Digital Photography Basics

1. What camera to buy? In general you’ll want a digital camera that has at least 4 mega pixel resolution and a 3x optical zoom. You can go digital SLR camera if you budget allows it. With a digital SLR camera you’ll have more flexibility as you can change the lens to suit the type of photography you want to take. For landscapes you’ll use a wide-angle and for portraits you’ll prefer a telephoto lens. Four mega-pixel resolution is now a minimum requirement if you would like to submit your photos to microstock photography site for sale.

2. Prefer optical zoom to digital zoom. Optical zoom only uses the capacity of the actual optics in the lens to capture the scene of your photos. Digital zoom will “create” extra pixels based on existing ones to fill and enlarge your photos. Your photos will lose in quality when digital zoom is used.

3. Use appropriate Scene Modes. Most of today’s compact cameras have what is called “Scene Modes”. Each Scene Mode corresponds to a type of photography like portrait, landscape, sport. It’s better to use the scene mode accordingly to the kind of photos you want to take. If you take portrait shots then set the camera on portrait mode. In this mode the camera will use a larger aperture. As a result your subject will be in focus and standout from a blur background. If you take photos of children in movement then prefer sport mode whereby the camera will use higher shutter speed so that the subject will be sharp on the photo.

4. Use a tripod. I find that compact cameras tend to use a pretty low shutter speed. Therefore your photos might be a bit out of focus or blurry because of handshake movements while the photo is taken. Using a tripod will ensure you get perfect handshake-free shots. With a tripod you’ll be able to experiment night-shot photos as well.

5. Adjust White Balance. If your camera allows you to change the white balance setting then you would want to take advantage of that. As an example setting white balance on “cloudy” on a cloudy day will produce warmer tone pictures.

6. Back-fill or fill-in flash. Don’t forget to use the embedded flash when you take photos of scene that has strong contrast, e.g. outdoor scenes around midday on a sunny day. As a rule of thumb try to have the sun in your back when you take a picture rather than in front of you.

7. Prefer natural light. Plan to take your photos when there is not too strong contrast. Shooting early in the morning or around end of the afternoon and you’ll have a softer light situation to deal with than at midday

Digital Photography Basics is a post from: Photography Guide

In a digital photography course, you can expect to learn many key concepts that are both artistic and technological in nature. The course will go on to show you how to apply those concepts to your own work to improve your personal technique and ultimately your finished products. Digital photography courses don’t focus solely on the creative aspects though. While there is a definite emphasis on taking good pictures, any professional knows that a lot more than the camera and your pointer finger goes into capturing a good shot.

In a digital photography course, you will also learn the difference between certain camera types and features, which lenses to use for specific times and settings, and how to perform advanced techniques in both the photographing and editing stages of the process. These skills can help you to take your digital photography to a level that people would be willing to pay for.

If you were considering a digital photography course specifically as an elective, then maybe it’s time for you to be more optimistic about your talents and their usefulness. If you already appreciate the potential of your photographing skills, then why not put your money where your mouth is by investing in a proper education?

You can take a digital photography course at most colleges, both on-site and online. These courses often start with the basics and move forward until students are practicing concepts from professional level photography. In this manner, even the most amateur of photographers can follow along with the course while more experienced camera people can solidify and improve on the basic skills before honing more specific ones.

A single photography course will cost you no more than the price of a good camera. If you want to take exceptional photos, then it is necessary for you to invest in both. Not only will the course help you to develop a better understanding of the art, but it can guide you in creating your first portfolio for professional endeavors. There are millions of people out there that have purchased professional portraits or prints in the past, and millions more are online right now surfing for the art or services they need to compliment their lives.

Photography is a competitive field, but a digital photography course can help you to acquire the modern skill set necessary to enter it confidently. There are any number of jobs available to good photographers, from traditional portrait work to journalistic opportunities like sports photography; the places your camera could take you are endless. Even if you don’t have big dreams your photographs, a digital photography course can help you to capture your memories with the beauty and clarity that they deserve.

The Best Digital Photography Course is a post from: Photography Guide

Filters have two different meanings depending on how long you have had photography as a hobby. Most of us today think as filters as an option with Photoshop. This is not the case. Before the invention of computers and things like Photoshop we had small glass discs to create the filtered affect. There are many options with filters you can blur a picture, sharpen the picture, and even block out the UV rays. Filters are often used to correct a problem or make a picture look a little different.

Lets talk about filters that blur a photograph. When you are taking a picture of a waterfall at the bottom where the water rises in a cloud you can add a filter to create the cloud in the picture. Cameras don’t always see what the eye sees. In some cases it can have a high resolution to depict the actual water drops rather than the cloud, so adding a filter to your lens can help create the effect your eye sees.

Other filters such as the UV protector guard against the harsh rays. Along with the UV filter you should have a polarizer. The polarizer is used in photography when you are taking a shot into direct sunlight or other light. It will help balance out the photograph so that you don’t get the washed out look. Other filters can give you the washed out effect if you feel your photography would speak more. The filters in Photoshop are not as wide as the filters you can actually buy for your camera, but they can have some of the same effects that you are after.

Have you ever wanted to create a star effect when taking pictures of light filtering through the trees? You can create a star effect with any photograph by using a star effect filter. This filter allows light to pass through a series of thin lines etched into the filter letting the light streak outward in a star shape.

Some filters actually help you create a depth of field or focal point. The fog/ mist filter is one of these. The fog/ mist filter allows for a glow or flare of light in the photograph. Photography is filled with much skill and equipment. Having filters to help create the perfect professional photograph will enhance your fun with your hobby. Lets look at a few more filters.

There are color correcting lenses. If the sky is too blue for the photograph you can choose a filter that will tamp down the blue to a less bright state. If you are into underwater photography you might have filters that allow for the underwater colors. The color spectrum does not have a great range under water. A lot of things will look red even though they are not. It is easy to bring about the original color of underwater life when you use special filters for color correction.

The use of filters in photography not only allows you to have special effects in a photograph to create something new and different, but it can help enhance the shot by adding color or dampening the natural effects of light. Photography has many types of equipment that require skill and knowledge making it a wonderful hobby or profession. If you need a hobby, photography allows you to be creative.

The Use Of Filters In Photography is a post from: Photography Guide

Besides being great fun, a children’s digital camera offers kids all sorts of opportunities to express their creativity and to see the world in new and exciting ways. But, as with so many other new experiences, how a child relates to photography and what they do with it depends on how you introduce it to them.

You can give a child any of the many digital cameras designed for children and have that be the end of it. The chances are the camera will become just another toy in their collection. But with a little time and support from you, even if you don’t think much of your own photo talents, a child’s first experiences with photography can be the start of a lifelong love affair with photography and the creative growth that can come from photography. The rest of this article will point the way for you.

The first thing to do is to get over any misgivings you have about your own photographic skills. What, you say you’re so unskilled you don’t even own a camera? It doesn’t matter! All you need is a digital camera designed for children. For ages roughly 3 to 7, there are many low and moderately priced cameras available with rugged design, just for kids. For older children, a simple low-priced point and shoot camera will delight them. Just do a search on one of the larger shopping sites for kid’s digital cameras and you’ll find them. Keep reminding yourself that you don’t have to be an expert. Especially with children, all you have to do is know a little bit more than they do and you’ll be their idol.

Can you operate an on-off switch? Can you figure out which end of camera to look through? Can you hold a camera without moving wildly? Can you figure out which button to press to take a picture? (Hint: kids’ digital cameras usually have a big colorful one on top or in front.)

If you answered yes to these questions, congratulations! You’re qualified to introduce a child to the fun and joy of a children’s digital camera.

The next thing you need to do is remember to have fun. Just being around a wide-eyed child as they take their first pictures should make that real easy.

After you give your child their camera, just let them have fun. They’ll be excited and want to snap away. You may have to put your heads together to figure out the basics like turning the camera on, and pressing the shutter button. But then relax and let them start taking pictures. It’s not even important that they hold it up to look through the viewfinder if you get a kids digital camera with an LCD screen.

Here’s a tip. Do you like pictures of smiling people? When a child takes a picture of adults it’s almost guaranteed to prompt big smiles as they delight in having their picture taken by the little one as much as he or she enjoys taking the pictures. Point out to your child that if they ask people to smile, your friends and family will likely smile big and laugh for the budding photographer. Kids get the best pictures!

When you view the first pictures together (most children’s digital cameras have screens to view the results), your child may be excited with the results or there may be some disappointed. In either event, a little bit of praise and “congratulations on taking your first pictures” will set the stage for good times that follow.

Along with praise, you can make simple suggestions for doing things a little differently the next time such as reminding to hold the camera steady by saying “READY–STEADY–1, 2, 3,” or “try getting a little closer (or further away),” or “lets’ go outside where the light is better.” The important thing is to focus on one skill at a time and don’t rush it. Tomorrow is another day.

One last recommendation. Give your internal art critic a vacation and share in your child’s enthusiasm and joy. The camera will give you the opportunity to see the world through your child’s eyes–and that is priceless.

Follow these simple guidelines and your child will be off to a great start with his or her children’s digital camera.

Children’s Digital Camera is a post from: Photography Guide

The concept of learning to many of us as we grow older is linked to school or college. Learning as we get on with our lives is not something we do naturally. With photography you have to learn or get left behind. If you are going to improve the quality of your images you need to continually learn and maintain learning journey.

Coupled with the desire to learn is passion. You need lots of it be a photographer as with anything in life. There is always an opportunity to create the perfect image but getting you to the place where your feet are standing on the perfect vantage point is the difference. Passion brings you to that point at 5am and allows you to shoot the magnificent sunset or sit through the heat of the day to shoot the elusive endangered animal.

It’s this desire or passion that will motivate you to learn those tips and techniques that you would otherwise not be bothered with. So here are some keys to learning or improving your photography:

1. Feed your passion

How do you make something grow? By feeding it, a very simple but very neglected concept in photography. Let me simplify it even more. If you love birds then spend time where birds are, buy birding magazines, join a bird watching club that has a strong focus on photography. When you rub shoulders with passionate people and spend time focusing on your passion, it grows. I love photo galleries, especially wildlife and nature and after an hour looking through the images, I want to take my camera and shoot. So how does feeding your passion help you learn? It gets you out taking more photos and thereby practising more and meeting people who are motivating and more experienced. So the bottom line is that your learning curve shoots straight up.

2. Evaluate, compare and improve

You will never learn unless you look at your images and evaluate them against a set of criteria. The main teaching method in my latest book is evaluating your images. By doing this you can see just where the quality issues and technical problems lie and rectify them. You need to have a mentor, a book or course to understand what these criteria are. Then, compare yourself to others that are known to be much better than yourself. These people can be from clubs, authors or photographers with online galleries of note. See what they are doing and shoot similar images. Then work at improving. What pointers can you take out of your books and other materials and incorporate into your images? If you aren’t improving then you aren’t learning. It is essential to constantly and consistently look at yourself and your photography and ask the question, am I evaluating, comparing and improving.

3. Specialize

Oops! Isn’t this going against the basic principles of learning photography or anything for that matter? What I mean is that as part of the learning process work at it using bite sized chunks, one step at a time. Confucius says that the journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step. Focus on one issue like learning how to place your subject correctly. When you’ve mastered that then move on to the next point and so on. All of these little specializations put together will make the whole learning process easier and fit together quicker. You know the old adage, “jack of all trades, master of none”? Master your hobby by doing it in a lot of small steps.

Photography is a process despite what many might think. You have never really reached the top of your game and there is always something you can do to improve your shots. Dedication and discipline is much easier if you focus on the little things and gradually expand until you are handing the bigger things. Take one step at a time and work hard at each of the disciplines of photography. And, before you know it you’ll be taking shots that will leave you dumbfounded at your own talents.

Remember that you are key to your own photography success. Work hard at applying yourself and the rewards will come little by little. Don’t be disillusioned if it doesn’t all happen at once, we all had to start somewhere. Happy shooting.

Learn Digital Photography is a post from: Photography Guide