment, and add as needed. If you are using a backdrop keep the child at least four feet from the backdrop (if possible). This eliminates shadows and prevents the backdrop from competing with your subject.

Take your act on the road – You can do child photography at the park – on the beach – in the backyard, just as easily as in a studio or home – maybe more so – and nature will take care of the lighting for you, as long as you select open shade.

Items to have on hand: Depending on the ages and whether you are shooting indoors or outdoors you need a supply of items to catch and keep their interest and that look great in a photo: rattles feather dusters soft toys dolls hats mirrors a telephone (the bigger the better) a big whistle duplicate toys (for twins & overly competitive little ones) treats & snacks

About Author

Dan Feildman -
About the Author:

Did you enjoy this article? Curious about Dominating Digital Photography? Well now you can by reading this Digital Photography Blog…what are you waiting for?

Selling digital photography to stock photo sites or selling photos over the internet can be a very profitable business if you know all the nuances that will get you a good amount of sales. Learning the technical aspects is very important, and really paints the fine line between making money and wasting your time. I don’t mean to discourage anyone, because it should be conveyed that anyone with a digital camera, an internet connection and a little spare time can do quite well. A lot of people sell their freelance photos through stock photography sites or through their own page/web host without a particular theme and do fairly well, but I will take more time and effort. A better battle plan is to find a particular type or subject of digital photography that you can easily focus on.

To explain further what picking a theme really does for photography sales, it helps consumers easily find what they are looking for when they type in specific descriptions or set of keywords. This benefits you because if a consumer types in your specific subject there is a good chance that it will bring them directly to your freelance photography. If you don’t already have the program called Camera Dollars, then labeling and specifying keywords is something you have to learn, but this tool will help you. And after you read the Camera Dollars lessons, you need to sign up with these companies and do a bit of research in order to figure out a profitable theme to pick for your photography.

Here are are several different types of freelance photography themes and short descriptions of each.

The method of taking pictures as a Theme:

Some examples of this would be macro, scenery, black and white, geometric, architecture, abstract, micro, motion, portrait, or panoramic.

These are usually recognized by simple types of photography and aren’t usually profitable on their own. Usually you want to combine this with other themes, like instead of “50’s Television” you could use the theme “Black and white 50’s televisions.”

Nominal Themes:

Simply put these themes based on any object, person, or place. Examples are Dvd, chair, cookware, doorknobs, Bahamas, Britney Spears and so on.

Themes Based off of Photo Utility:

Instead of think of what to take pictures of think of what the person buying the photo is using it for. You can base your theme off of a particular job or usage for the photo. To give an example a lot of graphic designers buy digital photos off the internet, do some research and try to sell particularly to them.

Intangible Themes:

Intangible digital photography themes are based off of ideas, emotions and other ambiguous images. Here are some examples: Love, hope, existentialism, correction, trust, triumphant, justice.

Your digital photography doesn’t have to be specified by just one form. Any of these three types of subjects can be put together to make an even more specific category of photos. An example of mixing two themes would be like Motion and friendship, which can be a picture of two friends doing some activity together or otherwise being in the state of “motion.” You could have hundreds of themes by the time your done, but it is better to focus on a few at a time. Do your research and in order to learn about how to sign up or start your own business check out Jobs in Digital Photography

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Nicholas Normandy -

About the Author:

What should I look for in a high-quality photograph storage box?

•    Made of acid-free materials

Acid free photo storage boxes are preferred for fine art storage.  Airborne pollutants can damage the surface of the artwork, and thus acid free photo storage boxes can be used to neutralize those pollutants.

•    Constructed from archival quality products

Paper products are naturally acidic, and as boxes are typically made out of some type of paper, often they are not the best choice for long-term storage of artwork.  Archival photo storages boxes, however, have been made from conservation-quality materials that will help to preserve the surface of your fine artwork that is stored within them.

•    Ample size

You are also going to want to be on the lookout for boxes that are sized appropriately for your artwork.  Large photo storage boxes make a smart choice so that the edges of your fine art prints do not become damaged from rubbing against the sides of the photograph storage box, or be forced to roll up if crammed into too small a box.  You want your artwork to lie flat in the box, and large photo storage boxes can more easily accommodate various sizes of photos and other art.  Quality photo storage boxes come in a depth of three inches, allowing room for the storage of many photos, which can be separated with acid-free tissue.

•    Reinforced corners

If you have many photographs to store, you might decide to sort them into several photo storage boxes for better organization.  They will take up much less room if they are stacked, but if they are weighted down the corners of flimsy paper boxes will likely collapse, damaging the artwork inside.  Instead, choose photo storage boxes with reinforced corners.  Metal corners on the outer surface of the box will help it to retain its original shape even when stacked.

You can use an individual photograph storage box for organizing each type of photograph collection you have.  In addition, large photo storage boxes also make an excellent space to carefully store comic books, magazines and scrapbook pages.

You can find quality photo storage boxes at better online fine art photography framing suppliers.

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Susan Slobac -
About the Author:

Susan Slobac is an avid photographer.Susan believes a picture frame is more than just fashion; it’s a safeguard for something you love. In this article Susan talks about photo storage boxes and acid free photo storage boxes.

When choosing a photographer for your child, there is much more to consider than price.  You want to make sure your photographer does all of the following things to ensure that your portrait experience is excellent and that you get photographs that will stand the test of time.

The first thing your child’s photographer should do is to meet you and your child in advance of your portrait session.  They should meet you on a day before the actual session just to meet you and your child and discuss ideas to personalize your session.  During this “design consultation,” your photographer will get down on your child’s level and get to know them so that on the day of the session, the photographer will not be a total stranger to your child, making the session go smoother and be much more successful.  Your photographer should do this design consultation at no extra charge to you.

The second thing your photographer must do is to do the session on location, instead of a boring studio, at no extra charge.  This is so important to making your session successful.  You should be able to choose a location that is special to you or your child, an environment that your child is comfortable in.  This could be a local park or playground, or other favorite location, or even your own home.  Being photographed on location is so much more fun for everyone involved, and the results are creative and unique images of your child.

The third thing your photographer should do is to be flexible.  As a parent, you know that for some reason, a perfectly healthy child can (and often does) become ill on important occasions, such as Christmas Day, their birthday, or the day you have scheduled for their portrait session.  Your photographer should understand this and allow you to reschedule the session at no extra charge.  This goes for any other unforeseen problems that may come up.

The last, and most crucial, thing you should make sure your photographer does is to guarantee you will love your portraits.  Many photographers say that satisfaction is guaranteed”, but this is not good enough.  If your photographer cannot guarantee that you will be thrilled with your portraits, or your money back, it’s time to move on and find another photographer.  A portrait of your child should be something that moves you every time you look at it, not something that you are just “satisfied” with.  It is so important that your photographer has such a strong guarantee.

If your photographer does not do all of the above things, move on to another one and don’t stop looking until you find one that does.  The kind of photographer I have described is one who truly cares about you and your child as people and about giving you the highest quality photographs to preserve for you the precious years of childhood.

As you have seen, price is not the only thing to consider when choosing the best photographer for your child.   Think of photographs of your child as investments, as you would when buying a house, or as important a decision as choosing the best doctor when you need surgery.  While those photographs won’t bring you financial gains later on, if they were created by a photographer who does the things I discussed above, you will reap priceless rewards of the heart for years to come.

About Author

Angela Griffin -
About the Author:

Angela Griffin is a photographer and owner of Angela’s Portraits in Denton, Texas, which is now in its 6th year! Photography is Angela’s passion, particularly photographing babies and children. To view her portfolio and get portrait session information, visit her website at http://www.angelas-portraits.com. Angela is also the founder of http://www.photomarketingsuccess.com and author of the course Marketing Magic for Children’s Portrait Photography. Angela invites you to stop by http://www.photomarketingsuccess.com for free information on starting your own business, marketing it for success and lots of other resources for portrait photographers.

Imagine that you are looking at picture of a scrumptious pork fillet, mouth watering steak and a glass of iced cold grape juice. How do you feel? Hungry?

That is what successful food photographers can do. They can trigger your hunger by just looking at their pictures. Isn’t it amazing when you can do the same? Let’s start by looking at the tips below:

1. Lighting

Lighting is very important in food photography. When you have the right lighting, it will seem like the dish is asking the viewers to feast on it. So, it is very important that you look at the surrounding and experiment your picture with as much natural light as possible.

There will be time that the surrounding light can’t really illuminate the dish. When that happens, you will want to consider using a flash. Then, you need to control the intensity of the flash. Remember that you want to highlight the essence of the dish and get your viewers hungry instead of disgust them with an all brighten up dish.

2. Presentation

Imagine a plate of pork chop with its broccoli scattered around and the sauce flooding the plate. Do you still have the intention to dig into it? Most likely you will wonder how a chef can present that for dining.

So, take your time to arrange your dish. It must be visually attracting before someone will actually have the desire to eat it. When you are photographing a burger, you will want to get the stuffing out of the bun and that is how the fast food chains advertise and get you to visit them.

And when you are photographing a dish, experiment your picture with and without the cutlery. How does that feel? Sometime, the cutlery will enhance your picture and sometime not.

3. Out of focus

Creating shallow depth of field on your dish will keep your food in focus while the background blurred. Your viewers will automatically pay attention to the food and it would trigger their urge to eat.

However, the compact digital cameras in the market now are unable to adjust the depth of field. It is true that you can create the effect with photo editing software later. Still, the picture will not look as natural as when you are using a DSLR camera to capture the picture.

As much fun as talking about food photography, you will start to feel hungry. Unfortunately, that is the side effect of looking into this interesting topic.

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michael wong -
About the Author:

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you want more digital photography tips and techniques? Michael Wong is happy to share his knowledge about digital photography with you and hope you enjoy them. Just visit

=>www.Learn-DigitalPhotography.blogspot.com

The subjects of architectural photography are some of the most dynamic forms ever captured. Architectural photography captures a series of elements including shapes, massing, and height. It also involves capturing details such as textures, colors, shadows, and light. Photographing architecture does not stop after pressing the shutter button. It also involves a post-production process that includes photo editing, cropping, resolution adjustment, and finally printing on a preferred medium. Architectural photos appear on several types of printed medium. Below are examples of popular, printed mediums for architectural photography.

Postcards – Postcards are one of the most popular mediums for architectural photography. Buildings around the world have become famous icons due to their appearance on postcards. Classic, architectural icons on postcards include The Pyramids of Egypt, The Coliseum, and The Parthenon. More contemporary examples include The Empire State Building, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Great Wall of China, The White House, and most recently, The National Stadium in Beijing or ‘Birdsnest’.  When taking architectural photographs as a freelance photographer, printing work on postcards can be fast, convenient and affordable using online printing services. Online printers offer custom printing of postcards at reasonable, often discounted prices.

Flyers – Flyers are also a graphic and informative medium for architectural photographs. Flyers are commonly used by real estate developers or realtors as sales flyers of current property on the market. Flyers are handy and direct, making them popular choices for marketing. Flyers today can also be printed in full color at both standard and customized sizes. Realtors, land and commercial developers can avail of professional printing services for printing wholesale orders of flyers.

Posters – Posters are ideal mediums for architectural photography due to their large formats. Large formats can mean higher resolution; capturing more architectural details, vividness and scale. Poster printing today uses full color, digital or offset printers. Travel photographers can make use of online printing services in order to print poster samples for personal or professional use.

About Author

Nikki Sabato -
About the Author:

Nikki Sabato is a writer with a background in landscape architecture and design. She currently works in the field of marketing and design communication.

Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life, and the maternity photos that you take should reflect that. Don’t be afraid to go beyond the ubiquitous hands-forming-a-heart-over-her-belly shot and do something different. While your model will let you know what she’s comfortable with and how conservative (or daring) she wants to be, you can make suggestions and help to encourage her to push her limits. Conversely, you may also be surprised by how open she is, and some ideas that she may have, so don’t be afraid to have an open and frank discussion beforehand.

One technique that I like to use in my maternity photo shoots is infrared. Infrared produces a soft grain that is flattering to both face and figure, and should you be shooting outdoors it gives your model an almost otherworldly appearance, with vegetation taking on a white glow, and any clothing or fabrics that you’re using can turn out looking completely different in print form than expected. Is it often seen in traditional maternity shots? Not really, but it’s exciting and different, and many of my mom-to-be models have been genuinely enthused when they see these shots.
Another thing that I like about shooting outdoors is that it can be done in shade or sun, so it gives a lot of interesting lighting options, especially if you’re shooting some rolls in black and white. Keep in mind that the time of day will affect your lighting, so if you’re shooting in the middle of the day, obviously you’ll have a much stronger light, and using film or regular digital will usually produce harsher images, particularly of the skin. (This is a situation where shooting infrared can produce outstanding results, by the way.) Also, be careful about putting your models in the sun for very long periods, since sun, for long periods, is a skin killer.

And while we’re on the topic of lighting, I’ve gotten great results using varied lighting techniques: the use of backlight or sidelight will usually enhance most photos of people (with or without clothes,) resulting in creative results. Don’t be afraid to highlight and shadow different features of your mom-to-be, not just the aforementioned belly shots. Use filters, backlighting and shadow to catch and feature her face’s radiant glow and the natural beauty of pregnancy, capturing her expressions from different angles and perspectives. Does your model have tattoos? These can be featured in interesting ways, and using different fabrics, such as lace or gauzy linen, can spark additional creativity.  On a technical note, if you’re using infrared, shooting with the light source from the back of the photographer or slightly from the side is preferable.  As you add infrared shooting to your repertoire, experiment, experiment, experiment; in addition to the learning part, it’s fun!

Watch the video related to maternity photography

Strike a posewithout your clothes! These days, many women are baring it all for the camera to get special pregnancy photos they can keep forever. Parents TVs Anne Ebeling heads to a photo studio for a firsthand look.

Help answer the question about maternity photography

Nikon D40X! I want to start my own small photography business specializing in maternity and children..?
Is this the best camera to get started? With the basic 18-55 mm lens? I’ll basically do “on location” shoots. I’ve been doing this for 5 years, but never invested in a good camera…however, people LOVE my work and I’m getting more requested for work. please help! thanks!

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Stan Trampe -
About the Author:

Stan Trampe is a St. Louis, MO based photographer, specializing in fine art nude photography and maternity photography. His book, ‘Black and White Nude Photography,’ published by Amherst Media is available is available on Amazon.com.

It’s just a few days until Christmas so I thought a quick tutorial on the topic of Christmas Photography might be appropriate. Hopefully this will give you some good Christmas photo ideas.

Here are 16 Christmas Photography tips and ideas to try that come to mind for digital camera owners wanting to capture the big day:

1. Prepare – Making a List, checking it twice….

Making sure you’re ready to capture any planned event is part of the key to a successful shoot. Getting yourself ready but also the location of your shots is worthwhile.

Pack the camera – goes without saying? I forgot mine last year in the rush to get the car packed. Make sure your batteries are charged and you have extras and/or the recharger packed. Pack extra memory cards – have them empty and ready to fill up Put someone on ‘photos’ – our family has someone on drinks, main course, dessert – why not put someone on ‘photos’ so that in the craziness of the day they don’t get forgotten. Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash? Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting? 2. A White Balance Christmas

Here in Australia we often celebrate Christmas outdoors, but many people around the world do it inside in unnatural lighting. Pay attention to what type of light you’re shooting in and set your white balance settings accordingly. Alternatively, if you’ve got a camera that shoots in RAW you can shoot away and set your white balance later.

3. Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’ The shots were great – people went back to it throughout the party and the photos got crazier and crazier as time went on. It was the hit of the party. 4. Capture the preparation stages Photo by paper by design

The actual Christmas meal or party is obviously the best part of the day, but there are other photographic opportunities, particularly in the preparations stages of the day.

Food preparation Putting up decorations Wrapping gifts Kids throwing a tantrum while getting dressed in their Christmas outfits Setting the table

The shots before the event starts properly are often great because they show everything at it’s best before everyone descends on your party zone.

5. Before and After Shots

Speaking of shots before the party starts, why not set up some before and after shots both of the place you’re holding your party and what it looks like afterwards. Make sure you take the shots from the same position.

6. Time-lapse Christmas series

I have one friend who set up his computer with a web cam in the corner of the room with the camera looking down on the Christmas table. He set the camera to go off every 5 minutes over the day and ended up with one of the most wonderful series of shots that I’ve seen for a long time.

Photo by rachel r 7. Christmas Lights

Photographing Christmas lights is something that can be tricky to do. David Hobby from Strobist has put together a great tutorial on how to do it. Check it out at How to Photograph Christmas Lights.

8. Find a Point of Interest – but just per shot

All good shots should have a focal point that holds the attention of those viewing your images. The problem with Christmas is that there can often be too many competing focal points in shots with people, color, decorations, food in every shot. Work hard and de-cluttering your images. Check out this post on minimalism which contains some tips on de-cluttering images.

9. Fresh Group Photos

One of the most common types of shots at Christmas is the ‘group photo’. It’s usually taken at the end of the evening or day when everyone is looking at their worst. For a ‘fresher’ shot take it once everyone has arrived. Also think before hand about how you might pose everyone and where you might take the shot. I’ve posted 12 tips for taking a great group photo previously.

10. Opening Gifts – Shoot in Continuous Mode

There are certain moments during a Christmas gathering that are filled with all manner of photographic opportunities and the opening of gifts is like no other in that it is filled with an array of emotions, facial expressions and excitement – especially if you’ve got kids around. Switch your camera to burst mode (sometimes called continuous shooting mode) and take lots of shots at this time of the festivities. You’ll find you end up with some excellent series of shots when you do this that capture everything from the anticipation of getting the wrapped gift, through to the excitement of unwrapping to the joy (or occasionally disappointment) of seeing what’s inside. Don’t forget to shoot the reactions of those who GIVE the gift as well.

Photo by grace*c* 11. Fill your Frame

One of the most common mistakes I see in Christmas photos (or any party/even photography) is that people often end up with shots of their subjects off in the distance on the other side of a room with lots of space around them. Fill your frame with your subject either by using your zoom or getting up and moving yourself closer. While this is one of the simplest tips I ever give it is one that can have the most profound impact on your shots.

12. Diffuse/Reflect Your Flash

- Another common problem with Christmas shots is ending up with shots where the flash is so bright that subjects look like rabbits in a spotlight with harsh shadows behind them. One way around this is to use some sort of a flash diffuser or reflector. If you’re lucky enough to have an external flash try bouncing it off walls or the ceiling. Another way to reduce the impact of your flash and to create some interesting effects is to switch your camera into ‘night mode’ (slow sync mode). This will tell your camera to choose a slower shutter speed but still fire your flash. In doing so it’ll capture some of the ambient light of the room as well as freeze your subject. Be warned, you can end up with some wacky shots doing this (but they can also be lots of fun).

13. Go Macro

Most digital cameras come with a macro mode and an increasing number of DPS readers are buying macro lenses so flick to that mode, attach your lens and photograph the smaller things around your party. Ornaments on the tree, table decorations, sweets in the bowl on the table, a nativity scene on the mantle piece, holly above the doorway – sometimes it’s these small things around your party that are the real ‘money shots’. Don’t forget our Macro Hacks for compact cameras.

Photo by Splat Worldwide 14. Watch Your Aperture

I quite often shoot in Aperture Priority mode on a day like Christmas and am constantly changing the aperture depending upon my subject. For example when taking shots of a christmas decorations on the tree I’ll select a large aperture (a small number like f/2.8) so as to throw the background out of focus, but on a shot taken from the end of the table of everyone sitting down eating I’ll choose a small aperture (like f/8 to f/11 or more) so as to have a larger depth of field and keep everyone in focus.

15. Explore Your Neighborhood

If your neighborhood is anything like mine there is an almost unlimited number of photographic opportunities presenting themselves all around you. Christmas carols services, houses covered in Christmas decorations, shopping malls filled with busyness etc. Get out there with your camera and capture it. What a wonderful time of year to practice using your camera. Have fun!

16. Related Reading:

Here’s another tutorial and discussion thread you might like to read in preparation for your Christmas Photography this year.

Share Your photos - Looking for some inspiration or wanting to share you Christmas shots? Head to the Christmas Assignment in our Forums to see what shots others are taking this Christmas and to share some of your own images. Candid Photography – this tutorial on candid photography might be helpful as much of what you’ll be doing at a Christmas even will be in this style. Christmas Wishes from DPS

Lastly – let me wish all Digital Photography School readers a very happy holiday period. It’s been a great two and a bit since we launched this blog and while I’m looking forward to a few days off over Christmas I also can’t wait to get back to DPS and to take it to the next level in 2009. Have a great holiday period and we’ll see you in the new year!

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Watch the video related to strobist photography

This is a brief introduction to basic gear and terminology for the beginning strobists, photographers using small off-camera flashes to take their photos to the next level.

Help answer the question about strobist photography

Fellow photogs: Ever hear of the ‘Strobist’ movement?
I’ve been doing some hot linking from a few of my other photography groups and from flickr and I ran across the ‘Strobist’ group. It sounds pretty cool, at least they think so, but I wanted to get the opinion of other photographers.

What is your thought on off camera flash lighting with small speedlight external flashes, as opposed to big and expensive pro studio lighting?

Has anyone ever heard of the strobist?

My opinion is that so far I have no opinion because I can’t say I’ve given it much thought. I have a need to improve my work with better lighting, but is this strobist ‘thing’ hype, or something that a lot of photographers have been doing all along?

And do we really want to snub our noses at our trusted i-TTL equipped speedlights?

Give me your opinions…

About Author

Terry Divyak -
About the Author:

Terry Divyak has been an avid photographer for over 30 years. With publisher photos featured on two magazine covers, he was also featured in Photo District News Magazine as a winner in the Pro Division of PDN’s World in Focus Travel Contest. This work appeared in Photo District News February 2008 issue. His current project is the photography informational site, www.piqfire.com

Photographing food is probably one of the most challenging kinds of photography out there. It is considered difficult by most professional food photographers because there is a time constraint in the whole photo shoot.

And since the marketability of the food itself depends primarily on how it is seen in print, food photographers should be well trained and skilled in order to come up with satisfying results.

TIPS IN TASTEFUL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Know your camera well. It is a must that you familiarize yourself with all its features and functions especially the basic operations like focus/auto focus, exposure compensation, white balance, image resolution and size, and flash modes operation. Know when to use these features in order to highlight the best angles of your subject.

2. Familiarize yourself with other equipment. Knowing the proper use of a tripod or stabilizer will help you focus on your subject better and will also avoid camera shake that usually causes blurring.

3. Fill the gap and the distance. If space and time permit, get close to your subject as close as possible. It is recommended that you fill the entire frame of with your subject to create a satisfying image. Distance will give a full view of the food’s texture and ingredients.

4.Carefully calculated focus and depth-of-field (DOF). The use of depth-of-field never fails to create wonders in food photo shoots. With careful adjustment of focus and depth of field, you can bring to life any dish that is your subject. (TIP: Use wider or more open for a shallow DOF and a smaller or more closed one for a deeper shots.)

5. Identify the standout ingredient. Before taking any shot, assess the scene closely and look for something that can grab people’s attention right away. You can use this main feature of the food as the subject of your subject.

6. It’s all in the lighting. Like in any photography styles, lighting or available light can make or unmake any photograph. Since food is the major subject in food photography, it is better that the setting is bright and the lights are soft so as to make the food more appetizing. In digital cameras, turning on the White Balance feature of the equipment can solve dark settings in an instant.

7. Pay attention to your set-up. It is a must to take the time off to setup your food photo shoot. If there are distracting elements in the background, remove them. If you think there’s something missing in the set up, then think of something else that would fill the empty space or gap. Prepare the garnish, the props, and other materials you might need for the shoot.

Here is another tips (video) about food photography tips taken from youtube:

About Author

Low Jeremy -
About the Author:

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on photography & other useful information, please visit http://photography.articlekeep.com