My Grandparents chose to love each other when they met as teenagers, and then, they chose to love each other every part of every day, through the Great Depression, through absence during war, child rearing, work, illnesses... Life. Finding TRUE love? They met... And That was it. Again, the true love part was a daily choice whether either was as attractive or as exciting as the day they met. True love depends on each person, not just the one you find or the one that finds you. In other words, Love is a Choice, because we are not 110% lovable 24 hours a day. True love is when each person sees that real life is not like a romance movie script True love is accepting the fact of real life, which brings creative challenges that, with the choice to love, can increase attraction. Popular novels, songs, shows, movies... Each have scripts that are no doubt, inspired. The talented people that write and act, the hundreds or thousands of people that are the list of credits at the end of a movie - from the accountants to the doctors to the musicians and screenwriters - They work on projects that, as finished masterpieces, may often have coincidental similarities to your definition of romance and the most often undefined and over-used phrase... "true love" Again, the credits behind movies, books, shows and songs... include a lot of people. Why, because such productions are intentionally crafted to touch our deepest self. So, they are edited for perfection, music and effects and colors <b>...</b>

The world is celebrating color in full spectrum, not just in the environment but also in the computer. In the 60's, people are happy to see their photographs in black and white copies and it extended for quite some time until technology can already reproduce and provide people with colored digital photography.

Why still use black and white? If you have watched the controversial movie "Schindler's List" (1993) by Steven Spielberg, it has been presented in the screens in black and white color. Critics were expressing dissatisfaction, and to some degree, one could think it is such a waste denying the audience of more than 1 million colors reduced to nothing but grayscale monochromatic theme.

Nowadays, black and white photography is directly proportional to vanity, because everyone desires colored output. In case of "Schindler's List," it was released on purpose as black and white, to give way to a dramatic impact for the setting of 1945 Nazi occupation. The effect of black and white reel, has added spice to the thematic goal of the director. The essence of using black and white is important for character shots.

The world is ironic and ridiculous at times, but we cannot simply take away black and white especially in the era of digital photography. We know all Graphic Arts editing applications, scanners, digital cameras, and other photography gadgets have grayscale options.

To start with your own black and white digital photography shots, you will not need extra effort and complications other than shooting as is. Take the shot in color then you can switch the setting of the digital image in an editor, using array of choices. If you are using Photoshop or Fireworks, you can change the whole image into black and white by editing "Hue and Saturation" or simply switching it to "grayscale" format.

Old photographs from developed films can be converted into digital images by scanning them. If you want a black and white portrait out of it, set your scanner into grayscale. The result is black and white photo.

Setting your digital camera into "evening shot" mode automatically converts the image as monochromatic. You can remove saturation to convert it to black and white. Digital camera works efficiently with a computer. You can do everything about it in full control—-that is if you are adept with the manipulation of the technical side of it. It will be quite expensive but worth the effort.

Technology is getting better and better, if you choose conventional effects, as long as you have the 360-degree options to enhance possibilities, then black and white digital photography is very simple to produce.

Low Jeremy

This short video was shot by Anna McAnuff. Its a simple three minute clip from a photo session in Nottingham. To see the resulting pictures, visit the website: www.davidlawrencephotography.co.uk and look in the "portraiture" section, or follow "links" to other locations. This video was shot for David Lawrence Photography and is subject to copyright.

Most people, and especially women, will tell you they have a "good" side.

Simple cosmetic lighting relies on alterations to the angles of illumination, described in "the basic principles of lighting", and " available light portraiture", to flatter the subject and make use of their "good side".

I have aimed to keep this article simple, and avoid reference to techniques that require more specialized lighting equipment.

Overview

How many times have you heard someone say "that's a terrible photograph of me", or even said it yourself?

The point of cosmetic light is avoid unflattering lighting and viewpoints.

Modelling and texture is a consequence of lighting. Moving the angle of illumination closer to the subject/camera axis generally flattens modelling and reduces texture, while increasing the angle increases both.

Similarly, more directional (intense) lighting produces harder shadows, while less directional (soft) lighting diminishes them.

The following tips describe how to deal with common problems by making simple changes. Experimentation is required to achieve the best results.

Making faces wider or narrower

Very few people have perfectly symmetrical faces. For example, one side may be slightly wider or flatter than the other. If the subject is illuminated so that the main light falls on the side that is wider, and the other side is kept in shadow, the viewer's imagination will lead them to think that the shaded side is equal to the lit side. The overall impression will be that the face is wider than it really is. Conversely, if the narrower side of the face is illuminated, the viewer will think that the face is narrower than it really is.

This illusion can be varied by changing the angle of lighting, and the maximum effect comes from very dark shadows, since this leaves more to the viewer's imagination.

Altering eye sockets

If the subject has deep eye sockets, lowering the main light will provide more illumination, and make the eye sockets appear shallower.

Conversely, shallow eye sockets, or bulging eyes can be altered by raising the main light source, and moving it further away from the subject/camera axis (i.e. more to the side). This needs to be done in conjunction with making the fill-in light a little brighter, and the overall effect will be a flattening of the planes of the face.

Large noses

Large noses can be de-emphasized by moving the main light source closer to the subject/camera axis. This will cast a nose shadow on the upper lip, rather than the cheek, so making the nose look less large.

Attractive hair or baldness

Hair can be emphasized by raising the main light and the camera view point. The subject will need to be repositioned slightly, so that they look up to the camera. With a bald subject, this is will have the opposite effect and further emphasize their baldness.

Chins

If the subject has a weak chin, get them to tilt their head back a little, which will make their chin stick out. If they have a strong jaw, have the subject tilt their head forward reduce its prominence.

Soft focus

Soft focus reduces and skin blemishes. Soft focus can be achieved by using the largest lens aperture possible (however the effect will largely be determined by the capabilities of your camera lens). Briefly, larger apertures have a smaller depth of focus, so any feature beyond the focal point will be very slightly blurred. You should always focus on the eyes, but this becomes doubly important when employing any form of soft focus.

Portraits by John Burton

John Burton

State of the Art Images Photography by Jim Brammer Los Angeles photographer Jim Brammer is an award winning photographic artist and owner of State of the Art Images (www.stateoftheartimages.com), a fine art, portraiture and commercial photography studio located near Los Angeles in Tarzana, California. Recently awarded 2009 Small Business of the Year by the Woodland Hills - Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, and the 2009 Readers Choice Award from the Daily News, Jim is also President of Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County (PPLAC) and a member of numerous professional photography organizations. Jim and his wife, Marcia, take great pride in creating a unique experience for each client, starting with a personally-designed photo session that produces a custom portfolio of images and services that will excite, delight and inspire for years to come. Giving Back Jim and Marcia believe strongly in giving back to the community. They are active members of the City of Hope Board of Governors and Jim is a speaker on the City of Hope Speakers Bureau. In addition to being an Honorary Trustee with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Charities, Jim sits on the Board of Directors and is the official photographer for the Valley Cultural Center in Woodland Hills, California. Jim is the official photographer for the Woodland Hills - Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, where he is an Ambassador and participates on the Marketing and PR Committee and he also donates his time and <b>...</b>

Are you a photographer? Do you have the patience of a saint and enjoy children? Then starting a children's portrait photography business may be the right career move for you. Being a photographer is a great career choice. It also happens to be the most profitable and competitive business endeavors out there. The great things about photography whether you are starting a children's portrait photography business or just like photography as a hobby is that pictures transcend cultural, language, and personal barriers like no other art medium. If you are interested in staring your own photography business please consider the following points below.

If you are interested in doing photography professionally you want to first choose which type of photography you want to start your career with. There are several different types which include fashion, child, sports, high fashion, outdoor, wedding, and studio. All of these choices allow you, as a photographer, to use your skills each and every day. There is a huge market in all these fields, so there is no need to base your decision on what will make you the most money. There is just as much opportunity for profit in high fashion as in starting a children's portrait photography business.

You will also need a good bit of equipment. As a novice photographer you might have quite the collection of gear but be prepare to spend even more money on on studio equipment. Make sure you buy the necessary items for the particular type of photography you will be doing. In addition if you are starting a children's portrait photography business then you might want to consider having a ton of toys and snacks available for your young clients as well as fun outfits.

It is extremely important to market and advertise your photography services. Make sure you have professional looking business cards, letterhead, and business information packets. Make sure you take out advertisements in the local and regional newspapers and magazines. You might also want to consider taking some free photographs just to get people interested and acquainted with your new business. If you are going to be starting a children's portrait photography businesses then you might want to consider making arrangements with local schools or the boys clubs to do some freebies for community groups.

Regardless of your choice of career within photography it can be a very rewarding choice. It will give you the ability to meet a number of unusual and interesting people. It will expand your knowledge of the world, the understanding of your fellow humans, and of yourself. Live your dream today, make a great income, love what you do – start your own photography business!

Dustin Cannon