Sabtu, 09 April 2011

Submit An Article Search Syndicate Articles Privacy Policy Terms of Use Link To Us Contact Us Site Map Home CATEGORIES Auto & Trucks Business & Finance Computers & Internet Education Environment and Going Green Family Food & Drink Gadgets and Gizmos Health Hobbies Home Improvement Humor Kids & Teens Legal Marketing Men Music and Movies Online Business Parenting Pets and Animals Politics and Government Recreation & Sports Relationships Religion and Faith Self Improvement Site Promotion Travel & Leisure Web Development Women Writing Keyword Search Article Title Author's Name Make Your Photos Look Professional - Learning Digital Photography!

he key to learning digital photography is a relatively uncomplicated one…you simply have to comprehend that it is largely identical to as film photography. Once you truly get that - the remainder is mostly a snap.

You will discover just 2 major differences between them…

First: There is a difference in how light is recorded. Nowadays we utilize a digital sensor where traditionally light was captured on film.

Second: We finish up with our photos on a digital memory stick instead of film. So this makes it viable to view our shots right away rather than awaiting the area one hour lab to process and print our shots. We simply down load the pictures from our memory stick and into our computer.

The traditionalists amongst us believe that film still creates a greater photograph, but with all the recent scientific developments in digital - only a very discriminating eye can tell the difference. And only then if it is enlarged to a tremendous size.

So when you come right down to it, in learning digital photography we still really need to follow the essential steps we've always taken:

Find out how the shutter speed impacts our pictures and when to apply a fast one or perhaps a slow one to achieve our creative goals.

Next we have to grasp the f-stop settings and the way they artistically affect our pictures.

After these principles are under our belts, then it is time to study light and the way to manipulate it to turn a colorless unappealing setting into one which provides the jaw dropping "wow" factor into our pictures.

Toss in some study of and practicing the various poses and we will have all the abilities we need to shoot outstanding pictures - whether film or digital.

At this time in our growth, we see the most important advantage of digital over film photography…simplicity in manipulation.

Retouching and photo manipulation is an important area in the imaginative progression and digital makes this effortless for anybody! It was once exceptionally hard to produce alterations and retouches on film but currently, a few minutes in any basic photography editing program - and we can ALL seem like professionals.

So the key to learning digital photography is not being too concerned with the fact that it's digital - it's only a storage medium - learn the basics of excellent photo techniques and you'll do all right.

 by: Dan Eitreim
http://www.ontargetphototraining.com

3 Must Read Tips for Improved Horse Photography

Horse Photography Tip #1 - Choosing the right lens length DOES make a difference

Have you been having trouble with your images of horses? Does the horse's head look elongated and silly, and does his body look disproportional? It's possible you are using a lens that is too short.

If you photograph a horse while standing very close and with a short lens, say 28mm or 35 mm or even 50mm, you will get unpleasant results.

The short lens distorts the image. Horses' heads are already long and so are their bodies. If you want a humorous image, then by all means use your short lens close up. But if you want a quality conformation shot, I recommend going to a longer lens. The longer lenses compress the horse's body and head and make a more pleasing representation. I recommend using at least a 100 mm lens and preferably longer, like 200 mm. If you like the flexibility of zoom lenses, one of my favorite lenses for shooting domestic horses is the 70 - 200 zoom.

In summary, to improve your photos of horses, use a longer lens and step back.

Horse Photography Tip #2: Capture Details for a New Point of View!

When you think of equine photography, you may think of a standing horse, or maybe running, and that image could be of the entire horse. But if you want to try something new and different, concentrate on details. Details can be the close up of a horse's eye. Step back and zoom in, and observe what reflects in the eye - is it you or something else in the background? Are the eyelashes in focus? Did you capture the gleam of light in the horse's eye? That will really make your image pop. Tail braided for an exhibition in Spain

Zoom in on a braided mane or a tail, like the photo of this carriage horse from Spain, or zoom in on the feet as they travel. Think about tack and clothing, and get close for a shot of a cowgirl's boot and/or spurs.

Imagine the contour of a horse's body and try to show the details of the curves. Does the horse have spots or splashes of color on his body? How about focusing on an interesting shaped mark? There are no wrong choices, and part of improving your skills as a photographer is trying new things, and looking at your world and what you are photographing in a new way. Focusing on details can help keep your images fresh and exciting.

Horse Photography Tip #3: What time of Day is Best to Take Photos of Horses?

When you are photographing horses and other subjects, take into account the quality and quantity of light on your subject. We see because of light, and we can photograph because there is light. Taking advantage of the best light so that you can improve your photos is important.

Have you noticed that in the middle of the day, shadows are harsh and unflattering? On the other hand, in the early morning and the late afternoon, the light is softer, and just after sunrise and just before sunset is that time we call "magic light" when your subject will glow with the warm tones of the light.

I try to schedule all my shoots either in the early morning or late afternoon. Two hours before and after dawn are the ideal times. If you have trouble getting your subjects out of bed early in the morning, as I occasionally do, try for late afternoon.

If you have to shoot in the middle of the day, find some shade - a tree, the side of the barn, or if it is a cloudy day, the light is diffuse and you can shoot later.

I recommend experimenting with this, and taking photographs at different times of the day. See how the time of day and quality of the light changes your photos. If you pay attention to the light, I promise your photos will improve.

 by: Jack Collins
http://www.connectivewebdesign.com

Photography Basics - How to Avoid Getting Blurry Photos

Every photographer struggles with the occasional blurry photo no matter how good you are at taking pictures. So how do you avoid getting blurry pictures? The best way is knowing the main culprits that cause blurry pictures. So, here are the three main causes of blurry photos so you'll be sure to watch out for them the next time you take pictures.

Focus Issues

The most common cause of blurry pictures is a focusing problem. This can manifest in several ways. The most common is that the photographer failed to accurately focus the camera, either due to a simple error on the shooter's part or the auto-focus choosing the wrong part of the picture.

These issues are easy enough to prevent in most cases; simply double check that what the lens is focusing on is what you want to be the focal point for your photograph. If it isn't, then you should keep adjusting the focus until you get the image the way you want it. Some auto focus cameras have a focus lock that allows you to center your subject in the viewfinder, push the shutter button half way down and then move the camera without losing the focus area.

Motion Blur

Capturing a fast moving object in an image clearly, can be challenging task. Motion blur will be identifiable by having clear focus on the stationary objects in a frame, but a blurry subject.

Luckily enough motion blur is an easy problem to avoid. If you notice that your action photos are turning out a bit blurry, then try adjusting your shutter speed to shorten your picture's exposure time. This should make a difference in solving the problem and allow you to capture fast moving objects without much blur. Remember, faster shutter speeds will require more light and possibly faster film or a different digital setting, so come prepared if you're planning on capturing fast-paced action.

Camera Shake

Having an unsteady camera is another common cause of fuzzy photos. Whether you notice it or not, it's very difficult to stay perfectly motionless so you're always going to struggle with camera shake.

You can prevent camera blur by using a fast shutter speed (which should negate the minor movements) or by bracing your arms on something while holding your camera. If you're going to use a slow shutter speed, then make sure you use a tripod to avoid shaking the camera. And last but not least, you can also use a remote cable release to help eliminate any movement from pushing the shutter button down.

If you take a lot of pictures and they turn out mostly blurry, you first need to figure out what kind of "blurry problem" caused your fuzzy pictures. If the issue is with focus, parts of the image will be clear and others will be blurry. If the problem is with motion, then only the moving objects will be fuzzy. And if your problem is camera shake, then the entire photo will be blurry. Once you have a good idea of what caused your photo blur, go out prepared to compensate for that issue and re-shoot the subject. Your pictures will end up looking a whole lot better.

When heading into every shooting situation, be aware of what light you will have, what you will be taking pictures of, and what tools you'll need to ensure those photographs come out perfect. When it comes to photo blur, a little advance preparation can go a long ways.

 by: Autumn Lockwood
http://www.yourpictureframes.com

Marian Kraus Photography: Where Photography Is A Fine Art

If you’re looking for a fine art photographer in Chicago, look no further than Marian Kraus Photography. Captured with the eyes of a true artist, this photographer’s portfolio has been exhibited throughout the US as well as internationally. His work is considered collectible and with good reason—this Chicago-based fine art photographer truly brings back the art into fine art photography. Based on a combination of professional background and personal outlook, Marian Kraus’ work has an elegance and humanism which is rare even in the photography business.

Going beyond the idea of the picture—or indeed, work of art—as an object, a mere representation of a higher reality, Kraus’ photographs try and capture the essence of that higher reality itself. In the Marian Kraus collection, no corporate boardroom is merely a place of business. The Kraus lens zooms into the intimate details of the human face to capture the humanity behind a corporate negotiation. Likewise, even his photographs depicting inanimate objects are able to peer under the surface and expose the universe in which these objects exist. His photograph of a child on a swing captures the carefree joy in the closed eyes of the child as well as the magnitude of the force of nature that is pushing her swing.

Indeed, the tag of ‘fine art’ photographer would be too limited to describe this long-standing doyen of Chicago photography. If the role of the artist is to depict the human in everyday life, Marian Kraus is indeed an artist; and a philosopher; and a poet. His pictures ask questions while describing in ways that words can never hope to, the infinite poetry of existence. Even something as seemingly commonplace as a corporate portrait is more than a face that smiles at you. More to the point, it is a smile that faces you; makes you take notice of it and marvel at its existence.

Based on the belief that fine art photography is more than just images on paper, every item that has come under the lens of this fine art photographer from Chicago leaps out of the page and expresses a thought, an idea, a sensation.

Born in Czechoslovakia, Marian Kraus has been a fine art photographer for 12 years. During that course of time, he has been able to endow his work with that rare combination of elegance and perfection that makes good fine art photography, great.

Consider adding photographs from this Chicago fine art photographer’s portfolio to your own private collection. They might just make you see life in a different way.

For more information on this internationally-renowned fine art photographer from Chicago, visit MarianKrausPhotography.com

by: Timmy Vic
The author invites you to visit:
http://www.mariankrausphotography.com

Create Your Own Photo Lab - Making Quality Prints At Home

You never have to miss a moment thanks to the convenience of digital cameras. However, many of us don't want our memories stored in digital format. Printed photos let us share our memories with our friends and loved ones - we can put them on display or tap into our creative side and make a scrapbook. Meanwhile, photo printers make it easy to print photo lab quality prints at home, so the possibilities are endless.

Creative ideas for Photo Printing

Print photos are great for framing, but there are so many other ways to print and remember those special moments. Here are a few ideas:

Greeting Cards - The tradition of Christmas greeting cards with the family shot continues - and photo printers make it easy to print stacks of them to send to everyone. You can also turn holiday snaps and brilliant landscapes into fun postcards and greeting cards for use year round.

Scrapbooking - scrapbooks are still one of the best ways to preserve and relive those special moments. Art supply stores and many stationery retailers offer a variety of fun decorative pieces to really make your scrapbook stand out or you could try some of these creative scrapbooking ideas from Canon's Creative Park. Scrapbooks make great personal gifts for any memorable occasion - be it a birthday party, anniversary, wedding or graduation!

Artwork and decorative prints - show off some of your most dazzling photos somewhere outside of your desktop screensaver. You can make prints of varying sizes and present them brilliantly in frames or as part of a collage or creative piece. Look for unique ways to display your photos, such as this nifty photo mobile or these magnetic photo ropes. Meanwhile, for those serious about photo printing, you can invest in a professional photo printer and get large poster sized prints for display.

Ready to get printing? There a range of options available for photo printing. Overall, there are three categories of photo printers:

Inkjet photo printers - inkjet printers that offer a high quality photo printing option are also great for all-purpose printing. Many inkjet printers, like the Canon PIXMA printers, also offer scanning, faxing and photocopying capabilities so you can tackle a variety of tasks with one machine.

Dedicated photo printers - these machines specialise in making photo prints so they usually only print on photo paper, and are often limited to smaller sizes, such as 4x6 inch prints. Canon's range of Selphy printers offers small, compact machines that make photo printing fun and easy. Some models have an optional battery pack which means you can take your photo printing on the road and share your snaps instantly. Dedicated photo printers use either inkjet or unique thermal dye technology (also known as dye-sublimation thermal print) which allows for around 16.7 million different shades of colours.

Professional photo printers - PC Mag suggests that if you're serious about photo printing and are after large professional quality prints, a professional photo printer could be a sound investment. For example, Canon's PIXMA Pro range gives detailed poster quality prints up to A3+ in size. These printers are quick and efficient delivering smooth gradients and vibrant colours.

 by: Canon Australia
 http://www.canon.com.au

Tips On Ways To Become An Outstanding Baby Photographer

Taking pictures of your baby seems easy but you can miss out on a lot of great moments if you don't know the tricks. Then again, getting good shots of your baby can be extremely fulfilling. That is why a lot of mothers and fathers as well as everyone else want to have at least a snapshot of that cutest member of the family. While you may want to hire a baby photographer for the real great baby shots, you can try your own knack in photography. Well, you don't have to get the expensive equipment for this.

Your baby will see these pictures when he or she grows up and will be thankful to you for shooting those great pictures. Don't worry if you take a lot of pictures. You can take a hundred or even more and perhaps fill an entire photo album with just print copies of those pictures. Taking a lot of photographs increases your chance of picking the right pictures. Normally, anyone would pick out the best set of photos and put them on an album. Don't be too quick to discard not so good photos. You may be able to find them great after a few editing methods.

Hiring a children's photographer may be a good idea if you have the right budget. If you want to save cost then you can always get your own camera and try taking photos on your own. But taking photos of a child can be daunting and taxing. You have to enjoy the task if you were to spend a few hours in it. Babies and kids are constantly moving and it is difficult to get a decent shot. Most of the time, you miss the quick second great poses they make. The secret is to set your camera to capture multiple photos within a second. Many point and shoot cameras have this continuous shooting mode. Find this mode in your camera menu.

As with any portrait shot, you have to consider the light conditions. If you are inside a dark room, you may want to open the windows to let in more light. You may increase your camera sensitivity (ISO) if you are shooting baby pictures indoors or when you are shooting photos at night. You want to avoid that flash as much as possible, so you want to make use of available light. If the room is too dim, you may turn on more lights. Take the baby outdoors on a fine day where there is enough light. To avoid solid shadows on your baby's face, you can use reflectors.

While you may want to photograph your little one alone, you may also take photos of them while playing with toys. The best times to photograph your kid is when they're sniggering or sleeping. You can't always catch your baby smiling or in good mood but that doesn't mean you have to turn your camera off. Take shots of your baby while he or she is crying or having a tantrum. These photos will create a nice variation in your baby portrait shots collection. If you want to have high quality baby pictures then you can hire a professional baby or family photographer.

by: Jo Alelsto
http://www.ckellphotography.co.uk

Professional Negative Scanning Service to Digitize Old Photos Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6157991

Photos are very good examples of reviewing the good times and events of the past life. Sometime these old photos get deteriorated due various reasons. Digitizing the old photos is a very good way to preserve them for a very long time. This can be done by scanning the negatives of these old photos and converting them into beautiful pictures. There are two ways to scan negatives. Either you do it at home or take the help of professional negative scanning service.

Scanning negatives at home can save some money but it will consume a lot of time and there is no guarantee for quality. The best way to get your memories digitized is hiring a professional scanning service to make sure that you get the best results without spending a lot.

Scanning the negatives of your old photos is a very easy way to convert them into digital ones in a very cost effective way without any hassles. Normally, if you scan negatives at home it takes a very long time as your scanner will be of basic model which consumes a lot of time making it a very frustrating job.
If ever you want to scan the negatives at home, the scanner should have the adaptor to scan negatives, and this will definitely increase the price of the scanner. Hiring the service of a professional scanning service will definitely saves a lot of your effort, energy as well as your money.

A professional scanning service takes care of everything and provides the best quality images, much better than you might get if you scan them at home. The professionals will have installed machineries and equipments of very latest and high technologies to provide optimum quality images from the negatives. The outcomes of these equipments are in best quality with very high resolution and format.
Specialists at the negative scanning service use a lot of sophisticated alternatives while scanning the negatives. They use the latest tools in scanning, editing and retouching your pictures which cannot be possible when you scan at home.
There are some people who think hiring professional scanning service as waste of time and money. While few of them try to scan the negatives using the basic function scanners, few other use digital cameras and try to take the pictures of the negatives. What this people do not understand is the difference between a negative and a slide. Never try taking the pictures of negatives as the result is nothing bur disaster.

The best and the most hassle free, cost effective and effortless way to scan negatives is to hire a professional scanning service. You can contact someone at the photo studio or search the internet for local negative scanning professional as they will have all the required devices and equipments to give you the best quality images.

The prices for the negative scanning service of your precious memories may vary depending on the quantity and quality of negatives, but it is by far the most valuable way to get the best out of the negatives of old photos for a reasonable price.

By Jennifer Hoskins
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Hoskins
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6157991

The Thoughts of a Children's Portrait Photographer

If you have children of your own then you probably already know that this aspect of portrait photography can be incredibly rewarding. There are so many wonderful expressions and poses to capture but it's also an area of photography that demands patience and understanding of your subject in bucket loads.

School and shopping centre portrait photographers work to a very different formula (aimed at selling expensive prints) versus the portrait photographer that's willing to invest more time and deliver stunning natural looking portraits.

The following tips are a short guide to achieving impressive results and assume that you are already an accomplished photographer.

Trust and sensitivity. It's important to build up the trust and confidence of the children you're about to photograph. If you've not met the child (or children) you've been commissioned to photograph then it's worth meeting with the parents and child at least a day or so before the portrait session. This allows all of you to familiarise yourselves as well as discuss the way you work and the style of the images. You can also learn more about the child's personality and how they're likely to react to the camera.

Timing. This is especially critical with babies and young toddlers. Always work around the best time for them. Mum will know best but be prepared to abort and reschedule the portrait session if the child is no mood for a portrait session and no amount of cooing and coaxing will help.

Observation and anticipation. If the portrait session is out of the studio and you're looking to produce more natural portraits with a reportage feel then this along with the factors mentioned earlier help you acquire the expressions that relate to the feel and mood of the session. Observe how the child is interacting with their parents and the environment around them and anticipate what will make a fantastic shot.

Patience. Being patient and relaxed during the portrait session is key. Children and toddlers are unpredictable and won't always do what they're asked. Being demanding will work against you and so often parents can become frustrated when they want their children to pose in a certain way. Try and defuse any tension get the parents to relax. Distracting the child is a useful technique as well as getting the parents to interact naturally with the child through play. This will really help towards great natural looking images.

By Lorenzo Ali     
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lorenzo_Ali

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6115981

The 10 Best Digital Photography Tips Straight From The Pros

Everyone wants to take great photographs, and many of us think we already do. When it comes to taking a picture that others will really want to see, and maybe even pay money for, a little bit of professional help can go a long way! Here we have compiled our list of the top ten outdoor photography tips from the pros.

1- Get ready in advance: Be certain that you have the camera set ahead of time for the conditions of the photograph you want to take. Things such as setting up a long exposure time, locking up the mirror and manual focusing all need to be done in advance to get a great shot of the stars at night for example.
 
2- Birds in flight are hard to capture: When you want to capture sharp images of birds in full flight (or taking off and landing) you want to make sure you use the "predictive autofocus" feature of your camera. Lock onto the bird before you are ready to take the shot by pressing down gently on the shutter button about half way and hold it. The camera will keep the bird in focus until you are ready to snap the shot, and it should turn out great!
3- People like people: When doing landscape shots, consider adding a person to the picture. This gives the viewer a focal point and puts the size of the landscape into perspective. It can be difficult to grasp the scale of a scene without something familiar to use as a guide. Having a person in the scene can also make it easier to sell.

4- Right place at the right time: Being where you need to be is far more important than having a more expensive camera or micromanaging the camera's controls. Be in the right place at the right time and make sure you don't miss the shot, if you need to fix it up slightly in Photoshop afterward then do so. Great images start out with great vision by the photographer.

5- Half-stop exposure drop: If you dial down the exposure by -.05, it will bring the colors to life and make your shadows really black. This simple step will make your images so much better you will be wondering why you never heard about doing this before!

6- Start looking down: There are so many interesting things at our feet, but how often do we notice them? Try to slow down, relax, and take in everything around you. You may be out to get a shot of an amazing landscape; but there may be a small detail shot right at your feet that could turn out to be the best shot of the day!

7- ND filters can be stacked: If you're trying to take pictures on overcast or cloudy days it can be very difficult to get any details in the sky as well as the landscape. Try stacking two split neutral-density filters, a 2-stop and a 3-stop which makes a 5-stop filter. This gives you more details in the clouds instead of them being overexposed! The trick is to stagger the dark areas of the filters so that there is a gradual and natural transition from the sky to the non-sky area of the photograph.
8- Less really is more: Keep your outdoor photographs simple! Position yourself, or zoom in so that you remove the non-essential elements from the image. What is the most important thing you are photographing and be certain to get rid of anything along the edges that is cluttering up the image.

9- Exposure compensation lives here: Try using Aperture priority for your exposure mode. Adjust the aperture setting, and the camera adjusts the shutter speed. If you need to make changes to the exposure press the exposure compensation button and make your adjustments to save on editing hassles on the computer later.

10- To the moon! To the moon! Try incorporating the moon into your photograph just after sunset. When scheduling a landscape photography session always check the phase of the moon and try to be in a location where you can capture the full moon in your photos. The night before the full moon may even be better as it is higher above the horizon than the night of the actual full moon.
There you have it, our top ten tips from actual professional photographers! Buying some new fancy camera isn't going to help your photographs improve if you don't know how to operate it properly or where to point it. Invest in your skills before you think about buying a new expensive camera.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6158542
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Drayton

Landscape Photography

Very few of us are not inspired by majestic mountains, wide expanses of lush green grasses, fallen autumn leaves, sunsets or dewy glow on the land in the mornings. So, photographers thought that if human mind and heart is so pleased and attracted by these landscapes and scenes, then why not capture them and possess them. As this thought aroused interest, landscape photography emerged as a very fascinating hobby as well as career.

Landscape photographers try to pick up the feel and spirit of a scene, so that the person viewing it doesn’t miss on the emotions part. Now, a lot of us are interested in how to compose these landscape photographs. Well, you might go about a few instructions and make your photography improved.

First of all, try picking a really good time to capture the scene. As mentioned earlier, the reddish sunsets tinged with yellows and oranges or the soft, cool glows in the early mornings, are examples of the best time to shoot, as they create very unique impressions in the photographs. Try capturing the sky with cloud build ups or the ground covered with scattered leaves to include feel into the snapshots.

Just because its landscape, it doesn’t mean the photographs have to be horizontal all the times. In fact, you should go for the opportunity of changing the orientation to vertical whenever its possible or when you feel it would add to your variety without missing out on any element of the photograph.

In case, you use a telephoto lens, it is very hard to keep the camera very still for sharp, professional looking snapshots. In this situation go for a tripod and position it in such a manner that you don’t let go of any central object. Also, try capturing an old tree or fencing or something that conveys a meaning to the viewer as it adds to your landscape shot’s worth and interest.

Photographs with high color saturation and contrast usually capture more attention of the viewer. For this effect, you could attach a polarizing filter so that you capture the finest of details in every photograph you take. This is usually very helpful when taking photographs that have all light tones or dark tones that you might fear would merge together and not stand out as separate items.

You should balance the light coming from all sources in your snapshot and try capturing most of the landscape both far and near. A tip for all of the interested ones out there is try shooting the same landscape in different seasons or at different times to add to your variety and observe patterns and changes. It could be very interesting to notice how a place looks at different times of the day and the year.

A common frustrating problem which occurs in photography is leveling. For this purpose, you use a tripod with a built in level, as unleveled snaps do not seem very appealing or professional. So good luck to you with your photography experience!

by: Agnes celina   
http://www.elpm.ca