Try an LED video light to give your images some extra "wow"!

Recently, I was at a workshop where the presenter was demonstrating the use of a low-powered LED video light for use in situations where you don't want to light with electronic flash. It was intriguing to see the results of the light when used as a main, a fill, through a modifier such as a shoot-thru umbrella, or simply with a diffuser. I was curious enough to want to try one for myself.

Of course, he was selling one for $200. His was lower power, smaller and the battery was $50 extra. Rather than do my usual impulse buy, I copied the specs and did some research.

What I found was pretty amazing. There are a number of these types of lights available in places like eBay and Amazon. Taking a minute to compare made me realize I wanted one that took a higher-capacity battery than what 6 AAs provided. I also wanted something dimmable to give the unit some versatility. Most are lightweight and have a hot shoe attachment as well as a standard tripod or light stand thread.


Best of all, I found them for - get this - under $50 each, including the battery and charger.

(And . . I'm sharing the link so people don't pay $200 for one.) ;-)

CLICK HERE to find this great deal on Amazon, or look in the "Recommended by David" box.

Have fun!

- David

Prevent Damage to Your Camera and Memory Cards

Here's something that lots of people do and don't even think twice about . . . they put memory cards into their pocket without first putting them into a case.

No big deal? Ahhhh, but it is . . . all of the crap in your pocket (lint, small stuff, sand, whatever) gets into the pin slots on the memory cards and makes life miserable. It can really ruin your day when the card becomes unreadable, or worse, bends one of the pins in your camera!

Before putting a naked memory card into your pocket, use one of those little plastic cases the come with or get a waterproof one that holds multiple cards. They are well worth the investment! 

You can find a case such as this at most photo retailers for under $20. I've also seen them on eBay; popular brands are Pelican and JJC.

- David Grupa 

Ahh, The Art of the Camera Tilt.

There has been an evolution of sorts in the media and photography realm in the last decade or so. One change you’ll notice is tight cropping, which a lot of photographers have incorporated as well as the TV media. When done properly, it pulls the viewer's attention into the subject’s eyes. In the photography world, we have also found that tipping our cameras can lend an artistic flair to an otherwise simple composition. However, there are some simple rules to live by when using this advanced maneuver. Let’s go over some tips for tipping.

Let's start with a simple before and after of a senior guy. As you can see, tilting the composition and reframing the subject adds a lot more interest. Notice that the senior is in the exact same pose, but the photographer is capturing from a higher angle and has tightened up the shot to exclude shoes and legs.

The biggest rule to follow to make this work is having a vertical line somewhere in the image to anchor the subject. Notice where the true horizon of the images really are.

The above rule can be broken in some instances and still lead to a visually strong image such as in this example here.

While this image breaks the rule about tilting, it also follows a number of rules of composition. The subject's face is in the top right power point of the composition which follows the Rule of Thirds. There are also strong diagonal leading lines from her body and the lines of the flooring which pull you into her face.

When done properly, the camera tilt ends up being very subtle and directs your attention to the subject, not the tilt of the camera.

That's all for now!

- Kirsten Holscher

White Balancing Made Simple

Since the dawn of digital, many new term were born that had never even previously existed. One of these such terms is "White Balance".

As simple as it sounds, this one area of digital photography seems to mystify photographers at all levels. While some photographers have a tried-and-true method of nailing the white balance with every exposure, others seem to struggle no matter what tools and devices they employ. Worse yet, others simply set the camera to AUTO and end up having to open and tweak each individual file, wasting time and effort on something that can be managed easily.

While I don't profess my method to be "the only way", it is definitely the easiest I have ever used to streamline my workflow and get great, consistent color. Here's a step-by-step of what I do using the White Balance Targets from Photovision Video:

Part One - In-Camera

1 - Set the WB on your camera body to 5000k and lock it in. Leave it there, don't touch it . . . ever.

2 - Once you've determined your exposure using your hand-held light meter (yes, you really do want and need one of these!), photograph your subject holding the target with the white stripe closest to your light source.

3 - Photograph that outfit / set as you normally would until you either change lighting, outfit or background again.

4 - Each and every time you change lighting, background or outfit, repeat Steps 2 & 3.

There you go. These simple tips will speed up the pace of your session, because you're not constantly going in to redo a "custom white balance" or worse yet, setting your camera to AUTO WB.

Part Two - Post-Production

Once you have copied the images to your hard drive and made appropriate backups, now you can make all your color-corrections with a few simple clicks in Bridge..

1 - In Bridge, open the files from a specific outfit or background. I always look for the target as my first image, then highlight all of the images until I come to my next target.

2 - Using the White Balance dropper, select the white area of the target. You may then tweak your settings for saturation, vibrance, etc. using the sliders in the Camera Raw window.

3 - Click Select All in the upper left-hand corner, then click "Synchronize". Click "Done" when sync is completed.

4 - Continue until your images are all balanced to satisfaction. Once you've tweaked everything, you may edit and process the files you wish to work with as JPGs.

Consistency is the key; if your white balance and exposure are all over the place, your final images will look the same. Strap that light meter to your hip and wear the target around your neck during every session and you'll be amazed at the new look of your images!

- David Grupa

Install a "Fan Gate" on Your Facebook Business Page!

One of the most popular modifications made to Facebook Business Pages is the Welcome Page or "Fan Gate". Essentially, it's a "splash page" created by you to entice viewers to "Click Like" and add your page to their favorites.

While the initial task seems rather daunting, it's actually quite easy. Here's what to do:

• First, create two banners for your visitors in Photoshop. Each banner must be no wider 520px, however you may create it as tall as you wish. (Just remember that your viewers may have to scroll down to read your entire message.)
• Your first banner is a welcome to new visitors and asks them to click the "Like" button.
• Your second banner will be shown to returning visitors when they come back to your page.
• (Don't worry, you can always edit them later on if you decide to change.)

• Second, install the iFrames application to the Business/Fan page(s) you wish to update. Simply type "iFrames" into the Facebook search tab, or click this link http://apps.facebook.com/iframeshq/?ref=ts
• Once you install the application, you will be prompted to apply it to the specific business page you choose. Select the appropriate page you are going to update.
• Next, upload the image(s) you've created. There is a place for "new visitors" (people who don't currently "Like" your page) along with returning viewers (those who already "Like" your page.)

•  Here's the tricky part; since you're the Admin of your page, you won't be able to actually see the new splash page even if you "unlike" your own page. Your fans will let you know that it's up. ;-)

That's it! You now have an intro image that you can change as you wish; use it to introduce special offers or announce upcoming studio events. The key is to use it!

- David Grupa

Get An Easy-to-Remember Link for Your Facebook Fan / Business Page!

Here's a quick Facebook Tip . . .

Do you hate the long, cryptic link that you have to try to convey to fans to get them to your business page? Have you reached 25+ fans yet?

If your page already has over 25 fans, you can change the url for your "page" from the long, confusing style to something shorter and easy to remember (and share with your clients!)

Go to www.facebook.com/username and follow the prompts. Your new page link can be whatever you choose (ie: www.facebook.com/CampDavidPhoto) but choose wisely.  
Once you set the username, you can NOT change it. Ever.

Enjoy!

- David Grupa

Note: Usernames are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Claim your username before someone else does!

More Free Photoshop Actions (No, Really!)

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the benefits of using a few "Free Actions" that would save you time editing and help you make more money in the sales room. Your wide variety of responses made me smile; at least I know there are people out there who actually read this! In case you missed it, you can find the complete post here:
http://campdavidphoto.blogspot.com/2011/02/free-action-set-makes-editing-easier.html

Ok, so I admit that while these "actions" will work in the method described, they were not the cute little Photoshop plugins you may have been expecting. Nevertheless, they are effective if you use them as stated!

However, if it's Photoshop shortcuts and tricks you want, here are a few options for places to go online where you can download free actions and/or purchase others!

The first link is from Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions. These are designed specifically for photographers and will definitely save you time in creating images for your clients. There's also a free action to help in resizing Facebook and blog images, plus video tutorials and other helpful info. Definitely worth the time!

http://www.mcpactions.com/actions/keyword/free-actions.html#

Action Central  offers well over 200 Photoshop actions that range from image enhancement, BW conversions, artistic effects, frames and borders, and more. Some of my favorites on this site are Chip Springer's actions for red-eye removal and Dave Jaseck's Midnight Action Collection.

http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm

And finally, searching the internet for "Free Photoshop Actions" also reveals links to such sites as Visual Blast Magazine. This article reveals over 124 different Photoshop actions that can be downloaded for free.

http://www.visual-blast.com/photoshop/124-free-photoshop-actions/

Of course, the only way to decide which actions work best for you and your style is to download, install and run on a few different images. Some you may keep, some you may toss, while others may be the perfect accent when run in tandem with another action. While it's still a bit slower in the studio, now is the time to get set for the upcoming "busy season!"

- David Grupa

Free Action Set Makes Editing Easier, Faster - Results in Better Sales Sessions!

Actions. We love them. Every one of us is looking for that one new action to make our workflow smoother and set our images apart from the rest of the crowd. We get antsy to buy as platform speakers extol the virtues of their latest-and-greatest action sets.

So, if I told you about one simple action that would speed up your workflow and make your editing a breeze, would you be interested?

What if I told you that using a related action would confuse your clients less, resulting in enjoyable sales sessions that make you look like a rockstar photographer? (Are you reaching for your credit card yet?)

But wait . . . there's more! What if I also told you about a secret bonus action that would keep you from overshooting on each and every session? (Now do I have your attention?)

Fasten your seat belts, boys and girls, because I am already using these actions and am reaping the benefits of their results.

Before you waste time looking for the link to click and the box in which to enter your PayPal info, take a deep breath. I'm a nice guy . . . I wouldn't charge you for these! Best of all, you can perform these simple actions right now and it takes just a few seconds.

Ready?

Action #1: Take your camera off continuous shooting. Yup. Single frame.

You see, we do it to ourselves. We set the camera on continuous and hold down the shutter. It's almost like when I was a kid. I wasn't always confident that I could knock the can off the fence with a single rock, but if I had a whole fistful of rocks, I was bound to hit something!

I once photographed with someone who complained bitterly about the amount of editing they had to do, yet rattled off 6-10 frames each time they captured an image. TV commercials don't even show cameras shooting that many frames!

Capture your images carefully and thoughtfully. Change the pose or the camera angle and go for quality rather than quantity.

Action #2: Edit brutally and only show the very best images. Do the hard work before the client sees them. Make choices that show your clients good variety without repetition.

As artists, we have the tendency to overwhelm our clients with choices. Trying to impress them with how awesome we are often backfires. Rather, show them just the best frames from the session. Less is more.

Side benefit: When your client only sees the best of your best, it make you an even more amazing photographer in their eyes.

But wait . . . there's more! As promised, here's the bonus action that helps prevent overshooting.

Secret Bonus Action: Load only the proper size memory card you need to complete the session. If this was film, you wouldn't have loaded a 220 roll when you only need a 120. (Hmmmmm . . . wonder how many people I lost there?)

What I'm saying is this: you already know approximately how many images fit on a specific card, so avoid the tendency to use the 4 gig card when you only need a 2 gig. Why select the 2 gig when 1 gig is adequate? We all get carried away and overshoot, so just plan in advance and save yourself time later.

Using these 3 simple actions, I guarantee you'll have more time to spend with the people you love rather than wasting it in front of your computer!

- David Grupa