Family Portraits Preview

1. Whose family will you photograph?

For this shoot, I will photograph my sister's family and possibly my own too. 

2. Where will you shoot?

For this shoot, I will take the family photos at Zilker, either the Botanical Garden or park portion. 

3. What type of lighting will you use?

I will use all natural lighting for this family photo shoot. 

4. What equipment will you need?

For this shoot, I will need a tripod, ND filter, wide angle lens, kit lens, camera and toys to keep the kids busy, and maybe sitting props to accommodate the height of my family members for the photos. 

5. What challenges will you encounter?

During this shoot, I will encounter challenges such as catching the light in the subjects eyes, or flattering all the subjects. 

6. How will you deal with these challenges?

I will deal with these challenges by positioning them in such a way as to draw the light into their eyes, and pay attention to their "perceived flaws" so I can shoot the photographs in a way as to hide them.

7. Post an example for inspiration for your shoot. Explain what you like about the photo and how you will attempt to emulate or use for inspiration.




















I really like this this photo because it creates contrast between the background and the subjects, to help draw attention to the subjects themselves, and I really like that the subjects seem very natural and casual. 

In an attempt to emulate this photo, I will be aware of how I can use the attire of the subjects clothing to create contrast with a particular landscape, also I will help my subjects to pose in natural and comfortable positions they normally are in, and lastly remember to stagger heads to create interest. 

Sample Poses

Single Man

Single Woman

Romantic Couple



Group of Friends 

Family Photo

HDR Photo Project

Overexposed

Normal Exposure

Underexposed

HDR Photo

To create this image I put the camera in bracketing mode to take three photos, an underexposed, a normally exposed, and a overexposed photo. Then using the automatic method in photoshop I combined the photos to create my HDR photo.

I think that I was pretty successful in creating this HDR photo, however the wind may have moved the tripod a little to create the blur in the clouds, instead of the sharp look it should've been.

HDR Preview

Questions

Answer the questions below

1. What does HDR stand for?

The acronym HDR, stands for High Dynamic Range.

2. In your own words, explain what makes an HDR photo an HDR photo?

An HDR photo is a type of photo that combines three different photos, a normally exposed picture, an underexposed picture and an overexposed picture to provide the best, natural looking and vibrant colors of the scene.

3. What is bracketing?

Bracketing is done when several shots of the same subject are taken with varying exposures, some cameras have a built in bracketing feature that will do the work for  you.

4. What software can you use to produce an HDR image?

To produce an HDR image you can use the software in Photoshop.

5. When selecting layers, what do you have to be careful about when creating your HDR photos?

When selecting layers you must be careful not to miss pieces of the photo as to get the most natural looking photo possible.

6. Save your favorite HDR photo on your blog.

Landscape Preview

Step 1:

Favorite Tip: Change your point of view.

Embed from Getty Images

Step 2:

Three important tips for landscape photography:  

• Plan ahead and pay close attention to how the weather will be before you shoot. 
• Think about perspective when you compose your shot- and take the photo from an interesting angle.
• "If the sky is important, place the horizon along the bottom third division of the frame. If it is not, put it along the upper third."

Step 3: 

Pick three of your favorite photos:







Step 4:

List of equipment needed for landscape photography:

• ND Filter
• Color Filter
• Extra Batteries
• Lenses (Wide Angle and Telephoto)
• Tripod
• Camera 
• Remote

Step 5:

Scout your locations:

• Lamar Bridge
• Pennybacker Bridge
• South Congress Avenue
• Texas State Capitol 
• McKinney Falls State Park
• Zilker Botanical Gardens 
• Lou Neff Point
• Mt. Bonnel 
• Pluger Pedestrian Bridge

Most likely to shoot photos at:

• Country Scenic Area Near Neighborhood 

Smug Mug Preparation

1. Content Blocks
How do you add Content Blocks to your site?
To add a content block to any page, drag it from the customize drawer and drop it onto your page.

2. Content Types
What are the ten different types of content you can add?

• Galleries
• Photos
• Navigation 
• Video
• Design
• Text
• Social
• Discovery
• Services
• HTML & CSS

3. Photos
When you add photos to SmugMug, which are the FOUR different ways you can organize and display them? Briefly explain what each method does.

• Single Photo: Add a block that contains a single image to any page, gallery, or folder.
• Multiple Photos: Add a block that contains more than one image to any page, gallery, or folder. (Note: If you select the "Photos I Choose" option, photos will appear in the order you select them. To change the order, you'll need to change the setting to "Selected" and then deselect and reselect as needed to reorder the images.)
• Slideshow: Add a slideshow to any page, gallery, or folder.
• Carousel: Add a photo carousel to any page, gallery, or folder.

4. Navigation
What are the THREE different types of Navigation items you can add to your SmugMug account? Briefly explain what each does.

• Menu: Build a navigation bar with links to other pages on your site, as well as to any external sites you'd like your viewers to visit (e.g., a blog).
• ​Breadcrumb: Add a breadcrumb to reveal the links between your homepage and the page being viewed.
• Featured Events (Pro): Feature an event on any page you create.

5. Design ElementsWhat are the THREE kinds of design elements can you add? What do they do? 

• Logo: Include your logo anywhere on your SmugMug site to brand your pages.
• Separator: Add page separators to your site to help guide viewers' eyes.
• Spacer: Add spacing between content blocks to give your content more breathing room.

Image Preparation:

6. Colorspace
What "Colorspace" should your images be processed in to be uploaded to SmugMug?

Your images need to be processed in sRGB colorspace in order to upload your photos to SmugMug.

7. Cropping
Should you crop your images before uploading to SmugMug? Why?

You should not crop your images before uploading them to SmugMug, simply upload the photos onto SmugMug with the photo in its native state as to not cause confusion in the shopping cart. The buyer will be able to set the size of the image when the purchase the photo.

8. Resolution
What is the minimum resolution size for an 8" by 10" print?

The minimum resolution size for an 8' by 10' print is 750x935. 

Studio Shoot

Set 1:

Shadowless

 Butterfly

Broad

Rembrandt

Split

Set 2:

Butterfly

Loop

Rembrandt

Split

Set 3:

Butterfly 

Loop

Rembrandt

Split