photo credit: Kah Zanon.

Having pictures developed when you are using film-based cameras can be quite expensive for a non-profit project. To cut down cost, you might want to make use of digital cameras instead with features that will help you get quality photos of your pet.

More: continued here

photo credit: Steve Keys

For the beginner photographer the amount of gadgets and electronic devices available is sometimes overwhelming. There are now digital cameras that range from simple point and shoot models to top professional level workhorses worth thousands. In order to take amazing photos there are a few basic pieces of equipment you must have.

More: continued here

photo credit: Dolarz

It’s true that old-fashioned film photography is an art form. In fact, in this day and age, that’s about all it is, which is somewhat ironic. After all, film photography started off in 1837 as something very few could enjoy or do. As it is turning out, people who enjoy film photography are again becoming part of an exclusive club.

The artistic expression available through film is astounding. If you’ve never taken a film photography class, you should. It will ultimately make you a better photographer as you will have a full understanding of the art form in general.

However, unless you plan on investing in a darkroom (water, light, equipment), or if you plan on spending quite a bit of money at photo processing labs, you might concentrate most of your efforts on digital photography. In the long term, it’s generally less expensive than film, since you print only the photos you want. Also, it provides quite a bit of artistic expression of its own.

Digital photography has often been looked at by film buffs as not being artistic. That simply isn’t the case any longer. With the advancement in software programs such as Adobe Photoshop, the digital photographer can take their art as far as their knowledge of the software will take them.

The creativity involved with digitally manipulating an image isn’t reserved to expensive programs like Photoshop (though the price of software will be far less than the cost of setting up a darkroom).

In fact, many digital cameras designed for kids and young adults now come with features that allow changes to be made to the digital photo while it’s still stored in the camera. The picture can then be uploaded to a computer, in some cases wirelessly.

There are easy photo sharing websites that allow the photographer to manipulate the photo after it’s been uploaded to the site. These usually allow for straightforward changes, such as adjusting contrast, taking out the dreaded red eye, cropping, rotating, etc.

Also, digital photographers have the whole world wide web at their fingertips. This isn’t to say film buffs can’t scan one of their photos in and get it out on the Internet. But let’s face it, showing your work to the world is a whole lot easier if the image is already digital.

Once the image is on the Internet and has been enhanced, it’s easy to share it with whoever you want. This is another advantage digital creativity has. In the blink of a camera’s shutter, you can send your artwork around the world to friends, relatives, potential buyers.

Of course, such ease has its pitfalls as well. Unscrupulous types can copy your image, unless you take precautionary steps such as digital or visual watermarking.

Creativity is a very personal thing, and each person must express his or her self in their own particular way. However, given our busy world, and given the relaxation and contentment that creative expression provides, it’s not a bad idea to pick an art form such as digital photography, one that allows you to express yourself quickly and easily.

Matt Smolsky writes for a variety of clients, including Hoorray, a photo sharing website that offers a free online photo album to new members and is the easiest place to create a digital photo album, calendar, and more.

photo credit: Podknox

When purchasing a digital camera, it is often a tough decision to choose between a SLR digital camera and a compact digital camera. With this SLR digital camera review, we will cover the most important aspects in the decision making process.

More: continued here

Light is the critical element in getting the perfect photograph. This is most true when it comes to outdoor photography, since you have almost no control of the light. Also, when you are shooting outdoors, there are many weather-related factors that can influence your photo.

photo credit: Windy Angels

What’s more, in photography, it’s important to be ready when the “right” shot comes along. When the special moment happens, you want to capture it and enjoy it for a lifetime. A big part of being ready is knowing enough to take advantage of whatever lighting conditions exist in a given moment.

These three tips will help you capture more moments, in a flash (and with or without a flash!). With a little trial and error (yes, expect to make some mistakes – maybe even a lot of mistakes), you’ll become a better photographer and get more great photos.

Tip #1: Know your ISO. It’s easy to set the ISO on most digital cameras – just check your owner’s manual or play around with the settings a bit. The ISO number indicates how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light present. ISO settings are 200, 400, 800 and 1600 on most cameras. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor, and the more control you exert over the lighting conditions.

So if you’re sitting through double-header little league games and the light gets darker during as the day wears on, then you might want to check you ISO setting when your child gets his or her last at bat. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss a big play that will be a memorable moment for the rest of your lives.

Tip #2: Know the type of light you’re dealing with. There’s a distinct difference between the light you see at sunrise versus the light you see at sunset. Ditto for light in the mid-morning, noon, afternoon and early evening. Your photos will look a lot different depending on the time of day you take the photo, no matter what you’re subject matter. Also, the angle of the light and the shadows impact your photo a great deal.

Recently, I was photographing cottonwood trees in the late afternoon. The leaf of a cottonwood is shiny on one side and dull on the other. This made for a dramatic effect as the slowly setting sun caught the reflection of the shiny side as the wind moved through the branches of the tree.

If you’re taking photos on a bright day, be on the lookout for shots that make best use of sharp shadows. You’ll get a stunning effect. If it’s cloudy, then make sure you find the color (flowers, green grass, etc.).

Tip #3: Know your flash. Your flash has more uses than at night or indoors. Flash is important for many outdoor photos as well. This is called “fill flash,” because the flash fills in dark or shadowed areas of your subject matter. It is really useful when your subject’s back is to the sun.

You should consider using fill flash when you’re subject is in the shade, as a shady spot can often make a photo appear flat. A flash will bring out the highlights and give the photo more depth. Stay within your flash’s range, usually about four to 10 feet. Too far away, and the flash’s impact will be minimal. If you’re too close, you’ll wash out your subject with too much light.

Remember, light plays the biggest role in whether a photograph turns out or not. Keep these tips in mind, and you’re to get a lot of really great photos you’ll be proud to share.

CJ Carroll writes for a variety of clients, including Hoorray, a photo sharing website that offers a free online photo album to new members and is the easiest place to create a digital photo album, calendar, and more.

photo credit: Sebastian Fritzon

Ever wonder why some photos have a yellow or blue color cast? Why did this happen? Well it has to do with how your camera sees colors in a scene. Correct white balance is one of those technical aspects of photography that is often overlooked or misunderstood. But it can have a great impact on your photos, so it is important to understand how color in photography works.

What is White Balance?

Color is measured in temperature, in units of Kelvin. Warm colors have a low degrees Kelvin, while cooler temperatures have a higher degrees Kelvin. For example, the flame of a candle has a Kelvin temperature of around 1,500, while a blue sky has a Kelvin temperature of around 9,000. The human eye is very good at adjusting for variation in color temperature. Unless the temperature of the light is very extreme a white wall will generally look white. But a camera doesn’t have a human brain behind it (yet, anyway!) and so isn’t able to make the same adjustments. The result of this is a color cast that either looks too “cold” or too “warm”.

Adjusting White Balance

The purpose of adjusting white balance is to tell your camera to either warm things up or cool things down, depending on the lighting situation. So how do we do this? Most Digital cameras have automatic and semi automatic settings. Most commonly these are:

Automatic: where your camera takes a guess at the correct white balance. In most conditions this is pretty accurate, however in tricky lighting situations it is easily fooled.

Tungsten: used for shooting under tungsten (artificial) lighting such as an indoor bulb. As this type of lighting is quite warm, the setting cools down the colors slightly.

Daylight: used for shooting outside. Colors under a sky can appear quite blue so this setting is used to warm up a scene.

Different makes of cameras also have more variations on these settings, such as for cloudy conditions and flash photography.

Manually Adjusting White Balance

In most cases, using the automatic or semi automatic settings on your camera will produce good results. But if it’s just not doing it for you, or like me you are a complete control freak, most digital cameras will allow you to manually set the white balance.

This can be done in two ways. Some cameras have a setting that will allow you to set the white balance in degrees Kelvin. To do this of course you will need to know the temperature of your light source. This is easy to find out with a few test shots. For example, if you are shooting indoors under a standard house globe, you know that the temperature of the light will be quite low. Adjust your setting to a low number and take a test shot. Then check and make adjustments as needed until the color in your images looks right.

The second method is the tried and true grey card. By holding a neutral color in front of your lens, you are essentially telling the camera what white looks like. It then adjusts all other colors accordingly. To do this you need to have your white balance setting on manual.

With all the automatic settings that digital cameras have to supposedly make our lives easier, it is easy to be lazy and let the camera do all the work. However putting in a little extra effort into learning why things work the way they do gives you the edge next time you are dealing with a tricky lighting situation and helps you improve your photography.

Mark Eden is a freelance travel photographer and owner of Expanse Photography, a photographic services company You can see Mark’s, travel photography and contact Mark through the Expanse Photography website http://www.expansephotography.com.

photo credit: bald_eagle89

Throughout recent years, camera film has become somewhat obsolete to the everyday photographer with digital cameras becoming more prominent and widespread. It is not that the disposable cameras and 35mm film of the past have decreased in quality, it is simply that consumers have become accustomed to having everything instantaneously done. Photographers enjoy seeing their photos immediately so they know if they achieved the shot they were trying to get.

Although most people keep their digital pictures on their computer, there are those that still do develop their pictures, and websites have made this easy by allowing users to upload their pictures and mailing their photographs within a day or two. Although these photo sites do produce a consistent quality product, there are alternatives to standard photo paper that can be useful in a number of situations. One of these alternatives is printing digital photos on canvas mediums. Canvas provides a more durable and stronger print while maintaining the same quality as traditional photos.

There are many people who might hold a strong interest in printing digital photos on canvas. Some of the ideal customers for this medium selection are businesses who concentrate on reproducing art prints. This may include museums, museum gift shops, and art vendors. Canvas prints are perfect for these businesses because it is an artist quality material and is able to maintain the eminence and unique look that paintings hold. These reprints are able to hold an oil painting like quality and have a unique look that will leave customers wondering whether they have bought a photograph or an actual painting. People love art, but not everyone is able to afford it and printing recreations of art from digital photos on to canvas is an easy and profitable way to allow everyone to take home a piece of history.

Other businesses that may be interested in printing digital photos on canvas include those that have large exhibits either in their stores, during presentations, or at tradeshows. Exhibits will often include very large prints and normal photo paper simply is not durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of being rolled up and hung up day after day. Canvas comes in a large number or sizes and provides the strength and quality that is needed for a company to look professional and increase their reputation. A canvas picture, which does not only need to hold a photograph, but also computer graphics, allows companies to display their logo, and products in a professional and unique way. Companies that rely on standard prints often learn there are just too many ways that the paper can get torn or ruined and later turn to canvas as a suitable alternative.

Businesses are not the only ones that can enjoy and benefit from printing on canvas. Individuals can enjoy printing digital photos on canvas as well. There are many online vendors that will do this, and canvas provides the ideal medium for landscape or family photos. Canvas provides a unique and art-like quality that will have everyone talking. They make superb gifts and will last through the generations. For individuals looking for an alternative to traditional photos and picture frames, canvas is the ideal solution.

ZaZaGallery - Put your photos on canvas and be the buss in your community. Our fine art prints are gallery wrapped using the finest canvas and inks to create a museum grade art piece.Our product is unique so join the buss and visit us by clicking pictures on canvas. Thank you, Hugh Parker.

photo credit: flickrPrince

The quality of the images on the new digital cameras, and the time limits that are so vitally important in the newspaper industry, have made digital photography the norm with most professional news photographers.

More: continued here

photo credit: Torley

People who once took a lot of pictures with a film camera need a different mindset for digital photography. Here are tips on moving from a film to a digital camera mentality.

More: continued here

Digital cameras are great. And I love mine. For someone who for years shot Tri-X black and white film, and Ektachrome color slides because they could be processed and submitted to a publisher within a few hours, there is nothing like taking some digital shots, running them through Photoshop, and zipping them off to their destination over the Internet. But in the process, photography has lost its magic. And some of its charm.

More: continued here