DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Wedding Photography

10/07/2017/0 Comments/in Blog, dublin photography school, how to, photography tips, Uncategorized, Wedding photography /by DPS_Admin

5 Tips For Better Wedding Photography

With the summer months upon us & the wedding season fast approaching, many of you out there may have been asked to photograph a family member or friend’s wedding. Saying ‘no thanks’ may not be an option, even though this may not be an area of photography that you are used to & you don’t really know where to start.

Wedding images should reflect the atmosphere, spirit & beauty of the occasion & as either a newbee wedding photographer or someone who has been asked to do a ‘favour’ for a family member or friend, these tips should get you going in the right direction. Each wedding is unique & different in it’s own way, so for each one go above & beyond & capture the warmth, emotion, beauty & romance of the day.

Create Your Shot List:

Get the bride & groom to have a good think about the type of shots they want on their big day. Create a comprehensive shot list with everything included, from the preparations, through the wedding ceremony & onwards throughout the rest of the day.

Details, Details, Details:

Many couples will want everything photographed throughout the wedding day, a story from start to finish. Details make up this story. The dress, shoes, veil, button holes, mass booklets, flowers, menus, table settings & so on.

Shoot In Burst/Continuous Mode:

When it comes to those reportage/candid style shots you will need to think & act fast. If shooting with two cameras, switch one to continuous shooting mode so no opportunity is missed. Sometimes it’s the shot after the shot you meant to take that captures the moment beautifully.

Add Some Variety:

It is not always about showing the newly married couple kissing or in a loving embrace. Sometimes just connecting to each other by chatting, laughing or walking in the distance can itself be enough & can create a beautiful image.

Stay Out Of The Pros Way:

It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day, however with that in mind if you are not the official or designated photographer on the day, try to stay out of the way. The main photographer has been hired for a reason & should have priority. If you want to give the couple a fantastic array of images, let the professionals do their job & you can present a collection of images from different subjects & angles, documenting the day from a whole new perspective.

Bonus tip:

Why not come along to our Wedding photography workshop on the stunning grounds of Russbourgh House. Although it’s not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills to start capturing the big day like a pro!

DPS Bites: 5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

10/07/2017/0 Comments/in dublin photography school, how to, photography holidays, photography tips, travel photography, Uncategorized /by DPS_Admin

5 Tips For Better Travel Photography

When we think of travel photography we often think of the famous landmarks, monuments & attractions of the city or country we plan to visit. However for many people these famous sites are just the tip of the iceberg when visiting a new destination. To us here at DPS travel photography is so much more than just landmarks. To us it is a sub-genre of documentary & reportage photography that involves looking at landscapes, cultures, customs, people & their history. It conveys in an image a feeling that expresses the feeling of a particular time and place.
When we return from a holiday often it’s not the big things e.g. the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa that stick out in our mind but the smaller things. Details & quirks of the trip that spring to mind are e.g. small coffee shops, local markets or the artisans that ply their trade on the roadside. Food & art are things that make a culture unique. When we go away what we are looking to find is not what is similar to our own culture, but what is different. With all of this in mind, here are a few simple tips on what to look for when photographing on your adventures & travels.

Plan Your Kit:

This is one of the most important considerations and one of the first things we teach on our travel photography workshop. Think about what kind of shots you want & make a list. If it’s mostly scenic landscapes then pack a wide angle lens, if it’s people a 50mm fixed or if it’s a mix of both, consider a zoom lens. Remember that it’s not always about what is in your kit bag!, a good compostiion can be achieved on a camera phone or a compact camera, will still look great on a web album or e.g. Instragram.

Be Prepared For Low Light:

A lot of the action takes place in the evening, especially in hotter climates where the heat of the day can be a little over whelming. Be prepared for shooting in low light & carry something portable that you can use as a tripod to create slow exposure effects. A mini gorilla pod or a table top tripod are small & portable & they will fold up neatly into your kit bag. They are ideal for use anywhere. However if you are stuck, then you can use a bean bag, a wall or a rolled up t-shirt.

The 1/640th Rule:

When travelling we are often looking for a shutter speed that will freeze about 90% of everyday action. Try setting your camera to 1/640th of a second, while this will not freeze every scene, it will freeze most day to day scenes that you will come across where people & moving subjects are part of it.
Start walking around with your camera in TV or S mode. This will allow you to focus on framing & composing your image.

Buy Something For A Portrait:

A great way to break the ice with a local trader for example is to buy something small from them, then ask if you can take their portrait! Get chatting to them. Even if language is a barrier they will see from your body language that you have no alterior motive & they will often allow you to take their photograph. Stall holders, shop keepers & street musicians are often asked by travellers for photographs & will generally be willing to have their portrait taken. If fact many of them often play up for the camera.

Get Up High:

High vantage points can be found almost everywhere. Even if your only photographing down-hill, it will make a massive difference to your images.
Get great scenes by getting up high, this can be as simple as photographing from your hotel window or by hiking up a hill, or even taking a drive into the mountains. Try to a have a point of interest in the foreground as a focus point so as to make the shot more interesting.

Bonus Tip:

Why not Take a travel photography workshop or photography holiday with DPS. While it is not exactly a tip, it will teach you all the skills you need to know to capture that trip of a lifetime!

DPS Are Delighted To Have Teamed Up With The Guys In F1.0 Camera Repair

07/07/2017/0 Comments/in Blog, Deal of the month, dublin photography school, got a question, how to, photography tips /by DPS_Admin

DPS are delighted to have teamed up with our friends at F/1.0 Camera Repair, to offer a fantastic discount* on DSLR/Bridge or Mirrorless camera and lens repairs to all Dublin Photography School members and students.

F/1.0 Camera Repair have a reputation for excellence and diligence, with an emphasis on outstanding customer care. The DPS staff have highly recommended them for a number of years now and are delighted to be able to offer this attractive incentive. Why not pop over and have a quick read of some of their Facebook reviews here.

To avail of the discount simply contact F/1.0 Camera Repair here and mention the course code which was issued to you by the DPS tutor on the day of your photography course or workshop (this is the same as your E-notes download code). There is a up to 10% discount* on camera repairs and sensor cleaning.

Please Note: When you contact F/1.0 Camera Repair, you must state the course code to avail of the special DPS discount. This code cannot be given at a later date. All discounts and dealings are at the sole discretion of the guys at F/1.0 Camera Repair.

*T&C’s Apply:

Please Note: Dublin Photography School have NO INVOLVEMENT with Camera repairs, we are simply offering an affiliate discount. All correspondence, quotes, repair advice and remittance are handled solely by F/1.0 Camera Repair.

DPS & TDactive Holidays Italy Adventure – Part 2

19/04/2017/0 Comments/in Blog, Italy Holidays, photography holidays /by DPS_Admin

Day 3: Wild Flowers, Vineyards & Reportage Photography In Florence

On our final day the crew hit the ground running. We are up early to a fantastic day with clear blue skies and glorious sunshine. We depart our hotel and are soon on the A11 bound for Florence. On the way we stop in a beautiful national park known as ,‘Area Naturale Proterra Del Monteferrato’ . This protected area is a mix of organic orchards and groves set on a stunning mountain-side littered with spring wildflowers, olive trees, waterfalls and of course stunning views of the surrounding countryside. After a brief talk on how to shoot flowers and some tips on composition and how to use circular polarizing filters, the guys break up into small groups and explore the grounds of this wonderful spot. After an hour we are back on the bus and stop of at a local cafe for a quick pick-me-up coffee before we are Florence bound once more.

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Arriving in Florence, we are escorted by our guide, via a short walk into the ‘Piazza Del Duomo’. Here we are greeted by the towering ‘Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore’, or as most people call it ‘The Duomo’. We have a quick chat about what are the best settings for reportage and documentary style images and we all break up and start exploring.

As we enter the three biggest markets in Florence, the ‘Saint Lorenzo’s Market’, ‘Saint Ambrogio’s Market’ and the ‘Central Market’, there is a stunning array of local produce, artisans and tradespeople plying their wares and presenting some fantastic and unique photo opportunities. After about two hours in the markets making sure that everybody has gotten the most out of the experience, we then have the rest of the afternoon at leisure, allowing everyone to soak in the sunshine and breathe in everything beautiful Florence has to offer, before we gather at our meeting point and we head towards the ‘Terzo Giardino’, to our waiting coach.

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Aboard our coach we head of to our next destination, the ‘Piazzale Michelangelo‘, which offers us stunning panoramic views of Florence. After a short tutorial the guys take about 20 minutes photographing all that these views have to offer.

Back on the bus we chase the sunset to our next location, a local vineyard outside Lucca.
Here we give a quick run over tripods, filters and composition and photograph the evening sunset, leaving only as the the last of the light has gone for the day.

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We arrive back in Lucca tired and even a little sunburnt after the day. We soon all assemble again for dinner and head to a local restaurant. Chatting and banter is in full swing about the highlights and delights of the last few days. After food and some lovely local vino we head for bed with the comfort of knowing we have a late check-out the next morning and a leisurely drive through the Tuscan country-side back to Bologna airport.

DPS & TDactive Holidays Italy Adventure – Part 1

07/04/2017/0 Comments/in Blog, Italy Holidays, photography holidays /by DPS_Admin

In March 2017, Dublin Photography School and TDactive Holidays took a fabulous four day photography adventure to Italy. The trip balanced fast paced street action, famous landmarks, detailed landscapes and stunning vistas, with good food, mostly sunny weather and the odd carafe of vino!

Sunrise in Dublin airport was punctuated with blurry eyed photographers busily shuffling toward their flight gates, with boarding passes in hand and lugging behind them their various camera bags and luggage. A quick 2 hour 20 minutes flight later we gather in the baggage claim area of Bologna Airport, head through to clear passport control and are greeted by our local TDactive Holidays guide Paola.

Looking around our group of intrepid photographers, they come from all walks of life, different ages, different levels. some are couples, some traveling with friends and some traveling solo. All brought together with their common love of photography and travel.

We load up our coach for our fantastic scenic drive through the Tuscan countryside. There is a air of excitement as we drive our way through the terraced hills, deep valleys and dusty roads. We continue on to the city of Lucca, which will be our base for the next few days. Lucca is perfectly positioned as our starting point for the trip. The city itself is a photographers playground, with it’s renaissance architecture, churches and winding cobbled streets. After an afternoon at leisure to allow the guys sometime to explore the town and get their feet on the ground, we set off to dinner in a local restaurant as arranged by our partners TDactive Holidays. Over dinner the guys get to know each other and after a few glasses of vino and some very well priced beers we retire for the evening.

Day 2: Landscape & Street Photography In Cinque Terre.

The second day of our Italian adventure finds us hitting the ground running. We take our coach to the train station in La Spezia, as there is only one way into the string of five villages that make up the UNESCO site of Cinque Terre (Five Lands) The five villages are, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, each with it’s own unique charm and character. After a 30 minute photography lesson in the open air classroom of the local plaza outside the train station (whilst waiting for our train), we bring everybody up to speed on the different settings and techniques for capturing street images. We climb aboard and head for our first stop, Monterosso al Mare.

I could describe in minute detail the fantastic and quaint character of the villages that feel like they have almost stepped out of time, but as we say here at DPS, I will just let the images do the talking.

There is only one way into the string of five villages that make up the UNESCO site of Cinque Terre (Five Lands) The five villages are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, each with its own unique charm and character.

After a brief lunch in Monterosso al Mare, we re board our train and head for what I consider to be the jewel in the Crown. Arriving in Vernazza, we quickly make our way up a set of steep steps and pass through the narrow cobbled streets as they zig zag up the hill to the cliff-face overlooking the village. Before long we are over- looking the jewel in the crown of Cinque Terre. We start with a quick talk on settings, ND, ND Grad and Circ Pol filters and tripods and we move along the line giving advice on composition and fine fine tuning. Everyone is now set up and then its “lights, camera, ACTION!”

We spend 40 minutes shooting this stunning vista before we head down into the town to explore the craggy shore line with breaking waves and hidden caves that open into secluded inlets. Then we head back to the train station to journey to Lucca. After a quick freshen up we head out to our night shoot around the town.

Part 2: Wild Flowers, Vinyards & Reportage Photography In Florence.

Introducing Our New Head Of Training Stephen Maybury

03/04/2017/0 Comments/in Blog /by DPS_Admin

Dublin Photography School is delighted to announce that Stephen Maybury has been recently named as our new ‘Head Of Training‘ here at DPS. Stephen has been working with us now for over 7 years and in that time he has become a pillar in our organisation. Stephen took over his new roll in late January 2017 and has been busy preparing and designing new photography courses/workshops/location shoots to bring online in the next few months.

On a personal note Stephen is simply one of the finest teaching and education professionals we have ever had the privilege to work with and we are sure you will all join us in wishing Stephen every success in his new role, in which he can only grow and excel.

Dublin Photography School Blog

03/04/2017/0 Comments/in Blog /by DPS_Admin

Dublin Photography School is delighted to start a new photography blog centered around all things photography in Ireland. From the latest upcoming photography courses, workshops and location shoots, to highlights from our recent foreign photographic holiday adventures, and everything in between. Over the next few weeks we have some exciting subjects ready to go, which will include details about our new up and coming podcast Snapshot, highlights from our November 2016 photography trip to Morocco with TDactive. Watch this space!

Also making the rounds in the upcoming weeks will be the details of our exciting new photograpic adventures, as well as all the latest tech news.

If you would like to see a particular topic or subject covered by our blog, or if you would like to be a guest writer for the DPS bog, then please Contact Us Here with your idea and we will do our best to make it happen.

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