I have been reading a lot of books lately. Here is some of the tips and tricks I have typed out for a cheat sheet and/or basic reminder type deal. It would be cool if others could add their secrets to this.
Unsharp mask
Just open your photo in Photoshop, then go under Photoshop's Filter menu, under
Sharpen, and choose Unsharp Mask. When the dialog appears, there are three sliders for
applying different sharpening parameters, but rather than going through all that technical
stuff, I'm going to give you three sets of settings that I've found work wonders.
1. For people: Amount 150%, Radius 1, Threshold 10
2. For cityscapes, urban photography, or travel: Amount 65%, Radius 3, Threshold 2
3. For general everyday use: Amount 85%, Radius 1, Threshold 4
Pro-Sharpening
1. Go under the Image menu, under Mode, and choose Lab Color.
2. Go to the Channels palette and click on the Lightness channel. (Note: This Lightness
channel contains only the detail and not the color in the photo, which is why you sidestep
some of the color problems you get by sharpening the full-color photo.)
3. Now apply the Unsharp Mask filter using the settings shown on the previous page.
4. Try applying the Unsharp Mask filter again, using the same settings. If your photo
appears too sharp, before you do anything else, go under the Edit menu and choose Fade
Unsharp Mask. In the Fade dialog, lower the Opacity slider to 50%, so you only get halfstrength
on the second application of the filter.
5. Now go back under the Image menu, under Mode, and choose RGB Color.
Flash tip
Here's another tip that will make your flash seem less "flashy" when shooting
outdoors: use your camera's flash exposure compensation button and change the
flash exposure compensation to 1 (it works the same way regular exposure
compensation works, but for flash exposures). Your flash will still help lift out the
shadows, but now without being so obvious.
Large group Shooting
When shooting large groups for the formal portraits, you'll want to make sure that you use an
aperture setting that keeps everyone in focus. Try f/11 for a reasonable depth of field for
groups. Now, where do you focus? If you have more than one row of people deep, the old
rule (which still stands true today) is to focus on the eyes of the people in the front row. You
have more depth behind than in front, so make sure you focus on them, and the rest should
be okay, but if that front row is out of focus, the whole shot is a bust.
Formal Shots
When you're shooting your formal shots, the height that you position the camera is actually
very important, because if it's not positioned correctly, your subject's body can look distorted
or some parts can look larger than normal (in general, this is just not good stuff). So, finding
the right height for professional portraits is critical. Here are a few guidelines to help you get
the pro look:
Standing, Full-Length Portrait: Position your camera (on your tripod) at the bride's waist
height (yes, you'll have to squat down/bend over, etc., but the final result will be worth it).
Keep your lens straight (don't aim up towards the bride's face).
7/8 Shots (from the Calf Up): Position your camera (on your tripod) at the bride's chest level
and shoot with your lens straight from there.
Head and Shoulders Shots: Position your camera (on your tripod) either at the bride's eye
level or slightly above.
Never cut off joints when cropping.
Wedding photo tip.
The photojournalism style of wedding photography is very big right now (where you tell the
story of the wedding in photos as if you were covering it for a newspaper or magazine). One
of the cornerstone elements of this technique is to make sure to photographically capture the
tiny details of the wedding, especially behind the scenes before the wedding. Here's a list of
things you might want to capture (shoot), which can either stand alone in the wedding album
or be used as backgrounds for other photos:
The bride's shoes
The bride's dress hanging on a hanger
The bride's tiara, necklace, etc.
The wedding invitation
The sheet music played at the wedding
The guestbook (once a few people have signed it)
Their champagne glasses
Name cards at the reception
Their wedding rings (perhaps posed on the invitation with some rose petals casually
placed nearby)
The airline tickets for their honeymoon
The sheet music, or CD jewel case, to the music for their first dance
The groom's boutonniere
The bride's bouquet
Any fine detail in her dress
Closeness.
When posing people have them move their heads together for a closeness feeling.
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