Play with Lights

Another boring night... So I grab my Sony A33 DSLR Camera. Only lights from my Lamp shade, laptop and optical mouse. I enjoyed taking shots using the Auto mode of the cam. And here ye! hehehehe I posted some of my favorite shots. Hope you like them too. :]

My favourite Orange Color Optical Mouse...

A Bear wants to Kiss Me or Scare Me???

My laptop and my Favorite Spongebob Pillow.

My Long Time WishList

Its been 10 years since I wanted this camera! At last! got it as a Christmas Gift from my Dad. Im so happy because this is my hobby. I love taking pictures. Since college, I really wanted to have like this. This is always my dream cam. I used to take pictures using compact camera.

When I was in college, I just watch people having this cam and wish hope someday I can have it. Im sooo happy that it was given to me as a gift. Because here in the Philippines, cams like this is very expensive. Only a few can afford it. That's why its a dream for me to have it. Next step: to study more on photography! yippeeeee!!!

Thanks to my dad. I love it! Nice to have you SONY A33. :]

Digital Photography Now: Technology is Changing the Field

How is Digital Photography Changing the Industry?

Digital photography is nothing if not convenient. You can take pictures, preview them instantly, delete the bad ones and print only the good ones. There is an element of instant gratification that makes digital photography attractive to both amateur and professional photographers alike. You can quickly see problems and make adjustments that will improve the quality of your end result, and you won't end up with a stack of blurry or unflattering prints. For most amateur photographers and hobbyists, digital photography provides everything they need.

Clearly, the demand for digital photography technology is on the rise, but is it replacing traditional film? And does the increased quality of amateur photography pose a threat to professional photographers?

Digital Photography vs. Film?

Digital photography or film? It doesn't have to be one or the other. Digital photography and traditional film photography can coexist and even complement each other. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Digital photography may change the way many people take pictures but that doesn't make film obsolete.

Professional photographers can often get better results with traditional film. Especially when shooting landscapes or producing larger size prints. Professional photographers have finesse with film—from shooting to developing—that allows them to produce high-quality images.

How Does the Rise of Digital Photography Affect Professionals?

Digital technology is convenient in many ways. It allows photographers to get images to clients more quickly. It also allows them to see whether they got the shot right away. Digital technology gives more immediate results—at least in theory. The workflow changes with digital photography. The post-production process may be longer and more expensive in terms of equipment. Digital technology also requires photographers to stay current in their knowledge of tools and software.

Whether professional photographers choose to use digital photography or film, the camera only plays a role in the success of the work. The photographer controls the lighting, creates the composition and imbues the subject with meaning. There will always be a need for professional photographers with technical knowledge and a strong sense of artistry.

Better Photos with Your Digital Camera

Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take a lot of photos. But if your photos still have trees coming out of your father’s head, mom has red eye, and your beloved pet is never facing the camera then here are some tips to help you take better photos.

1. Always be aware of the background. I know this is the hard one but it is critical. If you’re setting up a shot take a quick look at what is behind the people in your shot. So many perfectly good photos are ruined by a tree seeming to grow out of a person’s head. It can be as simple as the person taking one full step to the right or left to move the obstacle that would ruin your photo.

2. Use available light. If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book then use the available light and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale. (Even better if your camera has a fill flash use that indoors where there isn’t enough daylight, and place the person by a window as well.)

3. Use ambient soft light. The reason that so many of use pose people under trees, and end up with the ruined photo with a tree coming out of dad’s head, is that we all instinctively know that soft light is best. Sunlight filtered through a trees’ leave is beautiful and warm. It warms up the skin and puts a soft light to the features. Indoors near a window with drapes has a similar effect.

4. Aim your camera slightly down at the person’s face. Now I don’t mean climb a ladder but just don’t ever, and I mean ever, point your camera looking up to a person. We all look fat and bloated at that angle. Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you see more of their face. Remember camera higher looking down and a three quarter view, it will slim your subject.

5. Remember your focus, are you taking a photo of mom and the tree, then take mom with the whole tree. But if you’re taking a photo of mom next to a tree do we really need to see the entire tree? Get closer to your subject. We can see some of the tree bark with mom leaning against it, but showing the whole tree is a waste. Remember this tip with children, many people take a shot of their dear child for an expression on the child’s face, but in the printed shot the child is lost next to another kid, the swing set, and the dog. Remember get closer.

6. Never put your subject dead center. All family photographers do this and it’s as hard of a habit to break as remembering to look at the background. But if you’ve moved closer to your subject remember to put them just sightly off center. Not a lot just a bit. When you’re shooting even groups of people this is especially easy but odd numbered groups is a little more difficult. Just find your imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off center in your view through your lens or screen.

With these tips you can be on your way to taking better photos today.

How to Take Better Photos of Your Baby or Toddler

Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies and toddlers. We all want professional looking photos for our children without paying a fortune!

We all wanted to capture every precious moment and every important milestone on film. I am sure you are just like me in wanting to take these same precious photos of your baby or toddler. These 5 tips will help you take better baby and toddler photos.

1.) The first tip I suggest is to be aware of the lighting. The best place to take photos is outside in a natural setting. You should take photos early in the morning or late in the evening right before the sun sets. Remember to use your flash for fill flash outside. This lighting produces stunning results!

2.) The second tip I suggest is to get closer to your baby or toddler and get down to their level. Never photograph your baby or toddler from above.

3.) The third tip I suggest is to make the setting/background simple. Try to place your child near a simple or plain background.

4.) The fourth tip I suggest is to take lots and lots of photos. The more photos you take, the more photos you will have to choose from. You may just get lucky with an adorable one of a kind photo of your baby! You may capture the perfect moment! So, never stop taking pictures!

5.) Invest in a good digital camera. It doesn’t have to be an expensive digital camera. But it should have a sports mode so that every time the baby or toddler will move, it will not destroy the image.

You are now on your way to taking better baby and toddler photos.

7 Things You Must Do If You Want To Make That Perfect Camera Shot

There is a saying: Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand. Margaret Bourke-White

These tips should help you experience again those moments back where you've said "if only I had a camera." Now you will have it captured on film. These tips should help

1. Get closer to your Subject

Keep in mind, if you're using an instant camera a lot of them have a minimum shooting distance. This is usually about two meters.If you’re closer than that, your shots will be out of focus.Try to take shots with the viewer focused on the subject. The closer to the subject, it will look better for the viewer.

2. Photos will tell Stories

Photos of an occasion or activity such as birthdays, reunions and special occasions with family and friends tell a great story for all to experience again and reminisce.

3. Decide What It Is You Want and Don't Want in the Picture
It’s best to keep the background as uncluttered as you can. Background disorder will take out the focus from your subject.

4. Take Surprise Shots

You'll get some great shots if you take pictures when people least expect them. Just think of the facial expressions you'll get.

5. Make a Slide Show

Slide shows are great to have later when those involved in the activity can watch and laugh at themselves and find again the activity in their minds.

6. Liven Up Posed Shots

Try to avoid taking boring posed shots. Instead of using "Say Cheese" try have people say Rumplestilskin. That should help get a real smile. If people see you're going to take their picture, tell them you will click on four and then click on three. That should catch them in a more relaxed state.

7. Camera Hardware Tips

Does your camera have the correct options set up? Check your lens and make sure it’s clean. It could have a finger print on it. That would make it almost impossible to focus. Check to see if you have auto focus or manual focus. Test it to see if it will work as stated in your manual. Make sure you know how to control it.
If you are using slide film set the ISO button one spot ahead of the film. An example would be if you’re using ISO 64 slide film, set the ISO at 80.
The results will be deeper color saturation and more vibrant shades of yellow, red, and orange. This tip will not work with print film.

Using a digital camera, always make sure the battery is charged.

For more room on your memory card delete all pictures you don't want to keep. You’re now ready for some fun and games clicking away with your camera.

So I guess you’re very excited to use your camera. Have a posed full of memories.

Tips For Taking Better Photos With Your Digital Camera

Why are my photos so dark? Why are my pictures blown out? How do I get rid of red eye? Here are some simple tips that will produce better photos.

Lighting is extremely important when taking photos. Natural light is the best. Photos taken on a slightly overcast day will give the best results. If you are taking pictures on a sunny day, try to find some shade. Avoid having your subjects facing the sun because there will be a tendency to want to squint. Sunlight behind the subject will tend to produce a photo that is underexposed. If you are taking pictures indoors you will most like want to use a flash. Try to stay far enough away from the subject so the flash doesn't cause too much overexposure. Red eye is cause by the light from the flash reflecting off the retina in the back of the eye. Red eye is easily removed by using the software applications that are usually bundled with your digital camera. You can also use applications like iPhoto and Adobe Photoshop.

Most digital cameras also come with different settings to use in unique situations. Often called scene modes, you are able to select a mode that relates to the situation that the photo is being shot. Samples of these modes are beach, snow, fireworks, and kids and pets. These settings adjust the exposure of the camera to give the best results. It is best to test these and see which works for you. Take several photos of your subjects. The nice thing about digital cameras is that they come equipped with viewers and you can keep or delete the photos before you download them to your computer or printer.

Technology keeps advancing faster than you can keep up with. This case is true with digital cameras as well. Cameras keep getting smaller and the megapixels get higher. Don't be mislead, however, by a camera that has the capability of taking 12 megapixel images is better than a camera that only takes 8 megapixel images. Some of the newer 12 mp cameras are smaller than their predecessors and therefore have smaller CCD sensors (This is part takes the light that enters the lens and translates it into a digital signal). If your 8mp camera has a larger CCD sensor, it will be able to pickup a larger range of colors than your smaller 12mp camera creating a higher quality photo. The megapixel size of your camera doesn't have anything to do with the quality of photos that you take, only the size of photos you take. The higher megapixel size also allows you to crop photos and still maintain a decent resolution for printing purposes.

You will find that the more you use your digital camera and practice with the different settings the better pictures you will take.

By Matthew Swendseid

Get Closer to Your Subject

Almost any shot will look better if you take two or three steps closer to your subject. Filling the frame entirely with your subject will make a terrific difference to your photos.

Alternatively, instead of moving closer, use the Optical Zoom of your camera to get a close up shot. Don't use your Digital Zoom as it will degrade your image quality.

When taking shots of family and friends, most people place the subject's full body in the frame, or place head and arms in the shot. Instead, fill the frame with your subject's FACE only - particularly if they are smiling or are in a moment of reflection.

Why does this work? With less clutter in the image, there's less to draw the eye away from the main subject of your photo. Also, human faces (particularly children's faces) are something we all feel pleasure looking at.

If you can't get close enough when you're taking the shot, you can zoom in later using photo editing software - crop out everything except the subject's face and see what a difference it makes.

When using the viewfinder for close shots, be careful of Parallax. Because the viewfinder is not at the same position as the camera's lens, centering the subject in the viewfinder may mean it is not centered for the lens resulting in an off-center final picture. Most digital cameras now come with an inbuilt LCD screen. You can eliminate this problem by using the LCD - which shows you what the lens sees - rather than the viewfinder.

Nature Photography - Experimenting with Nature

Nature photography is one of the best ways to create an appreciation of nature, whether that nature photography is flowers, landscapes or animals.

Nature photography can be one of the most rewarding - and one of the most frustrating - types of photography. Wind can cause blur, not only with too much motion in the flora, but also making it difficult to depress the shutter smoothly. (If background is unimportant in your nature photography, consider a light tent to reduce wind and to block out background.) Sunlight also can cause problems in nature photography with too much exposure. Experiment to find what works best with what you want to accomplish through nature photography.

One thing that you'll want to be able to do with nature photography is to take close-ups of flora. Make sure to have a zoom or macro lens. A tripod is helpful to stabilize the camera in nature photography. Tripods that have a rotating central shaft allow you to get in closer.

Experiment with angles in nature photography. The most common angle in nature photography is looking down from the top. This has the advantage of being able to photograph flowers that are very close to the ground. Try eye level or photographing upwards for an interesting and unique shot.

Try differing backgrounds in your nature photography. If you have nothing in the background, context is hard to determine. Too much in the background, though, will detract from the main focus of your nature photography. However, by zooming in closer, the background will become softer. Your main focus, then, will stand out in sharp relief.

Another way to experiment with nature photography is with camera position. Most photographs are horizontal. See what kind of self-expression you come up with by simply rotating the camera 90 degrees.

With practice nature photography can become second nature.

10 Tips For Better Photography

Once the purchase of a digital camera is made, the beginning steps have begun as a professional photographer. Correctly handling the camera is a great tool to begin learning. The images it sends out are pretty close to perfect, but it takes a little while to get to that point. Understanding how it runs, what steps need to be learned, how to shoot indoor and outdoor pictures, or just limiting ourselves to a point-and-click style of photography are all part of knowing what to do. To not understand any of this is doing great injustice to the camera, which is made for better use. To avoid not learning, or simply not knowing, how to take a picture - we need to follow ten top shooting tips.

1. Too many novice or amateur photographers rely entirely on photo-editing tools to digitally enhance the photograph. Do not depend on this - in the back of the mind will always be the thought, "if it does not turn out, I can always fix it with software". The pleasure of photography should begin with the way the picture is shot, along with its emotional connection, not the result of the digital manipulation with a half-done picture. There is nothing the matter with the photo-editing tools, only what we do with them to make our photos look good.

2. Underexposure lacks color quality, so it really should be avoided. What happens is the sensors fail to read the colors that form the image. However, if given a choice, several photographers choose underexposing above overexposure. This is because even if underexposed, the details of the photograph are still recorded. In addition, it can still go into an editing program over overexposed photographs.

3. Digital cameras use millions of assorted pixels to produce the final image, with each sensor designed to capture a certain tonal range. When we do not allow full light to fall on the sensor, we are doing a great injustice to the image. Most of the pixels are unable to capture the tonal range in their full sweep and brightness, which ends up lowering the picture quality. The choice of sensor size is equivalent to choosing between assortments of formats - 35mm, medium and large format cameras. There are many different sensor size options regarding depth of field, image noise, diffraction, cost and size/weight.

4. When focusing on a subject, there are three factors which affect the depth of field: focal length of the lens; distance from the camera to the subject; and the size of the aperture or setting of the f-stop. You must focus on the subject, and not on people or objects around the subject. The subject at a greater distance will have greater depth of field than one that is close-up. This will reduce the noise level in your photographs. Also, less worry needs to be given to being out of focus, bringing in clarity and sharpness to the image.

5. When a picture is overexposed, too much detail is too high in tonal range. Just as under exposure makes a picture dark and toneless, over exposure makes colors too rich giving the picture an artificial hue - causing highlight to lose their detail. Over exposures also blanks out light and dark effects, along with the tones that give an image a natural look causing everything to look gray with less saturation.

6. Exposure warning lights have a purpose - with the word "warning." We must learn to look and respect under exposure warning lights just like a red flashing light at an intersection. These are especially good for beginners who can change the exposure until the blinking areas disappear. Later, the user can start using their own insights in deciding the exposure levels.

7. The camera can take a great picture, but we as the photographer prepare before then. The best photographs are those whose parameters are decided by the human mind. No amount of automation can change this fact. We, too, should gradually move away from automated functions and start making our own combinations when it comes to exposure, color, noise etc. Only then will we find gradual, but unmistaken, improvement in the quality of photographs taken.

8. Thinking of the composition should be the focus before clicking the button. Composition is the art of focusing on the subject using frames, movement, lights etc. We can learn composition techniques either from a senior photographer or from a book. Then we should start practicing them with new techniques. We will find an automatic improvement in the quality of our photographs.

9. To constantly improve one's photography skills, take as many different pictures as you can - all the time. Take enough pictures that you can tell how they will turn through experience, fixing them in advance.

10. The last one tip is to think ahead, think what you want to shoot, think how it is to be shot, think about its exposure, color, noise - all about visualization. We must learn to critically examine each image that we shoot as if it were our last. Try and find out the weaknesses of the photograph. Shoot again to remove the weaknesses - until we are completely satisfied.

All The Secrets To Art Photography

Art photography is a recently new form of art that has just started to become incredibly popular over the last couple of years as the advancements in digital photography has jumped a level or two. So what is art photography? Basically it's just a form of picture taking that is rendered in a certain way to reflect something 'arty' and that also has some kind of hidden meaning behind it that makes it more special than just a normal everyday photograph.

Many people refer art photography to pictorialism, which then intern means the method of constructing a picture keeping in mind that the picture take must be a form of art or can be turned into a art piece later using computer related technology. In fact this method of taking photos ceased to exist for quite sometime when important artists came to believe that more emphasis was being placed on design rather than on the picture.

With digital work, art photography is becoming more prevalent nowadays and, with the help of a computer, certain effects can be deliberately achieved so photographs can be made to look like an oil painting or as pastel, but this is governed mainly by the expertise of the photographer's own abilities.

Buying art photography at a gallery is relatively a simple task and with the advent of online art photography galleries, buyers can locate photographs that best suit their individual desires and tastes without the need of commuting or attending art exhibitions. Art photography is basically art that is creative, more so when it is visually aesthetic and is mostly appreciated for a having lots of imaginative and intellectual content.

There are two types of cameras that a photographer chooses to use, manual and automatic. The photos are processed by hand and only experienced printers have the ability to make sure the photo is not damaged and comes out perfect in the end.

Many photographers choose to take black and white photos for their art photography as they believe that they can play on more emotions that have the ability to affect the human psyche in a more effective manner. However those photographers who tend to use more color in their photos believe the opposite is true that in fact color has the ability to create more emotions and inevitably stir more senses in the brain that black and white could ever achieve. If you are starting out in the world of art photography than it's best to implement both(perhaps in the same photos if possible)

4 Simple Tips To Taking Great Pictures

Are you interested in developing your photography skills and becoming an expert at photo shooting? You may be just starting out or just bought a digital camera. After snapping up numerous photos, you are beginning to wonder why your pictures do not look that great after all.

When you look into a picture that pleases the eye, can you detect the subtlety that makes it appealing? We all know a well taken photo when we see one. Here are some tips that you can use. These tips apply to both digital and traditional cameras.

Here are four tips for a better picture.

1. Get a little closer, do not be shy. One of the biggest mistakes most beginning photographers make is shooting from so far away. They leave too much distance between themselves and their subjects. Instead, get up close and personal. Fill up as much of the camera frame, with your subject, as you can. You can always reshape, trim, and resize a good quality shot. But you cannot continue to blow up a distant subject and hope that it will come into focus. It just won't happen.

2. Focus your shot on only one subject. Determine what the main subject of the photo will be, and catch that image. Try and find the one key subject, person, or event that accurately portrays the feeling you are trying to capture.

3. In addition to getting one subject, in your photos, you will want to make the background of the photo as simple as possible. Busy, distracting backgrounds pull the attention away from the central theme of your photo. The subject of your photo is absolutely the most important element, and anything that detracts from the subject can ruin your shot.

4. Subject placement. Most people place the subject at the exact center of the frame. There is nothing wrong with this. However this often leads to a bland and uninteresting picture. You may use a method called the rule of thirds. Imagine having a camera lens split into 9 equal sized boxes, 3 across and 3 down (like having a tic tac toe game printed right on your camera lens). Where those "tic tac toe" lines cross, should become the focusing point of your subject, when you are arranging to take your photo.

Based on this tip, every time you compose a shot, the main subject of your photo should be located primarily on one of these "third" lines.

These are just four very fundamental tips and strategies to help improve your photos. Photography skills can always be improved and is never ending. You have to keep on practicing and shooting in order to improve your photography skills. Get a critic and show them your pictures. Then you will able to improve your skills. You can even post your photos to online forums for them to rate your pictures. Take advantage of these and hopefully you will become the next award winning photographer.