San Antonio Senior Portrait Photographers

Digital cameras have definitely simplified the manual labor of the photographers who can now do their job at mere click of a button. But, that does not mean that you can have perfect shots with just the aid of your camera equipment. It’s just that you can feel a bit more confident with a digital camera in your possession, but the job of ?clicking? has become specialized.

Here are some standing instructions, some important workable tips that need to be followed by the man holding a digital camera. Experience, combined with technical expertise is what makes you a perfect photographer.

1. Look your subject in the eye, don’t spray your attention all over. Sometimes, you get a fraction of a second to click an important event. There are occasions, you have to vie with hundreds of other photographers. You need to develop the meditative concentration, to ‘hunt’ your object.

2. Use a plain background. If the background is a hotchpotch, it will have a direct bearing on the main photograph.

3. Use flash outdoors.

4. Move in close. Adjustments from the close range can be done easily. They will be more effective.

5. Move it from the middle. That is always the safest way. If you move from one side, there is every chance of missing the activity on the other side.

6. Lock the focus. That is very important as it is your main job.

7. Know your flash’s range. This is a very important technical aspect, that is mastered by experience. A bad flash can spoil an important shot beyond repair.

8. Watch the light. It changes constantly.

9. Take some vertical pictures. This adds variety to the total number of pictures that you have shot.

10. Be a picture director. A sense of involvement is necessary. You need to be in a position to anticipate the results, just as a movie director directs his actors for getting a perfect shot.

Don’t credit those magnetic eyes and bewitching smiles to the account of digital camera alone. It is the skill and the sense of timing of the photographer that matters the most. You need to know when to tell your photo-audience to ?say cheese?, and those fraction of seconds before their response to the cheese. Have an eye contact of a sharp shooter who is ready to make the prey fall flat.

[techtags: San Antonio Photography, San Antonio Photographers, Senior Portraits, Family Portraits]

A digital camera has almost become the only way to  take good pictures these days, but after having acquired the basic camera you will need to ask yourself if you need picture-improving accessories to go with it, and if yes, how to select them.

And if you are a beginner with a strong interest in photography, you should look even more into the various extras, accessories and tools that are available. Using them will improve your technique, maybe to the point where you will be able to turn your hobby into a new occupation.

Digital camera accessories are also not limited to high-end SLR cameras, as there is a wide set of extras that will help you improve your technique and that will allow you to take better pictures even if you own a humble compact digital camera.

There are various types of   digital camera accessories available that will be of use right from the start, or that you may need in the future to improve the quality and flexibility of your photography. Some of the digital camera accessories that should be part of your arsenal include the following:

The first probable investment for your digital camera will probably be the camera bag, which is where you place all the equipment that you need when you are location shooting but also when you are traveling, and it would also serve as your basic case where all your photography equipment is stored and protected. It is also one of the most inexpensive accessories that you may ever buy and add to this is that they enable you carry and protect the expensive equipment that you carry around.

Camera bags are available in several specifications, from the simple hold-all to the specialized compartmented SLR backpack. You can of course carry your camera in any kind of bag, but a padded, purpose-made item is a wise buy.

Somewhat less ubiquitous than bags, but just as useful, are camera tripods. This item allows you to take better pictures in low light conditions, to take long exposition photos, and to brace your camera more solidly than if you were just holding it. Tripods may seem like a pain to carry around, but most for them are foldable and many are made out of very light and durable aluminum alloys.

Make sure that the tripod you buy fits your camera attachment, or you will be sorely disappointed. Once you will start using one of these beauties, you will find yourself in many photography situations where you will wonder how to do without.

The possibility to   take many pictures, in the form of extra storage cards, is another great extra. In fact most digital cameras come with little internal storage, and you will have to an extra card right away. Being able to take a lot of pictures is especially useful if you are photographing fast-moving objects, such as on a safari or at a sports event.

The photographs that came out of Hollywood in the 1930’s, from the likes of the great George Hurrell, are never to be forgotten.Photos of all the greats… Cooper, Harlow, Cagney… every screen star of the era.But the ease of the digital era makes fewer photographers eager to take on difficult techniques.

From the Hollywood of the 30’s, Dallas Photographer Mark Oristano has created “Hollywood/1935″.”

“I always loved Hurrell’s work,” says portrait photographer Oristano, “and a couple of years back I studied with Michael Grecco, the great portrait photographer from L.A.  He taught us about Mole-Richardson’s and Fresnels and old-style, constant lighting.I found some of the old Mole’s on ebay and began to work with them.”

But to get the true effect, Oristano decided to step back from digital and return to the film camera.  But not just any film camera.

“I have an Army Signal Corps 4×5 Speed Graphic from World War II.  It’s the same model camera that Joe Rosenthal used to take the famous Iwo Jima photo.  It’s sixty-plus years old and it still takes great shots.A 4×5 negative gives a detail and a softness you don’t get digitally.”

The old-time look has begun to catch on in Dallas, where former sportscaster Oristano has been shooting engagement shots, senior portraits and more in the Hollywood/1935 style.

“Probably the most fun is the look on people’s faces when they see the final result.  After working with my stylist, and going through the shoot, when they see a 17×22 fine art print of their shot, they’re just speechless.”

The shoots take about twice as long as an average portrait session given the delicacy of the lighting.  The techniques, while fairly simple to figure out from the old Hollywood photos, are often difficult to replicate.  But with enough practice, you can be throwing shadows with the best of them and making anybody look like a star.