Wedding is not just an event but it is journey that two people have decided to take. Wedding photography may not be a mainstream or commercial photography but it is still an art. It should not be considered to be anything less than serious photography. In fact it is one of the most demanding disciplines of professional work. If you are an aspiring wedding photographer then there are certain key areas that you need to understand. One of the key areas is strategy. Even before you can think about the camera to use, the film roll, the lighting and the background, you need to work on a strategy.

A sound strategy means that you would be able to create opportunities by the numbers. You will have to create an opportunity in every situation. Most wedding photographers take two versions of the same shot to eliminate blinks and at the same time they are able to introduce variety. The norm of wedding photography is to shoot a full-length photo, which is followed by a head and shoulders or half-length photo. Secondly, you will have to create a list of photographs that should be or can be taken during wedding. The list drawn by most professionals include photographs of Bride at home, preparations/wedding dress, parents, bridesmaids, bridesmaids - group photo, bride and bridesmaids, bride and chief bridesmaid, bride and family, parents and bride, mother and bride, father and bride, brothers, sisters and bride, parents and bridesmaids, extended family and any special request.

These will be followed by photographs in the church or outdoors after the wedding ceremony is over. One of the favorite shots is where the bride walks through the aisle. You can take good photos using a tripod so that the flash can bounce from a reflector at around f/5.6 followed by a shutter speed of 1/8 or 1/15 of a second. This will allow ambient light to seep in. If you are not using the tripod then you will need to have one stop less than the normal where the flash will reflect on an 80mm lens and the shutter speed will be 1/30 of a second.

There are basically two types of cameras used for wedding photography. One is the 35mm and the other is a medium format. The 35mm cameras create grainier appearance when the photograph is enlarged as compared to a medium format. Another aspect of photography that you need to know about is the camera film. The camera film is available in both B&W and color. The color film is the most popular one but off late B&W photos are coming to the forefront. The good thing about black & white film is that you can create an artistic look. Secondly, the B&W photos last longer than their colored counterpart. The salient point of color films is that they are more versatile. If you shoot with a color film then you will be able to portray the details of the wedding day. If you are using a 35mm camera for the occasion then your best bet will be 100, 200 or 400 speed film.

Just close your eyes for a moment and try to visualize what the essence of wildlife photography might be. You are bound to see the mesmerizing images of a lion or a cheetah going for the kill. This is because this class of photography aims to captures and captivate you! If you have a passion for photography and if you love being nature, raw and unforgiving, then photographing wildlife is the ideal choice for you.

There are certain key factors that will play an important role in shaping each image while drawing you out for a ‘kill’. You just can’t pick your camera and walk right into a game hunting reserve to shoot a wild animal. You will have to learn ad unlearn. The results, when drawn out of your camera, will be well worth the wait despite the difficult but thrilling process involved in shooting the game.

There are some commandments that you need to follow in wildlife photography and they are:

1) Tracking: You need to study and develop skills that will help you to track a tiger in 100 sq miles of forest land. Tracking is important for the perfect photograph and you can do it by following the paw marks, and the feces.

2) Patience: patience is a big virtue and if you want a great picture, you will have to wait. Remember, you are in their territory!

3) Eye Contact: One of the important rules of photography in the wild is: never try to make eye contact with a wild animal that is bigger and more dangerous like lions, cheetahs, leopards and even wilder beasts.

4) Timing: Timing is synonymous to animal photography. If you are not there at the appropriate time then you will most certainly miss the opportunity. You can achieve perfection in timing by applying the watch and wait theory.

5) Proximity: Don’t get too close to predators as their behaviors can be erratic and dangerous. If you are using a digital SLR camera with a telephoto lens, then you can even take wildlife photographs from a distance.

6) Clothes: During photography, it is always advisable to wear clothes with earthen tones rather than camouflage.

7) Movement: Wild animals respond to movements and even the slightest movement can scare the nervous types like the Deers and Zebras. Sometimes, you will also have to ’stalk’ your subject, as a predator stalks its prey.

Now that you know the various aspects of photographing wildlife, all you need is a good camera. Any camera that offers the following makes for a good buy:

It should provide a manual override of automatic functions. The camera should have an auto-focus as well as manual focus option.

The camera should allow you to set the required shutter speed and aperture.

It should also have an option for mechanical remote release.

Your camera should have a wide angle lens starting at 28mm and can go up to 70mm or 105mm. It should also have a telephoto zoom between 70mm and 100mm and capable of reaching 300mm.

Some of the other accessories required are a polarizing filter, warming filter (81A or B), UV filter, lens hood and the camera bag.