There are major obstacles to overcome to get into nude photography, not least of which is the need to practise technique. By its very nature there has to be at least one subject, and the big problem for the photographer here is image. To some the image of nude photographer is tied in with the “dirty Macintosh” brigade, with the false wig and dark glasses.
Not everyone believes the adage that an erotic photograph, does not have to be nude, and a nude photograph is not necessarily erotic. The biggest challenge is to find a suitable model, and certainly in small town rural backwater areas, it is not the brightest propaganda move to put an advertisement in the Post Office window. It is also suspect to approach someone in the street.
Impeccable credentials help here, an image of a bona fide photographer, with a studio, and a business card with a portfolio. A professionally created business card also helps; a ripped off part of an old envelope invites suspicion. It is not necessary to have a portfolio of nudes, but it is essential as an aid of creating the feeling of trust. It can be very helpful to not tell a prospective model what you do, but show them, and depending on their responses take it from there.
A lot of nude photographers start with a self portrait an this is better than nothing in some cases. There are several other methods that can be used to find people to model. Your first option is to hire professional (glamour) models. That can be expensive, and they're not often familiar with that type of work. The second option is to hire amateur models, or perhaps even nude still life models, the problem here is that the latter will have no inhibitions taking their clothes off, and may be able to sit still and hold a specific pose for long periods of time, however they may not be the best models to animate themselves. The third option is not to pay a model at all, but find someone with a vested interest in making a portfolio work. Whilst thinking about this matter during the research for this article it occurred to me, that the ideal person, would be someone who would be prepared to model in exchange for a portfolio, or other photographic service. In other words, a model who has a reason to make the session work will undoubtedly put more effort into overcoming any technical difficulties. Perhaps you know someone who is pregnant who might want to model in exchange for the photos.
Secondly that type of model will produce better results, than some eighteen year olds with a perfect body and a bad attitude. A personal model with enthusiasm to explore different perspectives and techniques has to produce better results than a wooden, but perfect doll. It does not alter the fact that your model must be at peace with the thought of nude modelling as a whole, but a sensitive relationship with the photographer will work wonders here. The rules are no different for a photographer here than a portrait photographer, he or she must first have self confidence. If you cannot get that across to your model he or she will be reluctant to give it their best shot.
This type of photography is striving for a look that is natural, and even has a look that it has not been posed for at all. Comfort is essential not just physical comfort though that is important, but mental comfort, the model must be able to understand the concept behind what you are trying to do so that she can co-operate. You have to take the time to explain the techniques of flattering compositions, but equally the model has to work on being fluid and graceful in these motions.
A good relationship with your model built on confidence is essential when you come to evaluate and criticise the work. Your first session will create the tone for future work, but that is when a model will be her most nervous, a way of getting over this barrier might be to ask her to come accompanied, and that may make for a lighter more relaxed session.
Working with the same model over a number of sessions builds up a rapport, and helps the model learn what works in the images, and what doesn't. She has to be able to see the completed image, before this is really possible. As the model becomes more familiar with how you work and experiences the crucial processes of making an image, the model becomes better at generating poses which work for you, and on the whole, the number of successful images increases.
The locations for this type of photography is not important in terms of the finished image, but it needs to be a little circumspect, or you have to take along a person who watches for stray wanderers if it is outdoors. Lighting normally seems to be better if it is natural, but a single candle can be effective particularly with the use of an older model.
It is important to think ahead before this type of assignment and instruct a model to wear loose clothing and possibly no underwear as strap marks into the skin can take a long time to subside and will ruin the final shots.
Once you have managed to break into this type of work there are many stock libraries that specialise in this type of work.
This article has been supplied courtesy of Roy Barker. Roy often writes and works closely with Profitable Photography Business. This site is dedicated to coaching you in starting your own photography business but places a strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. You can also gain many photography resources (some free) from Digital Photography If you seek further guides, helpful hints, articles and news, you can go to http://www.photography-business-tips.com which also has a Photographers Forum for exchange of views with other photographers.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Photography Jobs: Do You Have a Future in Photography?
There is a wide world of photography. It touches each of us in our lives on a daily basis in some form or another. Photography is so much a part of our culture now that we hardly even notice all the places that it exists. When you watch television, look at a magazine or even view a billboard on the highway, this is all because of photography. There are so many ways that photography crosses our lives each day. There are a lot of opportunities for someone looking for photography jobs.
What Photography Jobs are Available?
If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.
You can become a photographer in a special field such as wedding or family photographer. You can choose to make money taking pictures of things you love such as animals, nature or ships. If you enjoy scuba diving, you can become an underwater photographer. Pretty much anything you can think of, there is room to take and sell pictures of it.
If you love taking pictures and the idea of a career in photography sounds good to you, just how do you begin finding photography jobs?
How Do You Find Photography Jobs?
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. Then you can search on the internet at freelance photography job boards or photography websites and message boards. Get specific into types of photographing you have done and look on the internet for those.
You can go locally and look for internships or local firms or companies that may need photographers. You can get the word out by doing small events such as birthday parties and such. Get your name out as someone who will work these functions. Show friends and family samples of your work and ask them to spread the word. You may even want to participate in a charitable or non-profit event to boost your portfolio.
You can also begin submitting your work to contests and magazines to get yourself known and build your portfolio. Placing or winning in contests and getting published in magazines can help you build clips that you can use for getting bigger and better jobs.
Lastly, you can actually apply to jobs directly. It is best to do this only if you have the proper qualifications for the job. You don’t want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want. Most importantly, get as involved with what you love as possible. Learn as much as you can about photography and what makes good photography. Subscribe to magazines, read books, look at winners of photography contests.
Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive
What Photography Jobs are Available?
If you enjoy photography and are thinking of it as a career, there are actually many different directions you can choose from. Obviously, there is professional photography but even in that choice there are many other smaller options that you have as well.
You can become a photographer in a special field such as wedding or family photographer. You can choose to make money taking pictures of things you love such as animals, nature or ships. If you enjoy scuba diving, you can become an underwater photographer. Pretty much anything you can think of, there is room to take and sell pictures of it.
If you love taking pictures and the idea of a career in photography sounds good to you, just how do you begin finding photography jobs?
How Do You Find Photography Jobs?
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. Then you can search on the internet at freelance photography job boards or photography websites and message boards. Get specific into types of photographing you have done and look on the internet for those.
You can go locally and look for internships or local firms or companies that may need photographers. You can get the word out by doing small events such as birthday parties and such. Get your name out as someone who will work these functions. Show friends and family samples of your work and ask them to spread the word. You may even want to participate in a charitable or non-profit event to boost your portfolio.
You can also begin submitting your work to contests and magazines to get yourself known and build your portfolio. Placing or winning in contests and getting published in magazines can help you build clips that you can use for getting bigger and better jobs.
Lastly, you can actually apply to jobs directly. It is best to do this only if you have the proper qualifications for the job. You don’t want to set your goals so high that you get let down but there is nothing wrong with going for what you want. Most importantly, get as involved with what you love as possible. Learn as much as you can about photography and what makes good photography. Subscribe to magazines, read books, look at winners of photography contests.
Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive
Printing Pictures From Your Digital Camera: No Computer? No Problem
There are many millions of consumers who do not own a digital camera. They have not yet experienced the convenience of being able to edit and print their own pictures at home. For many who are less experienced or simply less enamored with technology, the thought of having to go through the multi-step process of getting images from their camera on to the computer, edited, and then printed isn't enticing. For others it would even involve added expense to purchase a suitable computer and any editing software.
What many of these people don't realize is that printing from a digital camera can be a very simple process and does not have to involve the use of a computer at all. This can be achieved by either purchasing a digital camera and printer that are compatible or ones that have Pictbridge technology which assures compatibility regardless of brand. Either way printing without a computer can be faster, easier, and less expensive if you don't already own all of the necessary hardware. For those who do own a computer, printing without it can still be wise as valuable hard drive space can be saved to leave it out of the equation in the photo printing process.
Some printers have a card reader which allows users to insert the memory card from their digital camera directly and print pictures from there. These printers are a great tool for anyone looking for simplicity. For those who don't want to purchase a printer, a similar option is available in many drug stores via a kiosk although this does take away from the at-home convenience.
With Pictbridge technology a small cable is used to link the camera up directly to the printing device. The great part of this option is that it doesn't require much study to be sure the camera and printer will work together to produce prints.
Of course, for an increasing number of people their cell phone acts as their digital camera. For these individuals, a connection to the printer can be made through an adapter that communicates with Bluetooth. Printing then can be achieved directly without the use of the computer.
When connecting the camera, or its memory card, directly to the printer the option of editing is not lost. These printers offer simple editing functions such as adjusting contrast, and brightness as well as red-eye reduction and can be performed with the printers LCD screen much as they would on a computer.
Printing pictures from a digital camera should not be a complex or time intensive task. Removing computers from the equation simplifies the process and is easily achieved by connecting the camera or its memory card directly to an appropriate printer.
Christine Peppler believes that consumers should not have to possess a technology degree to be able to choose home electronics and entertainment devices. Take advantage of the wealth of simple to understand, useful information and shopping available on her website at http://www.homemedias.info
What many of these people don't realize is that printing from a digital camera can be a very simple process and does not have to involve the use of a computer at all. This can be achieved by either purchasing a digital camera and printer that are compatible or ones that have Pictbridge technology which assures compatibility regardless of brand. Either way printing without a computer can be faster, easier, and less expensive if you don't already own all of the necessary hardware. For those who do own a computer, printing without it can still be wise as valuable hard drive space can be saved to leave it out of the equation in the photo printing process.
Some printers have a card reader which allows users to insert the memory card from their digital camera directly and print pictures from there. These printers are a great tool for anyone looking for simplicity. For those who don't want to purchase a printer, a similar option is available in many drug stores via a kiosk although this does take away from the at-home convenience.
With Pictbridge technology a small cable is used to link the camera up directly to the printing device. The great part of this option is that it doesn't require much study to be sure the camera and printer will work together to produce prints.
Of course, for an increasing number of people their cell phone acts as their digital camera. For these individuals, a connection to the printer can be made through an adapter that communicates with Bluetooth. Printing then can be achieved directly without the use of the computer.
When connecting the camera, or its memory card, directly to the printer the option of editing is not lost. These printers offer simple editing functions such as adjusting contrast, and brightness as well as red-eye reduction and can be performed with the printers LCD screen much as they would on a computer.
Printing pictures from a digital camera should not be a complex or time intensive task. Removing computers from the equation simplifies the process and is easily achieved by connecting the camera or its memory card directly to an appropriate printer.
Christine Peppler believes that consumers should not have to possess a technology degree to be able to choose home electronics and entertainment devices. Take advantage of the wealth of simple to understand, useful information and shopping available on her website at http://www.homemedias.info
How to Scan Your Images and Use Your Scanner and Print Your Photos
Here are some easy step by step instructions to get the most out of your scanner for you.
1. Carefully clean the scanner glass with a piece of cloth or glass cleaner and allow it to dry.
2. Make sure the scanner is on.
3. Place the item on the scanner glass with the image facing down. Ensure that the actual print area is parallel to the edges of the scanner.
4. After you start the scanner software, run a preview. If your scanner software does not run the preview automatically, do so yourself.
5. If your picture or graphic appears skewed or crooked in the preview, line it up better and repeat the preview.
6. On the preview, use your mouse to outline the desired scan area.
7. If you are going to use Photoshop (or any other image editing program), scan all color images as 'millions of colors'. Otherwise, use grey scale for black and white.
8. Adjust the scanner resolution. Set it to 300 dpi to scan for printing and 72 dpi for scanning for use on the web.
9. Try the auto-exposure button if applicable in your scanner software to adjust brightness and contrast, if needed.
10. Click Scan or Final to scan the image.
12. Save image in tif, psd or bmp if you are scanning to print. Save it in jpg or gif if you are scanning for the web.
With all scanner software, the scanning features and scanning process are generally similar. However, here are a few scanner software programs that we recommend.
If you want to scan from your transparencies and produce good quality 24bit images somewhat automatically, then Silverfast AI Scanner Software could be a good choice for you. If you want to scan negatives, then you may find Vuescan Scanning Software pretty useful. Any program needs to be compatible with your scanner.
Other Recommended Scanner Software:
HP PrecisionScan
Microtek ScanWizard 5
Microtek ScanWizard Pro 6
Minolta Scan Dual II
Umax VistaScan
Umax MagicScan
Few final tips to add on scanning and printing your scanned images are:
• Choose the best possible photo. Although you can make adjustments on your image with the image editing programs, the better your original scanning photo, the better your final scan will be. For better results, choose pictures with good contrast and that also have good lighting.
• Always scan your image in the position or direction in which the image will be used. If you rotate the image in your image editing program, some detail will be lost.
• Scan only the part of the image that you need. If you don’t need the whole image but only a small portion of it, then just scan that portion. Your scanner software has the tools to do this.
• To make adjustments to color and sharpness on your scanned image, use your image editor, not the scanning software of your scanner.
• When saving a jpg, a quality of 2, 3 or 4 is generally sufficient for scanning for the web.
• When you are editing, don’t forget that the image's appearance will change from monitor to monitor. Also, the height and width of the image will vary from software to software.
• Read the manual for your scanner software if available and get to know your scanner software. Or, just play with the scanner software until you are sufficiently familiar with it. As you make more and more scans, you will better understand how to get the best results from your scanner.
This article is prepared by Christy Berger who writes for PrintCountry.com. A longer version of this article can be found at Epson Stylus Scanner Compatible. Main resource of this article is Scan Images & Photo Print Ink at PrintCountry.
1. Carefully clean the scanner glass with a piece of cloth or glass cleaner and allow it to dry.
2. Make sure the scanner is on.
3. Place the item on the scanner glass with the image facing down. Ensure that the actual print area is parallel to the edges of the scanner.
4. After you start the scanner software, run a preview. If your scanner software does not run the preview automatically, do so yourself.
5. If your picture or graphic appears skewed or crooked in the preview, line it up better and repeat the preview.
6. On the preview, use your mouse to outline the desired scan area.
7. If you are going to use Photoshop (or any other image editing program), scan all color images as 'millions of colors'. Otherwise, use grey scale for black and white.
8. Adjust the scanner resolution. Set it to 300 dpi to scan for printing and 72 dpi for scanning for use on the web.
9. Try the auto-exposure button if applicable in your scanner software to adjust brightness and contrast, if needed.
10. Click Scan or Final to scan the image.
12. Save image in tif, psd or bmp if you are scanning to print. Save it in jpg or gif if you are scanning for the web.
With all scanner software, the scanning features and scanning process are generally similar. However, here are a few scanner software programs that we recommend.
If you want to scan from your transparencies and produce good quality 24bit images somewhat automatically, then Silverfast AI Scanner Software could be a good choice for you. If you want to scan negatives, then you may find Vuescan Scanning Software pretty useful. Any program needs to be compatible with your scanner.
Other Recommended Scanner Software:
HP PrecisionScan
Microtek ScanWizard 5
Microtek ScanWizard Pro 6
Minolta Scan Dual II
Umax VistaScan
Umax MagicScan
Few final tips to add on scanning and printing your scanned images are:
• Choose the best possible photo. Although you can make adjustments on your image with the image editing programs, the better your original scanning photo, the better your final scan will be. For better results, choose pictures with good contrast and that also have good lighting.
• Always scan your image in the position or direction in which the image will be used. If you rotate the image in your image editing program, some detail will be lost.
• Scan only the part of the image that you need. If you don’t need the whole image but only a small portion of it, then just scan that portion. Your scanner software has the tools to do this.
• To make adjustments to color and sharpness on your scanned image, use your image editor, not the scanning software of your scanner.
• When saving a jpg, a quality of 2, 3 or 4 is generally sufficient for scanning for the web.
• When you are editing, don’t forget that the image's appearance will change from monitor to monitor. Also, the height and width of the image will vary from software to software.
• Read the manual for your scanner software if available and get to know your scanner software. Or, just play with the scanner software until you are sufficiently familiar with it. As you make more and more scans, you will better understand how to get the best results from your scanner.
This article is prepared by Christy Berger who writes for PrintCountry.com. A longer version of this article can be found at Epson Stylus Scanner Compatible. Main resource of this article is Scan Images & Photo Print Ink at PrintCountry.
Digital Photo Storage, Sorting and Manipulation
It seemed that for ever and a day we would always be storing our photos in obscure containers such as ice cream containers, shoe boxes, hat boxes and so the list continues...lucky for we photographers, digital photography landed on the scene and eradicated many of these issues for us almost immediately. Now photographers (both professional and aspiring) can store, retrieve and sort without too much trouble at all.
Of course it's true that digital cameras have never been so popular but what's important here is that many photographers have become increasingly interested in fine tuning or detailing their work even further. While high capacity memory cards fall in price at a fast pace, their usage of course increases. In addition, amateur photographers are storing larger and larger file sizes and they too are becoming more interested in photo manipulation which of course makes sense.
You perhaps know already of Windows Vista, which went on sale to consumers around the time of writing this article and includes an advanced photo management system that Microsoft labelled Windows Photo Gallery. In addition, Adobe Systems, (also famous for Photoshop), released a final version of Photoshop Lightroom, a program that has been on trial for more than a year.
Remember that photo management programs are not always complete substitutes for full photo-editing software like Photoshop. That being said, they do offer the editing tools that photographers use most frequently to change the overall look of photos, like adjustments for exposure, brightness, contrast and color.
Some programs assume that users want to fix and sort a large number of photos at the same time, for example after downloading them from a camera. Editing software like Photoshop offers batch processing options, but the working premise of those programs is that users will generally be working on one picture at a time.
There is a technique offered by some photo management software firms which is nondestructive editing. Through various means, the programs make sure that the original image is always left intact during editing. As a result, the original image files kind of plays the role given to negatives in the film world. That allows users to change their minds about edits. Unpopular details can be cropped out of photos one day and then restored when they return to favor.
It is said, that most designers of photo management software follow Apple’s option and offer two flavors of products. IPhoto, for example, costs nothing when you buy a new Mac, while its advanced cousin, Aperture 1.5, sells for about $300. Most average photographers will be happy with the standard program. However, digital S.L.R. owners who frequently adjust photos or who often take photos using the RAW setting, (saves all the color and exposure data gathered by the camera’s sensor in a large file) may find working with the more costly, more capable programs easier.
Here's a solution
The reputation of Photoshop long ago made it the editor of choice for serious photographers. But it could often be intimidating.
However, the new Photoshop Lightroom is simple and elegant. One of its setup options enables photos to float on a black background, with the editing and navigation tools appearing only when the cursor is dragged near the monitor’s edge.
While Lightroom, which will cost $200 for the next few months when purchased directly from Adobe (www.adobe.com), allows easy navigation through large numbers of photos, some of the other features need refinement. Lightroom cannot, for example, directly attach photos to e-mail messages.
Perhaps Mac users are given a discount because iPhoto, which can easily be integrated with any version of Photoshop for high-level editing, is a much better way to manage their photos. For Windows users, Photoshop Elements is a relatively inexpensive way to get the leading editing program and a competent photo manager in the same box.
Microsoft’s interest in photo management software is not confined to Vista. Last year, it bought iView Multimedia (www.iview-multimedia.com), the maker of MediaPro, a $200 program with a reputation for working quickly when searching through large numbers of photos. The program can also store other types of data, including video and music. This spring, MediaPro will become a new program, Microsoft Expression Media. It will include additional features and cost $100 more. Despite the new ownership, it will be sold in Mac and Windows versions.
About Macintosh Software
IPhoto, which has been around since 2002, clearly inspired several photo management programs from other companies. For most Apple users, nothing else is as easy to use. Aperture, however, offers several features that may benefit people who frequently tweak their photos and who have large photo collections.
In a sense, the designers of iPhoto stuck to the shoebox school of organizing. It is designed with the idea that all images will be stored in a single library file. Aperture, by contrast, can track photos stored anywhere and in multiple locations, including external hard drives and those archived on CDs and DVDs.
Aperture’s nondestructive editing system also consumes far less hard-drive space over time. IPhoto preserves its originals by duplicating the full image when it is edited. Aperture merely stores a compact set of instructions indicating how to alter the master image to recreate the edits.
If Lightroom excels in navigation, Aperture leads the way in easy-to-use editing tools. Its only drawback is that the screen display can seem a bit crowded when on a laptop. As with iPhoto, however, users can easily toggle to a full-screen display that hides the editing and navigation accessories.
About Windows Software
Even Microsoft acknowledges that the photo features supplied with earlier Windows versions did little more than allow users to get pictures out of their cameras and into their computers. The Windows Photo Gallery in Vista promises to improve that situation. As a bonus, like Apple’s Aperture program, it can also keep tabs on pictures that have been moved to CDs, DVDs or external hard drives.
For Windows users without Vista, one of the best options costs nothing to download: Google’s Picasa (picasa.google.com). Unsurprisingly, it integrates well with other Google services and it offers efficient editing tools. While it can manage images on external hard drives, Picasa cannot deal with pictures on CDs or DVDs.
Twelve years ago, ACDSee from ACD Systems (www.acdsee.com) was a pioneer of photo management. Today, the company offers a basic version of its latest software, ACDSee 9, for $40. For an extra $90, ACDSee Pro handles RAW file conversion more quickly and allows greater customization.
Another software company, Corel (www.corel.com), bought Jasc Software, an early photo software developer, about two years ago. One result of the deal is Corel Snapfire, a free photo manager, although users must put up with a small, ever-changing ad for Corel products in one corner.
It's similar to iPhoto in its basic concept and includes some relatively advanced editing functions, like the ability to straighten off-kilter snapshots. For the benefit of complete novices, the software automatically analyzes images and suggests which ones might benefit from basic editing.
Mind you the free version has a major shortcoming: it does not offer any direct way to back up photos. Doing that requires buying Snapfire Plus for $40, which adds a few editing features and allows users to switch off the ads. Neither version offers nondestructive editing because Corel decided that the concept was too confusing for learners.
Published here by Roy Barker. Roy guides you on starting a photography business and places strong emphasis on profitability issues & guidelines. If you are seeking photography insights, help (mostly free) try a digital photography tip or two. For brief reviews on services or equipment (many free) see photography equipment.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Five Basic Tips For Getting Great Prints From Your Digital Camera
Shoot with printing in mind
Image resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. Measured in megapixels (MP), matching the resolution to the print size will help you get crisp and clear digital photo prints.
Most digital cameras offer a range of resolution settings, but if you intend to make prints larger than wallet size, shoot at a higher resolution. While high-res pictures take up more space on your digital camera’s memory card, shooting big guarantees that when the magic strikes, you’ve captured the picture at the highest quality level. And it gives you the most flexibility. So whether you want to crop the picture to highlight a special feature or print at a large size, you’ll have plenty of detail to work with.
How high should you shoot? A 4-6 MP photograph should be high enough to produce a good quality print in popular 4"x6" or for 5"x 7" prints.
JPEG is the most common photo format, well suited for online and email use, as well as most printing needs.
Some cameras let you change the format you shoot in to TIFF or RAW, which are ideal for large format printing and prints made from cropped photos since they have the least amount of compression. The benefits of these formats is that you’ll get clear prints even in large sizes, with the downside being that your photos will take up a lot more space on your memory card. They can be converted to JPEG, however, so you can compress them to a smaller size.
Check your camera's manual to see if you can change the format.
Paper and ink make a quality print
Every piece of art needs a sturdy canvas and high-quality materials. The same goes for your photographs.
For first-class photo prints, always use photo paper, never regular paper. Black and white photographs tend to look sharper and richer when printed on matte paper, while the subtleties of color photographs are best suited to high gloss photo paper.
As far as ink goes, it’s a good rule of thumb to use ink produced by the same company as your printer. And while refills might save you money when printing documents, they are not suitable for photo printing. Any savings you might enjoy will be overshadowed by wasted photo paper.
It takes high-quality paper specifically designed to work with your ink to create vivid, long-lasting photographs that will stand the test of time. Keep in mind how you intend to display your photos, and then look for paper that best suits your needs. For example, some ink and paper combinations are specially engineered to be water and smudge resistant, while others are designed with optimum fade resistance in mind.
Before you frame a photo or add it to a scrapbook, give it enough time to dry. Most inks and papers dry within an hour or so, but it’s best to allow the print to dry for about 24 hours just to be sure.
Print for the frame
The relation of the height of your picture to its length is called the aspect ratio. Prints from film have an aspect ratio of 3:2, which is a rectangular shape. You’re probably familiar with it since it has been the standard for decades.
However, almost all digital cameras produce an image with a 4:3 aspect ratio (closer to a square). The reason for this is that the first digital cameras were meant exclusively for use with computer monitors, which have a 4:3 ratio.
Most of the photo frames are manufactured to meet traditional film sizes (4"x6", 5"x7", 8"x10", and so on). Likewise, most photo labs print in these sizes. This means in order for your digital prints to fit, they will have to be cropped slightly.
The difference between 4:3 and 3:2 isn’t huge. So just keep in mind how much your photo will be cropped when you print it. Then, when you shoot, add room at the top and bottom of horizontal photos, or on the sides for vertical pictures. Then you can crop out the extra for a perfect fit.
Print smart
A print is only as good as your printer. A beautiful photograph can look dull, flat, or blurry if your printer isn’t set correctly.
The paper settings on your printer control the amount of ink used on the paper, so use the setting that matches your photo paper. When you find a setting that works for a particular paper type, make note of it so that you'll be able to get the same results when using that type of paper again.
You can designate the quality of the print, depending on what you're printing. Choose “Best quality” for most photos and “Normal” for wallet-sized.
Follow these steps to adjust print settings. These may vary depending on the computer you use (PC or Macintosh), so double check your manual. Typically, the Print Quality can be found in the Control Panel area for Printers.
Before you print, however, be sure to preview your prints. Simply select File > Print Preview. Hit Esc to return to the normal view. This way, you never have to waste paper, ink, or time on imperfect prints.
Also, make it a habit to run your printer’s cleaner function every other month to prevent streaking.
Update your printer’s software drivers
A printer driver is software that serves as a translator. It allows your computer and printer communicate correctly.
It’s important to use the latest driver available for your printer. Drivers help fix problems and improve printer performance. Look for the latest drivers at your printer manufacturer’s website. You can download them for free.
You can even experiment with your printer driver software. The driver interface pops up when you print, allowing you to adjust the resolution and color settings (the driver usually chooses these settings automatically). Tinkering with these setting can often produce a higher-quality photo print.
Dale Basye, part of the Curiosity Group in Portland, Oregon, writes frequently about digital photography.
Discover great resources for learning about photo printers.
Your Guide To Buying A Digital Camera
Almost everyone agrees that digital cameras offer plenty of advantages over film cameras, and consumers are voting with their wallets as they continue to buy digital cameras in record numbers. Some of the advantages of digital cameras over their film counterparts is the ability to immediately see the images you have taken instead of waiting to have film developed first, and also being able to transfer your image files to your computer where you can edit, print and store them as you see fit. But what should you look for when buying a digital camera?
Well, first of all decide how you plan on using the prints that you will make. Will they mostly be 4 X 6 snapshots, or do you plan on making enlargements on up to 11 X 14 or so? This will determine how much resolution that you need to buy when you get your digital camera. For snapshots, a 4 -6 megapixel camera should do the job just fine, but if you want to make larger prints you may want to look for a 6 - 8 megapixel camera instead. And if you plan on doing lots of photo editing that can involve zooming in and cropping a small portion of the image, you may even want a 10+ megapixel camera for that kind of heavy duty work.
Most fixed lens digital cameras come with a zoom feature, but you should know that there are two different types of zooms that are used. One is an optical zoom that relies on the lens for it's magnification, and the other is the digital zoom that enlarges the image already captured by digital means instead. The optical zoom is far more preferable than the digital zoom as it will produce sharp and clear zoom shots throughout it's entire focal range. The digital zoom is only magnifying the resulting image and so it can produce less sharp, grainy pictures instead when used at the higher end of the focal range. So try to get a camera that has as much of the zoom range that you want being handled by the optical rather than the digital zoom.
If having the best image quality is important to you then you want to look for digital cameras that save their files in TIFF, GIF and RAW formats as these do not sacrifice any image quality when compressing the image file for storage. On the other hand, the JPEG image format that many cameras use will cause some loss of image quality in the file compression part of saving the image file.
When deciding what digital camera to buy, much of your decision will revolve around how you plan to use the camera and the resultant image files, and what features are most important to you and the way you shoot your photos. The tips given above should help you though to be more informed about how to select the digital camera that fits your photo style best.
Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find top selling digital cameras and cannon digital cameras by visiting our Digital Photography website.
Olympus Digital Cameras
Olympus Digital cameras offer a great variety of different zoom, lenses and mega pixels. Whether amateur or professional you will appreciate the Olympus camera. I have a FE-100 with 4.0 mega pixels and zoom of 8.2-17.4mm1-3.0.5.0 and have taken many pictures with it. It has a memory card I bought for it and it takes more pictures than I have ever used at one trip. We went Elk hunting this year and I took 107 pictures of our camp, the mountains, a bull moose with a cow and a calf, many deer and some big horn sheep. I took scenery picture while were on the move and they looked good. My Grandchildren borrowed the camera and took it snow boarding and took some great aerial pictures of them doing jumps and tricks on there snow boards. I was real surprised that they came out so good. Full and Color and you felt like you were right in the action if you closed your eyes and thought about it.
I came home downloaded them onto my Computer and e-mailed them to all my family and friends. They thought they were the best pictures I’ve ever taken. So this camera offers more than an amateur could use but can use. It's a great camera for anyone who wants a good digital camera, whether for allot of features or just a few, Olympus offers a good variety. If you get a Olympus camera, I would recommend buying the memory card for it also, as it give you allot of pictures you wouldn't get to take without it.
Depending on what size and features you are looking for. There are many styles and sizes to choose from. The Olympus Sp700-6.0 mega pixels Digital Camera with 3x zoom & 3.0 LCD Screen, the Olympus American Stylus 500+P-10 Digital Photo Printer, the 4.0 MP Digital Camera with 1.8” Color LCD Screen and 3x optical zoom,12x total zoom capability, and the Olympus 225600 Camera Ir-300 5.0Mp 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera Olympus c-7000 Zoom Digital Camera.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Huddleston
Buying Your Child A Digital Camera - What You Need To Know
Purchasing any gift item for your child is a mind-numbing task. You can never be sure whether they will like what you buy for them or not. So, when you want to buy a digital camera for your little kids, then there are lots of things, which you must know, which will help you (hopefully!) to get the right camera for your child.
One of the most important things for children is that the digital camera should be one of the latest available in the market. If it has been heavily advertised and people are talking about it, then it is even better. This gives children a sense of pride and also allows them to ‘show-off’ their possession to their friends.
Another factor, which is critical for children, is that the camera must look good. This is very, very important to them. It does not matter whether it has a big screen or small screen, whether it is 2 mega pixel or 1.5 mega pixel – the camera should have a smart shape, come in flashy colors or it can also look cute or funky. But, the camera should not look ‘boring’ or very ‘serious’ in nature. However good the functions might be, if the camera does not look good, it is most likely that your choice will get rejected.
The size is also important. Most children will definitely prefer a digital camera that is small and compact in size. The weight and size should be such that they are able to easily put the camera in their pocket or hang it by a string. Large and bulky models, even if they have better features are not advisable for children.
It is also necessary to remember that even though you might gift your child a digital camera to click photographs for school projects, they will be using it to take pictures of their friends. So, look for some ‘fun’ features in the digital camera. These can include colorful background images or sound effects, photographic effects that they can use to enhance the images taken by them.
One more thing is ease of use. It is important that the camera has a simple system through which children can easily take pictures quickly. However, you really do not need to worry about this aspect a lot because today’s children have been born in the digital era. They are able to pick up things much faster than you or me, so as long as the camera is good in all other aspects, even if its ‘click ability’ is a little confusing, it does not really matter. They are fast learners these days!
Last but not the least, is the price. While buying a digital camera for your child, it is understandable that you really do not want to spend a lot of money. There are lots of choices available in the market today. The price range starts from as low as $30 and can go up to $300. So, it really depends on how much you would like to spend on the camera. Start simple and upgrade if they grow out of the digital camera that you buy for them. Hey share them with the whole family!
Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports.Tips In Digital Photography
Perhaps one of the greatest invention in the 20st century is the digital camera. With its many outstanding features, novices in photography can produce great photos at less the effort. Not only does the digital camera provide convenience to photographers or those that are interested in the art but also savings to ordinary consumers.
There is no need to buy films or have the pictures developed in the darkroom or in the nearest developing center. One only need to click the camera, upload the files to a computer and print them out with a colored printer. Everything is so easy.
Of course, despite being so easy, there are things that one needs to know about digital cameras and digital photography. Here are some tips that will help you make the most out of your digital cameras and make the experience of digital photography truly memorable.
1. Know your camera
Without really studying the features that your digital camera has, how can you make the most out of it? Before using it, try to explore the different features of the gadget. Read the manual and take experimental shots. This will help you be familiar with the various parts of the camera. Doing it and trying it out will also help you remember the operations as opposed to just reading the text in the manual.
Reading the manual will also help you from pulling something that you should not be pulling. Often, gadgets like digital cameras get broken because owners do not allot any time to read the instructions in the manual especially the don'ts and the section where it teaches you how to take care of it.
2. Practice
There is nothing more educational than practice. Gadgets like digital cameras actually get broken not only because it is often used but also when it is not used at all. Do not keep it inside your cabinet, gathering dust. Shot away. Every chance you get, take a picture. This will help you get used to the feel of the camera and will also allow you to discover some of its many features.
3. Take care of your camera
Although it may seem a bit too much to always put it inside its case every time you are not using it or not putting it directly under the heat of the sun, digital cameras are delicate gadgets that need taking care of. Make sure that you always protect it and prevent it from hitting hard surfaces.
About the Author
Low Jeremy maintains http://Digital-Photography.ArticlesForReprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included
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