Appreciate Mistakes

     Sometimes, making a mistake can add interest to your picture. At other times, they can ruin them. In the picture below, you can see a capo at the end of the guitar (it's the black thing, pronounced kay-po). I barely noticed it, but when I showed the pictures to my Daddy, he said that the capo shouldn't have been there, and that I should do the whole photo shoot over again. This is why I stress playing with your camera. Hopefully, all of your mistakes will be made while you're having a fun photo shoot. And while I was a little embarrassed about having to do it over again, I'm so glad I made the mistake, because I learned from it; and I'm also glad that I made the mistake while having a fun, spur-of-the-moment photo shoot with my brother, and not with a client. =)

  

Editing with iPiccy

    Here is another example of editing with iPiccy.

Okay, so here's the unedited picture......







  

And here's what it looks like after I've removed the people with the 'clone' tool, added some clouds, some light in the right hand corner, and brightened the colors. Some of you may think I've over-edited this, and that's fine. Everyone has their own tastes. This is just to give you an idea of what you can do. =) (Side note, I didn't take this in 2015, this was actually around 2013.)

iPiccy Effects

     Here are a few of iPiccy's photo effects. =)

Here's the original picture, with all of the effects down below. =)

Henry Effect 

Jennifer Effect

Daguerreotype Effect  

Typical Black and White

Anthony Effect

Lomo Effect

Michelle Effect

Polaroid Effect

Robert Effect

Sepia

Susan Effect

William Effect

Save Your Photos!

     Always, always, always put your pictures on a data traveler, or some other device besides your computer! I use a Toshiba, which hold tons of space. If you only put your pictures on the computer, you could easily lose them if the computer crashes. That happened to me. Thankfully, most of the pictures were already on my Google+ profile, and I also couldn't remember everything I had lost, so while I was disappointed, there was no devastation. I may have lost one of my best pictures, for all I know.
     SAVE YOUR PHOTOS!!!!!!
     Trust me, you'll be glad you did. =) 

First Photo Shoot Tips/Ideas

   
The Payment Problem: 

     Let's say someone has just asked you to do a photo shoot for them. They've seen your work, like it a lot, and ask what you charge. The first time someone asked me this, I was completely lost. I was good friends with them, wanted to give a fair price, but had no idea what to charge. So I asked my Daddy what he thought. This is what he told me to do.
     "Don't charge. It's your first photo shoot, you're still learning, they're good friends, so don't charge. Tell them that if they'd like to give you a little something as a 'thank you', then they can. But for the first few photo shoots, don't charge."
     That really helped relieve my stress. Also, what they decided to charge me helped me get an idea of what they thought my work was worth. The more photo shoots I did, the higher I was paid and the more confident I became. So let your first customers decide what to pay. Typically, too, your first customers will either be family members, or close friends, who will not only be generous with their money, but also give you their honest opinion of your work. Don't be afraid to ask, too! You will probably get some really good ideas for future shoots. =)


Study Up:

     The moment you're off the phone, or you've answered the confirmation email for the photo shoot, start studying. Look up 'picture/posing ideas for _______', either on Google, or Pinterest, or anywhere else you can think of. Get ideas, so that when it comes time to shoot, you'll have an idea of what you want to do.


Location:

    Finding a good location can sometimes be a little frustrating depending on the weather. On a really bright day, without a cloud in the sky, an open field with no shade is typically not the place you want to be. Professionals can make it work, but for beginners who are still learning how to use their camera, or who don't own a good photo editor, save the fields for cloudy days. Or find a field with big trees throwing nice big shadows. ;)
     Woods can be pretty, but only if they're not too tangly. We own a small bit of woods, but I don't go down there for photo shoots because the tangle is ugly, and there's trash down there. Some tangle is probably very pretty, but only in spring when everything is green, or fall, when everything is dying attractively with bright, vibrant colors. But when everything is just....dead....it can be slightly difficult (or at least it is for me) to find a pretty spot for my photo shoots.


Props:

     Props can really make your photo wonderful. But only if it compliments your human subject. If you just throw a bunch of random things out for your subject to hold, just because they look like they might work in the pictures, chances are, you're going to get one interesting (not good interesting, either) picture. I've seen some really cool pictures on Pinterest which have old chairs, pianos, old trunks, really cool pictures frames and instruments as props. These props didn't take away from the photo, they enhanced it. Find a prop that enhances your pictures.


Be Obviously Confident:

     Remember, you are the photographer. They're paying (or not paying, but it doesn't matter) you to take the pictures, and, most likely, will tell others about their experience with you. If you go out to take pictures and act like you don't know what you're doing, and you're asking them for ideas and suggestions, that won't look good. They may have some poses they want to try, but for the most part, they're expecting you to know what to do. They come ready to let you take over, and if you don't do that, then they have to, and that's not professional. Be confident (but not cocky).


Speak Up:

     If you're nervous, say so. Don't be afraid to admit it, because it's your first photo shoot, and they'll understand. But impress them afterwards by handling your camera with confidence, posing your subject with confidence, and asking them if there was any special pose they wanted. If they say 'no', then just continue with what you were doing. They'll respect you for asking. (I'm saying all of this with a lot of confidence...I would expect them to respect you for asking if they had a preference, but maybe it would annoy them. I don't know. =) ).
     Always be honest with your subject, and ask them to be honest with you. Some people are so sweet they'll do whatever you ask, even if they don't want to. =)


     I hope these ideas/tips help you get started. =)

Tips for Beginners

     Note: These are tips for using a Canon T3i. Obviously, I don't know what kind of camera you have, and the settings may be completely different. 



1: Start shooting in Manual mode as soon as possible. I was told to do that by a professional photographer, and even though it was difficult at first, I now shoot in Manual mode almost all the time. Occasionally, I will turn the dial to Macro, but for the most part, it's Manual all the way. =)

2: Get to know your camera. Read the instruction manual, or look up specific questions you have on Google or Pinterest. Seriously, Pinterest has helped me a lot. (If you'd like to look at my boards to see what inspires me, just Google, Denalyn Johnson on Pinterest. I should come up.) =)

3: If you shoot in the mode that the camera is automatically on when you first get it, and you don't switch it, then when it comes time to take some serious pictures you will not know your camera's full potential. Play with your camera. Especially inside. You need to know what your camera's limits are when it comes to indoor photo shoots. If you have a nicer camera than I do, shooting inside may be easier. The flash helps with indoor shooting, but I don't like using the flash. I prefer natural lighting, and the flash seems to always do something weird to the subject's eyes.

4: When switching lenses, keep the camera body facing down, so that dust won't get on the mirror inside. Also, keep the end of the lens that was attached to the camera facing down as well. Dust will get in and make spots on your pictures, or cause other problems. Keep your camera clean.

5: Shoot hundreds of pictures. Thousands, if necessary. Because, typically, 3 out of 10 pictures will actually work out. Keep pressing that button. Turn on burst mode, and leave it on. My camera doesn't have as fast a burst as the Panasonic Lumix, but it's still a handy feature.


     I hope, for any beginners at least, that these tips were helpful. =)

Hairstyle Idea

     Hairstyles are important for a photo shoot. Usually, your subject will already know what hairstyles look good on them, and will come with their hair fixed accordingly. But if they leave the style up to you (which hasn't happened to me yet for an important photo shoot, thank goodness), then you're going to need to know what would look nice. For a tomboy look, typically a pony tail will work, or a simple braid, or even just leaving it down. But for a more elegant photo shoot, braided up-do's are lovely. Here's a hairstyle I did on my friend for an impromptu photo shoot we decided to do.

I started the braid on the other side of her head, close to her left ear. I thought it looked very nice with her face shape. Don't be afraid to mix up different hairstyles. Above all, act like you know what you're doing (this actually applies to just about everything when it comes to photography) when fixing someone's hair, even if you're feeling completely lost. =)

'Free' Photo Editing Sites

     The photo editor I used for a long time was called PicMonkey. PicMonkey was really great for what I was doing at the time, but now that I've started taking more pictures of people and not just nature, I needed an editor which gave me tools to take away blemishes, smooth skin, etc. I didn't get that with PicMonkey. They wanted me to pay for what I needed, and I couldn't (still can't) do that.
     Then I found iPiccy.
     Yes, the name is funny. Every time I tell someone what editor I use they laugh. But it has, for free, what PicMonkey wanted me to pay for. True, it lacks a few things that PicMonkey had, but on a scale of 1 to 10, iPiccy is a 9 and PicMonkey is a 4. You do have to sign up to iPiccy to be able to use all of their features, but you don't have to pay. I, personally, think that it's completely worth it. If you go to my other blog, www.denslens.blogspot.com, and look for the post called, An Editing Process, you'll see what I've been able to do with iPiccy.
 


     If you're a beginner who wants to know how to use iPiccy to your best advantage, you can ask me anything you want. I'll help you in any way I can. I've been playing with it for awhile and have learned some helpful things. You may not be getting photoshop quality pictures, but maybe you can save a picture that's over or under-exposed, or doesn't have enough color, or maybe too much color. At any rate, I would suggest you give iPiccy a try. =)  

First Post/Discussing Lenses

     Hello, my name is Denalyn, and I love photography. I first started playing around with a digital camera when I was about ten or eleven (maybe younger, maybe older, I can't remember). Our first digital camera was large, clunky, and had an incredibly tiny screen, but it was a great camera to begin with. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called.
     I didn't get my Canon T3i until sometime last year. Before then, I used a Panasonic Lumix, DMC-LZ20, which I recommend for beginners (if you'd like to see some sample pictures I took with the Panasonic Lumix, you can take a look at my photography blog, www.denslens.blogspot.com, and go to the first post).
     One of the things I've heard many times, online and from a professional photographer friend, is that it's the lenses that makes or breaks a camera. You can have a high quality camera and your pictures won't come out as sharp as you'd like because the lenses are not up to par. When I first got my Canon, I used the kit lens (the lens that came with the camera), and thought it was incredible. And it is a great lens for when you're getting to know your camera, but now that I've upgraded to a 50mm 1.8 lens (which I seriously recommend), I can see how poor my kit lens really is. I still use it, because it's not horrible, but on a scale of 1 to 10, the kit lens is a 3, and the 50mm 1.8 is a 10. At least when it comes to quality. The 50mm 1.8 doesn't zoom, which can be a little annoying. And it doesn't do macro, and I can't screw my macro lens onto it. Other than that, I absolutely love my 50mm 1.8.
     The zoom lens I have is a 75-300mm. I do recommend this one, but I probably will try to get another one in the future which zooms more. I'm very pleased with the 75-300mm, but I'm sure there are better one's out there. The quality is beautiful.

     I hope to keep posting tips and tricks for you guys, and I hope you enjoy reading this blog. Just know that I'm not yet professional (though I hope to get up there soon), and I'm still learning. But I believe I've come far enough to help answer any questions beginners may have. Thanks for taking time to look at my blog and read this post, =)