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When used appropriately, props can really enhance your photography. Things that provide the ability to level subjects like chairs, step stools and benches can create movement in the frame. Using toys while photographing babies and children gives them something to do, so they are engaged and personable in the photos. Little details like flowers and jewelry can add to overall mood of the shoot. But props can also take away from the subject of your shot when incorrectly used. Props have to stay props and not become the center of focus.

Here are a few ways to incorporate props into your photography:

Use props that contrast the setting
Doing a shoot on the beach? Why not bring out a dining room chair for your subject to sit it? The contrast between the chair and the casual beach setting gives people a reason to do a double-take when they see your image.
If you are shooting in the fall, use neutral tone props so they stand out against the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of the backdrop. This helps keep you subject from being lost.

Add a burst of color
If you’re shooting a portrait and your client shows up in neutral clothes like black or white, incorporate a yellow flower or blue necklace to make the image pop.

People can be props too
Most often seen in images of children, the arms, legs, feet, etc of mom and dad make excellent props. For one thing, it can make the child more comfortable. It also adds another level of meaning to the shoot.

Less is more
Sometimes you have so many ideas it feels like the frame isn’t big enough to capture your true vision. Don’t let your photographs get so overwhelmed with props that you lose focus. It’s all about taking a step back and deciding what props really elevate the shot and which ones are just there.

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One of the most valuable tools a photographer has is other photographers, someone else who understands both the business side and creative side of photography, who knows the technical aspects, the language and the unique challenges photographers face. Turning to another photographer, or group of photographers, for critique of your work is one of the best ways to grow as a professional photographer.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when asking for or giving a photography critique.

It’s called constructive criticism
Chances are someone will ask for your opinion regarding their photograph and you flat out won’t like it. Regardless of why—the composition, the subject matter, the editing, etc—you can’t just tear it apart without giving advice on how to build it back up. What could they have done better and what should they do next time? Was the image out of focus? Underexposed? Pinpoint exactly where they went wrong and suggest how to fix it.

Don’t take it personally
If someone doesn’t like your photographs, don’t get offended. You may think it’s the best work you’ve ever done, but not everyone is going to agree. Once you get defensive, you won’t listen to the good advice you may be getting.

Be honest
If you like something let the photographer know. If you don’t let them know anyway. The whole point of a photography critique is to get a second opinion. Don’t worrying about bruising egos or offending someone. As long as you have a reason for your opinion, then you have a right to express it.

Be prepared to answer questions
If it’s your work being critiqued, be ready to answer questions about the photos. Why did you compose it this way? What kind of lighting did you use? You should be able to answer both technical and artistic questions to give the viewers a better understanding of what you were trying to accomplish.

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You don’t have to make your living as a professional wedding photographer to take great wedding photos for your friends and family when they get married. Even if they don’t hire you to shoot their wedding, why not create a professionally printed photo book as your gift to the newly married couple? It’s not a gift that many are able to give, plus your skill guarantees they’ll be impressed and grateful. If their wedding budget is tight, why not be the one who takes all the pre-wedding photography and turn it into their wedding gift?

When budgets are small, brides have to pick and choose what kind of photography services they want on their big day. Some full-service wedding photographer offer to shoot everything; from engagement photos, the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner and on through the wedding and reception. Oftentimes these full-service packages are incredibly expensive, so brides just opt for the wedding and reception. Use your skills and talent as a professional photography and be the one who takes photos from all the pre-wedding activities that the bride and groom couldn’t afford. It’s an incredibly sentimental gift.

While there are plenty of people snapping away at pre-wedding events, it’s more than likely that you have the skill and equipment to compose and capture terrific images. As a photographer, you’ll notice little details that other guests might not. You’ve trained yourself to be ready to catch great moments, no matter how fleeting. It is these little details that make your photos truly exceptional. Your personal relationship with the bride and groom mean you won’t be looking at them as clients; you are looking at them as friends.

Since professional photo book printers understand the needs of professional photographers, you can be guaranteed of a quick turnaround and still get a quality product. Let your pre-wedding photo book rival anything that the wedding photographer can do.

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Anyone who has gone snorkeling or scuba diving in really clear water knows that a whole universe exists beneath the surface of the ocean, a lake or even just your backyard pool. The lighting, colors, and depth perception don’t follow the same rules as they do on dry land. So photographing underwater requires a different technique and tool set (aside from a waterproof camera of course), to capture spectacular images.

Here are a few ways to get the most out of your underwater photography:

Get up close and personal
Providing your subject doesn’t have a particularly nasty set of teeth, the closer you can get to you underwater subject the better. Water can mess with the color, sharpness and contrast of your image. Getting close doesn’t just mean extending your zoom! Get within a few feet of your subject for the best possible outcome.

Shoot from below
If you have the gear or the lung capacity, shooting from beneath your subject can create a really dynamic image. Shooting from below allows the subject to stand out better from the background and can help prevent backscatter.

Open up the aperture
There is never as much light below the water as there is above. Even in shallow reefs, the amount of light is cut down dramatically. Keep your aperture wide open to allow the most light into the camera.

Shoot at high-noon
Unlike shooting on land, where dawn and dusk provide some of the best lighting conditions, you should aim to shoot during the middle of the day if you’re going under water. Your best bet is between 11 and 2, when the sun is at its highest.

Look around
One of the best things about shooting underwater is that you can position yourself however you need to get shot. You can be completely inverted if need be! Keep looking all around you, just because there is nothing in front of you worth shooting, that doesn’t mean that something isn’t going on right below, above or behind you.

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Color is one of the most important aspects of a photograph. Even in black and white images, the varying shades of grey have a purpose and help tell a story. It’s very obvious when the color of a frame looks “off,” whether it’s awkwardly muted or too vibrant. Sometimes the color of a photo is intentionally edited in a post-production software program to produce a desired effect. Other times it’s a combination of the light, the setting, the camera and the skill of the photographer that make the colors appear the way they do. Regardless, the color of a photograph ties directly with the mood of the photograph.

Here are a few ways you can get creative with color:

Just because you can’t see it…
Most photographers, amateur or professional, know that sunrises and sunsets provide some of the most dynamic lighting, color schemes and shadows. But many don’t know that even after the most vibrant colors seem to have faded to your eye the camera can still pick up the brilliant hues. The lighting might be perfect for a little longer than you thought.

Minimize the color palette
Sometimes a color is more striking when it is the only thing we see. A pop of red or yellow on a white or black background forces the viewer to look at that object. It draws them into the frame and keeps them focused. Distinct colors also give clues to what the object is, so you can play with the exposure time to create movement while still capturing the object’s shape.

Artificial lighting
Different light bulbs produce different colors. Tungsten, halogen and fluorescent light bulbs give off a unique color spectrum that can have a dramatic effect on the scene of your photograph.

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Food is as much visual as it is visceral. After all, don’t our eyes tell our stomachs something will be delicious because it looks like it? The old saying “you eyes are bigger than your stomach” goes to show that what we see directly influences what we want to eat, and how much of it we think we can handle. Pick up any cookbook, check out a cooking blog (even just a DIY home chef) and you’ll find unbelievably appetizing photos. The finished product has to look delicious, even when the viewer can’t smell or taste it. It’s the job of the photographer to make that happen.

Here are a few tips for when you’re photographing food:

Be careful with your lighting
Think of the food as the subject of a portrait. You have to light it in just the right way to capture the best aspects. Sometimes your best bet is natural lighting. Harsh, studio lights can make the food look waxy or fake, like what you’d see on a laminated fast food menu. Bright flashes can affect the color of the food or create off shadows. Well reflected daylight makes the food look much more natural and appetizing.

Shoot fast
Food only looks fresh for so long. Fresh vegetables and fruits start to brown and wither, especially if they’ve been peeled and sliced. Meats start to look grey and sauces congeal as they get cold. If you aren’t prepared for the shoot BEFORE the food is, you’ll waste precious time and soon you’ll be photographing leftovers.

Change up the point of view
You don’t always have to shoot food by looking down at it. Shoot as if you were the diner, ready to dig into that plate of pasta or carve into the cake. This perspective is more realistic and keeps the plate from looking flat. It also helps you show of the textures of the ingredients.

Keep the background clean
A beautiful fillet is fish is going to get lost on a red and purple stripped plate, which is sitting on top of blue polka dot table cloth, with an orange wall in the background. The food has to be the star of the frame. Most food photography has the food on a white plate or in front of a simple pattern background. Don’t let the food get lost in the props.

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Some of the most intriguing photographs don’t actually show you something. Obviously there is a subject of some kind, but that subject doesn’t seem to be the real focus of the frame. It’s what is behind that open door, what is waiting in the alley’s shadows, what is just around the corner. The real subject of the photo isn’t actually in the frame at all, it’s just outside it. That is the power of suggestion and it is a powerful photography tool.

When you suggest something in a photo, you are encouraging the visitor to fill in the blanks based on their own experiences. Suddenly there is room for interpretation and the photo takes on a different meaning for everyone who looks at. Movies do it all the time, alluding to something just out of the camera’s scope. The best horror movies are when you don’t actually see the monster. You are left to create your own monster, which is far more terrifying and interesting than anything a director could create. Consider the Mona Lisa; her smile (or lack thereof) has captivated the world for centuries. Is she smiling? If so, at what? What does she see that we cannot? That little bit of a question mark makes the painting as relevant now as when the paint first dried.

You can use suggestion in your photography in a number of ways. Instead of focusing on the action, focus on the people watching it. Their expressions tell a new and different story about what it going on. Depending on where you are, maybe shooting from behind is a possibility. Instead of shooting from the audience’s perspective, can you shoot from the band’s point of view? What does the drummer see and how is that different from the way the lead singer sees the venue?

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One of the great and incredibly unique things about a professional printed photo book is that, once you understand the basic design process, you are in control of the printing process and can print on demand. If a client suddenly decides they want a hard copy of their favorite photos from their wedding or family portrait shoot, you can create and deliver a photo book to them in a reasonable amount of time. But a professionally printed photo book is a big step up from an envelope stuffed with pictures.

A professionally printed photo book is a much more creative way to print on demand. Not only is the quality of the images much better than that of a commercial printing service, you also get to present you clients with a beautifully bound book of those images. You can include text, reshape and resize the images and layout the book exactly the way they (or you) want it to look.

Professional printing services often have fantastic customer service representatives, so you know that when you call with a question regarding your photo book you are going to get a real answer. If you need to make design changes, more often than not it is a simple fix if the book hasn’t already been sent to print. A professional printing service wants to make your job easier, so you can give the best product to your clients.

You can also use professional printing services for yourself, not just clients. Printed photo books make great portfolios that focus on one theme or style of photography. The quick turn-around for printing time and careful design are sure to impress anyone. You’ll also be able to order additional copies of your photo book at any time, making it a great tool for selling your work in a gallery or out of your studio.

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If you’ve decided to create a professionally printed photo book for your photography business, whether as an addition of your portfolio, a price guide for clients or as an add-on to your studio packages, you need to make sure you are using the best printing services available. At the end of the day, it is your name associated with that photo book, so it needs to be something you are willing to stand behind. Choosing a professional printer over a commercial printer is the first step.

There are several things to take into consideration when choosing among the professional printers. These factors include price, quality, ease of use, processing and delivery time and customer service. If you’re making the photo book for yourself, there isn’t a huge rush on the processing and delivering time, so maybe that factor isn’t as important as price. But if the photo book is for a client, they are going to want it sooner rather than later, so maybe that has a greater impact on the company you choose.

One of the most important things when it comes to designing a photo book is how easy it is to put together. Most photo book services have some kind of software you get from them that allows you to custom design your photo book. Is that software compatible with your computer? Is it easy to understand and use? Or is the software complicated and not very user-friendly. You don’t want to have to struggle with a design program to build your photo book.

You’ll also want to work with a company that keeps a clear line of communication open between you and them. If you have a question about the status of your photo book, they should be able to answer it. If you reach out to them for help, does someone get back to you in a timely matter? A professional printing company should have customer service representatives available to help you as needed.

The benefits of using a professionally printed photo book center on a better product. Professional printers have the equipment and experience to make your photo book look great. But not all printers are the same, and it’s important to understand what makes one different from another before beginning the process.

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Gone are the days of just leaving a business card or sending out postcard announcing your studio and services to the community. Marketing/advertising campaigns and techniques have come a long way from posting a few column-long ads in the local paper.

Here are few things you should be doing to more effectively promote your services as a photographer:

1. Own your website domain
A photographer’s website acts as their online portfolio, marketing tool, calling card and invitation to prospective clients to connect. A professional photographer should invest in a professional website and register their personal domain name (www.johnsmithphotograhy.com) and not use a free domain service that incorporate their company name into your domain (www.johnsmithphotography.com/freewebsitemaker).

2. Create social networking profiles
Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr (a photo storage and sharing site) are a great way to connect with current clients, friends, other photographers and potential clients. It’s one more place to get your name out and drive visitors to you main website. Since Facebook and Flickr allow you to upload photos, they are also great for creating mini-portfolios or sharing the film from your latest shoot.

3. Develop relationships with local businesses
A real-estate agent needs photos of the homes they are trying to sell; a restaurant needs shots for a new menu; small, local papers are always on the lookout for great news photos. Develop your working relationship with local businesses that may have need for a photographer. It will expand your client base and they can help promote you and your work with references and referrals.

There are dozens of different advertising and marketing techniques you can use to promote your services as a photographer.
Traditional advertising like print ads and direct mail are still viable marketing methods and can help pull in a lot of business. They key to marketing is to develop a diversified plan designed to reach potential customers in as many ways as possible. The more they hear your name and see examples of your work, the more likely they are to hire you when the time comes.

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