Simple Ways To Remove Blemishes From Photo Portraits

Blemishes such as scars, pimples and acne will often be visible in portrait photos. You may want to keep them, but if not, we'll show you in this article just how easy it is to remove them.

Of course, it's better to prevent blemishes with clever lighting or camera tricks than rely on photo editing. For example, you could try a diffusion filter to smooth over and mask blemishes when you take the photo.
However, with the photo editing software that's available today, the simplest and most inexpensive way to deal with blemishes is by healing, cloning or, in some cases, both.

Healing
The healing tool is found in most photo editors and provides a very simple, and ultimately rewarding, technique for repairing flaws in portrait photography.

It works by blending a blemish with a texture that you choose from elsewhere in your photo. The photo editing software picks up the colour and brightness values of this texture and merges them with those of the original blemish.

The subtlety of this tool is what makes it perfect, not only for small areas such as pimples and scars, but for larger and more prevalent features too like wrinkles, where colours and textures are high in contrast.
Your chosen texture isn't just pasted straight over the top of the problem area, but it's blended with the surrounding pixels in the portrait, thus creating a seamless, unnoticeable result.

One important thing to remember when using a healing tool is that different areas of the face vary considerably. For example, the skin on the forehead differs greatly in its colour and texture when compared with the skin around the eyes.

Try to choose replacement textures from as close to the blemish as you can; this keeps your touch-ups as realistic as possible.

Cloning
Tools that enable you to clone parts of an image are also common in photo editors and, as with healing tools, they make professional results easy to achieve.

However, whereas healing tools blend two textures together, cloning tools simply copy and paste a chosen area of your portrait over a problem area.

The cloning tool is ideal for small fixes such as pimples or even for larger areas which are low in detail. On the other hand, more intricate problems are better left to a healing tool. Tackling such issues by cloning usually results in changes which are noticeable rather than blending into the photo.

Lines will be visible where the edges of the cloned area join the underlying photo. This can be reduced to some extent, by using a soft brush which creates some blurring between the two areas.

But cloning is best used for small fixes or for larger, plain areas. And it's important, no matter where you use it, to pick various parts of the portrait as your source. This reduces the likelihood of creating immediately noticeable, repeated patterns which is inevitable if you clone the same texture over and over again.

Healing + Cloning = Optimum Results
As you can see, there are instances where each of these tools performs admirably and there's no cast-iron rule to say which is better.

In fact, the best results are often achieved when healing and cloning are used together. Just keep in mind that moderation is the key; that way, you correct the blemish, but you retain natural skin tones and avoid a plastic, airbrushed feel.

Peter White is employed by Serif, a leading developer of software for home and small business use. Serif sells a range of software for photo editing, which includes PhotoPlus, a feature rich photo editing software package and PhotoPlus Starter Edition, a free photo editing software suite for novices.

Original article

Create Photo Calendars That Are Far From Everyday

Purchasing a gift for somebody else is a hugely meaningful act. It's a way of showing them precisely how much you care about them, that you're thinking of them, and that they mean a lot to you. That's why it's so important to ensure that you choose exactly the right gift. Get it right and you'll have got the perfect message across and made an impact which could last for many years. Get it wrong, on the other hand, and you'll leave the recipient with the impression that you either don't know them very well or don't particularly care about them.

Of all the gifts you might wish to purchase throughout the year, from birthday presents through Christmas gifts and anniversary tokens, the ones which are perhaps the most fraught in this manner are Valentine's Day gifts. When you give someone a gift on Valentine's Day you may well be taking a fairly courageous step. If it's someone who doesn't yet know how you feel for them, then you're putting your heart on your sleeve and making your feelings public, and even if you're in a firmly established relationship then making a gesture on what is meant to be the most romantic day of the year is something which you want to get just right.

Choosing Valentines gifts for her/him is all about finding something which both matches their personality and, at the same time, expresses what you feel for them. It's for this reason that personalized Valentine's Day gift ideas make for such wonderful tokens. No matter what kind of budget you're working to, you're bound to be able to find something which exactly fits the bill, and the fact that it is based upon images from your own collection will mean that it's unique and personal in a way which shop bought gifts couldn't hope to match. A personalized photo calendar, for example, may not strike most people as being amongst the most traditional valentine gift ideas, but the fact that it is a little bit different will merely make it all the more touching.

The technology used to make these calendars means that putting them together is incredibly simple. Imagine a calendar made up of images of your first year together as a couple, for example, or of photographs taken from the whole of your relationship together. No sooner have you imagined it, than you can upload the images in question and then utilize the software to design the layout of each individual page. The flexibility of the process means that every detail is open to interpretation, from the highlighting of particular dates - the day of your first date, or the night upon which you got engaged, for example - to the actual month upon which the calendar starts, meaning that the finished product will be utterly unique and totally particular to your relationship.

The key selling point of personalized photo gifts is the bespoke, tailor made nature of the finished product. Whilst put together to standards as high as anything available in the shops, photo calendars based around photographs of your own special moments will get the job they've been designed for done, whilst also saying 'I Love You' each and every time they're accessed.

Preserve your golden memories of life by engraving those precious photo calendars and photo books through Albelli.

Original article

Follow Photo Albums Into The Twenty First Century

The ease and flexibility of digital photography is something which it is easy to take for granted, but one merely has to step back and think about it for a second to realist that it has in fact changed everything. The size and portability of the equipment has led to people taking pictures in places which would once have been thought inaccessible, and the ease with which images can be stored and then reproduced as either photographs or any one of a stunning range of gifts has meant that the actual number of photographs people take has exploded dramatically.

Just think of the average night out for a younger person today, and the amount of time they spend taking shots of themselves and each other to commemorate the event. Unlike the situation which used to prevail with physical, celluloid processes, actually choosing which pictures you want to keep and having them printed or uploaded to a computer is simplicity itself. All too often, however, people find it difficult to organist this plethora of material, ending up with pictures scattered across multiple devices, memory sticks and computers.

The answer to this organizational nightmare is to put your pictures onto photo albums. Arranging photo albums in the UK in this post digital era is as simple as you could possibly wish, requiring merely that you upload your images onto one place at the relevant web site. Once you've done this, the software provided means it is incredibly easy to arrange your images along whatever lines you wish to adopt, whether that means simply setting them out chronologically, or putting pictures with a certain theme in the same place.

Having created your personalized photo album or photo book, you're in position for the fun to really start. First and foremost, whenever you want to access an individual photograph you'll know exactly where to go. It doesn't matter if you want to locate a particular image to settle an argument over who wore which jumper, or whether you need a picture to base a unique photo gift around, the image you need will be exactly where you want it to be, safe, secure and in perfect condition. The other big bonus of digital albums, as opposed to their 'real world' counterparts, is that sharing them with friends and family all over the world is extremely easy. All that they need to have is access to a computer and the details which you can provide them with, and they'll be able to look through your favorite pictures as quickly and easily as if they were there in the room with you. It's an example of a technology which has been used to simplify rather than complicate matters, and the way in which the advance in the equipment and the techniques used has been shaped so as to bring people closer together.

If, like most people, you've got more pictures than you know what to do with, then putting them in photo albums in the UK is the simplest and safest thing you could do with them. Not only will they be looked after and kept in perfect condition, but sharing them with people who'll derive pleasure from looking at them is easier than it's ever been.

Preserve your golden memories of life by engraving those precious Photo Books and Photo Albums through Albelli.

Original article

Keep Your Pictures Safe Using Cutting Edge Photo Albums

Before everyone started using digital cameras, the process of developing and printing the photographs you'd taken was one which cost time, money, and convenience, and required the use of outside experts such as photo labs or high street chemists. Sometimes, turning the pictures you'd taken into actual photographs required posting your film away and waiting patiently for it to arrive back several days if not weeks later. Digital pictures, on the other hand, are a different matter entirely. Not only can you take as many shots as you like, relying on the fact that your camera can store dozens of individual shots, but the process of then going through the pictures and choosing the ones which you wish to keep and use is as simple as pressing one or two buttons.

Once you've collected together all of the photographs which you want to keep, the question of finding photo albums big enough to put them all in arises. Just think of the many hundreds of pictures you take each and every year - records of holidays, Christmas, birthdays and the like - and try to envisage a book large enough to stick them all into and you'll appreciate that it's a futile task. That's why online photo albums or photo books represent such a fantastic breakthrough. Using the software provided, the task of uploading the hundreds of images you wish to store, sorting and arranging them and then installing them in individual albums has been reduced to a few simple steps.

Simply choose the images you wish to include and then decide if you want to put them in any specific order - it could be that you want to base an album around each month of the year, or else gather together all of the pictures which feature a holiday, or wedding, or a particular birthday. Whatever way you decide to group your pictures, putting them all together is made easy by the software and once they're sorted and stored you can relax in the knowledge that they are totally safe and secure. By sharing the access details with friends and family around the world, you can allow them to look through your personalized photo albums just as they would the old fashioned type if they were to visit you at home. Another huge advantage of digital storage is the fact that you can return to the images time and time again. A relative, seeing a particularly cute baby photograph, might ask for a copy and ordering one will be the work of seconds. Similarly, should you choose to turn an image into one of the many photo gifts available, doing so will be simplicity itself, a huge difference from the days when re-prints had to be made from the original negative which, by that time, might have been scratched and damaged.

Digital photo albums, rather than taking up space and cluttering a home, exist online only, but can be accessed as quickly and simply as opening a book. Safe, secure and convenient, they are the twenty first century equivalent of a tin full of memories, with all of the pleasures, but none of the pitfalls.

Preserve your golden memories of life by engraving those precious Photo Books and Photo Albums through Albelli.

Original article

Produce Your Own Art By Putting A Photo On Canvas

A photo canvas can solve this problem by bringing together digital photography and canvas printing in a way which produces an object of great beauty and style.

The excellent quality offered by state of the art digital camera equipment makes it possible for photographers of virtually any ability to produce vibrant, rich and often stunning images. If you take a second to think of the pictures which you've taken, the chances are that there will be at least one of which you are particularly proud. It could be that it's a particularly touching picture of your children - something like a candid snap of them at play or a portrait which captures their personalities in a way seldom seen in studio based, professionally produced shots.

Alternatively, you may have taken an impressive picture of a favourite beauty spot, a beach at sunset or a forest in full bloom. In the past, the best that you could do with a favourite photo such as this was to have it enlarged and perhaps mounted in a frame, but even making it slightly larger would have a negative effect on the quality of the image and the finished result would fail to do justice to the power of the photograph. Putting pictures on canvas, on the other hand, is a method which allows you to show off your photography in all its glory as well as, at the same time, producing a bespoke work of art which will grace the walls of absolutely any home.

The quality of the materials used for canvas printing, in terms of the canvas itself, the sturdy wooden frame and the technology behind the actual printing, means that the resulting canvas prints are of a standard most normally associated with artworks hanging in galleries or for sale in expensive art shops. Even cheap canvas prints are made using the 'wrap around' technique, which means that the image is printed to the very edge of the canvas, which is then stretched around the frame, resulting in a totally professional look. The software used to put photos on canvas has been specifically designed to make the entire process quick and simple.

The hardest part of the whole procedure will probably be choosing just one image to turn into a work of art, but once you've done this you can upload it and set about turning it into a canvas print. The options available to you begin with the size and shape of the print, ranging from small square prints suitable for intimate personal photographs to large, imposing portrait or landscape style prints of a type which will dominate the largest of rooms. Canvas printing doesn't only allow you to show off a favourite image to the best possible effect, it's also a means of producing stunning gifts which absolutely anyone would be happy to receive. After all, it's not many people who can afford to give a one-off artwork as a Christmas or birthday present, but putting a photo on canvas will allow you to do exactly that and the image concerned, what's more, will be one that's handpicked to suit the tastes and personality of the recipient.

Whether you're a professional photographer wanting to showcase your work, a gifted amateur keen to make the most of your gifts or just someone who'd like to own a unique and personal work of art, a photo on canvas will tick every single box. Canvas printing takes art out of the hands of an elite few and puts it within easy reach of anybody.

Original article

Photography Made Easy With Digital Photo Prints

Digital photo prints have changed all of this, using simple and cheap technology to enable anyone to turn multiple images into as many prints as they like. Often, technological innovations can promise much more than they actually deliver. It's not so long since we were told that the advance of computer technology meant that people would soon be working less and enjoying much more leisure time, and that those who were working would be doing so in 'paperless offices'. Both of these claims turned out to be somewhat optimistic, as is so often the case. After all, back in the 1950's film makers freely assumed that by now we'd all be driving hover cars and travelling to the Moon and back on a regular basis. Occasionally, however, the march of technology can bring obvious advantages to ordinary people and digital photography is a very good example of this phenomenon.

The digitisation of the process has meant that many hundreds, even thousands of photographs can now be stored in the smallest imaginable space and that digital photo prints are as quick, easy and cheap as the old, physically printed pictures were time consuming, difficult and expensive. The chief advantage of digital photography, namely that anyone is free to take as many photographs as they like, means that on many occasions people don't actually take the time to print photos, preferring to access them via devices such as their computer or other electronic means. Sometimes, however, especially with the most treasured photographs, it's better to actually have a hard copy - a picture you can actually hold in your hand, taking you back to the memory it captures in a way which nothing else can quite manage.

Photo developing in the past meant that this was the only option available, and that if anything happened to damage the print another copy would have to be made, provided the delicate negatives were still in a good enough condition. Digital photo printing, on the other hand, is both simple and quick, with only seconds being needed to log online, choose the prints you want to have printed and then have them in your hand without any frustrating wait. Alongside this simplicity comes a degree of flexibility which simply wasn't available in the past. Your images can be altered and tweaked to exactly suit your needs, making alterations of aspects such as the cropping, the colour balance and the size of the final print. For example, you may have taken a fantastic photo of your children which is ruined by the accidental presence of a total stranger on the edge of the frame.

Using the technology available this could be edited out of the picture in a matter of seconds. Online photo printing puts you in charge of everything which happens to your images which, when bearing in mind the fact that they are valuable records of precious memories, is surely the way things ought to be. Once you've taken your pictures you can produce copies to send to friends and family, meaning that people like grandparents can now have their own picture of their grandchildren rather than having to wait to visit until they get to see one, and that friends get to see your best holiday snapshots in the comfort of their own homes.

Photo prints used to be expensive and frustratingly time consuming, calling for a visit to a specialist shop or a roll of film entrusted to the postal service. digital photo prints are entirely different, bringing together convenience, flexibility and value for money.

Original article

Digital Wedding Photo Album Software Free Download - Photographer's Top Secrets Revealed

If you're looking for digital wedding photo album software that is free to download and that allows you to make high-quality, professional photo albums then this article is a must-read for you. Not only is this program very easy to use even for people who have never created a single photo book before, but it produces amazing photo books printed on top-quality award-winning photo paper, professionally bounded with numerous cover options. Cover options for your photo book choices range from a very budget-friendly linen hardcover to luxurious handcrafted genuine leather. These photo books are meticulously finished and crafted to last for years and years.

If you think that you have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to get that expensive, one-of-a-kind look for your photography book, think again! Despite the fact that many professional photographers are charging top dollar for handcrafted photo albums, you can achieve the same results for a bargain price, if you know where to order your photo books and what digital photo album software (free is always a plus) to use. In fact, many professional photographers are using this exact program and would hate to share this information with you.

This digital wedding photo album software (free to download and use) is packed with great features that no other software program offers on the market today. You can fully customize your album pages, add personalized captions, make custom cover pages with your own photos and text. The software program has powerful photo editing tools, if you need to spruce up your pictures before putting them in the photography book.

But it doesn't stop there! You can also share your digital photo books online with anybody who has an e-mail address for free. Once your friends receive an e-mail with a link to your photo album, all what they have to do is just click the link in your e-mail, and the smiles begin. Your friends can view your photo book without downloading those bulky attachments. Your digital photo album will look like an online magazine, so your friends will be able to turn the pages, zoom in and out, etc.

If you would like to send a printed photo book as a gift to your friends, you can do so with just a click of your mouse. In fact, your friends can order as many prints of your photo books as they like themselves without downloading this digital photo album software.

You can customize your photo album for each recipient by adding a separate cover page and cover title to make a truly unique and personalized gift for any occasion. Who doesn't love receiving gifts with a nice personal touch? Now you can make yours! And no, these gifts won't come with a huge price tag. You will be shocked how inexpensive they are!

Here is a great bonus for you. To help you save even more money, I have posted step-by-step instructions on how to receive a 50% off your first order in case you decide to buy a photo book (you don't have to if you just want to make a free photo book online and share it with your friends via email or Facebook for free). Take a look at the examples of photo books, watch a program video tour and see for yourself how stunning these photo albums are! They look exactly like the ones you might purchase from a professional photographer for hundreds of dollars. Click here to get your wedding photo album software for free for Windows or Mac.

Original article

Photo Booths - Making Memories At Your Wedding Reception

In recent years, hiring a photo booth for wedding receptions to capture the most amazing shots has become a trend and you can also rent and get your guests to have fun while posing for the camera.

Planning the most memorable day of your life takes a toll on you as you put in many efforts to make your wedding reception fun and entertaining for your guests. From the decoration and the food to the band, everything is planned with perfection. But if you think of the weddings you have attended, you would notice not all the guests get to pose for the camera. The newly weds are so busy attending people that they don't get the time to pose with every guest. Plus, it's impossible to keep track of whose picture has been captured or whose isn't.

Only when you go through the pictures after weeks, you notice how many of your guests aren't in a single photo. To have all your guests appear in your wedding photo album, you should place a photo booth in the reception hall. If you are thinking that would make the reception look like a shopping mall, then you have got it all wrong. They are the latest rage in the weddings, corporate parties, birthdays and other events where couples and groups flock to these booths to get their pictures taken.

These not only entertain guests but give you great shots for your wedding album and keepsake for your guests. These are easily available on rent and theirs prices vary from one rental service to another and are charged on the basis of hours or day/night, type of photo booths, additional props and others. Some of them rentals provide props for free whereas others charge money for each piece. Since it's a wedding reception, make sure the photo booth is decorated to match the wedding theme.

When you rent a photo booth, it usually comes with an attendant who assists people in operating the system and makes sure it works fine. In case your photo booth doesn't have an attendant, print the instructions and place them in the booth for your guests. Available in two different types, classic arcade and open booths, these booths offer a great time to your guests. Classic boxed-in booths are a little cozy and fit in 2-4 people at a time whereas open booths can accommodate up to 10 guests.

If there are space concerns, you should definitely get the enclosed arcade style booths. Since lighting plays the key role in photography, you have to ensure that it's appropriate. With arcade booths, there isn't any problem regarding additional lights as these are enclosed but is the main concern when you are using open booths.

Make your photo booth even more fun. Get props like funny hats, funky glasses, wigs, masks, fake mustaches, etc. See how your guests pose in front of the camera with these props. You can even have the photo booth frame customized to suit the wedding theme. Add the photo booth pictures to your wedding photo album or compile them into a scrapbook. Several booths can now save the pictures which are later copied to a disc. The new age photo booths come with video recording option as well. Guests can say a few words in honor of the happy couple after having some snaps shot.

If you are being charged per hour for the booth, the best time to set it up is during the drinks. At this time guests can be kept busy with the photo booth while you have your couple pictures taken by a professional photographer.

This article has been written by an expert associated with A A A Photo Booth, a leading company that rents out portable booths for various events at affordable rates.

Original article

Turn One Of Your Memories Into A Timeless Photo Gift

Personalised photo gifts are a fantastic way of marking occasions such as birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries, since they're so much more meaningful and individual than anything you could simply buy off the shelf of a shop.In the past, photo gifts were precisely that - photos given as gifts. You might get an extra print of a family portrait to give to an absent grandparent, for example, or reproduce multiple copies of a new baby snap to distribute amongst the doting relatives. With the technology now available via digital photography, however, the range of personalised photo gifts that can be produced has broadened dramatically, meaning that whoever you want to buy a gift for there's bound to be a photo gift which fits the bill perfectly.

If you want to give a gift to a child which will be treasured above all others, for example, then what could be better than a jigsaw puzzle which, when they solve it, rewards them with a beautiful picture of themselves? And the same child would also surely love a school lunch box with their picture on it, or a rucksack featuring the same.

The key advantage of gifts like these is the flexibility which they allow anyone to enjoy. Literally any image you have available to you is an option and the actual process of designing and ordering your gift has been kept as simple as it possibly can be. Photo gift ideas range from small fun items such as key rings and fridge magnets, up to luxury photo books or large-scale canvas prints which take your memories and turn them into bespoke, stunning works of art.

If you still don't believe that virtually anything can be turned into a gift of this type then take a second to consider the idea of glass coasters made using an image of your own choice. You might have a landscape shot of a favourite beauty spot which you've treasured for years and would like to be able to see on a regular basis. By turning this shot into a coaster you'll be reminded of the happy memories it encapsulates each and every time you use them. It doesn't have to be a landscape shot, of course, since the choice is entirely yours. You might opt to turn a favourite picture of your kids into a set of coaters to be given as a gift to a favourite uncle or much-loved godparent.

There's no getting away from the fact that gifts such as these will touch the heart of those receiving them in a way which something that has been merely purchased isn't capable of doing. That's because they demonstrate the amount of thought you've put into them. By giving them an image of your own, you're giving them a part of you in the form of a gift which will remind them of you each and every time they look at it.

Every cup of tea or coffee, every cold drink which is rested on glass or acrylic coasters will be an occasion upon which they'll think of you and remember how much they mean to you. The process of making them will take only moments, but the finished product will carry on bringing pleasure for years to come, and surely that's the very definition of a thoughtful gift?

Giving photo gifts will delight and move the person to whom you give them, because personalised photo gifts show just how much you care and how much you want to show them you care.

Original article

Easy Photo Tips for Parents On Catching the Moment With Child Birthday Photography

It's your child's birthday. It's a special day for everyone. You're watching this little one grow and grow, and you want to have snapshots of their life passing by to hang onto in the later years.

You might think that it's very difficult to produce impressive kids' birthday party photos, but it doesn't have to be. As long as you have a decent camera and simple understanding on lighting, as well as the patience to anticipate moments, you'll be fine.

Getting those perfect shots can be tricky and nerve-wracking. So here are some simple and handy tips to be sure that you'll catch those perfect moments.

To begin, have the camera ready at all times. One of the greatest benefits of digital photography is that you can simply rattle off loads of shots without consequence. And this factor will be greatly to your benefit, not just in cost, but probability to get good photos.

Take loads of photos. That's really the key. Get ready for the moments, and keep rattling off shots like nobody's business.

Since you probably don't have the experience and expertise in photography yet, taking more shots equate to insurance shots that will just increase the odds of you getting that perfect photo.

Later on you'll be able to take the time to sit down at your computer and weed out the plethora of bad shots that you'll certainly have gotten.

This is how the bulk of professional photographers end up with so many amazing photos. It's not that they can always simply nail that perfect shot, it's that they're always ready and firing away to be sure that they catch that special shot.

Professionals have the experience and knowledge to take higher odds of good shots, but they still take insurance shots nonetheless.

To get those moments with your child, you'll need to be ready, or have someone ready with the camera the whole time. Keep them close by, and have extra memory cards available if needed. It'd be a tragedy to run out of room just as the party is getting going.

Take note ahead of time of moments that you'll especially want to get caught on film. Write these things down and be sure to communicate with whoever will be taking the photos to watch for these specific events.

Most of all, have fun with this. Don't feel like you're taking too many shots. Again, you can always delete more later. That's the joy of the digital era.

Lastly, don't ever forget to be part of the fun! Have someone take photos of you and your child from time to time as well.

Here's a surefire and free way to get better in photography within the next 30 days -

The lessons are so simple and straight-forward that you'll be able to start taking better pictures almost immediately after reading the tutorials. By learning these fundamental and techniques in digital photography and flash photography, you'll be confident to take any kind of photographs in any situation with any camera you currently have. I strongly urge you to discover these free and useful lessons on the next page - Simple Photography Tips

David is a freelance photographer, blogger, and writer providing quality and free photography-related tutorials, camera reviews, and Adobe Photoshop tips through his blog and workshops.

Original article

On Location Photography: Finding Interesting Places to Hold Your Photo Session

When I first started photography shooting strictly on location, a couple years back, finding a location for photo-sessions seemed to be such an obstacle for me. Where can I shoot that's really interesting and eye-catching? I asked myself. A few years later and much more knowledgeable, I can definitely say the background is not as important as you may think. It's all about drawing the eye to the subject/subjects with minimal distractions (usually). Now I don't mean to take some of the fun out of it, finding a suitable location and adding a personal touch is really a great thing. Aside from the obvious (parks, clients' home, etc.) here are some really great places to shoot that I have had luck with:

• Downtown: Live near a city or a trendy spot people like to hang out in? Just take a walk downtown sometime and find the many cool places you can capture in one 30 min-1 hr long session! (Parking garages, brick buildings, funky doorways/window frames, benches, capture your subject walking down the sidewalk...the list goes on!

• Want to add a bit of grit or contrast to your image? Visit your local junkyard and ask for permission to use the location for a shoot (make sure they sign a release!) This can add contrast if you had a female wearing a formal cocktail dress or a bathing suit and really adds a bit of grit to your images no matter what your subject may be wearing.

• Forget about the parks, they are so overpopulated and well, expected! Surprise your client and take them on a short hike through a nature trail. Nature trails are so great because you will usually stumble by a lot of interesting parts of nature to play with in your photos. You may see a riverbed, maybe a lake, a beautiful part of the forest (if you are shooting a couple, have them carve their names in the tree and take a personalized portrait). Maybe you will find a fallen tree and use it as a bench, steer away from the norm you usually find at parks and surprise your client.

• Again it's all about your client: the less distractions the better. One of my favorite places to go is this field nearby with tall grass(in the autumn everything is golden and adds a nice warm touch) and wide open space with not much around to distract the eye. Now you can step it up a notch and play with this a little or a lot. By placing a couch, chair or trunk in the photo, you will find it easily adds a rustic elegance and provides your client with a prop to sit/lean on, trust me they will absolutely LOVE it!

These are just a few places I have had success with and definitely a great starting point for on location photography. (For an example of an urban engagement shoot, take a look at my latest Colorado engagement photo session ) After shooting more sessions you will feel comfortable with exploring on your own and finding other favorite places to take your clients and impress them with your photography skills!

Amanda Glisson is known as one of the best wedding photographers in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her unique photojournalistic style has been applauded by her clients, who praise her ability to capture real moments and bring them to life.

Original article