1. Shoot your subject at different focal lengths

using the zoom on your photos will not only change how close your subject appears but it will also change the depth of field (ie the blurring of the background). It also allows you to shoot from different distances which can really impact how relaxed your subject is (there’s nothing better than a photographer in your face to make you tense up!)

2. Shoot your subject from different angle

it’s amazing how much you can change a shot by getting on your knees or taking a few steps to the side!

3. Shoot using different formats

there are different ways to grip a digital camera. The two main ones are horizontally or vertically but you can also get into all kinds of diagonal ways to do it. Mix it up.

4. Avoid the Group Shot Blink

When photographing people try to take multiple shots, especially group photos when someone is always bound to be blinking

5. Use continuous exposure modes

most digital cameras these days will have a mode that allows you to shoot multiple frames quickly. So instead of taking one shot at a time you can take multiple ones by simply holding the shutter longer. This can be very effective at capturing people in that second after they post (quite often when they are looking a little more themselves).

6. Move your Subject around

If it’s appropriate move your subject around. The pictures at the top of this post are from a session of photo I took of my brother. I love the series because it puts him in a variety of poses in quick succession (we shot 50 or so shots all in 10 minutes). They make a great series.

7. Try Exposure Bracketing

this is a technique that Pro photographers use to make sure they get the perfect exposure. Some cameras have a built in bracketing function but with others you’ll need to do it manually. The basic principle of it is to take numerous shots in a row and purposely shooting them at a variety of exposures. Start with under exposing them and gradually dial up your exposure levels until your last shot is over exposed. I’ll write a tutorial on this at some point in the future but in the mean time hit your digital camera’s instruction book to see if they have a way to do it automatically.

8. Experiment with different ‘modes’

even the most basic point and shoot cameras have different ’shooting modes’. These are usually things like ‘portrait’, ‘landscape’, ’sports’, ‘night’ etc. Sometimes it’s worth flicking through these to take shots at different settings. What these modes do is simply change the basic settings (like aperture, shutter speed, ISO) – all things that can change the look and feel of your shot considerably.

9. Play with your flash

try turning your flash off or forcing it to fire in shots. Sometimes adding flash to a scene where there’s lots of light behind your subject is essential (even though your camera might not think it needs it). This stops those silhouette shots where it looks like you’re trying to hide the identity your subject.

10. Tell a story

rather than trying to sum up a whole occasion in one shot think of the shots you take as an opportunity to tell a story. I sometimes have the sequence of shots in mind as I’m doing a shoot – look for a beginning shot, a middle shot and an end one. It’s almost like a movie but with still shots.

One last tip

when it comes to shooting lots of images – take note of what you’re doing. One of the problems with shooting lots of shots at different exposures and in different modes and settings is that you get home to your computer and find a brilliant shot but can’t remember how you did it. Many cameras will store your settings in the images for you to look at later but I find it is sometimes helpful to even jot down what I do as I take images or at least to make a special mental note of what I’m doing as I go so that I can reproduce the types of shots in future.

Learning a woodworking or any new hobby does not have to be an exasperating experience. With the availability of the Internet you can learn much quicker and much faster than ever before. This article is going to give you some great tips on how to accelerate your learning quicker than you ever thought possible. The reason being is a great list of resources will be included to help you along. You should find these tips invaluable.

1. Watch and Learn

Learning by watching and learning by reading are the easiest ways to learn something new. If you can read and watch video you can pick up something quickly without much help and there is tons of material available today.

There are a ton of books and some really good TV shows that can inspire you and show you how to make a special project for your home. I remember watching The New Yankee workshop and got inspired to build my first project. After that I was hooked because I was encouraged. Several great shows on TV include the New Yankee Workshop (PBS) The Router Workshop Woodworks and DIY to name a few.

2. Learn from a friend

Obviously if you have a friend that is into woodworking you can learn a ton from them. Basic shop set up and having someone help you through some of the basics is very valuable. If you don’t have a friend that shares this hobby you can always find some by going to your local woodworking store. A good one that has an active community is woodcraft. Some stores actually have a small shop in which you can take lessons and come in and build your own projects. Looking up woodworking clubs on the Internet for your town specific is also very helpful. Make sure you use the quotations effectively. For example you would put into Google: woodworking clubs “Florida” (substitute your town)

3. Youtube

One of the newest methods to get some great ideas is to try youtube. They have tons of topics besides the ones that most people go there for. They also have woodworking videos and they are all for free. You can get a great feel for working in the shop and be inspired at the same time. Its free research and its free.

4. Learn from websites

There are several websites in which you can get help once you start a project. There is nothing worse than feeling alone when you hit a roadblock. A lot of the forums are set up so that you can ask a question and get an answer. Some of the subject matters are very specific such as:

• I am new to woodworking
• I need help
• Power tools
• Woodturning
• Hand tools
• Home Improvement
• Project specifics
• Jigs tricks and good ideas
• Furniture
• Hardware
• Fastening and joinery
• Dust Collection
  

Good forums are easy to find. All you need to do is type in Woodworking forums into your favorite search engine and you will find as many as you have time for.

6. Buying the basic tools

There are few tools you will need if you don’t want to stop dead in your tracks in the middle of a project when you find out you need something you do not have. I would suggest an entry level table saw (bench top model) a cordless drill (drill press if you can afford it) a router table and a miter saw. If you upgrade your table saw you can get away with not buying the miter saw. This may sound like a lot but you will have a ton of possibilities with this basic set. If you are not sure you want to sink the money into the purchase you could by the tools used and if you do not want to stay in the hobby you can resell them. My favorite two places are Ebay and Craigslist. Craigslist is like an online classified ad site for your area specific. People buy and sell stuff everyday and its free. I find the deals a little better on Craigslist and I don’t have to bid over an item or remember to bid. You can find out what used items are going for using both services. This should help you save a ton of money. Used tools in good working order are always a good purchase. I continue to this day to buy items used that I want to save a little money.

7. Know where to shop

9. Buying wood

10. Advanced Learning

If you really want to kick start your learning and money is not much of an issue you can always enroll in a woodworking school. There are several ones that you can find online. These schools can be very basic teaching you everything you should know as well as very advanced. A lot of them require you to only bring yourself since they are a fully stocked shop. Some include the price of a finished project that you actually build while you are at the school or class. This is a sure fire way to get a quality education with plenty of help.

Lighting can be a very tricky trick to master. The shadows can be very tough to depict correctly. Cartoonists do not always draw the shadows super realistically but instead draw shapes that are meant to symbolize the shadows. These sharp shapes can be really neat looking. Other artists try to capture the light more realistically using airbrushing, stippling, cross-hatching or various other shading techniques. Whatever technique you choose to use, many of the principals of lighting are the same. For instance, no matter what you are shading, you will need to determine where your light source is.

Lighting plays a large role in indicating form and making an image appear more 3D. In order to really understand light sources, you will need to look at objects in a variety of lightings and keep the logic behind the lighting consistent.

The light sources are the points from which light comes, such as the sun or the lights in the room. Only by doing this will the lighting trick the eyes into seeing the entire image as realistic. Be sure to look at how different shapes such as cubes, spheres, pyramids, cylinders and cones and also look at the shapes in all sorts of lightings and times of the day.

1. Scribbling

The most intuitive way to shade is to scribble by swirling your pencil, spending more time swirling in areas that are supposed to be more shaded. However, this is not the only way.

2. Stipple

3. Crosshatch

4. Hatching

5. Airbrush

If you are using a graphics program, you can use the airbrush tool to lay down pixels in an unsystematic way.

6. Blur

7. Smudge

8. Cell Style

9. Line Width

10. Screentones

Article Source: http://www.a1articles.com/

Singing is indeed a great talent but if you can learn to develop and improve it more and sing like a pro, for sure you will come a long, long way in entertaining a lot of people. If you have that great talent for singing, for sure, you can find many ways to improve your singing. Making good use of your voice can be very rewarding and it might give you a break in the music industry.

 Aside from music schools where you can enhance your singing voice, you can also learn by yourself some ways to improve your singing. Here are some that you might find useful.

1. Remember to sing with your diaphragm, not with your throat

This will help you in reaching big notes and give you the air supply needed to sustain long notes.

2. Believe in yourself. Be confident

If you have the talent, believe that you can sing and you can deliver the song very well. You can deliver a good song and a good performance if you are confident about it.

3. Practice proper posture

This will not only make you look pleasing onstage but it will also help you breathe properly, which is needed in your singing.

4.Relax

and take time to massage your face, your jaw and exercise your mouth before a performance to help you release tension on the muscles in those areas, which are needed in your singing.

5. Practice singing in front of your family and friends

You can also start singing in front of smaller crowds to help you build the confidence and develop your stage presence.

6. Find your vocal range

To be able to sing like a pro, you have to know which vocal range your are singing comfortably. This will help you prevent any attempts on bigger songs that may not fit for your voice. At least at the start, sing songs that are in your vocal range. You can try to develop others later.

7. Do breathing exercises

Proper breathing is essential and this is also one of the effective ways to improve your singing. Being able to breath properly will help you reach higher and bigger notes and it will also give you enough air supply to sustain long notes.

8. Learn to read music

Do not just sing. Learn to read music. Although there are singers who do not know how to read music, it is a big advantage for you if you know how to read. It is also one of the good ways to improve your singing and in training.

9. Practice makes perfect

Probably the best of all ways to improve your singing is to practice. Sing whenever you can. Practice the skill of entertaining people. This will also help you build and perfect your style in singing, you stage presence, your connection to the audience and in enhancing your singing voice as well.

10. Take care of your voice

Your efforts in improving your singing voice will all be put to waste if you are not taking care of it. Do not drink cold water after a performance. Refrain talking in noisy places that will make you yell, this can damage your voice.

Carolyn Anderson attends singing classes to help her improve her singing. For a tool to help you improve your singing, check out Singorama, a self-study training package as well as a software that can be your mini recording studio. Also check out Singing Success Online, a place online where you can take your singing lessons.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Anderson

An author photo printed on a book tells you a lot about the author. It makes an immediate impact on the mind of the reader. What things should you keep in mind?

1. Firstly, let us prepare our general attitude towards portraiture

Remember that how you appear to your readers is fundamentally unimportant and has no impact on sales or your profile. Serious writers don’t do portraits. Those great photos of Auden, Beckett, Carver, Donaghy, Eliot, Hughes, Isherwood, well, those great photos did nothing to help us remember these writers, nothing at all. Put them in a gallery and we’d be lost. ‘Who are all these people?’ we’d say. ‘They sure don’t look like famous writers.’ So let’s not worry about getting any decent photos, unless our publisher forces us to do it. Then we can always moan loads about how facile it is. Or talk about commodification. It’s plainly a capitalist conspiracy focusing on face time. Readers just don’t respond to images of authors. We all know this.

2. Okay, okay, just for a moment

think about all the readers, booksellers, publicists, literary agents, radio presenters and news anchors, editors, journalists, teachers, librarians, festival directors, activists, students, translators, Web designers, pamphlet and catalogue designers, arts administrators, writing school programme managers, power-broking residency managers in Santa Fe, the academics, think about them and realize how unimportant your image is to them. It’s all about the writing, isn’t it? Good books shine through, after all. Just look how easy it is to sell them everywhere. 

3. If you absolutely have to use an author photo

it’s best to start with a passport photo. The ones you had done for Mexico City in 1983. The ones where you really do look like an iguana from that angle. Alternatively, choose the ones with the black shadow from the flash on the kitchen tiles. The ones where your eye hangs down like that. The ones where the low October sun is reflecting off your sweating forehead, enough to bleach out your remaining features and make you look like a polyp or giant gland.

4. Do remember, whilst pulling together your photos, to make sure you include those you especially don’t want your publisher to use

That way, when they do select them, you can object and have them do the work all over again. Doing the same job twice always brings twice the pleasure.

5. If the passport photos are unavailable, wedding snaps make great author photos, especially where you feature in the background in a crowd of revelers dancing the conga

Or shots at an office party, where Gwen had her jacquard tights on and you have your arm around her thighs. That photo of you doing a reading is a good one, the one where we can see a slither of your face peeping around the head of that Goth in the foreground. Try and get a blurred shot if you can. Or one where the camera is focused on the trout and bananas on the trestle table, and you’re bending down eating blancmange. Groups shots are always best, ones over dinner where the turkey is sagging in its house of bones and we can see you tipped sideways on the sofa beneath the decorations and someone’s arm stretched out obscuring your mouth.

6. If you have photos in dramatic places, always grab the ones where you are visible as a speck beside a tree, shaded before a mighty gorge

Or where the dustbowl is coughing up a lake of sand by that bus and you are in that bus, looking out of the back window, smiling between two satchels. External shots where the sun casts shadows so perfect your face looks like a ligature stood behind that lamppost with those 43 other hill walkers, that one is a killer. Find the ones of you pointing to something in the middle distance, like a boat trip up some lake of mud where everything is obscured except your sombrero. Shots by the pool with a rubber ring where you look cool in shades under the brolly, those ones are excellent. All family photos are generally good.

7. If none of the photos you keep in your dressing table or use as coasters for mugs of coffee are of any use, then it’s time to consider getting some shots taken

Bother. First off, ask the kids. Get your digital camera, or mobile phone, whichever has the lowest mega pixel rate, and take some snaps under the stairs, or in the wood shed. Grin in a few of them. Don’t brush your hair or assess your appearance in any way (this can distract you from getting the right feel). Wear the sleeveless cardigan you’ve kept since 1972. Try to look forlorn, or cross, or let your mouth hang open as if you have had a severe accident whilst cooking the potatoes. Take lots of images that are all the same so as to provide absolutely no choice when sending the images through to your publisher. Above all, don’t plan the shots or get any professional help or advice. Given the length of time it has taken you to write the book and find a publisher, don’t spend longer than 5 minutes of creative time considering this task. Do your writing no favors at all. Take note that spontaneous photos by the gladioli or stood by the airing cupboard nearly always give rise to truly memorable images of lasting historical value. We’ll all be studying them in 2090.

8. Then spend a little more time thinking about what kind of images your publisher asked for

If they need high resolution images, make sure you send them 72 dpi thumbnails, these always render well when used at full page height for that article on your latest volume in the New York Review of Books, in fact, even though the pixilation makes it look like your head is made from Duplo, this oddly adds to the impression that you are a new central figure of the literary establishment. Let’s get down to some more nitty gritty.

9. The Salt guidelines in their author questionnaire say take some landscape as opposed to portrait format images for their Web site

Don’t bother to check what other writers have done and try to better them, in fact, don’t pay any attention to ‘landscape format’ —instructions are for people who are just over serious about all this marketing stuff. Instead take photos of yourself in an actual landscape, leaves and trees, make sure you’re in the centre of the image, cut off below the waist with leagues and leagues of sky and foliage above you. If you’re in the foreground, make sure that the camera is focused on the far distance, that fencepost for example, or that heifer drinking from the water butt. If you are in the background, behind the taxi rank on Dermot St, make sure that the camera is focused on the pretzel stand over here on the left. Make sure you’re always in the centre. Don’t use depth of field to add drama. Remember to avoid any composition in the photographs, stand as still as a cadaver and look tired and drained; readers will respond to these images well. Keep the black scarf up around your mouth. Pull the hat down around your ears. Hide all features except for your nose and finger tips. Don’t look out to the reader, as we all hate eye contact with people we’re trying to engage with.

10. If you are up against a deadline, draw things out and take your time. Make this the last thing you do

Make sure all marketing activity is the last thing you do. When you eventually come to do it, be hasty and indifferent in equal measure — run in to the garden before dinner and get some shots under the pear tree or behind a hedge. Try and make sure that the image has no visual interest and lacks any tension. Photography is all about light, so avoid directional lighting which may create a strong visual impression, choose harsh general lighting. Choose bare backgrounds, or something shockingly busy and distracting like a wall of bright gentlemen’s ties or socks. Don’t stand to the side, stand square on and in the middle of the shot. Wince. Pout. Slump. These are the main objectives. When you’ve done as much disservice to your writing life as you can find time for, select the shots which don’t fit the publisher’s Web site and send those through first. Send lots, they’ve asked for six but send at least twenty. Don’t consider them, and tell the publisher that you hate being photographed, this will reinforce why they chose your book to lose money on. Try to give a broadly negative impression of helping to create those right conditions to sell the book or promote yourself. Follow these ten steps and you’ll find everyone in sympathy with you and the entire book industry will fall into place and sell thousands of your title. You can always find people to back up your views on this visual stuff. If only you could remember what they looked like?