Grad Photos

Tis the season of graduation. What do I wear? Which photographer should I hire? These are all things you need to do research for. I go to San Jose State University and our campus is beautiful. Our colors are blue and gold and we have some of the oldest buildings in California that add class and character to the photos. If you have a beautiful campus I totally recommend taking pictures in your favorite spots. You’ll look back and remember where your favorite spots are. I recommend wearing contrary colors that blend together beautifully.

Lighting

Lighting is very important when dealing with photography. If the picture is too bright then everything will be washed out and if it is too dark then nothing will show up. Light shows dimension and contrast. You have to be aware of the changing light and how it will change the picture depending on what time of day you are taking the picture. Generally, you will get the best lighting as soon as the sun goes up and just as the sun sets you get that gorgeous golden hour. Observe the light and visualize how it sets the mood for your picture. It is okay to take a hundred pictures just to find the right lighting and what you want the outcome to be.

Art History

Art History was the start go “photography”. These paintings were the original portraits of humanity. Granted most of the faces are distorted  and they were done very long ago. Art began in the prehistoric age with cave drawing and began developing in the renaissance and baroque era. These pictures are studied and are very popular till this day. This started the trend for making realistic portraits that people wanted to capture without sitting and posing for 12 hours.

Paparazzi

A big up-and-coming job in photography is being paparazzi. They can make really good money and have a blast while doing it. Many paparazzi get their start by loving photography and selling their photos of famous people. Some celeb photos are worth more than others and a photo can sell for an easy $1500. Most paparazzi use SLR cameras with a 18mm to 70mm lens. They use up to a 400mm lens for far away photos. Paparazzi will literally do anything, which can get them in quite a bit of trouble.

Who to Follow?

Everyone starts somewhere. But where do they get the inspiration? They get it from their peers. There are so many amazing photographers all over social media. I may be a little biased, but as a graphic designer I fell in love with Dirk Bakker. He takes beautiful photos and then edits them to make some truly amazing one of a kind shots. If you are a fashionista, then Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are the ones to follow. Their models are gorgeous and the outfits are stunning. If you love feet (weirdo) then you should follow Sarah Palmer. She makes feet look amazing.

Couple Photography

Ahhh everyone loves a good couple photo, but how can you take an amazing person when your couple low-key hates each other. Being a good photographer means that you know how to work a camera, but being a great photographer is how you make the photoshoot a memory. Having a beautiful landscape will help your couple be more relaxed. No one wants to make out for a picture next to a dumpster, ya feel.  You also have to be able to get them to pose. Some couples have really amazing chemistry and aren’t afraid of the camera, but others are more shy and need a bit of work.

Polaroid

Polaroids have been around for nearly eighty years. It began the photography craze everywhere. Anyone who was anyone owned a polaroid. Over the years they began to die out as iPhones became extremely popular and we started to get into the digital photography age. This is a very big jump in our society because film was extremely expensive. Nearly $10 for 30 pictures. Recently, my boyfriend and I have been thrift shopping like crazy. We found a 1963 Model Land camera for ten bucks. A DEAL!! My boyfriend opened the camera up and looked around. We had to clean it out because there was a lot of dirt and battery acid left over, but it works.

Behance

Behance is a place to share work that you have made. You can post literally anything and everything on Behance. It was made by adobe and it is a free website you can post your portfolio. You can post anything from artwork and drawing to photography and music. Behance is a wonderful website because it is very easy to set up and anyone can see your work. I enjoy Behance over squared space because I am a cheap ass and don’t want to pay money for something I don’t fully believe should cost money.

Digital Photography

Digital photography is what most people use today. The amazing thing about digital photography is that you can take a thousand pictures and not worry about how they look because you can go back and choose the best ones. Cameras like Canon and Nikon have made this process extremely easy and able to be used by anyone. Some digital cameras even come with WIFI and and Bluetooth so you can open all your pictures on your computer or even upload them straight to social media.

Film Photography

Film Photography is when you take photography with old school film cameras. When taking film photography make sure you check your iso and check stop to ensure the best film quality. Setting up your  background beforehand will make sure you get pictures that have little to no blur as you will most likely be able to take only one picture. The actual definition of Photographic film is “a strip or sheet of transparent plastic film base coated on one side with a gelatinemulsion containing microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals. The sizes and other characteristics of the crystals determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film.”