How to buy a lens?

What do I know about buying a lens? Not a whole heck of a lot. And I still don’t see the value yet but I’m all about composition and my Dad is all about Technology. So I asked him today how would I know that I am buying a good lens for my Nikon? And then he droned on about some numbers and some focal lengths and I think he said something about speed and I was still lost… Dad Speaks Technology so I said send me a link and this is what he gave me: http://bit.ly/54Wmd3

It’s a great article that puts buying a new lens into perspective. Check it out and tell me waht you think.

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Capturing Little Moments in Time…

It is 2010, The New Year has begun and of course our journey around the Sun begins again. It’s time to put things in perspective and look at where we are going and where we have been.

And there is no better way to do this than through Photography.

When I step back and look at the world from a far I tend to think about what is going to be here after we are all gone. All that will be left are the photos and images we leave behind. The Digital Age is upon us and the ability to make photos last forever is growing. Prints will fade and turn to dust in a matter of years but Data could last for thousands of years. Photos we take today could be seen by people 10 generations from now. And really the amateur photographer is going to be the one who tells our story.

So why not share our stories to the best of our abilities. I’m not suggesting we all become professional photographers, but there are some techniques to remember that will make capturing key moments in time perfect!

Always plan ahead
There are going to be a lot of firsts in a lifetime so plan to have a camera… not a camera phone, they are still not as good as the real thing.

Know where the Light is
If you can keep your subject out of direct sunlight or out of hard shaded areas great, if not have a flash for fill. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to move into a better position.

Adjust your Position
Don’t always take photos from the front, or from the same height. Crotch down, stand on a chair, find a different perspective it makes for a more interesting photo.

Composition
A front & center mid shot is boring. By getting closer even extremely close you can create highly impactful photographs that feel intimate and personal… While shots with people in the distance can feel secluded and lonely. Subjects on the left side of the frame looking into the photo tell a different story than subjects on the right side or looking out of the photo. Experiment with different compositions to tell the story you what to convey to your audience.

These simple things can help you take better photos… so remember Camera, Lighting, Position and Composition and your photos will tell amazing stories far into the future!

Happy New Year,
Jerry Jr. Continue reading

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Jib Jab Holiday Card

I’m working a holiday card for Heart of Florida United Way. This year they want something a little more fun and hopefully something that will go viral. So they have decided to go with a Jib Jab style card similar to Elf Yourself and Santa Yourself.

So with a lot of searching I found only one really great, if not boarder line, totally awesome tutorial from www.ae.tutsplus.com

This tutorial uses Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop to edit and manipulate the people and their mouths to follow a simple .wav file. If you are remotely familiar with Adobe Premiere and are comfortable using the Adobe Key frame features than you will have no problem creating an amazing product.

For those of you who would like to learn more about Adobe After Effects and Photoshop this tutorial is a great start. You could download the trials, follow the simple steps and have nice video to send to your family wishing them a Very Merry Hannakwanzimas.

The only thing it doesn’t cover is creating the Audio file and how to render the final video but a quick search on Bing will find you a Tutorial on how to do that.

Post a link to your videos in the comments below, I’d love to see what you’ve done.

Source: www.ae.tutsplus.com
Tutorial: http://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/basix/create-the-jibjab-effect/

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