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!

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Photo Tip - How To Use The Portrait Photography Catch Light!

While most of you know what a portrait photography catch light is, bear with me. At some point, it was a new idea for you, just as I'm sure it is for some of the other readers. In the interest of being thorough, in today's photo tip, let's have a quick look into the catch light.

Simply put, a catch light is the reflection of the portrait lighting source in the eyes.

We generally just think of it as a specular highlight in the eye, but it can be (and is) a vital part of the image. Particularly in portrait photography.

While the old cliché that, "the eyes are the windows to the soul" may or may not be true... a catch light makes the eye appear brighter and more exciting. Eyes without a catch light appear dull and lifeless.

If you have catch lights in the eyes, they are generally not noticed. If you don't have them, their lack can ruin a photo. Or not! If you want to make a person appear evil - why you'd want to I don't know - an old cinematographer's trick is to eliminate the catch lights!

Try it this Halloween, you may win a contest or two!

If you DON'T want your subject to appear evil, a catch light in both eyes is vital. So vital in fact that if photographers are using a lighting pattern where they are not getting a catch light, they will add a special "eye" light to their lighting setup.

Typically, an eye light will be of low intensity so it doesn't affect the highlights and shadows of the overall lighting pattern. It just puts a little glint in the eye.

In learning how to create various lighting patterns or trying to determine what type of lighting the photographer used, it is often helpful to examine the catch lights.

The eye acts like a mirror and will reflect the light source(s). By studying the reflections, we can determine how many lights were used, what type of light (diffused or hard light) and their general location in relation to the model.

These are all good things...

A bad thing about the refection showing the type of light, is that sometimes that reflection is unattractive and takes away from the photo. If you've ever noticed the reflection of a "ring light", it (to me) looks creepy and I think it is why ring lights are not more popular.

Btw, a "ring light" is an on camera flash that goes all the way around (rings) the lens.

So, bottom line, make absolutely sure you have a catch light - in both eyes - unless you have a specific and preplanned reason not to. This photo tip is one of the vital rules of portrait photography that should never be broken whether you are shooting people, pets or anything else with eyes.

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

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.

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Photo Tip - How to Intensify The Colors In Your Portrait Photography!

Here is a photo tip that has gotten me more compliments on my portrait photography than you would ever believe! I am always hearing about how my colors are so intense and how my subjects "pop" out of the frame, etc.

It is soooo easy! In fact by the time you finish reading this article, you will be fully qualified to use this strategy yourself.

Here it is...

Photo tip - Turn on your camera's flash!

In another article we discussed turning your flash off when you are too far from the subject for it to help. With the Olympics just around the corner, watch some of the track and field events... as the runners go around the track, the flashes in the stands are going off like crazy. It's almost like a "wave" being done with light rather than spectators.

The bad news is, it's all a waste of battery power! None of those flashes are doing anything to improve the image - they are just too far away!

In today's photo tip, I say (if your subject is close enough) you should virtually ALWAYS use your flash!

We all know we need a flash when it is dark. We all know we need one when we are shooting indoors. But when you are outside even at high noon, your flash can be a true life saver!

High noon is the worst possible time to shoot! But we don't care. We can still get good shots.

Why is it so bad?

Those are the shooting conditions (the sun directly over head) that will give your subjects "raccoon eyes" or they will be squinting and totally ruin your portraits.

Here's what you do...

Block the sun in some way by putting your subject in shadow. Stick them in the shade of a tree, under a porch awning, in the shade of a building - whatever. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Now the sun is lighting the backdrop, but the subjects are shaded. It eliminates the "raccoon eyes" and squinting plus it gives a nice even - soft - lighting to the face.

But we have a problem. Our subject is darker than their surroundings. If we expose for the background, they will be too dark. If we expose for the subject the background will be too light and get blown out.

Answer - use your flash as a fill flash. This way you will balance the light between the subject and the background, while eliminating the problems associated with an overhead sun.

And as a side bonus using your flash, tends to intensify the colors and makes your subjects "pop". Try it once and you won't go back.

These little tips add up. Use this photo tip and your portrait photography will "pop" with added color and intensity. Before you know it, you will be the best shooter in your area.

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

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.

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Photo Tip - Using Short Light And Broad Light Patterns In Your Portrait Photography!

The photo tip for today is: In your portrait photography, use "short lighting" and "broad lighting" patterns. Flat lighting will ruin your portrait photography! Caution... An on camera flash aimed at the subject will produce flat lighting. Bounce the flash off the walls, ceilings, off a reflector or something else. Never aim it directly at your subject.

I've discussed - many times - that you need to add shadows to your portrait photography to create depth and realism. It is the 3D effect of shadows that makes our photography come to life!

If you use flat lighting - where the face is evenly lit and there are no shadows - your portraits will look dull, lifeless and uninteresting. Plus it will make the subject's face look wider and heavier - which is something worth avoiding.

On the other hand, to be fair, flat lighting is a useful technique to tone down or eliminate acne or facial scars.

But, there are better facial blemish removal alternatives... Acne and scars are among the few times that I recommend using Photoshop and "fixing" the photo after the fact.

In other words, shoot using the best lighting pattern for your subject's facial shape and remove the acne later!

The two main lighting patterns we should be using are "short lighting" and "broad lighting."

In previous portrait photography photo tips, I have said that you should have the subject's head turned to about three-quarters to the camera. Straight on makes them look fatter, and more than a three-quarter turn is too much of a profile for most portraits.

Turning the head also makes one side closer to the camera than the other.

Obviously, to create shadows, your light has to be hitting your subject from the side. This is what will create one bright side and one shadowed side.

If the shadowed side is closest to the lens, it is called short lighting. If the shadowed side is furthest from the camera, it is called broad lighting.

Since the face is turned three-quarter to the side, creating short and broad lighting is simple, just move (or bounce) your light from one side to the other.

By the way, don't forget the sun. I've written this article using artificial light sources as my examples, but everything works with sunlight too! You can't move the light, but you can move the model!

It's not about the type or the source of the light, but about the angles from which it is hitting the subject. (Try doing a portrait using a flashlight. It's a fun experiment.)

How do we determine which lighting pattern to use?

Short lighting - where the shadowed side of the face is closest to the camera - is great for making faces look longer and more slender.

The ideas of what is beautiful changes in various countries, but for the most part a long slender face is considered more attractive than a round, wider one.

If your model's face is wide, round, heavy... Use short lighting to visually slim it down.

On the other hand...

While the world seems to be obsessed with fat and being overweight, there actually ARE thin people out there! Since they are already thin, short lighting could push it a bit too far.

In this case, use broad lighting. It will - depending on the depth of shadow, angles and so on - visually eliminate the too thin look.

Another good use for broad lighting is if they have a facial defect of some sort - like one eye is bigger than the other, they have a scar, whatever - use a broad lighting pattern and put the defective area in the shadow!

With a broad lighting pattern the shadow will be to the rear and the added distance from the lens will further visually minimize un-photogenic areas.

Plus, while minimizing the defect, it won't look unnatural. unnatural.

That's it for today's photo tip. In future photo tips we will discuss more about portrait photography lighting patterns but for now, practice using short lighting and broad lighting patterns. Grab a flashlight - have your model sitting in the dark and see what these patterns do to the face. Your portrait photography will dramatically improve, almost overnight!

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

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.

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Photo Tip - Use Rembrandt Lighting In Your Portrait Photography For More Drama!

Our portrait photography photo tip for today is about "Rembrandt Lighting." This is a great lighting pattern to use if you are going for a dramatic mood in your portrait. Not every face is ideal for Rembrandt lighting but it is a powerful addition to your portrait photography lighting arsenal!

First, what is "Rembrandt Lighting"?

Rembrandt lighting is a portrait lighting pattern that shows one side of the face in highlight and the other in shadow - but on the shadowed side, the cheek has a triangle of light.

It is called Rembrandt lighting because the Dutch artist Rembrandt frequently used it in his portraits.

By the way... These photo tips are about ART, not just photography. They work for painters too! Art is art, it doesn't matter what format it is in.

Towards the end of the article there is a link to a Rembrandt self-portrait using this lighting pattern. Check it out.
Notice the triangle of light on his far cheek? That is the defining characteristic of this lighting pattern.

Many budding photographers shy away from using these advanced lighting techniques because they don't have any studio lights - so they think they can't do them! Let this be a motivator for you. Rembrandt didn't have studio lights either! (He didn't even have electricity.)

This - and all of the other lighting patterns - can be used with any light source, not just studio lights. Windows, the sun, reflectors... it just doesn't matter. It's the shadows that matter, not the source of the light creating them.

While the portrait shows the pattern being used with a broad lighting pattern. It can also be used on top of a short lighting pattern.

Remember, broad lighting is when the side of the face furthest from the camera is in shadow. Short lighting is when the side of the face closest to the camera is in shadow.

Since shadow areas tend to visually recede, broad lighting makes the face look wider - more broad. That's where the pattern's name came from!

Since most of us want to look thinner, you will most likely be using the Rembrandt lighting pattern with a short light base in most of your portrait photography. But, not always, so learn and practice creating it both ways.

How to create the Rembrandt lighting pattern?

It is easy. Position your subject so the light source is to the side and higher than their head. Then have them turn slightly away from the light source. (Or move the light source if it is mobile.)

One problem you may encounter is that if you are using light from a window or a large reflector, some of the light may be coming from too low of an angle and mess up your pattern.

Just cover up the bottom part of the light source and block off the extraneous light. Problem solved.

In a previous article on loop lighting, we discussed not letting the shadow from the nose touch the shadow on the cheek. In Rembrandt lighting they do intersect. That is what creates the triangle.

Caution: Be sure that the shadowed eye has a catch light or it will look dead, dull, lifeless and any other nasty name you can think of.

Some subjects will have facial and/or nose shapes that don't easily lend themselves to this pattern. In this case - make sure you are doing it right, and if it isn't working - do something else. Another lighting pattern will be more suited to their face.

The Rembrandt lighting pattern is a good one for adding drama to your portrait photography. It is also one of the classic photo lighting patterns and every photographer should be comfortable in using it.
Here is a link that shows a self-portrait of Rembrandt using the "Rembrandt Lighting" pattern.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt:_Self_Portrait_%28Altman%29

Today's photo tip / assignment is to learn the Rembrandt lighting pattern and USE IT in your portrait photography! It can definitely separate you from the crowd!

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

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.

View the original article here

Photo Tip - Why You Need A Fill Light In Portrait Photography!

In the last few photo tips articles, we have been discussing portrait photography lighting patterns... Short, broad, split, the loop pattern, Rembrandt and finally the butterfly lighting pattern. Today's photo tip is about controlling the pattern's shadows with a fill light.

Each of our patterns has their good and bad points and will be perfect for some faces and terrible for others. If you haven't done any experimenting to master them, I suggest you make that your weekend project!

These patterns are essential building blocks to mastering portrait photography.

As photographers, we tend to concern ourselves with light, almost to the exclusion of everything else - but shadows are just as important! In fact, each of the lighting patterns we've been discussing is named for the type of shadow the light source casts!

This lighting pattern series has been all about building them with one light - the main (or key) light - and how to position it to get the lighting pattern most pleasing for any specific facial type.

While it doesn't matter what sort of light it is, it could be a studio flash, the sun, a window, a reflector even nothing more than a flashlight - it is important to have the shadows to add depth and life to our portrait photography.

But, when we look at portraits done by professional photographers, we note that they almost always have more than one light source. Typically they have three and as many as five or six!

Why? And how do we know when more lights are needed and where to put them?

Again, it all goes back to the shadows!

Suppose you are using a short lighting pattern to help visually narrow the subject's face. This works because - visually - shadows tend to recede and lit areas come forward. Since the shadow is closest to the camera, it makes the face look thinner.

But, the color and depth of a shadow can impart emotions and feelings into a portrait that we don't want! If we are using one light, we will have a sharp line dividing the highlight and shadow areas and we lose all the detail in the shadow area.

The shadowed area can be very dark - which if we want a lot of drama and emotion in our portrait, that's a good thing... but what if we don't want all the drama? Obviously, we need to lighten the shadow, while still maintaining our slimming light pattern.

To do this we add a second light. This is called the "fill light". It's named for the fact that this light fills in the shadows!

With a fill light, we can now have total control over the shadows! We can turn it off and have totally black shadows or we can turn it up and have the shadows virtually disappear - and anything in between!

Note: if we have the same amount of light intensity on the fill light as the main light the shadows are gone. If we have MORE light on the fill light, it will cast a shadow on the (previously) lit side. If it does this, it becomes the main light and the other one is the fill light. In other words the fill light is always of equal or lesser intensity than the main light.

To get an understanding of the fill light and what it does, look through your favorite magazines and first try to determine the lighting pattern, then where the main light was positioned and whether or not they used a fill light. If they did use one, why? If not - why not?

In portrait photography, the depth of the shadow is as important as the quality of the light and will make a huge impact on your viewer's perceptions. We control the depth with a fill light.

Use today's photo tip to start thinking about how you can use lighting patterns and a fill light in your portrait photography to start controlling your viewer's emotions - and you will be on the way to consistently winning photo contests.

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

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.

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Photo Tip - Master The "Loop Lighting" Pattern For Portrait Photography

In previous articles, we began our study of lighting patterns for portrait photography with broad lighting, short lighting and split lighting. Now for today's photo tip, let's move into "loop lighting!" In portrait photography, this one tends to be one of the most popular. It is easy to do and is flattering to most of our subject's facial types.

Remember that it is shadow that defines form in a photograph. This is such a key concept, we even name all of the various lighting patterns by the shadows they create!

While we always have to think about the light in photography - never forget the shadows!

In a "loop lighting" pattern, we adjust our light so that the shadow of the nose shows up on - and forms a little loop upon - the subject's cheek, traveling down as far as the corner of the subject's mouth.

In our previous studies of lighting patterns, we've been discussing the lights and shadows as if the light source was even with the face, the eyes to be more specific. This creates a shadow with no upward or downward slope.

In loop lighting, we want a slightly downward angled shadow (not too much) so we raise the light slightly above eye level. We want the end of the nose to cast a rounded - looped - shadow down from the nose to around the corner of the mouth. Or even a bit shorter.

The shadow goes off to the side; it is not directly under the nose. The area between the upper lip and the nose (the philtrum) remains unshadowed.

Of course, shadows are cast directly opposite to the light, so to get a shadow going to the side and down, we need a light positioned on the opposite side and up.

Start with the light is off to the side at approximately 45 degrees from the camera. Then tweak and adjust from there. Depending on the subject's face, the best angle may be a bit more or less than 45 degrees.

Pose your model - set your light a bit above eye level, move it to about 45 degrees to the camera and see where the shadow from the nose is!

If needed, move the light up and down and side to side until you get the desired shadow shape. Depending on the shape of your model's face - and nose - this adjustment could go from 45 degrees to as little as 30 degrees. Or in some cases it could even go past 45 degrees.

Keep in mind that you want to keep this shadow small. The light should travel down the nose (with the opposing shadow between the nose and cheek) and continue from the bottom of the nose creating a loop shaped shadow running towards the corner of the mouth.

This lighting pattern is good for people with average, oval shaped faces. Because of the downward sloping angle of the "loop" it will visually lengthen the face a bit. And, to a lesser extent can give the appearance of slightly higher cheekbones.

Grab a flashlight and your favorite subject. Have them sitting on a chair and start experimenting with light and shadow. Figure out how they have to angle their face for short and broad lighting...

Determine where the light has to be for split lighting, and then adjust it to create loop lighting.

Which do you think is better for their face? Why?

The concept of "loop lighting" may seem so basic and easy to understand that you will most likely want to skip the exercise, but don't. Get comfortable with not only understanding these portrait photography photo tips, but actually doing them! That's when the learning starts!

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

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.

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Photo Tip - Here Is An Indispensable Piece Of Camera Gear For Great Landscape Photography!

Our photo tip for today is another piece of camera gear that you really can't do without. It's the "Polarizing Filter!" If you are at all into outdoor scenes and landscape photography it is vital and you should never leave home without it.

While many filter effects can be added after the fact in Photoshop, to add the effects of a polarizing filter would be almost impossible. I suppose there is some Photoshop genius out there that could do it, but it would take untold hours.

Did you get into photography to create amazing photographs? Or did you want to sit in front of your computer all day trying to master Photoshop, and "fix" your images.

What does a polarizing filter do? It polarizes the light! (Duh.) What does THAT mean?

There are two main types of polarizing filter - a linear polarizer and a circular polarizer. This does not refer to the shape of the filter, but to the way it polarizes light.

Back in the day, both were available as photo filters but in reality, the circular polarizer was best and not many people bought the other. I don't know if linear polarizers are still available or not. If they are, the circular polarizer is the one you want.

When we see light, it is generally made up of the entire color (wavelength) spectrum. Plus it is bouncing all over the place - off objects in the scene, off molecules in the air - everything.

When the light enters the camera (or our eye) it is coming in from all directions and creates glare. Plus it is all the various colors in the light spectrum. Sometimes it is better to eliminate some of the colors or to eliminate glare.

Basically, polarizers straighten out the light wave so the light particles are all traveling into the camera in a straight line - this eliminates glare. The filter also blocks some of the light wavelengths (colors) from getting through - intensifying what is left!

An example of a polarizing filter can be found at a 3D movie. The special glasses you wear (not the old fashioned red and blue ones) are actually polarizers. Each side blocks certain wavelengths of light and allows others to pass. In this way, the movie makers are able to determine what we see to make it appear 3D.

This blocking of some light waves and allowing others to pass are what intensifies the colors in the sky of our landscape! It also makes the clouds almost "POP" out of the frame. It is this that creates those entrancing skies we often see.

As a side bonus, we can determine the amount of polarization we use! Just put the circular polarizer on your lens and - while looking through the viewfinder - slowly turn the filter. (It spins around.) You will be able to visibly see the changes in polarization. Stop when you reach the point you like best and shoot away!

More or less polarization can be achieved depending on the angle of the sun too! The sun at 90 degrees relative to the lens tends to give you the most polarization opportunity.

Most landscape photographers use polarizers to intensify the sky, but cutting out glare is a handy feature too! Note: Your filter will not eliminate glare from a metal object. The light is already polarized.

A polarizer will eliminate glare and reflections off store windows - allowing you to get better shots of the displays inside. It also polarizes the light bouncing off trees, leaves, flowers and so on, thereby eliminating glare and intensifying their colors!

No camera bag should be without a circular polarizer. It is one of the most useful pieces of camera gear you can own and it can't be easily replaced by Photoshop.

So here is your photo tip - if you want your landscape photography to grab your viewer's attention (and not let go) use a polarizing filter on all your outdoor shots. It is an indispensable piece of camera gear and you should never leave home without it! For more information check out the resource box!

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

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.

View the original article here

Photo Tip - How To Create Better Landscape Photography!

At some point in our photo lives, we all give landscape photography a try. And when we see the results, for the most part we are disappointed. Today's photo tip will help you move your landscape photos to a new level, and give you something you can hang on your wall with pride.

Landscape photography isn't easy! It would seem that all we have to do is find a pretty location, set up our camera and voila! We start winning contests left and right.

Not going to happen. In fact, I once read a quote from one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time - Ansel Adams - who said he felt lucky if he could get one good shot A MONTH!

By the way, the negatives of some of his best known works are almost unprintable. My personal opinion of Ansel Adams is that he was a pretty good photographer, but nothing extraordinary. His genius was in the darkroom.

Did you know that he didn't use a light to expose the negative onto the photo sensitive paper? He had some sort of convoluted setup of mirrors etc., where he funneled actual sunlight down onto his negatives. If it was nighttime or heavily overcast, he couldn't print!

Then he created an actual book of how long each individual section of the negative needed to be exposed and so forth. For example... the clouds for half a second, the trees for 3 seconds the foreground for 1 second and so on. It took a LONG time to work out how to print each negative.

After all that, he wound up throwing out as many prints as he kept. His printing standards were pretty high!

I say all of this to point out that even with digital cameras giving us immediate feedback, and Photoshop giving us a LOT of opportunities to fix mistakes, we STILL have trouble getting that "WOW" factor into our landscape photos.

Here is a way to immediately move ahead to the next level...

Light.

Perhaps more than any other style of photography, landscape photos rely on the quality of light to give us that "wow".

Look through all your photo magazines, books and courses and one common element is that almost NONE of the photos were shot around noon. Take a few minutes to check it out - it's true.

When were they shot?

Photo tip... Typically the best light you are going to get is at dawn through to about an hour past dawn - and sunset through to about an hour after the sun dips below the horizon.

You may have a terrific eye for landscape photography composition, exposure and so forth - but if you don't shoot at these optimal times, you are out of luck.

If you are a budding (or even a professional) photographer and the sun is out when you wake up in the morning, you have forever missed an opportunity. It's the same with watching the 6 o'clock news on television. If the sun goes down and you are at home...

For most of us, even if you have to be at work in the morning you will usually have enough time to get out there and practice your landscape photography - and still get to the office on time.

It's the same with kids. Leave them with the sleeping spouse, roll out of bed (while it is still dark) go to your pre-selected location, shoot from dawn to about an hour past and you can still get home before most of them even wake up!

Note: you don't need to drive to some distant mountain range. Just go to a local park, or shoot a nice looking building. You are learning to work with light. Then, when you are on vacation, you will have the skills needed to get the landscape shots you've been dreaming of.

I know this photo tip is basic, but this is just the first of a series. Keep reading the daily Photo Tips articles on landscape photography and you will be build a skill set to be envied! for more information, check out the resources box!

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

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.

View the original article here

Photo Tip - How To Use A Hair Light In Portrait Photography!

Today's portrait photography photo tip begins our discussion of specialty lights... specifically, the photography hair light. We will explore what it is, how to use it and some precautions.

So far, in our study of portrait photography lighting, we've learned that the majority of the time we will use a three light setup - the main light, the fill light and the separation light. This will do for the vast majority of our portraits. In fact, many professional photographers will go an entire career and never use more than the basic three.

But, at times there is a need for additional lighting. That said...

Caution: it is easy to get into the more is better mindset. Fight to avoid it! Just because you HAVE more lights, doesn't mean you should use them! Every light you add to the mix exponentially adds to the possibility of messing up your portrait.

But, on the other hand, properly used, specialty lights can add a lot!

Our first specialty light - and the most commonly used - is the hair light. The hair light is just what it says it is - it's a light that is used to light the hair.

The hair light is positioned above and behind the subject. It can either be off to the side or directly behind your model, depending on your creative outlook.

As it shines down, it will create light on both the hair and upper shoulders - so this one is frequently confused with and used as a separation light, because it does actually separate the subject from the backdrop.

Often, photographers will use a hair light to do double duty, particularly in a situation where a model has dark hair and is in front of a dark backdrop.

There are a few cautions you need to take when using a hair light...

First - the exposure value. This is where the vast majority of photographers mess up on the hair light. They make it too bright.

This is particularly a problem with blondes!

A hair light is meant to light up the hair, not blow it out! If your light is too bright, you just end up with a massive highlight and no individual hair detail.

That's not what you want.

What you want is to be able to see the hair - not just a blob of light.

Set your light to be about the same exposure value as - or a bit less than the key light. Various hair colors absorb more or less light, so you can't just use the same settings for everyone. You have to adjust.

It's these little tweaks that will make all the difference. And it's where shooting digital photography really shines! All you have to do is take a quick shot, review it and keep adjusting the lights until you get what you want.

Back in the olden days of film, we had to get everything set up and then take a shot with Polaroid film to see if all the lights were correct.

If we didn't have a Polaroid camera (or a Polaroid film back for our camera)... we just set everything up - and prayed.

Second - Our next potential problem with the hair light is that - since it is behind and above the subject, the light is pointed at the camera. The potential exists that stray light will make it to the camera and cause lens flare.

Lens flare will ruin the shot! Be sure to watch for it. To avoid the problem, just tape a piece of cardboard over the front edge of the light to block any extraneous light. You want to focus all the light onto the subject.

To block the light, professionals often use a "snoot" or "barn doors" on the light. These are just fancy photo gadgets that do the same thing as the cardboard.

I recommend you not buy them until you have a distinct need. The cardboard is cheaper and can do the job.

Consider using a "hair light" in your portrait photography. This photo tip can easily set you apart from the run of the mill photographers in the area and possibly start bringing in the photo contest prizes!

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 6,000 past clients, and he says that learning photography is easy, if you know a few tried and true strategies.

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Photography Tips For Beginners - A Simple Guide

Photography is one of the most popular pastimes these days. It allows people to make scenery and special moments eternal. With just one click, you can capture fun memories you share with your loved ones and friends. It will be so much better if you can make the pictures as grand as possible. To help you out, here are some beginner photography tips that everyone can try!

The first tip is to move closer to the subject. It is always good to shot the subject from different angles. Different angles create different results and feel to the photograph. Start capturing at a distance then gradually move in closer. Shoot the subject as close as you can possibly get in order to make the audience fall in love with every detail.

The second tip is to always be alert. You will never know when the baby will smile or when the butterfly rest on the flower. Therefore, you should always be alert. Make your senses as strong as you possibly can in order to capture moments that happen in a blink of an eye. You just have to continuously shoot. You can worry about the pictures taken later.

The third tip is to create a photograph as if you are making an exhibit. You should make it to the point to shoot the best pictures you can take. You can edit them later to ensure that they are great and representative of the idea you want to convey to others. For instance, you can crop out some parts of the pictures that you think are irrelevant. You can also make use of different techniques such as the rule of thirds.

The fourth tip is to carefully select the part to shoot. If you want to shoot a church, you would want to take the picture without any car, people or cable lines. However, there will be times when you will experience difficulty in really focusing on the subject. For these kinds of situations, you need to think fast and decide how you are going to shoot the subject. For instance, you can move in really close but still far enough to allow the subject's important features to be completely captured. You can also create a blurry shot where only the subject is clear and the rest of the picture is blurry.

The fifth tip is to understand shutter speed. If you know how to properly make use of the shutter speed of you camera, then it will be easier for you to take still life photos and moving photos. You can do as many experiments as you want. You can try taking pictures of nature such as trees, rivers and natural sceneries. You can also cover sports events or racing events to practice a fast shutter speed.

The sixth tip is to make use of lighting to your advantage. The amount of light you allow in a photograph can make a huge difference to the end result. Proper lighting is necessary in order to create a great photograph. For instance, if you want the picture to feel happy, you need to allow more light into your shooting location. If you want the shadow effect, you need to adjust the light to achieve it. Different lighting styles will create different photographs even with the same subject.

If you are interested in photography, Focus EMagazine will help you. For other photography tips, visit Your Guide To Digital Photography.

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Photo Tip - How To Create A Three Light Portrait Photography Set, With No Lights!

In today's portrait photography photo tip we are going to wrap up our discussions of the three light set with a quick review and an example of how to build it set - with no lights! Just because you don't have any studio lights, doesn't mean you can't shoot quality images.

Here is a quick review... Most good portrait photography requires three lights.

Light #1 - this is the main (key) light and is used to establish the pattern and overall exposure settings.

Light #2 - this one is the fill light and is used (or not used) to fill in the shadows created by the main. This one should be set at the same or less intensity as the key light so that it doesn't cast its own shadows.

Light #3 - this one is the background (separation) light and is used to visually separate the subject from the backdrop. It is placed behind the subject and can be aimed either at the background or at the subject.

When aimed at the backdrop, it creates a lighter area behind the subject so they don't blend into the background. Adding colored gels can make the backdrop any color you desire.

When aimed at the subject it creates a "halo" or "rim" of light around the subject. It's this rim of light that separates the subject from the background. The exposure value is generally a bit brighter than the main light.

The vast majority of amateur photographers never attempt the three light setup and their portrait photographs suffer because of it. Give it a shot! Once you are comfortable setting up and shooting with a three light set, you will never go back.

By the way... if you have been avoiding the three light set because you don't have three lights - that's no excuse! Here is an example of a three light set...

First we set our model so that the sun is at her back (out of view of the camera). This will create a rim of light around her and visually separate her from the background. This is light #3.

Then we use a reflector placed in front and to the side of her. This will reflect the light from the sun back into her face and - depending on where we put it - will create whatever light pattern we want and establish the main exposure settings.

We can move the reflector closer or further away from our model to get the exposure we want. Ideally this is an exposure of half a stop or so less than the separation rim of light. This is light #1.

Another reflector set at the correct angle and distance from the model will fill in the shadows and become our fill light - light #2.

The above three light set is easy to create - costs next to nothing - and will give you professional quality portrait photography. Add in the fact that commercially made reflectors can fold up to a very small size and you can toss a few into the trunk of your car and you will always have them available!

Your mission - should you decide to accept it - is to give it a try. Practice this until you are comfortable working with a three light set - THEN go out and buy whatever lighting equipment you want. You'll know what you need and it won't end up in the closet where you store all your unused photo gadgets!

Today's portrait photography photo tip is that you don't need actual lights to create a three light portrait photography set! Reflectors and the sun will do the job very nicely!

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

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.

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Photo Tip - How To Use A "Separation Light" In Portrait Photography!

In our series of daily portrait photography photo tips, we've recently been covering portrait photography lighting patterns - and the shadows they create. Today we will cover the "background light" also known as a "separation light".

Deciding on the lighting pattern we want will determine where we place our main (key) light. Or where we place our subject in relation to a fixed light - like the sun.

Then our second light, the fill light is how we determine the depth of the shadows we created with our key light. This is where we start to insert our creativity into a portrait.

Most portrait photography requires three lights and today's photo tip will cover the third light - but first here is a side note about the fill light...

Be careful that your fill light does not create its own shadows! If you start getting shadows going both ways, it will ruin your portraits.

In most portrait photography, we use a three light setup. We've discussed the first two, now for the third light - the "background light".

The background light is also known as a separation light. It is designed to separate the subject from the background.

Not using the separation light is a common mistake that I see everywhere.

Suppose you have a subject with dark hair and you are using a dark background. No matter how perfectly you illuminate the face with your main and fill, you are going to visually lose the top and sides of the head.

Put the subject in dark clothing and you end up with nothing but a floating face! If you are going for a spooky horror film effect, that may be perfect. If you want good portrait photography, you need to separate your subject from the background.

There are a few ways to do this... the obvious way is to use a lighter background if the subject has dark hair or is wearing dark clothing. In this instance, the background light may not be needed.

If you are using a separation light, it needs to be behind the subject, but there are two basic ways to position it.

You can position it to strike the background (most common). This creates that lighter circle you frequently see on the backdrop in portraits and effectively changes the dark background to a brighter one and this "separates" the subject.

By adding putting colored gels, you can actually make the background appear to be any color you want.

Another placement option is to have the light aimed not at the background, but at the subject. Doing it like this will put a rim of light all the way around the subject. The background is still dark and the subject is still dark, but the halo of light separates them.

This is a bit harder to get right, but can be a very effective and dramatic lighting technique.

You now know as much about portrait photo lighting as most professionals. In future articles, we will study specialty lights.

To practice today's photo tip, check out any portrait photography you can find and notice how the "background light" or "separation light" separates the subject from the backdrop. Try to find examples of both placements and even a sample of when the third light wasn't used (they abound - even among professional portraits).

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

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.

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Trick Photography Ideas and Special Effects on Tall Tale Postcards From the Past

Did you know that trick photography and special effects has been around way longer than us? The pioneers made a fortune from their skills at creating trick photos for the masses. This was way back before digital photography and photo editing software, so not everyone have the skills to do it. If you had digital camera and photo editing software back then, you'd be a very rich person!

Introducing the tall tales postcards

Among the earliest examples of trick photography ideas are the "tall tales" postcards that appeared during the American Golden Age of photographic postcards, produced between 1905 and 1915. Photography itself had been around for a full fifty years by the time the tall tales postcards arrived, but for many in the rural populations it was still a novelty. Picture postcards became very popular in the United States by the beginning of the 20th century as it became a quick and convenient way to communicate with people over long distances. In fact, for some it was the only way to communicate.

Food and agricultural abundance

Picture postcards from oversea or cross-border relatives offered a glimpse of the outside world for those unable to travel, so it was the next best thing for actual travel. Creative photographers manipulated and modified the photos, sometimes to exaggerated proportions, and it became known as tall-tale postcards. Initially a humorous novelty, people eventually realized that these postcards can be used to create a desired "image" or perception about a town or region.

Old trick photo ideas

Food were a recurring theme, so the tall tale postcards had super-sized potatoes, fruits, and animals hauled in by the local farmers. This is supposed to give people the idea that these rural communities had agricultural abundance, thus encouraging people to move and settle. The exaggeration was so extreme that it looks almost surreal as you look at the weathered black and white post cards depicting people catching ducks the size of cars. Unfortunately the reality was far from what the trick photo postcards portray. These days you can't go to a popular tourist destination without seeing flattering postcards for sale that you can mail home. In a way you're actually paying to advertise for them!

William H. Martin - a successful and rich trick photographer

It is around this time that one of pioneers of trick photography and special effects in postcards was William H. "Dad" Martin. He had a studio in Ottawa, Kansas and came upon the idea of using photo tricks to create exaggerated post cards for sale. His post cards were of quality that it was difficult to detect traces of manipulation or how it was joined together from various photos. The meticulous attention to detail and the creativity of his post cards became a huge success.

His post cards were so popular that he sold his studio to concentrate on the post cards. By May of 1909, the Martin Post Card Company reportedly churned out some ten thousand cards a day. A year later a newspaper reported the company was producing seven million post cards a year. In three short years his trick photo ideas made him a very rich person. So rich in fact that he sold off the business in 1912 and founded another company.

It is almost surreal to realize that trick photography and special effects existed more than a hundred years ago. If you ignore the black and white weathered look and early agricultural themes, these trick photos don't look out of place besides a collection of modern trick photos done using Photoshop software. Shows you just how far we've come!

Jim blogs about trick photography and special effects techniques that people use to create stunning photographs. You can sign up at his Trick Photography site to receive a free report on the top 10 trick photography ideas for travel photos.

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Share Pictures Instantly - Free Photo Sharing Websites

There are many free photo sharing websites one can come across. It takes time sometimes to review all the pictures available online that are kept public, but not in the case of photo sharing sites because these sites are user friendly and anyone can understand easily. Many sites will cost you if you want to share pictures, but there are many free photo sharing websites. It is very easy to access, you just need to drag and drop your pictures. You can also organize the pictures according to the priority, edit them online and then share pictures instantly.

You can upload each photo of size 20 MB max, which is very much difficult to find in any paid photo sharing website. Even when you download the size of the picture will vary only a bit, but does not have a large variation. Moreover it is very robust, pictures can be searched fast, tagging can be done perfectly and sharing pictures instantly can be done with a comparatively low bandwidth.

It is very simple to create your own account with your desired username and password. Once you have created log into it. You will see the welcome screen. You can create different albums to store different pictures accordingly. To upload the pictures you can browse the pictures you want and select the pictures and upload them. If there are multiple pictures, you can select the multiple upload option and upload all the pictures at once. You can also invite your friends to join this successful community to share pictures instantly. When you upload the pictures you just need to make sure that each picture does not exceed 20 MB, if that happens the process may stop informing you that the size has been exceeded and it be aborted. You need to start all over again.

For sharing pictures instantly with your friends, you need to invite them first. You can also share with them through an e-mail or by sending them the link. Privacy is highly maintained here, you can share only those pictures you want and protect the rest by either keeping them in privacy or locking them. Once you send your friend the invitation to view the picture, he will have to accept it to view them he can only view those pictures that you have given access to but not the rest. This is how these websites help to share pictures instantly with your loved ones whom you don't want to miss any of the fun you having.

It was founded as open source project and to host images for free. With the continuously increasing popularity achieved by blogs and online auctions, free image hosting services are currently in high demand among end users. If you are interested in sharing photos online and getting the best service whilst at it. For more details about free image sharing, visit us online.

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The Advantages Of Shooting In Raw

Why Should We Always Shoot In Raw?

There are many different ways to perfect your photography. First you can use a high-quality lens. Secondly you can invest a small number of hours editing your images in Photoshop or Lightroom. These ways will certainly make a big change to your photography. Is there anything else we know how to do to progress our images? Yes, there is.

Another approach to capture tack sharp and high-quality pictures is to photograph in raw. Working in raw is equivalent to generating a negative of the photo. The camera will photograph the image in a manner that is a whole lot sharper and more detailed than JPEG. Let me explain.

Raw is a kind of photo file. When you capture images in raw you achieve much more quality and sharpness. You acquire this contained within regions of light and shade, vibrancy and hue. This excellence and definition simply means that the digital camera is gathering more information. When you photograph in raw the camera is able to handle this information a lot faster and more effectively.

Let's take the case of a flower. In reality the flower is a rose-pink red colour (this is what our eyes observe). When you take pictures of the flower in JPEG you may lose some of the pink in the colour. The bloom may appear as a sturdy red colour instead. That is for the reason that JPEG basically cannot reproduce the mid tones of colour as fine as raw can.

JPEG might discover in-between hues and colours tricky to identify. It simply isn't seeking for the finer, subtle detail in your photo and this is why it does not distinguish it. However, when you change over to shooting in raw you will find that the camera picks up reddish pink tone of the flower. Simply put, the digital camera replicates so much more finer details when you capture in raw.

There is one downside though. They cannot be seen in any program. You need special software to see raw photos. Depending on the kind of camera model you have the software will be different. Canon has special software called Digital Photo Professional. This software allows you to see your raw shots. As a Canon user I am only able to use Canon raw software. If I capture a photo with a Nikon camera I am not able to use this software program. Nikon have raw platforms that are available to Nikon users.

Raw files are sharper, clearer and have better quality. They also last a lot more than JPEG. After a few years JPEG might have the propensity to lessen in detail. This is particularly true for small JPEG files. In raw this doesn't happen. It would take a lot more time than 10 years for raw file to reduce in quality. As a result raw files are reliable for archival quality.

Should you amend your raw pictures? Many people ask me if you should generate a JPEG file duplicate in order to persevere with the raw file untouched. My answer is that it depends on your personal preference. Many photographers do this different ways. I like to create a copy of the raw file for editing. That way I have the untouched original photo. If anything happens to the JPEG photo then I still retain the original as backup. The only reason that I will create a copy of the raw shot a JPEG is if I like to keep it on a website or upload it.

Raw files are fairly large. The JPEG photo might be about 3 Mb. Lots of the raw images that I capture in are about 30Mb. What is the advantage of this? This is massively useful because when the raw file is larger it means it has photographed terrific quality, definition and sharpness. The better a photograph, usually, the better quality it will be present.

Shifting your working mode over the raw is so easy. It is done using the menu in your digital camera. When you open the menu go to "image size" you will typically find it effortless to change over. This will mean that you can select to shoot in raw only. Then again you can concurrently shoot in raw AND JPEG. Be mindful that when these two shots are created at the same time you will eat through your memory cards. The camera just needs more space if it is to create two shots at once. The JPEG file might only be 3Mb but your raw file will be 20Mb. After a few hours of photographing the space on your memory card will begin to lessen. Always take two memory cards when you shoot to avoid running out of memory space.

Many professional photographers, like me, will only photograph in raw. This is because we want the quality. If we desire to produce a JPEG file for assessment purposes we can simply create a copy later on. In the meantime we know that we are producing superior quality. The pictures look sharper and clearer. We also know they will stand the test of time.

Raw is more interesting from a creative sense. Colours are very sharp, landscapes clearer, and your pictures are better exposed. The shade and highlights are not as prone to exposure problems as they would be in JPEG. Raw seems to balance out the lighting. In truth it is simply picking up more finer details in the scene. This is idyllic for photographing people and wedding ceremonies, night and dim light shots.

Wedding photos can be fairly complicated when you have many different regions of light. Some of these highlights can work in opposition to somebody's skin tone. Shooting in raw can help retain beauty in skin color tones. A person's skin and natural colouring will look warm and soft when you photograph in raw. This is why lots of wedding and portrait photographers photograph in raw alone.

I recommend shooting in raw all the time. Not only will it be better than a JPEG shot but you will love the quality. Your photos look sharper, clear and more crisp. You get a healthier variety of vibrancy and light. It will dramatically improve your photography. Happy shooting!

Amy Renfrey has been a professional photographer for 8 years. She has developed a training package of ebooks to show you how to take the most stunning photos every single time you press the shutter button, even if you know nothing about photography and have never used a digital camera before. To discover how to do photography better than ever, visit her website today. http://www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com/focusezineSub1.htm

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To Get Better Landscape Photography, Your Camera Gear Should Include Neutral Density Filters!

Today's photo tip concerns the neutral density filter. To get better landscape photography, this is another piece of camera gear that should be in your bag at all times! It's another filter effect that can't be duplicated after the fact. It has to be in the camera.

I'm sure you've seen landscape photography of a waterfall.

You can shoot it so that every drop of water is in sharp relief... or you can shoot it so that it looks like a massive string of cotton candy! And everything in between!

By the way, did you know that Niagara Falls actually stopped flowing in 1848 for about 20 hours because there was ice that was blocking the Niagara River? Imagine a before and after shot of THAT!

Anyway, back to our tip...

We know that to get the sharp image, we need a fast shutter speed and to get the cotton candy blur we need a slow one.

Another good reason to put your camera on manual! You will never get award winning shots on automatic! They will look like everyone else's.

What if we want a really slow shutter speed, but it is a bright day? As you know, only a certain amount of light can be let in for a good exposure - if you let in too much, it will ruin the shot.

So we first start closing down the aperture. What if that isn't enough? What if we are at the smallest aperture setting - and we still have too much light.

Our next option would be to go with the slowest film or ISO setting we can. That is nice, it will give us nicely saturated, noise free shots... but there are limitations.

Since our problem is that too much light is entering the lens, the simple fix is to block some of that light.

Enter the "Neutral Density Filter".

The neutral density filter is a filter that is designed to block a certain amount of light. That's all! It doesn't alter the light in any way - it's neutral. The light entering the lens has all the same properties; there is just less of it.

Voilla! You are now able to shoot that silky, cotton candy waterfall - on a bright sunny day!

Neutral density filters come in various strengths. You can block one stop of light, three, five, and so on. Plus various densities can be "stacked" for even more light blockage. You could put a five stop and a three stop neutral density filter together for eight full stops! (That is a LOT of light!)

Neutral density filters have lots of uses, not just for waterfalls. In tomorrows photo tip article, I'll go into even more cool things you can do to improve your landscape photography with these indispensable camera gear accessories.

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

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.

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The 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/

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Tips to Photographing Flowers

You see them everywhere, flowers in full bloom. They are colorful and so easy to photograph. You can use them as art prints, backgrounds for images, Facebook Timeline Cover pages, or just for the joy of capturing the beauty of a flower. There are some "tricks" that can elevate your images beyond snapshot level, into images that really express a flower's magic.

If you add only a handful of these approaches to your photography, you will be amazed at the results.

Camera tricks:

Use a shallow depth of field (get your f-stop or aperture set to the lowest number you can.) This gives you a sea of color while making one flower pop out.Try a slow shutter speed, 1/30th, 15th or even 3 seconds, on a windy or breezy day. This creates a wonderfully pastel emotional image.Get close in, macro if you can. You will see unique detail rarely seen that will delight the viewer, especially if you print it very large.Bring along some tools - reflector cards to open up shadows, large cards to act as wind block. You can bring along a colored card or even a photo of a background to put behind the flower, have the background go out of focus for a believable transition.Set your file size to as large as you can for prints or cropping options.

Composition tricks:

Get down low, "eye" level with the flower; unique angles always make flower shots interesting.Look for lines and shapes, like diagonals, s shaped curves to give the image a flow. Use them as foreground elements to frame your main subject.Photograph them really early in the morning or just as the sun goes down for rich soft light on them.Spray water on them for that morning dew look.Always place your "key" flower into the rule of thirds grid for most impact. Work with depth of field to isolate or find one that is a different color than the rest. Find one that is somehow different from its surroundings.

Unique uses:

Use them as background elements to float smaller images on top off.Create a larger image and put real flowers in front of them.Use them on your timeline photo in Facebook.They can become texture overlays to your portrait photographs.Create your own greeting cards with them.Add inspirational copy to them then print or post them to mentally frame your day.

That old phrase, "stop and smell the roses" could also have you stopping to photo the flowers. They and their beauty don't last long but a photograph will enrich your life with their beauty forever.

Mark Laurie is a Master Photographer, international speaker, author and studio mentor. He teaches extensively in England and Canada. His Revealing Venus Nude & Glamour Photography Workshop is run in Italy. Mark has published 7 books. You can find information on his books, photography, and training at http://www.innerspiritphoto.com/. He is on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/innerspiritphoto

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Tricks to Photography Without the Need for All the Bells and Whistles

Taking photographs is fun! You can capture special family moments- your children's 'firsts' - first smile - 'click', first tastes of food 'click', first steps 'click, click, click'. Taking scenic photos are also fun to do, there are many tricks to photography you can use to get just the right scene captured.

But How?

When we were children our mothers told us to point the camera at what we wanted to capture, hold your breath to steady yourself and push the button - good advice that you can use as a grown up photographer! Now a days there are many cameras on the market complete with all the bells, whistles and lenses you could ever imagine. Unless you have a money tree, affording the fancy equipment is out of reach for many. Putting all the technology aside, how do you make a good shot into a great shot?

Well here are a few tips to get you in the right headspace:

Great photos are not captured by cameras, but by people using the cameraA shot needs to be thought about, considered carefully, you must constantly be on the lookout for opportunities, brilliance doesn't work on a scheduleWhat feeling do you want the person viewing the photographs to have when looking at them? If taking portrait shots, which part of the persons personality do you want to capture? Take time to decide this and your whole set of photographs can be styled on this themeTake a lot of photos of the same pose if you're subjects are moving, some cameras have a setting for shooting bursts of images - you can get some amazing facial expressions in a mixed bag of shots!!

Low Key Photography

One example of a really cool photography technique is called low key photography, this explained is simply dark tones to your photos - you have one light in a dark room. It's all about illumination and elimination! You will have seen classic images of an object illuminated by a single light with a pitch black back ground or a portrait of a human face, with half of the face in darkness, instead of the shadows in your photographs being your enemy, they become the focus of your scene and the trick is to manipulate the light and the position of the person/object you are photographing so that the shadows fall in exactly the spot you need, you can get some very effective shots by using this technique.

You could use two rooms - block all light to one room and use the door adjoining rooms to let in the required amount of light.Always keep the back drop black or dark grey and avoid the light hitting the camera or background.Another effective method is go use streetlights at night time as your light source

Have a go at low key photography using your children as subjects! They'll love being the 'star of the show', one common method is to draw a circle or symbol on the floor where you have already calculated is giving the correct amount of illumination - ask your child to look at it so as to keep them still and give them a focus point (the marking can be photo-shopped out later)

The effort spent setting up great shots is well worth it when you have an excellent album of shots to show your friends... they won't believe you when you say you didn't have a lot of fancy camera equipment to capture them, just some tried and true tips and tricks to photography.

If you really want to be successful in taking photos which are amazing and get all the essential tricks to photography. Go to this site immediately - tricksinphotographyinfo.com

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The Best Greeting Cards Are Those With The Personal Touch

Looking through the ranks of greeting cards on offer in most stationers and card shops, it can sometimes feel as though it's more or less impossible to find exactly what you're looking for. Spotting an image and sentiment which exactly matches both the personality of the recipient and the nature of the occasion which you wish to mark can often be incredibly tricky. After all, you want the person receiving the card to know just how much they mean to you, and making do with a card which is less than ideal won't really do this. One way of making sure the message you wish to convey gets across loud and clear, however, is to create personalized greeting cards, meaning that you have total control of every aspect of the cards appearance and the message which it gets across.

In the past, creating your own card would have required at least a modicum of artistic skill, as well as specialized materials and equipment, and for this reason most people would have felt it was a step beyond their capabilities. No matter how delighted a recipient may be upon discovering you've taken the time to fashion a card on their behalf, this pleasure would be tempered somewhat if the card in question appeared somewhat shoddy and amateur in nature. Digital technology, however, has made it possible for anyone to select an image from their own collection of photographs and use this as the basis for a card.

With every image you've captured on your digital camera, mobile phone or hand held tablet to choose from, finding one which is absolutely perfect should be simplicity itself. If you wish to celebrate an anniversary, for example, then you might wish to use a shot of the happy couple together, whereas something like a thank you card following a child's birthday will have a massive impact if it features an image of the child in question happily playing with their gifts. Once you've made your choice, you merely have to upload the selected image to the relevant website and then use the software provided to tweak and modify every feature, from the size and shape to the presence of any text. Once you've done this, the card will be printed to the highest professional standards and will come complete with an envelope, ready to send and make someone's day. A card such as this won't just delight on the day it's sent, but will continue to give pleasure for years afterwards. The same simple techniques can be used to take whole collections of special photographs out of the photo albums in which they now reside and have them, instead, displayed in all their glory in bespoke, luxurious photo books.

Whether you wish to create small items such as greeting cards to celebrate special days, or push the boat out with top of the range photo books to give as once in a lifetime gifts, the options opened up by digital photography are virtually boundless.

Preserve your golden memories of life by engraving those precious greeting cards and online photo books through Albelli

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Set the Mood of Your Audience by Using Background Video Loops

Background video loops are short movie clips that are used to spice up your videos. They are also known as video loops, motion loops, movie background, etc. As the name suggests, they seamlessly loop into the video giving it a natural look. These background clips come handy when using green screen photography for removing the green screen and replacing it with the clip that matches the theme of the video. These are an amazing way to add entertainment to your work so that it captivates your audience. When used judiciously, they can work wonders for you by saving your time and hassle of doing everything by yourself.

Why use Motion loops?

An increasing number of producers prefer Motion Video Backgrounds over the in-house clips. This is because making such a clip is time-consuming. You will need a designer or sometimes a team of designers to make them. Hiring them will be an additional investment. Moreover, you have to ask them to make a new clip every time you need one. The most challenging part of this entire process is ensuring high quality of the clip. If your designers are not really good at their work, the quality of loop produced by them may not satisfy your audience.

You can conveniently abolish these issues by buying royalty free motion background packs. Use them whenever you want and as many times as you want. If you buy them from credible sources, you don't have to bother about the quality. The most important benefit is that buying these packs will be much cheaper than hiring designers.

Film loops are frequently used in movies behind the video title. They are used in prayer videos where they are played behind the scripture along with lyrics to give it a movie look. Wedding videographers use Wedding Video Backgrounds to make an awesome video where the bride and the groom standing in front of a satin background. These days, even video loops are played during live shows in large screens that are present in the background when the candidates perform.

The demand of loop videos has grown so much that they are available in almost any theme you want, be it abstract, corporate, holidays, romance, nature, wedding and many more. These endless varieties make your work even easier.

Choosing a motion background

Although buying loops is a great way to save time and money on your video production, you must make sure you choose a clip that entirely compliments your video. It should integrate with the original film neatly so that it seems as if the loop was exclusively made for this movie.
While choosing the video background, keep your audience in mind. Make sure you choose something that matches their taste. Even if you choose a very attractive background, if it irritates your audience, your efforts will be wasted.
The background should be of high quality so that it enhances the look of your video. A low quality clip will not loop well and will also degrade the overall quality of your movie.

Use a high quality background for your movie and give it a magical effect.

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Wedding Photography Tips for Amateurs

Wedding Photography Tip For Amateurs #1 - Be Prepared

Knowing that this is an one time event, you must get it right. So make sure that you have everything that you might think you need. If possible, get someone to help. Even if it's just to make sure that all of the people who need to be photographed are nearby. This will save you lots of time and energy. Have an extra camera, that you can give to your assistant to capture some important shots that you may be to busy to see.

What else can an assistant do? Anything that will make your job go easier! How about making sure that the brides dress is laying correctly, or moving an object that may interfere with the background out of the shot. There are so many things that you may not think about when you accept the job. And the pressure will be on. So, a second set of hands, eyes and ears may prove to be invaluable.

Tips for Amateurs #2 - Keep Your Check List Nearby

Keep your check list nearby. Theses days it is easy to handle your check list. How about making a list on you smart phone or iPad? These kinds of technology are must haves, and you won't have to worry about misplacing a sheet of paper.

List 'must have' shots you need to take. It is also important to think outside the box, here. As an amateur wedding photographer, you want to be called for another wedding, and this kind of thinking will help to grow your client base.

Besides the usual shots of the couple dancing or showing their ring hands one on top of the other try these tips:

1. The groom carrying the bride, (as in over the thresh hole).

2. Give each of the brides maids a disposable cameras and get a shot of them posed to take a shot of the bride. Do the same with the groomsmen.

3. Show the emotion of the father and the bride, as she is adjusting his tie.

These are just a few examples that will make your images special and unique. Give it some thought, you will come up with more ideas.

Wedding Photography Tips For Amateurs #3 - Include a Special Photo Shoot In Your Package For The Couple

This special shoot will help you to stand out from the crowd of other amateur wedding photographers.

As far as weddings go, most people don't think about the weeks or days before the wedding. These are special also. Ask if the couple would be interested in some photojournalism type shots of the two of them before the marriage. These might be shots of the couple together doing things such as having an intimate dinner, or hanging out partying together. This will all depend on the couple and how they interact together.

Weddings are special and as the photographer you are responsible for capturing the memories of the day. Being prepared and going the extral mile, will help thing go smoothly and stay on track.

Mary E. Foster, MFA, is a professional photographic artist. She enjoys teaching as well as working with all aspects of photography, from developing film, and making black and white prints in her darkroom to shooting digital imagery and editing it on the computer. You can find many more helpful photography tips, resources and lots of inspiration by visiting her website at http://www.photography-tips-and-resources.com/. While you are there sign up to receive a new photography tip every week through your email.

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The Nikon D5100: An Excellent Choice for the Beginner to DSLR Photography

The Digital Revolution

The last decades our world has experienced a revolution: The Digital Revolution. Digital cameras and smart phones allow almost everybody to take nice photos. Photography is a child's play. The popularity of digital cameras created such a huge market that the uninitiated must be overwhelmed by all the choices.

Point-and Shoot vs. DSLR

Having taken photos with a smart phone or point-and-shoot camera people might suddenly discover a new hobby or even passion for photography. This can find its expression in an appetite for more, for a 'real camera' that is a reflex camera with interchangeable lenses, a DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex.

The Nikon D5100 - Your Access to more Creativity

Photographic gear on the shelves ranges from top-of-the-line professional tools like the Nikon D4 to entry-level consumer cameras.

This is where the Nikon D5100 comes into play. The D5100 sits between the smaller D3100 and the high-end D7000, but offering basically the same features and quality as the much more expensive D7000.

Key Features

16.2 Mega Pixel DX-format (1.5x FOV crop) CMOS sensorSide-articulated 3.0"LCD monitor (920,000 dots)Fast 11-point Autofocus System (with 3D tracking)Sensitivity range ISO 100-6400 (expanded up to 25,600)HD movies with Full Time Autofocus (1080p, 720 or WVGA)Continuous shooting at 4 fpsIn-camera effect modes for stills and videoIn-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range)Comes with Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR lensBuilt-in Speedlight Flash with Intelligent i-TTLLive View

Handling and Feel

Digital cameras come a long way. The Nikon D5100 offers today quality and features that were not long ago only found with professional cameras. First of all, this camera with its high-resolution 16 Megapixel DX CMOS sensor and EXPEED 2 Image Processing Engine delivers an outstanding image quality. With only 822 grams, including kit lens, this small and light camera handles very well. The newbie might be confused first by all these buttons and levers on the body, but will soon realize how intuitive the layout and functions are. This is how the D5100 benefits from Nikon's decades long experience of being at the very front of professional photo gear. Dedicated buttons make a fast and efficient way of shooting possible.

The centerpiece of the D5100 is its vari-angle 3 inch LCD monitor with 920,000 dots and 170 degrees wide viewing angle, allowing for versatile high quality viewing and playback.

Try a high angle for overhead shots, shoot from the hip for candid shots or a low vantage point for looking up into the sky and last not least have fun taking a controlled self-portrait. The virtually 100% frame coverage makes it easy to check the composition while using Live View or shooting HD movies.

The clear layout of the control panel shows the most relevant settings like File Format, White Balance, ISO, Autofocus, Metering, Bracketing etc. at a glance. With pressing just two buttons, Info and Multi Selector, changes can be made easily.

The top of the body gives access to an array of additional functions. The main dial includes all the various Modes, besides an All-Auto Mode there are the standards like P=Program, S=Shutter Priority, A=Aperture Priority and M=Manual Mode.

For those willing to explore more options, there are Scene Modes like Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports etc. and even Special Effects like Night Vision, Color Sketch, Miniature Effect, Selective Color etc.

Tell your Story with a Movie

The Nikon D5100 is not only an excellent still camera, but allows also high-quality movie-making with its Full HD capabilities (1920x1080 @ 30, 25, 24 frames per second, NTSC or PAL), the most advanced in continuous autofocus tracks your moving subjects with great accuracy. Live View and D-Movie start button are conveniently located on the top and allow video sequences up to 20 minutes. In-camera editing and creative tools will improve your still and movies. There is even a special jack for an external stereo microphone to achieve professional sound quality.

Nikon Software

The Nikon D5100 comes with a simple, yet useful software ViewNX2, allowing some basic editing like Resizing, Cropping, RAW processing and Movie editing.

David Pintz has passion for photography. Check out his latest niche site, Nikon D5100 and additional recommendations for Nikon Lenses.

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Take Pictures Online

The amount of files stored on computers and mobile phones is growing more and more these days. One of the main reasons for this is that it's becoming much easier to take high quality pictures and make HD video's wherever you are these days because more and more people own a smartphone that can do these things.

Where do we store all of these digital media files? Most people store all of their digital media on their computer and/or their smartphones. But what if your computer or smartphone loses these files due to a crash or another mishap? Most of these digital media files are very precious because most of the photo's or video's you make display a special occasion or event such as the first steps of your child or another memorable event. All of the countless people that have experienced the loss of all of their precious digital media wish they had made a backup so they could recover all of those special moments in life.

Maybe it's worth considering a safe and easy way to backup your precious files. Until now, backing up your files could be done on cdr, dvdr or usb stick. But with the amount of data that comes with the high quality photo's and video's these days, it's time to look for another way to safely store your digital media files. The safest and easiest way to do this is by backing up your files online. So maybe it's time to take pictures online. This way of safely backing up all of your files is also known as cloud storage. It's a fast, safe and very easy way to backup all of your precious files and there's more than enough space available to store all your hd photo's and video's and you can even backup all of your music.

Another great benefit of this type of file storage is that you can also access all of your files with your smartphone. So if you want to free some memory on your smartphone, you can easily store some files online. On the other hand you can also download some files from your online storage to your smartphone. This can be very handy if you want to listen to a song that's not on your phone or if you want to show a picture to someone that came from your computer. With the growing amount of people who can go online with their smartphone, there is also a growing demand in online file storage.

Find out more about online storage

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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.

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William Klein Exhibits His 1950s Series "Rome" in Paris, France

The Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris has recently opened a new series of exhibitions, including William Klein's work from Rome in the late 1950s.

Having myself lived in Rome for six months and Italy for more than 4 years, it's always interesting for me to see photographs of Italy and the Italians. The cities, even when falling down, remain beautiful and the people always have a special charm.

Overall, I feel the exhibition is successful and interesting although I have a few issues, particularly with choices concerning style of presentation. That said, it's inevitable to compare this work on Rome with his preceding project on his native New York. And I must say that the Rome work, while interesting and with some very strong images, doesn't attain the same level of his work from New York. I'm not sure if this is a consequence of spending more time in New York, a better understanding of New York than Rome and Italian culture, perhaps his lack of a mastery of the Italian language or if it's simply a reflection of the different character of the two people and the two cities, but the Rome work, with exceptions, seems less powerful. Certainly it is much less edgy than the New York work. We don't have kids angrily pointing guns at the photographer or faceless adults pointing guns at kids but while the text presented with the exhibit (one of my biggest disappointments about the show) makes frequent references to the intense poverty in and around Rome after World War II we don't tend to sense the same kind of misery and hardship that the work from New York often shows.

In general, while there are some quite beautiful photographs in the exhibition, it sometimes did feel more like the view of a casual tourist who is enchanted with the Italians and the often beautiful Italian climate. While there are street shots of passersby--just as in the New York series--they don't always seem to have the same raw energy as the New York work.

Now, in terms of the actual installation of the exhibition, there were a couple points that I found a bit troubling. The main one was the handling of the text. Frequently photos were presented with large laminated sheets of rather voluminous text. It was never really clear what the exact relationship of this text to the photographs was. Mostly it seemed to present general commentary on Roman or Italian society. I found it to be much too wordy and I regretted that none of the photos had a simple label indicating the date and location of the photographs. Each gallery did have a plastified sheet that spoke of nearly all the photographs--and here one could find the location of the photos. However, this also was filled with lengthy texts which were primarily historical quotes from writers, historians, etc. commenting on something relating to the photo. While it was somewhat interesting to hear what Goethe or Dickins or some other literary figure had said one hundred or more years before Klein about the section of Rome shown in Klein's photograph, I generally found it irrelevant--only barely giving me a greater sense of understanding of Italian or Roman culture or history--and offering no insight into the work of Klein.

The other issue was the size of the reproductions. Many of these images where large poster size. They were good quality reproductions and some of the images held up well at this size but many of the images didn't live up to the scale. Clearly they're were some quick and minor snapshots that Klein took that the museum decided to present (already questionable in some cases) and at a size that their importance couldn't live up to. Clearly the museum was trying to present an exhibition that would seem to live up to Klein's reputation from his early photographic work. However, I don't think this work is always at the highest level and it may actually have come across more strongly if the photos had been presented at the much smaller size that they were undoubtedly printed in the late 50s and early 60s. In essence, I think the museum was trying to fill a big space and to suggest something like a blockbuster show and so they inflated the image sizes but the consequence is making the work actually look weaker and Klein more full of himself for wanting to present huge photos of some less than brilliant shots.

The exhibit is definitely worth visiting, there are many very strong and beautiful photos. In my opinion this is not the best work of Klein's career but it does give us a glimpse of Italy in the late 50s. It's not the powerful vision he had of New York but it's interesting although less resolved and less distilled. I'm not sure we really get to the heart of who the Romans are or what the reality of their world was in the late 50s. Maybe Klein didn't spend enough time in Rome, maybe his Italian language skills weren't strong enough to enable him to have the bantering interaction with his subjects one imagines he had in New York. In the end it's a "nice" show but not a great exhibition.

Michael McCarthy
Atelier Vagabond

Michael McCarthy writes photo- and arts-related reviews for the Atelier Vagabond blog while also offering short photo tours, workshops and classes in photography and art in the Paris, France region. http://www.ateliervagabond.com/. To see more of Michael's personal art work, visit his site: http://www.michael-mccarthy.com/

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