How to Make a Timeless WEDDING Photo from a snapshot

Photoshop CS6 tutorial showing how to quickly transform any ordinary snapshot into a golden-hued, timeless image that will last forever. These techniques work especially well for wedding photos.

Choose An Entry Level DSLR

People who own a point and shoot camera eventually want to move to having a DSLR. Other reasons could be you want clearer images, you want more control over your camera or you want to become a professional photographer.
Whatever your reason, you can start with having an entry level DSLR. This is lighter than the real DSLR and is more affordable as well.
So first things first. Consider the brand and you have many to choose from - Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus and Sony. Most share the same features but if you often travel and take photos during special occasions, you need to pick a model that's easy to operate but at the same time one that can ensure image quality.

• The brand

For those who are serious in getting into photography, the two famous brand names you should consider are Nikon and Canon. Most, if not all, professional photographers use these brands.

• The sensor

As for the digital camera components, the camera sensor is an important consideration if quality images are your priority. Basically, there are two types of sensors - the CCD and the CMOS. The CMOS is present in the latest cameras today owing to its lower production cost while the older models utilized the CCD which provides better quality photos.

• The body

Consider as well the camera body. This is essential particularly if you have plans of purchasing high-end accessories in the future and because you will need to get accessories such as the lens that match the body.
Most entry level DSLR cameras today have quality plastic bodies. Weather sealing, however, is what gives the higher type or the professional DSLR the edge. Hopefully, this will be made available for the entry level models in the future.

• The material

When it comes to material, you have a choice between getting a metal and a plastic body. There's no doubt that the metal body is more durable and allows for better heat conduction notably while shooting videos. Nikon and Canon manufactures both metal and plastic bodied digital cameras.

• The resolution

Some people often prefer cameras that have bigger megapixels thinking that it will give them better quality images. But this is a misconception.
Do understand that you need a higher megapixel camera only if you would like to print large photos. This is because printing a large size image requires more megapixels to produce clearer and crisper photos. A higher resolution is also ideal if you do extensive post processing of your images such as cropping without affecting the quality.
But if you just want to snap and store photos on your computer and share them online, then a 3.5 to 5 megapixel camera will do.

• The price

The camera's affordability should be an important consideration. Know that you will not only be spending for the camera body alone but for other necessary accessories as well so make sure that you get only what you can afford. Calculating your expenses will help you choose the right entry DSLR camera that fits your lifestyle.

Taking Memorable Photos of Children

By Nancy Hill

Children are a favorite subject for many photographers. Advertisers know a photo of an adorable child will grab people’s attention. Fundraisers know an image of a sick, wounded, or sad child will bring in donations. And parents cannot imagine a better subject than their child. Parents take cameras to sporting events, school functions, and parties. It seems like every moment of a child’s life is documented either in a still photograph or in a video. But how many photos of children are truly memorable?
Here are some tips on getting shots that draw total strangers into your photographs of children.

Take Time to Get to Know the Child
Most children let you into their world quickly. Before you start taking a picture, spend at least 10 minutes talking to the child. Ask questions about things that interest the child. Good openers include:
“Do you like bugs?”
“Would you rather be a giraffe or a butterfly?”
“What’s your favorite game?
Pay attention to how the child responds. Does he/she make eye contact? Capture that confidence when you take his/her picture. Does the child laugh at the questions or seriously contemplate them? Look for that sense of whimsy or pensive side when you take the picture. Does the child doodle when he/she responds? Then look for ways to show the child is creative. Does the child twist her hair while she’s thinking? Great. Include that in a photo.
If you’re taking photos of your own child, you already know your child’s personality traits, his/her habits, his/her facial expressions. Capture those instead of (or in addition to) a posed in-front-of-the-camera smile.

Observe, Observe, Observe
After you talk to the child, explain you’re going to get your camera ready and back away. The child will soon lose interest in you, giving you a chance to observe the child relating to the world. Inquisitive? Intent? Distracted? Capture that in your images.
If you’re taking photos of your own child, try observing your child as if you don’t know him/her at all. You’ll probably see some things you haven’t noticed before.

Be Unobtrusive
Use a telephoto lens. The best photographs of children are those when a kid is acting like a kid. To capture that and all the emotions that go with it, you need to be an unobtrusive as possible. Use a telephoto lens so you can have some real distance between you and the child. This will help the child tune you out and do whatever he or she does best, whether it’s play, dream, run around, make up stories. Capture that.
Alternately, move in close to the child to capture a curve of the cheek, curls tumbling down a forehead, eyes deep in thought.

Show the Child’s Environment
Try to take your photographs in a place that means something to the child. A bedroom, playroom, playground, field – all of these say something about how the child relates to the world. Does the child run freely across the open field or sit quietly reading a book? Does the child see how high he or she can climb a tree or does he/she prefer to lean against it and pet his/her dog? Is the child’s room spotless, showing the child’s organizational bent, or is it a wild jumble of clothes and toys?

Look for the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Take photos of the child doing everyday things like eating breakfast, elbows on the table, hair not yet combed; sleeping, curled up with a favorite animals or spread eagle, blankets off, bold even in sleep; doing homework, scowling over a difficult problem or with one eye on the TV. These say a whole lot about who the child is, which is way more moving than a posed photo with perfectly combed hair and a brand new outfit.

Try Shooting in Black and White
This really adds drama. Check it out. You can have black and white prints made from color negatives. You can also turn digital prints into black and white either in your camera (depending on which camera you use) or in a photo software program.

Above all, respect the child’s world. It is complex, compelling, and very, very deep.

Simple Photoshop Colouring Tutorial

In this quick and easy photoshop tutorial, I’m going to teach you how to colour your photographs the simple way. This is the colour effect that we want to achieve.

Step One: Find the image you want to use and open it in photoshop, file > open

Step Two: In the Layer Palette, right click on background and press Duplicate Layer then press Okay. Where it says “Normal” and Opacity “100%” in the drop down boxes, select Screen at opacity 75% (or whatever looks right for your image)

Step Three: In the bottom of the Layers Palette, find the button that says ‘Create new fill or adjustment layer’ when you hover over it. Click this button and the press Gradient Map. Select the black and white gradient, it should now look like this;

Step Four: Press Okay. Then in the drop down box in the layers palette, change the opacity to 56%

Step Five: Click the new fill or adjusment layer button again, then click Photo Filter. The filter will automatically be on Warming Filter (85) adjust the opacity to 100%. It should look like this;

Step Six: Press Okay. Then in the drop down box in the layers palette, change the layer type to Overlay and the opacity to 42%

Step Seven: Click the new fill or adjusment layer button again, then click Curves. In the drop down menu click Blue and adjust your blue curves like this;



Press Okay, and then you’re done.