Saturday, August 29, 2015


35 Equipment Must Haves From A Professional Photographer of All Things


I recently have been receiving a lot of email and questions about what kind of equipment I use or would recommend for a beginning/amateur photographer on a budget. Now, I love hearing that people are getting into photography and I love talking about it, so I decided to give you the insiders scoop on not only what is in my bag as a professional photographer, but what I have been recommending to others looking to broaden there equipment collection.
Keep in mind, all you aspiring photographers…I shot my first big job on a now $300 camera and $80 lens and still did great! It is not all about the equipment! If you have a great eye for composition and know how to control your light, you can begin with the basics and once you feel comfortable start adding lenses and off the wall stuff to your collection. If you start small and work your way up, I believe you will become more aware of the kind of photographer you and and the kinds of conditions you shoot best in. Explore every possible realm of your equipment and subject before you judge it!
But first, Lets start with what I currently have in my bag. This is essentially my bread and butter. I have included a photo (android photo, my big guns camera is in the shot) with numbers describing what everything is and what I use it for. And also some photos I have taken with certain pieces of equipment. Look Below or skip (don’t really!) to the next part on equipment I suggest for beginning photographers on a budget.
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1. My Baby, Nikon D700. With a Battery Pack and a custom made strap by yours truly.
2. Nikon D60. With a Battery Pack, this is my backup camera, rarely gets used, but gets the job done if my big guns goes out. I started with the D60 and loved it, but ultimately wanted a bigger sensor and higher quality camera with a focusing motor in it, so I bought the Nikon D700.
3. Batteries of all kinds. AA, AAA, 4 batteries for both the D60 & D700, and probably some more I have not seen in a while. All tucked away nicely in my crown royal purple velvet bag.
4. 70-200 f/2.8 AF Nikkor Lens Great Lens for spying on people…ha kidding. But good for getting long shots. I’ve used this taking surf photography, shooting first looks before weddings from far away, or if I really want to throw out the background, bringing it down to 2.8 does just that. But it will set you back about $1200-$2000 depending on new or refurbished.
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Photo Taken at Jacksonville Beach Pier with 70-200mm find the full image here:
5. 50mm 1.8 Nikon Prime Lens I would have to say my favorite lens and almost least expensive at $125, I have used it for Weddings, landscape, architecture, newborns, on and on….. Not only is it an amazing portrait lens for a very moody and dramatic feeling. But its wide enough to capture somewhat wide shots from afar and still focus in on your subject. Great for low light as well if you drop it all the way to 1.8 and crank your ISO up. All in all, I think, no matter what photographer you are, you need this lens.
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taken with 50mm @ f/1.8 (first wedding I ever photographed)
6. Lensbaby & Custom Aperture adapters This Lens is pretty neat for only $150. I get real weird with light sometimes, it is after all one of my best friends as a photographer. The lensbaby allows you to control your point of focus while converging all light and objects towards what you are focusing on. The lensbaby, which is essentially a lens with a metal circle over the front (where you would normally put a filter) that you attach a magnetic aperture ring to which changes the amount of light that comes through the lens. If you put an aperture ring in it that is shaped like a star, all of your light sources shining in the photo will become shaped like a star. Essentially, you can get real creative with this stuff.
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Soft Focus with A Lens Baby
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Using the Star Aperture with the Lensbaby
7. Sigma 10-20mm Wide Angle Lens I have an issue sometime with some lenses. They can never get all of the scene in the photo. So to solve that, I bought this guy for about $500. He can see EVERYTHING! I’ve used it for landscapes to architecture, but it does provide a bit of distortion, so if your not into that effect, you may not like such a wide shot.
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Long Exposure at Twilight @ Casa Marina in Jacksonville Beach. Photographed with 10-20mm Sigma
8. Business Cards Mama’s Got to Make Money! When people see you with a camera, sometimes they want a business card. Or its fun to leave them around for people to find. Whichever makes you happy.
9. Lens Hood Blocks glare away, Honestly I never use it, because I like a little glare.
10. Teleconverter I use this to add onto my 70-200mm when I need to get a closer shot, but I am further away. I use this for surf photography and long shots from the boat or sea. But for the most part, as I said before, I like really wide shots, so 200mm is already close enough. If you don’t want to spend the money on the big 600mm (about $2000) then this $110 fix will do it for you!
11. IR Remote I will use this when I am shooting alone, which is often. If I need to be near a light, but trigger the camera, this works well. Or if I am taking a self portrait where I don’t want to use self timer for focusing or timing purposes, this works well. Or if I don’t want camera shake from my shaky hands, again, this works well.
12. 28mm f/2.8 Nikon Prime Lens What I love about Nikons, is that you can use film lenses on digital bodies. It gives your image that film like quality, that is essentially the mixture of color and softness. This is a film lens, cost less than $200 and work great for landscapes without distorting the scene. When Im hiking up hills or doing some kind of intense physical routine in order to get to my photography location, I do not want to carry all this. At least I would bring this lens, my camera & maybe a tripod. It has a big bang for its buck.
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Taken with the 28mm at full f/2.8 for a creamy effect
13. Extra Lens Cap The majority of mine have either been lost due to falling of a hill or in tall grass, or who knows where? Its good to have an extra to protect your lens, if not already a UV filter.
14. Set of Macro Lens Filters I honestly use this for the rings shots at weddings or very small details, and that is about it. I find it unnecessary to buy an $800-$1000 lens for something that is about 1% of what I photograph. When these guys (about $50) work just as amazing.
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An unedited shot from Leslie & Sean’s Wedding Last week with the Macro Filters with a 28mm lens
15. Variable ND Filter Whats cool about it being a variable ND filter is that if you want to make the sky have more contrast but not the sand, you can turn the ring on the filter and control the amount of density. Absolutely essential for landscape photographers, and I think and amazing thing to have for any photographer to really get the true contrast and color of what you are photographing. I would suggest getting a good one, it is afterall the final point of what your looking through to make the photo. Mine was about $70
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Moody Day, Black & White, Photographed with 10-20 mm Sigma & ND Filter. Love it.
16. ND Filters for a smaller lens, 52mm to be exact. Same explanation as above.
17. D700 Quick Tips Manual Read it before, I will probably read it again. Sometimes good to have, because sometimes stuff goes wrong.
18. Memory Cards No explanation needed, you need them to photograph. I always carry at least 4.
19. Multi Tool This is great for so many things, especially if your an everything photographer like me. I have used this to cut trees, screw back in parts of my tripod or camera, and all in all its just good to have around, because murphy’s law, its real.
20. Transmitter & Receiver Set of 2. The things are awesome! You can remote channel your lights, or multiple lights from almost a football field away. You can set them off if your upstairs and its downstairs, through walls, all kinds of goodies. I use this with my Alien B800 (not pictured) or my Hot Shoe Flash (number 26). Very Inexpensive (under $100) and really gives you some creative edge.
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Photographed with a 28mm and my hot shoe flash on a receiver out behind the doors.
21. Mini Softbox for Hot Show Flash. So mini it only cost $10! Good to soften light in tight corners or use when you don’t want to be carrying around tripods and battery packs.
22. Video Lights set of 2, about $30 each. These things are great for all kinds of things. They provide an ample amount of light for being about 4 inches, but unfortunately they take 6 AA batteries each. I use them if I have a lot of yellow light because they provide a blue color or you can attach the filters in the grey pack to change the color for more effects. They provide dramatic and bright light. Mostly I use them in dark light.
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Boom Drama! One Video Light on the side.
Full image @https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=530084673709782&set=a.530083557043227.1073741831.127626787288908&type=3&theater
23. Pen & Paper Cant forget those ideas! Write your location down, coordinates, wedding timeline, ideas for a shoot? Draw a picture? You name it & you can write it!
24. Bandaids It may be me that needs it, it may be a bride that I make walk through a bed of sticks so I can get a great shot. Either way, its another goody in my Mary Poppins camera bag!
25. FlashBender Another neat tool for my hot shoe flash and only about $40. You can bend it any way you want and ultimately control the direction of your flash anywhere. Really awesome to make it into a snoot by rolling it into a tube.
26. Sigma Hot Shoe Flash This guy is a work horse, been with me on adventures for about 4 years now. I use it for everything. I put it on the transmitter and receiver set and hide it in logs when Im photographing, or put it behind couples for backlighting. It is portable and strong and essential to my photography recently, especially at night. Its about $300, but worth it in the end.
27. ILFORD anti static cloth Good to clean your lenses with.
28. Headphones If I have signal I like to listen to music while I work. Check out Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood if you like Jazz, Little Dragon if you like some upbeat tunes, or Alpine radio for some indie rock. Thats whats been on my station lately.
29. Cable Release Good for self portraits, long exposures with no camera shake. You would think you didn’t need it for just that second, but you wouldn’t believe the kind of movement you produce in a second.
30. Mag Light This little baby packs a punch for all 3 inches & $3. I use this for close ups when I am trying to emphasis something small, but still want the area around it dark. It is really epic when you combine it with the right image.
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Definitely added that pop! Used with a Mag Light & Macro Filters
31. Head Lamp another addition to my strange collection. I use it essentially for the same purpose as above, but if I have no one to hold it I can strap it to my camera or believe it or not my head. I’ll do just about anything for that photo!
32. Towel I have found, as I have photographed different situations, that you need things to get the job done, that they don’t sell on B&H or at the local photo store. When I want couples to sit on the floor, this is good for that pretty dress the girl is wearing. Or if I need something to prop up my camera that has cushion because my camera is sitting on a rock on the beach for a long exposure as my tripod sits a mile back in my car, where I accidentally left it, then this works perfectly. All in all, I’m sure this little towel will provide me with other uses later that I cannot think of right now.
33. Rope & Bungee You notice I put all the unconventional stuff at the bottom? These are great for wrapping your flash around a tree in a high angle during wind so it doesn’t knock down. OR bungee cord your tripod to a tree branch as high tide comes in. What? You don’t put your camera that close to the water? That’s what insurance is for!
34. Hair Tie I have long hair, if you do too, this may help to prevent your hair from blowing in the shot. If not, you can use it as a really bad bracelet.
35. Electrical Tape My back fell of my light once and I was glad I had this to keep the batteries in place. It has also been used to tape backdrops or even clothes onto a model. Another good thing to have.

source:https://kikiinternational.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/35-equipment-must-haves-from-a-professional-photographer-of-all-things/
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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

10 Beginner Tips for Unique Product Photography


Most photographers know the basics to good product photos – using a tripod, setting your camera to the widest aperture, using a white background, creating an out-of-focus background, and more. But what about those really unique product photographs? You know the ones. They simply don’t look like a normal product photo you’d see in a regular catalog. These are usually used for full page features in a catalog or in ads for top brands.
While the photographers of these inspiring photos did follow the most important product photography rules, they also played around with breaking some of these rules. If you are too timid and unsure in your photography to step out of the box, you will probably never produce a truly unique product photo, such as what you see with Nike or the Anthropologie print catalog. However, if you are ready to take the plunge, you may want to try one or more of these 10 tips for truly unique product photography.

1.) Hang Products

Now, hanging products for better view is not necessarily an unusual practice in and of itself. Creative hanging, however, is. Maybe you should hang the product upside down, sideways, or in an unusual location. Suspend it from wires or ropes that remain a part of the photo. Go grotesque, sexy, or humorous. Play around with it and be sure to take way more photos than is necessary, and definitely be sure your lighting is perfect. Check out some of these creative photos with interesting suspension for some ideas:




2.) Shoot from Strange Angles

Usually photographers place the camera at the same level as the product so that the shot comes out at eye-level. Most of the time, you want to be careful about shooting from odd angles, simply because it can distort a product. However, sometimes you can get away with this, especially if distortion is a look you are going for or if the product is one that will be difficult to distort. You may even want to try hanging the product normally but shooting from underneath or above. Here are some more photos shot from odd angles:

3.) Try Some Macro Shots

Keep in mind that most macro shots will probably need to be ones that are used in conjunction with normal product photos. However, they can be a great asset to a series of photos for, say, a feature page in a catalog, or an eye-catching poster ad. Just be sure that your lighting is phenomenal so that the tiniest details show up. The following are examples of excellent product macro photography:

4.) Show the Product in Weird Use

Grab the product, a piece of paper, and a pen. Now write down every use you can think of for the product. You may need to start with the more normal, everyday uses to get your brain up and running, but eventually try to come up with some ideas that are really out there. Then look over your list and circle the ones that have great potential for a unique product shoot. You may need to do some digital editing/illustration or costume/set design with this, so plan out your idea fully before starting the shoot. Here are some creative product uses:

5.) Use Photo Manipulation

This secret goes hand-in-hand with tip #4 above. If you don’t have any skills with photo manipulation, you may need to hire a graphic design artist for help. However, this could be a great opportunity to learn Photoshop and Illustrator for some seriously original product photos. Check out some of these very interesting photo manipulations:

6.) Incorporate an Interesting Background

Many product photos stick with the rule of a plain background to put the focus on the product or to add another image in the background. Staging a unique background and props with the main product in the foreground can really add interest and even improve how desirable a product is. Take a look at some of these intricately staged product photos:

7.) Keep Your Background in Focus

Wait, what? Yes, an off-focus background keeps the eye on the main product. Sometimes, though, you may want to place, say, a food product with similar foods to suggest uses. In this case, keeping your product slightly in front but keeping the background clear can help promote this idea. Although, you can also try switching it up at times and place the product alongside the props or even in the background. Here are some great product photos with (mostly) focused backgrounds:

8.) Place Products Above a Reflected Surface

A reflection adds quite a bit of depth to an otherwise boring photo. And don’t get stuck using a mirror. Try using photo manipulation to reflect the image on water. Or place the product in a shallow pan of water. Use lighting to enhance the reflection and edit later to further bring out the reflection. The following are some great product reflections:

9.) Use Unique Stands

Setting products on fancy stands is a great way to add appeal to a photo. Take it to another level, though, by using items that you normally wouldn’t use for stands. An old box, another product turned upside down, a hand, a belly, the top of a head, geometric shapes, or even a photo manipulated stand. Below are some quite unique stands in use for products:

10.) Add Personality

Humanize products in your photography. Or create a story that surrounds it. Give it character. Ask your client what it is that makes their unique product better or simply different than a competitor’s. Use your photos to portray this aspect of the product for which the brand is known. These following photos certainly add personality to the products:

Soure : http://www.noupe.com/design/10-beginner-tips-for-unique-product-photography-79099.html

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