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Be Ready for Anything

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

A successful photographer must be ready for action at a moments notice. A successful photographer never really stops shooting when the action happens. A successful photographer has everything they need close at hand. For all of these things to occur, a photographer needs the right camera case for their needs. There are lots of options available to suit any type of photography.

What Type of Camera Case do you need? First identify what type of camera case you need. Consider the type of photography you are doing. Is it action packed, constantly moving and on the go? Or is it time intensive and localize to one area? These factors greatly affect the type of camera case a photographer chooses.

M-Rock camera cases

M-Rock camera cases come in a variety of sizes and styles to suit different types of photographers. For the first case of action photography, a small digital camera case is the perfect fit. M-Rock small camera cases fit a digital camera perfectly inside with soft felt lining so there will be no abrasion during movement. The rigid outer structure composed of water resistant materials, plastic panels, and thick foam protect the camera inside for the worst case scenarios. The small camera cases also have a belt strap that keeps the camera gear where you need it, and also have two small pockets for storing supplies and accessories. With a small M-Rock camera case, photographers can run, jump, and even bike, without worrying about the protection of their camera.

Imagine all the features of the small camera cases on a large scale. For the second case of localized photography, M-Rock large camera cases offer everything a photographer needs. The same quality components are used, with added features that allow the case to store larger cameras, lenses, tripods, and other supplies. To protect valuable lenses, large camera cases come with a u-shaped cradle to carry lenses within the case.

The best advantage of M-Rock camera cases is that they are modular, meaning the can be used alone, or in conjunction with other M-Rock cases for added storage. M-Rock camera cases have Velcro arms on either side that slip into the modular belt or other camera cases for a secure connection.

See what types of camera cases are available. You may find some advantages of camera cases you never even dreamed of. M-Rock is number one for camera storage and protection, and will have a successful photographer ready for anything

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How to Publish a Calendar Featuring Hot College Guys at your University

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

Ever thought of putting together a pinup calendar featuring hot guys enrolled at your college or university?

Most people who think of creating a “Men of (Your) University” calendar assume that all they need to do is locate 12 hunky college males and have them photographed. This is true, but there are more tasks to publishing a calendar and many more than 12 college guys must be recruited.

Besides recruiting, selection, and training of these student male models, there is production of the actual calendar, which includes photography, arranging graphic design and commercial printing. After the calendars are delivered, news media publicity must be arranged. Promotional Events must be held.

But, first, the best college guys on campus must be found. After a decade of publishing, recruiting of college men is an area were Campus Men Calendar operation is  an expert.

There is a high demand to appear in pinup calendars of college men. Therefore, we do not cater to, or try to convince any one college student to appear. We want to be able to choose from many college guys.

The theme of Campus Men’s calendar photographs is very important to who we chose to recruit and select. We present young, all-American college guys in sensual poses in which the viewer never gets to see them.

We answer the question of: I wonder what that incredible-looking guy I saw on campus would look like in bed? We have found that to sell calendars, we do not feature college men wearing sweaters. We appeal to the sexual motivations of the viewer, whether through a cute smile, great face or body or what little you wear. We attempt to give the viewer a fantasy of what it is like to be intimate with the college student.

We also prefer photographs with a “college feel” – a collegiate or athletic feel to them, rather than “beach” photos to them. We try to plan imagery that brings college life to mind or portrays the college student as a sexy athlete.

Remember, the theme of Campus Men Calendars is: “We show people what that athletic guy they passed on the quad looks like in bed.”

Far more than 12 must be recruited. Calendar production process calls for locating as many attractive males on your campus as possible. It is not usual to evaluate at least 125 college guys and as many as 500 during the entire process. If you want to organize a calendar, your goal should be to sign up hundreds of hot college guys.

A large number must be secured because the most important issue – other than quality of photographs – is timing of delivery. Timing is very important. Calendars must be produced for delivery June 1 of each year. This allows a seven month long selling season, allows appearing college guys to sell calendars during the summer (when they have ample time to sell because they are not enrolled in classes; are usually home among family and friends; and eventually order more after selling out); allows us to sell through national magazines; and allows us to reach incoming freshmen college guys visiting the campus during orientation sessions, held during June through August. This means the calendar also will be on store shelves in time for college guys who arrive back for the beginning of fall quarter who shop for items to decorate the dorm or sorority room walls.

Winter term is a poor time to recruit college guys because completing any activity takes generally more time due to cold weather. We cannot easily see what college guys look like because they cover themselves with clothing when outdoors. College guys generally stay indoors, become sedentary, gain weight, and do not have tans.

If only 12 college guys are recruited, the operation can be delayed if even one college student drops out of the publication for any reason or is dismissed.

We also need to recruit a large number of college guys because appearing in a calendar is not for everyone. We find that we must screen all guys to select only those who are willing to pose nude or nearly nude. Why? Because college oriented calendars are not the thing for timid or conservative young men. We have published many pinup calendars of varying degrees of provocativeness. Tame pinup calendars are nice. But, few buyers actually part with $15 to buy a boring male calendar. Calendars which have been more risqué have always been more popular in sales.

We found this is the best profile for college guys to appear in a pinup calendar:
• Outgoing, can sell calendars
• Nice body, muscular or lean
• Comfortable posing nude, uninhibited, the kind of guy who would skinny dip or go streaking at the drop of a hat

Help in locating attractive college guys from other college guys is an extremely valuable resource. We found that advertising to get students to contact us did not bring in the “right” kind of college guys. Many young men who are perfect for a calendar would never think of applying. They must be invited. That is where student recruiters are valuable.

We advertised to locate a team of students whose sole duty is to stop college guys on an informal basis. Advertising to locate recruiters can include classified want ads, fliers to sororities, career placement offices, and to all dorms and their resident advisors. We aimed for at least three “hard core” recruiters, a Greek system and a minority representative. Recruiters need not be female. Guys can recruit and sometimes find it easier to approach other guys in gyms, class and on the quad.

We estimate 60 percent of the college guys our recruiters find will be acceptable. Of those college student 75 percent will accept our offer to appear. Therefore, to secure 22 acceptable college men, recruiters should locate 50 guys per calendar.

Compensation to recruiters is a finder’s fee paid per college student who appears in the calendar. Finder’s fees are payable only if a college student the recruiter found appears in the calendar. We did not pay a finder’s fee if we did not select the college student to appear, if the college student declined our offer to appear, dropped out before publication of the calendar, if we dismissed the guy for any reason, or if we did not publish the calendar.

If you can locate a large number of attractive male college guys at your university, Campus Men can work with you to publish an edition of the Campus Men calendar which features college guys enrolled at your school.

You must have an ability to identify many attractive male college guys on your campus, and guide them through the application process, follow up, collect and upload an image of every guy, and collect biographical info on each college student. You upload their name and email address and a photo to us through CampusMen.com. We must receive a snapshot or we ignore the guy’s application.

After a college guy applies through CampusMen.com, you will collect a bio or interview the guy on video tape, and supply us with the tape. Then selection of new “male models” begins

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How to Buying Digital Camera Batteries

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

A digital camera battery is probably the most important digital camera accessory. Some digital cameras can consume power at an alarming rate, providing no more than a few hours of continuous shooting time before the battery is drained. Other cameras are renowned for the long life of their digital camera battery which allows users to snap away with barely a thought to power consumption. It is important to know how you intend to use your camera and what type of battery it needs.

There are two types of digital camera battery. The most widely available digital camera battery is a standard AA-size battery. The other type of digital camera battery is a rechargeable battery that is made by the manufacturer, otherwise known as a proprietary battery.

A proprietary digital camera battery offers the advantage of being lighter and more compact, but they are substantially more expensive, making the prospect of buying one or two backup sets much less appealing.

The alkaline AA-size digital camera battery usually has a very short life – less than an hour in extreme cases – when used in a digital camera. This type of battery makes an acceptable emergency backup, especially if you are travelling with your camera. However, the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) digital camera battery can be used instead of the alkaline ones with a charger and this rechargeable NiMH digital camera battery has a substantially longer life at an affordable price.

Another type of AA-size battery is the non-rechargeable Lithium batteries and rechargeable Nickel Cadmium (NiCD) batteries. The lithium digital camera battery has a superior life to alkaline AA’s and offers good cold-weather performance but their price and non-rechargeable nature make them less useful than rechargeable NiMH batteries. It is also important to ensure that your camera can take a lithium digital camera battery. On the other hand the NiCD digital camera battery offers the advantage of retaining their charge while unused, unlike NiMH cells, but have shorter lives and need to be discharged completely before recharging which can be extremely inconvenient.

The LCD screen of a digital camera is responsible for consuming the most power from a digital camera battery so it is worth only using the LCD when necessary to help conserve the battery life. Always try to carry at least one backup set of batteries, especially if you plan on being away from power outlets for an extended period of time. The universally-available alkaline AA-size battery can make a convenient emergency backup if your regular digital camera battery fails.

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Black And White Digital Photography

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

There are several ways to achieve black and white digital photography. With black and white digital photography, you are bringing the end user back into a period of time when life seemed a lot simpler. Many digital cameras come equipped with a function to take these types of photos. If your digital camera does not support this function, you can still change your photographs into black and white with software programs.

You’ll want your black and white digital photography to look its best when you are finished. A technique that can help you get the best image out of your digital photograph is through image manipulation. You may find it better to convert your eight-bit color images (which are usually jpegs) into 16-bit colors first. This is important because an 8-bit RGB can be the same as a 10-bit grayscale.

You can find information all over on the Internet to help you with your black and white digital photography. These resources can be found in everything from websites to magazines. Colored pictures can look truly beautiful as a black and white display. You will usually have to convert your graphics, because although there are options with digital cameras, there are no true black and white digital cameras.

Correct the Colorcasts

An important part of black and white digital photography is correcting the colorcasts. These are caused by bad lighting, but you can use software such as PhotoShop Elements to make the relevant changes by using their editing applications. The Imaging Factory is also software that can help you to easily convert and fix lighting areas in your graphics to get the best look with your black and white digital photography. If you want to turn your graphics into black and white digital photography, you can step into a completely new dimension in photography. You can do an endless array of projects right from your own computer

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Bird Photography

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

Birds have been one of the greatest subject for photographers for centuries now because they have an inspiring beauty and mystify us with their gift of flight and diversity. When it comes to photographing birds and their behavior, catching it on film will add a tremendous visual impact and feeling to any picture. There are different locations where birds gather, but really the best place you may what to start is your backyard. The thing about birds is that they are busy little bodies and a bird feeder in the backyard is a great place to get a picture when they are feeding or even the bird in the air getting ready to pounce one of the birds that is currently feeding.

When you venture out of your backyard to look for birds to photograph your vehicle may just become your newest piece of equipment. Birds see our cars less of a threat then a person carrying a long lens underneath their arm. A vehicle makes for a great blind and along with this patience is a virtue. When you find a location such as a prime feeding ground, park a bit of a ways from it and stop your engine to cut down on noise that may scare them.

Standard,wide-angle and short zoom lenses can be used for photographing birds, but for serious bird photography, a quality 500 mm or 600 mm telephoto lens is ideal.

Please keep in mind to avoid any situation that can put stress on the birds and their surroundings. If you notice a bird that is starting to show any kind of stress, this means that there is a nest or chicks near by. Any further picture taking should be disengaged and you should leave the immediate area. As a photographer of birds or any wildlife, it is a good thing to remember not to put ourselves or the birds around us in any kind of danger.

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Digital Photography Equipment Tips

Posted on 15 April 2009 by admin

When you first begin using your digital photography

camera be sure you have got the correct equipment you

will need before you set out. Owning the proper equipment

is  essential whenever you would like to make it

successfully wether you are a beginner or a professional.

If you’re going to become a professional with your

digital photography then you had better be willing to

spend a good deal more on equipment than simply somebody

wanting to do this as a hobby. Depending upon what you

would like to do with digital photography it’s entirely

up to you as to how much equipment you’re going to be

checking out in buying. A professional career in digital

photography might not be what you are looking for do if

you don’t have the money for these kinds of equipment

that you will need to have.

Then, if you are merely wanting to enjoy digital

photography as a hobby then I should be able to assist

you out in letting you know what you may require for your

digital camera, accessories and all. For your first

digital camera the important thing is to not spend overly

to much on it. There is no call for in purchasing an

pricey digital camera until afterwards down the road once

you get a good deal more experienced with it. On several

digital cameras you could be capable to even utilize them

as a manual camera. You will merely have to work out how

to adjust all of it’s operations. You’ll be able to go

out and buy a book for dummies on digital photography as

well, those are always handy to own. They have them for

virtually everything you want to know. Just keep in mind

that owning the proper software for your digital camera

is really significant, it will help you organize all of

the images you have created.

You will need to purchase a bag or case to keep your

digital camera safe and all or any accessories that you

may have bought as well while you’re active. Purchase the

camera that you feel best suits your needs and remember

you only require a basic one for beginners. They will

have all of the features you will need just to get going

and with this camera you’ll even be able to take truly

great photographs.

Spending more doesn’t all of the time mean that you’re

buying the better product. If there’s not a photographing

equipment store in your city then I suggest you will be

able to simply go online and look up anything you may be

interested in purchasing. You will be able to discover a

couple of really good deals on the internet if you’re

wanting to save a little money, who would’nt like to do

that? Or you can ask around, you might have a friend that

can assist you out with your first time purchasing needs.

If there’s a local store where you can go in and purchase

digital cameras for digital photography there will be

somebody in there that can help you with any questions

you could have about the product.

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Baby Photography

Posted on 14 April 2009 by admin

Babies can be the most challenging and rewarding portraits to take, but can also be the most frustrating.

Babies tend to sleep, eat and cry a lot and won’t pose in front of the camera but don’t let that put you off photographing them. Creating the perfect baby portrait, when done right, will certainly be rewarding.

One of the most important factors in photographing babies is patience and the way you apply child psychology when relating to the baby. Babies over six months may be shy and won’t react well to a complete stranger. This is where child psychology comes in – you must try to play with the baby, or even become a child yourself while taking the photograph. The keys of your car can be very effective. But remember, your job is to take a baby portrait; you must be able to react quickly when the infant responds to your entertainment.

Shooting a portrait of a newborn baby can be difficult. At this age the baby will not be active, so it’s better to focus on close-up headshots. Try using natural light from a bedroom window to add mood to the portrait.

Babies over a few months of age will be more alert and will have a lot more movement in them. Shooting fast is a necessity, the infant will tire quickly.

Babies seven months or older can be very tricky to shoot. The baby will bore quickly and will not want to stay in the same position.

If you are serious about baby photography and you tend to shoot from your own studio make sure you have a lot of toys to amuse the infants. A light colour background will work best and shoot the portraits in colour and black and white.

Parents may be worried about the affect of studio lights on their baby. Point out that strobe lights have no effect on kids. Try to point this out before the parent asks.

Don’t ever handle a baby without the parents consent. Most parents will be very protective and won’t react well to a stranger lifting the infant.

Watch out for the fingers – fingers in the mouth can be attractive but on most occasions they will obscure the face.

If you plan to resell the baby photograph to an agency make sure you get a release form signed from the parents. There is a large market out there for baby pictures but agencies or magazines won’t touch them without the parents consent. For baby portraits to be sellable they must be technically perfect, but the picture must illustrate the baby being active or some form of child care

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Abstract Photography : Has photography come of age

Posted on 14 April 2009 by admin

“Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.” -W. Eugene Smith

The invention of the camera liberated painting from its reportage role. Gone was the need to produce a likeness, detail the events of the story, painting was free to express emotions. True what had gone before contained an emotional content but now painting could experiment and through imaginative interpretation allow the emotional content to predominate. Freed from this constraint the painter was able to create a new language and explore the motivations of their art.

As the 19th century evolved and throughout the 20th century painters from the impressionists through the cubists and expressionists to the minimalists could to use colour, line and form to go straight to the emotional content of their work. The representational aspect of the work become coincidental and was pushed to the point that it became akin to lying on the grass making shapes out of clouds. Enjoyable as it may be it is secondary to the nature of clouds.

The introduction of the digital darkroom has given this freedom to photographers. The range of tools to fix and enhance the camera’s capture when pushed to its extremes produces a range of fascinating effects. When added to the filters built into the better software, images can be produced that any comparison to the original photograph is purely coincidental. As photographers explore these tools and incorporate them into their photographs so their visual language will grow. The revolution of the medium with the development from black and white into colour is taking its next step. Now with the digital darkroom’s ever growing range of tools the only limitation is the photographer’s imagination.

With the use of these tools, the skilled photographic artist can take the pop song and create, in visual terms, the lyric beauty of a baroque symphony or the down town jive of a jazz variation without a tree or a high rise in sight. Just the light captured by the camera and fine tuned into something completely different, something new that comes from the photographer.

The photographer has been liberated like the painter before them by technology. Now photographs can explore the full range of human experience including those they have no words to express. Large statements will be accessible by the photographer not only in physical terms. Although like their painter counterparts, through an additional feature of the technology, the large canvas is becoming the order of the day. That this canvas can express feelings rather than just illustrate them denotes that the photography has become an adult in the arts.

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Introduction to Pet Photography

Posted on 14 April 2009 by admin

Introduction

Photographing your pet can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Done well, it will allow you to immortalize Fluffy or Spot – that significant member of your family – the pet that shared you food, chewed your shoes, and brought you the newspaper. In fact, the act of seriously photographing your pet will bring you both closer because the process opens you to noticing the small, wonderful things that you might have missed before – the way he wags his tail, etc. This is a grand adventure.

Goal

As with anything, it’s best to proceed with a goal in mind so you know where to start. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to capture your pet’s playful side? Are you trying to setup a funny photo using a prop such as a birthday hat? Is this an interactive portrait between your pet and your child? Sit down and put on paper this goal, because it will help you in preparing properly. Nothing is worse than spending an hour going to your favorite scene with equipment in hand and realizing your forgot a favorite toy – do your self a favor, do not skip this step.

Setting

Now that you have decided on your goal, it’s now time to decide the proper setting. Indoors vs. outdoors. Near the fireplace with an open fire in the background, or in a studio. At the beach or in the woods. As you think about the proper setting, think about how your pet will respond to that setting. If you decide the public park is the perfect place, you must think about your pet’s resistance to distractions. Is he/she able to resist running after another animal or person? The more you know your pet and look through his/her eyes, the better off you will be.

Preparation

Now you are at the critical preparation stage. You’ve set your goal, you’ve decided on the appropriate setting – let’s try to anticipate all that can (and will) go wrong. I use the word ‘wrong’ loosely – try not be too rigid and to have fun – we will talk more about that in a minute. Write out on paper every possible thing you can think of. Here are some suggestions:
· Exercise your pet – just enough so they are still alert, but not hyper
· Lighting – outdoor is best, but flash will work too – should be natural lighting
· Grooming – only if it doesn’t adversely affect your pet’s mood – then do it days beforehand
· Props/Toys – favorite of the pet
· Food – favorite of the pet
· Be prepared for sudden movement – shutter speed about 1/125th and use iso 400 or 800 film (if indoors)
· Watch the scene clutter
· Have pet at least 6 feet away from background to reduce shadows
· Bring an assistant to help manage your pet
· Zoom Lens
· Camera, Film, Tripod, Equipment, etc.
Etc., etc. Are you getting the idea? The first time you make out your list, the process will be a little tedious, but the beauty is that once the list is made, all you need to do is modify it slightly for the next sessions.

On Location

Whew, you’ve made to shooting location – congratulations. Hopefully, you’ve brought everything you are going to need, right? Right! Now, it’s time for setup. Be organized; get everything laid out in a logical fashion. The last thing you want to be doing is fiddling around with equipment when you need to be shooting pictures – an animal has a zero attention span and you have got to be ready to snap that picture when the moment is there. How is you animal’s demeanor? Is he/she super wound up? If yes, then perhaps some light exercise would be in order – nothing too heavy, but just enough to help him/her calm down. How are you? Are you stressed? Relax, and go with the flow – animals are super sensitive to your mood. Give your pet some last minute grooming – just touch-ups. If you are outdoors, how is the wind? Is it too strong? Is the sun too bright? Remember, overcast is much better for exposure. Make sure that your pet is far enough away from your background so as to not cast any shadows.

The Photographer’s Mindset

Your mindset should be one of peace and serenity. I can’t overstate that enough. Also, you need to climb into the mind of your pet as best you can. What are they thinking and feeling? Align your expectations properly. If you have never done this before, don’t expect perfection the first time out – that will just raise your anxiety level and will stress out your pet.

Shooting

One of the most important things to remember is to get down on your pet’s level, physically, as much as possible. A shot from above doesn’t portray intimacy. In addition, when you are at your pet’s level, it’s easier for you to empathize with it. If you’ve never crawled around on the ground before, you might feel a bit foolish, but trust me, it makes all the difference in the world. Make sure that you and your handler work with each other – you have got to be in charge, but also try to be flexible – you have a lot of variables that you are managing.

Be patient, and have a lot of fun!!!

www.Kitten-Pictures.com

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All About Photography

Posted on 14 April 2009 by admin

Photography is the art of reproducing pictures of people, objects or places in their exact likeness. These images can be transferred on any photosensitive material. Photography includes taking and printing pictures.

The backbone of photography is the camera, the instrument or device that works on the principle of optics. The camera and photographic techniques have undergone phenomenal changes since the time the first camera was made. The earlier model did not contain the film; instead, it had a small light-shield box with lens and translucent screen on either side. The image that traveled through the lens was stored on the screen. Known as ‘camera obscura,’ it was no more than a sketching device for artists.

Then the scientists discovered the quality of silver nitrate that changes its color when exposed to light. This was the beginning of photogram, a method of making permanent images.

They would place objects on the paper dipped in silver nitrate and expose it to the sunlight. After sometime the area covered under the object stayed white while the rest of the space turned black. However, the image formed was temporary, so the method did not last long.

Over the centuries, the principles, the method and the material used in photography went through many changes. After experimenting with various methods like Daguerre and calotype process, finally collodion, or the wet plate technique was universally accepted.

Modern photography has given a totally new meaning to the entire perception of life and privacy. Photography has made it possible to capture and preserve special moments, in private and in public life. History became more authentic with pictures, and photographs served as evidence in many cases. People made their family tree in their albums. Suddenly life was so much more fun and meaningful.

With the tremendous technological advances in the art of photography, it is no more just fun and frolic but has acquired the dimensions of a full-fledged profession. Photography has many branches and types, such as:

- Aerial photography is the art of taking photographs from the air.

- Art photography is devoted to beautiful pictures for the sake of beauty only.

- Studio or advertising photography is dedicated to promotion of products and institutions.

- Photojournalism takes pictures of events to support the news story and to create awareness among the people.

- Outdoor and travel photography is focused on taking pictures of landscapes and natural places.

- Sports photography records images of the sporting events and games that take place in the world.

- Some types of photography like the macro and scientific and macro or close up photography are restricted to specific fields and are not widely known.

The charm of photography lies as much in the end product as in the process of taking pictures. Looking at an album is like taking a trip down memory lane; it makes us feel highly nostalgic and emotional

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