Here are 16 Christmas Photography tips and ideas to try that come to mind for digital camera owners wanting to capture the big day:

1. Prepare – Making a List, checking it twice….

Making sure you’re ready to capture any planned event is part of the key to a successful shoot. Getting yourself ready but also the location of your shots is worthwhile.

• Pack the camera – goes without saying? I forgot mine last year in the rush to get the car packed.
• Make sure your batteries are charged and you have extras and/or the recharger packed.
• Pack extra memory cards – have them empty and ready to fill up
• Put someone on ‘photos’ – our family has someone on drinks, main course, dessert – why not put someone on ‘photos’ so that in the craziness of the day they don’t get forgotten.
• Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash? Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting?

2. A White Balance Christmas

Here in Australia we often celebrate Christmas outdoors, but many people around the world do it inside in unnatural lighting. Pay attention to what type of light you’re shooting in and set your white balance settings accordingly. Alternatively, if you’ve got a camera that shoots in RAW you can shoot away and set your white balance later.

3. Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’

While you probably can’t afford to hire a photo booth for your party you can set up a ‘portrait zone’ of your own where you’ll take photos of your guest.

I did this a few years ago and set up a little place where I asked everyone who came to sit for me so that I could take a nice shot of them.

I photographed everyone as they came in and then left the camera (a point and shoot) set up on a tripod and set to a short self timer time so people could photograph themselves during the rest of the party.

I set it up in a well lit position with a red velvet curtain looking background with a few Christmasy decorations around the edges. I left a few Santa hats and tinsel for people to decorate themselves with.

The shots were great – people went back to it throughout the party and the photos got crazier and crazier as time went on. It was the hit of the party.

4. Capture the preparation stages

The actual Christmas meal or party is obviously the best part of the day, but there are other photographic opportunities, particularly in the preparations stages of the day.

• Food preparation
• Putting up decorations
• Wrapping gifts
• Kids throwing a tantrum while getting dressed in their Christmas outfits
• Setting the table

The shots before the event starts properly are often great because they show everything at it’s best before everyone descends on your party zone.

5. Before and After Shots

Speaking of shots before the party starts, why not set up some before and after shots both of the place you’re holding your party and what it looks like afterwards. Make sure you take the shots from the same position.

6. Time-lapse Christmas series

I have one friend who set up his computer with a web cam in the corner of the room with the camera looking down on the Christmas table. He set the camera to go off every 5 minutes over the day and ended up with one of the most wonderful series of shots that I’ve seen for a long time.

7. Christmas Lights

Photographing Christmas lights is something that can be tricky to do. David Hobby from Strobist has put together a great tutorial on how to do it. Check it out at How to Photograph Christmas Lights.

8. Find a Point of Interest – but just per shot

All good shots should have a focal point that holds the attention of those viewing your images. The problem with Christmas is that there can often be too many competing focal points in shots with people, color, decorations, food in every shot. Work hard and de-cluttering your images. Check out this post on minimalism which contains some tips on de-cluttering images.

9. Fresh Group Photos

One of the most common types of shots at Christmas is the ‘group photo’. It’s usually taken at the end of the evening or day when everyone is looking at their worst. For a ‘fresher’ shot take it once everyone has arrived. Also think before hand about how you might pose everyone and where you might take the shot. I’ve posted 12 tips for taking a great group photo previously.

10. Opening Gifts – Shoot in Continuous Mode

There are certain moments during a Christmas gathering that are filled with all manner of photographic opportunities and the opening of gifts is like no other in that it is filled with an array of emotions, facial expressions and excitement – especially if you’ve got kids around. Switch your camera to burst mode (sometimes called continuous shooting mode) and take lots of shots at this time of the festivities. You’ll find you end up with some excellent series of shots when you do this that capture everything from the anticipation of getting the wrapped gift, through to the excitement of unwrapping to the joy (or occasionally disappointment) of seeing what’s inside. Don’t forget to shoot the reactions of those who GIVE the gift as well.

11. Fill your Frame

One of the most common mistakes I see in Christmas photos (or any party/even photography) is that people often end up with shots of their subjects off in the distance on the other side of a room with lots of space around them. Fill your frame with your subject either by using your zoom or getting up and moving yourself closer. While this is one of the simplest tips I ever give it is one that can have the most profound impact on your shots.

12. Diffuse/Reflect Your Flash

- Another common problem with Christmas shots is ending up with shots where the flash is so bright that subjects look like rabbits in a spotlight with harsh shadows behind them. One way around this is to use some sort of a flash diffuser or reflector. If you’re lucky enough to have an external flash try bouncing it off walls or the ceiling. Another way to reduce the impact of your flash and to create some interesting effects is to switch your camera into ‘night mode’ (slow sync mode). This will tell your camera to choose a slower shutter speed but still fire your flash. In doing so it’ll capture some of the ambient light of the room as well as freeze your subject. Be warned, you can end up with some wacky shots doing this (but they can also be lots of fun).

13. Go Macro

Most digital cameras come with a macro mode and an increasing number of DPS readers are buying macro lenses so flick to that mode, attach your lens and photograph the smaller things around your party. Ornaments on the tree, table decorations, sweets in the bowl on the table, a nativity scene on the mantle piece, holly above the doorway – sometimes it’s these small things around your party that are the real ‘money shots’. Don’t forget our Macro Hacks for compact cameras.

14. Watch Your Aperture

I quite often shoot in Aperture Priority mode on a day like Christmas and am constantly changing the aperture depending upon my subject. For example when taking shots of a Christmas decoration on the tree I’ll select a large aperture (a small number like f/2.8) so as to throw the background out of focus, but on a shot taken from the end of the table of everyone sitting down eating I’ll choose a small aperture (like f/8 to f/11 or more) so as to have a larger depth of field and keep everyone in focus.

15. Explore Your Neighborhood

If your neighborhood is anything like mine there is an almost unlimited number of photographic opportunities presenting themselves all around you. Christmas carols services, houses covered in Christmas decorations, shopping malls filled with busyness etc. Get out there with your camera and capture it. What a wonderful time of year to practice using your camera. Have fun!

16. Related Reading:

Here’s another tutorial and discussion thread you might like to read in preparation for your Christmas Photography this year.

• Share Your photos - Looking for some inspiration or wanting to share you Christmas shots? Head to the Christmas Assignment in our Forums to see what shots others are taking this Christmas and to share some of your own images.
• Candid Photography – this tutorial on candid photography might be helpful as much of what you’ll be doing at a Christmas even will be in this style.

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/

We’ve all seen the posed family photos around the dinner table, in front of the hearth or in any number of places.  These types of shots are great and have their place in preserving your family memories.  But some of us are looking for a more realistic representation of what went on at that meal or gathering.  We want to convey the sense of laughter around the table, the craziness of having ten nieces and nephews under foot and the joy in sharing gifts.  And posing doesn’t work well for these real world shots.  That’s where candid photography comes in!  Practice with these eight tips and you’ll be well on your way to preserving family get-togethers in a compelling, engaging manner.

Tip #1 – Let The Know You’re Coming – At any family gathering someone is always taking photos.  Most people like to ham it up for the camera or will avoid it like the plague.  Letting your family know before hand that you’ll be taking some photos and to ‘act natural’ will greatly increase your odds of capturing the essence of the moment.  Not everyone will heed this request, but it’s good for people to know they should generally ignore your photo taking to keep the photographer from distracting the event.

Tip #2 – But Don’t Let Them SEE You Coming – Now that you’ve prepped the crowd and they know what to expect, it’s ok to be a bit sneaky with the photo taking.  Hide around corners and near the back of the crowd.  Be polite.  But don’t draw attention to yourself.  Chances are someone else in the family already has the ‘Look over here!” photo responsibilities and you should capitalize on that by hanging in the wings.  After people have posed for the standard photos, they’ll be more relaxed, acting like themselves and that’s a perfect time to be waiting in the background ready to capture family interactions.

Tip #3 – Use A Long Lens – If you have options, choose a 80mm lens, or slightly longer.  A zoom is preferable but we’ll see the challenge with that in the next tip.  Once in a while a wide angle will be helpful, but for the most part you’ll be capturing facial expression of those around you.  And quarters may be a bit close so being able to zoom close from behind your other family members is crucial.  With a telephoto lens (zoom or otherwise) you’ll be able to isolate one or two family members as they interact, open presents or prepare meals.  This is all you’re really aiming for with candids.  Too wide of a lens and you’ll miss the individual expressions.

Tip #4 – Use A Fast Lens – I realize a nice low f-stop lens may not be in everyone’s camera bag, mine included.  But if you can take just one lens, bring your fastest one.  Using a low f-stop and a slightly higher ISO of around 800-1000, you will be able to avoid using a flash and attracting more attention to yourself.  Consider renting a fast lens for the holidays from any number of vendors online.  Check out DPS’ post Where To Rent A Lens Online for more information and prices.

Tip #5 – When In Doubt, Shoot In Raw – Now that you’re not using a flash for your candid photos, light color will be a larger issue.  There’s good news and bad in this, depending on your point of view.  The good news is chances are most of the light will be from the same color temperature, such as incandescent or fluorescent lights.  The bad news is it may change room to room, or indoors to out.  The easiest way around this problem is, when in doubt, shoot RAW.  Shooting in RAW will ensure you have a great chance of correcting for certain lighting conditions in the post processing.  If you can set your camera accurately to the lighting situation, by all means, please go that route as it saves time later on.  But if you’re not quite sure of colors, shoot in RAW.

Tip #6 – Focus On The Eyes – As with most any photo of people, tight focus on the eyes is a must.  Eyes convey so much more than what is being said at the moment, which is good when you’re not recording sound.  While some blurring in images is fine, especially when not using a flash, try to keep the eyes of the main subject sharp.

Tip #7 – Hang Out In The Kitchen – More and more, the kitchen in a home is becoming the default gathering place.  People either want to help out with meal prep or just want to make sure the cooks in the family are involved.  Plus the kitchen is usually more relaxed than a formal dinning room and a great place to capture family having fun.

Tip #8 – Have Fun! – This one should go without saying.  But having fun is what family gatherings are all about.  Don’t get too wrapped up in the photo taking that you forget to relax, enjoy some conversations and great food.  Take a moment to reflect in the moment what it’s like to be surrounded by the people you love.

Now it’s your turn to share your favorite family gathering candid advice.  Below you will find a comment box just waiting for your ideas and suggestions!

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/

In this post I want to show you the 9 worst mistakes that freelance/professional photographers can make when taking photos for a web designer. I hope this information will be a useful resource for any budding young photographers out there who are just starting to work for and establish relationships with some bigger firms.

Warning: This post may contain rage fueled tangents of utter frustration!

The 9 Worst Mistakes Photographers Make When Working for a Web Designer

1. Looking unprofessional

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph I once had a charming young photographer turn up to a corporate photo shoot with no shoes on. She was extremely good at what she did and turned some pretty boring “suits” into powerful looking businessmen (much to their surprise!). But, unfortunately, her dress sense really let her down.

I don’t mean to sound like a starchy old fuddy duddy here. I’m really not like that. But I have to emphasize how important it is to look professional when you are performing a professional service.

There are three things at play here. Firstly, dressing like a slob who just woke up makes my firm look bad. I hired you to take photos for my client and therefore would love it if you brought some shoes to the shoot. Secondly, it reflects badly on you and makes me reluctant to hire you again. And thirdly, it doesn’t make the guys in the photos feel very secure. They need to feel like they are in the hands of a professional and are going to end up looking like superstars.

To be honest, I kind of envy the girl who rocked up with no shoes on. I wish I was brave enough to do that! But we live in a vain world where first impressions are very important. For that reason it is vital to look like a professional.

2. Understating your abilities

Something that really bothered me when I was first starting to work with professional photographers was how they were reluctant to tell me how good they were. I realize, now, that they were just trying to be humble and graceful but at the time it made me really stressed because I didn’t know whether they’d be able to achieve the results that I wanted.

If you have been hired by a website design firm to take photos for a new web creation please make sure you let them know exactly what you can do. If you feel you know how to turn a buggered up drab old office-front into a vintage looking workshop of fairy-dust then please let me know! If I know what your capabilities are I will push you to achieve something better for my client. Try and find a balance between humility and selling yourself. It’s hard but worthwhile.

3. Overstating your abilities

The opposite end of the spectrum is admittedly a much worse predicament to be in. I remember working with a very young photographer I had met at a cafe who really overstated his abilities. The kid had the gift of the gab but that was about it. He “seduced” me into using his services but looking back I think he had probably just purchased his first Canon SLR and thought that he would automatically be taking superb photos. He was wrong. The photos were blurry, over exposed and extremely unprofessional. I ended up paying his fee and making the embarrassing move of calling up my client to organize a re-shoot. A big waste of time.

If you do not feel like you can get the photographs that the web designer is asking for then please don’t take the job. Both you and the designer will be better off. Sure, you won’t get the fee but you will save a lot of face and possibly your reputation. The last thing a freelance photographer needs is a bunch of website designers badmouthing your photos.

One saying I have always identified with is “under promise, over deliver“. I think it works well for the art of photography. Don’t get your client’s expectations too high and then surprise them with an amazing end product.

4. Showing up late

I grew up in very business-minded family. My father always taught me that being late was one of the most unprofessional things you could do. As a result I am always on time and I expect the same thing of the people I hire. If I am paying you a few thousand dollars to come out and meet my clients and take photos for their website then I ask that you rock up when I want you there, not when you feel like it.

I am sure for most people out there this one is a given. But I need to emphasize it because it really is important. Quite often photographers will be hired by their friends and as such there is a temptation to think that one can be a bit more relaxed with the “rules” of business. Please don’t fall into that trap.

5. Not asking questions

I once had a photographer pull me aside and say “aaahh… the guy in the front has a massive wad of snot on his lip…. does that… ahh… matter?” Bloody oath it matters! I am glad she asked me though because that little boogie could have ruined the whole shot.

Any professional photographer will tell you that one of the worst feelings you can have is when you go home after a shoot, plug your camera into your computer and look at a whole bunch of photos that turned out nothing like what the client wanted. It is the pits. Asking questions, however, often solves this problem.

When you are out on a job the website designer will usually be with you. They will probably give you some instructions on what they want and how they want the final product to look but other than that you are on your own. Please do not feel embarrassed to ask questions during this time. It doesn’t matter how silly they sound, it is better to ask them now then have to reorganize the shoot because the photos didn’t turn out how the client wanted.

6. Not working within the instructions

This is where the rage fueled rant comes in! One of the most irritating things a freelance photographer can do is assume that they know better. The worst thing you can do as a photographer is ignore the instructions and take bunch of photos that you think will suit the website.

Here is why it is annoying. A good website designer will have created a preliminary design before he/she goes out and gets the photos. This means that the photos need to “work” with the design and not the other way around. Let me give you an example of how it should be done:

I recently designed a simple brochure website for one of South Australia’s largest landscaping businesses, Garden Works Landscaping. The client wanted some elegant photos that showed off their products and their office site. I explained to my photographer that the website was going to be quite wide and that space for the photos would be very narrow. Portrait shots would not work.

She took the advice on board and when we rolled up to the Garden Works premises for the shoot I was extremely impressed to see that she had brought along a vast array of wide angled lenses and even spent some of her own money hiring a super wide lens for the weekend. This showed me that she had listened to my instructions and was ready to work within them.

Needless to say I have hired her for every outdoor job since.

7. Not bringing everything you need

As a photographer you are being paid for two things: your skills and your equipment. If you fail to bring some of that equipment the job is not going to be complete.

One idea my crack photographer has is to develop a “Shoot List”. On that list she has all of the things she will need at a photo shoot – camera, point and shoot camera, lens cleaner, lens cleaning pen, USB, lenses, etc. Then, the night before the shoot, she just pulls out the list and goes through ticking off each item. That way she is always prepared and never has that feeling of “oh I left something at home”.

8. Failing to remember your manners

This tip comes not so much from my web design business, but from a wedding I attended last weekend. The photographer was a very talented man but he was grumpy as all hell. He spent the whole time yelling at people to get in the right position and almost made one of the bridesmaids cry!

As I said in number seven, part of what you are being paid for as a photographer is your skills. This does not just mean your photographic skills but also your skills in dealing with people. The world’s best professional photographers are probably no better at taking photographs than many other professional photographer – their point of difference is their ability to deal with and manipulate people. And people love good manners. Just look at TV shows like Americas Next Top Model or American Idol – the photographers who get the best results are the ones that know how to schmooze the people in front of the camera.

9. Not sending the files when you say you will

I think I have some bad karma when it comes to receiving things on time because it seems as though no one sends things when they say they will. It is quite annoying. But, if it karma I must deserve it right?

If you tell me you are going to send the photos on Wednesday chances are I will set some time aside on Wednesday to work with them. That means I will sit in front of the computer all day with a coffee waiting for my inbox to flash “1 New Email”. Not really. But, when they don’t arrive it can put a bit of a dent in proceedings. Try to send the photos when you say you will – it makes you look really professional.

Conclusion
Honestly speaking, it is the photographers who make our websites beautiful. Sure, our designs make a difference but it is often the quality of the photos that really make the site pop off the screen. Sadly, however, it is not just your amazing photos that dictate how successful your career is. It is also important to look nice, talk politely and so on. If you remember this other (boring business) stuff I am sure you will go far.

Have you ever made any of the mistakes above or worked with someone who has? Have I missed anything important that young photographers might need to know? Leave a comment below – it might really help someone!

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/

Today and tomorrow I want to talk about taking Portraits that are a little out of the box. You see it’s all very well and good to have a portrait that follows all the rules – but it hit me as I was surfing on Flickr today that often the most striking portraits are those that break all the rules.

I want to look at some ways to break out of the mold and take striking portraits by breaking (or at least bending) the rules and adding a little randomness into your portrait photography. I’ll share ten of these tips today and a further ten tomorrow

1. Alter Your Perspective

Most portraits are taken with the camera at (or around) the eye level of the subject. While this is good common sense – completely changing the angle that you shoot from can give your portrait a real WOW factor.

2. Play with Eye Contact

It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens – something that can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But there are a couple of other things to try:

A. Looking off camera – have your subject focus their attention on something unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. This can create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at. This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showing some kind of emotion (ie ‘what’s making them laugh?’ or ‘what is making them look surprised?’). Just be aware that when you have a subject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the viewer of the shot to the edge of the image also – taking them away from the point of interest in your shot – the subject.

B. Looking within the frame – alternatively you could have your subject looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta…. When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. It also helps create ’story’ within the image.

3. Break the Rules of Composition

There are a lot of ‘rules’ out there when it comes to composition and I’ve always had a love hate relationship with them. My theory is that while they are useful to know and employ that they are also useful to know so you can purposely break them – as this can lead to eye catching results.

The Rule of Thirds is one that can be effective to break – placing your subject either dead centre can sometimes create a powerful image – or even creative placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot can sometimes create interesting images.

Another ‘rule’ that we often talk about in portrait photography is to give your subject room to look into. This can work really well – but again, sometimes rules are made to be broken.

4. Experiment with Lighting

Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits.

Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.

Using techniques like slow synch flash can create an impressive wow factor.

5. Move Your Subject Out of their Comfort Zone

I was chatting with a photographer recently who told me about a corporate portrait shoot that he had done with a business man at his home. They’d taken a lot of head and shoulder shots, shots at his desk, shots in front of framed degrees and other ‘corporate’ type images. They had all turned out fairly standard – but there was nothing that really stood out from the crowd.

The photographer and the subject agreed that there were plenty of useable shots but they wanted to create something ’special’ and out of the box. The photographer suggested they try some ‘jumping’ shots. The subject was a little hesitant at first but stepped out into the uncomfortable zone and dressed in his suit and tie started jumping!

The shots were amazing, surprising and quite funny. The shoot culminated with the subject jumping in his pool for one last image!

While this might all sound a little ’silly’ the shots ended up being featured in a magazine spread about the subject. It was the series of out of the box images that convinced the magazine he was someone that they’d want to feature.

6. Shoot Candidly

Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat…. posed. Some people don’t look good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can work.

Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. You might even want to grab a longer zoom lens to take you out of their immediate zone and get really paparazzi with them.

I find that this can particularly work when photographing children.

7. Introduce a Prop

Add a prop of some kind into your shots and you create another point of interest that can enhance your shot.

Yes you might run the risk of taking too much focus away from your main subject but you could also really add a sense of story and place to the image that takes it in a new direction and gives the person you’re photographing an extra layer of depth that they wouldn’t have had without the prop.

8. Focus Upon One Body Part – Get Close Up

Get a lens with a long focal length attached to your camera – or get right in close so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographing a person’s hands, eyes, mouth or even just their lower body… can leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer of an image.

Sometimes it’s what is left out of an image that says more than what is included.

9. Obscure Part of your Subject

A variation on the idea of zooming in on one part of the body is to obscure parts of your portrait subject’s face or body. You can do this with clothing, objects, their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image.

Doing this means that you leave a little to the imagination of the image’s viewer but also focus their attention on parts of your subject that you want them to be focused upon.

10. Take a Series of Shots

Switch your camera into ‘burst’ or ‘continuous shooting’ mode and fire off more than one shot at a time.

In doing this you create a series of images that could be presented together instead of just one static image.

This technique can work very well when you’re photographing children – or really any active subject that is changing their position or pose in quick succession.

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/

By no means have we arrived at any solid conclusions (and I wouldn’t expect us to) and by no means is the conversation over (you’re more than welcome to keep having your say) however I thought it would be interesting to do a little analysis of the conversation so far and have come up with the following graph which is an attempt at observing what the trend is so far in conversation.

It was a difficult process to do as we have over 50 opinions already expressed and many of them contain numerous ‘votes’ (my fault for making the topic so broad) but the following is an indication of what I’m personally observing in the conversation.

Obviously the the ‘big two’ are Canon and Nikon – but there’s an interesting ‘battle’ going on at the second tier between Pentax, Fujifilm and even Olympus.

Canon and Nikon got a lot of votes particularly when it came to DSLRs (and Canon also did well for compacts) however Fujifilm was consistantly nominated for best point and shoot – particularly with it’s low light sensor technology (I personally would concur with this as a Fujifilm FinePix F30 owner).

Pentax was largely nominated for it’s DSLRs.

Of course – this diagram is just one person’s observations of of a conversation that is still in progress – however as someone who is a visual person I thought it might add a little something to the discussion.

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/

OK – before we start World War III with this discussion, let me set a few ground rules.

1. Be constructive - while simple responses of ‘Canon Rules’ or ‘I love Nikon’ might be easy – tell us WHY you like a particular manufacturer.

2. Respect each other’s opinions - ultimately there’s no right or wrong answer here – different aspects of the different manufacturers will appeal to different people. Argue your case strongly if you like – but let others hold their own opinions also

3. Give examples - tell us about the digital cameras that you’re talking about if you’d like. The more information and the more specific it is – the more we’ll all learn.

Feel free to have fun with this discussion – I’m sure it’ll cause some lively debate. My hope is that through it that those on hunt for a new camera might learn a thing or two (as might the rest of us) and go into their purchase more informed.

So which digital camera manufacturer do you like best?

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/