Saturday, June 26, 2010

Olympus SP-800UZ , Portable Ultrazoom

Back up your DSLR system with the 14-megapixel Olympus SP-800UZ, which comes with an impressive 30x optical zoom lens, the equivalent of a 28-840mm ƒ/2.8-5.6 in 35mm format. The Dual Image Stabilization system combines sensor-shift stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds to compensate for camera shake. By simply hitting a button, the camera records 720p HD video. The three-inch LCD features a wide viewing angle and anti-glare technology, helping you compose and shoot even under bright sunlight. The 12-megapixel SP-600UZ has a 28-420mm ƒ/3.5-5.4 (35mm equivalent) lens, a 2.7-inch LCD and records video.



Estimated Street Price: $349 (800UZ); $249 (600UZ).
www.getolympus.com.


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Nik Software Silver Efex Pro

Outdoor photographers interested in black and white works should try Nik Software Silver Efex Pro, which makes it easier to produce first-class black and white results than ever before.
Like all of the company's software, the controls are intuitive and conceived from the perspective of a photographer rather than a software engineer. There are a number of presets you can choose from , and once selected , you can fine-tune the effect.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Think Quick

If you're a photographer what will you do/think if this happen to you ???

Don't forget to look behind you

me ?
i think Aperture Priority , F4.0 and some Wide Lense

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

New Interface And Features on Flickr

Flickr is preparing to launch new interface for their services. They claim that the new interface and features will enhance users experience on navigating , sharing and telling photos. Flickr's users able to opt-in for a preview of the new photo experience .

For over six years, you’ve made Flickr the place to be for photos. Billions of photos of the places you’ve been, the things you’ve seen, and the people in your lives. It’s an amazing photographic record that continues to amaze us. So as part of our Ongoing Quest to Make Flickr More WonderfulTM, we’d like to introduce… a new photo page!

More feature information available on Flickr's Blog.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

How Much Do You Need Image Stabilisation On Your Lens/Camera ?

How important image stabilisation is to you depends on whether you take the most of your shots using your camera's kit lens or use a telephoto zoom. If you mostly use the kit zoom for example , there may be not be that many occasions when you really need stabilisation. Certainly , it will help in low light and when shooting at maximum zoom in poor lighting but it's far from essential.



With telephoto zooms , though, it is another matter. The longer focal length make camera shake more likely happen and you need much faster shutter speeds to get sharp shots. This means you are more likely to encounter lighting conditions where shake is likely. So while Nikon's new 18-55mm VR kit lens , for example , might be not an essential buy , the new VR version of its 55-200mm telephoto certain is worth considering.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

9 Tips To Take A Better Portrait Photograph

Taking pictures of individual people is often the mainstay of general PR and editorial work. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. What I am going to look at it how to take a classic portrait shot, suitable for use as a PR image.Before you go on to try more elaborate or way-out methods of photographing people at least manage to try and perfect the classic portrait.



There are a number of hints and tips for this one, so let's get going

1.Make sure your camera is vertical not horizontal

For the classic portrait shot you want your camera to be oriented vertically. This suits the image much better and avoids you having to crop off large amounts of wasteful image to the left and right of the subject's head.

2.Make sure that the subject is not up against a wall

I always believe that if the background adds something to an image keep it in. If it doesn't then get rid of it. The problem with a lot of digital cameras nowadays, especially the smaller compact ones, is that they have tremendous depth of field. That is, a heck of a lot is in focus. If your subject is near to their background the chances are that it will be sharp too, which is very distracting. So keep them at least eight feet away from their background and DON'T use a brick wall either - it always looks like a mug shot from "Prisoner cell Block H"!

3. Shoot at their eye level

This is the best option - I usually put a chair in place for the sitter and then set my camera up on a tripod or hold it so that I am at their eye level. This gives the best perspective.

4. Don't use a wide-angle lens

Most compact digital cameras automatically default to their wide-angle settings when you first switch them on. This is the worst possible setting for a portrait. For a start you have to get way to close to the person you are photographing to fill the frame. Secondly, you then get terrible distortion - like looking into the back of a spoon.

The solution is to go back until you are about six feet away from the person and then zoom in to fill the frame. This will give more flattering perspective and help to make the background more blurred. It will also help to get rid of distracting elements in the background.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

DOF Calculator For Blackberry

Definition:
Depth of Field: The zone, or range of distances, within a scene that will record as sharp ... It is one of the most creative and profound effects available to photographers. (George Schaub, 2003)
There are some ways to use your Blackberry phone as DOF calculator :
  • The simplest way of course by navigating to DOFMaster . Open your BB browser and go to the site . I cant find a mobile version site ( WAP ) so if you know one , please share !
  • Download this blackberry app , FREE , Blackberry Depth of Field Calculator by Widgety.biz . I've tried this app and i am not disappointed at all . Usefull stuff !!

  • Or, buy this commercial app on Blackberry App World . Depth Of Calculator by GLN LLC . Check it here . "Calculate the Depth of Field for a camera (including DSLR) and lens combinations. Calculates the hyperfocal distance of the selected camera/lens."




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Five Classic Exposure Problems You Should Know

Landscapes with bright skies
Sunny days arent usually too much of a problem , since blue skies have a similar brightness to sunlit landscapes. On overcast or stormy days , the sky if proportioonally much brighter. The sky and the beach hut in this shot are at the opposite extremes of the camera's dynamic range. The camera meter might find a good exposure compromise , but a manual averaging of the sky and the ground exposure is the most reliable way to record both the shadow and the highlight detail adequately



Backlighting And Silhoutettes
Camera dont know what you want . There were two ways of shooting this subject as a sillhoutte where the background is correctly exposed , or with a more generous exposure which shows detail in the subject but lets the background overexpose . Both work as picture , but it is up to you to tell the camera which treatment you want .




Friday, June 18, 2010

5 Easy Tips To Photograph Cakes



Close To Your Subject
cut out distracting elements and zoom in close to your subject. Fill the frame where possible

Use Tripod
Getting that close and personal with the dish of the day means you'll need the added stabilisation of a tripod

Dont Ignore The Background
Use a white or black or any non distracting background to keep the focus of the shot on the food

Order Of Importance
Display foods of most importance in the dish at the top or front of the setup and focus on these

Think Garmish
Think about colours and use a sprig of parsley or wedge of lemon to enhance the look of your dish

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Capturing Birds In Flight

Although many cameras have Sports mode , it is best to stick to aperture priority , shutter - priority or program options. If you want to learn on the jo. Set your ISO according to the weather conditions, keeping it as low as possible to avoid unnecessary noise.



You'll need a shutter speed of around 1/500sec or faster to freeze the action , but its worth experimenting it with slower speeds to introduce a little motion blur in the wings. Birds are pretty speedy creatures and if you're going for frozen shots , it is advisable to take advantage of your camera's burst mode capabilities. Dont go firing off shots randomly , however ; just squeze the shutter release and shoot a few frames as you track the bird's flight path.

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

11 Great Shots Your Town Is Hiding

  1. Details and abstracts
    here's a theme that you can shoot locally in any type of weather . Using a portrait lens or telephoto zoom , crop in and fill the frame on all the colourful patterns and textures you can find that make intresting abstract compositions in their own right.

  2. Stunning Architecture
    Most buildings have something photogenic to commed them , from the shiny new office block to the dilapidated garden shed. In the right light they can all look amazing


  3. Parks & Wildlife
    A wild space or park in which to sit or walk and get some fresh air away from the din of traffic. These greens oases are perfect as weekday fix for the frustrated wildlife and landscape photographer who cant get out into the wilderness until the weekend


  4. Sacred Places
    Nearly everyone has a photo of a church or graveyard in the collection . These scared ancient buildings are full of picture potential - from a colourful stained glass windows to spooky infrared shots on stormy days , gargoyles , doorways and religious details shots


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Abstract Photography - The Essentials of Creating Great Abstract Images

Abstract photography can create very impressive photos. However, people tend to perceive abstract images differently than other images. This is because abstract images rely more on form, color, and curves than they do on image detail. On the other hand, most photographers tend to think more about detail when considering photographic subjects. To recognize abstract photography opportunities, one must learn to look at our world differently.

Definition of Abstract Photography

Abstract photography does not have a commonly accepted definition. Of course, creating a concrete definition of an abstract concept is a bit challenging. Nevertheless, it is necessary to create a definition for this article. That way, some boundaries can be put around the subject. Thus, it will be easier to decide what fits within the subject matter. For this article, the definition of abstract photography is as follows. Abstract photography:

  • Does not represent the subject in a literal way.
  • Communicates primarily through form, color, and curves rather than image detail.



Why Shoot Abstract Photography

Of course, the first question that should be asked is why one should take abstract images. That is, why would a photographer focus on capturing abstract images when there are other photographic opportunities out there?

There are two primary reasons. The first reason is that abstract images can really stand out when done well. That is really the most important reason. However, there is another reason. Abstract images can be created just about anywhere a person happens to be. That means that you can create abstract images in your home, backyard, or neighborhood. This saves the time and expense of travel (which is required for many other types of photography).

Monday, June 14, 2010

When to Use UV Filter

In bright sunny conditions, UV light can add a blue/purple tinge to your pictures. It;s most obvious when shooting in show , at high altitudes or in sunny climes. Using a UV filter in these situations will get rid of this colour cast and may also boost image sharpness slightly by reducing the misty effect on distant subjects.



Posing Tips - Dealing With Glasses

Reflections in glasses can be a real pain , so ask your model if they always wear glasses as many people will just take them off.
If they dont , try getting them to angle their face slightly up , down or to the side and watch to see if reflection disappers. You may have to change your position in relation to the light source , too.



No luck? then ask them to lift the arms of the glasses up their head slightly downwards . Or , if you are using off-camera flash , raise the flash gun up slightly and angle it down.

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Friday, June 11, 2010

Some Posing Tips

Most people dont want to look fatter than they really are. So get your subject to turn their whole body three-quartes to the camera , facing roughly in the direction of the main light , if possible. Ask them to turn their faces back towards the camera. This makes the body and face look narrower and can even work wonders for beer bellies! A little tilt of the head can really help the pose , too




Tip Starting a Photography Business

If you are an avid photographer and you have this urge to live your life working on something that you love like photography, then it would be a waste if you would not pursue it. One does not need to enroll in a school and spend loads of money to get started. One only has to have the passion and desire to learn and persevere.



It depends on the type of photography and the time they would invest in the business. Here, you have some tips to help you get started on your photography business.


  • Research
    You have to make comprehensive research prior to starting your career in photography. You have to know the advantages and disadvantages and weigh them down. It would be a brilliant idea to subscribe in a dependable magazine like Camera Arts and Professional Photographer. You can also make your research on the Internet. It will give you more details on how to create a business in photography.
  • Decide on the method and extent of photography
    It is crucial to know from the beginning what kind of photography you are going to provide. It is relevant, so you would know what right apparatus and equipment and the resources needed to start.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Cooking and Photography

You may ask , what it have to do with photography? At first you would think not much. How to explain the most important concepts of photography using the analogy from cooking!

In each dish , you put the pot on the stove or in oven, set temperatue and heat it for some time. In the end, you can get food that is cooked properly and ready to eat. Or ... if you're not so good in your assessment or not experienced, you will end up with half-cooked food and raw or cooked and burnt.

The most important concept of photography is to get proper exposure ( perfect exposure ) on your images. Exposure is basically the amount of light that allows you to reach your camera sensor. Getting the proper exposure is like cooking. You allow too much light and most of the picture will be overexposed like the food will be burned with too much heat. On the other hand, if you do not allow enough light, your picture will be underexposed as not applying enough heat to your dish will be left half done.


Monday, June 7, 2010

Shooting Raw & White Balance

One of the advantages of shooting RAWs over JPEGS is the ability to change the white balance of your image after you've shot it. Most RAW processing software gives you the option of altering the white balance using similar pre-sets to those offered by your camera , using a slider to set a colour temperature or even taking a reading from a neutral area of the image. This versality allows you to get much more accurate white  balance than most in-camera systems , especially if you have limited time to take the shot.



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Types of Photo Insurance

Lets get to know types of insurance . Select one that suit your need.

  • Household: cover our gear at home but not out of it and usually to aset single item limit. Check your level of cover if in doubt , but adding single items can be more expensive than a dedicated policy particularly if you make a claim , as the following year's premiums may rise
  • Trave: slightly better cover offered but still usually limited to a set value per single item claim. Check for cover unattended in a vehicle overnight , for example, and single item claim limits. Ok for smaller cameras maybe , but not for valuable DSLR systems
  • Dedicated : cover can be tailored to suit the level of kit and work you do with it. Often seems the pricier option but can include vital third-party liability and indemnity cover. It will cover accidental damage, theft out of the box and usually travel abroad as well. Worlwide cover can be an additional extra. All photographers must consider this as a must-have item if the take any form payment for photography.



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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Chiaroscuro and Contrast

As photography developed as an art form in the early 20th century, many of the luminary photographers like Ansel Adams studied the paintings of the Old Masters. Among the important technique the developed was using light and dark , chiaroscuro , to create drama and scale in a photo. In this image , the dark , semi-silhoutted trees in the foreground frame and define the ethereal grandeur of the mountain in the background.



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More about DOF and point of focus

These are two key elemets , as important as composition . Knowing what to focus on and the how to make it look good. First , we need to understand how DOF ( depth of field ) works. There are two measurements in a landscape you need to consider , from your camera to the point of infinity.

What landscapers attempt is to get this whole frame to look sharp and clear. A small aperture will achieve this , but you dont actually need to always go to the lenses maximum aperture as this may start to show flaws in optical quality.