Want to give your man some sexy photos of yourself? Well, it’s called Boudoir Photography, and it is the most intimate and romantic gift you can give your man.

There are times of year, such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas and anniversaries when women often think it would be nice to give her partner a sexy photograph or two of herself. Unfortunately, photographers that do this as a specialty are few and far between. Many that advertise it as an afterthought (not their specialty) do not do justice to the female form, and truly do not understand the subtleties of helping a woman to relax for the camera while sitting in their pretty under things. Photographing weddings or babies is a far cry from understanding how to pose and light a women to make them look like a centerfold model.

The following points will help you to find the photographer that’s right for you.

Do your research. How long has the photographer been in business? Not just what he says in his advertising. Do a Google search on his studio name- you should literally come up with page after page of search results. If he or she has been in business for say 10 years or more, there should be lots of search results just from typing in their name. If you can’t find much on them, chances are they have not been around very long.

Your comfort. In a session like this, very little matters more than your comfort. If you are uncomfortable with the situation or the photographer, it will show in your expression. If you are uneasy, your photos will not come out nearly as well as if you were relaxed and confident. Absolutely speak to your photographer in advance of your session. If he can’t look you in the eye or speak confidently when answering your questions, thank him for his time and move on to the next photographer. If at any moment in the conversation you feel ‘creeped out’ or weird, that is a sign that you don’t have the right photographer. Your comfort with him is of the utmost importance.

“Can I bring a friend along?” The answer to this question is a double edged sword. Some women like to bring a friend with them for moral support, or to help them feel more relaxed. If you feel you need to bring along a friend for protection, you’ve chosen the wrong photographer. The reason I say it’s a double edged sword is because, as it turns out, trying to be sexy for the camera is usually easier in front of a non-judgemental stranger than it is in front of your best friend. Many end up regretting bringing a friend, because they end up feeling strange performing in front of them. Or, sometimes they get giddy and can no longer pull off the sexy and mysterious looks they were hoping for. This happens in my studio with more than half of the women I photograph that bring a friend with them.

Know in advance what you are getting for your money. By this point in your life you should likely understand that the most expensive isn’t always the best, but at the same time the cheapest is usually the cheapest for a reason. They are likely the least qualified for the job. I can’t go into quoting specific prices here as that will vary from city to city, state to state, and number of years in business. I can tell you that in most cases you can look to invest at least $400 – $600 for a modest boudoir photography package. Many high end studios with great experience can charge much more, but also offer some unique products such as coffee table books and canvas wall portraits. As a point of reference, in my studio, the average client can look to invest around $800.

Is retouching included? Some photographers charge more for it, some don’t. I believe that the price you pay should always include the retouch charges. You will want retouching. Don’t think for a minute that make-up, lighting and posing takes care of everything. It doesn’t, and never will. Not when there is so much skin showing. Baby photos are cute with rolls of fat, boudoir photos are not. Stretch marks, shaving bumps, hairs out of place, and yes blemishes happen and most of the time the only way to fix that is with digital retouching. If you think the ladies on magazine covers, models and celebrities, and playboy centerfolds come straight from the camera looking like that, then you have another thing coming. I know myself that if I were selling reality, I’d have been out of business long ago. Retouching done well will enhance your assets, and play down the liabilities. Trust me, you’ll want retouching.

Client testimonials. Especially when you don’t know of the photographer in advance, make sure they have some sort of list of clients that are thrilled with what they have done for them. A photo of the person, and their full name, city and state will make the testimonial more believable. Look for phrases such as “I can’t believe how comfortable I was” and “I was so relaxed, and the photos came out beautifully.” Testimonials that are just a few words and have only initials instead of a person’s full name are most likely made up, or the photographer did not have permission to quote that person. I believe the photographer’s web site should be chock full of testimonials from happy clients.

The guarantee. Very little in life is guaranteed. But a photographer that guarantees his work produces a product that he’s proud to stand behind. Any top-notch photographer offers a written satisfaction guarantee that you will be happy or they will retake the photos, or give you your money back. A written guarantee means this photographer is confident in not only his or her skills, but also that you will walk away happy with the photos you had created. Always ask about their guarantee.

Samples of their work. This should go without saying. You simply must like what they’ve already done for other clients. Look for samples on their website of poses and lighting styles you like. You should also look for women of your body type in the gallery. A good boudoir photographer should be able to flatter all body types from short to tall, thin to round. I have been told often I wish I could have seen more large girls in your gallery.” Yet, the truth is I have several ladies at around 200 pounds in my gallery. It is the posing and lighting that makes them look smaller. That’s my job! Every lady deserves to look and feel like a million bucks!

Following the few guidelines above should help you considerably in finding, and ultimately being thrilled with your boudoir photographer. Most of these points can be used to find any service, not just boudoir photographers. Now, if you are ready, go get those sexy photos taken!

Source by Michael Spatola

Interior Photography is the most challenging of all the professional genres of commercial photography. Every detail is critical; every prop must be correct and in just the right location; busy-ness must be avoided; things must be cleaned up and simplified; lighting can be challenging; and in addition to all that, one must understand how best to portray the “look and feel” of the space that architect of interior designer worked so hard to convey. The photograph will always be better than the reality! It will have clarity of vision; illustrate what your client is selling; have an atmosphere of light (usually created by the photographer’s lighting); be inviting; have a feeling of “presence;” have a clean and simple look; and it will have drama and movement.

Some simple rules to start with:

1). Define your client: Who is your client? The architect, builder or realtor will want to show relationships of the design to the space and the intention and flow of the design layout. The interior designer will be concerned more with the furnishings and the details of their design. Architects like drama and usually don’t mind some wide-angle distortion, whereas, the interior designer or the product photo my find distortion to be a problem. In any case, the distortion must be used judiciously – it has to contribute to the overall composition in an effective way.

2) Angle: The One point perspective or “head on” view is strong and symmetrical. The Two-point perspective may define the space effectively but pay close attention the how the space of the photograph is divided. The emphasis should be on 2/3 of the composition; don’t divide the space in half. For architects and builders, be sure to show significant design detail and take into consideration how the spaces work together. Don’t’ try to show too much – keep the viewer’s attention on important elements. A couple of good photographs are far more effective than a lot of weak ones. Go for quality, not quantity. Remember the adage: “Less is more” – wide angle doesn’t mean that one should show more, just because it is possible to do so. EVERYTHING in the photograph must hold it’s own weight and be accountable to the overall composition. Every angle, line and detail has to “work” in the photograph.

3) Height: A low angle foreshortens and can be very nice for some views, however, it is important to show the important elements of the interior also. Be high enough to separate the elements and keep the composition clean and clear. Avoid a cluttered look and having things “grow out” from the tops of furniture, etc. Occasionally a high view is required but usually I find that a little lower than eye level (if one is not too tall) is favorable and pleasant. The higher the lens, the more foreground distortion; A piece of furniture too close to the foreground (especially a round table) will become very distorted with a higher view. Often the foreground will determine the camera height. Having the foreground “fall” out towards the bottom edge of the photograph is very disturbing and must be avoided by either adjusting the camera height, camera position or moving the furniture back from the foreground.

4) Arrangement: After the angle has been determined, frequently the furniture must be rearranged to fit the format and perimeter of the photograph. Sometimes this may be subtle; other times it may be drastic. A pleasing composition and balance must be found and concerns such as distortion of furniture, tangents and “busyness” are addressed at this time. I always get the large pieces in place first and then work down to the smaller scale furniture from there. Everything must be perfect – from the direction and relationships of the furniture to each other as well as their relationship to the room. Always adjust everything “to camera” – the room setting may appear totally out of place from another vantage point, but it will look correct from the camera position and that is all that matters.

5) Props: The final details in the set are the arrangement of the props. I start by taking out all the clutter and then carefully putting things back or finding other elements that compliment the space. Bookshelves are rearranged to look more uniform and uncluttered, desks and work areas, totally cleaned up. I almost always add fresh flowers and plants to “soften” the look and feel of the space as well as books to fill space on tabletops etc. I like to have height to contain the edges of the image; taller plants can work well for that. Kitchens are particularly challenging to prop; they must look clean and orderly but also look livable. I frequently use bread, bowls of fruit, flowers, etc. Simple breakfast settings of orange juice, coffee bagels and a newspaper can also work well. Pay particular attention to chair legs – they can get very busy looking if not handled carefully. In corporate settings, conference room chairs should have the legs and wheels all going in the same direction, the chairs should all be spaced exactly the same – again – it may not appear that way from another position, but it must look very uniform form the camera position. A clean, styled uniform look, that is also loose enough to feel real, is the key to successful propping. One of the most important qualities that the interior photographer must have is patience as well as being extremely detail oriented. It is essential to have everything perfect; the direction of the cup handles; the arrangement of the flowers in the vase; the space between accessories on the table; lamp shades must be straight and undistorted; the color of the page in the open book. Every element in the interior photograph must “play” off and work with each other, as well as within the context of the whole.

6). Lighting: Good lighting separates the average photographers from the great ones. Light defines the feel of the space and it gives it a three-dimensional look. The trend lately, especially since the advent of digital photography, has been to use predominately ambient light. For some clients and under specific conditions this may be acceptable, however, compared to what good lighting can do for the scene, the results are very flat, uninspiring and “dead” My approach to lighting varies depending on the space and client, but my philosophy is consistent – I light to create a beautiful photograph; my lighting always enhances the space and I use my lighting to lead the viewers eye through the space and feature important details and design elements. A good photograph will always look better than reality. Sometimes my lighting will simply enhance the existing light, other times I will totally transform the interior or the exterior of the building. Whether the lighting set-up is complex or simple, good lighting will always enhance the overall look of the photograph; it will add highlights and shadows, separate tonality (especially with dark with tones and shadows) and emphasize texture; it will bring saturation to color and a feeling of LIFE to what would otherwise be a lackluster image. Regardless of how beautiful the space is and how well the designed lighting adds atmosphere – adding lights will ALWAYS help the scene. The only exception to this rule would be in very large spaces, and even, then placing lights in strategic spots can make a big difference.

As with anything else in life, in order for one to excel in a particular field one must be passionate about it. Photographing interiors is a highly specialized field and it is not for the feint of heart. An Interior photographer must be very detailed oriented, and have a love for and at least a layman understanding of, architecture and interior design. Often times the client will totally depend on your expertise, so one’s knowledge of what “works” in the interior photograph must be at least on a level as the professional whom you are working for. Personally, I find the blend of technical details with aesthetics to be very pleasing; every shoot is like solving a puzzle – the work never gets mundane or boring.

Source by Paul Schlismann

Every man, no matter how well-endowed, has contemplated penis enlargement, in order to: increase length, pump up girth, eliminate the hook, or simply to smooth the shaft of unsightly veins. But the overwhelming majority decide against for reasons of practicality and lack of necessity, excluding the few fields where enhancement can further a career: male adult film star, college art class model or magnum condom tester.

The methods for achieving growth vary tremendously, but very little scientific research has been done on penis enlargement. This lack of study is downright shocking, considering the amount of man hours (4,266,708 – we’ll show you the math) that have been spent looking and wondering if our members could be improved. One more disappointing fact is that most techniques result in a mere 1-2 inch gain, which hardly seems worth it. If you are going to put your prize possession under the knife (or invest in other methods), you’d like to see more than cosmetic changes; something akin to a John Holmes-esque result. The various enhancement methods can be grouped into the following categories:

Surgeries

Male enhancement surgery can involve the implant of various materials, including silicone and the stimulant drug PMMA. Urologists have also started recommending cadaver flesh, which supposedly leads to less scarring and complications, excluding the obvious psychological boundary of carrying a dead man’s member. Thai physicians, coming from the world capital of penis enlargement surgery, have gone to such bizarre lengths as inserting less recommended materials, such as olive oil or crumpled yellow pages into unsuspecting patients. Another operative method exists that doesn’t involve implants. Approximately one-third to one-half of the penis is inside the body, which seems like a terrible waste of space. I already have something jangling about my inner thighs, so if I’m stuck with an unsightly appendage bobbing to and fro, I might as well make it an impressive one. Getting in touch with your ‘inner penis’ is as easy as cutting the suspensory ligament holding your better half inside of you. The shaft will drop forward and extend out, with especially good results for fat people, which is one minor positive for gross obesity. Many may ask if this technique can be accomplished without surgery, simply by pulling on your penis enough. Serial masturbators answer this with a firm no – the ligament is too strong for your puny hands. Straining and even bruising are possible, but detaching the ligament from self-stimulation is not.

Optical Illusions

People can make cosmetic changes to make the penis appear bigger, like losing weight, shaving the pubic hair, adjusting the lighting, bringing a magnifying glass into the bedroom, or subtly substituting your member for an enlarged rubber version when she looks away. Having filmed myself numerous times, I can also state with confidence that everything looks bigger on film.

Vitamin supplements, patches, tools

The largest advertising budget award in the penis enlargement world goes to the pills and promises that routinely make it through the hardiest anti-spam filters. If I had a millimeter for every enlargement ad I’ve received, I could use my penis as an actual third leg. There is wide agreement that pills provide no benefit, other than supplementing your daily sugar intake. Further, pills advertised as ‘all-natural’ or ‘herbal’ have been found to have an extremely high level of fecal contamination. And feces in any form does not lead to penis growth. Penis pumps are remarkably popular, having been joked about on television for decades. A traditional pump will fit a suction device (a ring) around the base, and a squeeze handle will vacuum out the air inside the cylinder. The vacuum lets the blood flow into the penis, but not out. Penis pump makers insist that repeated exercise will increase the total size, but warn that you should read instructions carefully. Slapping on a pump and squeezing away can lead to nerve damage and unwanted cell explosions. Recently, companies have also started rolling out ‘penis patches’, along with a significant amount of pseudo-medical literature testifying to the patch’s effectiveness. From insider knowledge of clinical studies, we can affirmatively state that the patch will not increase your size, but you may find your penis willing to give up smoking. Many may see a temporary gain, but the jury is out on pump effectiveness for long-term growth. If the pump does not meet your standards, and the maker does not offer a satisfaction guarantee, the pump can be modified to clear clogged sinks.

Hanging and Jelqing

Hanging is an ancient tradition of attaching a weight to your penis just behind the glans, then trying to do lifting repetitions. If you choose this method, just like in a weight room, be careful to start off light and work your way up to the max. Also, consider higher reps at lower weights to get a nice chiseled penis. Heavy weights could result in serious incurable injury. You may also wish to have a spotting partner present, who can utter wise words like, “You got it. It’s all you. Keep going. All you. Jelqing, or ‘milking’, is a manual stretching technique that involves wrapping the thumb and index finger around the penis while semi-erect and repeatedly pulling to force blood into the shaft. Many manuals have been written on the subject. In our opinion, ‘jelqing’ sounds uncannily similar to something else, and based on personal research, practically every day, we have our doubts about this technique. If it truly worked, we’d all be walking around with monsters.

Conclusion

Our advice is to be happy with who you are with your own god-given size. Time and money spent may not justify the expense. And most girls don’t have enough experience to adequately rate you, nor will they rub your nose in it if they do. And for the guys that just can’t overcome their shyness, only date/hire women that will do it in the dark, so they won’t know (and may never feel) what hit them. Or go out and drop major coin on the biggest, most awesome, jaw-dropping dong that medical science can provide.

Source by Don Rodrigo

Well, I guess you know that our energy prices are going up, up, and away. And I have no doubt that you changed most of your light bulbs in your home to the more energy efficient light bulbs. Still, there are LED lights which are even more energy efficient, and many businesses are going to those. There’s only one problem with that if you happen to be in the auto detailing business, or have an auto detailing shop. I’d like to discuss this with you if you have a few moments, because it is a real concern.

As you know with the auto detailing industry you have to do a perfect job on every car. And that requires adequate lighting. It requires real lighting. It’s almost impossible to tell if you did a perfect job on someone’s windows unless you are looking at the window or through the window with actual sunlight. The types of lights that you have or use matter very much. I can tell you this, having been in the franchising business, and having franchised detail shops prior to my retirement; those detail shops which had fluorescent lights, because we didn’t have LED lights back then for these type of industrial applications, had the most complaints.

Customers got their cars back and they noticed a film on the rubber, plastic, rims, windows, or clear coat. It was something that the master detailer or detailing technician did not see. And it wasn’t their fault. In fact, the lighting was all wrong, and they could not see the flaws in their own work. Even though our teams used the best possible products in the auto detailing industry, they still made mistakes due to improper lighting. Now then, fluorescent lights and LED lights are quite different. Neither of those choices are as good as UV lights, and in some cases LED lights may be better than fluorescent, but nothing beats natural sunlight.

One thing I always looked for when our franchises went looking for locations, was for industrial buildings which had skylights because it let in natural light, not only did this save on energy, but it also allowed for better detailing quality. Of course there are days when there is overcast, or when you are working late into the night doing wholesale detailing for a car dealership, an auto auction, or you just can’t finish all the work before dark, because it’s daylight savings time.

What’s the solution you ask? Well it’s important to get the right temperature (note: temperature is a visual lighting term), and there are specific LED lights, and lenses which can help you with this. Before you put in LED lights in your auto detailing shop to save energy, make sure you get with someone that really knows lighting, and all the applications. Make sure they have a good understanding about the science of lighting; because it does matter. Trust me on this. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Source by Lance Winslow

Most aspirant or established bodybuilders take a lot of pictures of themselves during their quest for the perfect body. This is not a sure sign of narcissism though as these photos will be an excellent graphic record of progress during various stages of the process. It makes a lot of sense then to invest in the best photographic equipment one can afford at an early stage and also to spend a bit of time perfecting the techniques needed to take good solo bodybuilding pictures.

These points are often neglected, a fact amply demonstrated by the masses of really bad self taken bodybuilding pictures one sees. Bodybuilding is a sport that’s success is judged visually, both on stage and in pictorial form. If, for example, the venue lighting is bad on the day of a contest, contestants are going to have a hard time getting the maximum visual impact across in their routines. They may be seen clearly, but if the lighting is too muted or harsh and not placed correctly, muscle definition may be far less apparent and poses not as effective.

The same principles apply to shooting your own bodybuilding pictures. You are going to be spending a huge amount of time, effort and money on your sport so it is senseless to neglect the photographic component of your equipment. Fortunately it’s not necessary to spend thousands on a studio grade setup. Digital cameras are getting better and cheaper each year and it’s possible to get an intermediate level digital with good optics and high megapixel sensor for a very reasonable price. The only other critical item in a basic photographic setup is a tripod. Again, really good examples can be had at prices that won’t decimate your bank balance.

Let’s start by looking at camera choices. This, being the core of your photographic equipment, should be the absolute best example you can afford. In today’s environment it doesn’t make much sense investing in a film camera (if you can still find one that is). Digitals simply offer so many advantages that they represent the only serious option when considering camera choices. Always try and stay with the big names as optic and component quality is usually better as is the after sales service. Brand names such as Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus and Konica Minolta are always safe choices. Kodak, HP, Panasonic and FujiFilm also make decent cameras. One feature that would be a definite plus in a camera is a remote. This will allow for a lot of flexibility when shooting solo bodybuilding pictures.

 Photography is making magic with light. Lighting is possibly the most important factor in any photographic genre, and particularly so in taking bodybuilding pictures where muscle definition is so critical in creating visual impact. Again it’s not necessary to break the bank. Any fairly intense, directable light source will get the job done. For best results try and get two separate light sources set up at approximately 45° to your pose position and situated behind the point were you are going to set up your camera. Try to avoid using flash unless you have a flash diffuser as flash tends to wash out too much subtle detail. Remember that a high light position will emphasise shadow at the bottom of the muscle structure while a lower position will do the same for the lower abs but also possible detract from your chest.

Your camera should always be placed on a tripod to avoid any blurring that will play havoc with definition in your shots. If you have a portable, full length mirror it helps to place it almost directly behind the camera so that you adjust you poses for maximum effect. Just remember to look directly at the camera again before taking the shot. Keep unnecessary clutter out of the background that can detract from you as the focal point. This is especially true of items that could possibly cause a bout of blushing at a later stage!

Personal preparation for taking bodybuilding pictures should include the following points:

1. Body hair should be removed as it detracts from muscle definition in bodybuilding pictures.
2. Try to avoid eating for approximately an hour before you take the pictures. A recent meal will distend your stomach and ruin your profile.
3. Pump before you shoot, and no, that’s not XXX grade movie advice either. A short workout prior to taking the pictures will increase blood flow and muscle volume.
4. Skin tone and highlights are essential in showcasing muscle development in bodybuilding pictures. Concentrate on maintaining a good tan and oil up to increase highlights. This will really define your muscle mass.
5. Practice good pose. Suck in that gut and keep you back straight or slightly arched back. When applying tension try to make it look effortless and smile! No war faces here.

Once the pictures are taken you can use software to edit the results if you can and are so inclined. Skin blemishes can miraculously disappear and lighting and exposure adjusted to maximise the effect. Superimposing Mel Gibson’s face is not on though!

It is impossible to briefly cover all the different techniques and settings that can be applied to get great results in bodybuilding pictures. Experience will quickly teach you how to maximise the results though and if you use the preceding tips you’ll soon be able to build a flattering portfolio.

Source by Malc Moore

What’s wrong with Video?

Maybe you shoot video for a living – doing corporate work, TV documentary or adverts. Perhaps you are a student film maker or an enthusiastic amateur. Regardless of what you do with video, the likelihood is that you want to make films – even if only for yourself and friends and family. If you are new to video production, then the idea of ‘film-look’ – in other words giving video the look of film might seem quite new to you. If you are new to the idea of film look, or only know that you want to make your video look like film then it can be a daunting task to try and discover just what you need to do to make your video look like it was shot on celluloid.

Looking out for a ‘Film-like’ look!

The term ‘film-look’, or filmize (as it is called by wikepdia) is a generic term that has been applied to lots of process, some physical, some chemical and now – many digital. Celluloid (film) is expensive, wasteful and time consuming to develop – not to mention risky – destroying film footage is too easy! Tape is cheap and easy to use and the quality of video cameras has improved vastly in recent years. With the advent of digital video it has become possible for almost any camera to record acceptable quality video – analogue cameras were generally unsuitable for film look unless they were of a high end professional nature. Now, with DV, HD and HDV it has become more easy than ever to make a high-quality movie that has the look and feel of film.

DV, High Definition and ‘film-look’

It is important to realise that the higher quality camera you shoot on, the better your filmized piece will appear. Not is only is the quality of the camera important but also the format it uses. DV, or Digital Video is the lowest quality format you should be using. Ideally, shoot on HDV – a highly compressed High Definition version of DV or a professional HD variant.

So just what creates a ‘Film Look’ on video ?

Been to the theater recently? Film looks very different to raw digital video. There are a number of reasons for this but the most basic and obvious concepts are the differing nature of a film and video camera and more importantly that film stock is a chemical based medium whereas video is a digital / magnetic medium. The chemical nature of celluloid ensures that it records color in similar way to our eyes, has a much larger brightness range and does not harshly clip shadows and highlights. Digital Video stores image data in a finite range and brightness is stored in a linear fashion – quite different to how the human eye sees. Motion is different too, with far less motion blur in an image.

The Evil Legacy Of Analogue Video: Interlacing

One of the tell tale signs of video are the sawtooth like jagged edges that are produced by the interlacing process. In short, interlacing refers to the half frame display of video. Each frame is split up into odd and even lines and these are recorded and displayed out of time to increase the amount of motion recorded. This means that still pictures have higher resolution and moving pictures have more motion (although less resolution).

Creating an authentic film look requires the use of a 24p or other progressive format camera or a deinterlacer to make the interlaced video progressive (or a single frame) . This progressive frame will not feature motion artefacts caused by interlacing assuming that it has been deinterlaced well.

Color Correction / Grading

Much of film look comes from grading / colorising. Video is given a more film like appearance through the use of Gamma and Contrast adjustments. The most common way to give an image a more film like approach is to use a curves tool to create a soft s like curve. The s curve simulates the way film responds to brightness – in a non linear fashion – versus the straight line of video.

Color correction is used to one down the overly bright and saturated look video has. Color correction is also used to stylise the piece – this often helps with film look because film cinematography is often far more intricate than video lighting where illumination is exposure bases.

Film stock flashing and color timing – done in the development lab after shooting – can easily be simulated in software and contribute a huge amount to what most audiences unconsciously recognise as a film look.

Tricks Of The Trade: Advanced Lab Processes

Movie makers often use some sort of processing in the lab to achieve a particular look. Films such as Saving Private Ryan and Munich use a process known a bleach bypass. This increases contrast and reduces saturation by leaving silver halide on the negative – usually it is washed away to show the newly developed image. Essentially bleach bypass can be simulated in Adobe After Effects and similar packages by blending a black and white version of the image over the original color image. However if you want authentic looking bleach bypass you may be best considering a piece of film look software known as a plug-in for your post production system.

Other key indicators of film based production are optical filters such as diffusers and neutral density filters. These alter the quality of light by softening , darkening and blooming specific parts of the image. Diffusers work by affecting specific sections of tonal range, such as shadows and highlights. Neutral density filters tone down overly bright skies and have resulted in the sort of sunset shots seen in many Bruckheimer and Simpson films of the 1980s and 1990s.

Depth Of Field – The More Shallow The Better

For those after an authentic look there are a few other issues that should be considered. The first is depth of field. Depth of field refers to how much of an image is in focus and how much is blurred. A camera can only focus at a single point in an image (in terms of depth) and anything closer or further away to the lens will become progressively more out of focus. How quickly the image loses focus with distance is described by depth of field. A narrow depth of field has only a narrow focal depth and a deep focus lens keeps most of the image focussed.

Focus is directly related to the size of the image receiving device, be that a digital CCD / CMOS sensor or a collection of halide grains in a piece of celluloid. To achieve a simlar depth of field to film (which is relatively shallow), a large sensor is required. While a few camera such as the Panavision Genesis do have 35mm sized sensors – such video cameras are expensive. Cheaper professional and prosumer cameras have much smaller sensors – creating a much larger depth of field than film camera.

To achieve a truly film like depth of field with some camera you will need a lens adapter that allows a film like depth of field to be created. One highly recommended 35mm lens adapter is the M2 from http://www.redrockmicro.com.

Film Grain – A non Digital Artifact

Film grain is actually very small. We only tend to see it consciously at the theatre where the image is large. When shown on TV, film-grain tends to disappear and this has become a tell tale mistake of those seaking film look. Such failed attempts involve using some sort of noise generation in their NLE or post suite to simulate the grain of film. Such noise not only looks nothing like film grain but is also far too large.

Grain simulation, except for an aged film look should be avoided at all cost.

Cinematography

capture as much tonal latitude as you can – compressing the highlights and lowlights into a viewable range where detail is kept. You will then expand the range back out in your film look plugin but during shooting it is imperative to capture as much detail as possible

Also consider lighting creatively – why light for video, emulating the lighting style of your favourite movie perhaps. As far as possible try and move away from 3 point lighting, which is more suited to a quick set up than a creative image. This article cannot hope to cover the vast range of lighting techniques used by film cinematographers – really you need to read as much about it as you can so research is the key here.

Finally…

If you have been creative with lighting, attempted to create a shallow depth of field and intelligently used a film look system such as Halide: Film Look System ([http://www.ambervisual.com/halidedemo.asp]) you should have a good likeness of film. Getting the perfect film look is not easy and it takes practise like any other discipline in movie making but it can deliver phenomenal results and despite what some might say – audiences respond better to narratives that have film like qualities- video is too strongly associated with news and reality TV.

Source by James Tucker

Movie Production:

With the advent of the latest technologies which gets updated each day and each moment, the knowledge of these will enable a movie maker to make best out of the techniques and tools of the movie production. Listed here are few basic techniques to start with, and understanding these will enable the individual to advance in the field of interest by browsing through the internet to grasp the tools they had been looking for. It is never a must that only the technical persons of the crew must be aware of the particular tool or the technique pertaining to their fields. In case of the directors and the producers, the awareness about the latest advents will be very significant as they can be more self-dependent and take the right decisions for presenting their movies without relying solely on the ideas of the concerned technicians. Knowing to operate these tools and making the perfect use of it in the movies is the trick which makes the movie affect the audiences psychologically or emotionally. Thus it is essential to put across the words of the script into the hearts and minds of the audiences.

The Cinematography Tools and Techniques:

Cinematography deals with the way the shots are taken, camera movement, and other choices of the shots which highly influence the masses. For instance, if it is thriller or action, the pace of the camera must match that of the quick storyline. At the same time, if the directors want to express deep feelings or emotions then again the cameras and cinematography have a say in passing the message to the audiences. Cinematography includes the ‘sets’ used and the camera view, movement, angle and shot. There are many types of shots namely the bird’s eye shot, freeze frame shot, tracking shot, whip pan, close up, Dutch angle, low-angle shot, shot reverse shot, and so on. Lighting effect decides the way the place is shown in the movie. Again the suitable ones must be chosen to blend with the scenes and situations in the movies. There is the background lighting, soft light, key lightings, lens flare, mood lighting, flood lighting, and so on. The lighting is a key factor which expresses the mood of the movie and impacts the aesthetics quotients too.

Editing and Special Effects:

Editing is the process of trimming the length of the scenes or on a whole, the movie. In addition to it, the sequences in which the scenes appear in the movie are also decided by the editing teams. To perform this tricky part of the movie production, hundreds of tools are put into use. To name a few of the techniques involved in editing: establishing shot, SMPTE time code, screen direction, flashback, talking head, cross cutting, dissolve, split screen, match cut, different types of wipes and lots more. The special effects are becoming a part of all the recent movies and these can be made convincingly to please the audience by using the 3-D computer graphics, bluescreen/chroma key, optical effects, and stereoscopy.

Source by Ross Quadee

A documentary film is one of several creative modes, including narrative fiction and experimental avant-garde. Documentaries have a purpose, viewpoint and approach, and evolves from the formative process – as either scripted or spontaneous. Documentaries are limited to reality or actuality.

Most of the production requirements for documentaries refer to the fact that there are no sets, actors are not used, and real people, not actors, play themselves.

Documentaries have been credited thrpoughout history for having a huge impact on cultural meanings. Many film schools worldwide teach the art of documentary filmmaking. The schools and classes teach understanding the fundamental aesthetic tools of documentary filmmaking such as camera operation, sound, structure, and also the interview.

Classes will often include exercises leading to the production of a documentary film project, so that the students can learn directing and producing skills as well as learn the various types of documentary.

There are always issues that students as well as the teachers deal with in documentary filmmaking having to do with the development of ideas, preproduction and the actual production.

the students in documentary film classes view segments of videos that represent major trends in the history of documentary film making. Usually there are guest film makers who lecture in the courses to mentor and provide supplementary education.

Documentaries are a very challenging form of filmmaking, that often stir up controversies. Historically, the genre begins with the earliest films of the Lumière brothers known as ‘actuality films” – ending with the latest postmodern explorations. Classics include Flaherty, Grierson, Riefenstahl, Rouch, Vertov, and Wiseman, along with contemporary works. The documentary film course examines how shifts in social and political realities, changing technology, as well as the personalities and talents of individuals continually re-define what the term documentary means. Ethical as well as aesthetic issues are also of consideration.

Documentaries often present challenges for cinematographers who usually must work alone or in small crews. They must learn how to capture beautifully-framed, meaningful footage during low budgeta and often chaotic circumstances that usually surround the film shoot. There’s typically an emphasis on shooting cinema verité and lighting with a very small crew. Some aspects of the digital camera are shared with students as they work.

Documentary films are also a very popular art form. Awards shows have a place for documentaries and many are covered often by movie critics, as evidenced in as early as 1942, when there were four winners including: The Battle of Midway; Kokoda Front Line; Moscow Strikes Back; and Prelude to War. In 2009 a recent documentary film on military medicine – Fighting for Life is expected to win awards.

Source by Kristin DeAnn Gabriel

So what exactly is the difference between Multimedia and Animation?

The word multimedia is, in itself, explanatory. It refers to the practice of using multiple forms of media, which may or may not include animation, simultaneously, within a given product or project. Multimedia products will often combine text, still images, video, film, animation and sound within one package.

Multimedia products are often interactive in nature and can only generally be created on, and accessed by, a computing device.

Multimedia now encompasses a vast array of products, projects and services. Familiar examples are the Computer Based Training courses (CBT”s) used in education or the typical instructional CD-ROMs so often favored by the learner driver.

The CV of an artist for example, containing, a headshot, biography and a portfolio of work, which is then burned to, and delivered on CD-rom, would also be considered multimedia in nature and multimedia is very often used in the corporate setting in the form of presentations.

Even the video gaming enthusiast is not immune to the onslaught of the multimedia revolution as he or she battles within the evermore complex multi-player gaming arena known as MMORPGs.

One of the most important features of the multimedia product or service is that it is more often than not, interactive in nature. The learner driver training CD mentioned previously would be a prime example as it would require the user to engage with the content throughout.

This type of educational platform also serves as a classic example of the non-linear forms of multimedia which requires interaction and input from the user over the control and delivery of the content. Multimedia in its linear form – a simple example being Cinema – offers little or no scope for such interaction or control.

The use of the term multimedia has changed over the years and it was only during the 90’s that it acquired its current meaning. Multimedia can be live or pre-recorded and with the advent of computer tablets, smart phones, advanced gaming platforms and the like, multimedia is now an all pervasive force.

Animation on the other hand is a ‘specific cinematic medium’ which often utilizes hundreds, sometimes thousands of still images. These images are combined in sequence over a specific time period (cinematically speaking) usually 24, 25, or 30 frames per second. When these images, which will all vary slightly from one another, are recorded and replayed in rapid succession, they create the illusion of movement.

Animations can be 2D or 3D. Can be hand drawn or computer generated. Involve clay models, puppets, shadows or cut-outs. Some animation may involve all these elements and more. Good cinematic examples of 3D animations are Toy Story, Shrek, The Incredibles and The Croods.

3D animation is a very complex area with a terminology that is uniquely its own. Essentially 3D animation starts with the creation or modelling of a 3D mesh of the object or character to be created. The mesh can then be refined by the modeller before being rigged and programmed for movement. 3D animation does require some basic drawing skills at least, is very technical, and relies heavily on the use of 3D textures and lighting.

Traditional 2D animation on the other hand involved the processing of thousands of individual images copied from original paper drawings onto transparent acetates known as Cels. Each Cel was then carefully coloured and set against a painted background before being photographed one by one with the aid of a rostrum camera.

This method of film-making bought us classics such as Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, 101 Dalmatians and the Lady and the Tramp.

Stopmotion animation is similar to the above the only difference being that a physical object such as a doll or puppet will appear to move on its own when it is manipulated bit by bit between photographed frames.

Nowadays the process of animation is much less cumbersome as much animation is created and edited on computers using vector or bitmap images with sophisticated software used for coloring and camera movement.

Source by Sonia Clarke

By far the most important skill to have if you wish to become successful with anything, is ATTITUDE. An old Chinese proverb once said, “90% of the journey towards success is over once you have stepped outside your front door.” The reason many people fail, is because they’d rather stay in and watch the TV.

Of course, that first step outside is a philosophical one. As a musician or songwriter, you spend the vast majority of your time being creative. If you think that writing a great song, or playing an instrument well, is the hardest part of being a successful artist, you are wrong.

Despite all the skills you need to know and perfect in order to make your music shine, these pale into insignificance compared with the hard work and other skills you will need to learn in order to record, market and sell your art successfully.

Fortunately, most creative people also seem to excel at other things. The term “Jack of all trades” could quite easily apply to most musicians or artists. After all, the first thing most artists have to learn, is how to find time for their art whilst running a home AND holding down a Day Job in order to pay the bills! It is therefore not unusual to find musicians who are also Physicists, Engineers, IT Professionals or Teachers, to name but a few.

Most of these people are quite content to keep music as a hobby, at least whilst bringing up a family. However, we all get to a stage in our lives (usually once the kids have grown up and left home), where we want to cease working for a “Living”, and instead, work for our own “Satisfaction”.

There are few things in life more satisfying than being admired for something we created. If our creations also manage to influence others, then it is even more rewarding.

This “first step outside your front door” is taken when you decide to pause from the creative aspect (the ideas), and take a positive step towards learning new skills, or employing others who can do those things for you.

There has never been a better time in the history of mankind, to take those steps, either by yourself, or with others who would help you.

–Where you used to have to pay for tutoring, or buy books, in order to learn the techniques of songwriting, or playing an instrument, you can now find scores of articles on the Internet (like this one!) that will help you for free.

–Where you used to have to save up a considerable amount of money to pay studio costs and hire session musicians to make a decent demo recording, you can now find all the necessary tools, and even the musicians, on the Internet who would help you for little or no cost at all.

–Where you needed to sign a record deal in order to be able to afford a producer and a master quality studio, you can now buy your own PC and some music software, and collaborate with a producer online, who will give you the capability to make radio-ready recordings.

–Where you needed a record company with a huge advertising budget to market and sell your recordings, you can now (with some hard work), market and sell your CDs to the Whole World for next to nothing.

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The Music Industry doesn’t like the changes that the Internet has brought to the business. Digital media can be freely copied by anyone with a PC, anywhere in the World. No longer do the record companies just have to worry about the CD pirates who manufacture illegal copies to sell on the black market; they also have to now worry about every PC-literate man, woman and child, making their own copies too! This has led the music industry into a perpetual fight against filesharers (making enemies of many consumers in the process), instead of embracing the business advantages that the Internet brings to us.

The Music Industry still believes that 8-16 year-olds buy most of the records, so they are still catering primarily for that market. Recent industry figures are telling a different story, and the secret is the “Baby Boomers”.

Yes … The same people who created the above market perception in the 70’s by buying the largest proportion of records ever, whilst they were teenagers, have now grown up! The largest age group to buy CDs TODAY, at 26% of the population, are over 45. Not only that, but they still like the same kinds of music as they did then. So there is no need to change your art to fit today’s teenybopper market if you aren’t that way inclined.

Now that we know the secret, we also know that the next big thing in music, isn’t going to be another form of Hip-hop, Techno, or R’n’B; but a return to real music, such as was made during the 60’s and 70’s. However, we’ll be creating it with modern tools on a Home computer DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) system, instead of in a multimillion pound studio complex!

So, whilst the Music Industry is still hesitating by trying to shun the new digital era in favour of antiquated business models, hardware in the form of CDs, and markets that still only cover limited territories; we can now jump ahead of them onto a more level playing field, find our own markets, and sell to the Whole World with only a simple website!

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? … Well, that is the first hurdle you will face. So many musicians think it is easy, that there are millions already doing it! So to be successful you will need, like any other business, a proper business plan.

CONCLUSION

The road to being a successful independent musician, begins with ATTITUDE.

You need to find enough time in your schedule to drop the guitar & scoresheet and use your creative energies towards developing a proper BUSINESS PLAN. This means taking a step back and listening to your music through Joe Public’s ears. You need to think up a business name, logo, and short slogan that encompasses what you are, and what your music is trying to say to people.

Register your business “name” by buying a domain name that suits you as soon as possible.

Pages on free MP3 sites and Free domains do not give you a professional image. You MUST have your own site, or at least something that offers you a unique look and features of your own. If you want people to find your music unique & special, then you also need an image that is unique and special. That goes for your email address too. Genuine business people don’t use their Hotmail, AOL, or Yahoo addresses for formal communications.

Make sure all your paperwork is in order.

If you are planning on making an eventual living from your art, you will need to be registered as a business or as a self-employed sole trader. You need to make sure your tax and income are all accounted for, so you may have to buy yourself an accounting package, or learn to use Excel Spreadsheets, or employ an accountant. There is also a lot to learn about how copyright systems work and whether you feel you need to form your own publishing company, record company, or register your copyrights with an agency. Much of this will depend on the laws of your home country. Alternatively, you can sign a non-exclusive deal with a small independent label or publisher to handle all the music-related paperwork for you.

You need to either take the time to develop some basic web design skills, buy ready-made templates, or employ someone to design a site for you.

Make sure your logo and colour scheme is fluent throughout your site, your stationery, your CD artwork, and any other communications device, such as email. Make sure your site includes some way of gathering a mailing list, such as a response form or a “double opt-in” form of registration.

Plan a marketing strategy.

Marketing is all about finding the right market for your product. This may involve a certain amount of consumer research. This can be expensive, so use the Internet as much as possible to find groups of people who like similar music to yours. Try to find out other things about these people so that you can get a clearer picture of who would be interested in your music.

Plan a promotional strategy.

Gather contact lists of magazines, local newspapers, TV and radio stations. Plan an 8-week promotional strategy leading up to the release of your CD. Use any press, or airplay you get as a news item on your website. If you have some money to invest, plan a set of concert dates in local venues for dates close to any publication dates. Plan a poster or postcard campaign. Contact local charities, hospitals, schools and shops, in fact anyone who might be prepared to play your CD in a public place. If you want local record stores to stock your CD, you will also need barcodes and counter display boxes. Use the mailing list you have been gathering from your site to promote any news to your fans with a regular newsletter. Offer free tickets to gigs, or run competitions for free CDs. Use your fans as extra leverage to increase the momentum of your promotional campaigns.

Don’t under-sell yourself.

Make sure that any music you decide to give away as a promotional MP3 is different in some way to the music you are selling. E.G. It will either be an early un-mastered mix (demo), or a different mix, or a song you are never going to release for sale. Otherwise, make sure all samples you make of your records, are either short clips, or low-fi mono samples. The price you set for your releases should never be too far below that of major record company releases. Your price tells your customer what “stage” you are at in the business. Price yourself too cheap and you are more likely to lose customers because they will automatically assume you are an “amateur”.

Make yourself and your CD easily accessible to your fans.

Always answer any emails promptly. Check your emails at least once a day and reply to any new enquiries immediately. The average time expected by most people for a response by email is 12-24 hours. Do not SPAM. Make sure you only send bulk emails to people who have opted into your mailing list, and if anyone wants to opt out, make sure you delete them straight away (not several weeks and 10 disgruntled emails later!). To contact businesses, you will need to write individually and personally to each of them. Always use a business “signature” with your artistic or business name, slogan, web site address, and possibly your telephone number, on every email you send. If you have released a CD, make sure you add the link to that too! If you have had your CDs duplicated professionally and are barcoded, you can also expand from selling them in internet stores such as iTunes, Amazon, and CDbaby, to high street stores. You must also sell them from your own site or at least provide links to the stores where they are available.

Never stop “Networking”

Carry your business cards with you at all times. At every conversational opportunity, if someone happens to mention music, or gigs, make sure you advertise yourself as an independent artist. If you have a modern mobile phone or MP3 player, make sure your latest CD is on it! You never know who you’ll bump into in the supermarket. The first thing someone will ask when you mention you are a recording artist is “What kind of music do you play?” If you have your MP3 player with you, you won’t even have to answer! (This is always a difficult question for an artist). You can just play it to them! Also make sure you frequent all the music-related newsgroups, forums, bulletin boards, MP3 sites, chat rooms etc. at every opportunity.

Finally, my “Promotional Tip of the Week”

Familiarise yourself with all the P2P filesharing systems that the music business hates so much. You can use them to your advantage. Make ads or lo-fi samples of your music or CD and label them like this…

John_Mckeon_Friends_SoundsLike_Simon_&_Garfunkel.mp3

Make copies labelled with every well-known artist you think you sound like, and keep all the files in your shared folder. Then, whenever you are logged onto the service and someone searches for music by these well-known artists, your music will be on their list of results!

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Source by Lynn Monk