By adding an assignment to your work, you can open your eyes and really see a creative side. What if you had a project to do and the goal was to photograph just one thing. What would you do? Let’s take a look at one project…the color red. Color is everywhere and when you see some of the samples below, you will see on connection to each image and a large array of unique designs.
image by frazer4eos
image by NYC nikonian007
Online communities are a way to build relationships and trust. As photographers, we have an amazing tool for this arena at their disposal, images. Images are very powerful and can generate large amounts of interest. If your have a portfolio of images that share a theme or unique value, from creative talent to amazing viewpoints, share them online to start a following of your own branding. 
We put together a list of image social sites where you can add images, socialize online, communicate within groups or just show off your images. To ensure that you generate interest toward your brand or style of images, modify your profile to include information about you and your website. Be sure and add your interaction by providing insight through comments on image postings. Connections are made, with a little interaction, you will see how establishing online relations will build a better following.
JPG shares with the visitor’s images and stories. Themed selections separate images into sorted groupings. JPG has a cool feature for working multiple shots and combining text that adds a story to your images.
Flickr is the king of image communities. Large amounts of digital images flow onto Flickr everyday. Flickr allows you to start your own themed group where you can specify what is allowed. Imagine if you had a group with only red squares. Make it unique and they will follow.
Photobucket – one of the most popular image hosting services around, favorite amongst MySpace users. Group albums, to let you collaborate together with friends and families in a single group album of photos and videos. Built-in searching to find the latest and best photos, images and videos to suit your mood, or entertain your friends in Photobucket’s huge online library.
SlideShare – SlideShare is a content sharing site where you can host and display presentations. SlideShare is the best way to share and find presentations. Share publicly or privately. Add audio to make a webinar. Embed slideshows into your own blog or website and join groups to connect with SlideShare members who share your interests
Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.
I was out reading through a bunch of my RSS feeds from the blogs I love, and I came across several great things for that hard-to-buy-for photographer in your life.
Bottle Cap Tripods
Have you ever been on vacation, and had the opportunity for a 
perfect shot – but you couldn’t get it without a tripod? Now you’ll never be without a tripod again, with Bottle Cap Tripods.
These little jewels fit on any standard water or soda bottle, and pivots up to 15 degrees in any direction.
LensBaby
Tired of looking through the same old lens? Give LensBaby a try. 
These amazing lenses give you more options, more possibilities, and a whole lot of fun.
It’s always fun to be out shooting and have someone say, “wow”. You’ll definitely get that a lot with these lenses. Use one – or all three – to create something new in the way you shoot.
PhotoOpoly
Do you love playing Monopoly? Do you have several editions (I 
have the Denver edition). Why not make your own with PhotoOpoly. Dig out your old photos, place them on the board, and create a fantastic game perfect for the holidays.
I’m thinking this will be the perfect gift for the gift exchange this year! And I’m willing to bet it’ll be the one gift everyone fights over.
1. Use your real name. (Twitter.com/AndrewOsterberg) This is a way to build your expertise.
2. Use a photograph that shows who you are.
3. Change your photograph out, but make sure it always represents your business image.
4. Change out the free Twitter background to include more about you or your business.
5. Start using some of the different applications for Twitter
6. Automatically feed your blog posts into your Twitter account.
7. Automatically feed you Twitter posts into your WordPress blog. Read the rest of this entry ?
Photography can become a wonderful tool and art if you create a theme. This post is about a winter theme. I found some wonderful winter images to pass along for the season
image by marika_te
image by – James Jordan
How many times a week do you take a few minutes and just start surfing? Some say that’s a big time waster, but I use it as inspiration. I start with an email or a link from a friend, and just start following things.
So here’s my list of 10 cool sites to inspire your photography.
1. FlakPhoto is a photography blogzine that’s filled with photography projects from every corner of the world. You’ll find photo essays, book projects and gallery exhibitions.
2. Rocktographers has the most amazing images of, well, rocks. The diamond kind that is. This will help you think outside the box when trying to come up with that unique photo at your next wedding. (Or for your commercial shoot.)
3. MCP Actions has a lot of cool Photoshop actions, ready to help you make your photography more saleable, and shorten up the time you spend on your computer.
4. Want to see what the Canon EOS 5D Mark II can do? I was amazed.
5. It’s all about perspective and anticipating what your subject is going to do. Check out these photos of skateboarders, and learn a thing or two about perspective and capturing a photo that speaks volumes.
6. We all know photographers love their toys. Here’s an interesting article on the most expensive camera lenses available. Not on that list, one of my favorites is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM. What’s yours?
7. I’ve been fascinated with stories from Dubai lately. So this picture of construction in Dubai City captured my attention.
8. Thinking about becoming a fine art photographer? Maybe its time to check out SOHO Photo. A gallery for photographers.
9. For holiday gift ideas, or a little bit of inspiration, I love heading to the masters. In this case Ansel Adams has a dynamic collection of work ready to inspire anyone.
10. And of course I love finding groups of photographers to network with. Check out Women In Photography.
We’re heading out this weekend for a business retreat – and to have a change of scenery. The Rockies are beautiful anytime of the year, so we thought we’d head up to a few of our favorite places and try are hand at a new technique – HDR photography, or High Dynamic Range technique.
HDR creates amazing images – almost surreal – that gives you a sense of being in a different time and place.
HDR is created through tone mapping using bracketed exposures. To create one image, you end up taking a series of images – one at the correct exposure, a variety under and over exposed – and combine them into one dynamic image. The highlights and shadows are all represented, giving it the surreal look.
photo source smashingmagazine – check out the other 35 shots
I pulled just a couple here to show you what other photographers have captured. If you’ve experimented with HDR, I’d love to see your work.
Most wedding photographers concentrate on the photographs. They design their packages to provide a certain number of photographs. And the client can choose what images to place into the album.
A typical package may be:
· Up to 8 (eight) hours of time
· Unlimited 4×6 images (Average 550 – 900 images) All yours to keep!
· Wedding Album (To hold your unlimited 4×6 images)
· Enlarged Images: 8 – 8×10 prints + 4 – 5×7 prints + 20 – 4×6 prints
The problem with this type of package is you put the emphasis on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on your presentation, you’re focusing on a stack full of pictures.
And this is where true professionals are separated from the amateurs.
As a wedding photographer, your art comes in the form of being able to tell the story of your clients wedding.
What if you take photographs of the wine glasses sitting next to the cake, photographs of the bride and groom’s hands holding the wine glasses, close ups of the toast, and photographs of the guests toasting the bride and groom. Read the rest of this entry ?
