Taking Great Band Portraits
So you’ve booked some shows, practiced your chord changes until your fingers bleed and have a canon of potential hit songs. Now it is time to show the world who you and your band-mates are. Along with an effective press release you will need some stylish promotional photos. Here are some tips to make sure you get the best photos possible to promote yourself.
1. While a band photo shoot may seem like a lot of fun the purpose of professional photos are to present a striking visual image of your band. The photos must present your best face.
2. Whatever your look is make sure that all the members of your band are prepared with appropriate clothes before the shoot. You can either go with a casual look or a theme. If you choose a theme make sure all the details are worked out ahead of time (not the night before!).
3. Make sure your photographer is on the same page as you in terms of style and vision. Be prepared to discuss your expectations and vision. Ask them for samples and see if their style is a match with yours. Basically, it comes down to whether or not you like their stuff.
4. Don’t rely solely on live photos but instead have a combination of still shots and live action shots. In a club environment it is difficult to achieve a good light balance. While live photos can be a nice addition to a press pack they cannot be replacements for a few stylish promotional band pictures.
5. If you do decide to take some live photos plant the photographer in the first two rows of the concert venue and make sure that the gig is very well lit by talking to the person in charge of the lights.
6. Have a beer with your band photographer so everyone can get used to one another. This will make the photo shoot appear more natural.
7. The more original a theme is the more your band will stand out. Try to think outside of the typical “band in their favorite clothes” in a warehouse. It has been done to death. Also forget the train tracks or the dirty alley.
8. Scout out a good location for your shoot. Is there a pub you where you know the bartender? A local park? Again, be creative. Use your contacts to come up with a truly original concept.
9. Try to make sure everyone gets a good night’s rest so all of you look your best.
10. Make sure all the instruments are well-polished and ready to go before the shoot begins. Dust and fingerprints have a habit of showing up on film even when they are not obvious to the naked eye.
Don’t think of your promotional band photo shoot as a chore, think of it as your Rolling Stone moment. Go forth and rock!
Victorian Family Portrait
The family portrait is often one of the first things that visitors notice when entering your home. The proliferation of popular photography is more than partially due to the fact that families will always want good portraits of themselves. A family portrait also reflects how culture and fashion has changed over the years.
Everyone has seen the stiff and formal pictures of Victorian families posing by the hearth in their best clothes. One defining characteristic of vintage family photographs is that the children look like miniature adults. Before film was commonplace the family portrait was a serious affair. Everyone had to hold still and smiles were optional. Of course modern family photography is entirely different.
Although many families still go for a traditional sitting at Sear’s, many family portraits are much more informal and candid. In many cases a overtly posed family portrait can suggest that a home is outdated.
When you are planning ahead for your photo shoot make sure that your attire is neither flashy or trendy. A good picture should have a timeless feel. The best way to accomplish this is by dressing in simple but attractive clothes. Your family’s clothes should not distract from the overall finished project.
More suggested is the casual approach to family pictures. It seems more natural and has more of a possibility of not looking like the millions of other portraits that we have seen. If you decide to hire a professional photographer have a few ideas of some activities you can partake in ahead of time or at least a good setting. A park or the backyard work very well to mix up the vibe of the shoot and natural light is quite flattering. A good professional photographer will be more than able to make your family look their best!
Apple has been sued by St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants over the digital camera used in the iPhone. St. Clair claims Apple is infringing on four of its patents and wants damages and a jury trial.
The company has a successful track record of defending those patents, according to The Loop: it sued Sony in 2001 and scored a US$25 million judgment, and in 2003 it sued Canon and won $34 million. It has also gone after many more companies – including Fuji, Kyocera, Minolta, Nikon, Samsung, HP, RIM, Palm, and others – and secured licensing agreements for its technology.
The law firm Morgan Lewis calls St. Clair a “patent troll” in a PDF presentation on its web site. The PDF notes: “St. Clair purchased patents from a group of inventors who failed to establish a camera company. The purchase price was less than $100K.
read more:http://www.macworld.com/article/144771/2009/12/iphone_camera_suit.html
The quality of your wedding pictures will affect the way your wedding is remembered for the rest of your life. There is no need to worry however, just be prepared to interview potential photographers well in advance. In addition to asking your photographer questions about their work you should also ask yourself a few questions.
1.Do you like the photographs you see?
The best measure of taste is whether you like the image or not. Technical aspects to watch for include:
Blown out images (no detail in the whites, especially bad if in the faces) and underexposed images (too dark)
2.Bad framing. This is subject to taste, since an oddly framed photo can be a style of itself.
People look natural in the photo. This means it is either candid or the photographer is good at making people feel comfortable in front of the camera
3.Lighting. Is the lighting harsh and unflattering on the people? Is there an annoying shadow on the wall behind them? If shot in sunlight, do the people have too much contrast?
4.Do you understand the contract?
Don’t be afraid to take it home and have an experienced father or uncle take a look. The contract is ultimately what matters if you go to court, not the spoken words at the meeting.
and most importantly:
5.Can you be with this person ALL DAY?
Having a photographer that you do not get along with will drive you insane. They are the vendor you will be surrounded by the most, so make sure that they will add to your day instead of taking away from it.
You probably didn’t rush into your relationship commitment and neither should you hasten on your decision to select a wedding photographer. Relax, review your options and choose wisely.
Wedding Photography Tips - Questions to ask your photographer
A good event photographer must possess a combination of technical ability, an entrepreneurial spirit and strong communication skills. Event photographers work at weddings, sports events, performances and everything in between. Event photography is in constant demand. People will always desire beautiful photographs to commemorate the important moments in their lives.
Word of mouth is an important element of business for event photographers since existing clients are likely to suggest good photographers to their friends and family. Social skills and personality are equally as important to technical ability. There are many photographers who are able to take a good picture but considerably less who are able to mix and mingle with party guests without detracting from the overall vibe of the party.
Innovative event photographers take lots of candid photos in addition to formal ones. While this might seem obvious in regards to concerts and sports games, it is less obvious at corporate events and weddings. One of the first things people think of in terms of wedding photography are the traditional stiff, posed formal portraits of a bride and groom in front of a cake. Less obvious and more modern however are dynamic candid action shots mixed in alongside posed ones.
Some event photographer stand further away from their subjects and use a zoom lens in order to make guests feel more comfortable in their personal space. Since many people are not accustomed to having their picture taken, a telephoto or zoom lens enables a photographer to maintain the intimacy of a shot without intruding.
A good event photographer must also be willing to anticipate action before it happens. Whether it be a soccer player scoring a goal or a guitarist ripping into a heart-stopping solo, it is important to know what to expect ahead of time. For example, most professional concert photographers know that rock and pop musicians pose for photos during the second song in their set. Everyone knows that a bride and groom will stuff cake into each others faces after the first piece is cut. Pictures of people doing things are much more interesting than pictures of people simply sitting and watching.Anti
All photographers have niche markets in which they excel. Justin’s work with children is particularly striking and unique. The fleeting nature of childhood dictates that parents should put significant energy into documenting their kids lives. In comparison to other types of photography, childhood photography is perhaps more important to capture.
Unlike adults, who have already settled into their insecurities and modesty, children are raw and honest subjects. If they do not feel like smiling they will refuse. If they are playing and laughing the flash of a camera will not bring their natural activity to a halt. Kids simply to do not care as much how they are perceived by other people and have far fewer walls to break down.
Some of Justin’s best experiences working with kids have been with developmental disabilities. He recalls a young boy with “big bright blue eyes” waving around a pair of rusty pruning shears in a vineyard. Without the subject’s usual walls of self-awareness Justin was able to take the perfect image of the boy simply being himself.
Another time, Justin photographed a teenage girl in Florida who had scars up and down her arms as a result of cutting. Over time he has hung those images in numerous galleries and raised awareness of the issue.
The primary challenge of working with kids is dealing with their parents who often have a lot of ideas about what their children should be doing during a photo shoot. Justin prefers when he is able to collaborate with the children he is working with without too much creative directing on the part of the parents. Of course it is a difficult balance but essential to the composition of the photos.
Theme Wedding Star Wars Child
So, you’re having a theme wedding. And you’re looking for a wedding photographer who won’t scoff, “Wait, you’re getting married on a pirate ship?” A wedding photographer who won’t ask incredulously, “So, you’re dressing up … like astronauts?” If you want a photographer who screams, “FUCK YEAH, I LOVE YOUR WONDERFULLY WEIRD THEME WEDDING!” then you want Justin Winokur.
This LA-based photographer will totally p0wn your theme wedding, and if you don’t believe me, just check out some of his photos from a Star Wars wedding…So, when you need a wedding photographer who can not just “deal” with your theme wedding, but who’s eagerly plotting how he’s going to photograph your groom’s swashbuckling entrance, or what angle he’s going to shoot your gossamer faerie wings, get in touch with Justin! He’s even got special packages for offbeat couples.
Justin Winokur has been taking pictures for ten years-two years with film- and then eight years using a digital format. He started out by taking portraits of his friends and family in order to document an important moments. A few years ago people started to hire him and he decided to go with him. He thinks that taking pictures for a living is the most important thing he could be doing with his life.
Rather than just photographing professional models, Justin is equally interested in photographing subjects in their personal environments. He also enjoys working with natural light as opposed to complex studio set ups. Another personal favorite is taking pictures of children because they are still curious and experiences are still so new to them. They don’t think they look good or bad and the finished product is often more natural looking.
Justin has always been able to catch good images because he is gifted at making people feel comfortable. One of the primary challenges that photographers face with clients is breaking the ice. No matter who technically skilled a photographer is with digital techniques and balancing light levels, if a client feels uncomfortable their shoot with appear too forced.
One way to break the ice is to chat with clients and to discover what makes them tick. Justin’s ability to figure out how people think is based on a deep curiosity about human nature in general. Sometimes, a client can be difficult if they have a super-specific idea in mind about what they want to achieve. Other times a client might be unaccustomed to having their photo taken. In both these cases showing pictures along the way is an excellent way to alleviate client anxiety.
Justin considers himself to be half a documentarian and half coach. While the documentarian half simply observes a situation the coach side works to bring out the interesting and attractive parts of a subject that they might not even be aware of. Like any good portrait photographer Justin helps his clients to learn more about themselves on the outside as well as on the inside.
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