Studio Blog: Getting Creative
Welcome to the Demand Studios Blog – a resource for writers, contributors and freelancers alike! Come here for answers to your questions, Studio news, writing tips and more.
Posts tagged as tips
Soren Bowie, editor of Trails.com, is a wealth of information when it comes to outdoor activities. I'm no outdoors expert, but it's great to know that I have someone to go to with all of my "outdoorsy" questions if need be. His site has some great tools and awesome content from our Studio writers that I love to use when looking for local walking paths or weekend hikes.
He mentioned a new series the site is launching called "Gear Junkie." It's hosted by Stephen Regenold, expert and creator of the popular gear review column, "Gear Junkie." Check it out:
He mentioned a new series the site is launching called "Gear Junkie." It's hosted by Stephen Regenold, expert and creator of the popular gear review column, "Gear Junkie." Check it out:
See more at Trails.com
We don't always get out of work on time, but we do make sure to catch the news. Robyn was lucky enough to capture this near-depressing photo of the team watching the LeBron annoucement last night on Johan's iPhone. Thought you guys would enjoy it. Have a great weekend everyone!
...and yes, Johan did cut his hair.
From the Desk of Former LIVESTRONG.com Editor, Krisserin
Posted by MaryK | July 8, 2010 | Comments (5)
Hello everyone,
I am very excited to announce that Sarah Metzger (SarahMetz not to be confused with our beloved community moderator, SarahH23) is the new LIVESTRONG.COM editor. You might recognize Sarah from the Demand Studio's Editorial team, where she ran the writer enrichment program and helped out in the general forums.
Starting this month Sarah is taking on all of my responsibilities on LIVESTRONG.com. If you have any questions or need clarification please feel free to contact her. I am very excited for Sarah, and know that I am leaving all of you in very capable hands.
I loved the time I spent with you guys, and I look forward to working with you on future opportunities!
All the best,
Krisserin
I am very excited to announce that Sarah Metzger (SarahMetz not to be confused with our beloved community moderator, SarahH23) is the new LIVESTRONG.COM editor. You might recognize Sarah from the Demand Studio's Editorial team, where she ran the writer enrichment program and helped out in the general forums.
Starting this month Sarah is taking on all of my responsibilities on LIVESTRONG.com. If you have any questions or need clarification please feel free to contact her. I am very excited for Sarah, and know that I am leaving all of you in very capable hands.
I loved the time I spent with you guys, and I look forward to working with you on future opportunities!
All the best,
Krisserin
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. When you are traveling with friends or family, the photos taken are usually some of your most valuable keepsakes. So why not learn a few tips that can help you take better photos while on vacation? Here are some tips that should help you on your photographic endeavors!
1. Incorporate the background
When you are traveling there will definitely be places with great photo opportunities at iconic places (think Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, Walt Disney Concert Hall, etc.). So when you are taking a photo of a friend or family members, make sure to incorporate the background in your shot. You want to try and aim for a good combination of both the background as well as the person. Look for example of this in the image above that my girlfriend took of me while traveling in Rome, near the Spanish steps.
2. Use the Rule of Thirds
My cousin Holly at the LACMA in Los Angeles. Notice how her face is at the intersection point at the top left corner.
There is a general photographic composition rule called “The Rule of Thirds” in which you take images that are aligned to a grid split into thirds. Although you do not always have to follow this compositional rule, it is definitely something that can help when working on improving your shot. Therefore if you are taking photos from far away, try your best not to center your subjects in the middle of the frame. It often makes the images look very dull and boring.
3. Have fun!
My friend Melody at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, in front of a huge photo of one of Picasso’s sculptures.
The worst thing you can see when looking at friend/family photos is a candid, unflattering shot of the group. So make sure when you are taking photos to get your friends and family to show off thier personality. Try out some classic “jumping photos” and definitely make sure everyone is smiling. Experiment with different props that you may have, and encourage everybody to be as silly or wacky as they want.
4. Don’t use the flash at night if possible
My friend John at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Notice how I didn’t use flash which allowed the background lights to show up quite nicely.
I am sure you guys have all seen it before. Those hideous, unflattering images when a flash is used which shows all of one’s facial imperfections. If you are taking your travel photos at night, try to take images without flash if possible. Not only do you get more ambient light from the background, but the images often look much more pleasing. However when taking photos during the night without flash, you will often need to stabilize your camera either by propping your elbows against a flat surface or using a tripod.
5. Fill the frame
Filling the frame--quite literally.
There are going to be times when you won’t necessarily want to get a picture of your friends or family with the background. During these times, try your best to fill the frame! Try to get all of your friends and family to squeeze in together and get really close to them when taking the image. Try to get only the people in the image and nothing else.
That’s it! Hope that you guys find these 5 tips helpful when taking photos for your friends or family when on vacation!
Feel free to share this list with anybody you may know! Also for more tips, check out my blog at http://erickimphotography.com/blog, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter at @ericjohnkim
1. Incorporate the background
When you are traveling there will definitely be places with great photo opportunities at iconic places (think Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, Walt Disney Concert Hall, etc.). So when you are taking a photo of a friend or family members, make sure to incorporate the background in your shot. You want to try and aim for a good combination of both the background as well as the person. Look for example of this in the image above that my girlfriend took of me while traveling in Rome, near the Spanish steps.
2. Use the Rule of Thirds
My cousin Holly at the LACMA in Los Angeles. Notice how her face is at the intersection point at the top left corner.
There is a general photographic composition rule called “The Rule of Thirds” in which you take images that are aligned to a grid split into thirds. Although you do not always have to follow this compositional rule, it is definitely something that can help when working on improving your shot. Therefore if you are taking photos from far away, try your best not to center your subjects in the middle of the frame. It often makes the images look very dull and boring.
3. Have fun!
My friend Melody at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, in front of a huge photo of one of Picasso’s sculptures.
The worst thing you can see when looking at friend/family photos is a candid, unflattering shot of the group. So make sure when you are taking photos to get your friends and family to show off thier personality. Try out some classic “jumping photos” and definitely make sure everyone is smiling. Experiment with different props that you may have, and encourage everybody to be as silly or wacky as they want.
4. Don’t use the flash at night if possible
My friend John at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Notice how I didn’t use flash which allowed the background lights to show up quite nicely.
I am sure you guys have all seen it before. Those hideous, unflattering images when a flash is used which shows all of one’s facial imperfections. If you are taking your travel photos at night, try to take images without flash if possible. Not only do you get more ambient light from the background, but the images often look much more pleasing. However when taking photos during the night without flash, you will often need to stabilize your camera either by propping your elbows against a flat surface or using a tripod.
5. Fill the frame
Filling the frame--quite literally.
There are going to be times when you won’t necessarily want to get a picture of your friends or family with the background. During these times, try your best to fill the frame! Try to get all of your friends and family to squeeze in together and get really close to them when taking the image. Try to get only the people in the image and nothing else.
That’s it! Hope that you guys find these 5 tips helpful when taking photos for your friends or family when on vacation!
Feel free to share this list with anybody you may know! Also for more tips, check out my blog at http://erickimphotography.com/blog, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter at @ericjohnkim
Check out the Demand Studios Facebook page dedicated to our travel writers. It's a great place to learn about new writing opportunities and get to know fellow travel writers.
If you haven't been, it's worth the trip!
Earlier this week we featured some beautiful pictures by photographer Eric Kim. We asked him if he had any tips or tricks for capturing those beautiful explosions in the sky that we could share with you. Here are his tips for capturing fireworks on film:
If you have a point and shoot:
- Use the "fireworks" setting in your camera if you have it to get sharp photos of fireworks.
- If not, try to lower your exposure by -1 or -2, while raising your ISO to 800 or above for a faster shutter speed.
- Try using a tripod to have steadier shots. If your camera is on a tripod, you can get cool light-trails by lowering your shutter speed which is achieved by lowering the ISO to about 100-200.
Tyra Banks & Demand Studios: Beautiful Inside & Out
Posted by Kaitlyn | June 30, 2010 | Comments (29)
Click here to read the full press release.
In the coming months we will work with Tyra to build an exciting new online brand dedicated to beauty and fashion. Expanding on her philosophy of ‘Beauty Inside & Out’ we aim to create quality content and build a positive and engaging digital experience for women of all ages.
With an expected launch date sometime in the fall, our editors will be on the lookout for writers with interest and expertise in these areas. Keep your bio up to date and showcase your talents by taking advantage of the fashion and beauty titles already in our system.
Again, we are so excited to be able to provide our community with this opportunity. We appreciate all your enthusiasm and can’t wait for this to get underway!
Wednesday is just around the corner! Hope everyone had a good Tuesday.
