All The Secrets Of Digital Photography

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It's unbelievable how many people are beginning to take part in amateur digital photography these days. Most amateurs are actually becoming quite good and infact turning professional quickly due to the fact that technology has improved a vast amount over the turn of the century. So what is involved in amateur digital photography? This is a question that everyone wants to know and it's easy, very little! With this said however, there are still things that you must know so that you can constantly imrprove the quality of the photos you are taking.

So What Are The Advantages?

One advantage to amateur digital photography is knowing immediately which photos you may want or need to retake. On most digital cameras when the picture is taken it shows on the LCD screen and you know immediately if it?s in focus, heads are cut off and so on. You can retake the shot at the time and not whine about how bad it turned out later.

Amateur digital photography is a growing hobby as the price of quality cameras are coming down and the software to manipulate the images is becoming easier to use. More and more people are taking the time to learn the finer points of amateur digital photography and finding the results are better than expected.

Hobby Not Just For the Kids

It's a funny paradox that most people nowadays who take up photography are more likely to be older retirees who have a limited knowledge-base of technology. Fortunately there are classes that teach people all there is to know about digital photography. When this form of technology first hit cameras, many people were skeptical of buying cameras that they may not know how to use or would have difficulties with, just as they had difficulties with their computers.

This of course is not true at all, as digital photography was actually invented as an easier way to take, store and print photos and it's funny to see that many of these people who were skeptical at the time are now the ones praising such an amazing feat for technology.

One of the most popular recent editions to the digital photography world are the new printers that people can buy along with their cameras. These printers make it fast and easy for people who are wanting to print out the photos immediately as soon as they are taken. All that is required is to place the digital camera inside the corresponding printer, by that I mean the printer that supports the type of camera you have, and press print. Also it's important to note that you will need to buy proper printing paper that is only used for photographs. Using normal paper will reduce the quality of the photos once they have been printed.

If you don't wish to buy one of these printers, then there is another option. You can take your digital camera or just the memory stick into any digital printing shop and pay to have someone print them for you. This works out to be a little bit more expensive on the whole, however the quality of the photos you are having printed will be second to none.

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Travel Photography: Packing Camera Gear for a Trip

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So you've decided to take a trip - that's fabulous! You're excited about capturing photos along the way, but how do you make sure you've remembered everything you need to pack? Well first, each person has a different approach to taking photos while away from home, so to help you figure out what you need to pack, consider the following concepts.

Concept #1: How many photos will you take?

When it comes to photography and trips, it's all about the balance of time spent snapping photos and time spent doing activities or relaxing; it's about how you want to experience your trip. Are you the type of person who spends hours waiting for the right light before taking a photo, or do you snap a single shot and move on? Are you trying to get the artsy shot or are you perfectly happy just to record the scene once? Part of your plans to take photos will depend on who you're travelling with and whether you're on a pre-scheduled trip, or free to make your own schedule. Are you travelling with someone who is a photo enthusiast, or will your travel mates grow impatient the instant you pause to take a shot? Have you signed up for an organized tour, or can you stay in a city for an extra 3 days if you wish? Are you planning to visit 30 cities in 30 days, or just 1 city in 2 weeks.

The number of shots you take will depend on who you are and the nature of your activities. For example, if you're hiking through forest or jungle for 8 days, you may be too tired to snap more than a few shots a day, let alone carry anything heavier than a small camera, whereas if you're staying in central Venice for 8 days, you may plan to take hundreds of shots a day and can easily change cameras or lenses should you need to go back to your hotel. Consider how active you plan to be - e.g. hiking vs bungee jumping vs rafting. Can you hold your camera securely, or do you need to rely on the camera strap, or even some other type of harness? Is your camera heavy, or do you have a lighter one? Are you willing to carry it in a large camera bag with various lenses and accessories, or would you prefer to have a small case that fits only the camera? The case or backpack that you bring to carry your camera and accessories in can make your trip very pleasant, or very unpleasant! The bottom line is that only you know yourself when it comes to snapping photos and what you're likely to do. Make sure you'll be physically comfortable with what you choose to bring or else your photography goals will be hard to achieve.

Memory card capacity is a major consideration for digital photographers when it comes to how many photos you can store; likewise film photographers need to know how much film to bring. Assess how many photos you plan to take per day, and come up with the total number you plan to take for the whole trip. Then look up how many photos will fit on each film or memory card; that should tell you how many of each you need to pack (or purchase). However, once you've calculated how much memory storage you have to pack, or how many film cartridges you need to carry, seriously consider doubling it; it's a lot easier to pack extra film or an extra memory card than spending time during your vacation buying an extra one. If you're anything like me, you'd rather spend your time looking through tacky souvenirs than searching for an internationally-known brand of film! Of course, if you're going the digital route, research the internet cafes near your lodging to see if they support USB downloads; perhaps you can burn a CD along your travels using these facilities. Or, if you're really gung-ho, pack a laptop or a video iPod and download your photos to a larger disk.

Concept #2: Airports and Customs

The obvious concern of travellers these days are the X-ray machines and what damage they can do. Digital cameras and memory cards have no reported incidences of damage from X-ray machines at airports, so you're pretty much safe if that's all you carry. Film photographers, however, do need to be concerned about film passing through X-rays, so be sure to pack your film in your carry-on luggage in a separate bag so that you can specifically request the bag be manually searched instead of X-rayed. Note that checked luggage typically have more damaging X-rays pointed at them, so checking your film is not a good idea. At modern airports, there tend to be fewer problems with X-ray damage, but I know a friend of mine who went to Iceland returned with blemishes on virtually all of his 12 rolls of film after airport authorities convinced him that X-rays would not damage the film. Better be safe than sorry.

The other concern is your destination country's customs laws and whether they limit the amount of camera equipment that you can bring, so do a little research on customs and check with your travel agent before you pack. Some countries may charge a fee or require you to bring special documentation, so it's best to go prepared. At a minimum, you should get your expensive equipment certified at your local customs before you go, so that re-entry is not a problem either.

Concept #3: Lighting conditions when you get there.

Flash will use up batteries faster than non-flash, as will using the built-in digital viewfinder on point & shoot digital cameras. So consider how much photography you'll be doing in low light. Museums and indoor photo opportunities may require flash, or use of a tripod, whereas sunny outdoor shots may need you to increase the brightness of your viewfinder.

Concept #4: Technical limitations on your hardware.

Let's face it: extreme temperatures can play havok with any mechanical or digital equipment. How hot or cold will it be where you stay? Will you be quickly going between air conditioning and hot humid weather, or will you be outdoors in frigid temperatures for more than a minute? You must weight the risk of fungus or heat damage to your film or memory cards versus convenience and the cost of replacing them. Also consider taking sealable bags to prevent condensation as you go between dry, cold hotel rooms, and steamy hot outdoor temperatures.

Do you plan to take underwater photos? If so, consider purchasing a disaposable underwater camera. These days, it seems most underwater cameras also float, but you need to figure out if that's what you want. Sometimes your camera will have a special underwater casing accessory for your camera that you can buy before your trip, but it likely won't float, so be sure you don't drop it in the ocean!

Digital photographers must consider battery life in foreign countries, and accessibility of throw-away batteries if rechargeable ones are not available. The DSLR that I own has a proprietary battery, but in case it dies, I purchased a AA battery accessory that lets you operate the camera on 6 AA batteries. Disposable AAA batteries are much more readily available than proprietary rechargeable ones, and I'd rather spend money on batteries than be without. Be careful, though; should you ever end up purchasing batteries in a foreign country, make sure you splurge on internationally known brands, rather than skimping on the cheap kind - I can't tell you how frustrated I was when I bought a brand I had never heard of in Switzerland only to find my camera detected they had no juice left!

Related to battery recharging, it's important to be aware of the power configuration in your destionation country. Do you need a power converter, or will your native power supply work? Do you plan to bring your AA battery recharger with you, or your priorietary battery charger? Check with your vendor to see if they recommend a particular power converter.

Concept #5: In case of damage...

Is there technical support available for your camera at your destination? If so, is it free, or do you have to pay for it? Can they fix your camera same-day, or replace it quickly if it outright dies? If your nearest camera shop is 500 km away, you may need to take a second camera with you, or tools to fix it yourself.

That's a lot to consider! But frankly it depends on your shooting style and your desitnation. On my trip Mexico, I took a disposable underwater camera, a small point & shoot, and a larger DSLR with a single primary lens. I left them locked in my room's safe, and only used one at a time, so it worked well for me. I took a small bag with which to dampen the affects of condensation because of rapid changes of air conditioning to humidity. But I also took a larger bag that had cleaners, spare batteries, and my AA battery pack - I used this when going inland to see Mayan communities since I knew I'd never go back and didn't want to risk coming away with no photos!

Jennifer Clarkson is a Canadian Photographer living in Ottawa. She is compiling a website of articles for Amateur Photographers to share knowledge about digital photography (http://www.jclarksonphotography.com). You can sign up to her Photography Forum to post questions and images, and you can rate the photos in her Photo Gallery. She is also compiling a series of eBooks for Beginners, and the first eBook is now available: Choosing your Digital Camera and Accessories.

 

Digital Photography for the Dummy

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Even with the advent of digital technology and the sudden appearance of every kind, every shape and size of digital cameras in hobby shops, department stores and other shops in the metro, not everyone is a pro when it comes to operating this little gadget. In fact, even the most tech-tough can stumble every now and then.

One thing you should do when you own a digital camera is to of course read the manual from cover to cover. This will help you get familiar with all the functions of the camera as well as see the various effects that it can do. Most manuals will also have illustrations that will help you understand each function.

To further help you in your digital quest for information on good photography, here are some tips that will make geniuses out of digital photography dummies.

Tone up.

One of the few essential things that you must remember is to adjust the white balance of the digital camera. Adjusting the white balance will warm up the tones and increase the hues of reds and yellows. When you purchase one, most functions will be on the auto or automatic function. Change that to suit the environment that you are shooting.

For instance, if you are doing some outdoor shooting, change the setting from auto to cloudy. This means that the camera will compensate for the cloudy and hazy environment and produce photos that are richer in color.

Mad about macro

This is another really great feature that digital cameras now offer, the macro mode. This is a function in the camera wherein you can actually focus on object and get to picture the finer details. This is especially used when you are taking close-up shots. Macro mode is denoted by the flower symbol, which can often be seen on the main buttons of the camera.

One thing to remember in using this mode is that the focused object will be sharp while leaving the rest in soft detail. If you want all the elements in the photograph illuminated, this is not the function for you.

Flash it!

One of the great things about digital cameras is the fact that you can adjust the light to suit your subject. Although most manual cameras have flash modes, they do not have the slight flash, which comes in handy when you are shooting for a not-so-well-lit area but still pretty bearable. The slight flash will help put colors on the picture because too much flash can result to colors that are bland and pale.

Low Jeremy maintains digital-photography.articlesforreprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

The Role Of The Wedding Photography Helper In Professional Wedding Photography

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Wedding photographers often employ wedding photography helpers to help them at weddings but what are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Some of the disadvantages may be: (1) the photographer will have to pay her, and this will reduce his or her own income from the wedding (2) he will have to get along with her, there could be personality clashes (3) she may not have enough work to do. This is because wedding photography helpers mostly help the photographer take formal photographs, but many modern wedding photographers only take a few formal photographs, the others are often photojournalism wedding photography photographs, or `candid' photographs.

To counteract these disadvantages (1) the wedding photographer helper can help the photographer make money. By arranging people quickly and efficiently she speeds up the process of taking the formal photographs. This gives the photographer more time to take more photographs, and more photographs often produce more income (2) Personality clashes can be avoided if the photographer selects the `right' helper, someone that he can relate to and who understands what is required. One way to ensure this is to meet the helper first, get to know her, try to find out if she is the kind of person that can handle the stress of wedding photography.

(3) She may also be useful after the formal photographs have been taken, she can also help the photographer take the photojournalism wedding photography pictures. If it's a large wedding, with plenty of opportunities for these kind of photos, she might act as his `scout.' While he is taking one photojournalism wedding photography picture, she can be looking out for the next one. To summarise, a good wedding photography helper is a great asset to the wedding photographer.

Paul Gooch is a professional wedding photographer from Skegness UK who has published many articles, some controversial, about wedding photography, Press, public relations and portrait photography on his web site http://www.paulgoochimages.com.