Wedding Photography Business Pt. 1: Be Prepared!

Writen by Cindy Bracken

Are you thinking about expanding your photography business to include weddings? If so, congratulations! You are about to embark on a whirlwind journey! Weddings can be profitable and fun, but remember, they can be a lot of work, too – and aren’t for the faint of heart!

Weddings present a number of challenges for the photographer. Difficult lighting situations, uncooperative guests, angry brides, drunken fathers.the list goes on. At the same time, you have the opportunity to capture images that will be treasured for generations to come, on one of the most important days of a couple’s life.

The best piece of advice I can offer you when starting your wedding photography business is this: Be Prepared! I like to record all the info about the wedding and keep it in a little notebook that I can carry to the event.

Consultation

You should have at least one face-to-face consultation with the bride and groom. This is where you will get to know them and find out what they want out of their wedding photos. It is also a time for you to tell them your requirements (are you paid hourly or charging a flat fee for the entire event from beginning to end?) and expectations. This is also the best time to collect your deposit and have them sign a contract. NEVER do a wedding without a contract, period!

Number and Types of Photos

Depending on the package the couple purchases, you will need to have an idea of how many proofs/previews to offer – therefore you will need an idea of how many shots to take. This is much easier now that we are in the digital ageyou can shoot everything you possibly can without worrying about the number. If you go over, it isn’t a big deal. However, you DO need to worry about the number of flash memory cards you have. I say take more than you think you’ll need. You also need to consider the types of photos the couple wants. Do they want a photojournalistic approach or more posed shots? These days, I think it is best to do a mixture of the two.

Location

Get addresses, phone numbers and directions to all wedding locations (bride’s home, church, reception, etc.). My advice is to find all of the locations BEFORE the wedding day, so you know where you are going ahead of time and you will know how long it will take you to get there. Another good reason to scout out the locations (and do this at the same time of day that the event will be) is to check out the lighting situations. More often than not, you will not be allowed to use your flash during a church ceremony. If it makes you more comfortable, do some test shots.

Type of Wedding and Reception

Different religions have different traditions, and many times you will need to be alerted to particular shots that the couple wants during the ceremony. Make sure to ask. You should also know the number of guests expected and the number in the wedding party. Also make note of the reception (formal or informal, dinner, dancing, etc.)

A List of Must-Haves

Make a list of all the shots that the couple really wants. Bring this list with you so you don’t miss anything.

Ask About Family Relationships

You need to know the following in order to get the best images and not cause embarrassment to anyone (especially yourself):

- Are the mother and father of the bride married?
– Are the mother and father of the groom married?
– Will there be step-parents in attendance?
– Does the bride have children?
– Does the groom have children?

Equipment

Make sure to have an equipment check list so you don’t forget anything. Test your equipment well before the event, and make sure you have backup!

Look for part two in this series soon!

How to Shoot Video of Your Kids Sports Team So That Anyone Else Will Watch It!

Writen by Kevin Rockwell

Break out that video camera, there is a game this weekend!

1. You bought a video camera
2. You want to shoot sports of your kid
3. Here is how to do it right!

What a wonderful age of technology we live in. You can buy the greatest gadgets now days to record video and music and play them in all sorts of ways on other great technology gadgets from computers, DVD’s, MP3 players, VCR’s, and many more. It is all great stuff. But they all come with thick owners manuals that do not always get you going the right direction. You may eventually learn to use your great new camera for instance, but that does not mean you will necessarily take pictures that are worth looking at down the road. Rolling tape in your camera is one thing and creating video that is high quality and interesting is another thing. The goal of this product is to bring you up to speed with using your video camera (whatever format, and whatever brand) to get the best results for recording those precious moments of your kid’s athletic achievements.

We as parents spend plenty of hours out on the field, court, pool, or track watching our kids take part in and compete in youth sports. If you have a video camera you are going to want to record some of these events for posterity and perhaps education. Following the simple steps in this guide will help you to capture them in the best possible fashion so that it is watch able but also usable down the road.

My video expertise stems from two decades as a network television cameraman and as a parent with several kids actively involved in youth sports. In my years of shooting video professionally I have been around the world and seen just about every type of news event. I also spent 15 years covering pro sports events for my employer. These were the best type of assignments as far as I was concerned. In my entire career the things I have enjoyed most is being able to go to places where the average person cannot. In sports that usually means being on the field, next to the court, in the press box, or in the pit. I have shot football games of all levels up to and including NFC and AFC championship games. Living in the Bay Area has allowed me to cover many baseball pennant races and several World Series. I was right behind home plate the night the earth shook in the 1989 World Series. Talk about a shock. I had to give up covering a World Series between the two Bay Area teams to go and cover a huge news event. Baseball seemed small for a while after the magnitude of the earthquake. The point in this is that I love sports, have been around sports my whole life and I know how to shoot video of sports. With that in mind I will do my best to give you advice on how to do the same.

Gear

Now whether you have the latest DV camera in your hands or an old VHS format camera there are basic things you will need to keep in mind if you are going to shoot sports. As we say in the video business your camera is only as good as the glass that you hang in front of it. The better the lens the better the results will be no matter what kind of recording format you use. Now you already have a camera in hand and may never have heard this particular bit of advice so it is too late to factor it into the equation. However if you have camera in hand and it has any limitations on what it can do due to the lens being less than wonderful there are things you can do to mitigate the situation. We will discuss those things in more detail later on.

The key factors before setting out on your game day video assignment are to make sure you know the operating functions of the gear, have a tape supply in hand (soon to be DVDs with the revolution in gear design that is taking place right now), and batteries fully charged. I know these may seem like the simply obvious things but even the pros have to constantly remind themselves to check and double check these items.

A little aside here about preparation. Over the many years of covering news I learned lots of little tips from other photographers in the field and applied them to my work regimen. In the early days of video we always had to carry around a portable hair dryer because the record decks would seize up if the moisture levels got to high. So in the winter time if you came in from the cold outside into a nice warm building the air would condense inside the machine and cause moisture build up. The warning light would come on and bang we were dead in the water. One of us would have to run to the car and get the hair dryer, fire it up and chase the water away from the record heads of the deck. It caused some very funny moments in public places I can assure you. (This by the way can still be a problem even today with electronics/VCRs/lenses. Too much moisture can cause havoc. So just remember a portable hair dryer can save your day)

Another thing I learned from others is the value of backup. A few years ago I was out on assignment and we had a young eager college intern along with us in the field. This young man wanted to learn all about what we did in our job. He was very interested in how to take pictures, unlike most of our interns who only wanted to become reporters or anchors. He asked many questions and after seeing that he was really paying attention I decided to take him under my wing and really fill him up with information. One tidbit that I shared with him was to always have an emergency stash of tape in his car when out on assignment. He didn’t quite understand the importance of this at first since I had already drilled him about always bringing tape stock with him when going out on assignment. I filled him with stories of times when something or other happened and I’ll be darned if you didn’t need another tape and there under the seat of the car was that emergency spare. So anyway he went off to graduate from college and get a job in a small market TV station. He would send us progress reports from time to time, which I really enjoyed. Then lo and behold one day he sends me a letter telling me how he got into a jam one day on a story and needed that emergency tape. He had dutifully tucked one under the back seat and it was there to save the day. I hope that what you learn in this book will in some way keep you from having a video failure down the road. What I learned in my career is that video production is 80% of it is dealing with the curves and problems that are thrown at you and 20% talent. If you can learn to trouble shoot then you will always be successful.

My first suggestion for shooting your kids sports activities is to go watch TV. Yes sit down put your feet up and watch some sports on TV. Really watch how they make it interesting at the top level. Then watch the news and see how they cover the games from a news perspective. Don’t pay attention to the content; just watch how it develops visually. Now of course you can never duplicate what the networks are doing with just your one camera. However if you can glean anything from watching it should be how they try to bring intimacy with the athletes out in the broadcast. All the new improvements in covering sports have to do with getting you the viewer as close to the athlete as they can. Bring you into their world. From cameras on wires overhead that swoop along the field to cameras in the net of a hockey game to cameras inside the cars at Daytona, it brings you into the game. Now you cannot stand on the pitchers mound at your kids’ baseball game but you can learn some techniques that can make your baseball video more intimate and therefore more compelling to watch.

A side note here, if your task is to capture the whole game or sporting activity for review as a coaching tool you should focus mainly on getting a good high view and putting the camera on a tripod. Pan slowly to follow action and don’t zoom in and out. My main goal here is not to teach you this skill since it is pretty darn basic. However if this is what you are doing you should do it right. Find the right framing to keep as much of the activity in the frame and follow it carefully. Some sports move quickly from one end to the other and you will have to be smooth. Resist the temptation to follow the ball on full zoom. You will lose. Those guys that shoot sports on TV are full on pros using much better gear than you will ever have at your disposal.

Now in order to get a good video of your child’s game you need to find that emotion and excitement that exists in any game. Think of it as capturing a few of the things that occur and making those golden. Does the team do a pre game cheer? Get up close, stick your camera wither way up high over their heads looking down or get underneath looking up and shoot it in a way that takes the viewer where they can’t go. Capture an at bat in baseball by taking a full pitch cycle in close-up of the pitcher, and then one of the catcher and then as close as you can of the hitter. Show their face if you can. If they get the big hit don’t go crazy rushing to zoom out. Follow the runner down the line. It will be almost impossible to follow the ball so stay with the runner. Look for the angles that will give you these emotional shots.

Some sports are more of a challenge due to the size of the field and the amount of movement up and down the field. Take soccer of instance, if you follow the ball the camera is moving all over the place and the viewer gets queasy. To capture some good video of your kid playing you need to focus on specific shots and not try to follow the play. Look for moments such as throw ins, free kicks, kick offs when things are predictable and you can get closer to the action. Walk down the sideline and wait for the action to come to you. If you child is playing right forward then get ahead of the play and when you see the ball moving towards you then you can find you child and roll tape in anticipation of them playing the ball. Be sure to get some shots of the crowd cheering, the coach watching (not yelling I hope) the goalie waiting in anticipation.

Hold your shots steady for 6-10 seconds at a time. If you are taking a shot of someone watching the game actually count it out in your head (thousand one thousand two) This will ensure that you get good solid shots and that you don’t run on and on with the shot. Brace your arm against your chest for stability and use your other arm across your belly underneath to create a stabilizing platform. This is in lieu of a tripod of course. If you have a tripod it can always be a good thing to use if it does not get in the way.

Use creative angles as much as possible. Get down low and wait for the action to run by you. Don’t pan with it but rather let the action race through the frame. At a swim meet get the camera down on the deck for more of a swimmers perspective of the action. Of course you may not want to stay there when the swimmers approach for a turn. Digital electronics do not like water inside them. I was getting the most awesome low angle shots of some open water ocean swimmers one time and the boat lurched on me and salt water sprayed over the camera. I had a cover on the camera but salt water seeped into the crannies and it caused us much grief getting it cleaned out so as to avoid damaging the electronics of the camera.

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports. Great Digital Cameras

Getting Good Picture Results

Writen by Paul Hood

Creating beautiful photographs can prove to be very difficult if you are not using the right equipment as well as the appropriate technique. To help you with that predicament, below are helpful tips to guide you in your quest for photographic enlightenment.

The first thing to keep in mind when shooting photos is that you have to look your subject in the eye. Direct eye contact can get your viewer transfixed with your picture thus enjoying more view time. Position your camera at your subject’s eye level to reveal those beautiful smiles. Getting a good angle will give you photos that are appealing and good to look at. A plain background is good for giving emphasis to your subject. It is never a good idea to have the background upstage the person or landscape you are taking a picture of. Also, if you are going to shoot pictures outdoors, use flash. Glare from the sun can create ugly facial shadows. For this problem, the flash is the key. You must also be particular with the proper distance between you and your subject making sure that you are not very near nor very far. The closest possible range for shooting pictures without making your subject blurry is about three feet. Other than that would be disaster. Subjects place in the middle make for boring photographs. Try to make your pictures livelier by placing your subject away from the middle. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to lock the focus if you have an auto-focus camera because most of them focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder. Failure to do this will give you blurry images which are sure to hit the trash bin. A common mistake that usually happens is taking shots beyond the range of the flash resulting in very dark pictures. You can avoid this by reading your camera’s manual or if not take pictures below ten feet away from you. A very important component of a great photograph is good lighting as this will greatly enhance the appearance of your picture. Choose the right time of the day like a sunset to improve your subject’s appearance. Try to take vertical pictures from time to time. There are subjects that will look better if shot vertically. The last but not the least, make conscious efforts to have better control of your shots to boost your picture quality. Take charge of your photo sessions. Manipulate every situation to fit your taste.

Armed with the right knowledge, you are most likely to produce great looking pictures. Continually try to hone your skills to improve your chances of making worthwhile pictures. Making great shots can be a very rewarding experience.

About The Author
Ariel Velasco goes by the author alias of Paul Hood. This author is into books and writing. Reading is an essential part of his life and this has lent a considerable influence in his writing. Well traveled and would always want to travel more. He loves learning more about people and their ways. Took up a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology to further this fascination and had a fulfilling educational experience having been exposed to a wide spectrum of people. Always ready for new opportunities to learn and have a great deal of interest in different fields of expertise. Additional Information about the articles can be found at http://www.fullcolorprintingcompany.com.

Is Unrehearsed Photography Dead?

Writen by Rohn Engh

Gordon Parks, the famed photographer of the last century, died this year. He learned his trade here in the Midwest and perfected it in New York. Other photographers of fame of that era, Joe Schilling, James Whitmore, Hy Perkins, Bob Gomel, Ralph Morse, Paul Schutzer, Art Shay, and George Silk to name a few, were of the “Unrehearsed Photography School.”

Photo editors in those days respected the talent of these photographers to produce useable images for their publications. No demanding art directors, or “creative consultants” looked over their shoulder to guide their inspiration. If they did, it was only to tell them what they did not need. These photographers’ efforts produced spontaneity unrestrained by commerciality.

That era is gone. At least in our field of stock photography. Giant digital stock agencies no longer leave photo production to the whims of a single shooter. Time and production costs demand that they “get it right” the first time. The process is mechanized. And the process is sensitive to current trends and public craze.

THE PROCESS

Shooting a commercial stock photo from scratch is now mechanical. Here’s how it goes. A client comes to the stock photo agency with an idea for a photo for its new campaign. “No,no, no.”, the Creative Director of the agency says to the client.

“Our research says that your idea will be out-of-style before the campaign is even launched. What you need is ‘image uniqueness’. You want to separate yourself from the flock and have a visual identity, a brand awareness that is unmistakably, you. Our team can do this for you.” In the world of commercial stock photography, this is often called “assignment photography.” The Creative Director then consults with his Art Director who then assigns the task to a production staff including a wardrobe manager, cosmetic advisor, scene location consultant, and photographer. Notice that the last team member does the grunt work and pushes a button.

In general, the aim for the stock agency is to produce a generic picture, that can lend itself to several interpretations, that ultimately will “sell product”, that is trend-timely, within a budget that won’t exceed its shelf life, and that can be wholly owned by the agency so the image can be “authored” (manipulated/enhanced) later for an extended life. All of this can be reduced to an algorithm that eventually produces an image that is within budget and will be useable within the shelf-life of a contemporary stock photo -three years or less.

This is a complicated way of looking at stock photography and far from the “unrehearsed” photos of the last century. Gordon Parks would chuckle. If the commercial stock photos manufactured today are drained of any spontaneity, you know the reason.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266 Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: http://www.photosource.com

Be An Amateur But Act Like A Pro #2

Writen by Eric Hartwell

The main problem for amateur photographers in public situations is attitude. Being armed with a camera and equipment will make you stand out from the crowd especially if you rush around taking snaps of everything! This sort of exposure can make you self-conscious and lead to stress, anxiety and the inability to think clearly.

Shots become hurried and the controls on the camera can sometime lose their meaning! There is no worse feeling in photography that admitting to your subjects that you don’t know what you are doing!

Professionals get over this problem by exposure – the very thing that often causes panic for amateurs. You need to be there, in the midst, seen and respected. Most people in public are more anxious of the photographer than the photographer is of taking photographs.

Approach each shot with enthusiasm and make it look as though you are in control. State what you want to do (and why, if necessary) and tell your subjects what you are doing at each stage. Gain their confidence and then you will gain their respect.

Be bold – don’t hang around at the back awaiting an opportunity that might just disappear. Make the opportunity happen if you can. Explain who you are (although this will often be obvious) and explain what you want.

Don’t be fearful of others. People often want to be photographed even if they, themselves, are a bit anxious. This is especially true at events or organised activities. If you are on private ground, getting permission for photography beforehand (or on the day) will give you that added spark and lessen the worry.

Take lots of photographs. This will give you more confidence and ensure that you get some decent shots. Try to relax.

In the next article I will cover the question of equipment.

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

Tripods

Writen by Tom Watson

If there is a piece of equipment in photography that is as versatile and handy as any other, it would be the camera tripod. A tripod is rather inexpensive and can be used in many situations, indoors and out. A tripod will hold your camera steady, and this stability can save your pictures as well as improve your photography skills.

So let’s explore some features to keep in mind when looking for a good tripod. First and foremost, we already mentioned stability, and a tripod should be light enough to carry, however, make sure it is strong enough to support the camera you are using. When shooting those fabulous outdoor photos with a heavier telephoto lens, the forward weight can possibly tip over the tripod. Also, the tripod should be able to remain stable when the camera position is changed from horizontal to vertical.

If you want to quickly attach or remove the camera, look for a tripod with a quick-release mounting platform.

Consider the height of the tripod. You should be able to adjust the height so your viewing is comfortable and you don’t have to bend over. A good tripod has extendable, adjustable legs and many even come with a bubble level installed. This level comes in handy when the tripod is used on uneven terrain. It is an excellent feature when you have to focus in on a sunset, sunrise and landscape.

Remember this tip: Never carry your digital camera when it is attached to a tripod. It is very easy to have it bumped, damaged and more than likely to fall off.

Keep in mind there are also mini tripods on the market as well. These small and lightweight tripods can easily be stored or transported in a camera bag, and some have the heavy-duty features of their larger counterparts.

When taking group photos, or any photo when the photographer needs to be included in the picture, a tripod is the perfect solution to mount the camera and set the timer. Perhaps the photographer wants a self- portrait? Set the timer, set the stage and smile!

Remember, when pictures require a steady hand, a flat surface (such as a table) to set the camera on isn’t always handy, but your tripod is there, ready to serve you.

Digital Camera Macro Mode

Writen by Jakob Jelling

The digital camera is a wonderful device that allows a diverse variety of applications with its even diverse spectral collection of utilities. As technology progresses it brings along with it those intense pleasures that human beings have only thought of. Now the digital camera has opened up the dimensions for the people and the photographers in providing with the liberty of capturing whatever they wish and of whatever type they prefer! Well the magic words are macro mode. Although the words might seem to be a bit deceiving they have really a great application in the field of digital photography and digital camera as a device. In general the digital camera macro mode allows a digital camera to photograph close-up pictures of petite objects like flowers, insects, coins, etc. Macro mode potentiality vary from camera to camera but almost all digital cameras offer this exclusive feature to enable the users to widen up their imaginations and their weirdest fantasies in creating art.

Extending the discussion further we can state that just about most of the digital cameras has a macro mode. Each of these digital cameras can be verified of having the macro mode because for each of them one of the menu buttons will have an icon of a flower on it. This is the macro mode button invariably. And thus has the specific technology built in. The macro mode button, when pressed, switches the camera into a special close focus mode and many allow the photographer to shoot less than 10cm from the picture subject. Many cameras of reputed companies like Nikon and Ricoh allows the users to be as close as 3cm from the picture subject that permits barely credible close ups of tiny objects such as little insects. The macro mode has a greater variety of applications in security measurements too. At times macro mode may be also useful for making photographic records of priced jewels for insurance purposes in order to prevent theft and fraudulent activities.

The macro mode is more often than not present on the menu button that as well has an icon of two triangles symbolizing mountains (or rather landscape mode) and sometimes MF (manual focus) too. This button has to be pressed several times until the flower icon appears on the viewing LCD. A number of digital cameras then subsequently by design shift into a particular precinct on the zoom lens making a mechanical sound as the zoom reset. While using a digital camera macro mode it must be noted that it is harder to focus for the digital camera instantly, so it takes a bit of time for adjustment. Thus the users need not hurry while using the digital camera macro mode. As the subject comes in focus the depth-of-field also increases. On the other hand, the depth-of-field is controlled by the camera’s aperture. Most digital cameras are full automatic and this setting cannot be changed. Thus patience becomes a virtue while using the digital camera in their macro mode.

Much has already been discussed about the digital camera macro mode. It can be stated here that the digital camera macro mode is a really intricate feature. And every delicate object or subject needs to be handled with care. To really cherish the beauty of the digital camera macro modes the users require developing the expertise and also building a kind of patience that is necessary to cerate beauty in art and object.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

How an Average Photographer Can Take a Stunning Photo

Writen by Chris Roberts

Tired of your vacation photos not turning out the way you hoped?

Here’s the trick: take 100 photos too many.

On a recent week-long vacation I took 850 photos. About 5 or 10 of them are winners – photos that I am really happy with.

Am I a bad photographer since 840 photos I took were only so-so?

Not exactly – I just take more than one photo of every subject because I know that a slight change in light or camera position can make an ordinary photo great.

The photo in-crowd term for this is “working a subject”.

Let’s say you’re on a hike and come across an interesting flower. You snap one photo of it with your digital camera.

You go home and check the photo on your computer. Turns out your one photo has a competing background that hides the flower from view.

Now let’s rewind. Same hike, same flower.

Instead of snapping one shot and moving on, you spend some time with the flower. You photograph from a high angle and a low angle. You circle it, taking pictures as you go.

After some time you discover that you can isolate the flower against a blue sky. Without any background to compete with, the flower now stands out in all of its glory.

Here’s the key point: it takes time to “see” a photo.

As you take more and more photos of the same subject, you see interesting angles that you didn’t notice at first.

You can also experiment with camera settings like focus, depth of field and shutter speed to find the right combination that will take your photo from mundane to magical.

As time goes on and your photographic eye improves, you’ll get your best shot in 2 or 3 tries rather than 10 or 20.

Can you ever take too many photos? I don’t think so.

I have taken over 50,000 photos with my digital cameras and I’ve deleted nearly half of them, experiments gone wrong.

Even though 25,000 photos didn’t work out, each one helped me to capture those stunning photos I decided to keep.

Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR cameras at the Digital SLR Guide. His 5-week ecourse in digital SLR technique helps beginners get the most out of their digital SLR cameras.

Digital Camera Lingo

Writen by Mike Browns

Every advance in technology creates new terms, acronyms and definitions. The digital camera revolution is no different. When shopping for your first digital camera, it is always good to know the lingo. Saves you from that stupid feeling one often gets when speaking with sales people. I hope this glossary helps.

Aperture

The size of the lens opening, which controls how much light, passes through the lens. Aperture is measured in f-stops. A higher number equals a smaller amount of light. Most digital cameras allow manual aperture settings.

Auto Focus

This feature automatically focuses your picture at the touch of a button. By pressing slightly on the shutter release, the auto focus feature of the camera is activated.

CCD

The CCD (charged couple device) is the electronic imaging device that forms your picture in the camera. In other words, it is the electronic version of film for a digital camera. The higher pixel counts in the CCD, the more detailed image.

Digital Image Stabilization

A process by which blurring in pictures caused by camera movement is minimized and possibly eliminated.

Digital Zoom

A function which can enlarge a picture by increasing the size of the pixels. This often results in some fuzziness of the subject.

DPI

DPI stands for dots per inch. It also refers to the resolutions of the picture. The higher the DPI, the sharper the picture.

F-Stop

F-stop is the number assigned to a particular size opening on the aperture. The higher the number, the small the opening. Larger numbers admit less light; smaller numbers admit more light.

File Format

This is the way digital pictures are stored. The most common formats are jpeg, GIF, tiff and RAW. The format being used appears at the end of the file name.

Gigabyte

A gigabyte (GB) is a measure of data storage capacity. It is approximately on billion bytes.

LCD Screen

The liquid crystal display (LCD) screen is used to set and view digital pictures immediately after taking them.

Macro

A feature that allows a camera to take extreme close-ups of the subject.

Megabyte

A megabyte (MB) is a measure of data storage capacity. It is approximately one million bytes.

Megapixel

A megapixel is a unit of measurement in a digital picture. A megapixel equals on million pixels. The higher the megapixel total the higher the picture resolution.

Memory Card / Media Card

A memory card is a small electronic device that stores images. Storage capacities range from 16 MB to 4 GB. It is capable of storing still images or video.

Noise

Graininess in an image, caused by too little light or a defect in the electrical signal generated during the image capture process.

Optical Zoom

A type of zoom on a digital camera that enlarges the subject by the use of glass lenses. It is the most important type of zoom on a digital camera.

Recycling Time

This is the amount of time it takes for a digital camera to ready itself for the next shot.

Red Eye Reduction/Red Eye Removal

This is a process by which red eye coloring is reduced or eliminated. Red eye is more common in low light situations when the pupils are wide open. Light reflecting off the back of the eye causes it.

Scene Modes

Scene modes are pre-set programs in a digital camera that adjusts the camera to specific picture taking situations.

USB Connectivity

A popular way of connecting all sorts of devices such as a digital camera to computers. USB connectivity is used to download your photos from the camera to the computer.

Mike Browns has been an amateur photography enthusiast for many years. He invites you to visit http://www.camerasatcousinmikes.com and browse other informative articles and shop for a new digital camera.

Understanding Red-Eye in photos and how it can be prevented

Writen by Ziv Haparnas

Why are eyes red in photos?

Red-eye is a phenomenon that happens only when taking photos using a flash. When taking photos in day light or when in high ambient light scenarios people’s eyes look normal. When taking pictures in low ambient light scenarios using a flash the result many times is redness in the people’s eyes.

The reason for the color red is simple – when flash light from the camera hits the eyes it penetrates and is reflected back from the retina. The color of the reflected light is red because the light is actually reflected from the red blood in the retina.

In some scenarios the red-eye is evident while in others it is mild or doesn’t seem to appear at all. One of the main factors for that is the state of the pupils. If the pupils are dilated (for example the pupils dilate in darkness or when drinking alcohol) more light is reflected back from the retina and the eyes in the photo appear redder.

Common way to reduce red-eye

The most commonly used method to reduce red-eye is activating the camera’s built-in red-eye reduction feature. The red-eye reduction feature is very simple yet effective. When turned on the camera shoots a series of pre-flash strobes followed by one more strobe when actually taking the photo. The pre-flash strobes cause the pupils to reduce in size and by the time the photo is taken the pupils are small enough for the eye redness to substantially reduce.

The red-eye reduction feature does what it is supposed to do: reduce the red-eye effect but almost never is it completely prevented. There are many limitations to this feature for example pupils reaction time to light can vary. In addition this feature can have a side-effect that results in photos having people’s eyes closed. The reason is that the pre-flash strobes blind the people and cause them to close their eyes.

Other ways to prevent red-eye

Understanding what causes red-eye helps being more creative in preventing it. Following are some ways to prevent red-eye other than using the built-in camera red-eye reduction feature:

Increasing the light where photos are taken (for example by turning on the lights in a room before taking photos of people) causes people’s pupils to reduce in size and eye redness to reduce.

Point the flash away from the eyes. Since red-eye is caused by flash light reflected from the retina the best way to prevent red-eye would be to eliminate such reflection as much as possible. In most cameras the angle between the flash and the lenses is narrow (this is especially true for built-in flash and pocket cameras) causing most of the flash to bounce back from the retina to the lenses. Increasing the angle (for example by using an external flash) reduces the reflected light. You can also use a bounce flash – by having the flash light bounce off a bright surface (a white wall or a professional reflector) most of the direct reflection from the retina can be eliminated.

Red-eye can also be removed after photos were already taken by using photo processing software on your PC. Most digital cameras include a CD with PC software that embeds this feature. Although this method doesn’t eliminate the red-eye from the source it can result in a practically red-eye free photo. Some software are better than others some are manual while others automatically identify the red-eyes and process that area to revert to normal eye colors.

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 photo printing