A Great Tip To Remember When Scheduling Your Mini Sessions

The holiday season is a great time to have mini sessions. Parents are looking to get cute holiday themed photos of their children to give out as gifts or they may want to get some of the family together for Christmas cards. You typically want to try and fit in as many mini sessions as you can in an afternoon or weekend - each in 30 minutes (or so) increments. 

The BP4U guide "The Ultimate Mini Session Guide" is the perfect tool to help you if you are looking to start doing mini sessions or want to get help and advice in scheduling, pricing or even putting together great props. With expert tips from Brooke Bustillos, a successful photographer and entrepreneur, and Nicole Speer, a family photographer, this guide is the perfect manual to motivate you and give you creative ideas. 

Today we want to share with you a tip that comes straight from this guide that will help you in scheduling your own mini sessions. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE "THE ULTIMATE MINI SESSION GUIDE" NOW!

SAVE $150 NOW WITH CODE MINI150

Photo credit: Brooke Bustillos

Photo credit: Brooke Bustillos

Always Make Yourself Look Wanted.

If someone happens to cancel on you, do not get on Facebook and say "someone canceled last minute and I have an opening" but try to use it to make it look like you are simply offering more time slots. Instead, say "I decided to add another afternoon spot this weekend in my mini sessions, who is interested in booking?" This shows that extra spot you are trying to book in a more positive light and can be more appealing to potential customers. 

This tip is so important to scheduling your mini sessions. You do not want other customers to think people do not want to use you as their photographer or that they do not like your work. 

If you are interested in this guide, here are a few other tips on planning your very own mini sessions.  

Did you love this guide and want to get even more great tips for planning, pricing and marketing your mini sessions? Purchase "The Ultimate Mini Session Guide" today for a great discounted rate. If you purchase now, you can get it for only $49.99 (normally $199.99)!! What a great value for such valuable business tips. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE "THE ULTIMATE MINI SESSION GUIDE" NOW!

SAVE $150 NOW WITH CODE MINI150

 

 

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A Short Video On The Purpose Of Photography

There are so many different answers when you ask someone what makes a great photograph. We found this short video on the purpose of photography where TIME speaks with conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas about this topic. We wanted to share this video in their 'First Take' series with you below. 

“Whoever is holding the frame is actually creating the story,” he tells TIME in the video. “What makes a great photographer is their ability to actually find that thing again and again.”

Hank Willis Thomas's work focuses on identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. His advertising mockups, which often incorporate recognizable icons into his work from well-known brands, question generalizations developed around race, gender and ethnicity. To see more from Thomas, visit his website at www.hankwillisthomas.com. 

If you loved this video, here are a few more you may enjoy: 

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Photo Of The Week

Today's photo of the week is of a sunrise at Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland that was taken by Scott Chenoweth. 

To see more photos from Scott Chenoweth, check out his work on Flickr. 

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

Great Black Friday Deal On A SnapKnot Pro Membership

Check out this awesome deal that SnapKnot is offering for Black Friday! Sign up to get an Annual Pro Membership for just $199... that is 66% OFF the normal annual membership!!! What a great deal! 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT OFFER NOW!

A SnapKnot Pro membership is the best, most cost-effective way for you to get yourself in front of new clients and book more weddings. It takes just 5 minutes to create your profile and get listed on SnapKnot. 

As a SnapKnot member, you will have support with you at every step along the way, from profile recommendations to photography education to business tips. You will also get over $400 in VIP partner offers just for being a SnapKnot member. 

What will you get from your SnapKnot membership?

  • A full 12-month SnapKnot Pro membership with all the benefits
  • A beautiful personalized profile to display your portfolio with unlimited photos, a link to your website and contact information
  • Display in search results in up to 5 different cities
  • Priority access to new couples via the Lead Match System
  • SnapKnot pro member badge to display on your website and blog
  • Unlimited leads

To read more about this amazing offer that is 66% off the normal annual Pro membership price, or to read more about SnapKnot, click here. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT OFFER NOW!

Pre-Black Friday Deals On Photographer Candy!

The holidays are quickly approaching and we love the excitement and happiness that this time of year brings with it! Shopping for gifts is a huge part of the holiday season and it can get stressful trying to find that perfect gift when the stores get crowded and a little crazy! We are here to help with a list of some Pre-Black Friday Deals that you want to make sure you do not miss on Photographer Candy. Be sure to click here for a complete list of all deals being offered during this pre-Black Friday sale.  

These may be perfect as a gift for that photographer in your life. Or, you may just want to purchase something for yourself because it is such an awesome sale that only comes once a year. Whatever your holiday shopping needs, be sure to check out a few of these huge black Friday deals below. 

SEE ALL OF THE EARLY BLACK FRIDAY DEALS HERE!

 

The Beginner's Guide To Lighting

Do you find yourself taking great photos, but there is just one thing off... the lighting? Do you have a hard time understanding aperture, shutter speed, and ISO? This guide is for you! 

Cost: $21.00 (regularly $299.99)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS GUIDE NOW!

All-In-One Welcome Packet Template (1st Edition)

This comprehensive welcome packet by BP4U encompasses a variety of different photography sessions and is perfect for you photographers who specialize in more than one type of photography. This is an easy and quick way to present helpful information to your clients. 

Cost: $16.80 (regularly $239.98)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW!

 

Camera Lens Coffee Cup

If you are a photo enthusiasts or know someone who is, then this is the PERFECT accessory to add to your collection. 

Cost: $14.95 (regularly $24.95)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS MUG NOW!

The Ultimate Season Action Bundle (For Photoshop)

No matter what type of weather, season or lighting condition you had while taking your photos, these actions are perfect and can help your photos look like you hope. These will work with ALL versions of Photoshop and Elements. 

Cost: $35 (regularly $499.99)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW!

Do you use Lightroom? Here is The Ultimate Season Preset Bundle (for Lightroom)!

Pretty Sky Overlays

Was your session on an overcast day or you want to add beautiful clouds and sunsets to enhance your photos? Pretty Sky Overlays offers 110 overlays that will allow you to fix a blown out sky and edit in a mood. 

Cost: $17.50 (regularly $249.99)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW!

 

 

The Lifestyle Portrait Guide

This 126-page guide answers all the questions you need to know about lifestyle photography. It is loaded with information and inspiration to promote your own, internal growth as a photographer. You will learn about choosing equipment, natural light, scouting locations, capturing raw emotion, post processing tips and so much more! 

Cost: $28 (regularly $399.99)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW! 

Tax Spreadsheets For Photographers

This is such an easy way to prepare for the upcoming tax season! This product includes spreadsheets made by a professional accountant specifically for a photographer. 

Cost: $21 (regularly $299.99)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW! 

Awesome Fall Photography Taken By Drones

Fall is such a gorgeous time of year throughout so many places around the world. With beautiful hues from the colorful changing leaves, it is the perfect time to capture landscapes in photography. We saw these amazing fall photos that were photographed with drones and they are nothing less than stunning. 

Take a few minutes today and enjoy this awesome fall photography taken by drones that we found on National Geographic.  

A curvy road winds through the Bogata Forest high up in the mountains of Romania. Photo credit: Calin-Andrei Stan 

A curvy road winds through the Bogata Forest high up in the mountains of Romania. Photo credit: Calin-Andrei Stan
 

Two girls stand in a forest clearing among bright foliage in Halland Forest, Sweden. Photo credit: Anders Andersson

Two girls stand in a forest clearing among bright foliage in Halland Forest, Sweden. Photo credit: Anders Andersson

Colorful trees surround a body of water in Kloevensteen Forest, Hamburg-Rissen, Germany. Photo credit: Rainer

Colorful trees surround a body of water in Kloevensteen Forest, Hamburg-Rissen, Germany. Photo credit: Rainer

Autumn trees line a road in a forest in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo credit: Vaias Geguzis 

Autumn trees line a road in a forest in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo credit: Vaias Geguzis
 

Signs of fall show in Moose Mountain—part of the Forgotten Trail System in Ontario, Canada.Photo credit: Opspeculate Aerial Media

Signs of fall show in Moose Mountain—part of the Forgotten Trail System in Ontario, Canada.
Photo credit: Opspeculate Aerial Media

A small patch of pine wood in Kalbyris Forest, Denmark is surrounded by autumn foliage.Photo credit: Michael B. Rasmussen

A small patch of pine wood in Kalbyris Forest, Denmark is surrounded by autumn foliage.
Photo credit: Michael B. Rasmussen

Autumn colors begin to show in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo credit: Vaidas Geguzis 

Autumn colors begin to show in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo credit: Vaidas Geguzis
 

Fall colors cover the landscape in the wilderness of Ontario, Canada. Photo credit: Opspeculate Aerial Media 

Fall colors cover the landscape in the wilderness of Ontario, Canada. Photo credit: Opspeculate Aerial Media
 

If you loved these fall photos, here are a few more posts you may want to check out: 

Do you use Lightroom and love taking outdoor photos during the beautiful fall months? If so, then you should be so excited about the BP4U Fall Action Pack? You can get it here for only $89.99 where you will get 27 presets total.  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE
BP4U PORTRAIT FALL PRESET PACK HERE! 

 

 

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4 Tips To Help You Take The Perfect Headshot

When someone needs their headshots taken, it is typically for a business reason and they expect the photos to look nice and professional. Actors and models need their headshots to help them look their best to get noticed by casting agents. Some people may be looking for a great shot to use on their business cards or their website or others for job interview purposes. Whatever the reason, they are looking to get the best possible shots. 

If you are a photographer that takes headshots, or you want to add that to your portfolio, here are 4 tips to help you take the perfect headshot for your clients. 

1. Get the right expression. 

Before you begin taking headshots of your client, you want to find out what the purpose of the photos are for. Do they need these for a business website or on their business cards? Perhaps it is a model who needs headshots for his or her portfolio. Whatever it is they need them for, you want to figure out what type of expression you need to capture in the pictures. If they need to be serious, try talking about a serious issue or if they need to have a happy expression, tell a joke so you can get a natural smile. 

Whatever you do, you want the subject to engage with the camera. The more expressive and animated a person's features are including their eyes, eyebrows and mouth, the more successful the portrait will be. 

Photo credit: Peter Hurley

Photo credit: Peter Hurley

2. Find the person's best side. 

Once you start snapping photos, you want to have the client move their face one way, then the other, and in different angles so you can decide which is their 'best side' and will look the best. Sometimes the simple tilt of the head can make all the difference in showcasing their most attractive angle. 

3. Make sure their jawline is extended. 

No matter who it is you are shooting, make sure that they extend their jawline to create that longer look. If someone is standing normally with their head in a natural position with it slightly tucked down, it can create the look of a double chin, and that is something that no one wants to have in their photos. Without the jawline extended, you will get a more rounded face.

Photo credit: Chris Gillett

Photo credit: Chris Gillett

4. Don't just use black backdrops.

Someone with dark hair or dark clothing can blend in with a dark or black backdrop so it is good to have other options readily available. White backgrounds are a great option as they can really make the person stand out - especially if they are wearing brighter colors that will pop on the white background. 

We hope these tips have been helpful to you! Here are a few other posts you may enjoy: 

"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." That quote is so true and explains what this video is trying to show.  Do you love this quote? Why not get it on a coffee mug for daily inspiration? Get it here for only $19!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS COFFEE MUG NOW! 

 

 

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Photo Of The Week

Today's photo of the week called "Boston in Blue" was taken by Michael McKenney.


Michael McKenney is a Senior Photographer with the National Printing Services. To see more of his work, check out his website at mmckenney1.myportfolio.com. 
 

We Want To Feature Your Work! 

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

Want To Take Underwater Photos? Check Out This New Canon Housing From Nauticam

Do you love to take photos underwater? Perhaps you enjoy capturing amazing underwater life during your travels or you have a passion for taking photos of sharks or whales. Maybe you love taking unique portraits underwater. Whatever type of photos you take (or are interested in taking in the future) then you need to check out this great new underwater housing for the Canon from Nauticam. 

The new housing that Nauticam recently unveiled is for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. 

This new housing builds on the previous housing for the Mark III, but has improved access to controls and better ergonomics according to Nauticam. It is also a little lighter and more compact. The standard features include the company’s patented port locking system, a handy multi-controller pad and piano-style keys, and integrated vacuum monitoring and leak detection.

The housing also comes with dual Nikonos flash connectors as standard, and there’s an optional hotshoe-mounted TTL flash trigger, which provides for accurate automatic TTL flash exposure with Inon S-TTL and Sea & Sea DS-TTL strobes.

You can read even more about this product directly from Nauticam. 

Do you take photos like these above that have bold, bright colors? Do need to pop out the weak colors in your photos, give your photos a soft, dreamy look, or even need some help with basic retouching (exposure, contrast, white balance)? Presets Made Easy! (The Complete Collection) is for you! You will get a total of 67 presets and a Lightroom brush set. This set is compatible with Lightroom. 

Get Presets Made Easy! for $199.99 now! 

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Awesome Coastal Drone Photography Taken By 20-Year Old Photographer

It is quite amazing what you can capture with a drone that is taking photos from above. You can reach places and shoot from angles that a normal photographer is not able to do.  Gabriel Scanu, a 20-year old Australian photographer, uses drones to take photos of some of the most amazing coastlines that you have ever seen. The aerial perspective that the drone gets are so unique and showcase the beauty of Australia's coastline and beyond we are excited to share these photos with you today that we originally saw on Mashable.  

Be sure to follow Gabriel Scanu on Instagram or check out his website at www.gabscanu.com. 

Did you take a photo outside at a festival, street fair or sporting event and really want to add a little something extra to it? Overlays Made Easy! The Collection would be perfect for you! This product will help you to fix a blown out sky and edit in a "mood." It even includes bokeh overlays to really add some pizazz to your backdrops. Get this collection today for $99.99! 

CLICK HERE TO GET
OVERLAYS MADE EASY! THE COLLECTION
NOW!

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