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If you were to look at the architectural designs of temples or cathedrals of many, many years ago, then you may notice the entrance ways actually appeared to “frame” the interior of the building.

Look carefully and you will see that the entrance way to these and other buildings appeared to be “framed,” thus creating a pleasing view of the inside. Soon afterwards, people decided to begin framing art with metal picture frames by molding painted plaster onto a plain wooden base.

The wood picture frame made its more formal debut after being laboriously carved by artists in order to display their art rather than relying on plaster to enhance the frames.

They became more ornate as the artists would embellish them by using the materials that were available, such as gold and silver.

During the renaissance era, picture framing art was taken up by furniture makers and wood carvers, which resulted in being able to obtain different shapes and sizes of frames.

The design of the picture frames actually reflected the personal inspirations of the different furniture makers and wood carvers that sometimes resulted in the frames becoming very expensive.

By the 18th century new picture framing equipment was developed that helped to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to make a frame. However, some feel that these types of innovations caused the cheapening of frames, as they could be produced more quickly and with low cost materials.

Many frame makers began using molds that they filled with wood composite in order to stretch the amount of picture framing equipment needed. Many of the traditional artisans continued to produce a more custom picture frame that was carved from high quality wood by hand.

But, with the automated technological advances being made, it soon became clear that producing them by machine rather than hand was far less expensive and time consuming.

Of course, if you look hard enough you will find that there are some picture frames that are still carved in the traditional manner by hand. If you are looking for a glass picture frame, then a good place to start is at arts and crafts fairs.

Many times there will be a booth set up by the seller to not only sell framing supplies, but to allow you to watch one being carved.

You can find handmade picture frames at arts and crafts fairs as well, and quite possibly the seller has a booth set up so that you can watch him carve a frame in the traditional manner of earlier times.

In photography, Nikon has always been known as a revered brand, and it’s quite a trusted choice among the pros in this niche for their photography business. Today, professional and amateur photographers alike have chosen this brand after Nikon’s range of innovative digital cameras has been introduced to the market. These cameras provide high quality imaging, giving photographers quite a good edge for their photography business. Proving to the world that it has kept in touch with the evolution of technology, Nikon has introduced its latest features to hit the market for photography business.

The latest versions of the Nikon digital cameras that you can utilize to start own photography business give a complete range of automatic and manual exposure control. The key feature among these cameras for photography business is the advanced face detection feature. This feature captures faces moving at any desired angle. They also provide a great zooming capability which gives great flexibility to the user to capture a splendid shot. The distortion control lets the pros adjust the distortion level on the camera in order to get the desired effect of the image.

Nikon provides a wide variety of predefined scene modes that captures the supreme quality of the picture for your photography business by adjusting to the image being captured automatically and then apply the advanced settings. The “high speed sports mode” feature can capture fast changing moments. This is applicable to wildlife, sports and other scenes wherein speed is greatly involved. Even though the user may have to give up quality for speed when it comes to this, Nikon ensures a crystal-clear capture despite a possible resolution drop. Nikon also provides quite a great software for the camera that enables several images to be perfectly joined together, making it look like it has been captured only once. This software is on par with the other softwares available for photography business in the market for post-capture adjustments.

To ensure that the users portray style as they carry around and shoot images for their photography business, Nikon focuses on the look and feel aspect of its products. The cameras that it produces now come in a wide array of styles and sizes, giving photographers choice and range that they have never experienced before in their photography business. It lets the user use all of the available functions with little or no assistance by focusing on the user interface, menus and screens of its products. Nikon has always been associated with great quality-imaging, and it still continues to deliver over and above market expectations today… and also aiding the photographer on how to start photography business the right way!

The number one question by beginner photographers is about lighting. Light is the key to quality photography and can run from $25.00 to tens of thousands for top professional name brand equipment. If you have several thousand to spend then almost any known brand you want to buy will be of good quality and last for many years. Trying to purchase a low cost unit that really works is where many get in trouble.

Light Options

• Digital Power Adjustment
• Head and Power Pack
• Well Made Case
• Compact Size
• Quality Warranty

May go to Ebay for used equipment but Craig’s list is local and you can see whatr you are buying so that is a good place to look. Since quality lights usually last a long time you may find a lot of very old units. Some will be higher voltage than what can be safely connected to new digital cameras . Most can be used but you would need a voltage converter to reduce the power to a safe level. With those same older units most did not have brightness adjustments and were basic one brightness flash. All adjustments would be made in camera or with additional filters and compared to new adjustable units would be very hard to use. I would not suggest purchasing old flash units.

Both new and old units come in 2 variations. They are both strobe lights for photography .The first is a Head and power supply. The head is nothing but the strobe light without any power. The power unit is required to supply power to the strobe. Several heads can be connected to the power unit depending on the watt seconds required and model of the power unit. The heads can be much less expensive than self contained Mono light units. On the other hand the power supply unit can get expensive and must fit the head you purchased. Most start around $500.00 and quickly get over $1000.00 and as much as $5000.00 for top of the line power supplies. Before you buy a head make sure you know the cost of the power supply required to use it. Mono units have a built in power supply and require no additional attachments for use.

Modern flash units with low voltage connections and adjustable output are the units you would want to look at. If you look on Ebay you will find dozens of sellers offering dirt cheap continous lights and strobe units.The low cost continous lights found online usually don’t have enough power for photography. I would say at least 2 units at a minimum of 2000 watts each. Most of the time they will cost more than a good quality entry level strobe light. Strobes start at under $100.00 and go into the thousands.

Many love a brand called Alien Bee which is made in the USA and sold online. It is a quality unit and will work as described. For about the same money I really like a brand made by Camulet Photo called Genesis. They come in both 200 Watt Seconds
(WS) and 400 WS. The 200 Watt unit is a Mono Light so it is totally self contained. Simply plug in a AC outlet and it is ready to use. They sell new for under $175.00 each and provide consistant light output, digital adjustment and even color (White Balance).For action shots they would not be the best choice. A high end light with much faster flash burst would be required.

How much power is enough? For portrait work I find 200WS more than enough. For lighting platinum jewelry or any rings that is more than enough. I use from 1-4 lights depending on the look I want. I seldom use the lights at full power. 95% of the time I am under 75% power or less. In a large room shooting for a auto dealership I needed a lot more than what the 200watt units could provide. A 600 watt unit I have did not even make a difference. I could have used at least 4-5 of the 1000watt units for that one job to even out the bright outside light with the inside light .Renting would have been an option but I had time for a totally free option. My solution was to use 6 lights and wait until the exterior light reduced to a point my lighting would be bright enough. Sure if you purchase1000-3000 watt units you would have more light just in case you ever need it but may find you cannot turn the power low enough for some creative applications where a wide open lens is wanted. Too much power may not allow a mix of strobe and natural light or room light from a lamp to enhance the photo.

I would start with a quality brand Mono unit and spend a good amount of my budget on light modifiers. That is where real light control happens and the more options you have the better light control you will have. A $1200.00 strobe with a $10.00 unbrella will not give you as much light control as a $200.00 strobe with a good quality Soft Box and grid cover. Remember lighting for photography is not all about power, it is about control of the light.

Like most comic publishers I spend rather a lot of time contemplating the state of the industry and the way to make it better well, honestly, the simplest way to make my tiny corner of it better. After spending an enormous amount of time thinking it over and discussing what everybody perceives to be the main elements leading to the downfall of comics ( the distributor monopoly, as an example ), I realized what the most vital problem and killer actually is : the industry. I believe almost all the Problems that we encounter in the bizz come from the industry itself. First comic firms tend to make public for those that are in the sector. Comic publishers usually target their promoting towards those that are here and creators have an inclination to create product just for those that are familiar in industry.

Only occasionally does the concept of bringing new readers in truly ever pop up, which is crazy. That’d be like Hollywood only making films for those that work in film and television. As wacky as it sounds, this looks to be the mind-set of the industry at large. Mags like Cosmopolitan are fashion mags, but their audience is the average girl ( or girl ) entranced by fashion and not members of the industry itself. Their advertising stretches beyond fashion industry trade publications and into the conventional itself, where its buyers reside. Why short sell your books only to the fifty thousand or so members of the active comic community and not go for millions of folk out there who enjoy action movies? Comic publishers aren’t the sole ones the culprit either. Creators themselves are as gigantic a stumbling block to new readership as anything more. If you’d like to know why, take a look at a modern comic vs one from as late as even the mid eighties and you may see one great difference. Check out Online Marvel Comic Books to see what I mean.

No, I am not talking about paper or printing processes. The art itself is the main issue with comics. Solid, clear storytelling has changed into a thing of the past. Did you know why a large amount of new readers are picking up Manga titles? It is down to the fact they are less difficult to read than US ones. Even with the flipped format, most Manga has straight forward enough storytelling that even the most uninitiated reader can follow what is happening and which panel comes next. This can not be declared about most US titles ( indy or conventional ). The incontrovertible fact that the prevailing trend in the USA is for over rendered, poorly thought out PC coloring, doesn’t help readability in any way. But it does not need to be that way. The public will read comics if you can get yourself out of the industry mind-set and start making comics for readers rather than for a sector more curious about John Byrne’s latest social blunder than in purchasing your books. Some places to think about for your books ( depending on its target market ) are non-chain book stores, new age shops, record stores ( Tower is beginning to have a great choice of indy and little press ‘zines ), libraries, corner markets, mags with an analogous areas of interest, colleges, neighborhood mailer compilations ( like the small discount books you get in the post ), area events ( concerts are a great spot ), swap meets, colonnades or game stores. Become used to it. These are some tips for making your books more accessible to general audiences : one ) promote your books outside of comic-specific areas. Work out who might have an interest in your book and pursue those outlets. I have had success at art holidays, flea markets, record stores, sci fi mags and more. It’s worth the additional effort. Two ) dump full page bleeds on each page. Do not be scared of negative space around your pages. They are also excellent for pacing in your storytelling. It’s muddy and confusing.

Look at animation or places such as Disney journeys for reference on coloring. Most cartoony books are well coloured because they need to ensure the work is swiftly accessible to readers of every age. Not every panel must be a totally digitally painted work of’art.’ five ) think about storytelling. The most significant thing in a comic is that you don’t lose your audience. If at any time your readers get puzzled as to where to read next, then you have failed at your job as a storyteller. And, remember, style is no excuse for poor storytelling ( or poor design generally, but that is a rant for another time ) six ) do not have huge blocks of text or dialogue in each panel.

There’s an old unwritten rule in conventional comics ( and one which has been mostly forgotten or ignored ) : never have more than twenty-six words in any balloon or caption box. Anything more than this and the words will run together, probably causing readers to hop over sections of what’s on the page. Seven ) This one is going to cause any comic collector to cower : shed issue numbers. Or, if you have to have them, put them in the indicia only. Sure you can make them aware there are more stories they can read ( and, which should be available in trade paperback ), but do not make those stories needed reading.

Follow Cosmo’s lead ( or Rich kid’s ) and just have the month and year on each cover. Comics should be entertainment first and most important. More: Marvel Comic Trading Cards

Eight ) Forget the chant, comics are not simply for youngsters anymore. It’s old, played out and is a part of the death sentence of the industry. Without young readers there’s no future in the business. As a 2nd part of this idea, because your comic has adult language, nakedness and graphic violence doesn’t immediately make the book for adults. My heresy will end with this statement : the sole way to save comics could be to let the comic industry, as it exists at the moment, shrivel up and die. The industry isn’t the heart of comics and did not make them, so dare to be different.

Put down the newest issue of the comic industry death watch, Magician . Pay no attention to the party line that an indy book will sell less than 250 copies there’s a world outside the Geppi chokehold.

A little bit of inspiration for you : Clever’s main title, the Cadre, sells over 5000 copies per issue and ninety percent of that’s outside the comic industry.

Not bad for a black and white, conventional style super hero comic. You have to head out and find them. Online Marvel Comic Books