Quick ABC's of Photography

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Follow these ABC's of photography and you will have beautiful pictures to add to your scrapbooks. Capture adorable and memorable details of the special event in your life by following these easy steps. If you try one or two new ideas each time you break out the camera, you will soon find yourself snapping photos in exciting ways. People will be amazed at the beautiful images and fun moments you capture with your photo skills.

A Angles Take your photos from above or below your subject. Some of the best shots are taken sitting on a chair or kneeling on the ground.

B Backlit For a glowing silhouette effect, have your subject stand in front of a widow or sunny sky. Be sure to use your flash with this one.

C Chronology Take pictures form the beginning to the end of each event, rather than isolating short to "picture taking time"

D Diagonal Lines Arrange people to form a visual triangle to create balance and a sense of movement in your pictures.

E Everyone Make sure you include everyone at the event in pictures. Write names down in a notebook so you don't forget the names.

F Frames Draw attention to your subject by using frames such as windows, fence posts, and railing.

G Groups Take pictures in groups such as siblings, grandparents, cousins etc.

H Hands Get close ups of people using their hands. This would be great for sports, sewing, cooking or body language when talking.

I Individuals Capture what makes each person unique. Just remember every quirk is fair game!

J Juxtaposition Arrange people and objects in surprising or unexpected ways.

K K-9's and Kitten Always remember the family pets; they are a very important part of the family.

L Little Details Don't forget the decorations or the background settings. These will tie all the photos together.

M Mirrors Use mirrors, windows, and reflective surfaces to add a fun and unusual effect to your photos.

N Natural Light The suns natural light is the most flattering light for ant subject.

O Outdoors Use natural backgrounds as your setting.

P Playtime Make sure to capture those football games, dance classes, and other playful moments these are memories no one wants to forget!

Q Quick Be quick with your camera, you don't want to miss a thing.

R Reactions Keep your camera ready, you never know what special reaction you might miss.

S Self timer Use this special feature to include yourself in group photos.

T Toys Kids are so preoccupied with toys; this is a perfect way to catch those candid pictures of your kids.

U U You shouldn't always be the one with the camera, pass it off so that you are included in shots.

V Values Show your family's faith, beliefs and charity.

W Weather Include all the seasons in your photos

X X-treme Close ups Get close enough to see the freckles or the left-over Birthday cake.

Y Youthfulness Catch kids' high jinks and scrapes. If your first impulse is to scold, try snapping instead.

Z Zoom Use your zoom lens when you are far away to catch candid moments.

Remember that there are several different ways to capture all those special moment in your life. Take picture with a formal backgrounds and candid as well. You will find a style that fits you best for all your photos.

Marcy Larsen Close To My Heart Consultant. CTMH offers much more than just scrapbook supplies, including opportunities to make money while scrapbooking. Please visit my website - Marcy Larsen.

Digital Photography Thru An Amateurs Lens

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If you haven't taken your first digital photograph, or even heard of digital photography, then I really must congratulate you. You are truly a contradiction. Since your reading this article, you must be browsing the web, yet you still haven't heard of digital cameras. Apart from the computer itself, and perhaps the cell phone, photography has been more revitalized than practically any other industry in the digital universe. During it's early introduction, it was reviled by professional photographers, as being a sub par and mediocre technology. In other words, the picture quality was pathetic. However, Like any high tech toy these days, it has matured at an alarming rate, and the cries of mediocrity have been gagged and silenced. Everyone, even a multitude of pros engage in the sinful passion that is digital photography.

Digital Delights vs Digital Dystopia

Not to say that aren't a cornucopia of complications to overcome in this new digital wonderland. And hardly the least of these is the managing of the overflow of new pictures you now own copyrights to. It seems that being cheap little buggers, is a genetic trait of most human beings. Way back in the old days, when taking pictures actually meant buying real film with real cash, we were very judicious in what pictures we took. Now that digital photography allows us to endlessly reuse those overworked little bits on our memory sticks, we click, snap and shoot every cute, furry, adorable thing that comes into range. Once are hard drives are crammed with a gazillion of these images ranging from dubious to heirloom quality we really start to worry. What happens if our hard drive makes that klunk-grind-klunk-kratch sound that next time we boot up our pc? Or . . . however will we find that one really priceless picture we're looking for, in that wasteland of hopefully-forgotten digital visions? Gotta have backups folks. And really you must get more organized. It's that simple. And hey, while your at it, dump that crappy and boring old screen saver of flying toasters, and crappy windows logos, for your own maniacal barge sized load of digital pictures on your hard drive. Why not at least view your images on your own pc periodically before your hard drive commits digital Hari-Kari.

Revenge is the Ultimate Panacea

Of course there are many more creatively satisfying tactics for dealing with all this digital photography abundance. All those free picture sharing sites that allow us to inflict our photographic genius on other unsuspecting travelers of the net. You upload your pictures in varying sizes, and mediums of presentation. Yes, the already tortured world really needs to see a slideshow of my 4 year olds magnificently produced, directed and choreographed version of the Teddy Bear Picnic. As harmless as this strategy may seem, it's effectiveness is not ruthlessly devoid of passion. Of course why just settle for a inner feeling of joy, when you can turn all those pictures into hard cash. Start a picture blog, and surround your beautiful works of sublime art with greed driven capitalistic advertisements. Nothing like that oh so moving picture of junior playing with his very first barf, and a caption of "Ads by Gaaaaaaagle" eloquently underneath. I'm sure once you put a little thought into it, you can come up with your own wonderful form of digital dysentery. Best of luck, I'll be watching for you.

For more on digital photography visit photographyfunonline.com or read other digital photography articles.

Did You Ever Try Selling Your Photography...Part 2

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Have you ever tried to sell your images to an agency.

Anyone with the ability to use a camera correctly has the potential to sell their images. Picture agencies handle images of every subject and are always looking for emerging talent.

Pictures libraries and stock agencies are in the business of selling images. The don't give you advice on how to take better images. Their purpose is business - they sell images to magazines, book publishers, the travel industry and many other industries that use images.

Many photographers look upon agencies as a last resort to sell their work; if you have been unable to sell any of your images, the chances are that most agencies won't accept them.

If you are interested in an agency selling your images, you must be able to produce high quality images which are suited to the agencies market. Check out their website to view samples that are currently in use. If you feel your work meets their standards and suits their customers - then approach them by e-mail or by standard mail.

But, before placing your work at an agency make a short-list of the agencies that seem to suit your work. Contact each agency outlining your work and which magazines have already published your images. If an agency is then interested they will ask you to send them samples.

If an agency accepts your work, don't take this as a guarantee that your images will sell.

Don't approach an agency until you have a large collection of images. Minimum first submissions can consist of anything from 50 images to 500 and regular submissions are normally required thereafter. Most agencies work on a commission basis - 50 % being the standard rate. If an image sells for two hundred euro - the photographer receives a one hundred euro fee.

When an agency takes on a photographer's work, they normally require a four or five year retention period. Agencies normally sell the reproduction rights of a pictures - the image being licensed to a buyer for a specified purpose.

It may take as long as six months before an agency sells a picture belonging to you. First they need to scan your images if they are submitted by film; then they need to contact their clients and let them know that there is new material available - all of this takes time, so you must look at supplying a picture agency as a long term investment. It is only when you have several hundred images placed in a library that you'll start to see regular sales.

Remember: agencies can't sell images if there isn't a market for them and placing images at an agency does not guarantee you sales. TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. If you are looking for some photo tips visit the photography directory he frequently writes for: http://www.goldprints.com To view some of his images visit his on line gallery @ http://www.goldenirishlight.com

Your Guide To Buying A Digital Camera That Matches Your Photography Skill

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For many folks buying a digital camera can be a confusing and bewildering purchase since there are so many models to choose from and so many different kinds of digital cameras too. Unless you are a photography hobbyist you probably won't be familiar with all of the acronyms and language used to describe the features of each camera either. So here is a general guide to help you know how to buy a digital camera that matches your own photographic skill level.

First of all, there is no one size fits all solution in digital cameras. It would be much easier to choose if that were the case, but it would also severely limit what each person could do with their own photography. And this means that is you aren't a serious hobbyist, you probably don't need to spend the extra money on digital cameras that have all the advanced features simply because you will probably never use them. And on the other hand, if you are a skilled amateur photographer, buying a simple point and shoot type of camera will not be a great decision either as it will not let you really be creative enough to satisfy your needs. So here are a few simple guidelines to follow.

If you don't consider yourself a photographer, and you just simply want to take good pictures of family and friends, and maybe some special occasions, you can most likely do very well with a 4 - 6 megapixel point and shoot fully automatic digital camera. This will be the most inexpensive option and so will save you plenty of money initially by not purchasing features that you really don't need. And the resolution of a 4 - 6 megapixel camera will let you make great prints on up to 8 X 10 or so.

If however, you know a little bit about photography and like to take some control yourself over the camera functions at times to create special photo effects in the composition of the photo, a more advanced digital camera that has fully manual features for exposure control, and allows you to save the image files in TIFF, GIF or RAW formats that do not lose image quality when compressed would be a good choice. Unless you do a lot of enlargements above 8 X 10 you probably can still get by with a 4 - 6 megapixel camera here too.

However, if you consider yourself a photographer of sorts and like to be creative with your photos, you probably should consider buying a digital single lens reflex camera(SLR) that uses interchangeable lenses, has full manual control capability, and advanced features that most serious photographers really appreciate. And if you like to do lots of manual cropping of photos and magnification of smaller parts of your photo images before you print, an 8 - 10 megapixel camera can be a good bet.

Of course, these guidelines and tips are just general suggestions but hopefully they can help point you in the right direction so that you can more easily select and buy the digital camera that will most closely match your photographic skills.

You can find the best rated digital cameras and buy digital camera online by visiting our Digital Photography website.

Fuji Underwater Cameras - Photography Above And Below The Waves

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People are never satisfied! We came from the primitive world of black and white pictures to the colored ones that we have today. But did we satisfy ourselves? No, still we look for a higher trend, to add something new to our technology. Now we have the underwater cameras that allow us to see the world underneath the waves. To capture the time spent with the creatures of the sea.

Fuji is recognized globally for its technological innovation and high quality. Fujifilm actually introduced the world's first one-time-use 35mm camera - the QuickSnap. Fujifilm's technology is now licensed to many other manufacturers of one-time-use cameras.

Fujifilm is also becoming a Hollywood standard. Up to date movie blockbusters, including Punch-Drunk Love, The Wedding Planner, and Holes were all filmed on Fujifilm motion picture film. Fujifilm has received both an Academy Award and an Emmy for Technical Merit. How dependable are these cameras? Lets take a short look at the latest innovations - Fuji Underwater cameras.

The Fuji Fine Pix F440 packs just a bit more zoom than any other cameras in its class. When it comes to charging the battery, you have two options, either use the AC adapter built within the camera, or to use the included camera dock. In both case, it takes two hours to charge the battery. The camera has only two accessories, a carrying case and an underwater case. The underwater case lets you take the camera upto 40 metres underwater. The F440 doesn't support conversion lenses or an external flash -- not surprisingly.

This camera is an all-metal camera that can go anywhere you want. Its construction is definitely good and of higher quality than cheaper Fuji cameras. The controls are well-placed, although the micro buttons on the four-way controller are a bit too small for some. One thing that bothers some consumers is that cameras like this can easily be scratched!

Another camera is the FinePix F10. This camera can shoot at 6.3 Megapixels at ISO 1600 -- something no other point-and-shoot camera can do. It has a unique "natural light mode" for taking sharp pictures for lower light conditions without having to dwell on flash. There are a few accessories that can go along with this camera. But the most amazing of all these accessories is the WP-FXF10 waterproof case, which let you take the camera for 40 meters down under water.

With these great Fuji underwater camers you can enjoy the sights from under the water over and over again.

Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about photography and Fuji underwater cameras at Underwater Cameras Information.

Photography: From Hobby To Your Very Own Business

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That?s right. Who could say that there?s no chance that your hobby could also be the foundation of your first business venture? There are a lot of people out there who are in need of a good photographer to capture images of their son?s wedding, their daughter?s graduation or their very own wedding. Why couldn?t you be the one to supply your photography services to their needs?

For the transition of photography from hobby to your very own business, there are several tasks that you have to accomplish first.

Market Your Photography Skills ? Sell yourself, in other words! Let people know about what you can do in the field of photography, why they need your skills and why they should hire you. Make sure, however, that you charge them reasonable rates since you?re still more or less an amateur in the field of photography.

To effectively market your photography skills, don?t be afraid of spending a little money on posting ads in the classified sections. Don?t stop there but post about your photography business in as many places as you can.

Join Interest Groups ? This could be the local photography club in your community or the association of young photographers in your school. It could also be a Yahoo Group that you could easily join.

Usually, these groups are able to hold regular or annual exhibits of their works and it wouldn?t hurt to expose to the world the beauty of your works in photography.

Join Photo Competitions ? Two things that you could enjoy when joining photography competitions: fame and fortune. Both are equally important. Fame would do wonders to your career in photography because it would let the world know about your skills and winning a photography competition may also offer the prize of having an apprenticeship under a world famous photographer. And when it comes to wealth ? well, when did extra money ever hurt?

Offer Your Skills For Free to Government Projects ? The government is always on the lookout for professionals who are willing to work for free and you should take advantage of this. Offer your photography skills for free because this would give you the opportunity to show them what you got.

Offer Samples of Your Work to Newspapers and Magazines ? This is just like joining a photography competition. When you offer samples of your work to newspapers and magazines, you?re improving the chances that you?ll get noticed by the people who matters.

Although we can?t say that the road to victory is easy, never give up, never stop taking pictures and you?re sure to go far!

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for http://www.photography-tips.org and http://www.digitalcamera-reviews.net - Free sites that offer photography tips and camera reviews.

Holiday Photography

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What do you want to take from your holiday? Good photos or anger! By Rob Clement The majority of us mainly use our cameras on holiday and for family occasions. The rest of the year we put them away and do not give them a thought. At least a month before your next holiday dust the camera down, and look at the pictures you took of the last holiday. Are you happy with the quality? Is it time to put new batteries in your camera? Should you be putting a new camera on your list of wants for Christmas or birthday? You may have already decided to go the whole hog and buy a new camera. Many of our articles concentrate on digital cameras which are now available, but if you do not own or have access to a computer, leave the digitals alone and stick to the film camera. As one of the articles will tell you - you cannot justify a digital camera by savings on film. There are many good film cameras on the market and film is still widely available. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Do not buy a new camera and assume it is like the one with the same name that you bought 20 years ago. Any new piece of equipment can be faulty. So try out your new camera before you set out on your holiday. If you are going to a warm climate from a cold one you may need to think about a UV filter to get the best color from your prints. Take at least one roll of film or about 30 shots from a digital camera or about 10x3 minute clips from a video camera (please remember that most video cameras have the option of taking stills as well). If you are not happy then at least you can go somewhere and ask for advice rather than miss the memories from a holiday of a lifetime. Photography is all about memories and it is always good to be able to remember people, especially children, as they were. Take lots of photographs and keep them. Time will tell if they are the best ones. There will be photos covering all of the emotions from good times to disasters. Do not be tempted to throw away a photo or a digital image until you have looked at it carefully. Many images can be cut and resized to bring out what you want to see. We also have some articles about video cameras and they will give you a lot of the basics but please remember that there are video cameras that will put the scenes directly to DVD discs (some are mini discs but that are still readable) and I have not found any articles about them yet. When you have finished your holiday, remember that it is possible to put your 35mm film onto CD when your films are being processed. You can create from both 35mm and digital cameras a CD showing the highlights of your holiday that can be shown on your TV using a DVD player as well as on your computer. It will save your photos getting little finger marks on them while you are showing them around. Have fun and make memories for those winter nights. To recap Rob's checklist Check your camera * Dust it down * Replace batteries New Camera * Take about 30 shots * Does it need a UV filter * Does it need a tripod Buy yourself plenty of film or flash memory cards

Rob Clement is the web master at http://www.silkroadconsultants.com. A web site full of interesting and helpful travel tips.

If you use this article please link back to http://www.silkroadconsultants.com

Rob is the web master at http://www.silkroadconsultants.com. A web site full of interesting and helpful travel tips.

Still Life Photography In A Home Studio

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Still life photography has a long dated history and goes back to ancient times where a camera obscuras where used. This type of still life was done by standing in a dark room and through a pinhole placed in the wall the outside world was projected onto the opposite wall, but it is given that they where shown upside down and in vivid color. So as it stands today, still life photography has the same concept and idea, but done a lot differently and much more hi tech. Still life photography in the home studio is an old and ancient form of art and very prestigious.

The beauty of having to do still life in the comfort of a home studio is that you can capture a certain mood you are looking for and express it on film. All that will be needed is any object or objects that strike you as beautiful, strange or even the most common thing found in or around your home. Add some unique lighting sources at different angles and you are well on your way to take a great still life photograph. It is easy to produce a very creative and beautiful picture because you have the control over all the elements in your studio.

The subjects of still life can convey a classic look and flowers do the perfect job for this look, they are extraordinary and very easy to photograph. This type of still life subject will always be a reminder of a simple but a powerful beauty that we see almost every day in a photo. To create a bold still life that gives off flair try placing your subjects on a white background. This will accentuate the color of the object and create a unison look overall in the photo.Remember - with still life photography - everything has a special beauty.

Albreht Moy offers framed fine art print collections on his website.

Pet Portrait Photography - Tips for Your Own Masterpiece

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For some pets, a good photograph representing their best qualities comes naturally, while for others it can be frustratingly elusive. Many people choose to have professional photos taken, and although this can lead to a wonderful portrait, with a little preparation and plenty of patience you may be able to achieve similar results yourself. After all...your four-legged companion is a member of your family, and who else knows their unique traits and idiosyncrasies better?

Here are a few simple yet effective suggestions which I've found can offer good results...

The most important factor in pet photography is lighting. Often the best possible light is achieved outside in natural daylight, so try experimenting with this even if your pet is an indoor only pet. Remember to avoid direct sunlight, as this can alter natural colouring - a bright but overcast day is perfect. Don't use a flash, as this can cause red-eye and distort true colouring & shading. An exception to the above, however, is if your pet has a black coat, in which case a flash or strong sunlight can actually bring out shading and texture which may be lost in photos taken under other lighting conditions.

Next to consider is pose and positioning. Keep in mind it is most effective to take the photos on their level, rather than having your pet looking up at you which can distort natural form. Don't make them come to you. Instead, go to where they are most comfortable. Sit on the grass, lie on the floor, whatever it takes. Capture their most characteristic expression & pose. If they are generally happy, try to catch them doing their version of a smile.

Understandably, many pets have no patience for 'photo shoots' and find it hard to sit still. If your pet is having trouble focusing, a good idea is to have favourite treats or toys at the ready. Hold them up near the camera to catch - and hopefully hold - interest in the right direction. Most importantly, don't be afraid to be silly. Try making funny and unusual noises or movements to get their attention. Cameras can be distracting for some animals, so if you cannot get your pet to behave normally, try having someone else present to divert their attention.

Above all else, remember to have fun and don't be in a rush. Patience is most definitely a virtue when it comes to taking a spectacular pet photograph. Good luck!

Sarah Theophilus is a successful pet portrait artist who's work is featured online at Pets in Pastel - http://www.petsinpastel.com/. Take a moment to browse her original works, art cards, prints, free e-cards, wallpapers and more.

How Photography has Changed

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Technology is a wonderful thing. There have been a great number of technological advances made, especially as it pertains to photography. I remember my first experience with a camera was my grandmothers Kodak Instamatic 110 sometime in the 70's. It had a little square flash bulb that had to be replaced way too often. After taking all the pictures, you removed the 110 cartridge and dropped it off at the drug store and picked up your pictures 7 days later.

next one I remember clearly is the Polaroid Instant Camera. This was pretty cool for a pre-teenager. You just bought (what I thought back then) some overpriced film for it, snapped your picture and a few minutes later (and a lot of shaking) your picture sprang to life in front of you. The downsides were that it was bulky, and there wasn't a way to make copies of the pictures easily.

They had the right idea back then. To let the customer take a photo and be instantly gratified with a print of it. But it wasn't efficient and didn't have advanced technology resources such as the internet, computers, printers, and digital cameras.

My next lesson in life was photography school. I didn't end up graduating, but spent my first (and only) year learning basic 35 MM photo skills and darkroom skills. It was a lesson in color as well as black and white photography. I learned a lot while I was there, and my Pentax camera was a trusted friend that captured my images. We learned how to develop and process our own film and photos in the darkrooms. Doing this process could take several hours, depending on how many rolls of film you had to develop and how many prints you needed to copy. It was nothing to go through 100 sheets of photo paper and have an entire afternoon spent in the darkroom.

Now it's the year 2006. The Digital Age. My new d camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-W7. This little camera makes the barrier to entry into photography much smaller. For only a few hundred dollars, you can pick up this or a similiar digital camera. This camera is loaded with 32 MB of internal memory for taking pictures, however I recommend picking up a memory stick to maximize your photo taking capabilities. A 1 Gig memory sticks run about $70.00, but I've never run into a problem taking up to 200 pictures at a time. This is a wonderful way not to have to ever buy traditional film again. This camera also doubles as a video camera. In standard recording mode, the DSC-W7 equipped with a 1 Gig memory stick is about 44 minutes of recording time. In Fine Mode, it would be around 12 minutes. Using your computer equipped with their printing software, you can burn these to DVD's or hook right into your Television for replay. This same software gives tools to retouch and perfect photos before you print them, too.

Printing your photos has made revolutionary changes since the days in the darkroom. You have many more options for making your own prints. You can bring your memory stick to a place like Wal-Mart or the grocery store, and use a machine to make copies of your pictures. You can order prints online, or you can develop them yourself with a printer. I happen to own two printers that are compatible with my camera. I have a Hewlett Packard 6200 that I use to make 8 by 10 prints. For smaller prints (4 X 6) I like using my Epson Picture Mate Personal Photo Lab. If I remember correctly, this cost about 150.00 but has paid itself off in charges not incurred by getting them processed elsewhere. Photo paper and replacement ink cartridges are sold off in a 100 pack and cost around 30.00 at Best Buy. You just insert the memory stick into the Epson or connect it with the pictobridge cable and press a few buttons, and your prints will be done in front of your eyes.

Just like in the days of the Polaroid cameras.I told you they had the right idea!

Please visit the Planet Gadgets Blog
or check out Planet Gadgets

Girls Timeless

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DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - GRADUATED FILTER EFFECT - LANDSCAPE PHOTOS

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ENHANCE YOUR LANDSCAPE PHOTOS

If you see a landscape photograph taken by a professional photographer, you will usually notice that the sky is quite dramatic. This is an effect that's easy to reproduce in a digital image.

Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0. Time: 10 minutes. Suitable for: any landscape photo with a band of uninterrupted sky.

Open the image. Click Enhance>Auto Levels. This removes the dullness from the photo. Now click Enhance>Adjust Colour>Hue & Saturation and move the Saturation slider up to +15, to brighten the colour slightly, if required (this will depend upon your original photo).

CREATE AN ADJUSTMENT LAYER

First make sure that the Layers palette is visible on screen. If it isn't, click Window>Layers. Now click on the circular Create an Adjustment Layer button in the Layers palette. Click Levels. The Levels dialogue box will open, showing Input and Output levels. It's the Input Levels that you'll be adjusting in this case. If you look at the sliders under the Input Levels histogram, you'll see there are three sliders, the one on the left adjusts the dark areas of the image, the one in the middle the midtones, and the one on the right the bright areas. Move the middle slider to the right until the sky is considerably darker (ignore what the change does to the rest of the photo). Click OK.

Adjust the image so that only the sky is darker Click on the Gradient Tool in the toolbox on the left of the screen. In the Tool Settings bar near the top of the screen, an example of the gradient will appear. It should be graduated from white to black. If it isn't, click on the tiny drop-down arrow next to the example and choose the gradient in the top left-hand corner. If you look at the Levels adjustment layer that you created in the layers palette, you will see a Layer Mask (the all-white rectangle). Click on the Layer Mask, then put your mouse back over the picture. Click at the very top of the picture, hold down the mouse button and drag vertically from the top to the bottom of the sky. The Layer Mask should now be black with a small white area at the top. This will reveal the darkened sky, but the rest of the photo will now be unaffected by the change in Levels. If you're not entirely happy with the result, you can double click on the Layer Thumbnail in the adjustment layer and readjust the sliders until you achieve the desired effect.

Jan uses Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter for image editing and digital, see Jan's portraits website for more details.. She has been running popular digital photography training courses for four years. See Jan's digital photography website.

Black and White Photography: No Color is Good

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The world of black and white photography is considered a Fine Art form and it is done to induce an emotion of timelessness and freeze a moment at any given time.

It goes without saying that a few great photographers like Ansel Adams and Steigletz have made black and white photography what it is to today and even long after their deaths keep it strong and alive. This type of a picture is a true classic form of art and extremely breathe taking. There can never be enough said about black and white photography, but the pictures themselves will speak volumes for all that are looking at them.

Black and white film comes in a few different classes. The tabular black and white film is a new and thinner emulsion film that has more of a surface area and it gives off less depth with high sharpness. Conventional film is the standard type that gives off a superior detail to highlight and was used before the tabular film was introduced in 1988. Orthochromatic film is the best for shots of people and landscapes and gives off a tone that stands above all other film types. Chromogenic film uses dyes and not the silver particles that are used by the other film types. There is no control over the development process and it is more difficult to work with.

There really is no other special equipment or camera that is needed for black and white photography, only the film. When you bring in your roll of film to a store to be developed just let the person behind the counter know what it is. Some places specialize in the development of black and white and it is best to use their services to gain the true feelings you desired to achieve and portray with the photos. Other places develop this type of film, but in return you may not get the true color, or lack of color you desired.

Felix Zhucha has popular black and white pictures on his site.

A Great Photo, but do you need a photography course?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Big C's to Success in Photography

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The Big C's to Success in Photography By Chuck Groot www.Chuckgroot.com www.Successfulphotography.com

In his book Small Business Management, Michael Ames gives the following reasons for small business failure:

1:Lack of experience

2:Insufficient capital (money)

3:Poor location

4:Poor inventory management

5:Over-investment in fixed assets

6:Poor credit arrangements

7:Personal use of business funds

8:Unexpected growth

Gustav Berle adds two more reasons in The Do It Yourself Business Book:

9:Competition

10:Low sales What is the common thread - Poor Planning! Let's look at the words starting with "C", insufficient CAPITAL, poor CREDIT arrangements, and COMPETITION.

Unfortunately, too often we underestimate our competition (the competition is not necessarily other photographers), causing us to get a poor credit rating, and we die because there is insufficient capital to get us over the start up phase of opening a new business.

One area that is sadly overlooked when starting a business is start-up capital. Start-up capital is the amount that you need to have before you open your doors. This is the money set aside in the bank that will carry you through the lean months so that you can pay your fixed expenses, variable costs, and your salary.

We start by trying to get a good handle on our fixed expenses. These are the expenses that will occur regardless if we make any money what so ever. A list of these would be: rent, telephone, hydro, advertising (I believe that advertising is a necessity, therefore qualifying as a fixed expense. You have to advertise when you first open up to let everyone know that you are in business), auto insurance, office supplies, and utilities.

Oh yes, I almost forgot (just kidding), your salary. Most photographers I know pay themselves if and when there is any money left over at the end of the month. This is not acceptable! Be proud of what you do. Be positive about what you do. Most important - pay yourself. If, and I say this in only the most hypothetical of situations, if you go broke do you think anyone is going to take pity on you and give you any money back. Hell no! So pay yourself and make sure that this is a habit that you continue. It provides a huge psychological boost each and every month, one that pays dividends in the end. (No pun intended.)

From there you try to figure out how many photo sessions you will be taking. Break it down into specific numbers, how many sessions a day? After that, determine what your costs are per session. How much film and processing? How many prints or paper will you use? These are called your variable expenses, expenses that are incurred only when you do something. Then figure that if you work 20 days that month what your costs will be on a monthly basis.

We now add the third dimension - hard costs. If you are starting a studio or office location, you will need furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Equipment can be cameras, computers, desks, and file cabinets etc. Go through catalogs and find out how much you will need to spend on these items.

After this is all done we add them together, six months of fixed expenses, six months of variable costs, and your hard costs, to come up with what your start up capital will be. Then make sure that you have that covered. This can be done with a combination of your cash, bank loans, line of credit, or investors. Just make sure that you have six months worth of start up capital.

Any money you earn by taking pictures will be gravy. Hopefully it will be enough to cover all of your fixed and variable expenses, but if it doesn't you have your back up plan. It is better to spend a lot of time planning and being prepared as the old saying goes, "Failing to Plan, is Planning to Fail!"

Generally it takes three to five years to get your feet firmly planted on the ground and your roots dug deeply into it. If you use my proven system you should be up and running within a year, check into my personal coaching program to ensure your success.

? Chuck Groot writer, teacher, lecturer, photographer, consultant. Email chuckgroot@shaw.ca www.chuckgroot.com, www.successfulphotography.com

Chuck Groot's credentials as a professional photographer, teacher and entrepreneur are noteworthy. His work demonstrates both artistic composition and rapport with people.

Chuck guarantees the help needed to access individual potential so that students will appreciably increase their understandi

Photography Tips - Lighting your Subject

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Lighting your subject is, obviously, very important for the successful capture of the 'perfect' image. The type and intensity of the light can dramatically change the mood of the photograph. Sometimes the effect is not obvious until the picture is developed. Even with the digital camera, although you can see an image immediately, the size of the view screen makes it difficult to notice some of the differences.

The best way to learn how light affects the final image is to experiment - ah the joy of the digital camera - you don't have to wait to get the film developed to see the results! Try taking pictures with and without the flash. Try using alternate sources of light. Try using settings other than the camera default settings.

1. Taking pictures with/without a flash Many cameras have an automatic flash setting that I find most people used 99% of the time. This may not always get you the result you want. For example, on a very bright day your flash will not fire as your camera senses enough light. However, you may find that the shadows cast are very strong and detract from the photo. Most digital cameras today have a setting called 'fill flash'. You can use this setting to 'fill' in the shadows created by the strong sunlight.

The opposite of this is to not use the flash when the camera wants to use it. Each year at Halloween I love to carve pumpkins. I try to create a new design every year and take photos of them. I take them out to the front step (in the dark), light the candles and position my self so that the flame is hidden behind the design but the light comes shining through. If I were to use a flash, all I would see would be an orange pumpkin with stuff carved out - not what I want. If I turn off the flash, I can then take a great photo that shows the design as glowing against the dark pumpkin.

2. Alternate source of additional light (other than your flash)

Instead of using the flash to illuminate your subject, try reflected light. Aluminum foil is a great reflector of light and is cheap, lightweight and easy to carry. During a walk in the woods, I found a small group of delicate pink flowers growing on a moss-covered stump. There was no direct light on the flowers and a flash would have completely washed out the colour. I used my trusty piece of aluminum foil to reflect the light falling to the ground a few feet away towards the flowers. You can adjust the amount of light by moving or crumpling the foil.

3. Different settings

The default settings are not always the best. If you are taking a photo of people with dark skin (not a portrait but a photo including most if not all the body) and you use the automatic settings, you may find that there is little detail in their faces. Opening the shutter by one f-stop (maybe more if they are really dark) should give you the light you need to show their faces. On the other hand, let's say you have a scene where you have some brightly colored leaves against a dark background. If there is a fair amount of the dark background showing, using the automatic settings will most likely overexpose the leaves, losing the vibrancy of the colour. In this instance, closing the shutter by one f-stop (or so) will bring capture the bright colours. Remember that your light meter sets your camera to give you a 'mid-gray' exposure. If your subject and background are quite different in value, then the default settings are probably not going to give you the best results.

For your experiments to have lasting value, record them. I carry a small coil notebook that I can use to note anything different I do. Some of the things I note include:

Identify your photos - In addition to numbering them, for the first photo of a group of experiments, I describe it so I will know which one it is when I get around to looking at them. For me, this is the most reliable way to know to which photos my notes belong as the camera date is usually set off and I may take photos for days before downloading.

Note the ambient light conditions - indicate the type of light (direct sunlight, full shade, light overcast, 60 watt bulb etc) and the direction of the light in relation to your subject (from right to left, front to back, etc). If you have an SLR camera, note any variations in f-stop or shutter speed you make from those derived from using your light meter.

When you have developed your photos (or downloaded them) look at the results and draw your conclusions about what worked and did not, what effects you liked and what you did not. Think about what you were trying to capture in the photo and whether the lighting you used enhanced or detracted from it.

Use your imagination and try these techniques - you have nothing to loose and you may just have more fun with your camera!

B.L Hill has been taking photographs for over forty years using a variety of equipment and media. For more articles and some great ebooks visit the Photography Tips website.

Ron Baker was launched new photography board forum

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Photography Board is the place for photography-coholic to meet, discuss and share ideas. It's a fully functional board that targets general topics of interest to the beginner and advanced photographer. Whether it's your hobby or profession, visit photographyboard.net to talk, explain to newbies and learn from pros how to shoot pictures (people, nature, etc), how to handle your camera (digital or film-based)

Questions, answers and any kind of information about digital cameras. How to take pictures of landscapes. Everything about the dark room including developing and printing. Regards http://www.photographyboard.net

is the founder & CEO of www.photographyboard.net, explain to newbie's and learn from pros how to shoot pictures (people, nature, etc), how to handle your camera (digital or film-based)

Find Great Photos for Your Web Site From Stock Photography

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Do you need great pictures? Are you looking for pictures to put on your website? If you need some pictures and you need to find them quickly, if you need photos to use on a website, or if you need photos and can not pay/do not have time for a professional photographer, stock photography may be the answer.

What are stock photographs? Stock photos are those that are submitted to a photo library. The library then sells the rights to use the images (usually on a website) and the library keeps part of the fees. The great stock photographer can make good money by submitting photos to the library regularly. They may make a good amount of money from the photos.

There are many services out there to offer you great stock photography. No matter what you are looking for, you can find a photo library that will have it for you. You can find thousands of pictures of people, places, animals and much more. A quick search on the internet will show you there are many photo libraries available. Corbis is one popular one. They all have different fees you will have to look for yourself.

With the many stock photography suppliers on the internet, you can browse through hundreds of thousands of photos on the topics you are looking for. Many of these come royalty free and some do not. You can usually search for these in a specific way as well.

In the long run, the fee you pay to use the photos on your site are usually worth in and are cheaper than any other alternative. They are really great, high quality photos. Many of them are done by very professional photographers that are looking to make some extra money and maybe even extra exposure by placing some of their work in the stock photography market.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.stock-photography-central.info

Find Great Photos for Your Web Site From Stock Photography

         >>  Digital Photography Secrets Revealed <<

 

Do you need great pictures? Are you looking for pictures to put on your website? If you need some pictures and you need to find them quickly, if you need photos to use on a website, or if you need photos and can not pay/do not have time for a professional photographer, stock photography may be the answer.

What are stock photographs? Stock photos are those that are submitted to a photo library. The library then sells the rights to use the images (usually on a website) and the library keeps part of the fees. The great stock photographer can make good money by submitting photos to the library regularly. They may make a good amount of money from the photos.

There are many services out there to offer you great stock photography. No matter what you are looking for, you can find a photo library that will have it for you. You can find thousands of pictures of people, places, animals and much more. A quick search on the internet will show you there are many photo libraries available. Corbis is one popular one. They all have different fees you will have to look for yourself.

With the many stock photography suppliers on the internet, you can browse through hundreds of thousands of photos on the topics you are looking for. Many of these come royalty free and some do not. You can usually search for these in a specific way as well.

In the long run, the fee you pay to use the photos on your site are usually worth in and are cheaper than any other alternative. They are really great, high quality photos. Many of them are done by very professional photographers that are looking to make some extra money and maybe even extra exposure by placing some of their work in the stock photography market.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.stock-photography-central.info

Photography Tips : Getting The Best Shots

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Here are some helpful tips that should assist you when trying to get the perfect shot.

Lighting:

Try to use natural lighting if you can, if your indoors place yourself near a large window

If your taking shots outside try to doing your snap shots around 5pm as the light isn't as bright and it tends to help the overall shot.

Preparing the person:

Be sure to wash the face and apply makeup before taking the pictures

Keep the hair away from the face unless of course you want it there.

Seriously if you have puffy eyes, try using Preparation H it does take it down

Foundation:

Use a thick foundation to cover up any blemishes or spots

Be sure to blend in the foundation starting from the Chin down to the neck so that it blends in nicely.

Powder:

If you want a nice Matt finish, apply a good amount of powder regularly

Concealer;

If your going to use concealer be sure to use 2 shades lighter than the skin and apply it before the foundation goes on this way it will hide spots and marks.

Countouring:

You want to contour certain areas of the face, such as the eyes and cheeks to give it that sculpted look

Also consider using a foundation that is 2 to 3 shades darker than the skin

Eyes:

To create lively eyes you will want to highlight the brows using a light shadow

To avoid shine on the face avoid at all costs shimmering or frosty eyeshadow

Try to use waterproof mascara

Application of makeup needs to be heavier than normal makeup application.

Lips:

When it comes to getting a nice full lip look be sure to use a darker shade on the lip color and the outline.

Tamara Williams Contributes articles for Digital Camera Reviews which is a site dedicated to providing consumers with digital camera and photography reviews. For all your tips, comparisons and advice stop by digicamlab.