Captivating Candids

by Laura Oles, author of Digital Photography for Busy Women

Few things spark the imagination like the holiday season. Families coming together from across the country—or even across the ocean—to connect and celebrate is an event that needs to be remembered in photos for years to come. Taking great candid shots is a bit like being a sports referee—you’re doing your job well when people don’t even realize you’re there. Learning to be invisible is a powerful photographic tool to keep at the ready.

This is the perfect time to take a break from shooting all posed photos, and instead, use your camera to capture the true spirit and experiences of the holiday. Here are a few tips to help you create truly captivating candids:

Be an Observer…: Keep your camera under wraps for a bit and just watch the interaction between your loved ones. This will allow you to recognize meaningful moments and important stories to share through photography. For example, do you have a great-grandparent or two in your presence? If so, consider taking pictures of her telling your children a story or of a little one sitting in her lap. Resist the urge to come close with your camera and ask for a posed shot. Instead, stay off to the side and zoom in closely to capture the interaction. The goal is to show the moment as it happened.

…But Have Your Camera Ready: Make sure your camera is close by and ready to shoot when the opportunity arises. You’ll know when that perfect moment is at hand, and by having your camera set properly, you’ll be far more successful in getting the moment exactly as you intended.

Take the Long Road: You can keep your distance and still capture intimate shots with the help of a long zoom or telephoto lens. This lens will help you respect your subjects’ boundaries and keep you from interfering with the moment while still allowing you to get close enough to keep your images intimate. You can learn about the high quality lenses we offer here: http://tinyurl.com/6egpd3

Go Flash-Free: Nothing can break up a moment faster than a flash lighting up a room. If you have enough natural light in the room or outdoors, nix the flash to keep the moment protected. If you’re shooting in a dark area, try using your low-light setting on your camera or increase your ISO setting to help adapt to the environment.

Anticipate Traditions: If your family has standing traditions during the holiday season, make it a tradition to photograph the event. Make sure you’re ready before the activity starts by having your camera set properly, a tripod ready if needed or any other considerations. This will help keep the focus on the event itself rather than the photography of the event.
Your end result will be a photo library that chronicles your entire holiday happenings in a way that will bring a smile to your face every time you look at them.

Fantastic Family Holiday Photos

When it comes to family photo opportunities, few events can top the holiday season. These special moments were meant to be cherished and to grace fireplace mantels and scrapbook pages for years to come. Here are a few tips to help you capture the essence of your subjects and the authenticity of the moment.

Stake Your Claim:  If you’ve ever watched a wedding photographer at work, you’ll realize there is often a very specific plan in place, and this includes knowing which photos will happen in which locations.  Even if your entire family will remain in one place for the day, decide which setting(s) will be most appropriate for photography.

For example, you may decide to take photos in front of the family fireplace or near the Christmas tree.  Are there items that need to be removed that would prove distracting in the background? Will you need to set up chairs, and if so, who will sit where?  Feel free to grab a pen and jot down a few ideas.  This forethought will greatly assist you in getting those fantastic photos because your subjects realize that you have a plan and will get the job done efficiently. Little ones will more likely cooperate as well because the process will flow quickly.  You don’t need to be a drill sergeant, but being deliberate and having a vision will help tremendously.

Elevate Your Status:  When it comes to shooting large groups, it helps to be creative.  One inside trick used by professional photographers involves a chair.  Grab one and stand on it!  You’ll be able to accommodate larger groups and create a portrait that’s more visually interesting using this technique.  The novelty of this approach may also keep your subjects captivated long enough to ensure everyone is smiling when the shutter snaps!

Take a Tripod… Here’s a chance to pick up a present for yourself!  A tripod is one of the most valuable and affordable accessories you can have in your photo toolkit.  A tripod will instantly improve your photographs by stabilizing your camera and eliminating ‘camera shake.’  In addition, having your camera attached to a tripod allows you to better focus on getting smiles from your subjects as your attentions won’t be so divided between balancing the camera and posing your subjects.
You can learn more about the quality tripods we offer here:  http://tinyurl.com/68l85t

…And a Remote Trigger:  Make the most of your tripod by adding a remote trigger, which will free your hands and allow you to interact with your subjects while shooting.  Imagine how much easier it will be to recognize those perfect moments with a remote trigger in hand; your focus can remain on your subjects, and you’ll be in perfect position to record that one image when all eyes are open and on you!  Here are some we recommend:  http://tinyurl.com/55kxa5

Perfect Timing:  Make sure you understand how to use the timer on your digital camera.  Toss your camera’s manual in your bag and review it before setting up your photo shoot. If you can’t find your manual, don’t worry.  Just do an online search for your camera model and add the words ‘delay timer’ to the search.  You should be able to retrieve instructions to use immediately.
Take a couple of test shots to make sure you’re comfortable with the process.  Delayed timers are actually quite simple to use in most cameras.

So much effort and love have gone into getting your family together during this very special holiday.  By taking a few minutes to prepare, you’ll ensure that your photographs reflect that very sentiment and serve as a continued reminder long after you ring in the New Year.

Getting Great Halloween Shots

Photographing excited (and constantly moving) costume-clad children at night can pose a few challenges, but taking great Halloween pictures can be a snap if you use a few simple techniques.

Use that Jack-o-lantern!  Jack-o-lanterns can serve as great props as well as a creative light source for super-spooky shots.    You can pose your children close to the jack-o-lantern—either with the pumpkin below their faces or in a silhouette pose, and the light coming from inside will cast a soft and scary light on their faces.

Go for the Action:  Go beyond the traditional ‘say cheese’ shot and snap pictures of your trick-or-treaters on the go!  Consider photographing them from behind as the run down the sidewalk, fully costumed with treat bags in tow, or walking up the steps to a neighbor’s house.  Have them act the part of their costumes and keep snapping!

At Dusk– To Flash or Not to Flash:  Most trick-or-treaters try to hit the trail before dark, and using natural light as the sun goes down can yield some wonderfully warm Halloween images.  Turn off your flash and use natural light to capture the rich colors of the costumes and painted faces.  If possible, snap some of your shots before dark; your Halloween photos will contain a nice range of moods between the dusk and nighttime hours.

Nighttime Shots:  The right flash can make all the difference when it comes to creating that perfect image.  Most cameras have a flash that is effective somewhere between five and ten feet from the subject; just don’t stand too close or else you may find your picture looks too bright or overexposed.

If you shoot using a DSLR, a high-quality add-on flash unit can greatly improve your images and allow you to capture fantastic nighttime pictures.  PROMASTER has the most complete flash line in the industry with a product to suit everyone’s needs and budget.  http://www.promaster.com/electronicflash

The importance of photography

The importance of photography

We surround ourselves with images taken with all kinds of recording devices, devices that are intended solely for the purpose of memorializing the moment and in some cases, devices that are used only because of their convenience of use.  I refer to the use of cell phones with inadequate cameras that have in effect become the “Polaroids” of our times.

In the “old days” people used box cameras that in had such large negatives that the end resulting print was a contact print that in effect did not need any enlargement.  Today’s cell phones may take images only 640 by 480 and when they are enlarged the pixilated and are fuzzy because of the enlargement needed to even fill a 4×6 print. Some have as much as 2 mega pixels but have limited lenses and no aperture controls therefore they can not compete in real digital cameras.

Photography is a very important tool that is used to memorialize our lives and yet we do not think of it at the time that we press that shutter button.  We do not realize the importance of the images until the subject of one of the images passes on and then we are left with nothing but the memories.  Photography helps us relive the past and in a way to keep in touch with the past.

I made a reference to Polaroid earlier in this article because of things said to me by many young people in regard as to how they use their phone cameras.  When Polaroid Land cameras first came out one of the first uses by young men was to photography their girl friends in ways that were in a way compromising.  By this I mean the inference of security and confidentiality in that they could take nude pictures of the girls so that they could carry them where ever they went and they “controlled” whose eyes would be permitted to see them.  This could be carried by a knight or a knave. Today I hear young boys bragging about their girl friend and show you a quick picture they took of her and you can tell that the picture was not taken with the heart but rather with a genital drive. In some cases these pictures are “shared” through emails to others.  There is no security in these web mail systems so one should be careful of what one sends through them. A gentleman never shares the image of his love in a compromising way with any other person, but enough on this subject.

Photography gives us the means with which to share our lives and our loves with the rest of the world. Whether it be nature, sports, portraiture and other forms of photography we get a chance to express how we feel about the subject matter by the way we photograph it. So pick up real cameras, photograph everything you see of importance to you, for you never know, it may become important to some one else too.

Happy shooting – Douglas John Vergara - 09202008