10 Great Tips to Make Any DIY Winter Wedding Photography Successful!

This winter many couples are choosing do it yourself wedding photography in an attempt to save money. Wedding photography is tricky because if not done right there will be no good documentation of the special day. My dad does wedding photography as an amateur hobby; wedding photography is not skill less, but can be done easily with practice by almost any amateur photographer. This article will take a look at 10 tips to make DIY winter wedding photography successful; however keep in mind DIY wedding photography takes copious amounts of editing after the ceremony.

1. Camera

Taking wedding photographs should be done with the right camera, not a regular point and shoot camera. I recommend using the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi, it takes high quality pictures and is relatively easy to use. This camera can be found at www.buy.com for $569.95, but you should check to see if anyone in the wedding party can provide this camera or a similar model to save on money.

2. Flash

Relying on the built in pop up flash in any camera is a recipe for failure; you will want to use an external flash for low lighting pictures, such as a church or an evening reception. Winter conditions outside will not require a flash due to the reflection of the snow, but it can be used if done right; however inside you will want a powerful flash. I cannot give a recommendation because certain flashes work for different cameras; therefore the flash will be determined by your digital camera choice. www.ritzcamera.com has a good variety of flashes, lenses, and cameras.

3. Lenses

Unfortunately DIY picture taking is not cheap and requires the proper zoom lenses for great photos from anywhere in the room. Buying any secondary lenses is not necessary, but they will make the pictures better. www.ritzcamera.com has a good selection of lenses; it is where I purchased mine.

4. Go Digital

The hardest part of DIY wedding photography is getting professional looking shots. Going digital allows for touchups on the pictures after they are taken so that they come out perfect. Going digital also saves on prints since all the photos can be saved on a flash drive or a CD.

5. Choose an artistic guest for the job

Capturing the right moment is what photography is all about; having a guest that is willing to take pictures who has an artistic eye is the best way to get quality shots. Do not expect a gift from the photographer as it takes hours of work to take and edit great shots.

6. Be aware of lighting conditions

Winter is the hardest time of the year to take photographs outside due to the reflective nature of snow and the brightness of the sun. Be creative on the angles of your photographs; many high end cameras also show the contrast ratio on the photos taken, look at the contrast to make sure the photos are coming out correctly.

7. Be aware of where the sun is

Do not shoot towards the sun or objects that are in the sun, it can cause shadows and some funky looking pictures. Just be aware of the sun and preview one or two pictures before taking more.

8. Capture photos with the theme

If your theme is a winter wonderland then capture that theme in the photos! Try to include shots of the bridal party and newlyweds in the natural theme of the wedding; also try to include guests in the same theme. Be creative with the shots, you may have to shoot at different angles to get the desired results.

9. Use the flash

Even in snowy conditions you should experiment with the flash for better pictures, the bright the background the more the object you are photographing will stand out. This may not always be the case; therefore you should check the pictures being taken to make sure they are coming out professionally.

10. Edit, Edit, Edit

No DIY photography is complete up completion of the ceremony! There are countless hours of editing that must be taken on to get professional looking results. If you do not have the proper computer skills try to find a guest that would be willing to help edit in exchange for their wedding present.

This site has some extra DIY tips that can help during a winter wedding; I did not cover many these tips, so it may be a good read: http://www.squidoo.com/weddingphotographyguide

Sources:

www.ritzcamera.com

http://www.squidoo.com/weddingphotographyguide, DIY Winter Wedding Photography

The Akron Art Museum is Moving

Growing up one of my favorite activities was visiting the museum in Akron. Formerly the Art Institute, the museum has been in existence since the twenties and moved around a bit until it settled at 69 East Market Street. By the seventies, the focus had changed from offering a historical collection of art to one that provided the “finest modern and contemporary art” to patrons in Northeast Ohio. Renamed the Akron Art Museum in 1981 they moved across the street to an old post office in what is now their current location.This is how I remember the art museum; interesting abstract exhibits that took up the entire room and a plethora of huge paintings that covered every major post-modern movement one could think of, cubism, pointillism, you name it! I then left Akron for college in the early nineties and had learned about other museums in other cities, notably those in Cincinnati and Dayton. It was not until recently on a trip back to Akron that I discovered that the museum was moving closer to the edge of downtown and had a new, visually aggressive design. The new design fuses the old building from the seventies with a new glass structure. Coop Himmelb(l)au is the team behind the new look, unlike other museums in Ohio the Akron Art Museum is rather small, as only 1% of their entire collection can be shown in the current structure at any time. When the new building opens up in 2006, those issues will have been addressed and Akron will finally have a museum on par with those elsewhere in Ohio and architecturally comparable to those in cities like Washington D.C, and New York City, for a change.

The Budget Bride's Guide to Saving Hundreds on Photography

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If you are planning a wedding, you already know how much things can add up. From invitations, venues, catering, decorations, and so on, you can quickly spend thousands of dollars on your wedding day, without even realizing where all of it went. In fact, according to theknot.com, the average wedding cost is $27,800 per couple! Think of how that money could have come in handy in case of an emergency, in putting down a down payment on a new home, or in financing a fantastic honeymoon! However, if you take control of your budget now, you can have a memorable, elegant wedding while saving thousands for your happily ever after years.

The first thing you need to do when you are planning a wedding is to decide on how much you can reasonably afford and then discuss which items are the most important to you. Many couples decide that photography is at the top of their list. Follow the tips below to have memorable pictures, while staying on budget:
Shop around for photographers

The first step in saving money in general is to find out who offers the service and how much they charge. Never accept the first offer that you receive. Call various photographers and ask them what they charge and what their service includes. Be sure to consider how much the entire cost of photography will be. For example, a photographer who charges less per hour who charges more per each picture may not be a good deal. Search through your phone book and go online to see photographer's blogs and samples of their pictures.

Think outside the (office)box

Although there are plenty of photographers who specialize in photography and have a career in photography, there are also many skilled photographers who have different day jobs, pursue photographer as an interest, or specialize in other forms of photography. Check around for people such as these who have experience in photographing weddings, but who do not depend on it for their bread and butter. Think about anyone you know who fits this criterion: someone who takes pictures for the local newspaper, a sports photographer, a friend who has taken a few photography courses, etc. They will often charge much less than photographers who make their living from inflated wedding packages. Typically anything associated with weddings is more expensive than something without the wedding association. So try to find a photographer that has similar experience with a much smaller price tag.

Get digital prints

Ask your photographer if he can photograph you with a digital camera. Any type of special effect like using sepia pictures, black and white pictures, red eye removal, coloring in certain elements like the flowers while leaving the rest of the picture muted, and so on can be completed by just a few buttons. So you won't have an effects expense passed on to you. Also, ask your photographer if he can give you the digital prints on a cd or memory card. If he does this, you will need to be sure that he has signed over the rights of ownership to you so that you can develop the pictures yourself. This step could save you hundreds, maybe even thousands, and you will only be paying for his hourly rate and the ownership rights, rather than a certain dollar amount * the amount of each picture.

Consider limiting the photographer's time

Consider the actual amount of time that you want to have the photographer around. Keep in mind that many photographers will also charge you for the time it takes to travel and set up for the pictures. Some brides want the photographer to take pictures while they are preparing for the wedding, but if you are not interested in these types of pictures, don't ask the photographer to be around during that hour. Consider having your photographer take your pictures during the important parts of the ceremony and formal posed pictures after the wedding. Then just have him stay for the first hour of the ceremony, rather than the entire event. You can still get in many of the important photos during this time, such as the first dance, the receiving line, and the cake tasting. But you can save hundreds of dollars if you do not keep the photographer around for the next 1-3 hours of the reception. And with many photographers charging hundreds of dollars an hour, this is easy money that you can pocket for your future.

Opt out of the reception

Consider not having your photographer take reception pictures at all. This will save time on moving between venues, set up, and hours off of his rate. Many brides today are opting for more photojournalistic pictures, rather than posed pics. Place a couple of disposable cameras on each guest table and ask for their help in taking pics at the reception. Be sure to leave a convenient basket for them to drop the cameras off at before they leave. For the cost of a few $5 cameras, you will wind up with hundreds of pictures to choose from without the hefty photographer's fee.

Compare packages

When deciding on a package, be sure that you are comparing what each photographer is offering you. Sometimes you will save money by going for a package deal, sometimes you may be better off deciding on a certain number of pictures, rather than a package. So carefully scrutinize the charges for each package. Also be leery of unnecessary charges: a $100 wedding photo album is not worth it when you can go to your local supermarket and buy one for $10. According to Elizabeth and Alex Lluch in Planning the Most Memorable Wedding On Any Budget, you can also save big if you place the pictures in the wedding album yourself. It might take a little time, but make a day of it with your new spouse to look back at your happy memories.

Skip the engagement photos

Although it might be nice to have pretty picture to send with your invitations or to the local newspaper for your engagement announcement, you can use alternative methods, rather than pay the hefty studio and professional photography fee. For example, if you already have existing formal photos of you and your fiancé, use those instead of opting for a multiple hundred dollar studio session. Alternatively, ask a friend with photography experience to set up a muted background or go to a natural setting and have her photograph you and your fiancé for your engagement photos. Finally, check a local family photography studio, such as Wal-mart, Sears, or JC Penny. They will have appropriate backgrounds, but charge much less than a wedding photographer.

Barter, barter, barter

If you have met with several photographers and you liked one more than the others, but he was a little too expensive, let him know that you received a better offer and see if he comes down on the price. Also, before you commit, be sure that you ask "Is this the best deal you can give me?" for even more wiggle room. In this economic time, more and more people are learning powerful negotiating skills and businesses are suffering from unprecedented losses. See how flexible your photographer will be with the price. If you can't quite get the deal you want, go with another photographer or see if your first choice can throw in a freebie, such as a free parent's album, rather than a reduction in price.

Barter some more

If you have any type of service that you complete, see if you can exchange your service for the photography or a portion of his fees. Also, if you blog or you are involved in advertising or website development, see if you can get a discount if you provide free advertising for the photographer after your event. This type of service exchange can be posted in a local newspaper ad or on craigslist.com. Alternatively, if you have a friend or relative getting married, see if your photographer will give you a discount for a positive recommendation and referral.

Consider a student photographer

Yes, it might be scary to put the future of your only wedding pictures in a non-expert's hands, but you can save big by asking a student photographer to capture your wedding day. Additionally, students are more likely to give you digital prints (see above) in exchange for them gaining experience and increasing their portfolio contents. Be sure that they have some previous experience and make sure you look at their previous work. Also, be sure that your expectations are clearly stated and make sure that they can be depended on and that they are punctual.

Regardless of which photographer you go with, be sure that you get recommendations for him, check his portfolio, and make sure that you both know what you will be getting. Be certain that any adjustments are in writing, especially if the photographer has reduced the price. Then rest assured that you have done your best to get the pictures you want, and the peace of mind you need as you begin your new life with cash in your pockets.

The Best Baby Showers Gifts to Give

celtics baby clothes

When your friend announces the wonderful news of a new arrival the thought always turns to what you want to buy the baby that will be of most use. Having had my first baby and 2 showers I received several gifts that were total life savers and am forever in debt to the people who bought them.

The coolest thing I received was a Fischer Price Oceans of Wonder cradle swing, this is the best gift I could've ever asked for, it has 2 ways to swing, plays melodies has lights as well as 10 different speeds. I was able to use this from day 1 up until my little guy got 25 pounds. This was truly awesome as the baby was able to nap and the fish and lights held his attention long enough for mom to get housework done.

Diapers are always a great gift because parents go thru so many, the trick is to give a few packages in the larger sizes as many new parents receive so many smaller sizes and babies grow so fast. A case of diaper wipes is also helpful as they tend to last longer.

The Fischer Price Deluxe Jumperoo is also a great gift, the baby can start using around 4 months of age, it helps strengthen their legs and provides plenty of entertainment. I found this to be a great way to get a moment of peace when having a hectic day.

The Womb Bear is also great to help baby sleep at night, it makes the sound of a heartbeat and reminds baby of time spent in the womb.

Gift cards are also great as their are many last minute things that parents need or want, and can be used to buy many different things.


These are some great suggestions and good luck with the shopping

Tips for Breaking into Sports Photography

Photo Credit: celtics baby clothes

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, student photographer Chris Osborne hopes his experience in sports photography will take him to the next level - his goal for every shot is "Sports Illustrated Cover".

Osborne explains how a sixth sense is valuable in sports photography, but without the basics of photography, you will still miss the shot.

What first attracted you to photography? How did you get started yourself?

Photography was something I could do since I have always been able to see how I wanted things to look. I have started and restarted a few times. My first camera was a 110 mm back in 3rd grade. I moved onto other interests until college, where I got a Coolpix L3. It is good for general use, but trying to shoot basketball did not work at all. So, I purchased a Rebel XT and have not looked back.

What photographers - well known or unknown - inspire you?

Beyond the sports photography culture, two unknowns got me where I am today. The first is my sister. She says that I stole her interest in photography and will not hold back any criticism of my work. The second is Paul, a fellow photographer at the school paper. After seeing one of his pictures in the paper and not liking it at all, I decided that I could do a better job and filled the other sports photographer position. Only later did I learn that an editor and not Paul made the cropping decisions.

What equipment do you use? Is there a certain piece of gear you could not live without?

I am currently using a Canon Rebel XT with the kit 18-55mm lens, Canon 50mm 1.8, Canon 75-300 4-5.6, and a Tamron 28-200mm 4/5.6. My only other add ons are a Canon battery grip and a polarizing filter. Being on a college student budget, I do not buy new equipment unless I will really use it. But if I had to pick one item that I couldn't live without it would be the battery grip. I missed too many shots by flipping the camera the wrong way to shoot vertically or simply missing the shutter button.

Do you have any goals in mind with your photography?

For my sports shot, there is always one basic thought running through my mind - Sports Illustrated cover. I would love to have one someday. For everything else, I think about if I could see the shot hanging on someone's wall. If I cannot, I find something that fits that requirement.

What do you feel are your strengths and weaknesses in sports photography?

As much as I hate to say this one, one of my strengths is that I have a camera that can handle the speed and lighting at college sporting events. Beyond that, I am able to have a personal relationship with most of the athletes and am able to predict fairly well what is about to happen. My weaknesses are that I am still too slow at times to get the shot that I want, despite knowing almost exactly what is about to happen and that I have a tendency to tilt my camera. Also, where the Winthrop athletic department lets me go during games limits what I am able to shoot.

What does it take to be a quality sports photographer?

To be a quality sports photographer, you have to be a little bit psychic. By that I mean that you need to be able to know where to point the camera to get the shot. Some sports are easier than others. What sports do you like to shoot? I like to shoot basketball and volleyball most. They are high intensity and usually have something new to get every time. I like baseball the least because most of the shots are just excessively similar.

What post-processing tools/software do you use? How much does that influence your photography?

When I want better control over the photograph, I will use Photoshop 7 or Gimp depending on which operating system I am working under (desktop runs XP while laptop is in the process of switching over to Linux). I use Picasa for basic editing such as cropping and overall brightness/contrast. I sacrifice the overall control for speed when I have to turn things in to the school paper.

What advice would you give new photographers?

A) Don't get discouraged. Photography is an art, which means you will have to work at it.
B) A good photographer can overcome bad equipment, and good equipment will not make you a good photographer.
C) Less time editing your photographs means you'll have more time to take more, so get things right in camera as much as possible.
D) Try to see all of what there is to shoot, not just the stereotypical snapshots that everyone else will find.

Check out Osborne's photography at http://sapidexistence.com

Photography Insights and Techniques

photo source

One might ask what photography is. What is the purpose of taking a photograph? For some, just a simple snap shot will do but, for others, there is more of a destiny to experience in the photograph. Photography captures a split second in time or, simply put, a moment captured in a blink of an eye. Photographers create illusions of realism which resembles the existent world with content and form that are inseparable. In effect, the photographer has generated a story all their own. 

Photography is made from anything perceived. Seeing is believing when the moment is captured on film regardless of the subject matter. No matter how many pictures are taken of the same subject by different individuals, the photographs will never be the same “style” because the subject is in the eye of the beholder. For example, you may like that shiny red 57’ Chevy in the front of the coffee shop, so you take a photograph. Your friend loves the seat in front of the coffee shop window with the reflection of the 57’ Chevy in the glass. There are two distinctly separate shots of the same subject but, emotionally, they are very different images. No two artists are identical and different viewers will never see the same photograph in the same manner. Photographs generate a mood that creates an emotion and they can be background or landscapes or nothing but a mere rust spot with texture. 

Photography not only captures that instantaneous moment in time but also captures a visual reality. Photography, when it was first invented, was used to represent the world accurately with little room or depiction of artistic ability. Thus, the photographer could have been anyone in the crowd, and that person brought forth the way things looked at the time—showing the world what is to be perceived. 

This is not the ways of photography in the 20th century. Photography is now a truly unique art form, and a photograph can hold two and three dimensional space, as well as a one point perspective. Photography gives us the opportunity for aestheticism our everyday world. Our attention is focused on what we would normally dismiss our attention focuses on seeing beyond the believable giving a visual sensation to our minds. A photograph can be captured in one-sixtieth of a second by the shutters of the camera. In effect, art happens in the “blink of an eye”. 

Since Kodak introduced the first hand held camera in 1888, giving photography a new mission and meaning, the world has never been the same. However, the technological advances have affected photography. It has strengthened the use of a camera and allowed the photographer far more precise subjective perceptions of the subject matter. According the book The World of Art, Life Magazine started publication in 1936, and American photography used photography as their tool of disclosure. “Pictures can be beautiful, but must tell facts too,” reveals the text. Photographers must include real life recognition with lines and rhythms of the surface because, without this, the photograph would be unresponsive. As an interesting insight, a horizontal photograph is peaceful; a photograph with less foreground brings dramatization and a photograph with more foreground shows nature connected with unity. 

Photography is different than other art medium, yet the classical compositions brought together by the artists of yesteryears are still used. Photography has many techniques and art forms that differ greatly. For instance, there is black and white photography that the photographer can develop easily in even a small amount of space. According to photographer and Professor of Art Mike Wonser, a dark room can be set up in a bathroom. The light must be blocked out, but the photographs can be developed in the bath tub! So, you do not need much space to work and it is magic to watch the photograph appear. Another simple technique was shared by George Jolokai. He stated “a photographer can carry a bottle of water to add shininess or reflections on the subject matter”. The magic of photography is endless. 

Another tool used in photography is the use of slow or fast shutter speeds. Slow shutter speeds can blur water, but the use of slow shutter speeds requires a tri-pod to prevent blurring the entire photograph. The water will blur because water is in constant motion but the background or other subject matter in the photograph remains still. 

Another form of photography is that of color photography. Color brings depth and musical rhythm and is a very powerful tool to the human senses. Color photography creates a complex interplay between form and content that can create dynamic color contrasts. The photograph process takes time because critical technical decisions must come from the photographer before the release of shutter that results in the capturing of an essence of time and mood on film. 

The basic elements of style, composition, and technique are the photographer’s tools for structure; it is the photographer’s imagination that leaves an impression embedded the minds of the viewer.

References 

Joloki, George (2004, Spring). Lecture Art 101, Central Oregon Community College, Bend< Oregon 

Sayre, Henry M. (2004) A World of Art (4th ed.) Pearson Prentice Hall. 

Wonser, M. (2004, Spring). Art History 203, Central Oregon Community College, Bend< Oregon

Christmas Photography Tips and Advice

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For Christmas photography tips, or any sort of photography, we want the best results to come from our time and effort. Christmas photography captures special moments, especially when children are involved. In fact, this leads to my first Christmas photography tip:

(1) Focus on the children first. This admittedly is a bias of mine, but Christmas foremost should be a children's holiday. This applies to gift-giving, and also to photography. If you disagree and/or if adults are at the center of your Christmas, fine, that's just my opinion. Just think of ol' Art Linkletter: "Kids Say the Funniest Things." Kids also make the best photo subjects, and regardless, Christmas (like Trix cereal) is for Kids.

Our Top Ten Christmas photography tips are going to relate to the strategy of taking the best photos, not to the type of camera. That's a whole 'nuther topic. In fact, yours truly is not even a shutterbug. My advice comes from working as a local daily newspaper reporter, among some of the best professional photographers, going back to the 1970s when they still used darkrooms, up to today in the digital age. These Christmas photography tips are geared toward how you interact with your subjects, once the camera is chosen and the lighting adjustments are made.

(2) Don't be one of these photographers who is constantly out front and interrupting things, asking people to pose. For your best Christmas photography, be the fly on the wall. Stay in the background and take candid photos of what's happening, photos in which the subjects don't realize you're taking their photos.

(3) A lower angle (shooting "upward" toward the subjects and the scene) often yields better results. Don't hesitate to sprawl on the floor.

(4) In your Christmas photography, look for sequences of events. A photo is just one moment in time and to capture a sequence, many folks nowadays prefer a video camera. Still, there's nothing like a series of photos. For example: (A) Child awaits anxiously for gift-giving to begin. (B) Child receives wrapped gift. ( C ) Child tears wrapping off of gift. (D) Child reacts to gift.

(5) In fact, your sequence of events could begin hours earlier. Child helps decorate tree. Child puts on Christmas outfit. Etc.

(6) Just because you're staying out of the spotlight with your camera, that doesn't mean you can't be persistent. Patience is a virtue in waiting for just the right moment, just the right shot.

(7) Be a minimalist. Don't try to illustrate the whole scene of the Christmas event at once. If it's a party, take turns focusing on individual participants, or no more than two or three in one frame. If your Christmas photography involves a group of carolers, go ahead and photograph the whole group, but also aim for closeups of one caroler, or a small group.

(8) If you still want some posed Christmas photography for the archives, that's fine. Try to do the posing at the conclusion of the shindig, not at the start or during the middle.

(9) For posed photos, try to keep the number of subjects small. Let's imagine the group of Christmas revelers is 20. Go ahead and shoot the group of 20, but keep in mind that with so many folks in there, their faces are going to be the sizes of dimes. Also shoot "subgroups" with three, four, five people.

(10) When people pose in groups, have them put their heads as close together as possible. This may seem like a minor point, but when you see the results, you'll understand. Faces can be 20 percent larger and up close if we eliminate the wasted space between their heads.

SOURCES

Personal experience

http://digital-photography-school.com/16-christmas-photography-tips

http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/Christmas-pictures.html

http://photography.about.com/od/christmas/Christmas_Photography.htm

Upgrade Your Digital Photography Studio on a Budget

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Digital photography is progressing almost as fast as the computer industry. Mega-pixels are multiplying faster than you can count them. As with all advances in technology, a higher price tag is attached. So, how do you upgrade your digital photography studio with out breaking your budget?

Let's go over a few ways to do just that.

Upgrade your Digital Photography Studio - Don't Buy New

The more mega pixels the better, I know. But, if you are using a 5.0 mega pixel camera now, wouldn't a 6.0 one be an upgrade? There is no need to spend the extra $3000 to get the newest 10 mega pixel digital camera.

There are plenty of used camera stores to find newer equipment that will fit your budget as well. KEH offers a huge selection of both new and used digital camera equipment, all of which has been cleaned and tested.

Let's not forget about eBay either. The deals there on new equipment are sometimes better then buying older used equipment. You never know when some college kid is going to sell off his $3000 digital camera just so he can make rent.

Upgrade your Digital Photography Studio - Compensatory Upgrades
Find way to stream line your business. Odds are, you don't have a lot of people working at your digital photography studio. So, you probably wont be buying equipment that saves you money by eliminating workers. Still, there is always new software coming out to help you stream line your business.

Such software may be expensive at first, but will be worth the price. Even if the software does nothing more than free up two hours in your work day, that is two more hours to make money. That is two more hours to see customers. Those customers could then turn into lifetime customers who bring your repeat business and great word of mouth advertising. All because you freed up two hours in your work day.

Upgrade your Digital Photography Studio - Upgrade Only What You Need
Upgrading your digital photography studio doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on new gear, lights, printers, computers, and what have you. Take some time to really identify what it is in your digital photography studio that needs to be upgraded.

Lets say you bought an expensive sub dye printer years ago to start printing photographs in house. 60,000 prints later, it's just not what it used to be. This doesn't mean you have fork over a huge amount of money to buy a new one. You could out source your printing for a while or you could even look into getting the printer refurbished by the manufacturer.

Upgrade your Digital Photography Studio - Upgrade Your Staff
Not every digital photography studio upgrade is a piece of expensive new gear. Invest some of your budget by training your staff. If you have other photographers working for you, try spending some money on a training workshop. The more your employees know about their job, the better they are at it. These workshops will help increase your staffs skills, but it will also help them get a better picture of what you want. Being on the same wavelength with your employees will also help them operate more efficiently

If you have complicated software programs, consider having a sales rep come out and teach your staff about the software. This goes back the same point, the more your employees know, the better they operate. Often, sales reps will be more than happy to come out and teach refresher courses or how to use new programs free of charge. After all, the happier you are with their product, the more you will buy from them in the future.

These are just a few ways to upgrade your digital photography studio with out breaking your budget. There are always ways to pinch pennies if you think about. The biggest obstacle to get over is the, must have the new stuff, mentality. You almost never need the new stuff, it is almost certainly nothing more than a want. Think before you buy and you are sure to save money in the now and make more in the future.