Tips on Sea Life Photography

Sea life photography may be taken with all types of equipment, from extension tubes to wide angle lenses. There are many ways to sea life photography. Identification photographs, for instance, show a side view with all the animal's parts in proper proportions. There are photographs of animals in action (feeding, schooling, or swimming), and there are photos that picture the animal in its habitat. But the most common, and perhaps the most striking, type of creature photograph is the portrait.

The portrait photograph captures not only the way the animal looks but something of its personality as well. The portrait photographer's goal is to create an image that communicates the animal's expression and temperament. In short, a successful portrait conveys character.

There are some important concepts that influence sea life photography. The animal in the photograph should seem to be aware of the viewer and its expression should communicate some aspect of its personality. In order to achieve this, the photographer should approach the animal as if attempting to carry a conversation.

In sea life photography, the portrait should "speak" to the viewer, and there are several unwritten rules about conducting a conversation. You do not converse with a person while looking down at the top of his head or while looking at the back of his head. Nor do you conduct a conversation with someone while inspecting his tail or the animal is swimming away from you. The eyes are the primary importance.

When the viewer looks at the photograph, the animal's eyes should be the first thing the viewer notices when looking at the photograph. For this reason, the eyes must be very prominent in the photograph. The eyes must also be the point of critical focus. If the eyes are soft, then the photograph will be unpleasant to look at and must take its rightful place in the round file.

To carry out good sea life photography, the depth of field must be manipulated so that the eye and everything in front of the eye is in focus. If the eye is sharp but the face of the animal forward of the eye is soft, the softness will be very distracting. The area behind the animal's eye can go out of focus without much loss of impact. Generally, getting the eye and the facial features forward of the eye in focus is not a very scientific process. You simply focus on the eye, and depth of field will take care of the rest.

Camera Angle

Another very important concept is your physical relationship to the subject, which is expressed in the camera angle you choose. It is a well-known fact that tall people have a psychological advantage over shorter people in conversations. Teachers and ministers on raised podiums have extra power over their audiences simply because they are situated above them. This concept can be used in animal portraiture. If you want the photograph to have added power and impact, then make the animal appear to stand above you in the frame. If the animal is above you in the photograph, it will appear to be a towering monster that might gobble you up at the slightest provocation. But if you above the animal and looking down at it, the creature become something small and negligible that you could easily step on.

Lighting

Lighting can be a problem in portraits. Because most portraits are taken at close range, artificial light is often used to allow small apertures and increased depth of field. The use of one strobe will generally illuminate one side of the animal's head while leaving the other in a very harsh shadow. Or, if the strobe is held directly above the subject, there will be a very large dark shadow below the animal's chin. This is why portraits taken at close range with extension tubes or reflex macro system are best taken with two strobes.

Each strobe should be positioned to one side and above the animal so that light comes down at 45 degree angles on either side of the creature's face. One strobe should be powered down or moved further away than the other so that at the subject, the brightness ratio between the two strobes is about 2:1. This ratio will produce soft shadows on one side of the animal's face and highlights on the other.

In situations where there is plenty of ambient light (as in the tropics) or where the animal is large enough to allow the use of a wide-angle lens, one strobe can be used as a fill light. The fill light will fill in the colors and remove shadows on one side of the face while ambient light softens shadows on the other. In this case, a light meter should be used to determine the ambient light exposure. Then strobe power should be manipulated to balance the two exposures.

I'm Mike Chua, Do visit my site for more articles and information on underwater photography

http://www.worldofunderwatercamera.com/CFWA

http://www.worldofunderwatercamera.com/underwater-camera/aqua-camera

Beginners Portrait Photography Tips

A photo collection normally consists of photographs of people. A portrait made of superior quality always leaves a good impression. The same is with a portrait projecting and capturing the right emotions, feelings and character. Tips to achieve good quality photo portraits will enhance your knowledge on portrait photography. Although good quality portraits are an outcome of experience and art there are certain guidelines that allow you to improve on your skills quickly.

Background

A passive background is the essence of any photograph that has a person as its central attraction, so that the interest from the central object is not taken away. Portrait photography focuses on the face of the person. Therefore it becomes necessary to take photos within a neutral backdrop. By good background one basically means background that has soft and solid colors. A busy road with people in motion is not considered as good backgrounds.

Blurring

The best way to draw the viewers' attention to the object would be to blur the details of the background. This will help the object to standout from the background. Making the background blue is very simple and just needs setting up the camera depth of the field. This can be done with the use of a zoom lens and by shooting at a short distance with the help of a broad aperture manual setup.

A face consists of many features the eyes, the nose, the lips etc. Which part of the face do you think is important to focus on? Obviously the eyes, because the eyes is the window to ones mind and emotions. Focusing on the eyes will project the feelings better. Make your object look straight into the camera or even sideways would do, this certainly depends on what you are trying to project or convey through the photography.

Lighting

Natural lighting should be used wherever possible. It is the best solution for capturing the full range of color as well as the skin warmth. So photographs must be taken outdoors during daytime. The object must be positioned in such a way that the object is hit by the sunlight from the sides as you will get only a silhouette. Never take photographs when the sun is behind a. object, as this will lead to overexposure and distortion of color.

Experiment

Experiment with a digital camera as the film cost here works out to literally zero. So experimenting will help you to make the required adjustments and thus help you to get the perfect shots.

Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about portrait photography tips, please visit Photography For Beginners for current articles and discussions.

Tips For Choosing The Best Beach Wedding Invitations

While there are many great venues for the perfect wedding, from the local country club to the greenest and most luxurious park.

It is hard to beat the beauty and charm of a great beach wedding, and those planning such a wedding will of course want to make sure they choose the perfect wedding invitations to get the word out about the big day.

==Getting An Accurate Count Of The Guest==

Choosing the right beach wedding invitations is vital of course, since the invitations will drive so much more of the wedding planning.

From the caterer and the cake to the selection of the reception hall, having an accurate count of how many guests are coming to the wedding is vital, and it all starts with finding and sending the perfect wedding invitations.

==There Are many Different Beach Styles To Consider==

When that wedding is to take place on the beach there are a number of different considerations and some unique opportunities for the perfect beach wedding invitations.

The popularity of beach weddings has been steadily on the rise, and this has led to more and more wedding invitations that are perfect for beach themed weddings.

==Match The Invitations With The Theme Of The Wedding==

One of the most important things when choosing the perfect beach wedding invitations is to match those wedding invitations to the overall look and style of the wedding ceremony itself.

It is important to choose casual wedding invitations for casual weddings and more formal ones for more elegant beach weddings.

Listed are some of the beach wedding themes you may choose;

• Sea shells

• Sea horses

• Star fish

• Beach sand

• Jamaican drums

• Sun set

• Moon light on the beach

==Shop For Your Beach Wedding Invitations Early To Ensure Your Guest Receive Them In A Timely Fashion==

It is also important to start shopping around as early as possible, no matter what types beach wedding invitations you are considering.

After all, beach weddings are increasingly popular, and the summer season is always the busiest for weddings, and the people who design, create and print wedding invitations are likely to be very busy during this time of year.

By shopping around as early as possible you will not only have the best selection but you will be assured that your wedding guests will have plenty of time to respond to your invitations and join you on your big day.

Shaunta Pleasant is a professional writer and editor on wedding topics. Visit my site to learn more about planning the perfect wedding at http://www.best-wedding-plan.com/beach_wedding_theme.html

Five Tips For Better Beach Photography

All photographers love to capture the places that are dear to their hearts - and who doesn't love a day at the beach. Nature photographers, wedding photographers and old-fashioned happy snappers; we can all find inspiration in beach photography.

Beach photography can be particularly challenging, even for experienced nature photographers. We are often inspired by the sounds, the smells, the open space; so your task as a nature photographer is not just to photograph a location, but to encapsulate a feeling.

This can make beach photography a deeply personal thing, so your approach to a photo will be guided by what that location means to you. However, there are some easy ways to add impact to your pictures. Here are five simple tips to help you enjoy your next beach photography outing.

Beach Photography Tip #1. Time of Day. Every landscape photographer knows that early in the morning and late in the afternoon are the best times for taking outdoor photos. At these times the sunlight is soft and warmly colored, and shining from a low angle to illuminate most subjects more evenly.

This is even more critical at the beach, particularly if your beach has white sand. If you take your photos in the middle of the day, the glare from the sand and the white water will create stark, high-contrast photos that will not do justice to the location. However, when the sun is low it will illuminate the entire scene with much warmer colors. The froth at the waters edge will light up like champagne bubbles, and the whole photo will be richer and more atmospheric.

Beach Photography Tip #2. Get Down To The Water's Edge. To get the best beach photos, be prepared to get your feet wet. Down at the water's edge where the sand is wet, your foregrounds will be more colourful, and wiped clean of footprints, tire tracks and other distractions that can spoil the natural look of a beach photo. You may also discover reflections that add interest to otherwise plain foregrounds.

Beach Photography Tip #3. Find An Eye-Catching Feature. A long, empty expanse of white sand with a clear blue sky is perfect for a walk on the beach, but can be too empty and plain for a photograph. You should try to find a feature to build your composition around. Many beaches have a rocky headland at each end; head for the rocks to find a more interesting foreground. Not only will your photos have a stronger focal point; they will also have more appeal for viewers who can identify familiar features in the image.

Once you start looking, there are all types of features on a beach that can add interest to your composition; driftwood, shells, rocks, lifesavers' flags...just be creative and the list is endless.

Beach Photography Tip #4. Make The Most Of A Good Sky. A clear blue sky at the beach can be a thing of beauty - and can also be a photographer's worst enemy. A great cloud formation can add a whole new dimension to your photo, especially if you can't find anything of interest in the foreground.

Even if it quite overcast, don't despair. With patience and luck, you may encounter sunbeams radiating across the water as the sun rises or sinks behind the clouds. Remember that beach photos don't always have to be bright and sunny. We see enough of that in advertising and the movies. The photos that stand out from the crowd are often the ones with dark skies and brooding atmosphere, not white sand and blue sky.

Beach Photograhy Tip #5. Use Your Wide Angle Lens. A wide-angle lens can be the best way to capture that sense of isolation and distance that you often feel when walking on the beach. The smaller lens exaggerates the perspective, making the background appear to stretch away for many miles and creating a real sense of three-dimensional depth. If you are looking up the beach, you can capture everything from the swirling water right in front of you to the lighthouse in the distance. Even better, the stronger depth of field of the wide-angle lens lets you keep it all in focus.

This 'wide-open-spaces' effect can look plain and empty if your scene lacks features, so remember Tips #3 and #4 and make the most of your skies and foregrounds. Obviously the wide-angle lens is not the best option for every photo, but it not a bad place to start if you are looking for ideas.

So there you have my five simple tips for beach photography. This is by no means a comprehensive guide. As with all nature photography, beach photography is an adventure that never ends. You never get tired of taking photos, and you never take two photos quite the same. Still, if this little article encourages you to get out there and practice, then you are one step closer to becoming a better photographer.

Andrew Goodall's beginner's guide "Photography In Plain English" takes the jargon out of nature photography and makes it easy for new photographers to get started. Check it out at http://www.naturesimage.com.au You can also see Andrew's popular beach photography collection and sign up to the free online newsletter.

Beach Vacation Photo Tips - Make Your Vacation AND Photos Memorable

Most people, who go on a family beach vacation, take plenty of photographs. Once you're home and you view or print them out; are you ecstatic, bored, or disappointed? Be honest, now!

Does this sound familiar… You arrive at your destination, check the place out, and quickly change to go to the beach. Happily, you've remembered to take your sun block, nose plugs, and bathing suit. Maybe you remembered your camera, maybe you didn't.

Going on a family beach vacation brings up contradicting desires. On the one hand, you want everyone to have a wonderful, fun, relaxing, memorable vacation. On the other hand, most people don't want to do what's required to preserve the memories.

We will show you how to have the best of both worlds. By providing photography tips, you can capture outstanding beach vacation pictures, enjoy taking the photos, and ensure that when you look at the photos at home, you won't be thinking: "Was this OUR vacation!?!"

Can’t-Miss Beach Vacation Photo Tips

1) Packing the Right Equipment

When you pack for your dream beach vacation, remember these essential items: Camera, batteries, memory cards, camera case, battery chargers, external flash (if available), tripod, and portable digital storage device. If you have an abundance of memory, you can leave the storage device at home.

2) Consider These Purchases

I know… you’re already spending more than you want to on the vacation. So the last thing you want is some stranger suggesting you spend more on photo accessories. But, read on and find out what these low cost accessories will do for you before you skip to Tip #3.

Consider purchasing a circular polarizer filter for your lens. STRONGLY consider it! It will be one of the least expensive accessories you can buy, and you will LOVE the results. What are the results? A bluer sky, the ability to see objects under water, and creating colors that will “pop” off the page.

3) Insurance

Do you have insurance on your possessions? Did your camera cost more than $25.00? Then do yourself a big favor and buy a UV filter to place over your lens for protection. If your lens becomes damaged, your camera is ruined. You can probably get a good UV filter for under $20.00.

4) The Magical Landscape Shot

If there are colorful bluffs, harbors, or other landscape picture opportunities on your beach vacation, you want to capture them, of course. Not only that, but wouldn't it also be impressive to add some family member(s) to the shot and have the people AND the background in focus?

Set your F-stop for a high number (at least F-11, or at the "infinity" or "landscape" setting of your camera). Position the people in the foreground, the landscape in the background. Focus on your human subject(s), while being at least 15 feet away (25 is even better, if you have a telephoto).

Adjust the circular polarizer filter to obtain the desired shade of blue in the sky. Skip this step if you didn’t purchase a filter. Don’t worry, though. If you don’t like the vividness of the sky after the print is developed, you can always take out a magic marker and color the sky. (You didn’t hear that from me.)

Finally, gently squeeze the shutter and… voila! A perfect “postcard” photograph.

5) Silhouettes

Silhouette beach vacation pictures (or, non-beach vacation pictures for that matter) produce one of the most artistic and/or emotional-looking photographs possible. Most people never take silhouette photographs, and yet, they are just as easy as photographs taken during the day light.

The best time to take silhouette photos is from approximately 1 hour before sunset, to ½ hour after sunset. Use evaluative or matrix metering (which is probably your default metering mode anyway), and focus on the HUMAN SUBJECTS, with plenty of the cloud-filled sky in the background. Then compose the shot, as desired.

Did I mention that sunset shots without clouds are fairly disappointing? Sort of like winning the lottery and losing the ticket.

The silhouette effect results from the camera thinking the overall scene is brighter than it is, and therefore under-exposes the dark areas (human subjects).

To see sample photos and additional tips, check out http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/beach-vacation.html.

Article courtesy of http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com, where you can see numerous sample pictures & photography tips on many subjects and events.

Copyright 2005 Robert Bezman. All rights reserved.

Robert Bezman is a professional photographer and owner of Custom Photographic Expressions. Robert has created http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com to help beginning and intermediate photographers create better photographs. Robert is offering a free newsletter and eBook that can be obtained by visiting http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/photography-newsletter.html

How To Take Great Photos Of Your Family At The Beach This Summer

Soon we will all be going down to the Florida for our family summer vacations. As a professional photographer, the most common question I am asked by my clients is how to take good pictures of their kids and family at the beach.

Here are just a few tips on how to create a well exposed and colorful image that will be a keeper.

1. The best time to shoot at the beach is right before and after sunset. You will need to use a show shutter speed so make sure you have a tripod. You will notice magenta tones reflecting in the shoreline, so make sure you include the shoreline in your photos. Try not to shoot too much sky as the brightness of the sky will underexpose your image.

2. You may need to use flash if the sun is on the subjects back. Read your instructions on how to set your camera to "fill flash" so you have a more natural look than a full flash.

3. It is best to have the sunlight, which is low in the horizon, illuminate the subject's face. This will give the most natural look and also produce the much needed "catchlights" in their eyes. You want to make sure your subject's are not squinting.

4. Unposed photos are the best at the beach. Have your subjects in an interpretive pose, i.e. looking at each other, bending over and looking at seashells, or walking hand in hand toward the sunset. For families you will want to pose casually on the ground.

5. Photos during the middle of the day are tough because of the harsh sun and lack of shade. The best advice for shots in the middle of the day is to have the sun on your subject's back and use flash.

Have fun at the beach this summer and practice every night with your camera. Look at the images on a laptop the next day to see how you can improve.

Mary Buck is a professional photographer with Lightscapes Photographic Artwork in Duluth, GA. She is available for children's and family portraits outdoors and in the studio. She travels to Destin every summer and also photographs families locally at Lake Lanier.

You can view her work at http://www.lightscapesphoto.com

Three Killer Digital Photography Tips

When taking photography, it can be hard to capture that perfect shot. Experts will tell you to practice, practice and practice some more. But what they really should do is give some solid advice as to what you should be practicing. This article will give you three digital photography tips that you can practice and start seeing results fast.

Tip Number One:

The first tip is pretty easy. Keep it simple. That's all.

What I mean by this is that you should try to keep your photo as simple as you can. Now, when you master simplicity then you can make more complex shots, however, try to keep it simple right now. To keep it simple here are some guidelines

-Get closer to the subject you're photographing. This will make the subject more pronounced and stand out more. It will also make for less clutter as the subject will take up more of the frame

-Get Down Low and Shoot up. This will make the shot simpler since you won't have all that clutter behind the subject and only the sky.

-Get Higher and shoot down. This will make it so the background is the ground and not the cluttered background that would usually be there

-Use a shallow depth of field.

Tip Number Two:

The second tip is a little more detailed. Basically, keep everything that isn't of importance and minimize or remove it. For example, if you photograph a subject that is green and there are bright red objects of unimportance around this subject. Those red objects are of no importance and are distracting the viewer from the true subject. Get rid of those red objects, unsaturated them in an editing program, do something so that the picture isn't so complex and confusing.

Tip Number Three:

Have a solid concept you want and stick with it throughout. Have you ever written a paper and been criticized that it goes everywhere? The same can happen when taking pictures. You want your picture to be focused on primarily one theme. For example, the theme could be peace. You could have a picture of a couple at a beach enjoying a drink. Now, if there's a homeless man in the background that's going to be distracting from the main theme of peace.

Al Sanez has a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography tips. He also has another free program on how to Sell Pictures Online

Freelance Photography - Targets and How to Set Them

Whether you make your sales through photo libraries or direct, do you have a target to keep your mind focused on your output? And, if you do, is it measurable? It needs to be otherwise you cannot assess just how you are performing against your target. It can be as simple as the number of images sent out each month or the number of sales made, or the monetary amount of sales made, all of which are measurable. My targets began as the number of submissions made each month but I felt that that didn't stretch me enough. Regular submissions are, of course, essential in this freelancing business but results are more important.

So, I amended my goals by setting myself an income-based goal for each month which encourages me to continue to send submissions out but will not let me feel satisfied just by the making of a submission. Now I won't feel satisfied unless I can eat! Hopefully this approach will improve my selections and lead to more sales.

Don't forget, that setting a target is not the end of it. There is no point in having a target that there is no chance of achieving just as there is no point in having a target that is too easily achieved. Setting targets that challenge is a fine balancing act so review your goals regularly. And don't feel that you are cheating if you downgrade your targets if you find that you are not achieving them even though you have put a 100 per cent effort in. Of course, if the non-achievement is brought about by lack of application on your part, you know what to do.

David Bigwood is an Australian based writer and photographer who sells his words and pictures regularly. He was a columnist for F2 Freelance + Digital magazine for three years. His website is http://www.bigwoodpublishing.com where you will find some of his published articles.

Hawaii Photographers Discuss Pros and Cons of Digital Photography - Part One

As a professional photographer for the past 31 years, I am acutely aware of the magnitude of the effect that the digital revolution has had on my profession. The vast majority of professional photographers who have kept up with the technology will agree that ‘digital’ is fantastic.

Of course, there are many professionals, while agreeing that digital is great, will moan that “digital has caused the loss of much business!” We’ll get back to that in Part Two, but first I’d like to say that the advent and development of computers and programs like Photoshop, in my humble opinion, is cause enough for celebration!

I probably should admit at this point that I am in no way a computer “Geek”, and that to me, Photoshop is magic! It amazes me every time I use it. I can’t praise the makers of Photoshop enough. But I digress…

I have used film in my business for a long time. And I used medium format film which gave me beautiful, crisp images I could enlarge to 30x40 very nicely. I was in no hurry to “go digital” until I saw with my own eyes, and my own images that digital could produce the same quality I had been used to. I had never seen a ‘digital’ print that could fool me into thinking it was from film.

That day came in 2002. I saw what was being done with 6-mega pixel capture, and Epson Stylus Pro printers and I became a “believer”.

ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

The obvious advantages, just about everybody knows: No film cost, no processing and proof costs, no prints you don’t want, instant view-ability. Well, instant gratification and saving money. What’s not to love? For a pro, the savings in film, processing and proofs is substantial. Also as a pro, instant view-ability has a marked positive influence on sales.

Deeper advantages include having complete control of your images with imaging software. (It’s a given that you need to have a good computer and good imaging software..) With those tools you can correct color, add special effects, re-touch, crop, burn & dodge, sandwich images, all kinds of things! It’s as good or better than having a chemical darkroom.

We’ll take a look at the disadvantages in Part Two, and revisit the “loss of business” issue.

About the author: Stan P. Cox II runs a Portrait and Commercial photography studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been a professional Hawaii photographer for 31 years. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stan_Cox_II

Four Cool Photo Sharing Sites For Photographers

Nearly everybody has heard of photo sharing sights like Flickr, but what other photo sharing sites are there specifically aimed at photographers? Here I look at some and examine their good and bad points, taking into consideration ease of use, design, the quality of the photography, social networking aspects, cost, promotional potential and additional photography resources.

www.onexposure.net

Onexposure is a photo sharing site aimed at photographers run by two Swedish advanced amateur photographers. Membership is completely free and the standard of photography on the site is extremely high. The operators of the site have come up with a simple system of ensuring the high standard of photography. Before a user can display a photo on the site, it is screened to see if the photo comes up to the required standard. If they aren’t sure, they will post it for a day on the site and ask members to vote. The number of photos a member can upload is dependent on on their acceptance rate, the more photos that are accepted the more one can post.

This is a great idea for ensuring the quality of the photos on the site, and means that visitors can enjoy browsing the photos without having to sift through poor quality work. There’s a wide variety of work to see, organised in categories such as Abstract, Landscape, Fine Art Nude, Portrait and Urban.

As a user however, I found the submission process a little frustrating. My first two photos were accepted, and the second two rejected. In light of the time spent choosing and preparing the photos to upload, I was asking myself the question ‘Why did I bother?’ But if you like a challenge, it’s a good feeling to see your photos displayed alongside the work of some very accomplished photographers.

The site is very easy to navigate and use, and is very well designed, displaying the photos against a black background, with minimal distraction. The social networking element is emphasised, members are encouraged to comment (with appreciation or gently constructive criticism) on photos that they like and to reply to any comments they receive. All members have a profile, with a link to their website if they have one, and as a promotional tool, it’s an excellent way to bring visitors to your website as long as you make the effort to post photos regularly.

The emphasis of the site is on the photographs, with a forum being the only additional photography resource.

Verdict: An excellent site for browsing extremely high quality photography with links to the photographers websites. Free membership encourages new members. The site is easy to use and beautifully designed without any advertising. However, the submission process can be frustrating when photos are rejected, which means submissions are for advanced photographers, not for beginners. I also disliked that the number of photos a member can upload depends on their acceptance rate. A great resource for learning by example and inspiration by looking at the displayed photos.

www.photo.net

Started in 1993 as the home page of Philip Greenspan, Photo.net has grown into a network of over 100,000 photographers. Initial membership is free and allows the user to post a portfolio of up to six photos, and full membership (required to take full advantage of the site) costs $US25 a year.

Unlike Onexposure, members can post whatever photos they like. Once posted, they can submit photos for critique and they are given scores out of seven on aesthetics and originality by other members.

Visitors have several options for viewing photos, searching by category, ranking or most recently posted. It’s also possible to see recently submitted photos in order of ranking. This system encourages visitors to view the highest ranked photos and means the standard of photography is very high. Due to the high level of membership there’s a wide variety of talent and photography, and the best portfolios are simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

Social networking is heavily emphasised, with members leaving lots of encouraging comments on each other’s work. Each photographer has a profile page with a link to their website. As a promotional tool, like Onexposure it has excellent potential, as long as you regularly post photos.

Photo.net is another easy to use and navigate site, with a simple, non-confusing design. It’s also an excellent photography resource, with lots of articles on learning photography, equipment reviews, interviews, news, extensive forums and classified adverts.

Verdict: Another excellent photo sharing site aimed at photographers. There’s lots of inspiration with some simply amazing portfolios. It’s also a great learning resource with a large selection of useful articles and forums. The $US25 annual membership fee may put off some users, but for anyone that uses the site a lot it’s very good value for money.

www.trekearth.com

Trekearth is a website aimed at travellers. Photos are organised by country and subdivided into cities and regions. As a way of finding out what a place looks like by browsing photos taken there, it’s an excellent resource. Membership is free and users can post as many photos as they like, but not more than one every 24 hours. Trekearth asks for a lot of information, including place, country, date and technical details (it’s not compulsory to provide them all). However, the overall standard of photography is low and I found it a little frustrating to research a location and to see lots of boring photos amongst the few good ones.

Social networking is an integral part of the site, members have a profile (although it’s not easy to include a link to a website) and comment heavily on each other’s work. Posted photos receive a lot of views in the first few days they’re online. As a promotional tool it’s very limited, I posted a lot of photos and not one person followed the link to my personal website. The emphasis is on travel photography, not the photographer. A nice feature is a world map on photographer’s profiles that highlights the countries their photos were taken in. There’s also a forum for photography and travel questions.

Trekearth also has two sister sites, www.treknature.com (aimed at nature photographers) and www.treklens.com (aimed at all types of photography not just travel). A quick browse of the sister sites reveals the same strengths and weakness of trekearth.

Verdict: A great site for travellers and travel photographers who want to research the visual potential of a location. The emphasis however is on the photos and the places not the photographer. Membership is free and it’s a great site to meet other travellers and photographers that like the same places. The overall standard of photography is low, and the site seems to be aimed at travellers who take photos, rather than travel photographers.

www.jpgmag.com

Did you know that there is an online photography magazine where anyone can upload their photos and photo essays and post their profiles?

JPGmag is a photo sharing site for photographers with a difference. Members upload photos and articles which are voted on by other members. The best of the best are published in a magazine and the authors paid $US100 and given a free subscription. The magazine is available for download in PDF format and also for purchase in print form.

The standard of the photography in the published magazine is inspirationally high. That’s not surprising, consider the following statistics for JPG Magazine Issue 10: 10,743 photos submitted by 6,771 people, 1,057,974 votes cast by 21,024 people in 147 countries.

Membership is free, and members can submit articles, photos and photo essays. Single photos can be submitted to themes; recent themes include ‘America’, ‘Dreamscapes’, ‘Are You Ready to Rock’ and ‘Fashion’.

The site is easy to use and navigate with a modern design fitting a cutting edge photography magazine. Visitors can view photos, photo essays, articles, stories and contributor profiles. Photos can be voted in or out of the next edition of the magazine, but no comments can be left.

Verdict: An excellent site for aspiring photographers who take on the challenge to see if their work is good enough to publish in the magazine. The photos, articles and photo essays are very interesting to explore. The potential of publication is a great incentive to use the site. The standard of the best work is extremely high.

Conclusion

Four different photo sharing sites for photographers, all with different strengths that suit different types of user. Trekearth is a great website for travellers, Photo.net is the best for resources such as articles, interviews and forums, Onexposure is great to browse for inspiration, and JPGmag offers the incentive of publication in a cutting edge photography magazine.

Andrew Gibson is a photographer, web designer and writer. This article first published at theMagical Places Fine Art blog.

The Online Free Answer to PhotoShop

I love photography. I sold my first photo to a newspaper way back in 1958. You would expect that I am kind of an old style photographer. Well, I am but I have also embraced the new age of the digital camera with a passion. I am a strong believer in the old axe that the picture should be created in the camera and not in the darkroom (oops-on the computer). When you take a photo, you should be aware of lighting, composition, depth of field, etc. As a result, I have always believed that you create the art in the camera and not in post-processing.

However, I have a full version of the famous professional PhotoShop. Sometimes, it is absolutely necessary to do some post processing and PhotoShop is the very best. It does however, have some drawbacks. First it has an extremely steep learning curve. You are not going to learn everything that is has to offer in a get started quick guide. You will spend weeks or even months learning all of the advanced techniques of this system. Even then, you are probably not using all that it has to offer.

Secondly, it ain't cheap baby. Unless you are a full-time professional photographer or a really rabid advanced amateur, it is simply not worth the expense. I am not sure what the latest version currently costs but, I remember that when I bought in, I spent about eight hundred dollars. You know, the worst part of it is that I almost never use it. It just sits on my computer hard-drive and collects digital.

At the time that I purchased PhotoShop, there were really no reasonable alternatives. I had a shoot that needed PhotoShop so I spent the big bucks. What a waste.

What really hurts, is that now there is a free photo-editing site on the web that does nearly everything that Photoshop does and you can use it for free and for most options, you don't even have to register. There are a few options that require you to register to use these options but, registration is completely free.

I am not saying that it totally replaces PhotoShop but, it does all the photo-editing that I ever need to do and as an added benefit, it has a really simple user interface that does not require a steep learning curve. You can literally upload your photo to the site, make all of the alterations that you want, download the final product and be done with it in just a few minutes.

As a professional or an advanced amateur, you may want or need the advanced options that PhotoShop offers but, for the rest of us go online and try Picnik. I think that you will be thrilled.

To start using Picnik, just fire up your computer and go to to their homepage at Picnik.com

I hope that you find this tip helpful. I know that it has certainly helped me. Now stop reading and get out there and create some photographic magic. Digital Photography is the art form of the 21st century.

Stan Pontiere has been an avid photographer since childhood. Having worked for the likes of the Associated Press and The New York Times and an instructor of photography at a college back east, I have enjoyed the transition from film to digital photography.

For more information on digital photography, please visit: http://digitalphoto.net46.net

Guide to Photography

In search of a guide starter for photography may seem very simple. Vai any store books and there are dozens of books out there. Unfortunately, most of them are full of pictures and nothing else, but little captions with little value. This article is directed through a gradual process to take better shots.

The first step
To begin, the first thing you are going to want to do is grab your camera. No matter if it is a point and shoot, a digital SLR, or your cellphone camera. After your camera, now you are going to want to learn everything you how to use it. Learn what every single button means. This is a critical step for photography. As a painter knows how to use a brush, you should learn to use your camera.

The picture is much more technique not only pressing the shutter button. The more you know, the more control you have over your shot. And 'beautiful occasionally take a terrible blow that seems perfect, but you will like it a lot more when we know exactly what you did to make a beautiful photo watch and has the power to do it over and over again.

The second step ...
The next thing you are going to want to get good in photography is how to compose pictures. Composition is the key to make a photo look pleasing and agreeable. Start following some techniques of photography to yourself and get a good program that covers all the techniques in depth. Vai through it and practice every day with the techniques learned.

The third step ..
When the first two steps are complete, it's time to get to a more advanced and artistic level. It is time to begin to develop their personal style and creating powerful messages through your photography. Of course, it's beautiful to take photos that look good, but to take a photograph that makes people think about their lives or feel certain emotions is incredible.

How to Start Your Own Wedding Photography Business

Wedding Photography is one the hardest areas of photography, if not the hardest of all. If you are already a photographer, understand about composition, light, Photoshop, and you own enough equipment to start adventuring into shooting Weddings, here are some tips to how you could start your own Wedding Photography Business.

1- The Right Equipment

First, let's check a list of equipment that you need for the job;

- Digital SLR Camera
- Zoom Lens
- Memory Card
- Shoe Mount Flash
- Battery for the Camera
- Battery for the Flash
- Tripod
- Computer
- Photoshop

All these equipment are very basic and you should consider having a backup for each one of them. It is very common, in digital photography, when something goes wrong with the equipment. You could also invest in some little more advanced equipment like; Top of the line cameras, lenses, strobes, Radio Slave Transmitters, Radio Slave Receivers and etc.

2- The Right Start

You probably want to go out and start shooting weddings and make a lot of money as soon as possible. Most of the beginners want to do that, but first you will need to learn the basics of this specific business.

Wedding Photography could be a good way to make some money, but as everything else, you should be a Wedding Photographer because you love to help people to preserve the memory of the most important day of their lives, and not just because you want their money.

As I mentioned before in one of my other articles, Wedding Photography is not just to have your camera and start shooting the wedding. Wedding Photography is an art and you should learn this art from someone that can teach and inspire you to be a better photographer.

Here are some places to start;

- Wedding Photography Conventions
- Wedding Photography Seminars
- Wedding Photography Workshops
- Wedding Photography Coaches
- Photography Associations

One of the best places to start with your Wedding Photography Business is offering yourself to help some experienced Wedding Photographer as his/her assistant. This would give you the experience that you need, and you wouldn't have the responsibility or the stress of shooting the wedding by yourself. This is so important that I would recommend you to go out and find a Photographer that you like his/her style and offer yourself to be his/her assistant, even if there is no money involved.

After a while helping few different photographers, you would be shooting few weddings as the photographer's "Second Shooter". When you get confidence and experience enough you would be ready to start your own Wedding Photography Business, and who knows, somebody else would be asking you to be your assistant.

Do you want to learn more? Come to visit this Top Wedding Photographer's Webpage to check some Wedding Photography Samples and some Package Prices. Or visit my BLOG at http://www.paulopics.com/blog to learn more about Photography.