Landscape Photography Photo Tips - 5 More Better Sunset Photography Tips!

For today's landscape photography photo tip, let's wrap up our discussion of sunset photography with a couple of tips that don't warrant their articles, but are still valuable additions to your shooting arsenal.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 1 ... Sunset times vary. The time is dependent on where you live, the time of year and so on.

The good news is, your smartphone app store has an app for that! And it is free. Download a good sunset times app, so you can preplan and be prepared.

You should shoot EVERY sunset you can - at least until you have mastered all of the techniques we've been covering.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 2 ... We included getting a flat horizon in a previous article, but nowhere is it more important than in sunset photography. Use the levelling bubble on your camera or tripod and be sure. If you don't have one, go to the local hardware store and get one. They are only a couple bucks and are well worth it.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 3 ... On the topic of horizons, make sure you don't have the horizon line at the level of your subject's neck (or their head). Cutting off a person's head is never a good idea. Place it either lower or higher.

Ideally, you want it NOT intersecting your model if at all possible. If that is not feasible, have it crossing the stomach or legs.

It is slightly off the topic of sunset photography horizons, but on the subject of background elements cutting into your model, watch out for tree branches sticking out of their heads too.

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 4 ... The sunset icon on your camera is nothing more than an automatic setting. Your camera will try to guess at what the best shutter speed and aperture combination should be.

We've previously talked about automatic settings - remember, your camera is a machine! It is NOT AT ALL CREATIVE! It is not now and will not EVER be a replacement for your creativity!

Stay away from the sunset icon.

Learn to shoot your sunsets on manual. That's where the contest winners will come from!

Better Sunset Photos Tip # 5 ... If you want a large sun in your sunset photography, use a telephoto lens. If you want a smaller one, use a wide angle lens. That's obvious, but here is the tip, be extremely cautious when looking at the sun through your camera lenses! They can magnify the light intensity and cause damage to your eyes!

Trust me; there aren't ANY successful blind photographers!

Get yourself a free photo app, so you can plan your sunset photos and get out there! Reading photo tips is all well and good, but you don't learn them by reading. You have actually to get out there and shoot some sunset photography. Or, landscape photography or portraits or whatever. It is not difficult. Try using these photo tips, and you will quickly master.

Branding Your Business With Photography

How you brand your business sets the tone for everything you do afterwards: How you advertise, how you handle your customers ... even the appearance of your business and its products.

That's because your brand is the personality and identity of your organisation and everything reflects that status ... your logo, your advertising, your storefront. Think Apple computers: anytime you walk into an Apple store, the facility, its employees, the window displays ... everything says "we're cool, we're creative, we're on the cutting edge." Go to any Cracker Barrel restaurant and everything says" "We're homey, we're country, and we serve grits." This allows the customer to connect on a personal level.

The point of branding is to offer customers a clear choice. If you hate country home cooking, you stay away from Cracker Barrel. If you love fried catfish you know, you're in the right place. Good branding doesn't try to please everyone; it lets people know clearly what you are. Then buyers make the right choice.

One of the best ways to convey the feeling of your brand is through photography. Images can project mood and values where words would fall short or seem contrived. Just like packaging design invokes "high-tech" or "intimate" or "elegant" a good product photograph lets someone know this item was made specifically for him or her. Miss the mark, or show the product in a poor light (or cheapened) and suddenly the customer has lost all interest.

In many cases, companies also like to put a face on the business; for example Dave Thomas with Wendy's, or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Or Steve Jobs of Apple. And it's no accident that in all these cases the business leaders are portrayed in a consistent way that is congruent with their corporate culture. If this is the case with your company, a personal portrait should be shot with the same care you would give in creating a logo or advertising headline.

Whether you are planning a shoot for your advertising, collateral material, or web promotion, think about the right look for your company. And the right message for your customers. Good advertising images build relationships and confidence. They should be visually appealing, yes. But they should appeal in a way that works for you! Ask yourself: "What are the qualities my customers seek?' When photographing the people in your company consider: "What kind of look and expression will my clients relate to?" How should they dress? Leave nothing to chance and your photographs will tell a cohesive and compelling story.