Posted August 24th, 2008
by Erin Petersville
by Erin Petersville
As summer approaches many parents worry that their children will run rampant in the streets, getting into trouble and generally misbehaving, just as they did when they were children. Nowadays, the new threat to productive childhood summer memories is in the form of video games and the Internet. Both can be harmful activities if not used in moderation and creatively. One of the funnest uses for kids on the internet is to help encourage them to take the time to enter many different kinds of online kids contests.
The first type of contest is children photography contests. Digital cameras, even cell phones, make it extremely easy nowadays for children to become the next Ansell Adams. Taking pictures while on family vacation, especially ones involving nature, such as when on trips to national parks or famous landscapes, would make excellent entries in an online children photography contest.
Picture contests are similar to photography contests, but instead of using a digital camera or cell phone to take pictures of the world around them, kids would take pen or paint or pencil to paper to draw their interpretation of the world around them, expressing themselves as only they know how. The pictures could then be scanned into the computer and uploaded to online picture contests.
Perhaps your child’s talent leans toward the written word? Poetry contests, essay contests and short story contests are wonderful ways to tap into this creative reservoir. I even came across a contest online, where kids wrote short adventure stories which took place in foreign countries. What better way to teach a child about world cultures and geography than to have them enter such a contest, using their imaginations and having fun along the way. There are numerous such contests online. A search using Google will reveal all these wondrous opportunities. These are events that video games cannot hope to teach your child.
Another avenue worth pursuing to help your kids avoid getting into trouble over the summer break that doesn’t involve the internet is to visit your local bookstore and look for a contest magazine specializing in any area of interest to your child. Many magazines, including photography magazines, often hold contests design specifically for children.
There are still cute baby contests you could enter your baby into. Hopefully your cute baby is not addicted to video games yet, so it is not too late to steer the little angel away from these activities and to teach him or her that there are a lot more fun summertime activities. Win a few of these cute baby contests, and you won’t have to deal with addictive video game playing, but you will have to work through the self-absorbing attitude that may result.
Such contests are excellent ways for your children to not only explore their interests and build self-esteem, but there is an underlying benefit to you both. It is usually through such contests that a hidden talent is revealed, leading to a promising career in the arts. I, for one, am a product of kids contests.
Kids contests can be a fun way for a family to spend the summer, building bonds and memories that carry far into their adulthood. I remember all the fun activities of my youth, and they are the most enjoyable memories I have. Fortunately, I have no fond memories of video game playing, although that is not to say I didn’t and still don’t enjoy the occasional pixelating playtime. I have learned from my parents, however, that other activities away from the game console and flashing television screen provide me with the most long-lasting and deeper-meaning memories of life.
Tags: Photography Posted in Photography
Posted August 23rd, 2008
by Donald K Aniston
by Donald K Aniston
The Sony handycam camcorder has become one of the staples in the camcorder industry.
One of the best features of the Sony brand of the handycam camcorder is the ease of use.
Other benefits of owning a Sony camcorder include having Nightshot and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens. The Nightshot allows a person to take videos and still shots in the dead of night. This is not included on every model, but for those that do have it, the effects are amazing. The zoom lens is one of the most up-to-date, with optical technology. It includes image stabilization and this is key because the Sony brand of digital camcorders are hand held and this can prove to be a wobbly experience.
Owning and operating a Sony handycam camcorder has never been simpler.
A person can locate these camcorders at a variety of outlets, including Sony’s own website. They can even purchase refurbished models directly from the manufacturer. The actual operation of these great camcorders is so simple that a trained chimp could do it. Sony has really gone above and beyond when it comes to filmmaking and capturing lifelong memories.
Sony has been producing great electronics for years and thanks to their handycam line of camcorders, an individual can take advantage of the products made by the leader in the electronics industry. These digital camcorders are easy to use and are meant for everyone, no matter how technologically savvy they may be.
The Nightshot allows a person to take videos and still shots in the dead of night. This is not included on every model, but for those that do have it, the effects are amazing. The zoom lens is one of the most up-to-date, with optical technology. It includes image stabilization and this is key because the Sony brand of digital camcorders are hand held and this can prove to be a wobbly experience.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted August 21st, 2008
by David Peters
by David Peters
One problem I faced when starting out with digital photography was how to touch up my raw digital images. Perhaps an image was slightly dark, perhaps it had to be rotated or cropped. Maybe some dirty spots had to be cleaned out and erased. Digital photos usually require some form of manipulation before final output. So here\’s a short guide which I\’ve compiled to help you touch up your photos.
Step 1: Start Up Your Image Editor To get started you must first open your chosen image editing program. For those just starting out, try a program such as Ulead Photo Impact. This particular program provides professional level results while still being simple and friendly to use.
Step 2: Remove Red-Eye If you\’re taking photos of people, chances are you may have taken a photo with red-eye problems. This is easily removed with image editing software. In Paint Shop Pro, select the Red-Eye Removal tool in the menu and voila, the program does all the work for you. In Ulead PhotoImpact, there\’s an equivalent tool called Remove Red Eye in the Tool Panel.
Step 3: Rotate and Crop If you have taken a photo from an uncomfortable angle, this can be fixed with the rotate tool with very little loss to picture quality. You can also opt to crop photos to remove cluttered surroundings that take attention away from the subject of the photo. A much more professional result can be achieved by cropping away empty sides of a photograph leaving only the subject in the middle.
Step 4: Play with Color Don\’t be afraid to experiment with colors. Image editing programs put a lot of power in your hands. You can make the leaves purple, change the entire photo to black and white, add a sepia effect – almost anything you want. A good photo editing program will have automatic color balance options to adjust color defects in your pictures.
Step 5: Blurring Effects Adding a blurring effect sometimes can make a photo stand out. To do this, select an area or areas of the photo which are unimportant and blur them out to bring more attention to the subject. For a close up of a butterfly on a flower, blur out the leaves or grass in the background to really make the subject stand out.
Step 6: Sharpen Up The next step in touching up a photo would be to sharpen as needed. While you cannot truly sharpen an out of focus image you can improve on it by selectively sharpening focal points. Sharpen a person’s eyes for example and leave the rest of the image unsharpened.
Step 7: Resize You may need to resize your photo depending on your needs. Resize down to a smaller size to e-mail your pictures to family. Resize to a 4×6 print to turn your image into a greeting card.
Step 8: Save Your Work You’re almost there. Now just remember to save your work in the proper image format. Use the larger TIFF image format to preserve all details for further image editing. If you just want to e-mail your pictures or upload them to your website, the JPEG image format would work best.
Conclusion That’s all there is to it! Now you have the basics for touching up and preparing your raw digital photos for output. While all of the above steps might not fit every photo situation, they are among the most common your might need. Experiment and practice with the different tools and options to make the most out of all of your digital images.
Tags: Photography Posted in Photography
Posted August 18th, 2008
by Vincent Manga
by Vincent Manga
If you want to purchase a digital camera, you really must have at least some idea of what you need to look out for and avoid. You don’t have to be an expert, but you must at least know some basics to make sure you don’t end up with an inadequate camera for your digital photography. The following is a series of things you need to understand and look out for, there there is less plus several things you must avoid.
1. megapixels:
From a basic standpoint, generally speaking the more megapixels a digital camera has the higher quality images it will be capable of outputting. You will find that with the higher end more professional digital cameras (8 to 12 plus megapixels) the image quality will also be increased significantly depending on the quality of the cameras lenses, but for lower end digital cameras this will have less effect.
Now in regard to the number of megapixels, there is one thing you really do need to look out for. It is vitally important that you read the small print as it were on the digital camera. You see many digital camera manufacturers will have you believe there camera is capable of a higher number of megapixels then it really is.
What many digital camera manufacturers do is to print on the camera or in their manuals say six megapixels in big writing, but underneath there’s writing where they will put something like five megapixels enhanced to six using software. If the camera states something along these lines the camera is not truly six megapixels at all. If the camera has to use software to enhance its number of megapixels it will not be as good as a true six megapixel camera.
A digital camera’s zoom
How much zoom your digital camera should have is really going to depend on the sort of use you give your camera, so only you can make this decision. However it’s important to remember that the more zoom you have the more you are going to be able to do with your camera.
There are two kinds of zoom, optical and digital. Optical zoom zooms in using lenses within the camera, so there will be no quality lost. Where as digital zoom on the other hand will simply make your pictures bigger and so will lose you are lot of picture quality.
Many digital cameras here too can be misleading since they will often state the maximum digital zoom in big letters on the camera without actually stating that it is in fact digital zoom, they will of course tell you that it is digital zoom so as to cover themselves legally but again only with very small print nearby.
Personally I never use digital zoom. This is because I would much rather take my picture at full quality and then when I’m at home make use of my PC to make the image larger. This way it is possible to see in real time how much visual quality you will be giving up and of course you will still have the original photo at full quality.
3. Powersupply
It really is surprising just how many people never stop to think about this, but yet when you think about it, what could possibly be worse than running out of battery power right when you have a great opportunity to take great photographs?
With the lower end cheaper more commercial digital cameras AA and AAA rechargeable batteries are quite common. In recent years these batteries have come down considerably in price so this isn’t such a bad thing. You just have to remember to keep several sets charged and ready to go at all times.
Some lower end and most of the higher end digital cameras will only accept their own powersupply specifically made for that camera. These powersupplys are normally Lithium batteries and can be quite expensive.
Since these batteries are normally somewhat more expensive you will also want to take this into account when comparing price on each different camera model. You do normally get the added advantage of a longer period of usage of the digital camera when using these battery packs.
Some digital cameras can take both normal batteries and their own specific battery pack. This could, as I’m sure you can imagine, be a pretty cool feature since it will give you full control.
If you take into account everything mentioned above when you compare digital cameras, you should have no problem in choosing a good camera for your usage. Also remember to check out on-line reviews as they will help you compare each camera.
Checking out on-line reviews can become even more important when you’re looking to buy professional digital cameras, since lenses and other specifications for the cameras can make a lot of difference at this level.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted August 17th, 2008
by Donald K Aniston
by Donald K Aniston
The Handycam HDR – FX1 is one of the best digital camcorders on the market for those who are excelling in the world of filmmaking. This system offers more detail and improved video performance, without having the color bleed, which can be found in other comparable systems. Sony has for a long time been a leader in the electronics field and this is only one of the amazing specs that prove they are up with the times when it comes to their digital camcorder products.
The Handycam HDR – FX1 is not only made for the professional, but also for the novice photographer. Even though this camcorder is not a hand held device, it weighs close to four pounds and offers individuals the chance to film and edit the videos more simply than most other camcorders on the market today. It offers both high definition video options and shooting can be converted into standard definition. This allows for a person to be in control of today’s technology and ready for the technological advances of tomorrow!
All of the auto functions on this camcorder are very accurate and incredibly fast acting.
The Sony Handycam HDR – FX1 is one digital camcorder that will make any professional filmmaker excited about their job.
This system offers more detail and improved video performance, without having the color bleed, which can be found in other comparable systems. Sony has for a long time been a leader in the electronics field and this is only one of the amazing specs that prove they are up with the times when it comes to their digital camcorder products.
All of the options that are available on this device can only help to enhance a person’s ability to capture memories. The price is great for such an “above and beyond” piece of technology.
This is as good as it gets when it comes to automation. The average cost of this camcorder is around five thousand dollars. A person needs to be totally into the art of recording and editing film before they purchase this device. This camera is not for everyone, but those who do see the need for it can greatly benefit from all of the great functions.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted August 16th, 2008
by Gugu Maseko
by Gugu Maseko
Most casual users of digital cameras will only ever use it for point and shoot occasions, rarely ever experimenting with all the different functions; many buyers just aren’t interested in experimenting with these functions. When you are ready to buy a digital camera, consider what it is you want it to do. Just to help with the confusion that you may be feeling, some information on what to look out for is discussed below. If this is your first camera then you must be honest with yourself if you have no idea what functions you would want your camera to have.
For instance: what type of images are you hoping to capture? As far as cost is concerned, no matter what your needs and wants are for the device, your financial resource will play a huge part in dictating the type of model you will buy. Some people like to manipulate the images on their computer but this is only possible with more modern home computers. You may want to consider buying your camera as part of a new computer system which would probably include all the software and a printer as well. When you buy a digital camera, the image editing software usually comes with it but other necessities such as a photo printer will be an extra cost item.
Aside from a printer, possibly a special photo version, ink and paper for printing will be needed. To improve the picture quality, you will need to increase the number of pixels that the camera has available. Many of the latest model digital cameras have a small built in memory but this will only store a few images at the highest resolution so a separate storage card will be necessary. The larger megapixel models require cards with more space and fortunately these are now available with up to 32 gigabytes of storage; this should be enough for many hundreds if not thousands of shots even with very high megapixel models.
From the moment you pick it up, it should feel right in your hands. Take note of how easy it is to operate because although functions are important, if it isn’t easy to use, it won’t be! Before you buy a digital camera, check to see if it is supplied with batteries that are rechargeable; these are a great idea and over the life of the battery can save hundreds of dollars and that’s also better for the environment. All digital cameras have a LCD screen which is a small screen located at the back of the unit; some models have a swiveling action, which is great for viewing your pictures and taking those from awkward angles.
Today, the viewfinder is being fitted on fewer types although screen sizes have increased dramatically but are the biggest drain on the battery. Try to buy a model with an optical zoom which usually start with 3x power; this will be the most useful function you have. Digital cameras that are only equipped with a digital zoom should be avoided as images look blurred and pixilated. When you buy your model also buy a tripod of any description, because even table versions can be very useful especially if you want to get in the shot. With this information, you can now figure out what you really need and want before you buy a digital camera.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted August 15th, 2008
by Steve Milstone
by Steve Milstone
An marine digital camera is not just used to capture underwater memories; some professional marine photographers also use marine digital cameras in their business. The likes of marine biologists and other scientific personnel use marine digital cameras to study life beneath the waves You see there are very few genuine marine digital cameras as it is such a specialized area
I for one would love to have a proper marine digital camera but this is not likely to happen and I really don’t go into the sea often enough to make it worthwhile.
You see, water pressure is the real problem for these cameras as well as water leaks Of course quality camera manufacturers have overcome this problem by creating watertight plastic cases that encompass the digital camera. Cases like this, inexpensive in comparison to a real marine digital camera, can for a while make you believe that you too are some kind of underwater photographer.
If you are shooting with your marine digital camera, you need to take note of a few things to help you come up with the best underwater images.
Water diffuses the light and the farther down you go the more this diffusion occurs. The result of this is a darkening of the captured image so adjustments to the white balance are needed. You will also notice when you see the pictures taken underwater that they appear larger than they should; this is part of the magnifying effect water has. You will have to pay more attention using the viewfinder to make sure you are achieving the shot you want.
You don’t want to have a camera that leaks when you go underwater so before you dive, check that the case is waterproof by holding it below the surface for a few seconds. Especially check the seal to make sure that a grain of sand or even a hair hasn’t broken the seal. Small silica gel packs can be useful if they can fit in the case without causing an obstruction.
Optional lenses are often available so if you can add these to your marine digital camera then do so. Lenses that allow you to get really close to the subject can also normally be fitted jus ask if the camera has a macro facility.
Also, remember to always wash of salt when you’ve used it under salt water because if the salts are not washed off, in time they will crystallize; and cause leaks in your camera case. It is not uncommon to experience the odd grain of sand getting into the case which will cause problems later on so rinse the case with a flow of clean water.
For more information, check out Sony, Nikon and Canon’s website for available underwater cases for your digital cameras.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
