Using a fill flash, takes away "raccoon eyes" , which are a distraction to viewing the model in a portrait. Most point and shoot cameras have a fill flash option, as does the TZ3, and it is quick way to remove the distracting shadows from the face.

Before

After

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A silver reflector can turn a snapshot into a professionally-lit photograph.  An image like this has subjects in dark forest withbright mid-day lake scenery visible behind them.  Perfect exposure for the subjects would mean "blowing out" the lake because the exposure range of the camera can't handle such a great difference in brightness.  By using a reflector to brighten up the subjects, their brightness level is closer to the background and so the contrast is lowered to a usable range.

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Here is a link to see the dates for the Panasonic 3D Touch The Future Tour:  http://www.panasonic.com/promos/touch-the-future-tour/ 

 

They will be awarding a Full HD 3D Home Theatre System at of the 15 tour stops!  Woo Hoo!!!

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When confronted with complex, colorful subjects, I recommend trying different compositions.  If the subject is complex, you can potentially find many good pictures from the same subject, or at least some that are much stronger than others.  Here are three variations of the same subject.  By recomposing each time, I found a whole different sensibility in each.  I recommend starting from an overall view of the subject, then moving toward tighter shots and details of it.  This will help guarantee positive results.  The three similar images attached should serve as an illustration of this.  My favorite of the three is image #2, but I had to take all three to even be able to have that choice.

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Sometimes you sit down for eggs at the local diner and you come up peaches. While waiting for my breakfast plate (eggs-over-easy with grits), the chef de cuisine was cutting up and sharing fresh Jersey peaches with the counter diners. Lucky me, I happened to have my camera nearby (ALWAYS carry yours).

The light was very low and I wanted to use ISO 100 for its smooth tones. So, I had to choose a wide open aperture (ƒ2.8) and pray. Happily, the extremely shallow depth-of-field put the emphasis on those glowing yellow peaches and proved a nice contrast with the stainless steel background. By chance, the chef-in-question passed through my frame and provided that extra bit of motion and interest inside the frame. It pays to consider all moments of your day as possibilities for photographic

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First snow this year in the south of the Netherlands. At last a White Christmas, the last was in 1981. Music: Ehma Album: Opus Solemnis jamendo.com/en/album/478? (licenced under Creative Commons Licence) Panasonic Lumix GH1 - Stock Lens - 720p50 - shutter 1/50 - iso 200 - smooth movie mode - cheap tripod - sony vegas pro - magic bullet looks ...

Hi everyone,

 

I've noticed people not being able to find their Blurb entries on the site and that is because odds are, you have uploaded into your personal galleries.  Here is a video I've created to help you through the confusion.  Please message me if you have any questions!

 

 

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Making a great family photo is all about the spirit of the family - if they are an exuberant bunch, it's up to the photographer to capture that! One approach is to mirror the emotions you'll want to elicit - while looking through the camera yell, laugh, say silly things, keep asking for more and more and more... while paying attention to the action, and looking for the peak moment to release the shutter. Try to position the group in the shade, facing towards the open sky - be sure to have no sunlight hitting them directly! Bring an old white bed sheet, and throw it on the ground in front of them - it will reflect light into the shadows, and keep some of the green light reflected off the grass, off them! Finally, it doesn't hurt to pull out the Lensbaby! Everyone loves the soft, romantic

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Study the commonplace and look for the extraordinary in your normal surroundings.  I was walking through an outdoor museum, and saw this doorway.  Certainly the vibrant color caught my eye.  And the strong geometric shapes from the iron gate added a wonderful repeating pattern.

But what else was going to make this a make this a image worth shooting?  What about the touch of color in the wood wall and how it created tension with the dominant green of the door?  Or the small piece of white wire hanging off the door lock, just out of site at the top left of the image?  Using the white wire adds new curving shapes to a straight line world, and showing just a small amount of it balances the yellow wood on the right.

So when you are out shooting, look for patterns

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