Okay, so you’ve just shelled out your hard-earned coin for a sophisticated (codename for “expensive”) digital camera. Even if you’ve done the sensible thing and purchased a quality camera bag or backpack to keep it in one piece when not in use, you’ve only taken the first of two important steps towards keeping your camera in good working order.

You see, through the natural course of using your camera, it WILL get coated in microscopic bits of dust and grime, no matter how careful you are with it – the shiny lenses and camera bodies attract dust like you wouldn’t believe. So, you are going to need to spend some time detailing your camera to keep it nice and clean and in good working order.

And it’s not just microscopic dust and dirt you that may cause you to have to take time to clean your camera. For instance, you may be out taking photos when it starts bucketing down with rain. Now, rain can be a good thing, making dull, dry-day photos into something more interesting, with the dark rain clouds adding a touch of moodiness and the rain water reflecting light in all sorts of interesting ways. Later on, though, what you may find is your camera has small streaks on it, where the rain water evaporated. This will want cleaning off, especially if water got onto the lens.

Or, maybe you’re taking photos around a barbeque or on bonfire night… the smoke from the fires can get on your camera and any residue left behind will want to be cleaned off.

Dust, sand, dirt, water, and smoke are all elements that photographers are likely to encounter that are harmful to cameras and camera gear. Keeping your camera(s) and lens(es) clean can:

• Help to preserve the functionality of buttons, dials and touch screen LCDs;
• Save you both time and money (as you avoid unnecessary repairs). Keeping your lenses clean will help to avoid specks of dirt or grime showing up in your photos, which at best might mean extra minutes spent trying to erase them in post production (using software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop) or, at worst, could render a prize photo unusable.

I’ve owned both a Bridge Camera (Panasonic FZ1000) and a proper DSLR (Panasonic GH4). Bridge Cameras are much easier to live with, from a cleaning and maintenance perspective, as they don’t have interchangeable lenses, so all you need to worry about is:

1. Keeping the lens clear of dirt and debris, so it goes on taking crisp, clean images;

1. Keeping the rest of the camera clean of dust and debris, so that it doesn’t manage to find its way into any points that are opened or can be opened to the elements (e.g. battery & memory card slots; microphone sockets; or even down the ultra slim gap between the buttons or dials and the camera body itself). Also, dust on the camera body can easily find its way onto the lens. So, if you only bother to clean the lens and ignore the camera body, you may return from a long or important photo shoot to find one or two annoying specks of dust or debris that had been dislodged from the camera body or lens barrel, only to find their way onto the lens. Do you really want to take that chance? I’ve experienced this and it’s not something you allow to repeat too often.

If you’ve bought yourself a “proper DSLR”, you will also need to:

1. Factor in keeping clean the rear of your lenses, including the metal contact pins (which allows the lens and camera to communicate the necessary data, making things like your camera’s Autofocus work as intended);
2. Potentially clean the ultra sensitive sensor, as well (you certainly don’t need to be cleaning the sensor after every time you’ve changed lenses, only if you discover that there are specks of dust or debris on the sensor, which you will likely find if your photos still have spots on when you’ve made doubly certain the glass of the lens, at both ends, is clean and dust free. I’ll talk more about sensor cleaning, later on in this article).

Right then, this is the cleaning and maintenance process I followed with my two cameras, which has now become something of an ingrained habit, over the years…

Cleaning and Maintenance of Bridge Cameras

1. Preparation – Getting Ready To Clean The Camera… I like to get organized, first, by taking out all of the cleaning tools I’ll need and putting them on the surface where I’ll be detailing my camera (whether that’s at the kitchen table or wherever’s most convenient at the time). Tools include:

• a Lens Pen (which contains a soft bristled brush, which I use on the camera body and lens barrel, as well as a statically charged tip, which I use primarily on the glass of the lens, but also have used it on the LCD screen and viewfinder, from time to time).

• an Air Blower (I blow off any dust and debris that can be easily dislodged with this tool. I do this before I use the brush from the Lens Pen, so as not to risk harder bits of debris potentially scratching delicate surfaces. Maybe it’s overcautious, but that’s just my way of doing it. The Air Blow works pretty well).

• a Microfiber Cloth (I wrap a clean area of the cloth so that it’s taut around a forefinger and then I use a circular motion for cleaning, especially on the glass of the lens itself. So, at this stage, I will have used, first the Air Blower, then the brush of the Lens Pen, and now the Microfiber Cloth for the rest of the job. While the statically charged tip, housed underneath the cap of the Lens Pen, can be used for cleaning the glass of the lens, I typically like to reserve / preserve that for when I need to clean my camera away from home, as it’s less fiddly than using a Microfiber Cloth. When at home, I will opt for the Microfiber Cloth for this part of the job. Choose whichever method you prefer, if you have the choice of cleaning with both a Microfiber Cloth AND a Lens Pen).

• Lens Cleaning Fluid (this is used with the Microfiber Cloth. I tend to only use this fluid if the camera and/or lens becomes particularly grubby. First, I wrap the Microfiber Cloth around my cleaning finger and then I spray a small amount onto the cloth – NOT directly onto the lens or camera body, as it can be easy to spray too much, and then you’re effectively pouring liquid into the gaps of your camera, between buttons and dials, for instance, which could be just as harmful as getting any of the other unwanted elements in there. Spraying onto the cloth helps absorb any excess fluid, first, and then you’re good to clean the body, lens barrel, or lens).

2. Cleaning the Camera… I clean my cameras in the following order and now it’s just become a habit. First, I clean the Lens Barrel, so that no surface debris or dust falls off and onto the glass of the lens when I turn the camera over to access different parts for cleaning. Next, I clean the glass of the lens and, finally, I clean the LCD & Viewfinder.

Cleaning and Maintenance of DSLR Cameras

I follow the same procedure for cleaning my Panasonic FZ1000 Bridge Camera, only now, because my Panasonic GH4 is a “proper DSLR”, with interchangeable lenses, I have to be vigilant about not getting dust on the sensor or on the rear of the lens, when switching lenses and, if that happens, I need to take steps to clean either the lens, camera sensor, or both.

3. Cleaning The Lens … There will be a button on the body of the camera, which you push and then you turn the lens (typically in a counter-clockwise direction), to remove the lens from the body of the camera. Now, before I do anything else, I pop on the bottom lens cap (which will come with any new lens that you buy from any good manufacturer) and set the lens to one side. If you have a cap that will go over the exposed sensor, on the camera body, now is the time to put it on (so that no household dust can find its way onto the sensor – there’s no sense in having to clean the ultra sensitive sensor, if you don’t have to). Once done, now I can clean the lens, itself.

I tend to clean the body of the lens, first, using first an Air Blower to remove the loosest of the dirt or debris. Then, I’ll use the brush on the Lens Pen to get rid of the more stubborn bits of debris. If needed, I’ll use the Microfiber Cloth, with a spray or two of Cleaning Fluid, to finish cleaning the body of the lens. Next, I’ll take off the lens cap and clean around the edges of the lens, before using a circular motion with the cloth, to clean the glass of the lens. After putting the lens cap back on, I’ll check the bottom of the Lens (the end with the metal contact pins). If it needs it, I’ll clean this in the same way that I detail the front of the lens. However, I often find that there aren’t any marks, nor any grime or debris on this end (because I’ve been careful when changing lenses and have managed not to get any dirt on this end of the lens – I tend to go out of the house with the lens I intend to use, so changing lenses “in the field” isn’t something I have faced, as yet. That is when you’re more likely to find specks of dirt or debris on the bottom of the lens, and so will need to clean it).

And that’s it, the lens is cleaned and it can either go back on the camera or away into my camera bag, which is where I keep my lenses.

4. Cleaning The Sensor… I’m going to refer to the user guide for my Panasonic GH4, to explain how sensor cleaning is done with the this particular camera. If you have a different camera, because of the sensitivity of the image sensor, it’s recommended you consult the manufacturer’s user manual before attempting to clean the sensor.

The following is from p411 of my copy of Panasonic’s “Operating Instructions” PDF user manual, for the GH4:

Dust Reduction Function

“This unit has a dust reduction function that will blow off the debris and dust that have affixed to the front of the imaging device. This function will function automatically when the camera is turned on, but if you see dust, perform the [Sensor Cleaning] (P68) in the [Setup] menu.”

Removing Dirt On The Image Sensor

“The image sensor is very precise and delicate, so be sure to observe the following when you do have to clean it yourself.”

• “Blow off the dust on the surface of the image sensor with a commercially available blower brush. Be careful not to blow too strongly.
• “Do not put the blower brush further inside than the lens mount.
• “Do not let the blower brush touch the image sensor as the image sensor may get scratched.
• “Do not use any objects except a blower brush to clean the image sensor.
• “if you cannot remove the dirt of dust with the blower, consult the dealer or Panasonic.”

I would imagine the same advice applies for pretty much all digital camera sensors, but I still recommend you read the operating manual for your particular brand of camera, BEFORE proceeding with cleaning your camera’s sensor.

When To Clean Your Camera

Finally, I’ll just let you in on when I clean my camera…

When I got my first “big” camera (Panasonic FZ1000), I was resigning myself to cleaning and detailing the camera and my gear after EVERY time I used it. However, that soon changed to only when it looked like it needed a clean. If the camera had obvious specks of dirt or debris on it, then I’d clean it. But, if it all looked acceptably clean, and if there were no marks on the glass of the lens, I’d just put it straight back in the camera bag (changing to freshly charged spare batteries, before doing so, so that I wouldn’t find myself running out of power the next time I needed to use the camera).

That said, perhaps once a week, I’m likely to sit down and clean the camera, as general grime does accumulate on the camera through normal use, and it blends in with the black finish to the camera lens and body. If you don’t believe me, just go a week or so, using your camera daily, but without cleaning the surface. Then, at the end of the week, take a light/white colored Microfiber Cloth and wipe it into the crevices at the front of the lens barrel, surrounding the glass of the lens, and then take a look at the cloth. It WILL be grimy. Guaranteed.

The time has come to finally tie the knot and you are done with choosing the place, date and even your attire, the only thing left is your photographer. Choosing a photographer depends on the type of photography you want your wedding to be captured.

You can choose the photography style based on the type of images you wish to have, the amount of time you want to spend with a photographer and finally your comfort level with your photographer. Professionals are many and it could be overwhelming when it comes to making a choice. But keep a cool head and choose wisely. Ask to see their portfolio including a full wedding coverage, look at many pictures before you decide. Research will help you identify a good one easily.

The photography experience can be fruitful yet boring and so it is vital that you enjoy the experience thoroughly. In order for you to enjoy it you would need to choose a photographer who is time bound as well as assure quality.

Wedding photography styles are many like the traditional, contemporary, photojournalistic, and editorial.

Traditional

The main idea behind this timeless style is to produce posed photographs for display in a portrait album. The photographer works from a “shot list,” ensuring he or she covers all the elements the bride and groom have requested. To make sure every detail of the shots is perfect, the photographer and her assistants not only adjust their equipment, but also the background, the subject’s body alignment, and even the attire.

The time taken to take pictures and the quality of work is directly proportionate. Setting up of formal pictures is strenuous and takes a long time as well. Artistic pictures are produced only if considerable amount of time is invested on taking the pictures. It is vital that the bride and the groom identify the amount of time required for the pictures to be taken and adjust it with the rest of the day’s proceedings. The time taken to create the images completely depends on the photographer. You need to ensure you are able to give that much for photography alone. This style is not for individuals who get conscious in front of a camera.

Photojournalistic

Photojournalistic is the exact opposite of traditional. This type of photography is all about capturing everything as it happens. The photographer religiously works at the background making it easier for the couple to be moving about and having fun instead of posing for pictures all the time. It is vital that the photographer is at the right place at the right time to ensure the success of this style. A person who is hesitant towards posing for pictures finds reportage style to work for them perfectly.

The editorial

The style comes from inspiration obtained from fashion magazines. This type of photography requires a lot of planning. The photographer usually takes help from assistants to set up equipment in advance. There is the involvement of time and so it is important that you understand and are ready to devote the time required.

Fine art style

This type is evolved from traditional photography and provides a contemporary touch to posed pictures. Sometimes these pictures can seem a bit impersonal due to overuse and so you need to make sure the photographer is seasoned and a professional with experience.

Needless to say, images are the biggest proof of our memories, and there’s probably no other medium through which we can relieve our memories long after they have faded from our brain. This is the reason why every person, be it young or old holds photographs of their cherished memories close to their hearts.

So what kinds of photography are there?

Well, you can’t actually specify just a handful of the genres that are available these days. With the progression of time, every photo artist has exploded their horizon. Some of the many types of genres available today are:

• Event
• Landscape
• Model
• Abstract
• Sports

These are just a few examples of the several genres which is steadily growing as professionals are constantly looking for innovative ways to portray their art.

The demand for these professionals are huge these days because people have realised the fact that rather than capturing meaningless landscapes, it’s far more useful to capture events of importance.

But how can you make your event memorable?

Get the Right Photographer: You need somebody who takes extraordinary pictures, as well as who understands how to collaborate with individuals in the event space. Inquire as to whether the professionals have shot the sort of event you are facilitating some time recently, and look through his or her portfolio to figure out the individual’s style.

Don’t invade the privacy of your guests: Inform your guests beforehand that a photographer will be present to take pictures. There will be many guests who don’t want their pictures to be taken at an event so take precautions so as not to invade their privacy.

Hammer out all the details at first: Before hiring any professional, always make sure that you get all the details right. These details can include the timeframe they might take to finish the project; the price they would charge, whether they will be working alone or bringing in assistants.

Put your ideas on the table: Every creative person will have their own perspective of doing things. Precisely for this reason, you need to put your thoughts on the table and make them clear of what you what you want and what you don’t.

Hiring these professionals to cover your event is a tricky task. You have to take several key aspects into account before actually zeroing in on anyone. Follow these tips and you will be just fine capturing any occasion with consummate ease.

When we plan any parties, events or our weddings, we always want them to be fun-filled, entertaining and be ever cherishable for our lovely guests. And, for this we start a lot of planning way before the scheduled date and try to leave no stone unturned. Adding fun to a party can be very easy and chic with photo booths available for rentals.

These photo booths are perfect for a wedding and allow your guests to enjoy as much as they can. Fully loaded with many features and props, these ensure that your party is a hit and your guests have a smile when they leave.

Here are a few reasons why there is a rise in demand for photo booth rentals:

– They keep your guests entertained to the fullest throughout the party and they really enjoy it.

– There are no restrictions and disturbances, thus allowing you and your guests to be comfortable.

– You never know what people are up to once they enter the booths. These booths can bring out creative side of your guests irrespective of their age and nature. Be sure that they will make the best use of it.

– You can really see the fun side of your guests. Crazy and epic expressions that make you laugh till your stomach hurts. Creative expressions, silly faces and funny poses, hilarious videos and acts are what you get in the end.

– There are many editing options which you can get from a good photo booth to enhance your picture quality. You can add some quotes or dates and give them to your guests so that they can remember the day forever.

– Photos generated from these booths are very high in resolution and print quality. Gift these photos to your guests as return gifts and they will remember the day forever and thank you.

– Play the videos in slow motion and see how everyone present there rolls in laughter. You ought to love the reactions to these slow motion videos. You can instantly replay these videos on the screen provided and enjoy.

– Photo booths come with many props that can be used while taking pictures and videos. No need to provide any instructions; your guests know the best way to them.

– Along with all these you get soft copies of the pictures and videos, both edited ones and raw copies. Share them online with your friends and create coffee table books. You will also get mobile compatible pictures for your phones and tablets.

Renting these photo booths for various parties and events have become common and a hot favorite of both guests and hosts. Including these booths in parties are the best ways to add fun and entertainment to any event. There is a tremendous demand for photo booth rental for weddings. Not only guests, but the bride and groom can also enjoy inside the booth posing crazily and creating videos. Prints of pictures clicked are generated in matter of minutes and make beautiful return gifts. These photo booths are the best memory makers. You can gift your guests an unforgettable experience.

Slowmotion Raleigh is the best when it comes to rent a photo booth in Raleigh, NC. Add fun, humor and entertainment to your parties and weddings with these photo booths and create an unforgettable experience for your guests. Roll out laughing by uniquely edited slow motion videos created by the photo booth rental in Raleigh by Slowmotion Raleigh.

When you’re selling products online, you are selling pictures before the product. In e-commerce only the image serves the medium of communication with your customers and it has to convey all about the product.

When there are numerous advantages of online shopping, one of the biggest shortcomings is that a customer can’t have the complete product experience. They can’t hold the product in their hands and get the real look and feel which every customer would like to have before making a purchase decision. They can only see the product through photos. Your e-commerce product photography will often decide the fate of your sale conversions.

Good e-commerce product photography is about capturing all possible details.

Here are few tips to make your e-commerce product photography better:

1. Background: A clean, white seamless background is recommended for most products. Use same background for your products to maintain the required consistency among images.

2. Equipment: Tools are the basic need for anything. Get a good camera, sturdy tripod, quality lights and other basic necessities commonly required for photography.

3. Context: Sometimes it’s quite useful to evaluate a product with respect to its surroundings, especially where size matters. A bed sheet is always shown stretched on a bed for the purpose of showing its actual size.

4. Props: Whether props should be used or not? It depends on the product. Sometimes using props is very much suggested but at times it can prove killer for the product. When clothes look best on a model or mannequin, it can shift the focus away when used with jewelry.

5. Preparing: How you prepare the product really matters. Keep the product neat and clean and in presentable form. Make sure everything is perfect.

6. Many Angles: Show your product with multiple angles so that customers can see all the details of your product. Images are the only way to communicate with the customers in e-commerce, so don’t leave the customer disappointed with very limited number of images. Show at least 6-7 images per product. Give a close-up view to capture minute and complex details.

7. Emotion: Emotions can be hard to express or communicate with a simple product image. Try to take shots that can emote. You can link your product with family values or something like this. The product is there but connected with emotions.

8. Consistency: It is very critical aspect in e-commerce product photography. Any professional e-commerce site must have consistency across all photos. All products should be photographed on the same backgrounds or with subtle changes. Consistency gives more smooth and professional look to your e-commerce website.

9. Size: Always present appropriate size images. Small pictures are not very effective with sales point of view. Keep high resolution large size photos for better sales conversion.

10. Video: If an image is a trailer of a movie, a video is like a whole movie. So extend your limits and offer a video of your product. Video will do wonders in case you are selling complicated products with moving parts or pieces.

Online shopping offers so much advantages but comes with one major downside i.e. customers can’t have the product in their hand to feel the complete product experience. This limitation can be a huge barrier in purchase decision making. Customers have only product photos to interact with. Here e-commerce product photography plays a very crucial role in bridging this gap.

It’s no secret that every bride and groom will want a great photographer to be alongside at their wedding who is capable of immortalizing their wedding through pictures. But these days, finding such professionals is a big ordeal. You will want to hire the best one out there and similarly the photographers will also to give their best in clicking the most amazing pictures. But due to miscommunication, often what you want and what you get isn’t the same. Due to this lack of communication, photographers often refrain from saying what they feel.

It’s your event which is why you are responsible for putting forth your ideas to them. You also need to clear your head and not assume too much from these professionals. Some of the things which you should consider are:

These professionals are not mind-readers

Let’s be clear; if you want your photos exactly as you want, you have to tell them what your expectations are. They can’t read your mind which is why you should prepare a list of the kind of pictures you want and those which you don’t.

They can’t churn out magic

You might have seen a great looking picture at an art gallery, and you want the same at your event but asking a photographer to do so is unethical. Yes, in a creative field, everyone takes a bit of inspiration from other artists. But no photo artist will like to copy the work of others as they have their own vision and style.

Photoshop is a solution to everything

Many of you believe that however mediocre a picture comes, a professional can fix everything using Photoshop but making such assumptions is a bit farfetched. Photographers will always prefer to retake any inappropriate picture rather than spending hours editing them in Photoshop.

Rushing them will only deteriorate their quality

To click images of superior quality, photo artists need time. Naturally, you would want your images to be taken as fast as possible, but you would be ill-advised to rush them. Let them take their moment and think before they are done with it.

They aren’t beauticians

Many couples despise their wedding album because they weren’t taken in the most creative manner and they look horrible. These professionals can’t automatically make you look dashing, or your bride look like a Hollywood actress. When you have these professionals by your side, communicate with them if you think that any pose is inappropriate, or the lighting is not correct.