Photography is always fun but not always easy. And trying to get great results with low light photography can be downright frustrating. Isn't it irritating when the possible picture is amazing, but the lighting situation is less than ideal? I've been there.

We all want to take amazing photos and share them on our blogs but what do you do when the light is low, and you need to take pictures? This is a question I get asked all the time because the lack of good light can ruin our photos! Luckily in digital photography, if you get to know your camera, there are a few things that can help you.
  Here are some tips for taking better photos in low light:

1. Use a Flash

I'll get the easiest solution out of the way first. In low light situations using your built-in camera flash is the quickest fix. Pop it up, and you are ready to go. But, using light from a flash often ruins the photograph more than low light can. Using your flash lights your subject from the front, often washing it out, and it compresses the depth of field of your image making it look flat. Ugh.

A quick way to soften the light from your built-in flash is to subdue it with a sheer white tissue that you can use to cover the flash. This will diffuse the light and make it less harsh and can help you if you're in a bind. But, if you're using a DSLR and you must use a flash then your best bet is to invest in an external flash, also known as a “hot shoe” flash, that you clip on to the top of your camera. These flashes can be manipulated and turned to bounce off of a wall or the ceiling, so you're lighting your subject from the top or the side.

2. Steady your camera

If you're like me, you prefer to capture a moment using natural light. Yes, sometimes the use of a flash just can't be avoided, but if you get your camera on a steady surface, you can avoid the blur that inevitably spoils your perfectly set up photograph. My choice would be to use a tripod. Mount your camera on top of it, use your settings the way you normally would and then snap the shutter. Ta da!

But I don't always have my tripod with me, and sometimes it's impractical to use one, so I improvise by setting my camera on a steady surface. Use a table, a wall or the floor (if this makes sense for your picture), or even your leg if you're sitting. In low light, you simply cannot avoid the slight shake of your hands so just rest the camera on your knee. You can also lean against a stable item (like a wall or barrier) and steady your hands/arms on that before you snap. Or hold the camera very close to your body, take a deep breath, exhale, and then hold your breath while you take the photo. This isn't as good as a tripod, but it's surely better than having a blurry picture.

Even so, this sounds like an easy fix and not one that can always help because, in a lot of cases, we are shooting objects in motion – fashion shows, people on the street, kids, animals, whatever – what to do then?

3. Open your aperture as wide as you can

A camera is basically a box that reads light, and the aperture tells the camera how much light to allow in at any given time. If you have a DSLR or even a point and shoot that has some manual settings, then you can control your camera’s aperture. So the larger the amount of light that is coming into your lens (the wider the aperture), the faster your shutter speed will be and the sharper your photos. Lots of light and fast = good. A Little light and slow = bad.

Set your aperture to its widest setting, so that the lightest available is entering your lens. To do this, choose the lowest f-number possible (the lowest that your particular lens allows) such as f/1.4 or f/1.8. More expensive lenses often have larger apertures and have those wonderfully low numbers. You can also buy point-and-shoots vlogging cameras with apertures as low as f/1.4. However, sometimes your budget doesn't allow for new cameras or lenses. So, what then?

4. Boost your ISO

The ISO controls your camera’s sensitivity to light – the higher the ISO, the more sensitive it will be. In low light photography, it's almost always necessary to raise your ISO speed (like when you had a film camera and you bought ISO 200 or 400). Your DSLR, and even most point and shoot cameras, allows you to set your ISO manually and it's really easy to do this in your menu options.

In normal outdoor lighting you can set your ISO at 100 or 200 depending on whether it's really bright (ISO 100 would work) or a bit overcast (ISO 200 or 400). If I'm shooting indoors or in low light outdoors I raise my ISO to 400 or 800 and sometimes even higher if it's really dark.

Raising your ISO to 400 or 800 is usually safe because you'll have a limited amount of noise (grain) in the pictures. At ISO 1600, if your camera goes up that high, you'll definitely see more noise but it can often be removed or at least minimized in post-production using Photoshop or another program. Even so, the results you get with a DSLR camera at high ISOs is pretty amazing these days so you can shoot away using an ISO of 1000 or higher (if your camera can do that) and see very little, if any, noise. (also, note that the this is one of the areas camera companies continue to advance in. It's getting more and more common for the newest cameras out there to go offer incredibly high ISOs. You'll just need to experiment and see what's realistic for your camera before the grain makes the shot unusable.)

Figuring out how high to raise the ISO is pretty easy – you just need to raise it high enough so that you're able to shoot fast enough to avoid the shake in your camera and the blur in your pictures. A very simple and obvious way to tell if your camera settings are too slow is how long it takes the shutter to click when you snap a photo. If it sounds like the “click” is happening too slowly, you'll see a blurry photo of your screen.

5. Shoot in burst mode

This is a cool way to take pictures and one that a lot of people don't think about. That, plus I love the word “BURST!” – Switch your camera to make continuous shots (ie. burst mode) and snap away! When you hold the shutter button down (without letting go) and take five or more shots one right after the other, you have a higher chance of getting a sharp photo.

When you take a picture one shot at a time you're always introducing a vibration to the camera – your hand and fingers are causing a shake. But, if you use burst mode and press the shutter, that vibration will only really affect the first photo of the five or more you take. So, basically every photo except the first one will be a little bit sharper than the one before it in the continuous series.

6. Bonus idea – Use your phone's flashlight from a different angle

One little hack you can use is to introduce an outside light source. I've seen people turn on their camera flashlight and position it as an always-on flash. This allows you to adjust it with precision, allows you to highlight certain things while diminishing the light in other areas, and it's a cheap tool that we almost always have on hand (although, obviously this doesn't help if you're *using* the phone's camera. But, in a pinch, we all get creative with the resources available to us at the time.

One of the greatest things about digital photography is that you can just shoot and shoot to try to get the image that you want. It's not always practical if you're trying to capture a spontaneous moment or if you're at a fashion show and just need to get the photos, but just practice and have fun with it! Don't forget to zoom in to check out the details and to see whether the picture really is sharp, since pretty much all photographs look awesome on your little screen. Learn about and test out your camera settings and remember that whatever photos don't turn out to be so fantastic you can just dump in the virtual trash or at least use them as a learning tool. And, finally, have fun!

Starting a photography business is not as easy as it seems. You could be the best photographer in the world, but you still need to know how price your products and market yourself. Here are five quick tips to keep in mind when starting a photography business.

1) Know Your Ideal Client. This one is crucial. Because if you don't know who you're trying to reach, you won't know how to reach them.  What type of photography are you best at, and what will be most popular around your area? Choose one genre and stick with it. It’s much easier to perfect a certain style and market to one particular group of people than to try to appeal to everyone at once.

2) Understand the Costs Involved and Learn How to Price Your Products. Do you already have a professional camera? What about the right lenses for the type of photography you’re offering? These can be costly. You'll also need to consider how you’re going to price your services. You won’t make any money if you keep giving free sessions to family and friends. Think about how much money you need to make to cover your expenses and pay yourself for the job, then price your services accordingly.

3) Use Social Media to Grow Your Business. Social media is one of the easiest ways to get free publicity; all it takes is a small amount of time to initially set up your page, and then a small amount of time each week to keep it updated. You can use social media to update your followers and clients on new projects you’ve been working on or offer special discounts on services. Update regularly, and remember to interact with your clients and fans.

4) Create and Develop Your Business Brand. When people see your work, you want them to know that it was you behind the lens. While creating your own photographic style can help, creating a brand will really bring your business full circle. This includes your logo, website, blog, and social media profiles.  Make sure that they have the same look and feel – including consistency in font, color, and overall style.

5) Gotta Have a Blog.  Last but certainly not least you gotta have a blog! As important as it is for you to have a website where you can showcase your portfolio it's not going to be enough to bring in more business.  Your blog will help drive more traffic to your website and convert more prospects into paying customers.  A study conducted by HubSpot showed that companies who blogged received 55% more traffic to their website and had 434% more pages indexed by search engines than companies who didn’t.  Creating quality content on a regular basis sends positive signals to search engines. When more of your website pages are indexed you increase the chances of relevant, potential clients finding your website and enquiring about your services.

The camera phone has changed the notion of traditional photography, mostly because it is easier to carry around a camera phone that fits in your pocket than it is to lug around the much bulkier DSLR. This phenomenon has brought about an influx of photo-sharing and photo-editing apps, and has probably had a hand in changing how professional photographers and photojournalists work.

Most of us underestimate the capabilities of our smartphone cameras; after all we understand little more about smartphone cameras than the megapixels it can take. In fact, by tweaking the settings, angle and lighting, plus the use of multi-featured apps and tools, you might be able to snap more interesting and beautiful pictures that capture the essence of the moment than you can with a camera.
 
In this post, we will look into a few handy tips that help improve your smartphone photography. Feel free to add your own tip in the comments section.

1. Know your phone camera settings

First off, don’t rely on your phone’s default auto mode. Of course, tapping on where you want the phone to focus on will give you a sharper focus on the subject. However, you can improve the overall quality of your images by tweaking the other aspects in an image. Although different phones have different settings, most should be able to let you control the focus, exposure, white balance and ISO.
Note that some cameras lock both the exposure and focus together so depending on where you focus, you may change the lighting of your photo. As for white balance, there are four settings to choose from. It is best to match them according to the environment you are shooting to light up your photos better.

For example, Cloudy and Daylight are more suitable for outdoor shoots whereas Flourescent and Incandescent are used indoors. That said, you can choose to mix them up to create different tones and moods.

2. Set your resolution high

It goes without saying that the higher the resolution of your photo, the better quality it is. When taking images with a smartphone camera, try to go as close as possible to the subject rather than zooming in when you take a shot. You will get better-resolution photos cropped, than zoomed in.

Of course, with higher resolution photos, you come across the problem of having enough storage to store them all. You can solve this by storing your photos externally, rather than in your phone. Try photo-sharing apps or cloud storage services like Picasa or Dropbox, or you can even consider getting an Eyefi SD card to automatically do the photo transfers for you, via an Internet connection.

3. Yes back camera, No front Camera

Sure, the front camera makes it easier to take your selfies. It however doesn’t eliminate the fact that the front camera in general has lower resolution specs than the back. This is mainly because the back camera is better equipped with more megapixels whereas the front camera’s function is supposed to be for video conferencing.

Then again, why not use both? Frontback is an app that lets you take photos with both the front camera and the back camera. This allows the photo-taker to be in the activity alongsie everyone else.

4. Lenses are the windows to your soul

You take all your photos through lenses so yes, they are integral to the photo-taking process. When you store your smartphone in your pocket or bags, your lenses are bound to get some dust on them. Give your phone camera lens a wipe every now to clear any grime or fingerprint stains. You might be surprised with what a simple act of cleaning can do to your pictures.

To get more out of your phone camera, try attachable lenses. They give you special effects like macro or fish-eye shots, and all you have to do is snap one on top of your camera lens. Photojojo stocks a lens series compatible for both iPhone and Android, and you can find more choices from INK361 and Brando.

5. Tripods & Monopods got your back

Your phone camera’s stabilizing function can only do so much and if you have ever been frustrated by a blurred snap, you will appreciate the clarity afforded to you by tripods and monopods. Tripods are great for shooting in slow-shutter speeds, whereas the monopod is a single long staff that lets you take a shot (usually of yourself) from a distance away – perfect for selfies (below).

Most phone tripods are small and portable like the GorillaPod and Slingshot so you can always bring it on the go. There are also tripods which you can wrap around poles and bars to let you take photos from an impossible angle. For monopods, you can check out the lightweight and extendable Cellfie.

6. Go towards the light

One of the biggest probelms with taking photos indoor is the lack of natural lighting. The right amount of lighting can make food look more appetizing, facial expressions more cheerful and environments more welcoming. As much as possible, try to take your photos under natural lighting. You can do this by going near windows or doors when taking photos indoors, and to sources of light like neon signs or street lamps when snapping photos outdoors.

Additionally, do keep in mind where your source of lighting is coming from. The general rules on lighting are the same here as it is in traditional photography – avoid back light when taking pictures of people unless you want to go for the silhouette effect. If you shoot your subject using side light, it can capture texture and depth.

While we are on the subject of low light photography, don’t use flash. The camera flash you have on your phone is almost always too harsh and rarely helpful. Instead try increasing your camera’s exposure and ISO levels. Alternatively you could use an external flash like iBlazer or Lightstrap. You can even download night photography apps Night Cam for iOS and Night Camera for Android for a better photo-taking experience.

7. Composition rules, period

Nothing beats composition as a way to take attractive pictures. Learn some basic composition like Rule of Third, leading lines, scale, framing to name just a few (for more info, check out this article). Once you think you’ve got the rules of composition down, break them, by playing with other aspects like lighting and angles.

Speaking of angles, shooting from a different angle can sometimes make your subject more flattering and interesting (there is a reason why selfies are shot from up above, not down below). It also presents a different point of view and sometimes highlight overlooked details. Don’t be afraid to stand atop a chair or crouch down low to get that perfect angle.

8. of panorama & burst modes

Most phones have a panorama mode. Even if yours don’t, you can download an app to take or stitch your 180-degree photos like Photosynth (iOS) and Autostitch Panorama Pro (Android). They are great for taking landscape photos, provided you can keep your hand steady enough to grab a well-stitched shot. Also, moving objects don’t make a good panorama.

Speaking of snapping photos of moving objects and people, they are not going to keep still for your phone camera. To not miss that perfect moment, activate your phone or camera app’s burst mode. It will take multiple pictures at a time which will increase the possibility of snapping at least one clear image you can use. Safe to say, this is a great mode for catching kids and pets in motion – life stops for no one.

9. Third-Party camera apps

As mentioned before, your phone’s camera has limited functions. Consider getting a third-party camera app to overcome those limitations. Some apps like Camera+ (iOS) and ProCapture Free (Android) have additional features alongside the normal phone settings. Others have more specialized functions like Slow Shutter Cam (iOS), Night Cam and Pro HDR (iOS, Android).

Many of these third-party apps are regularly updated with new features, filters, modes and options as well. This beats getting a new phone just to get more photo-snapping features to play with.

10. Photo-Editing Apps

Sometimes there is only so much we can control when taking a photo. A lot of the enhancement has to come from the use of photo-editing apps after the photos are taken. Some apps like Camera+ and Camera FV-5(Android) come coupled with a photo editor.

Photoshop Express (iOS, Android) and Pixlr Express (iOS, Android) perform editing functions like crop, straighten, rotate, flip and removing red eye. If you’re just into filters, you can try Snapseed (iOS, Android) and VSCO Cam (iOS, Android). Want more? Take it up a notch with interactive filters with Spotliter, which lets you add filters not only to pictures but also to videos, as you take them!

How a Hottest Woman Making $860 a month by Washing Cars?

Women in Bikinis working in rainy cold weather. sounds sexy huh? yah its a true news.. you should know this lady. Women are lining up to get a job at a bikini car wash, while men are lining up to get their cars washed just to see the women in action. This lady is success in her life, she proved that every work has its own value. You can not neglect it. So start today anything, you will be succeed too.

Race car driver Fang Zhao-ze from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, opened a car wash where girls wash cars in bikinis, even when it is cold outside.  Zhao-ze said that he gets about 20 applicants a day for the job.  He chooses the women by their breast size and looks. 

 Hottest Women in Bikinis Washing Cars and Getting Wet

The women who work for him, must be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall, and their bra cup size must be at least size D.  The women work for 6 hours a day, six days a week.  Zhao-ze pays his employees more than other car wash shops do.  He pays the women $1,988 per month, while other car wash shops pay $860 a month.  Even though the pay is good, many women still say they would not stand in the cold for hours in a bikini for a few extra dollars.  Read more: Women in bikinis seen washing cars in freezing weather.
Be inspired from this gentle lady! 

Girls in bikinis brave Really

I wonder how women in bikinis can work so easily in such cold weather? I'm pretty sure
“Everyone was enjoying it (the Women at top of this post, photos and the story), all shapes and sizes, all waving and shouting. And the sun coming out just made it - I was a bit shivery to start with but we didn’t feel the cold.

Do you dream to hair some girls in bikinis like this bikini girl? If you really wisely damn sure your dreams will come true and you will squeeze some girls in bikinis by the rain or snowfall.

No Daydream about Women in bikinis

Having a dream and being a dreamer are two different mindsets. Dreamers are drifters just floating through life with no real plans. One who has a dream, is a doer on the path towards achieving their goal.
Go get the girl, fill-up your dreams.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe
It is the most unattractive thing to hear someone constantly wine and complain about their life. Especially when they blame the world for their problems. The whole universe is probably against you, does not care about you, and will deceive you. This does not make any actions, or lack there of, on your behalf their fault. Say this statement out loud, “I am in control of my behavior and choose how to react to circumstances.” Say it everyday. Nothing is more true than that statement.

You can, and need, to start actively controlling your thoughts and emotions. Learn to control your rage when you are angry. When a negative thought slips in, push it right back out. This takes practice because we have been programmed by our environment to behave and think in certain ways. Fight to change your negativity, or you will remain a bitter and miserable person. Use your aggression in a positive way by working out, or put it into your work.

Most of us don’t have professional studios and have to work with what we have! As a Photography blogger, I get asked a lot of questions about product photography. I’ve learned a few photography tips and tricks that have helped my product photography improve over the years. I thought hard on what I wanted to share with you about product photography and today I am here to give you 7 Tips for Awesome Product Photography For Your Blog.

7 TIPS FOR AWESOME PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR BLOG

1. NATURAL LIGHT

Go through your house and find where the best natural light is. That might be your kitchen, near the sliding doors in your bedroom, or on the floor of your living room. Where ever it is, use it! If you find the light is too strong, try softening it up with sheer fabric placed over the light source.

2. TAKE MORE THAN ONE SHOT!

Sometimes the difference between an OK photo and a great one is your angle. Don’t stop at the first shot you get. Shoot from different angles. Try shooting from above, from below, from eye level, from the side or from what is known as three quarters: not quite overhead and not quite eye level.

3. GROUP IN 3’s

The Rule of 3 is a principle used in design. The idea is that objects arranged in odd numbers are more appealing and effective than even numbered pairings or groups. Basically, odd makes your photo more interesting. So if you have one main object say a coffee cup, pair it up with 2 supporting objects like coffee beans and creamer.

4. PROPS ARE YOUR FRIEND

Props add visual interest and depth to your photos. You want it to look as though you just happened by your product and found it there in a natural setting….with beautiful light and perfect props. Keeping in mind our last tip( group in 3s), lets say your main product is a beautiful teacup. Now, while it’s temping to get a beautiful photo of that tea cup and call it a day, think about our last tip and add a few props: tea leaves and a tea pot; the teacup, and saucer with a tea bag, the teacup, a good book and a teacup. Props help you tell a story, therefore making your photos more interesting.

5. KEEP YOUR BACKGROUND SIMPLE

Keep a your background simple so that the focus is on the product, not the background. This will help showcase your products better. The easiest way to do this is to get a large trifold board, a plain white poster board or a roll of white paper. Choose a board/paper with matte texture so that there is no glare from your background. Not only are they portable, cheap and PERFECT for product photography, the white boards will help you bounce light back to create even more light over your product.

6. USE A TRIPOD

A tripod makes sure you have a steady hand. You want to make sure that you have nice clear photos instead of blurry handheld ones because your shutter speed was too low. A tripod can also help you get those tricky overhead shots without having to balance yourself on a piece of furniture!

7. KNOW YOUR CAMERA

I can’t say this enough. All the tips in the world won’t help if you don’t know how to use your camera. Take the time to read the manual, practice with your camera so that you know how to use it in any situation. Learn the settings your need to get those creamy blurred backgrounds, know how to get the correct white balance so your white teacup isn’t yellow. And practice!
So there you have it! 7 tips For Awesome Product Photography For your blog!

What tips do you have that make your product photography better?

Many bloggers work hard to learn how to use their cameras, and find that they have a real gift for photography. It is a natural progression to think about making money with those skills. But just having a camera isn’t enough if you want to start a professional photography business.

How To Start A Photography Business

If you are an aspiring photographer, ready to make the plunge into the photography industry, but don’t know exactly where to start, I am going to shed some light on how to start your own photography business.

1. Build your portfolio

Decide what type of photography you want to pursue. Find your niche and build a portfolio around it. In order to build a strong portfolio, you need to know how to master your camera. If you are going to be successful, you need to have more than just a basic knowledge.

Must Read Top 10 Best Budget Cameras for Bloggers

You need to understand light, and be prepared to work in any kind of environment, including low light situations. I know there is a lot to learn, but in order to differentiate yourself from the average photographers in your area, you need to be able to control the available light and master the off camera flash.

You need to define your style and editing techniques. Do you like soft and airy images, or bold and contrasting ones? You clients will book you for your style and vision, so be sure to create a strong and consistent brand. It is important to create a consistent portfolio.

2. Create a website

If you think about it, where does everyone go to find a photographer in the area? You’re right, online using their phone or computer. So, creating a strong brand is important. If you want to look professional, a website is a must. Your prospective clients want to see your current portfolio and get a sense of your work. Your website is a great platform to showcase it. That’s what your clients will want to see.

Think about what you would like your branding colors to be and focus on creating a great client experience from the very first click. There are a few “must haves” when it comes to building your website. Some of the things to consider are:

• About Me page. Your clients want to know who you are and what you look like, so be sure to introduce yourself and have a recent picture of yourself on you About Me page.
• Testimonials. Testimonials are a great way of imposing trust. It is important that your clients trust you with capturing their special moments.
• Contact information. Make it easy for your clients to contact you. Whether you decide to create a contact page, or just have your contact information available on the website, make sure your clients can easily reach you.
• Create a Logo. You will need a logo for your business, It will be your business sign. Use it everywhere you needs. such as, Your website, Visiting card, Official Pad. Make sure your logo is easy to remark, and can not be easy to make duplicate. Here is How to Create a Free logo for your own business without knowing graphics skill.

3. Legalize your photography business

This is where the least fun part comes in play. Without legalizing your business though, there is no business.

• Register your business.
  • The simplest form of business to create is a sole proprietorship. A lot of people who are just starting a business choose this because it requires the least amount of work. Although this is the easiest route, it also carries the largest amount of liability. With a sole proprietorship, the business and the sole proprietor are considered one, and if something were to happen to the business, not only are the business assets at risk, but also the personal assets. If you choose that this is what you want to do, you will need to file a DBA (Doing Business As) with the local circuit court.
  • The next most-used business entity for photographers is a LLC. By choosing a LLC, nobody can target your personal assets, only the business assets. While there is always a loophole when it comes to laws, someone could technically go after the owner personally, but it is very rare for this to stand in court. By forming a LLC, you are protecting yourself and your business.
  • Regardless of the business type you decide on, and depending on the county your business resides in, you may need to obtain a business license.
• Apply for a tax ID. This is a simple step that pretty much anyone can do. Simply go to the its.gov website, find the FEIN page, fill in some information, and submit it. Once that is done, you instantly receive your FEIN and are ready to go. It really is that easy!
• Set up a bank account for your business and apply for a credit card. Track all your business expenses on this card (camera gear, purchasing a website domain, etc.) so that they can be easily recorded.
• Purchase liability and equipment insurance. You want to be covered in the event that a client falls and gets injured. Protecting your equipment is also important.

Starting out from the beginning with all these things in place will give you a good foundation to build a strong, successful photography business that will bring in an income for you and your family for years to come. Tweet