Shooting fireworks is easy and you can nice pictures, but you have to know some simple basics rules. As fireworks don’t happen to often, here some 4 easy and quick steps so you don’t miss any chance:

1. Location: keep the distance! Don’t get to close, get some distance between you and the place where the fireworks show is. Try to get a nice panoramic view. If you stay right under the fireworks it will be hard to get a good picture as the firewoks came from 2,3 places or more, some of them go high, others a little lower.
2. Use a tripod.
3. Exposure time: I say from 3,4 seconds to 10 seconds or even more. If your camera doesn’t allow you to change the exposure time or shutter speed, use onde of the modes available : fireworks or nightshot.
4. Set a lower ISO like 50 or 100 or else you cand get a disturbing noise.

There could be more things to say but keep in mind this 4 steps and you will not return dissapointed from your fireworks shooting.

You have bellow two pictures to help you understand better those 4 steps:

1. Good location, tripod-yes, exposure time:6 seconds:

2. Bad location, no tripod, exposure time 2 seconds, let’s say time is ok( in fact it was camera’s fireworks mode):

Digital Camera Scene Modes - The 5 Modes You’ll Use the Most
By Karl Peschel

Technology is a beautiful thing. Every year hundreds of new or enhanced products are produced. Digital camera manufacturers come out with new models a couple times a year, each company trying to outdo the other. They’ve gone crazy with the variety of scene modes that are being added to new cameras.

Digital camera scene modes are a simple way for you to “tell” the camera what type of picture you are taking. The camera will then optimize the settings for that particular shot. Some modes change how colors are recorded, others change whether or not the flash fires. The trend now is to add special effects and things that you’ll probably never use.

How often will you use a Starburst effect? Do you take a lot of photos that require a Pastel Color effect? Even the semi-popular Sepia mode is not needed, as far as I’m concerned. One click in your editing software and you’ve got Sepia.

If you’re like most people, you’ll only use a few of the scene modes on your camera. Here’s details on the 5 modes you’re most likely to use.

Portrait Mode

Portrait mode is for taking people pictures. Whether it’s a single person or a group of people, you should use the Portrait mode. Your digital camera will select an appropriate shutter speed and aperture combination to capture your subject and blur the background. The idea here is to make the background less distracting.

Newer digital cameras incorporate autofocus technology that actually scans the picture looking for faces. It’s usually called Face Priority or Face Detection. It especially helps when your subject is not dead center in the picture or when you have a group of people. Nikon, Fuji, Sony and others manufacturers are putting this technology in many cameras.

Check your owners manual to see if your digital camera uses this technology and whether it’s automatic or you have to enable it manually.

Landscape Mode

Landscape mode should be your choice for all of those breathtaking views you want to shoot. Scenic vistas of the beach, the mountains, a field of flowers or a city skyline are all prime uses for Landscape mode. Your digital camera selects an exposure combination to maximize what’s in focus from front to back.

Although it’s not absolutely necessary, using a tripod or some other sort of support will help. Walk around a bit to find the best vantage point. Sometimes a small shift to the left or right (or up or down) will make the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.

Sports Mode

Whether it’s kids soccer or baseball, or an NFL game, Sports mode is designed to help you stop the action. Your digital camera will set the shutter speed as high as possible for the lighting conditions in order to stop action. Sports mode also puts your camera in Continuous shooting mode (hold the button down and shoot 3-4 pictures in a row) and forces the flash off. If you can, setting the ISO to 400 or 800 will also help. A few cameras do this for you.

You’ll want to get as close as you can for great Sports and action pictures. First get physically close, right on the sidelines if possible. Move up and down the field with the action. (Not so easy at hockey games.) Then use your zoom lens to get the shot you want. Take some wide shots to show all the action, along with tight shots of one or two players. This will help tell the story much better.

Be sure to pay attention to what’s going on in the game. You may have to jump out of the way of the players!

Beach/Snow Mode

Having been a longtime resident of Florida, and as a current resident of Colorado, I can attest to the real benefit of the Beach/Snow scene mode. Both film and digital camera light meters are calibrated to a medium tone. Overly bright or dark scenes are not recorded properly. Beach/Snow scene mode is for all those bright scenes.

Big open areas of water on a sunny day. Long stretches of white sandy beaches. Snow covered mountains on your next ski vacation. These are all perfect times to use Beach/Snow mode. You are telling the camera that your subject matter is quite bright and it will compensate accordingly. Instead of muddy grey snow it will be recorded bright and white as it should be.

Sunrise/Sunset Mode

While most Scene modes change the aperture or shutter speed used, Sunrise/Sunset mode changes how the colors of the scene are recorded. The goal is to record the beautiful quality of light at these times of day.

Sunrise and sunset are times when the world is bathed in beautiful warm light. You’ll hear photographers refer to this as Golden Light or the Golden Hours. By using these settings instead of Auto mode you’ll capture that beautiful light and the dramatic colors. Try it for yourself next time you photograph a sunset and you’ll see the difference.

The next time you read your manual (You do know where it is, right?) check out all the scene modes your digital camera has. Perhaps there are a few that you would find useful for your style of shooting. Try them out, along with the 5 listed here, to improve the pictures you take.

Copyright © 2007 Karl Peschel

Karl Peschel runs TeachMeToShoot.com, a website for people who want to learn about digital photography techniques. Karl loves to teach people about photography and strives to explain things in plain English instead of techno babble. Check out the website at http://TeachMeToShoot.com and see for yourself. Sign up for the ShootLikeAPro Newsletter and get the free mini-report Top 10 Tips for Better Digital Pictures!

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Fashion Photography. by TJ Tierney

Do you want to be a fashion photographer? Fashion photography is an extremely tough market to break into, but if you are willing to work hard, have a good imagination and hold the ability to take perfect images you are off to a good start.

A fashion photographer must be good in two photography disciplines. First, you need to be a great portrait photographer - second, you need to be able to create images for the advertisement market. You must be able to combine the two if you are going to succeed.

To be a successful fashion photographer you must also have a love of fine design clothes - without it you will never achieve the heights that bring success. A fashion photographer must stay up to date with all the latest fashion and have the ability to use his/her imagination to sell new designs.

Selling is the key - the fashion photographer must be able to sell his images to the fashion editor. Fashion photography is advertising and selling clothes.

To establish a reputation in fashion photography, the first thing you must do is set up a portfolio. Your portfolio should display your best work and be your first selling point. The second, and equally as important as the first, is to set up an online portfolio - your own personal Website.

To set up a portfolio you first must hire a model. Contacting your local modelling agencies can do this. You don’t need to hire a well-known model for your fashion portfolio - you need someone who will act well in front of the camera.

To be very successful you need to Read the rest of this entry »

Landscape photographers by Alfred Gomez

Wide-angle lens: is the choice of most landscape photographers. They allow you to include as much of the scene as possible when you look in your viewfinder with a wide focal length of 17 mm to 40mm.

There are many different types of photography. You can take pictures of anything and there is someone out there somewhere who would like to see the pictures that you take. So,

photography is a great field to get into.

But you can find beautiful landscapes right where you live. That’s the great thing about nature, it’s everywhere, and landscapes are everywhere.

Photography is the art of reproducing pictures of people, objects or places in their exact likeness. These images can be transferred on any photosensitive material. Photography includes taking and printing pictures.

There are different ways of finding photography jobs, depending on the type of job you are looking for and your experience. You can begin by creating a resume and portfolio of your work.

Load a film fast and good So just how do you do it? Loading film on a manual camera is basically easy. All you need is plenty of concentration and focus and you are on your way to shooting the pictures you want and need. The following are basic steps and tips on loading film on a manual camera.

First things first, it is best that the film you are loading is the type that is perfectly suited for your camera. Determine the brand that works best for you as well as on your equipment. Try to search through and research the types of film you have seen developed. Do you like how they came out using that specific brand? If not, try to look at other types until you find the pictures that are colorful and that fits your taste. Read the rest of this entry »

Dominant Space – Directing a Viewers Attention
By Tedric Garrison

We’ve all heard about foreground and background. Generally the foreground is where you find the main subject. The background is, well . . . in the back. It’s just back behind everything else, right? Wrong! The background is just as important and in some cases even more important than the subject itself. How is that even possible you ask?

Take for example a picture of a car. If it was shot in a studio, the background could be entirely blank. That would make the car very important in the shot. If you shot that same car in the middle of a parking lot while it was full of other cars, your car becomes almost insignificant. (Unless there was something unique about it, like it was red and all the other cars were blue.) Now take it one step further, imagine your car on the racetrack with two or three other cars, but it was clearly in the lead. The car is again important, but not all by it’s self. Now it becomes a key element in a much bigger shot . . . the race.

I define dominant space as the environment that most compliments your subject.

Taking a picture of a young lady in a string bikini sitting on your couch just Read the rest of this entry »

Understanding Image Resolution by TJ Tierney

Whether you are printing, scanning or sending an image by e-mail, you need to understand and know how to keep your images sharp and preserve as much detail as possible in your final print.

This topic does cause some confusion, so I hope the following will help.

Image resolution explained: Photography resolution is a measurement of image quality, so you may define resolution by how much detail is in your print. If your print has sharp detail you may consider your image to be of good resolution. If detail is blur in your image you may consider your image to have poor resolution. Good resolution is a direct result of having a large number of pixels in an image.

Pixels explained: Digital images are made up of millions of small dots - each dot is called a pixel. Each dot contains a small piece of image information, and when added together with the other pixels you’ll get your final image.

Print resolution is measured in pixel per inch (ppi) or in dots per inch (dpi) - both hold the same value. 300ppi means that there are 300 pixels per inch or 90,000 pixels per a square inch.

What size can I print my images?

A digital image that’s 1500ppi wide will print a 15-inch wide print if the print resolution is 100ppi.
If you change the same image to a print resolution to 300ppi your final print size will become a
5-inch wide print.

If your image file is 3000ppi wide x 2400ppi high with a print resolution 300ppi, your final print size will be 10 x 8 inch. The same file with a print resolution of 150ppi will give you a final print of 20 x 16 inch.

Divide the print resolution into the pixel width or height of your image.

Higher resolution should not be taken to mean that your images would be of higher quality - your images would only be of high quality if you print to the correct format.
Example - if you print a 3000ppi x 2400ppi size file to a print size of 20 x 16 inch at 300ppi, the pixels may be visible resulting in a blur image. You need to print it at 600ppi to attain good quality.

What size resolution should I use?

At 600ppi (which is an extremely large resolution) your image will be supreme sharp. You will be restricted with print size.

Printing your images at 300ppi is the standard quality. Image sharpness doesn’t get much better. The only setback is that the maximum print size will be restricted - you might need to drop the resolution to get a larger image.

If you need a large print from a small file print your file at 150ppi - your print will lack detail and the pixels may be visible. You should not print an image any smaller than 150ppi.

72ppi is standard with your computer screen. Don’t print your images at this size - the pixels will be visible.

Resolution tips: Scan your images as large as possible; it’s easy to resize them later. If you scan an image to small you may have to re-scan at a later date to get a larger print.

If you need a print that’s twice the size of the original - scan it at 600ppi and print it at 300ppi.

Try to print your image at 300ppi.

If you use a tripod when taking an image you may be able to push the print resolution lower than the recommended 300ppi - this will enable you to get a larger print.

Other Tips: Be very careful when cropping an image, if you crop it too much you will reduce the print size.

Be careful not to confuse print resolution with printer resolution; printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi), but these values are a great deal higher- common printer resolutions are 2400dpi and 5760dpi - this is a measure of the amount of ink dropped onto your paper per inch.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape and nature photographer. For more tips you can visit his photography site. To view his images visit his on-line gallery of flower pictures or see his collection of stock photography

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Digital Camera Basics-Images
By B Lee

In the past twenty years, most of the major technological breakthroughs in consumer electronics have been built around the same basic process: converting conventional analog information (represented by a fluctuating wave) into digital information (binary information represented by ones and zeros, or bits). This fundamental shift in technology has changed how we handle visual and audio information — it completely redefined what is possible.

The digital camera is one of the most notable examples of this shift because it is so truly different from its predecessor. Conventional film cameras depend entirely on chemical and mechanical processes — you don’t need any electricity whatsoever to operate them, other than for a flash. On the other hand, all digital cameras have a built-in computer, and all of them record images electronically.

The new approach has been enormously successful. Since film usually provides better picture quality, digital cameras have not completely replaced conventional cameras. But, as digital imaging technology has improved, and prices dramatically decreased, digital cameras have rapidly become more popular.

In this article, we’ll find out exactly what’s going on inside these amazing digital-age devices.

Understanding the Basics
Let’s say you want to take a picture and e-mail it to a friend. To do this, you need the image to be represented in the language that computers recognize — bits and bytes, or binary information. Essentially, a digital image is just a long string of 1s and 0s that represent all the tiny colored dots — or pixels — that collectively make up the image. If you want to get a picture into this form, you have two options:

1) You can take a photograph using a conventional film camera, take the film to a developing lab that processes the film chemically, prints it onto photographic paper, and then place the picture on a digital scanner to sample the print (record the pattern of light as a series of pixel values).
Read the rest of this entry »

Taking Your Photography to the Next Level by Grant Eckert

If you are a photographer and believe you are in a rut, maybe it’s time to consider moving up. There are two distinct but related ways of going about accomplishing this change. Before you even consider following a specific route, you must look at your work first. Only after examining what you have done so far can you take your photography to the next level.

Go over your photos. Select those you consider your best examples. Get help from a friend if necessary. Create a portfolio, mounting and displaying your work to the best advantage possible. Show a group of friends this project. Ask them what they see as the strong and weak points of your work. Note their comments. Using this information, further cull your pieces.

Once you have a solid portfolio, take it to a professional. This could be a photographer, someone who teaches courses, a professor or instructor of theory, or someone else in the field or industry. They can provide you with the information you need. They can tell you what they see is good and bad and indifferent. They can help you see your work as others see it. Furthermore, their comments will show in what areas you need improvement.

Once you complete this assessment, you can look at your options. Two separate but related paths to your goal are the basic alternatives available to you. You can consider either or both as serious possibilities. They are complimentary, can work closely together and it is possible both paths are open to you.

Technology

It is possible you only require improved or more advanced technology to help you reach the next level. This is a simple, but sometimes expensive solution. If this is what is required, look carefully at your choices. Do not proceed without careful examination of the specific technology you may need. Check out prices of various types, try them if possible and get opinions from other photographers.

Be a wise consumer. Read the literature available. Check out all the reviews. Prepare a list of comparisons among the options. Do not impulse buy. Only when you have actually prepared solid basis for your purchase, should you consider purchasing the necessary equipment. Remember, you might have to sign up for lessons in how to operate and implement the technology properly. If it is possible, take a course so you can try out the mechanics before you make a purchase.

Courses

Your work may be technically advanced but require finesse. You can select a solution from several possibilities. Sometimes, practice will iron out the roughness. At other times, it is best to sign up for instruction, apprentice yourself to another photographer or enroll yourself in a photography course.

If this is your path, choose wisely. Do the research. Look up the different options available. Is there a local night course? Does a community college offer a course or even a diploma in the areas you need to develop or hone? Can a neighborhood photographer take you on as an apprentice? Is there an answer online?

You need to address these questions. Do you homework. Compile a list of what is offered and who offers it. Gather a reference list. Consider cost, time and other expenses. Do these courses or curriculum offer you what you need to reach the next level in your photography? Does the school, college or individual have a credible reputation?

Then, consider who is teaching the material. Are the instructors theoretical or practical or both? Can they address individual as well as group needs? Are they credible with the right background and actual experience? Do they work with the latest technology? Are they also cognitive of the traditional methods?

Once you have the answers to these and other questions, you can proceed to sign up for the appropriate course or buy the solution to your photographic dilemma. Make the right decision and you can them move on to improve your photography.

About Author
Grant Eckert is a writer for Maccaca. Maccaca is a leading Art & Photography | Social Network. Visit at: www.maccaca.com

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Taking good digital photos of people faces by Ziv Haparnas

Taking a really good digital photo of someone face can be very impressive. Accomplishing such high quality with face photos is hard. There are many things to consider such as shooting angle, lighting conditions, flash usage and background handling. Here are some tips and ideas to help you achieve better face photos.

Following is a list of things to consider when taking such face digital photos. As always it is better to experiment and try out the concepts described here in order to get a better grasp of why they are important and how they can be used to your benefit.

The right background: A face photo is as the name says all about the person face. You would like the digital photo viewer to focus on the face. By choosing the wrong background you might draw the viewer attention to other objects rather than the person face. The right background on the other hand can focus the view attention on the person face and at the same time also emphasize some of the face characteristics. It is best to pick a neutral background that does not attract attention. A soft solid color background for example is much better than a busy street background. It is also good practice to avoid having people or other moving or interesting objects in the background.

Blurring the background: you can use another technique in order to make sure that the person face stands out in the photo. This technique involves blurring the background. By blurring the background you send a message to the viewer that the background is not important and you emphasize the face as the only in-focus object in the photo. Blurring the background can be achieved by taking a photo using a shallow depth of field. Shallow depth of field is accomplished by using a zoom lens and shooting from a short distance or by setting a wide aperture. If your camera does not allow you to blur the photo by setting a shallow depth of field (it is hard to achieve such a depth of field with low-end pocket cameras) you can always blur the background later on using photo processing software on your computer.

The eyes are the center: focusing on the person face is best achieved by actually focusing on the person eyes. The eye are the most important part of the person face in the photo and usually express the most emotions and human touch. Try to play around with the person looking straight to the camera or sideways focusing on some other object. A smile is also recommended unless you are specifically looking for a face that does not smile in order to send some message to the viewer.

Lighting: capturing the face skin color is mostly a matter of using the right lighting. The best lighting is natural lighting. Taking face photos outdoors during the day is good practice in order to capture the skin color and warmth. When using outdoors natural light position the person in a way that the sun light hits it from the side. Do not take face photo with the sun behind the person or right in front as these will result in shadings or overexposure respectively. With lighting coming from the side some shades might appear on the person face, to compensate for these simply use a soft fill-in flash. If you must shoot indoors and use artificial lighting try to use indirect light sources such as bounce flash or lights that illuminate the room instead of directly shining on the person.

This article can be published as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. Ziv Haparnas is an expert technology writer. You can find more information on digital photo printing and photography in general on printrates.com - a site dedicated to Canon rebel and digital photo printing

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Photography Lighting Techniques by Seth Willis Jr.

Lighting “maketh a photograph” - a very true and true to life statement, just as “clothes maketh a man”! Consequently if you are a photographer the importance of correct photography lighting techniques need not be overemphasized.

Light effects create prize winning photographs that the great connoisseurs of art crave for. The most relevant topic in photography is type of lighting and how to use it for the best possible result in your photographs. To make the subject easier we shall discuss four basic types of lighting and their conventional usage and constraints.

1. Back Lighting - One of the most popular forms of artistic photography is done through back lighting the objects. It can also be a constraint in case of normal photography when one wishes to capture lighting effects along with the subjects of the photographs like humans or other objects. Perfect photography lighting techniques are to be used in case you wish to capture the breathtaking effect of sunrise and sunset say on a beach with human subjects taking in that natural view! Of course, if one wants to take a silhouette and create a lasting effect it is necessary to compose the picture without any form of filters or flash photography. In contrast if one desires the entire composition to be evenly lit it is advisable to use fill flash equipment.

2. Side Lighting - One of the most common and popular artistic photography methods of illuminating the subject, object, and the background to give really stunning effects! Many systems are possible and these photography lighting techniques can offer a true art form when properly implemented. Half lit and half dark (kind of eclipse effect!) photographs give uncanny but thrilling effects to your hobby. Allowing light to fall from the side and casting a shadow on the opposite side can enhance features if a close up is contemplated. Special portraits are taken with side lighting to emphasize the right or left features of a human form and give depth to an object like flower vases, round objects etc. Photography lighting techniques using the side illumination effect are used for depicting texture and somehow also gives a three dimensional effect.

3. Artificial Lighting - Most indoor photography is carried out with artificial lighting and in this art form - the sky is the limit! Your passport or marriage proposal photograph is normally taken in artificial light. However, for artistic photography, artificial light needs to be well arranged to avoid undesirable effects such as red eye, yellow tinge, and a harsh environment.

4. Diffused Lights - Most important and most natural photography lighting techniques are with the use of diffused light systems. For many photo compositions it is necessary to avoid direct light from falling on the subjects or objects. In case of outdoor photography one must choose the right time of day to take a snap. Sunrise, sunset and mid day sunlight can be too harsh for a proper picture to be snapped. The use of suitable filters is advised to avoid hot spots and create a mush smoother lighting effect.

Though there are many other photography lighting techniques available in the market, the above four basic systems give a fair idea on the effect of illumination in the photographic profession.

Seth Willis Jr. is the webmaster for http://www.Starephotography.com he enjoys photography as well as painting and blues and Jazz
guitar.Stare photography is an Online school for budding and
seasoned photographers to enhance their skills or start a new career.

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