Posts Tagged ‘Tips’
Tips for Saving When Traveling in a Group

Traveling in a group? You are the holiday packagers dream! Imagine being able to offload bulk airline seats, rail passes and entertainment packages in one booking. A group traveling is a wanted commodity and because of this you can secure great deals for your group. But as always, beware of any hidden ‘extras’ such as cancellation policies and preferred partners when stepping outside the package. Be prepared to shop around for the best deal.
Here are some tips for the traveling group on a budget:
1. Travel insurance can be bought through some companies where savings can be ten percent or more. A group usually consists of four or more. Contact a number of travel insurance agencies and compare quotes.
2. Pack as many people as you can into your hotel room (keeping it legal). The more heads in the room, the higher the number to divide the cost by.
3. Renting a car when traveling in a group of four is usually cheaper than buying travel passes – and more convenient.
4. Food, guidebooks, taxi fares can all be split between the group bringing costs down.
5. Rail passes for groups or pairs may find discount offers in some countries.
6. Some airlines offer discount rates to groups of ten or more traveling together.
7. Group package bookings that have everything included in the price will have all expenses covered so you won’t be surprised by any extra costs, apart from shopping!
8. Discount holiday packages for large groups of travelers are offered through a number of travel agencies. Sports fans may be able to travel to big events using one of these travel packages for much cheaper than organizing it on their own.
Wedding Photography, Location Portrait Tips

Taking great portraits can be the key to becoming a successful wedding photographer. While this is only part of your responsibility on the wedding day, portraits are the photos that clients will hang on their wall and pass down to family members over the years.
Your first goal should be getting to know your client and what their favorite spots are. Meeting with a client in advance of the wedding day to discuss your photo ideas is very important. Develop a good rapport and be comfortable working with each other. Meet for coffee and get in sync on what’s expected for the portrait session. You can also exchange ideas and give feed back on their selections.
Steve Matteo Photography
Once you have a good idea of the clients favorite places, go and explore the scene. You should view the locations around the same time you will be shooting. There’s no sense going to see a site at 8 am when you will be shooting there at 4 pm on the wedding day. The same goes for seasons; I wouldn’t view a park in March if the wedding were September.
Scoping out locations is also a must if you want to take advantage of the time you have to shoot. You’ll want to know what type of light will be available that day. Also, create some potential compositions so you can crank out the best shots in the least amount of time. You may want to view the sites on both a sunny and cloudy day too.
Most couples don’t have much time to take portraits or bridal party photos so having a few spots picked out in advance is key. Try to pick the best spots close enough to the ceremony and reception to save time and capitalize on the light that’s available that day. Most wedding photographers Chicago clients rely on for good portraits will view locations in advance.
Safety Tips for Budget Travelers in Foreign Countries

There are many things to keep in mind when traveling, whether you are a budget traveler or not. You obviously want to keep what money you have for your trip rather than lose it or have it stolen. You also want to keep yourself and traveling companions safe from harm. Here are some tips to follow to ensure your trip is safe and enjoyable in a foreign country.
1. Have a valid passport and all visas required for your trip. Make two copies of your passport. Keep one in a separate part of your travel luggage and the other leave with someone at home.
2. Be aware of any travel warnings for the country you are visiting. Find out about security and safety conditions in your destination.
3. Secure travel insurance!
4. Ensure you have been vaccinated against any infectious diseases prominent in the area you will be traveling to.
5. To make sure you can be contacted in case of an emergency, make a copy of your itinerary and leave it with someone at home.
6. Travel light and don’t pack valuables that you wouldn’t want to lose. Leave your jewelry at home but take an extra pair of glasses if you can’t live without them.
7. Remember you are a foreigner when you travel. You are a guest in their country and therefore should abide by their laws, and to a certain extent, their customs. For example, if you are a female traveling in an Islamic state, be considerate of your dress.
8. Try not to bring too much attention to yourself when traveling. Don’t go out looking like a tourist with a flashy camera and expensive clothes. Try to blend into the scenery.
Creative Lighting tips for Photography

Panning is a great technique to use if you want to create special effects in traditional photography fashion. You can make interesting images in the camera, without digital manipulation or photoshop filters. Like previous articles on creative lighting, you will be using similar techniques and settings on your digital SLR. For starters, panning is created when you follow a moving subject with your camera, photographing with a slow shutter speed. Here’s a few tips to get you started.
When shooting for my wedding photography company, I use the panning technique mainly during the reception. This special effect is great for dancing photos, especially line or circle dances popular in many European and Middle Eastern cultures. Let’s apply this technique to a large group of people, holding hands and circling around the bride and groom in the center of the dance floor. You want to capture the crowd, as it circles the happy couple and give them motion.
Take up a position in the center so you can see the dancers facing inward. In order to give the image a feel of movement, you’ll need to use a slow shutter speed. Since 1/60 is the lowest shutter speed for stop action, you can slow things down from there. Try setting your shutter to 1/10 of a second, using an adequate f/ stop and ISO to balance your exposure. If your camera has a rear sync shutter setting, turn that on too. This will make all objects and light appear to move in its true direction. If you are inside and there is ambient light, you can add fill flash to light your subjects. Aim your camera at the dancers and follow them in the direction they are moving. When you press the shutter, continue to pan the dancers and follow through until your exposure is complete. If you pan at the same speed the dancers are moving, the background will appear blurred while the dancers are in focus. If you are using a strobe, the light will give the dancers a good “stop action” effect too.
