Picture taking has been taken to a new level in recent years, especially with the development of wildly popular food apps that allow for pictures, as well as Instagram, which is a worldwide sensation. That being said, people still want to be able to take great pictures from their phones.

As we all know, people are looking for things like more pixels, better clarity, dynamic focusing, functions and storage space. Rarely, especially in the technologically advanced world we live in, Read the rest of this entry »

There was a special on television the other day that talked about Ansel Adams and his approach to the craft. If you get your TV through www.direct2tv.com, then I believe it was on PBS or whatever your region’s equivalent happens to be.

Regardless, if you’re a photographer or think of yourself as such, you ought to track it down.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the name, Ansel Adams was a legendary photographer who was well-known for his black and white photographs of nature settings. He also took photos of structural remains and buildings, but his primary focus was nature.

While the untrained eye saw only a bunch of leaves and pine needles, any photographer could see the composition and the stark contrast of each photo was meant as a kind of cultural relic. Evidence of man, evidence of life.

Ansel Adams rarely made television appearances as he was simply too busy taking photos, but when he spoke of his approach to photography, he talked about it like some kind of surgical motion. Like when you scratch your head or cover your mouth when you sneeze. To him, photography was so ingrained in his life that it was almost as unconscious as these actions.

To Ansel Adams, the success of a photographer was measured in their ability to integrate the action of photography as an unconscious act – something that came naturally.

Numerous advances in technology have made today an incredible time to be interested in photography. Although newer cameras are better able to capture the richness of colors, black and white photography is coming back into style. Here are ten reasons to take black and white photographs.

Antiquity

For a long time , photographs were only available in monochrome. Modern photographers often take pictures in monochrome to add an antique quality.

Emotion

Since black and white pictures are so stark, they can have a much greater emotional impact on the viewer.

Art

Monochromatic photography isn’t a precise representation of Read the rest of this entry »

While there are many people that still prefer traditional photography, there is no doubt that modern traditional photography has changed the way that people take and share photos. Traditional photography generally means that you are waking for the perfect shot to appear in front of you and it allows you to capture a great photo.

There are many benefits to modern digital photography over the traditional photography. Not only does it allow you to immediately see if you’ve captured the shot that you want, it also allows you to manipulate the colors and edit the photo Read the rest of this entry »

Every parents wants a portrait of their young children that will capture the child’s personality and their many natural expressions. However, children are often on the run or become easily distracted. Here are five simple hints to help take better portraits of young children.

Be Creative and Make it Fun
Make funny noises, act silly, blow bubbles, or use colorful puppets. All of these things will help catch the attention of young children and bring a natural expression to their face.

Get Down Their Level
By getting down to the young Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever worked on a commercial shoot and the tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife? The dynamic relationship between the photographer and the model can make or break a shoot. That is why we have to help models loosen up and relax during a shoot. It starts before the camera ever takes a single picture, and usually, with humor.
After all, isn’t laughter known as the best medicine? Isn’t a smile called universal Read the rest of this entry »

Inquiring minds want to know, of course. For me, the answer is no — and yes. It really depends on your target; that is, what is the point of the photo? The target is always the focus of a photograph. What is the photograph trying to accomplish?
For serious photos that impart deep impact, I usually stick with black and white. Limiting the color range to nothing allows a viewer to concentrate on the composition and subject of the photo. By eliminating the visual distraction of clutter, the photograph can feel a Read the rest of this entry »