Digital Like Photography Techniques Just Like the Pros

Writen by Low Jeremy

Eric was finally able to buy a digital camera. Though the price of this was very affordable, the delay was caused by other priorities, which also needed to be dealt with.

The reason why Eric decided to get a digital camera was to see if it was possible to shoot the same images as those seen in the magazines or in the newspaper. This may just be a hobby and not full time but this person wanted to learn and be just as good as the experts.

The first thing that Eric did is being familiar with all of the functions of the digital camera. The individual can make the adjustments or let the machine do it in order to get a clear shot.

There are no limits to the number of practice shots that need to be taken. This is because a digital camera has a huge memory, which can hold up to 300 pictures in one session. When the individual is ready to take real shots, the old ones can be deleted.

Another technique to be just like the pros is to observe proper lighting when taking a shot. Some pictures will look better when a flash is used while others need to be adjusted to get a night shot. Digital cameras have this feature, which are not available in the old 35mm cameras made many years ago.

The individual should also know when to zoom in or out. There are two important factors such as the number of people and the type of background. The focus must be on the subject with the landmark or whatever is behind as the accent for the shot.

A lot of photographers both professional and amateur shoot with the model in the middle. Some have noticed better pictures when this is done with the subject on the side, which may work depending on the location.

The techniques in shooting just like the pros can be self-taught. There are also books and magazines available but it will be better if someone critiques the pictures by participating in a seminar or in a contest. The objective isn’t to win but to improve in the skills already learned by the individual.

The person can concentrate on taking great shots especially when there is no need to worry anymore about buying a roll of film or developing.

Choosing the Ideal Lighting Setup for the Studio

Writen by Kenneth C. Hoffman

Many a photographer starting out would like to know what lighting combination would work the best. A new studio has the advantage of starting with a new slate. Mimicking current studio setups may not always have the best arrangement because they sometimes have to make do with what was inherited or added to through the years.

The main light should be at least three feet wide and in a soft box configuration. The reason for this is that a soft box places the surface of the light close to the subject without getting in the way of the camera or photographer. Another reason is that the light is kinder to skin surfaces and tends to wrap around the features without losing the modeling.

The fill light works best if an umbrella reflector is used. This type of light does reduce the intensity which is a good thing for a fill light. An umbrella (at least three feet in diameter) also works well further from the subject and out of the way of the photographer. The fill light should be placed as near the line of the camera as possible to avoid getting under eye shadows (bags) and in order to prevent double shadows from the nose and chin.

A hair light should be wide and shallow in order to spread the light horizontally but not shine into the lens. A built in shade can be used with this soft box for working close to the top of the head of the subject and not shine light into the lens. The soft box type of hair light allows working close to the head while still presenting a wide angle of light. A spot type hair light is much too narrow for showing the hair in it’s true colors and will too easily burn up lighter colored hair.

The back light can be a round regular reflector situated directly behind the subject or preferably off to one side but out of the picture. This latter type of back light should be snouted rather tightly for a narrow angle so as not to spill onto the subject unless for special effects (edge lighting with black background).

A kicker light on the other side of the room can be used for edge lighting, additional background light for high key effects or as a spot light on specific background props.

All lights should be calibrated for a specific ISO and balanced for equal intensity. The exception is the fill which should be from two the three and one half stops weaker than the main light. There are many other lighting setups that work for special effects. Among them are the single spot (use the back light) on the face (metered, of course), a single main light at a strong angle with all other lights bounced off the walls and ceiling for a strong but soft modeling effect. However, ninety per cent of the regular portraits will be well served with the five light setup detailed above. Photogenic lights have been a favorite in many studios. For digital work, three hundred watt seconds per light should be sufficient. With a Canon DSLR you can set the camera manually at F5.6 or F8 for plenty depth of field using a 150 mm focal length portrait lens. This foolproof lighting setup produces beautifully lit portraits of babies, children and families alike.

Retired portrait photographer of forty eight years.

The Difference Between DPI and PPI

Writen by Ziv Haparnas

Most people heard the term DPI. In most cases the term is used in the wrong context to express the number of pixels in a photo, the number of dots in a print or the maximum dots per inch a printer can output. A relatively new term PPI was introduced in order to resolve this wrong usage of the term DPI. In this article we will try to explain in simple words what is DPI and what is PPI and should each be used.

PPI: stands for Pixels per Inch. PPI describes the number of pixels per inch in a photo. PPI is a function of the number of pixels the camera’s sensor supports (also known as megapixels) and the size of the photo. To calculate a photo’s PPI simply multiply the page length by its width in inches. The result is the number of square inches on the page. Now divide the number of pixels the sensor supports by the number of square inches. The result is the number of pixels per square inch. All that is left to do is to find the square root of this number. Following is a table that shows the PPI for various page sizes for a 5 megapixel camera.

page size 4X6 – 456 PPI
page size 5X7 – 377 PPI
page size 8X10 – 250 PPI
page size 11X14 – 180 PPI
page size 16X20 – 125 PPI
page size 20X30 – 91 PPI

DPI: stands for Dots per Inch. DPI is really a physical characteristic of a printer. Every printer prints dots that when put next to each other comprise a photo. Each dot has a physical size. DPI is also known as the maximum resolution that a printer is capable of. Low-end printers have lower DPI while high-end printers have higher DPI. DPI is defined as the number of dots a printer can print per inch. For example if a printer supports 1200 DPI it means that the printer can print 1200 dots per inch (on both X or Y axis). When printing it is important to make sure that the DPI is higher or equal to the PPI. If the DPI is lower than the PPI the printer will not be able to fully display the high resolution of the photo. When printing a photo that has a lower PPI than DPI the printer will use multiple dots to represent one pixel. As opposed to PPI, DPI is not relative to the page size. DPI is a fixed number for a given printer.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on http://www.printrates.com – a site dedicated to digital photo printing.

Saving Old or Damaged Photographs

Writen by William Berg

The first photographic prints were typically based on high quality linen rag papers. The linen rag paper was coated with liquid containing gelatine, and once the gelatine had stabilized the picture could have a very long life time. To make the image even more stable, sepia or selenium were often used. When sepia was used, the image got a brownish tone. When selenium was used, the tone of the picture would instead be light and silvery. If you want to be able to store your photographs for a long time, you should only use fibre-base paper, such as the old linen rag sheets. Today, there is fibre-based paper available that has been processed in order to meet archival standards.

Ordinary paper is usually less reliable than high-quality linen rag paper when it comes to protecting an image from the wear and tear of time. Paper can easily become too dry when stored and eventually crack. On the other hand, high humidity can also cause the picture to vanish. One of the main problems when trying to save old photographs is that tiny amounts of photographic fixer medium have been left on the paper, which will eventually cause a change in the colours and even complete image loss. Similar problems can be caused by contaminants from the water that was used to wash away the fixer medium from the image when it was processed. Today, fixer is removed during 30 minutes or more and the water must be changed at least six times for every 30 minutes. Commercial companies will often add certain chemical to the soaking to make the process more rapid.

Regardless of paper quality, photographs should never ever be allowed to become wet. Unfortunately, accidents do happen. There are several ways of trying to rescue wet photographs and the result will naturally depend on a wide range of factors, including how wet the photographs got, how soon you discovered the damage and in which shape the photos were to begin with. Do not allow a pile of wet photos to dry out, since they will become stuck and impossible to separate without severely damaging the image. Never use force when separating photographs from each other. Instead, place your photos in a bucket with cool water. It is important that the water is clean and fresh. The emulsion might be released into the water. It is therefore important that you check the water regularly and change if it looks impure.

In really difficult cases, you only option might be to leave the photos in water for an entire day. Some of them might never recover from being soaked, but at least you have a better change of saving them with this method than by the pull-by-force method. You can also turn to professionals for help. If you have old vintage photos, a conservator is usually the best choice. Ideally try to find one that specializes in old photographs. With modern photos, you can instead contact a photo lab.

A good way to learn more about photography and how to take good pictures is to visit photo blogs and discuss photos with other amateurs. Dog photos or other blogs.

Photography: Underwater Tips

Writen by Eric Hartwell

You can get some great images using your camera underwater. Think about the following to ensure you don’t miss that important shot:

Get an underwater housing – most cameras can be fitted with a specialised, waterproof underwater housing. These are available from specialised retailers or from online auction sites.

Think about an underwater camera – this is specifically designed to be moisture-proof and sustain the rigors of immersion in water

Having the sun overhead (that is around either side of midday) gives the best results underwater

The surface of the water will give more light – if you are underwater, try and angle your camera upwards

Conversely, the depths are darker and may give you exposure problems – deep water makes everything look murkier

Most things look closer in water especially if you are looking through goggles or a mask – get closer to your subject to compensate for this illusion

Experiment! – shoot into the sun for backlit silhouettes, look around for interesting subjects – include the human element in your fun shots

Come up to the surface and see what images would be like with the camera only partly immersed

Ensure your background is free from clutter – a tidy background will give your subject more “punch”

Look for powerful colors and shapes – these add more impact

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

Faking Fitness in Family Photos

Writen by Mary Fagan

Concerned that you look larger than life in family photos? Shocked by the images you see after a shutterbug hits? Not to worry. Just follow my solution for faking fitness in family photos and you too can look fabulus.

Why go through the hassle of reductive surgery or sweet deprivation when I have perfected photo fitness retouching? On a good day, I can whack off 10 to 20 pounds from wide format originals and then share the moments with the whole family. No pain for the gain.

Let’s begin with the two fundamental ways to alter your ego through your images: retouching and reprinting existing photos, and the use of digital techniques. If you want to look your best with standard prints, you are stuck with scanning, retouching and reprinting photos using photo imaging software and your computer. This took so much time that I went out and bought my brother-in-law, Don, the family cameraman, a digital. It was worth the small fortune so that I could look like a million. He thought I was very generous. So did I, hence the camera purchase. And once you’ve gone digital, you’ll never go back.

The techniques are the same whether you scan and retouch or just download and retouch. Let’s focus on the reduction techniques. You should get familiar with the clone, smudge, re-size, lighten and blur tools – your new best friends. These little helpers work effectively to dwarf your stomach, thighs, cheeks and backside. Hi ho.

This no-fuss, no muss elective procedure begins with cloning. Clone a small portion of the area in your photo front of your stomach, buttocks or thighs over this area, replacing it ever so slightly. Next, take the smudge tool. Go over the edges where you just cloned background over your protrusion. Smudge toward your body, pulling in the pixels. This flattens your belly better than any stupid crunches. If you have chub in your cheeks, move the smudge tool over your hair and wisp it onto your cheeks. This reduces the amount of cheek showing and gives the impression of a thinner face, but don’t overdo with the hairdo.

Open the resize object tool. Reduce the width of your photo by 10 or so pixels while keeping the length the same. Everyone in the photo gets thinner – very fair. Speaking of fair, find dark areas like under your eyes and use the brightness tool to lighten them a couple of steps. Don’t go overboard or you will be discovered and you will ruin it for all of us.

The finishing touch is to apply a slight blur to the whole photo. This reduces pore size and fades age spots better than nobody’s business. Sure, you won’t end up on the cover of Cosmo but you will be unexplainably photogenic. Just smile and say, “Pass the cheese.” Before long you will be manipulating your images like Bill Clinton in an election year.

These illusions will make you feel better unless some stupid relative passes around their own photos. For me, the solution to this has been to take control the family photos and rule them like a tyrannical despot. The time spent “working on” and making copies of photos for the family makes for a few less home cooked dishes but I haven’t missed any meals.

To date, no one has caught on to my fake fitness routine. Once, my husband once threatened to expose my photo fitness techniques to the family. After I threatened to stop making desserts, he kept his aperture shut.

Your Images are at Risk!

Writen by Eric Hartwell

You have spent lots of money and time on getting a good camera and taking lots of pictures. Now they are safely loaded onto your computer they need no further attention, right?

Wrong!

Your memories are precious. They are part of you and your world. They are for sharing and reminiscing over. They capture moments in time and can never be replaced. They catalogue what makes you tick and how you relate to others. For you, they have irreplaceable sentimental value.

For some, your images may be commercially valuable. Photos are always required by stock photo agencies and you may have invested a lot of time and effort into getting that important picture which could earn you a small fortune.

But, your images are still in danger and you need to act NOW to protect them. Thousands of people lose their memories every day, despite how well they look after them. Make sure it isn’t you.

How are images lost?

Accidental deletion: it is so easy to press the “delete” key when you wanted to press the “open” key

Computer crashes: your computer WILL crash. It doesn’t matter if it has always given you good service or if it is brand new. It will,at some point, crash, losing the contents of the hard drive

Loss or theft: despite how careful you think you are, computers are a target for thieves. They are easily sold and represent quick bucks for criminals. Believe it or not, people even lose laptops on public transport!

A catastrophe: if your house burns down, your computer goes with it. The same dangers arise with floods or any other form of accidental damage.

A virus: you are always at risk of catching a virus. This may or may not be harmful but some viruses can wreak havoc on your hard disk

Obsolete media: much of your work may be held on old floppy discs, computer tapes, old CDs. Media changes with time or become unsupported.

Online storage unavailable: either you have mislaid your login information or your online provider no longer exists

One thing is for certain, once something happens to destroy your images, you will suddenly realise how important they were to you. Trust me, I know, because it happened to me. Pictures of my family and friends were lost. And my dear relative, friends and animals that are no longer with me. And those precious moments – celebrations, parties, holidays.

The best advice is to not use your computer as the sole storage medium for your images.

You should additionally:

- print them and store them securely in an archival system

- subscribe to an online storage facility

or

- back them up either on DVDs or CDs or on a removable hard drive

Don’t let your images become vulnerable to loss or damage. Take action now to protect your valuable memories and secure your images forever.

Eric Hartwell is an experienced photographer and owner of the photography resource website ephotocentral

Photo Hosting

Writen by Robbie Darmona

Sharing and printing photos on the Internet has always been difficult for everyone. Trouble with attaching the photos when emailing as well as when uploading them inevitably occurs if you are trying to make it in the commonplace manner. Recently, the situation has improved by the appearance of online photo albums. There exists a large variety of different photo albums on the Internet. Their priority is to ease the process of photo sharing and printing. Online albums offer photo hosting for all kinds of photos. Both professional photographers and laics use the service to show their photos in publicity.

In what these photo sharing sites differ from the ordinary photo albums that people create on their web sites? The difference is only that online albums provide easier ways to share your photos. Many people in the past years became virtually fed up with life when they tried to upload their photos on a given web site. The procedure of uploading was so tediously long and took a really long time. First people had to scan their photos. Next, they had to convert them into a .gif or .jpg file format. They had then to resize the photo in case it doesn’t fit in the hosting services guidelines. Uploading it to the Web site’s server was the next procedure. Another thing was to ascertain the URL for the photo. Additionally, a code on the page had to be put, so that the photo would show up. As this long procedure wasn’t enough, people also needed to create thumbnails for every photo on the site so that loading of the page became faster (of course, not forgetting to create links to each graphic from the particular thumbnail!). If there were too many photos, the site would take years to wholly load. Uploading digital photos is a little bit easier, as scanning and format converting are omitted, but there still remain the other exasperating procedures, which usually take forever to accomplish.

What are the priorities that photo hosting sites have over the commonplace photo albums on web sites?

Pixyshare.com is designed to accomplish the whole uploading procedure for you. Your photos will be uploaded in just a few clicks and their online display will not depend on your HTML abilities. You don’t need to know anything about uploading to use the photo hosting service that Pixyshare.com offers. Another point is that the visitors of your album will have full access to the photos, if you only give them one URL address.

Pixyshare is one of the various photo hosting sites, but it offers many new extra features that other photo hosting albums lack. It is designed for photographers who like to display their photos on the Internet without having to bother about uploading procedures. For creating an account you only need to choose an username. Creating photo albums is easy and what’s more, it brings pleasure. In addition, there are no limitations about the amount of photos to be uploaded on a given album. In comparison to other photo hosting albums, which limit your files sizes up to few MBs, Pixyshare.com gives you the opportunity to upload a file with up to 10 MB in size. You may as well delete or compress original images, using our Original Image Processing tool, so that you have full control of your disk space. Another advantage of Pixyshare is the affiliate program, which offers a discount if your friends also become members. Any time a friend of yours becomes a member, you will be paid 6 $ for having asked him or her to use our service. Unlike most of the paid photo hosting sites that give you limited trial period, we offer you no time limitations when you want to try our service. Get your pictures online for as long as you like, and take your time to decide whether you like to join us.

Pixyshare is designed to make everything automatically – thumbnails, changing photo sizes and so on. You can add comments about each one of your photos. You may password-protect some of the photos so that only selected people can see them. You can choose the size of your photos: medium, small or large, depending on your preferences.

Pixyshare is the perfect photo hosting portal on the Internet if you want to discover the advantages of online albums. Just try it, without spending any money: the primary service is free and offers many extra features.

Article by Robbie Darmona – an article writer who writes on a wide variety of subjects. For more information click online photo album

Camera Lenses

Writen by Thomas Morva

Photography is undoubtedly one of the most important inventions in history–it has truly altered how people conceive the world. Now, we can see everything clearly, including that which is actually many miles or years away from us. Photography lets us encapsulate moments in time and conserve them for years to come.

When selecting a lens, make sure it fits your camera, as not all lenses fit all cameras. Even if you change to a newer model of the same manufacturer’s camera, the old lens may not work. If the lens has an electric zoom, iris, and maybe even focus, these functions could be powered and controlled by a multi-wire cable that connects between the lens and the camera. Therefore, getting the right signals and voltages from the camera to the lens makes it a tricky matter.

Lenses are described by focal length, usually telling you the lens’ widest image angle and the zoom ratio. The focal length measured in millimeters is number derived from a mathematical formula.

If you need to shoot in humid climates, keep your camera and lens sealed securely. Let the two warm up to outside temperatures before you use them. This prevents condensation from forming on your gear. If dampness gets inside your lens, fungus starts to grow and it is nearly impossible to remove.

Choosing a lens for your camera can be one of the toughest decisions to make, especially if your camera is a specialized one. If you want to capture a lot of activity you will not be able to identify minute details at a far away distance. Conversely, while using a lens or lens setting to capture close-up pictures from a distance you must sacrifice a lot of horizontal coverage. Therefore, it is essential to choose the perfect lens for your purposes and camera.

Get Some Great Shots of Your Cat

Writen by Eric Hartwell

The domestic cat must be one of the most photographed animals. Who hasn’t taken a picture at some time of the family puss? At first it is simply to try out the new camera but as time goes on getting a “cat in every position” seems almost like an obsession! But who, apart from you and your nearest, wants to see the umpteenth picture of the house moggie even if it is in a slightly different pose?

Now is the time to improvise and innovate! The family cat (or dog for that matter) can be a source of some great shots (and yes, you can still take and keep the usual pretty pictures as well).

Next time you want to take some decent images of your cat, think of the following:

- the cat hiding behind something, ready to pounce

- an action shot, the cat going scatty or engaged in an activity

- a close up – get in real close, use macro or close up lenses (and a reflector)

- a studio shot – keep the background plain and contrasting

- employ a human to be part of the shot – the cat walking around stockinged feet or boots

- get a prop – a chair, bed, shelf, bench

- focus on detail – fur, eyes, teeth

- combine the cat with something appropriate but unusual – a gigantic ball of wool or a large fluffy mouse

- cats and babies are really cute!

- get the cat to sit with an unusual, contrasting, object – on a cycle, with some fruit, in the bath

I am sure you can think of more. Take lots of images so that you get one that looks the part.

Cats are willing participants and readily available. And you don’t need to go outside!

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