Monday, January 28, 2019

Adding Personality to Your Portraits

You can spend hours of researching camera settings. You can spend thousands of dollars on THE fanciest camera gear. The fact is, with all the expensive gear and all the knowledge in the world, you won’t get the photos that give people the warm and fuzzies unless you put some LOVE into them.
My best pictures are not the ones where everyone is looking and smiling. My favorite shot is one that is full of personality. When I say a picture has personality, I mean that you feel something when you look at it. You feel an emotion. It makes you remember the feeling you had at that time the picture was taken. It captures specific traits about the subject.

#photographyisaloveaffairwithlife #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

I have pictures of my oldest son, Luca, on his first day of kindergarten where he is smiling and standing alone. Sure it’s cute…but when I see this one I feel something.

I remember the story of this day when I look at this one. Luca was excited for his first day, but also a little nervous. He tried to hide his nerves in front of his little brother and sister, but when they all saw the bus coming around the corner it became reality. My daughter, Lyla, and Luca did everything together until this moment. Even though they were only 4 and 5 years old they were hit with the big realization that they would be apart. Also, I laugh when I see the baby, Nico, hanging onto the back, not understanding what was going on but just doing what his siblings were doing- like always.
Follow these three tips to add personality or emotion to your pictures!

1) Get on Down

Go ahead, get on down. I imagine I look like a crazy person when I am taking pictures of kids. I take every picture on the level of my subjects (usually my kids)- even if that means laying on the ground in he middle of a park. Kids see the world totally different than how you see it. Check it out. Get on their level when you take pictures of kids, animals, or anyone!

You will get an entirely different shot if you get down to their level. You will get a picture of their face square on, not looking down at them like you usually do. You also get to see from their perspective.
Here are some examples:

This also works for animals:

2) Don’t Stress over Smiles

“If you smile for this picture you can have candy…” Do you ever find yourself saying that? Don’t be ashamed. That was me too. Until I realized that sometimes the best pictures are kids showing ALL emotions, deep in play, or interacting with other people.

If your kid is always happy, GOOD FOR YOU- consider yourself lucky. You are the minority. It is better to capture other honest emotions, than fake and forced smiles. Or sometimes the best pictures is when your subjects aren’t even looking at all. I love the ones when they are interacting with each other.

I love this one of them not even looking. I just remembered how they looked like a tiny married couple brushing their teeth this day. Tiny babies, yet gaining independence.

3) Capture those Personalities and Moments

I am not going to pretend like my 5 year old daughter is a calm, happy-go-lucky sweetheart. She is a strong, powerful force who knows what she wants and she gets it. And I love her for that- maybe not 10 minutes before the bus gets here and she is demanding to wear shorts when it is 40 degrees out, but I still respect her for it. I love capturing her sometimes terrifying, dictator-like personality in pictures.

I mean come on… THIS is Lyla. Tough girl in a Tutu.
And this moment. No one is looking. No one is smiling. But I crack up with when I see it. I forgot how tiny baby Nico was. Forgot how much the kids were a little confused by a new baby in the house, but also didn’t want to leave his side (they are IN his crib here).

My curious, oldest son Luca had a dinosaur obsession starting at age 2. He talked about them constantly and knew the names of about a hundred dinos. When we brought him to see the dinosaur bones at the local museum for the first time his little his mind was literally blown seeing how big the dino-bones were. This picture and those big eyes bring me RIGHT back to that day.

Capture kids being kids. Getting dirty. Running around. Making messes. Before you know it there will be no more messes, and you will miss it.

Summary
You will start to develop your own photography styles, but following these three tips will guarantee that your personality and the subjects personality will shine through in your pictures. THOSE are the photographs that you will remember for a lifetime.

Courtesy of :Simply Snapping Mom

5 Tips for Lifestyle Photography

photographyhobbyist #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

Lifestyle photography is one of my favorite things. It is 100% my favorite style of photography. Over the last years since I purchased my camera, I have focused more and more on capturing life to share on my Instagram and my Blog. There is just something so beautiful about capturing life in action and un-posed. Today I am sharing with you five tips to help you in your Lifestyle Photography game because you do not have to be a professional to take photos of the ones you love and the memories you make!

BRING THE CAMERA

When you can, just bring your camera! I’ve started bringing my camera bag on coffee dates, family gatherings, and backyard parties with friends. The best way to achieve “lifestyle” shots is to have them be a real moment. Bring out your camera to grab some pictures of your best friend drinking her beautiful latte or catch your friend throwing his daughter in the air and catching her. I was initially wary about bringing around my camera because it was expensive and I was worried about carting it around. But here is the thing, cameras were meant to be USED! I don’t leave my bag in the car (just to be smart) and have to carry around a little more weight but it is worth it to catch so many lifestyle moments. You can also easily “downsize” for these type of events – leave the extra lenses, tripods, props, etc at home and just bring the camera!
Side Note: Just because you have your camera doesn’t mean you have to take photos. If you are not feeling it, don’t like the lighting, or feel like others wouldn’t be down – no worries! Leave it in the bag. But I think you will find you will find more times you are glad you brought it along!

USE YOUR PHONE

When you don’t have your camera bag with you (because you forgot or didn’t want to pack extra), don’t be afraid to use your phone! Camera phones are always advancing and you can still get some quality shots with your phone! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to capture a moment just because you only want the best quality or perfect photo. I have many phone photos printed in my home and even in my instagram feed!

UN-POSE

When you get out your camera for a fun photo moment or for a planned photo shoot, let people know they don’t need to suddenly squish in and awkward smile. People expect posed photos – we’ve been trained that way since we were kids, “okay everyone look at me and say cheeeeeeese!” Encourage people to just continue what they were doing and capture the laughter when someone tells a joke. If you are planning a photo shoot and taking intentional photos. Let people pose in ways they most feel comfortable with – some of my favorite style photos are un-posed posed photos. Try to step outside of the desire to get a “good, normal photo” and capture something a little more personal.

CAPTURE THE LITTLE THINGS

It is tempting to try to capture everything in one picture. We love group pictures because everyone is in them but there is also a beauty in the details. Detail shots are what brings lifestyle photo shoots to life – they show the little moments that are part of the bigger picture. Your friends and family may initially think you are weird because you “forgot” to include someone’s face or entire body but you should do it anyways! Telling the story of your life requires looking at the details – a novel without details is not worth reading.

BE CONFIDENT

If you want to start practicing and working on your lifestyle photography, just start! Be confident. There may be times you are afraid how a photo will turn out, try to capture it anyways. You may fear what your friends will say, ask if you can take photos anyways. You may wonder what people will think when you bring out your camera at a coffee shop or a bar, take it out anyways! You are a photographer (whether trained or not, professional or not) and it is cool that you are taking photos of your life and things you never want to forget! Be proud, smile at strangers who ask you questions about your camera, and confidently take a million photos to edit later! You’ve got this!!!

Courtesy of: Oakandoats

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Yashica is teasing a comeback to the camera market

Lars Rehm

#photographyisaloveaffairwithlife #photographynorthwest

The legendary Yashica brand may be planning a comeback to the camera market, and people are kind of freaking out. Unfortunately, very little detail is available at this point, but a teaser video and website published by Yashica show a woman using a camera that looks like an old film model, and even taking selfies with it.
There is no way of knowing if this means Yashica will release a film camera or a retro-style digital model, but it would certainly be intriguing to see a digital version of an old Yashica like the Electro 35.
According to Wikipedia, the Yashica brand name disappeared from the camera market in 2003 when Kyocera, which owned the brand, halted production on all Contax, Yashica, and Kyocera-branded cameras. In 2008 the Yashica trademark rights were sold to the Hong Kong-based MF Jebsen Group and in March 2015, 100 Enterprises International Group Co. Ltd. was appointed as Yashica Global Sole Agent.
If you want to keep up with future developments and see the information that has been posted so far, you should have a look at the Yashica website where you can also sign up for email updates.

Courtesy of Digital Photography Review

Canon Updates the Digital Rebel

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT is an 8-megapixel digital camera that is compatible with all of Canon's EF and EF-S lenses. Starting at $899 for the body-only model or $999 for a kit that includes the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens, the new XT has higher resolution than the original 6.3-megapixel Digital Rebel, which was introduced last year.
Canon plans to continue to offer the original Digital Rebel at a reduced price of $799 for the zoom lens kit. The new XT model will be available in both silver patina and matte-black finishes when it reaches store shelves in March.

#photographyisaloveaffairwithlife #photographynorthwest

New and Improved

The EOS Digital Rebel XT can shoot up to 14 consecutive large JPEG images at Fine quality, five RAW files, or four RAW + Large/Fine JPEGs at up to 3 frames per second--more and faster than the original Digital Rebel, which could only do bursts of four JPEG or RAW frames at 2.5 frames per second.
Users can shoot images in lossless 8.0-megapixel RAW format and a range of sizes and quality JPEG settings. And while the original Digital Rebel required users to extract JPEGs from the RAW files, the new XT model stores them both as separate files on the CompactFlash card.
New features on the EOS Digital Rebel XT include user-selectable metering and auto-focus models, flash exposure compensation control, better evaluative flash metering, and custom function control borrowed from Canon's upscale EOS 20D digital SLR model. A monochrome mode lets the camera shoot in black and white as well. Other improvements include faster startup time, faster autofocus speed, and PictBridge direct printer output support. The Digital Rebel XT is about 35 percent more energy-efficient than its predecessor, too.
Canon's new SELPHY CP600 is a compact and portable dye-sub photo printer that works off an AC current or using a supplied rechargeable battery. Weighing less than two pounds, the CP6000 can output a borderless 4x6-inch photo print in about 63 seconds, according to Canon. The USB-equipped printer sports 300 x 300 dots per inch output and faster print speed and better image processing than its predecessor.
It supports four print sizes and works with PictBridge-compatible cameras for direct output without using a computer, and can also print out images from cameraphones wirelessly using infrared (IrDA) connections. Look for it for $249.

Sponsored Post Sponsored by U S Securities and Ex

Revolutionizing Real Estate Funding

Helping Small Businesses and Protecting Investors, Statement at SEC Open Meeting by Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar, on March 25, 2015

This story, "Canon Updates the Digital Rebel" was originally published by MacCentral.

To comment on this article and other TechHive content, visit our Facebook page or our Twitter feed.

Courtesy of: Tech Hive

Where To Buy Film Cameras

#photographyisaloveaffairwithlife #photographynorthwest

We have previously listed Where To Buy Photographic Film Online and Where To Get Film Developed Online (via snail mail of course) so now it’s time for a round of where to buy film cameras online! Some of these are super obviously (like eBay or B&H) and others you may not have been aware of until just now:

And be sure to check out our recommended 35mm film cameras for beginners!

Where To Get Film Developed Online

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to live in a major international city to get access to good film developing. For anyone who lives in an area with limited or no film options, we’ve put together a list of places which offer mail-order film developing:

Need film? Check out our list of Where To Buy Film Online

Where To Buy Photographic Film Online:

For anyone interested in shooting film without available resources in your area, here is a (relatively) comprehensive list of websites which sell photographic film (35mm, 120, medium and large format.) Many of these websites also sell darkroom equipment, photographic paper and bulk loading supplies.

Looking for more info on film photography? Check out I Still Shoot Film’s Links & Resources, Photography Help & How-To’s or the Beginner’s Guide to Film Photography!

Friday, January 25, 2019

Dynamic Black and White Photos Capture Dramatic Light in NYC

By Katie Hosmer

photographyhobbyist #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

While visiting New York City, Geneva-based self-taught photographer Alex Teuscher wanted to capture the day-to-day life and fantastic architecture throughout the popular tourist destination. He explored for ten days and documented iconic locations like Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park.Afterwards, using a wide variety of post-processing techniques, Teuscher transformed his photographs into a dynamic black and white collection. By eliminating color, he created dramatic lights and shadows that produce an unusually eerie quality and change the traditionally bright, lively, and energetic way that viewers perceive the frequently visited spots.
“All these shots were taken pretty much following the usual tourist trail in Manhattan… the locations along that trail are iconic for a reason,” he explained. “I wanted to present them differently however, like the Chrysler and Empire state buildings in different compositions than they are usually seen in. I also wanted black and white, to really simplify and make it about light, contrast, and strength of composition in the street scenes below and in the architecture above.”

Alex Teuscher’s website

Photographer Visualizes Hearing Loss as Artistically Blurred Street Photography

By Jessica Stewart

Creative Street Photography by Eduardo Asenjo Matus

photographyhobbyist #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

Viewing his photos as paintings, Chilean photographer Eduardo Asenjo Matus has a unique technique for capturing the spirit of his environment. Using a neutral density filter, he employs long exposures to focus in on his primary subject, leaving the rest in an artistic blur. The former graphic design and architecture student started this series, The Sound of Silence, in 2015 as a way to reflect his own emotions.
“With this technique, I wanted to show how I listen to the city. Before starting I painted with acrylics but for reasons of time and materials I stopped doing it,” Asenjo Matus tells My Modern Met. “A few years ago I started having hearing problems. Having a conversation in the street was very complicated. I had to concentrate on one voice and eliminate the rest of the sounds, this was like listening in slow motion something blurred and imperfect. For this, I use a neutral density filter, a slower exposure, and the intentional movement of the camera.”
Asenjo Matus’s street photography is inspired by the perfection of imperfection that he finds in Valdivia, Chile. The cold and gray city—one of the rainiest in Chile—is the stage for the photographer to sit quietly and observe the world as it goes by. And through his innovative technique, he’s able to capture the streets in a way that is uniquely his. Each photo centers on a singular person, frozen among the crowd. In this way, he creates a connection between subject and viewer that is powerful, elevating his artistic street photography to another level.
“Not all photographs have to be perfect, sometimes you have to skip rules, and not listen to bad comments until you reach your goal,” he shares. “For me, more than pictures, they are watercolor paintings.”