A studio can easily be set up in your home or other small space. The first thing to remember when you are setting up your studio space is KEEP IT SIMPLE. When you are in a photo session you want to be able to have your mind on the customer 90% of the time rather than fussing with your equipment.

Let’s start with the camera. There are so many options when it comes to cameras. I would recommend deciding what your budget is and then read reviews by other photographers to chose the best one for you. Really, you don’t need the best or top of the line camera to do the job. There are plenty of cameras that are plenty sufficient and will do the job you need, without burning a hole in your pocket.

Really when it comes to a camera your money should really be put into the lens. Your camera is only as good as the lens that you attach to it. Again, I would recommend reading reviews on the lenses that you are looking at. There are many forums and websites that list reviews on photography equipment. Some that have been found to be very helpful are fredmiranda.com, dpreview.com, the-digital-picture.com (this website reviews are specifically for canon cameras and lenses).

When you are buying a lens the length is a very important criteria for portrait photographers. You want to be sure to have a lens that will flatter your subject. As a general rule for head and shoulder portraits the length of your lens should be double the diagonal of the film plane or in the case these days the digital sensor. For example, the diagonal measurement of a full size senor is 45mm therefore your lens should be 90mm or even longer for flattering portraits. You would probably also want a wider lens for full length or group portraits. However, if you are on a tight budget you could probably get away with buying one lens that will fit all your immediate needs. Something around the range of 28-135mm or there about, which will give you the wide angle for larger groups and also the telephoto for close-ups on individuals.

When buying any lens be sure to purchase at least a UV filter to protect the lens. There are all kinds of filters that each serves different purposes. If on a budget, other than the UV filter you don’t necessarily need any filters. You may possibly want a soft focus filter, as they are flattering in portraiture, however, you can add the effect afterwards in Photoshop if you don’t have the filter.

Next we come to the actual studio set up. You will need at least 2 lights: a main light and a background light. It is best to use a soft box on the main light, as it will create a much softer light than an umbrella. A background light or a hair light is needed to create separation between the background and the subject. Otherwise you photograph will look flat. If you can afford it having a background and a hair light is optimal, and then adding another light as a fill light would be nice to fill in some shadows, however, a reflector will do the job. You can purchase a reflector or you can make your own using a large piece of Styrofoam or white cardboard. You don’t have to spend a fortune on lights either. You can find lighting kits reasonably priced at many photography supply stores.

In addition to lights you will also need some posing stools, or at least something that you can sit your clients on for their portraits, a light meter, and backgrounds with a stand or other means of hanging it. There are all kinds of props out there, but none are immediately necessary if you are limited. They can be acquired over time. Since proper exposure is an obvious must for good portraits you will need to purchase a light meter. There are all kinds of light meters out there and they can get pretty expensive. For studio portraits you will just need an incident meter (which measure the light that is falling on the subject. This will run you any where from $150-$800.

Next, we come to backgrounds. This is an important piece to every portrait. The background is what sets the stage and helps create the overall feeling of each portrait. One quick tip to choosing a backdrop during a session is to choose a backdrop that is similar to the clothing of your client. This way the clothing will blend with the backdrop and the focal point will be your clients face, rather than their sweater or the backdrop. The backdrop is there to enhance your subject, not to distract from it.

There are many different kinds of backdrops e.g. Dyed, painted, computer printed, on paper, muslin, duck, and canvas. The most economic is probably paper. However, you are very limited by paper and you have to replace it often. Dyed muslin is a great way to go when you are just starting up your studio. It is affordable, durable, portable, easily stored, and even washable. If you have the funds it is definitely worth having a few hand painted backdrops in your collection. Hand painted backgrounds on both muslin and canvas tend to have more dimension and are quite beautiful. However, they are more expensive and usually are not washable. To determine what backdrop is best for you, ask your self a few questions first. What kind of portraits will you be taking? If you photograph children more often you may want to lean towards dyed backdrops because they are washable. If you are photographing formal portraits, such as business headshots or bridals, you may want to go with hand painted for a richer look. Will you be traveling with your backdrops? The dyed travel well and also photograph well even if they are a little wrinkly. However, if you have a truck you can travel with the painted backdrops rolled.

Some basic backdrop that every studio should have: black, white for high key portraits, blue for general use, a deep brown is always good to have for formal portraits, such as a business head shot, and possibly a pastel for children and bridals. Once again, you don’t have to buy a ton all at once. Just have a solid base selection and your collection will grow over time.

Please note that there is no such thing as a bad background, just different ones for different purposes.You will also need a background stand or some kind of system for hanging your backdrop. The most versatile choice is probably to get your self a portable background stand. They very inexpensive, are easy to set up, easy to travel with if need be, and are compact when stored if you have a temporary studio space. You could also purchase a roller system or a hanger system. It really all depends on the space and budget that you have.

In addition to your studio space you will also want a place for dealing with customers. This could be a home office or even your kitchen table.

Remember, keep it simple and take plenty of time to practice and get comfortable with your equipment and working space so that each client session can go as smoothly as possible.

Good luck and enjoy your new studio!!

But before you start a pet photography business there are a few things that you will need to keep in mind. Remember, you cannot simply start a pet business because you like animals. There is much more to it than that. And if you want to be successful at what you are doing you will need to be the best of the best.

Before you start your pet photography business look into the market that you live in. There are two things in particular that you should look at. First off, are there enough people in your area that will want to use your service? Obviously, the bigger the city you live in the better your chances are of garnering a lot of business. You will also want to make sure that you do not have a lot of competition in this industry. If there is already an established pet photography business in your area you may want to reconsider where you open up shop. This is a specialized niche and if somebody has already tapped into it you may have a hard time grabbing a share of the market.

To have a successful pet photography business you need to be good at taking pictures. That is the bottom line. If you do not have the skills to take top notch photos nobody is going to pay for your services. In addition, you will need to have the necessary equipment in order to be a success in this industry. This can cost a lot of money but it is something that you need to have to move to the top of the industry.

And speaking of expenses, a good pet photography business has a professional atmosphere in which clients can bring their pets. You will need to have a space to do this, as well as different props and backdrops. Plus, keeping the area clean is an absolute must if you are going to be having pets in and out all day long. Giving off a good sense of professionalism is a great way to garner repeat and referral clients.

Overall, a pet photography business is a great way to make money in an industry that is interesting. If you love pets and have a knack for photography, you should look into this industry right away. Who knows, you may carve out a niche in your area and garner more clients than you ever thought possible.

Estimates show that the amount of electronic, electrical and chemical waste produced in a lifetime per person in the western world is about 3.3 tonnes. In the UK alone, 1 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste goes into landfill every year. Surely this will only increase as time goes on unless actions and attitudes change? Current trends are just not responsible or sustainable. An estimated 1 billion people live below the poverty line, 2 billion people lack safe water, 3.1 billion lack sanitation and millions of children live on rubbish dumps around the world.

And this when around 20% of the world’s population is in the developed world and yet they are responsible for 80% of commercial energy use, 75% of timber consumption, 50% of fish and grain consumption and 40% fresh water consumption

Meanwhile, in 2005, the World Land Trust declared that almost 90% of all office printing and copier cartridges can be reused or recycled. We need to see this happen.

The statistics are scary, but certainly big strides are being made in legislation and environmental standards in the electronics industry. The WEEE directive in the UK and Germany “Blue Angel” scheme are two such initiatives. Sanctions against companies who ignore their responsibilities are severe.

However, on an individual basis when it comes to buying new equipment, everyone can do their bit by taking time to learn a little more about the environmental impact of certain types of equipment. For example, when it comes to office or home printers, we can recognise that longevity and durability is not restricted to the body of the printer only. Just as important are the moving parts and imaging elements of the printer.

Different manufacturers, and different machines across any individual manufacturers range, have configurations which increase user-convenience by integrating all the mission-critical elements into one disposal replacement kit. It is not hard to see that that the short-term cost saving [ which actually in some cases may not be so great] and convenience can have a high cost in terms of correct and managed disposal of the replacement parts.

Inkjet printers are largely configured either with an integrated ink tank/print head or with long-lasting print head with separate ink tank(s). Additionally there are variations on the long-lasting print head configuration. These can comprise those with replaceable heads OR those with permanent units that are factory fitted with no user-replaceable parts. Lexmark are exclusively in the first category, with integrated cartridges only, and Brother and Epson are exclusively in the final category with fixed, long-life print heads only. Canon and Hewlett-Packard are in both categories, with both configurations found in their product range, while Hewlett-Packard also has models based on both replaceable AND permanent long-life print head

Where Laser printers are concerned, the situation is very much the same. Some manufacturers use single-piece toner cartridges where the whole, business-end imaging system is contained within one unit, while others split the unit down into component parts.

These components in essence, comprise the toner cassette, the developing roller and the OPC (imaging) drum. There are configurations that either split all three elements apart or simply split off the toner cassette from the mechanical elements (developer roller and OPC drum) that are contained in an imaging unit. In some instances (more typical of colour laser printers) the developer roller and the toner are combined with a separate OPC drum.

Print engine manufacturers typically employing the single-piece design include (for mono laser printers) Canon; Lexmark; Ricoh; and Fuji Xerox. Those typically employing a two- or three-piece configuration, but also some single-piece units include: Brother; Konica Minolta; Oki; and Sharp.

Lexmark is in the position of being a majority single-piece manufacturer with some printers that have a multi-part build. Kyocera is in a category of its own with an ultra long-life OPC drum configuration.

On the Total Cost of Printing agenda, printers with multipart configurations were once guaranteed to offer a lower Cost Per Page overall. But this is no longer the case because manufacturers have realised the power of marketing based on Cost Per Page and not on the cost of the consumable items with ink or toner.

Generally speaking, at the higher end of the market, mono laser printers use a single-piece toner cartridge with all the imaging elements contained within it. This is because the drum is worked hard and it would be very difficult to guarantee the drum life much beyond the life of the toner contained in the cartridge (particularly at 30,000 pages per cartridge).

However, even in these cases, there are significant environmental implications to following the long-life, multi-part, route ‘ for the printer user as well as for the manufacturer and the planet.

The photo journalist has the eye for a captivating news photo. It is the intuitive, alert mind and sharp eye that gives the photo journalist the edge in choosing the visual image that will tell the news most effectively. In photo journalism taking photos at the right moment is vital.

1.Use Appropriate Camera Equipment

If you want to become the photo journalist, you should not only have the eye for deatail and also should be bold enough to get in to the middle of the action irrespective of the camera equipment you possess.

2. The Compact Digital Camera

If you are a new to photo journalism, depending on the circumstances, initially the compact camera may be adequate instead of a Digital SLR. The advantage of compact camera is it can be concealed and conveniently used if in a sensitive or an undercover situation where the photographers personal safety is at a risk. However, there are limitations on using digicam for photojournalism. For example, the lens and zooming capability will not help the photographer to take photos at distance from the subject. In other words, you need to go closer to the subject if you need any clear pictures.

Similarly, the response time of compact digital camera is very slow, as a result volatile or quick action situations where the journalist have to move fast, the digicam may not be able to capture the seen owing to slow response. The main reason is the zoom and sensors which are electronically operated takes a few seconds to get activated . In essence, the main disadvantage of compact digital camera is its slowness in capturing images. When compared to the DSLR cameras which has the auto and manual operations, most photo journalists would agree that digicam is very slow.

3.Digital SLR Camera

If you use DSLR instead digicam, you are able to capture exact moment, by pressing the shutter release button. In other words, DSLR can be zoomed very fast manually, and you can see the actual seen through the view finder rather than the LCD. Hence, you can at once capture the moment by pressing the shutter release button using hand and eye coordination.

Having look at the advantages and the disadvantages of compact digital camera and the DSLR, one should realize that photo journalism not only selecting the right equipment. At the same time using the correct judgement to choose the right equipment at the correct time.

Then the Daisy Manufacturing Company of ‘BB Gun’ fame came up with the first Paint Ball Gun. The first Paint Ball gun was invented (1970) and patented by a Daisy Employee, James Hale (U.S. patent 3,788, 298 issued on January 29, 1974.) with the original intent of use by the Forest Service and ranchers marking trees for harvest and cattle for selection. The first gun actually designed for playing Paintball was the Splatmaster invented by Robert G Shepherd. This U.S. patent number 4,531,503 was issued to Shepherd on July 30, 1985.

The Forestry version (Nel-spot 007 pistols) was used in a game of ‘Capture the Flag’ in 1981, boys will be boys. By 1982 some of the entrepreneurial players from that ‘Capture the Flag’ game, started National Survival Games (NSG) and opening paint ball fields. Charles Gaines, founded NSG. PMI (Pursuit Marketing Inc.) was founded for the distribution and marketing of Paint Ball products and paint ball gear sites. Caleb Strong opened the first outdoor paintball gear site in 1982 in upstate New York. Being in upstate New York, Caleb also opened the first indoor paintball gear site in Buffalo in 1984.
The early marketing of the new sport included articles written by quite a few of those early players and published in Sports Illustrated and other sports genre.

Once established it was only natural to set up a Championship Contest. This was done in 1983 at a paint ball gear site with a purse of $14,000 cash. The sport also went international in 1983 with the opening of an outdoor paintball gear site in Toronto.
More International Venues were added beginning with Australia in 1984, France and Denmark in 1991 with the rest of Europe soon to follow. An indoor paintball gear site was erected in England by 1985.

I’m sure quite a few Wives, Mothers and anyone who does their own laundry are grateful to George A. Skogg who in 1987 patented a “washable marking fluid formulation for soft gelatin capsules” – a Paintball bullet recipe (U.S. patent 4,634,606 granted January 6, 1987.) The fluid when packaged in a soft gelatin capsule produced projectiles that were more accurate and stable and made bright, highly visible marks that could be easily washed out with water and/or detergent and were ideally suitable for use in the sports and games exercises. Skogg worked for the Nelson Paint Company and this patent became the Nelson recipe for Paintballs.

LET’S GET ORGANIZED
In 1988 The IPPA (International Paintball Players Association) was founded. This is a non-profit association dedicated to the education, growth and safety of the sport of paintball. During the period 1992-1993 NPPL (National Professional Paintball League ) was founded and the NPPL Pro-Am Series began with paint ball gear site tournaments set up in Reno, New York, Boston, and other cities around the U.S..

It was inevitable that television would become involved. How could it ‘NOT’ be included. In 1993 ESPN aired it’s filming of the NPPL ‘DC Cup’ from Bowie, Maryland, organized by the PCRI (Paintball Ratings and Competitions International). As interest expanded in 1996 ESPN aired the ESPN World Championships of Paintball from Orlando, Florida.
And of course the Internet would become a venue. In 1994 Warpig introduced the first internet paintball gear site.

The game has exploded into a multimillion-dollar sport with amateur and professional tournaments across the United States and Europe. Paintball Gear Sites are opening every day now, all over the world. Cash purses and prizes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars are involved. Daisy (manufacturer of pellets, B.B.s and air guns), Crossman (manufacturer of airguns), Scott USA (manufacturer of ski poles and goggles) and JT USA (manufacturer of motocross safety equipment) are just a few of the companies that have expanded into paintball paraphernalia and equipment. Sponsors of modern tournaments include companies such as Budweiser and Pepsi-Cola and who know’s what’s next. (Toy’s r Us, Ruger).

Copyright © 2006 C. R. Ellsworth

Some people are quite stunned to realize that the digital photo camera they bought, has accessory items that go with it. They thought their digital camera was top of the line and would not need any other equipment to make it perform at its demonstrated quality level. The digital photo camera in question, probably is a great camera, but the accessories that can be purchased for it, will make it a outstanding source of entertainment.

Most digital photo cameras are sold with features that support some type of built-in memory function. The digital photo camera shopping possibilities for extending the memory functions, however, are limitless. Some people do not think they need extra memory on their digital photo camera, and leave the store without purchasing a memory card. They view extra memory as a luxury that they can not afford.

Their minds are quickly changed when they use their digital camera at a wedding celebration, and find, after taking just a handful of photographs, that the memory in their digital camera is full and they must download it to their computer to make room for more. When you’re away from home on a trip, it is kind of hard to do that. If they had considered their digital photo camera shopping possibilities a bit more, they would have bought several memory cards before they left their digital camera retailer.

To protect their purchase, people do take their digital photo camera shopping possibilities to heart, when they decide to purchase a camera bag to store their new digital camera in when it is not being used. This moment of careful consideration has saved them from replacing photo lenses that have become scratched, and not having equipment with them because there was no place to organize and store them.

When they considered their digital photo camera shopping possibilities buy purchasing a camera bag, they also considered all of the accessories that they could store in it. They quickly organized a list that contained batteries, a couple of memory cards, a tripod, and a photo storage device.

The person that considered all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities, knew that the photo storage device would save them lots of money. They would not have to keep a lot of memory cards on hand in their camera bag, because a digital photo storage device could hold up to 100 GB of images. This device made traveling a lot easier too, because the laptop could be left at home for short trips.

It makes good sense, dollar wise and common, to consider all of the digital photo camera shopping possibilities that are available for the new digital photo camera you paid a good sum of money for. Do not assume that the photo software that came installed on your digital photo camera will always fulfill your digital photo editing needs. There are better ways to fix your digital photo flaws, and better software being developed everyday that will keep your digital photo camera in the top of the line category.

One of the photographic techniques that I find really useful, as obvious as it may sound, is making sure that I always have my camera with me when I head out. It can be quite surprising when revisiting an area that we think we know.  Things change all the time. Maybe the lighting is different. Perhaps you are passing through at a different time of the day and a scene that hadn’t previously imposed any particular sense of drama suddenly impresses you.

I recall driving through an area many times before. There was a long white sand beach with a bridge over a stream at the northern end. I had even picnicked and swum at the northern end of the beach last summer. In the intervening months since I had last visited the beach, the local council had built a path under the bridge and alongside the stream bed as part of a beautification process opening up an area which wasn’t previously accessible from the beach.

As a result I was able to acquire some very pretty landscapes where I wasn’t really expecting anything in particular.  So even if you are familiar with an area, remember not to take things for granted. People and places do change and often over shorter time-frames than what you might appreciate.

Especially now with the advent of digital cameras, immediate recall and the ability to shoot many pics without the handicap of time and cost of development, why not take multiple photos of the same scene. Play with different exposure settings, angles, variations in zoom. Change the perspective, turn the camera sideways through 90 degrees, or even set the horizon on diagonally opposite corners to optimize composition if that is what it takes.

Work through different shots of the same scene at different focal lengths, telephoto through to wide-angle and be surprised at how much variation can be achieved in the shot.  Eventually you will find the optimum picture which may appear to be quite different from the first impression. Capture a range of photos and make your selection afterwards rather than discard options at the time.  

With the benefit of hindsight it is possible to re-crop a shot to change the emphasis or mood. Digital storage is so cheap now that retaining shots that may be less than optimum and having a library of images for later use offers alternate cropping options to accent different aspects of the photo.  

Telephoto lenses enable magnification of a distant subject and wide angle lenses reduce the depth of field enabling more content to be included in the. Compact cameras achieve this variation through a single lens that offers variable focal length usually between 30-70 mm or similar and often with inbuilt converters that double or treble the focal length,  increasing the telephoto capability whereas with a digital SLR (DSLR) these are separately acquired hardware options and each lens or converter has different characteristics.

A lens that offers variable focal length usually between 30-70 mm is recognised as a standard zoom lens and will be able to be used in most scenarios. It is only when exploring the extremes that specialist lenses such as fish-eye, wide-angle, telephoto and converters are required.    

Adding scale to a photograph is another way to improve composition and generate a sense of the dramatic in your pictures. A large rock or tree to one side in the foreground with say a waterfall or mountain occupying the centre thirds of your photograph with the sky above, not only aids the composition but also imparts a sense of grandeur to your shot.  Adding more sky to your photograph can create a sense of “wide open spaces.”   

Changing the mood and feel of a scene can make the difference between average and stunning photographs. Allowing the setting sun, for example, to light up your shot or shooting into the sun to create silhouettes can produce wonderful shots.

Capturing sunlight through leaves or tree branches can achieve a dappled effect of light and shade to augment photographs.  Two hours after dawn and two hours before dusk are great times for shooting, enabling best use of light and shade. When the sun is higher, shadows are more intense and strong shadows require extra lighting, increasing the technical complexity of a potential shot.

Shooting buildings in cityscapes represents some interesting challenges where sunlight at certain angles can enhance building detail or by reflecting off glass and stainless steel, produce interesting light effects.

The very same shot at a different time might appear uninteresting without the detail emphasized. The sun going down between two tall buildings with the inner faces of both buildings lit up and other parts in shadow or semi-silhouette might achieve a very dramatic photograph.

Looking for reflections in puddles or other still bodies of water is a great way to add to your photographic composition and fill in the foreground with extra color to enhance your picture.

A good way to improve your understanding of landscape photography (or any other photography genre for that matter) is to take an image that you really admire from a leading exponent and pick the picture to pieces, isolating the different aspects that come together to create the photo. By identifying and analyzing the components of the photograph you come to gain an appreciation for the mechanics of the composition thus increasing your knowledge. Use the identified facets in your own photography to enhance your skills.

Good hunting!

Additional Resources:

Some sources that you might like to check out for techniques, tips, tricks,  and more can be found in photography books and magazines at my website portal www.photographyglobal.com where you can follow links to the best deals and discounts that that the web has to offer.  

For a shopping portal that offers access to best value and hard to beat buys for camera and photography accessories and equipment, you won’t go past my website portal www.photographyglobal.com where you can follow links to the best deals and discounts that that the web has to offer.

One of the things I really like about having a hobby such as photography is that I can make money from my hobby and as you might appreciate, there can be no better thing, no better lifestyle option than doing the things you love to do….

The bonus is that my love of photography can produce income, enhancing my lifestyle and sense of satisfaction with my hobby.

I’d like to give others the opportunity to convert their favourite hobby into a financially rewarding life-style choice by helping you create a business opportunity and income stream from your favourite hobby.

Follow this link to www.makemoney.photographyglobal.com to learn how!!! 

Brother printers are highly respected, especially in offices and businesses because of their fantastic collection of inkjet printers that excel not only in terms of their superb print quality but also in terms of its durability. There is a wide range of Brother Inkjet printers available from budget inkjets to all-in-one printers, copiers and scanners. Let’s have a glimpse of the most popular Brother creations and review each of their greatness:

Unique Features of Brother MFC-210C Color Inkjet Multifunction Printer

- an all-in-one printer that can print, fax, copy and scan

- has an automatic document feeder that can hold up 100 sheets

- is capable of doing borderless printing

- generates sharp life-like photos and documents

- has a printing speed of 20 paper per minute

- can accommodate different media like CompactFlash, SmartMedia, xD-Picture Card, Secure Digital

- it has USB ports

- it is portable and affordable

Brother MFC440CN Multifunction Color Inkjet’s Highlights

- this Brother printer performs multiple tasks without using your desktop and laptop—prints, photocopies, scans and faxes

- Has an auto-document feeder that can handle up to 100 sheets

- A compact and handy printer, weighing 24.2 pounds

- Has USB ports for wireless printing

- Produces lab-like pictures

- Capable of borderless printing in all paper sizes

- It is cheap

Brother Printer Ink Cartridges

Brother printer cartridges are so far the cheapest printer around. Furthermore, there are compatible Brother printer ink cartridges available in the market that removes the need to spend your cash again on those expensive original Brother ink cartridges whenever you run out of ink. Here are three of the most popular Brother printer ink cartridges– so far, the best printer ink cartridges in the market.

- Brother DCP-115C ink cartridge. This Brother printer ink cartridge is cheap and lasts for a long time. It is capable of generating lab-like flawless pictures. It can be refilled so you can definitely save up on your ink supplies.

- Brother MFC-6490CW ink cartridge is available at higher rate compared to your normal Brother printer ink cartridges, as it lasts longer, so if you will really mull about it, you get a good bargain. Moreover, it produces high quality vivid photos suitable for professional photographers and enthusiasts alike. To get cheaper prices though, there are on-line stores that provide discounts that allow you to buy it at a lower rate.

- Brother TN350 Ink Cartridge works perfectly with all types of Brother printers. It is cheap and has high enduring quality. It is capable of generating life-like photos. Probably the best printer ink cartridge that can be found in the market.

Join the Brotherhood

After showing you all the most popular Brother printers and Brother printer ink cartridges, you are probably left in awe for their greatness—they are cheap, long-lasting and reliable.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the circle of Brother users now. It is the best printers and best printer ink cartridges producers.

Ten good reasons why you should do your photo shoot here,in Israel.

1. The first reason is the pleasant weather. Over 80% of the year the weather permits outside shooting. A very large factor in your decision of where to shoot.
2. The professional services of  a top rate photographer like Miri davidovitz. A fashion and lifestyle photographer for over 20 years.Her groundbreaking work in fashion photography here in Israel is well documented. You can see her work on her site-www.miridavidovitz.com
3. An international client list which has used her services with complete satisfaction. Clients like Wolf Ollins from London and Elopak from Norway.  Her professionalism is unequalled.
4. Her intimate knowledge of the country and its various landscapes makes her your obvious choice when you think of on-location shooting in Israel. Be it Jerusalem , the dead sea or the Mediterenian.
5. You will be joined by a professional crew,hand picked by the photographer,of top quality stylists,make-up artists and hair stylists along with pre and post production services on par with anything in the west.
6. At your disposal is a bank of beautiful ,exotic,professional models at reasonable rates.Miri’s connections to the modeling agencies has been built-up over  a very prolific 20 year period,and her ability to match your demands is unique.
7. The proximity and ease of access to the Meditteranian coastline and to the various landscapes all within short driving distances make it possible to work full days at differing locations. And on top – unique locations like Jerusalem, Jaffa and the Dead Sea.
8. Very good equipment suppliers at competitive prices means  you can hire all your needs from lighting to helicopters  easily.Miri Davidovitz’s services will arrange all your special demands.
9. Miri davidovitz has her own working studio in the quant Noga quarter on the border of Tel-Aviv and jaffa, and therefore can offer complete indoor studio photography.   For larger indoor locations she knows of many lofts,studios,and villas available for rent for photo shoots.
10. Her professionalism is such that all your doubts and reservations will be replaced by the confidence that she portrays and her ability as the best photographer in Israel and will leave you time to enjoy your time here and  feel confident that you will fulfill the vision that you brought with you.

But what steps can you take to ensure that you capture the “magic” that you’ve seen through the viewfinder of your camera? The list as it turns out is quite extensive, and you would be doing very well to remember of use them all, but including just a few, will over time improve your results, and that after all is the aim of the game.

The best tips you will ever get are (1) to be able to override the cameras automatic functions, and (2) to be comfortable when doing so, as it is vital to be able to set your own aperture and shutter speeds and to be able set the focus manually. If you can set the ISO (the higher the ISO the less light the camera needs) to higher values then this too can be very handy. If you can override the flash to be able to use in daylight that too can be very useful, “fill in flash” making all the difference in filling in the shadows on a bright day, this being especially useful when taking portraits.

So far you need to have a camera that allows you to override it, but you also have to be sure you can do so easily, having to fiddle about through a multitude of menus might be OK in the shop, but is no good in the field, after all you only have so much time and one pair of hands. So with the function and usability angles of the camera sorted out, what other equipment do you need.

The first thing to consider is the lens on the camera, if you have a camera with a fixed lens, then this must also be of the right type. It must be said however, that serious photographers always use an SLR as these allow different lenses to be used. Whatever camera you have though, you really need a lens (or lenses) that will cover the range of 28mm to 300mm (although you can get away with 210mm if you are not into wildlife photos). You should also bear in mind the “F” number of the lenses, as the lower the number the more light they let in (and the more expensive they get). Most people will have to be content with around an F2.8 lens in the 28 – 50mm range and a F4 to 5.6 for the higher focal length lenses, purely because those with lower F numbers are just far too expensive.

You might think that is all you need, and to be sure for some that is enough, but for the truly serious photography will also want a tripod. As with the camera, there are many different choices, but the main consideration must however be usability. It is no good whatsoever having a tripod that is too heavy, as for most this will mean it just stays in the cupboard at home. No, the best choice must be the one that suits your needs, budget and perhaps more importantly, your level of desire to take the very best photos. I say this as if you really want to take really high quality shots then a tripod is a must, especially in nature photography, and if that is your desire you will lug that tripod along, no matter how heavy it is.

The next step is to start to take the photographs, and here the tips commence with Composition, that being the subject of the next article in this series.