Posts Tagged ‘Wallace’

Basic Digital Photography Compact Digital Cameras

April 29th, 2010

The technologybehindtoday’s digitalcamerais all about the concept of small.The use of technologyhas caused our worldto speed up and in thisfastpacepeoplewant theirgadgetsto be accessible. Digital camerasare not the exceptionto the rule.This desire for accessibility is the major factor behindthe birth of a compacteditionof digitalcameras.

It can arguably be said thatdigitaltechnologyis the mostrevolutionarydiscoveryin the field of basicphotography. It has changed the worldof photographyby producing highquality images withlimited cost.The compactdigitalcamerason the markettoday are smaller in sizeand havemanyadditionalfeaturesthantheircounterparts. Compactdigitalcamerasare,withouta doubt,a stepaheadthe digitalSLR camerasor any othercameraavailableon the markettoday.

Compactdigitalcamerasare roughly 3.5 W x 2.5 H x 1.0 D. Depending on the type,the model and the brandof your compactdigitalcamerathesedimensionscan varya little.The idealcompactdigitalcamerafor basicphotographymusthavethe certifiedlabelof Jeanspocket on it. These compactcamerasare so compactthatyou can literally keep it in the pocket of your jeans,comfortably. The ability to do thisis the newerstriking criterionadded to the compactdigitalcamsby the fastgeneration of today.

The entire concept behindthesecompactdigitalcamerasis thatthey makebasicphotographyfastand simplewithoutany discomfort due to theirlargesize. Apartfrom sizethesecamerasoffer manyotherincrediblefeatures. Typical featuresof compactdigitalcamerasincludemultiplescenes,optical zooms, exposure modes and otherhandy functions. It is importantto note thatsome compactdigitalcameras, having11 mm or lessdiagonal sensors;makefairly low noise at ISO 100.However,at ISO 400 and above, the noise of the cameracan be quitebothersome;. There are a few compactdigitalcamerasthatare so small to lookat, thatthey demand a close lookfrom those who wish to buy them. The$200to $500 price rangeincludes;the mostpopular modelson the markettoday. Virtually every brandcompactdigitalcameraoffers incrediblefeaturesand functions. You can findsensorresolutions which varyfrom 3.0 to 8.0 megapixels.The ultra-compactmodelsare the sizeof a creditcard. At justunder an inch thickthey are equipped withsuchfeaturesas high-resolution sensors;. Advanced controls includesuchfeaturesas multipleAF zones, manual settingsand sophisticatedscene modes.

It wouldbe short sighted of me to not includethe drawbacks of compactdigitalcamerasas well as the benefits. Sincesensitivityis calculatedthrough ISO,the ISO rangeof a compactdigitalcameravariesbetween ISO 50 and 400.SLR cameras, on the otherhand, haveISO values in the rangeof 100 to1600.Becauseof thiscompactdigitalcamerasare lesssensitive thandigitalSLR cameras.

There havebeen vast improvements in the field of basicphotographycompactdigitalcameras, as opposedto digitalSLR cameras. The best bet is to figure out your needsafter looking;at the pros and consfor each typeof camera.

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Beginners Digital Photography Tips On Web Imaging and Web Images

April 24th, 2010

Many photographers use digital images to promote a web site. If you are loading images onto your web site for promotional purposes, it is essential that you understand some of the rules. If you load images up on a high resolution or high pixel count, your site will become a problem no one wants to deal with.

Digital cameras make it easy to upload photos onto a web site. It is important that you are aware that content verses graphics or images is more effective for promotion. Again, the size of graphics and images matter, since if you put up huge files it will take longer to download the images. This is not only a problem for those impatient souls; it is a problem for those using dial-up connections. Most times huge images will freeze up or shutdown their Internet connection.

To optimize your web pages you want to add more content and keep a single page filled with images around 50K max. The pixels should be around 72 or at most 96 for web pages. The resolution should be low as well. You can employ your photo-editing software to downsize or upsize your photos accordingly. It s important while exploiting your JPEG files that you compress the files on a high setting for the best effects, otherwise you may run into problems. JPEG is one of the wider used formats for web sites. JPEG like GIFF enables you to compress at higher levels, still JPEG is the most highly viewed formatting on the Internet.

The value is what determines the size. In your photo-editing program, you may see size in the dialogue box believing this determines the size, however the value is what you want to consider when resizing images. You can view image file size by selecting the Files option then Open and clicking on the file name.

While putting your files on the Internet avoid saving the files in any other format other than GIF or else JPEG. These are the common file names that web sites recognize. It is important that your images match the description of your web site. Putting up graphics or images irrelevant to the site will only discourage visitors. That is if the person is looking for something from the web site, some picture like pictures and will spend wasted hours on in checking out the photos. There is only a handful of these people existing, therefore keep it relevant.

You want to employ text links in the images, especially if the images are downloadable. The text links will prevent downloading of unwanted images. It also links you page to other web pages within the same site, or else text links will link your site to other sites which increases traffic. You can add the text links to hyperlinks respectively.

You should add navigational links through text links on the web pages, which gives the visitors the option of selecting the images for downloading. One thing that will steer visitors away from a site is web sites that automatically download to a computer without authorization. You do this to my computer and I will tell everyone to stay clear of your site.

The size of the images should remain consistent with the pixels provided on your computer. If you try to make the images larger that, your computer pixels prepare to meet trouble. The file size is based on the pixel count.

Next, you want to copyright your images. If you intend to use these images as promotional tools, it is important that you realize anyone can take these images from your site and do as they please with them.

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Learn Digital Photography – Top Ten Composition Tips

March 12th, 2010

Photography is all about composition. If you can’t compose an image you can’t take photos. That’s the bottom line. This is where your photography journey starts as a beginner. Learning to place the elements in the photo is natural for some but for the rest of us we have to learn.

So what is composition? The dictionary definition defines it as  “the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole”. What you are looking to do in composing an image is to take the important parts of the scene and combine them in such a way, so as to create a photo very pleasing to the eye. This is all well and good, but, how can we do this most effectively? Here are ten top tips.

1. Clearly identify your subject.

This is the non-negotiable of photography. Unless your subject is the focal point of the image you don’t have a photo. When looking at the image a person should be able to clearly identify the subject. So make sure you give enough attention to the object of your focus.

2. Fill your frame

One of the most common mistakes made by budding photographers is that they do not fill the frame with their subject or the major elements of the image. Get in closer and exclude the parts that you don’t want. Open space serves no purpose when the subject is too small or cannot be identified.

3. Don’t amputate

This means that you shouldn’t cut off part of your subject unless it is intentional to create an effect. Missing parts of people or objects irritate the viewer and create an incomplete image. It distracts the eye. So watch the edges of your image.

4. Horizontal vs vertical

Camera manufacturers are to blame for this dilemma because all cameras are designed to be held in a horizontal format. It shouldn’t be an ‘either or’ situation but rather a ‘both and’. Try to shoot 50% of the time in both formats. There is no rule which is best and the key is to experiment.

5. Dramatic angles

Shoot from high up or low down. Use your feet and move around the subject looking for an optimum angle. Don’t be afraid to get down on your stomach or climb a tree. Look for different and dramatic angles that will make your images more striking.

6. The rule of thirds

Imagine a tic tac toe grid or noughts and crosses lines running across your image dividing it into thirds horizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross or intersect are the best placement points for your subjects or objects. Never place the horizon of a landscape image in the centre of your image. Always place it on a horizontal two thirds line. Subjects like lighthouses would be placed along one of the vertical two thirds lines.

7. Look for frames

These come in two types, natural or man-made. Natural would be an opening in trees or a rock formation with a hole in it. Man-made frames are doorways, windows or arches. All of these help contain the subject or scene in a form that is very pleasing to the eye.

8. Simplify

Trying to include too much in an image often spoils it. An image that is cluttered causes the eye of the viewer to dart around the image trying to make sense of it. Less is more as the old adage goes. Eliminate anything that would distract the eye or is unnecessary to the memory you are attempting to create.

9. Watch your background

Make sure that there is nothing there that would detract from your subject. Things like chimneys growing out of heads and other subjects diverting the eye from the main subject. You want balance by not going in too close but including enough of the environment of the subject or object to contextualise it.

10. Lines, patterns and shapes

Look for interesting patterns, lines and shapes. Lines lead the eye to focal points. A river, road, fence or path in a classic ‘s’ shape draws the eye along the route into your image. Strong verticals give height to your image and diagonals add depth. Turn your viewfinder allowing straight lines to travel from corner to corner in the image.

Key to great composing is thought. Think before your press the shutter button and consider all of these points. Create a mental check list to help you add these elements and create that great composition.

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