Babies - tips for good Photography

Once again it is the eyes that need the photographers attention. Make sure they are in focus and have that all important catch-light. Most babies cannot hold themselves up, so a watchful parent and a quick shutter release finger are also essential. Also getting down to them is very important, don't be afraid to roll around on the floor to get something a little different.

Mums and Dads work hard during a photo shoot, helping to keep the baby amused and photogenic. Sometimes photographing them asleep works really well with the right lighting. Resting them on some comfortable cushions and getting in close is good.

Always be prepared for the candid shot and the unusual angle that sometimes results. You cannot pose children, you just have to keep your eyes open to the possibilities.

It is always a pleasure photographing young ones, they only have to be themselves, something many adults struggle with.

Photographing bands - tips for good Photography

It was my pleasure last weekend to photograph a Manchester band called Rachael and the Red Socks. Despite the weather, their determination to be filmed for a website and have me do a few promotional shots carried them through the elements. It was also great when they played- being only one of two in the audience, not counting the sound and videographer, was a privileged position. If you want to get more information and to see and hear the band please visit their website at Rachael and the Red Socks. Perhaps when the weather is more clement I will get a chance to photograph them again with more time to think about the set up and atmosphere - perhaps look to do something more moody.

Photographing musicians is great because they love what they do and have beautiful instruments which make for an automatically photogenic pose and portrait even when they are not playing them. I am very lucky to be married to a beautiful harpist and enjoy photographing Oona with her harp. You can hear my wife play by following this link to Oona's website.

Live concerts pose a whole separate set of problems especially if it is an orchestra. A tip from an earlier post is that you try to get in close, but that's easier said than done. With a camera with a really good optical zoom you do stand more chance. Make sure it is an optical zoom though, digital zoom is not really more detailed, it is just the enhancement of the pixels through software. This is the Jan Modelski Orchestra who asked me to take some pictures. They are a friendly group and their website can be found at The Jan Modelski Orchestra.

Ask a musician if they would like a photo of themselves with their instrument, they might just say yes!

Amazing software - tips for good Photography

Modern software is amazing! I use 'Adobe photoshop CS4' but there are plenty of simple and more sophisticated programs out there to suit all abilities. One thing you can do in photoshop is merge pictures to produce a panorama. I did this recently of a place in Snowdonia called Cwm Idwal and this is the result.

To view this image properly click on it!

This image consists of 5 pictures that the program stitched together despite issues of perspective and variation in exposure. To do it personally would have taken hours, CS4 did it in seconds!

Cwm Idwal is one of my favourite places in the world and I have gone there nearly every year of my life. Have yet to climb Glyder Fawr, the mountain in the background, need to do it soon my bones tell me.

Statues make good models - tips for good Photography

If you want to practise your composition a good way to do it is to use statues. As models they work cheap, never answer back, can hold a pose forever and are not worrying over hair, make-up and clothing. Actually, the real life models I have worked with have always been extremely professional and apart from already knowing just how to stand and hold themselves, they are also lovely people always prepared to try a new pose.

Anyway, back to statues. Not only will they help you with composition, but they also allow you to work on your exposure control. In fact you can take a variety of shots of a statue playing with your camera's shutter and aperture to learn how they work together to give you the exposure and focus in terms of depth of field you want.

I have always enjoyed statues, impressed with the artistry and skill required to render rough stone into something so beautiful  and lifelike. It is the traditional lifelike statues which I prefer, although I do also appreciate some of the aesthetics of form, and the deep meanings sometimes given to more modern works.

The quality of light - tips for good Photography

Photographers are readers of light. We are either continuously looking to see where the light is coming from, how strong it is and what qualities it possesses. Most of the time this is done almost intuitively, but being more professional means getting a real control of how to use the direction, strength and 'temperature' of the light.

Perhaps many readers will not have thought about light having a temperature, but those who have thought about the quality of light will already appreciate that daylight has a different quality to light bulbs whether neon, halogen or good old filament! The technically minded have come to call this light temperature, and most cameras automatically adjust to the quality, just as our eyes do.

A good example of colour temperature is what many photographers call the 'golden hour'. That hour just before sunset when sunlight takes on a warm almost golden quality. The picture looking up Princes Street in Edinburgh towards Carlton Hill past the Scott Memorial, shows the golden light of late evening and how it warms the tones of the stone buildings in the distance.

This picture of the Old Dee Bridge in Chester tries to capture that diffuse quality of light after a snow shower and when the sun is obscured by the cloud. Beautiful turquoises in the sky too.

Artificial sodium street lighting, as in the picture of Northgate Street in Chester, also has its own strongly yellow and orange quality picked up well in the wet cobbles. Flares from the lights also add dramatic effect.

You generally cannot control the light, but understanding it will allow you to use it and improve the quality of your images. Flash and studio photography is a different matter, more in another post.

What to look for in a professional photographer - tips for good Photography

Sometimes events come along which you want to record photographically and for one reason or another you want to ensure that images are captured to the very highest quality. Having a family member or friend photographing your wedding, christening or other very special event puts a lot of pressure on them. I know this because the first wedding I photographed, over twenty years ago, was my brother's. Back in those days it was all done on 35mm film and there was no way of knowing if you had got the exposure and focus right until the negatives came back - did I feel the pressure! Not only that, but guess who is missing from all his brother's wedding photographs, including the family group?

I often photograph weddings and alongside me will be standing some very talented amateurs who take a good photo and then get on with enjoying the wedding as guests. The pressure is on me to deliver the goods for the album or disc, a pressure I actually quite enjoy.

So, what should you look for when getting a professional for your wedding, christening or other big occasion?

• A photographic style you like is obviously important, and in viewing examples of a photographer's work you should choose one with technical ability and an artistic flair you like.
• Equally important is that the photographer has the people skills that mean you and everybody else will be able to relax and enjoy having their photo taken. This is vitally important if you want fresh and emotion filled pictures. The sure way to know you have the right person for your special occasion is to meet them and if they listen to what you want and try to meet your needs rather than tell you about how good their photos are, then they are more likely to be the photographer for you. Ask yourself the question, especially if it is your wedding: 'Will I be able to get on with this person all day long, and how will my family and friends react to this person trying to organize them?'

The best photographs, possibly intimate images, that show how people were feeling and thinking are only achieved when they and the photographer have a strong sense of trust. I have been fortunate to get to know  many of my clients well, and for me this has been a very rewarding part of my life as a professional photographer.

What is the most important thing in your life? - tips for good Photography

What is the most important thing in your life?

Today our eldest son turns 18 years of age. Where did the time go? Think I will put together a special album of his life - from the picture of his first moment of life through to the pictures I take today, if he lets me!

I had the pleasure of photographing a young family in my studio recently at the beginning of this journey with their first child. I hope they treasure these pictures as much as I have of our children growing.

Remember to carry your camera at all special family occasions, they are reminders of how we felt and thought at the time.