Glass photography:Tips for newbies

Hello newbies in photography. Today I am going to share tips on photography especially for newbies

Photographing glass objects can be a challenge that frustrates the most experienced photographers. It reflects everything. It will give the most undesirable catch lights. And it can at times be almost impossible to get focused properly.

“Big Drinker – Penguin” captured by Steve Ardeona (Click Image to See More From Steve Ardeona)

A quick look at web-sites that cater to home craft vendors will reveal that only the best photographers have learned how to control the nuances of the glass object. So let’s take a quick look at how we can improve our capabilities when it comes to glass.

Once we have come to truly understand how reflective glass is (usually after a couple of hours of trying to get a good photograph) we may come to the conclusion that it is something we are going to have to learn to live with.

But what about all those beautiful advertisements of crystal with absolutely no reflections and a catch light perfectly placed. They must have done it in the computer – they surely could not have taken the picture that way. Well there are ways to make that photograph in camera and one of the first rules to understand is you want a lot of black colored material around your set.

When you look at a high quality photograph of a glass object you will notice that the extreme left and right sides of the object are black. That is from the black corkboards set up just out of camera view on both sides of the object. The glass is reflecting the black but since it is black the picture is much more desirable. Additionally, the black color stops a lot of the back and forth repetitive reflection that other colors would not. In my studio, the walls are white and removing the black corkboards instantaneously results in a disastrous capture.

When lighting a glass object there are two primary places I light from; directly behind the object and directly above. When I have the object placed between the camera and the light source, with black corkboards on both sides, and a black curtain around the set it is very difficult to get a single sign of reflection in the object. The edges of the object are a rich black and the whole rendering looks very pleasing. I have had clients look at these pictures and immediately want a glass of wine – the desired effect.

Photo captured by Zoe Mies (Click Image to See More From Zoe Mies)

When lighting from directly above I usually want a controlled catch light on the object. Using the modeling light on my studio strobe gets me in the neighborhood. Then it is a matter of shooting and moving the object slightly and repeating until I get the right effect.

In both of the above examples I can have liquids in the glass or pitcher but I find I am limited to water with a small amount of food coloring. Both of these lighting set ups require the liquid to be very translucent (near transparent). Getting the liquid into the container without splashing is a challenge. I use a funnel with a short tube and keep the bottom of the tube at the bottom of the container until I have filled to the desired level. I then use a paper towel to wipe the tube as I am extracting it to minimize dripping.

But what about objects filled with a near opaque liquid such as a bottle of red wine? One of my favorite wine shots is when I place a softbox on the studio strobe and then put a piece of black tape horizontally and vertically on the face of the softbox and the reflection in the bottle changes from studio lighting to a window. Once again, I have to surround the set with black material to keep the light from bouncing back and forth all over the place.

I only use manual focus when photographing glass as the auto focus system can be easily confused. I always check my dioptic setting on my viewfinder first with a solid object to make sure it is set right. I check my focus before every shot as I am normally using a very shallow depth-of-field.

“infinity and BEYOND” captured by Gail Schechter (Click Image to See More From Gail Schechter)

My goal with this article was to give you some confidence when photographing glass objects. I’m sure a little experimentation with the above techniques will do exactly that. I would be very excited to hear what you think.

15 Tips for Starting and Maintaining a Successful Photography Business

he professional photography industry can be a scary place for the new photographer trying to earn a living doing what he or she loves by establishing a photography business. The competition is fierce, the bookkeeping seems mountainous, and for those introverts among us, the thought of interacting so closely with people for a living—um… promote myself?—is daunting to say the least.

But if deep passion for the craft is the driving force, one would be remiss not to try.

In this lecture, photographer Jeff Cable provides 15 tips for starting and maintaining a successful photography business, advice born in the crucible of experience as a professional photographer

1. Have passion and LOVE what you do.

There’s nothing worse than hating one’s job. Professional photography requires hard work and long hours on the clock (and on one’s feet), so only the passionate photographers actually succeed at maintaining successful photography businesses without burning out—and sometimes even they fail.

Passion for the craft is what will sustain you when the going gets tough, but passion will also pay off in the everyday mundane routine, in relationships with clients, and in your photographs because it will push you to give your all.

“If you have passion and you’re having a good time, guess what you get back? You get photos of people who are also having a good time,” Cable said. “[Clients] tend to feed off of you having fun… I get hired a lot because of my photography, but I also get hired a lot because of who I am as a person.”

Cable walked a good distance to 5Pointz in Queens, NY just because he heard that the graffiti was cool. Then, he climbed onto a dumpster to photograph the rap battle taking place there. “Why did I do all of this? Is it because I’m getting paid? Am I going to send it to the newspaper? No, I’m doing this because I love photography,” he said.

2. Know how to shoot and practice if you don’t.

A successful professional photographer knows his or her equipment in and out and knows how to shoot in every lighting situation he or she might encounter on the job—but it’s not just about gear and lighting. The ideal pro can seamlessly select good foregrounds and backgrounds for stellar composition and can even predict situations and key moments before they happen so as to catch them with the shutter.

“If you’re going to call yourself a professional photographer and start commanding good money for it, you want to know how to do these things,” Cable said. “A good photographer can walk into any room or environment and within 15 seconds or less have it figured out, and that comes with experience… It’s not hard. It’s just practice.”

3. Focus on what you know.

As you build reputation and expertise as a professional photographer, make note of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can shoot according to your strengths for paying clients and practice on your own time or during free test shoots to improve your weaknesses.

Cable practiced shooting water polo for 1.5 years to prepare to shoot the US Water Polo team at the 2012 Olympics. He learned water polo in and out so that he could predict plays and know how to best tell the story.

4. Invest in good starter equipment.

Since price really does determine quality in photography, starting a successful photography business usually involves investing a good-sized wad of cash right from the get-go to purchase some high quality gear and backup gear—although renting backup gear is a viable option as well. Don’t forget that photography is all about the brain and eye and heart behind the camera, but do remember that, while you don’t need to buy the best quality glass or DSLR to take good photographs, it certainly helps if you can.

“The camera is just a tool, but it is an important one,” Cable said. “Having a good camera helps, but it doesn’t make you a good photographer… it won’t get you there all the way.”

Using his equipment spread as a reference point, Cable created this list of ideal Canon starter gear for beginner pros.

5. Get insurance and backup religiously.

Insuring your gear and property is obvious here, but purchasing general liability insurance, which protects you from liability if you bump into an expensive vase while shooting a wedding, or if a kid trips over your camera bag and breaks his arm, is just as important. Many venues even require proof of insurance before they will let you shoot there.

Along that same vein is a different kind of insurance: backups.

“If you don’t care about your photos, then don’t worry about it, but if you care about what you’re shooting or you’re charging a client for it, backup. And don’t just backup on your home machine. Backup somewhere else,” said Cable. “I’m really kind of very detail-oriented when it comes to that and you need to be if you’re charging people money.”

6. Differentiate yourself.

How do you stand out in a highly-competitive field like photography? You find ways to differentiate yourself from the rest by owning your unique style and by developing a Unique Selling Proposition (e.g. I work my butt off; I tell stories in ways that no one else can tell them, etc).

“There’s a lot of people out there that want to become photographers,” Cable said. “I’ll shoot stuff that most people wouldn’t shoot in ways that most people wouldn’t shoot it. I’ll lay on the ground, I’ll go up high, I’ll even dance sometimes with the kids while I’m shooting them.”

7. Have the right attitude.

People skills are a huge part of professional photography, so learn to treat clients with respect, of course—but more than that, learn to have fun, keep in touch, and put your clients at ease during photoshoots.

“Turn the camera around and show [your clients] what you’re getting,” Cable said. “If they’re hesitant, as soon as you turn the camera around and show them what you’re getting and it’s good, they’ll relax and then you’ll have that trust, and then you’re good.”

“Be a part of the event when you can,” said Cable, pictured here. “There’s nothing better than getting them to trust you than just by turning around and going, ‘Check this one out.’”

8. Have a compelling website.

Maintaining a fast, HTML-based website with a handful of solid images will work wonders for your business. In your portfolio and/or homepage slider, make sure to feature only your best 5-10 images; including one or two sub-par images just for the sake of having more can drive potential clients away.

“What are you judged by—your best images or your worst images? Your worst,” Cable said. “People will judge you on your website.”

9. Learn to tell the story.

No matter what the gig is, capture the key moments that you’re expected to capture while also keeping alert with your head on the swivel, looking for “unscripted” moments to fill in the holes in the story between those stereotypical key moments.

“Don’t wear blinders. Shoot a lot of things and look around for those unscripted moments that you didn’t expect,” said Cable. “You gotta be ready for anything that might happen.”

Cable captured this shot at the 2010 Winter Olympics because he was ready for it, having planned it out beforehand and thoroughly studied the key moments of the event.

10. Continue to learn.

Learning goes hand in hand with practice and differentiating yourself from your competition. Push yourself to try different techniques and equipment. Shoot in unfamiliar environments to figure them out. Go on photo walks for inspiration and do everything you can to stay interested and passionate.

“I dread the day when I can say, ‘I’ve done it all. I’ve learned every bit of the camera, I’ve shot everything I want to shoot,’” Cable said. “I push myself always to deliver better for the client, but also to kind of inspire me more.”

11. Understand people.

It may be easier said than done, but learning to understand people goes a long way in photography. Try to understand your clients, each one, and know who they are and what they like—your clients will appreciate the attention and your photographs will show your compassion.

“We forget as photographers that we can give this gift,” Cable said.

12. Design your pricing and stick to it.

If you’re just starting out as a professional photographer, it might be a good idea to do a few shoots for free while you build a decent portfolio, but as soon as you have that, Cable says, stop giving your art away. Develop a reasonable pricing and deliverables list according to your financial needs and don’t waver or undercut yourself, even when potential clients request lower rates.

“Your photos are your art,” Cable said. “Giving them away is leaving money on the table and is devaluing what you do. It makes you the guy with the camera just hitting a button.”

13. Know business as much as you know photography.

The sad fact is that many good and passionate photographers fail as professional photographers. Probably the number one reason for that is that having good photography sense isn’t enough; pro photographers also need to have just as much business sense—and this is where many go wrong, in Cable’s opinion. In fact, he even suggests going to school for business and learning photography on the side, instead of the other way around.

“The problem is, a lot of it is marketing and selling yourself and understanding the business side,” Cable said. “It’s great that you can take a good picture, but if you don’t know how to sell it and price it and you give it away, you won’t be able to do this for very long.”

In addition to embracing social media, working with local vendors is important. “They can be great referrals for you,” Cable said. “Those guys, they get asked.” Photographing vendors is a great way to earn their loyalty.

14. Always think about referrals.

Treat everyone—yes, Cable really means everyone, even the kids—as potential clients. Make friends, maintain a fun-loving and positive attitude, and work diligently at all times, even when your current paying client isn’t around. Always over-deliver.

“Whether it’s a referral from the family [or] the friends of the family, people spend a lot of money on advertising and word of mouth has always been and will be the best ever,” Cable said. “I go above and beyond to make an impression.”

15. Be smart about your time.

That old saying, “Time is money,” really is true. Unfortunately, the other saying that “things always take more time than you think they will” is also true. Effectively budget your time, always work towards streamlining your workflow, and make sure to factor time into your pricing.

Cable firmly believes that these 15 tips, which he attributes to his own success, will help your new or soon-to-be photography business not only to succeed, but also to thrive in the photography industry. After all, Cable began is career humbly by shooting occasional Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and making amateur mistakes like bringing only one 4GB memory card for the whole event.

Now, Cable is widely-respected as an Olympic photographer and he conducts photography lectures all over the world. If he can do it, you can too.

Samsung Galaxy S5 confirmed specs

Guys First of all Happy new year. This is my first post of 2014 And today i am going to tell you about the confirmed specs of SAMSUNG GALAXY S5

We've been waiting for almost a year, but now the Samsung Galaxy S5 is almost upon us. We've been following the rumours and leaked information, but now SamMobile claims to have the full run-down on the specs, thanks to a Samsung insider.

According to the site, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will come in two different versions: one metal and one plastic. The metal version will be a more expensive, premium version, costing around 800 Euro, while the plastic version will cost around 600 Euro. There's no information on whether or not the metal version will have a different name, such as the rumoured Samsung Galaxy F.

There's no information on how the build quality will differ, except on materials. However, a recent rumours points to the metal version having a metal backplate, sides and front, which would suggest that it will still have a removable back and, therefore, battery.

A high-resolution screen will come as no surprise to most people, with the 2,560x1,440 AMOLED display exactly what everyone was expecting Samsung to release. It will be a little larger than the Samsung Galaxy S4, with a 5.25in screen. That's still comfortably smaller than the company's phablet, the 5.7in Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

The camera is due an upgrade, from the S4's 13-megapixel sensor, to a brand-new 16-megapixel sensor. There's no information if Samsung intends to go with hardware optical image stabilisation (OIS) or more information on the sensor itself.

Inside, the phone will come in two models with different processors, with both Exynos 6 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPUs available. This is similar to the Galaxy S4, which had two models: one with a Samsung Exynos 5 chip and one with a Qualcomm chip. In the case of the S4, the Samsung chip used ARM's big.LITTLE technology (four low-powered cores for saving power and four full-power cores when more intensive tasks run), but didn't support LTE. For LTE countries, then, the Qualcomm version was sold.

With the Galaxy S5, the Samsung Exynos 6 chip (also big.LITTLE) now supports LTE, so the division of models isn't quite as clear. However, the big difference is that the Exynos 6 is 64-bit. Given all of this information, it could be that the premium metal version ships with Exynos, while the plastic version ships with Qualcomm. Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait a bit to find out the exact details.

RAM, storage and the other specs haven't been confirmed yet, but this is certainly enough infofmation to whet our appetites.

GALAXY S5 MINI, GALAXY S5 ZOOM

We were also able to confirm that Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S5 mini and Galaxy S5 Zoom sometime after the Galaxy S5, with an official unveiling taking place sometime in June and May respectively. Both devices will have a Super AMOLED display (4.8-inch on the Galaxy S4 Zoom, of qHD resolution) and run on Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, which are all the details we have on their hardware at the moment. The S5 mini wasn’t really unexpected, but it looks like Samsung will also be releasing yearly upgrades to its Galaxy S Zoom camera-centric smartphones, hopefully with a better design than the one on the Galaxy S4 Zoom.

Here’s a recap of the Galaxy S5′s specs:

• - QHD (2,560×1,440) Super AMOLED display
• - Exynos 6 / Snapdragon 805 processor
• - 16-megapixel camera
• - Android 4.4 KitKat
• - Plastic/metal versions