Portal:Photographers

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The Photographers Portal

Professional photographers can help you create a unique and personal look for you, your family or special event. This portal is designed to help you research, select and contact a professional photographer in your area.

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Featured Article

Family Portraits

One of the most often requested services, family portraits can capture the mood and personality of a family at a given stage of life. Locations can vary, and good photographers will work with the subjects to select a location that best fits the family's mood and style.

When deciding on a theme, pay special attention to the location and the clothing worn by the family. Locations should be either natural or simple cityscapes that will not detract from the main subject (the family). Clothing should be well-fitting and free of logos and repeating patterns. The exception to this would be a favorite sports jersey or broad stripes. All family members should endeavor to dress alike, as varying styles can detract from the overall beauty of the final photograph.

When well-planned and executed, a family portrait can become a heirloom to be treasured for generations.

(image ©Ian Schray Photography)

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Featured Technology

Lighting

Good lighting is the key to good photography. The word photography itself can be traced back to the Greek "phos" (light) and "graphis" (draw), translating to "draw with light." Quite simply, photography cannot exist without light.

Photographers manipulate light to create effective, dynamic images. Lighting can show movement, affect color, and even convey mood. They do this in a variety of ways:

Reflectors
Photographers can use a device called a reflector to bounce available sunlight or artificial light back toward the subject. This happens quite often in outdoor portraits, when the sun is behind the subject. To illuminate the face of the subject, the photographer (or an assistant) will hold a reflector in front of the subject's face and bounce the sunlight back.

Diffusers
Similar to reflectors, diffusers are used to soften light. Placed between the light source and the subject, diffusers will spread out the light before it reaches the subject, giving it a softer, less-harsh quality.

Strobes
Strobes, also known as "flash" is an effective method of generating light in very short, controlled bursts. Photographers will position these strobes in a variety of positions to create the desired effect. These strobes can also be combined with a reflector or diffuser to soften the intensity of the created light.

Continuous Light
Used almost exclusively in studio work, continuous lights are typically bulb-based lamps that illuminate the subject in a constant manner, rather than in short bursts. The advantage to this kind of lighting is that a photographer can compose, change position, then recompose while seeing the immediate affect of the light. Like strobes, continuous lights can be combined with diffusers and reflectors to soften light.

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Featured Terms

Depth of Field refers to how much of an image is in focus. Cameras focus on a plane parallel to the front of the lens, much like the eyes of the viewer. As such, depth of field is measured in terms of distance from the viewer, rather than height from the ground or on a diagonal plane.

Examples
(both images ©Ian Schray Photography)

This image has a very shallow depth of field, meaning that very little of the image is actually in focus. This draws the eyes to a specific location in the photo (in this case, the flower).

By contrast, this image has a very deep depth of field. Everything from very near to very far away is in sharp focus. By increasing the plane of focus, other elements in the image can be used to draw the eye (in this case, the sun peeking between the trees is the main focal point).

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Featured Testimonial

Do you have a story to share? Tell the world about it!

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Featured Photographer

Specializing in location model shoots, Ian Schray Photography is a full-service shop that can provide hair and makeup services as well as unforgettable, "all-about-you" photography.

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Featured Service

Model Photography (also known as Fashion or Glamour photography) is intended to showcase a human subject in a way that promotes a commercial purpose. Models are typically professionals, selling their likeness in a way that helps to promote a concept or product.

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