Tips To Taking The Perfect Picture

Taking great pictures and seeing the end results can be so much fun. However, it involves just a tad more than just a love for taking pictures in order for you to take a lot of great pictures, especially if you are doing it as a career. In addition to having a love for it, you will also need to have knowledge and know how to get the best possible pictures when you are involved in photography.

In order to become a very good photographer and to get into the exciting field of photography, one of the things that you will need to do is to get to know your device well, especially if you are into digital photography. This is so due to the digital cameras of today are so much more advanced than the ones that were designed ten years ago. If you are an amateur photographer you may not be too versed at using a new digital camera, and as such, your user guide should be your best friend. It will tell you how to use the different settings and about all the other important aspects of your camera such as how to zoom, crop, cut, edit, etc. You just need to learn as much about your camera as you possibly can, in the same way that you would learn about any other tools you work with for any other job.

There is a manual mode on many digital cameras these days. As such, it is advisable that you do some experimentation on manual mode to better learn about your camera. In addition, many digital cameras have several preset features that will help you to capture great photographs in many conditions, in the morning, at dusk, indoors, outdoors, while the subjects are in motion, etc. After you have become accustomed to your camera, you should then use your manual mode, do that you can learn more about zooming, exposure time, picture resolution, focus, among many other exciting things about your camera.

You should also learn about using a tripod stand when you are into serious photography, but also if you are doing photography as a hobby. This can help you to get pictures that are more in focus as you will not have to be dealing with your shaky, sweaty hands holding the camera. It will also allow you to be in group pictures, instead of having to be the one taking the pictures and always being left out of fun, family pictures.

Toronto Photography Scene

The Toronto photography scene is full of young and upcoming new Canadian photographers, and there are many ways to get involved in this exciting area of Toronto culture. One way is by visiting one of the many photography galleries in Toronto. There are more than 20 of them in the city, including the Christopher Cutts Gallery, Gallery 44, and the Monte Clark Gallery. Many of these double as Toronto photography studios or printing workshops, but also feature work by famous, as well as local photographers. Some even offer photography workshops and classes, such as the IX Gallery in Riverside, which holds such events monthly. Others boast special exhibits of specialty or vintage photography regularly. Analogue Gallery focuses on music photography of famous artists, such as Bob Dylan, Bjork, and the Beatles, while SPORT Gallery focuses on sports photography. Whatever your artistic tastes, Toronto has a photography gallery that you will enjoy.

Another way to get involved is by joining the Toronto Camera Club. It was founded over 100 years ago, in 1888, and on its website, claims to be the "oldest camera club in Canada." Although membership fees for a year are $100 (or $50 for students), membership gets you access to their Toronto photography library and darkroom, the ability to enter their competitions, and the chance to go on club outings. They hold weekly meetings with competitions, weekly lectures, monthly visits to local Toronto photography hotspots, and occasional overnight photography field trips. They also have workshops and training to help you learn new techniques and improve your photography. It's a great way to get to know other people that love photography and want to have fun too!

Finally, go out with your camera and take some pictures! There are lots of great Toronto photography photo opportunities, such as Union Station, Lake Ontario, the many gardens, and the older historic parts of Toronto. Niagara Falls is only an hour and a half drive from Toronto and is perhaps one of the most photographed locations in the world. If you shoot a photograph that you think is particularly good, submit it to one of the Toronto photography galleries that accepts submissions from emerging local artists. Bau-Xi Photo, a relatively new photo gallery, is encouraging new photographers to submit their work. 44 Wide specializes in helping new artists print and exhibit their photography, and even offers discounts to artists who use their printing services.

So don't be shy: Get out there and get involved in the Toronto photography scene! There are lots of great opportunities to admire, learn, and even display your own work.

Living Face Photography provides professional, artistic Toronto photography. Living Face founder and Toronto Photographer Bard Azima has photographed all kinds of events, situations, and people during the last 18 years. Since founding Living Face Photography in 2001, Bard has photographed everything from casual to corporate and is a sought-after Toronto wedding photographer, as well. To schedule a personal appointment with Bard, call 416-732-1904 or visit http://www.livingface.com/

Photography From Cameras To Smart Phones

Photography has come a long way over the past few decades. When I was a kid I remember we had to put in film roles into the camera every time we plan to go out on a picnic. And with each new film role we could only take 34 to 50 pictures. Then the roles were sent to the studio in order to get the film strips developed into photographs. The entire process took a couple of days before the pictures get ready for you to check them out. And if you weren't unable to finish the film role at one event, you had to wait for another event to take pictures so that you could finish the roll and have it developed. Even with so much trouble, those times we fun.

As we grew up, dad got us the first digital camera. That thing was new and very advanced for that time. You could click hundreds of pictures and directly download them on your computer. Anyone who owned a digital camera made it a point to show it off at every function and make the other kids jealous. I did pretty much the same, until one day when I saw a friend taking pictures with his mobile phone. I was hardly 15 at that time, and this mobile camera was quite fascinating for me. But it was not so advanced at that point. I waited for about two years and bought the latest mobile that had a built-in camera in it and entered the mega pixel war game.

While we had all our energy focused on getting the mobile with the highest mega pixel camera, smartphones entered the arena. And those phone could do magic with pictures. People did not even have to copy the pictures to their laptops to upload them on any social networking site; it was all being done directly from these smart mobile phones.

While I was busy figuring out the features of my first smart mobile, the app market was bombarded with thousand of amazing apps that could help you do numerous super cool things with you mobile gadget. One category of those apps were focused on developing apps for the smartphone camera. Some applications allowed users to edit pictures or add contrast and color to them, same enhanced the camera features of the smart phones and some allowed the users to play cool tricks with those images.

I just checked out a similar photo app for iPhone users with the name of Pic Talk. The best part about this app is that you can record you voice with the picture after clicking it. So you don't done have to write a caption for the picture, you just have to say it. It's a fun app allowing users to save their memories in a whole new way. I think every iPhone user must have this app on their mobile devices!

Fantastic Tips for Baby Photos

1. Baby Wraps

When working with a baby wrap I recommend to always bundle the baby as tight as possible to simulate the security and warmth of the womb. Having a happy (and still) newborn baby during your photo shoot is essential to getting great shots. Wrapping the baby tightly is, in essence, the same as swaddling; which has been proven by specialists to calm infants because it recreates the warm and comforting feeling of the womb. A baby that feels secure and safe is a happy baby!

2. White Noise

Babies, particularly newborns, are accustomed to the sounds of the womb so white noise can have a powerful calming effect on them. Most professional baby photographers keep a white noise machine handy in their stash and will even use it during the entire photo shoot. If you don't have a white noise machine or are unwilling to buy one, there are free and paid iPhone apps that simulate these machines machines (just search iTunes for "White Noise"). If you have your laptop with you on site and there is an internet connection available, you can find a number of different websites available that simulate white noise machines (just search "White Noise Player"). For babies or toddlers that are a few months older, sometimes a white noise machine doesn't do the trick but the little one may have a favorite song that he/she likes to hear and this can have the same soothing effect (although it might drive you crazy!). When you arrive for the photo shoot just ask whoever is there if their baby has a favorite song or musical toy that they like to listen to when they nap.

3. Bring Wipes!

Protecting the value of your hand-chosen photo prop stash is super important. It is inevitable that in working with little ones on a regular basis most of your props are going to face an unfortunate, occasional accident. Keeping a pack of wipes with you on the set of your photo shoot so you can react right away to accidents will help the long term durability of your props. Most parents will keep wipes in the house that you might be able to use but you don't want to rely on this or come across as imposing so just bring your own. You'll be glad you did.

These are the top three tips that I keep coming back to in my experience. Even some of the best photographers can sometimes forget about these three tips.

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Digital Photography For Beginners

Poor, lifeless, or simply lacklustre photos are often triggered through idleness. Regrettably, a lot of photography enthusiasts, amateurs and even professionals, will approach a photograph assignment having a pre-created preconception of attack - mostly from either their own set style (and attempting to be cautious) or not wanting to go against the grain of acceptance. Rarely will the digital photographer take one step back, lower their camera for a few seconds, and size-up the job in hand before proceeding. Instead, a lot of us will execute the photo in the position we initially perceived the topic, never thinking to review the possibilities and the environment first.

Consider this. A well-known and respected world class digital photographer once stated "Look at it like this - the subject you wish to photograph is the nucleus of an atom. You, the photographer, are the electron spinning around the subject until you find just the right angle and distance. Not until then will you have successfully evaluated every aspect of that subject and its possibilities." Furthermore, he added, "Just the slightest move to the right or left, up or down has the potential to make or break the photo. Don't be in such a hurry to finish and leave."

This is why I say to you "Dare To Be Different". Some time ago I attended an Advanced Photography Workshop which was held over a beautiful summer's weekend. A large number of photography enthusiasts accompanied me. On Day One we spent the whole morning in a popular wedding venue with the models for a photo session where everybody was directed and challenged to consider photographs they'd not usually do. After the session, everybody was told to review and select their 10 favourite images ready for appraisal during the session the next morning.

What I believe everybody found so interesting was that although we had all worked with the very same models, with the potential for carrying out exactly the same poses, actually everybody had chosen to see things from different angles, and therefore generate highly creative poses. This was purely down to the fact that they had been instructed before the shoot to challenge their normal limitations, and "think outside the box". Instead of just charging in, which is easy and habitual to do, the photographers were taking that proverbial 'one step back' before taking each shot. Subsequently, each attendee genuinely presented a totally different group of images to one another and, most importantly, really set themselves apart.

So next time you are out with your camera, remember this most simple, but effective, digital photography trick. Take a step back and think carefully about the various ways that you might take the photograph. You may be pleasantly surprised just what the finished result is.

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