Bergen County, NJ- Most of us know those frozen, forced smiles our kids often get when we pull out the camera and begin posing them for a picture. Next time consider putting the young ones at ease. For example, have them sit instead of stand, either on a chair, bench or some other sturdy seating, and just start talking to them. Tell them a joke, or better yet, have them tell each other jokes. Keep your camera ready but don’t give the kids excessive instruction on looking your way or smiling. Instead, be ready to snap away when the genuine smiles spread across their faces. It may take a few shots and they may not all be looking at the camera, but the end result will be one that conveys authentic emotion. And isn’t that we’re looking to capture in the first place?

Kids Smiling

Bergen County, NJ- Mother’s Day is only a week away!
Here is a video showing the Nikon J1 Kit we have in just for mom.

The Nikon 1 J1 Camera Mother\'s Day Special at Wholesale Photo in Bergen County

Bergen County, NJ- Spring shooting means taking a few extra precautions for sudden downpours and strong winds but with the results are often well worth it. Having a plastic bag or a rain jacket to shield your camera is a must but if you find yourself inspired in the rain without anything to shield you and your equipment, you have another option.

Instead of trekking your gear out in the rain and taking chances with it getting damaged, consider staying in the car. Yes, that’s right. Just roll down the window and shoot from the interior. Of course, wind will play a factor but if it isn’t blowing, you should be able to fit in a few shots. You can experiment from different windows in the car and even pop the back window if you’re driving an SUV or a van. Use your judgment, of course, but you may find that this method allows you to still capture the rainfall without being in the middle of it!

Rain

Bergen County, NJ- Spring-cleaning fever is here, and this means it’s time to spend a few minutes sorting through your camera bag and getting ready for the next season’s photo opportunities. Here are few things you may want to add to your camera bag to prepare for the season’s shooting expeditions:

Rain Protection: They say that April showers bring May flowers, so prepare to be showered during some of your shoots. Rain can be a lovely asset, providing texture and mood to your images, but you’ll want to protect your gear from moisture and sudden downpours. Our PROMASTER rain jacket is versatile and can accommodate a number of cameras, providing the ultimate protection in uncertain weather.

Camera Care Kit: Nothing can ruin an afternoon shoot like a smudged lens. Our deluxe camera kit has everything you need to keep your lens clean and ready for the next event. The kit is compact, convenient and even comes in waterproof storage container!

Our Must-Have Filter: If you only choose one filter this year, let it be the PROMASTER Digital HGX Protection Filter. This little beauty guards against scratches, fingerprints, dust, dirt and grime. Its REPELLEMAX Element Resistant Coating protects against all the elements while retaining the sharpest images possible. Shooters all over the world love this filter–find out why Here.

Lightweight but Sturdy Support: Nothing provides stability and flexibility like a quality tripod. Our Featherweight series provides a stable platform for your camera while being extremely lightweight. The multi-position legs allow for low angle shooting and the lever locks make setup quick and easy. This tripod is perfect for the weekend shooter or the working professional. Check out our selection here.

Getting a few new goodies for your camera bag might be the most fun you have with spring-cleaning this year!

Kids art

Bergen County, NJ- If you’ve had the itch to tackle your spring cleaning but haven’t been quite ready to part with some items, consider using your digital camera to help you overcome this obstacle.

Peter Walsh, an internationally known organizing expert, contributor to O Magazine and who now has his own television show on clearing clutter, recommends taking photos of items that have sentimental value but are no longer needed. Many people have boxes filled with toys, childhood clothing, art projects and other mementos. While there is nothing wrong with keeping a memory box with a few of your sentimental favorites, if they are claiming valuable closet space or keeping your car from being parked in the garage, it’s time to tackle this issue.

Walsh recommends first taking photos of many of the items you have chosen to donate. “The most important thing is the memory, not the item itself,” he counsels. Take as many photos as you like of the items and know that you will always have those pictures to reflect upon during nostalgic moments. In fact, this is an excellent way of preserving items such as craft projects or drawings as those may not stand the test of time in storage; they may become faded or damaged based upon weather interactions, storage method and other factors. Photos of those same projects, however, have the potential to have a longer life.

It’s important to then box all the items up and donate them; don’t leave the box around for any length of time as this will cause second-guessing and doubt. Using the snapshot method will allow you to keep the warm memories while creating a clutter-free space.

Your camera can also be used to organize the things in all rooms of your house. Many of us use bins, baskets or containers to store and separate our belongings. But how often do we forget where exactly everything is? Too often I’m sure. This is where your camera comes in as a method of cataloging all of your stuff.

The first thing would be to do some Spring Cleaning. Go through, recycle or donate and figure out what you will be storing where. Next photograph the items, it may be item by item or as a group, figure out what helps you best. Finally create a pocket on the bin, basket or container for the photo or just slap it right on the front and there you go! A visual inventory of what is in a particular space.

Bergen County, NJ- Easter is a special time for many families–one that includes elaborate egg hunts, community gatherings and fellowship. It’s also a wonderful photo opportunity. We’d like to help you make the most of this special holiday with a few tips for creating eye-catching images.

Play with Patterns: Easter baskets, lovely spring dresses and painted eggs can all combine to provide popping patterns to photograph. For example, a close-up of a child holding a brightly colored egg against her dress can create a playful and visually appealing image. Consider pairing bright patterns with a soft background or texture to see the end result.

Celebrate Color: This holiday is filled with colorful clothing, decorations, and, with a bit of rain, some beautiful green grass to use as a background. Consider marrying bright colors with the natural background of grass, trees or flowers. Experiment with perspective and shoot a bit tighter on the subject than normal as this helps the colors take center stage and command the eye’s attention.

Capture Connections: This is a wonderful opportunity not only for posed family photos and Easter egg hunt snapshots but also for capturing those candid moments between loved ones. Become an observer of the festivities, pull out your best zoom lens and blend into the scenery for a bit. Photograph conversations between siblings, children checking their egg hunt treasures or a good laugh shared between spouses. These connections touch us during the moment, but photographing them will allow them to live on long after the day ends. You can also choose some of your favorites, print and frame them and present them as gifts for future birthday or holiday events.

Happy Easter!

easter eggs

Bergen County, NJ- Earlier this week we had the pleasure of meeting with Barbara from Action Life Media. She was here introducing our store to the future of iPhoneography with the mCAM and mCAMLITE. Each of these products offers your iPhone much more versatility by allowing several different lenses to be used as well as an external mic all while housing and protecting your iPhone.

The mCAM & mCAMLITE are both made out of airplane grade aluminum and come with a 37mm wide angle/macro combo lens as well as a 180 degree directional mic that plugs into your headphone jack. They also have a cold shoe for led lights and multiple ports for tripods & strap accessories.

The difference between the mCAM & the mCAMLITE is size. The mCAMLITE is much smaller and portable, as the name suggests while the mCAM is larger and has more grip for stability.

Here are some examples of before and after photos with the iphone using the mCAMLITE.

This photo was taken with the iPhone’s lens

This photo was taken with the mCAMLITE’s wide angle lens

This photo was taken with the iPhone’s lens

This photo was taken with the mCAMLITE’s macro lens

Bergen County, NJ- Shooting in low light is one of the most challenging, and most common, obstacles in capturing that perfect moment. The obvious solution is to use a flash as it will not only add light but also stop action, but if what if you don’t want to interrupt an event with the abrupt intrusion of flash lighting?

This situation often occurs during evening wedding receptions or other nighttime celebrations. You want to capture the moment and the mood without the abrasiveness of bright light. There are a few ways to combat low-light conditions and create an incredible image without flash light.

1. Increase your ISO: Bumping up your ISO setting is the first line of defense against shooting in low-light conditions. The ISO refers to the sensitivity of light striking your camera’s sensor. Adjusting the ISO too much may result in ‘image noise,’ which are tiny flecks or ‘graininess’ in parts or on the entire image. There are several noise reduction filters you can run in post-processing to help combat this issue, but if possible, adjust your ISO to the largest increase without creating noise.
2. Shoot RAW Format: Keeping your Images in RAW format gives you far greater flexibility in the post-production process, particularly if you find you have an image that is underexposed. Since a RAW image file will give you the entire dynamic range of an image, which is about eight full stops, this provides greater options for adjustment than if you had shot in JPEG, which provides a couple stops less in dynamic range. And some of today’s models support JPEG+RAW, providing the best of both worlds.
3. Use a Fast Lens: A ‘fast lens’ is one that has a larger aperture opening so it is capable of capturing light at a faster shutter speed than a lens with a smaller aperture. The term ‘fast’ is sometimes debated as hobbyists might consider an f/2.8 lens to be fast whereas some professional photographers consider an f/1.4 lens to be fast. There is also a considerable expense when purchasing fast glass, so evaluating how often you will be in the position to need this extra benefit is important. Many people who shoot in the field and in varied conditions find the investment is far worth it because they capture countless moments that they might otherwise miss.

Come see us at Wholesale Photo, we can answer any of your questions and provide you with solutions to your photography inquiries.

lowlight wedding

evil

Bergen County, NJ- The acronym might give us the giggles, but EVIL actually stands for Electronic Viewfinder with Interchangeable Lenses. An EVIL camera is considered to be a fairly new category between point and shoot and DSLR camera segments. These cameras have the benefit of a smaller form factor similar to a point and shoot while providing more manual control options and the ability to change lenses, which are two important benefits of DSLR cameras.

The EVIL camera is considered a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC). Unlike a DSLR, it does not have a mirror-based viewfinder but it does incorporate an interchangeable lens mount.

An EVIL camera is an excellent option for someone who has graduated past the automated features of a traditional point and shoot but isn’t ready–or willing–to spend substantially more on a DSLR. An EVIL camera allows the user to begin experimenting with manual features and changing lenses at a lower price point and without the bulkier body of a DSLR.

Today’s EVIL cameras are quite adept at handling low light conditions and have HD video functions that work well when in automatic focus mode. They have also demonstrated a fairly high resale value so recouping part of the investment if you one day move to a DSLR is another benefit.

That said, there are also a couple of drawbacks to consider. There are only a few companies currently offering EVIL cameras, so the selection is much smaller than with a traditional DSLR and the same can be said for the range of lenses offered. Another consideration is that accessories such as a flash or viewfinder will come at an additional cost, so it will add up depending on which features you feel you need for proper shooting.

If you’d like to learn more about the latest offerings in EVIL cameras and how they might be the perfect fit for your photography endeavors, please stop by the store, post a question on our Facebook page or give us a call. We’d love to show you the latest in this exciting new technology. You just might find that an EVIL camera is a heavenly choice!

We carry Sony, Nikon and Olympus EVIL cameras. Check out our selection HERE!

Bergen County, NJ-
Now’s the time to stock up for spring shooting by making sure that you’ve got all the necessary accessories in your camera bag. For example, if you’re using the same memory card for all your shooting, consider adding one or two additional cards to the mix. Not only will it help you shoot for longer periods of time, but our high quality memory cards will spoil you with their speedy read/write speeds, strong construction designed to battle the elements and quality components made specifically to better protect your precious photos. Check out our quality PROMASTER media card selection here.

Along with stocking up your camera bag, some spring cleaning is in order for your equipment as well. Keeping your bag tidy assures you where everything is and makes finding what you need quick and painless.
For point and shoot cameras, a clean lens makes a world of difference. Turn your camera on so the lens opens, use a small soft bristled brush to sweep away dust and particles. Then with a lens cleaning cloth and a little bit of lens cleaning fluid, rub the lens in a circular motion to get rid of fingerprints, smudges and any kind of residue. Repeat for the camera body.
Don’t forget your sensor! Dust particles sneak in near the sensor every time your change lenses. After time those pesky dust bunnies result in fuzzy parts of your image and can actually show up as dark spots. Let Wholesale Photo expertly clean your DSLR’s sensor for you.

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