photography

Find Your Photography Niche: You Don’t Have to Master It All

If you have a passion for photography, you should find out what your niche is and specialize in it. Do you want to be a professional photographer? Figuring out how to get to that level without any formal photography education can be tricky. Here are some tips from PhotoModeler that will come in handy when you are trying to find your niche:

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Understand the Different Niches

To find the niche that you should specialize in, you first need to know them all. They include:

Event photography – because the industry of event photography is big, it can pay good money. However, if you do not like traveling from one place to another, this niche is not for you.

Food photography – if you want to make some serious cash, you should venture into this industry because it pays very well. Just keep in mind that the equipment and setup can be a bit expensive.

Fashion photography – you will work with many high-profile people and your photos might be published in recognizable magazines. However, the sheer number of fashion photographers in the market might make it harder to penetrate.

Sports photography – as a sports photographer, you will have access to huge sporting events. To make it in sports photography, you have to be a big sports fan to ensure that your photos communicate the right message.

Fine art photography – you can start this career whilst working on your art, which makes the niche hard to penetrate. It is better suited for photographers who have been in the business for a while.

Stock photography – you can be a self-employed stock photographer, but you would have to take numerous photographs to make a decent income.

Portrait photography – this is a big market that will expose you to different types of people. However, it will take longer to establish your name as a brand.

Wedding photography – many photographers join the wedding industry because wedding photos are in demand and they can make good money. Before deciding to become a wedding photographer, you should know that it is a demanding job and you might need an assistant.

Try Everything Then Focus on What You Love

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If you are in the early stages of your photography journey, you should explore as many different niches as possible. You might find that you really like weddings, fashion, or portraiture. Many aspiring photographers let their fear stop them from trying different niches.

You should not expect to be good at everything that you try; just make sure that if you excel in one niche, you stick with it. When you explore different niches, you will learn a lot from photographers in different fields – this knowledge might come in handy later.

Never Stop Learning

If you pick a certain skill set, you need to immerse yourself in it during your free time. You do not even have to attend a college to learn the skill; you can just read books and articles written by photography experts and keep practicing what you read. If you invest your time in education, you will end up learning a lot.

Determine Your Inspiration

Without any inspiration, you will not find your niche quickly. You should ask yourself what inspires you if you want to develop a passion and love for a niche. If you choose a niche randomly, the art of taking photos will feel contrived and forced instead of coming naturally.

Moreover, you might end up disliking the random choice you made. If you think that you are a great fit for family photography but your first gig does not live up to your expectations, you should take some time to rethink your inspiration. If you have a penchant for lifestyle photos, you should shoot family photos in lifestyle mode.

Buy the Right Tools                           

The right equipment makes it easier for you to get a great shot. When you first start out, you will not know what the best tools for the job are. With time, as you learn what the best tools are and start using them, you will be able to choose the best photography software such as PhotoModeler and Photoshop. To understand how the software works, read articles such as PhotoModeler – How it Works.

This post was written by Ashley Lipman with PhotoModeler, a software development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada that develops and markets 3D modeling technology designed to bring the power of photogrammetry to a wide audience for practical application.


 

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Check Out This Quick 3 Minute Video For Photography Inspiration

Happy Friday! We wanted to share with you this quick 3-minute video to give you a little inspiration to start the weekend ahead. 

Pretty much every one of us who is a photographer picked up a camera and started taking photos because they were passionate about it. Sometimes we can let the business, money or stress of life take away that passion that we once felt. 

Always strive to keep your passion alive. You will find that is makes you an even better photographer in the long-run. 

We hope you enjoy this video below by Gio Bartlett.


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The Most Iconic Prop From Star Wars Is.... A Camera Flash

Who knew that a camera flash would be the most iconic prop from Star Wars. In the movie, the handles of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s lightsabers were both made from vintage camera flash guns. Pretty cool, huh?!? 

Watch this short episode below where DigitalRev In-Focus explains how set decorator Roger Christian is responsible for making the most iconic prop from Star Wars being a camera flash. 

Star Wars had quite a small budget at first, so Christian had to visit antique dealers and thrift shops for prop ideas, and in a tiny photography shop on London’s West End, he found a 1940s Graflex camera with a 3-cell flash gun attached. The flash gun, with only minor modifications, would become Luke’s iconic lightsaber. Watch more in the video below:

It only cost Christian $15 to convert the flash gun to a lightsaber, but one of the two he created was sold to a museum in Seattle for $250,000, making this flash handle one of the most expensive movie weapon props ever sold. In the original article on PetaPixel, they said, "thanks to the prop’s “return” in Episode 7, chances are good that price (and the flash gun’s status) will only go up."

Photo credit: PetaPixel

Photo credit: PetaPixel

If you love Star Wars, just like we do, be sure to watch the video above to hear more about this piece of camera equipment and how it became one of the best-known props in movie history. 

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This Photographer Dances Around While Photographing A Couple

Are you a wedding photographer or take portraits of couples, families or even children? We saw this video on Facebook and just HAD to share with you all! This photographer is dancing around and shooting in tons of different places. It is definitely a unique way to capture many different angles of the couple! We are pretty sure this would be a fun way to get your younger clients to smile! 

What did you think of this photographer? Tell us below! 

Pretty interesting if you ask us...  we would love to see the photos he has captured after shooting the way he does. Did you love this video? If so, here are a few more you may enjoy:


 

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7 Easy Steps To Improve Your Photography

Like we always say about anything in life, you always want to continue learning and growing. That goes for your photography as well. There are so many different things you can do if you want to keep improving your work. Read everything you can about your craft. (Here are a few books about photography that you could start with)! You could also take classes and you want to take photos all the time. 

Many people think that you can make your photos better with simply photo editing everything, but that is not all it takes. Editing is helpful when needed, but you want to shoot your photography as best as you can the first time. Here are 7 easy steps that can help you improve your photography skills that we found on Huffington Post

1. Read your camera's user manual.

Don't overlook your camera's user manual. It does contain a lot of information that is key to helping you make the most out of your camera and learn how to take the best possible photos you can. 

2. Apply what you read.

Once you read the user manual and hear about all the other great things your camera can do, go try it out and experiment with what you learned. 

Photo credit: StockSnap

Photo credit: StockSnap

3. Make the most out of what your camera can do! 

You do not need the most expensive camera out there to take the best photos... you just have to make the most out of the camera you have and what it can do. 

4. Use a tripod. 

Many people find that using a tripod can dramatically improve the quality of your photos. It can give you stability when shooting which in turn makes your images come out sharper and more balanced. Just be sure your tripod and camera are on a stable, flat surface because you do not want your photos to come out slanted. 

The photo to the right is a great and lightweight tripod that you may like. You can see more details on the product here

5. Use the edges of each element as a guide in framing your photo. 

To make your photos more balanced and visually appealing line up the edges of certain elements in the frame to create a pathway that leads to your subject. Aside from edges and lines, look for other interesting shapes, textures and patterns in the scene that you can use as a guide in framing your subject. 

6. Expose your work and photos to others. 

Attend exhibits, read about photography tips and tricks that other photographers have written or on sites such as Camera Giveaways and look at as much photography as you can. If you see a photo you like, make a note and then experiment on how you can recreate that particular style with your camera. 

7. Ask others for feedback on your work. 

Feedback from others can help you find out what you are doing wrong and what you need to improve. Whether you regularly talk with other photographers in your city, or you use photo sharing sites like Flickr where you can upload your photos for critiquing, getting that feedback will be so beneficial if you are looking to improve your work.


 

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Photo Of The Week

Today we want to showcase this amazing landscape photo by Justin with Justin Katz Photography of Mount Lassen, CA.  

Justin Katz is an award-winning professional photographer living in San Francisco. His collection of fine-art landscape photography focuses on only the most astonishing and breathtaking scenes that he has been fortunate enough to experience. 

To see more from Justin Katz Photography visit him at www.jkatzphoto.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and on Instagram
 

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to kari@snapknot.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.
 

5 Minute Video on the History of Photography

Every one of you who is reading this most likely loves photography. Whether you are a professional photographer who has your own business or you just have a passion for taking photographs of anything and everything during your free time, you should check out this video.

This quick, 5-minute video by the Cooperative of Photography is all about the history of photography. See how the first digital camera was created, what the first "photoshopped" photo was and even who took the world's first selfie. Check it out and enjoy! 

We hope you enjoyed this video that we originally found on FStoppers

Did you love this? You will also enjoy reading these other fun photography articles:


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1 Man and 6 Different Photographer Perspectives

It is truly interesting how every photographer can see the same subject in a different perspective. Canon captures it perfectly with this really cool project they did and we just had to show it to you all today. One man was photographed with six different photographer perspectives. 

Photo credit: Tip Hero

Photo credit: Tip Hero

No matter what type of equipment you use, this shows that the camera is really not what does the work and it is the person behind the camera who makes the photo what it is. A different angle, a specific pose or even the expression captured on the subjects face can make one person look like many different types of people. It is all in how you capture them. 

Check out this really awesome video below and be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments below. 

We originally saw this video on Tip Hero


 

"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." That quote is so true and explains what this video is trying to show.  Do you love this quote? Why not get it on a coffee mug for daily inspiration? Get it here for only $19!

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A Couple's Creative Photos From Opposite Sides Of The World

This couple makes art together called ShinLiArt and their relationship recently became a long distance one where Seok Li is living in Seoul, South Korea and Danbi Shin is living in New York City. Their creativity still lives on as they have not let distance get in the way. They began these creative photos from opposite sides of the world that they post on their Instagram account.  

Their photos feature half-and-half split screen photos that blend their two worlds in beautiful ways. They each have been shooting similar scenes in their cities and then splicing them together to create interesting mashups that show the differences and the similarities of living in South Korea and the USA.

The name of their project is "Half & Half" and the couple says they work on this project together in real time, despite the 12-hour time difference, communicating over the phone and snapping the photos simultaneously. Check out a few of their great photos below that we originally found on Petapixel

If you want to follow this project, follow them on Instagram @shinliart. Be sure to check out this couples art on their website www.shinli-art.com

Did you love these photos? Here are a few others you may enjoy:

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5 Year Old Photographer Who Has More Than 140,000 Instagram Followers!

This 5 year old is Hawkeye Huey. His dad, Aaron Huey, a National Geographic photographer, started making his way around the West Coast in 2014 and wanted to share the fun with his son, who was 4 at the time. He bought Hawkeye a Fuji Instax camera and loved seeing his son's perspective with the things he photographed. 

Now, Hawkeye has more than 139,000 followers on an Instagram account run by his father and he is now represented by National Geographic. They also started raising money through Kickstarter to help Hawkeye publish his first book. The fundraiser is complete and they raised well over their initial goal of $35,000.  

Huey shared some of his best shots with Business Insider and we wanted to share them here for you all to see the unique perspective of this 5 year old! 

The father and son traveled from Seattle to the Salton Sea in southern California. Their goal was to build and sleep in blanket forts in the desert. They went to rodeos, climbed mountains and visited Native American markets. 

Huey posted one photo of his son with his camera and his followers wanted to see more but he did not want to flood his account. It was actually National Geographic who suggested to start a separate account for Hawkeye, and by the end of the first day, 10,000 people had started following him. You can follow his work on Instagram @HawkeyeHuey

Huey said that what makes Hawkeye's images so special is "one of the most obvious things about them is that they are from 3 feet off the ground. It is an angle no one ever sees."

Here are a few of Hawkeye's photos. 

After Hawkeye had taken about 500 photos, his dad felt there were enough for a book, so he organized the best shots. By the time he turned 5, Hawkeye had taken almost 1,000 photos. 

Be sure to read more about their journey, some of their favorite stops and things they photographed on the original article in Business Insider

What do you think of this boy's work? Tell us below! 

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