www.sanketham.

tk

[ The Details are Collected from Internet ]

A Guide to the Various Camera Modes

Which is then the purpose of this article - to help you understand the most common scene modes available in the digital cameras today.

The camera mode dial on a Nikon D70 camera

Auto Mode
This is the automatic mode found in all cameras. It is used by beginners and professionals who just want to take a quick snap without worrying about exposure settings. In the automatic mode, you will usually not be able to adjust ISO or white balance settings.

Shutter Priority Mode

The Shutter Priority Mode is best used when you're taking fast action photos and is usually found in enthusiast or advanced digital cameras. Here, you select the shutter speed and the camera chooses the best aperture. Some examples would include sports or wildlife photography, where youll need a high shutter speed.

Aperture Priority Mode

The Aperture Priority mode is found in many enthusiast level cameras, such as the Kodak EasyShare DX7590, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 or the Canon PowerShot G6. Essentially, what happens here is that you select the aperture, thereby locking your depth of field. The camera then automatically sets the best shutter speed to match the conditions. When do you use the the Aperture Priority mode? Well, its very suitable when you're shooting a stationary subject when you want to control your depth of field and arent too concerned about shutter speed.

Manual Mode
In this camera mode, anything goes. You can set the shutter speed and aperture, with options to change white balance, ISO, flash and even focus on some cameras. Choose this mode if you know what you're doing and want maximum flexibility for experimenting with the photo.

Landscape Mode
As the name implies, the Landscape mode allows you to shoot pictures of landscapes like mountains, Your camera will select the smallest aperture possible under the conditions to maximize depth of field in the image. Note that the Landscape mode may not always work. In Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20, the camera attempts to deliver sharpness from the foreground to the background - but it really depends on the lighting conditions and the lens used.

Portrait Mode
If you want to shoot close-ups of people or faces, the Portrait Mode is the mode to choose. When you choose Portrait mode, the camera will select a wide aperture setting, minimizing your depth of field for a soft background effect, and also may adjust your zoom. In addition, the flash setting will try to switch to red-eye reduction.

Macro Mode
If you take pictures of flowers a lot , this mode is invaluable. The Macro Mode allows you to focus on objects at amazingly small distances - sometimes just centimeters from the lens. Use the Macro mode when you need to capture the smallest little details on your subject. When activating this mode, you use a tripod for best results.

Sports Mode
If you want to capture fast action, then you'll need the fast shutter speed setting offered by the Sports Mode. When you switch to this mode, your camera will automatically choose the fastest shutter speed possible given the situation. Some cameras will also activate continuous shooting (instead of single frame), enable the evaluative metering mode (if any) and also disable the flash.

Beach & Snow Mode

If you shoot pictures on the beach or the snow, the bright and reflective surfaces will confuse the camera. The Beach & Snow Modes serve to compensate for the abundant ambient and reflected light by slightly overexposing based on the meter reading.

How Many Megapixels Do You Really Need in a Digital Camera?

The 8.5 megapixel Canon EOS-20D A golden rule to bear mind: a camera with more megapixels isn't always better. If your camera supports more megapixels, then each photo you take will be larger. This means that you'll use up more space on your memory cards and computer's hard drive.

The 4.2 megapixel Kodak EasyShare DX7440 If you have trouble deciding how many megapixels you need , then the guide below will help. Essentially, you need to ascertain what size prints you want to get and what your budget is, before deciding on how many megapixels you want. So here we go:

1 megapixel or less: Cameras in this range (e.g. web cameras or cell phone cameras) have very low image resolution. Don't expect to be able to print high-quality photos using these cameras. You can, however, email the photos or post them on your web site. The good thing about such cameras, of course, is their low price. 1 to 2 megapixels: Cameras in this range are pretty decent though - you can expect to print out great 4x6 prints at this resolution. Of course, if you want larger, blown-up portraits of your birthday party or holiday in Italy, then I would certainly recommend getting more megapixels. Cameras in this range should sell for around $100 currently. 3 to 4 megapixels: Most new point-and-shoot cameras these days tend to have at least 3 to 4 megapixel image resolution. Bring these images to the lab and they'll be able to develop great looking 4x6, 5x7 and even 6x9 printouts. Expect to pay slightly more though we're looking at around $250 for a good model.

5 megapixel and up: The more advanced cameras tend to have image resolutions of 5 to 8 megapixels. Newer point-and-shoot cameras have 5 megapixels, while the newer digital SLRs come with 8 megapixels. The quality of images shot by these cameras is simply stunning. Of course, their price tags are equally stunning. In this megapixel category, expect to pay around $300 for a 5 megapixel camera and up to $1800 for an 8 megapixel SLR.

5 Things You Need to Know About Shutter Speed

1. What is shutter speed?
Lets begin with a basic definition of shutter speed. Now, the shutter in a digital camera is a thin sheet covering the CCD (think of the CCD as film). When this shutter opens, it exposes light from the exterior onto the CCD, hence allow a picture to be taken. The length of time that the shutter remains open is termed the shutter speed. A key concept here the longer the shutter remains open (i.e. the lower the shutter speed), the greater the amount of light that is allowed into the camera. And vice versa, the faster the shutter closes (i.e. the higher the shutter speed), the smaller the amount of light that is allowed into the camera.

2. How is shutter speed expressed?

If you look at modern digital cameras, shutter speeds are usually expressed as 1/8th of a second. The range of shutter speeds can be expressed as: 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, with each one being a fraction of a second. Each speed in this series is roughly half that of the one on the left.

3. Choosing the Correct Shutter Speed

Heres the important question. How do you select the correct shutter speed when taking photos? Well, if you have a point-and-shoot camera, then it may not matter too much. Simply set the camera to automatic mode and snap the picture. The cameras in-built auto exposure settings will take care of the shutter speed settings for you. If, however, you like to play with manual settings and have a more advanced camera, then the choice of shutter speed clearly matters. What you need to remember is this shutter speeds are very closely linked to movement.

Use a slow shutter speed (say 1/60 or lower) if you want to introduce some blur in the picture to display speed in the subject. Remember, however, that a slow shutter speed will mean you need to hold the camera totally still for a longer period of time. If you cant do this, your image will usually turn out bad. To work around the problem, use a tripod or steady your arms somewhere before taking the shot. As a general rule, if the shutter speed is 1/30 or slower, definitely use tripod to steady the camera.

An passing car taken with a fast shutter speed Use a fast shutter speed (say 1/125 or higher) if you need to capture a fast moving subject. Good examples include a passing car or a bird in flight. Now, one problem with fast shutter speeds is that you can totally miss the shot because the shutter opens and closes so fast. To workaround this, you can try one of two things. First, avoid the camera LCD - look through the viewfinder with one eye and use the other eye to spot the subject crossing the cameras field of view. Second, you can try uses a lens that increases the field of view, allowing you more time to take the picture.

4. Make Use of the Light Meter

Another thing is to make use of the light meter in your camera. Most advanced digital cameras should have this feature. The light meter can tell you if there is too much or too little ambient light. If its too bright, then you can set a fast shutter speed like 1/250 - the shutter will quickly open and close so that too much light doesn't get in. If its too dark, then do the reverse use a slow shutter speed to give the camera time to absorb light into the camera.

5. Direction of Movement
OK, besides the speed of your subject, the direction of movement of your subject is also important. Look at the diagram below which I use to explain this concept.

For a given shutter speed, if your subject is running perpendicular to the camera, then you need a faster shutter speed to capture the shot. If your subject is running at an angle towards the camera, then a slower shutter speed would suffice. An example is a photo of your pet dog. A dog running towards you would require a slower shutter speed then a dog running across you.

A Guide to Photo Composition

Rule of Thirds
One of the most important rules in photography, as most professionals will tell you, is the Rule of Thirds. Most of us rarely plan our shots we simply whip out our cameras and start shooting. The professionals will say Apply the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds says that we should divide each photo frame into nine sections, much like a tic-tac-toe board. The subject or points of interest in the photo should then coincide with any of the four points of intersection on the tic-tac-toe board. An example is shown below.

Another way of composing the photo is to lay the subject on the lines of the tic-tac-toe board, which gives a different and often interesting perspective.

Focusing
If you follow the Rule of Thirds, one problem youll face is that your subject may not be right in the center of the photo. Shooting the subject off center causes focusing problems because most cameras focus on the center of the picture.

The way around this? Simple. Make use of the exposure lock feature found in most digital cameras. Say youre taking a picture. Position the subject in the center of the photo, then lock the exposure (depress the shutter button half-way). Next, recompose the picture by moving the subject to one of the intersection points on the tic-tac-toe board from the Rule of Thirds. Now, fully depress the shutter button and you should have the picture you want.

PC Tools
Computer software tools can also help in photo composition during post processing. The Crop tool found in Adobe Photoshop CS, Paint Shop Pro or Ulead PhotoImpact is a very useful tool. All you do is to cut off uninteresting parts of the photo and voila, you have a nice shot with the subject where you it to be.

7 Tips for Shooting Great Landscape Photos

A landscape photo of waves crashing against the shore

Tip 1: Bring a Tripod

Always bring a tripod if you plan on shooting landscapes. Even if the day is sunny, you may need to use a small aperture to achieve a great depth of field. In such cases, you may be using a low shutter speed which leads to camera shake if you cant hold the camera stable in your hands. Hence the need for a tripod. If you need a good travel tripod, I recommend the Vanguard Tourist2 Ive used it for years and it functions very well.

Tip 2: Cable Release

One good tip is to carry a cable release. Instead of using the timer function on the camera, use the cable release. This ensures that you can trigger the shutter at precisely the right timing. In turn, this leads to reduced camera shake and a more beautiful photo.

Tip 3: Use the Right Filters

Filters are important when taking landscape photos. There are different types of filters that I use polarizers, neutral density filters and graduated neutral density filters. Polarizers are useful for reducing glare from water and other reflective surfaces. These create a more well-balanced and beautiful picture. Neutral density filters will stop a specified amount of light entering the camera. I tend to use these for shooting waterfalls on a sunny day. Graduated neutral density filters are a slight variation of this they are dark on top and clear on the bottom, creating a gradual transition from the dark to clear area. These filters are good for blocking out bright parts of a scene (say the sky) to create a more evenly exposed picture.

Tip 4: Research the Landscape

One thing to do before taking landscape photos is to do some background research on the landscape. If youre taking pictures of the Nigara Falls, or the Grand Canyon, try to do some background study on what the most scenic spots are. Its also good to check out the weather conditions of the place. Check up the papers if the weather doesnt look good, you may want to try shooting another day.

Tip 5: Lenses
For shooting landscape photos, its usually best to bring wide-angle lenses. I also bring along a telephoto lens in case I want to shot some creative, zoomed-in shots.

Tip 6: Composition
Another thing to remember is that composition rules are still important in landscape photos. Make sure you have something in the foreground, mid-ground and background.

Tip 7: Shoot at the Right Time

For landscape photography, you should avoid shooting during mid-day. There is a lot of harsh lighting and bad shadow effects during that period. Early morning or late afternoon tends to be best.

5 Tips for Photographing Fireworks

A spectacular display of fireworks

Tip 1: Remove UV or Polarizing Filters

Remove the UV or polarizing filters from your camera before the fireworks display.

Tip 2: Right Angles to the Wind

Try to position yourself at right angles to the wind. Positioning yourself in this manner ensures that the light bursts in the fireworks streak across you as you snap pictures. This creates the interesting fireworks streaking effect you see in so many photos out there. The other advantage is that smoke will be blown out of your frame faster, giving rise to nicer, cleaner shots.

Tip 3: Bring the Tripod

Fireworks (and night photography in general) require long exposures. As such, always remember to bring your tripod along for the occasion. Ensure that you set up the tripod and try out some sample exposure settings way before those fireworks come on.

Tip 4: Focusing
As the fireworks display comes on, its pretty important to focus on the first few bursts of fireworks. Taking the time to do this will ensure that you have nice, well-focused shots subsequently. Many amateurs tend to get excited once we see and hear the fireworks, and forget about focusing altogether.

Tip 5: Background
Another thing to look out for when photographing fireworks check the background of the picture. Ensure that there are no city lights or moon in the background. The presence of these lights will diminish the impact of the fireworks display.

Learn How to Capture Action Shots

This article will give you some tips for shooting action shots with a digital camera. Apply these tips and Im sure you have a better chance of getting a nice action shot.

A photo of a fast moving car

Shutter Lag
One of the major reasons why digital camera cannot shoot nice action shots is due to shutter lag. On many digital cameras, when you press the shutter button, it may take an entire second before the photo is taken. A traditional, analogue 35mm camera can take the picture within 50 milliseconds. There is a world of difference between 1 second and 50 milliseconds. What this means is that you need to compensate for shutter lag when shooting action shots. Give extra time when framing your shot, so that when you depress the shutter button, the photo will get taken at precisely the right time. Another option, of course, if to get a higher end camera which offers less shutter lag.

Take Control Shots

Another factor influencing action photography is the shutter speed of your camera. If your camera allows a very fast shutter speed (say up to 1/8000 of a second), you can easily capture fast motion. If it only supports a slower shutter speed (say 1/640 of a second), then you wont be able to capture such fast motion. One way to capture motion with a slow shutter speed is to use the panning technique. When you next shoot a fast action shot, try following through with the subject. Track the subject, shoot the picture, then continue moving the camera. If you practice long enough, youll be able to get a sharp subject with a blurred background which is a nice effect.

Camera Write Times

The write time of the camera is also important when shooting action shots. Some cameras will chug away to store a picture in memory each time you press the shutter button. This, of course, is terrible for capturing action. One way around this is to ensure that your camera supports continuous shots. This way, the camera takes a fixed number of shots, before writing them all to memory at once.

How to Take Better Night Photos

A photo of Hong Kong at night

Tip 1: Use Long Exposures

The key to successful night photography lies in a long exposure. Were talking about exposures measured in seconds. When a long exposure is used, more light is allowed into the camera, allowing the details in your night photo to be captured. The problem with using long exposures is that you may shake the camera, resulting in poor pictures. The way around this is to use a tripod. I prefer to install a tripod with a shutter-release cable to ensure that I dont jolt the camera at all.

Tip 2: Take Control Shots

One problem with digital cameras is that there are always some pixels on the image sensor which are bad. When taking day photos, these defects are not discernible. However, they are pretty obvious in night photos. How do we correct these? Heres a simple way take a control shot, then use image editing to subtract out those bad pixels. This is how it works. The next time youre out to take night photos, go ahead and snap a picture of Scene A, as you normally would. Then, when its convenient, take a photo of the exact same Scene A again, but with the lens cap on. Now you will have two images, one night shot and one control shot (with the hot pixels). Load them up in say, Paint Shop Pro. Switch to the control shot and select Edit and Copy from the menu. Next, switch to the night shot and paste the copied image as a new layer. Then, select the

new layer and change the Blend Mode to Difference and click OK. Youll get the correct night shot with the hot spots subtracted out.

Tip 3: Try to Capture Motion

With a long exposure, you have many creative options when it comes to photography. This includes capturing motion. For example, have you ever wondered how those professional photographers shoot pictures of trails of car lights as they zoom down the highway at night? Its all due to long exposures. Try to keep this in mind the next time youre taking a night photo you dont have to restrict yourself to still images.

Tip 4: Play with the Aperture

In addition to shutter speed (which determines exposure time), you can play around with the aperture size of your digital camera. There are two scenarios here. If you set a long exposure, try to use a small aperture to avoid overexposing any stationary lights. in the picture. On the other hand, if you set a short exposure, try using a larger aperture to avoid any motion in your shot.

Tip 5: How to Use the Flash

As a general rule, turn the flash off when taking night photos. There are some exceptions though one specific example I can think of is trying to shoot a subject in the foreground, with motion trails of car lights in the background. In this case, bring along an external flash unit and shine it on your subject manually. Set a long exposure, then have your subject wait until the picture is taken.

Tip 6: When to Take Night Photos

Whens the best time to take night photos? Take them during dusk when colors and details are easier to capture. You do some research on the evening before the photo shoot. Decide on the location, then come back the next day to take the photo at dusk.

How to Use the Selective Focus Technique

With this technique, we can choose one part of the image to be sharp and in focus, while the rest of the image is kept out of focus. It's very useful in macro and close-up photography.

The selective focus technique in action Note that it is in fact possible to achieve the selective focus effect using image editing programs. You can simply select one part of the photo, keep it sharp and then blur the rest. However, choose to shoot the image with selective focus because the effect always looks more natural. So how do you achieve selective focus? Here are some tips.

Aperture size
For selective focus, try choosing your widest f-stops (i.e. aperture size), such as f/2.8 or f/4. Couple this with a fast shutter speed to ensure enough light is present in the photo. I also recommend using a neutral-density filter to allow you to use wide f-stops.

Telephoto Settings

A good tip is to zoom in as much as possible, or choose a telephoto lens. I've achieved much better results by using strong telephoto.

Locate Out-Of-Focus Areas

Another trick to achieve the selective focus technique is to search for an element that can be strongly out of focus. For example, if you're shooting an insect, choosing to have out-of-focus leaves surrounding the insect is a good idea.

Angle To Subject
This tip takes a bit of practice, but is very effective at times. Choose an angle to the subject that causes background and foreground elements to be farther from the focused subject. This causes them to be strikingly out of focus.

LCD Review
With the advent of digital photography, you can (and should) check your composition in the LCD to be sure the in-focus and out-of-focus areas are correctly captured.

A Guide to Exposure Metering Modes

This article will help to explain the difference between the three metering modes available on digital cameras and how to choose between them to take better photos.

1. Center-Weighted Metering Mode

The Center-Weighted metering mode is without a doubt the most imprecise of the three metering modes we will be looking at in this article. Being more suited towards casual photographers who want to take everyday snapshots, this metering mode takes more consideration into the amount of light located in the center of the scene so that objects centered in the photograph are properly exposed. Although you do not need to avoid this metering mode altogether, using the Center-Weighted metering mode may give you more impressive results with many of your photographs.

2. Matrix / Multi-segment Metering Mode

While the Center-Weighted metering mode uses a simple and sometimes inaccurate method of measuring the light in you photographs, the Matrix or Multi-segment metering mode takes a more detailed approach. By splitting the scene into many segments and then measuring the exposure

data based on the position of each segment, the Matrix / Multi-segment metering mode manages to deliver exceptional quality photos in various lighting conditions and levels of contrast. Although it is not perfect for every situation, this metering mode is an excellent choice for photography in most conditions. However, when you require better exposure for very high contrast scenes, think about taking a look at the next metering mode.

3. Spot Metering Mode

Maybe youve tried taking a photo using the standard Center-Weighted or Matrix / Multi-segment metering modes and neither provide satisfying results. Dont give up yet, because turning to the Spot metering mode may give you that extra helping hand that you need. This metering mode can provide excellent results for high-contrast scenes, and it achieves them by measuring light in the center of the scene alone anywhere between 1 and 10 percent depending on your digital camera and exposing the photo with the subject in mind. So the next time you are trying to take a high-contrast shot, think about trying out the Spot metering mode so long as your subject is in the center of the scene then this metering mode should avoid over or underexposure in almost any situation.

Learn How to Use Your Camera's Histogram

Find the Histogram Function
Most of the better digital cameras in the market today have a histogram function. My Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20, for example, has a nice histogram that is overlaid on the picture within the LCD. The better cameras allow you to preview the scene with the histogram overlaid, before you click the shutter release.

What's a Histogram?
But what exactly is a histogram, you ask? Well, a histogram is a graph that displays how light is distributed in your picture. The left side of the graph represents the shadows, while the highlights are on the right. In layman terms, that means that if the histogram has a high peak on the left, you can tell that a lot of pixels in the picture are dark, or in shadow. A peak on the right of the graph means that a lot of pixels are bright, or in highlights. Peaks in the middle of the graph represent pixels in the midtones of your exposure.

The Histogram of a Good Photo

Right, now let's look at some examples of histograms. Refer to the picture below. On both the left side and the right side of the graph, you can see that there are no high peaks. This kind of histogram tells you that no part of the scene is over or underexposed. In other words, this shot

should

look

good.

The histogram of a good photo

The Histogram of an Underexposed Photo

Ok, now let's look at the histogram of an underexposed photo. You can see a spike in the shadows that starts with a peak on the left of the graph. That means that the picture has lost data in the shadows. There's also just a few pixels trailing off the right side of the graph, so a tiny bit of data might have been lost there as well.

The histogram of a underexposed photo

The Histogram of an Overexposed Photo

You can probably guess how an overexposed photo looks. Here you can see a pronounced spike on the right side of the graph. Do note that the height of the peaks is somewhat low in this picture; that's not an indication of under or overexposure. All you need to worry about is whether they breach the left or right edges of the histogram.

The histogram of a overexposed photo

A Beginner's Guide to Wedding Photography

Preparation
One of the most critical elements in being a successful wedding photographer is preparation. You absolutely need to prepare ahead (at least 2 months ahead) of time. Get to know the bride and the groom, understand their needs and wants. Some good questions to ask are: How many photographers will there be? What type of photos would they like? Mostly formal group portraits? Or mostly candid shots of the couple? How many guests will there be at the wedding? Are they mostly family members or friends? Which locations will be used at the wedding? A church? Will there be a reception or a dinner? Asking pertinent questions like these will help you understand the requirements for the wedding photos and thereby take better shots.

Locations, Events and Times

Once youve understood what the wedding locations, events and times are, find some time to go scout around those places. For a church wedding, you go inside the church to check out the lighting, dcor and environment. find the correct places to position yourself so you dont mess up during the wedding day. Do take note that some churches do not allow flash photography during the wedding ceremony. So you may need to get a fast lens.

Its also important to check out places like the reception area, or the podium where the speech will be made. If there will be a wedding dance, then check out the dance floor and the seating arrangement if possible.

Organize Your Gear

This is a critical step. I usually prepare 1 month ahead of the wedding date just to be sure I have time to get any equipment Ive missed out. Heres a list of critical equipment to bring for the wedding day shoot: Digital camera: This one is obvious. Its good to have a backup analog camera as well, just in case. Camera Lenses and filters: Take along any special lenses or filters you want to use. Tripod: Another critical piece of equipment, important for indoor shots under low light. Memory cards: Bring at least two 1 GB cards. you wont believe how many shots youll take during a wedding. Portable drive: This is critical in case you run out of space on those memory cards. Assistant: Try to bring along an assistant. It could be a friend or a help at the wedding. He or she can help you arrange the group before you take photos, taking a lot of stress off you.

On the Wedding Day

Ok, lets assume the actual wedding day, has arrived. Heres a typical sequence of events to help guide you on the wedding photography process. At the House If youre taking shots of the bride getting ready, please be early. In fact, you should be one of the earliest to arrive so that you can set up your positions, tripods or whatever equipment you need to use. At the Church Once youre at the church, find out where the priest will be standing. Position yourself in an appropriate position. Some critical locations where wedding photos must be taken include the entrance to church, the aisle and the place where the couple will stand. And heres another tip its important not to get too excited about your shots so early on the wedding day. Remember, you have a long day for taking photos. I once did a wedding where I snapped so many photos at the church entrance, I nearly ran out of memory card space by the time the couple exchanged vows! If there happens to be a church reception, make sure youre out to the reception area faster than the rest of the guests, and perch yourself in the correct position. Receptions are a good time to capture candid and fun shots, so knock yourself out.

Formal Group Shots If there are any formal group shots to be taken, be sure your assistant is there to help you. Try to start with the big groups, then slowly remove family members so that you can get the various combinations of family and friends required.

Cleaning up
What do you do after shooting the wedding photos? Well, plenty! You need to do some basic image editing, like removing red eye, cropping and rotating. You also need to burn the photos into CDs and DVDs, (usually in a slideshow format). If youre in the wedding photography business, you should know that you cannot delay this step. Try to get the CD or DVD final package out to the happy couple as soon as you can.

A Good Way to Super Size Your Digital Photos

Step 1: Duplicate the Photo

The first and very critical step in this process is to backup your original photo. If you make a mistake in the process, at least you have a backup. In fact, this step should be done before any image editing task in general.

Step 2: Create an Enlarge Action

Right once youve made a backup of the photo, access the Actions palette in Adobe Photoshop CS. At the top right of the Actions palette, youll see a small triangle. Click on it and select New Action from the menu that drops down.

Adobe Photoshop actions are wonderful. They allow you to record image editing tasks that you do on a regular basis so that you can save time. They are very similar to macros in Microsoft Excel. Ok, under the New Action dialog box that pops up, enter a name for your action, the correct action set and assign a function key. Isnt that neat, being able to assign a function key for an image editing task? Next, you need to record the action for re-sampling the image to 110% of its original size. You can do this by performing the following: Click on the Record button Click on Image/Image Size on the toolbar In the Image Size box that appears, ensure that the Resample Image box is checked. Change the document size unit to Percent. In the Document Size section of the, enter 110 for the width of the document. Stop the recording of the action by clicking on the square button on the bottom left of the Actions palette.

Step 3: Repeat the Action

Now that youve recorded the action, lets repeat on the image. Simply hit your assigned function key and voila, your image is re-sampled to 110% of its original size. See why we recorded the action? Recording repetitive tasks like this as an action is a huge time saver. Continue hitting the function key until your photo reaches its desired size. Increasing the resolution by 10% each time is just right. However, it may depend on the photo sometimes using 5% increments may be better.

How to Vignette Your Digital Photos

The vignette effect in action

Whats more is that the vignette effect is very easy to achieve. Join me as I explain how simple it can be to add this classy effect to your favorite photos!

1. First Things First

Before we get started it is a good idea to choose the photo that you want to vignette and create a copy of it to work with; this is a simple safety measure to make sure that you dont make any permanent changes to the original image that you didnt intend. Now that youve created a copy of your photo go ahead and open it in your preferred image editor I've used Jasc Paint Shop Pro for this article, but most of the widely used editors can create the same effect using very similar techniques.

2. Cutting Out the Subject

The first step taken to vignette a digital photo is to cut out or select the subject from the rest of the image, and this can be accomplished using the selection tool in your image editor. Most photos using the vignette effect use oval or rectangle shapes, and while these may provide the best results it does not mean that you cant experiment with others. First choose a shape that you like and then proceed to set the feathering level this is what will cause the picture to blend into the background smoothly. A quick rule of thumb is that the larger the photo is, the higher the feather level will be. Start off at around 50 and then experiment to find the number that gives results that you prefer. Next, it is time to cut out the subject using the selection tool create your preferred shape at an adequate distance around the subject, and once you are happy with the size proceed to the next step.

3. Removing the Background

Now we need to invert the selection. If you are using Paint Shop Pro then click Selections > Invert on the menu bar; other image editors will have a similar method to invert the selection. What this does is reverse what we just selected - instead of having the subject selected we now have everything other than the subject selected! The next part is very simple press the delete key and watch as you are presented with your vignette photo. All that is left to do is to crop the background a little if desired, then your vignette photo is complete!

How to Shoot Products for Online Auctions

A photo of some old Star Wars toys I've sold on eBay Set Up Your Little Studio The first thing you need to start taking product photos is to set up your own little studio for that purpose. You dont need to invest thousands of dollars to set up a professional studio. All you need is some cheap materials to get started. Youll want to look for a white background to place your product and take photos. What I recommend is to get a sturdy piece of white foam or poster board, which can be had for a couple of bucks. Next, position the product on the board. Ive found that the best lighting to use is indirect sunlight. Turn on the flash on your camera and take the product from an angle to avoid any reflection. Edit the Photo Once youve taken the product photo, you need to put the photo through an image editor to fine tune it. A good image editor, if youre looking for one, is Ulead PhotoImpact. Heres what you do with your image. Correct the color balance, remove any harsh light and sharpen the photo if necessary. If you want, you can also want to apply perspective correction to make it look like we took the product from the top (instead of from the side like we mentioned above).

Internet Photo Studio If you intend to take a lot of product photos for online auctions, a good product to get is Internet Photo Studio.

Internet Photo Studio This is essentially a little stand alone studio that has 2 lights which sweep any subject you place on it. The results are terrific and look really professional. Its best used with small items like jewelry and or electronic components.

How to Take Good Photos in Museums and Cathedrals

A interior shot of the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

Get a Good External Flash

If you use a standard point-and-shoot with a built-in flash, you'll soon realize that its not sufficient for these type of photographs. Hence, the number one tip I can give about taking good pictures inside museums or cathedrals? Get a good external flash unit. Good enthusiast digital cameras (e.g. the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20) will have a hot shoe onto which you can fit an external flash. An external flash unit allows you to throw light 75 feet away, and are much better for illuminating scenes like this.

The Sunpak 383 Super Flash

No Flash Photography Allowed?

One big problem with shooting indoor tourist locations like cathedrals is that flash photography is often not allowed. Why so, you might ask? Well, flash photography might disturb other visitors, or ruin the serenity of the location. The powerful flashes might also cause to ancient materials. My advice is to learn how to turn off your flash before you step inside the museum or cathedral. Most digital cameras allow you to completely disable the flash by cycling though its various settings until you reach an icon that has a slash through the flash symbol.

Bring Along Your Tripod

Now, assuming no flash can be used - how can you still take a good photo of such museums or cathedrals? Well, heres another tip - bring along a tripod. Even a small, lightweight tripod is enough to stabilize your camera for the long exposure you'll need. Remember that to shoot under low-light conditions, you will need to set the camera shutter speed to be very slow (e.g. from 1 to 8 seconds). You can't possible hold the camera steady by hand for that long - hence the need for a tripod. If full-size tripods aren't permitted, you can try propping yourself against a wall or doorway to keep the camera steady. Set the camera to its highest ISO level (making the camera sensor more sensitive to light) and keep shooting. Another option is to buy a tiny tabletop tripod - the type with finger-length, flexible legs. You can use it to hold the camera firmly against a wall, doorway, or some other vertical surface while you take a long exposure. The authorities should not mind since you won't be obstructing corridors when you do that.

A Simple Trick for Copying Textures between Photos

The result of copying a texture from one photo to another

Step 1: Selecting The Canvas

Before we start, you may want to download the tutorial pictures. There are two of them, one is the original lighthouse photo and the other is a photo of some wild flowers. Now, once you have the photos, the first thing to do is to load up your trusty image editor. For this tutorial, I'll use Paint Shop Pro. Open the photo of the lighthouse and select the Freehand Selection tool, which we will use to ensure that any painting is only done on the wall of the lighthouse. Locate the Freehand Selection tool in the fifth cubby of the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Make sure you can see the Tool Options palette at the top of the screen; you can toggle it on by choosing View, Palettes, Tool Options. Then set the Freehand Selection tool to Smart Edge from the Selection Type drop-down menu.

Selecting the canvas onto the which the texture will be painted Select the entire wall area with the tool. To do that, click on the edge of the hood, move the cursor a short distance, then click again. Follow this process until it's completely selected, then double-click to close the loop.

Step 2: Add the Texture

Now select the picture of wild flowers and switch to the Clone Brush. This useful tool resides in the eighth cubby from the top of the toolbar. In the Tool Options palette, set the size of the brush to about 45 pixels and make the Opacity pretty low, about 30 percent. The opacity should be set low so that we can still see the underlying texture of the wall in the resulting photo.

Step 3: Start Painting

Right, now you can start to paint the lighthouse photo. Right-click on the wild flowers to select your starting point. Now switch to the lighthouse photo and position the mouse at the point that you'd like the flowers to appear. When you're ready, just click and paint, covering the entire wall in one stroke. When you're done, click on the Freehand Selection Tool again and right-click in the picture to eliminate the selection outline. If you like the results, save the picture.

Taking Novel Photos of Common Subjects

For example, if youre trying to shoot a classic landmark, how can you get a different and more creative perspective on the photo? Well, read on and find out.

Shooting Classic Landmarks

Lets say youre out in nature taking a picture of a classic landmark, say a famous mountain. One good way of jazzing up the photo is to take a portrait of someone standing in front of the land. Doing this immediately shows the viewer of the photo that you were there. Im surprised at how many beginners forget about this. Ive seen many photos where all you have is a picture of the Eiffel Tower, or the Statue of Liberty but no human subject.

Picture of the Eiffel Tower If youre taking portraits in this manner, also try to take the picture with the sun behind you. It does wonders for lighting and usually the photos will turn out nice.

Using Symmetry

Another trick to introduce novelty in your photos is to use symmetry. If you look at professional photos, they usually apply this trick here and there. If youre taking a picture of a mountain, try taking in the reflection of the mountain in water as well. Alternatively, you can just shoot the reflection of the mountain in the water itself which produces another good perspective.

A mountain photo with good symmetry

Other Ideas
Here are other ideas for taking unique shots of your subjects. Think about applying them the next time youre out taking photos:

Shoot your subject up close. This is one of my favorites techniques, especially when shooting flowers, insects or products. Make use of the macro mode on your camera to achieve the best results. Shoot a series of pictures and create a panorama. Many digital cameras allow you to stitch photos together in a panorama. What you do is snap many pictures of a wide scene and stitch them together in software the result is a vast expanse of scenery thats simply breathtaking to behold. Shoot your subject via a mirror reflection. This is similar to using a subjects reflection in water as a means to jazz up the photo. Instead of directly shooting a subject, shoot the subject via a mirror. It can create an interesting and more professional effect.

A Guide to Image File Formats and Image Compression

The JPEG File Format
The JPEG file format is the most popular image file format in the world today. Its very popular because it saves a lot of hard drive space. A high-resolution picture with 25MB of color information can be shrunk down to about 1MB using JPEG compression. The downside of JPEG? Well, bear in mind that each time you edit and save a JPEG image, youre losing image quality. Some photographers who want maximum image quality will avoid using JPEG totally.

The TIFF File Format

The TIFF image format is the reverse of the JPEG format. A TIFF image consumes a huge amount of disk space. Were talking about 6MB to 18MB for a typical TIFF images. Thatll eat up your hard disk in no time. However, TIFF images are of extremely high quality there is no data discarded when you work with or save a TIFF file.

The RAW File Format

The RAW image format offers you the purest possible pictures, ready for your editing on the computer. The RAW format is proprietary and each manufacturer (Canon, Nikon, Olympus and the like) use their own version. When you take a picture in RAW format, the camera does nothing to the photo. There is no adjustment at all the picture is purely what is recorded by the image sensor on the camera.

When to Use Which Format

How do you know which format to use, and when? Well, my first piece of advice is to avoid the RAW format. Unless youre a very experienced photographer who wants to manually correct all your photos, the RAW is not a very good choice. The next question, inevitably, is whether to use JPEG or TIFF. Personally, I use JPEG most of the time. The simple reason is that you can choose the amount of compression used in a JPEG image. In Paint Shop Pro, for example, you can choose File > Save As, then select the JPEG compression factor under the JPEG options dialog box. Select a low compression setting and you get a higher quality JPEG, select a higher compression setting and you get a lower quality JPEG.

Display Your Photos In A Digital Photo Frame

How To Buy A Good Photo Frame

There are a few things to take note of before buying a good digital photo frame. First up, you need to take note of the resolution and aspect ratio of the frame - these can differ drastically from model to model and have a huge impact of display quality. Also, you should if the frame supports wireless functionality, which would enable you to transfer photos from your PC to the frame wirelessly. Some digital photo frames also have audio and MP3 support to allow you to pipe in music while viewing your photos. Let's take a look at some digital photo frames now.

1. Kodak W820

The first model we want to look at is the Kodak W820. This photo frame is an 8-inch frame which displays photos very nicely. it supports MP3 music and also has ample 512 MB of internal memory for your photos. The unit can also display both photos and video.

2. Digital Spectrum MF-8115

The Digital Spectrum MF-8115 digital photo frame allows you to display photos at a 800 x 600 resolution. The frame itself is15 inch and comes with 256 MB of internal memory. The unit also allows display of both photos and video.

3. HP df820

The HP df820 is an excellent digital photo frame that plays music and displays video and photos. If you have a PictBridge enabled printer, you can also send off photos to be printed to the printer directly from the frame. The frame is an 8-inch unit and displays photos very nicely.

4. Sony S-Frame DPF-V900

The Sony S-Frame DPF-V900 is a Bluetooth enabled digital photo frame. The nice thing about the frame is that it can connect up to a TV using a HDMI cable. The 9-inch frame allows you to display photos at a decent 800x480 pixel resolution.

5. Westinghouse DPF-0802

The next unit we'll look at is the Westinghouse DPF-0802 digital photo frame. The frame provides a nice MosaicView feature that allows you to display many photos in one frame. There's also a nice photo shuffle feature to display random photos, as well as 128 MB of internal memory.

6 Tips To Prevent Your Digital Photos From Fading

1. Get A Good Printer
The first thing you can do to ensure your digital photos last a long time is to print them using a good quality printer. HP, Canon and Epson produce good printers and one model that comes to mind is the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P. Although a little expensive, it is touted as one of the best printers for preserving digital photo quality upon printing and preventing fade out. Another model you can consider is the Canon S800 Bubble Jet Pro printer - cheaper than the Epson Stylus Photo 2000P but it produces reasonably good prints. If you need to do some more shopping, check out this site for comparing printer prices.

2. Select Good Paper

The other piece of the puzzle with regards to preventing digital photo fade is the printer paper. Try to choose paper that goes well with your printer. For example, Canon printers will usually have Canon paper to go with their printers. Selecting paper suited to the printer you use will help to ensure the best quality prints and prevent photo fade.

3. Store Prints In An Album

One important tip for preserving printed digital photos is to store them in an album. Storing them in such a way helps to preserve them and make them less susceptible to fading. Avoid those albums with plastic covers to hold each photo though.

Store prints in album to preserve them longer

4. Display In Frames Under Glass

If you display your printed photos, its good to display them in frames under glass. Try to go for anti-UV glass and also, don't expose the photos to open air. This helps to preserve the photos for a long time.

5. Keep Photos Out Of Sunlight and Humid Areas

Printed digital photos, if kept exposed to sunlight and humid air, will necessarily fade out due to chemical reactions. Keep those photos away from the attic and heater areas and you'll be safe.

6. Make Sure Prints Are Dry Before Stacking

After you print out digital photos, make sure you allow them to dry before stacking the photos together. When you stack photos which are not completely dry, chances are you'll cause damage to one or more of the photos concerned.

Learn About the EXIF Metadata in Your Digital Photos

The EXIF information from a digital photo EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) metadata is pretty much the standard format in use for most digital photos. Metadata is not information that you can 'see' in the same way that you see pixels in your digital photo. Rather, youll need an EXIF viewer or an EXIF launcher to see it. Youll benefit greatly from knowing how to interpret this data.

1. What is EXIF?
EXIF, as stated, is the standard format for metadata in your digital photos, a standard invented and made popular Japan Electronics and Information Technologies Industries Association (JEITA). All digital cameras and major image processing programs nowadays work with EXIF. Your digital camera remembers the settings you used to take your picture, such as exposure and focal length, and then stores it into EXIF format and saves it to your memory stick with your image file. You can imagine the usefulness of this feature for a variety of situations where you tweak your photos in-camera. Imagine, for example, that you crop a picture youve taken using the cameras crop feature. Your camera stores the information that defines the new cropped image in-camera, so when you print from the memory stick, it prints the cropped image and not the original unaltered image. Metadata make this possible. Likewise, image processing programs like Adobe Photoshop are designed to work with EXIF metadata as well to properly reflect any picture adjustments that were made in camera.

2. EXIF Viewers
To interpret this EXIF data, you will need an EXIF viewer. There are many ways to go about this. Your image processing program should provide that functionality within the program. Most image processing programs will store the EXIF metadata as properties of the image. Access your photos properties, and you should see a tabbed interface, with one tab indicating metadata. Here youll see information such as the Focal Length, Resolution, White Balance and so forth. Check your image processing programs help for information about where your program stores its metadata. You may be surprised to discover that EXIF metadata isnt reported the same way between various cameras and image processing programs. One program may show that your White Balance is set to 'Auto', for example, while another program will show some number that you dont think properly reflects the original settings. Or these programs will report varying figures depending on the camera you use. Field tests have shown this to be true, but we trust in your case you will stick with one camera and one program. That should eliminate the headaches.

3. Make Sense of EXIF Information

If, however, you have more than one camera, you may want to take some steps to make some sense about different EXIF information reported by your program. The first thing you should understand is that your EXIF metadata is in read-only format. The creators of EXIF saw no reason for you to overwrite the information, so its stored in the header of your image file where you wont be able to touch it. (Unless you want to hack into it, something we dont recommend)

Ok, so lets suppose you have two cameras, and with both you took pictures with an Auto Focus setting. You open up your image editing program and examine the photos metadata for Camera #1. It reads, correctly, 'Auto'. You then plug in Camera #2, and it reads '1'. You know that both cameras were set to Auto, so you have to remind yourself that in Camera #2, 1 means Auto. We recommend that you create a cheat sheet to keep track of how numbers from one program translate into another program.

4. Image Editing Programs and EXIF

You have only two other alternatives to create some consistency between different EXIF information for your two cameras. First, find an image editing program that actually lets you change the metadata. We dont know of many major programs that will let you do this, but its worth a try. The second option is to use software that will extract EXIF information to text files. You might be able to do this, on a per shot basis, with your existing image editing application. There are some better applications to use if you want to extract EXIF information from a whole batch of images all at once. ImageMagick is one such program, although its probably not userfriendly since its a command line utility. Breeze Systems Downloader Pro is an easier-to-use Windows program that performs the same function. The extracted EXIF information in the text file is easier to read, and if you want to tweak it to achieve consistency in values between your two cameras, its certainly easy to do.

5. Advanced EXIF Analysis

You can take additional steps to create consistent values from your EXIF information. For example, you may notice that equivalent focal lengths for digital cameras and film cameras are noted using different numbers. This may be a bit disorienting at times if you are trying to relate your digital camera settings with what you know from the film world. You can use your EXIF information to create a lookup, or a database of some sort, to perform the conversionif you think its worth the effort. Its up to you. Additionally, realize that if you get photos from a scanner as opposed to a digital camera, you will not have the same kind of EXIF information encoded in the final output. The only metadata stored will be about the scanner, perhaps a date and time stamp, but little else. A cataloguing program such as Extensis Portfolio 7 will allow you to alter the EXIF information stored in the images.

Essential Tips for Printing Digital Photos

Tip 1: Good Pictures Give Good Prints
This tip is pretty obvious. If youve taken photo at a measly 1 megapixel resolution, you cant expect to have a huge A4 quality printout. If youve taken the same photo at a 5 megapixel resolution, then yes, you can have that A4 print. As a rule, remember that you need at least a 2 megapixel resolution photo to have a decent 4x6 printout.

Tip 2: Remove Defects from the Image First

I always apply this tip before printing any image. Check the photo itself to ensure there are no specks or noise. If there are, use your favorite photo editor to remove them if possible. Of course, remember to save a backup copy of the image first. You can read up this guide on touching up photos if you need help.

Tip 3: Crop if Necessary

Another image editing tip crop the picture youre going to print if it makes sense to do so. Sometimes, I find that my subject is located in the middle of the photo and I dont really want to print the surrounding environmental detail. Thats where you should crop away the area around the subject first, then proceed to print. This saves you a lot of ink too.

Tip 4: Select a Good Printer

This is very important. Only use a quality printer to do the job. At home, I use a nice little Canon Pixma iP4000 printer to print my pictures. You dont need a super high-end machine to print, just go for a mid-range inkjet printer thats suitable for home use.

The Canon Pixma iP4000 photo printer Always try to find a printer with excellent print quality (Canon and HP models come to mind) and an intelligent ink system. In the Canon Pixma iP4000 printer, for example, there is a 5 color ink system with individually replacable ink tanks. If one color runs out, I just need to replace that one color, instead of throwing away the whole cartridge.

Tip 5: Select Good Photo Paper

Many people tend to forget that good photo prints also depend on the paper you use. As a rule, you should go for paper that is of the correct thickness, produces good color and has good resistance to fading. If you will be handling your photos a lot, try to choose thicker paper. If you intend to place your photos in an album, then paper thickness isnt too important you can choose thinner photo paper. Color brilliance is important too. Try buying some sheaves of photo paper and print out some colorful images on them to test them out. Buy them in bulk only if the color tests turn out good.

I also like to check resistance to fading. Again, buy some sheaves of photo paper for testing. Print out some pictures, then expose them to sunlight for a couple of days. If you notice any fading, then avoid that brand of paper in future.

How to Manage Colors for Beautiful Prints

You need to understand that your computer monitor and print paper are completely different media. Hence, your print isnt going to be an exact match of what you see on your screen. Here are some tips on color management to ensure that you get great quality photo prints.

Get a Good Book

One of the best ways to understand color management is to invest in a good book on the subject. I've personally like Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management by Tim Grey. This book presents the most essential concepts you need to produce accurate and desirable color in your prints every time.

Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management

Monitor Calibration
Here's another tip - it's important to calibrate the colors displayed by your computer monitor. Most good computer monitors come with some sort of color management software. If you're looking for some products, some that I'd recommend are ColorVision Spyder2 and Color Profile Mechanic .

Understanding Color Space

When choosing a color space for image editing, there are two major types. One is the Adobe RGB (1998) and the other is sRGB. My advice is to be consistent with the color space you

choose. If you took the picture with sRGB in your digital camera, then follow through with sRGB when working with them in your image-processing program. Many professionals prefer the Adobe RGB format though, as it gives them a wider range of colors. Experiment and see which color space works for you.

Printer Driver
You need to ensure that your printer driver is up-to-date. Also, when printing your photo, choose your printer properties and ensure that the correct photo quality and paper size have been selected.

Paper Quality
One of the most critical requirements for a quality printout is the quality of paper you use. Make sure you specify to your printer what type of paper youre using - it needs this information in order for it to properly apply ink.

How to Remove Red Eye from Your Photos

What Causes Red Eye?
Understanding what causes red eye is actually pretty simple. When you use the flash on your camera to brighten a dark setting the light from the flash is reflected off the retina in the subject's eyes, and believe it or not the retina appears red!

The red-eye effect can ruin a good photo The reason that red eye doesnt occur so frequently in brighter lighting conditions is because the pupils of the human eyes arent open enough in such conditions to allow enough light in to reflect off the retina, so the quickest way to reduce red eye is to add some more light to the scene before taking a photograph. Obviously this isnt always possible - or desirable - so if red eye does occur in your photos then the following sections can help you to reduce and remove it.

Repositioning The Flash

Another quick method of reducing red eye is to move the flash further away from the cameras lens. When light is emitted from the flash and bounces off the subjects retina a large amount of it then proceeds to travel straight back towards the flash - meaning that a lot will be heading straight for the lens on most cameras. Using a mounted flash on top of your camera or positioning the flash at a distance will help to keep red eye to a minimum, although this may not be possible on a camera that doesnt accept a mounted flash.

Letting The Camera Do The Work

Most if not all digital cameras have several flash modes, and one of them is usually targeted towards reducing red eye. Setting your cameras flash to the red eye mode will cause your camera to use the flash several times before actually taking the photograph. This can help to reduce red eye because it makes the irises in the eyes of your subject contract the size of the pupils, meaning less light will be reflected back towards the camera lens from the retinas. Although this can help to reduce red eye, it does not always get rid of it completely.

Healing Red Eye With Image Editors

So you have tried all of the above precautions but you are still seeing red eye in some of your photos - dont give up yet! - Image editors such as Adobe Photoshop and Jasc Paint Shop Pro can help you to correct the red eye in your photos with relative ease. With Photoshop you can create a duplicate layer of the original image and remove all red colors before using an image mask to make the repaired eyes visible, and Paint Shop Pro has a red eye removal feature built-in which can make the whole process even less time consuming. At last you can completely remove all traces of red eye from your photos!

How to Buy Digital Camera Lenses

There are so many different lenses with varying specifications available that it can be quite overwhelming to find exactly what it is that you require from a lens, but that is where we step in to help.

Some digital camera lenses available to the consumer This article acts as a guide to explain the jargon and to allow you make a better-informed purchase the next time you are shopping for a new digital camera lens.

Choosing a Suitable Focal Length

Focal length is probably the most important factor that should be considered when choosing a lens, and for good reason: focal lengths determine the field-of-view of the photos you will be able to take successfully with your camera. The two main types of focal length are telephoto and wide-angle, and while telephoto lenses have a narrow field-of-view and are best suited for close-up shots and portraits, wide-angle lenses have a wider field-of-view which is perfect for indoor photography and landscapes. Keep in mind that the performance of lenses can differ from camera to camera, with the magnification power behind a lens generally being greater on a digital camera than on a 35mm film-based camera.

The Need For Speed

When you hear about fast and slow lenses, reference is being made to a lens's maximum aperture, which is the maximum amount of light that a lens can let in. A simple rule of thumb is that a fast lens lets in a lot of light, while a slow lens lets in less light, which defines how your photos will look. Maximum apertures are measured in f/stop numbers, which are actually a ratio of the size of the lens aperture and focal length. The smaller the f/stop number, the more light is let in. An increment in the f/stop number doubles the amount of light let in, so f/1.4 lets more light than f/2.0. This may seem quite confusing at first, so the easiest way to make sense of it is to remember the following: fast lenses are best suited towards successful photography in darker lighting conditions, and slow lenses are targeted towards photography in lighter conditions.

The Ins and Outs of a Zoom Lens

Unlike a fixed-focal-length lens, a zoom lens often gives you the diversity of a range of focal lengths all rolled into a single adjustable lens. This can be great if you often have to switch between various lenses for different shots, but it is important to remember that not all zoom lenses have a constant maximum aperture, and those that do are often larger and more expensive. Although the maximum aperture may be reduced as you zoom in using a lens with a variable maximum aperture, this may not be as important to some photographers as the reduced cost and size of such lenses. Keep this in mind when purchasing a zoom lens.

Add-on Lenses
Add-on or accessory lenses are targeted towards compact digital cameras, and allow owners of such models to significantly lengthen or reduce the camera's built-in focal length while at the same time being able to automate camera functions including f/stop settings and focusing. These lenses can be an excellent low-cost add-on to your digital camera, with telephoto add-on lenses being able to increase focal lengths by up to 300%, and wide-angle versions allowing for reduction in focal lengths of up to 30%.

Final Considerations
There are several other terms to take into consideration when buying a digital camera lens to make sure you are making the best purchase. If your lens utilizes aspheric lens elements, then you can rest happily with the knowledge that your lens will help produce sharper photographs and help keep lens weight to a minimum. Lenses using internal and automatic focusing also keep lens weight down thanks to less moving parts, and of course allow for faster focusing. Low-dispersion glass leaves photos looking less hazy or fuzzy, while stabilization systems help to keep images sharp when taken using slow shutter speeds.

How to Choose a Tripod for Your Digital Camera

In particular, tripods are particularly good for nature shots, macro-photography, long exposure shots, slow shutter speeds or low light situations. That makes it a very versatile accessory which must be in any photographer's toolbox. This article will give you some tips for choosing a good tripod for your digital camera. Read on and find out more!

Check the Stability

Always make sure you check stability of the tripod when the legs are fully extended. Adjust the tripod to a proper height, then check if it wobbles after you apply some pressure to the top. If the tripod is made of sturdy material and is of good quality, it should remain firmly in place even with some pressure on it.

Can It Sustain the Camera's Weight?

Another thing to bear in mind when buying a tripod is the weight of your camera. Remember, if you have a professional digital SLR, the total weight of your camera, lenses and flash unit will make the whole setup pretty hefty. Make sure that tripod can carry the total load. In general, I'd avoid the plastic models. Yes, theyre lightweight and cheap, but you want to trust it with your camera. A heavy tripod, made of magnesium alloy, titanium or carbon fiber is much better. Though slightly more costly, they will last you a long time and are much suited for rough photographic situations.

Check the Head

Tripods come with a head to which your camera is attached. Some of the tripods come with one thats removable, which will allow you to just buy whichever type you like. Some come with one that is not removable, and your stuck with it. So shop carefully. Heads tend to come in two categories - the pan and tilt heads and the ball and socket heads. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The pan and tilt heads move up and down, left to right. The ball and socket type allow you to position the camera in any direction, is nice for moving your camera around while on the tripod.

Check the Height

One more thing - remember to check for the height of the tripod. How does the tripod extend? What are its maximum, minimum and folded heights? And most importantly, do the heights fit you? This can really vary depending on the type of photographs you take.

Brand Name Tripods

There are many brands of tripods out there - many beginner digital photographers end up buying lower quality ones. Remember, a cheaper price doesn't always mean the tripod is of a better quality. I prefer to go for quality brand names like Sunpak, Slik or Vanguard. One of my favorite tripods for general usage is the I use is the Sunpak 6601UT tripod as shown below.

The Sunpak 6601UT Tripod

5 Basic Digital Camera Terms

Put simply, understanding the most important terms about digital cameras will allow you to make a better-informed purchase of a new digital camera, let you have more control over your digital cameras features, and help you to take the best quality photos possible.

1. Megapixel
When we use the term megapixel, we are referring to the maximum resolution at which a digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. This means that a camera with a range of 4 megapixels can take photos which each contain a maximum of 4 million pixels. But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 3 megapixel range or above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.

2. Focal Length
Focal length is a term overlooked far too often in amateur photography, and refers to how much the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal lengths are generally split into two categories, these being wide-angle and telephoto, which are better for spacious and narrow fields of view respectively. Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends and wide landscapes.

To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most peoples needs.

3. Digital Zoom
Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that seems to be given a lot more attention than it deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the physical lenses inside the camera to enlarge a scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the pixels in the center area of a photo, meaning that any time you use the digital zoom function on your camera you are actually sacrificing the quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable the digital zoom function all together to stop this from happening.

4. ISO
The term ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, but what does this have to do with your digital camera? The organization sets standards for photography, and the ISO range of a camera refers to how sensitive the camera is to light. For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most peoples needs.

5. Shutter Lag
Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing the button to take a photograph and the time when the picture actually gets taken. This may not seem a very important factor when buying a camera, but think of it this way: if you have to wait a second or longer for a photo to be taken, like with many older and inexpensive digital cameras, then chances are that you wont end up with the photo you desired. Many camera manufacturers do not list the shutter lag time for their cameras, so the best way to find this out is by testing a camera before you buy.

5 Tips for Conserving Camera Battery Power

Some camera batteries available in the market Now, instead of carrying spare batteries with me in case this happened, I decided to research into the area of conversing camera battery power. I share what I learnt with you in this article in the hope of helping you to avoid such annoying situations!

Tip 1: Keep LCD Use to a Minimum

The part of your digital camera that uses up the most power is without a doubt the LCD screen. Every time you open up this digital display you are presented with a view of what the camera sees in real-time, meaning that the display has to be refreshed multiple times every second to show you a fluent-moving picture. Keeping usage of the LCD screen to a minimum will definitely help a freshly charged battery last much longer!

Tip 2: Manage Photos While Your Batteries Charge

Another easy way to cut down on the amount of power drained from your batteries is to wait until you can plug your camera into an AC adapter before you start to manage your photos. This is an important tip to remember - you may enjoy cropping, deleting, and viewing your photos on the go, but it will leave you with much less power to take photos if you do so.

Tip 3: Try Not to Use the Memory Card

This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one, but also plays an important factor in keeping enough juice in your camera batteries to take those important photos! It uses up a lot of power every time that you access the memory card, so keep this in mind before reviewing every photo that you take while relying solely on battery power.

Tip 4: Dont Mix Different Types of Batteries

Keeping the same types of batteries together can help to conserve power in digital cameras as well as most other battery-powered devices. This is mostly because the performance of older batteries will not be as good as newer ones, and they will drain much faster. Another important reason to remember this tip is that mixing different types of batteries can be dangerous the batteries can become damaged and even leak, which in turn could end up damaging your digital camera.

Tip 5: Let Batteries Run Out

Letting batteries completely run out of power before recharging them can help them to last longer as well as increase their performance. Something that people tend to forget is that just because your batteries arent holding enough energy to run your camera it doesnt mean that they are entirely empty of power. You can make sure that your batteries are as empty as possible before recharging them by leaving them in an old radio or a flashlight that is turned on until they run down.

Conclusion
Hopefully this article has offered you some new suggestions to help you conserve digital camera battery power. It may first seem annoying to not immediately review all of your photos as you take them, but after a while you will most likely find that you get more photos taken this way, and using this in combination with some of the other tips will help you become more efficient at using your digital camera!

How to Take Care of Your Digital Camera

Camera lens cleaning equipment

Lens Care
The lens of your digital camera is its eye or window to the outside world. It is easily the most important component in any camera. To take care of the lens, make sure that you never, ever touch directly with your fingers. Also make sure that you put on the lens cap when not shooting pictures. If you really need to clean the lens, use good lens cleaning equipment. Investing in such equipment is really important. Always use a good lens brush, lens blower and lens cloth to do the job.

Temperature
The other thing to look out for is the temperature under which the camera is stored. You should always keep the camera out of sun. One mistake that newbies always make is to store the digital camera in the extremely hot temperatures (e.g. the car boot). Dont ever do that. Its also important not to store the camera in extremely cold temperatures either.

Storage
When storing your digital camera, you need to keep it away from magnets of any form. Magnets will affect the circuitry of your digital camera and should not be placed near it. Another point to note is to use silica gel to combat condensation. Many electronic products come with silica gel capsules. Keep these and put them in your digital camera storage box. It will prevent condensation. The batteries of the camera should also be removed if you intend to store the camera away for a long time. The reason is that batteries can have corrosive leaks over time.

Protect Delicate Components

You also need to protect those delicate components. In particular, watch out for the memory card (whether it is a CompactFlash, SD or MMC card). Handle them with care because they are small and delicate. Camera panels are also very delicate. In my Canon PowerShot S500, the panel for the USB connect and the battery is a tad flimsy. I make sure I handle it with care whenever I open it.

Conclusion
You digital camera costs a lot of money and it pays to take care of it. Remember to apply the above tips to preserve your camera and itll last you a long, long time. Good luck!

How to Buy a Photo Printer

This article takes a closer look at the different types of photo printers available and will help you to choose the most suitable photo printer to cater for your needs.

Some of the photo printers available in the market

Inkjet Printers for Photos

Generally providing a combination of fast printing speed and photo-quality printing, inkjet photo printers range in price from as little as $40 (if you look hard enough) to around $400. Most of these printers offer good quality output for printing standard size photos, but pay attention to the detail because not all inkjet printers provide good quality output for larger photos. Although most inkjet printers produce a similar quality - the majority providing the maximum dpi (dots per

inch) of 1,200 X 4,800 spending more on an inkjet printer will most likely provide you with more features or a faster printing speed. Keep in mind that many photo printers use color ink cartridges to produce black and white, or grayscale images, which can lead to photos printed with a colored tint, so try to stick to inkjet printers that use black or gray inks if you want to print many black and white photos.

Photo Printers for Professionals

What separates professional photo printers from consumer models is that the professional variety can produce quality images at much larger sizes. Depending on your needs, printers accepting paper sizes from 24-inches all the way up to 60inches wide are available, but because they are targeted towards professionals, many convenient features such as printing from your digital camera will not be available on professional printers. If you want to create large quality prints of your photos, maybe even posters, then a professional photo printer may be the choice for you, if you can afford it professional printers range in price from around $500 to anywhere in the thousands.

Photo-only Printers
While many inkjet and professional printers can also double up as printers for reports and other documents, those dedicated to printing photos alone are often much more compact and offer faster printing speeds. Print size is often limited to 4x6-inches but the quality remains high, and larger models do exist if you are prepared to pay a higher price. Although the dpi tends to be low on these types of printers, the output quality is high due to the use of thermal-dye technology that utilizes primary printing colors in several hundreds of shades, meaning no need for dithering like inkjet printers do. Another great thing about these printers is that their reduced size makes them very portable some can even be battery-powered!

Standard Printers
Maybe you dont need a printer for the sole purpose of creating prints of your digital photos, and would like a little more freedom with what you are able to print. If this is the case then there are many printers available to you that can fulfill your needs standard inkjet and laser printers, and consumer printing services all of which can be excellent choices if you are not too concerned about exceptional quality or do not plan to print a lot of photos. Both standard inkjet and laser printers can provide good quality photo printing even if they are not exclusively designed for it, but make sure to choose your printer carefully because photo quality can vary wildly on standard printers.

Printing Supplies
One of the factors that people often overlook when choosing a printer is the type of paper and ink they will be using to print their photos and how the price of these supplies adds up in the longterm. Its not just the price to take into consideration either - choosing the right paper and ink cartridges will also make sure that the photos you print are of the best possible quality. While ink cartridges made by a company other than the printer manufacturer may cost less, they will more than likely produce lower quality prints and can also cause photos to fade faster. Most printer manufacturers also create paper for their specific printers, and although it may not seem as important as ink, testing a sample of paper that isnt made by the printer manufacturer is advisable before making a large purchase.

**********

www.sanketham.tk

[ The Details are Collected from Internet ]