Helpful Tips on Point and Shoot

Photo Chick explains helpful tips on a point and shoot camera. How to get better pictures.

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Photo Chick

What do I Charge?

There are no set rules for how photographers charge for their work so I can't give you a list to pull from. Most photographers are considered freelancers, they do most of their jobs on contract. This means they charge their own rates for their services. Some photographers charge by the hour and some charge a day rate. A day rate is a fixed amount the photographer earns for a days work, this can be a 4 hour job or a 9 hour job.

I suggest thinking about an hourly rate that you feel is fare based on your experience, what do you think one hour of your time is worth? When you bill hourly don't forget to include your time for post production. To arrive at a day rate multiply your hourly rate by 6 or 8 hours, feel free to make adjustments to this sum. Be reasonable and fare, once you establish yourself you can certainly increase your rates because there are no rules.

Happy Shooting!

Photo Chick

In Camera Metering

Q. hey! saw your video on flash photography tricks ...thanks as it gave me very good fundamental knowledge about few camera modes...i was going through my camera functions and wonder see evaluative, center weighted and spot modes... could you please tell me what's this? thanks

A. Evaluative metering takes an average light reading of everything in the viewfinder, center weighted metering takes a light reading of objects in the center circle you see in the viewfinder and spot metering takes a light reading where you place the "spot". Spot metering is good for subjects you can't get up close to...I don't think it's as accurate as a hand held meter but non-the-less it can be helpful and I recommend using spot metering for high contrast scenes when the subject is in shadow. I would use evaluative metering for scenes with even light where the range between hightlight and shadow is minimum.

Photo Chick

Has Pope John Paul II REALLY paid a visit?

A bonefire celebration, in Poland, honoring Pope John Paul II has many thinking he may have paid a spiritual visit. I think not.



Photo Chick gives reason to believe the image has been digitally manipulated in some way. Her demonstration will appear on Inside Edition tonight, October 16, 2007 at 6pm (Eastern).

Representation...

Representation is like a marriage; a relationship between the rep and the photographer. But first the photographer has to know what his/her photographic goals are, so ask yourself in what direction do you want to take your photography and where you want your photography career to go in the next five years? Ten years? What are your goals? As soon as you establish this, look for a rep with the same goals as you. The rep and the photographer should have the same goals.

Here are a few tips for looking for photography representation. How many photographers does he/she represent? Who are the photographers and what is their work like, ask for their names so you can research their work or a link to the rep's web site? Look for a rep that works with a variety of talent and photographic styles, this way your work is not competing with another photographer's work. What is the rep's client list, does it match yours?

On a side note, most reps will approach the photographer not the other way around. Good luck!

Photo Chick

Jumping Rope

DSCF0745
Originally uploaded by jalenaaron

Pay attention to your framing (what you see in the viewfinder). There are a few distracting elements in this photo that could have been eliminated; minivan and trash bin. Moving in closer and rotating your lens to the right would have cut out these distractions. Rotating your lens to the right would also have included the rope twirler on the right. The subject here is the girl jumping rope, we'd like to see the expression on her face as she jumps rope, so positioning yourself where she faces the camera would have been better.

Photo Chick

Vietnam Veterans Memorial at night

Vietnam Veterans Memorial at night
Originally uploaded by wanderingphoto

This image of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at night is the most successful of the four. Here you have focused attention on the environment, we know where we're at. However, the subject of this photo is the Washington Monument because it has the sharpest focus and our eye is drawn to it from your use of converging lines.

The converging lines of the Vietnam Memorial, the inlay of bricks you stand on to view the memorial, the round lights in the ground, the sidewalk and the row of trees on the opposite side all create visual lines that lead our eyes to the Washington Monument. These lines were created because of your vantage point, anytime lines are perpendicular to the camera lens they will converge to one point in the distance. Converging lines are one way to focus attention on your subject.

You did not capture any detail in the Washington Monument but in this photo I think it works nicely in silhouette.

Photo Chick