Female Photography

The most inspirational figure of all times, in photography, is of a woman. Yet female photography has been the root cause of many scandals. Women and their form have fascinated many a famous painters and sculptors including Vinci, Raphael, Picasso, Vermeer etc. Some of the other great pieces of art depicting women include 'Whistler's Mother' and the 'Venus De Milo'. Photography, which came into existence later, just followed this pattern and brought images to life using depth and colors.

One of the most famous photographs of all times is the face of an Afghan girl on the cover of National Geographic magazine's 1985 issue. Her name is Sharbat Gula and the photograph of her direct gaze into the camera, intrigued many people for years; Steve McCurry took this photograph. Female Photography can be well divided into various forms like fashion model photography, nude photography, celebrity photography, and self-portraits. Nude photography has got be that one form of photography that has shaped and influenced the perspective of people worldwide.

Photography is an art, which can fill your heart with the joy of having achieved the extraordinary.. The most important criteria for becoming a good photographer is to have passion for taking pictures. You should have the ability to feel the intensity in the eyes of a woman, to understand the female form, its delicate nuances, and understand and appreciate the many of moods of woman. Additionally, a dexterous hand at being able to experiment with light and shadows will bring out the depths and tones in your pictures.

There are three very important aspects of photographing women:

Setting the surrounding or the scene: How the photographs really come out depends a lot on the immediate surrounding. The subject's expressions can also vary with the surrounding. If you are trying to take a photograph in the middle of a bustling street then your subject may also feel the crowd around her and this can easily affect her expressions. On the other hand, a photograph on a secluded waterfront might bring out the best expressions. Creativity plays an important role; the more creative you are regarding the settings, the better the photograph will be.

Lighting Conditions: Lighting conditions are important for getting the best out of a photograph. Too much or too less light can expose the photograph and destroy its effect. The best option is to have a soft bulb light, which works better than a flash. Always remember, to place the light source either on the subjects left side or the right side. This will bring out the details in the face. You can always experiment with the position of the light and even bounce it off the ceiling but never place it in the front, as it will lead to reflection in the photograph. You can also use a soft side light for creating shadows and use a filler flash to light up the face of the model.

Getting it right: Getting the 'perfect' shot during female photography shoot, is a challenging task. Try to use a long lens and take the picture moving away from the subject. You can also use a tripod to get a steady shot. Most of the top-notch female photographers use a small aperture and a long shutter speed. Last but not the least; you need to take as many shots as possible with different expressions so that you can get the perfect shot.

Women are enigmatic and mysterious. Female photography is an ode to this most beautiful creation of God!

Features Of A Waterproof Digital Camera

Why in the world would you need a waterproof digital camera? No, you don't have to be a scuba diver to have this need. You could need one because you like to sail or enjoy taking pictures outdoors. Even the rain can harm some types of digital cameras. So, if you enjoy taking pictures you may want to look into options for a waterproof camera.

The options range from waterproof casings to waterproof and weather resistant digital cameras. A waterproof casing is basically a housing unit you can buy for your existing camera and use when the conditions require it. These units can be purchased for most cameras as they are manufactured by many of the larger camera companies including, Canon, Olympus and Sony. If scuba diving were your thing, you can purchase a waterproof casing that is capable of being submersed 130 feet.

If you don't want to add the casing to your existing camera and have an ongoing need for a waterproof digital camera there are many options on the market today. Again, Canon, Olympus, Sony and Pentax all offer a waterproof camera. These cameras have all of the bells and whistles of non waterproof models from flash to movie making capabilities. It is better to purchase a package deal that includes a memory card, editing software, and USB connection.

There are many factors to consider with deciding on purchasing a waterproof casing or waterproof camera, not the least of which is price. How much you are able to spend will determine the resolution you are able to obtain. Low resolutions cameras around two megapixels are suitable for printing 5x7 photos and email while it is recommend you have at least a four megapixel camera for larger prints. Only professionals who will be doing editing really have then need for a camera over 5 megapixels.

An important characteristic to keep in mind when purchasing a waterproof camera is ease of use. Personally, I want something that I can take right out of the box, point and shoot. The more hassle and setup involved the more likely I am to say "forget it." Some cameras also take a long time to warm up and start. If you are going to the trouble of purchasing a waterproof camera in the first place, you are likely shooting in wet conditions and will want something that starts fast. Another feature to check out is the LCD display. Make sure you can easily view this in all lighting conditions from low light to sunlight.

Now get out there and start taking some photos with your new waterproof camera.

Fearmongering In The Media

    Having recently watched "Bowling for Columbine" for the 2nd time, I still remain chilled with emotion regarding the events leading up to the making of the film. And although many years have passed since the actual incident, the proximity of such chaos remains close.

Why is that?

Why is it that in 2007, people will grab the gun to deal with what bothers them rather than use their intellect? We have to assume that these people do possess some form of cerebral activity, si...

Having recently watched "Bowling for Columbine" for the 2nd time, I still remain chilled with emotion regarding the events leading up to the making of the film. And although many years have passed since the actual incident, the proximity of such chaos remains close.

Why is that?

Why is it that in 2007, people will grab the gun to deal with what bothers them rather than use their intellect? We have to assume that these people do possess some form of cerebral activity, since they can identify and recognize whatever, or whomever is the source of their aggravation. And thusly react accordingly in the simplest and most violent way possible.

Again, why is that?

Probably because they – and this can be extended to include the general populace – are told that things in general are dangerous, bad, and not like you and I. Hey, we're constantly reminded of how pathetic the healthcare system is, the ballooning of unemployment rates, and how (insert noun here) could possibly be linked towards maybe perhaps giving us a slight chance that potentially might give us cancer. Maybe. With news like that, I'm almost inclined to fetch my Smith & Wesson and sit on the front porch just itchin' to delete anything that crosses me wrong.

Think about this: most newscasts feature "human interest stories." Why then, are the stories that are, by definition, interesting to humans not shown at the top of the broadcast? Do the stories that are important to my dog take precedence over me? Are we living on the Planet of the Apes, therefore needing to wait until the simian population gets their news first?

No, of course not.

What we are living in is a 24 hour news broadcast of perpetual despair and doom & gloom. Is not the most depressing show on television the nightly news? Economic downtown, political scandal, violence, murder, and the occasional nipple shown on TV. And I can't change the channel because, according to TV, this is the world I live in. There's no escape, except maybe on that Mars rover. Oh wait, that cost 3 billion dollars, more bad news for the taxpayer.

Everyone it seems needs to proclaim bad news to get their message heard. "We're protesting because," "we're here because," "this is a problem because." Even George W. Bush, the friggin' President of the United States of America called a news conference to tell us that "a blanket alert has been issued over a general threat."  What the hell does that mean? Did he really need to call a presser to tell us that? Was there not anything else on his mind that would have attracted the attention of the people besides a cryptic message stating that we're all in danger?

Maybe we're all voyeurs. Perhaps we want to see the misery that other people go through, in order to feel better about ourselves. Could it be that when we see that Ford stocks have dropped because their new minivan explodes when you start it, we need to go off on a rampage to sympathize with that poor soccer mom?

Bad news will always beget bad news. After Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald on TV, nobody changed the channel because everyone was scared they might miss something.  We see crummy things, we act crummy, and then we watch the crummy news to see if the crummy thing we did will be on.

How nice.

Yes, the world does indeed suck. Maybe all those moody teenagers have it right. Still, we can show 'em. How about news and information that is good and useful? "Today on CNN, how to make fat free chocolate." Wouldn't that be nice, rather than "today on CNN, every person in the world is overweight." I think so. Every nightly newscast should be read by the Care Bears. Newspapers should be written in magic marker. And you can only watch CNN, or anything like that after your bedtime story.

Yeah, that'll get great ratings.

Fashion Photography

    Are you someone who likes to mingle with celebrities? Do you like to take their photographs as well? If the above is true then fashion photography can be your career path. As a fashion photographer, you will be taking pictures of models and celebrities and portraits. To be successful in this kind of photography, you need to have a keen sense of marketing. You should be able to sell a pose, a face and even a feeling. We are talking about a very competitive world where it is no...


Are you someone who likes to mingle with celebrities? Do you like to take their photographs as well? If the above is true then fashion photography can be your career path. As a fashion photographer, you will be taking pictures of models and celebrities and portraits. To be successful in this kind of photography, you need to have a keen sense of marketing. You should be able to sell a pose, a face and even a feeling. We are talking about a very competitive world where it is not going to be easy to get noticed because most of the magazines and agencies prefer working with photographers with reputation or who can deliver the best shot.

This doesn't mean that you should not aspire to be a fashion photographer. It means that you will have to work harder to get your work published, recognized and accepted. It is always a good idea to start by getting some exposure through working in small agencies and work with lesser known models and then slowly create a portfolio that can always be enhanced. You will have to create a reputation of being a professional and creative shooter and this is one of the key factors. As a fashion photographer, you should know about studio lighting, design setting and shooting in a controlled environment. You may have to get involved in direction and work with your crew to help them with lights, make-up and backgrounds. This needs you to be aware as a person and knowledgeable as a photographer.

Working with models can be quite a challenging job and the most important part lies in setting the mood for your models. You can overcome this obstacle through effective communication and patience. So in a nutshell, fashion photography is not just about photography but also requires you to be able to interact and communicate with people.

The basic skills of photography are all the same. You need to have knowledge and should be able to understand camera operation, composition, lighting, darkroom procedures, and the properties of different types of camera films. As a photographer, you will have to use different combinations of cameras, films, lenses, filters, and lighting to produce an effect, and a final picture. Different types of photography like nature, wildlife, wedding, portrait and fashion have their specific requirements and understanding of the subject.

In fashion photography, the subject usually is a model. The position of the camera is important for shooting a good picture. If you are planning to shoot a full body photo of any model, then the shot needs to be taken from a relatively low camera height, which should not exceed the photographer's hips. The ever popular head shot or head and shoulders portrait has to be taken from slightly above the eye level of the model. This height will bring out well defined facial features but if you don't maintain the right level then your photograph will have a distorted view. But the best pictures can be taken if you shoot from below eye level and that is how most world leaders are photographed. This level will make your subject look taller and dominant.