With the increased popularity of smart phones, specifically the iPhone, a new generation of photographers has started to pop up. Nowadays, everyone has a camera on them wherever they go, allowing them to snap more pictures than ever before.
Improved Technology
A huge reason why the photography industry is changing is because of improved technology. The cameras that come standard on most cell phones these days have been steadily improving over the years. Now there is no need to take a digital camera with you when you want to take photographs, you can simply pull out your cell phone and snap a high quality picture.
Also, the success of smart phone apps, such as Instagram, has made it possible for people to create professional looking photographs at relatively low costs. These applications allow users to make artistic changes to their photos and share them with the world via their social media accounts. Never before has the photography industry had so many useful, quality tools readily available to anyone looking to take professional quality pictures.
Readily Accessible
A big allure of iPhone photography is that it is readily available. You never know when a good photo opportunity is going to arise. In the olden days of photography, you would need to have a camera with you if you wanted to take any pictures during your day. Now, you can simply pull out your iPhone and capture life’s precious moments.
Also, being able to share your photos immediately has increased the popularity of photography. Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter make it possible to share your photos with the world immediately after you have taken your pictures. This can add to the enjoyment of photography and encourage you to take more pictures throughout your day. It can be very entertaining to see what your friends say about the funny sign you came across or the giant plate of food you are about to eat for dinner.
Mobile devicephotography has also enhanced the shopping experience. People who need advice from friends on purchasing a gift or a luxury bed, can easily snap it on their phone and send it via SMS or email to someone who can give their opinion on wether to buy or not to buy.
As cell phone photography technology continues to improve, so will the landscape if the photography industry. More novice photographers will become interested in taking photographs and participating in the art form. The instant gratification that comes with the approval of your peers when they comment on your photos via social media outlets will only further encourage people to take more pictures to share with the world.
I’m getting married in the Fall of this year, and having finally (trust me – it’s been a BIG issue lol!) found the perfect Princess cut wedding band for the Big Day, we’re now finalising all the details with our photographer. Finding the right photographer hasn’t been quite so hard as the wedding ring hunt, but we’ve still had to think carefully about our decision.
A wedding is supposed to be a once in a lifetime kind of event and, like anyone else, we want perfection! Ok – maybe we won’t get a 100% flawless wedding day but we’re trying to get as close as we can! Between ourselves and our parents (who are contributing to the wedding costs) we’ve decided to go with a mixture of both formal and informal photography, as well as a video footage.
We’ve also chosen to have our album created by an overseas company, as we fell in love with the company after a close friend of ours used them because the bride was a native of the country that they’re based in (New Zealand). They’re utterly gorgeous, real individual albums, and though expensive, they’re worth every last penny.
All of our images will be taking with a mixture of both digital and traditional photography, though for the main we’re expecting more digital images. Our photographer has discussed all the finer details of both methods, and we feel that, for us, we want a blend of the two. We’re going to opt for traditional photography for the formal shots, and digital for the informal.
We’re also providing six small digital cameras for our guest to share and use throughout the day, as a means of capturing (we hope!) some very interesting images that our photographer may well miss! Our aim is to end up with an official wedding album, and an unofficial wedding album! Hopefully we’ll have one that we’ll be proud of forever, and one that will make us laugh and smile every time we bring it out!
Whatever happens, we can’t wait for the big day, and we’re 100% sure of one thing … no matter what we’re going to have the most wonderful day of our lives … as well as have it all in print!
A true photographer knows that technique is important, but the right subject is absolutely essential. You have to be interested in what you’re photographing in order for the passion to come through. Otherwise it just becomes a mechanical exercise where all of the fun is drained away. Whether you photograph professionally or as a hobby, it’s important to inspire yourself whenever possible. One of the most interesting subjects that doesn’t get as much attention as it should happens to be food.
Most photographers focus on people or places as and their subjects. While there’s nothing wrong with this, photographing art itself can be incredibly fun as well. After all, the human experience is intrinsic in art and there’s no better example than food. Food is an art after all because it’s an expression of love and personal creativity. Through food you see a person’s passion, interest, and history blended into one. No one prepares dishes the same way, and subtle nuances can make a tremendous amount of difference both in taste and presentation.
There are many aspects of food that can be appreciated, and obviously taste is number one. But let’s not forget that food be appreciated on a visual level as well. The way food looks and is presented plays an incredible role in the overall experience. And in essence, that’s exactly what photography is meant to capture. With food as your subject matter, you can get some great shots that affect people in so many ways. You can create excitement, hunger, desire, or trigger long-standing memories. You can also create a tremendous amount of interest in food that people have never even seen before.
One of the best things about using food as a photography subject is you can do everything yourself. You don’t have to rely on a model to show up on time or for the perfect lighting during the day. You can create your own food at any time you like, and you’ll have the perfect subject that will be there for you the whole time. So whether it’s a fresh desert prepared within ice cream maker, or a perfectly grilled burger off your barbecue, there’s no shortage of wonderful dishes you can shoot. With time and experienced you might be able to get people to see aspects of common food that they have never realized.
Often the pictures you take with your camera will reflect what interests you. Somebody can look at your photographs and will be able to tell what excites you, and captures your imagination. I believe this is one of the most important things about making photography enjoyable. Even children can take fantastic pictures if it is something that they like, such as a family pet, or favourite activity.
If you are capturing an image of something you really like, and have a passion about, it will not make too much difference whether you are taking that shot with a Fujifilm Finepix L55, or a really expensive digital camera. This is because when you are taking a photo of something you love, you know how to get the best out of it.
However photography lessons can teach you techniques that can help you. They can also give you ideas of things you may not have thought of, and introduce to aspects of photography that you did not realise there were.
It is like any other hobby that you take up, there is always something to learn, but it is important to have fun with it too. By trying different techniques you may stumble across a way of making those pictures you enjoy taking even better.
With the advent of easier and easier ways to create video, many new uses are being dreamed up by tech savvy individuals. One of the most useful new ways to implement video that I have seen is by documenting repair steps for mechanics and plant engineers. This has revolutionized repairs because the maintenance guys no longer need to lug a heavy book out to the job site or into the garage to work on the broken equipment or car.
This came to my attention last year when one of the millwrights I work with bought an iphone. Of course, as you know, the iphone can take pictures. Since I am the lead engineer I often times get asked questions by the millwrights about what a symptom means or how to do a job. Greg, the millwright, started taking pictures of anything he didn’t understand and then showing me the photo so I could explain it to him. This worked so well that I started to look for instructional videos on the internet.
When we needed to replace the floor epoxy on our factory floor I found a great site at garagefloorcoatingtips.com which gave step by step instructions that were easy to follow.
I think my experiences should help anybody who is interested in digital video technology to think of new ways to use this simple tool. We have already seen how live action video has completely changed how we learn to cook and exercises have been on video for over 25 years. But what other ideas can you come up with that would lend themselves to video?
Do you have a skill that you want to share with others? Then instead of writing a book or ebook why don’t you just make a Youtube video and spread the word that way. Most people are visual learners so it only makes sense to provide them with a visual way of learning the task instead of forcing them to try to understand the written word.
Looking for a gift for that women in your life that more or less has everything? How about art? Art is something that very few people ever think of giving as a Holiday gift, but it’s one of the most beautiful gifts you could give.
It forces you to think outside your comfort zone about what the individual would love and also speaks to how well you know them.
Think about it, if you’re buying something for your wife or significant other you don’t want to just line up at the cosmetic counter with every other husband out there for the latest wrinkle cream or buy her yet another bath robe. Put your mind to work and get her a piece of art.
Here are a few tips to help get you going
Think about her interests. Does she like to sew, knit, cook? Any of these things could be a clue as to what theme you might want to seek out for a piece of art.
Look at sites such as Etsy.com or Art.com. These sites house a massive amount of paintings, photographs and prints. For instance at Etsy you can literally just plug in a keyword of something you know their interested in and be presented with a bunch of unique gift ideas.
Start early. Don’t leave shopping for a piece of art til the last minute. You could end up having to purchase something you don’t feel 100% about, but don’t have time to continue to look around.
So you are looking for a top Christmas gift 2011, and you just can not think of anything that you can buy. You know, it is for one of those awkward people that are really hard to please. Then you remember that they really like their garden, and all the things they grow in it. So why not buy them a digital camera?
That way they can take lots of pictures of all their favourite things that they grow. From the beautiful flowers to the prize winning vegetables, what could be nicer. No, don’t worry, they are not very expensive to buy, and do make an unexpected gift. You also do not need to be an expert on cameras or photography to buy one either, a little common sense and you will make the right choice.
You see these days digital cameras are fairly simple, take the Finepix L55 for example, it has everything that someone new to photography would need, and it is very reasonably priced too. I think that this is a really good idea to buy, and most people would be over the moon with it. Let’s face it it is better than a gift set that you might otherwise get because you are so stumped.
If you still think that digital photography is just for grown ups, you better think again. These past few years many different companies have taken it upon themselves to start developing digital cameras especially for teens and even smaller children.
While a digital camera for adults is developed with quality of the image in mind, digital cameras for kids are also focusing on fun. Take for example a look at the Kidizoom Pro camera, which apart from taking some pretty decent quality images, has all different sort of functions. Basically it is five different functions all united in the one Kidizoom device:
A 2.0 megapixels digital camera with double digital zoom, flash, 256 MB of storage that can be amplified with a SD card.
MP3 player
Allows for video taping and you can easily connect it to your PC or TV to both view and edit the still and moving images your child has taken.
Adding all sorts of funny effects is made easy for your child
The camera turns into a game player with the 5 games that are built in
When I first saw this camera mentioned in a TV commercial, I thought the world had gone crazy, combining all these features, but now that I have actually seen how brilliantly it works and how much fun my own kids have with their digital toy, I can highly recommend this camera to any parent looking for the perfect Christmas gift.
Do you like taking pictures? Do you own an expensive camera and love figuring out new ways to take more creative pictures? If so, have you ever thought about trying to make some money with your pictures? There are many passive income ideas that require big investments but with a photography business, cost can be minimal especially if you already have all of the equipment. So how exactly do you make money with your pictures?
One way is to place your pictures on websites that charge people money to use photos. The site gets a cut and you get a cut. The great thing is that since these sites are very popular, you won’t have to worry too much about getting exposure. Another way is to simply create your own website and sell the license to your photos that way. You’ll need to figure out a way to drive traffic to your site though.
Selling photos can be a good way to make money but it can also take a while before you find a certain niche that really sells. Another thing you can do is to do reviews on cameras and recommend the best ones to your visitors. You can join various affiliate programs in order to make a profit from those sales.
Gone are the days when we would take pictures of our favourite things, and memories and then have to wait for them to be developed. You remember the times when you had to take them to the local shop, or post them off to be developed. Then when you receive them back and find out that you had paid for a load of pictures that had your thumb in them!
I am sure you can remember those times, and are thankful for the fact that now all you have to do is check them in the display on your digital camera, and delete those that are no good. This is just one of the many great things about having a digital camera.
There are some really great ones about, and they are quite reasonable in price too, they would make a great Christmas Gift for Boyfriends, or dads for that matter. If you are short of ideas, then check out some really good reviews and this will help you make up your mind.
Things to look out for are display quality, how long the battery lasts, how much memory is available to store your pictures.If you take all this into account, you should have a good gift to give.
