Learn the Art of Digital Photo Graphy

Learning Photography - Vital Tips To Get You Clicking!

2008-11-21T18:26:00.001+05:00

If you are new to photography and are interested in taking it up, then you wil need to know a few things about photography and the qualities associated with it.

The camera

A camera is vital for photography but one should remember that irrespective of the kind of camera, the final image is not necessarily dependent on it. Irrespective of the brand of your camera, there are a few things that will not change. Here is a list.

- Quality of the final image
- The magnification of the image on viewing
- Whether the shot's entire focus will be on the subject
- The amount of time it takes to take the shot

Different cameras work at different speeds and this is something that everyone associated with photography should know. This speed is crucial to the outcome of your photograph. If you want to take a picture of your kids playing, it would be better to use the automatic camera so that you can avoid the problems of making adjustments regarding focus, lighting, aperture etc. But in case you intend on taking a shot of a mountain view, it is better for you to use a manual camera.

Lighting conditions

When under the sun, taking portraits present a few problems. Due to the hardness of the sunlight, there is a possibility of dark shadows appearing in the shot. In order to solve the problem, moving the subject to a suitable shady position and using the skylight in place of the sunlight will be suitable. Another solution is taking the photograph in the last few minutes of sunset or sunrise as the sunlight will be more yellow at these times. In case you have equipment like diffusers and reflectors, your shot can be made to look more vibrant and clear. Using flash or artificial lights is also a terrific idea if you are well aware on how to use them. In case you are taking a picture during sunset or sunrise, try not to use the flash, as this will make the picture look rather cold or clammy.

Exposure

There is nothing like incorrect exposure. You can decide the kind of exposure you want on your picture depending on your artistic preferences. There are many tones in the environment that cannot be captured on film. Depending on the film or on the picture, there are certain details that might be lost during the process.

These are only a few things that should not be forgotten while taking a photograph. You skills will get better as you keep taking pictures and your creativity will know no limit.

Depth Of Field Photography - Mastering The Technique!

2008-11-21T18:24:00.000+05:00

Professional photographers follow certain techniques to take such stunning photographs, portrait and pictures in which the subject is clear and focused whereas the background is slightly blurred.

Here are a few steps for taking those picture perfect shots.

Technical
Firstly, it would be preferable if the camera you are using has a large plate for imaging. Also the lens being used should be fast. This means the lens should have an aperture larger than f2.8.

A camera with a large aperture produces pictures or images that have a shallow depth of field. This means that all areas in front and behind the subject are blurred while the subject alone is concentrated upon.

As far as possible, the subject's head and shoulder should fit the frame. Also if you are taking a picture of a person, you should focus on the eyes.

Technique
Practice makes perfect. No job is done perfectly only once. Patience and perseverance is required to make something good happen. While taking pictures, use a lens with a wide opening and that has a stop on one or two to take a series of photographs.

Focus or areas like the nose, hair and ears using different apertures for each. You can choose different options once the pictures are out.

To create a shallow depth of field, you must use a longer lens such as a telephoto, and set it on maximum zoom. Then stand as close as you possibly can to the subject.

For subjects in motion, for instance a car, the camera needs to be moved just as the subject is. This means that the subject needs to be followed. The ISO400 films are best for taking shots like these. Along with this, the camera needs to be set to the ISO mode to ensure that it works.

While taking subjects in motion, you need to ensure that the camera's body is always steady. Focus on the subject the way you see it through the lens. This technique ensures that the subject appears crisp and clear while the background appears to be a blur. This emphasizes the subject's movement making the picture come to life.

Photo effects
There is another way of creating the same shot without having to go through all the technicalities that is required for taking such a picture. Software has made this magically possible. The software photoshop has a function called blur that blurs the background of the picture in such a manner that it looks like a professional photographer has taken the picture. Still the software blur tends to look artificial when compared to a blur that is taken through a camera that is authentic and truly beautiful.

Unfortunately or fortunately, the software technology has advanced to give us the CS2 Photoshop version that can enable anybody to blur a picture. This option considers the depth of field of the picture. This means the software is able to blur the pixels that appear further away more and blur the pixels that appear nearer less. This function can be adjusted such that you can achieve just about any result that you desire.

Depth of field, as a concept, is really easy if you are able to understand it. If you are serious about photography, with enough practice you can become the master of this technique. All you need is perseverance, patience and enough determination to learn, both from experience and from mistakes, so that you can move towards becoming a better photographer and creating beautiful shots.

Buying Photography Equipment - 3 Vital Tips To Buy The Right Equipment!

2008-11-21T18:23:00.000+05:00

Photography has been a popular hobby for over a hundred years now. Many get into this because it fascinates them, others just want to take the odd family picnic snapshots while yet others make it their means of living. But there is such a variety of equipment to choose from it can leave the mind boggling. Very often people go and buy the wrong thing, only to resell it at half the price after a few months. The most important accessory to your photography kit is the camera itself, and we will discuss buying a camera in this article.

Three tips on buying a camera

1. Get exactly what is required
Try and read yourself. Are you new to photography? What is the purpose of you buying a camera? Is it for snap shots? Or is it for professional work? A professional doesn't need this advice, but if you are a beginner do not buy the most expensive automated equipment even if you can afford it. Neither would you want a point an shoot model, which is only for the picnic people. You will want a camera with a few manual controls to help you learn about what changes in the settings can affect the final result.

2. Do your homework
If you are looking to buy a camera, try and get to know about some of the models on the market before you go to the dealer with your money. Read magazines, and websites to check out some of the latest reviews on the new models. Chances are they will help you get your hands on the one that is just right for you. Steve's Digicams is a website that has been reviewing cameras for quite a few years now, and whichever model you are looking at, old or new, chances are you will find a review here on Steve's. Once you read about what you want and check it out on the net, it will motivate you to read more about it, save the money to buy it, and buy the right one.

3. Stick to your budget
This is going to be hard, because the more you learn about photography the more sophisticated the camera model that you want. It is quite depressing when you know what you want and why you want it and cannot afford it. But did you know, some of the top photographers stick to the basics to get their images right? Agreed that it is cool to have the latest gadgetry on the market, but that is not what will impress on your folio. Make sure you have a good SLR camera and a good lens to back it up. Concentrate on the basics. Once you make a good folio, and if you become a successful professional, nothing can stop you from buying the best on the market.

Model Photography - How Perfect Makeup Can Bring Beauty To Your Shots!

2008-11-21T18:22:00.000+05:00

A fashion photographer photographs models of all age groups, day in and day out. Did you know, it is not just photography that makes a good fashion photograph? Make up, and the elegance of the model of course, are equally important in a fashion photo shoot, if not more. When any of these elements of photography, model quality and make up quality are substandard, the resulting image would be a substandard image. The photographer needs to concern himself with elements such as the lenses and the cameras used, the background, the composition and the lighting. Those are his areas of expertise. The model needs to show up fresh and radiant for the shoot. Finally the make up artist has to work towards covering up the model's bad negative qualities and enhancing his or her positive features.

A few make up tips -

Make up does have a big effect on the quality of the photo shoot. The very beauty products which we see in ads and on the market stores could be used in the studio to make a better picture. Normally the make up artist would have a few assistants that each specialize in a certain area of make up.

Concealer
Any human being has a few dark spots around the face area, and these can easily be hidden with a little bit of concealer, as the name suggests it conceals the spots giving the skin an overall symmetry.

Foundation
Foundation is applied on all areas of the face, and sometimes on hands and legs as well (just for the shoots - this is not mandatory make up). The foundation gives an overall smoothness to the skin, making it appear uniform in shade and tan.

Powder
Powder can be applied to the forehead and the cheeks to light the area up under the flash. Powder is generally a part of any lady's make up box, and it does not take much skill in applying.

Eyebrows
Make up men can bring a fresh feel to the face by working on the eyebrows. Eye pencils can be used around the eyes to give the model's gaze a harder and intimate feel. Eye shadow is applied keeping the mood of the shoot and the color of the model's clothes in mind. It is generally applied in limited quantities. Eye liner could be used to remove the look of fatigue, if the model does have that after many hours of shooting.

Lipstick
This is generally the final make up touch that is applied, and the make up specialists usually use lip gloss and pencil to add the finishing to the lipstick.

Make up is something that need not take a lot of time. It can be done in only a few minutes, but it is not something that can be perfected in a day. The right man/woman can do a great job in a few minutes only, while the photographer changes his lighting for example.

Travel Photography - 4 Must-Know Tips To Click Excellent Travel Images

2008-11-21T18:20:00.000+05:00

As we all know, traveling is a fun past time. You may visit places that you will get to see only once in your life. Why not capture the memory on photographs? For photo enthusiasts, getting the images is just as important as the idea of reaching a destination.

Some tips on how you can get better travel images

1. Carry the right gear
If you are looking to buy new gear before your next travel plan, you will need to make a basic choice between a compact camera and a Single Lens Reflex variety. It is unfair to say one is better than the other. It is a matter of how skilled you are to use the SLR, since it is a complex machine. When you use the SLR variety, you do have the added advantage of interchangeable lenses and zillions of gadgets to go with it. You could choose to buy ultra wide lenses for interiors and long focal length tele lenses for wild life images. On the other hand, these cameras are heavy to hold, difficult to master and more expensive. A compact will probably have a good range zoom inbuilt and will be much easier to use if photography is not something you wish to take the time to learn.

2. The right film
If you are among those who still prefer film over digital, that is fine - many people do. Well, you need to choose film as per the call of the hour. Generally speaking you will want fast film, or film with a high ISO rating like 400 or 800, if you are shooting in low light or with long lenses. If the light is adequate you will want slower film, such as 100 or 200 - they provide better quality. Make sure you carry enough film and batteries not to be left without any means to shoot at an awkward time. Keep exposed film in a separate bag or compartment so it doesn't get mixed up with new batches of film.

3. Get adequate information about where you are headed
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, you will need to plan ahead for the trip. Some situations of extremely cold or hot climate may require special clothing for you and protection for your camera. Use an underwater camera housing even if you just plan to shoot on the beach. The sand and spray can ruin a camera and its lens, especially where modern lenses with minute motors built in are concerned.

4. Maintain a journal
Do not ever leave your viewers left wondering what an image means. Every picture should be a story in itself. Note the data, time, place and exposure of the images where possible, so you can relate incidents as you show your images to family and friends.

Special Effect Photo Filters - Using The Apt Filter To Suit The Purpose

2008-11-21T18:18:00.001+05:00

Maybe you have seen photographs in magazines and on the net that look surrealistic or unreal. Most of them have no doubt been edited on computer, but some have been affected during the shooting process. This can be achieved with the use of glass rings called filters. They fit on to the front of your lens. Filters are available in a variety of categories and effects, and let us discuss some of them.

Black and white filters
Black and white filters are in fact made of colored glass! Their importance could be hard to understand by a person who has no clue about black and white photography. It is out of the scope of this article to explain why color filters affect black and white film, but we shall explain the effect. If you shoot a blue sky using a red filter, the sky appears darkish. this is because blue and red are complimentary colors like black and white. The red filter allows all other colors to pass through it, except for blue. And so, the image remains unaffected except for the blue areas which come out blackish. This is in fact the beauty of black and white photography, and it can never be faked or cloned on computers and digital cameras.

Color Filters
Color filters or filters for general use come in a variety of categories. The multi image filter multiplies the center of the image so you see many images repeated, like the disco effect of the seventies. The star filters make a point of light to appear as a star. They are very good for commercial uses. Have you ever seen images in magazines that make the model's skin glow as if there was a soft light around the face alone? Well that effect is achieved with the diffusing filter. It softens the light as well as removes the blemishes of the skin. Never use this if sharpness is your main objective, such as when shooting interiors. It is good for portraits though. And then there is the warm tone filter which adds a warm effect to the skin. Other filters such as red and orange can add a dramatic effect to a sunset.

Have you seen images where the center of the photo is clear but everything else is out of focus? That is done with the center spot filter, which has clear glass in the center of the filter alone, but diffuses all around it. These are just a few of the filters that one can use to get some amazing effects on photographs. Many if not all of the color effects can be done on computer today, so we now see a rise in shooting basic raw, sharp images which are later enhanced on computer using software such as the popular Adobe Photoshop.

The Best Photographs - Understanding The Elements Of A Perfect Photograph

2008-11-21T18:16:00.001+05:00

Indoor Photography:

When shooting indoors you could use a high speed film setting such as ISO 400 or 800. This makes the camera more sensitive to light and thereby you can get a decent exposure even in low light conditions. With modern digital cameras, you can immediately see a preview of the shot and decide if the light was adequate. If your camera has an auto focus option you should use it to focus accurately on your subject. Where light is too low for this feature, some models have a built in focusing light (such as the Fuji fine professional series). In the absence of this feature it is better to focus manually if light is too low for the auto focus.

When the light is just not enough, the camera compensates for this by letting the light enter for more time, and this is done by leaving your shutter open for maybe a second or more duration. If handheld, your pictures would have an undesirable shake effect in such case. Correct this be either turning on the flash indoors, or if it is still life you are photographing, using a tripod would do the trick.

Power
When shooting indoors, it generally requires more power, whether using the flash or using tripod as may be the case. If you have a lot of low light photography planned, remember this means you run the risk of running out of battery sooner than normal. Auto focus can be very badly affected by low battery power, and this pretty much takes the joy out of your photography.

Glare
Have you ever had images with certain areas too bright? This happens when a source of light is directly in front of you, and also by reflections off the flash. The flash light can reflect a glare off something like a mirror in the room. You could correct this by shooting from a different angle.

Composition
Composition is how you frame the shot. Keep a balance in your photography frames, and work towards not cutting off parts of people's faces. And do try and concentrate on the background as well. For example a lamp post right behind the subject's head is an undesirable element in the photo. Also, make sure you are not obstructing any part of the lens with woolens etc.

Outdoor
Outdoor photography can be done with film speeds as low as ISO 50, and sometimes even less. The low film speed means the camera becomes less sensitive to light but it also increases the sharpness and quality of the grain. If you are photographing people who need to squint because of the sun, do reposition the subjects if possible. You could get the sun on the side rather than right behind you. But never in front of the camera or that would cause a glare effect.

Aquarium Photographing - Getting The Effects Right!

2008-11-21T18:12:00.001+05:00

Having an aquarium is a wonderful past time, and if you are passionate about photography as well as aquarium fish, you may want to make some nice images of your fish. As with any kind of photography, the two most important elements remain lighting and composition.

Lighting the Aquarium
Try and light the aquarium from the top. You could add reflectors on the outside and under the aquarium to get a variety of results. For example if you would like to accentuate the aqua feel, add a blue reflector right opposite the light source, in this case that would be under the aquarium. You could also use a blue gel on the light source to create blue light. Before you begin shooting, give the fish adequate time to get used to the gear suddenly appearing around the sides of their aquarium world, Fish are more aware of their surroundings than you may imagine. If you do not want to see your fish jumping out of the aquarium in terror, work slowly and calmly, and do not make sudden movements. Give them time to get used to any new feature you want to add. For example, if you've just placed the flash light looking down on the aquarium; give it a few minutes before you add a reflector.

Composition
Getting your aquarium fish into focus as they dart around the container is not very easy, especially if you wish to shoot close ups. For close up shots you may need to use extension rings and tubes between the camera and the lens. Take a few minutes to get used to the sideways motion of the fish before you begin shooting. If the fish are moving sideways, you can minimize the depth of field since they are more or less equally far from the lens when moving from this end to that. You could even fix the camera on a tripod for a smooth left-right-left motion. As you pan the tripod, fire the shutter while still in the slow movement. This can create some exciting effects, and minimize the blur on the fish. If the fish are moving towards you on the other hand, you would want to quickly change to maximum possible depth of field, since the distance between you and them is on the decrease.

Exposure
You will not have time to calculate exposure every time you change the depth of filed. It is a good idea to set the camera on aperture priority mode if you have the feature, and let the camera worry about the changes in shutter speed as you change the aperture.

Safety
When working with lighting equipment, make absolutely sure that the flash head is secure on the stand. If it comes off the stand and falls into the aquarium, the electricity would immediately kill the fish.

Photography Under Water - The Techniques And Gear Involved

2008-11-21T18:10:00.000+05:00

Underwater photography is something fascinating that has been enabled by technology in the not so distant past. In the years gone by, it was only the divers who ever got to actually see the underwater world. However thanks to underwater photographers, we are now able to get a glimpse of the deep seas right from the comfort of our homes - through television and in print media, also on the internet. It is true that any form of photography requires a certain amount of skill. Underwater photography on the other hand needs one to be a proficient diver as well as a good photographer.

As far as general wild life photography is concerned, photographers can work from a distance and photograph their subjects. But where underwater photography needs to be done, they need to get up close to the subject. This is simply because water refracts or bends light rays. Observe this phenomenon by putting your hand into a bucket of water. The closer you bring it to the surface of water the clearer it appears to be. So, the less the light needs to travel through the water, the less is the distortion. This is why underwater photographers have to get as close to their subjects as possible.

The underwater World
In the underwater world, it is not as simple a philosophy as survival of the fittest through speed. Most fish choose camouflage as the solution to predators. This is why you need to be skilled at spotting your fish when you are an underwater photographer. So, this is an added quality that you need to have to shoot underwater photographs successfully. Not only do you need to be a good diver, and a good photographer but also a good marine biologists. Where this is not always possible, photographers dive alongside biologists to get the best pictures. And then, some marine animals die if you as much as touch them, so it requires a certain amount of knowledge in any case, to dive responsibly.

The Gear
You could get a housing for your regular camera to shoot underwater. This is nothing but a plastic, water tight container for your camera that allows all of the functions to still be accessible from the outside. Or else, you could use underwater cameras specially designed for the purpose. Photographers who shoot only underwater photography prefer to use underwater cameras, while those who shoot underwater only at times may use the underwater housing with their regular cameras. You can also attach an underwater strobe flash unit where you are shooting deep into the ocean. On the shallow areas, sunlight is enough to light the underwater world.

Underwater photographers tend to try and shoot their subjects from under them, since they hide into the backgrounds. Also, the sunlight from top can create interesting background hues.

5 Major Types Of Photography Filters

2008-11-21T18:07:00.000+05:00

In this modern age, people think of filters only as options on Adobe Photoshop. Many forget that filters were and still are glass rings that are screwed on to the front of your lens, to provide the special effects. It is true however that Photoshop can mimic the same on computer, so many photographers choose NOT to use the glass filters, and later edit the photographs on computer. It is good though, to have an idea of what filters really are, even if you are a great Photoshop user.

1. Blur filters
Say you were shooting a waterfall at the bottom, where you can see the spray from the water form a cloudy area. The camera may capture it as separate droplets of sharp water, and you may NOT want that effect. You could however get the cloudy effect by adding a blur filter in front of your lens. You can get the same effect by using the blur filter of diffuse filter in Adobe Photoshop. Some do it this way; some prefer to do it that way.

2. UV filter
Did you know that ultra violet light from the sun can affect your film? You could use a good ultra violet filter on your lens to remove any UV entering your camera. Since they are clear filters you can leave one of these on every lens. Not only does this serve the purpose of keeping the UV out, you protect the expensive lens coating when you constantly have a UV filter attached on top. Photoshop can't do that for you!

3. Star filter
Have you seen record labels from the 70s with the disco lights looking like stars? Well that is the effect you can get with a star filter. A star filter makes any point light (like a bulb but not a tube light) appear as if there were rays coming out and making it twinkle like a star does. This filter is very useful when you want to add the feeling of glamour in a setting. Say for example a fashion show?

4. D.O.F. filters
There are filters that can give a shallow depth of field effect even on a small aperture (which is supposed to five long depth of field). They are the fog and the mist filters, which have a clear center in the glass filter, but diffused all around. You may have seen images where the center of the image where to model is located, is sharp and it is blurred everywhere else. This is how they get that effect - the mist and fog filters.

5. Color Correction Filters
You can use color correction filters to enhance or reduce certain colors. When you have studied complimentary colors you have the power o use complimentary filters when you want a lesser shade of a certain hue. On the other hand, you could enhance a certain shade by using the same color filter.

Photo Retouch

2008-11-21T18:04:00.000+05:00

Photographers spend way too much time and money trying to develop a very small and elite group of fans at the top. What needs to change is instead of thinking about having a couple of fans with deep pockets you need to start adding a large number with shallow pockets. These fans are actually just the same consumers you would potentially reach through traditional media except now they can find you without the help of magazines and newspapers. As these people abandon traditional media they're looking for places to spend the time and money they used to spend at the top. Why not be there waiting?

Digital photography is a form of photography that utilizes digital technology to make digital images of subjects. Until the advent of digital technology, photography used photographic film to create images which could be made visible by photographic processing. Digital images can be displayed, printed, stored, manipulated, transmitted, and archived using digital and computer techniques, without chemical processing.

Digital photography is one of several forms of digital imaging. Digital images are also created by non-photographic equipment such as computer tomography scanners and radio telescopes. Digital images can also be made by scanning conventional photographic images.
Dynamic range

Practical imaging systems, digital and film, have a limited "dynamic range": the range of luminosity which can be reproduced accurately. Highlights of the subject which are too bright will be rendered as white, with no detail; shadows which are too dark will be rendered as black. The loss of detail is not abrupt with film, or in dark shadows with digital sensors: some detail is retained as brightness moves out of the dynamic range. "Highlight burn-out" of digital sensors, however, can be abrupt, and highlight detail may be lost. And as the sensor elements for different colors saturate in turn, there can be gross hue or saturation shift in burnt-out highlights.

Some digital cameras can show these blown highlights in the image review, allowing the photographer to re-shoot the picture with a modified exposure. Others compensate for the total contrast of a scene by selectively exposing darker pixels longer. A third technique is used by Fujifilm in its FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR. The image sensor contains additional photodiodes of lower sensitivity than the main ones; these retain detail in parts of the image too bright for the main sensor.

High dynamic range imaging (HDR) addresses this issue by increasing the dynamic range of images by either increasing the dynamic range of the image sensor or by using exposure bracketing and post-processing the separate images to create a single image with a higher dynamic range.

HDR images curtail burn-outs and black-outs

Advantages of professional digital cameras

The Golden Gate Bridge retouched for painterly light effects

Immediate image review and deletion is possible; lighting and composition can be assessed immediately, which ultimately conserves storage space. Faster workflow: Management (colour and file), manipulation and printing tools are more versatile than conventional film processes. However, batch processing of RAW files can be time consuming, even on a fast computer. Digital manipulation: A digital image can be modified and manipulated much easier and faster than with traditional negative and print methods. The digital image to the right was captured in RAW format, processed and output in 3 different ways from the source RAW file, then merged and further processed for color saturation and other special effects to produce a more dramatic result than was originally captured with the RAW image.

Recent manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon have promoted the adoption of digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) by photojournalists. Images captured at 2+ megapixels are deemed to be of sufficient quality for small images in newspaper or magazine reproduction. Six to 14 megapixel images, found in modern digital SLRs, when combined with high-end lenses, can approximate the detail of film prints taken with 35 mm film based SLRs, and the latest 16 megapixel models can produce astoundingly detailed images which are believed to be better than 35mm film images and the majority of medium format cameras

Selecting the Right Camera - Some Points To Focus On

2008-11-21T17:59:00.002+05:00

In order to make a film, the one basic equipment you require is the camera. There are various types of cameras available in the markets that are all meant for different purposes. When you step in to film making, you shall use all of them on a regular basis and learn the differences as well. In the process you might also develop some personal favorites to work with.

Yet at some point all these become obsolete - one technology came in and swiped away the rest - the Digital Cameras. This technology simplified the art of film making to a great extent. With these, not even sky is the limit.

As a beginner it is a great experience to learn the ways and means of using the film cameras. They teach you several interesting things like:
- Using a lens
- Understanding the depth of the field
- How to push & pull the focus, etc.

While it is an undeniable fact that digital cameras have brought in a revolution in film making and have been accepted with open arms world over, I sometimes think that using an actual film was rather organic. The images then were li'l hazy but they did not have an artificial crispness created with the digital technology.

Initially, the digital cameras did not compete well with the films. Hats off to the technicians who tweaked the digital technology, until and unless they were able to develop the modern age digital cameras. The film has now been relegated to very high art forms, hence now the users have no questions remaining regarding shooting with digital cameras over films.

A major plus point of using digital camera is that it eradicates the enormous processing costs. Developing the film used to be so expensive earlier that many a times it was simply prohibitive. Now the digital cameras have come in with so acceptable cost ranges that they are bound to be a part of the culture.

In such a scenario it becomes a must to invest quality time in the product research and market survey for the best deal available. Now, when you go ahead to purchase your digital video camera to shoot your own film, I suggest you must check out the following basic features in it:

1. Buy a digital video camera with a tripod. The tripod is a three legged stand for your camera.
2. Check that the tripod must have fairly thick legs to allow sturdiness.
3. It must feature very good quality fluid head for effective panning.
4. Make sure that the camera fixes properly and releases easily and quickly from the tripod.
5. The camera must have a good battery system to allow maximum remote shooting.

These days there are n number of digital cameras to opt from. So is their price range. Never the less, a good quality digital video camera for shooting all the action of your film would cost you amidst $500 and $800. In case your budget can stretch up to $1,000, Samsung VP X220L is surely the right choice for you. This camcorder comes along with a wired external lens. Its neat compact body is quite attractive and handy to operate and needless to mention, it is utterly durable. No wonders, the Samsung VP X220L was used in the very known Jack Ass show.

When get hold of new camera, acquaint yourself with its functions and features as much as you can. Never skip directly to shooting the film with your new camera. First you must make yourself perfectly professional with it. Here are some experiments you must try on your new camera:

1. Handle it all by yourself to learn it in entirety.
2. Learn to pan & focus with your camera.
3. Play back your recordings and check for the techniques to embitter the recording.
4. Try working on different lighting levels & shutter speeds.
5. Find out how does your camera focus automatically.
6. Also practice some bits of manual focusing.
7. Make sure to carry your camera with you for some days and prepare an image bank for yourself. This image bank would give you some basic generic images. These would be helpful to you while making cutaways and with several other functions involved in film making.
8. Learn to focus anything and everything through the lens.
9. Try directing and building varied scenes in your frame. Then first shoot those in still photography.
10. To practice shooting with your new camera, try a hand on your crew & the talent.
11. Simply, shoot anything moving, until and unless you get it right.

Compact Digital Camera Reviews - What's Real and What's Not?

2008-11-21T17:56:00.000+05:00

So you want to buy a compact, digital camera. Reviews to help you make the right choice are plastered all over the internet, but many of these were done to sell you the camera. How do you know who to trust, and who not?

Firstly, stay away from "reviews" connected to the manufacturer. Any manufacturer would like you to believe in the supremacy of their products, so the review will consist of a list of praises. The "review" is no more than a thinly disguised sales pitch.

This does not mean you should leave any website with a link to a sales page. But you should be careful if all links point to one single manufacturer. If a manufacturer is directly involved, the negative points are likely to be withheld.

So where do you find real, quality compact digital camera reviews? Look for comparison sites, photographic journals, or go offline and buy a photographic (or computer) magazine. These reviews tend to be objective, normally done by professional photographers.

Look for reviews that simply do not pull any punches. Real compact digital camera reviews will evaluate a standard set of performance features, and give an honest opinion on each. Unless the camera in question costs a fortune, and is better than anything ever released, there has to be something that comes up less than perfect. You will know of any limitations or shortcomings you may want to avoid.

Eventually, you are the one who lays out the money. There is a load of "compact digital camera reviews" that are simply junk, trying to get you to buy a specific camera. In order to be able to make an educated choice, you have to separate fact from fiction.

What is Kirlian Photography?

2008-11-21T17:53:00.001+05:00

This is an amazing form of technology that in fact shows more in a photo than our naked eyes can see. It's details enhances subtle energetic environment around any form of life. Kirlian photography is a major player in pseudo-scientific research, its a form of aura photography and thus depends on electric field and energy discharges that occur between elements. However, the camera used greatly dictates the results.

Inventions in this field started as early as the 18th century. It's though important to note that Kirlian was the successful one in achieving this one of a kind results and thus the photography named after him. Simply this is also known as electrography. Visibility of acupuncture points in the human body is one of the great achievements of this photography.

Kirlian photography has been instrumental in helping many realize that the structure of the world relies on energy transfer that indeed surpasses ordinary understanding of the human mind and naked eye. Further interesting is the fact that it has shown even animate objects influence the camera in this photography. Its should be noted that its an instrumental component in the study of energetic fields and living objects.

Though still controversial, in Kirlian photography, the picture impression will depend on physical phenomena such as high voltage corona effects. Some critic of this photography argues that, if indeed this photography captures more than the ordinary electric charges, then we must be victims of self denial. However, if the opposite, then we have a ground reality to stand with. To be honest, I'll leave you to choose what side to believe in.

Objective and Subjective Photography Props

2008-11-21T17:44:00.001+05:00

Objective and subjective photography props are of great importance in professional photo shooting depending on the impression targeted in a certain photo. Objective ones will include must have items for picture taking such as backdrops, lights, possible prints etc while subjective will include photographers ideas on certain scene or picture poses.

Photography is an art that simply need not be truthfully rendering of reality and on the contrary it should be more about other things such as emotional touch on a models face. Photography props come here in handy and helps in defining picture atmosphere. The model and photographer are partners in a concept-design that can be influenced by mood, attitude, flexibility and communication and they should be considerate in backdrops that would create the effect they are looking for.

Most importantly photography props used should have the proper components, design and quality that will match to the intended picture outcome. You should take note that this props will vary due to different locations and themes of the shoot for example, you will use different ones in outdoor and indoors shooting. For digital cameras its quite simple since virtual props can be used.

Props are not really necessary when it comes to digital cameras and their use will vary depending on the user. For instance professionals will bother to go an extra mile to enhance settings while an amateurs will not bother much.

It should be well understood that quality and nature of props is influenced by type of photos we want to take and the better they are the more we are likely to get a glamorous picture.

The History of Photography

2008-11-21T17:41:00.002+05:00

Today photography have been greatly influenced by developing of cameras. It can be defined as the technique of capturing pictures on a light sensitive recorder i.e a film or a sensor. Its derived from a french word "photographie" which relates to a Greek word "phos" that means drawing with light. The trick behind cameras is they use an image sensor or photographic film as a sensitive medium. Digital cards and films are used as the recording support.

Unlike in classical film age, today a light=sensitive electronic item known as an image sensor is used. It stores photos on an electronic platform and makes it easier to print on paper or film. The type of lens, Focal length, filters and scrims are some of components found in modern cameras that influences the quality of the picture. This cameras are designed to automatically adjust settings for beginners but you can still customize settings that fits your need.

Photos will show information much precise and exact than any description. Due to this purpose, today not even commercials would do well without photos. In fact despite photography becoming a hobby and an art, it has always had the center attention of science. This is mostly for recording stages in an experiment. Military and police also rely on it for surveillance and data storage.

History has it that photography is as old as from 1826 when French scientist Nicephore Niepce produced the first picture. New developments were however in 1839 when the first glass negative appeared and in 1884 film technology was discovered by George Eastman that has been in use. At this days photos were in black and white until 1861 when James Clerk Maxwell successfully achieved color picture. Today monochrome pictures are still used for artistic expressions.

Digital Photography - Macro Lenses

2008-11-21T17:36:00.000+05:00

Good photography, whether it's using digital or conventional film, relies on a number of basic things - a camera body, a lens and you! All three of these things can be top quality or just plain average. Which would you prefer?

One of the things I've preached to my photography students over the years, especially the techno-files, is that yes the camera body is important, and never more so than in this day and age of CCD chips and many megapixels, but even more important than the body is the lens or lenses you put on it.

I cannot emphasize enough how crucial good lenses, and unfortunately expensive lenses, are but there is no substitute for good glass and good construction.

And when it comes to Macro/Micro Photography add another 20% to the crucial factor. Do yourself a favor if close-up photography is your thing, buy yourself a brand name, 1:1 Macro lens. Both Canon and Nikon include 1:1 Macros in their stables, they're not cheap, but they're absolutely worth it.

The latest Nikon 105 f2.8 Micro AFS lens is a great example of this quality. It has an incredibly shallow depth of field* when working close up which adds an edge to the creative effect. It can transform the mundane, average reality shot into an emotive art piece in an instant - experience this once, and you'll keep coming back for more, and where needed it produces perfectly sharp, precise images as well.

Macro lenses are expensive but the quality of the lenses speak for themselves and long term the investment is worth it, especially when you consider the huge gain in creativity and enjoyment of using such a precise tool.

Remember one thing though when working really close-up, the shift in focus from in-focus to out-of-focus is so rapid at wide open apertures that it's sometimes hard to be sure the point of focus or the subject you are focusing on is enough to hold the picture together creatively. If in doubt, shift your focal point to several positions on your subject and shoot 3, 4 or even a dozen shots.

One of the fantastic things about this digital revolution is that shooting many frames at a time on one subject has no inherent cost. Experiment! Try different apertures, bracket (taking more than one shot at a time at different exposures in order to get the best exposure), try with flash, try without flash ...

The list of possibilities is endless. It's worth shooting extravagantly in the beginning to find a look and feel that you like. Remember in focus or out focus, with movement and without, they all have merit. If you like crisp clean images, then I advise always using a tripod - the amount of camera shake you get is generally exaggerated the closer you get to the image. Furthermore, because focusing is so critical close up, a tripod is a really useful tool, it also slows you down a bit, allows time for reflection, a bit of time for pondering, weighing up options. Of course this doesn't mean that your subject is necessarily going to stay still, but then you can't have everything.

If you are like me, and you enjoy taking a lot of flower pictures you'll know all about trying to keep flowers steady on a windy day! I've taken pictures in the past where the flower has almost completely left the frame by the time I took the picture. Frustrating and yet even then I've found that sometimes the effect of a flower moving out of frame is gorgeous... a bit blurry, a bit odd but cool nonetheless. Serendipity at its best.

*For those of you who are new to serious macro photography with a DSLR remember that the aperture of the lens is always set to its widest open position to make focusing easier and only shuts down to the aperture you selected when the shot is taken - hence the sometimes annoying difference you see between the final image and the image you see while focusing.

The thing we called Bokeh?

2008-11-21T17:10:00.001+05:00

Have you been wondering what this Bokeh, that most pro's talk about, is? It is actually the misspelling of a Japanese word if you take it in a literary sense. The real spelling is Boke and its a Japanese word meaning Fuzzy. OK don't wonder where your friends learned Japanese from. Photography has a lot to do with Japan and there are a lot of Japanese pro's this word was commonly used by them to explain the fuzzy areas and its quality. Now an English writer writing for an English magazine made it bokeh which is the way it is pronounced.

To explain Bokeh we need to understand DOF or Depth Of Field. DOF has two measurements one is the distance of the Focused area from the lens the second is the depth of the area in focus. The first is called DTF depth to field and the second is DOF or depth of field. To understand this two concepts the image below should help. The camera has three butterflies in front of it.

These are divided into three regions the not in focus area in front, the area in focus and the area not in focus at the back. Now anything that is in the Depth of Field area will be considerably sharp and will be the area of interest in the photo. The area in front and behind this region will be blurry.

Bokeh refers to this blurry area. Now why all the fuss about this blurry area , is it not blurred ? Lets understand bokeh in further detail. Let us understand that the quality of bokeh is subjective, but the subjectivity is due to the fact that there is difference between bokeh produced by different lenses.

The characteristics of a given lenses bokeh is analyzed by looking at the circle of confusion. Circle of confusion is the (blurry) spot that is produced by a (definite) spot that is out of focus in the image.

Now the circle of confusion has a lot to do with the shape of the aperture. That is the shape of the circle of confusion is determined a lot by the shape of the aperture. Lenses depending on their build quality have different type of aperture. That is in short aperture shape is not a circle. It is more like a polygon than a circle. The best bokeh have circle of confusion that is defused or has no sharp edge.

Better quality bokeh gives the image a more pleasing look. Bokeh comes into question only when a short DOF is used when a large DOF is used most of the field is in focus and there is no blurry component to have a bokeh. In short DOF applications mostly we intend to give the object in focus importance, depending on the application we might want or not want the onlooker to have attention on the area that is blurry. The type of bokeh usually helps us in doing this.

Some more expensive lens allows the photographer to control the bokeh. Though a useful feature you might be better off paying for more aperture or constant aperture than paying for bokeh control.

Most of the retouching software have options to create artificial blurr and along with it tools to control the bokeh of the blur thus created.

The quality of an image is greatly improved with the look of the bokeh. Next time you are out purchasing a lens do look at the bokeh the lens creates. The quality of the same can make or break you picture.

This image shows circle of confusion distinctly towards the mid right. If you expand the image (by clicking on it) you will notice that these circles are not diffusing but rather are quite sharp towards the edge which shows a low quality bokeh, but if you look at it further you will notice that the circles being noticed give a better look to the image all together. The purpose of the image was to make you understand what is circle of confusion how to rate them and most importantly that the quality of bokeh is subjective. Depending on the way you photograph, one type of bokeh might suite you better than another type.

So decide for your self what type of bokeh you like and would complement your work. Also look around on the net for images taken using the particular lens you are interested in. Flickr or other such social photo sharing platforms could be of great help in this endeavour. Even with point and shoot cameras you can look around for images to understand their capabilities. Mostly point and shoot cameras don't have small DOF and thus bokeh doesn't count at all, but there are some higher end version where bokeh counts.

There is another interesting thing to note about bokeh, you could actually give shapes to it. This is done by using a very small aperture and a cutout of the same size(to avoid vignetting), the cut out is put in front of the lens and the shape of the cut our becomes the shape of the circle of confusion. This can be used to create very interesting images.

The image on the left shows a heart shaped bokeh. This is created by using a card board with a small heart shaped hole cut in it. This is then place in front of the camera's lens. The aperture is set to a similar, in fact a little larger size.

So next time you buy a lens do check out the bokeh it produces. Also do give importance to the bokeh your current lens produces.

Better Photographs - Better Composition

2008-11-21T16:59:00.001+05:00

When it comes to composition, the most beneficial rule of composition is the rule of thirds. This will be helpful to both professionals and amateurs. You will find that the rule of the thirds will help your photograph have visual impact. The rule of thirds is not difficult to learn or understand. You always want to keep this rule of composition in mind before taking any photograph. It will soon become second nature to you and you will see a definite improvement in the impact and visual quality of your photos.

Fortunately, our minds can be quickly conditioned to think in in the rule of thirds mode. It will quickly become second nature to you. If your viewfinder has a grid option, use it. This was set originally designed to make using the rule of thirds easy. If your camera does not have this option, you'll have to imagine it. When looking at a frame, you will want to mentally make a note of a tic-tac-toe box so that you can envision lines that are running horizontally and vertically.

Next, check out your subject matter in relationship to the horizontal lines. Your photograph will have the most impact if the horizon is placed close to one of these lines, so that your sky occupies about 1/3 or 2/3 of the picture. This will give your photograph good balance and have a greater visual impact. The next step is to look at your subject matter in relationship to the four points on the grid where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect. Also known as "sweet spots" by photographers. By placing your main subject matter in the sweet spots, or area of most visual importance, the viewers eye will be sub-consciously drawn to your main point of interest.

A good photographer will include diagonal lines whenever possible. Your photograph will appear more pleasing if diagonal lines run through one or two of the sweet spots. The rule of thirds is not carved in stone however is a very good basic rule of composition. You should always keep it in mind when you are photographing anything. Sometimes you need to be willing to break these rules, but you need to understand the importance of these basic elements of composition. It will help you to be more consistent and your search for composition will become second nature to you. The basic rules of composition can be applied to all forms of photography. These same rules apply to still life shots, landscapes, commercial, fine art and even when arranging portraits. Good composition is the difference between a great photograph and an ordinary picture with just a few seconds of thought and planning.

Why Should We Format Our Memory Card

2008-11-21T16:45:00.000+05:00

The first time you use a new memory card with your digital camera you should always format it in the camera, or it may not record your images correctly.

Why should you format your memory card? These cards are like mini computers and have file systems, folders etc. Formatting in the camera sets the card up so that it functions properly for that particular camera.

Sometimes the camera will recognize a new card and sometimes you need to go into the MENU function of your digital camera. It is usually found in SETUP however if in doubt check with your manual.

It takes no time at all to do this and you can carry on with the business of taking photos confident in the knowledge that your memory card is functioning correctly.

Please note: Never remove a memory card when the camera is still switched on, or switch the camera off while it is still writing to to the card after you have taken a picture, as in each case the memory card will be corrupted.

After recording images for some time onto a card you could also see error messages on your camera. Reformatting the card should fix this.

The final and most useful reason for formatting is that after successfully downloading your images to your computer (check first!), it is good practice to format your memory card each time you put it back into the camera, even if you have deleted the contents of the card using a computer.

This is a good habit to adopt as it minimizes the risk of communication failures between the card and the camera, especially if you use the card in different cameras.

It is also a quick way to delete your images as reformatting clears or overwrites the file directory.

The question is frequently asked "What if I have deleted all my images in error or my memory card is corrupted?"

Camera manufacturers usually state that formatting a memory card "permanently deletes all photographs and other data the card may contain".

However, this is not strictly true as the formatting process only overwrites the file directory which contains your image files. The images are usually still there but you cannot access them.

All is not lost! A good photo recovery program can usually retrieve most, if not all, your images.

You can download free software from the internet which will help you to recover your lost images. Check through your search engine of choice for Memory Card Recovery or Disk Recovery.

I hope you find this helpful. Good luck with your photography.

Landscape Photography - Five Tips For Unique Photos That Sell

2008-11-21T16:37:00.000+05:00

Nature photography is more popular than ever now that digital cameras have made it so easy for anyone to enjoy. With so many photographers out there, it can be tough to produce images that are truly distinctive.

If you want to make some money from nature photography, or even make it your living, your photography must offer something special. It is not enough for your photos to be 'good.' There is more than enough 'good' photography out there already. Your photos need to be unique and distinctive, or they simply won't be noticed.

Here are five tips to help you rise to the challenge.

Nature Photography Tip #1. Concentrate On Nature, Not Just Technology. In the digital age there is an increasing emphasis on the latest technology; so much so that some people tend to rely on the camera (and the computer) to do the work for them. While it is understandable that people are drawn to photography by their love of technology, good nature photography really requires a more old-fashioned approach.

Understanding the light is paramount. You really need to learn how to capture your photo in the best possible light, which means picking the ideal weather conditions, and the right time of day for each subject. Spending time observing the light and how it works in a photo will make you a much better photographer than someone who thinks technology is the key to good photography.

Nature Photography Tip #2. Look For Unique Moments. Never forget that every idea you have has already been had by someone else, and every subject you photograph has been photographed by a thousand people before you. The truth is, it is easy to take a decent photo; that's why there are so many of them on the market. The trick is to take something exceptional.

This is all about timing. With landscapes, you need to look for an unusual angle or a spectacular sky. Your photo must be well lit (see tip #1) but it must also capture a feature or a moment that will make viewers think "Wow, I have never seen it photographed like that before!"

Nature Photography Tip #3. Get To Know Your Local Environment. When you are travelling, capturing a unique moment takes a bit of luck. In terms of unusual weather, you really have to take your chances along with the rest of the tourists. Closer to home, however, you have an unfair advantage over everyone else. You may be in a unique position to be on-site at special moments other photographers can only dream of.

Get to know your local landmarks. Find the best lookouts and the quickest shortcuts to get there. Identify which time of day is best for each location. Then listen to weather reports and keep an eye on the sky. When you see something special start to build (a dark storm cloud, maybe the chance of a rainbow etc), grab your camera, get into position, and wait for your moment to arrive. In time, you could build a collection of photos of your local landscapes that is second to none.

Nature Photography Tip #4. Be Patient And Persevere. As I said earlier, it is easy to take a good photo; it is not so easy to take something truly special. A lot of things have to fall into place to get a perfect shot, so don't be disappointed when your first attempts yield little result. You may need to visit the same place over and over again, until you find the stroke of luck that creates your great photo opportunity. Professional nature photographers are prepared to put in this extra effort for a shot. Once you get that once-in-a-lifetime image it will all seem worth it.

When the moment comes, take a lot of photos. You really need to make the most of a great opportunity, and every scene can produce a myriad of possible images. Remember that in the digital world, it costs nothing to keep snapping, so you can afford to really do justice to the moment.

Nature Photography Tip #5. Perfect Your Technique. You can wait days or weeks for a great photo opportunity, but when the moment arrives it can come and go in a matter of minutes. You don't want to waste time trying to work out your apertures and shutter speeds. Practice your skills at every opportunity, and really get to know your camera.

You don't need to know every tiny feature of the menu. The essentials of good photography are the same as always; aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus etc. The more practice you put in, the easier and more instinctive it will become. Then when your special moment arrives, you can put your energy into creativity instead of fumbling with camera settings.

Commercial Photography - The Art of Making it Look Great

2008-11-21T16:35:00.000+05:00

I recently had an opportunity to work with a handful of commercial food photographers. I first went to their web sites to review the type of work that they had done. While on their site, I found a series of commercial, editorial, and still life portfolios for a general sample of each the studio's work. Rich colors, sharp lines and contrasts, it takes talent to be a commercial photographer and to make food photography look so good. I also had a chance to review some of their high profile clients like Häagen-Daas, Dove, Healthy Choice, Ecco Domani, Dannon, and Renaissance.

Commercial photography requires certain kinds of technical skills, such as finding the right subject and creating a presentation for a specific or general effect. The right camera is essential as well as photographic or digital enhancement tools, which is one of the benefits of the modern age - digital tools such as saturation, contrasting, and airbrushing can enhance or even change the state or composition of the photographed subject. However, nothing is a proper substitute for a good food photographer in commercial photography with a handle on his trade.

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of any kind of art, and photography is no exception. Especially since photography works by capturing light and translating it into images on a light-sensitive medium like film or, in the case of digital photography, an electronic sensor. A food photographer can use natural or artificial light to enhance or focus attention on a certain aspect of the subject. Angles are also an important component of food photography - since the specialty of the studio I visited is commercial food photography, the food photographer will make sure all eyes are on the commercial item, and interesting angles are another way of doing that by drawing the eye's attention to the unusual.

It was interesting to find that my host for the main event also blurs the background in order to make the commercial item the main things that matters in the composition - as though the sharpness and the clarity of the commercial item makes potential buyers finely see the product clearly. In commercial photography, the food photographer treats the food much as a still life photographer would. Except in food photography, the goal of the photographer is two-fold: to make the shoot look artistic and to make the subject look absolutely, mouth-wateringly delicious in order to entice the target audience. Another thing that makes this kind of photography different than other types of photography like industrial or business commercial photography is the necessity to either be quick at taking the pictures or have lots of the same kind of food on hand. Food does not always stay fresh for very long. It is a singular dilemma, but food photographers are ready for this kind of hitch in the proceedings.

I was able to report back to my customers that this group of commercial photographers is prepared for any commercial photography challenge, whether it's M&Ms or shrimp or forks rolled in a ball, chocolate dripping enticingly from a chocolate bar, glistening fruits and vegetables, a refreshing beverage, or a scoop of fresh ice cream. What a great day I had being immersed into this exciting new world of photography.

Quick Way to Enlarge Your Photos

2008-11-21T16:30:00.000+05:00

Photo enlargement is an online tool or service available on the World Wide Web. Today, it is easy to edit and modify pictures for anyone from anywhere who wants to resize image quickly in easy steps. There are so many websites available which are giving easy and quick facilities to enlarge, reshade, crop, stretch pictures according to your requirement and creativity.

How these services are helpful for tourists

Tourists or travelers who used to take pictures of different heritage places, monuments, wonders and other popular attractions using digital camera can take benefit from this services. They don't need to look whether photography enlarger is available on cafes computers or not. Just open World Wide Web and go to any website, register yourself using your email id and start using this facility. If you don't have any email id you will first need to create it using yahoo, gmail or hotmail.

Tourists always wanted to share their clips with the friends as soon as possible. So, using these services they can quickly share their photos with their relatives, friends and people from their native places by uploading it on the internet. Sometimes you want to edit pictures to give it clarity and sometimes you want to enlarge it so that everyone can look it closely. So, Photo Enlargers are sufficient in providing all the tools needed for picture editing.

However, sometimes tourists desire to look at each and every side of the picture closely. So, while taking pictures, set the dpi of digital camera a little bit high from the standard. It will help you to use highest efficiency of photographic enlargers. You will be able to look pictures more closely and very clearly without pixilation loss.

There are a number of online websites that offer free online image resizing services. On these sites you can use tools like cropping, stretching, smoothing, sharpening, denoising etc. You can also apply different visual effects such as brightness, contrast, background lightening etc.

The tools have different uses:

Stretch: If the image is not the same aspect ratio as the selected resolution then use stretch to fit it.
Crop: You can use Crop if you want to cut the image into parts. For example, if you have any photo with your friends and you want to separate your photo from the group you can use this option and click resize it.
Sharp: Using Sharpening get stronger edges for higher values.
Denoise: Using this option will work well for the noisy, grainy and poor quality pictures.
Smooth: You can use this option if you want to maintain good quality picture. Smoothing picture will reduce more noise and compression during resizing. I found reshade website to be the best in this area.

Quick Way to Make Posters From Favorite Photos

2008-11-21T16:27:00.000+05:00

Perhaps almost every person in the world today has a digital camera. Many of these people who have a digital camera also had become photographers either as a means of earning a source of income or just developed the hobby of taking pictures and collecting these digital photos in an album or in a computer folder.

Some of these digital photos stand out and may comprise as our favorites. Similar to the proliferation of the usage of a digital camera, online printing and enhancing laboratories, stores and professionals can also be found on the internet today to serve every digital photography enthusiast with printing, photo editing and photo resizing needs such as photo enlargement software and services.

With regard to these favorite special digitally captured moments, you can do more by making a poster out of your pictures. Whether its the most cherished family photo, or best captured moments with friends, or any photo close to your heart, they can all be upsized with the appropriate digital photo enlargement tools. With the digital photography industry growing and improving every minute, going beyond the borders of an 8.5 by 11 size is already a possibility with photo enlargement poster. For any amateur photographer, poster photos are the best to start with and play with your creative thinking. And it starts with bringing your favorite photo to a large capturing size.

Tips for the amateur photographer for picture enlargement

1. Almost all digital cameras today can already produce good quality digital photographs. When uploading a photo for picture enlargement, you need to upload the best photo available. Do not commit the most common mistake most people do, that is using a photo sharing software when submitting photos for enlargement. The software downsizes your photos resulting to poor quality photos when enlarged. Full size photos may take time to upload but gives the best results.
2. When taking photos with your digital camera, have it always set to the best picture quality. Sometimes in your attempt to capture more, you set the camera to a lower quality shot which is not ideal when you submit these for picture enlargement. Have external storage always in your camera bag.
3. Always set your digital camera to save photos in .TIFF files. This file format is ideal for those shots which are candidates for photo enlargement.
4. Always save the original photo so that you will have a backup in case editing and picture enlarger errors occur. Repetitive alteration and saving especially for .jpg files lowers the quality of the picture.

After you had enlarged your favorite pictures, you can already print these in your own printer or through an online digital printing lab. The later is usually the preferred by many professional photographers. These online digital printing providers can suggest some improvements and enhancement such as putting a frame or design to complete your poster photo. There are numerous webistes that offer these online services, but I found the reshade website to be a good one. Also, there are various sizes, colors and customized designs that you can choose from to enhance the appearance of your poster photos.

Quick Way to Digitize and Enlarge Your Paintings and Artwork Using Photo Enlargement Tools

2008-11-21T16:24:00.000+05:00

Today, the Internet and digital medium has become an indispensable part of our lives. If you are a traditional art lover or a professional artist with great artwork collection and a strong desire to reach to greater audience all over the world, to showcase your artwork and paintings, then it is necessary to take full advantage of the growing digital medium. It definitely helps a talented artist to sell and distribute their artwork to art lovers all around the world. The important thing before you distribute your favorite artwork, paintings or old stock photographs is to properly digitize, i.e. import and scan paintings on to a digital device such as a computer. It is also necessary to neatly enlarge paintings using photo enlargement software.

Once you import your painting and artwork to a computer with required resolution and color depth, it is necessary to digitally process it. Before you actually make printings from high resolution paintings and artwork, you need to apply various effects to the photograph. For example, you can remove excess blurriness from the picture, refocus the soft edges, adjust the contrast and picture brightness, try to get crisp edges so it looks good on enlarged pictures and remove other photo defects too. All this can be done with the right photo enlargement software.

You should remember before digitally processing your artwork that you invested a hard work and quality time to accurately create the paintings from your imagination. You should always have a backup copy of your digital painting on an external device such as portable hard disk or USB drives. This way you can use the backup copy in case you have accidentally applied wrong filters or effects to your digital painting using photo enlargement software or lost the pictures due to system crash.

Another important factor which should be considered before importing your artwork and paintings on to a computer is the type of painting. Although you are aware of the painting type for your artwork, you should also understand the effects when you digitize it and import it from a scanner device. It may be an acrylics painting, oil painting, encaustic painting, fabric painting, water color painting or mixed media painting but you need to know what maximum resolution is suitable for your type of painting. While using a photo enlargement software, if you apply excessive zoom factor to the digital photograph then you may see huge loss in the picture quality with additional distortion and blurriness.

Please also make sure that the tool you are using to enlarge pictures supports picture export to JPEG, TIFF, PNG and BMP. These image formats can store high resolution pictures with more color depth. This makes adjusting the pictures for printing very easy.

Before choosing a software to enlarge photos, please make sure that the software offers highest quality picture enlargement without a blur, loss of sharpness or photograph details. If you want an online service to do this, I found that the photo enlargement software provided by reshade website gives you accurate, crisp clear and photorealistic enlargements with any possible zoom factor.

Top 5 Tips For Better Wedding Photography

2008-11-21T16:18:00.001+05:00

Tips to Better your Wedding Photography

When photographing for weddings here are five points that I always remember, and try to use in my photographs.

1. The Dress
Ask any bride, one of the most important parts of the day is the dress! So when looking back at the photos you don't want to see a plain white matte outline for where the dress should be. Make sure you expose the dress correctly. In any picture where the dress is seen, make sure you expose the picture so you can see the details and lines of the dress.

2. Special Moments
As unique as all weddings are, they usually follow a common routine. There are some poignant moments that occur in mostly all weddings. For your documentation of the big day make sure you have these specific shots; Cutting of the cake, Signing of the register, Picture of both rings, The first dance etc. etc. remember all weddings are individual so make sure you capture the important moments of each.

3. Candid Moments
To be on the scene but not be seen. Apart from some formations of the family not being intrusive can capture the best images of the wedding, highlighting those touching moments and emotions of the day. So sit back get the shot and snap away at the real life sentiment of the wedding.

4. All the Attire
After all of the planning, money spending and preparations for the big day you don't want to miss any detail which took the bride and her party so much time to organise and prepare. These are the trimmings which can create really great pictures which bring the feeling of the individual wedding- so don't forget things such as the flowers, the name places, the aisle, the guest book, the decorations etc. Pictures of these tiny details can create great montages that brides and grooms will love.

5. The Couples
Lastly remember this day is centred around two particular people. The bride and groom. This is their special day and they want to remember everything about it, especially their happiness and love which they share together. Couple shots are the best way to photograph the raw emotions and intimate moments. Make sure you get your time alone just with the couple. It can be quite intimidating in front of all of their guests so create a specific time to take the bride and groom aside for some personal location and close up shots, away from the hustle of the guests. These moments will be the shots they will look back on and love. Take your time, make sure they relax and snap away.

What is and How to Set Contrast Based Auto Focus?

2008-11-21T16:15:00.000+05:00

Today most camera's have the capacity to focus, that is previously there were cameras that had an infinite preset focus but today any camera selling above 50- 60$ have an auto focus system. Auto focus is a system where the focusing lens arrangement is repositioned to attain a focus image, by the camera itself to get a sharp image.

Auto Focus Sytem
The above image shows the standard auto focusing system in a very simplified diagram. This is the system that most DSLRs implement. Such a system is expensive dues to the cost of sensor and the dedicated modules etc. To make auto focus system for cheaper cameras the sensor and the dedicated modules are removed from the system and the CPU take their responsibility.

Let us first look at a property of a image when in focus consider the three images below,photo-034-300x109 What is and How to set contrast based auto focus? photo-036-300x109 What is and How to set contrast based auto focus? photo-039-300x109 What is and How to set contrast based auto focus? the first one is completely out of focus , second one more in focus and the last one completely in focus. Now the first thing that we can see from the three images is the difference in amounts of color in each, that is the first image has the lest overall colour difference or entropy. The second one has higher entropy than the first and the third has the highest entropy of all the three images. This is not an isolated case with this image. Blur causes reduction of entropy, and out of focus image is blurred and thus has lower entropy.

The contrast based auto focus system uses this very principle to achieve focus. When the area of interest is in focus the total entropy of the region of interest will be highest. That is as the image becomes more in focus the entropy increases, and as the area goes out of focus entropy decreases. The cameras utilising the contrast based auto focusing method usually have an electronic shutter, so the image is constantly being received into the CPU. The CPU then scans the area of interest for contrast levels and when trying to focus it does a try.fail,retry method to get the area in focus. That is the CPU measures the current contrast then makes a small adjustment in one direction then measures again if the contrast decreased it means that the adjustment was in the wrong direction then it corrects and scans until the contrasts starts decreasing or the maximum point is found.

Depending on the capacities of the camera in question the auto focus system can have more advanced features including focus area selection different size area of interests and so on. The focus area selection is done by using an square area of interest, that is usually 10% of screen area , this area of interest can be moved around the viewing area and the focusing is done according to that area.

How ?
Let us see some simple ways of using auto focus. We are considering features available on a higher end point and shoot camera. The auto focusing features include

* Center area based focusing

* Centered small area based focusing

* Centered large area based focusing

* Movable small area based focusing

* Assisted focusing

* Macro Focusing

* Small centered area

* Center area based focusing

This is the default option on most cameras. In this option the camera looks at a central area that usually makes up less than 25% of the total image area and depending on this area the focus is obtained. This is the option that is used when the camera is in auto mode. The exact percentage of screen area analysed is dependent on the camera manufacturer and model. This mode usually give good results and is recommended for the beginner. To use this the easiest way is to set the camera to auto, which is usually marked by the green colored symbol on the mode Dial.

Centered small area based focusing
The illustration gives a basic idea of how such a setting would look the grey area actually will be the area in interest when trying to focus. This area will usually be marked by a white box in the cameras view finder image or the LCD image. When using this mode what ever you bring into this box will be focused on. That is if you are shooting the picture of a cat, the cat should be in the white box that is it should be in the grey area shown on the image. Then only it will be focused on that is then only you will get a sharp image of the cat. Let us analyze this a bit if the cat is towards the left and there is actually a bottle in front of the cat and in the image the bottle is in the grey area, then the bottle will be sharp and the cat will be out of focus or blurred. This mode is usually used for shooting small object like a dog or a cat or a bottle that is when we need to focus on an object that fits in the grey area shown in the illustration.

Centered large area based focusing
The illustration again gives a basic idea of the area. This area makes up a large part of the image. The exact size of the area is manufacturer and model dependent. This setting is usually used for taking picture of a larger object. That is some thing that is nearer. The important thing to keep in mind is that as the area of interest expands the processor will take more time to process, but it will be possible to attain focus in lower light conditions. This large area can also be used to get focus on an object when the light is dim. This can also be used when you are taking a group photo and so on. One thing to note is that with cameras having features like face detection it is always better to use the automatic mode when using the camera in such ideal condition that is when taking portraits or group photos or landscape and so on.

Movable small area based focusing
The illustration image shows this as a small Gery box. In the camera this box can be moved around to the desired location. The main requirement for this option is that there should be ample light for this to work as a small area is under consideration. This is very useful when trying to capture only a particular part of the image in focus. That is when you want to focus towards the sides of the image etc. This is most useful in the macro mode because you will need to focus ons something in particular in a enlarged scene. This mode can create wonders with a little imagination. Do understand that what ever falls in this area gains focus so this mode can also be useful in other conditions like if you set it towards the center when photographing a scene where ther is a person in the center. The person will be in focus because the area has the person in it. This can be faster to obtain focus than the other modes when conditions are ideal. Note that this is very sensitive to light and if there is little or too much light this mode might not get focus at all.

Assisted focusing
When there is too little light to acquire focus in any of the above modes the camera either activates a dedicated assist lamp or strobes the flash to acquire focus. This setting can be changed by looking at the focus assist options in your camera. This can be battery consuming thus you can disable this mode to save battery but it is a very helpful tool when in low light.

Macro Focusing
This mode enable the camera to focus on a object that is very close to the camera. One can be beautiful pictures of flowers, insects etc using this mode. The above modes all work with this mode. The spot area option will be most beneficial in this mode. Some camera have a dedicated macro button that can be enable when in other modes too. The image of the flower with leaves can be used to identify this button.

The first three options can be set on you camera either by looking at the auto focus settings on your camera or by manipulating the dedicated auto focus button on your camera if it has one. This guides how to section is more towards making you understand why to choose the setting than how to. To get information for your camera specifically refer the manual. The aim of the how to section is to make u understand why you would choose the specific setting.

In all the above setting when focus is obtained the white box becomes green. To get best results make sure that you have obtained focus by looking for the white box before depressing the button completely. (referring to models that focus on depressing the shutter button half way, most models use this method only) Some cameras also give a audible signal when focus is obtained. To enable this(if your camera has this option) you can go to the sounds option in the menu or it can be found in you auto focus options .

Note:- This article is written with only Point and Shoot cameras in mind.

How to Take Excellent Photographs

2008-11-21T16:13:00.000+05:00

There are literally millions of articles about digital photography on the internet and I have read hundreds of them, but I have not read many that give basic tips to would be photographers who are starting out with their first camera. Of course I only refer to digital cameras; their predecessors have all but disappeared.

The Camera
Firstly, please, please get a camera with a viewfinder, whether you are looking through the lens as with a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) or through a separate viewfinder as on a simpler camera you will introduce too many problems by holding the camera at arms length whilst shooting. Secondly do not worry about megapixels, more is not necessarily better, a 3Mp camera takes photos that are perfectly good enough for printing up to A4 size (210 x 297 MM) Finally, zoom. Optical zoom means that the subject is magnified optically before being digitised, digital zoom means that the picture is magnified after being digitised, as far as quality and definition is concerned it does not matter how much digital zoom your camera has you will not improve your pictures. Optical zoom however will allow you to zoom in to a distant subject and see it with the camera in the same way that you can with a pair of binoculars. That is all I will say about the camera, even the cheapest of camera today has enough features and facilities to satisfy the vast majority of amateur photographers.

Set to Automatic When you start out, set the camera to automatic, you will in time become familiar with the other settings as you learn and gain experience, if the camera has an automatic flash, leave it switched on, it will only operate if the electronics decide that it is needed. Holding the camera Hold the camera firmly in both hands with the viewfinder close to your eye, tuck your elbows in to your sides, take a breath, partly exhale and then hold your breath and press the shutter release.

Light

Make sure, if there are lights, especially sunlight, that you have your back to the light. Framing When you plan your shot keep in mind the rule of thirds, basically this states that any vertical line such as a standing human subject or a tree should be either one third of the frame in from the left or from the right, and that any horizontal line such as the horizon should be one third of the frame from the top or from the bottom of the picture. For example if you take a picture of the sea it will not look very good if you set the horizon across the centre of the picture, rather have it one third of the way down from the top.

Tripod

For some pictures you may need to use a tripod or monopod if you have one, if not you can lean against a wall or support the camera on a ledge or car roof Experiment In the old days it was expensive and time consuming to experiment, the beauty of digital cameras is that you can take as many pictures as you like and, until you decide to print one, it does not cost a penny and you can see each shot immediately after you have taken it. Walk around your garden or house and take dozens of pictures, try taking the same shot from different angles and positions and with different zoom settings, you will soon get the feel of the camera and start to build up confidence when using it.

If you follow the advice given in the paragraphs above you will start taking quality photographs from the very beginning and you will soon become an accomplished amateur photographer. Good luck and have fun.

Rebel SLR EOS Digital Camera Series

2008-11-21T16:12:00.000+05:00

There are quite a few excellent digital cameras on the market today from reputable companies. But the one camera series that stands out, probably because I have owned a few of them is the Canon Rebel SLR EOS Digital Camera.

Before owning a good digital camera I, of course, did a lot of research on the Internet and was impressed by the consistently high ratings from consumers that the Canon Rebel SLR Digital Camera series received. Consumers were impressed by their solid construction and high quality images. Amateur Photographers can quickly become expert with easy, enticing SLR functions.

Whether you're a professional or amateur, the EOS basic concept is to shoot better photographs more comfortably. To accommodate all users it is important to have a wide range of basic functions - A quick operation so that photographers can securely capture the decisive moment. To achieve this, quick focus and high-speed AF (auto focus) are required.

Camera lenses must also be interchangeable, because this is the main feature of SLR Digital Camera, and high-speed AF (auto focus) must be achieved with every lens. To capture the decisive moment, how quickly the camera goes into standby/ready to shoot mode is also a key factor.

Cameras also must be easy to operate. Canon Rebel SLR EOS digital Cameras are highly automated, so they bring highly satisfying results with everything left to the camera to control such as focus and exposure. However, they also have the flexibility to meet users' requests when they want to add subtle adjustments. A perfect example of this is the Quick Control Dial on most EOS camera bodies, which allows instant access to exposure compensation with the camera still at the user's eye.

These are truly impressive cameras and worth every dime I spent on them.

Is it OK to Use Cheaper Media in Your Digital Camera?

2008-11-21T16:10:00.000+05:00

Especially in today's troublesome economy, with the high prices of digital cameras, rechargeable batteries, tripods, filters, and other accessories, you might be tempted to save some money by purchasing cheaper, generic digital camera media. And why not? Photos taken with cheaper media should look just the same as those taken with more expensive media, as long as the files get written correctly. Your JPG images will not come out more pixilated, and uncompressed TIFF and RAW files will contain the same information.

However, "saving money" has a few potential downsides:

* Brand name digital camera memory cards may be faster than their generic equivalents. If your digital camera supports the faster write speeds, you can take photos quicker by not waiting as long for your digital camera to store information onto the media. This is especially important if you wish to use drive mode and take multiple images in quick succession, useful for sporting events, wildlife photography, and other situations involving fast-moving subjects.

* Brand name digital camera memory may prove to be more reliable. On some generic memory I have used, even though the media did not outright fail, if you shot multiple photos quickly the memory card could 'hang', causing some photos to be lost. Since the photos were never successfully written to the media, they were unrecoverable.

* Brand name digital camera media may have limited warranties. If the media proves to be defective within a certain period of time after the purchase, it might be possible to get a replacement memory card. Some warranties may provide replacements at no charge; others might require modest shipping and handling charges.

Even with limited warranties, however, any lost photos on the defective media may remain lost. In some instances, media recovery applications may help. While I don't vouch for any particular software package, publishers include DataRescue, Jufsoft, and MediaRECOVER.

* Brand name digital camera memory may be rated to handle better in extreme conditions (hot and cold environments), useful if you plan on mountain climbing or shooting photos at a beach or desert. Of course, in such environments you may deal with other weather-related problems such as faster-draining batteries and condensation forming on the camera lens.

* Even if you want to purchase brand name digital camera memory, you may be tempted to purchase such media from lesser known stores, online outlets, or auction sites. After purchasing items at some establishments (though certainly not all), you might find yourself with counterfeit memory, generic memory repackaged as brand name! Such memory may increase the chances of data corruption, perform slower than advertised, and quite possibly damage the camera as you insert or remove the media. Plus, counterfeit memory lacks any true warranty, even if the fake packaging claims one is offered. As the adage goes, if a price is too good to be true, it just may be.

(Note that if this scam happens to you, you cannot always blame the store for the sale. It may have unknowingly purchased this memory from a fraudulent distributor.)

I am not recommending always buying the most expensive media at the most expensive retailer - the choice is yours. Some of the above potential downsides may not apply to your digital camera or your shooting conditions. You might not require faster shooting, and certainly not all generic memory will corrupt your data. However, for those truly concerned about their photos being written correctly and transferrable to backup media without incidents, paying a few extra bucks may prove to be money well spent.

Quick Guides on Buying the Best Digital Cameras

2008-11-21T16:07:00.000+05:00

If you have definitely decided on buying a digital camera, what would you want its specifications to be? To help in answering these questions there are some information you have to know before you can decide. If this is your first camera then you must be honest with yourself if you have no idea what functions you would want your camera to have.

Do you plan to only use this for occasional family and friend type photos? Although costs have plummeted dramatically in recent years, it is still something that has to be considered. If you are using your home pc to carry out photo editing you will need to think about whether your pc is up to the task. Many computer packages available have digital cameras, software and other accessories so you can have a complete home studio system. Fortunately you won't have to pay for the image editing software when you buy a digital camera but if you are after a printer or cartridges, these will be an extra expense that will have to be catered for.

Whilst many home printers are fine for general printing, you will need a special printer to carry out photo printing as well as special ink cartridges. To obtain the best pictures, it would be better to set the camera to the greatest number of pixels it can operate at. If you aim to obtain more than a dozen or so shots with your digital camera then you will have to use external memory to enlarge the storage room. As time has moved out, the storage capacity of cards has increase exponentially with the current crop of professional cards running at thirty two gigabytes; however, 1 or 2 gigabyte capacities are now very ordinary and accepted with users.

Before you buy it is good idea to test and check if you feel comfortable holding and using it. If you use your digital camera a great deal then the power source is important so try to use rechargeable types; they may cost a little more initially but can be charged many times so are very cost effective. The more up to date digital cameras are complemented with a decent size LCD screen; it makes both viewing and taking photos much easier but they can be a drain on battery power.

Removing the traditional viewfinder has been a step forward for many people that disliked using photographic equipment fitted with them; the LCD screen is much easier to use. If you wish for a good zoom capability, you should go for those with an optical zoom lens. Despite the huge digital zoom power that many cameras boast, the images are never that clear. Two other things to look out for are diopter adjustment for people with poorer vision and a tripod socket because both are very useful. If you were unsure about certain aspects of buying a digital camera, I hope this brief article has helped with a few facts that you needed to know.

Learn (Photoshop) Elements Now - Make Your Photos Look Great

2008-11-21T15:59:00.001+05:00

The popularity of Photoshop among professional designers easily makes it the digital imaging industry standard. The idea that it is, in essence, a brand name that has crossed grammatical barriers makes it a true cultural phenomenon. However, don't let all this grandeur get in your way if you are an amateur photographers. Photoshop is a powerful tool for anyone who simply wants to make their personal photo collection look better.

Opening Photos with Photoshop I recommend opening Photoshop and becoming familiar with the desktop environment before trying to figure out how to get your photo in there. If your photos are already in a digital format (i.e. taken with a digital camera), you can transfer them to your computer using the USB lead that came with your camera. If your photos are actual prints you can still edit them with Photoshop! To get them into your computer you will need to use a scanner to scan the photos onto your desktop. When you finally have your photos in your computer, I recommend grouping them in a folder. To make it easy to find later call the folder something simple like "Original Photos" and place it on your desktop. If you click on the closed folder and press your CTRL button and drag you will make a copy of the folder; it is important to work with a copy of your pictures. You can right click on the new folder and rename it "Edited Photos." Working with duplicate photos enables you to always have an original copy of your photo to go back to, just in case you make an editing mistake. To add your photo to Photoshop you will first need to open your Photoshop program by double-clicking on the icon. Next click on the File menu and select open. Navigate to your "Edited Photos" folder and double click on a photo. Now you're ready to begin!

Adjust Levels in Your Photos I always recommend you check your photo's color levels prior to editing. Colors tend to not look quite right when photos are backlit, lit poorly, or overexposed. Sometimes the problem is obvious, yet at other times it's hard to tell, so I always recommend checking your photo's levels. Adjusting the colors as your first step will help you make the colors in your photos look their best for later editing. To adjust the levels in your picture click on Edit in the menu bar. Move your mouse to Adjustments > in the drop-down menu and leave the cursor there for a second. In the sub-menu that pops up, choose Auto Levels.

After adjusting the levels you might notice a change in the appearance of your photo. If you don't see an obvious difference it's okay. No changes simply mean that your photo looked good right from the start. After you have adjusted the levels you will want to save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows. The more you with Photoshop the more you will find that there are keyboard shortcuts that you can use for speed up your work; the keyboard shortcut for Auto Levels is Shift + Apple + L on a Mac or CTRL + L on a PC.

Reduce Red Eye in Your Photos Everyone has become a victim to the curse of red eyes in our photos. More photos have been ruined with red eye than silly expressions, closed eyes, and blurred photos combined. Thankfully getting rid of red eye is a snap with Photoshop. To fix red eye we will need to use the Layers Palette. You should be able to find the Layers Palette in the lower right hand corner of the window when you open Photoshop. If you do not see the Layers Palette you can find it by clicking on "Windows" in the menu bar, scroll to Layers, and double check that Layers has a check mark next to it. If it doesn't, click it once and the Layers palette will appear. Once you have found the layers palette you need to find the adjustment layer button. This button can be found at the bottom of the window. It has a half-black, half-white circle and when you move your mouse over it should have a pop-up box that says "Create new fill or adjustment layer".

To activate it, click on the adjustment layer button. A sub-menu should come up and you will want to select Channel Mixer. Now, a window with the words Channel Mixer should open. To fix the red eye you will want to set the Red slider to 0%, and the Blue and Green sliders to 50%. Once you have done this click OK. You may wonder why the people in the photos look like bluish-gray-skinned phantoms, don't be alarmed! You haven't messed anything up, they're supposed to! You will soon fix this so they look like their regular people again. Set the foreground color to black at the bottom of the toolbar. In the toolbar, select the brush tool. Now, depending on the size of the photos, the red eyes might be too difficult to see; return to the toolbar and select the zoom tool (magnifying glass with a +). Clicking on the eyes with your mouse will zoom in on them.

Once you have zoomed in enough so you feel you can comfortably work on the eyes you will need to select the brush tool again. Once again return to the Layers palette. Now you should see a Background layer and a layer called Channel Mixer 1. Select the layer Channel Mixer 1 by clicking it once. Now you can use the brush tool again to paint the parts of the eyes that had appeared red. They should turn red again. Return to the top of your screen click on the Image menu. Just like we did earlier you will need to move your mouse over Adjustments in the drop down menu. Select Invert in the sub-menu that comes up on the right. Tada we fixed the red eye! After all that hard work you definitely want to save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows. You may still see a red ring around the newly-fixed eyes; don't worry, we can fix that too. You first want to make sure the Channel Mixer 1 layer is selected (click it once).

In the main toolbar, make sure the foreground color is set to white. Since it was set to black a second ago, you will have to change it. Again, using the the paintbrush tool from the toolbar, carefully paint the red ring. As you paint you should see the color change to the correct eye color. At the top of the screen, in the menu bar, click Layer. Click on Flatten Image at the bottom of the menu. Save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows.

How to Get the Right DOF in Your Macro Photographs

2008-11-21T15:58:00.000+05:00

Lets get some things cleared first, the larger the aperture the smaller the depth of field that means the smaller the f stop the smaller the depth of field. I repeat in bold
Large aperture = Small DOF
Small Fstop = Small DOF

So what does that mean when u are using say 2.8 Fstop on your macro lens the depth that will be in focus will be less than when using say, 4. I would like to look at depth of field as the volume in focus. Remember that the DOF extends to the front and back of the object in focus but usually more to the back than the front. So when we are taking a Macro photograph our aim is to get the finer details in sharp representation. So it is not about having a large volume in focus or a small volume in focus but to have a ideal balance where we are representing the best combination of the fine details and bokeh.

The DOF gets deeper as you go farther from the subject. For example, if your subject is at 40 feet, the depth of field would be greater than when your subject is at 4 feet, so the closer you are the smaller the DOF.

Another factor that affects the DOF other than the aperture is the Focal length. Longer focal lengths have smaller DOF. That is when you use a 100mm macro and a 50 mm macro the 100 will have relatively smaller DOF than the 50 mm(for similar construction). So when choosing a lens for your macros do take into mind the DOF consideration also. Most medium telephoto to telephoto type Macro lens have very small volume in focus or DOF thus most of the good models have very small apertures also.

Now that covers the basic idea about DOF and what controls it, let us move on to considering DOF in terms of Macro Photography. Remember that most dedicated macro lens are primes so you only have a question of focal length if your kit has more than one macro, even in that case when shooting a picture the focal length remains constant. If you are on a zoom macro i would suggest you keep the focal length fixed and then move your self to frame the picture because this will give you better hold of the DOF.

Let us first deal with the question how much DOF one needs to get the right macro. The best way to do it is to think about the volume that you want in focus, and adjust till you get that correct, the calculation of the volume can be done mathematically and then getting it in focus done by trail and error, so say your trying to get an insect 2mm by 1mm in size, now look at its orientation towards the lens and compensate in the dimensions for this so mostly your looking for a DOF of around 1mm, this calculation should be done mentally and that too quick because the insect wont wait for you. Don't worry if you can't do all that, you will get the hang of it in no time. Now we arrived at a DOF of 1mm by mental calculation, now look at some feature in the frame that is near the insect and is around 1mm now adjust aperture so that the whole of that feature is in focus(Do this only until you get the hang of it, you are photographing the insect and ideally you should be looking at it). Now you see that the mental exercise ,of calculating is futile, that was just to give the newbies an idea of how to look at DOF. Basically you should be looking at the image and deciding when the DOF is right.

How do you know when you have the right DOF?

When taking a picture you have an idea of what you want the picture to show. You have the right DOF when the picture has the right message, ok that is if you want to show the insect cleaning its legs and you want the onlookers attention on that a DOF that include a little of the fly's face, maybe up to the eye and the front legs which it is cleaning should come in the DOF and rest excluded. This is actually up to the Photographer and this is what makes one photo unique from another.

Now the actual part of getting the DOF right is all about experience keep on clicking and you will know when it is right.

That said there are some other factors that need to be given consideration after getting the DOF right but is directly affected by the process of getting the DOF right. The best example is the amount of light coming in when the aperture is turned down.

When you need a large DOF and you bring down the aperture to a large f-stop(remember large f-stop small aperture) you are bringing down the amount of light also. There are some ways that you can compensate for this:

Using a high ISO, when you are in lack of light you should be going to a higher ISO. DO remember that higher ISO can mean an image that is noisy, so reconsider the DOF that you selected because you might end up with an image that has a large DOF but that is too grainy, or if you leave the ISO at a low setting your image will have a large DOF but wont have enough light to show the details that you intended to show with the DOF, so get a balance on the DOF to ISO relation.

Using a flash, there are ring type flashes or flash diffusers or flash directors any of this will suffice but some insects can be scared away by the flash. The ring type flashes can be the best to use due to their least obstructing nature.

Positioning your self properly, look at the subject and position yourself such that your are taking the picture of the best illuminated angle and you are not casting a shadow on the object. If the object in consideration is stationary, like a flower, do make sure that the time your photographing is right. An example would be when photographing a flower in your yard, you have the option of selecting the time at which to shoot that is may be in the morning it lies in the shadow of your house but in the evening or afternoon there is ample light.

Another thing that is directly affected by the DOF is motion blur caused when the shutter speed needs to be brought down as other parameters can not be varied. Motion blur can be reduced by stabilisation systems if any. The safer bet is to invest in a tripod , do remember that the macro lens are usually heavy thus you will benefit from investing in a tripod. If a tripod is out of question consider a mono-pod.

The most important thing about the whole deal is that you need to practice because these are fine skills that you learn while doing, so stop wasting time and start shooting.

Master Selective Focus For More Interesting Photographs

2008-11-21T15:55:00.001+05:00

Selective focus is basically what it sounds like. You select what portion of your image you want to be in focus while selectively blurring or making the rest of the photograph out of focus. This technique can be used in a variety of ways. Selective focus or shallow depth of field helps to bring a sense of depth and interest to your photographs. It's very useful with portraits, close-up and macro photography. When done properly it can isolate your main point of interest and will give your prints more depth and better composition.

Selective focus is created with your lens aperture. The larger your lens opening the shallower your depth of field or field of focus will be. The larger your lens opening the more light will reach your film plane or image sensor. This will require faster shutter speeds which is actually a bonus, because you won't be required to use a tri-pod. You can create this effect with point-and-shoot cameras, too. (More on that below.)

To create selective focus, the primary camera setting you need to pay attention to is the aperture size (or the opening of the lens which is measured in f-stops) and the telephoto setting of the lens. If you have a zoom lens or telephoto lens you should experiment to find what focal length you are most comfortable with. The longer the focal length that you choose to use, the shallower your depth of field or field of focus will be.

"Stopping your lens down." This means setting your camera to a smaller f-stop number. Remember, smaller f-stop numbers actually increase the size of the lens aperture, or lens opening of the lens. By using a lens opening somewhere between F4 and F2.8. You will get more dramatic blur, or shallower depth of field.

If are using a point and shoot camera you may not be able to adjust your aperture by dialing in a different f-stop number, but you can try using the "macro" setting on your camera. (Check your camera manual for instructions.) And if you don't have a macro setting, try putting it in "portrait" mode. Again, check your camera manual for complete instructions.

Be careful not to create motion blur which is caused by using to slow of a shutter speed. For normal focal length lenses use a shutter speed of at least 1/60 second or faster. For telephoto lenses use a shutter speed of at least 1/125 second or faster.
Again the longer the zoom, the more dramatic the blurred area will be.

Another quick tip; Try shooting from a from a low angle when shooting macro or close ups of flowers etc. When shooting from a lower angle be sure to take note of the brightness of the back ground. If it is bright or heavily back lit be sure to make the necessary exposure compensation by adjusting your shutter speed to achieve proper exposure or you may end up with a silhouette image.

Black and White Prints

2008-11-21T15:54:00.000+05:00

Many people believe that photography is one of the most creative passions and professions.

Black and white photography does not attract people with its play of colors...

It's all about light and shadow, composition and perspective, peace and war, love and hate. It's all about contrasts.

Experienced photographers can see the world with or without color. Their mind is trained to see all aspects of light and to pick up contrasts and tone, because when one's mind removes the color, eyes become more sensitive to the light intensity.

This is how we learn how to play with shades of grey and we focus on the texture.

There are many people that love black and white photography and they enjoy decorating their homes and premises with this kind of pictures or digital prints. For them it is a different kind of reality, another world and it is all in their houses.

Black and white photography looks very smart in a modern, uncluttered space.

Whether there they have a large or a small wall, there are prints available for everybody, different themes and it is easy to choose among many possibilities from the internet websites that sell this kind of products.

People just need to think what distance they will be viewing the print from. If they are going to buy prints that are going to be close, small prints will work well, whereas when people are sittuated further away, bigger photographs are needed.

Many people are found of old covers or pictures, photographs of celebrites, classic prints. One can also find all these and much more on Condé Nast Store online. Here you can buy art prints easily, even limited edition ones, at low prices.

Photography Posing Secrets

2008-11-21T15:52:00.000+05:00

When it comes to having your subjects pose for your pictures, there are no hard and fast rules. Most subjects expect you to properly pose them.

When first starting out you will probably find that some subjects are better than others. And since this is so subjective, you may find it a hard thing to get a solid handle on.

Powerful Photographic Tool - Posing is a powerful tool for a photographer; it plays a huge part in conveying the photographer's message, since the position and relationship to the camera of a subject's body can reveal much about the subject's character. The pose should not only complement the subject but also make a statement about what you are trying to convey. For example, a defiant pose can make a powerful statement about the subject's attitude, personality and strength of character. Imagine a photograph where Mae West just comes across as a simple-minded, over weight middle-aged woman. NOT a good thing.

Swipe Files - What are other people doing? What makes a great looking pose? Well, the first thing to do is get your someone good fashion magazines from the news stand or perhaps some older magazines from the thrift store if money is a serious issue. Look to see what works for you and when you find something you really like, cut it out and file it into a "swipe file". You can also access tons of photographic pictures from the Internet. Don't copy them of course, simply right click on the photo, and "save as" a jpeg file onto a swipe folder on your hard drive. Then the next time you are preparing to shoot a subject, so through your file and decide in your mind which poses would be good for your subject, your location, and your setup. Again, there are no hard and fast rules, so just practice and practice some more.

Equipment - Make sure you have decent quality equipment and that it is working properly. I once bought a vivitar lens that was used to go with my first Nikon SLR. It turned out the lens was full of dust or moisture and nothing could be done to produce a sharp image. Protect your equipment from humidity. Search for review of your equipment on line or have a qualified technician at a camera store tell you if there is a problem.

Time is On Your Side - I have boxes and boxes of film and negatives from"tests" that I did when I was trying to learn what worked for me. Today with digital cameras this is not a problem. You may have to try many poses before you find one or two that you really like, but it swill begin to get easier with practice. Also, you should try taking some photography courses to gain a better understanding of these composition techniques. Happy Shooting!!

The Advantages of a SLR Digital Camera

2008-11-21T15:51:00.001+05:00

During the last few years, people have changed the way they immortalize special moments of their lives. Almost ten years ago, bringing along two rolls of films for each important event was second nature. After the birth of digital technology, more and more people were attracted by the convenience of digital cameras. These gadgets provide an easier way to take photos. Film has been replaced by large memory cards, and all you have to worry about is making sure you have enough space to store your photos.

This can be achieved quite easy as the range of memory cards available on the market at very small prices is virtually unlimited. In addition, there's no problem taking along an extra memory card in case you are traveling as it is very small and easy to carry. Then you just transfer the photos on your computer and do whatever you want with them. Digital photos are much easier to share with friends from different parts of the world compared to traditional photos.

Another thing that has changed is that people are becoming more and more creative and exploring new ways to take photos. While basic digital cameras can provide great pictures almost too easy, some prefer to step a little further. Having more control over the images they take while keeping the advantages of digital photography is very attractive for lots of people. Single reflex lens (SLR) digital cameras provide just that.

This is probably why they have become so popular during the last few years. With these cameras, you can enjoy the pleasures of traditional photography, setting everything manually and having full control over all functions, and the convenience of a digital camera. These cameras feature faster auto focus than regular devices, so you don't have to worry about not being able to capture an unique moment because you didn't have time to adjust everything manually. This makes them particularly good for sports photography, where things happen very fast and you could capture all the action.

Another great advantage of SLR cameras is that the photographer can change the lenses. This way you can experiment with various models to take different shots and see which ones you like best. You can even use old lenses on some specific camera models. If you want to take detailed photos and shoot from a distance, you may want to invest in a telephoto lens. With a SLR camera you also get full control over the zoom. This cannot be achieved with a regular digital camera. If you try to zoom in too much with a regular camera, chances are that the picture will have lots of noise. However, with a good SLR camera you can take clearer photos even at a higher ISO.

If all of this is not enough, you can further improve the performance of your SLR with countless accessories. These include a telephoto lens, external flashes and a whole lot of other things. The possibilities are more than you can imagine.

Digital and Optical Camera Zoom - What's the Difference?

2008-11-21T15:50:00.001+05:00

If you are new to photography, figuring out what zoom power you need and differentiating between the different types of zoom can be quite overwhelming. A number of new terms referring to zooming have been introduced lately in the marketing language of camera manufacturers, which only increases confusion. This article is aimed to bring a little more light into the problem and help you take a good decision when making the purchase.

Most mid-priced digital cameras have an incorporated 3x/4x lens. These numbers refer to optical and digital zoom. Most cameras have both optical and digital zoom, with the exception of a few low-priced ones, which tend to make dull and fuzzy photos. A digital camera's zoom function is quite similar to the one of a film camera and does the same thing, namely bringing the subject closer. Anyway, in digital cameras here are two types of zoom, an optical and a digital one. Optical zoom is the one similar to the zoom of a traditional camera.

Digital zoom, on the other hand, simulates zooming by blowing up a selected part of the picture. It shouldn't be mistaken with photo editing, which refers to applications used to modify the image after it's been produced. Another common misconception about this type of zoom is that it is particularly useful for long distance photos. This cannot be farther from the truth. Optical zoom is much more important in a digital camera and it should be the one used as a criterion when comparing different models instead of digital or total zoom.

The quality of a digital camera is more dependent on optical zoom. To create even more confusion, manufacturers have begun to use the term of 'total zoom'. In fact, there is no such thing. At most it can refer to the fact that a camera has both types of zoom functions, digital and optical. Traditional cameras like 35 mm or APS only had optical zoom. Optical zoom uses an incorporated lens to bring the image closer to the photographer.

Professionals associate digital zoom with digital video cameras. They don't think of it as a real zoom for digital cameras because it just enlarges a part of the picture. In other words, it crops part of the image and enlarges the rest, resulting in a loss of quality. It works in the same way as the cropping and resizing options of photo editing applications. Another new term in digital photography is that of 'smart zoom'. This type of zoom avoids interpolation and thus maintains the quality of the image.

People sometimes compare optical zoom to resolution when they purchase a digital camera. This doesn't make any sense. The power of digital zoom and the resolution are two different things with no connection to one another. The resolution expresses the number of pixels in the picture, while optical zoom refers to the power of the lens. It has nothing to do with resolution and can neither increase it nor decrease it. Another tendency is to disable the camera's digital zoom. Many photographers don't trust this feature and would rather crop and resize the photo themselves on the computer. This is not a very goo practice as it decreases the camera's effectiveness.

What Can You Do With a Photo Editing Application?

2008-11-21T15:45:00.000+05:00

You've taken the photos and installed an image editing application on your computer... no it's time to get to work. This article is aimed to get you through the basic functions of a photo editing application. There are a lot of such applications available on the market, from basic programs which include features like removing dust, scratches and red eye or adjusting brightness and color, to more sophisticated ones that let you use special effects, combine several images etc. Some companies offer you a free trial to make sure the software responds to your needs.

Viewing pictures

You can work on a single photo at once or bring in several photos.Working on two or more photos at once is particularly useful if you want to combine them in the end. Most applications include a browser which lets you see the pictures as thumbnails and double-click to open. You can also do this from the file menu, which opens a dialog box and lets you search for the file through your computer.

Resizing the image

Resizing may be needed for printing pictures or uploading them on the web. In case you want to print a photo, bare in mind to take it at a higher resolution. In case you are scanning it, make sure it is at least 150 dpi. This way you can enlarge it with your photo editing software. Images you want to upload on the internet have to be resized at a smaller size and resolution, like 72 or 96 ppi.

Rotating or flipping the picture

This is a very easy to use feature which allows you to rotate the image if, for example, you scanned it upside down. With a couple of mouse clicks you save all the work of rescanning the photo again.

Retouching

There are functions that enable you to make small corrections to the image, such as removing dust, scratches or red eye or unwanted background objects, improving color balance or making the picture brighter.

Color and Contrast

Playing with color and contrast can be very entertaining. You can create interesting changes, such as turning a color photo in black and white or adding some color to a black and white photo. There are also more subtle changes you can make to improve the image.

Basic Tools

Just getting used to your software is a good start. Don't let yourself overwhelmed by the high number of features available. Take baby steps instead, learning a little bit at a time.

Hand a zooooom

The hand feature lets you move the image around the screen while keeping the same zoom level. Zoom allows you you to zoom in a lot, which is good for working at small details, such as making corrections with a small brush. Then you just zoom out to see the whole picture.

Selection Tools

There are several types of selection tools you can use, allowing you to make adjustments on just a section of the picture. For example, if you have a photo you like but a portion of it is to dark, you can select that portion and increase its brightness. This way you avoid brightening the whole picture when there's no need to. You can also use selection tools to cut something out of the photo.

Rubber stamp (clone)

This is a very useful tool which you are likely to be using a lot. It allows you to pick color and attributes from one part of the image and paste them somewhere else. For example, if you want to take an object out, you can pick the attributes from the area next to it and gradually stamp them over it. You will need to zoom in and zoom out to see how the picture turns out like and use different brush sizes. Check if the area you are cloning is solid or gradient color. You may need to work on the transparency level of the clone tool so that the area you covered doesn't look patchy.

Text tool

You can use this tool to insert a text box into the picture. You can choose from the true type fonts available or insert artistic text, which in turn has a range of different fonts, but also lets you apply filters, stretch or manipulate the text the way you want.

Montaging and overlaying

Some photo editing applications allow you to combine several images to make a collage or overlay two or several images (similar to multiple exposure in film camera). From now on your creativity can go wild.

Hope this were some useful tips that will help you getting used to your photo editing software. Good luck!

Taking Beautiful Black & White Photographs

2008-11-21T15:43:00.000+05:00

Black & white has recently regained popularity in photographic art. The reason for this is its power of expressing emotions, moods and atmosphere like no other form of photography can. Black & white photos have their special section in photo galleries and have a much more dramatic look compared to color.

Black & white photography represents a monochrome form in visual art. The term 'monochrome' is derived from the Greek 'monochromos', a combination of 'mono', which means 'alone' and 'chroma' - 'color'. So 'monochromos' means 'of a single color'. Monochrome dominated photography for many years before the introduction of color. Brightness and and clarity of the camera where improved in the 16th century.The first photosensitive compound was invented in 1727 by Prof. J. Schulze by mixing chalk, silver and nitric acid. In 1826, Nicaphore Niapce combined the photosensitive paper and camera obscura to create a permanent image. Black & white dominated not only photography, but also television, movies and computers. Color photography only became popular in the 20th century.

Choosing the subject right is even more important for black & white photography than for color. There are subjects that look incredible in color, but are often boring in monochrome. Black & white is the simplest, but in the same time the most complex form of photography. Images are crisp, clean, fresh and honest and can have the most powerful impact on the viewer. Its popularity allowed black & white photography to hold its own place in photographic exhibitions. Pictures can capture atmosphere, emotions and impressions and portray nostalgia in the most dramatic way. Considering the background, the exposure, the backlit is essential.

Lights and shadows also play important parts. You can experiment by shooting at various times during a day. This way you can learn how important lights and shadows are and how they influence the atmosphere in a photo. Another important factor is color. Choose subjects that have fewer colors. For instance, green and purple are very visible in color, but indistinguishable in black and white. The subject you choose should be both interesting and dramatic.

We are currently witnessing a revival of black and white photography. This demand came from the media sector, such as print and advertising. Even general consumers are using this type of photography for weddings and other family occasions to produce timeless pictures. It is also very popular in people photography (portraying). Black and white has had tremendous success in portrait photography. Julia Margaret Cameron, became famous for portraits of celebrities of that time. She had no interest in photography until receiving a camera when she was 48 and her career was only 11 years. She preferred the close crop style, which is still widely used today.

Black and white photography is truly timeless. Many photos taken hundreds of years ago continue to catch the eye of the viewer. However, choosing between black & white and color photography is entirely your choice, depending on what subjects you choose and what you want the photo to express.

What Everybody Should Know About Image Manipulation / Retouching

2008-11-21T15:40:00.001+05:00

Most of the digital cameras come with the software to help the user download the pictures and view them on the computer. However, not all of them, come with editing software, so for this the user need to buy additional software. Probably the best on the market is Photoshop, from Adobe, which is considered the de facto standard in image-editing software. But the user might also find other shareware programs that might give partial or full access for a limited period of time after which a license must be purchased to use the full features of the software.

Most of the digital cameras use the JPEG standard, a type of compressor created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. This is the most used standard, and it basically take the large amount of data mapped from the CCD sensor and converts it to a map of coloured pixels. This enables the user to manipulate images with ease, since the size of the picture greatly reduces, but also looses some of its quality.

Distributing the images is also an important aspect. With older methods and means of photography, the image was just printed and distributed physically. Nowadays, in the digital era, pictures can be sent over e-mail, CD-ROM, internet, DVD, blue-ray discs, all sorts of media type. The size of the image is important here. If you want to send the pictures over e-mail, you might consider making them less large, so the person who you are sending it to doesnt have to wait for a long time to see it.

Imagine manipulation, in the past consisted of mainly airbrushing the pictures by artists. They used coloured inks to spray over blemishes and wrinkles to give an illusion of perfection. But today, its all done digital. Today you can remove unwanted items from pictures, you can fix old damaged photos, by removing unwanted pieces of dust or hair from scanning, correct the colour of images by adjusting the colour balance; also, by using marquees and masks you can sleect specific parts of an image and process only the selected area.

Other techniques include more familiar actions like: altering the contrast, brightness and sharpness of an image. Contrast appears where a highlight meets a shadow, or where two distinct and different colours meet. This leads to vivid lines and contours that can be seen. Sometimes photographers can use this editing tool to increase contrast in areas when they want to show dynamic pictures, or sometimes they want to decrease contrast so not to detract attention from the main focus in the picture. Also, managing brightness is a powerful tool, but very hard to master, as well as the sharpness tool. If its used right, it can achieve great results on pictures that have to little brightness or arent too sharp when they were taken.

Quick Ways to Correct Flaws in Digital Photos of Faces

2008-11-21T15:37:00.000+05:00

Elderly people are generally not very fond of having their picture taken. The reasons are obvious - old faces are easy victims of deep shadows, harsh lighting, unforgiving close-ups or sharp lenses. They may look good at candle light but once their granddaughter takes out her digital camera, the good looks are history. The obvious solutions are not that great. They can insist on a distant photo which only shows a small, indistinguishable face, put on a lot of make-up or just stay out of the photo. Fortunately, there is a better solution. With a little effort from the photographer, a picture of an old person that he/she feels comfortable with can be largely improved. You just need to familiarize yourself with a photo editing application.

You can start from the top of the photo, where the dark roots and stray hairs ruin the hair dew. The clone tool can easily remove stray hair completely. Just copy the surrounding area using a feathered clone stamp at 50% transparency. As for the dark roots, you need to clone areas of the hair which have the same color and run in the same direction in case the subject has straight hair. A 30% transparency is good for getting a natural effect. Zoom in as much as the size of your screen allows it.

Shiny foreheads are a bit more difficult to repair, but they can often be improved using a disturb brush. Set it at medium strength and 50% transparency. Set the feather at 100% and select a size that is twice as large as the area of the highlight. Darkening the area is not a good option, but you can do a great job by working carefully with the air brush. Choose a skin tone from the neighboring area using the eye dropper tool and fill the highlight area at 3% transparency.

Blemishes can be easily corrected with the clone tool set at 70% transparency. Copy from the neighboring area of unblemished skin. About the same thing can be done to correct eye bags. Drag the clone at 85% transparency over the bags to give the subject a younger look. However, be careful not to overdo it.

You can also work carefully to lightening the whites of the subject's eyes. Use a dotted line mask to outline them and transform the masked areas into an object. Open the brightness and contrast box and click once on the brightness at 3%. Do not make any attempt to adjust this area more. There is a method to open the eyes a bit but it is very complicated. You can also put a highlight in the eye if there is none using a 2-3 pixel size brush and a light grey color. You can use a feathered shape of about 100% or a crescent shape for outdoor pictures.

Another common problem of digital photographs is that teeth often look dark or yellowish. Place a dotted circle around them and open the brightness and contrast box. Click on the brightness at 5% and then adjust the color balance with 3% on magenta. You can also correct crooked teeth by cloning a good one from the opposite side. However, it takes some practice and professional training to get it right.

If the skin is too pale, you can correct it using a histogram-ceter arrow. Slide it a little bit to the right to get darker skin. Sliding it to the left should darken midtones, simulating a light sun tan. The right ends represent the whites and the left ends the blacks. There are also other methods to correct imperfections in the face. Adjusting color balance can help you warm it up by masking the head and the face and changing the balance 2% yellow and 2% red. In case it looks unnatural, try 1% for each. Windy conditions, dark shadows and blemishes are temporary, whereas a nice photo is forever.

How to Buy the Right Digital Camera Online

2008-11-21T15:29:00.001+05:00

Whenever you are shopping for an item over the internet, no matter what that item is, there are some things that you should do and other things you shouldn't. This is just to make sure you will be getting what you want, a good value for money and the purchase is entirely save. Just about anyone loves to take photos and digital cameras are very popular. This is why you can find them all over the Internet. However, many people are not exactly sure what to buy and how to make a good purchase.

The first thing to set straight right from the start is what type of camera you need. Prices for different camera models can be thousands of dollars apart, ranging from $100 to $3000 and this without taking into account all the accessories that you can buy. Think about it: are you the kind of person that likes to point and shoot? If you only plan to take pictures of your family and take the camera along on vacations, then a small compact digital camera is the obvious choice. At the opposite end, there are the passionate photographers, those who plan to take breathtaking photos and to whom photography is an art. Or maybe you are something in between. Whichever may be your case, it is good to establish this before even starting to look for a camera.

When you start looking, one of the first thing that will strike you is the number of megapixels specifications. The more megapixels your camera has, the higher the quality of photos. Nowadays most low-end models have at least 6 megapixels, but can go up to 18 megapixels. While 6 megapixels was something almost unbelievable for a compact a few years ago, no it's just standard. However, if you really want your professional quality for your pictures, the best thing to do is look for an SLR.

SLR is an acronym which means "Single Lens Reflex" and refer to those cameras with long extended lenses and in most cases, though not always, a viewfinder instead of the LCD screen of the other types of digital camera.

Many people make their purchase decision largely based on the zoom power. The first thing you should know is that there are two kinds of zoom: optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom is similar to the zoom lens of traditional camera, which you had to turn in order to bring the image closer. This is the zoom you should use when taking a close-up picture. Digital zoom is a totally different thing, It is actually an internal software that crops the photo after it was taken, allowing you to zoom in on an object in the photo. It shouldn't really be used for shooting close-ups, as the results are generally not that good. The problem is that many manufacturers used a combined optical and digital zoom range to make for a more appealing figure. What you should really care about is optical zoom.

The problem is not only knowing what to look for, but also where to look. There is no doubt that you should choose a high reputation website which also offer a lot of information on products. Some sites also offer reviews and descriptions from customers, which is very useful if you are still not sure what to buy. Just ensure that the website is safe and you will have no problems.

Choosing the Right Camera to Purchase

2008-11-20T18:19:00.000+05:00

When choosing the right camera to purchase you need to consider the following. Cameras are generally divided into two main categories: Point-and-shoot and Single Lens Reflex (also known as "SLR"). A Point-and-shoot Camera is any camera, digital or film, that does not have a removable lens.

Most point-and-shoots are compact and lightweight. They almost always have zoom capabilities (both optical and digital). If you're just starting out you probably already have a point and shoot camera. An SLR on the other hand, will have the ability to have removable or interchangeable lenses. In addition, they usually offer many more options for controlling the camera. You will be able to shoot in full automatic as well as full manual and several other types of modes like aperture or shutter priority. The biggest and probably most important, difference that distinguishes a digital point-and-shoot from a digital SLR is in the quality of the pictures each is capable of making.

While point-and-shoot cameras have their own advantages; They are light weight, easy to use and less expensive than an SLR. They cannot compete with an SLR in terms of image quality. That is because a digital SLR has a much larger image sensor and a larger image sensor produces a larger, higher quality pixel. This larger pixel produces a much higher quality image. The higher quality images produced with an SLR, because of its enlargement capabilities, will be saleable in many more markets than those taken with a point-and-shoot. Point and shoots may boast of having 8 or 10 mega pixels but the fact remains, their image sensors are smaller and this means the pixels are smaller also.

A Digital Point-and-shoot
Most professional photographers own a compact point-and-shoot camera that they carry with them most of the time. Some will even tell you they never leave home without it. I think we all can agree that a lower quality picture taken with a point-and-shoot is better than no picture at all. When you're buying a compact point-and-shoot, try to get one that has at least five to 8 mega pixels.

If your camera comes with "digital" zoom, don't use it. Turn it off. Digital zooms are only enlarging a very small part of an already small sensor. While it may look OK on the computer, it will not print well. Most cameras allow you to turn off the digital zoom setting. You should do that and ignore anything the salesman tells you about digital zoom. A good camera should have at least a 3 x "optical" zoom. The best have at least a 6 to 8 x optical zoom. This means that the lens itself is changing the focal length and still using the full image sensor unlike the digital zoom. If the camera doesn't have a good optical zoom, don't buy it. You are wasting your money.

The size of the LCD screen is also important. The larger the better. If you have bad eyes, the LCD screen quality and size are of prime importance.

Stay with established name brands like Nikon and Canon. They make great point-and-shoot cameras. They're usually at the top of the line. Sony has some good point-and-shoots, too, but all their equipment is proprietary. This means it doesn't mix well with equipment and accessories of other brands.

Digital SLR Cameras
Most professional photographers will tell you that their preference in camera brands is largely dependent on how the camera feels and handles as well as ease of operation. High quality sensors and pixels are a given for any brand name camera in today's highly competitive market. All professional grade cameras are ruggedly built and many have a fair amount of water resistance. With those in the water resistant group, you can shoot in the rain, sleet, and snow and never have a problem.

The major players in digital SLR photography today are Canon, Nikon, and Olympus, with Canon and Nikon in the lead. The major advantage to sticking with these brands is that they've been at this for a long time. They're not likely to go out of business (leaving you with a bunch of equipment you can't sell off, upgrade, or repair). And if you stick with Canon or Nikon, you'll have a large selection of accessories to choose from.
The rest comes down to price. More expensive cameras give you more durability as well larger sensor sizes. More expensive cameras with higher quality sensors will also take better photographs at higher ISOs with less noise in the shadow areas.

Choosing the right SLR for you
Price alone will help you target your search while brand name will help you narrow your options even further. Nikon and Canon are the biggest players. Both make really great cameras and have a large selection of lenses and accessories. Either brand will be easy to resell when you're ready to upgrade.

Beware of Sony. Sony cameras need special adapters when you want to use anything that's not made by the Sony brand -- studio lights, external flashes, etc. Using Sony equipment is usually more problem than it is worth.

Things to Consider Before You Buy a Digital Camera

2008-11-20T17:17:00.000+05:00

Digital cameras come in many many shapes, sizes, colors, and brands. There are many different zoom lenses, resolutions levels, playbacks, any just about anything else you can imagine. In fact there is such enormous amount of features and different qualities of today's digital camera that a first time buyer tends to become overwhelmed by the multitude of options that are out there. And this is without even mentioning the wealth of sales, options, advertisements and discounts that are out there.

So what do you need to look for when you set out to buy digital camera? To be able to really answer this, there are a few things that you should address before you decide to buy a digital camera. The first thing to do is to define what you need and want from a digital camera. In order to do this, I recommend you first ask yourself the following questions:

What types of pictures do you plan on taking with your digital camera? Before you shell out your hard earned cash to buy a digital camera, it is important to first figure out what kinds of photographs you plan to take with it. If you are simply taking photos to document your life, just about any digital camera will do. These days most digital cameras capture sufficient quality pictures to take care of your everyday photography needs. If you are a professional photographer, hoping to become one, or even if you are a serious enthusiast, you will need to look for the features that can support the zooming, resolution, mega pixels, battery life, and whatever else you might need.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There have been important new developments in digital cameras...

Read the following before you even think about buying a Digital Camera

Find out if the Canon D 20 Digital Camera is the camera for you.