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| Pages Created by Inspired Art. Some graphics reproduced by Print Shop a Broderbund Software Inc. Used by permission. All photos are copyrighted and may not be reused or reproduced. |
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 General
Photography:
Photography is a a visual history of a society its people, events and ways of life. Taking the image is always of primary importance but the quality of the image allows the viewer a better understanding of the subject. Taking good pictures enhances the memories and highlights those events we cherish. Being a good photographer involves a reliable camera, an understanding of its controls, a keen "artistic eye" and a timing of being in the right place at the right time. |
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| Record Keeping: Keep a record of your picture taking. When you have finished, develop you pictures and compare them with your notes. Keep a mental note of the pictures and the settings so that you will not repeat your mistakes. The best thing about digital cameras is that you can see your images instantly and delete the disappointing pictures. | ||
| Camera Storage: During the summer months never leave your camera or film in the car. The infrared will ruin your film and the heat in buildup can damage your camera. Rule of thumb if it can melt a candy bar it will hurt your film! During the winter try to keep your camera with you to avoid extreme cold. Buy a gadget bag to protect your camera from heat, cold, jarring and moisture. | ||
| Lens Cover: Buy a lens cover and a UV protector. Have it on your lens. It is far cheaper to replace them than a new lens. | ||
| Camera Label: A good idea would be for you to put your name and address on your camera and your camera bag. If you happen to leave it somewhere you might just find a good Samaritan that just might return it to you. | ||
| Background: Check the background before you start shooting. Check the entire view finder from one end to the other. Often there are distracting people, cars, trees and buildings etc, that will make your picture less than appealing. Wait till the distraction has moved or move your subject to a better location. You will find that your picture will have a professional look. | ||
| Battery: Check your camera's batteries often especially if you are taking pictures with a digital camera. Digital camera's are power hogs and need to be checked after you shoot 200+ pictures. 35 mm cameras need to be checked at least once a year. I recommend Christmas since that is when most pictures are shot! | ||
| Strap: Use the strap supplied by the manufacturer or buy one that is strong and comfortable. Without a strap you could easily drop the camera and the cost of replacement or repair could be substantial. | ||
 Accidental
Deletion: What do you do
if you accidently delete a photo besides cry? Don't take any
more pictures because your camera's computer will begin to
remove any trace of your image. Take your card to your computer
and find a photo recovery software program on the internet that
can locate and restore the deleted file. Make sure the program
is from a reliable source and has a high rating. Some
camera stores have this program so call around. |
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| General Photography Tips | ||
| General Photo Tips | ||
| General photography tips - fotix.net | ||
| HP Digital Photography Center | ||
| Photography Tips by Steve | ||
 Baby
Picture:Some of the most remarkable pictures ever shot are those of babies. Their natural features and spontaneity makes them natural subjects. Emotions are shown freely and openly. They can be restless and uncontrollable but with skill, patience and understanding you can create pictures that will bring smiles to the family and friends. You may have to wait till after their nap, meal or burp but a great picture is always possible. Shoot freely over the years, for a baby grows rapidly and the moments can be lost forever! It is impossible to reshot once they are grown. Click here to order an album. |
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| The Eyes: Center your lens on the baby's eyes. This is the seat of all expression. | ||
| Help: Get someone whom the baby trusts to get them to smile or coo. Those are priceless pictures. | ||
| Set-Up: Don't try to prop a very young baby up on pillows or other objects. You will find the baby looks very un-natural. | ||
| Communication: Try to get the baby to relax by using a soft voice and a gentle touch. Yelling and using a firm hand will only cause them to cry and mess up your picture. | ||
| Background: Putting the baby on a textured cloth will emphasize the smoothness of a their skin. | ||
| Flash: Don't shoot with a direct flash into the baby's eyes. You will only startle them and could hurt their eyes. | ||
| How To Take Better Baby Photos - Baby Photography | ||
| Baby photography tips - Digital Photography Tutorial | ||
 Child's
Picture: Children grow fast and move through many stages of growth. An album filled with pages of their pictures can become your most treasured possession. You can look back at these pictures with cherished memories. If the pictures are shot correctly and with flare they will bring to life your child's growth and development in ways you have yet to imagine. Click here to order an album. |
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| The Eyes: Center your lens on the child's eyes. This is the seat of all expression. | ||
| Shooting: Try shooting at the same level as the child. You might have to crouch or lay on the ground for a natural look. | ||
| Timeliness: Take pictures often. Children are less self-conscious if they are use to having their pictures taken. | ||
| Share: If you are shooting with a digital camera show the pictures to the child. They will become excited and will want you to take additional pictures. Some will even make some very interesting suggestions. | ||
| Activity: Trying shooting when the child is doing one of their favorite games or activity. You will find the picture more natural. Patience: Shooting children can be frustrating, be patient and use humor. | ||
| Digital Portrait Photography Help and Tips | ||
| Tips for Photographing Children | vancouver fashion and portrait ... | ||
 Fourth
of
July
We all love to see and hear the fireworks that light up the skies of America. You can save some of these memories by using a, camera, tripod and the proper settings. Fireworks offer a unique opportunity for you to capture the excitement of a night. The many colors and glows are always different and always exciting. Enjoy the show with a record its memories |
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| Tripod: The light is very limited and a tripod will reduce the effects of shaking and low light exposure. I would not recommend taking it hand held. | ||
| Focus: Set focus to infinity (except with longer telephoto lenses, which should be refocused on an earlier burst) | ||
| Composition: Aim your lens and adjust the composition at the display. Make sure no one or anything is in your way | ||
| Shutter Settings: Set the shutter on "B" | ||
| Flash: Disable or remove the flash | ||
| Exposure Setting: Set exposure at either f8 at ISO 100, f11 at ISO 200, f16 for ISO 400 and f22 for ISO 800.* | ||
| Timing:
Make a time exposure for a few seconds while capturing
several bursts (works best with a remote shutter release). *Increasing exposure your lines will be thicker while decreasing the exposure will the lines thinner. |
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| Additional Tips | ||
| I recommend a wide angle to capture a wide spectrum of fireworks however any good lens will suffice. | ||
| Children with sparklers set your exposure settings:1/15 sec. at f4 with ISO 100 film, 1/30 f4 with ISO 200, 1/60 f4 with ISO 400 and 1/60 f5.6 with ISO 800. | ||
| Set your camera at a right angle to the wind to avoid the effects of smoke. | ||
| Long exposures can be ruined by street lights and car lights so avoid them. | ||
| Remove any darkening filter. | ||
| Avoid noise, set your digital camera at ISO 100. | ||
| Avoid poor picture quality by setting your digital camera using TIFF, JPEG or RAW. | ||
| Use the fireworks mode if you have it on your digital camera. | ||
| Patriotic foreground or a body of water give a dramatic effect. | ||
| Bring a small flashlight to help you set your camera. | ||
| Digital Fireworks Photography Help and Tips | ||
| Photographing Fireworks | ||
 Spring
Flowers:Of all of natures wonders flowers are perhaps the most delicate and colorful. A good camera can capture its beauty if you take the time to learn the tricks of photography. You can take a picture of a particularly beautiful flower bring it into your home and view it forever! It will not wilt, dry up or die. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new ways of taking pictures. Some of the best work comes from photographers who venture into new ways of shooting. |
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| Tripod: Make sure you get a sturdy tripod that will not be effected by a sudden breeze or wind. | ||
| Time-Release: Use a time release or off-camera release mechanism to avoid the affects of the pressing of the shutter release on your camera. | ||
| Composition: Decide what you want in your picture. Do you want people, insects, greenery, background or just the flower. Try different components until you get a picture that thrills the artist in you. Remember to adjust your settings to get what you want in focus and what you want blurred for effect. | ||
| Lighting and Timing: Shoot before 10am and after 4pm for best lighting effects. The times between these two period is too intense. You will get a wormer and more vivid colors during this period. A good lighting environment is a lightly overcast day with now intense shadows. | ||
| Wind: The wind can be both a positive and negative affect. If you are looking to add movement to your photo set your camera accordingly and shoot when the flower sways with the wind. Try it a slow speed and a fast speed and you will see the dramatic effects. If you want the flower still wait between gusts and shoot quickly, stake the flower stem down off camera or place some sort of wind blocker on the side from which the wind is blowing but remember the wind will effect the background. | ||
| Flower Maturity: The level of floral maturity will determine the feel and impact of your image. Most photographers will shoot at the peak of the flowers development but some will want to show the age differences. I have made some photos using the different stages to show a dramatic life of a flower with great effect. | ||
| Flower photography tips - how to photograph flowers | ||
| Macro Flower Photography | ||
 Snow
Pictures
A winter's snow can be a curse to some people but an opportunity to a photographer. The contrast of white and black, the sun glistening through ice and the many other beauties of winter make for a photographer's dream. Cold will affect you,your camera and your images so wrap yourself and your equipment up warmly and start shooting in a magical wonderland. |
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| Effects: You will need to keep yourself and your camera and flash warm. Carry your camera, when not in use, near your body and take it out only when you plan to take a picture. Return them place as soon as possible. | ||
| Batteries: Keep your extra batteries available and in a warm place. Put the previous battery near your body and it should recharge. | ||
| Tripod: Quickly use a tripod. A tripod can take the cold better than the camera however it’s lubricants can eventually freeze. A tripod will make your pictures better because the light at this location is different. | ||
| Static Electricity: If you are indoors discharge the static electricity on some metal object before you touch your camera. Static electricity can do damage to the computer components in the camera | ||
| Special Clothing: Go to a camper or ski shop and get supplementary heating devices. Chemical packets, battery heated gloves, boots and so forth. Find gloves which have removable fingertips so you can easily push the control buttons. Put the tips back quickly to prevent frost bite! | ||
| Condensation: To prevent condensation wrap your camera in a plastic bag before you go inside the warmed structure. The moisture will condense outside of bag and not in the camera. | ||
| Equipment Adjustment: Allow your equipment to adjust before you go into the cold by placing it in the camera bag near a window sill or an area that is colder than the area inside but not as cold as the outdoors. | ||
| Moister Control: Try to avoid getting your camera wet from either snow or ice. Water can damage the inside workings of your camera. You might want to use a snorkelers waterproof devise. It protect your camera from snow and ice. | ||
| Camera Settings: | ||
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a. If your camera has a setting for snow. Put the camera on that setting before you start the shooting. Some cameras have this setting. Check your manual or contact the manufacturer. |
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b. If your camera does not have an automatic snow/surf setting you will have to set your exposure values to overexpose the image slightly. Check you manual on manual settings. You might try working with the Exposure Compensation controls on your camera. Check the manual or contact the manufacturer on how to set this control. |
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| Practice: Practice some shots using your camera before you start shooting the real shots you want to take. Since it is a digital camera you can see which shots are working and jot down how you took the picture so you can repeat it’s settings. | ||
| Winter Photography Tips & Help | ||
| Winter Photography Tip | ||
| Tips on shooting snow and ice | ||
 Summer
BeachGreat pictures can be shot at or near the beach. Children and adults playing, surfs pounding the shore, sunrises, sunsets and the many animals that call the shore their home. |
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| Equipment Care: Take care of your equipment. Salt water and sand can do great damage to the camera, film or CSMOS. Keep it in a protective case until you are ready to use. Never go into the surf with your equipment. | ||
| Close-up: Take pictures of sand pebbles, shells, plants and in some cases animals by using your macro setting, otherwise you will need to set your f-stop at a narrow range of less than 2.8 and to use a tripod. Further information provided at: Close-up Photography | ||
| Beach Action Scenes: Brings out the best in both adults and kids. Often they will run, jump and frolic on the surf. Set your camera on Action and you will be able to catch them in mid stride. Use an f-stop of over f-1/160. Remember the faster the speed of your camera the more you will freeze the image. Further information provided at: Learn How to Capture Action Shots | ||
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The Horizon:
When
shooting the ocean keep the following in mind: 1. It must be straight otherwise it will look awkward. 2. Putting the horizon in the upper half narrows the perspective. 3. Putting the horizon in the lower half increases the perspective. 4. A good tripod can insure a level horizon Further information at: Better Photo Ideas |
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Lighting:
Dramatic effects
can be made by using the sun as a backdrop. 1. Shot in the early morning, late afternoon or cloudy days 2. Get a silhouette effect by having the subject block the sun. 3. Don't shot between 11 am and 2 pm unless you want a harsh light effect. 4. Get rid of strong shadows by using a flash. Further information at: Lighting Tips |
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| Ten Beach Photography Tips | ||
| Taking Photos at the Beach |
