Digital Shutters

Yesterday I talked about the different kinds of photos you can take for background images. Using one of those photos I will show you the different effects you can create. I am going to be using Photoshop CS3 the image. Tomorrow I will use PaintShop Pro 7.0 to edit a different photo.

Changing the colors a couple of quick ways to change the colors to match your project theme are…….
• Image > adjustments > invert. This effect is as if you are creating a negative of the image you are using. It used the opposite colors on the color spectrum. If you have ever seen or used a color wheel then you will know that each color has its opposite, designers use a color wheel to create pleasing effects and balance.

• Image > adjustments > gradient map > then I selected a color combination that I liked. The gradient effect takes colors and shades and blends them with smooth transitions so you do not have harsh lines. Using this tool is a good way to pick a color combination. You can also pick how the gradient effect will be applied.

To create unique effects with the background photo
• Filter > stylize > extrude > type block > pixels 30 > depth 30 > random.

• Without changing image from the effect above next Filter > distort > angle 218

Applying more than one filter will give you different effects.

References
diynetwork.com
photomemes.org

background, digital photography, photo editing

You’ve probably wondered “why would I need a background image?� As a stock photographer I create a lot of background images for the stock photo sites, as a graphic designer I need those background images for the web sites I design. Even if you do not create websites or stock photography background images come in handy. Writers, Scrapers, even Crafters need background images to make their crafts pop! If you have a myspace, Flicker, Youtube, or other online community account background images reflect your personality. There is always a need for background images. Even if you are just hanging a family photo on the wall, a background image will make a beautiful framing option.
I’ve talked a lot about composition, editing and lighting. These are key elements to making the background image come alive. I never stop taking photos; any photo I take can be turned into a background image with just a little photo editing in the digital dark room. Some items to consider taking photos of
• Flowers
• A pattern off your favorite shirt, scarf, hat.
• Marbles
• Buttons
• Drinking glasses.
Anything that has contrast and a design can be used for a background images, do not wait for a specific need to take the photo, create your own library of stock background images then when the occasion rises you might already have the one you need.

References
diynetwork.com
photomemes.org

background, digital photography, photo editing

Buying a digital camera can be confusing. Buying the most popular one might not be right for you. You need to think about what you are going to use it for and how big you want your printed photos to be. Almost all professional photographers have a point and shoot to go along with their expensive gear. That quick snapshot might just get them the shot that might have been missed otherwise.

For most people the point and shoot Camera is efficient enough. With that said here is a list of the most popular point and shoot cameras on the market according to PC World as of June 13, 2007. Ranking is by pricing and technology changes
1. Fujifilm FinePix S700 – 7.1 mega pixel
2. Fujifilm FinePix S31fd – 6.3 mega pixel
3. Kodak Easyshare C875 – 8 mega pixel
4. HP Smart shoot R927 – 8.2 mega pixel
5. HP Smart shoot R967 – 10 mega pixel
6. Kodak Easyshare Z612 – 6.1 mega pixel
7. Kodak Easyshare C633 – 6 mega pixel
8. Kadak Easyshare C743 – 7.1 mega pixel
9. Fujifilm FinePix E900 – 9 mega pixel
10. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 – 10 mega pixel

Before buying the camera, check up on it and read the reviews, see how easy it is to find help for the camera on the manufactures web site. Does the manufacture offer tips and tricks, what kind of warranty does it offer?
Make yourself a list of all the extra items you want. Check the camera you are considering buying, what accessories come with it? How easy is it to purchase accessories? How much do the media cards cost for it, not all media cards will work with all digital cameras. What about extra batteries?
A camera is a big investment and with proper care can last for many years. My last point and shoot digital camera lasted over 10 years before it finally gave out. (I guess I dropped it one to many times).

PHOTO OF THE DAY

SMALL TALK
These two were having a conversation when I took this photo.
I wish I could understand dog talk.

References
about.com
photo.net

PC World, Digital Camera Reviews, Digital Photography

Lighting may be the most important aspect of your photo. You can have great composition, action, and subject; but without proper lighting your photo might well……

When taking your photos you need to consider what your subject and composition are, ask yourself what you are trying to achieve. Light is going to create the mood, emotion, and depth of your image. Your camera has sensors to determine the exposure with improper lighting the sensors on your camera will not be able to pick up the proper white balance and your image may become under or over exposed. Some of this can be corrected in your digital darkroom, but you need to start with a good photo. When choosing your lighting, weather it is natural or flash, consider the quality, the direction, and the intensity of the light. Use silhouettes, angles, and shapes to create unique shadows and contrasts.

In portrait and product photography, photographers use diffused lighting, and lens hoods to keep harsh lines and contrasts off the subject. And give softness to their photos. When shooting portraits your flash can create red eye. Avoid the flash on your camera and use a remote flash. If you are in a studio adjust your lighting to reduce unwanted shadows, use diffused lighting and reflectors to bring out colors and tones. Research your studio lighting options and see what type of lighting is right for your subject. Portrait photography uses different lighting than product photography.

Out side photographers use an array of filters, and lens hoods to keep the harsh UV lighting from washing out the colors of their landscape and subject. When outside position the sun behind you so that stray light doesn’t wash out your image. Consider taking your photos at different times of the day. Use proper filters and lens hoods to reduce stray UV lights from entering the camera sensors.

Always experiment and you might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome!

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Wild FLowers
I took this photo at dusk on a slopping hill, I knelt on the ground and turned the camera to take a long photo. The hill gave a unique angle to the image. The flash used actually washed out the very front flowers while giving contrast to the ones as you went farther away from the camera. In the digital dark room I cropped the image from the middle up to remove the washed out flowers.

References
www.kodak.com
www.livingroom.org
malektips.com
picturecorrect.com

lighting, digital photography, tips

Taking pictures is great; People flip thought the photo albums admiring pictures of the family photos. But you want to create something that you can hang on your wall, something that will stop people in their tracks and get them to admire what you created.
This is where you want to think about your composition. Think of what you would like to see on your wall, figure out where you can take that picture, and go get the shot.

Composition as put by Wikipedia is simply a “plan, placement, or arraignment of the elements of art in a work.�

Taking the Photo
“A picture is worth a thousands words�; and good composition allows you to draw the viewer in and tells the viewer your message; without you having to explain your image.
• The first thing you want to do when planning a composition is use the rule of thirds. Basically you will want to divide your image into third horizontally and vertically. Center you subject at one of these intersections.
• Use unique angles instead of the typical centered straight forward subject.
• Use contrast to convey an idea. Picking out the shadows and highlights
• Perspective is also important, show the different heights, and distances
• Balance your image to draw the viewer in. use visual cropping before snapping the shot. This helps you in the digital darkroom so you do not have to crop out to much of the image.

Editing the Photo
There are almost endless possibilities you can create with your editing program. First and foremost know how to use the program, and what it is capable of. You have an idea in your head on how you want it to look. Always save the original photo under a different file name so you can return to re-edit it when you want. I have a file just for all my original photos and then a file for all my completed works. I use the file name the camera gave then put a letter behind it so I know how many time I edited it. With that said a few things you can do to help your image along are
• Use your highlights and contrast to make parts of your image pop.
• Hue saturation to help bring out the colors or change the colors
• Use your editing filters to create different effects.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Terlingua, TX
As you can see in this photo I went extreme and inverted the colors after I did all my Photo editing. This actually brought out the contours and perspective of the landscape.

References
www.digital-photography-school.com
www.microsoft.com

digital photography, composition, tips, photo editing

You have a big day planned at some major event and there is going to be a lot of action, weather it be a race, sporting event, or anything that has a lot of action. But how do you shoot the action and capture that great shot?

First you’ll want to determine where the event is going to be held and the type of lighting and filters you’ll need. Make sure you have extra batteries and media cards. There is nothing worse than running out of batteries or disk space. Of course you’ll check that all your equipment is functioning properly. And most important of all use your tripod. But you do this at every shoot and that’s the basics. HOW do you take that action shot?
Read you owner’s manual on how to take the type of shots you want. It’s always good to refer to it every now and then especially if you haven’t taken a lot of these shots or if you it’s been awhile since you’ve opened the book. You might be surprised at what you find.
A couple of basic tips:
With a digital camera there is what is called shutter lag. SO there is really only 2 good methods of taking the action shot.
1. Anticipate where the action is going to be-• If you want your pictures to come out with the motion blur, slow down your shutter speed. Determine where the action is going and point the camera at that spot then just as the action starts to come into view start snapping.
• The same applies if you want to stop the action altogether. Point the camera where the action is going to be. Set your camera on action shot and wait until the action comes into frame and start snapping.
One thing to remember, do not wait for the action to enter the center of your view finder, if it is going fast enough you might miss the action. Sometimes if the action is moving quickly you might loose the shot with the camera trying to focus on the subject.
• If you have auto focus you will want to set the focal length by pressing you shutter button halfway, or turn off your auto focus and set it to manual.

2. Follow the action-
• As you are snapping the shot, follow the action. Keeping your camera on the tripod will help reduce camera shake and keep the action level. You do not want a shakky subject. This effect will also give the subject a diffecent motion blur by bluring the background insted of the subject.

References
Cryosphere.com
Popphoto.com
Picturecorrect.com
basic-digital-photography.com

action, digital photography, tips, how to

As you probably already figured out I am not a portrait photographer. I do landscapes, real estate, product and anything for stock photography and the web. With portrait photography its setting up the shot and the getting your models to do exactly what you are wanting them to do to get that perfect shot. You know you’ll edit it in the digital darkroom to get the effects you want. So what is exactly needed to do portrait photography besides your model or subject?

First you’re going to need a location.
Thinking about your location your going to need lighting, and most important the backdrops. Some ideas on locations are great outdoors, a nice lobby of a big building that has soft skylights to give that diffused effect. Any place that will not distract from the subject but enhance the overall look and feel of what you are trying to portray.

Your lighting is very important you want soft diffused lighting, keep away from direct harsh fluorescent lights. And use a reflector to add additional soft light to the face area. Of course with a deflector either your subject will have to hold it in just the right place or get yourself an assistant, or have a deflector stand.

Your backdrop is important if you are setting up studio shooting. There are plenty of readily available commercial backdrops or a simple back drop you can make is using a wrinkled white sheet. (Sounds corny?) Pin the sheet so it drapes nicely and center your subject in the middle of the sheet. Recently I did this because I was shocked at the price of my son’s graduation pictures. The Portrait Company used plain white backdrops, and since I am a photographer I decided to recreate them myself. I took the sheet outside to get natural lighting had my son stand in front of them. Snapped off a few pictures edited them in Photoshop and then got them professionally printed at no other place but Wal-Mart. With some beautiful matting photo holders and no one could tell the difference. Saved me a total of $350.00.

References
Olympus.com
Photonet.com
vividlight.com

portrait, digital photography, tips

Sunsets are one of the most popular photographs, but how can you make a sunset jump out at you? Before venturing out to shoot that sunset think about the composition you are shooting. Are you shooting action at sunset or are you shooting a landscape sunset. Apply all the basic photography tips to shooting the sunset. Starting with a good image makes for a better edited photo in the end. Now what kind of twist can you give a sunset to capture the viewer and draw them in?

This is where your digital darkroom comes into play.
Turn your photo into a classic black and white and let the subject matter speak for itself. Enhance the brightness and contrast. Play with the Hue and Saturation. You can still edit the color balance in black and white to bring out unique effects. In the orginal photo you are drawn to the right where the brightest part of the photo is. As you can see I brought out the street lights and the lighting around the buildings. Bringing the focus back to the center of the photo and not just on the bridge.

Enhance the colors of the sky to make that your main focus. Play with the color balance and hue and saturation to give it that extra boost. GO extreme and change the colors all together. Add sunbursts or flares to the sun portion itself to give it extra drama. In this photo I changed the colors of the sky and darkened the foreground. Bringing out the highlights and putting balance back into the photo.

Before shooting a sunset think about the composition. If you are going to shoot activities where the action is the main focus and not the subject doing the action, then shoot at sunset to give your photos and extra twist. And enhance the foreground and play down the sun itself.

Resources
New Your Institute of Photography
Popphoto.com
vividlight.com

sunset, digital photoraphy, tips

Sometimes when taking photos you’ll get a sun streak or an unwanted streak from lights; this is what is called lens flare. It is an unwanted artifact on your photo. Lens flare is caused by light entering the camera sensors that are not part of the image. Lens flare can cause a reduction in the contrast of your photo or it may also cause over overexposure.
When taking your photo you can reduce lens flare by using a lens hood. You can also edit the lens flare in you digital darkroom. Look at your photos for areas where there is a bright light source for any unwanted artifacts. DO not confuse lens flare with spots from your flash.
Sometimes lens flare can actually enhance a photo depending on what you want to say with the image. A lot of photo editing programs have a filter you can actually apply these lens flares, or sunspots. You can even use this effect to enhance the natural lens flare.

As you can see in this photo I had unwanted sun spots. Using Photoshop CS3 I used the clone tool to remove the sunspots and then adjusted the brightness /contrast, hue/saturation, and did a color match.

References
Cambridge in Color

flare, sunspots, lens, lens flare, digital photography

With today being July 4th there will be a lot of activities, BBQ’s, and Fireworks. You will want to have your camera ready for those candid shots, and group shots. Here are a few reminder tips.
When taking those posed shots step close enough to your subjects to have everyone in the image without using your auto zoom. Your picture will come out clearer.
Use a tripod to help stabilize the camera and your self time to get into the picture yourself.
Have extra memory cards and batteries on hand so you don’t miss any of the action.

And have a Happy Independence day celebration!

Shooting Fireworks Tips

[tag]independence day,july,digital photography,tips[/tags]