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Is Professional Photography Dead? Getting Creative in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

June 8, 2011 By gjcloseu Leave a Comment

Are professional photographers becoming exinct? With digital cameras becoming so high-tech and readily available, and so much easier to use than the old days of film, it seems everyone these days is a photographer. Overnight photographers are popping up everywhere.

So where do we draw the line as a society as to what level of photography is worthy of payment, and how do we set boundaries between the true professional photographer worthy of our admiration and money, and the amateurs posing as a professionals?

The truth is the real professional photographers are still alive and well, but many are out of work, and many are frustrated.

The one area that can never afford to hand itself over to the amateur photographer is commercial photography. But with the economy struggling, the print industry declining, and many commercial photo studios not taking in high-dollar projects, many studios have closed their doors, and professional photographers are being forced into entirely new professions.

Large companies are still investing money into their advertising, but on much tighter budgets and on a much smaller scale. Gone are the extravagant days of high-dollar photo shoots with a large staff and catered lunches. Instead, these shoots are being replaced by more economical scaled down shoots with quick trips through the local drive-thru.

But with changes in technology and a bad economy, the industry must adapt.

One new company on the horizon in the Dallas- Fort Worth, TX. area is a direct result of the bad economy and current changes in the industry. Visual Advantages, LLC. , is not an agency, rather an independent commercial photo production company. The owner, Sallie LeBlanc, not only serves as shoot producer, but depending on the budget and shoot, also serves as stylist, and sometimes even the assistant. “I do not rent a studio nor have employees, so I am not under the same monetary constraint as other companies” said LeBlanc. “We are finding creative solutions to an ongoing need for great commercial photography, with the ultimate goal still always being happy clients and an amazing shoot.”

Technology, in a way, has evened the playing field. “A small local business 5 years ago probably could not afford these professioanl photographers, but today they can. My business is making professional photography accessible to everyone, big or small. And with so many people using websites as their primary way to advertise, I see the need for these types of photo shoots becoming more prevalent. Plus, we are putting professional photographers back to work!”

Visual Advantages, LLC is 100% commercial photography,covering the categories of Fashion, Food, Architecture and Interiors, Concerts, Lifestyle, Corporate, and Product. http://www.visualadvantages.com

So is professional photography dead? Not necessarily. It is just going to take more creative people to recreate it and serve it back to the public in new and better ways!

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Photography Careers?

June 8, 2011 By gjcloseu Leave a Comment

You may or may not know that there are really 3 areas in which you can pursue a career in photography. Your skills as a photographer and the training which you may have received will most likely influence which area you choose to pursue. These areas will be General, Commercial and Advertising Photography.

The general area is more dominated by covering such opportunities as weddings, senior portraits, family photos, you know the general sort of stuff. A good example of this is David Wadley, who provides Birmingham Wedding Photography. Most of the photographers in this area will not be using this income as their primary source.

Commercial photographers will work for businesses rather than the community. This will be shooting for the likes of magazines/catalogues, newspapers, architectural business, any type of corporation that require photographs to be taken. This could mean that you will be a staff photographer or working as a freelance. Freelance means that your hours are much more flexible but you’re generally not able to rely on a steady income. If you do work in this area then you will probably specialize in a specific area, such as food, concerts or motoring.

And as for advertising, well it’s a bit of an obvious one really because the clue is in the name. These photographers will help companies to advertise. This area is hard to break into, but when you do, you will find your name pretty much everywhere from magazines, tv shows, billboards and other types of media outlet. To get into this area you will have to find out how to climb the ladder to success and be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort doing so.

So before choosing what area you want to get into in your Photography career, make sure you know what it’s going to take and which would be best suited for you.

David Wadley

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Photography Information – Amateur Photography

June 8, 2011 By gjcloseu Leave a Comment

The photography information that I have for you today is going to be about creativity and how an amateur photographer that is having a problem with knowing what to shoot and even more so knowing how to shoot it, can use a few simple techniques to come up with some amazing photos. Lucky for any amateur photographer we have digital photography and with digital photography your creativity is only limited by the imagination.

It use to be that you needed to have a high dollar camera and several different types of lens to capture the kind of photos that you can from today’s point and click style digital camera. That is why I say the amateur photographer is lucky because these digital cameras have in side functions that allow you to use different techniques to take more creative pictures.

As a amateur photographer it has been drilled into your head that you must be still and steady.

You are told about the importance of keeping the camera still so that you come out with the sharpest image possible but sometimes you have to go out of focus to capture new and exciting photos. You need to experiment with your photography and think past your formal training.

A great way for you to experiment with your photography is to add motion to your images. This can be done by moving your camera or to have the subject moving. You could even create motion in the photo by having the background in the photo moving while the subject and the camera are still. By using any of these simple methods you can create images that are unusual and stand out from others.

One simple way to add motion is to simply twirl around and take a shot while you are twirling around. Take more than one photo while you are going around because you are sure to come out with a different image each time. I should add a word of caution here, twirling to fast can lead to fallen. No fun, especially if you land on your camera.

A safer way to capture motion is to stand still with your subject still and use the zoom on your digital camera. You will want to zoom in and out while you are actually taken the photo. Again here you will want to take more than one shot because you will capture a different image each time. You have the option to delete any images that you may not care for and remember it is not a bad shot if no one else sees it. As you can see, it is simple photography information like this that can have an amateur photographer shooting like a pro in no time at all.

From just being able to take a better picture to making money with your photography, we can help. Get your free copy of Your Top 10 Photography Questions do it before there gone!

In this episode Mark explains how the shutter works, shutter sync, and how to control the ambient light exposure while using a flash. Visit us online at: www.snapfactory.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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