Advice for Buying a Fancy Camera

I am occasionally asked by non-professional photographers what kind of camera I recommend to them for their personal use. Firstly, this is a great question for the staff at Creve Coeur Camera. Secondly, as a Nikon girl and primarily wedding photographer, I know very little of anything other than Nikon. As well I know very little of models not great for wedding photography because those higher end professional grade cams are all I've ever really known since like 2009.

Wulp, I like helping people with their technological questions, despite the fact that I am neither a camera guru nor very technical by nature. Anyway, here's my contribution. It's very simple! Buying a new camera does not have to be difficult at all. This should make the decision very easy for you.

To start, ask yourself two very important questions:

1. Do I really need a "fancy" camera? If you call it a "fancy" camera and expect a [properly termed] DSLR to make you an instant great photographer, then you probably don't need to drop a couple thousand dollars on a DSLR. You need to drop a couple hundred dollars to take photography classes. Advice: Borrow or rent a DSLR and take some classes to see how you do. If you enjoy it enough to stick with hobbyist photography, consider purchasing one later. See where it goes from there. Sub-advice: A great camera doesn't make a great photographer; knowledge does.
2. What am I doing with this camera? Taking family photos? Dimly lit creative photos? Professional photos for web or commercial purpose? Professional portraits to which you may later add a lighting system (flash or radio system)? Fast moving subjects? Nature/travel photography? Making prints? Posting images to Facebook? Wearing a tech savvy necklace? All the answers to these questions direct you to the type of camera that's best for you. Advice: If you're sincere about investing in a DSLR, check out the chart below to see an honest comparison chart of DSLR features. This is from Nikon's website (< click to see this chart in full detail), but similar features will exist for Canon and other brands too:

Familiarize yourself with these terms: megapixels (big numbers mean great print and/or web resolution), ISO (high numbers and ability to reduce noise means great dim shots), autofocus (options exist to make following and freezing movement easier). You also need to invest some time playing with these expensive cameras to make sure you're not overspending on something a much much cheaper camera can still do for you. Gobs of enthusiasts make this mistake!

There's a load of extremely technical information here. If this chart intimidates you or these feature descriptions make you feel like you're reading ancient Hebrew, then considering a DSLR is probably not for you. Save your money.

If you plan to take snapshot images, family photos, just-for-fun stuff of family and friends socializing... if you don't intend to make prints larger than a 5x7... if everything you photograph will shoot straight to Facebook and probably remain there in storage, go no further than your smartphone. Seriously. This is what I would do if I was not a professional photographer. Having one with great megapixels and applause-worthy camera features is the way to go. Plus they fit in your pocket! I'd hate to lug around a very boxy DSLR if I didn't have to. If you've already got one of these amazing smartphones, you just saved yourself a few hundred dollars! Lucky!

If you want super pro looking family portraits, investing in a family photographer rather than buying a camera will actually save you money on:

• A thousand(s) dollar DSLR camera
• A few hundred dollars in lighting systems
• Technical knowledge which comes with the package
• Artistic knowledge which comes with the package

You can't put a price on those last two. Actually you can. It's something like a 4 year college tuition and/or years of in-the-field, hands on learning alongside technology changing over the years.

There you go! Easy! I hope you do well with your smartphone camera, photography lessons, new DSLR or favorite portrait photographer.

The BE YOU Movement

Who are you?

Without telling me what you do for a living, who are you?

Without social media or digital means of expression, who are you?

This is a difficult topic I've pondered for weeks. Abstract, I know. Difficult, though interesting to explore what really makes a person the fullest person they can be and recognize the full extent of their mostness, and also to be able to shine that forth. Socrates said it succinctly: "Know Thyself". This is a greater thing than most of us are able to comprehend in the age of social media, which I feel greatly impacts our ability to truly know ourselves, what with instantly gratifying distractions, trends, templates, stereotypes, categories of person types and personality molds being created and yearned for every day. Why? What is all that? Does it benefit us socially to all be the same, or would it do us more innovative good if we were each our own outstanding person to share with other self-made outstanding people?

If this sounds a little philosophical for a post on a photography blog, understand that this photographer 'knows' herself little, but just enough in order to make a specific connection here. I work with a lot of people regarding topics of things close and personal to them: Portraiture. I also constantly, constantly strive to personalize portraits for them. I'm always encouraging subjects to tell me what interests them and how we can tie that into a photograph. "What feels like YOU?", I'll ask. Usually, there is no clear answer. "I like movies," or "We love going out" doesn't really give me much. I think it's a great, great thing to really Know oneself, to the extent that the content of your character can be known and expressed in a photo. If I can achieve that for someone, I'd be able to give something no one else can. Perhaps the experience in itself is an excursion in finding oneself. I'd love to be a part of that in someone's life.

I suppose this is how I differ as a photographer. I don't want to template you. Templates are horrible and trapping. I want you to experience something great, maybe learn new things about yourself. It's not just about photography, it's about empowering yourself. Think of the possibilities. What can your photographer do for you?

It starts with my subject. You have to know yourself in order to tell me who you are, in order for me to capture who you really are. I know this sounds pretty deep, but if I could blunt it down a little I'm basically saying: BE YOU. Don't be a copycat. Find yourself. Know yourself. This concept completely applies to your journey if you're getting married too because you should share the experience with your partner.

So, who are you? ...without being a copycat? Who are you without a Pinterest board or a Facebook page or a sorority house or career presence or a [personality type] label? What gets you going in this world of all this stuff which affects people at large? What are you passionate about?

It's my profound observation that social media affects our preferences to the extent that we become a vessel who embodies trends created by others rather than truly being ourselves and making something our own. I'm sure advertising has benefited greatly from this phenomenon; we're not people, we're canvases for other people to profit from. As a photographer, all this static makes it hard for me to really Know you. Did you know that brides who show me images they want to emulate on their wedding day (Pinterest source, I assume) are often showing me the exact same images that keep cycling around Pinterest as what I call the "Pinterest recycles"? When you put it all together, I see brides wanting to be models showcasing things that others have done rather than things they do and things they make their own. If I see the same shot carried out by 3 subjects, it kind of diminishes its authenticity, don't you think? It kind of bores me. I know you're something special. I want to help you express what that is about you.

How do you make something your own? Get to know yourself. If you could shut off all these things or people that tell you what to be or what to do or who to be, dive in to who you really are and start making a lifestyle of that. You don't need to be categorized. You don't need to BE anything other than yourself. Be that person no one can categorize, and you're probably on the right path. Lose your WiFi for a day and see how that works for you. Sit with your own thoughts for 15 minutes at least.

As a first step towards the Be You Movement, I'm starting small with a series of questions to submit to portrait clients which may help them realize themselves, and which I can use as inspiration for completely personalizing something for them. Honestly, it's the worst when I feel like I don't know someone whose soul I'm trying to capture. It kind of feels like having a pop quiz put in front of me when I haven't studied. Half of this is You and half of it is me trying to encourage you. I feel I have to resort to templates with lack of information, and that's simply no good according to my mission for photographing people. I'm changing this.

Of note, I enjoy that I was able to bring these previously jumbled thoughts to fruition while having a loss of internet connection during a vacation in India.

Dreamy Inventions for Photography

Consistent busyness never prevented a creative mind from daydreaming about what wonderful inventions could really help out while on a shoot here and there, or better yet push my photography into the elusive and much desired "she's the only one who does that" realm. I try to give realistic thought to everything, so I attempted to do so with these fleeting wild ideas and decided that these four fictitious inventions would be really great if they were real. If any scientist out there decides to capitalize on any of these ideas, please know that these were brainstormed here first by Amanda M. Kar (and I'd like to be contacted for design input). Images in this article courtesy of Google image search.

Deceased Portraiture

Like many creative ideas, this one actually came to me in a dream. It would involve family portraiture summoning the paranormal and bringing forth deceased relatives so that they may be present for portraits. I always give myself the benefit of the doubt of science fiction and envision how this could entirely be possible. It would involve contacting some paranormal specialists, ghost whisperers, or psychics, probably shooting in a space close to the deceased individual, and maybe some special equipment which would enhance my camera's ability to capture ectoplasmic activity in a photograph. Some images may be captured less in the humanoid depiction of a person and more in light of "ghost orb" photography. But wouldn't it be great to have a seance, bring forth a deceased loved one and capture some interaction with them in a photo? It'd be great if you could guarantee it. I'd completely freak out on the first two or three sessions, but I'd definitely have something here if it could be predictable and I could ensure capturing something every time.

Sun Balloon

The dimly lit high-ceiling church wedding ceremony is, I think, the bane of all wedding photogs' existence. The sun balloon would be a marvelous way to add daylight where there is none. This would be so great if designed to be inflated and deflated quickly, and to whatever size is needed (larger would emit more light). It would be made of a material which could both withstand the heat of output and diffuse the light just as overcast real daylight would... I guess it'd be more like a sun-behind-cloud balloon (we don't like direct daylight because it causes squints). The balloon would be tethered to be pulled back down for deflation or re-positioning. It could be solar powered! Just imagine, great light everywhere with no flash and green power to boot. *swoon*

Stilt Shoes

Yes like that.

Okay I'm short. Even if you're not, it'd still be great to wear a portable ladder to jack you up 5 or 10 feet to get really great overhead shots of locations and groups. I'm taking a cue from Inspector Gadget here, but the invention would rather be an extension built into the sole of any shoe or it could be a device to attach externally to the soles, also allowing the shoe to remain comfortable while the stilts are retracted. It would have to have some mode of immobilization as a safety factor while extended to prevent walking and falling, and would need to extend and retract fairly quickly to avoid making re-positioning a pain. 

Invisibility Cloak

Don't mind me!

I do like when subjects give me full attention when I need it to pose them, but when I want a true candid moment, or to sneak somewhere without being detected in order to capture a really Real moment, I wish I could be invisible. I initially envision the Harry Potter invisibility cloak here, but for a photographer it'd have to be streamlined. It would really need to be a type of fabric which can reflect surroundings so as to give the illusion of invisibility, but which can also be toggled to be "invisible" or not. Somehow I think this is fairly possible. Update: I just looked it up and found this article about scientists actually working the real physics behind this. The military also has some good research going down too, for camouflage. Image below is from that site.


I also believe in spirit activity and ghost sighting, so I think that's fairly possible too. Extra-curricular activities for when I have more time to research these things :).

Take Better Smartphone Photos & Videos

I'm so in love with photography I'm jumping to teach smartphone users how to take better photos on devices which notoriously capture poor quality media. If pixel noise, blur, and dim orange shots with demon glowing eyes bothers you too, or if you're a selfie-matic, read on for some tips that may improve your approach to smartphone photography. These tips attempt to take the whole gamut of smartphone brands into consideration. Images posted here were taken on my iPhone 5.

BETTER SMARTPHONE PHOTOS

Left side lit by a second phone's flashlight.

• In dim scenes, try side lighting with a friend's phone's flashlight feature. Direct flash is never pretty, even from a pro DSLR. Get creative with angles of the light.
• Dodge the darkness altogether and look for bright light or choose outdoor daylight, if available.
• Stand with your phone to a window, not your back to it.
• Don't plan to print a serious image from a smart phone, especially for a large print. You'll see a load of pixelization and noise. If you're serious about quality and printing, get a real camera... or a pro photographer.
• Turn on the snapshot sound indicator so someone you're photographing knows you have taken the photo.
• Get close, take time to compose the shot.
• Smartphones can't handle blur well. Stabilize your subjects.
• Don't even try capturing motion (especially fast children) with a smartphone camera - take video instead.

BETTER SELFIES

• Download a self timer app so you can compose shots without arms holding your own camera. Sometimes face shots get boring, and we want to see what else you can do.
• You don't always have to be looking into a mirror. The last point probably solves this thing.
• Never shoot yourself from the angle at which you normally read your phone (see below). Utilize the live viewer to compose your shot in a way that actually looks like you.
• Don't look at the live image of yourself when you shoot, look at the camera's eye.

The most attractive angle is usually from your phone looking slightly down on you.

A self timer app actually allows for an honest pose.
Hands are expressive! I knew they could do more than hold a phone :).

Don't shoot with your back to a window!

BETTER VIDEOS (same above lighting tactics apply)

• Always take horizontal video. (Notice this is bold, italicized and underlined.) This is how the medium was designed. Actually it's because our eyes are aligned horizontally. Vertical video feels unnatural and disorienting because that's not how we biologically view the world.
• Never switch from vertical to horizontal orientation while you're shooting... it won't correct itself later, and your watcher will have to finish viewing with a tilted head.
• Practice hand steadiness. Try holding your breath to achieve, or use a tripod. Don't give your viewers motion sickness.
• Move around when you shoot long, continous shots. Unmoving shots are boring, especially if we're waiting for a baby to do something. Move in, move out, get a new angle... all in one shot.
• Trim your video. If you haven't shot it succinctly, trim it short to show just the moment that matters. Internet users have extremely short attention spans (like, shorter than a toddler's), and they want the meat of the movie pretty much right when they press play.
• Keep it quiet. Narration distracts too much unless this is a documentary. Let babies silently explore their world (below).

Move in, out and around to show hands and expressions.

Motion jazzes up a pensive video.

Fun times! As everyone else does, I love capturing media. Although I'm used to professional equipment, I still enjoy the challenge of trying to fudge professionality with something completely stifling to it. Anyway, have fun trying these tactics and improving your photography!

Disclaimer time: Every smartphone claims different specs when it comes to its camera's abilities. Some claim better low light abilities, some claim greater image resolution. Some even have the ability to fit DSLR-like lenses and other equipment to improve the phone's ability to capture. I'm just going to say right here that if you're that serious on getting good quality images from a phone, might want to buck up and get a big boy camera rather than hunkering a phone around with top-heavy equipment which negates the slimness of toting the phone in the first place. Just sayin'!

What They Don't Tell You About Print Sizing!

I'll spare you on more complex offshoot topics such as camera sensor size, image aspect ratios and the nitty gritty of frame sizing, so I'm designing this blog to be a simple-as-possible depiction of what your image looks like versus how it crops down if you choose standard print sizing versus other sizing more adequate to keeping all the image's details intact. Most images do end up cropping fine to popular print sizes, but some may not. It depends on composition. In cases where an awkward crop may result, alternate sizing should be considered for best quality on the final product.

Here's something interesting, and who knows why, but some of the most popular print and frame sizes (especially 8x10 and 11x14) may not best suit some compositions, particularly landscapes and close ups where information can be lost on the short sides after cropping. The main reason these crops can be a little whack is because what comes out of the camera is slightly more rectangular than the popular dimensions. Capturing more information (horizontally, especially) is more artistic, cinematic. I suppose that's why the camera is designed to shoot images wider.

This one is pretty dramatic; she made a point of loving that little heart in the window. In order to include everything in an 8x10 or 11x14, their feet need to get cropped, and that doesn't look professional.

As you can see, these crop sizes tend to be too square a proportion for the full ensemble of the original image.

More horizontal just feels more dynamic.

Crop their feet or her back? I don't like this debate!

Take note of the following sizes, which will not crop anything at all from the original dimension of an image. These sizes keep everything intact:

4x6, 8x12, 12x18, 16x24

Some may be skeptic of the middle two sizes and figure that frames cannot easily be found for them. On the contrary, frames of any size can be found at good frame shops. Michael's has a fairly good variety, and a simple Amazon search for the size you need is bound to turn up even more variety on any size.

OR, if you want to wipe away all sorts of frame availability worry, you can consider a canvas gallery wrap. No frame needed! Ready to hang right out of the box, and it looks great on the wall. No glass reflections even. I also offer panoramic options on gallery wraps, and those are super cool if you've got a great landscape begging for a sprawling panorama. Panoramic prints are notoriously difficult to handle and to frame, so I don't even recommend them. Gallery wraps are the way to go.

If you're unsure how an image will crop when ordering prints or gallery wraps from viewing galleries, please inquire! I can even send you a proof of the crop before ordering.

Happy wall decorating!

Choose Your Own Adventure: Being Directed

This blog is carefully designed as a definitive reference for those who care to know or who wish to define precisely how they may be directed for portraits. I preface this content by clarifying that the majority of modern wedding photography is predominantly photojournalistic (candid); therefore, it is redundant to request a photojournalistic style as it is already the default. However, there is one segment of a wedding day (other than family portraits) to which I apply the focus of this blog. It's the in-between "creative" segment.

I have coined these direction terms with visual reference thanks to my fabulous volunteer model, Rachel. Please keep in mind that these styles are intended for the segment of a wedding day from which you'd typically expect direction. The rest of the day is entirely up to atmosphere, circumstances and YOU... I'm just the journalist. 

Completely Candid: 0% Direction

Experience the atmosphere

If you're a couple with a lot of spunk, personality and flamboyant chemistry, and also not fond at all of being told what to do, this style is for you. The direction is that there is none. The photographer follows wherever and whatever you choose to do with each other. Anything goes. This can't really be illustrated in a few shots because everyone and every atmosphere is different.

To note: Probably no shots looking directly at the camera unless you're a camera-seeker. Breaking the 4th wall breaks realism though, so if you admire true realism, this is for you. I recommend involving an activity which elicits emotion and excitement, such as going out for ice cream or heading to a play ground. 

Unposed Direction: 50% Direction

Direction is usually "start here, end here, do this in between". How you carry that out is up to you.

Most couples feel awkward being expected to suddenly express the nature of their relationship non-verbally for a camera (we're not actors, after all), but this style helps break the ice by giving subjects a general direction in motion while allowing them a freedom to determine what exactly they will do with that cue. This is really one of the more popular styles I've devised which 'pretends' to be candid, but which has actually been directed.

To note: Go with the direction, but make it your own. Don't be afraid to show who you are.

Traditional Posing: 100% Direction

There is a forever classic formula to posing for traditional portraiture, and no one ever complains about it. This can be taken up a notch by selecting intriguing locations. I mix these up with at-camera or at-each-other gazes. 

Vogue Posing: 110% Direction

High Fashion Vogue

Here's where it gets interesting and offbeat, but I recommend it only if it's truly in your personality to do something like this. In which case, it's completely worth the extra time and the minute tweaking of arms, legs and expressions to achieve. 

     1. Whimsical Vogue in my mind means "fantasy", choreography or jumpography. 

Severely fun. Yup! Sometimes jumping is great just for the post-jump laughter.

     2. High Fashion "Magazine" Vogue, just like what you saw when shopping for bridal gowns.

Shoulder focus: fun for non-strapless gowns.

     3. Imitation Vogue mocks pop culture photography in really fun ways. Also check the Bride of Frankenstein shot I did for Halloween. I got a kick out of imitating the original. 

Audrey Hepburn: Sabrina

Marilyn Monroe: the tutu pose

Marlene Dietrich

So now you know my mind when it comes to posing. One disclaimer is that photography, as well as posing, is very situational. Certain poses can't be accomplished well by everyone; body types and shapes are all different. I like to assist clients in knowing precisely what to expect, so this classification of direction is about as fine-tuned as I can get considering that everything is so situational. Analyze your personality and choose a style that works for you. If you have no preference, I tend to mix these all together.