Amazing Canon and Nikon Rebates

Have you been thinking it was time to purchase a new camera but just been holding off? Well, now may be the time. For two more days only, Nikon and Canon are offering rebates on certain cameras and lenses. But you have to hurry…. they are only offering these rebates until March 29!

Check out a few of these great deals below!

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body)

$300 rebate

This great camera offers:

• 22MP full frame CMOS sensor

• 6 frames per second continuous shooting

• 61-point AF system

• ISO 100-25600 range with 50-102,800 expansion

• 1080p HD video recording with manual controls

• 3.2 inch LCD with 1,040,000 dots

• 100% viewfinder coverage

Click here to buy this

Canon EOS 6D 20.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

$300 rebate

A perfect deal to cash in on if you are looking to purchase a new camera. This camera offers:

• 20.2MP full frame CMOS sensor

• 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting

• 1080p HD video recording with manual controls

• 11-point AF system

• 3 inch LCD with 1,040,000 dots

• SD Memory

• DIGIC 5+ processor

• ISO 100-25600 plus 50, 51200, 102400 expanded

click here to buy this

 

Nikon D3300 w/ 18-55mm Lens + Free Accessories

$496.95 (Regular Price $714.93!)

What an amazing deal this is… for $496.95, you can get this great Nikon bundle including:

• Nikon D3300 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II Zoom Lens (Black)

• AmazonBasics DSLR and Laptop Backpack with gray interior

• SanDisk Ultra 32GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card Up to 40MBs

 

Click here to buy the Nikon D3300 with 18-55mm VR II Zoom Lens (Black) + Free Accessories

This deal ends on March 29 so be sure to hurry if you want to purchase this great bundle!

Nikon D3300 DX-format DSLR Kit w/ 18-55mm DX VR II & 55-200mm DX VR II Zoom Lenses and Case

$646.95 (Regular Price $999.95)

Here is another amazing deal from Nikon! This includes:

• 24.2 MP CMOS DX-format sensor

• 5 frames per second continuous shooting

• 11 AF points with 3D tracking

• ISO 100-12800 (expandable to 25600)

• 1080 HD video

• Expeed 4 processing

 

Click here to buy this Nikon D3300 DX-format DSLR Kit w/ 18-55mm DX VR II & 55-200mm DX VR II Zoom Lenses and Case

If you are looking for a new camera, you better act fast! These deals are only on Amazon through March 29. We do not want you to miss them!

Shooting at Night: The Basics That Always Apply

Written by Bethany Cleg Photography

When you're a budding photographer, you find yourself fervent with passion and eager to plunge into a variety of different situations with your camera in hand. Photography has so many subcategories to choose from; landscape, portrait, underwater, candid, and of course, night. Whether you dwell in the countryside with sprawling acres of land you wish to capture beneath a dark, starlit sky or in a city that comes alive with the lights of neon signs and streams of traffic, night photography is an exciting aspect of picture taking to explore. It does, however, require a bit more preparation and thought than other shots. Read on for an overview of the basics of night photography that always apply, as well as specific tips for different locations, be it an empty field in Vermont or the streets of New York City.

The Most Important Aspect: Lighting

Photography is always about the same thing regardless of the time of day or location: capturing light. The challenge with night photography arises due to the fact that there obviously isn't much light to work with. The great thing about taking pictures after hours is that you can learn a great deal about the true extent to which proper lighting and camera settings will alter your shots.

Bethany Cleg Photography

 Camera Considerations

Whether you have a point-and-shoot or SLR, there are four main points you should always consider before you head out to start your nighttime shoot.

Flash: Does your camera have an on-board flash and is there the possibility to add on another?
Shutter and Aperture Control: What settings does your camera have in regards to the adjustment of shutter speeds and aperture settings? If there aren't any, check if there is at least a "nighttime" preset that will adjust the settings accordingly.
Film speed: Can you adjust the film speed (ISO) manually or are there pre-configured settings?
Shutter release: If you're taking self-portraits or need to adjust things in the shot quickly, it's important to know whether your camera has a self-timer option or can even be controlled by a remote.

Nighttime Portraits

Night shoots for model photographers are dramatic, captivating and often times more edgier than anything they can envision in the day. However, photographing people is hard enough when you're in a fully lit studio, so going outdoors into a city where there may be an excess of distracting artificial light or in nature where there's barely a sliver can be challenging for a newcomer.

If you're planning a serious shoot outdoors, the first thing you'll want to consider is lighting rental. It can be done for an affordable price if you contact smaller stores or even other photographers you know, and you'll also be able to receive some advice on exactly what type of lighting would be ideal for the shoot you have in mind.

What you should do beforehand is visit the site and take some test shots; get to know your location, see exactly how much light is available, how your flash and settings effect your images and figure out exactly what you need to get to make the image in your head a reality.

Preparation is key. When I shot the night shots for Brilliant’s custom Mercedes sprinter limo I had them drive me around to 10 different locations testing out light and backgrounds before we finally picked one then we finally did the final shot for. This was because lighting the inside of the van to be clear made the outside too dark and visa versa. It took allot of planning and tweaking to get both the inside of the van right and the skyline to look good as well.

Bethany Cleg Photography

Necessary Adjustments

Film speed: Using a slower film speed helps you gain sharpness and visibility in your images. If you're capturing moving targets like cars or nighttime sports, then you'll want to keep the ISO at a fairly normal or even higher than usual level.

Aperture: This controls how much depth will be in focus, so the settings will change based on what you're shooting. The larger the aperture, the lower the F-Stop number. You should test different settings on your own to get a feel for how the variations alter the image.

Shutter speed: As with ISO, unless you're needing to freeze motion, then you should go with a slower shutter speed. Set your shutter speed for a proper exposure on your camera's meter if it has one, and remember to adjust the settings in the darkest parts of your setting to get the most accurate reading.

Flash: Some novice photographers become a little too flash happy and think that it can be used on every single shot. Flash should be used to add additional light to a situation, not compensate for a total lack thereof. If you are in a black room and hope that a flash will illuminate both a model and the background behind them, you'll be sorely disappointed to find that everything is masked heavily in shadow. What you should do is use the flash at a relatively close distance (4 to 9 feet at most) and consider using it only when you really need to highlight a person or object.

Bethany Cleg Photography

Other Tips for Other Nighttime Shots

Night sky photography or time-lapse photography will require a tripod, patience and some research beforehand. This article goes into depth about the logistics of capturing stair trails and time lapses. What you should remember is that since you'll want a space with as little noise - visual, not audible - as possible and to increase the exposure as the subject - in this case, the actual black sky - isn't able to be any further illuminated by artificial means.

Nighttime architecture has its advantages in the city as there is often a lot of light from cars and buildings. The most important thing to remember here is your focal point and exposure. You want to use shadows to your advantage as a means to draw attention to the most interesting parts of the subject. Instead of trying to capture a whole building from 20 feet away, get close and center on the parts of it that truly capture your eye and work on capturing those angles specifically.

If you are going to start trying out nighttime photography or any photography remember that you will make mistakes and that is ok. In fact that is the only way you can really learn. I often refer back to this article about common mistakes to remind myself to remember and retain the lessons I have learned. Either way, night time photography simply looks “cooler” than daytime to me and it is al lot of fun.

Happy shooting!

Win More Clients Than Your Competition

Cindy Reeves (a.k.a. Magazine Mama) will offer some practical steps to help you get more clients for your photography business. She’ll discuss areas such as your online presence, marketing materials and client meeting space. She’ll also talk a little about blogging and give you some tips on how to get your photos featured.

Cindy Reeves has over ten years experience as a wedding photographer and has had over 100 images published in print and online. Her website Magazine Mama sells beautifully designed studio magazine templates, professionally written articles to promote your studio and workshop curricula to teach basic photography to kids and adults.

Watch this FREE Webinar here:

EXTENDED! - 48 HOURS!

WEBINAR SPECIAL ENDS MIDNIGHT MARCH 14th

SnapKnot has never offered a sale like this before.... only pay $499 for a LIFETIME Pro Membership! You'll have your Pro listing in their directory and receive matches, well, forever! They also have a sale on an annual membership for $399 if you'd don't want something too long term. Hurry, it's only available until Midnight on March 12th!

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Grow your business with marketing templates and teaching resources from Magazine Mama. Get an exclusive 10% Discount off your purchase! Visit magazinemama.com and use code snapknot at checkout!

During the webinar we said we'd giveaway 3 gift certificates for $50 from Magazinemama.com.

And the winners are:

Vivian Lin

Courtney Lambert

Mike Frazier

Thank you for attending the webinar, Cindy will be in touch with your prize!

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What would you like to learn about next? Let us know in the comments below!

Giant Freezing Waves Infused with Ice Slowly Roll in off the Coast of Nantucket

We saw this post on Collosal and had to share!

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

Photo © Jonathan Nimerfroh

"Earlier this week photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh was walking along the coast of Nantucket when he noticed something odd about the waves crashing on shore. The high temperature was 19°F (-7.2°C) and while the waves weren’t completely frozen, they were thick with pieces of ice, much like the consistency of a Slurpee, or an slushy, or an ICEE, or whatever. It’s amazing to see how the ice changes the form and color of the waves, making them seem almost solid. You can see a few more shots over on Stay Wild Magazine. You can follow more of Nimerfroh’s photography on Instagram."

January Camera Winner Update

Another of our wonderful camera giveaways has come and gone and we are now thrilled to announce that Rick Wright is the lucky winner from our January giveaway! He was lucky enough to win a brand new Canon 5D Mark III!

Rick moved around with his family while he was growing up living in Upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, as well as spending five years in Great Britain but when people ask he says his home is Stow, Massachusetts. He spent several years earning degrees at Cornell University then attended seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Rick, his wife and two daughters now live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the past 15 years. He serves as a minister with internationals at a Baptist church and sometimes teach Biblical Hebrew as an adjunct instructor at Louisiana State University.
 
We want to introduce you to Rick and tell you a little more about himself and how he started his photography journey.

How did you first get into photography?
 
“I started in high school when I invested in a Nikon FG20 35mm that took fantastic photographs.”
 
What is your favorite thing to photograph?

“I like to photograph mostly nature, art, historical sites and artifacts, and anything that strikes me as funny or interesting.”

What type of style would you say fits you best?

“To me the universe is not full of things so much as it is full of creatures – and everything in creation (no matter how large such as a star or small such as a blade of grass) is somehow unique. I would describe my style as trying to capture the uniqueness – in a sense the personality – and the place within creation of everything I photograph.”
 
What is your most favorite shoot you have ever had and why?

“My favorite shoot was two years ago at my sister’s wedding on the Minnesota north shore right along Lake Superior. I took dozens of photographs of the beautiful scenery – water, shoreline, rocks and trees.”
 
What was your first reaction when you found out you won the camera?

“Of course my first reaction was whether this was for real. Along with disbelief that out of the thousands of others who entered, I would actually win something. Then I was deeply grateful for and excited about winning a camera of such high quality.”
 
Are there any other fun or interesting facts about you that you would like to share?

“I love astronomy and animals, I play the bassoon, and enjoy music (especially classical, opera, and liturgical).”
 
Congrats again to Rick! We are so happy you winning this camera will help you photograph more and more of the unique parts of life that you love. 

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See our past winner Hall of Fame here > 

Comment below with what camera you'd like to see us giveaway next!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates. You could be our next winner! Good luck.

Lightroom Tips

Are you wondering if Adobe Lightroom is right for you? Here are some great Lightroom tips from Bethany with Bethany Cleg Photography. These will help you get off to the right start with the program if you have never used it or will give you a refresher if you have used it in the past.  

Developers of Adobe Lightroom designed the program to streamline the modern photographer's capture, process, print and post workflow. Photoshop Lightroom makes each step of the chain as simple as possible. Lightroom uses a powerful image management system, and they offer a fantastic tool to provide quick and easy digital image enhancement. While Lightroom does not have all the features that the full Adobe Photoshop version offers, it lets users work much faster with the image enhancement system. When renting or hiring out camera gear or trying to cut costs on a shoot, many people don't realize that time and money can be saved in post processing as well. This is where Lightroom shines. If the right person is behind the mouse and keyboard they can accomplish more work in less time than their Photoshop using counterparts.

So how does Lightroom increase efficiency, convenience and also cut costs? And in what areas is it the most effective? Below are 10 Lightroom tips that are popular uses for the program. Just be sure to remember that this list by no means covers everything the program is capable of doing.

Here are 10 Lightroom tips of the program’s popular uses:

Accessing RAW Photos: Sorting through hundreds or thousands of photographs without using an application such as Lightroom becomes a tedious process. Lightroom links photographs to a catalog file and keeps them intact when stored.

Adding Keywords: When trying to locate a specific photo, keywords can be applied while importing photos, and they can be added to groups of selected imaged. Otherwise, photographers may apply them quickly using the Painter tool and keyboard shortcuts can be used for a set of keywords.

Geo-Tagging with Built-in Google Maps: Organized photos based on geographic location. Photographers with a GPS device in their camera will not have to do anything because their photos will automatically be placed on the map with the Map Module.

On-Image Editing: Users will find this tool under the Tone Curve and HSL panels. Select it to apply local adjustments to specific parts of the photo. The adjustments will be intuitive and effective. 

Before and After Views: Comparing changes with the original photo become a crucial step in the image editing process. In the Develop Module, users can access four different view options to see the difference between the original edited picture.

Filter the Catalog: Filtering and searching through photos has never been easier with the Library Module. Users may refine their search and add criteria to select the right pictures.

Virtual Copies: Lightroom does not change photos but records and amends them into a separate database. Save several different edits of the same photograph and save a plethora of space on the computer. Here you can play around with presets on the same image to see what might work best.

Editing Video Files: While developers intended for Lightroom to catalog and edit photos, users may also use the video editing features. However, do not expect advanced features like Adobe Premiere.

Create a Photo Book: With the photos imported to the catalog, create photo books and create an extra professional service with printed photo books.

Crop Overlay Tool: Changes regions for preservation after a crop. Adjust the areas with clicking and dragging. It makes changing the format of images quick and easy.

Common Workflows for Integrating Lightroom into the Shooting Process

Lightroom maintains the convenience for shooting pictures. The most important aspect that photographers use it for is importing and processing RAW files. The photo can be seamlessly shared with others or sent to a remote location as the shooting process occurs.

 

Problems Lightroom Can Fix

Lightroom can fix images before printing them. In addition, it can correct perspective, color correct photos and repair dust spots and scratches.

The aspect to keep in mind with Lightroom is that it does not offer the full package that Adobe Photoshop comes with. Lightroom does not give users the ability to work with layered changes such as Photoshop Elements. If an individual encounters a crash when using this software, be sure to submit the report and include an email address with the report.

Lightroom comes with numerous applications, but a few of the more innovative ideas include creating panoramas and fashion photographers using it to design new clothing. When looking at a company, consider an expert that has years of experience with Lightroom for the best results.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your Lightroom post processing? Eyevoyage has a 10 part video series to help... and we have a discount! Click here for more details and use code EYEVOYAGE40OFF at checkout for $40 off!

This Week's Top 5 - Things We Love for Photographers

 

Each week we search the internet and bring you our Top 5 photography deals, products, or services to help you grow your photography skill set and business!

Secrets of Successful Event Photography This course teaches you the techniques used by professionals to get the best shots - every time - even in the most difficult conditions. view DEAL detailS   THIS WEEK ONLY! Save 33%

Online Photography Courses from NYIP Want to take better photos? The New York Institute of Photography offers nine great online photography courses that will help you take your skills to the next level. Enroll online at www.nyip.edu. view DEAL detaiLS   Before Feb. 25th 15% OFF ALL NYIP Courses

Customized Flash Drives & Packaging Purchase a voucher for $50 worth of Custom Packaging & USB Flash Drives at Photoflashdrive.com for $25. Also includes free standard shipping! Act Now - limited amount of discounted vouchers available! view DEAL detailS   LIMITED QUANTITY $50 vouchers for $25. Don't miss out!

Learn Photoshop FREE Learn exciting new ways to transform your work and create images that stand out from the masses, all for FREE! view detailS   CHECK IT OUT RSVP Today To Reserve Your Spot

"Trust Me, I'm a Photographer" T-shirt Limited quantity available - get it while supplies last! Different colors available too. view detailS   LOVE IT? Get This Shirt

Photography Gear Day

Gear Day

with SUE BRYCE, JARED PLATT, DPREVIEW STAFF

the latest gear and photo products.

CreativeLive Gear Day is their version of the trade show minus the endless walking and pointless schwag. You’ll get all the latest info on the hottest releases from gear manufacturers and software developers – all without leaving the comfort of home.

In this installment of Gear Day, you'll see in-depth gear and software demos and take a close-up look at the features, functions, and benefits of the hottest gear and software to hit the market in 2015.

CreativeLive instructors will be on hand to talk about the products they are using and how these tools measure up.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FREE FOR GEAR DAY

Free Photoshop Classes

For six days, the world’s most inspiring photographers and retouchers will show you how they work their magic in Photoshop and Lightroom. You’ll learn exciting new ways to transform your work and create images that stand out from the masses, all for FREE!

You’ll learn new approaches to enhancing your images from professionals working in every genre of photography.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR FREE

Whether you are a Photoshop beginner or advanced user, there will still be a class for you. An all-star lineup of 13 different world-class instructors and 48 classes spread across 6 days will teach you approaches to enhancing your images no matter what genre of photography you specialize in.

DON'T MISS OUT...RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY

This Week's Top 5 - Things We Love for Photographers

 

Each week we search the internet and bring you our Top 5 photography deals, products, or services to help you grow your photography skill set and business!

Photoshop Basics for Photographers In just 3 hours, master photoshop skills that will take your photos from "OK" to "Awesome!" Lifetime access, watch anytime. view DEAL detailS   THIS WEEK ONLY! Save 15%

Studio Essentials Custom 4GB Flash Drive & Box The perfect DVD/CD replacement kit and huge profit margin potential! Three great styles to choose from, and also customizable with your logo. Sold in 5 pack kits - that's only $10.00 for beautiful box and a custom 4GB USB Flash Drive PLUS free shipping for each 5-pack. view DEAL detaiLS   THIS WEEK ONLY! 50% Off & FREE Shipping

Focus Pyramid Autofocus Lens Calibration Tool Grab a Focus Pyramid, follow the simple directions and start making sharper photos immediately! Set your AF micro adjustment for each and every lens in minutes. view DEAL detailS   THIS WEEK ONLY Save $5 PLUS an extra 20% off with SK20

Pricing and Packaging for PROFIT Creative Pricing and Packaging for Photographers is designed to help you better convey your worth to your clients in such a way that engages interest and commitment. You can't put a price tag on closing more sales at higher prices!   view detailS   CHECK IT OUT Download This Book

Awesome Photographer T-Shirt Limited quantity available - get it while supplies last! Different colors available too. view detailS   LOVE IT? Get This Shirt