New Digital Creation’s Member Doesn’t Mess Around!

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Original Post:

I wanted to post a couple of new portrait ideas for you that will work well for Easter or Spring shoots.

These were created for our Digital Creations Club as Digital Backgrounds and Props, but you could create similar shots using unique props and backgrounds.

The first shot we named “Spring Bowl“. I know pretty unique

It’s pretty simple and only requires a few items to create this shot.

• 1. Hand painted background or soft muted muslin backdrop. The key here is to have soft colors that give a springtime feel.
• 2. Find a large bowl that is unique and has earthy soft colors. You want to have the bowl blend with the backdrop and have a special unique shape.
• 3. Add painted Easter eggs around the bowl. This is optional to give it a Easter theme and to accent the soft colors in the background.

The second shot we named “Spring Basket“. Yep…we got really creative with that name too!

This is very similar to the first shot. The basket is what makes this shot different from the last. Props can add so much to your shots…if not overdone. You want to find unique props at antique stores, thrift shops, flea markets, garage sales, any place that sell unique items.

This shot we used the same backdrop, but just added the new basket.

Now…because we created a Digital Creation Set, we produced two portraits with just one shot. We shot the baby on a white backdrop and then cut her out to insert her in the Bowl and the Basket.

So…I hope you can see that anyone can create unique portraits with just a few unique props. Sometimes clients will come to your studio for a special unique prop they saw from a friend’s portrait session.

My Final Thoughts…..

It’s all about being UNIQUE!

We wanted to make it even easier for you to give this Digital Background thing a try. Until Friday, the 25th you can gain access to the club for just $1. This is another way of saying thanks to our loyal NPB subscribers.

Check Out The Digital Creation’s Club Here

Here’s another example below

Check Out The Digital Creation’s Club Here

Update:

New Digital Creation’s Member Doesn’t Mess Around!

Misty didn’t mess around. She joined the club, downloaded the monthly Digital Creation and created a beautiful portrait. She asked for some advice through Facebook and I responded what I recommended. It’s funny, because I created a tutorial in the club for February that shows exactly what I did.

I’m including the before and after shot from the simple technique I shared with Misty.

Here’s the adjustments I told her I applied to the image that improved the overall portrait.

I wanted to share this image, because it shows how someone decided to give our club a try and received an AMAZING portraitin return.Misty didn’t waste anytime and has proved that she can do this.

Check Out The Digital Creation’s Club Here

SCOTT: Hey, folks!  Scott Voelker here.  I’m here with my good buddy, Joe Marshall.  Joe, how’s it going?

JOE: Okay.  We’re ready to talk about some excellent work by some of our students in our Ez Flash Workshop.

SCOTT: Oh, yeah.  This is a good one here.  And I’ve seen it; you’ve seen it.  And you went a little goo-goo on it.  You really just loved it and you commented on it.  I mean, it’s an awesome shot, and Derrick great job.  We’re going to tip our hat to you because you did a great job.

Thanks for sharing it, and I’m hoping that we can show this to other people and other people can try this.  And again, this is a whole nother concept, a whole different idea.

People usually think that you have to take an image and fully expose it, every shadow has to be filled in.  And this is a just a perfect example of the mood.  Now looking at this too though, Joe, you would think that the room was dark, but it really wasn’t was it?

JOE: Now these are all the things.  If you know your camera and you know the things that we’ve been discussing, you know in your mind’s eye what you want to accomplish.  Then all you do is you look at your camera and you say, “Oh, I know what all these controls do.

I know what the ISO does.  I know what the shutter speed does.  I know what the F-stop does.  And when you truly know that and you know what your picture is going to look like in your mind’s eye, it’s simple to just make your camera do these kind of tricks.

SCOTT: Yeah, no, this is perfect light.  It’s like you said too.  It almost looks like one of those images that you’d see on TV where they make the kids look kind of like sad and the donations.  I don’t mean to laugh at it, but I’m just saying it brings you into that mood.

I mean, I know when I watch them and I see the pictures that they have of these kids with the flies around them and all this, I’m the first one to reach into my wallet because they just grab my inner emotions.  And that’s exactly what it does here.  It makes you feel just like you’re drawn into that mood.  And that’s what you say.

You’re painting to create moods.

JOE: Well, this is a very commercial shot and what you want to do is—I like to say a picture tells a story.  And this one you get in your mind an idea that you want to convey, and this just might be his beautiful child, and it’s just a pensive look on his face.

But the commercial world eats this stuff up.  This is like you said, Scott already put his hand in his pocket to give to this.  This could be any organization that wants to use this shot.

I mean, Derrick really, enter this in contests.  Let people get to see this.  I mean, you’ve got black above it for copy.  Anybody can use it.  Donate here or Red Cross or any of this kind of stuff after a hurricane or a flood victim.  I mean, this just has so many possibilities.  This has to get into stock.  I’m falling all over myself, Scott.

SCOTT: I know you are.  All right, calm down.  Calm down, Joe.

JOE: But so early into our course for me to see this on our Facebook, and that’s what was so good.  I’m still working with people with one light, bouncing their flash.  And here Derrick Jones just overwhelms us here.

SCOTT: Yeah.  And let’s just break it down real quick too.  He writes in that it was shot with a SB-600 Flash with a wireless remote, shot in a well-lit room.  Did you hear that?  It was shot in a well-lit room.  And the flash was on the edge of the couch.

So it was off the camera.  And the shutter speed was a 320, so it was 3/20 of a second.  Then it was 5.6, ISO 200, and the focal length was 55mm.  And the flash was set at an eighth power with a Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce.  And do you want to just talk a little bit about those settings, Joe?

JOE: All right.  I mean, this is not expensive equipment.  It’s one of the smaller flashes from Nikon.  There are six.  They have an eight and a nine.  He just bounced it.  There’s a clear cap that comes with these.  It’s a diffuser cap.

And he just tilted his flash up, dialed down to an eighth of a power because at the close setting he didn’t want to get an F11, F22.  So he made sure that he got just a 5.6.  And if that meant dialing down the power, so be it.  He did it.  And he left it at ISO 200, which gives us a clean non-grainy.  Really good because like I said, if those goes to a commercial, this could be on a billboard or on a truck.

So it’s really big.  Now the well-lit room.  Yes, to his eye, he saw a well-lit room.  But you have to be able to use flash.  I know people like to use continuous light because they like to say, “What I see is what I get.”  But if you use flash enough, you also become adept at doing that too.

And he knew that if he put it on the side he would just skim the side of the face.  And he knew it had what we call “split lighting.”  One side of the face lit, the other side dark.

Didn’t use a reflector.  Didn’t want to bring up that fill side [05:14].  We wanted the strong impact of this.  And here’s the thing, folks.  F-stop gave him 5.6 but the darkness is because of the shutter he used.  And I’ve said shutter can be anything.

It’s the F-stop is the distance the flash is to the subject, and he dialed it down to get his F-stop.  But the shutter speed, he could have said, “What do I do?  I’ve got a bright room.”  Well, he went to the highest shutter speed his camera would allow.

Now I use a Nikon and I’ve gotten a 320.  Most of the Nikons say 200 or 250.  I know the D90 is 200 and the others are 250.  But I know that mine is 320 because I did it by accident and it worked.  And he did it.

Now what that does is the high shutter speeds darkens down the ambient conditions you’re in.  Now he said the room was bright.  If he went down to a sixtieth shutter or thirtieth, he would have seen all that brightness projected in his picture.  But by cutting down the light in his shutter, he made the room go black.

And that’s all I want you to know.  Your shutter speed can be anything, but if you know you want a high shutter speed to cut out the room light or do I want to let it open up.  Do I want a thirtieth or a fifteenth?  Do I want to get candles on a Christmas tree lit up in the background?

Maybe I’ve got to go down on a lower shutter speed so that the candles show back there.  So that’s important for you to know just what the shutter does because your meter already told you what F-stop.  Now you’ve got to figure out what to do with the shutter.

SCOTT: That’s great.  And I think right there everyone listening to this you should really understand that because it makes perfect sense.  And a lot of times people think that the F-stop is all about the lighting and getting the proper exposure.

And in a sense it is, but it really is more about your depth of field.  And I mean, so much more goes into the shutter.  I’ve even learned that just by going through the course with Joe.  I mean, I never realized it as much as I do now.  I knew it, but I didn’t really realize it was that powerful.  And this picture right here proves that it is.

So again, Derrick, thanks for sharing this.  Joe, again, I think it’s a great shot.  I know you do.  And I may even send this out to our subscribers just to let them see this and, again, show that you don’t have to have all of this equipment to get shots like this.

JOE: This is a moneymaker for you, Derrick.

SCOTT: Yeah.  Go with it and let us know on the contest that you enter too because you’ll have some fun with it.  And who knows?  You might win; you might not.  But you know what?  It’s a lot of fun.  And keep posting your stuff because we do really enjoy this.

And anybody else that is in our workshops, post pictures.  And even if you’re not in our workshops, send us pictures.  E-mail them to us.  Send us links to them so we can see them.  We’d love to see them.  And if we see something that we want to talk about, maybe we’ll include it in our podcast.

So that’s it.  That’s going to wrap up this little short video.  Again, great job, Derrick.  And anyone else out there that has anything that they want to post, please do so.  And we may just comment on it.

JOE: Let me just say, Derrick, get a model release.  If he’s your kid, obviously you can do that, but you’ll need that if you’re ever going to sell this picture.

SCOTT: Yeah.  Another great tip.  Thanks Joe.  Okay, so that’s going to wrap it up.  So again, go out there, keep shooting, have fun, experiment, and we’ll see you in the next video.  Talk to you later.  Bye.

Click Here to Check Out our Ez Flash Photography Workshop

Here you’ll find 7 Simple Digital Photography Tips, that everyone should follow.It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned photographer or if your new camera appeared under the Christmas Tree this year. New Year’s Eve tends to make people reflect over the past year and look forward to new possibilities in the coming year.

Tradition has it that we should make some sort of list to try and motivate us to achieving greater success in different areas of our lives. It is no different for the professional photographer or the budding photographer. Making a list of New Year’s Resolutions can be positive and encouraging. Here are a few suggestions in making your list this year.

Tip #1: Read Your Camera Manual.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never read it or perhaps read it several years ago. It’s always good to refresh your memory and perhaps find a hidden nugget you’ve either never knew or forgot that you had. You can pick up new tips from your photography bible.

Tip #2: Take a Photography Class.

If you’re new to photography or if you’re seasoned but find yourself a little stale, look for a course that will broaden your horizons. There are numerous courses offered online from beginner to advanced. It is always a good experience to find a local school or experienced photographer that offers hands-on training. It might take a little digging but having ‘real’ people to talk to and learn from is worth the time and expense.

Tip #3 Join a Camera Cub.

Joining the local camera or photography club can help you network with local photographers. Meeting regularly with them can provide you with educational resources, motivation and offer you encouragement.

Tip #4 Learn to Use Your Lenses.

Chances are you have at least a couple of lenses in your bag. Sometimes we are tempted to buy a new lens when we can’t quite get the image we want with the lenses we have. Spend time this year learning how to use the lenses you have to their fullest potential. You might amaze yourself at what can be achieved by making more effective use of what you have.

Tip #5 Use Your Tripod.

I am sure most camera owners have a tripod of some sort laying in a closet or drawer somewhere. Learn to use your tripod and then make use of it regularly. It can increase the sharpness of your image by controlling camera shake and enables you to compose your shots more effectively.

Tip #6 Getting Off the Green Mode.

The auto (green) mode on your digital camera can do a wonderful job of taking snapshots. Take the time to learn about using your manual settings (this can be a scary thing to do) and you will find a whole new world of camera control opens up to you. Search the internet; there are plenty of books and tutorials that can help you learn about exposure, shutter speed and ISO settings.

Tip #7 Take More Photographs.

In photography, as in anything else, practice, practice, practice. In the digital world, there is no reason to limit your picture taking. It does not cost you to develop rolls of film, you simply hit the delete button and start over again. Make a commitment to take at least one photo every day. If you take more, pick out your best shot and save it in a ’365 Day’ folder. At the end of the year pick out your favorite image for each month, arrange them in a collage then print it. You will be amazed at your progress and have something permanent to remember your year in pictures.

These are just some Simple Digital Photography Tips, so feel free to add your own. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all much happiness and success in the New Year whatever your goals and desires may be.

Until next time, Happy Shooting!

Learn From Others

When we’re learning to compose good shots, we can get some wonderful creative ideas by looking at others’ work.

It’s not that we want to copy their style, instead we can absorb and remember the ideas and concepts; then apply that knowledge when we create our own images.

Here are a few Photography Composition Tips that will help take your photography from ordinary to extra-ordinary.

Learn the Basics

There are many wonderful resources out there either on the web or in book form that can help you learn the basics of photography. You need to know how to work your camera so you get the proper exposure. Knowing how to use your shutter speed, f-stops and ISO settings are important to achieve the shots you envision in your mind. Choosing the proper lens also takes a bit of thinking and using a tripod is a must in certain situations.

Use of Foreground Elements

A foreground element in a photo will be the first thing that a viewer will see. Sometimes people will use a prop, a gate, a rock, a tree or a small object to grab attention and lead the viewer into the photograph. Using foreground elements will give depth and meaning to the rest of the image.

Use of Standard Compositional Elements. Diagonal lines is one of the most effective compositional tools that is used to lead the viewer to the main point of interest. Setting up the shot by using an imaginary triangle will help take the viewer to from one point to the next and back again to the start, giving a feeling of completeness. This is a very useful tool when setting up portraits that contain more than two people. The use of S-curves and shapes are also a great way of leading the eye around the photo.

Using Light

Nothing adds more drama or more interest to an image than good use of light. Proper use of light and shadows give the image a three dimensional feel. Painting Masters of the past knew that the balance between light and shadows was of primary importance in giving their paintings and portraits life. Being able to identify and use available light sources in an artistic and interesting way is an art that takes plenty of practice and patience. Composing your shot to make use of this light can take your photos from good to spectacular.
Points to Remember

Here’s some final Composition tips for you to remember when composing your image:
~ Make sure your horizon line is level.
~ Look for distracting elements. Poles coming from heads, wires etc.
~ Watch your depth of field.
~ Keep it simple.

Being critical of what you see through the viewfinder and using these composition skills will take your images from being merely good shots to absolutely amazing and creative photographic art.

Once you practice using these simple tips, it will become second nature and your shots will improve every single time. Spend the time to practice and learn from each shot you take. You will start to see a difference in your photography and then it will become effortless.

Happy Shooting!

Scott

The truth is that it could cost you $1,000′s if you were to create a complete studio. You would have to invest in a large studio space, special canvas and muslin backgrounds, custom sets, unique props and the list goes on and on.

But…I have some good news that most photographers won’t talk about. It’s something called Digital Props and Backgrounds. Let me explain!

Digital Props and Backgrounds are becoming increasingly popular in many photography markets. This has helped beginners start a photography business with very little start up cost. Now you can look like you have a full size studio without spending $1,000′s of dollars on equipment. I’ve put together a step by step guide of what you will need to use this concept and get professional results every time.

1. White seamless background — You can find white vinyl in 60″ widths at most craft stores very inexpensively. I would recommend 5ft wide by 10 ft long to start.

2. External Flash or Soft Box — You will need an external flash that attaches to your camera’s hot shoe that can be bounced off a side wall or ceiling. This will give you a softer light and eliminate shadows. This is critical to getting a clean line around your subject when cutting out and selecting in Photoshop. (I’ll talk about this in a minute) If you want to get fancy, use a Soft Box on a stand. Position your Soft Box on the right side facing your subject at a 45 degree angle. This is the set up most professional studios use for their portraits.

3. Bounce Card (Reflector) — Use a 2×4 ft piece of poster board as a bounce card on the opposite side of your flash or Soft Box. This will help fill in any shadows you may have on the opposite side. You can also cover this with aluminum foil to give it more of a reflective finish.

Note: This will be a harsher light.

4. (Important) Distance From Background – It’s always best to have your subject as far from the background as possible. The minimum should be 4 to 6 ft. This will give you a shallow depth of field and no shadows casting on the background.

5. Photoshop (Selection) — You will need a version of Photoshop to use digital backgrounds and props properly. Photoshop Elements will work just as well as the expensive full versions. There are many ways to cut out your subjects using Photoshop, but the easiest way is the Magic Wand tool. (As long as you did the steps above) Select the tool and set the tolerance to 50. The higher the number the more aggressive the selection will be. Click anywhere on the white background. Photoshop will find the lines and set the selection. Play with the tolerance until you get a clean selection. Once you see the marching ants, go to (Select) and choose (Feather) and set this at 1 or 2 pixels. This will soften your edge making it look more realistic.

6. Digital Backgrounds and Props — Now open your Digital Prop or Background. Click on your image with your subject and drag the cut out layer into your Digital Background or Prop. Position it so it looks proportioned and when your happy with the results, click on (Layer – Flatten Image).

Now Save your image as a new file, not overwriting your original. After you complete these steps over and over again, you will develop a workflow that can be done in just a few minutes. There you have it. Following these suggestions I have given you will greatly improve your digital background and prop portraiture. Your portraits will look like they were created in a full-sized studio allowing you to charge studio prices.

As always leave your comments below. I’d love to hear from you

Scott

Tip #1 – Make sure you have plenty of supplies

If you forget to have plenty of batteries and memory cards available, you may miss that precious shot of the delight on your loved one’s face when they open that special present.

Tip #2 – Get up close and personal

Fill your viewfinder or viewing screen with the subject to capture their expressions. You can capture amazing photos when you time your shots and snap that photo when they aren’t looking at the camera. Don’t forget to take those ‘traditional’ group shots of your family and friends.

Tip #3 – Use different angles

Have some fun and get interesting shots by getting on a chair and shooting down. Kneeling or laying down on your stomach can make your shots more dynamic and personal. Getting eye level with your subjects will also produce great shots.

Tip #4 – Using the camera flash

Most digital cameras have a zoom feature. Use this to your advantage when you are using the camera’s flash. Get as far from your subject as possible, then zoom in and take your shot. The extra distance you put between you and your subject will soften the sometimes harsh white flash. You can also diffuse the light by taping a tissue or some other opaque material to the pop-up flash. How about getting creative and attach a colored piece of transparent plastic over the flash. You may end up taking a shot of your very own Blue Christmas!

Tip #5 – Photograph the Christmas frills

Don’t forget to take photos of lights, decorations and the tree. A close-up shot of that treasured ornament will preserve that memory for you for a life-time. You will be amazed how shooting different aspects of Christmas will enhance your photo album for years to come.

Tip #6 – Fixing red-eye

When using the flash we sometimes get these bright red reflections in our subject’s eyes. With most cameras there is a red eye removal feature. Make yourself familiar with using it by reading your owners’ manual. There are also many other free photo editing software programs available to help you adjust your photos and remove red-eye.

Tip #7  – Take Outside shots

You can get some great shots outside at Christmas, but you might tend to think you don’t need your flash. Oftentimes, the faces of the people in the photo are dark while the background lighting is bright. Turning your flash on and using it will help to light up their faces.

Tip #8 – Take lots of shots

With the digital cameras and memory cards we have available now, it is a very worthwhile practice to take a ton of shots. You don’t have to waste your money or get disappointed because half of the shots you took with your film camera were not good. Simply delete the bad, print the good!

Tip #9 – Have fun

There is so much to see and do at Christmas; so many ways to capture the warmth, fun and excitement. It’s a wonderful time to experiment with your camera so go out there and capture the moments! You have the opportunity to make a treasured memory with one click of your shutter.

Use these simple tips this holiday season to help  capture those precious memories that will last a life time.

Happy Shooting!

If you asked these questions…I made this video for you

I’ll give you some ideas, so you can feel confident when charging higher prices in your photography business.

Watch The Video:

As always…post a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Scott

Watch the video…I’ll give you some tips!

As always..leave your comments below. We would love to hear from you

Scott

I’m not saying that it’s not important, but there’s a few thing you need to think about before you go out an register your business name. This one tip will make it fun and get you started in the right direction.

Watch the video and I’ll explain.

Watch the video and I’ll explain.

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