Choosing a New Camera

Writen by Geoffrey Lawrence

With so many camera models to choose from where do you start? Well, the way I choose any new toy these days is to start at the end. What do you want it to do? Err . . . take pictures. Yes but what kind of pictures and what are you going to do with them? The other burning question is how much are you prepared to learn?

As you are reading this and have actually made it to paragraph two, I think we can assume that you are prepared to learn at least a little. So what do you want to do? Do you want something that you can keep in your pocket at all times so you can snap the kids? Do you want a camera that will allow you to take pictures in any lighting conditions from any distance (with the right gadget screwed on the front of course)? Is this going to be a hobby or just some quick snaps?

The Learning Curve

I haven’t seen any cameras on sale in recent years that do not have a fully automatic ‘point and shoot’ mode, most will automatically switch on the flash for you when it is needed so you may wonder why we need all the other manual and semi automatic modes and an instruction book to make your head spin. The answer is that, although the camera can produce good exposures most of the time, there are times when, to get the results we want, we have to apply a little knowhow and select more appropriate settings than the camera would automatically choose.

Before choosing a camera with lots of knobs and dials it is a good idea to consider whether you are ever going to bother to learn what they are all for. I’ve been around cameras for many years now, and I’m still learning what all the settings on my latest camera actually do. I never bother to learn how to do something until I need to. So there are certain obscure settings that I have yet to find a use for. Of course it would be nice if we could choose just the buttons we need and have each camera custom made for us but in the real world all we can do is choose the level of control based on how much we think we might want to get involved. Generally speaking an SLR will have more knobs, dials and menus than a compact camera which will give you more control over your pictures but will have a much steeper learning curve.

SLR or Compact?

All the cameras on the market can be categorised into a few simple groups. The most important two groups are fixed lens and interchangeable lens. The fixed lens cameras tend, with a few exceptions, to be smaller, lighter and more pocketable, therefore you are more likely to have it with you when you need it. Well that’s the theory anyway but I think we can say that you are more likely to be bothered to take it with you on that outing to the beach or the zoo.

However even with today’s zoom lenses, which are pretty wonderful, you will often find that you are too far away or too close to get the picture you want so you need to be able to change the lens for a longer telephoto or a wider angle. The other major advantage of these single lens reflex (SLR) cameras is that you are actually looking through the lens instead of a separate viewfinder so what you see is what you get, although this is less of an issue now that we can review our photos on the screen of the digital camera. The down side of these SLR cameras is that you very soon end up with quite a heavy bag of gadgets and are less likely to carry it everywhere with you. However much I yearn for a compact camera for it’s handyness I know I would be frustrated by it’s shortcomings so for me the choice is SLR every time.

Digital or Film?

Do they still make film cameras? Oh yes they do and I wouldn’t mind betting that they continue to do so for many years and I wouldn’t mind betting that at some time in the future there will be a retro backlash and a large number of ’serious’ photographers will return to the darkroom. Some will probably claim that they have never used digital at all, ever.

You might think from the remarks above that I am a diehard supporter of film. Nothing could be further from the truth actually I am now fully converted to digital and loving it. I am going to make the pros and cons a separate discussion that will be posted soon but, for now, I’ll just say that I am completely sold on digital and do not feel that I have lost anything significant by changing.

Which brand?

This, of course, is the big question that you really want an answer to and you know that nobody is going to give you one. If you ask anyone who already has a camera most will support the brand of the camera they have unless they have had some trouble with it, even then people are very forgiving. I think the reason for this is that people think that, if they have made the wrong choice it is because they have somehow failed, and they are not going to admit their failure. Back in the 1980s I had a camera shop in England and at the time a lot of people, who already owned an SLR, were buying compact cameras ‘for the wife’. They would ask me which brand was the best and, if I didn’t already know, I would discreetly try to find out which brand of SLR they owned, then I would recommend the same brand of compact camera.

Trying to sell them another brand was like telling them they had made a wrong choice when buying their old camera and was likely to lose me a sale. So I’d better have a really good reason for not recommending the Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Pentax or whatever and I didn’t have one. All of the well known brands produce similar cameras at similar prices and, by and large, you get what you pay for.

I will stick my neck out a little bit here and say that in my humble opinion the manufacturers who make the best film cameras the Japanese Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Minolta and the German Contax and Leica seem to make the best digital cameras. I would not be too happy to put my trust in brands whose traditional expertise is in other fields when there are such good cameras available from the traditional sources. I will probably get a lot of hate mail from people who have bought Sony cameras or Hewlett Packard and are perfectly happy with them. If I wanted a printer Hewlett Packard would be top of my list and I am a huge fan of Sony video and TV equipment but my first choice for a digital SLR would be one of the names mentioned above.

How Many Pixels?

Until recently the quality of digital cameras was measured by how many pixels they boasted. Now we have cameras that can produce tens of millions and it has ceased to be the only test of quality. In the real world the number of pixels you need depends on how big you want to print your pictures. If you mainly want postcard size or A5 then I would consider 4 million pixels to be perfectly adequate. Even at A4 size I would be hard pushed to tell the difference between my 4 million pixel camera and my 6.5 million pixel camera. Don’t forget though that your cropping in the camera may not always be perfect so you may be enlarging only a portion of the image and so only using a portion of the available pixels.

Although an adequate number of pixels is important, the quality of your picture will be greatly affected by the quality of the lens. When Canon recently updated the EOS 300D (digital rebel) with 6.5 million pixels to the EOS 350D with 8 million pixels, the general consensus amongst reviewers seemed to be that the money you needed to spend on an upgrade would be better spent on a better quality lens. So the answer to the pixel question is that we seem to have now reached a point where enough is enough.

There is also a school of thought that we have reached the limit of the number of photo sensors that we can fit on a chip and that a greater number will cause the individual cells to be too small compared to the space in between them. Usually though, when someone says something like that, the following week the boffins announce a breakthrough which makes it all nonsense. You may have seen adverts for cameras, costing many thousands, that have 16 or 20 million pixels. These have sensors that are twice the size of those in the consumer cameras, hence the price. To me, the resolution of a 6 or 8 million pixel camera with a decent lens seems good enough for most purposes and on a par with the quality I used to get from a 35mm film camera.

In the past I have spent a lot of time and money in the pursuit of ultimate quality, I have owned a 5×4inch plate camera, a Hassleblad and two Mamiya medium format cameras, every major brand of 35mm camera and in the end, I would be hard pushed to tell you which photo on the wall was taken with which camera. A fellow photographer once observed that photographers tend to smell pictures rather than look at them, by which he meant that they were more interested in the graininess and sharpness of the image than the actual image itself.

Geoff Lawrence has been a professional photographer for many years and now runs a website http://www.geofflawrence.com offering advice to people who want to improve their photography.

Look Through Your Old Images

Writen by Eric Hartwell

It doesn’t matter how old you are, have a look through your old photographs.

I mention age simply because many of you reading this will still be relatively new to photography. You may even be very young and have taken charge of your first, or one of your first, cameras. For those in this category you may not have many “old” photographs. In fact you may not have any at all.

For the older ones amongst us we will still remember the times when film was the only medium. If you are like me, you will have stacks of old photographs lying around the house.

They are valuable not just in a sentimental way, but in an educational respect also. If you look through them you will gain a sense of how you have progressed through the years (or months).

You may find images that you thought were perfectly acceptable then but which, on hindsight, are less than spectacular. Blown highlights. Blocked in shadows. Poor focussing and unsatisfactory depth of field.

You may notice incorrect composition, adverse lighting and camera shake. In fact you might notice a whole range of negative factors.

None of this should worry you! In fact, you can be congratulated for noticing these faults. It means that, however long you photographic career has been, you have progressed to the extent that you can recognise now what you couldn’t then. This is education.

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

Digital Camera Review Guide – Right Camera, Right Shot!

Writen by Rika Susan

Do the digital camera review rounds as part of your homework before deciding on a digital camera, and you are going about it in the right way. Looking through the many available professional reviews, is time well spent.

However, you will want to be careful about rating the reviews themselves. Some digital camera reviews take a genuine, in depth and objective look at the camera, whereas others are little more than marketing exercises by agents!

The digital camera reviews you will find about some of the very latest digital cameras, are often based on pre-production models made available to the reviewers. In most cases this should present no problem, as the reviewers who get hold of these cameras are generally knowledgeable individuals, and will point out potential problems that still need sorting out.

Take seven snapshots of any digital camera review, to make sure that the reviewer has given you enough information to be able to compare cameras.

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 1 – Pixel Power: Is it a 5MP, or 6MP, or 8MP camera? What is the size of the image sensor (CCD)? How does it compare to other cameras in the same range? Remember, the number of pixels is not the only important aspect for a better image – you also have to check the size of the CCD.

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 2 – File Format: Which file formats are supported? Only JPEG, or also RAW? Many photographers are now waking up to the post-processing possibilities of RAW files, and you may want to have that option available!

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 3 – Lamp For Light: Does the camera have an auto-focus assist lamp for low lighting conditions? Without it you are often fairly restricted in low light situations.

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 4 – Battery Backup: How about batteries? A proprietary battery can have a very effective life span, but they tend to be expensive – and you do need a backup for when on the road or in the mountains. Many excellent digital prosumer cameras, such as the Olympus SP500 Ultra Zoom, work on simple AA batteries which you can easily replace when in trouble!

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 5 – Focus Feature: If you buy a good prosumer camera with which you want to do some experimenting (and being able to experiment is a major plus of having a digital camera in the first place!), you will want to know that you have a manual focus option for those tricky situations…

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 6 – Manual Makeup: What is mentioned regarding the camera’s manual settings? Can you set shutter priority, or aperture priority? Do you have full manual control over the most important aspects of exposure? It will be a pity if you start shooting away, trying new things you never dared with your film camera (costs!), only to find that you have virtually no manual control!

Digital Camera Review Snapshot 7 – Zoom Zone: Ensure that the review you are reading points out the important optical (real!) zoom capabilities – and not only gloat about the digital zoom facility – which is sometimes little more than a cropping tool!

Lastly, compare not only cameras, but also digital camera reviews. Shop around for the most informed opinion, before you decide on the camera…

For more information visit Best-Digital-Photography.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

Nikon Digital Camera D70’s – Does The Grade Up Justify The Upgrade?

Writen by Rika Susan

After Canon released its first Digital Rebel – an SLR designed to make it possible for novices to take excellent pictures, while at the same time offering lots of scope for advanced enthusiasts – Nikon soon answered with its D70, which has more recently been upgraded with the release of the Nikon D70s.

Reviewers have found it difficult to find this camera a real improvement on its predecessor, the D70 – which only attests to the quality and specifications of the older camera. This is truly a case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” – and Nikon dodn’t fall into that trap.

The new D70s has a 2-inch LCD which is slightly larger than the D70’s 1.8-inch screen, but this is not very noticeable.

It also uses a higher-capacity battery than its predecessor, and a slightly improved, more readable menu structure. In fact, in this area the D70 probably beats the more difficult-to-read menu system of the popular Canon Rebel cameras.

It retains the same useful manual focus facility where you just grip the focus ring and adjust the focus – even while autofocus is engaged.

As far as image quality is concerned, nothing changes about the excellent quality already achieved by the D70, as the imaging system remains the same. The new camera also retains the 6.1 megapixel resolution of the D70.

One area of improvement is the built-in Speedlight flash, which now gives improved exposure with flash shots, and more even lighting with wider zoom settings.

Probably the most impressive improvement lies in the speed of the new D70s. Start-up is almost instantaneous, and there is hardly any shutter lag to speak of. It is also able to shoot a rapid 3 frames a second for a continuous burst of 144 pictures!

The main question to ask regarding the Nikon D70s Digital Camera is not about its own capabilities, but whether or not it is worth the cost of upgrading from the D70!

More features of the Nikon D70s digital camera:

• The viewfinder of the Nikon D70s has a diopter adjustment for individual differences in vision. To adjust viewfinder focus the diopter control is adjusted up and down until the viewfinder display and focus brackets are in focus.

• The Nikon D70s offers a choice of seven Digital Vari-Program (pre-set) modes. When you select a program the camera’s settings are automatically optimized to suit the selected scene.

• The camera supports JPEG and RAW file formats, and the ISO range is 200-1600.

• Lenses: It accepts interchangeable Nikkor lenses.

For more information visit Best-Digital-Photography.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

Digital Photography: Now Everyone Can Join In

Writen by Eric Hartwell

In this age of digital photography, there are almost limitless opportunities for taking great photographs. Despite the seemingly bewildering array of cameras and gadgets, it remains a fact that sales of digital cameras have rocketed in recent years as people discard film in favour of electronic imagery.

The world is going digital!

And this is great news. The mysteries of photography are being uncovered and being shown for what they are – a mockery! There are NO mysteries. There are NO hidden talents. There are NO barriers.

Sure, to be great you have to work at it. But people who used to restrict themselves to mere snapshots are now experiencing the wonderful world of digital where the opportunities are limitless.

Consider the basic compact digital camera. Not only does it take programmable shots, it can also be set for aperture priority, shutter priority or manual. It can zoom and autofocus. It has a flash inbuilt and can take, in most cases, additional lens attachments.

This is great if you occasionally wish to delve into more select areas of your hobby.

But there’s more!

When you take your shots it doesn’t matter if they are not as you would like. It costs nothing to retake the shot with digital and, moreover, you can manipulate the image in a photo editing program at home. The great shots you do take can also be manipulated and enhanced.

What does this mean? It means the man-in-the-street can, at last, forget the complexities of film photography, can discard the reasons to hold back on taking photographs and can share his newfound freedom with others.

This is great for him but it is also great for photography as a whole.

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

Photography, Fun With Wildlife

Writen by Michael Russell

Photography is art. Photographing is to be in love with your art. We will be talking about the light side of photographing wildlife in just a minute. First, may I ask. What impresses you about photography? One of the best landscape photographers I ever knew was Ansel Adams. He was a master at what he did but in addition to this, he photographed areas that after his photo changed dramatically. He photographed the exact location of the San Francisco bridge, without the bridge. He was an artist in control of his light. Another photographer’s name escapes me but he did city landscapes. His photos had just the right light at just the right moment. Although he never saw what he was photographing, he saved the moment for us. You see, he photographed from the feel of the sun on his face to determine just the right moment as it were since he was totally blind.

I know a photographer that was flown 1500 miles to photograph a horse. Although he was impatient to photograph the horse, he waited for 3 days hanging around a pool and swimming while relaxing in the sun. He had deadlines to make so when he did photograph the horse, he was then flown several hundred miles to develop the photos then several hundred more miles to deliver them. Although impatient, his patience paid off with superb photos that were the making of his reputation. He waited the 3 days because the sun was not just right on any of those days. The person who hired him was impatient because he had a close deadline to make and the photographer had already arrived a few days late. The photographer was impatient because he wanted to get back home to see his newborn baby. The newborn baby was the reason he was late in the first place, and it was the lack of sun that detained him after he arrived.

Photographing wildlife is no different. You still have to be patient. The wildlife you seek may come to you if you are in the right place. In the process of going to them, you must follow some rules. The rules are to use common sense but most people don’t have common sense around animals. This is because they don’t live around them and don’t know how to behave around them. Let me give you an example. When visiting a National Park, I read about a gentleman that thought it would be cute to take a picture of a bear behind his steering wheel. He baited the bear with a trail of food, which the bear followed, right into his car. He then slammed the bear in his car, which, you guessed it; scared the bear and the bear trashed the inside of his car. When the Ranger arrived, he had to climb on top of the car, reach down and opened the door (putting the Ranger in danger). The door opened and the bear flew for cover. He had met more than his match. The visitor asked the Ranger why they kept such dangerous animals in the Park? Lesson 1. Don’t bait animals.

I remember Christmas morning several year ago (try 21 years), I was feeling sorry for myself because that was the first year I couldn’t go home for Christmas because I lived in the mountains and couldn’t leave for more than a day since I heated with wood. I decided to grab my camera and lens and set out for this peak to photograph elk. I knew where they would hang out so I headed back through 24-28 inches of fresh snow (uphill). I found the elk but I was too low and they were in the clearing. I sneaked back into the woods and popped out slowly where they had been, trying not to scare them. They weren’t there! I looked further up the mountain and there they were (Looking At ME). I tried to act like I wasn’t heading their way and back into the woods so I could come out where they were now. Out I came about 45 minutes later and they were NOT THERE! Up the hill I looked and there they were LOOKING AT ME! They had my number and I thought I heard them laughing that time. Lesson 2. Wait for them to give you the opportunity to be photographed.

Lesson 3. Never come between momma and her offspring. While hiking in a National Park on the trail, we came across some elk standing in the edge of the forest. The trail would be going right by them so I figured they would move on. They didn’t. They stood their ground and stomped their front feet and “barked” at us. Yes I said they barked at us! I never heard of this behavior before and no one that I knew confirmed hearing of it. We just left the trail and went around them. It was springtime and I would give odds they had calves hidden in the brush.

Lesson 4. Never get within the wildlife’s personal space. While out looking for an opportunity to photograph some Mule Deer, I wasn’t quite paying attention but just walking along. You know how you feel when you think someone is staring at you? All of a sudden, I looked down over this ridge I was passing by and there were about a dozen sets of eyes staring at me. They were watching me to see if I would be a threat. I was just out of their personal space so they didn’t take flight. I stopped, pulled out my camera with my long lens and took pictures for 45 minutes. They didn’t feel threatened and I got close with my lens instead of my body.

Lesson 5. Keep your pets under control around wildlife. I was riding horseback through some backcountry trails in the spring. I had a dog that found me so I always kept him on a leash even on horseback (be sure of your horse and don’t get in trouble with this one). We came up over this ridge at a good trot and down into a little sheltered opening. Before I noticed, I was in the middle of a calving area for elk. There were about 30 cow elk and their calves in that sheltered area and I just kept going as if we belonged there. If that dog would have not been on a leash, something terrible would have happened. Just a note also, the elk didn’t panic because of the horse. Chew on that a while.

Although there are a lot more lessons, I want to leave you with this. Enjoying wildlife is like enjoying children. You want them to have fun. You want them to feel safe. And you want them to have positive interactions. Horses have been domesticated for 2000-3000 years and yet if frightened, they will revert to the thinking of a wild animal. Wildlife are wild animals and they need to be respected as such. Think before you photograph and photograph when it feels just right like the sun warming your face.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Photography

How to Organize your Digital Pictures using Picasa

Writen by Alex Timaios

The boom of popular and affordable Digital Cameras has generated an increased Need for Digital Imaging Software. One important requirements is the ability to Organize and perform basic image enhancements on the Digital Pictures.

The most common requirements on Digital Pictures are:

- The ability to organize the digital material and access to all digital pictures from One application

- An overview of all taken pictures over the time

- The ability to perform basic editing operations like red-eye removal, improve Color saturation and sharpening

- The ability to create Slide Shows in a very easy and intuitive way

- To burn Gift CD

Canon IXUS 800 IS / Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Review

Writen by Andy Needham

The Canon IXUS 800 IS presents a very stylish look. It has a metal body and the build quality of the camera appears to be good. In terms of features the camera is quite straightforward and is basically a point and shoot camera in a smart shell. In terms of size the IXUS 800 IS will fit into a good sized pocket, but it is just a little on the large size for me to consider it to be a true pocket sized camera. This is a six megapixel model.

Optical image stabilisation is the key feature. This is the first Canon IXUS model to include stabilisation. One of the reasons why image stabilisation is useful in a digital camera is because of the way these cameras are typically held when taking a picture. People tend to use the LCD screen to line up a shot. This causes them to hold the camera away from the body. It is much harder to keep the camera rock steady and the resultant movement can lead to blurred pictures. Image stabilisation can also come in handy for lowlight photos.

The camera has a 4x optical zoom lens. This is a step up from the 3x that is standard for this range. In my opinion when it comes to zoom every little helps.

Other noteworthy features include a large 2.5″ LCD screen. The IXUS 800 IS is also one of the decreasing numbers of digital cameras to offer a viewfinder as an alternative method of lining up a shot. There are also a wide range of colour options. These include being able to swap colours and to show a single colour in an otherwise black and white photo.

The IXUS 800 IS also has an advanced movie mode. As well as being able to produce the standard TV quality movies there is also a special second mode. This allows you to take short one minute movies, but with a very fast frames per second speed. The fast recording speed then allows you to playback the movie in slow motion. This feature is popular with people who wish to analyze something like a golf swing.

As with other cameras in the Canon range I do not consider the IXUS 800 IS to be one of the easiest digital cameras to get to know. It can be used in fully automatic mode. Therefore you should have no problem clicking away and taking photos. If you want to dig deeper into the camera it takes a bit longer to find your way around then with other more simple brands such as Sony and Panasonic. It is worth it in the end though.

In terms of picture quality I was impressed with the test shots I managed to take. I regularly find that the images taken with Canon cameras are sharper than with other brands. The IXUS 800 IS confirms this and it is possible to take crisp photos with the camera. It also performed well indoors when the light was not so good. These conditions can cause digital cameras to struggle, but I consider the IXUS 800 IS to be one of the better bets in lowlight. I should point out though that I did have a problem with red eye in portrait shots when I needed to use the flash.

If you are looking for a good quality camera then I am happy to recommend the Canon IXUS 800 IS. In my view it is a clear step up from many of its rivals. It does not come cheap though and it sells at a premium to just about every other digital camera in its class.

This article was provided by Andy Needham of http://www.cameras.co.uk/. Cameras.co.uk provides digital camera reviews, price comparisons and general help for buying digital cameras. There is also a special section where you can ask a question if you would like further help.

For a more detailed review of the camera and to see some sample images please visit http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/canon-ixus-800-is.cfm

Five Best Tools for Image Editing

Writen by Kenneth C. Hoffman

Amateur digital photographers these days like to tweak their photos in an image editing software. They all use similar tools to change the images to match how we want the image to look. While some tools are considered as being for advanced use, others are so effective that it serves the amateur well if they learned how to use them.

The cropping tool can eliminate unwanted areas, emphasize the main interest and arrange the centers of interest in a more pleasing location. Most photos are taken too far away to show good impact so the cropping tool can help save these images from being mundane and less effective.

The image adjustment tools of contrast and brightness can correct over or underexposure, skin density, true black levels (when needed) and bright but detailed highlights. Unless you hit the correct exposure right on the head, these tools will be necessary to make a pleasing print. Most software feature a screen of boxes with various changes in brightness and contrast in your image from which to choose. These visual selections are a good start towards what is needed to make the picture right. Several tries may be necessary to find the right level of adjustment.

A similar set of boxes contain samples of color changes. Not all light is perfectly balanced in the camera. Faces can look bluish in cloudy weather, your white tablecloth can come out yellow and a reflection from a colored surface can do weird things to the real color in your picture. Generally, only slight changes will be needed since most digital cameras automatically adjust for color balance to some degree.

When one of your pictures would be a great shot if weren’t for one item in the picture that ruins the whole thing and cropping can’t solve the problem, then bring out the cloning tool. Sometimes called a rubber stamp, this tool can copy one area of the image to another area of the same picture very easily. To become adept using this tool requires a little practice, but the amazing and wonderful results are worth the extra trouble. The many uses of the clone tool include: extending a background for better centering of the main interest, removing an unwanted item from the image, raising or lowering an item or person in the picture, retouching skin blemishes and cleaning up dusty areas.

Solving unusual problems in a picture is when the paint bucket tool comes to the rescue. An otherwise perfect scenic that lacks a blue sky can easily be fixed with the paint bucket tool. Just mask the sky with the magic mask, choose the lightest and darkest blue you would like your sky to be, and click on the blend paint tool for a perfect blue sky. Solid colors are even easier to replace with this tool. Even patterns can be painted on masked items in any color. Every tool I have mentioned in this article can be adjusted as to power and transparency. I recommend starting with a medium or low power with a feathered brush while you gain proficiency with these tools. You’d be surprised at the professional looking results. You’d better go out and buy the frame now, just to be ready.

Retired portrait photographer likes to photograph flowers.

How to Take Better Photos of Your Baby or Toddler

Writen by Amanda Compton

Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies and toddlers. We all want professional looking photos for our children without paying a fortune! This better baby photo article will help you take the best photos you can and you don’t even have to own an expensive camera.

When I had my first baby 4 years ago, I became extremely interested in photography. I wanted to capture every precious moment and every important milestone on film. I am sure you are just like me in wanting to take these same precious photos of your baby or toddler. I now use a digital camera and take professional looking photos everyday of my 2 little boys from these 5 simple tips below. These 5 tips will help you take better baby and toddler photos.

1.) The first tip I suggest is to be aware of the lighting. The best place to take photos is outside in a natural setting. You should take photos early in the morning or late in the evening right before the sun sets. Remember to use your flash for fill flash outside. This lighting produces stunning results!

2.) The second tip I suggest is to get closer to your baby or toddler and get down to their level. Never photograph your baby or toddler from above.

3.) The third tip I suggest is to make the setting/background simple. Try to place your child near a simple or plain background.

4.) The fourth tip I suggest is to take lots and lots of photos. The more photos you take, the more photos you will have to choose from. You may just get lucky with an adorable one of a kind photo of your baby! You may capture the perfect moment! So, never stop taking pictures!

5.) Invest in a good digital camera. It doesn’t have to be an expensive digital camera. You can buy a good digital camera for under $300. I use an inexpensive Kodak digital camera and great photos of my baby every time.

You are now on your way to taking better baby and toddler photos.

Copyright 2005 -All Rights Reserved About The Author: Amanda Compton is a work at home mom to 2 little boys. She owns and publishes a fun site for Babies and Moms, http://www.ContestForMoms.com featuring a free baby photo contest, mom forums, and lots of baby & mom information!

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are kept as-is