DIGITAL SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERAS

Snapping photos can be as easy as visiting K-Mart and buying a cheap fifty dollar digital camera. However taking quality photos has never been easier. Lets explore several  ideas that will assist you to snap photos that you will be delighted and proud to share with your friends and family.

In the 21st century photography as an art has never been more exciting or enjoyable. Todays digital camera enthusiast has many styles, topics, and tools available to them.  Blending digital photography with  producing your own prints makes the craft of taking photos extremely versatile.

You will greatly improve your digital photography results by using these four tips:

• Close in on your subject. Don’t be shy. A big mistake most beginning photographers make is shooting from so far away from the subject. Instead, get up real close and personal. Fill the camera frame with your subject. It’s real easy to reshape, trim, and resize a good quality shot. However you can’t continue to blow up a distant subject and hope that it will come into focus.

• Focus your camera lens on only one subject. Decide what the main subject of the photo will be. Then capture  that image. Select the one key subject, person, or event that accurately portrays the feeling you are trying to capture with your digital camera.

• Keep the background of the photo as simple as possible. Complicated, distracting backgrounds pull attention away from the central theme of the photo.

• Ensure that your subject is NOT exactly in the center of the frame. To achieve this use the rule of thirds. Imagine your camera lens is split into 9 equal sized boxes, 3 across and 3 down. Imagine a game of “tic-tac-toe”. Where those “tic-tac-toe” lines cross, should become the focusing point of your subject, when you are arranging to take your photo.My DSLR camera has that feature built in as most slightly more expensive digital cameras provide today as a standard feature.

Using this last tip, every time you compose a shot, the main subject of your photo should be located primarily on one of these “third” lines. Most amateur photographers have a bad habit of ensuring the main subject of their photo is framed precisely in the middle of the frame. That makes for very boring results!

Always try to improve your photography skills.  Professional photographers enjoy a life long passion to learn new techniques and photo inspirations. I trust these four simple tips help you improve the results of your digital photography.

Popularity: 89% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Your digital camera and other photographic equipment are purely tools for creating your landscape digital photos, as well as the myriad other available photographic subjects.  However;  remember this…..cameras don’t think for themselves.  Most of the long held principles of photography apply to digital photography as they did with cameras using film. Your digital photography and landscape images can be enhanced wonderfully by following some simple rules.

You don’t have to stick to a lot of rules to produce great landscape images. However;  knowing what those rules are will make your digital photos much more successful. There are two important rules in landscape photography:

• How you compose your image; and

• How you utilise available natural light in varying situations.

Firstly lets begin with light.  Three basic qualities of light apply: intensity, direction and colour will each impact on the quality of your digital photography:

• Intensity: is the strength of light. When the sun is high in the sky, light may be harsh and overly strong. Whereas cloudy days produce soft and defused light.

• Direction: refers to light placement. Here we have three categories of light placement: front, back and side-lighting. Side lighting produces more texture between light and shade.

• Colour: importantly the colour of sunlight varies considerably dependant upon atmospheric conditions as well as the time of day.   Sun light will be much warmer at the beginning or the end of the day, and the colour of the light will provide  more dramatic scenes in your landscape digital photos.

Your ability to see will be enhanced once you understand “natural light”.  The beauty of light will take on a new meaning for you  in a different and exciting way.

Composition is another vital element when you are involved with landscape digital photography. What may appear as a normal scene can be transformed into a fascinating landscape study if you pay close attention to detail.

Composition refers to how you arrange the elements of the landscape in front of your digital camera.

Here are some useful ideas :

• Lead with lines: leading with lines into the main part of the scene will draw your viewer into your image. The lines don’t have to be straight. For example lines, such as railway tracks, riverbanks and fences,  can  work wonders in leading your viewer into your landscape scene.

• Foreground interest: Basic objects in the foreground can lend your landscape a greater sense of depth. Try to utilise a small aperture  such as (f/22) which will assist to keep the entire scene in focus.

• Natural frames: Make sure that you frame your scene with the elements around you. Framing your landscape image will focus attention to the main import of your digital photo. For example the arched bough of a tree makes an excellent natural frame.

There you have it… a few essential guidelines that when applied properly will assist you to get the best out of your landscape digital photography.

Popularity: 77% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Are you observing early morning snow, shimmering frost on the trees, your sister falling off in your snow filled front yard, and your stunning snow angel?  Don’t you ever wish you could just capture those moments right away with your digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR), or if you dont own a DSLR, even with your conventional digital camera,  and then place the stunning winter photos on your computer desktop?

Sounds easy;  however for an amateur photographer this may sound too challenging and laborious. However thanks to the digital photography; winter photography need not be exclusive to the professional photographer anymore.

Winter photography can prove tricky as the majority of the landscape is white and the background is bright. When shooting a snow filled area, the brightness of the snow may often cause your digital camera to somewhat underexpose the scene, thus making the snow appear over gray.

In order to correct for this, you might have to increase your exposure compensation so the whiteness of the snow can be exposed appropriately. The time of the day you take the picture can also have an effect on your image. Accordingly; if you want cooler shots shoot closer to midday;  if you want warmer shoots, shoot early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Generally,  traditional photograpic theory advises us that using flash outdoors is not necessary,  but if you are shooting a winter photograph, using a flash can bring out details and highlights that might not be captured without the use of flash. However, if you are shooting close shots avoid using flash as much as possible, as the reflection can greatly reduce  detail in your photo.

With the enormous flexibility of processing available with digital cameras, you have better choices when it comes to choosing the finished format of your photograph. There is really nothing to lose if you venture into winter photography. You might even be very pleasantly  surprised with the images that you capture.

After you  become accustomed to winter photography and become familiar with the different techniques, you will find that winter is one of the best times of the year to go out there and capture some superb photos with your DSLR camera.

The results  you will  capture with your digital single lens reflex camera will be well worth the hassle of learning these techniques for all your DSLR winter photography.

Popularity: 78% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Whenever I start teaching a new class learning digital photography, incredibly over 75% of the students turn up with the digital camera the salesman suggested, not the digital camera they REALLY needed.

Guess what? They soon find out that it’s the wrong one for them. This can be a very expensive mistake. So the big questions are what is the right digital camera for me and how do I know which is best for me.

One of the first things that you want to know about the digital camera that the salesman is trying to sell you is as follows:

• How long does the digital camera take to turn on and be ready to take the shot? In the consumer market this can range between 1 to 5 seconds most being towards the 3 seconds mark. 


• How long does the digital camera take to focus on the subject? (Not to take the picture) most cameras take between 1 to 3 seconds most at around the 1-second mark.

• How long does the digital camera take to actually take the photo after you have pushed the shutter button completely? Again, most cameras take between 1to 3 seconds this is called shutter lag time. Now you can see to take a photo can take up to 5 seconds just to turn on and up to another 3 seconds to focus in and the up to another 3 seconds just to actually take the digital camera photo.

With a cheaper digital camera, but not necessarily cheaper it can be up to 9 seconds to take a photo from the camera turned off. You may say “yes but I will leave my digital camera on” ok that’s fine, but you may still have a lag time of up to 3 seconds just to take a photo.

Imagine how annoying it will be now that you have purchased your new digital camera costing you around $400 – $500 to find that you just can’t catch your child blowing out the candles because your new camera at the critical time of blowing the candles out took 1 second to focus and a further 2 seconds to take the photo. What was the result? A child sitting in front of a cake with black smoldering candles.

Can you set the white balance on your digital  camera? Just what is the white balance? Aprox 60% of digital cameras don’t have this adjustment, you must buy one that can be set manually, not just one that has an “auto white balance” as they are not as good as they advertise.

Does your digital camera have different exposure modes?

Exposure modes are simply where does the digital camera take a light reading? The cheaper digital cameras just do an all over reading which can be very limiting to say the least. A good digital camera will have a “spot”, “centre weighted” and “matrix” metering system, which allows you to take great photos in any light situation.

When buying a digital camera, buy it for the fact that it’s a camera not a video camera as well. One student showed me all the features her camera had and that’s why it was more expensive – the only thing that it didn’t do well was take still digital  pictures!

You can get so much out of your new digital camera! you just have to put some time in for learning how to use it properly and how to take better pictures – remember no one will ever want to look at a poor quality photo twice!

If you want to take really great pictures that will be in your family for years put in a little effort with your new digital camera.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Take one camera (digital or analog) and film as needed. Put film into camera (if necessary). Snap shutter. Before snapping shutter, point camera at a subject that will give the viewer a meaningful aesthetic experience. So how do people turn themselves into great versus  ordinary photographers?

For someone who has no idea of what a camera is, learning how to carry out the first part of the prescription should take anywhere from a week to a month. However, the second part will take from a few years to forever. It’s this part that I want to discuss.

There are several approaches to developing as a photographer.

• Do nothing – A lot of people use their camera to record family celebrations and vacations and are content with the outcome.

• Study web pages that have tips for better photographs. These will often help to tighten up your pictures. If you want to get a few ideas in a few minutes, this is the place to look.

• Get your photographs critiqued at an appropriate website. This is a good way to learn how others respond to your pictures. But be careful. Not all criticism is equal. Some of your evaluators may be experienced professionals and others beginners. If you are going to rely on this method, it is important that you learn enough to evaluate the evaluators (see point 4).

• Study the work of acknowledged great artists. By taking this route you can learn what elements contribute to a fine photograph. This takes time and study. Don’t simply look at a few photos but read art criticism to find out what professional educators think and why. One drawback here is that you won’t be able to see how your work measures up. If you plan to take this route and also join a critique website (see point 3), you will be in a position to know which criticism to ignore and which to pay attention to.

• Join a photography club. Clubs often have lectures, workshops, and juried shows. This can be a good hands-on learning experience.

• Take a class (online or in person). There are all sorts of classes. If you choose one that has assignments and feedback, you can be guided through the fundamentals by an experienced photographer.

• Get a coach.  At this point I have to say a few words about the difference between a competent photographer and a person who uses photography as an art form. The competent photographer will be able to produce pleasing postcard- or calendar-quality pictures that look like postcard and calendar pictures. The artist will be able to take photographs that represent his or her vision of the world. If you are after the former and not the latter, you should choose among methods 1 through 6. A good coach should help you develop your unique way of seeing.

• Go to an art school. This, for people who have the time and the money, is by far the best. I studied at the San Francisco Art Institute. Here’s how it worked. I went to a photography class two or three times a week. At every class meeting each student pinned 20-30 photographs to the wall and, under the supervision of an accomplished professional, we criticized our own and one another’s work. We also took photography history classes as well as courses in other fields of art. Mine were film, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking. There were frequent guest lecturers. We never learned any rules. In fact, rules were never mentioned. But through a combination of years of exposure to all types of art, classical through contemporary, and having to produce 50-60 new photographs every week, we eventually learned what art was about.

There are many ways to improve your photography. Before you make your choice you should decide on your goal. If you have little time and just want to tidy up your pictures a bit, read the tips pages. On the other extreme, if your goal is to be an artist, there is nothing close to attending art school. Most people fall between these extremes.

Popularity: 75% [?]

Tweet This Post 

How does auto-focus work?

Without thinking about it we all of us use this invaluable feature every time we click on the shutter button. Most modern cameras include some sort of an auto focus system. Thanks to the auto focus system we can enjoy an easier photography experience and can concentrate on composing the right photo and capturing the moment rather than on manually setting the focus.

However automatic focus does have some limitations. For example sometimes one might want to produce photos which are a bit fuzzy as an artistic expression. Also the auto focus implementation has its limitations and in some scenarios it might fail. One example is using a high end SLR camera with a passive auto focus system to take a picture of blue skies. In most cases the camera will move its motor back and forth and will eventually give up and fail to focus.

In order to better use the auto focus system it would help to understand high it actually works. Although implementations can vary we can divide them all into two categories: passive and active. Most pocket cameras use the cheaper passive method while high end professional cameras use either the active or a combination of both.

Passive auto focus:

Passive auto focus can be perceived as imitating how we set the focus manually. The camera defines one or more regions in the picture (usually they are marked as rectangles on the viewfinder or the LCD). The camera then analyzes the picture seen through those regions and calculates a Focus Level number. The camera then tries to move its lenses back and forth as it recalculates the Focus Level. The camera looks for a position where the Focus Level is the highest. For that point if the Focus Level is above a predefined threshold the camera would define this region of the photo as being in focus.

The Focus Level can be calculated in many ways. The common attribute of all calculations is figuring out how much Contrast is there in the photo. Although not in the scope of this article one way to calculate such a number is by running the photo through a high frequency filter – this is based on the fact that high contrast is associated with high frequencies.

Active auto focus:

Active auto focus works by measuring the distance between the camera and the object in the picture. Technically if you knew the exact distance to the object you are taking a picture of you could set the lens to the exact focus position. The active focus system shoots a beam of invisible light, usually infrared, at the object at the center of the picture and measures the distance to that object. Based on that distance the focus is set.

Combined auto focus:

Some high end cameras combine both systems. The camera will pick the right system for the specific scenario or will cross check and use both at the same time. The photographer can also decide manually to use one of the two options. For example when shooting blue skies the camera can try to use the active system and measure the distance. Since the distance is infinite the camera can set the focus and skip the passive focus. In other cases when the distance is not infinite the camera can use the active system to put the lens in approximately the right position and then use the passive system for fine tuning. In dark scenarios the camera can opt to use the active system since the passive one will not work.

Why doesn’t the auto focus work all the time?

Even with all the electronics and computing power in the camera there will always be scenarios where the camera auto focus fails. Failure can be when the camera can not focus and the picture is fuzzy or sometimes when the picture is actually in focus but the camera “thinks” that it is not.

What causes such cases? The list is long but here are just a few examples:

• - Taking low light pictures: The passive auto focus system needs to “see” the picture in order to work and in low light scenarios this is not possible. Some systems use a series of flashes to overcome this limitation but this solution fails many times. An active system can measure the distance to the object in such scenarios but will fail if the object is not in the center of the picture or if there are a few objects at different distances.

• - Active systems can fail with objects that tend to absorb the infrared beam they are using. Some materials absorb infrared beams and will cause the active system to measure the wrong distance. In some scenarios other infrared sources such as candles and open flame fires can render the active system useless.

• - Low contrast objects such as white walls or blue skies. The passive auto focus relies on the fact that the Focus Level changes significantly when moving the lens back and forth. This allows the camera to settle on the right focus position. The Focus Level of low contrast objects does not change much and fails the passive system.

Understanding the auto focus system & how it works helps a photographer understand why sometimes the camera can not focus. In such scenarios the photographer can look for other solutions. Sometimes the photographer will have to use the manual focus. In other cases focusing on another object in the picture that is in the same distance but easier to focus on and locking the focus on that object will solve the problem.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Tweet This Post 

This question was designed to confuse digital camera buyers when selecting a digital camera.

How do you determine how many mega-pixels will be adequate for your photographic needs?  The answer depends on what you plan on doing with the finished pictures.

Firstly, you need to understand what a pixel is.  In terms of digital prints, a pixel simply means a dot of color that makes up the image.  A mega-pixel is equal to one million pixels.  The more mega-pixels a camera has, the greater the amount of information it records.

The easiest way to decide what to look for is to know what size prints you are likely to print from your camera.  A one mega-pixel camera is fine for those who don’t plan on printing photos but rather just post them on the internet.  A small print, say 4 x 6, will print acceptably from this camera.

A 2 mega-pixel camera will enable you to produce good quality 5 x 7 prints and fair quality 8 x 10 prints.  When you reach 4 mega-pixels you can print out excellent quality 8 x 10 prints and acceptable 11 x 17 prints and a 5 mega pixel camera will allow you to print out high quality 11 x 17 prints.

Most families find a camera in the 3.2 Mega-pixel range to be the best choice.  The quality of both 5 x & and 8 X 10 prints is very good yet the files on your computer are not so large you need worry about not having enough space.

Any camera over 5 mega-pixels is unnecessary for all but professionals in photography; even then, only those who have need for poster-size prints find that many mega-pixels worth the money.  Most freelance photographers find 4 or 5 mega-pixels to be sufficient for excellent-quality prints.

At the end of the day the final selection is yours.  Look to what you plan on doing with your photos and then decide.  In most cases spending the money for increased optical zoom and lower mega-pixels is the best choice.

Popularity: 65% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Digital cameras make taking pictures a lot easier than the one’s from yesterday.  However, there is always room for improvement.  Use the following tips to help make your photos go from acceptable to great.

• 1.  Always be aware of the background. You don’t want to find trees growing out of people’s heads or a passing vehicle to draw attention from your subject.  Sometimes moving your subject just a couple steps to either side can make all the difference.

• 2.  Use available light. If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book then use the available light and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale.  Indoors, where there isn’t enough daylight, place your subject by a window and use your fill flash feature.

• 3. Aim your camera slightly down at the person’s face.  Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you see more of their face. Remember camera higher looking down and a three quarter view, it will slim your subject.

• 4.  Remember your focus. Get closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and there will be no doubt as to what the picture is saying.

• 5. Never put your subject dead center.  Put your just slightly off center; not a lot just a little. When you’re shooting  groups of people, find the imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off center in your view through your lens or screen.

Following these tips won’t turn you into an award-winning photographer today, but you will be on your way to better, more powerful photographs that others will comment on for years to come.

Popularity: 66% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Digital photography can be maximized to its full potential once you have the perfect camera, the proper color and the perfect lighting. Even if you have with you the latest model of digital camera, your photos will not turn out great if you are not making use of the right strategies in getting them right.

Experts in digital photography have come to realize that the digital camera is only one of the things you need to have great pictures. There are also other factors to consider so that you will not be disappointed by the result. One of them is the digital photography lighting.

Have you ever seen digital photos that seem to blur and are indistinguishable? There are a lot of cases like this. Even if you try and edit them using Photoshop or any other software, you cannot seem to get the desired lighting you want.

This is because you have not considered having the proper lighting when the photo was taken. You were thinking that the camera and its features will be able to do that for you. Yes it can. But they may not reach your expectations.

The secret to getting that perfect picture is to do it right the first time. By doing it right, it simply means that you need to think about how well or bad the lighting is in the process of taking the photo.

Below are some of the natural sources of digital photography lighting that will make your photos look terrific.

1. After sunrise and before sunset.

It is during these times that photography is at its peak. Meaning, photos turn out great when they are shot after sunrise and before sunset. Why is this so?

This is because the orange color that appears in the sky during these times adds to the colors that your digital camera is capable. Most of the time, some photos appear dull and unrealistic when they are printed because of the representation of the colors when it is printed.

The color of the environment can add a sort of brightness to your photos. In addition, it will make it easy for you to edit them on your computer once you feel that you want to put in some combination in the natural setting of the picture.

2. Sunlight.

Sunlight is one form of lighting that is very effective once you know how to modify your shots. Keep in mind that you are not capable of altering the brightness of the sun or the shadows that it can create on your photos.

It is up for you to choose the best position wherein you can make the most of the light that is emitted by the sun. Work them to your advantage. Try on different angles and see if they look perfect once frozen.

You can also make the most of the drop shadows that is created by the sunlight. Just make sure that they will not blur your photo. For minor adjustments, you can just edit the photos straight from your computer.

Shooting digital photos is not only about having the most advanced digital camera. It is also about looking for strategies and techniques that will benefit your shots. Try to shoot your photos with  perfect lighting and you will see that you do not need to edit or add  more colors in them.

Popularity: 85% [?]

Tweet This Post 

Haven’t we always found that looking at objects from another perspective is fascinating. This is because of the fact that we often discover new things just by looking at a familiar object from a different angle or focus. This might be the reason for people’s fascination with digital macro photography.

Digital macro photography is an art. There’s no question about that. It takes the genius of an artist to take something so ordinary and something so dismissible and turn it into something that just captures an aspect of life. For that is what art is. No art ever claimed to contain all the truths of life. Art is a reflection of the world through the eyes of the artist. By looking at a piece of art such as digital macro photography, we get to share the perspective of other people and that can be a very powerful connection.

Another thing about digital macro photography you should know is that it is not easy. You need to consider a lot of factors in order to produce great photographs. What are these factors?

1) Skills – do you actually have the skills necessary for digital macro photography? Do you have the eye for beauty that would be appreciated by people who view your photographs? That’s not all you need. You also need to have a steady hand. While taking digital macro photographs, even barely noticeable movements of the hand can ruin your picture.

You need to have the skills to use a camera properly. You need to be able to adjust the camera in order to take the picture that you truly want to appear. Sure, you can actually edit a digital macro photograph using the computer, but why should you give yourself more work than necessary?

Some people have the necessary skills naturally. However, it is still important to hone these skills by taking classes or attending workshops. Remember that digital macro photography is all about showing things in different ways. Because of this, you need to accept the fact that other people may see your work differently from the way you see it. A fresh eye never hurts.

2) Equipment – you also need the proper tools in order to express your talent. The proper tools can help you a lot if you want to achieve the effect that you want. Remember that although there are tools today that claim to be usable for any type of photography, you should try to find equipment that’s specially made for digital macro photography. This is because such equipment can definitely bring out the best in your skills.

The right equipment is essential because digital macro photography needs a lot of work in order to be perfect. If you have the right tools for digital macro photography, you will be able to achieve your goals and show your pictures the way that you want them to be seen.
3) Subject – everything is interesting when viewed in different ways. However, some subjects are more interesting than others. Some objects, when you choose them as subjects of digital macro photography, manage to amaze you with the amount of things you do not know about them. Great subjects of digital macro photography reveal worlds beyond what you can see with the naked eye. So choose your subjects wisely.

Popularity: 79% [?]

Tweet This Post