Got any photography questions?

I love how willing you all are to share and I love all of the info I've learned here so far.

I am a photographer and just learning face paint. But since you've all been so generous with what you know I thought I'd offer a little from me.

I see posts every now and then asking questions about photography & working w photographers and I'd love to try to help if I can- technical, copyright, tfp...

Ive had my studio 6 yrs here in CO and worked part time in CA before that. I specialize in newborn & maternity portraiture but also do a fair amount of senior & family sessions.

I just have to say hello from a fellow coloradan!

Wow! Thanks for the offer of help - so generous ).

Here's a question (and I do still intend to research things as well). But, do you have any tips on "watermarking" photos for protection online.

I'm beginning to think about a website, a blog, etc., and I'd like to watermark my pictures.

Any suggestions on the best/favorite ways to do it?

THANKS!!!

I recommend putting it in the middle of your image for the best protection. Mine was towards the bottom of most of mine last year but I had some unethical clients steal them, crop out the watermark then not buy those images. In the middle someone can't take your image and use it on their own site.

I use adobe Lightroom to edit but there are plenty of less expensive programs you can put it across them-I think you can in picasa. I just use a simple one line but you could make a stamp w your logo.

Thanks, Seahorse! That's just the kind of info I need - programs to do it with, etc. I appreciate your feedback! Have a great day!

I use picnik for watermarking my pics.
www.picnik.com upload your picture and go ahead. it's free.

Thanks, Nancy! I'll look into that. )

I just open my photos with my photo software and click add text. I type in my business name, make sure the text is a color you can see on top the photo, without it obscuring the design, and then position it where I want it on the photo. Here's a sample...

Cute gingerbread face!

Cheri, don't have anything to ask at present but did want to send out a thanks for your gracious offer.

Thank you for offering your expertise! I would like to know- What kind of black fabric works best for a backdrop if you want it to just disappear and not show it's texture?

Thank you for the generous offer! I love that we can all share with each other on here!

My question is all about lighting. My old camera didn't "Yellow out" my pics, but my new one always turns my pics yellow. It's supposed to be a better camera.... Now if I'm outside I'm ok...

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:


My 2nd question is what is the best angle to use to take a picture of yourself while still capturing the design. Also, what's the best angle to take of the child your shooting to catch the design.

Oh & if there's a way to not see all the wrinkles under my eyes... LOL! Nope, made the mistake of using a metallic paint under my eyes

Stacia- for black I used to have a black velour blanket I got at jcpenny's I used for newborn shoots and it worked great. Black fleece would probably do the job well. A lot of cottons & other fabrics have a slight sheen to them or fade after time. The fleece is easy to wash and won't fade. To get the best look don't put your subject right next to the backdrop, have them stand a few feet away from it.

Linda- the yellow is from the white balance. If you have the manual you might want to check those settings. It's probably on auto and you should be able to change it.

I like 3/4 face pics. Straight on pictures tend to look flat- 3/4 looks better for most people.

Thanks, it was designed and painted by whobwhate on here. She's amazing! I just HAD to paint it on myself!

Thanks for sharing!

For black backdrops I use a fabric that is a bit like a thick lycra/knitted fabric. You want a fabric that doesn't wrinkle and doesn't catch too much dust.

As long as you sit the subject a little in front and focus on the face (in particularly the eyes!) You shouldn't have too much problem with the background.
I do occasionally edit and darken the background if it is still a bit grainy.

I try and make sure I take all my photos with natural light. Avoiding direct sunlight on the face.

If I have to take a photo at night and use the flash I like to hold a plain white piece of paper over the flash to diffuse the light, and will often have to tweak the colour once on my computer.

I agree with the face to 3/4 and I always try to keep at eye level. Saying that I will occasionally sit slightly higher and get them to look up to avoid wrinkles under the eyes and extra necks. You can play around with how you have the model sitting quite a bit. You can change the facial position for the mood of the painting, so if you are wanting a more 'fierce' photo I get them to put their head down a wee bit and look up at me with just their eyes.

Thanks Seahorse for the offer! I do have a photography question. My "studio" is in my basement and I do not have access to natural light source as I have no windows there. What would you recommend for lighting (eg spotlight) to simulate daylight? When I just take the shade off a lamp for extra light my faces turn out yellowish. I have a basic Sureshot digital camera. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hello...When taking photos outside, how do you blur out / soften the background to have the photo stands out.

Aprilmayjune- I would suggest getting a daylight balanced bulb in the highest wattage you can get (usually about 100-120, just make sure whatever lamp you put it in will handle it) Different light sources have different color temperatures. Florescents are cool, your pictures will look blue under them. Most regular lightbulbs are warm and give off that yellow color. To soften it up oif you can find a chinese paper lantern to go over the bulb you'll have a softer shadow without loosing a lot of light.

nicole-the technical term for that is bokeh and a good portrait photographer spends a lot of time trying to master it. the blurry background is pretty hard to do consistently with a point and shoot. They are programmed to get as much in focus as possible. I have the best luck with my p&s by zooming in as far as the lens will go (optical zoom, not digital zoom), getting close to my subject so they fill most of the frame and making sure the backdrop/ground is as far away as possible. i get the yummiest bokeh w/ my 70-200 zoom lens but i doubt you'll be throwning down $1500 on something like that anytime soon. And you thought face paint was expensive

Welcome to the forum and thanks for the kind offer of information and your advice for everyone.

Your welcome. It's the least I can do

Nicole @ Face-a-Rama wrote:Hello...When taking photos outside, how do you blur out / soften the background to have the photo stands out.

Another option which works really well when using a basic digital camera is shooting in Macro mode... its the only mode I ever used to use when taking photos and it always gave me the lovely soft background and kept the main focal point nice and sharp.

Ok, I have a question... How do I use my camera?

I have a fancy one.. and it has M AV TV P ....and a bunch of other stuff. How do I use those? lol

I just use auto

its a canon rebel eos t3

I'd find a photo class through your city or county rec program. Or community college.

Get your hands on the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Buy it, Love it. Take notes and practice.

Go through your manual one page at a time and take pictures.

Its just like face painting- you're not going to understand it without doing it over and over and over...