Life In Digital Pixels

Where can I find good camera reviews?

2008-11-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

My favorite place is dpreview. While they don't hit every model, the cameras they do review are covered in a thorough and objective manner, and they offer a clear statement of the strengths and weaknesses of each model.

You should keep in mind that the camera market changes rapidly, and that a camera that was "highly recommended" in 2007 may not be a super performer by today's standards.

Another good place for reviews is the Digital Camera Resource Site
On Imaging Resource see Dave's Picks...I love his recommendations.
Here are some of my Camera Recommemdations :

Macro Photography and some neat tips !

2008-11-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

Macro photography is close-up photography. In recent years, the term macro has been used in marketing material to mean being able to focus on a subject close enough so that when a regular 6×4 inch (15×10 cm) print is made, the image is life-size or larger. This requires a magnification ratio of only approximately 1:4, more easily attainable by lens makers.

Macro photography is achievd by using a Macro lens. It is a longer lens used to zoom into the subject.

Some macro lenses, like the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens, can achieve even better magnification – up to 5:1 macro, bringing the structure of small insect eyes, snowflakes, and other minuscule but detailed objects into striking focus. However, it is more common for a photographer to use a "standard" (1:1) macro lens. There are different categories of macro lenses, depending on the focal length:

50–60mm range typically used for product photography and small objects

90–105mm range the standard focal range used for insects, flowers, small objects

150–200mm range gives more working distance — typically used for insects and small animals

The article "Macro Photography Tips for Point and Shoot Digital Cameras" by Darren Rowse is great for newbies to understand in a jiffy how to shoot Macro Style !

Improve Your Photography: Make Portraits Instead of Snapshots

2008-06-05T04:50:00.000-07:00

Whether or not you are a professional photographer, you can get professional results from your camera. With planning, you can make your snapshots look more like portraits. The main differences between portraits and snapshots have to do with background, posing and lighting.

Backgrounds in snapshots have distracting elements, don't complement the subject and generally appear unplanned. When composing your shot, watch for bright spots of light behind your subject and anything that will draw your eye away from the main focus. Take a step to one side, zoom in or get closer or even move your subject before taking the picture. A good general rule is that the background should have the same lighting or be slightly darker than the person you are shooting. Busy patterned backgrounds and colors that don't compliment their clothing will also take away from the overall image. If you shoot with an SLR camera step back as far as you can and zoom in on your subject or use a large aperture opening to blur the background. This will make the person in the image pop and will yield very professional results. If color is a problem after the image is taken try turning it into a black and white image. You may end up with some great results.

Posing is not complex. It just requires being mindful of how your subject will appear on a flat photograph. Picking up a basic book on posing isn't a bad idea. Although studio posing and outdoor posing are slightly different the rules will be the same. Make sure your subject looks relaxed. Even the best posing is spoiled if someone appears stiff and awkward. Generally people will pose in a way they feel comfortable and all that is needed are minor refinements. Take a look at hands and remember they usually appear better in a photograph shot from the side rather than straight on. Heads look better slightly tilted. In a seated pose have your subject sit on the edge of the seat and lean forward slightly. In a standing pose turn them to a 45 degree angle. Bodies look better this way than shot straight on. If they have pockets it sometimes help to have them put their hands in them, this creates dynamic angles with the arms and eliminates awkward dangling hands.

Lighting can be the trickiest part. However, good lighting separates snapshots from portraits. The easiest lighting to work with is open shade. Areas of shade that is still getting plenty of light make great portraits. If necessary use a little fill flash on your camera to get light in the eyes if they are dark. Make sure that when shooting in open shade you avoid getting bright spots that are not in the shade in the background. Also watch mottled shade. When the sun comes through the leaves of trees it is pretty lighting to the eye, but in a flat photograph the lighting will appear uneven on skin and clothing and look strange. If possible shoot in the late evening or early morning hours when the light is softer. Evening light will produce nice warm results on the skin. The blue tones that morning light and open shade cause can be corrected with computer software designed for digital photographs, like Photoshop. Avoid shooting in harsh sunlight when possible.

Some last tips are to make sure your subject is at ease and try and get natural expressions. A snapshot can easily turn into a portrait that belongs on the wall if you just take the time to perfect it.

Written by Susie Lee. She is a Wedding and portrait photographer in Utah.
Article from Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/72128/susie_lee.html

The classic look of Black & White Pictures !

2008-02-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Black and white photographs inspire me ! They bring in a new dimension to the photograph. You start seeing and noticing things in a black and white picture that you dont necessarity notice in a colored picture. In a colored picture we notice the vibrant/sublte colors. The colors take away the attention from the subject or background.

See the difference

Above the yellow color distracts from the main subject...but below the face and eyes are highlighted !

Any picture is just a two-dimensional representation of reality. If the colors in the scene are turned into shades of gray, from pitch black to brilliant white. The other aspects of your photograph—shape, lighting, contrast, texture, tone—become the dominant elements. Black and white pictures have a classic timeless look !

How many megapixels should my camera have?

2008-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

The more megapixels (MP) you have, the higher the resolution of your photos. Higher resolution is important for enlarging photos, or cropping and enlarging portions of them. This chart shows how large a photo you can print in relation to your camera's megapixels.

A 6 to 8 MP camera will equal that for most purposes. On a pocket style camera, ignore all digital zoom claims. look for a good optical zoom. 3X is okay, higher is better for long shots. In pocket cameras look for one that uses AA batteries rather than proprietary ones that require cables and charges.

In an article by by Marty Rubenski Digital Cameras: How Many Pixels Do I Need?

He says :

Higher megapixel cameras do have some drawbacks. The first, and most obvious, is price. A basic 5.0 megapixel camera currently runs between $200 and $300. A 1.2 megapixel camera can be had for less than $50.

Storage for those large pictures will also cost you more. A 32 MByte memory card will hold around a hundred 1.2 megapixel pictures. This drops right down to around 60 pictures for 2.0 megapixels and to around 40 pictures for a 3.0 megapixel model. One other consideration, not often mentioned, is that a higher megapixel camera has to do more work to compress and store images, leading to longer waits between picture shots and viewing.

Before you rush off and spend $300 for a camera, consider what you will be doing with the pictures. Are you viewing them just on your computer? Sending them as email attachments? Printing them on an existing inkjet printer? Having them professionally printed?

Rename your digital photos automatically in Windows XP

2007-11-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

By Derrick Story, Author of Photography Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools

Unless you really have a lot of time on your hands, I doubt you want to go through the massive folder that contains your European vacation photos and rename them Europe_1.jpg, Europe_2.jpg, and so on down the line. If you're running Windows XP on your computer, you don't have to do this. Simply apply this hack to quickly apply a meaningful label to every picture in the folder.

First, open the folder and select View > Thumbnails.

Click the last picture in the folder you want to rename, hold down the Shift key, and click the first picture; this will select them all.

Right-click the first photo, and select Rename from the drop-down menu.

Windows XP will highlight the filename for the first photo, enabling you to give it a descriptive name. After you type in the name, click the white space outside of the photo and watch as Windows applies the name with a sequential number to each picture in the folder.

Source : Rename your digital photos automatically in Windows XP

8 Tips for Taking Mouth-watering Food Pictures

2007-11-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

I am writing my cookbooks and I take my own food pictures. Over the years I have learnt a lot about taking food pictures. them. Here are 8 great tips for taking Fabulous mouth watering food pictures.

Pre- Planning : Planning is the key. I have seen that the dish looks best when it is photographed right away after coking. Therefore I always plan where and how I am going to take the picture.

Natural Sunlight : I usually try and take pictures with natural sunlight as I have seen that the pictures come out clean looking and natural.

Get Up Close and Personal : Get as close to the dish as you can. I like to set my camera, which is a Nikon D70S Digital SLR (which is awesome) with my Macro lens which enables real close up shots of the food.

ISO or Camera speed : I like to set the ISO setting to 400. This helps avoid 'camera shake' when you're not using the flash during close ups. I don't like to use the flash, but hate using the tripod so this really helps a lot

Angle of the Shot : If you see my pictures the angle I like best is about a 45 degree angle. This way you get a view of the food as if you were eating it.

Plating the food : Keep the plate white or monochromatic. Also like the picture above of the "Pohe, as you see I have contrasted it with a green plate as the food itself is yellow. After plating the food set it up to make it look appealing. Take the picture from its best side.

Background : Keep it simple. In fact use a white photo paper or a simple table settling. Avoid busy patterns for table cloths. You are highlighting the food not the background.

Accessories : For an Indian meal I like to use some Indian artifacts. For a western salad I would use a nice tall glass or tumbler. This sets the mood for the picture.

Select the best FORMAT for your image files !

2007-11-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Chances are, your digital camera shoots in JPEG. It's the most common file format, and is especially well suited to:

Use online
E-mail

Most printing needs (4" x 6", 5" x 7", panoramic) JPEG compresses the photo, meaning pictures will take up less room on your memory card or computer. This lets you take more of them, and makes them faster to download in an e-mail.

Some cameras let you change the format you shoot in to TIFF or RAW. These are best for:
Large format printing. Prints made from cropped photos These formats have the least amount of compression, meaning the photo will take up considerably more space on your memory card and computer. The advantage of these formats is that you get very clear prints, and in large sizes. Check your camera's manual to see if you can change the format.

Weather photos - tips and tricks

2007-10-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some great tips for outdoor weather photos.

1. Check where the sun, or light source, is before you look for a vantage point from which to shoot the picture. Make sure the sun is behind you.

2. Ensure there are no shadows falling across the subject - that includes your shadow.

3. Shoot in even light so the contrast between light and shadow is not extreme:
- the human eye compensates for high contrast - a camera doesn’t.
- if the contrast is too high then shadows may come out pitch black, highlights may bleach out, and you will lose all detail.

4. Shooting objects when the weather is overcast gives soft and even lighting.

5. Bright sunlight makes small shadows extremely harsh. On bright days, it is better to try and shoot people and objects in the shade to minimise contrast.

The "rule of thirds"
Follow the ‘Rule of Thirds’ when framing shots of landscapes, events, and activities.

Avoid placing the horizon in the middle of the frame. This prevents competition between subject and background.

What is White Balance?

2007-05-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

I did not know how to adjust the white balance on my camera. First of all what is white balance?
With doing the research on the web and reading about it I found out : When a camera has been calibrated to correctly display white, then the camera is white balanced. Once it is calibrated for white, other colors should display properly.

Sometimes you want the picture to come out with warmer tones, sometimes you want the blues to be vibrant. So, it all boils down to the concept of color temperature.

Color temperature is a way of measuring the quality of a light source. It is based on the ratio of the amount of blue light to the amount of red light, and the green light is ignored. The unit for measuring this ratio is in degree Kelvin (K). A light with higher color temperature (i.e., larger Kelvin value) has "more" blue lights than a light with lower color temperature (i.e., smaller Kelvin value)

Digital cameras are set to automatic white balance by default. Automatic white balance does a very good job under most circumstances. However, there are times when white balance needs to be changed manually to match the inside or outside lighting in order to obtain more true-to-life colors in a photo.

My camera the Nikon D70s has AUTO which I use most of the time. But the other settings are
described well in this chart http://www.bryanhansel.com/articles/extras/d70wbchrt.pdf

I also adjust the color temperature of the picture after I have taken the picture when I edit. Sometimes I edit with Picasa which is elementary but simple.

How to create a Photo Movie ? Fun Gift For Mother's Day !

2007-05-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Found this artilce on one of my fav blogs..LifeHacker.com

Gina Trapani, Editor - LifeHacker.com explains it step by step.
You must take a look ! Great for Mother's Day !

Here is a snap shot of the article !

You've been snapping digital photos all year long, and now you're in need of gift ideas for Mom and Dad. Sure you could get a coffee mug with the kids' faces on it or photo tee-shirt that reads "Grandma loves me." Even better: create a photo slideshow with music, titles and voice narration that the folks can pop into the DVD player and enjoy on TV.
(No kids, but gift-challenged when it comes to the other half? A photo slideshow of you and your honey played to a favorite song would make just about anyone melt. Putting together your family tree? A photo history with narration by Grandpa will be priceless to your kids' kids.)

Using free software Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows and an optional plugin, a multimedia gift DVD can be yours (and your loved ones) this holiday season.
What you'll need:
A Windows XP PC
Digital photos.
[optional] A microphone (for voice narration)
[optional] Background music (any MP3/WMA/WAV file will do)
[optional] A DVD burner (if you want this to be playable in the computer-less living room)

MORE : http://www.lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/geek-to-live-how-to-create-a-multimedia-photo-movie-141957.php

Tips and techniques to help you scan like a pro !

2007-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Whether you want to restore vintage family photographs or create a digital archive of your favorite snapshots, scanning is the first step in preserving your photos for years to come। Here are some tips and techniques to help you scan like a pro.

Picture selection
Choose your photo to scan। You can enhance faded color and sharpen some fuzziness with image-editing software, but it's best to start with clear, vibrant images whenever possible. The better your photo is, the better your scan will be.

The right resolution
Scanner resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi). More dots translate into a sharper image. A good rule of thumb is to scan a master copy of your image at 300 dpi. This gives you flexibility if you want to use the same image in different ways. Perhaps you want to feature your photo in a scrapbook layout and e-mail it. You can make copies of your master and then resize them. Of course, if you have a specific use in mind, you can scan at a lower resolution.

Resolution to use:
72 dpi - Scanning photos for e-mail or the Web
150 dpi - Scanning photos for inkjet printing
300 - Scanning photos for archiving (storing a high-resolution master copy of your photo on your hard drive or on a disc)
Above 300 dpi - Scanning slides or negatives for prints larger than 5" x 7"

I always save my pictures at 300 dpi or sometimes 600 dpi.

Photo file formats
After you scan an image, you can save it in several different file formats. Choosing the right format depends on how you'll use your image.

JPEG: If you're sure that you'll only view your image onscreen (e-mailing or posting it online), save it as a JPEG, which compresses the file size to speed download times. This format loses some image quality during compression, but the loss isn't too noticeable onscreen.

TIFF: If you're printing your image or if you're uncertain how you'll use it in the future, save it as a TIFF. This format preserves detail and color information, which will give you maximum flexibility. You can always save a copy of a TIFF file as a JPEG, but you can't create a high-quality TIFF image from a JPEG. You'll thank yourself later.

Scan your photo in the orientation in which it will be used, either vertically or horizontally. Use your scanning software to remove dust, scratches, and red-eye; restore faded color; and automatically enhance color in dark areas. Then archive your files to disc or share with family and friends. Once you've scanned your old photos, slides, and negatives, it's easy to use them in projects or make gifts and keepsakes.

Since I have been putting my books together it has been fun scanning old family pictures and sharing them with family all over the world. I have the HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One Printer, Copier, Scanner, Fax and it is not very expensive and does a fabulous job of scanning. Also it gives you the option of scanning it directly into an email. I love it.

Understanding Megapixels

2007-04-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Having a 6MP (megapixel) camera may be better than you think. Megapixels, or native resolution, plays a small role in the value of an image as would any other feature. What we need to do is differentiate resolution from quality, or in a sense actual resolution, from spectral resolution.

Most buyers will either be using a stock image for print, advertisement or some other form of commercial publication. In a perfect world, the higher the resolution, the better.

Let's take my camera for example, a Canon Digital Rebel (the old one); the camera features a 6.3MP sensor, giving you roughly an image with 3,072 pixels across, and 2,048 pixels vertically. Most stock agencies and advertising firms request their images to be printable at 300 DPI (dots per inch); this is considered by most to be the professional standard. So let us figure out how large of a print can be achieved from this camera.

It's really quite simple: divide the number of pixels by the number of dots desired per inch.

3,072 pixels / 300 dots per inch = 10.24 inches
2,048 pixels / 300 dots per inch = 6.8 inches

Now we know that a 6.3MP image will give you roughly a 10.24" x 6.8" image output, barely enough to fill the whole page of a magazine at letter size. You will find that some clients and every-day art admirers might have no problem with an image printed at 150DPI (which would give you roughly 20.48" x 13.65" print resolution).

One important thing to keep in mind is that the actual resolution of an image is the resolution captured by the camera. Do not think that by resizing an image in Photoshop to come out with a larger image, that you will, in effect, increase the image's printable resolution. Scaling up an image to print at 20.48" x 13.65" @ 300 DPI will yield the same quality, if not worse, than keeping the image at its native resolution and printing at 150 DPI, since the information to fill in for those other 150 dots per inch has to be guessed by the computer when you are resizing.

Although a 6MP camera can produce images capable of roughly 10"x6" of printable resolution, a camera yielding 8 or even 12 megapixels will not necessarily produce a better image at the same dots per inch.

To understand why a higher megapixel camera often doesn't produce any better results than a lower megapixel camera, we need to briefly understand more about sensor technology, and even film.

Let's go back to basics for a moment.

A standard 35mm film negative consists of an area 36 x 24 mm. That is roughly the dimension that light covers when used in most 35mm film cameras (or of some full frame digital SLR cameras). Film is a little funny when compared to digital sensors, since film relies on chemical reactions to light. With the size of a 35mm negative, something like high-end Velvia 50 film theoretically has enough detail per area, that if scanned-in with the proper equipment can produce a 16MP image. Most off-the-shelf film will produce around 3 to 6 depending on the brand, speed and type, the type of scanner used, and how correctly the image was captured.

Now let us get back to the digital portion of this answer. We already understand that a film negative is roughly 36x24 in size, called 'Full Frame'. Then there are standard consumer digital cameras, which are usually called 'Point and Shoot'. You can often identify a consumer camera by the fact that it has a fixed lens system, and the sensor is always exposed, (one way to know is if you can preview an image on the LCD prior to actually shooting the subject). The size of a consumer digital's sensor is roughly 2/3" which is approximately 8.8 x 6.6 mm; that is nearly four times smaller the size of a standard 35mm negative.

Digital SLRs usually have a larger sensor;

the Nikon D70 has a sensor size of 23.7 x 15.6 mm. Because most Digital SLR cameras use the same 35mm lens as their film counterparts, as opposed to having a fixed lens specifically for that sensor size, digital SLR has a crop factor attached to them. Crop factor is a ratio to give consumers a better idea of how the focal length or results will be affected by the camera. In this case the Nikon D70 has a 1.5x crop factor. You can use crop factor as a quick way to judge how close a sensor is to full frame size. Most Canon DSLRs are 1.6x until you get into the professional series (1.3x and full frame). There are even some that are closer to your standard consumer digitals such as the Olympus E-300 that features a 2x crop factor.

Why is understanding the crop factor and sensor size useful?

Let us use an analogy to demonstrate. Say we want to use buckets to capture rain, the buckets representing the individual photosites or pixels and the rain representing passes of light. Say we have an area of land roughly 4 feet on either side. I want to setup 16 buckets in this area and 64 buckets next to it. In order to fit 64 buckets into the same area I must shrink the size of each bucket. When the rain starts coming down, the smaller buckets will start to overflow sooner. The overflow can be represented by noise & grain, as well as hot pixels commonly seen on digital cameras. To eliminate the problem you either have to increase the area for the bucket, to allow for more water to be contained before overflow, or to decrease the amount of buckets used.

Keep in mind that a consumer 8MP camera has a smaller sensor size compared to a Digital SLR with 6MP. This is why most consumer cameras generate much more noise and hot pixels in their images. In many cases, a consumer digital camera with lower resolution may be a better purchase than a 12 megapixel model.

Regarding salability, suppose you took a picture from a digital camera at 6 megapixels and then uploaded it, hoping it's size would sell, then you get another from an individual using a 12MP camera with a similar or smaller sensor. It is true that the 12MP image will print at a higher resolution, but the quality at full detail will be inferior to that of the 6MP image.

A Disclaimer:

In general practice most of the information here would hold true. One thing to keep in mind is that as time goes by, the technology used in digital cameras become increasingly complex, correcting issues such as noise in certain areas and quality in others. The answers here are to help you get a general understanding that while resolution does play some role in an image's appearance, it is better to have overall quality than resolution.

By Karl Blessing

Karl is a code junkie and has been in web development for the past five years and is currently a C.T.O. at Takecharge Productions.

Source : Article from iStockPhoto.com

The Timeless Look of Black and White Photography

2007-03-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Camera settings for black-and-white photos

With digital cameras, you have three choices for getting black-and-white shots:

Shoot in black-and-white: Check your camera's manual to see if you can shoot directly in monochrome. This lets you view the photo on your camera's LCD screen in black and white, so you can see exactly what you're shooting.

Convert color photos into black and white in your camera: For many cameras, you can do this in the camera menu. Select "Modify Color," then "black and white." This creates a copy of an existing photo, so you'll have both versions.

Print in black and white: You can print black and white photos from those taken in color by using the Grayscale setting, available in your printer preferences menu.

All of these methods work well. However, if your goal is to create larger black-and-white prints, shooting in black and white will yield the best results.

Explore contrast

Contrast—the difference between the light and dark areas in a photo—is an essential part of black-and-white photography. There are three levels of contrast that you can experiment with when you shoot:

High contrast means striking white and black tones, with minimal gray. It can heighten tension or add drama to photos. Look for bright light and shadows to shoot in high contrast.

Normal contrast provides the most "realistic" presentation of an image, where some things in the photo are light or white, some are dark or black, and some are in-between, or gray.
Contrasts that are strong in color, such as red against green, look about equal in black and white, making for normal contrast.

Low contrast keeps tones mostly in the mid-range, so there are lots of grays.
Atmospheric weather, such as fog, is perfect for shooting low contrast black-and-white photos.

Add drama and emotion to portraits

Removing color from pictures lets you focus on the emotions of the people and not the vibrant colors, instead. Emotional occasions, such as weddings, are ideal opportunities to shoot black and white. And don't forget group shots—black and white shots mean that clashing clothing isn't a problem.

Black and white shot ideas

Black-and-white lets you focus on other elements of a photo, such as texture. Texture and patterns: Try shooting interesting textures and lines, or patterns in nature. Details that are barely noticeable in color become more prominent and poetic. Portraits: Baby pictures, wedding photos, family portraits—candid or posed—gain a classic quality when shot in black and white. Landscapes: From the mountains to your backyard, outdoor shots look magnificent in black and white.

Add artistic effects

Many cameras have an innovative feature that allows you to add stunning effects to your photos. Like Antique and Watercolor. Also think about adding simple and artistic photo borders. Or even change color tints of your photos.

Rock Steady Without a Tripod

2007-03-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have seen that using the tripod gives great stability and makes great picutres !
Here is a grea article !

By Mike Pasini, EditorImaging Resource Newsletter

You've framed your shot, you pressed the shutter, and it looked fine on the LCD. But when you pulled it up on your monitor it was fuzzy.

What happened?

Well, the LCD lied to you. It's so small it makes any image look sharp. But odds are the light was dim enough that your camera decided to use a slow shutter speed. Under 1/60 second. And just pressing the shutter was enough of a shake to blur the image.

How can you prevent it?

In an ideal world, you'd have a tripod handy whenever you needed it. Under the current arrangement, you rarely do. And sometimes (in museums, for example) they're prohibited.

So the fact is your camera must rely on your supple body to keep it stiff. As difficult as that may seem, there are some things you can do to stiffen up. Here's how to securely handhold a camera:
1. First, choose a sustainable posture. Don't try any ballet positions. Stand comfortably. Any strain is liable to weary.

2. The next trick is to use the optical viewfinder, pressing the camera to your head and holding it against your nose or cheek with both hands.

3. If you can further steady yourself by propping your elbows on the back of an unoccupied chair, or the fender of a disabled SUV, that's terrific. Otherwise tuck them against your sides.

4. When you're ready to shoot, take a deep breath and release it. At the moment you relax and just a second before you panic for lack of oxygen, gently squeeze the shutter button.

"If your digicam has a zoom lens, you'll find it easier to shoot with slow shutter speeds at the wide-angle setting."

That's the best you can do with a handhold without appearing suspicious. But our favorite trick is very little more trouble.

The next time you're in your favorite hardware store, pick up a quarter-inch/20-thread bolt (the half-inch size is long enough) and a matching hex nut. You've spent about nine cents, so far. Find some string at home and tie one end to the bolt, trimming it about a foot longer than you are tall. Screw on the nut to hold the string and to prevent you from screwing the half-inch bolt through the camera body.

Screw the bolt into the tripod mount of your camera and let the string fall to the floor. Step on it and pull the camera up to your eye. Make sure the string is taught as you come up and put your weight on it when the camera is just about eye level. As you pull up, the counter force is just what you need to steady the camera when you press the shutter.

Another favorite is a bean bag. You can drape the bag over otherwise uncooperative supports to fill in their holes and provide a level and secure bed for your camera.

If your digicam has a zoom lens, you'll find it easier to shoot with slow shutter speeds at the wide angle setting. At a normal setting, 1/100 second may yield consistently sharp results. But at wide angle, you may be able to hold 1/60 steady. And, conversely, at telephoto settings you may find 1/250 about as slow as you can go.

For stability in truly difficult situations, we recommend simply lying down, propping the camera on your chest and setting the self-timer to go off just as you drop off to sleep. Unless, of course, you snore.

This article is reprinted from The Imaging Resource Digital Photography Newsletter,
Beginner's Flash Column, published February 23, 2001

Tasteful Food Photography

2007-03-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

by Simone Paddock
09/15/2004

Food photography traditionally has been the realm of a handful of weathered professionals well versed in their niche profession, armed with high-end, medium-format cameras and a ton of expensive studio gear, and flanked by a small army of dedicated chefs and food stylists. You can see their work in ads, cook books, and high-end glossy magazines such as Sunset, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine.

So for the casual shooter or even the ambitious amateur, getting great food shots can seem like an intimidating and daunting task at best. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The digital frontier has changed the way we shoot and the things we can shoot successfully. The benefit of being able to review the shot instantly, and know for certain that what you have just captured is usable, is absolutely invaluable. This applies especially to food photography where most of your time will go into setup and preparation.

This article will show you how you can achieve professional results with a minimum of equipment, some budget-conscious props, a little technical know-how, and a big dash of creative fun.

What Makes a Great Food Image?
I love food. And I'm talking about more than just the mere taste sensation. I love everything about it: the colors, textures, smell, and of course flavors. The delightful way a healthy dose of wasabi momentarily stings my nose and makes my eyes water. The smooth and creamy manner in which an exquisite piece of Swiss milk chocolate melts on my tongue. And, after a nice meal, the way my brain rewards me with the release of a particularly fun chemical, namely endorphin, which makes me feel warm and happy all over.

So what does all of this have to do with food photography, you ask? Absolutely everything. You will be hard-pressed to find a professional food photographer who is unappreciative of fine cuisine. So the very first step to creating universally appealing images of food is to have a passion for the subject.

Although I'm an architectural photographer by trade, when a new client asked me to create a portfolio for its up-and-coming catering company, I jumped at the opportunity. But did I give in to my inner gear junkie who urged me to instantly rush out and purchase a bunch of nifty, high-end equipment to ensure success with this new task? No.

I suspect some pro out there (who gets paid an obscene sum of money to shoot a blueberry tartlet for Martha Stewart Living, assisted by that enviable mountain of gear and throng of trained helpers) will scoff at me for this, but instead, I sat down with an Oreo (okay, a few Oreos) and a glass of milk, put on my thinking cap, and reviewed what I knew about food photography.

For one, I knew that shooting food is very unlike architectural and product photography, where you want your entire subject in crystalline, razor-sharp focus so the viewer can pore over the details for hours. Photographing three pan-fried scallops on a risotto cake is more about appealing to--yep, you guessed it--those mighty little endorphins in the viewer's brain.

But because not even the twenty-first century has brought us a technological device capable of translating taste or smell from an image into an actual sensory experience, photographers are left with two other attributes of food: color and texture.

Translated this means: get close with your camera, focus on that texture, be bold with your choices of props and styling, and carefully plan ahead with your dishes, backdrops, lighting, and other environmental factors.

Setup and Props
Proximity to a kitchen: Outside of the pan or fridge, food can quickly start to look waxy and lose its appeal when it gets too cold, too wilted, or too warm. Fish and meat seem to lose their juicy plumpness only too soon. Warm cream sauces tend to separate into unsightly drops instead of staying smooth. So being close to a kitchen or having ultra-fresh food available for your shoot is imperative. For this reason, my client had rented a commercial kitchen, where we would prepare, style, and photograph the dishes.

Lighting: I inquired about the lighting conditions in the kitchen way ahead of time. My Canon 10D has a nifty White Balance option that will let me adjust for various lighting conditions on the fly, but film users must be aware of the perilous lighting conditions they can encounter on a shoot. In my case, two large rows of fluorescent lights with plastic diffusers were mounted directly overhead, providing plentiful, even illumination. Fluorescent lighting, however, will tint an image an unsightly shade of green. To retain the all-important natural colors in my images, I switched my camera's White Balance setting to "fluorescent," activating the 10D's built-in color compensation mode. Film users should use a magenta filter to compensate for fluorescent light, or if shooting with stationary indoor lights, switch to tungsten-balanced film. More information about this topic can be found in ephotozine's Guide to colour temperature article.

Props & Backgrounds: In food photography good props can make or break an image. Carefully plan your food items ahead of time. Know what colors you'll have to work with, and buy plates, tablecloths, napkins, and silverware to complement and contrast those colors. Stores like Pier 1 Imports and IKEA harbor tons of fun, stylish, and colorful accessories at reasonable prices. At the very least though, get yourself a black plate. Pretty much all food will look good on it; you cannot go wrong. Although your background will be out of focus, it's still important. Experiment with more than just the traditional tablecloth; try sand, paper, bricks, leaves, or cool fabrics.

Garnishes: It's a good idea to have plenty of garnishes at hand. Professional food stylists employ all kinds of less-than-delicious techniques to fool viewers into thinking that what they are looking at is mouth watering--when actually it's motor oil, paint, glycerin, or glue. Since you will most likely stick to real food, and this is an area you can be wildly creative in, here are a few suggestions to get you started: fresh herbs, colorful spices like curry and paprika, a variety of seeds like sesame or poppy, sauces (pre-prepared and stored in squeeze bottles in the fridge), and small, graceful vegetables like green onions and radishes.

Lemon chicken crepe roulades, feta-filled phyllo pouches, and fried wontons stacked with ahi tuna, spicy sprouts, ginger, and sesame seeds. This shot is an exception to the shallow depth-of-field rule; because all of the hors d'oeuvres were equally important on the plate, an f-stop of 27 and an exposure of 4 seconds brought everything in sharp focus. ISO 200, focal length 64mm.

Techniques
And now for the easiest part: shooting the food. You have chosen your location, considered the lighting, set up your camera on your tripod (don't try this in hand-held mode), arranged your fresh food on a pretty plate, and garnished it. Everything is ready except you don't know how to translate all that prettiness into a professional-looking photograph. There are really only two things you have to consider: get close and work fast.

Get close: If possible, fill the entire frame of the image with your subject. I took most of the shots in this article with a 75-300mm lens at f-stops of 4 or 5.6. The resulting shallow depth-of-field will throw everything but a few inches of your plate out of focus, blurring the background and highlighting the texture of your food item. So position your camera and tripod on a low angle to your plate, zoom in (using the depth-of-field preview button on the 10D helps too), set your exposure in manual mode at something like f 5.6 and 1/8 second (ISO 200), and fire away.

Work fast: As previously mentioned, food only looks really appealing for a short period of time. Ice cream melts--especially in a sweltering kitchen setting. Champagne goes flat. Veggies droop. And lettuce wilts. So you need to work fast. Even with the best-case scenario, you won't have more than 15 to 20 minutes from the moment the food exits the pan or fridge to get your shot. Being well prepared really helps, and having a helper or the chef there to plate and dress is invaluable. But don't be afraid to experiment with different angles, settings, and garnishes nonetheless. Remember: practice makes perfect.

Let There Be Fire

While images of mouth-watering food really helped to sell my client's catering services, there is nothing quite like including a human face to get a message across. So I had the idea to show the chef in his element, engaged in the most intimidating of tasks in the kitchen: fire in the pan.

So dive in. Have fun. And don't forget to reap the ultimate benefit: eating the food you shoot. Just make sure you do it after you've captured the perfect shot.

Simone Paddock is a freelance photographer and writer living in Central Oregon. Her photographic interests encompass shooting food, products and editorial assignments, but her specialty lies in architectural photography. And when she is not doing any of that, she is running a photo stock agency.

5 Pro Tips For Travel Photography

2007-03-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I took a while ago of the lake.
This excerpt below By Andrew Hudson gave me some great tips to make the photograph interesting. I have provided a link to the article below.

-----------
The first step was to better understand my objective. I started looking at travel books and magazines to discover which photographs I admired. As the adage goes, start with the end in mind. I analyzed the best photographs to determine what made them work, and why they were more effective than my pictures. This was a time-consuming task but I highly recommend it as a tool to improve your photography. The pictures I admired displayed bold colors, a simple composition, a good use of light, a three-dimensional depth, and an unusual and interesting view of a familiar sight.

After learning what I wanted to achieve, I read photography books and magazines, such as Shutterbug's Outdoor and Nature Photography, to learn the skills I needed. The final step was to put the skills into practice, by setting up exercises and shooting many rolls of film. As with most skills, practice makes perfect, and practice is the fun part! This is a continuous-feedback cycle, and I continue to compare my photos to images I admire.

Here are five tips to help you improve your travel photography.

1. Aim for Impact
A great photograph catches the eye. It leaps off the page and demands attention. While a picture may say a thousand words, I think a great photo should say just one - "Wow!"

There are four keys to visual impact: simplicity, color, light, and depth.

2. Conduct Reseach
The more you research a destination, the better your photos will likely be. This is the basis of my first book, PhotoSecrets San Francisco and Northern California, which catalogs all the classic views of the area so that you can capture your favorite views.

3. Explore the Area

Before you start taking photos, get orientated by taking a 2-3 hour guided bus tour of the major sights. Use the time to make a list of the views you want to capture, and map out a plan to re-visit when each sight is in the best light.

4. Include Personality

When I started publishing my travel photos, I noticed that picture editors were looking for one common element - people. Including one or two people in a shot adds a point of connection for the viewer, a sense of being there. It can also add a sense of scale to a vast landscape feature, such as the Grand Teton mountain range or Yosemite's towering waterfalls.

5. Strive for Variety

Variety is the spice of life - and photography. Think how your photos will look as a group and shoot accordingly. Try to vary your styles, mix wide-angle overviews and individual details, daytime and night, portraits and abstracts.

For the whole article http://www.photosecrets.com/tips.on1.protips.html

What Makes A Great Shot

2007-03-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

This article by Andrew Hudson is not only simple but personifies what taking a great picture is really like. I loved it. ! My recommendations in red

........

Photography is the perfect companion to travel. It encourages us - as travelers - to discover an area; it provides tangible memories of the trip; and it is an enjoyable way to express ourselves in art.

Lonely Planet's Travel Photography This 2nd edition has a special new section on digital photography. It also includes new information on black and white photography techniques.

A camera is really an excuse to delve deeper into a place than we otherwise would. Looking for a good shot forces us to seek out the unique features and scenic beauty of a location, to explore further, and to interact with our surroundings. When you press the shutter release, you're making a personal connection to the place and it's people. You are there.

Photographs preserve the memories of our trip. We can show others the exciting places we've been, the wonderful scenery, and the great people we met. Our minds are triggered by images and reviewing our photographs helps everyone on the trip relive its adventures and misadventures. Taking pictures is also a very accessible artform. With a little thought and effort you can create captivating images of your own creation and interpretation.

The Secret of Photography

Fortunately, taking good photographs has little to do with owning expensive equipment and knowing technical data. The secret is in seeing. Ask yourself: What do I look at, and how do I see it? A good photograph has qualities that display the skill, art, interests, and personality of the photographer.

What Makes A Good Photograph?

A photograph is a message. It conveys a statement ("Here we are in ..."), an impression ("This is what ... looks like"), or an emotion. You are an author trying to convey this message in a clear, concise, and effective way. But how?

Like any message, you first need a subject. This may be your traveling companions, a building, a natural vista, or some abstract form. The subject is the central point of interest and is usually placed in the foreground of the shot (towards the viewer). Now we compose the message by including a second element, a context, which is often the background. The context gives the subject relevance, presence, location, or other interest. It is the combination of the two elements - subject and context, foreground and background - that tells the message.

Just as important as knowing what to include, is knowing what to exclude. Anything that isn't part of the subject or its context is only a distraction, cluttering up the image and diluting the message. So eliminate extraneous surroundings - usually by moving closer to the subject - and make a clear, tidy shot. A painter creates art by addition - adding more paint - whereas a photographer creates art by subtraction - removing unnecessary elements.

The recipe for a good photograph is: "A foreground, a background, and nothing else."

What Makes A Great Photograph?

A great photograph is piece of art. It captures the spirit of a subject and evokes emotion. Bob Krist calls it "The Spirit of Place." You are an artist that can use subtle tricks to appeal to your viewer's senses. Let's see how.

A picture is a playground, with places for our eyes to wander and investigate, plus spaces for them to rest and relax. When we first see something, we are defensive. Our eyes instinctively find light, bright areas, and look for people, particularly their eyes and mouth. Do we know the people in the picture? What are they feeling, and how does this relate to us? Are they drawing attention to something? If so, do we recognize it (a building, a landmark) and what does it look like? What is this picture about? What is the main subject or objective? How big is the subject? We determine scale by comparing elements to something of known size, such as a person, animal, or car. Once we've checked for people, we turn our attention to more abstract features.

We first notice the subject's color or tone. Firey red, calming blue, natural green, foreboding black. Then we see shape. Soft curves, hard edges, sweeping lines. How the light strikes the subject gives subtle hints as to its three-dimensional form. You, as a photographer, can manipulate this by searching for shades and shadows, shifting intensities of tone and hues. How is the eye drawn into the picture?

Form leads us to texture, how the subject might feel to the touch. Is it soft, is it smooth, hard, or rough? Does it have character and warmth? The way the elements are juxtaposed and affected by the same light, makes us consider their qualities and interrelation. Balance draws our eye from one element to another, investigating their unity, contrast, and detail, each item adding pleasure to the next. What is the relevance of everything?

The overall composition, the proportions of layout, denotes importance of the elements. As the artist, you can decide which features appeals to you, and how best to emphasize them.

The recipe for a great photograph is: "Consider how the parts interrelate with the whole".

4 Tips on Photographing Jewelery

2007-03-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

Jewelery is usually photographed on a table top. If you are taking pictures of jewelery here are 4 tips you can use.

1. Use more than one light source. If you have only one main light (the on-camera flash, for example) set up reflectors to kick some light into the places the flash doesn't reach. Few things make a photo look worse than a single direct light source, especially one that comes from near
the lens axis (think about mug shots and driver's license photos).

2. Keep your backgrounds simple. You don't want the background to compete with the subject. You can't go wrong with a plain background, but you could easily go wrong with a busy one.

3. Fill the frame (the camera's viewfinder, the part you look through) with the subject before snapping the shutter.

4. Put your object on a nice background surface. Zoom out at least half-way so that you will be working about a foot away from the object. Be sure that you get focus confirmation. Shoot a picture USING flash. Check the LCD for the result. If you have overexposed the object, use the EV adjustment to reduce the exposure. For small items, you to reduce the exposure by about 1.0 EV.

Check on the LCD how the picture has turned out. Take lots of pictures and make a note of the settings for each. Then check to see which one worked to give you the best result for the equipment you used.

Websites
Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs
Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops
Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Move Up to the World of the Digital SLR Camera

2007-03-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

A digital SLR camera or a single lens reflex (SLR) camera is one of the most popular cameras amongst photographers today. These cameras not only provide high quality images but the photographer can also largely control how he wants the final product to look like. Hence, people who are extremely fond of clicking pictures have a great time while using a SLR camera. If you have a creative spark in you then you will want to consider one of these at some point. I am using a Canon Rebel right now but the Nikon F6 is next on my horizon of my purchases. These are moving into the 8 mp and up range now so the quality is quite good.

The SLR is not cheap at all. The price historically started at about $5,000 - which is very steep. So, only those who are either professionals or wannabes purchased an SLR for themselves. Nowadays however, in order to make the SLR available to a larger number of photographers, companies such as Canon and Nikon have come up with SLRs falling in the price range of around $1000 without extra lenses.

What is it that attracts people to an SLR ? One of the main reasons is that an SLR produces pictures which are of much higher quality than point-and-shoot cameras. The contrast and color are extremely good since the lenses used in an SLR are of very good quality. It is an old maxim in the photography world that much of the quality in your images comes from the glass you put in front of the camera. The better the glass the better the photo, it worked in the film days and it still works in the digital age. The camera is important but don't skimp on the lens.

The photographer can change the lenses in an SLR, depending upon the shot that he/she plans to take. For example, a wide angle lens is used to take pictures of landscapes such as animals in the wild while telephoto lenses help to take extremely detailed pictures of small objects. Thus, one can pick and choose according to the environmental needs. Today some of the manufacturers have started building in image stabilization to their lenses. This really helps when taking long focal length images. While it uses additional power it can be extremely useful.

In addition to the above, the creative opportunity available to the photographer is much more in a SLR than a regular camera. This is because of the fact that a SLR has a lower contrast and image sharpening features. Hence, the photographer can do a lot of editing on his own to get the kind of effect that he desires. This can be viewed as a disadvantage as well by those who are not truly photo enthusiasts. So, for you guys, a point-and-shoot camera is the best option as not only is it cheaper but also adjusts things automatically.

Since a SLR is comparitvely more expensive than other digital cameras, it is very important that you get yourself a proper insurance for the camera. Especially if you plan to travel a lot with your SLR, insurance is extremely important. And also make sure that damage protection does form a part of the insurance deal as some insurance policies do not provide it. So, read the fine print before signing on the dotted line!

Article Source: http://www.bigarticles.com

NIKON INTRODUCES THE D40x - A NEW 10.2 MEGAPIXEL VERSION OF ITS SMALLEST AND EASIEST-TO-USE DIGITAL SLR CAMERA

2007-03-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

Yes I am a Nikon fan. so here is some news from Nikon

MELVILLE, NY, MARCH 5, 2007 – Nikon today introduced the new Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camerathat is designed to allow users to take spectacular photographs with very high-resolution at the touch of a button. The D40x maintains the same compact size, portability and ease-of-use as its already successful sister camera, the D40, and adds features like higher 10.2 megapixel resolution, faster continuous shooting capability and wider ISO sensitivity. Digital SLR cameras are the tool of choice among the majority of professional photographers but some people have found them to be complex or bulky. With the D40x, consumers don’t have to sacrifice the quality of their pictures anymore. The D40x inherits many advanced technologies from Nikon’s professional models, but was designed specifically to make taking outstanding pictures easy and fun for everyone.

“ The Nikon D40X has become a runaway success for Nikon because it effectively addresses so many of the concerns shared by those who take pictures to preserve family memories and for all-around fun. The D40 and the new D40x eliminate common annoyances such as shutter lag and inaccurate viewfinders, while answering our customers’ needs for superb image quality, fast handling, compactness and, most important of all, simplicity.

Now with the D40x, anyone has the choice of higher resolution so they can do even more with their pictures,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon Inc. “Whether people want to make poster-sized prints or make special enlargements from a smaller (cropped) area of a picture, the D40x can produce images that have superb clarity, outstanding detail and vibrant colors. Even regular 4x6 inch prints, and pictures reduced in size for e-mailing, are visibly better when captured with a more capable camera”.

The Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera is able to capture special moments instantly, virtually eliminating the frustrations of shutter delay typically associated with point-and-shoot digital cameras. The D40x powers-up in a near-instant 0.18 second and can shoot up to 3 pictures per second, non-stop for up to 100 shots. With such great speed, you’ll never need to wait for the camera to get ready for the next shot. The camera reacts instantly when the shutter button is pressed ensuring you never miss a special moment. The images are immediately recorded to the camera's SD memory card.

The D40x’s 10.2-effective megapixel CCD imaging sensor is complimented by Nikon’s exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II and an improved Nikon Image Processing Engine that together ensure breathtaking picture quality with analyzed exposure, refined details and natural, accurately rendered colors.

The increased image sensor capacity of the Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera isn’t its only advantage. In addition to shooting three consecutive shots per second (versus 2.5 pictures per second with the D40), the D40x also features design efficiencies that allows up to 520** images per charge) and wider ISO sensitivity of 100-1600, plus HI-1 (200-1600 plus HI-1 for the D40).

The back of the D40x is dominated by a refreshingly large and bright 2.5-inch color LCD screen that displays everything from menu options, pictures in playback mode and Nikon’s new visually-intuitive information display system that presents camera and shooting information in a user-friendly, graphically represented way. The camera also features a built-in help menu that can be accessed at the touch of a button and new Assist Images that help you select appropriate settings for many camera features by displaying a sample image typical of that setting.

The D40x’s automated, scene-optimized Digital Vari-Program modes allow users to capture nearly any type of scene without needing to understand the fine points of photography or fumble with camera settings. The D40x includes eight preset modes, including a new Flash Off mode that shuts off the camera’s flash and boosts its ISO so users can easily take pictures in places where flash photography is not allowed, inappropriate or when they prefer the look of naturally lit pictures. As users gain experience with the camera, the D40x offers advanced controls such as Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority modes that offer greater creative control over the look and feel of their pictures.

The Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera ’s new Retouch menu offers exclusive in-camera image editing features that add to the D40x’s “fun factor” by providing greater creativity without the need for a computer. Included in the Retouch menu is Nikon’s D-Lighting, which brightens dark pictures and Red-eye correction that automatically detects and corrects red eye – a common condition that occurs in flash photography. Image Trim allows for creative cropping of an image and creates smaller files for easy e-mailing. Other creative features include Image Overlay, Small Picture, Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia, and Cyanotype) and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance).

The Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera comes packaged with the new 3X 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that assures superb picture sharpness and optimum contrast, along with the versatility to capture everything from candid portraits to wide-angle landscapes. The D40x is also compatible with all of Nikon’s AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses***, including the remarkably versatile 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens and the new 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor lens.

For flash photography of subjects at greater distances, the light and ultra-compact SB-400 Speedlight proves to be a perfect companion to the D40X , providing a simple solution for adding more power and bounce flash capability. Keeping with the D40x’s remarkable ease of use the, SB-400 Speedlight is as simple as sliding it on, turning it on and shooting.

The Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera will be available throughout the United States beginning April 2007 for an estimated selling price of $729.95* for body only or $799.95*, packaged with the 3X zoom 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens. For more information, please visit www.nikondigital.com.

Websites

Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs

Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops

Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Time Of Day By Andrew Hudson

2007-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

The most important element to many great photographs is the lighting. Warmth, depth, texture, form, contrast, and color are all dramatically affected by the angle of the sunlight, and thus the time of day. Shooting at the optimum time is often the biggest difference between an 'amateur' and a 'professional' shot.

In the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is low, the light is gold and orange, giving your shot the warmth of a log fire. Professional photographers call these the 'magic hours' and most movies and magazine shots are made during this brief time. It takes extra planning, but saving your photography for one hour after sunrise, or one to two hours before sunset, will add stunning warmth to your shots.

Plan Your Day

Assuming a sunrise at 6am and sunset at 7pm, and that your spouse/kids/friends suddenly give you the reverence and servility you so obviously deserve, a good day might be:

5am: Pre-dawn: A pink, ethereal light and dreamy mist for lakes, rivers and landscapes.
6-7am: Dawn: Crisp, golden light for east-facing subjects.

7am-10am: Early morning: The city comes to life; joggers in the park.

10-2pm: Midday: The sun is too harsh for landscapes and people, but perfect for monuments, buildings and streets with tall buildings.

2pm-4pm: Afternoon: Deep blue skies with a polarizer.

4pm-6:45pm: Late Afternoon: Terrific warm, golden light on west-facing subjects. Best time for landscapes and people, particularly one hour before sunset.

6:45 - 7:30pm: Sunset: Great skies 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after sunset.

7:30-8pm: Dusk is great for skylines, while there's still a purple color to the sky.

9pm: Night shots, or go to bed - you've got to be up early tomorrow!

Studio Photography and Digital Backgrounds by Fabian Barajas

2007-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

One book that I would suggest is Digital SLR Cameras & Photography For Dummies, but this article by Mr. Barajas is very helpful and informative. Plus it gives a good step by step guide to making a digital background in Adobe.

Most photographers who are serious about improving their portrait taking skills have realized that a beautiful background can greatly enhance their photographs.

Muslins are a very popular choice among professionals. However, they can get very costly at several hundred dollars each. For the professional who is well established, this may not seem too much, but for the hobbyist, this may be a stretch.

A less costly alternative is a digital background. With a digital background, one can get the look and feel of a professional looking portrait without the additional cost of muslin.

Many Photography websites also sell digital backgrounds on cd. In some cases…as low as $15.00 dollars for an assorted collection. As with anything else…you usually get what you pay for. Some of these pre-made digital backgrounds are not worth the cd they’re printed on, but some of them are very beautifully made. Even so, you may be wondering how YOU can make your very own digital background. That being said, the following information will help guide you along the way.

Okay, let’s create a digital backdrop using Adobe Elements 2.0. We will create an 8x10 300dpi (dpi = dots per inch or ppi = pixels per inch) digital backdrop. For printing purposes, 300dpi is strongly recommended for a high quality print. This will also create a large file approximately 20.6megs.

Having a fast processor (Pentium 4 or Athlon XP) and at least 256megs of ram will definitely help. Also having your screen resolution on your monitor set to its highest setting 24 or 32bit will give the best results.

Okay let’s begin! If you haven’t already opened Photoshop Elements, do so now.

1. Click on File <>What is a hot spot? A hot spot is a circular area near the center of the backdrop that is lighter in color. Why is this there? It allows the subject to stand out and creates a vignette at the borders. This will greatly enhance your backdrop. Are you ready? Okay, let’s do it!

13.On the top, click on Filter-Render-Lighting Effects. Select “Omni” for your “Light Type” and move the slider for your intensity to 25. Now click on the middle handle in the circle and raise the circle just above the halfway point to where the person’s head will appear.Click ok.

Now you should have an amazing looking backdrop!

Fabian Barajas is author of several Photoshop ebook tutorials including "How to Create Your Very Own Professional Looking Digital Backdrop!" His website which includes samples of his work is http://www.digital-background.net/

Sell photos on stock photography sites

2007-03-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

If people regularly oooo and aaaaah over your Flickr pics, maybe you’re destined for photographic greatness or maybe just for a few extra dollars. It’s easier than ever to get your photos out in front of the public, which of course means a tremendous amount of competition, but also means it might be an convenient way for you to build up a secondary income stream. Where can you upload and market your photos?

Nikon Cool Pix 3700 Digital Camera - Review - Good Compact Camera !

2007-03-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

This ultra-Compact digital camera is pocket-sized and weighs only a few ounces, making them the perfect go-anywhere camera. I would recommend this one for its compact size.

The 3700 combines 2048×1536-pixel images with a 3x optical zoom lens for perfect prints as large as 11×14″. Fifteen versatile scene modes auto-set the camera for great shots from sunset to portrait. Record short movies with sound or add voice memos to stills.

Weighing less than 5 oz., its slightly elongated all-metal body has an ultra-sleek and elegant brushed aluminum finish. Easy to operate, fun to use.

Here is a link to pictures on FLICKR taken with this camera
http://flickr.com/cameras/nikon/coolpix_3700/

There are

FEATURES

3x optical zoom Nikkor lens (35mm equiv of 35mm - 105mm)

1.5-inch color LCD screen

voice recording of up to 5 hours;

One-Touch Red-Eye Fix feature

Stores images on Secure Digital (SD) memory card (16 MB SD card included)

Included with AC adapter that charges the battery in-camera

3.2-megapixel resolution for photo-quality 11 x 14 sized prints

10 Common Photo Mistakes by Scott Bourne

2007-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

This article by Scott Bourne gives great tips on what to look out for !

Everyone makes mistakes. Even Ansel Adams through some of his negatives away. But what causes those mistakes? They are usually caused by lack of concentration. So here's a list of mistakes that many photographers make. By studying them, you can avoid them.

1) Blurry Pictures

Blurry photos are usually the result of camera shake. The simplest way to remedy this problem is to buy and use a good, sturdy tripod. If you can't shoot with a tripod, remember to use a faster ISO on digital cameras or faster film on film cameras. This allows you to increase your shutter speed. The faster the shutter speed, the less likely you are to suffer from camera shake.

A rule of thumb for handholding is to use a shutter speed that is 1/lens focal length or faster. In other words, if you're shooting a 200mm lens, you need 1/200th second or faster. Don't forget to compensate if you shoot digitally. If you use a 200mm lens on a Nikon D100, it is the equivalent focal length of 300mm, so you will need to shoot at 1/ 300th of a second if you want to handhold.

2) Contrasty Pictures

These come from high contrast lighting situations. Learn to recognize them. Photographing in the forest on a sunny day is an example of a high contrast situation. Photographing at Noon on a bright, sunny day is a high contrast situation.

Contrast can be mitigated with diffusers and fill-flash, depending on the circumstances. Usually the best solution is to wait for better conditions. Another trick is to shoot with low contrast film. Kodak's B&W Portra 400 is a good film to use in high contrast situations. It has nine stops of tonal latitude and that tends to compress the contrast ratios in the scene.

3) Underexposed Pictures (prints)

Underexposure often results from letting the camera make all the exposure decisions. Remember, the camera's meter wants everything to be medium (or gray.) If you do use the auto exposure functions, one common mistake comes from using auto exposure compensation and then forgetting you've done so. Make sure that you get enough light into the scene before you press the shutter. With print film, it's better to overexpose than underexpose, so when you bracket, do it to the high side, i.e., plus one stop, plus two stops.

4) Overexposed Pictures (slides)

Like underexposure, overexposure can result from letting your camera make all the decisions. With slide film, overexposure means blown out highlights and that means lost information. Basing your exposure on shaded or dark areas and letting the camera set the exposure is a formula for overexposed slides. Look for something medium to meter from or, better yet, meter the highlights. Just make sure your highlights won't be more than two and one half (2 Â½) stops lighter than medium.

Since overexposing slide film is bad, bracket your slide film to the low side, i.e., minus one stop, minus two stops.

5) Red Eye

This is a common problem resulting from on-camera flash. Move your flash off- axis. Use a flash bracket and connecting cord. You can also bounce the flash off a ceiling or wall. You can also use remote flash triggers to fire a flash that is mounted on a stand or anywhere else, as long as it is not on camera.

6) Lens Flare

Flare occurs when direct light hits the front element of the lens and light starts bouncing around inside the lens. This causes the light to reflect off all the elements. This can reduce contrast and make your pictures look "hazy". Most commonly, it results in a series of round highlights across your image. Be sure to use a lens hood to help prevent this. Sometimes you'll need more than a lens hood. Try using your hand or a hat to shade the lens. If someone is with you, ask him or her to stand so that they cast a shadow on the lens.

Sometimes it's hard to detect lens flare when looking through the viewfinder; using your depth of field preview button will make this easier.

7) Obstruction

Be on the lookout for intruders trying to make their way in to your pictures. Branches, out of focus grass blades, telephone wires"¦.all these and more can act as distractions.

Most viewfinders show only about 92-95% of the image. Keep that in mind while photographing. You may want to try shifting your camera around to see what's at the edges.

Some intruders are hard to see in the viewfinder simply because they're too close and not in focus. When you get your pictures back you see things you didn't see before. Remember, you're looking through your lens at its widest aperture, thus the shallowest depth of field. Some things won't be in focus. Use your preview button and you'll see any intruders. If you don't have a preview button, try focusing throughout the range of your lens to see what may show up.

8) Vignetting

This is what happens when items encroach on the outside edges of your camera lens' field of view. It's often caused by stacking filters, or by adding lens hoods to lenses that have filters attached. Other accessories, like filter holders, can also cause vignetting. If your viewfinder shows less than 100%, you may not be able to see this happening. Run some tests. Put on all the different filter/hood combinations you can think of and photograph a blank wall. Take notes and look at your images when you get them back. The depth of field preview button will also help reveal when vignetting may be a problem.

9) Color Casts

Color casts can result from using the wrong film, outdated or spoiled film or shooting in deep shade.

If you use daylight-balanced film like Velvia or Ektachrome Elite and shoot indoors, you could get some very strange results. Under tungsten lighting, regular lamp light, you'll end up with a very warm color cast. If you're shooting under fluorescent light, you'll see a greenish cast.
If the problem is the wrong film, the solution is to use a color-correcting filter. For tungsten, use a filter in the 80 series. These filters are blue and will balance out the yellow of tungsten light. For fluorescent, use an FL filter. If you're using flash indoors as your only source of light, you shouldn't have a color-cast.

The other solution is to use the correct film. Tungsten balanced film is made for use under tungsten lighting and will result in the correct colors being recorded.

Shooting in the shade on a sunny day will result is a bluish cast. After all, the predominant light source is the blue sky. Use a filter in the 81 series. These yellowish filters will balance out the blue.

For outdated film", well, good luck. You get what you get and the only way to correct color is after the fact, either at the lab or in the computer.

10) Tilted Horizons

Off-center or tilted horizons are probably the most common mistake that we all make and there are several ways to quickly solve this problem. Our favorite is to use a focusing screen with a grid etched into it. These are available for many cameras; check your manual. Two cameras, the Nikon N80 and the Nikon D100, even have grid screens that you can turn on or off as a custom function.

Another solution is to simply step back and see if your camera looks level to the world. Then take another look through the viewfinder. Sometimes we need to approach the viewfinder from an angle because of the camera position. Taking another look through the viewfinder with your head level will help too.

One of the easiest solutions is to buy a bubble level for your camera. These levels fit in the flash hot shoe. This way you'll always know that you're level.

There are times, however, when your camera may be level but the horizon will appear tilted. This apparent tilting results from receding shorelines; the closer parts of the shoreline are lower in the frame. Just be aware of this phenomenon so you can decide if it's something that will be a distraction or not.

CONCLUSION

Whether you are a seasoned pro or a new shooter, these ten problems can creep up on you. So review this list often and make a mental checklist to use every time you photograph. You will notice an immediate increase in the quality of your images.

Article Copyright 2005, Scott Bourne - Photofocus Magazine

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Bourne is the author of "88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography" and "88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers."

His work has also appeared in books, magazines, galleries, calendars, on greeting cards, web sites and on posters. Scott is a professional photographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the digital imaging field. His career started in the early 70s as a stringer covering motor sports for Associated Press in Indiana. Since then, he has shot commercial, portrait, wedding, magazine and fine art assignments. His new passion is wildlife photography.

Scott regularly lectures on a variety of photo and media-related subjects. He's appeared on national television and radio programs and has written columns for several national magazines. He is the publisher of Photofocus.com, an online magazine for serious photographers and also serves as the executive director of the Olympic Mountain School of Photography in Gig Harbor, WA.

JOIN THE FLICKR BLOG - Nikon D70/s Users

2007-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

http://flickr.com/groups/d70/

Look and browse the many fabulous photographs taken by the "Nikon D70/s Users" Flickr community. I have learnt just so much by reading the articles and seeing everyone's pictures.

About Nikon D70/s Users

The Nikon D70 and D70s are fantastic cameras capable of producing great digital photographs. This group is a place for all D70 and D70s users to share their experiences, demonstrate techniques through example, and discuss their equipment. For information and discussion about other Nikon digital cameras visit the Nikon Digital or Nikon Digital SLR Users groups.

Nikon D70s - Intro

2007-02-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

I own a Nikon D70S 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm Nikkor Lens and just love it.

If you have one and do not know how to use it. CNet has some great intro stuff for you.

This is why I love it :-

One reason why the 6.1-megapixel Nikon D70s will continue to compete well against 8-megapixel rivals such as the Canon Digital Rebel XT is that the older D70 on which this camera is based had such good image quality to begin with. The 18mm-to-70mm kit lens produced sharp images with little in the way of chromatic aberrations, other than some magenta fringing at the edges of backlit subjects. It's notable that while Canon's Rebel XT is capable of besting this camera with the right glass, the kit lens supplied with the Nikon is clearly superior to what Canon throws in when you buy the XT package.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words !

2007-02-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a gazzillion words and sometimes no words at all because its just breathtaking !

Opps ! Today, I was working on one of my posts and talking on the phone and accidently deleted my blog....so I guess I will have to start all over again.

If you have visited before and have bookmarked some of the posts I will try and re-create them. But, I guess I will have to put some of the wonderful pictures, sites and info back again for you !