Jamie Nelson, Talented Photographer

I was able to grab an interview with Jamie Nelson the photographer published in popular magazines Zink, Linie De Luxe, Plaza, and Highlights. Her work is also shown in art galleries across the globe.

I was absolutely in love with her pictures the first time I glanced upon them.

She uses bold color and graphics that really pop out at the viewer. Vivid is a great word to describe her art, and yes it is much more art than fashion, it's the kind of pictures you would hang up on a wall to enjoy daily.

Her work is very distinct as quoted by Anti-mag "Well, I dare say she is pushing the envelope in that genre of photography and she's doing it very well." Another great article at

http://www.anti-mag.com/jamienelson.htm

I hope you enjoy the article as much as I do.

What are your inspirations?

Jamie: I have never been very inspired by other photographers. I have always drawn inspiration from life experiences and my deep urges to share my passion and vision with people.
I am mostly inspired on the day of the shoot when the entire creative team pulls together to create.
I am inspired by the chaos of shoot days and the beauty of the final result that is created by several artists.

When did you realize you wanted to do what you're currently doing and when did you begin?

Jamie: I was in my senior year of high school, getting ready to apply to Stanford for the pre-med program.
Ha ha, thank god that didn't happen!
I took an art class and fell in love with photography and completely changed my direction.

What are your favorite items to use in your art?

Jamie: I enjoy bold, colorful clothing that makes a graphic statement and transforms the model.
However, lately I have been obsessed with shooting beauty and cosmetics.
In the same sense, I am inspired by bold, colorful makeup that creates graphic statements on the model and transforms her.

Do you have any favorite products or equipment you use when creating your art?

Jamie: I really don't like to stress importance on equipment.
It has never been about what type of equipment I use.
I was always the poor kid in school with the junkiest camera.
Everyone likes to ask this question, but really, there is no special magical equipment in my opinion.

Are you a part of any artist communities online or offline?

Jamie: My favorite online community lately has been www.iqons.com.
There are some really amazing talents on there.

Do you have a favorite piece that you have photographed?

Jamie: I enjoy shooting with taxidermy animals for some reason.
It was a phase I went through for awhile.

They have been frozen in time with their one last movement or action in life.
They are still, quiet, yet bold. They seem to be an overall metaphor for my imagery.
I would like my models & imagery to hold the same tranquility and timelessness.

What themes do you have in your art?

Jamie:The work tends to be bold- whether colorful or colorless, there is always an element of boldness.
Each image is glossy and perfected, even if the content is rough, raw, or grungy.
I carry a lot of vintage aesthetic into each image- a juxtaposition of several eras of time that inspire me.

Do you see yourself moving in any new directions?

Jamie: I see myself moving into the commercial field quickly.
After I gain success in advertising campaigns, and top magazines, I'd love to be able to settle down a bit and focus on going back in the fine art direction.

Where can people view and or buy your work?

Jamie:My work is usually featured in internationally distributed magazines carried at Barnes & Nobles and Border's. Although some are obscure foreign magazines that may be difficult to find.
I also am doing more art shows locally and internationally. The most current will be one in Rome in May.

What experiences or training has helped you grow as an artist?

Jamie: There are so many elements that have assisted my growth over the years.
School was very important to develop the technical aspect of my photography.
Having a solid team of other creatives around me as really made the artistic vision and flow easier to perfect.

Shooting consistently and practicing always teaches me something new.
When shoots go horribly wrong, I love it and get excited- I always learn so much from those ones!

Did you attend School or take any classes to get started?

Jamie: Yes, I went to Brooks Institute of Photography in CA for 4 years.
I also took an art class in High School, which initially piqued my interest for photography.

What advice would you give to beginner photographers?

Jamie: Develop your own style. Stay true to it. Try to get your work out to as many people as possible.
Be persistent. Be willing to make sacrifices for what you want

How to Burn Fat and Build Muscle with Consistency and a High Intensity Workout

If you are wanting to burn fat and build muscle, then you are like hundreds of thousands of others in the world. It is by no means an easy or quick process to get to your desired physique, but consistency and intensity can quicken the process. Too many people believe they are building muscle by doing a certain amount of sets and repetitions, but in reality they aren't getting the full effect.

The first part of burning fat and building muscle is lifting on a consistent basis. There is no way you will be able to efficiently burn fat, let alone build muscle, if you only work out a couple times a week. You have to devote yourself to getting to the gym at least four to five times a week. For every day that you miss, it will take you double that time to get back to where you were.

When you are just beginning to lift, your muscles will be sore for awhile. The best way to work out the soreness is by working out the tension in the muscles. When you do begin to work out consistently four or five times a week, it is vital that you do not lift the same muscles every day. You want to lift certain muscle groups one day and then give them a rest the next day.

The second way to burn fat and build muscle is through an intense workout. Many people believe that doing a certain amount of repetitions and sets will get the job done. However, if you truly want to build muscle you have to work your muscles until they can work no more. For example, once you have done your 6th rep on a set of curls and you feel you can't do any more, try to lift that 7th rep. Even if you can't get it up with success, this is when you know you have worked your bicep intensely.

Once you've performed a high intensity set on a particular exercise, you will have triggered an increase in muscle mass and strength. All it takes is that one extra repetition on each set to make a difference in the way you build muscle. You will also find that after lifting one set to your full intensity, the next set you will probably not be able to do the same amount of repetitions. However, it is still vital that you lift another set and attempt as many as possible.

If you are willing to put in the necessary effort to burn fat and build muscle, you will notice a change in your appearance sooner than later. All it takes is consistency and a highly-intensive workout to put you over the edge. If you remember that you can always do one more repetition than you think you can, your desired appearance will become reality.

The Advent of Digital Photography

As the demand for higher quality and instant photographs are prevailing amongst the professionals and amateurs alike. The advent of the instantmatic camera by Kodak and the instant photos by Polariod. It has given rise to the silicon chips in-built into cameras, computers, television, audio and video digital editing machines, etc, etc.

Whether we like it or not the great Digital Transformation is here and we have to keep up with it. Thus, this give rise to the battle for the niche market for digital cameras. All over the world, every camera industries have gone Digital. Five years ago 99% of the nation would never have dreamed of getting a Digital camera, the mega pixel demands have been the battle amongst the camera manufacturers.

With the dramatic increase in this new technology people are taking a lot more photographs because it is so simple and inexpensive to take Digital photographs and archive them. People all over the universe have armed themselves with knowledge from many resources like Guide-books on Digital Photography, manuals, handbook etc.

However, the Digital photography era has been well received by the world judging from the higher sales of digital cameras recorded. Every body regardless of their ages ,you will chance amongst the tourist attraction spots shooting every memorable moments with their Digital cameras.

The greatest moment is that they can view, print, email or archived all what their Digital cameras have recorded with the simple action of aim and shoot. The next step is to improve on their skills on quality shooting and making it into multi-media formats. Indeed, the Advent of the Digital Photography is the greatest Breakthrough in the 21stcentury,thus, the enhancing the quality of lives and gratification for the fast technological era.

Photo Postage Stamps - Great Innovations in Stamps

Photo postage stamps aren't such a new idea; its been around for years! The USPS (United States Postal Service) briefly suspended the use of such a stamp due to security concerns. There are certainly a number of reasons that the USPS would want to abolish all photo stamps, for example in the height of the anthrax scares a stamp with a scull and cross bones plus the word Anthrax caused a sorting office to shut down for several hours. Although custom photo stamps are legitimate, perhaps getting rid of them would put people off trying to get away with counterfeit postage stamps!

The USPS decided that it would allow another phase of a pilot program allowing companies to sell their customers photo postage stamps. The first stage of the trial was a huge success; however the USPS wants to make sure that these custom postage stamps aren't just a fad.

What is a photo postage stamp?

Photo postage stamps allow people to put a photo of pretty much whatever they want to on their stamp. There are however exceptions, you cannot for example put pornographic or disturbing images onto your photo stamp.

Photo stamps are useful for:

-Weddings

-Births

-Anniversaries

-Business Logos

-Any Special Occasion

Internet pranksters - screening photo stamps for validity

Being able to put an image of anything you want onto your stamps is very exciting for most people; however some internet pranksters just take things too far. Some people have tried to order stamps with people like Slobodan Milosevic on them, as these could cause public outrage its important for the organizations that are permitted to produce photo postal stamps to have proper screening processes in place.

Along with controversial figures, the other things that must not be allowed on postage stamps are pornographic images, and also certain religious symbols. Copyright is a tricky subject; technically you should only use material on a stamp that you own the rights to, or have permission to use. Other than this and advertising, the images can be of pretty much anything.

The company that supplies the postage stamps are personally responsible for screening, this is nothing to do with the USPS. The vendors themselves should reject the images that break the strict rules set down by the USPS. The USPS is able to find out which company generated the stamp by looking at the information encoded in the stamps barcode, therefore any company not screening images properly could find themselves losing the rights to print postage.

Where can I get my photo postage stamps?

There are three main custom stamp vendors in America , Stamps.com , which has been a key contender ever since the postal services first trial. Endica are also permitted to produce stamps. Pitney Bowes the popular franking machine manufacturer has realized that photo stamps trespass into their industry, and so they are grabbing hold of this opportunity with both hands and refusing to let go!

Photo stamps are a worldwide phenomenon!

Photo postal stamps arent just popular in America , theyre popular worldwide! England has one of the oldest postal services in the world, but even so the Royal Mail is adopting online photo postage stamps. Currently in England you can only buy the stamps directly from the Royal Mail (the equivalent of the USPS), but only time will tell as to when they will adopt the same personalization.

Mastering Digital Photography Lighting

When you are taking photos and the lighting conditions are perfect, then digital photography lighting is not a problem. Unfortunately, most of the time, the conditions are not ideal so photographers have to learn to use light to get the desired results. The first thing you want to be concerned with is the main source of light on your subject. Ask yourself questions such as where the light source comes from, do you require artificial light, is there enough natural light and will your tripod need stabilizing because of low light? You need to master digital photography lighting to get the clarity and detail in your image. Sometimes a flash is all you need, while other occasions require different lighting. Remember that a flash does not benefit all situations.

You do not want a flash to interfere artistically or socially, such as during someone's wedding vows, as you will end up with a flat digital image. This occurs frequently on digital cameras with a built-in flash and they also only light the subject from the front. Because of this the digital photo depth is compressed, which really decreases and detracts from the digital image. One way to avoid this is by watching exactly where the light falls. Once you learn and understand about digital photography lighting, the task becomes easier as you learn exactly what does and does not work when using a flash. Use a higher ISO to help alleviate a low light problem - this is a sensor that is light sensitive - but remember that there is an increase in noise when using the ISO. Fortunately, some good software programs available on the market today do reduce the noise. Adjusting the ISO to a higher level also works great in situations where a flash is not acceptable, such as someone giving a speech, where a flash would be disruptive.

If you take many sports photographs, try experimenting with and without a flash and your camera settings, to learn what works best. A built-in flash is more effective up close, where an external flash is more powerful. Many sports stadiums remain well enough lit to take pictures without a flash and many do not allow a flash, because it distracts the competitors. One digital photography lighting technique that works well for taking still subjects in very low light is image stabilization. IS or image stabilization allows you to lower your shutter speed, which works great, but this is not suitable for fast-moving images. In any case, read your camera manual, as many digital cameras have a built-in mode for taking sports pictures. This controls the amount of light admitted, the ISO and the shutter speed, so you end up with the best photograph possible, under the lighting conditions you find yourself working in.

Sanjaya Malakar - Too Bad It Isn't A Cute Contest

Sanjaya Malakar - how did this name get into my world? I'm not a teenybopper (or whatever young fans are called today) and I've never even watched American Idol. Gasp! Did I really say that? Yes, I'm one of the probably three people in the world who have never watched American Idol. But there is Sanjaya, smack dab in the middle of my living room, singing (or what passes for singing in his mind) his little heart out – on a news clip on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

Sanjaya is this year's William Hung. I speak with authority on William Hung too because I have also never seen him on American Idol! That doesn't mean that William Hung has not crept into my life too. But so has Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and from way back when, Jimmy "Inka Dinka Doo" Durante (the old Shnozzola). Neither of these men could sing. They couldn't even carry a tune. But what they could do was perform. They put on a show. They entertained us. For whatever perverse reason (their musical talents notwithstanding) we liked them.

Louis Armstrong of course could play a mean trumpet and is regarded as one of the two greatest jazz musicians of all time, along with Charlie "Bird" Parker, and Jimmy Durante played the piano and was a comedian. They had definite, tangible talents but you'd have to have a tin ear to think that they could sing.

They sure could put on one hell of a show and make us smile and laugh and just plain enjoy ourselves while they were entertaining us.

Poor Sanjaya, he entertains a lot of people but in the wrong way. Instead of laughing with him, thousands are laughing at him. They say he can't sing. Ok, from what I've heard of him on the news clips that might be a fair assessment.

But that dazzling smile, the gorgeous good looks and glorious mane of hair is enough to make this mature woman smile! I remember back in the day when another "singer" made it big. This singer was not on American Idol of course, because it didn't exist then, but was on an equally entertaining show that started it all – American Bandstand with Dick Clark. Before Dick Clark the show was hosted by a local Philly disk jockey by the name of Bob Horne, but that's another entertaining story in and of itself.

The singer to whom I refer is none other than the fabulous Fabian. Could Fabian sing? Most definitely not with a capital N! He couldn't carry a tune out of the proverbial bag. But what he did have is exactly what Sanjaya has today – good looks, gorgeous smile, confidence and "it."

Just what "it" is, I can't say. All I know is that Sanjaya entertained me with his unabashed enthusiasm (from what I've seen on the TV news). Perhaps it's because he reminds me a good deal of my youngest son who also had the huge dark brown eyes and long brown hair and the unbridled enthusiasm.

It's come to my attention (after Googling Sanjaya) that a lot of people want him voted off of American Idol. I suspect that no matter what happens, whether he's voted off or goes on to win the contest (doubtful but what do I know? I don't watch the show) he will have a successful career ahead of him. Perhaps not as a singer but maybe as an actor (again, remember Fabian? Okay, not a good example, Fabian couldn't act either!) or maybe as a male model.

To everyone who wants him voted off the show because he can't sing and they claim it's not fair to other good singers, I say lighten up. From what I've read and heard about American Idol, I would ask, do you really think it's a legitimate, honest show? It sounds more like a circus to me and in the end the most worthy singers will most likely prevail. So let's allow the Sanjaya's and William Hung's of the world to entertain us too in their own inimitable style.

Who knows, perhaps Sanjaya will now be instrumental in making me watch American Idol. Nah. I don't think so. As cute as he is, a three minute snippet of him on Countdown with Keith Olbermann is enough for me. Speaking of cute and adorable, Keith Olbermann wins hands down. I even heard him say that he can sing. Now if he goes on American Idol I'll definitely be watching.

Share Your Photos Online

The online photo album is slowly becoming the way to share and save our family moments. Creating an online photo album is a fun and easy way for the entire family to preserve all those cherished moments that form part of all daily family living. The best thing about actually taking your photos is that with digital technology even the most inexperienced photographer can look like a professional. Shoot the picture, download it to your desktop and then upload it to your online gallery, it is as simple as that.

Bringing family and friends right into the action is almost instantaneous. Your online photo albums can be viewed by family and friends form anywhere in the world as long as they have a PC and internet access they can browse your own family albums and share all the experiences. Photo albums are a great way to express your family history, document a new birth in the family, share the joyous occasion of a family wedding and in general, document those fleeting moments that might very well just fade away with time.

If you happen to have a whole bunch of family photos that are not in digital format but would like to place them in your online photo album then a little more work is needed to place them online. Firstly you will have to have access to a scanner. Scan in the image and then you will be able to upload them to you photo album script. This probably may seem like a daunting task but it is actually quite an easy process. If you are not technically inclined or cannot afford the time to follow this route, then any photo developing business will gladly transfer your Kodak moments to digital format for you, for a small fee of course, but well worth it.

Creating an online photo album is not just restricted to documenting your family life. It can also be used to for business purposes, for example, if you are a professional photographer use this awesome facility to bring all your pictures to the world, document a road trip or even create a gallery of properties for sale if you happen to be an estate agent. Most online photo album scripts will have a shopping cart facility whereby you can sell your prints to the general public turning your gallery into a cash generating entity.

Whether you wish to share your photo album with the world or just use it for friends and family viewing it is a great way to share those prized snapshots. Anyone can start their own online photo album, in most cases no special software is needed, making it easy for even the person with the most basic of computing knowledge to start and maintain their gallery. The gallery is mobile - in other words, if you are holiday or on that special excursion it can be updated immediately for instant near real time viewing enjoyment. Share the moments - share the magic of your very own online photo album.

Community Photography

There are many families out there who cannot afford to go to a regular studio for a family portrait. Department store and discount studios cannot handle groups of more than three or four and their photographers are often young and inexperienced for the difficult task of large group photography.

One answer is for a small studio to contact a local community such as a Lake Association, a Rotary Club or any other organization that promotes a family lifestyle. Your deal to them is that you will photograph all the families in their organization who wish to have a family portrait. A couple of club volunteers can make the appointments fifteen minutes apart on a single day, preferably a Sunday. Two fifteen minute session can be awarded to extremely large groups. You may want to reward their help with a free set of portraits and a substantial donation to the club treasury.

Large groups are to be encouraged since you stand to make more money with large families. Wall portraits are to be preferred with large groups and breakdowns can swell the order appreciably. Pricing generally is half of the studio rate with not session charge. An eight hour day can accommodate about thirty families. Generally, end of summer is the best time for family portraits since the kids are back from vacation and new clothes are available.
Most communities have a community hall available for portraits if reserved well in advance.

A sample table containing all the sizes with several wall portraits on easels should greet the family on Portrait Day. Avoid using head close ups in your sample pictures. Several chairs for waiting clients and a check in booth will expedite flow.

As to equipment needs, a large (12' x 21') muslin background with attendant supports, five lights, tripod and camera is all that is needed. One soft box main of 200 watts, one umbrella fill of 100 watts, one 100 watt hair light with boom and two 100 watt kicker lights for an evenly lit background are needed for quality work.

I recommend photographing a name and session number included in each session for ordering ease. Packages ranging from one eight by ten and two five by sevens to ones including an eleven by fourteen and many eight by tens, five by sevens, and wallets. Four by sixes should not be available since they are large enough to take the place of five by sevens and also they look like the snapshots they get from their personal cameras. Wall portraits should be treated individually and priced accordingly with and without frames. Delivery is cost effective with all photographs placed in a large paper bag with your logo on the front. You should be able to qualify for reduced rates from the print lab.

In order to make money at this, you must use a good family portraitist who can work fast and neat. Pay him or her well. Two photographers work well, offering breaks and lunch times for less stress. Breakdowns should be encouraged - for instance : a family of two adults, three children, three grandparents and a dog should be photographed like this. Six photographs of the whole group (first), six photographs of two different poses of the family of five, three shots of the parents, six shots of the three children, two shots of each child, three shots of one pair of grandparents, and three shots of the single grandparent. One photograph of the mother with her parent(s) and the same for the father. These breakdowns will be irresistible to the client and will multiply your orders dramatically. I advise you to ask the mother for any special requests for poses. They are often shy to ask a special grouping or pose. Remember, this will result in a guaranteed sale.

These community photograph sessions can result in the addition of many regular clients for your regular studio during the year. The sessions can
be rotated between three different community clubs to give the children
a chance to grow and change sufficiently for the necessity of a new family portrait.

Learn The Easy Money Making Art Of Freelance Photography

Freelance photography, like any freelance or piecemeal work, requires dedication to the task and good organizational skills. This is because it is inherently less structured than a regular job and you must motivate yourself to get a full eight useful hours out of the day or whatever you know is necessary to earn a decent income. Like a sales job, you need to pursue many leads at once, even if they only bear fruit several months down the line. Placing an ad and getting immediate returns is not always possible.

Organisation is key in a money making freelance photography business. Do not simply leave previous work lying dormant in an non-descript folder on your PC. If you are called upon to reproduce old work, you need quick and easy access to it. Moreover, actively update your portfolio on a regular basis -- this way, if you are called upon to show your portfolio as representative of your technique, it will be up to date and useful to potential clients.

Customizable web galleries, in particular, are especially useful in this regard. The better ones allow you various tagging and filtering options. In this way, you can enter a keyword or click on a theme related to your previous freelance photography work and within a few seconds, all relevant work will appear.

The great thing about freelance photography is that many different subjects will sell. It is not only what you may see in the newspapers such as sports events, current affairs or famous people that you may fear you cannot gain access to. There is a huge market in stock photography -- even a picture of an apple or an orange can make you money. These types of pictures also have the added advantage that they do not date over time -- an apple will always be an apple! Magazines and other print media (and online media these days also) will always have a need for stock photography.

Regarding pictures of people in a studio -- it is standard practice to obtain what is known as a model release. This is a short written statement authorizing you to use pictures of the model in media as you see fit. Whilst it is a requirement throughout the freelance photography business, it is so routine as to not even be considered red tape, and you can find many standard model release example scripts on the internet. This is a small point but worth remembering if you want to avoid having useless photos after investment of your time in shooting them.

Much has been said about camera resolution and the size of your prints. These days, unless you are shooting poster size prints, it is not really a concern. A few years ago, when technology was in a less advanced state, freelance photography experts had to be careful that they were shooting with enough megapixel resolution. Today, you have so much resolution available that it is no longer a real concern. If in doubt, take a few sample pictures yourself before the shoot and blow them up to size. Also, check with the client if they have any particular requirements.

The Most Gut Wrenching Decision You Will Ever Make In Your Photography Career!

As "artists" most of us have problems with self doubt.

Does my work measure up? Could I have done better? Did I use the right combination of shutter speed/f-stop? Will anyone like these shots? Was that the best pose? Angle? Is this ART or just a grab shot?

We constantly compare ourselves to the best in the field and - in our minds - we frequently fall sort. This low self esteem state of mind causes us to endlessly agonize over the biggest decision we will ever need to make in our careers...

To sell our photography or simply remain a frustrated amateur.

Photography as a hobby is incredibly expensive. We have to buy cameras, tripods, lenses, film or -if digital - computers, printers and software. Lights, stands, backdrops and etc., are all just the tip of the iceberg.

At some point, pretty much ALL intermediate and advanced amateurs wonder if they could sell their work.

If nothing else, it would help pay for the equipment.

Then, the self doubt starts to creep in. We start looking through our books and magazines and comparing our work to those we see. We check out websites and study contest winners.

The lump in the pit of our stomache starts getting larger and larger.

But on the other hand, all our friends and relatives say our work is gorgeous. Everyone says we could become photographers but, that doesn't do much to relieve the cold sweats in the middle of the night. Does it?

What to do...?

First, stop comparing yourself to the magazine photographers. Odds are, several thousand dollars in retouching fees were expended to get that perfect cover "look". Same with contest winners and the window display at the local photo studio. (Not to mention that those are the best photos they have available. Why display a bad one?)

Then you need to stop comparing yourself to all the other photographers you see published. Even if they are all tremendous shooters, it doesn't matter! If you start selling your work, you aren't trying to please them! You are trying to please your customers.

Every photographer has an individual way of seeing things and YOUR customers may like what YOU do BETTER!

That's all that matters. Is the customer happy?

Here is a well kept secret that all professional portrait photographers know - the average person doesn't judge photo contests. They don't know what makes one portrait a contest winner and another one a loser.

AND they don't care!

All they want is a good, competent job, showing an attractive pose and nice expression.

There IS a way to be sure you never have an unhappy customer - don't charge a session fee. Work on speculation. That way, they are only obligated to buy the photos they want!

The bottom line is, you don't have to be brilliant, just treat your customers well and take care to do the best job you can on every session. You'll be surprised.

I hope this will help you with one of the hardest decisions we are forced to make. Make the choice to start selling your portraits, and don't look back - you'll be glad you did.

If you are interested in getting started in a part time photo business (don't start off full time) check out the website listed in my bio. It's the easiest, least expensive and fastest way I know to get started!

Publishers - Feel free to publish this article at will, as long as the entire article is left intact - including the bio and links.

Career Guide For The Student Photographer

Career Guide for the Student Photographer There are millions of digital cameras in the world today. Digital cameras give you the advantage of instant feedback and quick learning, a good thing. But all too often these amateur GWC's - Guy with Camera (women are too smart to stoop to faking it) promote themselves as Photographers. GWC's shoot randomly until they accidentally stumble on something reasonably acceptable and usually with little idea of what a good shot even looks like, much less how to create it.

The poor quality of images they take only frustrate clients, inadvertently driving down the pay of many experienced photographers and making it ever more challenging for people to take seriously the profession as a whole. This is a challenge you can only overcome by expanding your own knowledge and experience.

Three in One - Observer, Observed and Process of Observation. Herein lies the secret that will set you on the path to understanding the difference between amateur, professional and master photographer. Unlike the lonely GWC, the Professional photographers have spent the time (and money) to study, practice and absorb their craft. They have generally gained the ability to center their awareness in the midst of challenging situations, to be both removed from the subject and at the same time understand and feel the subject and the light around it (observer and observed). At the same time, they are very comfortable with their equipment and technique (process of observation) so that it's hardly an effort at all.

The master photographer has so perfected their craft that they seem to hover in the space between observer and observed. They simply envision in their minds eye the character, quality and direction to be revealed and it seems to magically manifest in camera. Thoughts of equipment or techniques are so fully ingrained in their awareness that these tools are effortlessly and spontaneously incorporated into their vision. Most of the really good photographers I knew coming up in this profession have already become famous by specializing in one area of photography or another. I on the other hand seem to have inadvertently taken a more circuitous route, doing almost every type of photography.

Though I have had a wonderful career discovering, learning and being published in countless magazines and newspapers around the world, I offer the following piece of advise to students of photography. Specialize. Today's digitally captured and wirelessly linked world is intensely competitive and requires equal parts, artist, technician, independent business professional and promoter. The widespread use of digital photography has flooded the market with would-be photographers all competing for the same jobs. Of all types of professional photographers more than half are still self-employed, independent business people.

Passion, Knowledge, Dedication... These are essential qualities of the successful professional photographer. Narrow down your photo interests professionally. Discover your own area of photography, one that fits your unique personal talents, inclinations and style. This is best done by setting aside a fixed amount of time to research and explore the many different areas. Once you have narrowed it down, study the images of master photographers doing this type work. Read, attend classes, whatever works for you. But do not waste your precious time studying lesser quality work. Highest first, learn from the best!

Once you are knowledgeable of the equipment, techniques and styles of work, then its time for a mentor. No amount of study from books or classroom can compare with even a short time observing and working with a master photographer. Internships, second assistant jobs, whatever you can get to be on the inside of their creative process.

If its just not possible to get one of the coveted assistant positions on the inside, then set yourself self-assignments which copy the best features of their work (digital to the rescue). Learn the rules of composition, which rules can be bent, broken or left intact. Absorb yourself fully in your chosen area until you can comfortably emulate most of the techniques and styles of your master photographers.

In either case, armed with the basic knowledge of the craft gleaned from the master, you then let go of trying to copy and begin exploring your own inner creative direction, blending what you have learned with your own personal style.

Most types of photography require problem solving skills, determining the best way to quickly capture an image, combining multiple skills and technologies, aligning your or the clients artistic vision…all before the moment and the light is lost, and within budget. Being able to anticipate the yet unformed image in your awareness, position yourself and your equipment in just the right place at just the right moment to bring it all together. The feeling you get seeing the finished successful work, priceless, only you'll be getting paid! Most professional photographers understand that mastering photography is a lifelong continuous learning process. However, if one is passionate about the craft, it will rarely seem like work.

Is the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera the Right One for You?

Amongst all of the Canon digital camera models you can get cameras for all type of photographers. Whether you are an experienced photographer, the semi-serious professional or the amateur canon offers some of the best cameras for your needs. Amongst those cameras you will find the Canon Sure Shot digital Camera.

The Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera is known to be one of the "good" canon cameras. The various features you can find on this camera will make it very easy for you to take great pictures.

The Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera comes with amazing features. Here are just some of the features you get with your digital camera:

- Built-in zoom capability


- Timer system


- Red eye reduction capability

Those features make the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera fully automatic. You can be sure that you will be able to capture steady images. No more blurred pictures unless that's what you want.

One good point about the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera is the duration of the battery. With this type of camera you can expect a long duration and life for your battery. Of course like many cameras out there are also some weak points. With this type of camera you can expect to experience a small delay in-between taking pictures. For some it can be a problem, for others it's no problem. Either way it's worth mentioning.

The bad side of this is that you will have to wait a few seconds before you can take the next shot. The time delay you will experience is very short but sometimes this can cost you a great picture by loosing a candid moment.

But to be fair I need to say that there are a lot more advantages to this camera than disadvantages. The flash you get with this camera is powerful enough to turn a dark room into daylight brightness. For me The Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera remains a very good camera to buy.

On top of that the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera is very good to take great pictures of landscape and portrait photographs.

One of the things you might want to consider when buying your Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera is the accessories that come with the camera. You might also take note of the accessories that you might have to purchase separately to enhance you camera even more.

When you buy the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera you will also get the strap which is attached to the camera. You will also get the case for transporting the cameras which is usually made of leather with a strong Velcro fastening.

You will find that the Canon Sure Shot Digital Camera is probably on of the best digital camera you can get if you are an amateur photographer.