Posted November 20th, 2008
by SFXsource
by SFXsource
There are so many beautiful landscapes. You don’t even have to travel outside of the United States, just visit a local or national park! These tips will help you take wonderful photographs of landscapes. Whether you are a beginning photographer, or a professional, these are simple tips to keep in mind when photographing landscapes.
1. It is important to consider light quality. Determine whether the light is soft or harsh. Are you photographing in the afternoon, or at sunrise or sunset? Is it overcast, and are there clouds? Generally, the best light is in the mornings and evening (before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m.).
2. Look for interesting lighting. Back-lighting and side-lighting are great for mountains. Side-lighting can be created by turning 90 away from the sun. Back-lighting is very dramatic and creates silhouettes.
3. Think about composition. Symmetry often works with landscapes. Also, simple is beautiful. How do you want to place the trees, lakes, streams, and mountains? What kinds of shapes are in the frame?
4. Try to include bridges, paths, and roads. Use their shapes to draw the viewer in and lead them around the photo. If you photograph them at an angle, you are able to create that effect. Place the start of a road or path in the corner of the photo.
5. Try using infrared film for your landscape photography. Infrared film is more sensitive to infrared light. This means that your photographs will have darks skies and light/ bright leaves and vegetation. It’s awesome!
6. You will want your entire photo to be in focus, so use a large depth of field (small number, large aperture). Also, long exposures increase depth of field.
Try both long and short exposure times, specifically when you have water in your photos (lakes, waterfalls, ocean). So, grab your tripod and have fun with landscape photography.
About the Author:
SFXsource writes articles on a variety of interesting subjects, hosts a sound effects chere,alog here,
Sound Effects and hosts huge numbers of royalty free production music which can be heard here,
Music-Royalty Free
Tags: art, Cameras, graphic arts, graphics, hobbies, Landscape Photography, landscapes, multimedia, nature, photographers, Photography, photos Posted in Cameras
Posted November 15th, 2008
by SFXsource
by SFXsource
Macro photography is close-up photography. You are able to get close to small objects and photograph detail. Macro lenses are typically 1:1 (”life size”). What this means is that the image of your subject is relatively the same size in real life. Below ar
1. The first thing you have to think about is equipment. You can use a close-up lens, attach a close-up filter to the lens you are already using, use a bellows attachment, or a telephoto extender. If you are just starting out, you may just want to invest in the macro filter.
2. The depth of field for macro photography is different. Choosing a high f-stop number like an F16 or F22 (small aperture) is good. A good portion of your background will not be in focus.
3. Be careful when focusing your subject, because if you are not, the part you want to be in focus will end up blurry. Except under bright lighting conditions, you will probably use a slow shutter speed.
4. Lighting your subject is critical and must be taken into consideration. Since your camera will be very close to your subject, keep in mind that you must have light between the lens and your subject. It may be worthwhile to invest in a ring flash.
5. You will be using slow shutter speeds, but film speed can play a factor in shutter speed. Generally you want to stay at ISO200 or lower.
6. Have fun photographing a number of different subjects. Be aware of the shape and texture. Keep in mind composition as well as colors in the background.
You may want to use a tripod, use a diffuser, or experiment with light balance. It’s important to take your time, but always have fun. Grasses and trees are great subjects.
About the Author:
In addition to publishing articles, SFXsource also offers huge numbers of royalty free production music which can be listened to
Music Catalog and hosts an sfx library at
Sound Library
Tags: art, Cameras, graphic arts, graphics, hobbies, macro photography, media, multimedia, photographers, Photography, photos, up close Posted in Photography
Posted November 14th, 2008
by Tim Harris
by Tim Harris
Taking Pictures with Flash Photography is a very easy thing to do but to master it as a technique is an entirely different matter. Comparing to an automatic flash, to get a natural looking picture with electronic flash will require a skill which needs to be mastered. The reason is because our eyes cannot discern the effects of the flash as the burst time of the flash is too short for us to process. In addition, we can’t even view the flash as we look through the viewfinder of the camera. In this guide, we will give you 5 tips to help you achieve better looking pictures using the right type of techniques.
Using the Canon Digital Camera Internal flash as opposed to the External flash.
Generally when we take pictures in settings like a restaurant or party situation, the use of an internal flash is more than adequate because the subjects to be photograph is usually at a close distance. The power of the internal flash unit will be powerful enough to illuminate the scene. Although the light from an internal flash is harsh, the conveniences of not lugging around an external far outweigh its drawback. Nevertheless, if the situation calls for a more professional photographic quality, you will need to use an external flash to do the job. By using an external flash, you will be able to soften the light of the flash unit by reflecting the light off the wall.
Compatibility of Old flash Units with the New Canon EOS digital camera.
Depending on the type of flash that you have, Canon Digital Camera only uses the Canon Speed-lite Flash with those models ending with “EX”. Other models like the “E” or “EZ” models will not be able to work with the Canon EOS Digital camera. Those from other manufacturer require that they support E-TTL flash metering in order for the flash to be compatible with the Canon EOS digital camera.
Unappealing pictures taken under harsh lighting.
Because soft light comes from a big area, internal flash are unable to duplicate such lighting as the light source is from a small area mounted near the lens of the camera. This tends to produce the unappealing result which we always find with pictures taken with internal flash. One way to go around this is to bounce the flash light of the wall onto the subject matter thus softening the light and producing a more natural look. Alternatively, you can also use diffuser to diffuse the light of the flash.
Red eye effect of Flash photography
The most common problem when using internal flash to take a picture is the problem of “Red Eyes”. This happens because the red blood vessels lining the retina of the eyes reflect back the flash light back into the camera resulting in the subject eyes glowing red in the photos. Taking pictures of animal also produces a related problem but this call the “Green eye” effect because of the color pigment of the animal’s eyes. When you use an external flash, you will be able to avoid all these problems.
How to take photos in rapid succession using the flash.
All flash requires a period of time to charge up. If you are inclined to take pictures in rapid succession using the flash, ensure that the flash have “Rapid Fire” ability. This means that, the Flash unit is able to fire off even though it has not reached it full charge capacity. Note that different batteries charge the flash at a different rate.
Tags: arts, Cameras, canon, canon camera, digital camera, entertainment, hobby, Photography, shopping Posted in Cameras
Posted November 10th, 2008
by SFXsource
by SFXsource
Though color photography is quite common, black and white photography is often a great choice for exploring your creativity. This article lists quick tips for black and white photography.
1. You can choose from different formats (different film sizes): 35mm (1″ x 1″), medium format- 120 (2″ x 2 “), and large format (4″ x 5″). Usually, beginning photographers will start off on a 35mm SLR (single-len reflex) camera. This camera allows the photographer to view and focus on the subject directly though the lens.
2. There are different film speeds for different situations; film speeds are rated by an ASA (American Standards Association) number. For brightly lit subjects, a slow film such as 32 ASA is used; slow film produces fine grain negatives. Outdoor photographers will typically use a medium film speed such as 125 ASA, and that produces medium grain negatives. A fast film speed, such as 400 ASA is best for indoor use, and produces coarse grain negatives.
3. The aperture is adjusted to control the amount of light entering the lens. F-stop is a measurement of the size of the lens opening. A smaller F-stop number is a bigger opening and allows more light to reach the film. A larger F-stop number decreases the amount of light that reaches the film. The following is a typical F-stop range: 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22.
4. Focal length is a measure of the lens size, measured in mm. For a lens with a longer focal length, the angle of view is narrower. A short focal length has a wider angle of view. The following are lens types and their focal lengths: normal (50mm), wide angle (21-35mm), and telephoto (105-300mm).
5. Shutter speed refers to the length of time the film is exposed to light. A fast shutter speed means the length of exposure time is short. A slow shutter speed means the length of exposure time is long. Shutter speeds: B, T, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500, 1000. Shutter speed time can be better understood if you place a 1 over the number to turn it into a fraction. When you place a 1 over the 2, that means the shutter speed is a second.
6. The B stands for bulb, and the T stands for time. Bulb means that the shutter will stay open for the amount of time you are pressing the button down. Time will keep the shutter open until you press the button again.
About the Author:
SFXsource writes articles on a variety of interesting subjects, hosts a sound library here,
Sound Effects and hosts vast amounts of royalty free production music which can be heard here,
Music-Royalty Free
Tags: art, Black and White Photography, Cameras, graphic arts, graphics, hobbies, media, multimedia, photographers, Photography, photos Posted in Black and White Photography
Posted October 15th, 2008
by James Beck
by Dan Feildman
Weddings are the most special of occasions, and weddings and digital photography go together like wine and cheese. Why not market a digital photography service to the happy couple? One route is to contact wedding planners and negotiate a deal. Wedding planners are in a position to recommend a great many services to brides and wedding parties. A good relationship with one of these professionals can be your key to great success. However, professional wedding planners will work only with experienced, well established photographers. They won’t risk their reputation by recommending an unknown service could be less than stellar. You will need a wedding portfolio and possibly testimonials from satisfied wedding parties before you can make inroads with a wedding planner. If you are not yet at that point, there are other ways to establish your digital photography service for weddings.
First, if you have no wedding portfolio, offer your service to a bride in return for a testimonial. Be sure you keep the copyright on your pictures so you can use them to create a portfolio. You might locate a receptive bride within your circle of friends and family or through other networking activities. With at least one wedding under your belt and with a nice testimonial and portfolio, start looking for other weddings to photograph. Word of mouth is always ideal, but you might also check the wedding announcements in your local newspaper.
To build up a portfolio, offer your services in return for testimonials. Make sure you have the copyright for your photographs so that you can use these in your portfolio. Often your first client will be from your social circle, so get the word out about your service. Word of mouth is the best recommendation, but with your new portfolio and testimonial, you are prepared to search for wedding announcements in your local newspaper.
You can contact the bride by phone or mail. Offering to take pictures of the preparation for the wedding is a good way to make an impression as most studio photographers do not offer this service. Sending the bride free promotional material is another way to get business.
Offer to photograph events related to the wedding for example bridal showers, the rehearsal dinner or the gift opening. Another way to generate business is to contact people involved in weddings such as florists and bakeries, and inquire about leaving brochures or negotiating a referral fee.
Run a Google search for “scrap artist” or contact a local scrapbook store to locate a suitable scrap artist. You might find the store manager is interested in pairing with you for this project. Last but not least, if you’re pursuing a wedding digital photography business, always remember that it’s all about the bride. Make her happy and everything else will go well.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted October 12th, 2008
by Daniel Edstrom
by Donald K Aniston
The Sony Handycam DCR - SR85 offers one of the most advanced technologies available for those who are searching for a great digital camcorder.
The Sony Handycam DCR - SR85 is completely dependent on its internal hard drive to hold all of its memory.
Another great feature of the DCR-sr85 is that is uses hybrid recording technology.
The Sony Handycam DCR - SR85 is one of the most advanced machines on the market today for recording memories and special events.
Since this is a camcorder that does not use any external items to save memories, such as a Mini DV tape or a DVD, it has to offer people a huge amount of space to store items. Another great option that this camcorder offers is the zoom that can magnify images up to twenty five times.
This particular Sony product offers even the novice the chance to own and operate a very high tech piece of equipment at a fair price. Most pieces of equipment that are this technologically advanced come with a high price tag and a ton of directions. The DCR-sr85 does come with precise directions, but the price is reasonable and anyone can operate it with ease if they take the extra time.
Since it focuses specifically on its internal memory for storage, a person needs a way to share and record their special moments besides being dependent on the memory of the digital camcorder. Hybrid technology offers consumers the option to transfer data to a memory stick without the use of a computer. This is one of the new features that will be included in all digital camcorders in the near future.
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
Posted September 28th, 2008
by Dan Feildman
by Dan Feildman
Experiment with exposure Digital cameras usually work best in sunlight, just like film cameras. When you move indoors, or into dim light, things get much trickier — just like film cameras. So experiment.
If you can, shoot your subject from different angles and with different lighting. If you can manually turn off your flash, do so. Other flash settings can also be tried such as ‘fill flash.’ Sometimes even a perfectly exposed picture can be improved with fill flash. Other times turning off the flash leaving the subject underexposed can add an element of drama.
You can take the same photo three different ways using three different exposure options and the result will be three totally different pictures. What’s even better is that all three can look good, but you have to experiment.
If at all possible, bracket your shots, with one shot slightly underexposed, one slightly overexposed, and one “just right.” Some digital cameras will do this automatically, but even then you need to practice. If you are expecting the camera to shoot one frame and it shoots three, there is an excellent chance the last two will look like they were taken by a very surprised photographer.
Special Features: Many digital cameras now come equipped with a variety of special features. Some of these include allowing you to take short QuickTime clips and the ability to record sound annotations. Even though some allow you to experiment with effects such as black and white or sepia-tones, focus on mastering the basics first before taking on the special effects.
Keep in mind that some of these tricks, such as black and white or sepia-toned images, can be done without the camera. Just load up a normal color image in Photoshop and, in a few minutes, you can have perfect black and white or sepia-toned photos. In other words, if you can do it easily in Photoshop, you might be better off concentrating on taking a good color photo, and worrying about special effects later on at your leisure.
On the other hand, you should try out other special effects. For example, if you pan your camera to track a car moving at high speed, the car will be in sharp focus but the background will be blurred, making an interesting picture. Or you can do the opposite: focus on a particular stationary object — a child flying a kite, a freshly-painted fire hydrant — and allow a speeding car to enter the frame. You’ll then have a sharply focused center of attention with the added benefit of motion.
Silhouettes are another nice special effect. Try taking a photo with your subject in shadow, eclipsing a brightly-exposed object in the background. Now try the reverse, a brightly exposed subject against a dark background. One can be just as interesting as the other. Getting a good silhouette with film is expensive, as you shoot a lot of frames with little or no reward. There is no cost with a digital camera, just a little time and patienceboth of which will be well worth it!
Tags: Cameras Posted in Cameras
