In this video I’ll show you how I create more than one portrait from the same shot. It’s super simple to do and it only takes a few minutes to complete.

Watch the video below to see me in action perform these simple tricks.

Here’s the link to check out the Digital Creation’s CLUB!

Ok…let me explain how this picture you see right here has caused me a few problems and how I FOOLED the Pros!

Plus…I want you to see that these style portraits are very popular and you should be using these in your portrait business. Your clients will LOVE THEM!

First…I created our “Unique Trench Bowl” Digital Prop and Background set for our Digital Creation’s Club. Then I listed it on Ebay to be sold to professional photographers.

It was selling for $24.95 and people were loving it.

But…not all was good

We started to receive a few refund requests, because they thought it was  a real Wooden Trench Bowl. They said the picture looked real with the baby in the prop. They said they never used Digital Backgrounds or Props before. Some said they wanted to learn more…but some didn’t.

Every time I list something on Ebay or Amazon I’m very careful to be as detailed as possible, so people know what they are getting. You never want refunds on Ebay…especially because it hurts your feedback rating. We don’t want that!

2 Important Lessons HERE!

• 1. Wooden Trench Bowls are very popular right now and you should get one and add this to your prop collection.
• 2. Digital Props and Backgrounds can look real if done correctly and can be added much easier and far less expensive.

Here’s a few Wooden Trench Bowls I found on Ebay to show you that they are available. But…they can be expensive. With that being said…they will pay for themselves over and over again…as anything you invest in for your business. As long as you use it!

I wanted to share this with you, because it proves that people want this stuff and that Digital props can look REAL! Look I Fooled The PROS

I’m probably going to remove our listing on Ebay for a little while and try to create a better description. But…if you want access to our “Unique Wooden Trench bowl” Digital Creation set…I have a special offer for you.

You can download this set for just $19.95.

Click Here to download

or

You can join our Digital Creation’s club and receive this same set for 50% off regular price and over 100 others to choose from. Plus…all the other benefits of becoming a member.

Join the club HERE!

So…I hope I’ve opened your eyes to this huge opportunity…if you’re not already using Digital Props and Backgrounds.  There’s so many options once you learn the process and it will become very exciting for you and your photography.

Talk to ya soon!

Scott

The Holiday’s are one of the busiest times for portrait photographers and their businesses. That’s why you need to take advantage for these busy times and be creative in your sessions.

I wanted to share 5 new portraits we just created for our NPB Digital Creation’s Club. You are free to use these as inspiration and put your own spin on them for your upcoming sessions.

Portraits #1 – Peaceful Holiday Night

Pro TIP: Always try to name your portraits or themes. This makes it unique to you and your style.

Portrait #2 – The Train StationPro TIP: Using Trains as a theme or a prop are usually a big hit with clients.

Portrait #3 – Elegant Evening

Pro TIP: Old Victorian furniture adds a classy look and can be used for the Holidays or anytime of the year.

Portrait #4 – Christmas Eve

Pro TIP: Capturing cute poses or expressions will help sell your portraits. Try this one!

Portrait #5 – Hat and Mittens

Pro TIP: Use fun props to be creative, but don’t over do it. Simple is sometimes better.

So…there’s 5 unique portrait ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Study these images and see how you can add a unique flare to your Holiday portraits.

It doesn’t matter if you use our Digital Backgrounds or not…you should have some fresh ideas for you to…BE Unique!

Now…if you want to take a short cut and add portraits like these almost instantly and you’re not currently a Digital Creation’s club member…you can get started HERE!

Good Luck and I look forward to seeing your unique portraits this holiday season.

Happy Shooting

I want to share these 3 new portrait ideas that were created for our Digital Creation’s Club. I wanted to give you some ideas that you could use in your photography.

It doesn’t matter if you use our Digital Backgrounds or not…you can create similar portraits like the ones I’m about to share with you.

All it takes is sometimes is a few creative ideas and inspiration to get your creative juices flowing

Portrait #1 was an idea for people that “Love” Motorcycles and that Freedom Type Feel. Remember…I’m sure you’ll have a client that’s into motorcycles and would love an image like the one we created here.

You could always offer to shoot their motorcycle if they have one and use it as your prop.

We named this one “Born To Ride”

The 2nd one we created for The DC Club we named “Flower Pot Surprise”

This can be created using a large Flower Pot that has some type of unique look to it. Usually you can find these at Home Improvement stores or even Garage Sales. Then…choose a backdrop or background that will compliment the Flower Pot with blending…non distracting colors.

The 3rd portrait we created we named “Stylish Stacked Bowls”.

This is all about simplicity with some bold colors. All you need is some large wooden bowls and a white backdrop to create this shot. These don’t have to be bold colors, but with a white background…it looks really good.

The bowls can be found at stores like Target, Walmart or any other Home Department store. These can be expensive…but well worth the investment.

Side Note: I added the light blue background in Photoshop using the vignette technique and erasing the bottom portion.

So..there you have it!

3 New Portrait Ideas that you can use in your photography. I hope you use these or something similar and offer to your clients.

Remember…as photographers in this competitive market we need to be unique. Creating portraits that people will talk about and can only receive from you.

If you would like to find out more about our Digital Creation’s Club…CLICK HERE!

Have Fun and Happy Shooting

Scott

P.S.

If you like these new portraits…Click The “LIKE” button and spread the LOVE

Here’s another portrait idea that is fun and sure to be a big HIT!

This we created for our Digital Creation’s club and is called  “Tea Party Terrace” and is a Digital Background and tea set and table we added to give it a unique look. You could create this similar set in your backyard with a few props.

I just wanted to share the before an after shots so you can see that with a little Photoshop magic…you can create similar images.

Here’s the before image…which could stand all on it’s own as a GREAT portrait. But…we wanted to make it even better.

BEFORE:

AFTER Using our new “Tea Party Terrace” for our Digital Creation’s Club.

So…I just want you to see that you can create beautiful images without having a studio. This before shot was taken outside with no fancy lighting or expensive equipment. You just need to be creative and unique and people will notice

This new set “Tea Party Terrace” is the FREE download this month for our Digital Creation’s Club Members …if you’re interested.

Happy Shooting!

I’m so glad we decided to have this Facebook portrait contest. It was something that we wanted to do for fun, so people could share their work with others and have a chance to win something in the process.

We had over 75 entries and a few hundred likes

There were so many great portraits, but this contest was about getting the most “Likes” to your image.

We had so much response…so we decided to choose 2 Winners.

….and here they are.

Winner #1 Received 73 "Likes"

Winner #1 - Used 1 Digital Fish Prop (Very Creative)

Winner #2 - Received 47 "Likes"

Winner #2 - Digital Fish Prop/BW and Selective Color (Creative and FUN)

Check out the Honorable Mentions Below

Here's a few entries that received Honorable Mention

Congratulations to the Winners and thanks to everyone who entered.

Don’t worry…we’ll be having more of these in the future and everyone will have more chances to Win!

You can always visit our Facebook Fan page and see what others are posting.

If you want to share this with others…click the “Like” button below.

It’s finally here! Our very first publication of some of our Digital Creations that we’ve created over the past 2 years for our NPB club.

We’ve included over 100 images in this Creative Guide using NPB Digital Backgrounds and props that helped create these Amazing Portraits.

(Right click and “Save As” to your computer)

Click Here to Download!

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*NOTE: If for some reason you can’t view the guide from the above download link, you may need to update your PDF reader.

Check for the latest reader HERE!

You can also try to download the optimized version below.

Click Here To Download

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Make sure to click the “Like” button and share this with your friends.

]]> http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/813/digital-backgrounds-portrait-guide/feed/ 39 http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/755/why-digital-backgrounds-can-help-your-photography/ http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/755/why-digital-backgrounds-can-help-your-photography/#comments Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:30:32 +0000 NewPortraitBiz http://newportraitbiz.com/blog/?p=755

The invention of Digital Photography opens up an entirely new landscape for photographers. Using film, made it hard for the average photographer to manipulate and improve the photo from what you see is what you get.

Digital photography technology, gives beginners and pro photographers the ability to completely change the game. Mundane settings can be exchanged for dynamic settings that enhance the final picture tremendously. In particular, digital backgrounds can place a subject in a setting that creates interest or alters the mood of the picture without altering the primary subject of the shot.

Often studio shots with professional backgrounds turn out to be less than the subject or client desires. Digital photography, today’s primary photography format, allows the photographer to alter virtually any Digital Background utilizing software that allows manipulation.

Photoshop by Adobe is probably the best known software, but other programs can offer the same sort of editing ability. Photoshop comes with a rather high price tag, but Photoshop Elements can create many of the same tricks for well under $100. In addition, a free program named GIMP also offers the capabilities that may be suitable for even semi-pro photographers.

Solid color backgrounds are the easiest to manipulate using photo manipulation software, but even backgrounds with patterns can be altered, however the process is more difficult and time consuming.

Digital backgrounds are becoming more available from a variety of sources, but not all are created equal. As one might expect, the visual quality of the available digital backgrounds varies greatly, so it is wise to experiment with a variety of backgrounds from different sources and see what ones best suit your needs.

The bottom line is that digital photography and the use of digital backgrounds can make photographs more attractive. Given the the high cost of studio backdrops, using digital backgrounds are starting to be used by professional photographers. This type of improvement opens a wide range of creative potential for all photographers.

Further, the types and degrees of photographic manipulation are incredible, making even the more expensive software highly desirable for adventurous photographers. With ever-improving software, the potential for the future is wide open, with only our imagination limiting that potential.

As photographers, we should always be willing to expand our knowledge and skills to create the best portraits possible. As photographers, we should always challenge ourselves and conform to the new media that technology has allowed us to have. Having access to these tools is very exciting and we should use them to help us become better photographers.

I hope you can now see the power of using Digital backgrounds and Props to get started or add to your existing Photography Business.

Make sure to click the “Like” button and spread the word about Digital Backgrounds.

Here is a Digital Background Portrait Idea For The Holidays.

This can be done with or without using a Digital Background or Digital Prop when creating this portrait. The Holidays are the busiest time for most Photography Studios and some times we need creative ideas we can offer to our clients.

So…I wanted to share a new Digital Creation we recently created for our NPB Digital Creation Club.

But…the key here is that anyone can create this shot with stuff you probably already have in your own kitchen.

Here’s a list of items to create this shot

• Cookie Dough
• Rolling Pin
• Cookie Cutters (Holiday Ones)
• Flour for the table, face and nose
• Chef Hat (If You Have One)
• Apron or White Jacket

…and obviously you’ll need a table or counter to set the shot up and a background or backdrop.

Here’s the before shot we took knowing we were going to use it for  our Digital Background and Prop Set.

Before Shot

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Here’s the shot with the first Digital Background we created.

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Here’s the 2nd shot with a different Digital Background.

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And the 3rd Digital Background we used was a muslin style.

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Now…by using Digital Backgrounds I created 3 shots from 1 basic image with very little work.

So, like I said in the beginning of this post. You can use this same idea in your photography studio and create a Holiday Baking Theme as a new idea to show your clients or just have some fun with your own kids.

Now get out there and create this Awesome shot

If you want to save yourself time and use our Digital Creation or others like the one I showed you in this blog post…Click Here!

After I posted the Summer Lemonade Digital Background portrait idea, I received a lot of emails saying it really helped. As photographers we need to be inspired and sometimes pushed to think outside the box. That’s my job I guess.

So…I decided to share another unique portrait idea that anyone can use and start creating with very little equipment. We created a Digital version for our NPB Digital Creations Club called “Gone Golfing“. I know…pretty unique name. LOL

This example will show you how I used the power of Digital Backgrounds, but also how to create this set in your area.

Watch the video and I’ll go over all the components you’ll need to get started.

As always…leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

If you want to check out our NPB club…Click Here!