Bounce your flash

If you have an external detachable flash that has a adjustable head be sure that you're not using your flash straight on and practice bouncing it.  There are lots of affordable diffusers on the market that will help you bouts the light better.  There are several options when it comes to using an external flash like the rogue Flash bender for under $35.

This blog was brought to you by the blogger app using my iPhone speaker phone while I'm on the go.

Sony HX50V Digital Camera

This is Brenda's (wife) new Sony HX50V digital camera.  There are far too many features for me to list here in a short blog post that I'm doing from my iPhone 5.

I am posting this under my photo tips blog because  if you're looking for camera under $400 that has a lot of features, this could be the one for you.  

Being a professional photographer, one of my favorite features is the manual control.  When it is set to manual, the user is able to control the ISO, the shutter speed and the aperture.  Those are the three core pieces of the exposure triangle.

It is hard to find the level of control that the Sony HX50V offers in a lower priced camera.  The current price on Amazon, as of this post, is $397.  When it comes to this price range, although I shoot Canon professionally, I am sold on Sony.

To learn more about the Sony HX50V, you can search online using your favorite search engine for additional information.

Images Can Be Blurry in Low Light: Two Solutions to Fix That

Brenda has a new Sony HX50V Camera and she loves it.  However, when she was taking pictures today, she wondered why some of her inside images were blurry.  After checking the image data, I noticed that one image was shot at 1/8th of a second.  The Camera had automatically chosen that speed.

There are two quick ways to correct this:

1) You can get a $15 light weight monopod from Wal-Mart to steady the camera.  I shot the image below using a monopod.  In this case, the blurred effect was intentional and looks good.  However, for regular shots with no motion in them, a monopod can potentially get rid of the blur from the camera setting the shutter speed too low.

2) Get out of automation if you can.  If you have the option to not let the camera do all the thinking for you, you can override all kinds of things.  On Brenda's Sony HX50V, there is an option to select the shutter speed.  Based on my own experience, which will vary by camera and individual, I try not to shoot below 1/50th of a second if I am handholding the camera, but I can sometimes get by with 1/40th or 1/30th. Getting to know your equipment and testing it out for yourself is the best way to know.  If you are trapped by automation, there is not much you can do but try and steady the camera with a monopod or tripod or upgrade to a model that will let you think for it rather than the other way around.

5 Quick Tips for Better Instagram Photos - Really Any Photos

I found this article by Amadou Diallo on Forbes.com.  He provides 5 quick tips for better Instagram photos which really apply to better photos in general.

1) Shoot during the golden hour
2) Set the scene
3) Get closer
4) Change your perspective
5) Shoot in BW

Those are 5 great tips for any photography not just Instagram.  I'd like to expand briefly on 3, 4 and 5.

Get Closer - Amadou provides some great tips, but I'd like to add to getting closer by saying that using a wide angle lens and being close can actually tie into the next point below.  Even if you have a wide angle lens, don't be afraid to get in close and change the perspective.

Change Your Perspective - As a pro-photographer, this is one that I use often myself and have recommended to others well before seeing this post on Forbes.  Don't be afraid to kneel, squat, lie on the ground or even shoot from a higher position or a unique angle to change the perspective of your image.  This one piece alone can make you a better photographer.

Shoot in Black and White - This can cause the mood of an image to change.  Color actually takes away from some images whereas black and white can make the image magical at times.

Rolesville Leads Group at Big Al's BBQ - August 28th, 2013

Rolesville Leads Group at Big Al's BBQ.

Meets Every Wednesday at 9am

As you can see, it's a large group.

I did the 10 minute presentation today.

About 10 Minutes To Shoot, Edit and Post

I took this image with the camera awesome app on my iPhone 5 which is what I also used to edit the image.  I then exported to my camera roll.  My next step was to pull it into Pixlr express on my iPhone which I used to add his name to the image.  I then exported the image in a smaller size to my camera roll.  From there I posted it to Facebook.  Now I'm using my iPhone speaker phone to create this blog post also on my iPhone.  Once I publish this post, it will open up Google Plus which I can then post a link to this blog.  All of this was completed in about 10 minutes while sitting out back with Bandit and using my iPhone to complete it all.

Use Pinterest for All Kind of Things

I just added a social media tips board to my Pinterest account and above is my first pin on it. Don't forget to incorporate Pinterest into your social media plans. Here's is the link to my account http://pinterest.com/dwppc/.