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Welcome to our third issue of Fresh out of the box - FOTB for short! A new monthly news page packed with all the weird and wonderful things happening in the world of photography. Helping you stay on the photographic pulse!
It's also a great opportunity for you to get involved and share your own photography news and views. Make your opinion count - email us with your ideas and tell us your first impressions of FOTB.
Award-winning pet photographer Karen Parker shares her tips for getting superb snapshots of your pets.
'Working with animals is great fun, and if you can capture an exceptional image of your beloved pet it can give you something to treasure for years to come. Impressive pet pictures take luck and patience. You'll probably end up with a lot of shots but just one can make it all worthwhile.
"Impressive pet pictures take luck and patience"
If you're lucky enough to get a series of shots, putting them in treble frames can look very effective. You can also print your favourite shots in black & white for something a little more timeless.'
Image by Karen Parker.
The important thing is to work with whatever type of pet you have to show of their personality and the quirky things they do. For example Karen suggests, 'If your dog has a habit of rolling around in leaves, or grabbing the world's largest stick, this can be the basis for a great shot and one that will always remind you of their cheeky ways.'
www.karenparker.co.uk
Events and exhibitions you won't want to miss
Don't Stay In
We've teamed up with those creative people at Shoot Experience to host an exciting competition, giving you the chance to win a state-of-the-art BenQ digital camera. Just send your snaps based around the theme 'That summer feeling' to Shoot Experience, before the 31st August. See website for details.
Shoot Experience is famous for encouraging us to rediscover our everyday environment through photographic treasure hunts. If you fancy having a go their next event is Shoot Shoreditch on 25th August. For details and to register, go to Shoot Experience. Tickets £10 per person. This is followed by Shoot Photomonth - a Shoot Experience event to launch Photomonth, London's biggest photography festival including over 80 exhibitions in various venues throughout October and November 2007.
Elson Street (Karen Elson) by Elaine Constantine
©Elaine Constantine
Calling all fashionistas, this is the exhibition for you! In The Making: Fashion and Advertising, on at the National Portrait Gallery, offers a glimpse of the world of fashion through the eyes of photographic fashion aficionados: Elaine Constantine, Warren Du Preez & Nick Thornton Jones, Alexi Lubomirski, Solve Sundsbo and Paul Wetherell. And if you can't make it to the exhibition you can always buy the accompanying book. Exhibition ends 14th October 2007. Admission free.
Prince Henry of Wales; Diana, Princess of Wales; Prince William of Wales by John Swannell, 1994
To coincide with the tenth anniversary of Diana's death there's not one but two major exhibitions in her honour. As one of the most photographed women in the world there's certainly no shortage of images to go around.
The National Portrait Gallery is hosting a simply named exhibition – Diana, Princess of Wales. It's an interesting portrayal of her love hate relationship with the camera. Some images are all too familiar, while many create fresh insight into why, even ten years on, people's interest hasn't diminished. Exhibition ends 14th January 2008, admission free.
Meanwhile Diana: a Princess Remembered is on at Kensington Palace. Designed as a celebration of her life, the highlight is the collection of famously stunning shots by Mario Testino. Runs until the end of the year, tickets priced £12 including admission to the palace.
Bristol balloon festival
Supplied by Bristol Balloon Fiestas Limited
August sees a couple of colourful events packed with great photo opportunities. First up is the annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta from 9th-12th August, followed by the ever-popular Notting Hill Carnival over the August Bank Holiday 26th-27th August. Sound advice for both events is to arrive early to get shots of everyone setting up for the day, a great way to tell the story of the event. This also gives you a good chance to decide where to stand to get the best view to photograph from.
Here are a few of our favourite things!
Holidays are a popular time to take lots of pictures, but what if the best shots are those under the sea. If you're planning a spot of snorkelling or diving this summer equip yourself with the new ECOshot camera from SeaLife Cameras. Billed as the world's first truly waterproof and shockproof digital sports camera, it will be your new best friend when it comes to photographing fish and capturing coral. The ECOshot is a 6 mega-pixel camera with a depth rating of 40m, built-in flash, and video mode. Its tough exterior makes it beach friendly, and yes it does take great shots away from water too. Priced around £175, it’s great value. Alternatively, if you're too attached to your own camera try tracking down a watertight casing.
Check this out for a fun way of framing your favourite images, giant jigsaw puzzle pieces that not only display your photos beautifully, but can be fitted together to form a real work of art in their own right. Opt for natural wood, or really go for it by mixing up different colours. A great way to bright up your walls and guaranteed to be a real hit with the kids. Prices start from just £12, including post and packaging.
The latest addition to the popular Gorillapod gang is the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom, a sturdy version specifically designed to securely hold a digital SLR and hefty zoom lens. More robust than the smaller members of its family, it comes with a bigger price tag too at around £50. It's the bendy twisty tripod the pros have been waiting for.
Part of the fun of any holiday is browsing through your photos. It's a great way of prolonging the feel good factor, especially when your photos reflect what a brilliant time you had. So here are a few helpful hints.
Submit your favourite holiday snaps for a place in our Editor's gallery
PC Pro’s online photo printing article says, 'PhotoBox remains our top choice for the enthusiast.'
PhotoShop Creative says, 'PhotoBox is forever inventing new gift ideas enabling you to show off your images. The latest addition is a range of notebooks which you can adorn with your own images of whatever you wish. Perfect for scribbling down design ideas, using as a sketchbook or even writing the shopping list, this is a great personalised product to give as a gift or to use yourself.'
T3 enthuses, 'Liberating your photos from the cruel confines of your digital camera and camera phone has suddenly become very easy, thanks to PhotoBox.'
1. Crop it
If you’re not happy with how you’ve framed a shot, or the subject is too small in the frame, use our handy cropping tool to zoom-in on what you want.
2. Magical monochrome
Black & white images are great for disguising clashing colours and focusing your attention on the mood of the picture instead.
3. Alter the angle
Get into the habit of always taking a few shots of each image from slightly different angles and then editing out the best ones. This will improve the overall quality of your images no end.
