Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with photography

Best/Cheapest Photography training in Southern California

samuel1613 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:11:26 -0800

Best value for the money Photography training in Southern California? My wife is a photographer who has done a dozen weddings, some babys, family, engagement, and party shoots. She is looking to learn more about photography, from f stops and aperature settings, to spot light/stobe placement, to photoshop skills and how to get more clientele. The works, start to finish. The NY school of photography kit she bought is boring, tape lectures and reading. She is looking for hands on training. One photographer in Houston charges $1500 for a one day tranining session, and something like this also looks interesting: http://tinyurl.com/5bp6n4. I would image the LA area has plenty of other "hands on training" sessions that are either more robust, or less expensive. Please give me the names of programs/instructors you have personally used, or resources to find such a program, thanks!

How do you get photography into them?

slimeline — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:59:40 -0800

What are the best exercises to improve photographic skills? I am planning a series of workshops with both young and mature students who want to engage with photography. The workshops can be a preparation for studying photography at university or form a basis of a portfolio. Ultimately I am trying to encourage creative development and critical thinking about photography. I am looking for exercises and workouts that help to develop visual literacy skills, make students think creatively and force them to get out of their photographic 'comfort zone'.

The challenge is to set up tasks that make the students ask questions about the limits of photography, about the ways in which photographs are being produced and perceived.

What assignments encourage thinking and seeing like an artist, an art director or an editor?

The essence of the question is: What are the best ways of developing creative photographic skills?

SLRockin

tmcw — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:08:26 -0800

My roommate's looking for a $4-600 SLR + Lens combo. That's pretty much it. He doesn't have any lenses that are worth porting over, so no influence on brand in that area. I have a Canon, though, and some good lenses, so I might lend one to him if he gets something similar. He shoots mostly daylight city, events, type of stuff: not as much landscape or low-light, but I'm sure he'll cover the range. I'm not sure what to go with at this particular time (with the seeming explosion of prosumer cams), but there must be something good to get at this price point?

Thanks for any info!

Show me people who feel good about the way they look.

arianell — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:20:27 -0800

I'm looking for pictures that could serve as an antidote to "thinspiration". I'm recovering from an eating disorder, and I've recently gained more weight than I'm comfortable with. Rationally, I know I look fine, but occasionally I look in the mirror and freak out a little bit. I'm having a bit of trouble feeling attractive and sexy in my "new" body.

I think it would be good for my self-esteem if I could find a collection of photographs that highlight the fact that it's possible to be beautiful at any size. So, does anyone know of any websites or photography books that showcase people of all different sizes? Erotic and/or nude pictures would be especially cool, but I'd also appreciate any images that feature imperfect people embracing their flaws.

Thanks!

Help me shoot the bride.

Soulbee — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:03:16 -0800

Please give me YOUR TIPS for wedding photography. I have tirelessly searched google, read excerpts from books etc. I don't need links. I need YOUR REAL LIFE TIPS on wedding photography. What worked at your wedding? What did your photographer do that you liked, and that you didn't like? If you've had experience photographing weddings, what worked and what didn't work for you? FYI my equipment is as follows: Canon EOS 20D (my primary camera), mounted with Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS and the Canon Speedlite 580 EXII flash with a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud diffuser; back up camera is Canon Rebel XT mounted with a Sigma MACRO 70mm F2.8 EX DG (my portrait lens for these events) and a Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO lens if needed. Also, Macbook Pro 15' loaded with Lightroom for immediate feedback.
The main events will be as followed:
1 dawn ceremony on the beach (east coast USA)
1 indoor evening reception in a fairly lowlit facility with no natural light that I am unable to "scope out" in advance.
1 reception/ceremony a week later in at Architectural Artifacts Atrium in Chicago (I've never been there but seen pictures) and will be able to get in the night before for a the rehearsal dinner.
I have a professional tripod, I have charged batteries for cameras and flash and computer, I have a CF card management system and file management system on the computer in place. I will easily be able to "dump" photos onto my computer as necessary during most parts of the two weddings, but I have extra CF cards just in case.

So what am I forgetting, or what else should I be doing? Again, I've done my research on the internet, looked at old askme posts and looked at some books as well as wedding magazines, but I thought I'd seek specific or additional suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Eyes wide shut

madforplaid — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:11:54 -0800

I seem to be incapable of posing for a photograph without blinking! What to do? In most photos, my eyes will be completely closed, but occasionally I will manage to pull off a very unfetching narrowed eyes look.

I currently deal with this problem by pathetically begging the person behind the camera not to use the flash (with mixed results).

I don't want to be the token dorkus malorkus in all my friends' photo collections forever! Do any professional photographers or reformed blinkers have any tips?

Why won't my Macbook recognize my Canon S3 IS as a device?

deern the headlice — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:22:52 -0800

Trying and failing to transfer photos from camera to laptop - why won't my Macbook recognize my Canon S3 IS as a device? Sorry to ask such a newb question.

I made the switch to Mac only a week ago (refurb Macbook Pro 15", OSX 10.5.4) then immediately went on a week's vacation. So here I am with a camera full of pics, but when I connect the camera to the laptop via USB, nothing happens. No prompt, no recognition of a new device. I've tried adjusting the camera between shoot and playback modes, nothing happens.

Being new to Macs, I'm not 100% sure what's even supposed to happen.

The camera is, however, displaying a blinking yellow light that I've never seen before. Also, I'm using my girlfriend's camera/USB cable which dates back to 2004. Could the cable be the problem?

I'm pretty hardware clueless, unfortunately. Any ideas?

potental peter parker persues pals

shothotbot — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:29:56 -0800

I just took my first photography class and had a lot of fun. (Thanks AskMe!) One of the best things was getting shooting assignments. Are there groups of people who give themselves shooting assignments, say weekly, and then share and discuss the results? Where are they?

What is the best approach to reproducible color management?

teem — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:08:23 -0800

What is the best approach to color management? I only just realised that how I see my photos in iPhoto, Photoshop, and Safari isn't how the majority of people on the net are seeing them? What is the best setup for consistent color management that still looks good? Example: Smitten Kitchen versus Use real butter. Both food blogs (neither one mine) look great in Safari, but in Firefox Use real butter's pictures lose saturation, while Smitten Kitchen's remain brilliant.

What combination of setups should I use in my camera, iPhoto, Photoshop, and browser in order to color manage like Smitten Kitchen?

I read This previous question, but was keen to know if any recommendations have changed now that 2 years have passed.

Looking for innovative OFFLINE ways to display and share my photos

scrm — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:30:37 -0800

I'm looking for innovative OFFLINE ways to display and share my photos. I'm interested in photography and have amassed a collection of my photos that I display on the web (there's a sample in my profile for anyone who's interested).

However I'm getting tired of using the medium of the screen as a way of displaying and sharing my photos. Printing the photos and hanging them on the wall is rather dull and obvious.

I'm looking for suggestions for displaying and sharing personal photos in 2008 that are fresh, cheap and relatively straightforward to implement. Extra points for using alternative and surprising media that haven't yet been thought of as a channel for digital art.

What are your experiences and ideas?

Gallery-quality prints from slides.

Sreiny — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:13:07 -0800

What are my options for gallery-quality prints from slide film? I've had an inquiry in showing some of my photographs in a small gallery here in the city. All of the photos were shot with slide film. In the past I've scanned, had printed and framed these on a purely consumer level. I'd like to look into what processes (printing methods, scanning, etc), papers, framing that professional fine art photographers employ when they need to have gallery-quality photographs from transparency film produced.

For now, let's assume that price isn't the biggest factor and that the photos would be around 16x20. I'm in Chicago, if that helps. Your help is much appreciated!

help my sister live off her lens.

Industrial PhD — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:39:34 -0800

I'm trying to help my sister figure out how to make a living via photography. Will you help me, help her? My sister just graduated from high school, she's 18, and she's got a summer job at a water park.

She's decided she wants to make a career out of her love of photography. She's got a decent camera, not quite a DSLR, but she wants a D60 or something similar.

The crux is where does she start? My parents want her to start a freelance company right from the start, but I don't think she has the business skills or enough developed skills at this point to succeed at something like that. She expressed interest in attending a very prestigious photography school, but it's super expensive and the area is super expensive as well, and that's just not in the budget. Someone recommended trying to get a job with a local newspaper?

I saw several other questions somewhat related to this, but they are all several years old, and in this business the medium changes so quickly I wanted to get a fresh take.

So, hive - any suggestions? What are some must-haves? Camera specs? Accessory equipment? Does she need a portfolio? We are both kind of clueless on this one.

If it helps we're in Central California, but she's got a thing for SoCal. Any Cali-based suggestions earn bonus marks.

Do film cameras have any unique benefits?

invitapriore — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:04:29 -0800

In terms of output, what are the benefits to using film cameras over digital? I want to get back into photography. For a long time back in high school, I had access to a friend's semi-DSLR (lens not removable, fully adjustable shutter speed and aperture but limited choices in terms of things like white balance) and now I want to get back into photography. I've always been drawn to the idea of film cameras, and a friend of mine has a dark room, but my concern is the result and not so much the process. Does the medium of film have any unique advantages in terms of the images you can create?

My budget isn't very high, so if I were to go with a DSLR it would have to be old and somewhat cheap. Given this, the initially low investment that a film camera represents is somewhat alluring. I understand that film is a repeated expenditure, but I don't think I'll be shooting so much that it'll be a strain on my income.

Will shoot for money!

sixcolors — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:52:35 -0800

Tips for finding well-paying photography gigs? I started photography as a hobby in 2002. I've been taking a lot of pictures with my point-and-shoot digital and film SLR camera. I got a digital SLR last May. Since then, I've been taking tons of pictures, sometimes over a 100 a day. My confidence has been increasing, and I'm now interested in taking some paid photo gigs.

The problem is that I don't even know how to start. What kind of businesses should I contact? What kind of individuals should I contact? How? Email? Phone? Craigslist? Word of mouth?

Artist seeks Santa 2.0

Ogre Lawless — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:01:35 -0800

Artist/illustrator seeks photo reference for Santa 2.0. Perhaps you source? No raunchies need apply... I have on a few occasions in the past years run across friends of mine or strangers on the street in some moment of beatific corpulence bordering on the hirsute and it has struck me that they represented either some facet of a theoretical Santa's existence (Santa as a young man, Santa on his wedding day, Santa as a disgruntled 30-something, Distinguished Black Santa, etc) but I was never able to capture them photographically and of course by now they have all shaved and moved on.

Conceptually perhaps you can see where I am steering. I very much love the powdered white Santa and regard that image as, of course, iconic but for my own card wanted to show a man having had an inner journey to become that iconic symbol.

Hopefully one of you digital photo obsessives will have captured one of your friends in a frame that fits?

Best wildflowers in Colorado?

notsnot — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:28:13 -0800

ColoradoWildflowerFilter: Two guys, four days, a crapload of camera gear, last gasp before one guy gets married. We plan to be in Aspen first thing Friday morning, and need to leave the state by noon (preferably just after sunrise) on Monday. Where are the best stands of wildflowers *right*now*? Other details: We plan to drive a Mazda Protege as far as we dare up the way to Yankee Boy, American, and Governor's Basins, then mountain bike with heavy camera gear the rest of the way. But the "peak" best I can tell, is still a couple weeks off in those basins.

So, where are the best fields of flowers that can be gotten to? What else is not to be missed this time of year?

Bonus: Where's the best place to stock up on beer? We'd like to come home with a couple, ten cases of stuff we can't get back home.

Illustrator that creates interiors with outdoor elements?

suzen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:57:39 -0800

I'm looking for an illustrator that creates images of interiors with exterior elements. I know I've seen something like it at some point and this image evokes my memory of the style cues. I'm having trouble constructing a searchable phrase that will lead me there.

Help me get my hands on Trent Parke. I mean, his photo books.

neblina_matinal — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:52:22 -0800

It's driving me mental. I *must* get Trent Parke's "Dream/Life" and "The Seventh Wave" photo books. They are nowhere for sale. Or are they? Please MeFi, tell me you know how to help me get my hands on these... Pretty please?

In search of lovers

the littlest brussels sprout — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:51:05 -0800

Where can I purchase a print of this photograph by Imogen Cunningham? . . . Note: if you're searching at work, some of Cunningham's works depict nudity.

How do you work this thing?

katillathehun — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:14:48 -0800

I've recently inherited a few old cameras from my late grandfather, my favorite of which is a Minolta Hi-Matic G in almost perfect condition. I need a little help using it and finding out what can be used with it. 1. What kind of flash(es) can be used with it?

The Electroflash 20 that came with it doesn't appear to work anymore. Well, it makes that whine like it's charging, but it never seems to fully charge, and it doesn't fire. Anyway, I haven't been able to find another one exactly like it. I have found other Electroflashes on eBay, but I don't know anything about these things, like if any of them would be compatible. Honestly, I don't know much about flash photography in general; I avoid using a flash whenever I can. Still, I'd like to have something if and when I need it.

2. There's some threading on the lens housing. Can something be screwed into that? Like, I don't know, a filter or um... something? If so, what?

Might be obvious, but I'm not educated on this stuff, and there's no manual.

3. So, who knows where I can download a manual?

I found one for sale, but if anyone knows where I can download one, you'll be my hero, the wind beneath my wings, everything I'd like to be, etc.

Where can I take pictures in DC?

fogster — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:47:01 -0800

Photography in Washington, DC: Where can I take my camera, and where can I take my tripod? I'm going to DC for a few days, and would like to take some pictures. I'm an avid photographer, and will be bringing a large SLR and tripod, so "sneak the camera in your back pocket" isn't an option. Showing up at a place with my camera that doesn't allow it would be a major imposition to me and everyone I'm traveling with, so I'd like to hit the ground running.

Can anyone comment whether cameras and tripods are permitted at the following places:
- White House (okay, this is a no, I know)
- Old Post Office Pavilion
- On/of the metro trains? (Boston's T doesn't allow photography, I know)
- The various Monuments (I've heard that the Lincoln Monument security disallow tripods)
- Inside the Capitol
- National Cathedral
- Smithsonian
- International Spy Museum (no cameras per their site)

Bonus points: any other good places I should bring the camera that I haven't thought of?

f-stop my heart

drpynchon — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:52:56 -0800

DSLR recommendations anyone? So I'm finally thinking about going the DSLR route and I'd like advice on how to get the pictures I'd like to shoot at the most reasonable price (body + lens). The stipulations are as follows:

1) I'm mainly interested in low light portraits and food shots. Think lighting levels at your average fancy restaurant at dinner time. Some shots may ultimately end up on something amounting to a food blog.

2) I'm a relative beginner.

3) Shots will likely be handheld.

4) I'd really like to pull it off without the use of a flash, and wonder if that's even reasonable.

5) I don't necessarily need lots of bells and whistles on the body, and would easily give such things up for a fast lens that can sop up lots of light and yields a nice bokeh. That said, am I correct in believing that a budget body/processor is going to limit the use of higher ISOs? Any comments on the ISO/f-stop issue would be welcome.

6) Starting with just 1 lens and the body, I'd love to do this at under or around $1000.

Again, I'm a relative noob so any input is much appreciated. And yes, I've read all the dashiv posts on photography.

In The Dark About Noir

Xurando — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:58:39 -0800

After reading this article on Weegee, I started thinking about the concept of Noir and wondered about this question. "Does Noir exist as a current idiom or appear in a culture in America in 2008, and if so where might it be found?" I know that Weegee's art is a classic example of Noir and was a reflection of the culture he photographed. If a photographer wanted to take similar pictures today where might he'/she go to catch a glimpse of Noir?

Please help me with the CHDK menu for my Canon SD800?

laskagirl — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:28:22 -0800

CHDK question for Canon SD800 IS I installed Allbest's CDHK on my Canon SD800 IS. I want to do one thing: shoot photos with a several-second exposure (mainly to get the blurred effect of moving water, etc.). When I do this, using the instructions in the Wiki, the picture comes out completely white or almost completely white. I'm sure that there is a way to set it correctly. But, after looking through the Wiki again, I can't figure it out. MeFites, you usually know all. Can you help me?

In case you want to know what version of CDHK I'm using, it's allbest-ixus850_sd800-100e-50.

Thanks, all!

Inserting exposure metadata into scanned photographs

ztdavis — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:13:12 -0800

Is it possible to (and how would you) add shutter speed, f-stop, ISO, lens, and camera metadata to scanned files saved in a .psd format? I have photoshop, lightroom, and bridge. I know how to add tags and change the usual metadata stuff. I just can't figure out how to change these particular fields when they aren't written into the file to begin with as they are with DSLR files.