Shoot for the Moon - Tips on Photographing the Moon

If care is not taken when photographing the moon it is likely that you will get either an overly dark photo, a moon that looks like the sun, a very small moon, or all the above. I would like to offer some tips on a different strategy for making compelling moon photographs.

So lets first discuss why it is so difficult to photograph the moon. The two main issues are: (1) The brightness of the moon, and (2) the size of the moon.

Almost everyone has experienced a "moon-lit night". This is when a full moon, or nearly full moon, lights up a dark night. You see everything around you fairly well, which is evidence that the small amount of sunlight that the moon reflects is actually quite bright.

Why is this a problem for moon photography? When the moon is so bright and everything itself is much darker, it is impossible to make a photo where both the moon and the subject are clearly visible. Either the moon is very bright and washed out (and everything else is properly exposed), or the moon's details are well-defined, but everything else is black or very dark. We'll get to possible solutions in a little bit.

The other problem with moon photography is that it is actually quite small in the sky. Using a normal lens will cause the moon to appear very small in the resulting photo. This will not usually create a compelling image, even if the frame is properly exposed. Of course you can use a zoom lens and take a photo of the moon, but that is usually pretty boring.

So what is a photographer to do? My suggestions are as follows:

• Plan on photographing a full moon at or near moonrise or moonset, when the moon is very near the horizon
• Look for interesting subjects that are large (e.g. building or tree size), in a large flat region, and which are visible from a distance of a few hundred feet to a few hundred yards.
• Research the direction (aka the azimuth) where the moon will rise or set in a given month, and select a subject where the moon will be easily be visible and adjacent to the subject from a distance

OK, you may not be able to easily visualize these ideas, but let me explain what I'm trying to accomplish here. I want you to photograph the full moon near the horizon, from a distance, and with an interesting subject in the frame. The reason I want to photograph the full moon near the horizon is because the light it is emitting nearly matches the ambient light of the rest of the world at that time. That's because the sun would be directly behind you and it would be illuminating both the moon and your subject equally.

This concept of even lighting only works with the full moon, because during other phases of the moon the moon is either too high in the sky or below the horizon when the sun is behind you.

Now simply photographing the moon near the horizon does not alone make for an interesting image. So now think about making the moon LARGE in the frame, and in combination with an interesting subject. This is the hard part. You obviously will be using a zoom lens for this, so you will be shooting BOTH the moon and the subject from a distance. They need to be very near each other in the frame. This is where a lot of planning is needed. You need a large, unobstructed, flat area for this (i.e. no hills, trees, buildings, etc) so that the rising or setting moon is visible.

There are websites for researching the direction and time of moonrises and moonsets throughout the year. There will only be about 12 full moons per year (sometimes 13), so you may end up getting very few good opportunities to make the shots you are planning. Don't forget about mother nature - a single cloud can ruin all of your plans.

I hope you can make use of these tips in your moon photography.

My Website: Bucks County Photography by Matt Schrier

Article Source: Matt_Schrier

Starting a Photography Business Will Be Easier With These 30 Free Tips

When you're a keen photographer and you have the desire to spend your working life doing something you enjoy such as photography, it would be a shame if you didn't pursue it further wouldn't it? You really don't have to join an institution or pay thousands of dollars to get started either. You simply need the passion to learn and persist. Most great photographers who rely on their trade to survive don't even know they have these traits because they love what they do and they simply can't stop.

It's true that there is wealth to be made in photography and I'm not going to down play that or make a pitch to the opposite because in every case, it's been up to the individual. Meaning - it depends on what mode of photography they choose, how much time they put into the business, do they have a commercial bent, are they more artistic than usual etc. All these points come into play when success in a photography business or studio is questioned.

I don't want to create any false hopes by that last paragraph because success will require some hard work, tolerance and patience. These next thirty tips should help you along the way. There is more detail available on this subject matter at the link at the bottom of this page.

Where can I obtain information on building a photography business?

1. Always do some extensive research before starting out a career with your own photography business so that you understand the pros and cons involved. Some ideas include subscribing to a good magazine related to the photographic industry such as Professional Photographer, Camera Arts and Photo District News. Besides that, the internet is the biggest source of information and can provide you with a plethora of career opportunities or even more information on starting a photography business.

At which level do you want to start your photography business?

2. This is the trickiest question that a person interested in starting a business encounters. It is very important to decide what kind of photography business you want so that the relevant requirements and (sometimes) finance can be muscled up.

When is the best time to start a fully-fledged photography business?

3. After deciding on what you need and any extra necessary equipment that is needed to set up the basic infrastructure, you will need to consider carefully your main tool - the camera, be it digital or film. You must also consider carefully a reliable, high-quality PC and good relevant software to manipulate your photographs with special effects. If the business is being undertaken on a massive scale then maybe a developing lab needs to be planned and established.

o What kind of venues will yield real income to your business?

4. A newly established business in photography requires an assured location or a beat (working locally), as in journalism. For instance, wedding photography, sports related photography or developmental photography. Once established, business can also be diversified into many more fields.

o Building a photography portfolio

5. It is always important to compile a good portfolio as far as photography is concerned. A portfolio must contain a collection of pertinent photographic work that you believe to be impressive. Make sure that photographs are unusual in character and are from diverse fields. Your portfolio must be able to impress the client in the very first meeting.

6. Don't keep all the photographs that you have in your possession. Only keep your best work in the folder so that you don't embarrass yourself or find yourself having to explain photographs that aren't relevant.

7. Showcase spontaneous photos that you believe are of good quality. You'd be surprised how many people respond favorably to peoples expressions when they are good shots.

Basic apparatus required

8. A canvas background of at minimum 7-9 foot and the background colors should be either navy or white as minimum requirements to start with; a well-branded studio lights system such as that of Norman & Speedtron; certified picture manipulation software such as Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop, etc.

Is there a need for establishing a makeup studio as part of your photo studio?

9. Makeup and photography often go hand in hand. Wherever makeup is involved it is often referred to as trick photography because makeup is capable of completely transforming an individual's personality, and sometimes relevance to a product in the case of advertising photography.

What kind of photo-editing software available in the market?

10. Photo-editing software through which special effects and complete changes to a photo are possible and can also often save the need for a re shoot.

11. Some of the photo-editing software that are popular includes Photoshop CS; Photoshop Light room, iPhoto, i View Multimedia, MediaPro, ACDSee, Corel and Picasa.

Is storage and treatment of photographs crucial in building photography business?

12. Never adopt laxity while handling or archiving photographs. You will regret it later. Storage and access efficiency will either improve or frustrate your working environment. Often older photos become more valuable with time.

How can be photographs be preserved easily apart from the conventional method?

13. Today's cameras are highly versatile and will allow downloads and transfers from highly surprising devices including your mobile but pictures can also be stored on a CD's, USB's and DVD's too.

o Choosing a Camera

14. Stick to w ell known brand. The level of mega pixel offered and quality of the zooming facility must be looked into carefully. I have my favorites but there are many equally as good as mine.

15. Most of the cameras are compatible with computers and printers and moreover, because we now use memory sticks, we are truly free to operate unencumbered.

o What kind of a website does a person need to have?

16. Your collection of photographs must be properly classified under different categories. Visual appearance of your website will do wonders for your business so take consider setting up one with semi automation where the maintenance and hard work is done for you like photostockplus.

17. Remember to constantly upgrade and maintain your website so that each time people come across your website, they will find fine something new and interesting.

o Copyright of your photographs

18. Copyright is the right protects the person who owns or who took the photographs. A wise exercise if you are looking to use some stock houses for commercial purposes.

o Why is a business card helpful?

19. In every business, visiting cards are helpful. It is extremely useful in for people to contact you after your first meeting. It must contain all your contact details. If you're a photographer, a clever impressive graphic or a picture of yourself with your equipment is best. Your contact number or email must be easy to read. I have seen cards that have large names and pictures and the phone numbers are so small they are difficult to read. Ridiculous! Make your phone number the largest thing on the card - that's what most people will use it for.

o Which things must be kept in mind while you plan to build a wedding photography business?

20. Wedding Photography is almost another art unto itself. There are many things to remember for a truly successful wedding shoot. I have prepared another article to deal with this in more detail and it's all about --Wedding Photography. --

o Advantage of assignment photography

21. Assignment photography is that branch of photography where a person is engaged or consigned to capture shots of something impressive and extraordinary, such as in the case of advertising or portrait photography; this can provide you a stable income after you've learned the ropes.

o Advantage of stock photography

22. Stock photography is that branch of photography where there is an accumulated stock of photographs which can be sold to interested buyers, designers, adverting agencies etc. This can be a slow haul but if your pictures are well thought out, it can be the source of an ongoing income. --My favorite is istockphotos--.

o Other places where you can sell your photographic collection?

23. Art shows are the perfect platform from where your creativity and work will be really appreciated because at such places you will find some niche customers that have a sharp eye for real talent. Such places have been known to bring instant fame.

24. Winter Park Art Show at Orlando, Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts, Old Town Art Show; Chicago, Boston Mills Art Show; Peninsula, Ohio, Similar art shows are held in different parts of the world and they are easy to find on the net. Simply do a Google search for "photography art show" and the name of the country you are in after adding the plus sign like this; "photography art show"+ Sweden

o Prices to be charged from the clients

25. In the initial stages of your business, don't try to charge exorbitant amounts otherwise it will give the wrong impression and you will perhaps lose a valuable long term customer. Tread slowly. Ring other photographers and research. Five phone calls should do it.

Marketing your photography business

26. You must try to market your work at relevant places. Photographs can also be published over the internet. Publication over the internet will increase customer enquiry. Don't forget to search for suitable local markets and get the snaps printed in a local journal or newspaper and always display your contact number prominently - always!

27. Establishing and popularizing a business is a tough call but if you adopt a proper marketing strategy. Today, Advertising is one of the most popular mediums of promoting. Ads can be placed on websites, online telephone directories, newspapers and magazines, etc. Research the right mediums before you rush in. Sometimes good deals get in the way of recognizing the right advertising vehicle.

28. You can develop a website of your own to effectively promote your photography business but one thing that must be kept in mind is never forget to include a testimonial section and gauge the response of the people visiting the website. Let them make comments.

o Career prospects in photo journalism

29. Individuals interested in setting up a photography business can begin their career by becoming a photo journalist. Appealing and unusual photographs can be supplied to newspapers, magazines, websites and the photography business is booming to such an extent that even international media organizations will offer you good money in return for rare and high-quality photographs.

30. Mainstream photographers are engaged in TV, parcels and copy services, newspapers, magazines and sketch photography. There are many more jobs also related to photography than there ever was previously and because of the diversity and flexibility of digital photography, more respect has been attached to this profession. Some of the avenues in photography apart from business are Journalism, Graphic arts, Advertising, DTP jobs, Publications and Motion Picture creation.

Go and make yourself a hot beverage and a have a long think about where you're going to start, that is, if you haven't already started.

This article has been supplied courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy has supplied further detail on the above subject matter at starting a photography business and is dedicated to coaching you on how to start your own photography business. You can also gain photography insights, help (mostly free) or even a Digital Photography Tip or two. For brief reviews on services or equipment see http://www.profitable-photography.com/resources.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Barker

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Different Landscape Photography Tips

Taking high quality photos, most especially to amateurs can be a daunting task. These days, you can now improver your photos since there are already plenty of expert help you can invest in. To help you take better pictures, here are some landscape photography tips as well as camera tips:

First, you have to consider the available light. Know that beautiful landscape photos are usually defined by the quality of light they were captured. This is one of the main reasons why most photographers opt to shoot early in the morning or during late afternoons if the sun is lower, and displays a subtle colour palette of moody hues.

Composition is another important element towards making landscape photography successful. If you are not aware about where to start, you can use the rule of thirds to get things going. How is it done? Well, you just divide your frame into imaginary thirds on both the horizontal and vertical axis. Then simply place areas of interest at the points at which the lines intersect or along one of the lines. But then, you must not be afraid to throw away the rule book and totally disregard the conventions of composition. Although you may have some awful failures, you may likewise create a striking masterpiece. Always bear in mind that you must be bold and experiment.

Be reminded also that most landscape photographers will have a circular polarizing filter as one of the gears. There are a lot of uses for filters. First, it has the ability to cut out reflections and nasty glare from a scene and the increased colour intensity, contrast and saturation they create. You will indeed notice the effect in clear blue skies.

Certainly, a lot of landscape photographers want an image that will appear sharp throughout the scene. And this can actually be achieved by using the principles of depth of field, whereby the smaller an aperture you use, the greater the area both before and beyond the point of focus likewise appear to be sharp. You must know that this principle can be taken one step further with hyperfocal distance focusing. In general, if you are using small apertures, you will need to compensate with slow shutter speeds - this is why, it is very important for you to know how to use a tripod.

Locating the best location is likewise one of the most important things you must do in order for you to come up with a high quality image. To learn more about these tips, visit this site.

To learn more about photography tips, check out this site.

Article Source: Brenda_Richardson