The importance of a backup plan.

            A backup plan is an essential part of photography. Not only for your school assignments but also for your jobs you should always have that backup plan. While you always hope everything goes smoothly you never know. If you don't have a plan “B” then you could end up loosing a job or failing your assignment. One thing I always do when I have something that requires a model is I make sure I ask more then one. This way if my preferred model can't make it then I have someone else to take there place. Another important thing to think about is having backup equipment. Especially if you are doing a job for someone. Nothing is more embarrassing then not being able to complete the job because your equipment failed. If you are shooting for a wedding then you could wind up getting sued if you don't get the job done.

            I personally don't have a backup pro body but I do have a mirror less camera that I can use if needed for my assignments. It still shoots in RAW and has the capability to swap out the lens. I wouldn't rely on this camera though if I was doing pro job like a wedding or a Sweet 16. If you can not afford to purchase back up equipment then make sure you rent something to use for those jobs.
         
            There are many rental companies that are available to rent all types of equipment. Depending on how long you need to have the rental equipment it is always cheaper to purchase it is you need something for weeks at a time. However if you just need it for the weekend then by all means rent it. When choosing a rental company you need to look at how they have the rentals set up. Most of them will place a hold on your credit card for most of the replacement cost of whatever you are renting. While this doesn't matter to much with a regular credit card, this can make things very difficult if you are using a debit card. Now suddenly your bank account shows no funds because it is reserved just in case you brake or loose the rental equipment. There are many different rental companies so it doesn't hurt to google them and shop around. Also some of your local camera stores may offer rentals as well.


Thursday Ambassador

How to make your images better.

We all want to get better at taking pictures, if we didn’t we wouldn’t be in school right now. The biggest and most important thing you can do to get better is to practice. The more shooting you do and the more you learn how to operate ever feature on your camera the better the outcome of your photos will be. Now you ask how do you know if you photos are getting better? Well you need to take a step back and critique what you shot. Ask yourself, is this photo in focus? Did I get the exposure correct? How about the white balance? If you have answered yes to these questions then you can move onto other important questions like is this a strong image? How can I make this image better? If I put my main subject in the thirds what does that do for me?

            There are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself about the images you are taking. And its not as easy as everyone thinks. Having a creative mindset will help you a lot but having the proper knowledge about the exposure triangle and simple design techniques will help even more. Knowing how depth of field works is important too. If you know that when you are shooting objects with a very small aperture then only your subject will be in focus.  Everything behind and in front of your subject will be blurred while the subject is in full focus. Does your image look right with the DOF you set? For more information on how to critique your own images and make your photography better check out this link http://www.expertphotography.com/10-ways-to-critique-a-photo/

Hopefully this will give you a little more information towards making your images turn out their best.  As always if you ever have questions feel free to ask.

TBT

Thursday Ambassador.

What equipment do I need for class?

It seems that this question is always asked but no one seems to ever know the answer. Hopefully everyone knows that they can look at the Handbook and Catalog to review what each class requires. You can find that tab under the Academics tab in the Homepage of your Campus Common. After you click on that you will find a tab that say coarse list. In that list it has all the classes that AI offers so you will need to scroll down a bit to find the class you are looking for.  After you click on your class you will get a new window. From there you will need to click on Material requirements. At the bottom of that list it will tell you exactly what is required for each class.

I can tell you when you are buying your items that you need, you don’t want to sell yourself short and buy the cheapest things you can find. While its always nice to save money sometimes it’s not worth what you’re saving. For instance I’ve heard many stories of people just buying what ever they could find that was cheep, only to find out it really isn’t going to work for class.  Or they bought the cheapest thing possible and now they have to fight with their gear every time they try to use it. Other students have told me that they couldn’t find a kit for the strobes they bought so they just picked some items and they don’t really fit together. The biggest thing you have to think about is things like strobe lights you should be able to purchase them now and not have to purchase them again for many years down the road. So you might want to make a better investment with them since they should last you a very long time.

Another thing I find is everyone looking to buy things on Amazon. While they might have what you need you want to shop around. You also have to remember that as a student we can student discounts on some items from B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com) and Adorama (https://www.adorama.com/pages/FSE-education?mode=edu) They also sell some EDU value type items. If you are still unsure what to buy still make sure you ask someone, perhaps a fellow student, or even your Academic Counselor. Or you can always post your questions on the Google Plus page.

Works Cited

"Adorama Education Discount Program." Adorama Education Discount Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2014.

"AiO: Course Catalog." AiO: Course Catalog. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2014.

"B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography, Camcorders." B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography, Camcorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2014.

Credit    : Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Blend / Learning Pictures / Universal Images Group

Have you ever waiting in line for hours in hopes to get something free?

Hello, everyone Thursday Ambassador here. I just wanted to share with you an experience I just had this week. I seen on some Facebook group pages that Samsung was going to give away a $847 mirror-less camera to anyone that exchanges their DSLR . Though I didn’t have a used camera that I would be willing to part with I figured I could buy one and use that. So I decided to go to NYC yesterday morning and try to get this Samsung NX30.  I left my house at 4am so that I could be in the city and at Times Square by 530am.  After getting in line I find out that I was #104 in line. They only had 250 free Cameras to give away. So I was lucky this time. There where a few that decided that they needed to be in line the night before. It only too me about 10 hours round trip from my house and waiting in line for the camera. While it was a Long day waiting I think it was well worth it so far.Over the next few months Ill be trying out this new Mirror Less camera so I will bring it up again from time to time telling you how I feel about it.

Has anyone ever sat in a line like his? Did you get what you went for?

Keep on shooting!

Throw Back

Thursday Ambassador

Your New "TBT" Thursday Ambassador is here to help!

Hello, everyone my name is Mathew and I have been selected to be the new Thursday Ambassador. I have been attending AI now since last June and what a great experience I have had thus far. I am currently studying for my Associates degree in Photography. I live on the East Coast in the great state of New Jersey! I have really enjoyed photography since I was a teen but back then digital wasn’t heard of or affordable. Back then I would shoot with a 35mm Olympus camera. I worked hard to save up enough money to buy this camera used from a store. After that I was hooked, shooting many rolls of film per week. It seemed like I had to work just to develop my film.

Up until last February 2013 I never owned a good digital camera. I finally saved up enough to purchase one. I found a Nikon D600 and regained the passion I once had. Over the next few months I debated about going to school and learning all I can learn about photography. So last May I looked into it further and applied to AI, I love all the new things I have learned and continue to learn. Hopefully I can share with you my experience and help you with any questions you may have. Currently I have been shooting a lot of night photography and Astrophotography, sometimes sunrises. I will share with you a shot that I have taken this past month and I look forward to discussing some of my shots and experiences in a future blog. Feel free to message me, or any of the other great Ambassadors here.

                               

How long have you attended AI?

What are your career goals?

Sunrise, Pre-dawn colors, Sea Isle, NJ. Personal photograph by Mathew Renk. 2014.

Keep on shooting!

Throw Back

Thursday Ambassador