Our recent post entitled ‘Photography Careers You Need to Know’ pointed out some of the many ways we can use our skills as professionals as a way to earn more money. We’ll follow along the same lines with today’s topic but specialize even further.

Photography is an exciting profession that’s filled with exploration and adventure. You could be at a stadium shooting a sports event one day and be at a church capturing a wedding the next day. Every day is an opportunity to take photos in a different setting with a new subject, which in turn can make you a better photographer.

Becoming a great photographer is not easy, as there are many things to master on the camera, like understanding the ISO, knowing what shutter speed to use, as well as the best aperture setting at any given time. While these are all important aspects of any camera, they can all be easily learned with practice. What’s not easy to learn is learning how to shoot random, unrehearsed people at some events or the perfect timing for amazing candid shots. Take a casino, for example – if you’re not familiar with the games and how they play out, it can be difficult to know the exact moment when to press the shutter.

Luckily, we’ve put together some tips for a casino shoot scenario. Here’s what you need to know to prepare you before going all-in on a casino photoshoot.

1. Check The House Rules

Most casinos have rules against taking photos on the casino floor, but don’t worry! The rules are usually in place for security purposes. Especially since most smartphones are equipped with cameras, casinos tend not to be very strict with their rules against photos. So, security and management will probably let you get away with taking a few photos, like selfies with chips and group shots with friends next to the blackjack table. Just don’t go overboard or take several photos of random people. To ensure you’re safe, you can always befriend security and let them know you plan to take a few photos.

2. Understand The Game

There are many games on a casino floor, but the one that stands out the most is always poker. Even poker can be confusing to understand as there are many different rules, covered in this article titled ‘The Rules of Poker’. You’ll need to be familiar with those, as well as the different variants, all of which have different play patterns. To get good pictures, you need to understand what is due to happen next. Plus, you’ll need to know the order of play and how the cards are dealt, so studying how to play Texas Hold’em before setting up would be a good idea. Getting to know the lingo could help, too. Basic phrases like “big blind” and “all-in” could give you a better understanding of what’s going on, and you’d be able to predict what might happen next, thus where to point and when to click. Knowledge of the hand rankings is a must so that you’ll know who wins if the players are holding a Full House, Flush, and Straight.

3. Capture Emotion In Your Photos

The best photographs tell stories, so be sure to capture every possible emotion you can. Whether it’s a big win that takes the pot or a massive loss after going all-in, your subjects will reveal raw emotions that tell great stories of the night. A recent photography piece on Forbes recommends storytelling through dynamic images as a way to improve the quality of photos. Therefore, to add to your story, be sure to capture the casino décor as part of the background. Details like poker chips to show off winnings, kissing of the dice on the craps table, and the roulette wheel can add to the casino evening adventure.

Doing a photoshoot in a casino is not as easy as it sounds, but it can be done. With our tips and a little practice, it’ll soon become one of your favorite places to do a shoot at.

Planning a wedding is a challenge at the best of times, and with so many things to arrange, it is easy to overlook something. You want this most special of days to be perfect, so you do need to think about every aspect of the event, and the best place to start is making a list.

• Prioritise – The first things to tackle are the guest list and the venue, as without these, you really can’t go forward, so source the venue and pick a date, preferably a few months away, at least. Once your guest list is drawn up and approved by your partner, you can think about wedding stationery, such as the invitations, and, of course, personalised wedding thank-you cards, which can be ordered online for a very reasonable cost.

• List of Vendors & Services – This is essential, as the list will have contact numbers for all services, along with notes as to the current status, and your list will likely include marquee hire, disco and light show, perhaps some independent food vendors and possibly a bar set up. You can even hire dance floors and furniture, should you wish, and you can make all the arrangements online.

• Parking – It might sound amazing, but sometimes car parking is completely overlooked, and this normally results in unhappy neighbours who are inconvenienced by the sudden number of cars. Signs should be put up, and it is always a good idea to have one person with a flashlight to guide vehicles in and out.

• Ice – Believe it or not, some wedding parties actually run out of ice, and you either need a few ice making machines, or a huge cooler box that is filled to the brim. You can never have too much ice at a wedding party.

• Overnight Accommodation – None of your guests might be planning to stay the night, but often, drivers have had a little too much to drink, and rather than risk driving, they decide to stay the night. Chek with a local hotel for rates and availability, and if you have a spare room, this can be used for temporary accommodation.

• Coats, Bags and Hats – There will be those who wish to hang their overcoat or jacket, and umbrellas and hats are frequently seen at weddings, so a small cloakroom would be fine, preferably with a few hanging rails and coat hangers. Of course, the more guests you have, the more storage space you will need, and if the wedding is in the winter, there will obviously be a lot of garments to be stored.

You should always work from lists, which need to be updated regularly, and by double checking as a habit, you are not likely to overlook anything. All printables can be sourced from a cheap online provider, where you get to choose the design, the paper, the font, and, of course, the images, and with the invitations dispatched, you can begin to plan the reception.