May 1, 2008
Contrary to popular belief stunning photographs can be taken when shooting into the light. Whilst this may contradict advice given to beginners to always shoot with the light coming from behind the camera the art of backlighting is a technique that can produce wonderful images. However, many nature photographers are intimidated by the idea of pointing the camera towards the light and shy away from many worthwhile opportunities.
There is much to consider when using this technique if frustration and disappointment are to be avoided. However, once mastered there is little doubt that backlighting can be magical and will add both drama and visual impact to your photographs and diversity and interest to your portfolio. There are many subjects to try, my favourites are translucent flowers and foliage or rim lighting of animals and birds. Backlighting will enhance mist, rain and haze adding creativity and atmosphere to landscape images.
The two most challenging aspects of photographing backlit subjects are to adequately eliminate flare and ensure correct exposure. These concerns can be allayed with a little practice, good technique and an understanding of the exposure process.
Flare gives rise to a loss of definition and is probably the most significant area requiring attention, so a measured and methodical approach is needed. It is produced when intense rays of light hit the front element of the lens causing excessive lens refraction, this leads to specula highlights, image softening and loss of definition. Clearly this is to be avoided and there are several ways to overcome this undesirable effect.
Lenses show individual characteristics but in general the more lens elements used in their construction the more vulnerable they will be to flare. With this in mind zoom lenses are more likely to be flare susceptible that prime fixed focal length lenses. Lens coatings also have an impact on flare, modern multi coated lenses consistently outperform earlier models and this alone can significantly reduce most potential flare problems.
In many backlighting situations using a designated lens hood will greatly improve the chances of eliminating flare by keeping stray light from striking the front element of the lens. Indeed, the use of a good quality lens hood can improve saturation in all images.
Having taken the above precautions a final visual inspection of the image through the viewfinder, preferably with the lens stopped down, will show any remaining areas of softness or highlights resulting from flare. This may only require a slight repositioning of the camera to eliminate.
The other challenge in photographing backlit subjects is how best to handle exposure. Overexposure is a common problem in backlighting, as the brightly-lit background will overly influence the camera’s meter; this will turn the subject very dark, indeed almost silhouette like.
Exposure compensation is the answer and it is best to give between one and two stops extra exposure from the ‘normal’ exposure suggested by the camera. Alternatively, take a spot meter reading from the shadow area and expose at the camera’s reading this should require no compensation. As exposure for backlit subjects is tricky it is best to practice various exposure metering patterns and overrides until you are comfortable in approaching various back lighting opportunities that present themselves.
So, nature photographers, there really is no excuse for not getting out there, there is an endless variety of subjects waiting to be found and with care they can become some of your most creative and satisfying images.
Redstart Photography
Redstart photography by Phil McDermott based on the Isle of Mull in the west of Scotland specialising in nature and environmental photography.
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March 18, 2008
Probably one of the most common problems you will be faced with in doing any type of digital photo restoration work will be to do with spot scratches on your old photos.
When we first look at those old black and white or early colour photos they often have small scratch marks and spots on them from being stored incorrectly.
These small spot scratches are easily perceived by your eye when you are looking at the photo, detracting from the overall subject matter.
Here is a very easy quick fix using Adobe Photoshop’s History Brush tool.
Our example “before” image on our web-site has numerous small spot scratches on the old sepia toned photograph.
The basic removal method described here can quickly and effortlessly bring those scratched photos back to (almost) their former glory using the History Brush Tool found in Photoshop.
This basic technique works extremely well for those types of images that have spot scratches in areas of the photo that do not contain a lot of detail.
As you can see in our example image on the web-site, the spots tend to be primarily on the background of the photo, making it ideal for this correction method.
Step - 1
Having opened up the image in Photoshop we will first apply the Dust and Scratches filter by selecting Filter->Noise->Dust & Scratches …
Set the Threshold to between 1 and 4 (I generally start with 1) and then increase the Radius until you see the spot scratches disappear.
Our example image on the web-site finally made the largest spot scratch on the left hand side of the photo disappear at a Threshold of 3 and Radius of 10.
All well and good but our image is now totally blurred!! Not really what we wanted to see is it?
This is where the History Brush tool comes into play.
Step - 2
Open up the History Palette by selecting Window->History if you cannot see the window already open.
We are going to create a “Snapshot” of the current state of the image in question by clicking on what looks like a little image of a camera at the bottom of the History Palette window (see the red arrow on the web-site image).
After clicking you will notice that the History Palette now shows an extra image icon called “Snapshot 1″.
This is a snapshot of the image that includes the effect of apply the Dust & Scratches Filter in Step 1.
Now click on the little square box to the left of Snapshot 1.
You will see a little “brush” icon appear which is now telling us that the “Snapshot 1″ image will be used as our “source” when we paint with the History Brush.
Remember … this snapshot image actually has none of the spot scratches on it because we made them disappear by applying the Dust & Scratches filter in Step 1.
Step - 3
Make the original (un-touched) history snapshot active by clicking on it (in the case of our example image this is “Restore-Before-Image.jpg”).
Select the History Brush from the main toolbar (this has the same icon as the little “brush” icon that appeared in the History Palette window).
We are now ready to “paint away” those spot scratches!!
Step - 4
I’m going to zoom in on the largest scratch on the left hand side of the photo to show you how we use the History Brush.
We selected the History Brush in Step 3.
Select an appropriate brush size and soft edges.
We now need to decide how to apply the brush to the scratches in question.
You will notice that the scratches in our example image are “lighter” than the surrounding image.
Step - 5
We need to paint “darker” pixels and as such we set the History Brush Mode: to “Darken” (Top Menu Bar option when you have the History Brush as the active tool).
This has the effect of “telling the History Brush” to only replace pixels on the original image with pixels from our snapshot if the snapshot pixel is darker.
Start to paint over the scratches and see what happens.
The scratches start to miraculously disappear as you paint over them.
They are being replaced with the underlying snapshot image pixels you created in Step 1.
The benefit of using this techniques is that you have complete control over which parts of the original image you “paint over” so as not to blur important details of the image had you just applied a Dust & Scratches filter to the whole image.
Now what if your scratches are darker than the surrounding image, I hear you ask?
Easy!! … just use a History Brush Mode: of “Lighten” instead of “Darken”.
You can experiment with all of the History Brush options - Mode, Opacity and Flow until you get the desired result.
The resulting “After” image has had all of the spot scratches removed easily without compromising on the photographic detail of the image.
And there you have it!!
Less than five minutes of digital image manipulation to remove those unwanted spot scratches.
If you find the steps taking are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.
© Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved
You can see this removal method complete with example images at Basic removal of Spot Scratches in Photos
Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.
Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business.
He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
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December 27, 2007
Nokia, as we all know, is now 1 of the earth’s most large builders of telephones and this is compared with other leading competitors for example, Samsung & Motorola (amid others). Nokia fabricate phones for each main market sector and back in 07 they were voted the most valuable global brand. Their goods fall into four various sectors - handsets, multimedia, networks & enterprise solutions.
The hand-set revolution headed by Nokia is apparently irrepressible. The thickset bricks made in the nineteen nineties for instance, the Nokia 2110 that was almost 236 grams have nowadays been superseded with light-weight, and slim telephones for instance, the Nokia 6282 that comes in at 115 g or the Nokia 7380 that weighs primarily 80 grams. All the phones have the most current in communications jiggery-pokery coupled with a good fashion sense.
Deciding on a set was in the past a painless undertaking then again considering the products possible to all of us today, it becomes somewhat harder. Potential buyers will probably buy their mobile devices with the thought of various features, - might it be a statement of fashion an object which makes folk look groovy - or might it be only for the advantages that the handsets currently offer, for instance, e-mail & WAP, etc. There is an extensive range of uk mobiles to see on Nokia’s website.
Additional technologies are likewise consolidating in Nokia telephones to provide the customer the possibility to communicate with more than only speech. Nokia mobile devices which include cameras are also becoming familiar as is the facility to produce videos and broadcast them to friends and associates through multimedia messaging. You can furthermore get full color video on every one of their phones and well over 1/2 are available with the opportunity to show WAP info (pages designed only for the smaller display on your handsets). Also obtainable is cell phones which have radios & MP3 facilities just for listening to your favourite tracks. The prices of their telephones range from nothing at all up to a few hundred pounds, it primarily depends about what someone want.
Nokia, as was said, continues to be the the earth’s top maker of telephones, even though some think that Nokia’s number 1 ranking might be threatened especially by Sony Erickson. Even so, Nokia are backed by the advantage of years of experience in handset fabrication & has brilliant loyalty from its mainstream consumers coupled with with their reputation just for reliability & user friendliness.
As new technologies become even more vital in today’s cell phones, the space between Nokia and all of its competitors will become additionally obvious.
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November 30, 2007
Should you worry about photo thievery on the Internet?
There’s an element of human nature involved here: Trust.
Back when we first got here to the farm, the nearest grocery store was (still is) the Horse Creek Store. Fred Nelson would stand behind the counter and retrieve the products you wanted from the shelves. It’s not that he didn’t trust his customers. He was giving them service. It had always been done that way. A few years later when supermarkets were introduced, I asked Fred if he thought customers would walk out of supermarkets with products in their pockets without paying.
Fred’s response, “Well, there might be some of that.”
As we all know now, yes, a few people, it turns out, will do that. Maybe 2% - maybe 5% - of the population. Nevertheless, at the Horse Creek Store you now gather your own items from the shelves. And the supermarket service model, used everywhere from huge groceries to hardware stores, has benefited both customers and owners. Customers retrieve the products themselves, and thereby a greater volume of customers can be taken care of per day. Businesses have learned to factor the minor loss through thievery into the cost of the products, and volume sales.
Back to the Basics
This model assumes an element of trust on the part of the store owner. The owner’s position is that, “I trust you (most of you) enough that you won’t walk out of my store without paying.” The owner absorbs the cost of the rare instance of thievery.
The Internet will also eventually settle into a comfortable balance built on sensible commerce. (You pays for what you gits.) Why not put energy toward serving the 95% of customers who are going to be trustworthy, rather than put undue time and attention on the 5% who won’t be?
You might say, “Well, photos are different. They are easy to steal. No one is watching.”
Perhaps, but small items ranging from chewing gum to shampoo would be easy to steal. But most people, including teenagers, are basically honest. They don’t steal. Besides, stealing, along with being immoral, has disadvantages that outweigh the benefits.
A FOREIGN LAND
When we hear of instances of Internet theft, you’ll find that most of the perpetrators fall into the “immature hot shot” category. Another small percentage of guilty parties are people ignorant of Copyright Law. The final percentage consists of people who do live life trying to get away with getting something for nothing. But is it worth your time to track them down with PicScout or other expensive software, just to shake a finger at them? (That’s about the only reward you would realize.) And remember, too, that in our corner of the stock photography industry that we are not dealing with advertising clients or graphic artists who might be able to benefit from such theft. We deal with photobuyers and researchers at publishing houses. It’s almost a different country. It’s rare that you ever hear of a staff member of a publishing house or magazine risking their job by stealing a photo. In more than a decade of on-line experience I have never heard of a case of photobuyer thievery at a reputable publishing house – at least not at any of the 8,500 in our database.
If it’s a question for you of whether to post your images online or not, I would advise to go about your business and post them without agitation, knowing that human nature is on your side. The majority of people who are going to visit your website are not going to steal, either because they are moral – or because it is too inconvenient!.
Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. 1 800 624 0266; E-mail: info@photosource.com . Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: http://www.photosource.com
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October 29, 2007
As advanced consumer electronics like digital cameras, PDAs, multimedia mobile phones, and similar devices become increasingly affordable to the everyday user, we find ourselves having to keep track of more and more types of technology, which makes keeping all of our devices compatible with each other increasingly difficult. The technological marvels that have opened up so many new avenues to the common home user, which used to be reserved for the wealthy, are all sold to us with the advice that they will somehow make our lives easier and better. Specifically looking at digital cameras, the biggest problem of this sort is the fact that there are more than 8 distinctly different types of memory storage card commonly used, and the devices that use them are rarely able to accommodate more than two types at best. SecureDigital, CompactFlash of two generations, Microdrive, SmartMedia (SmartCard), Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, xD Picture Card, and MultiMediaCard: Just how many of these do you use? If you know, do you know which device uses which? Fortunately, with the advent of multi-format flash-card readers, you can now safely know that no matter which camera, phone, PDA, or PC storage card you use, you can transfer data between any of your other devices quickly and easily.
A multi-format flash card reader is simply a device that plugs into your PC via any of a number of different types of data cable, which has a series of slots that accept one or more of the above types of removable media. It can read and write to these cards, transferring data – be it photos, mp3’s, word documents, or anything else – between the memory card and your computer’s hard drive. From there, you can transfer data back to another card via the card reader, if you wish, or perhaps edit and print off photos from the computer, burn data to a data CD or DVD, or simply keep them in your collection on your PC. They are surprisingly affordable for what they deliver, and there is a very wide range available to the market.
When deciding which card reader is for you, there are thankfully only a few things you need to consider that will make the difference in your purchasing decision. The obvious one is to consider what you actually need: How many, and which types of flash card do you use, and are you likely to add to this number in the foreseeable future? Naturally, then you consider which of the available readers has the features you need. It may be that you wish to be ready for every occasion, opting to simply buy the reader that offers the highest number of different formats.
Since finding a range of readers that support more formats than any one user is likely to need is not difficult, a more important thing to consider is whether a reader is compatible with your PC. The majority use either FireWire or USB 2.0 to transfer between your computer and the device. While there are a few important differences between them such as the maximum speed of the connection, the difference between their connection speeds is the factor least likely to limit how well it operates, and falls beyond the scope of this brief guide. What you do need to know is whether or not you have either a FireWire or USB port on your computer. Chances are, if your computer’s age is anything like your camera’s, you have already have USB support. For a point of reference, USB 1.0 (which is compatible with, but slower than USB 2) began to become standard around the time Pentium III’s were being released. If you’re not sure, you’re looking for a rectangular “female” socket – there will probably be more than one – either on the front or back of your PC measuring roughly 1/2” wide by roughly 3/16” high (or about 12mm x 3.5mm). As well as hardware compatibility, if you’re not using a recent version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, you need to consider whether you system will be able to run the software for the reader you buy. While all the software may not be compatible on Linux or Mac OS, flash card readers generally just act as a fairly standard mass-storage device, and the cards often use a slightly modified FAT-16 file system, meaning basic read-write operation is usually easy to set up, even without the software. Finally, there is the cost to consider.
Having laid down the criteria for judging the products, we can compare a couple of the more interesting models on the market. Obviously there are a lot more than just these two out there, however, they serve well by way of example. The SanDisk’s ImageMate 8-in-1, as the name suggests, supports eight different media types: Compact Flash (1 & 2), MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, xD Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro, and Secure Digital. While it does support it, it should be noted that SanDisk recommends against using Microdrive with this device. It has 4 physical ports, each acting as a USB mass storage device (4 virtual drives in total) with any version of Windows later than Windows 95, or Mac OS 9 and later. It uses a USB 2.0 interface, and features very fast transfer speeds from all of the card formats to the PC. If you want compatibility with just about every major flash card in use, then the ImageMate 8-in-1, manufactured by a respected brand in the industry, and usually retailing for just over $60, is a superb purchase.
If you need a better guarantee of compatibility with your system, then you should consider the Addonics Pocket Ultra DigiDrive (UDD). It supports all of the formats of the ImageMate, plus a few less common ones too. Also operating as a USB 2.0 mass storage device, the feature that sets this one apart form the rest is the compatibility. In addition to being compatible with Windows and Mac OS, it includes drivers and support for Sun Solaris 8 and higher, and Linux Kernel 2.4 and higher. This device represents the ultimate in inter-compatibility, and also being priced at around $60, it is a tempting purchase.
Flash card readers are highly affordable devices that take the headache of compatibility issues away. Whether for your camera, PDA, multimedia phone, PC, and any similar device you care to name, these ingenious devices are so affordable that you almost can’t afford not to have one.
Ron Donnelly is editor of the website, buying-guide-for-digital-cameras. You can view the site at www.buying-guide-for-digital-cameras.com
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October 24, 2007
Out of the Box
Despite its diminutive size, the Samsung i5 is one solid camera and feels great in the hand. The large 2.5″ LCD display is huge, especially when you consider that the entire camera is only 3.53″(w) x 2.35″(h). The camera comes packaged with a compact docking station that is designed to stay connected to your PC. When you place the Samsung i5 on its cradle it automatically allows you to transfer your photos and videos to your PC, while simultaneously charging the camera. The docking base also has a connector for TV hookup. Both cables that Samsung include with the Camera, the USB and the AV cable can be connected directly to the camera for those times when you don’t want to take the docking base with you.
50MB Internal Memory
Unlike most manufacturers that typically supply a paltry 16MB memory card, the Samsung i5 comes standard with 50MB of internal memory - enough to hold twenty 5.0-megapixel images (Super fine mode), 39 in Fine mode, 57 in normal mode, or up to 3 minutes, 38 seconds of full-frame 640×480 MPEG-4 video. The advantage of having some internal memory is that you’ll always have it with you - assuming you don’t leave the camera behind. The camera also features a standard SD memory expansion slot, which accepts larger memory card. SD Memory cards are available in sizes of 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, and even 2GB.
Layout and Design
The Samsung i5 has an overall height and width are not much larger than a business card, which makes toting the camera around a pleasure. A matter of fact, put the camera into the included pouch (which has an integrated belt loop) and you’ll truly forget that you’re armed and ready to go.
While the camera does feature plenty of scene modes, options, and overrides, Samsung simplified the design by limiting the amount of external controls. The i5 is housed in a stainless steel body and as previously mentioned is available in silver, black, and red. The front of the camera features just a sliding lens cover, which hides and protects the lens, flash, and AF assist light when the camera is turned off.
Features
SCENE MODES:
The Samsung i5 has a good selection of scene modes to satisfy most every shooting situation. The only mode that Samsung neglected, and one that I have never seen left out of a camera, is a “sport” mode. A sports mode would force the camera to use a higher shutter speed in order to help “freeze” faster action. Since the i5 lacks a sports mode or any way to manually increase the shutter speed, the i5 is probably not the camera to get if you take a lot of sports pictures.
MACRO MODE:
The Samsung i5 offers an excellent macro mode, actually three macro modes. The Auto Macro Mode works automatically and allows the camera to focus as close as 2″ (5 cm) from the subject when the camera is at wide angle or as close as 20″ in the telephoto position. If you switch the camera to Super Macro Mode the camera can then focus on subjects as close as 0.39″ from the lens. Super Macro Mode is superb at capturing the finest details from subjects, even small ones such as coins, jewelry, stamps, etc,. The standard Macro Mode is similar to Auto Macro Mode in that the camera can focus as close as 2″ from the lens. Unlike the Auto Macro mode which automatically focuses from 2″ to infinity, the standard Macro Mode focuses from 2″ to 20″. While on the same subject, the Super Macro Mode is used within the .39″ to 2″ range.
Conclusion
There is a lot to like about the Samsung i5 and a few things not to like. The camera performed satisfactory under most lighting conditions, but performance was only average. Start-up time was fairly quick at 2 seconds, but shot-to-shot times were very slow. Even in continuous shooting mode the best I could achieve was 1.5 seconds between shots and in this mode the screen goes completely dark while the camera captures frame after frame. Since you can’t see exactly what the camera is capturing after you press the shutter release, the continuous shooting mode is more pot-luck than anything else. In single-shot mode, it took the camera about 2.5 seconds before it was ready to capture another image. Shutter lag was almost a full second, a pretty slow time when compared to other newer cameras in this class.
Now for the good news. The stainless steal body, sleek compact design, internal 3x optical zoom lens, layout and overall feel, docking station, rechargeable battery, 50MB of internal memory, integrated lens/flash cover, large 2.5″ TFT color LCD display, easy-to-navigate menu system, and 30 fps MPEG-4 video mode with audio and zoom are reasons to consider the Samsung i5. The camera also features a superb super macro mode which should be considered if you often take pictures of small objects (think ebay auctions). Long exposures (night mode) seem to be one of the high points of the Samsung i5. A 12-second exposure taken in a dimly lit room yielded bright, sharp, clean results. This was very unexpected especially considering the camera lacks a tripod mount - a necessity when shooting with long exposures. To get around the lack of a tripod mount, use a bean bag or table along with the self-timer to keep the camera steady when shooting.
The camera’s large 2.5″ TFT display was bright indoors and out, although the LCD was not as visible when trying to frame scenes at night. The camera slides into the docking base with the LCD facing the front, making it a convenient way to do an informal slide show or connect the docking station to a large screen TV for slideshows that have impact.
If you’re looking for a pocket-thin camera that balances features and image quality, has very good slow-shutter (night) performance, and is fun to use, then the Samsung i5 is a camera to consider.
Review by Ron Risman, Cameratown.com
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September 21, 2007
Aberration.
The inability of a lens to produce a true image, particularly at the edge of a photograph.
Usually, the more expensive the lens, the better its optical quality and the fewer aberrations.
Angle of View
The area of a scene that a lens can cover. The focal length of the lens determines the angle of view. A wide-angle (short-focal-length) lens includes more of a scene than a standard (normal-focal-length) lens or telephoto (long-focal-length) lens. Angle of view is basically the angle at which light rays can pass through the lens to produce an image on the film.
Aperture
The aperture is the opening formed by the blades of the iris or diaphragm in the lens, through which light passes to expose the film. Aperture size is usually given in f-numbers, the larger the number, the smaller the opening. Aperture size together with shutter speed determine the amount of light falling on the film (exposure). The aperture is sometimes called the “stop”.
Aspherical lens
A lens with a curved, non-spherical surface. Used to reduce aberrations and achieve a more compact lens size. With a spherical lens, rays travelling from the lens periphery create the image before the ideal focal point and give a blurred image centre. With an aspherical lens, even the rays travelling from the lens periphery converge at the ideal focal point, thus producing a sharp image.
Chromatic aberration
The inability of a lens to bring all light wavelengths (particularly red & blue) into the same plane of focus, thus causing overall blur. Usually found in regular large-aperture telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. Not improved by reducing aperture size. Can be corrected with low dispersion (ED, LD SD) glass.
Colour temperature
A method of expressing the colour content and quality of light and measured in Kelvin (K). “Photographic daylight” has a colour temperature of about 5500K. Photographic tungsten lights have colour temperatures of 3200K to 3400K depending on their construction.
Depth of Field
The distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a photograph that are considered to be acceptably sharp. Dependant on aperture, focal length and focused distance. The smaller the aperture, the wider the lens and the further the focused distance, giving a greater depth of field and vice versa.
Electronic flash
Designed to provide light where the lighting on the scene is insufficient. Electronic flash requires high voltage, usually obtained through batteries and a voltage-multiplying circuit which discharge a brief, intensive burst. Generally considered to have the same photographic effect as daylight. Modern flash units have multiple TTL exposure control functions and auto focus control.
F-numbers or F-stops
Numbers on the lens aperture ring and the camera’s LCD (where applicable) that indicate the size of lens aperture. The lower the number the larger the aperture. As the scale rises, each number is multiplied by a factor of 1.4. Standard numbers are 1.0,1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, etc., each change resulting in a doubling or halving of the amount of light transmitted by the lens to the film.
Film Speed
ISO stands for International Standards Organization and numbers such as ISO 100 or ISO 400 etc. give the sensitivity of film to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive or faster the film. Basically, the slower the film (low ISO No.) the sharper and clearer the photograph. Grainy effects can be achieved with fast films (high ISO No.).
Flash sync speed
Exposure time with a focal-plane shutter is measured from the moment the first curtain is released until the moment the second curtain is released. The instant the first curtain closes, the electrical contacts for X sync close and instantly fire the flash.
Focal Length
The distance from the film to the optical centre of the lens when the lens is focused on infinity. Focal length on most adjustable cameras is marked in millimetres on the lens mount. On 35mm-format cameras, lenses with a focal length of 50mm are called normal or standard lenses. Lenses of 35mm or less are called wide angle lenses and lenses of 85mm or more are called telephoto lenses. Lenses which allow varying focal lengths without changing focus are called zoom lenses.
Lens
One or more pieces of optical glass or similar material designed to collect and transfer rays of light to form a sharp image on film, paper or a projection screen. In practical photography, compound lenses made of a number of elements of different types of glass are used. This enables the manufacturer to correct most of the faults (aberrations) found in simple lenses and provide images that are sharp across the whole picture.
Lens Speed
The largest aperture(smallest F-stop) at which a lens can be set. Fast lenses transmit more light and have larger openings than slow lenses. Determined by the maximum aperture in relation to focal length. Lens speed is relative: a 400 mm lens with a maximum aperture of F/3.5 is considered extremely fast, while a 28mm F/3.5 lens is considered to be quite slow.
Perspective
Perspective is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional scene. In photography this can be achieved by viewing 3-D objects from an angle rather than head-on. A photograph is also given perspective if there are objects in the foreground, middle distance and background, giving the whole scene “depth”.
Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Camera
Light entering the camera through the lens is reflected up by a mirror behind the lens onto a ground glass screen above. This screen is viewed through the viewfinder and a glass pentaprism which turns the image the correct way up. Other camera functions such as light metering and flash control also operate through the camera lens.
Zoom Lens
A lens which can be adjusted to a wide range of focal lengths without a change in focus, thus an alternative for a number of individual lenses of various focal lengths. A difficult type of lens to design and manufacture, but very useful for the photographer who likes to travel light.
My name is Rene Waish, I am a hobbiest Photographer. I have intrest in photography snice my childhood. If you want to know more about me and photography please visit my blog at http://reenez.blogspot.com/
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September 9, 2007
You’ve just taken the photo of a lifetime with your digital camera.
It has perfect light, a great composition, and the photography muse was clearly smiling upon you when you took the shot.
You send it off to the printers, and what you get back is terribly disappointing.
A quarter of your image is gone!
The brilliant composition that you so carefully crafted when you took the photo doesn’t have the same impact as the image you see on your computer.
What in the world happened?
Aspect Ratio
Welcome to the world of aspect ratio.
It sounds mathematical, but it is easy to understand once the following four points makes sense:
- A standard 4×6 print has an aspect ratio of 2:3 (4×6 divided by 2)
- A single film negative also has an aspect ratio of 2:3
- Some digital camera sensors do not have an aspect ratio of 2:3
- Aspect ratios are usually written with the long side first (3:2)
Remember when you used to get your film photos developed into 4×6 prints?
The photo that you took was the photo you got in the print. Since the aspect ratio of film is the same as a 4×6 print, no cropping takes place.
But the aspect ratio of your digital camera might be 4:3 (a common alternative to the 3:2 ratio).
Here’s the key point: every photo that you take with a 4:3 digital camera will get cropped when you make a standard 4×6 print. Since the aspect ratios aren’t equivalent, some of your image is lost.
Larger Print Sizes
People who own digital cameras with 3:2 sensors might be feeling pretty smug right about now. But even you are not immune to the effects of aspect ratio.
Let’s say that you take your 3:2 image and make a 5×7 or 8×10 inch print. Do you think you see the problem here? 3:2 is not equivalent to 7:5, nor is it equivalent to 5:4 (8×10 divided by 2).
Every 3:2 photo that you print at 5×7 or 8×10 will get cropped - you’re now in the same boat as all of those 4:3 people trying to make 4×6 prints.
True, this problem is not the same as the previous one. You’re far more likely to make 4×6 prints than 5×7 or 8×10. If the 4×6 prints remain intact and only the larger sizes get cropped then 90% of the prints you make will turn out fine.
Your Options
If you are buying a new digital camera, find out beforehand what the aspect ratio of the sensor is.
- If you want to make a lot of 4×6 prints, get a camera with a 3:2 sensor
- If you enjoy making larger size prints, it won’t matter what the sensor’s aspect ratio is - both 3:2 and 4:3 will get cropped in some way
- If you never want to print your photos, then the 4:3 ratio is actually more convenient since 4:3 is the same aspect ratio as your monitor - this makes it easy to use your photos for desktop backgrounds
If you already own a digital camera, there’s not too much you can do about print cropping - it will happen one way or another.
The only way to control it is to do the cropping yourself. In every photo that you take, leave additional space around the borders of the image.
Use your favorite image editing program and set your cropping tool to the aspect ratio of the print that you want to make (3:2 for 4×6, 7:5 for 5×7 and 5:4 for 8×10). When you crop the photo for the appropriate print size, you are in control of the parts of the image that get lost.
This way you won’t get any nasty surprises when you get the prints back from your most recent tropical vacation.
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Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR cameras at the Digital SLR Guide. His 5-week ecourse in digital SLR technique helps beginners get the most out of their digital SLR cameras.
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September 7, 2007
Outdoor photographers shoot year round. That includes the hot summer. You may be surprised to learn that the best way to tolerate the heat is not to strip down to your skivvies. Instead, using the right products and wearing clothing designed to face the challenges of summer will help you keep your cool.
Safety First
One of the first concerns to being outside is exposure to the sun. Not only will it age your skin more quickly, sun can cause skin cancer. Everyone’s skin can be damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight. Fairer skin, higher altitudes, central latitudes, mid-day exposures and summer months can shorten the time it takes to sustain sun damage.
Sun exposure is intensified when reflected by water, sand or snow. But heat and brightness do not indicate UV intensity. Damage can occur on overcast days, too. A new statistic, the UV Index, is now cited on weather reports to help people gauge their exposure to sunlight. The higher the number, the more quickly damage can occur.
You can do many things to protect yourself from damaging exposure to the sun. First, minimize unnecessary time in the sun. Sit in the shade and go inside during the middle of the day when the sun is too intense for the best shots, anyway. When you are in the sun, add layers of protection with sunscreen and clothing.
Sunscreen Protection
One of the main items in your summer wardrobe should be sunscreen. While you won’t find it at the chic clothing store, it should be considered your outer layer when trying to avoid too much sun.
Sunscreen lotions or sprays are made of chemicals that absorb ultraviolet rays before they penetrate our skin. Sunscreens have an “SPF” factor (sun protection factor) that compares your skin’s vulnerability to burning with and without the sunscreen. “Broad spectrum” sunscreens absorb both UVB and most UVA rays.
Some researchers believe that no extra benefits come from a sunscreen with a higher SPF than 15, and that buying a higher SPF product is a waste of money. Keep an eye on new research; in the meantime, use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.
To use sunscreen effectively, apply a generous amount to dry skin, 20-30 minutes before exposure, especially to your neck, face, ears, bald spots and the back of your legs. Reapply often, especially if you’re sweating. Sprays with SPF are just as effective. Their use is a personal choice. Also use lip balm with an SPF.
Some research has shown that sunscreens do more than protect you from harmful UV rays. Because they act as a barrier to the sun, they also may make you feel cooler. Whether it is for comfort or safety, sunscreen products are a must when enjoying the outdoors.
Other Protection
The clothes you wear when shooting in summer must perform two important jobs. First, they should protect you from the sun and heat. Second, they should keep you comfortable. They accomplish these vital tasks through material and design.
A cotton t-shirt has a low SPF and UV rays can penetrate it easily. Instead, wear clothing that is tightly woven or use clothing that has its own SPF built in. Wear a hat with a brim that will protect your ears, neck and face, as well.
While you may think that sleeveless or short-sleeved shirts and shorts are the desired clothing for summer activities, wearing the new lightweight SPF materials in long-sleeved shirts and pants may keep you even cooler. They serve as a barrier from sunlight and also protect you from pesky and potentially harmful bugs. The Ex-Officio clothing company also offers garments with an insect resistant treatment.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke also are concerns when exposed to the summer elements. Keeping cool with the proper clothing, drinking lots of water and moderating your activities are the best ways to prevent these life-threatening emergencies.
Comfort Ensures Safety
Sweating is the body’s way to keep our body temperature at appropriate levels. Your sweat is excreted to the skin where it can evaporate and will make you cooler. When clothing made of certain materials gets wet from perspiration and humidity, it sticks to your skin and hinders that evaporation process.
While cotton is comfortable when dry, it absorbs sweat and humidity easily. It then takes a long time to dry, gets heavy and holds that moisture next to your skin making you uncomfortable. Certain polyesters and nylons perform the same way.
Enter the wicking materials. Newer (and some natural materials) are constructed for maximum breathability to pull the moisture away from your skin. Wicking materials then dry and leave you cooler and more comfortable. These wicking materials include silk, Coolmax®, polypropylene, MTS 2® (Moisture Transport System), and capilene. In the past, these materials suffered from problems such as odor retention, scratchy feel, and unattractive looks. They have been improved so much that it is sometimes hard to believe that they aren’t cotton.
To maximize your summer comfort, your first layer – any material touching your skin – should be made of these wicking-type materials. This includes your underwear, t-shirts and socks.
New clothing designs also help keep you cool. They include vents in the sides or back of shirts, button tabs to roll up sleeves, light-colored materials to reflect the sunlight, pants that you can convert to shorts and loose-fitting clothing to keep the material from sticking to your skin. Clothing has come a long way towards making your summer outdoor activities more tolerable.
Final Tips
Go to your local outdoor store to get personal shopping advice, or find these products and additional helpful information online at websites such as REI or Altrec.
Read the directions and care labels in the products you buy to maximize their effectiveness. For example, some clothing looses its wicking ability if you apply fabric softeners to them. Others may need to be line dried to avoid shrinkage. Still others can’t be ironed.
Even when the heat of the summer is on maximum, you don’t have to stop shooting. Use these tips and products to make your outdoor photography more safe and comfortable.
Copyright 2005 Carolyn E. Wright All Rights Reserved
— ABOUT THE AUTHOR —
Carolyn Wright is a professional photographer with an active wildlife photography business. Shooting for 25 years, her award-winning images have been used in books and corporate marketing materials. Her photos will be included in the upcoming book, “Captivating Wildlife - Images from the Top Ten Emerging Wildlife Photographers” by Scott Bourne and David Middleton. She also is working with Scott Bourne on “Wolfscapes,” a photo book documenting the beauty and strength of wolves. Her wildlife images can be viewed at http://www.vividwildlife.com
On the faculty of Olympic Mountain School of Photography, Carolyn’s passion is enhanced when teaching photography. She enjoys writing and speaking on the subject, as well, and is a regular columnist for PhotoFocus, an online magazine for serious photographers.
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August 23, 2007
Panoramas are photos that are much wider or taller than a normal photograph. Nature and landscapes, cityscapes and architecture, group portraits and events are all ideal panoramic photo opportunities. To do this, you need to have a selection of shots suitable for making a panorama. Read these quick tips for creating breathtaking panoramic photos.
1) Graphics editing software that lets you stitch photos together to create a panoramic photo will save you time and can create great results. You can use Adobe Photoshop Elements Photomerge tool to create a panorama.
2) Mark the point where the sequence of photos begins and ends. This is helpful to do especially if your camera does not have a mode for taking digital photos for panoramic images.
3) Use the wide-angle setting of your lens. Remember to use the same focal setting for each shot, as changing the setting by zooming in can ruin the effect, and try and shoot from the same position.
4) Use the same exposure for each shot. If you use the manual mode on your digital camera you can set the aperture and shutter speed ensuring it will maintain consistency between shots. Some cameras also have a panorama mode, which will lock these settings for you.
5) Focus your digital camera on the edge of the scene that you want to include in your panorama. This is the photo that will be the first photo that is used in your panorama.
6) Taking shots for panoramas becomes much easier if you use a tripod with a spirit level. The tripod keeps the shots straight and allows you to make more precise alignments rather than handholding the camera. Use a spirit level to help keep the camera angle consistent as you rotate it on the tripod.
7) Take between four and eight shots of your subject. Make sure each picture overlaps the next by 20% or more. This will allow the software to produce a soft transition between shots and it makes it easier for you to align the images. This technique will work well with cityscapes or landscapes.
Landscape format shots suffer more from wide-angle distortion and the software can chop off some of the top and bottom of the image. I have found it works best to take portrait format shots as this ensures there will be less distortion.
9) For professional results there is a special panorama head available for tripods. This allows you to take panoramas with greater accuracy.
10) Panoramas are impressive images, even when viewed on your computer screen. But panoramic prints are even more impressive. Consider using a professional online printing service to create stunning panoramic prints.
Peter Horner has years of experience in digital editing and printing technologies, as well as a passion for landscape photography. With this experience he co-created DesignerPrint, a large format printing company creating canvas prints, block mounts and poster prints. Learn more about Canvas Printing from DesignerPrint.
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