Virtual and On-Location Photography

It may go without saying, I'll say it anyway, that your clothing choice is important. That doesn’t mean that picking clothing is easy though! I have some tips that will make the process of deciding what to wear easy and help you ensure that you look your very best. Tip One: When choosing what to wear for you professional headshots, it’s best to avoid complex patterns like stripes or checks. Horizontal lines can be difficult to look at in a photo and mixing patterns can make the photo feel busy. Vertical lines can have a slimming effect but should be minimal. It’s best to opt for solid colors whenever possible. This will not only give the headshot a more classic look but will be more visually pleasing several years from now when styles and trends have changed. Tip Two: Men Choosing what to wear is often pretty simple. For a corporate headshot, a business suit is almost always a good choice. If you want a more casual look, you can forgo the blazer and wear a white shirt with...

How often have you taken a pic and at least someones's single eyeball is the only thing that shows up in the photo. Or you can see two eyes peeking out under the arm pit of someone who should be in the back row. Ha, happens all the time. Try these tips: Arrange short people in front! Little kids in front of them. It's OK to sit on the ground or front row chairs depending on how many you have in the group so you can get everyone in the photo. This sounds like a duh head slapper but people aren't always aware of if can or cannot be seen in the photos. Next time you're doing a group photo make this announcement... "If you can't see the camera, the camera can't see you!" ...then wait for everyone to reassemble themselves.  You'll get better group photos this way. Have fun at your next party. I hope this little tidbit is helpful.  If you enjoy my articles, I’d love to hear what you liked best. Please feel free to pass these tips on...

Photography may not seem complicated to the mobile phone clicker but there are a lot of 'rules' that can help you take better and look better in pictures.  I've compiled a few relaxed ways of making your pictures look terrific. (Of course there's always the option to hire a professional photographer but that's a topic for another blog!) Light is everything. Arrange for the light to be on either shoulder to a 90 degree angle No light in back or in front (make squinty eyes) Use light/bright surfaces to reflect light What you use to reflect will change the color of what you’re shooting Use your automatic settings based on what your light is…sun, shade, clouds – it changes the color of the final photo. Your camera!  Get familiar with it.  Unless you are comfortable using all manual setting to manage ISOs, aperture and shutter speed use the automatic settings for sun, shade, clouds, action etc. Shooting better selfies Please, no  cutesy  pout...

You may never need to know these things but for every budding photographer who has a smartphone and may transition to a point and shoot here's the  lowdown on some technical terms and what they mean.  At a minimum the next time you have a portrait taken by a professional photographer you can impress them with your knowledge of the terminology!  Definitions: Aperture Aperture (opening)  Think of the lens as a window—large windows or wide angles let in more light, while small windows let in less light. A wide open aperture will let more light into the image for a brighter photo, while a smaller aperture lets in less light. Aperture is measured in f-stops; a small f-stop like f/1.8 is a wide opening, a large f-stop like f/22 is a very narrow one. Aperture is one of three camera settings that determine an image’s exposure, or how light or dark it is. Aperture also affects how much of the image is in focus—wide apertures result in that cr...

This photo tip is a little advanced. I want to talk about clothing color balance which is a subtle detail that is often overlooked particularly in bestie selfies. When you take a photo of the family or friends think about where they should be placed in the group pose. A good start is placing people by height (remember the tip - "if you can't see the camera, it can't see you").   Next consider what they're wearing. Placement of color, tones, light/dark and patterned clothes can kill or enhance the photo. I did the Red Carpet photos in this blog for the Leukemia Man and Woman of the year. Observe how I placed people to balance the colors and heights. It won't always work to be this detailed, after all you want to have fun when you're using your smartphone to take pics. Take a few second when you're getting ready to take the shot. You'll be amazed at how this will improve your photos. Enjoy! If you enjoy the articles, I’d love to hear what...