Many people consider their wedding day one of if not the most important day of their life and as such hire a professional wedding photographer for this special occasion. This article however is for the guests at weddings (Royal wedding or otherwise) who may want to remember this occasion by looking at photos, and giving some of their shots as gifts to the married couple. If you are a guest or relative wanting to capture a happy couple’s special day in a unique way then here are some tips and tricks.

1. Plan and Prep: Planning and preparing yourself before the wedding can help you perform better on the day.

(2 months before)

• Ask the bride if she wouldn’t mind you photographing her wedding.
• Does she have a professional photographer? if yes, you need to make sure not to interfere.
• Show her a list of potential shots and ask her which she would allow you to take.

(1 week or so before the wedding)

• Ask for an itenary of the days events.
• Find out if you can take photos at the location and if you can use flash.
• Check that your camera and equipment is in good working order.  

(On the day)

• Make sure you have: extra film, extra batteries, extra camera(s), a helping hand, a tripod,  a watch, directions and the schedule.
• Have a list of potential shots handy to make sure you don’t miss any.
• Arrive early to photograph things like the empty venue or the flowers arriving etc.

 2. Divide and Conquer: There are more shots to take than one person can usually manage alone.  Sharing the task means you can relax a little and will be more likely to capture every moment.

• A friend can take notes, hold stuff like extra cameras, shoot along side you or from another vantage point, and help find and organize group shots for you.
• If you don’t have a friend with you, buy disposable cameras to place on reception tables for guests to take photos then collect them at the end of the day.
• Write down e-mail addresses of people also taking photos to swap pictures. 

3. Placement and Direction: Most times as long as you’re giving clear and polite instructions people will happily ablige.

• Anticipate spots where things will happen and position yourself before a crowd forms.
• If necessary call out specific people and give specific instructions (something like a crooked tie or piece of spinach in the brides teeth can and will steal the show in a group shot)
• For formal shots make sure you let them know when you’re about to snap the shot.
• Move around.  Later you will be glad you took several similar shots but from slightly different angles.

4. The Perfect Shots: Perfect shots are the ones that look both beautiful and natural.  They capture key moments in the day like the couple’s vows or first dance.  Consider all the elements to increase your chances of taking lots of these.

• If you think you’ve missed something important like the perfect shot of the cake cutting, you could ask the couple if they’ll do it again.
• If you know the guests and families personally, you will have a special advantage as a photographer.  Try and capture people in their natural looks, if they are goofy and outgoing make sure to get those pictures of them dancing! 
• Take lots of pictures or use bursts.  This will give you several photos of the same thing taken fractions of a second apart.  This could be the difference between a blinking bride and the perfect shot.

 5. The Special and Artistic Extras:  After the perfect shots come the special extra shots that capture the feel of the day without being completely necessary.  These include artistic shots and fun candid shots.  Some of the most beautiful pictures from weddings are of things, places, and people who have some sentimental significance to the couple.  Everything from the flowers to the vicar should be thought of as potential material.

• Think about the bride and groom and consider setting up shots that show off their personalities.
• Keep an eye out for cute children and good lighting as both usually perform well in wedding photography.
• Consider the opposite shot to the obvious shots (if you shoot a photo of the bride and groom from behind the vicar, consider having your friend shoot one from the organ loft). 

Here a few examples for shots that will help.  Create your own list depending on the type of wedding you’re photographing and of course how close you are to the couple.

Shots before the Ceremony

• Wedding gown lying over a chair or hanging on a door
• A close up of the bride’s shoes peeking out from under the dress
• Bridesmaids shoes in a row
• Grooms men dressed and posing

At the ceremony:

• Guests walking into the venue
• Groom seeing bride for first time
• Close up of  couples hands
• Guests throwing confetti/rose petals/birdseed

During the Reception

• Outside the reception venue
• Arrival of the Bride & Groom
• Table centrepieces
• Musicians or DJ

Have fun photographing at your next wedding! View some great examples of wedding photobooks at the KoodibooK Library

When talking about getting the right colours in your photos the best place to start is to talk about White Balance. If you don’t know what white balance is, how to adjust it on your camera or why you would want to in the first place, have no fear, we’re here to help.

Adjusting the white balance in photos can actually make a huge difference in the visual experience of looking at the photo. The correct white balance in a photo means that what you saw with your naked eye matches what is represented in the photo.

You may ask why the camera doesn’t automatically capture the same colours that you see? After all, you are looking at the same thing your camera is looking at right? Wrong!

The human eye actually processes then adjusts the colours you see to take into account the type of light and conditions under which it is working. While some cameras have an auto feature that makes a guess as to the type of light, these cameras are yet to replicate the level of adjustment to light that the human eye is capable of. This simply means, different light sources produce different “colours” or “temperatures” of light. This is due to the different ways or extents to which they bend or make light (a lesson for another day perhaps!). What you need to know is how to correct some of the most frequently used types of light.

Thinking of the light as temperature may help you understand how to adjust the white balance. Like a room, if the photo is “cooler” (everything seems to have tints of blues, greens, or grays) then you are going to need to “heat up” the photo by adjusting the settings to warmer. The opposite is true if the photo is “warmer” (everything seems to have a tint of reds, pinks, oranges, or yellows).

Here are some of the basic types of light you may encounter. Most cameras have some or all of these settings. It may be worth checking your camera’s manual to find out more.

Tungsten- These are lights and lamps that use bulbs or incandescent light. If you’ve ever looked extra pink or maybe even orange in a photo, you probably took them with a few lamps on or next to bulb lights. The tungsten setting on your camera is usually identified with a light bulb. Using this will cool down this “warm” lighting.

Fluorescent- Fluorescent lights are lights that use the chemical fluorine or other similar chemicals to produce a light. Fluorescent lights are what are usually used in industrial buildings such as schools or offices. The Fluorescent setting on your camera is usually identified with a rectangular light source with rays coming off the top and bottom. Much like the lights sometimes used in changing rooms fluorescent lights can make your skin appear gray, green or bluish. Using the Fluorescent setting will warm up this “cool” lighting.

Daylight/Sunny- Daylight is not always a setting on every camera but if you have it the conditions can best be described as your normal setting. It is self-explanatory so we won’t waste time telling you anything other than, if you’re an adamant auto-setting user and find yourself standing in nice pleasant midday sun, give it a try. It’s always good to try it and see the difference between the two.

Cloudy- Cloudy settings are usually cooler. The setting for cloudy days is very similar to the setting for fluorescent lights except cloudy days can require even more “warming up” than fluorescent lights.

Flash-The Flash setting for white balance is symbolized by a bolt of lightening. It takes the cooler temperature of the burst of flash from your camera or an attached flash and warms it up. The flash setting warms up a cool situation and is somewhere between the daylight cool and the cooler cloudy day situation.

Shade-the shade setting for white balance is symbolized by a house with diagonal lines from the side to the ground next to it. This setting is typically the coolest of the setting and provides the most warming up of all the normal settings.

Manual Adjustments:

Most cameras have preset white balance controls that will do the trick of making your whites whiter but if you have a super fancy camera such as a DSLR or high end point and shoot you may have a manual adjustment for making your whites precisely white. Simply take a photo then select which part of the photo is supposed to be true white then the camera will make an adjustment. If you are shooting something like a wedding and want to make sure the whites look their whitest you can spend a little cash on some white (or grey) cards that you can photograph to make sure you’re actually photographing something that is true white. A cheaper option is to photograph a piece of white computer paper.

Exceptions to the rules: Sometimes you may not want your whites to be exactly as you saw them. There is no rule that says you cannot use any of the settings for a different condition than it was intended. Using the opposite settings as recommended can intensify the colours making whites redder or bluer depending on which way you take them. Feel free to try it out!

Websites with some good tables for the icons and temperature differences can be found  here.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally. Create a photo book today!

One of the most well known rules of photography is The Rule of Thirds. This rule is used in all forms of art to explain how to create a visually pleasing image.  The rule of thirds was around in art before photography even existed. This technique can be traced as far back as 1797 and some believe it goes back even further.  It was believed that for a composition to seem more pleasing and interesting, an imaginary grid of nine equal parts should be drawn and the most important information should be placed in the outer thirds and along the four intersections. This is illustrated below.

Do

Place  the main point of interest and other important elements near the intersections of vertical and horizontal lines at 1/3 points of the frame.

Don’t

A simpler explanation of the rule of thirds is, “Don’t put your most important information right in the middle of the shot.”

Try and avoid “floating”parts of your image or not anchoring some point of the information to one of the lines in the frame.  Avoid putting visual information in the 5th square (dead centre).

Questions to ask when thinking about the rule of thirds:

• What are the most important areas of visual information in my shot?
• Where am I going to put those?

The Rule of Thirds: Take it? Or Leave it?

Like most rules, breaking the rule of thirds can be just as satisfactory or interesting as upholding it.  It is best to play around and experiment to find a shot that best suits what you’re aiming to do with the photo and your particular subject matter. Remember, the rule of thirds became a rule because people agreed it just looked good.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible when you create a photo book.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally. Create a photo book here!

Designing the cover of your photo book can be a fun or frustrating task. After putting so much effort into the photos, the cover can make or break your photo book.  We all aim to choose a title that describes what the book is about as well as conveys the sentiment and tone of the photo book as a whole. Many photographers put a lot of effort into picking a title as creative and clever as their photographs. If you’re looking to jazz up the cover of your photo book then here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Barcelona 2010

1. A picture is worth a thousand words? Indeed! But not when it leaves the viewer clueless. Choose a great cover photo which summarises your photobook but also consider including a catchy caption to add something to the photo that is not apparent rather than letting only the picture do the talking. A good tip is to try and answer at least two of these four questions in your cover:

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

2. Keep it simple:  Do not cram too much information on your cover. Your cover picture should not be too busy and your caption should be ideally no more than 6 words. Keeping a title short means that people are more likely to read it and view your photobook.

3. Choosing your cover picture: When you choose a cover picture you not only want to make sure that it shows off the skill and beauty of the photos inside but that it accurately explains something about what the whole photo book is about. Doing this can make the job of thinking up a title even easier.  The image shouldn’t just be a good picture it should demonstrate the quality and subject of the contents of your photo book.

4. Make a statement with your cover: The image on your cover has the power of drawing people to the photobook whether it is a coffee table book or a photobook published on KoodibooK.com. Colours generally draw people. Close up pictures also make great cover pictures.  To make a truly outstanding cover, be creative with the colours, borders and frames.

5. Creative captions: Journalists usually reel readers in through their misleading captions. This is not to say you should do the same but a witty, fun and creative twist to your title that describes the content of your photobook will make your photo book look even more interesting. That said, do not complicate things! While the mystery of cryptic titles can be fun for those who understand it, they are most appreciated only in private books. A good tip is to use a lyric of a song or a famous saying as your caption.

There you are! 5 attention grabbing photo book tips to consider when creating your next photo book.

At KoodibooK we are passionate about photography. We provide an easy and quick way to organise photos into high quality photo books at great value.

Photo book

Ever wondered why professional photographers seem to have a way of creating great collections of photos ranging from wedding photo albums to landscapes?  If you’re asking yourself how they do it then here are 10 useful tips that can bring your own photo book a little closer to that professional quality without having to pay the professionals.

Top 10 tips to create a photobook like a pro

1. Snap away - Invest in a larger memory card to enable you to snap away without worrying about filling up the card.  Don’t hold back on those shots and you will end up with amazing photos for your photobook.
2. Take a variety of shots - Variety will indeed add spice to your photobook.  Stand, tilt and crouch when taking photos to yield photos with very different feels. A variety of perspectives and angles can add a much needed touch of artistic flair to your photobook.
3. Think of a theme - Don’t be afraid to get creative. It might be fun to consider photographing everyone’s shoes at a wedding to make a funky end page in your book. Perhaps you can photograph the same thing over time (like the first few months of a baby’s life) resulting in a photobook that sends the viewer through an experience step by step.
4. Tell a story – If you have chosen a person as your primary subject then show many sides of that person by capturing different moments such as casual, formal, close details and even different moods. Take a surprise picture if you have to! Sometimes these crazy shots don’t work but on the off chance that they do they’ll be the ones that set your photo book apart from the rest.
5. Edit, crop and tweak - Many great photos are made even better by editing out unnecessary detail or interference. This may mean that you may end up with smaller photos but don’t fret! Smaller pieces of photos can make for great collages or compilations in a photobook.
6. Be Selective - The most ‘photo book-changing’ secret we can give you is to use only good photos. This does not mean only the ones you look good in. You may look great in a shot but if everyone you are with has their eyes closed then it may not be such a great photo after all.
7. Focus on consistency and order - Choose a uniformed way of labelling (If you are going to say “Grandpa George” then consider saying “Aunt Sally” instead of just “Sally”; are you going to include full names or use Nick-names?). Remember, having one photo out of sequence can be the kind of detail that makes your photobook seem amateur.
8. Seek other opinions-It helps to gain another perspective on things; be it from friends or family. Why not publish on our website, share on facebook, your personal blog or twitter to get useful comments about your book.
9. Gain inspiration- View photobooks published by other users on Koodibook.com (No this is not permission to copy!). This will provide some inspirational ideas for your own book.
10. Create an eye-catching front cover-In this instance we will judge a book by its cover as first impressions are indeed important with photobooks. Put considerable effort into making your front cover as eye-catching as possible.

Now that you are a photobook pro, you can start exploring by downloading the free Koodibook software and perhaps even print some of your collections.  If you are feeling particularly creative then enter your ‘masterpiece’ into one of our occasional competitions.

KoodibooK is about sharing your memories and making inspiring designs while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are and use them to create photobooks that can be published anywhere.