Creating Your Customer Profile: 10 Effective Ways to Connect w/Photo Buyers

Are you looking for a low cost way to get the word out about your photography? Why don't you join me today (Sunday June 22nd) for FREE tele-seminar @ 5 p.m. Pacific./8 p.m. Eastern.

Creating Your Customer Profile: 10 Effective Ways to Connect w/ Photo Buyers.

I am co-teaching the class with successful Hawaii based photographer, collage artist and gallery owner Carolyn Quan of the Quan Gallery.

Visit the following link to Ask Carolyn a question about your greatest marketing challenge and you will be directed immediately for call in details and additional information.

AskCarolynQuan: AskCarolynQuan.com

And remember the call is FREE, (except for regular long-distance) Have a great Sunday, hope to you hear you on the call.

7 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business: How to Finance Your Habit – Part 2

In the last lesson 7 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business, we discussed building your business by going to people who you already know when looking for new customers.

Once you start getting some business it's natural for you to consider expanding your marketing efforts. Often this will become necessary once you exhaust your list of personal contacts. So what's the next step? Well besides printing business cards many photographers will be thinking about putting together their first website.

Today having a website is necessity for marketing any kind of business, websites are especially important for a photographer. Now while having a website is great I've seen far too many photographers make a critical mistake in setting up their first site and that's what I'm going to address here in lesson 2.

Don't worry it's painless and if done properly the process will be far easier than actually setting up the site. So read the next line very carefully and commit it to memory...Ready? Here it comes.

Step 2: Don’t even bother setting up a website if you don’t set up a way to collect the email addresses of the people who visit. Period.

If you want to see an example of this in action go to my website at www.rodneywashington.com I have a sign up box on the bottom of the home page of my website.

Collecting email addresses is one of the smartest and easiest ways to do business on line and off. As a matter of fact, if you don't commit your marketing efforts to collecting the email addresses of your site visitors you are throwing away potentially thousands of dollars of business.

You will want to use email management software to collect and manage your database.

DON’T and I repeat DO NOT use a regular email service like Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo or any other consumer level program to handle your professional mailing list.

The risk you run is that you could be shut down by your internet service provider as well have the headaches of managing your growing list will be a logistical nightmare. For starters you will have to manually remove and add new contacts to your list. In addition your emails may not be delivered to your subscribers because the spam filters could block what it suspects as mass emails.

To make matter worse it's illegal to send mass email this way, so to avoid all of the drama is pay a small amount to hire a list management service to maintain your list for you. The benefits for using a list service are many. I'll give you three.

- First, it's very affordable, most services are under $20 dollars a month.
- Second, subscribers can confirm, remove and update their information without your direct involvement.
- Third, can set-up templates easily from within your service that can be timed for delivery. The benefit is that you won't have to remember to write an email each week. You can write up a batch and pre-schedule them weeks and months in advance and your emails will go out automatically.

Suggested list services:
Aweber: Aweber
Constant Contact: Constant Contact
1ShoppingCart: 1 Shopping Cart

There are other services available that do practically the same as the services listed. To locate them do a Google search, but I highly recommend either of the three above. I personally use Aweber and Constant Contact to manage my lists and doing so is a breeze.

All are very affordable and easy to use. Once you register for an account the service will walk you through the set-up process and will generate a simple HTML code that you cut and paste into your webpage. If you don't know how to do this you refer this your web designer.  

Once your webpage is updated with the code you upload it to your website hosting service or have you tech do it and voila your done! Once your page is active on your website this leads to step three.

Step 3: Lead Generation, the rule of thumb here is give site visitors a reason to sign up and stay on your list.

You can offer to send subscribers a photo of the day or the week. For example: Let's say you love to photograph babies or pets, anyone’s who’s visiting your website would probably love to receive a photo e-postcard of either of these subjects.

Think about how you can communicate with your list and make sure that you do so in a way that serves them and you will create a list of raving fans that will be glad to hire you and buy your images.

All of the list management services listed in step 2# provide templates that you can easily customize with your photos. All you do is import your images into the template and write your copy, save and schedule the email to send out to your list.

You can even offer a coupon on the bottom of the e-postcard (although I caution against doing this with every email you send) but occasionally offer a discount of say 10 percent off of a portrait session, prints or products you offer for sale.

If you decide to send emails once a week, limit your promotional offers to once a month especially when you first get started. Increase as you build your rapport with your list.

You can increase the frequency of your promotions over time but you don’t want hit your subscribers over the head with blatant sales pitches. Don’t burn out your list.

Remember: People don’t like to be sold too, but they love to buy from people they know like and trust.

This concludes Part 2 of this lesson on 7 Steps to Building a Successful Photography Business, Part 3 will be coming soon. Be sure sign up to receive part 3.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Which Lens Should I Use

Arguably the most important weapon in a photographers' arsenal, lenses are also one of the most variable. From the widest 10mm fish-eye to the longest 800mm telephoto, optics are available in every conceivable size, weight and focal length. Due to the smaller sensors used in many of today's digital SLRs, however, focal lengths vary depending on the model in question.

But whether you're a landscaper looking to capture dramatic sunsets or an architectural fanatic looking to isolate fine details, there's a multitude of options that fall into four categories. Here's the low-down.

Standard
On full-frame digital SLRs standard lenses fall between 40mm and 55mm, though 50mm is the accepted norm. You'll need a 35mm lens to get the same field-of-view on digital SLRs with the smaller APS-sized sensor. Closest to the field-of-view of the human eye, standard lenses offer an undistorted perspective and are often used for flattering portraits. Just for the record, the true field-of-view of the human eye is 43mm!

Wide-angle
With shorter focal lengths and wider angles-of-view than standard lenses, wide-angle lenses are employed by landscape and reportage specialists. Remember you'll need a shorter focal length on many digital SLRs than a 35mm or full-frame digital model. This need for shorter focal lengths on many digital SLRs has produced a raft of new models. A 17-35mm model, such as the one shown below, gives a field-of-view equivalent to 25-52mm on a full-frame SLR.

Macro
If you've ever wondered how photographers fill the frame with small subjects such as petals and insects, the answer is the humble macro lens. Allowing for 1:1 (life-size) reproduction and focusing from as close as 2in, true macro lenses are specifically constructed for close-up photography. They are commonly available in focal lengths between 50mm and 180mm.

Telephoto
Any lens that weighs in with a focal length above 50mm is said to be a telephoto lens. Short telephotos (between 70mm and 120mm) are ideal for portraiture, while longer focal lengths (between 135mm and 300mm and above) are perfect for sports and wildlife. Remember, the magnification of a lens on most digital SLRs is increased by around 1.5x, so a 200mm lens is equivalent to a 300mm on a full-frame camera.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Photography School: How to Pick The One is Right For You

There are many people who want to make photography as their career. Many people find it fulfilling to engage in a life of taking pictures. This venture entails a good photography education.

Just like any other kind of school, the appropriate selection of a photography school which will meet the needs of the students is essential for a good education. This article tries to lay down some tips on how you can choose a good photography school. Listed below are the tips:

- Look at the bigger picture:
In choosing a photography school, you must be able to look from afar to able to see the bigger picture. The selection of a photography school must be made under consideration of your general career goals. There are several tracks which can be taken in the field of photography.

If you intend to be involved in the more artistic side of photography, you can get more subjects which will aid you in this goal. If you are more inclined towards the commercial side of photography, you can choose a school which offers good business courses on side of the photography classes.

- Photography is more than point-and-shoot:
Some people may want to take up photography just to escape from the “hard” subjects, especially those which involves math. Guess what? These are things that a photographer needs to take to be able to survive in the real world.

Since most photographers would eventually own their own studios, courses in business management, accounting, marketing and other such courses are important and should be taken by photography students.

- Inquire about the size of the class:
Too many people in photography classes can really be a hindrance towards proper learning. It will also prohibit the instructor in giving hands-on supervision on the students.

- Computer skills:
A good photography school needs to have courses regarding the use of computers. The field of photography is a very competitive one and you could really use some knowledge of computers. With the advent of digital photography, the need for computer literacy is more evident than ever.

- Scholarships:
It would be best if the photography school is offering some kind of financial assistance for their students. Some of the equipments in photography are not that cheap.

These are just some tips on how to choose a photography school. Choosing the right school is as important as having a good view of where you want to go. The right school is the best way to get there.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

How Do You Market Your Photography?

There are many ways to get the word out to the world about your art. What methods do you use to get the word out? I’d like to ask you to take my poll located to the right of this post to uncover what methods are most popular.

I’ll be using your responses to create a discussion to further understanding on how to get the most out of your marketing and promotional tools.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your participation. The poll will be closing on March 31st 2008 so make your selections today!

Art Fairs

Business Cards

Blogs

Cold Calling

Editorial Commissions

Gallery Exhibitions

Post Cards

Press Releases

Websites

Word of Mouth

Want to Learn How to Make Money from Your Photography?
If you're interested in learning how to make an extra $300-500 dollars or more a month from your passion for photography be sure to sign up for my FREE e-zine.

I will be announcing a special free e-course outlining 6 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business shortly but it's only available for subscribers.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Do You Have a Future in Photography?

Photography Is Part of Our Lives

There is a wide world of photography. It touches each of us in our lives on a daily basis in some form or another. Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists.

When you watch television, look at a magazine or even view a billboard on the highway, this is all because of photography.

There are so many ways that photography crosses our lives each day. There are a lot of opportunities for someone looking for photography jobs.

What Photography Jobs are Available?

If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.

Choose Your Speciality
You can become a photographer in a special field such as wedding or family photographer. You can choose to make money taking pictures of things you love such as animals, nature or ships. If you enjoy scuba diving, you can become an underwater photographer. Pretty much anything you can think of, there is room to take and sell pictures of it.

If you love taking pictures and the idea of a career in photography sounds good to you, just how do you begin finding photography jobs?

How Do You Find Photography Jobs?

There are different ways of finding photography jobs, depending on the type of job you are looking for and your experience. You can begin by creating a resume and portfolio of your work. Then you can search on the internet at freelance photography job boards or photography websites and message boards.

Get specific into types of photographing you have done and look on the internet for those.

1. You can go locally and look for internships or local firms or companies that may need photographers.

2. You can get the word out by doing small events such as birthday parties and such. Get your name out as someone who will work these functions.

3. Show friends and family samples of your work and ask them to spread the word.

You may even want to participate in a charitable or non-profit event to boost your portfolio.

You can also begin submitting your work to contests and magazines to get yourself known and build your portfolio. Placing or winning in contests and getting published in magazines can help you build clips that you can use for getting bigger and better jobs.

Lastly, you can actually apply to jobs directly. It is best to do this only if you have the proper qualifications for the job. You don’t want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want. Most importantly, get as involved with what you love as possible.

Learn as much as you can about photography and what makes good photography. Subscribe to magazines, read books, look at winners of photography contests.

Want to Learn How to Make Money from Your Photography?
If you're interested in learning how to make an extra $300-500 dollars or more a month from your passion for photography be sure to sign up for my FREE e-zine.

I will be announcing a special free e-course outlining 6 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business shortly but it's only available for subscribers.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Photographing Flowers

One of the easiest ways to end up with a frame worthy photograph is to photograph flowers. Their symmetry and beauty makes every close up photograph a joy to behold.

Flowers and photographers are everywhere and since almost every digital camera has a macro lens setting, this photographic subject is often overdone and seems to present no challenge to the aspiring photographer.

Au contraire, I say. There is no limit to the level of composition and treatment you can give your flower pictures. You can go for a color scheme to match your current décor, you can choose a famous artist and emulate his style. Your creations may contain two, three, five or many blooms (try to stay away from the one big bloom in the middle).

Attractive compositions can contain two flowers, one large, one small forming a diagonal. Three blooms create a triangle with one acting as the main subject and the other two as their counterparts. Racemes offer a built in curve and specie tulips are in a class of their own.

Photoshop and their like offer thousands of ways to improve your flower photographs. Unwanted items in the background can be cloned out, flower heads may look better moved over to a better location and additional blooms can be added to fill in an empty spot.

Don’t neglect the edges, for special treatments like bevels, chalk borders and faded out vignettes can add interest to the piece. With digital photography there are no limits to attaining the image created in your mind.

In the field, special attention must be paid to the overall look of the picture. Try to decide what it is about a particular scene that grabs you fancy. Is it the unusual light descending on your subject, the quality and tone of a different looking background, or is it just the way your subjects relate to each other?

Choose one quality and try to capture the peak of that essence in your digital camera. If you are successful in this respect at the expense of another facet of the picture, it can be fixed later on your computer.

Arboretums and botanical gardens are a bonanza of opportunities for the nature photographer. Even the pollinating insects can get into the act. The subject of flower photography may be the easiest to get started on, but can be the most rewarding for the creative artist.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Top 10 Digital Photography Tips: Video Tutorial By Rick Sammon

Rick Sammon is one of my favorite photographers and the author of numerous books on digital photography and Photoshop techniques. I enjoy Ricks style of breaking down the complexity of photography to it's very basic structure.

Enjoy this YouTube video tutorial that Rick has put together and make sure to follow his top 10 tips to taking great photos that you will want to share.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

The Beauty of Black and White Photography

One of the many features found on modern digital cameras is the ability to allow the owner to try black and white photography.

Through the years, this type of photography has gradually become less popular. Nowadays, people prefer color pictures because they are colorful and more affordable.

The latest camera models have settings for black and white photography and some photo editing software enables photographers to change color photographs into black and white.

Any of these methods can be used to achieve the classic black and white look that can impress any viewer.

Black and white photography has been somewhat forgotten, but a few people have found that it is great for portraits and close-up photos. The black and white look often contains an element of mystery that color photographs cannot capture.

Black and white photos are also perfect for portraits and candid shots of young children. Black and white photography can add an intimate feel to a photo that color photos cannot achieve.

Many wild life photographers have discovered that black and white photography is also effective for nature photos. A black and white picture of a single flower can be breathtaking.

If you want to create a unique picture, you can add color to a part of a black and white photo using your photo editing software. For instance, you can add color to the irises of someone’s eyes on a black and white portrait or add color to the petals of a black and white picture of a flower.

If you want of make your black and white photos to be more striking, you can frame them in groups in your wall. Find moments when your children are at play, take five or six pictures of them a few seconds apart.

Then take these photos and convert them into black and white. Then purchase a set of matching frames and hung them in your wall in a cluster. Believe me; you will be delighted with the results.

Digital cameras have made it easier to make black and white photography a hobby. With the help of a digital camera, this type of photography becomes economical. If you are apprehensive about black and white photography, you can try to experiment.

Find a few colored pictures and turn them into black and white (the photo in this article was originally shot in color) using a photo editing software. Take time to study the photos and see how the products make you feel.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

7 Steps to Building A Successful Photography Business: How to Finance Your Habit – Part 1

Looking for new customers? Start With You Already Know

Have you been pondering the idea of making some real money from your photography habit? I call it a habit because it can seem easier to get through the eye of a needle than… Well.. you know how the proverb goes. Anyway let's face it photography is not an easy business to get off the ground, but it sure can be a lot of fun.

Trust me I know, I have worked as freelance photography for three plus years now and I know the pitfalls and potholes that you will surely encounter in trying to get someone to pay you money for what you love to do.

Many of us who truly love the craft of photography we will and often have done so for free. Nothing wrong with that mind you, but wouldn’t it be nice to make a little extra cash from time to time?

Wouldn’t you enjoy earning a few hundred extra bucks on the weekends or a month to buy that new lens you’ve been eyeing?

Allow me to share something very important here. First and foremost you won’t make a plug nickel if no one knows what you have to offer. It’s great that your family, friends and coworkers are all supportive of your photography passion, but unless you can convince them to buy all of your photos or hire you every weekend your chances of making money will be probably slim to none.

Allow me to share something else with you, It doesn't have to be.

Often when we photographers make the decision to go pro, even it’s part time, we must understand that it's still a business.

So where do we to find paying clients when we've exhausted our list of family and friends? Well first off if you immediately think that have to go outside your circle of immediate contacts, Think Again!

So with that said this leads me to the first in 7 steps to building a successful photography business.

Step 1. Start with people who already know you. Now I know what your probably thinking, Rodney didn't you just tell us that family and friends may no longer be interested (or never were) interested in buying from us?

So what do you do?

You ask for referrals. So even if you discover that your siblings, parents, coworkers and friends don’t need you photographically they all know people, don’t they?

Bottom line, photography is a people business and people like to work with others that they know like and trust. So it never hurts to ask.

And if you want to sweeten the pot offer a referral fee. Money can be a tremendous motivator.

So your asssignment this week: Get out there and ask for referrals, make it a point to ask until you get a paying contact. Once you accomplish that, ask them for a referral. Basically rinse and repeat. Good Luck!

This concludes Part 1 of this lesson of 7 Steps to Building a Successful Photography Business, Part 2 will be coming soon. Be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter to be alerted when I post part 2.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

The Most Important Question A Photographer Should Ask

What Story Are You Wanting To Tell?

There are many reasons to take a particular picture. You can be just taking a recording of a moment or you may be trying to capture the emotion of the moment. Is it a picture you want to give to someone else because you know they will want to keep that moment in their mind forever?

Is it a picture that you will add to other shots so you have a complete recording of a particular event?

The reason why this question is so important is because it will effect the picture in ways of how you frame it, the exposure, and many other factors. If you are trying to capture a particular emotion, the focal point will be the face of your subject and you may want to blur out the background slightly to give it that special effect.

If it is an event, like a nice day trip you may want to make sure that you have something commemorating the event like the photos of the superb lunch I had in Cambria, California.

An example would be that if you wanted to take a picture to document a memorable lunch at a quaint restaurant. You will want to make sure you have a nice detail photo (like the shot of the roast beef sandwich paired with the glass of red wine) as well as a portrait of the owner to personalize the experience for the viewer.

Always stop before taking the shot and think about what you are trying to tell so you will always capture that perfect picture.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera every time. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

What Do All These Dials Mean?: A Basic Camera Usage Lesson 101

Hosted by TigerTV Host Logan loves digital photography, and he's been good enough to sit down with our camera crew and go over what you need to know to get started.

Whether you already own a digital camera or if you're just a beginner, this video has something for everyone. So Watch, Enjoy, and Rejoice!

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Photography Tips for All

Photoshop is now one of the major computer programs around. The basis of it all, however, is the photographic image. Very often the quality of the original image can get overlooked or can be considered unimportant.

We hear sentences like: "Oh that'll do - we'll fix it later in Photoshop".

Perhaps it can, but starting off with a better photograph in the first place can save a lot of trouble later.
Well begun is half done. Here is the first of a series of tips to improve basic photography.

Landscapes are one of the most continually photographed subjects. Impressed by an attractive scene, most people quickly pick up the camera and snap. Unfortunately, the results are all to often disappointing.

The real scene has the direct experience of the sun's warmth, the breeze and general atmosphere. The photograph obviously misses these features.

The real scene also has a depth and the eye moves around the landscape, seeing objects close by and far away, and so deliberately putting some depth into the photograph can make a great difference to the effectiveness of the picture.

A few moments used to select the right viewpoint can be well spent so it's best to avoid shooting too quickly.

Look for ways to give the picture depth with a foreground, mid-ground and distance. This can often be achieved simply by moving one’s position just a few feet.

Standing near a path, hedge, fence or wall which stretches away into the distance will carry the eye from the foreground through to the distance, giving the picture the extra dimension of depth.

Rivers and streams, stretching into the distance, can be used to serve the same function with the added advantage of sparkling with light and reflecting a blue sky.

Whether the photograph is framed to give a vertical picture (portrait format) or horizontal picture (landscape format) will always be dictated by purely visual considerations.

Just what is visually most effective in any particular situation will determine whether we should take a landscape or portrait format photograph.

Street scenes are another popular subject in this category. Streets in villages, old market towns or the endless variety of town scenes in other countries provide a continuous source of interest.

Looking down a street automatically gives the picture a certain depth. Finding a suitable item for the foreground can help this along. This might be such things as a quaint shop front, a market stall, the wing of a car or a person.

In this way, the photograph will have a strong foreground and the street will carry the eye into the picture. But watch out for any rubbish lying around.

In real life, a couple of bin bags can go unnoticed in the general stimulus of a new environment, but they will shout out at you when you see the printed photograph.

So have a strong foreground, as well as the distance, and if possible have subject matter in the foreground, the middle-distance and the far distance.

Looking through an archway or standing by a tree so that the branches frame the picture will give a strong foreground and serve to give the photograph a good impression of the depth there will be in the actual scene.

Other objects can be found in the country to have a similar effect, such as flowering shrubs, gates, pieces of farm machinery or perhaps a charging bull.

Photography Tips

* Put depth into the photograph


* Have a strong foreground


* Don't shoot too quickly

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Learn How to Take Great Food Photographs

Taking great pictures of different food dishes isn't as easy as it appears to be in cook books and food advertisements. Great care should be exercised when taking these shots.

Things that need to be considered include the dish's angle, composition, lighting, as well as problems that may arise. Here are some guides to help you improve the quality of your pictures.

Lighting:
 Consider the lighting in the kitchen or venue where you will shooting the dishes. It is a good idea to know this in advance so that you no longer have to make adjustments right there in the venue.

Dark venues may be corrected by using a row of flourescent lighting which possesses diffusers. The drawback of this method is that the image will have a subdued shade of green. Depending on the camera that you have, it may have a setting that neutralizes the effects of flourescent lighting or a magenta filter may be used to compensate.

Stability of tripods:
 Since you are taking pictures of food, every shot is done at close range. Unlike shots taken at a distance, shots done in close up are sensitive to movement.

Any sudden moves and the picture will be ruined. Focusing on the subject also becomes easier when using a tripod or even just a stack of magazines.

Food presentation:
 To get that professional look, cut the dish in geometric shapes. Proper arrangement of the food is also important so that you will be able to showcase the dish's ingredients as well as its strengths.

Garnishing the food that you will shoot will enhance its natural colors, making it more appealing to the eyes.

Focusing on the subject: 
A rather dull photo will become vibrant and dynamic if care is taken when focusing and adjusting the field depth of the camera.

If your camera doesn't have manual focus, depressing the camera's shutter button halfway to lock the focus at that specific depth. Recomposing the focus can be done by changing the position of the camera while the shutter button is still depressed halfway.

Automatic cameras usually lack aperture or depth of field. Some purposely adjust the aperture such that the background becomes a blur to heighten the subject's features while others prefer that a wider depth of field is used to capture the whole scene.

These are some of the things that you should know regarding food photography. Constant practice will help you produce better shots. Follow your instincts. Sometimes this allows you to take better shots.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Photography As A Hobby

Photography is considered as one of the rare hobbies that you can easily learn. Some may think that there's a trick in taking great shots. However, there are certain elements that you need to consider in order to enjoy the hobby of capturing wonderful pictures.

With the exception of video cameras, there is nothing greater than capturing precious moments in photographs. They preserve those moments you are part of.

You may enjoy those memories captured with your family, friends, and events and you can even share it with them. To enjoy this hobby, you need to first learn the skills and techniques of photography. You can undertake training in technical skills to master the art of capturing photographs.

You also need to consider acquiring different materials you will need to enjoy this wonderful hobby. Here are some beginner tips for learning photography.

1. Get to know what interests you. Focus yourself on a particular topic so that you can fully understand your chosen subject. It is important to have full knowledge on the subjects you want to photograph.

2. You may invest in a self-focusing SLR with the newest features with all the whistles and bells. You may also get an automatic focus camera that can read details on every captured subject.

3. If you choose to venture into nature photography, it is important to consider the location of shots. Make sure to that sunlight will not affect any of your shots. Position yourself behind the sun so that it will be use for lighting to create clearer shots.

4. Practice taking photos in your home or in your backyard. You can capture images that are not within your subject. Sometimes you may even create great shots on unexpected and unplanned moments.

5. It is advised to take photos steadily using a tripod. You can produce great images when you use the right angles. It is very important to pay attention to the size, shape and position of the subject

6. When there is no available sunlight on the subject, you must have artificial lighting to support the brightness and color of the photograph. Although the camera has a flash, it is sometimes insufficient in supplying the needed light in creating a clear image.

These are only some guides for you to enjoy photography as a hobby. You may enjoy capturing images as long as you have the right materials and good technical skills.

Many believe that beginners taking photography as a hobby can end up professional photographers.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Photography Just What Does It Mean?

Photography got its name from the Greek words "photos" which means light and "graphein" meaning to draw. The first person to use this term was the scientist Sir John Herschel in the year 1839. 

Thus, photography means the method or process of registering images with the aid of light, related radiation, on a medium that is made of sensitive materials.

The first image - 
During one summer day in the year 1827, the Frenchman Joseph Nicephore Niepce was able to achieve the creation of the first image that was fixed by working on it for 8 hours.

His compatriot, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre on the other hand was able to lower exposure time to a period of less than 30 minutes as well as preventing the captured image from disappearing.

Daguerre and the daguerreotype - 
Daguerre was the first to invent the most practical process for developing pictures during their time. He was born to a place in close proximity to Paris, France. Before experimenting on photography, he was a professional painter of various scenes in operas.

After many years of experimentation with light and its effects on images, Daguerre was able to develop a process to make pictures that were more efficient and effective. He sold the rights to the French government then wrote a book describing his invention.

The pinhole camera - 
Ibn Al-Haytham, who lived in the middle ages, was a greatly known in the field of optics. The pinhole camera was invented by Al-Haytham with the resulting image viewed upside down. A European named Della Porta was able to re-invent the pinhole camera, this enabled him to publish information regarding the pinhole camera.

The flashbulb - 
An Austrian named Paul Vierkotter is credited to be the first person to invent the flashbulb. He used a wire coated with magnesium which was placed in a glass globe that was vacuum sealed. This was later replaced with an aluminum foil inside an enclosure filled with oxygen.

The flashbulb became commercially available in the year 1930. It was patented by a German national, Johannes Ostermeier. The flashbulbs were called "vacublitz". General Electric, a company engaging in suh ventures made their own version which was termed "Sashalite".

Instant photos -
You can take instant pictures using a polaroid camera. This type of camera was created by Edwin Land. His work on photography enabled a new age in photography wherein pictures can be obtained instantly. The exposure time was no longer a factor.

These are some fast facts that wil help you understand more the history of photography. Having a clear idea of how photography started will help you with your passion for pictures.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.

Tell A Compelling Story

What Story Are You Wanting To Tell?
There are many reasons to take a particular picture. You can be just taking a recording of a moment or you may be trying to capture the emotion of the moment.

Is it a picture you want to give to someone else because you know they will want to keep that moment in their mind forever?

Is it a picture that you will add to other shots so you have a complete recording of a particular event?

The reason why this question is so important is because it will effect the picture in ways of how you frame it, the exposure, and many other factors. If you are trying to capture a particular emotion, the focal point will be the face of your subject and you may want to blur out the background slightly to give it that special effect.

If it is an event, you may want to make sure that you have something commemorating the event in the background of your subject.

An example would be that if you wanted to take a picture of the excitement on a five year old child's face when they first see their birthday present, you will want to make sure you have something in the background like a banner wishing the child a Happy 5th Birthday.

Always stop before taking the shot and think about what you are trying to tell so you will always capture that perfect picture.

Learn how to use and get great photos from your digital camera everytime. Receive FREE tips by subscribing to my ezine Digital Photo Secrets Revealed.