Free and Low Cost Photography and Business Training Resources

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I am always someone who wants to learn new things—especially in the art of photography. Today, there is so much available on the internet. In this post I am going to write about four resources that will hopefully help catapult you to mastering a new skill. 

YouTube is free and you can find anything.  I love YouTube! Not only is this a free resource, but it also leads me to other tutorials when I can’t find exactly what I need. If you have never been on this website, YouTube is a site where people can upload their videos of just about anything. I have found countless snippets of tutorials posted by photographers explaining various processes related to photography. You can also get behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots—which is really helpful if you are a beginner or someone who just wants to improve their camera skills. If you find a photog that you like, you can sign up for a free subscription to their uploads. When you do this, you will receive an e-mail notification every time that person makes an entry on the site.   

URL: www.youtube.com

Adorama is not just a site for product purchases. Adorama is not only a great business to purchase photography equipment from but also is a good resource for low cost and free training. There are several ways to access tutorials through Adorama’s site. The first is to take one of their live workshops. Most of them focus on photography and business and cost around $25.  If you don’t want to pay for training, you can watch videos from their AdoramaTV series. These videos are free and focus on photography related content.  Last, their Learning Center serves as an online collection of articles and blog posts that provide tutorial information. URL: www.adorama.com

CreativeLIVE is an online training resource specializing in workshops. I absolutely love this website! CreativeLIVE offers workshops that are taught by professional photographers and graphic artists and are fully interactive with classroom and online students. These workshops are usually 3 days in length and are free if you watch them live. If you choose to download the content the initial price is $99. If you purchase the download after the workshop ends the price usually jumps to $149. URL: www.creativelive.com

Professional photographers offer training DVDs too! If you admire a particular photog’s work check their website for a blog or DVD offering. Most photographers have a blog linked to their site where they showcase their work and other things. You might be able to access free tips there.  Also, some actually sell training DVDs that focus on the photography business. Two worth checking out are Me Ra Koh and Zach and Jody Gray.  These photographers offer excellent DVDs that outline basic business principles and cover technical photographic information. URL: www.merakoh.com  URL: www.zachandjody.com

Lisa

Styling Your Kids for Photo Sessions

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Clients often ask me how they should dress their kids for their upcoming photo shoot. Before I offer my suggestions I ask them what type of pictures and stories they are hoping to tell with their images. I also inquire about their kids’ personalities. As a mom or dad, you will cherish the pictures that best reflect your child’s character.

 
Hats do so much. Hats are a fantastic way to accessorize your child. There are so many types and they do a great job reflecting a kid’s charisma and charm. Types of hats to look for are beanies, newsboys, island hats, western types, fedoras, and sun hats.

Go for interesting shoes. Like hats, shoes can also tell a story. Ruby and glass slippers reveal a little girl’s appreciation for fantasy. Cowboy boots may reveal a demographic or family’s way of life. Ballerina shoes tell of a daughter’s interest of dancing or the arts. 

Layers serve more than one purpose. I don’t know how often I have been asked to take family portraits during the months of November and December. Usually it is quite chilly during this time of year when folks rush to get their portraits done for their Christmas cards. Often, the kids are unhappy when they are cold.  Dress them in layers to not only keep them warm (and happy) but also to stylize them.  Items like scarves, cute jackets, tutus, and leggings add personality to any image.

High contrast gear really tells the story. Images that speak the most to me are the ones that have contradicting elements in them. I love the paradox that these types of pictures provide. For example, a little boy dressed in his dad’s fireman boots depicts a bond between father and son. A girl prancing around in her mother’s heels and beads is also a favorite of mine. What girl doesn’t like to go through her mom’s closet?

If you are stumped for ideas on how to dress your kids for photo shoots, even after you’ve decided on what approach you want to take (formal, casual, dress up), cull the internet for ideas. Websites like Pinterest, ETSY, and other photographer’s portfolio sites are helpful when deciding on wardrobe for shoots. Take the time before the shoot to plan out the stylistic looks for your family. This will make your images stand out and give more impact to each shot!

Cheers,

Lisa



blog images courtesy of www.pinterest.com

Focusing Your Camera

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Whether you are a hobbyist photographer or a pro, it is important to maintain focus on the subject. Without proper focus, an image will misrepresent the meaning the artist is trying to convey or ruin the image entirely. There are several things I think about every time while focusing in on the subject of my images. 

Determine the Subject. The first thing I do is figure out what I want to focus on. I want all of my images to create a story or communicate some type of message. It’s important to pick something to focus on that will convey a certain message to your audience. If I am taking a picture of a landscape, I choose an interesting point of focus and make sure that there aren’t any elements surrounding my subject that will distract from it. If there are distracting elements that I cannot do anything about then I usually try to blur out the distraction. If the subject is a person, I almost always focus on the eyes. 

Using Your Focus Points. If you have a camera that has more than one focus point, there are several options available to you when focusing your camera. While looking through the lens, move to a point that is closest to your subject before hitting the shutter. This will allow you to get the best focus on what you are photographing. Do this when you encounter fast moving subjects like small children. In addition, you can also use the center point to focus on your subject and then recompose the shot after the focus has been locked. I prefer this method especially when I have slow moving subjects or still objects.

Keep Subjects on the Same Plane. When photographing more than one person or subject, it is important to keep each subject on the same plane. What I mean by this is to have both individuals and items aligned side by side or vertically.  This will help you to avoid keeping one of the subjects more focused than the other.

Avoid Camera Shake. Shaking your camera-even slightly-is so easy to do. Using a tripod greatly reduces the camera from shaking. If you are like me and either don’t like using a tripod or have fast moving subjects, plant yourself by locking your legs into a wide stance before pressing the shutter.

There are many other things in addition to this list that can lessen the odds of out-of-focus pictures. I tried to narrow down the top four (in my mind) that would be the most helpful to those of you that struggle with focusing. Remember, this is something that takes a lot of practice! Don’t give up if you are facing this dilemma when shooting. At times, we all struggle with focusing issues! 

Till next time, 

Lisa

Image source: http://photography.about.com/od/camerabasics/qt/Autofocus-Points-What-Are-Autofocus-Points-On-A-Camera.htm