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Capture the Sunset: Tips and Tricks

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Sunset pictures are unique light situations that require planning. When using a digital camera to capture a sunset, one usually has three minutes to capture that beautiful half sphere of light as it meets the horizon while turning the sky pink and orange. If one is prepared for the shot, then this is plenty of time.

Select the location that will best capture the sunset. The horizon is many miles away and the sun will appear only as a dot if there is nothing else in the picture to create depth and perspective. Decide to incorporate trees or buildings then estimate where the sun will meet the horizon based on its current trajectory.

Once the shot is lined up, now it is time to set the exposure on the camera. Zooming in and placing the sun directly in the center of the picture will confuse the matrix meter in the camera and create a picture that is properly exposed for the sun and nothing else. To capture the array of colors and textures that make sunsets beautiful, set the camera’s metering mode to center weight or spot. Then focus on the sky directly above the sun before taking the picture.

Discovering Nature with Macro Photography: Settings and Lenses

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Macro photography is defined as taking close up shots of an image that reveals details not seen by the human eye. Taking nature shots with macro photography can challenge and amaze you. Seeing the hairs on a flies leg, and the eyes of a grasshopper is truly stunning. There is nothing more beautiful than pollen on a flower. Many point and shoot digital cameras today give the ordinary person the ability to take wonderful macro shots. Nature is made up of many new and unusual things most of us don’t get to see. Macro photography makes this possible. Most point and shoot cameras have a macro setting and vary on focus ability. For more expensive cameras such as Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras there are great lenses that can be bought that are exclusively for macro shots. These lenses are much better than the macro capabilities of a point and shoot camera, and for getting just the right shot. Being patient and quiet when taking a shot of a bug in nature is a must, and adding a tripod to steady the camera is also a good idea. As with anything practice makes perfect, and soon you can be taking amazing shots of anything you desire.

Sports Action Mode: Don’t Miss Your Child’s Big Goal!

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Using the sports action mode setting on your digital camera is a great first step to taking better pictures of your child’s memorable athletic moments. This mode is the one indicated by a basic stick figure that looks like it is running. One you have selected this mode, the camera will limit auto-select to its widest apertures and fastest shutter speeds in order to freeze the action. This mode works best in bright sunny weather or slightly cloudy. Sports Action Mode should not be used for night or late afternoon games.This/tag helps explain it more.

When switching to sports action mode, be sure to also switch your auto-focus setting to continuous. By making this adjustment, you can center your child in the frame as they are running down the field and the camera will automatically continue to track and adjust focus along with your movements. If you do not switch to continuous auto-focus, the sensor will take an initial reading and focus where your subject was when you first lined up the shot.

The last key to great action shots is anticipation. Do not quick-draw your camera every time there is something happening. Keep the camera out and anticipate where the action will be.

Better Digital Photos – Tips and Tricks

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

So you want to take better digital pictures. You’ve been watching technology shows on your Direct TV and you’ve even asked a professional but hey, are you sure you’re not over-thinking it? We’ve got some foolproof tips for taking better digital shots that don’t require additional equipment.
Don’t Center Everything – The hallmark of a good photographer is one who takes advantage of negative space. There’s a fine line between being too far away from your subject and too close but if you move them slightly to one side or another viola! Instant perspective.
Play With Light – One of the easiest tricks in the book is to play with light. If you think it’s too dark it’s probably just right so consider trying to time your photos around when the sun starts to set. Shadows are darker and you won’t have to use the flash, which is key.
Take More Candids – Just snap pictures. All the time, wherever you are, and don’t tell people. The more candid shots you take the better you’ll learn to make a shot out of nothing and that’s what brings forth the coolest shots anyway.

Photography Decoded: F-Stops and Shutter Speeds

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Photography makes a great hobby. There has a low cost to get started taking pictures, and there are limitless options of things to take photos of. However, the two most important things you need to understand are F-stops and Shutter speeds.
F-stops are important because the choice you make here determines what the focus of your photo will be. Without getting to technical, an aperture ring is what determines the photos depth of view or depth of focus. Small F-stop values will have a narrow depth of view, and large F-stop values will have a wide depth of view. For example, F-stop 2.8 will focus on one object and leave everything else a blur in the background, but F-stop 22 will keep everything you see in focus.
Shutter speeds will determine how bright or dark your photo turns out to be. The shutter of a camera is not that different than a shutter on a window. The longer you leave the shutter open the more light you let in. In low light situations, using a slower shutter speed will make your picture bright. In bright sunlight, use a fast shutter speed to keep your picture from looking washed out and over exposed.

Composition: A Quick Guide to Composing Your Photo

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You love taking pictures, but they might be looking a bit dull and boring. Don’t fret! Learning some basic rules of composition can help you to take beautiful, balanced, and compelling photos.

Following the rule of thirds is a great way to add a little drama or flair to your pictures. Draw three vertical and three horizontal imaginary lines on your LCD screen or viewfinder. There will be four points where these imaginary lines meet. Try shooting so that the subject of your photo is at one of those points instead of in the center.

Lines in a picture catch the viewer’s eye. You can use lines to emphasize your subject, or use them to guide the viewer through the picture.

Having a balanced photograph makes for a more pleasing picture. If you have your subject far to one side, try putting another object on the opposite side as a counterbalance. Also look for geometric shapes, which our eyes get a kick out of.

Finally, don’t be afraid to get close to your subject. Let it take up the entire picture. Experiment with your macro setting, too!

Using these tools, you’ll be well on your way to some excellent photos.

Flash Facts: Do you Need it?

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you are the owner of a new camera, then I am sure you are not only excited by your new little gadget, but also a little overwhelmed by all the functions it can do. The owners manual is probably the size of a book and you just can’t bring yourself to read it! I understand completely! One area that people often flip to is the use of the flash on your camera. This seems to be a very important thing to people and I’ll tell you exactly why.

With the use of a flash on your camera, you can get some great shots that you normally wouldn’t get without one. You have to know the right times to use a flash though. It should be turned off when there is plenty of natural light around so as to not mess us the picture by creating too much light. Another place you’ll want to avoid it is when its super dark. Sometimes this can cause your picture to come out with a very distorted contrast and you will not be happy with the finished project.

For the most part you want to use your flash when the light is dim and you just need a little extra light to take your photo.

How to Tell if You Need an External Flash

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

More and more, life revolves around computers and digital information. Family pictures are taken on digital cameras, news is shared from relation to relation via email, and important family things have to be saved somehow. Computer hard drives only hold so much information. External flash drives can be very helpful in organizing and storing important things that will be priceless in the future.

So how to tell if you need an external flash drive? That depends on how much you do. If you are mailing out monthly family newsletters, you may not need an external flash, unless you want one just so you can keep all these newsletters organized in their own space. If you are making family movies and have a large amount of video footage, an external hard drive may be a great idea. An external flash allows you to keep digital information in an orderly fashion and allows you to be very mobile with it as well; take it with you on vacations so you can load pictures or video footage directly onto it, even mail it to friends or family.

An external flash will be the right choice if you want to be prepared and organized.