Get Your Band Seen With Images That Reflect Your Sound

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Guest Author| Comments Off

There have been numerous internet posts and articles on the importance of band photography in getting a new band off the ground and on their way to stardom. A WikiHow article which lists the 11 steps on how to get your band famous identifies “Get Seen” as a very important step. In addition to photos of the group it emphasizes the importance of getting a logo, tee-shirts and a website. Great music is obviously important, but most of the really popular bands have great visuals as part of their promotional strategy. Another article on netblogs.hubpages claiming to be the definitive guide to making it big also highlights the significance of band photography. They stress the importance of using commercial photographers. “Going to a professional band photographer will always set your images miles apart from other bands, which just use their sister’s best friend to take the photo”. According to theunsignedguide blog, “Bands frequently spend months writing and recording new material and then rush it out before considering the importance of presentation or brand.” This can be disastrous because “the moment you put yourself or your music online you are projecting an image and people will start forming opinions about what this image represents.” If you don’t want to be thought of as unprofessional or amateur, be careful about posting blurry Facebook photos and concert film taken from mobile phones. “Let’s get one thing straight here right away-good photography can make or break whether or not people will hire you, feature your music in their magazine, or even just stay on your website for more than 10 seconds.” That is the take presented by hostbaby blog. They suggest that the images you project need to be well thought out and communicate your sound. Translating the unique sound of your band and the individual personalities of band members into images is usually not something that is done randomly or on a whim. Careful thought needs to go into how you are going to visually portray your band and the music it produces. A really good professional band photographer can really help you define what your images need to portray and then he can help you create them. Even a subtle facial expression speaks volumes about the personalities of band members and the sound they put out. Those who are serious about making it bid with a new band need to have some strategy sessions and define why they are really about and what kind of image they want to project. Then they need to find a successful and seasoned professional to help them create their photos and their overall image.

Posted in Photography Tips

Communicate in a Foreign Country

Posted on April 10, 2012 by pb| Comments Off

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially if you don’t speak the language.

A while back I ran a photo-tips contest via my weblog on the O’Reilly Network (
http://www.oreillynet.com), and one of the winning entries caught my eye as a creative hack for this book.

The entrant, Phil Calvert, submitted this tip:

While travelling in Japan, I found a novel use for a digital camera. Most of the restaurants there have lifelike plastic displays of the food they serve. Since I couldn’t speak Japanese, I just took a picture of what I wanted to eat and showed it to the waiter. He thought it was very funny, but I did get what I ordered.
Phil got me thinking. While travelling in a country where you don’t speak or read the language, or at least not very well, why not use your camera phone for a variety of communication needs? You could even store a few standard icons in your phone’s memory for when the
occasion arises. For example, a picture of a taxicab, as shown in Figure , could be quite useful when you’d like the restaurant’s maitre d’ to call for one to get you back to your hotel.

A handy photo of a taxi
Perhaps you could add a shot of money to ask “How much?” or an image of a plane to
communicate airport, and don’t forget a picture of your hotel, just in case you forget how to find it after a day’s touring. The possibilities are endless. The main thing to remember is that pointing to a picture on your phone is much easier than fumbling with a language you don’t know at all

  • Use body language: Pointing, gesturing and pantomiming will all help you get your point across.
  • Carry around a pad of paper on which you can write figures and draw pictures.
  • Hand your pen and paper to the person across the counter when you don’t understand how much something costs; most people will get the idea and write down the number.
  • Go to travel stores and look for books or laminated cards with pictures of items related to food, lodging, transportation and entertainment; these are especially useful in restaurants and hotels.
  • Be aware that many English words and name brands are understood almost universally: American, taxi, sexy, Coca-Cola, OK. String these together creatively and you’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish.
  • Let pictures tell the story. Take photos of your home, your family or whatever else is important to you to share with people you meet on the road.

Source: O’Reilley | Portfolio Website | Online Portfolio

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Send Snapshots to the Desktop

Posted on April 10, 2012 by pb| Comments Off

Your desktop is your camera phone’s photo lab. But before you can do any processing, you need to get your pictures into the computer.

Most camera phones store digital-photo files in their internal memory. This internal memory is generally limited to two to four megabytes. Some of this memory is reserved by the phone’s operating system, and some is used for applications (including games) you install on the phone.

This means that your images share internal storage space with telephone numbers, addresses, calendar events, user-installed applications, and other system information. With my phone, I’ve found that this configuration has left me with enough space for only about 15 to 20 photo files. This is not an issue, though, on camera phones that support the use of Multi-Media Cards (MMCs) or Secure Digital (SD) cards for additional data storage.

File-Transfer Options
At some point, you will want to copy the photo files from the camera phone to your computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) for safekeeping. This section shows five possible ways to achieve this task successfully. Note that most camera phones work with only a subset of these methods. Figure illustrates how these file-transfer options work with your phone, PDA, and computer.

File-transfer options from camera phone to computer and PDA

Email photo files yourself.
Check to see whether your mobile-phone service plan includes its own email account.
The feature you’re looking for might be called something like Multimedia Mail or
Multimedia Send on the phone. After you send an email message (containing the JPEG image file) from your phone, the email server will store the message until you retrieve it on your personal computer. You should learn the file sizes of photos created by your camera and any storage limitations your email account might have. Also pay attention to any extra charges that might apply when you use this service. Be sure to test this

Source: O’Reilley | Portfolio Website | Online Portfolio

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Exploring the joy of canvas printing at Photo in Canvas

Posted on July 28, 2011 by pb| Leave a comment

Canvas printing is the best way used to reproduce photographic images. Material used for canvas print may be cotton or a cheaper plastic based Poly Canvas. However good suppliers like photo in canvas always use cotton. High quality printers are available which can print on these canvas. There are number of ways through which one can display the printed canvas.

People generally opt for canvas when the photograph is so important for their day to day life. They want to see and show it daily in home. Many times the low quality of the most memorable picture make it impossible to make it presentable. But one doesn’t has to worry. There are some good services like photo in canvas which can make you happy. They provide three types of services – Classic Canvas, Split Panel Canvas and Photo Montage Canvas. One can opt for the classic canvas if photo is required in the form as it is. But many times finer details of the photo are not visible when it is small. In such cases the split panel canvas is a good option where photo can be spitted into 3 or 4 parts. However if there is a confusion in choosing best picture then more than one picture can be displayed on a single canvas (Photo Montage Canvas). Whatever you choose it will definitely make your home beautiful. Photo on canvas is also very useful if you want to give it as gift to your beloved. Bad quality of the picture doesn’t matter at all. Software tools are used to enhance the quality of the image.

photo in canvas has bespoke services which provide personal level interaction through email and telephone. People can discuss their requirements with best designers who will make the canvas prints. It helps in deciding best possible option for you. One can modify the picture online by available editing tools which include cropping and moving the image. One can also choose any specific photo from the gallery available on the site. It is not the end. This company provides free editing and proofing service which include red eye and blemish reduction. Finished products are delivered at no cost with 10 year guarantee.

Posted in Photography and Society

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Selling Photography: PhotoShelter offering redesigned shopping cart & new e-commerce features

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| Leave a comment

PhotoShelter is the worldwide leader for selling and procuring photography stuffs which is very helpful to the photographers. The website has fully redesigned its e-commerce checkout process and added many e-commerce features. It will help photographers to sell their images though PhotoShelter website in easier way. More that 70,000 photographers use PhotoShelter websites and tools for personal and commercial purposes.
Dear photographers, are you interested to exploit this website for commercial purposes?  Check this out http://www.photoshelter.com

 

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Book review: The Digital Photography Book

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| 1 Comment

Book: The Digital Photography Book

About the Author: Scott Kelby is President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and Editor-in-Chief of both Photoshop User and Layers magazines. Scott serves as training director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour and is the technical chair of the largest Photoshop gathering in the industry, Photoshop World. He has written numerous best-selling creative technology books.

Review: “Kelby’s laid-back writing style is perfect for those looking for fascinating insights without getting caught up in technical detail. An essential series for anyone wanting to take professional looking images.” Laurence Howell, Short List

Scott Kelby, the man who changed the “digital darkroom” forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography–how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today’s top digital pros use (and it’s easier than you’d think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ You d say, ‘OK,’ and you’d get the shot. That’s what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—it isn’t full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here’s another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There’s never been a book like it, and if you’re tired of taking shots that look “OK,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

Click below to buy the book at amazon

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Book review: Art of Engagement Photography

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| Leave a comment

Book: The Art of Engagement Photography: Creative Techniques for Photographing Couples in Love
Book Description: This beautiful guide to engagement photography will show aspiring and professional wedding photographers how to boost their current income by offering higher-quality engagement sessions (or by adding them for the first time). Written by award-winning photographer Elizabeth Etienne, this modern guide to engagement photography offers portrait and wedding photographers a step-by-step approach to shooting in-demand engagement sessions and maximising an often-untapped revenue stream. Including 200 inspiring images and written in a fresh style, this guide offers a high-end, magazine-style approach that is coveted by brides and wedding photographers alike.
About the Author: Elizabeth Etienne is an award-winning wedding and lifestyle photographer, teacher, speaker and freelance writer. Her images can be found in many ad campaigns, stock libraries and fine art galleries, in such publications as Rangefinder and Bride World. She is a teacher at Brooks Institute and Pasadena’s Art Center and a freelance writer for Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines. She can be found at elizabethetienne.com.

Click below to Buy it at Amazon

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I AM: International Foundation helping poor children to explore individuality through making art

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| Leave a comment

I AM: International Foundation is providing opportunities for children to explore individuality through making art

FOUNDER/DIRECTOR: Sasha Sicurella is a Canadian-born arts education specialist is the founder of I AM: International Foundation in 2010.

MISSION STATEMENT: The I AM: International Foundation aims to give underprivileged children and/or children living in densely populated regions of the world hands-on opportunities to explore the notion of individuality through art. Through nurturing workshops conducted in schools, rural communities, and non-government organizations, the hope is for each child to gain an understanding of his/her value, potential, and beauty as a unique person.

THE FOUNDATION: The I AM: International Foundation functions as a resource for schools, community groups, and non-government organizations who work with disadvantaged children and/or children living in densely populated regions of the world. Groups who participate in our programs are those who may not have the skills, staffing, materials, and/or resources to incorporate creativity and personal expression into their curriculum.

Above is just the abstracts taken from official website. Please visit following official site to get to know aobut I AM: Projects and the I AM: International Foundation:
Source: http://iaminternational.net/

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FaceBomb photography app is increasing popularity

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| 2 Comments

San Francisco, California – Tiny Mobile Inc has announced FaceBomb Photo Explosion Booth Live 1.0 for iOS devices. FaceBomb is a new free psychedelic photography app from Tiny Mobile Inc available now on the iTunes App Store. FaceBomb unleashes your iPhone’s camera with an explosion of awesome sauce. Basically, FaceBomb takes your camera’s live feed and multiplies it leading to a photo explosion on your iPhone 4, iPad 2 or iPod touch 4th generation.

Imagine hundres of pictures of you, your friends or your cat’s face rendered to your iPhone’s screen in realtime. FaceBomb comes with 10 different photo explosion styles for hours of fun. Add up to 20 more photo explosion styles for the ultimate FaceBomb experience. FaceBomb is free for a limited time so get it now before the price goes up. Great for use with Instagram and other photo sharing services.

Blow your friends’ and coworkers’ minds or break the ice at a party with FaceBomb. FaceBomb is compatible with iPhone 4, iPad 2, and iPod 4th generation. If you like FaceBomb check out some of Tiny Mobile’s other apps like Awesome, Lie Detector Polygraph, FaceMash!, Idol Judge Singing and Voice Talent Evaluator, Verses the Poetry Game, Karma Quiz A Buddhist Daily Inventory, and Cash Power.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation)
* iPad 2 Wi-Fi, and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G
* Requires iOS 4.0 or later
* 6.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
FaceBomb Photo Explosion Booth Live 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

Located in San Francisco, California, Tiny Mobile Inc. is a mobile development company founded by Nicholas Iannone. Copyright (C) 2011 Tiny Mobile Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

 

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Two Photography Exhibits Open This Month At University of Maine Museum of Art

Posted on June 12, 2011 by pb| 7 Comments

Two new photography exhibitions are opened at The University of Maine Museum of Art this month -”New Dawn Fades” and ‘Photo National 2011: A Survey of Contemporary Photography‘. In ’New Dawn Fades‘, photographer Thomas Hager gives homage to early photographer Sir John Herschel and Anna Atkins and it will remain open between June 24 to September 24.

‘Photo National 2011: A Survey of Contemporary Photography‘ will features 76 works by 34 fine art photographers selected from throughout the United States. Few photographers among them are Jeffery C. Becton of Deer Isle, Melonie Bennett of Gorham, Leslie Bowman of Prescott, Anne-Claude Cotty of Stonington, Julie K. Gray of South Portland, Sean Alonzo Harris of Portland, Robert Moran of Bar Harbor, Jim Nickelson of Camden, Dianna Rust of Camden, Sarah Szwajkos of Rockland and Shoshannah White of Portland. Exhibit will show the diversity of contemporary photographic processes and various approaches.

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