Basic Tips And Styles Techniques Used During Wedding Photography

The wedding is one of the most memorable occasions between two lovers. The years may go by since that day but people will be able to remember as long as pictures were taken. More people are investing in digital cameras. This is because the images can be stored in the computer or in a compact disc that will not be damaged through time when the pictures are placed in an album. The images captured can be edited on the digital camera instead of wasting the paper used in developing a bad picture. Another thing, which makes digital photographer better, is that the person can take a lot of shots without having to reload and change the roll of film. The time it takes to replace it may make the individual miss the right shot that can never be done again. Here are some tips for those who want to use a digital camera during the wedding. 1. The individual should pay attention to the background before taking the shot. There is no question the couple will look good but this can all change if the area where it is taken is not. Things that should be avoided when taking the lovers or any of the guests is a cluttered area. This will make it easier for the viewer to see who is the picture focused on when these are ready after the wedding. 2. Some of the guests may be wearing glasses. This might cause bright flashes to come out when the pictures come out so this can also be avoided by making some changes. The people in the photograph can tilt the head down or to the side so this will not happen. 3. The best way to get a great shot will be to know when it is appropriate to take. This doesn't only happen when people are looking at the camera but also in those candid moments. 4. The person will probably shoot more than a hundred shots during the wedding. After each shot, it is best to review the image on the LCD screen so this can be edited if it isn't good and another one can be taken. There are a lot of great shots that can be taken during a wedding. Here are a few basic styles and techniques for those who also want to capture the event using a digital camera. 1. The individual should take these pictures with a good background or in a not so crowded place so the attention will focus on the newly weds or those who are the intended targets in the shot. 2. If there is a nice background in the back and it is hard to get both, the photographer should shoot the couple from shoulder up. Everyone will be happy and pleased when the pictures come out. 3. If some of the guests are wearing classes, these people can be advised to stand sideways or tilt the head down a little to avoid the reflection that usually occurs when the flash is used. 4. The individual should zoom in or out if there are only two or a group of people in the picture. This will also catch everyone in the shot instead of only getting half of person's body when the print comes out. This will be embarrassing so the image has to be reviewed at once and deleted so another one can be taken. 5. Proper lighting must be observed at all times. The person must not shoot the couple or the gusts against the light because only a dark image will appear after the picture has been taken. 6. The photographer should also get some stolen moment shots. This should be done when the husband or wife is doing something else or is not looking. This is the trademark of many professionals that is done during the ceremony or the reception. People will enjoy shots such as the cutting of the cake, the toast and the first kiss or dance. The pictures taken can't be done again so the individual must be alert and present to get these images on camera.

How To Make Your Digital Photographs Stand Out

Photography has become an increasingly popular hobby in recent years. With advances in technology, today's digital cameras make it possible to quickly and easily take good photos. Many people however are stuck in "automatic" mode (or rather their cameras are). Armed with a little knowledge about your digital camera (and some practice) your photos can go from good to outstanding. Following are some tips to help you get started.

White Balance

White balance is what determines the color temperature of your photo. Think in terms of warm and cool. Most photos taken with a digital camera will have a cool feel to them or in other words will have somewhat of a blue tint to them. This is generally the result you get when your white balance setting is set to auto. Photos with a warmer feel however, look more natural and thus are more pleasing to the eye. To achieve this affect locate the white balance adjustment on your digital camera. Most cameras will have several different settings for white balance. You want to choose the "cloudy" setting. This will add more red and yellow hues to your photo and in effect warms the tone of the shot.

Polarizing Filters

A polarizing filter is a great tool for adding a little extra "pop" to your photos. Polarizing filters actually serve two purposes; they reduce glare and unwanted reflections and they brighten up the colors in your photos. A polarizing filter is especially helpful when shooting outdoors. It will enhance landscapes with beautiful vibrant colors. Polarizing filters just screw right on to your cameras lens and you can find them in many sizes to fit most digital cameras. However, if you have a camera which doesn't accept filters (some of the smaller point & shoot ones do not) there is a trick you can use. Sunglasses will create the same basic effect. Just hold a pair of sunglasses as close as possible to the lens (make sure the glasses are not seen in the shot) and snap the photo.

Flash

Flash can add a lot of depth to your photos if used properly. When shooting in "auto" mode your camera will determine when to use flash. If your setting is bright enough, the flash will not be used. This is a great convenience if you're just taking quick snapshots but if you want to add more life to your photos switch your flash to "flash on" or "fill flash". This will allow your camera to use existing light for its exposure and will add flash to fill in dark shadows giving a softer feel to your photos. When shooting outdoors try to use the sun to light your subject from the side (never have your subject face the sun) and use the flash to fill in the shadows on the front of your subject. Check your camera's manual to determine the maximum distance that your flash will operate at.

Macro

Your digital camera probably has a setting called "macro" or "close up". This mode is best used in creative photography to achieve great detail in close up shots. What this mode does in essence is allow you to focus at a much closer distance to your subject than in your camera's normal mode. For example, if your camera in its normal mode has trouble focusing on subjects closer than 2 feet, you can switch to macro mode and you may be able to focus as close as 6 or 8 inches. This can make for a very dramatic shot. Be careful when using macro however because macro mode gives you a very shallow depth of field leaving a lot of your photo out of focus. Just experiment a little and you'll be taking great close up shots in no time.

These are just some basic tips and tricks to spark some creativity in your photography. Always experiment with your camera to find new and creative ways to express yourself. That's the great thing about digital photography you can experiment to no end without shelling out big bucks for film and processing. Happy shooting!

ryan gibson

How To Take Beautiful Pictures of Your Cat?

When you first bring your new pet feline home after purchasing it, there is a mixture of excitement and happiness in the household, especially for the kids. Make sure you have your camera ready in your hand so you can capture some sweet and adorable memories your family and yourself can cherish in the time to come. Don’t just snap rolls and rolls of pictures of your cat on the first day it arrives in your home. Always have some film available, and take the pictures of your cat’s progress over the months. This way, you will be able to see its growth, and how fast it learns.

Here are some tips to help you to take delightful photographs of your cat:

Create pleasant backgrounds. Pictures are best taken when the background is clean and uncluttered. Neutral backgrounds are best, such as plain white walls, or various single-colored backgrounds. Furniture such as bookcases, tables, chairs and such will interfere with the quality of the picture and the beauty of the photograph might be lost.

Put your children in the pictures as well. Children are photogenic, and they do not have the awkwardness as adults do when asking them to pose in a photo. Therefore your children and your cat are able to look natural in photographs, and being able to capture moments of happiness as your child play with the kitten is most heartwarming. Let your children play or tease the kitten with some toy, and take pictures during these times, as candid photographs are the perfect ones.

Take pictures outdoors. Sunlight provides a better lighting for taking prettier pictures. The early morning sun would be the best time to take photographs. Taking pictures in natural light will prevent the annoying ‘red eye’ that occurs sometimes in photographs. With your pet cat being in the outdoors, the pictures will turn out to be more natural, as that is where a cat belongs. Before you open the door to let your cat out, please ensure that the neighborhood is safe and there are no harmful creatures that will pounce on your cat.

Get as many close up shots as possible. Close-up shots of cats are sometimes the most adorable pictures of all. Seeing a kitten’s contented and natural expression on its face up close and personal is beyond words.

Digital Photography Tips - How To Master Your Camera's Exposure Controls for Better Photos

Using your camera's basic exposure controls does not have to be a challenge. Here's how to use the aperture priority and shutter priority modes to take better photographs.

When you use the aperture mode, you control how large the lens opening is. With a small lens opening, you can have a very sharp focus on one object in your picture, but objects that are not the same distance from the camera will not be as sharp. That's because of what's called depth of field. In other words, at what distance away from the camera are objects in sharp focus. If the lens opening (aperture) is small, you have a narrow depth of field. If you're photographing a flower, you may only want objects 12" to 15" to be in focus to get a super-sharp image of the flower.

If the aperture opening is larger, objects up close and not so close to the camera can both stay in focus (greater depth of field). At a large aperture opening, you might have objects in focus from 3" to as far as you can see. To compensate for adjusting the aperture, when you increase or decrease the aperture, your digital camera will adjust the shutter speed up or down.

A small aperture and a slow shutter speed is great if you're taking a close-up of a flower and want it to be extra-sharp. But if you're photographing a moving object, you must have your shutter speed set fast enough to stop the motion. This needs to be at least 1/125th of a second if you are following the motion with your camera. This will put the object in motion in focus but blur the background. If you are holding the camera still and shooting a scene with motion in it, you probably need your shutter speed to be anywhere from 1/250th to 1/1000th. When the shutter speed is increased, there will be less time for light to come through the lens, so the lens opening (the aperture) must be larger to compensate. You can control the shutter speed in the shutter priority mode. Then the camera will adjust the aperture to match.

The best way to learn about how to use your camera's aperture priority and shutter priority modes is to practice when you're not under pressure. Don't wait until you've traveled to an exotic garden to learn to photograph flowers or until you're at a racing event to learn to freeze motion with a fast shutter speed. Practice controlling depth of field by having a friend hold up a sign with the settings you're using. Take several photos with different setting. Then study the photos to see the results. If you're going to a race, practice photographing cars on the highway, but put your friend in the foreground with a sign again showing your camera settings. This will give you a quick, practical education.

Camera Tricks For The Trigger Happy

How to be an expert photographer

How many times have you returned from a fantastic trip only to find the photos that you have taken don't really do justice to your memories? This was very common when everyone used old-fashioned film to take their shots, and had to wait for days for the prints to arrive - often excitement followed by disappointment.

Digital photos haven't changed much besides shortening the wait for the photos at arrive. The preview screen on the digital camera does not give the exact idea of the end product. The snaps usually are a let down as a result. But you could keep some pointers in your mind that would allow you to take great photographs.

The first thing is to look around for some good photographs of the spot you are visiting. There is a likelihood of there being a variety of picture post cards at the local shops. See which one appeals to you and why. These are normally photographs by professional photographers so you can learn from them. Try to envisage from where the photographer has taken the picture. If possible take it from the same angle. You can benefit from the experience of the professional.

Some people will say why bother copying a postcard. Well, you don't copy it - first of all the light will be different, the trees, the colors will all be unique to your shot. And you can make it personal by including travelling companions in the foreground - at least this way the background will be great! What's more, it's only a starting point... you can take it on from there to shoot whatever appeals to you.

When taking your shots, take you time. It doesn't mean you have to spend hours setting up a tripod and so on, but don't just point and press. Think about the shot - what's going to make it interesting? If it's the monument you want to photograph, will it look best in the center or slightly off to the left? If you walk twenty feet to the left will you get those trees to make a nice background rather than that car park?

The camera should be held steady while taking the snap. You may not use a tripod like the professionals. No problem. Use a railing or a wall to steady your hands. This would improve your shots.

The snaps should be taken in the morning or the evening. This is so because the light is great for taking photographs at these times.

You can make a picture interesting by paying attention to details. Sometimes a simple detail is magnified and this is more interesting than photographing the whole monument. Develop an eye for detail. Having a digital camera is a blessing. You can take as many pictures as you wish without bothering about the cost. You don't have to get all of them developed so it is a big advantage if you are trigger-happy. So, go ahead and shoot.

Why I’ve Gone Digital – And Still Keep My Old Camera

There has always been a debate about what is better. Traditional cameras using film, or the so called new technology, storing pictures in digital form on memory cards, in computers or on CD-Rom.

As being a photographer for more than half of my life, I stuck with traditional film for very long. About 7 years ago I started to supplement my work with photos taken the digital way. A point and shoot camera with just 640x480 pixel resolution was the most attractive gadget I had these days. Its lens was even capable of doing close-up work, using a macro switch.

That Fujifilm DX-7 was upgraded with a bigger Memory-Card and the camera served me well for several years.

Anyway, over time, I was still more satisfied with the possibilities my collection of Pentax SLR cameras gave me. It started with using the best lenses for each picture or just using a Zoom (which offers a range from wide angle to telephoto), changing the shutter speed to either stop or blur the motion of objects in the picture, use external flashlights, change the aperture openings to adjust the range of sharpness and lots more. Not forgetting the better picture quality I could get from a 35mm negative or slide. I was happy to use my heavy, solid metal camera.

The world changed for me when camera makers like Nikon and Canon introduced their Digital SLR Cameras. I went to my local camera shop every week and debated with the salesman about advantages and disadvantages of the models they had on sale. Also I checked with lots of users in online services to get first hand feedback on how these cameras performed. Finally, when Pentax introduced their Digital SLRs, I couldn’t wait much longer. I needed to have one of those.

With the Pentax 1st DS have a whole list of advantages over smaller Digital Cameras:

I can use the same lenses that fit my traditional camera

Have full control over speed and aperture

I can see the picture immediately after it is taken

I can shoot a series of pictures and choose the best (at no extra cost for film or paper)

A good resolution of 6 Megapixel which allows quite big prints

It weights more than a compact digital camera, so you can hold it steady more easily

Make use of all the filters, flashlights, lenses and accessories I have collected over the years.

Storing the pictures on the PC via a fast USB connection

Up to 1 GB storage on a SD Memory Card (about 380 jpg photos)

Selecting only the best photos for printing

With all these advantages of digital SLR Cameras, you may wonder why I still keep my old 35mm film cameras with me. First, it is emotional, and second, photographing the old fashioned way keeps me calm. You just need more time to produce an excellent, satisfying photograph (because you cannot see the result right after the shot).

How To Click It Right With The Best Digital Photography Camera

The digital photography camera has ushered in an absolute revolution in the world of photography. With its excess of futuristic features, the digital photography camera has also brought in considerable cost reduction of photography. No wonder, people are flocking to digital camera stores. To elaborate, digital cameras make for easy storage and editing of pictures on the PC, you cut back on film costs with the reusable memory cards and innovative features like sound and video recording. Photography just had quite an interesting makeover. Delving into the intricacies of the entire digital camera mechanism is worthwhile so that the salesman doesn't lead you up the garden path with tall claims. And being well up on the features of your digital camera will also give you food to brag. The first thing to know about your digital camera is the kind of CCD (Charged Couple Device) you have. This fancy-sounding device is actually the be-all and end-all of your photography unit and the pixel count in them is what that determines how good your snap is going to be. It is also vital to know what pixels count to opt for. Anything upwards of 3-Megapixels is good for prints of 8 x 10 inches or larger, of course, the more the merrier. But if your requirement is minute 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 photos for the Web, then 1 or 2-megapixel camera will suffice admirably. On the other hand, nothing less than 5-megapixels should be on your minds if you plan to have prints of your digital stuff. The Zoom feature is closer to your digital camera than any other feature. Optical zoom refers to the camera's capacity to magnify a subject. This zooming in or zooming out takes place within the lens itself and it is visible from the lens advancing and retracting just like the conventional film camera. This is one feature, which is best when you have it in plenty. There are many who would swoop on a digital camera lured by its pixel count and optical zoom capacities. But the power consumption of a camera is also worth taking a peek into, for there are cameras with voracious appetites for batteries and you could well end up spending a fortune on them. So when you are buying a digital camera, ensure that it works on rechargeable batteries. A charger included in the package is a great buying option. Stacking up on the memory card is a good idea if you are the traveling kind. A CompactFlash memory card, offering a lot of storage sizes ranging from 16MB to 1GB and greater compatibility with a large number of makes, is definitely a popular choice. LCD monitors come in a variety of sizes and resolutions, besides the captivating ones that bend and twist at impossible angles. What you will go for of course depends on the kind of work you will be doing with the camera. If you are involved in on-site architectural work and it is shooting around angles that you are aiming at, then a moveable LCD is the one to go for. But the primary thing to take care of is that you don't have to peer too hard to make out what is on the screen. These are the basic things that you look out for when purchasing a digital photography camera. Things when gone awry will virtually render your camera quite inefficient. There are certain other features of a digital photography camera that when present in the right dosage, make for some excellent photography sessions. Scene modes, for instance. Having a choice helps, especially when you have not yet familiarized yourself with the intricacies of exposure, focus and shutter speeds. A Red-eye reduction feature is quite a handy mechanism to have around when you shoot a lot of portraits. If red-eye is much of a bother, then opt for a camera with a hot-shoe connection, that is one that facilitates the installation of an external flash. A flash that is away from the lens reduces the incidence of red-eyes. Be well up on the internal mechanism of a digital photography camera and enjoy your tryst with it.