Improve Your Skills – Shoot Less!

Writen by Eric Hartwell

I remember picking up my first digital camera – it felt small and unsubstantial against my sturdy film equivalent. All battery powered and no film to load – it wasn’t real photography.

Within an hour, however, I had been converted as I could immediately see the images I was producing. No more waiting for the mailman to arrive with my photos and no more trips to the store.

I was converted. This freedom led me to purchase more memory cards so that I could take and download many more images.

I was shooting at will and would often take 200 or more images in a session. This was Ok because I could discard what I didn’t want and try again. There was no film to pay for – the only cost was the batteries and they could simply be recharged.

I now realise that there was another cost. With all this constant snapping I was losing my skills as a photographer. Sure, I could see a scene, shoot it and make appropriate adjustments on the camera before shooting again. But I stopped thinking “before” I pressed the shutter release.

Digital had cost my skill. Or almost.

I gradually realised that I no longer viewed the scene before I put the camera to my eye. I didn’t see the components in their entirity and I didn’t compose as accurately as I should. I forgot to look for lamposts coming out of people’s heads and didn’t get the groups to all look at the camera at the same time. I relied on repeating a shot to get it perfect and when I downloaded my images I could have easily have discarded 90% or more of them.

This wasn’t what I wanted in photography and the digital medium, which was such a great advance in photography, had been taken and manhandled by me. I was becoming a bad photographer.

But now I have reformed. I still take shots that I am not proud of and I still discard a good proportion of my images. But I think more than I used to in order to harness the digital medium rather than ignore it.

Now I shoot less. And by doing so I put more thought into each image. I look for the right light, the right expression, the right patterns and the right timing. I look around the viwefinder to see what is there and try, where possible, to get an image that needs little or no manipulation after download.

I ask myself a series of questions: why am I taking this shot? what do I hope to achieve? what needs to be added or taken away to make the image better? where is the light coming from, where does it fall and what quality does it have? what adjustments do I need to make before taking the picture – how can I harness the power of my camera in order to get it right first time?

I have seen an improvement in my work. I am no expert and there are plenty of people with far greater skill than I. But now I enjoy the picture taking process even more than I used to. I can capture all the benefits that digital has to offer but with the constant thought that it was I who was the photographer and it was I that observed, composed and created the picture.

Now more of my images please me. That is all I ever wanted.

Eric Hartman is a keen photographer and owner of the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and weblog http://photographyonline.blogspot.com

A Great Photo, but do you need a Photography Course?

Writen by Finn Jensen

Photos can look great. An astonishing landscape can transport the viewer to another time and place. Maybe it is just for a fraction of a second. A great photograph of a person can look into the person’s soul, and let you share their smiles or tears. A great photo communicates to the viewer. There is an enormous market out there for photographs. Publishers know that the people who buy their materials want photographs that reach out to them. Visual communication is something that we all can relate to. Subjects out there to take photos of are never ending. The only limitations are within your mind.

But what is it that makes a photograph successful? A photography course can definitely help you, but the answer is fairly simple, and you can improve your photography today, if you just learn a few very basic rules.

However, rules are meant to be broken. Some of my favorite photographs very purposely break a lot of the basic rules. But to break the rules in a way that enhance a photograph and effectively turns it into a great photo, you first have to know the rules and second you must have a reason for breaking them.

Number one: Get in close, really close, much closer than you think.
The first, and most essential, rule: Simplify. The more you simplify a photograph, the more attention you draw towards your subject. And the more attention you draw towards your subject, the more successful you will be in communicating your message to the viewer. There are approximately a million ways to do this, so I will keep it simple and stick to my preferred technique here, and that is to get in as close as possible. When you do that, you eliminate anything in the background that may distract from your subject.

Number two: The photographic composition
Most strong photographs position their main elements in certain specific places of the frame. When you think about where you want to put your subject in the photo, you are composing your picture. When a painter starts out with a blank canvas, he or she has full control to decide where to put that river, those mountains, the trees, clouds and whatever thing that needs to be included. Creating a photograph, you ought to go through the same process.

Number Three: Is there a better way to do it?
The last thing we will talk about is point of view. The photographers’ point of view more exact. How often have you seen something worth taking a photo of – perhaps a barn, a tree, or your dog – and picked up your camera to take a picture right then and there? If this is the way you go about taking photos, you can noticeably improve your technique with one simple process. Just walk around the subject. Notice how the background changes as you move 360 degrees around your subject. Try to lie down on the ground and point the camera up at your subject. Climb up a ladder and look down, trying the same thing. Tilt the camera vertically, even diagonally. Take a whole roll of film or fill a whole memory card if you use a digital camera, of the same subject from different points of view and compare the results. You will surprise yourself. You will certainly surprise the viewer by trying something different and that will add power to your photo.

So, should you take a photography course? I think so. It does not have to be a long tedious one with a lot of technical stuff and hour after hour with boring behind the desk lecture. No, go out and play with you camera – I will see you out there!

Huge amount of information on Photography Course – check out for your self.

Tips for Purchasing a Digital Camera Lens

Writen by David Peterson

Your lens is an essential element to good photographs. It’s not just your camera. People spend thousands of dollars on a good camera and neglect the lens.

Change that around! Make sure you buy a good camera lens when purchasing a camera. Buy a good camera as well, but don’t neglect a good camera lens.

Why? Your camera is just the ‘holder’ for the photograph. The lens is what your camera sees all your shots through. A good lens is essential to clear and sharp photos.

With most compact digital cameras, you can’t change the lens. So in that case, don’t just buy a good camera, ensure it also has a good lens.

Avoid a plastic digital camera lens because it doesn’t have the clarity of a glass lens.

What model of lens?

Stick with camera lenses from well known manufacturers like Nikon, Canon and Pentax. Ensure you purchase a lens that works with your camera too. A Nikon camera lens usually won’t work well with a Canon camera.

There are specialty lens manufacturers like Carl Zeiss, Leica and Leupold. If you’re a beginner, don’t worry about these lenses until you are more advanced as they come with very high prices and it’s hard to justify the price for the small increase in quality.

Types of Camera Lens

The most common lenses are : Wide Angle, Normal and Telephoto. The type of lens is determined by the Focal Length of the lens. See below. A Zoom Lens is simply a lens that can change Focal Length from a Wide Angle to a Telephoto (or somewhere inbetween).

There are a number of things to look for when purchasing a camera lens.

Lens Focal Length

The Focal Length of a lens determines the amount of magnification and angle of vuew the lens can see. The Focal Length is measured in mm. It’s the Focal Length that determines if the lens is a:

- Wide Angle; small magnification, wide angle of view. 20mm to 35mm

- Traditional, or Normal; 50mm

- Telephoto; high magnification, narrow angle of view; 105mm to 300mm.

- Zoom; A Zoom lens can change it’s focal length to zoom in. A Zoom lens might have a Focal Length of between 50mm and 150mm.

Some lenses are interchangeable between film cameras and digital cameras, but you need to be aware that the effective focal length CHANGES between film and digital. The focal lengths I describe above are for FILM cameras and need to be multiplied by 1.6 to get the effective focal length on a digital camera. So using a film 35mm lens on a digital camera has an effective focal length of 56mm.

What does this mean for you? It means that you won’t get as wide angle on a digital camera as you would on a film camera using the same lens. A 35mm lens which gives a medium wide angle on a film camera acts as a traditional lens on a digital camera

This is a complex subject, so I can’t go into too much detail here. If you need more help, the best person to speak to would be your local camera store’s resident expert.

Lens Speed

The ’speed’ of a digital camera lens also defines a lens. The speed is determined in f-stops and is similar to the f-stop aperture setting on your camera. Faster lenses are more expensive and usually heavier.

Focusing Distance

This is the minimum distance from the camera lens that a subject must be to be in focus. Don’t worry about getting a camera with a close focusing distance. Concentrate on a telephoto instead.

More Advanced Features

More expensive lenses have more advanced features.

- Vibration Reduction. A feature called ‘vibration reduction’ keeps images sharper when shooting in low light. They help to counter any vibration in the camera. Try to find a digital camera lens with this feature.

- USM USM stands for Ultrasonic Motor. This feature of Canon lenses gives you a high speed auto focus but the main benefit is the ‘motor’ is almost silent, so you don’t disturb people around you when your camera is focussing.

- Filter Thread. When purchasing a half-decent lens, it should have a filter thread. This is a thread that allows you to screw on a filter (such as a polariser) to help when photographing difficult situations. Even if you don’t need filters right now. it’s handy to purchase a lens with a thread so you can add a filter later.

You get what you pay for

Generally the more expensive the lens, the better it is. More expensive lenses usually have a higher number of glass elements in the lens, which also makes them heavier.

Final Notes

While it is important to choose good quality camera lens, for beginners it isn’t as important as good composition. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can only take a great picture with an expensive top-of-the-line lens. A badly composed picture won’t look great with a great camera lens.

I don’t mean to discount the importance of a good quality lens. A good rule is to only add to your lens collection only when you have a specific need for a particular digital camera lens.

Do your research and your homework first, and find the lens that suits both you and your camera.

Digital Or Film?

Writen by TJ Tierney

Having lost count of the number of people who have asked me: “have you gone digital?” I am always left wondering why it’s such a much-asked question. The camera is only a tool in which a photographer creates an image. His personal ability to create a unique image remains the same.

For many forms of photography, digital has long held obvious advantages, but for landscapes the resolution necessary to make larger prints just wasn’t available. But things have changed and digital cameras are fast becoming the tools that most pros use.

Modern digital cameras are perfectly capably of matching the 35 mm film – the format which most landscape photographers begin with. But can they really match the large format film cameras? This is probably the greatest question that all photographers face.

Instant LCD feedback is digitals greatest gift and this enables the photographer to check exposure and composition of their image in the blink of an eye. While this is a big advantage, the hours spent in front of the computer processing the raw images have to be hindrance. A landscape photographers time is best spent behind a camera not in front of a computer.

The pros and cons of digital photography will remain an issue for some time. At the end of the day a digital camera won’t make a photographers images better. The same values we apply in our photography should remain regardless of which camera we use.

Good photography remains as elusive and as enticing as it ever was; going digital doesn’t change this or make getting good images any easier. It brings technical advantages, and plenty of them, but the majority of photographic techniques never change. Good landscape images come from the photographer’s personal ability, not the ability of a camera. The camera helps, but the creative eye remains the same.

As a landscape photographer I am still hesitant to embrace digital photography and all the qualities that digital has brought to other professionals in different photography fields.

There are a few simple reasons that I still use a film camera: The authenticity of my images could be questioned if I used a digital camera. It is often assumed that great digital images have been manipulated. Too much time is spent in front of a computer. Slide film produce stronger colours than a digital camera.

There are many advantages for changing to digital but I’m going to stick with film; for the time-being that is. With time film cameras will be a thing of the past and all our images will be exchanged for the pixels. But, be wary – believing our work will be superior would be falling into a great trap. For me size matters, the larger I can print an image the better.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. He frequently writes for the shopping directory http://www.shop-4us.com and the photography directory http://www.goldprints.com. To view or buy some of his images visit his on line gallery @ http://www.goldenirishlight.com.

Starting Your Own Photography Business – Essential Elements for Success

Writen by Kimberle Balsman

You love photography. Each time you view a beautiful sunset, you start thinking about lighting, shutter speed and aperture. You’re hooked! Gradually, you develop your skills until you feel certain that your talents rival those of the professional photographers in your area. You’ve had enough of the monotonous corporate world where all your efforts are devoted to making more money for the monkey in the corner office. That’s it – you decide you will start your own photography business. Now, where do you begin?

The best way to get started is to think small, not in terms of your future goals, rather in keeping focused on building your business with minimal start up costs. While you can, of course, obtain a small business loan to launch your business, such a course of action is risky. The great thing about starting a photography business is that you can get started without having to sign a lease, build inventory or invest in excessively expensive equipment. Overhead is manageable, and the risk is controlled. Not many other small business enterprises afford budding entrepreneurs such an opportunity. Don’t misunderstand me, however. Photography, whether as a hobby or a profession, is an expensive endeavor. Cameras, lenses, lighting, props and the myriad of other tools necessary to do a quality job can add up to many thousands of dollars. Yet, anyone who loves photography and has arrived at the point of considering starting his own photography business has already invested in much of the necessary equipment. All that remains, then, is good business sense and the sincere determination to convert a dream to a reality.

Good business sense, in terms of overall success, is far more important than one’s photographic skills. Don’t assume that building your business will be easy or that adequate preparation and education is superfluous. Utilize all resources available to you in your community. Many communities offer free or low cost small business courses through their recreation facilities. Local community colleges will likely offer a plethora of information and classes in business and economics. Contacting your regional Small Business Administration office is always a good place to start. When in doubt, consult an attorney or financial advisor to avoid serious business pitfalls.

Write an effective business plan, including a precise list of all equipment and start up expenses you expect to have initially and as your business grows. Then, add a conservative 20% to that figure. Let’s face it, when is the last time you spent less than you anticipated? Know your current financial status and what you can reasonably afford to spend on your business start up.

Carefully research and choose the organizational plan that is best for your business (i.e. Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, Limited Liability Company, etc.), as there are serious tax and liability consequences on both the state and federal levels. Consider purchasing malpractice and liability insurance to insulate your business, and your personal wealth, from the sting of financial loss due to litigation expenses.

The business of photography is unique, offering photographers numerous specialties and the ability to begin as a part-time venture that, in time, blossoms into a full-time career. In fact, many professional photographers began building their photography businesses while still employed full time elsewhere. If portraiture is your primary interest, setting aside a modest area of your home as a small studio is highly recommended. In conjunction with your small home studio, offer location portraiture. Controlling lighting and environment is trickier with location work, but the benefits of numerous site options for your clients far outweigh the drawbacks. If you are interested in commercial work, a very small studio set up in a corner of a room is all that is necessary. If you are drawn to the great outdoors and prefer wildlife or landscape photography, investment in expensive studio equipment is unwarranted. Take time to explore and assess your interest in the various photographic specialties before you embark on your journey to building a lucrative photography business.

Market your business in simple ways, at first. Distribute flyers, hand out business cards, develop and maintain a simple, elegant but functional website. Remember, your reputation as a professional photographer will grow and spread principally by word of mouth. So, make sure you offer only the best services and images to your clients. Once you begin to establish a clientele, remember to reinvest into your business to keep it growing.

Following these basic steps will help you to turn your passion for photography into an income-producing business you can be proud of.

© Balsman Photography, LLC

Kim Balsman is the owner of Balsman Photography, LLC, a small, professional photography studio in Longmont, Colorado. Kim’s background is diverse, including formal education in communications and law at Truman State University and the University of Houston, as well as professional photography studies at the New York Institute of Photography. Kim spent over a decade working as a paralegal, practicing in numerous legal specialties at various law firms in Texas. Throughout her career, Kim has written thousands of legal documents but prefers the creativity of writing short stories, novels and journalistic pieces. Some of her work has been published in corporate magazines. Kim has lectured at entrepreneurial symposiums and educational facilities and led an initiative to help small printing franchisees compete for demanding legal document reproduction business. Kim enjoyed a brief career in real estate as a Century 21 agent in New England, grossing more than two million dollars in sales in a matter of a few months. Kim and her husband, Bob, live in Colorado with their two teenage children.

Even Cheaper Cameras Are Good

Writen by Eric Hartwell

All cameras can take pictures. Some of those will be good pictures and some will be bad. Most of them will be adequate and will perform the function for which they were taken.

Whether your pictures are good or bad will depend on a number of things. Quality is dependent as much upon the camera as on the size of your sensor. Megapixels count for nothing if your camera and lens are substandard and nothing is overall more important than the photographer himself.

The biggest difference between the cheaper and more expensive cameras is versatility. Cheaper cameras, on the whole, have less functions and less flexibility. More expensive cameras have more options and are usually more rugged. Changeable lenses and bigger and better sensors make for the improved quality in expensive cameras.

But, things have changed a lot in recent years. Now, even cheap cameras are able to produce good quality images in units that also have a good degree of versatility. Even “old” digital cameras, such as the Canon A60, can hold their own with the latest models even if, as in the case of the Canon, there is only 2 megapixels on the sensor. And most cameras, like the Canon A60, allow the photographer to alter settings such as the focal length, shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting.

It is hard to go wrong with current cameras. Even if your budget is limited, you should still be able to buy a camera that fits your pocket as well as your needs.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

How To Make Money With Your Digital Camera

Writen by Rick Rouse

If you own a digital camera, you have probably taken at least a few photos that you think others would like. Did you know that it’s quite easy to make money with most any digicam – even a low-end point and shoot? Well, it is, and I’m going to tell you how to get started!

You don’t need to be an experienced professional photographer to start earning money with your digital camera. And you certainly don’t need a bunch of expensive photographic equipment. All you really need in order to earn some extra cash – and possibly even a good living – is a decent digital camera, an active imagination and a little practice.

First, let’s discuss the practice part. Get out and start taking a bunch of pictures. Take pictures of anything and everything you see including landscapes, buildings, automobiles, animals, peoplewell, you get the picture. Take pictures of everything, even things that might seem boring or uninteresting.

The key to getting several great pictures every time you pick up your camera is to take a boatload of them! In fact, I fill up my camera’s 2 GB memory card virtually every day. That’s 569 high-resolution images per day! Out of that many pictures, I almost always have several “keepers”. Of course the advent of digital cameras has made it very easy and inexpensive to take tons of pictures any time you want to.

Be sure to spend some time “learning your camera” as you take your practice shots. Practice using the different settings and “picture taking modes” available on your particular camera model so that you’ll be prepared to capture the best images possible under a wide variety of conditions. For example, low-light photography, action photography (sports) and portraits all require different skills and varying camera settings in order to produce the best results.

After you have become familiar with your camera and feel confident about using its various settings, it’s time to start making some money. Studio portrait photography probably isn’t an option unless you already own (or are willing to buy) the proper equipment. This includes a high-quality camera and lens, lighting equipment, backgrounds, etc. But there are plenty of other types of photography you can make money at with nothing but your quality digicam. For example, you can take pictures at birthday parties, amateur sporting events, family reunions and many other types of social events. You can also take pictures of local landmarks and tourist attractions and sell them on eBay or even your own website. The opportunities for making money by taking pictures is limited only by your imagination!

Regardless of the types of photographs you plan to take, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1 – Always take plenty of pictures. If you max out your memory card, you’re virtually guaranteed to have several great pictures that your client will be happy to pay you for.

2 – Take pictures from several different angles and with varying camera settings. It will do you no good to take 500 pictures at a birthday party if they are all exactly alike!

3 – Anticipate where the action is going to be and be there yourself when it happens. For example, if you’re taking pictures at little Johnny’s first Pee-Wee football game, make sure you’re in the best spot to get a good picture when he scores a touchdown.

4 – Always be practicing with your camera and learning new photographic skills. Spend some time online keeping up with the most popular photography forums as well as the numerous photography help websites.

5 – Submit some of your best photos for display on several photography websites such as TodaysPhoto.org. You’ll receive plenty of free exposure for your work resulting in more business.

Conclusion: You really can turn your photography hobby into a money-making venture. And who knows, you just might find that you can do it full-time and kiss your day job goodbye!

Cameras Of Tomorrow

Writen by Michael Colucci

One time you had only to look into a little lens and press a button to take a photo, but these days cameras are more complicated. Much advertising money is spent on telling us all just how simple and easy it is to take a photo, and it is certainly easier to load a film in the average camera now than it used to be, but you still have to know more about it. You can’t just pick up that brownie box and ready, aim, fire. There are warning lights that tell you to change your angle or adjust your exposure, to mention just a few.

So what is the camera of the tomorrow going to be like? Will it be so complicated that only a rocket scientist will be able to operate it? Probably not, since manufacturers must get good sales for their products. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that there are more sales in the masses than in an elite group of rocket scientists.

So come on guys, make it simple. How about a talking camera to tell us what to do? Just imagine Great-aunt Ethel lining up her new camera to take a picture of the latest nephew. The sun slides behind a cloud and the camera growls, “Hold it, stupid!” Ethel retrieves the camera from the grass, dusts it off and focuses again. “Beep-beep-beep! The subject is not smiling!” As the family gathers around with fans and cool drinks for Aunt Ethel, little Johnny grabs the camera and drops it into the fishpond, where it happily snaps the goldfish every time they wiggle.

The camera of the tomorrow may not talk, but at a recent exhibition in New York Canon had a prototype that waits until all the subjects are smiling before taking the picture. Another can tell if you’re blinking. These are expected to be commercial within a year. Fuji has already announced it has a digital camera far superior to most in clarity and resolution.

We think of the digital camera as possessing the most modern technology, but what if it is simply the Model T of cameras? Perhaps today’s digital cameras are the forerunners of some amazing new technology hiding around the corner, just waiting for someone with vision to invent it? Some time in the future, there will surely be moving 3D images that can be clicked into being on our desktops, in mid-air, or beamed to the other side of the world in less than a second. They’ll be in full color and at the click of a button, we’ll be able to hear what is being said. I can hardly wait!

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for Photography Tips and Digital Camera Reviews – Free sites that offer photography tips and camera reviews.

Choosing Your Digital Camera

Writen by Mike Morris

When choosing a digital camera, you need to decide what type of photographs you want to take with it. This article will assist in choosing a camera to meet your quality requirements.

Cameras are generally rated by “Pixels”, this term describes the tiniest dot on a monitor that a video card can set to an individual colour. Monitors when set to high resolutions, have small pixels which are more detailed. At lower resolutions they appear larger and more visible. This give the display the appearance of lacking in detail.

For a good quality appearance when printed a photo needs to be 300 DPI (Dots per Inch). You can work out the number of mega pixels you need in a camera for the appropriate size of photograph.

For example supposing we wanted to print a photo that is 4″ x 6″ the calculation is as follows:

4 inches multiplied by 300 DPI = 1200 pixels

6 Inches multiplied by 300 DPI = 1800 pixels

1200 x 1800 = 216000 which is 2.1 mega pixels.

You can now work out the best sized photographs you can take from the camera you are interested in.

A key factor in choosing a camera is the amount you can afford to spend. So set a budget first, and then see how powerful a camera you can get for the money.

Make sure you read the specifications and preferably handle the camera before you buy it. This way you can be sure that you are comfortable with the size and weight.

How many photos can you store in the camera at one time? You can store more at a lower quality, it is best to use the quoted total number for photos of highest quality as a guide. This total is before photos are copied to your PC. When downloaded onto a PC you can take the same number of photos all over again. If you are running out of space whilst out using the camera, you can always review the photos on the screen on the back of the camera and delete some to make more room. Most modern cameras will also allow you to swap the cameras memory card.

Can you plug the camera into your PC and use it as a web cam for video conferencing? This might not seem essential, but if there’s any possibility that it may be used as a web cam in the future, make sure that the camera has this function.

Make sure it has a built in flash unit. Without it, you will be unable to photograph in low light conditions, or you will have to artificially lighten every photo once copied to your PC.

You should choose a camera with a built in LCD screen and an optical viewfinder. The built in screen is at the back of the camera and allows you to immediately view the photo that you have just taken.

Preferably choose a camera that takes batteries that are easy to source, such as AA size. Rechargeable batteries can be expensive when they do need replacing. A couple of quick tips, first always carry spare batteries and second, use the optical viewfinder where possible as using the LCD screen as a viewfinder soon runs down your batteries.

Believe it or not, digital cameras don’t necessarily come with a case. Obviously handy for carrying the camera around and keeping it protected from the elements, especially rain! So you may need to budget additionally for a case if one is not supplied.

Don’t misunderstand the term “Digital Zoom”. This simply means that you can closely examine a photo that you have already taken. It is nothing to do with zooming in to an object some distance away before you take the photograph. For that you need to look at the “Optical zoom”, this being the real zoom value of the camera lens.

Finally, see how it connects to your PC. Most cameras come with a lead that has a USB plug for your PC. This may not be a standard USB lead, and the plug into the camera might have a unique fitting. Find out if the camera will be recognised by the PC as a mass storage device. This is preferable, because you can immediately connect it to most computers, without the need for custom software from the camera manufacturer.

Make sure your version of windows is supported whatever connection the camera takes to the PC.

Happy Snapping!!

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Print Better Images

Writen by TJ Tierney

It is often the simple things that spoil an image. Using simple techniques and a little care, you can easily give you images the attention that will do them justice. The materials used in printing your images play an important factor in the quality of the finished print.

Printer: When buying a printer think about the materials that you’ll be using. If your are going to be printing your images in large format buy a printer that can handle rolls of photographic paper. These printers are usually more expensive, but great savings can be made when buying paper.

Paper: Photographic paper comes in many different sizes and textures. It doesn’t do any harm to test a few different papers from different manufacturers to see which one suits your needs.

Ink: When buying inks for your printer I would strongly recommend that you buy from your printer’s manufactures. Third party inks will give you great savings but may not be suited for your printer.

When buying a printer, photographic paper or inks, it is advisable to plan well in advance. If you are only going to print a small amount of images it may be better using your local photo lab. If you’re planning to sell a large amount of images, your own printer will be very valuable. Having your own printer will ensure that you can process orders immediately after getting them.

In today’s world, offering a speedy delivery can be the difference in making a sale. Using a third party to print your images may take a week or more before you’ll get your images back. This will not be good for your business.

Presentation.

When you are happy with the quality of your printer you now need to consider presentation. Placing an image in to a cheap frame will not do anything for your prints. Presentation is all about giving your images the impact they truly deserve. Before you print your images start thinking about presentation.

It is often very effective to add a white border in Photoshop before printing. If you decide against Photoshop I would recommend that you mount your image before framing.

When finished printing match your prints to your computer screen. If you think you have a problem with your final print you may need to calibrate your computer. This is a common problem with a lot of people printing at home. Most advance photographic software comes with a basic calibration program, which can be simply used in improving results.

Printing Tips:

Before you print your images do a final check to make sure colours are perfect and that there are no marks on your image. Make sure that you have the right quality settings on your printer. Always use the best printing options available on your printer. If you are using heavyweight paper – load the paper one sheet at a time. This will avoid clogging. Once you are happy with your printing, allow your prints to rest for 24 hours, place a sheet of plain paper between each print when storing your images.

Other printing tips: Most ink and paper companies claim that their product dry instantly – this means that they are dry to touch. If you print you own images there are a few important points to follow before framing.

1 – allow your prints to rest for 15 minutes after printing.

2 – after 15 minutes place a sheet of white paper over the print – use standard paper – don’t use photographic paper. The paper acts as a sponge absorbing the outgoing gases from the printing process. Allow this process to continue for twenty-four hours.

3 – if the plain paper is crimped once removed, repeat the process for another twenty-four hours. If not, your image is ready for framing.

TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape Photographer. If you are looking for more tips visit: Photo tips. To view some of his images visit his on-line gallery: Pictures of Ireland