Against Closed Eyes In Marketing

We’re so used to looking at standard photo frames displaying 6″ x 4″ photographs that it’s a nice change to see a photograph blown up to 10″ and put inside a larger frame. The effort in doing that, however, is quite a lot and it’d be a feat to find space for all your favourite photographs once they’ve been blow up to that size. Now with the 10″ digital photo frame you only need to find one space for all your photos, providing you have a digital copy of them and can get them onto a memory card or USB stick.

Simply transfer all the .JPEG digital image files onto the memory card or USB stick and slot that device into the 10″ digital photo frame. It will read them and begin to display them in a customizable slideshow subject to your preferences. Now every single photograph is blown up to 10″ with perfect screen resolution and no distortion. You don’t even need to leave your own home, or indeed even your seat to display all your favourite personal photographs. Most 10″ digital picture frames also come with a stand and two wall mounting holes on the back so that you can choose where the photographs are displayed within your home.

It was nice to have your digital images cycling through on a computer screensaver but now you can have those photographs displayed proudly and purposefully on a wall, shelf or coffee table and they will stay there while you carry on using your computer. Big photographs don’t have to take up a ton of space within your home anymore.

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Disposable Cameras are fairly simple to use, using the disposable camera the proper way will ensure you get a good picture.

Disposable cameras are built to the “Average” Specifications for “general” photos. Indoor, Outdoor etc.

The focus range for a disposable camera is 5 feet to infinity, which means anything from 5 feet to infinity will be in focus, If you are using the disposable camera indoors and are using flash you must be within 12 feet of the subject for the flash to be effective.

it’s as easy as 123

1.Wind the film - usually found on the top right side of the back of the camera.

2. Depress the flash button - usually found on the front side of the disposable on the left, some cameras have a “on” button which means the flash will charge automatically and some have a button the you have to depress every 2-3 photos taken.

3. Compose the shot and press the shutter button (Snap!).

For more information about disposable cameras see Cameras101 - Disposable Cameras The site is just about disposables cameras and anything related to disposables, it’s remarkable to see so many different styles of disposable cameras and wedding cameras on this planet never mind on a site.

That’s right, you go through all the trouble of making your house or apartment nicer by hauling yourself off to the local fix it yourself store or hiring some professionals to come in and do it for you, so why not capture an accurate record of it for posterity. At almost no cost I might add.

Grab your digital camera and start snapping images of your place before the project begins. Hey I even documented my wife buried in catalogs, magazines, plans and books on the couch as she researched our kitchen remodel. She did not like the shot but in the end I think she will look back on it and laugh. After the bills have been paid I might add.

Yes we are in the middle of a major kitchen remodel. Imagine taking your old semi-functional kitchen, stripping it down to the studs, knocking out a wall or two and then starting over. That is what we are immersed in these days. I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to be nothing but positive about the process no matter how painful it gets. So to that end I decided to start taking pictures everyday of the progress. Well almost everyday as there are days when no progress is made. It helps me keep my sense of humor and it has also given me a better perspective on the project that has allowed me to give my wife input on direction that might otherwise not been received too well if you know what I mean.

It all started with the excavation of the new addition off the back of the house. The contractor started with digging for the new foundation, and stripping off the façade of the back of the house. While there was a bunch of activity on the outside of the house I even set up my DV video camera and shot time lapse video of all the carpentry and digging that was going on during a two hour period. It made for a fun video.

Now I work out of my office in the house so when construction began it was an earful for sure. My wife works at a local hospital so she was lucky enough to miss the din each day, although she gets an earful at work from time to time. I am able to set a timer in my day to wander up in the back of the house and take the days images. I try to find a new detail of the construction to capture each day. My favorite day, although it was the loudest by far, was the day of demolition. My contractor brought in this delightful crew of guys who hail from Russia originally. They whacked and crashed my old kitchen to pieces all the while chatting each other up in Russian. They were efficient and fun guys who tore it up in record time and created a mountain of trash out back. I documented mount trashmore with my dog standing proudly on top with a quizzical look on his face.

Of course one could say that I am protecting myself against problems with the construction and you would be right on some level. But that is not truly why I am doing it. I really want to be able to assemble a full documentation of this process that I can look at down the road when we are fully enjoying our great new kitchen.

Kevin Rockwell is a life long photographer and digital camera convert. He has spent his whole adult life taking pictures and now spends his time shooting sports images, training soccer players, and writing about digital cameras. The Flash Times is filled with tips, news, and information about digital cameras. Visit http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/digi-cam-join.html to sign up today for this monthly newsletter.

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We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen. Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really good one.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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Nokia is a world-wide telecoms corporation, focused on the fundamental advancing fields of wired & wireless telecommunications. Nokia is now the globe greatest builder of mobile telephones, with a worldwide mobile hand-set market share of just about 38%. Nokia constructs mobile phones for every leading market portion and protocol. The outfit likewise constructs telecommunications network gear for applications, for instance, mobile and fixed line voice telephony, ISDN, broadband access, voice over internet protocol and wireless LAN.

Nokia has an extraordinary major role in the economy of Finland. Nokia is surely the greatest Finnish company, accounting for more or less 30 percent of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock; a unique circumstance in a first world country. It’s an important employer in Finland and a few spinoff companies have grown-up into major businesses as Nokia’s subcontractors.

Nokia extended the Gross Domestic Product of Finland by more than 1.5 % in 1999 alone. In 04 the Nokia quantity of the the Gross Domestic Product of Finland was 3 ½ % and made up almost 25 per cent of Finland’s exports in 2003. In 2007, Nokia created revenues that for the first time overtook the state budget of Finland. This has led some to refer to Finland as “Nokialand.”

The people of Finland have named Nokia many times as the most important Finnish brand and employer. Nokia is known to be the 5th most valuable global brand in BusinessWeek’s Best Global Brands list of the 20 most respectable outfits internationally in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies.

Nokia’s Mobile division equips the public with mobile voice and data products across a wide selection of mobile devices. This division aims to home in on overall large-volume type sales of mobile phones and devices, with people being the most significant customer segment.

Nokia regards that design, brand, ease of use and price are main stream mobile phones’ most essential considerations for customers. Nokia’s product collection includes digital camera mobiles with super features, for instance, megapixel cameras and MP3 players that interest the mass market.

In the 1 st quarter of ‘07 it moved over 15000000 MP3 capable mobile phones, which means that it is not only the globe’s foremost fabricator of cellular telephones and digi cameras (as the bulk of Nokia’s mobiles have digital cameras, it is also believed that it has recently overtaken Kodak in camera assemblage, making it the biggest in the world), it is nowadays also the foremost fabricator of digital audio. It aspires to sell 80 million music capable phones by the end of 2007, outpacing sales of things such as the iPod from Apple.

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1. Use both hands and hold the camera STILL.

There you are next to one of the Pyramids in Egypt—a perfect picture opportunity. You hand your camera to another tourist passing by hoping to get a fantastic shot. When you view the picture on your digital camera (after the person has gone) or you get your photos developed, all you see is a big blur! Now you are left with a completely useless picture that could have been something amazing.

Let us say that your photo turned out only slightly blurred and you try to enlarge your photo when you get home from your trip. When you go to pick up the blown up version it looks pretty bad. Even photos that are slightly blurred will never make quality enlarged prints!

The question you may be asking is “should I tell a perfect stranger to make sure he/she holds the camera still?” YES! Do not hesitate—especially when it is a once in a lifetime photo opportunity. Others will understand because they have probably been in a similar situation.

Sometimes it can be difficult to remain steady with a smaller camera because you think you have a better handle on it. Take the time to make sure you are holding it as still as possible.

One more tip for quality enlarged prints—make sure you have enough light on your subject if you want the best color quality. This topic will be expanded in tips 4 & 5.

2. Watch out for too much ceiling!

My family was visiting New York several years ago and wanted to see the statue of Liberty. While there, I handed my camera to someone to get a picture of us(back in the day when I did not have a digital camera) and when I got the pictures developed I had to laugh.

The five of us were cut off at the neck, but there was PLENTY of sky above us. Do not get too much sky unless that is your intention.

3. To check focus, hold the shoot button halfway down.

This goes along with tip 1; make every effort to have a clear photo and you will be much happier with your prints.

4. Make sure light source is behind you, not your subject.

What will happen if you do not follow this advice? In extreme cases, the subjects in your photos will look like dark silhouettes. Take the time to stop and think about where your light source is—you want it to be behind you—ALWAYS.

This tip will also prevent weird-looking shadows on people’s faces. To avoid squinting subjects, count to three before you take the picture—this allows others to close their eyes until just before the photo is taken.

5. Use a fill flash even when it is not automatic.

REMEMBER: Your flash will NOT come on if there is light in the background—learn how to set the flash on your camera and learn how to turn it off. The colors in your photos will be much better if you use a flash and the subjects will also be clearer.

Watch out for too much light—this can make your subjects look washed out.

6. Remember that a flash only carries 7-9 feet

This is a good tip to remember at the next concert or big event you attend. It always makes me laugh when I see a bunch of flashes going off throughout an entire dark performance—those pictures turn out terribly.

7. Shoot your subject at a closer distance

Far away pictures of people are rarely interesting. Do not be afraid to get close-up shots; these are the ones that people typically frame and enjoy looking at the most.

8. Avoid red eye by not shooting in low light.

If you are in low light, use your red-eye reduction if you have one. HOWEVER, if you can avoid this altogether that would be best.

9. Enhance your photo with touches of COLOR

On one particular day when I lived in British Columbia, I wanted to get some photos of the ocean and the sky, but it was kind of a grey day and everything looked the same color. I decided to have my daughter stand in the picture because she had a red coat on and it made such a difference! Adding color to your photos will make them much more interesting.

10. Be prepared to “seize the moment!”

If you come across something spectacular, snap away. The more pictures you take, the more likely it is that one of them will turn out the way you want it too. My children sometimes give me a hard time for this, but I almost always end up with a photo that I am very satisfied with.

Jill Tabatabaei is the founder of thecoloredstone.com where professional nature photography and cards are sold. She received these tips from artistic photographer Anne Stewart, who has been taking pictures professionally for the last 40 years. To see some of Anne’s work, visit:
http://www.thecoloredstone.com/naturepictures.html

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Filters are used in photography to bring back an image to the way our eyes have perceived the original scene. Some times it’s not possible for our cameras to record an exact scene - so we have to rely on the manufacturers of camera products.

Filters also help us to create mood in our images and bring out the best in a scene. A small selection of filters is well worth packing when heading off for a trip. They don’t take up too much space and will definitely add a bit of spice to your images.

Filters work by being placed in front of your camera lens. You can also place several filters in front of your camera at any given time.

Lets take a look at the most important ones to use.

Neutral Density Filters (ND): Neutral Density filters will certainly help you with tough exposures. These filters work by cutting down the light that reaches your lens. These filters come in a variety of strengths with the most popular being 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 - these filters will help with exposure without affecting colour.

One half of these filters is dark and the other is completely clear. They basically work by reducing brightness. The different numbers stand for the amount of brightness they reduce - 0.3 ND reduces light by one stop - 0.6 reduces light by 2 stops - 0.9 reduces light by three stops.

Lets say you arrive at a high contrast scene, - you take a light reading of the sky and get an exposure reading of F/22 at 1/8 second; you take a reading from the ground in front of you and get a reading of F/22 at 1 second. This is a difference of three stops of light. You need to reduce the brightness of the sky. By using the 0.9 ND you will reduce the light in the sky by three stops without affecting the light hitting the ground in front of you.

Polarizing Filters: A polarizing filter should be top of the list - a polarizing filter can be used with colour or black and white and is probably the most important filter on the market today. The polarizing filter will also darken the blue sky to give it a strong rich colour. It will make mist stand out and can be also used to give fast flowing water a misty effect. This filter is most effective with side lighting.

Warm-up filters: In overcast conditions, don’t put your camera away. This is an ideal time for you to switch your attention to landscape detail. On an overcast day images often appear cold and dull. Try using a warm-up filter. These filters will remove the dull effect that you get shooting without the sun.

The 81-series are the best choice and will give your images an extra bit of life. An 81A warm-up filter is ideal to use in adding extra warmth to low light images.

Filters for B/W photography: Just because you use black and white film it doesn’t mean that you can’t use filters - there are several filters for B/W photography. The polarizing filter is one of the few filters that work for B/W and colour photography. It will help to darken shades of grey in your final print.

The red filter is one of the most popular. This filter will darken the sky giving your image more impact. The most common red filter is the number 25. Filters for B/W work by transmitting light of its own colour, and holds back light of the other colours.

There’s a large amount of filters available; these are the most important filters for landscape photography.

There are also several filters on the market today that will do very little for your photography. Colour graduated filters should be left at home or placed in the bin - colour graduated filters work by creating un-natural colours, destroying your final print.

TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape photographer. If you are looking for more photo tips visit http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html To view some of his images visit his on line gallery @ http://www.goldenirishlight.com

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Once I was invited to tea by an elderly member of my family and she asked me to show her some of my latest photos.

“Oh my” she said, “They are such wonderful pictures, you must have a very expensive camera!”

A little later she served tea and home made cakes. I said to her, “I must say, these are such wonderful cakes, you must have a very expensive cooker!”

The point being, unless you know your stuff, weather it’s taking great pictures or baking wonderful cakes, the best camera or the latest cooker wont help much!

First you must familiarize yourself with your new digital camera
and if you haven’t used a digital camera before, there’s a few things you must understand.

Remember, it’s not too clever to spend a large sum of money on a brand new digital camera and after opening up the box only to read the instruction manual once and to not bother to learn all the cameras capabilities.

Like learning how to control exposure, how to use different camera modes and how to use the flash. Or how to Use Optical rather than Digital Zoom.

Cameras are marketed with both an Optical Zoom and Digital Zoom capability.

If you’ve previously used a 35mm.SLR film camera with a zoom lens, you would have been using an optical zoom. Optical zoom is the lens of the camera, or the cameras optics, which brings the subject closer. Digital zoom uses software to digitally enlarge a portion of the image and is not strictly a zoom lens.

WHICH IS BETTER: Without any doubt Optical zoom.

Read your camera manual and practice these techniques until it becomes second nature and the information you gain about your camera, will allow you plenty of time to concentrate on composing your picture and thinking carefully about choosing your backgrounds, avoiding unwanted objects. Thus also giving you more time to think about your subject or models and capturing that special moment.

The biggest advantage with a digital camera is that most have an inbuilt LCD, which means you are able to shoot your picture from different angles and not just from eye level.

When I’m shooting a pro’ assignment, I often use a medium format camera which has a viewing screen on the top. This also allows me to choose many different angles to shoot my pictures. Now with the advantage of a digital camera’s LCD screen, you
have the same opportunities as the pros and this opens up a new approach to shooting your pictures.

Use a tripod: A tripod is invaluable in low light conditions, do not attempt to shoot without one. It’s also ideal for shooting night shots in city streets etc. Also pros use them when shooting fast action sports, ball games etc.

Another advantage when using a tripod is that it will slow you down giving you time to think about your picture and surroundings. This way you’re working just like a pro’ and creating images, not “snaps”!

0ne of the major advantages of a digital camera is the ability to erase your photos. So use this to the fullest extent.

If you erase more often you can just keep the very best shots. It will also mean that you won’t need such a large memory card, as it will not be storing your not-so-perfect images.

To learn more about how to use your Digital Camera go here: Digital Photography Pro Secrets

I’m from London. I started out in the days of the Swinging Sixties and London was quite a place to be. In those days we use to shoot catalog fashion shots with a 10X8 inch View camera, so the transparency images would be the same size as the image on the catalog page, I have to tell you right now that took quite some doing. Now I spent most of my time with my website: Pro SECRETS of Money Making PHOTOGRAPHY, writing about and teaching photography, occasionally shooting assignments.

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As a newspaper photographer I’ve taken quite a few `snatch shots’, which are photographs of someone that were taken without the person in the picture being aware of it.

Actually there are two kinds of snatch shots, long range and close range. Long range shots are usually but not always taken with a zoom lens, usually from several hundred yards away. Close range snatch shots are best taken with a medium wide angle lens and they are taken from just a few yards away.

Let’s assume that you plan to take a long range snatch shot, that your subject (or prey, whichever way you want to look at it) is in a public park and that you are perhaps a couple of hundred yards away from him.
Several things could happen.

You might casually raise your camera and pretend to be taking pictures of the park. Point it in several directions and perhaps play around with the camera controls to make it look as if you’re adjusting it, maybe changing the aperture or shutter speed.

But at some stage you’ll have to point the camera in his direction, and this is where the problems can begin.
He may not be quite sure what you’re taking a picture of; he may think that you’re just taking a picture of the park or he may suspect that you’re taking a picture of him.

It’s bad news, either way, because he has now been alerted. This may be enough to make him turn his back on you and move away but if he doesn’t, if he keeps looking at you, keep cool.

Remember that he will be looking at the camera head on, and from this perspective all he can see is the front of the lens, he can’t see the body part of it. And as he can’t see the body of the lens, the chances are that he doesn’t know if it’s a standard lens or a zoom lens.
If he decides that it’s a standard lens it might be ok, he might decide that you’re harmless.

Or he might tell himself that he doesn’t care what kind of lens it is, you aren’t going to take his picture, period. He might decide to confront you about it, to walk over to you and find out what the hell you’re doing.
Keep calm, but also decide what you’re going to do – and do it quickly.
Basically you have three options.

One option is let him walk right up to you, let him demand to know what you’re doing, admit that you were taking his picture and offer to delete the pictures. This may not be good enough for him, of course - he may decide to trash your camera and perhaps trash you too.
Another option is to stand up to him; tell him you were taking his picture and ask him what he plans to do about it.

A third option is to take his picture as he is walking towards you, to forget how scared you are and keep pressing that shutter. Then, when you’re sure you have some good pictures of him…
Run like hell!

* There are also important ethical issues involved in this kind of photography and I plan to discuss these in a future article.

Paul Gooch is a Press and wedding photographer located in Skegness UK. He sells his photographs to local, regional and national newspapers, has taught media studies at a local college and has published several thought provoking and perhaps controversial articles about photography on his web site http://www.paulgoochimages.com

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Reality TV is experiencing an upsurge in popularity and its presence has conditioned the public’s acceptance of a number of things:

• That lead actors being trained and polished ‘performers’ is no longer a necessity.
• Camcorder movement. As the use of ‘dollies’, ‘jibs’ and even ’steadycams’ to obtain smooth motion/tracking shots are often at odds with site and time constraints.
• Reduction in production values of video, lighting and audio.

Whilst a ‘reduction in production values’ may not inspire confidence, it bodes as a positive to the small time camcorder operator in reduced production costs. And the savvy camcorder operator can make up any shortfall with a little imagination and a lot of ingenuity.

“Anyone can be a video producer”, says Mark Sturge, of KMS Productions “technology has delivered the tools and there is an emerging group of people who know that (don’t tell anyone this) video and even television production is easy, if you have the right plan.

“Desktop video is a huge opportunity.” Mark goes on to explain “Everyday people are looking for special memories to be preserved on video tape or DVD. That family occasion/party/wedding or their children’s sports events filmed with a camcorder. And now getting their favourite sport or hobby on TV is possible. Yes… possible. And you can be the video producer that does it for them!”

Most people think that it takes big bucks to produce video for television or commercial release. The inside secret is that you can produce quality video productions with a relatively small investment - and having the right plan that can take you step-by-step through the process is a crucial component. Here are the steps Mark suggests you should follow:

1. Get yourself a high resolution camcorder.
2. Learn how to use your camcorder to produce ‘compelling’ video (this sounds obvious, but it can be where the majority of operators ‘drop the ball’).
3. Engineer cost effective solutions to produce professional production values (in particular the areas of lighting and audio).
4. Polish your production with your desktop editing system.
5. Submit your production to program managers that accept public submissions, create a professional looking DVD series to sell, shoot family/TV/commercial video in your home studio etc..

So what are you waiting for? Pick up that camcorder, boot up your pc and ‘Say It With Video’!

Mark Sturge is the owner of KMS Productions and webmaster at http://www.video-production-mastery.com/ A site where visitors can find information, training videos and manuals that help people to better their camcorder techniques or discover ways to earn an income from their video taking hobby.

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