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This is my Website Home page.
On the actual website the text background is black, not white. I'm not sure why, when I copied the image on my computer and uploaded the image, it turned white?

I have asked friends and family to have a look at my website and the feedback I got was...

Website was easy to navigate
Pictures were nice and large so you didn't have to zoom in
The pictures were lovely and clear
The website is nice and bright

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I really love this image, It was the least edited out of them all.
I kept my settings pretty much the same for all the images. The only thing I had to change was my ISO. I had to increase my ISO slightly when we got into the woods and reduced my shutter speed to compensate.

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I really Like this image and edit.
Although,  if I was to take this image again, I would give Phoebe more room for her front paws and increase my exposure slightly to retain more data on Phoebe.
I had to increase the exposure and use radial filters to brighten Phoebe's face.

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Once I had adjusted my first photo, In Light Room.
I was able to synced all my images together, so they had a similar tone.
Then I removed Phoebe's lead in Photoshop. I reduced the clarity and texture on my client, so Phoebe stands out more and used a radial gradient around Phoebe's head. This allows your eyes to focus on Phoebe first, as your eyes are drawn to the lightest/brightest part of an image.

My client is very pleased with all her images.

In hindsight, I do think if I'd increased my exposure slightly before taking the photo, I could off retained more of the data on Phoebe. Apart from this, I'm very happy with this image.

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My Client wanted some nice photos of her beautiful Labrador, on one of her favourite places to walk.
I guided my client to my online portfolio so she could see my style of work. When my client was happy to go ahead, I asked if she could put her dog on a slip lead, which is easy to take on and off or if the lead has to stay on, its easier to edit out in photoshop. I also asked if my client could bring Phoebe's favourite treats. This helps to keep the dogs engaged.
We arranged a time and I made sure I was their early to do a risk assessment, making sure the area was clean and tidy to avoid anyone tripping or anything causing us harm.

I used my correct camera bag for carrying my equipment - Rucksack
I wore suitable clothing to keep warm and dry with sturdy footwear and a drink.
In case of an emergency I took my mobile phone and money.
I made sure my battery in my camera was charged the night before and also brought a spare, along with 2 SD cards.
I interacted with Phoebe before I started shooting, just so she was comfortable around me and the camera.

During the shoot I used my Canon 1300d
Lens - 50mm f/1.8 which I like for Portrait shots.
I had my aperture around F/2.5 to achieve a shallow depth of field
My Shutter Speed was 1/1250 sec so I could avoid my pictures being blurred from Phoebe's movements.

After the shoot, I made sure all equipment was stored away correctly.
When I got back home I removed the SD card and uploaded my photo's onto the computer.

When editing my photo's I made sure I had regular brakes and looking away from the computer from time, to time.
I made sure my seat was adjusted to the right height, used my footrest and wrist rest, with regular stretching.

I edited my photo's in Light Room first, Increasing exposure, reducing highlights, adding texture and clarity.
In photoshop I removed Phoebe's lead and her owner. using the move tool, patch tool and clone stamp tool.
I then finished off in Lightroom by adding a small Vignette.

Clients Feedback
My client was very pleased with her photograph's, she even took on board some of the process I went through. e.g getting down to the dogs level and trying to avoid background distractions. She sent me a couple of photo's she took of Phoebe, saying thank you for my advice.

I'm really pleased with the result, but in hindsight, I should of made sure my rucksack was out of sight and that my client was stood more to the left. That way I wouldn't have had to do as much in post process.

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At first glance, working in a photography studio may seem safer than shooting in the great outdoors, but studios can come with their own selection of hazards and safety issues. We take a look at the most common hazards found in photography studios and what you can do to prevent accidents in your workplace.
Probably the most obvious and common hazard in every photography studio is loose wires and cables - in a studio you will likely have set up lights to use in your shoot, and these will have trailing cables. If someone trips on these it can cause both harm to them and damage to equipment, so use hazard tape or duct tape to keep your wires and cables flat against the floor and prevent trips and falls.

Don't bring food or drink into the studio

With so much expensive, electrical equipment around, it's best to leave any snacks or drinks behind before you enter the studio. If you do need to bring drinking water into the studio, use a sturdy bottle with a sports cap that will not spill liquid when knocked over.

Check light stands and tripods

If equipment falls over, it can get damaged or hurt someone - always check that your tripods and light stands are pulled open so they are as stable as possible. They should use locks to keep them in position, so make sure these are tightened and secure before you start your shoot.

Don't touch the bulbs

Incandescent lighting bulbs work at high temperatures and can easily burn you when switched on, but you should avoid touching them even when they are switched off - finger marks and smudges left on the bulb can cause localised hot spots, which can lead to the bulb blowing or even exploding. If you cannot avoid handling the bulb, make sure to wait until it has cooled and wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints or sweat on the surface.

Scissors and knives

If you use a utility knife or scissors to cut tape or cable ties, you should store these away safely when not in use - using protective blade covers can also reduce the risk of harm when handling or carrying these items around the studio.

Suspended equipment

In a photography studio, it is likely you will have equipment such as lights or backdrops suspended from stands or the ceiling. Take steps to prevent your equipment falling and causing injury by securing it with secondary chains.

Keep your studio tidy

The easiest way to prevent accidents in your studio is to keep it as tidy as possible, and free from clutter. Make sure you tidy away any equipment when it is not in use, and make sure walkways and working spaces are not blocked by equipment or boxes that should be stored away.

Check your electrical equipment

Before starting work or letting employees into your studio, it is important to complete a risk assessment to identify and eliminate hazards or control risks - and in a photography studio, a lot of the potential risks lie with your electrical equipment.

Avoid electrical fires by making sure your equipment is plugged in and unplugged in a safe manner. Switch off your equipment before unplugging it and make sure it has completely discharged before you remove the plug from the socket.

When your equipment is plugged in and in use, ensure that it is kept a reasonable distance from the plug socket to avoid arcing, or sparks travelling between them. This can cause a fire and so always move your electrical equipment away from the plug socket.

All of your electrical equipment should be - before using your equipment you should closely examine it for any exposed wires or damage, and make sure it is repaired or replaced before your shoot begins.

Electrical equipment can overheat when used for long periods of time - make sure you switch it off when you're not using it, even if it is only for a few minutes. Avoid covering your equipment with bags or clothing or other items, as this can accelerate overheating and lead to fires.

Use a ladder

If you need to adjust hanging equipment or a backdrop and need some extra height, use a stable ladder that is tall enough for what you need. Never stand on chairs or tables, and if you are using a taller ladder, make sure someone else can hold the bottom of the ladder to keep it secure while you are on it.

Camera and photography insurance from Towergate

Photography insurance can range from protecting your favourite camera, to covering your business and livelihood. Towergate Camerasure can provide cover to suit your needs. For more information, visit our dedicated photography insurance page or call us on 01489 770340 to speak to a specialist adviser.

About the author

Alison Wild BCom (Hons), MAAT, MATT, Taxation Technician is a highly respected industry professional who has been working with and advising SMEs in areas including tax, pensions, insurance and marketing for over 25 years. She is a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) and also has over 20 years' experience as a residential landlord.

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Health And Safety In The Studio | Towergate

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At first glance, working in a photography studio may seem safer than shooting outdoors, but studios can come with their own selection of hazards.

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Consent is rooted in respect for the human right to autonomy, the right to make decisions about oneself. Applied to photography, it means that people have the right to decide whether or not they want to be photographed. A good way to ensure that we are respecting a person's right to autonomy is by asking for consent.

Consent can take many different forms, and different photographers may choose to ask for consent in different ways, depending on the work they are creating. For example, a portrait photographer will need to work together with the person to make an image, so he will want to ask for consent before he starts photographing. Contrastingly, a street photographer might want to capture people in natural, candid poses, so she may prefer to ask for consent after taking a photograph.

There are some situations in which a photographer may choose not to ask for consent, and there are valid reasons why a photographer might choose to forego consent. For example, in situations when asking for consent could endanger the safety of the photographer or of the person being photographed.

There are, however, a few important caveats.

In certain countries, like France and Spain, consent is a legal requirement - even when photographing in public spaces. It is important for photographers to familiarise themselves with the laws of the country that they are working in. A good starting point is the Wikimedia Commons chart, however this should not be relied on a source of legal information.

In the commercial photography industry, consent is always required if the people in the image are identifiable and the image is used for commercial purposes to promote a product, service, or individual.

Even in situations when a photographer is unable to verbally establish consent, there are other ways to respect an individual's right to autonomy. For example, in a fast-paced news environment or a large public demonstration, a photojournalist might rely on passive consent from people's body language to indicate that they are okay with being photographed. In particularly chaotic situations, it may only be later, when reviewing the photographs that they have taken, that they notice that a person is expressing non-consent through their body language, perhaps through their expression or by putting their hand up. In these instances, the photographer can choose to mark that image as unusable, respecting that person's autonomy.

Consent forms and informed consent

Often, clients will ask photographers to use a consent form or a model release form as part of the consent process. While the principle of consent is based on protecting the rights of the people that we are photographing, consent forms are often, in practice, more about protecting an individual or an organisation.

Sometimes the consent forms that photographers are asked to use are several pages long and full of confusing legalese. Some photographers even report being asked to use consent forms that are not written in the language of the person being photographed. These are indicators that the consent form is not fit for purpose and is not based on the interests of the person being photographed.

However, one of the most common problems with consent forms lies not in the form itself, but in how the form is used.

Here we need to make an important distinction between two terms: consent forms and informed consent. Consent forms provide evidence of an agreement. A consent form might be used as part of an informed consent process, but having a person sign a consent form is not itself a substitute for informed consent. These are two different processes.

So what is informed consent?

Informed consentis permission that a person grants to be photographed, with full knowledge of where, when, how, and for what purpose the photographs will be used, and with the understanding that they can say "no" without consequence.

Let's unpack this a little bit.

The first bit of this definition is the part that we are all familiar with: permission that a person grants to be photographed. However, consent to be photographed does not equal consent to share that photograph. For example, if I consent to a person taking my photograph, I am not also automatically consenting to appearing on their Instagram. These are two different activities, and each activity requires consent. Therefore, understanding where, when, how, and for what purpose a photograph will be used is fundamental to informed consent. A person can only give consent if they know what they are consenting to.

Informed consent is freely given consent. This means that the person giving consent must feel that they are able to say "no." For example, if someone fears that they will be harmed if they do not give consent, then their consent would not be freely given.

There can be many barriers to a person feeling able to say "no." These barriers will depend on the context that the photographer are working within, the client they are photographing for, and the person they are photographing, among other factors. It is a photographer's job to be sensitive to these barriers and to ensure that the person they are photographing understands their rights within the photographic process.

It is also important that the person we are photographing understands the potential risks. If the intended use of the photograph could harm them - physically, psychologically, emotionally, or reputationally - it is important that they are informed of this risk before they consent.

At its core, informed consent is about having an honest, on-going conversation with people about the future of the photographs we take of them. When done really well, informed consent offers an opportunity for people to have a say in how their image is used, perhaps by implementing a multi-layered consent process which can give them more choice in how they are represented.

Who can consent?

Particular care is needed when working with children or adults who may be unable to consent for themselves. It is essential to consider whether a person is in a position to fully understand how taking and sharing their photograph might impact them now or in the future. For example, when photographing an elderly man experiencing dementia, a photographer may need to seek permission from both him and his next of kin. Similarly, when photographing a child, it is important to seek consent from both the child and their parent or guardian.

Notice the words "both" and "and" in the examples above: although consent from a man with dementia or a child is not sufficient due to their limited understanding of the potential impacts of participation, it is still important to ask the person being photographed for their permission. This is part of respecting an individual's human rights.

Dealing with non-consent

Dealing with non-consent can be uncomfortable. Sometimes it is embarrassing or even dangerous to be asked to stop photographing. Some photographers have told me that they choose to not ask for consent at all because they are afraid of being told "no." This, of course, is not a good reason to forego consent. If we can become a little more comfortable with non-consent, then asking for consent will become a whole lot easier.

There are many different strategies that photographers can develop for dealing with non-consent. For example, a photographer might give them a business card and tell them that to get in touch if they change their mind, or simply wish them a good day and thank them for their time anyway. It is important to find a way of responding to non-consent that makes you feel comfortable and more able to confidently ask people for their consent.

When we are told "no," this is actually a very good sign: it means that we have done a great job creating an environment that enables people to freely give or withhold consent.

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The Fundamentals of Photographic Consent - Photography Ethics Centre

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Consent is rooted in respect for the human right to autonomy, the right to make decisions about oneself. Applied to photography, it means that people have the right to decide whether or not they want to be photographed. A good way to ensure that we are respecting a person's right to autonomy is by asking for consent.

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Health & Safety - Criteria 2.1 / 2.2 / 2.3

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Health & Safety - Criteria 2.1 / 2.2 / 2.3

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In common Health And Safety Issues in Photography professions, Photographers face physical, chemical, and psychological hazards during work. Photographers want to wander up the world, so they capture shots from great lengths and great depths.

The picture says many words, but the person who clicks the picture also tries to show how he captures this perfect shot. We see the final shot, not the process in which he goes to great lengths to capture this shot. Who can be harmful depending on the conditions and location of your work?

When photographers are shot in the forest, they face many problems because there are many wild animals. There are many chances that animals attack them, which becomes harmful for photographers.

Photographers cause many health issues due to handling heavy equipment and working in awkward postures in the studio. Chemical agents are used in different equipment; when photographers use this equipment and in contact with this equipment, they cause allergic and respiratory diseases.

When photographers work alone without any rest and without taking any break, they cause many psychological issues.

Health and safety in a photography studio are very necessary. It refers to use because safety in the studio prevents any accident from happening to yourself, workers, and clients. You have to ensure that there is no loose cable in the studio.

You use duct tape to secure these loose cables, which prevents us from any hazard. Always use a tripod stand with two legs for light fitting and the other two legs at the back. All light stands are put safely, and their position is also correct.

Health and Safety in a Photography Studio

When you are in the studio, Please provide enough space for staff to work safely easily. Model lights can be hot, so when you change attachment from a softbox to snot, then a lot of care is needed.

When you change the place, always put a cover on light units; this prevents you from any burn. When you leave the studio, make sure that all light fittings are hung safely in the wall, preventing you from falling. Before leaving the studio, make sure that there is no loose wire.

Photography Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is too important because it prevents photographers and their staff from any big hazard. It's photographers' responsibility to make a risk assessment to prevent their works and clients from any health and psychological issues.

The photographers who are knowledgeable about the issues make this assessment and train their employees to prevent it. It is useful if they consider how other issues like the environment and other things cause them. You have to follow the following five-step during making an assessment.

Photography Safety Tips

With any job, you faced a lot of safety issues. With these issues, you also need to take precautions to get rid of these issues.

Some safety tips are the following: the best solution for getting rid of these hazards.

1. Visit Photo shooting Venue Before

You need to check the area, because when you are working, you don't want cars where things are on the ground, and there are many risks of falling and causing any injury.

Make sure that the area should be properly swiped and clean. Beside, it should be safe and secure.

2. Safety first mentality for outdoor photography

Make sure that when you take a shot at any wild animals, then keep some distance.

Because when you capture a shot of any animal like lions, elephants, they attract toward your camera and attack you. So keep some distance from these types of animals to prevent any accident.

3. Planning of weather diversity

When you are going outside for a long time to shoot, you are always ready for all weather types. You know that the weather changes quickly, so you have some preventive measures to handle these situations.

Further luggage is important when you are outgoing in hats, umbrellas, plenty of water bottles, etc. This luggage helps you to handle any weather.

4. Do research and Background check

Make sure where you go is a safe place. Before you are going outside, ensure that you have full knowledge of this area and make full research on which things are present there, which become hazardous for you.

For example, if you are in any forest where poisonous insects like snakes are present, then according to this, you have to keep some protective clothing with you.

Conclusion:

In common Health And Safety Issues in Photography, we know that every photography profession has some hazards due to some physical and technical issues. Many of us ignored it and faced a lot of problems in business.

If you find something highly risky, then make precautions for it and implement them during work. Make sure to make a risk assessment that helps you get rid of these mistakes and how to prevent them.

If you follow all the safety tips during photography, it is beneficial for yourself, the staff, and the clients. You can't face any hazards while working if you follow all the rules safely. You can also read about How to sell photography on Shutterstock

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Common Health & Safety Issues in Photography Profession

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In common Health And Safety Issues in Photography professions, Photographers face physical, chemical, and psychological hazards during work. Photographers want to wander up the world, so they capture shots from great lengths and great depths. The picture says many words, but the person who clicks the picture also tries to show how he captures this perfect shot.

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Fashion photography is a genre of photography that is concerned with portraying clothing and other fashion items. This sometimes includes haute couture garments. It typically consists of a fashion photographer taking a picture of a dressed model in a photographic studio or an outside setting.

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In this workshop we learned about focal lengths, how different lenses will give you different results. Which lighting is best for dog photography and where to place your lighting for best results.
How to engage your dog and keep them interested

• The use of angles

• The importance of background, setting the scene and the rule of thirds

• Aperture techniques – creating beautiful portraits

• How to photograph more than 1 dog at a time.

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A jewellery brand needs to get Jewellery Photography as most of their sales come from marketing these images. With this, the brand can easily emphasize promoting all the new and attractive lines of products. These images play a significant role in persuading viewers to buy jewelry.

This image has been shot on a white background, with the main spotlight from above with scrim to diffuse the light and spotlights to the side to highlight all angles of the subject.
A light cone has been placed over the watch to create a soft gradient of light and reduce any glossy highlights on the watch.

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Automobile Photography is essential for automobile companies and dealerships for their marketing and branding purposes. They use Automobile Photography to promote their new, existing, and upcoming vehicles.

This low-key image was shot in a studio, with a spotlight on the background with a scrim to diffuse the light. Spotlight used in front of the car highlighting the tip of the bonnet.
shot from a low angle, with wide angle lens and the car lights switched on.

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Flat lay product image on white back ground.
The main light is coming from the top behind a scrim to diffuse the light.
A spotlight with a snoot to create a narrow beam of light coming through the side and across the bottle. With a large depth of field so the whole image is in focus.
The lights have been placed to focus on the main subject. I like the way the beam of light acts as a leading line through the bottle.

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Product Photography is one of the most demanding yet biggest industries right now. Brands who want to list their products on eCommerce websites often hire photographers, specifically those specialized in Amazon product photography, to help them show the best of their products. The rise of online marketplaces, such as Amazon, has created a massive need for high-quality product images that effectively showcase the features and benefits of sold items.

Commercial product photography is usually done in a studio in front of a white background, but the correct object placement around the subject can enhance the overall appeal. One must be familiar with the lighting and how to use it properly.

A product studio photography flat lay image.
The main light is coming from above with a scrim to diffuse the light, with another light & scrim to the side of the products to highlight the side of the compacts. With two spot lights to the side focusing on the blusher in the compact, a white card was placed inside the lid of the compact to fill in some shadow. Another spot light added to focus on the lipstick.
Another scrim roll was added with a light box to feather some light to the side of the lipstick and brush.

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I don't own any studio lights at home. I researched the internet on how to use table lights, to light your subject.
This is a drawing of a wine bottle on a table with black velvet cloth & clear perspex on top.
I placed my back drop behind the subject and my torch led light behind the back drop, raised on a chair.
I used each light individually so I could see where the lights/highlights were hitting the subject.
I then placed a further Light either side of the subject, moving them up and down, taking shots in-between to see where the lights/highlights were hitting.
I then held a led torch over the top of the wine bottle to add more light and placed a small torch, with a paper snoot attached, to add more light to the bottles label.
I also placed white foam board either side of my subjects to reflect more light. I used an aperture of f/16 for a deeper depth of field. I used a wider angel lens so i could get closer to the subject. My camera was placed on a tripod facing directly at the subjects.
Canon 1300d
Settings
ISO: 400
Lens: 36mm
f/16
1/10 sec

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Karl Taylor is a Still Life, Drinks, Liquids, Fashion, Product & Advertising Photographer.

I like the way this image is very clean, good clarity, simplicity and good dynamics.
Shot in studio, with a spot light on the floor looking up towards the background with a coloured gel over the light.
A spotlight infant to highlight the Label on the bottle and two strip boxes either side to achieve the smooth gradients on edge of the glass and bottle, with a shallow depth of field to focus your eyes on the subject.

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Food photography is a still life photography genre used to create attractive still life photographs of food. It is a specialization of commercial photography, the products of which are used in advertisements, magazines, packaging, menus or cookbooks.

Dennis Prescott is one of the most famous food photographers in the industry. He is Canadian and also a chef and cookbook author.

This image shows a well stacked burger, I like the way it looks fresh, like its just been made, with the cheese melting over the burger. Also giving the image a pop of colour combined with the tomato, red onion and vibrant green lettuce. I also like the way the photographer used a wider aperture and lighting to ensure your eyes are focusing on the subject and making it stand out/pop.

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David LaChapelle is known for his celebrity portrait photography combining a hyper-realistic aesthetic with profound societal messages.

This image of Madonna portrays a Hindu Goddess, which emerges from a background of emanating rays of light.
Taking you on a short visual trip to Bombay, giving you the visual treatment for the Ray Of Light track.

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Coca-Cola's new ad has been transformed through a combination of live action, animation and AI
This is an interesting commercial that catches your attention, its very cutting-edge and imaginative. literally brings art to life.
The advertisement is a blend of film, 3D, AI and Stable Diffusion. This can improve the animation by adding realistic and fluid movement.

Some people would say, art isn't dying, its evolving and this commercial is a true masterpiece.

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Coca-Cola’s new ad literally brings art to life

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In a new Coca-Cola spot directed by Henry Scholfield, classic artworks have been transformed through a combination of live action, animation and AI

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Andy Warhol's 1962 Painting Of A Coca-Cola Bottle.

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Andy Warhol's 1962 Painting Of A Coca-Cola Bottle.

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Davina Buchanan (davinabuchanan) - Profile | Pinterest

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See what Davina Buchanan (davinabuchanan) has discovered on Pinterest, the world’s biggest collection of ideas.

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How to Plan For Your Pet Photography Shoot

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How to Plan For Your Pet Photography Shoot

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If you're an animal lover, pet portrait photography is a natural area for you to explore. Animals are fun to work with, and each one is beautiful in their own way. Whether your subject has puppy-dog eyes and a wagging tail, fluffy fur, and a charming attitude, feathers, or scales, every creature has an individual character that is fun to capture.

What is Pet Photography?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that pet photos are simply portraits of animals. But what may surprise many photographers is how much demand there is for this type of family photography.

Owners may want their pets included in their family portrait sessions, or they may be looking for stand-alone pet photography pricing. Here are some creative family portrait ideas to capture the perfect shots.

You don't have to be an animal lover to take pet portraits, but much like any other niche in the business, it helps a lot if you have a passion for and a connection to your subjects. Animals connect with people, and they can tell immediately if you're worried or uncertain about their presence.

At its core, capturing pet images is very much like taking portraits of small children. If you don't get along with small children, it's not going to be much fun. And like doing kid portraits, you can't communicate with your subject or expect them to understand that they need to hold that pose or look into the camera. Talking of poses and compositions, you might want to read our Guide to Family photography with tips on how to capture those precious moments.

How to Photograph Pets?

Cameras and Lenses

The equipment you choose for pet portrait photography is an odd mix of things that would be appropriate for portraiture and sports photography. Why sports? You need a camera body that will work quickly. A fast burst mode while still capturing RAW format images is important, so that when you lay into the shutter release, the camera captures a selection of images. Animals move unpredictably, so you need to be able to get the rough setup you like and then take as many photos as you can. Older camera bodies might only be able to do half a dozen RAW photos before they need to pause shooting to write the data to the card.

Also like sports images, you want a camera with fast and accurate autofocusing. Again, pets move around. Some are very active, and some shoots will be happening outside while the animal is playing. A continuous drive autofocus lock is an excellent tool to help you keep the focus accurate, and some camera bodies are much better at this than others.

The lenses you choose should be portraiture lenses. But unlike human pictures, having a super bright lens with an extremely shallow depth of field isn't essential. Shooting with low f-stops is sure to blur long snouts and wagging tails too much. It's better to have your lens set at f/5.6 or higher and use the ISO settings to keep the shutter speeds fast. This isn't to say that you can use cheap lenses since you'll still want super-sharp pictures and fast autofocus.

Lighting

Requiring such fast shutter speeds and wider depth of fields, the first assumption many make is that they must make use of flashes and artificial lighting. In truth, these have their place, especially if you are working in your studio.

But most pet photography pricing and packages include location shoots. This is popular for several reasons. Meeting the animals on their turf increases the chances of a relaxed and happy pet. For most family pets that don't have a lot of obedience training, this is the best option. You can capture their behavior in their natural environment, surrounded by their family. Add in some treats, and it might be the best day of their lives.

But lighting a location shoot is a bigger challenge. Big lights on stands and beauty dishes are going to be hard to deal with, especially if you're trying to pin down a feisty critter. Natural light is almost always best in these circumstances, but you might want to have one or two off-camera speed lights that you can use for fill or effects lighting.

Common Pet Photography Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Squinting

Many animals have very sensitive eyes, so you might have trouble with them squinting due to your strobe lights. Some animals might even get startled or agitated by them. Go with natural light when you can. If you need to use a fill, use it as a bounce off of a nearby wall or ceiling. Large diffusers might help too.

Perhaps an even better answer is to up your kit of natural light tools. A reflector dish can help you out in many ways. For one, it gives you a way to control what light you've got and to fill in the shadows. Most reflector sets come with silver, gold, and white colors, so you can pick the quality of light that best matches your subject. They also are useful for creating a catch light in the subject's eyes.

Lighting and Color Problems

Some of the most common problems with shooting pet photos are also the hardest to overcome with natural light. Since animals are low to the ground, their fur often picks up color casts from the ground and environment. It can be very noticeable on black fur, which the camera is already going to have some trouble metering properly. If you shoot in RAW format, these problems should be easy to fix in post-production.

Multicolored animals also spell trouble for the camera's metering profiles. Blown highlights are a problem with dark animals with white patches. Use the peaking tool on your LCD to give you a heads up. Most photos, especially RAW files, will allow you to recover a lot of detail from underexposed areas, but blown highlights are lost for good. When in doubt, err on the side of underexposing the whole thing a bit and recovering it during post-processing.

Blurry Snouts

Assuming you are working with enough light and a fast enough shutter speed to avoid any blur from hand-shake, blur is going to come from two things during an animal shoot. The first results from the natural inclination of the portrait photographer to use shallow depths of fields. When used to capture images of humans with flat faces, the long snout of a furry friend is a bit of a challenge. Avoid any depth of field below f/5.6, and opt for higher when you are able.

As with any portrait, the eyes must be in sharp focus. A little bit of blur on the nose might look okay, but it can quickly get out of hand and look awkward.

The second common problem is shooting with too slow a shutter speed. Animals move quickly, and it might not be that they change their pose so much as just move their head or shift their weight. The constant movement means you want to boost the shutter speed to 1/250th second or higher.

10 Tips and Techniques for Pet Photography

Prepare for the Shoot

Before taking any pictures or getting out your camera gear, the first step is to prepare the location for the shoot. Many photographers prefer to do pet portraits in a location that the animal is comfortable. Preferably somewhere that they can be themselves and do their thing.

The problem with doing them at home is clutter. Even in their backyard, you might find it's too messy to work with. So your first task as the photographer is to pick your spot based on the light and background and then declutter the area as much as possible. Get rid of any distracting objects that do not add to the photo.

Take Your Time

The next thing to remember is that dogs, cats, and all the rest do not work on schedules. So relax and be patient. Make a new friend. Get out your camera, but spend some time just getting to know your subject. Have their human teach you some of their commands. Click your shutter a few times, see how they react, and get them used to you and your camera.

This isn't any different than doing portraits for a person. The only difference is that the pets don't speak a language. You can't talk to them to get to know them and calm them down, and you have to interact with them in a way they understand. For a cat, that might mean just chilling out next to them and petting them. For a dog, it might mean playing some fetch and giving some belly scratches.

It's also important to get to know them so that they will listen to you. What you don't want is for you and the animal's people to be shouting commands across each other. Designate one person to give instructions, be it the owner or you. Whatever the plan, everyone should be relaxed and calm. Don't confuse or yell at the pet.

Get Down on Their Level

Once you've gotten to know your new furry or scaly friend, you've probably got a good idea of where you have to be to join their world. Your photos should do just that. They should show the world from their point of view. So stretch out your muscles and put away the nice clothes, because you need to get dirty. Bend down or sit on the ground, whatever you need to do to shoot at their eye level.

Focus on Their Eyes

Like all portraits, the key is in the eyes. Our article on mastering portrait photography might give you insights into the art of capturing the inherent character of your subject within a photograph. Make sure your camera's spot focusing is locked on the animal's eyes and keeps it locked in. If you've got an assistant to hold a reflector, making a catch light in the subject's eyes can have a powerful effect. It's even more obvious on animals than it is on humans.

Capture Their Character

Your new friend has probably shared some details of their personal life with you by this point. If you got to know them, what were they most interested in? Playing ball? Treats? Cuddles? Whatever their thing is, use it to capture their character.

Animals have their habits, just like humans. Look for any repeated motions or gestures, reactions, or expressions. They probably do it at home too, so their owners will connect with it in the photos. Capture those little touches of individuality, and you will have happy clients.

Toys and Treats

Animal behavior is best controlled via positive reinforcement. When they do something right, something that you like, reward them. So don't come empty-handed!

This is part of getting to know your client. What do they like? Dogs usually aim to please. Maybe it's enough to give an enthusiastic "Good boy!" Most animals, though, are highly food motivated. Keep those treats handy!

Be sure to check with the owner to see what sort of treats Fluffy and Fido like. Some animals have severe food allergies, so those cheap Milk-Bones aren't always a great idea.

When they do something you don't like, the most effective thing to do is ignore it and move on.

Pretend You're a Sports Photographer

That doesn't mean that you need to make your model do acrobatics and athletics. What it means is that you need to be in the frame of mind that the shot might come and go in an instant. If you see a shot you like, take the shot!

Leave your camera on burst mode and continuous focus, like you would at a sporting event. Even if you have to discard 20 photos to get the one photo, that one photo you did get may never be recreated. Unlike a human model, there is no, "Now, hold that pose right there."

Keep Working Fast

You aren't the only one that should be working fast; your camera should be too. Keep the fastest shutter speed possible, because some animals move around a lot. It's not just the running off. It's the wagging tails and sudden grins and face movements. Keep your shutter speed 1/250th of a second or faster, and you should be alright.

If that sounds pretty fast for your standard portrait session, you're right. You're going to need a lot of light, and outside or near windows is best. You might also need to boost your ISO settings a little higher than you're used to. ISO 400 is a good place to start, but don't be afraid to go into 640 or even 800 if your camera can do it without getting too grainy.

Take it to the Next Level

Professional pet photography is everywhere. Look online, and you're sure to find some inspiration. If there's an underlying theme amongst these images, it's that the sky is the limit. Exercise your creative little gray cells and bring a fresh perspective to your pet pictures!

Here are 29 Outstanding Photography Portfolio websites built on Pixpa, for you to get inspiration and ideas. These photographers have made excellent use of Pixpa, an easy to use website builder to showcase their photos. You can draw inspiration from these creative professionals and study their portfolios, to get a clearer idea of how you want to showcase your repertoire of work.

Create your Professional portfolio website with Pixpa. Sign up for a 15 days free trial.

Some photographers are taking pet photos into the realm of fine art. Look at examples of black and white images, or even the unique underwater pet snaps of Seth Castell. For more inspiration, here is a Complete Guide on Underwater photography, a unique photographic genre that ranges from scenics and wildlife shots to artistic compositions with underwater models. If you want to take your photos to the next level like this, create some concepts and shot lists for your next shoot. Instead of going in blind, think up the story you'd like to tell through your portraits.

Practice Your Art

Before you start a pet photo business, practice your skills by donating time at rescues and shelters, and help those pets get adopted! They always need high-quality photography to help their animals find forever homes. There are pet rescue facilities all over the world, and they'd love to have your help.

Conclusion

Professional pet photography is not without its challenges, but it's one of the most fun and rewarding types of photography. If you love animals, it's a great way to be around them. Their owners will appreciate your efforts immensely, and the pets will too. Just be sure to bring some treats!

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How do you take good pictures of pets?
The most important thing to consider while photographing pets is to take your time while planning a photoshoot. Animals are unpredictable and even the most well trained pets often don't know how to react in unfamiliar situations like a photoshoot. Work fast and keep your shutter speed high because animals move around a lot and you want to capture them in action. Taking a rapid burst of photos while the animal is in the middle of running and playing is a useful technique.

2) How do I get started in pet photography?
Like with any form of photography, if you want to build a career in pet photography, you will need an online portfolio. With Pixpa you can easily build an online pet photography portfolio, even without coding knowledge. Once you have your online portfolio website, you will need to upload sample photographs to it. If you are an absolute beginner, you can start with taking pictures of your own family pets in order to pad out your online portfolio.

3) What makes a successful pet photography?
For successful pet photography, the most important thing to do is to try and perfectly capture the eyes and personality of the animal. Dogs and cats have very expressive eyes and they should always be the focal point of pet photography. Try to go for playful, dynamic shots if possible as it gives the animal an opportunity to be themselves and show their personality.

4) What settings should you use when photographing pets?
Always consult with the client when deciding the setting of any pet photoshoot. Natural settings like a park or a field can give the animal room to play around and give you the opportunity to take some interesting shots. Many pet owners also like to use their own home as a setting in order to ensure a sense of intimacy. Avoid indoor settings for high energy pets as they can get anxious and destructive.

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Pet Photography - 10 Top Tips and Techniques

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If you're an animal lover, pet portrait photography is a natural area for you to explore. Here is a must-read guide with tips and techniques for the perfect pet portraits.

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This is my home page on the website I designed. After the help and guidance from my tutor, I have been able to re-designe my website layout slightly.

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This page shows the potential clients some of my work,
which gives them an insight into my style of photography.
Whether they are looking for action shots on the beach, in a forest or portrait images.
My portfolio shows the different applications of photography I can offer.

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This is my contact page, where I have my Email and phone number which tells potential clients where I'm based.

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This is my about page on my website. This tells potential clients a little bit about me and why I wanted to become a dog photographer.

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In our practical session we built a burger that could be used for a commercial.
The idea was to build the burger up to make it look much bigger than it actually was.
I stacked the cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce to give the burger more hight and depth and brushed some oil on the burger & bun, we also used a cocktail stick to keep everything in place.

We used a low-key light setting with black board around the burger, with a square cut out to allow some side light. I think this helps to focus the viewers eyes straight to the burger.
I used a deep depth of field to ensure the whole burger was in focus. I set up my tripod at the correct hight that I wanted and placed my camera on top facing directly towards the burger.
Equipment used:
Canon 1300d
Tripod
Settings:
ISO - 100
Lens - 47 mm
F/7.1
1/6 sec
I chose an aperture of F/7.1 as I wanted to make sure all my subject was in focus.
I used a slow shutter speed to allow more light in and an ISO of 100 to make sure the image wasn't grainy.

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After speaking to my tutor, I am going to add the backdrop photo into the square that reads Pet Love and use this as a backdrop for my home page, which includes all the images.

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Here are just a few of the ways in which the stock photography game has changed in two evergreen commercial genres, lifestyle and still life.

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I designed a website to showcase my best images, with a place to promote my work, services and tell my story.
After speaking to my tutor, I'm going to just leave the first three sentences on my home page and copy the rest onto my about page.

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I uploaded my image of Hunter and Minnie jumping with coloured powder on their backs, to a Dog Photography group for some feed back.

I was very surprised from the feedback i got, it seems using coloured powder shoots on animals, is a bit like marmite. You're either for it or against it.
When searching, I haven't found any scientific evidence that proves non-toxic powder is harmful to animals.

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5 Essential Tips for Your First Commercial Shoot

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Once you've been shooting for a while (and becoming good at it) someone will inevitably ask you if you are interested in shooting something for a fee,

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Digital Art that Rocks™ - Brian Rodgers Jr. - South Bend Commercial Photographer - Product & Architecture Photographer

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Planning is key to any successful commercial photo shoot. Being that I work for an advertising agency, there are often many players in the planning stages of a shoot. Sometimes the ball is in my court to come up with visuals for a given clients needs. Other times there is a Creative Director conceptualizing the ideas. Often times however, this is a collaborative effort between creatives at the agency. Once the ideas are drafted on paper, my job as the photographer is to execute this idea as a deliverable to the client.

For this particular shoot, I was creating the atmosphere of a classroom. More on the conceptual side; less on the classroom full of desks and kids side. So, I really had to think about how I was going to convey this space without actually having all of the classroom elements in place. The elements that I had to work with were; a nice wood floor, a neutral colored solid wall, a desk, and a model. The rest of this shot would have to be created in post because I didn't have the items at the time. I knew that it would be easier to composite these items in photoshop, than it would be to go out, buy the items, and place them on the wall.

I always pre-plann the shoot as much as I a possibly can. It puts my mind at ease knowing exactly how I will put the final shot together. I knew that the way I shot it would allow me to composite elements later in photoshop. These elements included a chalkboard, clock, books and a bookshelf. Knowing exactly where I would later place these items in the scene, allowed me to properly frame my composition and allow for a successful photo shoot.

The bottom line here is to plan as much as possible. Paint a clear picture in your head of what you will be creating. Know what you're going to shoot, and know what you are going to do in post. Always shoot with post production in mind.

Prepping

It's always important to prep the scene you are shooting. In this particular example, the floors were a mess due to the winter season. I know from experience that it will take less time to actually clean the floor, than it would be to use photoshop to clean it up later. I had to move other furniture out of the way to create the space I needed for the shot. You can't see from the above image, but there are some massive windows at the agency. So I used blockers to darken the window light coming in just a bit.

Lighting

Another important factor to this particular shoot was the time of day that it was shot. I planned the shoot at 3pm. Why 3pm? Because the sun would be behind the building at that time. This room is surrounded by windows which means direct sunlight. I want to control the light in my environment as much as I possibly can. Shooting at 3pm allowed 3 things to happen; no direct sunlight, softer ambient light, and less light altogether. This also meant that I didn't have to raise the power of my strobes to the point of blinding the model. At a shutter speed of 200th of a second, ambient light was not an issue. My strobes were calling the shots.

Pre-lighting the set is always important in any successful commercial photo shoot. It equally important to be able to get the shots you need in a short amount of time. Pre-lighting the set allows me to relax and focus on the model. Minor tweaks will be needed when the model walks on set, but it's a great idea to have your lights metered and roughed in.

When lighting people in a scene, there are two things to think about. The light on the model, and the light in the scene. I used my main light to create a Rembrandt lighting pattern on the models face. Get to know lighting patterns of the face. I highly recommend studying classical and renaissance period portraits. The lighting was amazing then, and still looks amazing on people today. Second, consider the background. The way I lit this scene created depth. My main light lit most of the scene. My fill light acted like a large window, and my rim light gave a nice separation of the subject and background.

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How to Plan & Prepare For a Successful Commercial Photo Shoot - Digital Art that Rocks™ - Brian Rodgers Jr. - South Bend Commercial Photographer - Product & Architecture Photographer

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PLANNING Planning is key to any successful commercial photo shoot. Being that I work for an advertising agency, there are often many players in the planning stages of a shoot. Sometimes the ball is in my court to come up with visuals for a given clients needs.

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Different types of commercial photography

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A detailed information about various types of Commercial photography.

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Commercial photography is a common term these days. History has a lot to talk about in commercial photography. Earlier, photography was a part of art. When commercial photography started, photographers started taking photos for great commercial demands rather than for art only. Today's commercial photography is high-quality photography that can be used for business or commercial purposes.

The First Commercial Photography Process

The daguerreotype Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invented the first Commercial Photography process in 1839. Daguerre started his research to capture detailed still images in the mid-1920s. Joseph Nicephore Niepce was working towards the same goal. Their similar goals made them form a partnership and study together. They researched together for years while Niepce was successful in inventing the heliograph.

After the death of Niepce in 1833, Daguerre continued his research. Daguerre started taking successful photographs in 1837. Later in 1839, Daguerreotype Process was introduced to the world at a meeting in Paris.

How did the Daguerreotype photography process work?

The daguerreotype photography process used a silver-plated sheet of copper, a lens to focus the image, and a mercury-coated silver mirror. Here's a step-by-step process.

Step 1: The daguerreotype photography process uses a silver-plated copper plate. The plate is cleaned and polished to look like a mirror. Then, the mirror is sensitized with iodine vapors in a closed box.

Step 2: The sensitized plate is placed inside the camera. The camera case is removed when the model is ready.

Step 3: The exposed plate is taken to a dark room at this stage. Then, remove the mirror and expose it to the fumes of mercury.

Step 4: Wash the plate in hyposulphite of soda

Step 5: Wash the image with distilled water

Step 6: Cover the daguerreotype portrait with a sheet of protective glass after drying the image.

Early daguerreotype needed 15-30 minutes of exposure time. However, the time has decreased to 1 minute by the improvements in lenses and the introduction of bromine.

How to identify a Daguerreotype?

Plates: Previously manufacturer's symbol was stamped on daguerreotype photograph plates. Then, the leaves were sold to the photographer. The plates were one of the common ways of recognizing daguerreotypes. One angle of the daguerreotype looks shiny, and the other looks matte.

Size: The most typical size of the daguerreotype photograph is the sixth plate. The measures below do not include the size of the case.

Full-plate : 6 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Half-plate : 4 1/4" x 5 1/2 "

Quarter-plate : 3 1/4" x 4 1/4"

Sixth-plate : 2 3/4" x 3 1/4"

Ninth-plate : 2" x 2 1/2 "

Sixteenth-plate : 1 3/8" x 1 5/8"

Case: In the beginning, daguerreotype photographs had leather-bound wooden cases. The cases were lined with silk. Later the cases went through many customization processes to protect the image better.

Image layer: Another professional way to recognize daguerreotype is the image layers. It did not have a binder layer; rather, the images were formed directly on the surface of the plate.

The Revolution of Commercial Photography

The Beginning

We have already discussed the background of the daguerreotype photography process. The very first photography started in 1837. It was only suitable for people who took photography as a hobby at that time. The daguerreotype emerged in 1850. Commercial photography began as many people started to adopt the daguerreotype process formula.

Fashion Photography

Photography started to become a popular advertising tool early in the 20th century. Edward Steichen is considered to be the founder of modern fashion photography. He took some photographs of gowns designed by a French fashion designer, Paul Poiret, in 1911. More people started to take photography for commercial purposes as brands like vogue had pursued the idea. Previous fashion photography used to be black and white. Later in 1950, colored photography started to take over.

Product Photography

The emergence of digital photography in 1985 had changed the whole perspective of general photography. This photography highlights products with a magnificent setup. It gains consumer attention from the commercial perspective. Looking at the emerging trend of e-commerce and online business, the future demand for product photography will continue to rise.

Final note

The daguerreotype photography process made it easy for us to reach the peak of commercial photography. Besides that,daguerreotypes were a convenient way of preserving memories of loved ones. People still collect photographs of daguerreotypes as a hobby.

Published Link: https://www.clippingpathcampus.com/first-commercial-photography/

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Daguerreotype - The First Commercial Photography Process in History

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Commercial photography is a common term these days. History has a lot to talk about in commercial photography.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hunter & Minnie (@adventuresofhunter_minnie)

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Flying Minnie Holi PowderFlying Sandwich

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For this image I used a fast shutter speed, so I could get low to the ground to make it look like the water was coming at you. I preferred this image in black & white to bring out the textures and details of the image. Just like Ansel Adam’s images.

Canon 1300d
ISO - 800
Lens - 135mm
SS - 1/1250 sec

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Rankin and David LeChapelle have inspired me to want to try something completely different with my dogs. I had in mind to do an action shot with colourful ( Non-Toxic) Coloured Powder, inspired by their colourful and surreal Images.
I watched a few Youtube tutorials and set up my background in the back garden.

I used a black backdrop to make the colours from the powder look more vibrant. I placed a small jump infront of the background to make the dogs look like they were flying.
My daughter had plenty of treats as a reward when they jumped over the jump. My assistant (daughter) poured the Coloured Powder on the dogs back, making sure not to get any on, or near their face. I took a few shots to make sure I had the composition and settings correct on my camera.

I was a few feet away, laying flat on the floor with a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion and using natural light. I didn't want too much light on the subjects faces with the background being so dark.
I enhanced the colours in Light Room by increasing the vibrance and saturation.
The jump was removed in photoshop using a combination of the patch, lasso and clone tool in Photoshop. I am very pleased with the end result.

If I was to do this again, I would place a light facing the backdrop with a coloured gel to enhance the coloured powder and possibly more powder although it was tricky to get it all to stay on before they jumped.

After the shoot, we washed all the powder off the dogs and cleaned the area and equipment to make sure there was no powder left.

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I used a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion and compensated by increasing my iso. Aperture of 5.6 to ensure the subjects were in focus.

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Canon 1300d
ISO - 800
Lens - 62mm
F5.6
SS - 1/1000 sec

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My daughter was giving Hunter and Minnie some treats and I managed to capture this candid image of them trying to jump up for the treat.
You can see the joy and excitement in their faces in this image.
They look so happy jumping up together to retrieve the treats.

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This image I took reminds me of one of Ansel Adam’s black and white tree images.

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I took this photo using my tripod and a slow shutter speed to capture movement in the water.
It creates a ghost-like effect of the rushing water, ensuring it looks smooth and also a bit blurred to highlight its movement.

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Martin Parr's photographs of the British Coast were taken between 1983 and 1985.
His first images in colour.

Perspective - this photo was taken as a natural portrait, showing people still finding pleasure in a deteriorating seaside resort and society as a whole with litter-strewn pavements.

Mood and Tone - This photo was taken between 1983 - 1985 Britain's working classes vacating at the decaying holiday resort of Brighton, a metaphor for the country's dreams and struggles in the early 1980s.

Depth Of Filed - Deep depth of field to ensure all of the image is in focus.

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In this image we wanted the subjects ( Hunter & Minnie) to be the focus. To achieve this we used auto focus on the camera settings, using point focus mode and a shallow depth of field to ensure the subjects were sharp and the background was blurred.

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I'm a dog lover and have always loved taking pictures of my dogs.
I follow various dog photographers on social media, who inspire me to try different ideas.
This image was inspired by my tutor giving encouragement and ideas to try different poses and angles.

This was a posed portrait image, inspired buy our tutor.
We used treats to encourage Hunter to pose at the fence. We used a shallow depth of field to ensure the foreground was more in focus than the background. This makes your eyes focus in more on the subject and creates a nice creamy background with bokeh.

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I was inspired by 52 framers to produce this image. I ordered a uv light and face paints from Amazon and set my office up with a black background, using a piece of black weed prevention cloth.
I made sure the room was dark and only used my UV torch shown on my daughters face when shooting.

Canon 1300d
ISO - 200
Lens - 45mm
F7.1
SS 1/5 sec

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I was inspired by Eric Pere's Led Lighting photography on Instagram and wanted to have a go.
Using my tutors led light tube, we waited till blue hour and I set my tripod and camera up. We experimented and took a few shots till we got the right exposure.

Canon 1300d
ISO - 100
Lens - 18mm
F4.5
SS - 10.0sec

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Martin Parr's black and white documentary series.

Pattern - The stripes on the deck chairs are visually eye catching, as well as how they are laid out in rows.

Context - Photographed outside in natural daylight, Candid photo of two people asleep on their deck chairs.

Emphasis - The simplicity of the image gives great impact on the viewer and how the British working class used to enjoy their time on the beach. This image made me smile.

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Martin Parr • Photographer Profile • Magnum Photos Magnum Photos

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Martin Parr is a chronicler of our age. He has explored the concepts of leisure, consumption , and communication for several decades.

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Perspective - The photo is taken as an up close black & white portrait, low-key lighting, which evokes the sexy, smouldering look on Daniels face.

Colour - Shot in black & white which gives the image a more dramatic feel/look

Depth Of Field - A shallow depth of field which focuses your attention towards his face.

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This image was taken five hours before Lennon's murder, it is considered one of Rolling Stone magazine's most famous photos.

Perspective - This photo is taken as an up close portrait of Yono Ono and John Lennon. The photo shows expression of affection and love.

Depth Of Field - The foreground is more in focus than the background. This makes your eye's focus more on the subjects.

Lighting - I like the way the light highlights parts of their face to draw you in more.

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This photo of Michael Jackson David LaChapelle posted
He wrote "Light Over Darkness keep The Faith.

I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson and this image makes me think of Michael, trying to fight off his demons.
Natural lighting, portrait. Yours eyes are instantly drawn to his angel wings and then your eyes follow the wings down to the devil. This image was shot with a large depth of field.

Mood and Tone - This photo was taken by David LaChapelle to highlight the struggles Michael Jackson had throughout his life. You can see the sadness in his face and a tear running down his cheek.

Balance - Michael Jackson standing over the devil, with one foot on his chest and a tear running down his cheek, has a powerful impact on this image.

Tone - The contrast/details of the white angel wings against the Red Devil shows great impact on the viewer.

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David LeChapelle is best known for his commercial fashion portraits of celebrities and models. LaChapelle's signature blend of colourful, conceptual imagery bears the influence of both surrealism and Pop Art.

This image is a great example of surrealism. Your eyes are drawn straight to the giant purple snail. Its  like a fairytale dream. The bold colours make the image look fun, reminds me of Alice In Wonderland. Shot outside with a deep depth of field.

Colour - The bright bold colours attracts and focuses your attention towards the snail and model. The colours make the image fun.

Texture - The texture of the snail makes the picture come alive.

Depth Of Field - The foreground is more in focus than the background. This makes your eyes focus in more on the foreground and isolates it.

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Ansel Adams, used large-format cameras due to their high resolution, which helped to ensure sharpness in his images.

I like the way the tree leads you around and frames, the hills in the background as well as the rocks in the image. The image was shot in natural light, large depth of field to ensure all the picture is in focus. Black and white image which shows the texture and details of the tree and rocks.

Colour - This photo was taken in black and white which shows the sharpness of the image and makes the texture and details stand out more.

Shape - The shape of the tree leads you across the image and frames the hills and rocks.

Depth Of Field - We have a deep depth of field to ensure the foreground and background is in focus.

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Ansel Adams liked to photograph in black & white to bring out the textures and details of an image.
Adams, developed The Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print.

This Landscape image shot in natural light, is a great example of Adams work, the leading lines take you all around the image. With a deep depth of field to enhance the sharp texture and details throughout the frame.

Texture - The texture and details of this image makes the picture come alive.

Tone - The contrast of the details in black and white really makes this photo stand out.

Depth Of Field - This image has a deep depth of field to enhance the sharp texture and details throughout the frame.

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The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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On November 15, 1932, at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, eleven photographers announced themselves as Group f/64: Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, John Paul Edwards, Preston Holder, Consuelo Kanaga, Alma Lavenson, Sonya Noskowiak, Henry Swift, Willard Van Dyke, Brett Weston, and Edward Weston. The idea for the show had arisen a couple of months before at a party in honor of Weston held at a gallery known as "683" (for its address on Brockhurst Street in San Francisco)-the West Coast equivalent of Alfred Stieglitz's gallery 291-where they had discussed forming a group devoted to exhibiting and promoting a new direction in photography that broke with the Pictorialism then prevalent in West Coast art photography. The name referred to the smallest aperture available in large-format view cameras at the time and it signaled the group's conviction that photographs should celebrate rather than disguise the medium's unrivaled capacity to present the world "as it is." As Edward Weston phrased it, "The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh." A corollary of this idea was that the camera was able to see the world more clearly than the human eye, because it didn't project personal prejudices onto the subject. The group's effort to present the camera's "vision" as clearly as possible included advocating the use of aperture f/64 in order to provide the greatest depth of field, thus allowing for the largest percentage of the picture to be in sharp focus; contact printing, a method of making prints by placing photographic paper directly in contact with the negative, instead of using an enlarger to project the negative image onto paper; and glossy papers instead of matte or artist papers, the surfaces of which tended to disperse the contours of objects.

Such methods transformed the role of the artist from printmaker to selector: it was the photographer's choice of form and his or her framing of it that made the picture. The use of a view camera enabled the photographer to preview his scene on the ground glass (a flat pane of glass on the camera that reflected the scene from the point of view of the lens), the view camera's equivalent of the viewfinder in the 35mm single-lens reflex camera, before he snapped the shutter and developed the print, and the extensive employment of this device was a hallmark of Group f/64. Weston dubbed its effective use "previsualization." Group f/64 photographers concentrated on landscape photography-notable examples include Adams' Winter Yosemite Valley ( 49.55.177) and Weston's Dunes, Oceano ( 1987.1100.129)-or close-up images of items from the natural environment, such as plants and pieces of wood, subjects that highlighted the photographer's creative intuition and ability to create aesthetic order out of nature's chaos. In addition, a significant number of Group f/64's photographs were of industrial structures, quotidian objects from the modern world (such as Weston's Bedpan [ 1987.1100.134]), and nudes (particularly exceptional ones exist in the oeuvres of Weston [ Nude, 1925; 2005.100.142], and Cunningham). While at first glance, these subjects seem to have nothing in common, Group f/64's photographs of them do. The photographers' meticulous concern for transcribing the exact features of what was before the camera bound them together and rendered the emotional experience of form the primary feature of their photographic art.

Hostetler, Lisa. "Group f/64." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/f64/hd_f64.htm (October 2004)

Heyman, Therese Thau, ed. Seeing Straight: The f.64 Revolution in Photography. Oakland, Calif.: Oakland Museum, 1992.

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Group f/64 | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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The name ["f/64"] referred to the smallest aperture available in large-format view cameras at the time and it signaled the group's conviction that photographs should celebrate rather than disguise the medium's unrivaled capacity to present the world "as it is."

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The Ansel Adam Zone System (AAZ System) has, for many years, been one of those concepts that photographers liken to Marmite. You either love it or you don't.

For those that don't love it, an adversity to the AAZ System seems more to do with understanding exactly what it is and how it can be successfully applied to photography work.

In this article, we're going to try and simplify the AAZ System in terms of its origins, the theory behind it and its practical application.

The Ansel Adam Zone System requires an understanding of the nature of light, colour and tone. Some would say the last two are the same but they are not. Let's first consider the nearest thing to a camera; the human eye. Both have several things in common. For example, both have a lens to enable an object to be sharply focussed on. The eye's pupil controls the amount of light entering the eye. In a camera, the aperture fulfils the same function. And finally, in a camera, the film or sensor receives the light to capture an image. In the human eye, the retina translates the image entering the eye allowing the brain to make sense of what is in front of the eye. One major difference between the human eye and a camera is the dynamic range each can handle. By dynamic range, we mean the extremes of light and dark that can be processed. The human eye trumps the camera in this respect every time.

Both are designed to receive light. Everything we and a camera sees depends on light. Everyday objects that surround us can be seen because they are reflecting light, not emitting it themselves. The easiest source of light to consider is the sun which visible emits white light. However, visible white light is a spectrum of seven wavelengths of colours, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. This is why we see a rainbow when light is refracted through raindrops in the sky. Furthermore, the reason we see things in colour is because objects absorb certain colour wavelengths and reflect the remainder. This is why a banana looks yellow and blood looks red.

A single colour can possess a tone. If we imagine paint, we can darken or lighten a colour buy adding a black and white mix respectively. Mix Black and White in different proportions and we have differing ranges of Grey. So, for example, if we take two samples of colour blue paint and add a light grey paint to one sample, we are toning up the original blue. Likewise, if we add a darker grey to the second sample, we are toning down that blue sample. However, our eyes will recognise both results originating from the same two identical samples of blue paint. If we consider colours as part of the visible spectrum of light, tone is related to the luminance or indirect or reflected light.

This is the starting basis of the AAZ System which was originally conceived in the 1930s in relation to black and white plate photography film. However, its basic tenets still apply to photography today whether you're using roll film or a digital camera. Going back to the concept of visible light tones or luminance, let's throw in another concept to muddy the waters.

Cameras see in colour but expose in monochrome. Confused? This is why the AAZ System has the Marmite effect for some photographers and understandably so. Go search any academic text on the AAZ System and the will to live, let alone carry on taking photographs is quickly lost.

Let's stop to think about this. Exposure is letting in the right amount of light for the right amount of time so that the scene does not contain white blown-out areas or black shadowy under-exposed areas. The colours of the objects in the scene are relevant but so is the amount of light they reflect. Let's imagine, for example, we're photographing the interior of a room lit only by natural daylight entering through a window. Some areas of the room will be brightly illuminated while others will fall into increasing levels of shadow. Let's imagine a table right up against the same wall below where the window is located. The table and areas around it will fall into shadow. Now imagine the table is painted dark blue. Then we swap the table for an identical one in an identical position but this time pained in brown. What difference will the colour make to how the camera tries to expose the scene so as not to lose detail in the shadow areas on and around the table?

The answer is simple. None. However, if the camera "sees" the scene in monochrome, it becomes easier to deal with. Remember, we're dealing with tone or luminance.

Let's try a simple exercise that you can replicate yourself. For this, we're going to use Photoshop but any equivalent software, like Gimp' will produce the same results.

Create a new file in RGB colour space with a white background and on that background place 7 equal size squares and line them up horizontally. Now fill each individual square with a colour of the rainbow. These are the Hex/RGB values you can use.

Red (Hex: #FF0000) (RGB: 255, 0, 0)

Orange (Hex: #FF7F00) (RGB: 255, 127, 0)

Yellow (Hex: #FFFF00) (RGB: 255, 255, 0)

Green (Hex: #00FF00) (RGB: 0, 255, 0)

Blue (Hex: #0000FF) (RGB: 0, 0, 255)

Indigo (Hex: #4B0082) (RGB: 75, 0, 130)

Violet (Hex: #8B00FF) (RGB: 143, 0, 255)

Now create a layer copy of the 7 squares so that one set is positioned just below the original set. Now take that second set and reduce them to black and white.

What you see in the second set is not the colours but the luminance of that colour as different shades of grey.

The AAZ System is built on this exact principal. By seeing luminance and not colour, and seeing that luminance within a dynamic range, it is possible to adjust the camera to achieve the best possible exposure for a given scene. It's important to note that 18% grey is the tonal luminance which cameras use to achieve an average exposure. So, dark areas are over-exposed to bring them up to the 18% grey while bright areas are under-exposed to bring them down to 18% grey.

The AAZ System was originally conceived of as 10 zones of luminance (though there are variations that consider 9 or 11 zones). For the purposes of this article, we'll consider the original concept as nine zones. Imagine nine squares lined up horizontally. The far most left square (Zone I) contains pure black and the furthest on the right (Zone IX) is pure white. As we travel from left to right, each square will contain a decreasing tone of grey such that the middle square (Zone V) contains 18% grey (or 18% black mixed with 78% black). Zone V is known as the average tone or luminance.

The square to the left of Zone V (Zone IV) will contain a darker grey equivalent to 1 stop below Zone V. Zone III will contain a darker grey equivalent to 1 stop below Zone IV and so on. If Zone 1 is not exactly 1 stop below Zone II we can amend that square's level of grey.

Likewise, Zone VI will contain less grey than Zone V equivalent to 1 stop above Zone V. Zone VII will contain a level of grey equivalent to 1 stop above Zone V1 and so on. If Zone IX is too white, it can be changed to its level of grey is exactly 1 stop above Zone VIII. Now we have our nine zones of tonal range.

The last important note is that Zone V is designated the average tonal luminance (18% grey) and, as previously mentioned, is the value on which cameras try to average out the exposure for a scene. This is no different for digital cameras.

Ok, let's stop for a moment and recap some important points. As shown in our Photoshop exercise earlier, colours have tonal illuminance. Tonal luminance is represented as a shade of grey. That shade of grey can be darker or lighter than the average 18% grey of Zone V.

The next essential point in understanding the AAZ System is that the levels of grey represented in the nine zones is independent of actual colour. That is to say, different colours can have the same tonal illuminance value. So, for example, certain shades of red blue and green can all have an 18% (Zone V) tonal range and these include the colours of sky, foliage, etc. On the other hand, Yellow and Pink can have a tonal illuminance equivalent to Zone VI (or one stop above Zone V). Brown and Purple can have a tonal illuminance of Zone IV (or one stop below Zone V). The essential point to remember is not to see the colour but its tonal illuminance value.

Colour tones that are a bit brighter than the average, would fall into Zone VI. Those colours are more like pastels, or faded average colours. Those tones include pure yellow, bright-pinkish red, baby blue, baby pink etc. Colour tones that are brighter than that would fall into Zone VII. These include white snow, white clouds, fog, smoke, mist, bright sand. Colour tones slightly darker than average would fall into Zone IV. Those include tree trunks, dark blue skies, and so on. Colour tones that are darker than that would fall into Zone III. Those tones include black puppies, black shoes, extreme shadows, coal, etc.

AAZ System and Digital Photography

While the AAZ System was originally conceived for film photography, it is highly relevant to modern digital photography. However, unlike the original nine to eleven zone variations from the concept, digital photographers only need to consider the middle seven zones, Zone III to Zone VII representing the darkest and lightest areas of a scene. Anything in Zone II would be rendered black (complete under-exposure) and anything in Zone VIII would be rendered white (total over-exposure).

Using the AAZ System is not tricky if we remember to take the scene we are faced with and determine which part of it we want to correctly expose for (achieve Zone V). In digital photography, a generally correct exposure of an average scene is one that is exposed for the mid-tones, with no blown out highlights. The emphasis is on blown out highlights because highlight (or clipped) photo details are more troublesome than shadow clipped photo details to deal with post-processing.

So if the dynamic range of a scene is greater than one to be captured with only one shot, you have the choice to forfeit either the highlights or the shadows of a photograph. Unless the jeopardised highlight area is really too small to have any significance, you should always protect the highlights. Blown-out highlights yield a feeling of something missing in the photo while blown-out shadow detail is more acceptable and sometimes even intentional for specific effects.

Applying the AZZ Principles:

To round off, we're going to look at three examples of how the AZZ System can be applied. In describing the thinking behind each image, it's important to state that the camera's Exposure Lock system was deployed to take a meter reading. Exposure Lock simple allows you to meter for a specific part of the scene and 'store' that reading as you recompose the picture prior to taking the photograph. Different manufacturers enable the Exposure Lock facility differently so be sure to turn to your camera's User Guide for more information.

This this first example, this picture of Harringworth Viaduct in Rutland, UK, is actually a Photoshop stitch of 7 images taken across a 160 degree arc. The day was very sunny creating quite a contrasty image. If the camera has taken an average meter reading it would have been fooled by a bright sky causing it to under-expose for the subject and foreground.

By deciding the brickwork in the subject should be the Zone 5 average exposure, the camera was zoomed into the centre column and spot-metered. Locking that exposure value and then recomposing achieved the result.

The process of spot metering the centre column and exposure locking the reading was done before each shot was taken. As seven shots can be taken fairly quickly there was no risk of a radical change in light on the brick work. The result is a correctly exposed image with the sky having a Zone VI tonal luminance and the shadows in the arches corresponding to Zone III.

The next example shows how the AZZ system can be applied to very tricky lighting situations. This shot was taken as part of a local Fire & Rescue Team live training session. The session took part in a derelict building where light entering caused high levels of shadows and brightly lit areas in equal measure.

In this particular shot, an average metering of the scene would cause the camera to see a lot of dark areas. As a consequence, it would have over-exposed the scene via a longer shutter scene resulting in either blurred motion of the Fire Fighters or worse still, the need for a tripod which simply not practical.

By zooming in and spot metering the balcony rail and exposure locking the reading (Zone V), a good shutter speed was achieved without massive under-exposure of the background. If we had spot metered for the reflection off the visors, the remainder of the photo would have been drastically under-exposed. However, the overall result does allow us to see these guys at work.

In this final example, the AZZ System can be applied to portraiture. This particular image was taken during a model shoot using a gazebo on a very bright summer's day. Whilst this served to evenly disperse the light within the tent, the model had very light skin and was wearing a dark top in front of a dark patterned background. An average meter reading would have produced an overall over-exposure to account for the tonal luminance of the top and background leaving the model's face over exposed and bleached.

As the model's face is obviously the most important element of the photo, the camera was spot-metered for the light reflecting off her nose and cheeks and the reading exposure-locked. The result is the background having a less imposing tone while the model's top hasn't been reduced to total dark.

Increase your photography knowledge with an online photography course from IOP.

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The Ansel Adam Zone System - Institute of Photography

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The Ansel Adam Zone System (AAZ System) has, for many years, been one of those concepts that photographers liken to Marmite. You either love it or you don't. For those that don't love it, an adversity to the AAZ System seems more to do with understanding exactly what it is and how it can be successfully applied to photography work.

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What Kind of Camera Did Ansel Adams Use? - Improve Photography

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What Kind of Camera Did Ansel Adams Use?. It would be easy to come out and just say "Ansel Adams' Camera was a Deardorf 8x10 View Camera or a Hassleblad 500c

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Sherman's photography is a depiction of the different ways culture defines "woman".
I think, this image represents taking on different roles as a woman.
Studio portrait, backlit with a warm glow and front light with diffuser.

Mood and Tone - This photo was taken to represent the different roles a women has to take on. The model is dressed up but she looks bored and disinterested.

Perspective - The photo is taken as an up close portrait with front and back studio lighting.

Depth Of Field - The foreground is more in focus than the background. This makes you focus more on the foreground.

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This image represents painting on a smile, to make people happy. Even though you have an underlying sadness and exploring the boundaries between clothing and costumery.
Studio portrait, backlight & front light. Your instantly drawn to the head/face as the colour of the wig, clashes with the vibrant Orange background.
I can relate to this image, sometimes I make out to others I’m fine, when actually I’m not.

Perspective - This photo was taken as an up close portrait, with a back and front light which emphasises the colours.

Tone - The contrast of the clashing colours of the wig and background really draws you in.

Depth Of Field - The foreground is more in focus than the background. This makes your eyes focus in more on the foreground and isolates it.

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This image represents how fragile life is, like within an instant something can go from being completely alive to not alive in an instant.
shot in natural light on high shutter speed.

Texture - You can see every detail of the dandelion, which makes the photograph almost look 3-dimensional.

Perspective - This photo is taken as a close up portrait, with the dandelion on fire which attracts and focuses your attention towards it.

Depth Of Field - The foreground is more in focus than the background. This makes your eyes focus in more on the foreground and isolates it.