Imagine 123 Photography
Recommendations From Top Photographers
Making Money With Your Photography
May 9th
Although it can be difficult to make a living as a photographer, I have personally done so in a number of ways over the years. One way I recommend making money with photography is making it part of or the whole full-time job you choose. Many companies need an amateur or professional photographer on staff take photos of people, products, and other subject matter. Having someone on staff to photograph can save them money. Often, the company will train people to photograph, or rely on the person’s known expertise.
A second way to make money with photography is to sell photos to stock photography websites. Some photos make quite a bit of money, while others make nothing. You can do your best to guess which photos will be successful and sell, but you really don’t always know. What is necessary when selling stock photography is to always feature your best work. Stock photography does provide a full living for many photographers and for others provides supplemental income.
A third terrific way to make money as a photographer is to photograph sporting events, weddings, babies, couples, etc. To make money in all these cases and more as a photographer, you can get work by networking, advertising, putting up your website, promoting yourself through social media, getting recognized by referrals, and doing free work at times.
Posing for Photographs
May 9th
When posing for photographs, not everyone (including myself), is a natural model. It is helpful to spend some time on your own looking in the mirror and photographing yourself. This way you know the best angles, ways to turn your head, expressions, and whether or not to show your teeth when smiling for photos. It is also useful, when posing for photos, to remember to always take the time to look your best immediately.
It could be that no one will see each photo, or photos could be posted to Facebook and tagged for many to see. Or, you may want copies of the photos yourself for later use. Often people are judged by how they look in photos. That is unfortunate, but part of human nature. It can only help to practice being photogenic on the spot.
Preparing for Photos by Paying Close Attention to Detail
May 9th
Preparing for photos is important as the quality can be notably increased. For example, if taking the time to have a number of people stand for a photograph, later when the photograph has been taken and everyone is reviewing it, people will notice their smiles, how close they are, if they are blinking, lighting, shadows, cropping, etc. It is necessary to take the extra seconds or minute to pay attention to those close details while taking photos. Although you could review photos while they’re being taken, usually it is best to look at each photo briefly as it pops up on the digital camera back screen.
Everyone wants to look good in a photo, smile in an appealing way, and be visible. Taking the time to carefully shoot each photo will prevent a lot of time later selecting from photos which each have good components, but not everything in one photo.
Framing Photos on the Spot or Cropping Them Later
May 9th
Some photographers like to shoot a larger scene and crop later. Cropping photos after taking them does offer the ability to explore artistic creativity. But, cropping photographs later takes a lot of time and lowers resolution due to zooming in. I have gotten used to sometimes taking a larger photo with the ability to crop later, and the other half of the time framing the shot on the spot.
Framing a photograph while taking it offers the ability to save time later and maximize resolution, not to mention quality. Framing a photo perfectly the first time means there is a higher chance that later when you review your photos, you can identify the winners.
What Camera to Bring to Photograph Events
May 9th
When I am going out to photograph sports events, a family celebration, a model show, or other happening, it is necessary to bring the right cameras. These days, I don’t generally bring traditional film cameras just so that I can save money and have flexibility. I bring my best larger digital camera to events where I know I’ll have the time and ability to use it. If I’m on the run and I know I don’t have any space for a large camera, I’ll generally bring a compact, portable digital camera. That way, in case some great subject matter appears, at least I do have a camera. In other cases where I am not going out to photograph an event, I always ensure I have my iPhone with me so that at least I can capture a decent quality image in a pinch. Of course, other phones beyond iPhones, such as Androids, also feature cameras.
In most cases, the cameras featured now on cell phones are ideal just for portability and to use and a pinch. I feel that anytime I am going to actually shoot an event, I want to bring the best camera I can carry and conveniently use.
Choosing Between Digital and Traditional Film Photography
May 9th
When choosing between digital and traditional film photography, there are quite a few options to consider. In most cases, digital photography does make more sense these days, but there are some exceptions.
Digital photography allows the photographer to take a large number of photos and delete them at will. When taking digital photographs, the result is seen immediately and settings can be changed as needed on the camera to improve photographs being taken. As photographs are taken, digital photography allows the photographer to see and compose the photo live. Many digital cameras also often video capabilities with audio. Digital cameras generally use rechargeable batteries, so as needed extra batteries can be on hand. There are many filters to use with digital photographs to make them look like traditional film photographs.
Traditional film photography often allows for high resolution photos. With traditional photography, it can also be argued that quality is often better than digital photography. This is sometimes the case, depending on film and camera. Large format traditional cameras with film and take photographs that would be difficult to duplicate with a digital camera. Digital cameras can record a somewhat limited amount of resolution which depends on camera and settings.