Photography For Beginners

How To Be Professional Photographer

2008-06-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

If you are naïve, passionate, and want to do something exclusive, If you'd like to consider photography as something more than just a creative outlet or a hobby you may be on your way to discovering a new career path, the one that would lead you the success and top profiles.

This is not to say that becoming a photographer is easy, nor is it to say that all the people who want to become professional photographers will attain their goal. The photography industry is cutthroat and competitive. There are more people who want to become world renowned photographers than there are spaces to fill. The result is that, those who want to fill those spots, or even just become successful at photography on a local level are going to need to have immense creativity and business acumen like no other.

First of all becoming a working professional photographer has to do with one main element; Becoming recognized in the field. People don't only buy your art; they also buy your credentials. In a sense, their buying what you represent. Often those things you represent will be of intrinsic value to your customers. Such as with whom you've worked in the past, where you've been published, how long have you been a photographer, where have you traveled to do work and so on?

Secondly you will also want to get as much education under your belt as possible. Throughout your education as a photographer you should also be taking as many photographs as possible to help build your portfolio. You will need to ensure your photography portfolio stands above the rest by paying extra special attending to detail. Look at the book itself, the paper it's printed on, the font of descriptions, your borders, your themes, picture sizes, colors, layout and so on. Do not simply fill a scrap book or photo album with photographs. Once finished, you should be able to walk away from your portfolio and be impressed with your own work, which is not easy task for many photographers, as most of them are their own worst critics.

Further you should also start looking around for assistant or internship work. Often this work doesn't pay well but still it will help you learn more about the industry and art. You should try and work under the most respected photographers you can find. By doing this you are adding to your credentials without knowing it. You only want to surround yourself with the best and present your best side all the times.

Moreover you will also need to have a strong sense of business acumen. If you are planning on being like the 50% of other photographers who are self employed, you'll need to make sure you have a good sense of networking skills, pricing, public relations knowledge and on top of that have a strong sense of creativity and imagination. Being an artist and a business person will be no small feat. It will have you on your toes at all times.

Lastly, you'll want to narrow your professional interest to one or two main fields. For example you may want to work with press and other media, or you may be interested in photojournalism. Others may be interested in scientific or sports photography. Whatever your interest is, make sure you find the best people in that particular industry and study them. Model your success after theirs.

Remember, nothing worth while comes easy. There will be times when you think "what am I doing?". Stick with it and there will be a payoff at the end of the tunnel. There will be a ray of light in the end of the day. Most importantly, enjoy your whole journey. The success at the end wouldn't be as welcome if there wasn't the struggle at the beginning.
With best wishes from www.microglobe.co.uk

Amin Khan

Microglobe Photographic Eqquipments Retailer In London UK.

Basics of Photography (By Christopher Haslego)

2008-06-11T03:09:00.002-07:00

Understanding light is one of the very basic principles of learning to be a photographer. When you have a group of people in front of you with smiling faces ready for you to say ‘cheese’ or if you are taking a shot of a scenic area, the most important consideration is the light factor. Light controls the type of exposure and therefore the quality of the photo is dependent on the quality of the light on your subject and the amount of light that impacts on the film or digital sensor when you click. Controlling the amount of light is a good pre-occupation in the mind of a photographer keen to get a good shot. It should be one of the key considerations.

The word ‘exposure’ is a very important word in the lexicon of both amateur and professional photographers and is based on the understanding of light in creating good photographs.

--If there is too much light, the photo will look overly bright and over exposed.

--A happy group of people will not look as vibrant if there was inadequate light when you took the picture.

--Bright sunlight can create shadows under the eyes.

--Poor lighting may not bring out the colors in the scene to maximum effect

There are a few basics that you can apply to circumvent poor picture quality due to unfavorable light conditions:

--Change the position from which you take the shot

--Change the light if clicking indoors

--Use the flash

The use of the flash can be a boon when you operate in different light conditions. If you have an overcast sky, the flash in your camera will serve the purpose of letting some light into the image that you are trying to capture and brightening it up. The flash also works to your advantage when your subject is not too close but slightly away from you. But you have to check the ‘flash range’ of your camera in your manual. The flash works best when your subject is within a recommended range that is usually at least 4 ft and generally not more than 10 ft.

Most simple cameras have an automatic flash. Slightly better models will have settings for fill-flash. The concept of fill flash revolves around filling light in areas of a picture that may turn out dark or shadowed. Fill-flash has the ability to balance the amount of light on different parts of a subject to ensure that the exposure is adequately bright. For instance, a portion of a person’s face may appear shadowed and the fill-flash setting can help iron out this problem.

The angle of light is another important consideration. You have to pay attention to the direction from which light falls on your subject and there are several approaches in manipulating the angle of light to improve the visual appeal of a picture.

Sideways lighting: Light from the side is used to creates depth in the picture and is considered one of the best ways to use light if you are taking a portrait photograph.

Light from the top: This is a method used to brighten up most of the scene but does not work as well when you take a photograph of a person. It tends to create shadows on the lower half of the face when the lighting is high.

Light from behind your subject: This strategy is sometimes used by photographers to amplify the impact of the picture. It can create a halo like effect; it can add artistic shadows and can also create a striking contrast between the subject and the background if used effectively. When you use a ‘back light’ it is recommended that the fill-flash settings on your camera are also adjusted in order to avoid shadows in your photograph.

The second issue in photography is the aesthetics of the picture. Aesthetics is the creativity and attention to detail that you bring to your photograph. It is the most interesting part of photography since it is almost like a visual equivalent of composing a poem or writing a story. Aesthetics requires the use of visual skills to compose and deliver a pleasing, eye-catching and captivating image. It is a type of vision that you have for your photograph in terms of look and appeal.

Aesthetics requires a good eye for detail. The following factors have to borne in mind in creating an aesthetically appealing photograph:

Background

--Periphery

--Distance from subject

--Changing the direction of your camera based on picture dimensions

--Objects impinging on the picture

--Avoiding too many elements

Each of these factors that go into aesthetics are described and explained below-

-->Background

The background in a photograph requires much consideration. It influences the manner in which your subject is portrayed in the photograph. Depending on your choice of background, your subject will be shown to effect or may be overshadowed. The background also makes the difference between a boring and an interesting photograph. The colors, the type of background and the context add to the vibrancy of the photo.

-->Perphery

A common problem among beginners in photography is not paying attention to whether the image is being captured fully. When you view your subject through the viewfinder, you may think you have clicked a person from head to shoulder or from head to toe in a full shot. But when the actual photograph is processed, the top of your subject’s head or part of the hair may be missing! Or, if you did not center your subject when you composed the shot through your viewfinder, a part of the shoulder or hand may be lost into the edges of the photo. You need to concentrate when you view your subject through your camera before you click, in order to get the picture exactly the way you want it.

-->Distance from Subject

The distance from a subject is another critical aspect in getting a good picture. You want to see facial expression, not a mass of faces when you take a photograph. To do this, you have to be at a suitable close distance from your subject. On the other hand, when you click pictures of a campus, the distance that you click from can give you a wide view and take in a lot more of the scene. To take close up pictures of flowers or crystal or any decorative item, you have to move into close range and use suitable lenses to achieve the right magnification.

-->Changing the Direction of Your Camera Based on the Picture

Many a time you may not be able to capture the subject in it’s entirety in the conventional horizontal position in which the camera is usually held. You can easily change the direction. Hold the camera vertically and then view your subject. You will be able to capture more of a longish subject like a tall monument, a full-length picture of a child, and so on.

-->Objects Impinging on the Picture

At times there are certain objects in a scene that seem to almost invade into the picture. For instance, if you take a picture of a group of your friends on a street, chances are that a street sign may gain prominence in the photograph unbidden and may seem to sprout out of the head of one of your friends in the photograph. Or the light fixtures in your living room may find a place in the picture and appear in the form an unseemly blob in your photo. And the tough part is, when you take the shot you may not be aware of this because the eye is focused on the people in the picture.

-->Avoiding Too Many Elements

A picture cluttered with too many objects may detract from the actual subject. For instance, a wide view of a room in which your subject is sitting may create a photo in which too many objects vie for attention. If the person in the picture is your main target then narrow down and concentrate mostly on clicking the subject. While a good background adds value to a picture, too much paraphernalia could take the attention away from the main subject. Your picture may be focused and the lighting may be good but there is so much going on in the picture that it becomes aesthetically lacking and maybe even a little jarring.

Besides Light and Aesthetics, the third issue in photography basics refers to ‘focusing’ the picture. Getting the right focus is the difference between a blurred image and a sharp image. If you have an auto focus camera, the camera will do the job for you. This is available in most basic models. You can also achieve focus manually in other cameras using the mechanism to adjust the focus and to lock the focus on the subject before you click.

To achieve the right focus, it is important to decide on the artistic elements of the final picture. There are areas of a scene that you may want sharper and clearer. For instance, when you photograph a famous monument, you may want the building as well as the blue sky against which it is silhouetted to be crystal clear. If you are photographing a camel in a desert, you might want the camel to be clear and a slightly hazy/blurred effect of the surrounding sand. If you are taking a shot of a room containing a priceless vase, when you look through your viewfinder, you want the finer details of the intricate patterns on the vase to be clearer than other objects in its vicinity. So, it’s also a question of the portion or key part of your picture your focus is really on.

This area that you identify for your focus is referred to as the ‘depth of field’. You can lock the focus on the depth of field that you choose. You can control the focus and depth of field depending on your objectives for different shots.

The basics of photography are better applied when you put into perspective the capabilities of the camera model that you use or plan to purchase. Simple point and shoot cameras require minimal knowledge in operating them. They are easy to use and have the bare minimum controls. The user has to just compose and aim the shot on the subject and presses the shutter button. ‘Click’ and the job is done. The camera handles its functions automatically.

For those of you who want to work with a slightly more sophisticated camera, you have the option of a Single Lens Reflex camera popularly called the SLR system. This type of camera is available in both 35mm film format as well as digital format. Digital cameras have no film but the image is captured on an image sensor and stored in photo memory. Digital cameras in general provide superior picture quality. The internal system of the SLR camera is made up of angled prisms and mirrors that actually work like a lens when you click. But you have a few things to learn about this camera system before you can achieve better light exposure, sharpness and good focus. While it is imperative that you study the instruction manual of your SLR camera system thoroughly to understand the features and functioning, given here are some of the features and a brief explanation on how these features can help you in achieving the right exposure.

-->Additional Lenses for Close Up Shots

An additional feature in an SLR camera that makes it far superior to a simple ‘point and shoot’ camera is the ability to use add-on lenses. When you attempt to take a close up shot of objects in nature like a flower or a butterfly, you might want a very high level of clarity. You can add power to your camera by attaching an additional lens onto your camera lens for greater magnification of your subject. These supplementary lenses are available at reasonable prices in different powers like +2, +3 and so on.

You can also look for a model with an optical zoom lens that gives you the flexibility of variable focal length and a range of lens options within a single zoom lens.

-->Shutter Speed

The shutter in your camera lets light in during a shot and keeps light out at other times. When the shutter opens for an exposure, light is allowed to impact on the film or image sensor. If you set a slow shutter speed, more light impacts on the sensor and affects the type of exposure. When you use a faster shutter speeds your picture is sharper and clearer. There is a maximum shutter speed that is available to you in your camera system. The shutter speed is set at a fraction of a second- for instance, 1/1000th of a second. It could also be 1/2000th or even the much-preferred higher speed of 1/4000th of a second that is available in certain models. Professional use models boast of even higher shutter speed of 1/6000th or 1/8000th of a second. If you want to freeze action such as in sports, you require fast shutter speeds.

There are many more features that when used effectively can add value to the impact of your photographs. Most 35mm SLR cameras have a TTL viewfinder. TTL stands for ‘through the lens’ metering system. This device has the ability to measure (on a scale) the amount of light impacting the film. Using this device is the key to control the exposure and get the right amount of light in order to capture a proper image. You can also use a tripod with your SLR camera. A tripod is your answer to achieving the right exposure in a close up shot and in low light conditions. It holds the camera steady, helps in focusing and ensures a sharper picture even when shutter speed is slow.

The guidelines discussed here on the basics of photography and the additional features of the SLR system, will not only get you started but also help you avoid the common mistakes that many budding photographers make. Study your manual thoroughly for insights and ideas. Learning photography requires patience and the ability to constantly experiment and teach yourself through a process of trial and error.

The author, Chris Haslego, is founder of http://www.cameramanualstore.com, the internet's foremost source of camera manuals. With over 4000+ camera manuals available from all major manufacturers.

The Arizona Desert Museum (By Carolyn Wright)

2008-06-11T03:09:00.001-07:00

The vast beauty and richness of the desert can be easily seen in one place in Tucson, Arizona. Known as the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum [“Desert Museum”], this gorgeous and convenient site is host to a cornucopia of plants, birds and animals native to the desert. Home to more than 300 animal species and 1200 plants in natural settings, it is a photographer's paradise.

Located in the Tucson Mountain Park just a few miles outside of Tucson, the Desert Museum was founded in 1952. The private, nonprofit organization, dedicated to the conservation of the Sonoran Desert, offers a zoological park, a botanical garden, an art gallery and a geology museum.
The Desert Museum is a 15 minute drive from the heart of Tucson and is open every day of the year. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. from October through February, and 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. from March through September. The entrance fee is $9 for adults.

While this is in fact a “museum,” don't be confused by the name. The facility is out in the open and feels more like a zoo or a park. It includes almost two miles of paved and dirt paths through 21 acres of desert.

WHAT YOU CAN PHOTOGRAPH THERE

The hardest thing about this location is deciding what to photograph. Should you spend your time shooting in the cactus garden or the hummingbird aviary? Do you first go through the pollination garden filled with bees, butterflies and moths, or visit the several exhibits of mammals, including black bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, wolves, bob cat, fox and coyote? It will take several visits to take in all of this.

Docents - trained volunteers - wear white shirts and are available throughout the Museum to answer your questions and to give demonstrations. One docent enthusiastically shared his Mexican Boa snake with me, while another held a screech owl and explained the differences between the many species of owls.
While there is much to photograph, don't become so enamored with the various subjects that you forget about making your best images. Backgrounds and people will be your biggest challenges. Tripods are allowed everywhere, but signs advise photographers to be mindful of the other visitors. Put your lens right up to the birdcages so that the cages are so out of focus they can't be seen in your final photo. Avoid photographing the animals in dappled or spotty light (where parts of the animal are in shade and other parts in light). Like many zoos, the animals often are sleeping around corners where they are difficult to photograph so talk with trainers, docents and museum staff to see when they feed the animals. This is when they will be most active.

TIPS FOR SHOOTING THERE

You also have to practice your technique. For example, the hummingbirds move fast as lightening, so it's impossible to follow them to shoot. Instead, look where they roost or feed, set up your shot for the best background, and then patiently wait for the hummingbirds to return - they will. While the light is best both morning and afternoon, the animals are more active early in the day. Be careful to avoid the bright background where the mountain lion likes to perch. Note that the Desert Loop Trail, home to the javelina and coyote, is a relatively steep and hot trail.

You'll want a long telephoto lens in the range of 300-400 mm to frame the wildlife. An extension tube or telephoto/macro will allow for close focusing of the hummingbirds. For the full compliment of images, add a wide-angle lens for the few landscape shots and a macro lens for the cactus garden.
In addition to the birds and mammals, the Desert Museum has excellent reptile, invertebrates and underwater exhibits, as well as a mineral display. The light in these areas is inadequate for photography, however.

The heat of the desert makes it a difficult visit to the Desert Museum in summer. In October during my visit, the noonday heat was tolerable with a hat and sunglasses, but the temperatures were more comfortable during the early morning and late afternoon. One docent advised that April is the best time to visit for desert flowers, but she tells her friends to visit in March when it's cooler.

DIRECTIONS

For more information, check the website at www.desertmuseum.org, or call 520-883-1380. The address is 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ. To get there, take I-10 to the Speedway Boulevard exit and go west for about 10 miles. Note that Speedway Boulevard turns into Gates Pass Road along the way, and be sure to stop at the two scenic view turnouts there. Turn right at the dead end onto Kinney Road, and drive for three miles. The Desert Museum will be on your left. If you arrive via the Tucson airport, signs will direct you to the Desert Museum by way of Highway 86. I found this to be the longer and less efficient approach, but you see more of the beautiful Tucson Mountain Park this way. Also use this route if you are carrying a trailer, because the Gates Pass Road is steep and winding as it travels over a mountain pass.
The Desert Museum provides a tremendous abundance of wonderful photographic and educational opportunities in one place, and is worth many visits.

MISCELLANEOUS

Food: There are four food facilities on the Desert Museum property, ranging from a snack bar to casual fine-dining. No picnicking is allowed inside the property due to the presence of animals, but a small picnic area is available just outside the entrance. Additional large picnic areas are located throughout the Tucson Mountain Park, including the San Juan Carlos picnic area adjacent to the Desert Museum on Kinney Road.

Lodging: Since the Desert Museum is close to downtown Tucson, there are lots of places to rent a hotel room. Convenient hotels include the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (800-843-8052), the Marriott University Park Hotel (520-792-4100), and the Red Roof Inn (520-744-8199). The Gilbert Ray Campground (RV friendly) is located on Kinney Road about two miles southeast from the Desert Museum (take a right turn when leaving the Museum).

Other Necessities: Restrooms, shaded rest areas and water fountains are scattered conveniently throughout the Museum, including on the relatively long, hot Desert Loop Trail. The Museum has two gift shops stocked with a supply of batteries, film and other necessities. Bring a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and comfortable, sturdy shoes. Pants will keep the cactus needles at bay, especially if you venture into the desert for that sunset shot. The closest gas station and convenience mart are located four miles southeast (a right turn from the Desert Museum exit) on Kinney Road.

Caution: The sun can be harsh and the air is dry. Drink lots of fluids. Also note that pets are not allowed in the park because of the wildlife, but do not leave them unattended in your car. Wildlife, including snakes, lizards and coyotes, can roam throughout the Museum's grounds.

Other Local Areas of Interest: The Saguaro National Park (http://www.nps.gov/sagu/), another significant member of the Sonora Desert, borders the Tucson Mountain Park. Famous for its giant saguaro cacti that sometime reach heights of 50 feet, the Park offers several hiking trails and scenic drives that provide access to great photo opportunities. The Old Tucson Studio, where many cowboy movies have been shot, is just southwest of the intersection of Gates Pass Road and Kinney Road. On your way to the Desert Museum via Speedway Boulevard, you will pass The Wildlife Museum, full of stuffed animals from around the world. A couple of visitors to the Desert Museum told me that the Colossal Cave located in Vail, Arizona (about an hour drive from Tucson), which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is a must see. www.colossalcave.com

--- ABOUT THE AUTHOR ---

Carolyn Wright is a professional photographer with an active portrait, event and nature photography business. Shooting for 25 years, her award-winning images have been used in books and corporate marketing materials. Her wildlife photos will be included in the upcoming book, "Captivating Wildlife - Images from the Top Ten Emerging Wildlife Photographers" by Scott Bourne and David Middleton. She also is working with Scott Bourne on "Wolfscapes," a photo book documenting the beauty and strength of wolves. Her wildlife images can be viewed at http://www.vividwildlife.com..On the faculty of Olympic Mountain School of Photography, Carolyn’s passion is enhanced when teaching photography. She enjoys writing and speaking on the subject, as well, and is a regular columnist for PhotoFocus, an online magazine for serious photographers.

Photography Has No Gender (By Carolyn Wright)

2008-06-11T03:08:00.002-07:00

Women photographers are fortunate. Unlike other titles, photographer has no gender. Women photographers don’t have to force stilted language like “flight attendant” instead of “stewardess,” or “letter carrier” instead of “mailman.” “Photographer” doesn’t have the historical male/female titles such as “author” and “authoress,” or “actor” vs. “actress.” Women photographers may not even have to battle the associated gender that “doctors” or “nurses” do. Did you know that bank tellers always were men up until WWII because it was thought that women couldn’t handle money?

So when you visualize a photographer, is it a man or woman? It probably depends on your most recent contact with one. But when you look at a photograph, can you tell whether it was taken by a man or a woman? Probably not. So, at least on one side of the lens, it doesn’t make a difference that the photographer is a woman.

So why is it important to talk about women and photography? Because, according to a recent study conducted at the University of California at Irvine, women’s brains are different than men’s.

The study found that women have more “white matter” than men. White matter handles the connections of the brain’s processing centers. Men, on the other hand, have more “gray matter” than women. Gray matter controls the information processing centers in the brain. According to Rex Jung, a neuropsychologist and co-author of the study, “this may help to explain why men tend to excel in tasks requiring more local processing (like mathematics), while women tend to excel at integrating and assimilating information from distributed gray-matter regions in the brain, such as required for language facility.” Although different, the study found that both types of brain designs are “capable of producing equivalent intellectual performance.” http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1261

It therefore makes sense that when women think and learn about photography, and even when they take photos, their approach is different than men’s. What should women photographers do, then, with this information?

First, women should acknowledge and celebrate their differences. There is no right way to approach photography, as long as it works for you. Don’t try to imitate male photographers, and certainly don’t be uncomfortable with how you shoot. Second, study the work of women photographers who were pioneers, such as Imogen Cunningham and Dorothea Lange, as well as current women photographers such as Linde Waidhofer, Lisl Dennis and Joyce Tenneson. They may have created easier paths for you to follow.

Most important, you should look for support as a woman photographer. There are organizations that specifically serve the needs of women photographers. A primary example is “Women in Photography International.” Its mission is to promote the visibility of women photographers and their work through a variety of programs, exhibitions, juried competitions and publications.

Seek programs like that provided by the Professional Photographers of America (“P.P.A.”). It held its 2nd annual “Women in Photography Retreat” this past August. The purpose of the event was to “embark on an exciting journey of self-discovery . . . to forge new friendships, cultivate your strengths, and shape strategies for your personal, professional and creative development in a relaxing, stress free resort.”
You also should evaluate your situation. Does your local camera club involve you as a woman photographer? Do you get the support you need from your friends and family? You may have to make some careful choices about your associates if they don’t encourage your art.

Likewise, you should examine whether you are getting the photography instruction that you need. It doesn’t have to come from a woman for it to help you. Choose photography workshops that offer the opportunity to share the passion and inspiration with all photographic artists in a welcoming environment.
Finally, you should use your female advantage in photography. There are the obvious areas. You can be in the bride’s dressing room and you can make a connection with the crying baby. There are the less obvious items, too. You can “communicate” with the person who speaks a different language, connect with the wild animal or see the unique lines of the landscapes. Let your vision expand to its fullest, female state.

This is not to suggest that you become a ranting feminist photographer. The art of photography is to be cherished and appreciated, regardless of whether it is done by a woman or a man. The point is that photography has no gender. As a photographer, you should create superb images of enduring quality. The viewer won’t care who it came from. Don’t let any artificial designations get in your way. But you also should acknowledge, celebrate, explore and nourish your difference. You may be pleased with what you discover.

--- ABOUT THE AUTHOR ---

On the faculty of Olympic Mountain School of Photography, Carolyn’s passion is enhanced when teaching photography. She enjoys writing and speaking on the subject, as well, and is a regular columnist for PhotoFocus, an online magazine for serious photographers.

9 Tips For Taking Great Digital Photos (By Christopher Thomas)

2008-06-11T03:08:00.001-07:00

Introduction

Modern cameras are highly automatic in operation. They have auto focus and auto exposure. The camera will focus on the subject - often identified by a small circle or square at the centre of the viewfinder - and calculate an appropriate exposure by detecting the level of reflected light - usually from the same spot. A slight pressure on the shutter release will activate those two functions, without taking a picture. Further pressure on the shutter release will result in a photo being taken.

1 Take care to Focus and Expose on the Subject of the Image

Imagine you are taking a picture of your girl friend against the background of an interesting harbour. Your girl friend is six feet away while the harbour is around 50 feet away. You position your girl friend carefully - she is important to you - at one side of the picture with an interesting view of the harbour in the distance. Now do you want to focus on the harbour - or your girl friend? Position the square or circle at the centre of the viewfinder over the spot that you want to focus on and correctly expose - take a slight pressure on the shutter release - and keep that pressure while you move the camera to frame the image you want to take - then, and only then, push the shutter release fully down and take the photo. If you want to have everything in focus - then see 7 Depth of Field.

2 Carefully Compose Your Shot

Before taking the picture take a careful last look through the viewfinder. Check the composition, and particularly that heads nd feet are included, and that all faces are visible in anything other the smallest of groups. With the camera taking care of focus and exposure - you have the time to concentrate on getting the composition perfect. Photographic amputation of limbs is unforgivable!

3 Set the Colour Balance Correctly on the Camera

Digital cameras have controls that allow the operator to set the nature of the lighting illuminating the subject. In general they will default to daylight, since shots are likely to be taken outdoors. On this setting, pictures taken indoors under artificial tungsten lighting will look yellow - they will have a yellow cast. Pictures taken under strip lighting will look green. Setting the camera appropriately will produce consistent balanced photographs. Look in the camera manual to see how to set the control - it is very easy. Flash guns produce a light, which is very similar in colour 'temperature' to that of daylight.

4 Don't Expect Too Much from the On Camera Flash

The on camera flash is designed for convenience when shooting a small group of people. It will not illuminate a hall. When
watching public events on the television it is somewhat surprising to see members of the audience in the Albert hall take a pocket camera out and shoot a picture with their flash. This is unlikely to be successful. Better to turn the sensitivity of the camera up - say to 800ASA - the 'film speed', or sensitivity. This might produce a better result. Do not confuse sensitivity of the camera with shutter speed. They are different. An on camera flash will illuminate only a short distance - as a guide pick up your cat firmly with two hands by the tail and swing it around at arms length - that is the sort of distance the flash will illuminate!

5 A Tripod is Essential for Long Distance Shots

Most modern digital cameras come with a zoom lens that can take both wide angle and telephoto shots. This is extremely useful. However remember that when the camera is on its furthest telephoto setting, camera shake will become a problem. If you are taking a telephoto shot and the camera chooses a slow to medium shutter speed, the result might be blurred due to the movement of your hands while taking the exposure. Use a tripod - all wildlife photographers use them. They are a pain to carry but improve quality by orders of magnitude.

6 Fast Moving Subject Require a Fast Shutter Speed

The shutter is that part of the camera which opens briefly to allow light to strike the sensitive surface of the detector to
produce an image. Fast moving object require extremely short shutter speeds in order to capture a crisp sharp image. Slower
shutter speeds will produce a blur as the object moves.
In general outdoor photography a shutter speed of 1/60th or 1/125th second will be acceptable. In contrast, shooting a formula one car in motion will require shutter speed of say 1/1000th of a second.

7 A little About Depth of Field

In days past, a photographer would measure the level of light at a location with a light meter and then calculate the best
combination of shutter speed and aperture to correctly expose the film. This is now done automatically by the camera. Aperture is the measure of how much light is passing through the lens. The lens has an iris, which can be 'stopped down' to reduce the amount of light passing through the lens. A fully open lens will pass the greatest amount of light - full aperture - but this also reduces the 'depth of field'. The depth of field is the band of distance over which the subject is in focus. In 1 above, with full aperture either your girl friend or the harbour is in
focus - but not both. By 'stopping down' the lens - reducing the aperture - both can be brought into focus. But as a consequence the amount of light passing through the lens is reduced. The length of time which the shutter is open will have to be increased to compensate.

8 When taking Landscapes Avoid Putting the Horizon Across the Centre of the Image

Drawing the picture horizon in the middle of the image simply looks naff. It divides the picture in to two and fails to engage the viewer. Best to concentrate on the sky or the foreground. Photograph a setting sun with red sky, or a rainbow with the horizon low in the picture. Or concentrate on the landscape and place the horizon high in the picture.

9 Be Aware of the Effects of Back Lighting

Let us go back to the example given in Hint 1. Imagine that in the picture of your girl friend in front of the harbour, the sun is setting, casting its golden rays across the sea and reflecting on the masts and other metal objects of the harbour
with white clouds illuminated red in the dying rays of the sun. An evocative and romantic shot. Taking the shot with the camera will result in a beautiful background but a black shadow of a girl friend! Now that might be appropriate should you have had a particularly bad day with her and it might correctly reflect the mood. However using the on camera flash to fill in the darkness - to illuminate her face and show her features might be more appropriate on a better day!

Christopher Thomas is both keen photographer and company director of Viewlink Ltd based in Amersham, Uk. The company focusses on digital photo developing for both amateur and commercial photographers. For more articles by Christopher Thomas please visit the company website at http://www.view-link.com

A New Way to Use Old Snapshots (By LeAnn R. Ralph)

2008-06-11T03:07:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you have hundreds of photographs sitting in envelopes. Pictures from birthday parties, weddings, family gatherings, anniversaries, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You have already put the best snapshots into albums and these are leftovers. You don't want to throw them away, but you also don't know what to do with them.

Instead of letting your snapshots take up space and contribute to the clutter in your home, use them to make collages (at a cost of less than $10 each) that you can give as Christmas gifts to family and friends. Here's how:

Assess your collection of pictures. Do you have several dozen of your spouse or significant other? Your parents? Your children? Grandparents? A friend? A beloved pet? Decide which person would like to receive these pictures and divide them into groups accordingly.
Buy a picture frame with glass (either 5x7 or 8x10) for each collage you are going to make. Department stores sometimes have sales on picture frames, and you can often purchase a suitable frame for $5 or less.
Cut a sheet of paper (use cardstock, 24# paper or light cardboard) to match the size of the opening on the picture frame.
Cut out the background of the pictures, leaving just the people (or pets). Cut out enough pictures to cover the sheet of paper.
Arrange the cut-out pictures on the paper. Mix and match and experiment. Try placing the pictures at different angles.
After you have an idea of how you would like to arrange the pictures, glue them to the paper. (Check the label to make sure that you can use the glue with photographs.) Cover the entire sheet of paper with pictures.
When the glue is dry, insert the paper into the frame.

Collages are not only a good way to use your old snapshots, but the recipients also will cherish them for years to come as a special and thoughtful gift.

About The Author

LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer in Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Assoc.) and is the author of the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003; trade paperback) http://ruralroute2.com

bigpines@ruralroute2.com

How to Take Great Photos of Your Child (By Kelly Paal)

2008-06-11T03:06:00.000-07:00

Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. What I hear from parents is that they dont think that their kids are that easy to photograph. Thats only because they dont know some basic tips.

1. Young children especially infants take beautiful photos while they are asleep. Keep the light natural avoid flash if at all possible. Keep the image tight on the child and crop out distractions. For infants when theyre awake youre better off having another person in image, it gives the child someone to interact with and you can crop the shot to keep the other person out of the image or you can keep the adult and child in the photo.

2. Toddlers look best when they dont know that youre taking their photo. Candid shots are the way to go for this age group. Keep your camera handy and when they start doing something cute snap the photo quick. Remember your child doesnt have to be looking directly into the camera to take a great photo. Dont ever say to the toddler, Oh how cute, now look here. It wont happen.

3. Children ages 4 plus are really good at sitting for photos. But if youre going to dress them up make sure that they are comfortable and dont put them in some outfit they hate, it will show in the image. Crop tight on your subject, keep the light natural, and if youre using a toy to get their attention make sure that it makes them laugh and doesnt scare them. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)

4. Older children are really good at dressing up for photos. The hardest thing will be getting a natural smile from them. Say, cheese is a sure fire way to get a fake smile. Most of us learned young to smile automatically at that cue. Here you have to get silly. One time I was working with a young boy and his older sister. She was a natural smiler and loved being dressed up. He was not happy and kept pulling at his tie. His mother straightened it for the tenth time. I posed them and addressed the young boy I said, Now on the count of three I want you to say, I hate this tie! His sister smiled surprised at what I said, and he grinned. I took the photo. He then screamed, I hate this tie! Again both smiled wide and I took a second photo. The images turned out beautiful.

I hope these tips help you to take better photos of your child. With a little practice and a few tips youll see better family photos immediately.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (http://www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Guidelines for Printing Great Photos at Home (By Kelly Paal)

2008-06-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

So you have this great digital camera and you’ve taken lots of great photos. Now what? Well you could go to a store and have them print your images for you, but isn’t that what you did with film? The point of all this great digital technology is that you can print your own photos at home without having to pay someone else to do it. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. It’ll seem like a lot of money at first but spend the money to get a good printer. Six color at least. Ink jets are wonderful for printing snapshots. You won’t need more than that. Also look around at the computer brands that sell computer packages for digital printing, the printer that they recommend is perfect for printing photos at home.

2. Buy some photo editing software. There are lots of brands out there many of them for pros but you can easily find software under one hundred dollars that will have lots more options than you will ever use. Look for software that has automatic settings so that the computer can automatically color correct, auto focus, brighten, or darken, etc. At least until you learn number 3.

3. Learn your equipment. Take the time play with the settings. Don’t try to print perfect photos right away. Most people with a little time and practice can learn to do basic photo special effects. Give yourself the time to learn.

4. There is one place that you are going to have to spend some money and it’s on paper. You can have a great image but unfortunately you cannot skimp on paper. Get the nice thick glossy paper, it’s worth it. I’ve tried the cheaper paper, which is good for test prints, but you need the high quality stuff for good prints.

5. DPI, dots per inch. Depending on your printer and your software you may be able to print up to 1200 dpi which is probably unnecessary for what you’re doing. For up to a 4 by 6 inch print you only need about 300 dpi. Most people cannot see the difference between a 300 dpi an a 600 dpi at 4 by 6 inches. For 5 by 7 or 8 by 10 you can go up to 600 dpi.

These steps will help you on your way to printing great digital photos at home. Remember though make sure that you have fun printing all those memories.

FYI Just so that you have a frame of reference, I’m a professional photographer and I have a six color ink jet that I paid less than $300 for and photo editing software that I paid less than $100. I print my 5 by 7 images for shows at 600 dpi.

About The Author

Photography: The Basics (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

Photography comes from the Greek words meaning “light writing” and first became known back in 1839 by Sir John Herschel. For many years prior to this, people had discovered ways of causing certain chemicals to change color when exposed to light but they did not discover ways of getting the images to remain permanent until later on.

Now photography is a big part of our culture, something that everyone recognizes. Most everyone has family photos lying around their house, many people take these photos on a regular basis, preserving precious memories for years to come. Even if you don’t have your own camera, you have seen photos in magazines, used on billboards and advertisements and more.

What is Photography?

Photography is defined as “The art or process of producing images by the action of light on surfaces sensitized by chemical processes.” (www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ArtsEd/vglossar.htm)

The average person never has to deal with this technical definition because they take their photographs to a lab to be processed. They simply take pictures with their camera and then drop them off somewhere to be developed. They get their prints back on nice glossy paper that they can then keep to see the images at any time they wish.

There are also instant develop photographs, commonly known as the Polaroid, in which the paper itself contains the chemicals needed and when the paper sits for a few seconds exposed to light the photo will develop. Many people enjoy these because you could view your photo almost instantly but over the years, the quality has improved with other films and many people migrated to other types of cameras.

The common types of film are 35mm and 110. These film rolls come in different speeds that are meant for different lighting and situations and are loaded into your camera, used until the end of the roll and then sent for developing.

What Are the Different Types of Photography?

Photography is more than just a fabric of the average family’s memories, it has become an art form taking on many different types. Some types of photography are artistic photography, photojournalism, documentary photography, portrait photography, event photography, family photography, nature photography, advertising photography, underwater photography, satellite photography and more. Each of these types has many different directions in which they can go.

Photography is a common hobby or pastime for many people. It is a career for many other people. There are so many different venues of it. One of the most recent revelations in photography is the digital camera and digital photo. In an age of computers and computer technology, digital photos have become increasingly popular. People no longer have to deal with film and developing because digital photos can be downloaded onto a computer and viewed instantly.

Digital photos can be shared on the web and through email. They can also be saved on CDs. Many digital cameras come with LCD screens so the photos can be viewed from the camera itself. You see what the picture looks like instantly instead of waiting for developing. Digital cameras are advancing every day and new technology is released on each one. Lower quality ones can be picked up at a local retail store for about $15 now. These often do not contain flash and the quality is not as great. Other digital cameras can range anywhere from $20 to $1,000. The most high-tech camera for normal individual use is about $200. This may seem like a lot but when compared to the price of film and developing, you can save a lot by going this route. You can also send as many copies of your photos as you wish through email and the web so copies are unlimited. You can even print copies of your digital photographs from your computer.

Photography has come a long way since its early days but its popularity has not waned. It will likely be with us for thousands of years to come.

Looking for information about Photography?Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Who Had The Better Brushes Leonardo or Michelangelo? (By Robert Hartness)

2008-06-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

Ordinary photos of dull subjects do actually sell, but the dramatic shots generally have an unusual element that makes them stand out from the crowd. They are well-composed and they carry no excess baggage.

One of the best photos I've seen was taken many years ago in New York Central Station (1928) It's quite famous and you've probably seen it. Sunlight streams in through the windows dominating the scene, while people mill about the expansive floor in a hustle-bustle atmosphere.

Photographers of yesteryear were past masters of judging the best exposure for a dramatic shot, without the benefit of modern gadgetry. I just wonder about that when I hear the death knell being tolled on the use of film.

We're told that 60% of the income of Kodak UK came from digital cameras last year, as Kodak announced big job cuts. Immediately, the media produced a knee-jerk reaction that claimed film is dead. True the public are totally won over by the short-term gains of the digital camera, but what about the professionals?

Many studio photographers may well switch to fitting a digital back on to their Mamiyas, but what about fieldwork? Big shots with view cameras and 6'9's, not to mention the use of long lenses for wildlife and sport, will still be dominated by film rather than digital.

Digital cameras are great for the mass market, where shots are generally taken with the subject a close range. Some of the photos of flowers that I've seen for example, are quite exceptional. In many cases, using film for these shots would be beyond most average users because judging the best exposure would be too difficult.

The public are happiest when they can they can just point and shoot. The modern digital camera allows them to do this and produce exceptional pictures of family events, so they're happy. However, put these same cameras to a stiffer test and film wins hands down. Even the latest, best and most expensive cameras still fall short of the best that film can produce, especially where the subject is at a fair distance e.g. most landscapes.

Coming back to old-time photographers, I just can't see anyone producing, or rather reproducing the same quality shots of say, Ansell Adams, using a digital camera instead of film. For Ansell Adams, substitute Man Ray, or a host of other cult photographers and you'll soon catch my drift.

Regarding photos that sell, the type of camera used is irrelevant when the client looks at the final result. I'm sure that Michelangelo never crossed swords with Leonardo about who had the better brushes. It's the masterpiece that counts, not the tools used to produce it.

And yet this epic battle between digital and film cameras is important, because a lot of time and effort can be wasted, trying to produce shots that sell with equipment that just isn't up to the job.

Without being prescriptive or dogmatic, it seems to me that any prospective Freelance photographer must weigh up the pros and cons of digital versus film carefully. It is the nature of the photograph being attempted that should decide the matter rather than personal prejudice.

Another key factor is, of course, the preference of the client. Where the customer is happy with small digital images then convenience may suggest using digital. So, for someone who shoots a range of photos it seems sensible to become conversant with both. Digital and film cameras are totally different beasts, especially with regard to exposure ' rules of thumb'.

After excellent composition, shots that sell need perfect lighting - so the modern freelance photographer should use the best tools, digital or film to achieve the perfect shot of his chosen subject. That's the kernel of truth I've yanked out of the splinters of this hoary old chestnut for you.

About The Author

Robert Hartness

One of a series of articles by Robert Hartness, successful freelance and author of an hotlinked, flip-over, e-book, published on the web in October 2004. It offers a step-by-step guide to those on the threshold of freelance photography and is illustrated with 40+ published photographs. Acclaimed as a great reference source for serious freelancers. More information and order link - http://www.cashfromyourcamera.com

Selecting Good Stock Photography in the Age of Digital (By Beth Brodovsky)

2008-06-09T06:16:00.001-07:00

The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the last few years. Ten years ago, selecting photographs for your brochure or newsletter meant spending hours pouring over stock photography catalogs and ordering photo research to find the exact image. When the order came in a giant overnight package, designers would spread transparencies out on the light table, squinting through a magnifying loop to check every detail.

Enter the digital age.

High speed Internet connections. CD’s. Searchable Archives. Royalty-free stock. These elements have changed the face of communication design forever. The quality, quantity, affordability and accessibility of stock imagery have made it the resource of choice for many organizations.

The advantages of instantaneous access to searchable archives of good images are numerous.

Speed :: We can never have enough of it. Search. Download. Import. It’s remarkable.
Choice :: Searching "stock photography" on Google delivers 1,470,000 results. You can find pretty much anything out there.
Price :: While there are free resources, unless you are doing a school report, you may need something slightly more exclusive. Also, many of the free images are only good enough for online display and the selection is very limited. Royalty-free images are reasonably priced, you pay for only the size you’ll use and images can be used as needed with no extra charges.
Flexibility :: Image selections can be grouped, saved and emailed to others in the review cycle. People in different locations can simultaneously review ideas.
Archiving :: Some companies even keep a record of your buys that you can re-download whenever you need them. To use this resource effectively, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Plan ahead :: Will you ever need the picture to be printed? The low cost of "low resolution" images can lure you into costly mistakes. Images need to be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the size they will be printed.
Low-cost tradeoff :: Pictures are now so affordable, everyone’s buying them. That means your image could show up in your competitor’s brochure. Some projects call for more exclusive imagery.
Image-enhancement :: When you need something totally unique, such as your product in the shot, it may be more economical to hire a photographer than to have your designer spend countless hours in Photoshop trying to get it just right.
Availability :: Good images still cost money. While many firms have images on file, don’t expect your designer to have a database full of images right for your project.

When searching on the web, search for "stock photography" rather than doing an image search in Google or another search engine. Google returns all images from the web -- including those that are the property of others and not legally usable.

About The Author

Beth Brodovsky is the president and principal of Iris Creative Group, LLC. Brodovsky earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Pratt Institute, New York. Before launching her own firm in 1996, she spent eight years as a corporate Art Director and Graphic Designer, providing a sound foundation in management and organizational standards and structure. Iris Creative specializes in providing marketing and strategic communication services to clients in service industries and small businesses. For more information contact Beth at bsb@iriscreative.com or 610-567-2799.

Light and Depth of Field (By Jakob Jelling)

2008-06-09T06:15:00.002-07:00

With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for the recreation of magic in arts, a lot of care needs to be taken so as to maintain the perfection of the end product. This perfection is not only obtained by the artistic feeling of the photographer but also with the intricate knowledge of every minute aspect of the medium of creation of art (in this case the digital camera). And these minute aspects play a vast role in defining the ultimate perfection. The digital camera, light and depth of field are one such factor that would come into light in this subsequent discussion. Basically, the depth of field is a measurement of the acceptable sharpness. Yet this is very strictly a personal preference, and varies from person to person.

Thus to be more formal, the depth of field can be defined as the area inside an image that demonstrates an ample sharpness that can be considered more or less in focus. So the depth of field is the range of distance, measured along the lens axis, as per which the image is caused to be sufficiently well and sharp in the photograph. The rest is as follows!

The depth of field defines the zone where all elements show clearly from foreground to background. Three factors control the depth of field in an image, they are the distance of the subject, the focal length, and the aperture used to capture the photograph. For people using compact digital cameras, one of the subjects of out of the ordinary interest is the depth of field because depth of field is more easily said than done to control with a compact digital camera than with earlier conventional analog film cameras. The minute imaging sensors of compact cameras need the use of short focal lengths, and this in sequence gives these compact digital cameras an extraordinarily long depth of field when compared to other cameras. Thereby, with intent obtaining a shallow depth of field is more complicated.

Considering a general acceptable fact, the depth of field decreases, as the image gets nearer to the camera. This means that as the focal point reaches closer to the lens, the achievable scope of the depth of field ebbs. On the other side, if the image is far enough distant from the camera, and for digital cameras, this must not be very far, the depth of field approaches out to infinity. Another important point to be noted is that the depth of field is proportional to the lens opening.

Having discussed the above important aspects of the light and depth of field of a digital camera, it is clear that the minute details make such great subjects whose knowledge becomes equally important for making appropriate use of the fantastic device, the digital camera! And the digital camera, light and depth of field comes out to be such important factors that can make all the difference if a photographer remains oblivious about this knowledge. A small factor thus can meal a big divergence!

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

Is Digital Photography Expensive? (By Jakob Jelling)

2008-06-09T06:15:00.001-07:00

Being such a fascinating device as the digital camera, this technological masterpiece is of course a precious and priced possession. And acquiring it also means that one time achievement feeling. Thus a person must also be very careful and at the time quite a little knowledgeable in order to make a good purchase and not lose a good bargain in the maze of soaring prices and mist of exaggerated cost myths. This discussion is again focused to pierce that mist and unravel that myth to reveal the truths and facts regarding the actual and economic cost of a digital camera!

As per recent marketing trends, the conventions has it that there are only two types of digital camera users, firstly the average people who only craves to push the button, and secondly the professional photographers, people who looks for good control over the digital camera and its well carved features and are willing to pay virtually any price. Thus with this idea in the back of the entire process of sell and purchase, diverse levels of resolution for such digital cameras are available that are the real culprits in defining the price range of the cameras. United with such singular features the digital cameras come in a spectral variety of price range for an even varying customer range that are willing to pay anything from £30 to £1,500.

The cost of an average digital camera probably lies in the region of £260, however in spite of this a person must be aware of what functionality or resolution that he or she is looking for and ultimate paying for, so that the purchase does not result in too much in exchange of too little of whatever must be desired from the digital camera. A person must self analyze the reasons for purchasing the digital camera before venturing into an expensive rendezvous. He or she must be aware of what the real purpose is, is it only snapping for casual reasons or a serious plan to produce super quality photographs to be printed as art or for professional purposes.

Looking into the price index in a little more detail reveals more facts! SLR (single-lens reflex) digital cameras have attained quite a price shedding with the invention and market release of digital cameras like Canon's EOS Digital Rebel, an SLR priced below $1000, perhaps the very first of its kind. Even with certain add on into the digital camera that even add to the price a bit more, still the Rebel cost remains about $600 below its flanking competitors. However comvention has it that these standard digital cameras cost around $2500 to $4,000.

In an effort to find out the reasons behind such soaring high prices, research reveals that digital camera sensors are, for all intents and purposes, computer chips. The bigger the computer chip, the more likely it is for errors. The reason remains that a single blemish in the silicon wafer may reduce to rubble an entire chip. Thus the random flaw increases with the size of the wafer. This is the exact reason why costly chips like Intel Pentiums processors are basically not bigger than 20mm square and can be also manufactured in greater volumes. Yet with the reduction in size the prices soar up and this proves the high costs of the digital cameras.

Thus it becomes clear from this discussion that a predetermined mind set is required when approaching for purchasing a device like the digital camera. This discussion provides an overview of the price ranges of good digital cameras, but a person must identify his or her own needs and preferences and have an open mind but with some notion of what a good but should be, and the cost of the digital camera would be a guaranteed perfection!

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

Proper Handling and Storage of Paper Photos (By Paul Olshefsky)

2008-06-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Youv'e taken that perfect photo in the perfect light at the perfect angle and it has turned out beautifully.

How you handle and store the photo from now on will determine how long it will last.

No one wants to pull out their photo album only to to come face to face will faded, yellow and warped photos.

With the proper handling and storage of photos you can help prolong the life of your precious moments until they can be transfered into a digital format for extended storage life.

To simplify things I have broken down the procedures into 10 steps.

1. Never eat, drink or smoke around photographs.

2. Always wear clean white cotton gloves to handle your photos. This will keep skin oils off of the photos.

3. Never bend a photograph to pick it up. Slide it to edge so that it may be picked up in a manner that keeps the photo flat.

4. When removing photos from a bag or sack, hold the photos steady and still in your hand and pull the bag or sack away from the photos. Never pull on the photos. By pulling the sack or bag you are lessening the tork and stress on the photos.

5. Never store photos in an album that uses any type of adhesive to hold the photos in place. The chemicals will only speed up the break down of the photograph.

6. Never store photos in direct florescent or sun light.

7. Always store your photos in the room that has the least amount of heat and humidity. This will help slow down the mold and mildew that will attack photos.

8. Any type of album or plastic used to hold photos must be chemical and acid free.

9. If a photo is showing signs of dust use a very soft bristle brush to lightly dust photo.

10. Never write on the back of photos. This places grooves and places cracks in front of photo that will show up on face.

Paul F. Olshefsky is the owner of "Sentimental Services" a service that specializes in the creation of Picture Book DVDs and keepsake videos. His introduction into the digital world started back in 1987 when he was trained by the U.S. ARMY on teir Tactical ARMY Combat Service Support Computer System. He has continued to further his digital knowledge thru college courses.Paul F. Olshefsky
http://www.SentimentalServices.com

Photography Poses - The Missing Ingredient (By Robert Bezman)

2008-06-09T06:03:00.002-07:00

You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the best price on your first digital camera, and even glanced at its owner's manual. Are you itching to take some shots of your family, or what?

Slow down, soldier. Before you take 200 shots that seem great at the time, but then upon review of the final picture are less than what you expected, let's prepare. Prepare?!?! I'll bet you thought charging the battery was the hardest part of taking great photos, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to improve your photo results 50% in 2 minutes, let's review some basic advice of the pros.

There are two categories of GENERAL ADVICE which applies, regardless of whether you're using a digital camera to take family portrait poses, baby pictures, pet portraits, group pictures, funny photos, or even maternity portraits. The first category is...

"Good Planning" Advice for Photography Poses

1) Prepare For The Event

Prepare for the event by thinking about every photograph you want to take and what kind of photography pose or poses you would like to capture. Consider who, where, how, and the type of environment.

2) Take Multiple Photographs

Take multiple shots of each pose (remember, digital memory is reusable, a.k.a. "free"). Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. And don't count on spotting small problems on the tiny camera LCD screen (even on full magnification); which leads to...

3) Check LCD Screen

Check the digital camera's LCD screen for general framing of the picture, any movement, visibility of faces, and the histogram. Note that you can think up a fantastic photography pose; arrange everyone perfectly; and, have the photograph "frozen" (no blinking, and no shaking of the camera)...but, when you check it out in the LCD, you see 2 drunks fighting in the background! And, my favorite...

4) Funny Phrases

Have some funny phrases handy to use just before you take the photo. Don't use it when setting up for the shot. And, don't use the same phrase all the time. Throw in funny anecdotes, phrases, names, words that you know your family will find more amusing than "cheese." A natural smile looks four times better than a fake one. The second category is...

"Location" Advice for Photography Poses

Taking indoor family photography, is very different than outdoor family photograph (duh!). For INDOOR pictures...

1) Wide Angle

You will tend to use the wide angle more often than your telephoto setting. Pay particular attention to your "end people" (those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder), and verify there is enough space in picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don't have to lose a limb.

2) The Flash

Flash considerations are critical. Do not be outside your "flash range." For example, if at ISO 100, your flash can properly illuminate 12 feet, don't attempt any photography pose that requires anyone to stand at 14 feet (unless, of course, it's evil cousin Ira who you want to appear in darkness).

3) Plan "B"

If you need to be further away than your flash allows, here are 2 things you can try...First, increase the ISO setting (but not so much as to produce to much noise), or second, move to a significantly brighter location.

4) Watch Your Background

If there are distracting features, change your settings to blur the background (see the Techniques page). The best photography pose in the world won't look right with a distracting background. And finally...

5) Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can't find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash is not perpendicularto the surface, but at an angle (unless you want a nice photo of your flash).

Outdoor family photography has completely different issues. For OUTDOOR photography...

6) The Sun

Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting results from a slightly overcast sky.

7) Shade

When photographing in shade, use fill-flash (see terms) when necessary. And, really finally...

8) Beauty

If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment. Can you say: "Over the mantle!"?

To see some sample pictures including more photography tips, go to www.best-family-photography-tips.com/photography-pose.html.

Robert Bezman is a professional photographer and owner of Custom Photographic Expressions. Robert has created http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com to help beginning and intermediate photographers create better photographs. Robert has an eBook for new parents and grandparents that's a must-see for anyone wanting to dramatically improve the quality of their baby's pictures.

The Beauty of Nature Photography (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-09T06:03:00.001-07:00

Nature is all around us, and its beauties are unlimited. In this fast-paced world of mocha-lattes and traffic jams at rush hour, too many of us take the beauty of nature for granted. Luckily, there are still people in the world who see this beauty and choose to share it with those of us that are too busy to normally take notice. Poets and photographers are great at this. They take what seems like the ordinary and present it to us in a way that shows us the elegance, the magnificence and the amazing that is on this rock we call Earth.

What is Nature Photography?

So what do we mean when we say nature photography? Well, it may seem obvious but let’s go ahead and explain. Nature is our natural environment. It is those things that exist in our world without human intervention; such as trees, grass, flowers, a forest, a river, and animals in their natural environment.

Nature photography is the photography of these things. There is a wide spectrum that is included in nature photography. Pictures of sunsets, sunrises and ocean waves lapping at the shore are all nature photography. So are the trees in the forest and beautiful flowers growing in an open field.

But nature photography can go even deeper than that, showing us parts of the world that we may not be able to see otherwise. If you live in the south, you may not see snow-capped mountains if it wasn’t for nature photography. You may not be able to see a deep canyon, a volcano, or a beautiful beach if it were not for photographs of these places.

The photographers that bring us pictures of these places give us an image of something we may never see. It’s truly an amazing gift to give.

Nature Photographers

But what if you are one of the people taking these pictures? What if you are the nature loving photographer that gives this fantastic gift to someone else? You are giving a gift to other people. But you are also doing something you love. Nature photography can only be achieved by someone who has a love for nature and sees its beauty and can capture it in a photograph so others can view it and have a touch of the same experience.

So how do you take great nature photography? The first step is to have an eye for these beautiful images. The second step is to have a camera. That’s really all it takes. But as you grow as a photographer, you will learn how to take the best pictures and capture the image in a way that others can view it as the amazing sight that you saw. You will learn about lighting and backgrounds and focus and you will take better pictures.

Nature photography is a rewarding experience for the photographer and also for the people who get to view the results. You have taken a piece of nature that may otherwise go unnoticed such as a rainbow, and you capture it permanently in an image that you can look at any time you choose. This is a pleasing and rewarding part of photography. In nature photography, you are able to take two things that you love and combine them in a beautiful and artistic way.

The Photography Portfolio: Building Your Reputation (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or even just of trying to get your work published in a public forum, you will need to create a photography portfolio. So what’s so important about a photography portfolio anyway?

There are many reasons why having a portfolio of your work available for others to view. If you are seeking employment as a photographer, then the need for a portfolio is obvious. If you are not seeking a photography job, there are still good reasons to have a portfolio. For one, you love photography and you take a lot a pride in your work. They are important to you. Most likely, some of them are very good. Why not create a portfolio that showcases your best work so you can show it to others (even if it’s just friends or family that comes over for a visit)?

- Building a Photography Portfolio

Before we get into what goes into your portfolio, let’s discuss the portfolio itself. What should it be made of? How big should it be? You may have seen portfolios with covers made of all types of materials such as plastic, leather and even stainless steel. These fancy covers are usually much more expensive and may not be practical for a beginner. If you are competing for high-price jobs and want to stand out from the crowd, these expensive covers may be a nice touch. But for most people, a regular black plastic cover will work just fine. It’s what’s inside the portfolio that is most important, right?

So, you are probably best to stick with a plain black plastic cover and work hard on beefing up what’s inside. Don’t decorate your portfolio with cutesy stickers and such; this will look amateurish and unprofessional. It’s not a scrapbook; it’s supposed to represent your high-quality work.

Now, as for size, this is going to depend on the size of your largest pictures. An 8 X 10 is probably going to be your largest. If your pictures are not this big, you don’t need a portfolio this big. Your biggest will most likely be an 11 X 14 and it could be as small as a 4 X 7.

The most important thing for you to remember is convenience – both for you and for the person who will be looking at your portfolio. You want to keep it professional and easy to hold, carry and look over.

- Using a Photography Portfolio

So now that you know what a portfolio is and what type to get, how do you actually use it? Well, we mentioned you are going to fill it with your best work. This means you want a portfolio that can easily be changed. You may want to pull out old ones and add in new ones. You don’t want to go for a job carrying along every picture you’ve ever taken. You’re going to want to have 15-20 of your best work. You are also going to want to be sure your pictures are relevant to the job. If you are trying out for different types of assignments, you may want to create portfolios that work for each of the types of work you are doing.

Of course, you only want to show your best work but you want to give the impression that you can handle any type of assignment given to you ad not that you are “stuck” in only one type of photography.

You want to showcase your best work; this is best technically as well. You may have a photo that is really important to you because of the image it represents or the memory it brings but if it is not technically perfect, it doesn’t belong in a business portfolio. Save that one for your coffee table.

Looking for information about Photography?
Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com.

'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive.

Landscape Photography - Capture the Beauty That is All Around (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

There are many different types of photography. You can take pictures of anything and there is someone out there somewhere who would like to see the pictures that you take. So, photography is a great field to get into.

- What is landscape photography?

Landscape photography is a great field of photography, especially if you love nature and if you love to travel. You can travel the world taking pictures of beautiful scenes across many countries. Of course, this is landscape photography on a big scale. Not many people are lucky enough to start off traveling the world.

But you can find beautiful landscapes right where you live. That’s the great thing about nature, it’s everywhere, and landscapes are everywhere. And that same sunset behind the mountain that you’ve seen everyday since you were a kid may look pretty amazing to someone who has never been to the mountains. Seeing the sun rise up out of the oceanfront may be absolutely astonishing to someone who has never been to the beach. It’s all relative.

What you may see every day is someone else’s treasure. If you can open your eyes to the beauty and see it, then other people can see it in your photography. It can be simple and everyday or it can be vast and amazing. It’s all about the great pictures you take. You may see a night city skyline, a series of lightening bolts or an interesting cloud; it’s how you take the picture that makes it beautiful to someone else.

- How to Learn Landscape Photography

If you are serious about landscape photography, you should take a course. You may have already had a course in photography but you will want to take one specifically for landscape photography so you can learn how to get the best pictures possible. You will want to learn what film to use and how to work with the sunlight or other natural light. You will also learn about achieving a sense of balance and scale, how to photograph running water and similar issues that a landscape photographer might face.

If you can’t find any appropriate classes in your area, you can find them on the internet. You can also find many groups and message boards designed for landscape photographers to meet, share photos and tips and ideas. You can get tips and advice for your questions if you join these groups. You can also view the work of others, some that may be much more experienced than you. You can learn from them and their photos.

- How to Make Money with Landscape Photography

If you are considering landscape photography as a career (even part time), the first thing you are going to want to do is learn as much about it as possible; read books, take classes, visit websites. Then you are going to want to practice, and build a portfolio. Your portfolio should be updated often and only include your absolute best work. You may want to send some of your best photos to photo contests or magazines. These are good ways of breaking into the world of professional photography when you have no experience.

Looking for information about Photography?
Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Freelance Photography: How to Begin Your Career (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Photography is a vast world. There are many different types of photography and many different kinds of people that enjoy it. It’s a hobby that be relatively inexpensive or one that you can invest a lot of money on. Photos are so special because they give us memories of times and places and events in our lives. We can hold onto these memories forever with a photograph.

As much as people love photos, many people love taking them even more. Whether it’s a mother who takes photos at every of her children’s moments in life (first smile, first step, first spaghetti meal) or maybe it’s the father who never forgets his camera for a football or basketball game, or maybe it’s the young girl who loves nature hikes with her camera; these people are not exceptions. They all have an eye for those special moments and they all appreciate the camera’s ability to capture that moment and freeze it in time forever.

- What is Freelance Photography?

What if you love photography so much you wish you could do it for a living? I mean, you actually get paid for your photographs! But you work solely for yourself, selling each photo or series of photos individually. You don’t have a boss. You work sometimes on assignment and you may sell to magazines. That is freelance photography.

Freelance photography may be your entire career or it may start out as something you do in your spare time but begin making money from it. It’s just like freelance writing in this sense that many people turn it into a career and enjoy the freedom of working essentially for themselves on their own time and making money doing something they love doing anyway.

- How to Build a Portfolio

To start getting jobs as a freelance photographer, you need a portfolio. A portfolio will show samples of your work. Even if you have never had photographs published or publicly displayed, you can start a portfolio of your best work and then add onto it if you win photography contests or start receiving paid work.

- How to Get Jobs

As we mentioned, building a portfolio is the first step in submitting your work for pay but when it comes right down to it, it’s the quality of the photo that will determine if you get paid for it. Some people have more of a natural talent for taking great pictures than others but it is a skill that anyone can learn. There are schools dedicated to the art of photography and you can even get a degree in it. If you are just getting started, you can look into classes provided by your local community center or community college. Some cities have photography groups that meet to share photos and tips. There are also many groups online dedicated to photography and freelance photography.

You need to view as many famous photographs as possible. Take a look at what is getting published and compare it to your own photos. This allows you to compare and learn from other’s work. It takes more than just point and shoot to get a great photo. You need to learn about focus, lighting, colors and backgrounds and much more.

Once you start learning about photography and creating a portfolio, you can start submitting your photos to contests and magazines. Get a list of photography markets and start submitting to ones that accept your type of photos. Don’t expect to make it to the big times right away. Few people actually achieve this but you can start small and eventually make your way into a nice living from freelance photography.

Photographs Everywhere, But Is It Really Art? (By Sue Kennedy)

2008-06-06T16:25:00.002-07:00

I once heard a lady say to a photographer that she would have bought his work if it had been a painting. She liked the image, but for whatever reason didn't consider the medium suitable for her “it's just a photo”.

I am sure that some share her thoughts, whilst others would be quite happy either way, but a growing number of people do recognise photography as an Art form. And collect it.

“There are three fundamental components of what we call art. First, is the artist; second, is the medium; and third is the artwork. All three, clearly are interrelated." Tad Beckman

Defining photographic art

It is true many people do regard photography as merely a reproductive medium, and the photographer as simply the technician. And if this were just about your holiday snaps then it would be a valid point.

So let's start with my definition of photographic art. I say my definition because there is no stock answer it means different things to different people.

For me it's about creating a beautiful image that is an interpretation of the scene that I saw in my mind captured on film, rather than just a recording of what is already there.

It's about the photographer being the choreographer of the various components; the composition is critical, as is the lighting, weather conditions and the colours at play.

It's not just about pressing the shutter release, although timing is everything. Patience comes into play too, as you wait for all the components to be perfect all at the same time.

Some things you can control, but the weather well that constantly throws out surprises that can add that hint of drama to a picture or send you home disappointed.

It's these uncertainties that add the challenge, and this results in creativity as you respond to the situation. Other photographers will have their own criteria, but we all are producing very personal pieces of work that we feel passionate about and that are a representation of our interpretation of the world.

A photograph - more than just a sheet of paper with an image on it?

Oh yes! Typically a photographer will capture an image that pleases their eye. They will create something that is close to their heart, and therefore give a little of themselves in the image.

Effectively they are allowing you to see how they perceive the world to be, one moment at a time. Add into the fact that many photographers print their own work (once they have an order!), and sign it then you could say you are buying a piece of history - or designer art!

In other words you are not buying a mass produced print, and naturally the price reflects this. You are buying into the reputation of that photographer and you will expect to pay more. When someone is starting out and building reputation then you are investing in the potential of that person.

You won't pay as much, but you'll be backing your own instinct and demonstrating your belief in that person's talent. Contemporary photography is affordable art.

Subject matter - does it matter?

Personally I don't believe it does, and I mean this in the sense that people will be drawn to your work because they have seen something of yours and liked your style, and typically that means they like your choice of subject matter too.

My preference is for landscapes and increasingly flowers, whilst other photographers prefer sport, people or a more abstract approach to name but a few.

I think the key to preserving artistic integrity is to shoot for your own personal satisfaction, although naturally as your reputation builds you will develop an understanding of what collectors want, but for me I always have to love the image myself to want to share it with the world. Anything less and it stays in the drawer!

I still experiment, and search for new subject matter, but my photographic style is what it is. It just keeps evolving.

A new language

Understanding the language of the image is something quite individual to the viewer, it does not explain itself in the same way to each person. It is subjective. And although some may view photography as easy, believing that there own point and shoot cameras can produce similar results to a master photographer are confusing the issue.

After all most of us have made paintings at some time in our lives, and may still own paint brushes, but wouldn't necessarily look at a painting by a master and not consider it to be art would we?

It is the heart and hand of the author behind the brush, camera or pen that executes the creative vision not the tools used.

About the author: Sue Kennedy, LRPS & LBIPP Sue Kennedy is an UK based photographer specialising in outdoor photography and works on commission for companies & individuals as well as shooting for picture libraries. To purchase from Sue’s current print and card selection visit her Website http://www.blueeyesphoto.com

Photographing Kids (By A. Charlotte Riley)

2008-06-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often left with countless memories, most parents have only a drawer packed with school photos, blurry holiday snaps and the forced grin of the inevitable yearly birthday picture to account for the years gone by. It’s time to stop bemoaning the latest photograph of your thumb obscuring your adorable baby and get on with improving your skills as a photographer.

Why should you bother when the near-by mall has a perfectly good photo studio, you ask? Photographing children poses specific challenges but yields numerous rewards. While it can be frustrating when you miss that spontaneous moment, it is also highly satisfying when you manage to capture the joy in their faces as they dance in the summer’s first sun shower. Capturing the day-to-day moments will provide a treasure trove of memories that you will cherish forever. As well, your own images take on a more personal feel and a more meaningful connection, something that can never be achieved in a generic mall photography studio.

Follow these easy steps and immediately improve your snaps of the kids.

Making The Unusual Usual

Friends with children often say to me “My child always pulls faces for the camera and I can’t get a picture without little Johnny sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes.” Kids --and many adults as well-- are prone to hamming it up for the camera, however, they will be more natural if the camera is a part of their everyday life instead of brought out once or twice a year. By making it a regular part of their lives, it will increase the comfort level and encourage portraits that are more natural. Try bringing out the camera once or twice a week and focusing it on your kids. They will become accustomed to having it around and it will give you a chance to practice your technique, too. And, if they still clown around for the camera, get into the swing of things and enjoy it. Little monkey faces are a part of childhood!

Kids’ Eye View

As adults, we look one another in the eye and photograph our friends at eye level. Do the same for your children. Bend down on one knee or sit on the floor to get a picture that reflects a child’s perspective. To add a little excitement, have fun playing with perspective by shooting the image from the ground up. Lie down on the ground and taking a picture from that viewpoint. Suddenly toddlers become giants and we can witness the world as they see it, by looking up.

Patience, Patience!

Small children have a limit of two or three minutes before they become bored with Mummy or Daddy’s photo session. The urge to run off and play becomes just too much! Don’t force kids to stay in one place for long, unless you like pictures of sullen little faces. If you are taking a formal portraiture-style photo be sure to plan ahead for the best possible results. Check your batteries, make sure there is film in the camera and if you are using a digital camera see that there is space on the memory card. Provide your toddler or small child with a prop, like a ball or a favorite toy to help create a more natural expression, instead of the one that says, “Just hurry up and take my picture, Mom!” Keep it fun and stress-free.

Fill The Frame

Because backgrounds can sometimes be distracting, do not be afraid to move in closer and take a picture of your angel’s face. It creates drama and interest in the photograph and eliminates extra clutter. Unless you are taking a travel photo or an image of the child engaged in a particular activity, feel free to emphasize the most important element of the picture- your child. Use the zoom or macro tool on the camera to get in closer. Pictures of your little one’s hands or feet can also be interesting studies, and one day you may find yourself saying, “I can’t believe they were so tiny!”

Just A Little Off-Centre

Many professional photographers use “The Rule Of Thirds” approach which means that they mentally divide the frame into three sections both vertically and horizontally --like a tic-tac-toe grid-- and place the subject of the photo at one of these intersecting points. It helps to create a more dynamic photograph, than one where the subject is smack-dab in the middle. Take note that if your camera is an auto-focus model, you may have to focus first on your subject and then, with the shutter button still half-pressed, recompose the image.

Natural Light Rules!

One of the tricks of the trade in photography is to use morning or late afternoon light. The sunlight at this time is wonderful and helps to produce pictures that are bathed in warmth. Direct light flatters the subject and adds to a more intimate and natural-looking photograph. It also helps to greatly reduce the bane of every parent photographer- red eye!

Experiment with taking advantage of the sunlight pouring through a window, or march the kids outside on a sunny day and photograph them while they are playing tag. To have a well-lit photograph make sure the light is behind you, shining on the subject. To create drama, try using side light for impressive shading. If you try to take a photo with the sunlight behind your children, a technique known as “backlighting”, you will end up with the subject looking like a dark silhouette.

The Last Word

It really is all about fun. View the time you are taking to photograph your children as time to share in their adventures and imaginary play. A frustrated mom directing kids to a more picturesque location and insisting on a smile does not reflect kids’ reality. Pick up the camera only when everyone is relaxed and happy. Finally, don’t expect every photo to be a masterpiece. The truth is that only a few images from each roll are frame-worthy, but the important thing is to keep snapping away to capture the moments that depict their ever-changing lives, in all its unique glory!

Charlotte Riley has worked as an Internet editor, content producer, marketing writer and researcher. She has a BFA from Concordia University, majoring in Photography. In her spare time she can be found cooking, working on crossword puzzles or hanging out with her daughter, Kate. Contact: http://www.acriley.com

Black and White is Beautiful (By Michael Edwards)

2008-06-06T16:23:00.002-07:00

Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie Chaplin, and even Harold Lloyd. All true examples of early cinema genius. Today’s DVDs offer the opportunity of not only watching these classics in their pure black and white format but also in the DVD provides a colorized version. Essentially though the colorized version never quite looks right, even though it’s meant to look more modern and more realistic to latter day cinema.

The point is this; these films were meant to be black and white because that was the level of technology of its day. But when you stand back and look at these films you can see that because the ‘life’ colour is stripped away they have in a sense become timeless and when viewed there is always something a bit special and different about them.

The same is true of a black and white painting, poster or photograph. A black and white photograph of an old wrinkly woman sitting by her doorstep is timeless, powerful and extremely though provoking. A picture of an old building or a city view in black and white has the same affect. Without colour you tend to look more closely at the subject and see a level of detail and arguably emotion that you may never spot with full colour. As mentioned before depending on the subject a black and white piece of art is essentially timeless.

Nostalgia is time and again the word expressed when these images are viewed. This is why so many people opt for black and white art within the home. A happy home with a touch of nostalgia is a magic recipe.

Michael Edwards owns BlackAndWhitePoster.com which offers a vast range of black and white posters and prints. Other galleries include sepia, vintage and surreal. You can find out more at: http://www.blackandwhiteposter.com

Digital Cameras and Digital Photography (By Kyle Summers)

2008-06-06T16:23:00.001-07:00

Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday season make sure your properly informed. Many consumers during the holiday season rush into purchasing electronic equipment in a mad panic to get that high end gift for their loved one or spouse.

Take the time to resource all the models out their from some of the most reputable manufacturers. Its easy in this day and age to spend too much for a camera since you can easily expect to pay up to $400 US for a mid range digital camera. This might sound expensive but these camera's are become much more affordable considering you can get a 6 mega-pixel for this price today and 4 years ago a 2 mega-pixel might of cost that alone.

Times are changing and your best bet when shopping today is to be armed with knowledge about the specific camera you have selected. I have always recommended eBay because I myself have found deeply discounted items from only the most respected powersellers.

If purchasing from eBay this holiday season make sure to select from auctions that are of the most trusted variety. I have found sites like www.bargainfindsonebay.com do a great job in filtering these auctions and only providing you great deal from the most trusted powersellers.

Good luck with this years gift giving ideas,
Cheers, Kyle

Many of you today might be on the verge of purchasing your first digital camera for a christmas present this Season or It can be hard to find information on the right digital camera that’s why you should look at a http://www.bargainfindsonebay.com/Digital_Camera_Buyers_Guide.html”>Digital Camera Buyers Guide to make sure you don't get stiffed if you do decide to get into Digital Photography many people choose Kodak for ease of use and their lower price's as well Fuji Finepix which is another great choice if your just starting to get into the Digital Camera industry. As well for those that don't have big budgets theirs always the Disposable Digital Camera

Photography Jobs: Do You Have a Future in Photography? (By Colin Hartness)

2008-06-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

There is a wide world of photography. It touches each of us in our lives on a daily basis in some form or another. Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists. When you watch television, look at a magazine or even view a billboard on the highway, this is all because of photography. There are so many ways that photography crosses our lives each day. There are a lot of opportunities for someone looking for photography jobs.

What Photography Jobs are Available?

If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.

You can become a photographer in a special field such as wedding or family photographer. You can choose to make money taking pictures of things you love such as animals, nature or ships. If you enjoy scuba diving, you can become an underwater photographer. Pretty much anything you can think of, there is room to take and sell pictures of it.

If you love taking pictures and the idea of a career in photography sounds good to you, just how do you begin finding photography jobs?

How Do You Find Photography Jobs?

There are different ways of finding photography jobs, depending on the type of job you are looking for and your experience. You can begin by creating a resume and portfolio of your work. Then you can search on the internet at freelance photography job boards or photography websites and message boards. Get specific into types of photographing you have done and look on the internet for those.

You can go locally and look for internships or local firms or companies that may need photographers. You can get the word out by doing small events such as birthday parties and such. Get your name out as someone who will work these functions. Show friends and family samples of your work and ask them to spread the word. You may even want to participate in a charitable or non-profit event to boost your portfolio.

You can also begin submitting your work to contests and magazines to get yourself known and build your portfolio. Placing or winning in contests and getting published in magazines can help you build clips that you can use for getting bigger and better jobs.

Lastly, you can actually apply to jobs directly. It is best to do this only if you have the proper qualifications for the job. You don’t want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want. Most importantly, get as involved with what you love as possible. Learn as much as you can about photography and what makes good photography. Subscribe to magazines, read books, look at winners of photography contests.

Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Where Do Great Ideas Come From? (By Nancy Fraser)

2008-06-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President made a comment on another meeting he had attended, where someone in the audience asked the presenter where to find good subjects to photograph. The presenter in question started giving specifics instead of identifying the core issues in question, Attitude and Perspective.

Clients often ask me the same question about ideas, “Where or how does one come up with a good idea for a business or service, for a new product to develop or a theme for an ad?” Oddly enough, the answer is the same; it depends on your attitude and perspective because inspiration is everywhere. Everywhere around you, there are clues to great ideas but you have to be receptive to see or hear them. Once you are open to really listening and observing, you tend to notice things you weren’t aware of in the past. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to look at the world around you and respond to it differently than others do, but it can be very rewarding.

Is the world around you a place of abundance and opportunity or a difficult barren place? Do you think of life as a constant struggle or an adventure?

Take a look at www.MixZup.com. This retail concept is an idea that originated in a three-year-old’s mind. The important point is that Julia’s mother Lynne was someone who did not patronize her daughter by saying, “Isn’t that cute.” and then telling her to put on socks that match. She really listened to her daughter, considered the factors that prompted Julia to express her individualism by wearing socks that do not match and recognized it as an opportunity. Children, with their ability to think outside of the limitations most of us have developed and placed on ourselves as adults, are great at coming up with innovative, unconventional ideas.

To get back to the example of the photographer; often businesses tell me they need photos and their son, daughter, or spouse has an expensive camera…that's great, but it’s not about the equipment. It’s about the eye behind the camera and the ability to be open to recognising a great shot.

It doesn’t matter how much business training or ability you have if you use it as an excuse to stop listening and observing. If you close your eyes and ears to the opportunities around you, you are limiting your life, not just your business opportunites.

How many successful businesses would never have gotten off the ground if the owner considered the fact that they had no business experience or no money?

Today, make a decision to think of business as a series of adventures and ideas waiting to be implemented.

“First Ponder, Then Dare”

Nancy Fraser is the President of Nota Bene Consulting. Her business experience encompasses over 20 years in media sales and management, ownership of a retail store and involvement in the real estate industry. Free marketing information and tools are available in Notable News http://www.notable-marketing.com

Creativity in Photography (By Keith Neighbors)

2008-06-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ask yourself this question,"Can I be a creative photographer." I believe you can be with some good instruction. Learning to create is an act of effort. Everything we do requires some of it. So how much effort will you put into becoming a great photographer. I have been at it for years and I still need practice.

We all took art classes in school, maybe some woodshop or metalworking. Remember how we worked on learning to mix watercolors with only three primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. We created the whole spectrum of colors to create our paintings. Photography is similar except we use light and its different hues to take great pictures. The colors are already there. So being creative is inside you and some of you may need to re-learn this. How much effort will it take to be creative again..!

All of us know that to educate ourselves in an art form requires we learn certain time tested rules. So unless we have a mentor we are at a definite loss and our learning curve gets really crooked. Sometimes we just don't get what we need from a library. Ebooks are written by very experienced person who has a great deal of knowledge to share and would be interested in mentoring you. They sometimes collaborate with another experienced photographer to create a wonderful course for a lot less money than some schools who want you to come to class. That is something I can do without and I am sure you feel this way as well.

These people who are photographers teach us from the comfort of our home, when we have the time to learn to be creative. we learn how to compose a shot, framing, F-stops, lenses, filters, lighting. Then we remember to be creative.

The ebook that I would recommend to you at my link below covers outdoor/Indoor photography, portraits, events, group photos, and weddings.Is called "How to Photograph weddings, groups, events, and portraits." It is a great information product to improve your creativity http://theneighborhood08.blogspot.com

More about creativity: http://allforcreativity.blogspot.com/

Photography for Amateurs and Professionals (By Weis Ow)

2008-06-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

There is photography for amateurs and professionals. If you are an amateur, using a point and shoot camera is better for a start. There are a few good points about point and shoot cameras. They are very user friendly in many ways. All that you have to do is to point your camera and snap away. However, point and shoot camera is not for you if you need more functions on the camera, and better, quality pictures.

A camera is a truly magical tool. It can capture special events, places, recording all your memories into pictures. It serves as a small tool, not something to be in awe of. Learning to use the camera doesn't need any extraordinary talents. All you have to do is practice frequently. It's really helpful and at the same time, important put your practice to good use.

Some photographs, if well taken, can be quite personal. You will not want all your photographs to look the same. There is a difference between photography for amateurs and professionals. Professional photographers usually use their creativity to control the exposure and produce images that portray their feelings exactly, rather than re-producing a duplicate image of the original scene. Your image will look better if you give some thought on what you are seeing through your camera before you snap away. Maybe you can change to a better background that is not distracting by moving your camera to another angle, or another option is to move your subject.

Sometimes, with your camera shows things that we can't see with our naked eye. It can be annoying as the pictures always turn out different from what you expect. However, to the professional who understand perfectly to why the camera sees differently, this provides a wide options on how they can portray the photo. The camera show them things that a naked eye cannot see, and to them, it's a good opportunity!

The photography for amateurs and professionals can become equal, if you bear in mind a few important elements. One element that can make a difference to your photo is the lighting. In the ideal world, your subject should be interesting and combine with a well-composed shot on top of the lighting, you can produce a perfect photo! If your shot is badly composed with good lighting, or you have good lighting and a well-composed picture, but your subject is dull, all these elements if made independent, will not guarantee a good photo. So these three elements are the secret ingredients that make up a good photograph.

Weis is a media developer, keen to explore things from all walks of life, thus penning them down into articles. She like to do research on a lot of different topics and currently, she's exploring on how to get make money doing simple photography! For more information on the researches, visit http://www.earncameradollars.com

Get These Great Tips For Learning Digital Photography (By Dan Feildman)

2008-06-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

Learning digital photography may not need a course or a photography school. It requires love for photography or dedication. It is not as difficult as sending a spaceship from NASA.

If you are planning to increase your income through photography there are many media sources where you can learn photography from. In fact, your camcorder's booklet may give you tips on using their featured product efficiently. If you are impatient to go through the kit just approach anyone who uses it efficiently, especially if you belly dance in seats to listen to a tutorial or read a technical material! Get a friendly help.

Practice the basics of how to access the images you have taken, on how they get saved. How to open it and locate it in your digital camera, how to delete, how to change the light settings, operate between night modes, light modes etc, tune your recorder voice quality, how to insert graphics and all the basics; spend sometime going through the kit that is provided with the digital camera. After all you have paid for that technical hand book too. At least go through it once in your life time, you may not need it after you have gone through it. That miniature sheet of printed material has got all the basic foundation to begin with digital photography. Use that technical guide religiously until you get used to the keys.

Pin out a schedule to shoot images, create a portfolio with the images you shoot. Keep your budget tight. Do not get too enthusiastic to spend all your money traveling to magnificent sites to deliver your wallet pregnancy. Wait until you get used to the basics to go that far. Start with shooting the nearest image, your neighbor's lawn, the morning sky, the twilight dawn, a passerby automobile, anything in and around your immediate scene.start with easily available models.

Well there are no digital photography concepts or images that do not require a staging on to your PC or your LCD or your basic television monitor. Learn to use those cables, USB or whatever to upload and download your files. It is after this at all that you can make some minute edits or graphics according to your taste!

The important requisite in digital photography is creativity, admiration and passion for colors, passion for events, and time sense. If you do want to take the rising sun make your plans to meet it rather than lying in your cot over time. Decide on events and pre-adjust your camera settings according to your snapshot requirement.

There are so many things which are to be noticed in a single image. The love for photography by itself will lead you to explore the various media articles in the internet, e-book, tutorial etcetera. Exploration and dedication is the only tool that can make you an excellent digital photographer.

Looking into digital photography, ever want to start Learning Digital Photography? Get Great Tips on how to take Digital Photographs with This Free Report

Digital Photography - 10 Ways to Improve Your Photographs (By Marvin Africa)

2008-06-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

1. Aperture - The aperture is a controllable hole in the lens diaphragm. A large aperture lets a lot of light into the camera through the lens. This also makes the depth of field (the area of the frame that is in sharp focus) smaller. A small aperture allows less light into the camera through the lens and makes the depth of field larger. Aperture is measured in f/numbers.

2. Depth of Field - The depth of field relates to the area of the frame that is in sharp focus. Use a small depth of field to isolate your subject and blur the background. To do this focus on your subject and allow the background to drift out of focus. Use a larger depth of field to keep the entire frame sharp. To do this you will need to use a tripod because a slow shutter speed is required to avoid camera shake.

3. Shutter Speed - The shutter is a device that opens and closes when you press the shutter button to take a photograph. A fast shutter speed lets a small amount of light into the camera. A slow shutter speed allows more light into the camera. Shutter speed is measured in fractions of seconds.

4. Camera Shake - At slow shutter speed camera shake will make your photography blurred. To prevent camera shake use a faster shutter speed or use a tripod to support the camera. Landscape and Macro photography often requires the use of small apertures. Use a remote switch to prevent the camera moving when you operate the shutter.

5. ISO - The ISO setting on a digital camera is used to alter the sensitivity of the sensor. This allows the camera to work with faster shutter speeds without changing the aperture or using the flash. This can be very useful when you are in a situation where flash photography is not allowed. Using a high ISO will add noise (small speckles) to the image.

6. Exposure - To get the correct exposure you will need to use a combination of shutter speed and aperture appropriate for the conditions. If there is not much light available use a slower shutter speed and/or a large aperture, deploy the flash or increase the ISO. A dedicated flash gun will help to get consistently realistic exposure. Use the cameras histogram feature to check the exposure if available. This is more reliable than using the LCD screen on the back of the camera.

7. Composition - Look through the cameras view finder or use the LCD preview screen to see the composition of your subject. If you subject is moving allow some room in the frame for it to move into. Make use of lines to lead the eye towards your subject. Eliminate clutter and unwanted objects from the frame by adjusting the composition. Take the photograph from several angles and heights to give different perspectives of the subject.

8. Sunlight - Avoid taking photographs directly into sunlight. This leads to the dreaded silhouette effect that will cast your subject into a dark shadow. In most situations It is better to have the sunlight falling over your left shoulder. If you are uncertain experiment by taking the photograph from various different positions to get the best out of the light source.

9. Collections - A lonely subject does not always have much impact. A collection of similar subjects all shown as a group adds much more interest. Imagine a solitary photograph of a steam iron! A little bit bland on its own. In a collection of photographs of other steam irons going back in time through each decade would make the image more interesting. A collection of similar subjects put together in a group is a great way to display your photographs.

10. Lighting - Photography is essentially about manipulating light. Learn to understand how different lighting will affect your photography. Think about different ways of incorporating reflections into your photographs. Consider using ambient light, artificial light, and shadows in your photography.

Marvin Africa is a Freelance Writer and Photographer. You can learn more about Composition and Macro Photography on his website Macro Photography for Beginners

The Nature Of Great Nature Photos - 5 Tips To Improve Your Outdoor Photography (By Matt Smolsky)

2008-06-05T05:07:00.002-07:00

"We cannot command nature except by obeying her."

Francis Bacon

Whether you're taking a picture of a geranium in your backyard garden or a grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, capturing a great photo outdoors means working with Mother Nature, and not trying to impose your photographic will upon her.

So many factors come into play when taking a nature photograph ... sun, clouds, wind, rain, sleet or snow ... and if you're photographing animals in their native habitat, you've got noise, odors, and movement to deal with.

It can get complex, but the enjoyment you'll get by taking nature photography seriously will far outweigh the extra time and effort you put into it. Rather than just clicking a snapshot of your sugar maple in all its fall glory, you'll have a photo you'd be proud to hang on your wall as a piece of art. Or, you might even become so good that you'll find yourself selling some of your better photos.

After all, everyone loves a great nature photo. It's easy for viewers to put themselves into the picture. Even if they've never been to the mountains, people enjoy looking at pictures of mountains because it transports them, at least for a brief moment, to a peaceful place.

So in order to help you get the most out of the time you spend outdoors with your camera, here are five fundamental tips for taking better nature photos. As a photographer, I've learned that if you approach your outdoor photography with the right mindset, you are certain to succeed -- oftentimes in ways you never expected.

Understand the nature of nature. There's an old saying, "You can't fight Mother Nature." Plan on working with the elements of the natural environment you photograph. A backyard squirrel might not blink at the sound of your shutter. But a rarely seen black squirrel sitting in the woods 50 miles from the nearest road might run upon hearing the same click.

Animals, trees, bushes, grass ... everything associated with nature functions uniquely in different weather conditions. If you're looking for a "money" shot, you need to understand the conditions you're working in, and the subject matter you're photographing.

I recall walking along a large pond in a forest clearing many years ago. I was looking up for a shot, but saw nothing remarkable. Then I looked down and realized there was a fantastic shot right at my feet. It was of some green algae that had formed in the corner of the pond. It was a beautiful color, and contrasted nicely with the water. Itended up being one of my most popular shots.

Be prepared. Study the area you plan on photographing, even if it's your own backyard. Watch how the light plays on your flowers at different times of the day, and under different cloud conditions. Pay attention to the patterns of birds. Animals are creatures of habit, and weather and light is somewhat predictable.

The same goes if you plan on venturing out into the wilderness. Get familiar with the local surroundings by talking to locals, watching weather reports on the Internet or TV, and by just taking some time to familiarize yourself with your surroundings.

Know you're equipment. If you're trying to get a close up shot of a deer in the wild, even if you're using a telephoto lens, turn off your autofocus, autoflash and motordrive. Get to know you're camera settings, from the f-stop and shutter speed to the ASA and ISO settings.

Experiment at home and in the field. After buying a new camera, I like to take number shots just around the house, in a variety of conditions. Spend about an hour or so walking around your home and yard, instruction manual in hand, and try out all the features. Use different exposures and settings. Do this as a refresher from time to time as well. It is well worth the effort.

Be patient. Natural events happen when they happen. You are not going to rush that beaver out of his watery den any faster. The perfect glint of sunlight playing off your prize rose bushes will not happen any sooner or later than you want it to. Keep your camera at the ready, and don't force the shot. You may arrive five minutes too late for a great shot, but you may be five minutes early for the perfect shot.

Have an outcome in mind, but be ready for the unexpected. If you go out looking for cardinals in the forest, you're likely to find some. So be ready by having a telephoto lens, a tripod if necessary, perhaps a birding book to help with recognition, and something comfortable to sit on. Take food for yourself - don't feed the animals! - and water. Picture the shot you want in your mind's eye. You'll often get something close.

But don't close your mind to other possibilities. The sun may be absolutely perfect at that time of day, and you could get a stunning picture of rays of sunlight piercing the forest canopy. Ansel Adams' famous "Moonrise over Hernandez" was taken while he was driving down a highway. He stopped the car, jumped out, grabbed his camera, took one shot ... and nailed it because he was ready for the unexpected.

I had a similar experience. It was night, and I was just walking around the area I live looking for a good picture. I had been walking awhile, ready to give up and go home, when a flash of light caught my eye. I came upon a construction site of a multi-story building. The welders were getting in some overtime, working on the 8th or 9th floor. The sparks from their welding were arcing out from the side of the building and down to the ground. It made for a beautiful picture, and one I would have never gotten if I hadn't been ready for the unexpected.

When it comes to photographing anything in the great outdoors, don't let yourself be fooled into thinking you can control your subject matter. All you can control is your equipment and your knowledge about the subject matter. So with the right camera, an understanding of nature, and some patience, you're likely to get the recognition you're looking for as an outstanding outdoor photographer.

Matt Smolsky develops marketing programs and has written articles for a variety of clients, including Hoorray, a photo sharing website that offers a free online photo album to new members and is the easiest place to create a digital photo album, calendar, and other photo Keepsakes.

Beginner Photo Tips and Techniques (By Nick Estrada)

2008-06-05T05:07:00.001-07:00

This article will show you some easy beginner photo tips that will improve your photos in no time. Getting good at taking pictures is somewhat easy. Getting great is a lifetime journey. I will give you the tools necessary to get good and what you'll need to get great.

The Look of a Photo

When you take a photo you are probably most concerned with the way it looks. One of the most important aspects of the way a photo looks is the way it is composed. A photo that is composed nicely will look much nicer than a photo that isn't.

Composing 101:

Here are three simple techniques to compose better photos. I will give you no more right now because I want you to really master these three.

1. Keep it Simple. Avoid complex shots and try to make your photo as easy on peoples eyes as possible. Don't use bright colors for everything, pick the main subject and use bright colors only on that. Isolate the subject.

2. Divide Your photo up into three parts vertically and three parts horizontally. Now, you'll see that you have three sections on the top, middle, and bottom. The middle box is the center and this is what you want to avoid. Take your pictures with the subject in any of the boxes but the center box.

3. Use Lines Effectively. Sure you've probably heard to use leading lines, however, use them properly. Use them to lead to the subject of most importance. If it leads to a trash can you don't even care about the photo will become confusing and people's eyes will be directed at the trash can even if you want them to be directed at the monkey dancing with a hula skirt.

Ok, now you're going to want to use these three techniques in your photos as soon as possible. Not only that, you are going to want to get as many photos in your hands as possible. Look through magazines, books, galleries, etc and analyze them to death. Look for these three techniques and note how the photographer uses them.

Taking Great Photos

The key to taking great photos is only partly compositional. A lot more of it has to do with

-Technical Expertise

-Your Message

-Your Style

A great photo makes you think, it makes you stare, it makes you want to go out and take a picture just like that.

Nick Estrada recommends a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography. He also recommends a free five day video e-course on how to Sell Your Pictures Online

Beginning Photography Tips (By Nick Estrada)

2008-06-05T05:06:00.001-07:00

Do you want to learn some beginning photography tips? If so then read on. Photography is not difficult as long as you learn the basics and practice them.

The Basics:

The basics of photography are simple. Compose great shots and use your camera properly and you have great photos.

However, it can be a lot more difficult to compose shots than it sounds. When you go somewhere and plan on taking pictures you could see a beautiful landscape but end up with bad photos. The key is to follow some compositional rules that will guide you.

Leading Lines To Focal Point

First off, you want to make sure your photo has a primary focal point. If you're taking a picture of a person, this is their eyes most of the time. If you're taking a picture of a landscape, pick something like the sun or the mountain in the background.

The next step is that you are going to want to remove everything from the picture that doesn't relate to the main focal point. If you're taking a picture of a monkey and there's a McDonald's sign right to its left, get closer and be sure you don't get that sign in the picture.

After you've isolated the subject, then you can add more impact by using the lines. If, for example, you have a picture with the mountain in the background as the main focal point and there's a river around there. Use the river as a line to lead to the mountain. Where your standing the river may not lead to the mountain, but moving twenty, thirty, or even a few hundred feet can be the difference between a so-so picture and an awesome picture that you'll keep forever.

Nick Estrada recommends a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography. He also recommends a free five day video e-course on how to Sell Your Pictures Online

The Home Photographer - When Is a Tripod Really Necessary? (By Christine Peppler)

2008-06-05T05:01:00.001-07:00

The average home photographer owns a point and shoot digital camera. These devices are capable of capturing great images and many even allow users to select an appropriate scene mode to make automatic exposure and shutter speed adjustments without the hassle of true manual controls. In some shooting situations however, adjusting the camera settings, automatic or otherwise, may not be all that is needed for a great shot.

In many instances a steady camera is necessary, especially when shutter speed is adjusted or minor movements can be accentuated. Simply put, a camera tripod becomes more of a necessity in special situations which the average user may encounter.

1. Night time Shots

When shooting at dusk or at night, available natural lighting is obviously reduced. A flash is extremely limited in its range and is generally not a good tool to use in such situations. To get more light into the lens, the camera will adjust exposure and perhaps shutter speed when set to the Night setting. With a slower shutter speed comes the risk of introducing more camera shake which results in unwanted blurring. Using a tripod during shots taken with a camera set on the Night setting reduces the inadvertent camera movement and improves picture quality.

2. Close up Shots

For those who wish to photograph objects, insects, or other items within just a few feet, the risk of blurring is also increased. Minor movements that might otherwise be imperceptible become much more evident in the resulting image. Again, using a tripod can help to reduce unwanted movement of the camera although care must also be taken to assure the subject and items in the background remain stationary as much as possible.

3. Self Portraits

Many point and shoot digital cameras allow the user to set the timer in order to allow them to include themselves in shots. This is a great feature but certainly getting a level and steady surface for the camera to rest on is critical for good quality image. Again, use of a tripod is the best bet. Aside from stability and a level surface, a tripod offers adjustable legs and a head that allows further movement to assure that framing is perfect for the shot.

4. Action Shots

Not all action shots require a tripod but if the user wishes to pan with the movement it certainly makes the task much easier. Panning without a tripod is certainly possible but requires some practice. Camcorders, even more than cameras, benefit from the use of a tripod in such instances.

5. Enlargements

Many shots may look good initially but when enlarged any imperfections can be accentuated. This is certainly true with any blurring. What is either imperceptible or minor in a 4x6 print may be a significant defect in an 8x10 enlargement.

Home photographers may have a great digital camera but a tripod is often a tool that turns mediocre pictures into the clear, outstanding images that draws the acclaim of friends and family.

The author, Christine Peppler is webmaster of an online home electronics store. To learn more visit her site or her Camera Tripods web page.

Beginner Photography Tips and Tricks for Taking Great Shots (By Al Sanez)

2008-06-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

This article will show you some very simple and easy to use beginner photography tips. When you follow these tips properly you will see a great improvement in your photos.

Photography is absolutely amazing. You can capture anything with your digital camera. And to top it off, with new technologies you can edit photos and make them look like a totally different place.

The first step for the beginner would be to learn how to compose great shots and how to improve technical skills as well. Photography is not all art, it is also skill oriented as well. If you lack in one area your photo will suffer greatly.

Taking Great Photos

The key to taking great photos is knowing where to stand, what angle looks right, and how to position your subject in the frame. One small change in any of these can turn an ugly photo into a very beautiful and captivating shot.

One of the easiest ways to start improving your photos is by focusing in on the main subject your shooting. Make that the primary concern. I know that adding that beautiful flower a few feet away into the shot may seem to make it look better, but in reality it can make for a much more cluttered shot and detract from your main subject. If the flower points towards the main subject and leads then it can seem to work.

Skills in Photography

Improving your camera skills will also improve your photos. The more you know how to use your camera the more creative flexibility you will have. One very important skill you MUST have is focusing. If you have unfocused shots your photo cannot be fixed and is ruined forever.

Another common mistake is under or over exposing. A lot of the time, for beginners, these problems happen because of the use of automatic mode. Automatic modes are getting much more advanced, however, they are not very reliable and can ruin great shots.

For now on, you're going to want to stay in Manual Mode. Focus the shots yourself, set the shutter speed if your camera lets you, use the aperture if your camera gives you that control. The more control your camera gives you, the more flexible you will be with your photos.

Al Sanez has a great program that teaches you how to take better photos. He also teaches people how to sell pictures online.

Portrait Photography : One of the Greatest Arts (By Ispas Marin)

2008-06-05T04:39:00.000-07:00

Before doing any portrait photography there are some very important questions that any photographer should ask himself. What kind of light source it's going to be used? From what angle the light will fall on the subject? What film, camera and lens are best to use?

If you manage to answer all this questions before taking the photo then you will probably make quite a good portrait photography. But i know that you don't want a good portrait photography, you want a perfect one. So the best way to achieve this performance is to talk with the client trying to know him, his past, his desires. This way you can create distinctive portraits. If you want a real great portrait then you have to add a bit of the client's personality in the photo. This works very well especially when you make female portrait photography. You shouldn't look for a face that is over painted by a makeup artist. Try to surprise something that really represents the subject.

If you are wondering what to talk about with your clients then the answer is anything that will show you something distinctive for that person. Try to look for different face expressions and eye or mouth movement. When you see something beautiful keep it in mind and later capture it in your portraits. Belive me that studying the subject before making the portrait photography is the biggest secret in this art.

Meeting with the client, building rapport, knowing the client, and planning the session are essential elements. So don't do the final session at the first meeting. After you are sure that you know everything you need to know to make a perfect portrait photography choose the best location and time of day and take the session.

I advice you to always use natural light if it's possible. Choosing the background it's also very important too. If the picture is to close then the background looses any meaning, if it's to far then the background will overwhelm the subject. So try not to merge the subject with the background in an indistinguishable shape.

From my point of view making portrait photography is the greatest art. I belive this because it's very different from making landscape photography or nature photography. When you make a photo you can make the subject to react to your wills and you really can control the picture.

So, in conclusion when it comes to portrait photography it all depends on how much you want the photo to be perfect and how dedicated you are to the art and the feeling of seeing that your client is really pleased.

About the author:
For great information on Portrait Photography, Digital Photography and any other photography related subjects visit us at http://www.photoinfosite.com .

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

How to take Great Photos of Your Pet (By Kelly Paal)

2008-06-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute
things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide
or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when
you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a
better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce
him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take
photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash
off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash
goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a
camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point
away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is
someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them
playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person
and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the
camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen.
Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash
off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet
is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some
of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on
his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the
camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural
habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily
confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also
be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really
good one.

About the author:
Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer,
exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started
her own business Kelly Paal Photography
http://www.kellypaalphotography.com . She has an educational background
in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying
graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

How to Use a Manual Camera - Digital Photography Tips (By Al Sanez)

2008-06-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

Using an automatic camera is easy but you know how limiting it can be. This article will guide you on how to use a manual camera.

Manual cameras let you control the settings that are usually automatic. For example, you can choose how much light to let in, how long to let light in, etc. Overall, manual lets you control the cameras recording of light.

There are many different mechanisms in the camera but the two most important are the shutter speed and the aperture.

What is the Shutter?

This little gadget in your camera is closed nearly all the time. It opens only when you push the shutter. It will close after a specified amount of time that you can select in manual. A short amount of time being open will have shutter settings of 1/500 and will be great for bright areas or in full sunlight.

The Aperture is What?

The shutters partner in photographing is the aperture. This little guy controls how much light is let in through the opening of the camera. It's like our pupils. They get larger when there isn't much light in to let more light in. And when there's lots of light the pupil gets smaller. This is the same with the aperture. You want a larger setting in dark areas and a smaller setting for bright areas. For example, in sunlight you could use f16 and in shade you could use f5.6

Now, there are a lot more functions on the camera but these two are the most important. If you don't know how to use these you'll end up getting lots of blurry, under, or over exposed shots.

Al Sanez has a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography tips. He also has another free program on how to Sell Pictures Online

Beginning Photography Tips - A Simple Technique for Better Photos (By Lonnie Kunkel)

2008-06-05T04:04:00.001-07:00

Keeping your lens clean is one of the most important and one of the most overlooked steps for better photos. Although you don't want to do it too much, because you can damage the lens, there are things you can start doing to keep it clean.

Using a lens cover is one of the simplest things you can do. Covers protect the lens and can be removed easily when you're ready to start shooting. Most cameras have a string attached to the lens so you don't lose the cover.

You can use canned air, but be sure to keep the nozzle about 12-14 inches away from the lens and at an angle. Avoid pointing it straight at the lens. Ear syringes work just as well and something I recommend keeping in your camera bag.

Microfiber cloths can be used to wipe the lens, consult the manufacturer for recommendations, and remember to use a gentle circular motion when using a cloth. Never, under any circumstance, use any kind of solvent on your lenses.

Some useful tools you should keep handy in your camera bag at all times are a microfiber cloth, an ear syringe and lens cleaning fluid. Ask the manufacturer of your camera to recommend cleaning fluids.

A final tip for times when you are shooting in dusty or wet environments is to keep a B+W UV filter on the lens, which is a lot cheaper than buying a new lens.

Again you don't want to have to clean your lenses too often so taking steps to keep them clean is your best defense.

Lonnie Kunkel is a photographer and a graphic/web designer. You can discover more beginning photography tips at FisheyeZen.com

Basic Photoshop Corrections for the Beginning Digital Photographer (By Lee Stewart)

2008-06-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

The first step to editing a digital photo is to determine what the purpose of the edit is. If the image is to be presented on the web/internet, we approach it one way, and if the object is to print the image, we approach it a different way.

Editing an image for web use:

The first thing I do with any image I am going to put on the web is to adjust the color so we have some accuracy. In Photoshop, with the image already open, click:

Image

Adjustments

Auto Color

or SHIFT+CTRL+B

That will adjust the image to a color set that Adobe thinks is correct based on the data collected when the image was created. Now, sometimes these changes will be significant, and make the image look better. On other occasions, it will make the image look completely unrealistic. On those occasions, just click on the History tab in th pallet, and delete the item called "Auto Color". That will reset the image to what it looked like before that adjustment was made. If the color looks off kilter, try using the following procedure to fine tune it. Click:

Image

Adjustments

Color Balance

or CTRL - B

When the control box opens up, move the sliders until a reasonable color representation is found. It will be pretty obvious that when you move the sliders some very significant color changes happen. With a little bit of practice, you will learn how to make changes in all areas: shadows, midtones, and highlights, and how the sliders affect each of those.

Once you have the color set that is pleasing to your eye, the next step I perform is an overall saturation. This makes the colors richer, and seemingly brighter.

To perform a saturation of the image, click:

Image

Adjustments

Hue/Saturation

or CTRL+U

To do a basic saturation, move the center slider (marked: saturation) to the right until you see the box above it read +20. Anything more than that, and the image might "pixelate". Of course you can experiment with the other sliders as well to further fine tune the image, but I have found that a generic setting of +20 on the saturation slider is usually sufficient for basic edits.

Once you are satisfied with the color saturation and hue of the image, the next step helps you sharpen your images so that they appear to be more clear. Photoshop has a built in tool called "Unsharp Mask", and in a nutshell, it cleans up the image so that it will appear to be more clear. To use the unsharp mask, click:

Filter

Sharpen

Unsharp Mask

When the dialog box appears, this is where it can get a little tricky. If you sharpen the image too much, it gets a pixeled effect that you won't like. If yo do not sharpen it enough, the image still appears to be raw. As a rule of thumb, I make my sharpness levels dependent upon the image size. Most full size images these days are in the 3000 x 2000 pixel range. Based on an image of those dimensions, the setting I sue for basic sharpness are:

Amount: 100%

Radius: 4.0 pixels

Threshold: 4 levels

If the image is larger than that, you can increase the radius to 5 or so, and if the image is a little smaller, decrease the radius to 3 or so.

When you see a before and after image with the adjustments we just did, you will be amazed!

Now for the final steps:

Remember when we needed to know what the purpose of the edit was? Now is the time to apply that information. We are going to crop the image based on what our requirements are.

If you are producing a web image, from the tool palette, click on the CROP tool or just click the letter C on your keyboard. With the CROP tool selected, look at the top of the screen and you will see some dialog boxes open. The first dialog box will be WIDTH, followed by HEIGHT, and followed again by RESOLUTION.

Type in the desired width of the image, the desired height of the image, and finally, for web use, type in 72 and click the tab next to it that says "Pixels per inch". We want to make sure that we have our resolution set at the proper parameters.

Now, with the mouse, select the area of the image that you wish to crop. You will see that as you drag any corner of the selection, it will scale up or down in the size you selected. You can also move the selected crop area by click anywhere inside the selected box and moving it with the mouse. Once you have it set the way you wish, hit the ENTER key on your keyboard, and your image will be cropped as you selected it. Save a copy, and it is now ready for web use.

In order to set the image up for printing, follow the exact same steps except, when setting up the crop, set the resolution tab to 300. Most commercial photo printers print in that basic resolution. Make the appropriate crop, save a copy, and now you are set to print.

Good luck, and Happy Editing!

About the author: Lee Randall Stewart is a professional wedding photographer with offices in Newport Beach, CA and Honolulu, HI. His work has been seen all over the world in numerous wedding photography editorials and magazines, and he remains one of the industry's leading professionals. To see his Newport Beach based website, please visit http://LeeRandallStewart.com and to see his Honolulu based website, please go to http://HawaiiPhotoStudio.com

Outdoor Photography Tips - Your Guide to Outdoor Photography (By Barry Craft)

2008-06-05T03:58:00.001-07:00

Outdoor photography can help you share the duty of the wilderness with your friends and family. If you will be taking pictures of wild animals, the first and most important rule is to be patient! Good pictures require lots of patience, so make sure you move slowly and don't scare the animals away. Keep far enough away so you don't scare the animals, but close enough where you can get good pictures.

Small animals will look small in a picture, so take the picture closer to ground level to get a better picture. You may need a zoom lens for this type of a photograph. This is probably something you will want to consider when purchasing a camera. Even if you don't get any good pictures on the first day, don't be discouraged. There will always be another opportunity to take a good picture. Also, don't get too close to large wildlife, since they are big and can be photographed easily. Always be prepared, since the right one opportunity to take a picture could be there one second, and gone the next. Also, make sure that you capture the eyes of the animals. When you capture the eyes, you capture a great photo.

Natural lighting is another important factor in outdoor photography. Depending on the time of year, time of day, etc., your lighting will be different. The time of day, such as sunrise or sunset, can give your photo personality and feeling. Also, the angle of the sun is important. You may have to use a fill flash to decrease the amount of shadows in the picture. The time of year also has some bearing on the lighting. The worst time of day to take pictures is mid-day, since the sun is directly overhead. The use of flash and help offset the harsh shadows the sun creates, especially in the middle of the day.

The best way to ensure image brilliance is to use a tripod. The tripod will bring out the best in the lenses that you buy. Make sure you buy a sturdy, rigid tripod, as this will create the best images. Also, make sure that you keep your lens clean, since sand or dust can create a speck on all of your pictures. If you have sand, make sure you don't try to clean it yourself. Get help from a professional, because if you scratch your lens, you will have to buy a new one or else have scratches in all of your pictures.

After you download your pictures to your computer, you can use a photo editing program if needed.

About The Author: Barry Craft has been an avid photographer for the last 20 years and has a particular interest in nature photography He is passionate about his work and is happy to provide the latest tips and tricks to help you improve your photographic skills.

To obtain a FREE copy of his latest report entitled, "Top 10 Tips for Great Photo Composition - How to Overcome the 10 Biggest Mistakes When Composing Your Photographs and Dramatically Improve Your Images" please visit http://naturephotographyclub.com/nature-photography-tips.php

Techniques for Wildlife Photography (By Weis Ow)

2008-06-05T03:56:00.000-07:00

In this article, I will talk about techniques for wildlife photography. There are two categories for subjects of wildlife. One is the wild animals and the other category is animals under human control. Both categories, with skills and techniques, can produce astonishing images. Nothing beats capturing wonderful pictures of wildlife in its most natural environment. However, sometimes it may be impossible to go to exotic places or even spend weeks trying to track the wildlife. Some wildlife animal can be dangerous too.

How do you get stunning pictures of the wildlife? What is the shot size you should consider in the first place? Close-ups may be nice in some instance, but definitely not in wildlife photography. If you want close-ups, you can jolly well take them in the zoo. Taking a wide-shot gives the viewers a sense of the environment, and if the surrounding happens to enhance the photo, it will become an essential part of the picture composition. Even so, the subject will still be significant and a wonderful image is produced.

The techniques for wildlife photography can be tricky. In order to approach an animal closer for a better shot, you may want to consider using a vehicle. The techniques for wildlife photography can be further improved and at the same time, you can produce nicer, quality photographs.

One very important element is the right way of shooting the wildlife, which is keeping your shots steady. Having a tripod will be very helpful in getting steady shots. If by any chance, you forgot to bring your tripod, try to get a beanbag to support your camera when taking the shots. If not, grab anything that's near you which can act as a support when taking your shots. An image stabilization lens is a good option too. It is a great helper to wildlife photographers if you can afford them. Image stabilization lenses enable you to capture sharp pictures even in low light. It is an important equipment to mastering the techniques in wildlife photography. They stabilize your shots by minimizing the shakiness as much as it can when the camera is in your hand. This enables you to be more flexible in taking your shots.

Exposure - Photography for Beginners (By Gladys Choo)

2008-06-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

Exposure is often a very important aspect in photography as it can dramatically affect a finished picture. Yes it can either ruin a picture or make it breathtaking.

Hence in this article, I am gonna help you better understand the concept of exposure and hopefully help you master it! The key to mastering exposure is to practise practise practise! This is by snapping pictures, reviewing them, changing your camera settings again and reviewing them again. It's an ongoing learning process and soon you'll get the hang of it and know roughly what settings you should apply even before you take the picture.

Let me give you a brief explanation on exposure first to help you with that.

In photography, exposure is the total amount of light that is allowed to fall on the photographic film or digital image sensor when you are taking pictures. This is controlled by manipulating the settings in the camera so that your camera controls the amount of incoming light that falls on the sensor.

The four main factors that affect exposure are light (of course), shutter speed of your camera, ISO, and the aperture of your camera. This can simply be illustrated by the famous exposure triangle you see in the diagram (Okay I left out light 'cus it's obvious and it doesn't fit into my triangle).

Here's a brief explanation on the four elements and why they affect exposure.

Light

Light is most probably the most important factor to exposure. Lighting to a camera is what water is to us human beings. There is a fine line between good and bad pictures and this fine line is actually the use of appropriate lighting itself. Learning how to manipulate light as well as knowing what good or bad lighting is, is part of the learning process of photography and it takes lots of experience and time for even professional photographers to master it.

The point here is to understand the importance of lighting when you take photographs. Use a lens hood when you're out on a sunny day and the sun is blazing above or make use of natural light like the sunlight from the window or flash when it's dark indoors. Light can create different atmospheres in the setting of your picture, by highlighting textures and colors and creating shadows. So be sure to make full use of it appropriately when you're taking a picture. Do not be afraid to try different things by angling yourself in different positions to get the right lighting!

Shutter Speed

This brings us to our second factor, shutter speed. Shutter speed is a setting on your camera that controls the speed of your shutter(haha duh). The shutter of your camera determines the amount of light that reaches your film or digital sensor. See it as a window to your camera. The longer the window is left open, the greater the amount of light that goes into your camera. Hence the slower the shutter speed, the more light falls on into the camera, and the brighter your picture ends up depending on how you combine all these four elements to get the right exposure. For example, if you would wanna take a picture on a night, you can try using a shutter speed of 1/2 to 30 seconds.

Aperture

Now that you have a better understanding of manipulating your camera's shutter speed for different scenes (remember to do lots of practice and trial and error), let's move on to aperture. Let me scrap using all that technical terms of f-stops and lens and explain in simple terms about aperture. Aperture controls the amount of light that is allowed into your camera. Remember the analogy of a window in your camera? While shutter speed controls how long the window is opened, aperture determines how wide or large your window is. A larger aperture means more light is streaming into your 'window' while a smaller aperture means less light is allowed through your 'window'. The smaller the aperture value, the larger the aperture e.g f/2.8(large) vs f/14(small).

ISO

While aperture is the size of the window and shutter speed is the length of time the window stays open, ISO(International Organization for Standardization) is the blinds or curtains that you put behind your window. It determines how sensitive your film or digital sensor is to light. The common ISO ratings for a digital camera are 80, 100,200,400,800,1000. The greater the value of the ISO rating, the more sensitive it is to light.

With that you can now use what you have learned and combine and manipulate these settings altogether and practice! Write down a table of these four different values for some of the common pictures you would take so that you can review what you have done and learn from your mistakes. For example an approximately correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day using ISO 100 film, an aperture of f/16 and a shutter speed of 1/100th of a second. Soon you will not need to have this table and these values should be at the tip of your fingers when you see a great shot. All the best to your photography=).

Go On, Be A Photographer Today

Gladys Choo

http://www.snapshotips.wordpress.com

Basic Techniques for Digital Photography (By Weis Ow)

2008-06-05T03:53:00.001-07:00

There are a few basic techniques for digital photography that you have to bear in mind. Getting your basic composition right is very important. You can start from shooting on the level. Once you accumulate experience, you can start learning to shoot angle shots, which will give impact to your photos. Although you are focusing on your subject when taking the shot, you have to keep an eye on the happenings both in front and back of the composition. Try to grab a nicer background by adjusting your camera angle around. Opt for a plain looking background rather than a messy one. If you can't avoid ugly backgrounds, try to zoom in to make the background less obvious while still keepiing your subject in frame.

Another basic techniques for digital photography is choosing the correct mode of shooting. Try not to set your camera to a full auto mode so that you can have control over your shots. You can defocus a bit of your background by going to the portrait mode on the camera. Alternatively, you can set your aperture to a reading of about f4 to f5.6. This setting will make your background out of focus too! But you have to be careful of what the focus is on!

Switch to landscape mode if you are taking scenery shots. This setting will focus on distant subjects and will give your landscape shot a sharper look. For action or sports shots, there should be a setting call the sports action mode, which gives more control to the photographer. If you set to high shutter, you may face the problem of low lighting in your picture. In this case, you should set your ISO to about 200 or 400.

Setting you Camera to full auto mode will leave you with no control over your camera shots. If you want to master the basic techniques for digital photography, you should start with the program auto setting instead. This setting enables you to override the auto settings if you want your pictures to look better, for example, more contrast, brighter, etc. Using the optical viewfinder is helpful because it block out the reflections from the sun and you can have a better idea on what your picture will turn out to be like. Composing your shots using the LCD is prone to shakiness. Using the optical viewfinder is the best way to take your shots.

Learning Basic Photography (By Weis Ow)

2008-06-05T03:51:00.000-07:00

Learning basic photography is not difficult at all if you are willing to learn. When taking portraits, portrait mode ensures that your subject is sharp while the background or foreground is out of focus. The purpose is to use the sharpness to isolate your subject.

To have greater control over your camera shots, putting your settings at aperture priority. Put your f-stop at 5.6. This f-stop number will give you a nice depth of field for your shots. The lower you put your f-stop, the more you have to be careful about your focus because the depth of field will be less obvious and the focus might run without you noticing. However, you don't have to worry about focus if you set your camera to portrait mode.

Try not to get too close to your subject as they will feel intimidated by your camera. In this case, you should step further away and use your zoom lens to frame your desired shot size. Avoid using wide angle lens setting when taking individual shots. The results can be unflattering. Group shots are ok though.

There are a few points you have to remember when learn basic photography. When taking landscape scene, put your focus to infinity or mountain mode will make your picture look sharper and clearer. Ideally, switch your camera to landscape mode if there is this setting on your camera. You can use a wide angle if you want to have the wide angle lens effect or if you want to see a wider shot of your landscape. Please remember that the camera will not focus well in low light, especially far away subjects.

Try not to shoot through glass, it can be dirty and the focus will run easily too. The best timing to take photographs is during early morning and late afternoon. Your pictures look best and natural without flash, so try not to use your flash too much. Try to check your pictures every now and then so that if there are bad shots, you can take them again immediately, and delete the bad shots at the same time to avoid filling up your memory card. The best way to erase everything on the card is to select the format option. But make sure you uploaded your pictures already before doing that! Re-formatting your card will extend the lifespan. Learning basic photography can be easy if you bear the above pointers in mind.

Beginning in Photography - Focus (By Mark Eden)

2008-06-05T03:44:00.000-07:00

It seems a simple concept: make sure the thing you're taking a photo of is sharp. But there is much more to the simple act of focusing on your subject. Used selectively, focus is a great tool for getting your message across within an image.

Story telling

Whether you are taking snaps of your kids at the beach, or on a professional assignment photographing African tribes for a magazine, you are telling a story with your photos. Knowing what the story is before you start shooting helps you choose what to photograph and how. For example, if you want to tell the story about your kid's day at the beach you might choose to focus on the smiles on their faces, the sandcastles they build, or the ice creams they manage to get all over their faces. Or you might decide to tell the story of the beach itself. The white sands, the beach huts nearby or the boats on the water. In either case you will come away with very different images. Remember the saying "think before you speak"? Well this is the visual equivalent.

Focal length

Ok, so we've decided on what story to tell. But what does this have to do with focusing? It's about taking your story and making it stand out from all that is going on around it. Let's say that you have decided to make a record of your kids first day at the beach and there are lots of opportunities for close ups of smiling faces. The way to make those faces stand out from the background is to use a short focal length, or wide aperture. Focusing on your child's face and using a short focal length will blur the background, making your child and their joy the story. An example of long focal lengths in story telling is if you have decided your intention is to show the beach itself and the area surrounding, you might use a long focal length to describe the length of the beach, or how busy the beach was by showing acres of people sunning themselves on the sand. In short, a shorter focal length is most useful for a single narrative while a longer focal length lends well to telling a broader story, or giving a wider picture.

Avoiding confusion

Knowing what you want to say before you say it, or thinking before you speak, avoids jumbling your words. Similarly, knowing what your story is before you start taking pictures also avoids confusion. Having intention in your images leaves the viewer in no doubt over what the photo is actually of. Ever seen those pictures people take of their day at the beach where there was so much going on in a photo that you couldn't tell what it was about? Then they point out that it is actually a picture of their child whose head you could just see in the bottom right hand corner. This is what I call a confusing photograph, and is to be avoided at all costs. Keep it simple. If you want to take a photo of your child, make them prominent in the shot and make them stand out using focal length.

Mark Eden is a freelance travel photographer and owner of Expanse Photography, a photographic services company You can see Mark's, travel photography and contact Mark through the Expanse Photography website http://www.expansephotography.com

Photography For Beginners: Better Beach Photos

2008-06-05T03:36:00.000-07:00

Nature photographers, landscape photographers, wedding photographers, hobby photographers... who doesn't love an excuse to take some photos at the beach? It is human nature to want to take photos of the places we are drawn to personally, so the beach is a great source of inspiration for photographers at all levels.

Beach photography can be particularly challenging, even for experienced nature photographers. We are often inspired by the sounds, the smells, the open space; so the job of the photographer is not just to photograph a place, but to capture a feeling.
This can make beach photography a deeply personal thing, so your approach to a photo will be guided by what that location means to you. However, there are some easy ways to add impact to your pictures. Here are five simple tips to help you enjoy your next beach photography outing.

Beach Photography Tip #1. Time of Day. Every landscape photographer knows that early in the morning and late in the afternoon are the best times for taking outdoor photos. At these times the sunlight is soft and warmly coloured, and shining from a low angle to illuminate most subjects more evenly.

This rule definitely applies at the beach, especially wherever there is white sand. If you take your photos in the middle of the day, the glare from the sand and the white water will create stark, high-contrast photos that will not do justice to the location. However, when the sun is low it will illuminate the entire scene with much warmer colours. The froth at the waters edge will light up like champagne bubbles, and the whole photo will be richer and more atmospheric.

Beach Photography Tip #2. Get Down To The Water's Edge. To get the best beach photos, be prepared to get your feet wet. Down at the water's edge where the sand is wet, your foregrounds will be more colourful, and wiped clean of footprints, tyre tracks and other distractions that can spoil the natural look of a beach photo. You may also discover reflections that add interest to otherwise plain foregrounds.

Beach Photography Tip #3. Find An Eye-Catching Feature. A long, empty expanse of white sand with a clear blue sky is perfect for a walk on the beach, but can be too empty and plain for a photograph. You should try to find a feature to build your composition around. Many beaches have a rocky headland at each end; head for the rocks to find a more interesting foreground. Not only will your photos have a stronger focal point; they will also have more appeal for viewers who can identify familiar features in the image.

Once you start looking, there are all types of features on a beach that can add interest to your composition; driftwood, shells, rocks, lifesavers' flags...just be creative and the list is endless.

Beach Photography Tip #4. Make The Most Of A Good Sky. A clear blue sky at the beach can be a thing of beauty - and can also be a photographer's worst enemy. A great cloud formation can add a whole new dimension to your photo, especially if you can't find anything of interest in the foreground.

Even if it quite overcast, don't despair. With patience and luck, you may encounter sunbeams radiating across the water as the sun rises or sinks behind the clouds. Remember that beach photos don't always have to be bright and sunny. We see enough of that in advertising and the movies. The photos that stand out from the crowd are often the ones with dark skies and brooding atmosphere, not white sand and blue sky.

Beach Photograhy Tip #5. Use Your Wide Angle Lens. A wide-angle lens can be the best way to capture that sense of isolation and distance that you often feel when walking on the beach. The smaller lens exaggerates the perspective, making the background appear to stretch away for many miles and creating a real sense of three-dimensional depth. If you are looking up the beach, you can capture everything from the swirling water right in front of you to the lighthouse in the distance. Even better, the stronger depth of field of the wide-angle lens lets you keep it all in focus.

This 'wide-open-spaces' effect can look plain and empty if your scene lacks features, so remember Tips #3 and #4 and make the most of your skies and foregrounds. Obviously the wide-angle lens is not the best option for every photo, but it not a bad place to start if you are looking for ideas.

So there you have my five simple tips for beach photography. This is by no means a comprehensive guide. As with all nature photography, beach photography is an adventure that never ends. You never get tired of taking photos, and you never take two photos quite the same. Still, if this little article encourages you to get out there and practice, then you are one step closer to becoming a better photographer.

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If you found these tips helpful, visit www.naturesimage.com.au to find Andrew Goodall's top selling ebook "Photography In Plain English" and check out his popular beach photography collection. While you are there, don't forget to subscribe to the online newsletter for regular photography tips...it's free!