Archive for the ‘Top 10 Lists’ Category

Tips on Taking Great Wedding Photos – Giving it Your Best Shot!

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

The secret to taking great wedding photos is to record every magical moment that tells the complete story of your special day.

Before snapping a single shot, make a checklist of all the places you want to take wedding photos and all of the people you want to include in them.  This practical method ensures that you will not leave anything or anyone out on your special day – it is always better to be safe than sorry!  It also helps to divide your wedding album photo shots into general categories, which we will discuss in this article.

Preparing for the Special Day - The first category of shots to take should capture the preparation of the bride and groom.  Basic prep shots for the bride include the dress (hanging or draped), the maid of honor or bride’s mother zipping up the dress and the bride applying makeup.  You can also include shots of the bride walking down stairs and looking out the northern most window.  For the groom, prep shots should include him fixing his hair and checking the time, with an additional shot of his father or best man attaching the boutonniere to his lapel. 

 Family and Wedding Parties - The next series of shots to capture is the groom and bride separately posing with their respective families and wedding parties.  Since traditionally the bride and groom do not see each other until after the ceremony, the pictures will have to be taken at separate locations.  Be sure to take shots of the groom with his father and groomsmen, as well as the bride with her mother and bridesmaids.  Next, capture images of the bride and groom posing with mother, father and grandparents.  Close out this series with shots of the bride and groom entering their separate limos. 

The Ceremony - The next category of wedding photos aims to capture the most important moments of the day – the ceremony.  In this series, the goal is to include each memorable moment starting with the bride and groom exiting their separate limos at the church and finishing with them leaving in the same limo as bride and groom. 

Church interior

Church interior

First, snap a wide shot of the church (both with and without guests) and follow with the groom waiting at the altar, the bridal party walking down the aisle, the bride walking down the aisle and the father giving her away.   Also, capture an over-the-shoulder shot of the groom facing the bride, and vice versa.  Get a few shots of the bride and groom holding hands, exchanging rings, kissing and then leaving the church as man and wife.  Make sure that you also include some shots of the bride and groom inside the limo on the way to the reception or banquet hall.

Traditional Shots - The last category of shots to capture lends itself to near autopilot mode, where the important things to include prove relatively obvious.  This category, however, includes the traditional wedding photos that you never want to miss.  Examples include shots of the bride and groom (with and without family), portrait shots, the bride and groom with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, and the following:

  • the first dance as man and wife
  • the bride and father dance
  • the groom and mother dance
  • the tossing of the bouquet
  • the garter belt toss
  • the cutting of the cake
  • the bride and groom feeding each other
  • bride and groom giving away their wedding favors
  • toasts and speeches (bride and groom toast/speech, best man and maid of honor toast/speech)
  • the groom giving his coat to the bride
  • the bride and groom driving away in their “Just Married” vehicle

Miscellaneous Shots - To complete your wedding album, feel free to include as many miscellaneous shots as you wish.  Examples include shots of each table full of guests, food shots, cocktail hour, guests dancing, the wedding band performing, centerpieces and flower decorations, guestbook signatures, children dancing with the bride and groom, parents and grandparents of the bride and groom dancing and various Venetian hour photos.

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Iris & Dominic

Now that you have every category covered, capturing images from every special moment, you can turn your entire wedding album into a professional SmileBooks photo book that will last a lifetime!

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Tips on taking prom photos

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

My high school prom photo is safely stuck in a gaudy 80’s photo album which is at my parents house in South Africa. However, my date that night had a lot in common with this guy so it’s probably a good thing I can’t show you the original pic wich included me. Tracy with big hair, tons of make-up and a pink and black water-stained taffeta dress is not a sight for the faint hearted:

Prom King

Prom King

 Here are some tips on taking great prom night photos. Enjoy!

Ten Tips on Taking Perfect Prom Photos

Prom night is one of the most special and memorable events of a teenager’s life, and with the following ten tips for taking the perfect prom photos, you can capture every breathtaking moment like a professional. 

1. Plan Ahead – Planning ahead for the perfect prom photo session requires attention to a few simple, but often overlooked details that can save you both time and aggravation while ensuring the capture of some breathtaking images.  First, always make sure that you have plenty of back up batteries for the photo session.  You may also want to rent a Quantum battery pack that allows you to take several shots in a row without waiting for the flash to recycle. 

In addition, remember that you are dealing with teenagers who may be in the habit of showing up late.  If you plan to have a prom photo shoot at 4:30, be sure to tell everyone to arrive at the shoot by 4:00.  This will give you plenty of time to get in some quality shots without stressing about dinner reservations or other later arrangements.

2. Watch Your Background – One of the most important technical rules that apply in achieving perfect prom photos is always to watch your background.  Basic tactics include shooting with a clean background to avoid the appearance of objects such as trees and telephone poles “growing” out of people’s heads, as well as choosing a background that follows the idea of prom.  Try snapping a few photos in front of the limo, on a staircase or even in front of a shrub wall that produces a pleasant and natural green background. 

3. Mind Your Lighting – Any professional photographer understands the importance of proper lighting and the effect it can have on a shoot.  When shooting a prom photo outside, capture the perfect lighting by shooting in a shaded area, forcing the flash on for fill light to soften shadows on people’s faces.  You can also tape a piece of wax paper over the flash to diffuse it and create a soft, pleasant light to the face.    When shooting a prom photo inside, always soften the flash and choose a well-lit room.

4. Embrace the Power of the Pose – The secret to perfect prom photos is perfecting the prom pose.   A great prom pose requires a little bit of knowledge and a few key adjustments.  First, avoid taking a straight-on photo as this creates the illusion that people are larger than they actually are.  Instead, have everyone face 90 degrees away from the camera, turning 45 degrees back towards the camera with their upper bodies.  Then, have them turn the rest of the way towards the camera with just their head, elongating their necks to avoid an unflattering double chin look.

5. Capture Genuine Expression – Forcing a smile for hundreds of photos is no easy task, even for a professional model.  To capture genuine expression, it may be time to throw out the old “Say, Cheese” rule and replace it with something a bit more creative.  Instead, shout out something funny and wait for everyone in the shot to laugh.  Then, keep your eyes peeled and trigger-finger ready for that beautiful moment of warm, genuine expression.

6. Tell the Story – Give yourself something precious to cherish forever by capturing the entire story of the prom on film.  Snap every memorable moment from everyone getting ready to the last dance at the banquet hall.  Include moments that are funny, romantic and lively, each one full of great memories and unforgettable emotions.

7. It’s All in the Details – As a photographer seeking the perfect prom photos, you have a lot to work with in terms of details.  Beautiful prom details include anything from a curl of hair falling near a pearl earring to a sharp cuff link protruding from tuxedo sleeves or even a rose corsage on her hand near his red vest.  Capture these precious details to complete the whole picture of prom.

8. Let the Couples Get Close – Encourage a series of photos depicting the attendees touching cheeks or hugging to embrace the true image of prom. 

9. Make it Fun – Great prom photos last a lifetime, but a prom photo shoot can feel like a lifetime without a little fun.  After snapping a group of more traditional and romantic photos, try to incorporate a few silly shots with everyone making funny faces at the camera.  Remember, when you keep your subjects relaxed their photos will come out better in the end.

10. Consider Hiring a Professional Photographer – This perfect prom photo tip is a bit of a no-brainer, and it often beats the alternative of putting the pressure on Mom and Dad to capture this precious day on film.  A photographer who can provide professional direction will make the photo shoot go smoothly, helping everyone relax in the process.

Now that you have everything you need to take the perfect prom photos, we would like to introduce you to our SmileBooks photo book software.  Our free, award-winning software can help you create a professional and personalized prom photo book using a unique range of design tools.  Making a photo book is easy and fun and the results are beautiful and professional!

If you do not have the time to create a photo book, let one of our professional designers create one for you!  A member of our professional design service will customize each page just how you like it. Simply upload your prom photos and let us do the rest.  Best of all, you are the one to give the final approval, ensuring 100% customer satisfaction with every SmileBooks prom photo book. 

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Top 10 Tips – Photography for beginners

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Ralf Wieting - VP Application Development

Ralf Wieting - VP Application Development - bravely illustrating point 4.

Top 10 Tips – Photography For Beginners 

  1. Choose the right digital camera for you – There are various factors that come to mind when purchasing a digital camera. You are going to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars for a camera, so, you need to make sure you don’t buy a model that doesn’t really suit your purpose or is much too advanced for your requirements – Picture Correct http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/digital-camera-shopping-considerations/
  2. Know your camera – Before actually learning digital photography techniques elsewhere, you have to get to know your camera by reading the instruction manuals with the gadget on hand. Try to take the same subjects with different modes and effects to find out how to use each button. The rest will follow once you have mastered handling your camera – Hobby Photography tips http://www.hobbyphotographytips.com/category/digital-camera-tips/
  3. Know how to hold your camera - I’ll wager that if you bought your camera at a camera store, nobody took the time to explain how to properly hold it. This is one of those things that professionals do unconsciously, and beginners may never do until somebody points it out to them (or they learn the hard way) – Best Family Photograhpy Tips http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/photography-tips.html
  4. Fill the frame – Most often, if you’re having trouble with your photos, you’re not close enough. Get as close as you think you need to get, then take a step closer. Really observe your subject and see how it’s fitting in the frame. Allow your subject to fill the frame and cut out all surrounding details that are unneeded and distracting. – Geek Inspried http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/10-tips-to-get-started-in-photography/
  5. Be aware of the background – Always think before taking the shot. Is there anything or anyone behind your subject that could be distracting? Does anything behind them create weird illusions? For example, a tree branch behind your subject that looks like it’s sticking out of their head. – Ezine Articles http://ezinearticles.com/?Background-Tips-For-Digital-Photography&id=3638928
  6. Composition – Most images taken by amateur photographers are taken at eye level – this means most of these pictures are taken from the narrow range of 5 to 6 feet in height. Taking a picture from a lower vantage point (for example crouching or even lying on the ground) can add grandeur and significance to the subject, while getting more height (from climbing up a tree, fence or steps) will reduce the significance of the subject in your scene. – Digital photography tips – composition http://digitalphotography.tipcentral.net/composition.html
  7. Take photos regularly – Try to photograph something every day. If you can’t do that, make sure you take time to practice regularly, so you don’t forget what you’ve learned. An excellent way to motivate yourself is by doing the weekly assignments in the DPS Forum. – Digital Photography School  http://digital-photography-school.com/11-tips-for-beginner-photographers
  8. Practice photographing at night - Night photography can be a bit challenging because of the less amount of light that is available to us and therefore, one often faces the problem of the picture containing a lot of noise. With some effective settings and right equipment, one can get to do some amazing photography at night. Here are a few night photography techniques for you to experiment with -Buzzle http://www.buzzle.com/articles/night-photography-techniques.html
  9. Look at the light - By this, I don’t mean look into the sun – no, that won’t do at all. But it is good to see what kind of light you are working with. Which way are the shadows falling? Unless you want a silhouette effect, where your subject is black against an interesting background, it’s generally best to shoot with the sun behind you – Better Photo http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/tips/7.asp
  10. Remove things that don’t add to the photo - Especially if they detract from the central message. Don’t only know what to include, but also what to exclude -Digital Photography Tutorial http://www.dptutorial.com/photography-tips-for-beginners

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Technical Terms

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

 

top10_technical

  1. sRGB (standard RGB [red, green & blue] color space) – This is the color space we, by default, assume your images to be in. It’s the standard setting for digital cameras and monitors.
  2. Pixel - This is the smallest item of information in a digital image. Each pixel has 3 or 4  color components, either red, green and blue (RGB) or cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). Pixels are nomally arranged in a grid of either dots or squares. A Megapixel is simply 1 million pixels. This can refer to the amount of information contained in an image or the amount of image sensor elements in your digital camera.
  3. DPI (dots per inch) – Refers to the physical dot density of an image when it is printed onto paper or displayed on a monitor. A digitally stored image has no inherent physical dimensions, measured in inches or centimetres.
  4. Aspect Ratio – Refers to the proportions (height and width) of an image as printed, displayed on a monitor, or captured by a digital camera. 
  5. Automatic Image Correction (AIC) – Refers to the enhancement software used in our production process. The AIC automatically sharpens images and corrects over/under exposure, saturation issues, contrast and skin tone. However, the AIC must be switched off if your images have been altered in an image editing software such as Photoshop. The AIC will recognize that your images have been altered from their original state and will prompt you to deactivate it for the relevant image/s.
  6. Red-eye removal - This effect is caused by flash photography and is caused by light bouncing from the retina of the eye in dim light when the irises are wide open. If you double-click on any image in your photo book, you will access the image editor which contains an easy to use red-eye removal tool.
  7. JPEG – (Joint Photographic Experts Group) 24-bit color file format that reduces file sizes by selectively discarding image data. Although you can fit many more images onto your memory card by decreasing the quality setting on your camera, we do reccomend that you always save your images in the highest quality possible. Images that look good on a monitor (72 dpi resolution) will not necessarily contain enough image data to give a good print result (for SmileBooks we require at least 300 dpi). Increasing the dpi post capture will not improve the image quality.
  8. Electro-photographic printing – This is the print pocess used for SmileBooks on digital print paper. In this process, an image is transferred via a laser onto paper by means of electrically charged toner or liquid ink and paper. The toner is then thermally fixed onto the paper.
  9. Silver-halide printing – This is the print process used for SmileBooks on silver halide (photo) paper. The process involves the exposure of  a digital image onto light sensitive paper and the development of this paper  in order to create a color print. This process is also used for classic prints.
  10. Perfect binding - We use perfect binding for our hard and soft cover SmileBooks. This process involves joining the cover and the book block together at the spine with a strong, flexible glue. The inner pages are rough-cut along the back (spine edge) to make them absorb the hot glue. The three outer sides are then face trimmed.

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