Tuesday 30 July 2013

Review Digital Camera World 07-31-2013

Blogtrottr
Digital Camera World
 
10 wedding photography mistakes every beginner will make (and how to get better)
Jul 30th 2013, 23:01, by anicholson

Shooting a wedding is one of the toughest assignments that a photographer can take on, there are lots of potential issues and the stakes are incredibly high. To help out, our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, has compiled a list of the most common wedding photography mistakes that photographers make when starting out shooting weddings, along with some advice on how to avoid them.

10 wedding photography mistakes every beginner will make (and why it's OK)

Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 01 Inexperience

If your family and friends know that you own a DSLR or advanced compact system camera, the chances are pretty high that at some point you will be asked to photograph a wedding.

It's important to be realistic about your capabilities and experience before you commit to shooting a wedding – especially if you are to be paid to do so.

Be honest with the couple about your experience and don't allow anyone to bully you into taking on the job to save money if you are not confident.

It's also important to have the right kit. Ideally you'll need two decent cameras and a selection of lenses along with a couple of flashguns.

What's more, it's absolutely crucial that you know your equipment inside out and are confident in using it. A wedding is not the time to be trying a setting for the first time.

If you decide that being the main photographer at the wedding is too big a step, you could always offer to take on the second photographer duties, shooting from alternative angles, getting background shots and duplicating some of the pro's shots, it's all good experience.

If you decide to get serious about shooting weddings the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (www.swpp.co.uk) and the Guild of Photographers (www.photoguild.co.uk) have lots of information to offer and it's worth considering joining.

These organisations' websites have forums that are a great way of getting to know other photographers, including professionals who maybe looking for a second photographer for a wedding.

Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 01 Inexperience
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 02 Poor exposure
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 03 Messy background
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 04 Couple squinting in the sun
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 05 No eye contact
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 06 Forgetting a shot
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 07 Equipment failure
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 08 Messy group shots
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 09 Forgetting the details
Beginner Wedding Photography Mistakes: 10 Shooting JPEG files

READ MORE

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Photo Retouching: how to fine tune body shape for perfect portraits
Jul 30th 2013, 10:00, by jmeyer

In the latest instalment of our Raw Tuesday series on photo retouching we explain simple methods to nip, tuck and squeeze a variety of body parts into shape.

Photo Retouching: how to fine tune body shape for perfect portraits

The number one request put to professional retouchers goes along these lines: "Can you shave off 10lbs please?" The good news is that this can be done – and in a variety of ways, too.

When photographing a portrait, there are always certain angles from which someone will look their best such as shooting from above to tone down a double chin. To add to this, Photoshop also allows you to tuck arms and shrink waists. Let's take a look at some of these smart techniques.

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 1

01 Draw a selection
To start work on a specific area, first hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate your Background layer, then pick up the Marquee Selection tool from the Tools Panel. Draw a loose selection around the chin area then go to Filter>Liquify to access the Liquify dialog box.

 

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 2

02 Warp the chin

Select the top tool on the left – the Forward Warp tool. Click slightly below the chin, and drag to tuck it inwards. Use a large brush for broad strokes. Adjust the characteristics of your brush using the Brush Size and Brush Pressure settings on the right of the box.

 

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 3

03 Select the arm

When you're happy with what you've done, hit OK, then press Cmd/Ctrl+D to deselect the chin area. Next, we'll slim the arm. Choose the Lasso tool from the Tools Panel and draw a loose selection around the outside of the arm. Include plenty of the background.

 

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 4

04 Drag inwards

Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a new layer, then select the Move tool from the Tools Panel. Check the Options for Auto Select and Show Transform Controls in the Options bar, then drag the area inwards very slightly to slim the arm.

 

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 5

05 Rotate to fit

Click just behind one of the corners of the bounding box and rotate, then use the other points on the box to distort the arm slightly for the best fit, remembering to keep it within normal human proportions. When you're happy, hit Enter to apply the transformation.

 

How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop: step 6

06 Mask the edge
Go to the Layers Panel and click the Add Layer Mask icon, then grab the Brush tool from the Tools Panel. Hit D then X to set your foreground colour to black, then choose a soft-edged circular brush and paint along the hard edge in the arm to soften the line.

PAGE 1: How to fine tune body shape in Photoshop
PAGE 2: How to slim your subjects

READ MORE

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