Friday, February 3, 2012

Digital Photography For Beginners - Get Up Close And Personal For Better Portraits!

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Winters]Raymond Winters
It's nice to see your subject in clear detail, don't you think? Just about any portrait can become much more powerful if you move a few paces nearer to your subject. Filling the frame makes a tremendous difference and, when accomplished perfectly, looks considerably more professional. This Digital Photography Guide 'focuses' on the benefits of moving up close and personal towards your subject!
You don't even have to take steps toward your subject. Instead of literally moving nearer, try utilizing your camera's zoom to obtain a close up shot. Portraits actually look superior when they are totally zoomed in. That's simply because the longer lens has a tendency to flatten facial elements, reducing unsightly elements, such as large noses, for example.
When taking pictures of friends (or family) many beginner photographers insist on including the subject's complete body (or head as well as arms) in the shot. Instead, why not fill the frame by having your subject's face only, especially if they are caught in a moment of reflection. Why move in closer? Well, by having less clutter, there is simply less to draw the eye away from your main interest. If there's anything in the picture that distracts from your main subject, your eye will certainly be drawn to it, and the resulting image can look somewhat dull and uninteresting. Truly, close up human faces are simply something we gain great pleasure from studying.
If you can't get near enough when you 're taking the shot, you can easily zoom in later utilizing Photoshop, or similar application. Crop out all except the subject's face and see the difference it makes - a much more powerful image. The good thing about today's digital cameras is simply that they have numerous megapixels. Even if you crop out an enormous part of the image, you should still be able to produce a decent quality portrait.
If using a compact camera, a word of caution. Since the viewfinder is not at an equivalent position with the lens, centering the topic in the viewfinder might possibly result in an ultimately off-centre picture. You can easily counter this by way of using the LCD screen rather than the viewfinder. Some point-and-shoots actually have a workaround built into the viewfinder. If, in your viewfinder, you see what looks like a dashed box, that's simply the same section that the lens sees. You can then utilize the viewfinder as long as you use the dashed box to frame your shot.
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Digital-Photography-For-Beginners---Get-Up-Close-And-Personal-For-Better-Portraits!&id=6631768] Digital Photography For Beginners - Get Up Close And Personal For Better Portraits!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Where to Sell Photos on the Internet - Can You Make Money Selling Photos Online?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gilbert_Robinson]Gilbert Robinson
Being alive at this very moment is the greatest opportunity anyone has ever had. The expansion of the Internet offers a lot of possibilities to make money online, one of which consists of selling your own photography. Some of the most common questions tackle the issue of where to sell photos on the Internet and why anyone would spend money on photography, when using a digital camera is extremely simple.
Let's start with the first issue. Where to sell photos on the Internet? You might be surprised to find out how many people are actually looking to buy photos online. Bloggers, freelancers, magazine writers, they all prefer to just pay regular people for their photos, instead of doing the work themselves.
Probably the best known way to make money selling photos online is through specialized stock photos websites. This is actually how I first started in this business. I was earning a few dollars here and there selling stock photos, but after a trip to Thailand, during which I took about 4000 photos with the sole purpose of selling them, I truly discovered the real potential of this. By selling those photos, I managed to earn a little more than $10,000 during the next two months!
You can find this kind of websites by performing a simple Google search for "stock photos", but you will have to do a little research yourself in order to find the ones with the best payout. All you have to do is upload your photos (which can be taken with a simple digital camera), set your prices, depending on the quality of the photos and wait for buyers to show up.
Another way to go when trying to sell photos online is advertising your work on your own. You can post messages in forums, contact bloggers and website owners and introduce them to your work. Some will say no, some will actually be excited. Contacting people you don't know might seem hard at first, but no actual harm can come from doing this. Just go out there and get those buyers!
You cannot accomplish anything by just sitting on a sofa and watching TV, can you? Selling photos on the Internet is a little time consuming and takes some trial and error to really get the hang of it, but the reward is amazing, especially if you don't make thousands of dollars per month from your day job.
By doing some math, we can calculate how much money selling photos on the Internet could earn you, depending on the amount of time spent taking photos. After having been making a living selling pictures for more than two years now, I can say I get about $2.5 per photo I sell. Now, how much time would you be willing to invest, knowing that you will make this kind of money? Let's say you chose to spend 2 hours a week taking photos. Could you take 100 photos during 120 minutes? Absolutely! That means 400 photos per month, which can bring you $1000.
It took me some time to get to this stage, but the journey was totally worth it. And if I was able to do it, so can you!
When it comes to complete beginners trying to make money selling photos online, I can mention my friend Jessica and her quest to making $3000 per month. She started a few months ago and already managed to make a little more than $2000 a month, so her journey is coming to an end. At How to [http://www.howtosellyourphotos.net/]How to Sell Your Photos, you can find a report of her progress and learn a lot from her experience. Make sure you check it out!
Gilbert Robinson is a professional photographer making a living out of his passion.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Where-to-Sell-Photos-on-the-Internet---Can-You-Make-Money-Selling-Photos-Online?&id=6608854] Where to Sell Photos on the Internet - Can You Make Money Selling Photos Online?

Monday, January 30, 2012

Save Time and Money With Do It Yourself Product Photography

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gregory_Clarkson]Gregory Clarkson
So you've got a product that you're wanting to sell. You need some good photos and you need them done right or at least better than most of your competitors, right?
Some individuals and companies will spend thousands on photographing products and that's fine if you have the budget. This can be truly unreasonable or unfeasible for the small business or person trying to get their products off of the ground and to potential customer's eyes.
So here are a few tips for capturing some great shots of the products you want to sell without spending a fortune.
Clean your products
Nothing's worse than having a dusty product full of fingerprint smudges in product catalogs. Clean it up before shooting!
Analyze the setting and scene
First, let's start with the setting. Take the time to make a great environment for the product to be displayed in. You're going to want to block out background 'noise', meaning other items and things around that would distract from the attention of the item itself.
Sometimes this can be as easy as draping a blanket, sheet or other type of linen as a background and base for the product to sit on.
Background
Consider the colors. If your item is black, don't use a black backdrop. If it's white, don't use a white backdrop. Make your item stand out. Consider using your yard for an outdoors type product. You get the idea.
Lighting
Next, take a look at your lighting.
You're not going to want to use the built-in flash of your $100 camera.
That flash will create glare and flat lighting, obvious signs of amateur feel to the photos. So grab some lamps and put around some ambient lighting, that won't be shining directly on the item, but all over. Either put the light at an angle or put a piece of diffusing cloth (like a piece of thin, white cloth. This will create a clear shot from most angles.
If you have lamps that are fairly direct, aim them high toward the ceiling. This will soften the feel of the light. Keeping adding or taking away light as needed.
Do some test shots to check it before you really go at it. Once these things are in place, have fun taking shots from each and every angle that you, as a customer would want to see of the product.
These simple ideas should get you started to better product photography for your items.
Here's a surefire and free way to get better in photography within the next 30 days -
The lessons are so simple and straight-forward that you'll be able to start taking better pictures almost immediately after reading the tutorials.
By learning these fundamental and techniques in digital photography and [http://reviews.davidleetong.com/category/tutorials/flash-photography-articles/]flash photography, you'll be confident to take any kind of photographs in any situation with any camera you currently have. I strongly urge you to discover these free and useful lessons on the next page - [http://reviews.davidleetong.com]Simple Photography Tips Every Week
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Save-Time-and-Money-With-Do-It-Yourself-Product-Photography&id=6630363] Save Time and Money With Do It Yourself Product Photography

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Easy Photo Tips for Parents On Catching the Moment With Child Birthday Photography

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=David_L_Tong]David L Tong
It's your child's birthday. It's a special day for everyone. You're watching this little one grow and grow, and you want to have snapshots of their life passing by to hang onto in the later years.
You might think that it's very difficult to produce impressive kids' birthday party photos, but it doesn't have to be. As long as you have a decent camera and simple understanding on lighting, as well as the patience to anticipate moments, you'll be fine.
Getting those perfect shots can be tricky and nerve-wracking. So here are some simple and handy tips to be sure that you'll catch those perfect moments.
To begin, have the camera ready at all times. One of the greatest benefits of digital photography is that you can simply rattle off loads of shots without consequence. And this factor will be greatly to your benefit, not just in cost, but probability to get good photos.
Take loads of photos. That's really the key. Get ready for the moments, and keep rattling off shots like nobody's business.
Since you probably don't have the experience and expertise in photography yet, taking more shots equate to insurance shots that will just increase the odds of you getting that perfect photo.
Later on you'll be able to take the time to sit down at your computer and weed out the plethora of bad shots that you'll certainly have gotten.
This is how the bulk of professional photographers end up with so many amazing photos. It's not that they can always simply nail that perfect shot, it's that they're always ready and firing away to be sure that they catch that special shot.
Professionals have the experience and knowledge to take higher odds of good shots, but they still take insurance shots nonetheless.
To get those moments with your child, you'll need to be ready, or have someone ready with the camera the whole time. Keep them close by, and have extra memory cards available if needed. It'd be a tragedy to run out of room just as the party is getting going.
Take note ahead of time of moments that you'll especially want to get caught on film. Write these things down and be sure to communicate with whoever will be taking the photos to watch for these specific events.
Most of all, have fun with this. Don't feel like you're taking too many shots. Again, you can always delete more later. That's the joy of the digital era.
Lastly, don't ever forget to be part of the fun! Have someone take photos of you and your child from time to time as well.
Here's a surefire and free way to get better in photography within the next 30 days -
The lessons are so simple and straight-forward that you'll be able to start taking better pictures almost immediately after reading the tutorials. By learning these fundamental and techniques in digital photography and [http://reviews.davidleetong.com/category/tutorials/flash-photography-articles/]flash photography, you'll be confident to take any kind of photographs in any situation with any camera you currently have. I strongly urge you to discover these free and useful lessons on the next page - [http://reviews.davidleetong.com]Simple Photography Tips
David is a freelance photographer, blogger, and writer providing quality and free photography-related tutorials, camera reviews, and Adobe Photoshop tips through his blog and workshops.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Easy-Photo-Tips-for-Parents-On-Catching-the-Moment-With-Child-Birthday-Photography&id=6604301] Easy Photo Tips for Parents On Catching the Moment With Child Birthday Photography

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Slide Scanning Tips: Before You Save Your Scans, Don't Forget To Change One Important Setting

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Konrad_Michniewicz]Konrad Michniewicz
Next time you scan your slides, negatives, and photos, watch for something called JPEG "compression" level. Don't worry, all this will make sense soon.
For now, just know that your scanner's default JPEG settings are probably not set right. This means your scans will lose some pixel quality. I will show you where to adjust the JPEG settings so you don't lose any quality when saving your scans.
But first, you need to know two things about JPEG image files. Once you know this stuff, then you'll be able to control the quality of your JPEG files.
1. JPEG Files Are Compressed
Professional photographers and graphic designers like to use TIFF image files. TIFFs are huge. Sometimes they're 500 MB in file size. TIFFs are great because they have a lot of digital data. And the more data they have, the more a person can manipulate and edit that digital image.
But, for you and I, TIFFs are over-kill. Most of this digital data is redundant, and doesn't add to the overall quality of your image.
Somebody figured out a way to remove all this useless data and maintain quality, using a compression method. Your TIFF file is sized down from 500 MB to 5 MB -- but without losing any picture quality.
So what you end up with is a high-quality digital image, but at a file size that won't clog up your computer space or take forever to upload.
2. You Can Control JPEG Compression
When you save your slides, negative, and photos as JPEGs, your scanner will give you the option to adjust how much your file is compressed.
Except the problem is, maybe like my scanner, your scanner's default compression is set too high. The higher compressed your JPEG, the less detail you'll see. It doesn't matter if you scanned your slide at 4000 DPI. If you save that slide scan at a highly compressed JPEG, it will take away some detail.
Where Can You Change Your JPEG Compression Level When Scanning
Now that you know that you have the option to change the JPEG's compression, you'll need to read your scanner's manual to find this option. With my scanner, the option to change JPEG compression comes up at the last step -- when I'm about to save my scan. There's an "JPEG Option" box I click to adjust the level. Once I have this set, I don't have to touch it anymore.
My scanner's default compression level is 6 out of 10. That's too high. It gives me a small file size. But who cares. I want quality pixels. So I changed my compression to 1 out of 10. This will ensure that all my scans will be the highest JPEG quality possible.
About The Author
Hi, Konrad here. Did this scanning tip help? If so, you can get more slide, negative, photo scanning tips, here: http://HowToScan.ca
I've been scanning since 2005, and scanned over 500,000 slides, negatives, and photos since then. I've put all the things NOT to do in a free scanning guide.
Hope it helps, and good luck with your home scanning project!
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Slide-Scanning-Tips:-Before-You-Save-Your-Scans,-Dont-Forget-To-Change-One-Important-Setting&id=6624303] Slide Scanning Tips: Before You Save Your Scans, Don't Forget To Change One Important Setting

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Where Should I Have My Portrait Made?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Stan_Cox_II]Stan Cox II
Where your photography is created does make a difference. There are benefits to having your photography done in a studio, such as greater privacy, complete control of the light and elements, and it doesn't matter what time of day the photography is done. In environmental portraits you will want to the photography done during the most beautiful light of the day, which is the Golden Hour. In studio that doesn't matter.
So for newborns, infants and boudoir portraits a studio session may be just fine. However even in those cases the even better choice would be to have the photography done in your home! Why? Because while with newborns, the environment of the studio won't matter to them, with infants it will be an unfamiliar place, and may cause uneasiness. In the familiar surroundings of the home, not only will the infant be more comfortable naturally, but you'll also have all the baby's toys, clothes and accessories right at hand if needed.
With a boudoir portrait session, it's almost the same as with infants and toddlers...That is, usually it's not the most comfortable situation for ladies to be hanging out in their "undies" in front of a stranger who is photographing them! So the additional comfort of the familiar surroundings of the home can help her relax and contribute to the success of the session.
With Executive portraits, or "Headshots", the studio can be a good choice as well. In some cases the studio is even the best choice, such as with a headshot portrait where virtually no environmental background would add anything. Again, with business portraits the time and convenience of the subject play a large part, so going into a studio where the lighting and background are all set up and ready to go can make it the ideal location.
However, when the executive portrait is to be � or full length, I believe that a location in or around the business should be used. The business is the environment of the businessperson, and can contribute to the overall impact of the portrait.
For personal and family portraits I really feel that a studio is absolutely the wrong place to have the photography session! The studio is meaningful only to the photographer. It is true that beautiful family portraits can be created in a studio, and there are a number of masterful photographers who work exclusively in their studios. However because it can and is done doesn't make it the right place, or the best place to have your family portraits made.
I have made thousands of family portraits in my career, and I used to make most of them in my studio. Over the years I have found that portraits that are photographed in a location that has some personal meaning to the family are appreciated and enjoyed by the family much, much more than those created in the studio.
Remember, portraits are all about the people, and emphasis is placed on the faces and expressions. In family portraits we also want to show the relationships and connections within the family. This can certainly be accomplished in a studio, but if you think about it, the home is really an extension of the family. It reflects the family's interests and tastes, and it uniquely comfortable to the family. So in many cases the home is the ideal location to have the photography done.
If the family enjoys picnics and or activities at a particular park or beach, that location has special meaning and is almost like a member of the family. When the photography is done at that special location, the location itself becomes like another personality in the portrait!
Almost any activity and associated location can be far more meaningful when incorporated into a portrait than a studio could ever be! If for example the family loves to go boating together, the family yacht could be the perfect location for the photography. What about a family that loves to go camping or hiking together? The favorite campsite might be the perfect setting for the photography, or the favorite hiking trail. Given a little thought and just about any location other than a studio can add immensely to the depth and meaning of a portrait.
About the author: Stan P. Cox II runs a Portrait and Commercial photography studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been a professional Hawaii photographer specializing in portraiture for over 30 years. His web address is: http://www.paramountphotography.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Where-Should-I-Have-My-Portrait-Made?&id=6627250] Where Should I Have My Portrait Made?

Sunday, January 22, 2012

How A Digital Camera Can Help You In Many Ways

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kalyan_Kumar]Kalyan Kumar
Most owners of digital cameras know that they can rely on their electronic device to capture great memories of special occasions which they can treasure for a lifetime and pass on to their grandchildren. But other than its main function of taking photos, the camera has actually many other uses that may surprise some of you.
Identification
For identification purposes, particularly when you lose your camera, you can take one small yet valuable step. This is to take a photo of a piece of paper with your name and phone number on it. Why is this so? Because the photo will help the person who found your gadget find the real owner and return it to you. Most digital camera owners do not write their names on the device or put a sticker with their name and contact number on it, right? But when the person who found it scans your images stored in the camera, he or she can find your contact details in one of the photos. Just remember to lock this photo so it always appears as the first image when somebody reviews your images. By locking the photo, it will never get deleted.
Directions
You can also use your camera for directions. How? Just take a shot of a Google map of the place you're heading to. Take various shots such as one with the different streets and one that's zoomed in to your final destination.
Also if you often find it hard to locate your car in parking lots particularly in a new place, simply take a photo of the signs near your car that will help you easily identify its location when it's time to go. Again, take a shot that's zoomed in and take one in a wider angle to capture other landmarks within the area.
Content
Another use of the camera is taking shots of recipes you like to try at home, menus from a restaurant that provides food delivery service, information from a yellow page directory and food labels. Instead of writing them down, you can have all the details you want in just one snap.
Evidence
If you happen to get involved in road accidents such as a car collision, you can take photos of the scene and the damage on your car. They will be helpful as evidence during investigation of law enforcement authorities.
The same is true if you happen to park your car in an area where the parking meter or ticket machine is broken. You may be questioned but if you can present evidence about the situation, you can always free yourself from worries.
For the purpose of capturing evidence, it may be worth using the date stamping feature of your digital camera. This way, all details are stored.
With the ability of modern digital cameras to capture and store images as well as important information, having this photographic gadget is well worth it. And with its small size and light weight today, you can actually bring it everywhere you go even on a daily basis. Who knows, you might just need it any time.
For information about [http://www.42photo.com]digital camera stores, visit 42photo.com, New York's legendary camera store in business for over 40 years.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-A-Digital-Camera-Can-Help-You-In-Many-Ways&id=6635843] How A Digital Camera Can Help You In Many Ways