What's wrong with most profile pictures?
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Posted:Jan 25, 2014 5:02 pm
Last Updated:Jan 31, 2014 12:04 pm
8356 Views
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Having looked through a LOT of profile pictures (purely for research purposes of course!) I see a lot of common faults.
(1) Wrong exposure, usually too dark. Even if you want to hide your identity, the way to do it isn't to make your pictures so dark that nobody can see what's in them. Even if that's your goal, it's not that hard to copy and edit the image to reveal additional detail.
(2) Too many genitals. A few are OK, but an album of 20 closeups of them just isn't usually very sexy or appealing.
(3) Bad flash images, presumably taken with a point and shoot camera's built in flash. Usually these flashes are too weak and the single small flash produces harsh shadows and often overexposed highlights if you get too close.
(4) Bad crops. Even if you don't want your face in the image, just cropping of the head makes the photo unappealing. There are better ways of hiding your face, such as turning away from the camera, using your hair, using a hat and a few other tricks. Even a mask can be better than a missing head!
(5) Big black squares or circles over faces. Again, there are better way to hide your identity that don't ruin the image.
(6) Untidy backgrounds with last weeks laundry in the corner. When taking a shot look at the background, not just the subject.
(7) Unflattering angles. Shots with a wideangle lens from close up distort body proportions.
Here's an example of a good shot. Notice no heads cutoff, no harsh shadows from flash, no distortion from being too close with a wide lens, no distracting background, natural looking light levels and a good choice of shooting angle.
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Equipment
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Posted:Sep 1, 2013 10:18 am
Last Updated:Sep 1, 2013 11:29 am
8828 Views
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[Just a reminder that to contact me you have to send a message, not a wink, hotlist, friend request etc. I'm currently a standard member so they only we I can contact you is via a reply to a message that you send to me}
Equipment (as in cameras) isn't as important as you might be lead to believe by advertising. If you're just after images which you can enjoy yourself on the computer just about any model from any name brand camera company (Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus etc.) will do the job. Even small digicams can give great results if you know how to use them, but DSLRs provide a lot more flexibility.
What does a DSLR give you? Well, you can shoot in lower light levels and still get low noise images. Today's DSLRs can give great results with normal lighting levels (even bedroom lighting levels!). DSLRs can also use faster lenses which again makes shooting in low light easier as well as providing more selective focus (smaller depth of field) so you can throw those distracting backgrounds out of focus.
When it comes to video, today's digicams and DSLRs almost all shoot pretty good video, even HD video. Again DSLRs give you more flexibility such as the ability to use an external microphone and more capability for noise free shooting in low light, though currently the autofocus capability of P&S cameras shooting video is better than some DSLRs.
Above shot with small Olympus P&S camera
In the end it often comes down to it not being the equipment you have, but how you use it (sound familiar). If you know how to use even a small compact digicam you can produce excellent quality images.
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Shooting Video
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Posted:May 23, 2013 1:35 pm
Last Updated:Feb 7, 2014 3:06 pm
9134 Views
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I'm back on AdultFriendFinder after taking a bit of a break. I thought I'd post a few video tips for a change.
These days most cameras, even high end, full frame, professional DSLRs can shoot video but there are some things you should know. For example many high end DSLRs (such as the Canon EOS 5D Mk3) do not autofocus when shooting video. They get focus when the video starts and from there on it's fixed. That, combined with the small depth of field of full frame DSLRs means that if you try to zoom or change position, you may well lose focus.
If you aren't shooting a professional video feature, you may be better off with video from a small digicam. Most now will shoot 720HD and 1080HD and most will at least attempt to track focus if you move around.
Video shot in one long take from a camera set on a tripod is boring. Even if the action is HOT, the video won't be. What you really need to make things interesting are clips taken from different angles and different distances, edited together to make your movie. It's difficult, if not impossible to do this without help from a videographer. I suppose you could setup 3 or 4 cameras and then assemble a final cut using clips from all of them, but even then you probably won't get the best angles and you can't zoom. BTW zooming a lot is not a good idea. A few slow zooms can be OK, but zooming in and out of the action all the time looks terrible.
Be aware of the maximum video clip length of the camera you are using. Many DSLRs will cut out after 30 minutes and all cameras will stop shooting when they fill the memory card. You don't want the video to quit before you "finish". Freshly charged batteries are also an excellent idea 
Lighting. Both still and video work are all about lighting. It doesn't matter what the action is, if the lighting isn't right it won't look good. Keep the lights fairly bright and all of the same type. You don't want half the scene lit with light from a windows and the other half lit with light from a 100W bulb. You also don't want to mix regular and fluorescent lights. Unless you are shooting "art", you generally want lighting from all angles, so a few small lights arranged around the room as well as the main room lights are often a good idea.
What format? 640x480? 720 HD? 1080 HD? well it all depends on your final use. To be honest there's not a whole lot of point in shooting 1080 HD unless you want to view your images on an HD TV. Even then you may find that 720 HD is very nearly as good, and it's a lot easier to edit. For websites 640x480 VGA is often perfectly fine and faster and easier when it comes to cutting and editing.
This is a still from 640 x 480:
There are lots of great video editing programs available now and many of them are free. On Windows there is Microsoft's Movie Maker and on Apple systems there's iMovie. For basic editing these are all you'll really need, assuming they can read the file format that your camera records in (check that out before shooting your video masterpiece).
iMovie and Movie Maker are the easiest programs to use, but there are free alternatives, some of which have more features but may be more difficult to learn. I'd suggest maybe looking at WAX, Zwei-Stein, Lightworks and VSDC Free Video Editor to start with, but be warned that the documentation and help files on some of these programs leave something to be desired.
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Why not shoot yourself?
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Posted:Sep 22, 2012 8:16 pm
Last Updated:May 21, 2013 5:11 pm
10362 Views
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With a camera or course!
The question is why have someone else take pictures for you when you have a perfectly good camera and can do the job yourself? Well there are several reasons:
(1) Just because you have a camera doesn't mean you can take good photographs. Owning a pen doesn't mean you can write well and owning a scalpel doesn't make you a surgeon. Do you know about lighting? Flash fill ratios? Bounced light? Color temperatures? Light positioning? Foreshortening effects of short focal length lenses? The influence of aperture on the background sharpness?
(2) There are cameras and then there are cameras. It's very tough even for the best photographer to get good indoor shots using a compact digital camera. Even with a basic DSLR you still need good lenses. Do you own a fast prime lens? Do you know what one is and why you need it?
(2) Assuming you know how to take good pictures and you have a top of the line camera and lens, it's very hard to get good shots of yourself (and partner) with the camera on a tripod and a remote release or self timer. You can't see exactly how the shot will look. You can't time things for the right expression and last, but certainly not least, you probably have things other than photography on your mind!
(3) When it comes to video things are even more difficult. 15 minute movies which are just one long continuous take with the camera mounted on a tripod and exactly the same framing throughout tend to get a bit boring, no matter what the subject matter is. What you need are shorter clips from multiple angles edited together properly. Tough to do if you're both the actor or actress and the camera operator unless you're shooting with 3 or 4 cameras simultaneously.
So while you can take your own pictures, it's not the route to the best results. If you find someone you can work with to do the photography, you'll generally be much happier with the final images.
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Hottest Video Contest
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Posted:May 9, 2012 4:28 pm
Last Updated:Sep 8, 2012 4:53 pm
10461 Views
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AdultFriendFinder are running a hottest video contest (check your email, I'm sure they sent to notice to everyone). So far none of the videos that have been submitted are really high quality. A couple aren't bad but most are pretty awful. Bad lighting, totally static camera, no editing etc.
If you are interested in entering the contest and you'd like help with your video, feel free to get in touch. I can shoot with anything from your own camera to my own professional video cinematography gear. Formats from VGA through 1080HD. I can also edit, add/remove sound etc.
Videos can be shot or edited so that faces don't appear if you don't want them to.
This offer only applies to AdultFriendFinder members in my area (Northern NJ) or who can travel here. Shooting video in a hotel room is just fine.
Obviously I can't guarantee that your video will win the contest, but I'm pretty sure that it will be better than 95% of what gets submitted.
Shooting should be done as soon as possible since the contest ends on May 28th and my time for doing this will be pretty limited.
Network friends can see some videos I've shot and edited. No faces are shown in these videos. If you don't mind your face being shown, then there are a lot more possibilities and the video will be better, but of course not everyone would be comfortable doing that.
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Valentine's Day
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Posted:Feb 11, 2012 8:35 pm
Last Updated:Feb 12, 2012 9:08 pm
10443 Views
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Valentine's Day will soon be here. If anyone needs any advice on how to shoot sexy pictures of their partner I'd be glad to offer any advice I can. Just send me a message with your question and I'll do my best to answer it.
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Grace and Beauty
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Posted:Jun 10, 2011 2:27 pm
Last Updated:Jun 28, 2011 6:14 pm
11039 Views
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I just though I'd post these shots to show that you do not have to be naked and 21 to be sexy. Both of these images were shot (by me) with professional models. Neither is associated in any way with AdultFriendFinder. They're just examples of simple portraits which are more than just "snapshots". Both, I think, portray grace and beauty.
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Rescuing images
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Posted:Jun 9, 2011 10:07 pm
Last Updated:Jun 10, 2011 1:53 pm
11024 Views
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Sometimes an image doesn't turn out as well as it might. It could be because the conditions were outside the range that the camera could cope with (e.g. not enough light). It could be because the camera couldn't properly balance the color of the light (often happens when shooting with room lights) or it could be because the photographer just didn't get the camera settings properly adjusted.
However, all hope is not lost, even if the image doesn't look very good. With some work in Photoshop or a similar image editor you can often make a good image out of something that looks pretty bad at first. You can adjust the histogram to make the dark and light points correct, you can tweak the curves to adjust the mid-tones, you can change the color balance. There are also changes you can make to contrast and there are things you can do to small areas of the image rather than the whole image at once.
Above is an example of such a correction. On the left is the original. It was shot in a steamy shower, so the contrast is low. The lighting wasn't very bright and the camera didn't balance the colors well. On the right is the image after cleaning up in PhotoShop. It's a much better image. Maybe not perfect, but a lot closer than the original.
If you have images that you've given up on that you'd like me to try to make a little better, just send me a message here and I'll see what I can do.
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I'm Back
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Posted:Feb 23, 2009 12:13 pm
Last Updated:Jun 10, 2011 2:29 pm
10728 Views
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Wow. I can't believe it's a whole year since I last made a post here. Time flies!
I thought I'd post to say that I'm still around and still available for photography in the north/central/metro NJ area. I've been travelling so I haven't been logging in on AdultFriendFinder much, but I'm back now and so I'm open to working with AdultFriendFinder members again.
I didn't get a lot of requests last year. I'm not sure why. People certainly seem to like having pictures taken judging by the images that members post. The quality of the average image here isn't all that great, but with a simple P&S camera it's not always easy to get a good shot. I use professional digital SLR cameras with fast lenses, so I can usually do a lot better, and I make sure that the lighting is good too.
Anyway, please feel free to contact me if you want some quality images. No charge ever, I can travel to your location, I fully respect all privacy concerns and I'm really easy to work with.
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Valentine
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Posted:Jan 27, 2008 12:43 pm
Last Updated:Jun 10, 2011 2:30 pm
10515 Views
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Ladies - if you'd like to surprise your partner with some sexy photographs for Valentine's day, I'd be happy to take some for you if you're in the North/Central New Jersey area.
100% privacy guaranteed. You'll get all the images on a CD and I'll even make a special Valentine's day card for you to surprise him with!
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Would you want to be photographed?
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Posted:Oct 9, 2007 1:34 pm
Last Updated:Jun 8, 2011 12:52 pm
10902 Views
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I'd be interested in comments from couples on whether they would or wouldn't consider being photographed and if not, why not.
I've found that the male partner often seems to be more interested then the female. I get email from couples, usually written by the male partner, which expresses enthusiasm for the idea but which often says something like "if I can get her to agree...". Sometimes that's as far as the email exchanges go. After that no response, so I can only presume that "she" didn't agree!
Where I have actually photographed couples, both partners seem to have been very happy with the results. Even couples with less than perfect bodies (which, after all, is most of us) seem to be happy. I do try to shoot in a way to make people look as good as possible, but really it's not about looking like porn stars, it's about the excitement of catching people in intimate moments that's a turn on for them.
I'm just interested in what I could do or what sort of service I could offer that would make the idea more interesting to those female partners who "need to be persuaded"!
I suppose there is always a worry about images falkling into "the wrong hands", but I go to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen since I can leave all images with the couple after I shoot. Still I guess there's always a slight worry at the back of their minds.
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Keeping it private
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Posted:Aug 15, 2007 3:38 pm
Last Updated:May 25, 2013 1:10 pm
11007 Views
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One of the things many people worry about is keeping their pictures private. You don't want the finding them on your PC or the computer tech coming across them by accident!
So what can you do? Well, there are several approaches. You can keep the images on a CD which you keep locked away somewhere. That's fine as long as nobody gets their hands on the CD of course. If you want another level of protection you can encrypt the images on CD. Probably the easiest way to go this is to keep all your files in a ZIP archive. WinZip allows you to set a password, without which you can't UnZip the files.
Another way to keep a CD secure is via a commercial program such as "CDCrypt". This encrypts all your files and you have to supply a password before you can view the contents of the CD with their special viewer. You can never see what's on the CD using a standard vindows file viewer. With the built in file viewer you can open, move or copy the files.
If you don't mind things getting a little more complicated you can use an encryption progrma like "TrueCrypt". This created an encryted virtual disk on your hard drive in which you can store your images. With the password, this disk becomes like any other disk on your sysytem. Without the password the disk is simply not present and all the data on the disk looks like one huge file which is unreadable.
One last tip. Choose a secure password. Your name, your wife's name, your pet's name are not good passwords. Neither is any word which you can find in a dictionary, your phone number or your birthday.
Two words run togther is better (e.g. tablezebra or gardencloud) and two words with added numbers is even better (e.g. purpleseven365). For good measure throwing in a punctuation symbol or two adds to security (e.g. riverparrot826#*)
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To link to this blog (rm_NJpix) use [blog rm_NJpix] in your messages.
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