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The importance of a little planning for your photo shoot cannot be overstated. Advance planning saves time and money, and usually results in better photography. Let's look at some of the questions that need to be considered:

1. What is the intended use of the photograph?

2. What background or location is needed?

3. Are there special props required for the shoot?

4. Are people or models needed?

5. What type of lighting and style would be best?

6. Are we matching a previous shoot?

7. Do we need a photo stylist?

First: Intended Use

Is the photograph to be used for an ad, a display, the internet, a catalog, a news release, an instruction manual, a magazine cover, or some combination of these? Do we need to leave room for text and graphics? Are we cutting the background out so the object or person can "float" on a page? Is there a particular format (length to width) that is needed? For example, do we need a horizontal (landscape), vertical (portrait), or square image? Answers to these questions will give us a good starting point for the photo shoot.

Second: Background/Location

In many cases a plain, solid-color studio background may be in order. If so, is there a specific color that is needed? Although we keep many options available at the studio, some colors or textured surfaces may need to be located or purchased prior to the shoot. If a location is used, it is generally best to have the photographer take a look at the proposed area before the shoot. Things like the size of the room, color of the walls and ceiling, and time of day - think sunlight coming in the windows - may all have a bearing on what equipment is needed and when to schedule the shoot.

Third: Props

Few things are more frustrating than finding out in the middle of setting up that you need something more to fill up the shot. For instance, when shooting food, we always make sure there are plenty of plates in the same pattern, napkins, cutlery, salt and pepper shakers, and other table setting types of props. Some of those things may be needed in the background, even though they may be out of focus or just partially shown. If fresh fruits and veggies are to be part of the shot, we make sure there are more than one of each; we almost always need more than you might think. And, whenever fresh props are being used, we look for the best quality and color possible. When using props in a shot, it's always better to have more than you think you'll need.

Forth: People/Models

It is always smart to consider using an agency or professional models. The pros know what to do, how to pose, and how to create and hold the right expression. They usually have an extensive wardrobe to choose from to help match the look and feel that is needed. Of course, this all comes at a price which may or may not fit your budget. It is also possible to use friends, family, and co-workers. Here at Photographic Solutions, Inc., we have experience with both professional and non-professional models, and believe we can get the needed results with either option. Just consider this, professionals work faster, require less coaching, and will not get their feelings hurt when you make a choice of a pose or expression that isn't their favorite - it's part of the job. No matter who you are using, remember to get signed model releases!

Fifth: Style

This area covers everything from lighting direction to quality of light, shadow depth, angle of view, depth of focus, focal length of the lens used, special effects, light painting, multiple exposures, Photoshop work, HDR images, and a myriad of other things. Although many of these considerations might be below the radar of our customers, just be aware that there are many options we can help you explore to put that extra touch of class in your photographs.

Sixth: Matching Images

Quite often it is necessary to take a photograph that matches something done in the past or perhaps by another photographer, so that there is continuity in your publication or on your web site. Again, this is best discussed prior to the shoot so our photographer can be prepared with the proper equipment and materials. Not every technique is easily recreated, and some research or experimentation may be required.

Seventh: Stylists

A stylist can be a wonderful asset during a large shoot, freeing the photographer to concentrate on the photography. A hair stylist or make-up person (often one and the same) can be the difference between a successful photo session and one that leaves something to be desired. Not only that, but it takes pressure off the models when they know they are being handled by a professional who knows how to make them look their best. There are also stylists who specialize in food, room decor, wardrobe, and props. Many of these people have multiple areas of expertise and using them will save money in time and effort. If a high-cost stylist is not in your budget, don't worry. We have worked with a number of stylists, and we have picked up many of the "tricks of the trade". As professional photographers we have a little stylist built in, and can handle many assignments using the same techniques as well as our own artistic capabilities.

As commercial photographers, we like to think that we are pretty good at "pulling the rabbit out of the hat", so to speak, and making our subjects look good with or without a lot of outside help. Planning ahead makes it possible for us to provide that high-quality, eye-catching look which makes a photo shoot a real success.

Have you ever opened Google Earth to look for something in particular, and instead ended up spending the afternoon looking at stuff? Yeah, me too. It's an amazing program that offers a seldom seen, and very useful, view to the public. For me, the first thing I ever looked up on Google Earth was my house, then our studio. Have you done that? Here's a question for you - how old is the image of your home or business? The imagery for my neighborhood is pretty recent for Google Earth - almost four years old. I did live there then, but 3 of my neighbors didn't. It's even before I redid much of the landscaping around the house, including the new garden area. If you live in a new development, chances are pretty good that Google doesn't even show your home, maybe not even the road you live on! It's not really a big deal if all you're doing is just looking at stuff, but what if you need a current image? Or one with more resolution?

In the above picture, notice the strange color of the Google image on the left. Also, our image on the right shows the completed hangar, updated runway markings and it's much sharper and more detailed - you can actually see the taxi way markings and tie down areas.

There are many uses for vertical aerial photography, including: city development planning, construction planning and progress monitoring and reporting, property management, real estate sales and marketing, various environmental uses such as wetland monitoring and burn area documentation, accident scene re-creation, mapping, etc. We recently had a client that needed updated images to match existing vertical photography from ten and twenty years ago for use in a lawsuit. Another client needed large prints of his property to show the city council that his plans for a new home did not cross into a local stream. A local church that had just finished an expansion needed current images to show their parishioners the progress that had been made, and outline plans for future expansion as well. We have documented large parcels of land in remote areas to support their sale to overseas clients, we even shot a winery in Colorado for sale in an auction! Whether you need a photographic map on your website to show clients your new location or you need constantly updated aerial imagery for your construction project, vertical aerial photography is the perfect answer.

Using custom vertical aerial photography used to be expensive and time consuming. Not any more! While we do have access to high-resolution photography of the entire Wasatch front and St. George area that is about a year old, our specialty is current, high-resolution, low cost verticals of the property you need. We can shoot exactly what you need when you need it - like after the cement pour but before the walls start to go up on your construction project. Try to get that from Google Earth! We also offer the resolution you need, whether it's very high-resolution or even our lower resolution, which is still much sharper than other online solutions. Custom graphics like property lines, dates, road labels, shading, etc. are quick and easy. We've even made golf course maps with yardage markers!

Vertical aerial photography has many different uses and is much more current and detailed than anything you'll find online. Take your project to the next level by using custom vertical photography from Photographic Solutions, Inc.

Within the first three seconds of meeting someone for the first time, you are evaluated. An opinion is formed about you based on your appearance, body language, demeanor, how you are dressed, etc. With every new encounter, a new first impression is formed. These first impressions can be very difficult to undo, making the first encounter very important as it sets the tone for the relationship that follows. Here is how the process works:

• If you appear to be of comparable business or social level, you are considered suitable for further interaction.

• If you appear to be of higher business or social status, you are admired and cultivated as a valuable contact.

• If you appear to be of lower business or social standing, you are tolerated but kept at arm's length.

• If you are in an interview situation, you can either appear to match the corporate culture or not, ultimately affecting the outcome.

The same principal holds true for your business. How you present your business also creates opinions in your prospective clients that is hard to change or undo. One of the very first things a prospective client sees, likely even before they see you, is your place of business, your building. Here's where we can help!

Many of our client are proud of their buildings, and rightly so. They spent much time and money designing them to their specifications, constructing or renovating, creating landscaping, etc. all because they want their building to reflect their business. After all the work that's put into a place of business, it only makes sense to have professional architectural photography as a record, a display piece, an advertising tool, etc.

There are many aspects of exterior architectural photography that take years to perfect. Choosing the right angle and framing, getting the lighting just right and keeping the building properly exposed while not blowing out the sky are just of few of things that go into great architectural photography. It's far more than just showing up with a camera. Often there needs to be coordination to handle the many different options that need to be considered. Do you want cars in the parking lot? Do you want the lights on inside, or are we going to capture the reflection of the sunset in the windows? Do you want the giant banner on the side of the building removed? There are countless options and technical aspects that need addressing, and a professional architectural photographer can work with you to produce an image you will be just as proud of as you are of your building. Architectural photography is one of our specialties and we can make that first impression a great first impression for you!

Or, should I say, it's just about time. Despite April's cold and wet arrival, it won't be long before things are greening up, blossoming, and generally looking the best they are going to look all year. It's time to get some pictures! Specifically, aerial pictures. Nothing shows off a piece of property, a building , or the progress of a construction project like an aerial photograph. The "bird's eye" view shows it all from a fresh perspective. Why is spring one of the best times to shoot from the air? Here are a few things to consider. From mid April through June the grass and trees are greener than any other time of year. The flowers are out, and can add a splash of color. If your building or project faces north, the sun will be on the front only between late April and the middle of July, and then only in the morning and evening - which, coincidentally, are the best times of the day to shoot for quality of light. There will still be snow in the mountains, making for a great background. The air is generally cleaner and smoother in the spring. And, last but not least, Photographic Solutions is offering some great discounts on our award- winning aerial photography to get the shooting season off to a great start.

An aerial photograph is always an eye-catching conversation piece, but it is also full of useful information. Think of a large construction site that is photographed monthly to show the progress of the project. Not only is this a great historical record, but photographs can be used on your web site or in a newsletter to show future tenants, your banker, investors, or prospective clients just how things are going. If there is ever a question as to when some phase of the project was completed, photographs can document the process with valuable third-party verification. Large laminated prints can be used in construction planning meetings, making discussions more visual and meaningful. We can even put on a special laminate that can be drawn on with a grease pencil or dry erase markers, facilitating planning and/or changes.

Aerial photography of ground subjects generally falls into one of two categories: oblique or vertical. Obliques (shot from an angle) are more pictorial in nature, and are often the preferred choice. Different angles show different perspectives and proximity to other real estate, access routes, rail lines, waterways, and adjacent facilities, as well as vertical development of structures. Vertical photography (looking straight down) is more technical in nature, and can be used for basic measurements, or overlayed with available GIS information. Verticals also make great photographic maps of complex areas. Photographic Solutions' aerial photography yields high resolution, near real-time images - something not seen with Google Earth or most available satellite imagery.

Be sure to visit our web site, www.utahbyair.com, and take a look at examples of our professional aerial photography, then give us a call so we can discuss your next aerial photography project.

Nothing. I guess it's not all that funny, really. But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Yet when the economy slows down and businesses start making cuts to save money, one of the first things they seem to cut is the very thing that gets more business in the door: advertising.

In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies covering 16 different industries from 1980 through 1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.

This is a perfect time to gain advantage over competitors who may be cutting back on advertising and gain a larger market share, thereby solidifying your place in the market. In analysis of the 1990-91 recession, Penton Research Services, Coopers & Lybrand, in conjunction with Business Science International, found that better performing businesses focused on a strong marketing program enabling them to solidify their customer base, take business away from less aggressive competitors, and position themselves for future growth during the recovery.

Another temptation during tough times, and even when times aren't so bad, is to save a little money and try doing it yourself. Try this fun little exercise. Open one of the many consumer coupon promotions that come in the mail and flip through the pages. It's easy to see the ads that grab your attention. But what about the ads that don't? Take a closer look at those ads, especially their photography. Most of them are great examples of what happens when you try it yourself. The images are dark, poorly lit, not straight, the color is off, blurry, etc. Is that the type image you want for your company? What your potential clients see in your advertising tells them what kind of company you are. In difficult time like these, customers aren't willing to part with their hard earned money unless they know you offer top quality and value.

Photographic Solutions, Inc. provides the highest quality photography and value for your company . We specialize in commercial and aerial photography. We won't be squeezing your product shot in between family and bride portraits. We promise not to try to get your culinary masterpiece to smile by shaking a rubber chicken at it. We know how to light an entire building or a single office space to make it look it's best. We've taken several national awards for our aerial work. Every thing we do is for businesses who demand the best, just like you. Commercial and aerial photography is all we do, and we're very good at it, come in and see for yourself. In this tough economy you can't afford to skimp on advertising, and you cannot risk using anything but the very best photography, either.

Flip through any interior design magazine and you'll see pages and pages of interior architectural photographs. Which ones do you like? Which images don't you like? Chances are that the rooms in those photographs are fairly comparable from a design and build standpoint. You might not know it from the magazine, but if you actually walked into a room from a picture you didn't like it would probably be quite beautiful. But when someone sees a poorly composed or lit picture in a magazine, they ask, "Who built that room? I don't like it." or, "Whoever designed that space didn't know what they were doing!" A great architectural photographer's job is to make sure that whoever sees that photograph sees the space that you created in it's best light and form.

There can be a lot of work that goes into a successful interior shoot. It's always a good idea to talk to the photographer before hand and if possible meet at the location to discuss timing and strategy. Shooting the interior of a finished, decorated home is different than shooting a large commercial building currently in use, and requires different equipment and expertise. Lighting can take a shot from ordinary to exraordinary. Some rooms are well lit, but use different types of lights like incandescent and florescent which have wildly different colors. They need to be balanced and possibly supplemented with either strobes or hot lights or the existing sunlight. If there are windows involved, a decision will need to be made concerning which time of day would be best. Do you want streaming sunlight in the picture, which can create hot spots, or do you want the interior light to be the same intensity as the outdoors? Decorations, reflections, working around employees - it can all be a little overwhelming without the help of an experienced professional photographer.

You've purchased the freshest ingredients, assembled a top-notch menu, found the best equipment, hired the finest help, have a great location, maybe even taken a second on your house - now don't settle for mediocre photographs that won't sell your epicurian delights. Get some great pictures!

Food photography can be one of the most challenging assignments for professional photographers. It has been said that "if you can shoot food, you can shoot anything". Time is of the essence when shooting food. A beautifully arranged cullinary creation can turn ugly in a matter of minutes. Cheese solidifies, moist food dries, sauces run, ice cream melts, and salads wilt. A successful food shoot is a matter of timing all the elements so they come together when the food is at its visual peak - usually as soon as it is put on the plate. This is generally achieved by using a "stand-in" for the perfect plate, while the lighting, props, camera position, and exposure are adjusted to meet the client's approval. The switch is then made for the real thing, and the final exposures are made as quickly as possible to catch the subject at its best.

Larger clients often use a food stylist to prepare the food and provide the coordinated props and background materials. This can be hard on the budget, but frees the photographer to concentrate on technical and artistic aspects of the shot. Simplicity in the setup and lighting will put the emphasis on the food, and can create some stunning results. Here at Photographic Solutions we have worked both with and without stylists, and have a good grasp of all the tricks of the food photography trade. Food is one of our specialties. Our digital studio facilities and location capabilities allow clients to see results within seconds, taking the guesswork out of shot selection and approval. We welcome the opportunity to work with you on any of your food photography needs.

Stan Macbean

Shooting early in the morning during sunrise or in the evening at sunset can really add interesting lighting to a photograph. But, as with everything with photography, there are trade-offs. Lower light levels mean compensating for exposure by either opening up the aperture, slowing down the shutter speed, or increasing the sensitivity of the sensor, or a combination of all three. All these "corrections" have their drawbacks. Larger apertures, while enabling faster shutter speeds, can create soft edges and vignetting - among other things (looking at the MTF charts for your lenses can be eye-opening). Slower shutter speeds allow more light to the sensor but require the camera to be more stable to eliminate motion blurring. Increasing the ISO or sensitivity of the sensor can enable faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures, but generally brings unwanted noise along for the ride.

Using a tripod to stabilize the camera, like in ground photography, is pretty much out. Not only is it a little impractical in most aerial platforms (small plane, helicopter) but the rigid nature of a tripod transfers the vibration of the engine right to the camera, something we'd like to avoid. Gyrostabilizers can be a big help if you have one. Nice smooth air is great and fortunately that's the kind of air that usually exists at sunrise and sunset. Still, it's not uncommon to have shutter speeds in the 1/30th of a second range and slower and apertures as wide as you can get. Quality glass is a must, but even the best lenses aren't perfect. When you're flying at 80mph at 1,000 feet while holding a heavy camera with a nice, heavy lens and a gyro attached, it's pretty amazing we can get any usable results at all. Here are some examples:

This image was shot at dusk so we could see the lights on the building and parking lot. The lights took forever to turn on (they were supposed to come on early...) so the sun was long gone. Razor sharp at full size.

The baseball diamond lights are very bright, which enabled me to use a faster shutter speed and a smaller aperture. The trade off was that the surrounding areas were under exposed, which actually worked out in my favor for this shot. That's the actual sunset as well, no replacing of skies here!

- Allen

Here is a shot that I took this morning for DMB Properties:

The sky is the actual sky, I did very little processing to it in post. This is a combination of 5 shots, each with a different exposure. I like the feel of it, although it may be a little "ominous" for their marketing purposes. Sunrise shot, looking East/South East about 7:45am.

HDR, high-density range, photography is a relatively new technique that enables the photographer to capture more dynamic range in a scene with multiple exposures than is possible with a single exposure. In simpler terms, HDR photography lets you capture the brightest highlights and the darkest darks of a scene and still have a properly exposed image in the midtones. No blown out highlights, no muddy or blocked up darks. Unless you want them, that is. The gift of this technique is also it's curse - the exposure options and retouching capabilities can give you fantastic results, or really awful results. Your image can look very realistic in reguards to exposure and saturation, or very surreal and "fake", depending on how you process the images.

Another challenge for the photographer beginning to work in HDR photography is determining when a scene would be benefitted from the technique, and when it would not. It's very easy to get so excited about HDR and start using it for everything, even if it doesn't need it. You can ruin a great image by applying HDR techniques where they are not needed. There is a lot to learn about HDR techniques, and a great deal of time practicing and studying are required to produce excellent results every time.

Here are a few examples of HDR work:

In the individual images that make up this shot, either the highlights are completely blown out or the rest of the image is too dark to see.

In the above image, there is detail in the dark trees as well as in the whites of the building - impossible to capture in a single exposure.

I'll post a more in-depth discussion on HDR photography in the future. Maybe after I get around to matching the blog layout to our website layout...