Make no mistake, digital photography is here, it’s big, and it’s the way things will be from now on. People use digital photography in their work every day:- police officers, real estate agents, insurance agents, fire fighters, scientists and doctors, just to name a few.

Digital photography has come a long way in a few years. Digital photography, as opposed to film photography, uses electronic devices to record and capture the image as binary data. Digital photography has also been adopted by many amateur snapshot photographers, who take advantage of the convenience of the form when sending images by email, placing them on the World Wide Web, or displaying them in digital picture frames.

Digital photography was used in astronomy long before its use by the general public and had almost completely displaced photographic plates by the early 1980s. Digital photography enables you to experiment with the camera settings, different styles of images can be tried out, learn t from and techniques improved all without the expense of film processing.

Some other devices, such as mobile phones, now include digital photography features. With the acceptable image quality and the other advantages of digital photography (particularly the time pressures of vital importance to daily newspapers) the majority of professional news photographers have begun capturing their images with digital cameras.

Other commercial photographers, and many amateurs, have enthusiastically embraced digital photography because they believe that its flexibility and lower long-term costs outweigh its initial price disadvantages. Almost all of the cost of digital photography is capital cost, meaning that the cost is for the equipment needed to store and copy the images, and once purchased requires virtually no further expense outlay.

The biggest advantage of digital photography over traditional film include: Instant review of pictures, with no wait for the film to be developed: if there’s a problem with a picture, the photographer can immediately correct the problem and take another picture.

Written by Tara Dipalma

Well, I am going to give you one of the first things that I learned in picture taking, are you ready? This may seem simple and it is. When you are taking a picture of someone, request them to; just look to the left or right of the lens of your camera. That slight angle will work wonders, try it you will be pleased.

Now on your end, you will be looking though your viewfinder. Do not center the person or object in viewfinder, instead aim as if you are looking just to the open space around either side of them.

Enough about people lets move on to scenery. In the case of scenery in photos, bring with you a 4 foot step ladder. Follow ladder safety. Climb up the ladder a few rungs and take the shot looking down at that slight angle. That little bit of perspective change will give you a very different picture.

One more photo tip is when taking a picture of something small; just try to focus on the object only, not the background. In the case of a bird you will be amazed.

Stop being an amateur photographer that only thinks about what is in front of you and start thinking about how to shoot it. The best way to improve your skills is with experience, so get out there and make some mistakes and learn how to take good pictures. These basic photography skills will start you on the way of being a professional photographer and greatly improving your photos.

Written by James Johnson

First off, you need an actual green screen. Despite the name, this can be either green or blue in color. The choice of color will largely be dictated by what you are photographing as you want to make it easy for your software to isolate the intended image with you.

Purpose made green screens are readily available from around $20. You can look for them in places like eBay, Amazon or your local photo store. Alternatively, you can make your own from fabric or even by painting a roll of paper. So long as the color is consistent, you’ll be fine.

Next up you need to make sure that you have good lighting for your digital photo. This is especially useful when you come to edit your pictures as extra shadows can confuse any automatic software options that you choose.

Although you can buy expensive lights, you’ll probably find that you can get very good results with just a couple of fluorescent tubes. Place them both upright, in front of your subject and to either side. This way any shadows should be canceled out.

Then take your photographs.

Once you’re happy with these, the time has come to edit them and put in a new background. So your "talking head" shot now shows you in a news studio, in front of a street scene, or just about anywhere else you choose.

Much will now depend on your photo editing software.

At its most basic, you will need to trace round the outline of your chosen image. Programs like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop have tools that will help you to do this. But it may still take a while to tweak the places where the automatic software recognition program isn’t as accurate as you may like. This is where the contrast between the green screen and your subject matter comes in handy as it gives your chosen software a much better chance of doing a good job with as little of your help as possible.

Once you’ve got your image selected, you then need to use another option to digitally "lift" the image and then drop it onto your chosen background. Again, this will vary with your software package but providing you can get the software to just copy the selected area, you’ll be fine.

It may pay you to practice doing this with a simple shape such as a rectangle or a circle so that you don’t waste lots of time tracing round a complicated image only to find you press the wrong key at the wrong time. It’s at times like these when you’re grateful for Edit Undo options but personally I wouldn’t rely on them one hundred percent.

It’s then a relatively easy matter of dropping your carefully cut out selection on to the new picture. So you can then pretend to be talking to people from in front of the pyramids of Egypt or anywhere else you prefer.

Written by Trevor Stonham

Horizontal vs Vertical

Most people who do digital photography of people hold the digital camera horizontal. Not sure why this is; most likely because the digital camera is built that way, but really you can do well with holding the camera vertical as well. Horizontal digital photos of people are ok, but work best when taking a group photo rather than a single photo of someone. A vertical angle for your digital people photo can give you a great composition for close up and it tells you a lot more about that person that a horizontal will. Horizontal angles in digital photography of single people tends to increase the amount of potential clutter and irrelevant objects in the frame.

People Photography Secret Number 2

Where to put your people in the frame

In digital photography, pictures of people work best by creating some interesting composition. Don’t put your person in the center of the frame just because everyone else does their digital photography that way; be unique and creative and you’ll get a much be result. And good digital photography is all about capturing that special moment of someone to last and reflect something positive about that person, right?

People Photography Secret Number 3

Go Candid. Personally, in my experience as someone who does digital photography for a living, I can tell you that candid digital photographs work so much better then staid photos. It’s so much better to capture someone just as they laugh at a funny joke, or see their friend for the first time in a while, or even talking quietly to others, it so much more interesting and creates a positive photo of someone than a shot of them looking into the camera with a posed shot; hey anyone can do that. But do take that digital photo with them laughing and not knowing they’re being photographed captures a side of them that not everyone sees. It’ll show them in good spirits and create a positive image for all those who see that digital photo from now on. Get creative with people photography; try black and white and sepia. And even try taking the digital photo of them doing something they love, like playing an instrument for example.

Written by Amy Renfrey

Aperture: The aperture sets the amount of light that reaches the film. In other words the aperture will only allow a certain amount of light to reach the film for the brightness of the photograph. Most cameras that are automatic will select this setting for you, but when learning photography basics if you can use manual settings to choose the aperture you will learn when flash is needed or when you need to have extra light in the room for the best quality picture.

ISO or Speed- This is the shutter speed. The shutter speed is determined by the amount of light as well as the film. In other words the larger the number the faster, and more sensitive the emulsion for the film. So a film that is ISO 100 is going to be slow, which produces a lesser picture than say ISO 400. ISO 400 is 4 times as fast.

These two terms will help you when you are studying photography basics. Next you need to learn how to hold the camera. The camera should be held steady so if you do not have a tripod you will need to hold the camera very tight against your eye and nose. The objective is to hold the camera as tight as possible to your face with your right hand with your index finger on the button, while your left hand is under the lens holding the entire camera steady. While these are just some of the basics of photography you will find many books or other types of publications on photography basics, including those used for photography classes.

Written by Angela Amerson

1. Soft diffuse light. Today it’s very overcast outside, and if there were any flowers in bloom today would be the perfect day for capturing some great images. Soft diffuse light enhances color saturation, so if you wondered how or why pro photographers flower images seem so deep in color this is one of the reasons why. (There are exceptions to this rule. I do some flower photography is bright or dappled sunlight but I’m usually trying to get an effect of light passing through the petals.)
2. Slow film speed. 200 speed or less. The slower speed films have greater detail and for flowers you’re going to need to get close anyway and you want the nice sharp detail of a slower speed of film. I use 100 speed for my flower photography.
3. Tripod. Use one for this type of photography. Set up your shot, get everything in sharp focus, and then shoot. A tripod will keep your camera from moving on you and allow you to get the sharp detail you will need.
4. Look for great colors, a flower in full bloom next to a bud, and don’t shoot on windy days. Keep contrast and color in mind at all times and try different compositions each time you take a shot.

Flower photography can be a lot of fun especially if the flowers are your own.

Written by Kelly Paal

A practical way for defining macro photography is by the strength of the lens, or how nearby it can focus. For true macro photography, you’ll want to have a lens that focuses down to a 1:1 range. For example,for 35mm film,your camera has to have the ability to focus on an area at least as small as 24×36mm ,because this is the size of the image on the film.After having the film developed,the picture of the subject on the negative or slide will be exactly the same size as the subject photographed.

What makes macro photography seductive is the level of detail that you see, sometimes for the first time - familiar objects become unusual and abstract and unusual objects become even more interesting.

There are many applications for macro photography: flowers,plants,butterflies, minerals,snowflakes… Your own backyard, a local garden,beach or forest can provide you with hours of fun with macro photography.

Of course macro photography isn’t always centred on the natural world. Collectors use macro photography to record coins,stamps and other collectibles that are very small.Some people use macro photography for documenting their possessions for insurance purposes or to illustrate their auction listings online.

Working with macro photography can be a whole new visual event for even the most advanced photographers.Every day can yield another subject and an endless supply of captivating images.The possibilities of macro photography are limited only by your imagination.

If you are interested in macro photography, then by all means consider purchasing a dedicated macro lens.SLR digital cameras with interchangeable lenses are ideal for macro photography.If you’re primarily interested in outdoor photography, consider a 180mm or 200mm macro lens.

Alternatively you can use extension tubes,reversing rings, or close-up diopter lens.

An extension tube is placed between the camera body and the lens. There is no glass in the tube - its purpose is to move the lens farther from the film (or digital sensor) so that magnification can be bigger.

Reversing ring is attached on the front of a lens and makes it possible to attach the lens in reverse.

Close-up diopter lens are placed in front of the camera’s main lens. These screw-in or slip-on attachments provide close focusing at very low cost.However,the quality of the pictures is variable.

Written by Felix Zhucha

Wedding photography includes the capturing of all the moments of your special day - from the preparation through the ceremony and reception. There are many different ways to photograph a wedding and, ultimately, the photographer and style of photography that you choose is reflective of your unique personality and the style of your wedding. If you choose wisely, you will happily share your wedding photographs for generations to come.

There is of course traditional wedding photography that follows a set pattern of formal, posed photography combined with photos taken throughout the ceremony. This style of photography has been seen for many generations and continues to be the most popular style of photography seen in wedding albums everywhere. But today’s photographers are branching out and offering more non-traditional methods of wedding photography including candid photos and journalistic style photography.

Those brides and grooms who are interested in infusing some unique style into their wedding photography can do so easily by hiring a photographer who can capture your unique style through the lens of his camera. Choosing a photographer such as this is easier then ever with the advent of the Internet. Today’s photographers can showcase their talents and creativity online where you can peruse through galleries in search of a style that fits your needs.

Digital technology has opened up the world of wedding photography even more by giving us the opportunity to make changes on the spot or enhance photos on the computer.

The wedding photography that you choose will forever define your wedding day to the generations that come after you. Choose according to what fits your personality and style and you will enjoy a lifetime of memories.

Written by Michelle Bery

The beauty of aerial photography and aerial videography is that it comes from a perspective that most individuals don’t commonly see the world, from the sky. Aerial Photography and Videography is great for aerial surveying on specific grounds and for looking at the world in different perspectives.

There are four main types of aerial photography and aerial videography:

1. Balloon Aerial Photography and video - This method uses large balloons in conjunction with mounted cameras. This method is neighbor friendly and quiet, however much more time consuming and much less accuracy than other methods. Balloon photography is also good for low-altitude aerial photography

2. Kite Aerial Photography and Video - Like the names suggests, kite arial photography uses kites and cameras to photography pictures from the sky. Like Balloon aerial photography, this method is quiet and neighbor friendly, but may lack in accuracy.

3. Helicopter Manned Aerial Photography - This method uses manned helicopters for taking photos. This method is laser accurate and produces the best photos from larger distance. This method isn’t good however, for low-altitude photography, is much more expensive and very loud. If you are a real estate agent, this probably wouldn’t be a first choice.

4. RC Unmanned Helicopter Aerial Photography - This method uses unmanned remote controlled helicopters to take aerial shots. This method is great for low altitude aerial photography and is as cost-effective as it is quiet. Unmanned RC Helicopter Aerial Photography is extremely accurate and has the ability to take great shots of landscapes, real estate, business properties and survey sites. It is also much more affordable than manned, full-sized helicopters. RC Helicopter aerial photography, is probably the most versatile form of aerial photography and aerial videography available.

Finding a great aerial photographer and videographer takes some work. It is important to do your research and as well as it is important to know the different kinds of aerial photography. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each type can help you determine which type of Aerial photography and aerial videography is right for you. Also consider the terrain in which you need photographs of or if you need low-altitude shots or if you are in a neighborhood that requires a quiet atmosphere.

Written by Gabriel Killian

Photography

Photography is a popular hobby, pastime, or even a career for many people. Photography has come a long way since its early days and its popularity has not waned. In fact, digital photography is becoming even more popular and it is slowly replacing film photography, especially in professional environments. Even for experienced photographers, the move to digital capture brings with it a significant learning curve.

The Digital Camera

A digital camera is, in effect, a little computer. Picture quality varies from camera to camera. The quality of digital cameras has increased over the years, yet many people feel it isn’t quite as good as a regular camera yet. When you’re shopping for a digital camera keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how much your camera costs, or how big it is. You’re looking for the camera you’re happy with, and that is what’s most important. One of the things I like about digital cameras is that, unlike film, you can reuse the storage media over and over again with no extra cost. If you’ve ever used a film camera, you will remember how annoying it was that you could only store a few pictures on the film, without the ability to delete them once they were made.

The Digital Age

In a sense, digital photography adds a whole new step to photography. It is no longer just photography, it is digitally post-processed photography. The digital age has brought about the greatest transformation in photography since photography was invented.

Conclusion

Digital and traditional photography are complimentary arts. They each have their respective places in the lives of amateur and professional photographers. The skills acquired in traditional photography will definitely be passed on to the digital world. We can easily see that the world of photography has room for both digital photography and traditional photography. Let’s just hope that digital and traditional photographers can make the best of both worlds and continue to produce great work. After all, digital photography is just another tool of modernization in an ever-changing world.

Written by Connitta Bowers