Get your photography to the next level through Photography Forums

A friend of mine asked me the other day to help her critique her photography she would really want to take her photography forward to a higher level. It got me thinking that the same way helped me when I started out and that maybe some of my fellow followers might be interested in the same.

To have someone else take a close look and critique your photographs is one of the best ways for you as a photographer to excel. Yes, it can also be a bit daunting in the beginning to have someone else look at your pictures. But you need to keep in mind that everything is someone else’s opinion and there rarely is anything right and wrong. Even if you are not adhering to the rules of thirds in your photographs it does not mean its wrong if you do it deliberately. You should always be aware of when you are breaking photography rules, when you do it on purpose to give that little extra to your photograph its ok. Remember to take the critique constructively as I am sure it is meant. Also if you are trying to help another photographer you have to always give a reason why you think this and that not only say I don’t like it its no good since that will never help any photographer to get better. You might think that oh well I am not good enough to give critique and I must stay that is wrong you do learn a lot when you are critiquing someone else’s photographs since you will have to really look and think of what did the photographer try to do here etc. So join a photo forum and also try to give advice to others as well and not only try go get advice.

If you do not have a photographer that you can ask to critique your photographs I can recommend being part of a Photography Forum. There you can post your photographs and have other photographers or photo enthusiasts give their thoughts about your picture.

I started with this Photo forum, http://www.uae-photo.com/ since they were part of the community where I lived at the time. We had monthly meetings where we met to discuss photography. Many brought with them their own printed photographs that we could give our feed back on. I also organized Photo Walk Tours where we all met early morning and went to a pre-organized place and took loads of photographs. Then we all usually had breakfast together and chatted about our photography. http://www.uae-photo.com/

Later that day you could start to see the other photographers pictures appear on the forum from the morning shoot we had together.

I am now part of a few different photo websites where I check in on from time to time. If you are a bit scared in the beginning to post your photographs to a forum you shouldn’t be. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and you can always be part of one more or less anonymously since you can choose your own user name that will be displayed next to your photographs.

There are also several photography workshops with hands on training and on-line workshops that can be beneficial for you as well. When you are in a class or workshop you will meet likeminded people that can be helpful after the class you can meet up and chat about similar difficulties that you might face.

There are also many photo workshops abroad that you can try. I have myself been on the PTO (http://www.pto-uk.com). Photo Training Overseas I thought it was very well organized and helpful. Most of the people attending was professional photographers some abiding amateurs as well looking into taking the next step of their photography and photography business. It was great to meet and be with fellow photographers for a whole week.

I have pasted in a few photography forums that you can have a look at and see which one that might fit your category/nish of photography.

Of course you can always type in a search in Google and you will very likely come up with a few photo forums that will be beneficial for you. I personally like the idea of having a photo community that is close by where I live so that I have the possibility to meet the fellow photographers but that is not always feasible of course depending on where you live. So take a look and see what will work for you.

Photo Forums

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/

http://www.photolinks.com/Photography_Newsgroups_Forums.html

http://photo.net/community/

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/

http://forums.popphoto.com/

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/

http://www.thephotoforum.com/

http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=va&ns=1

http://www.naturephotographers.net/rf.html

http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/

http://www.birdforum.net/

http://www.freephotogallery.info/photo_forums_and_chats/

http://www.usphotoforums.com/forum/index.php

http://ilovephotography.com/forums/

http://www.big-boards.com/highlight/1423/

http://www.phototakers.com/forum/

http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/forums/

http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm?thread=786

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=38

http://www.macrophotography.org/modules.php?name=Forums

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/45

http://www.outdooreyes.com/forum/index.php

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/wildlife-photography/369-macro-photography.html

http://www.sportsshooter.com/

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7

http://forum.digitalcamerareview.com/showthread.php?t=754

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/

The Season is Changing from Summer to Winter.

The season is changing from summer to winter here in the Sinai, that means that right now we have more cloud formations than we usually have during the year.

I have taken advantage of this opportunity to photograph the sky, with the different formation the clouds are taking, cumulous, cirrus clouds etc.

I will now file these sky photographs that I have taken under Sky_clouds. So that I can use them later on when I have a photograph with a boring looking sky where a sky with clouds would take the photograph to a different level of just being an ok picture to become a great one.

Remember when you are adding a sky you need to make sure that the light conditions and its direction fits in with your picture otherwise it will look fake and that is not the look we are after.

You can apply this idea to different elements of your pictures some pictures look better if you for instance add a moon, it could be full moon or a crescent etc. So you can also go and build a library with different moon shapes. If you choose a crescent remember to apply the moon the right way up depending on where the photograph is taken. Since the moon crescent looks different if you are here in Egypt compared to England etc. Since I grew up in Sweden to me the crescent moon here in Egypt looks like it is upside down.

They key with adding elements to your photographs is that they always need to look natural/real and seamless.

When making your own library of photographs that you need to use later you need to have a fool proof filing system. Something that works for you and is simple. Don’t try to make things more complicated than they have to be is something I always try to live by. Since these are photographs that I will be using over and over again I will save them as a TIFF file instead of a JPG file, to make sure that over time the photographs still have all their pixels intact. Every time you open a JPG file it looses quality.

This morning I played a bit with motion blur. You can be quite creative with it. The problem I have with this picture of the car is that it does not have a driver so either it is a very futuristic BMW that can drive itself or its just a picture that is unrealistic, I would have to opt for the second choice unfortunately but it proves my point above that when you are changing a photograph make sure you think of all the elements, you want the finished photograph to look realistic otherwise you will only annoy the viewer.

If you need help with your Photoshop skills I can recommend a magazine that comes out every month in the UK called Digital Photo. Every issue also comes with a CD with video lessons of how to use different Photoshop skills and other photo tricks. It is very useful they also always have a gear tests that can make interesting reading, if you are looking for something new to add to your photo arsenal.

A big soft box and the latest news!

The other day it was like walking into a studio when I stepped outside my house. It was a very nice thin layer of clouds covering the whole sky, well at least all I could see that is. The light outside was perfect for portraiture. Unfortunately I didn't do any that day but it would have been nice to have the weather on my side for a change compared to harsh sunlight glaring down which we normally have here in Egypt.

Latest news:
Yesterday I sent 9 photographs for printing they will be ready for me to pick up in a few days, they will then be hanging in a hotel as part of a  Photography Exhibition. I am very excited to see what kind of response my pictures will get.


Yesterday I delivered a new DVD Presentation to a company. Its a promotional presentation that promotes their various activities. You should never underestimate the value a TV has in any public space. Most people do not stand or sit and deliberately watch it but when they are waiting for something they do or in passing so you should always make sure that you are showing what ever it is that you have a service or a product in its best light. Potential customers are all around you either they or you know it or not. If you do not have a shop space where you can show case your products I would recommend that you team up with a company that caters for the same clientele but are not a competitor but the both of you rather complement each other so you both see the benefit of the venture so that it is not one sided.

You should always try to find a uniqueness in what you do its always easier to succeed if you have a nish rather than go mainstream where you have to battle with so many others trying to do the same thing.
For instance if you are a child photographer team up with your local baby or kids clothing store. I bet they would love to have great photographs of their new stock in their windows. You take the photographs for them and in turn you get perfect exposure in their windows with your photographs and get to keep marketing flyers in their shop, since they already have a steady clientele coming in you take advantage of their clientele data base. You can even go as far as to do night events together well since this example was for a kids store I'm guessing it would actually be a coffee morning or something similar when the mum's can attend, nights they will be busy tucking their kids into bed. But I hope you understand the idea I am getting at. The possibilities are endless once you brainstorming. Figure out who in your nearest proximity that can benefit from your talent or products that you think can help you in return.

I am also currently working on advertisement for Taba Heights Golf Resort. They have asked me to produce a poster for them. I have already gotten the layout ready in my head I just need to get it down on paper, or should I say in Photoshop... anyway once I sit down it should not take too long for me to finish it.

Last friday I went to El Wekala Street Festival and took photographs of the festivities. I have a client that are looking for photographs of Taba Heights Night Life and its not much happening in Taba Heights in general so when the Street Festival is on its best to be there. But I think I will need to gather some friends to model for me in one of the bars to use as Night Life shots as well.

The other week I received a Thank You card from a wedding that I went to earlier this summer and the couples photograh gave me an idea that I think will work very well for me here in Taba Heights. The photograph is the same size as a normal postcard (15x10cm) it is printed on normal fuji photo paper the same kind that I can print on here in Sharm. The photographer had added a white border and had her signature on it and looked very elegant. Since they are so small they do not cost much to print and therefore does not have to be so expensive for the client to purchase them. So rather than going for a limited edition type then go for quantity but still of course quality you should never cut corners when it comes to quality and photographs it will come and bite you in the but sooner or later. Since you as a photographer will always be relying the most on word of mouth and peoples experience with you. So a bad experience with a print or anything can harm you long term.
An artist friend of mine that often has gallery exhibitions said that his best seller of any exhibition he did was always the post card photographs of his work. They are more affordable for the clients to purchase almost everyone feels obliged to buy one when they go to an exhibition and through selling many he gets his name out there and still makes money on the post cards still of course he wants to sell his larger paintings but at least he is selling and his reach to more potential clients are a lot larger thanks to his postcards. So it is definitively something I will look into to maybe do something similar myself.. we'll see I'll keep you posted of how it turns out.

Retouch an image in Photoshop.

Final image ready for delivery to Client.

As a Photographer you get commissioned to take photographs according to the clients needs. What the client often forget or do not think about is that the dates that you are booked to do their photo shoot the weather might not be to the photographers advantage to take the particular photographs that you are assigned to do.  I have below made some or maybe some of you would say a lot of changes to the original picture. But to be honest it does not necessarily have to take to long to do as long as you know what you are doing and that you have the photographs that you might need available. Here I have added another photograph to the picture that I was assigned to take. I have added a photograph with clouds on to make the sky a bit more interesting. I have also warmed up the picture a bit as well to make it look like the sun is shining through the clouds on a sunny afternoon.

When you do something like this to a photograph for a client you do have to remember that it does take you longer to make and deliver the final image and that you need to incorporate that time into your pricing so that you do not end up working and not getting paid for all the work that you have done. But I can guarantee that you do get a happier and more satisfied client because of that little extra time that you took making it. So if you do not feel that you have enough Photoshop skills to make changes like these I would suggest that you find out because it will pay you back in the end tenfold. 

The original image.

Twitchers on the prowl...

A King Fisher.

This week I was inspired by a couple of twitchers that was walking around here where I live. I had seen them around for a week and spoken to them a few times, their enthusiasm for birds were a bit contagious. They spoke so passionately about the different kinds that they had seen and I on occasion could add a few birds that I had seen through out the year that are not here at the moment like the beautiful eagles that we have had here all summer that sadly now have moved away. But I must admit that I am very novice when it comes to bids and their names. So I was very keen on learning a few new ones from the twitchers. It was a couple that was here solemnly to bird watch! They were staying here for two weeks. They did think that the weather was a bit hot and I can imagine that it was for them since they were out in the sun all day walking around and sitting still waiting for the birds to come to them. They had proper twitcher gear so they did come prepared with tripod, binoculars, camera with a proper zoom for those far away birds, and of course a bird book so that they could double check what it was that they saw at every turn. They showed me some beautiful photographs that they had taken throughout their weeks here and it got me inspired to go out and take some of my own.

So I geared up one afternoon with my camera and my 70-200mm IS f.2.8 and headed to hole 3 that has a fresh water lake. While playing golf I have seen that birds are there feeding I had also seen the twitchers there a few times earlier in the week so it should be a good place I thought. I had before in the week also been thinking whiles driving by in my car that, ah that would make a great photograph. But of course I never had my camera with me at the time.
What I had seen was several swallows sitting on a rope all in one long row. So I headed towards this rope and sure enough there were several swallows sitting on that rope and also sure enough once I got close they all flew away! I was not too surprised and thought if I scout out a good vantage point for me to take my photograph and then I just sit down and wait till they feel secure again with me there to come back. I sit down on the grass and wait after what feels like a life time, I get bored and start to think that this is not for me I do not have the patience. As if the birds felt that I was about to go they started to come back and my boredom was gone in an instance and I started to shot frame after frame. The swallows came and went a few times while I was there so I got a few different shots I was even brave enough to change vantage point a few times. After a while my new twitchers friends arrived to the same lake. I was happy because I was just about to go I had had enough, the birds were not to overly exciting they came and went a few times and all I saw was swallows so not too exotic really but still very beautiful in their own right. I walked over and joined them and from where they were they showed me both a king fisher, hawk and herons that are all the birds that I remember the names of I am quite sure they mentioned a few more that I had not heard of before. I must say without them showing me these different kinds of birds I would never have been able to take a picture of them because I could not see them. I guess you have won half the battle when you know what you are looking for and at. My first pictures of the swallows I took only because I could see that it would look very nice esthetically and I was not thinking at all of what kind of bird it actually was in the picture only at that they were sitting in a row on a rope with many different lead in lines going in the picture.
I must admit that even I did not think it was for me taking pictures of birds since I do not really have the patience but I thoroughly enjoyed it but I also think half of it was the company that I had it was great to listen to their knowledge of the different kinds of birds.

Here you can see some of my bird photographs, keep in mind this are the first bird photographs I have taken. I must say that from viewing them in the office later I have learned a lot so for next time I will take a slightly different approach towards which aperture to use while photographing birds especially several in a row. Who knows maybe I will start to take more bird photographs… well I am not promising anything but it is definitively not impossible that you might see more bird photographs here so stay tuned to see my progress.

Part from my dabbling as a twitcher this week I have also taken pictures at ahHotel and sent some photographs to a local magazine that should go to print some time in Nov.

A Heron.

Swallows.

Adding extra vegetation in photoshop

Hej!

This morning I have been busy with adding more vegetation to an image to be exact I have added bushes. If you remember a recent blog I said it was cheating adding fore and backgrounds if they were not there from the start. I still believe that is true when it comes to getting the real image of what a place looks like. But to my own defense here the picture where I have added the bushes to is one year old and if I would take that same picture today I would have the bushes there. So yes I could go and take another picture from the same vantage point today and get a similar picture but I would not get the same lighting circumstances as I had last year. It is very rare for us here to get that kind of lighting with clouds and the sun therefore I have added the today larger bushes from another picture that I took the other day  to the old picture.  If you look closely at the old picture the before picture you will see that the bushes were planted last year but not big like they are now.

When you do something like this you of course need to be careful to make sure that the bushes have the right size for the scale of picture that you have and that the lighting is similar or that you can create a similar lighting. The picture where I have copied and pasted the bushes from I had taken from a totally different vantage point and they were therefore too large in comparison to the other vegetation in the photograph to make it all look real so I had to make them a lot smaller. The resolution on these pictures below are quite small so it might be hard to see the difference. In the second photograph I have circled where the bushes are so that you know where to look at least.

All these changes are quite easily done in photoshop if you know how of course but that is how it is with everything once you have mastered it nothing is really too hard to do. Don't you agree?

The final picture

The before picture

The picture that I took the bushes from