All Gift Experience Vouchers From Firefly

Firefly Photography boasts a team of highly creative and imaginative individuals, each with their own area of expertise. We have a variety of skilled stylists, consultants, photographers and digital artists who try their very best to make your experience at Firefly Photography enjoyable, comfortable and one you will never forget.

One of our latest offers is an ‘All gift experience voucher’. This voucher is worth £30.00 and you can use this in the newborn, family, makeover, boudoir and pets studios, as well as receiving a complimentary 8” framed print, worth £95.00. For more information about our offer please visit us online at: http://www.fireflyphotography.co.uk/offers/

Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures

Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience. Keep reading for some important picture-taking tips. Then grab your camera and start shooting your way to great pictures. 1.  Look your subject in the eye 2.  Use a plain background 3.  Use flash outdoors 4.  Move in close 5.  Move it from the middle 6.  Lock the focus 7.  Know your flash's range 8.  Watch the light 9.  Take some vertical pictures 10.  Be a picture director

1

Look your subject in the eye

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person's eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

Too high Better

2

Use a plain background

A plain background shows off the subject you are photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, force yourself to study the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no poles grow from the head of your favorite niece and that no cars seem to dangle from her ears. Try it yourself Improving the background is easier than you think. Try it yourself with our online cameras. (Flash, 838 K)

Distracting background Better

3

Use flash outdoors

Bright sun can create unattractive deep facial shadows. Eliminate the shadows by using your flash to lighten the face. When taking people pictures on sunny days, turn your flash on. You may have a choice of fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. If the person is within five feet, use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, the full-power mode may be required. With a digital camera, use the picture display panel to review the results. On cloudy days, use the camera's fill-flash mode if it has one. The flash will brighten up people's faces and make them stand out. Also take a picture without the flash, because the soft light of overcast days sometimes gives quite pleasing results by itself.

Subject is dark After

4

Move in close

If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal telling details, like a sprinkle of freckles or an arched eyebrow. But don't get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about three feet, or about one step away from your camera. If you get closer than the closest focusing distance of your camera (see your manual to be sure), your pictures will be blurry.

Good Better

5

Move it from the middle

Center-stage is a great place for a performer to be. However, the middle of your picture is not the best place for your subject. Bring your picture to life by simply moving your subject away from the middle of your picture. Start by playing tick-tack-toe with subject position. Imagine a tick-tack-toe grid in your viewfinder. Now place your important subject at one of the intersections of lines. You'll need to lock the focus if you have an auto-focus camera because most of them focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder. Try it yourself Position the subject off-center to make a good picture great! Try it yourself with our online camera. (Flash, 838K)

Boring Better

6

Lock the focus

If your subject is not in the center of the picture, you need to lock the focus to create a sharp picture. Most auto-focus cameras focus on whatever is in the center of the picture. But to improve pictures, you will often want to move the subject away from the center of the picture. If you don't want a blurred picture, you'll need to first lock the focus with the subject in the middle and then recompose the picture so the subject is away from the middle. Usually you can lock the focus in three steps. First, center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down. Second, reposition your camera (while still holding the shutter button) so the subject is away from the center. And third, finish by pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture. Try it yourself Good focus lock technique takes some practice. Try it yourself with our online camera. (Flash, 838K)

Subject not in focus Better

7

Know your flash's range

The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash's range. Why is this a mistake? Because pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen feet—about five steps away. What is your camera's flash range? Look it up in your camera manual. Can't find it? Then don't take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet away. Film users can extend the flash range by using Kodak Max versatility or versatility plus film.

Without flash With flash

8

Watch the light

Next to the subject, the most important part of every picture is the light. It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. On a great-grandmother, bright sunlight from the side can enhance wrinkles. But the soft light of a cloudy day can subdue those same wrinkles. Don't like the light on your subject? Then move yourself or your subject. For landscapes, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light is orangish and rakes across the land. Try it yourself You'll be amazed at how different you can make one subject look just by changing the light. Try it yourself with our online camera. (Flash, 838K)

Good Also good

9

Take some vertical pictures

Is your camera vertically challenged? It is if you never turn it sideways to take a vertical picture. All sorts of things look better in a vertical picture. From a lighthouse near a cliff to the Eiffel Tower to your four-year-old niece jumping in a puddle. So next time out, make a conscious effort to turn your camera sideways and take some vertical pictures.

Good Better

10

Be a picture director

Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location: "Everybody go outside to the backyard." A picture director adds props: "Girls, put on your pink sunglasses." A picture director arranges people: "Now move in close, and lean toward the camera." Most pictures won't be that involved, but you get the idea: Take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards. Source Ref: http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=10032&pq-locale=en_GB&_requestid=410 For information on the products and services we offer at Firefly Photography please visit us online -  www.firefly-photography.co.uk

What do you think of when you hear 'Boudoir'?

What do you think of when you hear 'Boudoir'? This is becoming a buzz word in the photography world especially with brides to be or women who have lost a lot of weight. The fab thing is that not all of our boudoir ladies are young, free, tiny-framed girls. We've had voluptuous ladies in their 50's, burlesque dancers and even a police woman who wanted photos to prove that, in 30yrs time, she did used to be fit (her words, not ours)!

Thanks to Gok Wan, women are realising that anyone can be sexy - you just have to believe in it. Even better, women are wanting to prove how lovely their curves are by having them photographed and 'documented' for themselves and loved ones. As mentioned earlier, we've had brides to be, slimming ladies but we've also had women come in to celebrate their divorce and use this as an experience to uplift themselves and move on. We had women 'tease' in lingerie right through to nude (tasteful, of course) along with lady talk to us about posing naked on her motorbike (and the answer is still hell yes!).

Our boudoirs include consultations with both stylist and photographer on the style of imagery you would like to create, up to an hour in hair and makeup with one of our professional stylists, time in our modelling suite with one of our professional photographers, a separate day viewing (so that we can tweak your images and fulfil any post production dreams you may have) and complimentary framed print. To see our most up to date promotions, please visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fireflyderby

Photographers Derbyshire

At Firefly Photography, we are professional photographers based in Derby and we offer a range of services throughout the area. Some of the photography types we are experienced in include makeovers, family, commercial photo-shoots, boudoir photography and more. Our bespoke studio and contemporary, personal service makes us the perfect choice to capture all your special moments. If you are looking for a photography service within Derbyshire or would like to find out more information, either visit our website or give us a call on 01332 341 300. 

Smartphone Photography Tips From Richard Gray

A lot of people underestimate exactly what a smart phone camera can do, especially when it comes to capturing those key moments in sport. Whether it be mastering that trick, scoring a goal or breaking a personal best. Resident Sportivate smart phone photography expert, Richard Gray recently toured the country visiting Sportivate sessions, capturing some inspiring moments on a standard smart phone. Read more at - http://www.ephotozine.com/article/smartphone-photography-tips-from-richard-gray-22397

Here at Firefly Photography we are specialists in family photography, baby photography and more. Visit us online.

Wedding Photographers Derby

We are an experienced wedding photographer in Derby and you can find out a bit about our wedding photography services by watching the video below.

Photography News: Proposed UK Copyright Changes Spark Worldwide Protests

There are going to be some proposed changes for photography copyrights, a brief outline of these changes are below.

US organisations representing photographers and photo agencies have written to the UK government to oppose proposed changes to the country's copyright laws that would make it legal to use "foreign works without the knowledge and permission of the copyright owners. Read more on this article at - http://www.examiner.com/article/photography-news-proposed-uk-copyright-changes-spark-worldwide-protests

At Firefly Photography we are experts in portrait photography, commercial photography and more. Contact us for further information on our services.

Photographers in Derby

People say that a picture paints a thousand words, and this saying couldn't be more true. As professional photographers we have taken countless photos that vary greatly from wedding photos, family photos, makeover portrait photos and more. A photo can be treasured for a long time and there is nothing like capturing that special moment on camera. At Firefly Photography we offer a range of photography services in Derby. To see some of our work visit us online.