Martin comments that ‘these ideas may seem a little elementary, but sticking to the basics keeps our editing focused, maintains consistency from image to image and keeps our clients happy’.

1. Tone of space (a room, for example) should be balanced and neutral, with no overall bias;
2. Blacks (like tuxes) should be black;
3. Whites (like wedding gowns) should be white;
4. Don’t over-saturate images (my personal pet peeve)! Final edited image should be representative of what the human eye saw when photographing occurred;
5. Flesh tones should be realistic and consistent. If he looks red and she looks pale white, something’s probably wrong;
6. Image should be level or straight. Use reference points within image to determine this;
7. Fix and remove any “red-eye” issues when flash is used;
8. Sharpen all images last, and do it sparingly;
9. Save images based on their intended use; images being posted online can be as small as 500 kb. Images that will be printed should probably be 1-2 mb (minimum);
10. For easy tracking and identification, rename/save images based on the event, like – “Jane & John Wedding 1”.

These are Martin’s 10 ‘rules’ and no doubt they’ll be debated by readers- what are yours? Do you have any? What would you add or subtract from Martin’s list?

Of course there’s no wrong or right in this as personal style and approach comes into play – but we’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

10 Rules for Editing Digital Images

Image by man's pic

So you’re desperately keen to go into wedding photography — or maybe you’ve made a start. The only problem you’re faced with is the equipment: and there are a lot of choices.

Firstly, the most important thing to realize is that the camera and/or lens isn’t going to cut it on its own; you’re not going to see a magical difference. Your equipment can limit you, but at the end of the day it boils down to the photographer.

Cameras

Now, when considering a camera in wedding photography, you need to measure up your needs and your means. It all depends on your budget, but what if you can get it all? Pro-grade cameras aside, let’s consider prosumer models.

For Canon and Nikon, full frame bodies are readily available for not-too-expensive prices. Full frame bodies are extremely useful in wedding photography because of their low-noise capabilities, the sensor being larger. 2-3 stops can normally be gained in a full frame body as compared to a normal APS-C dSLR. This means that ISO 3200 can be used instead of ISO 800 and still have about the same amount of noise, and the shutter speed can be raised two whole stops: necessary, as weddings are normally conducted in not very bright light. If you only have one camera, it should be a full frame body.

A short note here: you should always get two bodies. There are two main reasons, these being 1. backup and 2. not having to change lenses (as much). So you could have a 24-70mm on one body, and a 70-200mm on the other, thus covering the whole field should you need to alter your field of view. You may not be able to buy a second body, but you can rent one. Make sure, however, that if you’re renting equipment, be they lenses or cameras, that you also rent them beforehand to get the feel and experience with them first, before the actual day.

And here we come to the second body, which can be a full frame — or an APS-C body. Why an APS-C body, if the ISO handling isn’t as good? Because an APS-C sensor has a 1.6x or 1.5x (Canon/Nikon respectively) crop factor, and this is applied to lenses for the field of view. Note that while full frame lenses can be used on ‘crop’ bodies, the other way does not work (the APS-C lenses denoted by DX or EF-S, Nikon/Canon respectively). So, by using a 70-200mm f/2.8 on a APS-C body, you effectively get around 300mm in f/2.8 as a maximum — not bad, considering the prices of a normal 300mm f/2.8! The decision to weigh the choices for the second body (full frame vs. APS-C) is ultimately up to you, and it isn’t an easy choice.

Which is why some photographers use three bodies. Again, renting is the wisest choice until you can get hold of one yourself. A third body can be cumbersome to have on yourself, and normally is stashed in a bag.

Lenses

And so we come to lenses. Look to lenses with wide aperture (large f/-numbers) as these allow more light in. For instance, f/2.8 gains a whole stop in brightness from f/4. The shutter speed can then be changed to a faster speed to adapt. The ‘bread-and-butter’ lenses for a wedding photographer is the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 (IS). With these two lenses, you can shoot a complete wedding, from reasonably wide to telephoto (you would obviously use the 24-70mm on a full frame body to take advantage of the wide-angle). A lot of photographers also use an ultra wide angle lens, such as the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8. However, lens choice is a very personal thing. While those two are enough, some photographers have shot an entire wedding with a 50mm and that alone.

A common question that arises is zoom vs primes. It depends on what you are comfortable with. Zooms tend to be slower (aperture), and the maximum for a zoom is f/2.8, while primes go down to f/1.4, etc. A good prime kit consists of a 24mm (or wider), 50mm, 85mm and 135mm (and/or a larger telephoto). The 85mm is not necessary, but then again, it can only take one lens to shoot a whole wedding (not advised, however!).

Some take a mix of lenses; different lenses for different parts of the wedding. Dance shots and formals are normally conducted in wide angle shots, while the ceremony might have a wide angle shot with the congregation as well as a close up of the couple exchanging rings.

Flashes

Another major decision is flash. You can choose not to use flash or not, and the place the wedding is being held in may have their own rules on that. However, if you’re keen on using flash, a speedlight/speedlite is a necessity. A SB800/900 or 580 EX II is preferable, but a SB600 or 430 EX II will also do the trick. A diffuser or bouncer is also very helpful. Make sure you know how to bounce and manipulate flash, as bare flash is not always quite completely appealing.

Strobes can also be used. These or speedlights/speedlites can be used on stands, particularly effective during the dances. These can be wirelessly triggered using remotes. Umbrellas and/or softboxes are also frequently employed during formals as well.

Other things to remember:

• memory cards. The most important thing is to get lots of memory; fast cards can help if you want to capture that moment (and not miss), using continuous shooting. Make sure you have enough memory to cover at least 600 shots: how many gigabytes will depend on whether you shoot RAW or not, and the megapixel count of your camera
• tripod/monopod. These are absolutely vital, but they do help. Some photographers choose to employ both a monopod and a tripod, and some simply use one or the other.
• remote shutter release. Use this with the tripod for the formals for more stability
• lens cleaning materials. Brushes, lens pens… whatever you use to clean your lenses, bring them along. You never know what can happen
• duct tape. Yes, it’s true: if it can’t be fixed with duct tape, it can’t be fixed at all! If not, duct tape is still handy to have along

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Wedding Photography Equipment

The Florida Everglades and other wetlands cover thousands of square miles between the east and west coast of Florida. Everglades National Park is the centerpiece of the region, but there is a long list of other great places to explore and photograph. Here are seven of my favorite destinations for bird and landscape photography in South Florida. Some are well-known while others are obscure or out-of-the-way. They are all well worth the effort and should result in great fun and great photography. More details on Loop Road and Pahayokee can be found in my website under the Newsletters tab.

The list is by no means all-inclusive but it does give you a rich menu of some great places to visit. Bring your longest lens (at least 400mm) for bird and wildlife photography along with a quality tripod and you should have a successful trip.

The best time to visit is during the South Florida winter, from November through early April. Birds are abundant, the weather is pleasant, and mosquitoes should be few and far between (hopefully). Winter is also the dry season; it rains very little during these months. In some of these locations you will see alligators and possible encounter one on the road. Let them have their space. Alligators are more afraid of you than you of them.

Loop Road

I love this road. It’s my favorite. Loop Road travels 26 miles through the heart of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Ten miles are paved and 16 miles are unpaved and not well maintained. High clearance vehicles do best on this road. Very unfortunately, the National Park Service recently closed the unpaved portion until May, 2010 for repairs. But the paved portion is still open and worth the trip. Loop Road intersects U.S. 41 at a bend about 40 miles west of Miami and then again another 15 miles west on U.S. 41. There are many culverts and ponds on both sides of the road and you should find an array of wading birds, alligators and other wildlife. I sometimes shoot from the car window so that I don’t spook the wildlife. Use a bean bag or improvise with a shirt or towel to stabilize the lens on the door. After spending some time on Loop Road you’ll understand why this is a favorite destination of mine. The best time to shoot is morning.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Located in suburban Delray Beach on Jog Road, Wakodahatchee Wetlands was created about 10 years ago and has become a prolific bird sanctuary featuring herons, anhingas, purple gallinules, bitterns, limpkins and more. Access is via a boardwalk which can vibrate slightly when others are walking near you. So be aware and shoot when you can. But it’s well worth the effort. Best time is to arrive within an hour after sunrise.

Shark Valley

Shark Valley is a magnet for wading birds and photographers. It is part of the Everglades National Park and is located about 35 miles west of Miami on U.S. 41. You’ll find a large variety of wading and other birds, most within 50 feet of your lens. Shark Valley opens at 8:30 am but you can walk in before that. If you do, park your car along US 41 but avoid the “no parking” zone or you WILL be ticketed.

Pahayokee Road

Pahayokee road is a great sunrise location in Everglades National Park. You’ll be shooting toward the east and using cypress trees for silhouettes against the rising sun. The results can be spectacular. Take the main road in Everglades National Park about 10 miles until you see a sign for “Pahayokee Overlook”. Turn there and park within 100 yards of the main road. You can shoot from the road, or if the water level is low enough you can wander into the sawgrass for different perspectives and trees to use in your composition.

Anhinga Trail

After shooting sunrise at Pahayokee road, it’s a ten minute drive back to the Anhinga Trail which is close to the main entrance to the park. This is one of the most popular locations throughout the Everglades for bird photography. Wading birds, anhingas, gallinules and cormorants are very tame and easily approachable. Anhingas nest in the winter and chicks can be seen in the nest around February and March.

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve

The Fakahatchee is sometimes called the “Amazon of North America”. It is a hundred square miles of swamp and forest with huge strands of cypress and tropical hardwood hammocks. The entrance is 2 ½ miles north of U.S. 41 on S.R. 29, which is about 65 miles west of Miami on U.S. 41. You’ll explore the preserve by car on Janes Scenic Drive, an 11 mile unpaved road that cuts through the heart of the region. There are several walking trails that extend from the road into the depths of the preserve. Check with the ranger or online to determine which trails are open. You’ll find an array of subjects to photograph: swamps, hardwood hammocks, orchids, bromeliads, alligators, birds and wetland plants and flowers. This is an unmaintained, rustic area with a rich diversity of tropical wilderness and wildlife.

Turner River Road

Turner River Road is about 60 miles west of Miami on U.S. 41. You’ll see a sign that says “SR 839 – HP Williams Roadside Park”. Turn north there and you’ll be on the road. It’s a gravel road that stretches 20 miles north along a canal, but the best photography is along the first few miles. You’ll find an abundance of wading birds, anhingas, cormorants, alligators and other wildlife. The best time for photography is late afternoon when the sun is behind you, lighting the far side of the canal which is on the east side of the road.

There you have it – A few of my favorite locations for bird, wildlife and scenic photography in the Everglades. Be careful out there and remember that you’re merely a visitor in the home of the wildlife. Enjoy the outdoors, tread lightly, and “pack it in, pack it out” – don’t litter and don’t damage anything.

About the Author: Cliff Kolber is a nature and travel photographer and writer based in Miami, Florida. He and his wife Doris have created a spectacular portfolio of images and articles from around the world, specializing in the Florida Everglades, the American Southwest and Antarctica. Visit Cliff’s website at www.kolberphotography.com.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Where to Photograph in the Everglades

But let’s forget about that for a second, and instead concentrate one why I stay at flickr.  It’s because of all these additional things I can do at flickr other than just host my images.  Keep in mind, this is written from a die-hard flickr user’s perspective, and I don’t have experience with any other photo-sharing site, so other sites might have these things, too (let us know in the comments!).

Edit Your Photos

Did you know you can edit your photos on the flickr site?  They have partnered with Picnik to provide users with some editing tools at the touch of a button.  All you have to do is click the “Edit Photo” link above of your photos, and Picnik opens up:

While some tools are only available to people paying for a Picnik Premium account (a separate account than the flickr Pro account), even non-paying members can rotate, crop, adjust exposure and contrast, sharpen, reduce red eye, or even apply effects like boosting color, or adding a vignette.

For more information about Picnik and how to use it, see flickr’s Picnik FAQ.

The Many, Many Flickr Groups

Groups are probably my favorite thing that flickr has to offer.  It’s a way to organize like-minded people and photos together.  Groups are created and maintained by other flickr users and it allows people with similar interests and/or photographs to come together, see each other’s photos and socialize.  While there are TONS of groups out there, my favorites are of one of these types:

• Inspiring/Challenging – There are tons of “challenge” groups on flickr, ones that inspire other photographers to branch out and try something new.  Two great examples of this are Flickr Group Roulette (or FGR) – where a different flickr group is chosen every day and members are challenged to take a photo that day that represents that group, and Theme of the Week – where a new theme is posted every week for members to photograph.
• Local Groups – It’s pretty easy for me to feel alone with my photography obsession sometimes.  If you feel the same way, try looking up your city in the group search – I’ve found a number of local groups near me.  Many of them do monthly events – like photowalks or shows of members’ photography.  Browsing the pool of photos in these groups is also a great way to find new local photo opportunities.
• Groups for other websites – Let’s face it, we all want to get our photos seen by more people somehow.  A lot of websites will display photos that readers have submitted to their flickr group.  It makes sense that photography websites would do this – but other sites do, too! My personal favorite is consumerist.com, who has their own flickr group.  Not only do they post their favorite submissions to the group every Friday, but they also use the photos from the group for almost all of their articles (giving the photography credit and a link back to their flickr page).
• Educational – Did you know there are groups for specific camera types and editing software?  When I first got my Rebel XTi, I actually found a group called My New Digital Rebel XTi – and that was just one of a number of XTi groups on flickr.  The groups not only show off what the camera can do, but are full of other users that can help answer questions about how to use it.  In addition, I edit all my photos in Gimp, so the Gimp Users group has also been extremely helpful and informative.

Partnerships with other sites

I already mentioned picnik above for editing photos, but there’s a lot of other sites that have ties into flickr that allow you to use their site easier.  For instance, I know a lot of people love moo.com for their cute mini-moo cards, business cards and more.  While you can upload photos from your computer, if you’re using a flickr account and already have the photos there, you can easily import the photos.  Flickr has listed a handful of third-party sites with flickr integration here, but another one of my favorites not listed is bighugelabs.com.  Like moo.com, you could just upload photos from you computer, but entering in your flickr id makes chosing phtoos even easier.  They offer a number of different ways to turn your photos into something more – like adding special effects, making calendars, adding a frame and more.  The one I use most often is the Mosaic Maker, which I used to create this collection of fall photographs I took last year.

So what’s your favorite thing about where you host your photos?  Did I miss something great about flickr, or does the site you use offer something more?  Let us know in the comments!

About the Author: Jennifer Jacobs is an amateur photographer who runs iffles.com – a site for photography beginners. She’s also addicted to flickr and you can follow her stream here.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

My 3 Favorite Things about Flickr

There’s a great new site I recently found, that makes the process of merging Flickr images with virtual mapping, much quicker and easier; and takes the entire process to the next level. Although I’m a big fan of Flickr, for a long time one of its major drawbacks was that I couldn’t embed Flickr maps.

That was then, this is now; you’re able to easily create embeddable maps by combining Flickr and Map Flickr, a “powerful tool to create an interactive map with geolocated images on it using the Google Maps and Flickr API.”

First things first, to use Map Flickr, you have to be a Flickr member first. Indeed, DPS recently had a wonderful new beginner’s guide to Flickr, so I hope you’ve already joined. BTW, a pro membership of Flickr isn’t required for Map Flickr, but for $25.00 per year, it’s a reasonable price if you’re a professional, or are involved with, downloading and storing a large amount of bandwidth for your photos.

After you download your photos into Flickr, you need to create a set, which is basically a grouping of your photos by whatever criteria or category you determine works best for you. For me, I prefer to group my photos by the location where I took them– like I did with my Fine Arts Building story and shoot.

After you create your set, use the mapping feature on Flickr, and add them to your Flickr map.

Now comes the fun part.

Go to Map Flickr and register, which is free.

As soon as you hit the “Find my Sets” button on the registration page, Map Flickr will automatically connect to your Flickr account, and a list of all of your Flickr photo sets will be available for you to view, and work with. From that point, all you have to do is to is just click Create Map,” and watch the magic begin. From this point forward, you’re able to customize your maps as well as being able to incorporate other features into your efforts, such as its sizing, the photo’s height, width, and so forth.

After you’re done with customizing you, hit the “Finish and Share” button to publish your masterpieces. That’s it, from that point, all you have to do is link to the map– or better yet– embed it into your website like I did.

With the foregoing in mind, I hope that you’re able to have as much fun using Map Flickr and all of its features, as I do, for anything and everything that may be beneficial for your photographic and mapping needs.

Because I’m both a photojournalist, and currently involved in the Mapping Los Angeles Public Art (MLAPA) project, it’s great to be able to just add a quick picture to my Flickr map, and then have it easily appear on my sites, with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Combining Map Flickr and Flickr allows for easy Online Mapping

Finding Textures

I typically shoot landscape photography.  And when I’m shooting a landscape, I’m looking at the big picture – where the horizon is, where the sun is at, the reflection on the water – everything.  However, textures aren’t about the big picture, though, they’re about the detail.  And we’re not always used to looking at the details.  A wall for us is usually the background – or something that’s just in the wall. But walls can make for some great textures, like this:

The walls in my house are old plaster walls, so mine might have a bit more texture than yours (and a bit more peeling paint, apparently, too – that’s artistic, though, right?), so try looking up and down instead.  The ceilings in my house range from subtle textures…

…to something with a bit more oomph:

Both make for great textures, they just give the resulting photo different looks.

Finally, my favorite texture I’ve found around my house is from the tile floor near my back door.  Because our garage is in the back of the house, this door gets the most use, so not only does the tile of texture, but the dirt that gets tracked in the house adds just that little extra bit of lovely texture:

Making Textures

A classic texture is just a crumpled up piece of paper:

Be sure to take the photo with the right light.  If you have the light shining directly onto the paper, there’s not going to be as much contrast between the hills and valleys of the paper.

There’s more to do to paper than just that, though.  Try burning the edges, or splattering it with tea or coffee.  

About the Author: Jennifer Jacobs is an amateur photographer who runs iffles.com – a site for photography beginners. She’s also addicted to flickr and you can follow her stream here.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

How to Create Your Own Textures

I recently returned from a safari to the Kruger National Park, South Africa, one of the world’s largest and most spectacular wildlife reserves. I grew up in South Africa and have spent at least one holiday there a year for the majority of my thirty-nine years. Although I know what to expect from such a trip, it still takes a lot of planning to make sure I have the right equipment. Even with my knowledge, all my planning and extensive reading, there were mistakes made and valuable lessons learned on my most recent trip back there in July this year.

Here a few of those mistakes (and solutions) that will hopefully help you take magnificent photographs of one of the most spectacular corners of the earth:

THE RIGHT LENS FOR REACH

If money and my ability to carry these lenses around the world was unlimited, I’d probably have a collection of big professional glass—like the Nikon 200-400mm and Nikon 500mm f4—but alas, I have to make compromises. On this last trip, I ended up renting a few lenses which gave me the chance to try out different lenses without having to spend a ton of money. I cannot recommend the renting option highly enough, since I really only need really big lenses about two to three weeks each year, as I suspect, most of us do.

The first decision is on how much reach you need. I was tempted to rent the Nikon 200-400mm lens, but its size and rental cost put me off. I ended up renting a Nikon 300mm f4with a 1.7x TC. On my DX body that gave me the equivalent of a 750mm lens. I didn’t need longer than that and camera shake would be a real issue if I had used anything bigger. Some people recommend the 70-300mm, but performance at 300mm is reportedly weak, hence my opting for the prime lens.

CONSIDER TWO BODIES

You need to be quick: Animals and birds don’t hang around while you fumble with lenses…it seems to me that the more you fumble, the quicker they leave. Whenever I had my Nikon 300mm f4 with a 1.7x TC giving me maximum reach, I’d invariably come across an animal right next to the car. I managed to get the changes done quickly, but even with my wife acting as assistant, I often missed the action.

On my next trip I’m hoping I’ll own that essential second body or rent one. I’ll have my longest lens (likely a 300mm f4 with 1.7xTC) on one, and probably the Nikon 70-200mm lens on the other. Another benefit of this strategy is that I avoid changing lenses in dusty areas – dust is a real issue on safari and we quickly had a fine film of dust on everything.

STUDY YOUR CAMERA BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go, study your camera manual thoroughly and practice shooting with each of the lenses, flashes and filters you’ll be taking along. If you rent lenses, try to have them arrive a few days before you leave so you can get used to the feel and weight of them.

Don’t buy equipment last minute: electronics are most likely to fail in the first few days of operation and you don’t want to waste valuable photo time learning about a new camera.

TAKE A BEANBAG

Most of your safari shooting is from a vehicle, either driving yourself around or on a game-viewing truck. An essential addition to your equipment is a beanbag which gives you great stability when shooting. I found a piece of fairly heavy-duty material (thick cotton) and got someone to sew it into a bag with a zipper – roughly 8”x12” is about right. When you get to your destination, find a local supermarket and buy a bag of rice, beans or similar to fill it, on your last day you can leave the rice for the hotel cleaners! Sewing an old boot lace onto the bag also helps you retrieve the bag if you accidently drop it out the window or off the truck – just tie it to the door handle. You won’t want to be stepping out of your car in the middle of a pride of lions or herd of elephants.

COMPACT FLASH CARDS

Compact flash cards can be difficult to buy in remote areas. SD cards are more common, since they are used by most point and shoot cameras. If you do find them, they’ll be expensive and probably some “no-name” brand, so take a good number of them with you. There is nothing more frustrating than not having enough memory to take that ultimate photo.

I lost a few cards while sailing in the British Virgin Islands (thankfully they were blank). I finally found a tiny general dealer in Spanish Town who sold me a 1GB “no-name” card for over $150. I also prefer 4GB cards rather than the larger versions – I’d rather lose a card with 4GB of photos than 32GB card.

FIGURE OUT A BACKUP ROUTINE BEFORE YOU GO

Volumes can be written about this topic, but it is essential to work out your field backup strategy and test it before you go. I don’t like those little portable devices that you plug your card into for backup – I had one crash on me and lost a lot of images. They don’t seem that rugged and I’ve read too many horror stories to be comfortable trusting them with all my images.

I use a portable drive which I plug into my laptop. I’ve set Lightroom to put a copy on the external portable drive and another onto the laptop when I import, plus, I keep the cards. There is always a possibility of your bag getting stolen, a good tip is to you keep these copies in different places: a hotel safe or (if you are traveling with someone else) have them carry a backup in their bag.

I only copy or backup images when traveling – never do any deleting or editing. I can do the editing when I get home and rather spend that valuable time taking photos and enjoying myself.

FLIGHTS AND BAGGAGE

The photographer’s nightmare… you have all this expensive equipment and you don’t want it to leave your side for a second (my wife calls my Nikon camera Niki – she says I spend more time and seem so much more concerned about Niki’s well being than anyone else in the family.) So, as you can imagine, the prospect of handing photo equipment to the airline makes me very nervous indeed.

Each airline has its own set of rules, and it depends on the agent as to how strictly the rules are applied. You may have to fly with small planes to get to the final destination. I flew on an SAA Jetstream 41 to get to the Kruger Park, and almost all hand baggage needs to be surrendered at the door. In this case, it really helps to have lockable hand luggage that is well padded. SAA did look after my gear… and I could watch it being loaded and unloaded.

South African Airways didn’t weigh my hand luggage, but in Asia this is becoming standard practice (usually limited to 8kg). You always need a backup plan in case and airline official forces you to check in what you’re carrying. One way to get around this is to wear a heavy jacket with lots of pockets, and distribute your heavier items in the pockets.

Check-in luggage for flights to South Africa shouldn’t be too much of a problem from the States, since both airlines (Delta and SAA) offer two pieces of 23kgs or 50lb each. Baggage on flights from Europe and some other destinations is much more limited.

Internal flights have much stricter check-in baggage limits (one piece at 20kgs or 44lbs on most flights in South Africa).

Here are a few tips which may help:

1. Book all your flights on one booking. That way the airlines can see your full journey and generally will be more lenient on check in baggage for internal flights. SAA is a member of Star Alliance, so connections with United will be easier. This also helps with lost baggage and checking baggage through to final destination.
2. It helps if you have kids and other family members to spread your photo equipment.
3. Travel with a jacket (okay you might die of heat stroke), but you can stuff the pockets with lenses and other gear if carry-on is limited.
4. Try to get status on the carrier your fly with. Having a premier status frequent flyer card will usually get you more leniencies. A Star Alliance Gold Card will usually get you 20kg (44lb) extra on check in and you get to board first.
5. If carry-on is a problem, then keep the high value sensitive equipment (such as lenses, bodies, flashes and filters) and check in things like chargers, batteries, power convertors, etc. Worst case scenario you can replace those items when you arrive at your destination.
6. Plan a day or two in your arrival city before you set off to game parks or remote locations. This way, delayed luggage has time to catch up, and worst case, you can find a good camera store to replace chargers, batteries or other miscellaneous items that go missing.
7. Get some good travel and equipment insurance.
8. Remember plugs and power converters – most chargers will accept 110-220v input, but check before you plug in – smoke and that strong electrical smell wafting in the air, are a certain result.
9. I use cable ties to lock the zips on all my check in bags (some people prefer the locks that FAA can open – I find it a pain to keep track of keys and combination). Cut the tail off the cable tie once it’s tightened. It is very difficult to cut or break a cable tie so it is a good added deterrent. You’ll need nail clippers or ask room service for a knife so you can cut the cable tie at your destination.

BE CAREFUL OF AIR CONDITIONERS

Be very careful about leaving photo equipment in an air-conditioned hotel or lodge room. When you walk into the hot and humid air outside you lenses will condense and fog up.

Good luck.

Robert Koen is an amateur photographer who grew up in South Africa. Now living in California, he has travelled to more than forty countries. Learn more about Robert and read more of his tips and tricks at robertkoen.com.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

How to Prepare for an African Photo Safari

While Gimp doesn’t have Actions, they do have scripts, and while there might not be as many Gimp Scripts as there are Photoshop Actions available, there are certainly enough to keep you busy for a while.

Finding Scripts

You can find the Gimp Plugin registry here.  This site contains scripts and plugins.  Plugins increase the fuctionality of Gimp somehow (like the ability to support RAW files), and scripts are like Photoshop actions – ways to manipulate the photos you are editing.  On the right hand side is a Keyword search.  Here you can search for the type of thing you’re looking for.  Want to add a watermark to all your photos?  Search for Watermark.  Want to make a vintage-looking photo? Search for vintage.

If you’re not really sure what you’re looking for but just want to be inspired, instead of doing a keyword search, try scrolling down on the front page until you see the Browse the Registry options.  Sometimes I’ll take a look at the tag cloud, which shows you popular tags that people use to describe their plugins/scripts.  Note: Scripts (as opposed to plugins)

Installing Scripts

To install a script, first you need to figure out where they go on your computer.  This is going to depend on your operating system, where you have Gimp installed, and what version of Gimp you’re using.  To find out where they need to go, open up Gimp and go to Edit –> Preferences then scroll down to Folders –> Scripts, and it will show you at least one folder to put scripts in:

Once you find the script you want to install on the registry site, after the description, there should be an Attachment section – usually this will be a .scm file.  Sometimes you’ll find scripts that have a .py extension.  These are python scripts and you need to have python configurated in Gimp, which requires some downloads.  A full tutorial on how to do that can be found here.

Once you have the script downloaded, be sure it’s in the folder location described above.  If you had gimp open when you put it there, you’ll have to refresh your scripts by going to Filters –> Script-Fu –> Refresh Scripts.  If Gimp was closed when you put the script in the folder location, it should just show up the next time you start up Gimp.

It can be hard to find out where exactly the script went, though.  Sometimes the author of the script will tell you in the description on the registry site, but not always. They will typically show up either in the Filters menu or the Script-Fu menu.

My Script Recommendations

The first script I’d suggest downloading is actually a whole pack of scripts in a zip file (so you’ll have to extract it to the folder location) and is called Fx-Foundry.  It contains a lot of scripts that are probably more appropriate for graphics design than photo editing, but they do have an entire section of Photo editing scripts including lomo, cross-processed and vintage film.  Here’s the vintage film one in action:

I also like the Urban Acid script which looks like this:

Finally, I really like the split-tone script found here.  While the first step of this script converts any color image into black-and-white, I like to create a duplicate layer of my color images before running this script so that I still have the color, and then make the black-and-white layer invisible for a different effect.  Running it with the default settings, though, gives you this:

About the Author: Jennifer Jacobs is an amateur photographer who runs iffles.com – a site for photography beginners. She’s also addicted to flickr and you can follow her stream here.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

How to Find and Use Scripts in Gimp

1. LET THE KIDS HAVE FUN

Children are most expressive when they are being themselves. Give them a little too much direction and you could end up diluting the whole experience for both of you. This is really one of those times when you need to bring your photojournalism chops to the forefront, and genuinely be a bystander observing the kids being kids. If you want to change up the shot or try something else, instead of telling them what to do, have a conversation and lead them to where you want them to go. For example: “Is that your swing set? Do you have any cool tricks you could show me?”, or, “Look at all these leaves. Don’t you think it would be so much fun to just throw ‘em up in the air and let it rain leaves?”.

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2. FAMILIAR ENVIRONMENT

Pick a location that is familiar to the kids. It could be their backyard, a nearby park, or any place that is familiar to them. Not only will the kids be more relaxed and natural in a familiar setting, but they will also most likely have a few favourite things about the place they could show you.

3. PLAY THE EXPRESSIONS GAME

One of the things you could try with the kids is an expression game. If they are old enough to understand, tell them that you have a game for them, where you will say out loud an expression or a word, and they have to try and do their best impression of that word. Use words like “Happy, Shocked, Surprised, Sad, Smelly” etc. If the kids aren’t getting a hang of it, ask them questions that will bring out different expressions on their faces. For example, “What if your favourite thing to eat?”, “What is your least favorite thing to eat?”, etc. This generally works better for kids

4. PARENTS OR NO PARENTS

Some kids feel shy with other people watching them including their parents. Other kids love having an audience. Find out what kind of child you are dealing with and adjust accordingly. We got these cute pictures of this brother and sister duo when mommy was watching. But as soon as mommy went inside for a moment, the kids just totally opened up and started breaking out their own poses!

5. KEEP IT RELAXED

Family and especially children portraits are nothing like other high stress photographic assignments like wedding or fashion shoots. Keep it easy, relaxed and conversational. Sell your personality before anything else and the bonds you make will last as long as the pictures.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

5 Tips for Photographing Children

Image by John McNab

A lot of photographers have said that while they love to hold the camera and take beautiful photos, they aren’t as fond of the idea of being on the other side of the lens. On the other hand, there’s an enormous group of people who not only enjoy having their photo taken, they actually love to take self-portraits.

In fact, if you peruse Flickr you can find a great deal of self-portrait groups, including 365Days, a place where you can showcase – you guessed it – one self-portrait a day for a full year.

The problem is, many people consider a self-portrait to mean holding the camera firmly in your hand, stretching your arm out, and trying to get your face at a good angle in front of the lens. While that has its place from time to time, a self-portrait can be thought out just as much as a portrait you take of someone else.

Thus, here are seven tips for going beyond basics in self-portraits:

1. Use the timer, or better yet, get a remote.

Most cameras now come with a ten-second timer. While this isn’t a lot of time, it can be enough to manoeuvre yourself accordingly. Just be sure to either use a stand-in or to focus on something at the proper distance or you’ll be fuzzy! What beats a timer is a wireless remote that will allow you to position yourself and then take the picture when you’re ready. Timers are a lot of fun for things like jumping shots!

Image by craigmdennis

2. Change your focus.

While you might normally assume a good self-portrait must focus on your face to count, you can make an ordinary shot far more interesting if you place the primary focus elsewhere.

Image by laszlo-photo

3. Try a silhouette.

A good silhouette tells a story and leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what it is. A dark, featureless shape against a setting sun won’t interest anyone, but if viewers can see it’s a person they’ll be intrigued. It makes people wonder who that is, raises questions, and makes them want to know more.

Image by zachd1_618

4. Treat your shot like you would for someone else.

Pretend it’s not a self-portrait for a second. Look around your surroundings and picture what you’d do if you wanted to take a portrait of a friend. I took my children to the park one day as the sun was dipping low and the light was incredible. I nearly called them over to sit in the grass so I could lie down and take a shot of them from a low vantage point. Instead I decided to take a self-portrait – which is when tip number 1 comes back into play. My remote was very handy that day!

Image by sherina

5. Get Inspired!

You can use all kind of fun things to inspire yourself beyond the stereotypical self-portrait. Listen to music and if a line in a song stands out, try to take a self-portrait that reflects it. Re-enact a moment from a movie. Browse Flickr or try one of the numerous inspiration groups that give daily or weekly self-portrait challenges. It can end up being serious or silly, but you might be amazed at what comes to mind when you set out with a purpose.

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Image by It's Holly

6. Keep your face out of it!

This is one of those arguments that, much like Mac vs. PC, gets people up in arms: Is it a real self-portrait if your face isn’t in the picture? I firmly believe that it can indeed be a self-portrait even if you’re simply showing your hand or your foot or what have you. If you don’t feel like having your face in front of the camera, show people something else!

Image by It's Holly

7. Bring the emotion.

I know that I just told you that a self-portrait can be more than just your face, but remember too that the face – and especially the eyes – hold a great deal of emotion and that can make such an incredible impact on a self-portrait.

Image by Nerboo

Now that you know a self-portrait can be more than just arms’ length photography, maybe you’ll find your next self-portrait taking shape in your mind. Do you have a good one that you’re proud of? Share it in the comments!

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Sherry Osborne has been unable to walk out her front door without at least one of her cameras for several years and is now building up her portfolio in an attempt to become a part-time pro. When she’s not taking pictures, she’s writing. She can be found at SherryOsborne.com.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Self Portraits – 7 Tips for Going Beyond the Basics