Photography Apps: What&#8217;s On Your Phone?

What are high resolution textures?

How do high resolution textures differ from any other texture? In the case of high res textures, high resolution does not just refer to image size. Although typically a high resolution texture or photo will be larger than a photo taken at low resolution.

High resolution textures were shot in camera or scanned to a computer at a resolution of 240 dpi or more. This means that the image can be viewed at large scale and still maintain sharp crisp quality. This is ideal for printing as well as creating enlargements. It is also imperative for working with the large images a photographer is accustomed to working with.

A perfect way to demonstrate the different is to take a photo with your cell phone and then take the very same image with your DSLR. Provided you have your dslr set to high quality photos you will create a high res or high resolution image. Most dslrs allow you the option to shoot in high resolution or create images specifically for the web.

When shooting textures make sure you have your camera’s quality set to the highest settings or preferably shoot in raw. If you don’t have the time or inclination to shoot textures there are tons of high resolution textures readily available for download on the web. But be careful because all textures are not created equal.

What To Look For When Choosing Textures

As a photographer first and foremost you want to make sure you are downloading high resolution textures because you yourself will be working with large images that will most likely be printed. Textures created for web simply will not do.

You’ll want to look for textures that are sharp from edge to edge and are free of any vignetting or edge blur. If you want a vignetted appearance you can always add that yourself.

Many styles and types of textures will work for photographers. It will all come down to what your design intentions are. Naturally you can use textures to create interesting backgrounds for your subjects. But textures can also be used to create dramatic effects and lighting to your images. Be sure to see my post on applying textures to images for a tutorial.

For photographer backgrounds you may opt for something grungy, or choose from brick or wood walls. Really the options are limitless. When you just want to add texture to the overall image you want to opt for something much more subtle.

In this video I’m going to show you how to change background of a picture using a texture.

Here is what we will be creating. Download the free high resolution textures below to follow along.

How To Change Background Image

How To Change Background Image Using A High Resolution Texture

Be sure to turn on HD & view in full screen!

High Resolution Texture Packs

If you are looking for some excellent high res textures we’ve got some great sets in our boutique. Check them and choose your favorites or grab them all. You can never have too many textures!

Urban Grunge Vol. 1

Urban Grunge Vol. 2

Urban Grunge Vol. 3

Urban Grunge Vol. 4

Urban Grunge Seamless Vol. 1

You can also see these amazing textures at my Creative Market shop

Download Free High Resolution Texture Pack

Want to sample our textures? Here’s a set of 8 to download and try for free! Included is a brick texture you can use to follow along with the tutorial and learn how to change background image of a picture. Enjoy. Love these textures or this tutorial? Share this page with a friend

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Free High Resolution Textures

Set of 8 high res textures. 3000 x 1993 px 300 dpi. Free to use in any of your personal or commercial use projects!

Download26 downloads

Search Engine Optimization Seo Tips For Photographers

29 Apr 2013

by Guest Blogger

Search Engine Optimization For Photographers:

Having a web presence is vital for any business in the 21st Century, but it is no longer enough to just have a website. You need to get your website found by your target customers. Proper search engine optimization seo can help your photography website be more visible in search engines and therefore gain more traffic. As a photographer, much of my work comes through referral, but I do rely on inquiries through my website to fill my week and get my company name known.

Seo For Photographers: Image vs. Text

This is where search engine optimization seo has been so vital to my business. Photographers traditionally struggle to get found on the search engines and this is due to the nature of our business – images. Google is a computer, and cannot ‘see’ your beautiful photographs, and in particular can make no quality judgement over your work. A website which is nothing but images will have difficulties getting found by Google, as it cannot see the topic of each web page and so cannot therefore connect it with a relevant search term.

Google likes words. It can process text, work out the subject matter and identify the keywords. It can even go so far in identifying quality text, by looking where pages are duplicate and content is thin. Google considers a web page with quality content to be useful and informative to the reader. A web page with no words, or few words, is considered ‘thin’ and therefore not informative.

Photographers like their images to do the talking. Who needs a big long description of an image when you can see it right in front of you? Who needs to be told what the photographer will offer his clients when the proof is filling all available pixels of the webpage?

Therefore many photographers run in horror when told that their websites have to be text heavy. When deciding how your website should be presented, you should also consider your target audience. Photographers may not like words, but many potential clients do: marketing staff, a couple looking for a wedding photographer, large companies wanting a events photographer. These people are not photographers, and therefore probably feel incapable of judging the technical proficiency of one shooter over another. The photographs will look good to them, but it is the words that do the selling.

Being a great photographer is so much more than taking photos. You have to be able to work a crowd, follow a brief, turn up on time, show you are presentable enough for a large event or wedding. It is words which will convince people of your ability to fulfil these aspects of the brief.

So how best to make use of the words on your website? Here are our top tips for writing great copy that will improve your search engine optimization and be loved by the search engines and your clients alike.

Search Engine Optimization Seo Tips For Photographers:

Have some pages which are just photographs if you like, perhaps in a gallery, but your website needs words. Your company website is a selling tool, not your portfolio, so words are vital.

Do some keyword research. You need to find out which words or phrases people are searching for so that you can write content around them in the hope of getting found on the search engines. The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is great for testing out your target keywords, seeing how many people are searching for these terms and what the competition is.

Use one keyword phrase a page. Don’t try and target all your keywords on your home page. Google likes to clearly associate a keyword phrase with a page, so you might have a page where you write about being an events photographer, and another where you talk about your wedding photography work.

Include your keywords in all the important areas of the page: title tag, H1 tag, sub-headings, in bold, in the first and last paragraphs… Don’t forget to use synonyms and to write naturally – Google can tell if your website looks stuffed with keywords and it certainly won’t secure you any sales.

Target the long-tail. Long-tail keywords are the longer, more unusual, less searched for phrases which have less competition and are easier to rank for. This sort of phrase represents 70% of all searches, and could get you onto page 1 straight away. It’s not to be sniffed at.

Don’t forget your images. Google can see the file name of your images, as well as the ALT tag. As these areas of a page are so open to abuse by spammers, they don’t carry the same weight that they used to, but it’s still worth including your keywords.

Optimizing your website is an important aspect of search engine optimization seo for photographers, but it is not the whole story. Google wants to see a website which has a good variety of links pointing to it and one which has generated a following on social media. So you also need to remember how important great content is on your website – interesting, compelling and unique content will get you noticed, get people to link to you and get the social media stratosphere buzzing. Include how to articles, webinars, interviews, offers and white papers on your website to get people engaged and encourage them to talk about your company.

Simon Lane is a professional photographer with Indigo Plum. He specializes in events photography, commercial photography and even sells his prints as wall art.

Wedding Photography Prices: How To Save On Wedding Photography Packages

28 Mar 2013

2 comments

by Guest Blogger

Wedding photography is a very important aspect of a wedding as it is these photos that will forever remind you of that precious moment in your life. Though pretty expensive, you do not necessarily have to break the bank in order to get some decent shots of that priceless moment. In this article, we discuss some tips on how to save on wedding photography prices while at the same time coming out with some quality shots.

Tips To Save On Wedding Photography Packages

Consider hiring local photographers. A local photographer will normally charge you less as he does not have to incur extra transport costs or other costs of moving his equipment to your venue. Most photographers normally base their fees on travel time therefore the shorter the distance, the less he will charge you. Some local photographers are even likely to discount their wedding photography prices especially if the wedding venue is within close proximity of their studio.

Shop Around And Compare Wedding Photography Prices

It would not be a bad idea to do some window shopping to find out what all the potential photographers have got to offer. You can research through friends who have had weddings before or by simply visiting the photographer’s studio. Once you’ve discussed their wedding photography prices some of the questions you may ask them include whether or not they offer discounts, what they charge and whether they have referral programs in place. Also be sure to ask what types of wedding photography packages they offer. By doing this, you will know who the cheaper photographer is or who offers better cost saving incentives.

Book Your Wedding Photographer As Early As Possible

It would be cost effective to book your wedding photographer as soon as you have set the wedding date. This is because most professional photographers will give you a quote according to the current market rates and not the expected rates at the time of the wedding. This could save you from additional costs arising out of inflation in future.

Hire A Home Based Photographer As Opposed To One Who Works From A Studio

The one who works from home is more likely to be cheaper and will not pass over his rent arrears on to you. The fact that he works from a home office means he will not pay for extra overheads and will therefore be cheaper.

Consider Holding Your Wedding During Off Peak Seasons

Weddings are normally flooded around summer and as a result, photographers are on high demand. They also take this as an opportunity to hike their wedding photography prices just because their demand has risen. As a cost saving way, you could consider planning your wedding for the off peak seasons when weddings are scarce and photographers are not so much on demand. You could also consider holding your wedding on a day other than Saturday when most weddings are held and photographers are so much on demand.

Reduce The Wedding Coverage

Reducing the time of wedding coverage by the photographer may also reduce the wedding photography prices. Rather than having him cover the whole day, you could settle for coverage of only the special moments worth capturing. You can also purchase a couple of disposable cameras for other guests to cover some aspects of the ceremony and have them send you the shots after. This will also reduce on the coverage by the main photographer and save you a couple of dimes.

As seen above, wedding photography does not necessarily have to be expensive. You can employ some of the above tips and come out with pictures that you will cherish and love forever.

Denis is a freelance writer that loves to share tips to help people save money on their wedding. You can have a look at his site 983invitation.com if you want to learn more on him.

Album Printing: 12 x12 Leather Album With Combo Cover by WHCC

16 Mar 2013

2 comments

Album printing is just as crucial as your album design perhaps even more so. Who you choose to print your albums will make a big impact on how your clients perceive your product. That very same impact will determine your ability to close sales. Choose a vendor that offers a variety of choices with the best quality that fits your budget. You may want to sample a few different print houses before deciding which lines you will feature to your clients.

Album Printing: Avoid Costly Mistakes

Of course when choosing a printer for your albums you’ll want to make sure that they print and display your photos beautifully. When you’re deciding on an album printer it is a good idea to order a few test prints from them to make sure that what you are seeing on your computer is what they are delivering as a finished product. If needed make adjustments to your monitor calibration, submit a few more test prints and verify the results before submitting your order.

Test prints are also a great way to sample the various print styles a vendor may offer. In the case of WHCC they have several different printing surfaces to choose from. You could order a single print in each of the surfaces to keep on hand for future reference or to offer upgrades to clients.

Album Printing: What To Look For

In addition to stellar prints judge the overall quality of the album. Does the complete look and feel seem impressive? The album should have a nice weight and heft to it. Your album should also have a good hand feel. Does it feel smooth and luxurious?

What about the pages? Are they finished nicely, do they have a nice weight and thickness to them? The devil is in the details. Make sure the details such as stitching, binding and assembly are finished nicely.

WHCC Leather Album With Combo Cover

If you haven’t had any albums printed from WHCC before and wondering about the quality of their albums you can get a decent idea of what your finished albums will look like.

12 x 12 Leather Album with Combo Cover – Photo on front only

20 Spread/ 40 Pages
Options – White Leather w/White Stitching

Album Printing Leather Album

Details:

Album Printing

Leather Album

Leather Albums

Photos: Wedding Photographer Ryan Polei

Wedding Album Design: How To Create A Wedding Album With WHCC & Roes

12 Mar 2013

White Wedding Wedding Album Template

Wedding album design should be a painless process. And in actual fact it is. Have you been on the fence about offering this valuable service? Perhaps you have some concerns it may be too time consuming or too confusing. Fear not. I will show you how to create a wedding album in Roes, customize your album and submit your order to White House Custom Color (WHCC).

You should take some time to familiarize yourself with the WHCC product line. There are a variety of options available when designing your wedding album or any album for that matter. You’ll want to first determine the type of wedding album you’d like. WHCC offers Press Printed Albums and Press Printed Books as well as Accordian Mini Books.

Once you’ve determined the type of album you want you have the option to customize your wedding album design. Choose from a variety of features and create a wedding album unique to each client’s needs.

Wedding Album Design

It is important to note that when creating a wedding album with WHCC you will need to confine your album to a 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30-page spreads. A page spread is the two sides that make up an open page. So a 5 page spread would equal 10 sides, 5 left and 5 right.

Create a truly unique wedding album design with customized options like cover material, padded cover or even a combo cover. Finally you can even upgrade your package presentation with premium packaging.

When it comes to cover material you have your choice of:

Leather – Available in 7 colors
Premium Leathers – Available in black and white
Vintage – Available in 4 colors
Faux Leather – Available in 12 fun colors
Suede – Available in 5 colors
Fabric – Available in 8 colors
Mineral Collection – Available in 5 colors
Floral Fabrics – Available in 5 colors

Printing Surface Options:

Art Watercolor
Art Recycled
Satin with Lustre Coating
Pearl with UV Coating
Art Linen
Satin with UV Coating
Satin with Lustre Coating & Pebble Texture

Custom Photo Covers

Lustre Paper with Matte Laminate
Fine Art Canvas with Semi-Gloss Laminate
Metallic Paper with Matte Laminate
Metallic Paper Canvas with High Gloss Laminate

Want a hands on experience? You can order sample swatches through Roes as well. In addition to sample swatches you can order sample albums as well. All sample albums can be ordered at a 25% discount. Sample albums include a sample stamp on the front and back leaf but can be a great way to showcase product in your studio as well as get a feel for the product line at a substantial savings. You can view all WHCC pricing information HERE.

Wedding Photo Album

Here is an example of a wedding photo album created in Roes and ordered through WHCC. This wedding album is a 20 spread 40 page album with White Leather Combo Cover, White Stitching and Satin w/Lustre Coating Printing Surface.

The White Wedding Album Template was used to create this wedding album.

Photos are by Ryan Polei.

Wedding Album Design

How To Wedding Album

How To Create A Wedding Album With WHCC & Roes

When I say creating a wedding album in roes is easy I mean just that. It’s quick and painless as well. Follow along with step by step instruction video and you’ll be creating professional quality albums in no time.

Wedding Album Templates

Jump start your wedding album design with stylish template designs from Wedding Album Cafe. Our album templates are alway clean, classic and beautifully done. When purchasing an album template you have the option to choose from standard size, WHCC Album or WHCC Book.

Wedded Bliss Wedding Album Template

From Here To Eternity Wedding Album Template

Enter To Win The New Beginnings Collection!

06 Feb 2013

The New Beginnings Collection is here and here’s your chance to get it FREE!

The New Beginnings Wedding Collection is comprised of a 12 x 12 Album with 20 spreads, A 5 x 7 Boutique Folded Save The Date Card, a 5 x 7 Boutique Flat Thank You Card, 1 3 x 3 square Scalloped Sticker, 1 3 x 3 round Scalloped Sticker, 1 Facebook Timeline Cover and a set of 10 12 x 12 Backgrounds.

This collection is soft and romantic and will delight any couple.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Beginnings Wedding Album

See official rules of entry

New Beginnings Wedding Backgrounds

New Beginnings Boutique Cards

New Beginnings Timeline Cover

Enter For Your Chance To Win!

Want a chance to win this collection? Entry is simple, just like us on Facebook to be entered for a chance to win. Want more chances to win? Use the tweet feature on Rafflecopter for an additional 5 points.

Share this post! Use any of the Share The Love buttons below to share this post and get an additional 5 points per share! When using this option you must post the link to your share when prompted by Rafflecopter.

How To Create A Logo: Photography Logo Design In Illustrator or Photoshop

28 Dec 2012

1 comment

Wondering how to create a logo? Are you looking to update your photography logo? If you are racking your brain trying to figure out how to make a logo let us end your worries. We will show you how to make a logo using either Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Creating a custom logo can be challenging. Your photography logo speaks volumes about you and your photography business. You’ll want to make certain you are sending the right message and creating the image that will attract the proper clientele.

When it comes to your image you don’t want to chance it. We take the guess work out of logo design. We offer custom photography logos so you can find the perfect photography logo to complete your product packaging and create a polished look for your brand. Instead of spending countless hours trying to learn how to create a logo choose one of custom logos and make it your own.

You won’t need to learn how to create a logo from scratch. Instead we will provide the logo template and show you all you need to edit one of our photography logos. It’s not as difficult as you may think. While you have the option to create your logo in Illustrator or Photoshop I highly recommend using Illustrator because of the ability to create fully scalable vector images. If Illustrator seems too daunting for you no worries, all of our photography logos come in psd format for Photoshop users as well as ai format for use in Illustrator.

To get started you simply need to choose your logo from our boutique. Then follow along with simple instructions clearly outlined in the videos below. You will learn how to edit your custom photography logo by amending the text or change the colors to match your existing product packing.

How To Create A Logo: Photography Logo Design In Illustrator or Photoshop

In this video learn how to edit the text and create your logo in either Illustrator or Photoshop.

In this video learn how to create a color swatch in Illustrator and use your swatch to customize the colors in your logo. Curious about Illustrator? Download a Free Trial.

Look here for more Photography Tutorials

Custom Photography Logos

Here are a few samples of some of our logos. For more Photography Logos visit our boutique.

White Wedding Album: Display Your Wedding Pictures Beautifully

22 Dec 2012

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White Wedding is the perfect wedding album to display your wedding pictures. This wedding album is clean, simplistic and unadorned. Leaving the focus on nothing but the beautiful wedding pictures and the couple’s wedding day story. This is a dual spread wedding album with 20 spreads and an intro and exit page as well as front and back cover. White Wedding features room for more than 115 wedding pictures. As with all Wedding Album Cafe albums White Wedding is available in 12 x 12 Standard, 12 x 12 WHCC Album and 12 x 12 WHCC Book.

Designing Your Wedding Album

We have done most of the work for you so telling your wedding story will be easy. To get started you’ll want to arrange all of your photos according to timeline, matter of importance, highlights or whatever works to make the story come together. Add all of your photos, sorted, to a folder and place them in the order you would like them to appear in your wedding album. Believe me this will the most “difficult” part of the of the process. I say that to assure you that designing a wedding album with one of our templates couldn’t be simpler.

All of our album templates are complete with layers and clearly marked photo prompts and corresponding clipping masks. So you’ll know just where to place your photos. And how and where they will appear on the page. If you’ve never used clipping masks or worked with Photoshop to design a wedding album be sure to see our easy to follow, step by step, video tutorials which will have you designing like a pro in minutes!

White Wedding Album

Wedding pictures on display in the White Wedding album are by the uber talented Ryan Polei.

Photography Templates

White Wedding WHCC Album

$35

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White Wedding 12 X 12 Book

$35

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White Wedding Standard

$35

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More Great Wedding Albums

Wedding Planning: 5 Great Tips for A Stress Free Wedding Day

10 Dec 2012

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