Cliche images are annoying till someone decides to make fun of them. So, Internet jokesters from the Facebook page Thunder Dungeon undertook to recreate some of the typical Instagram and Facebook photos that seem to trend among women. The result is hilarious. Here are our favorites and there are more on Facebook.
Photo Retouching Moves Mainstream, Full-Speed
Photo retouching has always been a subject of controversy. When Photoshop arrived 25 years ago, the photography community was up in arms as it was affecting photographic truth, according to David Hlynsky, a University of Toronto professor in Photoshop and digital media.
Leaving aside the point that photography is more of a point of view than the truth, the question is whether photo retouching is any more dishonest than wearing makeup.
Now photo retouching is moving mainstream – there is no doubt about it. According to a research conducted by Glamour magazine, nearly 60 percent of respondents feel it’s OK for a woman to tweak her personal pictures, and 23 percent of women ages 25 to 29 do it; that number climbs to 41 percent among those ages 18 to 24. “Several years ago, retouching personal photos would have seemed strange, even vain,” says Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., a Cincinnati psychologist and coauthor of The Life You Want.“This survey shows it’s common and women are fine with it.”
“[Retouching] is the nature of the digital age, we edit because we can,” says Professor Hlynsky. “Technology will process our image whether we like it or not.”
Why do we do it? Your photo makes a big difference in how people perceive you, so you want to put your best foot forward. Photo editing can help a picture appear to be more professional, and can express one’s personality better. That is if it’s done right.
SOURCES:
Retouching: How Much Is Too Much? – Glamour
Personal Photo Retouching: Millennials Going To Great Lengths For Perfect Pictures Online – Huffington Post
How Big Can I Print My Photo?
How big can I print my photos is a very common question. Even professional photographers happen to struggle with this topic.
To avoid any further confusion that we could inflict by technical calculations we put together the following practical matrix showing how many megapixels (M) you should set your camera to if you want to have your photo printed in one of the standard sizes. If your camera settings show width-to-height dimensions in pixels, the additional table below will come handy.
Note: The calculations are based on the printing standards requiring the resolution of 300 pixels per square inch (a.k.a. 300dpi). (A pixel is the smallest measurement of the picture size. 1 Megapixel = 1 Million Pixels.)
Can I stretch out an image for a bigger print?
Yes, you can, but the resolution will diminish resulting in a blurrier print. Let’s say you want your photo twice bigger. Then by stretching it out you impair the resolution to 150 pixels per square inch. You can still print your photo but you might not be happy with the result, especially if the image was not high quality to start with.
Can an image be enlarged for a bigger print?
Yes, PhotoHand provides this service – it is included in the price of Photo Retouching. The end result may be not as sharp as you want it to be, depending on the quality of the original shot.
Any defect in the original picture resulting from a bad focus, low quality lens, dim lighting, too much flash, camera shaking will only be magnified and might not be subject to effective correction. Keep in mind that even with the ideal shot, it’s not recommended to lower the resolution to less than 200 dpi.
How Do I Know How Many Megapixels There Are in My Images Once It Is Saved on My Computer?
The number of Kilobytes (KB) or Megabytes (MB) in your computer file roughly corresponds to the number of pixels and megapixels. For example, 2MB photo file will have about 2M (Megapixels) and is good to be printed as 6″x4″.
You don’t need Photoshop or any other editing software to check. Just find the icon for the file on your computer and do the following:
For Mac:
1. CTRL + click on the file (right click)
2. Select “Get Info” from the menu
3. Under “General” check the size of the file
For PC:
1. Point the cursor to the icon of the file and do the right click
2. Select “Properties” in the opened window
3. The “General” tab in the opened window shows the “Size” of the file in Kilobytes (KB) or Megabytes (MB).
If you click on the “Details” tab you’ll see the file dimensions in pixels and the resolution it is formatted in.
In the illustration below:
Example 1 – The file is formatted in the resolution 72dpi (72 pixels per square inch) that is the standard resolution for the web but too small for print. If we change the resolution to 300, we will need to make the size smaller for density of pixels to be correct, otherwise the stretched out pixels will make the picture fuzzy and pixelated.
Example 2 – The photo is perfectly formatted to be printed as 5″x7″. The resolution is sharp – 300dpi and the height and width of pixels is enough (see the matrix above).
Example 3 – The file is setup in the low resolution of 72dpi but the the height and width of pixels are sufficient to re-format the file in 300 dpi and print it 8″x10″ without losing in quality.
Cropping Photos to Match Printing Standards
Cropping is used to make your shots fit the standard photo paper sizes. It’s done by bringing the aspect ratio of your photo to the aspect ratio of a standard print size.
An aspect ratio is simply the ratio between the width and height — the shape of an image. A square photo, for example, would have a 1:1 aspect ratio where the width is the same as the height.
Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a set frame aspect ratio of 1:1.33 (known as 4:3) when most DSLRs use the aspect ratio of 1:1.5 (known as 3:2).
In comparison, standard photo paper sizes have the following aspect ratios:
6″x4″ – 1:1.5
7″x5″ – 1:1.4
10″x8″ – 1:1.25
As you can see the DSLR aspect ratio fits the format of 6″x4″. In other situations you need to crop your photo.
It is recommended that you crop the photos yourself before sending them to a printer. Otherwise they will use their own judgment what parts of the photo can be sacrificed.
If you need a photo editor, we recommend using GIMP – free open-source software that has been around for quite a while:
for Windows: http://www.gimp.org/downloads
for Mac: http://www.gimp.org/macintosh
Or, PhotoHand can do this for you. We also enlarge photos if needed.
Photoshoot for Your Fido
I’ve been recently trying to create a photo book starring my new puppy and myself as a gift for my mom’s upcoming birthday. Having PhotoHand Books as a design company behind this project should have made it easy but I got stuck at step one – taking pictures of my beloved mongrel.
I have a lot of nice pictures of him sleeping but taking action pictures proved to be a difficult task. As I was falling behind my personal production schedule it suddenly hit me – I should have checked with the ultimate pro – Cesar Milan, the Dr. Spock of the canine world. And, of course, CesarWay.com had a list of simple common sense directions on how to take good pictures of dogs.
In a nutshell:
1. Dogs sense energy. Be positive.
2. If s/he won’t sit and stay, focus on what s/he DOES want to do.
3. Shoot lots of photos and sift through them later.
4. Use props – treats, toys, squeakers, balloons.
5. Late afternoon or overcast weather will give you the best lighting.
6. It’s about them – focus on their favorite places, habits, toys…
7. Lower the camera to your dog’s level.
These dog photography tips are based on the advice from Cesar Milan’s friend, photographer Seth Casteel who became famous after his photos of dogs swimming underwater went viral.
Boudoir Photography Trend Is Spreading to Orthodox Communities
“I don’t care what religion you are — if you don’t keep your husband excited, someone else will,” says a boudoir photography customer who is a member of a Jewish Orthodox community in Brooklyn, NY.
The recent article in NY Post shows that the trend among brides, wives, moms and grannies to pose for sexy photos is spreading to communities with restricted life style. the photographer interviewed for the article claims that boudoir bookings for the Hasidic community in Flatbush, Brooklyn, now account for 35 percent of her overall business — she currently juggles around 40 such shoots a year. Her packages, which cost around $1,000, appeal to women between their 20s and their 50s, mostly married, but some single.
The boudoir photography trend started long ago. Instead of whining about how unfair it is to picture sexy flawless model in glossy magazines, women of all ages are determined to show that they’ve got it too, but only show it to their partners and probably to some trusted female friends. Boudoir photo books (a popular gift on Valentine’s day) are usually locked away.
With the help of a skilled photographer and magazine quality photo editing now available to consumers, she will shine in her natural beauty.
The Secret of Taking Great Photos of Your Kids – No More Cheese
Candid photos are the best. Formal settings and posed shots are the things of the past. They were a must in the early years of photography when people had to remain frozen in front of the camera for extended periods of time due to long exposure necessary for making a decent shot.
Kids were notoriously difficult to photograph (they still are) as they have trouble staying still and frankly don’t feel the need to suffer for the sake of preserving images of themselves. This is why there are some weird vintage pictures where the controlling mother is disguised as a chair.
How about digital photography? Is there a need for strenuous posing in our day and time?
Modern cameras are fast at capturing images in action. There is no need for prolonged posing. Though family photographer still like to create arty images and can be good at making children pose for them.
If you want to replicate such achievements, you are guaranteed to fail.
Where you can beat a professional photographer is candid shots. Children feel more relaxed without pressure of a timed photo shoot and their true personalities shine.
Engage your kids in their favorite activities and keep your camera ready. You’ll get much more interesting shots than the cheesy smiles into the camera.