Wyvern Photography

Supplying high impact, eye-catching and creative photographic images that deliver a 'wow' factor to the viewer and raise the profile of the customer. This helps you to ensure that your message is clear and with the benefit of providing you with a copyright licence, this means you can also have a continuity of your message through the photographs across all forms of advertising and promotional media without the hidden risk of extra charges. Experience in the media helps to understand the type and style of photography you need. This means that the photography supplied will compliment the style and image you wish to present.

Using modern digital photography, photographic images can be provided in a variety of formats. We can also transmit photographic images, by e-mail, to a designated third party - such as publishers or printers - if so requested.

Quick tips and tricks to take away

Working as a photographer in the East Midlands I meet a lot of people who own a camera of some sort and will use it more often than they realise. It could be to photograph a family party or gathering; whilst on a day out or photographs on holiday; or for some it's at work to use as reference for a location, item or assignment. If that's you then below are a few pointers to help you improve your photography. Have fun and above all Keep it Simple

Know your camera

Use the first 2 or 3 weeks with a new camera to take lots of shots in lots of different settings and circumstances. Push the camera to its limits to see what it can really do. Learn its strengths and weaknesses and then photograph with these in mind. READ THE MANUAL. That booklet that came in the box with the camera is not for packaging, you can learn so much from it.

Avoid 'in camera' image effects.

If you have access to photo manipulation software such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop you should avoid using in camera effects such as black & white or softening. Any effect you can apply on the camera such as softening can be done much better and with more finesse on the computer. Capture a clean image first and you'll have a lot more scope for working with it afterwards. The camera is for capturing and the computer is for editing!

JPEG or RAW

Shoot in Jpeg mode on your digital camera if you want to store a lot of pictures on your memory card, but remember that the higher the quality setting, the less pictures you will be able to store. Lower quality settings compress the file more and reduce the quality. For the best quality, shoot in RAW mode - this takes up more card space and it takes longer to process the images on your computer (using special software) but the quality is much higher than Jpeg.

Switch your camera to manual

Try turning all the auto features on your camera off. Suddenly you are in charge again, you decide where to focus, what shutter speed would be correct and how much depth of field you want. You're the photographer.

Using autofocus

When you press the shutter button the camera will focus on one small area, usually shown in the viewfinder. Make sure that this focus point is on the part of the subject you want to be clear and sharp - for example, if you are taking a picture of 2 people, make sure that the focus point is one of the people, if it is on the space between them then the camera will focus on the background, not the people.

Getting prints from your digital photos

You can use a computer inkjet printer, or for better quality a dye sub printer, but for even better quality and much lower cost, copy your images to disk and take them to a High Street digital lab such as Jessops (other high street labs and services are available). Check first to see whether their machine works best at 300 dpi (normal) or at another resolution setting.

Who owns the copyright

Basically, the person who creates the picture owns the copyright, unless they sell or assign it to someone else. This means that nobody else can lawfully use the picture without the permission of the person who owns the copyright.

Getting a smile out of anyone

To get a natural smile out of anyone (unless you come across someone really really grumpy) get them to blow out their cheeks for as long as they can. This will normally make them laugh at themselves so you get the most natural smile. Works brilliantly on kids!

Turn Around, you may improve your shot..

I tip I learnt at college in sheffield many years ago was before taking your shot, whether it is a landscape or a person within a location try turning round 360 degrees to see if a different viewpoint would benefit. The view from a different angle may be better than the one you were about to shoot.

Just before you press the button, look!

Just before you take a picture, cast your eye around the edges of the viewfinder and make sure you don't have anything that looks out of place - a bin or corner of a car for example. Easy to fix and it can make a huge difference to the final result.

Improving Your Images

The biggest fault with most photographs is failing to fill the frame with the main subject. The main cause of this problem is that people do not look at the complete scene through the viewfinder. As long as the main subject is in there...somewhere, they just shoot. Many photos are a disappointment because the camera user does not take enough time to look carefully through the viewfinder at what they are about to take. The solution is simple, and can be done with any camera:

  • Look into the viewfinder and make sure there are no wide-open unnecessary spaces.
  • Exclude detail that may clutter the image, taking attention from your main subject.
  • Get as close to your subject as possible without cutting part of it out (unless that is your intention!).

And Finally...

Everyday sayings

Struggling for photographic ideas? want to do something different? Then why not use everyday sayings and get some inspiration from them? Such as:

  • "Kerb crawler!" (a shot of a car's tyre just off the edge of the kerb makes a humorous photo.
  • "Waterworks" (Can be some graffiti found on or near a river bridge etc.etc .)
  • "Wall flower" (A flower growing in a wall is a play on the name of a real flower.)
  • "No Parking" (A tiny dinky car seen on double yellow lines!!)

...this makes a refreshing change from all those boring landscapes we have seen too, too much of over the years since the first glass slide was developed over 100 years ago, doesn't it???