Photography Tips
How to Be Photogenic!
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Calibree says: Was going to write an article ourselves but when we looked up some additional tips we found this mecca of suggestions. We figured we couldn’t do it better than this so here it is for you! (Note: Links don’t work)
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Do you dislike having your picture taken because you always seem to come out looking hideous? Felt jealous of your friend who always comes out flawless in photos? What’s the deal with pictures? While being photogenic just comes naturally to some people, there are a few things that anyone can do to look better in photos. Try out the tricks in this article and stop running for cover whenever the camera comes out.
Steps
- If you can get hold of the photo before it hits the internet, try to Photoshop (not too much, it looks like you’re a poser) or get a friend (a trusted friend) to do it for you.
- Study pictures of models and other photogenic people. When comfortable for your personality, experiment with mimicking their postures, but remember most model photos are not what family members or friends are looking for in a picture. Stand at a slight angle to the camera.
- When in a seated group shot, be sure the chairs are placed as close together as possible. Instead of leaning in, sit up straight and relax.
- Have your close friends look at the pictures you’ve taken to help you ascertain when you look your best. Sometimes, a critical second set of eyes is a great help.
- Consider that people with highly animated faces stand a better chance of getting captured during a transient grotesque expression. Frame-by-frame video is a great way to see significant differences between the photogenic and the not-so-photogenic.
- Practice smiling in front of the mirror. In no time you’ll know which smile looks fake and which is the most flattering. Learning how your face moves will help when someone grabs for the camera. Smile using your top row of teeth, it may feel unnatural but a smile with both rows of teeth can easily look fake.
- Keep your tongue behind your teeth.
- Use makeup. Those runway models and movie stars don’t necessarily all have perfect complexions, but they do all wear make-up so that they look unblemished. Especially if you have oily skin, a spotty complexion or a lot of wrinkles, experiment with different cosmetics to hide the “bad” and accentuate the “good”. Keep in mind that heavy eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipstick will still be seen. So try to focus on contouring your face, and high-lighting it for a flattering affect.
- Always look slightly above the camera when the picture is taken. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis always used this technique for photographs and portraits. Additionally, it helps reduce the “red eye” effect.
- If it is a full-length shot, position your body 45 degrees from the camera, then turn your head towards the lens. Stand with one foot crossed in front of the other and put all your weight on your back leg. This pose is very slimming and universally flattering.
- While being photographed, try to keep all body parts as close to your torso and face as possible, anything protruding directly at the camera will seem huge in the photo. ** Exception: Women often hold their arms just a couple inches away from their body because holding them too close often exacerbates the look of flabby upper arms.
- Three seconds before the shutter clicks, have your head down, and then slowly bring it up. Don’t jerk your head, though that may work. Smile while bringing your head up. When the picture is taken, your mouth should be in a fully relaxed smile. This way, your face is fully relaxed. Relax your eyes for the photo and feel relaxed. This may not work for all, so experiment when finding your photo taking style.*
- Don’t look at the camera; look through it.
- Make sure your photos look like you. These steps can help you better capture your natural beauty in pictures, but if you end up doctoring your photos too much you’re liable to look like someone you’re not. While you want to put your best face forward for online dating sites or acting headshots, you also want to make sure you accurately represent yourself. If you don’t, dates and potential employers may feel deceived.
- Sucking in your stomach will make you appear unattractive because your ribs may poke through your shirt. Worse, it will make you look slightly uncomfortable, which is never appealing.
- Tilting your head down slightly can sometimes create the effect of a double-chin, rather than hiding one.
- Men: wearing make-up may be socially difficult at first. Practice at home in private to get comfortable before any photos are taken.
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Photogenic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
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OK…so I took some time today to do a review of the new Kodak Zi8 video camera we got to capture footage from our photoshoots and shows. I’ll let the video do the talking, but know in the end I am pleased with this camcorder. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND BUYING AN ADDITIONAL BATTERY. If you are going to use the highend features this camcorder provides it will eat battery life. Quick pro’s and cons :
The good: Up to 1080p HD resolution; image quality is decent for a mini camcorder; SD card slot up to 32 gb; removable, rechargeable battery; bundled composite and HDMI cables; strong low-light performance; external mic jack; electronic image stabilization; 5-megapixel still capture; macro focus mode.
The bad: Bundled software isn’t Mac compatible but necessary for smooth playback of 1080p video; price doesn’t include an optional memory card, onboard mic is not fantastic (but there is still the option of plugging in a stereo condenser mic), BATTERY LIFE!!
The bottom line: Great camcorder for what it does, especially in low light. Better additional features than the Flip.
Note: Update this puppy to the newest firmware upon opening the box. It fixes some issues in video quality.
16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas
In an effort to bring you the best tips from the web, we came across this great post from Darren Rowse on taking fantastic photos during the Holidays. Although the title suggests these tips are specifically for Christmas, we’re sure they can be used for Chanukah, Kwanzaa and maybe even Festivus celebrations as well. Not sure we’d recommend them for Three Kings Day (darn Three Kings……we’ll catch you on camera one day….LOL)
Anyhow this article is sure to help you get THE BEST set of photos for a Holiday to remember. Just click the picture or the link and make sure you pack your camera this Holiday!
Calibree’s Top Holiday Gifts for Photographers!
CLICK ON SANTA TO SEE THE LIST!
We all know that everyone has at least one photographer in their life. So we thought we’d put together a short list of what photogs really want for holidays. This is not your typical list of those “HOT” items the retail stores try to sell you, but a reasonable list of practical items (except for one) that budding and professional photographers might want for the Holidays. So come over to Calibree Kiosk and check out our list for Holiday 2009!
How to Take A Good Picture On Your Camera Phone
Hey everyone here’s another helpful article from WikiHow
NOTE: Links don’t work.
Photo from: NY Times
The modern camera phone has been called “a credible candidate for the title of Most Convenient Tool for image capture.” Whether it be a random, spur-of-the-moment snapshot or well-thought-out compositions, a camera phone is a valuable tool for photography. Often, the most inspiring pictures occur in everyday life when you do not have a standard camera with you. The phone that you are carrying in your pocket can capture those impromptu photo moments when it’s impractical or impossible to have your SLR or other camera with you at all times. And, if you know their limitations, it is possible to take great, memorable pictures on your camera phone.
Steps
- Avoid subjects in low light, at least if you want them to be consistently lit. The small sensors in camera phones cannot run at high ISO speeds (i.e. high sensitivity to light, permitting indoor photos without a flash) without introducing large amounts of noise. In most circumstances, this precludes indoor photos other than in the best-lit places.
- Avoid bright reflections, and other “hot-spots”. This will either force the camera to under-expose the rest of the shot, or cause the camera to blow out the highlights on the brightest parts of the shot. The latter is worse, since it is sometimes possible to extract details from parts of the image that are too dark, but impossible to recover blown highlights (since there is no detail therein to extract). On the other hand, this can be used to artistic ends, such as with bright light streaming through a window.
- Avoid anything that requires tight focusing. Due to their very short focal lengths (the distance between a camera’s optical elements and the sensor, again, owing to their small sensors), camera phones excel at shots where nearly all of a scene is in focus. However, this (and their typically weak auto-focus mechanisms) usually precludes focusing on objects very close to the phone, or having a very shallow depth of field to get a blurred background effect (which can, with varying degrees of authenticity, be faked in software later anyway).
- Avoid “mirror shots”, as well as arm-length shots taken by yourself. Aside from them being clichèd, they require taking photos indoors (see above), and mirrors also often end up confusing auto-focus mechanisms. Get outside and get someone to take the photo for you. If you’d rather take the picture yourself, most camera phones have an auto-timer feature so you can set the phone somewhere and get into frame.
- The steadier you keep the phone as you are taking the picture, the sharper the image will be.
- Make sure your phone has enough free memory to keep taking pictures. If your phone is full, download some of the pictures from the phone to save room. Most mobile phones nowadays support MicroSD or other memory cards that allow the phone’s capacity to be raised. Even something as small as a 1GB MicroSD card can hold hundreds more pictures.
- Note that some places (e.g., bathrooms) are inappropriate for photos.
- A phone with an integrated camera with free memory space.
- A photographic subject
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Take A Good Picture On Your Camera Phone. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
