What advice would you give to a photographer for their first photoshoot?
Keep it simple. Make sure all your equipment is ready, batteries are charged, memory cards are formatted. Make sure you know how to use all your equipment.Get to the location or studio early. Get your lighting and props set up and tested.Know what you are trying to accomplish and communicate that to the model or the client. Gently keep control of the shoot. You are in charge. Provide feedback, guidance, encouragement. But stay in control.Keep it simple. And relax.
Food Photography tips for a beginner?
My friend's designing the website and menu for a mexican restaurant and she asked me to take pictures of different foods from the menu for her. I'm 16 and I love photography, but I'm more into portraits, and I've never actually done food photography before. I'm not professional at all. Any tips please? I don't really have much equipment, except a tripod and my Nikon D80. I was thinking of taking the pictures outside since the lighting in the restaurant itself is really low..? The shoot's in a few days please help :) Tips on anything and everything from the setting to the lighting to the timing to the techniques would be amazing. Thank You in advance!
What are some photography tips you would like to give to a beginner photographer with his first DSLR?
Just in general, dont be shy to get your shot.In your free time, try to experiment with the different manual settings such as aperture priority, shutter priority, and then try going to manual mode for a little----just a sidenote on manual mode, when you look through your eyepiece, there should be a little exposure bar that tells you where your exposure is going to land. Always be aware of that bar and where your landing when your transition from different lighting situations.keep in mind that the higher the ISO, the noisier the image. Keep it usually around ISO 200 or so but no higher than 6400 or else its just really noisy.Be aware of your format options - such as JPEG or RAW file. RAW is what I shoot with because it allows for cleaner post production. However, it is a larger file, therefore it takes up more space on your card and computer.Its great that your starting to learn with a prime 35mm because it teaches you to get close to your subject. This will build your confidence!One huge thing that really confused me as I began photography was the F stop number and what it means. The higher the F stop (lets say F16) means that there will be a lot in focus and not a lot of blurring around your subject. And for you, with your 35mm F1.8 it means that you can capture a really specific field of view (like taking portraits). Don't copy someone else's style, make your own!Take your camera everywhere. Act as if its your child. Study it. Figure out what all the buttons do. Read about photography.Lastly, don't be afraid to change perspective by getting squatting down or jumping up on a bench!Best of luck!
What is the best piece of advice for aspiring photographers?
A few tips:1. Read your camera manual. For every camera you own and everyone that you buy in the future. There's not any reason for you to not know how to do something with your camera when a 100+ page manual is sitting in the box. 2. Shoot. Shoot your butt off and don't stop. (in manual mode)3. Don't listen to anyone else. There's no perfect formula for this profession and in the end you're just going to make your own way or fall on your face. You're in control of where you go. 4. Shoot. 5. Charge for your work. There's a significant amount of disrespect and abuse of the art of photography in terms of it's value these days. Don't get trapped in it. What you do has value. Why? Because it's likely increasing the value of the person or product that you're shooting. If your art is making someone else money, it should also make you money. 6. See number 4. 7. See number 3.
I'm new to photography . which camera should I buy?
The cheapest point-and-shoot you can find. Actually, start with the one from your phone. Cellphones have awesome cameras these days. Photography, as many professionals will tell you, is not about equipment, it's about vision, technique, rules, patience, creativity. You can take professional looking pictures with your phone if you just know how to look at putting it together.If you're truly new, find some good blogs with tips to read*, buy magazines, look at pictures by professionals and find inspiration, find out what attracts you and start developing your style. The very first things you have to learn are all about framing, composition, not shaking, choosing the best moment, using light and shadows, looking for different angles, editing (as in getting closer to your subject so there's no distracting elements in the background, no photoshop required), etc., and those are all things you're perfectly capable of doing with your phone or a simple point and shoot.Also, try to learn how to take the best of the functions those can offer you. See what you can do with white ballance, learn when to (most often NOT) use flash, learn about ISO, play with the pre-programmed modes most cameras offer, like sports/portrait/macro.As you learn and you see that you miss the freedom to manually control more and more functions of the camera, such as apperture and exposure, than you can start looking for a more professional camera.Today you have so many options you really need more info to make that decision, such as what is your photography style, where you'll be going to take the pictures, how much you're comfortable spending, or even carrying around*May I suggest (and this is also a good article to give you a starting point) Easy Tips to Help Beginners Understand Compositionand Photography Tips and TutorialsBut there are tons of others out there