Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Art of Digital Photography

Computers and cellular phones, mobility and microchips – these are the trademarks of the world today. We live in a world continually changed by technology. Even the arts have continually changed due to technology. Think of it: from charcoal drawings to painting to photography to digital photography, we have come a long way in the visual arts. We have used various methods in capturing life and freezing time. New technology is continually being developed to make art easier and more fun. However, you should know that the art of digital photography is not as simple as aim and shoot.

The art of digital photography needs skill in order to pull off properly. Although some people may reason out that digital photography art can always be edited, many people do not really know how much work editing can be. Oh sure, we can say that technology has reached a level wherein a person needs to do practically nothing in order to achieve a great photograph, but of course, you need to know how to use the tools properly in order to do that.

The art of digital photography, in order to be truly mastered, needs three T's: Time, talent and tactical placement of equipment. No, that's not right. You need time, talent and treasure. Just what does this mean?

1) Time – one cannot be an instant expert in digital photography. You need to take the time to learn all about it. Even though you are some sort of protégé who has the talents of a genius, you actually need training to hone that talent. Remember that for all its power, a steamroller cannot be used to do the work of a hammer. There is wisdom in harnessing power properly.

Taking the time to train your self in the art of digital photography is something akin to sharpening a knife using a grindstone or forging a fine katana (that's the Japanese samurai sword) by heating it and folding it over a thousand times –it may be painful, but it is necessary to produce the best.

2) Talent – of course, you need a bit of inherent talent in order to be truly great at the art of digital photography. You need to have an eye for the subjects that would make a great photograph. Otherwise, you will only end up being mediocre in a field that requires greatness.

Of course, the proper training can actually enhance your inherent talent and help you sharpen your skills in the art of digital photography.

3) Treasure – as said before, you will need the proper tools in order to be successful in the art of digital photography. This means that you will need to invest a lot of cash. Although there are a lot of digital art photography equipment that can be bought at inexpensive prices, the best equipment needs some serious pocket digging. This, of course, tests your courage because there's nothing scarier to a man than having to pull out his wallet in the name of an untested interest.

Once you have invested money in the art of digital photography, there's no turning back.

The art of digital photography may seem like it requires a lot. However, in order to be truly successful in something you need love and love always requires sacrifice. You should keep that in mind.

Top Reasons To Opt To Digital Photography

oday, more people are getting hooked over Digital photography. Since the birth of digital photography, it has been easier and more convenient for people to capture the best photos they desire. Digital Photography indeed has become the wave of today and in the near future. But what if you're still using the old mode of taking photos- the film photography? Well, think again.

For those few people who are still using film photography, here are some good reasons why you should opt for digital photography:

1.Generally, one of the most excellent features of choosing digital photography is that its convenience. Aside from the fact that digital cameras are easy to use since they are user friendly, these cameras are also portable and you can just safely place it in your pocket anywhere you go.

2.With digital camera, you can save your time and effort. Digital cameras provide instant feedback once you take photos. It has a review button to let you view all the photos so you'll be able to choose the best one. At the same time, it has also a delete button for those photos you don't like to keep. In short, you can keep on trying until you get the right photo. Now isn't that great?

3.The next good thing about digital photography is its capacity to have your photos printed immediately. Actually, you can it is much easier if you have a digital printer. You can just simply connect your digital camera to the printer and press the button to print. On the contrary, film cameras takes time before you get your photos developed. You also have to go back to the photo shop to get your pictures.

4.Another great thing you can get from digital photography is the capacity to modify or edit your photos anytime. Since the images are in digital files, it is much easier now to edit them. You can simply open the images in any photo editing software supported by the file. With the photo editing software, you can alter or adjust the color of your photos. You can also crop the photo and design your own photo. All of these in one photo editing package. It's more than what you can get from film cameras.

5.If you want to put up a small business, then digital photography would be of great help. Let your creativity works. Digital photos cannot just be simple photos. Now, you can turn them into T-shirts, mugs, invitations, greeting cards, calendars and a lot more. This is for the fact that digital photos can be printed anywhere and in anyway. Just make use of the right photo paper, and surely, you can make lots of money from it.

6.Lastly, digital photography has the ability to share the photos you have you're your love ones and relatives. You can simply give a copy of the precious moments to someone everywhere. Just attach the softcopy of the photo to your email and send. That easy. But with film camera, you will spend money just on scanning the photos, to be able to send them online. Of course that's an extra work for a digital photographer.

Apparently, digital photography has really paved way for making photography convenient and easier at the same time achieving high quality photos. It just shows that there's no other time to opt to digital photography than now.

Digital Photography Made Easy

Today, digital photography is considered the most popular not only in the business industry but also for personal use. For all those who have shifted from film cameras, it is vital that you know the different terms related to it.

The first part of the digital photography tutorial will focus on the basic parts and terms you need to know before handling a digital camera. Below are the common terms used in digital photography:

1.Pixel- means the tiniest part of the digital photo. A photo image is composed of combined millions of pixel.
2.Resolution- the over all quantity of pixels in a photo. Increasing the resolution would make the image become sharper. Thus more pixels are needed to achieve a better photo image quality.
3.Mega pixel- a photo composed of three to four mega pixels will have a better quality that a photo with only one mega pixel.
4.Dots Per Inch (DPI) - this term is used to describe quality of the computer monitor and printer. Specifically, laser printers have more dpi resolution than monitors. Hence, higher the dpi resolution means better quality.
5.JPEG (joint photographic experts group) - it correspond to the format for saving images in the digital camera.
6. Memory Card- this is where the digital files are stored. Memory cards consist of different sizes and capacity. A memory card with higher storage capacity would be more convenient to purchase.
7.LCD (liquid crystal display) - almost all digital cameras have this specification. The purpose of LCD is for the photographer to be able to view the scene first before capturing the photo.

Now that you already understand the first part of the digital photography tutorial, the second part will discuss basically on correct handling of digital camera.

Proper handling of digital camera is the next important step in digital photography. This is because the success of a digital photographer depends on his output. And the key to achieve quality photos starts in the way you use and handle the digital camera.

Learning how a digital camera works, understanding the strategies in taking photos, and how to take indoor and outdoor pictures are all part of the things a beginner should learn.

Below is the second part of the digital photography tutorial. These are good ideas to help beginner master the secrets of taking photos.

1.Pay attention to the subject

One of the most fundamental digital photography tips. You should be able to compose carefully by working on the frame. Play with your camera, and explore the different shots. Avoid positioning your object at the center of the photo, as it may result to dead center image.

2.Capture Close Up Photos

Take great images by capturing them in extreme close up. Close up photos add a little creativity and excitement to the photos. In addition, this feature is only of the different ways to enhance you photo.

3.Use a tripod

Oftentimes digital cameras results to blurry photographs if your hands quiver a little. Getting a tripod will surely save your effort from taking low quality photos, and preserve otherwise great photos.

4.Be active

Try creative shots. Take photos from the top of a hill, or off the side of a yacht. Go outside and explore your environment. You'll surely have fun taking those once in a lifetime photo shots.

5.Join a photography class

Your learning doesn't only focus on the practical part. You must not only learn through your experience. Learning from an expert would also help to improve your skills as a photographer. Try to join a photography class in your community, or if there are online classes you can log on.

Becoming a professional digital photographer really takes time. You just have to be resourceful and keep on trying new techniques. Start by learning the digital photography tutorial because this will serve as a stepping stone for your future career growth.

How To Achieve Picture Perfect Shots Via Digital Photography

Gone are the times when photographers had to take several shots of an image and develop them to find out if a fine or even perfect image was taken. Several photographers of this art form refer to this technique as “trial and error”.

Nowadays, there are a numbers of photographers who have decided to shift from regular point and shoot and old SLR models to digital ones. Through DSLRs, they can get more time to concentrate in taking those great pictures since images that are not par with their standards can simply be deleted away.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. The name implies the use of lenses and a mirror. Mirror reflects light entering the lens up into the viewfinder. Thus, a photographer can estimate how the image will likely appear when it is developed. Moreover, a SLR camera uses separate lenses that can be interchanged depending on the resolution needed. Hence, this camera can be used to capture image with varying depths.

Likewise, a digital SLR or DSLR camera uses lenses and mirror. But instead of a film that records the image, a DSLR camera uses light sensor chips and digital memory. In other words, a DSLR camera is the computerized version of the traditional SLR camera.

However, the functions of these models are rather different so it is suggested that users spend time getting familiar or acquainted with these gadgets. Owners should use that “trial and error” technique by taking a few shots and storing better pictures. Sooner or later, users can surely hack these models.

Individuals who decide on using these types of cameras should really invest on memory cards and lenses. Thus, if they happen to become professionals someday, additional equipment will surely keep them busy for choosing photography as a career.

Here are some helpful tips that will definitely aid owners of DSLR cameras in capturing a perfect image using the new art of digital photography.

1. Normally, people take full body shots against a background. However, it is more appropriate to take a shot from shoulders up or an upper body one because image of those in the picture really appear small.

2. If doing the above technique happens to be difficult for the user, he or she can take a shot of the person with him or her at one side rather than at the center. Then the owner can just zoom in so the person appears to be at the center.

3. The law of optics remains the same whether using an old or a digital camera. For instance, if the sun is behind an image, the picture will be silhouette. If light is in front of the image, the picture will appear squint unless there are sunglasses on.

4. Use your sunglass to act as a polarizer to take away unnecessary reflections from glaring objects.

5. You can also use a sunglass to increase the exposure of objects.

6. When using a polarizer, be sure that the source of light is perpendicular to the object.

7. Change your white balance setting from auto to cloudy when shooting bright landscapes and outdoor portraits.

8. Do not use the flash mode when the setting is already sunny.

9. Zoom in to emphasize a certain asset or characteristic of the subject being captured.

10. Practice. Practice. Practice.

It suffices to say that the techniques in getting the perfect shot have not changed. However, using digital cameras and employing this new art of digital photography have simply improved photo shooting by making capturing pictures easy for everyone.

In other words, practice is what really makes perfect shots!

Art or Science The True Nature Of Digital Photography

What is the true nature of digital photography? Many people have been asking this question for a long time. In fact, when people ask the question about the true nature of digital photography, they often mean to ask whether it is art or it is science.

Here are some arguments for both sides:

A) Art – many people consider digital photography as an art because it allows for an expression of emotion. They believe that digital photography is a continuation of the art of drawing or painting. You see, digital photography is just like painting in the sense that although it does take accurate pictures of reality, it also allows for some modification through the various digital tools available today.

Even without the editing many people still believe that digital photography is art because of the fact that it does take an artist's eye to find a great subject of digital photography. The nature of digital photography as an art has something to do with the fact that an artist is able to express emotions and statements through visual subjects.

The supporters of the "artistic nature of digital photography" also argue their case by stating its ability to convey emotional messages through aesthetics. The beauty of each photograph, of course, needs also to be credited to the person taking the pictures. One of the strongest arguments for the artistic nature of digital photography is the fact that the picture is rarely really what is seen with the naked eye. Through the camera and computer, a person can alter the image in order to present what he or she wants to show.

B) Science – some people argue that science is the true nature of digital photography. One argument is that photography, unlike painting, actually comes from something existing and not from a painters mind or emotion. This can be very persuasive since, indeed, a photographer does not actually make photographs. He or she merely takes them.

Another argument regarding the scientific nature of digital photography is the fact that the editing that people do and adjustments that photographers make are based on a series of steps that can be narrowed down scientifically. People who argue for the scientific nature of digital photography may reason that the same series of steps can be taken in order to achieve the same results. There is a certain quality of constancy about digital photography that renders it a science.

But what is the true nature of digital photography? We have read the various arguments supporting science and art. There appears to be no solution to this question, right?

The true nature of digital photography will always remain to be a paradox. This means that though it can be considered as an art, it can also be considered as a science. When is the paradox of the nature of digital photography solved? Well, it is solved when a person takes a digital photograph.

The true nature of digital photography lies in the hands of the person who takes the pictures. The way a person treats the process defines the nature of digital photography for him or her. It is not absolutely art nor is it absolutely science. The true nature of digital photography is a paradox. It might seem to be contradictory, but it is somehow true.

Mastering Digital SLR Cameras Is Mastering Photography Itself

There are a lot of amateur as well as professional camera users who are shifting to digital models for much ease, convenience, and efficiency when taking initial pictures, taking more pictures after deleting some, and finally sharing photos to friends or storing them into the computer’s memory.

Camera users are normally classified as hobbyists, novice, and professionals. To whichever category you belong, it is suggested that you ponder and accommodate the following basic information about digital cameras:

1.) Categories of a camera

Cameras can be grouped into:

a. ultra compact – no flash mode
b. prosumer or compact – for hobbyists
c. digital SLR cameras – have lenses, tripod, and external flashes; for professionals

If you want to master the art of photography, it is suggested that you master using the third category. Models that fall under this category are priced for their resolution, among other things.

2.) Mega pixels

Mega pixels can be classified into:

a. 3 mega pixels – for basic snapshots
b. between 3 and 5 mega pixels – images have good print quality
c. between 5 and 7 mega pixels – images can be easily manipulated; larger print sizes can be made

3.) Zoom

A camera’s zoom is normally categorized into two:

a. optical zoom factor – what is distant appears closer by magnifying the light entering through the main lens
b. digital zoom factor – magnifies the resulting image

Quality photographs depend mostly on the optical zoom factor.

4.) Storage media

These are the some common storage formats:

a. Compact Flash (for compact and DSLRs)
b. Sony Memory Stick (compatible with other Sony appliances)
c. Smart Media

Storage sizes normally range from 64 K, which can store 3 dozen mega pixel images; 1G can store about 500 images with the same mega pixels

5.) Carrying case

You should keep the camera and its accessories in place.

6.) Tripod

Tripod can be used when setting the timer mode on and keeping the focus stable.

7.) Lenses and Filters

There are digital cameras that allow additional lenses to be attached to the main lens, or the lenses can be completely interchangeable.

Lenses can be categorized as follows:

a. macro lens – allows you to get closer to objects like insects and flowers
b. wide-angle lens – used for capturing landmarks, and large and wide sceneries
c. telephoto lens – allows longer zooms that let you get close to objects that are rather unsafe

Filters, on the other hand are used to:

a. soften the effect of the image
b. provide blurring on the edges for portraits that have sensitive moods
c. add light flares for the image to be more dramatic
d. to reduce glare so that pictures appear more saturated, crisp, and vivid.

Here are some basic strategies on how to capture an image:

1. Holding the camera

You should hold the camera steadily and keep your spare fingers from interfering with the lens. This skill usually takes a few practices.

2.) Focusing

To keep the camera from shuddering, it is better to half-press the camera until you are able to lock your view on the focus before completely pressing the button of the shutter.

You may also use a tripod for better focusing.

3.) Previewing

Take and retake pictures if necessary after previewing them in your LCD screen.

4.) Archiving

Keep an album of your best photographs so that you can refer to them as you keep on working your way to being great photographers.
Once you have mastered using your simple compact and especially digitals SLR cameras, you can surely capture photos using other cameras with great ease and perfection. That is a guarantee!

Macro Digital Photography Some Concerns

We have always found that looking at objects from another perspective is fascinating. This is because of the fact that we often discover new things just by looking at a familiar object from a different angle or focus. This might be the reason for people's fascination with digital macro photography.

Digital macro photography is an art. There's no question about that. It takes the genius of an artist to take something so ordinary and something so dismissible and turn it into something that just captures an aspect of life. For that is what art is. No art ever claimed to contain all the truths of life. Art is a reflection of the world through the eyes of the artist. By looking at a piece of art such as digital macro photography, we get to share the perspective of other people and that can be a very powerful connection.

Another thing about digital macro photography you should know is that it is not easy. You need to consider a lot of factors in order to produce great photographs. What are these factors?

1) Skills – do you actually have the skills necessary for digital macro photography? Do you have the eye for beauty that would be appreciated by people who view your photographs? That's not all you need. You also need to have a steady hand. While taking digital macro photographs, even barely noticeable movements of the hand can ruin your picture.

You need to have the skills to use a camera properly. You need to be able to adjust the camera in order to take the picture that you truly want to appear. Sure, you can actually edit a digital macro photograph using the computer, but why should you give yourself more work than necessary?

Some people have the necessary skills naturally. However, it is still important to hone these skills by taking classes or attending workshops. Remember that digital macro photography is all about showing things in different ways. Because of this, you need to accept the fact that other people may see your work differently from the way you see it. A fresh eye never hurts.

2) Equipment – you also need the proper tools in order to express your talent. The proper tools can help you a lot if you want to achieve the effect that you want. Remember that although there are tools today that claim to be usable for any type of photography, you should try to find equipment that's specially made for digital macro photography. This is because such equipment can definitely bring out the best in your skills.

The right equipment is essential because digital macro photography needs a lot of work in order to be perfect. If you have the right tools for digital macro photography, you will be able to achieve your goals and show your pictures the way that you want them to be seen.
3) Subject – everything is interesting when viewed in different ways. However, some subjects are more interesting than others. Some objects, when you choose them as subjects of digital macro photography, manage to amaze you with the amount of things you do not know about them. Great subjects of digital macro photography reveal worlds beyond what you can see with the naked eye. So choose your subjects wisely.