Posts Tagged ‘photographer’

Employing art in wedding shots

Monday, December 14th, 2009

One of the best days to capture photographs is a wedding day.  It is such a big day for the people involved that catching on film works great.  Because if you are able to catch it memorably you capture it forever.  So in this article we are going to look at a couple of tips to catching that special day on film.

As a San Diego wedding photographer I take a wedding job very seriously.  I know how special that day is so I want to help them have something memorable.  So my first tip on catching that day like art is to take photos that have movement.In a wedding people would alway be moving from place to place. There is a lot of action going on so the trick is to capture that action.

The next tip is to not settle in capturing the standard shots that you know of.You should still take the standard photos but do not make that the highlight of your photos.  As a San Diego photographer I am always thinking of ways to capture the same shots with different angles. That way the story you are trying to tell comes alive.You can have some hardship at first but by practicing you will perfect the trick.

Finally, you may want to make your photos bigger than life. Because to the people involved it is bigger than life.  So as a San Diego event photography service I have learned doing big events how to do this.What I am trying to say here is that you should not capture small photos.  You have to learn to take the shots in a way that makes the moment so much bigger.

But this will require the photographer to have some artistry in him/her.  But if you understand where I am coming from that wedding day you take will be memorable.The photos would not jsut translate into some boring photo album.  But pictures that tell a story of a wonderful day.

Wedding Photography and Videography

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Photography, videography, filmography and many other similar words make you think of your wedding day. You may have come across these terms on brochures or web sites that advertise professional filming and picture taking services meant to capture the essence of big life events. And of course, you’ll not resort to photography videography and filmography just once but a couple of times more later in life again; for instance, when your first child is born and you decide to invite your entire family over for the baby shower.
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Photography, videography and all the like are extensions of the technology we rely on today. If this technology was absent from our lives there would be fewer professions in this business. At weddings, people used to take only pictures, looking rather simple, with no special effects because back in the past there were no possibilities to insert effects. However, pictures and wedding portraits had a very important role in the economy of the event. The photography session lasted pretty long and the photographer was just the expert who helped you get that picture look its best. Photography, videography events are quite various in nature but they all share the same feature: people want to remember them. Therefore the CD, the DVD or the portrait on the wall or on the bedside table do play a role.
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People who are hired to carry out photography, videography jobs have to be pretty skilled. They need to get the details of how the outcome should be, preferably before shooting the entire event on film or recording it on the digital camera. If the photography videography agency does not perform its job very well from the very beginning making it clear for its employees what kind of appearance or style the customer wants in the end, it is highly probable that they will fail in satisfying the customer.
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Usually photography videography professionals can offer you photography taken indoors or outdoors, formal portraits in the studio, digital prints and slide shows, DVDs or old-fashioned videotapes with both the raw and edited special effect version of the wedding recording, albums that are beautifully stylized, either made to look very old, very modern, or presented under book or brochure format, and so on. The services enjoy diversity so it might be a bit difficult for you to choose from their packages. Think about the rest of the family too when you make the choice, because we are talking about an event that changes lots of people’s lives.

A Guide to Selecting the Perfect Professional Videographer

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Lots of people choose a professional videographer for recording the essential moments of special events both in the form of pictures and digitally on CDs and DVDs. Why go professional and not amateurish? First of all because of the quality of the service, and secondly, because it is much more comfortable to be free of any worries concerning the pictures or the videos.
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In case you are going to choose something other than a professional videographer, then make sure the friend you are going to rely on has some experience with manipulating the video camera and has a bit of skill in anticipating the moments of great importance during that day. A professional videographer would know what moments to hunt for, what to capture from among the multitude of small, apparently insignificant events and incidents; so, in case you have asked a friend to film the entire event, make sure he/she gets a little bit of documentation on how to best use the camera for a great outcome. You would surely not want to regret having chosen someone less experienced for such an important job.
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If you choose to hire a professional videographer, however, many advantages will come with this decision. The competence level is definitely superior to any well-intended friend. The choices in terms of professionalism also vary. You have the option to go for a professional videographer who uses semi-professional equipment and that would cost a few hundred dollars. In case you are more sophisticated and demanding, you can hire the professional videographer with all the fully professional broadcasting equipment and even the entire crew to make it all as professional as possible and have the event recorded with several cameras. Of course, the latter option will cost not several hundred but several thousand dollars matching the quality and standards you opt for.
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It is also important that you check the previous experience level of the professional videographer you intend to hire, to be satisfied with the work style and quality. If the style is too serious or on the contrary the special effects seem too simple and tend to affect the quality of the video, then, you are not talking to the right person, and you ought to keep searching until you find a professional videographer to be content with. Don’t be tempted only by the cheap price practiced by some service providers, because what comes cheap is cheap most of the time.

The Professional World of Videographers

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Videography is the process of capturing moving pictures/images on electronic media such as streaming media, videotape, hard disk, or solid state storage. Whether it is amateur or professional videography, the term videography refers to and includes the methods of electronic production and post production. Videography is the equivalent of cinematography; the difference between the two lies in that images are recorded on electronic media in videography, whereas film stock is used for this in cinematography. The term is a combination of the Latin word ‘video’, which means ‘I see’ or ‘I apprehend’ and the Greek suffix ‘graphy’, which means ‘to write’. Anyway the advent of digital imaging towards the end of the 20th century has minimized the difference between videography and cinematography.
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Both the amateur and professional videography market have grown to include distribution together with production. As a result, market segmentation has occurred, based on the application: broadcast video, event video, corporate video and others. The development of the Internet has created a global environment in which videography covers many more fields than just shooting video with a camera. Thus, when talking about professional videography, we can distinguish between digital animation, web streaming, gaming, still slide-shows, video blogging, remote sensing, medical imaging, spatial imaging, and, in general, production of bitmap and vector-based assets. With the progresses in the fields of computers and the Internet on the one hand and that of videography technology on the other, videographers can now create their assets on the computer without involving image devices at all. All they can use in the process includes software-driven solutions.
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Not only in professional videography does the videographer operate the camera but he/she can also be in charge of the visual design of the production. Professional videography in particular, also deals with compiling artists’ music videos or just video releases, like in discography or filmography.
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In professional videography the specialist spends many hours documenting on the event s/he is going to put on video. After that, some other hours are dedicated to editing the videos, cutting out some scenes and inserting the proper music to create a smoothly flowing video story. Professional videography is actually the art of capturing certain moments in time. The process requires vision and inspiration along with hard work and commitment. Technical knowledge as well as high tech equipment are also necessary to produce the best quality video. In order to become videographers some people attend film schools whereas others start on this career after regularly videotaping events for family and friends.

Tips to Taking Candid Shots

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

Taking photos of people fall in to two categories.They are candid shots or portraits.

Portraits are the shots when your subjects are in poses.  While the candids are usually when your subject is doing something natural.

I would like to focus on taking candid shots.This form of photography is an art form, and if you take these few steps, you will be happy with your work.  This is from my experience as a San Diego Photographer.

First off you don’t want to obtrusive.  Most candid shots you take of course are going to be people going about their business, but the secret to taking a great shot like that is to make sure they are unaware of the shot.

Because often, if you let them notice you, you will miss the essence of that unguarded shot.So be diligent in making sure they don’t know about the camera. 

Another thing to consider is the setting or the environment.When you are going to take candid photos, the environment plays a big role.You want the candid photo to be able to capture the subject in their setting as natural as possible.It’s that setting
whether is is their house, their work, or the street they are on, will tell a story about your subject’s life.  This is especially important if you are going to be taking shots as a Wedding Photographer San Diego.

A third tip to think about is to anticipate behavior. An important part of taking candid shots of people acting naturally is to know what your subject may do next in a given situation.

This will help you if you are trying to catch something in particular because it will allow you to be prepared rather than miss the shot.Knowing how they are going to act in a given situation and then capturing it is all about anticipation.

Finally, always be on the lookout for those moments when a person’s emotion will be expressed.Because if you think about it, when you take these photos, the main thing is trying to capture their emotions in these shots.

Take a look at what your subject is doing and think about whether or not it’s a moment that will express an emotion.Such as an expression of impatience at a stoplight.  Or a joyous expression at an event.All moments in time give you the opportunity to truly capture an emotion.  Being prepared for those moments will help you capture and tell that story in that moment of time.

Taking candid shots is definitely an art form.Especially if you really want your candid photos to tell a story. Following these few simple steps will help you be on the road of capturing as many storytelling moments as possible as a photographer.

Key Lighting Tips For Photographers

Monday, June 15th, 2009

In this age of digital cameras, you have probably thought that you can just point and shoot and out will appear a great shot.Hold on, don’t go so fast.The honest truth is, you may have a great digital camera, but if you are clueless in what to do, you will take ugly shots.

Well, I would like to share with you some great tips on improving your digital photography skills.  These tips are coming from years of experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.These tips are all about the lighting and they will some of biggest reasons for you success in taking photographs.

First great tip in regards to lighting.  Now if you are taking shots outdoors during the day, natural sunlight provides some of the best lighting possible.  Now you are probably thinking, “that’s easy, when you are a San Diego photographer since it is always shiny there”, when in actuality really bright sunlight can cast harsh shadows.Or it will wash out the face details while the sun is overhead.

Overall, most of the shots you are going to want to take with the sun behind you.This eliminates any harsh shawows from effecting your shot from the sun.There will be some times when you want to take shots from different angles when you do try to get some shadows into the shots.

Now that we know what to do during the day shots, what if you have to take some night shots? 

The trick to taking night shots is to turn off your flash.  Of course if it is pitch black you will need it, but for times when there is lighting, you want to use the lighting that is around, but you have to make sure you set your shutter speeds slower to let in enough light.Also, stay steady when you are taking your photograph or you will cause the picture to blur.Applying these couple of techniques will make a dramatic difference for those nights shots you take. 

The third and final tip with using lighting to capture great photos is the golden hour.There is this time that photographers like to call the golden hour or magic hour, and that is sunrise and sunset.

These times of day you wll be able to capture great shots because you will get the more warmer and inviting colors.  You will be able to capture that golden lighting you won’t catch any other time of day.

There you go.  Probably the biggest key in taking greatshots is to make sure you take advantage of the natural lighting.  Knowing what techniques to use for different parts of the day, or just scheduling a photo shoots to capture those times of day will help you become an excellent photographer.

Wedding Day Photography Planning

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration.  They think about coordinating the date for vacation times. Or they coordinate the wedding day for the family to be able to make it into town.  Or they plan it based upon maybe available venues, like the church or the restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. Don’t think this is something small.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you realize that the photos are what are going to last a lifetime.

So what are the key factors to consider when planning with the photographer in mind. The date and time.

First let’s start thinking about the time.  How many people do you think would want their photographer to rush taking the photos?  I am pretty sure most people will not raise their hand to that. 

Well without even thinking about your photographer, a lot of times couples will do just that. The couple or family basically rush the photographer to try and take all the pictures. 

How so you ask?  Well a lot of times, the couple will schedule the ceremony for let’s say 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30. How many photos can the photographer really take with only half an hour to work with? Not that many.

Worse thing to consider, what if he does manage to take all the photos? Do you think they are going to take good quality shots when they are rushed? No way.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

The second factor to consider when planning is to check your photographer’s availability.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance.  And if you are dealing with let’s say a large photography company, they may have several photographers.

Well making wedding plans without thinking about the availability of the photographer could be a nightmare. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This happens more than you can imagine when dealing with a big photography company.  You might not realize they have plenty of photographers on staff, and if the photographer you fell in love with is booked, unless you specifically ask, the company might not tell you. When the wedding day comes, a second rate photographer or worse yet, they might outsource the work and somebody else will show up.

So be prepared and don’t let this happen.  Planning your wedding day is wonderful.  Make sure you plan it also with your wedding photographer in mind.

How to Find That Perfect Wedding Photographer

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

No doubt a wedding will be one of the most important moments that will happen in a person’s life. Countless hours go into wedding planning. Most of the tasks that take place in wedding planning are time consuming, stressful, and can be frustrating. That’s why it is crucial that your homework is done when trying to find good people for all the jobs.One of the very big jobs will be that of the photographer. From my experience as a San Diego wedding photographer I’ll show you it can be a few simple steps away.

Finding any wedding photographer is a huge task. There are a few important factors to think about when you make this important decision. The photos that you take away from your wedding are going to be the most memorable keepsakes that you have. The photos will be hanging on your walls for the rest of yourlife. One of the most obvious factors when choosing any photographer is price. Most photographers do charge a price for a specific amount of time for the wedding. It is important to know up front what all is included with that
price. When it comes to finding a wedding photographer, the biggest upside to pricing is there is a lot of competition. Remember, that a lot of photographers can and will negotiate their price a little bit to fit what you need.

Another thing to think about and consider when choosing is the experience a person may have. Is this their firs big wedding job, or have they done a few dozen or more? Their price may reflect how long they have been in business as well. Now just because someone may have a lot of experience doesn’t guarantee they will be better. Sometimes those people that are just starting out and trying to build a name for themselves will turn out to be excellent. The advantage of a person like that and going with them is you know they are going to give it their best. When you are trying to find a wedding photgrapher, you will find photographers of different levels of experience. When you do an interview of prospective photographers, it will give you a sense of what it will be like when you work with them.

A final thing to consider when making this decision is what type of personality the photographer has. Are they likely going to try call all the shots and decide on all your poses? Or are they going to let the bride and groom make some decisions? Another thing to think about is whether or not you want to be the one to make the important decisions on the photos. The bride and groom will have enough to think about the day of the wedding as it is. Take these factors and consider them when you choose your photographer. If you do, you will have some wonderful photos to cherish the rest of your lives.  Take it from me, your experienced San Diego photographer.

Tips from a San Diego Wedding Photographer

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Being asked to be the photographer for a wedding is a big responsibility.If you are doing it as a favor, or if you are doing it as your profession, following these 5 tips will help you do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned pro, or if you are an amateur, by following these tips, you won’t second guess yourself.Doing this you will be fully prepared come what may.

Our first tip is easy and that is to have the couple and maybe their families make a list of photos they want to take.With a day that can be as hectic and chaotic as a wedding day, doing this will help when you are trying to organize all the group and family shots later on in the day.  You will love it and when you can just go down the list and get everything without leaving anything out by accident.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Even though they are great, it is also tempting since it is so easy, to delete a shot.Don’t even think of looking at the shots.  What makes a great shot in your mind could differ widely that what makes a great shot in the couples minds.You never know, they might like all those so called un “professional shots.

The third tip to make sure you do is taking candid shots.A good photographer isn’t one who just takes the standard basic shots, like family shots, typical wedding shots, or whatever is the usual.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It may include the things that go wrong also, like a flower girl making a wrong turn or the ring bearer not wanting to walk down the aisle.Every photo matters.

The fourth piece of advice is make sure you have back up equipment.Do you even want to think of a moment like that of not having a working camera halfway through the wedding.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.By being ready with extra equipment, you will avoid the uncomfortable time of not being able to take any more pictures of the wedding day with a broken camera.

Last piece of advice, make sure you know the lighting of the wedding. There can be a huge difference between the lighting inside the wedding and outside, so make sure to practice for all the different possible conditions. Think about seeing if you can go to the locations of the big day and look for the best spots to take pictures as well as study the lighting needs.

Taking these 5 tips into account will help you immensely.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.

How to Choose The Best Photographer

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Looking for a photographer for a special day?  Well my experience being a San Diego Photographer has given me some insight on how to make the best choice for that special occasion.  So don’t even think about popping open the yellow pages and picking any old photographer that you find.  Take it from my experience and follow these steps on choosing a good photographer.

For special days, most people want to capture those special memories with pictures, especially if it is a wedding, I know from first hand experience as a San Diego Wedding Photographer; so it is very important that you research the photographer you are going to trust for the job.  So why not ask friends and family for some recommendations.  Their recommendations will help you formulate a list of candidates for the job.

After you have gathered that list from friends and family, you should see if they have a website and take a look at it.  Look at some of the work that they have done in the past.  Look to see if it is the type of shots and the style you want your pictures to be like.  If the photographers you have listed have their portfolios online, it will save you a lot of time because then you can narrow your list down even more by what you see.

Now that you have narrowed your list down to photographers you want to talk with, it is time to do some interviewing.  This can be over the phone rather than going in person, so you can save some more time.  What you want to accomplish with these phone interviews is to have your specific questions answered.  When you do this, you will have a better feel on whether or not this will be the right person for the job.  By doing this, you can narrow down your list even further, and now whoever is left over, you can finally meet in person to look over their work and discuss more details even further.

After you have completed the final steps of this process of narrowing down the field.  After you have gone through your interview process, it is time to pull the trigger and make a choice.  The factors you want to base your decision upon will be, does this person know what you want for that special day?  In other words, do they know your vision?  Also you want to make sure it is a person you like.  Getting along with a photographer for that special day is something not to be taken lightly.  You want it someone you match with personality wise, because the last thing you need is to have a stressful day.  If they meet your criteria, go ahead and choose one.

Doing these few but profound steps will help you in many ways.  The process will give you the opportunity to know your photographer more intimately then any other process.  Having this knowledge of him or her will allow you to connect with them, which is very important.  It will also let you see what their style and vision will be for the photo shoot.  And probably the most important part is the fact you will be at ease in your mind, because you have taken great care to find the right photographer.