What A Creative Marriage Proposal EVER!!!

Very creative!

Preserving a Scrapbook

Do you scrapbook? Create a page around a image? I do! I started scrapbook just before the digital era, to preserve the memories in a persons life and cherish the little moments. The hard work I put into each scrapbook. I am taking it to the extreme and saving each page on 2 DVD's, external drive and in the clouds. To do that, I have to scan each page of the album. I created a 12x12 pages album and my scanner only scans 8x11 image. So I have to scan each page 4 times (the four corners). Then use Photoshop SC5 to Photomerge (stitch the photos together) the four images together and create one image. It takes time, but it is well worth it. When making multiple copy's of a document or image make sure each copy is stored in a different place and location. I look at it as insurance for each image and page I created.

Finding lens sweet spot!

When learning photography you must know the gear you have and how  to use it. "When learning your gear it is about knowing it inside and out. What your gear can do, can not do and it limitation, " Zack Arias.To know your lenses you should find out your lens sweet spot.

What is the lens sweet spot? It is the aperture on the lens that is the sharpest. Changes the lens aperture will change the lens sharpness and will help discover your lens sweet spot.To find the lens sweet spot you have to take a photo of the same image at all of the aperture numbers and find which aperture is the sharpest.

Here are the step I used to find my  50mm lens sweets pot. First put your camera on a tripod, the camera on Aperture priority,  take a picture with all of the aperture on the camera.  Then look at all of the photos a 100% zoom and find the aperture that makes the sharpest image. For example, you have a lens 50mm F.1.4. So you put the camera on a tripod, turn the camera on Aperture priority and then shoot at all of the apertures number (1.4,2,2.8, 4, 5.6,  8, 11, 16,,22). Then look at all the images at the same zoom to see which image is the sharper. That is the sweet spot for your lens.  If you have a zoom lens and what to find the  sweet spot, put camera on s tripod, set camera on aperture priority, put focus on affinity and then shoot at all aperture numbers starting with the widest number (smallest aperture number). 

Have a great day!

CreativeLIVE with Zack Arias!

I blogged about Zack Arias coming to creativeLIVE, here. The Zack Arias::  Sucksessful Commercial Photographer at creativeLIVE, 3 day workshop was a blast and I learned alot.  The first day of the workshop was on April 29, 2011 and the same day  as the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine.  I recorded the wedding of the century and watched CreativeLIVE workshop all day. The weather during the workshop was cold, sun and some rain, but that is fine with me! I was watching  Zack Arias!

The workshop was fun and very educational.  Zack Arias is very smart and can explain the mechanics of photography and the techniques, so others can understand. He took it back to the basics of photography. For example, when he was talking about compassion and form, he made you think of it as shaped. What repetitive shapes and form do you see in an image?  To find out, get  a photo out , grab some tracing paper and lay paper over the photo. Then start to mark and find lines and shapes in the photo. Draw shapes like circle, triangle, and make anchor points.  Ask yourself some question like:  Is the head in a clean spot? Is their negative space? Is the subject the main focus? Zack knows how to keep it real and blunt. He was straightforward  by said that he buys most of gear used. Then he was asked where to buy used gear? He replied the following: Keh.com (has good review), friends online, Cragslist, Ebay (have to have positive feed back and sold a lot, look up subject to see if they are safe) and B and H used gear.  He also discuses the Business part of photography. The best quote of this section is "Know your number."  That means live with in your means, know your expenses and discover if you can afford it by knowing you numbers. 

Here is 10 quotes from watching Zack Arias that are stuck in my head:

• "Your lens is your view point." When choosing the lens you want to use for that event or moment and holding your camera to your face and taking a photo, you are allowing other to view the world though your view point. 

• "Know your gear." Means know what your camera and gear will do, don't do and the limitations.

• " Head in a clean spot" Has to do with composition meaning  make sure thing are not growing out of the head and in a clean spot.

• "I do not crop people where they bend." This means when  creating compassion and filling the frame in your view finder, do not crop off ankles or fingers.

• "Remember your clients is king ( or queen)." Meaning treat your clients like they should be treat  them with respect you should serve them and it is a day to make them shine.

• "Do something different." Means when looking into your photography industry, be different. Do not follow other  photographers. Need to stand out  from other photographers in your industry. Have different  images and websites.

• "Your portfolio should not flow like a bad mix tape." Meaning when creating a portfolio the images should flow, be the best, work together, transition from one photo to other and should flow.

• "Always look up the food chain for feedback on your work." When looking for a critique on your images look for photographers who have been their and done that. Someone who already been in the business for a while and know how the industry works.

• "Vision and style rises to the top over time." Is takes time and practices to develop your vision and style of your photography. 

• "If you wait until you are ready, you will never get it done." Meaning do not wait till you understand the technical stuff and  you are ready to step out into the photography world, because you will never get to that point. Just learn and grow as a photographer every time you push the shutter button. 

Thanks to the  creativeLIVE team, you can  watch  part of Zack's  workshop for free!