How to take photos that will wow your friends?

Short article published on http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Take-Photos-That-Will-Wow-Your-Friends&id=2016030, written by yours truly, enjoy.


Digital cameras are getting smarter and more affordable. However, this doesn't make us a better photographer automatically. Almost everyone has a camera now, wouldn't it be nice to awe your friends with the photos that they can't seem to produce? Here are a few tips which they might not know, hence giving you an edge:

1) Learn to see the light:
- The colour of sunset and sunrise are warm and orange. It is hard not to take a good photo with this colourful and uni-directional light.
- Mid-day sun casts harsh shadows. Turn on your flash, it helps fill the shadows and you might be surprised at the result
- Unless you know what you are doing, don't place the sun or the main light source behind the subject. It will render the subject black. Exceptions to this include taking photographs of silhouette.
- Window light are soft and directional and will produce flattering portraits.

2) Learn to compose your photo:
-Placing your subject off centre. By default, most cameras will autofocus on the subject in the centre of the frame. Put your subject in the centre first, press and hold the shutter button halfway to lock focus, and recompose by placing the subject off to one side. Continue to depress the button all the way down.
-Photos taken at eye level are boring, climb up high or get down low.
-Most people hold their camera horizontally (it's just fits the hands perfectly). Try shooting verticals or even 45 degrees!
-If there are multiple subjects (like a flock of birds), take a photo of 3 (or any odd number) of them.
-If you are taking a landscape shot, divide the photo in horizontal thirds. Place the horizon on the top or bottom third.

3) Learn your gear:
The camera has many functions and customizable settings. Each of them can produce varied and interesting result. Read the user manual and try each different setting. Buying an expensive camera and putting it on auto, is like buying a Rolls Royce but using only it's radio. Here are some popular settings that you can experiment with:
- White balance: It changes the colour/tint of the phoograph from Blue to Orange.
- Exposure compensation: If the photo looks too dark, re-shoot it with exposure compensation turned up. If the photo looks too bright, turn the compensation down.
- Finer settings such as contrast and saturation could also be play around with.

Photography is an art. The thing about art is to learn the rules and then know when to break them. The tips above are meant as a general guideline only, don't let them hinder your creativity. Now go and wow your mates.

Teddy Tan is an award winning photographer based in Melbourne. Check out his website http://www.teddytan.com.au.

Teddy’s top 3 tips to look good for the camera on your wedding day.

Teddy’s top 3 tips to look good for the camera on your wedding day.
By Melboune wedding photographer Teddy Tan

A wedding is once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully), and there is no reason not to look your best on this day. There are many factors that can affect how you look, a few of which is outside of your control (like the weather). But for the things that are within your means, it would be imperative to be in charge.

Here are my top 3 ideas on things which you can do to look good for the camera:

1) You look better when your energy level is up.

To obtain high energy levels, have plenty of rest the day before and drink plenty of water. On the actual day, relax and enjoy yourself; interact with the people around you - laugh, dance, cry, and scream. If you just sit around looking like a dead fish, on the photos you’ll look, you’ve guessed it, like a dead fish. I’m sorry but there is no magic button on the camera to turn a dead fish into a princess. However, I don’t encourage you to fake your behaviour just for the camera. Be yourself, as if on a very good day. This would be impossible without sufficient amount of rest prior and being kept hydrated. A side benefit of a good rest is redness and puffiness of the eyes would be gotten rid of.

If you are having bridal portraits shot on the same day as your wedding day, it is best to do it as early as possible to get it out of the way. Then you are free to enjoy the rest of the day without worrying how you would look. Don’t wait till you are half drunk, with bloodshot eyes and messy hair. It is an exaggeration, but you got the point.


2) Use wedding professionals: Make-up artist, hair stylist and photographer can work together to make magic happen.

Professional make-up artists are highly recommended. Not only can they apply the colour that compliments your skin to look good in real life, the type of makeup used is also suitable for photography. If you decide to do your own makeup, bear in mind that shimmer or shiny makeup may look good in real life, but the camera might not like it. This is because the camera sees things differently than human eye does

Professional photographer is crucial in determining how your photo will turn out. If you are not a natural poser, a professional photographer can assist you in posing. Knowledgeable use of lighting will also produce flattering photos. More importantly, expert post production of the photos can turn an ordinary photo into a piece of art.

3) Don’t do anything out of your usual routine, especially in the last week leading up to the big day. Your body might not react well to the change and could develop some complication. New food type, especially seafood, could trigger an allergy or stomach upset. Solarium could cause skin burn. Contact sports such as rugby might lead to injury. Cosmetic surgery should be avoided at all cost due to insufficient recovery time. If you wish to use a new product, try it as early as possible so that if it doesn’t suit you, there are time for recovery and look for alternative source.




Teddy Tan is a wedding photographer based in Melbourne. He can be contacted through his website http://www.teddytan.com.au/

The wedding of Phillis and Tim

This shall be the last wedding I photographed in 2009, and it happened to be the wedding of close friends of mine. Makeup, ceremony and reception were all at the serene Elizabethan Lodge. I've arrived early to find Phillis and Corinne (the maid of honour) wrapped in bathrobes with the hair curly thing stuck in their hair. Emmy (the other bridesmaid and Tim's sister) transformed so much after makeup, that some people couldn't even recognise her without a second look.

The speeches and slideshow presentation during reception were touching, and tears flowed. The top tier of the cake fell off, which is pretty hilarious. The guests are a little shy at dancing but once the Mauritian music came on, the dancefloor were flooded immediately.

Friends and families from overseas (Mauritius, Canada, Malaysia) and not so far away came to witness this union. It was a tedious task to organize logistics, food and transport for the overseas guests but we all contributed towards the success of this joyful occasion.




Photos to follow:


We had approximately 7 minutes to do some bridal shots at this garden before heading towards the reception, and this is one of the photos taken:



Ye old grandma style bridal portrait

The wedding of Yary and Surad

The day started with a tranquil prayer session in Surad's house. Then I head over to Yary's to find her in an exotic tranditional Cambodian wedding costume.

The wedding started with a Cambodian ceremony which the Cambodian MC is simply hilarious. He can't seem to remember Surad's name and keep referring him as "Saran". It was followed by Western solemnization. The reading from Yary's brother made her eyes welled up.

Evening reception is at Annabella's and food is similar to a Chinese wedding. The dance floor is flooded by people accompanied by non-stop music, including some by a Cambodian band.

Clothing changes of the day rotates between Cambodian, Western formal, and even a Sari.

The day ended with Yary cutting a big chunk of the wedding cake and wrapped it up in a napkin and gave it to me. It was so big that I only manage to finish it 3 days after the wedding!

Photos to follow:

Grandma blessing grandson for his wedding, love the squashed nose

Happy Tears, Surad's mum

tears during an emotional reading from Yary's brother.

Yary is pumped after getting hitched.

This photo is taken during the guest greeting before the reception. The bridal party forms a line to greet the guest as they walk past. Yary saw her good friend and waved.

This is the wedding album cover design.




Flamenco dance-off between the MC and some uncle.

These two really wanted to get married

Jalan Petaling In Melbourne!!

Malaysian Hawker Food - Petaling Street. Grand opening 19 Dec 2009!! Location: Glen Waverley.


Update 1/1/2010:
I went here with Tim and Phillis and family to here for New Year's Eve celebration. The tom yum soup taste like a paste. The hakka belly pork is OK. Chicken rice could be better. Prices around 8 to 10 for rice and noodle dishes. Service is very poor, didn't expect it for a newly opened restaurant.

Wedding of Cindy and Chris

This is the CC wedding - Cindy and Chris. It was a gloomy morning but the drizzle cleared up just in time for the ceremony at Davey's Bay, Mt Eliza. A teary brother hand over the teary bride to the groom.

The wedding cars are not the usual limosine. I will not tell you what it is now. Just wait for the pictures.

Reception is at Switch, Fountain Gate SC. The rock band is awesome! With all the loud music going around, Zion their little kid, still manages to sleep soundly.

Photos to follow:

tears flowed while watching her best friend getting ready


Dad is with me.



Cindy's brother emotional moment.

The sea debris lined up to form a natural "Aisle"



I climbed up on a rock to get this overhead view, tough job.




Ebony congratulates mum.


Here are the bridal party and bridal cars


Table decoration for reception, a nice continuation from the beach wedding earlier.


Zion is the official drummer for Dad's wedding.



The groomsman is ecstatic after he caught the garter



Curious kids from next door.



On the way..

Pre-wedding of Stephanie and Justin

It was a gloomy morning on the day of the pre-wedding photoshoot of Stephanie and Justin, so we brighten it up with some colours:

Colourful

More to come soon....

Update:

I like the shape of the dress which forms an oval as the bride-to-be swings down.






Cheers

















Justin and Stephanie sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

The wedding of Nikki and Jason

Although Nikki and Jason only engaged me for a quick session during their wedding day, we still manage to capture a couple of fantastic shots, enjoy.

Moments..........

This is CF. He is the one who showed me the art of "moments"...

There you go, the "moment" you scratch your butt while surfing the net.



The foot at the bottom right corner is mine~

Too much tetris

Here's how I fit 2 DSLR bodies with grip, 1 zoom lens, 1 prime lens, 4 flashes, diffusers, batts etc into a small bag, still with more space for a can of coke at the bottom:

Some recognition

woohoo!! won 2 awards tonight @ WCC. One is a highest aggregate in EDI category, the other one is EDI of the year award with my "Kitesurf to Heaven" :

For sale: Nikon sling bag for your DSLR stuff

SOLD, for 92 dollars.



Up for sale is a nikon brand sling bag. It is an unwanted gift. Used only once.

It has an adjustable strap and shoulder padding. It has a zip-up pocket in front and and slim pocket at the back. Outside is genuine black leather, inside has thick padding.

Measures about 35cm wide , 26cm tall, and 12cm deep. Inside are 2 removable dividers, which allows 3 long objects to fit inside. With some modification, I'm able to fit a D700 + grip, 24-70mm, 85mm, and SB-900 flash in the bag.

All reasonable offers considered.