Tips For Making The Family Portrait Fun

Every family needs a portrait and not everyone wants the same traditional group photo. These days people are after a more human touch and may include fun and wacky ideas.

Location

Finding the right location can completely alter your photo. The background adds lots of contrast and will alter the mood of the photo. A photograph tells a story and you will want a location that will complement the story. Here are a few ideas to make your family photos more interesting:

Trendy: If you're in town take a walk down the city streets and look for trendy spots, such as garage fronts, brick buildings, park benches and side walks.

Grit: Visit your local junkyard and take a few shots between piles of scrap metal and written off cars stacked on top of each other.

Fewer distractions: The best natural shots do not have a lot going on in the background and appear calming and friendly. A great place is big open fields filled with tall grass. Instead of walking to the park, take a walk down a nature trail and you will find some amazing spots. Take a few shots with the family leaning on a tree or sitting on fallen trees. Surrounding rivers, lakes and water beds also adds a natural and calming touch.

Think outside the square: If you're looking for an unusual twist then take any of the locations mentioned above and add a couch or chair. A couple good examples are sitting on a red stool in the forest or on a couch at the junkyard.

Natural Shots
Some of the best photos are natural shots with a close depth of field. However if you are going to take close images you will want to be relaxed so expressions appear natural.

Activity: Working with kids can be lovely or it can turn into a disaster. If you try to force kids to stand and pose this will only cause fake smiles. Let the kids run around for natural shots and you will notice their personality coming alive. Also, getting the family down to the kid's height will lower intimidating effect of standing above them.

Dining rooms and restaurants: eating places are great places for activities as they are hardly filled with empty space. When taking photos of food and people you will need natural lighting to bring out the colours and vibrancy of the foods. Use windows for natural light and not direct sunlight as this can make the food shimmer or shine. Flash photography will also set the colour and contrast off, instead set the flash off and use a shallow depth of field.

Night: consider shooting the same image at night, as this provides depth, excitement and displays interior activity that sunlights hides.

Pets

Having the family cat or dog in the photo adds warmth to the family portrait.

Natural lighting in open areas or rooms with plenty of lighting and large windows are great places for the shoot when the family pet is involved. That will help avoid the need for flash photography that may upset the pet.

Focus on the eyes: a pets eyes are the most important as they are more expressive than human eyes. Some of the best pet photography uses a sharp tack with a focus on the eyes.

Lower ground: As opposed to having the pet sit next to the family, have the family come down to his level and take the photo at their eye level or below. Having the family go to the pet will be much easier than trying to get them to stop wandering around.

A professional photographer will help to boost the image of any family portrait. If you would like to find out more about fun photography then visit the creative and professional Brisbane Photographers at Studio Kirby.

As a writer I have published a number of articles in the photography industry and am happy to be working for the team at Studio Kirby, as well as a number of different industries.

Photo Tip - Get Better Photography, Lessons From A Sniper

Today's photo tip will help us get better photography, learn to master our camera equipment inside and out and get comfortable with all our photo gear! Blindfolded and in the dark.

In the last several portrait photography photo tips articles, we've been studying lighting. Admittedly it has been some pretty heavy weight learning. For today's photo tip, let's kick back a bit and ponder...

Have you ever noticed how being a photographer and being a sniper are very similar?

First off, there's the obvious term - shoot. A sniper is trained to shoot and a photographer is trained to shoot. We call it shooting a portrait or shooting a landscape - having a model shoot and so on...

Next, no good sniper would ever take a shot without recording it in his shot notebook. It's how they learn the effects of heat and cold on a bullet. They learn how the ballistics are altered by varying wind speeds, altitudes and etc.

While less than 1% of you are likely to be keeping a notebook, the top photographers do. I've been harping on it forever. This one simple act can propel your photography to heights you can only dream of right now.

Have you ever studied the stance used by good (rifle) shooters when they are shooting from a standing position?

It is SOLID! Both in the legs and upper body.

The legs provide a strong steady platform and the rifle is held tightly against their shoulder. All to minimize any possible movements.

BTW - the stance is exactly the same every time too! They learn to do it the best possible way - then never alter it! It becomes a muscle memory.

Then they gently squeeze the trigger - so they don't inadvertently alter the rifles aim.

If you observe a top photographer, the stance is very similar - if not exactly the same. A steady base is just as important for a photographer as a sniper.

To avoid movement, the camera is held tightly against their face, while they look through the viewfinder. (If you are holding your camera at arms length and watching the viewing screen - stop it. RIGHT NOW!)

And they gently squeeze the shutter release to avoid camera shake.

I could go on and on... but the similarity I want to discuss in today's photo tip involves putting on a blindfold or going into a darkened room.

Can you imagine a highly trained sniper not knowing what a certain button or knob on his or her rifle does?

By the way, I say his or her because there ARE female snipers out there. Did you know that Dr. Ruth is a trained sniper?

They knot only know what each one does, but they can make whatever adjustments are needed without looking. In fact, they practice completely taking apart their weapons and reassembling them while blindfolded or in the dark.

But that isn't enough... not only do they practice doing it in the dark, they practice at doing it faster and faster!

Why?

They do this so that they become so familiar with every aspect of their rifle that they don't have to think about it anymore. It becomes second nature. In a high stress (possibly deadly) situation, they don't have to wonder about what to do. It just happens.

If you were blindfolded or put in a dark room, could you change lenses? Identify what every single button and knob does? Change batteries?

When you are shooting, there are a million things to think about and consider. Add to that the fact that - often it is a high stress situation and cannot be repeated (weddings or other once in a lifetime events). Do you really want to lose the shot because you had a hard time getting the battery compartment back in place? Or the memory stick was inserted incorrectly?

You may never find yourself in a high stress - or life and death situation, but the confidence of knowing your camera gear inside and out will eventually show in your photography.

For today's photo tip, study your camera equipment manuals until you know what every button, knob and dial does. This means all your photo gear, not just the camera. It's amazing how few of us really know how to use an on camera flash! Then practice making adjustments, changing batteries and so on - in the dark or while blindfolded.

To learn more and enroll in a FREE "photo tips" course, go to: http://OnTargetPhotoTraining.com/PhotoTips

Bonus... You will also get YOUR free copy of "7 Secrets To Stunning Photos!" AND you'll get a FREE daily photo tips newsletter! Check it out right now while you are thinking about it!

Dan Eitreim has been a professional photographer in Southern California for over 20 years - his data base exceeds 6000 past clients, and he says that learning photography is easy, if you know a few tried and true strategies.

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!