Photography

Photo Editing Tips And Tricks For Beginners 2020

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If you have decided that it is time to dive into the photography world, the first thing you’ll have to do is to, of course, purchase your first professional camera. Besides learning some photography tips and tricks, there is one thing that you might find confusing and a bit overwhelming as a beginner – editing your picture.

When it comes to using photo editing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom, there are literally thousands of things that you can do with your pictures. However, if you are just starting out, you should first learn some basic things that will allow you to enhance your pictures – and this is exactly what this article can help you with. Let’s take a closer look at the tips and tricks:

1. Learn How to Correct The Exposure

Now, although it sounds quite difficult, it actually is not. Basically, it will require you to create a balance between three important things – the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. If you manage to get the balance right, you will get a photograph that is perfectly balanced. Hence, there will be no blown details or highlights, and nothing will get lost in the shadows or dark areas.

One of the most useful and powerful tools for determining if you adjusted the exposure properly is to look at the histogram in the program you are using. It shows you the tonal values for the entire image. When you look at it, you’ll be able to see whether it is even or if it needs more adjustment.

To adjust the exposure, all you will have to do is move the sliders to increase the exposure if the picture is dark or you can decrease it if it is bright. If there is overexposure, you can also recover the highlights. Hence, when you first load the picture to the editing program, take care of the exposure first.

Source: photopick.com

2. The White Balance is Important as Well

Although you might know what white balance is, it is still worth mentioning. Basically, the white balance is the adjustment of your camera that reads the temperatures of the light in relation to neutral white. A good balance should represent white to be white as it is naturally, and there should be no colors that can change the, let’s say, the whiteness of the color white.

However, if you will need to find a balance as well. And, just like adjusting the exposure, you can adjust this as well. If you want a warmer or colder white, you can adjust it with the sliders in your editing software. But, there is one thing that you should keep in mind, your images should not be too orange, cold, or yellow since they will not look good.

Source: photographypro.com

3. The Easiest Thing to Adjust Will Be The Contrast

When it comes to the contrast of your picture, this is perhaps the easiest thing to learn. Simply said, it revolves around how strong the darker areas of your image are. After you finish the previously mentioned adjustments (contrast + white balance), your images might look a little bit flat and bland.

All it will need is a quick fix on the black areas, any shadows, highlight, and lighter areas. However, you should not cut the white or black if you want more contrast. You can choose to use curve tabs – which is the one that displays a grid with curvy lines – for adjusting your contrast. If you want to see what professionals can help you with, you can check out Background Remove.

Source: www.reddit.com

4. Noise Adjustment and Sharpening You Pictures

You should also find the tab that will allow you to adjust how sharp your pictures are, as well as the noise levels. Once again, you should not change it too much, slight adjustments are required for this. Now, it is extremely important to view the image at 100 percent, especially since this will allow you to see everything that you are changing.

Another thing that you should pay attention to is the luminance – which revolves around the smoothness of the pixels. You’ll not want to add too much since it will lead to the image losing definition. The colors have to do with the level of RGB pixels and if you make some drastic adjustments, you will either lose colors or make the pixels too saturated.

Source: pinterest.com

5. Do Not Be Afraid to Try Presets

Depending on what software you are using, you might be able to locate a preset panel. When learning how to edit your pictures, one of the best things you can do is to experiment with preset colors. This is incredibly fun as well, especially since you can undo your choices, hence, you can always adjust your pictures as you want.

There are presets that you can get for free, however, you can also purchase presets that were created by other people. Now, it is recommended that you first experiment with the free ones. This is especially important if you are just starting out with photo editing software.

Source: filterhero.ru.com

Bonus Tip – Do Not Forget to Use The Shortcuts

This is perhaps the most important thing that you will read in this article, especially since it is extremely useful. Do not forget to use shortcuts! Using them will not only save you a lot of time and effort but, it will also allow you to command the program better. For example, if you are using Photoshop, you can simply zoom in by pressing and holding the “H” button. This will allow you to zoom in on a specific area. Hence, try and learn the basic shortcuts that will save you time – and your nerves as well.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are various things that you can do to enhance your images, and by following the tips and tricks from this article, you will be able to get photographs that are perfectly edited. So, now that you know what you can do, do not waste any more time and start trying editing the pictures you took right away!

7 Ways to Make Money With a Drone

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Drones have gained extreme popularity over the last few years. They were used mainly for military assignments but they are now very easily accessible to everyone. In spite of the skeptical prognosis, drones are here to stay and their popularity steadily increases. The sales so far have exceeded one billion dollars in the U.S. alone. This says enough about their use, practicality and overall popularity among people. They are now very affordable which enables entrepreneurs to use their power for various purposes. Here are a few ways to make money with a drone.

  1. Making photographs with drones

Source:adorama.com

Photographs are sometimes hard to make and some customers simply want unusual angles, pictures taken on multiple areas and hiring more people can be costly. On the other hand, by using a drone, you can get a better angle, shoot up close and establish a name for yourself as a person who knows how to make the best photographs of music concerts, festivals, and weddings.

Choose your niche and polish your skills while putting some cash into your pockets. It is essential to spend some time exploring the options that the drones can give you as a photographer, so when the time comes to work for a client you can really say that you’ve mastered the skills necessary for good photography.

  1. Use drones for aerial viewing

Source:pixpa.com

Sometimes there is a need for aerial viewing, inspection, or taking pictures from the air and it is much easier and cheaper to do it with the drone instead of paying an enormous amount of money for a helicopter or a plane. The reasons can be very diverse, such as digital mapping, topography, feature recognition, archaeology or recordings that can be used for short films or music videos. The uses of drones are very diverse and it seems like the ways they can be used are endless.

Utility companies have been using helicopters and airplanes for many years before drones appeared. Drones are much cheaper and safer because they only require human guidance from a safe distance without any danger which is pretty rewarding by itself. Because of their size, they can be used just about anywhere.

  1. Selling drones

Source:dronehouse.us

Considering that so many people want to purchase drones, opening a store for selling drones, can be a great endeavor that can become profitable pretty fast. There are two ways to start this type of business – to open a store, invest some money to buy a number of models and start advertising, and the other way – opening an online store where you don’t have to have a lot of products in stock, and focus more on establishing your presence online. Once you gain the first customer, it will become easier for you to grow your reputation. Make sure you build a good relationship with your customers because there is no better advertisement than a satisfied client. Also, if you own old drones that you don’t need any more, you can sell them and earn some money this way too.

  1. Renting drones

Source:medium.com

This is a very smart way of utilizing your drone. The need for drones is enormous and it is steadily growing. Some people simply don’t want to invest a lot of money if they only need it for a day or two. This is when the renting part comes in. You can rent the drone you own to someone who needs it for an affordable price, making a win-win situation – you will earn money, while your customer will have the drone at a reasonable price. Just make sure you have the insurance in place in case something happens to it, so you don’t have any additional expenses.

  1. Drone reparation

Considering that drones cost a significant amount of money, investing in improving your knowledge in drone reparation and becoming an expert can be very profitable and cost-effective. It is certain that you would get numerous customers in a short period of time because the reparation costs less than buying a new one. Customers don’t like waiting for days to get their drones repaired – is not fun at all, so providing a fast and reliable service will surely bring your money fast.

  1. Become a drone programmer

Source:scifiinterfaces.com

Besides the hardware that is very much visible, the software is what counts. Without it, it would be useless, so taking the time to learn everything you can about the software, is definitely profitable. There are a lot of startups and programming companies that appear on the market constantly, so it is something to consider. If you already have programming skills, then upgrading them would mean that you can offer your services to the drone users. This is something that has a very high potential. Learn everything you can about the options that drones can offer and learn how to utilize them and show your customers how to make the most of it.

  1. Organize a course about drones

Source:preventionweb.net

Because of all these previously mentioned reasons, lots of people would surely invest in a course about drones. If you’ve become an expert in drone functions and you’ve learned all the essential characteristics about them, share your knowledge. This especially applies to the knowledge about making photographs and videos with drones. Considering that these two areas are still unexplored, it is certainly profitable to shed some light and share some tricks and insights that you personally discovered and learned from various sources. Providing all this information in one place will surely get you the attention you want, so you can profit from it.

Dronesvilla.com came up with over 25 different drone business ideas and these were the ideas that we think are the best of the bunch. Choose the idea that is the most appealing to you and create a good plan that can help you achieve your goal – make a profit and develop your skills while offering a good and quality service to your customers.

3 photographic techniques for capturing professional images

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It’s true that one of the main attributes that a good photographer needs to have is the accurate look, but that’s not all. It is necessary to study the theory a little to know and be able to use various effects and techniques that make the photographs more beautiful and professional.

We’ve talked a bit here about some editing tricks for anyone who wants to do a post-production and leave a more professional-looking photo. However, there are techniques that the photographer needs to know before taking the photo, so that he can apply his knowledge at the time of shooting. See some of these effects in this selection and learn how to get them with your camera.

Img source: androidauthority.com

Bokeh

The Bokeh effect is quite visible when there are small sources of light in the blurred background.  The word “Bokeh” comes from the original term “Boke”, which in Japanese has a meaning close to “blur”. This effect has a fairly broad definition and is easily recognizable, but often it is mistaken for macro photography. Although they are almost complementary effects, they are not exactly the same technique. Bokeh is mainly recognized by the disk-shaped blur that is caused by the lights or areas at the bottom of the image, looking like little balls in most cases. Some photographers place filters in front of the lens with special shapes, such as a star or heart, so that the Bokeh blurs stay that way.

Lens Flare

Lens Flare are these colorful “rings” and distortions caused by the angle of light entering the lens. We have already mentioned the Lens Flare around here quickly, but it is worth talking about once more. It was born as an imperfection, but ended up falling to the graces of photographers and today is used on purpose as an aesthetic effect in photography.

The Lens Flare is nothing more than a distortion of the ray of light when it enters directly through the lens – but by the edges, not exactly the center. For example, when you point the camera at the sky and the sun is causing a reflection on the sides of the photograph or still on the edge of some element of the landscape. This happens a lot in photographs of the sunset, since at that time the star is directly illuminating the lens at a favorable angle.

Img source: iso.500px.com

Golden Hour

It’s not just the Lens Flare that looks better (and more naturally) at sunset or at sunrise – these times are the “darlings” of photographers. What favors the aesthetics of photography at these times is the angulation of the sun, which is directly illuminating the elements of the photo at a front angle, and not much inclined. The lighting, especially in low key lighting situation, is softer and the shadows are less “hard” but the whole scene is illuminated, causing an interesting dramatic effect.

The three photography techniques above are very important to know, even by beginners. Good luck and have a try.

Thomas W. P. Slatin Has A Few Tips On Photography And Writing For You

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While having a 9 to 5 job might be considered as a stable and risk-free way to acquire monthly income, being self-employed has more than a few benefits over it. Now, while running your own business or doing freelance jobs is not as simple and requires a lot of effort and time to be put in you still get a lot of freedom compared to being someone’s regular employee and you are the one who gets to decide on the next business move.

In the past few decades internet has had a huge effect on our society, and although there are certain cons to its use it still allows for a lot of benefits among which the biggest one is the fact that you can earn money from the comfort of your home. And that is what Thomas W. P. Slatin realized when he started writing and blogging in 1998. Now, he is a master photographer, web designer, and a writer providing worldwide services for those interested. For the past 20 years, he has gathered up quite an experience and can surely shed some light on how to become successful in the freelance business.

source: tomslatin.com

The Beginnings Of Thomas W. P. Slatin

Thomas is a great example of how following your heart and dreams is something we should all do. Although he was initially interested into becoming a part of the medical staff and worked as a firefighter at one point he very soon after realized that it is not something that fulfills him and decided to start writing on daily basis. And now, 20 years after, Thomas Slatin can safely claim that he is among the most followed alternative writers given the fact that he has over 500k followers when we combine all the social platforms. There is no doubt why – his writing style is quite unique as he most resembles and writes about life situations through a journalistic first-person style. Every story is unique and leads you into reading more.

source: emulsive.org

Along with that, this urban adventurer enjoys taking photos of nature and urban life situations. Don’t get confused if you scroll down the iStock and run into more than a few photos by this man. He has a diverse set of photos in his collection but all carry the same message – urban adventure.

What Does Thomas Slatin Have To Say About Maximizing Your Potential

source: tomslatin.com

Now, Thomas has a few tips for all of you that enjoy writing. If you are thinking about a blog there are two things you should know – a blog should be consistent and unique. Feel free to develop your own style and don’t shy away from writing on the situations you have experienced as people love reading those given the fact that they can relate in certain cases. Along with that, as Thomas claims writing is not something that you should do as a job – of course, it can bring you a good income, but unless you really enjoy the content yourself, you will not be able to provide the needed quality. He concludes suggesting that writing is an amazing form of art that allows you to express your thoughts, emotions and send a message in just a few sentences.

On the other hand, with photography being his second love he thinks of one element in it as the most important and that is light. A good light creates any captured moment even more mesmerizing. Of course, you should approach the model or the figure with a sense of understanding – your goal is to capture it and it is up to a viewer to interpret it as they like.

Summary

Thomas W. P. Slatin, a man who has been in the freelance industry for over 20 years is certainly the best example that effort and faith are the two essentials to achieving your dreams. After 20 years of working in the writing and photography industry, he is now able to advise others on the matter and help young talents on the path to success!

Robert Voltaire – A Photographer That Lifts Our Spirit

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Photography is one of the modern types of art that has existed for less than 2 centuries but has achieved a huge effect for that short time. And though classic paintings are still a thing to behold, photography allows the artist to remain unique while spreading the message in a simpler manner. Now, there are different types of photography – some professionals enjoy taking nature and adventure photos; others enjoy taking photos regarding daily activities; still, the most popular type of photography has to be the fashion one. Given the fact that the fashion industry is one of the biggest ones out there, and it always requires trends that will follow along, photography is an inevitable part of it.


A fashion photographer that we are all familiar with is Robert Voltaire. Given the fact that he was born in the sunny state of California, there is no doubt where his artistic behavior and creativity comes from. He has been in the industry for years and apart from being a fashion photographer, he has become quite famous for taking fine art body portraits as well. And unlike many other professionals, Robert can be proud that magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and even Playboy featured his work more than a couple of times. But how has he become so renowned and what can he tell us about the industry? Let’s take a look.

Robert Voltaire On Becoming A Master Fashion Photographer


Now, Robert is aware that there are thousands of people around the world who think being a photographer is easy and there is no more to it other than a few clicks. But that is not true and in fact, it is a type of art that requires a lot of practice, skill, and experience. And for each and every session you have to come with a unique and a new approach related to the model itself – this especially matters if you are a fashion photographer and do fine body art portraits along the way.  As Voltaire suggests there are two main things that you have to take care of when taking a photo – the subject and simplicity. The point is that the photo doesn’t contain too many elements and that still makes a huge impact – this, of course, depends on the subject, and as he claims if the model is comfortable and willing to cooperate it is a piece of cake. That is your job – to make the model as comfortable as possible, and allow them to fill like they are in the setting of their dreams. Master photoshoots of this famed photographer such as those with Rachel Cook, Cailin Russo, and Lloyd Klein came as a consequence of such an approach.

You have to take everything into consideration – from where is she, what is she trying to say, and what should her body posture suggest. Along with that, lighting is something that you have to focus on as well. As Robert suggests your part is to take the best photo and it is up to the viewer to go ahead and interpret it the way they want.

For the sake of people who are interested in developing photography and business skills, Robert wrote a book Photography Marketing Masterclass that is available at his website – and believe us it is worth your time.

What Does Robert Voltaire Offer


Now, apart from the merch that this famed photographer offers he includes a variety of photo shooting packages in his collection as well. If you are a model or a fashion agency Robert Voltaire is free and willing to cooperate at any given time considering his schedule. There are different options and probably the most popular one is the Amalfi Coast photography workshop. Along with that, he offers Deluxe, Platinum, and Standard photography packages that are great for a model just starting and can provide a unique experience that will last you a lifetime!

Summary

Robert Voltaire is one of the big dogs in the fashion photography business and though he has been in there for more than a few years, he still has a lot to show to us all. What else is left to say other than – go ahead and enjoy his fine art!

 

What to Look for When Hiring a Wedding Photographer?

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It is not a cliché, but a fact, to say that your wedding will be one of the most important days of your life. This is definitely not the time to take up a friend’s offer to be your official photographer. The earlier in the planning process that you decide on a professional wedding photographer, the easier it will be to sit back and relax knowing you will be getting the portfolio of your dreams.

Even in a big city, there is only a small handful of professional photographers whose availability fill up very quickly. When you have made your choice, remember to pencil in the dates for the engagement photos and any additional portrait sessions that may be needed as well. This is especially important if you are choosing to have your big day during the peak wedding season.

What Style of Wedding Photographs are You Looking For?

Choosing a theme for your wedding should span to what type of photographs will best complement it. It is not a good idea to have a strictly formal occasion planned out and then hire a wedding photographer who only does laid-back and casual. Making sure that the professional you choose for your wedding day can capture the joyous and loving event in the style that you want is an important step to preparing for your perfect day.

Lighting

Another thing to check when you are in the process of selecting a wedding photographer is to ensure that they are able to shoot in low light or natural light, whichever your venue will have. There have been some horror stories of couples whose big day started out on the beach in the afternoon sunlight and moved to a low light night time pavilion, only to have the reception pics be too dark.

Photographers love natural light, but sometimes shooting with blazing lights on can ruin the atmosphere. Make sure that the professional that you choose can adapt to any lighting condition your venue may throw at them.

Meet or Skype with Your Photographer Before Making a Booking

Nothing is more valuable to a couple searching for a photographer for their wedding day than to have a chat with their potential choices before making a booking. Don’t worry about this being an inconvenience—the studio will want to have a meeting with you both too. This is your chance to get a vibe for the person who will be taking your pics and discuss any ideas either party has for the most memorable images.

All three of you must have a confident and positive connection. You can discuss what your expectations are as well as any contingency plans in case of unforeseen disaster (electricity power cuts or illness has been known to happen at the most perfectly planned wedding). Knowing this information in advance about each other will ensure that you are the perfect match for stunning photos and wonderful mementos.

source: jovanatomasevic.com

Wildlife photography, and dealing with a high contrast photo

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This form of photography deals with the documentation of various wildlife in their natural habitat. Besides photography skills, wildlife photographers need field skills. Some animals are difficult to approach, so knowledge of their behavior is necessary to predict their actions. Capturing some specimens may even require stalking skills.

According to globosurfer.com while taking wildlife photos with basic equipment is possible, successful photography of some types of wildlife requires professional gadgets like underwater cameras for marine life, long focal length lenses for birds, and macro lenses for insects. A good wildlife image can also be made by simply being in the right place at the right time, but you should also follow some of the most common wildlife photography tips.

History

It was difficult to get a photo of wildlife in the early days of photography because of slow lenses and low sensitivity of photo media. Earlier pictures of animals were usually zoo animals, pets, or stuffed animals. For example, the lion cubs photo from Bristol zoo in 1854, as well as the photos of the last Quagga by Frank Hayes in 1864. Wildlife photography got better when faster emulsions and quicker shutters appeared in the 1880s. These advances lead to images such as the first shots of wild birds in action taken by Ottomar Anschutz, a German, in 1884. In July of 1906, National Geographic published its first wildlife photos by George Shiras III, an American from Pennsylvania. Some of these were taken with the first ever wire-tripped camera traps.

image source: lonelyplanet.com

Definition

The Royal Photographic Society, the Photographic Society of America and the Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique are the three largest photography organizations in the world. They adopted a definition of nature and wildlife photography, in order to govern these competitions. Their presidents wrote a joint statement, which perfectly sums it up. The statement reads, “The development of a common definition for nature and wildlife photography will be an important step in helping photographers, many of whom enter competitions internationally, know what the rules are. It will also provide organizers with a very clear definition when they need to deal with the problem of ineligible images.”

Gear

Equipment for wildlife photography is very specialized. It uses different lenses and equipment than most of the other forms of photography. The lenses have a focal length between 150 and 600mm, and provide tighter images. Other specialized gear includes flash extenders, camera traps, and hides. The majority of wildlife is shot with a long telephoto lens. A wide-angle lens is also an option, offering striking images.

What is a High Contrast Image, and how to deal with one?

The high contrast image has an extreme exposure difference between the darkest and the brightest areas. Exposing for these images is tough, as exposing highlights results in clipping details in shadows, while exposing for shadows blows up the highlights.

The best examples of high contrast scenes are landscapes, an important part of wildlife photography. Amateur photographers try to expose the foreground, which results in the whitewashing of the sky and the loss of sky details. Naturally, if the sky is exposed, then the foreground is dark. So what is the best way to deal with this and create great photos?

1. Use Graduated ND Filters

Graduated ND filters are the favorite among landscape photographers. With these, you can use the dark section against the sky, getting a correctly exposed image.

image source: nhm.ac.uk

2. Exposure Bracketing

This is one of the best techniques to deal with a high contrast image because you are able to take the same scene at multiple exposures by using the auto exposure feature of your cam. Later you can merge them in Photoshop. The camera takes three exposures by default, an overexposed image, an underexposed image, and a zero exposure image. These are then stitched together. Some cameras allow five or seven images.

3. Use In-camera HDR Mode

Some point and shoot and DSLR cameras come with the HDR mode. In this mode, the camera takes multiple pictures at multiple exposures and stitches them using the integrated software.

4. Fill in Flash Technique for Backlit Subjects

A backlit subject is another high contrast image situation. Portrait photographers tend to deal with these. If you expose the subject, the background blows up, while exposing for the background makes the subject dark. The best advice here is to fill in some light on the subject, but actually, expose the background. This will result in a great snap of a primary object and its surroundings!

In addition, you can use the fill-in flash technique. This ensures that the subject is well lit. Reflectors may also help to bounce and reflect light onto the subject.

image source: pinterest.com

5. Exposure Adjustment

You could also set the exposure somewhere in the middle. The brightest portion will become less bright, while the darkest one becomes less dark. To do this, you will need to shoot in RAW format.

The dynamic range of the camera sensor is much less in comparison to the human eye, which is the reason why it is not able to correctly expose a high contrast image. To take the best photo you can, you need to understand the dynamic range of the camera, which helps in finalizing what technique to use in a particular situation.

We hope our advice helps you in getting ready to take amazing nature photos and If you don’t have any camera, then it’s not a problem anymore. Black Friday is here and you should check out the best Black Friday deals on camera as well. Now go out there and make some art!