Green Screen - Providing out of the Flexibility to Photographers

Green screen photography also known as Chroma Key photography is a process that allows users to replace solid color background commonly in Green & Blue with a background of their choice. This technique has been around since years and has been popular in film industry for years. Now this technique is evolving and is preferred by photographers as well.

With green screen, you can capture remarkable pictures that are not feasible with conventional photocomposition techniques. It also means that you do not need to spend a huge amount on finding exclusive backgrounds for portrait photography; it allows you to give special effects to the pictures while increasing your photography opportunities enormously. The main aim of using green or blue screen photography is, when you use a solid color background it allows you to easily separate your subject from background.

In case you are well versed with Photoshop you might have spent many hours tracing your subject meticulously to replace it and place it to all together new background. However, green screen photography saves you from this hassle and simplifies the complete process, allowing you to separate your subject instantly by employing specially designed Green screen photography software.

In order to get started with green screen photography, you do not need any special equipment as such, your digital cam, computer, a green screen background and green screen software. 

 

Lighting -  The other key aspect to successful green screen photography is lighting. In order to instantly, remove green color from your photographs during postproduction, you need uniform lighting across the entire background while shooting. When using green screen, aim is to create even lighting for this you need atleast two lights. You can set up these lights as sidelights pointing towards the green screen from 45 degrees angle approx. Depending upon the material your green screen is made of users can determine the exact distance to place lights.

Subject - While shooting, it is good to keep your subject at least 6 feet from the background. If you do not keep minimum this much distance then it becomes challenging during post production. As closer your subject is to the background, more is the probability of green spill on your subject’s face and other body parts.

By exploring green screen photography, you are adding a new facet to your photography skills that can immensely expand your photography horizon.

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8 Photography Tips for the Travel Photographer

1.   Get up early - As a photography rule, the best time for taking photographs is ‘Golden Hour’ that is one hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise. This time provides the best light for shooting and wonderful photography opportunities to the photographers. So wake up early, and capture some creative shots while other tourists are still sleeping

2.   Research - Do your homework well before heading to a particular location for shooting. Research about the place, find out historical places in that city, most visited places in the city. By doing a thorough research about the place, you will be able to plan your shoot wisely. 

3.   Explore your Gear - If you have bought a new camera or some other equipment for the photo shoot, then explore that camera or gear at home or in advance. Don’t waste your travelling time on learning features of your new camera set or equipment.

4. Right Lodging - Find out a hotel or lodge, that is located in the heart of the town and offers lot of photography opportunities. What can be better than staying in a room that offers amazing view for some great shots? 

5. Capture Locals - Capturing locals will make a great shot, learning how to greet in their local language will be a good idea when taking pictures of local people. Especially, take picture of locals dressed in their native attire. 

6. Travel Equipments - Do not take your entire studio with you. Carry only those equipments which are essential and easy to bring along while shooting like lenses, a mini tripod, extra memory, battery etc. 

7.  Explore the place - Photography is not only about taking pictures. Be versatile, enjoy the new place and explore the city life by trying local food, roaming in local markets, listen to local music, this all will give you a better understanding of the place and you will be able to connect with pictures in a better way.   

8.   Fresh approach - Get off the beaten path this means don’t show viewers the most expected pictures of a town or city like Thailand is famous for monks and everybody knows that. Try something new and fresh, share your own idea, find a fresh approach how you would like to interpret a particular location.

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Transform imagination into reality with Green Screen Backdrops

Choosing a green screen background for photography could be a difficult task as there are a variety of backdrops available in the market. These backdrops are of different colors and fabric so photographers might have to do some research to find out the best background that will meet their requirements. The backgrounds are of great use for both amateur and seasoned photographers. Make sure that you choose a backdrop of great quality.

Buy a good quality backdrop for your photography needs

It is very important to make sure that photography backdrop you are using is the right one for your photography needs. Photographers must ensure that the color of the backdrop is matching with the object and is not overly bright as it might leave reflection in the photographs.

• When you purchase a green backdrop for your photo studio or on- location shots, you must look for high quality material.
•  While purchasing the backdrop for your photography needs, make sure that the green screen backdrop is wrinkle free and seamless. Wrinkles or folds on the backdrop would make it difficult for you to edit the photographs or videos.
•  123 video magic offers superior quality Chroma key green muslin backdrops that are made of 100% cotton and eliminate reflection.
•  These backdrops absorb light to enhance the quality of the images taken.
•   The muslin backdrops are made of lighter material and are easy to handle. These backdrops can be easily folded and could be carried to different locations.

Attractive Features of Green Screen Background

•  The green screen backdrop gives you the freedom to shoot any image, anywhere.
• You don't have to bother about bad weather condition as you can simply hang the backdrop anywhere you like and get the images clicked.
•  You can later edit these images with the help of Chroma key green screen software and insert the image of your choice.
•  You can also take different images at different outdoor places and can later add them as the background of your images to make them look more attractive.

Removing the background from an image and inserting a new image or scene could be a difficult task but chroma key technology makes it easier for you. It is a great photography technique and that can be easily applied to give ideal background to the pictures.

With the help of the green screen technology, you can also take amazing pictures that would entice others.

We offer you premium quality backdrops at affordable rates. We are providing the green screen backdrops at special discounted rates for our customers for a limited period. Hurry! Buy one to add to the collection for your photo studio now.

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How Muslin Backdrops Can Add Value to Your Photography

There are various ways to use photography muslin backdrops in your photo shoot for making the pictures look impressive, creative and amazing. Good backgrounds have always remained the secret of quality pictures. So be it a professional photographer or an amateur photographer, use of muslin backdrops can tremendously improve picture quality.

These Backdrops can also provide a vibrant and solid background to the pictures, especially when the photographer is performing a photo shoot. Use of Chroma key green screen muslin backdrop can add lively and energetic animated effects to the pictures that can make them look better than ever before.

Here are some benefits of Using Muslin Backdrops:

Easily change the backgrounds

Use of muslin backdrops in photography enables the photographers to change the background of their pictures as per their choice. They can click the images against a particular backdrop and later replace the background with the image of their choice. With this technique, you can actually add a lot of creativity and fun to your photography and your photo studio. These backdrops are flexible, easy-to-use and carry, and can be carried on location without any hassles.

  

Unique effects

Using Chroma key green muslin backdrops, photographers can effortlessly give unique effects to the images. These backdrops add finishing touch to the photographs and are an important part of the photography. The backdrops are available at affordable rates and its texture can give immediate professional touch to the photographs.

Suitable for all

The green backdrops are suitable for all types of pictures and skin tones. It will also suit your style and personality along with your photography needs. Especially, the green color of the backdrop makes it picture perfect as it goes well with all types of lightings too. The backdrop will cater all your needs and meets all types of your background requirements. Another benefit of using the muslin backdrops is that they can be used over and over again as they do not get ripped off or look dirty like paper backdrops.

You need not to clean the mess!

If you have to perform an instant photo shoot, you will not have to waste your time cleaning the mess in your room. You can simply hang the backdrop and click your pictures according to your need thus saving a great deal of your time and money both.

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Smart Tips for getting the most out of your first DSLR

 So, you have just bought your new DSLR and planning to do a photo shoot, but perplexed about its functioning and features. To help you make most of your new DSLR, here are few tips to get you started.

1.       Go out and take few shots - If you have just bought a new DSLR, firstly before getting into many technicalities, just charge it and snap some frames. Once you have taken few shots from your newly bought camera, this hands-on experience will come handy when you start learning about other features and other technical mechanics.

2.       Camera Manual - I know it is boring to read camera manual but your camera manual is the best source for getting answers for all your queries. Every time you take a shot, a red light appears or a beeping sound starts appearing? Well go through your manual once, other than learning about basic features, you will be amazed to discover so many other features your camera offer, which you had no idea about. So read it to discover something new about your camera and know your camera inside out.

3.       Try shooting RAW - It is good to shoot in RAW as it gives ample options to do editing and enhance your images. However, if you are very new to the concept of shooting raw, you may find it complex; in that case, you can fix your camera settings in RAW+ Jpeg mode. If you don’t want to do any post processing work on your images, you can share jpeg files and if in case you need to adjust brightness, fix white balance or any other editing work then you have uncompressed raw files with you. Only, shortcoming of shooting in Raw+ Jpeg mode is, it will require more storage space.

4.       Switch to Manual Mode Settings - If you are passionate about photography and want to explore features than keeping the camera settings on manual mode is a great idea. In manual mode, you will learn about Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed, Exposure settings and more. Though, learning these features require technical knowledge and lot of practice but it can surely take your photography to next level.

5.       Experiment with different camera settings - Every camera has certain limitations. Explore your camera by shooting with it in different settings. In case you want to see how your camera captures shots in low light,  take shots with different ISO settings each time and then see images and find out which ISO setting work best in low light situations. By experimenting, you can find out your camera limitations.

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Rent vs. Buy Camera Gear

Market is flooded with photography equipments and every second day there is new equipment making waves. However, it is tempting to buy the latest equipment but in few cases, renting equipment is also an excellent solution. Especially people who are passionate about photography and are on a tight budget can consider renting latest equipments without breaking bank. Here are few situations wherein renting an equipment can be a wise choice.

             

Tight Budget - Professional photography equipment is highly expensive and calls for an investment. Depending upon its usage one can determine whether spending lot of money on getting the latest gear is their best bet or not. An average consumer or beginning photographer cannot always afford to buy most advanced equipment. If your shoot calls for specific equipment that is presently out of your budget, renting that equipment can be an ideal choice. By renting, you don’t have to make a compromise on your equipment choice that too within your budget.

Try Before you Buy - Shoppers generally spend hours researching before making a purchase decision. If you decide to rent the equipment first before spending lot of money on same, then you can test that equipment yourself. Getting hands-on-experience is much better than reading reviews and once you are sure about its usefulness and explored its features, you can finally invest you money on equipment.

As a back-up gear - When you are attending some important events like wedding, professional photo shoot, any other ceremony, there can be times when your main gear faces a technical problem, or breaks down due to any reason. Having a back up gear is a good solution, as it allows you to continue shoot without causing any delays. If shoot demands involvement of some other shooter as well, you can equip him with rental gear. 

Travelling - Renting a gear is a good option in case you are travelling for some outdoor shoots. Your equipments are expensive and carrying them along in a plane or shipping them is not a wise decision as even a minor negligence can cost you fortune. Instead, renting out equipment at your shoot destination is a better idea as you do not have to worry about extra luggage and maintenance. 

Frequency of use - Renting gear is economically a better option when you realize that equipment is not a necessary item of your photography kit. You might need it to experiment with your shoots. In such scenario, it is better to use rented equipment rather than spending a whopping amount on it.

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Essentials of Splendid Sunset Photographs

Whenever we think of beautiful landscapes, picture of sun dipping down the horizon instantly appears in our mind.Undeniably, a sunset picture makes a beautiful landscape but in order to capture the beauty of sunset at its best, there few things one must be aware of.

 

Here are few essentials of taking spectacular sunset pictures:

Hunt for Location - For a successful shoot, searching for a suitable location in advance is a wise idea. Pick a location that is not crowded and out of the way of road to avoid any disturbance. Visit the chosen location in daylight before the shoot to ensure view of the horizon is smooth and clear. The second thing to decide after location is time, the best timing will vary depending whether you are shooting sunrise or sunset. You can even figure out best timing for shoot by using various apps or online tools.

Foreground - In order to add depth to the scene, find the foreground first. Add an element of interest in the foreground like a pond, pier, and rock. In addition, to adding depth to the picture, it gives dramatic finishing to it. By speeding up shutter speed, you can also create interesting silhouettes in the foreground.

Aperture and Exposure Settings - When capturing sunset, use a small aperture such as f8, f9 to exploit depth of field and get a sharp image throughout. However, when shooting landscapes it is best to shoot in manual mode as it gives more flexibility in terms of exposure compensation. Most preferred camera settings are shooting in aperture priority mode with exposure compensation. In addition, a low ISO should be maintained to ensure minimum noise in the final shot.

Shoot Raw - Shooting Raw is the best option especially when shooting sunsets. It gives more option to play with the picture in terms of exposure setting, adjusting white balance, level of brightness or contrast and more without reduction in image quality. By shooting in jpeg, limited changes can be done.

Multiple Shots - You can never create a perfect shot just in one click, irrespective of the camera settings. Be creative in order to capture a spectacular shot. A landscape scene keeps changing within a fraction of minutes. Try shooting from different angles, and allow different subjects to fill the frame, play with exposure settings, more you shoot chances are variety of dynamic shots you will end up with.

Proper Gear - Proper gear is essential in order to capture the perfect shot you are aiming for. In sunset, there are low light conditions, to give a steady base to camera and shoot without interruptions tripod is required. Secondly, a wide-angle lens is preferred, allowing you to capture more vast and inclusive portion of the scene.

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